Chapter 48: The Effects of a Purposeful Slip-Up

"After three years of failure to succeed in the Royal Rally, Gemma January finally downs Candace Maxey in an epic five event series to claim the Royal Rally title. There were a whole lot of twists and turns as the games went on. Candace was in control for most of this event but amid Gemma's insane athleticism, she has failed to hang on. As we continue this conversation…"

"That's a bummer. I could've sworn Candace would have beaten her." Mom said as she was surprised at what she saw.

It was the next morning and we were watching the news, breaking down how Gemma had beaten Candace. My mother told me she slept through most of it and couldn't get through the whole thing. So I decided to recap for her by turning on the news so that she could get the info.

"Yeah, I was almost as surprised as you were at the last minute. Gemma has a lot of passion." I said.

"I can see that. So she was the one not in control this whole time?"

"Yeah, but she managed to overcome it all."

"Wow… Candace sure has been dominant, but to see her lose in a crazy finish sounds really surprising." Mom said.

"Well… it was all thanks to Xavier, honestly." I said with a sweatdrop.

"Really? Why would you say that?" Mom asked with a light giggle.

"Because he was the one jinxing the entire rally. He made his prediction on who was going to win but then he was overdoing it by saying that the event was already decided as Candace was going to win the whole thing. It didn't look too pleasant for Candace fans. We tried to stop him but it was such a pain."

"Oh. I guess he must've felt bad."

"He didn't know it was going to happen. But hopefully this is a lesson next time for not spoiling the entire match."

Hopefully. Key word.

"I see. So what did you think of your first time being in this event? Would you wanna go there again?"

"Um… it was fun, but I would have to think about it. I can't focus on too many things at once."

"True, but I just want to make sure you're having fun on your summer break."

"I am having fun. All of my friends made me have fun. I'm just saying I don't want to do too many things because it would be so complicated for me."

"Ok. As long as you are happy, then I'm happy."

I wonder… I think it's time I owed an apology to Gemma. I know I wanted to root for her, but in order to get Candace on my side, I needed to vote for Candace in order to get her to join our team. In just 2 days, the second stone should be appearing so I gotta act fast.

"Alright. I'm about to go outside for a walk."

"Really? It's still morning, pumpkin." My mom said.

"I know, but it's really nice outside. I thought I could use this time to enjoy the view after last night."

"Ok, ok. But don't walk too far."

"I won't. It'll be just a daily walk."

After I put on some clothes, I was now walking around the area on a bright sunny day as there was nobody here. It was really surprising but it was no big deal since a lot of people are busy. I can't say for sure.

I took this time though to get on my phone and have a conversation with Gemma about what happened last night.

I was kinda nervous at first, but I went ahead and made the first move by texting this to her…

"Hey, Gemma? Have you got a minute?"

Hopefully this doesn't make her feel upset. If it does, I must feel really really bad.

…

Honestly, knowing her, she can be easygoing, but after what happened, I have a feeling this could go in a different direction.

*NOTIFICATION CHIME*

"Of course! I'll be very happy to listen to you! What's on your mind?" Gemma texted a few seconds after I responded.

Ok. She's willing to talk about it. There's no going back now.

"I just wanted to tell you that I broke your promise. I did it on purpose."

It just needed to be said.

*NOTIFICATION CHIME*

"Broke what promise? I didn't want you to promise me anything. Lol!"

"Before last night, I decided to vote for Candace instead of you. It wasn't because I had a strong feeling she might beat you. It was just… I wanted to make sure if you would feel ok that I vote for Candace."

Hope this works.

And shockingly after a couple of seconds…

*NOTIFICATION CHIME*

"There's no need to beat yourself up over that. I didn't say I wanted you to vote for me or anything. The whole point of the Royal Rally was to enjoy the event and watch us duke it out. It's kind of a shocker that you voted for Candace, but it was your decision overall, so I'm not always gonna be upset at who you vote for. Candace, though, would really love that you voted for her, so that means she's going to respect you back." Gemma texted.

I gained a sigh of relief after seeing that text, knowing that she wasn't mad at me.

"Yeah, that's true." I texted back.

*NOTIFICATION CHIME*

"And besides, this was our last Royal Rally together, so you might not see one of us do this stuff again. I may not know what's next for me, but what I do know is that I won just one Royal Rally. Everyone on social media right now is just extremely happy for me."

"Yeah, everyone sure is happy for you."

*NOTIFICATION CHIME*

"Right?! So yeah, just because you voted for Candace, does not mean I lose respect for you, ultimately to the point where we are not friends anymore. I would never break ties with anybody, unless it's for the best."

Wow… she's just easygoing.

"Ok. Thank you for the kind words, Gemma. I wasn't sure how you would've felt, but I guess I've underestimated how you really are."

*NOTIFICATION CHIME*

"That's really how I am! No worries! I will always stick by you, no matter what!"

*NOTIFICATION CHIME*

"And to prove it to you, I wanted to ask if you got any info on the situation of Thanos."

Oh? I didn't expect that.

"I do. And all of this comes from what I see, so it would be best if you hear me out."

*NOTIFICATION CHIME*

"Ok. Wait, you were a witness?" Gemma texted.

"Yes. I couldn't believe it, but my rumor is supposed to be true."

*NOTIFICATION CHIME*

"Ok. I'll listen."

*10 MINUTES LATER*

*NOTIFICATION CHIME*

"Wow, that's gotta be really bad." Gemma texted after hearing my side of the story.

*NOTIFICATION CHIME*

"So Thanos is attempting to find the stones so that he can put an end to possibly the whole world?"

"Yes. That's why in the upcoming days, I have to prepare to put a stop to this." I texted back.

*NOTIFICATION CHIME*

"But Thanos is really hefty. He's no match for you. He could put your life in danger as well."

"I know, but there's a reason why Blue gave you that letter I sent her."

*NOTIFICATION CHIME*

"A letter? You gave this to me?"

"Yeah. I'm not going to be alone." I texted.

*NOTIFICATION CHIME*

"But even I can't defeat Thanos either. Are you sure you wanna stop Thanos?"

"I don't have anybody else to rely on. I got Blue to team up with me, but it's too small of a gang to stop him."

I then looked up to make sure I was paying attention to what's ahead of me. And obviously nothing was there.

Except one thing.

As I looked down, there was this strange footprint on my left. A big footprint, to say the least. I'm not sure what the situation was, but I took the time to figure out that strange footprint.

And it was not just one strange footprint. It was a trail of big footprints. I have watched some mysteries before, so I went ahead and took the courage to quietly follow the trail of footsteps.

I'm surprised nobody said anything about this. But did a fracas happen or something?

…

This feels a little uncanny.

But as soon as I thought that, an unexpected sequence happened.

I started to notice this green foggy view appear out of nowhere. I didn't know what was happening but I started to get out of there.

Or… I tried to get out there.

Because I then started to feel a little sleepy in just seconds. It felt like I was about to pass out. My body was ready to give up on me and my legs wouldn't move.

It was then that I fell to the ground with my body giving up in a blink of an eye due to the green fog that my body couldn't take. And I felt really really sleepy.

"What… the… hell…" Those were the words that I said before I drifted to sleep with nothing left for me. And I had a strong feeling this was the end of my life. I didn't want to die like that. Not like this.

This… is on… me.

Author's Note: So a wonderful morning for Kaze turns into absolute horror as she has caught herself into a nightmarish state, putting her life at serious risk. But the question is, where is that mysterious fog coming from? You'll find out in the next chapter.

So I'm now starting to keep my word when I say I'm going to be more productive in publishing these chapters. We've got only a few chapters left before we start the Mushroom Kingdom arc, so it's time that I push forward.

If you guys are enjoying this story, make sure to favorite/follow/review the story, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter.