Chapter 17: A Storm in the Stormgrounds
Minnie and Robbie were at the Stormgrounds, looking for the electric UnderWorlder snake, Stormamba. "Stormamba's hangout is just up ahead." Minnie said. "Great. I've been wanting to get a scan of Stormamba for a while now." Robbie said. "Me too. Especially since his air attacks are awesome." Minnie said. Suddenly, Robbie saw a lightning bolt about to strike Minnie. "Look out!" He exclaimed, pushing Minnie out of the way before they could get struck. As they recovered, they blushed out of embarrassment at their position. "Thanks for the save." Minnie said. "No problem." Robbie said. As they recovered, they continued heading towards Stormamba's hangout, holding hands. "Not exactly ideal for a first date." Minnie joked. "Yeah. Rather shocking, really." Robbie joked. They laughed as they continued. But as they continued, they didn't notice that Robbie accidentally dropped his scanner.
Suddenly, a familiar Creature watched them from the air. It let out a terrifying roar, getting their attention. They turned and saw a large green Creature with 2 sets of wings, 4 tendrils on its bottom and a single eye. "That bloke looks familiar." Robbie said with worry. "It's a FarWorlder. One of the few that came through Elfraüx's portal." Minnie said. "We should scan it." Robbie said, trying to find his scanner. "The FarWorlders are bad news, Rob. We should port back to Chaotic." Minnie said, remembering how bad Elfraüx was. Just then, the FarWorlder started firing energy blasts at them, slightly missing them. "We gotta port!" Minnie exclaimed. "I can't!" Robbie exclaimed. "Why not?" Minnie asked. "I lost my scanner!" Robbie cried. As the FarWorlder flew towards them, they screamed.
(Intro)
The FarWorlder flew over Minnie and Robbie as it fired more energy blasts, forcing them to run. "I can't believe you lost your scanner, Robbie!" Minnie exclaimed. "I must've dropped it somewhere!" Robbie exclaimed. "Then we better find it fast!" Minnie exclaimed. As they kept running, the FarWorlder kept firing energy blasts at them. Just then, Robbie spotted his scanner. "There it is!" He called. But then, the FarWorlder released a telepathic wave attack at them, taking effect on their minds. "My- mind- feels- weird." Minnie struggled to say, feeling the effects of the attack. "My- mind- too." Robbie said, feeling the effects too. The collapsed from the effects As the FarWorlder circled over them, they mustered all the strength they could and tapped their scanners, porting back to Chaotic. The FarWorlder was shocked by this, letting out a roar of anger as lightning flashed.
As they ported back to Chaotic, Minnie and Robbie shook off the effects of the mind attack. "Oh man. That FarWorlder really creeped me out, luv." Robbie said. "Me too. No way I'm going back to the Stormgrounds while that thing is around." Minnie said. They met up with the others as Sidney and Krista were in the middle of a trade. "Guys, you're not gonna believe what we just went through-" Minnie tried to say. "Sorry, Min, but we're in the middle of a trade here." Sidney said. "Okay, Sid. How about this? My extra scan of Graalorn Forest for your extra scan of Odu-Bathax. Deal?" Krista asked. "Sure. Sounds fair. How about throwing in a Hornsabre too?" Sidney asked. "Done." Krista said.
"What the heck is going on?" A young man asked as Nika's eyes widened. "Oh no." She said as she turned around and saw a very familiar figure walk over to her. He was a young man with chestnut hair, wearing a jean vest, a white t-shirt, blue jeans and white sneakers. "Nika? What are you doing here? I thought you were in your room back home?" The young man asked. "Uh, hey, Brandon." Nika said, rubbing the back of her head. "I'm sure I've got a lot of explaining to do so…" "Nika, who is this?" Minnie asked. "Guys, this is my brother, Brandon. Brandon, these are my friends Sidney, Minnie, Robbie, Gisele and Krista." Nika introduced. "Yeah, Nika's told me about you." Brandon said. "But where are we? The last thing I remember was being in my room and I entered this Chaotic code into my scanner and the next thing I know, here I am." "Yeah, that happened to all of us." Krista said. "This is Chaotic. The real deal." Sidney couldn't help but blush at Brandon's appearance. "GlacierGladiator." A robot said as it flew over to the group. "Yes?" Brandon asked, startled by the robot. "Your first Chaotic match starts in 10 minutes in the Tirasis Drome." The robot said. "We'll take you there, Brandon." Nika said. As the group walked away, Sidney was still staring at Brandon with a blush. "Come on, Sid." Minnie said as she and Robbie brought her along.
Later, the group and Brandon rode the moving sidewalk towards the Tirasis Drome. "You see, you pick your deck like you were playing the card game or online." Nika explained. "And when you transform into the Creature you're attacking with, go with it." Krista explained. "Don't let the transformation freak you out. Learn to become one with the Creature you battle as." Robbie explained. "Okay. Thanks." Brandon said. As they reached the drome, Brandon walked inside. "You think Brandon can handle himself?" Gisele asked. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Brandon's as good as me when it comes to Chaotic. He can handle whoever he's up against." Nika said.
Inside the drome, Brandon's opponent was none other than Lia. "So, you are Nika's brother. It is an honor to be your first opponent in Chaotic." Lia said. "Uh, thanks." Brandon said. Just then, he received a call on his scanner. He answered it and saw it was Nika. "Remember, your first match is always one-on-one. Lia's into UnderWorlders like me. I'm sure you can handle the rest." Nika said. "Right. Thanks, sis." Brandon said ending the call.
Outside the drome, the group watched Brandon and Lia get set up. "I hope your brother knows what he's doing." Minnie said. "Don't worry. I know he can do it." Nika assured. Sidney watched with concern.
Inside, Brandon finished setting up his deck. "Players, lock your decks." The Drome Master instructed. Brandon and Lia locked their decks and revealed their Creatures. Brandon had chosen the water dragon OverWorlder, Issaley, while Lia chose Piddan. "Oh, that's pretty cool." Brandon said. "GlacierGladiator, because this is your first Chaotic match, you will choose the Location. Activate the Location randomizer." The Drome Master instructed. "Uh…" Brandon said as he didn't know what to do. "It's that spinner on your board. Spin that to select one of your 10 selected Locations." Lia explained. Brandon spun the randomizer until it landed on the selected Location. "The first Location, the Riverlands. Choose your attacking and target Creatures please." The Drome Master instructed. "That's easy enough. Issaley attacks Piddan!" Brandon declared. He tapped his Issaley and transformed into the watery dragon. "Whoa! This feels so weird and so cool!" He said as he checked himself out. Lia tapped her Piddan and transformed into the UnderWorlder. "You think it's cool now? Just wait until we start battling. Let's get Chaotic!" She exclaimed as everything went white.
At the Riverlands, Issaley looked at his surroundings. "I can't believe I'm actually Issaley. And I can't believe I'm actually in the Riverlands." He said. "Believe it!" Piddan's voice called. Issaley looked up and saw Piddan as he attacked with Torrent of Flame, knocking him down. 'Whoa! That was rough! I need my gear! How do I get my BattleGear?' Brandon thought. As Piddan fired another Torrent of Flame, Issaley fired Riptide from his mouth, dousing the attack. Issaley looked at his wrist, seeing that it was equipped with a Torrent Krinth.
The gang watched the match from outside. "Issaley is Brandon's go-to Creature. He's used him in pretty much all of his card matches and online matches." Nika explained. "And with the Torrent Krinth, his water attacks are major boosted. Especially in the Riverlands." Krista said. Sidney watched the match with interest.
Piddan attacked with Ember Swarm, but Issaley quickly doused them with Water Whirl. "Nice move, newbie. But I'm afraid the worse is yet to come." Piddan said, summoning his BattleGear, a Vile Driver. Issaley attacked with Riptide, but Piddan fired back from the Vile Driver's cannons, evaporating the attack. Issaley was shocked by this. Piddan fired from his cannons again, knocking him down. 'Ugh! I gotta find somewhere to hide! But where can I- Wait. That's it!' Brandon thought. Issaley dived into the river and disappeared.
The group saw this. "What's Brandon doing?" Robbie asked. "Since Issaley's scales are practically made of water, when he dives into rivers or lakes, he can completely disappear." Nika explained. Now Sidney was getting impressed by this move.
Piddan fired his cannons into the river, trying to find Issaley. "You can't hide from me forever!" He exclaimed. "Whirl Wreck!" Issaley's voice exclaimed. Suddenly, a Whirl Wreck erupted out of the river and struck Piddan, knocking him and his Vile Driver down. Issaley came out of the river and smiled proudly at the success of his attack. "Smoke Surge!" Piddan fired a cloud of smoke from his hands. Issaley coughed as the smoke surrounded him. "What's the matter, Brandon? Can't breathe?" Piddan asked. "I don't need to breathe to win. Flood Force!" Issaley tossed an orb of water into the air and it exploded into a giant flood. Piddan screamed as the flood struck him and coded him.
Lia stared at Brandon in surprise as he transformed back. "You are a worthy player, Brandon." She said, giving an honorable bow. "Thank you." Brandon said as he bowed back. The group watched from outside. "He beat Lia." Krista said in surprise. "He really did." Robbie said. "Told you my brother was good." Nika said. Sidney was now really impressed by how well Brandon played.
Later, the group met up at their usual table. "So, you guys can actually port to Perim?" Brandon asked. "Yeah. That's where me and Minnie were coming from when we met you." Robbie said. "We were at the Stormgrounds trying to scan Stormamba." Minnie said. "I'd like to see the Stormgrounds for myself." Brandon said. "Then let's go there right now." Nika said. "Uh, bad idea, luv. We encountered some major safety issues while we were there." Robbie said. "Yeah. A FarWorlder who has it out for humans as bad as Elfraüx." Minnie said. "Was that what you were trying to tell us when we were trading?" Krista asked. Minnie and Robbie nodded. "What's a FarWorlder?" Brandon asked. "The FarWorlders are a tribe of Creatures from another planet. A few of them came through a portal at the Cliffends. But they're not exactly fans of our kind." Nika explained. "Do any players have any scans of these FarWorlders?" Brandon asked. Everyone looked at Sidney as she reluctantly brought out her scanner, dialed in her scan of Elfraux and showed it to Brandon. "His name is Elfraüx. He was locked in a pod at the Cliffends. But after he was set free, he constructed a portal in order to bring his friends over to invade Perim. But the portal imploded and collapsed in on itself as only a few FarWorlders came through. But believe me. They're bad news." Sidney explained, remembering when Elfraüx nearly destroyed her. Brandon stared at the scan, wondering if the FarWorlders were that dangerous. "Show me, guys. Show me how to port to the Stormgrounds so I can see for myself." He said. The group was shocked by this.
Later, as the group ported to the Stormgrounds, they noticed that it wasn't as stormy as it usually is. "Uh, I expected the Stormgrounds to be more…stormy." Brandon said. "It was the last time we were here." Robbie said. "Then where's all the rain and lightning?" Gisele asked. "I don't know. But I don't see that FarWorlder anywhere either." Minnie said. "Hopefully, he might be gone." Sidney said in fear.
Meanwhile, on a nearby mountain, the FarWorlder, along with a still mind-controlled Nebres and Aimukk, were working on a machine that was absorbing the storms in the Location. Suddenly, the FarWorlder turned around, having sensed something, but saw nothing. It growled, knowing that they weren't alone.
Later, the group continued to look around. "Remember, Brandon, Perim isn't like the BattleDromes. If you get ported here, kiss Chaotic goodbye." Nika said. "Don't worry, Nika. This'll be a snap. Just like when we sent our old bully to his house in a box." Brandon said. "Literally." Nika chuckled at the memory. Just then, Sidney spotted something nearby. "Guys!" She whispered. The group ducked behind the mountain as Sidney got out her scanner to get a closer look. "Is that the FarWorlder?" She asked. "Yeah, that's the one." Robbie said. Gisele got out her scanner to get a look too. "Nebres and Aimukk are with him. But what're they doing?" She asked. "I think I see some kind of machine. And I think it's somehow absorbing the storms." Sidney said. "Okay. So, we found our FarWorlder. How do I scan it?" Brandon asked. "Get it on your scanner's screen and hit the button. But we're too far away to get a scan lock." Minnie said.
As the group continued on their way, they climbed up one of the mountains near the one the FarWorlder, Nebres and Aimukk were on. "I still can't figure out what they're doing. Why are they absorbing the storms in this Location?" Sidney asked. "I don't know. Let's just grab a scan of this FarWorlder and port out." Minnie said. "Yeah, we should be close enough for a scan lock." Nika said. They brought out their scanners and proceeded to scan the FarWorlder. But suddenly, Stormamba flew up from nearby and growled. "Stormamba!" Minnie exclaimed. The group gasped as they turned their scanners on Stormamba, scanning him instead.
As the group scanned him, Stormamba turned towards the other mountain and attacked with Lightning Burst. But the FarWorlder attacked with a green fire attack, blocking Stormamba's attack. "Guys, look!" Brandon called. "Our scanners locked onto Stormamba instead of the FarWorlder." Sidney said. "This is awesome, Robbie! We got Stormamba!" Minnie cheered. Robbie laughed as they hugged and spun around. "We better port out now before the FarWorlder spots us!" Krista exclaimed. "No! I came here to scan a FarWorlder and that's what I'm gonna do!" Brandon exclaimed, taking off. "No, Brandon! Don't risk it!" Nika exclaimed. Sidney watched in concern as her new crush took off. Stormamba attacked with Toxic Gust, blowing the FarWorlder into the mountain. But the FarWorlder recovered and attacked with a Power Pulse. But Stormamba dodged it with his serpent-like movements. The group watched as Brandon climbed down the mountain and moved closer. As Stormamba prepared to attack again, the FarWorlder attacked with Magma Balls. Stormamba dodged the attack, but Brandon nearly got hit in the crossfire. "You guys port back to Chaotic! I'll get Brandon!" Nika exclaimed as she climbed down. The group looked at each other. "We're coming with you!" Sidney exclaimed as she and the group followed Nika down. The FarWorlder attacked with more Magma Balls, but Stormamba intercepted with Lightning Burst. The group covered their heads as they chased after Brandon.
Stormamba attacked with Fearocity, striking the FarWorlder. The group were about to catch up to Brandon, who was trying to get a scan lock on the FarWorlder. The FarWorlder attacked with a powerful fire attack, but Stormamba dodged it, causing it to strike a mountain. Just then, as Nebres and Aimukk absorbed enough of the storm, they stopped the machine, causing the storms to start up again. Lightning was striking all over the place and heading towards Brandon. "Brandon, watch out!" Nika exclaimed. Brandon saw the lightning flashing up everywhere. "Port out now!" Krista exclaimed. Brandon hesitated, not knowing if he should port out or risk scanning the FarWorlder. "NOW!" Sidney exclaimed. But Brandon got a determined look on his face and held up his scanner. Sidney noticed that look as the others activated their scanners.
Later, Minnie, Robbie, Gisele, Nika and Krista made it back to Chaotic. They sighed in relief. "Huh?! Where's Brandon?!" Nika asked in shock. The others realized. "And where's Sidney?!" Krista asked. "I guess they're…" Robbie couldn't even finish saying that sentence. The group was horrified. They sat at their table, sad from thinking their best friend was gone. "I can't believe it. Sidney's gone." Minnie said, wiping her tears. "Along with my brother." Nika said. "We'll never see them in Chaotic again." Gisele said. "Hey, guys." Sidney's voice said. The group shot out of their seats in surprise when they saw Sidney standing before them. "Why are you guys crying? Someone lose a puppy?" Sidney asked. "SID!" The group cried as they brought her into an emotional group hug. "We thought you were history!" Krista cried. "What happened?" Robbie asked. "Well, I was about to port out with you guys, but then I saw a certain look on Brandon's face. I knew he wasn't gonna bail until he got a scan of the FarWorlder. So, I faked out and stuck around to help." Sidney explained. "Where's Brandon now?" Nika asked. "Over by the snack bar. Careful. He's drawn a crowd."
She was right. Brandon was surrounded by other players as he explained what happened. "So, after the storms started back up, Nebres and Aimukk disappeared with their machine." He explained. The group shoved through the crowd. "Brandon! Glad to see you made it." Nika said in relief. "Hey, sis. Glad to be back. If it wasn't for Sidney, I would've been fried by the lightning." Brandon said. Sidney blushed at that. "So, you get what you wanted?" Robbie asked. "You bet. Sorry again for the fake-out, by the way. But I got it. Check it out." Brandon said, showing his new scan. Everyone was amazed by this. "It says his name's Glettraüx. He's definitely a FarWorlder." Minnie said. "And a weird looking one at that." Krista added. "You and I should head to the Beta Drome sometime to check that out." An attractive girl said, trying to score with Brandon. "Thanks, but I already have a date." Brandon said. Sidney walked up and offered her arm. "Shall we?" She asked. "We shall." Brandon said, linking his arm with hers. As they walked away, the crowd, along with the disappointed girl, dispersed. "My best friend and my brother. Who would've thought?" Nika asked. "Well, at least we didn't get away empty handed. We all got Stormamba scans." Minnie said. "So, what do we do now?" Krista asked. The group looked at each other. "I'm gonna go find Darwin." Gisele said, walking away. "Yeah, I think I'll go find Eric." Krista said, walking away. "Yeah, we have a thing too." Minnie said as she and Robbie walked away, holding hands. "Huh. It seems that I'm the only single one left in this group." Nika said, folding her arms. "Oh well. Matter of time, I guess."
New Cards:
Creature: Glettraüx
FarWorld Scout
Courage: 70
Power: 70
Wisdom: 60
Speed: 85
Elements: Fire, Air
Mugic: 2
Energy: 100