Action: Time to stay true to my promise, as it is now wintertime. We have a few special chapters for you guys.
Kai: I would say three or four.
Tyler: I agree only a little needs to be covered. A lot of plot holes got covered.
Nexus: This is Action's way of setting up the dynamics of the Aces before the next book.
Action: You guys are spoiling my fun. Though this is fun, two of my big three will work in a band together. Also, when I refer to the big three, I mean the three main characters in the books I have written: Tyler Loft, Kai Blaze, and Kaiser Luna.
Michael: Moving on.
Volcan: Last time: The six students who passed the final graduated and became Ferrum students. Let's not forget they are officially a part of the Aces. However, Kai wasn't about having his freedom taken from him and went rogue. Eventually, Nexus found him and put his heart on the line. It wasn't enough, as the two literally fought in Ultra Space. It ended in a draw, with Kai realizing what he must do and Nexus finally sharing his feelings.
Action: Sidenote as I established each character's themes. Their themes can be played even if the character isn't present. I am only making this exception in these special chapters. Since the characters will not be getting new themes till the new book, these characters have reached peak development for this book.
Tyler: That's a lot to take in.
Michael: Action doesn't own Pokemon, music links, and art if used.
~Kai's~
(Dawn's theme Ballad version - Pokemon DP)
Watching white fall from the sky and touch the ground is so mesmerizing. The sky clouded in gray while small white puffs floated from the sky and hit the ground. It's hard to believe it's already winter with the semester I've had. Though it feels good to relax, I've officially started training with the other Aces with my friends, and it's been a painful experience as they don't hold back. Compared to the Winter Selection, where we had the handicap, they can go all out without a worry. Corrode even went up against Volcan's Ace power and got destroyed the first time. It may only be a week of training so far, but it might've already been a month with how I feel. We only had one training session this morning and the rest of the day to ourselves. It's funny how training started the day after I returned from my outburst.
"What are you thinking about?" I heard a deep voice coming from past the wall. I turned and saw Nexus leaning against the wall; he was shirtless.
"Put a shirt on!" I shouted and turned my head back to the window. I then felt a dip on the couch.
"Me not wearing a shirt in the room hasn't bothered you before," he turned my head so I'd look at him. I could feel a blush creep up on my face.
"Things are different now," I was flustered and frustrated at the same time. My natural reaction was to push him away. The ax dragon laughed at my response. He then calmed down and noticed I had left the TV on an old cartoon I enjoyed as a kid, Yugioh 5Ds. This episode was from season two, when Crow finally summons his dragon.
"Seriously, what's on your mind? Normally, you go out and train when you're thinking something over. However, you seem a bit stuck," Nexus said.
"You know about the music festival that's happening on Christmas Eve?" I asked.
"Yeah, the aces are in a band that's performing," sarcasm dripped from his voice, which was new for me.
"Well, when we decided I would be one of the lead vocals, I was told I would have to write a song, yet I have no music experience. I originally started thinking of a song to write, and my mind drifted elsewhere," I rambled. I then looked at the clock. "I've been here thinking for an hour," I sighed. It feels good to share this with Nexus, as I just kept things bottled up before.
"Okay," Nexus said, trying to process everything I told him. "Relax," He grabbed my shoulders and started to massage them, releasing some of my built-up tension. "What are your parameters?" His voice was calm, and I could melt hearing it.
"Nothing really, preferably something from the pop and rock genre," they said. I thought for a second. "Tyler is the other lead vocalist, and we were both given a list of the group's instruments of choice." I pulled up the screen on my ORB. Jason and Sydney were chosen as backup vocals. Michael, James, and Arthur were selected for bass. Percival, Volcan, and Corrode were selected for lead guitar. Nexus was selected for the Keyboard. Axl was selected for the drums. Lastly, Pollon and Blaze wanted to focus on the SFX part of things and costumes.
"What are you struggling with?" Nexus then turned my head, so I looked deeply into his red eyes, knowing that was all I would focus on.
"I can't put what I'm feeling into words like I can put what others have felt into a song but can't do it for myself, and I want my song to mean something," I frowned.
"I have an idea. Why not meet Tyler and discuss it with him? You both have to write songs, so why not bounce ideas off each other," Nexus made a lot of sense. He was right. I decided to send Tyler a Message.
'I'm struggling to write my song. I thought it would help if I could get your help?' I sent the message and let out a hefty sigh. Tyler keeps telling me to treat him like any other friend, but it's hard to treat someone you idolize as a friend. However, I'm slowly getting over it. I got a quick response.
'That's cool with me. I was going to ask you the same thing. You should come by. You remember where my house is, right?' I could hear Tyler's voice play in my head.
'Give me thirty minutes, and I'll be there,' I then closed my ORB screen. I couldn't contain my excitement when I got up from the couch.
"Kai, remember to be safe and wear a scarf out there," Nexus scolded like a parent would.
"Alright, Dad," I dragged out 'Dad.'
"I love you, and be safe," I froze when he said 'love you.' He says it all the time with a stupid smile on his face. I feel bad each time because I can't bring myself to say it back. Not to mention. I still haven't accepted being his boyfriend or not. Part of me feels guilty, and the other part yells at me for not saying yes.
"I-I like you," before I disappeared down the hall to change his stupid grin morphed to a smile with a bit of pink on his cheeks. It didn't take much for me to prepare as I am a fire type, and it's winter, so I don't need that many layers. Plus, it doesn't snow often in the Elemental region. Winters here last about two months, if that. Hot Rock doesn't even have a winter. They only have three seasons. Though, as Nexus told me, I wore a scarf and matched it with an orange hoodie and gray sweatpants. I grabbed a small bag and put a change of clothes in there, just in case. When I returned to my room, I saw Nexus had already retreated to his bedroom. I went to the fridge, grabbed some of his homemade snacks, and put them in my bag. I left, though as I walked through town, I thought of Tyler as he had been leading the other Aces through a lot before he arrived. He has shared some of his struggles with me. It's like how he had to lead the charge against MT when the S-virus hit Ferrum Battle College. How he had to reason with Blaze to stop his father. After the fight, he struggled in fights and contests. To then be backstabbed by Blaze a second time in the Grand Festival. Or the time he felt like he was used by Tailside when conducting their experiments over the summer. As much as Tyler puts on this happy face, he's been used and manipulated. I know I'm missing more events.
"But when you turn off the lights, are you still alright?" I started to hum to myself. "Whoah, don't let it eat you up, don't let it eat you up," That sounded right. I was right about it. It took me thirty minutes to get to his house, and he greeted me quickly, letting me inside. To my surprise, it wasn't busy here.
(Dearly Beloved- Kingdom Hearts)
"Where is everyone?" I asked. Tyler came out of the kitchen with some tea and cookies.
"My parents took Lucy out on a nice vacation in Hot Rock. Blaze and Axel went out with Arthur, Volcan, Snap, Flora, Corrode, and James. Xavier said he'd be back tomorrow, so it's just me here," Tyler smiled as he set everything down on the table. He disappeared for a second, and when he returned, he had a handheld keyboard. "Are you ready to write music?" he chuckled as he sat in one of the loveseat sofas in the room.
"I mean, sure," I sat on the couch opposite him as I took off my hoodie and scarf.
"I'll share with you what I have so far. I decided to go with a pop style," he played a light riff to which I swayed and added a hi-hat to it. This had a jazzy pop mix to it. "I, am now." His voice was so pretty. "My life, will be bright and colorful," he held out 'life' and swayed while he sang. "Crystal rain will paint, the bleakness of the sky, with the colors of," The rhythm flowed so well, then he held the last note leading to the last words. "A rainbow arc," he then stopped and looked at me. "What do you think?" he asked.
"It's so poppy and fun. It reminds me of how I feel. I wish for my life to be free and happy as I escape the bleakness I was in before," I blushed, sharing my feelings.
"I'm glad because I'm trying to write a song about you. I wanted to share a song you could resonate with from our interactions. One that will touch the audience as well, but I want you to be the one who feels special while I sing this song on stage," Tyler smiled at me before grabbing some tea and drinking it. I was so flattered. I decided to drink some tea he had prepared.
I took the time to soak everything in. "Are you okay with the Aces being in a band together?" I asked. It has never hit me, but Tyler has been so compliant with all this Ace stuff.
"What do you mean?" His little smile didn't waiver.
"Aren't you scared of the possibilities of what could happen? You've been the one affected by all of this. From the beginning," I explained my thinking. His facial expressions morphed into a blank slate I hadn't seen before. My idol, the man I've been seeking to be like. I asked him if he was scared. He probably is, but to know the truth of it all from the one who was the initial target.
"I've always been scared, if I'm being honest. Many friends have seen me at my weakest regarding the virus, being Tailside's assistant, trying to be a top coordinator," Tyler started to list everything he went through at school. "Many Pokemon would have been safe if they had never interacted with me if I'm being honest, but I have to stay strong. I will beat this path laid out for me before I was born, and once I do, I can indeed be free to be me and do whatever I want," Tyler gave an inspiring speech. "To say I'm scared would be a lie, and when I saw you run out of the lab initially, I felt that we couldn't run. We don't have that choice. So, I will be a pinnacle of joy instead of living in fear and sadness. Once this is all done, I can continue my dream of being a top Coordinator," Tyler blushed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to spout that out at you," Tyler got flustered.
"No worries, honestly, it makes me understand you better. As my Idol and as my friend," I smiled. "Oh, I think I got some lyrics," I sprung to life.
"Sing them out for me," Tyler said excitedly.
"But when you turn off the lights, are you still alright?" I started off. " Woah, don't you let it eat you up, don't let it eat you up," Tyler turned his keyboard to an alternative rock guitar to match my pitch. "Heard you've been acting tough, do you think that's enough?" I started to feel confident. "Well don't you let it eat you up, don't let it eat you up now," I then calmed down and looked at Tyler, and he had a massive smile.
"That was good," Tyler clapped lightly. "Was that how you think I feel?" Tyler became bashful. I was proud of myself. I am here with Tyler, making music that resonates with him. I feel warm inside; it's been a while since I felt happiness like this.
"It is. I feel like you and I have become close after all this time, and I see now," I smiled at Tyler. "As much as you don't show it, you suffer. At some point, someone would break down and go through a depression," I complimented how mentally strong he was.
"I would be lying if I didn't say I fell apart a few times," Tyler chuckled. "After the Virus, I fell into a depression and slump with contest training. Not to mention, I lost connection to my powers for some time. When I was finally returning to normal, Blaze betrayed me when I needed him the most. Axel and I were fighting for control of my body. I finally got my act together over the summer when Tailside. was using me as a science pawn," Tyler thought.
"That's a lot to go through. All I got was emotional and physical abuse from my father. Thanks to him, I have separation anxiety, so I push others away before I care," I chuckled.
"Don't ever downplay your emotions. It's what drives us to make our choices. Without them, we'd be blank slates heading nowhere," Tyler scolded me. I then thought about it. He's speaking from experience. "Don't ever let them control you either. That's a terrible way to live. At this point, I am trying to make good out of this bad situation; hence, why not do the music festival before we get to Galor?" Tyler once again put a spin on the damper mood. It's almost like I'm the dark to his light, not in an evil and pure way but in a friendly contrast.
"How about we take a break," I suggested. Tyler seemed intrigued.
"And do what?" He asked.
"Let's battle! Let's burn some energy," I puffed out my chest. Tyler seemed to like my suggestion as he led me out to his backyard, which was prettier than before. There was decorative snow around the battlefield and snowflakes hanging from the trees. It looked so cool as it matched the near-lifeless colors of the leaves. The atmosphere was lighter, as much as I idolize him, I think I put pressure on our relationship. However, this feels free, like nothing can stop us.
"Are you ready for this?" Tyler's voice resonated with genuine enthusiasm. He was on the battlefield, waiting for me.
"Coming," I joined him on the field.
"This will be a casual match. I won't even register it in the ORB," Tyler turned and walked to his side of the field. I did the same. "You can have the first move," Tyler smirked.
(Unstoppable Impulse - Shadowverse)
Unleashing my signature attack, I launched a ball of flames that morphed into the fire symbol. I noticed Tyler's fur came to life as if he was absorbing energy, but a huge flap of his wings and a giant Hurricane appeared to counter my attack. Our attacks collided, causing a massive inferno, and slowly went away. Now, to show him the fruits of my labor. Charging in, I could feel my muscles bulge as I prepared to latch onto Tyler. Then an explosion set off, and water got on my fur. Damn, one of his element mines. While I was off my game, Tyler took his chance and emitted a massive blast of sound in every direction. The intense pressure knocked me off my feet, and fell flat.
"You're going to have to do better than that," Tyler teased me. All I did was growl in response to his teasing and went on the offensive again. This time, the best offense is defense. My eyes glowed blue, and as I got close, I saw Tyler's mine about to go off. I was able to dodge each explosion. I was able to get in close thanks to Detect.
"You're mine!" I shouted, and Tyler was defenseless. His wings glowed and changed to that of metal as he prepared to guard. I jumped up and landed on his back, slamming him to the ground, thanks to Superpower. "I'm not done!"
I jumped up as I got cloaked in a white aura as stars flew around me. I blitzed Tyler once again. I saw Tyler's eyes glow blue and felt it for a second. I couldn't control my body as I missed my target and slammed into the ground. Tyler rolled back to his feet and jumped back. I then realized he had already used four moves: Steel Wing, Boomburst, Psychic, and Hurricane. For me, Fire Blast, Detect, Last Resort, and Superpower.
If he's moving back like this, he has already set up his minefield.
"Seems like you know not to move. Too bad I'll set off the chain reaction for you," Tyler smiled with his eyes closed.
He was right: once I do one thing, it will create a chain reaction. Letting out a shriek, Tyler Attacked me with Boomburst. I jumped back, dodging his attack, but then I was about to be hit with a bolt of electricity. My eyes glowed blue, knowing this was my only way out of the situation. It was as if I could see the attacks in slow motion. I dodged the bolt of electricity, and then a blast of water was going to hit me, and I dodged that. Up next, a spire of rocks came my way, followed by a beam of Ice. How many orbs can Tyler set up and give commands to? I did my best to use Detect to dodge all the tracks, but I could feel the power of the move faltering.
"Nice work," he said, complementing my efforts. "You really have improved in the past week, but I think this fight should end," Tyler joked. I'm over this! If I don't think of something, I'll be consumed by his elemental attacks, and I don't want to rely on my Ace power. Ditching Detect, I jumped up, launching a massive fireball at the ground, and it put up a pillar of fire to protect me from the remaining elemental attacks. I then cloaked myself in a veil of stars and a white aura.
"Well, let's end this," I was a bit cocky about ending this fight. I was prepared to charge at Tyler.
"Sure," he shrugged. Soon, my whole pillar of fire disappeared, and I was alarmed. He pulled the flame pillar apart with Psychic. I noticed Tyler had a ball of pure energy in his claw as he flew at me. I tried to attack back with half of my finishing move gone. His Gaia Devastation was colliding with my Last Resort. It was an instant reaction, but the fight ended, and I looked at the sky.
"I lost," I wasn't expecting to win, but Tyler and I are still far apart in skill. I then realized he had to use Solar Beam to create those orbs. He cheated. "You cheated. You have to use Solar Beam to create the orbs," I jumped to my feet quickly to accuse him but instantly regretted it as I could feel a bit of pain in my legs.
"If you accused me of that a few months back. You may have been right, but after training in the elements, I only have to use Psychic and imagine the orb. I can infuse it with any element," Tyler then demonstrated as his eyes glowed and an orb appeared in his hand. Inside was water. I was amazed. He is so strong. We both laughed as we enjoyed our sparring match.
"We should head inside and get back to writing our songs," Tyler walked to the sliding glass door, and I wasn't far behind. We returned to the living room, and I sat on the sofa. "I'll get us some hot chocolate, and we can continue," Tyler disappeared to the kitchen, and I saw the blanket they had folded on the arm of the sofa. I was uncomfortable and decided to lie and wrap myself in the blanket. I could feel my muscles relax as I got comfortable on the sofa.
"Just don't fall asleep," I said to myself as I could feel the yawn escape my lips.
~Axel's~
(Circhester Theme - Pokemon)
"Tyler!" I shouted from the doorway to let him know I was home. I remember him saying he hates it when the others don't tell him if they are in the house. This is one wish I'll comply with as he is my older brother. "I brought Arthur with me!" There was no response as the land shark and I entered the house. That's odd. He usually scolds me for shouting and not using my inside voice. Did he leave the house? He said he had no intention of leaving today as he needed to finish the song.
"I think he might've left," the shark whispered. It almost sent a chill down my spine, but I won't satisfy him.
"You think I don't know dip shit," I rolled my eyes. As we walked into the living room, I could hear light snoring. Who the fuck falls asleep on the sofa? These things are like bricks. I then noticed two heads above a blanket. It was both Kai and Tyler.
"Look at that. They are so cute," Arthur commented. I snickered at the scene.
"Wow, no shame. What would Michael think?" I wish he were awake because that would have sent Tyler spiraling. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Kai had a crush on Tyler.
"We should leave them alone. As much as I want to tease them," Arthur smirked. He was right, and I hate that he is right.
"You're such a mood killer," I sighed as I went to the kitchen. I know Tyler restocked on snacks if he was inviting a friend over. He must've gotten me my favorite snack as well. He hates leaving anyone out. My hunch was right as I found Pocky in the cabinet. It was matcha green tea. Besides, it was Arthur's favorite snack: Flavored honey sticks. This shit knew I was going to bring him over. Not to mention Blaze's, Lucifer's, Xavier's, and our parents' favorite snacks were in here too.
"If I was such a mood killer-" I cut Arthur off by shoving a pack of honey sticks in his chest.
"Shut up and let's go upstairs," I groaned. He knew I was slightly irritated, but not at him. I've tried to keep it in check, but it's hard. Oddly enough, he chose to be my boyfriend. Even with training my anger and bloodlust, it will take time. I kissed him on the cheek as an apology and grabbed his hand to lead him to my room. Once we got there, I closed the door and sat on my bed.
"I'm sorry," I apologized.
"No need to apologize. I was only bantering with you," Arthur came to my side and trapped me in a hug. It felt good to be alone with him after a day out with the group. I'm not one for PDA, and I feel bad about it when we go out with the group. Emotions are stupid, and so is love. It's all so confusing.
"Yeah," I chuckled, unsure what to do. We stayed in that embrace. It felt good just for us to be like this.
Action: The first special chapter is done. We have two more.
Tyler: It was cool of you to show a bit of Arthur's and Blaze's relationship.
Kai: I agree.
Action: Well, I need to make sure these relationships don't just disappear.
Nexus: What about Kai and me?
Action: That's a bit more complicated.
Axel: Seems like a lot of baggage.
Arthur: Not like we aren't carrying a lot of baggage. *Laughs*
Action: Well, we need a preview.
Arthur: I get to do the preview, that's pretty cool. Next Time: We need to prepare the venue, and it seems Pollon and Blaze will be in charge of it all. We have our first rehearsal and enjoy some of the festivities the day before Christmas. Wait, Christmas Day is the day of our performance. There is more love in the air as we get to see more of the Aces dynamic. Come back next time for Special Chapter 2: Christmas Dream. Only on ESA!
Action: Don't forget to fav, follow, and review.
Tyler & Kai: We'll see you next time! Bye!
