In the dim alley, Gale and Terra found themselves in an awkward situation.
Gale had pinned her to the ground, her wrist held above her head. If anyone walked by, they'd definitely get the wrong idea. But Gale didn't seem to care, and Terra just looked annoyed.
"Why should I help your friends?" Terra scoffed, glaring up at him. "What? do they need help with their homework or something? They're just regular humans- "
"One of them got attacked by a spirit," Gale cut her off sharply.
"Not my problem," Terra shot back.
"What?!"
"I've been on Earth long enough to know how this goes. Spirits don't mess with humans unless they're provoked. So, if your friend got attacked, they probably did something to deserve it."
"You can't just say that! Someone's life is-" Gale paused, his frustration boiling over. But he took a deep breath and sighed. "Fine! If you won't help, then at least keep your alien buddies away from Ayase."
Terra blinked, her eyebrows raising as realization hit. "Oh... so that's what this is about."
She relaxed slightly, a grin creeping onto her face. "Alright, Gale. I'll agree to your terms. But listen up, the spirit problem is your problem. I'll handle the alien part."
Gale stood up, letting her go and handing her cane back. "That's good enough for me, but... what's up with the sudden change of heart?"
Terra brushed the dirt off her clothes and smirked. "Simple. Earth is mine to conquer. I'm not letting some random aliens mess with my plans."
Gale's eyes widened. "Wait...are you saying there are other aliens here trying to take over Earth too?"
"Of course, Earth may be on the outskirts of the galaxy, but it's...unique. Other aliens want to claim it, and while I work alone, they're definitely out there," Terra replied nonchalantly.
"If that's true, then how have humans even survived till now?" Gale asked, shaking his head.
"I already told you, Earth is unique. Besides the fact that other alien species are already an annoyance for me, there's also the spirits. They're like Earth's guard dogs, wild animals we, aliens, barely understand. That's why we didn't launch full on attack, we need to understand them first"
Gale nodded slowly, the pieces starting to make sense. "Then, I trust you with Ayase-san's safety."
He turned, ready to sprint toward the tunnel, when Terra grabbed his arm and quickly let go, as though she hadn't meant to. "You... You haven't told me where she is."
"Right." He opened his phone and sent her the location for Ayase's abandoned hospital, also including the location of Takakura's tunnel. They exchanged numbers quickly, phones beeping with confirmation.
Ding.
Terra glanced at the locations. "So, which one is the alien problem?"
"The abandoned hospital." Gale replied.
"Got it," Terra said, nodding. "And you're heading to the tunnel...on foot?"
Gale forced a determined smile, "I'll get there in time."
"Yeah, no way. I should have drained that stamina of yours. There's no way..." Terra muttered.
"Even so, there's no other way," Gale clenched his fists. "I have to save him!"
Terra sighed and extended her cane toward him. "Grab this."
He eyed the cane warily, "What for? You're not trying to shock me again, are you?"
"Just shut up and take it," She scowled, refusing to meet his eyes.
Gale hesitated at first, but finally grabbed the tip of the cane. In an instant, the space around them distorted, and before he knew it, Gale found himself standing inside a room filled with a sleek control panel, a cockpit.
The room lit up, and he glanced around in astonishment. "Welcome aboard my ship." Terra announced. At first, she wanted to go all dramatic, but her exhaustion made her gave up.
"You can teleport?" Gale asked, looking around in awe. "Why didn't you use that when I was kicking your butt earlier?"
"Shut up, or our deal is off!" she snapped.
"Aye, aye, Lady." He chuckled.
Terra rolled her eyes. "Just so we're clear, I can't teleport. I can only retreat into my ship. It's one of my cane's functions."
Gale's gaze wandered over the controls. "By the way, where exactly is your UFO parked?"
She pressed some button. "We're on top of an abandoned building in the city center. It was supposed to be demolished ages ago, but...let's just say I pulled a few strings."
"You didn't hurt them, did you?" Gale asked.
"No, I used my electric power to hack the data and... well, maybe rewrote a few workers' brains to convince them. But they're perfectly fine, otherwise," she said, waving a hand dismissively.
"Brainwash, huh..."
"Anyway, go up there," she said, ignoring his disapproval. A hatch in the ceiling slid open, revealing the night sky.
"Why?"
"So, you can collect the wind," she said as if it were obvious. "Listen, you may not realize it, but the spirit your friend messed with is seriously dangerous."
"Turbo Granny?"
"Yes. She's Shono city's top dog spirit and you'll definitely need some prep time if you plan on fighting her. I'll drop you off, but I have to move on to my own target."
Gale looked at her, "And you'll definitely save Ayase-san, right?"
"Ah, yeah... that too. D-Definitely," Terra tried to brush it off, but Gale could tell her focus was clearly more on dealing with the alien issue than helping Ayase.
Gale's eyes narrowed, sensing her indifference, but he didn't press it further. Instead, he leapt up through the hatch, feeling the wind rush around him as he prepared for the second fight of his life that day. Only then did he finally take in the ship's design, his eyes widening.
"It's... a train?!" he asked, noticing the UFO's shape closely resembled the train from his dreams, Denliner. Except this one had a sleek black body with glowing purple lights instead of the white and red from the visions.
Terra gave him a glance, "What? Got a problem with it?"
"N-No, no problem," Gale stammered, trying to shake off his surprise. The resemblance was uncanny, but he decided not to question it. "Let's go, then."
At his signal, Terra activated the UFO. A hatch in the floor slid open, revealing a strange bike perched on some kind of conveyor belt. It rose smoothly into view, and Gale realized it was the vehicle's control system.
'It is Denliner!' Gale sweat dropped, it's like the imaginary series from his dream made its way into the real world one way or another. 'But this UFO doesn't seem to be able to time travel'
Terra revved the bike and the UFO surged forward, slicing through the night sky. Gale tightened his grip, the wind swirling around him as the ship accelerated, its sleek form a blur against the dark cityscape
"Whooaaa!" he shouted, his voice barely audible over the roaring wind. But as terrifying as it was, he could feel the power building within him. The speed amplified the wind swirling around his body, and his senses sharpened, fully alert.
Inside the cockpit, Terra monitored his position, occasionally glancing back with mild amusement. "You're not chickening out up there, are you?" she teased through the intercom.
"No way!" Gale shouted back, clutching the edge of Terra's UFO as it streaked across the city. Below, Shono City's lights blurred into vibrant trails of color as they sped toward the haunted tunnel.
"Terra," Gale called suddenly, his voice crackling slightly through the wind, "you weren't serious back there, right?"
"About what? Brainwashing you? If that's the case, I was absolutely serious."
"Nah... I don't buy it. Even if you did, you wouldn't wipe out all my free will."
"Oh? And why is that?"
"Your maniacal laughter, dramatic flair, and conqueror ambitions did catch me off guard. But back when we were walking around the city center, you looked like you were actually enjoying yourself. When you bought that double-scooped ice cream, you seemed... I don't know, almost childlike, like you didn't have the happiest childhood. When I showed you the library, you said..."
'...You're lucky to have people who take care of you. Not everyone does...' Gale recalled
"... that was genuine, isn't? I don't know what you've been through but whatever that is, it made some of your screws lose, but i know you're not that bad."
The intercom went silent for a moment. Terra's hands tightened on the controls. Her usual smugness faltered, and an uncharacteristic tension filled the cockpit.
Then, with an annoyed scoff, she revved the engine harder, making the train accelerate.
"OWAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Gale yelled, clutching the UFO for dear life as the wind howled, the train hurtled forward like a bullet through the night.
Moments later, Terra's UFO slowed to a hover, floating high above the ground just outside the mouth of the tunnel.
On top, Gale was catching his breath- not because he was weak. No, he was stronger than ever, his body charged with the sheer amount of wind he'd gathered. His panting came from the adrenaline. after all, riding on a vehicle instead of in it was an entirely different beast.
"Your stop, Kaze-kun (wind-boy,)" Terra called, her tone dry.
Gale steadied himself, his expression firm. "All right...thanks for the ride, Terra. I'm not letting Takakura down. Just make sure Ayase-san's safe, okay?"
Terra rolled her eyes, though a faint smile tugged at her lips. "Yeah, yeah. Get going, and don't die. After all," she muttered, her voice softer, "I'd hate to lose my best 'gemstone sample.'"
"Whatever you say." With a smile, Gale jumped from the UFO. The wind he'd gathered swirled protectively around him, cushioning his fall as he landed just outside the tunnel's entrance.
The wind didn't scatter or fade, the sheer volume he had gathered kept his power steady and poised.
Gale glanced upward, catching a fleeting glimpse of Terra's UFO as it activated its cloaking system and zipped off toward the abandoned hospital where Ayase awaited.
With a deep breath, he turned to face the darkness of the tunnel, resolve hardening in his chest.
"Takakura-san! You there! Answer me! It's me, Gale!"
Gale's voice echoed down the empty tunnel, swallowed by an eerie silence. He muttered to himself, "This isn't working... maybe..." Summoning his charged power, he released a gust of wind that swirled around him in a soft hum, spreading out like a radar to sense everything nearby.
"There!" he whispered, pinpointing a faint signal deeper in the tunnel. With a burst of wind, he zipped forward, closing the distance. What he found was Takakura, collapsed and convulsing on the ground, his body rigid with spasms.
"Takakura-san! What happened?" Gale crouched down beside him.
Takakura looked up, his face pale and contorted with pain. "G-Gale... you need to leave... but don't run. I... I can't hold her back much longer."
Gale's hand reached out, but he hesitated. "What are you talking about? I have to get you out of here!"
As he moved to lift Takakura, Takakura's skin became red, his eyes glowing a haunting yellow. His body twisted at unnatural angles, joints popping and limbs elongating.
Gale's eyes widened, and he leaped back. "Possession?!"
With a final shudder, Takakura's transformation completed, leaving him standing as Turbo Granny. A modern yokkai with long messy hair, red skin, eyes narrowed, gleaming with a malevolent yellow light as she sneered, "Another brat... how tiresome."
"You! Give him back!"
Turbo Granny scoffed, tilting her head mockingly. "Ya come into my domain and start barking orders? You got a death wish, HUH?!"
The tunnel was suddenly bathed in an ominous red light, and the temperature seemed to drop as a malicious energy filled the tunnel
'She's Shono City's top dog spirit.' Terra's earlier warning echoed in Gale's mind. He swallowed hard, but his feet remained firmly planted, determination cutting through his fear.
Turbo Granny cracked her elongated knuckles, her twisted grin exposing rows of jagged teeth. "You're trembling, kid. What's the matter? Too much for ya already?"
"Maybe..." Gale crouched slightly, the wind swirling around his arms and legs like a living force. Launching forward in a blur. His fist drove toward her chest, the coiled wind amplifying its force.
"RIEDER PUNC-"
The impact never came. Turbo Granny's claw caught his punch mid-strike, her hand barely flinching as the tunnel reverberated from the clash.
"Fast," she sneered, her tone dripping with mockery. "But ya hit like a kitten."
Gale gritted his teeth and spun on his heel, unleashing a wind-enhanced roundhouse kick. The force sliced through the air like a whip, but Turbo Granny ducked effortlessly, her grotesque agility accompanying her twisted frame.
"You'll have to do better than that!" she cackled, claws gleaming as she lunged.
Gale pivoted just in time, the razor-sharp claws slicing through the air inches from his torso. A powerful gust of wind blasted from beneath him, pushing him back and creating some much-needed distance.
"Damn it!" he muttered under his breath, his mind scrambling for a plan.
"What's the matter? Getting cold feet?" Turbo Granny jeered, her glowing eyes locking onto his. Without warning, she surged forward, her speed blurring as she closed the gap in an instant.
Thinking fast, Gale twisted and blasted wind from his feet, launching himself skyward. "How's this for cold feet?" he shouted, slamming his fists downward with a concussive shockwave of wind.
The tunnel howled from the impact, dirt and debris swirling chaotically in every direction. For a moment, he thought he might have gained the upper hand. But as the dust cleared, Turbo Granny stepped out of the chaos, completely unharmed.
"Not bad," she said, her feral grin widening. "But you're just a little breeze, boy. Let me show you what real speed looks like!"
Before Gale could react, Turbo Granny shot forward, a blur too fast for his eyes to follow. Her claws raked across his side, and a sharp pain erupted as blood seeped through the torn fabric of his hoodie.
"Urghh!" Gale grunted, stumbling back and clutching his bleeding shoulder. Each step felt heavier as Turbo Granny's relentless speed and ferocity pushed him closer to collapse. Her twisted limbs lashed out like whips, cracking through the air, narrowly missing him with every dodge.
His footwork was decent, but even the quickest man alive couldn't dodge every raindrop. Gale was always just a step too slow, and little by little, fresh streaks marked his hoodie, with scratches starting to mar his skin. The worst part? Gale could tell the granny wasn't even trying yet.
Another swipe came, and Gale barely twisted away, summoning a burst of wind to propel himself backward. The gust carried him skidding across the rough tunnel floor.
"Stay still!" Turbo Granny snarled, leaping toward him with claws outstretched.
Reacting on instinct, Gale thrust both hands forward, releasing a powerful gust that slammed into her midair. The force shoved her back briefly, but instead of frustration, amusement danced in her glowing yellow eyes. Landing with eerie grace, she narrowed her gaze and lunged again, faster than before.
This time, Gale wasn't fast enough. Her claws slashed across his side, sending a fresh wave of searing pain through his body. He staggered, barely keeping his balance, his legs trembling under him.
"Getting tired already?" Turbo Granny sneered, circling him like a predator savoring its prey.
Gale gritted his teeth, summoning the wind to push himself upright. He couldn't keep this up much longer. Her strength was unreal, each strike landing harder than the last. His mind raced for a solution, and then it hit him, the urban legend.
He wasn't going to win this fight by brute force. He had to change the game. Wiping the blood from his mouth, he forced a grin.
"You know," he called out, sidestepping another swipe of her claws, "for someone who's supposed to be the fastest, you're not all that impressive."
Turbo Granny froze, her glowing eyes narrowing into slits. "What did you just say?"
"I said you're slow," Gale taunted, circling her carefully. "Isn't the legend all about how you can hit 100 kilo per hour? Because right now, you're not even keeping up with me."
Her sneer turned into a snarl. "you dare insult me?! Do you even hear yourself?! Look at you!"
"Why not prove it?" Gale continued, his grin widening despite his pounding heart. "Let's settle this with a game of tag. If you catch me, you can do whatever you want. But if I win, you let Takakura go."
Turbo Granny tilted her head, her neck cracking audibly as she straightened. "A game of tag?" she echoed, her voice dripping with amusement. "Ya think you can outrun me, brat?"
"Only one way to find out," Gale shot back, the confidence in his voice masking the desperation in his chest. "But you'll have to give me a minute's head start. After all, I'm just a slow human, right?"
Turbo Granny chuckled darkly, the sound reverberating through the tunnel like a sinister melody. "Fine. I'll play yer little game. But when I catch you- and I will catch you- you'll wish you'd never crossed my path."
Gale nodded, his muscles coiled like a spring. There was no room for error.
"Your time starts... now!" she growled, her voice rolling through the tunnel like thunder.
Without hesitation, Gale bolted toward the exit, channeling every ounce of stored wind energy to propel himself forward.
"Fifty-nine... fifty-eight..."
He burst into the open air, the cold night biting at his skin. The city lights glimmered in the distance, but he didn't head toward them. He needed to lead heraway, out of the city where her power would start to wane.
"Forty-seven... forty-six..."
The wind swirled around him, amplifying his speed. Trees blurred past as he sprinted toward the city's outskirts, his lungs burning with every breath.
"Thirty-nine... thirty-eight..."
The air behind him felt suffocating, thick with the pressure of her presence. Even counting down, she radiated power, a reminder that she was mere moments away from unleashing it all.
"Twenty-nine... twenty-eight..."
Gale pushed harder, vaulting over fallen logs and weaving through the uneven terrain. Each gust of wind he summoned propelled him forward, but the strain on his body was relentless. He couldn't falter—not for an instant.
"Fifteen... fourteen..."
He glanced over his shoulder for the briefest moment. The tunnel was now a faint shadow in the distance. His gambit was working—she was following. But the hardest part was still to come.
"...three... two... one..."
The night exploded with a deafening roar as Turbo Granny surged forward, a blur of raw speed and malice. "YOUR TIME IS UP. HERE I COME, BRAT!"
Gale didn't dare look back. He couldn't afford to. Every ounce of focus, every bit of energy, was funnelled into one singular goal, RUN
A/N:
Yo, for the folks on , that's it for now. This's just part one of Chapter 2. (I decided to continue instead of making Gale's background a bonus chapter for now. We'll stick with the Turbo Baba arc until it wraps up, and maybe I'll integrate Gale's background into the story later.)
I have to say, I'm actually tearing up a little. Someone left reviews, and I'm so grateful. Back on Wattpad, I practically held my friends at gunpoint to leave comments and votes just to get my story noticed. But here on , I strictly make sure it's pure. The story is standing on its own. So seriously, thank you to everyone who's taken the time to comment.
Oh yeah, i forgot to mention this story is cross-posted from Wattpad. Usually, I post half or part of a chapter weekly on Wattpad, then upload the full chapter here once it's done. So I'm asking, would you prefer I stick with full chapters, or would you like me to upload parts here as I go, like on Wattpad?
Also, quick question about Granny, should she talk with "ya," "yer," etc., for a more folksy vibe, or just speak normally? Let me know what you think.
Last thing, uploading files here... kinda annoying. Like, i need to fix these as#ho#es everytime! "I mustrun" "Ohyeah" "Weshould go back" do you guys know how to fix that?!
That's all I've got for now. See ya.