~~000~~
Tales of the Multiverse Bit 264
"Wow, seriously? So, I'll be seeing my brothers again sooner than I thought."
When he found out they're becoming part of the Heroes Coalitions, Terry Matthew McGee's face lights up with excitement. Mariegold Silvers looks at him with wide eyes, totally surprised. She had absolutely no clue that Terry even had brothers.
~~000~~
The three guys went on with their adventure inside this massive cram school and had to deal with a bunch of their friends who'd been hypnotized which includes Ayame Shaga, Cloudia Cumulus, Dac, Houki Shinonono, Jeet Rage, Jim Guardian, Lee Garo, Naoe Kanno, Nora Valkyrie and You Satou.
It was tough going with names like Jeet and Lee throwing punches at them but the real headaches were these three: Bartlomiej Agbayani, Flannery Faulkner and Seishirou Tsugumi. They put up quite the fight but the guys managed to come out on top in the end.
Up on the 15th floor, Buccaneer "Buckles" Murphy, Gillian "Gill" Norman and Joash Ebony are seen totally out of breath while Lucy Ashley and Korriana Ramzyse are sprawled out on the floor, knocked out cold after the intense fight. The guys had just managed to overpower them, even though they know their friends didn't hold back, and it's pretty shocking because everyone at the Training Camp knew that Gill and Buckles were the weakest of the bunch.
"I can't believe this!" Gill gasped in disbelief, "That son of a bitch Ikaros hypnotized so many of our friends!" he exclaimed.
Buckles nodded in agreement and his teeth clenched in anger, "I'm gonna kill him." he murmured but he is torn because he didn't want to hurt his friends, even if they were under some kind of mind control.
Joash lets out a puff of smoke while breaking the silence, "Alright, let's keep moving." he beckoned with the two nodded in agreement.
But then, out of nowhere, Buckles' phone starts ringing, "Whoa!" he uttered out loud, "My phone!" he squawked in surprise.
"Who's calling you now?" Gill asked.
Buckles thought about it, "Maybe the higher-ups had figured out that some of our friends are missing." he assumed, "They're probably checking in to see if we're okay." he added.
"Could be." Joash considered.
And with that, they start heading down the hall, their conversation echoing in the quiet space, their footsteps the only noise to break the silence.
Buckles put the phone to his right ear, "Hello?" he greeted, "Mika-sensei, what's up?" he inquired and his tone changed dramatically when he heard the news, "What?!" he exclaimed and his face grew dark with anger, "Hold on, I think we're close to where they took her!" he assured while trying to sound confident despite the fear gripping him, "Don't worry, we'll be okay." he reassured, "I promise." he expressed before hanging up.
"What's going on?" Gill asked.
"Is it worse than we thought?" Joash added.
Buckles nodded grimly in response, "Some asshole took Evanore!" he growled and the news hit them like a ton of bricks.
"But Joash left Fenice to watch over her!" Gill protested with his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Someone must've messed with Fenice's talisman." Joash assumed through clenched teeth after piecing it together.
"Let's move." Buckles urged with his voice firm, "I have a hunch that Ikaros is the one who did this." he declared.
"Given how he knew we were coming, it seems pretty likely." Joash replied in agreement while following close behind the silver-haired guy.
"This is such a mess." Gill grumbled but he didn't hesitate to follow them.
The three guys eventually made it to the 16th floor when out of nowhere, a massive flaming bird burst from around the corner and let out an enormous roar that echoed down the corridor.
"Oh my God, it's Fenice!" Gill yelled in shock.
Joash clenched his teeth, "Great." he grumbled, "Ikaros has the power to mesmerize living beings." he stated.
"Yeah, he did hypnotized Jim, whom is a robot." Gill reminded.
Joash took a deep drag from his cigarette and blew out the smoke, "Alright, you two go on up." he beckoned, "I've got a better handle on this situation." he said while moving ahead to face the bird.
Buckles nodded in response, "Be careful, Joash!" he called back and took off up the stairs.
"Yeah!" Gill added and followed Buckles.
Joash snorted while turning to face the fiery creature, "Alright, Fenice..." he began while fireballs began floating around him, "Let's get you back to normal, buddy." he cooed, "Time to go back to your master." he declared.
The bird roared in response and charged right at the Seer.
As Buckles and Gill approached the stairs on the 17th floor, they were suddenly jolted by a deafening boom from the level below.
"Holy moly, what was that?!" Gill exclaimed with wide eyes and his voice was filled with genuine concern, "You reckon Joash is alright down there?" he asked.
"I'm sure he's fine." Buckles reassured, "That guy's been around that beast more than we ever have." he reminded, "He's got a knack for it." he added.
All of a sudden, they heard more footsteps approaching from around the corner. To their surprise and dismay, it was Lukz Ramzyse, all decked out in his Mandalorian armor.
"Oh, come on, seriously?!" Buckles exclaimed in annoyance while shifting into a defensive pose, "Alright, let's get this done." he murmured gruffly.
Gill then shakingly took a step forward, "Buckles, I can't believe I'm about to say this..." he trailed, "... but you go ahead." he beckoned, "I'll handle Lukz." he declared.
"Are you sure about this?" Buckles questioned in concern.
Gill gulped in response, "I'd be lying if I said I was totally confident but we don't have a choice here." he replied, "Evanore's in trouble and we can't dawdle." he reasoned and his eyes focused on the situation at hand, "You need to go!" he barked.
After a moment's consideration, Buckles nodded in response, "Just don't go getting yourself killed, alright?" he advised and with that, he dashed up the stairs.
Gill took a deep breath and turned to face Lukz, "My usual tricks aren't gonna work here and you're hypnotized." he stated and his voice laced with frustration, "But I'm not backing down." he declared, "Let's see how I do against you." he murmured and with that, he raised his gun and stared at the younger Ramzyse with his resolve unwavering.
"That was some serious guts you showed there!" a voice murmured in response.
"Cut the crap and lend a hand, you sneaky son of a gun!" Gill burst out while clearly irritated, "I knew you were lurking around here somewhere, you crafty devil!" he yelled out loud while not bothering to hide his annoyance.
Out of the shadows emerged a young guy and is none other than the infamous "Captain" Cesaro Barbossa.
Cesaro shot him a smug grin, "Impressive that you picked up on my presence." he complimented.
Without missing a beat, Gill swiveled his head towards the newcomer, "You bet your sweet ass I did!" he affirmed, "Your cheap cologne's been giving you away from a mile off!" he snarled in annoyance.
Cesaro chuckled in response, clearly enjoying the exchange, he then strolled over and took his place beside Gill, the two of them now facing the entranced Lukz together.
Meanwhile, up on the 18th floor, Buckles was sprinting down the hallway, peeking into each room as he went. Then, in the distance, he spotted a big, imposing door. Without missing a beat, he dashed towards it and gave it a punt that sent it flying open. There, right in front of him, were Ikaros Azaroth and Michiru Honekawa, standing so close they could've shared a breath mint and sprawled out on a massive desk near a floor-to-ceiling window was none other than Evanore Highmore Wolfmoon.
"Eva!" Buckles yelled out.
Ikaros swiveled around to face him with a smirk playing on his lips, "Ah, what an unexpected surprise." he mused, "Greetings, young man." he greeted, "Welcome to my not-so-humble abode." he expressed in glee.
"You!" Buckles growled, "What the hell do you think you're doing to her?" he demanded.
"My, my, so much hostility." Ikaros mused, "But I can't say I blame you, considering my less-than-stellar track record." he acknowledged.
Michiru looked over while interrupting the tension, "What are you even doing here?" she asked towards the silver-haired boy.
"What the fuck am I doing here?" Buckles shot back, "I'm here to save my friend and put an end to whatever that sick shit is cooking up!" he declared.
Michiru clenched her hands, "Please, just go." she pleaded, "This isn't your fight." she reasoned.
Buckles narrowed his eyes, "Why are you with that motherfucker anyway?!" he growled in question.
"I'm here because he said he could help me." Michiru answered and her voice laced with a hint of desperation.
"Help with what?" Buckles asked in confusion.
Ikaros stepped in, "Ah, yes." he cooed, "Let's let the lady explain, shall we?" he beckoned while gesturing to Michiru with a smile that was more like a shark eyeing its prey, "Tell him about the little gift of yours that you need my assistance with." he beckoned.
Michiru took a moment before she finally spoke up, "I-I've had this, uh, this thing since I was born." she began hesitantly, "But it's not really an ability, it's more like a-a curse." she corrected herself, "Alter-Clover Leaf, they call it." she shared, "It's supposed to let me mess with other people's luck, but that's not the real story." she said with her voice shaking, "I can't control it at all and it's only brought sadness into my life." she croaked, "Everyone I get close to, they either get hurt or they die in some freak accident." she revealed, "It's like a never-ending stream of tragedy!" she described and her eyes brimming with tears, "I hate it, I really do, I'm so tired of it!" she sobbed, "I just want to live like everyone else, without all this pain and fear." she expressed, "That's why, when I heard about Mr. Azaroth, I went to him for help." she said, "I just want this curse gone!" she concluded while looking at Buckles with desperation in her eyes, "Please, don't take away my only chance at being normal!" she cried out, "This is all I've got!" she begged.
Buckles just stared at her in utter shock, "Honekawa..." he barely whispered.
Ikaros looked at him with a sneer, "So, what's it gonna be, kiddo?" he taunted, "You sticking to your little mission or you gonna throw her only shot at a normal life out the window?" he goaded and a smug smile playing on his lips.
Turning to face him with a furious look, Buckles clenched his fists, "And how exactly do you think you can help her?" he demanded.
Ikaros' eyes lit up in excitement, "Great question!" he cheered while pointing a finger towards the sleeping Evanore, "You see, that witch over there is gonna be our secret weapon to get Miss Honekawa back to her usual self." he begun, "You know, I've read up on this kind of stuff in a bunch of grimoires, and apparently, drinking a young witch's blood can cure all sorts of not-so-ordinary stuff, like curses." he shared while taking a moment to let the information sink in, "But here's the twist, you gotta kill the witch to get the blood." he revealed, "Crazy, right?" he mused and smile grew a bit sly as he simplified the whole idea, "So, it's like, kill the witch, get her blood, Miss Honekawa's back to normal." he described, "Easy peasy." he concluded with his voice filled with sarcasm, "What do you make of that?" he asked with a nasty grin.
Buckles shot Ikaros a nasty look, "You son of a bitch!" he snarled and his voice thick with rage, "There's no way I'm letting you do that!" he exclaimed, "I'm not gonna let you HURT Eva!" he declared and his fists clenched tightly at his sides as he spoke while Michiru's eyes went wide with astonishment.
"Ah, so you're saying no to the one possibility Miss Honekawa has for a normal life." Ikaros commented with his tone eerily calm.
"Look, I'm not trying to hold her back!" Buckles countered which surprised Michiru, "But, Honekawa, I get what you've been dealing with, and what you're planning?" the silver-haired boy stated, "It's just not right." he pointed out, "This path you're on, it can't lead to anything good!" he insisted with his voice filled with conviction, "You don't need to rely on this guy." he added, "Whether it's the Heroes Coalitions or the Gospel folks, we're all here to help." he offered, "We won't rest until we've figured out a way to break that curse." he declared, "You deserve a normal, happy life and we're going to make sure you get it!" he exclaimed with a fiery determination.
Michiru was shocked and her eyes wide as saucers while staring at Buckles, "R-Really?" the jinx asked with her voice filled with hope and the young man with silver hair nodded in response.
"Don't pay any attention to this commoner, darling!" Ikaros burst out, "He is just spouting nonsense!" he exclaimed.
"Shut your mouth, asshole!" Buckles shot back at him.
"I've had enough of this!" Ikaros exclaimed while snapping his fingers and on cue, Kanami Etou and Suzie Takahashi dropped down from above at his call, "Take care of that unwelcome vermin." the Seer ordered.
Buckles readied himself for a fight, "This is gonna be bad." he groaned in response.
Without warning, Michiru threw herself in front of Buckles, using her body as a protective barrier, "Stop!" she yelled with urgency, "I'm begging you, please stop!" she pleaded.
"Out of the way, sweetheart!" Ikaros insisted.
"Please, don't fight!" Michiru urged, "We don't need to do this anymore!" she reasoned.
"What?!" Ikaros squawked in disbelief, "You can't be serious!" he exclaimed, "Don't you want to live like everyone else?" he reminded.
"Yes, I do!" Michiru cried out, "I really do!" she added, "But it's just not right to kill people for my own benefit!" she reasoned, "I don't think I could ever live a normal life knowing someone had died for me!" she stated and her voice filled with emotion, "Please, just let this end here!" she begged.
For a brief moment, Ikaros remained silent, contemplating her words.
Then, with a hint of disappointment, Ikaros sighed, "Well, I had you figured out all wrong." he murmured, "I thought you were one of those obedient girls." he muttered out loud, "Fine then!" he growled, "Go ahead and die!" he ordered.
All of a sudden, Michiru's eyes went wide with terror as her body froze and she struggled to breathe. She toppled backward but Buckles caught her just in time and his heart racing as he realized she was gone, "Honekawa!" he exclaimed in a panic.
Ikaros threw his head back and cackled maniacally, "Ahahaha!" he hollered, "So, she's dead." he mused, "But hey, I kept my word!" he reminded, "She's free of that pesky curse now!" he pointed out.
But suddenly, as if defying the very laws of nature, Michiru's eyes snapped open a bit and she gulped down air as Buckles' Fragment Smasher made its work and revived her.
This shock Ikaros to the core, "What in the world?!" he exclaimed in disbelief, "How can this be?!" he squawked, "She's supposed to be dead!" he insisted, "What kind of trickery is this?!" he demanded.
Buckles then glared at the Seer, "Just shut up, will you?" he snarled while holding Michiru tightly in his arms, "You've gone too far, and I've had enough of your games!" the silver-haired boy growled with a fierce determination, "You think you can play god?" he taunted, "Well, I'll show you what it really means to face the consequences!" he exclaimed with clenched his fists, "I'LL SMASH YOU TO BITS!" he declared.
A/N: Inspired from someonestupED, damnlastwords, Jamesdean5842, Hope the Victor and Ace Neptune. All OCs and concepts not created by moi were given permission for me to use by it's respected creators.