M
Literature
Monsuno: Double Helix Pt. 3 Fell (Flora's POV) __________ The next morning came, and it was a little rainy. Not necessarily a bad thing, just meant plants all over the city were getting a drink. Breakfast was a bit late, but Mr. Gilmore did get a new monsuno core. I looked outside to see Gregory talking to Overkrill's core. Mr. Gilmore was out there, holding an umbrella. After I got my rainy day dress on and grabbed Skylight's core, I went downstairs and went to check on them both. Franco was staring out the window when I ran into him. "Good grief. This rain will not be good for my hair." He shook his head. "Let me tell you, Toots. Greg's crazy going outside without an umbrella like this."  I stood next to him. "Just remember that he's been through worse, and so have you. Grow a spine."  He started combing his hair again. "Yeah, yeah." After doing his comb over, he looked at me. "By the way, any new visions last night?"  I shrugged. "Absolutely none. Maybe Skylight hasn't seen anything interesting yet." I was a little disappointed, but Franco had to accept that I couldn't always get visions. I grabbed a baby blue umbrella and got ready to open it. "Ah, well." Said Franco as he opened the door. Once we were out, my umbrella unfurled and we both stood under it. "Is something wrong, Mr. Gilmore?" I asked my servant. He anxiously looked at the blue and silver core. "I'm not sure about this. What if I lose control" "Jeeves, look." Franco cut in on the conversation. "Anyone who knows anything about monsuno knows that these big guys are attuned to the first Joe-Schmoe to spin them out."  "The scammer is right, you know." Gregory agreed, standing up out of my bench and stood to Franco's other side. "When I first used Overkrill, he was my partner the instant I tossed his core." I smiled at Mr. Gilmore, trying to reassure him. "The moment I touched Skylight's core, the bond formed right then and there. Give it a try." I turned toward the wall. "You turn towards your target, ready your pointer, throw, and flick at the last minute." Once I finished my tutorial, I turned towards my butler and pointed at the wall. "Here, you try." Mr. Gilmore took a deep breath, and drew his arm back. "Launch!" He shouted. … … but he didn't throw. He froze up. The others stared in confusion. Franco commented and pointed. "That… doesn't look very launched to me." "Franco, shut up…" Gregory whispered through his teeth as he elbowed him. Mr. Gilmore sighed in distress. "I'm terribly sorry, ma'am. I cannot do it."  "Here. Like this." I handed my umbrella to Franco, then faced the wall to demonstrate. "Skylight, launch!" I shouted out, spinning her towards the wall. Blue energy erupted from her core, giving her shape. I was happy to see my friend as she lowered her wings and body for me. I got on her back and patted the light blue fluff around her neck. "Let's have some fun." I whispered as I held on tight. Skylight screeched and flapped her wings, then took off!  Skylight was so fast! I screamed and cheered with excitement as she streaked across the sky! It was like riding a roller coaster! Up, down, left, right, back, and forth! She zoomed everywhere for five minutes, without dropping me once. When she landed, I was still laughing. I was soaked, but I didn't care. "Skylight, return." I giggled. she screeched, turning back into blue energy and nestling up in her core to rest. Mr. Gilmore was panicking. "Are you okay, Ms. MacBeth?! Your clothes are soggy!" "I'm okay, Mr. Gilmore." I assured. "I was just bonding with Skylight is all." Franco sighed loudly. "You have no chill, Jeeves. Look. The big blue bug isn't gonna get you. Just spin your core at the wall." "What are you afraid of?" Asked Gregory, as he glanced over at my servant. "I know from experience that a monsuno belongs to the first person to release it from its core." Mr. Gilmore's monsuno was just dying to meet him. I could tell from here. "Why won't you spin him out?" I asked, leaning up against the cobblestone wall, and hardly bothered by my soaked dress squishing against it. My butler sighed. "You see, I'm just…" He hesitated for a bit. "I'm not sure if I have the emotional capacity to handle one of these terrifying beasts!" "Oh my God…" Franco slapped his own forehead. "Quit being a damn coward and just do it." "Franco, please." I held my palm up at him to stop, then turned to Mr. Gilmore. "It's okay. Come inside with us, make some breakfast, and I'll let you hold our cores." "I guess a little mess hall time could do us some good." Gregory agreed. With that, we stepped inside and I got a pool towel to prevent my dress from dripping. Once I was inside, Mr. Gilmore put down his core and got onto cooking breakfast. The monsuno within seemed a little sad that Mr. Gilmore wanted to avoid him. I touched the core, talking to the friend inside. "It's okay. I'm sure he'll come around eventually. What's your name?" The monsuno inside the core told me he didn't have a name. I patted his core. "It'll be okay. You'll get one soon. I can't wait to introduce you to the others." He asked me who 'the others' were, so I answered. "Skylight, Miasma, and Overkrill. Sure, they were brought to life by different manufacturers, but we're all allies. They agreed to look out for each other." I laid back and sighed, still touching his core and smiling. "I met Miasma when his controller tried to rob me. I never would have guessed he'd start helping me, or getting Gregory out of debt." I picked up his core and nodded. "Don't worry, he'll accept you." After that, I approached the table to sit down with the other three. When we got to the table, four servings of salmon eggs Benedict were laid out. Franco, Gregory, and I placed our cores at the center of the table. Mr. Gilmore just stared at the blue, red, and black cylinders with befuddlement and anxiety. Monsuno were new to him, and he wasn't prepared to dabble in his master and mistress' world in which they studied. If I were to guess, he's been out of the loop all along. "Welcome to Flora Macbeth's Monsuno Controlling Kids' Corner." I joked. "First of all, the connection between monsuno and human. Please pick up the blue core."  "Y-y-yes, Mistress." He stuttered as he picked up Skylight's capsule with a shaky hand. He held it very gingerly. Hers was the core he was most familiar with. I talked about my partner. "This is Skylight. A Core-Tech monsuno with the ability to fly. She seems to be made of Luna Moth, Firefly, and Robber Fly DNA. The second two thirds let her shoot laser beams and grapple enemies. Her strongest attack so far is Blinding Burst." I smiled as Mr Gilmore got a good look at her tiny shelter. "I see…" Mr. Gilmore was still looking. "And you say she was given to you to protect you?" I nodded. "That's right." He put the blue core down and picked up the black core. Gregory gave his monsuno's introduction. "Black cores are property of S.T.O.R.M. This one contains a rapid assault class named Overkrill. Genetics comprise of a Stomatopod, a Pistol Shrimp, and a Tiger Shark." He looked down at the black core in the valet's hand. "These allow him to dodge and strike with relative ease. Modifications let him absorb non-organic electricity, and thus, utilize his ultimate attack; Supercell." Mr. Gilmore looked a little concerned. "So S.T.O.R.M hides the existence of these creatures, but also uses them?" He asked. Gregory didn't even deny it. "That's right. Usually, people are to be Kept out of the loop, so as to not cause a stir. But, since you now possess a monsuno, you're privy to the information." The servant put the black core back, then looked nervously at the core he dreaded most– the red core. He inhaled, then exhaled deeply. "Here goes nothing." He sighed. Mr. Gilmore then took the red core in his hand. Franco leaned back calmly as he gave data on his monsuno. "Yeah, you already met Miasma. I bought him from EKlipse Corp. He's really durable. I think that comes from the arachnid genes used to make him." He used his arm to imitate a scorpion stinger. "And thanks to the Bullet Ant DNA, his Lethal Injection attack is the nastiest thing you've ever seen." From his expression alone, I could tell Franco's description of Miasma made my servant's blood run cold. "Oh my…" Franco took his core back. "So if you wanna deal with people who have stuff like that, I think you gotta get close to yours, Jack." I gave Mr. Gilmore the newly created monsuno. "And now, when you spin yours out, you'll be able to name him. Core-Tech monsuno tend to belong to good people." I assured him. "So after breakfast, let's try again. Your new monsuno said he liked the rain while we were out there." "Very well…" Sighed Mr. Gilmore in dismay. __________ 1:00 PM came and the rain was starting to slow down. Mr. Gilmore was waiting for the three of us, and I had his core. Franco wasn't impressed. "Wow." He huffed. "It took Jeeves six hours to get out here." "Are you sure about this, MacBeth?" Gregory asked with an unsure expression on his face. "This man is terrified of monsuno. I'm not exactly positive this will work." I held the new core gingerly. "I know Mr. Gilmore more than anyone. He's looked after me since I was five. He kept me going until my anemia wore off." "Anemia? As in 'blood too crappy to function' anemia?" Franco sounded confused. "You look pretty sturdy to me, Toots." Gregory shook his head. "You? Not buying it. People who are that sickly are like that their whole lives. Especially if they have it at such a young age." "It's true! I was anemic, but the doctors fixed it!" I exclaimed. Franco shrugged. "We'll discuss this later. Jeeves needs his monsuno." I huffed. "Fine…" Mr. Gilmore was waiting under an umbrella. "I'll try my best, Ms. MacBeth. But I need someone to do this alongside me." He held out his hand for his core. "Please spin it out with me. I cannot do this alone." I agreed, giving him the core. "I'd be happy to. You're sure you don't need more time?" The valet shook his head. "No. I'm duty-bound to serve the MacBeth Family, no matter how daunting the task."  "Glad to hear." I giggled, standing by him. We both faced the wall, ready to spin out. "Skylight, launch!" "Launch!" Both cores careened towards the cobblestone wall, hit it, and both creatures erupted from them. Skylight flew above a blue pinniped monsuno. It looked like a Leopard Seal with piranha teeth and spikes on its back. The new monsuno let out a loud sonar noise as it made its first appearance. Mr. Gilmore backed away, not wanting to go near the new creature, but I held him in place. "Wait. Look." I said as I pointed at the blue creature. The Leopard Seal monsuno inched closer slowly, putting its face near the servant. I couldn't stop smiling. "Hold your hand out and touch his nose."  My butler shook a little, but he closed his eyes and put his hand out. He expected to be bitten, but to his surprise– the creature rested its nose in his palm. "It's… not attacking…?" He said with the shakiness of his voice dying down. Skylight landed toward me, letting me feel her neck fluff. I smiled upon touching it. "Now, tell me how your monsuno feels." "Um…" The servant hesitated for a bit, feeling the docile monster's snout."It's… smooth… Very cold and wet… It feels rubbery…" The monsuno licked him, causing him to shout in shock. I couldn't help but laugh. "Skylight's mane feels warm, soft, and fluffy. If I touch anywhere else, it feels hard and rigid, like a rock." I nuzzled my girl, liking having her around. "Interesting." The fear had disappeared from Mr. Gilmore's eyes as he feasted his eyes on the seal monsuno. "Welcome to the MacBeth Household… um… What's his name?" He tried to welcome him. Franco stepped forward as he combed his hair "That's on you, Jeeves. I named Miasma myself." Mr. Gilmore thought for a bit as his monsuno stared curiously. "Hmm… Yes… That's perfect. Welcome to the household, Wipeout." The large blue creature clicked a little, indicating that he liked his name. Gregory pointed at Wipeout's core to teach him something else that's important about our gigantic partners. "Keep in mind that a monsuno cannot survive outside of its core for long. If you're in range, a monsuno will automatically return to its core once eight minutes expires." I pointed Skylight's core at her and made a demonstration. "You do it like this. Skylight, return!" Once I said that, she turned into blue energy to rest in her capsule. "Understood." Mr. Gilmore nodded as he repeated my actions with his own core. "Wipeout, return!" And just like that, the giant blue pinniped went back to his core with a sonar-like clicking. As we went inside, Gregory noticed a flash from atop a building. "Hm?" He took a glance, and I noticed. "Is something wrong, Gregory?" His strange glance off to the distance concerned me a little. "I thought I saw someone…" He said to himself. After that warning, he went inside with us. Franco shut the door behind us, turning his attention to me. "So, about that 'anemia' story, you still owe us answers. You look *way* too healthy to be anemic." Gregory concurred with Franco. "Any and all anemias are incurable. I can't suspend my disbelief that it suddenly went away." I was becoming extremely uncomfortable, but I had to listen. "They took me to the hospital, and then I woke up in a laboratory a year later. When I woke up in a large tube of water, my blood was fixed. It felt like no time had passed at all." I explained myself. Unfortunately, Franco looked even more confused. "So you went to a hospital, timeskipped to a laboratory, and suddenly you were better? … You're flipping nuts." Gregory glanced over at Franco, then back to me. "That sounds like a specimen container. Were you experimented on?" He asked a question that really got me thinking. I was in a specimen container? Even if I was experimented on, I couldn't remember any of it. I held my head. "I… I don't know… It was a whole year, but it felt like a measly second." For the first time in my life, that blank space in my memory started to bother me. Was I really experimented on? This was strange. My parents loved me since I was born, so letting this happen to me sounds so unlike them. "Maybe I went comatose and I was given experimental cures?" I guessed. Both Gregory and Franco were just as confused as I was. "Still sounds weird to me." Added Franco. "Hell, the lab part already has me wondering what's going on. Gregory thought a little. "Any differences between now and before you woke up?" I did know one, so I told them. "When I was younger than six, I wasn't afraid of needles, but now I can't bring myself to take vaccines or get bloodwork." Explaining this wasn't easy, but I had no choice. I had to if Franco and Gregory were to trust me. "Needles terrify me. The activities I participate in are relatively safe, too." "That bad, huh?" Franco heard what I said in full. "Geez. Freaking bloodwork? Do you even know what your own blood looks like?" Gregory thought a bit, but shook his head. "I'd like to know as much as you two, but it's clear we won't get any answers today." He looked outside. "For now, we may need to prepare for possible company." "Is this about the people you saw?" I asked.  "Yeah." He nodded. "We can't be sure about their motives. Let's be ready for anything."  I went to a corner to be alone with my monsuno. "I need a moment." I sat down, sighing as I held Skylight's core. "Skylight, I feel really weird. I once thought nothing of the year I missed after the hospital visit. But Gregory says I might have been a specimen?" I was so bewildered. Skylight radiated energy, asking why it mattered. She showed me a vision of when we first met. She showed me the time I met Franco and Gregory. It was her way of saying that it's fate that leads us where we go. "You really think that?" I asked back. "I'm glad Franco and Gregory opened their hearts to me, but how am I supposed to lead if I can't even sort myself out?" She responded with a vision of the first three red monsuno I saw in a past vision. It was the three I saw on the day Franco and I met. Skylight stood against them with Miasma and Overkrill in tow. "You really think I can pull it off?" Skylight responded with a past vision of the three of us at the restaurant. That we were stronger together. She was saying they needed me. "Thank you, Skylight. I'll remember that." I said as I lightly kissed her core, and put it away, before returning to the others. __________ As the day went on, I went up to the window and saw the rain starting to clear up and wondered if we should do a little shopping, then got a notepad. I went downstairs and saw Gregory talking with Franco about past experiences.  "Wait. You walked into a women's bathroom?!" Franco sounded shocked. "Not something I'd expect from you, Blondie."  Gregory chuckled a little. "Yeah. I wasn't watching where I was going. Too caught up in replying to messages. Oops." Franco was laughing with Gregory. "Nah, you're just a peeping Tom." He elbowed him jokingly. Gregory was still laughing. "As long as I didn't do that breakdance fail. Nice left feet."  It was nice to see the boys getting along. I got on my phone to book tickets to Westward City. Once done, they were emailed to me. The flight was in three days, at 1:00 PM, sharp. I was so excited to see my parents, I couldn't even contain myself. They introduced me to Skylight, and I was already friends with a similar creature named Quickforce, back when I was 7. Who knew what new friends they had to meet? "Boys, who's up for a shopping spree?" I asked. "Just getting supplies for our trip." Franco looked excited. "Oh. Hell yeah! I live splurging!" Gregory thought for a bit. "I suppose we should buy some rations and luggage." I put down my notepad. "If we go to All-Mart, we can get everything we need in one fell swoop." I started writing down everything we needed, noted what hotels we could stay at, everything was coming together. "We're going to Westward City, where my parents live." Franco started fantasizing. "Sun, surf, and shore. With a drink stand, I could make a killing there." Already thinking of ways to make money. "You know how to treat a man, Toots."  I rolled my eyes and kept writing the list. "I'd like to try on some really pretty dresses and some new makeup. And I can't wait to show Skylight to my parents." After the list was written, I shut the book. "Okay, all done." "Awesome." Franco nodded. "I'll go start up my car." Once he went out, we followed him. I got in the car's front passenger seat. "Riding shotgun again, huh, Toots?" Franco observed. "I don't mind." I immediately removed his 6T9 disc from the drive and showed my disc. "We're not listening to F words on repeat. This time, I pick the music." He shrugged  Gregory shook his head. "6T9? You have no taste, Franco."  I hit the play button, heavy metal music played, and we pulled out. Franco was surprised. "Woah! I didn't know you were a metalhead! I was expecting classical music or something!" I bopped my head to the song's fast beat. "I like this music type!" He nodded at me as I responded, and we pulled out of the driveway.  On our way to the store, I saw a strange car in my peripheral vision. Inside was two shady looking men and a shady looking woman. One man was short and weedy, with uncut black hair and glasses. The second man had spiky white hair and a goatee. The driver was a woman with half shaven red hair and many teardrop tattoos under her eye. As we  drove by, she looked right at me. "Hey, Franco." I got his attention. "Those three are kinda creepy. The red haired woman stared me dead in the eye." "I noticed too." Gregory observed. "And they're going back the way we came. That's troubling. I hope Mr. Gilmore isn't in danger."  "Better go check on Jeeves, then. I'll find a place to turn." Franco sighed as he looked for a parking lot. Unfortunately, this gave the shady strangers a lead on us. __________ When we got home, the strange car was parked in front of my house and my home was a mess! My once beautiful lawn was full of giant holes! "Oh my God…" I whispered. ,"It's… It's all destroyed" I only got to see it for a few minutes before I heard a loud pained bark came from the back lawn! "That sounds like Wipeout! Hurry!" I exclaimed as we all rushed to the back. There, a giant sharp mouthed worm with a red snake body was biting the poor pinniped monsuno! Mr. Gilmore looked looked really scared. "Wipeout, no!' He shouted as his ring dwindled. Wipeout growled weakly, quivering as he tried to get up… He tried so hard to stand on his flippers  The red haired woman scowled. "I'm sick of playing around. Let's finish the job!" As if on cue, the giant worm burrowed underground! This monster was clearly responsible for the holes. The woman grinned sadistically. "Sandtrap, Gravity Orb!" The worm popped up, charged up a black orb. And fired a small black hole at Wipeout! Once the attack connected, Wipeout turned into blue energy and forcefully returned to his core… Mr. Gilmore held his core close. "Wipeout, Ms. MacBeth, I'm sorry. I lost." The woman watched as her men tackled my servant, causing him to squirm and demand release. "Bring him in and tie him to a chair. I have a few questions for this butler." She commanded as she pointed a red and pink core at her monsuno. "Sandtrap, return!" Responding to her, the serpent monster ducked away inside its capsule. The white haired man cackled. "Oh Tia, I can't wait to make to make him beg for mercy!" He grinned diabolically. "In time, Devlin. We're here to cut off funds to Dr. Suno's Core-Tech Industry." Tia responded. "Barry." She looked to the shorter man in glasses. "Get me something blunt and lock all doors. Pick up any empty cores you find!" "Sounds fun." the short one chuckled. "Too bad Mr. Suno won't get to see them help him." As he spoke, his voice was high-pitched, raspy, and grating. "Dear God. I hate his voice…" Gregory whispered. "Think Jeeves is gonna be okay?" Franco wanted to know as these criminals dragged him inside. Meanwhile, something bothered me about that worm monsuno bothered me. "I think I recognize that monsuno which the woman used. I saw it in a vision when Franco and I met. "For real?" Franco asked in mild shock. "How many were there?" "Three." I answered. "Which means the other two belong to her minions. We need to lure her out and save Mr. Gilmore." After biding our time, we snuck around our house. I peeked in to see the white haired one raiding my fridge. The short one approached from behind. "Devlin, there's no Core-Tech devices in the top part of this house!" Devlin took Mr Gilmore's lunch and heated it up. "There's got to be something around here. Keep looking, Barry. Let Tia beat the knowledge of where Dr. Suno and the benefactors are."  I was horrified. That woman was torturing my servant! I had to stop her. I pointed at the door. "Franco, create a diversion. Gregory, go with me and help me untie Mr. Gilmore." Franco chuckled, nodding. "If there's anything I'm good at, it's being eye catching." He stepped out and called out to the two criminals, with his trenchcoat open. "Hey!" As they looked over, he flaunted the 'HOT DEALS' sign sewn onto his inner pocket. "Up for a little splurging?! Come over here for the deal of a lifetime!" "Go away! Can't you see we're busy?!" Barked Devlin. "Don't you two want a Strawberry 13L? I got one for you two, all for a low low price!" Franco kept trying to smooth talk them.  He was distracting Barry at least. "Devlin, he has a new phone and mine is on its last leg!" Devlin scoffed. "Don't you know his kind? It's a lie to make us hand over money. Ignore him." When his ad didn't work, Franco instead, picked up an apple and threw it at Devlin's head! "You're supposed to take the deal, Goatee!"  Devlin shouted in pain and anger. "You're going to pay for that! Barry, after him!" Once the two started chasing Franco, he lead them outside and turned around. "Heh. Wow. You two are really freaking stupid." He taunted them as he took out his core. "You two are in my element now. Devlin chuckled, taking out a red and gold core. "I was thinking the same. I'm going to enjoy making you suffer. "I was thinking the same." Barry sneered, taking out a dark red and white core. Devlin prepared his core… "Hellspawn!" Barry followed suit… "Asphyxiator!" "Launch!" "Launch!" Franco spun his core around in a show-offy fashion, then threw back. "Miasma, launch! The cores exuded energy as they wound into each other, crashed, and released their monsters! Hellspawn was a large dog/goat/bat hybrid, and Asphyxiator resembled a gliding snake-fanged skunk. The large creatures began to attack Miasma! Hopefully, the latter would be able to hold them off. We saw a bit of the fight. Devlin ordered his monsuno to attack. "Hellspawn, Brimstone Crash!" The giant Hellhound-like Monsuno set his body ablaze and rushed headlong at Miasma. Barry followed suit. "Asphyxiator, Baneful Gnaw!" Asphyxiator's fangs dripped with Venom as he too made a beeline for Miasma! Franco was ready for the attack. "Miasma, Bulletproof!" He called out. Miasma responded by scrunching up and taking on a red and metallic luster, causing the attacks to bounce off! I looked to Gregory, beckoning him. "He can't hold them off forever. Let's go." I quickly begun my search for Mr. Gilmore. "Right." Nodded Gregory as he followed me. We went upstairs and looked in my room to find Tia whacking my servant with a pot!  Tia gritted her teeth. "I will stop hitting you if you answer my question. Where are Jeredy and MacBeth Labs?" Mr. Gilmore was a mess. His face was bloody and covered with bruises, and his monsuno was on the dresser away from him. "I refuse to to tell you… I am duty bound to serve the family…" He shuddered in pain.  In response, that witch hit him again! "Ugh! Stop saying that! If you keep this up, we'll be here all day!" She again, swung my copper pot at my poor servant! "I don't like going home empty handed, and I won't! Because if you don't give me what I want, I'll Go home with your head instead!" She ranted, then looked out the window. "What are those clowns doing out there? And where did that other monsuno come from?" She growled. "Don't they know how to lock a door?" "Hey, half-hair!" I called out and got her attention. "Leave my valet alone!" The other woman stepped toward me threateningly. "And what's a little princess like you going to do if I don't? I already know your family has monsuno. I'm already prepared." She pointed at Mr. Gilmore. "And I already ground his right down to dust. You can't win." I backed up, hoping she'd follow me. It'd give Gregory enough time to untie Mr Gilmore. Then he'd join us in battle. "I'm not afraid of you!" I exclaimed. That wasn't entirely true, but I needed to try and stay in control. Gregory hid as I backed up. Tia held a core threateningly. "Once I kill you and take your core, I'll be sure to torture your precious butler until he fesses up, or drops dead!" When she threatened me, I led her outside to let Gregory work his magic. Once we got outside, Franco watched Miasma shake Hellspawn off and smack Asphyxiator away! "Wow, Toots! Took you long enough!" "Sorry, I got held up." I said as I went to his side. Tia stomped her foot. "Devlin, Barry, what are you clowns doing?!" Devlin turned to her. "That one's a little tough, but we can handle it." Barry cackled annoyingly. "Yeah! We have them outnumbered!" Tia scoffed, stepping in. "You two are such buffoons. Move over! She prepared her core, and spun it! "Sandtrap, launch!" Seeing Sandtrap make quick work of Wipeout made me realize I had to use my monsuno too. "Skylight, launch!" I shouted as I sent her core careening towards Sandtrap's. Once they touched, Skylight went face to face with the same snake/worm monsuno that took down Wipeout. "Hmph." Tia scoffed. "A moth? Is that supposed to scare me?" She shook her head. "Whatever. Sandtrap, go underground!" She turned to Devlin. "You, make sure they can't leave!" Devlin turned to Franco's car, then locked on. "I see what you're saying… Hellspawn, Pyrrhic Bomb!" Franco's expression turned pale. "What?! No!" He watched in horror as the red dog monsuno spat an explosive fireball at the vehicle! The red car was struck and exploded violently! "Gaaah, my car!" Franco cried in grief. "My poor baby! My Parche 979 Skorpion! Totaled!" Franco lamented over the loss of his car. I felt bad for him, but now wasn't the time to comfort him. "Keep an eye out girl." I warned Skylight. "We don't know where Sandtrap went." "Sandtrap, Dark Line!" Tia commanded. The worm responded by erupting from the dirt and firing a black laser at Skylight from below! "Skylight. Chitin Shield, now!" I screamed at the top of my lungs! My monsuno turned silver and blocked the attack, but Sandtrap went back underground. I missed my chance to attack.  "Baneful Gnaw!" Barry called to Asphyxiator. The gliding skunk monsuno came barreling towards Skylight! I couldn't let the attack land. "Counter with Tarsal Crush!" Skylight grabbed Asphyxiator and pounded him into the dirt. Unfortunately, this left her open to a different attack from a different side. "Do a Gravity Orb!" Tia's words hit my ears like a bullet. That serpent burst from the earth and fired off a tiny black hole! I tried to shout to her to evade, but there was no dodging this attack. She screeched as the dark matter struck her and launched her off Asphyxiator.  It made sense, what Tia was trying to do. Her tactic was to flank Skylight from random angles while Asphyxiator and Hellspawn distracted her. Miasma grabbed Asphyxiator in an Iron Maiden, but here came Hellspawn! "Brimstone Crash!" The Hellhound-like Monsuno came at Skylight with overwhelming menace, but Gregory was finished untying Mr. Gilmore. "Overkrill, launch!" From the window, he spun that black core into Hellspawn's side, and knocked him off course! The mantis shrimp monsuno burst from the capsule, then immediately struck Hellspawn with a Bullet Smash. "Mr. Gilmore is safe." "Gregory!" I called to him. "We're dealing with a fast burrowing enemy!" From behind Skylight, Sandtrap leapt from the dirt and fired off another black laser!" Skylight was caught unawares, screeching and trying to shake off the pain. Almost half of her energy was gone. I was starting to worry. "I have an idea! Overkrill, Hypersense!" When Gregory said that, Overkrill's eyestalks glowed yellow and pointed down. They started rotating as well. Overkrill had two more main eyes, so he could still focus on Hellspawn. At least now, I'd have some semblance of where Sandtrap would hit from. The dirt started to loosen to Skylight's front right. "To the right! Photon Wire!" As soon as Sandtrap reared her ugly face, Skylight shot a white laser at it! The worm serpent monsuno shook out her head as Tia scoffed. "Don't get cocky just because you hit my monsuno once, Princess. Sandtrap, Breaching Arch!" Sandtrap immediately went underground and leapt at Skylight with her mandibles open! I had to counter immediately. "Terminal Driver!" When Sandtrap came in, Skylight grabbed her head and flew upward. Sandtrap started constricting her thorax and carapace. My monsuno was in pain, but she had to finish her attack to get Sandtrap off. She looped twice, then pounded the snake/worm into the dirt at Freefall speed! Sandtrap let go and went back underground. Looking at my core, Skylight couldn't take much more The other two enemies were struggling to keep up, but Gregory and Franco wouldn't last much longer either. Asphyxiator was careening towards Miasma at incredible speeds! "Asphyxiator, Reaper Spray!" Franco glared at Asphyxiator as he came in hot. "Corrosion Fog!" The gases were sprayed off, and whittled away what health was left of both monsuno, returning them to their cores. Overkrill was trying to dart around Hellspawn, and was successfully dodging the attacks given off by the Hellhound-like Monsuno. "Plasma Knuckle!" Gregory gave his order, and Overkrill took down Hellspawn with one more electrified punch! Unfortunately, Tia didn't want Overkrill helping Skylight anymore. "Abyssal reeler!" The worm monsuno burst from the dirt under Overkrill and snapped her mandibles shut!  "No!" Gregory shouted as his monsuno screeched in pain and returned to his core! It was just a badly injured Skylight vs. a badly injured Sandtrap now. Tia spat. "Aww, did I break your crutch, Princess?" She taunted me. … She saw what Overkrill was doing. He was the reason I was able to track Sandtrap in the first place, and she knew it. Now there was no one to inform me of where the enemy was going to attack from. All I knew was that she was going to try to catch Skylight unawares. I couldn't let her do that. … I realized what to do. I looked around for bulges in the dirt, and there it was! She was heading for Skylight's rear. "It's all over, Princess! Sandtrap, Gravity Orb!" Tia ordered harshly. The dirt loosened rapidly behind Skylight! I only had one shot at this. "Behind you! Blinding Burst! Skylight turned around, then fired off countless light beams as Sandtrap fired off her black hole! The lasers slowed the black orb, slowing it to the point where it was easy to dodge. She flew around the orb, and got in decent range. It was time to end this. "Photon Wire!" Skylight charged and fired off a white hot beam! It landed on Sandtrap, causing her to flail and hiss in pain! She couldn't take anymore, and returned to her core. I panted. I could not believe we pulled this off. Finally, the battle was over… We had won. Tia snarled at her minions. "You clowns get back to the car, now!" After she sent her teammates away, she looked at me with such hatred, I couldn't even quantify. "And as for you, I hate losing– especially to rich, privileged little silver spoon fed trophy daughters like *you!*" Her contempt startled me as she turned away.  She walked off. "'Flora.' The butler said that was your name, right?" She began to threaten me. "I'll always remember your face. I'll always hate it. I will track you down, and I will burn you to the ground. And when I do, I won't leave a single reminder that you even existed! Expect me, princess!" After swearing vendetta on me, she got into her car and drove off…  Once she was gone, I collapsed onto my knees in exhaustion. I wasn't rejoicing in victory, I was just relieved it was over… I took out Skylight's core, then pointed it at her. "Skylight, return…" With that, my monsuno returned to the safety of her core… __________ 30 minutes passed, and Franco was sobbing near his destroyed car. "I loved this car… I remember when I pulled her into my driveway for the first time." Mr. Gilmore sat with us, his face covered with cuts and bruises. "I'm terribly sorry, Ms. MacBeth. I failed you." "No, it's fine." I reassured him. "They were a lot. I should have stayed a little longer. Maybe then, Wipeout wouldn't have been alone against that… thing." I let him know that I never blamed him for losing. Especially since we almost lost. Mr. Black cheated, but Tia was something else entirely. She terrified me. Mr. Gilmore looked down in shame. "I don't deserve such kindness after your home was damaged." "Aww, Terry don't put yourself down…" I said as I patted my servant's back. "They were just really really strong." Mr. Gilmore somberly looked down at Wipeout's core. "Wipeout, my friend. You got hurt because I'm weak. I don't deserve you. I smiled. "So you just keep trying until you do. Wipeout is attuned to you, and no one else." I started rubbing ointment on him and bandaging his cuts. "You did so much to care for me in life. Let me return the favor just this once." He smiled at this action. "Truly, Ms. MacBeth. Thank you."  I stood and nodded at him, going to meet with Gregory and Franco. "What's the news?" I asked. Gregory shook his head. "Nothing good, I'm afraid. Without Franco's car, we have no way to get around quickly." He glanced at the road. "As you know, this means we're hoofing it the minute we leave Axistown. Our arrival in Westward City will be far behind the projected timetable." Are you sure about that?" I asked. "Gregory, Mr. Gilmore drove me everywhere before Franco came along. I've booked tickets to Westward City too. Remember?" Gregory nodded. "I suppose that fixes one problem. And what about Franco? He's still heartbroken over his car. It's a total loss." This was really upsetting to me. Not only did Mr Gilmore and Franco suffer heavy misfortune, but Tia… She vowed to destroy me. I'm not sure if Skylight would win another fight against her. I got up to comfort Franco. "Franco…" I quietly spoke to him. "I know you cared about that car. And I'm sorry for your loss." Franco glanced over to me, calming down a little. "She was my best car. My taste of freedom. I'll never forget the long drives, roof down, and music blasting." He sighed. "And now I can't do it anymore. I held his shoulder. "Well, you still have me and Gregory. And Miasma is still by your side." I tried to reassure him that everything would be okay. "I know things look bad, but we'll be fine as long as we have each other." Once he smiled, I helped him up. "Come on. Let's clean up. We'll go shopping tomorrow." We went inside and got ready for the next day. But before that, I saw the flash of reflected light on a rooftop. … Was someone still watching us…? ... For some reason, there was an air of inquisitiveness and strength over there... ____________________ Introducing Team Twist's enemies: Team Fell. Monsuno is ©️ Dentsu Entertainment
