If book 2 isn't good yet, then just keep reading. It gets WAY better, I promise.
Chapter 1 Peace on Earth…Sorta
After the moon incident, all was absolutely the way things should be. No UltraMan. Strangely, there was a sinister aura all around us. I figured the worst case scenario. We hadn’t seen the last of him. But, life went on as usual. I lived with Dawn and Flint, my multi-zillionaire friends. A peaceful day of December 23. Two days until Christmas. Then…BANG!!! A huge explosion rang through the air. Dawn, Flint, and I ran outside. Huge flashes appeared to be coming for the horizon.
“What’s going on here?” a voice demanded. Oh great, I thought, it’s Mr. Medal of Honor, the captain of the Marines. The one who stopped me at an airport.
“Look for yourself, dude.” I groaned.
“You.” he glared. “I intend to finish the person who finished my boss.”
“And I intend to find a leprechaun in the Death Star!”
“I…the Ultimate Akplaz Crystal?”
“The what??” This guy is weird.
“Give it to me, NOW!!!”
“What, this? It’s only a normal akplaz crystal.”
“I’ll have to fight you for it.” he warned.
“Deal. You’re going down.” An akplaz ball was hurled from my hand and sent him across the watching crowd.
“I think I won.”
“I AGREE!!!!!!” an extremely familiar voice boomed. No…UltraMan was back?!?
“How are you still alive?” I yelled, worried that he wasn’t going to be as easy as last time.
“MY BROTHERS HAVE REVIVED ME, ISN’T THAT RIGHT, MEGAMAN!!!!” MegaMan? Suddenly, an 11 foot tall, armored twin of UltraMan jumped down from the sky. They had me surrounded, with one way out. Dawn and Flint had no idea that I was about to teleport to an overlap in dimensions. I stared down at the blue crystal hanging on a thread around my neck. I took one look at the charging missiles, took one look at my worried friends, and I took one look at the small crystal I had used to survive.
“Sorry pal, but there’s a way to escape you two. Imagine this: I’m stranded on a totally deserted island with no civilization in a radius of 5,000,000 miles. I have a portal. How do I escape?”
“Stop imagining!” MegaMan yelled.
“Actually, use the portal!” I yelled. As I clutched the crystal, Dawn and Flint ran up. FLASH! A blue tunnel appeared, letting Dawn, Flint, and I slide down to a place where we could seek refuge. An Akplaz Dojo.
Chapter 2 A Few Skills
ZAP!!!! We appeared on a tile floor. I knew nothing should have changed since we were here last, but I seemed to be wrong. A wall was being supported by a blue pillar. A 10-foot-long hole was in the ground. The three akplaz spirits, Aurora, Flash, and Corona, were tied up in iron cords.
“What happened here?” I asked. Little did I realize the akplaz spirits were gagged. We ran towards them, about to help. Flash made a weak shake of his head towards me.
“Mmmphh.” he said through the gag. I stopped running. Dawn and Flint untied the cords, took off the gags, and helped the spirits up.
“Thank goodness you three are all right. These iron cords burn like mad!” Aurora said.
“That’s what I was trying to say, Brennan.” Flash said. “Iron is extremely painful to akplaz warriors and spirits.”
“That’s how they stopped us.” Corona explained.
“Who attacked you anyway?” Flint asked.
“UltraMan, another guy about his size, and an army.” Aurora said. “By the way, could you help us repair this place?”
“No problem!” Dawn, Flint, and I said. Using strength and akplaz magic, we were able to fix the dojo except for the paper that told every akplaz spell known to mankind (and then some). I picked it up and looked at it. It showed spells like “Invisibility, Teleportation, and Ul…m… s…ll” The last one was almost faded, and the way to cast it was torn off. I saw the others and decided I could do them. I focused and looked at myself. I was invisible. I focused again, and I found myself standing in another place. These spells aren’t as hard to cast as I thought. I practiced more.
“I see you’re having fun, Brennan.” Flash said. I was trying to figure out what “Ul…m…s…ll” was.
“What is this?” I asked.
“That is…” He didn’t finish. I started feeling dizzy. Two guys in black suits had iron blocks hurled at Flash. I fired an akplaz blast at them. One flew back, while the other dodged the blast but was hit by an ice shard.
“Oh-no! Flash!” Aurora screamed. I swear she could shatter glass with that scream. SCRASH!! One guy jumped out a window.
“What happened?” Corona yelled.
“He took in iron poisoning, and he won’t get well easily.” Aurora said. “I only know one way to heal him. A legendary crystal could heal him if it could reflect light on him. The crystal is called Geminite. It’s large and bluish-pink. I can stay and try to keep him with us while you three go find the Geminite. Quick!” I realized it was the only way to save him. Plus, if it could help Flash, it could help me fight UltraMan and what’s-his-face.
“Guys,” I said. “We’re going to find that crystal! Where is the crystal anyway?”
“In a garden in the Zeta state. Unfortunately, UltraMan has a base there.”
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Did you miss book 1?
Chapter 1 I Almost Get Hit By Meteors
Same old school, same old home, same old everything. Hi! I’m Brennan, also the narrator, and main character. Like I was saying, I led a boring life. Then, it happened.
I came home from school, finished my home work, and went to bed. As I slept, a strange noise was heard. Bang! I was used to it. It was always my bed or the shelves in my darkened closet. Bang! This time it was louder. I sat up in my bed, but I quickly wished I hadn’t. Two seven foot high boulders were not too far from my bed. Through the fourteen foot long hole in my ceiling, I saw that those weren’t all of the falling meteors…rocks…what were those things?
A blue drop of something fell from a meteor. The second it hit the ground, a blue portal appeared in the place of my carpet. Not a good time to make a joke, but I’m glad I didn’t pay for my carpet. I had my laugh, but suddenly, and I mean instantly, I saw my only chance…was gone. The portal was grasping at my ankles with a cold feeling, but not sinister. It yanked me toward the center. The second my socks touched the center, the yanking stopped. Over this time, meteors fell everywhere, except for on me, good sign of good luck. The cold feeling came up and when I looked down, I saw that the portal was going up! Or was I going down? My body was frozen in place where ever the portal touched it.
As my head went under, the strangest thing happened. A strange DNA thing appeared while I continued to fall. A loud BANG!!!!! was heard, and the DNA was turned the color of that drop of…something, blue. At that exact moment the strangest feeling overcame me, a feeling of…something, unable to put into words, except for…well, cold. A large flash of light appeared and the DNA was gone.
Next thing I knew, I was standing on solid ground, grass to be exact.
“WOAH!!!” a boy’s voice rang out. I was facing a boy in a green shirt and jeans, a girl in a pink shirt and, again jeans, and a full-grown tree.
“What was that!!?!” the girl shouted. They both seemed quite disturbed.
“Okay, I know. I’m freaked out too, but really I have no idea how I got here, either. Really, you saw, didn’t you?” I said, also scared. How did I get here?
“Uh…yeah! We saw the ground start to spin into a blur and you walked out of it. Anyway, I’m Dawn. This is my brother, Flint,” said the girl.
“I’m Brennan.”I replied. It wasn’t until now when I felt a cold feeling on my chest. I yanked out a blue crystal on a small piece of string. Same color of that drop.
“Say, where is this place anyway?” I said, trying to think of a way that crystal got there.
“Alpha,” Flint replied instantly.
“Isn’t that a Roman letter?”
“No, it’s a state.” Dawn said. This was rather confusing.
“I’m not from around here,” I replied. I was kind of annoyed that these people couldn’t remember I’m not from around here. Then I remembered I didn’t tell them until then.
“Is there anything ELSE I need to know?” I asked.
“Oh, right, remember akplaz, Flint?”Dawn asked.
“Good point. I’ll tell him. Akplaz is a special liquid that drips off giant crystals. It is so rare, since it takes quite an impact to loosen any drops from a crystal, that it is used by scientists to power machines everywhere. Say, isn’t that…” he trailed off.
“What is it, Flint?” Dawn asked. Flint was staring at the crystal.
“AN AKPLAZ CRYSTAL!!!!” Flint screeched. Ug, if these people weren’t telling you about something, they’re screaming.
“Calm down, Flint. You’re going to faint.” I said. “There anything else?”
“Yes, actually, we have a dictator named UltraMan.” Dawn sighed. “If you want a description, here you go. Twelve feet tall. Armor about seventy times stronger than 900 layers of gold. And the worst part. Instead of a right arm, he wields an akplaz sword that changes into a blaster. If you’re asking how I know so much, well, Flint and I are in the OAU. That means Organization Against UltraMan.”
Chapter 2 I Get Stopped by Marines
“Anyway, let’s head to our house.” Flint suggested. We were nearing an airway station. As we got close to the exit, a man in a scarlet suit stopped us.
“Hello, Flint, Dawn. Is this friend new to here?”
“Uh, oh…” Dawn bit her lip. “Um…yes.”
“Then allow me to explain the akplaz test. I scan you with this device, and it tells me what percent akplaz you are. 100% means I scanned akplaz. 4% means I scanned an average person. There was that one guy. I think his name was Hercules or something. He had 11%. That’s where the record stands. Now for scanning.” the guy pulled up what looked like a cash register scanner attached to a gasoline tank. BEEP!
“OH MY!” the guy yelled. See, they’re either screaming or explaining. “Code blue! I repeat, we have a code blue! This is not a drill!!”
Suddenly, about ninety-two Marines covered the area. Another man in a suit with more Medals of Honor than I could count walked next to the suited man.
“Alright, what percent was this kid?” he barked.
“29%, sir.”
“Just what UltraMan ordered. Alright kid, get angry.”
“Say what?” These people are weird. “What the cheese do you mean, ‘Get angry’?
“How about I make you angry then? Soldier!” A Marine dashed up.
“Grab his friends.” Mr. Medal of Honor barked. The Marine instantly dashed towards Dawn and Flint.
“Put us down!!” Flint shrieked.
“HELP!!” Dawn shrieked. This, dear reader, was too much. I lost all control of my body. Fury raged in me like fire. Suddenly, a blue dragon the size of a house (thank goodness the roof was high) crashed downwards.
“Hand me that shield!” Mr. Medal of Honor bellowed. Instantly, a Marine handed over an iron shield with glowing blue lines. The dragon crashed top speed into the shield, but had no effect. Soon, I began to feel tired and crippled. Dawn and Flint, released by the Marine, gawked for a minute, and then ran to help me up.
“Ow…..” I moaned. My head hurt from the fall and was dizzy from it spinning.
“You…never told us-“Dawn began.
“-you were an akplaz warrior.” Flint finished. Akplaz warrior? Why do these things happen to me?
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Akplaz warriors are people who can control akplaz just like you saw earlier. They were using you to get akplaz for scientists.” Dawn replied. They used me!
Chapter 3 I Meet the Family
“Here we are. Our house.” Flint said as we neared a 3-story mansion.
“You’re kidding, right?” I said, surprised. We walked inside. A giant chandelier of diamond hung on the 23-foot-high ceiling. A table for twenty sat near a kitchen filled with cakes galore. As we walked up the staircase, I saw four rooms.
“That first door leads to my room. The next belongs to Dawn. The third belongs to our brother, Ray. He just returned from the army. The next is a guest room.” said Flint. Flint and I walked into his room. Instantly, I was amazed. Tons of video game systems and arcade games lined the walls. A huge 40-by-85 foot TV hung on the wall. A huge bed sat with headphones poking out of the side on a wire. I wandered out and Dawn instantly said, “Virtual reality time!”
“Yeah! We forgot to tell you about an old family...tradition, you could call it.” Flint said.
“Every day we get time to play a virtual reality game our dad made with him.” Dawn said, smiling.
“How do you get so much money?!?! “I yelled.
“Our dad makes video games, and he gets about $18,000,000 an hour.” both kids answered. Oh, wow.
“Anyway, Dad wants us to tell Ray about virtual reality time.” Flint said. So, we wandered over to the door. Signs on it said, Keep out, danger, well, you get the point.
“RAY! VIRTUAL REALITY TIME!!” Flint and Dawn shrieked. Ow, my ears.
“Okay, okay. You don’t have to yell. Geez.” a voice moaned.
“Alright, then, let’s go.” Dawn said. We walked towards a room filled with wires in one corner, a few buttons in another.
“Obviously, your brother doesn’t want anything to do with us.” a man’s voice said. I sensed irritation in their voice. “Say, who’s your friend? Wait, wait. Don’t tell me. A new neighbor. Anyway, hi. I’m Mr. Charge, Dawn and Flint’s dad.”
“Oh, hi, Dad.” Flint said. Flint Charge?
“Are you ready, Dad?” Dawn asked. Dawn Charge?
“Am I ever?” Mr. Charge said enthusiastically. “By the way, what’s your name?”
“I’m Brennan. Nice to meet you.” I said, shaking his hand.
“Have you ever played a virtual reality game, Brennan? Whether the answer is yes or no, you’ve never, and I mean never, have played one like this. This is better, this is great, and this is intense. Now, get ready to rumble!” Mr. Charge yelled. “Flint, pull the switch!”
“With pleasure, Dad.” Flint yelled. He walked towards a switch, and he flipped it.
“Get ready, Brennan!” everyone yelled. “You may not be used to this!” The door flung shut, crackles of electricity appeared on the walls, and beep! Boom! ZAP!!! A ball of light appeared in the middle of the floor, and it grew until Mr. Charge was engulfed. Soon, it began covering me and, as some people know it, Snap! Crackle!! POP!!! Rice Crispies! Only this cereal was nowhere to be found.
Chapter 4 I Fend Off a Tree
Next thing I could see were black blocks with green lines between them. I was in a video game. A small tree with snow on its leafless branches was dancing around me on its roots. This tree was as high as my knee.
“Grow. Grow. Grow. Grow. Grow. Grow.” it was chanting.
“Out of the way, Brennan!” Dawn’s voice shouted. I jumped back. A millisecond later, the tree grew inch-long fangs and leaped towards the spot where I was.
“Catch!” Flint yelled. A gleaming sword was hurled towards me. Was I supposed to catch that or dodge it? Instantly, I grabbed it and swung it. Two small pieces of the tree lay in front of me.
“Ice sprout. Level 2.” Mr. Charge recited as if he were reading a book.
“This video game of virtual reality shows levels that show progression in the game. The higher the level, the stronger. You’re level 1, which is very weak, no offense. Dad’s level is 106, which is incredibly strong. Finally, Flint and I are level 9, which is slightly weak.” Dawn said. “Enemies have levels as well. Dad wanted to see you fight something stronger than you. He is impressed, right?”
“Yes I am. I have never seen anything like that from a level 1.” Mr. Charge said. “Now, let’s see how strong you really are.” Suddenly, a full grown tree appeared.
“A level 6? That’s insane!” Flint yelled. The tree walked slowly towards me. I dove towards it with my sword, but instantly, a root snatched me mid-air and hurled me. Suddenly, fury burned in me like fire. I lost all control of my body. A blue dragon of fire the size of a house appeared and crashed down on the tree. The tree burst into flames and was instantly gone. Only ashes remained. My head hurt, but I was used to it now.
“How…how…you…do…HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!?” Mr. Charge stammered.
“We don’t know. HE doesn’t know.” Flint said.
“I have seen a lot, but this…I never thought I’d see an akplaz warrior.”
“Dad, could you promise not to tell anyone about this?” Dawn begged.
“No problem. I’ll bet the library has more on akplaz warriors.” Mr. Charge promised. “We can go there later. Right now, let’s get a wave started. So, Brennan, would you like sprout wave or-“
“SUPER WAVE!!!” Flint yelled.
“NO! DON’T SAY IT!!” Dawn and Mr. Charge screamed.
“Super wave begin.” a robotic voice said.
“What’s super wave?” I asked.
“Only a powerful wave with all bosses. I designed it for majorly leveled players, like level 199 or something.” Mr. Charge said, obviously worried. Suddenly, a troll the size of my dragon appeared.
“Duh…me destroy you now.” the troll groaned.
“Troll, level 14.” Mr. Charge said, battling a giant bat. “Try an uppercut to its jaw.” That did it. THWACK! I think the troll’s out and down. Or was it down and out? Oh, well.
“Ee, hee hee! I will stop you, young child. This child’s play will end now. The new child will end, too. Ee, hee hee.” a witch shrieked. Why me?
“Grinndall, the witch, level 120!!” Mr. Charge yelled. “RUN!” Meanwhile, Dawn and Flint were fighting a dragon together. Ka-ZAP! A fifth person appeared in a pillar of flashing energy.
“Ray, help Brennan with Grinndall! You’re level 178!!” Mr. Charge ordered, fighting off a griffin.
“Will do!” Ray yelled, barreling towards the witch. I curled up into a ball. Why me? 15 minutes and 16 ½ seconds later, it was over. We were all out of the game.
“Why don’t you take Brennan to Kurt’s?” Mr. Charge suggested. “He needs to get to know the city.”
“Okay, Dad. Have you ever had a kandai, Brennan?” Dawn said.
“Say what?” I replied.
“Well, I hope you’re hungry.” If only I’d known what we were in for. Trouble. Trouble with a capital t.
Chapter 5 an Unexpected Explosion
“Welcome to Kurt’s Kandais. You’ll be seated soon.” a robot said.
“Ah, Dawn and Flint, my favorite customers. Who, my friends, is your friend?” a man said, regarding me.
“He’s new here, and he wants to know what kandais are, Kurt.” Dawn said quickly.
“Ah…I see.” Kurt said. I tensed. In his voice was extreme suspicion. “Here you go.” Kurt said, detecting my suspicion of his suspicion, suspiciously. He yanked out from behind a counter a 7-decker cheeseburger. “Over 20 vitamins and minerals.”
“We’ll take three, for here.” Dawn said. I noticed no tables.
“A robot will take them to you.” Kurt said.
“C’mon. Let’s go.” Flint said, taking a step. In a ball of light, he disappeared. I took a step, too. My body felt tingly, and I disappeared. I felt a seat of soft cushion. A kandai sat in front of me. Dawn appeared next to Flint, who was next to me. We began to eat those huge things. I swallowed mine in 23 seconds flat. I had never been so full. A sudden muffled voice appeared from above the ceiling.
“TELL ME WHERE HE IS NOW!!!!!”
“I swear I don’t know.”
“KURT!” Dawn, Flint, and I yelled.
“HA! SO YOU ARE HIDING HIM!!” a booming voice boomed. BASH! CRASH!!
“YOU THERE!” a huge man in a blue suit broke through the ceiling. He was pointing a blue sword at me, instead of a right hand. This guy was about 12 feet tall. Could it be-?
“UltraMan!?” Dawn and Flint yelled.
“THIS INSOLENT CHILD IS THE ONE WHO WAS STOPPED AT AN AIRPORT?! HE IS NOTHING MORE THAN A BABY!!” UltraMan shrieked.
“I feel rather insulted.” I said, ready to defend my sense of humor.
“A BABY WITH A LARGE VOCABULARY.” UltraMan boomed. With that, the sword shrank into a blue case-like thing where his hand should have been, and fired a ball of…something towards me. Instead of hitting me, it hit the wall behind me! The wall collapsed, and the ceiling began to crumble. Flint made it out quickly, but Dawn…well, not so much. I dived and knocked her out of the way as the ceiling fell where she was less than a second before. This spot, dear reader was on me. Fury burned in me like fire, and I lost all control of my body. A dragon of blue fire appeared and crushed every rock falling on me. As if for a finale, it blew into UltraMan.
“THOUGHT YOU COULD DEFEAT ME, DID YOU? IMPOSSIBLE!!! THE ONLY PERSON WHO COULD EVEN DAMAGE MY ARMOR SLIGHTLY WAS HERCULES! MWA, HA, HA!!!” UltraMan bellowed. He fired a shot into the remaining ceiling and disappeared yelling,
“YOU’LL BE SORRY YOU WERE EVER BORN!!!!” An explosion appeared and darkness began to cloud my vision. Soon, black was all I could see.
Chapter 6 Scientists, Akplaz, and Ice
When I came to, I found two people standing over me, Dawn and a doctor.
“I say we just let him rest for a while.” the doctor said to Dawn, leaving.
“Where’s, ow, Flint.” I moaned.
“After you saved me, he ran for the hills, literally. In fact, I think he might be at an observatory.” Dawn said.
“Yes, he was.” a new voice said. I turned in my hospital bed to see a man in a white suit grabbing…dragging Flint on the floor by his wrist.
“Let…me…go!” Flint said, struggling against the stern-looking grip.
“I’m afraid he dashed in, panicked while he zoomed about, and ‘accidently’ knocked a scientist unconscious. Is…is that an akplaz crystal,” he said, looking at my small blue gem.
“No, it’s Michael Jackson’s favorite rock. Well of course it’s an akplaz crystal! Why wouldn’t it.” I yelled.
“Perfect! Then you’ve heard of Operation P.O.W.E.R.”
“Operation P.O.W.E.R?”
“Present Operation With Extreme Reasons.”
“What?”
“We were on a search for one of the three major akplaz crystals. We found an ice cave and sent a Rover in. It turns out that it contains one of the three akplaz crystals.”
“Why didn’t you get it?” Dawn said.
“Extreme cold can freeze almost anything. I believe akplaz-radiated objects over 10% can withstand the cold. The Rover was made with akplaz.”
“I’m a 29%.” I said.
“Actually, your number has grown by about a quadrillionth. The crystal you own is an akplaz crystal. Anyway, I’d like to ask you if you could go into the ice caves and latch a hook on the crystal.” “Is there anyone else who can get in the ice caves?” Dawn said.
“Um… (What did the boss say about this?) I do…not…think so.”
“Alrighty, then.” I said.
“Good. We’ll go now.”
“Are we allowed to come?” Dawn said.
“I guess so.”
After about twenty minutes of sitting in a car, we reached a huge hole. A few workers were standing around talking under their breath.
“I’m getting a bad feeling about this.” I said.
“It’ll be fine.” the scientist said. “Just jump in the hole. Don’t fret.”
So, I began a journey that started strange and got worse. Much, much worse.
Note: the next chapter contains my point of view as well as Dawn and Flint’s.
Chapter 7 Dual-Purpose Traps $14.99
I slowly walked into the cave. The cord was in my hand, frozen in place. Bitter cold wind stung my face, and the snow was turned to ice. Soon, a blue glow appeared, soft, but there. Trudging through the ice and snow, I turned a corner and saw the most awesome sight ever. A huge blue crystal with the Aurora Borealis swirling around it stood before me. A strange sensation came over me, and I looked at my crystal. It was glowing a strange blue light. A large beam of light appeared, coming from my crystal, and zapped the huge akplaz crystal. There was a large FLASH! Then a female-like blue spirit appeared from the giant crystal.
“I was starting to think you’d never come, Brennan.” she laughed.
“Who are you, and how do you know my name?” I asked, surprised.
“Oh, where are my manners? I’m Aurora, spirit of the ice akplaz crystal. Of course, I know every akplaz warriors’ name just as well as my brothers.” she said, laughing.
“Why are you laughing?” I asked.
“Obviously, you are not a warrior of this crystal. We are not led into traps. But still, you are still a warrior, so I suppose I must teach you something while you’re here.”
“Traps?”
“Yes, once you attach that line of yours into this crystal, you will be obliterated. Anyway, watch this.” With that, she made a small ball of blue and hurled it.
“Your turn.” she said. I focused a ball of akplaz and hurled it.
“Not bad for a first try. For that, I’ll give you the location of the other two crystals. The first is in the volcano in the Delta state. The next is on the moon. Now remember, don’t hook the crystal. Oh, and tell my brothers I said hi.” she said, disappearing.
Suddenly, a voice yelled, “YOU WILL HOOK THAT CRYSTAL!” UltraMan!!!
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
“I don’t like this guy.” Flint moaned.
“You’ve been saying that for hours, Flint.” Dawn replied.
“Still, he is suspicious. That gleam in his eye makes me uneasy. Plus, you can’t doubt his muttering about ‘the boss.’” Suddenly, the guy turned.
“It’s time you knew.”
“Knew what?”
“This is a trap. Your friend hooks the crystal. We pull it in. We get the crystal. Our friend, UltraMan, defeats your friend. UltraMan comes and defeats you two. Instead, I’ll defeat you. HA!” Suddenly, BANG!! UltraMan flew out of the cave and into a nearby tree. I walked out, unharmed. A voice came from UltraMan’s helmet.
“1% energy. Auto-teleportation will begin.” Flash! UltraMan was gone.
“Heh, heh, you didn’t really think I would hurt you, right.” the scientist said. POW! A swift akplaz blast nailed him. He collapsed and disappeared into thin air. Dawn and Flint looked at me.
“Did you shoot that?” Dawn asked.
“No.” I turned. Aurora winked at me from in the cave and disappeared. Okay…that was weird.
“I know where the next akplaz crystals are.”
Chapter 8 I Hitch a Ride on a Space Ship
“I think the moon would be easier.” Flint said.
“I agree. There is a space service. If we could take a space ship, then you could see the next spirit of the akplaz crystal.” Dawn said.
“When does it start?” I asked.
“Two days.”
“That gives us a while to take that ship.” I said. “Let’s do this thing!” We went off to the space center. Unfortunately, when we got in, I took a wrong turn and got lost. I ended up in a lesson for rookie astronauts.
“And so you see, as the moon becomes full, we have had many sightings of falling akplaz.” a scientist was saying. Behind him, a huge space ship was standing, ready for takeoff. I snuck through the crowd.
“Any questions? Yes, you in the middle.” he said, pointing to a teenage boy, who looked very familiar.
“Is it possible to become an akplaz warrior by being hit by falling akplaz, because there’s a kid who my brother and sister know? And…my dad says he’s an akplaz warrior.” Of course, that teenager was Ray!
“Now, my boy, remember, akplaz warriors don’t exist. They’re only a myth.” Mr. Scientist guy said as I snuck into the ship behind him.
“THERE HE IS!!!” Ray yelled. Everyone turned.
“Great, Ray, right when I’m about to get aboard a ship that’ll take me to a place where I could learn something that could help me save the world.” I groaned.
“Ray?” two confused voices said from inside the cockpit.
“Lies! You three are plotting against the world.” Mr. Scientist guy said.
“How do you know there are three? I only see one.” a voice said.
“My boss, UltraMan, told me to make them seem as though three people are trying to take over the world even though he is. Oops.” he said, beginning to climb up a ladder to the cockpit.
“Well, I never thought some one would spill the beans that easily.” I said.
“He’s plotting against the world. Get him!!” a voice yelled. Instantly, a hail of space equipment pummeled down the scientist, who fell off the ladder. I jumped into the cockpit to see a surprised Dawn and Flint.
“Alright,” said Flint. “Fuel, jets, food, water all good to go.” Suddenly, we began lifting into the air. CRASH!! The roof blew into a million pieces.
“Something tells me you two will need these.” I said, handing Dawn and Flint two space helmets.
“What about you?” Dawn asked.
“It’s alright, I’m an akplaz warrior; I can withstand any kind of akplaz thing.”
“How do you know?”
“Aurora told me.”
“Who’s that?”
“Spirit of the akplaz crystal.” BOOM!!
“Sorry for the inconvenience, but we have landed.” Flint said over the radio.
“Alright, here I go.” I said, hoping I was right about being invincible to akplaz traps.
“Good luck.” Dawn said. “You’re going to need it.”
Chapter 9 I Meet Two Akplaz Spirits
The first moment out of the ship was rather scary, but after a while, I got used to it. Bouncing around became as natural as walking.
A while in, a familiar voice said, “I told you he’d come, Flash.” Continuously, I walked until my guess was proved correct. An akplaz crystal stood before me and with it were Aurora and a man-like spirit.
“Brennan, this is Flash, akplaz spirit number two. We were just talking when you showed up.” Aurora said.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard much about you, but never thought I’d see you in person.” Flash said, shaking my hand. Just then, Aurora snapped her fingers. In a blur of light, another two akplaz crystals appeared beside Flash’s, as well as another man-like spirit.
“Brennan, this is Corona. Corona, this is Brennan.” Aurora said.
“WAIT UP!!” a voice shrieked. DAWN?! Flint and Dawn, in space suits, ran up.
“UltraMan attacked while you were gone. He’s taken control of the ship…who are they?” Dawn said.
“We are Aurora, Corona, and Flash, spirits of the akplaz crystals.” Aurora said. “Now what’s that you said about UltraMan?”
“He attacked our ship and had his minions chase us away.” Flint said. “I think they’re still after us.”
“Take off those helmets.” Corona said.
“What?! We’ll suffocate.” Dawn yelled.
“Don’t worry.” Dawn and Flint took off their helmets.
“See, that’s not too bad.” Aurora said, smiling. Dawn smiled back. Flint and Corona looked at each other. Flash looked at me. I looked back.
“By the way, do you know what crystal warrior I am?” I asked Aurora.
“Yes, you are extremely wary, very careful, but quite determined. You belong to Flash’s crystal.” Corona informed me. Suddenly, a wave of armed soldiers burst out from over the horizon.
“Let’s do this!” I yelled and the four akplaz warriors/spirits hurled akplaz balls into the army while Flint and Dawn kicked, punched, and swung the morphing weapons the three akplaz spirits had given them. A blue shot went flying past the army of soldiers, heading straight for Dawn. Without thinking, I threw myself into the blast, waiting to feel overwhelming pain or death. It didn’t come. I sat up to see what had happened. A swirling mass of slow-motion war zoomed around me. Slow-motion…how did this happen? Why isn’t everything normal speed? Am I really fighting a war on the moon? Is this all a dream? Of course, it’s all a dream! That’s why it doesn’t hurt to get shot!! I pinched myself. Ow! Slow-motion stopped.
“I GUESS IT ISN’T IMPOSSIBLE TO CATCH AN AKPLAZ SPIRIT!!! NOW MINIONS, BRING ME THE BOY!!!!!!” UltraMan yelled. The wave of minions dove towards me.
“THE ONE WHO CATCHES HIM WILL GO UP IN RANK!!!!!!!!” One minion grabbed my foot and the world went slow-motion again, except for me. A single akplaz blast sent him flying, slowly. I saw a calm blue, a fierce blue, and a slower blue ball shoot at me in normal-speed. As they hit me, a renewed surge of power zoomed through my body. I shot a huge akplaz ball, pounded the ground making ice shards shoot from the ground, attacking enemies, and made the biggest dragon ever. Destruction was everywhere, blowing enemies left and right. In about 32 minutes and 54 ½ seconds later, the battlefield was cleared. Just me, UltraMan, and my friends, tied up and gagged in one side of the battlefield. This sight, dear reader, was none other than The Final Showdown!
Danger: The following chapter contains A young boy beating up the dictator of a country. Please consult with your doctor before reading on. If you begin to feel loss of sanity, please stare at a nearby wall for the next two years. Thank you for your attention!
Chapter 10 The Final Showdown
“I’M GIVING YOU ONE CHANCE TO GIVE UP BEFORE I DESTROY YOU!!!!!!!” UltraMan shrieked.
“If you think I’m giving up, you’re crazy. Look, dude, there’s more to life than controlling other people. There’s pizza, video games, candy, and anything else along those lines. It’s never too late to change.” I reasoned. I was answered by a giant blast of energy. POW! Instantly, it was dodged. I made an akplaz ball and hurled it. UltraMan wasn’t as lucky. CRACK!! UltraMan crashed down, but he wasn’t out yet. As he got up, I showed him an interesting surprise. My dragon lashed out. I was greeted by one of his surprises. A blue dragon as big as mine lashed out, too. As the dragons fought against each other, my friends tried to break free. Eventually, UltraMan’s dragon won. It rammed me, but I stood firm. I felt confused about that, worried about my friends, and upset that UltraMan wouldn’t give up.
“I ORDER YOU TO GIVE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“Never!!!” I was quite determined. I slowly walked towards him. I was very careful. As I jumped onto his armor-covered leg, I watched for any surprises he might have. I was extremely wary. I thought about lunch. I was hungry. The four attributes of Flash’s crystal. Er…Wait, hunger wasn’t it. The three attributes. Oh, whatever I hurled a ball of akplaz into UltraMan’s face. SMASH!!!
“GRAAAAHHH!!!!!!” he screeched, and he collapsed. A robotic voice began talking.
“DANGER!! 0% Energy…Shut-DOWNNNN will begin…Dan-ger…” and the robotic voice stopped. Finally, the one thing that had haunted my friends and me for all that time was gone. Gone…gone forever. It was over. I couldn’t believe it. I had nearly forgotten about my friends. Oopsie daisy. I untied them, and they got the gags off themselves.
“NO WAY, BRENNAN! How did you do that?” Flint screamed.
“I don’t believe it! He’s finally gone!!” Dawn yelled.
“My, Corona, you were right. He must be from Flash’s crystal.” Aurora said.
“Now then, Brennan, would you do the honors of connecting the crystals.” Flash said.
“Okay.” I said. I started shoving the 100-pound-lighter crystals. The first crystal began glowing as it touched the second. I pushed the last crystal so it was touching the two and Flash! A small portal appeared in the arch made of glowing blue crystals. A tile floor was in a room with something written on a poster hanging on the wall. A few scarecrows stood in various areas. It all looked so real. I touched it and found it was real. I slipped right through. Dawn and Flint fell in after me. We sat in the room that had been shown in between the crystals. The three akplaz spirits stood in the center of the room.
“Welcome to the Akplaz Dojo. Here you can learn new akplaz attacks, and your friends can practice with their weapons.” Flash said. That, dear reader, is just what we did. When we did have to leave, Corona made my crystal a direct portal to the Dojo. If only we had known what troubles lay right around the corner.
Same old school, same old home, same old everything. Hi! I’m Brennan, also the narrator, and main character. Like I was saying, I led a boring life. Then, it happened.
I came home from school, finished my home work, and went to bed. As I slept, a strange noise was heard. Bang! I was used to it. It was always my bed or the shelves in my darkened closet. Bang! This time it was louder. I sat up in my bed, but I quickly wished I hadn’t. Two seven foot high boulders were not too far from my bed. Through the fourteen foot long hole in my ceiling, I saw that those weren’t all of the falling meteors…rocks…what were those things?
A blue drop of something fell from a meteor. The second it hit the ground, a blue portal appeared in the place of my carpet. Not a good time to make a joke, but I’m glad I didn’t pay for my carpet. I had my laugh, but suddenly, and I mean instantly, I saw my only chance…was gone. The portal was grasping at my ankles with a cold feeling, but not sinister. It yanked me toward the center. The second my socks touched the center, the yanking stopped. Over this time, meteors fell everywhere, except for on me, good sign of good luck. The cold feeling came up and when I looked down, I saw that the portal was going up! Or was I going down? My body was frozen in place where ever the portal touched it.
As my head went under, the strangest thing happened. A strange DNA thing appeared while I continued to fall. A loud BANG!!!!! was heard, and the DNA was turned the color of that drop of…something, blue. At that exact moment the strangest feeling overcame me, a feeling of…something, unable to put into words, except for…well, cold. A large flash of light appeared and the DNA was gone.
Next thing I knew, I was standing on solid ground, grass to be exact.
“WOAH!!!” a boy’s voice rang out. I was facing a boy in a green shirt and jeans, a girl in a pink shirt and, again jeans, and a full-grown tree.
“What was that!!?!” the girl shouted. They both seemed quite disturbed.
“Okay, I know. I’m freaked out too, but really I have no idea how I got here, either. Really, you saw, didn’t you?” I said, also scared. How did I get here?
“Uh…yeah! We saw the ground start to spin into a blur and you walked out of it. Anyway, I’m Dawn. This is my brother, Flint,” said the girl.
“I’m Brennan.”I replied. It wasn’t until now when I felt a cold feeling on my chest. I yanked out a blue crystal on a small piece of string. Same color of that drop.
“Say, where is this place anyway?” I said, trying to think of a way that crystal got there.
“Alpha,” Flint replied instantly.
“Isn’t that a Roman letter?”
“No, it’s a state.” Dawn said. This was rather confusing.
“I’m not from around here,” I replied. I was kind of annoyed that these people couldn’t remember I’m not from around here. Then I remembered I didn’t tell them until then.
“Is there anything ELSE I need to know?” I asked.
“Oh, right, remember akplaz, Flint?”Dawn asked.
“Good point. I’ll tell him. Akplaz is a special liquid that drips off giant crystals. It is so rare, since it takes quite an impact to loosen any drops from a crystal, that it is used by scientists to power machines everywhere. Say, isn’t that…” he trailed off.
“What is it, Flint?” Dawn asked. Flint was staring at the crystal.
“AN AKPLAZ CRYSTAL!!!!” Flint screeched. Ug, if these people weren’t telling you about something, they’re screaming.
“Calm down, Flint. You’re going to faint.” I said. “There anything else?”
“Yes, actually, we have a dictator named UltraMan.” Dawn sighed. “If you want a description, here you go. Twelve feet tall. Armor about seventy times stronger than 900 layers of gold. And the worst part. Instead of a right arm, he wields an akplaz sword that changes into a blaster. If you’re asking how I know so much, well, Flint and I are in the OAU. That means Organization Against UltraMan.”
Chapter 2 I Get Stopped by Marines
“Anyway, let’s head to our house.” Flint suggested. We were nearing an airway station. As we got close to the exit, a man in a scarlet suit stopped us.
“Hello, Flint, Dawn. Is this friend new to here?”
“Uh, oh…” Dawn bit her lip. “Um…yes.”
“Then allow me to explain the akplaz test. I scan you with this device, and it tells me what percent akplaz you are. 100% means I scanned akplaz. 4% means I scanned an average person. There was that one guy. I think his name was Hercules or something. He had 11%. That’s where the record stands. Now for scanning.” the guy pulled up what looked like a cash register scanner attached to a gasoline tank. BEEP!
“OH MY!” the guy yelled. See, they’re either screaming or explaining. “Code blue! I repeat, we have a code blue! This is not a drill!!”
Suddenly, about ninety-two Marines covered the area. Another man in a suit with more Medals of Honor than I could count walked next to the suited man.
“Alright, what percent was this kid?” he barked.
“29%, sir.”
“Just what UltraMan ordered. Alright kid, get angry.”
“Say what?” These people are weird. “What the cheese do you mean, ‘Get angry’?
“How about I make you angry then? Soldier!” A Marine dashed up.
“Grab his friends.” Mr. Medal of Honor barked. The Marine instantly dashed towards Dawn and Flint.
“Put us down!!” Flint shrieked.
“HELP!!” Dawn shrieked. This, dear reader, was too much. I lost all control of my body. Fury raged in me like fire. Suddenly, a blue dragon the size of a house (thank goodness the roof was high) crashed downwards.
“Hand me that shield!” Mr. Medal of Honor bellowed. Instantly, a Marine handed over an iron shield with glowing blue lines. The dragon crashed top speed into the shield, but had no effect. Soon, I began to feel tired and crippled. Dawn and Flint, released by the Marine, gawked for a minute, and then ran to help me up.
“Ow…..” I moaned. My head hurt from the fall and was dizzy from it spinning.
“You…never told us-“Dawn began.
“-you were an akplaz warrior.” Flint finished. Akplaz warrior? Why do these things happen to me?
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Akplaz warriors are people who can control akplaz just like you saw earlier. They were using you to get akplaz for scientists.” Dawn replied. They used me!
Chapter 3 I Meet the Family
“Here we are. Our house.” Flint said as we neared a 3-story mansion.
“You’re kidding, right?” I said, surprised. We walked inside. A giant chandelier of diamond hung on the 23-foot-high ceiling. A table for twenty sat near a kitchen filled with cakes galore. As we walked up the staircase, I saw four rooms.
“That first door leads to my room. The next belongs to Dawn. The third belongs to our brother, Ray. He just returned from the army. The next is a guest room.” said Flint. Flint and I walked into his room. Instantly, I was amazed. Tons of video game systems and arcade games lined the walls. A huge 40-by-85 foot TV hung on the wall. A huge bed sat with headphones poking out of the side on a wire. I wandered out and Dawn instantly said, “Virtual reality time!”
“Yeah! We forgot to tell you about an old family...tradition, you could call it.” Flint said.
“Every day we get time to play a virtual reality game our dad made with him.” Dawn said, smiling.
“How do you get so much money?!?! “I yelled.
“Our dad makes video games, and he gets about $18,000,000 an hour.” both kids answered. Oh, wow.
“Anyway, Dad wants us to tell Ray about virtual reality time.” Flint said. So, we wandered over to the door. Signs on it said, Keep out, danger, well, you get the point.
“RAY! VIRTUAL REALITY TIME!!” Flint and Dawn shrieked. Ow, my ears.
“Okay, okay. You don’t have to yell. Geez.” a voice moaned.
“Alright, then, let’s go.” Dawn said. We walked towards a room filled with wires in one corner, a few buttons in another.
“Obviously, your brother doesn’t want anything to do with us.” a man’s voice said. I sensed irritation in their voice. “Say, who’s your friend? Wait, wait. Don’t tell me. A new neighbor. Anyway, hi. I’m Mr. Charge, Dawn and Flint’s dad.”
“Oh, hi, Dad.” Flint said. Flint Charge?
“Are you ready, Dad?” Dawn asked. Dawn Charge?
“Am I ever?” Mr. Charge said enthusiastically. “By the way, what’s your name?”
“I’m Brennan. Nice to meet you.” I said, shaking his hand.
“Have you ever played a virtual reality game, Brennan? Whether the answer is yes or no, you’ve never, and I mean never, have played one like this. This is better, this is great, and this is intense. Now, get ready to rumble!” Mr. Charge yelled. “Flint, pull the switch!”
“With pleasure, Dad.” Flint yelled. He walked towards a switch, and he flipped it.
“Get ready, Brennan!” everyone yelled. “You may not be used to this!” The door flung shut, crackles of electricity appeared on the walls, and beep! Boom! ZAP!!! A ball of light appeared in the middle of the floor, and it grew until Mr. Charge was engulfed. Soon, it began covering me and, as some people know it, Snap! Crackle!! POP!!! Rice Crispies! Only this cereal was nowhere to be found.
Chapter 4 I Fend Off a Tree
Next thing I could see were black blocks with green lines between them. I was in a video game. A small tree with snow on its leafless branches was dancing around me on its roots. This tree was as high as my knee.
“Grow. Grow. Grow. Grow. Grow. Grow.” it was chanting.
“Out of the way, Brennan!” Dawn’s voice shouted. I jumped back. A millisecond later, the tree grew inch-long fangs and leaped towards the spot where I was.
“Catch!” Flint yelled. A gleaming sword was hurled towards me. Was I supposed to catch that or dodge it? Instantly, I grabbed it and swung it. Two small pieces of the tree lay in front of me.
“Ice sprout. Level 2.” Mr. Charge recited as if he were reading a book.
“This video game of virtual reality shows levels that show progression in the game. The higher the level, the stronger. You’re level 1, which is very weak, no offense. Dad’s level is 106, which is incredibly strong. Finally, Flint and I are level 9, which is slightly weak.” Dawn said. “Enemies have levels as well. Dad wanted to see you fight something stronger than you. He is impressed, right?”
“Yes I am. I have never seen anything like that from a level 1.” Mr. Charge said. “Now, let’s see how strong you really are.” Suddenly, a full grown tree appeared.
“A level 6? That’s insane!” Flint yelled. The tree walked slowly towards me. I dove towards it with my sword, but instantly, a root snatched me mid-air and hurled me. Suddenly, fury burned in me like fire. I lost all control of my body. A blue dragon of fire the size of a house appeared and crashed down on the tree. The tree burst into flames and was instantly gone. Only ashes remained. My head hurt, but I was used to it now.
“How…how…you…do…HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!?” Mr. Charge stammered.
“We don’t know. HE doesn’t know.” Flint said.
“I have seen a lot, but this…I never thought I’d see an akplaz warrior.”
“Dad, could you promise not to tell anyone about this?” Dawn begged.
“No problem. I’ll bet the library has more on akplaz warriors.” Mr. Charge promised. “We can go there later. Right now, let’s get a wave started. So, Brennan, would you like sprout wave or-“
“SUPER WAVE!!!” Flint yelled.
“NO! DON’T SAY IT!!” Dawn and Mr. Charge screamed.
“Super wave begin.” a robotic voice said.
“What’s super wave?” I asked.
“Only a powerful wave with all bosses. I designed it for majorly leveled players, like level 199 or something.” Mr. Charge said, obviously worried. Suddenly, a troll the size of my dragon appeared.
“Duh…me destroy you now.” the troll groaned.
“Troll, level 14.” Mr. Charge said, battling a giant bat. “Try an uppercut to its jaw.” That did it. THWACK! I think the troll’s out and down. Or was it down and out? Oh, well.
“Ee, hee hee! I will stop you, young child. This child’s play will end now. The new child will end, too. Ee, hee hee.” a witch shrieked. Why me?
“Grinndall, the witch, level 120!!” Mr. Charge yelled. “RUN!” Meanwhile, Dawn and Flint were fighting a dragon together. Ka-ZAP! A fifth person appeared in a pillar of flashing energy.
“Ray, help Brennan with Grinndall! You’re level 178!!” Mr. Charge ordered, fighting off a griffin.
“Will do!” Ray yelled, barreling towards the witch. I curled up into a ball. Why me? 15 minutes and 16 ½ seconds later, it was over. We were all out of the game.
“Why don’t you take Brennan to Kurt’s?” Mr. Charge suggested. “He needs to get to know the city.”
“Okay, Dad. Have you ever had a kandai, Brennan?” Dawn said.
“Say what?” I replied.
“Well, I hope you’re hungry.” If only I’d known what we were in for. Trouble. Trouble with a capital t.
Chapter 5 an Unexpected Explosion
“Welcome to Kurt’s Kandais. You’ll be seated soon.” a robot said.
“Ah, Dawn and Flint, my favorite customers. Who, my friends, is your friend?” a man said, regarding me.
“He’s new here, and he wants to know what kandais are, Kurt.” Dawn said quickly.
“Ah…I see.” Kurt said. I tensed. In his voice was extreme suspicion. “Here you go.” Kurt said, detecting my suspicion of his suspicion, suspiciously. He yanked out from behind a counter a 7-decker cheeseburger. “Over 20 vitamins and minerals.”
“We’ll take three, for here.” Dawn said. I noticed no tables.
“A robot will take them to you.” Kurt said.
“C’mon. Let’s go.” Flint said, taking a step. In a ball of light, he disappeared. I took a step, too. My body felt tingly, and I disappeared. I felt a seat of soft cushion. A kandai sat in front of me. Dawn appeared next to Flint, who was next to me. We began to eat those huge things. I swallowed mine in 23 seconds flat. I had never been so full. A sudden muffled voice appeared from above the ceiling.
“TELL ME WHERE HE IS NOW!!!!!”
“I swear I don’t know.”
“KURT!” Dawn, Flint, and I yelled.
“HA! SO YOU ARE HIDING HIM!!” a booming voice boomed. BASH! CRASH!!
“YOU THERE!” a huge man in a blue suit broke through the ceiling. He was pointing a blue sword at me, instead of a right hand. This guy was about 12 feet tall. Could it be-?
“UltraMan!?” Dawn and Flint yelled.
“THIS INSOLENT CHILD IS THE ONE WHO WAS STOPPED AT AN AIRPORT?! HE IS NOTHING MORE THAN A BABY!!” UltraMan shrieked.
“I feel rather insulted.” I said, ready to defend my sense of humor.
“A BABY WITH A LARGE VOCABULARY.” UltraMan boomed. With that, the sword shrank into a blue case-like thing where his hand should have been, and fired a ball of…something towards me. Instead of hitting me, it hit the wall behind me! The wall collapsed, and the ceiling began to crumble. Flint made it out quickly, but Dawn…well, not so much. I dived and knocked her out of the way as the ceiling fell where she was less than a second before. This spot, dear reader was on me. Fury burned in me like fire, and I lost all control of my body. A dragon of blue fire appeared and crushed every rock falling on me. As if for a finale, it blew into UltraMan.
“THOUGHT YOU COULD DEFEAT ME, DID YOU? IMPOSSIBLE!!! THE ONLY PERSON WHO COULD EVEN DAMAGE MY ARMOR SLIGHTLY WAS HERCULES! MWA, HA, HA!!!” UltraMan bellowed. He fired a shot into the remaining ceiling and disappeared yelling,
“YOU’LL BE SORRY YOU WERE EVER BORN!!!!” An explosion appeared and darkness began to cloud my vision. Soon, black was all I could see.
Chapter 6 Scientists, Akplaz, and Ice
When I came to, I found two people standing over me, Dawn and a doctor.
“I say we just let him rest for a while.” the doctor said to Dawn, leaving.
“Where’s, ow, Flint.” I moaned.
“After you saved me, he ran for the hills, literally. In fact, I think he might be at an observatory.” Dawn said.
“Yes, he was.” a new voice said. I turned in my hospital bed to see a man in a white suit grabbing…dragging Flint on the floor by his wrist.
“Let…me…go!” Flint said, struggling against the stern-looking grip.
“I’m afraid he dashed in, panicked while he zoomed about, and ‘accidently’ knocked a scientist unconscious. Is…is that an akplaz crystal,” he said, looking at my small blue gem.
“No, it’s Michael Jackson’s favorite rock. Well of course it’s an akplaz crystal! Why wouldn’t it.” I yelled.
“Perfect! Then you’ve heard of Operation P.O.W.E.R.”
“Operation P.O.W.E.R?”
“Present Operation With Extreme Reasons.”
“What?”
“We were on a search for one of the three major akplaz crystals. We found an ice cave and sent a Rover in. It turns out that it contains one of the three akplaz crystals.”
“Why didn’t you get it?” Dawn said.
“Extreme cold can freeze almost anything. I believe akplaz-radiated objects over 10% can withstand the cold. The Rover was made with akplaz.”
“I’m a 29%.” I said.
“Actually, your number has grown by about a quadrillionth. The crystal you own is an akplaz crystal. Anyway, I’d like to ask you if you could go into the ice caves and latch a hook on the crystal.” “Is there anyone else who can get in the ice caves?” Dawn said.
“Um… (What did the boss say about this?) I do…not…think so.”
“Alrighty, then.” I said.
“Good. We’ll go now.”
“Are we allowed to come?” Dawn said.
“I guess so.”
After about twenty minutes of sitting in a car, we reached a huge hole. A few workers were standing around talking under their breath.
“I’m getting a bad feeling about this.” I said.
“It’ll be fine.” the scientist said. “Just jump in the hole. Don’t fret.”
So, I began a journey that started strange and got worse. Much, much worse.
Note: the next chapter contains my point of view as well as Dawn and Flint’s.
Chapter 7 Dual-Purpose Traps $14.99
I slowly walked into the cave. The cord was in my hand, frozen in place. Bitter cold wind stung my face, and the snow was turned to ice. Soon, a blue glow appeared, soft, but there. Trudging through the ice and snow, I turned a corner and saw the most awesome sight ever. A huge blue crystal with the Aurora Borealis swirling around it stood before me. A strange sensation came over me, and I looked at my crystal. It was glowing a strange blue light. A large beam of light appeared, coming from my crystal, and zapped the huge akplaz crystal. There was a large FLASH! Then a female-like blue spirit appeared from the giant crystal.
“I was starting to think you’d never come, Brennan.” she laughed.
“Who are you, and how do you know my name?” I asked, surprised.
“Oh, where are my manners? I’m Aurora, spirit of the ice akplaz crystal. Of course, I know every akplaz warriors’ name just as well as my brothers.” she said, laughing.
“Why are you laughing?” I asked.
“Obviously, you are not a warrior of this crystal. We are not led into traps. But still, you are still a warrior, so I suppose I must teach you something while you’re here.”
“Traps?”
“Yes, once you attach that line of yours into this crystal, you will be obliterated. Anyway, watch this.” With that, she made a small ball of blue and hurled it.
“Your turn.” she said. I focused a ball of akplaz and hurled it.
“Not bad for a first try. For that, I’ll give you the location of the other two crystals. The first is in the volcano in the Delta state. The next is on the moon. Now remember, don’t hook the crystal. Oh, and tell my brothers I said hi.” she said, disappearing.
Suddenly, a voice yelled, “YOU WILL HOOK THAT CRYSTAL!” UltraMan!!!
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
“I don’t like this guy.” Flint moaned.
“You’ve been saying that for hours, Flint.” Dawn replied.
“Still, he is suspicious. That gleam in his eye makes me uneasy. Plus, you can’t doubt his muttering about ‘the boss.’” Suddenly, the guy turned.
“It’s time you knew.”
“Knew what?”
“This is a trap. Your friend hooks the crystal. We pull it in. We get the crystal. Our friend, UltraMan, defeats your friend. UltraMan comes and defeats you two. Instead, I’ll defeat you. HA!” Suddenly, BANG!! UltraMan flew out of the cave and into a nearby tree. I walked out, unharmed. A voice came from UltraMan’s helmet.
“1% energy. Auto-teleportation will begin.” Flash! UltraMan was gone.
“Heh, heh, you didn’t really think I would hurt you, right.” the scientist said. POW! A swift akplaz blast nailed him. He collapsed and disappeared into thin air. Dawn and Flint looked at me.
“Did you shoot that?” Dawn asked.
“No.” I turned. Aurora winked at me from in the cave and disappeared. Okay…that was weird.
“I know where the next akplaz crystals are.”
Chapter 8 I Hitch a Ride on a Space Ship
“I think the moon would be easier.” Flint said.
“I agree. There is a space service. If we could take a space ship, then you could see the next spirit of the akplaz crystal.” Dawn said.
“When does it start?” I asked.
“Two days.”
“That gives us a while to take that ship.” I said. “Let’s do this thing!” We went off to the space center. Unfortunately, when we got in, I took a wrong turn and got lost. I ended up in a lesson for rookie astronauts.
“And so you see, as the moon becomes full, we have had many sightings of falling akplaz.” a scientist was saying. Behind him, a huge space ship was standing, ready for takeoff. I snuck through the crowd.
“Any questions? Yes, you in the middle.” he said, pointing to a teenage boy, who looked very familiar.
“Is it possible to become an akplaz warrior by being hit by falling akplaz, because there’s a kid who my brother and sister know? And…my dad says he’s an akplaz warrior.” Of course, that teenager was Ray!
“Now, my boy, remember, akplaz warriors don’t exist. They’re only a myth.” Mr. Scientist guy said as I snuck into the ship behind him.
“THERE HE IS!!!” Ray yelled. Everyone turned.
“Great, Ray, right when I’m about to get aboard a ship that’ll take me to a place where I could learn something that could help me save the world.” I groaned.
“Ray?” two confused voices said from inside the cockpit.
“Lies! You three are plotting against the world.” Mr. Scientist guy said.
“How do you know there are three? I only see one.” a voice said.
“My boss, UltraMan, told me to make them seem as though three people are trying to take over the world even though he is. Oops.” he said, beginning to climb up a ladder to the cockpit.
“Well, I never thought some one would spill the beans that easily.” I said.
“He’s plotting against the world. Get him!!” a voice yelled. Instantly, a hail of space equipment pummeled down the scientist, who fell off the ladder. I jumped into the cockpit to see a surprised Dawn and Flint.
“Alright,” said Flint. “Fuel, jets, food, water all good to go.” Suddenly, we began lifting into the air. CRASH!! The roof blew into a million pieces.
“Something tells me you two will need these.” I said, handing Dawn and Flint two space helmets.
“What about you?” Dawn asked.
“It’s alright, I’m an akplaz warrior; I can withstand any kind of akplaz thing.”
“How do you know?”
“Aurora told me.”
“Who’s that?”
“Spirit of the akplaz crystal.” BOOM!!
“Sorry for the inconvenience, but we have landed.” Flint said over the radio.
“Alright, here I go.” I said, hoping I was right about being invincible to akplaz traps.
“Good luck.” Dawn said. “You’re going to need it.”
Chapter 9 I Meet Two Akplaz Spirits
The first moment out of the ship was rather scary, but after a while, I got used to it. Bouncing around became as natural as walking.
A while in, a familiar voice said, “I told you he’d come, Flash.” Continuously, I walked until my guess was proved correct. An akplaz crystal stood before me and with it were Aurora and a man-like spirit.
“Brennan, this is Flash, akplaz spirit number two. We were just talking when you showed up.” Aurora said.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard much about you, but never thought I’d see you in person.” Flash said, shaking my hand. Just then, Aurora snapped her fingers. In a blur of light, another two akplaz crystals appeared beside Flash’s, as well as another man-like spirit.
“Brennan, this is Corona. Corona, this is Brennan.” Aurora said.
“WAIT UP!!” a voice shrieked. DAWN?! Flint and Dawn, in space suits, ran up.
“UltraMan attacked while you were gone. He’s taken control of the ship…who are they?” Dawn said.
“We are Aurora, Corona, and Flash, spirits of the akplaz crystals.” Aurora said. “Now what’s that you said about UltraMan?”
“He attacked our ship and had his minions chase us away.” Flint said. “I think they’re still after us.”
“Take off those helmets.” Corona said.
“What?! We’ll suffocate.” Dawn yelled.
“Don’t worry.” Dawn and Flint took off their helmets.
“See, that’s not too bad.” Aurora said, smiling. Dawn smiled back. Flint and Corona looked at each other. Flash looked at me. I looked back.
“By the way, do you know what crystal warrior I am?” I asked Aurora.
“Yes, you are extremely wary, very careful, but quite determined. You belong to Flash’s crystal.” Corona informed me. Suddenly, a wave of armed soldiers burst out from over the horizon.
“Let’s do this!” I yelled and the four akplaz warriors/spirits hurled akplaz balls into the army while Flint and Dawn kicked, punched, and swung the morphing weapons the three akplaz spirits had given them. A blue shot went flying past the army of soldiers, heading straight for Dawn. Without thinking, I threw myself into the blast, waiting to feel overwhelming pain or death. It didn’t come. I sat up to see what had happened. A swirling mass of slow-motion war zoomed around me. Slow-motion…how did this happen? Why isn’t everything normal speed? Am I really fighting a war on the moon? Is this all a dream? Of course, it’s all a dream! That’s why it doesn’t hurt to get shot!! I pinched myself. Ow! Slow-motion stopped.
“I GUESS IT ISN’T IMPOSSIBLE TO CATCH AN AKPLAZ SPIRIT!!! NOW MINIONS, BRING ME THE BOY!!!!!!” UltraMan yelled. The wave of minions dove towards me.
“THE ONE WHO CATCHES HIM WILL GO UP IN RANK!!!!!!!!” One minion grabbed my foot and the world went slow-motion again, except for me. A single akplaz blast sent him flying, slowly. I saw a calm blue, a fierce blue, and a slower blue ball shoot at me in normal-speed. As they hit me, a renewed surge of power zoomed through my body. I shot a huge akplaz ball, pounded the ground making ice shards shoot from the ground, attacking enemies, and made the biggest dragon ever. Destruction was everywhere, blowing enemies left and right. In about 32 minutes and 54 ½ seconds later, the battlefield was cleared. Just me, UltraMan, and my friends, tied up and gagged in one side of the battlefield. This sight, dear reader, was none other than The Final Showdown!
Danger: The following chapter contains A young boy beating up the dictator of a country. Please consult with your doctor before reading on. If you begin to feel loss of sanity, please stare at a nearby wall for the next two years. Thank you for your attention!
Chapter 10 The Final Showdown
“I’M GIVING YOU ONE CHANCE TO GIVE UP BEFORE I DESTROY YOU!!!!!!!” UltraMan shrieked.
“If you think I’m giving up, you’re crazy. Look, dude, there’s more to life than controlling other people. There’s pizza, video games, candy, and anything else along those lines. It’s never too late to change.” I reasoned. I was answered by a giant blast of energy. POW! Instantly, it was dodged. I made an akplaz ball and hurled it. UltraMan wasn’t as lucky. CRACK!! UltraMan crashed down, but he wasn’t out yet. As he got up, I showed him an interesting surprise. My dragon lashed out. I was greeted by one of his surprises. A blue dragon as big as mine lashed out, too. As the dragons fought against each other, my friends tried to break free. Eventually, UltraMan’s dragon won. It rammed me, but I stood firm. I felt confused about that, worried about my friends, and upset that UltraMan wouldn’t give up.
“I ORDER YOU TO GIVE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“Never!!!” I was quite determined. I slowly walked towards him. I was very careful. As I jumped onto his armor-covered leg, I watched for any surprises he might have. I was extremely wary. I thought about lunch. I was hungry. The four attributes of Flash’s crystal. Er…Wait, hunger wasn’t it. The three attributes. Oh, whatever I hurled a ball of akplaz into UltraMan’s face. SMASH!!!
“GRAAAAHHH!!!!!!” he screeched, and he collapsed. A robotic voice began talking.
“DANGER!! 0% Energy…Shut-DOWNNNN will begin…Dan-ger…” and the robotic voice stopped. Finally, the one thing that had haunted my friends and me for all that time was gone. Gone…gone forever. It was over. I couldn’t believe it. I had nearly forgotten about my friends. Oopsie daisy. I untied them, and they got the gags off themselves.
“NO WAY, BRENNAN! How did you do that?” Flint screamed.
“I don’t believe it! He’s finally gone!!” Dawn yelled.
“My, Corona, you were right. He must be from Flash’s crystal.” Aurora said.
“Now then, Brennan, would you do the honors of connecting the crystals.” Flash said.
“Okay.” I said. I started shoving the 100-pound-lighter crystals. The first crystal began glowing as it touched the second. I pushed the last crystal so it was touching the two and Flash! A small portal appeared in the arch made of glowing blue crystals. A tile floor was in a room with something written on a poster hanging on the wall. A few scarecrows stood in various areas. It all looked so real. I touched it and found it was real. I slipped right through. Dawn and Flint fell in after me. We sat in the room that had been shown in between the crystals. The three akplaz spirits stood in the center of the room.
“Welcome to the Akplaz Dojo. Here you can learn new akplaz attacks, and your friends can practice with their weapons.” Flash said. That, dear reader, is just what we did. When we did have to leave, Corona made my crystal a direct portal to the Dojo. If only we had known what troubles lay right around the corner.
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