Zack activated his silver space ring to retrieve his last remaining bomb. He had already utilized at least ten bombs plus other combat devices in his possession against the Blue Moon tiger, but the creature's Light magic proved to be a resilient and challenging defense.
The Moon tiger's body was covered in gashes and wounds, with red blood staining its blue fur. The creature's left hind leg was bent at an unnatural angle, the result of one of Zack's explosive balls. However, despite its injuries, the beast was slowly regenerating, its Light magic working to heal its wounds.
Similarly, Zack's body was covered in claw marks, burns, and a deep gash across his palm. Blood loss was starting to make him dizzy, and he felt himself growing weaker, yet he clutched his final explosive ball with unwavering resolve. His mind was focused on a single desperate plan; toss the bomb at the Moon tiger and then scream for Robert and Oliver's help. He locked eyes with the Blue Moon tiger, and the air thickened with tension. The Blue Moon tiger snarled, baring it's teeth, while Zack brandished his bomb, ready to make a move.
Then, with a sudden contraction of muscles, the Moon tiger sprung into action, launching itself at Zack with a breathtaking display of speed and ferocity. Zack reflexively triggered his bomb by squeezing it, and hurled it at the creature's face. But with a momentary flash, the tiger vanished into thin air, and a moment later, the ball detonated harmlessly in mid-air. Zack looked around in confusion.
Chuck had retracted his magic beast and merged with it, becoming one with the creature and gaining access to its Light elemental affinity. This was a useful ability that wizards with contracted beasts could utilize, allowing them to merge with their beasts and use it's powers.
Chuck studied the Moon tiger tattoo on his arm and smiled triumphantly. While the magic energy of his beast had been depleted by half, he was confident that it would be enough to defeat his opponents. After all, he figured Robert and Oliver must have been using up their magic energy at an alarming rate to bombard his tetrahedron, and he expected them to be on the verge of magic exhaustion by now.
Chuck's attention shifted back to the Wooden tetrahedron spell that protected him, noticing it's gradual deterioration. Cracks and splinters in the barrier allowed silvers of light to penetrate, signaling it's vulnerability. With bated breath, Chuck awaited the ideal moment.
Twenty-five feet away, Oliver and Robert continued their frenzied assault on Chuck's wooden barrier, rapidly conjuring spells with all the mental strength they could muster. Yet despite their valiant effort, the tetrahedron remained stubbornly resilient. "Why hasn't his shield shattered yet?" Oliver's bellowed frustratedly, his voice rising above the cacophony of crackling Lightning strikes and sizzling light arrows. With their magic energy dwindling to critically low levels, it was infuriating to see Chuck's tetrahedron remain largely intact. Robert's plan had been to goad the enemy into casting a powerful defensive spell, then bombard it with relentless attacks until it shattered, dealing significant damage to their opponent in the process, just like he did with Isabel. But against Chuck, this strategy was proving unexpectedly challenging to execute.
"Stop please! I'm feeling lightheaded," Robert exclaimed, abruptly halting his spellcasting and stumbling over to a nearby weathered bench. He collapsed onto it heavily, his legs trembling beneath him, and he felt as though the world was spinning around him.
Oliver joined him on the bench, panting heavily. "Me too, I'm drained!" He exhaled, shifting to a sturdier section of the bench. "You said this would work!" he snapped.
Zack chimed in. "It worked before," he said, approaching to them with a noticable wince. The bleeding from the deep cut on his palm had stopped, but he still felt woozy and his entire body throbbed with pain.
"I guess Chuck's truly not your average 5th rank Common wizard," Robert remarked, wiping sweat from his brow. He and Oliver were panting heavily, their faces flushed and their bodies drenched with perspiration. Their magic energy was slowly replenishing, but it would take several hours for them to fully recover. They couldn't use their magic in their current state without risking magic exhaustion, which could be fatal.
Moments after Robert and Oliver ceased casting spells, the wooden tetrahedron evaporated into tiny, swirling brown magic particles, leaving Chuck exposed to the daylight once again. He looked over at the other three who were slumped on a worn bench, looking completely exhausted. A chuckle escaped Chuck's lips, and a smug grin spread across his face.
He walked closer, stopping eight feet from the trio. "It's amusing that you imbeciles actually thought you had what it takes to defeat me, Chuck Hart, the most talented magic student in all of Kreete?" he jeered, pride colouring his tone.
"That's the most laughable thing I've ever heard!" Zack shot back.
Chuck's face flushed with anger, and the tiger tattoo on his arm began to glow. A radiant Light spear materialized in his hand, it's golden tip shimmering with mesmerising brilliance. "I suppose you fools expended a lot of your magic energy on that stupid trick," he taunted. "Of course my energy is nearly depleted too, but fortunately, I already own a contracted beast that I can merge with and utilize its power. I still can't believe you three bothered to put up a fight, you thought it was gonna end in your favour?" His voice dropped to a chilling tone. "I initially intended to make this quick by giving you a beating, Manuel, and making you feel the humiliation you brought upon my sister. But now I'm gonna torture you three. I'm gonna relish in your suffering, and maybe - just maybe - leave lasting marks. Now which one of you wants to be the first to do their time?" he sneered, tracing the spear's tip with his fingers.
"That's it, we either use the old men's powers or we're toast," Robert whispered to the other two.
"Wait, you two could be exposed," Zack whispered against the idea. "Chuck might be more informed than we think!"
"But he's not gonna let us walk away from this. What do we do now?" asked Oliver, calmly.
A grin suddenly appeared on Zack's face. "We toss him a ball," he muttered and his silver ring glowed. In his hand, the final bomb in his possession materialized - turns out, Zack thought, the last one he had used on the Blue Moon tiger, just before Chuck had merged with it, wasn't really his last one after all.
"What's that?" Oliver asked, eyeing the fist-sized red metal ball in Zack's hand with fleeting curiosity.
Zack smiled. "It's a Zack's Explosive Ball."
"I'm sorry what?" Robert's expression twisted in confusion.
"Yeah, all my creations are named after me," Zack shrugged.
Oliver uttered a telepathic "That's dumb," before saying, "From the name, I guess it's a bomb?"
Zack's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "You didn't see my fight with the Moon tiger?"
"We were a bit preoccupied ourselves, Zack."
Zack snorted. "Fair point. I bet Chuck missed the memo too. By the way, a Zack's Explosive Ball is more like a uhh... super grenade, and Chuckie over there is about to find out about that firsthand."
"Oooh, I love where this is going," Robert said, turning to meet Chuck's glare with a matching grin.
Chuck, feeling ignored by the trio's hushed conversation, blurted. "You know what I love about offensive Light spells?" He began, drawing their attention back to himself. "They're hot... blisteringly hot!" He sneered, and pointed the Light spear at Oliver. "You should know that all too well." Then he pointed it at Robert. "You, Shade Manuel, you should be punished first. Too bad Suzy isn't here to watch. She would definitely have loved to hear the screams I'm about to torture outta you!"
Zack squeezed the ball in his fist and called out. "Hey, Chuck! Heads up!" He tossed the bomb in Chuck's direction, where it bounced off the ground and came to rest at his feet.
Confused, Chuck prodded the ball with his feet. "And what the hell is this ball supposed to be..."
BOOM!!!
Before he could finish, a deafening explosion cut him off. A massive shockwave burst out, knocking over the boys on the bench and sending a shower of rubble in all directions.
Chuck was caught completely off guard by the explosion, and to make matters worse, he was dangerously close to the bomb and he was unprotected. The force of the blast propelled him into the building bearing the label 'Big Kakes', creating a large hole in the brick wall where he crashed through. The building remained standing, however the massive breach indicated that Chuck's crash was brutal and devastating.
Robert, Zack and Oliver rose to their feet as the dust settled, staring blankly at the gaping hole in the building Chuck had crashed into. "Did you... did you kill him?" Robert muttered, his expression becoming anxious. If Chuck really was dead, they would be in serious trouble.
"We'd better check on him," Oliver said, his demeanor astonishingly composed. The trio ran around the building, and there, lying in an overgrown hedge, was Chuck. He was covered in bruises and blood, but amazingly, he was still conscious. He was a wizard, after all, and his body and mind were stronger than ordinary.
Zack tried to laugh, but Robert and Oliver gave him a look that made him stop short. Chuck was conscious, but he couldn't move. Every inch of his body felt like it was on fire, and he cursed himself for not taking the fight seriously enough. If only he hadn't been so arrogant and dismissive of Zack, if only he hadn't let his guard down so much. How could he have been so foolish as to mistake Zack's bomb for an ordinary ball?! Why the hell would he think a metal ball from Zack was ordinary?!
Robert approached him nervously. "Are you all right?" he asked with a tone that radiated his genuine concern.
Chuck tried to speak, but all that came out was a garbled mess. He inwardly cursed his own stubborn pride, and the foolishness that had led him to this moment.
"I think what he's trying to say is 'I'm fine don't worry about me'," Zack quipped, releasing a smile that Oliver and Robert did not return. Oliver knelt down beside Chuck and began to cast a Light recovery spell over him, but they all froze as they heard footsteps in the dry leaves behind them and on cue, a clear and authoritative voice commanded.
"Put your hands up!" The voice was feminine.
Oliver rose from Chuck's side, raising his hands in synchronization with the other two. "Please," Robert spoke impulsively, "it's not what you think!" He understood that the sound of spells and explosions from the altercation must have alerted the attention of the police or more likely, Magic enforcers. If they suspected the boys were attacking an innocent person, they would be in serious trouble.
"Turn around... slowly," the voice commanded again. The three boys hesitantly complied, bracing themselves for what they might see. They were met with the sight of two blonde women, one remarkably tall, and a young brown-skinned man, standing before them, dressed in black uniform... Magic enforcers.
"Uhh, please, there's an explanation," Zack spoke up, trying to keep his voice steady. "We heard the same sounds you heard, and came to investigate. We found him here on the ground, but there was no one else around. My friend was trying to cast a Light recovery spell to rejuvenate him when you all arrived."
Robert and Oliver shot each other impressed glances, acknowledging Zack's smooth save.
"And if you wish, you can ask him yourselves," Robert chipped in, gesturing towards Chuck, who immediately fainted from anger after he heard the sentence.
"And how would you account for your injuries?" the tall female enforcer asked, her expression jaded.
Zack's mind immediately worked up a lie. "Uhh... I might have missed the part where we warded off the beast that attacked him," he said sheepishly.
"Beast, huh?" the shorter female enforcer asked skeptically. "You're sure you three had nothing to do with this?"
The three boys shook their head.
The male enforcer leaned closer to the females. "They might be telling the truth," he whispered. "I mean, there's no way these boys could beat that guy up so badly. You can see that the two of them are just second-rank Common wizards, and the blonde one has no magic aura, while the one on the ground has the aura of a fifth-rank Common wizard. There's no way two second-rank Common wizards could ever take down a fifth-rank Common wizard. It's just not possible. Could be a beast that did this."
The women scoffed, and the taller one spoke in a low, sarcastic tone to the man, "Oh please, Jetter. Beast my foot!"
"You've got a different thought?" Jetter whispered.
"If you'd been doing this job as long as I have, you'd understand how ridiculous what you just said sounds. These three little mutts could be in possession of a dangerous magic tool of some sort to aid their shenanigan."
The man opened his mouth to respond, but stopped when the other woman raised a hand.
"Finn, escort these three off the premises," she ordered. "Jetter, perform a search for any magic beasts that might be nearby. I'll take this poor fella to the hospital." Clearly their superior, the not-so-tall woman made the decision to drop the matter. Although she wasn't ready to make the boys admit it, she was certain of what had happened. It was just a common enough occurrence - young wizards getting into a brawl and nearly killing each other... typical.
Finn walked up to the three boys, her statuesque height making the boys feel tiny. Her eyes scanned the group indifferently. "Alright, move those little feet let's get you three out of here." She motioned for them to start moving, and they obeyed immediately. They walked for a few minutes before reaching a relatively lively street.
"Alright, you guys can run along now," Finn said, turning to leave. But Zack reached out and grabbed her arm. She flashed him an irritated look and asked, "What do you want?"
"Um, I just... um," Zack started, his cheeks turning bright red. "I just wanted to say... um... you're really pretty."
The woman's face fell blank, and Zack, sensing he had scored, hastily fumbled to retrieve a phone from his pocket.
"Can I get your number?" he asked, holding the phone out to her. Finn stared at him for a few seconds. Then, slowly, she reached out and took the phone from Zack's outstretched hand. Zack smiled expectantly, but the next thing that happened shocked him more than he could express. Finn's palm suddenly became rocky, and with a swift moment she closed her fingers around the phone and squeezed. The crushing sound that followed informed Zack that he'd need a new phone. It was clear now to him that Finn was an Earth wizard and was not interested in teenagers flirting with her... In fact, she didn't seem to be interested in anything at all!
"Oops..." Finn said with ironic remorse, dropping the crushed phone. Then, turning on her heel, she strode away.
Zack was left transfixed and speechless, only regaining his composure after Finn had turned a corner and disappeared from view. His gaze shifted to his phone which laid shattered on the ground. "Did you guys see that?!" he exclaimed. "She just crushed my phone!" But when he looked around, he found Oliver and Robert already far ahead, having taken off when they realized he was trying to charm an adult woman who was probably nearly a decade older than him.
"Hey, wait for me!" Zack exclaimed, chasing after them, "whose damn house am I gonna stay?!"
"Stay at Robert's house," Oliver's voice sounded from the distance.
"Zack, I bet you'd love an ice castle even better!"