Tear
"You won't tell anyone, right?" I asked Ail. "That I used to live in Neturus before?"
"Well, sure; I'm also hiding the fact that you're a girl, too." He answered. "But why is it such a big deal if people find out about that?"
"It's just... I-I can't..."
Ail sighed. "I get it; you don't want to tell me. Whatever, as long as you don't tell anyone about my secret."
"That you're part fish?"
"Um, I'm hoping that was a joke..." Ail uttered, glaring at me.
"S-sorry..." I apologized sheepishly.
I'm Tear, and I've recently moved to Neturus. But it's not my first time here; I used to live here when I was younger. But when I lost a friend at the Lake of Death, my parents made me move to a different region for my safety.
But something about that lake always bothered me, so I came back to find out the truth. I disguised myself so no one would know who I was...
... why do I need the disguise? Well, that's a s-secret...
--
The day after Ail and I went to the lake, we were suddenly called by Ms. Reachet to the weird, blue meeting room.
"Why does this tunnel have to be so long?" Ail complained.
"The Master Chef assumes it is to make sure no one overhears anything we'd rather be kept secret." Barry answered.
"I guess... But couldn't they have at least installed a moving sidewalk in here or something?"
"I wonder how much ground this path stretches across the region?" I decided to ask.
"Good question." Is all Ail said.
"The Master Chef thinks that part of this area might even be underwater."
"You mean under the ocean? I doubt it stretches out that far, chef boy."
"Oh. We're here." I told them.
"Finally..."
Ail opened the door, and we saw Ms. Reachet standing on the weird platform like usual.
"So, you three have finally arrived." She said sternly, with her usual permanent frown.
"Why did you call us here?!" Ail asked, not looking too happy himself.
"Quiet, you." She uttered to Ail, with an angrier tone than normal.
"The Master Chef advises you not to upset the teacher."
"Shut it, chef boy..."
"Ahem." Ms. Reachet adjusted her glasses before continuing. "I would like a report on any recent monster activity, if you wouldn't mind."
"Monster activity? Let's see..." Barry thought about it for a bit. "The Master Chef believes the last time was in the auditorium, correct?"
"You mean the time you arrived at the last second?" Ail uttered snidely.
"And saved your life."
"... Touché."
"So I'm to assume that monster was the last one you all fought, right? And you all fought it together?"
"That is correct." Barry said.
"U-um, actually..." I cut in. "Uh, Ail, should I...?"
"Oh, you mean about that? It shouldn't be a problem; go ahead."
"What is this 'that' Master Chef's comrades are speaking of? He is most curious."
"W-we encountered a strange monster yesterday... At the L-Lake of Death..."
"...!" Ms. Reachet looked shocked, bearing an unfamiliar expression on her face.
"T-the Lake of Death?! The Master Chef asks, what exactly were yo-..."
"Alright." She cut him off, returning her usual calm demeanor. "And what was unusual about it, exactly?"
"I-it seemed bigger and stronger than the others, and wasn't controlling any people..."
"I see. So you two..."
"Huh?"
"... Never mind. Do as I asked, and always stay together. And don't go wandering off to unfamiliar areas; it's too dangerous. Understand?"
"Y-yes..."
"Alright. You are all dismissed." She turned around, and walked through the door behind her.
"What the heck was that about?!" Ail said after waiting for her to leave, looking really peeved.
--
After that, we returned to our rooms, since classes had already ended for the day. Barry really wanted to know why we went to the lake for some reason, but Ail told him it wasn't his business and made me not say anything either. I felt bad, but I suppose it was for the best.
I sighed. "And I was trying not to think about the lake, too..."
"Then don't. Just find something to distract yourself with." Ail suggested.
"U-um, like what?"
"Hm..." Ail thought about it for a second. "Do you have any homework to do?"
"Oh! That's right!" I got out my drawing pad. "Ms. Pensil told me to draw a portrait of someone today."
"A portrait of someone? You'd need a model for that, right?"
"Uh, yes. That's right." I confirmed. "And it's due tomorrow..."
"Tomorrow? Jeez." Ail groaned. "Wait, but you really like to draw, right? Don't you have any portraits already drawn in there? Can you give the teacher one of those?"
"Drawing is one of my favorite things in the world." I explained. "Because of that, I can't just use a picture that wasn't meant for the assignment. All of the portraits I have saved are too precious to give out, anyway."
"I see... I guess I understand. Although it doesn't really work the same way with music, but..."
"And besides, I enjoy doing homework for art class. Even if I don't have as much freedom for what I have to draw, it's still fun for me."
"Ah, that reminds me." Ail said suddenly, seemingly changing the subject. "There's something I was wondering about..."
"What is it?"
"Is that drawing you don't want to show me a portrait, too?"
"Yes, that's right. It's the first time I drew that person, so it's one of my favorite drawings..." I told him, blushing slightly.
"Huh, really? If that's the case, then that must mean..."
"A-ah!" I covered my mouth with my hands.
Oh no, I said too much! He's going to figure out what I drew!
"... it must not be who I thought it was, then."
"Hm? What do you mean?" I said, not expecting that response.
"I figured it might've been a picture of the friend you lost... And that you didn't want to show it to anyone because you didn't want to recall any bad memories..."
"O-oh... N-no, it has nothing to do with that..." I replied sadly. "It's just..."
"Just what?"
"I-it's just... E-embarrassing..." My face turned red at the thought of that sketch.
"Oh? Now I really curious! You've got to show me now!" Ail chuckled, gesturing towards the drawing pad I was holding. "C'mon! If it's that bad, I promise not to tell anyone about it!"
"N-no!" I exclaimed, trying to dodge Ail's advances. "Y-you can't see it!" Especially not you...!
"Fine, sheesh." Ail gave in. "I guess I shouldn't be distracting you like this, anyway. Since you don't want to use something you already drew, you'll have to hurry up and draw something else before it's too late..."
"Actually, as long as I find a model soon, it shouldn't be too much trouble. Although, I still don't know who I should choose..."
"In that case, I could be the model for you. If you don't mind."
"E-eh?! B-but I have to draw a specific type of person..."
"And I don't meet the criteria?" Ail asked questioningly.
"W-well..." I blushed in embarrassment. "Y-you do, bu-..."
"Alright, then." Ail cut me off, and took a seat on his bed. "Just sitting here should be okay, right?"
"Yes, that's fine. But hold on, let me prepare first..."
I can't believe I'm actually going to draw Ail for this assignment...
I took some colored pencils out of my bag and set up a stand to make it easier for me. I sat on my bed and placed my drawing pad on the stand and started to draw.
"Now that I think about it, this is the first time I've seen what you do for art class." Ail remarked. "This'll be interesting..."
"Please don't say anything; I need to concentrate." I told him sedately. "And try to keep still, okay?"
"Wow, I think this is also the first time I've seen you in 'serious mode'..." Ail said, surprised by my sudden change in attitude.
--
A couple minutes later...
Ah, I'm running out of blue pencil...
I looked at Ail. He seemed to be struggling to stay completely still, with a slightly anguished expression on his face.
I giggled. "Alright, you can take a break now, Ail."
"Ugh!" Ail groaned, relaxing himself. "Jeez, who knew doing nothing but sit still for so long could be so hard..."
"Heheh, sorry about that."
"Yep, you should be grateful." Ail crossed his arms. "Normally, I wouldn't put up with this kind of thing for anyone..."
"But you're willing to put up with it for me?"
"Yeah. Because you're special."
S-special?
"Hahah, I'm only joking." He said, chuckling. "It's not a big deal at all."
"O-oh, really..." Hearing he was joking about that made me feel really sad.
"Yes, really. So don't feel like you have to apologize or anything, okay?"
"O-okay..."
"So, can I see what you've drawn so far?"
"Um, actually, there's some parts I haven't colored yet. So it looks kind of weird right now..."
"Colored? Don't you draw an outline first?"
"No, never. What I like about drawing and painting the most is when I use color to fill the canvas, so I only really like to draw with paint and colored pencils."
"You don't like black and white pictures?"
"Uh, I don't hate them, but I like colored pictures a lot more. Achromatic drawings seem so... dreary to me."
"Wow, I didn't know you like colors that much..."
"Is it weird?"
"Nah; a painter liking colors seems pretty normal to me."
"T-thanks..."
"So, which one's your favorite?"
"Favorite? You mean my favorite color?" I thought about it. "Come to think of it, I've loved painting for so long, yet I haven't really decided on one I liked the most. Or rather, it's something I never even considered before..."
"Oh... really?"
"Ah, speaking of which..." I said, remembering why I decided to take a break in the first place. "There's one color I'm starting to run out of, so I need to go to the art room for a little while to ask Ms. Pensil to borrow some more pencils. Do you mind waiting here a little while?"
"Actually, do you mind if I go with you?"
"Um, sure. But why?"
"I've never been in the art room, so I'm kind of curious to know what it looks like." Ail stood up and stretched his back. "And I'm getting sick of sitting down, anyway..."
"Okay, let's go!" I said happily.
--
"U-um, excuse me!" I said, coming into the art room with Ail.
"Hello, Tear." Ms. Pensil greeted me as I entered. "Do you need something?"
"May I borrow some colored pencils? I need some blue ones for today's homework assignment. I ran out when I was drawing earlier..."
"Of course you may! Borrow as much as you need." She replied in a kind tone.
"Thank you so much, Ms. Pensil!"
"Judging by the color you ran out of, I'm assuming the person you chose to draw is Ail, right?"
"U-um, yes..." I admitted while blushing.
"By the way, what exactly is the criteria for the drawing assignment?" Ail decided to ask.
"Oh, he didn't tell you? I assigned everyone today to draw who they tre-..."
"D-dooon't!" I shouted, interrupting her.
"What?! What's wrong?" Ail said to me with an irritated tone. "And why's your face so red, Tear?"
"I-I'm so sorry... But please don't tell him anything more about it, Ms. Pensil..." I begged, my face completely flushed.
"Why not?! What's with you today?"
"Now now, Ail. Calm down." Ms. Pensil said calmly. "It's alright. I'm sure you'll figure it out once you see the finished portrait."
"If he even let's me see it..."
"Tear, you will show him, right? Even if it embarrasses you, he's still helping you with this, so it's only fair."
"Embarrasses you?"
"Y-yes, okay. I promise." I said, giving in.
Although once he finds out what the assignment's about, I'm not sure how he'll react...
"Hey, Ms. Pensil!" A girl, who's a fellow art student, walked in. "Can I borrow some colored pencils?"
"Certainly."
"Thanks!" The girl went to get some colored pencils from one of the drawers.
"Oh my, it seems everyone is working hard today!"
"Ah, that's right!" I remembered. "I still need to get some pencils, too..."
"Don't worry about it, I'll get some for you. In the meantime, why don't you show Ail some of the pictures you've painted? I've hung some of them on the wall over there."
"U-um, okay."
"Wow, you have your paintings hung on the wall, Tear? They must be pretty good, then."
"N-not really..." I said, fidgeting. "A lot of people's paintings are hung up, too..."
"Oh...?"
I showed Ail my paintings.
"H-here. This is the stuff I've drawn..."
"These? You really drew these?"
"Yes... Do you not like them?"
"Are you kidding? They're amazing!" Ail stated in admiration. "They look so... professional!"
"Y-you really think so?" I said, surprised to hear that.
"Of course!" He responded, confirming himself. "These are landscapes, right? I've never seen these places before..."
"That's because I thought them up... In my head..."
"S-seriously?! They look just like real places..." Ail continued to gaze at my paintings in awe.
I can't believe Ail likes my paintings so much... It makes me feel really happy...
"Tear is pretty talented, isn't he?" Ms. Pensil said admirably, bringing some blue colored pencils over to me. "Here you are."
"Thank you."
"By the way, I've been wondering for a while now..." Ail said suddenly. "These paintings next to Tear's are drawn by some of your other students, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"So, what's with this weird one?" Ail asked, pointing at a bizarre-looking painting next to mine.
"You mean this blotch-like one? I'm not sure..." I replied. "Maybe it's some sort of avant-garde painting?"
"Really? It's looks like some sort of monster..."
All of a sudden, the wall began to rumble.
"W-what's going on?!" I exclaimed, dropping the pencils I was holding. The shaking caused them to roll to the other side of the room.
"I have no ide-..."
"Get down, you two!" Ms. Pensil shouted suddenly, making the both of us drop down to the ground.
As the rumbling stopped, something shot out of the wall. It didn't hit us though, because we were ducking.
"That was close... What was that?"
"A-Ail, look..." There was a huge blob of paint moving up and down on the other side of the room. It had enveloped the girl who had come in earlier, who was now unconscious. "T-the girl is..."
"Wait, did that come from that weird painting on the wall?!"
I checked the painting. The blotch is gone!
Suddenly, the blob of paint began to take a monstrous shape.
"T-that's..." Ms. Pensil had a look of terror on her face. "N-no... Impossible..."
"GYEEHHH!!!" The paint monster-thing bellowed.
"It's a monster!" Ail exclaimed. "... Um, I think. It's kinda small compared to the others, and it's cry is a bit different..."
"It is a monster." Ms. Pensil confirmed. "But it's not like the others; this one is... special. It is... 'Monster Paint'."
"Monster Paint?" I repeated questioningly.
"It was sealed here many years ago... But, how did it come back? Who could've unsealed it...?"
"It doesn't matter to me. We'll beat it just like the others!" Ail stated fearlessly, taking out his sword.
"It's made of paint, right? Then I know how we can beat it!" I added, taking out my paintbrush.
"Be careful, you two!" Ms. Pensil warned us. "That thing is dangerous..."
"So are all the other monsters we've fought." Ail reassured her. "We'll be fine. Right, Tear?"
"Yep."
Alright, if I use that paint, then maybe I can easily beat this monster...
"Blue Paint!" My paint created artificial water, which shot at the monster.
This should work for sure...
... but it didn't. The monster simply devoured the paint, and acted like nothing had happened.
"GYEEHHH!!!"
"W-why didn't it work?!"
"I'm sorry Tear, but your paint attacks won't be able to hurt it, I'm afraid..." Ms. Pensil told me sympathetically.
"B-but..." Now I won't be of any help... Like before...
"Don't worry, Tear! I'll take care of it!" Ail rushed at the monster. "Try eating this!"
Ail tried to slash at the monster's mouth, but it just grabbed the blade with its teeth, and flung it across the room.
"Augh!" Ail fell over backward due to the force of the fling.
"Ail, are you alright?" I asked, running over to help him up.
"Yeah... But if your paint and my slashes can't hurt it, then what should we do?"
"GYEEHHH!!!" The monster unleashed a long lash from its back and flung it forward.
"G-Green Paint!" I fired wind at it to block it, but it simply went through the gale. "N-no!"
Of course not, it's not hurt by my paint...
I instinctively tried to protect myself, even though I knew it wouldn't help. But strangely enough, the lash moved around us.
"Huh? Why...?"
I wondered what it was trying to do, but then I realized it was aiming for something behind us...
"... Ms. Pensil!"
Wait, if I can't hit directly, then maybe...
"Yellow Paint!" I shot the paint at the ground, which launched some floor tiles at the lash. Unfortunately, the lash split in two and went around the tiles.
No! What do I do now?! It's too la-...
"Art of the Master Chef... Grill Parallel!" The lashes were suddenly burned away by two pillars of fire.
"Barry!" I cried out in relief at Barry, who had just arrived.
"Once again, the Master Chef has come to save the day!" Barry said, holding out his spatula in a dramatic pose.
"I was wondering where you've been, chef boy..." Ail uttered, picking his sword back up.
"And once again, he is unappreciated by you. When will you learn to appreciate the greatness that is the Master Chef?"
"Whatever. You got any ideas on how to beat this thing?"
"Certainly. The Master Chef shall simply ignite the beast with his Jalapeño Cannon, and..."
"You can't!" I waved my arms in protest. "There's a girl trapped in there. You might hurt her, too!"
"Hm... Indeed; the Master Chef wouldn't want to harm an innocent. Especially not a lady."
"How valiant of you, chef boy..."
"This is terrible..." Ms. Pensil said to herself. "If only there was some way we could seal the monster away again..."
Wait, seal?
"I... have an idea." I told everyone. "I may be able to stop the monster, if you both help me."
"Of course, comrade!" Barry responded.
"Sure thing." Ail added. "What's your plan?"
"Ms. Pensil, my paintbrush acts like a vessel for the paints I can use, right?" I asked her. "So isn't it possible for me to contain the monster in my brush, too?"
"Yes, I suppose..." Ms. Pensil answered. "But it would take a lot out of you. Are you sure you can handle it?"
"M-maybe not..." I said, losing confidence in myself. "I'm not as strong as Ail or Barry... I'm nothing special..." But I just wanted to...
"That's not true."
"Huh?"
Ail put his hand on my shoulder reassuringly. "You are special, Tear. At least to me."
"R-really?"
"Of course. You can do it, Tear! I've got your back, no matter what happens!" Ail said seriously, with a smile on his face.
So he wasn't kidding about me being special after all...
"T-thank you, Ail..." I felt like I wanted to cry then, but I held back the tears. "Okay, here goes!"
I held my paintbrush in front of the beast.
"Just concentrate on containing the monster in your brush." Ms. Pensil told me. "Imagine reversing the flow of the paints you use normally."
"GYEEHHH!!!" Monster Paint shot two lashes at my direction.
"No, you don't!" Ail slashed one of the lashes away...
"Jalapeño Cannon!" ...and Barry burnt the other one.
Angry, the monster ran forward, and collided with my brush.
Now!
"Waa!" I started to suck up the beast into my paintbrush.
T-this is a lot harder than I thought it would be... I thought, struggling.
"Can he do this?" Barry said skeptically.
"You can do it, Tear!" Ail cried out. "I believe in you!"
I can't give up, no matter what. Ail and the others are counting on me!
"GGYYEEEEHHHHH!!!" Monster Paint bellowed one last time, before being completely contained in my brush, releasing the girl in the process.
"H-he did it..." Barry uttered in disbelief.
"You did it!" Ail shouted happily.
"Y-yeah..." I said weakly. "T-thank you, Ail..." I started to keel over.
"Are you okay, Tear?" He asked worriedly, grabbing me before I fell.
"I-I'm fine... I d-did it..." I responded, before passing out... Again...
... but that's okay. For once, we were able to stop a monster, thanks to me!
I'm really happy... As long as I can help my friends, I'm happy...
End of Chapter 10
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Writer's Comments:
Jeez... again! This chapter ended up being long, too! Which is kind of ironic, because this chapter actually ended up being more trouble to write than I thought. Mostly because I kept of thinking of things for Ail to say in his head when it's Tear that's supposed to this time...
Oddly enough, the fighting part was the easier one to write, which is weird, because it's always the other way around for me. Speaking of which, are you surprised that there's another monster fight so soon? Well, there won't be another for a while, so...
*ahem* Accidental spoilers aside, this is the first double-digit chapter I've written for this series so far! (Well, that's technically not true, but whatever.)
This chapter wasn't particularly long before, or even that great for that matter. But I added some stuff and detail to it (mostly the beginning of the chapter). I kind of changed some stuff about Monster Paint too, like it was just a regular monster before (although the method of defeat was the same). I even thought up a story about it, but that's for another time.
Well, this section is getting a bit long too, so... see ya!
- CS-Masyet