"W-wha..." Serge looked at what happened in disbelief. "I tried so many times to get him into the hot spring, but then I completely gave up on it... H-how did you..."
I turned to face the little round CSmon, and flashed him a smile.
"W-who are you?!"
"I already told you, I'm Sérgio... and I'm a superhero in training!"
--
I'm Sérgio, and someday, I'm going to be a superhero. I mean, I was already told I had fire powers, and that I'm going to get wings someday!
For some reason though, when I tried to use my fire, I wasn't able to... But that's okay, because I came up with a brilliant idea to save Rhinore without using any special powers at all.
Just think, if I can do something like that without powers, I'll be able to do amazing things when I'm a real superhero one day!
--
"Oog..." Rhinore said, slowly stepping out of the hot spring pool, dragging some net with him by his horn.
"Rhinore!" Serge yelled, running towards him as fast as he could with his tiny legs.
"Rhinore!" "Rhinore!" "Rhinore!" Some more CSmon repeated, coming out of their hiding places.
"I'm so sorry to have scared you all. Are you all doing alright?" Rhinore asked them, in a calm and friendly voice.
"Rhinore! Rhinore!" They all cried, gathering around the rhino.
"We should be the ones asking you that!" Serge cut in. "We were so worried those fungus things would..."
"Don't worry, I'm fine." He reassured him. "And they're gone now, thanks to you, Serge."
"T-thanks, but..." Serge turned to me. "I actually had help from that human over there..." He admitted.
"Hm?" Rhinore walked over to me questioningly. "And who might you be, young lad?"
"Who me? I'm Sérgio, superhero in training!" Man, I love saying that!
"Oh, is that so?" He said, giggling. "I see! Thank you for your help, Mr. Superhero."
"... in training." Serge uttered flatly.
"By the way, what brings you to our fair island?" The rhino asked me. "We rarely get any visitors, especially not any human ones."
It's that strange word again. "Human"... I wonder what it means?
"W-well, you know... Duty calls!" I uttered, trying to come up with a reason for my appearance on the island. "When there's someone that needs to be saved, I'll be there to save them!"
"Hm... I see. Well, you must have a good heart, if you were able to enter this island in the first place."
Ah, that's right. I remember Crystana saying something like that to me before...
"Yeah, the only other human I've ever seen before is Rhinore." Serge added.
"Huh? But isn't he a rhino?"
"Didn't I explain it before?!" He started to look angry for some reason. "Some evil guy turned him into a rhino!"
"O-oh, yeah... I think I do remember you saying something like that... Sorry for forgetting!"
"Hmph..."
"But why a rhino, of all things?" Is it just because of his name...?
"How should I know?! I don't know how evil things think!"
"Now, now. Calm down, Serge." Rhinore told him calmly. "It doesn't matter what I've turned into. The only thing that matters to me is that I can remain able to take care of these young CSmon."
"Rhinore! Rhinore! We love you, Rhinore!" The (other) little CSmon chirped, bouncing up and down near Rhinore.
What a nice guy Rhinore is... He's definitely not a monster like I first thought!
"So, young lad. Now that your job here is finished, what is that you plan on doing next?"
"What do I plan on doing next, you ask?" It didn't take me long to think of an answer. "Naturally, I'm going to go and help more people that need saving! And go on lots of adventures! And... y'know, other stuff like that."
At least, I really hope so!
"A-adventures?!" Serge's eyes beamed with excitement. "A-are you serious?"
"Um, y-yeah! Of course!" I answered. "You wanna come on some adventures with me, Serge?"
"W-wha!?" Serge began to look mad at me again. "No way! I don't care about some stupid adventures! Especially not yours! Hmph!"
"Sheesh, fine. You don't need to get so angry about it..."
"Besides..." Serge continued, looking down at the ground. "This island is my home. I can't just leave..."
He seems to be a bit sad... I wonder why?
"Excuse me, young lad, may I talk to you alone about something?" Rhinore asked me suddenly.
"Uh, okay..."
--
Rhinore brought me over to a cliff facing the sea, away from Serge and the other CSmon.
"So, what is it?" I said to Rhinore.
"This cliffside..." He started to say. "I always see Serge staring at the ocean at this very same spot. Every single night."
"Huh? How come?"
"It was only about a year ago, that I found Serge. Back then, he was just an egg that had washed up on the beach... He's not the youngest of the CSmon here, but he's most certainly not the oldest either. And yet... he still tries his best to take care of and protect the other CSmon..."
"Like a second guardian."
"Heh, indeed; that does sound pretty accurate!" Rhinore chuckled. "Every day, he spends his time training to become stronger. He says he does it to protect us from 'evil guys' all the time. But I know that's not the real reason. I know why he sits at this cliff every night."
"Why's that?"
"Because... he wants to leave this place someday." He told me, his voice starting to sound sad. "He wants to see what's beyond the seas, and go on all sorts of adventures..."
"Really? But won't you miss him if he leaves?"
"Of course I will. He's only been here for a short while, but it's felt like we've been together forever. He's become like a son to me. It pains me to think he would leave..." He started to sob. "But still, I won't keep him from following his dream."
"Rhinore..."
"If you wouldn't mind... would you take Serge with you on your adventures? I'm sure that would make him very happy."
"Well, sure. But..."
"WAAAIIITTT!!!" Serge shouted from behind us.
"Serge!" Rhinore said in surprise, watching him run up to us. "How long have yo-..."
"I'm not leaving this island, Rhinore!" He cut him off. "I have to stay here and protect everyone!"
"It's alright, Serge. We'll all be fine." He assured him. "Go ahead and go see the world... like you've always wanted."
"B-but..."
"Don't worry, you can always come back and visit whenever you want. We'll be waiting to hear the stories of your adventures!"
"I-I..." Serge lost his confident face, and started to cry. "B-but I'll miss you! I really want to go on adventures, but not if I can't see you all the time anymore!"
"Oh, Serge..."
Serge ran up to Rhinore and hugged him, continuing to cry. Rhinore started to do the same.
--
A little while later...
"Are you sure you're okay with this, Serge?" I asked him, walking with him to our next destination.
"Yeah, I'm sure." Serge answered right away. "I've been waiting for this my whole life, after all."
"Did you make sure to say goodbye to everyone?"
"Yes, I did." Serge, once again, answered right away.
"And did you make sure not to forget to do anything els-..."
"Enough! Stop asking me so many questions!" Serge's cheeks puffed up in anger. "What's with you, acting like you've got to take care of me?!"
"Well... I do. You're going to be staying with me from now on, so..."
Come to think of it, I have to think of a way to explain to mom and dad about you...
"So what if I am?! It's not like you're older than me or anything, so don't boss me around!"
"Um, I am older than you..."
"Psh, who cares about age, anyway..."
"But you're the one that brought it up!"
"By the way..." Serge said, deciding to change the subject. "How did you get here, anyway? I mean, this place is completely surrounded by water...""Oh, I teleported here."
"Teleported?"
"This blue, shiny, spirit being told me to help the CSmon of this island. After that she flashed a bright light in my face, then... poof! I was here."
Serge gave me a strange look, like he didn't believe a word I was saying.
"It really happened! Honest!"
"There's no way there are blue spirit thingies that magically poof you to places!" He put his arms on his hips in anger. "Don't make fun of me just because I'm little!"
"I'm not making fun of you!"
"I only believe in realistic things." He stated, ignoring me. "Normal things, like the stuff on this island."
I... don't even know what to say to that...
"Listen Serge, if you're going to be an adventurer, you have to have an open mind. I mean, a lot of stuff here is different than where I come from, so there must be stranger things in other places, right?"
"My island isn't strange!"
"I'm just saying!"
"But... is what you said really true?!" Serge looked excited. "I thought that might be the case, but I didn't want to be too optimistic..."
"Huh?"
"Never mind. Anyway, since you teleported here, you should be able to teleport back, right?"
Now he decides to believe me...
"Well, to be honest, I didn't really think about that until now... But yeah, that should be right!"
Serge glared at me.
"Heheh... I'm sure we'll be fine!" I said, right before noticing we had made it to the familiar cliff leading to some sand near the water. "Oh, would you look at that! We're here!"
"Don't just avoid the subject like that!" He said, jumping down the cliff with me.
"Don't worry, I'm sure if I just call for her here, we should able to return back."
"Oh, really...?"
"Um, hey, Crystana?!" I called out, in the sky's direction. "I'm done, so can you bring me back home?"
I waited a bit, but... nothing.
"It's not working, Sérgio!" Serge said angrily.
"M-maybe I'm just not standing in the right spot?"
"Why would that make a difference?!"
I tried moving to where I ended up when I got here. My butt created a mark in the sand earlier, so it wasn't hard to locate it.
"Alright, here we go!" I looked up at the sky again. "Hey, Crystana!"
"I'm telling you, it won't matte-..."
All of a sudden, a large, blue beam of light shone down on us from above.
"W-wha!? What is that?!" Serge yelled in surprise.
"That must be h-..."
Before I could finish, we were warped off the island.
--
Then we reappeared in the big, blue shiny room again. And in front of us (er... again), was Crystana.
"Well done, Sérgio. Thanks to you, the evil beast's rampage has been stopped."
"It wasn't a big deal..." I scratched my head in embarrassment. "But about that 'evil beast'..."
"He's not evil!" Serge yelled, jumping up and down furiously. "He's Rhinore, the guar-..."
"You failed to vanquish it, but it is no matter." Crystana cut him off, completely ignoring Serge. "But still, it was merely a test, a test you took rather well."
"Hey, don't ignore me, you!" Serge said angrily.
"Serge, that's enough!" I told him.
"I believe you will truly become a grand superhero, strong enough to defeat the evil in this world, including your dark half."
"Y-you mean me?! Really?" My eyes beamed with excitement at the thought.
"Of course. Although it seems you've yet to control your powers properly..."
Ah, that's right... I wasn't able to use my fire powers back there...
"Now, I will send you on your way. When your help is needed once more, I will send you back here again." She created a portal behind me, which leaded back to my house. "Until then..."
"Ah, wait a sec!" I said, remembering something just then. "Ms. Crystana!"
"... What is it?"
"Um, this is Serge." I pointed at the round creature, introducing him to her. "He's a CSmon that came along with me..."
"Oh, I apologize for the mistake. I shall return him to the island at once." She began to wave her hand to create another portal, but...
"W-wait, that's not it!" I called out, stopping her. "He's my friend; I want to bring him with me on my adventures! ... Um, if that's okay..."
"..."
"Uh, is that a no?"
"... Very well. Assistance from an ally may be helpful in defeating your evil side, so I shall permit it."
"Alright! You hear that, Serge?"
He said nothing, only looking at her with a mildly upset expression.
What's with him?
"If that is all, I will send you back. Until next time, future hero..."
And with that, she waved her hand, and sent us through the portal.
--
When I got back home, it was already dark.
"Oh no! Mom's gonna be wondering where I've been this whole time..."
"Hey, Sérgio." Serge said seriously.
"What's up, Serge?"
"Just who is that Crystana... thing?"
"Don't call her a 'thing'! That isn't nice!"
"You just like her because she kept calling you a 'future hero', don't you?!"
"S-shut up! And you must hate her because of what she said about Rhinore, right?" I argued. "She probably doesn't know about what actually happened; it's not her fault!"
"... I don't hate her." Serge corrected, in a calmer tone than before. "Not really, anyway."
"Huh? Then what, then?"
"She just... bothers me."
"Bothers you? Why?"
"I don't know. She just... does. Something about her..."
"Whatever, Serge. Whatever you say..."
I opened the door to my house. As soon as I went inside...
"Hoooooney!" Mom immediately ran up to me and hugged me tight. "Where have you been all this time?!"
"We thought you might be over Jemily's house, but we called and she told us you weren't there." Dad told me.
"Your father was so worried about you. He wouldn't stop panicking!"
"You were just as frantic, dear..."
"W-well, it's kind of a long story. It has to do with my powers and stuff..."
"It does?" Mom looked at me with surprise.
"Yeah. You see..."
--
I explained me going through the portal and meeting Crystana, and about my "evil half". I also told them about me going to Serge Island and helping Rhinore and the CSmon.
"... And that's it. That's what happened."
Mom and dad didn't say anything.
"Is something wrong?"
"Sorry, sweetie." Mom said softly. "It's just... a lot to take in..."
"Do you know who Crystana is? Or the evil me?"
"Of course not... What's this about an 'evil you'?!" She asked, seeming disturbed by what I told her.
"Are you sure you didn't dream all that or something?" My dad suggested.
"No way! I was gone for a while, wasn't I? And besides, I brought someone with me from the island."
"Huh? Where are they?"
"Hm? He's righ-..." I looked behind me, and noticed my round companion was gone. "Serge? Where did you go?!"
"O-over here..." He answered, apparently hiding behind the door outside.
"What're you doing over there? Come inside and meet my mom and dad!"
"Is she going to attack me?" He asked nervously, peeking himself out slightly. "Like she did to you before?"
I sighed. "You'll be fine. Come in here already, you baby!"
He jumped inside immediately after that comment, the force closing the door.
"I'm not a baby, stupid!"
Serge's sudden appearance seem to shock my parents. My mom, mostly.
"This is Serge, a CSmon from Serge Island. He's a friend that I want to bring with me on my adventures."
"Adventures, son?" My dad questioned. "Now hold on a min-..."
"SOOOOO CUUUUUTE~!!!" My mom screamed suddenly, grabbing Serge and hugging him even tighter than me before.
"U-uh, mom...?" I uttered, confused by what she was doing.
"You liar!" Serge yelled at me, trying to struggle out of my mom's hold on him. "You told me she wouldn't attack me!"
Sorry, Serge...
"You're just so adorable! So small and round!" She started fiddling with his stubby hands. "And you've got such cute widdle arms!"
"... I think your mother really likes your new friend, Sérgio." My dad commented.
"Argh!" Serge cried, shooting a small ball of fire upward, surprising us. It disappeared before it hit anything.
"You sure a firey little thing, huh?" My mom said to him, keeping the same grin on her face, while (finally) setting him down. "There you are."
"Hmph..."
"So, you were saying you want to go on adventures?" My mom asked in a more calm manner, bringing up what I said before. "And you want to bring Serge with you?"
"Um, yes. T-that's right..." I answered, having the feeling she wouldn't give me a response I was hoping for.
"Now, son. This whole thing sounds dangerous; we can't just send you off to unknown places alone... er, with just your CSmon friend."
"Your father is right this time, Sérgio. This world may contain people and beings with all sorts of powers and abilities, but it's not a world where parents willingly send off their 10-year old sons into far-off lands, with just little creatures to support them."
"B-but if I don't go, I'll never be a great superhero! And I won't be able to stop my evil side!"
"And you promised to take me on adventures, too!" Serge added.
"I know, sweetie." My mom tried to calm me down. "I know this is something you really want to do, something you feel you need to do. But as you are, you're just not strong enough. You probably can't even control your fire powers yet, right?"
"Y-yeah, that's right..." I sadly admitted.
"And that's why..." My mom started, crossing her arms. "I'm going to train you to be the best hero you can be!"
"R-really?!" I said with glee. "Really seriously?!"
"Yes, that's right. Then you'll be able to stop all the evil in the world!"
"Rhea, what are you saying?! You're not serious, are you?"
"Quiet, Ribeiro; you don't need to worry about a thing!" She reassured him. "I'm not just going to teach him about his powers; I'm also going to teach him my special martial arts!"
"Special martial arts?" I asked curiously.
"Yes, that's right. I've taught you some kicking techniques before, but those were just ordinary moves. What I want to teach you are some special skills from my 'Pyralest style'!"
"More kicking techniques...? But those are lame; I just want to learn how to use my new powers..."
"Excuse me?!" My mom glared at me angrily. "Even if you're my child, I won't forgive you for calling my techniques 'lame'!"
"But you told me you would only teach the Pyralest style to females, dear..." My dad reminded her.
"Well, I can make an exception in Sérgio's case. He is my son, after all!"
My father sighed. "Alright, fine. If you can manage to survive your mother's training, I suppose I really won't have to worry about you going on adventures after all."
"I... have a bad feeling all of a sudden..." I uttered nervously.
"Of course, I'm going to be training you too, you little cutie!" My mom said to Serge.
"I... have a bad feeling, too..." Serge added.
... Oh well. If I can get through whatever she has in store for me, then I can finally go on adventures and be a superhero, like I've always wanted. I don't really care about kicking techniques, but if it'll help me be a better superhero, then I guess I'll learn them. Bring it on, mom!
End of Chapter 2
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Writer's Comments:
So this is chapter 2 of Sérgio's 1st Adventure. And to be honest, it turned out nothing like I was expecting it to...
Originally, I was going to go into some detail about some stuff, like having Serge join Sérgio, then have it simply change to the next day and have Sérgio partake in his next "test". But then I decided I want to go into more detail about Serge's past with Rhinore and why he wants to go on adventures in the first place. I also was going to have Sérgio keep Serge and the adventuring a secret from his parents for a while, but then decided it would make more sense for him to tell them immediately.
And somehow, that all took up an entire chapter. Which means what I had planned as the "meat" of this chapter will be in the next one instead! Ironic that I combined chapters earlier, and now I'm splitting these...
Anyway, sorry this one took so long. I was going to release this last month, but I got preoccupied with other... things. I'll try to get the next one out by next month (or even this month, if I have the time). So... bye! ... Again. Hopefully my drive to work on this series stays strong!
- CS-Masyet
Side Note: Here's a bit of trivia for you - the title of this chapter was going to be the title of the last chapter if I didn't combine it with the others. I didn't have a planned title for this one, as its split was sorta last minute, so I decided to use the scrapped title. Just thought you might think this was interesting!