"SWISSHHHH" In the next moment, a surge of lightning coursed through Yoshi's body as he attempted to strike Micheal, the force so intense that it rendered him unconscious. After finishing with Yoshi, Michael turned back to Dr. Grey and raised his hands toward the ceiling. With a simple gesture, lightning shot out, tearing through the roof and causing the entire building to tremble like an earthquake.
"Quick, we must leave at once; that attack won't hold him off indefinitely," Michael said, turning to his friends, who were now grasping the gravity of the situation.
"Are you all alright?" Micheal inquired, suddenly sensing a pair of arms encircling his neck, drawing him into a warm embrace.
"Micheal..." Racheal whispered, drawing Micheal nearer, as though afraid he might vanish once more.
"I apologize for making you worry, but I'm here now" Micheal smiled as he embraced Racheal tightly, feeling her sobs. He could only imagine the pain she had endured witnessing his death.
"Huhh, when did they become a thing?" Hei, having finally regained some of his strength, inquired as he rose to his feet.
"Yeah, why does he get the girl? He didn't even do anything; he basically just slept through the whole fight," Bai added with a frown, his expression clearly showing his displeasure. The sudden collapse of a large section of the roof beside them jolted them back to reality.
"I missed you too, everyone. We need to move quickly because once that stun wears off, we'll have to deal with an angry Dr. Grey, and you all aren't in any shape to fight. Hei and Bai, assist Henry. Racheal, stay close behind them. I'll follow right after you. Let's go," Michael said, receiving a nod from the brothers as they approached to help the weary Henry. As they approached the door, they glanced back to witness Micheal lifting his brother's body.
"Whoa, Mike, what's going on? Are you aware that this guy just attempted to take our lives? He came very close to succeeding too. I understand he's your brother, but he's not prepared to join us," Bai said to Michael, who sighed and turned to him.
"Dr. Grey did something to him that changed him; my brother would never harm innocent people, I know that for sure. You have to understand that I can't leave my brother behind; I need to help him," Michael replied, his expression resolute.
"Tsk, your expression clearly indicates that no matter what we say, your mind is made up. Well, let's proceed then. If he attempts to harm us again, you'll be held accountable for that." Bai sighed and shook his head. He recognized Micheal's expression; it was the same one he wore whenever he had resolved to take action.
"Hahaha, you know me too well," Michael chuckled as they hurried out of the building. None of them noticed a reddish, miniature mechanical spider fall out of Yohi's ear, its appearance resembling something that had been scorched by lightning.
Meanwhile, the team hurried down the stairs just as the entire building crumbled around them. They skillfully dodged falling debris and leaped over gaps in the ground created by the previous explosion. Just as they reached the entrance and ventured a bit further, the entire structure collapsed.
"That was close," Henry said, exhaling in relief.
"Whew, finally, it's done!" Hei exclaimed in relief, dropping to his knees and clutching his head with
sheer exhilaration; they had successfully completed the mission.
"Not quite. We may have dealt with the creatures and mother worms inside, but we still have these guys to contend with," Michael replied, gazing at the sea of Creepers, Reapers, and Scrapers surrounding them.
"Wow...this seems to be nearly every undead in the area, this is unbelievable, we might never get past this." Bai's eyes widened in disbelief; he could hardly comprehend what he was seeing. The creatures that had vanished upon their arrival had inexplicably reappeared, and this horde was the largest yet. It felt as though there was no end to them. Everywhere he turned, they were there, curiously observing the group without making any move to attack.
"I might be able to do something, but I need to conserve that energy for another task. However, I have a better idea; I'll use my brother's ability." Micheal exhaled softly, shutting his eyes.
"Are you planning to replicate our abilities like your brother does?" Henry inquired; his brow furrowed as he looked at the unconscious Yoshi.
"No, that is my original skill. My brother possesses the ability of mind control, which explains why I was seeing him so frequently; he was the one accountable for that." Micheal responded with a smile.
"Whoa! So, he was the one causing all those episodes; your family is certainly intriguing. How did you come to know all of this anyway?" Hei said, then turned to Michael with curiosity. He hadn't heard Dr. Grey mention anything like this, so how did he come by this information?
"I can't explain now; it's complicated. But all you need to know is that help is on its way," Michael replied with a smile, he opened his eyes, glancing at Hei, who frowned in confusion.
"Help?" Racheal inquired with curiosity, intrigued by who Micheal was referring to.
"Yes, we have encountered each other previously; you may be more familiar with him as Trevor." Micheal smirked as a massive shadow loomed overhead, and a colossal figure descended, landing on the Reapers at the forefront and crushing them beneath its feet.
"Woah!" The two brothers recoiled in terror upon seeing the enormous shadow. They looked up to encounter the formidable presence of the white and blue cat, which intimidated the nearby zombies and made them retreat.
"Hahaha, Trevor," Henry exclaimed as he hurried forward, seemingly unfazed by his injuries that appeared to have healed. He took hold of the cat's enormous paw, cradling it while the rest of the team observed with a range of reactions.
"Please tell me I'm not the only person who finds this really strange." Hei tilted his head to the side and murmured to his brother.
"Right back at you, bro" Bai whispered, a look of confusion on his face.
"Cough, I believe it's time for us to leave; we're spending too much time here, and Dr. Grey could come back at any moment." Micheal coughed to capture Henry's attention. Once he had it, he spoke, encouraging the others to approach Trevor, who lowered its massive frame, permitting those eager to climb aboard.
"Hey, what are you waiting for? Get on quick" Michael said to Bai after the others had all climbed on. He also hopped on, Yoshi slung across his shoulders.
"Umm, I believe I'll just wait here for a while; you all can go ahead," Bai said with an awkward laugh, glancing at the calm-looking Trevor.
"What's the matter with him?" Micheal turned to Hei and inquired.
"He's a bit afraid of cats; he claims they're creepy," Hei replied in a soft voice.
"Hey! I'm not afraid of them; I just don't trust them enough," Bai shouted in reply.
"Bro, how can you be scared of Trevor? He's so cute," Henry, who seemed to be smitten with the cat already, said to Bai with a displeased expression.
"He's 11,000 pounds" Bai replied in disbelief.
"Of course, that's what adds to its charm" Henry remarked with a smile.
"That doesn't make any sense. You all are wasting too much time here. Just leave; I'll hold Dr. Grey off." Bai frowned and turned around, signaling his unwillingness to depart.
"You prefer to confront that killer instead of just
sitting on a cat? That's just crazy," Racheal said, shaking her head in disbelief.
"I'll take care of this, just give me a moment," Michael said to those around Trevor before leaping off and walking over to Bai, who defensively took a few steps back, causing Michael to pause.
"Listen, I'm not sure what your past experiences with cats have been, but this situation is far more critical. Every moment we hesitate brings us closer to danger, so gather your courage and push through your fear. What exactly are you afraid of?" Micheal spoke gently, attempting to persuade Bai, who frowned, hesitant to heed Micheal's words.
"What's there not to be scared of? their eyes resemble those of snakes, and they're incredibly fast. They can literally take on the animal kingdom—dogs, snakes, even lions. Did I forget to mention their agility? We're fortunate this isn't one of those ginger ones; those orange ones are definitely descendants of Vikings," Bai replied, explaining why he couldn't accept cats.
"None of that clarifies why you're afraid of cats. In fact, their ability to take on snakes, dogs, and even lions is rather impressive. Look, be brave; don't forget that they're planning to nuke this entire area soon," Michael said, facepalming as he tried to help Bai understand the logic in his words.
"No, I'm not going," Bai insisted, which led to Micheal losing his patience.
"Screw this" With a curse, Micheal lunged at Bai,
seizing his shoulders and unleashing a jolt that coursed through his body, rendering him unconscious. Micheal quickly lifted him, and rushed toward Trevor just as a shout echoed from the collapsed research facility.
"MICHEAL! GET BACK HERE!" Dr. Grey's voice, filled with clear anger, echoed from the rubble, prompting Michael to frown as he turned to Trevor and spoke.
"Get us out of the base, Trevor, as fast as you can," Michael spoke softly to Trevor, who purred as it crouched and then shot forward like a bullet. This sudden burst of speed nearly sent some of the group flying off its back, but Michael caught them in time.
From above, one would only spot a white blur racing through the streets teeming with the undead on all sides, yet a single strike from Trevor, moving at that velocity, reduced them to mere mush. In just a few seconds, they covered a quarter of the entire zone's length. Maintaining their speed, they reached the entrance in 3 minutes. Trevor swiftly leaped over, landing outside the zone where they had initially entered at the start of the mission.
"URRRRG" Both Hei and a now recovered Bai quickly moved to the side and expelled their stomach contents, that speed was enough to send their organs on a wild ride inside of them. Henry and Racheal struggled to maintain their stability despite feeling the effects, while Michael remained completely unaffected, most likely because his constant movement at fast speed had already
acclimated his body to the sensation.
"Is everyone alright?" Micheal asked, taking note of the team's circumstances. He had overlooked their physiques, which were unable to handle that speed.
"Perhaps next time, maybe a little reminder before whisking us through a Maine Coon Roller Coaster," Hei responded with a grunt, giving his brother's back a reassuring pat. Bai continued to feel the lingering effects of the journey.
"What are our next steps? We've left the base, but the undead remain. We cannot allow even one of them to escape—ARRG!" As Henry spoke, a sudden surge of lightning coursed through his body, causing him and the others who felt the same jolt to lose control, collapsing onto Trevor's back.
"Huff, I apologize, everyone, but this is the only option I have.
"I made a promise, and I'll make sure I fulfill it. You've all done your part, and now it's time for me to bring this to a close. I wish it didn't have to end like this, but we have no other choice. Trevor will take you far away from here. I'll leave a message on the walkman; when you wake up, please listen to it," Michael said to the team, who gradually lost consciousness, their faces marked by disbelief.
"I had hoped that what we shared could evolve into something more, but it seems that fate has different intentions. So, for now, this is farewell, Racheal. Take care." Micheal approached Racheal, who lay unconscious, and crouched beside her, admiring her beautiful face. Throughout this mission, he had tried to convince himself that his feelings were a ruse, but he understood now that he had merely been deceiving himself. He lowered himself, gently lifting Racheal's forehead to place a soft kiss upon it.