Crescent Moon Beach, Crescent Moon Bay Town.
We had a splashing game of water volleyball. Tanaka, Daina and I were Team Super, while Mom, Dad and Ameera were Team India. Our game was loads of fun. At least until Daina got carried away and used a Lead Fist, volleyball style. The ball crashed into the surface so hard that it resulted in a watery explosion of a wave that tossed us all back onto land!
At 5:30 PM, it was time to return indoors. The sun was getting pretty low. "Alright, everyone, let's all head back. My wife and I have a lot of cooking to do." Mom giggled at how she was mentioned.
"OK!" I was a little too enthusiastic. We began to pack up. The sun was near the sea, and a great surprise was coming our way.
"Everyone, look!" exclaimed Tanaka. We all looked to the water. Shock multiplied on our faces as we saw black, round shapes coming ashore. "It's the Pacific Black-Tail Sea Turtles! They are here to lay their eggs!"
"Then we should hurry! We should not disturb them," ordered Mom.
Pacific Black-Tails were an endangered species known to feed in waters off the oriental coasts, and then swim back to this beach among others and some secret locations to lay their eggs. They were listed under the critical status up until a successful period of conservation efforts funded by our government. It was something of which Santa Pyre was very proud of. The turtles were on our coat of arms, after all!
Within minutes, we were able to observe them from a safe distance away as they slowly crawled up the beach. Now and then, one or two would stop, choose that spot they stopped on, and begin to dig. It was the coolest sight I was sure I would ever see. "Wow. Just look at them go."
"Best beach day, EVER!" exclaimed Ameera.
"You said it, Sister Ameera," said Daina. "You said it."
Then, the sun finally disappeared from view beneath the waves. Night was upon us. All that was left to do would be to enjoy the coming Christmas Dinner. I could already taste Mom's baked turkey and her cake. I licked my lips like a wolf that had cornered his prey. "Awww, yeah... I can't wait!"
Unfortunately, I would have to wait a bit more than usual. I heard the sound of approaching boats. Lights flashed on as they pulled to shore. "Wha-wha-what!?" exclaimed Dad.
"Get down and stay quiet!" ordered Tanaka just as a giant floodlight turned on. We all obeyed with just a second's delay. We waited as the beam passed. "Kuso! There's no doubt about it; it's the Pacific Brothers!"
"The Pacific Brothers? You know about these people?" asked Daina in whisper.
"Who are they?" I asked.
"They are a huge poaching concern in our part of the world," Tanaka answered. "I take it upon myself to thwart their efforts if I happen to upon them. I often make trips to my home country, an easy thing to do when you can fly."
"Mr. Sakamoto, you have Plasma Energy too?" asked Dad in shock.
"Yes. Let's just say I control the wind."
"Look! They're rounding up the turtles!" said Ameera. Sure enough, about eleven men were going about picking up the adults and bringing them into cages near the shore line. A Twelfth man, presumably the leader, was overseeing the operation.
"I'd better get down there before they end up damaging too many eggs." Tanaka moved back and started taking out from his bag his black training clothes.
"Mom, can we help?" I asked her.
Mom sighed wearily as if she already knew I was going to ask. "I'd rather you let Mr. Tanaka handle it. He's clearly a professional in this matter. Besides, a large group will further endanger the eggs."
"I hadn't thought of that..." I placed my hand on my chin.
"Don't worry, Bill-san. Just watch my back this time." Tanaka was all suited up. He took a deep breath. I could feel the wind gathering towards him. "Here I go. Kaze Juuden (Wind Charge)." Tanaka sprinted down the path to the beach and was there in a flash.
"Light Boost, Sensory Amplification." I focused. I observed and listened carefully to what was going on.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing!?" exclaimed Tanaka. "Don't you losers ever learn not to mess with nature!?"
"It's the weather man!" exclaimed one of the men. The group all stopped what they were doing and turned both their attention and weapons to him. Tanaka remained calm.
The leader of the poachers came to the forefront of the group. "Welcome, Mr. Sakamoto. You certainly don't disappoint!"
"Wait, what? You were expecting me?" Tanaka sounded just as shocked as I was. "Well, since you obviously recognize me, let's not make this messy. Just let the poor turtles go, and I'll let you guys off this time with a slap on the wrist. Today is Christmas after all." Tanaka seemed to regain his confidence.
The man produced an obsidian black pistol, and aimed it squarely at Tanaka's chest, quick as a flash. "You will find that things will not go your way this time. Someone hired us to capture you, and they gave us a wonderful tool for the job."
"Huh!? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Say your prayers." The leader fired the gun. I beheld as purple tracer shot out and a brilliant flash occurred as it exploded against Tanaka's chest, causing me to cover my eyes.
What the!? I thought. When the light died and I could see again, I was rendered confused as it seemed that nothing special had happened.
"Okay, what was that?" whispered Daina.
"Hey, what did you do!?" asked Tanaka, sounding alarmed as he suddenly dropped to his knees.
"I shut down your little magic tricks. Men, bag and keelhaul him!"
Tanaka took in a deep breath and then appeared to blow it back out. Then, he looked even more alarmed. "Sonna bakana (This is impossible!)"
"He's in trouble!" I stood up as they started to converge on him. "I'm going in. Light Boost!"
"Bill, I forbid you..." started Mom, but I jumped off the cliff. "BILL!"
I used a healthy dose of Force-Manipulation in my legs and feet to cushion my hard landing, displacing a cloud of sand. "Drop him right this instant!" I yelled as I looked forward. That was when I realized what was wrong; the very air was saturated in a tremendous amount of negatively charged Plasma Energy. I could already feel myself getting weaker as my body began to take it in, so I had to act fast.
"What, another one!?"
"You're going to pay for this, you losers!" I sprinted at 18 M/S to the speaker and punched his lights out.
"Shoot him!" ordered the leader. The others began to open fire.
"Flash Assault!" I exclaimed as I powered up to Level Two. I began running all over the place, knocking the men out with a few punches each. I was also keeping track of the turtle's nests, making sure that neither I nor the men damaged the eggs, either by walking on them or falling into them. I got hit several times, but Force-Manipulation defense made sure the bullets did not even pierce my skin, only making my body feel sore. Finally, when my body had absorbed most of the negative energy, Light Boost dropped from me. "Darn, not now!" I caught my breath as I turned to the leader, who now had the weakened Tanaka hostage.
"Not another move, you freak of a boy!" The man had a different gun on Tanaka's head. I stayed still, not that I could do anything with the distance between us. "Good boy." He aimed the gun at me.
"BILL!" exclaimed Mom, Dad and Ameera's voices.
"DAINA!" exclaimed Tanaka as he suddenly pulled away the man's arm to the right.
"What the!?" Something zoomed through the air and shattered the gun. "Aah!"
I turned to see Daina on the cliff, having used her Mercury Bullet to save us. I turned back just as I heard a thud. "Yeah!" I cheered, seeing Tanaka in control of the situation now. The man was on the ground as if he had been flipped and Tanaka was standing over him.
"Nakama-tachi wo to mou kisama ra futoba shite aru (I'll send you and you comrades flying)!" Tanaka tossed the man into the air almost casually. "Kaze Koboushi (Wind Fist)!"
"AAAHH!" As the man came back down, Tanaka stuck him with a rather simple looking punch that launched the leader into one of the three boats. A strong gust of warm wind blew past me.
"Bill, get down," Tanaka instructed as he turned to me. I quickly obeyed, lying flat on the beach. Tanaka closed his eyes and aimed his hands forward. "Plasma Power: Chou Tatsumaki (Super Tornado)." Tanaka opened his eyes. Sand gathered into the horizontal wind tunnel that fired from his hands. It left me alone as it flew over me but picked up the unconscious men scattered about. Tanaka threw up his hands and before the tornado could hit the cliff face it curved up and flew back towards the sea. I became amazed at such masterful control and power as the men was deposited onto the boat one by one. Tanaka stopped his technique before turning to the boat. "I won't be so gentle next time. Plasma Power: Dai Shippu (Great Gale)!" Tanaka seemed to take in a long, deep breath. His chest expanded inhumanly, like a balloon. "HAAAA!" The wind that he blew out was so strong that the boat was violently flung out to the ocean, vanishing in the dark of the night as great waves were pushed back before everything eventually settled.
As I finally got up, I heard a heavy stomp and turned to see Daina rushing towards us. "Bill! Tanaka! Are you guys alright!?"
"Daina, stop!" I exclaimed while holding out my hands. She halted just in time. "Look before you leap," I said as I pointed to the spot just before her.
"Huh?" She looked down and identified the turtle nest she was about to squash in her haste. "Oops! I totally forgot!"
"Just circle around to the remaining boats," said Tanaka. "Let's free the adult turtles and get them on their way. Bill, while I appreciate you bailing me out, please go apologize to your worried mother."
"Yes sir!" I began to walk away, Daina moving past me shooting me a divine smile as she went.
The two teachers got right to work, smashing the locks on the cages. "Kaze Tsurugi (Wind Sword)!"
"Form Change: Iron Mallet!" I glanced back and saw that Daina made her named tools over her metal wreathed hands. The turtles swam away once taken out and placed into the water. "Phew, all in a day's work," Daina commented. "Tanaka, are you alright?"
"Don't worry, I'm just tired," Tanaka replied.
When I got to Mom, Dad and Ameera, I felt small. Dad's face held some sympathy, but Mom was giving me a fierce stern look I liked to call the Parental Glare technique. It could stop any child cold in their tracks, and APEH or not I was no exception. "Mom, I'm…"
Before I could utter another word, Mom came forward and snatched me into her embrace. "I know… Just… be more careful from now on. You scared me," she whispered.
I pressed into the embrace. "I will try," I whispered back. "I promise."
9:10 PM.
Daina, Tanaka, Ameera and I took our seats at the grand, central table in the main foyer of the large guest house. We were previously setting it, six spaces in all. Once we were done, we had broken to go freshen up.
After a few minutes of waiting, Dad finally popped his head from the kitchen door. A mouthwatering combination of aromas wafted out. "Dinner's ready. Daina, could you come help us bring the food over?"
"Okay!" Daina replied as she stood up. As she went, Mom came out carrying the turkey. The sight of it put my appetite on overdrive.
"Cool!" I exclaimed as she put it in the middle of the table.
"No pre-tasting, Bill," warned Mom jokingly.
"Yes, Ma'am," I replied with a smile. Obviously, I would not lay a finger on it regardless of if she was joking or not. I had my dining etiquette.
"That looks heavenly," Tanaka complimented.
"Why, thank you!" replied Mom with a giggle. "I baked it myself."
She, Dad and Daina went back and forth, bringing various platters and bowls. Here is a list of the foods: the turkey, a large bowl of rice and peas, a bowl of kidney beans, a platter of salad, a bowl of mashed potatoes, a platter of Indian spiced fried chicken, and a platter of steaming corn cobs. For drinks, there was a red wine, and a sparkling non-alcoholic wine. Ameera and I obviously could not drink the red wine, for obvious reasons. Though, I was not planning on drinking any alcohol in my lifetime, period.
Anyway, once all six of us were seated and our plates were loaded, it was time for a prayer over the meal. As usual, Dad had at it. We closed our eyes and bowed our heads, and he began. It was pretty long, as there was much to be thankful for the past year, and the years to come. Anyway, within four minutes, it was chow time. "Alright, everyone, the moment is at hand," announced Dad. "Let's all enjoy our meal and have a merry Christmas!"
"And a happy NEW YEAR!" We all replied enthusiastically before digging in.
Tanaka and I especially ate like starving pigs. "Whoa, slow down you busybodies!" exclaimed Mom.
"The food isn't running," added Dad with a laugh.
"What's come over you two?" asked Daina.
"Daina-chan, that guy shot me with some kind of weapon that temporarily rendered my power unusable," Tanaka explained. "I lost one third of my total energy before I even used the techniques I did, so my body is rightfully starving."
"Daina, the weapon released negatively charged Plasma Energy. There was a left over amount in the air and my body absorbed it, causing me to lose a lot of energy myself."
"Wait, what!? That's insane!" Daina exclaimed. "How did they get something like that?"
"Actually, the leader said something troubling. He said they were hired to capture Tanaka-san."
"You heard?" asked Tanaka.
"Yeah. My Light Boost allows me to amplify my senses further on top of the boost from APEH."
"Is that right? I usually use my wind power to carry the sound to me better. Anyway, to get back on track… No, let's drop this subject for now. Let's talk about it in the morning." Tanaka went back into his food, slowing down this time.
"Hmm," I hummed before doing the same.
10:10 PM.
After dinner, and while the adults were talking, Ameera and I escaped to the porch of the house overlooking the bay below. We sat side by side in arm chairs, looking out at the splendid view of the ocean. The moon was low, a full one. It was casting its silver luminance over the night lay of the land and sea. The sight of it was soothing.
"Brother, can I ask you something?" asked Ameera, breaking the silence.
"Sure, go right ahead," I replied.
"Just what went on that Friday? It was never really explained fully to me." I was expecting almost anything, but not this, so I was taken by surprise.