6 Best Served Cold

Author's Note: So, I felt a bit bad about that last cliff hanger, so I decided to get this chapter out as quick as possible. Let me know how you feel, and feel free to comment on anything you find funny!

*****

When examining the dragonkin known as Granberia, the Eeveelution system had a bit of a hard time narrowing her down to just two Type classifications. She technically could have qualified for four of them, although some aspects were more prominent than the others. Thus, the System chose to draw from her genetic heritage and preferred fighting style for her categorization.

[Heavenly Knight Granberia]

[Type: Dragon/Steel]

If Kevin had the presence of mind to examine this combination, he would've strategically chosen which evolution was best to fight her with. His Flareon form would be great against the Steel aspect, while also becoming stronger the more fire-based attacks she would likely use on him, since it was obvious that in this world dragons would be able to use fire. On the other hand, he had two forms that were super effective against Dragon Types, but were weak against Steel. That, and the latter of the two had an ability that caused enemies to become infatuated on contact, and that was definitely a no-go in this situation.

Both fortunately, and unfortunately, for him, he subconsciously triggered the former of the two. If he was thinking clearly, he obviously would've chosen Flareon, but rather than burning in the flames of rage, the teenagers heart was encased in ice-cold hatred. Only one form could withstand the sub-zero levels of hate he was feeling for the murderer of his chocolate bar.

[Name: Kevin]

[Age: 17]

[Form: Glaceon]

[Type: Ice]

[Ability: Snow Cloak/Ice Body]

[Weapon: None]

As with all of his previous transformations, he once again grew to his normal height and his entire color scheme shifted. Light blue replaced brown, with dark blue diamonds appearing on the back of his jacket and toward the ends of his sleeves. His sneakers were changed into thick snow boots, and his jacket and pants became slightly thicker, and a long scarf now wrapped twice around his neck before ending in two hanging pointed ends that looked sharper than most blades. Funnily enough, the purpose of these wardrobe alterations wasn't for protecting Kevin from the cold; no, they were to protect the world around him from the cold inside of him.

As for physical alterations outside of his height, his hair remained the same length, though now took on a deep blue color. His skin was the as pale as fresh snow, and had a smoothness that some men and women would kill for. Finally, were his eyes. They now had an ethereal blue glow to complete their frigid glare.

Granberia, on the other hand, was seriously wondering what the hell was going on. One moment she was conquering a city so no more Heroes could strike out against the various monster races; the next, she apparently encountered a being who had an elemental power level on par with the Four Spirits, knocked his food out of his hands, and angered him to the point where there was no doubt in anyone's mind that he was going to kill her.

It was a really weird day.

"[Hail]," Kevin said coldly, not even bothering to take the precaution of mentally triggering moves.

Seconds later, the sky was obscured by clouds. Not just any cloud, though; thick, dense clouds that blocked out the sun as far as the eye could see. Neither rain nor lightning came from them, but their purpose wasn't left unknown for long. It started with a few snowflakes. Then, came larger ones that quickly formed a sheet of snow. Finally, after a minute, large chunks of ice were falling from the sky and pelting everything.

It was at that point that the first of Kevin's abilities, Snow Cloak, started taking effect. As long as it continued to hail, his evasiveness would slowly rise. This meant that as time went by, he would gradually become harder and harder for his opponent to strike until he was completely unhittable.

While not keen on battling a Four Spirit level enemy, let alone one who could change the weather with a single word, Granberia resigned herself to fight him. She had been the one to start it, after all.

She raised her blade, once more shrouding it in flames that melted the ice and snow around her. "Do you think a little snow will be enough to stop me!?" she shouted over the sounds of ice shattering as the hail struck the pavement.

"No," Kevin admitted, his voice somehow reaching her without raising. "But it will make this easier for me. [Glacial Lance]." He then raised his right hand, summoning a lance made entirely from ice and, from what Granberia could sense, brimming with destructive elemental energies. It took him less than a second to launch it at her.

The Heavenly Knight of Fire's instincts were just barely quick enough to allow her to dodge the lightning-quick move. But, while she did avoid being impaled by the devasting ice attack, she was unable to completely avoid the fallout that resulted from it exploding on contact with the fountain in the center of the plaza.

What shocked her even more was how much the shards of ice that somehow stabbed through her scales hurt. It was as if her opponent had coated the frozen lance in poison before launching it at her. "Why does it hurt so much," she asked herself out loud.

She wasn't expecting for the boy to answer her. "It hurts because you're playing by my rules now," he stated in a frigid voice as he slowly walked toward her. "Where I'm from, Dragons are weak to Ice."

Aaaaaaaand that just added another layer to the shitstorm she brought upon herself. A being that could change the weaknesses of their enemies? That was freaking terrifying!"

The swordswoman didn't allow her fear to control her, though. Instead, she fed the fear into her inner fire and stepped forward to meet her opponent. "Then I will have to use my full power to put you down."

***

<Ten Minutes Ago - With Alice>

The monster in disguise was aware the moment Granberia arrived in the city. How could she not, when the Heavenly Knight of fire wasn't bothering to hide her energy? In fact, it felt as if the dragonkin was actively projecting her aura in an attempt to broadcast her location and intentions.

"What an annoying subordinate," Alice grumbled to herself as she headed in the energy signal's direction. "Attacking a city is one thing, but while I'm visiting? She had better have a good reason for this."

She ignored and weaved around the fleeing civilians. In all honesty, she was more upset that the sudden siege of the town had happened seconds after she'd located the Sutherland Inn than about the siege itself. Just a few more minutes would have given her enough time to taste some of that famous Ama-ama Dango.

It was as she was getting close to the central plaza when the energy of the swordswoman disappeared. Actually, that wasn't entirely true; it would be more accurate to say that it was swallowed up by a far more powerful elemental power source. One that Alice had felt twice already over the past twenty-four hours.

This recognition caused her to speed up from a leisurely stroll to a rapid sprint. Granberia would have been easy to pacify, but adding Kevin to the mix was a recipe for disaster. The sudden change in weather from a cloudless sky to violent hail did nothing to disprove this.

Alice reached the plaza shortly, but had to immediately halt at the wall closest her suddenly exploded in a cloud of pulverized concrete and wood. When the dust cleared, she saw Granberia climbing out of the rubble. There was a large, jagged hole in the front of her armor, a few shards of ice sticking out of her exposed skin, and a small line of blood trailing from the corner of her lips, but otherwise she didn't look any worse for wear.

"I'll give the kid one thing," the dragonkin grunted, swinging her blade with enough force to clear the lingering powder in the air. "He hits like a raging minotaur."

"Ahem," Alice loudly cleared her throat, drawing the other woman's attention over to her. "Hello Granberia."

Granberia's eyes widened upon seeing her. Even when disguised, it was impossible for any high-ranking monster to not recognize the Monster Lord. "L-Lord Alice! What are you doing here!?"

The Monster Lord narrowed her eyes. "I was about to ask the sa-"

She was interrupted by the Heavenly Knight suddenly grabbing her and leaping away from the destroyed wall. "DODGE!" the dragonkin shouted in panic.

Not even a second later, the space they were standing in was hit by a speeding projectile, then erupted into a field of frozen spikes. There was no doubt that both of them could have survived the attack, but after the first two time she had been stabbed, Granberia wasn't keen to have it happen again.

Alice was more than a little disturbed by the moment of panic shown in her Heavenly Knight's eyes as she was quickly dragged away. The number of things that could frighten a dragon of any kind could be counted on one hand with a few fingers missing, so the amount of fear she had for that attack could only mean that it was incredibly powerful.

"What the hell is going on?" Alice calmly demanded.

"I have no idea!" the dragonkin practically shouted. "I was just conquering this city in order stop the flow of Heroes migrating to Sentora, when this boy came out of nowhere. I tried to get his attention multiple time, but he seemed to be daydreaming and ignoring me. But, when I took it a step further, he started trying to kill me!"

The lamia was confused. She believed she had at least a slight understanding of Kevin's character, and he didn't seem the type to murder someone for snapping him out of a daydream. "What was the action you took to make him pay attention to you."

Granberia huffed. "Well, he was eating some sort of treat that smelled like chocolate as he walked around and stared off into the distance, so I thought it might wake him up if I knocked it out of his hands-"

Alice's heart dropped into her stomach. "You…what!?"

Before Grandberia could answer, a figure suddenly appeared from the sky and landed on her. More specifically, they landed with one foot on the dragonkin's spine and the other on the back of her head with so much force that the woman was not only forced face-first into the ground, but she was violently dragged forward by the momentum, stopping only when her skull collided with the ice-covered fountain a fair distance away.

Her assailant was none other than Kevin in yet another powerful transformed state. Although, he apparently hadn't gotten through this battle without any wounds. Multiple slashes and burns covered his clothes and the skin beneath them, but Alice noticed that the injuries he had accrued from clashing with Granberia were steadily healing. This was the effect of this evolution's second ability, Ice Body, which restores his health whenever it's hailing.

It was as she saw the murderous intent in his eyes that she remembered his statement from yesterday.

'I truly believe that the moment someone messes with my food in any way, shape, or form without my permission, they instantly go from a person to a victim. I'll say it again: Fuck with my food, and I will kill you so hard you will die to death.'

She'd thought he was overreacting at the time, but this this proved that he wasn't. This wasn't a battle to get the Heavenly Knight of Fire to leave him alone. It was him trying to brutally murder her for knocking his food to the floor.

Luckily for Granberia, this form was absolute garbage at close-quarters combat, so the only ways that he could actually land a hit on her were if he caught her by surprise, or used an area of effect attack. It was how she'd managed to injure him the few times she had, but those times were becoming fewer and further in between due to his constantly rising evasiveness.

A single ice-infused stomp on the back of the green scaled woman's skull was the only additional attack the Glaceon was able to slip in before she forced him off, swinging her burning blade as she staggered to her feet.

He didn't even pause before gathering elemental energy in both hands, preparing to take her out with one final massive area attack. She noticed this, as well as the fact that the amount of power he was putting into the attack would be enough to take out not only her, but also half of the city. She'd try to stop him physically, but the weakness to ice he'd forced onto her body was making even lifting her sword again a chore.

So, she decided to go with the high road. "That's a very powerful attack you're charging up there. It could kill a lot of civilians if you use it on me, you know."

"…and?" he questioned, not bothering to stop charging the ball of concentrated Ice energy.

"What do you mean 'and?' Aren't you a Hero?"

"No," he shook his head. "In fact, I think my stance on this matter could be summarized in one of my favorite quotes: I will kill as many innocent people as I have to as long as you are one of them."

It was a very good thing that the hailstorm was so loud that none of the citizens in the buildings surrounding the plaza could hear what they were saying; otherwise, a whole new wave of panic would be sweeping through them. Ignorance, as they say, is bliss, after all.

"Alright, that's enough," Alice called out from the sidelines, finally making her presence known to Kevin.

The Glaceon didn't dissipate the chaotic ball of energy, but he did stop pumping more ice into it as he looked over at her. "Hello, Alice. Are you here to watch me kill this bitch?"

"No," the lamia shook her head. "I'm actually here to stop you."

Kevin's gaze sharpened. "And why would you do that? You know my stance on people messing with my food, and she committed the worst sin above all of them."

Alice sighed. "I understand that, but I need her alive. She's a very important member of the Monster Lord's army."

"And?" he still wasn't budging. "I'm still not seeing any reason not to end her right here, right now."

The disguised lamia thought for a few seconds, before coming to a decision. "If you spare her, I'll pay for your food as well as mine for the duration of our time traveling together." This conflict started with food, so why not end it with food?

Time stood still for a few brief seconds as Kevin weighed the options. On the one hand, he gets sweet revenge for his fallen chocolate bar – may its soul rest in peace. While on the other, he gets free meals for the foreseeable future.

'Momentary grief can be forgiven in favor of future happiness,' he thought sagely as he allowed the elemental power to escape from the ball of destruction and fade into the air. At the same time, the howling hailstorm gradually cleared up until all that was left was the hail and snow that had already fallen, and a clear sky.

"You get to live for now," he coldly growled at Granberia. "Be grateful that Alice was willing to pay for your life." He then walked away, no longer wanting to even look at his chocolate's murderer. Maybe some day he would forgive her, but today was not that day.

Said food-killer was more than a little shocked at the sudden turn of events. She had almost resigned herself to dying at the hands of this boy, but he was calmed by the promise of free food? What the hell was going on?

"Do not try to understand him," Alice advised, breaking her out of her thoughts. "You will only hurt yourself if you do."

"If," Granberia said, getting her breathing under control. "If I may ask, what is he? Is he some new Spirit that was recently formed?"

Alice actually chuckled at that. "I have no idea. The most interesting thing is that this is only one of three transformations he's shown so far."

"Is that why you're traveling with him?"

"I don't think that's any of your business," Alice shut her down, before facing her fully with an unimpressed stare. "Speaking of your business, why are you here in the first place?"

"Well…as I was reporting before, I came here to conquer this city. Since this is the capital of Ilias Continent, I believed that it would make the perfect foothold for us," the dragonkin reported proudly.

"Who ordered you to do such a thing?" the Monster Lord questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I decided by myself," the Heavenly Knight replied. "To get rid of those annoying Heroes, I-"

Alice interrupted her. "Go away, you annoyance."

"B-but If I leave now, even more heroes will show up! Not to mention that boy-"

"I told you to go away. If you go berserk again, how am I going to eat the Ama-ama Dango?"

"If you want something like that, just let me take control of the city first…"

"How can I sight see with such an unsightly event like that going on?" Alice asked. "Idiot."

Granberia was now at a loss for words. Weren't they in a life-or-death scenario just a few minutes ago? How could the Monster Lord be so casual all of a sudden?

"Having to say the same thing three times…is that how you show your loyalty?" Alice asked, narrowing her eyes. "I told you to go away. You aren't needed, or wanted here."

Seeing no point in arguing with the only person in the world who counted as her direct superior, Granberia knelt on one knee. "At once," she conceded. "If it is your will. Then, if you will excuse me."

Standing shakily again, she took one last look at the retreating back of the boy who almost killed her over chocolate, and vanished into thin air.

"Now that that mess is over," Alice sighed, walking over to catch up with the boy in blue. "Kevin. While you were having a death match, I found the Sutherland Inn."

Kevin stopped, nodded at her, and gestured for her to walk ahead of him. "Lead the way."