An Old Ally

After a successful battle between Timothy and Gootsy, it appeared that the young pirate prevailed in the end. But, the fight was far from over. The next foe was Snoobs, and unexpectedly his power didn't falter. In fact, it rose.

Phoebe's ability ran out of time, and together with Timothy, they faced another threat. She backed away as Timothy ran next to her. "Tim, we may have a problem. The bear hasn't gotten any weaker. Honestly, based on the waves in the air, it tells me he's stronger. Something isn't right." Timothy couldn't believe Phoebe's words. He hoped for sure that the bear would grow weaker.

"How does that make any sense? I took down Gootsy, so why would that bear gain power rather than lose it? It shouldn't be like this." They conversed, but both together observed Snoobs standing up. His eyes were blood-red. He roared out loudly and began hitting his chest like a gorilla.

Timothy gulped, becoming stressed. "Come on! He's bound to run out of power eventually." But it didn't seem like he was. They noticed black and red energy sparking about the area.

They witnessed Snoobs turning around, looking them dead inside their eyes. His mouth was releasing warm breaths, similar to steam. They noticed Snoobs' sharp fangs and wide tongue hidden in his mouth.

Timothy and Phoebe fell into shock. They backed away slowly but tried not to cause a scene. "Something tells me like we shouldn't fight him. I can hardly feel relaxed around him." Phoebe swallowed saliva, but Timothy remained positive. "We can't just run away. He'll chase us. And I don't think we can outrun a human bear. Especially when it's on a rampage." Timothy and Phoebe agreed. They didn't notice another person standing atop a building, watching them far in the distance.

"We don't have a choice *but* to fight 'em. You should stay back, Phoebe. I'll have to battle him some way or another." Phoebe pulled her ropes, wrapped them around her wrists, and looked Timothy in the eyes. "You don't actually think I'll let you fight that beast on your own, right? He'll crush you."

Timothy's eyes trembled. He stepped forward and grabbed his right wrist. "Well, no. But that bear can severe both of us with ease. I don't want to fight him either, but we won't get far with him on the loose. So, trust me, and cheer me on. I'm about to face a probable nightmare." Phoebe sighed, looked away, but ensured Timothy to battle Snoobs.

"Okay... bear-man. Let's get this over with. You've been in my way for far too long. It's time you go to your slumber." Snoobs was in a frenzy mode. Timothy knew that just by seeing Snoobs going insane.

Lucina returned to the fleet admiral's office. She knocked and entered. "Fleet admiral Warren. I've come to report some important information." She claimed, watching Warren standing in front of the giant window and looking out into the havoc. "Yes, go ahead, admiral Lucina."

She took a step toward Warren's desk. "I'm sorry to break the bad news, but the majority of our northern troops fell. Furthermore, Timothy the "white-haired" pirate, defeated the elite agent Gootsy. At the moment, Snoobs is out of control and unable to regulate his ferocious characteristics. Additionally, an unidentified silhouette eliminated numerous soldiers on the city's southern and eastern borders. They claimed to have seen the attacker multiple times but were unable to make out their face."

With one arm crossed behind his back, Warren massaged his mustache. "I respect that. I've been keeping an eye on the city's boundaries and have seen that the number of our soldiers has decreased dramatically. An assassin or a skillful pirate may be to blame for this. They are effective at eliminating our soldiers. I'm getting a little concerned about it. However, excuse me, admiral Lucina." After turning around, he gave her a serene look. "I assume Chiaki hasn't made it to the underwater train yet."

Lucina carried on. "Correct, although she should arrive momentarily. Yasuda should arrive there in the following 5 minutes, but the underwater train won't be ready for another 14 minutes. The foremost agents are already gathered at the underwater train to act as guards against any unwanted intruders. How should we proceed, fleet admiral Warren?"

Warren nodded, showing that he was aware of the circumstances. "I would summon the remaining elites, but they are moving forward with their current assignments and are too distant from La Isleta Cortada. Having stated that, we must reserve our troops in the west. As a result, we'll have to rely on agent Snoobs to handle matters in the north." Lucina was taken aback by his statement, but she couldn't object so she agreed.

"Although I do understand, fleet admiral Warren, I have a question. How will we proceed if the intruders break into the prison and Snoobs fails? The interior guards couldn't possibly match their strength." Warren closed his eyes and breathed in. "If they manage to get inside, we'll have to keep them occupied while the underwater train travels to Vendurn. We'll have to rely on the top agents if they reach the train on time. Remember, you and the other admirals are not yet required to take action. But be vigilant for when our adversaries assemble in Vendurn."

Despite the orders being quite different than anticipated, Lucina confirmed and left the office after. Once she exited, she met Yules, who grinned. "Huh. You didn't expect that those pirates would cause so much trouble, did you, Lucina? Perhaps you shouldn't underestimate intruders. Anyway, I heard the orders, so I'll get ready." Yules, like before, waved with his arm and walked away.

Timothy dashed in Snoobs' direction and slid his soles on the earth. He ignited the floor and created a body of fire that increased in size. It was like a protective cyclone, but Snoobs rushed through the flames and rammed his fist into Timothy's stomach.

Timothy was propelled through the fire back and felt his feet rub against the rough terrain. He barely kept standing but needed to recover. It was hopeless, however, due to Snoobs already meeting him head-on.

"Damn it!" Timothy leaped back while Snoobs smashed nothing but air. Timothy landed next to Phoebe, wiping away the blood from his mouth, and flinched. "I can't get close unless I risk my limbs. His attacks are too aggressive, unpredictable, and way out of control. We'd need a different plan if we want to take this bear down."

Phoebe tried to think of a plan but didn't come up with one. "Yeah. I got it." Both Timothy and Phoebe stood in silence. They looked at one another and yelled simultaneously. "Well? Anything?" but neither of them had an answer. They both awkwardly stared at one another, sweating.

"This is bad. There has to be a better way of doing this, but how?"

They locked their eyes on Snoobs, surrounded by steam. But nothing came to mind until they suddenly heard a metallic sound around them.

Timothy and Phoebe noticed a faded silhouette speeding past them at high speed. Their speed overwhelmed everyone and even kicked up a wind cyclone. "W-What the hell is that?!" Timothy questioned, covering his eyes from the strong gust.

He could see a dark-blue trail floating in front of them. They noticed a person appearing in front of Snoobs. They had a blood-red eyes that sparked out a blinding light.

The individual drove their right foot into the ground while drawing their blade past their chest. "Laido Slash..." They used a blue hue to charge their sword, bringing forth two invisible spirits, and then swept the blade over the ground. Their cut produced a powerful hurricane. Buildings nearby suffered hundreds of carved-in incisions that caused their walls to fly off in huge chunks.

Then, Snoobs' steel-hard body was cut in half and yanked back onto the ground. The chopped parts of the houses heaped up on the ground as he lost his footing and fell down unconscious.

Then, as a finishing touch, a strong shockwave generated a whirlwind that passed by Timothy and Phoebe even more swiftly. They opened their eyes once it had calmed down and gazed at the back of the figure.

The person he could see had silver-colored, short hair. They were dressed in a white hooded blue jacket. They wore a black skirt and shoes with a skull symbol on the sides. The three swords on the person's lower back, however, were the feature that caught the most attention. One was shorter, while the other two were longer.

When the person's head finally turned around, Timothy's eyes widened. As they gleamed, he became excited.

"No way! I don't believe it! It's you!"

12 minutes remain before the underwater train's set to go...

To be continued...