To the Other Side || RB Battles S3 AU

7.5 - Courageous Angel

POV - IBella

The clock was ticking. How long have I been watching it? It's almost time for breakfast, but I haven't seen PinkLeaf since yesterday. I'm worried. This is scary!

He never disappears for so long. There was that one time, but that was only for an hour or so! Just thinking about the different reasons he could've disappeared for sent a shiver down my spine. My mind was going to the worst scenarios possible. No, stop thinking like that!

I clutched my head in anger, confusion, and pain. I felt like the room was spinning. Why was I acting like this? Like, calm down, Bella. Your best friend is missing, that's all! Am I going crazy, or what?! Where did Pink even go? There's nowhere he could-

Wait. No. Pink couldn't have. There's one place that he always liked to ramble about. Well, he stopped talking about it after everyone called him crazy. But still. The one place that drove his ambitions. The one place everyone said he could never go.

The other side.

It couldn't be. PinkLeaf never had any help, and it's basically impossible to escape without any! But DJ was going on a ton of breaks these days... oh man.

Suddenly, everything made sense. He's been planning this for a while. That's why he's been checking the border room everyday. That's why he was so happy for the past few days! His plan was finally going to be executed! I know it sounds far-fetched, but it definitely sounds like something he would do!

I immediately put on a confident face and stood up. The others gawked.

"What's with the proud stance, Bella?" Jayingee tilted his head.

"I'm going to go find PinkLeaf!" I exclaimed.

That immediately caused some commotion and people to stare at me weirdly.

Calixo was first to make an objection, weirdly. "Uh, Bella. That's cool that you have really high ambitions, but he's probably going to come back soon?"

"I'm sorry Bella, but no. If I know the guy, which I don't—he's probably staying gone. Nobody disappears for a day like that without anything suspicious going on," Sanna didn't sound that sincere, despite her words.

That immediately brought my hopes down. But I couldn't just give up. PinkLeaf's my friend. He's done so much for me... I think. Either way, I wanted to do something for him. Suddenly, a voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Hey, don't listen to them. You can do it if you want!" the person said.

"Kreek, seriously? Why are you encouraging her? It's dangerous!" another person scolded.

"Come on, Jackeryz. Isn't Pink your friend? Why are you against finding him?"

Huh. Kreek? Why would he try to help me? I mean, he has a point, but all I've ever done is tease him. How would he benefit from what I was doing? I figured that he was just trying to be nice.

Kreek smiled at me. For some reason, it was giving really strange vibes... eh. I was probably paranoid or something.

"Bella, why don't we go talk in private? You can explain more."

"Uh- sure," I didn't know why I was hesitating.

He took me to this little space that people use for secret meet-ups. I had never gone to this place, but I could see why it was perfect for private conversations. No more than 3 people could fit in it, and it was so, so far away from the more crowded areas.

"Now, tell me. Why are you so motivated to find PinkLeaf?" Kreek looked genuinely curious.

"Well, duh! He's my friend!" I was annoyed. Are these people dumb or what?!

"Y'know, I'm just asking because your reasoning can change my opinion very easily. If it was absurd, I would act like the others, but you seem to have a good cause. So, I bet you can find a way to get to him."

"Actually... I might need to ask Russo first. I have a feeling I would get into big trouble if I didn't ask."

"Oh, so you're thinking of a restricted path? Interesting. But I'm sure you can convince him, even though he's a pretty dense guy! Especially these days."

Kreek almost had stars in his eyes from how confident he was. Unlike me, I was full of confusion and worry. However, I was gaining confidence by the minute.

I ended up agreeing. "I guess I could do that."

And that's how I found myself face to face (kind of) with our ruler. I know Heaven's supposed to be all angelic and stuff, but this guy was seriously intimidating. Russo usually portrays himself as a humorous and carefree person in front of large crowds. He drops that facade when you come in small groups or by yourself. I was shaking in my shoes.

"So, I was told you wanted to see me. Is that correct?"

"Y-yeah! Um, there's something really important I wanna discuss," I stuttered.

Russo sighed. "Seriously, get a hold of yourself. I'm tired of people acting like I'm Sabrina or something."

"Who's that?"

"Nevermind. Just tell me what you want to discuss, or else," his face turned dark.

"It's about my friend PinkLeaf! I think he might have..."

I then explained to Russo about Pink's ambitions and stuff like that, such as his disappearance. I also mentioned the way he had been acting. All of that evidence had to be convincing enough! If you really thought about it, my conclusion made sense!

"That sounds plausible, after all—I've heard a lot about that guy... but there's one thing I would like to know. What do you plan to do about this?" 

"Obviously, I want to go get him back! That's what a good friend would do, right?!"

"I see. But have you considered the risks of trying to go over there? Or the fact that your friend's probably as dead as he can be in the afterlife?" he was really getting on my nerves.

"I don't care!" I was yelling (maybe tearing up?) at this point, "I just want to be the defender for once! To show everyone I'm capable!"

Russo looked surprised at my outburst. Then his face immediately changed to a blank one.

"If that's what you want, then. I can see why you guys are friends now. Way too determined and persistent. I'll talk to DJ."

Now it was my turn to be surprised. "Wha- really?! I... I thank you for this opportunity! I won't disappoint you or fail, I promise!"

He waved me off. "No need for any of that. Get going now, I have other things to do."

I did as I was told and walked away, now with much more confidence. Is this what it feels like to be insanely successful? But I couldn't get too excited or proud of myself. 

I had to remember the whole reason why I was doing this. To help the others and show them what I can do! To go down in history... that's what PinkLeaf would say.

I'll become the hero. I have to, for all of them.

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word count: 1127 words

A/N: Ah yes, the first (and last) IBella POV! She's so motivated... unlike me. Most of you guys can relate, right? If I had her motivation, I could exceed my 2 chapters per month schedule. 

Speaking of my schedule, yes this month is special. This chapter's only coming out because it's a so-called "half chapter," at least compared to my other ones. Excluding the first two. (fun fact I finished this chapter before 6 and 7)

I don't have much to say, so uhhh here's your favorite part, the cipher:

25-15-21 4-15-14'20 11-14-15-23 23-8-1-20 6-1-20-5 8-1-19 9-14 19-20-15-18-5 6-15-18 25-15-21.