Something to Fight For

No Matter How You Slice It

This chapter was actually rather fun to write.

"I sense something wrong," said Koda as he followed Riley away from the others. They had been digging for Energems again in a remote region of the forest. Ever since the E-Tracer had been destroyed, manual labour was the only chance they had of finding any new crystals.

Riley sighed and looked up at his friend. "I was just hoping my Mom would've called," he said. "She's never forgotten my birthday before."

"Oh, today your birthday!" Koda grinned. "I'll..."

"Shh!" Riley interrupted, glancing towards the others. They were gathered around the truck packing up the dig supplies. "It's okay if they don't remember. They have much bigger things on their minds and it's fine."

Koda frowned at his friend.

"Koda, Riley," Chase called. He was holding a stack of cardboard sheets above his head. "Time for some fun, Kiwi style!"

"Whoo-hoo! Yeah!" Adelaide laughed, bouncing around behind them. "Come on! Race you to the top! Last one up is as ugly as Fury!" She took off with Tyler and Chase hot on her heels.

At the top of the sand dune, Ivan looked down the side and his eyes widened. "I expected something a touch less vertical," he said.

"Whoo! Very nice," Chase grinned. "Just like home."

"I cannot wait to visit New Zealand!" Adelaide said taking a bodyboard from Chase as he passed one over.

"That's one big sand dune," Riley said, also slightly nervous.

"Perhaps a bit too big, no?" Ivan asked, clearly terrified. "Anyone, too big?"

Adelaide grinned and shook her head. "Not big enough!" she said. She dropped her board onto the floor and jumped onto it, pushing it over the side with one foot. She let out a shriek of glee as she hit a pocket of air in the dune and tumbled forward, rolling the rest of the way.

Looking up to the top of the sand dune, Adelaide laughed as the others followed her descent. Shelby had come second, followed closely by the others. Mid-way down, Tyler fell from his board, just as she had done, and rolled down the sand to the base as Chase made it all the way to the bottom, before stumbling and rolling across the floor.

"That was awesome!" Tyler laughed picking himself and dusting off the sand.

"That wasn't scary at all," Ivan said.

Koda grinned as he pulled the Knight to his feet. "You scream like baby pig," he teased.

"What are your thoughts, Riley?" Adelaide asked, jumping to her feet.

"That was pretty fun, I guess," Riley admitted.

Adelaide smiled and turned to Chase and Shelby.

"I hope you got that on video," Chase said.

Shelby grinned and looked down at her hands, her eyes widened in fear as she saw her phone was not there. "My phone!" she gasped. "It must've slipped out of my hands."

"Let's help the lady look," Ivan said.

The team broke up and started to search for the phone around the truck. They search in silence for a few minutes before Chase's voice carried across the air from the other side of the truck.

"You're better off without a phone," Chase said. "You waste too much time on that thing."

Ivan scoffed. "You, sir Chase, are the master of wasting time," he sneered.