C.H.A.R.Ms

Chapter Three: The Search

Alex yawned, stretching her arms out and glancing at Spot, her guardian, who was sitting on the desk of her temporary room. "Finally, your awake!" Spot hopped up from her sitting position, beginning to pace. "I've been trying to get you up for ages, Ramu has knocked and knocked but I managed to lock the door before he saw you in your civilian form. You really should be more careful, Alex, if he'd seen you-"
Alex was, of course, busy waking up and only half listening. "Where's Ramu now...?" she mumbled sleepily.
"Well, Otto and Searra went shopping for food, so I assume he's still here. Probably facilitating." Spot explained hastily. "Quickly, transform and we can go see why he needed you!"
Alex only nodded. "Spot, let's run." In moments, she was transformed, her once morning hair loosely let down. "Why must I always leave my hair down?" Alex muttered, more to herself than to anyone.
At least I bother to brush it when you transform. Lightning heard Spot say from inside her head. Lightning nodded.
"You have a point." Lightning quickly got up and unlocked her door, heading outside to find the majority of C.H.A.R.M Holders eating breakfast, but some playing Rook. The only two who were alone were Ramu and Kitsune, who were around a long circular table, a map spread out on it. Lightning walked toward them.
"You needed me?"
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"Do you think they'll be alright?" Otto asked. "Of course. You worry too much." Searra replied, looking at various bags of cereal. "It was your idea, after all."
"No, it was yours!" Otto argued, glancing at some nutrition bars. "Why must everything be my fault?" Searra asked, smirking. "Because you never let me make any decisions." Otto snipped, laughing quietly.
"I let you pick out the food we're getting." Searra said, reading the back of a crackers box. Otto looked at her sarcastically. Otto's guardian flew out of his inside pocket.
"You and your guardian are just alike." Flipper inquired Searra. Otto's guardian was a tiny version of an otter, it's silky brown hair glinting in the store's light.
Searra's guardian peeked out of her front shirt pocket. "Well you and your keeper are alike as well! You expect us to make the deci-" The miniature turtle fell back into Searra's shirt pocket. "Umi? Umi, you ok?" Searra asked her guardian, peeking into her shirt pocket.
Umi was shivering. "She- she's here... the negative energy is so strong..." "Ok, don't worry." Searra said.
"What does Umi mean?" Otto whispered to her. "Transform. The girl with grey blue eyes is here." Otto nodded. "Flipper, let's swim." "Umi, shell up." They were both transformed in seconds, getting into attack position.
Searra grabbed her boomerang that was attached to her shell, looking back to Otto. What turned the corner into the aisle made both of their faces turn white and a look of terror spread across their face. It was Llobu. They had to fight one of their best friends.
Llobu's eyes were red. She advanced toward them quickly, her claws outstretched. She roared as she leapt at them, but missed. Searra and Otto jumped on top of the store shelves, running the other direction, Llobu not far behind.
Searra threw her boomerang, and Llobu ducked under it. The boomerang quickled circled back though, hitting Llobu in the head. While she was down, Searra and Otto hid in the janitor closet at the back of the store.
Otto's face was drained of blood, and he was biting his nails. "What is it?" Searra asked, wincing as she heard Llobu knocking store shelves down. "Someone planted a type of virus in her. I've only seen it once before... cities burned because of it, and the only way to beat it is to..." Otto trailed off. "To what?" Searra asked. "To destroy the infected C.H.A.R.M." Searra turned white as a ghost, but nodded.
They swung the door of the closet open and ran towards Llobu. Llobu swung a punch that nearly hit Otto in the face, but he ducked just in time. Searra swung her boomerang at Llobu , but this time she caught it and sent it flying back at her. Searra slid under it and it broke the wall.
The turtle-themed hero looked at the wall and back at Otto, then looked back at Otto and Llobu fighting. "Ooook then." She went to join the action, not after grabbing her boomerang, however. Otto kicked Llobu in the stomach, sending her flying into the store counters. While she was cornered, Searra punched her, knocking her out.
The two adults stood there panting for a while. "It's a good thing Llobu was not always the best fighter..." Otto mumbled. "We better break her-"
"She... she doesn't have a C.H.A.R.M..." Searra interrupted him.
"S-sorry?" Otto responded, glancing at Llobu. Sure enough, the famous dog tag with a wolf paw engraved on it was missing from her neck. "That could only mean she has a host, then... but the girl with grey- oh, sorry, Rebelle- would need to be a C.H.A.R.M holder if she were to host a C.H.A.R.M... " Otto's face was twisted in concentration, his eyebrows drawn tightly together.
"Maybe we should bring her back to headquarters. Panda can use her special power..." Searra began, but Otto shook his head.
"Panda has not mastered her power yet, so she'd have to be in the room with Llobu at all times. I don't trust her not to lose control." "Then what do we do? We can't just leave her here." Otto sighed. "But where do we keep her?"
"I don't know. We could put her in the solitary room, if need be." Otto nodded, agreeing. "I think that would be best. Let's go, before the police get here." Otto tried picking up Llobu but ended up falling back down again. "Uh... little help?" Searra laughed.
"Will do." Searra picked Llobu up, following Otto back to headquarters. By the time they got there, Lightning, Kitsune, and Ramu were finished formulating their map locations, Panda and Hopp had ended up winning the game of Rook, and the holders who were eating breakfast were now snacking on other foods.
Otto sighed. "Chacher, Flipper." Otto touched Searra's wrist and they were now invisible, weaving through the crowd of C.H.A.R.M holders, hoping Llobu would stay asleep. Undergoing much difficulty, they managed to get to the back of the underground base, setting Llobu in solitary. "Spectacle, Flipper, Spectacle..." Otto whispered to his guardian, panting. Both of the adults became visible again.
"You're out of practice." Otto looked back to Searra. "I don't know how Ramu does it..." He said, panting for breath. "Mmm. Immense concentration, I suppose. That's why we partnered him with Eruku." Otto nodded. "True. We should get back. Perhaps we should tell Ramu and Lightning of our discovery?"
It was silent between the two adults for a moment, before Searra spoke. "No. If Lightning finds out that we'll have to destroy Llobu's C.H.A.R.M... there's no telling what special powers could be invoked."