Chapter 410
"Yes..you should be quite scared," Caria said. "After all, it really is hopeless if your opponent can invade your mind."
"Not if I have anything to say about it," Ai said. "This is my mind, you're not allowed inside."
"Just how are you going to get rid of me!"
Ai was blasted back.
Caria's form stood in front of her.
"I am quite capable of destroying you from within..which I fully intend to do!"
Caria blasted her again with some sort of psychic bolt.
Ai leapt forward.
"Uh...uh..not today.." Caria said and constructed an energy wall. Ai slammed into it.
"You couldn't beat me as a scout, now what do you hope to accomplish!" Caria said.
"I am still a scout in here!" Ai said becoming surrounded with energy.
"This is a battle of mind power you are unprepared!" Caria shouted blasting her backward. More bolts flew at her.
"I will not let you just take over!" Ai shouted. Caria vanished.
"Very..good...but it will only hold me for so long!" Caria said. "You can't block me for long."
"She's right.but..what do I do?" Ai said. "I must somehow obtain the focus I need now..but my mind said it was impossible...so..but I have to do something! Maybe..this is my mind after all.it has various parts too it. I just have to be in a part that Caria isn't," Ai said. And turned around. The blackness had faded. The unorganized mess that was her mind still remained. She looked for some way out.
"Come on this is my mind..this should be quite clear."
A door opened.
"That's better," she said and walked in.
"It's getting late, someone should get Ai," Michiru said.
"I don't know, maybe she's still training, it might be wrong to disturb her," Greg said.
"Hmm.perhaps, I wouldn't want to mess her up," Michiru said. "We should check on her later though."
Greg nodded.
"Ah..thank goodness, I was worried you wouldn't survive the first attack," a voice said.
"What? Oh..it's me again," Ai said. "Where were you?"
"Defending myself..Caria is very dangerous you know."
"So how am I supposed to beat her?"
"Uh..I have no idea, for now just keep running until I think of something."
"Shouldn't we try to think of something!"
"You wouldn't have any more of an idea how to handle this then I would. Just keep moving."
"I don't understand...."
"That's part of the problem."
"I know.." Ai said. "Run you say?"
"Yes...there's plenty of places to hide, she'll find you eventually, but maybe by then I'll have a thought of something."
"Yeah..I guess," Ai said. She hurried down a tunnel of sorts.
"What a strange place my mind is.."
She said and rounded a corner.
"Well..here we are," Ai said looking at a massive network of what looked to be highways with strange bolts of light flying across them.
"So this is how my mind is representing itself..wonderful," Ai said.
"Oh..quit complaining will you? You have to learn to embrace all of this. I thought you were an optimist."
"Shows what you know! Hmm...this whole concept is getting to me..look..there must be someway for us to become one."
"Become one...well we are one...actually...but...now that you mention it..yes...that might be a good way to do things. The problem is that we'll have to do things at once. Hide from Caria and figured out some way to defeat her."
"I'm up to it," Ai said. "I'm sick of not understanding all this."
"All right..all right..but..this is not an easy process."
"As long as we finish it before Caria gets here."
"You need to find a better hiding place then. She's moving very quickly."
"All right," Ai said. "I'll just hitch a ride."
She leapt up onto the light and shot along a tunnel.
"Now you're learning."
"Good," Ai said. "But doesn't the fact that this is my mind mean I should have some traps or something set up to stop intruders."
"You do, that's the only thing that has kept Caria from killing you, the problem is she's stronger then you are, so eventually she'll work through it, and the next time you fight her, you'll have to win or else."
"There has to be a way," Ai said. "I mean..she's a telepath, wouldn't there be something about where she is. I meant..think about it...if she's in the city, the other scouts would probably notice her..if she's at her base..like she has been before, her power must be weakened just by the distance it has to travel..right.."
"You're right....the question is just where is she.."
"We can't find out unless we're outside of you, and that's not an option."
"But I'm a telepath..so I can send a message."
"You've got no time for that with Caria wandering around."
"But I have too..I need to know where Caria is!"
"You need to run right now!"
"All right..all right..let's run..but what could I send really quickly..."
"Hmm...that's a good question, and you'd have to send it nearby."
"There are people right below me you know."
"Yes, that's true. All right..it depends, you can't send too much or risk Caria catching up to you."
"Then it's going to have to get to the point."
"How annoying," Caria said. "Her defenses are stronger then I expected, though that's always true when you get into a mind. Still..she's weak compared to me. I have to strike her down before she gets any stronger."
"Hello Lady..." came a voice. She looked around.
"Down here.."
"What are you?" Caria muttered looking down at a pint sized creature resembling Ai.
"You're silly Lady."
"Oh..am I!" Caria said and blasted the thing away.
"That's not nice lady!" the creature shouted.
A lumbering hulk appeared in front of her.
"This is annoying.." Caria said. "Looks like her mind has a sense of humor!"
She blasted the creature away.
Caria sighed and kept walking.
"Now where are we?" Ai said.
They were standing in a field. Birds flew by.
"Somewhere in the memory centers."
"But I've never been here."
"Oh...well..it's the dream centers."
"Do you even know where we are?"
"Uh..well..even I get lost in thought sometimes."
Ai growled.
"Let's merge before this gets out of hand," Ai said.
"All right..all right.."
The two fused.
"Now..dream centers..hmm." Ai said. "This could be useful. First things
first."
"I don't know what you were worried about," Michiru said.
"Yeah I guess, but no one in the publishing industry believes it's any good," Greg said.
"Greg..I heard a few days ago you went there as Guardian Saturn.
"Yeah..I was fed up."
"What happened?"
"They offered to sell the book, because I was a celebrity. I turned them down."
"You turned them down? I don't understand."
"I didn't want my work to be sold for any other reason than it was good work."
"That's a quite mature thing to do," Michiru said.
"Yeah..still..." Greg said. "I wish someone would understand it."
"It's not easy, there are a lot of idiots out there, most of them believe they know what art is. Only artists know. And only the good ones really understand."
"Yeah," Greg said.
"What?"
"What.."
"Wait...Caria..." Michiru said.
"What is it?" Greg asked.
"I think..Ai's trying to tell us something.." Michiru said. "Caria's here
somewhere. I'll check on Ai, you tell your brother."
"There I sent it," Ai said. "I just hope they understand."
She crouched behind a rock.
"This will work. It should..Caria's about to enter the realm of my own
dreams, she won't know what to expect. Then again, I don't know what to expect
from my dreams either. Still.."
"Ai?" Michiru asked.
The girl sat silent on the rooftop.
"Hmm..." Michiru looked her over. "She's in some sort of trance. Maybe Caria
induced it..who knows." she hurried back inside.
"Ai sent Michiru a message that says Caria was nearby," Greg said.
"I must have missed her on the scan," Patterson said. "But we can check that quickly. Any idea where she is?"
"No," Greg said.
"Hmm..well then we'll just have to check everywhere."
"Will that take long?"
"Unfortunately yes," Patterson said.
"She's here..I can sense it," Caria said. "Finally."
She walked forward and down a tunnel.
She emerged on the streets of Tokyo.
"What is this?" she said. "Oh of course, her dream state..very well," Caria said. "I can play in dreams too!"
She walked down the street.
A penguin passed her.
"Typical humans," Caria muttered.
"Hey, a moose!" came a shout. She turned. Several members of a local area professional baseball team were racing at her with baseball bats.
"Oh..spare me..." Caria said and blasted them.
A car slid up and slammed into a pole.
"Woah...now that happens way too much I think," The driver said getting out.
"IDIOT!" Caria shouted and blasted him.
"Come out Ai! It's time to finish this!" she shouted.
She looked around. Ai did not emerge.
Oh..great..and now Tokyo Tower is dancing..." Caria said. "She's going to die
today!"
"She looks mad," Ai said peeking out from behind a rooftop.
"There you are!" Caria shouted whirling. Ai hurried away from the rooftop.
"Oh..geez...I can't run," Ai said. "Stupid dreams!"
Caria leapt after her.
"PIGS!" came an anonymous voice. A herd of pigs slid through space and hit Caria head on.
"What?" she screeched.
Tokyo evaporated replaced by a forest of all varieties of trees.
"Well I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying this!" Caria muttered.
"Catch me if you can," Ai said.
A large whirring sound filled their ears. A large razor blade went flying through the forest.
"Ah..geez..I don't need that!" Ai said racing away.
"Pathetic!" Caria shouted and blasted it.
A tree fell on her.
"Dang it!" she shouted crawling out of the way. "How stupid!"
"See ya Caria!" Ai shouted.
Then again, I'm in terrible shape. I need to fight her somehow. I'm a telepath..I've got magic bolts too...I just need to use them. But this a dream state..I need to lure her into a position I can destroy her at, or at least kick her out of. Ai thought.
And that's when she realized she was racing along a distorted cliff face.
"And what is that?" she muttered.
A large castle hovered foggily in front of her.
"This might do," she said and raced towards it. It was replaced by a convenience store.
"Whatever works!" Ai shouted and raced inside.
Caria bounded after her.
"Your death will be the most painful I have ever delivered!" she shouted.
"So far, nothing," Patterson said.
"I doubt she would be lying,"Greg said. "I mean she's in a trance up there."
"Agreed, it is possible that Caria could be doing any number of things to her, but I just don't see her," Patterson said. "But I'll keep scanning."
"Hmm...dangerous stuff huh?"
"What?"
"Telepaths, mind control..all that stuff..."
"Yes, telepathy is not one of my favorite arts."
"I wish I had my telepathy right now though. Maybe I could figure out what was going on."
"You're better off."
"Maybe."
"Ai come out and play!" Caria said shooting a blast down a convenience store isle.
"Beef jerky man! Attack!" Ai shouted.
"What.." Caria said.
A gigantic beef jerky raced at her.
Caria let out an angry shouted and blasted him.
"You're little tricks are only delaying the inevitable!" Caria shouted and blasted an aisle apart.
"Temper, temper.." Ai said. "Jeez..this freezer..looks kind of like a train depot.."
"What.." Caria said and launched an attack. Ai dodged under it and raced down another isle. Caria leapt in front of it. Ai vaulted over the aisle and raced away. Caria whirled.
A train whistle sounded.
"WHAT!" Caria shouted. Ai stood in front of her.
A train smashed through the store and flew off into the sky knocking Caria off a cliff in the process.
"I gotta keep running find a better place to hide," Ai said and raced back down the cliff. It was replaced by a water slide.
"Oh..come on!" Ai shouted as she landed in a pool of red water.
"Red..water..huh.." Ai said. "Ew.."
She climbed out.
"Hey..you don't like the red water ey?" a Canadian Mountie asked walking up to her.
"What..go away.." Ai said.
"No..I'm afraid I'm going to have to take ya in .."
Ai pushed him into the pool and raced into a barren wasteland.
"Oh come on, it needs to be better then this!" Ai shouted.
"So...this is the end of the line," Caria said.
"Uh oh," Ai said.
"Anything?" Greg asked.
"No...she just isn't in the area, whatever she's doing, it could be from the base itself," Patterson said.
"Any luck?" Michiru said.
"No," The two said.
"Ai seems to be getting worse somehow..she's in the trance but I can see the fear on her face."
"Dang it! I feel so worthless!" Greg said pounding on the table. "Here we are and we can't do a thing!"
"Calm down," Patterson said.
"I have to get in there," Greg said.
"What?"
"I used to be a telepath..there has to be some way."
"But...you.."
"Greg..there's no way.."
"There must be," Greg said.
He hurried out of the room.
"Take this!" Caria shouted.
Ai raced away. A barrage of energy bolts dropped towards her. She kept running.
"Gotta find some help," Ai said. "Somewhere..."
"No way.." Caria said and charged after her sending barrage after barrage of energy shooting down across the air.
Ai dodged it again.
"Come on..there's gotta be something.." she said.
"YEAHHH!" came a shout.
"What..the.." Ai said.
On the rooftop of the A.P.T. house.
"Come on..let me enter this mind.." Greg said. "You have to be there somewhere..that former power of mine."
Michiru watched wondering if he really would be able to accomplish his goal.
Greg reached out and touched Ai on the shoulder.
"Come on..powers that I once held..come to me again!" he shouted.
He closed his eyes.
A minute passed.
"Nothing.." he said.
"I'm sorry.." Michiru said. "I guess they're just not there."
Greg sighed.
"I have to try again."
Ai looked in surprise. Standing there on a horse was knight in golden armor.
"Fear not my lady...I am Guardian Neptune."
"What are you doing here!" Ai said.
"Heck if I know," he said. "I'm surprised to see you in my dream myself Ai."
"Die!" Caria shouted.
"Uh oh!" Neptune said grabbing Ai and pulling her onto the horse.
He galloped off.
"Oh no you don't!" Caria shouted launching another attack. The two were knocked off the horse.
"You must have been dreaming and that somehow mixed with my state," Ai said.
"Yeah, that makes sense."
"But of all the people in this house, I get stuck with you!"
"Take it or leave it," Neptune said. "All right Caria, let's go!"
Ai launched her own attack. Caria blocked it.
"You have no power in this dream Neptune!" Caria shouted.
"Ah..but he's a figment of my dream so he does!" Ai said.
Neptune launched an attack. Caria avoided it.
I can't be sure. I have to dodge it. She thought.
"Coming through!" Ai shouted and charged spitting psychic energy. Caria dodged and threw her own attack out.
The two collided.
Ai felt herself slip away. Caria fell too.
"What's all this now!" Neptune said.
"I don't.." Ai lost herself in the darkness.
On the roof of the house Ai pitched forward. Greg and Michiru grabbed her.
"Ai?" Greg asked.
"I don't think's she's gotten any better," Michiru said.
"Caria...are you there?" Visinite growled striding into a room in the base. "Caria!"
Caria was there laying on the ground.
"What?" Visinite said approaching her.
"Caria! Wake up!"
Caria did nothing of the sort.
"What is happening?"
Ai had since been brought inside and laid down on a bed.
"What happened to her?" Haruka asked.
"We have no idea, she's in a trance still it seems," Michiru said.
"I was in a dream with her," Mike said.
"You were what?" Lita snapped.
"No..really..no joking..I somehow was drawn into some sort of battle between Caria and Ai, and then the ground fell away...and I woke up..but..it seemed serious."
"Caria must have invaded her mind or something like that," Greg said. "They must have been fighting.."
"But why this?" Mina asked.
"I think we'd have to be a telepath to understand it," Michiru said.
"So let's get one," Seiya said.
"Akiro..I'm sorry to have to tell you this.." Haruka said into her communicator.
"What.." Akiro said.
"Ai's in a coma of some kind," Haruka said.
"How did it happen?"
"She was in battle with Caria somehow..and...well..you should come back here..." Haruka said.
"Right..right..all right.." Akiro said. "Jeez..."
"I'm sorry..but she may recover, we just don't know what's hurting her."
"Uh..yeah.uh..I'll be..there.." Akiro said and cut the link.
Meanwhile
"Hotaru we need you back here too," Michiru said into her communicator.
"I understand I will arrive as soon as I can," Hotaru said.
"Are you telling me that Caria is comatose?" Ircanite asked.
"Yes sir..I'm afraid so.." Visinite said.
"How did it happen?"
"I have no idea."
"You know what this means don't you? We have no idea what the scouts are going to do next," Ircanite said. "We must find a solution to this soon!"
"Yes sir..but how.."
"I have no idea! Just find a way."
"Yes..sir.."
"We are so close!"
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