Leyland Adventures Chapter Thirteen: Part Twenty

"So how was your battle with Abliss?" Tysashi asked, preparing his gear for a battle of his own.

"It was...gripping. Abliss truly did everything she could to defeat me, even if it resulted in harming herself. Tysashi, I believe it's time you knew about Supreme Order forms."

He turned to her, readying his brain to digest the information she was about to feed him.

"A Supreme Order form is the ultimate potential of a fairy's power, discarding any limits and often their morality. Most Gemstone Wielders have them, including Abliss. No Supreme Order form doesn't have a drawback upon activation, typically involving the user becoming affected by their own power. For example, Abliss could temporarily withstand the harsher temperatures she brought, but drained herself and nearly froze to death. If you're concerned, she's fine. Do you understand, Tysashi?"

"Absolutely. Do you have one?"

"I do, though mine follows a series of stages before reaching the final one. I have yet to use such power."

As much as he wanted to extend the conversation, it was nearly time to meet with Aquiline. He informed Aradressa of his sudden need to depart, to which she sighed. He could feel the immeasurable disappointment within her sigh, sitting down with her on the bed.

"Don't worry, I'm almost done with this gemstone. Afterwards, it'll be me and you again, promise."

"I'm aware of that, however, it's quite disheartening to know our cooperation is becoming nostalgic. Especially considering the multitude of challenges ahead of us. I want to be there to evade you from harm. The drowning situation took a deep toll on my heart."

"I understand where you're coming from. Thankfully for this fight, Aquiline might join me."

"Speaking of which, you ran after her when you awoke. If you don't mind, could you inform me on what happened?"

Tysashi reminded himself of the time. As such, he couldn't relay the conversation with Aquiline. He promised to tell her the next time they met. Aradressa wished him luck on the battle, to which he smiled. Once he left, she laid down on the bed. Abliss's well-being clouded any other thoughts. She wondered how Abliss would react when she regained her power.

⊱⋅ ────── ⋆★⋆────── ⋅⊰

Aquiline stood patiently at the dock watching the moonlight spread across the calm waters. She was quiet and comfortable, at least until Tysashi finally arrived.

"Hey, Aquiline. Enjoying the view? " He asked, standing behind her.

"Yes I was...in silence." She retorted, turning to him.

"Oh, sorry."

"It's fine. Anyway, are you set to face off against Phospozoa again, without the limitations of your air supply?"

"Absolutely, are you taking me to fight her?"

"No." Snapping her fingers, Malodan emerged from the sea. The fresh water fell off its enormous body as he eyed Tysashi.

"If it wasn't already obvious, Malodan will escort you to fight Phospozoa. He won't help you. He's just taking you there."

"Whoa, awesome!" He cheered with a voice of gratitude. He immediately leaped onto the friendly creature.

"Although the battle should be significantly easier for you, don't let it get to your head. Phospozoa can still kill you if you give her the chance. Be aware of the flexibility of her tentacles and her swimming abilities. Oh, and another thing. Phospozoa can be easily defeated with powerful attacks; her durability isn't exactly the best."

"Got it, Aquiline. I'll come back with a shard in hand this time. Come on, Malodan!" More than prepared to depart, Malodan began the swim to Swealie Sea.

As the two soon faded in her sight, she had one wish for the young hero. "Please come back alive, Tysashi."

⊱⋅ ────── ⋆★⋆────── ⋅⊰

As Malodan sped through the waters, Tysashi kept his eyes out for Phospozoa's glow. Though being held at such heights brought a dizzying feeling, he ignored it.

"Alright Malodan, Phospozoa shouldn't be too far. Just be sure to keep an eye out."

The armored animal nodded, surveying the area. Not much was found other than a few small islands on the silent sea. Tysashi took a gander at the luminous moon, its beauty reminiscent of his girlfriend. He found its light to be comforting, as if he wasn't far away from his home. Suddenly, his attention was snatched by Malodan's unexpected increase in speed.

The two could faintly see a bright beacon of vivid light; Tysashi tightened his grip as Malodan rushed over to the light. It didn't take long for the two to identify Phospozoa moving underneath the water.

"Ok, any ideas on how we can attract her attention?" Tysashi asked, hoping Malodan had an answer.

Without a word, Malodan spat out a ball of mud from its mouth, targeting Phospozoa's predicted location. Once the mud had been spread, she noticed a clear difference in the purity of the water. Perplexed, she arose out of the water only to see a familiar boy and a Malodan before her.

Tysashi took note of the fact Phospozoa had his ring on her finger, quite displeased at the sight. Phospozoa, astonished at his survival, prepared her wire-like tentacles.

"Phospozoa, I would like a rematch for your shard. Excuse me if this comes off as rude, but whether you agree to fight me or not, I'm not leaving without that shard." He said proudly, warming his hands.

Annoyed by his persistence, she spat a stream of water targeted at him. He leaped off Malodan, sprinting across the water. Phospozoa sent her flexible tentacles flying towards him. He evaded her attack with ease, continuing to rush towards her. Retracting her tentacles, she brought her hands together in an attempt squish him between her hands. Still standing on the water, Tysashi kept her hands at bay. He grunted as his muscles tensed up.

Phospozoa could feel her hands gradually overwhelm him, yet he pushed her back. Knowing he couldn't keep this up forever, he took himself into the water. After building up speed, he sprung from the water with an ignited fist. Unfortunately, Phospozoa was unable to react, suffering his might. She fell into the water while Tysashi returned to the surface.

Suddenly, a rope-like object snaked around his feet. Without warning, he was promptly pulled downwards. The moonlight pierced through the water. Phospozoa held him upside-down down as she looked at him with a furious face. She suspended him in place, waiting patiently for his lungs to give in. Eventually, she figured he wouldn't suffer in the same way as before. With that, she resurfaced and eyed a small island. Phospozoa knew not much could be done in the water, thanks to Aquiline's Blessing, so she launched him towards the island. Though his booming shouts were heard as soon as he was thrown, it was silenced once he rudely arrived on the shore.

"Ugh, alright. This fight is going to take a while. I can't do anything underwater, and neither can she. I just need to get a few good hits in."

Abruptly, Phospozoa revealed herself before him. She ripped a nearby tree from the roots and proceeded to force Tysashi into playing a lethal game of Whack-A-Mole. Each forceful blow viciously shook the island; Tysashi only had a limited amount of space to evade her strikes. Soon, Phospozoa had grown irritated of the glorified game of cat-and-mouse.

She prepared an attack which provided a visual clue for Tysashi. He dived back into the water before Phospozoa could spew enough liquid to cover the area. Once she saw that her target had escaped, her blood bubbled inside her like a boiling liquid. The water in her bell had been substantially reduced due to the careless handling of her previous attack. Now less than half of the liquid was left, yet she neglected it.

Now that he had reappeared, Phospozoa had a split tree held like duel blades. Her tentacles sped towards him as the two halves of the tree followed closely. Instead of making an effort to dodge it, his pyrokinesis from the lungs addressed the situation perfectly. The fire not only turned the tree into mere black dust, but also retracted her tentacles.

She blew the ash onto his face, forcing a wince from him as he shielded his eyes. Phospozoa took advantage of his vulnerability, grasping him securely in her palm. She readied her tentacles, each slapping him across the face with a booming sound. He could feel his cheeks sting as the rushing winds blew the attracting scent of blood past him.

Satisfied, water built up in her mouth. Now that Tysashi was immobilized, the stakes of using this attack wouldn't matter to her. An attack powerful enough to pierce a hole through any material. She tightened a tentacle around his neck as she charged up. During this time, Tysashi's vision had finally been restored. Unfortunately, his one move to counter Phospozoa was disabled. His body moved frantically like a worm caught on a fish hook, desperate for escape. Ultimately, he only had one option.

Gathering his remaining strength, his body set ablaze. In response, Phospozoa withdrew her sensitive tentacle, inspecting it for any damage. Once her attention diverted back to Tysashi, a burning fist came into view. She was unable to react fast enough, thus taking the heavy blow. The attack stole the consciousness out her body, causing her to gradually sink to the darkest depths of the sea.

Tysashi followed her, seeing a shiny object float from Phospozoa's body. Her shard, now found a new home in Tysashi's palm. A great sense of accomplishment washed over him as he stared at it. Finally, the battle was over. However, his benevolent nature kicked in. He couldn't let Phospozoa sink, so he swam towards her and took hold of a few tentacles. He brought her back to the surface, calling Malodan for assistance.

Once he arrived, Malodan brought Phospozoa to an island. Tysashi laid her tentacles in the water, which automatically pulled water to refresh her bell. Before he returned to the shore, he eyed the ring she stole. It's glow hypnotized him, reminiscing him of the times the ring belonged to him. However, he allowed her to keep it. She's already been through more than enough.

"Ok Malodan, let's hurry back to the shore."

Malodan, glad to obey his request, lowered its neck so Tysashi could sit comfortably.

⊱⋅ ────── ⋆★⋆────── ⋅⊰

Aquiline gazed towards the empty horizon of the sea with thoughts of Tysashi clouding her mind. She wondered if her Blessing was enough for him to prevail over Phospozoa. This feeling of genuine perturbation, she disliked it. She couldn't comprehend it as such a feeling was never experienced. Out of anyone, why Tysashi?

Soon enough, these feelings faded as two distant figures emerged from the distance. Her eyes caught Malodan rushing towards the shore with Tysashi on his shell, a pleasing sight to behold. Once at the dock, he waved goodbye to the faithful turtle as he swam away.

Facing Aquiline, he revealed the shard with a smile. "Thanks to your Blessing, I beat Phospozoa. I'll admit, she put up a great fight for what she had available."

"Yeah, I can tell by the slashes on your face." She replied.

"Yeah, she did a number on me with those tentacles. So, what now?"

"You'll be seeing me tomorrow, so I can assign your final opponent. I'll have Malodan ready for you again as you are required to set out one last time."

"Ok, got it. I'll be here tomorrow. Well, goodnight, Aquiline." As he began to walk off, Aquiline stopped him.

"Halt. Remember when you offered to spend some time with me? Can we...still do that sometime?" She asked with a shred of confidence.

"Oh? I thought you didn't want to. What made you change your mind?"

In response, her body danced with bubbles partying inside of her. "D- don't worry about what made me change my mind. Now, is that a yes or no?"

"Yeah, for sure! I'll be a bit occupied with others, but I'll come to your domain when I have time. Is that ok?"

"That's satisfactory."

"Perfect, I'll see you then. Goodnight, again."

"Goodnight."

Now Tysashi could finally get a well-deserved rest. All that's left is the lonely, tiring walk back to the castle.

A/N: So sorry about the time-frame between this chapter and the last one. I had some difficulty deciding what kind of fighter I should make Phospozoa and her elemental type. The battle also went under some revisions as some actions were either complicated to write out or just didn't fit with the flow of the battle. Hopefully, I'll be writing another mundane chapter which I am excited to write. As always, thanks for keeping up with the story so far!