WARNING: UPSETTING CONTENT.
Emotional scenes.

NOTE: Very important! Please answer the questions at the end of this chapter! It's really important for my writing.

____

Raphael had spent the last two weeks observing things.
Most of his observations came from conversations with Makoto, who didn't know his true intentions.
He wrote everything down in a small black journal.
The journal was no bigger than his hand, and it had rainbow robots on the cover.

In two weeks alone, Raphael managed to observe five key things:

One-Astra and Sophia's relationship was most definitely on the rocks.

Two-Minerva was getting a lot of praise, much to Raphael's annoyance.

Three-Something was going on between Imelda and Finian.

Four-Alessa, although still ice-cold towards the trainees, had started to soften just a little.

Five-Calihan was shifty.
He always took secret calls and disappeared at night for hours at a time.

It was only a small list, but Raphael was skilled enough to work with even the smallest scrap of information.
To Raphael, nothing was seemingly irrelevant.
Information could always be manipulated.

The trainees were waiting outside the usual Intel classroom.
Sophia came into the room, with urgency, I might add.
Raphael slipped his notebook into his bag, before turning his attention back to whatever conversation the others seemed to be having.

"There you are!
I guess none of you have looked at your tablets", said Sophia.
"There's been a timetable change.
You have Tech class now."

"Wait, really?", questioned Rhiannon, getting out her tablet.

"Yes!
Come on, Minerva and Knox have some really cool things to show you!"

"Why are you getting us?", asked Ashryn.

"Admittedly, I was being a little nosy.
I just wanted the chance to see how you were all getting on!"

"Hold on, do we have Intel class today then?", asked Makoto.

Sophia nodded.
"Yeah, I think so.
Just later.
Now come on, hurry up!"

The trainees scrambled to get their things and get to their Tech classroom.
Just as Raphael left, Faizah entered the room, a bright smile on her face.

"Hey, Soph!
Glad I found you.
I wanted to say Happy Anniversary", she smiled.
"Can't believe another year has gone by."

Intrigued, Raphael ran into one of the empty rooms, leaving the door open, ever so slightly, so he could hear what was being said.

"Thank you."

Faizah frowned.
"Hey, you usually love celebrating the day you got your first partner.
Every agent does."

"Yeah, but... my first partner was Astra.
And, well, you know how things are right now."

Faizah's face softened, and she placed a hand on Sophia's shoulder.
"I know things between you aren't the best, but you love celebrating this day.
So, if you can't celebrate for Astra, how about you celebrate for yourself?
This day is as much about you as it is about her."

"You're right.
Faizah... can I ask you something?"

"Go for it."

"Is it weird that I'm hoping Astra gets me something?
Not because I want presents, but... I don't know.
Maybe it would show me that she still cared?
About...well, about us."

Faizah gave her a small smile.
She pulled her into a hug, and Sophia leaned into her touch.
Faizah's hugs were the best.

"No, it's not weird at all, Sophia."

★★★

There were four orbs on separate podiums in the room.
One was green, one was blue, one was red and one was yellow.
Minerva approached the yellow orb, but didn't touch it.

"When going up against, let's face it, the forces of evil, every agent needs to pull out all of the tools and skills in their arsenal", said Minerva.

Knox nodded in agreement.
"But you are not agents.
You do not have as many tools and skills as they do."

"Sometimes, you need a little extra boost", said Minerva.
"These orbs were designed by incredible inventors."

"One isn't Minerva Ghimire by any chance?", muttered Raphael, in a mocking tone.
He rolled his eyes.

Minerva frowned, but did her best to shake off the hurt she felt.
She gestured to each orb.

"The yellow orb blinds sentient beings, the green one deafens them, the red orb makes objects levitate and the blue one freezes objects", she explained.

"Each orb can only be used once", added Knox.
"Agent Arden argued that they should be kept hidden until the final battle, but we argued in favour of you keeping them on your person.
This will teach you a valuable lesson about responsibility."

"It goes without saying, but these orbs must not be used at any time other than the final battle", said Minerva.

"How do we use them?", asked Rhiannon.

Minerva and Knox looked at each other, before breaking out into smiles

"I'm glad you asked", said Knox.

Minerva reached for the yellow orb, but did not lift it off the podium.
She placed her index fingers, middle fingers and thumbs on the orb, before pressing down forcefully.
The orb glowed, and then split open. Minerva reached inside the orb and pulled out a small yellow object that was shaped like a star.
She turned to face Knox, who had grabbed a large metal shield from behind one of the podiums.
He placed it in front of him.

"Now!"

Minerva threw the star, similar to how you would skim a pebble, and it sliced through the air.
Small sparks-not even the size of a pea, jumped off the star and connected together. The star glowed a bright yellow, then a flash of blinding light engulfed the shield.
Just as quickly as it had appeared, the light vanished.

"You can put the shield down now."

Knox lowered the shield, before turning to see the trainees' shocked and bewildered expressions.

"And that's how you use them", said Knox.

Rhiannon lifted her chin up, after realising she had been staring with her mouth wide open.

"That was so... cool!", she exclaimed.

"That was amazing!", smiled Makoto.

"Truly remarkable", admitted Raphael.

"I want that one", said Ashryn.

"Actually, we've already chosen which one's you'll get", said Knox.

"Rhiannon, you get the green one", said Minerva.

"Cool!", she beamed.

"Raphael, you get the blue one."

Raphael fought the urge to roll his eyes. Great.
He got the one that freezes things.
Similar to Minerva's patented Freezum Ray. When will the taunting end?

"Ashryn, you get the red one", said Minerva.

"Levitation?
What good is that gonna do?"

"More than you think", said Knox.

"So that leaves the yellow one.
That's yours Makoto."

"Question.
Can we swap with each other?", asked Raphael.

"Well, when you're in battle, there's no real reason why you can't.
But you're just looking after them now, so no, you can't swap now", explained Knox.

Minerva placed the orbs in satin pouches, with small chains for handles, and handed them to the trainees.
Raphael snatched his with so much force that the chain almost broke.
Although Knox didn't pick up on this, Rhiannon did, and she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

Rhiannon watched Raphael for the rest of the lesson.
She noticed how he'd look at Knox with respect, and like he was paying attention, but when Minerva spoke, his expression changed.
She knew she'd need Makoto to properly distinguish what the look meant, but Rhiannon could tell it wasn't a nice look.
He constantly undermined and belittled Minerva with his comments.
Knox called him out a few times, but that only made his responses meaner, albeit in a subtle way.

As the trainees left the room, Rhiannon quickened her pace so that she could catch up with Raphael.

"Hey, Raphael!", she called out, making the tall boy stop in his tracks.

"Yeah?"

"What was all that in there?
The weird looks, the snarky replies?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, that's how I always am.
You know that."

Rhiannon shook her head.
"No, this was different.
Seriously, what is your problem?
I thought you were getting better!"

Raphael raised an eyebrow at her comment. "Getting better?"

"Yeah, you know, opening up more."

"So something was wrong with me before?"

"What?
No, what are you-"

"That's what you're implying, isn't it?
I was all messed up before, but now I'm getting better?
I'm acting more like a happy-go-lucky brainless fool?
More like you?"

Rhiannon was taken aback by Raphael's outburst.
How could he have come to that conclusion? She felt like they were finally beginning to gel as a team, but now it was like they had moved ten steps back.

"You know what?
I don't have time for this", she said, before walking away.

"Where are you going?", he called out.

"To console an actual friend."

Raphael's anger and irritation gnawed at his skin.
He just wanted to scream and flail his arms around.
But even as he simmered in his anger, he couldn't help but hope that Rhiannon would turn around.

Raphael pushed and pushed and pushed.
He always did that.
But a small part of him craved for the day that someone would stay.
He'd push and push and push.
But they'd stay.

Why did no one ever stay?

★★★

"Rhiannon?
Did you forget something?", asked Minerva.

Knox was just about to leave for a meeting, but not before helping Minerva pack up as much as he could.

Rhiannon took a deep breath, in an attempt to steel herself.
She wasn't sure how to go about offering support.
She didn't want to impose, but she also didn't want to let Minerva go through this alone.

"I can help you clean up, if you like?"

"Oh!
Thank you... that's very kind of you.
We're ok though.
You should get some food before your next class", said Minerva.

"I'm not really that hungry", said Rhiannon, before approaching the pair.
She noticed Knox putting some supplies in a box, so helped him.

"Thank you", he said.

Whilst Knox was preoccupied with moving the podiums, Rhiannon turned to face Minerva.
Minerva was staring at the floor, and her facial expression may have been blank, but her eyes were full of distress.

"Hey", whispered Rhiannon.

Minerva looked up, her eyes widening a little as she became aware of her surroundings.

"Hey."

"I, uh, I really liked the lesson today."

Minerva gave Rhiannon a small smile.
"I'm glad you liked it."

Rhiannon glanced at Knox, who had his back to them.
She looked back, before lowering her voice when she spoke again.

"Raphael was awful to you."

Minerva's smile faltered, and she looked back down at the floor.

"I don't know what's going on with him.
I thought he was getting nicer, but... he never stopped being horrible to you, did he?"

Minerva shook her head.
"No, I-listen.
It doesn't matter what he think of me or how he treats me.
You're a part of his team, so as long as you all get along, it-"

"Are you kidding?
Of course it matters how he treats you!
I don't want to be on a team with someone who gets off on making others feel small."

Minerva looked away again, and Rhiannon gently nudged her.

"Especially someone as awesome as you."

Minerva looked at Rhiannon.
A small smile appeared on Rhiannon's face, and Minerva couldn't help but smile back.

"Don't listen to Raphael.
You're so cool, and nice, and-ok, I could go on for hours about how great you are.
And I haven't even known you for that long!"

Minerva chuckled.
"Thanks.
I know Raphael means well-"

"Does he?
I'm not so sure anymore.
It's like, I can't get a read on him anymore. One minute he's showing me weird tech facts he read in a book and the next he's saying something insulting."

"Well, isn't that one of the reasons he was recruited?
Because he's good at manipulating things?"

"Wait, you think that's what he's been doing?"

Minerva shrugged, holding her hands up.
"I don't know.
I'm not an expert at people-reading or anything.
That's why I stick to technology.
There's a right and a wrong.
And even if there's a grey area, you can still argue for either side."

Rhiannon had always seen herself as a people person.
She wasn't amazing at reading people, but her gut instincts were rarely wrong.

But maybe this was all one big game to Raphael?
Maybe all the bonding was a trick?

One big manipulation tactic.

★★★

Raphael wandered the Training Grounds.
A walk in the Training Grounds had become part of his daily schedule, ever since he noticed Ashryn in the flower garden every day.
She would stand in the same spot, watching the same flowers.
Faizah was always there too, but they never talked, so Raphael wasn't sure how useful that was for him.

"A gift?", asked Finian.

Finian and Astra were just within earshot, and they were talking about a gift.
Raphael tuned in to what they were saying, convinced that it must be of some value.

"Yeah, I bought her this beautiful sapphire scrapbook.
There's a little compartment on the cover with a locket in it.
I found the original document we both had to sign when we became partners.
Head Guard Aoife let me keep it, because she made multiple copies.
Anyway, I cut out our signatures, folded them up and put them inside the locket", explained Astra.

Finian's smile brightened.
"Aw wow, that's such a good gift!"

Astra grinned.
"Thanks!"

"So does this mean you and Sophia are good again?"

Astra's smile fell, and Finian's expression changed.
He went from being excited to understanding.
Finian was like that.
He was like a therapist, in a way.
He was very aware of when he just needed to listen.

"I want to see her.
So badly.
But I need to give her the space she wants. I'm going to leave the gift in her room now, whilst she's out."

"But don't you want to see her face when she opens it?
You love seeing her reaction to gifts."

The smallest smile appeared on Astra's face, as if she was looking back on a fond memory.

"I don't want to make this harder for her.
I just want her to be happy today.
Seeing me will only make things worse."

★★★

An underground bunker-one of the only one's at the agency still standing, was the perfect place to go when you wanted some privacy.
It wasn't necessarily out of bounds, but it wasn't used for much either.
It was the only part of the agency that hadn't changed since it was first built though, so no one wanted to get rid of it.

Lumen bugs danced around the room. Characterised by their bright bodies, the bugs were the size of peas.
They thrived in absolute darkness, and they didn't have any other purpose other than to fly and be used as lights.
They were created in a lab, to serve as lights for travellers in case they got lost.

They looked beautiful as they flew around, lighting up the bunker just enough so that you could see the small table in the middle of it.
Cupcakes, brownies and other treats were laid out on the table, with tall jars of luminescent blue drink next to them.

"Wow... you did this for me?", asked Sophia.

Olga nodded.
"It's your anniversary, of course I was going to do something for you!"

Sophia grinned.
"This is so lovely... you're so lovely."

Olga pulled out a chair for Sophia, chuckling when Sophia twirled before sitting down. Olga was wearing a pale green dress, with white detailing on the arms.
Her hair was straightened, making her look even more mature than usual.
Sophia couldn't explain why, but looking at Olga gave her that tingling feeling in her stomach.
A feeling she hadn't felt in a while.

"You look... so pretty", said Sophia.

"Oh!", exclaimed Olga, before looking down at her dress.
She looked back up, a bright smile appearing on her face.
"Thank you!
I actually wore a very similar dress when I got my partner.
That's why I chose this one."

"What was it like when you got your partner?", asked Sophia.

"Incredible.
That's the best word I can use, really.
I was nervous, of course.
But it really helped that I was going into dangerous situations with someone.
It made the whole thing feel less... scary."

"That's how I felt!"

"You got extremely lucky with your partner too, because you ended up dating her."

Sophia felt a pain in her chest.
It was sharp at first, but only for a millisecond.
Then it became an aching pain.
It lasted much longer, and wouldn't go away, no matter how many times Sophia tried to shake it away.

"Hey, do you want to dance?"

"Dance?
I didn't bring any music."

"That's ok!
We don't need music to dance."

"Sophia, don't you want to talk about Astra?"

Sophia scowled.
"Why would I want to do that?"

"Well, because... she's your partner.
Today should be about both of you."

"It hasn't been about us for a while now.
You know, I thought she'd atleast get me a card or something.
I left a card under her pillow!
But no, she hasn't gotten me anything.
It's like... it's like she's trying to forget about us."

"Oh, Sophia, I don't think she's doing that! Talk to her."

"No", said Sophia.
"I just want to forget about her right now.
I don't want to see her face or think about her or... or..."

Sophia shook her head, desperately trying to get the thought of Astra out of her head. She didn't want to think about her.
It hurt too much.
She just wanted one day where it didn't hurt.

"Please... I just want to dance."

Without saying a word, Olga stood up and held her hand out to Sophia.
Sophia smiled gratefully, and reached for Olga's hand.
Sophia placed her hands loosely around Olga's shoulders, clasping her hands behind Olga's neck.
Olga placed her hands around Sophia's waist, but positioned them a little higher than where Astra would put hers.
They swayed from side to side.
The only sound was the gentle humming of the Lumen bugs.
With no music to focus on, Sophia found herself studying Olga's face.
She really was very beautiful.
It was a different kind of beauty though.
It wasn't the kind of beautiful that was intimidating, or the kind that was seen as unconventional.
No.
She looked like a painting.
Her skin was smooth, her nose was the perfect size to suit her face, her eyes were big and expressive.
Sophia never really noticed how beautiful she was before.

"Thank you for today", said Sophia.
"I know you rarely get any time to yourself, so I appreciate you doing this for me."

"Of course.
I'd do any thing for you, you know that."

★★★

Raphael couldn't afford to waste any more time.
He needed to win that competition.
All he needed to do was get Alessa on his side.
The Trainers did whatever she said anyway. A knock on the door made Raphael jump.
He quickly ran over to his desk and opened the drawer.
He saw the sapphire scrapbook Astra had gotten Sophia.
He shoved the letter Sophia had gotten Astra into his drawer.
He slammed it, before jogging to the door and opening it.

"Makoto?
That was quick.
Do you have anything useful for me?"

"Raphael... please tell me you're not going to do anything bad."

Raphael rolled his eyes.
"It's none of your business, but... no, I'm not doing anything bad.
It won't impact you in any way."

Makoto sighed.
"Ok... fine.
I've been observing Agent Arden whenever she's around and... she's lonely."

"Lonely?
That's all your got?"

"It's not just like she's missing a friend who moved away.
It's a really, really intense sense of loneliness.
I mean, it makes perfect sense.
She lost her-"

"Ok, ok, but how does this help me?"

"I don't know!
I don't even know why you need information about her in the first place. But... don't underestimate how drained loneliness can make you feel."

__________

Hi.

Raphael is making some very questionable decisions. Jealousy isn't the only thing fuelling his choices though. In his eyes, all he's ever had is technology. That's his safety blanket. Now, someone comes along who is 'better' than him. It's safe to say he's having a pretty big identity crisis right now. On top of that, he's losing his friends. Ashryn is too preoccupied with revenge, Makoto is busy practicing the Soul Searcher and Rhiannon is going through her own crisis-wanting to find her purpose. Raphael is used to pushing to get what he wants, but this is the first time where he's done that and people have actually stayed. Rhiannon kept trying to get through to him, Makoto had been nothing but nice to him and Ashryn feels a sort of kindred spirit energy towards him, even though that's only been touched on very briefly. Now, things are starting to crumble, and he's tried to fight and fix them, but he's never done this before. He isn't aware of how much effort it takes to maintain friendships. So he's pushing, and he's so desperate for someone to stay. Rhiannon was his last hope, but now he's alone. In actuality, had he opened up more and talked to the others, he would've seen that just because they have their own lives, it doesn't mean that you aren't still friends. What you have to understand though, is that this is all so new to him. He's only ever had one human best friend in life, and he was young when she left. He's exhausted all his options now-Ashryn is distant, his aggressive persistence to get information may have cost him Makoto's friendship and his jealous and mean-spirited attitude has driven Rhiannon away too. Other than mending the friendships, his only option is to resort to what he knows best-manipulation. This is just my own personal interpretation though! How did you interpret it?

Alessa is next on his list, but can he really charm her enough to get her on his side?

And, just in case it wasn't clear, Raphael stole Astra and Sophia's presents to each other to create drama and maintain disharmony. I didn't want to flat-out say it, but alluded to it by showing the presents in his room. I've written it in such a clumsy way though.

Rhiannon and Minerva in this chapter? Fabulous. I adore them so much. I haven't even written them that much at all, but they have such a sweet friendship. What are your thoughts on their friendship?

Sophia has just had enough at this point. I wanted to hammer home how desperate Sophia is to just forget about Astra, even for a short while. She loves Astra, which is why reliving memories of their partnership is so painful for her. I don't believe that either of them want to end their relationship, but Astra is trying to give her space, and Sophia doesn't really know what she wants. She wants space, but at the same time, she knows that if they do make up, they'll have to have a serious conversation about their futures. Astra wants to move away, but Sophia wants to stay. Then we have Olga, who is kind, caring, beautiful and just an all-round lovely person. What's more, is that she's planning on staying in Plurg too. Sophia is just very confused right now, and Olga is the perfect distraction. She genuinely likes being around and spending time with Olga. Again, this is just my interpretation! What's yours?

I'm really curious to hear your thoughts on the ships! Do you have a favourite? This could be romantic/platonic-anything! This includes people you think might be good together! This series is going for atleast two more books so anything can happen!

Also, I have a few very important questions—what shows that people have good chemistry? Romantic and platonic—how would you define 'good chemistry' in both forms. Which characters in this book do you think have good chemistry, if any, and why?

DoodleYeet

LeMystical-Puffle

ruesbennett

SoniczurcX

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