"Chosen one...?" Todd replied.
"Yes...there is a new threat in your town. It is yet to be determined what the threat is though. How many clow cards did you capture?"
"Well, four cards have been captured... I only have three of them..."
The silhouette gains sarcastic and skeptical tone. "Well you had better get crackin' Todd. I've seen some hunters get three clows a day...and it's been a week and only four have been caught, get with the program."
Todd gained a mystified look and stammers "Uh?"
"Now, get those spirits and get them now!" The figure commanded. "This dream is over! Go away!"
At that, Todd woke up instantly from his dream and said to himself. "Who'd have thought that the mystical dream spirit would be so darn BOSSY?"
Kero woke up to Todd's griping and asked. "What's wrong Todd?"
"Never mind..." Todd interrupted. "What's the date?"
"Uh...the eighteenth of September... why?"
Todd leaped out of bed and stared at the calender. Kero was right, it was Saturday, the 18th of September. Todd then began shouting "Woo hoo" and started jumping for joy. He then took Kero by the arms and starting swinging him around the curtained bedroom. Todd then reefed the curtains aside and ran to the kitchen to make himself some breakfast.
"You actually hate school that much...?" Kero wondered. "Sakura never made much of a fuss on a normal Saturday."
"Aha, Kero...this isn't just a normal Saturday..." Todd said as he playfully scolded Kero. "This is the day where my Mom comes home!"
"Your Mom eh?" Kero interrupted. "How long does she stay home?"
"Who cares?! She's the best! She takes me to all the fun places... we eat nothing but takeout... and she plays video games with me!" Todd cheerfully said.
"Doesn't this mean that Julian will retire as your babysitter?"
"He doesn't babysit me...he's the housekeeper."
"Call it what you like."
Julian then sleepily enters the room, expression cheerful and poured himself some orange juice. "So I heard that your mom is coming home huh? I'll make you some breakfast."
"What's wrong with a pop tart?"
Both Kero and Julian stare at Todd. Todd then blinked. Julian then says. "I'm sure you'd love some french toast or pancakes."
Julian took some eggs and put them into a frying pan. The pancake mix was poured into a different frying pan and both were sizzling in minutes. The eggs and pancakes were ready to eat. Kero picked out the biggest pancake and slid it onto his plate. Julian took all but one of the eggs and flopped them onto his plate. Julian also took five pancakes and stacked them up, he laced them with maple syrup.
"No offence but look at the way you eat, Julian!" Todd said with his mouth full of pancakes. "You'll be a giant someday, I just know it!"
Julian laughed and said "Why do you think I take those ten mile bike rides?"
They all laughed and finished their dinner. They did their dishes and Todd then became thoughtful. "Say...with all that's been happening, I never got Mom a present! I better go shopping today. I have NO idea of what she likes though..."
Julian then thought about what Todd said and then finally replied. "Why don't you ask Sakura to go to the mall with you? She's an expert at buying gifts for other people."
Todd blushed and thought about it. Kero then started singing the Final Jeopardy song. Todd then glared at Kero and Kero laughed. Julian then said "It's up to you, Todd..." Todd then gained a brief flame of determination in eyes and Todd then nervously picked up the phone.
Sakura was just getting up, she went downstairs and tried her hand at making pancakes. Tori then walked in, wearing the grocery store uniform. Tori then said "Hey, Squirt."
Sakura looked up and gasped. "Don't tell me you gave up that job at the pizzeria?" She then returned to her pancakes.
"The job sucked so I quit."
"I was getting an employee family discount every time I ate there. What's going to happen now? I'll have to pay full price for pizza, that's what's going to happen now..." Sakura replied bitterly.
Tori walked out the door and Sakura returned to her pancakes only to notice that they were now ruined, burned to a crisp. Sakura sighed and threw the blackened pancakes in the garbage. Sakura then thought about Todd, Madison and Li and wondered what she could do with them today. She decided to go to the phone to call someone when the phone starts ringing right in front of her, she picks the phone up "Hello?"
"Hi Sakura, this is Todd."
"Todd! This is great, I was just thinking about you."
"Really?" Todd blushed, then regained his normal speaking tone. "I'm going to the Mall today, do you want to come with me?"
"I'd love to." Sakura replied. "Do you mind if I bring Li and Madison."
"Sure, the more the merrier."
"Okay, where are we going to meet?"
"How about...the School? It's on the way to the Mall right?"
"Sure, see you there. *Click*"
Todd then hung up the phone and got dressed. He then went to the bathroom and combed his hair and brushed his teeth. While doing that, Kero flew into the bathroom with Todd.
Todd grumbled. "You wouldn't know privacy if it bit you in the..."
"What?" Kero asked. "I'm coming to the mall with you."
"Fine, Sakura will probably want to see you anyway." Todd replied, then leaving the bathroom and puting his shoes on. He did up his coat and left the apartment. He was on his way to the elevator when he bumped into Tatea. The groceries she was holding the groceries fell all over the floor.
Tatea glared at Todd, then she began to pick up her groceries. Todd bent over to help her pick up her food. Todd then commented. "I didn't know you lived here."
"That's none of your business." Tatea snapped. "I live here, so what...where are you going?"
"I'm going shopping with Sakura, Li and Madison. Do you want to come too?"
"I would never do such a thing, shopping for things is a waste of time." Tatea growled. "I only do what is absolutely necessary."
Todd picked up a bag of potato chips. "Chips are necessary...?"
"Yes." She snapped. "Chips are absolutely necessary." She skulked away.
Todd stared in her direction. He was totally mystified by how she acted, and then went into the elevator. He then left the Kyodon Manor. Todd ran to school and everyone was there.
"What took you so long?" Sakura asked.
"I bumped into Tatea on the way over. I helped her with he groceries because I messed them up. She acted like such a shrew though..." Todd replied, in thought.
"Girls tend to act like shrews sometimes." Li commented.
Instantly Sakura and Madison stared at Li and Li blushed and said "You girls never act like nut cases though..."
They then walked to the Mall. Todd would have preferred to call it the MAUL though. The Mall is always a busy place, so busy you'd get trampled if you let your guard down. They walked into the mall and were amazed as always.
The Mall was seven stories straight up. A guy could commit suicide by leaning too far over the edge of the top floor railing. The fountain was in the center area, spouting jets of water that sometimes was 30 feet tall. The music store always had samples blasting throughout the mall. The merchants lined the corridors with their temporary shops. The video arcade was always blasting with laser lights, putting on a spectacular light show. There's a new pavilion that's setting up virtual reality that was under construction. The fashion shops were always plentiful, setting up some wares at drastically reduced prices. The food court had more then thirty different places to eat, so you'd never get bored of eating there.
"Wow!" Todd gasped. "I've never seen a mall this huge! This will take us all day to go through."
Sakura and Madison ran ahead, laughing. Li and Todd were forced to run after them. The kids went through all the shops on the first floor and didn't find anything they wanted, Todd was unlucky as well. Li and Todd were exhausted, but Sakura and Madison were ready for more.
"Well, we're done floor one!" Madison chirped. "Let's take the escalator to floor two!"
"That's a great idea, Madison." Sakura replied cheerily. "Coming boys?"
"Phew...I don't think I have what it takes to be a shopper." Todd moaned.
"I don't get it!" Li said, frustrated. "We spent an hour in that shoe store! What's that about."
"Oh no, there they go again. They just went into ANOTHER shoe store." Todd complained. "Oh goodness! They're coming back to make us sit through another hour with them trying shoes and asking us what they think of them..."
"Why don't you use the dash card so we can outrun them..." Li suggested.
"Too many people...let's just...run away now!" Todd said as they both ran away, terrified.
"Oh no, they ran away!" Madison said.
"Oh well, we'll just ask the clerk what he thinks..." Sakura said.
As they walked up to the clerk with shoes in their hands, they began to ask. "Don't these look cute?"
The clerk thought about it and said. "Yes, buy them. Buy all of them."
The four met at the food court after they scoured all of the mall, not finding what they wanted. Todd sighed and thought about possible gifts for his Mom. Sakura and Madison were satisfied as they showed off their new shoes.
"Your old shoes were fine, why did you buy new ones." Li asked.
"My old shoes were fine...but these ones are better." Sakura replied cheerfully.
"I still didn't find a good present for Mom..." Todd said, depressed. "I have no idea what she likes."
"I'm going to buy some french fries." Sakura said and walked up to the fry hut. She gained a look of shock as she saw her brother Tori frying some fries. "Hey Squirt, want some fries?"
"I THOUGHT you worked at the grocery store?!" Sakura asked.
"Yeah, but the job sucked so I quit." Tori replied.
"You only worked there for half a day! How can judge a job like that?" Sakura replied, a little angry.
"You wouldn't understand, Squirt." Tori said as he stared at a girl cleaning the soft ice-cream machine. "This place speaks to me in a way..."
"Whatever..."
Sakura got her fries and sat back at the table with the other three. Sakura ate her fries and then asked Todd. "What about a plant? My mom loves plants..."
Todd's face lighted up and he said. "Yeah! I think my mom would like a plant too, she's an environmental lawyer...she likes plants in her firm office..."
They then leave the food court and explore another area of the mall. They got to a cute little plant store named 'Old Pearson's Greeneries.' They walked into the plant store, and the doorbell rang with a pleasant ding and the middle aged store owner walked over to them. "Welcome, what are you looking for?"
"We came to buy a plant, I'm want the plant to be a present for mu mom." Todd replied as he began browsing through the store.
"Well, I just got this one this morning, I have no idea what it is though...maybe my plant identifying skill is getting rusty..." The shop keep said as he showed Todd a beautiful potted plant with full leaves and dark blue blossoms.
"Well...I don't think so...there's a certain plant that my mom likes, I'll tell you when I find it." Todd replied as he looked through the plants in the back.
"What is the plant called?" Sakura asked.
"I don't know the name, but I'll know it when I see it." Todd replied as he rifled through the leafy plants. "It's green..."
"They're ALL green, Todd..." Madison commented as Li sniffed.
"They have yellow blossoms..." Todd remembered.
"There aren't any with yellow blossoms..." Li commented before he sneezed.
"I know, ours isn't blossoming either but the leaves are long and slender." Todd remembered, then pointing to a bushed plant with buds on it. "I think that's the one...I'm pretty sure, because we already have one at my house..."
The shop keep rung the plant up, it was small and very inexpensive. Todd had the pot wrapped up and he took it out of the mall. The others then walked beside him and Sakura said. "That's a good plant, Todd."
"Thanks, I'm not 100% sure it's the right one though."
"It's all right though. The shop keep said that you can return it if it isn't the right one." Madison cheerily said.
Sakura looked at her watch and it was time for her to head home. Madison, Li and Sakura went their way, and Todd went back to his apartment at the Kyoden Manor. Todd was ambushed by Jeremy.
"Hey Todd, whatcha knowin'..." Jeremy asked cheerfully.
"We sure are cheerful...what did you manage to get away with...?" Todd asked suspiciously.
"Why are you so suspicious?!" Jeremy asked, faking anger. "How dare you think I did something."
"You always do something..." Todd replied. "Come on, what did you do."
"I spied on Tatea, she really is a wierdo..." Jeremy replied, thinking he has confessed some great sin. "I kid you not!"
"Great..." Todd rolled his eyes. "How do you like this plant?"
"Cool...did you get that for your girlfriend Sakura?"
"Sakura is not my girlfriend!"
"Whatever..."
Jeremy ran off, and Todd looked in his direction and rolled his eyes. He ran up to the Kyoden parking lot and didn't see his mom's car. He ran on into his apartment, Julian greeted him and Kero flew out of Todd's backpack. Kero then said. "That was one of the most boring things I ever did...The food wasn't even natural."
"You don't like fast food? I didn't know that." Todd said as he compared the plant with the original homegrown plant. They did not match. Todd made an annoyed face and said. "Oh no, I bought the wrong one...last time I trust my instincts."
"Trust your instincts, you need them for card capturing." Kero said. "Let's go back to the store, maybe we'll see a clow card."
Todd left the Kyoden manor and roller bladed to the mall. He put his blades in his backpack, crushing Kero. "Ow! Watch it kid!"
"Sorry..." Todd said as he entered the mall once again. The mall still had people in it, but the people were leaving because the mall closes soon. Todd went to the food court and thought about things. "Now do we go left or do we go right...?"
A little voice talked in Todd's backpack. "It's left, I sense something..."
Todd ran to the plant store. Todd opened the door and looked around. The owner walked up and said. "Hey, weren't you that kid from before? What's wrong?"
"The plant is the wrong type, I know it is..." Todd stopped. He walked over to the plant with the dark blue blossoms. The plant was giving off a strange aura. Todd then said, "Gotta go, hold this plant for me."
Todd ran to the bathroom and checked to see if anyone was in it. There was no one but Kero and himself. "Kero!"
Kero opened Todd's backpack and asked. "What? Why are you in here, do you need a break?"
"Knock it off, there's something wrong."
"I'll say, we're talking in a bathroom."
"Oh, stop it! I got creepy vibes from a plant in the old guy's store. I think this may be...a clow card..." Todd replied seriously.
"A clow card? How do you know?"
"I...felt an aura." Todd replied. "The whole store is swamped in it..."
"Well, there is only one way to find out if this thing is a clow card, isn't there?"
"Right, but this mall has a lot of people hanging around..."
Suddenly Todd and Kero heard a scream. Todd and Kero came out of the bathroom to notice something happening in the shop. Todd and Kero ran towards the shop to notice the blossomed plant in the store to be floating. The potted plant suddenly erupted in a massive explosion of vines and tree roots. Within seconds, every plant in the whole store was going crazy.
"What's happening!?" Todd shouted. "Oh no!"
The plant then got a hold of the old man who works there. He became entangled in a mess of vines and roots. The roots lifted him off the ground and threw him through the plant shop window and into the sofa district across the hall. The window smashed and the shop keep laid unconscious in a sofa.
"At least he's resting comfortably!" Todd joked, though serious.
"This is no time for jokes! This is the Wood Card!" Kero snapped. "Whoa! Watch out!"
A wayward vine streaked straight at Todd and Kero, they barely dodge it. Todd whipped out his pocket spear and chanted "Spear of Todd...power of magic...power of light...surrender the spear...the force ignite...release!"
The spear then flashed and glowed. Both Todd and his spear were engulfed in a glowing light pillar. The light extinguished to reveal Todd's spear at full length. Todd gripped the spear and whirled around, noticing another root barreling toward him. "Fly Card!" Todd shouted as glowing white wings grew on his spear head. He leaped on his spear and tried to fly away from the vine. Todd enters the food court, vine just a couple of feet behind him. He flies over the edge of the railing and plunges seven stories straight down, vine following him. He makes a sharp turn left and so does the vine. Todd is now trapped as that part of the mall is a dead end. He flies to the far wall and prepares to meet the giant vine as it stops short. The vine then begins straining, unable to reach him.
Todd now realized that the mall is now deserted. "Either everyone left, terrified or the mall is closed. Okay. Here goes..." Todd whipped out dash and chanted. "Dash, make me run and act faster...Dash, release and dispel!" A shower of greenish yellow sparkles engulf Todd and Todd smirked. He started running to the vine and the vine tried to smack him, but misses.
"It won't be so easy to follow me back, that thing will snap if it tries to follow me." Todd said. "Fly card!"
The wings regrew on Todd's spear and he flew back up to the top floor, to meet his challenge. He then got off his spear and asked Kero "Okay, what do I do to defeat this thing?"
"You have to get to the root of its power, so to speak." Kero replies as he looks in the flower shop direction. "Try to get to that blossomed plant."
Todd then dashed to the plant shop and whipped out his spear. Todd barreled into the vine mess but a vine entangles him. The vine flings him back into the food court. Todd tries to roll when he lands and does, Todd remained unscathed.
"I can't get into the plant shop without help." Todd said. "We desperately need some pruning sheers!" Todd then noticed another huge root streaming towards them, Todd dodges the vines and they wipe out some tables and chairs from the food court. Todd then says to Kero. "We're in a tough bind, My only real attack card is windy, but she can't stand up to this...jungle."
More vines and roots headed for Todd and Kero and entangled them both. They began constricting the two. Todd cried out when the vines tightened. "Ugh..."
Suddenly a shuriken hit the vine holding Todd. The shuriken exploded with a blast of emerald power. The blast severed the vines holding Todd and Kero and they dropped to the floor with a thud. They looked up to see the Masked Stranger hanging from the skylight. She swung and did a daring acrobatic somersault through the air and landed at Todd's body. Todd then says. "Thank you for rescuing me. We can't get back into the plant shop because its covered with maniacal vines that attack anyone close."
The Stranger then replied. "We need something to beat those vines and roots back. The Shadow Card will do it." The shrouded one whipped out a dagger and the Shadow Card. She tossed it into the air and slammed it with her dagger. "Shadow...release and dispel." The card transformed into a black mass of ropey energy and formed into the shadow spirit. "Okay Shadow, give it a blast of black goo, the goo would probably destroy the vines."
Shadow began spinning around sending the black goo hurling at the vines. The black goo hit the vines and began eating through it. The goo proved to be a very useful herbicide. Todd's dash card lost it's effect but he still got to the plant shop which was now destroyed by the evil foliage. Todd then smashed the blossomed flower pot with his spear and ripped out the plant. The vines disappeared completely and The Shrouded one ran up to the plant, now a limp green compost heap.
Todd then sighed and dropped to his knees, exhausted. The shrouded one then said "You are still a novice. If I hadn't have helped you, you would have perished."
Kero then floated up to Todd and said. "You'll get'em next time..."
Todd and The Shrouded One then got up and noticed the plant that Todd crushed was glowing. Todd then looked closer and stepped back. "Step back everyone, I think the wood card is about to show itself..."
The plant then started to emit an eerie light. Todd then got out his spear and The Shrouded one got out its dagger. Vines crept out and buds appeared in the center of the potted mess was a huge bud. Everyone stepped back as they saw the center bud grow larger and larger. The bud became so large that it was bigger then Todd. The bud suddenly opened to reveal a blinding green light. The light faded and the bud blossomed, revealing Wood in the center of the petals.
Todd then breathed deep and shouted. "Oh my gosh!! She's....Gorgeous!!"
"Yes, but also extremely dangerous. You'd better call Windy." The Shrouded one replied.
Todd then twirled his spear and threw windy into the air and chanted. "Windy...release and dispel!" He impaled the card with the tip of his spear and the card broke into a mass of yellow ropey energy. The energy formed into Windy's shape and she waited for Todd's orders.
"Bind it so I can seal the card!" Todd commanded and Windy listened. She attempted to wrap around Wood like rope but Wood took notice. Wood summoned a vine which shot out of the ground and struck windy in the front. Windy was thrown back into a mall bench but got back up. Wood then commanded many vines to strike windy but she dodged them all. Windy then began wrapping around Wood, constricting her movement.
Todd dashed up to Wood and positioned his spear to receive a clow card. Todd then shouted. "Return to your power..." Todd was struck from the left by a vine growing out of the plant Wood is standing on.. Todd was knocked back but got back up, he then said. "Wait! Wrapping around Wood won't help, it's like trying to kill a weed by cutting the flower off...wood can still command her vine root system. Windy, constrict Wood's root system!"
Windy let Wood go and started working. She darted and intricately wrapped around Wood's root system. Wood was now helpless.
"Do yo think you can beat me with perennials? Think again! Return to your power confined...Wood Card!" Todd commanded as a glowing clow card appeared on Todd's spear head, Wood and her root system were turned into a mist that flowed into the clow card on Todd's weapon. All parts got sucked in and wood's picture appeared on the clow card.
At that, all of Wood's vines disappeared and the card floated into Todd's hand. "The wood card..."
"Yes Todd, you caught the card fair and square."
"Yeah Kid, you did great!" Kero cheered. "The wood card is now yours!"
Todd stared at the card, thought for a second. "I don't deserve it, but if it'll help me become stronger...I'll keep it." Todd pocketed the card. "Could you please tell me who you are and why you're helping me. You obviously are a good guy..."
"I am sorry but I cannot tell you who I am. I also only saved you because you're worth more to my mission alive then dead." The Shrouded one dashed out of sight.
"Thanks...I think..." Todd said to himself as Kero floated around him.
"Let's go home kid. I think you deserve a nice victory pudding...you'll share it with me right?" Kero said as they started for the exit of the mall.
Just as they left, a security guard came in and was shocked by the mess. Three stores had their fronts ruined and the floor had giant cracks and dents in it. The waste cans were knocked over and the lighting fixtures were jerked from the ceiling. "If my wife asks me how my day has been, I'll just say 'fine' and change the subject." The guard commented to himself.
Todd walked home and noticed that his Mom was still not home. Todd lurched into his sleeping area and collapsed there. Julian looked on and smiled, "If organized sports won't get him out of the house, then capturing clow cards will."
That evening, at about 11:30, a car pulled into the Kyoden lot. A woman got out and went to Todd's apartment. She got in and looked in Todd's room. Todd was snoring extremely loudly and still had his day clothes on. She smiled and turned to Julian. "He looks exhausted."
"He had a very big day Ms. Arcana. He went and spent all day at the mall searching for a present for you. I don't think he found one though..."
"He doesn't have to do this every time I go off on a business trip. He always ends up getting me a plant. I don't like plants...I never have time for them." Alicia replies. "Did you have any problems with him?"
"No, we got along just fine." Julian said. "I can't look after him next time though, because I'm going to London to do my next semester of college."
"Don't worry." Alicia said. "Who do you think will be a good choice for Todd's next sitter."
"I have a friend named Tori...I'm sure he can help Todd out." Julian replied.
They were talking while Kero listened in. Kero flew out the window when the others were not looking. Kero looked at the stars and said to himself. "Todd is one of the great ones...but I don't think Todd believes in himself. I'm worried about his confidence..."
Kero then heard a sound, he then looks at the thing Kero is sharing his roof with. The thing was Miiko, guardian beast of the Masked Stranger and he's also talking to himself. He says. "There are storm clouds on the horizon..." He then flies off the roof.
Kero stares at him as he leaves then he asks to himself. "Who in the
world is that? He looks somewhat...familiar...."
Coming up from the next episode!
Jeremy was so nervous that he was shaking. He took a deep breath and ran up to the vault. He tried to leap over the vault like Sakura, only to get stuck half way. All of the students chucked to themselves as Jeremy slunk back to his seat on the bench, embarrased. The teacher marked everyone who did it right the first time and walked up to Jeremy and said. "You can try it again at noon tomorrow."
* * *
The tag read jumpers and Jeremy was overjoyed. He put them on to notice that they were an exact fit. The lanky boy then ran a circle and noticed the nice spring to the run. Jeremy then tried to jump in them and with only a little effort, cleared three feet off the ground. "Wow, these are so cool. These must belong to someone.." but noticed no tread marks on the soles. He then jumped five feet up and said "Wow! These will definitely help me win the retest!"
* * *
The shoes did a leaping attack that slammed Sakura
the face, but she protected it with her arms. The shock sent her to the
ground. The shoes then leapt to the ground and scraped up some dirt. The
shoes then leapt at Li but he caught them and shoved them into his backpack.
The shoes began leaping while inside, but Li held them down. Li then shouted
to the rest of the gang. "Let's go somewhere secluded to deal with these
shoes!"