Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ The Enemy Revealed ❯ Unpleasant Surprises ( Chapter 15 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

The Enemy Revealed
Chapter 15: Unpleasant Surprises

Along with the others, Brandon gazed upon the gigantic Cyber known as Algol as it hovered near them. "Okay, anybody here know how we're supposed to destroy that thing?" he asked.

"Hey, no sweat, boss!" O.G. declared, cracking his knuckles. "A few shots from my cannons..."

"Would just equate to a few bug bites to that thing," Syaoran said sternly. "The same goes for the other Guardians."

"It's just a floating statue!" Kerberos growled.

"A very massive floating statue," Maya pointed out. "Syaoran's right. Any attack we'll make will barely make a scratch on it."

"Can't you do something?" Meiling asked the Ecomancer. "After all, you can control the elements. Just trap it inside a tornado and hurl it somewhere."

Maya looked thoughfully at Algol. "It'll take a lot out of me if I do that," she admitted. "Besides..." she added, glancing at Kaizer Cyberon and his entourage.

"Oh yeah. Him," Brandon said, snorting.

Sakura kept her eye on Algol as it continued its silent vigil. "What is it waiting for?"

Tomoyo kept her camcorder focused on Algol. "I think it's waiting for instructions."

Syaoran shifted gazes to Kaizer Cyberon. "We have to attack now!" he told the others.

Sakura nodded, then got ready to use a Sakura Card. Before she could use it, Syaoran grabbed her arm. "Syaoran-kun?" she said, startled.

"You need to rest," Syaoran said sternly, yet looking at her with concern in his eyes. "You used a lot of magic today," he added in a gentle tone.

"Hey, so did we, Greenbean!" Brandon shouted.

With a vein popping out of his head, Syaoran faced the Shadowwalker. "Sakura's been through a lot today! She needs to rest!"

"Hey, we all need to rest!" Brandon shouted back. "Unfortunately, with the Jolly Metal Statue floating up there, we can't take a break."

"Why I ought to..." Syaoran snarled as he began to advance on Brandon. Meiling stepped in and grabbed her cousin from behind. "Let go of me!"

"He has a point!" Meiling shouted as she held the struggling Syaoran. "We have to focus on the main problem now!"

"I have to agree with him, Syaoran-kun," Sakura said, joining the Chinese magician at his side.

"Nani?" Syaoran broke out of Meiling's grip. "Sakura..."

"I have to use my magic in order to save everyone here," Sakura told him calmly. Her mouth formed a big smile. "Besides, Kero-chan said my magic is getting stronger."

"But, Sakura..." Syaoran began.

Sakura took Syaoran's hand and held it between hers. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." She smiled. "Also, you're here with me along with the others. As long as we don't give up, everything will be fine."

"Sakura..." Syaoran said softly, gazing into her green eyes.

Tomoyo turned her camcorder onto the romantic scene. "Sakura-chan is so kawaii with Li-kun," she whispered.

Brandon groaned. "Someone get me a barf bag."

Ready answered that comment with an ear tug. "What'd you say?" she demanded, increasing her pull. Brandon winced under the pain.

From his spot, Kaizer Cyberon watched Sakura-tachi during the argument with an amused smile crossing his chalk-colored face. After Sakura talked with Syaoran, however, the smile changed into a grimace. "Enjoying the interaction between the humans, Majesty?" Database inquired.

"In more ways than one before that disgusting display of affection," Kaizer Cyberon answered coldly.

Database glanced at Sakura and Syaoran. "Yes, they are a disgusting breed."

"Indeed." Kaizer Cyberon looked at Algol. "Ah well, it's time to begin."

"As you wish, Majesty," Database said with a bow.

Kaizer Cyberon returned his gaze onto Sakura-tachi. "Care to give up your Cards and Key now, Cardmistress?" he asked, stretching out his open palm.

With Syaoran at her side, Sakura glared at the Emperor of the Cyber World. "No!" she cried.

"Hmmmmmmmm. Such determination should be rewarded." The cold smile crossed Kaizer Cyberon's face again. "Algol, initiate primary program."

Algol's eyes lit up again. Everyone watched as its head moved slowly from left to right.

"What's it doing?" Meiling wondered.

Maya had a good guess. "Oh dear..."

Just as the head was turning back to its right, it stopped moving. Then, Algol's enormous eyes started to glow.

"It's charging up for something," Umbriel concluded.

"For what?" Ruby Moon asked before realizing what was going to happen next. "Oh no. Could he...?"

Spinel Sun nodded solemnly. "I wouldn't put it past him."

"What's going to happen?" Sakura asked everyone.

Syaoran glared at the Kaizer. "You can't!" he yelled.

The Emperor of the Cyber World responded with a cold smile. "Watch me."

After a few minutes, the eyes were fully filled with light. Immediately, two energy beams flew out of Algol's eyes and headed towards their target. Turning around, Sakura-tachi witnessed a faint light from where the beams hit. Before, there were skyscrapers. After the light faded away, nothing was left.

Brandon blinked. "Did I just see everything over there get vaporized?"

"Uh, yeah, boss," O.G. answered.

"Care to see for yourselves?" Kaizer Cyberon asked, waving his hand. A Window appeared before Sakura-tachi, showing the effects of Algol's beams. Nothing was left of the sector the giant Cyber fired upon. Buildings, vehicles, streets...all were gone. "And Algol wasn't even at full power," the Kaizer added.

Sakura-tachi took in the horror of the situation. "No," Sakura whispered. "No..."

"Sakura..." Syaoran took the Cardmistress into her arms and held her tightly. She leaned against his shoulder and started to cry.

The Window vanished. "Everything's...gone," Ready said softly. Behind her, Brandon placed a hand on her shoulder.

Kaizer Cyberon smiled cruelly. "Shows what you know."

Kerberos growled at the Cyber leader. "How could you do that? Those people..."

"What people?" Kaizer Cyberon turned to Database. "Do you recall any people in there?"

"I can't say I do, Majesty," Database answered.

"What are you talking about?" Yue asked.

Kaizer Cyberon shook his head and wagged his finger. "Algol was programmed to attack an uninhabited area first. After all, this was only a demonstration." His mouth formed a wicked grin. "Of course, nothing can be one-hundred percent accurate..."

With tears streaking down her face, Sakura faced the Kaizer. "Why are you doing this?"

"To prove to you the superior power of my Cyber World," Kaizer Cyberon answered. "Your Star Magic is no match for my magic, so I suggest you surrender your magical objects to me. They will benefit me and my Cyber World more than you."

Sakura gripped her Star Wand tightly. "B-b-but..."

"Still being defiant?" Kaizer Cyberon motioned to Algol. "I guarantee you that when Algol fires its ultimate weapon again, it'll destroy an inhabited section." He crossed his arms over his chest. "In fact, it'll keep destroying parts of this city until you give me what I want."

"Hmmmmm..." Tomoyo studied the giant robot. "That weapon must take a while to charge up."

"Of course!" Maya exclaimed, snapping her fingers. "That means it'll have to rest before it fires again."

"So we can attack it while it powers up," Kerberos said excitedly. Spreading his wings, the Sun Guardian took to the air.

"Kerberos-san!" Sakura cried.

Ruby Moon laughed. "Let's go!" she cried as she took off after Kerberos.

"Wait! We need a plan!" Spinel Sun yelled to the charging Guardians.

"We cannot possibly destroy something that large," Yue added.

"We don't have to destroy it completely!" Ruby Moon shouted back.

"We can just destroy its eyes!" Kerberos said as he continued his flight towards Algol's head.

Below, Kaizer Cyberon and Database watched the two Guardians fly towards Algol. "Hmmmm, the Guardians seem to have figured out what to do about Algol, Majesty," Database said.

"Just as I anticipated," Kaizer Cyberon said. "They're in for an...unpleasant surprise." Behind him, the three-headed dragon roared. "Patience, my pet. Your chance is coming up."

"Be careful, Kerberos-san, Ruby-san!" Sakura shouted.

Flying at amazing speeds, Kerberos and Ruby Moon reached Algol's head. "Here we are," Ruby Moon declared.

"Yep," Kerberos said with a grin as he studied the huge headlight-like eyes. "Danged things are easy targets." He turned to Ruby Moon. "Shall we?"

"Let's," Ruby Moon said, grinning back. She took aim and fired a crystal blast at the left eye while Kerberos fired on the right.

Below, everyone watched as an energy field appeared around Algol. Kerberos and Ruby Moon watched as their shots were blocked by the field.

"Nani?" Kerberos exclaimed.

"An energy barrier?" Ruby Moon said, surprised.

Spinel Sun frowned. "I knew it was too good to be true."

"I think we need some help up here!" Ruby Moon shouted downward.

"We are on our way," Yue said. "Mistress?" he asked Sakura.

The Cardmistress nodded. "Please help them."

"We will, Mistress," Yue said. He and Spinel Sun took to the air and flew towards their fellow Guardians.

Kaizer Cyberon watched the two Guardians. "Cyberus, intercept," he commanded.

The dragon roared and took off. Igniting the jet pack on his back, Cyberus flew past Yue and Spinel Sun.

"Nani?" Spinel Sun exclaimed upon laying eyes upon the robot dragon.

"River of Sorrow!" the reptilian head cried, firing an energy beam from its nose cannon.

Yue and Spinel Sun dodged the blast and counterattacked with their own. Cyberus moved out of the way, then made his move.

"Blizzard of Blight!" the bird head said, firing ice crystals from its mouth.

"Fire of Rage!" the dog head said, spitting fire from its mouth.

"Thunder of Doom!" the reptilian head said, firing a thunderbolt from its horn.

The three attacks rained down on their targets. Although the Thunder of Doom missed, the Fire of Rage struck Yue while the Blizzard of Blight hit Spinel Sun, encasing him in a block of ice. Both Guardians fell towards the ground at an ever-increasing speed.

"Yue-san! Spinel-san!" Sakura cried.

"Kerberos!" Ruby Moon shouted, pointing to their falling comrades. She dove towards them, and Kerberos followed her.

Cyberus turned to the approaching Guardians and roared. "Wind of Despair!" all three heads said. His wings flapped rapidly and launched a tornado at them. Ruby Moon flew upward to avoid the attack, but poor Kerberos flew straight into it. Caught, the golden Sun Guardian spun around within the vortex.

"Kerberos!" Ruby Moon shouted.

Cyberus quickly charged the Moon Guardian and grabbed her with his claws. "Prepare to die, Guardian," all three heads declared as he tightened his grip on the struggling Ruby Moon. The bird head aimed for Kerberos. "Blizzard of Blight!" it said, freezing the Sun Guardian.

Now encased in ice, Kerberos plummetted to the ground. Still struggling in Cyberus' grip, Ruby Moon watched the frozen Sun Guardian fall. "No!" she shouted.

Yue and Spinel Sun were now close enough for the others to make out. "Incoming!" Brandon yelled. Without any hesistation, O.G. ran over to where he thought Spinel Sun was going to land and held out his arms.

Umbriel spotted Yue and leaped towards him. He caught the unconscious Moon Guardian and landed on his feet. He laid him before Sakura.

"Yue-san!" Sakura knelt besides her Moon Guardian.

Thankfully, O.G. caught the block of ice containing Spinel Sun. "Hang in there, Suppi," he said as he lowered the frozen Sun Guardian gently onto the ground.

Lupe gasped as she spotted another block of ice falling to the ground. "Kerberos!" she said, recognizing its occupant.

"Kero-chan!" Sakura cried.

O.G. ran towards the probable landing point. "Oh man," he grumbled as he got ready to catch Kerberos. Fortunately, the Sun Guardian landed safely in his arms, and he placed him next to Spinel Sun.

"Kerberos!" Lupe bounded towards the frozen Sun Guardians. She looked sadly at the winged lion, then glared at O.G. "If you dropped him, I'd be kicking your spiked butt all over the place right now."

O.G. grinned. "Hey, you'd better defrost them."

"Right." Lupe started to breathe fire on both Sun Guardians. She kept her flame at a slow speed to make sure she did not accidentally melt them altogether.

Near Algol, Ruby Moon continued to struggled with Cyberus. "Submit to the inevitable!" the three-headed dragon growled as his claws dug deeper into the trapped Moon Guardian. Ruby Moon did her best to hold in her screams. However, the pressure proved too much, and her lips opened and released a powerful cry of pain.

"Ruby Moon!" Ready gasped as she heard the Moon Guardian. She leapt onto Pegasus Uni.

"Ready, what...?" Pegasus Uni started to say.

"We've got to get up there and help her!" Ready pleaded.

Umbriel approached the young Starlighter. "Mistress..."

Ready heard Ruby Moon scream again. "Uni..."

Pegasus Uni spread her wings. "Hang on!" she said. With her mistress on board, the winged unicorn took off and flew towards the two combatants.

"O.G.!" Brandon called.

"Gotcha, boss!" The large bear quickly withdrew into his shell.

The young Shadowwalker leapt onto his Guardian. "Come on, O.G.! Mr. Mom needs our help."

"Here we go!" O.G. lifted off the ground and flew after Ready and Pegasus Uni.

"Be careful!" Sakura called out after them.

Cyberus hissed at his captured prey. "Any last words before you are deleted from this experience?" he asked the Moon Guardian.

"Get away from her! Illumination!"

A sudden flash of light burst out in front of Cyberus. "What?" the dragon exclaimed. Blinded, all three heads bent away from the light.

Feeling Cyberus' grip weakening, Ruby Moon broke out of his grasp and kicked him in the chest. As the dragon staggered back, the Moon Guardian backed away in time to avoid being blasted by two missiles. The explosion threw Cyberus back.

Once the light faded, Ruby Moon saw her rescuers. "Ready! Brandon!"

With their young charges, the two Guardians flew up to the Moon Guardian. "Are you okay?" Ready asked.

"Hey, don't worry about me," Ruby Moon replied with a small grin. "It'll take more than an overgrown toaster oven with wings to beat me."

"River of Sorrow!"

An energy beam struck Ruby Moon in the chest and threw her back. O.G. flew forward and Brandon caught the Moon Guardian. "Oh, great," the Shadowwalker muttered when he spotted the recovered Cyberus hovering before him.

"Now we shall see what this 'overgrown toaster oven' can do." All of Cyberus' heads roared. "Thunder of Doom!"

Pegasus Uni flew around the incoming thunderbolt and counterattacked with a shot from her horn as Ready fired her Staff. Getting back on her feet, Ruby Moon joined in with a crystal shot along with Brandon's Rod blasts and O.G.'s missiles. The attacks hit the three-headed dragon, but with little effect.

"Guys, we're not making any progress here!" Brandon shouted.

Cyberus chuckled at the ineffective offensive. "Ah, my turn again. Blizzard of Blight!" The bird head fired a freeze blast, which the kids and Guardians dodged in time.

Kaizer Cyberon observed everything from the ground. "I wonder how long they'll last?" he asked, amused.

"I calculate not very long, Majesty," Database stated as Cyberus' opposition barely dodged a Fire of Rage attack.

*No...* Rising from her place near the slowly awakening Yue, Sakura searched her deck of Sakura Cards. Looking down at it, she picked out one of her most useful Cards.

Syaoran saw what card Sakura picked. "Matte!" he cried. "Sakura, you can't...!"

"They need my help, Syaoran-kun." Sakura tossed the Card in front of her. "Fly!" she said as she released its magic with her Star Wand.

Groaning, Yue watched as large bird wings emerged from the Cardmistress' back. "Mistress..." he whispered.

Sakura looked at Syaoran. "Please protect Tomoyo-chan and the others," she said softly. Spreading her wings, she took off towards Algol.

Syaoran watched as Sakura flew away from him and towards the battle in the sky. "Sakura..." he said in a barely audible voice. After replacing her tape, Tomoyo aimed her camcorder at her best friend.

Yue got up slowly while ignoring the pain caused by the previous attack from Cyberus. Umbriel joined the Moon Guardian. "You must rest," the Darkling said solemnly.

"But my mistress..." Yue began.

"We must be ready just in case," Umbriel said, eyeing Kaizer Cyberon, Database, and the guards.

Seeing the Emperor of the Cyber World and his minions, Yue nodded in agreement, then turned his attention to Lupe, who was almost done defrosting the two Sun Guardians. Most of their icy prisons laid at their feet in the form of puddles.

"Majesty..." Database began, spotting the Cardmistress in flight.

Kaizer Cyberon focused his red eye on Sakura. "Excellent," he said with an evil grin.

Meanwhile, Ready, Brandon, their Guardians, and Ruby Moon continued to fight Cyberus. Despite their best efforts, the three-headed dragon continued to unleash his attacks at them.

"River of Sorrow!"

"Blizzard of Blight!"

"Wind of Despair!"

"Fire of Rage!"

"Thunder of Doom!"

With their masters hanging on and firing back, Pegasus Uni and O.G. zigzagged past the dragon's attacks along with Ruby Moon and counterattacked. Cyberus roared and dodged before performing all his five attacks again.

"Persistent hunk of junk, isn't he?" Ruby Moon quipped as she missed with a crystal shot.

"He's just like the Energizer Bunny," Brandon remarked as he and O.G. missed with their shots and barely dodging Cyberus' counterattack. "Very, very annoying."

"Not to mention incredibly fast," Ready added, trying to draw a bead on the three-headed dragon. She unleashed a blast of light energy, but the shot passed over him.

"Save your energy, Ready," Pegasus Uni advised. "Let us Guardians handle this."

"Yeah. You kids did a lot today," Ruby Moon commented. "Take a break while we take care of him."

Stopping in midflight, Cyberus hovered before his enemies. "That was the best you can do?" he taunted cruelly. "Pathetic. Disposing of you will be easy for me."

"Wanna bet?" O.G. unloaded a barrage of missiles at the dragon. The attack made contact, and explosions surrounded him. Pegasus Uni and Ruby Moon joined in with their own attacks.

"Did we get him?" O.G. asked as he and the others looked forward at the resulting smoke cloud.

A loud roar answered that question. "Wind of Despair!" Cyberus said, sending a tornado at his enemies.

"Oh..." Brandon was cut off as the tornado engulfed him and the others. Ducking down on O.G., he hung on tightly to a pair of spikes.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaa!" Ready clung tightly to Pegasus Uni's back as they were spun around rapidly in the vortex.

Cyberus chuckled malevolently at the sight of his trapped enemies. "Time to finish this," he said, the tip of his reptilian head starting to glow. "River of...!"

"Save my friends and trap that monster in ice! Freeze!"

Before he could attack, Cyberus found himself being encased in ice by an extremely cold wind from below. Roaring in frustration, the dragon Cyber became an ice statue.

At the same time, the tornado faded away. Now free, Ruby Moon charged the three-headed dragon and knocked him aside into a nearby building. The helpless Cyberus crashed into one of the upper stories.

Ready and Brandon hung on tightly to their Guardians. "Okay..." the Shadowwalker said dizzily.

"Sakura!" Ready said gladly upon seeing their savior appear before them.

Sakura flew up to her fellow magicians. "Daijobu?" she asked with concern.

"A little woozy, but overall, we're fine," Ready reported.

"Oh my," Database stated, having witnessed the events in the sky.

"Another variable spoiled your calculations?" Kaizer Cyberon said dryly.

"If the Cardmistress hadn't shown up, I assure you, Majesty..." Database began to explain.

"Spare me your explanations." Kaizer Cyberon silenced him with a raised hand. "Let's see how she'll react to what she'll discover about Algol."

Ruby Moon eyed Algol. "Now that we've taken care of that winged lapdog, let's stop this thing from destroying Tokyo."

"Un," Sakura said with a nod.

"We'd better hurry," Brandon recommended, glancing at the spot where Cyberus landed. "Something tells me that if Puff the Three-Headed Dragon is anything like Psycho in Tomoyo's video, he'll be back with all three heads on the warpath."

"Uh, boss, I hate to break it to you, but two Guardians couldn't break through that barrier," O.G. reminded his master.

"Well, we've got three Guardians and three magicians, one of them being the most powerful magician in the world," Ready said confidently, looking at Sakura.

"Um, I'm not really that powerful," Sakura said modestly, blushing a little.

"With you helping us, Sakura-chan, we'll break through that barrier and destroy this floating junk pile," Ruby Moon said confidently.

"First we have to get rid of the barrier," Pegasus Uni reminded the Moon Guardian.

Brandon turned to Sakura. "You wouldn't have a barrier-busting card on you, by any chance?"

"As a matter of fact..." Smiling cheerfully, Sakura pulled out the Sword Card and showed it to the others. "Help me cut through this barrier! Sword!" she cried as she struck the Card with her Wand.

Now armed with her sword, Sakura faced the giant Cyber. Below, Tomoyo focused her camcorder on her best friend. "Oh, I wish I could zoom in more so I can capture Sakura-chan in all her cuteness and bravery from a great distance," she lamented.

After studying Algol, Sakura raised her blade. She was about to strike when she felt something familiar. "Hoe? That feeling..." She flew downward towards Algol's chest.

"Huh?" Brandon and O.G. said.

"Come on!" Ready urged the others. She and Pegasus Uni went after Sakura. Brandon and Ruby Moon exchanged a puzzled look, shrugged, and followed their friends.

Sakura stopped in front of the circle located in the center of Algol's chest area. *It's stronger here.* Staring ahead, she found what was causing the feeling and gasped at the sight before her.

Ready and Pegasus Uni appeared besides the Cardmistress. "Sakura, what's wrong?" the Starlighter asked. When her eyes perceived at what was located in Algol's chest. "Oh my God..."

O.G. and Ruby Moon flew towards the others. "Hey! What's going on?" Brandon demanded. "We've got a robot to destroy, and I don't think our friend with the three heads is down for the count. So what in the name of...?"

"Uh, boss," O.G. interjected, pointing at Algol. "I think you'd better look at this."

Ruby Moon's eyes widened. "No..." she said softly.

All of them hovered before a transparent capsule built into Algol's chest. Inside, a figure dressed in a dark blue wizard's robe and large-brimmed hat stood silently. Bound by a set of cables, he seemed unconscious. His head leaned against the back of the capsule, revealing the bespectacled face topped with dark hair.

"Eriol-kun," Sakura whispered.