Chapter 61-Noah+Gaia vs Wood

"GAIA!"  I call as I make my way down through the winding passageway I found in the cave, my voice echoing throughout the cavern.

"GAIA!"

I continue making my way through the cavern, until I spot a bright golden light off in the distance.

"Ah, that must be it!"  I giddily exclaim, before heading towards the golden light.

As I make my way towards the light, the cavern walls grow darker and darker, taking a black, almost dark-blue hue, with glowing purple crystals lighting the way, like stars shining against the night sky.

"I guess I took the scenic route," I comment to myself as I continue making my way towards the golden light.

Upon reaching the light, I find myself standing in a wide open clearing nestled deep within the earth, with those same dark-blue walls lined with purple crystals, and in the center of the clearing, stands an ornate purple crystal with a round, golden fruit sitting in the center.  Gaia is hovering around it.

"Gaia!"  I exclaim as I jog over to the Earth Charger, "MAN, am I glad I found you!"

"This is it…" Gaia softly says to himself with an ecstatic smile as he looks the golden fruit up and down from every angle, "I've finally found it…the SECRET INGREDIENT!"

"So THIS is the Secret Ingredient, huh…?"  I ask as I peer over Gaia's shoulder.

The Secret Ingredient is a glowing golden fruit which sort of looks like an orange, but larger, large enough that it can barely fit in your palm.  A small stem and leaf hang from the top of the Secret Ingredient, golden, as well.

"Great, then let's nab it and get outta here," I say, but Gaia continues to ignore me as he reaches out towards the Secret Ingredient.

"Finally…" Gaia softly says to himself, "Finally…"

But before Gaia can get his hands on the Secret Ingredient, a voice says: "Well well well, what do we have here…?"

Gaia and I flinch, then spin around to face where we heard the voice, watch as I man makes his way down through the passageway that I emerged from, then makes his way over to Gaia and I, clapping all the way.

The man is tall, TALL tall, around six foot three, or maybe even more.  That impressive stature combined with his wood-colored skin and poofy green afro, make the man look like a TREE.  He has bark-colored eyes, to boot.

Swiftly, Gaia waves his spoon up, and subsequently, a shell of rock rises out of the earth and encases the Secret Ingredient and its pedestal.

"Why didn't you just grab it?"  I ask Gaia.

"I can't fight knowing the Secret Ingredient might get smushed in my pocket," Gaia replies.

"Thank you, Water Charger, for leading me to the Secret Ingredient," the clapping man smirks, causing my eyes to widen.

"You WHAT?!"  Gaia furiously snaps as he turns to face me.

"I didn't know!"  I cry as I turn to face him.

"Do you remember that tree you commented on when you first reached this cave, Water Charger?"  The man asks, causing my eyes to widen even further.

"I TOLD YOU it was an odd place for a tree!"  I snap as I turn to face Gaia again.

"How was I supposed to know?!"  Gaia snaps back as he turns to face me.

"Well I was that tree, Water Charger!"  The man cackles, "And I've been following you ever since you entered this cave!"

"Huh…" I reply as I place a hand to my chin, "I THOUGHT that I saw a tree out of the corner of my eye…but I was confused as to how a tree could be in a cave, sooo…I just deduced that I was seeing things."

"THE HELL'S THE MATTER WITH YOU?!"  Gaia cries.

"Either way…this guy must be an E-Charger," I say as I narrow my eyes before turning back to face the tree-looking man.

"Yeah, with that hair and those eyes, obviously," Gaia replies.

"What's wrong with my hair?"  The man smirks as he combs back his fluffy green 'fro.

"So this guy turned into a tree…" I continue, "He must be an E-Charger who can turn into his element.  But…what…?"

"Plant Charge, maybe," Gaia suggested, "Or more specifically…TREE…?"

"Here…allow me to make things easier," the man smirks, "My name is-"

"Earth Charge, Level One: Pitfall."

Before the man can finish speaking, Gaia swipes his wand downwards with a yawn, and instantly, a large pitfall opens up out of the earth under the man's feet.

The man screams as he is sent hurtling into the black abyss below.

"That was easy," Gaia sighs as he lowers his wand.

"Woah…" I marvel as I stare at Gaia in amazement.

"Alright, now let's grab the Secret Ingredient, and-" Gaia begins to say as he turns around, but Gaia is interrupted when we hear the shattering noise come from his pitfall.

"That was rude," the man says, his voice echoing throught he pitfall, and causing Gaia and I to flinch.

Gaia's eyes widen as he turns around to face his pitfall.

We then hear some cracking and rumbling come from Gaia's pitfall, as the man emerges.  Long tree roots ending in a fine needle point jut out of the man's back, which he must have used to climb out of Gaia's pitfall.

"As I was saying, before I was so RUDELY interrupted-" the man coughs as he uses his spider-like root limbs to lower himself back into the ground, which then retreat back into the man's body, "My name is Wood, and I am the LEADER of the Treasure Thief bandits."

"So…your name is WOOD…?"  Gaia asks.

"Yes," Wood answers.

"And…your element is WOOD?"  I ask.

"Yes."

Gaia and I are silent.

"Were you…named after your element…or is it a nickname…?"

Wood is silent.

Wood doesn't say anything as he holds his arms up to the cavern ceiling, like the branches of his tree-appearance body, and subsequently…bark-brown sparks of energy begin to burst and swirl around tWood's.

Gaia and I flinch as our eyes widen.

"Shit!"  Gaia cries as he stands up straight and loosley aims his wooden-spoon like wand towards the tree-man, as orange sparks of energy begin to burst and swirl around his body, "He's about to cast a spell!"

I resume my Charge Stance, as well.

"Wood Charge, Level One-!"  Wood booms as he crouches down and places both hands to the ground, "-TREE SUMMONING!"

The ground begins to rumble, and split apart, and then…a small tree begins to rise out of the crack created in the ground by wood in front of Gaia and I, forcing Gaia and I to hop backwards.

Roots then begin to spread from the tree, slithering across the floor, creeping up the walls, and wrapping around the ceiling of the cave, until Wood's tree roots cover nearly every inch of the cavernous clearing.

"Now…" Wood smirks as he holds his hands into the air again, and bark-brown sparks of energy begin to burst and swirl around Wood's body, just as before, "-The fun begins."

"WOOD CHARGE, LEVEL TWO: EXPLOSIVE ROOTS!"  Wood shouts as he snaps his fingers, and in response, HUNDREDS of the tree roots tangled around the cavern begin flying towards Gaia and I.

"Look alive, Gaia!"  I exclaim.

"Just don't hold me back," Gaia grumbles.

"Water Charge, Level Two: Rapids Claw!"  I shout as water begins swirling around my hand, which I then slash towards the three roots, cleaving through them with a blade of water fired off from each finger.

"Earth Charge, Level Two: Stone Fists!"  Gaia shouts as he swipes his spoon-wand outwards, and subsequently sally, pillars of rock begin to rise out of the ground around Gaia, their ends taking the form of fists, which Gaia uses to smash through the tree routes with ease.

"Pitfalls are mine specifically, so I get annoyed when I face an E-Charger who can't be trapped by them," Gaia sighs.

Gaia then peers back up at Wood, and narrows his eyes at the man.

"-SO I'LL HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER WAY TO KILL YOU."

"I see…" Wood smirks back as he resumes his Charge Stance, "So killing YOU won't be as easy as I thought."

"Let's dance, Water Charger, Earth Charger."