You ruined my date

“Hey, we'll take a number seven; make it a small one," Apollo said to the cashier.

"You got it, sir," replied the cashier.

"Why did you choose this place?" Blake asked. Apollo looked at the towering cherry tree. “Isn’t it obvious? In my opinion, I think it looks best on days like this,” he confessed.

Later, Apollo and Blake went to a pet store. "Cats really like you, they just keep coming to you," Blake remarked.

"I guess you can say that," Apollo replied.

One fat orange cat walked up to Apollo and peed on his shoes. "Damn cat!" Apollo exclaimed.

"Thanks for bringing me out," Blake laughed.

"Yeah, whatever... Now I smell like piss."

Daylight ignited the night skies; Pai's essence cleared every cloud over Cherry City. Birds flew in chaos, rushing to find cover. Windows broke, cutting through the air and startling the citizens. His putting on the holy ring confused everyone on planet C3.

"What was that earthquake?" said the officer.

"Earthquakes don't make the sky change colors."

"That was a ton of essence. Apollo, I think you should head home for now."

Apollo had already left downtown, racing to find the source of essence. Blake's phone rang. "Yeah, I know, I can see it all right now. So what's our next move, big bro?" Blake said, walking away.

Apollo was already a mile away, ripping through the sky. "I need to pinpoint where the source is coming from. After all this time, finally." Apollo took a deep breath. "Now, finally, I can put you to rest, my brother. I'll kill them for you."

Whoa, there's so much of it. Why does this feel so normal? Where have I felt this before? Kel noticed Apollo flying through the air in a rush and followed behind.

CHERRY VOL.1

Pink essence and feathers fell into dark red flames. Someone ran mid-air, going the distance, and then disappeared. "I'm cold, let me hug you. I know you'll warm up to me," Pai laughed. Many flames blasted over the lonely boy completely.

"What are you doing? Come on, King, push through," Danika urged. Hundreds of feathers gathered around Pai, lifting him up. "Gain control over it," she screamed.

"That you, Danika? Something about this place seems familiar. What are these feathers? Don't let them take my heat from me, I can't let that happen." Danika grew out of spirit form, standing at five-eight. "Listen, for the moment, you need to learn the basics so your powers can really flourish."

"Shit, you got taller."

"These will help you win Nova. That holy ring, me, and your red sun are for your use. Beings will fear their king across space. The warlocks and enchanters will know you are a threat, as it should be."

"What are these warlocks and enchanters?"

"Beings, no, I mean creatures wanting our whole space-time existence, everything to be thrown into chaos. You and I were meant to wipe those creatures away from everything. You hold mighty power, natural essence... That beautiful red sun."

“Wait, it's the same with Sola because she has her star style,” he asked.

“Yes, My King, still there’s more to the princess. You need to control this power, or it will consume you completely.”

Danika touched his chest. “Try imagining darkness completely pitch black. Find your holy ring, and pour every bit of your essence into it. This is only the beginning for us, we still need to find home.”

“Home,” noted Pai.

The holy ring radiated red waves of energy, surrounding his whole body. Soon, it formed back into the ring and extended into a large, sharp feather-style sword, coated in red essence. Solar flares circled inside the weapon.

“That wasn’t supposed to happen, a mortal changing the process of a bond. You just keep surprising me like this, King.” A dark red transparent line appeared across Pai’s eyes, warping to each ear.

"You're one true sought, if I ever saw one. One endless red sun, and me, a Seeker, are in a mix of harmony. You're now in complete bond with me." Pai swung to the left, noticing countless flames inside, spinning.

“What do you mean by sought?” Pai questioned, puzzled.

“Soughts are mortals like you and Sola accepted by a seeker. You don’t see a lot anymore, because it’s less common, plus seekers are damn picky,” explained Danika, floating to her king.

“This is all of me?” Flames surged before them, racing towards his skin. Pai skillfully redirected the flames off his sword without touching them. “King, you have to break out those flames, before they consume you. I just hope you don't die in the physical realm. Knowing her, she won’t let that happen.”

Before Pai could explode the mountain, Sola surrounded them inside a star shield barrier. She deflected the explosions, sending vast boulders flying down, causing bugs and trees to both crumble like chips.

The whole mountain shook, and Sola held Pai's body, skating over the clouds. Some fliers approached them. "You're not even a problem for me, so I suggest you move." Stars flew past, ripping out half their heads.

Meanwhile, Taro and Mr. Z noticed the explosion and saw boulders headed towards them. Taro aimed with ghost trigger and shot a black bullet at the boulder, but it had no effect, merely coloring the rock.

“Shit, I’m still learning how to use this thing.” Taro exclaimed.

"Don't worry, son, I came well prepared." Mr. Z's briefcase transformed into a double barrel rocket launcher. He blasted two missiles, accelerated with drills spinning on the top, which dug into the boulders and caused them to explode from the inside out, filling the air with dust flakes.

“Come on, son, we gotta get out of here before the ground under us breaks in,” pleaded Mr. Z. The boy and his father loaded inside the car, and the tires kicked up dirt as they sped away. "Taro, you rest up, we're gonna need all your power for later; I got a bad feeling about this."

Cold bug bodies struck the grass as Sola wiped them out one by one. Suddenly, one bug emerged from under the surface, shooting towards Sola and Pai. The flying barrier shot out a star, flattening the bug and leaving an explosion in its wake.

A red mark appeared around Pai's eyes and ears. The sought marking? Had he already bonded with Danika? Still, why wasn't he waking up yet? Sola wondered if they were the perfect match for each other.

Sola spotted Mr. Z and Taro driving below and joined them, dropping inside with her little star spirits. Pai rested on Sola's lap. "What's going on, Sola? What was that explosion?" Taro asked, turning to the princess.

“It’s when Pai finally linked with the holy ring. I can’t do anything because he's trying to control it I’m guessing. If Pai fails, he’ll… die. It’s all up to him.”

Pai swung the sword at the firewall, but the impact flew back at him, blasting him into the air. "Damn, Danika, how am I gonna destroy these flames? I'm fighting fire with fire," Pai muttered.

“Oh, sweet king, you’ll have the power to split suns one day. I don’t think power is the problem. You need control with withdrawal balance. Find the flame's weak point. Raw strength won’t help here. You gotta be precise, balance like yin and yang.”

Easier said than done. Pai thought hard, trying to come up with a plan. Let's try a balanced rush attack. He slashed at the fire four times quickly. The fire responded by returning the impact, hitting Pai head-on. But that time, he saw a crack, a portal out. Pai's nose bled, but he couldn't help but smile.