Bothyner

On March 1, 1868, around 8 pm.

A big blue light appeared. It spreads worldwide and disappears quickly.

After that, humans freaked out as they accidentally unleashed blue energy and destroyed everything around them.

The blue energy they release turns into blue fire, blue wind, blue thunder, blue dirt, etc.

From flower-sized ones to building-sized ones, wild creatures with blue-colored bodies appeared worldwide and targeted the humans for prey.

The disastrous incident continued for seven days. It changed the world drastically, as many people died and many buildings were destroyed.

***

On September 10, 1986, in Levytatia Village, around 3 pm.

In the backyard terrace of Garuvy’s house, there are little Lyos in the middle, little Garuvy on his left side, and Cathiw on his right side, leaning against the wall with their legs stretched out.

"I see.” Garuvy looked down as her face crumpled. “That was so horrible."

"Yeah." Lyos looked down as his mouth downturned.

"Don't worry.” Cathiw looked down as his face crumpled. “If I'm on duty, I’ll always be with you. I’ll come to your house if I'm on duty and you’re not going anywhere."

"Thanks, Mr. Cathiw," Lyos said with a crumpled face.

Garuvy turns her face forward. "Why did they attack us?"

"It's still too early for you to understand the Bothyner War," Cathiw replied.

"Okay. I want to know about Bothyner, then,” Garuvy nodded before she asked. “Where did it come from?"

"We’re still trying to figure it out," Cathiw explained.

Lyos turns to Cathiw. "I want to know about that too, sir."

“Yes.” Cathiw turned to Lyos before he added. "You can do it if you become a Bothyzard."

Garuvy turned to Lyos before she smiled. "We can work together, Lyos,"

“Yeah.” Lyos turned to Garuvy before he nodded and smiled. "After we become Bothyzards, we'll work together!"

"Come to think of it.” Garuvy points her right finger to her head. “Why do we become Bothyner Anomalies?"

"Well, I don't know, either." Lyos turns his eyes to the side.

"I think you should work together to find out about it." Cathiw smiled.

Lyos turned to Cathiw before he smiled. "Yeah!"

Garuvy smiled and showed the pinkie in her right hand. "This is our promise, Lyos!"

Lyos’ eyebrows are knitted.

"Come on! You don't know about this yet, do you?" Garuvy added.

"No, I already know, but why?" Lyos asked.

"If we work together, we can be close forever, just like I wanted," Garuvy explained with a soft voice.

Lyos’ eyebrows are raised. His mouth is slightly opened. The boy remained silent for a minute. Cathiw smiles at the two.

"Yeah!” Lyos grinned before he added. “We promise!"

Lyos locked the pinkie of his right hand with the pinkie of her right hand for a while before they pulled out their pinkies.

Garuvy stands up from the floor. "Alright, time to play again!" She clenches her left fist and raises her left arm.

Lyos stands up as well. "Okay." He clenched his fists and raised his hands before he turned to Cathiw. "C’mon, let's play again, Mr. Cathiw."

"No, I'm tired.” Cathiw shook his head before he continued. “Just the two of you, okay?"

"What?” Lyos’ eyebrows are furrowed. “You don’t have energy?"

"No, I'm just lazy!” Cathiw’s eyebrows are narrowed. “Just play with her!"

"Tch, fine!"

Garuvy pats Lyos' body with her hand and runs away immediately to the backyard.

Lyos’ eyes widened before he turned to Garuvy, who was already far from him.

After Garuvy stopped running, she turned to Lyos, smiled, and waved her right hand. "Come on, Lyos! Catch me!"

Lyos laughed for a few seconds before he started running.

While the two chase each other in turn with beaming faces, Cathiw smiles at them.

***

On March 23, 1993, in Bahageey City, around 6 am.

Andark is sitting on one of the two chairs near the table in the kitchen of his house. He is eating a plate of rice mixed with chicken noodles on the table and ignoring another plate with the same food in front of him.

Suddenly, from the kitchen door, teenage Garuvy appeared.

“Good morning, Mr. Andark.” Garuvy smiled as he approached Andark from his left side.

Andark stops eating and turns to Garuvy’s white shirt and blue skirt. “Good mornin’. Looks like you’re ready, dear.”

Garuvy sits on the chair in front of him.

“Do you know what day it is?” Andark asked.

“Yes.” Garuvy nodded before she added. “Today is Lyos’ birthday.”

“Oh my god, so you still remember, dear?” Andark smiled.

“Of course!” Garuvy grinned before she added. “He is my first close friend, so how could I not remember?”

“Is that so?” Andark chuckled before he added. “I thought that you would eventually forget him because you now have many close friends in your school, right?”

“Yes.” Garuvy nodded before she added. “Some are friendly, and some are annoying. Most of them are just ordinary people. They are not Bothyner Anomalies like me and Lyos. That is why I can remember him forever!”

“Yeah.” Andark nodded before he added. “But don’t be too arrogant. The world is filled with painful realities, you know.”

“I know.” Garuvy’s eyebrows are furrowed.

“Tomorrow is your birthday, and guess what? It’s only a day after Lyos’ birthday.”

“Yes.” Garuvy smiled before she added. “I don’t understand why it could be like that, but I’m happy to know it.”

“Yeah.” Andark smiled before he added. “I know how you feel, but don’t be too excited. Tomorrow you’ll turn 15, right?”

“Yes.” Garuvy nodded.

“Your Bothroller will be active, and you will suffer from Bothyner Disorder,” Andark said with a serious tone.

Garuvy gasped. “Ah, yes. I will be quarantined in a barrier, right?”

“Right.” Andark nodded before he added. “We’ll go to an open area outside of this city tonight. We’ll be accompanied by my Bothyzard friends, Goode and Lighel. Goode will make the barrier for you, and Lighel will help me and Goode to defeat the incoming Bothytures.”

“Tonight?” Garuvy asked.

“Yeah.” Andark replied before he added. “Your Bothyner Disorder will be active at 0 am. We need to prepare ourselves before that, or your Gravity Bothyner will destroy this house.”

“Oh, okay.” Garuvy nodded before she added. “But the Bothyner Disorder will last for seven days, right? What about my school time?”

“Don’t worry. All schools in the Bothyzard Region have already known about Bothyner Disorder for a long time. I’ll talk to the headmaster about this. He’ll definitely allow you to skip class for seven days.”

“Is that so?” Garuvy looked down as her mouth downturned. “I have never skipped class before. I feel like I become a varmint.”

“Hey, it’s okay.” Andark smiled before he added. “Every Bothyzard in this world has experienced it before. You can’t run from it.”

“Lyos is currently experiencing it, right?” she asked.

“No.” Andark shook his head before he added. “He didn’t suffer from Bothyner Disorder.”

Garuvy’s eyes are widened. Her eyebrows are raised. She turns to Andark. “What?”

“Lyos’ Bothroller is different from most Bothyzards. When he was 10 years old, I visited his house to celebrate his tenth birthday.”

For a few minutes, Garuvy listened to Andark’s past experience with Lyos.

“Oh, so you had time to take the cake with you? Why don’t you tell me?” Garuvy smiled as her eyebrows knitted.

“Well.” Andark smiled before he added. “That’s because I gave the cake to my Bothyzard friend, Goode, and I asked him to keep the cake for a day. Sorry, I can’t let you eat Lyos’ cake. Even if it’s you, I think Lyos won’t accept it.”

“Oh, okay.” Garuvy nodded.

“And that’s it for Lyos’ tenth birthday, but at that time I’m still not sure if Lyos won’t suffer from Bothyner Disorder. Last night, I and my Bothyzard friends escorted Lyos out of Seejahter City. We asked him to go inside the blue barrier that we made. At 0 am, nothing happened. That means Lyos didn’t have to suffer from Bothyner Disorder for real, so we could take him home straight away,” Andark explained.

“That was good to hear.” Garuvy looked down as her face crumpled. “But I don’t have Ferbothy Disorder, so I should suffer from Bothyner Disorder, then.”

“Well, as a Bothyner Anomaly, you’re a unique one. There are four other Bothyner Anomalies, including Lyos.

“All of them have the same type of Bothyner Core. It is called the Bothaly Core.

“It contains three Bothyner types. You have a Bothaly Core too, Garuvy, but it doesn’t contain the Roaring Bothyner type. That means you can’t suffer from Ferbothy Disorder,” Andark explained.

“Why is my Bothaly Core different?” Garuvy asked.

“I don’t know. We can’t do anything about that, so just accept it.” Andark replied.

“Well.” Garuvy smiled as her eyebrows knitted. She turns to Andark. “It seems like I can’t escape fate.”

“Yeah.” Andark takes the spoon and the fork from his plate. “Come on, finish your food, dear. You will be late for school.”

“Right.” Garuvy takes the fork and the spoon from her plate.

***

On the same day, in Bahageey City, around 9 pm.

In her room, Garuvy is sitting on her bed. Her eyes are in a blank stare.

After a while, the door of the room is opened by Andark. Garuvy’s eyebrows are raised. She turns to the door.

Andark stares at Garuv’s pink T-shirt with long sleeves and pink trousers. “You’re ready?”

“Yes!” Garuvy smiled and nodded.

“Good.” Andark smiled before he added. “My friends are already here.”

Andark sees the watch on his right hand. “We still have some time.”

He turns back to Garuvy. “Come on!” Andark waves at Garuvy with his right palm facing down.

Garuvy and Andark walk towards the living room. They see Goode and Lighel sit on the sofa.

“Hey!” Goode smiled as he stood up from the sofa.

“Hi!” Lighel smiled as she stood up from the sofa. “So, this is the kid whose name is Garuvy?”

“Yes.” Andark nodded.

“Hi, kid!” Lighel smiled as she approached Garuvy. “My name is Lighel Pellitern!” Lighel shakes hands with Garuvy.

“I am Goode Haphitur!” Goode smiled as he approached Garuvy.

After Goode and Garuvy shook hands with each other, Garuvy put her right hand on her chest. “My name is Garuvy Ramona!”

Garuvy extends her right hand forward and points the fingers on it downward. “It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

Garuvy put her hands on her chest. “I hope we can be close…”

Garuvy extends her hands forward and points the fingers on them downward. “Forever!”

Goode’s eyebrows are raised. “Wow, you have a good spirit within you!”

“Of course!” Garuvy grinned.

Lighel’s eyes are widened. “You’re full of light!”

“Huh?” Garuvy’s eyebrows are knitted, and she tilts her head. “Full of light?”

“That means you have a really good nature!” Goode chuckled before he added. “You still don’t understand, do you?”

“She heard those words for the first time, you moron.” Andark’s eyebrows are furrowed.

“Oh!” Garuvy smiled as her eyes widened and her eyebrows raised. “That’s interesting!”

“You like that? I’m glad!” Lighel smiled as her eyes widened. “I hope you can keep your light shining when you suffer from Bothyner Disorder later.”

“Yes.” Goode nodded before he added. “Bothyner Disorder isn’t a good thing, no matter how you think about it.”

“Oh, okay.” Garuvy’s mouth is downturned.

“Hey, you two are stressing her out!” Andark’s eyebrows are narrowed.

“Oh, no!” Lighel’s eyes are wide and her eyebrows are knitted. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to absorb your light! I should return it to you!”

Lighel holds both of Garuvy’s cheeks with her palms. “Aaaa, it’s returned! How is it? Do you feel better now?”

“Oh, yes, I feel better.” Garuvy’s eyebrows are knitted. “Your hands are warm.”

“Whoaaaa!” Goode’s eyes are widened and his eyebrows are raised. “Is that your Light Bothyner Technique, Lighel?”

“No!” Lighel turned to Goode as her eyebrows furrowed. “I’m just touching her cheeks, you idiot!”

Lighel turns back to Garuvy. “Don’t let your light go out, dear!” She smiles. “You must keep it! Keep it, even if you’re suffering from Bothyner Disorder, okay?”

“O—Okay.” Garuvy nodded.

Lighel releases her hands from Garuvy’s cheeks.

“Come on! Smile again!” Goode ordered.

After Garuvy smiles, Goode shows his right thumb. “That’s the spirit!”

“Okay, shall we go now, guys?” Andark asked.

“Oh, yeah!” Goode turns to Andark. “Come on, let’s go!” He waves his right hand to the front door.

They leave the living room and go to the front yard to approach the three Bothasuses in there.

“Come with me, Garuvy!” Lighel smiled as she waved at Garuvy with her right palm facing down. “You will ride my Bothasus with me!”

“What?” Garuvy’s eyebrows are knitted. “But I usually ride a Bothasus with Mr. Andark,”

“No! This time, you will do it with me.” Lighel turned to Andark as her eyebrows narrowed. “I just can’t let that dark guy do something bad to you.”

Andark turns to Lighel.

“What?” Andark turned to Lighel as his eyebrows furrowed. “What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything bad to her!”

“No, just be honest!” Lighel continued. “You let a little girl stay in your house. You have a hidden motive, right?”

“No, I’m not like that! You’re a slanderer!”

“You’re full of darkness!” Lighel roasted.

“Okay, okay, can we just go now?” Goode’s eyebrows are furrowed. “Don’t let Garuvy destroy this place with Bothyner Disorder!”

“Hmph.” Lighel looks away. “I know.”

To be continued.