Cancer: Crab Style

The eleventh chapter of the Crusaders of the Constellations Novel, it is about Ranald revealing his past to Heike, who will teach him Crab Style.

## Story

Meanwhile, in the dark side of the universe, the sorcerer was pleading with the Devourer of Worlds for his mercy in his lair. The serpentine creature, now a black mist, told him that he will spare him for now, but warns that he will remove more power from him if he fails once again. The old sorcerer then went off to another dimension to cause trouble.

In Aether Health and Medical Hospital, Heike sat Ranald on the couch and asked him to tell him his life story in the Library of AWCU. "You need to let all your feelings out, dear boy. Just tell me how you came to be, then after your emotional baggage is released, you can learn the martial art more easily." He advised. His pupil then decided to tell his story:

In Ranald's home world, he was born in a town outside from the big city, he lives in a Neighborhood full of bullies and judgmental people, even his High school is full of them, his schoolmates called him The Golden Nerd of their school, Mr Perfect and always being target by his school bullies. He lives with his only blood Parents and the orphan children that are also his adopted little brothers & sisters and children of his own, he and his family lived in a Church that is also an orphanage & school for children, the name of their only home is "St. Griffward Parish". They used to have a few Church Goers but then they changed, moved out and never came back to their parish again, they called their parish a trash can for abandoned children, in fact, their parish has grown poorly and have short amount of money, it's all because his parents were forced to give half of their church money to their son just to give his bullies some money as payment to let him go even if he's good at a lot of things but he never fights back, people of the neighbourhood say that they should've sold one of the children in order to save their parish just because their house is full of them but the children they cared about are not for sale. They even say that Ranald is been giving the stranger's children some bad influence which they're talking about his shared stories of his wild imagination and a dream defender called Ra the golden griffin warrior. Rumours were spread around the town, neighbourhood and his school saying that he's been dreaming a lot to go to the big city hope he can find a job and save his parish home but they laughed and said that he's never going to live with them 'cause they say he's too human to fit with those super-powerful people and saying that it's all in his wild imagination.

\*FLASHBACK IN BLACK & RED COLORING\* "Hey look! It's the Golden Nerd Mr Perfect", "Yeah that's him", "I heard he kept talking to his doll all day, what a Sissy freak!", "more than that I also heard he's going to live in the big city I mean how can he be super enough to fit with those powerful people!", "No wonder he has no real friends!", "Now I know why everybody kept their distance away from that crazy guy", "He is nothing but a bad influence!", "Why making money there? He would've just sold those brats from his trash can house!". But it won't stop Ranald he will show them that he is super enough and he'll prove them wrong that being human is what makes him happy and he will save his home and he's going to that city to help his family make their lives better again.

By the time Ranald was done telling him his life story, Heike put down his pen and notebook. He asked his pupil, "You associate' super' as in 'super-rich' with 'super', as in 'having superpowers'? Hmmm... and you distrust and view all super-powered people as insensitive jerks since then, yes?" Ranald silently nodded. "Even if you are being friendly with them?" Heike questioned further. Ranald nodded again and told his mentor that deep down, he's mad at the superheroes of his world for looking down on ordinary people like him and that sometimes, he struggles with thoughts of dropping out of Aether World Cosmic University and giving up his Golden Griffin Warrior self, which he considered to be an overpowered monster that he's not proud of, to be a regular human and take revenge on his bullies.

"Revenge will not help you. It will cause you more pain. When people push you down whether they have powers or not, you get back up and move on instead of fighting them. That's how you fight back against your negativity. Another way to fight back against your negativity is to accept both your human and beast selves. You must be the only human so far here with the soul of a beast. Speaking of fighting..." Heike chuckled. "Crab Style is about fighting from the ground, and it involves defence and a lot of pinching too," he stated. He brought Ranald to the gym and taught him all about the Crab Style martial art: powerful leg-breaking kicks, reaps, sweeps, and scissor and pincer-style throws. He also told his new pupil that Crab Style is good for anti-grappling and ground fighting. They trained for a month, even in the end-of-week combat tests, until the end-of-month dimensional rescue.

King Athos told them that in Delmare's home dimension, there is a pirate who is leading an island-swallowing monster to empty the world for the Devourer of Worlds. Poseidon had Delmare and three former sky-pirates, Schiff, Autahi, and Kohi join him. Ranald chose Heike, Argus the elf, Huang He the young man in mandarin clothes, and Cadenza. Samson also built a special ship that can travel in space and water: The Dimensional Wayfarer. Once there, Delmare brought them to the island where all the fairies lived. She told them that the monster was dismissed as a myth back then in her place. "All the more we must defeat it," Poseidon said. "That thing has a voracious appetite." He went to meet the others on the Dimensional Wayfarer, and tell them about the plan. Simply put, one group will engage the pirate in battle while the other would slay the island-swallowing monster. Ranald and the rest agreed.

Once on the new ship, Heike briefed Ranald on the enemy, "He is terrible indeed. Made a deal with the Devourer of Worlds according to the data files. We need to be alert, for he uses dirty tricks." The Dimensional Wayfarer met the evil pirate's ship, and both sides exchanged cannon-fire. Luckily, it escaped unscathed, and Ranald's group landed on a nearby island, where the pirate made his base. Poseidon's group sailed off to destroy the monster, which resembles a whale. "We'll be back as soon as we can. If one of us were late, the rest of my team will assist in any way we can!" Delmare shouted before heading off with her team-mates.

Ranald's locket helped him find the second and third heart-gems. He decided to save them for the next dimensional mission, so he went with his friends to the pirate fortress. Heike and Ranald made use of Crab Style to cripple the many pirates that were trying to get them with his legs. Cadenza helped, singing some of them to sleep, giving Huang He and Argus the opportunity to finish them off, though they bicker among each other sometimes. When they all reached the pirate captain's hall room, Ranald noticed that there are lots of TNT crates in there. "What kind of genius would stow explosives in his house?" He remarked.

"Me, Darkheart." Said a raspy voice. A shadow emerged from the darkness, revealing the pirate captain wearing tattered clothes and a scimitar by his side. He unsheathed it, and Ranald held up his schoolbag, after holding his stuffed griffin under his arm. "You think you can defeat me with that?" The pirate captain laughed and fought with the golden-haired youth. The rest of the heroes went to save any water fairies imprisoned by him, and remove some TNTs. In the middle of the battle, Darkheart shouted," Look behind you!" Ranald did, and was punched by the villain. He then got to throw the pirate captain off the ground and into the TNT crates. Darkheart got up despite being injured and told the young man that he and his friends would not make it out of his base alive. He took one of the torches lighting his hall and told Ranald to run as fast as he can. The hero then used a scissor kick on the captain and threw him out of the window of his fortress. He ran out with his schoolbag and stuffed toy, leaving the burning torch with some TNT crates.

 After his teammates have finished rescuing all the water fairies (and looting some treasure), Huang He asked everyone where Ranald is. "Maybe he's still fighting that Darkheart dude," Heike said, "But I'm confident that he will make him out alive." Ranald arrived with his belongings. Then, Darkheart's fortress exploded, startling everyone. "Erm...Maybe not," he whispered. "What about Delmare and friends?" Cadenza asked concerned. "I think I have an idea on what to do with the remaining TNT crates..." Huang He said, smiling.

 Both he and Argus, under Ranald's directions, flew to where the sea monster's battling with the Dimensional Wayfarer. They dumped the remaining crates into the island-swallowing whale monster's mouth, just as it was about to swallow the Dimensional Wayfarer. The crates, already lit, exploded, destroying the monster's belly. The rest of them waited for the other group until they saw Delmare flying, Poseidon in his merman form swimming towards them, a pod of dolphins carrying Schiff, Autahi, and Kohi, and the Dimensional Wayfarer being tugged by another pod of them.

"I got the dolphins to help out," Delmare said, "And I think that we can go back to AWCU after a celebration at the water fairies' gathering." Everyone cheered. After a good time feasting, Heike gave Ranald his fourth zodiac tool: A crab-hammer. "It will be useful for the battle with the Devourer of Worlds. You will see soon why..." The young man said.

At AWCU, King Athos congratulated the students for saving another world. He asked Heike if there is anything else on his mind. "I have a new patient who will see me soon. His name's Anbesa, and he has a phobia of cockroaches. I will do my best to treat him," He told the king. Ranald asked if he can join the young man. "Sure, you can. Maybe you can learn how to deal with children with phobias too." Both men walked together to the Aether World Health and Medical Hospital while Delmare went to meet Cassiopeia at the Celestial Halls of Residence to get her latest dress.