“Blob, no!”

Taro let out a heartbroken cry. Just a few minutes after he was turned into a superhero by a not so cute, but rather disgusting mascot, the mascot gets killed right before his eyes.

He fell down to his knees in an overly dramatic demeanour. His world turned grey and cold. With Blob, a part of him had died, a part so big and important that he already knew that his life would never be the same again.

“Blob…” Tears were rolling down his cheeks. While the jet still circled above them, Taro wept over the pitiful puddle of water left by his new best friend. He was dead. Gone. Had made a pointless sacrifice just to protect him.

…

Or not. While Taro was still grieving, the water surface began to ripple and gurgle. The drops of water assembled again, forming a wobbling cluster and finally a translucent spe-, ahem, a translucent tadpole.

“Hey! That was very rude! I wasn’t done yet!”

Taro wiped the tears from his cheeks. “Blob! My dear Blob! I’m so glad you are back!” He sniveled again, but then pulled himself together.

“There’s no time for that!” Blob yelled to him.

Taro nodded firmly and looked around hastily. Nearby was a wooden camping-table that cried out to be used for an epic performance. Taro jumped up. “Everyone, follow me!”

Ivan pursed his lips. “Who gave you permission to be the leader?”

“Oh, is our dear Ivan sad because our little boy grasped the mantle?” Tauno sneered.

He thought Taro’s effort was cute. Or maybe it was the pink over-sized clothes and geta that made him look especially cute. But it lasted only until Taro stumbled and landed nose first in the snow again.

“Right!”, embarrassed Taro brushed the snow off from his clothes and jumped onto the camping table. “Now the time has come!”

He took a deep breath and stared at the sky. The elf in jet number E 174 pushed a few buttons and the magnets began to rotate. “Give them back!” He shouted again in a rage.

“No!” Taro replied. “I will never allow you continue your reckless mischief.”

Tauno put his hand to his chin, thinking deeply. “What is this monster doing anyway? What’s the point of its existence? Where does it come from? And who is responsible for all of this?” He questioned the situation critically and sat down on the camp bench like an undisturbed observer. He knew he couldn’t expect answers right away, because he had read too many books and watched too many series in which the big reveal only came just before the dramatic finale.

The Elf laughed and smiled. “And who are you to tell me what to do?”

Taro crossed his arms and nodded. “I am Batm…”

“Watch out!” The magnetic beam headed straight for the camping table set. If John hadn’t grabbed him one more time and pushed him aside, he would have been dead for sure.

When the beam reached the table and the benches, they began to groan and squeal, exactly like the sauna and log cabin. The next moment all nails and screws were pulled out of them and everything collapsed in a loud woody crash.

“Whew!” Tauno exclaimed. “Now imagine what would have happened if you got caught in that magnetic beam. Poof!” He gestured wildly. “All the iron particles would have been pulled out of your body at once. A beautiful blood-red fountain of Swiss cheese! Poof!”

Taro pulled himself up again and hastily bowed to John several times.

“Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!”

But soon after, he was back on his feet. He posed in a way he’d seen on television.

“Shibaraku! Good day, I’m Sakura Infuser, and on behalf of the Mo…, NO, Love Shower Sugar Sugar Divine Bu…, no, damn, I’m gonna heat you up and then spurt on you!”

…

Tauno, John and Ivan became rattled. Anders turned bright red.

“I’m sure he didn’t mean it this way. He just had issues finding the right English words,” Blob reassured them.

The Elf seemed to be quite unimpressed. “All screws and nails are mine! No one shall have them! Take that!”

He pressed a big red button on his control panel, whereupon the magnets began to turn in the opposite direction. All nails and screws collected so far began to gather and were aimed on Taro a.k.a Sakura Infuser.

“And now, take-off!” Yelled the Elf. Like an automated machine gun, he fired his deadly iron projectiles.

But Sakura was unimpressed and threw himself into the fray.

Surprisingly inspired by his efforts, Tauno aka Metal Infuser and John aka Mezcal Infuser also dashed forward. Sakura’s speech had given them a feeling of immortality and being able to take on any opponent. It made no sense how they felt this way, but they embraced it with no questions asked. They made a running jump towards the jet plane, ready to finish off the screw attack with their fists.

Anders a.k.a Spruce Infuser and Ivan a.k.a Tundra Infuser watched from a safe distance as Metal and Mezcal were beaten up by the nails and screws.

“Ah,” said Spruce unimpressed, “a couple of magical weapons might have been nice…”

Tundra nodded and pierced Blob with his look.

“Oh no, I almost forgot!” Blob again spun several times around his own axis. “If only things hadn’t been so stressful, I would have thought of this!”

The palms of the boys’ hands began to glow. Metal sighed and shook his long hair. “Wouldn’t it be nice if Blob could just say sorry?” He raised his trembling, bruised hand to the sky. Words were forming inside of him that he had trouble suppressing.

Mezcal and the others also felt the urge to speak special words - magical words that they had no recollection learning.

“Metal Hammer!” A big, strong hammer appeared in his fist.

“Spruce Scythe!” A long, slender scythe glowed in a bright cyan blue.

“Tundra Sabers!” Two platinum white sabers appeared in Tundra Infuser’s pale hands.

“I must claim my right to properly defend my land! Mezcal Revolver!” John, alias Mezcal Infuser, conjured a handgun.

The other three looked at him critically.

“What?”

Taro, alias Sakura Infuser, giggled like a girl who just fell in love. “Fantastic Sakurastick!” In a pink energy ball, a magic wand with a closed cherry blossom on its tip appeared. He winked, did a pirouette, and swung around the wand.

As he struck his final pose, cherry blossoms of light were waving around him, emitting a gentle fragrance.

Immediately he finished, the Elf in his jet plane had already collected all the screws and nails again.

“Everyone, follow me!” Sakura shouted a second time. The Elf pressed the red death button again and once more nails and screws shot sporadically at the group.

Sakura was determined to finally put the monster to flight this time. For he was a hero. Protector of the students of the boarding school. An exceptional talent with infinite power, which grew from his infinite love.

…

Or so he thought. While he was still able to fend off the first projectiles, a particularly large screw hit him right in the face.

“Uwah!” A fountain of blood splashed up into the air.

Metal and Mezcal tried to protect him, but they got their asses handed to them once more.

“Ah,” Spruce said unimpressed. “Apparently, our weapons have no effect.”

Tundra nodded and put the two sabers into the harness on his back. “So now we’re going to die.” He reached out to Spruce and looked at him with dignified seriousness in his eyes. “It’s been an honor serving with you.”

“Wait a minute,” Blob wormed his way in. “I don’t know what you expected, but it’s obvious your strength depends entirely on how much essence of color you have inside of you!”

Sakura held his bleeding forehead and staggered towards Blob with growing interest. “Essence of color?” As he raised an eyebrow questioningly, the blood shot from his head again. He had to sit down.

Blob gazed at Tundra reproachfully. “A certain someone, whom I won’t name now, thought it would be good to vaporize my entire body on the hot stones. You may have inhaled or drunk part of me, but the rest is still floating through the air. Only when you condense my essence from the monsters will i then be able to regain my strength and give you more power.”

Spruce had a blanched look on his face. “You are inside of us?”

Tundra spat out. “And I drank you. That’s disgusting.”

Only Sakura didn’t seem to mind the revelation of the slightly unsavory origin of their powers. “But what can we do to have enough strength?”

Blob lowered his eyes. His body of water seemed to bubble. “There’s one thing you can do.”

“What is it?” Sakura didn’t know if he was shaking with anticipation or weakness.

The jet plane now flew a large circle around the school forest, removing nails and screws from the other log cabins as well.

Metal and Mezcal supported each other and dragged themselves over, exhausted and in pain.

Blob took a theatrical break. “You gotta …”

Everyone was staring at him. It was anatomically impossible, but it almost seemed as if his translucent body was blushing.

“Yes?” Sakura clenched his fists excitedly.

Blob sighed. “You have to give all your essence of color to one of you. And that one must,” he pressed around, “drink me.”

Tundra suppressed a choking laughter but then pulled out his sabers.

Mezcal took a deep breath and loaded his weapon. “Power transmission, uh-huh.”

Metal clasped his big, strong, heavy hammer tighter. “So there’s only one thing left to do.”

Spruce nodded and clasped his scythe. “A noble sacrifice that only our leader can make.”

By silent agreement, the four boys had decided that Sakura was the chosen one. He was still sitting on the ground, looking confusedly from one face to the other.

“Are you sure he understood? He looks like he’s a little out of it somehow.” Blob floated around Sakura’s head.

The Elf in the jet plane number E 174 had collected new ammunition and was approaching them again with renewed hatred.

“Hurry, before he comes to his senses!” Metal raised his hammer and put all of his black essence of color into it. “If you do the same thing with birch twigs, it is said to be good for your blood circulation!”

The hammer came down on the back of Sakura’s head, leaving a trail of black energy that was instantly absorbed.

“Please forgive me!” Spruce swung his scythe and slit across his chest.

Mezcal aimed his weapon directly at his heart. “God bless you, my boy.” The cyan blue and yellow color essence first fused into green and were then absorbed as well.

Tundra sucked in the air sharply. “I hate to leave you the hero’s seat, but I’d rather drink piss than take another sip of Blob!” His sabers made a swift cross cut.

“That feels good!” Sakura slurred his words loudly, straightening up. He was totally out of his mind.

The wound on his forehead closed up at an alarming speed. The next moment, Blob shot up into the air and disappeared like a pro-diver into Sakura’s throat.

The energy surge was so intense that Sakura cried out in amazement. His body shone in a glaring light that was almost blinding. In his eyes a galaxy of endless rainbows sparkled. His breath faltered. The force seemed to tear him apart from the inside.

(Stay strong, my boy!), Blob shouted from his heart.

(Try to concentrate the power at the tip of your magic stick! Yeah, that’s it! No, not that magic stick, the one in your hand!)

Sakura rushed forward as fast as lightning, leaving rainbow-colored footprints of light. As the jet plane made another low dive, Sakura made a triple jump.

“Hop!” He shouted aggressively.

“Step!” Blob added using Sakura’s voice.

“Jump!” They both yelled in unison and did a somersault over the Elf in the jet plane. As they hovered just above him, an ethereal ringing sound opened the flower of the wand and released a gentle fragrance.

“Rainbow Relax Revolution!”