Star League 4 Read online

  ‘Don’t worry, we’re not leaving Ari behind,’ he says, practically reading my mind. ‘We’ve just got to change our tactics. I’ve got a plan but it’s dangerous, especially for you, Asuka.’

  ‘I don’t care,’ I tell him. ‘Anything to get my brother back.’

  Jay nods. ‘Great. First the rest of us need to get rid of these ninja costumes.’

  Roger’s eyes almost pop out of his head. ‘What? Are you crazy? If we get spotted out of these costumes we’ll get caught!’

  ‘That’s exactly what we want,’ says Jay.

  ‘Er, I hate to agree with Roger, but have you thought this plan through?’ asks Connor.

  Jay nods. ‘We’re never going to find this secret cell on our own. We need a guide. If we can get captured by Fuzen’s ninja spies, hopefully they’ll take us to where they’re holding Ari. While they’re capturing us, Asuka can stay hidden and follow us to the cell. If she can surprise Fuzen’s spies and set us free, we can rescue Ari.’

  Jay turns to me. ‘Do you think you can do it? It’s pretty risky. If you get caught we’re all done for.’

  ‘Piece of cake,’ I say, flipping my ninja hood up so only my eyes are showing.

  While the others are busy changing down to their regular clothes underneath their ninja disguises, I start to prepare myself for sneaking into the room. I reach into a pouch inside my uniform and pull out my pair of ashiko, which are spiked claws that slip on over my shoes and help me to climb walls. Just as I’ve finished putting on the ashiko, I hear voices coming from a passageway to my left. I sneak up and peer around the corner. I count eight ninjas heading towards us and they all have the red cuffs that mark them out as Fuzen’s ninja spies.

  ‘Look out, we’ve got company!’ I hiss.

  ‘Good,’ says Jay. ‘Everyone except Asuka make a lot of noise and follow my lead.’

  I run over to a wall and start to climb. The large gaps in the stone make it easy to get a grip, and the ashiko let me climb almost as easily as if I was walking on the ground. I climb up to the very top of the wall and hide in the shadows near the ceiling.

  ‘Gee, these ninjas sure are stupid!’ says Jay in a loud voice.

  ‘We’ve been wandering around for ages and they still haven’t caught us!’ cries Leigh. Chu screeches loudly in agreement.

  ‘Yes, their intellectual capacity seems to be severely damaged,’ drones Sam.

  ‘Forget about ninjas, more like DIM-jas,’ says Roger. ‘Get it?’

  ‘That’s a terrible joke. It’s not even funny,’ says Connor crossly.

  ‘Yeah? I’d like to see you do better!’ fumes Roger.

  ‘What about nin-JERKS?’ asks Connor.

  ‘That’s far worse! You wouldn’t know funny if it bit you on the …’

  Roger trails off as Fuzen’s ninjas burst into the hallway.

  ‘It’s those kids the boss was after!’ yells one. ‘Get ’em!’

  The Star League don’t fight back as the ninjas take some rope and tie their hands behind their backs. Fuzen’s ninjas keep a careful lookout as they lead their prisoners down the hall, but they don’t notice me as I follow silently behind like a spider.

  I try not to think about everything that can go wrong now that Jay, Connor, Roger, Leigh and Sam are in the hands of the enemy. Fuzen could crush them like bugs.

  I put my head down and keep climbing. It’s all up to me now.

  Fuzen’s ninjas lead the Star League through a series of twisting tunnels that eventually lead into a secret passage. I climb along the top of the wall as fast as I can, but soon my arms start to get tired and ache. If we don’t get to the cell soon I’m going to fall off the wall and they’ll definitely notice that.

  Finally we come to a door guarded by another ninja with red cuffs.

  ‘Ah, good, you caught them. Grandmaster Fuzen will be pleased.’ He inspects the captured Star League, then frowns. ‘Wait a minute, where’s the sixth one? The ninja?’

  ‘These five were the only ones there,’ says one of the ninjas. ‘There was no sixth kid.’

  ‘Are you sure? She might’ve slipped away while you were capturing them. Maybe you should go back and do a better search of the area. Check the walls, too. She might be hiding.’ I tense where I am, and start to reach for a weapon, but luckily Jay speaks up.

  ‘If you’re talking about Asuka, we’ll never tell you where she’s hiding. We’ll especially never tell you that she escaped to the forest.’ Jay makes a big show of widening his eyes and opening his mouth, like he’s made a huge mistake. The others catch on quickly.

  ‘Good one, Jay,’ scolds Leigh.

  ‘Yeah, way to tell them where Asuka is,’ growls Connor.

  ‘Now she’ll never make it out of her secret hiding spot in that big tree really far away from here,’ moans Roger, laying it on a bit thick.

  The ninjas eye the Star League off warily. I think that at any moment they’re going to call the Star League’s bluff, but then the guard nods.

  ‘You five just made a very big mistake!’ He turns to the ninjas. ‘Get out there and search for her. And don’t come back until she’s found!’ The ninjas turn to leave. I breathe a sigh of relief. Can it really be this easy?

  ‘Wait a minute!’ yells the head guard. ‘I can only spare one of you to look for the girl. The rest will have to stay behind to look after this lot. We can’t have our prisoners escaping now, can we?’

  The remaining seven ninjas escort the Star League inside the cell. I want to groan in frustration, but I keep quiet. If I can release the others, we may still be able to work together to defeat Fuzen’s ninjas.

  I climb across to the wall near the guard. Thankfully it’s quite dark and he doesn’t see me. I move until I’m directly above him, then I drop down on him, making sure I strike a spot near his neck.

  I know from years of training that a skilful blow to this spot will make him pass out instantly, which is exactly what it does. I lower him gently to the ground, checking to make sure that nobody has heard anything. Then I slip through the door.

  Inside the room, the ninjas are busily tying the Star League to chairs. I sneak into one corner, behind a pile of sacks, where they can’t see me. From my new hiding spot I can see that the Star League aren’t alone on the chairs – tied up in one corner is Ari! His eyes are closed and I can’t tell if he’s still knocked out from Fuzen’s poison dart or just pretending to be.

  There’s no way I can take on all seven ninjas by myself, so I’ll have to release the Star League and Ari first. I glance around the room, wondering how I’m going to do that. Then I notice that the only light in the room is coming from an old oil lantern sitting on a crate across from me. If I can put the light out it’ll be pitch black in here.

  I reach into my pouch and pull out my sling. Slipping a ball bearing into it, I spin it around and let go at the last second. The ball bearing flies through the air and smashes into the lantern. It falls onto its side and the flame goes out, plunging the room into darkness.

  ‘Hey! What’s going on?’ yells one of Fuzen’s ninjas. I feel my way in the dark to where the Star League and Ari are tied up. I slip out a knife and cut through the ropes on the closest set of wrists, then I move onto the next, and the next. ‘Asuka, is that you?’ whispers Ari as I reach him.

  I feel a rush of relief at the sound of his voice. He must’ve been faking unconsciousness so he could wait for the best chance to escape.

  ‘Don’t worry, Ari, I’ll get you out of here!’

  I can hear the ninjas bumping around in the dark until one of them finally manages to re-light the lantern. Light floods the room, just as I cut the last of Ari’s ropes. The Star League and Ari jump to their feet, ready to fight.

  ‘How’d you all get free?’ shouts one of the ninjas. I rise up from the shadows and sheathe my knife. ‘It’s the ninja girl. She tricked us!’

  ‘That’s right,’ I say. ‘And you’re going to pay for kidnapping my brother!’

  Fuzen’s
ninjas rush at us. They’re so fast that the rest of the Star League don’t have time to react, but Ari and I have trained our whole lives for this. We duck their first attack and strike out.

  ‘Quick, get ready!’ I warn the others. As I keep a wary eye on the ninjas, I hear the Star League moving into fighting positions. The ninjas attack so quickly I can barely see them. They strike out with staffs and short swords, but the Star League fight back just as well.

  Connor leaps out from the shadows in werewolf form and strikes at one of the ninjas with his huge claws. The ninja tries to fight back, but his quick reflexes are no match for Connor’s strength.

  A ninja steps forward and hits Roger in the head with her staff. Roger’s head pops off his neck and rolls onto the floor. For anyone else the attack would be deadly, but for a zombie like Roger it’s a small setback. His headless body reaches into his pouch of potions and aims one at the ninja. It explodes all over her and sends her into a flurry of scratching.

  Looks like my Itching Fit Mixture is really up to scratch,’ says Roger’s head, grinning on the floor.

  Jay fights another ninja to my left. I’ve never seen anyone except a ninja block punches so well, but then I guess Jay has trained as a fighter all his life, even if it has only been for the movies. He ducks a blow from the ninja and delivers one of his own. The ninja falls to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

  A ninja rises up behind Sam, her hands ready to deliver a blow that could be deadly. Then there’s a humming sound and a crackle of electricity sweeps through the room, making my hair stand on end. Sparks fly as the ninja’s blow connects with the back of Sam’s neck. Sam has made himself electrified! The ninja shudders and drops to the ground, unconscious.

  Leigh stands very still with her eyes closed. If it were anyone else, I’d think they were napping on the job, but I know that Leigh is concentrating on talking to animals. I wonder what kind of animals would be living in these walls. I get my answer in a few seconds as thousands of brown, scuttling shapes pour out of the cracks in the walls.

  ‘ARRGGHH! COCKROACHES!’ yells Roger’s head, which is still on the floor. But the roaches don’t go anywhere near him. Instead they swarm one of the ninjas so that every inch of his body is covered in the insects. His panicked shrieks are cut off as his eyes roll back, and he passes out. I guess he’s just as afraid of insects as Roger is.

  There are two ninjas left and they’ve both got their eye on me. I look between them, wondering how I’m going to take them both on at the same time. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see Ari stand beside me.

  ‘Nobody gangs up on my little sister.’ Ari lunges at one of the ninjas and kicks his legs out from underneath him. They both fall to the floor in a frenzy of kicking and punching.

  ‘Hey! I don’t want to miss out on all the fun!’ I turn to the last ninja standing, then I reach for the sheath on my back and pull out my bo, a short wooden staff. I flick my bo towards his head, but I’m just pretending that’s where I’m aiming. Instead I switch my grip at the last second as he raises his sword to protect himself and smash the bo into his stomach.

  He cries out in pain, and his eyes flash with rage. But instead of attacking me, he turns and runs.

  ‘You’re not getting away that easily!’ I chase after the fleeing ninja with the Star League and Ari close behind me. We follow the runaway ninja down the halls towards the front gate. I’m about to get out my sling to try to bring him down as I race through the front gate, when my blood runs cold. I hear the others skid to a stop behind me with startled gasps.

  Because standing before us is a crowd of about a hundred ninjas, and they don’t look very happy to see us.

  My breath catches in my throat as I stare out at the sea of ninjas. There’s no way we can escape now. Fuzen has won.

  Speaking of Fuzen, I spot him standing at the back of the crowd on some kind of platform. His red sash flutters in the breeze, and I can make out the smug look on his face even from here.

  ‘Ah, Star League, so nice of you to finally join us!’ he sneers. I feel a surge of anger. I don’t know why he’s come after the Star League, but if I ever get my hands on him I’m going to make him pay.

  ‘Ninja brothers and sisters,’ he says, addressing the crowd. ‘These are the ones responsible for kidnapping your beloved Grandmistress Reika. Seize them!’

  ‘Wait!’ Ari’s voice is so strong and commanding that the ninjas freeze in their tracks. ‘The Star League aren’t the ones who kidnapped Grandmistress Reika!’

  ‘Oh yeah?’ jeers one ninja. ‘Then who was it?’

  ‘It was Fuzen!’ says Ari, glaring at the redsashed ninja. Many of the heads before us turn to look at their Grandmaster, unsure who to believe. But most still seem unconvinced and look like they could attack us at any second.

  ‘Fuzen was the one who poisoned me, not Asuka. In fact, it was my clever sister who saved my life by slipping me the antidote.’ Ari smiles at me. ‘Fuzen wanted me gone for good, but Asuka saved my life.’

  The ninjas start to mutter among themselves, not sure what to believe.

  ‘Lies! It’s all lies!’ screeches Fuzen. ‘The girl poisoned her brother, and now he’s covering for her!’

  ‘I’ve known Asuka since she was a baby,’ comes a voice from the crowd, ‘and I know she would never hurt Ari.’ I turn my head and see Gobu from the Shinzuka clan smiling at me. More ninjas are nodding in support.

  ‘Fuzen didn’t know that Asuka slipped me the antidote,’ says Ari. ‘He thought I was gone for good, so he said a lot of things around me that he probably shouldn’t have. Little did he know I was awake and listening the whole time. You should never trust a ninja with your secrets.’

  The crowd laughs. ‘Tell us what he said, Ari!’ yells a voice.

  Even from here I can see how jumpy Fuzen is. I wonder what he’s got to hide – other than being a lying, kidnapping snake, I mean.

  ‘Our so-called Grandmaster Fuzen is not really a ninja at all. He has had ninja training, but he was not raised as a ninja. He’s actually the head of an evil corporation whose aim is to take over the world. The Star League are his enemy because they’re trying to stop him, and since he couldn’t get rid of them on his own he thought he could trick us into doing his dirty work,’ says Ari through gritted teeth. ‘His real name isn’t even Fuzen – it’s Professor Pestilence.’

  Most of the crowd don’t recognise the name, but I stare in shocked silence at the rest of the Star League. Professor Pestilence? The same one behind all of the evil plots the Star League has unravelled? I clench my fists. This guy has definitely got to pay.

  ‘Get him!’ I race through the crowd of ninjas towards Professor Pestilence with the rest of the Star League at my back.

  Pestilence thought he could poison my brother and turn the ninjas against me? There’s no way he’s getting away with it this time. Now it’s personal.

  I keep my eyes on Professor Pestilence as I hurtle through the crowd. So far he’s proven to be a master escape artist, so I’m not letting him out of my sight. His red sash flutters behind him as he turns and runs away, which helps to mark him out from the rest of the black-suited ninjas. He might as well be wearing a giant target on his back.

  I bob and weave around the sea of bodies until I’m finally out in the open. I can hear the rest of the gang behind me, not able to keep up with me as I run through the forest. I know I should probably slow down and wait for them to catch up, but I can’t let the professor get away again, not after he hurt Ari.

  I leap over fallen tree trunks and skirt around dangerous ditches. He’s fast, but not as fast as me, and I start to gain on him. He keeps looking behind him, and I can tell by the look in his eyes that he knows I’m going to catch up with him any second. He skids to a stop and glares at me with his bright blue eyes.

  ‘It seems you’ve lost the rest of your team,’ he says in a smug voice. I look around and realise that he’s right. There’s no sign of the rest of the Star League.
r />   ‘You don’t need to worry about them, Pestilence, because I’m going to take you out myself!’

  He laughs. ‘We’ll see about that!’ In the blink of an eye, he whips out a shuriken and throws it straight at my head. But I’m faster than that. I reach for the wooden bo on my back and smash the shuriken out of the way like a baseball.

  Pestilence’s eyes widen in surprise. He shakes his head and pulls out a very sharp-looking sword from the sheath on his back. He hefts it in his hands, ready to swing at me.

  Then I hear crashing through the trees behind me, and five figures emerge from the forest. I grin.

  ‘Just in time, guys.’

  Jay cracks his knuckles, getting ready for a fight. Connor snarls and flexes his werewolf claws. Leigh closes her eyes and suddenly the forest seems alive with a hundred scuttling things ready to join in the battle. Roger pulls out a handful of deadly potions. Sam holds out his hands, which crackle with electricity.

  The small part of Pestilence’s face that I can see behind the mask goes deathly pale. He looks at each of us, then turns and runs again. We follow close behind as he runs down a slope and into the mouth of a cave hidden behind a row of bushes.

  It’s so dark in the cave that I can’t see a thing. There’s a scuffling sound just in front of me, but I can’t tell if it’s Pestilence or something else that has decided to make this cave home. Then the scuffling turns into a deafening roar. It sounds like the whole cave is collapsing!

  ‘Sam, we need some light!’ I yell. His flashlight eyes snap on, lighting up a figure just in front of me. His back is to me, but I can tell it’s Pestilence from the red sash around his waist. He’s staring at the mouth of a tunnel ahead of him that looks like it has just caved in.

  ‘This time there’s nowhere to run, Pestilence!’ I grab his shoulder and spin him around, but what I see makes me gasp out loud.

  In the torchlight I can see that Pestilence’s eyes are no longer bright blue, but are dark brown instead. Also, his face is covered in wrinkles. And he’s not a he at all, he’s a she!