Momo: Mages of Pure Heart

Chapter 10: Mao Mao & Momo

"Well, this tour's simply been a trip."

It had been a little while, but after the Sheriff's Department spent a bit of time helping out the students with cleaning up the messes created by the ghosts in the school (though they didn't need to do much since the students already knew enough about magic use to take care of it), it was time for them to leave.

Mao Mao stretched his arms over his head, and once he set them down again, Adorabat hovered and perched herself on his shoulder. He also looked to see that Badgerclops was in the middle of showing off his ghost-capturing gadget to the students sans Momo, who paid attention to the sheriff instead.

Momo, along with Camille, Honey, and the other four students were standing out in the front courtyard of the school with Mao Mao. After finally settling down from neutralizing the ghost threat, it was time that they parted ways with the Sheriff's Department. It had been a long and taxing period together, even if it was only for a few hours, but it was safe to say that they really had a way to get to know each other.

"So then, what did you think of our school?" Momo asked the sheriff politely and meekly, now that she was finally relaxed and in the mood to be like that once again. She even held her hands together for good measure.

"Oh, it was definitely unique," Mao Mao replied with theatrical bashfulness, even flicking his wrist in playful and non-malicious dismissiveness, "Never been here before until now and it's totally unlike anything I've ever seen in Pure Heart Valley." He then leaned down to address Momo in a pseudo-whisper. "Plus the stuff they teach here is totally out-of-this-world."

Mao Mao was face to face with a slightly disappointed Momo with her hands on her hips.

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding!" he backtracked innocently, holding up both his hands openly, feigning a sheepish smile of his own. In response, Momo changed her disappointed scowl to a lopsided smirk, apparently just playing with the sheriff's perception.

"I saw that..." came the low growl of sheriff Mao Mao, his eyes narrowed. He turned to look over the little black cat's shoulder to see the toothy and angry-eyed ghost still squirming inside the energy net that Badgerclops apparently captured it in. "So, what are we gonna do about that?" he brought up, pointing to it with a thumb.

"Let's keep it, Mao Mao!" Adorabat interjected, bouncing on the bigger black cat's shoulder a little.

"Naw naw, absolutely not," Mao Mao refused with a wag of a finger. "We've all had enough trouble hitting these ghouls as it was the whole time," he took a side glance at Badgerclops who looked back at him with mild bewilderment, "and you can't trust them for target practice either."

"What?" Badgerclops said when he figured out Mao Mao was talking to him too.

"Aw phooey," Adorabat pouted, followed by Badgerclops quietly joking to her 'Told you he'd say no', which made her even more pouty.

Camille observed the exchange momentarily but was once again interrupted by Honey whispering into her ear. Whatever she heard from her apprentice, Camille have a faint but affirming nod. "We'll take it," she called over the Sheriff's Department's bickering. The three, plus Momo, swiveled to look at the old chameleon like she had just said the next weird thing. "What?" came Camille's defensive reaction, "We're always looking for new ways to make new inventions and we could use the research." She looked over the captured ghost with a somewhat predatory glint in her eyes. "Plus, ghosts are such rare sources of magic ingredients, since they don't show up every day..."

The ghost seemed to notice the disposition the old magic technician was expressing, at least from the way it started to shiver from inside its net. Even Momo and the Sheriff's Department couldn't help but shudder a little as well, not eager to ask what it is Camille had in mind.

Either way, they shifted their focus back to the farewell they meant on exchanging.

"So, uh, it was nice to meet you, Ms. Momo," Mao Mao said with a hand rubbing behind his head, "Always great to meet someone kinda like me. You were really amazing out there, and thanks for showing me around."

"You're welcome," Momo responded cordially. "I really liked seeing how you tackled trouble too, Mr. Sheriff."

"Why of course," Mao Mao laughed, "and please, you can call me Mao Mao."

Ignoring the giggles from both Badgerclops and Adorabat, Momo couldn't help but find the situation a little funny anyway, considering each other's names. "Of course then, Mr. Mao Mao. Will I be seeing you again?"

Mao Mao seemed a bit speculative, though hopeful as well. "Oh, perhaps. I might come back for a visit if a routine inspection calls for it. Maybe if I'm invited over for a special presentation, then I could see you again. But until then, duty calls."

"Okay then, Mr. Mao Mao," Momo said, "I'll see you when I see you. You take care." She gave a little wave to the sheriff to cap off the farewell.

"Likewise," Mao Mao returned the gesture with a little nod and bow of his own. "And again, it was wonderful to meet you." He turned his head to face Adorabat. "Well then, ready to go home?"

"Yeah, I'm kinda tired," was the bat's answer. She hoped off Mao Mao's shoulder and flapped over to the aerocycle, in which she seated herself at the back.

"Ready to head back, Badgerclops?" he turned the other way to address his bigger partner, but was surprised to find that he was looking at nothing. "Badgerclops?" His eyes darted around the vicinity, starting to furiously wonder where the badger had run off to. His question was immediately answered when he heard the badger's distant whooping up in the sky. Turning to face the source, Mao Mao spotted Badgerclops streaking through the air while riding a broom, the same kind of flying broom that he saw with Momo.

"See ya back at home, Mao!" Badgerclops yelled to his black cat partner from the distance. He then resumed his excited cries as he flew away at a high speed.

"Wha-!? Badgerclops!" Mao Mao exclaimed indignantly. "That broom's school property! Get back here!" Wasting no time, he leapt into the front seat of the aerocycle and donned his flight helmet along with Adorabat. With a rev of the engine, the aerocycle fired away into the air and flew off after the runaway broom-flying badger, leaving behind a billowing dust cloud.

Back on the school grounds, everyone who had just seen the sight was laughing, even including Momo. It seemed that the sheriff was not just awesome but also a funny guy just like his deputies.

This was all shaping up to be an interesting year for everyone.