Most of loneleaf village had come outside to witness the fight, and so when the head exploded, so did mass hysteria.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh"
"A Pokémon attack! RUN!!"
Whilst everyone was starting to run off, Mato looked incredulously at the headless gang leader spewing a fountain of blood from his neck and asked himself what was going on.
'What just happened…' Mato thought
Meanwhile the gang had already ran off, scared out of their wits and left Kotami lying on the ground nursing his head in pain.
A pain akin to a stab in the head was felt by Kotami who writhed in pain on the ground.
Mato stood up and worriedly came to him, tension and fright palpable on his face as he was wondering what had happened to his best friend.
"Hey, you okay?"
A disgruntled voice came back
"Ughhh, yes I'm okay"
At the same time the fainted uncle Shibu started to stir awake. Seeing so Mato decisively ran to him and helped him stand up.
"Father will you be okay?"
Asked Mato
"Yes, don't worry about me, I'm sturdy as a rock eheh.
What about you boys?"
Answered Shibu with a touch of pain and relief coming through his voice.
"We are all mostly fine, suddenly all hell broke loose and the gang leader head exploded!"
A stupefied Uncle Shibu looked at his blood colored stone walled house and asked them both what the hell was goin on.
"I believe it might have been a Pokémon attack" said Mato
As they chatted about what had just transpired, Kotami was rewinding time and recalling what had truly happened. An overpowering force had come out of him as he lost control over his mind and emotions. He felt a searing pain in his mind after clearly feeling that the force had brutally blown the head of Kano from the inside out.
What was he supposed to do now?
Trainers or rangers wouldn't come, but someone was sure to put the pieces together after seeing him inhumanely howl like that. Would the village try to purge him then? Would they listen to him?
That he didn't know, but he knew that his head didn't feel right at all, in fact calling it a critical situation was euphemistic, and he was sure he couldn't replicate the earlier feat at will.
As he was pondering the voice of uncle Shibu resounded:
"Kotami come, we will hide together in the house for safety and come up with something."
"Okay uncle Shibu, I'm coming."
Shibu proceeded to group with them in the blood painted house whilst still clearly absorbed in his worries.
—— ——
Time passed slowly by and suddenly evening had come. They were all huddled in the house waiting for the situation in the village to stabilise as people who had run off earlier started coming back to loneleaf.
Boiled rice was served and even though they all felt nauseous due to bloody smell and untouched cadaver lying on the floor and also due to their spiking anxiety and adrenaline release, they still ate ravenously.
The bottom rung always ate if there was to eat. Even if it was after a dangerously long fast when eating even a crumb could harm them.
In the general silence the only sound heard was the loud chewing of the three and after a while they were done eating. They then started washing the wooden bowls with stagnant dirty water when Kotami suddenly thought:
'tonight I'm leaving. I AM LEAVING TONIGHT!'
*sigh*
A sigh which would sign the turning point of kotami's life left his lips.