Terror. All encompassing.
Where was he? He'd never been here before.
"H…u…r…t…s…"
What was that? It wasn't anyone he knew, the voice wasn't familiar.
But then, it wasn't a voice.
Was it?
It sounded human.
But it wasn't.
How did he know that?
"S…a…p…p…h…i…r…e…"
It knew his name?
Blonde hair. A torn pink dress.
She needed his help!
Broken glasses. A spent bottle rocket.
No! He couldn't be dead!
A shattered sword. A royal outfit.
All of them! Gone!
Only him…
"H…u…r…t…s."
He lifted his bat in his left hand. Where was his right?
He could have sworn he had two arms…
"H…e…l…p… m…e…"
He prayed. Evil incarnate swallowed it whole.
Even being bound to the earth could not save him.
Insane laughter. Where was it coming from?
It wasn't from him.
Nor the pained voice that was and wasn't human.
A fat boy. Blue skin.
Ah. Of course. Only he would aid a creature like this.
What? What creature? There was nothing else besides them.
Except for the void. Eternity.
Evil incarnate.
He could not comprehend the monstrosity that had swallowed the universe, and all of its light.
"F…r…i…e…n…d…s…"
Ah. That's what unnerved him.
The human slash not human had his voice.
Why did it have his voice?
He prepared Hope in his hand. Light shone out from between the bat and his palm.
Hope? Why was light appearing?
Hope.
Prayers.
He was Bound to the Earth, yes. But not just that.
How many people had they touched?
How many friends had they made?
How much light did they shine upon their darkness ridden world?
No, not just the earth.
They were Bound by their Heart's.
His friends grabbed his shoulder, hooked an arm around his own, gave a weak thumbs up.
All of them unique in their own way.
They screamed and charged.
What was he charging at?
Why struggle?
Why fight?
Because he had hope.
Together, they would overcome.
An abyss.
Below him, the red and black opened into even more black.
He fell.
And fell.
And fell.
Until he was swallowed up by the darkness.
Chapter One: Beginnings
Sapphire started as he awoke, a large rumble in the earth and crashing sound shaking him awake. As he scrambled to look around at what was happening or where he was, he accidentally fell off of his bed and slammed into the ground.
He groaned and sat up, rubbing his head. Slowly his panic faded and he remembered where he was. His second story bedroom, in his hometown Onett, on the continent of Eagleland.
What was he dreaming about? He couldn't remember. Probably just another nightmare. He stood up and dusted off his pajamas, and went to exit his room. He winced as he stepped on an action figure, nearly falling over and bumping into his drawer. He neared the door and fumbled with the door handle for a minute, before successfully opening it.
As he exited into the second-floor hallway, he flicked a light switch by his door to turn the light on. Warm light filled the hall, letting him see where he was going. His first priority was his sister's room, to make sure she was okay. He walked towards her door, before knocking. "Sis?"
"Come in!" He turned the doorknob and entered, flicking on the light switch to see his sister sitting on her bed in her own pajamas. "Hey bro, did the sound wake you up too?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I came to see if you were alright."
"Aw!" She grinned and nodded. "Don't worry I'm A-okay! Are you going to go see what that was?"
"If mom will let me, then yeah." Sapphire shrugged. "I'm pretty curious about what could have happened."
"I bet it was aliens!"
"I'm… not even going to dignify that with a response." His sister pouted at him and he grinned to show he was kidding. "In all seriousness, it was probably a transformer explosion."
"You should take your bat! You can beat up any evil creatures you find!"
"Trace, my bat's already cracked, I'm not risking it breaking. You did get it for my thirteenth birthday." The memory made him grin. His sister knew that he'd loved baseball, and was on the school baseball team every year, so she'd saved up and gotten him a bat for his birthday almost a full year ago. Sapphire also remembered that he'd have to save up and get her something nice. Some new dolls maybe?
"Well, whatever it is, good luck! Oh, do you think mom will let me stay up late? I can't get back to sleep." Sapphire snorted at his sister's attempt to justify staying up and flicked off the light before closing the door.
He turned and walked down the stairs, hand on the railing. His mom was sitting downstairs with King, the family dog, and looked over when she heard him walk down the steps. "Oh, Sapphire!"
"Hey, mom. What's going on, what was that noise earlier?"
"I'm not sure. I saw flashing lights outside, so I think the police are checking it out."
"Can I go check it out?"
She looked at him for a moment, before sighing. "Well, you'd probably sneak off if I told you not to. Just be careful, and put on your clothes alright?"
"Got it, mom!" He walked back upstairs to change, slipping on his trusty baseball cap, a striped shirt, and jeans. When he walked back downstairs he slipped on his sneakers, before exiting into the slightly chilly night air.
He looked around and didn't see many people, obviously because it was so late, but he did see several red and blue lights ahead so he headed towards those. He walked down the dirt road, passing by several police officers. Some of them nodded at him, while others just ignored him. What confused him was why so many were out here. Sure, something may have exploded or whatever, but were that many cops really necessary?
He circled around a hill, passing by a small house, whose owner he never talked to. He was some creepy old guy named Lier X. Agerate. Well, that was a bit mean spirited. He wasn't really creepy per se, more over-enthusiastic about stuff. Still, he didn't want to be alone with the guy. Either way, he should probably check up on the guy later, after all the cops were seeming to congregate on the hill over his house.
He continued climbing upwards towards a small plateau that he would sometimes relax on, watching the clouds. However, when he neared the top, he could see several police barricades, a couple of police cars, and several policemen. Sapphire wasn't confused about the barricades, but he was confused about the police cars. How the heck did they maneuver those up there? The path was barely wide enough for a couple of people side by side!
A bob of blonde hair brought a groan out from Sapphire as he saw his… 'friend', Pokey. He was walking back and forth, annoying the cops if their faces were any indication. He thought about just turning back so he wouldn't have to deal with him, but Pokey turned and saw him before he could. "Hey, Sapphire."
"Hey, Pokey."
He ran up, placing his hands on his hips. "Don't be rubberneckin'. You're gettin' in the cops', er, I mean Officer's, way!" He grinned, placing a hand on his chest. "You can go home now. Tomorrow, I, Pokey, will tell you more about the meteorite. I'm fine here, but you're bugging the officers!"
Sapphire blandly stared at him and looked over his shoulder to see the officers practically on the verge of smacking him upside the head. "Well, have fun with that Pokey." He waved, before immediately leaving to get away from the… heavy set boy. No, that was putting it mildly. Chubby? Nope. Fat? Yeah, that's about right.
He stumbled at that thought, before shaking it off. Why was that familiar? No, it was probably just him being tired or something. Either way, what Pokey said definitely interested him. A meteorite? That sounded awesome! Too bad Pokey got there before him, the cops would have probably let him see a peek at least if his neighbor hadn't started annoying them.
As he walked back down the small plateau, he could still hear Pokey's voice, though thankfully it got quieter the further he got from the place. When he got home, he saw his mother standing by the door, smiling at him. "Hello, dear, you don't have to tell me about what happened now, you scoot on up to bed, and tell us in the morning."
Sapphire could barely get a word in edgewise that he wasn't tired, the cold air having woken him up before he was dragged upstairs to his room. He was in bed before he'd realized what happened. He sighed and took off his hat, deciding to just try and get some sleep.
A bit later, when he was just feeling the fog of sleep claim him, a loud banging woke him up. He fell out of bed for the second time that night and scowled, grabbing his cap to cover his bed head, and his trusty cracked baseball bat so he could knock whoever was slamming at the front door unconscious for waking him.
As he stalked down the stairs, passing his sister on the way, he noticed his mother also coming out of her bedroom. He reached the front door and pulled it open, revealing Pokey about to slam his fist into the door again. "Pokey," he started, baseball bat tapping up and down on his shoulder menacingly, "Whatever you need, it can wait 'till morning."
"W-w-wait!" He shoved his foot in the door before he could close it, shoving his way inside. "J-just Listen! When I took Picky to where the meteor landed, well," he paused when he saw Sapphire's mom standing behind Sapphire. "Oh, good evening ma'am! You look lovely as ever!" He snickered.
"Pokey, You're taking awfully long to get to the point, especially for a man in swinging distance…"
"Right! Uh, anyway, the police that were guarding the meteor suddenly left to deal with the Sharks, you know the local gang?" Sapphire nodded. They were a relatively new gang, but already they had practically taken over south Onett, tagging up the buildings, Terrorizing people, and worst of all, they'd taken over the arcade! "Anyway, when I turned around, Picky was gone!"
Sapphire frowned. While Picky was the younger brother, he was remarkably more likable and much more mature than Pokey. It was unlikely that he'd wander off alone. Heck, Sapphire preferred hanging out with him rather than Pokey, even though he was a few years younger than them.
"I blame the cops! It certainly wasn't my fault at all!" Sapphire let a deadpan expression settle onto his face. Yeah, it was his fault then. Of course, what really annoyed him was how certain Pokey seemed of that. Like he was legitimately correct. "Ugh, when my dad gets back I know I'm gonna get it… anyway, you're my bestest friend, so won't you help me find Picky?"
"Sure. You won't stop bothering me anyway." He quickly slipped on his shoes and waved to his mother. Really, the best way to get rid of Pokey was to just agree and go with him, even if just to humor him.
"Sapphire, wait!" She hurried over before he could leave, King trotting after her. "I won't stop you since it's dangerous for Picky to be out on his own, but at least take King! He may be unreliable sometimes, but I'd feel better if you take him along."
"Alright mom, can't argue with that." He bent over and pet King. "Come on bud, let's go find Picky."
"Bro!" He turned to see Tracey running over with his backpack and a cookie in a wrapper. "If you're going to fight monsters, you need to have your bag! And this cookie will restore your health points!"
"I think I've let you play too many of my video games…" he took the bag and slipped the cookie in, before shrugging it on. He grinned and ruffled his sister's hair, "Might as well take it then. I'll make sure to split the loot with you when I get back."
The sudden ringing of a phone made him groan before he slumped over to it. "Seriously, it's near dawn! Who would call at this time?!" He picked up the phone, pressing it to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hey there kid!"
"Eh- Dad?" His father was a businessman, often going on long trips and bringing home lots of money. Of course, that meant that he was gone for large swathes of time, but he was forgiven. After all, they didn't live in poverty because of him.
"That's right! I was busy at work when I saw the news that a meteorite fell! And knowing my little boy, I wanted to call and wish you luck in your investigation! Be careful with the monsters!"
"Dad, there aren't going to be any monsters…" he blushed at his dad calling him little, before shaking his head. "Anyway, I've got to go. Gotta help Pokey find his brother."
"Ah, that's my boy! Helping out everyone he meets, making so many friends! How many people are you bound by the heart with you by now…" his father's voice trailed off as pain shot through his head.
Terror.
Eternal darkness.
We are bound together, through thick and thin.
Sapphire shook his head. "S-sorry dad, what was that last part?"
"I was just saying that I feel like the father of a hero!"
"Heh, thanks, dad." He smiled brightly, practically lighting up the room. He really looked up to his father, and now he couldn't wait for the next time he got home.
"One more thing, I've deposited some money in your bank account! You still have your ATM card, right?"
"Yep, right here." He patted his back pocket as he said so, feeling his wallet, before remembering his father couldn't see him.
"Alright! Hey, maybe you could use some of that money to take a girl to the movies! Anyone, you've got your eyes on?"
A pink dress. A red bow.
"Daaaaad!"
"Hahaha! Alright, I'll let you get going! Have fun, kiddo!" He hung up, before walking outside, where Pokey was waiting.
"Alright, you lead, and I'll follow at a safe distance!"
"Of course you will…" Sapphire shook his head and began walking, King at his heels and Pokey a good few feet behind him, out into the Onett hills. Almost immediately, the hairs on his neck stood up.
Danger.
He looked around, trying to see what was different. Visibly, not much. But in the air, subtle energy was flowing. It felt… wrong. Dark. He didn't like it. "Hey, Sapphire, do you feel that too?" Sapphire absentmindedly nodded, feeling goosebumps form. He lifted up his bat, having forgotten to put it away, but now glad that he hadn't.
They exited his yard, walking towards the hill that the meteorite landed at. His heart was hammering in his chest. His breathing was accelerating. What the heck was going on?!
Danger.
Sapphire dove backward, tackling Pokey. "MOVE!" Where he just stood, a medium-sized brown dog landed, biting down on air. Its fur was a dirty brown, sticking up here and there as if it hadn't been brushed in days. Its eyes seemed to glow and pierced his heart, while its snarling mouth drooled something. Did it have rabies or something?!
It let out a piercing howl before it charged at him again. Before Sapphire could attempt to do anything, King shot forward and tackled the rabid dog. They flailed around on the ground, trying and failing to bite each other, until they were standing again, King between them and the dog, both of them letting out vicious snarls.
"Pokey, I need-" he looked back for Pokey, but couldn't spot him. "Dang it Pokey."
The dog shot forward again and attacked, scratching at King. Seeing his dog in trouble, Sapphire charged forward and reared back, smashing his bat against the dog's head. The dog flew back, tumbling over itself before it hit a tree. Sapphire readied his bat, but when it didn't get up, he lowered it. "Uh, doggy?"
Pokey, who had reappeared when he saw he wasn't in danger anymore, gasped. "I think you killed it!"
"W-What?! I didn't mean to k-kill it!" He ran over and got down on his knees, pressing his ear against it. Sure enough, no heartbeat. He gasped, feeling a nauseous feeling in his stomach. "I… I just killed something… oh god, I think I'm going to be sick…"
Pokey, not sure what to do, just stood there. When Sapphire finished dry heaving, he shakily got up, before stepping back in shock as the dog gave off a brief light, before going back to normal. "Sapphire, What was that?!"
"You think I have any idea what that was?!"
"S-Sapphire, quiet down!"
"Quiet down?! I just killed something! I-" he cut himself off when he saw Pokey back up from something slowly. He looked up, and in the tree branch above him was a crow. But not a regular crow. It had a humanoid and malicious grin on its face, while dark energy crackled around its fur. Right near its eyes was where it was concentrated the most, meaning it almost looked like the crow was wearing sunglasses.
Sapphire froze, before slowly crawling backward, making sure not to do any sudden movements. "Pokey. Have you ever seen any crow like that?"
Pokey slowly shook his head, luckily picking up on the need to talk slowly as to not startle the thing. "N-no."
"Okay. So it's not just me then." As they backed away, Pokey didn't watch where he was going and stepped on a branch. They both froze when the sharp crack rang out, but it was too late, the crow launched itself at them cawing in a way that almost seemed like laughter.
Sapphire instinctively brought his bat around to smash it out of the air. But it nimbly dodged him and began clawing at his eyes. "AH! POKEY! HELP!"
Pokey, not sure what to do, ran again. Sapphire would have made some kind of rude gesture if he wasn't busy with the malicious crow. "GET! OFF!" He brought his bat around and finally was able to get a hit on the thing. It slammed into the ground, probably breaking every bone in its body.
Sapphire gasped in pain as he hunched over, holding a hand to his eyes. Luckily, his eyeballs weren't damaged at all. It was just the areas around his eyes that were scratched and- was that blood? Sapphire gagged, hating the sight of blood.
More cawing made him straighten up, and he turned to see the crow picking itself up. "How is that thing still alive?!" It began fluttering again before King jumped up and snatched it midair. He tossed his head from side to side, grinding his teeth into its body, before tossing it onto the ground.
It hit the dirt, but this time the dark energy around it vanished with a similar flare of light that the dog gave off when dying. The human-like grin seemed to turn back into a regular beak, and the energy around its eyes vanished. "What are these things?"
Sapphire twitched as he heard Pokey ask that, before reigning himself in. He'd already killed a dog, helped kill a crow, but he was not killing Pokey Minch. "No idea."
"We should get back to the house! Wait until morning!"
"Are you crazy? Picky is still out here! We have to find him, or do you not care about your brother?!" Pokey looked nervous and began wringing his hands. "Whatever. I'm going to find your brother, you just go home then."
He began walking towards the meteorite hill, not waiting for Pokey to make up his mind. A few seconds afterward, quick footsteps began following him, and Sapphire sighed. Looks like he wouldn't be getting rid of him as fast as he wanted.
Sudden howls caused them to spin around, and they could see several dogs running after them. Before Sapphire could say anything, Pokey was already running. He rolled his eyes before following.
As they ran up the hills of the northern Onett area, Sapphire could hear the barks of the rabid dogs closing in. He looked over his shoulder and saw one of them jump at him, causing him to slam it out of the air with his bat. It landed hard, before shaking its head and continuing to run after them.
How tough were these things? You'd think most things would stop moving after taking a baseball bat to the skull, but they just kept coming! Before the dog could attack again, King spun around and jumped at it, protecting his master. "King, wait!"
Almost immediately he was swarmed by the rest of the dogs and quickly outnumbered. Sapphire yelled and charged in, he swung his bat at a dog in an upward aiming arc, slamming it back and up into the air. He turned and smashed another dog, tossing it away.
Danger.
He felt tingles along his spine, but before he could turn around, the first dog he had attacked tackled him, knocking him to the ground. It snarled and bit down, sinking its fangs into his shoulder. "Gah!" He grabbed its jaws in his hands, attempting to push it away before King tackled it off him. He lifted his hand to his shoulder, feeling punctures where the dog's fangs dug in.
He grit his teeth and fought through the pain, picking up his bat and slamming it into the dog on top of King. The dog yelped, but before it could get up he brought his bat down again, killing it. He gasped for breath, sinking to his knees. The knowledge that he had killed something was just as sickening, but at least he wasn't feeling like throwing up again.
He lifted a hand to his shoulder, feeling warm blood pool against his palm. He squeezed his eyes closed and wished that he knew some kind of first aid, before a warming feeling flowed over him, as well as a wave of dizziness. When he stopped pressing his hand against his shoulder to hold his head, both feelings stopped.
He looked at his shoulder in confusion, only to see that the puncture wounds were gone. He brushed his hand along his shoulder to clear the blood and see if he was just mistaken, but sure enough, the holes were gone. He lifted his hand up to look at it, and he could see a small glow coming from it, similar to the ones that came off of the animals he killed.
An idea came to him, and he pressed his hand against his eyes and waited a moment. Sure enough, a mixture of warmth and dizziness washed over him, and he couldn't feel any more cuts. His hand then stopped glowing, but before he could start wondering, he felt a tug at his bag. He looked back, and one of the crows cawed in his face as it flew away with Tracey's cookie.
"Hey! Give that back!" He brought his bat around to hit it and barely missed. It laughed and began eating his cookie, causing him to growl and jump up, swinging his bat and barely reaching it. It flew out of the air and slammed into a tree, where he brought his bat around to mash it against the bark. The crow let off a weak caw, before falling down, the energy vanishing as it flowed for a moment.
He reached down and grabbed the cookie, putting it back in his bag. A bark drew his attention to King, who was fighting off several crows. "King!" He ran over and leaped up, bringing his bat down clumsily on a crow with a yell. The crow tumbled away and began swinging wildly, trying to shoo all the crows away from King. When he had a clear path out from the storm of black feathers, Sapphire grabbed his collar and dragged him out, before running.
There were way too many crows, and they wouldn't be able to take them all. Their only option was to pull a Pokey and run. They quickly ascended the hill, and Sapphire perked up when he saw Lier X. Agerate's house in the distance. Sapphire hoped that the man wouldn't mind any visitors, and shoulder rushed the door, slamming it open. He stumbled inside and held the door open just long enough for King to get inside before he slammed it in the crows faces.
He breathed heavily, letting himself rest his back against the door before he slid down until he landed on his butt. "Oh hey, Sapphire! I see you survived!"
Sapphire breathed out slowly, before opening his eyes. "Pokey. I see you learned how to sprint." He shifted his head to the side to see Mr. Agerate and nodded. "Sorry for barging in like this, Sir, but, well, some weird stuff is going on outside."
"Yes, Pokey told me about the animals going crazy. Well, you can stay here for a little while, just be careful when you go back out." Sapphire nodded in thanks, and Mr. Agerate turned around, before seeming to think of something and turning back to him. "By the way, Sapphire, I have something secret to show you. 'Cause we're buddies like that, right? Anyway, come by later and I'll show it to you."
Sapphire felt a bit creeped out, but nodded. He owed the man for letting them stay in his house while the crows outside dispersed, so he might as well. He would take King of course and his bat. He wasn't stupid. Hopefully, he wouldn't need either, but better safe than sorry.
Sapphire stood up and looked out the window, not seeing any more crows. "Alright, looks clear. Come on Pokey. Thanks for letting us stay here, Mr. Agerate." He nodded at him and Pokey hurried over as Sapphire opened the door and exited.
Sapphire wrapped his fingers around the leather on his bat's handle, looking around as they walked up the Hill. As they walked they were much more cautious, turning corners slowly, and keeping watch for any more crazy animals. Once or twice a couple of crows would fly overhead, but they ducked underneath nearby trees whenever that happened, hiding.
Eventually, they reached the barricades that the cops had left behind, and squeezed between them. They rounded the last curve onto the plateau, and Sapphire gasped as he saw the glowing light of the meteorite. It was glowing, similarly to the animals and his hand, but much more calmly. Serenely. There was no sound, the crows' and dog's howls and caws somehow silenced from the little plateau of calmness. The only sound was the gentle woosh of the wind.
"Picky?!" Pokey walked forward ignoring the meteor, and when Sapphire went to follow, stopped as King began growling. He turned to see what was wrong and only saw that he had his fur standing on end before he ran. Sapphire made to go after him, but he was too fast, and already out of sight.
"Wonder what spooked him?" He turned and began walking after Pokey. He stopped when he neared the meteorite, looking down at it. It was odd, the grass nearby wasn't dead or burned, and the impact crater looked as though it had smashed straight down. He supposed it wasn't impossible for a meteor to crash like that but it was probably much more common that they crashed at angles.
"Picky! There you are!" Sapphire shook his head and walked away from the meteorite, approaching Pokey. He was standing behind a couple small trees, and when he rounded them he saw Picky sitting against them.
When Picky saw Sapphire, he waved calmly. "Hey, Sapphire. Thanks for finding Pokey for me."
"Finding Pokey?" He turned to Pokey. "I thought you said he wandered off?"
Before Pokey could get a word in edgewise, Picky shook his head. "No, Pokey got scared and ran away. I tried to find him, but got tired and fell asleep."
Sapphire leveled a deadpan glare against Pokey, who was shaking his head and mouthing 'he's lying!' "Damn it Pokey."
Picky stood up and brushed off his clothes. "Well, let's get going home the Pokey. I bet Mom and Dad are worried."
"Oh no! We'll be in trouble!"
Sapphire shook his head. "Whatever. Let's get you home." Sapphire ruffled Picky's bowl-cut and began leading them away as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
They passed by the meteorite again and Sapphire felt a faint feeling in his head, but he shook it off and continued walking. Or, he would have, if Pokey hadn't grabbed his shoulder. "What now?"
"Do you hear a faint buzzing noise? Like a bee?"
"Pokey, if you're afraid of bees after being attacked by rabid dogs and malicious crows, there is seriously something wrong with you."
"So you can hear it!"
"Oh my god, I just want to beat your face in…" Sapphire whispered to himself before he sighed and turned in a circle. "Alright, any bees around here come out and show yourself! I've got a baseball bat with your name on it!"
Nothing happened. Sapphire turned back to Pokey and let the bat rest against his shoulder. "See? Nothing. Now, let's-"
A sudden golden beam of light shot out of the meteorite, and Sapphire shut up. Out of the ball of fire and rock, a small insect rose up. Though it wasn't really a bee, it looked more like a large beetle. Either way, insects surrounded by golden light weren't a thing that usually happened. Sapphire readied his bat, ready to knock the thing out of the sky.
"A bee… I am not." Oh great, and now it was talking. With an electronic voice, to boot. A cyborg beetle? That was a new one."I am from ten years in the future. And in this future… the earth is doomed." And now doomsday prophecies! Well, it was no weirder than evil crows or glowing healing hands! Might as well listen to the possible creation of a fever dream.
"Giygas, the universal cosmic destroyer, sent everyone to the horror of eternal darkness." As Sapphire raised an eyebrow, he looked over to see Pokey covering his eyes and cowering and Picky eating it all up. Giygas? Yeah, real scary, buddy. What kind of name was
"I…t… h…u…r…t…s, S…a…p…p…h…i…r…e…"
Giygas? "However, you must listen! Where I am from, there is a well-known legend, that has been handed down since ancient times! It goes, when the Chosen Boy reaches the point, he will find the light. The passing of time shall shatter the nightmare rock, and will reveal the path of light." Sapphire snorted. Well, that was a real helpful prophecy.
"You see, it is my opinion that you are that boy, Sapphire. This, I believe…" Sapphire raised an eyebrow and shook his head.
"I've never done anything special in my life. How could I be the 'chosen boy' or whatever?"
"Are you truly average, Sapphire? I already sense it, within the first hour of his invasion, you have grown stronger. You already realized the power of
PSI Lifeup α
PSI Lifeup." Sapphire stumbled back as the bugs words were said the same time they popped into his head. Lifeup. It wasn't even familiar, it was beyond that. It felt like it had existed within him all his life.
The bug turned, looking out towards southern Onett. "Giygas' monstrous plan must have been set in motion somewhere on Earth…" he turned back towards him. "If you set out now, to counter his plan, you may be able to stop his evil intentions. There are three things that will be of the utmost importance to you. Wisdom. Courage. And friendship."
"Friendship?"
"The legends tell of three boys and a girl who defeat Giygas. I can tell you more later, for now, we should get somewhere safe. Let us go! You have much work to do, Sapphire." He nodded, acknowledging his words. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he knew the words were true, no matter how much the rest of his mind rebelled.
Sapphire began walking absentmindedly, thinking about the bug's words. Pokey came up behind him, sweating nervously. "You're in a lot of trouble this time Sapphire! And three boys…? I hope I'm not one of them, this thing really isn't for me!" He gripped his chest through his shirt, his sweating almost seeming to intensify. "Oh wow, my heart feels like it's pounding out of my chest!
Sapphire sighed and ignored him, pretty certain that Pokey would not be one of the boys. They descended the hills, and surprisingly there weren't as many dogs or crows anymore. There were still a few here and there, but they were far away and didn't attack, which gave Sapphire time to think. He was some kind of chosen boy, for some weird prophecy? So weird! But…
He held his hand out and focused, trying to call forward the energy from before. When nothing happened he lowered his hand, thinking about what the bug had called his power. PSI Lifeup. Sapphire almost assumed that the power would activate when he thought its name, but nothing happened. He held his hand up again and looked at it.
Whatever it was, it seemed pretty weak, for now at least. It healed his cuts and small punctures, but it probably couldn't do much more than that. It was like… Like the alpha version of a video game. Yeah. PSI Lifeup α. At that thought, his hand glowed again. He looked at it in shock, before shaking his head and shutting it off. That confirmed it, he supposed. He was magical.
As they reached the bottom of the hill, they began walking towards Pokey's house, before a bright flash of light cut them off. Sapphire held a hand up to his face. When he opened his eyes again, he saw a strange creature kneeling on its knees in front of them, before it stood up straight.
It looked like a man in a pure silver space suit, with a similar energy to the crows flashing around its body, with a black visor for it to see out of. It had several symbols on its left breast, and its hands weren't really hands, as its arms turned into tentacles at the ends. The energy in the air was more intense than ever, and the feeling of danger was at its strongest.
"Buzz Buzz… we meet again…" the voice… was actually pretty normal. But that wasn't what Sapphire focused on.
"Hold up, your name is Buzz Buzz?" He looked up at the fly circling his head, with a raised eyebrow.
"That is not important," Buzz Buzz stated. "What stands before us is a servant of Giygas."
"What even is it?"
"Serving under Giygas are many creatures, and as his hold over Earth strengthens, more animals, creatures, and people will join him. This creature is known as a Starman, with the rank of Junior."
Sapphire stared at the Starman Junior, before nodding his head. "Alright, how tough are they?"
"It may be labeled as 'Junior,' but the Starmen are in the upper echelons of Giygas' army. Stay behind me."
The Starman, apparently tired of waiting for them to stop conversing, spoke up again. "You've been successful at foiling Master Giygas' plans. I will not accept your surrender, you are just a useless insect! You will now be stomped like one!"
It flung its tentacle arm forward, and Sapphire's instincts flared, all while Pokey tried to hide behind him, and Picky stared in awe.
DANGER!
The tentacle flared bright red and spawned a rolling wall of flames. Sapphire stared at in horror. There was no way they could dodge that, and he was pretty sure that Lifeup α wouldn't help against that! "We're all gonna die!" Pokey sobbed, and Sapphire grimaced as he felt his tears and snot stain his shirt. Fitting. His last moments alive, and he was being annoyed by Pokey.
Before it could reach them, Buzz Buzz flew forwards and glowed brightly. "PSI Shield Σ!" There was another flash of light, and in front of them appeared shields of pure energy. Sapphire flinched as the flames slammed into them, but instead of being cooked alive, the flames were completely halted by the shields, flowing around them.
Sapphire looked on in awe as they were surrounded by a sea fire, before it halted, revealing the Starman Junior still standing there. Sapphire grinned and readied his bat, just as the Starman Junior attacked!