Hi! It's been a while! I had to do a ballad for lit class, and since we got to choose our own topics, I chose "Okage: Shadow King." I figured if I was gonna spend so much time on something like this, I was gonna at least get a little feedback (hopefully). Some things are slightly changed to make the stupid thing rhyme. There's also spoilers for people who've never played the game or have just started. Also, it kinda ends in a cliffy because I haven't beaten the game yet. Please review and tell me if you like it (and trust me: I'm fully aware that I'm no poet ). Also, the site keeps messing up the stanzas, so just keep in mind that it's supposed to be 4 lines per stanza...

Shadow King

An average day in an average house

Was how his story began;

A mysterious bottle, an argument,

And an utterly pointless errand.

Upon his return, his family called

And they explained the strange jar

A god of fates imprisoned inside

Annie exclaimed, "What a bore!"

She and her beau soon left the house

To attend the circus in town;

Hours later, when Ari followed

Not a person was to be found.

As he left, the ringmaster called

And said, "Overshadowed, you seem,"

But before the boy could take offense

They heard an ear-piercing scream.

To Annie's rescue Ari ran,

Sudden fear in his heart,

And saw a ghost was attacking

But it left with a start.

Back at home, Annie slept soundly

On her sheets of satin,

But her family stayed worried

As the doctor said, "It's the curse of Pig-Latin!"

Everyone gasped, and Annie awoke;

She soon realized her curse.

And as they all fought, Father called,

"We must open the bottle, before it gets worse!"

To the basement they quickly ran,

Their hearts no longer as lead.

From the bottle spilled a bright light

But what appeared was not what was expected.

It was the Evil Butler James

Who appeared before the clan.

"My master is Stanley Hihat Trinidad,"

He said, "but you may call him Evil King Stan."

"I will help your daughter," a voice spoke,

And the air quickly turned grave,

"Your daughter and the others will be fine,

But one must become my slave."

Everyone quickly volunteered,

One less keen than the rest,

As two ghostly judges appeared

Began the strange contest.

"The prize goes to the best shadow,

The prize of being Stan's slave."

Ari won, though not happily,

But he thought, "I must be brave!"

Evil King Stan appeared behind

As a huge dark shadow;

To Annie's bedroom they all left

What would occur, no one yet knows.

Stan performed an incantation

Done before one could blink.

Annie spoke; the curse was lifted!

"AH! My shadow is pink!"

Stan glared. "I said I would cure her

And that was what I did.

So you've got a pink shadow,

You can deal with it, kid!"

And again, they all squabbled,

So Ari left for bed.

The next morning he woke in his room,

"It must have been a dream," he said.

"It was no dream, Slave!" Stan's voice laughed,

"Everything last night was true!

So hurry up and get ready,

For today, we have much to do!"

"We must terrify the villagers!"

But try as he might, he could not.

The ringmaster gave them a map,

"Well, this explains a lot."

"My awesome powers have been stolen!"

Stan exclaimed with much zing.

"While I slept, others have arisen!

"We must defeat the false Evil Kings!"

A grand and brand new adventure,

Full of friends and foes alike.

Princess, scientist, heroine,

Even a demon with a mike.

Leaving Tenel on his strange quest

Armed only with a stick,

Ari met an odd heroine

And thought, "What a strange chick…"

Arming him with a old, used sword,

The girl left past a hill.

Through the large forest, Ari ran

And arrived in Madril.

Ari hurried to the sewers

Where he met the heroine.

Sewer Evil King was easily beaten,

With the help of Rosalyn.

After a twisted agreement

And much two-way fighting,

The three new allies left Madril

And met the scientist Kisling.

A new ally in their party,

Only there to annoy Stan,

Their arduous quest continued

Finding Evil Kings across the land.

Next of the towns was Rashelo,

All quiet and serene;

Here was the Bubble Evil King

And he had kidnapped Princess Marlene!

"After the Princess was rescued

She ran to Tenel," Beiloune explained.

So back to Ari's home they went

And a new ally was gained!

Back to Madril the allies all went

To fight Chairman Evil King.

Though not too very difficult,

He still took a few more swings.

The key to new lands they were given;

To Pospos Snowfield they went.

Big Bull Evil King was soon met

But he was easily spent.

With Big Bull now in their party,

They faced the next in line:

Linda, Teen Idol Evil King,

A pop star by her own design.

Her defeat came very easy,

But then came a startling revelation:

She was deeply in love with Stan,

And soon joined their congregation.

To the back of the sewers they ran,

For there might lie a clue.

Why did the false kings wish to go there,

And just what were they getting themselves into?

At the back of Madril Sewers,

A magic circle they did find,

And when Ari stood upon it

He vanished from everyone's minds.

Invisible now, he found Triste,

A town of those like him.

Average people and ghosts alike,

People the world has forgotten.

Block, the ringmaster from Tenel

Warned Ari in Triste,

"You must talk to many people

And do it today!"

He told Ari of his one chance

To return to the way he was.

So he talked to many people,

Though he hardly caused a buzz.

Soon Ari returned to normal

And regained all his friends,

But was too late to save the princess

For Beiloune killed her to meet his own ends.

Next came the Phantom Evil King,

The hardest as of yet.

Physical attacks did not work,

For he was little more than a silhouette.

Upon his defeat, he joined them as well,

"Why dost Beiloune fear thee so,

When thou is but a mere mortal?

The answer to this I must know."

A grand and brand new adventure,

Full of friends and foes alike.

Princess, scientist, heroine,

Even a demon with a mike.

Highland Village, next on their list,

Home to a deadly Vampire.

The townspeople did not know of him

And their situation was quite dire.

After his eventual defeat,

He opened up a bridge,

That led to a small plateau,

With many a steep ridge.

On this small, deserted plateau

Was a huge library.

As big as a mountain, it seemed.

They all became quite wary.

Here they are to meet Beiloune,

The wolf in sheep's clothing.

How this battle will end, no one yet knows,

The battle against the last Evil King.