Gancena had stepped outside, hoping the landscape would refresh her. As lovely as it was, she was so nervous that she had no idea how to begin to sort her thoughts. They eventually became so frazzled that she ended up lost for a moment, staring almost mindlessly into the white distance, trying to find the line between ground and sky. She couldn't.
She was much calmer after that, but her stomach was still clenched, and she could feel her legs tingle. If she couldn't keep calm, how was she going to find even one Runestone? If she accepted the quest, it all depended on her! She knew she would accept, though. She knew she wanted to. This was the adventure she'd wanted for years, right? Yes! This was her destiny!
Gancena breathed deeply. Judging by the number of indentations she saw on the Rune Tower, it would definitely be a long journey. But how long? Months? Years? How many? If she accepted—when she accepted!—she could easily be gone for so long that she might feel more inclined to just stay… If what Selene said about bending the passage of time was true, then no one would miss her, but how long would it be before she missed them? She'd probably miss her things more. She'd have to adjust to not having games or the Internet or constant music. She'd deal with it, she decided. The trade-off had to be worth it.
What about making the friends she'd need to even survive? Well, this was a new world. A new opportunity. A chance for her not to reinvent herself, but to just start again, like hitting the Reset button on a console.
"One last time…" she said to herself. "And they'll have to take me as I am."
Gancena made a new vow. This was going to be a long journey. It was going to be a hard journey. But this was a choice she was given, and she had taken it willingly.
"Okay. No matter what happens—no matter what happens—I will not say 'I regret.' Not in regards to this journey. God, no." She took a deep breath and spoke with meaning. "I will not say 'I regret.'"
She looked towards the direction she thought she came in from and paused, thinking a little more about her life there. She briefly imagined turning down the quest, and wishing she hadn't the moment she returned home. "…Bye, guys."
She looked back at the palace, ready to call for Selene… and couldn't find the will to speak. She just… couldn't get herself to do it.
Though she'd promised herself she'd accept, she still technically hadn't. Last chance, Gancena.
Gancena shut her eyes. No. She was going to call for Selene, she was going to accept, and she was going to do this. Even if she had to do it in socks. At least at first. She couldn't see the journey being very viable in just socks, but she figured she'd have an opportunity to get shoes… in the meantime, it would help her get a little tougher.
Realizing that her mind was wandering again, Gancena thought again of Selene and the Thoughtless and the Runes. She took a last deep breath and called to the palace.
"Selene!"
She faltered for one final second, feeling the weight of the worlds.
"I accept the quest!"
There was a pleasant boom of noise, like a thousand bells ringing at once. With a flash, Selene emerged from the central tower and floated down to Gancena.
"I'm glad."
Gancena swallowed and asked, "What must I do first?"
"Prepare," answered Selene. "You'll need a weapon to fend off the Thoughtless, no matter where you go."
"What will it be?"
"Whatever you imagine this to be."
"What is 'this'?"
"You'll see. Every player has their own way of playing. Choose your weapon. Imagine your weapon."
Gancena imagined a certain Super NES accessory, one she'd never used, a light rifle. Unlike its actual model, it would have a trigger instead of its less intuitive buttons. The handle and viewing scope would fold back into the rifle to streamline it and make it easier to store.
And in another quick flash, it appeared, handle and sight open. It floated in front of Gancena for a moment and fell neatly into her hands.
"A Super Scope. Interesting choice."
"Well, Captain N had a Zapper, didn't he?" said Gancena. She flushed a bit. She didn't exactly want to explain if Selene didn't know… "I mean—Well, there was this story kind of like this—hero from the real world, companions from the gaming worlds, and all—and the guy had an NES Zapper as a weapon, so I figured I'd go off that but… upgrade."
Selene shimmered, chuckling. "Gancena, don't be ashamed. I know about Captain N. Player's judgments of video game adaptations are part of the bond, though I can't say I've felt much love attached to Captain N in particular. Not without confusion or a touch of guilt, at any rate."
Gancena didn't know what to say to that. "I mean—I'm not so much ashamed… I haven't actually seen…" She trailed off, looking at Selene. "Never mind. Go on."
Selene chuckled again. "You'll need something to hold that Scope in, and I'm not expecting you to go through all those worlds in your socks," she continued, reaching out to Gancena's hips and feet. Light manifested into a belt with a holster for the Super Scope and a new, clean pair of white shoes.
"Whoa!" Gancena looked down at her shoes, wiggling her toes in them. "…Thank you, Selene!" Gancena experimentally folded back her Super Scope, smiling as she held it in one hand. She was about to slide it into the holster when Selene stopped her.
"Oh, Gancena, wait. I'd like for you to get a feel for the weapon first."
"Ah, of course." She pulled the handle back open.
Selene stopped her before she could reach for the sight. "There's a quicker way to do that."
"To… open the Super Scope?"
"Yes. Fold the handle back again, and then whip the Scope open," said Selene, demonstrating with a tendril of light.
Gancena ran her hand down the handle, closing the Scope, and then held the Scope's end. She hesitated, looking at Selene.
"Go on. Literally whip it open, Gancena."
Gancena imitated Selene's motion, and the handle and sight opened with two satisfying simultaneous clicks. "Ha!" Gancena gripped the Scope, one finger placed just above the trigger. "Wouldn't have occurred to me."
"Now, Gance—"
Suddenly, Selene's offshoots rushed towards one side of the horizon. Selene shimmered violently, making a ragged sound.
Gancena looked. Then she saw them for the first time.
The Thoughtless' offshoots were about the same size as Selene's, as far as she could tell, but they were pitch black, like holes punctured in the horizon. Selene's offshoots met them and matched them evenly, black and white swirling around each other.
Gancena saw Selene hover from the corner of her eye. "Gancena, take this chance to practice!" she shouted. "Use your Super Scope to fight any Thoughtless that slip by. My offshoots will protect you if you are overwhelmed. Go now! I'll finish them off soon."
"Soon?"
"I need a bit of time and you need practice. I didn't intend for it to be like this, but we should take the chance in front of us. Go. Don't be afraid. Go now!"
Gancena stared at Selene as she flew higher up. When Gancena looked back, she could already see that two Thoughtless had slipped by, racing in her direction. Though Selene's offshoots chased them, Gancena had to stop them there.
She pointed the Super Scope at one, even though it was a fair distance away, and fired. The Scope knocked her shoulder as a ball of yellowish light shot out the front. It grazed the Thoughtless, which directed itself more directly at her.
Gancena took a slightly ragged breath and fired twice more, clenching the Scope. One shot grazed the Thoughtless more closely, and the other hit it almost head-on. It dissipated, the last little bits of it fading like smoke, and Selene's offshoot changed its course toward the other Thoughtless.
Gancena decided to test the charge shot. She held down the trigger. A noise from within the Scope grew louder and higher-pitched and the tip of the barrel began to glow.
When the Thoughtless was closer, she let go, and a solid basketball-sized shot rammed into it. It withered away like the first. Both of Selene's offshoots settled at her side.
Gancena couldn't believe it. She was really fighting! She looked ahead just in time to see another Thoughtless wriggle past Selene's lines.
They charged, Gancena holding the Scope's trigger. She fired with more confidence, but her shot only hit one part of the Thoughtless, and its remaining part reformed into a smaller being and kept flying forward. Selene's offshoots rammed into it, easily snubbing it out of existence.
Then a new Thoughtless leaped over them, and they gave chase again. Gancena ran forward and fired. She missed.
Gancena stopped. "Uh oh." She fired several panicky shots, stepping frantically backwards, but enough of the Thoughtless remained to leap at her when it was close enough.
For a second, she felt rage boil up like she was eight and someone had called her games stupid, and the Thoughtless reached out for her. She saw a dark red screaming face pulled into a grotesque swirl.
Then she yelled and fired at point-blank range. Gancena gasped when the brief vision gave way to white light. Her anger faded, but not entirely.
She stared ahead, fixed on those dark punctures, and took a deep breath. Never had that being looked so real… Selene's offshoots hovered over her, shimmering and chiming. She thought she heard the first few notes of a hometown melody… The last of the anger faded, and there was only the tension of battle and the motivation to fight.
Gancena got up on one knee and took a deep breath. She peered through the sight, watching Selene's offshoots return to the line of battle. A red dot stood out whenever she passed the crosshairs over a Thoughtless. She found a pair of offshoots that remained relatively still, focusing on the dark one. It looked so far off.
She fired, twice. Two blows finished it quickly, though the first hit a little more accurately.
Gancena didn't know what to make of these offshoots. They seemed easy enough to destroy, but if they got too close... The way she'd felt that anger was new, but the face she'd seen was not. The familiarity didn't make it any less disturbing.
She decided to run forward, firmly holding and firing the Scope as she went, cursing when the recoil hit harder than ever on the first shot. She paused after five shots, finding that two Thoughtless rose above Selene's lines, seeming agitated. They rushed for Gancena, and she charged a shot.
When they got closer, she shot at and destroyed the closer of the two, and jumped away when the other leaped. It missed her, but it also let out an inhuman scream, and Gancena felt a twinge of fear. Gancena fired twice, grazing it twice, and one of Selene's offshoots tackled it, finishing it off.
The moment Gancena turned back to the line of battle, the entire world glowed. She squinted just enough to watch the Thoughtless disappear into dark dissipating mist, but she thought she saw some whole Thoughtless flee.
When the area dimmed, Selene's offshoots remained where they were for a cautious moment before drifting apart and floating steadily around.
Gancena turned back. Selene descended, shimmering urgently.
"How was that?"
"You did fine, Gancena," answered Selene. Her shimmering calmed until she was a steady sphere again. "Now…" She shone for a second. "Think of a food, preferably a smaller and portable, healthy food that you like."
At "healthy", Gancena had already pictured it. "Granny Smith apples. Why do you ask?"
"Well, don't most heroes have something that heals them?"
It clicked. "Oh! I see where you're going with this."
"Mm-hm. Then stock up on Granny Smith apples when you can. If you're hurt, eating one will heal you. The more you eat, the greater an injury they can heal. And you'll need something to hold them all in. Allow me…"
In another flash of light, Selene had created a black backpack for Gancena, not unlike one she'd had back home.
"Thank you!" Gancena was a little curious as to how Selene was able to manifest all these things for her journey, but she decided against asking.
Selene continued. "This backpack will be your inventory. …Now, I would like to discuss what I meant when I said I could protect you from 'true death.'"
Gancena thought of a possibility. True death implied that there was some kind of border between dying and… what? "Can I die on this quest?"
"…Yes."
Gancena's stomach dropped, and she began to panic. She realized she should have had this clarified before she'd accepted.
"But as long as my power stands as it is, I will be able to resurrect you if you die," Selene continued.
"But I can still die."
"I said the journey would be hard and painful…" Selene whispered.
"Yes, but…" Gancena trailed off, losing herself in fear.
Selene chimed, and Gancena tried to focus on it. Seconds passed, and her nerves seemed to melt away until she felt calm again.
"Gancena, what I'm trying to say is that you will essentially have extra lives, should you die."
It made sense. Gancena took a deep breath and listened to Selene.
"There's no reason not to try for a one-life run, but be fairly warned: One-life runs are always easier said than done, and a resurrection's not something I've done before. I'm sure it would take a lot of power, which could be risky in light of the Thoughtless attacks. I will have to limit the amount of lives I can give you—at least at first. If you can gather more Runestones, I can expand my power again and surely find a way to grant you more lives."
Yes, it made sense to her. It was video game logic. "What's the limit? Three?"
"I'm not sure," Selene admitted. "I wouldn't be surprised."
"Me neither. …What happens when I lose them all?"
Selene paused. "I should be able to at least send you back home safely."
"So game over, except… I'm protected from true death," Gancena summarized. "But what about you? You'll have used that power to send me home. Will you be able to recover?"
Selene's answer was almost inaudible. "…I hope so."
Gancena felt like the stakes had increased. They hadn't changed, really, but the risk just seemed that much greater. The threat felt that much closer.
Selene sighed quietly before she spoke up again. "Now, Gancena, a final and vital issue: I saw that a Thoughtless nearly attacked you. What was it like?"
"I just… felt like anger inside me was trying to get out, and then I saw this face…"
"Were you afraid?" whispered Selene.
"I was a little freaked out, yeah…"
"Please, you need to be careful. Thoughtless will try to weaken your will by stirring up anger and fear. When the will of a world is significantly broken, the Thoughtless can destroy it. It's the same with its inhabitants. You must be careful not to let a Thoughtless capture you or anyone close to you. Act quickly with the Super Scope."
Gancena swallowed. "What if there's no one around to help?"
"Think of me and others you love. I will do all within my power to help you when you are in dire need. Once you have companions, you can help each other. Your bonds will weaken any Thoughtless that approach.
Gancena was silent, thinking it all over. Once I have companions… The phrase floated around her mind.
Moments passed, and she wasn't sure what to say, wasn't sure if there was anything else that needed to be addressed. She watched the offshoots wander the world and fidgeted with the Super Scope, squeezing its handle, running her hand over the barrel but carefully avoiding the trigger.
"You said Captain N inspired you to choose the Super Scope?" Selene asked in a lighter tone.
Gancena was snapped into attention. "Huh? Yeah." Gancena closed the Scope and slipped it into its holster, and there it looked more like a thin club than a light gun. Not exactly inconspicuous, but not very alarming, either. Perfect.
"You could technically refer to yourself as a Captain," Selene suggested, giggling. "You're the only one in these worlds with sufficient knowledge of them. You'll have to lead your friends through them. They'll look to you for that leadership."
"But I'm not a Game Master like Captain N was. I was born like right after the Super Nintendo came out—hence a Super Scope, I guess, on a subconscious level, maybe. I only play games older than that thanks to the Wii's Virtual Console!"
"You don't have to be a Game Master. Part of the reason I chose you was because of your capacity to learn. What you know, you'll use to help. What you don't know, you'll learn. You'll be the Captain of the Virtual Console, by the end of your journey."
Gancena let it sink in, and she smiled, crossing one foot over the other. "The Captain of the Virtual Console, huh… I like the sound of it." She tapped the toe of her shoe on the ground. "So… where shall I begin?"
"I'd like to start by sending you to Kanto to ease you into the mission. I have a friend there who knows of the crisis with the Thoughtless and has agreed to be your guide."
Gancena immediately imagined the music from Pallet Town, and she teared up a bit in anticipation, heart swelling. "I would love to begin in Kanto, Selene." She blinked and rubbed her eyes.
"Wonderful. …Are you ready to begin?"
Gancena stood straight. She ran one hand over the Super Scope and gripped one of the straps of the empty backpack with the other. "Yes."
"Then I will send you to Kanto. Find the Rune. Defeat the Thoughtless. I will bring you back here when you've done so. Good luck, Captain Gancena."
Selene glowed brighter than ever. Gancena shut her eyes, and for a moment, she thought she was flying through the tunnel of light again, though she dared not open her eyes.
Let's go.
