Author's notes: SO FUNNY STORY, this was not the fic I planned on posting. For this prompt, I originally wrote a Fire Emblem AU, but than I realized that the mods had a strict "no Rika" policy so I had to scrap it (totally understand their reasoning though, I don't want her anywhere near V either). Luckily, I had my doubts about my FE AU even before I fully read the guidelines, so I basically decided, "Fuck it, I'm going to write two different AU fics and I'll post the one I like better," so I at least had this puppy halfway written.
Soooo...welcome to the first Mystic Messenger/EarthBound AU to grace AO3! I know that some of you guys probably never played EarthBound, so I'm gonna give a super-quick summary-psychic kid has to save the world and three other kids join him. You know Ness from Super Smash Bros? He's the psychic kid I just mentioned! So basically, Jumin fills his role in this fic, while V fills the role of Paula, a girl who was kidnapped by a cult that worships the color blue (yeah, it's kinda a weird game). I tried to make sure that my fic wasn't a total retelling, because that's one of my pet peeves, but I hope this makes sense to non-EarthBound players!
Also, the cult that's mentioned in this chapter is technically not Mint Eye, just an FYI. It worships the color mint-green and wants to make the world a happier place, but there's not really a bunch of similarities otherwise. Also, V and Jumin are in the 13-14 range in this chapter.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

….

...Jumin!

...I am a friend you've never met before. My name is...Jihyun.

...Can you hear me, Jumin? ...Help! I'm being held in... some kind of village. I don't know exactly where it is...but I can hear rushing water, like there's a brook nearby…

...Jumin! Please! I need your help!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jumin was tired.

It wasn't a new feeling for him, thanks to his nighttime study habits. Still, the circumstances for this occasion were...unusual. He was still worn out from fighting those exploding trees and UFOs, but that was only part of the issue—he had grown used to battling foes while he was half-exhausted, to the point where it honestly didn't bother him too much. No, this had to do with something a bit more...mundane.

...It was strange that he considered a cult that worshipped the color mint-green to be "mundane," but his life was already peculiar to begin with. Besides, if the message he got in that dream was any indication, there could be other, more eldritch forces at work...

Memories of sentences that had long since been spoken flashed through his mind.

"Excuse me, kid. Have you seen my brother? His name is Jihyun…"

"Where's Jihyun? He promised he'd show me how to use his camera…"

"Jihyun is like a father to me. You may not understand what I'm feeling. I have the face of a child, but the mind of an adult."

"The savior wants a boy...no, not in that way! She wants a boy to act as an oracle...just between you and me, I heard they already have him. He's in a cabin by that mountain over there."

Jumin had no idea how this Jihyun managed to contact him telepathically. Was it done on purpose, or was it just dumb luck? Maybe he somehow sensed Jumin's own PSI powers?

Jumin shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He walked up to the cabin's door and placed his hand on the doorknob.

Right. He was here for a purpose. Hopefully, Jihyun would be able to explain things to him.

Jumin opened the door and stepped inside.

The first thing he noticed was the cell that was in the room; it reminded him of a jail cell in those old films he used to watch, except this one was much bigger and took up half the room. He took a few steps closer to the iron bars and peered inside, trying to see what was inside the prison.

A boy around his age was sitting on a cot, fiddling with a large, bulky camera. It seemed as though he hadn't heard Jumin come in, so Jumin cleared his throat.

The boy glanced up at the sound. Bright, mint-green eyes blinked at Jumin owlishly, and Jumin almost laughed at how...appropriate his eye color was. Fortunately, Jumin was a natural at keeping a straight face.

"...Are you Jumin?" The boy sounded cautiously hopeful.

Jumin nodded. "Yes. And you must be..."

He was interrupted by the boy jumping to his feet and rushing over to the bars. Jumin blinked, surprised at the sudden surge of energy the boy displayed.

"Yes! Oh, I'm so glad you heard my message!" The boy bounced a little in excitement before his face fell. "...Um...sorry I had to get you involved. I tried getting out myself, but...uh, someone was always able to catch me. This is actually the third cell they locked me in, and I tried breaking out, but…that didn't work. Telepathically sending out that message was my last resort." The boy sheepishly shrugged.

Jumin stood there for a second, mentally unpacking the information he was given. He got that telepathic message about a day ago...how long was this boy in captivity?

It took Jumin a few seconds to realize that the boy was still speaking.

"—name's Jihyun. I'm sorry, I know I'm being a burden. You probably have better things—"

"This is no trouble." Jumin said. Much to his surprise, he realized that he meant it. "Have you ever had to face walking mushrooms? These cultists are a walk in the park compared to those things."

The boy—Jihyun—giggled. It was a very sweet sound, though Jumin had no idea why he thought that. "You must be very strong to get all the way here. In fact…" Jihyun paused, looking thoughtful. "You have PSI like I do, right? I can sense it...maybe that's why you received my message?"

"Maybe." Jumin adjusted the baseball cap on his head. "It seems that's the most likely—"

He trailed off when he noticed that Jihyun was giggling again. "I'm sorry, is there something the matter?"

Jihyun blushed and covered his mouth. "Sorry, it's just...your hat is so cute! I love it."

"...It is?" Jumin asked, pulling at the brim thoughtfully. He wasn't aware that his cap was considered "cute." Distinguished would be the word he'd use.

"Yes!" Jihyun nodded, his mint-green hair falling over one of his eyes. "I love the paw print badge on it. It gives your hat a lot of character."

"Hmph...thank you." Jumin had to admit that he was impressed. It was rare that he met someone with a great sense of style! "Anyway...as you were saying, it is likely that I received your message due to your PSI abilities sensing mine. However, I was not aware that there was another PSI user so close to my town—surprising, considering how famous you are in yours."

Jihyun laughed bashfully. "Ah, I wouldn't say that I'm famous, exactly. People in my town just...know me, is all. I really only use my PSI when the neighborhood kids ask me to." Jihyun paused, suddenly looking anxious. "Speaking of the kids...are they alright?"

"I suppose so. They didn't seem to be harmed, if that's what you're worried about."

"No, I mean…" Jihyun bit his lip, as if he was wondering how to rephrase his question. "Were they...sad, I guess? Frightened?"

"Hmm…" Jumin thought back to the children he spoke to in Twoson. "Many of them seemed confused as to why you weren't there. At least half of them expressed some form of sadness, while another half verbally stated that they missed you. I also came across a girl looking for you who claimed to be your sister."

"Oh…" Jihyun's head drooped. "I-I was hoping they didn't notice I was gone...I hate making them worried." He sighed, and even Jumin was able to tell that he was upset.

"If you're worried about them, then we need to free you as soon as possible." Jumin said, trying to comfort him in his own way (having PSI doesn't make you automatically empathetic, after all). "I'm assuming that there is some kind of key we can use?"

Jihyun seemed to perk up at the idea of freedom. Jumin wasn't aware that he had missed the sight of Jihyun's smile—wait, where did that thought come from?

"Yes, there is!" His smile faltered slightly. "It's not in here, though. The leader of the cult has it, and I don't think she'll be willing to give it up."

"That's no problem." Jumin shrugged. "I can go retrieve it."

"Yes, but that means that you'd probably have to fight her…" Jihyun said, biting his lip again. "...I hate asking you to risk your life like this, but…. oh, wait a minute!"

Jihyun dashed over to the cot he had been sitting on. After a few seconds of rummaging around, he seemed to have found what he looked for, as he gave a small shout of delight and ran back over to Jumin. "Here, take this!"

He stuck his hand out through the bars, presenting the object to Jumin. Jumin took it with a raised eyebrow and started to examine it.

"It's called a Franklin Badge!" Jihyun explained happily. "The leader of the cult uses lightning powers, and this badge is supposed to make the bolts bounce right off of you! I had it with me when I was taken, but I think you need it a bit more than I do."

"Hmmm… that sounds strange, but alright." Jumin wasn't entirely sure if the Franklin Badge had that ability, but he supposed it couldn't hurt to wear it. He pinned it onto his dress shirt carefully, making sure that he didn't accidentally poke holes into his pinstriped vest.

"Thank you so much, Jumin!" Jihyun gave him a huge smile. "The leader's name is Artsy Moi, so you can't miss her. Good luck!"

"Likewise." Jumin turned around and walked towards the door. He paused just as he was about to touch the doorknob, his hand hovering in the air.

"You will be safe here, I suppose?" Jumin asked. It seemed like a reasonable question—this was a cult, after all.

"Don't worry about me, Jumin. I can take care of myself." Jihyun replied, and Jumin was able to see the blush that started to paint his cheeks. "Just go out there and kick butt like I know you can! I'll be rooting for you!"

A blush crept onto Jumin's face, though he couldn't pinpoint the cause. Perhaps he was flattered that this boy, who was basically a stranger, was cheering him on and seemed to have the utmost confidence in him? It had been awhile since he was praised by someone other than the servants…

No, that couldn't be it. After all, it wasn't as if the boy was adorable or anything... and it wasn't like his personality was endearing, either…

With that, Jumin opened the door swiftly and darted outside, ignoring Jihyun's concerned questions. Maybe he was a lot more tired than he originally thought.