Part Two: New Places, New Faces
Chapter 7: The Stranger's Call
"…hello?"
Ness gasped and opened his eyes… well, he thought he did. Everything around him was still pitch black, and he felt cold. He was floating in midair with no visible floor below or ceiling above. The only other thing in that void was the voice which had just called out to him. It was a girl's, one that he didn't recognize. She sounded confused and a bit apprehensive.
"Uh… hello?" he echoed, wondering if she could hear him. His voice had a distinct hum to it, like it was reverberating in the air.
"Oh, finally! I'm glad I got through to you. Is your name Ness?"
Many questions ran through his head, the biggest one of which was if this was really happening. Had the Sanctuary caused him to start hallucinating? Or was this another part of his mission?
"Yeah, I'm Ness… uh, are you my spirit guide or something?"
"What? No, don't be silly. I'm another kid, just like you."
He was interested now. Maybe she was one of the "chosen ones" Buzz Buzz had mentioned.
Buzz Buzz… thinking of him caused Ness's heart to throb. He was gone, leaving a confused young boy in his wake. There was nothing to indicate his next course of action against Giygas, and he'd nearly gotten killed at the first hurdle. PSI or not, he was beginning to feel like he had no chance.
No… he couldn't give in to despair. He had to continue on his mission and save the world, like the time-traveler had wanted. Bringing his attention back to the present, he responded again.
"Just like me, huh? Do you have PSI abilities too?"
"Is that what this is called?" she asked. "I never got a clear answer on that… anyway, I guess I do since we can talk to each other through your dream."
Ness scratched his head in confusion.
"So I am dreaming. Does that mean you aren't real?"
"No, I'm as real as can be. I live in a town called Twoson… uh, I think it's to the south of where you are. Onett, right?"
"Right. I just finished dealing with the local gang and killed a giant ant monster."
"Whoa!" she gasped. "That sounds rough. Are you okay?"
"About as okay as I can be," Ness replied with a sigh. "I had someone else with me, a sort of guide to teach me about my PSI. He… didn't make it against the monster."
"Oh no… I… I'm so sorry to hear that…"
Her horrified whisper only further reminded him of Buzz Buzz's death. He decided to try and shift the topic.
"He was a good friend, even if I didn't know him for long. How did you learn about your powers?"
"…promise not to laugh?" the girl's voice asked. "It might sound crazy. It wasn't from a person like you had."
Ness fought back a grin.
"Oh, not a person. He was a bug who came back in time from ten years in the future. Got here on a meteorite which landed right near my house last night. Besides, we're talking to each other with our minds right now. It'll take a lot for me to think you're crazy."
She was quiet for a few moments.
"Fair point. Well, I learned I have special abilities a few years ago from a… uh, she calls herself a guardian angel. Really, it's this voice that just appeared in my head one day and began giving me advice."
"You're right, that does sound crazy."
"Ness…" she huffed.
"Kidding, kidding. Did she tell you to contact me?"
"Not directly. She said that one day I would have to save the world, and I would join a few other people to do it. One of them was a boy named Ness, so I guess I found the right one. She called him my 'destiny.'"
He hoped she couldn't see him, or the light blush on his face at the wording of that.
"Go figure. Have you heard about the Sanctuaries and Giygas?"
"Bits and pieces of it… I've been hearing from her less and less lately. There must be trouble brewing. Who's this Giygas person?"
It occurred to him that Buzz Buzz hadn't said much about their enemy.
"Uh… an alien, I think. He wants to take over the world and cover it with darkness, or something like that. I didn't learn much specifically about him."
"My angel hasn't said a lot about him either, always just stuff like 'he is coming for us.' She might need our help."
"That makes sense. Well, it'd be nice to have someone with me while I try to stop him. Where can I find you?"
"Twoson, like I said. I live in the Polestar Preschool. My family runs it."
He'd never been to Onett's neighboring town, but he knew there was a trail leading there to the south.
"Alright, I'll get down there once I wake up. How can I find you, uh…"
She gave an embarrassed giggle.
"Oh! I never said my name, did I? It's Paula. I'm sure we'll know once we see each other. In fact, I'll try to meet you halfway just in case. The road to Onett isn't too far from where I live, so I'll head there in the morning."
"Good to know. See you soon, Paula."
"Bye Ness!" she replied cheerfully.
Her voice faded away, and after some unspecific amount of time he felt the void around him begin to disappear as well.
The first thing he noticed upon waking up was how sore his neck was. He'd fallen asleep under the tree in front of Giant Step, and his backpack had made for a lumpy, uncomfortable pillow. Ness got to his feet and stretched his limbs, the mysterious contact with Paula fresh on his mind. He had to meet up with her as soon as possible, and-
An unpleasant smell hit his nose, which he realized came from himself. Change of plans: he had to find a shower as soon as possible. His torn, bloodstained clothes would probably make her uncomfortable at best, so a change of those was in order as well. It was then that he realized how hungry he was. Perfect, another distraction.
He walked back through the cave- thankfully not being interrupted by any more wild animals or horrific mutants- and onto the streets of Onett in around half an hour. The sun was just beginning to rise, so he still had some time to prepare before meeting Paula. His house was too far away to walk back to, but fortunately there was a hotel of mediocre-to-decent quality in the center of town. He could clean himself up there, and eat on the road to Twoson.
"I should also probably call Mom and Dad…"
Not wanting to think long enough to come up with another reason to delay, he picked up the pace toward the hotel.
As promised, his father had added $200 to his bank account, which he withdrew a small portion of to rent a room for just one hour. The manager at the front desk gave Ness a quizzical look at the request, but took his payment and handed him a key anyway.
Around thirty minutes later he had finished cleaning himself up, also taking the time to brush his teeth (something he appreciated now more than ever, having not done so in more hours than he wanted to admit). He spent his remaining time using the room's phone to call his parents.
His father was first, making a record of everything Ness told him like he said he would.
"You've been through a lot already, and you've toughed it out. I'm proud of you, son. Are you gonna be okay without Buzz Buzz's help?"
"I think so," he replied, though not entirely convinced. "When I meet Paula, we can combine our powers to make things easier. I'm sure the two of us can succeed together."
"That's the spirit! You're a hard worker, just like your mother. You'll do anything you put your head to, so don't give up!"
Ness cracked a smile.
"Thanks, Dad. I should call her too, so I'll see you later."
He hung up and dialed his home number. His mother wasn't as confident as his father had been.
"Oh no! Do you want me to come out there and pick you up? This all sounds too dangerous for you…"
"No, don't worry about me," he hastily reassured her. "I'll be fine; I've learned a lot about how to take care of myself now."
"Ha ha… my little man's growing up too fast," she said with pride in her voice. "Just be careful, and remember you can always come home if you want a break. By the way, Tracy wants to speak to you."
Ness grinned as the phone was passed to his sister.
"Hello?"
"Big bro! Guess what, I'm gonna help you on your adventure! I'm working part-time for Escargo Express."
That was the last thing he'd expected to hear out of her.
"The delivery company? For real?"
"Yup! Just call me whenever you have too much stuff and I'll send a coor-riar to you. We'll hold onto anything you don't need."
He chuckled.
"That's 'courier,' sis. Thanks, I'm sure you'll be a big help sooner or later."
"You bet! Good luck out there!"
She hung up as well, just in time for him to check out of the room and leave for Twoson. Talking to his family had raised his spirits tremendously, and he felt ready to take on the world again.
Okay, maybe the whole world was a bit of a stretch. He supposed he could start by taking on the police barricade blocking the path out of town. It wasn't surprising to see them there- no doubt it was because someone had littered on the lawn of town hall or some other meager offense- but it was surprising to see the chief, Captain Strong, among the officers standing guard. His sunglasses and bushy mustache (not to mention his name) made him the definitive example of a stern, no-nonsense cop… well, aside from the meaningless roadblocks. He frowned at Ness as he approached.
"What do you want, kid? Are you lost?"
"No, sir," he said as politely as he could. "I need to get to Twoson, please."
"Does it seem like I'm gonna let you through?" Strong shot back. "We don't just block the roads because we feel like it. Some dastardly scum knocked over a bunch of garbage cans up by the library across town, and now we have to secure this way out in case he makes a run for it."
Ah, now it all made sense. Obviously.
"Well, uh… it definitely wasn't the Sharks. I convinced them to stop causing trouble, so you won't have to worry about them again."
Strong raised an eyebrow. Ness felt like he was piercing holes into his skull from behind his sunglasses.
"Is that right? Okay kid, and I'm also sure you wandered up to Giant Step and fought a giant bug monster. What other tall tales do you wanna give me?"
How he'd so accurately guessed what Ness had been doing was beyond him, but he got the message nonetheless. He was about to turn away from Captain Strong and find a path to sneak around when another officer rushed over to them, saluting and trying to catch his breath.
"Report from the library! The garbage cans have been put back into place, and the disturbance has been calmed."
"Any info on the perp?" Strong asked in a gruff voice.
"Yes sir. Witnesses say it was the garbage man, coming through town as usual. No evidence of criminal motivation has been found."
Ness would have rolled his eyes if he wasn't so afraid of getting a lecture from the police.
"Good, another case solved. What other news do you have, officer?"
"Lier X. Agerate, the hermit north of town, claims to have had something valuable stolen from him. He wouldn't tell me what it is, just that it was of great importance."
He perked up at the report. Had someone stolen that golden statue? It looked like it could sell for a fortune, so he guessed it made sense.
"Well then!" Captain Strong announced. "Let's get moving, boys! We have a crime on our hands! That's a crime to solve on our hands, we aren't the perps here."
And so, paying no further attention to Ness, they all packed into the two squad cars they had nearby and sped off, sirens blasting. The path to Twoson was now clear, and he had barely needed to say a word. Still processing the bizarre chain of events that just occurred, Ness shrugged and began the walk down the trail.
