Earthbound 3 Mother 4: Prelude to War

by Enterprise F

After his return home, Ness embarks on a search for his friends and family, who disappeared from Ness's home during the alien attack. Part 2 of 4

14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

Ness and the others huddled together in the back of the bus while Teddy sat in the forward section with the rest of the band members that were going with him to Ellay. They had been riding in the bus for over an hour and they were expected to make it to Ellay by eleven o'clock or so at night. The three psychics were quietly discussing their plans for going up Mount Itoi once they arrived in Ellay. Ness had managed to get an old map from a glove compartment on the bus. Ness and the others had been studying the map intently while they had been riding.

"According to this map, it appears as if Mount Itoi is just outside of Ellay," Paula noted, pointing to the position of the mountain to the party on the map. Ness and Poo nodded. Poo turned the page and studied the part of the map that followed the trail from the base, all the way to the peak of Mount Itoi.

"This is going to be an awfully long trek," Poo noted. "From what I can see, there are plenty of places where enemies can set up ambushes. Too many to count," he said as he pointed at some some marks on the map. Upon further study of the map, they noted that there was a point that was marked on the map that was close to the peak of the mountain. Ness also recognized the lake that was noted on the map. Suddenly, he realized that he had been here before.

"Hey guys, this is where George built his lab and his robots for rescuing Maria," Ness told them energetically. "I wouldn't be surprised if George left some stuff around in his lab."

"Assuming Giygas hasn't already plundered it," Poo added quietly.

"I'm not sure that Giygas would know about the lab," Ness told the older teen. "If he had, I think that we would have seen his soldiers using more advanced weapons. So far, we've only been fighting aliens robots with what I believe to be their standard weapons load out, none of the more advanced gear that they're likely to be packing."

"Ness has a point," Paula agreed. "So far, all of the robots have only been using their so-called psychic attacks like PSI Beam, their staff weapons, etcetera. They have not been seen carrying guns, bombs, or bazookas of any kind yet. I'm beginning to wonder if he even has them, or if he does, if he has them in significant quantities."

"We still shouldn't assume that Giygas's army is not well equipped," Poo warned, almost glaring at the younger psychics. "Giygas almost certainly knows that with two psychics that can erect team-sized counter shields that using such weapons would be stupid beyond belief."

The others could not argue with Poo's reasoning. They both nodded. That brought up the real question. "So what's the plan for our trek up the mountain?" Paula asked the others.

Ness and Poo glanced at each other, and then back down at the map. Paula also studied the map once more before repeating her question. "Any ideas?"

Eventually, Poo gave a response. "My best bet would be for us to equip ourselves with as many health items and weapons as possible before beginning our journey. We know what the enemy army consists of. We'll face Starmen, Mooks, and robots, and likely Giygas as well. The Starmen and Mooks have psychic powers, as do the robots, but the robots' psychic powers can kill us with one hit if they score on us. We should just plan on trekking through the army and fighting our way through since there's no shortcut to the top. We'll just have to watch for places where the enemy can ambush us."

The others considered the other alternatives, hoping to find a way to get up the mountain quickly and still be able to avoid a large number of enemies. Still, after studying the map again, they could see no better alternative. Giygas had planned his base of operations to be virtually impossible to infiltrate or attack from the ground. Any attempt to scale the mountain without using the trail left them wide open to a surprise attack from any number of foes. The others soon agreed with Poo. Ness then finished the discussion saying, "Okay everyone. We should get some rest before we arrive in Ellay."

The three psychics then rested in the back of the bus, wanting to conserve their energy for the trek that they were going on once they arrived in Ellay.

On the peak of Mount Itoi, the Starman Super was making his report back to Giygas on what he found out about Ness and his friends. "During my quest to find out more about Ness and his friends, I have found several strange patterns. Each of the four have parents who have known pasts, birthdates, dates of marriage, maiden names for mothers, etcetera. When I found the names of their grandparents, though, I found that the names were forgeries, for both sets of grandparents. It seems as if the records for the parents of the so-called Chosen Four were constructed hastily. They only have the most basic of essentials; just enough to satisfy someone who would only perform a cursory scan into the histories of these children. They give just enough information to satisfy them on the surface, but if one digs deeper than the surface, they'll find that things just don't add up. And this is the same for all three kids we have records on, Ness, Paula, and Jeff. Poo was from Dalaam, which is currently destroyed, and the records of Poo have been lost. There's something strange about these kids."

"This is good enough for me," Giygas responded. "And your research only adds more support to my hypothesis."

"Which is?"

"I'd rather not discuss it yet," Giygas replied as he walked over to the edge of the peak to check on his ship. "There's still one more test that I have to perform. Hopefully, I'll be able to complete it shortly."

The Starman Super followed his master. "And what will this test be?" he asked, glancing over at Giygas.

"A battle between myself and Ninten and his friends, followed by a fight with Ness and his friends."

This answer surprised the Starman Super. "Are you sure that's wise, Master? Ninten and Ana have only gotten stronger in the last decade and more. And we already know that Ness and his friends are already quite powerful. The Dalaamese prince was a close match for Saiyg. Given her arrogance, she may well have been beaten had the two of them fought in an all out battle. Not only that, but the psychic girl, Paula was actually able to kill Saiyg. A lucky hit might be able to take you down as well, Master."

Giygas scoffed at the thought. "No," he said. "They won't beat me the way Saiyg was beaten. They're strong, but not that strong. They still have a ways to go before they reach my level."

The Starman Super did not like his master's seeming arrogance. "Remember what Saiyg thought before she was killed by the human girl. Don't underestimate them Master," he warned.

"I haven't," Giygas responded casually. "I merely know my capacity, and have seen enough of my enemy to know theirs. When I fight Ness and the others, I will win. The problem will come should they manage to survive and get to the future to find Jeff. He could be a thorn in my side since his technology is far beyond anything I have seen humanity produce."

The Starman Super agreed with him on that. With the conversation having concluded, the Starman Super asked, "What is my next assignment, Master?"

"I wish for you to remain on Mount Itoi with me. Keep watch over the mountain and inform me when Ninten, Ana, Lloyd, and maybe even Teddy come," Giygas commanded. "Also, should you see Ness and his friends, report the sighting to me. You are to answer only to me, no one else. Understood?"

"Understood, Master," the Starman Super responded, bowing before the PSI Alien commander. He then proceeded to disappear once more, and reappeared somewhere on the lower part of the mountain.

The bus carrying Ness, Paula, Poo, Teddy, and his band arrived in Ellay at around midnight. After the bus came to a stop at the Live House, the party disembarked. The town was dark except for the streetlights that illuminated the road and for the lights of a few buildings, including the Live House, which had a large neon sign above the entrance. Before Ness and the others left Teddy and his band, Teddy went over to them one more time. He pulled three tickets out of his pocket and handed one to each of the teens. "My band and I are performing with Ninten, Ana, and Lloyd tomorrow," he then checked the time, "or is that later today, technically," he added playfully. Ness and Paula smiled, with Paula even giving a light laugh at Teddy's joke. Poo, however, still had a stoic and serious expression pasted onto his face. He accepted his ticket graciously, though, giving a polite bow.

"The show starts tomorrow at eleven o'clock in the morning," Teddy informed them. "You still wouldn't be interested in giving a performance of your own, would you?" Teddy asked, hoping that they would be willing to perform.

"Sorry, no," Ness and Paula replied, shaking their heads. "We'll still try to make the show tomorrow," Paula added. This caused Poo to take Paula aside for a moment. Ness went over with them for a moment, while Teddy waited until they were finished their discussion.

"What was that about?" Poo asked Paula in a quiet bur forceful tone. "Have you forgotten why we're even here to begin with? We don't have time to go to this concert, even if it is in the morning." His voice demonstrated his concern that they were going off track.

"No," Paula replied with equal force. "I was just being courteous. Besides, we're going to be sleeping late anyway since it's already past midnight. We can take an extra hour or two out of our busy schedule to attend a friend's performance. Besides, it's in the morning, so we won't be wasting a lot of time anyway."

"But we only met Teddy earlier today," Poo countered. "And if you haven't forgotten, we need to get the Zexonyte in order to power the Phase Distorter. Don't forget about the Mook that was working with Falcone Lombardi. I don't believe what he said about going against his former master for a second. That means that Giygas likely knows that we're repairing the Phase Distorter. It won't take him long to put two and two together and pay Saturn Valley a visit."

"Don't worry, Poo," Paula assured him. "We'll be able to get the Zexonyte and get off of Mount Itoi soon enough for us to get it back to Saturn Valley, and even come back to attend the concert."

"Assuming we can get up there in time," Ness said, adding his own two cents. "Besides, I don't feel comfortable going up Mount Itoi without a full load out of weapons and other support items. And all of the stores are closed right now. I suggest we wait until tomorrow to begin the journey anyway. After all, Giygas already knows that we're coming. He'll likely have all of his defenses planned out already. We have to go in there ready for whole lot of fight, because it's going to be us versus all of them."

Paula and Poo looked over at the teenage boy as he had stated his thoughts on the matter. Poo and Paula glanced towards each other and nodded, both agreeing with Ness. But that still left the problem of their own argument over whether or not to go to the Live House for the performance. Eventually, Ness decided to add his own two cents about that as well, "As for the performance, let's just see how things go tomorrow."

Paula and Poo could agree to that. Still, Paula was concerned. She then decided to tell the two of them why she really wanted to see Ninten, Ana, and Lloyd perform. "There's one other reason why I'm interested in seeing Teddy's friends perform," she admitted.

"What is it?" Ness and Poo asked.

"During the last concert, Teddy compared myself and Ness to two of his friends, Ana and Ninten. That made me wonder who those two were. Since we were compared to them and Teddy knew that we were psychic, it made me wonder if Ninten and/or Ana were psychics." Paula then paused for a moment before continuing, "That's not all. It also got me wonder that, if they are psychics, could they be related to a woman named Maria?"

"Who's Maria," Poo asked.

"A woman I helped rescue from Giygas in the year nineteen eighteen," Ness volunteered. "She was a powerful psychic who learned a lot about her power from the PSI Aliens. Her husband, George, also had psychic powers and stole forbidden psychic knowledge from the PSI Aliens when he escaped the first time. After we encountered Giygas in Twoson, he mentioned how humans like us defeated him with a song."

"Exactly," Paula exclaimed. "We have to go see this Ninten and Ana to see if they could very well be the psychics that fought against Giygas over a decade ago. If they are, they might be able to help us against him should, or should I say when it comes to a battle between us and Giygas. At the very least, they'll be able to give us a heads up on what he's capable of."

Poo had to admit that Paula's reasoning made sense. They would need all the help that they could get in a fight against Giygas. Even if Ninten and Ana did not participate in the fight directly, their knowledge on Giygas's capabilities would be invaluable. "Okay," Poo finally said, acquiescing to Paula's wishes. "We will go to see the concert tomorrow, if it's okay with you, Ness," he added, turning to Ness for his opinion.

"I've got no problem with that," Ness shrugged.

"Then it's agreed," Paula exclaimed quickly. Ness and Poo nodded. They had made their decision.

Teddy, meanwhile, had stood a ways away from them, letting the trio have their own private conversation. When they were finished, he approached them again and gave another smile. He then informed them, "There's a hotel just down the street from here. You can likely still get a room there if you want to. It doesn't cost too much to stay, either, and you get a complimentary breakfast on the side."

Ness and the others thanked Teddy as he and his band went inside the Live House. Before Teddy had made it to the door, though, Ness suddenly remembered Hannah's request for an autograph from Teddy. He rushed back over to Teddy and asked, "Hey Teddy, before you go, I was wondering if you could sign an autograph for a friend of mine."

Teddy turned back to Ness and replied, "Sure, who do I make it out to?" He drew out a pen and a notepad from his pocket.

"Hannah," Ness replied. "She's a big fan of yours, but she is working over the summer so she won't have an opportunity to go to any of your concerts for a while."

Teddy then signed the paper and handed it back to Ness. Ness thanked Teddy and Teddy replied, "You're welcome. Tell Hannah that I'll be in Twoson in a few weeks so if she lives near there, she can see me perform."

"I'll tell her," Ness assured him. Teddy then proceeded to make his way inside the Live House. Ness then rejoined his friends as they departed from the Live House.

With the autograph for Hannah taken care of, the three psychic teens proceeded to make their way towards the Ellay Hotel. As Teddy had said, the hotel was not very far away from the Live House. It only took a few minutes for the psychic trio to ride to the hotel. Once they arrived at the hotel, they folded up their bikes and made their way inside.

The lobby of the hotel was not very extravagant. There was a counter facing towards the door, as well as an elevator to the right of the entrance. Ness promptly went up the information counter, followed by Paula and Poo. The receptionist, a pretty woman with brown hair in her early thirties welcomed them, saying, "Welcome to the Ellay hotel. Is there something I can do for you?"

Ness replied, "Hello, and yes there is. We'd like a room for three, but it's spur of the moment and we have no reservations."

"Hold on, I'll check to see what we have open." The woman then typed something on the keyboard to her computer and waited for the relevant information to show up. After a few moments, she smiled and focused back on Ness and the others.

"Ah, you're in luck. We have a two-bedroom suite available. It's room five-oh-one. Here's the key." She then handed them a card key. "That will be one hundred and seventy dollars per person for the night," she said a little too cheerfully.

Paula gasped at the price. Even Poo's eyes went a little wide. That was even more expensive than the hotels in Summers three years ago. And Ellay did not seem to be a huge tourist destination. Ness, however, did not seem to be too surprised at the price. Or if he was, he was not showing it. Ness and the others then handed over the price to the woman and she let them go on their way, Paula grumbling about the price all the way to the elevator. The three then boarded the elevator and took it to the fifth floor.

Upon reaching the fifth floor, they disembarked from the elevator and walked down the hall until they came upon room five-oh-one. Ness took out the card key and stuck it in the slot. The red light on the door turned green and he pushed the door open. The interior of the hotel room looked to be quite luxurious. There was a sofa bed in the center of the living room pointed straight at a big screen television. Not only that, but there were several armchairs as well. These looked to be high-end armchairs as well. Paula then wondered if her grumbling had been a little premature. Still, even if it was, she wondered if the hostess had not intentionally given them a luxurious room on purpose since it was more expensive. She did not care right now, though. None of them did. All they did was quickly look the place over and get to the bedrooms. Once they found the bedrooms, they quickly placed their bags on the floor. They quickly examined the bedrooms and divided the bedrooms between the three of them with Ness and Paula getting the room with the two twin beds, while Poo got the room with the king bed.

After the rooms were chosen, the three of them wasted no time washing up for bed, and changing into their pajamas. After they had finished, they said their prayers, and then got into their beds and promptly went to sleep. They needed to be fresh for their journey tomorrow.

Back on Mount Itoi, Giygas stood on top of his flagship, looking down at the mountain. He listened to the sounds of the night. He could make out every individual cricket chirp, bear growl, and bush rustle on the mountain. He could also sense the primitive minds of each and every one of the animals on the mountain, as well as the minds of his servants. He had not had this eclectic a group of allies before. In this group, he had the usual assortment of Starmen, Mooks, robots, mind-controlled animals, etcetera. But in addition to those normal enemies, he also had an assortment of other aliens that he had brought along with him that had not been encountered by Ness and the others before. This time, he had brought along several elves and faeries, aliens that looked like fairies from various human mythologies, and who had also appeared on Earth before. Faeries were, like elves, powerful magicians as well as stronger than normal human soldiers in physical combat. Unlike the elves, though, they had translucent wings that allowed them to fly. Giygas looked over his combatants with satisfaction. If nothing else, they would be enough for the human psychics to use up a good portion of their psychic energy against. He then focused back on the town of Ellay. He was eager to go into the town and get a good look at Ninten, Ana, and Lloyd when they performed at the Live House tomorrow. Despite the power of Ness and his friends, Ninten and his friends still had the two potential weapons that might affect him, Ninten's relationship to Maria, and the song that Maria had taught him. Giygas grinned at the proposition of fighting Ninten again, though. He felt confident this time that he would be able to resist the song and its effects. This time, he would do it. This time, he would kill Ninten and his friends, and then he would go on to deal with Ness as well.

That morning, at around eight o'clock in the morning, Ness and his friends awoke in their hotel suite. After each of them said his or her morning prayers, the trio left their bedrooms and were met with a complimentary breakfast on the table in the dining area. The breakfast consisted of a selection of eggs, pancakes, toast, cereal, ham, sausage, and bacon with a milk, apple, orange, and tomato juices for drinks. The three ate to their heart's content. Once they were finished breakfast, they put the dishes in the dishwasher.

After breakfast, they then proceeded to shower and get dressed. Once the teens were dressed, they checked the clock. It was already nine-thirty. They then proceeded to leave the hotel, leaving their card key with the receptionist. Once outside, they decided on what their course of action would be since they still had some time to explore before the concert began at the Live House. They decided that it would be a good time to explore the city so that they would know the lay of the land. During their exploration, they came upon the Ellay Department Store. They decided that it would be worth looking into after the concert, and hopefully after their meeting with Teddy's friends Ninten, Ana, and Lloyd. Aside from the Ellay Department Store, though, they found little of interest until they came across a man wearing a blue jacket, pants, and hood. Paula could already sense that something was wrong about this guy.

"Hey there, kids," the unknown man called over to them. His voice sounded quite young, as if he were only a teenager. "Are you guys new to Ellay?"

Ness nodded cautiously.

"You should be careful around here," the youth warned. "There is a gang that roams the streets of Ellay called the Bla Bla Gang. They were really big ten years ago, but their leader, Teddy, left and made a life for himself. Ever since then, he's been trying to reform the other members of the gang. He's met with some success, but others don't want to leave the life of the gang just yet." The last bit seemed to indicate that the youth that the teens were talking to was, in fact, a member of the gang. "Is there anyplace that I can help you find?"

"No, thank you," Paula politely replied. We're fine."

"Oh, that's too bad, pretty girl," the youth sneered condescendingly. "Because, as it turns out, you're not fine. You've walked in on the Bla Bla Gang's territory. And in order for you to be able to walk in our territory, you've gotta give us your passport and visa."

"Why is that?" Poo asked harshly, showing his utter disdain for the gang member. His response and the force with which he delivered it seemed to surprise the Bla Bla Gang member.

"Because if you don't, I'll beat it out of you, moron!" the Bla Bla Gang member responded. He then proceeded to pull out a club and assumed a menacing pose.

Poo smirked and stepped out in front of Ness and Paula. "I'll give you this one chance," Poo warned the gang member. "Back off now."

The gang member grinned and said, "Kid, you're gonna be sorry you decided to do this the hard way."

The Bla Bla member then proceeded to charge Poo. Unfortunately, for the gang member, due to Poo's finely honed skills and reflexes, augmented by his incredible psychic power, the gang member may well have been standing still compared to him. The gang member tried to bring his club down on Poo's head but Poo merely sidestepped the attack and instantly appeared behind the young gang member. He proceeded to tear the hood off of the gang member and found that rather than a man, he was facing a boy no older than him. The boy had short brown hair and green eyes. His glare could have pierced a person's soul. Poo merely scowled. This would be no challenge at all. He backed away a few steps and offered one final warning. "Leave me and my friends alone and I'll let you walk away."

The gang member merely laughed and charged again. This time, Poo did not give him a chance to use his club. To the gang member's senses, Poo merely vanished and instantly reappeared behind him, gripping his club in a vice-like hold. In reality, Poo used his psychically enhanced speed to run around to the back of the gang member and grab the club. With an effortless pull, Poo yanked the club out of the gang member's hands and threw it away. He then proceeded to launch a side kick into the gang member's chest. The kick sent the unfortunate teen flying through the air. He sailed over a dozen yards away before he landed on the sidewalk. The impact would have severely injured the youth, but Ness cushioned the impact with his telekinesis. The gang member was still slow to stand up, though. Poo and the others merely began to walk away, but the gang member was not finished yet.

"Hey, come back here and face me," he cried out as he drew out a gun and pointed it at Poo and the departing Ness and Paula. Poo and the others stopped and faced him.

"You don't want to do this," Ness warned in a kind tone.

"Why not?" the beaten and bloodied gang member asked condescendingly. He still did not understand the depths of the mismatch that he was fighting.

"Because we have identified your dozen friends that are hiding in the shadows around these buildings," Paula answered for Poo. She had already sensed the gang member's allies since the beginning of the gang member's fight with Poo. "If you fight us, you will lose."

The youth laughed as the other gang members came out of the shadows. Instead of there being a dozen of them, though, Ness and the others counted twenty. "Guess you didn't count all that well," he laughed. "Now, you're either gonna pay us our fee, or you're gonna die. Well, maybe everyone except that pretty little blonde," he said referring to Paula, "Her, we definitely have some uses for. Oh, and she's part of the fee as well."

Ness and Poo's eyes flashed in rage but it was Paula who stepped forward. "We will not pay gang members for the right to explore Ellay," she said calmly and confidently. She also held up her hands, lightning arcing across her fingers. "Turn back now, please," Paula pleaded, not wanting this to turn any more violent than it already had been. The gang members, however, saw this as a sign of weakness.

"Well, you heard the girl," the first gang member shrugged. "Pump the boys full of lead. Leave the girl alive, though. We can have some fun with her later," he laughed.

Before the gang could open fire, though, Paula unleashed a massive volley of PSI Thunder against the gang members. All twenty-one of them were struck with weak, relatively speaking, bolts of lightning. They all cried out when they were hit as lightning arced across their bodies and they fell to the ground, injured and temporarily paralyzed, but still alive. In addition, Paula made certain that her attack would not cause any permanent injury to them.

"You went too easy on them," Poo admonished as the three teens walked by the scene.

"What did you want me to do, kill them?" Paula retorted.

"Not necessarily," Poo responded. "But I don't think that they'll change their ways with just a small scale defeat like that."

Paula smiled and replied, "Perhaps. But maybe they'll think twice about accosting someone else."

Ness, who was careful to not get involved in Paula and Poo's argument, checked his watch and found that their exploration of the city had taken some time and that it was already ten fifteen. They had to get to the Live House to get some good seats for the concert, and possibly a chance to meet Ninten, Ana, and Lloyd. The three then made their way back to the Live House.

Just after they had ridden off, the gang members managed to regain their ability to stand. As they stood, they witnessed a strange figure walking into the city. The Bla Bla gang leader, the one who had accosted Ness and his friends earlier and had his mask torn off in the process, stood up and glared in the direction that Ness and his friends had ridden. "I'll get you, you scum," he called after them.

He was about to go after them when one of his subordinates called over to him, "Hey Chris, we might be able to vent our frustrations on someone else."

Chris, the Bla Bla leader looked over and found a figure walking towards them. This figure seemed to be a mix of a human and a furless cat in appearance. He was bipedal and had milky white skin. Assuming that the figure was not merely a resident of Ellay in disguise, he appeared to be naked, though no genitalia appeared on his figure, though the figure had an obviously masculine look about him. Not learning from their encounter with Ness and his friends, Chris and the Bla Bla Gang stepped in front of the figure. The figure stopped as the twenty gang members stood before him. Giygas smiled to himself. Perhaps he could get something resembling an exercise before going to the Live House to spy on Ninten and his friends, as well as on Ness should Ness show up there.

"Get out of my way," Giygas commanded in a low, confident voice.

"You'll need to give us your passport papers first," Chris responded, pointing his gun at Giygas's head. The rest of the gang followed suit.

"No," the alien responded casually and continued to walk. Chris, furious about being taken so lightly so close to his humiliation at the hands of Poo, opened fire on Giygas. The other gang members joined in and dozens of gunshots rang out. Each bullet impacted a shield that Giygas had always subconsciously erected as a basic defense mechanism and required only the same amount of energy input from him as breathing did. The bullets bounced off of the shield as if they had struck the armor of a tank. Giygas then raised his hands and pointed at each and every one of the gang members. Each time he pointed at a gang member, an emerald green energy blast issued forth and struck the targeted gang member, reducing the gang member to ashes in an instant. He did this twenty-one times, saving Chris for last. Chris had attempted to run away, though, only to be shot in the back. After the massacre was completed, Giygas moved on, muttering, "Pitiful," as he rose into the air and floated over to the Live House.

Over at the Live House, Ness and the others had already entered and presented their tickets to the female receptionist standing in the corner. The tables were arranged in lines and aisles to allow for quick service to the customers. The receptionist accepted their tickets and directed them towards a table in the front row close to the stage. It appeared as if Teddy had informed the receptionist and staff about Ness and his party's arrival. Ness's party took their seats at the table that had been reserved for them. He noticed that the stage was not too high for them to jump on should they be invited. He was beginning to get a little nervous. The last thing he wanted was to be dragged up on stage to perform with Teddy or one of the other groups. While they were waiting, Ness picked at some of the rolls, despite already having had breakfast. This drew a disapproving look from Paula but he did not care. He simply smiled back and continued eating. Poo said nothing, but he did not try to suppress his smile. In his mind, he was already jokingly wondering how long it would be before the two made their marriage vows.

After a while, the lights dimmed and the acts began to file on stage and perform for the crowds. Most of the prelude acts were dances and small bands playing for the crowds. Not long after the preludes were finished, though, the main attraction came on. Onto the stage came four young adults, three men and a woman. Ness, Paula, and Poo were immediately taken by the resemblance that three of the performers had towards what would be an older Ness, Paula, and Jeff to a lesser extent. Ness figured that Ninten was the one that resembled him, while Ana, Ninten's wife, definitely resembled an adult Paula, and Lloyd was the one that bore a small resemblance to Jeff, though his hair seemed to be more white where Jeff's hair was blond. There was also no uniform dress code among the performers. Teddy wore his standard attire that Ness had seen when he had performed in Fourside, while Ninten wore a striped polo shirt that strongly resembled Ness's t-shirt, right down to the color of the stripes on it, yellow and purple. The only real difference was the fact that the yellow stripes were much smaller on Ninten's polo shirt than Ness's stripes on his t-shirt, which were the same size. As for Ana she wore a pink sleeveless dress that had strongly resembled the dress that Paula had worn before her capture. Lloyd was wearing a red polo shirt and black shorts. He also wore glasses, another similarity to Jeff, though his attire was noticeably different.

As they came on stage, they took their positions near four microphone stands. At Ninten's direction, which surprised Ness, the band began to play. After the introduction, Ninten and the others began to perform a series of songs of various genres. As Ness listened, he could tell that the quartet had good singing voices and were quite talented, as they also danced on stage as well. Ness glanced over at Paula from time to time, watching her move to the music and snap her fingers to the music. Poo, however, seemed to not have been able to care less about the performance. The older teen was in deep meditation. Ness believed that he was mentally preparing for the journey ahead. He also had a feeling that Poo was not all that enamored with the type of music. As he was kicking back to relax, listening to the performance, he took a glance back and saw a flash of light from the balcony above the hall. This did not look like the normal flashing of lights that was coming from the Live House. Ness stared up at the balcony and he saw another flash. In the flash he thought he managed to catch site of a figure that looked frighteningly like a Starman. Was it possible that he, or Ninten, was being tracked? In the middle of one of the songs, he tapped Paula on the shoulder and said, "Hey, I've gotta take a break. I'll be back shortly, hopefully."

Paula looked a little annoyed yet said, "Sure, go ahead." She then went back to dancing to the music. Ness then promptly left and headed towards the back. Poo opened his eyes and noticed that Ness was gone.

"Where's Ness?" he asked.

Paula looked back at Poo and said, "He went to take a break." It was obvious that she was a little annoyed at his leaving the performance. Poo expression only got more serious. Paula noticed that Poo was still not relaxed and appeared to be on guard. She began to grow more concerned "What is it?" she asked.

"I don't know," Poo answered, puzzled about the feeling he was having. "I just had a strange feeling come over me. It's since passed." He then paused before assuring the younger girl, "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"Okay," Paula said, her voice wavering. She not entirely convinced that he was okay. She then went back to focusing on the performance and dancing. The song that Ninten and his group were singing was a jazz song, a style of music that Paula loved. However, she still periodically looked back at Poo to see if there was any change to his look.

Up on the balcony overlooking the concert hall, Giygas stood, watching the performance of Ninten and his friends, one of them his wife Ana. Giygas did not recognize the fourth member of Ninten's group, Teddy, though he was very familiar with Ninten, Ana, and Lloyd. He scanned the hall and quickly noticed another trio that he had encountered or seen at various times recently, Ness, Paula, and Poo. He looked down on both the stage and at Ness's table. Poo seemed to be in deep meditation. He did not know whether or not Poo was telepathically scanning the area, though telepathy did not seem to be Poo's specialty, energy sensing, manipulation, and control were. Paula was the telepath, and she was fully engrossed in the music, dancing and clapping to the song, as were Ninten and his friends as they sang. Giygas grinned. This would be the perfect time to take them out. After all, he had sensed no other psychics in Ellay during his tour through the town. Still, that did not mean that Earth was without other psychics of its own. After all, Poo had escaped detection by Giygas and the others, as well as Ness and Paula, the latter of which was known as a psychic in Twoson. Still, this was the best chance he had of being able to eliminate two potential problems with his invasion of Earth. He began to regret not attacking Ness and his allies earlier. Still, he began to think, better late than never. Just then, he sensed the arrival of another presence. He turned and found the semi-translucent spirit of his adoptive mother, Maria. However, she was joined by a young human male that was dressed in a long sleeved shirt and pants. Giygas figured that he was handsome by human standards, but not in a way that would attract a lot of attention.

"Come back to try to convince me to turn away from my ways, Mom?" he mocked before she spoke. "And you also brought some help, too, it seems." He focused his gaze on the human male. "Sorry, but I'm not gonna change just because you beg me too." He then grinned at the two humans and added, "But by all means, come and enjoy the concert with me. They're about to sing, "All That I Needed Was You."

"Maybe that is all that you need," Maria said softly as she approached her son, "someone who loves you."

"You can't love me," Giygas laughed. "I'm a monster, Mother. There's nothing you can do to change that."

"But I love you. And you can change," Maria countered. "You don't have to go through with this."

He turned away from Maria and he sat back and focused on the descendant of Maria, Ninten, as he addressed the audience after they had applauded a performance of their last song, "Thank you. Now we will be performing an old favorite of ours. In fact, this was the song we performed on our first visit to Ellay over ten years ago. This song also introduced us to our friend, Teddy. Ladies and gentlemen, 'All That I Needed Was You'."

The music then began to play as Giygas sat back and glanced over at Maria and said, "Well, you may as well sit back and enjoy the show your descendant puts on. It's the last show he'll ever put on, so you may as well sit back and watch."

Maria came over to sit by her son. Her eyes still seemed to be blinking back tears as she went to hug Giygas. Giygas shook her off and said, "Please. I don't need you to get even more mushy on me now. I have a mission to perform and I will accomplish it."

"Then why don't you just kill them now?" the human male asked. He did not ask it in a sarcastic or condescending way, but merely as a question. This question took Giygas off guard, which the man knew it would. Giygas quickly replied, "Because I'm trying to find out where the other psychics on Earth are."

The human male looked at him skeptically. Giygas grimaced. "Fine, I don't know why I haven't killed them yet."

"I do," Maria said softly, siding up next to him. "Because you still have a conscience."

Giygas turned to her and laughed. "Sit back and relax, Mother. After this song is done, I'll show you just how much of a conscience I have left." He proceeded to sit back down and watched as Ninten and the others began to sing.

During the song, Giygas had just sat and watched as the four performers danced to their singing, along with Paula down below. Giygas had noticed that Ness had left, ostensibly for what he believed to be a bathroom break, but he was skeptical. Still, he knew that Ness did not have any telepathic abilities, at least not with regards to sensing sentient minds. He thought little of it, though. His spies had indicated that Ness was not very fond of singing, so it would be understandable that he might want to take a break from the performance.

Giygas turned back to see Maria and the human male standing behind him. "Still here, eh?" he quipped. "You know, the more you try to turn me away from this path, the more resolved I will be to see it through."

"We can still try," Maria replied.

"So it's 'we' now," Giygas laughed. "I don't understand what it is with you. Why do you want to save me? You know what I've done. I'm beyond salvation!"

"No you're not," the man countered. "No one is."

"Yes I am, Michael," Giygas answered. "I have killed so many people that I've lost count. Men. Women. Children. But you, being the third most powerful being in creation, must know the number. You even know their names. Every. Last. One of them."

Michael nodded. "Yes, I do. Despite everything you've done, though, you are not beyond salvation. You can still change. You can still atone for your past. After all, if you were as evil as you say you are, you would have killed Ninten, Ana, and Lloyd twelve years ago. You would not have been affected by the Eight Melodies. There was no magic in that song, no external power. Its only affect on you was due to your own memories."

Giygas gritted his teeth. "Stop, talking!" he cried out at the archangel. He then powered a blast of PSI Special and unleashed it at the archangel. His attack collided with the archangel and it exploded. The explosion was contained by the archangel's power so the globe of energy expanded to no more than two and a half meters in diameter, inflicting no damage to the floor beneath them. As Giygas had known would happen, Michael suffered no damage from his attack.

Maria, meanwhile, stared into her adoptive son's eyes and pleaded with him, "Please stop this. Don't you see that if you continue down this path, you will die? And you will go to Hell."

"And if I do what you want me to, I'm just as dead," Giygas yelled. "And Ness and the others aren't powerful enough to defeat me."

"Not yet," Michael said in the background. "But they could be shortly," he warned. "You just might even find out how close they are to you now," he added knowingly. He then glanced over at the doorway.

The doorway came open and standing inside the door was Ness. Ness's eyes went wide at the sight of Giygas, as did Giygas's at the sight of Ness. Ness immediately assumed a fighter's stance and drew out his baseball bat, which prompted a smirk from Giygas.

"So the leader of the legendary Chosen Four finally comes to face me," Giygas said confidently. Ness did not respond to the comment.

"What are you doing here?" Ness asked in a low voice. He soon noticed Maria and an unknown man out of the corner of his eye. From the way the man was placing his hand on Maria's shoulder, and the fact that he knew that Maria was dead, he figured the man to be an angel of some sort.

"Checking up on you and your friends," Giygas said in response to Ness. He began to grin at the human boy and he continued, "I have been looking forward to this moment for a while. For the longest time, I had ordered my soldiers to not kill you. However, I'm beginning to wonder what I was thinking when I gave such an order." Ness had no comment. "Ah well, it doesn't matter," Giygas said with a shrug, grinning at Ness. "I'll just finish the job when you come up to Mount Itoi." Giygas then began to laugh maniacally.

As Giygas had thrown back his head while laughing and had closed his eyes, Ness figured that this was his best chance to blindside Giygas with an attack of his own. If he could take out Giygas right here and now, he could neutralize a tremendous threat. And he would not get a better chance to do so. And this way, he would only reveal his own power, something Giygas probably knew anyway. Ness instantly powered a PSI Rockin, but could only charge it to its Gamma form in a quick enough time to fire on Giygas while still being sure of inflicting debilitating damage to the psychic alien. Ness unleashed the scarlet ball of psychic energy at the alien. Ness was at first worried that Maria would warn Giygas about the sneak attack, but Michael still gripped her shoulder. He did not know, or care, if that was because she was going to warn Giygas or not. All he knew was that Giygas did not see the attack when he had unleashed it at the alien. The scarlet ball of energy had nearly collided with Giygas when he looked back at Ness and saw the psychic energy ball streaking towards him. He immediately held out his hand in order to catch the ball. He caught the energy ball in his left hand and immediately upon impact, the ball of energy exploded, engulfing the alien in a field of psychic energy. Ness was not telepathic, but with Giygas managing to intercept the attack with his hand, he believed that Giygas had managed to protect himself from the attack. Indeed, just as Ness had suspected, Giygas emerged from the field of energy once it had dissipated. Giygas looked relatively uninjured, however, there were some black burn marks on his left hand. Giygas did not look to be in much pain from the attack. He raised his hand to his face and looked it over.

"Incredible, boy," he said, his mind still reeling from the attack as he looked over his hand. "You managed to hurt me." Giygas then began to laugh as the burn marks on his hand disappeared. "Indeed you are powerful, just as I suspected. But if that's all you've got, then you won't stand a chance against me."

But Ness was not finished. Faster than a human eye could track, he appeared in front of Giygas and, with a mighty swing, attempted to bring his bat down on Giygas's head. Giygas, however, was no slouch in a physical fight. He managed to sidestep Ness swing. Ness then launched a side kick, which Giygas managed to block. Giygas then stepped back and extended his hand towards the psychic teen. Immediately, Ness found himself sailing through the air, and into a wall. Ness struck the wall, leaving it cracked, and fell to the ground. Giygas laughed. "Yes, you'll need to do better than that if you want to have a hope of beating me," he mocked. He then glanced back over at Maria and Michael, who had not yet left the scene and said, "I'll be seein' you," as condescendingly as possible before disappearing. What Giygas did not notice as he teleported back to Mount Itoi, though, was that Ness was smiling.

"Yes Giygas, underestimate us," he said with a grin to the space that Giygas had filled only a few moments ago. He picked himself up and went over to Maria and Michael. Though he did not know that he was gazing upon the archangel Michael, he could tell that Maria's companion was powerful, and was likely at the very least an angel.

Maria gazed into Ness's eyes with sadness. "Don't face him yet, Ness," she told him. "Despite your strength, he is still too powerful for you."

Ness gave no response, but his gaze did not waver. Maria then backed away and disappeared. Michael, however, still remained. "Your friends and family members that disappeared from your house a few days ago are still alive, so far," he said, with a hint of warning in the last part of his statement. "But do not ignore Maria's warning due to her being Giygas's adoptive mother and still having love for him. You are not yet powerful enough to defeat him."

"I won't face him alone," he told the archangel.

"Even with your friends, the likelihood of defeating Giygas as you are is slim to none," Michael reiterated. "But don't lose hope. You can still accomplish your mission. And Maria is right about the fact that Giygas is not beyond salvation."

With those words, Michael disappeared from Ness's sight. Ness wondered what the angel had meant when he said that Giygas was not beyond salvation. It seemed to Ness as if he was saying that Giygas was not beyond a reasonable attempt of salvation. Ness doubted that, but he would not ignore it should something come up in the future. With nothing further to do up on the balcony, he returned downstairs to the main concert hall.

Back on the main floor, Ness arrived back at the table. He had noticed that it there was currently an intermission before Ninten and the others would start performing again. As Ness took his seat, Paula looked over at him accusingly. "How was your break, Ness?" she asked, still thinking that it was just a way for Ness to get away from the performance, and that she was not pleased.

"It could've been better," Ness responded dryly. After a moment of silence, Poo had not dared to wade into the discussion, Ness spoke again. "I encountered Giygas on the balcony." This caused Paula to gasp, and Poo to focus his gaze on Ness, and widen his eyes.

"What?" Paula gasped. "Giygas was here?"

Ness nodded.

"I didn't sense anyone else besides the people who were already here," she stammered, albeit quietly so as to not draw any attention to herself.

"Neither did I," Poo added. "And I was scanning the whole area as well."

Ness nodded. "I saw a flash up on the balcony and went to investigate. When I encountered Giygas, we had a brief skirmish. He gave better than I did, and my PSI Rockin Gamma only managed to inflict some superficial burns on his hand when he was taken partially off guard. I doubt that my attack would faze him if I used it in a battle where he knew it was coming."

Paula and Poo lowered their heads. "We always knew that if we were going to go to Mount Itoi, we'd need help," Paula said serenely.

"We'll need more than that," Ness said. "I also encountered Maria, Giygas's adoptive mother, and a man who was with her. I think that he was an angel. They both said that I was not strong enough to face Giygas yet. They also strongly implied that if we faced him, we would lose at our current strength, but that he was not insurmountable. I personally think that with the help of Ninten and his friends that we may be able to defeat Giygas, or at least be able to drive him off and allow us to get the Zexonyte from Mount Itoi's peak."

"Then we should get going," Poo declared.

"Not yet," Paula cautioned. "We'll need the help of Ninten and his friends in order to face Giygas. We can talk to them after the concert and tell them what we need, as well as alert them to the threat of Giygas."

After a moment's contemplation, Poo agreed with Paula. Ness also agreed with her assessment as well. The trio then focused back on the stage and waited impatiently for the concert to resume. It was not long before the receptionist came out on stage. "Attention everyone," she called out over the microphone. "Due to extenuating circumstances beyond their control, Ninten, Ana, Lloyd, and Teddy have had to cut short their concert today. They have asked that you retain your ticket stubs and that you return at eleven o'clock tomorrow for the completion of their concert. Thank you for your kind attention." This was met with a chorus of groans and complaints in the audience. This announcement had a different effect on Ness and Paula as they gasped in horror.

"Oh no! We have to find them," Paula said in an almost panicked voice. "They have no idea what Giygas is capable of."

"I'm not so sure about that," Poo countered sagely. "From what I've heard about them during the ride with Teddy and what Giygas has told you about his history, I do believe that Ninten and his friends were the ones who defeated him in his first invasion of Earth twelve years ago. Besides, we don't know for certain that they're going to Mount Itoi."

"Giygas has changed since then," Ness stated. "And I can see no other reason to cut this concert short. They must have sensed my encounter with Giygas, or heard our discussion about him. No, they're going to Mount Itoi."

"Then we have to hurry," Poo said, realizing that Ness was most likely correct in his assessment. "If we're quick we might be able to get to them before they reach the mountain."

The trio then stood up and headed over to the exit. Before they reached the exit, though, they were intercepted by the receptionist. She came over and to them and told them, "If you're looking for Ninten and the others, they have already left."

"Did they say where they were going?" Paula asked.

The receptionist nodded. "They're going to Mount Itoi," she informed them kindly. "They said that there was some unfinished business on the mountain that they had to take care of. Teddy said that Ninten specifically asked that you not follow them in fighting the monster; that this was something that they had to take care of on their own. They said that they would distract the monster while you got what you needed from the mountain's peak."

This was the worst news that Ness and the others could hear. If the two teams had combined, he felt as if they might have had a chance against Giygas, but with Ninten and the others facing him alone, there was no chance of victory. Heck, even he had to admit, though, that even with Ninten's help, that there was a chance that Giygas was too powerful for them to defeat. Still, he did not like the fact that Ninten and the others were basically going on a suicide mission against Giygas, especially if the special song that Maria had taught him was no longer effective against him.

"How much of a head start do they have?" Poo asked.

The receptionist shrugged. "I don't know, around five to seven minutes, maybe. They headed out in a big hurry; I know that."

"Then that doesn't leave us much time," Paula stated.

The three then went to head off towards the mountain. "Wait!" the receptionist called over to them. The three stopped and glanced back at the woman. "First off is this." She then handed them a pamphlet. "This contains a basic map of Mount Itoi, including rest stops," she explained. They are marked with red dots. Teddy also told me to tell you that at the base of the mountain is a healer that gives out free Life Up Creams. They are powerful healing medicine that cost two hundred dollars at the Ellay Department Store. These special creams are said to completely heal you of any injury. It does not cure any poison or sickness, though. He said that they were very useful."

Ness and the others thanked the receptionist before departing. As the trio left, the receptionist offered a silent prayer for the safe return of Ninten and his friends, including the safe return of Ness. She also quietly wished them, "Good luck." She then returned to the entrance.

Outside the Live House, Ness and the others opened up the map and quickly scanned it, noting the place where the healer sold the Life Up Creams. After the trio had studied the map carefully, they proceeded to make their way north towards a bridge that would take them out of the city and to the base of the mountain. They decided to bypass the Ellay Department Store since they knew that they could survive the trip to the healer's cabin.

At the peak of Mount Itoi, Giygas stood, scanning the environment around him for the minds of any newcomers. He knew from the time that Ness had fought him that it was likely that he would be seeing the young teen again in the future. Still, he had sensed nothing approaching the mountain yet. He did not think much of it, though. Chances are that they had waited for the concert to end before making their move. The one concern that he had was the prospect of Ness and his friends joining forces with Ninten, Ana, Lloyd, and this Teddy. If the three psychics joined with Ninten and his group, there could be trouble. After all, he had not been able to accurately gauge Ness's psychic abilities in their brief skirmish. While he did not think that Ness had learned anything new about him, either, he did not want to take any chances with regards to fighting Ness. Ness was powerful; far more so than Ninten and Ana combined had been a dozen Earth years ago. Not only that, but he suspected that Ninten and Ana had only gotten stronger in the dozen years since. Ninten had not known any offensive PSI in their last battle, and Ana's elemental PSI, and her PSI Beam, had been ineffective against him due to her lack of psychic firepower. They were nowhere near as powerful in that battle as Maria had been in their battle all those years ago. He felt that Ness and his friends, however, were. If that was the case then, even though they were not strong enough to beat him on their own, they could still hurt him. With the addition of a couple of strong fighters, they might be able to give him a fight.

He quickly looked over the crater. In the center of the crater was a mineral that had been stored inside the cargo hold of the grounded starship. It was Zexonyte. The ore was the fuel source of the ship as well as the fuel source for the Phase Distorter. Giygas looked down into the gorge with satisfaction. He knew that the Zexonyte would lure Ness and the others here before they were fully prepared to face him. He knew that he would have one safe opportunity to take Ness and his friends out of the picture. Unless Ninten and Ana had gotten significantly stronger, he could care less about how powerful they became.

He floated over to the rocky edge of the gorge and softly touched the ground. Almost immediately after he touched down, Starman Deluxe Alpha appeared next to him. "Your report," Giygas ordered.

"So far, everything is in order," the Starman answered. "We have called back all of our remaining units to the mountain, as per your orders."

Just then, a Starman Super, the same one that was bearing the katana that Giygas had given him, came floating out of the cavern that led to the gorge. "Master," he said bowing. "Our scans have detected four humans entering the area of Mount Itoi."

"Who are they?" Giygas asked quickly.

"Ninten, Ana, Lloyd, and Teddy," the Starman Super responded.

"Any sign of Ness, Paula, or Prince Poo?"

The Starman Super shook his head. "No, Master. So far, they have yet to appear."

Giygas grimaced. He did not want Ninten and his party to blind his men to the threat of Ness and the others. Not only that, but chances were that Ninten and his posse could thin out the ranks of his forces, making it easier for Ness's party to pass.

"Get our soldiers to their positions," Giygas commanded the Starman Deluxe.

"It shall be done, Master," the Starman Deluxe said, bowing before his master.

"Tell our soldiers that they have full authorization to kill any and all intruders," Giygas added. "There is no more uncertainty in my mind. None of them have any further information that I need. They must die, now!"

The Starman Deluxe grinned. "Your will be done, Master," he replied before disappearing.

Giygas then turned to the Starman Super and commanded, "You, stay here for now. I will have need of you for a mission should Ness somehow survive this trip."

"Understood," was the Starman Super's only response. Then, Giygas stood on top of the mountain, waiting to see if either Ninten's group, or Ness's would make it up to face him. The only thing that he was worried about was the fact that he was using the dregs of his forces, the older style Starmen, Mooks, and other weaker alien forces against the attackers, so chances were that he would lose a lot more enemy soldiers before engaging either Ninten, or Ness's groups.

Down at the base of Mount Itoi, Ninten, Ana, Lloyd, and Teddy had already made it towards the caves of Mount Itoi. The remains of a few fallen UFOs littered the ground behind them. Several unconscious animals such as Buffalos and Seagulls were also strewn about on the ground. As the quartet approached the cave, a group of aliens emerged to meet them led by two Blue Starmen, Starmen who wore blue spacesuits. Among the party were normal older Starmen, Mooks, Energy Robots, Light Elves, Faeries, aliens that looked to be Roswell Grays, and a whole assortment of other animals. The Elves and Faeries were armed with swords while the Grays had B-grade Science Fiction looking blaster pistols in their hands, all pointed straight at the quartet.

Ninten looked over to his wife, Ana, and to Lloyd and Teddy. Each of them nodded in return and drew out their weapons. Ninten produced a baseball bat and held it out in front of him. Ana drew out a frying pan and gripped it in her hand while electricity arced in her left hand. Lloyd, who was the scientific genius of the group, drew out a flamethrower and stood at the front of the group with Ana. Last was Teddy, who drew out a katana. He stood back with Ninten. Ninten then glanced over at the force of aliens that had been arrayed against him, about sixteen in all. "Well, here goes," Ninten shrugged. Then, the battle began with Ana unleashing a blast of PSI Fire Gamma, and Lloyd opening fire with his flamethrower.