For the Power of Love

by RainyTazmily

A strange hit-and-run. Mysterious disappearances left and right. A sinister, overarching ploy is at hand, and supernatural powers can only do so much to save four boys from internal turmoil. Love can be selfish, love can be selfless... but at what point does it truly cross the line? AU. *[NOTE 8/2/19]: Still revamping chapters in spare time, 15/39 COMPLETE orz*

26. Pulling of the Needles

Ancient History was the bane of sixth grade.

Mister Leder, while generous to a fault, sported a workload that forced even the toughest student to cry for mercy. As misery often bred company, everyone begged to work in pairs, instinctively translating the daily "do your brainless busy-work" to "dude, if I'm suffering, then I'm not suffering alone." It was for this reason most of the students worked with a partner. No one was found alone if they could help it, and nobody wanted to be the stereotypical uncool loser of the class.

For obvious reasons, Pokey had been stuck by himself, easily cast aside as one of the said "losers."

But he didn't care, because Ness had been too.

For whatever reason, Ness was always alone, even going as far to refuse offers from other friends. It was a strange yet satisfying feeling. Every time Pokey glanced up from his desk, Ness was there, eyes furrowed in deep concentration. And every time Pokey spotted Ness working alone, he drew an immense feeling of comfort in his heart.

...Until today.

Under hushed whispers, Ness pointed down at the map of Mesopotamia, obvious excitement dancing in his violet eyes. He shot out a string of words from his lips like a movie clip with no end, rapidly gesturing at something to the person beside him. In turn, Lucas's voice curiously rose and fell in the incantation of a question.

"What? You didn't."

"Yeah, I did," Ness said proudly. "Heh. You wouldn't believe how loud Tracy screamed!"

"Bet she wasn't too happy with you after that."

"Hey, all I did was hide under the stairs and do THIS." Cross-eyed, Ness wiggled his eyebrows, goofily lolling out his tongue in a silly expression. "BLEEEH."

Now unable to stifle his laughter, Lucas shoved him in the shoulder. "Eww, that's disgusting!"

"BLEH."

"Ness!"

The fat smile on Ness's face was hard to miss, teetering on his lips and threatening to spill into happy laughter of his own. And to Pokey's sheer astonishment, it wasn't a forced "I'm okay, but I'm really not" smile, but a warm "I'm happy that you're happy" smile that he had once been directed towards his former neighbor.

The drastic change was hard to miss: the serious boy's features, once hardened by the weight of his powers, had uplifted in hope. A healthy hue had returned to Ness's cheeks, infusing it in a warm, fiery glow. Ever since Pokey had left him, Ness had drawn a bitter barrier around himself, shielding himself from the world, but somehow, Lucas had done the unimaginable and cracked it right open.

A sour taste seeped into Pokey's mouth. Catching himself staring at the pair for far too long, Pokey scowled, then forced his eyes back onto his own textbook.

The Ancient Egyptians used characters called hieroglyphics to convey their thoughts...

Ness could read thoughts. Ness was a filthy mind-reader, a freak of nature who didn't deserve Pokey's friendship.

They oversaw the construction of many famous monuments despite the hot, overwhelming climate...

Then why did he feel all hot and bothered inside? Like he was-

Hah! Impossible. There was no way Pokey could be jealous.

So what if Ness had a new friend? Pokey was still cooler than Ness.

Way cooler.

A flicker of motion caught his vision. Pokey narrowed his eyes. The pair must have finished their homework, because Lucas was reading ahead like always, drinking in the textbook like it were some rare Elixir of Life. Beside him, caught in a playful mood, Ness peered over his friend's shoulder to read whatever passage Lucas was on.

"Euphrates. Haha, that sounds like a disease."

"Mmhmm."

A poke. "Lucas, I'm booored."

"Mmhmm."

Another poke. "Hey. Hey, Lucas."

"Mm?"

"You spelled Tigris wrong."

Lucas blinked, turning his head to catch the mistake. "...I did?"

Ness prodded a finger at their completed homework. "Question Ten. You wrote Tigress River."

Noticing the error, Lucas flustered a tasteful shade of bright red. Caught by a series of mad giggles, Ness clapped his hands to his mouth, then playfully jostled Lucas in the elbow. Bashful at his own mistake, Lucas returned the look with a sheepish smile, and returned to correct his homework with an eraser.

Pokey clenched his fists so tightly that his pencil snapped into two.

Pokey hated him so much. Stupid Lucas with his stupid, blond hair and the stupid, quiet way he talked. Pokey hated it, absolutely hated all of it. Furiously picking out the sharp wooden splinters digging into his fingers, Pokey felt an indescribable urge to punch something. Or preferably, someone.

But Pokey wasn't stupid. A rough bruising every now and then was easily concealable, but beating Lucas up black and blue would cost him a lifetime of Hell in the hands of an enraged older twin brother. And as much as he hated to admit it, Claus was definitely not someone Pokey wanted to mess with.

Pokey wanted to scream in frustration. It wasn't fair! Out of all people, why did Lucas have to be one with such an overprotective twin?! Pokey was beaten up every day, but he didn't have someone to protect him! It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair at all!

A sudden sound deafened his ears.

"Sorry," Claus said to no one in particular, even though he didn't sound very sorry at all. As Claus scrabbled for his fallen textbook, everyone else heed him no attention, eager to finish their own worksheets before the end of class.

Out of curiosity, Pokey eyed the less-than-happy expression on Claus's face. For starters, Ninten must've been sick again, because the lonely twin was sitting by himself in the corner of the classroom, even going as far to rebuff his brother's requests to join them.

Claus looked unusually tense, glowering in obvious discomfort, and Pokey followed his pointed glare to the center of the room. As Lucas let out a soft laugh, Pokey caught the increasingly dirty looks Claus shot at the back of a familiar black-haired someone. Claus's fingers tightened on the History book he had "accidentally" dropped, whitening at the fingertips as though itching to strangle a certain baseball captain.

Then in a bout of nervousness, Lucas involuntarily tugged at his shirt sleeve. As a thick bruise peeked out from beneath its hem (courtesy of Yours Truly), Claus's expression deepened into a dark frown.

"Oho. Wouldn't you like to know who bruised him up?" Pokey spoke to himself, eyeing Claus's dark furrow in savage satisfaction. "Too bad you don't. I mean, I bet you'd do anything to return the favor if you did-"

Pokey froze.

An idea popped into his head, a plot so dastardly clever and devious that no one would've even dared to conceive the merest thought of it-

Because Pokey could use his perfect school streak to get away with it.

Because no one would ever dream to point their finger at the most clever, most charming, and most trouble-making boy in the world.

With a rather arrogant, self-important nod, Pokey beckoned Orange Kid over. The latter looked disgruntled for being disturbed in whatever lunch money scheme he'd been plotting, but instantly, his annoyance evaporated into a look of polite interest when Pokey smoothly slipped a few dollar bills into the back of his pocket. If there was one thins Pokey learned from his parents, it was that money solved all problems.

His lackey satisfied, Pokey leaned forward and whispered something into his ear.

After all, Orange Kid loved scamming idiots just as much as he did.

Orange Kid listened in, his black beady eyes flitting first from Claus, then to Ness, before a devious grin grew on his face. Then, wiping the grin off like a clean slate, he sidled to the back of the classroom to deliver the latest "gossip."

Pokey couldn't hear anything from this distance, but whatever Orange Kid said had done the trick.

A myriad of emotions rapidly flashed across Claus's face: lingering suspicion shifted into uncertainty, which quickly dissolved into horrified shock that, by the passing second, began to dawn into fury of the most terrible proportions-

The bell rang.

As if on cue, Claus stormed past Orange Kid, seizing a surprised Lucas by the arm and dragging him out of the classroom. When Ness tried to follow, Claus shot him an expression so murderous that he froze right in his tracks. Obviously confused by the turn of events, Ness blinked once, then shrugged it off, hitching his bag up and strolling off to class.

Orange Kid's smirk never left his face.

When Pokey caught his eye, Orange Kid threw him two thumbs up.

"Nailed it," he mouthed, and in return, Pokey's own lips twisted into an ugly smirk. Now all that was left was to ensure that a certain blond understood his point VERY clearly. If not a few bruises, then a broken arm should do the trick.

Because if Pokey couldn't be Ness's best friend...

Then no one else could.

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~Chapter Twenty-Six~

Pulling of The Needles

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"Ughh, where's the damn aspirin...?"

The fresh welts on his back throbbed like crazy. As Pokey struggled to his feet, he hissed in pain, feeling one of the open cuts ooze open. Each sore welt stabbed into his skin like hot knives, a kind memento of his drunk father's belt.

At least it's over, Pokey thought bitterly, hobbling over to the kitchen. Tightly gripping the marble counter for support, he collapsed into a chair, hissing again as the impact flared up another cut. Grabbing a huge heaping of chips from the pantry, Pokey nursed his aching pride and tore open a crisp pack with a sulk. At least, he thought again, savagely digging into another pack of Sour cream and Onions, my dad's money had SOME use.

At least there were some perks of having a rich excuse of a dad.

Something about the twisted logic made Pokey even angrier. As if the chips had done him wrong, Pokey crumpled up two empty bags and littered the floor, only to start on a third, scrunching his eyes against the unpleasant flashback.

"What the hell did I teach you?" Aloysius bellowed amidst his wife's shrill screeching. The unpleasant smack of flesh on flesh echoed uncomfortably throughout the room. "How many times did I tell you to keep your brother in check?"

"Look at what you've done! You've exposed our family," his mother shrieked. Aloysius kicked him in the side, and Pokey howled in pain before curling up, dry-heaving into a sob. In his winded state, he barely heard snatches of a frantic conversation.

"Aloysius, what do we do now?" His mother glanced at his father in terror, wringing her hands in distress like Lady Macbeth trying to cleanse her own hands of invisible blood. "We're done for! When the authorities come, we'll go to jail!"

"What do you want me to do?"

"Then do SOMETHING, dear! The ungrateful brat could've blabbed everything to the police-"

"No, no... he wouldn't. We've taught Picky better than that," his father said suddenly, turning away from the scene to massage his suddenly aching temples. "I had so much dirt on Chief Strong before he resigned... Bah, reduced a mere phys ed teacher! I should've known to have invested my money on someone else. But we have hope, darling, don't fuss. I still have a few strings I can pull," he grunted, stroking his mustache. "To avoid suspicion, we'll report Picky missing. In this climate, they can't possibly BLAME us. If the police decide to interrogate us anyway, we act completely normal. And - WILL YOU STOP BAWLING LIKE A BITCH?" Double-chin jiggling, his father glared down at the lump that was his son's sobbing form in disgust. "Listen boy, if anyone starts asking around with questions, you shut up and tell them nothing. Got that?"

It was all Picky's fault. Stupid Picky, who never stood up for him when his parents got abusive. Stupid Picky, who would only stop by his room at the dead of night to whisper his are you okay's and I'm sorry's. Stupid Picky, who had nosed around in something that wasn't even his own business, only to be stolen away by the likes of Giygas. Picky was the one who went missing, but Pokey had to pay the price for his disappearance.

I hate him. I hate him so much.

But Picky had gone missing... because of him. Pokey failed to deliver what Giygas had wanted, had failed to realize that he had been manipulated. So really, the one at fault was-

It wasn't my fault!

A sharp knock interrupted his thoughts.

Disgruntled that someone had the nerve to disturb him, Pokey stayed put. He bet it was one of his father's drunk poker buddies. They sauntered over at odd times, swaggering in and out whenever they pleased. Pokey had no desire to let them in. They were loud, raucous, and disgustingly smelly.

...But if he didn't, his parents would find out, and the truth would bite him back in the ass.

Dragging his feet over as if they were the heaviest weights in the world, Pokey waddled over to wrench the door open with a vicious yank. "My dad's not here! Go screw around with someone else-"

A pair of tiny arms wrapped themselves around him. "Pokey!"

Pokey blindly lurched back, terrified at the sudden assault and recoiling when his side flared up in protest. But his shock quickly dissolved into disgust. "Blech," Pokey scoffed, swatting his brother off. "What are YOU doing?"

"Hugging you."

"Oh yeah? Well, you are sooo busted," he hissed, nabbing a yelping Picky by the ear and proceeding to drag his now-squirming younger brother into the house. "Wait 'til mom and dad hear about this. How did you find your way home? I bet you broke a lotta rules and made trouble for dad-"

"Mister Duster drove me here!" Picky chirped, pointing outside.

"Mister... who?" Pokey scoffed again, clearly disbelieving. "Duster? Who names their kid DUSTER? Some cleaning company? What a load of bogus."

"I-I don't know, brother. But he's right there... Outside!"

His face blanching, Pokey instantly swiveled around-

There was no one in sight.

Embarrassed that he'd been duped so easily, Pokey whipped back around in utter fury. "Oh stuff it, you-"

Then a polite cough.

For the third time that night, Pokey spun around to face a thin scraggly man leaning by the doorbell. "Pleased to meet you," said he. "My name is Duster."

Pokey dumbly froze, his jaw agape.

"By the way, that was a great comeback about my name," Duster said pleasantly. His voice was devoid of any rebuke; in fact, if the brothers weren't mistaken, the man's brown eyes twinkled with what looked like amusement. "Probably the most creative one I've heard by far."

Pokey still stood slack-jawed.

Thrown off by the awkward silence, Duster cleared his throat. "Er... My father is Chief Wess."

That seemed to knock Pokey out of his stupor. All the color drained out of his features. "YOU TOLD THE POLICE?" Pokey sputtered in horror, yanking his brother up by the collar. "What did you do THAT for? What the fuck were you THINKING-"

"Pokey, it's okay," his little brother said earnestly. "He's helping us find Ness-"

There was a thump as Pokey dropped him onto the ground. "What?" Pokey whispered, eyes round. In the blink of an eye, Pokey had shoved himself back into Duster's face. "Did you find him?!"

"No, but we think that Giygas might be involved. I wanted to ask you if you've noticed anything-"

Like the flip of the switch, Pokey's face hardened. "Get out."

"Pokey, please listen to me," Duster said patiently yet firmly, preventing him from shutting the door. "I know it's a lot to ask from you, but you won't be fighting on the front lines. If you can provide any information about Giygas's plans, it might help us bring him down-"

Bitterness seeped into Pokey's voice. "Bring him down? With what? You can't bring him down. I thought he was just a loony math teacher, but he's much more than that."

"What do you mean?"

"Like I'd tell you," Pokey sneered. "Forget about it. You're no match against him. I've seen a few of the things he can do. He can mess with your mind. He knows your worst fears..." A pause. "Even things you've never realized about yourself."

Involuntarily, Pokey's eyes flickered over to his younger brother.

Pokey's expression hardened again. "...Look, Duster, I'll only say this only because you brought Picky back: STAY OUT OF GIYGAS'S BUSINESS. You can't defeat him. No one can. He won't ever give up." Pokey eyed Duster's worn out clothes in disgust. "'Cause if you haven't noticed, he's a man with a purpose, something a hobo like you can't understand."

"A purpose?"

"Yeah, a sick one too. I know a nasty plot when I see one, and I'm not having any part in it," Pokey sneered, his lips twisting into an unpleasant grimace. "For all I care, Giygas can go on and raise the dead with his hocus pocus-"

Immediately, Pokey paled, clamping his mouth shut.

The damage had been done. All the color drained from Duster's face. "Giygas wants to raise the dead?"

"I-I don't know," Pokey stammered, struggling to wrench his wrist away. "I overheard him talking about it with somebody, okay? He looked like some tranny, and I didn't know Giygas was into some crazy shit like THAT-"

"Who was Giygas talking to?"

Pokey shook his head.

"Pokey, this is important," Duster said in an unusually sharp voice. "Who was Giygas talking to?"

"I don't know!"

"You must've seen his face-"

"Yeah, but Giygas closed the door on me, so it's not like I'd know!" Pokey snapped, twisting his arm out of Duster's grip, and Duster let go.

"I'm not trying to pick a fight with you-"

"Sure sounds like it."

"Pokey, we'll keep the tipoff anonymous. The police can help us without dragging you into it, and I won't ask you to do anything else."

As if trying to cover up his own terror, Pokey looked at him with bared teeth. "Like I said, I DON'T know anything, and I DON'T care. Leave me out of all this... freakishness! Eavesdropping got me into all this mess, and you're not dragging me back into another one again, so do me a favor and fuck off!"

Heavily trying to catch his breath after his rant, Pokey glared at him, watching what the older man would do next.

Then Duster shifted forward.

Pokey flinched-

"...How can you be so selfish?" Duster said softly.

"Selfish? Me?" Pokey laughed, a hollow sound that rang in his ears. "Speak for yourself, OLD MAN. I've never gotten anything I've wanted in my life. Nothing good ever came my way. The world obviously hates me, so why do I have to step in to save it?"

"I see. You're blinded by your very own jealousy." Pokey flinched when a sad tone laced Duster's words. "Listen to your conscience. Think about the pain you've inflicted on others. To your own brother. To Lucas. Ask yourself, Has bullying others done you any good?"

"Shut up, just... SHUT UP." Pokey clamped his hands over his ears. "Don't talk like you know any better, because you don't know anything about me-"

"You're right, I don't. I don't know what you have to go through each day." Duster lowered his voice. "But if there's one thing I've learned, self-pity won't take you very far. Pokey, you're still young enough to change. Don't do this to yourself."

"Why are you trying to guilt-trip me? No one's ever shown me an ounce of remorse!" Pokey fired up, balling up his fists. He narrowed his eyes to dangerous slits. "...I get it. You're trying to paint me as the bad guy. Pokey is a big fat jerk. Pokey is a mean dumbass. It's always Pokey this, Pokey that, and I'm sick and tired of always being the villain. Well, I'm not taking this shit anymore. You wanna hear the truth? I don't regret anything I've done. I don't regret a single thing, AND YOU CAN'T MAKE ME FEEL REMORSE. And if you think my life's easy, why don't you try living with parents like mine for a change-"

"You have no empathy for other people." Duster's eyes carried a heavy disappointment that burned worse than the scars on Pokey's back. "You didn't mean to work for Giygas, but the truth stands: you were involved. And because of you, many innocent people might be hurt. Are you willing to put the lives of your friends at stake for the sake of a petty grudge?"

"Don't threaten me. I owe no kindness to no one." Pokey bristled up at the thought. "You're not my friends. You only saved my brother because you liked him. If I was in trouble, nobody would've given a rat's fart about saving my ass-"

"Paula said otherwise."

"Really?" Pokey broke into an ugly sneer. "Well, I'm flattered. What did she say?"

"That Ness would've done the same for you."

Pokey fell silent.

Clinging onto his brother, Picky watched the exchange with frightened eyes.

Realizing that the teen couldn't be persuaded, Duster lowered his head in regret. "Sorry, I went too far. You're right. You don't owe us anything. I've been selfish for trying to push you into talking." Reaching over to ruffle Picky's hair (Picky did seem to relax a little better after the reassuring gesture), Duster took an awkward step back into the road. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Pokey. I wish you and your brother the best of luck. It's dangerous out, so don't wander around too late, okay?" Duster's eyes softened a fraction. "And don't worry about Ness. I'll do my best to find him."

As Duster sauntered down the street to his car, darkness swallowed up any trace of his existence.

Frozen by the doorway, Pokey watched the figure retreat long after the mysterious man had disappeared.

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~oO0Oo~

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It was a universally-accepted fact that all best friends were an odd-behaving species by nature.

To this, Tony was no exception.

Too many times, Jeff Andonuts had wondered what exactly made his friend's mind tick. Too many times, he ended up astoundingly empty-handed. Tony's quirky behavior somehow defied the very laws of physics from the tip of his pointy brown shoes to the very top of his emerald bowler hat.

The engine sputtered.

Broken... again?

With a sigh, Jeff unscrewed the hood of the solar car. Lifting the delicate sheet of metal like it was glass about to shatter at his touch, Jeff set it onto the floor with remarkable care. Tilting the flashlight in to make SOME sense of the matter, he squinted into the complicated collection of nuts and bolts.

Come to think of it, even after witnessing Ninten's dramatic flairs, Jeff was very sure Tony would outstrip him in the title of "Drama Queen."

Take, for instance, sixth grade when Tony had wailed like a dying cow after Ness insulted Valentine's Day. Or in eighth grade, when Tony had collapsed to his knees in dramatic sobbing fit, all because he had forgotten his pencil to class. In the middle of Physics too, no less. Jeff's ears burned, remembering the uncertain look his father had spared him, as if asking, Is he really your best friend?

He's not my best friend! Jeff had snapped, because one, Tony was just a classmate; two, Tony was a weirdo whose hair defied all laws of physics; and three, what the flipping heck-!

Most fortunately, his father had been wise enough to drop the topic. So for the longest time, Tony was just that one weird, yet popular friend everyone liked in middle school. Twice a week, Jeff tutored him in physics, and they exchanged phone numbers to set up regular study sessions.

Not six months ago, everything changed.

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~oO0Oo~

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It had been a lazy summer night in August when Jeff Andonuts got an important phone call.

Stripping off his Latex gloves onto the lab bench, Jeff grimaced, fumbling for the source of the unwelcome interruption. Already disgruntled, he was sorely tempted to dump the phone into his vat of hydrochloric acid, but upon catching sight of the caller ID, he frowned.

So like any reasonable person would do in such a circumstance, Jeff had snatched up the phone, pressed the Call button, then inquired, "...Hello?"

What he had not expected was the ear-splitting scream that killed his ears.

"ANDONUTS, ANSWER THE PHONE!"

Panicking, Jeff fumbled with his phone. "Ow! Tony? Is that you?"

There was an awkward pause.

"Uhh, nope...?! Haha. Ha. Wrong number!"

Maybe his ears were still ringing from the rude wake-up call, but Jeff frowned, noting an unusual quaver in his friend's voice. "Is everything all right?"

"No. I mean, yeah! Yeah, everything's fine. Wait, no! Yes, I'm okay!" Another pause, then a shaky breath. "Sorry, it's just, I wanted... I mean, I need to talk to you."

"...About physics?"

"No. About... something else."

Jeff wasn't easily one to be so frightened, but Tony's subdued tone was alarming to say the least. "...Yeah?" Jeff asked quietly, adjusting his glasses. "What's up?"

"Well, I have this problem..."

"..."

"..."

"Um, so..." Jeff cleared his throat awkwardly. "What's the problem?"

"Huh? Oh. It's, uh-" Tony began to ramble so quickly that Jeff had a problem keeping up. "I LIKE BAKING. Which is weird because I hate cooking, andIwaskindawonderingifyouwereallergictochocolate."

Jeff blinked. "I'm not allergic to anything," he said patiently. "But that's not the real reason you called, is it?"

Another uncomfortable pause. The silence stretched for so long that Jeff thought that the line was dead. Then the phone burst alive, crackling with the sound of a strangled sob. "Jeff..."

"Hm?"

"I-I'm..."

"Yeah...?

"...I'm gay."

Jeff dumped the phone in hydrochloric acid.

It was on accident though, and once he managed to fumble for his house phone, Jeff had called him back. Somehow against all the odds, the two had managed to regain some semblance of a sane conversation - or at least, as sane as a conversation could get at two in the morning.

It was an understatement that Jeff had felt apprehensive; the blond genius was simply awful at providing emotional support, but Tony sounded so distressed that Jeff did his best, trying to listen to a fully freaked-out brunette ramble incoherently over the phone. They were quite insignificant worries too, like Oh, what if people think I'm disgusting and What would my mom think and Do you think I'm disgusting too?

And Jeff had patiently replied, rolling his eyes at his silly questions. No, Tony, people won't think you're disgusting just because you're gay, your mom's a conservative bitch (okay, he didn't say that out loud, but she was), and I couldn't care less even if you were biologically attracted to a hippo.

To his immense surprise, the cheery brunette chatterbox had fallen silent.

Finally, Tony spoke up. And Jeff could never forget his friend's hoarse reply.

"Thanks, Jeff. I knew I could always count on you."

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~oO0Oo~

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Eventually, Tony's mom ended up finding out about her son's sexual orientation.

Needless to say, she didn't take the news too well.

So in mid-September, when the disowned brunette had showed up at Jeff's doorstep a crying mess, Jeff had merely straightened his back, adjusted his glasses, and asked, "Do you prefer the top bunk or the bottom?"

Jeff never regretted his decision.

Incredibly, in the last two months they'd roomed together, both boys had immediately clicked: Whenever Jeff had time, he would sometimes aid a hand in baking ("It's not BAKING, it's CHEMISTRY. Allow me to explain - extreme heat denatures the protein casein in eggs and blah blah blah..."), and every time Jeff worked on the Solar Car, Tony would bombard him with all sorts of curious questions ("OOH! What does THAT thingamajig do? Wait, no, how about THAT one? Hey, I wonder what'll happen if I twist this red lever down-" "TONY, NOO!"). Even while living with his cousin Lloyd, being the only child of a busy father was rather lonely, and Jeff was glad for the welcome change.

And a highly welcome change it was too. Especially now, since the school had been burnt down by some crazy unknown arsonist, Jeff was grateful Tony was here. It had already been bad enough that Ness, Poo, and Paula had all gone missing, but if Tony had disappeared too...

Jeff involuntarily shivered.

Something was up. Something big, and Jeff was sure of it, but with Claus's mysterious absence as well, he and his cousin, Lloyd, had been regretfully over-working themselves to meet Solar Car deadlines.

Today happened to be one of those days. In the dim light of the pristine garage, he could spot Lloyd's albino locks floating up and down in agitation.

"Have you found it yet?"

"No, I STILL haven't found the sensor!" The albino teen looked devastated. "I can't believe someone stole it... I really miss my mini tool-kit..."

"Mini tool-kit?" Tony inquired, sauntering in. "Is this some innuendo I don't understand?"

"No innuendo at all, my friend," Jeff answered, bluntly quoting the word with his fingers. "Lloyd lost his tool kit around a week ago. We last tracked it down to the base of Holy Loly Mountain."

Bewildered, Tony blinked. "Why would it be there?"

"We don't know."

"...It was a gift from my mom too," Lloyd said quietly. "Or at least, it's the last thing I have left of her."

Tony shook his head sympathetically. "Bummer. Don't worry too much, Lloyd! I bet it'll show up soon."

"I hope so."

Jeff's forehead creased in a frown. "I don't understand, Lloyd. Why did we get a signal from Holy Loly Mountain? Maybe your sensor's a dud-"

"It's not a dud!"

"Are you sure that the thief didn't steal the tool-kit and the sensor?"

"No, he couldn't have stolen both at the same time. The tool kit's been missing for a while. The sensor was stolen yesterday." Lloyd shifted, rolling one of the Solar Car tires under his fingers. It wobbled, creaking under his ministrations. "Call me strange, but I have a feeling that the tool kit's in good hands..."

Jeff rolled his eyes. "You have a feeling?"

Lloyd flushed. "Call it otherwise," he defended. "But I can't explain it. I think someone might've borrowed it for the time being, but I just can't remember whom I might've given it to..."

"You have... a feeling."

"Shut up, Jeff," Tony helpfully added.

Jeff huffed in annoyance, glaring at him through tinted glasses. "Don't you see how unscientific that sounds? You can't pinpoint something on a feeling! That's like trying to live life based on intangibles. Think about it, have you heard of any scientist who based their findings on a feeling? An intuition, possibly, but mere sentiment...!"

"Sometimes, life isn't always about the facts," Lloyd said wisely.

"Heck yeah, Lloyd! You tell him," Tony crowed, ruffling Lloyd's hair and knocking his glasses askew. He directed Jeff a pointed glare. "You, sir, are a disgrace. Just because you have the emotional range of a toothpick doesn't mean you have to pick on your absolutely amazing cousin. Gosh, what a bully."

"Tony? Er..." Lloyd awkwardly groped around the floor. "I think you knocked my glasses off."

"I did? My bad. Should I...?"

"Haha, no, I got it."

As Lloyd made a mad scramble for his glasses, Jeff shook his head in disapproval. "Tony, you're pampering him. In the scientific world, you need to learn how to stand up for yourself, or else no one's gonna believe you."

Tony sighed in mock-disappointment. "Oh, Jeff. Jeff, Jeff, Jeff." Tony crossed his arms and shook his head as if majorly let down. "Jeff-"

"WHAT IS IT?" Jeff blurted out, fixing him with an exasperated glare. "My hearing is perfectly functional, thank you very much!"

Tony chortled, setting his hands on his hips. "Aren't you a bundle of sunshine?"

"Looks like someone's feeling gay."

"Why, yes, thank you. I am."

Jeff opened to retort, but finding no suitable response, closed his mouth. He averted his eyes with burning cheeks, deciding instead to mumble something under his breath.

"That's right." Tony's grin widened in victory. He pompously made shooing gestures in Jeff's direction. "Mumble away, you peasant-"

"Shut up, Tony."

Finally popping up from the floor, Lloyd couldn't help the grin sliding onto his face. "This feels familiar."

Jeff tilted his head. "In what sense?"

Lloyd laughed. "Well, for starters, you start grilling me with demoralizing speech..."

A smile twitched from the corner of Jeff's mouth. "Right. Then Claus would get fired-up because we were getting all distracted-"

"-and then he'd fire some winning one-liner to pop Jeff's big-headed ego," Tony chimed, waving a spoon into the air.

Lloyd burst into a choke of laughter, and Jeff flushed a bright crimson.

"IT'S CALLED SELF-CONFIDENCE, NOT BIG-HEADED EGO. And give me that!" Jeff added, swiping the spoon out of Tony's grip. Visibly sulking, the blond genius turned away, grumbling phrases like Big ego, my ass and I'm not big-headed.

"I guess once a big brother, always a big brother," Tony mused. "Lucas is probably the most harmless guy I know in our grade... well, except for Lloyd, I suppose. Maybe that's why Claus gets all snarky with you whenever you tease the crap out of Lloyd."

Jeff frowned at the use of the crude colloquial phrase. "That is an unlikely theory," he said, grumpily jabbing the spoon in his direction. "I don't tease the crap out of Lloyd."

Slowly, Lloyd's laughter petered off. The timid genius fixed his wistful eyes onto the solar car. "I miss him. Them." A sad tone crept into his voice. "Sometimes around five, Ninten and Ness would crash to order pizza, remember?"

"Yeah, and Claus would tell them both to buzz off." Tony laughed. "It was always so funny, because whenever Lucas stopped by with them, Claus would turn into such a huge softie. And Poo... Poo was amazing. He was able to find ANYTHING we lost in this dump. Jeff, I still can't believe he found your computer chip crammed in the back cabinet!"

"He's an incredible friend. They all are." Jeff's shoulders slumped over. He looked drained. "It's strange. It's only been a week, but..."

"...it feels like they've been missing for eons," Lloyd said quietly.

The silence was almost suffocating. In a feeble attempt to lighten the mood, Tony dove his fingers into his pocket and snatched out his cell. "While we're talking about good old times, who's up for some..." Tony flexed his biceps, striking a glamorous pose so glorious that even Johnny Bravo would've burst into manly tears. "MACH pizza?"

A stray cough punctuated the confused silence.

When the silence stretched out for too long, Tony strained to crane his neck over at his nearest savior. "...Lloyd," Tony hissed, not breaking his fabulous pose. "Throw the glitter."

"Oh. OH!"

Lloyd emptied the can.

With a dazzling FWOOOSH of gold, the glitter cascaded down, surrounding Tony in a stylish shower of epic anime sparkles. Without breaking pose, Tony flashed a dreamy smile, then closed his dazzling anime-esque eyes. "Oh, yes. Baby, now that's what I'm talking about."

"How did you even- nevermind." Jeff caved into a snort of laughter. "I admit, a large Mach Pizza does sound rather nice about now." Almost immediately, however, he threw Tony a sharp look. "But don't pay for it with your savings."

Tony frowned, finger hovering over the call button. "But-"

"I knew you paid last time. I keep track of my bills."

Caught red-handed, Tony flushed a deep crimson. "It's not right. I'm lodging with you for free," he protested, clenching his fists. "I've got a job, Jeff! I should pay for something-"

"Can you stop being so chivalrous and think logically for once?" Jeff said, exasperated. "Use my credit card. Lloyd's been living with me FOR FREE, and you don't hear HIM complaining about paying."

In a flurry of nerves, Lloyd dropped his screwdriver. "Is cost a problem?" he said, sounding worried. "Jeff, I think I have some savings I can spare-"

"OH, DEAR EINSTEIN, NO!" In a rare act of breaking his composure, Jeff face-palmed. "This is ridiculous," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Listen, Lloyd, you're my cousin, and Tony, you're my special guest. For crying out loud, my dad's a renowned scientist. WE CAN AFFORD IT. Nobody should feel guilt-tripped over worthless green paper, and the next time anyone even mentions the word money, I'll build you a money-machine for your birthday. Am I clear?"

Still silence followed his rant.

Instantly, Tony's blush darkened, creeping down his neck. "I'm... I'm your special guest?"

"Yes. You are."

"Oh. Wow. I mean, gosh. Thanks, Jeff. That's, uh... wow." Tony flustered, straightening the bowler hat on his head. As if on cue, the hat chose that very moment to fall to the ground with a comical splat. With trembling hands, Tony picked it back up, only to drop it again between his fingers.

"Tony..." Exasperated, Jeff leaped to his feet, briskly striding over. "Here, let me get that for you."

"N-No, it's fine!" Tony sputtered. Frantic, he scrambled onto his knees, reaching for his hat-

Until Jeff's fingers brushed against his palm.

"ACK!"

Eyes widening to the size of saucers, Tony squeaked, jerking back in surprise. He skedaddled backwards, tripping over a stray screwdriver, and with a painful clatter of metal, Tony slammed face-first into the neglected pile of tools.

Feeling like his face burn like a hot furnace, Tony sputtered, entangling himself from the copper wires coiling around his arms. Mortified, he made a move to stand, only to freeze when a familiar hand fell into his line of sight.

"Are you all right?" Blue eyes barely suppressing his own mirth, Jeff shook his head in amusement. "You took quite a fall."

"I'm f-fine!" Tony squeaked. As if things couldn't get worse, his voice chose that perfect moment to crack.

Oh dear lord did Tony wish he could die right there on the spot.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Jeff said, noting Tony's embarrassment.

"...Huh?" Horrified disbelief flashed across Tony's face. HE KNOWS? OH GOD, DOES HE ACTUALLY KNOW THAT I-

"Your larynx expands during puberty."

Tony blankly stared back at him.

Jeff cleared his throat. "Your voice cracked...?"

"Oh. OH!" Banishing his thoughts, Tony gave an awkward laugh. "It did! AND I DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE! HOW WEIRD OF ME. HA. HAHAHA. Ha."

Jeff cocked an eyebrow. "Did the fall impair your mental capacity?" he asked in concern, reaching out to touch Tony's temples. "Lie still. I can measure your brain waves with my-"

"NO! I, I-I mean, yes, I'm fine." Feeling like he was suffocating from awkwardness, Tony ignored the offered hand and wrenched himself onto his feet. "Well then, if you'll excuuuse me, I'll be off to buy that pizza."

"With my credit card," Jeff added firmly.

Tony laughed nervously. "Riiight. With YOUR credit card. Not mine. Yours. That is, the credit card that's totally not mine."

Jeff started to give him another weird look, and dying again from sheer mortification, Tony almost SPRINTED out of the garage as if Jeff were a carnivorous T-Rex. "FAREWELL, FRIENDS."

As Tony disappeared, the blond genius frowned, staring after his friend's flustered form. "I sincerely hope that the fall didn't incapacitate him."

Lloyd looked up curiously. "He looks fine. Physiologically speaking."

"...Physiologically speaking?"

Turning away from his baffled cousin, Lloyd hid a knowing smile. "Physiologically speaking."

.

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~oO0Oo~

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Physiologically speaking, Tony's phenylethylamine had triggered a major influx of adrenaline, dopamine and serotonin into his nervous system.

In short, Tony was absolutely, irrevocably, and undeniably stuck in Cloud Nine. A goofy, love-struck smile spread across his face, and he hugged himself, internally fan-boy screaming all the while.

"He said that I was his special guest... and then... he touched my hand...! AHHH!" Panicking out from his frazzled nerves, Tony slapped himself silly. "CONTROL YOURSELF, BOI. WHY U GET ALL FLUSTERED OVER SOMETHING SO SILLY? Bad Tony. Very bad Tony. Jeff was only trying to help me up like a REAL FRIEND would do. Nothing lovey-dovey, nope nope."

Breathing in deeply, Tony took a determined nod, then grimly pounded a fist to his chest. "Well, that gives me more reason to be his bestest friend in the world, right? I can tell he's stuck in a pretty deep down after losing his friends..." A pause. "Jeff's helped me out of a rough spot. That means I should be there for him whenever he needs it. Like right now."

Another pause.

A sly smile curled up his lips. "But I'm still payin' for that pizza."

Whipping out his cell, Tony was just about to dial the appropriate number when he realized that he had forgotten something VERY important. Drawing in a dramatic gasp of horror, Tony hastily cupped his hands into a loud scream of despair. "JEFF!"

"YEAH?" Said boy yelled back as if they were separated by an entire football stadium.

"WHAT TOPPINGS DO YOU WANT?"

"WHAT DO THEY HAVE?"

"UUUH, LEMME CHECK." Tony checked his phone, scrolling down to the popular choices. "DO YOU WANT MEATLOVER'S OR CHEEEEESE?"

"ORDER BOTH!"

"BOTH?! WHYYY?"

"LLOYD'S VEGETARIAN!"

"OH, RIGHT! THAAANKS!"

"SURE THING!" A pause. "WHY ARE WE SHOUTING?!"

"I DUNNO!"

Tony could almost feel Jeff's invisible eye-roll even from the kitchen. "Well, don't forget to use my credit card!"

"Okay, I'll try not to not forget!"

Jeff wasn't fooled. "Tony, that means you'll FORGET!"

"Really?" Tony asked in feigned surprise. "GOSH, I TOTALLY DID NOT REALIZE! HOW SILLY OF ME. Well then, I'll try not to not not not not not not not forget!"

"That was eight not's!"

"Fine! Not! That's nine!" Tony added. "Not," he whispered under his breath, secretly counting the negatives to ten.

In the most professional manner he could muster, Tony dialed the number to the pizza store. Once the order was placed (HUZZAH!), Tony clicked his phone off, then skipped away, humming a merry tune to himself. Just as he set foot in the foyer, the doorbell rang with an automated voice:

"E EQUALS MC SQUARED."

Tony blinked in surprise. "Wow. That was fast."

Something didn't feel right.

Tony narrowed his eyes at the door, studying it with peaking suspicion. In fact, as he sidled closer to it, he jumped when wild, raucous shouting bombarded his ears. The door bell rang three more times in rapid succession.

"E EQUALS - E EQUALS - E EQUALS MC SQUARED."

Tony scowled. Teens these days were so uncultured. Honestly, would it seriously kill someone to use proper manners every now and then?

But as even as he waited, those yells suspiciously formed into a coherent words. Hesitating, Tony rested his ear against the door and strained his ears. Second by second, the cries resounded clearer and clearer...

"JEFF! Please, Jeff! Open the door!"

Tony's eyes widened in shock. "Who's there?"

Abruptly, the voices stopped at once, stagnating the air with an eerie silence. Disturbed by the unusual change in volume, Tony gulped down his fear, waiting for whoever it was to respond.

Next moment found Tony dropping to his knees, overwhelmed by the loud mental screaming that clashed against ears like thunderous symbols. Eyes watering in pain, he gasped, struggling to adjust to the discord, which was quickly washed away by a worried voice.

Jeff... please... do you... ear me... aula... Please, save us!

Tony's eyes dawned with recognition. "That voice-"

"What's going on, Tony?"

Tony snapped his head up at the sharp question. With his emerald overcoat crinkled and disheveled, Jeff looked wide-eyed, obviously caught off-guard by the sudden telepathic assault. His glasses had been knocked askew in his mad dash - likewise, the mental plea must have caught his attention too.

"You're asking me," Tony panicked. "Someone's at the door for you."

Jeff's blue eyes flashed in sudden realization. "Paula."

"What?!"

In an instant, Jeff strode across the foyer, clumsily scrambling for the lock. In a heartbeat, he wrenched it away from the latch, revealing a motley crew of people tumbling into the carpet.

"JEFF!"

With a happy cry, Paula dashed over to swing Jeff into a hug. Tony blinked, overwhelmed by the sudden influx of people.

"Wow, this is one BIG house," Kumatora said, strolling into the capacious mansion with a look of appreciation. The room was so large that even with the new arrivals, its massive emptiness threatened to engulf them.

"It's very neat too," Ana added, staring at the mathematical formulas tattooed on the wall. Next to the fireplace hung faded newpaper clippings, fluttering like last year's confetti. A rather fresh page was plastered on the very right: DISCOVERY OF GRAVITY WAVES CONFIRMED!

Jeff coughed, looking embarrassed. "Paula, my dad's at the lab across the street. The only people here right now are me, Tony, and Lloyd..."

Ana's face brightened. "Lloyd's awake too?"

"Indeed, he is."

Looking rather flustered, Poo and Duster awkwardly sidled in. "We apologize for inconveniencing you at such an unseemly time," Poo started, but he was quickly cut off when Jeff clasped his hand in a firm handshake.

Jeff's intelligent blue eyes brightened in relief. "Poo, I'm glad to see you alive and well."

Poo blinked, taken aback by the warm reception. He smiled, teeth glinting in the light. "Jeff. The pleasure is all mine."

"Don't get me wrong, guys. It's nice to have you all back," Tony began, and everyone turned to stare at the incredibly confused brunette. "But at the risk of sounding terribly rude..." He wildly jabbed a hand into their faces. "WHAT THE HEY IS GOING ON?! AND WHO ARE YOUUU?!"

Tony pointed his finger straight at Duster.

"Hey, show some respect, Big T," Kumatora said, jabbing her thumb at Duster. "THAT'S the son of the Police Chief you're pointing at."

With a gasp, Tony turned to face Duster so quickly that the older man was left almost breathless in shock. "OH. EM. GEE. I am so. Terribly. Sorry." Tony exclaimed, bowing several times onto the floor in mortification. "Please forgive my rudeness, sir-"

"Uh, it's okay. Not many people seem to know." Duster gave into a sheepish chuckle. "You know Kumatora?"

"I was going to say," Jeff inquired with a frown.

Sharing a smug look with Kumatora, Tony nodded mysteriously, exaggerating his hands into a sophisticated bow. "I have my connections. M'lady and I go far back in history."

"Tell me about it," Kumatora smirked.

"...I see." For some reason, Jeff's frown didn't ease, but before he could say anything else, a welcome interruption came in the hasty form of their last arrival.

"Guys, GUYS!"

"About time you came," Tony said, turning around to address him in a teasing tone. "Lloyd, you just missed all the celebratory fanfare..."

His voice died in his throat.

Lloyd wore a wide-eyed look of shock, his fingers trembling against the wall in agitation. In one agonizingly slow motion, he lifted his eyes. Slowly but surely, five shivering words dropped out of his lips.

"Claus has my tool kit."

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~oO0Oo~

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In an instant, Jeff had frozen in the same rigid shock. "Claus has your tool kit?"

"I KNOW. This changes EVERYTHING." Lloyd paced back and forth in unrestrained excitement. "If I can just isolate the perfect frequency, then I'd be able to locate my toolbox... WHICH MEANS WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO TRACK DOWN CLAUS."

Kumatora leaped to her feet, energized by the breakthrough. "HOLY SHIT! HOW?!"

Lloyd turned pink. "I place tracking devices on all of my belongings," he said quietly, shifting his feet in embarrassment. "People used to steal my stuff, so I wanted to know where they went."

Ana turned to him sympathetically. "That's no fun."

"Don't worry about it. Really!" Lloyd countered earnestly. "Nowadays, it's more a force of habit. I think I've started taking them off of my pencils last month-"

"YOU PUT TRACKING DEVICES ON YOUR PENCILS?!" Tony exclaimed in horror.

Lloyd blushed a dark crimson. "For experimental reasons."

"...I will never borrow anything from you again," Tony fervently told him.

Kumatora lightly smacked Tony upside the head. "Oh, stop embarrassing us-"

"Ow! Lay off it, Kuma," Tony protested, straightening his hat. "I was just kidding."

"In any case, if we find Claus, that means we might be able to find the others as well!" Paula exclaimed, clenching her fists. Fiery determination danced in her eyes. "Lloyd, you're brilliant!"

If possible, Lloyd turned a darker shade of crimson. "A-ah, eheh... thanks, guys... but we shouldn't be celebrating just yet..."

"Lloyd is right. We shouldn't set our hopes too high," Poo warned. "There is no guarantee that Claus still has the tool box with him."

Lloyd gulped. "Well, th-there's that... and another tiny problem..."

Ana looked worried. "What problem?"

"Someone may or may not have stolen my remote-controlled sensor," Lloyd mumbled under his breath, fiddling with his fingers. "So as of now, I can't track down any of my stolen belongings."

Jeff threw him a look. "You told me people weren't stealing your stuff any more!"

"They aren't!" Lloyd protested, raising his hands. "I was only talking about the sensor!"

"How did they steal it?" Paula asked, worried.

"Well..." Lloyd rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yesterday, I was walking back home from school when some random teen jumped out, demanding money. Naturally, I told him I had no cash on me, but then, the goon pick-pockets me and steals the sensor. I told him to give it back, but he only laughed in my face and ran off. I think he said something about selling it on EEK-bay for an exorbitant amount of money, but so far, I've found nothing."

Kumatora groaned, dragging a palm down her face. "Of course. Did you get a good look at his face?"

Lloyd hesitated. "Not really. He was masked... but he sounded around my age."

"Hold on." Paula's eyes flared up. "Did you take the route by the Metro?"

Lloyd looked startled. "I did. How did you-?"

"If I had to guess, the person who robbed you was probably a Shark."

Lloyd's face paled to a stark white. "Oh no, the metro is on their turf! How did I forget that? AH, I can't believe I-"

"Don't worry, Lloyd. Getting that sensor back shouldn't be a problem. Just leave it to me." Paula cracked her knuckles in grim resignation. "It's about time we paid a call to a certain friend."

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~oO0Oo~

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"Paula-girl, you can't be serious."

"I'm as dead serious as a door knob, Frank."

"No. Sorry, kid, but it's a BIG no-no."

"Frank, please-"

"Look, I can't just stroll in and stop my ex-gang from robbing people just because I used t' be the boss. Gangs don't work that way, 'Hon. You bail, you're marked for LIFE."

"Maybe you're right, but the Sharks are different! I can tell! They still look up to you, Mr. Fly," Paula protested. "The first time Ness and I ran into you, I could sense their feelings. They admire you to the point of idolatry."

The phone crackled with a snort of disbelief. "Idolatry? I doubt it. Their damn crime rate's been peaking since I last left. The Sharks must be under new management-"

"They're only getting rowdier because they want you back," Paula said softly. "From what you've told me, you left without an explanation. As far as they know, you've simply vanished off the face of the planet."

"And that's exactly the way I want it to be." A sharp intake of breath, and Paula could almost see the deep frown on Frank's face. "I was...ashamed of what I've done. I'm not exactly proud of my past, Paula. After Chief Strong indicted Teddy with false marijuana charges and Ninten's folks bailed him out, we decided to leave that history behind us. Naturally, handing in our resignation forms wasn't something we could do. If we 'fessed up, the gang would've hollered bloody murder on the spot."

"Give it a chance. I've been telling you, Frank, for nearly an entire year, but the Sharks really do look up to you. They think you abandoned them because they weren't being good enough at their job."

"...You wanna know somethin' 'bout me, Paula-girl?" A burly hand hit the phone receiver, emitting a sharp crackle into her ear. "I didn't choose the thug life. The thug life chose me. My pappi died because of police brutality." Frank gave a bitter bark of laughter. "He tried to steal one apple. Just one. But when them officers arrived on scene, none o' them gave a fuck. Blew his brains out with a gat right on the damn sidewalk."

Paula closed her mouth, looking horrified. "They didn't!"

"Damn right, they did. That changed me, that did. I wasn't no good in schoo' either. I was damn right one of those nasty "trouble kids" from the start. I got in deep with the bad kids then did all kinds of stupid things, ya' hear? Oh yeah, I was a bad kid, and the Sharks liked me. They liked me so bad that they recruited me on the spot. I passed my beat-in...an' I was only twelve." A pause. "Joinin' the Sharks is the biggest regret o' my life. Don't be like me when yah grow up, ya hear? A lifetime of crime aint worth dyin' for. Keep stayin' the good girl you are."

Paula bit her lip. "Frank, I didn't know... I'm sorry I said-"

"Nah, watchu talkin' about? You helped me, Paula. You and yo' friends. And Teddy." A softer tone. "I scored lucky when I got paired up wi' Teddy in some crank deal. We've been inseparable evah since. He's a right cuz, that Teddy is. I didn't know he joined the hood earlier than I did, back when the gang was called "bla-bla" or some shit. But point is, Paula, I aint going back. What the Sharks stole is none of my business no more."

"Please, Frank," Paula begged. "I know it's a lot to ask, considering that Teddy helped us find lodging elsewhere, but we really need that sensor. You've got to have heard the news by now. Ness and the others are in danger. Their lives may even be at stake right now...!"

"Aw, Paula-girl. don't be like this. Now you're jus' making me feel guilty."

"That sensor's our only hope..." Paula clutched the phone handle desperately. "If you can't help us, then do you know any way to get it back? Jeff and Lloyd are pretty clever, and with Kumatora, I might be able to infiltrate the base-"

"Nah. Won't work. Beatin' the crap out of them will only make thangs worse." A pause, then a deep sigh. "Okay, easy there, Paula-girl. I don't lie'kit, but I'd rather not let a young lady like you wanderin' the hood, even if you do have those bad-ass magic powers. All right, lemme talk to Teddy about it. See what he thinks about it first. If he gives the go, then we get that sensor back pronto. If not..."

"I understand. Frank, I appreciate that you're even considering the option," Paula responded, seizing the phone receiver like a life-line. She sniffled, wiping at her eyes. "Thank you. Thank you, Frank. Thank you so much."

"Paula-girl, it's the least I can do to help. Ain't that what friends are fo'?"

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~oO0Oo~

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The heavenly sight stole their breath away.

Darkness enshrouded them in a nightly shower of sparkling stars. Akin to a movie theatre, Jeff's room was both grandiose and majestic. Had there not been the telltale sheen of a glossy, glass roof, they would've been sorely fooled; it felt like there was nothing between their hands and the glittering planets above. Several odd inventions were neatly stacked around the tidy bookshelves: a sleek microscope with 10 colored lenses, a pack of plastic bottle rockets, and a round, luminescent solar clock with figures that glowed with not only the time, but also the date, year, weather, atmospheric pressure, humidity, and geographic location.

"Is that a hologram projector?!" Kumatora asked in disbelief.

Jeff smartly rapped a long magnetic rod, activating the 3D holo-screen. "It makes my presentation look very persuasive."

"As if you weren't already persuasive enough to begin with," Tony slyly added, shooting him a playful wink.

Jeff rolled his eyes, then tapped the screen. It hummed low under his dexterous touch. "From what you've all told me, Lloyd and I were able to create a hypothesis that matched up with our observations. By this point, everyone should know that Giygas is somehow responsible for these catastrophic phenomena. We don't know how, and we don't know why, but he is connected in some way."

Blue eyes scrutinized their forms, flickering in an almost pale, icy-blue light. "Are you all with me so far?"

The audience gave several murmurs of assent, and Jeff jabbed the hologram. The eerie-green light flickered into the shape of the earth.

"The world is ending even as we speak," Jeff said frankly. "You've all witnessed bloody geysers, massive earthquakes, et cetera, et cetera. Moving on."

The hologram shifted into a strange-looking device.

"Aside from filling in as our physics teacher, my father also specializes in the works of time and relativity," Jeff said. "He has secretly managed to create a prototype time machine, aptly dubbed Phase Distorter. It can not only travel through time, but can also measure the stability of Space-Time continuum. I will not bore you with the quantum physics behind its creation, but the bottom line is this: Recently, we discovered something UNUSUAL."

A deep frown decorating his expression, Jeff jabbed at the hologram. "There was a significant rip in the space-time continuum about 1.4 cm wide. You can say - in ordinary jargon - roughly about the size of an average bee."

"A rip in the space-time continuum?" Ana said, stunned. "How is that even possible?"

"That is where PSI comes in." Jeff turned around. "Poo, is there a PSI that can transverse time itself?"

Poo frowned deeply in concentration. "I have never witnessed such a phenomenon," he said slowly. "But I have read of its existence: a rare, but extremely unique type of PK Teleport. It is named 4th Dimension Slip."

"Perfect. Our hypothesis stands." Jeff crossed his arms. "Time travel is a highly unstable method of transportation. For short lengths, say up to a few months, the time-space continuum can accommodate the change and remain quite stable. But say that someone from the distant past - or distant future - has come to the present. That means we're talking YEARS, maybe even DECADES of time travel. The strain is simply too much for the fabric of space to handle, and thus we get a rip in the time-space continuum. I wouldn't be surprised if the formation of black holes has begun to accelerate within the past 24 hours."

Kumatora laughed. "Okay, now you've lost it. This theory is a crapshoot." She jabbed her finger forward to accentuate her words. "One, WHY did the time traveler travel here to the present? And two, how does GIYGAS fit into this? I understand your whole "there is a disruption in time-space blah blah blah" but you haven't answered any of our major questions."

"Those are excellent points, and we just might be able to answer the first," Lloyd said nervously. "As Jeff said, the Earth is falling into disarray due to forced time travel. According to theory, this time traveler would've most likely arrived from the future or the past, ideally with a mission to save THIS timeline from an apocalypse caused by Giygas."

"Woah. Let me get this straight." Kumatora raised her hands. "So you're telling me that this so-called "time-traveler" arrived here to save this timeline from Giygas's apocalypse, but by coming here he's CAUSING the apocalypse?"

"Yes."

"That makes no sense!"

"Time paradox," Jeff calmly interjected.

"Well... shit." Kumatora ran a hand through her hair. "So what can we do to stop this apocalypse?"

Jeff and Lloyd shared an uneasy glance.

"As of now? Absolutely nothing," Lloyd said feebly, wringing his hands. Perspiration dotted his forehead in rivulets of anxiety. "It's inevitable. The laws of science can't be broken. Manipulated and twisted, yes, but definitely not broken. What we need now is a miracle-"

"A miracle that I think can be achieved."

They all turned around to stare at Poo.

"There is a legend in my country. A myth regarding the Seven Needles." Poo trailed off. "I wonder..."

Jeff adjusted his glasses. "The Seven Needles?"

Poo hesitated. "It is a long legend."

Kumatora's eyes flitted over to the Dalaamese prince. "Care to share?"

"...Make yourselves comfortable."

Once they had all settled down, Poo burst into speech. His low, melodious voice smoothly rolled the words off his tongue as the Ancient Legend came to life before their very eyes:

"Many hundred years ago, a magical meteorite collided into Earth from space. It was a curious artifact that housed a wondrous, yet unearthly being: The Dark Dragon.

"The Dark Dragon had the Genie's touch- It could grant any wish, no matter how big or how small. Naturally, the human race took advantage this. Of the many people who dared to request an audience, a select few were granted magic powers of their own. These powers were easily passed down the generations as a hereditary trait, and later became the first recorded use of PSI.

"However, as we all know, such power came at a price. We became greedy. Every person wanted the Dark Dragon to grant their own wishes. Eventually due to human selfishness, crime rose, and the Dark Dragon finally lost its patience.

"Your minds and souls have been tainted with darkness. A last chance I will give for the Human Race to redeem itself," it spoke. "To the Chosen One, beholder of fate and purest of soul, Pass Down Your Heart, for I will grant thee - and only thee - the power to recreate the world. If Life shall not prosper, then out of wicked selfishness shall it fade."

Alarmed, seven of Dalaam's most powerful warlocks swore an oath. The seven brothers sacrificed their own lives to conjure an Anciente Magick Spelle, which liquefied the meteor into Seven Needles and buried the Dark Dragon deep into the Earth's core. With their lives bound to their duty, they were reborn as Protectors of the Seven Needles, sealing away the Dark Dragon until it could be summoned for proper use. These Seven Protectors were named the Magypsies, and to this very day, the Dark Dragon has patiently waited, seeking an eternal end to its slumber."

There was an impressive pause at the end of the solemn story.

Jeff adjusted his glasses. "So to paraphrase, if the majority of these Needles are pulled by someone of good intent, the world would be resurrected; if the majority of the Needles are pulled by someone of ill intent - a.k.a. greed, selfishness, et cetera - the world would fall to ruin."

"Yes."

"The situation is scarier than I perceived." Jeff shook his head. "Then we can't let Giygas pull the Seven Needles. We need to beat him to it, so that we can stabilize the time-space continuum and save the world."

"Jeff, I would agree on that train of thought...Except that it's no longer Seven Needles," Poo corrected, looking grim. "As of now, only ONE needle stands: the Seventh Needle. Of all others, the Seventh Needle is the most important, because it alone lies directly on the Head of the Dark Dragon."

"Only ONE?! Ana looked horrified. "What happened to the other six?"

"That is a story for another time."

"Then we need to find the Seventh Needle before Gigyas does!" Ana said urgently.

"Yes, and no." Poo raised his hand in a polite manner. "Ana, I believe that Giygas has already found the Seventh Needle."

"HOW ARE YOU SO CALM ABOUT THIS?" Kumatora exploded, looking absolutely frustrated. "Giygas could pull it any second now-"

"Therein lies the crucial flaw to his plan. Giygas cannot pull it," Poo continued without breaking his calm demeanor. "As the legend states, only the Pure of Heart have the ability to summon the Dark Dragon. It is a riddle. Honest desire stems from the Heart, which refers to a PSI that strongly emphasizes PASSION, or PK Love. As we can surmise, Giygas has been plotting for years; had he already known PK Love, we would not be existing today."

"But if Giygas destroyed the world with the Seventh Needle back in the original timeline," Paula began. "That means someone can already use PK Love at this very moment."

"We need to warn Ninten and the others. They can't stop Giygas without pulling the Seventh Needle!" Ana added. "And if they don't find this PK Love user soon-"

"But they already have." Shoulders sagging, Poo looked strangely wilted; a haunted exhaustion roiled in his eyes. "Giygas was clearly using us as bait to lure the four of them into the facility. That means that one of them can already use PK Love. If I had to wager a bet, I believe it's one of the twins...maybe even both."

Ana frowned, noting his sudden drop in energy. "Poo, I don't understand," she said slowly. "Earlier in the legend...What did you mean by "passing your heart" down to the Dark Dragon?"

Averting his eyes, Poo didn't respond.

A sense of foreboding washed over her. "So whoever pulls the Final Needle ultimately...dies?" Ana whispered in horror. Her stomach lurched at the idea of one of her classmates ceasing to exist, and it was so unimaginable and absurd that she wanted to collapse onto the floor in despair. The mere thought of sacrifice sounded terribly cruel, even if the world had to be saved.

"No one knows, Ana," Poo muttered dejectedly. "But Death seems very likely."

A heavy silence suffused the ranks.

Desperately, Lloyd faced their despondent faces. "NO! We can't give up!" He waved his arms frantically. "We've got to find a safer way while we're at it!"

"I suppose you're right," Paula interrupted, rubbing her eyes. "But back to Square One: we can't do anything until we lock onto Claus's coordinates. That means, in case Frank bails, you should find a way to get that sensor back, Lloyd." Paula rummaged through the pocket of her dress. "Claus gave me your screwdriver back at the facility. I don't know if it'll help, but-"

"Oh, no. You have no idea how much that helps." Eagerly, Lloyd took the screwdriver into his hands. "Thanks, Paula!"

A smile quirked at her lips. "Of course. We're in this together."

"Absolutely!" the albino cried. With a rare burst of determination, Lloyd leaped to his feet. "I'll work on this! EVEN IF THAT MEANS I HAVE TO MISS A MONTH OF SLEEP AND SCHOOL!"

"I'm so glad you have your priorities straight." Kumatora rolled her eyes. "Saving your grades should take a backseat to, uh, I don't know, Saving the World?!"

"Well, in that case, I'm skipping school too," Jeff added bluntly.

Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

"But Jeff, your dad-"

"Paula, I've been a straight-A student. I can just tell my dad that I'm busy with the Solar car. I doubt he'd notice that I'm absent." Jeff shrugged her concerns off, and in place, an almost maniacal gleam entered his eyes. "Besides, even if we do find Claus, we need transportation. My dad has a run-down Skyrunner in the shed. It's old, but if I rewire it properly...resuscitate the engine and replace the pumps...it should run just like new."

"Sounds like a plan!" Tony crowed, punching the air. "What can I do to help?!"

With a wide smirk, Kumatora pulled the hyperactive boy back into his seat. "What YOU can do is SIT YO ASS DOWN and STAY OUT OF JEFF'S WAY. Kapeesh?"

Tony pouted, crossing his arms, but didn't contradict her.

But something else had started to bug Ana's mind. "There's still one thing I want to know..." Ana turned around, facing Poo in concern. "Why is Giygas so willing to risk the future of the entire planet? Why does he want to pull the Seventh Needle so badly?"

"Pokey knows." At Duster's sudden words, everyone turned around to face him. Slightly unnerved by the sudden attention, Duster softly met their eyes. "He wouldn't explain, but I think it's because-"

"E EQUALS MC SQUARED."

"...That's the doorbell," Tony said offhandedly.

Jeff frowned. "Is this someone else from your party...?"

"No," Poo answered. "We are all here. Everyone has been well accounted for."

"Maybe it's your dad," Paula suggested.

"Doubtful. My father is staying overnight at the lab. Another one of his colleagues sound highly unlikely. It must be someone I must not kno-"

"HELP!"

Startled by the scream, Jeff rushed forward with everyone at his heels. Charging up his pop gun, Jeff unlocked the deadbolt, wrenching the door open to reveal a shock of blond hair. A bloody, battered body tumbled into Jeff's vision, sprawling into a dead heap on the marble tiles.

"GOOD HEAVENS!" Jeff cried, looking absolutely flabbergasted. "Who in the world...?"

In a blur, a smaller shadow latched onto the fallen body, shaking it desperately with all his might. "NO! No, no, no, no! Wake up! Pokey, p-please wake up-"

This time, it was Paula's turn to jump back, and she did so with a shocked scream. "PICKY?!"

A flurry of confusion punched their minds at the unexpected arrivals.

"What's going on?"

"Oh my god, is that-"

"H-Help me, please! P-Paula! He's not waking up, do something-"

"Out of the way," Duster said sharply, limping over. In a heartbeat, everyone complied, hastily making way for the oldest. Kneeling by the limp boy's side, Duster wasted no time to check for vitals and felt for Pokey's pulse. It was still there: steady, yet growing fainter by the second. "Kuma, can you-"

"On it." With a glow of her hands, Kumatora bathed the bloody cuts in soothing green light. The refreshing aroma of peppermints popped and snapped into the crisp air, and a heartbeat later, the injuries had all but faded into small scars.

Kumatora frowned. "The cuts were deeper than I expected..."

"Is he okay? Is he hurt?! Pokey-"

"I'm bringing him to the station. Picky, stay here. Don't leave under any circumstance," Duster said in a steely voice. Swiftly sweeping the breathing body into his arms as if Pokey weighed no less than a feather, Duster vanished into the darkness of night.

"B-But Pokey... he's not...?"

Paula gently tugged at the distressed boy's shirt. "Picky, we need to heal your injuries..."

Picky flinched. He backed away, tripping on the metal umbrella stand which tipped over in an ear-shattering clatter.

Worried to the brim, Paula hurried over to his side. "Sweetie, calm down-"

"NO! GO AWAY," Picky panicked, his eyes bulging into the size of saucers. He squirmed against the floor, shrieking and kicking, getting himself more and more entangled in the cluster of umbrellas.

The little boy looked worse for wear. Picky looked terrible; His knees buckled every now and then from a limp, threatening to fail his frail frame. Tears dribbled down his dirt-stained cheeks. Lost for breath, when the poor boy doubled over, gasping for air, a mottled set of fresh bruises shone on his neck... dots that oddly resembled fingerprints -

"Picky," Paula breathed, eyes widening in realization. "Who did this to you?"

Hugging himself, Picky turned his shaking form away from her view. "N-No one..."

"Was it a classmate? A friend?" Paula already know that those choices were impossible considering the time of day. Cold dread crept up her spine. "...Your parents?"

"I said it was no one!"

"If your parents are-"

"It's not them! I never said they did it, THEY DIDN'T-"

"Picky." The change in voice struck him dumb, and alarmed, Picky whipped his face up. With an unreadable expression on his face, Poo watched him carefully. "Where does it hurt?"

"It doesn't h-hurt anywhere..." With a strangled sob, Picky buried his face into his own knees. "No more... no more q-questions..."

"No more questions," Poo agreed, sitting down and opening his palms. "Look at me. We won't hurt you."

Dead silence.

"Please, Picky," Paula said softly. "Let us heal you. Let us help you."

Picky finally shifted, throwing her a terribly lost look that clenched at her heartstrings. His eyes looked moist with tears. But ever so slowly, Picky inched forward, keeping his eyes fixated to the ground. After an excruciatingly long time, he hesitated before sliding his hand onto her palm.

Gently, so as not to startle him, Paula drew him closer, shielding him into an embrace. At contact, Picky flinched, trembling in her hold, but remained put, closing his eyes and letting hot tears seep from his lashes in twin rivulets of misery.

"This might feel strange at first, but bear with me," Paula murmured, loosening her hold to whisper the desired incantation. "LifeUp."

The soft perfume of honey floated into the air as the magic did its work, knitting together skin and erasing swollen purple sores. Light, feathery PSI tickled the bruises away, allowing the skin to regain its peachy color. Blinking, Picky examined its after-effects, studying the unblemished skin on his arms and legs. He cautiously stood up, experimentally kicking his feet for any sensation of pain, then lowered himself back into a sitting position.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Paula nodded. "Does anything hurt?"

"N-No..."

"Do you feel sick? Feel a light burn?"

"...No."

"Good." Paula slumped over, looking haggard and worn out. "Looks like you don't have the side-effects."

As if struck by lightning, Picky jumped to his feet. Hysteria once again clouded his eyes. "How about my brother? Will he be okay?"

"Picky..."

"I'm not supposed to be here," he choked, eyes shining brightly from pure terror. "Mom and dad don't know I'm here. Pokey wanted to r-run when my mom... she didn't sound too happy and... and when we left, I could tell that dad was... Pokey... they were... they..." A ragged, almost hysterical sob. "Please! Please you've got to save my brother! I don't know how long he'll last-!"

"Picky, calm down-"

"You don't understand," he rambled on, clearly unaffected by their words. "Pokey's gonna hate me... He said not to tell anyone, b-but now I did and Mr. Duster knows a-and what's going to happen to mom and dad? Are they going to jail?" Fear shone in his eyes. "Oh no. I didn't mean to say anything, it was all a joke, I swear-"

Help me out here. Paula helplessly looked up at her friends, but they all looked just as lost for words.

Finally, Tony leaned over to intervene. "Hey there, lil' fella," he said kindly, lowering his hat into a bow. "It's been a rough night, huh? I know bad things've been going on, but everyone's told me how brave you've been for the past week. And if you ask me, that's amazing."

"...It is?"

"It is," Tony said firmly, kneeling to his height. "Picky, I know it's hard... but we need your help. We need you need to be brave. For your brother. Be strong for him, because you know he'd do the same for you. Can you do that for us?"

With a hiccup, Picky rubbed his eyes. "Y-Yeah...," he said hoarsely. "I need to be brave..."

"There we go," Tony encouraged. "Atta boy."

With a pained grimace, Picky's face fell. "It hurts," he whispered, clutching at his heart. "They didn't hit me, but it still hurts. It hurts a lot. Like my chest is gonna explode. Maybe I should've done something to help... but I didn't. I'm a coward..."

His own eyes warm with comfort, Tony gently pushed Picky's small palm directly over Picky's own heart. A steady pulse reverberated under their fingers. "Feel that?"

Picky slowly nodded.

"That sounds to me like a heart of gold. You love your brother. You did your best. I don't think that speaks coward at all."

"But I'm still scared." Picky's voice trembled. "Where's my brother? I want... I want my brother."

Tony felt a lump rise in his throat. "You'll see him soon. I promise, Picky."

Relief clouded Picky's sleepy eyes; the healing process must have exhausted him soundly. "That's good. I don't want him to... t-to die. Pokey pretends that I'm really annoying, but when m-mom's not there, he can be really nice..." Picky paused. His sad gaze seemed to pierce through Tony's soul. "Is it still wrong for me... to love my mom? I don't want to believe that she's a bad person..."

Tony suddenly had to gulp down his own raw emotions. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Jeff watching them both in concern, but instead, the brunette ignored the look, opting to let out a shaky laugh of his own. "No, it's not. I still love my mom... even though she can't accept me for who I am. I don't think I could ever stop loving her back."

Picky lowered his eyes. "That's what Pokey said," he mumbled. "The bad man only wanted his mom back."

Restraining a choke of disbelief, Tony rubbed the moisture away from his own eyes. "You mean, Giygas?"

"Giygas," Picky agreed, eyes fluttering shut from exhaustion. "He said... he wanted his mother back. That she died a long time ago. That he couldn't save her. He said it hurt a lot. Maybe that's why he's in pain... Because he loved her so much..."

With a sudden sigh, Picky's head drooped onto his chest.

As if someone had cast a spell, the entire hall had fallen eerily silence. No one dared to breathe.

...For the cold truth uttered by those childish lips sounded almost too humane to be true.

---

~End of Arc III~

---

[NOTE 8/25/18]: Tony was based off of one of my former classmates. :)

[NOTE 8/25/18]: In this AU, the Seven Needles seem to be forged from the same molten meteor that crashed into Earth... what other strange properties does this magical meteor posses? And is there still some metal left over from the residue?

---

*gat = Gun

**beat-in = Test to qualify for gang initiation

***crank = Street slang for the drug, Methamphetamine (Stimulant)

****cuz= Fellow hood member

^Wow look at me trying to be cool with a dictionary of street slang because I totally got this from Google

Author's Note:

Heya Guys!

Here's the other 14k+ half of Chapter 25 and also the Prologue to Arc IV. The names of the remaining Arcs have been officially confirmed:
-ARC IV: Sacrifice
-ARC V: Aftermath

And for convenience, here's a recap of possible future scenes from Chapter 18:

(1) Ness is given the kiss of life. Or death. Or whatever.
(2) PK Starstorm. Because reasons.
(3) "Don't struggle! Just endure it for a little bit."
(4) Claus dies.
(5) All of the above.

AT LEAST THREE CHARACTERS WILL DIE DURING THESE ARCS. To the bold and overly-ambitious, go right ahead: Feel free to draw your own predictions. I won't stop your devious plotting...but I will neither confirm nor deny your claims. ;)

ALSO, CHECK BOTH SIDES OF THE STREET BEFORE YOU CROSS THE ROAD. I'm serious. Last week, I almost got run over by an SUV. I didn't even notice the car barreling towards me until the lady driver was literally three inches away from my nose. Pretty much, the mental exchange went like this:

Me: Whelp, pedestrian light's green. Time to go.
Driver Lady: Let me make this totally awesome right turn here *Suddenly sees short girl walking on street* WHAT THE AAAAAAAAACK
Me: *Covers face with arms* OH SHIT
Driver Lady: *Slams the brakes so hard I can almost see my reflection on the fender*

But don't worry! I'm alive and dandy since I just updated this story (no jk I'm secretly an Osohe ghost with a fanfiction account hurrdurr)

Okay, I'll stop derping around. So...erm...I guess this is kinda late, but I'm starting to realize that a lot of your reviews tend to contain the words "cry," "sad," or "feels," all of which make me quite concerned. Guys, this is literally the calm before the storm. If you've already been crying, then...ack! I know my writing's not the best, but geez it must be terrible if it's reducing everyone to tears. DX Gah I can't Engleesh properbly

Oh whelp and there go the tissues

Responding to your reviews~

Angel-Woof: AAAAAH YOU'RE BACK! Gurl, you would not BELIEVE how many times I had to rub my eyes to read this review. It's like meeting an old friend again. :') During your absence, there was a point last semester when I got worried that something bad might've happened to you, but since you did say you were busy with your classes during your last review, I hoped it was the latter. Words can't explain how happy I am right now. :') Likewise, I hope 2016 is treating you with "awesomeness, omelettes, steak, Oreos, exploding chemicals that turn into edible candy canes and good fortune." ;)

Ack, sorry for the sudden emotional train wreck! I did not mean to go all out with my feelings; I'm just so happy you're okay! XD BUT YES YOU CAUGHT THE FRIEND'S YO-YO REFERENCE! yay *explodes confetti* Pokey's an...interesting character in the sense that his cruel actions can be explained, but unjustified. I hoped I was able to convey that into these chapters. :) And well, hey, I hope your classes are going well. Science majors FTW! :D

Connor: Heya, Connor! How are you doing toda-

"See you next chapter, maybe in a few years? ;)"

Oh snap.
Dat burn. I...I can't even...

That's it. *Lifts pitchfork* Someone's gonna have a bad time.

jk, I kid. ;) Yeah, I'm extremely lucky to have understanding followers/favs/reviewers (like you!). One/Two months is really stretching an update, but school's intense. Whenever I get a fav/follow/review in between updates, I feel both flattered... and terrified. But hey, don't you go poking fun of my updating schedule, Mister! Or should I say... WASABI? Hehe I blew your secret cover. :D

Yeah, Pokey's "flashback" past from Chapter 25 was supposed to be one giant giant chapter with this, but I split it..unevenly. :x I need to stop splitting chapters haha. Interesting...so you think I'll resort to giving Pokey a happy, cheesy ending? *Dons sunglasses* Challenge accepted, WASABI! OR WIMPY GUARD. Or whatever nickname I call you these days. :D

Plushiepaw: Haha okeedokes, Plushie. :D I'm glad that the length is okay. Tbh, this is my first *serious* longfic, so I was really uncertain with whether or not a long chapter would scare readers away. Thanks for your feedback. XD And agreed; Pokey isn't my favorite character either, but his interesting background makes him one of the best video game villains of all time. I can't ever see myself liking him, but I can empathize. And yeah, I wonder how different he could've been if his parents had treated him nicely from the start. :(

Unfortunately I don't really know much about child abuse, so I did some research (wow I sound so profesh). Given the limited screen time on the Minches, I doubt it paid off though haha. XD And as for if Pokey will redeem himself...it's definitely a question worth noting, but for now...we'll see. :)

PSIBoy: Thanks for the exam well-wishes! Yeah, PSIBoy, I've always liked to think that Ness did care for Pokey in the game as well. It's one of those things the game never really explains, but the Magicant encounter really solidified my feelings on this one. And yes! The yo-yo was indeed a metaphor of their friendship. :) I've read some stories on abuse, so I did my best on the topic, but since it's not the MAIN topic of the fic, it probably wasn't explored enough haha. And as for your interpretation on Pokey's jealousy bringing the worst out of him...I couldn't have said it better myself. :)

Lol who doesn't hate their earlier chapters? XD I'm starting to realize that I hate writing the first and last chapters, because DARN IT, they never reach my expectations. :/ Well, I do hope you get out of your writer's block and that R&R works out. And wat lmao, you actually remember that crack fic in chapter 13? XD Oh geez I forgot that abomination even existed. And "jumping on the theory train" haha no worries; every pun is a great pun. ;D

Soliel: Haha you flatter me; trust me, I'm not an English major for a damn good reason. ;) But AAAAH thanks for the compliment! I'm really glad that that you enjoy my story; That's what I'm here for after all. ^_^ And likewise, I believe that Pokey and Ness were really friends at some point in the game; unfortunate circumstances drifted them apart :(

Guest: Oh no, not you too! *Hands you tissue*