"So, where do we start looking for a mouse with glasses?" Esther asked as they left the Cawtermaster's. Oliver tapped his chin.
"Hm, well, Tommy Stout has been after mice for a while now. Maybe he knows where to find a mouse with glasses."
"Then where is this Tommy Stout?" Harmony asked, Oliver thought about where Tommy usually took post.
"Well, he sometimes takes post either up on top of the water well, or by Ding Dong Well."
"Let's check the well, seeing as it closer." Swaine suggested, and the five of them hurried around the water well and up the stairs to the top level.
"Eek! Leave me alone!" Came a small voice, and they all looked to see the mouse with glasses.
"There's that crooked little rat!" Harmony growled as they walked over.
"Oi, you little pipsqueak! You're the one who tried to make a quick guilder selling the holy wood, aren't you?" Swaine demanded, and the little mouse panicked.
"Squeeeak! How'd you find me? Er... I-I'll never do it again! Honest! Never, ever, or my name's not Pip!" But Oliver, rightfully named the Pure Hearted One, had a more compassionate hand than those of his two older friends.
"Pip? But why? What made you start stealing?" Pip looked at him like it was obvious.
"I needed the money, didn't I? Not that it's any of your blinking business! How am I going to make my dreams come true if I'm broke, eh?"
"Your dreams? That's no excuse for stealing!" Esther told him, stomping her foot. "What kind of dreams do you have, anyway?"
"Nice try, dumb-dumb!" Pip told her meanly. "You think I'm telling you? I know you'll just laugh at me for being a silly little mouse with big ideas!" Drippy jumped at that.
"Crikey! Bit blooming touchy, en't we? There's no need to be so flipping defensive, Mouseface!"
"Well, we did just corner him, to be fair." Swaine told Drippy matter of factly. "Anyway, let's collar the little runt and head back to the Cawtermaster's store, shall we?"
"...Wait a second, you guys." Oliver told them, crossing his arms. "Is it just me, or does Pip really remind you of somebody?" Esther tilted her head.
"Hm? You mean he might share a soul with someone back in Motorville?" Oliver nodded.
"I think so... But I'm just not sure who it could be." Then he turned back to Pip. "Um, Pip. Would you mind telling us a little more about your dream? We won't laugh at you, I promise."
"Why should I!?" Pip exclaimed, making Oliver jump. "You can't tell me what to do! Why should I take orders from a big baby who sleeps with a stupid doll?" Esther looked at him with wide eyes, and Harmony had to cover her mouth to keep from smiling.
"What?" Ester asked. "Is that true, Oliver?" Oliver shook his head vigorously.
"N-No! I don't sleep with a doll... Anymore." Pip began laughing.
"Ha ha! How grown-up of you! But I bet you still drag it around with you everywhere in case you get scared at night you big baby!" Oliver balled his hands into fists, getting annoyed now.
"I DO NOT! I told you, I don't sleep with a doll anymore! I stopped taking Mr. Drippy to bed almost a year ag- Oh." He quickly stopped talking after that, Pip beginning to laugh again.
"HA HA HA! Now you've done it, dumb-dumb! You all heard him, didn't you? I bet your girlfriend's really impressed now!" Oliver stomped his foot and Esther blushed.
"Stop being mean! She's not my- A-And I don't sleep with a doll! Cut it out, will you!?" He shouted furiously. "Just cut it out, Phil!"
"Eh? Did you just call him "Phil"?" Drippy asked, confused. "That mangy mouse's name is Pip!" Oliver shook his head, a little embarrassed.
"I-I'm sorry. It's just... what he said... it sounded just like Phil when he's being mean." Drippy jumped up at that.
"Blimey! Well, you know what that means..."
"I don't know what you're on about!" Pip shouted at them. "All I know is that you'll never catch me!" Then he jumped over the wall. Harmony tried to grab him just before he jumped, but she was too late.
"Filthy little rat!" She grumbled, pulling herself back up before she fell.
"This rotten rodent is starting to get on my nerves..." Swaine muttered.
"He's not making things easy for us, is he?" Esther agreed. "What are we going to do, Oliver?" Oliver turned to them, looking determined.
"Well... It took me a while to work it out, but there's no mistake..." He told them. "He can be kinda mean... and real stubborn... but he's still my best friend. I'm talking about Phil."
"Oh, I thought you were talking about Harmony." Swaine commented, earning a punch on the shoulder.
"Oh, shut up!" She retorted, sort of proving his point.
"Tidy!" Once again, their quarrelling was ignored by Drippy. "I think we've got ouer man! Just goes to show, if you've got a big bully for a soulmate, you might just turn out to be a nasty piece of work too..." Swaine tapped his chin, thinking.
"Hm. I get it. Something must be going on to have made this mouse turn to a life of crime." Oliver looked at the ground.
"I feel kinda bad. It's been a while since I saw Phil. I hope he's okay..."
"Let's go and see Phillip in Motorville!" Esther told them, knowing that there was only one way to find out. "Come on Oliver! There's no time to waste!" Oliver nodded, and immediately cast Gateway, then hurried towards Phil's Garage, only to see Phil sitting in front of Oliver's house!
"Phil!" He exclaimed, and Phil looked up at him.
"...Oh, it's you." He murmured. "Come to get even, huh?" Oliver tilted his head, confused.
"Even?" He asked. "Even for what?"
"... All I wanted was to build an auto all of my own." Phil muttered. "A hot rod faster than any other..."
"Sure you did, Phil!" Oliver told him, remembering the many months they had worked on the car that now sat at the bottom of the lake. "It was what we both wanted!"
"But my dream, it... It killed somebody." Oliver had nearly forgotten how his mother had died. He had been so focused on saving her.
"Gee, uh..."
"It... It killed your mom...!"
"Don't say that, Phil! Don't ever say that!" Oliver told him sternly. "It wasn't your fault!"
"I don't want to worry you, Ollie-boy, but there's a funny look in youer mate's eyes..." Drippy cut in, and they all looked to see that Phil's eyes went from a bruise purple to a fiery red, purple smoke appearing.
"Another Nightmare!?" Harmony exclaimed, and Oliver reached out to Phil, who looked like he was in pain.
"Phil!" He called, but it was too late. Dark magic exploded from Phil, and they were pulled into the Nightmare dimension, where a huge Nightmare stood before them.
"Phillip's Nightmare. The Void of Ambition." Harmony whispered, already preparing an Arrow of Light. Time to fight!
(Okay, so, I need my Ni No Kunis, my Wrathful White Witches, my nonHogwarts wizards, front and centre! Got a question for y'all!
So, I'm planning on giving Harmony this kid, Gascon (named for his uncle), and he's gotta go on this wild and crazy adventure! I want to know, if you guys want to see a eighth book in my Ni No Kuni series (yes, I said eighth, there's a book coming before Gascon's!) Where Gascon meets King Evan from Ni No Kuni: Revenant Kingdom? What do you guys think? I probably might throw in references to the old game, I can make appearances of old characters appear, I can do all sorts! Hell, I might even make a whole new series around Gascon, Evan, Roland, and... Tani, I believe they said her name was? Okay, maybe I won't do that unless you guys really want me to and I can think up a brilliant storyline for me to!
But do you guys want me to do that? Make the eighth book, I mean? We'll get to that new series crap, when we get to it. Let me know below! And I will be posting this message throughout the Ni No Kuni books, so if you don't see it here, you'll see it there! Until next slime!)
