The Stellar Stars, Bell, Keith, and Terrance, belong to my friends Posh, Ninten, and Tails respectively. Del is my own oc. :]

Surprisingly, the day had been pretty uneventful for Ato so far. Both Blue and Jordan were busy, so he was stuck walking home by himself. He didn't really mind, but he kept glancing back to make sure he wasn't being followed again. He could never be too safe, after all.

Checking back made him remember the photo from DJ School. There was that pink dress girl, the three kids with the matching shirts, the people holding staffs, and of course, Tanaka. What did those people have to do with each other? It's not like he could ask anyone, since Dress Girl was probably an actual celebrity, the kids were... kids, he had never seen the staff people before, and Tanaka seemed scary. Maybe Jordan or Blue knew? He made a mental note to ask them tomorrow.

Ato was just about home when suddenly, he felt like having a milkshake. It just seemed like a milkshake kind of day. Going to the cafe by himself wouldn't hurt, so he kept walking, straight past his house.

He observed the houses as he walked down the street again. They were all interesting. One thing he didn't realize until now was the fact that the flowers were blooming so early. It was only March, but there were some flowers that were already in full bloom. He did remember hearing that music makes plants grow better, so maybe that was the case. There was something different about walking down the street alone. It was like that feeling when your parents are driving you to a party, and you're the only one other than them in the car. It felt exciting, in a way.

After a few minutes, Ato remembered the park from the previous day. Walking through there would be nice. Plus, he'd get to the city faster, and wouldn't have to cross the busy street. So, he turned left, and hoped he'd end up in the right place.

Luckily for him, the street led right to the park. He looked up, wondering if the badminton guys would be there again. They weren't, so he figured they were over another island. He made his way to the main path that led to the city, when he heard something. Someone speaking? No, it was just noises. He listened closer, and tried to make out the sounds. Something like: Eeh-ooh, ba-boom. Eeh-ooh, ba-boom. Looking in the direction that the noise was coming from, he saw two weirdly-shaped creatures on a seesaw, but not in the correct way. They were jumping on it. That... probably wasn't safe. But the way they were landing on it was so precise that he guessed they probably knew what they were doing. He continued on to the city.

He passed under the raised road and onto the pedestrian street. It seemed a bit busier today. But it didn't feel crowded. There were people making deliveries, people tending to the gardens around the streets, and he even noticed a very tall person starting another mural. There were already so many murals on these building, but there was still space for so many more. He noticed the mural of the four square-headed people again, and stopped to observe it a bit closer this time. Who were they? They were probably performers of some sort, since there was a photo of them on the wall at DJ School. They didn't seem to have a theme at all, so they could probably be anything. He didn't want to get in anyone's way, so he started walking again.

For a couple minutes, everything was fine. And then Ato realized that he didn't know how to get to the cafe from the pedestrian streets. Oops. It couldn't be that far, though, could it? The path that led to the street he was on and Biko's house weren't a huge distance from each other, and the route from that house to the cafe was basically a straight line. So... he could probably figure out where to go by himself, right? It wasn't that big of a deal, but he still felt kind of scared. After all, he was kind of lost in a city he wasn't very familiar with. He took a deep breath, and continued to walk. He turned right once he found a street to the right, and made his way through the unfamiliar area. That street led to another street where he would have to turn. He turned left.

A little later, he reached the end of that street. To the left was more pedestrian street, and to the right was a normal street with sidewalks. So of course, he turned right. But... he still didn't recognize anything on it. Uh oh. He kept walking, though. This was not what he signed up for. He got to the corner of the sidewalk, and crossed the street. When he got to the other side, he looked around. Still nothing.

Or maybe not! He took one last look around when he saw a large window. Three large windows for the three floors of the building. It was the cafe! Phew. He practically ran over to it, and went in.

"Welcome!" Barista greeted him, just like last time. There was barely anyone there today, which was very surprising, considering the fact that it was Thursday, almost a weekend. But what was even more surprising was WHO was in the cafe. There was Mars, sitting at the counter, and the badminton guys at a table! When Ato walked in, all of the others turned to look at him. "Oh, hey! Welcome back!" Mars waved. "You're the kid I accidentally dropped my racket on, right? Again, sorry!" The cat, Forthington, also waved. The dog, Baxter, sighed. "What a way to greet someone." Ato went over to the counter and sat down a seat away from Mars. "You're by yourself this time?" She asked. "Yeah. I almost got lost, too." "Yikes! Well, you found the cafe by yourself, so thats what matters." Barista came over. "Welcome back, Ato! What would you like today?" Ato knew exactly what he wanted this time. "A milkshake, again." "Alright! I'll get it to you as fast as I can!" Barista hopped down to the floor and into what was probably the kitchen. He had no idea how Barista was able to run a cafe, being a dog and all that. But then again, if a cat and a dog are able to play badminton while flying planes, a dog can run a cafe.

"So! What do you think of the island so far?" Mars asked, in between sips of soup broth. "Well..." He thought for a second. "It's weird. But in a good way. I still feel out of place, and having people know who I am right when they meet me is kind of scary, but its just... a nice place." "Oh, I can totally see how this place may be weird! But you'll grow to love it, I promise." Mars smiled. "I hope." Right as he said that, Barista came back with a milkshake. "Thanks!" He took a sip, and it was exactly what he wanted.

"I'm sure you've heard a lot of cool things about the city, but there's a bunch of places outside of the city that you should definitely visit. Like the beaches! And the Huebird Forest... and, well, there's a lot." Mars stopped to drink more of her soup. And right as she did that, some more people walked in. Two people, both with square-shaped heads, wearing matching shorts. One was blue, and the other was pink. Barista greeted them, calling them "Ping" and "Pong". More obvious names...? He wondered which one was Ping and which one was Pong. "Hey, I know those guys!" Mars said, looking in the direction of the Ping Pong Guys. The blue guy waved. "Oh, hello!" "Hi, Ping!" So the blue one was Ping. That means that the pink one is Pong. They went up to the counter to order some things from Barista, and sat back down. Ato turned to Mars. "So, uh... what are those guys? I don't wanna sound offensive but... what are they?" "Oh, they're Space Paddlers! Most of em are born to play table tennis, but some of em turn into dancers. They're pretty cool!" Dancers? He remembered that mural of the four people that now he assumed were Space Paddlers, and the fact that they had a photo on the wall of DJ School. So he asked about it. "Um, so you know... that one street? That's connected to a park pathway? There's a mural on that street that has Space Paddlers, I think. Who are they?" "OH! You're talking about Grapevine Street! There's only one mural there that has has Space Paddlers. Those guys are called the Stellar Stars! They're a super cool group of Space Paddler Dancers- or just Space Dancers- that became popular because their lack of a theme! Each member is clearly unique! Their names are Bell, Keith, Terrance, and Del! My favorite member is Keith. He has cool sunglasses." Mars explained. Wait, didn't two of them have sunglasses? "Oh. Neat."

"Hey, are you guys talking about the Stellar Stars?"

The voice was coming from Pong. "Yeah...?" Ato tilted his head a bit. "Nice. One of the members is my cousin! He tried to get me to become a dancer for the LONGEST TIME, but I'd rather stick to table tennis." Pong said, about to turn back to Ping. But before he could do so...

"Table tennis, huh?" Forthington spoke this time. "I'd say I'm pretty good at table tennis. It's pretty much just badminton but on a table, right?"

...

"Table tennis and badminton are NOT the same."

Pong said this as he slowly stood up.

"How are they so different then? Either way, you're still hitting something back and forth." Forthington didn't seem scared or concerned at all. But Baxter did. And so did Ping.

"I was BORN to play table tennis. Do you think I wouldn't know that!?" Yeah, Pong was mad.

"I was born to cut wood, but I have no idea how to! What's your point?" Forthington was starting to get angry too.

"Okay, that's it. I'm gonna prove you wrong."

"Hey! This is the second time this week I've had to tell people not to fight in the cafe!" The blue robe man was back. Pong suddenly went back to normal. "We weren't fighting! We were just gonna play table tennis! Right?" The blue robe man sighed. "There's a ping pong table in the museum you can use... just please don't be too loud." He headed through that back door, leaving it open. Forthington stood up. "Oh, it's on." And then he looked over at Ato. "Hey, you. You can come watch us. Consider it me making up for hitting you in the head." Huh? A weird offer, but... he couldn't NOT accept it. "Uh... okay." Forthington, Pong, and Ato all headed to the "museum." It looked like a normal old museum, with various items being displayed. When they walked in, the blue-robed man got up from what was probably the front desk. "Follow me. By the way, my name is Saltwater." They were silent after that.

The room was a storage room. There wasn't much in it, aside from a few boxes, and of course the ping pong table. Saltwater sighed. "Have fun. And again, don't get to loud." He left, closing the door behind him. Pong was already wheeling the table to the middle of the room. "You have a paddle, right?" He asked. Forthington didn't respond. Because he was already digging through a box. Pong looked at him. "Are you sure you're allowed to do that?" Forthington, still rummaging through the box, just said, "Well, Saltwater didn't say not to!" "Whatever... it's not my fault if you get in trouble." Pong went back to setting up the table, and turned to Ato. "By the way. Who are you?" That was a new one. "I'm the 'new guy' that apparently everyone has been talking about. My name is Ato." "Oh, cool. I'm Pong. The guy I came in here with, my boyfriend, is Ping. We changed our names to match." Talk about commitment. Forthington looked up from the box. "Oh yeah, I'm Forthington. The other guy is Baxter, but he's not as cool as me." "That's not really saying much." Pong replied, dusting off the table. "Like you're one to talk!" Forthington laughed, reaching down to the bottom of the box. "Hey! I found one!" He held up a paddle with a strawberry pattern on it. "Guess that means we're ready! Ato, you can be the scorekeeper!" Pong took out his paddle.

Pong held up a ping pong ball. "Are you ready?"

"Of course I'm ready. I've been ready."

"I bet I've been ready-er than you, though!"

"Ok. Sure."

And after Forthington said that, Pong served the ball. Was that the right word? Ato didn't know much about sports. Was table tennis even a sport? Forthington hit the ball back with no trouble at all. To be fair, he had a point. Badminton and table tennis did seem pretty similar. Neither players were speaking, they were just concentrating on the game. It was kind of awkward. After a few minutes, Forthington missed the ball, causing it to bounce on the floor a couple times before rolling to Ato's feet. "And the first point goes to me! Woo!" Pong boasted, pumping his fist in the air. "I was just warming up. I wouldn't let myself lose like that!" Forthington said. Ato took his notebook out of his bag, and flipped to a new page. He made a little doodle of both table tennis participants, then put one tally mark under Pong's side. Oh right, the ball. He picked up the ball and placed it on the table.

"So. Who serves now...?" Forthington stared at the small plastic ball. Pong picked it up. "Uh, me, I suppose." "I suppose, hey! Wait! Do you actually get to serve next, or what?" Pong shrugged. "I'm super smart and cool, so of course I do." And he did exactly that. They looked less serious this time. They hit the ball back and forth like normal. Until Forthington took a small step back, then hit the ball towards the ceiling. "Ba bum bum bum." The ball arced over the table, hit Pong's side, then bounced off. "2, 3, 4." Pong turned and looked at the ball, then back at Forthington. "What the hell was that?" The cat smiled. "I call it the Forthington Special Move! Did you like it?" Pong sighed. "No. That's a dumb name." He picked up the ball and handed it to his feline rival. Ato put a point under Forthington's side. The cat served the ball without trouble.

A few minutes passed. Points were gained, insults were exchanged. But nothing too interesting. The ball fell to the ground again, and Ato put another point under Pong's side. Pong was up to 7 points, and Forthington was at 4. Pong picked up the ball and served it. And then, after it went back and forth a few times, Pong lightly hit the ball a bit higher than normal. Forthington tried to hit it, but he was too early, and the ball bounced behind him yet again. "Were you trying to copy me or something?" He tilted his head. "No way! That was a classic table tennis move! Do... you not know about the slow rally?" Pong said, hopping over to grab the ball. "No, I don't, because I'm not a nerd." "Implying being a nerd is a bad thing!" Pong served the ball again after that. "I didn't say that. I'm just not a nerd." The cat hit the ball. "You don't need to be a nerd to know basic table tennis moves, you know!" Pong smacked the ball. "Um, I've never heard of the 'slow rally' before. What's next, the fast rally?" Forthington countered, verbally and in table tennis. "Yes, actually!" Pong smacked the ball harder, and it flew across the table. Forthington managed to hit it back, and it whizzed past Pong's head and hit the wall. "I... was not expecting you to hit that." Pong was impressed. So was Forthington. "I wasn't expecting me to hit that either!" He picked up the ball again and served it. "You know..." He said, as he and Pong played, "today's my birthday. You wouldn't want to make the birthday boy lose, would you?" He was obviously joking. "I feel like getting to play against me is a good enough gift, you don't need to win, too. If it even is your birthday!" Pong smirked. "Of course it is, why would I lie about that?" "Oh, then happy birthday I guess." And saying that made Pong miss the ball. "Did you do that on purpose?" Forthington shrugged. "Maybe." Forthington was now up to 6 points, and Pong was at 8. Ato doodled a little party hat on Forthington. It was the cat's turn to serve again.

"Even if it is your birthday, I'm not gonna go easy on you." Pong continued the conversation as they played. "Good! I wouldn't want you to!" "Is that a challenge?" "If you want it to be!" And Forthington hit the ball a bit harder. "Damn!" Pong hit the ball. "I guess cats are good for something other than chasing mice!" "Okay, but have you seen how crafty mice have been getting nowadays?" Forthington didn't seem offended by that. "No? I don't watch mice like a creep." "I don't watch mice either. It's hard to when you're playing badminton in a moving plane, after all." That caught Pong off guard. "You WHAT?!" he yelled, letting the ball bounce away. "Yeah! I might as well put my plane to good use, you know? It's one of the only working planes on the island." Forthington explained. "That's actually pretty cool, not gonna lie!" "I know." Forthington readied the ball again, then served it faster than before. Each time one of them hit the ball, it got faster. The ball kept speeding up to the point where Pong could barely see it, and he missed. "Damn!" He looked at the ball. "What are the scores right now, by the way?" Pong had 8 points, and Forthington had... 8 points. "Uh, it's a tie, actually." Ato told them. "Nice! I'm kinda tired now, though. And hungry." Forthington put his paddle on the table. "That was fun! We're gonna do this again, right?" Pong asked. "Of course? I haven't played table tennis like that in a while. And, I hate to admit it, but it's definitely different than badminton. Unfortunately." "Hey! At least you admitted it. I hate you a little less now!" Pong laughed. "You know, I don't know if me and Baxter will be able to finish my entire birthday cake on our own. You wanna help us?" "Uhm, of course? As long as Ping gets to come, too." "Awesome. Let's go!" The two headed out of the storage room, and Ato followed. "Oh yeah, thanks for the scorekeeping!" Pong said, closing the door. "Thanks."

The three went back into the main cafe area to see Baxter, Ping, Mars, and Saltwater all sitting at a table together. "Hey, they're back!" Mars noticed them first. "Finally." Baxter sighed. "So, who won?" Ping asked them. "It was a tie! Oh yeah, Ping, you like cake, right?" Pong was smiling. "Huh? What does that have to do with anything?"

Ato looked outside. It was going to start getting dark soon. He started to walk towards the exit. "Hey, where are ya going?" Mars asked him. "Uh, home." "Oh, fair enough! See ya!" And he left. He made sure to take the main route back, he didn't want to risk getting lost again. At least not by himself.

Ato was almost back to his house, when he heard something. A motorcycle. On his street? It passed him, and when it did, the person riding the motorcycle looked at him. That was... Tanaka? Yeah, definitely. But what was he doing here? And since when did he have a motorcycle? Tanaka turned a corner. What a weird guy.