Chapter 7: Jackie's Pain
When the group of six opened their eyes, they were taken to Jackie's memory, though it appeared to have been in a familiar room with lavender walls and an open space with some statues and armor. There was a large wooden table with some bottles and towards the end of the room was a couch where a familiar man with shaggy brown hair was sitting. "What the…? Where are we?" Angus questioned as he looked around.
Henrik was just as confused at first, as he wondered why the group was here. As he scanned around the room, he started to get a strange sense of deja vu. "Wait a minute… I know this place! This is the Cool Patrol's hideout!"
"Cool Patrol?" Anti questioned.
Posi gasped. "Oh! I remember this place! This is where we went to ask for help in finding Jackie when Jack was in the Mindscape."
"This is where they hang out?" Angus asked.
Jackie nodded. "Yeah, by the cliffside of Attitude City." He stated. The doors to the room opened as they watched Jackie from the past walk over to the memory of Danny who was still sitting on the couch. They stood by as they allowed the scene to play out.
"Hey Danny, sorry for being late." The memory Jackie stated as he rubbed his cheek, which has a swelling wound on it. He wore his casual clothing.
Danny looked over at Jackie, jumping as he noticed the wound. "Woah dude, what happened to you?" He points to the mark on Jackie's face.
"Oh this? I uh… kind of went a bit overboard with my training…" Jackie chuckled nervously from the memory. As the real Jackie looked onward, wincing slightly from that explanation. "So anyways, I got your message. What did you need?"
Danny chuckled as he held out a box which was resting by his side. "The Cool Patrol took it upon ourselves to help you achieve your dream of becoming the hero this city needs. So we sewed up this outfit based on the design you wanted."
The memory of past Jackie jumped as he grabbed hold of the package. "Really? You guys didn't have to go that far!"
"Come on, you've been wanting to complete the hero look for a while. And you are one of us, the least we can do is help each other out." Danny winked. "Now head to the training room to try it on and see how well you can move around."
"I will! Thanks Danny!" Jackie ran off, going into the door that was to the right of the couch. The present one who was watching chuckled as he looked between the door that his past self went into, and to the couch.
"Ha, I remember this day! Danny and the Cool Patrol helped me make my hero outfit. Still got it to this day!" Jackie stated proudly.
"So that's where the outfit came from?" Angus asked.
Jackie nodded. "Yeah, they really wanted me to become the best hero Attitude City needed! I couldn't let them down!" He looked to the ground, biting his lip as the smile on his face was smaller than it should have been.
"Danny may be a weird person, but he truly does care for those in need." Henrik stated.
Jackie nodded as he glanced up at the doctor. "So… where's the soul shard? Shouldn't it be here?"
"Only the ones that can see and interact with us are the ones holding the soul shard." Nega stated, being reminded of what Henrik told them. "And since your past self didn't seem to see us and Danny can't either, that must mean it's not here."
"Looks like we have to go further into your memory to find it." Posi noted.
"Does that mean we have to follow your past self?" Anti asked.
Jackie looked up at Henrik, as the doctor gave a shrug. "I suppose that is where the path is leading." The group of six walked over to the door where the memory Jackie had walked into. It was a room with many training dummies standing up on sticks, a few punching bags and yoga matts on the ground. The moment they entered, they could see three strange goop monsters ambushing them. They didn't have time to register as the three came up to attack them. These ones were Anxiety, they were mostly just floating heads with a red X over their right eyes.
"Crap! It's an ambush!" Jackie hissed, as he saw the floating heads coming over and attacking them. He quickly raised up his leg and kicked one of them, sending it flying.
"Stay back!" Nega declared, unleashing his flames upon the heads, making them burn. That wasn't enough to stop them though as they passed right through the fire, heading over to Jackie to start attacking him. Angus quickly summoned his golden machete, swinging it at one of the heads and slicing it out of existence. Henrik also attacked the other head, injecting it with a syringe, trying to poison it so it wouldn't be able to steady itself. Jackie kept attacking the other Anxiety, doing all he could to make sure it was defeated.
Thankfully, the group was able to overcome their opponents, panting and taking breaths as they tried to regain themselves. "Man… those guys came out of nowhere…" Jackie stated.
"Is everyone alright?" Henrik asked.
"I think so…" Posi panted, looking over at Anti and Angus as they were stable.
"At least it's over…" Angus sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. The group wondered what they were to do next, until a light caught their attention. They looked on ahead to see a door had appeared on the other side of the room.
"Huh… well that did something." Nega noted as they walked over to the door.
"Does this mean we have to go in there?" Anti asked.
Angus shrugged. "Guess so…" They walked over to where the door was, going through it as they questioned where this next area would take them. When they walked through, they were taken into the very streets of Attitude City itself.
"W-We're back in the city?" Posi looked around, confused by the sudden transition.
"Does this mean another memory is about to play out?" Angus wondered. They looked around, trying to find out where to go next. The Hunter's eyes glanced up onto the rooftops, seeing a figure in red jumping from building to building. The others saw it as well, as the memory of Jackie was having fun flying through the streets.
"Oh yeah! I usually patrol the streets of Attitude City at night. Since there's more crime during the dark hours. I was also trying to get used to my new title as protector of this city!" Jackie beamed as he looked at everyone.
"Looks like we will have to follow you then." Nega noted.
"Everyone be careful, we don't know what else could be lurking." Henrik warned. The group began to walk down the street, doing their best to keep up with the memory version of Jackieboyman in the hopes he would lead them to the soul shard. As they were making their way down the street, Anti's one bullseye pupil noticed a piece of paper that was laying on the ground. He walked over to it and picked it up. Angus saw the action, growing curious as he walked over to the Glitch while the others watched.
"Anti? What did you find?" Angus asked, looking over the paper as everyone else gathered to read. It was a news article, with an image of Jackie in his hero get up, covered in black and blue tar as distorted smiles and piercing eyes were laughing at him in the background. He was crying black tears in the image. The paper read as followed:
"ATTITUDE CITY DIGEST Is This The Hero We Want? Local "so-called-hero" fails to save another in one of his outings. It has come to the result that the city should no longer rely on Jackieboy's aid. With his reckless actions, it points out that this vigilante does not take his job seriously. Attitude City needs a reliable, dependable figure who finds ways to save the civilians of the great city. Not a failure. Jackieboy man refuses to give any commentary of today's mistakes."
Upon seeing this, Jackie visibly winced as he looked away, rubbing his arm as the words were spoken. Angus growled, disturbed by the writing. "Who the hell wrote this?!"
"Clearly the person who wrote this was a critic." Nega stated.
Jackie bit his lip, shaking slightly as the words were plagued in his mind. Henrik could see the distress in everyone's eyes, so he tried to calm them down. "Easy everyone… remember that we are in the subconscious part of Jackie's memory where his inner fears and flaws reside. The article is nothing more than an embodiment of that."
"So… it's not true?" Anti asked.
"Of course not." Angus reassured. Jackie though did not seem to buy it. He still seemed hesitant as they kept going, ready to head out of the city only for their path to be blocked by another goop monster, this one went by the name: Dysphoria. It was a much more muscular creature with a red X on its neck. The creature approached the group, giggling and whispering Jackie's deadname under its breath. It begins to even mock Jackie, listing off the flaws the hero has such as: Jackie is weak. Jackie isn't fit to be a hero. Jackie couldn't save everyone. The words began to get to the superhero, making him uncomfortable. Angus saw the look on the red-suited one's face, seeing how freaked out he was. The hunter grabbed hold of Jackie, looking at him. "Jackie… close your eyes and tune it out. Don't listen to it." He advised.
The hero nodded, doing as he was told though still felt like he was being suffocated. His breathing soon evened, as the figure melted into the ground and left them alone. Angus was relieved, looking back over at his friend. "You okay?"
"I-I… honestly don't know anymore." He admits through some stuttering. Jackie was still shaking, even though he tried to tune out that creature, the words still hurt inside of him.
Henrik held onto the hero's shoulder, doing his best to support him as well. "Come on, let's keep going." Everyone else followed Henrik, while Anti left that article behind. They soon came across a large campus, where a hole in the center of some paved stone sat in front of a large building made up of bricks.
"Now where are we?" Nega complained, trying to make sense of where they were.
Posi gasped as he saw the building ahead. "Oh! I remember this place! This is the University of Keeping It Real!"
"Yeah, I actually attended school here." Jackie admitted. "Before I became a fully fledged vigilante, I spent most of my days here."
Anti jumped as he pointed up on the roof. "Look up there!" They all turned to see Jackie sitting up on the roof, looking over the scene of the campus as many students were talking. They listened to some of the things they said.
"Hey did you hear?" A female voice said as a shapeless figure gathered around in a group.
"About the new hero, Jackieboyman? How could I not? He's been appearing everywhere lately."
The third figure shrugged. "You have to admit, he is kind of cute. And he's an animal lover, I have to respect that."
"Yeah, but his fighting style is kind of mediocre." A male voice added in. "I mean, he's a superhero, yet he doesn't have any powers. All he is able to do is kick and punch people. In what world does that make him a mutant? If I were fairly good at hopscotch, would that make me some sort of badass vigilante?"
"Not all heroes need some sort of power." The female of the three stated. "Ever hear about BatMan or IronMan?"
"At least they have some sort of weapons or gadgets. What does Jackieboyman have? There's nothing that really separates him from a regular joe. And his outfit, I mean he's just wearing a jumpsuit with a blue cape and mask. How does that qualify as a costume?"
"Yeah… his suit doesn't really have that flare to really catch anyone's attention…" The second of the group admitted.
"And he's not even that good at his job! I mean, he's been patrolling the streets for what, months now? And he hasn't turned in a single bad guy! Heck, I saw him falling into a dumpster because he didn't watch his steps on the rooftops. Good thing that trash was filled, otherwise he would have broken some bones."
The female looked at the male. "Come on, give him a break. He's working all by himself and he only just started? What do you want from him?"
"I want him to take his job seriously! If he wants to play pretend, then fine. But he needs to understand that this ain't all fun and games. What kind of hero can't even save the people he's supposed to protect, or man up for himself?" The group soon disbanded, as the egos watched up to see Jackie looking down from the roof. The memory Jackie sighed, changing out of his outfit into his casual wear and heading out of the roof. He then went over to the building and entered it without being seen by the other students.
Posi looked over at Jackie, who was silent throughout most of that scene. "Oh Jackie…"
"They said all of that stuff about you?" Angus growled as he watched the shapeless sludge walk around the rest of the campus. "Those jackasses don't understand you at all!"
"I-It's fine Angus…" Jackie tried to reason as he had doubt in his voice. "This was back when I was getting my story straight anyways. It always happens to heros who start out. Not everyone is going to be on your side."
"But they said such horrible things to you!" Anti pointed out. "They don't deserve to have spoken to you like that when they didn't even know you."
Posi nodded. "Anti is right, they had no room to judge!" Even though Jackie was grateful that the others were sticking up for him, he still remained silent as he did not have anything to say to either agree or disagree with them.
"We best keep moving forward, we are probably closer to where the powerful memory is." Henrik advised, wanting to keep everyone on track.
"Where do we go next?" Nega asked.
"Probably into the University, since that is where you went." The doctor told Jackie. The group went over to the large building, going for the doors as Angus tried to open it. However, the entrance remained shut.
"Shit… it's locked." Angus muttered.
"W-what? Why would it be locked? I just went in there… at least my memory version did." Jackie stated in a confused manner.
"It's probably because we are getting closer to that memory, your subconscious is doing everything it can to prevent you from seeing it since it will cause you emotional and mental pain." Henrik explained. "The same thing happened with Chase."
"So what do we do now?" Posi asked.
"We need to find a way to open the door to progress… the key should be around here somewhere." Henrik advised as he looked around.
Anti pointed over to some of the Manifestations that were roaming around. "What about those goop monsters? Maybe they have the key?" He suggested.
Angus looked back over to where the glitch was pointing and smiled. "Great idea, Anti! If this is the campus, then the monsters forming here must represent the students!"
"So you're saying we're going to have to fight them all in order to figure out which one has the key?" Nega realized, not at all happy about the idea.
"We don't have any other choice." Henrik declared. They began to walk around the campus ground, checking over each goop figure in the hopes to finally locate the key they needed to progress.
When they went up to one, Posi asked the question. "Excuse me, do you have a key?"
The blob responded by looking at Jackie. "Laughingstock of the school… not even… a real hero… heh heh… heh…" The hero bit his lip, looking away as he was visibly trembling again.
Angus took notice of this, taking hold of the hero and pulling back. "Let's try a different one."
They went to another one, this time Anti asking the question. "You have the key we need?"
"Weakling… everyone sees him as a child…" It responded, again those words stuck to Jackie, as much as he didn't want them to. That one also didn't have a key, so they moved forward.
"Hello, do you by chance have a key to the University?" Henrik questioned the third goop monster.
"He's not as good… as people claim… he is…" It responded maliciously.
"Am I the only one who thinks this is getting us nowhere?" Nega complained.
Jackie whimpered, looking down as he felt on the verge of tears. "I just… really want them to stop talking…"
"Hey, hey, easy Jackie." Angus advised as he rubbed the hero's back to calm him down. "Remember what Henrik said, this is just your subconscious's way of preventing you from going further into your memory."
"I..I know that but…" Jackie was still shaking, keeping his eyes glued to the ground as he covered his ears with his hands. "I hate what they're saying about me! I know a lot of it is true but…"
"NONE of it is true!" Angus claimed as he held his shoulders to look him deep in the eyes. "This is all the stuff that you BELIEVE people say about you. They only say it because they don't know you. At the end of the day, they are only words, and they can not physically hurt you."
Henrik nodded as he stepped up. "Angus is right, we do not see you in that light, Jackie. Just remember, you are not facing this alone."
The hero was still upset, to the point tears felt like they were ready to peek out of him. But as he looked up at everyone that was by his side, he began to realize that he wasn't alone. He still had those that believed in him, and at least they were people he truly trusted. Just as he was getting himself back up and taking deep breaths, a larger than average of the Manifestations appeared, muttering under its breath. "In his twenties… no job…"
Nega jumped when he saw it coming their way. "The fuck did you come from?"
"G-guys…" Posi spoke up. "T-This one seems stronger than the rest…"
"Then the reason for that must mean…" Angus grunted, knowing where this was going.
"Brace yourselves!" Henrik advised, as the group began to prepare for battle. The monster was not alone though, as five of them appeared at once. Three of the floating heads of Anxiety and two others that went by Doubt, which covered their eyes with their arms and had their mouths open, looking like they were in pain.
Jackie was still shaking, caught off guard by the appearance of the monsters, even so he had to try and help as much as he could. He attempted to throw a 'Hero Punch' their way, but the Anxiety dodged it and instead attacked Jackie's arm, biting into it and tossing him to the ground. The hero hissed in pain, looking up with wide eyes as he felt the fear rising inside of him again.
The Anxiety looked like it was about to attack him once again, opening its jaw to latch onto Jackie. Angus was there just in time, using his golden machete to 'Double Slice' the Manifestation, dealing a lot of damage. "Jackie!" He shouted at the one in red. Angus looked over, seeing if the other ego was okay. He held onto his arm, wincing from the pain. Henrik quickly went to his side, using his 'Bandage' ability to fix up the wound. The other four kept on fighting, doing their best to keep up. Angus was using his strikes in order to cut down the enemies. 'Vengeful Strike', 'Focus Strike' and 'Precision Strike' made up for him to do physical and up close attacks, but they were able to deal a lot of damage.
Posi used 'Winter's Breath' to freeze some of the monsters in place, that way they would be easier to hit. Nega encased his arm in flames, using 'Cinder Slash' to leave a burning mark on some of the Doubts. Anti hissed at the creatures, swinging his tail at them as he stabbed them with his end. He even went ahead and clawed at some by morphing his hands into sharper points. It took a lot out of the four, but they persevered and managed to finally defeat the five Manifestations. As the last one was dying out, it muttered a few final words. "Why even bother? He's not worth it..." Once they were all defeated, the rest of the goop monsters seemed to have disappeared as well.
Angus panted, looking over at Nega, Anti and Posi. "Are you guys alright?" He asked them.
"Fucking cretents…" Nega muttered as he rubbed his shoulder blades. Anti wagged his tail, trying to fling off the blood of the monsters from his end. Posi went over to the others, using his light magic to patch up their wounds. "Thanks Toothpaste…" Nega nodded at him.
The hunter looked over at Jackie and Henrik, seeing the hero was leaning against the doctor who had managed to patch him up. He walked over to Jackie with concerned eyes. "Are you okay?"
Jackie jumped, looking up at Angus as he looked pained. "I-I'm so sorry… I couldn't fight back… I tried to but…"
"Easy Jackie, deep breaths." Henrik advised.
The hero shook as he held onto his head. "I don't get it! This is MY memory?! I know what goes on in here, so why can't I just get through it?! I should be used to this stuff by now… so why? Why does it still hurt?"
"Jackie…" Posi sighed, seeing how upset the young hero was.
Henrik kept his hold of the ego in red, doing his best to try and steady him. "Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words should never hurt a person. What people do not understand is that physical wounds, over time will eventually heal up and hurt less. But mental scars will always haunt a person, and affect their self-esteem, their beliefs and even their dreams. There are those that just don't understand that such words can hold deep meaning, especially when they attack you in places that are far too personal." Everyone looked down, taking in Henrik's words as he explained. To Angus, he knew what that was like on more than one account. Jackie looked up at the doctor as he kept explaining. "Even so, at the end of the day, they are just words and nothing more! And if they come from people who don't even know you or your situation, they hold less meaning. Never let those critics doubt you Jackie, you may have your off days, but the ones where you are on point should matter. Everyone makes mistakes, that is how we learn. That is how we grow stronger…"
Jackie sniffled, a small smile spreading across his face as he nodded. "T-Thanks Doc… t-that… does kind of help me a bit." He turned over to Angus and the other three. "You guys as well… sorry you have to deal with my uh… insecurities."
Angus shrugged. "Hey, you had to deal with mine back during the Corruption. It's only fair that I repay it back." He winked at Jackie, trying to make light of the situation.
Nega noticed something at his foot. He reached down, grabbed it and smiled. "Well, looks like we got some results after all." He held up a key for everyone to see.
Posi gasped in surprise. "The key! We did it!"
Anti jumped as he seemed just as pleased. "Now we can go into the University!" They were all glad that that suffering had paid off. The group of six hurried over to the doors, using the key to gain access and walk right through. When they came out, they were still in the streets but somewhere else.
"What the…?" Jackie blinked, looking around as he took in his surroundings.
"Oh joy, a new location. Now where are we?" Nega complained.
"Wait… this is the skating rink, isn't it?" Henrik asked.
"Well yeah. I hang out here all the time. And it was where I first met the Cool Patrol." Jakie explained, nervous as he wondered what this memory would show. "But most of the time nothing that special has happened in the rink. Only in the b-" He was cut off as the group watched his memory version that was in his casual clothing running into the building.
"Hey, it's you!" Anti pointed out.
"Wait… was this where you went after leaving the University?!" Angus questioned, looking over at Jackie. The hero gasped, seeing his younger self going inside the building. But his and everyone else's attention was caught off guard as they saw two other figures from the sidelines that watched him go in. One of them was a typical blonde guy with long hair and wearing a blue and white striped bandana to go with his white tank top. The other was of a darker skinned tone, having a gray, sleeveless hoodie on him. He seemed a bit shorter than the blonde, but just as tough. They followed Jackie into the building. The present Jackie began to shake once more, as he recognized the two that just walked in.
"F-Fuck!" He swore, now knowing where this was going. He didn't give the others any warning as he just rushed into the building.
"J-Jackie! Wait!" Angus shouted, as he followed with the others tailing behind. When they were inside of the arcade, the hero in red was nowhere to be seen.
"What? Where'd he go?" Nega asked.
"I'm not sure, but we need to find him fast before the memory starts playing out!" Henrik explained. The doctor and the others looked around, checking the arcade to figure out where the hero could have gone to. They checked the skating rink, but it was locked. The only other place he could have gone to was the bowling alley, which was just across the way. They hurried over to the double doors farthest from the entrance, and walked inside. That was where they saw Jackie standing next to his past self as the two other men were towering over them.
"Jackie!" Angus called out to him, but the present one was clearly entranced by the memory that was playing out.
"St-stop! Get away!" Past Jackie warned as the two were coming closer.
"Or what?" The darker skinned one asked with a smirk.
"Or I-I'll-"
The blond guy stepped forward as he tried egging him on. "You'll beat us up? Come on then, 'Hero'."
"Fight back! Beat us up!"
The memory of Jackie tried to protest peacefully, holding up his hands in defense. "I-I don't want anyone to get hurt. J-just back away!" He begged. "I didn't become a hero to… to… I s-said back away!" He shouted as the two approached him.
The darker skinned one glared at him in annoyance. "Oh give it up, you don't have any real superpowers, do you?"
"I-I do! I just-"
"What, you need your gear for it?" The blond one mocked him again.
The other started to chuckle. "You really are nothing without your costume, are you? You can't even stand up to the people that bullied you back then!"
"Th-That's not-"
"All you are and ever will be is just a stupid, weak kid that wants to play pretend."
The blond one started to grow just as annoyed. "You're hardly any fun to threaten when you don't even try!"
"Stop it!" Jackie shouted
"How about we remind you who the strong ones around here really are." The dark skinned one stated as he pounded his fist into his hand.
"NO!" Jackie was crying as he tried to push the two ganging up on his past self, but he just phased through and continued to watch the train wreck.
"P-Please! Leave me alone!" He begged, but his pleads went unheard as they shoved him into the room, sounds of fists colliding with skin could be heard. Even though they couldn't see what was going on, everyone knew what was happening behind closed doors.
Present Jackie began to shake as tears rolled down his face. "Fuck! I have to stop them- I can't- I don't-" His whole body looked like it was having a seizure with how often he was shaking. As they watched, they were not happy to see the memory that played out. Angus growled, as he listened. He wanted nothing more than to beat those two up to make up for what they did to Jackie, but he knew that there was no changing the memory. Anti was also tempted to slash at them, hissing as his glitching body started to grow worse for a brief second.
Henrik went over to the hero, doing his best to calm him down. "Jackie, breathe!" He advised. "You can not do anything about this. It is only a memory and nothing more."
"But I have to try!" He shouted, as he hiccuped while his gear evaporated. "I can't just… I don't want them to…"
"Jackie…" Angus went over to his friend, holding his shoulder and looking him in the eyes. Angus blinked his black scleras as he tried to reason with the hero. "You're safe now. We promise…"
Eventually, he sighed and looked down in defeat. "I thought it would get better…" He started to admit as he kept his eyes on the ground, then he began to examine his hands. "I did everything I could to become stronger. I thought that if I could become a brave, strong hero, then I would be able to hurt less. I thought I could show them all that they were wrong, that I'm not weak! But… in the end I couldn't even stand up to the two people that pushed me to become what I wanted to be. They still kept picking on me during that time. Even now…
When Angus heard that, he thought back to the events a few years prior. What Jackie was like during the time when Angus was still 'Anti', and when he had control of the Mindscape. "Is… is that what the Corruption did to you two years ago? How it warped your world?" He asked, guilt taking over him.
Jackie looked back at Angus, giving a nod as he explained further. "When I got corrupted, I thought the bullies were everywhere. I believed everyone in the city turned on me. I tried to ignore it, but when you guys told me what was going on, I got scared and ran. That's why I wanted to prove I was stronger than whatever was causing it. But I couldn't hide from it forever. I felt so pressured all the time to be a hero. To be the one that always swoops in when something is wrong. If I walk around without my gear, I'm seen as weak... A-as long as people see me as brave and strong, I-'' He trailed off for a moment and sighed. "It feels like my identity as Jackieboyman is all that matters to everyone. Without it I'm... Just Jackie..."
"Bullshit!" Nega yelled. Everyone turned to him, seeing the demon soul of Anti raising his voice. "You're brave enough without your costume! I mean, just look at you!"
"W-What do you mean?" Jackie asked.
"You're still here, aren't you?" Nega questioned. "Despite what those bullies put you through! All that abuse and all that criticism from all of those non-believers, you still went ahead and continued to follow your passions! You ended up becoming the hero of Attitude City, you made your dreams a reality, no matter what the cost! If that doesn't show dedication, then don't bother calling me Lucifer!"
Jackie gave a slight chuckle upon hearing that. Posi stepped forward as he wanted to speak as well. "You're so much stronger than you think you are, Jackie! You're a hero, no matter what! But, the gear isn't what makes you who you are. Because you're the friend that wants to help everyone around you. The kind soul under all of that gear. And that's what really matters!"
Anti walked over to Jackie and nodded. "Posi is right! Just because you don't have that gear on, doesn't make you any less of a hero. Clothing shouldn't make up who you are, it's your actions that show what kind of person you are. I bet that even if Henrik didn't have his coat and scrubs on, he would still be the kind and caring man that so many patients and children look up to."
"Anti…" Henrik smiled as he looked at the Glitch, even Jackie seemed to have grown brighter just hearing everyone's words.
"I think so too." Angus said in agreement with Anti. "It's not just that which makes you who you are. It's your actions and your words. They say and do more than just the clothes on your back. No matter who you are or what you wear, we will always consider you our hero! I know I do, and if Chase, Marvin and the others were here, they would agree."
Jackie kept that smile on his face, his fears starting to die down, but there was that voice in his head that kept nagging at him. "...I'm still scared, though." He admitted.
Nega chuckled as he spoke up. "And that's okay. Admitting you're afraid is sometimes the bravest thing you can do. And admitting it to the people you care for, asking them for help and support… that's the first step." He looked more to Angus as he said all of that. The hunter noticed the gleam in Nega's eyes as he spoke more to him, but he gave a small smile back regardless as he had been there before.
Jackie nodded at everyone, crying tears of joy at this point. "...Thanks you guys, especially you Anti… you're a cool guy!"
The glitch jumped, caught off guard by the comment. "I-I am?"
"Yeah, especially your uh… soul… things… they're cool as well!"
"Awww! Thank you, Jackie~!" Posi giggled.
Nega blushed a bit, looking away for a moment. "I-uh… I don't-"
"Huh? What's wrong, Neggy?" Posi asked.
"...I don't know how to respond to compliments…" He admits while sweating.
Posi reassured him as he gave him a hug. "Awww! That's okay."
Angus couldn't help but chuckle at the scene before turning back to Jackie. "Are you ready? We're gonna be by your side!"
At this point, Jackie felt much more confident as he nodded. "Yeah! Let's get that shard!" The six headed inside the closet, but before they could even open the door, they were pushed back as the bullies came out and towered over them.
"Hey look, the shrimp brought his friends to help him." The dark one mocked.
"Although, can we really call him a shrimp anymore? Look how short the one in the vest is." The blond pointed at Angus
The hunter snapped at them as he stood by Jackie's side. "Hey! Fuck off!"
"And check out that one!" The blond laughed as he pointed at Anti. "Talk about a freak show! I didn't think that Magician's circus was looking for a new attraction. Though who would want to see such a hideous act is beyond me."
Anti looked down, attempting to cover his perma-smile as the bullies were mocking him now.
Angus stepped up, along with Jackie, as they protected the glitch. "Leave him alone!" Angus snarled at them. "It's bad enough you target Jackie, now you're going after others around him! You've messed with the wrong, ego family!"
Jackie glared at them as well. "And I'm not afraid to join in the fight this time!"
The two began to melt, showing off their true forms. Their hands began to grow much larger, as they had more muscles in their chests and upper torso. Their eyes were hollowed out sockets, and terrifying grins were upon their faces. "Oh? What are you gonna do? Fight us?"
"Yeah! I am!" Jackie declared.
"Finally! Come and fight us, then!" The blond bully urged.
And thus, the fight began. Jackie ran forward, using his 'Hero Punch' to jab at one of the guy's jaws, sending him flying back. The dark one hissed as he attempted to get back at Jackie, only for Henrik to toss some arsenic at him, causing the dark one to double over in pain. Meanwhile, Anti hissed as he went over to the blond, clawing and biting into his left arm as he was stuck there, while the one enemy was trying to shake him off.
"The fuck?! Get off me!" He grunted, going as far as to even punch Anti just to get him off. Anti gritted through the pain, tugging and ripping off the arm as he made the blond bleed out from the loss of his limb. Anti spat the arm from his mouth, hissing as he was in that feral, glitching mindset. Posi helped Anti, using his 'Crystal Tempest' to surround the one enemy in ice crystals, before making the points pierce his skin and taking massive damage. Nega and Angus were helping take down the other guy, with the devil using 'Volcanic Shatter' to crush him using magma rocks, then Angus cutting him down with his 'Overhead Slash'. Eventually, the first of the two fell.
The hunter ran over to Anti helping him get rid of the blond by kicking him in the balls to knock him down. While Posi struck him over the head. "Bunch of fuckers…" Angus grunted, as the group finally managed to get them down a peg. Anti kept hissing, glitching madly which caught the attention of Angus, Posi and Nega.
"Fuck, what's with these freaks?!" The blond hissed in pain.
"Back. Off!" Jackie warned.
The darker skinned one shuddered. "H-hey man-"
"I said... BACK OFF!" Jackie screamed at them.
"Fuck!"
"Dude, you alright?!" The dark one asked.
The blond stood up and grabbed his friend. "Let's get out of here!" They headed out of the bowling alley, leaving them behind.
Anti panted, sighing as he began to come back to reality. "D-Did we do it?" He asked.
Jackie smiled over at the glitch and chuckled. "Y-Yeah… woah! That felt amazing!"
"Feel better, Jackie?" Henrik asked.
"Honestly, I haven't felt this great in so long!" He had stars in his eyes as he smiled.
Angus and the two Anti souls looked over at the glitch, still concerned. "Anti… are you sure you're alright?" Posi asked.
"Y-yeah… I-I'm fine now…" He lied, looking away as he rubbed the back of his neck. Angus gave him a concerned look, as if he knew he was lying but didn't know what to say.
Henrik held onto Jackie's hand, as they knew what was next. "Come on Jackie, let's get that shard!" The doctor instructed. He and the others headed into the closet, it was a tight space, so only Henrik and Jackie went in, while the others stayed outside and watched. The memory of Jackie was curled up against the wall, beaten and bruised as he heard the door opening and jumped.
"A-Are you here to b-beat me up too?"
"H-he can see us?" The present Jackie looked over at Henrik in confusion.
"He must be the one that is holding the shard!" Henrik realized as he stared at the past Jackie.
"P-Please don't hurt me… I-I'm not strong enough to fight you…" He stammered.
The present Jackie smiled kindly at his memory counterpart. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help."
The past one was still crying. "W-What?"
"I'm here to give you some advice! Think of it as taking a lesson from your future self. Well, I guess technically it's not really time-travel based, since we are just the same person. You're just a figment of my mind to represent my memory of when-"
"Jackie, focus!" Henrik tried to steer him back into what he was saying.
"Ah! Right!" He turned back to his past self. "Look, I want to tell you that you have to stop apologizing, alright? Don't let what others say get to you, you can't please everyone! You're stronger than you think. You… I… get to know that later on. I am strong… I am…" He smiled, looking back at his hands as he chuckled, saying it out loud gave him a rush he never knew he could have. "Amazing! That is what I am! I can do anything I dream of! And no one can stop those dreams from happening except for me!"
"B-but what if we're not-"
The two Jackie's were face to face, as the older one was staring the younger one in the eyes. "I am! I am good enough! Just the way that I am! I don't need to change, I don't need to prove anything to anyone. Because I already know what I can do!" The others watched, seeing Jackie giving himself the pep talk he always needed.
The past Jackie smiled, thanking his older self as he soon faded, leaving a red soul shard behind. Henrik picked it up, smiling as he looked back at the hero. "Now we can finally go back." He told them all.
Soon enough, they found themselves in the real world, with Jackie in his normal get up now. It had been a really rough experience, but the end result was worth it for everyone's sake. "Are you doing alright, Jackie?" Henrik asked.
The hero jumped. "Y-Yeah! I wasn't really expecting for that to happen, ya know? But I… feel better. Like a weight I've been carrying has been lifted from my shoulders!" His voice even sounded like it wasn't so stressed out. Angus was glad that Jackie was doing better now.
"That is good, Jackie. Though it can be an emotionally draining process. I recommend that you get some rest." Henrik instructed.
"Oh, yeah… good idea. I do feel a bit tired." Jackie admitted, turning to head out.
"Aren't you going to change into your hero costume?" Anti asked.
Jackie looked back over at the glitch as he responded. "Nah. I'm just as strong without it, right? Besides, it's a little too hot out for that thing anyway." He admits.
"See ya, Jackie." Angus waved to him as he chuckled.
"Well, be safe." Henrik stated.
Jackie nodded, looking back at the doctor before he spoke. "Oh, by the way, I have 54 cats."
Henrik raised a brow in confusion. "E-eh?"
"You asked me earlier how many cats I had. It's about 54, last I checked. And all of them are just… so good!" He blushed as he spoke about them in a proud manner.
Henrik sighed, giving a small smile while Angus chuckled. "T-Thank you… Jackie…" The hero walked out of the room, leaving the other three. Henrik then turned to the boys. "What about you two?"
"Dad, I don't have any cats." Angus responded. "You know I'm a dog person anyways. No offense to Marvin."
"I meant your souls… how are they holding up?" Henrik corrected. Anti blinked with his one eye, holding his chest and looking down at his hole in the shirt. Henrik took notice of this. "Is something wrong… Anti?"
The glitch shook his head. "N-No… I just… I'm really tired. Didn't get much sleep last night, and that soul shard adventure drains you…" Anti laughed, doing his best to hide his pain.
"A-ah… I suppose that is true." Henrik shrugged. "What about you, Angus?"
The hunter bit his lip as he held himself. "M-mnnn…"
"Angus?" Anti looked up at the older ego in concern.
His arms were coiled around him so tightly, his body felt like a wound-up spring at this point. "I…" He began to speak, his voice starting to crack but he didn't even try to hide it. "I feel so fucking bad because of the fact that all of you are putting yourselves through this. Not just for Anti, but for me!"
"A-Ahh…" Anti blinked as Angus admitted his guilt, watching the interaction.
"Angus… what do you mean?" Henrik asked.
Tears started to form in the corner of his eyes. "M-Making Chase and Jackie relieve that kind of shit. All of that trauma and suffering… it just doesn't sit right with me. And it hurts… making them watch those memories of it playing out for them. Knowing I can't do anything to change that…"
Anti just watched, listening to Angus speak. He never knew how passionate and caring the hunter really was to everyone else. Was he like this with everyone or… just those that were from here? Henrik went over to hug Angus, smiling as tears gathered in his own eyes. "Angus… there isn't any reason to cry. They're doing this because they care about you and want to save you. Even if that means reliving those memories, it is to help make them stronger as well. Besides, you are there to help them remind them they aren't alone now."
Angus was still feeling guilty. "I-I just feel like a bystander to all of it. E-Especially when… I was the cause of some of that trauma…"
Henrik smiled at his son. "You are a kind and compassionate soul… I know you don't want to hurt anyone. But I don't think anyone is opposed to dealing with a few unpleasant memories if it means helping you two."
"Dad… please…" Angus begged with him, looking at him with the pleading eyes of a child. He didn't want to be told not to worry, because that just made him worry even more.
"They love you Angus. You're important to them…" Henrik assured. Anti's ears perked when he heard that, making him have a long-distance look into his eyes. The doctor smiled as he had an idea. "How about we check the progress of your souls and see-"
"A-Actually, Henrik! I-I feel really tired! I want to go lay down in the cabin again." Anti quickly changed the subject upon the mention of souls.
Henrik and Angus blinked over at the glitch, confused but Henrik was the first one to speak. "Oh… well, then, Angus?"
The hunter gave a small grin as he declined. "Actually, some rest sounds really good. Maybe later you can check our souls?" He suggested.
"Alright… I'l go get Marvin in a bit. I'll call you when I am on my way so you can head to the hospital and meet us there." Henrik informed.
"Okay dad… come on Anti." Angus reached over and held Anti's hand, as the two started to head out of the building and to the forest, where the cabin was. Angus was mostly quiet during the walk.