(Headmaster Hand)

"All be seated! All be seated! Ahem, ahem… Now… where are we… Oh, yes, yes, well, let us begin!" A voice sounds in front of the bench, as behind it, a man with a large, oversized white wig observes the room.

I gulp, nervously.

The bailiff pulls his cloak around himself, looking to the judge for approval. Once given, he clears his throat. "All rise. Department one of the Onett High Court is now in session. Judge Monotoli presiding. Please be seated."

I close my eyes.

This is a disaster. I'm on trial. Porky has bested me, and I'm on trial. The jury - rows of Porky's cronies - leer in the jury box. The prosecution - the Onett police force, lawyers, men of high class, all hooked under Porky's thumb, fill one side of the room. And on the other side - the defence… Ollie, Pusher, and Duster.

In no universe does this go well.

Porky suddenly enters through the main door. "Am I late? Well, fashionably so, I hope!"

Judge Monotoli eyes him coldly. "Be seated."

Porky sits himself with the prosecution.

"Good morning, Ladies and Gentleman," Judge Monotoli proceeds, holding his gavel tightly in his hand. "Calling the case of the Estate of Porky Minch and the City of Onett, against Headmaster Hand. Are both sides ready?"

"Yes," Porky says.

Judge Monotoli narrows his eyes. "Yes, your honour."

Porky rolls his eyes. "Yes, your honour."

"And you, Mr Hand?"

I stand meekly in the defence. "I am ready, your honour."

Monotoli turns. "Will the Bailiff please swear in the jury?"

The Bailiff steps readily forwards. "Will the jury stand and raise your right hands? Do each of you swear that you will fairly try the case before this court, and that you will return a true verdict according to the evidence and the instructions of the court?"

"I do." The chorus of Porky's associates echoes around the hall.

"You may be seated."

Judge Monotoli strikes the gavel. "Opening statements, please."

Porky stands up, with a grin, surveying the judge and the jury. He looks quickly down at his notes, adjusting his awful red tie, before speaking. "Well, well. Where to start? Defendant Headmaster Hand here, is charged with theft of property, breaking and entering, squatting, killing, and fraternization with the enemies of Onett. I've got all the evidence. We might as well end the trial here."

Judge Monotoli does not look impressed by Porky's confidence. I quickly stand. "Your honour, those charges are fabricated against me. Porky, in fact, is guilty of numerous crimes, including, but not limited to, murder, torture, human experimentation, and pedophilia."

"Charges against Mr Minch are irrelevant at this time." Judge Monotoli shuffles his papers. "I note, neither the defendant nor the prosecution have hired a lawyer?"

Porky retains his cocky grin. "I prepare to speak for myself."

I look at the judge with a neutral expression. "I did not have the time to hire one, given I was arrested only yesterday."

There's some grumbling, some disapproval from the audience. I turn to them - all sorts of random people, it seems. I've never known why there's audiences in courtrooms. What do they add? I certainly don't know any of these people. Least of all the man dressed completely in black, with sunglasses on. I mean, who wears sunglasses indoors? They catch me staring, and give me a strange, almost timid expression.

I bring my attention back to the court.

Judge Monotoli turns. "Prosecution, Mr Minch, call in your first witness."

Porky rubs his hands together. "Well, well! I call in a professor, at Headmaster Hand's former place of work, Onett Boarding school."

I look behind me. To my displeasure, stepping out of the audience and into the witness box, is Professor Bowser. How I didn't notice him right away, I will never know.

The Bailiff clears his throat, once Bowser is up. "Your name, sir?"

Bowser looks confused momentarily, before he remembers. "Bowser."

"Do you swear that your testimony will be solely truthful?"

"Yeah!"

"Professor Bowser," Porky begins, sweetly. "You teach English, correct?"

"Yes."

"At Onett Boarding School?"

"Yes."

"Did Headmaster Hand hire you?"

Bowser frowns, pondering the question. "Can't remember."

Evidently a little displeased with that answer, Porky steps back again. "Right. Anyway - did Headmaster Hand, or did Headmaster Hand not, steal your house?"

"HE DID!" Bowser roars suddenly. My heart sinks. That's Bowser's house we were squatting in?

"Order!" Judge Monotoli calls, angrily.

"Objection!" Pusher yells.

Judge Monotoli bangs his gavel. "Overruled! Continue."

"Bowser," Porky continues, ever so politely. "What is your address?"

"One," Bowser says. He doesn't say any more.

There's an awkward silence.

"And the road?" Porky tries.

"Well," Bowser thinks. "It's big, and long…"

Porky sighs, frustratedly. I can see his regret in calling in Bowser as a witness - serve him right for being so stupid, really. There's a couple nervous laughs from the audience, before Porky tries again. "Bowser, is your address 1 Clifford Way, Onett?"

"Yes!" Bowser shouts, excitedly. "That's it!"

Porky turns to the judge. "That is all."

"Right then…" Judge Monotoli strikes the gavel again, opening up a document. "Does the defence have any questions at this time?"

"Yes!" Pusher exclaims, grandly.

"Ask away!" Porky sneers, at the portly man.

"Well!" Pusher declares. "I have one thing to say. Mister Pork man - you are a silly sausage! Get it? Because - pork?"

Porky sneers. The judge blinks once, in near disbelief. "Right then. Any other questions?"

"Yes!" Pusher continues, grandly. "Why is that man wearing sunglasses indoors?"

Everyone turns. The man in black awkwardly removes his sunglasses.

"Can we get back on track?" Porky snarls.

Judge Monotoli shuffles his papers together, looking up. "Yes. Mr Minch, would you call in your next witness?"

"Aha!" Porky rubs his hands together, giving me a noticeable evil look. For someone who's supposed to be smart, he's certainly not being subtle about his biases. "At this point, I would be calling in Officer Strong, but it seems he is missing…" Porky gives Judge Monotoli a strange look. "So, instead, Constable Mighty will give testimony!"

Cheerily, a red-faced gammon of a man enters the witness box, dressed in rudimentary police uniform.

The Bailiff looks over. "Name?"

The policeman looks over. "Porky just said, didn't he? Constable Mighty."

"Do you swear that your testimony will be truthful?"

"On God's name be it so!"

"So," Porky begins. "This man, Constable Mighty, he was the one who arrested Headmaster Hand, here."

Constable Mighty nods meatily. "That's right."

"Where did you arrest him?"

"Number 1, Clifford Way, sir."

"Professor Bowser's house," Porky explains, to the audience. The audience gasps in surprise. Porky continues. "Constable Mighty - was Headmaster Hand inside that house?"

"He answered the door, sir," Constable Mighty replies.

Pleased, Porky turns to the jury. "I rest my case."

Constable Mighty beams. It looks wholly unnatural on his aggressive demeanour. "Great! Do I get paid now, Porky?"

Porky's buoyant expression vanishes. "No. Sit down."

"But I said everything that you said to say!"

Porky's face takes a faint shade of purple. "Sit down."

"But that's not fair!"

Judge Monotoli bangs his gavel. "Order! I'll tell you what's not fair - bribery!"

Porky folds his arms. "Well, that's a bit hypocritical!"

"Order!"

"Excu-"

"Order!"

The courtroom falls silent. Judge Monotoli sighs frustratedly. "Defence, please present your case."

"Well!" Pusher begins, cheerily. "This house, Bowser's house you say, huh?"

"Yes," Porky snaps.

"Not so! It's actually mine!"

"OBJECTION!" Bowser roars.

The gavel is banged again. "Overruled. Continue, Mr Pusher."

"These are the deeds of the house!" Pusher quickly flashes a piece of paper at the audience.

Judge Monotoli sighs. He stands up, walks over, and picks up the piece of paper. "It's blank."

"That's the wrong bit of paper!" Ollie cuts in, quickly. Out of a drawer, he suddenly produces what looks to be an entire folder of legal documents. He files through them, pulling out one, neatly labelled 1, Clifford Way. "Have a look. Mr Hand was merely visiting Pusher here, when Porky decided to knock on the door."

Judge Monotoli pores at it closely. "Well, well. That, surprisingly, seems to be order. Unless Mr Minch has a counter…"

Porky cuts in. "Professor Bowser, do you have the deeds of your house anywhere? So we can shut this ridiculousness down?"

Bowser frowns. "What's a deed?"

Porky facepalms.

"That was quick. The case is closed," Judge Monotoli says, simply, returning to the bench. "Headmaster Hand is found Not Guilty, of breaking and entering, and theft of property."

Porky glares, affronted. "Aren't you supposed to ask the Jury for this vote? And what about the other charges?"

Judge Monotoli stares blankly at him. "Well, I would ask the jury, however, I looked into the records - and it turns out the jury members here today all happen to be working in your companies, Mr Minch."

"I have a lot of companies!"

Judge Monotoli is unmoved. "Sir, unless you want me to press charges on you for perversion of justice and bribery, then I suggest you allow me to end the session."

Porky's face turns even more purple, looking rather as if he's about to burst. He throws himself down on his chair, like a plum throwing a tantrum. "Fine!"

"Right then." Judge Monotoli lifts his gavel. "The High court of Onett declares Headmaster Hand as not guilty. All charges are cleared from his record. All are dismissed."

The audience breaks out into chatter, as I look around in wonder. The man with the sunglasses gives me a slight nod. What immense fortune is this? How has this happened? Porky glares furiously at me from across the room, and I feel a deep sense of pride welling up inside me - I won the case, by doing absolutely nothing. It's a miracle. It must be!

"No need to thank me!" Pusher trundles up to me, a big grin on his face.

"No, there isn't," Ollie sidles in, but he's smiling too. "Nice work, Headmaster Hand."

"What were all those documents?" I ask.

Ollie shrugs. "Loads of forgeries. Angie and I did them all last night. We figured they'd come in useful…"

I shake my head, in utter disbelief. "You're insane."

"And proud of it!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Porky arguing with the judge. I listen in, only out of pure interest at this point.

Porky gesticulates wildly. "-It's true! I tell you, it's true!"

"You bribed your witnesses, and you tried to bribe me," Judge Monotoli deadpans.

"You accepted the bribe!"

"I accepted your legal fees. And, I tell you this - I will not stand for bribery in my courtroom."

"But - you've committed loads of crimes!" Porky protests. "I've kept them quiet for you!"

Judge Monotoli looks offended. "I have not."

Porky seethes. "But - Judge Monotoli - surely, Geldegarde Monotoli?"

"My Father, not me," the judge explains. "I cut ties with him, years ago."

I notice Porky's knuckles turn notably white, as his face displays pure, untempered fury. "I see."

"Are we done?" Judge Monotoli asks, coolly. "Or would you like to continue digging yourself into a hole?"

Porky stamps his foot in rage, and turns away.

I quietly laugh. For someone who's supposed to be the big, scary villain… he certainly has his interesting moments. And who knew Geldegarde had a son? Ah well. I'm free! I can continue the fight!

"Let's go," Ollie decides. "We're done here."

"Yeah," I agree, happily.

"I would certainly recommend that," says the man in sunglasses, sidling in with an awkward expression.

I blink. "Uh - sorry, do I know you?"

They remove their sunglasses again, checking quickly and nervously behind them. "Yes… Well, no - not directly… You will soon, though… You should definitely leave."

"Why?"

Secretively, the man unfurls his coat. Strapped to the inside layer, is a great number of explosives.

I freeze in place, horrified. "What's all this?"

The man folds his coat back up again. "Don't worry - they'll only go off once I set them off."

"This is a historical building!" Ollie exclaims, scandalised.

The man moves, slightly. "I represent Onett Power. We don't believe in the history of this town, nor establishment. And we don't believe in… him." He turns, shaking, to Porky, who's venting animatedly to a harassed looking man.

Ollie frowns. "What's Onett Power?"

The man shifts. "A splinter group."

"Terrorist group," I correct, darkly.

Words form on the man's lips, but they quickly disappear. "It's for the greater good."

I give him a warning expression. "If you set off those explosives, you'll die."

But he looks off into the distance. "They said that I should do it for my sons. Make them a better world…"

Ollie and I exchange a worried look.

"Headmaster Hand is right," Ollie begins. "You'll die - and leave your children fatherless. You can't do something like this."

But the man sways, as if in a trance. "I am compelled… long before I was born, I was always to be a dagger… floating towards the heart of Porky Minch… I want this…"

Duster wrings his hands. "Sir - y' speaking nonsense-"

He slowly drags a box of matches from his pocket. "Run."

"But-"

"Run..."

The four of us look at each other in alarm - for once in agreement. He's right. There's no time. We need to get the hell out of here.

We leg it. We charge out of the door, pushing through people, through the pretty entrance hall, straight out into the street door - and straight into Constable Mighty.

"Well, well!" The chunky officer grins. "Headmaster Hand. Let's take you to jail, then."

"There's an man - and an explosive!" I exclaim. "Get everyone out!"

Captain Mighty laughs. "Nonsense. Now, the boss is taking care of Judge Monotoli, and so, the result of the trial will be… altered. So, to jail with you!"

"There really is an explosive!" Ollie exclaims. "The man with the sunglasses-"

But Captain Mighty slaps handcuffs down, onto all of our wrists. "Cock and bull. Tell it to the judge. Oh wait - he's about to die!"

"But-"

Police reinforcements arrive, loading us up onto police horses, swarming us with batons and orders - this is a disaster - Ollie cowers in fear, Pusher argues, and Duster tries to swing punches, but it does no good. I look in trepidation at the High Court building behind us, praying that the man will wait before the detonation. That he'll give us time to escape. That he'll have second thoughts.

But he doesn't.

And the world disintegrates into ash.

.

.

.

~~o00o~~

Chapter 50: The Bomber's Spiral

(Lucas)

~~o00o~~

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.

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In the morning, the cafeteria is draped in black.

The news headline speaks for itself:

Terror attack on the Onett High Court leaves 40 dead, and 131 injured.

The atmosphere is cold and quiet, for a Saturday morning. Usually, there'd be excited chatter, plans being made for the weekend, rumours, laughter, jokes. But now, there's only cold, horrified shock.

"Have you read the article?" Ness whispers to me, quietly. "There's a lot in there - have a look."

Unmoving, I take Villager's newspaper in my shaking hands.

'The attack was carefully orchestrated, sources say. Activity from Onett Power, hard-line splinter group, has been on the rise as of late - with various threats and protests staged throughout the week. The warning of a revolution on Thursday culminated in no results, however, on Friday, at 11:34 AM, the Onett High Court building was attacked.'

'A singular man, armed with explosives, had positioned himself within the courtroom for the duration of the trial of former Onett Boarding School headmaster, Headmaster Hand, on grounds of breaking and entering. However, whilst Headmaster Hand was found guilty of these charges, it turned out there was a greater threat in their midst. 'A great column of fire,' was how businessman and inventor Porky Minch described the scene, which unfolded after the trial had concluded. Mr Minch himself only narrowly escaped the explosion. 'There was terror, screaming, chaos. It was horrifying, all of it. A sad day for us all'

'The bomber in question also narrowly survived the blast, reportedly being found by the crater. He was repeating the mantra: 'I've won, they told me that I've won.' He was arrested on the spot, and is currently awaiting sentencing in the Onett County Jail. His identity has been recognised as a man named Everdred, at just 19 years of age. His connections to Onett Power have been traced back, following a search of his house, and it is theorised by top criminal psychologist Dr Smith, that the bomber was a new recruit, who had the task coerced upon him by higher ups in the group.'

'The resultant heavy losses to the judicial department of Onett and various key worker sectors have sparked speculations of the Onett Third Brigade returning to Onett, to fill necessary roles. Amongst the deceased was Judge Monotoli, son of Geldegarde Monotoli, and a great servant to the community.'

I look up, shaking. "It's horrible."

"Headmaster Hand was on trial, and Porky was there," Ness says, in a low voice. "Porky must've rigged it."

"Forty people…"

"And now Headmaster Hand's been arrested - he must be in jail somewhere..."

Ness falls silent, under my hard expression.

"It's a tragedy," Villager murmurs, quietly. "It's a horrible business."

"Yeah," Toon Link agrees. "It's - I can't quite envision it."

"The guy - Everdred - was coerced," Villager says, miserably. "That's how these groups work - they get in your head, tell you you're loved by them, and only them, then make you do all of these horrible things, for the greater good. It's awful."

"Awful," Pit agrees, somberly.

Today, Ness and I were going to go through the box from Ryu, after not getting round it it last night. But somehow, doing anything at all feels wrong now, after such horrible events. With the chaos of the Future Humans, I often find myself lost, from earthly troubles, but this? This has brought me right back down.

Porky takes the front, clearing his throat. Now, in the daylight of the cafeteria, I can spot angry, red burns on his hands from the impact, and after reading the news, it's hard not to feel a little bad for him.

But any sympathy quickly fades, when he opens his mouth.

"Good morning, everybody!" He beams, cheerily. "Lovely, grey day! A great day for some revision and productivity, no? I know I'll be spending time inventing!"

Silence fills the hall, as students look up at him in disbelief.

Porky adjusts his tie, realising his error. "Ah. Yes. The news. Sad business."

"I daresay," Professor Byleth whispers into the quiet, through gritted teeth.

"But, no matter!" Porky looks up, his expression buoyant. "Don't let it get to you! Enjoy the day for what it is! And what's more - your new timetables will be coming round!"

Some confused muttering breaks out. New timetables?

"Oh yes," Porky grins. "I've made some changes to the curriculum."

I notice some of the professors looking rather surprised. It seems that even they weren't exactly aware of this.

"But that's all from me," Porky waves a burnt hand, idly. "Bye bye!"

He walks back to the staff table.

"New timetables?" Toon Link asks, worriedly. "This can't be anything good…"

"Agreed," Ness mutters. "What's the bet that one of the classes is about new torture practices?"

"Yeah, or how to be evil-"

Ness snorts with amusement, but Red fixes him and Toon Link with an icy glare. "It's funny, how quickly some people forget, that there's been a national tragedy."

They both fall immediately silent.

Breakfast ends, and we walk up the hall, down to the games room, our usual place of refuge. We haven't had a chance to show it to Claus yet, so we figure we may as well, since there's not much else to be done at the moment. Claus likes all the colourful pool balls, but he doesn't say much else about it, instead, choosing to sit down, joining us in silence.

I think death is simply a hard concept to fathom. Deaths of those we love, especially, but also the deaths of those we do not know. In such an event of horror as this, the pathos of the newspaper reports make us well up, upsetting us, shocking us, before we inevitably move on. We, as a society, have been made to fear death, to mourn death - but yet, we don't even know what comes after it. If the light truly goes out - then, from my perspective, billions of years have already passed, before my birth, where the light was already switched off. What is there to fear from that? And if there is a heaven, an afterlife, then again, what is there to fear?

I find myself wondering. In a way, we don't even experience our own death. Our own dying, yes, but not our own death. It's the death of other people that hurts us the most. Because they aren't with us anymore - but then, why do we mourn, when those that we don't know are gone? Is it for others - affected by the loss? But perhaps the wasted potential; lives on this Earth are valuable, they can do things, they can make changes… but not after death.

It is confusing. As a society, we should mourn tragedy, for the unfolding damage that it causes around us. But perhaps we shouldn't be controlled by it, perhaps instead, we should look beyond it, build from it, prevent it from happening again… Talk about it, share opinions on it, but never fear it.

When it comes to personal tragedy, it is different. It is human nature to fear the loss of those we love, and when someone we love dearly does die, everything hurts, for a very long time. Slowly, it dissipates, but it often returns, for moments, for days, with equal magnitude. Like a tap, dripping occasionally, with calm in between.

For example, I still think about Mother. And it still hurts - it always will. On Mother's Day, or the anniversary of her death, I am often inconsolable. But my tragedies will not control me, I am not a tragic case, a disaster, a thing to be pitied. I refuse to be. And so, I do not fear my death. Only what comes before it.

Because it's coming for us all, in the end, so why waste a life, fearing what comes after? When the death of others is so much more scary?

I grip tighter onto Ness's hand.

"What do we do today, then?" Toon Link asks, pacing around the room.

"We got a box from Ryu," Ness lightly squeezes my hand in response to me. "It was in his will - Lucas and I are going to open it, later."

Toon Link nods. "Great, we can help. Let's go."

"Well…" Ness nervously scratches his head. "The will said it was specifically for Lucas and I… I think maybe, we should open it alone."

"Oh." Toon Link sighs, evidently disappointed. "Then what do we do instead?"

"Study?" Red suggests, as though it's obvious. "We have exams, soon."

"We don't," Villager cuts in. "Porky won't last that long."

The door to the games room swings open - and in comes Jeff and Tony, that pair I vaguely remember meeting on the way back to Onett. Jeff waves in greeting. "Hey there - you all alright?"

"Jeff!" Toon Link waves back. "Yeah, we're fine - you?"

Jeff shrugs. "Good - except for that whole news about that guy - Everdred - exploding the High Court. Heavens above..."

Villager looks down at the floor. "Yeah. It's terrible news."

There's a slight silence, before Jeff speaks again.

"Uh, so how did the whole saving the world thing go, then-?"

"Well," Toon Link begins, animatedly. "We went to Onett, then found out Porky was becoming the new headteacher, so we… came back again."

Jeff laughs. Tony gives a half smile. "Not too well, then."

"We're making progress!" Toon Link protests.

Tony makes himself comfortable, sitting down and adjusting his hat. Jeff follows suit. "Did you visit my Fath- I mean, Dr Andonuts, then?"

"Well-" Toon Link falls silent. My heart sinks. I'd completely forgotten about that. "We did, yeah."

"How is he, then?"

Toon Link looks to us, stricken. "Uh-"

It's just what I was thinking about before. Personal tragedy. Loss. The thing we all fear the most.

"I'm afraid he's dead," Toon Link explains, honestly. "It was Porky, Porky did it. Converted him into one of those creatures."

Jeff's good-natured expression vanishes, dissolving into dust. "Dead? No - no, he can't be, that's not funny-"

"He is," I say, miserably. "I'm sorry."

"B-But-"

Villager speaks. "There was nothing we could do. He had already been converted when we arrived."

"I-I-" Jeff stammers in place, before suddenly running out of the room. I think I hear a sob as he disappears round the corner.

Tony shakily stands. "I'd better follow-"

Toon Link nods. The hatted boy runs out after his friend.

We fall back into silence.

"That was awful," Toon Link mumbles, after a while. "Awful."

Villager puts an arm around him. "You did well."

"We should go," Ness says quietly. "Lucas and I - we should go look through the box."

"See you then. Meet in Toon Link's dorm?"

I nod. "Yeah."

We leave.

It's been a fully depressing morning. Ness holds my hand as we walk up the hall, which cheers me up a little bit, but it doesn't do much. I'm holding out hope for a letter from Grandad Alec soon (I gave him the school's address) to hopefully cheer me up. If it turns out he's somehow died in the meantime though, that would be just the kind of irony I've come to expect at this point.

"What do you think's going to be in the box?" Ness asks, in a rather desperate attempt to make conversation. I tell him so, and he pouts.

"Alright, Mister Socially Awkward. Thanks for that unnecessary observation."

"Now's not the time for jokes," I murmur quietly, as we reach the stairs, the familiar grey walls coming into view. "Come on."

Unfortunately, the first thing I see when I walk into our room is not Ryu's box; rather, it's a vase of sunflowers, sitting on the windowsill.

I stalk over, furious at the insult. There's no questioning who put them there. I open the window, screwing the pretty flowers up in my hands, before scattering them, petals, stem and all out the window.

"So, it seems Porky can still get in," I grumble frustratedly. "Even if we lock the door."

Ness meekly rubs his neck. "I might've forgotten to lock it this morning."

"Ness!"

He quickly changes the subject. "Let's open up the box, then! Come on!"

Still grumbling at Ness and the sunflowers, I close the door, this time making sure to slide in the key, and turn it. There's a satisfying click as the door locks, and I come over to the middle of the room.

"Right then." I kneel down beside it. It really is just a perfectly ordinary looking cardboard box, on the outside. Nice and inconspicuous, I suppose, to sit on Ryu's shelf, for however long it's been there.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

We unfurl the flaps. They get a little stuck, and some dust flies up that makes us cough and splutter, but the contents are soon revealed.

And there's a lot of them.

Ness pulls out a stack of weighty looking books. "Some light reading, then?"

"Look at the names," I scan through them, quickly. "All books on our powers..."

"Oh yeah," Ness muses. "I almost forgot about them-"

I pull a face, pulling a very familiar book out of the pile. "The Mystery of Magic, by Wiz. Ard - as if we needed another copy of that."

"Oh look!" Ness reaches his hand inside the box, intrigued. "Look at this!" He pulls out what looks to be a large and elaborately crafted horn. "I wonder what this is for?"

I take it in my hands, turning it over. I give it an experimental blow, and a shrill noise fills the room. I hastily put it down. "I'm not sure."

"This is like Christmas," Ness says, pleased, reaching into the box again. "With added death, of course." He brings out what looks to be a vial of something.

"Looks like a potion of some sort, or medicine," I take it, interested. "I didn't think potions were real."

"And there's also a… yo-yo?" Ness pulls out the familiar child's toy, this one bright red in colour, a loop of string wrapped around it. He turns it over, confused. "I hope Ryu didn't expect us to know what to do with all this."

I draw out a long, silver baseball bat, and a weird gold stick. "I can agree with that. Of course, there's every chance that Ryu's just being Ryu, and giving us a load of old junk…"

"I don't think so," Ness says, bringing out a jewellery box. He tentatively opens it, revealing a bright yellow gemstone. "Look at this!"

I furrow my eyebrows, perplexed. "Pretty. But not very helpful - and that's everything, I think…" But my eyes catch a stray piece of paper at the bottom of the box - I dive down to grab it, hastily unfurling the page.

"Thank God. It's from Ryu."

Ness leans in to read with me:

Dear Ness, and Lucas,

If you are reading this, then I am sorry. I have passed away, and my good friend Professor Rosalina will have passed the Box onto you. I hope I died with some dignity, and doing something vaguely impressive, and that you wouldn't have had to witness it.

I am writing this on the first day of the term that the chaos has begun. As of writing this letter, I have not told you of your powers - though perhaps you know now. These items, they may seem random to you, but I assure you, they will come in useful. They have been hard to come by - but as soon as I started to sense magic and trouble in the air, I knew I had to obtain them, each and every one of them. And now, it is time for you to take possession of them, from me.

Your abilities will be the key to defeating the villain in our midst, whoever they may be. The books I have provided - they shall teach you about them, about the stones, and about the extent to which your powers can be used. I strongly advise you to train; if you practice using those powers, you can control them. You take mastery over your own abilities - and you can discover more about them, furthering the knowledge we already do have.

Included in the box is what is known as the PSI stone. There is an explanation within the book 'Magical Stones and Objects', by Rocky Boulder, on the applications of this stone. It is vital this stone is not lost, and that it remains in your possession, at all times. Additionally, the Yo-Yo, Master Bat and Master Stick have been acquired. These are for use in mélee combat, in accordance with 'Magical Warfare' by Tommy Gunn. They are, apparently, very strong, so treat these items with respect.

Next, according to legend, the Horn of Life may allegedly be used to revive a friend, from unconsciousness, or perhaps even death. However, this horn may only be blown once. Use it well. The last item I have provided, the Vial, contains a mixture known as Kraken Soup. I do not know what function this soup has, however, I believe the knowledge will come to you in due course.

Keep these items safe. They will help you in your quest.

I must emphasise also: stay together. Your powers are attractive; you are naturally drawn to one another; you are stronger together. Cooperation will be the key to victory, over the evil that has entered this world. Train and practice with your powers, or you will surely die.

And finally, good luck. Thank you, for reading this far, and for not discarding this letter. That wouldn't exactly be an ideal ending... Now, do not mourn me - for my death is no tragedy. I am merely a mentor, your professor, and now, your lessons have ended. And you have become the heroes.

Ness, and Lucas, you are the heroes.'

The letter ends there. We look up.

Ness picks up the PSI stone. "We could make millions selling all this on the black market-"

"No!"

"I was kidding - but, wow…" Ness's eyes shine, as he observes the array. "Suddenly, defeating Porky seems a lot more feasible."

"Yeah, we can whack him round the head with a stick," I deadpan. But it's with some hope, that I load up the items into the box again. There's some warmth, as I fold the letter neatly up, and place all the books onto our barren bookshelf.

"And, he basically confirmed that we're soulmates," Ness says, excitedly. "Did you see? 'You are naturally drawn together… you are stronger together…'"

I blush. "You could choose to interpret it that way."

"I definitely will choose to interpret it that way."

"But how about those books though?" I say keenly, changing the subject. "Should we start reading - find out more, now?"

"Maybe - but shouldn't we read them with Claus?" Ness realises.

I frown. I'd forgotten about Claus's impressive display of power against the Cave Boys. That needs further investigation. "Yeah… I think you're right… I'm not sure if Claus still can read, though."

"We'll wait and see," Ness decides, putting the last book on the shelf. "Come on - the others are waiting."

I quietly slip the PSI stone into my pocket, remembering Ryu's instructions. "Alright then. Let's go."

…

The others find our new acquisitions rather amusing, on the whole. Especially the Kraken soup, which sparks a discussion on what exactly a mysterious Kraken could be.

Red puts the randomness of the items down to typical Ryu craziness, and that is what finally tells me that the heavy mood of this morning has, at long last, lifted. That people are doing alright again, not thinking too much about that lunatic Everdred, or about Dr Andonuts, either.

"I'm sure they're all important really," Villager measures, still on the topic of the items. "I mean, Ryu wouldn't have given them to you, if they weren't."

"Maybe Professor Byleth knows more?" Pit guesses. "Since he was hired by Ryu?"

But I frown, noticing an absence. "Where's Claus?"

"Oh, Rosalina wanted a word," Toon Link shrugs.

"Where are they?"

"In her office I think, why?"

I nervously interlink my fingers. "I don't think we should let Claus be out in the open, on his own…"

But my worries are interrupted, as sharply, the tall figure of Link bursts through the door.

"Uh, excuse me?" Toon Link raises his eyebrow. "What are you doing in my dorm?"

Link ignores him, throwing a bag of clothes on the floor. "I'm moving back in."

"No you're not! Pit's in here now-"

"Well, now he's not," Link strides inside. "Heavens above, what have you done to this place? What's that painting?"

"Pit's family," Toon Link says, icily. "Goodbye."

Link looks around at the rest of us. "Are this lot squatting in here too?"

"Why aren't you rooming with Zelda?" Toon Link demands, ignoring the question. "Isn't that what you went off to do?"

"Well, she's gone weird," Link says.

"How so?"

Link folds his arms. "If you must know, we split up on the Wilderness Survival Week - ended up taking different trains - and now she's being all distant. Now, be a bro, and let me move back in."

"No chance!"

"Come on!" Link argues. "We're mates - we both got abandoned at birth, remember?"

Toon Link's face colours. "Well, thanks for announcing that to everyone here!"

"Look," Pit intercedes, quickly. "My old room - it's empty now. You can have that, okay? A room to yourself - and I can stay here."

Link grumbles. "That is a perfectly reasonable solution, and I hate it! Fine. I shall go." He swiftly picks up his bag. "Which room is it?"

"Third on the right."

"Thank you - I mean, you're all small, and annoying! Goodbye!"

Link storms out of the room.

Toon Link rolls his eyes. "Sorry about him. Again."

"Maybe you're long lost brothers?" Ness theorises. "Since you both have 'Link' in your name-"

"I think I'd rather be dead."

"You never said you were abandoned!" Red exclaims, suddenly.

Toon Link tenses. "I don't like to spread it-"

"-Whoever abandoned you, I'll deal with them!" Red says, threateningly. "How could they!"

Toon Link visibly relaxes. "I'm not sure."

It's at that moment that the clocktower begins to madly ring, like a child throwing a tantrum.

Villager jumps up. "Lunch? Already?"

I check Toon Link's now-working clock. "It's only eleven…"

"Fire?" Pit suggests.

Ness groans. "Not again!"

"Come on!"

But when we run out of the dorm, and down the stairs, there is no sign of any fire at all. Students look around in confusion, as the noise hammers on - Claus runs towards us on sight, tailed by a frantic looking Rosalina.

"Is this normal?!" Paula exclaims, practically tumbling down the stairs.

"No!" Ness covers his ears.

"What's happening?" Toon Link asks Rosalina, as she hurries over.

She wrings her hands. "I'm not sure!"

"Everybody!"

The hallway falls silent, as Porky manifests at its end, grinning.

"That," he clicks his fingers, and the bell stops. Whispers break out. "Was a test."

"Of what?" Professor Byleth emerges from the history classroom, looking distinctly annoyed.

"I'd quite like to know that myself," an unfamiliar Professor chimes in, arms folded.

"Lockdown drill!" Porky spreads his hands. "Since the school has had a… tumultuous few weeks, this is a brand new measure being put in place, for when there's an intruder!"

Rosalina mutters something along the lines of would've been nice to know that earlier.

"And what do we do when the bell rings?" Nana asks, politely.

Porky effortlessly spins his new bowler hat on his head. "Standard procedure is to hide under desks, under beds, close doors, and extinguish gas lamps. Simple, really. We'll be having a drill, every day this week! Just to get the hang of it… That is all! Oh, also, the other Professors are supposed to be giving out your new timetables. Good day!"

Grumbling and muttering breaks out at the disturbance, as Porky disappears back down the hall, to his office.

"Ah, yes," Rosalina says begrudgingly, bringing out a number of slips of paper. "Here are the new timetables. Let's see… Diddy Kong, here's yours… Lucas… Ness..."

We silently take ours.

"What did Professor Rosalina want with you?" I ask Claus anxiously, as my brother stares around confused, at all the bizarre looks he's receiving.

"Lessons!" Claus says happily.

"Lessons?"

"She teach me - numbers, writing, science!"

"She's giving you lessons?" I raise my eyebrow, doubtfully. Rosalina's already got enough on her plate - surely even she can't be that benevolent. Besides, we haven't even told her about Claus even being here.

"Your Father contacted me, Lucas." Rosalina says simply, coming over to give Toon Link his timetable. "He said Claus would be here - and, well, he explained the situation…"

"He did?!"

Rosalina nods. "That's right. So, since Ness isn't having therapy sessions anymore…" Ness colours as some people overhear and snicker. "...I have some free time, where I can teach Claus the basics. Get him back on track."

"That's very kind…"

"It's no trouble." Rosalina breezily walks past, handing timetables to a group of younger students. "Now, go on. Enjoy your day."

"Thank you-"

I'm interrupted, as Toon Link lets out a horrified gasp.

Villager jumps to attention. "What's wrong?"

"Look! Look at your timetable-"

I unfold mine, hastily scanning through the rows of lessons. English… Mathematics… Art… "Politics?!" I exclaim. "I don't take politics!"

"Me neither!" A random 7th year exclaims, aghast. "I'm supposed to be specialising in biological sciences - what is all this?"

Professor Byleth re-emerges cynically from around the corner, folding his arms. "Headmaster Porky's reforms. Politics is now mandatory for all students. But that's not all…"

"Law?!" Another student exclaims. "What good is that?"

"Anthropology?"

"Fitness?"

"Business?"

"Onett Studies? What's that supposed to be?!"

"Assembly?!" Toon Link cries out, horrified. "Oh, God!"

"I share that sentiment," Professor Marth says dryly, emerging from his classroom. "Not only that - but the length of the school day has increased by three hours. I do wonder, how are we expected to keep up?"

He's right. Instead of the usual three 1-hour lessons and a single 2-hour lesson each day, there's four 1 hour lessons, and two 2 hour lessons per day, running from 7am - God - to 6pm. My eyes water with horror. I can almost feel my hand beginning to drop off, with the hard work. And not only that - on Sundays, Saturdays, and at the end of every weekday, as Toon Link rightly declared, there's assembly in the main hall, adding to the total even more.

It's going to be torture, in academic form.

There's instant outcry. Professor Marth raises a hand for peace.

"Please, calm. There is no need for this uproar-"

"But the curfew is 8pm!" A young girl says. "We only get two hours free time! And that's including meals!"

"I know, it's a bit crazy," Professor Marth says, evenly. "Us professors have tried to dispute the matter already-"

More shouting breaks out. Professor Byleth surreptitiously disappears off down the hall, as Marth is swarmed with questions.

"-Please, listen! Calm yourselves! I'm sure Headmaster Porky will explain more at Assembly, and if you all don't mind, I need to go write a letter, to my friend Roy!"

He sprints off down the hall, taking a left, shutting himself firmly into the mathematics classroom. Students attempt to pour after him, but the door is locked firmly, resulting in further complaining and disquiet.

"We should leave," Ness says, noticing my discomfort with the chaos. "Come on - to the common room-"

"We have a common room?" Pit asks.

"Yes, quick - upstairs-"

New practically drags me up the nearest flight of stairs, the others all in tow. My heart pounds. Quite frankly, I don't care about the subjects, but I do care about the length of time doing them. It's clever, really - tire the students out, for when Porky inevitably decides to initiate chaos. Decrease the amount of time we can spend working out how to defeat him. All whilst indoctrinating half the school, with whatever awful things he'll be sure to teach.

We pile into the daylit common room. It's a murky grey day outside, but there's still just enough light not to warrant us lighting the gas lamps, so we collapse in the most comfortable chairs we can find. The common room is usually inhabited by the younger year groups - but to our mercy, today it is practically deserted, save for Nana and Popo, standing idly in the corner.

"Oh dear," Ness says, his face whitening, as he reads his timetable again. "It's really just as bad as everyone was saying-"

I set myself down beside him, unfolding my piece of paper again. It's a bad start:

Good Day, Lukey! This is your new Timetable for the remainder of the year. Tonight's assembly at 5pm in the Main Hall will give more details. Love ya!

~ Headmaster Minch

"Gross," Ness mimes throwing up. "Why does he call you that?"

"I don't know…"

I continue reading.

Mandatory Subjects Added: Anthropology, Food Preparation, Law, Politics, Business, Fitness (Replacing 'Sport')

Optional Subjects Added: Eugenics, Material Constructions, Onett Studies, French

Subjects Removed (If these are your Option Choices, they have been replaced with new Optional Subjects) Science, Geography (replaced with Onett Studies) Music (replaced with Onett Studies), Theatrics (replaced with Art), Trades (replaced with Material Constructions), Latin (replaced with French), Psychology (replaced with Eugenics)

Timetable:

Monday: Assembly, Breakfast, Art, Double Business, History, Lunch, Law, Double Onett Studies, English, Dinner, Assembly

Tuesday: Assembly, Breakfast, Maths, Double Law, Fitness, Lunch, Politics, Double Anthropology, Food Preparation, Dinner, Assembly

Wednesday: Assembly, Breakfast, Onett Studies, Double Art, Business, Lunch, History, Double Fitness, English, Dinner, Assembly

Thursday: Assembly, Breakfast, Anthropology, Double History, Law, Food Preparation, Lunch, Maths, Double Politics, Food Preparation, Dinner, Assembly

Friday: Assembly, Breakfast, Politics, Double English, Fitness, Lunch, Onett Studies, Double Maths, Anthropology, Dinner, Assembly

Saturday: Assembly, Breakfast, Study Time, Lunch, Study Time, Dinner, Assembly

Sunday: Assembly, Breakfast, Study Time, Lunch, Study Time, Dinner, Assembly

Professors:

Anthropology: Professor Rosalina

Onett Studies: Professor Chrom

History: Professor Byleth

Business: Professor Mario + Professor Waluigi

Maths: Professor Marth

English: Professor Bowser

Art: Professor Shulk

Fitness: Professor Wii Fit Trainer

Law: Professor Ganondorf

Politics: Professor Sebastian Tute

Food Preparation: Professor Mewtwo

Good luck with your studies!

~ Headmaster Minch

"This is an absolute disaster," Pit says, shaking his head in dismay. I hastily check Ness's timetable, seeing that, to my surprise, it is nearly the same as my own. I had expected Porky would be certain to separate us - but perhaps not. The only differences are between Onett Studies, History and English, which we have swapped around. Perhaps it's just easier for Porky to keep us in the same place, or something.

"What even is Anthropology?" Villager bemoans, reading it on his timetable.

"Well," Red states. "'Anthro' is the prefix for 'Human', so it is most likely Human Studies."

"What does that entail, though? Hey!" Toon Link calls over to Popo and Nana. "Have you got your new timetables yet?"

The pair, turn, rigidly. "No."

"Professor Rosalina's handing them out-"

"Okay," says Nana, and the twins stiffly leave.

"Probably still sore after your rejection, Lucas," Villager reasons. "Tactless, Toonie. Tactless."

"What's a - You - Eu- genics?" Claus asks, looking at the replacement subjects.

"Selective breeding," Red replies, simply. "Or, more specifically, improving the Human species-"

"Future Humans, then," I mutter, darkly looking back at the timetable. Everything's been chosen for a good reason, I think. Onett Studies - build up some Onett nationalism, spur up kids to join the war effort, and ultimately get converted. Anthropology, studying humans, their flaws, possibly promoting the idea of conversion. Politics, business and law, bending facts in Porky's favour, changing truths, painting him as a good leader. Fitness, strength to become better Future Humans. It all makes a sickening amount of sense. It's like a factory - kids in one end, monsters out the other.

Villager vents, frustratedly. "And who's Professor Ganondorf? And why isn't Rosalina teaching science anymore? And why on earth is Professor Sebastian Tute teaching politics?"

None of us have any answers. And so, we're some of the first through the doors of the main hall, for Porky's assembly, after a long afternoon of debating. So much is on my mind already today - Everdred - Headmaster Hand - Porky - Mother (always) - that I can hardly bring myself to care about school subjects, but as Rosalina said, every snippet of information is vital. Every single one.

We sit in rows, on the cold, stone floor. It feels like primary school again; every Wednesday, we'd have to sit like this, and sing hymns, and be told about some topic or another that nobody cared about. I half expect an extract from a historical text to be read out at the front, as Porky takes the centre, a characteristically wide grin on his face.

"Good evening, good evening!" He says, genially.

He's met with grumbles, and mutters. Far from the adoration that he had perhaps been expecting, Porky steps back, leaning his hands on the lectern.

"I trust you've all had a wonderful Saturday! I know I have. I've invented so many things, done so much… ah, but of course, you'll all have seen your new timetables?"

A wave of dispute and general discourse breaks out again. On the row of chairs set out for the staff, Professor Rosalina raises a hand, and a wave of silence cascades through the room.

"Yes?" Porky says, coldly.

"I think there's some questions that some of the students have," Rosalina speaks with a neutral tone of voice. "About the new timetable, you see-"

"Yes, yes, I'm getting there," Porky shoots her down, impatiently. Rosalina folds her arms, looking a little irritated as Porky continues.

"So, I'm sure you've all got loads of questions," his rehearsed speech clashes with the situation, and he momentarily blinks. "Well, as we've just heard! Haha - but now, I shall talk you through the scenario that we have got on our hands."

For once, the students don't interrupt, waiting with bated breath.

"Budget downsizings," Porky says, bluntly. "You'll be learning about them, I'm sure - but, the matter is, the school's budget has taken a sharp decrease, due to increased funding of the war effort. There's been a number of changes, but most notably, the kitchen staff have had to be released, as well as the cleaning staff. So, of course, it is going to be your duty to the school to help out!"

There is a collective groaning from the entire room.

"Professor Mewtwo," Porky resumes, as if nothing had happened. "Shall supervise. But now, every meal shall be prepared by students - twice a week. And additionally, cleaning roles will be handed out as additional punishments for misbehaviour."

"When he says budget downsizings," Ness whispers to me. "What's the bet he's taking the money out for himself-"

"Something to say, Ness?" Porky smiles condescendingly down at the capped boy. Many pupils turn, and Ness colours.

"No."

"No, Headmaster Minch."

"No, Headmaster Minch," Ness says.

"And that!" Porky decides, triumphantly. "Is exactly how the cleaning rota shall be decided. Disrespect? Ness, how do you feel about cleaning the first-year toilets?"

Laughter ripples across the room. Ness turns red, mumbling something. It's an ode to our bond and my hatred of Porky that I do not laugh at his misfortune.

"But anyway!" Porky continues, happily. "The school day has increased in length! This is to increase your productivity - and decrease boredom!"

Any residual laughter fades away. Nobody looks pleased.

"And new mandatory subjects have been introduced, in accordance with the Onett Government. On your timetables, the subjects new have been listed, and the subjects that have been removed have been listed too. Latin? Goodbye! Art got to stay though… I know some people here love their art…" His gaze flickers in my direction again, and I gulp.

"And due to the budget downsizings, some professor's roles have also had to be rearranged. Rest assured, this will not interfere with your learning! So long as you work hard. And if you are not sure what a certain subject is," Porky grins, in what he evidently thinks is cheeky manner. "That's the magic of the dictionary."

"And I'd like to finish by telling a story!" The portly man happily draws himself up to his full height, bringing out a rather tattered old book. "Oh yes. This is what I like to call the story of Peter and the treasure."

He shoots a miniscule, nasty gaze, in our direction, before clearing his throat. I listen, expecting the worst.

"Peter was a man. An ordinary man, like any other, at first. He was a good looking man, though, and a clever man. Through his childhood, Peter worked hard, at school. He studied outside of the classroom, and inside of the classroom, as much as he could. He was desperate for knowledge, you see, of the world, of how it worked. Of how the adults lived."

"He asked questions, storing what he knew, and he learnt that the world, it was irrational. Not fit for purpose. It was made all wrong. The things he saw - they were messy, violent, brutal. The human condition… so futile, so impermanent, a mere speck, on the earth. That is what Peter thought."

I sure wonder who Peter could be an analogy for.

"And so, one day, he decided to do something about it. And then!" Porky exclaims, but he closes the book with a sharp snap. "I'll continue. Next time."

Many of the students look visibly confused. But, it seems some of the professors have cottoned on - Rosalina glares, Marth looks thoroughly discontent, whilst Professor Byleth checks his nails.

"Alright!" Porky exclaims, lifting his hands. "Assembly over. Enjoy your evening!"

The familiar chaos ensues, as everyone gets quickly up, keen to be the first out of the hall and into the best couches in the school - I catch Ness's eye, indicating that he should go on, whilst I hang behind a little bit, just in case…

"Lucas!"

The shout nearly makes me jump a foot in the air. I turn to see Shulk, the Art Professor, grinning at me.

"Hey-"

He hands me a piece of paper. "Good evening - I've been told to give you this letter, by Headmaster Porky, I haven't looked or anything, I don't know why-"

But I'm already opening it, reading through.

Lucas!

Meet in my office tonight for cake and a chat?

Porkster :)

I glower, folding it back up. "Thanks, Professor."

"No worries! Only doing what I'm told, after all - also, hey! Great that Art stayed on the curriculum, ain't it?"

I nod. "Yeah - uh, Professor, I think my friends are waiting-"

"Oh, of course!" Shulk looks embarrassed. "I have to go and paint - uh - a picture of a carrot-"

He bustles off. I laugh slightly at his antics, going back out to join the others.

"What was all that about?" Ness asks, immediately. I show him the paper.

"Oh yes, cake, a chat… and death," Villager extrapolates, looking over my shoulder. "Don't go - obviously."

Ness takes the note, screwing it up, and throwing it into the nearest bin. "Yeah, don't go."

"I won't," I say, despite the lingering temptation - just out of curiosity, wondering if I can deal with him somehow - but no. Biding time, waiting, that's what we're doing at the moment.

We slink into the games room. Claus is there; we had resolved that Claus shouldn't attend the assembly. He beams, upon seeing us.

"Right," Pit announces, as soon as we've sat down. "I've got to do something - so I'll see you all later."

"Oh yeah?" Toon Link raises a questioning eyebrow. "Going to see Paula, are you?"

Pit sighs. "No. It's none of your business - I'll be back later." He leaves.

"Weird." Toon Link sits back in an armchair. "Everyone's been acting weird, lately."

"Even Mega Man," Villager frowns. "I think he didn't approve of the whole dressing in drag and singing debacle… I tried to talk to him earlier, and he just walked off."

"Oh come on, who needs Mega Man," Toon Link huffs. "You've got me - I mean, us!"

"Still…"

"What do you think Porky's planning, then?" Toon Link asks, quickly changing the subject. "Like - long term?"

"The attack from Everdred will have been disruptive, I bet," Ness says, grimly. "But otherwise, world domination? Isn't that what all evil people want?"

"I don't think so," Villager ponders. "Hey - have you two," he nods over at Ness and I. "Read any of those books from Ryu, yet?"

"No," I say.

"You should. Get training with your powers on the school field, in case you find yourselves in danger."

"We will," Ness says, convincingly. "They're just long books, is all…"

"And also," Red cuts in. "You may discover some new abilities."

"Yeah," Villager says. "I was just thinking - maybe it's fanciful, but - because your abilities, they're sort of psychic, right? What if that includes mind-reading? We'd be able to figure out everything Porky's planning."

"Lucas and I can talk in each other's heads," Ness says, nonchalantly.

"That explains a lot - but see, it's worth finding this stuff out!"

"We'll do some reading tonight," Ness says.

But we don't. When we're up in our bedroom after curfew, it's hard to face the concept of trawling through a series of words written by some dusty historian. Ryu's instructions spring to mind - Train and practice with your powers, or you will surely die. But what's one day, really? There's far more productive things to be done - like spreading awareness that Porky is secretly evil. And cuddling with my boyfriend.

Ness snuggles up to me, wrapping blankets around us. I smile, leaning into his warmth, as he surrounds me like a giant duvet. He rubs his head against me, rather like a cat trying to claim me for himself.

"Did you lock the door?" I ask, not wanting to break the moment, but also being hyper-aware of the importance of security.

Ness blushes. "I forgot-"

"Again? What if Porky came in and stole all the things that Ryu gave us?"

"Ah, c'mon-"

Disappointed, I roll out of bed, pulling the key out of Ness's pocket - along with the psychic stone from my own, which I let rest against the Master stick and the Master Bat. I lock the door, double checking it. "There we go."

"Could you shut the curtains, too-" Ness mumbles, sleepily.

I sigh, turning to the window. The empty vase still stands there from this morning. I head over to pull the curtains to, but just as I'm about to, something catches my eye.

It looks like a figure. Frowning, I squint through the murky darkness and the night's for. They seem to be emerging from the forest, carrying a lantern of some sort, that illuminates the ground around them a soft yellow.

"Ness - have a look at this-"

Mumbling comes from the bed behind me.

"Quickly, it might be important…"

Reluctantly, Ness hauls himself out of bed, dragging the blanket with him. "What is it?"

I point. "Who's that?

"Don't know, let's go to sleep-"

But something tugs at my gut. Something's wrong, something's unusual about the figure and their lantern, coming up towards the school.

I pick up my coat, that I borrowed from Toon Link. "Let's go check."

"What?" Ness says, in disbelief. "It's just a guy - or, it could be someone dangerous. Plus, we have the curfew…"

Suddenly, the figure stops on the gravel track, looking up at the school building. They lift their lantern, illuminating small pinpricks of light in their eyes, and it becomes apparent that I've been spotted. Tenuously, I wave, and the figure lifts a hand - beckoning.

That settles it.

I sling my coat over my arms. "I think it's important. We should go, just to see what he wants."

"Why does danger attract you so much?" Ness moans. But it's without further complaint that we slip into scarves and hats, locking our door behind us.

"We'll have to make sure we're not seen," Ness hisses, indicating towards Shulk, who's pacing resolutely down our corridor.

"Hello, boys!" Shulk beams, cheerfully. "What are you up to? I'm doing my patrolling duty, you see-"

"Off to do some late-night art," I lie. "I had some inspiration that suddenly came to me…"

"Oh, of course!" Shulk nods, apparently pleased, fishing a key out of his pocket. "When inspiration strikes, it must be acted upon! Here's the key to the classroom - please give it back later-"

"Thanks," I say, and we head on out, down the stairs.

"See? Easy," I whisper to Ness, who scowls.

We creep into the main corridor without bother, taking a right so as to avoid the main hall, where no doubt some people will be. We turn left, passing Rosalina humming to herself in her office, before passing by the cafeteria, where we encounter an issue.

"Porky," Ness mutters. "Hide."

"PK invisible!" I whisper. Nothing happens. Ness looks at me as though I've gone insane.

"It was worth a try-"

Ness yanks open a broom cupboard, forcing me inside, as Porky begins to turn around. He shuts the door tight, but it makes a noise, and footsteps come closer…

Porky snarls. "I don't think there'll be any need for that." My breath hitches, but a reply comes - it seems he's talking to someone else.

"Headmaster," Professor Marth says, patiently, his voice getting louder as the pair come nearer. "It's important - if students work longer hours, it's scientifically proven to damage their -"

"I've got a meeting," Porky says, shortly. "Please, write to the Onett government to complain. Not to me - is that understood?"

"But, that's ridiculous! I can't work eleven hours straight - I simply cannot."

There's a sound of a foot scraping across the floor, and Porky's voice grows considerably louder. "I've read your record, you understand. I do know about that little secret of yours."

Marth makes no visible response, but I imagine he's paling at the words.

"I expect compliance. You will work as long as you must. I have been rightfully employed as Headmaster - I alone shall make the decisions. Otherwise, well, it would be very unfortunate if the newspapers would hear about you… and your child."

"Understood." Marth mutters. "You're the boss."

"And on that note… I have a favour I would ask of you. And you would be very wise to accept it."

"Anything," Marth says.

"Ness. Lucas. They're being… problematic. Disobedient. Report to me, everything they do."

"Lucas?" Marth says, incredulously. "The small blonde kid? And Ness - the one who always wears a striped shirt?"

"Yes," Porky says, a touch of savagery in his voice. "Ness has a pathetic little cap now, too. Report to me - everything they do."

"I-If you say so."

"And on that note…" Porky hesitates, the 'o' sound lingering on his tongue, as if he's about to say something else, but he evidently decides against it. "We are done here. Goodbye. Remember what I have said…"

"I will. Goodbye, Headmaster."

Porky's footsteps disappear off into the distance. Marth stays a while longer, muttering disconsolately to himself, before he too walks off, in the opposite direction.

Ness and I hold still a little while longer, making sure the corridor is empty, before we emerge.

We blink in the light, turning to each other, and I can tell we're thinking the same thing. About Marth's 'child'.

Toon Link.

…

"It makes sense," Ness says, as we turn the corner, into the entrance hall. "I mean - think about it. Felicity and him are around the same age, and really, it's frowned upon, isn't it? Because it would've been a teenage pregnancy?"

"Who's Felicity?"

Ness explains.

"That makes sense…" I murmur, pushing open the front door, suddenly grateful for remembering to wrap up warm. "But, Toon Link and Marth aren't anything alike. They look different. They act different."

Ness doesn't agree. "Well, Marth obviously dyes his hair. He could easily be blonde. And plus - Roy said that Marth used to be a lot more fun-loving, didn't he?"

"Who's Roy?"

"One of the guys we were captured with," Ness says. I vaguely remember a red-haired individual.

"Well, maybe it's true then." I shiver. "Now, back on track, where's the guy with the lantern gone?"

We survey the scene. The forest stands, silhouetted in the dim moonlight, ominous as ever. The school hill slopes dramatically downward - but we're not graced with any signs of lantern light.

"Perhaps you saw a ghost?" Ness suggests.

"Don't be stupid," I reply, despite beginning to worry much the same. "Ghosts aren't real."

Thankfully, I'm saved from any paranormal revelations when over in the distance, amidst the trees, I spot a yellow light peeking out from behind a trunk. Pulling my coat further around myself, I point it out, and Ness reluctantly follows me down the hill, towards its source. Who could it be? My hopes are for Headmaster Hand - perhaps, after Everdred went down the bomber's spiral, Headmaster Hand escaped capture, and decided to come here? But it seems not to be the case, as we draw nearer - indeed, the figure isn't tall, rather, they are nearer my height.

"Hello?" Ness calls out.

"Hello?" A worried voice replies. "Who's there?"

"We're on the other side of the tree-"

A man steps out. In the cold light of the lantern, his face looks pale, a ghostly grey mist surrounding him - but I realise that's just the evening fog. His eyes are sunken, as if he has travelled a long way, and he's dressed in pure black, from head to toe. There's notable marks of some sort on his left hand, holding the lantern, and he looks just a little older than us, despite his rather broad appearance, and long black hair.

"Did you beckon us down?" I ask, beginning to wonder if I had been imagining things; the man is looking at us with the utmost surprise.

He hesitates for a moment, but he breaks into a casual expression, despite evident fear behind his eyes. "Yeah - yeah, I did do that. What's - your name?"

"Ness," Ness says.

"Lucas."

The man looks at me, with an expression that I can only describe as disbelief. "Your name is Lucas?"

"Uh - yeah?"

He checks behind him, as if to make sure he's not being followed. His expression wavers, as he looks at me, as if he's not quite certain what he's seeing.

And then he opens his mouth.

"Lucas... I'm your older brother."

A/N

"TEDDY! LUCAS DOESN'T HAVE AN OLDER BROTHER :CCC YOU HAVE DESECRATED CANON! DIEEEEE!"

Well, before an influx of hate comments comes, I must say two things!

1: This fic is very, very wobbly around canon as it is...

2: Just wait and see what happens!

Anyway, sorry for a nasty cliffhanger. And for slamming a million different plot points in your face at once. And for making you read a whole timetable, too (that was a real pain to do, I tell you)

There was a lot here, in this chapter! 11k words!

Notes:

Everdred is a canon character from… sigh, Twoson, but I brought him to Onett, just because I mentioned a guy with sunglasses before I actually decided who the guy was… and then his sprite had sunglasses… it was meant to be!

Onett Power, meanwhile, I believe I mentioned them a while ago. If I ever rewrite this fic, I think it would've been wiser to bring in some canon, and have them be the equivalent to The Sharks (seriously, that would've been a lot more sensible, chapter-33 me.) However, they're about to become pretty relevant.

A lot of new characters again… Sorry. Professor Ganondorf and Professor Mewtwo, you will have noticed in the Professor list, and there's a couple more new characters in the roster of students to come…

Constable Mighty is obviously based on Captain Strong. He's not a canon character, but he may as well be - you see, the other policemen are annoyingly not named in canon.

Kraken Soup is a canon item, even the Horn is a canon item, and the Master Stick and Bat. It was nice to throw them in. The Psychic Stone is not a canon item, but it will be relevant.

Eugenics was a subject taught in Nazi Germany. Look it up for some more info, it was quite an interesting read.

...Unlike having to research the proceedings in an entire court case. Heavens above. Not Fun.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this action-packed chapter, and I hope to see you next time!

~ReadyForTeddy