(A/N: Hello, everyone. Hope 2022 is good to you so far. Anyways, glad to be back to writing for The Critical Mew. Hope you enjoy the review, please leave a comment or a review on my work, and let me know if you have a suggestion for something I can review, or if there's anything I need to improve on. With that out of the way, onto the review!)
A trio of glowing dots looked at the readers.
Critical Mew, looking for you
The glowing dots split into the Legendary Titans(excluding Regigigas). Andrew stood in the background, annoyed about being in the background.
Critical Mew, where are you?
The Critical Mew flies in, wearing a trench coat and a hat, giving the readers a wink.
Come on, Mew, where you been?
The Critical Mew took off the trench coat and used Transform, becoming a king, a dame with blonde hair, a waiter and an Elvis impersonator.
Trouble's on the loose again
A mysterious figure showed up, trying to crush Mew with a sandbag, only to narrowly miss. He looked behind him to the embodiment of stress, who proceeded to chase him to a door of things to review, which began to do the Thriller hip movements.
(Mew)
They're not gonna get you
(Critical Mew)
The Legendary Titans went in a protective circle in front of Mew, protecting him.
Uh uh, the Regi Trio's gonna help you
(Mew)
Mew was in a barrel full of toys, deciding to peek out only for the floor to break under him, causing him to grab a loose floorboard with his tail.
Ooh, the comment's gonna be there
Registeel jumped on the floorboard, launching Mew into the air. Regice and Regirock caught Mew in their arms. Regieleki and Regidrago let out a sigh of relief. Andrew was standing off to the side, pretending not to care, despite the fact he does.
And Andrew too
The Critical Mew floated past Lavender Town, only for the ghost of Marowak to appear, scaring him away.
Critical Mew, looking for you
Mew was surrounded by loads of Ghost and Dark-Type Pokemon, all about to ambush him.
Critical Mew, where are you?
Only for Andrew to fly a helicopter with a huge net, using said net to grab the Dark and Ghost-Type Pokemon. Andrew held up a sign that said, '13 Ghosts is the best Scooby-Doo series!'
Mew, Critical Mew
Mew
The stuff to be reviewed danced once again, doing the Thriller hip moves.
Critical Mew
Mew
A pair of eyes zoom out, showing Mew, Andrew and the Legendary Titans with the Tree of Beginning in the background.
Critical Mew!
The Critical Mew-Season One
Episode 13: In The Blood by Crystal Rose of Pollux
Tree of Beginning, Kanto Region-January
"Well, it's 2022. Let's hope it's not as bad as 2021." Mew said.
Suddenly, Andrew, engulfed in flames, crashed onto the floor next to Mew.
"So, how was your time with Caddicarus?" Mew asked.
"Well, turns out he was J.C. …Jesus Christ." Andrew said.
In the background, Regidrago was laughing.
"Anyways, time to review In The Blood." Mew said.
"Wait, what about Sands of Time and Space?" Andrew asked.
"Because In The Blood is stated to be an interquel for Pleasant Valley Poltergeist and Sands of Time and Space, thus making it the fourth episode. So if we talked about Sands of Time and Space first, then people would question why we didn't review In The Blood." Mew explained.
"Okay. …Wait, so we're jumping right into the review?" Andrew asked.
"Yep!" Mew said.
"No backstories to delay the review?"
"No."
"No jokes to help with the delayment?"
"No."
"Not even stalling for time?"
"No. If we do that, then we just make the review long by delaying it. Which is why we're saving the jokes for the review." Mew explained.
For a moment, Andrew sat there, silent. Then, for some reason, he put a sleep mask over his eyes. Said sleep mask has the tagline 'cat nap'. "Okay!" Andrew said.
"...Was that a sleep mask?" Mew asked.
Andrew, realizing what he put on, took off the sleep mask and tried to discreetly hide it behind his back. Key word was tried. "No," Andrew lied.
"Anyways, onto the review!" Mew said. "So we begin this with Vincent and the gang receiving a letter."
It had all started with a letter, delivered by a baffled postman who had never had to deliver a letter to Vincent's castle before in his life. Indeed, it was the first time Vincent had ever received a letter from a mortal in such a way.
The letter itself had been a call for help, claiming that there was a malicious spirit haunting a place called "Dunkel Schloss."
"What kinda language is that?" Scrappy had asked, curious.
"It's German," Vincent had answered, arching an eyebrow at the letter. "It literally translates to 'Dark Castle.'"
"Zoinks! …I don't like the sound of that," Shaggy had declared.
"Rhme neither," Scooby had agreed.
"Well, you don't have to go," Vincent had informed them. "A single wayward spirit is certainly something I could handle on my own."
"But where's the fun in that?" Daphne had asked. "I'm in."
"Me, too, Vince," Flim-Flam had promised.
"And me!" Scrappy had added.
And, of course, in spite of their reservations about the name of their destination, Shaggy and Scooby had also agreed to go.
And so, they had gone.
"Quick question: who else thinks this is a trap?" Mew asked.
"I think he said it best," Andrew said, holding up a certain meme.
Admiral Ackbar: It's a trap!
"He was smarter than Disney thought," Andrew said.
"Yeah, and they did him dirty in Episode VIII." Mew added.
Tie Fighters blew up the bridge of the commanding ship, killing a bunch of Resistance forces, including Admiral Ackbar, in the process.
"Anyways, they arrive at their destination, only for everyone, except Vincent, to pass out from something." Mew said.
"This is why Disney should've listened to Ackbar." Andrew said.
"...Don't you mean everyone? Especially Vincent and the gang?" Mew asked.
"That's what I said." Andrew said.
"...Anyways, Shaggy and Daphne wake up in an inn, where they run into…Julius Belmont? So does Scooby-Doo take place in the same universe as Kid Icarus, The Legends of Zelda and Castlevania?" Mew asked.
"Super Mario Bros.?" Andrew supplied.
"Even worse: this universe. I mean, if Scooby is a Pokémon, then he won't be the lovable coward who is brave when needed since he can beat the villains into submission." Mew said.
Andrew put a finger over Mew's lips. "Shh. I'm trying to listen to Julius Belmont. I need to see what he's thinking." Andrew said.
"Let's find Mr. V first; I bet he'll know where we are," Shaggy said. "Let's see… Scoob and I were in this room, Flim-Flam and Scrappy were in the one right next to us. You were in this room right across from them, so Mr. V must be in this one right across from Scoob and me…"
He opened the door of the room, and found himself staring awkwardly at a man who was definitely not Vincent—the man had long, auburn hair tied back into a ponytail, was wearing a long, leather coat, and looked just as confused to see Shaggy and Daphne as they were to see him.
"…Can I help you?" he asked.
"Uhhh…" Shaggy stammered. "Sorry, I was expecting someone else."
"That's quite alright," the man said. "…You must be the youngsters the innkeeper found unconscious by that old castle."
"Well, that solves the mystery of how we got here," Daphne sighed. "We're looking for another member of our party—have you seen a tall man in a tuxedo and cape anywhere around? He's got dark hair with a silver streak on each side."
"I'm sorry, I'm not sure how many of you were brought in," the man said, looking genuinely apologetic. "My fiancée helps her brother run this inn; he was the one who found you all—you had best ask him."
"We'll do that," Shaggy said, with a nod. "Thanks, Mr…"
"Belmont. Julius Belmont."
"Thanks, Mr. Belmont," Daphne echoed. "Sorry again for intruding."
He didn't seem to mind, and Shaggy and Daphne both sighed as they closed Julius's room.
"So they talked to the innkeeper, who flatout lied to their face." Mew said.
"Also, ten dollars say he's possessed by an ancestor who hates Vincent." Mew said.
"20 dollars says he isn't, and he's just a regular Scooby-Doo villain." Regirock says.
"30 dollars says he's gonna get easily redeemed and that the gang won't like it, but they're too nice to say it to Vincent," Andrew said.
"40 dollars says Daphne gains magic, and that the innkeeper and his sister don't care about their ancestor's hatred for Vincent." Registeel said.
"You're on. All of you," Regirock said.
"Right here," a man said, coming out of a room. He was burly and clean-shaven, looking at Shaggy and Daphne with some amount of concern. "You two don't look any worse for wear—thank goodness."
"So, you're the one who found us?" Daphne asked.
"Out by the castle, ja," the innkeeper said, with a nod. "Wolfgang Jäger—I own this place. Is the boy alright?"
"Well, thank you for your help, Mr. Jäger," Daphne said. "Yes, he's still asleep—so are our dogs. But I was wondering if you happened to see another member of our group out there with us."
"He's, like, really tall and has some weird fashion choices," Shaggy said.
Jäger shook his head.
"It was only the three of you—plus the two hounds," he said.
"But that can't be," Daphne said. "There had to have been someone else there with us; like Shaggy said, he's really tall—you couldn't possibly have missed him, even with all that fog."
"I thought I saw someone with you at a distance," the innkeeper recalled. "But, as I approached, whoever it was took a glass sphere from the boy's pocket and vanished into the fog. When I finally reached you, it was only you three and your hounds. I even waited to see if that other fellow would return, but he did not." He gave a sympathetic look at Daphne as he registered the shocked look on her face. "I'm sorry, Fraulein, but the warlock has abandoned you."
"But… that can't be…!" Shaggy exclaimed, also wearing a look of disbelief as Daphne was stricken speechless. "He wouldn't do that to us!"
"I went back after I brought you here in case he returned—he did not," Jäger said. "I'm about to go back again and see once more, but…" He shook his head. "The man did not look back, not even once."
Daphne buried her face in her hands, prompting Jäger to sigh.
"I shall let you know if I find anything," he promised.
Before Andrew could say anything, Mew continued. "However, Daphne proves her intelligence by not falling for the lie. Take notes, Warner Bros." Mew said with a smug expression.
"Daphne…?" Shaggy asked.
"I can't believe he'd say those lies," she hissed. "Right to our faces!"
"Daphne, wait a minute," Shaggy said. "I'm sure there's been some mistake—after everything we've been through together, Mr. V wouldn't abandon us! He must have gone for help—he had to have! You know he thinks of us as family; when you think about all the times he's stuck his neck out for us, you know there's no way he could've faked that!"
"Of course I know that!" Daphne snapped. "Vincent wasn't the one who lied; I'm talking about Jäger!"
"Wha—?"
"You just said it yourself, Shaggy—Vincent would never do a thing like that to us!" Daphne pointed out.
"Of course! But how does that mean that Jäger is lying? Maybe he just misunderstood something—"
"Do you remember what he said? 'The warlock has abandoned you.' Aside from the fact that we know that could never happen… How did Jäger know that Vincent is a warlock? Neither of us mentioned it!"
Shaggy's mouth fell open.
"Why, that…!"
"Exactly," Daphne scowled. Her anger then gave way to worry. "Vincent's in trouble, I just know it. I'm willing to bet that Jäger was the one who took the crystal from Flim-Flam, but he couldn't know that Vincent once used his crystal to call me on my phone when we were undercover in Arizona." She gave a wan smile. "…I added him to my contacts after that. So, theoretically, I should be able to contact him on his crystal with my phone…" She made the call, and both she and Shaggy waited, nervously.
"Well, I was about to use mental gymnastics to defend Jager, but Daphne tore that one apart." Andrew said.
"When the crystal ball doesn't work, they go for the next best thing, the one thing every RPG protagonist, including Pokémon Trainers, are well-known for: breaking and entering! Which happens in the third chapter." Mew said.
"Chapter 3? What's the second chapter?!" Registeel asked.
"A flashback." Andrew said.
"Explaining how Vincent got his butt handed to him. Anti-magic handcuffs and due to the very thing we have been building up as his greatest strength for the past three stories: his concern for the gang." Mew said, before realizing what he said, as his expression shifted from slightly pissed off to 'WTF?'.
Kamsaywords: Hold on, am I seeing this right? *Puts a piece of paper with glasses over his face*
"Nope, you saw that right. You and those glasses," Andrew said.
"That explains why everyone was slightly darker," Mew said, taking off the sunglasses that randomly appeared on his face.
"However, why do we have Vincent's concern for the gang as his downfall? Is this supposed to tie in with what Athena mentions in the first episode? Because it wasn't his concern for the gang that she mentioned, it's the fact that his idea of protecting them, by hurting their feelings, would be his own downfall." Mew said.
"He needs to invest in Spider-Sense." Andrew said.
"But we don't know if he will get Spider-Sense. Just ask everyone who got spider powers in that one arc of the Spider-Man comics, before they all became Man-Spiders." Mew said.
"Oh, it makes sense." Andrew said.
Suddenly, a certain, psychopathic red symbiote burst through the wall.
"Here's Carnage!" Carnage exclaimed.
"Oh crap, it's Carnage!" Andrew shouted.
Carnage laughed like a maniac as he slowly walked towards Andrew, his hand morphing into a scythe.
"NOOOOOO!" Andrew screamed in a high-pitched voice.
Three Hours Later
"And that's why he's at the Pokémon Center." Mew explained.
"I concede. I doubt I can fix those damages. Though, why didn't Carnage go after the rest of you?" Celebi asked.
"He tried, starting by eating Registeel's brain cells. Registeel had to tell him that he had none. But that was the distraction needed for me to send Carnage to a different universe. Hopefully he dies." Mew said.
Carnage gets killed due to Venom eating him.
"Hopefully," Mew repeated. "Anyways, time to deal with another problem," he said as Celebi left.
"You mean showing the damage that Andrew sustained?" Regieleki asked.
"What? No! If we do that, then we have to change the ratings of these reviews from 'T' to 'M', and I'm not some sadist who is willing to torment people to do that. Plus, we literally put censor bars around him to prevent that." Mew said.
"But my lord, how will the people know how badly damaged he is, then?" Regidrago asked.
"Imagine Vilgax from 'Ben 10,000', except bloodier and gorier. Andrew's injuries are worse than that. And I hope no one tries to make fan art about that, because everyone would be grossed out by it." Mew said.
"What about the mess?" Regirock said, pointing at the blood left behind from the attack.
"Hmm. Oh, I know!" Mew said, before floating to a window and opening it.
"Kyogre." Mew said telepathically.
In Hoenn
"Ahh!" Kyogre exclaimed as he woke up from his sleep.
"Hey, can you send some water to clean up some blood?" Mew asked telepathically.
"Um…." Kyogre was about to point out the flaws in that plan.
"Not the usual tsunami. I meant the amount shot out of a hose." Mew clarified.
"Oh. Okay." Kyogre said, slapping the water…as lightly as he can. A smaller massive wave resulted from it, heading towards Kanto at a rapid pace.
Tree of Beginning
"I know the drill," Mew said, pulling out an umbrella. The wave soon crashed down on the upper portion of the Tree of Beginning, sweeping the Legendary Titans off their feets. On the plus side, the blood was washed off.
"So, the review?" Regice asked, flat on his back.
"Oh yeah. So we begin the third chapter with Daphne breaking and entering Jägar's room, which I realize was a really dumb idea for a cliffhanger. I mean, wouldn't it be better if Chapter 1 ended with Daphne seeing something in the room that caused her to pale, and then the next chapter opens with that.
"Anyways, she soon makes the connection that Jägar is, indeed, the one responsible for Vincent's disappearance, just in time for Jägar's sister, Lillie, to enter the room, thinking Daphne is trying to be a thief." Mew said.
Daphne suddenly let out a cry as someone pulled on her hair.
"Thief! Thief!" a woman shrieked at her. "Ungrateful wretch! What are you doing in my brother's room—after he saved your life!?"
Daphne backed up, as though trying to increase the slack on her hair, but as soon as she was close enough, she elbowed her assailant in the stomach. The moment her hair was released, Daphne whirled around to face a woman who also resembled the portrait of the Inquisitor—Jäger's sister, no doubt.
"These don't belong to your brother!" Daphne accused, holding up some of Vincent's things. The woman's eyes widened as she saw the amulets and emeralds. "These belong to the missing member of our party—a warlock! Your brother did this—trying to finish what your ancestor started!" She held the book with Vincent's sketch in front of the woman and pointed to him. "Where is he!? Where is Vincent Van Ghoul!?"
Shaggy and Scooby now burst into the room with Scrappy and Flim-Flam, all of them staring at how furious Daphne was.
The woman looked horrified now.
"Oh, Himmel! Julius!" she cried. "JULIUS!"
Julius Belmont now burst into the room; Scooby put himself between Julius and Scrappy and Flim-Flam, growling at Julius, but Julius didn't seem to pay much attention, looking instead at the woman.
"Julius, it's true—it's all true!" she cried.
Julius's eyes widened, and he looked to Daphne and the book.
"So while Scooby takes Scrappy and Flim-Flam to another room, Shaggy and Daphne demand an explanation about the entire situation from Lillie and Julius." Mew said.
"Talk," Daphne ordered Julius and the woman, once they were out of the room. "What did you do to Vincent!?"
"Please, do not blame Lillie for her brother's actions," Julius said. "She contacted me after finding out about her brother's recent obsession with this warlock, Vincent Van Ghoul. I came here under the guise of her fiancé to see if I could get Wolfgang's mind off of it, but it appears he had already set his machinations into motion."
"My brother and I are descended from High Inquisitor Jäger, as you suspected," Lillie admitted. "Growing up, we had heard stories about his role in the witch hunts of old. The most famous story was of how our ancestor captured the most powerful warlock in existence, Vincent Van Ghoul, descendant of Asamad Van Ghoul, who became Demon King Asmodeus."
"Vincent was—and is—innocent," Daphne hissed.
"He never hurt any mortal!" Shaggy agreed. "Just because Asmodeus was a creep, it doesn't mean Vincent is!"
"According to the story, he did indeed claim that he meant no harm as his defense," Lillie agreed. "My ancestor insisted it was a trick—claimed that the warlock was too dangerous to remain alive. The sentiment among the rest of the hunters was unanimous, and my ancestor sentenced the warlock to burn at the stake. But, in the middle of his execution, the warlock was set free by a woman who claimed that the warlock had saved the life of her young child. The warlock fled for his life—and made it because of the woman who freed him and another man covering his retreat. My ancestor was shamed for losing his greatest prize in such a manner—and the man who covered the warlock's retreat escaped, as well, into Wallachia and Transylvania, where none dared to follow, and arranged for the woman's escape."
"The man who covered Vincent Van Ghoul's retreat was my ancestor—Simon Belmont, renown vampire hunter," Julius added. "When Lillie found out about her brother's newfound obsession with Vincent Van Ghoul, I, the Belmont heir, was the logical one to contact."
"I believe that the warlock was innocent, as he claimed," Lillie promised. "But my brother did not—he wanted to restore the family honor by completing what our ancestor could not. Somehow, he had found out where the warlock resided and sought to draw him here—and here you are."
Daphne and Shaggy exchanged glances.
"The letter!" they exclaimed in unison.
"No. You mean a letter from a mortal, the very first that Vincent ever got, was a trap? Who would've thought? Seriously, Daphne and Shaggy, I thought by this point you two would be a bit cautious. Especially since you guys are keeping Vincent's status as a warlock as a secret." Mew said.
"Well, that explains a lot," Shaggy sighed.
"But it doesn't explain how Jäger knew where Vincent was," Daphne frowned.
"I don't know exactly how he found out," Lillie said. "I thought I heard him mention that he read it somewhere—I'm not sure. But my brother had spent the last few weeks in the forest, near Dunkel Schloss—today, he came back with you, all asleep. I didn't know you had been traveling with the warlock; he claimed he had found you all on the ground, unconscious. And that is the truth. Just as you claim that Vincent Van Ghoul does not reflect who his ancestor was, so is the case with me and mine. I never wanted any of this to happen."
"Look, Vincent means a lot to us," Shaggy said, holding up the novelty mug that they had gotten for him; it had #1 Dad printed upon it—a gift that had been partly in jest, as their last adventure had them posing as a family in a gated community near Tucson, but also mostly sincere. "We can't take any chances when it comes to making sure we find him—especially when we don't have much time."
"That's right—you could have just made up that whole story," Daphne agreed. "So how do we know that we can trust you?"
"For starters, what do they have to gain from lying to you? Second, you saw how shocked and horrified Lillie was when you showed her Vincent's stuff, confirming that she has no idea. Three, she just told you that she doesn't want the same thing as her ancestor, and Lillie and Julius told you how Vincent escaped from the burning stakes. And fourth, what do they have to gain from lying to you?!" Mew asked.
"This is how," Julius said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a medallion. "I inherited this, along with my whip, from my ancestor, Simon—and you will see why he rose so quickly to the defense of this warlock."
Shaggy and Daphne stared, speechless—for on the medallion was the Crest of Athena.
"And yet, Daphne and Shaggy still don't believe them, despite the Crest of Athena, since they don't know whether or not Julius always has it or he stole it from Vincent's stuff." Mew said. "Sure, don't trust the people who are not trying to kill you, that's fine." Mew said.
"Anyways, to see if their story is true or not, Daphne decides to ask Vincent, via the crystal ball, to show her what happened all of those years ago. Somehow, it works, despite the fact they tried to contact him in the first chapter and it didn't work, which is why Chapter 3 was a thing!" Mew exclaimed.
An image appeared in the crystal, and Daphne closed her eyes as she placed her hand on the crystal. Concentrating, the image appeared in her mind's eye, and she gasped as she found herself staring at the back side of a large tree—thick cords of rope ran around the back of it. And though she couldn't see the front of the tree through the trunk, she could hear the crackle of flames and the angered voices of a crowd—and then, a panicked cry that absolutely broke her heart to hear. Even if this was a memory that she would likely have no effect on, she couldn't stand by and do nothing!
As she ran towards the tree, a nail file in hand, someone else had run right through her—a woman. In the dim firelight from the front of the tree, Daphne could see that she was wearing a Scottish tartan dress—and was carrying a knife.
Daphne had watched her cutting the ropes for a moment before doing a double-take at the tartan the woman was wearing—the Blake family tartan.
The woman was her ancestor—from at least a dozen generations ago.
"...What?" Mew asked flatly. "So, is this the reason for Daphne and Vincent's relationship getting the spotlight? Because Daphne's ancestor saved Vincent from the stakes, after Vincent saved her son. Let me guess, Daphne owes him a debt for that, when it had already been repaid when her ancestor saved Vincent? I don't know what to say right now." Mew said.
There wasn't even time to process this information (and, given everything that had happened with everyone else's ancestors seemingly having a role in this, perhaps she shouldn't have been so surprised); once the ropes had been cut, the woman backed away, watching—as though hoping she hadn't been too late. As the ropes fell around the tree, there were frantic and angered shouts from the crowd, and Daphne now watched as Vincent ran out from behind the tree, following the lady with the Blake tartan, who motioned for him to follow her—and soon, the mob was following them. Vincent had been dressed in a dark suit befitting the 17th century—it was currently smoldering, and as Vincent covered his face with one hand, as he ran, he desperately used his free hand to discard the outer frock coat, which was still on fire.
"We cannae outrun them!" the lady exclaimed, trying to pull Vincent along. She let out a startled cry as Vincent crashed to his knees. "Oh!"
She knelt beside the collapsed warlock, trying to get him back to his feet as the crowd approached—and then a third figure emerged from a nearby thicket, carrying the same whip that Daphne had seen Julius carry. This had to be Simon Belmont.
"This way," he instructed.
"I cannae move him!" the woman fretted.
Simon picked up Vincent with relative ease; he was a few inches shorter than Vincent, but he was burlier. Taking him back through the thicket, the woman in the Blake tartan also followed them—but none of them seemed to notice that Vincent's cravat had caught on one of the bush branches; the cravat hung there like a flag, showing what direction they had gone. Daphne tried to remove the cravat herself, but her hand phased through it, just as her ancestor had phased through her earlier.
Sighing, she followed them, knowing that the witch hunters would see the cravat and follow, too. She arrived at a clearing, where Simon and her ancestor had laid Vincent back down; her ancestor was using a strip of cloth she had torn from the tartan to apply a mix of herbs in water that Simon had given her. Vincent, barely conscious, cringed as she applied it to the burn on the side of his face.
"Aye, the kingsfoil will sting, but it's what ye need," she said.
"He needs to regain enough awareness to teleport to safety," Simon insisted, with a sigh.
"Poor man," she said. "Savior o' my bloodline, and I donnae ken his name."
"They soon get cornered by the High Inquisitor, who does not wield a lightsaber." Mew said.
"WHY?!" Registeel exclaimed in the background.
"Anyways, he tries to get Simon to allow him to punish Vincent and Daphne's ancestor, but Simon isn't having any of it." Mew said.
"Stand aside, Belmont," the High Inquisitor ordered, speaking in English for the Scotswoman's benefit. "That thing is a danger to us all and must be destroyed. And that woman must be punished for her treachery—unless she was bewitched by the warlock."
"He saved my only bairn!" the woman shot back. "None of ye lifted a finger to help him out of the water, but the warlock did!"
"It sounds to me that you tried to execute a hero, not a servant of evil," Simon frowned.
"It was just a trick to make us believe such a thing—and you're falling for it!" the High Inquisitor retorted. "A vampire hunter such as yourself should know the tricks of the dark ones! This one is the most powerful warlock in existence—descendant of Demon King Asmodeus; such a danger cannot be allowed to roam this world!"
"What difference is there between this warlock and myself?" Simon queried. "I have sorcery in my ancestry—I use my mana as he does, to fight back against those monsters and demons that do threaten the world. He has even aided me in the past. And yet, you praise me as a hero and vilify him and his fellow mages—how do you explain this hypocrisy?"
"Surely you know the answer to that," the High Inquisitor replied, staring pointedly at the Cross around Simon's neck. "You do not worship a heathen goddess as the warlock does; your loyalty is not in question."
Simon's scowl deepened.
"And you make a mockery of His words," he declared. "Grand Cross!"
A barrier of lights in the shape of Crosses emerged from the Cross around Simon's neck blocking their way; the witch hunters found them impassable, much to their shock.
And Vincent suddenly sat up with a cry, once again covering his face with his hand. Through the gaps between his fingers, he glanced from the Scotswoman to Simon, who motioned for him to go.
"…Teleport…" he managed to say.
And with that, he vanished—to begin a lonely, three-hundred-year-long exile alone in his castle.
"And Vincent never thought to give his gratitude to the ones who saved him? Even after the whole 'almost getting burned' thing, I'm sure Vincent would've at least told them 'thank you', or something like that before he left. I mean, if Daphne's ancestor has time to motion for him to leave, surely he could've said thanks before leaving.
"Anyways, Daphne confirms to Shaggy that they can trust Julius and Lillie, and they decide to head to the Dark Castle, bringing along Scooby, Scrappy and Flim-Flam.
"Meanwhile, Vincent wakes up to find out he's captured and, of course, starts to be worried for the gang," Mew said.
His heart suddenly froze in his chest as it fully registered that he was completely alone.
The kids… Oh, Goddess above—where are the kids!?
Frantically, he called for them, but received no response, and the possibility of horrific scenarios as to their fates crossed his mind—that they, too, were imprisoned for having been found guilty by association, or were undergoing some sort of horrific process in order to snap them out of the supposed "enchantment" that he'd cast on them…
Those possibilities hurt far more than the spiked shackles around his wrists.
"Vincent, are you forgetting that the gang handled themselves quite well before you decided to help them out? Heck, Shaggy, Daphne, Scooby and Scrappy have been doing stuff like this for years. Don't count them out just yet.
"Plus, I know this sounds rude, but this isn't the time to be concerned for them right now! Focus on how you are going to survive. After all, if you're going to be concerned for the gang's protection, how can you do that if you're not trying to figure out a way out of this mess? Or worse, if you're dead! I mean, it's like you said yourself," Mew said.
More than that, what would become of his little patchwork family if he was gone? He'd already asked Voudini to look after them if something happened to him, but… He wanted to be there for them himself—he wanted to be a part of their lives and to see them become the best they could be…
…And, indeed, how would this affect them if he didn't survive?
"I know this came from the end of the chapter, but come on, Vincent. You can do it!" Mew said. "...No? Okay, fine.
"Oh, and Jägar seems to be talking to himself. But we know it's his possessed ancestor," Mew whispered.
"I doubt schizophrenia is evidence for possession." Regirock said.
"Then explain this," Mew said.
Despondently, he sighed in resignation as he closed his eyes again, accepting his fate. But as time went on and nothing seemed to happen, Vincent opened his eyes to see his assailant right in front of him with the torch in hand, but seemingly struggling with actually using it on him.
…Perhaps his captor had a shred of conscience after all?
His assailant suddenly turned away.
"What are you waiting for, you fool!?" he seemingly muttered to himself. "This is the opportunity to finish this!" The man then sighed. "But… I need proof first." He scowled. "Proof? There's no doubt he's a warlock who descended from the Demon King—that's proof enough!" He sighed again. "But has he really bewitched those youngsters? If it's true that he has, then I will agree that he must be stopped at all costs—"
With a snarl of fury, he suddenly threw the torch to the ground. Vincent, who had been watching the entire thing, didn't dare to say a word—just as well, for his captor now glared at him, saw him staring at him, and immediately walked over to him just to backhand him across the face. Vincent flinched, but, otherwise, didn't react.
"I will return with proof that you have bewitched them," the assailant insisted. His expression darkened. "And then, you will suffer for all you have done."
"Classic Scooby-Doo villain cliches." Regirock said.
"Anyways, while waiting for Jägar to return, it turns out that Vincent somehow is able to hear Daphne through the crystal ball, and he was the one who showed her the memory of what happened, while being surprised about Julius being there. However, one thing struck something, and not in a good way." Mew said.
"Besides the fact that Vincent is A-OK with showing his worst night ever just so Daphne could trust Julius and Lillie. Does Vincent, despite being acquaintances with Simon, really not have great memories with the Belmonts unless it's the part where he almost died?" Mew asked.
He had only been mildly surprised to find out about Julius Belmont aiding them; he had, after all, been a casual acquaintance to most of the Belmont line—and to Simon in particular, given that he had won Athena's favor. If anything, Simon Belmont had been one of his first apprentices, though he'd quickly perfected his use of his powers on his own. And, of course, Simon had paid him back in full that night.
And if Julius was looking after the others now, then he owed Julius far more than he owed Simon.
"First of all, how does he know Julius Belmont? And second, he owes Julius more than he owes Simon? Sure, owe a debt to someone who is watching over the gang instead of someone who helped save your life! How does that logic work, and why would Vincent ever go with that logic?
"That's like saying someone related to Mortifier watches over the gang? Does that mean Vincent will be more happy about that person than he was of Mortifer's company and his sacrifice?" Mew ranted, before slapping himself.
"No, that's the worst idea ever, and I'm sorry for ever suggesting that it would be a possibility, or even daring to suggest that Crystal Rose of Pollux will ever do that. That was going too far, even for me. No matter what, Vincent will never think of Mortifier any less. What was I thinking?
"Anyways, Jägar comes back with the truth serum, planning for Vincent to reveal the truth via injecting it into him. Before Vincent blacks out from the serum, which I'm surprised that truth serums have the power to knock out people, Vincent tells the gang to stay strong." Mew said, before groaning.
"Well, time for a commercial break. See you all after it," Mew said, leaving for a few.
"Commercials!" Registeel said, turning on the commercials.
(Cue instrumental version of theme song)
(This review has been brought to you by the Belmont family)
To commemorate the accomplishments of the Belmonts, who saved everyone from the forces of darkness, we have built a museum in their honor.
You can find it at-
*The scene suddenly turned black, before showing the final battle between Dracula and Alucard*
…What just happened?
*The screen turns black, ending the commercial*
(Cue instrumental version of theme song)
"...These commercials have been getting weirder with each review. Which is why we're going back to commercials being from this universe." Mew said.
"I shalt agree with thou," Regidrago said.
"Also, Andrew is still recovering. Which means Registeel will be taking over for his position." Mew said.
"I am a man!" exclaimed Registeel.
"Yes. Yes, you are." Mew said. "So, what powers is Julius going to use to save Vincent?" Mew asked.
"Mages used this secret entrance to free their brethren all those years ago," he said. "The seal was to ensure that only those with mana or magical items could use it—in this case, a spell must be cast that will set the circle of torches aflame in one go."
"So, what are we waiting for!?" Flim-Flam quipped, his usual snarky tone gone on account of his worry for Vincent. Daphne and Shaggy hadn't told him or Scrappy much; they did admit that Jäger had captured Vincent, but hadn't divulged why—but they didn't need a reason when their priority was finding him.
"Unfortunately, I don't know a fire spell," Julius said. He began to dig in the ground, uncovering a strongbox. "I was hoping that one of you may have learned one from Vincent Van Ghoul."
"But we don't have any mana," Shaggy reminded him.
"And that's why I'm borrowing this," Julius said, opening the strongbox to reveal an odd staff. "There won't be much mana left in this old thing, but there should be enough to cast a fire spell. It belonged to the witch my ancestor, Trevor Belmont, married."
"Okay, I did my research, so I'm not upset about Julius needing something to use fire magic. Hopefully, though, someone makes a smart decision and lets the expert handle this." Mew said.
"So that's how you knew it was here!" Scrappy realized.
"Rhere's only enough mana left for one spell?" Scooby asked.
"That's correct—so whoever is going to cast it had better make it count," Julius said.
"Oh boy…" Shaggy gulped. "Talk about pressure…"
"I'll do it," Daphne said, stepping forward and taking the staff.
"You sure?" Shaggy asked, softly.
"I have to," she replied, quietly.
He nodded in response and watched as she stood inside the circle of torches. She paused for a moment, and then took Vincent's emerald brooch from the satchel she'd been carrying with all of his things in it. She pinned the brooch to her blouse, wondering if it would be able to augment her spell as it did for his.
"Or let someone who has no magic, who clearly isn't experienced in something like this, and possibly will accidentally blow everything up. That works too." Mew grumbled.
"Seriously, Julius?! You're smarter than this! Surely you should've seen the problems with everything! Especially since instead of going for a basic spell, Daphne goes for a Level 2 spell, something that realistically, she shouldn't be able to do." Mew said.
She concentrated for a moment as she raised the staff, recalling the spell he'd used, until, finally, she remembered—
"Fira!"
A fireball shot out of the staff and split apart, each one striking one of the torches, setting them all alight simultaneously. The seal above the secret door glowed, and the door itself rose to allow them entry into the castle.
"Rhwow, Rhaphne!" Scooby exclaimed, awed. "Mr. Van Ghoul would've been so proud if he'd seen rhat!"
"Thank you," she said, a little shyly, handing the staff back to Julius.
"If the innkeeper can get in without breaking the seal through magic, then Daphne could've opened the door." Registeel said.
"Yeah, ex-Wait, what?" Mew asked.
"Heck, everyone could've called Heatblast or Swampfire to break the seal." Registeel continued.
"Wait, what did you say about the innkeeper?" Mew asked.
"Oh, the fact that the innkeeper got into the castle without using magic on that seal. So, obviously they could've just done the same." Registeel said.
"...It finally happened. This job is making me lose my mind. But wait, let's not stop the insanity train. Let me guess, Ben Tennyson shows up out of nowhere and gives Daphne the Omnitrix? It's out of character for him, but hey, everyone's out of character.
"I mean, it's not Julius or the gang who should've noticed that obvious plot hole. And heck, the only time Ben gave his Omnitrix to someone else, it's a version of him that didn't have the Omnitrix, so that he can fix everything that was destroyed by Vilgax due to every other Ben getting destroyed by a bomb that erases any Bens out of their native universe!" Mew ranted.
"I mean, it's not like this could get worse." Mew said.
"But I don't get why he'd take Mr. Van Ghoul in the first place," Scrappy said, genuinely confused.
"It's obvious, isn't it?" Flim-Flam asked, causing Daphne and Shaggy to stare at him in nervousness, worried that he'd figured it out. "If you've got a warlock locked up, that's basically the same as a genie in a bottle. Only I don't think he's planning to let Vince go after three wishes."
"That's not…" Lillie began, but she trailed off at the warning look on Daphne's face.
"Let's just focus on finding him first," she said, now taking Vincent's tuxedo jacket out of the satchel she was carrying.
"...Why would Flim-Flam think that? He's too smart to believe something like that! He's a con-artist for Arceus' sake, surely he would've known it's more serious than a genie in a bottle! Why make Flim-Flam this naive?!" Mew ranted.
"Calm the fuck down, Mew!" Registeel exclaimed, slapping Mew.
"Thanks, I needed that!" Mew admitted.
Registeel slapped Mew a second time.
"I needed that, too!" Mew said.
Registeel headbutted Mew in the face.
"You're pushing your luck, dude!" Mew exclaimed, pissed off.
"At least you're calm now." Registeel bluntly said.
"Yeah, I'll admit that. Anyways, the gang enters the castle and finds the wall. However, instead of doing the smart thing of sticking together, Daphne wants to go in first." Mew said.
"Alright! Let's get Vince outta there!" Flim-Flam exclaimed.
"Wait!" Daphne ordered. "I need all of you to stay back—I'm going in alone!" She sighed as Flim-Flam and Scrappy protested. "Please! There are several reasons why I don't want anyone else in there, and one of those reasons is that this could be a trap!"
"Daphne, shouldn't I also—?" Shaggy began.
"I need you and Scooby to help keep an eye on things here," she said. "If I'm not back in twenty minutes, you can come in after me—but only you."
"Or maybe he should come with you. Heck, have Julius come with you, if you need backup. But I think, Daphne, by this point, you should've already learned what happens when you decide to take on something on your own without help, something you were mad at Vincent for doing in the first episode of this season!" Mew exclaimed.
"Then again, Daphne has become a girl boss!" Registeel said.
"For this season, yes." Mew said.
"…Flim's right, isn't he?" Scrappy realized. "You think something's happened to Mr. Van Ghoul, and you don't want us to see."
"Vince wouldn't go along with the three wishes thing," Flim-Flam realized. "That'd make this creep plenty mad."
"Look, I don't know what's happened—but I need to find out," Daphne insisted. "Now stand back!"
"First of all, Scrappy and Flim-Flam are smart for their ages, to the point where they do know what's going on. So having them believe that someone would kidnap Vincent for wishes, when they have seen and dealt with beings who want to get rid of Vincent, just makes it a slap in the face to their intelligence levels.
"Anyways, Daphne soon finds Vincent, only to be grabbed by Jägar, who tries to convince her that she's enchanted." Mew said.
"So, it is true he has bewitched you!"
"Jäger!? No, it isn't true!" Daphne shrieked. "I came here to save him because you're hurting him! What have you done!?"
"Not enough," Jäger snarled. "He would not confess to bewitching you and the others—not even under truth serum. His powers run deep."
"He didn't do anything to us—or anyone!" Daphne shot back. "I know what this is about, Jäger—your ancestor was the High Inquisitor, and you're sore that he got away three hundred years ago!" She struggled to break free from his grip, but couldn't. "Kidnapping is a crime, you know—you're holding him and me against our wills!"
"I am the High Inquisitor!" Jäger retorted.
"That position doesn't even exist anymore—witch hunting is illegal now!" she snapped. "Let Vincent go—now!"
"He can never leave here," Jäger said. "I was going to merely lock him in this cell for the rest of his life, but I see that his enchantment on you is too strong—under his influence, you will stop at nothing to free him. Once he is gone, you'll be freed from his control."
"Yeah, because anyone who wants to save a friend from being tortured by a random stranger is surely under a spell. Not to mention he just proves he's possessed," Mew said in a deadpan expression.
"How so?" Regirock asked.
"By this bit of dialogue," Mew said.
"I am the High Inquisitor!" Jäger retorted.
"Clearly he thinks he's entitled to power. Not even a reference to possession," Regirock said.
"Okay, but don't get mad when you're wrong." Mew said.
"Anyways, before Jägar could do something horrible to Daphne, Vincent kicks him. Why didn't Vincent do that before?" Mew asked.
"Because Daphne wasn't being threatened at the time!" Registeel said.
"Oh yeah. That. And so, Jägar decides to crush Vincent and Daphne to death, only for Vincent to teleport them out. Shouldn't his magic take some time to recharge, even with the whole 'love of family surpasses all' aspect we're following?" Mew asked.
"You just point it out. Love of family breaks all kinds of logic." Registeel said.
"Touche." Mew conceded. "Anyways, Daphne and Vincent reunite with everyone outside the secret room. While Vincent uses the first-aid kid, he and Daphne soon get into a misunderstanding, with Vincent thinking that Daphne is talking about the article, and Daphne thinks Vincent's talking about her ancestor." Mew said.
"Daphne, please—"
"It's not because of you—how could it be? I definitely know you didn't ask for any of this to happen," she assured him. "But, it still happened. And it's just… really, really awkward for me… I was still trying to grasp all of this when I found you—like you said, we quickly had other things to worry about, but now that the adrenaline's gone, I can't really help but think about it."
"Of course I didn't want any of this to happen, but neither did you—I'm certain of that, too!" Vincent returned. "Daphne, please, for the love of the Goddess, promise me you won't blame yourself for this!"
Daphne blinked, and now, she looked up at him.
"…Why would I blame myself for this?" she asked. "Of course I didn't ask for any of this to happen!"
"Yes!" Vincent insisted, sighing in relief. "I've been so worried that you'd think this whole thing was your fault…!"
"Of course I wouldn't think that!" she said, slightly confused. "I mean, how could it possibly be my fault?"
"Exactly!"
"I wasn't even born then!"
"Yes—what?" Vincent asked, thrown for a loop.
"I mean, it's not my fault the Blakes have always been danger-prone," she sighed. "If anything, I got it from them."
"…What…?" the warlock asked again, prompting Daphne to look at him with an unreadable expression.
They both looked equally confused now.
"Everyone soon gets an answer about what Daphne meant, though." Mew said.
"You remember that kid you saved—three hundred years ago?" she asked.
"Of course," Vincent sighed. "The events of that entire night are etched in my memory; I showed you part of it—not my rescuing the child, however. Any decent person would have done that; I didn't really think it was that significant."
"Oh, it's significant, alright," Daphne said. "No one else helped that kid except for you—he would've drowned if you hadn't saved him."
"That's typical," Flim-Flam sighed. "Always downplaying yourself, huh, Vince?"
"Well…" Vincent mused. "I suppose it's nice to know I made a difference, even if I don't see the need in praising me for it. But I fail to see what that has to do with Daphne."
"It has everything to do with me," Daphne assured him. "I saw the tartan that the kid's mother was wearing—it's the Blake family tartan. My 12th-great grandmother left Inverness in 1691 after her husband died from an illness, and she took her only child with her. They traveled around mainland Europe for some time before suddenly deciding to go to the American colonies. Now I know why they suddenly left."
Julius muttered something in Romanian as the realization sunk in; Simon must have arranged for the Blakes' passage across the Atlantic, knowing that they'd be persecuted by the High Inquisitor for setting Vincent free if they'd stayed in Europe. He'd had no idea Daphne was descended from the woman Simon had talked about—and from the look on Vincent's face, neither had he.
"Are you trying to tell me that if I hadn't stopped to save that child that night…?" Vincent began.
"…Then I wouldn't be here to discuss it with you," Daphne finished.
There was a long silence; the others were staring in awe.
"…Rhwow…" Scooby said, at last.
"Like, you said it, Scoob," Shaggy agreed. Daphne had been a large part of his life since childhood, just as much as Fred and Velma had, and even after the gang had parted ways, Shaggy had found his way back to her; he couldn't imagine how his life would've been without her—nor did he want to know.
Daphne now finished bandaging Vincent's wrists, still looking embarrassed about the whole ordeal.
"You went through a lot that night—and tonight, too, because of that night," she said, still not elaborating on account of Flim-Flam and Scrappy. "And even if I'm not directly responsible for it, I'm still a living reminder of it."
"You most certainly are not," Vincent insisted. "If anything, you are a reminder of how one act of kindness can beget the same in return—and, in this case, far more than I initially invested in it." He glanced at the others now. "All of you. The events of that night led me to set up residence in Tibet, where I would meet Flim-Flam. And then you, Daphne, descendant of the unlucky child in the water, would lead the rest of you to me."
"So you really think it was worth… everything?" she asked.
"Absolutely," he replied, without hesitation.
In spite of herself, she managed a smile, which then faded as she recalled something—
"At least that was heartwarming. However, before anyone could get answers on what Vincent was talking about, Jägar arrives to try and finish the job. Only for Vincent to drop this bombshell." Mew said with a smirk.
"Some of the passageways here are interconnected," Julius pointed out. "He probably escaped through a branch tunnel."
"Great—he could be anywhere by now!" Daphne groaned.
"Or I could be here!" Jäger suddenly exclaimed, emerging from the entrance they had first used to enter the room from the outside secret entrance. He glared at all of them, seething with rage—and the main sources of his ire were Vincent and Daphne.
"Wolfgang!" Lillie shrieked, as Daphne and the others now all put themselves between Vincent and Jäger. Julius, in turn, put himself in front of them, brandishing his whip. "Wolfgang, stop this madness at once! Can't you see that the warlock means no harm!?"
"He has cast his spell over you, too? And the Belmont, as well? I can't say I'm surprised," Jäger scowled. He then turned to Daphne with a furious glare. "And you… like your wretched, bewitched forebear before you, you have cost me my prize!"
"That's right—I did it, I'm glad, and I'd do it again!" Daphne shot back. "And for the last time, I'm not bewitched!"
"You are completely blinded by the warlock—!" Jäger began, but he was cut off by his furious sister.
"I told you to stop this!" Lillie said, moving forward with her hand raised—as though she was ready to slap some sense into him.
"No!" Vincent exclaimed, getting to his feet as he held a cautioning hand out at Lillie. "Stay away from him—don't go any closer!"
"I need to bring him to his senses!" Lillie insisted. "He's not acting like himself!"
"Yes, and for good reason," Vincent scowled. "He's possessed!"
"So now it seems like you owe me, Registeel and Andrew $20 each, Regirock," Mew said.
"B-B-But, which one of you three won, though?" Regirock stammered, trying to get out of his end of the bet.
"Easy. All three of us, since we betted on the right stuff. So, pay up." Mew said.
"Fine. I'll have to go to the ATM first," Regirock grumbled as he walked off to Pewter City to use the ATM.
"Anyways, this chapter begins with Vincent pointing out the evidence." Mew said.
"I am now," Vincent insisted. "I began to suspect it after I heard him having a most bizarre conversation with himself—it sounded as though he was arguing with himself over what to do with me. And then it was something he let slip when Daphne confronted him—and again, just now. 'You have cost me my prize.' …That would suggest that this was not our first encounter. And it wasn't—it all happened before, on that night, three hundred years ago."
"That's right," the spirit said, speaking through his descendant. "You have no concept of the shame and ridicule I faced after these two vile family lines released you!"
"After what you were going to do to him, I really don't care that your feelings were hurt!" Daphne snapped. "I'm sure my ancestors would agree!"
"And that was the news coverage by Daphne O'Neil." Mew said.
"Funny. I thought she was talking about ." Registeel said.
"Anyways, Flim-Flam and Scrappy finally realize the whole genie thing isn't the reason why Vincent was taken, and joins the gang in calling out the High Inquisitor" Mew said.
"…You really aren't bewitched, are you?" the High Inquisitor finally realized. "You—and your forebears before you—really fail to see the necessity of making sure that monster is incapable of hurting any mortal!"
"…Monster? Vince, a monster!?" Flim-Flam asked, gobsmacked. "So, this was never about asking for wishes, huh? I get it now!"
"Yeah, you're just like that anti-dragon lady!" Scrappy growled. "Only you're anti-warlock!"
"Rheah!" Scooby barked. "Mr. Van Ghoul is our friend!"
"And he's always looked out for us since we met him," Shaggy added.
"Just as we look out for him—why else would we be here?" Daphne returned. "Face it—your way of thinking doesn't fly anymore! …It never should have!"
"You know nothing!" the Inquisitor returned. "You take what you see and hear at face value. All this talk about ancestry—are you aware what that thing descended from!?"
"They know what Vincent is descended from, but what about you, High Inquisitor? Are you secretly descended from a demon or a warlock? Are you so ashamed of that fact that you will kill anyone magical for being born?" Mew asked. "Anyways, they force the High Inquisitor out of Jägar's body, and the High Inquisitor tries to bury everyone in the rubble. However, everyone manages to escape via a special magnifying glass Vincent had, which allows them to find a way out.
"However, when they encountered the nozzles for the knockout gas, Jägar disabled it, while revealing how this happened." Mew said.
"…That wasn't something the High Inquisitor would know about," Daphne frowned. "Just how involved in this were you!?"
"I didn't mean for it to go this far," Jäger insisted. "Lillie and I heard the story when we were growing up—of course, it was spun and told to us that our ancestor was doing a proud and vital task, and that the warlock was the true villain who got away that night. There was no mention of him rescuing a child—not in the version we heard. It was all about the wicked warlock and the two traitors who freed him. Of course, at first, neither of us even believed the story."
"Wait, you never meant for things-That means you were A-OK with kidnapping and harming someone all because your ancestor said so, without getting the full story. What is wrong with you, Jägar?!"
"I'd even forgotten about it as I grew older—I just assumed Wolfgang had, as well," Lillie sighed.
"In my youth, I used to come here, near the castle," Jäger continued. "It was more or less my responsibility to make sure that no one trespassed in there—you saw how unstable it was. It was right around Halloween one night that I saw… him."
"Rhe Inquisitor?" Scooby asked.
"Ja. He recognized that I was his descendant, and he proceeded to rant to me about how he had been wronged three hundred years ago. He may have been a ghost, but he was family, and… I believed him. I sympathized with him. But I never imagined that the warlock was still out there."
"How did you find out?" Daphne demanded.
"No…!" Vincent began, but Jäger hadn't heard his weak voice. Shaggy and Julius, who were still holding him up, had, and looked confused.
"We had a guest at the inn a few months ago—an American lady who worked for a big newspaper as an advice columnist. She left a copy of the paper behind, and I found it when I was cleaning her room; I was going to discard it when the Inquisitor's spirit recognized the warlock's name—"
"Stop him…!" Vincent ordered Shaggy. From the look on Daphne's face, she was already beginning to put the pieces together herself.
"Uhhhh, wait a second…!" Shaggy exclaimed. "It doesn't matter how you found out—what happened after that!?"
"I was willing to leave well enough alone," Jäger insisted. "After all, it didn't seem as though the warlock had caused any trouble since that night. That was when the Inquisitor possessed me—went through my mind to see what I knew that could help his plan. That was where the sleeping gas jets came from—it's supposed to be used in case of wolves, but…"
"I see…" Daphne said, still getting an unpleasant inking about the newspaper in question. She was, certainly, on the verge of figuring out exactly what Vincent had meant when he said he hadn't wanted her to blame herself for something.
"The Inquisitor was in control of everything after that—he had me take the warlock to the cell in the castle and lie to all of you about him abandoning you. He wanted me to end things right away, but… I managed to hold on enough to insist and persuade him that we couldn't do anything without just cause. I did everything I could to stall, but after you showed up to free him, he completely took over, since he was terrified of being disgraced again. He grew even angrier when he overheard that you were descended from the woman who had ruined things for him that night—"
"AND I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!" the Inquisitor's voice boomed.
The others moved to form a protective circle around Vincent again, but Daphne suddenly shrieked as she was levitated on her way to join them.
"Daphne!" Shaggy yelled, as Vincent could only stare in horror.
"However, while the High Inquisitor is gloating, Danger-Prone Daphne manages to get herself free…with magic!" Mew said.
Daphne was on the verge of blacking out, but she could see the look on Vincent's face—once again facing the sheer terror of being without mana and, therefore, unable to protect the ones he loved.
She couldn't let him carry the weight of being unable to save her; Danger-Prone Daphne would have to get out of this one herself—for his sake.
Daphne was still holding the magic lens in one hand—and the cloth she had used to clean Vincent's wounds…
…The cloth that would still have the trace amounts of valuable mana because of Vincent's blood still on it.
Summoning all of her strength, she hurled the cloth upward at the Inquisitor's spirit.
"T-Temporal Chains!" she choked out.
The chains of green light surrounded the spirit; his grip no longer strong, Daphne yanked herself out of it—only to fall towards the ground.
She never hit it; Vincent had pulled away from the others as they all ran to her, diving to catch her. As he caught her, though, the emerald brooch, which was still on Daphne's blouse, glowed again with another ripple of golden light—and as the light washed over Vincent this time, he suddenly felt his mana recover instantaneously.
He quickly teleported so that he wouldn't hit the ground with her, reappearing a few feet away. There hadn't been that much mana in the cloth, and so the Temporal Chains spell that Daphne had cast hadn't lasted for much longer—but as Vincent teleported Daphne and himself to safety, Julius seized the moment to ensnare the Inquisitor's spirit in his enchanted whip.
"Okay, I could see how Daphne used magic, this time. And I also get how Vincent's magic recharged. But this still doesn't explain how Daphne is able to use higher level magic without anything blowing up! Especially since she has no training at all!" Mew exclaimed.
"The power of love…and family of choice!" Registeel exclaimed.
"Oh yeah, that." Mew said. "Anyways, they put the High Inquisitor in the Chest of Demons, finally ending a chapter of Vincent's past." Mew said.
"What about Jägar?" Registeel asked.
"He doesn't get punished whatsoever!" Mew said.
Lillie didn't charge them anything for their brief stay at the inn; perhaps she was hoping that they wouldn't begrudge her brother; sure enough, Jäger awkwardly addressed them as they announced that they were leaving that he was willing to turn himself in since—as Daphne had pointed out earlier—kidnapping was still a crime, even if he'd been dragged along himself into the plot.
But Vincent (who now had all of his things back, having had them all returned by Daphne) had insisted that he had no intention of pressing any charges. Daphne didn't look as though she shared the same sentiments, but if she'd intended to say anything, she was preempted by Vincent's next words—
"The events of this day were caused by a desire for revenge and obtaining personal satisfaction at the expense of others," he pointed out. "The kids and I will not be the ones to continue the cycle. All I want now is to take them home and live in peace, and put this all behind me."
Daphne opted not to say anything after that—even if she didn't feel as forgiving as Vincent did.
"Vincent, pressing charges isn't part of revenge, it's part of the justice system. It's to make sure that the person who did the crime knows that there are consequences to their actions!" Mew said.
"Heck, if they're not going to send him to prison, then at least have him do community service!" Registeel pointed out.
"Exactly. Seriously, this is just like Starlight Glimmer all over again. She almost destroys everything just because of butt tattoos and she's forgiven without getting punished, nor anyone being suspicious of her.
"The only compensation in this case is that the gang is still wary of Jägar regardless." Mew said. "Anyways, they return back to Vincent's castle."
"However, Daphne decides to get answers from Vincent about what he was talking about back in Germany!" Registeel said.
She stood up, not wanting to disturb the others, and Vincent followed her to the hall, making sure they were far enough away.
"…That thing you mentioned, when I was tending to your wounds," Daphne said, not meeting his gaze. "You thought I'd blame myself for something. I was talking about my ancestors, but you were talking about something else, weren't you?"
"…Yes," Vincent admitted. "And what I said then holds true now—I implore you not to blame yourself for this!"
He knew she'd figured it out; Jäger had said too much earlier. Sure enough—
"That was a copy of the Chronicle that had been left behind at the inn, wasn't it?" she asked, dodging what he'd said about not blaming herself. "Miss Markham, our advice columnist, had said she was going to Europe for a working vacation back in March, just after I'd submitted that writeup on the Gorgons—when I'd mentioned you as a source…" She shut her eyes, trying to hold back her tears. "…That's how Jäger and the Inquisitor knew where you were. I led them right to you. I'm the reason why you almost—"
She was cut off as Vincent gently drew her into a hug—causing her to pause in utter surprise. By his own admission, he "wasn't the hugging type," as he'd mentioned once when she'd been hugging after for some other near miss—and, indeed, back when they'd still been getting to know him, he had responded to the hugs that she and the others had given him by awkwardly standing there, not sure how to take them. Only in the recent months had he finally started reciprocating the hugs that he received, but this was the first time he had ever initiated a hug—and it was solely to reassure her that he didn't blame her for any of this, and to once again pleading for her not to blame herself, either.
"You know, I know this is a nitpick, but why is Daphne constantly blaming herself for Vincent being in danger in this season? I mean, I would use Hyrule as an example, except the fact that Ganondorf and the Shadow Witch had planned that for some time, so it would've happened whether or not Daphne and the gang were there.
"And plus, it's not like Daphne herself decided to go to Germany and told Jägar, 'Hey, Vincent is a warlock. Wanna kidnap him to resolve something that your ancestor started?' So why would she feel bad, when, in the entire franchise, she never blames herself for every bad thing that happened to the gang?" Mew asked.
"Possibly because Vincent is the gang's legal guardian during the 13 Ghosts." Registeel said.
"So that would mean Shaggy should've felt guilty for the article since he helped Daphne write it." Mew said. "Regardless, Vincent manages to reassure Daphne that it isn't her fault."
"But the article—"
"—Was meant to be a writeup on the Gorgons, and nothing more," Vincent finished. "You listing me as a source was part of your journalist's integrity. I don't blame you for what happened today—nor do I blame your ancestor for what happened to me three hundred years ago. I meant what I said—everything that I went through was worth it to have the family I have now."
"And of course, we get an explanation on how Daphne is able to use magic. Somewhat." Mew said.
"…That reminds me," Daphne realized. "I'm not sure how I cast two of the spells I used—in the crypt, when I somehow got your emerald brooch to free you from the shackles. And then later, I somehow got your mana replenished instantly."
"That wasn't a spell that did those," Vincent said. "That was the tie that binds us."
"…I don't think I understand," she said.
"You know my emeralds represent loyalty, compassion, and unconditional love—they work for me because I have a powerful conviction in those things. And, it would seem, so do you—for the emerald wouldn't have resonated simultaneously for the both of us if we both didn't believe."
"I didn't have the cloth with your mana when I first freed you," she pointed out. "I don't know how it could've resonated the first time when I didn't have any mana."
"Because those three things—loyalty, compassion, and unconditional love—are all powerful sources of magic that don't require mana to activate. And they were very much at the forefront of all of our thoughts at those moments," Vincent sighed. "And so, the emerald responded and granted what was, at those moments, our greatest wishes—yours was to free me from the shackles, and mine was to be able to protect you and the others from the Inquisitor—and that wish was what restored my mana."
"…We did that?"
"We certainly did," Vincent said. "And remember—this tie exists because of everything that happened three hundred years ago. It wouldn't exist if you didn't exist, now would it?"
Daphne shook her head.
"No, it wouldn't," she agreed.
"This tie strengthens us—just as the ties with the others do. And I cherish each one of those ties."
"So do I," Daphne agreed.
"And so the story ends with Vincent reaffirming that he is loved. But what's our opinion on it?" Mew asked.
"Needs someone's second opinion." Registeel said.
"Exactly. Now, I like Crystal Rose of Pollux's take on the second season. It's one of the greatest continuations of The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo I've seen. However, this story starts to have flaws, and one of them is Daphne and Vincent's relationship taking the spotlight, and its consequences.
"For starters, it's weird that apparently, Vincent now can't do anything without the gang being there for him, despite the fact that he was doing well prior to meeting them.
And Daphne can't go one moment without blaming herself if Vincent is in danger, or even without his protection, despite the former case shows that he has his own enemies and demons to confront, and the latter case is odd, given how she and the rest of the gang had caught a couple of the 13 ghosts before he decided to help them.
"Not only that, but due to Daphne and Vincent's relationship taking the spotlight, the other characters are pushed to the sidelines, thus robbing them of any character development they could've gained." Mew said.
"Not to mention the way Scrappy and Flim-Flam were handled, and Julius not doing much." Registeel said.
"Exactly. And how did Jägar and the High Inquisitor know where Vincent lives. That was never addressed at all." Mew said, before sighing.
"Other than that, the story did a good job, putting an end to an awful chapter in Vincent's life, allowing him to have peace after what he's been through." Mew said.
"So the final verdict?" Registeel asked.
"It's an average episode. Not bad, but also not good. And Crystal Rose of Pollux, please don't forget that you have other characters besides Vincent and Daphne to develop. Because from what I'm seeing, the problem we're going to face is that the two are over utilized, not under utilized." Mew said.
"That has been the Critical Mew! And he reviews these crap so you don't have to!" Registeel said.
"It's 'I review these things so you don't have to'," Mew said.
"That's what I just said." Registeel said.
"Anyways, at least the co-star will have an extended break." Mew said.
"Why's that?" Regieleki asked.
In response, Mew held up a copy of Steven Universe Future DVD. Everyone, including Registeel, screamed as they scattered.
"In a cosmic sort of way, Regirock is getting his sick kicks," Mew deadpanned.
Next time: Steven Universe Future(Alternative Title: Steven Universe Pains)
Credits:
The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries
The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo
Castlevania franchise
Spider-Man franchise
Pokémon franchise
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic
Caddicarus's Unholy World of Jesus Games
Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
Castlevania Wikipedia
Bulbapedia
Kamsaywords
(A/N: Note that despite being critical of this chapter, it doesn't mean I don't like Crystal Rose of Pollux's take on the second season, as I stated before. It just means there are parts that I think should've been improved on, or needs to be toned down a bit. Other than that, I hope she keeps up the good work.)