Chapter 13: yokai Baku

"Hm," Katie pouted on her bed.

"Something wrong?" Whisper asked his charge.

"I feel like we aren't good at this," Katie answered her butler.

Whisper was a taken back a bit, "Now, mistress, what ever could you mean?

The brunette girl sat up and looked him in the eye, "think about it whisper, sure I was able to calm down dismarelda, but when it came to a matter of life and death, WE needed to be saved while Nate's robo-butler and a yokai HE talked to saved the day. We been at the mercy of every yokai that we couldn't talk down!"

"She's gotta point ya know," Komasan nodded, "we've been havin' an awful lot close calls."

The butler thought to himself, "yes, I'm afraid we have been on a bit of a losing streak, while Nathan seems to be pretty good at winding up on top."

There was an awkward silence between the three, Then katie finally spoke, "It's not that I'm jealous of nate or anything, I'm glad he's found something he's pretty good at, but with Komane around, we have to be prepared."

"We need stronger yokai!" Whisper said as he took out his YokaI-pad, "it says here that Yokai watches can be modified in order to better perform and seek out more powerful spirits!"

Katie looked at him confused, "wait, so this thing isn't even at max power?"

"Well what do you expect, I got it for free, there was bound to be some kind of trade off," Whisper defended himself, "but that's besides the point, I looked it up and there is a watch shop in town willing to perform upgrades!"

"Alright then, lead the way," Katie said getting up. The trio left the house and traveled to Blossom heights, the district of springdale neighboring Katie's home. She was walking down a familiar route following her Butler's directions when they heard a voice, "Hey, Katie!"

The girl stopped in her tracks to see a Viatnamese boy who looked much older than he actually was. He had a Black mohawk with some lighter hair on the side, tan skin, and a large, tall physique. He was wearing a white T-shirt under a blue and orange varsity jacket with white sleeves, black jean-shorts and all whit sneakers.

"Oh, hey bear, How've you been?" Katie asked coming up to the boy.

"Uh, a bit sleepy," Bear replied, "you?"

"Well…. Let's just say things have been a little… hectic," Katie replied rubbing the back of her head.

"Yeah, I here that, ya know my parent's anniversary is coming up soon so…" the boy yawned, his eyes looking a bit drowsy, "I… YAWN… am gonna be busy."

"Uh, bear?" Katie asked as Bear dozed off, eventually falling on top of whisper.

"Erg, could you please get your companion off of me?" the flattened butler asked gasping for air. Katie kneeled down and pride the yokai from her large friend's underside. When she successfully pulled him out, she shook him a couple times and he returned to his normal state.

"You ok?" She asked him, to which whisper nodded, she then went to her friend and tapped him on the shoulder, "Com'on, Bear, wake up."

The boy continued his slumber as if she hadn't said anything.

"Come on!" Katie said shaking harder, after about three tries, she said, "weird, he's out cold."

"I take it this doesn't happen often?" Whisper asked.

"Well, from time to time, but falling asleep outside on the sidewalk is a bit unusual," Katie said rubbing her chin, "you don't think it's a yokai do you?"

"Of course not, there are no yokai that make you sleepy," Whisper shook his head(?)

"Well… just to be safe," Katie said shining her watch light, the black rays engulf the street and formed the outline of a large Tapir, when the light faded it revealed its mostly purple skin with pink bottom, piercing yellow eyes, and sharp jagged teeth.

"But i'm never wrong!" Whisper wined.

"Then who is that?" Katie asked. Her butler took out his YokaI-pad and began flipping through wiki pages.

"AH-HA!" he exclaimed as he found the correct page, "her name is Baku!"

Baku: C rank

Charming

"...Baku is what's called a Mind-eater, yokai who eat memories, dreams, thoughts or other human perceptions," Whisper explained, "Baku in particular puts people to sleep so she can eat the dreams they have!"

"Hmn," Baku took noticed of the ice cream like ghost, and shot a puff of white smoke from her trunk. The smoke surrounded the butler as his eyes started to droop, within a couple seconds he was asleep in mid-air.

"Whisper!" Katie and Komasan said in unison as a cloud formed above the yokai. The cloud changed in hue to a light blue and noises could be heard, it almost sounded like cheering, "Whisper! Whisper!"

The cloud began to display a sharply dressed man who looked like he had whisper's face, surrounded by cheering yokai.

"What in tarnation is going on?" Komasan asked looking at the cloud.

"Thank you, you're all too kind!" the dream whisper said. Suddenly, Insomni appeared in the dream and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "you are the smartest, and not to mention hottest butler I've ever!"

"Why thank you, my dear," the dream whisper replied leaning in for a kiss.

"Imma stop this right here," a familiar distorted voice said.

Katie and Komasan looked up to see the one-eyed Djinn, "Insomni! What are you doing here?"

"I live in this part' a town," Insomni replied, she then turned her focus to whisper, "All right, loverboy, time to wake up!"

Insomni sent a blast from her eye and Whisper shot awake, the cloud dissipating.

"Wha, what, I'm awake!" Whisper yelled, he then noticed the party girl yokai, "Oh, Insomni, what a coincidence, I just had a dream about you!"

"Yeah, I saw," Insomni said as if she hadn't seen the extremely creepy display.

Baku watched as her sleep smoke dissipated, "Hey! That was Baku's lunch!"

Insomni turned to the tapir yokai, "hey, I know you, your the one that ruined last weeks yokai luau! You inspirited everyone and they all spent the rest of the party asleep."

"Baku was hungry!" the Mind-eater defended herself.

"House Partay, fell in the hot tub and nearly drown," Insomni shot at her.

"Insomni, you think you could stop her from inspiriting my friends?" Katie pleaded the cyclops.

"Sure as my middle name's allnighter!" she replied with a grin. The Mind-eater yokai fired another blast of sleep smoke. Insomni laughed before shooting her peam toward the smoke, the two different auras conflicted each other, until eventually Insomni's beam overpowered the smoke. The blast hit Baku straight in the face, her eyes widened bloodshot.

"AH, Baku's eyes!" She wailed in pain. At that moment bear jolted awake, "no wait mom, i'm awake!"

"Tch, amature," Insomni smirked.

"Huh, looks like once Baku was inspirited, her inspirtment was discharged," Whisper said in surprise.

"Ugh, Baku not a fan of you," the tapir yokai said desperately trying to shut her eyes.

"You should probably drop the inspiritment, before she pops something," Katie said as she watch Baku role around in pain.

"Fine," Insomni said snapping.

Bakus eyes returned to normal and she blinked several times. She then got up and said, "Baku thanks you for your mercy." she glowed and her medal, "Baku will go now."

She than waddled. Katie looked at the medal and thought, "hey, we didn't lose this time!"

"Uh, Katie?" Bear said catching her attention, "you've been standing there quiet for like three minutes. Didn't you have somewhere to be?"

"Uh, oh right!" she said taking off, her yokai partners following.

"Seeya guys!" Insomni called out.

The trio skidded to a halt a block away, in front of a building called, "timers and more." Katie walked up and tried to open the door, only to realise it wouldn't budge, she tried again, than a third time.

"Uh, Katie?" Komasan said as said girl had picked up a large rock in preparation to break the window, "the sign says 'closed fer the weekend.'"

"Are you kidding me!" Katie yelled, "ugh, we'll come back on monday."