*Dances* Another chapter! Another chapter! Read it now, yes! Read it now, yes!


Chapter 42: I Have A Bad Feeling About This


The trio did make their way down the street with very little conflict, but of course, there was a catch.

"Shouldn't they be able to detect us?" Skye noted, "I mean, we haven't done any really strategic evasive maneuvers, but they've past within six feet of us and not noticed. . ."

"Well, you know what that means. . ." Jenna said, "I have a bad feeling about this. . ."

"If you say that, things will get worse!"

"No, that's if you say 'At least things can't get any worse'."

Suddenly a loudspeaker bellowed: "There they are!"

"Told you." Jenna said again, as the three dodged into a nearby alley. Moments passed. Then a minute. "What's keeping them?" Skye asked, clearly wondering what the holdup was. He looked back out. "They're going the other way. . . they must be on someone else's signal. . ."


"Is the coast clear?" Skye asked.

"No. . ." Mario replied, "There's still. . . wait a minute. . ."

"What?" Jenna asked.

"Something's wrong. . ."

"Did you hear that?!" Skye turned around suddenly. "Someone's here!"

"Show yourself!" Jenna called to the alleyway, which by all looks, was completely empty. "I know you're there!"

The world fell silent, save for the faint rumbling of trucks uptown, and two Hybrids, and Arcanine and a Rhydon, stepped from the shadows, their hands up. Skye and Jenna gasped as they recognized the changed faces of Todd and Rico. "We just want to help. . ." Todd said, "Please hear us out. . ."

Skye and Jenna both remembered the incident with Mario not but two hours ago, and conceded. Todd explained to them as thoroughly as he could what had happened to him.

"Sounds familiar. . ." Jenna said, "Planned events. Story Arc. You guys were to be killed, but an unforeseen variable came up, and something unexpected happened. . ."

"Woah, Jenna! You're sounding like Ben!"

"Well, everyone who plays video games knows that! It's called a glitch! A bug!"

"Yeah, but the term 'unforeseen variable'?"

"I read gaming news magazines. That kind of stuff can come up a bit. . ."

"Okay, now I'm lost." Todd scratched his head, confused, "When did we start talking about video games?"

"Skye?" Jenna looked at her boyfriend, "Should we tell them?"

"I think we only have enough time to find wherever Dr. Forrester disappeared. . ." He replied.

"That's what you were doing?" Todd asked, "I know this city like the back of my hand. . ."

"Ten years ago, Forrester was heading out for coffee when he vanished somewhere along the way."

"Oh! Ten years ago. . . Rico, what was the name of that place?"

"Tuss and Quince Coffee Shoppe." Rico responded, "He was a scientist guy, right? Worked on the Superdrug project?"

"Yeah, I think that's the same one." Skye replied.

"That would definitely be it. It closed down six years ago and was replaced by a bookstore. It's three blocks directly to the left."

"Let's go, then!" Skye turned and walked into the empty streets. Jenna followed him, then Rico. Todd looked a Mario for a brief moment, then shook his head before he followed, too.


The bookstore was not a very large place, just a small store part of a twenty year-old strip mall. The outside was weather worn red-brick, and the inside wasn't much better. The entire block was abandoned, all the Hunters on a wild goose chase of some sort. Skye pushed to door open. This place hadn't been open in weeks. Dust flew everywhere with the wind blowing in, and the lights did not turn on. Everything was in shadows, giving an eerie stillness to the silence.

"Look up there!" Jenna shouted, pointing to the clock on the far wall. There were no windows on that side, but it was lit up by an odd glow, from a green gen set beneath it.

"It's a night light, what about it?" Todd asked.

"They don't put night lights in commercial buildings, dummy."

"Then what else would it be?"

"I know!" Skye said, "That might be what we're looking for! I think, if my memory of video game clichés serves me right, all we need to do is touch it or bring it back to Bowser's Keep. . ."

"Bowser's Keep?" Todd asked, "Okay, now I know something weird is up. A few days ago, me and Rico were up there, looking for you. . ."

"Yeah!" Rico stated, "I remember! Mushroom Kingdom! I want to know what's going on!"

"Alright, if you say so." Jenna took a deep breath, "Me and six of my friends were transported to this world about a fortnight ago, from a land where all of this was just a video game. Six different video games. They were all combined into one once we arrived, and everything, according to Ben Collins, who was put in the Kirby world, was set like it was all some big video game. . ."

"Wait a moment. . ." Todd was suddenly struck by the most wild of ideas, "I've. . . I've been a puppet to some master programmer?"

"Put simply," Skye said, "We're all just bits of data in a universe meant for someone else's amusement. . ."

Mario crossed his arms and simply nodded. Todd and Rico looked at each other. Jenna thought of something she hadn't considered before.

"Skye. . ." She said, "If. . . if you're not real. . . and me and my friends do find a way out of here. . . then. . . what will happen to you?"

"I don't know. . . I assume this universe will be erased, and I'll cease to exist. . ."

"You can't!" Jenna threw her arms around him, "I don't care about this stupid quest anymore! I don't want your life to never have been!"

"Jenna, we have to do this. . ." Skye hugged her back, "if the Game Master finds you and finishes his program, you'll become the exact same way as we were. . . You'll be under complete control of the program, and if he sets us up just to play, we might all die thousands of times over. . ."

"I've already done that. . ." Jenna whispered, "A life without you is nothing but death. . ."

"Oh," Mario said, "for a moment I thought you were talking in the literal sense. I actually have died thousands of times."

"Mario, here's how it'll be for you. You'll become insane, out of character as you have for the past ten years. And the same weeks will play over and over again. You'll never find Princess Peach, you'll never have your revenge on Bowser."

"And us?" Todd asked.

"You and Rico will never have dreams to accomplish, you'll never achieve your goals in life, you'll just be driven in a world of hate to do that which will ultimately bring about your own end. You'll die millions of times alone, accomplishing nothing, and never attaining peace of mind. You may not know it, but it'll haunt you forever in the afterworld where everyone goes when they die. . . if he doesn't tie up the loose programming there, you'll have all the knowledge that you're lives will never change, you'll come back and make all the same mistakes, the same choices, and you'll die again."

"Skye. . ." Jenna whispered again.

"Jenna, I don't care what happens to me now. I want all of us to do whats right for everyone in this world, even if there's nothing but strife here. I don't want innocent people to suffer."

"Alright. Let's get the gem, then."

Jenna stood back up, and led them toward the gem at the end of the room.

KA-BOOM!

The ceiling crashed down in front of them. A huge monster, having the characteristics of maybe a hundred different pokémon, stood in their way.

"Oh no. . ." Jenna said, "I had a bad feeling this was going to happen. . ."

"What is it!?" Skye yelled, getting in a fighting stance.

"This. . . this has been distracting the Hybrid Hunters. You know what this is, don't you?"

Mario readied Phil's sword, "It's hostile, that's all we need to know!"

Todd and Rico pulled their handguns out of their pockets, "I don't know," Todd said, "But It's big, mean, and ugly. . ."

"That's exactly what it is." Jenna stated flatly and calmly, looking up into the eyes of the beast, "This. . . this is a Boss."



CLIFFHANGER! WOO! Next time, on Video Game: It's boss battle time! Todd and Rico deliver the help they promised, but what will happen if they survive? Find out, same Video Game time, Same Video Game channel! Until then, Ciao!


From the Acts of Gord, Book of Chronicles, Chapter Five: (Words of Gord in italics)


"Yes, my son traded in 4 games that I want back."

"Which four games were those?"

"Pokemon Pinball, Red, Yellow, and Blue."

"Uhm…Hang on. According to the account, those were traded in way back in March. And it's now October. That's a touch long in wanting to resolve this issue."

"What are you saying?"

"Well, assuming I were to reverse the transaction, I don't have any copies of Pokemon Pinball in stock."

"Then you better get me a new one to replace it for free."

"Noooo...that's quite alright. If this was such a problem why did you wait six months?"

"It's your fault for dealing with my son! Those weren't his games to trade."

"So it's my fault your son is an idiot...ok. Good parenting there. I bet you blame everyone for your problems, don't you?"

"You just replace those games!"

"Better idea, your son has $80 in credit on file. He can use it to buy other games."

They then left, with the threat I had better replace the games. Oddly enough, they never came back. The $80 credit is still on file.


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