AN- I don't own Arc or any of his fellow conspirators. (Heh, playing through Arc2 again, and I love referring to the gang as criminals.) They are all properties of… um, I don't know exactly. But it ain't me. This is just a simple little tale taking place during Arc1, right after the water guardian was met in Zariban.
Man! I can't believe Arc left me behind again! Poco was sitting in the cockpit of the Silver Noah, feeling sorry for himself. There had been a big battle for the Water guardian in Zariban, and Arc had asked Poco to stay behind and watch the ship. I may be timid… Poco thought, but I'm not stupid. He didn't take me because he thought I would get hurt.
Poco looked out the window at his companions as they sat at camp. There were no towns in the area, since Sariyu village was blown up earlier during the day. So now the seven heroes were hanging out by the Zariban skyport to pass the evening.
"I'm not that pathetic, am I?" Poco asked to no one in particular.
"Of course not. Depends on what you consider pathetic, doesn't it?"
Poco jumped nearly three feet in the air. He spun around, pulling out a cymbal. Chopin gave him a small smile and went to inspect the control panel on his ship. Poco let out his breath slowly and lowered his weapon of choice.
"You nearly gave me a heart attack, Chopin. I didn't think anyone was in here still…"
Chopin gave Poco a knowing nod. "Came up here to be alone, huh? I know what you mean. I was just hoping to give the instruments up here a little calibration test during the free time." He came up to Poco and patted him on the back. "But, I'll give you some space. Got a lot on your mind?"
Poco hung his head. "Kinda… I don't really want to talk about it."
Chopin smiled. "Come on now, Poco. No one knows any of you better than me. I've been watching you guys since the beginning of this quest." Chopin appeared thoughtful for a moment, and then brightened up. "Well, I suppose you know best. But just think of this. Everyone here has been chosen by destiny. And all of you have your talents and your roles. No need to feel like the weak link, eh?" He gave Poco a small wave and exited the cockpit, leaving Poco alone with his thoughts.
The small musician returned to the window, looking down at his companions.
"Look at Arc…" he muttered to himself. Arc was sitting by the small fire, a serene look of concentration on his face as he stared at the blaze. Gogen had been trying to help him improve his magic, and thus had the hero practicing all his elemental control whenever they weren't fighting. Arc reached out, letting the flame engulf his hand. His face showed a slight hint of panic, but then subsided as a small portion of the flame seemed to break off, resting on his outstretched palm. His lips moved slightly, and the flame solidified into ice. Sweat began to pour on Arc's face as he spoke another word, turning the ice into solid rock. He let a small smile sneak onto his face, obviously pleased with his own handiwork.
From his vantage point, Poco shook his head. "I could never do anything like that. I bet that's why he had me stay behind. I wish I was as cool as Arc…"
Suddenly, the rock in Arc's hands disappeared, becoming a gust of wind that shot off into the night. The wind gathered in the distance right above Gogen's staff, the old man having apparently been watching Arc's progress. He gave a small chuckle, made a motion with his free hand, and the wind surrounding his staff split into all four of the elements at once in a flash of light. Several droplets of water, pebbles, and the original bit of fire fell to the ground at his feet.
"You are progressing nicely, young Arc. But you still have much to do. Never forget that." Arc nodded slowly, taking in the words of the old sage.
Poco groaned as he watched Gogen's display of magic. "Gogen is over three thousand years old, and he's still more useful than I am…"
He turned his attention to a small clearing, where Tosh and Iga were sparring. Iga's quick movements brought him in close under Tosh's sword, where he delivered a quick flurry of light upward jabs to Tosh's abdomen, Tosh fell to the side, clutching at his stomach, and his sword fell to the ground. Iga rushed in for another attack, but Tosh quickly dodged to the side, throwing out a fist towards the side of Iga's head. His fist became engulfed in the flames of Tosh's spirit, and the blow looked like it knocked a few things loose in the monk's head.
Tosh scrambled for his sword, as Iga began to shoot laser thin beams of ki at his opponent. Tosh rolled to the side, avoiding most of the blasts, except for one that pierced his left leg at the thigh. He repressed a scream as he scooped up his sword, spun around, and moved his blade so fast it couldn't be seen. A vacuum effect caused the slash to extend, catching Iga even though the fighter was a distance away. The slash cut through Iga's skin, creating a gash of blood that flew into the air. Poco watched on with wide eyes in amazement.
"Tosh and Iga are such awesome warriors… its no wonder Arc always takes them on missions…"
Kukuru walked over to where the two fighters had been sparring, and shook her head. Iga was on the floor, clutching at his chest, and Tosh couldn't stand because of the hole in his thigh. She began to yell at the two, waving her arms around as they hung their heads. She finally raised her arms, curing both of all the wounds they had received. Then she crossed her arms and stalked off. Tosh and Iga grinned at each other, nodded, and then went back to sparring.
Poco decided that would be enough self inflicted torture for one evening. He jumped down from his vantage point and left the cockpit. Outside, he found Chopin sitting against a rock, his arms behind his head in a position of extreme relaxation. Poco sat down beside him. Chopin turned to him and gave him one of those famous Chopin smiles.
"Feeling any better, little man?"
Poco hugged his knees and shook his head, giving his friend a small "no."
"Still worked up over your insecurities?"
Poco turned to Chopin, allowing the pilot a small smile. It was hard not to around him. "Well, maybe a little."
Chopin nodded. "I thought you might. Well, I have something to make you feel better."
Poco's ears perked up. "You do?"
Chopin grinned, pointing a finger into the distance. "I sure do. Absolute proof that you aren't the least useful member of this team. Look over there."
Poco's eyes followed Chopin's hand, and came to rest at a little clearing off to the side of the camp. Chongara was sitting behind a bush, making sure no one was looking as he thoroughly cleaned out his nose cavity with his fingers. He found a particularly big one, flicked it to the side, and then let out a huge burp. Apparently satisfied, he rolled to the side, let out a deep breath, and fell asleep. Loud snores could be heard in the distance, and as he twitched, a deep fart erupted from his hind region. He unconsciously reached behind him and began to scratch himself.
Poco and Chopin looked at each other in amusement, and began to let out small bursts of laughter. Poco grinned at Chopin, and nodded.
"You were right. That did make me feel a lot better."
Chopin stretched out his arms with a yawn, and tilted his head as he lay back. "Good. Glad to hear it. Now how about a little melody to get me to sleep, huh?"
Poco nodded, an enthusiastic grin on his face. "No problem. Now I get to show off my stuff!" Poco whipped out his harp from his backpack and aligned his fingers. As he started to pluck the strings, a beautiful melody began to flow from the instrument. Chopin's eyes grew heavy, and then slowly closed as he was lulled to sleep. Poco smiled, glad to finally be of service.
I think I've learned a valuable lesson. I may not be the most effective fighter here. I might not be the bravest. But at least I'm not Chongara…
Poco grinned, letting his song flow through the campsite. Arc looked up, hearing the music, and smiled to himself. It sounded as if Poco was in a good mood. He had been worried the musician would be upset he had been left behind, but the truth was, Poco was Arc's most trusted companion. After the assault on Sariyu, he had worried about the Silver Noah. I hope Poco realizes how important he is to this team. Arc rolled over, tired from his magical training, and let his best friend's harp music carry him to sleep.
AN- Just a simple one shot for one of my favorite Arc The Lad characters. Poco is so awesome, and he seems to get left out a lot. I was thinking about doing an Arc The Lad fic, but at the moment I can't seem to think of anything to base it on. If anyone likes this and has any suggestions, let me know in a review. I was thinking of setting it between either 1 and 2 or 2 and 3. Obviously Poco would be fun to base it off of, but other characters I like would include Arc himself, Tosh, Elc and possibly Shu. Iga is also another possibility. Eh, who knows. If anyone has anything to say to me, you know where the review button is!