Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice
Chapter 14: Mystery Of The Dark Poison Crystal
There were two owls named Blathers and Celeste, who were exploring the ruined land. This land used to be the town of Emblem before it turned into chaos by the evil force. They searched every rock and mineral from the ground, but none of them had any luck yet. Until they found something in front of them, it was the huge purplish-black that turned out to be the dark poison crystal. Blathers took out the pickaxe and broke down the small portion of it. After it fell to the ground, Celeste picked it up and put it in her bag.
"I think we should put this one into our new exhibit!" said Celeste. "That way, humans and animals will be attracted to our new mineral exhibit! Now, what do we call this thing, Blathers?"
"Hmm, that's a good question, Celeste..." said Blathers, as he was starting to think while taking a good look at the dark poison crystal. "Well, it can't be the amethyst since we already have one in display. Huh, I wonder what could it be..."
"Perhaps, it looks like an onyx? Yeah, it must be it since it is the rarest ore in the world!"
"Hoo, I believe you're right about that, Celeste! This onyx must be the rarest ore of all time! Let's go the museum and display it!"
Few days later, Vicki was sitting at the dining room and reading the latest newspaper. Robert quickly saw her so he went to the table and sat next to her. He was curious to see of what headline she was reading.
"Hey Vicki, what are you reading?" Robert asked.
"Hey Robert, I'm reading the article of the headline called 'New Exhibit's Grand Opening!'" Vicki explained. "Several months ago, Blathers and Celeste were planning to add the new exhibit for the museum."
"Really? What exhibit could that be?"
"It's called the mineral exhibit. There are like rocks, ores, and other minerals on display."
"That's cool! I would love to check it out!"
"I think we can go to the museum later on. What do you say?"
"Oh, I'd say it's a good idea!"
While Vicki and Robert were still talking about the mineral exhibit, Sammy and Jimmy entered the dining room and spotted them. They turned out to be in the bad mood after they saw the newspaper on the back. Sammy was glaring at it and Jimmy was pointing at either the article or the picture in it. As soon as Vicki and Robert saw them, their expressions became very awkward.
"Sammy, Jimmy, what's gotten into you both?" Vicki asked.
"Didn't you catch the last page of the newspaper?" Sammy asked, as Vicki and Robert shook their heads in response. So, he was showing the back page of the newspaper to them, and he was pointing at the picture of the twins getting drowned in the river. "Someone was taking a photo of us while we were doing the film!"
"Yeah, it's totally embarrassing!" Jimmy argued.
Vicki and Robert started to laugh at the photo that they couldn't stop. While Robert was trying to hide his laughter by covering his mouth, Vicki tried to speak up after getting some air so she could finally breathe.
"Well, congratulations to both of you!" said Vicki, as she continued to breathe before she started to laugh again. "You two would've become famous for 'Caption This Picture Of The Week!'"
"Oh, laugh all you want, mayor!" Sammy exclaimed. "But we don't want to be that famous!"
"Yeah, why can't it be anything but that?" Jimmy complained.
"Oh, come on, you guys!" said Robert. "How bad can it be?"
"Oh, like you care," said Sammy sarcastically, as he started to turn his younger brother. "Come on, Jimmy, let's go!"
"Yeah!" Jimmy agreed, as he and Sammy left the dining room.
At the ship, Lewis gave Allen the current newspaper. As soon as Allen saw the front headline, he found something very amusing. He saw the picture of the dark poison crystal on display at the mineral exhibit, inside of the museum.
"I'm not surprised that the crystal was on display in the museum," said Lewis.
"Neither do I," said Allen. "But do you remember the time that fool, Robert was stunned by that crystal?"
"Ah! Now that you mentioned it, I certainly do! If I remembered correctly, you forced his sister to become your girlfriend. Am I right?"
"That's exactly my point!"
Lewis remembered the time before Emblem was completely destroyed. It took place over one year ago when he dragged Robert as Masked Swordmaster. The spy navigator asked him if Allen would kindly offer his love to Lorelei. But the masked white knight refused to accept that because his little sister has no feelings for him and found someone else instead. Lewis understood him of what he was saying, but he had no choice whatsoever. Behind his back, he pulled up his sleeve and pressed the button on his wristband. Suddenly, the cage appeared from above and trapped Masked Swordmaster within.
"As if the cage would...hold me...in..." said Masked Swordmaster weakly, as he was starting to feel dizzy all of the sudden.
Lewis chuckled and said, "I believe it's way more than just that!" He pressed the different button on his wristband once more and the cage suddenly flashed in blackness.
Masked Swordmaster collapsed to the ground and became weaker that he couldn't do anything at all. Lewis laughed happily that his plan went well. So, he rushed to tell Allen that the heroic knight would no longer interfere anymore, and the evil leader would finally force Lorelei to love him.
After Lewis's flashback has ended, Steel Man confronted Allen and asked him for a second chance. His master agreed and told him to do as he wished. Then, Lewis asked the muscle punk a favor before he started doing his mission.
"Hey Steel Man, would you mind helping me for a bit?" Lewis asked.
"And what could that be?" Steel Man asked curiously.
At the museum, Vicki, Nick, and Serenity were checking out inside of the mineral exhibit. They saw different kinds of rocks, minerals, and ores on display. They all took a picture of each and every one on display with their smartphones. Finally, they approached to the rarest ore in which they thought it was the onyx.
"Well, well, look at this fine ore," said Nick. "Have you ever seen anything like it?"
"No, I haven't," Serenity replied. "No doubt that this ore is the rarest of them all!"
"I'd say it is!"
While Nick and Serenity were still talking, Vicki began to sense the greater negative energy within the onyx. She had a bad feeling that that this was no ordinary ore. Until she heard someone coming, she quickly turned around and saw Robert and the others not too far that gave her an attention.
"Hey guys, you're here!" said Vicki happily.
"Hey Vicki, we're certainly here alright!" said Robert.
"Yeah, we wanted to check out the new exhibit, too!" said Lorelei excitedly.
"Then, feel free to take many pictures as you want, Lorelei!" Vicki smiled.
While everyone was observing the mineral exhibit, Robert suddenly felt the sharp pain somehow. When he saw the dark poison crystal in front of him, he stood back very slowly and began to tremble. His eyes were twitching and his breathing was weighing down so fast. Vicki was looking at him and started to get worry as if he saw the ghost. Everyone else was also worried about him as his face was turning pale.
"Um, Robert, is something the matter?" Vicki asked anxiously.
Robert didn't respond at all when he saw the dark poison crystal on display. Lorelei and Darren quickly stepped in after they saw it with their own eyes and carried him from slipping down to the floor.
"Um, you have to excuse him!" said Lorelei. "He's...not feeling well at the moment!"
"Y-Yeah, he's having a...nausea," said Darren. "So, we apologized for inconvenience!"
"Oh no, it's okay!" said Vicki.
"We're hoping that Robert will be feeling better soon," said Nick.
Lorelei and Darren quickly dragged Robert away from the mineral exhibit and left the museum. Robert leaned against the wall and got some fresh air. He finally breathed normal again and was fully recovered. He began looking around to see if no one's listening before he spoke to them.
"What is that crystal doing in the museum?" Robert asked. "And why does it have to be here?"
"I think Blathers and Celeste must have explored Emblem and discovered it somewhere," Lorelei answered.
"And they brought it here for the display," Darren added. "They didn't know that it was actually the dark poison crystal and thought that it was the onyx."
"Well, that's just great!" Robert exclaimed. "If that crystal is in the museum, then I'm not going there and that's final!"
"But Robert, what about Vicki?" Lorelei asked.
"What about...Oh, um...y-you can tell her that I'll see her at the dining room tomorrow whenever I'll get better."
"Okay, I can tell her for you right now by sending her the text message."
As soon as Robert went to his hotel room, Lorelei quickly sent Vicki the text message. After that was done, she and Darren were heading to the hotel right away. Suddenly, they bumped into Sammy and Jimmy who were checking out to see the mineral exhibit.
"Well now, where do you lovebirds heading to right now?" Sammy asked.
"We're going back to the hotel, that's where," Darren answered.
"That's right, could you at least excuse us please?" Lorelei asked, as she and Darren were walking pass the twins and heading straight to the hotel.
Back at the mineral exhibit, Vicki read the text message from Lorelei. After that, she put her phone away and began focusing back to the mysterious onyx. She started to communicate with Serena within her mind.
Hey Serena, I began to sense the negative power within one of the ores, Vicki thought. I don't know what kind of ore that is, but it's not an ordinary ore to me.
Hmm, the color of the ore may be black as an onyx, Serena explained in spirit. But something tells me that this is not an ore. It's a crystal, a crystal of darkness as far as I can tell...
C-Crystal of darkness, eh?
While Vicki was focusing on the dark poison crystal, Nick and Serenity had stopped taking pictures with their phones and stared at each other. Suddenly, they heard footsteps coming from the entrance. Once they grew louder and louder, they saw Sammy and Jimmy entered the mineral exhibit.
"Well, well, this new exhibit is a beauty!" said Sammy, as he suddenly saw Nick and Serenity who were standing there. "And of course, another pair of lovebirds are here..."
"Hey Sammy and Jimmy..." said Nick and Serenity in a flat tone.
"No doubt about it, you two are checking out the new exhibit I assume," said Jimmy.
"That's right," said Nick, "but don't say this exhibit is boring, okay? Because Blathers and Celeste did all the hard work in the museum!"
"Now, why would we want to say that, Nicky-boy?" Sammy asked.
"Yeah, why is that?" Jimmy agreed.
"Because you guys kept saying that in every exhibit last year," Serenity answered. "And believe me, Vicki and I were here!"
Sammy took a glance at Vicki who was standing in front of the dark poison crystal. He scoffed at her without her noticing that and began to chuckle.
"Well, speaking of the mayor..." Sammy grinned. "Hey Nicky-boy, why is your big sister standing there like a statue and an idiot at the same time?"
"Yeah, why is that?" Jimmy laughed.
"Sammy, don't say that!" Nick argued, clenching his teeth. "Otherwise, you're going to get it big time!"
After Vicki heard every word from Sammy, she stopped thinking about the dark poison crystal and started to face him. She was getting annoy that she started to clear her throat and smile at him. She placed her hand on his shoulder and pressed it really hard that he felt the pain.
"Well, Sammy, the only idiots I know are you and Jimmy," Vicki smiled, as she was keeping her cool while clenching her teeth. "That's all I have to say!"
Sammy moaned softly that his eyes were wide-opened while Vicki was still pressing his shoulder very hard. Then, she let go of him before he started rubbing his shoulder to relieve the pain. Suddenly, he and Jimmy spotted the dark poison crystal right behind her. They quickly pushed her away and saw it with their own eyes.
"Will you just look at that, Jimmy?" Sammy asked. "Isn't she a beauty or what?"
"Yeah, a real beauty alright!" Jimmy replied. "Let's start taking a picture of it, Sammy!"
"Good idea!"
Sammy and Jimmy were looking for their smartphones in their pockets. But the big problem was they forgot to bring them. Vicki, Nick, and Serenity were laughing at them very lightly.
"Let me guess...you two left your smartphones at home, right?" Vicki grinned.
"Y-Yeah, I-I guess we did..." said Jimmy.
"Come on, Jimmy, let's go back home and take our smartphones with us," said Sammy. "And then, we'll come back here later!"
"Yeah!"
When Sammy and Jimmy had gone home, Vicki shook her head while Nick and Serenity rolled their eyes. Vicki quickly took a picture of the dark poison crystal with her smartphone before she left the museum with the others.
At the gym, Robert threw the punches at the punching bag for his practice. As soon as he was starting to feel all worn out, he hung onto it and took a break for a moment. Suddenly, the lights were all out and the gym became pitched-dark. Robert looked around the surroundings and thought that it was just the power outage. But when he heard the footsteps approaching, he quickly turned around and saw Steel Man.
"Hey there, tough guy!" said Steel Man. "Are you all alone right now?"
"What do you want, Steel Man?" Robert asked, ignoring Steel Man's question. "And did you happened to turn off the lights on purpose?"
"Yes, I did happen to turn off the lights! I'm doing this for the sake of my master, Allen!"
"Then, he's not going to get away with this!" Robert immediately tapped his wristband and transformed. "Knight power action!"
Meanwhile, Vicki, Nick, and Serenity left the museum and went straight to their homes. When Vicki began to sense an evil presence, she stopped walking and glanced at the hotel. Nick and Serenity stopped their tracks and looked at her for a second.
"Vicki, what's the matter?" Serenity asked.
"I'm sensing the enemy is in the hotel," Vicki answered. "You two keep on going, I'm heading to the hotel right now!"
As soon as Vicki ran to the hotel and took out her microphone to transform, Nick began to sigh deeply and crossed his arms.
"Oh what? She doesn't want our help this time?" said Nick abruptly. "Is it because she doesn't want us to get hurt by whoever this villain is?"
"Nick, this is no time to complain about it," said Serenity sternly. "Let's just do as she says now!" Finally, she quickly dragged him to the town without hesitation.
Back at the gym, Steel Man and Masked Swordmaster fought against each other. As soon as Phantom Angel has arrived and saw the fight, she noticed that the door was closed. She tried to open it, but it was locked tight. Then, she found the solution that she could get into the gym. She quickly used her guardian staff to create the portal, and she finally jumped right in.
While the fight was still on, Masked Swordmaster blew a punch at Steel Man. The punk bully was thrown to the wall and got slammed. While he was still standing, the portal appeared right after him and Phantom Angel charged right through him. They both fell to the floor after they bumped into each other.
"Oh, that's going to leave a mark..." said Masked Swordmaster softly, as he scratched his head.
Phantom Angel and Steel Man got up and suddenly glared at each other. They both moved away from each other and finally stood up on their feet.
"Girl, where did you come from?" Steel Man asked. "I even locked the door shut! That way, nobody will dare enter, not even you!"
"Oh, let's just say I have my own ways, Steel Man!" Phantom Angel answered. "But the question is what are you doing here?"
"Yeah, I was about to ask the same thing!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed, as he was joining Phantom Angel's side.
"Oh, I'm just here to distract you both!" Steel Man replied.
"Distract us? From what?" Phantom Angel asked curiously.
As soon as Steel Man nodded, the mysterious figure knocked the Duo of Justice down with the stick. After they collapsed to the floor, the evil-possessed gorilla stepped out of the shadow and put the stick away.
"Nice work, Peewee!" Steel Man grinned. "Now, let's see of what we can do with those two..."
Meanwhile at the museum, Lewis and his henchmen went to the mineral exhibit with their disguises. Once they had arrived, they returned back to their true forms. They brought their equipment to break down the display in order to steal the dark poison crystal. Their work was just the beginning, and it might take a while to steal the crystal.
Back at the hotel, Phantom Angel and Masked Swordmaster were finally awakened. Surprisingly, they found themselves trapped inside of the elevator. Phantom Angel pressed the button to open the elevator door, but for some reason, it wouldn't open at all. Even she tried to press it multiple times, it still wouldn't open.
"Oh no, the elevator won't open!" Phantom Angel exclaimed, as she was starting to get frustrated. "Either it was broken down or..."
"Or this must be Steel Man's doing..." Masked Swordmaster suggested.
"Then, I wonder why he's putting us here for..."
"Well, there is only one thing he's planning to do with us."
Suddenly, the Duo of Justice heard a feedback from the speaker, which it was right above the buttons. As soon as they paid attention to it, someone began to speak through it.
"Well, well, you two have finally awakened!" Steel Man announced. "In case if you're wondering, I'm in the control of this elevator right now! Once the elevator reaches to the top floor, my animal slave will cut the cables from it. When that happens, the elevator will begin to fall really fast; and you both will be drop dead! Ha ha ha!"
"Aw man, he can't be serious now, can he?!" Phantom Angel asked in a frightening tone.
"Actually, he really is..." Masked Swordmaster replied in a grave tone.
The elevator began moving up really slowly before it reached to the top floor. The Duo of Justice were trying to think of a way to escape the elevator. Until they saw the emergency door right above them, Phantom Angel flew up and quickly opened it. The elevator suddenly stopped as it reached to the top floor. Few seconds later, Peewee began to cut the cables and the elevator was going down really fast.
As soon as the elevator got crashed to the bottom floor, the villains began to laugh very hard that they began to celebrate. But what they didn't realized from the inside was the Duo of Justice were still alive. Phantom Angel carried Masked Swordmaster away from the elevator on time before it got crashed. They looked down for a few seconds before they looked at each other.
"Man, that was a close call!" Phantom Angel sighed in relief.
"Yeah, I daresay..." said Masked Swordmaster. "If we were stuck in the elevator, then our lives would've been over. But anyways, shall we go up then? To the top floor?"
"Yeah, let's go up then!"
While Phantom Angel flew up to the top floor, Masked Swordmaster looked at her in confidence. As soon as they reached to the top floor, he cracked his knuckles and tried to open the elevator door with all his strength. Phantom Angel couldn't help but to look at him of how strong he was by opening the elevator door. Finally, the Duo of Justice found Steel Man, Peewee, and the henchmen were on the top floor.
"Hey Steel Man, I'm afraid your plan failed!" Phantom Angel smiled.
"H-How did you two escaped?!" Steel Man asked surprisingly.
"Luckily, we found the emergency door right above the elevator and got through it to escape, that's how!" Masked Swordmaster explained.
Steel Man growled angrily. "SCREW YOU, DYNAMIC DUO! Men, attack them now!"
The Duo of Justice were fighting against Steel Man's henchmen. Few moments after they gave them a knockout, Masked Swordmaster was fighting off against the punk bully. Phantom Angel blocked Peewee from his getaway and took him away to the police station. While the two opponents were clutching hand in hand, they started to glare in daggers.
"Once I'll stop you, your reign will be over, Steel Man!" Masked Swordmaster exclaimed, clenching his teeth while he was sweating.
"Ha, my reign you say?" Steel Man grinned. "I think it was you who were about to feel the misery, just like last year!"
"And what do you mean by that?"
"Well, in case if you didn't know about last year, Allen put something that would make you lose your mind!"
Masked Swordmaster gasped when his eyes were suddenly wide-opened. "W-What? H-How exactly?!"
Steel Man didn't answer to the white knight's question, but he kept on explaining to him instead. "As soon as the new moon appeared, you will be out of control all day and all night like last year!"
After Masked Swordmaster and Steel Man let go of their grips, the heroic knight suddenly remembered that time back in Emblem. Everything fell silent while he was looking down at his hands and trembled in fear. Steel Man cracked his knuckles and started to approach him. He went behind him and took him down until Phantom Angel came back and kicked him by the side.
"Hey big bully, didn't someone ever told you not to sneak up on people like that?" Phantom Angel asked.
"Foolish girl, didn't someone ever told you not to interfere other people's business?" Steel Man asked.
"Like, I really want to know!"
"Then, why don't you just stay out of this?"
"Why should I?"
"He's right..." said Masked Swordmaster gloomily. "Phantom Angel, you have nothing to do with this, and I don't want you to get involved."
"B-But...why?" Phantom Angel asked curiously.
"Let's just say that he and I had a small chat while you were gone," Steel Man replied. "But anyways, I'm out of here!"
After Steel Man disappeared, Phantom Angel was looking at Masked Swordmaster who was about to lose his confidence. He was afraid to look at her in the eye, but she wasn't afraid to ask him a question.
"D-Don't mind me if I can ask you this..." said Phantom Angel, without hesitation. "But what are you and Steel Man talking about while I was taking Peewee to the police station?"
"It's...well, that's something you don't really want to know," Masked Swordmaster replied in hesitation. "I-I-I'm sorry, it's a very long story, but I can't explain this to you this time..."
Phantom Angel was very speechless and stunned of what Masked Swordmaster was saying. This was the first time he couldn't answer her question because he was afraid to explain everything to her. If what Steel Man said to him was true, then he would've put everyone in danger. Especially, he would harm Phantom Angel whenever the new moon appeared.