Animal Crossing In Action: Duo Of Justice
Chapter 20: The New Moon's Curse
At the ship, Allen was staring at the town of StarLily. For some reason, it reminded him of Emblem before it became a destruction. Then, Charlene appeared and came to see him. She was standing next to him and held his hand.
"Allen, is something the matter?" Charlene asked.
"Well, how do I put it this way?" Allen asked, before he could answer her question. "Do you ever recall the time when Masked Swordmaster made his debut speech?"
"From last year, you mean?"
"Yes..."
"Ah! Now that you mentioned it, I do remember that time!"
It took place in Emblem one year ago, Charlene disguised herself as a normal, sweet villager. Masked Swordmaster couldn't help but to lay eyes on her. He began to fall in love with her as he took her hand, and they both glanced at each other while they were smiling. Lorelei made a heavy sigh and Darren scratched his head and bit his lip. When they saw Charlene wrapped her arms around Masked Swordmaster and their faces were getting closer to each other, their eyes were wide-opened and their jaws began to drop. Lorelei furiously dragged Darren out of the party as if they didn't want to see of what's going to happen next.
"Oh, one moment..." said Charlene, with the fake accent. "You don't mind if I can add my lipstick on my lips, now do you?"
"Why, of course not!" Masked Swordmaster replied. "G-Go right ahead!"
"Thank you! I'll be right back!"
Charlene left the party and went straight behind the wall. She checked to see if nobody's looking and continued to walk through the hallway. She immediately saw Allen, who was standing against the wall, waiting for her. He gave her the red lipstick which it looked like the ordinary one but with the dark spell. He also gave her the tube which it has the tiny, black shard inside of it.
"Don't forget to add the dark poison crystal in his drink, got it?" Allen smirked.
"Oh, I won't forget about that, Allen," said Charlene, with the real tone of her voice. "I'm getting to that real soon!"
As soon as Charlene went back to the party, she quickly applied her cursed lipstick first. Then, she grabbed two cups of juice from the table and put them aside. She quickly looked around to see if nobody's looking once again before she added the dark poison crystal into one of the two drinks. As soon as it disappeared, she was now ready to serve the drinks to herself and Masked Swordmaster.
"Sorry for making you wait that long," said Charlene, with the fake tone. "I was about to grab a drink for you just in case if you're thirsty."
"That's okay, it's very kind of you to offer me a drink," said Masked Swordmaster, as Charlene gave him a drink which it contained the dark poison crystal that he couldn't even sense it. So, he quickly drank the juice and threw the empty cup into the trash can.
"Oh, there is one more thing that I have to give you."
"And what could that be?"
Charlene pulled Masked Swordmaster up close and gave him a kiss. When Lorelei and Darren came back to the party, they caught them kissing each other. Darren wouldn't believe his eyes and Lorelei has her jaws dropped. Charlene and Masked Swordmaster let go of each other and caught their breaths at the same time. Suddenly, he felt a bit dizzy as he quickly shook his head. Finally, it was time for him to make his speech so he went up stage right away.
"Hello everybody, and thank you for joining the party!" Masked Swordmaster announced, while everybody began to listen to his speech.
Few minutes later, everybody gave Masked Swordmaster a round of applause after he was done making his speech. As soon as he left the stage, he was starting to feel a bit dizzy. Everything was starting to get blurry for him, and he suddenly collapsed on stage. Some animals gasped in fear while others started to scream in panic. Lorelei and Darren rushed to the white knight and checked on him to see if he's alright.
"Masked Swordmaster, are you alright?" Lorelei asked softly.
Masked Swordmaster didn't respond and started to groan in pain. He began to breathe heavily and the sweats were dropping from his forehead. Darren placed his hand on his forehead and felt it was heating up.
"Whoa, he's getting burn up now, Lorelei!" said Darren anxiously.
"B-But that can't be!" Lorelei trembled. "How did this happen?!"
Charlene quickly left the party before someone realized that it was her fault and joined Allen by his side. She changed her true form and stared at the new moon through the window before they left the building.
When Charlene's flashback ended, she was now focusing on the current time. She held Allen's hand, and he gave her a kiss. They both stared at the crescent moon, which it became very thin.
"Speaking of the nemesis, what's going to happen to Robert when the new moon appears tomorrow night?" Charlene asked.
"Oh, I think you already know what's going to happen next," Allen answered, as he began to laugh maniacally.
The next day, Lorelei and Darren left their bedrooms as they were ready to go out some places. But they noticed that Robert hasn't come out from his bedroom. So, they entered his bedroom to see if he's alright. Then, they saw him still in his bed and started to moan in pain while Neon was watching over him.
"Neon, what's wrong with Robert?" Darren asked. "Is he sick?"
"I'm afraid it's more than that..." Neon answered dreadfully.
"W-What do you mean?" Lorelei asked in panic.
"Do you two remember the time after Robert made his speech last year?"
"Oh! Now that you mentioned it, how can I forget that?"
"Yeah, we do remember that, Neon," said Darren. "What about it?"
"Well, it seems as though that someone put a darker spell on him," Neon explained. "And I believe this was Allen's doing!"
"Oh, that creep!" Lorelei exclaimed. "How could we not see that coming? And how did he do it exactly?"
"Allen must've send one of his retainers to do the work for him."
"Well, isn't there a way to break a spell from my brother, Neon?"
"Hmm, I may not know the answer to your question, Lorelei, but I believe someone knows how exactly..."
Vicki was lying down at the town tree and watching the snow fall from the sky. She couldn't imagine that Robert kissed her for the first time in their heroic versions. Ever since they fell in love with each other, she couldn't stop thinking about it. That was until Nick began to interrupt her from her best moment.
"Sorry to interrupt your daydream, sis," said Nick. "But Lorelei came to see me in few minutes ago and wanted me to tell you that Robert was not feeling well today."
"Oh my, that sounds serious!" said Vicki. "I'll go pay him a visit right now!"
Nick tried to say something else to Vicki, but she quickly stood up and rushed to the hotel right away. He sighed heavily and scratched the back of his head.
Vicki had arrived at Robert's hotel room and knocked on the door. Lorelei answered the door and saw her standing there patiently.
"Oh hey Vicki, you came here to see Robert, right?" said Lorelei.
"Yes, I wanted to see him if it's alright with you," said Vicki.
When Lorelei let Vicki in, she led her to Robert's bedroom and knocked on the door. Neon quickly disappeared and Robert glanced at the door while lying down on his bed.
"Robert, Vicki's here right now!" Lorelei shouted. "Can she come in and see you?"
"Y-Yeah, just let her in..." Robert shouted back, while he was still groaning.
Lorelei opened the door for Vicki so she could come in to see Robert. As soon as she closed the door behind her, Vicki sat down next to him and held his hand for comfort.
"Robert, I've heard that you're not feeling well..." said Vicki. "You're sick, right? Do you have a fever or maybe a flu?"
"It's-It's nothing like that at all..." Robert moaned. "It's something else..."
"Something else? What do you mean by that?"
"There is something that I should've told you before...About what Steel Man told me before was a disaster one."
"Can you explain it to me?"
"It all started last year back in Emblem, my nemesis sent one of his retainers to put a curse on me..."
"Wait, who's your nemesis?"
"I-I can't say his name in front of you. But anyways, Charlene must've somehow put a spell on me before I went up stage to make my debut speech..."
"Charlene, eh? So, she's working with him I believe?"
"Y-Yes, she is. But there's more, she is his real girlfriend! Didn't Lorelei or I told you about the girl I fell in love with before I got rejected and met you?"
"Wait a minute, do you really mean to tell me that she's the one who...?"
"Yes, Charlene was the one I fell in love with at the first sight before I realized that I got rejected, and she betrayed me! You're right about one thing, Vicki. Falling in love with a villain is nothing, but a nightmare to us all."
Vicki was a bit jealous, but more shocking to hear of what Robert was saying. "Let me get this straight! You fell in love with the witch princess at first, then she set you up this whole time and rejected you for her real boyfriend! Right?"
"M-My thoughts exactly...I-I don't know why, but I ended up being used and got cursed by the traitor at the end."
"W-What happened after you made your speech?"
"Right after I made my speech, I suddenly collapsed on stage and felt the sharp pain inside of me somehow. Few minutes later, I was out of rage and stormed out of the party..."
Vicki was terrified after listening to Robert's explanation. She was thinking of a way to break the evil curse from him. Then, she heard a loud moan as she quickly looked at him.
"T-Tonight, the new moon will appear as I fear..." said Robert softly. "Once it's here, I'm going to...lose control of myself...and destroy everything and everybody, including you..."
"No Robert, don't say that!" Vicki exclaimed. "You're going to fight the curse! I know you can!"
"You don't understand...not even myself can fight this curse that was inside of me! Vicki, for your own safety, just...leave me when this happens."
"N-No! Why would I have to leave you? Robert, we're in this together as a team! You can't deny it!"
"I know, but this situation is different, Vicki. Just heed my words and save yourself! Otherwise, you would've get killed!"
"But there's got to be a way to break this curse! I know it, and you will be saved! I'm sure of it!"
After Vicki had a long talk with Robert, she looked up at the sky and it turned out to be dark very soon. She sat down at the fountain and brought some leftover brownies for Serena to eat. All of the sudden, Serena appeared from the fountain as she grabbed a piece of brownie and took a bite. Then, she glanced over at Vicki who seemed to be very depressed.
"Is there something the matter, Vicki?" Serena asked.
"Well, you see..." Vicki replied, as she was starting to explain the situation to Serena.
"What? Your ally will be out of control when the new moon appears?!" said Serena shockingly.
"That's right, that's what he just told me...I need to find a way to break the curse from him, but what is it exactly? I really want to save him no matter what!"
Serena was thinking of the solution to break the curse until she finally got an answer. "Wait a minute, I just thought of something! Vicki, didn't Katrina gave you something that will break the curse?"
"What? Oh yeah, that's right! She gave me the antidote pill after I got my fortune in about one or two weeks ago! I completely forgot about that!"
Vicki took out the bottle from her pocket and showed it to Serena with the antidote pill. After her guardian examined it in few seconds ago, Vicki put it back in her pocket safely.
"Just in case if something happens to him, I'll have to give him this right away!" said Vicki.
"Then, good luck with that," said Serena, encouraging her.
At night, the new moon suddenly appeared in the sky. Robert felt the sharp pain inside of him and his sweats were dropping from his forehead. When he opened his eyes, his anger was in rage and he totally lost his control. He jumped out of his bed and ran away from his room. Lorelei and Darren saw him running like an insane person. They tried to stop him, but he pushed them away and left his hotel room.
Sammy and Jimmy left the Roost after they drank their coffee. As soon as they heard an angry shout, they turned around to see of where this was coming from. Until suddenly, someone ran over them and knocked them down like a pancake. They didn't get a chance to look behind them while they were lying down and facing the ground.
"H-Hey, what's the rush?" Sammy asked.
"Yeah, what's your hurry?" Jimmy moaned, as he and Sammy suddenly fainted and faced to the ground once again.
Vicki was inside of her house, drawing a picture on her sketchbook. When she suddenly heard someone shouting, she dropped the pencil and the sketchbook to the floor and immediately looked through the window. She saw the white knight who was now losing his mind.
"Oh no, that can't be!" Vicki exclaimed, as she was running downstairs and went outside. "The new moon is here now! This can only mean Masked Swordmaster is in trouble now! Angelic power action!"
After Vicki transformed into Phantom Angel, she flew up and began searching for Masked Swordmaster. When she finally spotted him, he began wrecking the trees, flowers, bushes, and even some public works projects. As soon as she quickly landed, she quickly stopped him before he continued to damage some more.
"Masked Swordmaster, stop this chaos right now!" Phantom Angel exclaimed. "I don't know if you can hear me or my words can reach you at the moment, but let me help you remove the curse right now!"
"Phantom...Angel..." Masked Swordmaster groaned weakly, as his eyes twitched a bit and his voice was straining. "W-What are you doing here? Y-You shouldn't be here...just run n-now!"
Phantom Angel quickly shook her head. "No, I can't do that! You're my partner, and I'll never leave you, not even like this! I remember you once said to me that you'll do anything to protect me! Now, I'm telling you that I'll do anything to protect you! You saved me many times before; and now it's my turn to save you, just like I did once!"
Nick, Serenity, Lorelei, and Darren were standing behind the town hall and watching the scene between the angel and the knight. Their eyes were getting intensified by that scene. Lorelei and Serenity bit their nails nervously while Nick and Darren's faces were turning pale like a ghost.
"Phantom Angel has to do something really quick, Nick," said Lorelei. "Otherwise, she's going to get killed by my own brother!"
"Knowing my own sister, Lorelei," said Nick. "It's that she has to reach out to him first."
"I know, but how will that help?"
Masked Swordmaster took out his sword and pointed at Phantom Angel. She was frightened for a bit by closing her eyes for a split second, but that wouldn't stop her from reaching out to him. She was still standing and looking at him thoroughly. So, she began to spread her arms wide-opened without any hesitation.
"I know that the part of you may want to kill me, Masked Swordmaster," said Phantom Angel, "but the other part of you will never want to do that because I know it and I can sense it! Your body may have been control by an evil spell, but you can still control your heart and mind!"
"Oh y-yes..." Masked Swordmaster struggled in hesitation. "I-I know my body was...out of the control right now. B-But just...get out of the way! H-Hurry!"
Masked Swordmaster's out of control body was charging right through Phantom Angel with his sword. As soon as he was getting closer to her, she quickly closed her eyes and shifted her face to the right. All of the sudden, she heard a ding so she opened her eyes and saw what happened next. He lowered his sword and went down on his knee because he knew he would never want to kill her. His hand was shaking while holding his sword, but his other hand tried to stop it from struggling. Phantom Angel quickly bent down and wrapped her arms around him while Masked Swordmaster's heart and mind was in control. She quickly took out the bottle with the antidote pill inside of it.
"Masked Swordmaster, you must take this right now!" said Phantom Angel, as she removed the pill from the bottle and put it into his mouth. "It's the antidote pill that Katrina gave it to me. It's going to lift the curse from you, and you'll be back to your old, normal self again in no time!"
When Phantom Angel gave the antidote pill to Masked Swordmaster, he took it in his mouth and swallowed it very slowly. After that, he started to cough a couple of times until he spat out of blood. Phantom Angel was disgusted that she saw a splotch of blood, but then she saw something else. She saw a tiny shard of the dark poison crystal, which it was covered in blood. Masked Swordmaster breathed heavily that he really wanted to get some air. As soon as he stood up, he took a deep breath and finally exhaled. His curse was now broken, even the new moon was still there at night.
"Finally, I'm back to myself again," said Masked Swordmaster, "and my body is in control again. Phantom Angel, thank you for saving me!"
"It's the least I can do for my beloved ally!" said Phantom Angel happily.
Masked Swordmaster offered his hand to Phantom Angel, so she took his hand and he pulled her up. Then, he hugged each other very tightly that his problem was finally over. When they noticed that the dark poison crystal was still there, Phantom Angel wanted to pick it up, but it was covered in blood; and Masked Swordmaster didn't want to go near it. But luckily, someone picked it up and put it inside of the tube. The Duo of Justice were surprised to see of who it was.
"Katrina?" the heroes exclaimed.
"I will put this away for now and start researching it later," said Katrina, as she put the tube inside of her pocket. "Well done, hero of melody and purity, you saved the hero of strength and intelligence from peril."
"Actually, you're the one who gave me the antidote pill for Masked Swordmaster to take, Katrina," said Phantom Angel.
"Unfortunately, thank the ones who gave me the preparations for all this in the first place..."
Serena and Neon appeared all of the sudden at Katrina's side. The Duo of Justice wouldn't believe their eyes that their guardians were helping her out.
"That's right, I told Katrina everything about what's going to happen when the new moon appeared," Neon explained.
"And I witnessed the whole thing until the end," Serena explained. "So, I went to get Katrina and Neon right away."
"Um, Serena..." said Phantom Angel curiously.
"N-Neon, explain?" said Masked Swordmaster curiously.
"Explain about what?" Neon asked.
"I think they wanted to know is when we first met, how we know all about this and stuff..." said Serena. "But that's not important, and we'll explain about this later, young heroes!"
"Besides, we're not the only ones who were eavesdropping..." Neon shrugged.
Serena, Neon, and Katrina were looking at the tree right behind them. The Duo of Justice were very confused that they had no idea of what's going on. They both glanced at each other and shrugged at the same time.
"I guess they're not coming out at anytime now, are they?" said Serena unenthusiastically.
"No, we'll just have to make them instead," said Neon.
"Wait, who's 'them'?" the Duo of Justice asked.
Serena clapped her paws and Neon snapped his fingers to make the tree shake a little. All of the sudden, four humans fell from the tree branches and ended up landing on the ground. Two boys lied down on the ground while the two girls were on top of them for their soft landing. The Duo of Justice were surprised to see of who they were hiding in the treetops.
"What the...?" Phantom Angel asked, as she was speechless.
"W-What are you all doing here?!" Masked Swordmaster asked surprisingly.
"Err, um..." Nick stammered.
"Well, you see..." Lorelei stammered.
Nobody had anything else to say at all until Katrina began to explain in her own words.
"They were just checking out to see what's going on between the both of you," Katrina explained.
"That's right," Serena agreed. "When you two revealed your secret identities with each other, they were right below the building and overheard everything!"
"But that's not all..." Neon added. "Right after confessing your love to each other, they witnessed the whole thing! Especially, Lorelei took a picture of you two kissing each other!"
"What? Is this true?!" the Duo of Justice asked, looking at the four humans.
"We're sorry, we didn't really mean to eavesdrop!" said Serenity and Darren, as they bowed down rapidly at the dynamic duo.
"Well, that doesn't matter anymore," said Phantom Angel.
"Perhaps, you're right," said Masked Swordmaster. "What really matter is that my nightmare is finally over. And here I thought I would never wake up..."
Suddenly, Masked Swordmaster fainted and collapsed to the ground. Everyone gasped as they rushed to check on him to see if he's alright. Phantom Angel tried to wake him up by shaking him.
"Masked Swordmaster, are you alright?" Phantom Angel asked. "Say something!"
"He will be okay for now," said Katrina. "He's all worn out and needed some rest."
"Well, I guess I'll have to carry him to the hotel room until I'll get my back broken by then..."
"Unfortunately, there's no need for you to do that, Phantom Angel," said Neon.
"What? Why is that?"
Serena turned to Nick and Darren and said, "Nick, Darren, you two can carry Masked Swordmaster all the way to his hotel room right now!"
Nick started to complain and asked, "Aw, is it because we're-?"
"Yes!" the guardians exclaimed, as they cut off Nick's question.
Nick and Darren made a heavy sigh as they carried Masked Swordmaster by the arms and dragged him to his hotel room. Lorelei and Serenity shrugged while they were staring at each other. Phantom Angel glanced at the unconscious white knight and sighed very softly.
The next day, Robert woke up as he slowly opened his eyes and moaned softly. Then, he heard someone singing in a very soft tune. He glanced at Vicki and was surprised to see her in his room.
"V-Vicki...h-how long have you been here?" Robert asked wearily.
"Since this morning, Robert," Vicki replied, "Lorelei asked me if I could come and take care of you; and I told her that I would do that."
"Oh, that sister of mine...But you don't have to go through all the trouble to come and take care of me until I'll get better."
"Well, it's the least I can do. Just go easy on yourself, and don't try to push yourself too hard, okay? You really need to get some rest, Robert."
Robert sighed. "Perhaps, you're right...I really do deserve that in the meantime..."
Vicki started to hum a tune in rhythm while Robert was taking a nap. As soon as he listened to her humming, he suddenly fell asleep and relaxed in his bed.