Chapter 11

Arthur continued looking around town for the vault codes. Along the way, he decided to put the new badge that the Badge Seller gave him to the test. Thanks to it, he was able to reach places he would normally be unable to go to with the double jump and the dive ability. Arthur was really impressed to be able to do that now. Though, he wasn't used to these new abilities and that caused him to faceplant in the wall more than once. Some Mafia men saw that and snickered, but Arthur simply brushed them off.

After some more training, the young boy continued to search for the codes. He was able to find a second code on top of a house, then another one on a delivery ship at the dock. However, after retrieving the latter, he got ambushed by two Mafia men who immediately recognized him and tried to attack him as revenge for what he did to the Mafia Boss. Normally, he would have been overpowered. But thanks to the new badge, he was able to try out the homing attacks – remembering how Hat Kid did them – and he knocked out both goons. The yound boy was surprised with the outcome, but he was happy with it.

Now he had three code tickets out of four. Just one left! He went back to the market and saw one stuck on a tightrope that was high up in the air. His face grew pale, remembering the first time he had tried to stand on a tightrope and it almost ended badly for him.

He could feel his anxiety kicking in and felt himself being on the verge of hyperventilating. However, he took some deep breathes and took a moment to calm down. No... He had to do it! He didn't collect all of those codes to just give up at the finish line! With a determined look, he jumped on one of the umbrellas to give himself a boost and was able to reach the tightrope. When he landed on it, he expected to lose his footing and fall, but he suprisingly was able to quickly regain his balance. He took a step forward, then another one, and another... and another...

Arthur couldn't believe it! He was litterally walking on tightrope with such ease, almost like he had done that his whole life! The Badge Seller did mention that the badge also gave the ability to walk on tightropes. So that was that. Eventually, the twelve-year-old boy reached the code ticket and picked it up. He then used one of the umbrellas to soften his fall and hopped down on the ground.

Arthur touched the badge on his hat and thought, 'Thank you, Badge Seller,' with a smile. Now that he had all code numbers, he could go back to the golden vault and open it.

"Little hat boy?" a voice suddenly asked from behind him. Arthur turned around and saw a Mafia man looking at him curiously.

"Uhh... yeah?" Arthur asked nervously, preparing himself to pull out his crowbar in case the goon tried to attack him.

"Don't be alarmed, Mafia won't hurt you," the Mafia man reassured him.

"Why not?" Arthur asked skeptically, still keeping his defensive stance.

"Mafia just want to talk. Mafia saw little boy at bar last night," The Mafia goon explained.

"At the bar?" Arthur asked confused. Suddenly, his eyes widened in realization. "Wait... Are you the barman I talked to last night?" The goon nodded with a smile.

"Yes. Mafia talked to you to give advice before little boy fought boss at theatre," the Mafia barman said. Arthur rubbed the back of his hand nervously upon hearing the last statement.

"Yeah... About that... Uhm..." the twelve-year-old boy said in a nervous tone. The Mafia barman shook his head.

"Little boy not worry, Mafia sure you had reasons. You don't look like you wanted to fight him anyway," the Mafia barman said in a reassuring tone.

Arthur gave him a surprised look. This man who is part of the Mafia actually understands his reasons for fighting the Mafia Boss? If it wasn't a trick, then he must be the nicest and most understanding goon of the Mafia. Nicer than anyone he had met in his home world.

"Mafia just have question. What happened to boss after you and little hat girl defeated him?" the Mafia barman asked curiously. Arthur raised an eyebrow at him.

"The Mafia Boss? Well, we didn't kill him. We simply left him on the stage after the fight. Wasn't he there?" Arthur asked in a curious tone. The goon shook his head.

"When Mafia went to check stage, boss wasn't there no more. Mafia haven't seen him since," the Mafia barman explained. Arthur looked down with a thoughtful expression as he put his hand on his chin. The Mafia Boss was missing? That was strange indeed...

"Well, if I see him anywhere, I'll... let you know," Arthur said hesitantly.

He didn't really want to go look around for the Mafia Boss since the latter had literally tried to kill him before. And since he and Hat Kid had defeated and probably humiliated him in front the whole Mafia crowd, there was no doubt the Mafia Boss would want to take revenge on him for what happened. However, since this Mafia goon had tried to help him the night before, the least he could do is tell him where his boss was if he sees him.

"Thank you, little hat boy," the Mafia barman said with an appreciative smile. "Now Mafia must be leaving. Need to go work. Mafia hope to see little boy again soon."

"Alright. See you," Arthur said. The Mafia barman then walked away.

The young boy put his hand on his chin, thinking about what the barman just said about the Mafia Boss. It's weird that he would simply disappear like that. Neither him or Hat Kid touched him after he fell unconscious at the end of their battle. It could be Mustache Girl's doing, but Arthur saw her leave the theatre before them to look for the Time Pieces and collect them for herself. Going back to kidnap the Mafia Boss wouldn't make sense as it would only slow her down. But then again, if Mustache Girl was so keen on getting revenge on the Mafia, then maybe she did do it...

Arthur was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt a tug on his arm. He turned around and saw Hat Kid standing there with a smile and a Time Piece in her hand.

"Hey. I take it you fixed the rift?" Arthur asked. Hat Kid nodded happily.

"Good. I've been able to find all the codes, so we can go back to the vault now," Arthur said as he pulled out the four code tickets to show them to her. Hat Kid gave him a thumbs-up to congratulate him.

The purple-hatted girl then noticed the badge on Arthur's hat and pointed at it in curiosity.

"Oh, this? The Badge Seller gave it to me. You'll find that strange, but it actually gives me the same abilities as you. Now I can double jump, dive, do homing attacks, and stand on tightropes. Comes in handy," Arthur explained as he touched the badge on his hat.

Hat Kid raised an eyebrow in wonder. A badge that gives the same abilities as her? How was the Badge Seller aware of her abilities and how was he able to recreate them into badges? This glitchy guy was definitely mysterious... Hat Kid then shrugged. Oh well, if it helped Arthur, then she didn't mind.

"Anyway, we should go open the vault and see what's inside," Arthur reminded her. Hat Kid nodded in agreement.

The two children were at the top of the building where the golden vault was again. With the code tickets in hand, Arthur turned the wheel of the vault to get the four numbers he needed in the correct order. Each time he got a number right, a click could be heard, signaling that a lock was removed. Hat Kid could barely stand in one place as she watched her ally unlock the vault. She was so eager to see what treasure was waiting inside.

After the last clicking sound, the vault was unlocked and Arthur opened it. His eyes widened as he looked inside it.

"Well, there's a sight for sore eyes," Arthur said with a smile as he went to pick up the mysterious treasure. Hat Kid gave him a puzzled look, until she saw him pull something of interest out of the vault. A Time Piece!

Arthur smiled at her and said, "Guess we made the right call by checking this vault out." He handed her the Time Piece and the small girl happily took it. "So that's, what, six Time Pieces out of... uhh... wait, how many do you have to find overall?" Hat Kid's smile dropped upon hearing Arthur's question. She took a deep breathe as she prepared herself to say the fatal sentence.

"Fifty-six..." Hat Kid said as she grimaced a little. Arthur felt like his eyes were gonna pop out of his skulls as he heard that.

"FIFTY-SIX?!" Arthur shouted in shock, causing Hat Kid to cover her ears at the sound of his yell. "How the hell are we gonna find them all? They could be anywhere on the planet at this point! And who knows who might have them now!" he ranted. Hat Kid gave him an irritated look that said 'I know that, but that's the way it is!'.

Arthur sighed in discouragement. He never imagined having to find this many Time Pieces! This was going to take a while to retrieve them all, and they don't know who might have gotten their hands on them. Not to mention that they had some competition with Mustache Girl. Heck, maybe she already found some and they would have to take them from her too! Arthur took a deep breathe to calm himself down, then he gave Hat Kid an apologetic look.

"Sorry, I just... I didn't imagine we'd have to find so many..." the twelve-year-old boy apologized. Hat Kid smiled at him and gave him a thumbs-up to tell him that it was okay.

Arthur sighed and said, "Well... I guess I'm gonna keep helping you find the rest of them. You and I have an agreement after all." Hat Kid nodded, relieved that he was still going to help her despite this newfound information.

"Anyway, we should probably bring these two Time Pieces back to your spaceship for safety. We can continue looking later on. I think I need some time to think first..." Arthur said in sad tone. Hat Kid gave him a worried look, but decided not to push it. He probably just needed some time to process all of this, which she didn't blame him for.

Hat Kid held the Time Piece in the air and Arthur grabbed her hand. The duo then flew up toward the sky. As they did, they were unaware that a certain feline figure had watched them and listened to their conversation from afar.

"So these little ones live on a spaceship? Maybe I could visit them to see how they are doing," they said to themselves as they watched Arthur and Hat Kid disappear in the blue sky.

When Hat Kid got back on her spaceship, she immediately put the two Time Pieces back in her vault. She then decided to respect Arthur's need and give the two of them some time to rest. The small girl played a video game on her TV until she had enough. Then she decided to play with her dolls for a bit.

While she was playing, she looked up and saw Arthur sitting at the corner of the room, focused on scribbling something on a piece of paper. She had a curious expression on her face as she stared at him. Hat Kid knew that Arthur didn't want the two of them to be friends, but she still wanted to get to know him better. Besides, since they were working together on finding these Time Pieces, it would be awkward if none of them spoke a word to each other when they were inside the spaceship. The purple-hatted girl figured that knowing his interests could probably help them build a friendship as she could do a few things to surprise him and hopefully gain the boy's trust.

Hat Kid put her dolls away and walked up to Arthur's side. The young boy was so focused on his paper that he didn't notice the girl approaching him. Standing to his side, she peeked over Arthur's shoulder and was able to see what he was doing. He was drawing what looked like a character she had never seen before with a hat, about the same style as Arthur's, some strange outfit and a weapon she couldn't identify. The drawing was uncolored and some details weren't finished, and yet Hat Kid couldn't help but feel impressed by the boy's drawing skills. Did Arthur like to draw often? That's amazing! She also likes to draw, except she was more of a painter.

Suddenly, Arthur felt like he was being watched and he looked to his side to see Hat Kid standing there, looking at his drawing. He quickly covered it with his hand and gave her an annoyed look.

"Hey! What are you doing here? Have you ever heard of personal space, girl?" Arthur asked in an irritated tone. Hat Kid rubbed the back of her head sheepishly and shrugged to say 'Sorry, I was just curious!'. Arthur sighed. Well... She saw the drawing, so he might as well just show it to her now. He removed his hand from the drawing, letting it in full view for the small girl to see.

"I'm drawing a cowboy. It's a character I've seen in movies that I... really like. I'm a big fan of anything related to the Wild West," Arthur relucantly explained, fearing that Hat Kid might make fun of his preferences.

Cowboy? Wild West? Hat Kid wasn't sure what they were. She had never seen a 'cowboy' before. Though she heard Mustache Girl call Arthur that multiple times, so maybe it had something to do with the hat? She will have to check that stuff out on the computer later to learn more about it.

"Everyone says it's old and dumb, just like my drawings... So go on ahead, say it if you wanna say it. I'm used to it anyway, so I don't care..." Arthur said with a defeated sigh.

Hat Kid looked at him shocked. People said his drawings were dumb? What are they talking about? His drawings are amazing! Just look at the one he is making right now! It's so good, and his other drawings must be the same! The people who said that must be either mean or just plain dumb! The small girl shook her head, then pointed at Arthur's drawing while giving a thumbs-up with her other hand. The twelve-year-old boy gave her a surprised look.

"You... like it?" Arthur asked shocked. Hat Kid nodded with a smile. "Wow... Well... You might be the first one to like my drawings then," he muttered as he went back to drawing.

Upon hearing that, Hat Kid's eyes widened. No one has ever liked his drawings before? Wow, wherever Arthur lived, the people there must be so mean- Oh... Hat Kid formed a sad look as realization hit her. Arthur must have been judged on his preferences his whole life, and maybe on more than just that... Maybe that explained why he felt so insecure and didn't want to trust others. He was scared of being made fun of. Well, Hat Kid wasn't one to judge others based on their preferences, so Arthur won't have to worry about that around her. She will prove that to him eventually.

Hat Kid then sat down next to Arthur and continued to watch him draw. After a minute, however, the boy began to grow uncomfortable with her presence. He liked being alone when he drew, and right now this girl was stepping in his comfort zone, even if she didn't judge his drawing.

Arthur sighed and said, "Look, kid. Could you possibly leave me alone? Drawing is the only way for me to have a moment for myself and I'd like it to remain that way. So can you go do something else away from me, please? I'd really appreciate it."

Hat Kid felt a bit hurt by that request, but she understood that he wasn't comfortable with her presence yet and still needed some time to get used to her. She sighed sadly and walked away. Hopefully, one day, she will be able to gain his trust.

"Warning. Intruder alert."

Both children jumped upon hearing the sudden alarm. An intruder? Who was it? Was it Mustache Girl? Another Mafia man? Arthur and Hat Kid pulled out their weapons, ready to fight in case the intruder was a threat to them.

However, as they looked at the person who came in through the hatch, they noticed that it wasn't Mustache Girl, nor a Mafia man. It was Cooking Cat! She was looking around the main room, fascinated by all the technology of the spaceship. Arthur and Hat Kid were confused. How did she get here?

The duo put their weapons away and approached the chef cat. The latter noticed them and gave them a smile.

"Oh hello, dears! What a lovely spaceship you have here!" Cooking Cat said happily.

"Cooking Cat? How did you get here?" Arthur asked with a puzzled expression.

"Oh, I used one of the Mafia's cannons to get up here," the chef cat explained. Arthur and Hat Kid gave each other a surprised look. She used the cannons? Are they really powerful enough to launch someone in space? That probably explained how the Mafia man who broke the hatch was able to reach the spaceship.

"Sorry for the break-and-entering, I just really wanted to see what an alien spaceship is like," Cooking Cat apologized as she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

"You know, I expected aliens to be more green and probably with a thirst for flesh. But I guess you aliens come in all shapes and size, huh?" she joked. Hat Kid formed an unamused expression on her face. She didn't appreciate this kind of stereotype that people from other planets had of her, and she didn't like the term 'alien' either. It made her feel like some kind of monster, which she wasn't.

"Well, the girl is an alien for sure. Me, I'm just a regular human who is... here as a simple guest," Arthur explained, making sure not to mention the Time Pieces or the real reason of his presence in this world.

"Oh, I see," Cooking Cat said as she nodded understandingly. "Well, if you two are looking to explore our planet, you have to understand it first. Otherwise you won't know if you're stepping on grass or quicksand!".

"Fair enough," Arthur said with a shrug. Hat Kid nodded in agreement.

"Have you two heard of relics?" Cooking Cat asked the duo.

"Relics?" Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Don't know how to identify them? Fear not, Cooking Cat is here!" the chef cat said with a grin. Then she asked, "Do you have a chalkboard somewhere?". Hat Kid pointed at the chalkboard at the corner of the room that Mustache Girl used to brief her and Arthur on her plan when they were still friends.

"Great! If you two want to take a sit, I'll tell you all about relics," Cooking Cat said as she made her way to the chalkboard. Arthur and Hat Kid nodded and followed her to the chalkboard. After that, the two children sat on their chairs and gave the chef cat their full attention.

Cooking Cat scribbled something on the chalkboard and stepped aside to let the children see. She had drawn two parts of a burger with some explanations written on the different parts.

"Relics are objects you can find all around the planet and keep as collectibles. They're like pieces of a puzzle, which means you will need to put multiple parts together to complete one. I'll let you have this Burger Cushion relic for free!" Cooking Cat explained, before pulling out a plush bun, cheese and lettuce pillow and handing it over to Hat Kid. The small girl took it and examined it curiously. Cooking Cat then flipped the board and revealed a drawing of a podium with different parts of what is supposed to represent a relic.

"You can identify this relic at the podium! If you place them on the podium in the correct order, you might be able to make sense of it," the chef cat continued, before flipping the board once again and revealing the drawing of a completed burger relic on a podium. "If you're able to identify a relic, something great might happen! You never know! So keep an eye out for relics."

"I see. So they're like some sort of souvenir then?" Arthur asked as he put his hand on his chin in a thinking manner.

"Something like that! Anyway, I have taught you both everything I know about relics! I must now return to Mafia Town and prepare lunch before any of the Mafia men die of their own cooking," Cooking Cat said. Arthur chuckled at the last statement.

"Yeah, I think that's best for the sake of their health," Arthur said jokingly. Hat Kid and Cooking Cat chuckled at the boy's joke.

"Alright, I'll see you two soon, dearies," the chef cat said with a gentle smile. She then walked up to the hatch, ready to jump back to the planet.

"Wait, ma'am! You, uh, might wanna use something to land safely. Like an umbrella or something," Arthur warned her.

"Don't worry, I've got it all covered!" Cooking Cat said as she pulled out a chef's apron. She was planning to use it as a parachute to land safely.

"Okay then," Arthur nodded understandingly.

With that said, Cooking Cat opened the hatch and jumped into space, leaving the two children alone in the spaceship.

As Hat Kid felt the texture and looked at the form and color of the relic that the chef cat gave her, she then realized which other part it will go with as she remembered picking up a similar one with a bun and steak in Mafia Town while she was searching for the Time Rift. She went to one of the podiums in the main room and pulled out the other burger relic she found. She placed the bottom part on the podium, followed by the top one, sucessfully reconstituing the entire burger.

Hat Kid took a few steps back and smiled as she admired her work. She actually had no idea what a burger was supposed to be, and yet the more she looked at the cushion, the more she felt the strong desire to take a bite. It looked like food, so that must be it! The small girl approached the burger cushion and bit in it. Upon realizing it tasted like fabric, she pulled away and gagged in disgust. Arthur couldn't help but snort at the girl's reaction.

"You can't eat that one, kid. It's just a cushion," Arthur explained with a chuckle.

"Oh..." Hat Kid said as she smiled sheepishly. She then tried to think how to name this relic and snapped her fingers as she got an idea.

The purple-hatted girl picked up a sign and placed it in front of the podium. She pulled out a pen and wrote something on it. When she was finished, she smiled and proudly put her hands on her hips. Arthur was curious about what she wrote and walked up to the sign to read it.

'EARTHLING SITTING DEVICE.

Research concludes that this thing is very soft to sit on. So soft, that the only logical conclusion is that these are the chairs of this planet. It is not a snack. I tried. It tastes like fabric.'

After he finished reading the description, Arthur looked at Hat Kid and raised an eyebrow at her. The small girl was grinning as she eagerly waited to hear what the young boy thought of it.

"No comment," Arthur said unamused, before he walked away.

Hat Kid watched him leave confused. Did she get it wrong? It was a cushion and she couldn't eat it, so she figured that was what a burger was. She shrugged, deciding to dismiss the thought. She then wanted to try and sit on it. She jumped on the burger cushion and was surprised as she suddenly found herself bouncing on it. Hat Kid giggled as she continued to bounce on the cushion. She did different poses every time she bounced up in the air. It was so fun!

Arthur shook his head in amusement. This kid was really something else. Now that he thinks about it, she was certainly nicer and funnier than anyone he had met before. Though that still didn't mean he trusted her. He was done befriending people after everything his dad and the other kids have put him through. And those he cared about have... left him in more ways than one. He didn't want to risk being hurt again by another person, either with bad intentions or... some other way he didn't want to think about.

The young boy walked up to the large window and suddenly saw that something was off with the planet below.

"Uh, Hat Kid? You should come and see this," Arthur said with widen eyes. Upon hearing him, Hat Kid stopped bouncing and got down from the burger cushion. She walked up to his side and noticed what the boy was trying to show her. The sea part that was all around Mafia Town was... orange?

"Is that lava?" Arthur asked with a shocked look. Hat Kid's eyes widened. Lava? Ohhh no... She had to head down and see what was going on! Hat Kid made her way to the hatch and was about to open it when Arthur stopped her.

"Hey, hang on! You wanna head down there? Are you crazy? If that's lava, it's gonna be dangerous!" Arthur said in a worried tone. Hat Kid was surprised to see the twelve-year-old boy so worried about her, but she was still going. Even though the Mafia have been in a pain in the butt since the beginning, Hat Kid didn't want them to die in such a way. Plus, Cooking Cat went back to the town, so she might also be in danger! Hat Kid wouldn't bear letting those people suffer like that.

The purple-hatted girl looked at Arthur dead serious and said, "I'm going down. With or without you," firmly.

Arthur sighed in defeat. There was clearly no way to change the girl's mind. The reason why he didn't want to go down there was due to the obvious danger of burning to death, and also because he didn't handle the heat well. He was always a sweating mess during summer days, and he prefered the cool temperature over the hot one. However, he didn't want to let Hat Kid deal with this on her own. He would feel like a coward and the worst person on Earth if he did. Also, there were still some people down there who have been nice to him, like Cooking Cat and that Mafia barman.

"Alright... Let's go. I just hope we won't get cooked like steaks on a barbecue..." Arthur muttered. Though he had a feeling he would regret that decision later. Hat Kid smiled upon hearing his decision to come with her.

With a determined look, Hat Kid opened the hatch and grabbed Arthur's hand, before jumping down to the planet. It was time to save Mafia Town from a terrible fate!

A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you enjoyed this new chapter! So yeah, I know most of you are probably upset with Arthur telling Hat Kid to go away and hurting her feelings, but as said before, Arthur is not ready to trust her yet. Don't worry though, Hat Kid will manage to gain his trust later on, but for now, that's the way it is.

Also, as you can see, I've decided to give the Mafia barman you meet during the 'Down with the Mafia' act a more important role with recurring appearances in my story. I think it's a nice addition to the me all what you think about it.

Also, 43 reviews, 14 favs, and 12 follows? Wow! Thanks a lot, everyone! It means a lot to me that you're enjoying this story! I put my heart into it and I'm having a lot of fun writing it! So I hope to not disappoint you all with the rest of the story. ^^

Anyway, time to answer a few reviews!

To Katoptris12: Considered that Arthur's dad was violent and alcoholic? Yes, Arthur might have some problem with him. Though, they have about the same interests as they both love the Western universe, so we'll see how it turns out.

To Mad King C: Thanks! Eventually, Arthur will open up. But for now, he's not ready. It will take some time for him to come clean about his problems.

To Shadow Necro: Glad you're happy I'm back! ^^ Well, the Hookshot Badge will be necessary for some acts in the future. So yeah, Arthur will get this badge for sure. Now if there will be other badges, I don't know yet. Also yes, I've planned to include all DLCs in my story, so Arthur will go to the Nyakuza Metro with Hat Kid too.

To Mr. Mega1423: The identity of the one who brought Arthur to this world will be revealed near the end of the story. No spoilers here. ;) And thank you! ^^

To XxxMBDDXXX A.T.F.R: Thank you! I'm really glad you're enjoying this story! I hope not to disappoint you with the rest of it. ^^

That's it for today, folks! See you in the next chapter!