Chapter 9

It was sad to see his ex-friend alone in the mud. The rain was soon to be over, but yet, he felt an extreme guilt in his heart. He knew that Pokey hoped that he had not shot him, and Pokey did so too, and it still didn't change anything that he was the one who first held the gun. It was he who wanted to seek revenge to kill his one friend. His only friend. A young boy who help a firearm at another child. Is this what was to come of him after so long?

As he walked back to the village, he spotted a sign near the entrance to the cave that read, "Happy Happy Village: We Strive to Change the World!" It sickened him throughout his whole body on such an idea. Were they really planning on killing off people who didn't obey, or was it just one of Pokey's lies? And the Carpainter, was it really him? As the day went on, it only got stranger and stranger. And fast. Very fast.

Once he had stepped back onto the road of the Happy Happy Village, he was instantly met with four men. All with guns. It was like the world was being sent into chaos. Their black assault rifles wasn't so "happy", yet Ness knew exactly what they meant by "changing the world", and he was wondering at what cost? How far would they go to reach their goal? It seemed Pokey had that part down, but he still didn't know if he was to succeed, or if they did either.

"Our leader wants to talk with you!" said one of them holding the barrel of the gun to the boy.

"I'm sure he won't mind if we pop a bullet through your skull if we have to!" Another replied maliciously.

It was too risky to use his "PSI" as he called it, (Psionic Energy), which he had learned the term of from other video games he had played when he was back at home. If he was able to only penalize one of them, the other three would put holes through him before he could counter-attack. It was strange for Ness to actually wonder these things: how he could almost kill thugs with guns. Was this the world he actually lived in, or was this all just a simulation on how to get killed? It was then time to stop monologuing, and step into reality.

He then followed the capturers to a tall building which looked like a convention center, with boarded up windows, and two other men with the Happy Happiest outfits guarding the door. They then lead him into the room, which was filled with more members. There were at least a hundred of them filling up the entire room. They all had their heads bowed down as a man with a slightly larger suit was preaching on the wooden stage. The chandeliers above shook as their combined voices sang in a language that was foreign to Ness. Then, the room clapped together as he was dragged to the front of the stage.

"Welcome, my brothers and sister!" The preacher said aloud. "Welcome to our family! Welcome! I would like to thank all of you for coming to our little get-together. I see that you are wearing…one of my favorite colors! Haha!"

The room chuckled as they kicked Ness in the spine, making him yell as they passed by the group of Happiests, as some watched him get thrown onto the stage. He rolled onto the side, as the preacher then silenced as he bent down to look at the boy. Then, after a long sigh, he looked back at the crowd.

"It seems that we have a guest! Please, let us join in a prayer as we bring in the new recruits!" He yelled as dozens of regular people walked through the double doors on the left of the stage. They were all smiling like they were possessed, and they didn't speak as they walked like marines to the back of the room. Even a couple of kids with their parents were marching to the back of the room.

"You see, young man, at our kind village, we are all a family! Please, join our family, and let us revive you from you wicked ways!" He yelled to the crowd.

Ness decided that he was stronger than them, and in the strain of courage, he said, "Screw you and your club! I just want Paula!"

Irritated, he then strongly gripped Ness arm as he tried pulling himself away. The man then plucked the bat from his hands, and showed it to the audience.

"Look what this young boy has done! Look at the blood of our people!" He said while showing the mark on the plastic bat.

"This shall go no longer! You shall become one of the worshipers! You will be happy! We will allow you to join us! We will wipe the earth clean of the sins that take hold of our planet! One step at a time, brothers and sisters! Those who oppose will be cleansed off the earth! Those who accept will lead with us! We accept you, dear boy, and one of us! We shall show you the ways of our group! We shall paint the town blue in our honor! WE! SHALL! STRIVE!"

"AROO!" They all cried in a packed yell that shook the entire room.

As strongly as Ness tried to escape, he was then taken to the room in which the citizens were taken out of.

"I shall be back, my friends! I will be back with a new man! A better man!"

"AROO!" They yelled again.

As they kindly waited for their leader to return, Ness found himself in a room filled with stained glass, curtains covering the windows, and an alter….with the statue that was covered in red silk. The man released his hand as he walked up to the golden object.

"You do not want to give up, do you, boy?" The masked man said with a change of tone. "You just want to screw up everything that I do! Well, "I'm not going to take it. Not like last time!"

Last time? What does he…

It was Everdred. He was the leader of the Happy Happiests. His smirk was revealed as he threw off his cap.

"Your little fat friend came to me after I almost killed you. He was kind, and joined this group of ours. Unlike you, who just wanted to screw with us? I lead this group secretly for ten years to this day! This statue is going to guide us!"

He then pointed to the glowing statue that stood covered in a blanket.

"I call it the Mani Mani Statue!" He said cracking a smile. "Well, it was printed on the statue itself…It was said to bring everlasting joy in people. When we found it, we knew that was going to help us strive to kill people like you!"

"What do you mean, people like me?!" Called Ness. Then, Everdred casted an even bigger grin that showed his dimples.

"The ones who oppose to the ever-so powerful Giygas…" He said. They were worshipping Giygas? As in, the cosmic destroyer? It made him freeze where he stood.

"Paula was said to be one of the four that was going to kill Giygas. We predicted his existence since the beginning, and the Apple of Enlightenment told of you for idiots. Giygas will become strong enough to finish you off, and if you simply give up now, you death will be much less painful, and will be a kind sacrifice to him. Once we capture the four of you, we will be saved from his everlasting destruction!"

"But he's going to kill you anyway!" Yelled Ness in objection. "Giygas wants to destroy earth! Not make it better!"

"SILENCE!" Yelped Everdred. "This statue is our mentor. Our guide. Other than Giygas himself, it will lead us to our completion! Giygas also found some hope in your friend. Pokey, is it? He would make a great pawn for him, for sure!"

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Giygas wanted POKEY to be by his side?

"Now enough chatting. The guards have already locked the door. There's no point. Let me show you what the Mani Mani statue can really do!"

He then threw off the sheet, unveiling the statue in all of its glory. Ness shield his eyes from its bright hypnotic trance that was said to release. Everdred then out of the blue, (funny, right?), shot lightning from his dry hand. It zapped Ness right in the chest, giving him a strong electrical charge. Everdred, who still held the bat, threw it to the side, leaving Ness with his mind, and his PSI. He then used the power he did with Pokey, and threw the Mani Mani statue at Everdred, knocking him to the wall. Everdred then pushed it off of him, and shot two bolts and the chandelier that was hanging above him. It fell, but Ness was too quick, and he rolled to the side, dodging that crippling move.

Disappointed, he charged up his energy with a loud yell, and formed a great ball of blue electricity at him; shattering all of the windows, shaking the floor, all with the statue glowing in pride for the evil caused by the worshiper. He crackled as he was sure that this would instantly demolish his opponent, but Ness tried breaking the attack by levitating the rug that was under Everdred, knocking him to the wooden floor. But this only made it worse.

The energy had grown too strong, that it had kept in floating space because of its sustaining electricity. Everdred face beamed as its beautiful light. It lit up the whole room in a blue orb that spun and shocked the walls and floor. It snapped and crackled like an open flame, and both Ness and Everdred didn't speak. But Ness knew something was up. He knew that something was about to happen. It began to expand.

It slowly grew to the point of it capturing the alter, and the statue. It was about to burst, and Ness was about to duck and cover, but he knew he couldn't yet. As much as he hated Everdred, he couldn't let him die. As much as it was oblivious to the preacher for his certain death, Ness had to save him. So, he reached out his hand, and used his telekinetic abilities to pull Everdred towards him. Like a strong rope, he flung backwards; landing his rump on the floor as the ball took up half of the room, and exploded, blowing up the wall behind it with a flash of blinding light.

They opened their eyes to dust and smoke. There was a gaping hole in the corner, which let in the outside breeze showing the beauties of trees and grass. As Everdred came to, he looked at the mess in horror, then in delight. The statue was somewhere in the rubble, as chunks of plywood and roofing were everywhere. The cult members then busted into the room in wonder, and the citizens that were in the bunch….lost their smiles. The same went for the people in the costumes, and they all took them off in disgust, and in confusion.

What had Ness done that had flipped their minds around? Did he destroy the statue, which somehow was growing in their minds before it was discovered? Everdred then ran into the broken half of the room, and dug through the mess. What he found sent a gleeful expression on his face. It was the head of the Mani Mani statue, broken from the body of it. The statue was destroyed. He walked back to Ness with his head down low.

"My boy, I think that you have just saved us!" Everdred said. "This statue was living under here for years! That tunnel led right to this spot, bringing out the most evil in people…and I think that you have just destroyed it. I…no longer feel….harm. What have I done?"

Everdred then started to sob as he dug he hands into his face. "What have I done?! What have I done to these people?!"

He looked back at the victims of his insane cult. "I am truly sorry for the pain I have caused all of you. I say to hell with Giygas! I hope this boy IS the one who kills that nasty son of a bitch!"

He then proceeded to pull a key out, and place it in Ness's hand. "I don't know about you friend, but we feel as if the…bond between us and evil is gone. Pokey though…seemed to have been closely attached to that thing. More than me. I suggest that you keep an I out for him. This is the key to Paula. Go save your little girlfriend."

With a smile, he looked back at the crowd. "What do you guys think?! This boy's gonna save the world! Haha! Good luck, ma' boy!"

In his surprise, they all started cheering. As if a switch had been finally turned on in their heads, their moods changed, and they began to clap and whistle as Ness passed through the crowd of people, and exited the church. Everyone outside was waiting for them as well, and clapping too. Giving thank you's and such, he felt deeply happy to know that he had done some good in the second day on his journey to destroy Giygas.

When he went back to the jail cell, he found that no one was outside waiting for him. Not even Pokey. As Ness went inside to release Paula, she was already grasping the bars excited to be free.

"I knew you could do it!" She said trying not to act cheesy. "Thanks, though. For saving me, and all."

"No problem." Ness replied with a half-smile. "It's what I do."

…

It was amazing for Paula to see the town back to normal. Her expression was priceless in Ness's eyes, as she could not believe that he had changed a town's perspective in a matter of minutes.

"I can't believe you….fixed this town!" Paula said with a huge grin. "I knew you were the one! I absolutely knew that you would save me!" She then grasped Ness into a hug that he could not escape from. As he was modest with certain accomplishments, he blushed a bit.

"Thanks again….for saving me. I would be dead if it wasn't for you." She said in a slight whisper.

Already, piles of robes of blue were burned, and buildings got a new change of color. It was wonderful to witness such a change, but not all was right with the town. When they were strolling through the town, a small boy who was torn up and covered in smut sprinted to them with tears in his eyes.

"Mister! Mister!" He yelled as he panted heavily. "There's…..something in the….cave….near the church."

As much as Ness didn't want to go into another cave, he followed the boy to the entrance of what seemed to be called Lilliput Step, judging by the sign posted right next to it.

"Some of my friends went in there," he said chokingly, "but they….never came back."

The two zoomed into the cave to get it over with, and was halted by the boy calling him again.

"Here! You'll need this!" He yelled as he threw what seemed to be a frying pan to Ness, which he gave to Paula for protection. It had rust and residue of food on it, but it would do the job. When they entered, they both looked up in awe. There were stalagmites hanging from everywhere, sparkling like the 4th of July. The bumps and walkways went up and down, and left and right, questioning Ness on where to go. They searched for minutes just trying to find a lead, but no luck. Paula felt a strong feeling of dread and anxiousness for which was down the road, and tried to get the idea off of her mind.

"So….Ness." She said in a shaky voice. "So…what is it that you do? Do you play any sports?"

Awkwardly as he searched a dark corner of a cave, he said, "Uh, yeah. Baseball."

"Baseball?" She asked. "I like baseball."

But even in her strongest attempts to start a random subject, she said, "My parents much be worried sick about me."

"Yeah, they have. They were crying over you."

"Oh…"

"Yeah."

Silence broke the conversation, but was started up again when she looked at Ness, who was ticked of how much of a maze it was to him.

"I was only going to play in the backyard…" She said as he bottom lip started shaking. "I was just playing with my toys….outside. Then, I found these two strange people stare at me from a couple yards away. They, wore, these stupid blue outfits, like the ones who attacked you outside of my cell. Even that chubby kid was there."

Chubby kid? Pokey was part of it?

"While my parents weren't looking, they snuck around the house, and grabbed me by the throat. They knocked me out, and there I was. Waiting to die."

As more silence continued, Ness put his hands into a fist in anger for Pokey.

"Why did it have to be me?" She asked. Ness had no response. All he could say was, "I don't know.

"Why was it me that had to be chosen to….save the world or something? Why couldn't it be someone else? All I want is to….go home, and see my mom and dad. But, I can't. I have to go with you. And I know that it's not your fault. I have to do this. Or, our planet is screwed, you know. I bet that it wasn't easy for you, either. To say goodbye. Do you have a mom and dad?"

He rubbed in a white lie, and said, "Only a mom. And a sister."

"What happened to your dad?" She asked.

Ness couldn't escape this one. He had to release the answer, as hard as it was. He was beginning to feel his heart sink as he began to talk.

"My dad…wasn't the most caring. He got drunk a lot, and used to hit me. I was only five then, but I still knew some things to know that my father didn't….love me. He…then got home late from a bar, and….my mom told him to leave the house. She threatened to call police, and he got….angry."

He was sniveling for a while, until he could regain himself. She still felt sorry for him though, and respected him.

"He got so…angry….that he repeatedly hit my mom, and me. I was the one who called police, and I never heard him since. Until today. I needed money for a hotel room in Twoson. It wasn't the best family reunion, and he wasn't happy to hear me. I was happy to hear him though. He was in jail for who knows how long, and…Mom never let me talk to him. But I still wanted to."

He then looked at Paula who tried not to cry herself by turning her head away.

"You understand what I mean though, right? I mean, no matter how much….harm a family member has caused, you still love them. No matter what. Even if he….doesn't love you back. I was never old enough to fully remember his face, though. I only captured small glimpses. I wish I could see him though. Face to face? It's better than just remembering his as a telephone or something."

She then understood that he was trying to add a bit of humor, and automatically laughed to what he said.

"I don't really know where he is. But right now, I don't care. I got a world to save, you know? I guess then after that, I would show him that I love him. Then maybe he would….love me."

She then couldn't help but clasp his sobbing body again and cry, and Ness the same. But Ness felt that he didn't have time for such sad moments, and told her that they needed to find the thing they were looking for…whatever it was.

"Hey! I found something!" She yelled to him, hearing her voice echo through the deep cavern. When he caught up with her, they both found a small mole-like hole that lead down to somewhere. Without thinking, they slid down, Ness first, falling into an open area that was somehow lit up. As Paula fell on top of Ness, their giggles fazed away as they saw the exit to the outside…but something with two red eyes was blocking the path. Underneath it were two small corpses with their blood smeared on the ground and walls reading Ness's own name.

The creature then stepped forward, revealing itself as a giant brown mole with razor sharp claws and teeth, whiskers peeking out from its nose, and blood which dripped from its mouth and paws. Its breath was of nasty garbage, and it stood three times the size of Ness. It was deadly. It was fierce. It was ready to attack.

"What a coincidence that you….dropped on by….to your second location." The beast said in a gargling voice. "What lies behind this wall is your second melody…but I was instructed by Giygas to kill you before you do so. And you too…little girl. Your blood will be mine. It will be painted on these walls so much that you could paint a barn. So come right ahead, Ness. I dare you…."

Ness's first reaction was to use a physical attack, but Paula felt as if she had it in the bag. She then told Ness to back away as mondo mole showed its teeth in an unsettling grin. It laughed as Paula showed her true secrets. She raised her hands in the air, giving a light that was a mix of red, blue, and yellow. It moved like water through the air as she released it to the animal. It wrapped around it like a rope tying up a crook, as it wrapped itself around, paralyzing it where it stood.

She nodded to Ness, who smiled as he leaped to knock it on the head. Succeeding, it let off a high pitched scream as a side of its face was picked clean of fur, like it was being shaved off. Ness knew his attacks were growing stronger, but not to that point. He could even see the plastic bat begin to get hot and melt like it was being set on fire. Unfortunately, the mole was too strong for the PSI attack, and its target was the Paula.

With her best attempts to swing her new pan, the claws slapped her across the chest, throwing her to the side, leaving cuts on her legs and face that went deep in her flesh. She screamed, and rolled herself face down, hiding her terribly destroyed face. Petrified, Ness tried to help her, but he knew that if he didn't take care of this guardian, they would both be dead. He continued his attack with much emotion, and used his levitation to create large cracks in between the stalagmites, allowing them to fall onto the pest.

Like sharp knives, they dropped down, stabbing his left arm, then right arm, which knocked him down, then straight for the neck. They slit through the bones and warm skin, making him ooze blood through those areas. It was dead for sure, and made the coast clear as he went to his injured friend. She was limp and in distraught, but Ness had just what the doctor ordered, and like a miracle, he placed his hands over the painful areas, and healed her in a snap.

"I didn't….know you could do that." She said in amazement. Ness replied with, "I didn't know you could do that."

"Yeah, I had some practice." She said mockingly.

As she slowly recovered from the impact, Ness then looked back at the two victims of the moles killing spree, and thoughtfully mourned over their death. They both walked to Lilliput Step triumphantly. When they reached the outdoors, they saw a trail of small footsteps in the grass which looped around a tree, and went into a wall. Although it was strange, they felt something much stranger. He could feel it like he did when he visited Giant Step, only it was a bit stronger. He could again here the soothing voice of the unknown woman.

…heart. Against the…

He then pictured a boy in a red cap. Nothing more, which ended quickly. Paula seemed to have understood what the place meant to them, and their journey, and didn't question it at all.

"Can we see my parents now before they keep worrying about me?" She asked. Ness agreed, and they both went back to the regular old Twoson.

The get-together was quite brief. The kids were not at school today, and Ness politely stood in near the door as Paula met her parents again. When they opened the door to them, they cupped their hands over their mouths in shock, and grabbed their daughter. They went into a huge group hug, and cried all together. But soon, its happy moments turned into sad ones.

"What do you mean…you have to leave?!" Her father asked. After their close bonding, they were stunned that she had to let her go again.

"I have to go on my adventure with him, Dad. I told you that this day would come, and it has. I'm sorry. I just have to do this."

It reminded Ness of when he had to say goodbye, and he hoped that it wouldn't be as tragic.

"Oh, Sweetie! We'll miss you!" She said while sobbing. "We knew that this was going to happen! You told us, and we didn't listen!"

Janet then held hands with her husband, and then put her face on his shoulder.

"Just promise me that you won't get into any trouble!" Her dad said.

"I won't. You've known me for thirteen years, dad!"

So she was the same age as him? That was a good side-note to know.

"Oh, I know," he said, "I just don't want to lose you again!"

He then looked back at Ness with gratitude. "Boy, we are ever-so grateful for what you did. I know she has to leave, but just please promise me that you will take care of our sweet baby."

"Dad…" Paula said in embarrassment, but when she thought about it, she didn't mind.

"I promise, sir." Said Ness.

"Good boy. Now you be sure to call us, young lady." Said her father in a failed joke, which Paula just smiled to.

"We love you, Paula." They both said simultaneously. They both then said their last goodbyes, and let the door close on their own. Two out of four heroes to go. Now they just had to wait for the next thing to start killing them. How long did they have to wait until then? They both hoped that it would be a while until they could answer that question.