At the Acrodon Palace, the Bride of Constant Vigil was approached by the captain of the royal Acrodon warriors.
"Bride of Constant Vigil!" He called out, bowing.
"Captain." She greeted him. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Constant Vigil, the criminal Espio has escaped from imprisonment."
"What?!"
"My men are after him now, but it doesn't look good Mistress. I need more troops!"
"Where is Chancellor Katsumi?" She asked. "Can he not assist you with the troop numbers?"
"He's not been seen in the village today, however, I've been informed that he had left on urgent business outside of the mountains."
"Odd...He must've gone to investigate the situation at the Raiju village." She muttered to herself.
"Mistress, what should we do about the criminal?"
The constant Vigil hesitated to make any answer. What could she do? Espio was her son.
"Should we set out the creatures?" The captain asked.
She sighed with a hint of sadness. "Do what you must." She rested her head in her hands as the captain bowed and departed. "Oh Espio, what have you done?"
The captain journeyed into the courthouse, approaching a great golden statue at the centre of the room. Tactically placing his hand upon several regions of the statue, it moved to reveal a descending staircase.
It led to a large room where the walls were golden and glistened from the light of the torches. Again at the centre of the room, were golden dragon-like creatures – barely half a foot taller than the chameleon that stood before them.
He sounded a great gong cymbal. The vibrations quaked the entire room – cracks appeared on the two statues. Their eyes suddenly shone red.
SNNAARRRLLLLLL. HHHIIIISSSSS.
"A criminal has escaped our capture. We ask that you bring him back as the remaining members of our troops go to fight for a greater good." He called to them, bowing to the floor.
The cracked pieces of gold soared off of the creatures as they stepped down from their pedestal to inspect him. They stared at him intently with their red animalistic eyes, flicking their forked tongues at him. They were only slight taller than him, with a curved posture. Their back ran with bumpy spikes that extended down to the tips of their tails. Their skin was black with a dark brown underbelly; certain areas were covered by mummy-like bandaging that hung loosely against their bodies.
"He's a criminal and a traitor." He said to them as he held up a photograph of him. "And traitors must be stopped at all costs!"
The creatures reared their heads and roared in reply.
"That traitor will never be able to withstand the power of the Necrodragons!"
Meanwhile, Espio had found himself in a white world – full of fluffy clouds and mist.
"Where am I?" He uttered.
There didn't appear to be a sky, just a light grey misty covering. He quickly looked at his hands. Was he dreaming?
"Am I…dead? W-What is this place?" He said.
"This…is the starting line." A voice echoed out behind him. "This is where your quest begins."
"Huh?!" Espio spun around. "That voice! It's-"
He turned to see Master Shen standing there, his back facing him. He was wearing long, brown robes that seemed to blow with the, non-existent, wind.
"M-Master!" He called out to him.
"You are not dead. Far from it; your life has barely begun."
"Master!" He repeated and ran towards him. The cloudy terrain put spring in his steps, causing him to fall in a blanket of softness.
"You have begun your quest. Complete it." Master began to turn towards what suddenly appeared as a blinding source of light. "Failure is not an option." He began walking towards the light.
Espio gasped as he scrambled back up to his feet and ran to stop his master.
"Master, wait!" He stretched his arm out to him.
Shen did not respond, but was stopped as Espio jumped over him and pushed against him. Shen didn't even look down to him; his eyes fixed to the light.
"Master please! I am sorry for the things I had said last night. I did not mean to disrespect you or-"
"Silence fool!" He yelled down at him with eyes wider than dinner plates. "Do you not see that this is a dream?!" With that said, he snapped his fingers.
Espio's eyes shot open instantly. He found himself on the river bank.
"Huh?!" He uttered. "I...I guess it was just a dream." He shook his head.
He looked himself over. He discovered a bunch of new cuts and bruises that he gained from the drop, alongside the ones from his fight with Mariko. None of the injuries were critical, but they left him in pretty bad shape. He dragged himself onto land, and struggled to a stand.
He peered back over in the direction to the village. "I hope she's okay…"
He proceeded to sheath his sword and to check his bag. It was wet, but the contents inside were dry. He gave out a sigh of relief.
"I'm not going to be able to stay in the Dragon-Lands, I'm going to have to fly out of here." He rubbed his nose horn in thought. "Well, Toyazaki city is just a couple of miles north from here I think…or more. I'm sure I can sneak onto a plane to-"
Espio heard the guards approaching rapidly.
"OVER THERE! GET HIM!"
They were spear-men. Espio, although weak from his injuries, sprinted down the mountain towards the city. Or at least where he thought it was located.
The westernmost continent of Mobius's Western Hemisphere, otherwise known as North Moratia, was quite unlike Espio's home in almost every way; different landscapes, different creatures and most notably the different cultures. One particularly bizarre species are the Mobian Bees.
The lives of Mobian Bees were far different to that of the Mobian Chameleons in that their entire lives are built around the industrialisation of a natural product; honey. The colonies of these bees work their entire lives towards the mass production of honey and other products that only the bees can perform. As they fill out these tasks, they also aid in the pollination of 90% of the planet's plants. They're farmers, honey producers, florists and construction workers – with each occupation having several roles although once a bee chooses their occupation, they must stick to it for life.
One other very different aspect of their lives is their place of residence. If you were to take a road trip through North Moratia, no doubt you would find several towering egg-shaped structures. These are the colony domes. Many reach to heights of modest skyscrapers but grow, also, downwards to the same scale underground. These colony domes are miniature cities in themselves; inside, factories can be seen dominating the lower levels, apartment flats build up against the walls with an assortment of shops, schools and venues well placed in the remaining spaces – cramming all the needs of an entire city in one highly efficient, skyscraper-sized structure.
The more famous of North Moratia's Colony Domes, was the Golden Hive; known for its glimmering golden appearance and was one of the largest on the planet. And on this day, there was a great gathering in the royal auditorium as the King and Queen Bees were about to make an announcement to their colony.
The King Bee arose to begin. "Good afternoon, our loyal subjects." He sounded. He was great in size, round, but with a great wingspan and a jewel-encrusted crown to show his great authority. "We are gathered here today, to witness the endowment of our only son, Prince Charmy Bee, with his Royal responsibilities for our colony as well as to begin the search of his future bride and Queen."
The halls filled with buzzing and cheering.
"Yes." The Queen Bee now stood up alongside him. She was not as wide as him, but her size and wingspan were still reasons to be impressed. "As he has come of the age of eight, our servants will begin searching within this colony and throughout other colonies across the globe for a suitable bride for our son, where they will develop their relationship for the next decade before finally wedding."
The King then spanned out his wings for greater effect "And now without further redo, we bring out the Prince!"
The halls filled with buzzing and cheering once again, however, no-one appeared.
The king called out to him. "Charmy...your subjects await you..." Still, no-one appeared.
"Charmy?" He repeated. "Come on out so that your lovely potential brides can get a good-"
"He's not here dear." The queen mumbled to him, placing a hand on her face.
The crowd began muttering amongst themselves, wondering where the young Prince had gone off to.
"Not again…What are we going to do with him?" He mumbled back. "That boy is going to have to accept his responsibilities at some point..."
Meanwhile, deep within the smog-filled lower levels of the Colony dome, there was a very large bee rushing around wearing a long, brown trench coat and hat. It was either a six-foot tall Mobian bee with serious spinal conditions or a pair of young bees in a disguise.
"Careful Mello, don't go too fast, I'm slipping." A voice from the top half muttered.
"I can't see a thing down here! I don't even know where I'm going!" The bottom half replied as the strange bee scampered clumsily through the crowds.
"SSHHH! You're the legs! Legs don't talk."
"Well, you'd think they would with all the hurt they get. Are we at the carnival yet? I'm dying for one of those corndogs."
"We're almost there! Let's move!"
The strange bee picked up speed towards what was a small amusement park within the colony dome. Several bees just stared at the mysterious figure – it was unusual for bees to walk, let alone run, as they preferred to hover inches above the ground instead.
"Do you think they'd let us ride the Spleen-Splitter with this suit?" The top half called down excitedly.
"Of course dude, look how tall we are! Nothing's gonna stop us-OOF!"
The bee bounced off a large object and fell to the floor. The trench coat laid there with two moving lumps at its centre.
"Woah." One lump said with wooziness. "That felt like a bouncy-castle…"
"Yeah, I guess we were closer than I thought…"
The object that the lumps had bounced into was none other than the King Bee. "Charmy! I know you're under there. Come out this instant." His voice boomed.
One lump pulled down the trench coat from itself. It was a young bee. He wore fingerless black gloves, a sleeveless yellow jump suit and a black pilot's helmet with large, thick goggles over his eyes.
"Why, hello your majesty. H-Have you come to enjoy the carnival too?" He laughed nervously.
"Young Mello…where is Charmy?" He frowned.
The other lump had disappeared by that point. "Charmy? Gee your majesty; I'm not too sure where he is at all. I-I mean he was here just a minute ago." He cupped his hands over his mouth, simultaneously looking around and calling "Charmy? Charmy ol' pal? Nope. Sorry your majesty, he doesn't seem to be around."
"I see. Is that so?" The King said before turning around to catch another young bee attempting to tip-toe away.
"Uh-oh." The young bee uttered. He dressed similarly to the other young bee only with white gloves and his goggles lifted onto his helmet rather than over his eyes. His antennae twitched nervously as the king proceeded to fly him back home.
As they entered the throne room, the young bee buzzed in cheerfully. "Hiya Mom!" He hollered.
"Oh Charmy, what are we going to do with you?" The Queen sighed, stepping down from her throne to greet them.
"This is the fourth time this week Charmy!" The king raged. "The citizens are becoming tired of this charade. Do you know what it is like to be the king of a colony and be also the laughing stock of it?"
Charmy stared blankly at him.
"It's ridiculous! That's what it is!" He flung his arms and marched off towards a jar of Milk and Honey – furiously chugging the entire thing down.
"Charmy, it is time you start taking your royal responsibilities more seriously." His mother said softly. "You cannot be a child forever."
"But I don't want to be a king forever either Mom!" Charmy crossed his arms. "I want to be a Nectar Collector like Mello's gonna be. Why can't I do that?"
"Now why would you want to be that, when you can be a Prince?"
"I don't want to sit here forever reading rules, and making rules, and making speeches and-and…"
"Charmy." His father returned into the room. "Some bees choose their lifelong jobs, like Mello is going to soon. But you'll find that sometimes, things are made for them and you should appreciate that."
"B-But dad, I don't want to do all that king stuff – I want to go on adventures! I wanna see new places and meet cool new friends!"
"Stop! I want to hear no more of this!"
"B-But dad!"
"No buts! No more!" He scowled Charmy as his body drooped down. "Now you are to remain in your room until we say so. Maybe this way, we'll be able to keep an eye on you so that we can finally do this ceremony."
"Th-That's not fair!"
"You've left us no choice! Now go!" He thrust his hand out, pointing to Charmy's room.
Charmy zipped into his room, slamming his door shut.
Hours passed. Charmy just lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling. Sighing and groaning.
Suddenly, he heard a ringing noise. It was his tin-can telephone that extended down to the streets bellow. Only he and his best friend Mello knew where to find it.
"Hello?" Charmy said melancholically.
"Hey – what's happened?"
"Hi Mello…I've been grounded…"
"What for?!"
"'Cause I don't accept my responsibilities of being a prince…"
"Why can't you just become a Nectar Bee anyway?"
"I know! I said that too!"
"This isn't fair at all! I mean enough's enough right?"
"Yeah! You're right! And I can become a Nectar Bee if I wanted too anyway!"
"Yeah! Wait…you can? How?"
"I'm gonna run away to a new colony."
"Really?!"
"Yeah – they won't think I'm a prince there."
"But I thought we were gonna be partner out there."
"Oh, yeah…"
"Wait a sec – we can still see each other at the Annual Nectar Bee Conventions!"
"All-Right! Those things rock! Yeah – let's do that!"
"But, how're you going to get out? You're grounded."
"I can use the secret exit!"
"You have a secret exit?"
"Yeah – I accidentally made a hole in my wall two weeks ago and covered it up with a blanket so my parents wouldn't see it."
"Wow. Wait, why didn't you use it before, when they grounded you?"
"I couldn't think of anything better to do, so I just sat here and tried to get them to feel sorry for me."
Charmy went on to fly through the hole in his wall, which after travelling through many small 'caves' of the dome sap, led him into the city part of the dome. He was soon met by Mello who flew with him back down to the main entrance of the colony.
"W-Wait!" Charmy exclaimed.
"What?" Mello replied.
"Mom and Dad'll squash me when they find out I've run away! They'll send the guards after me – dragging me to my DOOM!"
Mello laughed. "Don't worry – I'll distract 'em! You'll be a Nectar Bee in another colony long before they find you!"
"Really? Awesome Mello!"
"As always." He grinned.
Another amazing feature of Mobian Bees was a language natively used by no other creature on Mobius; a dance language. Just like their non-sentient relatives, Mobian Bees used body movement to communicate with urgency or emotion. Charmy and Mello said farewell through the use of a short 'dance' routine involving the shaking of their stingers, stomping around and ending with a hi-five.
The two then dashed their separate ways – Charmy to the afternoon sun where new and exciting adventures awaited him.
Of course, his young mind was soon distracted by the sight of a new, unexplored, meadow. He flew in to take a look.
"Wow! Look at all the pretty flowers!" He buzzed cheerfully. He had never felt so free in his life.
He picked up one of the golden flowers and inhaled its fresh fragrance. "Ahhh…that is great." He exhaled. He turned his head back in the direction of the hive. "Gee, I hope Mello's doing a good job at distracting the guards. It would sure sting if I got caught out here."
The shadows beneath him grew in size. The sun was fast descending. Charmy grew nervous. "W-well maybe I should just go back to the hive and do this t-tomorrow, when it's lighter…" He said nervously as he scanned the nearby forest – noticing the monster-like qualities of some of the dead trees "…and less scary."
*Rustle* Charmy gasped "What's that!" He saw something move in the trees ahead.
Curiosity got the better of him and he zipped off into the woods to see what it was. What he saw was a violet-coloured chameleon, hiding in the trees. Thinking it friendly; Charmy, unnoticeably zipped up behind him.
"Hi!" He said loudly with a great grin on his face.
"WHA-" In shock, the chameleon fell from the tree – landing painfully on his face! It was Espio, who had not long ago arrived from the flight he snuck on. It was a small, private owned plane and so it landed in a relatively more remote area than Espio had hoped for. He was sat in the trees, planning his next move in cover before interrupted by the playful bee.
"HAHAHAAHA! I scared you! I scared you!" Charmy sang.
Espio sat up and began mumbling furiously "Snuck up on by a simple civilian! How humiliating…"
Charmy hovered down, laughing hysterically at the unfortunate chameleon. Espio, unamused, stood and dusted himself off.
"Okay. You've had your fun." He stated and began walking away.
"Hey!" Charmy pleaded, still laughing. "Don't leave – I'm really sorry. I'm Charmy – what's your name?"
Espio simply rolled his eyes. "I don't have time for this." He said as he continued on walking.
"That's a weird name." He laughed and followed him. "Where're you from? What're you doing out in the meadow? Huh?"
"Why are you following me?" Espio asked – obviously irritated by this kid.
"C'Mon! I just wanna know your name." He grinned. "You look like a cool guy."
"Didn't your mother tell you not to talk to strangers?"
"Pssh, Whatever. I'm not gonna leave you alone until you at least tell me your name!" He buzzed as he hovered around the irritated chameleon, prodding him on occasion. "C'mon! Tell me, tell me, tell me."
"Fine. Alright! My name is Espio – now will you buzz off?" Espio said to him.
"Espio? Cooool!" Charmy replied. "What's it mean? WOW! You have a sword! Are you a Warrior? Who for? Are you a good guy or are you a bad guy? Oh – oh! How old are you?"
Espio was now very irritated by this curious young bee. He smirked as he came up with an idea on how to get rid of him.
"I must warn you...I am a ninja of the Acrodon clan from the DEADLY Dragon Lands. I am currently being hunted by some evil rogue ninjas that are out to kill me and anyone else that happens to be near." He said, with a wicked grin on his face. "So if I were you kid, I'd zip my way back home and avoid this trou-"
"NINJAS!" Charmy yelled out excitedly. This is not what Espio imagined his reaction would be as seen by the bizarre expression on his face.
Charmy then zipped around him rapidly. "Ninjas! Awesome! Oh boy oh boy oh boy! I wish I was a ninja – I could fight ninja crime, sneak up on people – it'd be SOOOOOOOOO much fun!"
He stopped right in front of his face. "Can I come with you?" He asked. "PULLeeeeeeeeeeeeaasssssssssse!"
Espio placed his hand on his face in frustration.
"I can help! I can sting those guys coming after you! Or...or...I can show you where the city is - I can help you get food and stuff! Or-"
Espio's eyes widened. "You can show me where the city is?" He asked.
"Metropolis? Of Course I can!" Charmy yelled out. "It's great there – so many different kinds of food, buildings and-"
"Are there good doctors there?"
Charmy paused and quickly jerked away from him. "What, are you sick or something?"
"What? No – I just need them to scan some for me in a laboratory."
"Labo-what?"
Espio slapped his hand onto his face again. "Are there some there or what?"
"Oh, yeah – hundreds of them!"
Espio thought for a moment. The kid's annoying – very annoying, but who else can I go to? I mean, there's no one more innocent than a child. Wait a second… "Won't your parents want you back home for a certain time?"
"What?! I'm a grown-up! My parents don't tell me what to do!" Charmy crossed his arms.
Espio just gave him a sarcastic look in response.
"Fine, yeah I'm eight years old, but my parents won't care. I've been out for days on my own before then."
"Hmm…well shouldn't we ask them first? One wouldn't want to worry their parents like this."
"Uh…no, really. They won't mind." Charmy then pointed to the setting sun. "Besides…the sun's setting – don't you want to know where you can find food and stuff before it gets too late?"
Espio thought for a moment, before sighing "Fine. You can accompany me on my quest..."
Charmy screamed out at the top of his lungs "WOOOHOOOOO!"
Espio quickly grabbed hold of his head and pressed it against his own. "ONLY...if you're quiet…"
"Okay. Woohooo." Charmy cheered softly.
"…And you keep up with me. I am on a tight schedule and move very quickly – if you get left behind, you'll stay left behind." He scolded him.
"Yes SIR!" He saluted him before flying forward to lead the way. "Wow, this is gonna be great! A new friend, goin' to the city! We're gonna have a…uh…hey Espio, what rhymes with 'city'? Hey, cool! Your scales are turning red! What does that mean?"
The pair then began to hike off through the woods as Charmy led Espio on towards the city of Metropolis. Espio was nervous however, he knew there was something out there stalking him from the shadows but what was it?
It was about this time that the King and Queen of the Golden Hive Colony had found out of Charmy's disappearance. They questioned Mello on the matter.
"He ran away your majesties…" He said guiltily, his head hung down. "But I have no idea where he went – honest!"
The King sent on two of the royal guards to search for him. "He couldn't have gotten too far – bring him back and quickly. It's getting dark."
As the guards left in their search of the young Prince, the King and Queen held each other – fearing of what could become of their precious and only child.
It was dark – the sun had almost completely disappeared as evidenced by the slight blue tint in the sky. The stars were out – millions of them.
"Prince Charmy!" One of the guards called out. "Where is that troublesome kid? They don't pay me enough for this."
The guards wore thick, yellow, metallic suits with round helmets. They were quite heavy and so forced them to walk rather than hover in their usual fashion.
"We're bees." The other guard said. "We don't get paid. 'We live to work, that's our life's perk!'"
They trudged through the meadow. The leaves rustling as the wind brushed past. Something was watching them.
The first guard sighed in disgust. "You boy scout."
"Is it wrong that I know and uphold the slogan of Bee-kind?"
"Save it for your retirement speech. Oh yeah - we don't get paid, so how can we retire?"
"Quit your whining. We've got a respectable job – one that you should be proud of."
"We don't do anything. There's never anything we actually use these things for." He lifted up a 'Sting-Blaster' – a common weapon for Mobian bee guards and drones. Its ammo is a form of plasma made up of super-concentrated venom from their stingers.
*Rustle-Rustle*
"Hey!" The second guard exclaimed. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
*Rustle-Rustle* A twig snapped.
"That!"
"What're you blabbering on about?"
"I think it's coming from the trees – the woods, even."
The two cautiously stepped over to the mouth of the forest. The branches of the trees appeared like monstrous hands attempting to grab them.
*Crunch-Crunch* *Rustle-Rustle* "CHIRP-CHIIIRRRP" A bizarre call was heard. It wasn't a bird, it sounded too big, too reptilian…
"Woah, I heard THAT!" The first guard said. "YIKES!"
A small figure with red eyes and reptilian in appearance approached them. Mummy-bandaging appeared to hang from its forelimbs. The heavy breathing alerted them.
"What the buzz is that?!" The first guard said, aiming his Sting-Blaster.
"GRRRROOOAARR!" The roar was followed by the several shots of the guard's sting-blaster pelting the creature's hide.
"Did…did you get it?" The second guard panted.
"Yeah, I think so." He replied.
They listened for any signs of life. Nothing, just the silence of the night.
"Do…do you think it got the young prince?"
"I don't know, but I'm gonna tear it open and see what's inside to check." He marched alone into the dark woods. "You wait here, in case the kid comes back."
He waited a few moments.
"HA!" The first guard called out from the forest. "I totally got it. I can see its parts all over the place."
"Man…that's disgusting."
"You're telling me. No sign of the kid here though. Wait. Do you hear that over there?"
"N-No what?"
"I-It's like heavy breathing. You wait there, I'm coming back ov-oh my GO-"
"What?" The second guard became restless. He heard plasma shots and a terrible roar.
AAARRRRRRGGHH!
"AAAHHH!" The first guard screamed out. "Run! Get outta-GAAHHH! Get offa me! GET OFFA ME!"
"Rolland?!" The second guard ran into the woods. "Rolland where are you man?"
"NOOO! GAAAAAHHHAAAHHH! GARCKKK!...Aackuu…"
"R-Rolland…?" The remaining guard trembled as he slowly trudged further into the woods. "Rolland?" He stumbled over something. "Good grief! It's too buzzin' dark!" He said, activating the torch-light on his helmet. At that moment, he saw the helmet of his comrade. But that wasn't the only thing of his he saw…
He quivered with fear. He staggered back. "G-G…Good Lor-"
*SNAP* He spun around. Nothing.
"H-Hey! W-Whatever's out there…c-c-come out now…or…or I'll l-let you have it!"
Something dashed by him. He turned back again.
"I-I mean it! I-I'm not kid…kidding around."
*THUD*
Something dropped behind him. A log.
"I-I've gotta get outta here." He gasped.
He turned to leave. Something gripped around his foot. His eyes widened as he dropped to the floor. His helmet was loose and fell off. The helmet's light shone into his eyes. He reached for the helmet. He missed and was dragged away. Faster and faster.
"No…"
He clawed forward. The force of the drag was too strong.
"N-NO!"
His Sting-Blaster was caught in the debris on the forest floor of rotting wood. He scrambled for it, but was dragged away faster.
"NO! NO, PLEASE NOOOO! GAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
The forest was filled with brutal screams. It went on for only a few moments before compete silence. The leaves of the trees quietly rustled with the wind. All was still now. Two pairs of glowing red eyes hovered down towards the city, their hissing and growling following.
The city of Metropolis was an Overlander city primarily; populated with enormous skyscrapers at the heart as well as the World-famous Casino Park. Espio hadn't come for the gambling though, he came to find the aid and evidence he needed to clear his name and avenge his master.
"SEE! I told you I could help you get to the city!" Charmy Buzzed. "Welcome to the city of Metropolis!" He gestured a hand of presentation at the city before spinning excitedly back to his new friend. "Where do you wanna go first?"
"Charmy?" Espio sighed. "The doctors?"
"Oh." Charmy replied as he spun in loops over Espio's head. He then stopped and said "Well, it's getting late though – aren't you hungry?"
At the thought of food, Espio's stomach roared out. He had never gotten the chance to collect the apples like he planned.
Charmy Laughed. "I guess you are hungry."
"I suppose I could postpone my quest for a quick meal."
"YIPEE!" Charmy exclaimed with great enthusiasm. "Alright! Let's go Espio! I'm Starving!"
Charmy lead Espio towards a market.
"Dun-da-daaa!" Charmy yelled out again. "The Metropolis Market!"
"The Market? Are you sure? It's hardly that impressive that it should be called The Metropolis Market…"
It was just a simple food market – likely a travelling one at that.
"Fine, fine." Charmy shook his head. "But I did find food!"
It was quite dark now; the lights had begun to turn on in the streets and at the market. Above them were neon-blue roads that began to glow brighter and brighter as it grew darker.
Espio was amazed by the sights he saw. "Do you use those things for 'Driving'?" He asked.
Charmy looked up. "Uh...I think so." He replied before shrugging and saying "But I don't drive."
Espio just looked at the city in wonder. "I've seen cars and things in the cities nearby my village and on my way here. But I've never seen anything like these blue platforms!"
"Yeah – Metropolis is famous for them – I think they're like the only city that has them. But I've only ever seen this city so..." Charmy then carried on over to the market. "C'MON! Let's eat!"
Espio's stomach growled again and drove him in the direction of the food. There were so many stalls and people. So many colours and lights. So many sounds and smells. Right now though, it was definitely the smells that got the duo's attention.
They drooled as they saw the different foods being prepared at the stalls. Espio then remembered one small, now painful, fact. He had no money.
"What should we eat Espio?" Charmy asked, his saliva covering the counter he was leaning on.
"I...I...I don't know how I'm going to pay for this..." He replied.
Charmy frowned "You mean you're just a bum with no money...?"
"Errrrr...I guess I never thought of that as I left my village...I'm such a fool..." He went on to knock his head continuously against a lamppost.
"Er…well we could get jobs?" Charmy suggested.
"That'd take too long."
"We could crash a wedding?"
"Are you a…never mind…"
Charmy scratched his head for a moment. "Well, we could just take it…"
Espio was surprised. "You mean steal?!"
"Pbbtt. Yeah, my friend Mello, and I used to do it all the time when we had no money exploring the city."
"But that's so…so wrong! It's just dishonourable!"
"Would you rather we act for money?" Charmy asked. "Hmm…Can you dance well with a skirt and fruit hat on your head?"
Espio shuddered heavily at the idea.
He mustered through his shaking "But stealing the food?! These people work good and hard by selling these things and then you-"
"We don't steal the GOOD stuff idiot! Just the stuff that no-one really wants – that's edible of course."
Espio was slightly puzzled. "But doesn't that defeat the object of attempting to steal?"
"Exactly." Charmy smiled. "Now go on."
"Me?!" Espio snapped. "I can't-"
"You can't expect me to. I'm just a kid! We can't let the kids see me steal!"
"What're you talking about? What kids? And that apparently didn't stop you before!"
"Hey, we can imply that I stole, but me actually stealing right here, right now, is BAD. You're gonna have to do it – it doesn't look as bad when a teen delinquent does it. What's a delinquent anyway?"
Espio groaned. This kid was too difficult to work with.
"C'mon! You're a ninja. Just ninja us some grub?"
Espio sighed. "Okay...I think I have an idea."
Espio closed his eyes, and slowly faded into invisibility.
"Woah-ho!" Charmy exclaimed. "Too Cool!"
The invisible chameleon then strolled into the pizza stand and picked up a large 'Hot & Spicy' special. The owner of the stall turned in horror as he saw the pizza float in mid-air.
"Mamma…mamma…mamma…" He could barely speak he was so frightened.
He then screamed and ran out of his stall. The crowd looked towards his stall and too screamed and ran. There were so many different people screaming and clambering about one another, but Charmy was just able to pick up:
"FLYING PIZZA! IT'S ALIVE!"
"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"
"THE TABLES HAVE TURNED! WE'RE DONE FOR!
"ALL IS LOST – ALL IS LOST!"
"DON'T LET IT TOUCH ME! I'M LACTOSE INTOLERANT! WAAIIIIGHHAAAAHHH!"
Of course, the young bee simply lay in the now deserted market laughing hysterically.
Espio walked over to him, still holding the pizza. Charmy was rolling on the floor for some time.
When he finally lost his laughter, he noticed the pain in Espio's eyes as he held the piping hot metal pizza tray. Steam erupted from his hand. Tears had welled up in his eyes.
"Espio? Are you okay?" Charmy asked, trying to contain yet some more upcoming laughter.
Espio simply sighed and replied calmly. "Yes. Yes I am." He gently placed the tray down onto the floor in front of him. "Where's the nearest bucket of water, if I may ask?"
Charmy pointed towards one. "Over there. Wow Espio, That looks PAIN-ful. Aren't you gonna scream in pain? I know I would."
"No, no I am not. As a ninja, I have trained myself to always keep calm and collected – even in times of extreme and excruciating pain..."
Espio slowly walked toward the bucket, quickly breaking into a sprint accompanied by a "NnnnyyyyyYYYAAAAAAAAARRRRGGHHHHHH!" as he leapt into the bucket to cool his hand.
Charmy couldn't contain himself, but quickly began stuffing his face with the Pizza.
Espio's face twitched as he cooled his hand, sighing in relief. He picked his head up to see Charmy devouring the Pizza.
"Hey! We can't eat that Charmy!" He called out, stomping towards him.
"Why not?" Charmy replied, his mouth full of Pizza.
"This is real stealing now! We scared everyone away and are eating their food!"
"It's not stealing. We didn't mean to scare them and they've left their food behind. It's up for grabs!"
"Up for grabs? F-Fair game? Oh…" Espio turned back to all of the fresh food. His mouth salivated heavily.
About an hour had passed and the pair had collectively eaten two large hot & spicy pizzas, eight pieces of fried chicken, two bowls of noodles, and five apple pies.
"Why is my shame...my great, immense shame..." Espio commented. "...is accompanied with such JOY?!" He cried out.
"Well... technically, we didn't steal them." Charmy said, patting his full stomach. "They practically just left it out for us." He smiled with great satisfaction.
"But it was I that scared them away in the first place..."
"Lighten up Espio. We didn't really do anything wrong. At least I don't think so. I mean /iwe/i were the ones with bad luck – we had no money and no food. We could've died out here!"
Espio's eyes widened with fear. "If we don't get out of here right now...we are going to die...right now." He hurriedly strapped on his bag.
"W-What?" Charmy replied, but Espio quickly snatched him up as he rushed them into a nearby alleyway.
He pressed himself against the wall, breathing heavily and gripping Charmy tight with his hand firmly covering his mouth.
Charmy wrestled out of Espio's grasp. "What's going on Espio?"
Espio didn't even look at him. He just stared ahead as he leaned against the wall. His eyes were widened with fear. "She sent them..." He muttered. "She actually sent them!"
Charmy was worried. "Wh-Who? Sent what?"
The two gripped hold of each-other as they heard monitor lizard hissing sounds. Foot-steps approached them slowly. Hiisssssss. Hissssss. They were coming closer.
"E-Espio? W-What was th-th-th-that?" Charmy quivered.
"Monsters…"
"Your…your scales are turning white Espio…"
"Shhh!"
They could hear something heavy crawling on the other side of their wall. Their hearts pounded as each step grew louder and louder. *BONG BONG BONG* Each step on the metallic building pounded upon their hearts. Claws gently scraped against the surface *SCREEE SCREEE*
"Quickly." Espio whispered as he pulled Charmy behind another building around the corner. "And be quiet."
As they went round the corner, they caught a glimpse of the creature's head. It peered around the corner, where they were before. Its eyes like search lamps, searching for its prey. They gasped and clung more tightly to the wall. Their hearts pounded harder and harder.
Charmy shuddered with fear. Espio had lost almost all colour.
*BONG BONG BONG*
HIISSSS, Hiisssss.
"Are they gone?" Charmy asked, still trembling. "Have they left?"
"Shhh." Espio replied. "I'll check, but you stay back!"
He edged slowly to the corner of the wall. A drop of sweat dripped down his face.
"E-Espio…"
Espio placed his hand at the corner, edging himself closer and closer. He breathed heavily, edging closer and closer. His heart pounded, distracting him. He shook his head clear and inhaled.
In a rapid burst, he darted his head over and glared out. Nothing was there. The creatures had moved on.
"Phew…" He wiped his forehead from the sweat.
"Espio?!" Charmy whispered.
"I...I think they've moved on." Espio panted. "I think we're safe." He mustered a weak smile towards the bee as his colours returned to his body.
"What does it mean when your colours change like that?" Charmy asked, trying to forget about what had just happened.
Espio realised this and responded "Well, Chameleons change colour naturally with their emotions. This holds the same with us Mobian Chameleons – we change colours when we feel intense…er…strong feelings."
"Ohhh, cool. So, red means…?"
"Anger or aggre…just anger."
"Oh. What other colours are there?"
"Well, Blue means sadness. Pink is the same as blushing – love and stuff. Green shows that they're ill, with black being when they die…"
"So did you turning white mean that you were like, really scared?"
"Well…yes, but I didn't turn white because…I wasn't scared."
"HAHAHAHAHA! You totally were though!"
Espio smiled. "Oh yeah? You were the one sweating a waterfall!"
They laughed for a little while.
Charmy thought back to those creatures again. "Uh, Espio? Were those the things that were chasing you before? Is that why you were in the golden meadow?"
"Well, actually I never thought it was those things that would find me here…"
"Well, what were they?"
"They were...wait..." He stopped speaking suddenly. His eyes widened with confusion. "Wait..."
"What is it Espio?" Charmy asked; the fear had re-sparked in his eyes.
"They moved on...but we didn't hear them hissing or walk-"
Espio was interrupted by a droplet falling onto his head. He wiped his hand on his head and brought down what was a black, viscous substance...
"W-What is that?" Charmy trembled. He pleaded for it to just be rain.
Another drop landed on Espio's head. Another, then another and another.
He and Charmy looked at each-other. Fear deeply engraved in their eyes, they lifted their heads slowly.
Eight inches above them, was a reptilian monster clinging to the wall. Its glowing red eyes glared upon them like great red spotlights. Bandaging hung down from its elbows. It flicked a forked, black tongue. It wrapped around Espio's chin. He didn't' even shudder – he was too terrified to move. Some more of the black liquid dropped from its mouth onto the floor between the pair. The pair just stared at it – paralyzed with fear.
Suddenly, the creature's eyes widened and retracted its tongue. It found something. It called over to its companion. "UURK! UURK!"
Another shrieked in reply – a sound like the call of a coyote with the hiss off a crocodile.
Charmy screamed in terror – releasing Espio out of his trance before snatching him up and fleeing through the alleyways. The cry of the creature bounded after them. It was followed by the creature itself, galloping on all fours after them!
They ran through every corner. Twisting and turning – the creature gaining on them. They then bumped into its partner.
The duo screamed out in fear as the other creature let out a blood-curdling roar! Espio dragged Charmy out of its jaws and they sped back down to the third alley-way – narrowly escaping the last one.
Charmy looked behind and saw the two monitors leaping from wall to wall at tremendous speed. He gasped in fear.
"FASTER ESPIO! RUN FASTER!" Charmy desperately yelled out.
But Espio could not move any faster. A combination of jet-lag and his unhealed injuries had made him weak. He slowed.
"They're gaining on us Espio!" Charmy yelled out.
"Don't worry – they won't get us!" Espio replied.
They turned right at a fork in their path. A dead end.
"A D-D-Dead End...?" Espio exclaimed in horror.
Charmy turned behind and saw the monsters slowly closing in on them. "You got that right..."
They walked towards them, snarling and hissing. They're glowing red eyes burned in the night. Their glares gripped hold of their hearts as if they had already torn them apart.
"What do we do now Espio?" Charmy pleaded as he hid behind him.
Espio drew his katana. "Stay behind me." He said, before charging them at speed.
They dodged his attack. One swung its tail and knocked the chameleon back in his place. They continued to walk slowly towards them.
"ESPIO!" Charmy yelled as the chameleon landed at his feet.
HURRRRR, HIISSSSS
"They're...They're too strong..." Espio coughed as he struggled back to his feet. "But I've got...to try..."
The creatures kept coming closer, but Espio stood his ground – his katana held by his side. His vision began to blur as his injuries were getting to him.
Hissss. RRRrrragggrrrrrrrgggghhhhh! SSSssss. They mocked him as Espio tried to stay on his feet. It looks like the Dragon Assassins have won their prey...