The story so far…
After surviving (the absolute joke being) the Ruins of Exodus and freeing the High Spirit Aqua, Bo-bobo and friends engage in a ship battle above the Ruby Region against King Hydrate and his subordinates, one of them being Bo-bobo's older brother Be-bebe under the king's control! Beauty, Namero, Don Patch, and Serviceman rescue Heppokomaru and defeat Hydrate himself and most of his subordinates while Bo-bobo was reading Torpedo Girl's "tattle" notes (much to her chagrin), leaving the two brothers to fight one another. With an intense blast of nose hair and some brotherly love, Bo-bobo passed Hydrate's test of strength and freed his brother from his control. Despite the love, however, apparently destroying both ships left both sides falling from several million feet in the air…
-And this means that Patches' snooping continues! Hooray!
(Warning: This prelude is two parts long with a ton of conversation and answers to some questions. Have fun solving the mysteries that pop up out of nowhere!)
Second Prelude
(Part 1: No one mourns the truth…or do they?)
Far off from the slightly chaotic end of the ship battle below, Softon was watching the remaining explosive sparks from the collision of the Reverse Empire and the Lapis Lazuli glitter and sparkle in the air, like fireworks. He knew that Hydrate had failed him, and what made it worse was that Bo-bobo passed Hydrate's "test," a test that he had intentionally dumbed down for him. He glared in a quiet rage at the scene below, and then maintained a hidden calm. Letting out an exhale, he walked back into his room, opened his diary, and began to write.
July 28, 301X
Sunny
Yet again, Sir Bo-bobo and his stupid team overcame another of my henchmen and freed another High Spirit. Yet again, he is standing in the way of my plans…if he's around, he will only cause trouble for me and for the kingdom…
Hydrate, that bastard…he may think that that knight is strong, but he has no chance to stand up to the challenge of fighting the "invincible one"…the man who cannot be beaten…the man who feeds on the spirits of the dead…yes, I think that he can defeat Bo-bobo. Then there is no way anyone can stop me from finding him…
Just because I am distantly related to him doesn't mean Hydrate owns me! And he knows nothing of my true purpose…and that is to-
/KNOCK KNOCK!/
Softon abruptly stopped writing when a knock came at the door. He quickly slammed his diary shut and put it away before opening the door. Yuko hurried in with a panicked look on her face.
"Your Sourness!" she exclaimed.
Softon caught on to her has she nearly collapsed from exhaustion. "Easy, Yuko. What is the matter?"
"We have an emergency! It's about the High Spirit imprisoned in the forest of the Obsidian Region!"
"What is it!? What's wrong!?" Softon gasped. Yuko looked up at him in despair.
"Don't tell me…"
Yuko nodded her head slowly.
"The High Spirit imprisoned in the "ghost eater" Giga's Castle…somehow escaped…"
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Princess Patches' Room
Dream Sequence Mode
A large throne room adorned with banners, golden window panes, and a magnificent red carpet spread out over the marble-glass hall. Two rows of servants donning red and white robes looked over at the large throne that accommodated the prince or princess of the kingdom. Sitting on the throne was a small being resembling a KoPatch, only a deeper shade of orange with big, blue eyes. This was Princess Patches at the young age of four years old.
"Don Pacchi-sama, you are the true successor to the throne of the Kingdom of Don. Everything in this country belongs to you. For you are the prince…no, um, err…princess…uh…"
The man who just spoke to the little Don Pacchi scratched his head. The four-year old Pacci had feminine lashes, yet sounded like a boy. He was stuck on calling him prince or princess, considering that they never bothered to check his gender.
"I always get Pacchi-sama's gender confused…" the man whispered to a woman.
"I can't tell either. Let's just say it's the princess…I mean, it looks so feminine…"
"Very well." The man turned back to Don Pacci. "Don Pacci-sama, as of today, your duty of lineage has begun, and you are the princess of the Don Kingdom. Everything belongs to you, now."
Don Pacchi's eyes widened. "Ah!? Really?!"
"Yes. And when you come of age, you will get even more when you become queen."
And that was when the turmoil under Patches' rule had begun…slowly but surely.
"I want that doll!" Pacchi ordered, pointing to a stuffed doll at a toy store.
"Yes, Don Pacchi-sama!"
Soon, Don Pacchi's room was filled with stuffed dolls in lovely dresses he could play with.
"I hate this type of flower!" Don Pacchi pointed to the buttercups that adorned the outside of his garden.
"Yes, Don Pacchi-sama!"
Instantly, Don Pacchi had a garden without buttercups. Only the roses and baby's breath remained.
"Minister, please be my horsy!" Don Pacchi ordered at his minister.
"Yes, Don Pacchi-sama!"
"Whee, giddy up!"
"I want this thing outside of my room! I don't like the trees out there!" Pacchi pointed to a rather ridiculous-looking slot machine he wanted in place of the cherry blossom tree that was blooming outside.
"Yes, Don Pacchi-sama!"
Don Pacchi got a money-making slot machine over the beautiful flowering tree that had lasted a lifetime at that castle.
"I hate the name Don Pacchi! Please, from now on, call me Patches!"
"Yes, Patches-sama!"
"That's Princess Patches, now! I'm thirteen years old, remember?"
"Yes, Princess Patches!"
As Patches grew older, his demands increased, and things became worse in the kingdom little by little. He eventually grew up to be the selfish, grubby, random, tacky dress-wearing sun-shaped creature he was today. And what made things worse was that everyone seemed to lose track of his age!
"Princess Patches! It's time for your studies! Princess Patches!"
A teenage Patches hid under a table in a small meeting room of the castle, giggling. Next to him was a small puddle of margarine he had purposefully put in for the maid that was calling him.
"Princess Patches, it's time fo-kyaah!"
The passing castle maid searching for the princess (Which was the same one in the yellow skirt we have encountered before) slipped on the margarine, landing on her rear. Patches giggled silently as she moaned in pain. The maid in the pink dress rushed in to help.
"Hah hah, that'll show her…" Patches whispered in triumph. A small white kitten with large black and coffee-colored spots walked into the room, walking over to Patches with a loud purr. Patches "shhhed" the kitten as the maids began to speak. The maid in the blue skirt walked in after hearing the commotion.
"Are you guys all right? What happened in here?" the blue-skirted maid asked.
"She slipped on some margarine. Probably the princess' doing…" The pink skirt said frustrated. "Why must she be so immature?"
"You know, I've had it with that princess…" the yellow said with anger.
"I think you'd best be quiet. She may be nearby." The blue spoke again with a hint of worry.
"Why should we be? She's the disrespectful one!" The yellow shouted.
Patches scowled. "They better shut up…" she said. "They don't know what they're saying! I am the princess of the kingdom!"
"She IS disrespectful! The king and queen were such honorable rulers, but she's nothing like them! Hell, even little princes and princesses of times past were more respectful than she is!" the pink spoke again. "You know it, and I know it!"
"I suppose that's true…" the blue said, putting her hand under her chin. "Maybe that rumor really is true after all!"
"This has never happened in the kingdom's history…you don't think-"
"Hey, hey, you probably shouldn't be talking about that, ladies. Forget the princess for now, the kitchen dishwasher spilled again. Can you help me clean it up?" A maid in a red skirt that was just above her knees walked into the room after overhearing the conversation.
"Okay, but hey, you can't blame us for wanting to believe it," The blue skirt spoke again.
"I don't know the full details. Can someone explain, please?" The yellow skirt asked as they walked out of the room. Patches silently followed the ladies as they met in the grand hall of the second floor and stopped to talk.
"I heard rumors from some wise people in town that the real princess of the kingdom was with the king and queen the night Leviathan's Demon Army attacked the Crystal Region about a year ago…the people I've heard it from have known the royal family for ages, and actually, the wizard Hanpen L. Fishcake himself was one of them! I think they're true." The pink skirt let out a held breath.
"It's also been reported that the real princess…perished at Leviathan's hands…" the blue skirt said in a grieving tone.
"Wait, who's the current Emperor of the Maruhage Empire? Y'know, the large empire to the east?" The pink skirt asked.
"The current ruler is the third in the Leviathan Family, so I suppose one could call him Leviathan III…I heard from a friend of mine from the empire that they're having an issue on debating the next heir." The yellow skirt was thinking.
"Oh? What is it?" asked a maid in a long green skirt that had just entered the room.
"I heard that the current Leviathan can't reproduce for some reason, which means he can't have a blood heir. So now he's going to have to handpick an heir with the power that matches his. And with HIS immense power, it would probably be near impossible to find an heir. If that's true, when he passes away, the Maruhage Empire's in big trouble…"
"What!? That can't be true! I heard from authorities in the north that he raped a woman not too long ago! In fact, it's been six years! He's been under house arrest since then. I'm surprised he let himself go so easily, but he'll be out in a few days." A maid in a dangerously short orange skirt joined into the talk.
"He raped someone? How can that be? I thought he was under house arrest for attacking the Sapphire Region after the treaty we made with the empire. I heard he had cybernetic parts in him, so he can't reproduce." A maid with a purple skirt that reached the floor also came in.
"It's been confirmed true! And the woman he raped was the Countess of the Sapphire Region!" A maid in a mid-length indigo skirt chimed in.
"The countess!? You mean the countess who died recently?! That's huge!" the red-skirt replied. "Wait…why are we talking about the Maruhage Empire when we had another task at hand?"
"We're actually having him over for a talk next month. He's going to meet the princess for a talk of making a treaty and a pact over dinner…" the yellow replied. "Oh! Speaking of the princess, we were talking about the rumor…"
"You mean the one about…" the orange replied.
"Yes. About how Patches may not be the real princess."
Patches couldn't believe what he was hearing. Every word began to sink into him like a knife.
"Not only is he not like the king and queen, he doesn't look anything like them!" the pink skirt complained.
"Obviously. He resembles a KoPatch in many ways, and they're commoners! How do we have KoPatches in the royal lineage!?" the orange skirt shouted.
"Quiet! The Minister will hear you…" the green said in a loud whisper.
"And what's more, he has no sort of power whatsoever! The monarchs of our kingdom have the amazing magical power that only they alone can have, great strength, and endless compassion within them only they can find…" the purple skirt added.
"Yeah, even the comedic, sarcastic rulers had at least SOME compassion!"
"But you know what tipped me off the most?" The indigo skirt asked.
"What's that?"
"Patches…has no birthmark…and that birthmark is the ultimate proof…"
Patches slowly crept away. He wanted to hear no more of this.
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Princess Patches' Castle, Courtyard (One month later)
The royal family of the Don Kingdom stood in wait for the House of Leviathan of the Maruhage Empire. Princess Patches, wearing a deep blue dress with tacky ruffles and sparkling stars on it, stood in the center of the courtyard in wait for the emperor. A flute played in the background, indicating the emperor's arrival.
"The emperor of the Maruhage Empire, Leviathan III!" a spiky-haired man announced.
On the carpet of the courtyard entered a muscular man in fine royal clothing, sporting short spiky red hair and the deepest black eyes the princess had ever seen. A large golden emblem crown-like object of the empire added to the emperor's already-impressive appearance. Patches gasped silently at the other monarch.
"He's the ruler of Maruhage?" he asked the Minister.
"Yes. He is the current heir of their throne."
Leviathan approached Patches and gazed down upon her. She let out an inaudible squeak with a small hint of fear.
"So, you're Patches of the Don Kingdom, are you?" The man's voice had an unusually smooth tone to it.
"Y…yes…I am Princess Don Pacchi D'Nargan Don Kami XV…but just call me…Princess Patches…" he blushed.
"I see…" The emperor smirked.
"What's so funny?"
"So you're the one people are calling…the fake princess…"
Patches gasped again. That same feeling returned from the conversation the maids had last month.
"How…how dare you…"
The words of the maids were stinging and exploding in his mind…
"He's nothing like the late king and queen!"
"He looks nothing like either the king or the queen!"
"That birthmark is the ultimate proof…"
"He has no powers! He's nothing but a selfish freeloader!"
"So that rumor must be true after all…the real princess died during the attack of the Demon Army…"
"You're the one they call the fake princess…"
Patches couldn't take it anymore. "Stop…stop it!! I've heard enough…SHUT UP!!"
End Sequence
"Eeeeeek!"
Patches woke up with a startle. He looked around and scratched his head, seeing that he dozed off and fell asleep on top of his soft bed. He panted and panted at the nightmares he hated the most…
He looked over and saw a wooden doll that he occasionally slept with. "So it was you giving me those nightmares, Ya-kun…jeez…"
He looked into the night sky with sadness in his eyes. He couldn't take the rumors he had heard so long ago so well. He got out of bed, went to his nightstand, and looked at a photo of his old cat.
"Hey, Kitty…I am the princess of the Don Kingdom…aren't I?"
He gazed at the photo a little longer as the memories he had flooded his head. He suddenly realized something important.
"Is that rumor why they held off my coronation for so long? Why would they do that? I'm the princess…I am…I-"
/KNOCK KNOCK!/
Don Patch saw Dengaku-man at his balcony doors. He walked over and let him in, noticing that he had a massive neck brace around his neck.
"Woah, what the phantom menace happened to you?" asked Patches.
"Ack…Sir Bo-bobo somehow caught me while you were sleeping and bit my head off…as a spirit, I can retract my head as long as my brain cells are intact, but…damn, that really freakin' hurt!" Dengaku-man let out a breath of exasperation.
"Yeah…that must've sucked…" Patches sighed. He continued to stare at the photo of his kitten.
"Princess? Is something the matter?" Dengaku-man asked.
"Oh, no…it's nothing…" he sighed. Dengaku-man gave him a sad expression. Something was clearly wrong with him.
"You're clearly upset about something."
"I SAID I'M FINE! SHUT THE F-- UP ALREADY!!" Patches grabbed Dengaku-man buy the leg and slam-dunked him his toilet (which he hadn't flushed, mind you). He flushed it, and Dengaku-man's cries of suffering were carried out.
"You need a better attitude! You're like that guy who called me a hussie back down at the morgue several weeks ago! Nobody ever calls me a hussie and gets away with it! Well, except for that guy who called me a hussie; he got away with it. Then again, no one else other than him has ever called me a hussie…okay! From now on, only half of the people who call me a hussie get away with it!" Patches went to her makeup mirror and began applying heavy blush and whatnot to her face.
Dengaku-man slowly climbed out of the toilet, cleaning off the remains of the god-knows-what he found in the castle's septic system. He became dizzy from all the spinning.
"Your Highness…maybe we can rest a little more tonight?"
A spark of intensity overcame the princess. "No! I've rested enough…I have a better idea."
"What's that?"
"Why not snoop around the castle some more and get some plans delivered to Sir Bo-bobo? You told him everything the first time, right?"
"Yeah! In fact, he freed one of the honorable High Spirits when he ripped my head off back then!" Dengaku-man flinched at his neck pain.
"Okay! It's decided!" Patches readied her dress and put on her high heels. "To the secret passage! Awaaaay!"
Patches dashed for the fireplace, not realizing that he didn't press the button that opened the passage, and ran smack dab in the middle of the fire that was going. After a moment of tense silence, the burning result came in.
"YYEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWW!!"
Patches ran across the room, not even bothering to perform the stop-drop-roll method. Dengaku-man waved his wand around, causing a splash of water to fall on Patches, dousing the fire. He then pushed the button next to the fireplace that opened the secret passage, and the entrance formed.
"Oh…I didn't press the button…silly me…let's go!" Patches huffed as he entered the dark passage. Dengaku-man sighed and slowly followed.
The duo made it to the end of the passage where the small fireplace-like platform waited. Patches pushed the button, and the platform slowly turned away into Softon's room, which was fortunately empty. Patches stepped down onto the floor and began looking around.
"Do you think that there's any poop to find in his room again? I don't see his diary anywhere." Patches looked carefully at the bookshelves and collected files.
"Well, maybe I can-wait, did you say poop?" Dengaku-man replied in confusion.
"Yeah, y'know, like in the movies, where the heroes go up to get the straight poop from the person they're investigating!"
Dengaku-man said nothing. He flew about and noticed Softon's diary on his desk, opened at the same entry he was just writing. He quickly skimmed it over and began to think.
"Dengaku-man? Does his diary have any info?"
"Hmmm…I think that there's something super-important here! Look at this! It says something about a man called the "invincible one!" Dengaku-man pointed at the quoted words in the entry.
The princess and the child spirit looked at one another with wonder. Could Bo-bobo's next opponent possibly be invincible?
Patches became flustered. "This cannot be true! This so-called 'invincible one' must have at least SOME kind of weakness…"
"Well, why don't we search around the castle and find out?" Dengaku-man suggested.
"Kyah!" Patches yelped. "I'll probably get caught! The guards will find me and toss me away, ruining my dress!"
"It's pitch black in the halls, princess. I think you can evade them." Dengaku-man flew to the door, dragging the princess with him. "Besides, if we don't leave now, Softon may find you in here again. Remember?"
"Oh yeah! He stole my push-up!"
Dengaku-man said nothing. He and Patches faced the door.
"It's all or nothing, and the guards are lurking in the halls. Be careful."
Patches slowly held the knob, slowly turned it, pushed it open, and silently stepped out into the hall of the castle along with his fairy companion.
The princess and the fairy-spirit entered the dark hallway of the second floor of the castle. They had exited out of the northwestern door on the left side of the hall. Several guards were patrolling the hall with flashlights in store, to spot anyone in detection. There were guards at most of the doors, including the princess' bedroom and the hall that led to the third floor, and the door that led to the first floor was locked.
"Ummm…oh, dear, so many guards…this looks impossible to pass through…" Patches whispered in worry.
"Don't worry. Just be real quiet, and let's get some info about this so-called "invincible one," okay?" Dengaku-man reassured. Patches nodded his head and began to tiptoe into the middle of the hall. He was able to avoid the spotlights by twirling about quietly, and Dengaku-man flew above to the ceiling. Patches approached the right side of the hall at the northeastern door.
"I think that this leads to the storeroom…I doubt that there's anyone in there…" Patches said quietly. He was about to move again when three guards came in his direction.
"Patches, quick! Into the storeroom!" Dengaku-man said. He quickly opened the door and both crawled inside, locking the door. The three guards approached the door with their flashlights at hand.
"Okay, whoever is in there, come out now." A male guard spoke with authority. He tried opening the door, but had no luck. "Well, this door appears to be locked. Let's get back to our posts."
"But I could've sworn I saw the princess walk in there. She's probably hiding, y'know," A female guard replied.
"Oh, Ami-chan, you're seeing things. Princess Patches can't get out of the room. You know it, I know it, and Bobo over there knows it, right Bobo?" The male guard turned to another male guard, who appeared to be depressed over something.
"Bobo? You okay?"
"I've been better…" Bobo said solemnly.
"What's the matter?" The woman guard named Ami asked.
"Do you remember that emergency drill we had the other day?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Well, I invited my girlfriend up here so that we could make love while I was on break. When my break came, I was finally about to do it with my girlfriend, but then we had that drill, and she said there was no way…" Bobo walked off lamenting in tears. The two other guards sweatdropped at the matter.
"Well, I still think that there's someone in there." The female guard went up to the door and knocked. "Hello? Is anybody in there?" There was no response.
"Well, I guess that whoever's in there won't be getting this freshly baked churro I just made!"
"A CHURRO!?" Patches shouted.
"Shaddap!"
"Ah-hah! There! I knew that there was someone in there!" Ami spoke with enthusiasm.
"Well, I heard voices, but they stopped, so I guess that there's no one in there. Let's go, Ami." The male guard dragged his companion away, much to her chagrin. Patches and Dengaku-man hid behind a large painting of a former queen of the kingdom during the investigation, and they emerged from hiding as the guards left.
"Phew…that was close…Patches, what is it with you and churros!? I swear, you're obsessed with them!" Dengaku-man complained.
"Churros are the reason I can get my blackberry…" Patches went off into a daydream as a huge question mark popped from Dengaku-man's head.
Dengaku-man observed his current surroundings. The storeroom was dark and cramped, outlined with the same walls and floor the rest of the castle had. Portraits of royalty from ages ago and of dazzling scenery lay about. Boxes of old objects and treasures were on the right side of the room, next to a wooden chair with red cushions. Finally, in the middle of the room was a large, indigo treasure chest with a mysterious crest on it; the crest was made of silver, depicting two serpents embracing one another.
"Woah…what an odd chest…what's inside it, princess?" the fairy asked the princess.
"Oh, that thing? That chest was handed through my royal family for generations. They say that when you put something inside it, it appears in another chest in some part of the kingdom. Unfortunately, I don't know where exactly, but I know that it's in the Crystal Region, so I know it's a safe place…"
"Well, what shall we put in here?" asked the fairy.
"Let's look around and see."
Patches and Dengaku-man dug around the storeroom and could only find old possessions that were either dusty or worn out. Dengaku-man was looking behind the portraits, and Patches was digging into an old jewelry box.
"Denny! Look! I look pretty!" Patches exclaimed, putting gems brooches, and pearls on his dress and face. He turned around and saw Dengaku-man gazing at one particular portrait.
"Denny?"
"Oh, wow…"
Dengaku-man was seeing a portrait that was a mix of oils and thin acrylic paint on a large canvas. It was a portrait of the current royal family. He saw the lovely artwork of the current (now deceased) king and queen, but most of the bottom half was burned off, with a tatter of it flapped downward.
"Oh! It's my…uh…my mother and father! Yeah! They died years ago, but…uh…I miss them greatly! Yeah!" Patches was stuttering nervously. He spotted some things at the end of the room and began collecting them as Dengaku-man analyzed the portrait.
"It appears to be burned…and it must've been by a massive fire or something. The king and queen sure do look lovely…"
The king was a fine-looking man with reddish-brown hair (Note: I can't describe it well, so imagine it as the hairstyle of Nagi Springfield from Negima! If you don't know who he is, go to , find the manga Mahou Sensei Negima!, and he's seen in Chapter 117, page 17), wearing a lavish ivory cloak and simple black skintight pants and sleeveless shirt underneath with a tubed collar. The queen was beautiful to behold; she had the most beautiful violet-blue eyes and wore an outfit similar to her husband, only a bit more formal in the form of an evening gown. The top half of the portrait was burned off, so her hair couldn't be seen. Both of them had some form of crown-like object encircling their foreheads with a gem set in the middle, and an arcane marking was beneath the queen's forehead.
"What handsome-looking monarchs! I bet everyone loved them when they ruled. They look so friendly…"
Dengaku-man glanced at Patches for a moment, then back at the portrait.
"Odd…Princess Patches doesn't look anything like them, and I can see two people from the burnt bottom of the portrait…they almost look like…children…"
Dengaku-man observed the burnt half of the portrait. He looked hard at what appeared to be the two children at the bottom.
"I can see…a boy? I think that's a boy…why does he look so familiar?"
He squinted at the burnt half and analyzed harder and harder, but had no idea if it was really true or not. He then hopped as he noticed something else.
"What's this? I also see…oh!"
Dengaku-man lifted a small piece of the burnt painting that was ripped. He was about to put it in place, until…
"DAMN, I'M PRETTY!"
Dengaku-man spun around to see a bejeweled Patches staring freakishly at him! (Note: Think of him when he was attacked by Halekulani's gemstones and turned into a "rich lady" in Episode 41).
"WHO ARE YOU!?" Dengaku-man screeched in fear.
"I am Leonidas, king of Sparta…and with my all-powerful jewels and outdated credit cards, this…is…ATHENS!!"
Silence.
"You just killed that entire phrase, man. Athens is pathetic," Dengaku-man spoke blankly.
"Well, what do you know!?" Patches threw a hissy fit. "Hey, what's this?"
Patches picked up what looked like a large chrome-cast sword with a circular pattern in its center. Next to it was what appeared to be a lantern of some kind.
"It's a sword and a lantern."
"Well, whaddaya know. Maybe these can help Bo-bobo and his friends."
Patches moaned. "Welll…why not use them here? We can kill Softon on the spot!"
"You'd run away from a fly if it came at you, princess. No offense, but it's true…" Dengaku-man grunted.
"I will not!"
"Look, a fly."
"EEEEEK!"
Patches dashed out of the storeroom, through the spotlights of the guards, and into the southwest door of the hall. Dengaku-man slowly followed.
"Princess, it was a joke. Sheesh, calm down. The guards will hear you."
"You scared me, you little twot! If Wario was here right now, he'd…"
Patches paused when he heard a guard stop and search around. He then continued his way about.
"There are plenty of guards in here, too. Better be quiet. Since we're in a library, I think that there may be some info here too, no?" Dengaku-man suggested. Patches silently nodded her head as she mounted the sword and the lantern on her back and began to tiptoe through her library.
The library they had entered was vast and wide, filled with shelves upon shelves of books, drawers that contained more books, and a small study table in the middle. In the middle of the room was a stack of books that led to three bookcases on a higher level.
The duo quietly crept behind a bookshelf, where a female guard walked on the other side. They then slipped past when she wasn't looking. They quickly dashed through the study area, through the bookshelf alcove, and finally made it to the other side where a large wall of books on another self concealed them. Behind another dresser was a chair and a lamp stand, and Patches backed away when she heard two whispers on the other side.
"Shh! They're talking…" Patches and Dengaku-man listened to the conversation between a male guard and a male sorcerer.
"Hey…have you heard about…Master Giga? You know, the man who lives in the Obsidian Region?" the soldier asked.
"Isn't that the region made up of a dark forest and an old windmill town? I think a lot of poor people live there, or at least it became that way ever since Princess Patches came to power," the mage replied.
"Yeah, he lives there. I heard that he loves eating ghosts! I also heard that he's a grave robber! He digs up the bodies and makes them into art…and he eats the ghosts of the bodies that make up his art as a sign of dominance…"
"Wow! What a selfish punk!"
"He's taken a bid from Lord Softon to rule the Obsidian Region in exchange for his loyalty. Oy, Sir Bo-bobo's really going to be in for it now…"
"No kidding. And what's more, he lives near Yue Forest, where the spirits of the dead wonder and business themselves between living and death affairs…whatever the hell that means."
"Yeah, recently, he's been haunting that windmill town where all those poor people live. There are lots of old ghosts there, too. Long overdue notables who haven't been sent to the Underworld in ages, I hear."
"I also heard that he has one of the High Spirits in his possession right now."
"Really? I heard that the High Spirit he had escaped."
"You're kidding!"
"Yuko said it herself, man. He was working on the renovations of his castle in that village, which I think is called Genesis Gulch, when it happened. I also think that there's a mansion in the forest nearby."
"Well, I guess he goes to both the mansion and the village to catch some ghosts AND some bodies, huh?"
"Yeah, but listen to this. Apparently there's a really sick man from the Diamond Region who's planning a protest against him. He called for help a while back, according to some observers."
"Who is it?"
"I don't know, but I heard that he knows Sir Bo-bobo personally."
"No way!"
"Yup, but he's so ill that his medics say he won't last more than a week. He needs some kind of miracle to pull through."
"Wow."
"As I was saying, Giga likes eating ghosts. He takes it by the tail, holds it up high, and chomp! He eats it headfirst!"
"Ah…oh man, that's so scary…"
"Are you okay?"
"No…now I don't think I can make it to the bathroom alone anymore! Why'd ya tell me he eats ghosts headfirst!? Now I'm going to have nightmares for a month!"
"Easy now. You're a mage, remember?"
"Y-yeah…but…"
The soldier playfully decided to scare him more. "I also know that Master Giga is invincible! No one can even scratch him! It may be possible that he's stronger than Lord Softon…"
"Stronger than Wizard Softon!? That cannot be true! You know it, and so do I!"
"Hmmm…you may be right…I heard from Ami-chan that Giga also has a secret he'd be horrified to let out…I heard it's all about his past. I heard that once, he wasn't strong at all…and it had something to do with his body…"
"Shhhh! Quiet! He'll hear you! He might eat us or turn us into statues!" The mage began to whimper.
"God, you're more pathetic than that one guy who's obsessed with the Sasuke x Sakura pairing…when will he finally realize that they can nor will EVER be together!?"
"Still…what do you think his weakness is?"
"I don't know. No one knows. That's why they call it a secret, stupid!"
The princess and the fairy turned around quietly after their conversation took a break. They broke out into smiles at their new discovery.
"Denny…I think that this man may have a weakness after all, and Sir Bo-bobo can get some help in the forest, too!" Patches squealed silently.
"If only we knew what it was…I'll report this to Sir Bo-bobo right away!"
"Please do!"
The two of them began to walk away as the mage and the soldier got up.
"…huh? Did you hear someone talking just now?" the soldier asked.
"Do you think someone's caught us in here goofing off!? Oh no!" The mage panicked.
The duo began to panic. The princess began to make a run for it, but was unfortunately spotted by the guards. Dengaku-man flew away in time, and took the blade and the lantern with him.
"Woah! Princess Patches!? How the devil did you get here!?" the soldier exclaimed.
"I, uh, um…I FLEW HERE!" Patches screamed. The library fell silent at the sound of the shrill.
"Yeah right. C'mon sweetie, you're going back to your room." The mage responded. He and the soldier picked up the princess and began to make off with him. The princess' screaming began again, just like before.
"Oh, noooo!"
Castle Storeroom/Second Floor Hall
As Dengaku-man was finishing putting the two items into the chest in the storeroom, he cracked the door open and saw Patches being thrown back into his room. He made a worried expression as he went to a high window on the second floor and flew out.
"Hey, what's all the ruckus?" Softon reappeared from the dining hall door (southeastern door) just as Patches was returned.
End of Part 1
(Note: Princess Patches is the real Don Patch. The Don Patch on Bo-bobo's team is nothing but a robot impersonation invented by Namero to keep the hajike level high. Any Bo7 without Don Patch is not exciting, now.)
-This Prelude took longer than I thought it did…but fear not! All the stuff that's going on back with Sir Bo-bobo is heading your way next!
-Dengaku-man now has new info for Bo-bobo's quest. What's to come from this so-called "Invincible" Master Giga!? Read on and find out…
FOOTNOTES
-"Yue" means "moon" in Chinese.
-Obsidian is a dark, glassy-like igneous rock made of lava with high chemical content, typically black in color. They are used popularly in art, and can also be used to make mirrors.
Go get some dark chocolate…it's actually good for your skin…mmmmm…