Chapter 2: The Travel

All dressed up and prepared. Arle, Carbuncle, Amitie, Ringo, Accord, and Popoi were ready to board S.S. Arly Prince. Ready to play Puyo Puyo on the island until they beat the prince and the wanderer.

"Best of luck, Sorceresses." The Ocean Prince wishes them off. "My Shellbrick III platoon shall surround the island and provide you with assistance whenever they can." He points to his beached non-anthropomorphic, trident-wielding sea creatures.

"Thank you very much, your Oceaness. But let's hope it won't come to that." Accord spoke for her juniors. "Are you prepared, kiddies?"

"Sure did, Professor!" Amitie chirped patting the backpack Ringo was carrying. "Packed it like we are hiking, like you said." She slapped her fanny pack usually hidden on her back.

"We don't need it, right, Carby?"
"Guu."
"We've done worse things."

"What are you carrying, Ms. Accord?" Ringo asks.

"Yours truly, meow." Popoi talked back. Swinging about in Accord's arms. Accord and Amitie giggled, Ringo laughed off the enigmatic woman's non-answer.

"Okay, Puyos." Arle addressed them. "We're ready."

"Puyopuyo." The blob startled most of them.

"D-Did that Puyo just talk?!"
"Wicked." The younger mages, Ringo and Amitie commented.

Most there were surprised as well.

"My, my, how curious." Accord said. "May I make an educated guess you can't say anything else, little ones?"

"Puyopuyo."
"Puyo."
"Puyo."
"Puyopuyo."
"Puyopuyo."
"Puyo."
"Puyo."
"Puyo."
"Puyopuyo."
"Please stop!"
"…uyo."
"…yo."
"Thank you."

The surround sound is a bit much for Ringo. Arle nervously giggled at her, she turned at what seemed to be the head Puyo.

"We're ready, bring us to the switches."
"Puyopuyo." It nodded at the wheel. Behind it are 5 pressure switches in a pentagon formation. The one near the wheel had Arle's face. To the right of her was one for Carbuncle.

"When did the Prince paint our faces on these?"
"Super, duper, underworldic Prince of the Darkness super Dark Prince power, Ringo."
"I need answers, Amitie… You know."
"I don't know, how did he raise the island from the ocean?"

Accord giggled again standing on the plate. "Girls, you can ask the ancient wizards themselves on the island. So let's not keep them waiting shall we?"

Arle and Carbuncle did a secret shared hero pose onto their pressure plates.

Amitie and Ringo shrug at each other, with the look of excitement on her face. The other braced herself for the shenanigans to ensue that follows Arle everywhere.

"Good luck!"
"Be careful! "
Etc. Everyone waved them off to their journey.

Out of nowhere. With the people on the beach beginning to look like ants. Ringo had a realization. "Arle, I just had a horrible thought."

"And what's that?"
"Think back to what the Dark Prince said."
"D-Do I have to?"
"He said the Puyos are unpoppable."
"Yeah. So?"
"What do you mean so?"
"Ringo. There's more than one way to pop Puyo."

"Arle's on purrrrcisely on point." Popoi butted in. "Even Amitie meows that."

"What do even I meow?" Amitie obliviously chirped.

"Something I don't! Please tell me this way to pop Puyo without playing Puyo Puyo?" She whispered so not to alert them.

"Simple."
"You zap them."
"With magic."

"It's that simple… I guess Puyo Puyo is faster. But my question still stands. If they are unpoppable, as in invincible, what do we do then?"

"They are Puyo. Not like they're that big of a threat, Ringo." Arle said in a way of friendly poking fun at Ringo's concerns. Ringo sighed so she wouldn't be annoyed. Thinking of ways to stop them.

'Throwing them off the island…?'

"Girls." Accord took the reign of the conversation. "I'm ashamed to admit this, considering my position. But in case of an emergency. Do you have any idea how a ship works?"

"Don't even know what the opposite of starboard is."
"It's port, Amitie. I think…"

"Do you, Carby?"
"Gu, gugu."
"Yeah, thought so… But this is his ship."

"Oh, I get it. He'll make sure it won't sink because of you." Amitie put two and two together.

"Ringo?" Accord said while inspecting the boat's exterior. "Can you identify the wood this boat is made of?" The redhead approached the cat holding lavenderette.

Ringo took a magnifying glass and inspected it. "I-It looks like the best quality wood money can buy. But I have no idea what kind, Ms. Accord. Is this exclusive to this world?"

"That's meowderful deducting. But that's not the post we want you to scratch."

"Translation?"

"What Popoi means is that something's off. You're right, this wood is of this world either, but that doesn't concern me. The Dark Prince is from another world after all."

"So what's the problem?"
"His love for Arle. You're on good terms with him aren't you?"
"Sorta."
"Doesn't this pirate ship seem a bit too plain?"
"I see where you're getting at Ms. A. But I figured there's something embarrassing on top the tower."
"Could be. Could be."
"How about we check the hammocks? Or Arle and Carbuncle's case. Beds. Probably."
"Excellent. If was your teacher I'd give you a gold star."

"And a kitten sticker."

"Sheesh, I know this thing go faster. At this rate, we'll be there tomorrow."

"Would going a faster make me feel less woozy, Arle?" Arle flinched seeing Amitie.

"Ugh, you look green, Amitie. Quick, throw up in the ocean!"

The seasick blonde nodded. Once that was over with. Arle suggests she should lie down for a bit. They asked the crew. "Puyopuyo."

"I think that means… Follow him?" Amitie was escorted to a hammock.

Amitie's in comfort. She finds it amusing how she stays still while the ship moves. "Oh, wicked, wanna have one home~"

"Why did you wanna come with, Ms. Accord?"

"I have no answer for you. I just wanted to go." She giggled. Arle shrugged, she's planning to climb about again. "Hm. What are they really up to, Popoi?"

"Beats me."

Amitie yawned. She feels a bit better. She looks out a glass window. "Oh, the sun's setting. No way I'm gonna miss that sight." She ran past the Puyos back onto the deck. "Eeeh?" She's a bit frightened at what she saw. "Uh. G-Guys? Is it me or are there skulls on the island?" She's referring to the island itself and near the top of the tower have some too.

"Hmhmm." Arle replied lowkey.

"Puyopuyo."

"We can't understand you." Long discourse later. They got that the Puyos wanted them to go to bed. They complied with their commands. They all got a hammock and blanket.

"Gugugu?"
"Right, Carby. Weird he does not have the comfiest thing prepared for us."

"That's what we thought too." Ringo shared in a whisper what they figured. Arle didn't give it too much thought. She has hope her demonic, weeny stalker finally growing out of his phase.

Amitie didn't listen, she's snoozing about being a great magician conquering the skull island.

Arle woke up in the hammock. It's night. For some reason, she can't back fall back to sleep. A look to her left and right showed that the other girls were still asleep. And Carbuncle had migrated to Arle's hammock. She didn't complain.

"We're on a ship to an adventure… Is he lowering my expectation so he can actually surprise me? He'd treat me way better than my friends normally. Whatever this surprise is he better not embarrass me again." She monologues to herself, staring at the ceiling. "Why must the devil himself, love me of all people? It seems like such a long time ago."

"..."

"How did this start? Seems like it went from 0 to 100 by that time he made that first tower… And then… He's been in my life ever since then… Whether I want to or not. I miss when Primp was new to me now. Nobody familiar, but everyone is a lot friendlier."

"On the other hand, less adventure…" Arle rubbed Carbuncle. He's lying to her side. "Psst, Carby."

Arle's bud rubbed his eye. "Guu?" Arle chuckled at his sleepy tone.

"I gonna get some fresh air. So I'm putting you back in your hammock. Okay?"
"Gu…"
"Of course you can sleep with me again. Be back soon."

Arle muzzled him and put him to bed. She went outside to eye the beautiful sight of the moon's light reflecting on the waters. Occasionally looking at the island for contrast. "Not very romantic…"

Arle decided to walk a bit. Something seemed off about the ship. But it dawned on her when she saw who's at the wheel.

"All the Puyo are gone!" 'The ship's moving on its own.' Arle decided to investigate. The ship. But the Puyos were nowhere to be seen. There was one place Arle hasn't looked. But if she believed all the Puyos were hiding in the Crowsnest she'd be mental. Still, she climbs up to see what's going on.

But something that she heard that she shouldn't was a yawn. It came from op top. She's halfway up the ladder she couldn't who or what yawned.

But it sure made the air around the nest orange. "What the heck?"

"Umgh?" Arle faintly heard. Whatever's up there, it probably heard her. She made a decision and slid down the ladder.

A head popped her head from the nest. I jumped out and slowly descended to the deck where Arle was.

"Draco?"

"Human." The Draco Centauros sneered. She's dressed differently, less fancy dresses. And dressed in equally sexy pirate gear. She has no weapons on her, but she's a dragon lady. "You're not supposed to be awake yet!"

"What're you doing here? What happened to the Puyos?"

"We're not gonna tell you." The dragon got combat ready, tail included.
"We're? Plural?"
"Come quietly and we won't fight!"

Draco undid her glove to whistle. At the Crowsnest, two more heads popped out of it. Yawning with flame.

Amitie woke up from all the screaming from upstairs. She woke up the others just to arrive at seeing Arle's limp body being carried off the island by two female winged creatures' silhouettes.

"Arle!"
"Ringo, strike 'em down!"
"Gu!"
"Amitie no! Bad idea."

Accord scolded her student. She gave it quick and easy to understand.

Distracted from their friend's abduction was a roar from above. Complete with the turning fire orange for a bit.

"Draco!?"
"Draco?"

"Humans." She kept floating above.

"Why are you taking Arle?" Amitie demanded to know.

"My sisters are taking her to our boss a bit earlier than he wants. His plan takes forever! My part is to kill you." She swooped down.

"K-Kill?" Ringo yelped as she jumped out of the way.

"Get real." Amitie whimpered.

"We are!" The dragon retaliated with a dropkick. She missed Amitie because she clumsily over on her but and crawled away. The dragon's impact made the boat rock.

"May I have your attention, Miss?" Accord certainly got what she asked for. She sounded a bit less carefree. "Why do you have to kill them? Can't you just settle for a game of Puyo Puyo?"

"Puyo? Puyo?" The half-human looked a bit confused.

"Yes, mewuyo meuyo." The cat puppet spoke back.

"Are you saying words to annoy me?!" She roared. "What do the slimes have to do with this?"

"Ah, so how would you like to fight me. Leave the children for later."

"Why should I fight you, Gramma?" Accord flinched at the words.

"Shouldn't have scratched that." Popoi informed.

"Kiddies, Carbuncle. Hide. And come out only when I say so. Don't even think of helping me."
"Wh-Why?"
"Just do it."

Amitie, Ringo and Carbuncle stared each other in the eye and hid below deck.

"Bring it on." Draco taunted as she charged horns first at Accord.

The trio huddled around each other. Carbuncle's in the comforting arms of Amitie. Serving as a surrogate Arle.

"What's going on?" Amitie.

"I have no idea, Amitie. But we're definitely in mortal danger. Do you think Arle will be okay?"

"Of course she will, she'll be in the Dark Prince's hands, dummy. But I'm concerned about Professor Accord. She's a pro at Puyo Puyo and Draco's not. But what about normal fighting?"

"Hm." Ringo made a noise Amitie didn't like. "We gotta brace ourselves if she loses."

"Guuuu! Gugugugu!" Both girls try to comfort.

"Of course he'll save, Arle."
"Despite the danger."

After five minutes of uncertainty, fear and sudden silence from above. Some slow footsteps approached them.

"It's safe to come out." Accord's voice was no worse for wear. Neither the same cannot be said for her dress, being burned and scratched. Still, her being safe was relieving. Amitie teared up and hugged her teacher. Her teacher smiles at her student's affection.

"Thank goodness you're safe, Professor!" Amitie cried into her stomach.

"What happened to Draco?" Ringo somewhat asked rhetorically hoping it wasn't so.

…

Accord or Popoi didn't answer. "Kiddies. I have a hunch this island is a trap. I have no idea what kind or by who. One thing I am certain of that the Dark Prince is involved. Stick together on the island. Be smart together, be strong together. Survive together."

Amitie was still clutching her teacher tighter. Out of fear.

"If this is indication killing in necessary." Everyone felt uncomfortable.

"Do we have to?" Ringo gritted her teeth. Accord and Popoi looked just as happy.

"Why can't we stay with you?" Amitie asked.

"You can't. Popoi and I have things already planned out. We'll tell you when we arrive. Let's finish off our sleep. Popoi will keep watch. We should arrive in the morning. Brace yourselves, girls."

Popoi watched over them. He said no one came. It wasn't easy but they all could rest.

They were getting close to the beach. Ringo, with a spyglass she found, looks at the beach. All were in terror. At the beach, there were Puyos, living eggplants, angels, fishmen, zombies and more Draco Centauri. And that's not even scratching the surface. All looked to shred them to bits.

"Guys, we're screwed." Ringo commented.

"I'll fight them off. You two run to the tower. Exam time. You two tell the rest of our plan."

"We run to the tower, for Arle."
"Evade whenever we can."
"Self defense when needed."
"D-Don't dwell on death."
"Brains and Brawn."
"Complement each other."
"Save Arle."
"Holler back to you to go home."
"If we can't find you, jump into the ocean so His Oceaness' soldiers to swim us home."
"Guu!"

"All a gold star. Don't hesitate to swim when in danger."

"But-But what about you?"
"Don't dwell on death, Amitie… As a teacher, your life comes first. That goes for you too, Ringo. And Arle of course. Are you all prepared?" Everyone nodded. They were closing in.

"Did you really kill Draco, Professor?" Amitie innocently asked.

"It's not the Draco you know, but looks remarkably like her…"
"Please answer for once, Professor!"
"I did, but her heart stopped beating, but then she faded away."

"Faded?" Ringo asked for elaboration.

"My guess it's a spell I haven't figured out yet. Impact in 1. 2. 3! RUN KIDDIES!"

Madou Monogatari: The Tricky Pirate Tower
Send all blame to: kirbymanx