"Wait wait, so Roy, what can your phantom do?"

"I can be um, really bright, I can levitate, and look at this, this form enhances the flames in my sword." Roy explained and unsheathed his double-edged sword. Bright orange flares smothered the slender blade, occasionally flaring and sparking as if the sword itself had a mind of its own.

Young Link leaned in on the blade, but then quickly recoiled to hold his mouth from drooling lava on Roy's sword. "Vvvery cool."

A drop of the yellow viscous liquid hit the ground. The intensely hot liquid made a perfectly circular crater as soon as it came in contact with the ground. Young Link traced the circle with his hand and laughed, "Oops."

Snake slowly approached the two, careful not to step in the puddle of lava or get too close to Roy's flame-licking sword. He's never met a phantom before so it was fitting for him to be interested.

"See anythhhing intereffffsting? Gee, how did my phhhantom talk with this?" Young Link cried, sucking in the lava and swallowing it for the umpteenth time.

"Just wondering what other abilities you have. I'm not the one who believes in supernatural things too much, and seeing this in front of my eyes is still unbelievable." Snake mused. He retreated when Young Link smiled and another stream of red-hot lava bubbled at the corner of his mouth.

"Okay, so I can levitate, shoot lava beams, but when I shoot once, I need to wait for a bit. I can also shoot stronger fire arrows. My sword didn't change but that's ok. Oh, look at this!" Young Link unsheathed his short, dagger-like sword only to slice off his right arm like he was cutting into a sandwich. When a column of fire erupted and regenerated his arm as quick as he cut it off, Snake's mouth hung open. "That is not fair."

"Cool, right? And it doesn't even hurt at all."

Snake continued to ask the two questions when Lucario tapped me on the shoulder. I turned to the concerned looking Pokémon. "I wonder why only Roy and Young Link have access to their phantom self."

I honestly didn't know, like all of the other mysteries. Somehow it made sense in my head. Roy and Young Link were one of the first ones to be trapped here in this cave. They lost hope and taken over by the ink, or 'despair' in a form of a substance. And the ink spread over them for so long, their other self developed a personality and powers, just like the upcoming Pichu and Dr. Mario phantoms. But then, so what?

Lucario placed a warm paw on my back. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you think into this. I… I was just wondering if I could take in my version of the phantom."

"Oh, uh. That's ok." I snapped back to attention; Lucario looked a bit embarrassed so I smiled. I guess I could agree that minus the wicked nature, the phantoms could really come in handy. "Well, you could try touching the ink ball if you want to see if you could change. But I'll be frank with you, I didn't enjoy your phantom either."

The Pokémon broke into a smile and laughed, without using his telepathy. It felt weird (not have his voice ringing in my head), but his laugh was throaty and cute, like a dog panting and impatiently waiting for his food.

While the rest of us were making our final preparation and group picking, I watched Lucario carefully pick up the ink ball Young Link was holding. As soon as Lucario held the ball, Young Link shifted and shimmered as white curtains of light brought him back to his original self. However, Lucario didn't change. He tried tapping it, holding it close to his chest, but nothing changed. When Lucario gave the ball back to Young Link, the kid switched to his phantom self, and he jumped to see a lava droplet almost fall on his foot.

"Leader, can you team with me and Snake?" A soft voice and a light tug on my toga got my attention. It was Lucas, blinking and smiling with anticipation. I noticed I forgot to make my own team of three.

I looked up. Snake was there, ruffling Lucas' bouncy blond hair. "You and Snake? Well, this is an unusual group. You sure you don't want to be with Ness?"

Lucas laced his fingers together. "I wanted to at first… but um, I realized that Ness and I both have PSI, so we were talking the groups should be made up of three different people." He explained. I was proud of Lucas; every time I find him he was always with Ness like a little brother, but now that I shared my 'hope' light with him, he's full of energy.

"Sure, I'll be in your group." I agreed.

I kind of wanted to keep an eye on our new phantom friends, but I saw that Roy was grouped with Lucario and Marth, and Young Link was grouped with Ike and Wario. They should be in good hands.

There were five groups of three. Each group received their own flashlight if in case we needed to signal each other for help. And just for safety, I had everyone write his or her name in my black notebook so I can take a poll when we get back together.

Everybody gathered in a rough circle. When I stood up, all attention was on me.

"Everyone, stick together with your group at all times. Safety is my priority. Sneak through the guards, fight them if you have to, but no one needs to die today. Our goal is to get Pichu and Dr. Mario, and then we book it out of this Polis. Alright, good luck."

"This is really exciting." Lucas whispered. I placed a finger over my lips and nodded. He sat down again, nibbling his lips and playing with his fingers impatiently. Snake chose us a good spot: an apartment complex. One of the rooms was vacant and Lucas and I stared in awe as he picked open the door lock faster than actually twisting the real key to open it.

I felt like one of those snipers or hunters wearing my blue cloak again with Snake next to me, adjusting his weapons. He insisted that it only produced smoke balls that explode upon impact to confuse enemies. He also produced a palm-sized box with two wires facing inward toward each other. He handed it to me. "I'll let you borrow it."

The small black device seemed dangerous and I didn't feel obligated to take it from him. "What is this?"

"A Taser. You've seen movies; you turn this on and shove it into the opponent's stomach to shock them."

I remembered how it works in a drama show. And since my bow has been taken away, it was better to have something than be completely armless. I gladly took the device from Snake and he showed me the mechanisms of it. When I flipped on the switch, the sharp snapping noise from the wires made me jump and almost drop it on my thigh.

Snake snatched the stunning gun in mid-air and flipped the switch off easily and professionally. "Be careful!"

"Um, s-sorry."

I take back my comment how I felt like a sniper/hunter.

People started to populate the city streets once more. We were close enough to overhear them talk about the Green Bird at the harbor. A couple of them mentioned the 'Plasma Monster', but not as often as the bird.

A couple guards marched by them. The group of middle-aged women grumbled as they were pushed aside to the walls. They stared at the guards until they were a good distance off from their loud gossiping.

"So much for guards, hmm?" A short round woman sighed.

"Why are they here anyway? Bad things don't happen in this Polis. I can't remember the last time anyone did something." A tall spindly woman nagged as she scrunched her nose in disgust.

The next woman had a soft voice so I had to lean in a bit closer. She had curly hair and a hunched back. "I heard the prisoners in the pen aren't even criminals. I saw Adam the other day knocked out and dragged by the guards for playing a trick on one of them. I haven't seen him since, that poor soul."

"Oh, Adam had it coming." The skinny woman chuckled. "But how was he knocked out?"

The women huddled together for a closer conversation. I thought about leaning over even more, but then I saw a different group of guards marching down the street. The one in front was my 'good' acquaintance, Cosby. He had his helmet off but I recognized his steely tone. He had choppy sand-blond hair with vibrant blue eyes. If he wasn't a guard, I could see him as a surfer with those flowery swimming trunks.

He bowed to the three women and asked, "Pardon me, have you seen an angel? He's on the short side with brown hair. He may be wearing a dark blue cloak to conceal his wings…"

"My! There's an angel in this Polis?"

"Where is he, Mr. Cosby?"

"I'd love a blessing from an actual angel!"

All three of the women grabbed at the poor guard. Quickly but clumsily, the guards behind them pried off the begging of the women and left the scene. The women protested by throwing their arms in the air and shouting. I had to sneak in a laugh at the guards running away from a group of middle-aged women.

I turned to Snake and Lucas, who had amused grins on their faces. "I never knew gossips were so useful. And hilarious."

"Yeah. But you'll need to be careful showing your wings out in public." Snake warned.

"I will. I don't want those women to pluck my feathers off. Man, some people are terrified of my wings and some think I'm a messiah or something. Big cities confuse me."

After the group of women walked off, the street was quiet. I heard the bustling in the restaurant area where we first met Wario at the pizza shop, but it was quiet enough that I could hear the flickering of the electric lamps that illuminate the stone road. I couldn't see any flashlights in our surroundings. Everyone was in hiding or investigating.

I was about to suggest we change spots, when Lucas held his ears. He squeezed his eyes shut and whimpered. Snake peered into him to ask what was wrong, but we heard it too.

It started out as a whine, then that gradually grew into a drone so loud, it shivered my insides. I understood why Lucas was holding his ears when the first series of earsplitting crackles sent vibrations throughout the entire Polis. When I stood up, the ground was shuddering vertically and I almost lost my footing. I shuffled my feet the best I could to take a look outside. The bulbs of the lamps made a dull pop sound as it killed the lights one by one. It was almost like a game of dominoes how the lamps burst in consecutive order. The middle-aged women came back and curiously looked around their surroundings, wondering how their street became so dark.

But during this time, I was holding my ears so hard, they were going to be pushed inside my head. Snake and Lucas were the same too. We couldn't move after our insides being shaken from the penetrating droning noise. But the women outside didn't seem in pain at all. They did lean to the wall to save them from the quake.

Lucas nuzzled from underneath my arm, while he was pulling on Snake's arm to come closer to me also. He pressed two fingers to his forehead and concentrated. The three of us were shrouded in a small ball of energy that pulsed and shivered with the vibrations outside. Inside the ball, the droning didn't bother my ears as much.

"It-It's called a 'PSI Magnet'. It's actually for taking in energy for health but I guess I can erase out noise too!" Lucas explained. He had his eyes tightly shut and his arms were shaking from the vibration.

Snake pointed out at the balcony. "What's that light?"

I picked up Lucas in my arms while he concentrated on our small soundproof bubble. Snake placed an arm on me to keep close as we slowly progressed toward the balcony.

Sprigs of light coiled and snapped around in the air at one exclusive location. The electric street lamps were destroyed, so the only light provided was the 'Plasma Creature's lightning. The horrible droning and crackling eventually diminished away with the last of the lightning dying off, so Lucas cut off his PSI Magnet and fell limp in my arms. He grinned to tell me he was okay.

There was one problem. Now that the lamps were destroyed, the whole city was veiled in darkness. A couple of flashlights waved around as the commotion rose. But that doesn't mean that it was one of my friends.

"I… I probably should have expected this." I muttered.

Snake scoffed. He pulled out a cigarette and placed it upon his lips. "That a city was going to lose its power by something that's no bigger than ten inches?"

"Okay, I didn't expect him to be this strong." I agreed.

Lucas wriggled in my arms; he was staring in the general direction where the lightning was. "Wasn't that place the city hall? Where we were um, taken."

I eyed that direction too, which was pitch dark except for the occasional ray of flashlights that light parts of the city. The city hall with the prison underground was directly north of the harbor. The harbor was somewhat visible and I followed a line where the city hall may be.

Why would Pichu's phantom attack the city hall? The guards are scouring the city and most of the inhabitants are back in the homes now. Lucas stared at me as if he was reading my mind.

"Maybe Pichu was angry at the researchers and destroyed the lab."

"That'll be handy if he did, but why? And he could have done this at any time, so why now?"

The three of us decided to exit the apartment. I gripped my Taser tightly underneath my blue cloak. My disguise may not fool the lieutenant and Cosby but it may to other guards. We kept close together, occasionally lighting our way to the city hall. The stone roads were difficult to walk on with people bumping into us. Curious citizens poked their heads out from their houses. There was an unusual eerie feeling with all these people in the darkness walking around and trying to find their way. We were all lost, but there was absolutely no sense of unity.

I bumped into a young woman who came out from an alley. She mumbled her apologies softly. She pulled a boy of five or six closer to her. The boy stared at me and I had a feeling I've met him before.

He grabbed my toga very tightly. "Mum, it's the angel."

The mother snapped her head back to me. Her eyes were full of fear and desperation like that of a hungry dog's; it intimidated me like no other. I tried to wriggle free of the boy but his grip was tight, and I was nervous of his mother. She wrapped her cold hands around mine. Her hold was weak and slightly shaky.

"You're the angel. Th-The one everyone was talking about." She sputtered. "Please, please save us. I've lost my husband in the mess and now this. We're all doomed. Please save me and my son…"

"Ma'am…" I started. I was about to apologize to her, but Snake stopped me. He whispered, "Can't you give her the 'light' you do?"

I hesitated. I could give her my white light and give her hope. But that will only give her solace for a brief amount of time. It won't bring back her lost husband and I can't insure her that she and her son will be safe in this situation as of now.

Nevertheless, I pulled her and her son close to me. I felt the woman drop her shoulders and sigh deeply as the light shrouded her and her son. The light died and I saw her smile. Her appearance didn't change like my friends how they'd become a more vibrant color, but her smile was peaceful.

"Thank you. Thank you, my angel." She muttered and kissed my hands.

I frowned. "Ma'am, this will only give you hope for…"

"A short amount of time. I know, but that's what I need." The woman finished my sentence. "I came from Polis 3."

I nodded. I knew that she meant she's met the little girl in Polis 3. Priscilla, now deceased, but the only inhabitant of the necropolis, had power to give people 'hope' like me.

Lucas led us as a light by using his PSI. I wondered if the psychic powers drained him, but he told me using this amount of light didn't tire him. In fact, he seemed delighted to be in the lead. After a couple of turns and twists, the woman opened the door to a small house in a comfortable corner of the city. Snake, Lucas and I were about to leave, but the mother invited us.

We came out to the balcony on the second floor so I could be on the look out for our friends' flashlight signals. The boy quickly sought refuge to his room and locked the door behind him. The woman didn't seem to mind her son's introverted behavior.

She sat down on a large wooden chair and laced her fingers. "I used to visit Priscilla everyday. I wanted hope that my husband would notice me. Then I asked, and we ended up marrying here. He worked here at Polis 1 as a guard." She explained. Her cheeks were a bit rosy.

Snake and Lucas, who were apparently listening into the conversation, joined in suddenly and made the woman and I flinch. "So your husband was a guard?" Snake asked.

"Um, yes. My brother is a guard too. They both made good friends. I'm just glad he and I got to hear my husband… William's final words…"

"I'm sorry for your loss, ma'am." Lucas bowed and shook the woman's hands supportively.

"Thank you, but I'll be okay. My brother still lives with me, and I have my son. And William told me he'd always be with me in heart. I-I just need the courage to move on…" Her voice cracked.

When I was about to reassure her, she buried her face in her hands. I looked back at Snake and Lucas. Snake crossed his arms and looked down. Lucas had tears forming in his eyes as he patted the woman's shoulders.

Death. I've never experienced it, but I've seen it before. But the value of death for angels and those of humans are completely different. Humans always seem to die too soon, and always leaves something behind that wasn't completely accomplished.

"Analiese!" A firm, manly voice called from the street. The woman wiped her tears and rose quickly to the edge of the balcony to meet the man. She waved and let out a short, relieved laugh. "Brian, I'm okay."

The two began to exchange their safety and I noticed the woman was talking to her brother. But when I looked over to the street, the man's pleased smile became mad. I only had time to see his face for a second before there was a loud, resonating crack and a bullet whipped past my head. The woman, Analiese, yelped and put her arms around my shoulders. She called out to me desperately and patted my head. Blood dribbled down my cheek but it didn't hurt so much.

Snake instinctively pulled out one of his handguns. He peered into the street with a cautious stance. I placed my hand on his arm to hold him back. Lucas was biting his lip but he had a tight grip on my arm. The explosive noise from the gunshot still boomed in my head and it took me a while to realize that the man was yelling at us from the street. "White Bird! Do not dare harm my sister! First you take my brother-in-law's life and now this!"

Analiese used a mother's tone, "Brian Franklin Cosby, how dare you try to kill an angel and my hero! You come up here and tend to my angel right this instant!"

I turned to Analiese in surprise. Did she just say 'Cosby'?

Snake was able to see a clear view of the street. He scoffed, "If you mean by the guy who was shagged by the ladies earlier, that's him coming up the stairs right now."

The next thing I know, my friends and I were in the living room. Analiese and Brian (or my best friend Cosby) were in the other room arguing very loudly. Analiese's son was probably still locked away in his room since there wasn't a stir from him.

Lucas was performing a healing spell to my injured head. He concentrated by closing his eyes and staying very still. I followed his example and sat still. Snake brought a cigarette to his lips but didn't light it. Instead, he stared at the door that leads to the arguing siblings.

"Their arguing is louder than the noise from the city." He grumbled.

I could only smile. I looked up at him with just my eyes so I don't move my head and lose Lucas' concentration. "Thanks for listening to me earlier. For um, not shooting back."

Snake winked. "It's the commander's orders. I have to follow them."

The throbbing in my head gradually ceased. Lucas closed his hands to cut off his PSI. The cut was completely healed and I forgot where the injury was in the first place. I thanked Lucas, and then he grinned. "You healed me, and I got to heal you. So now we're even."

"So it seems."

The arguing behind the door started to calm down, and only Analiese was talking. Hopefully she can convince her brother.

"I wonder why the guards think you're the 'Plasma Creature'… you look nothing like Pichu." Lucas mused.

"Apparently it's because of my wings. Pichu's phantom can grow these black angel wings. So the lieutenant completely ignores that I look like a human and Pichu is a tiny little creature. But obviously we're the same thing."

Lucas smiled and shrugged. "But you should be okay. Analiese can…"

The door opened quietly. The three of us all pursed our lips. Cosby revealed himself with a stiff but solemn bow, probably a command from his sister. His apology was even stiffer. "I, apologize for… the trouble the guards and I caused." He looked up. "Would you all mind coming in. I have some things to discuss."

Analiese was in the kitchen keeping herself busy and absent from the conversation. Cosby and the three of us sat at the dinner table. Upon closer inspection and the light from the fireplace, the guard's uniform showed no skin except for the head. Underneath the robes was a sturdy chain mail that protected them. The helmet was placed on the table, leering at us with its slim slits in the eyes.

"I… um." He muttered. Cosby took off his gloves hastily and rubbed his fingers. He looked down but occasionally, when he did meet my eyes, they veered away and wandered.

"Out with it, Brian." Analiese asserted. Her smiles and tears were gone, and she represented the strict mother of Cosby. It was obvious she was the older sibling.

I bet there were many thoughts going through Cosby's mind. The three of us kept quiet in until he scratched his head and faced me. "I've never met the 'Plasma Creature'."

"So?"

The word just came from my mouth. I didn't expect Cosby to stiffen up that much. He blinked, and then raised the corner of his mouth slightly. It took him some time to stop the smile and talk professionally.

"Um. That means, I have no idea what the creature looks like. Only Blackwood claims to have seen the creature in flesh. So I don't know if the creature actually looks like you or not."

"Why is your lieutenant claiming our leader looks like an electric rodent?" Snake questioned, shifting his weight from the back of the chair to the table.

Cosby leaned back. I had a feeling we need to push him in order for him to speak. Something was holding him back, perhaps the lieutenant's authority.

"Do you think I'm dangerous?" I asked.

Sweet, sugary smells filled our noses. The scent was warm and comforting, which relaxed Cosby's shoulders by a small fraction. Somehow I didn't mind waiting for his reply. Maybe deep inside, I guessed Cosby wasn't as steely as I first came to know him.

"Okay." He sighed. "I'll talk."

Analiese presented swirly buns with white frosting. Her son somehow knew about the cinnamon buns since as soon as the buns were placed on the table, he came running down the stairs and grabbed the one on the top of the pile.

"David, it's hot so be careful. I'm so glad I could still use my fire oven."

Cosby picked one bun gingerly and mumbled, "Analiese… we're talking. Plus we need to go back to the city soon."

A smile formed on Analiese's lips as she wiped her hands. She ushered her son David out to the living room and left us alone. Her worried state was no more.

"Your sister is tough." I commented.

"It's all thanks to you. Thank you for giving her your 'hope'. I guess I wanted to blame you for taking William's life." He began. "I saw him getting struck by the bird monster and all I could do was stay by Blackwood's side."

I nodded. "Why didn't you assist him?"

"Blackwood ordered me to stay. I'd helped him if I could. I would have disobeyed any of his orders if it was to save my brother-in-law…"

"Is he bribing you?"

Cosby shook his head. "No. Worse. He threatens us in horrendous ways. He even tried to cut William's throat when he tried to disobey the order to arrest a drunk that messed with one of us. And he loves tormenting me since I'm from Polis 3."

Before Cosby can go on about his story I stopped him. "Wait, why is he threatening you because you were from Polis 3? Is it because of Priscilla?"

"Yeah. Blackwood used to be in the cult… the um, the organization who pursued the truth. But he was kicked off for some reason at the last minute."

The cult. I remember Priscilla telling me every inhabitant of Polis 3 left without her. And how her father denied her power to give hope to the people, and pursued the true meaning behind this cave. Lieutenant Blackwood was part of this cult. Well, no wonder he doesn't favor me.

"Analiese and I left before Polis 3 was abandoned. If we knew Priscilla was going to be left behind, we would have taken her with us… But, we, we couldn't stand anymore of the cult. It was getting too big and out of hand."

"What were they doing?" I pressed on.

"…My best friend was lured into the organization. He tried to invite me in a number of times by preaching to me. He said the cult researches the weird carved symbols. And apparently it talks about a monster. A monster that brings death to everyone called 'The Mother'."

"'The Mother'…?"

There was an impulsive instinct that I had to pull out my black notebook. I flipped through a couple of papers until I reached the note Priscilla gave me when we left Polis 3. The reference sheet that corresponds to the strange symbols carved in the city.

I ran my finger down the list of the strange symbols and came across the one. A symbol of a black feather, and its meaning was 'The Mother'.

Lucas shoved his last bite of cinnamon roll into his mouth. "Umph, doeff that mean Pichu's phantom is 'The Mother' or something?"

"Right, Pichu's phantom can sprout black wings…" I muttered. There was something that blocked me from that idea though. Something just didn't make sense.

Startled screams came from outside. I had no idea what was going on since the lights were still out. Analiese kissed me on the cheek before Cosby took her and her son David into a bedroom for their safety. I felt good being appreciated, but on the other side, Analiese was a very pretty person so I couldn't help but blush.

Cosby saw the red in my cheeks when he came back. "You better not." He warned.

"I-I'm not." I mumbled.

I pulled on my cloak and took the lead outside. The city was still dark but there was no one wandering in the street. Either everyone found their way home, or they were gathered in the one area of commotion, which seemed to come from the general direction where the city hall is located. I couldn't hear any crackling of electricity but it's worth to go there.

Before we set off, Cosby placed a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry I took your time. I didn't know you were after the creature also."

"That's okay. I needed to know about who the lieutenant was someday or sooner. And now I know I can trust you. Even though you almost shot me in the head."

Cosby stiffened and sputtered out his apologies. It was funny how he would freeze like ice when he's nervous. The Cosby I used to know was always steadfast and unmoving. Maybe he was always nervous when the lieutenant was around.

He sighed, his shaky voice showing his nervousness. "Oh man… Blackwood will murder me if he sees me with you, White Bird. I might be kicked out of the guards too..."

"Leave the lieutenant to me." I beamed. "I have a good idea how to push his buttons."

Cosby smiled, but his mouth still twitched a bit. I could understand a person of authority can be intimidating. But the lieutenant is only a mortal human. There's only so much he could do to harm us.

The white ray from the flashlight provided us the way to the commotion. The stone road was uphill but Cosby didn't lose pace even with his heavy chainmail and musket. Electric lamps around us snapped with succession as we got closer to the city hall. The hairs on my arms and the feathers inside of my wings perked up. Every time one of us brushed another, static electricity that was a bit more painful than I'm used to bit at us.

A well-dressed gentleman called out to the four of us from an alley. "Oh, no no! Don't go any further, men."

"Dr. Sutherland! It's going to be all right. You see, my friends and I, we're going to put an end to this." Cosby explained. "Did you need assistance going home?"

"Such bravery, fit for a guard. But no, I don't need assistance. I can find my way back. I'm just a wandering old man that was curious." The gentleman responded. He then went about shaking each of our hands, chuckling when static occurred during the handshake.

He was about to shake my hand and he paused for a brief second. His beard widened into a smile and took both of my hands in his proudly. "May your journeys be enriched with luck, my angel."

"Huh?" I looked back. A bit of my feathers were showing from my cloak. I pulled on it so they hid completely. "Um, thank you."

Dr. Sutherland nodded once, and then picked up an empty fire lamp and hummed a tune while he went further into the alleyway. Cosby eyed him worriedly until he turned a corner. "He's Dr. Sutherland. He just came to Polis 1 a couple weeks ago saying he was a 'wandering old man.' He was a surgeon but not anymore because of his age… come on, we need to hurry."

What I immediately noticed was a fiery-yellow ray soaring across the skyline and smashing into hundreds of sparks. As we got to the scene, Cosby's eyes went round to see Young Link sneering, dripping lava from the side of his mouth.

"Not another creature!" He exclaimed.

Young Link turned around and waved to me with the biggest smile ever. The shocked look on Cosby's face was priceless when I waved back. "Wha-what… how are you friends with… then is the 'Plasma Creature'…" He stammered.

"Long story short; we're going to befriend him. Come on, keep up!"

The city was bright at the plaza before the decimated city hall. Some townspeople were watching the electric scenery, while most were shoving each other trying to escape. I caught some of my friends assisting the townspeople to the south part of the city but there are hundreds of people and only a handful of us. Something needs to be done before people are trampled and killed in the mess.

Rubble was still sliding into the plaza indicating the building was just destroyed. The droning was seceding but enough to pop my ears. My toga shivered from the sound waves. The flickering energy, the ear-popping sound, and the dark, occasionally bright scenery was a bit similar to that of a concert. The only thing missing was the cheering people.

I could almost see the waves in the air distorting before electricity rips through it. The 'Plasma Creature' sat on top of what was the city hall. Our tiny friend danced on the rubble, but continuously discharged snapping electricity, showing he might have an endless supply of energy. His screams were so joyful, it almost sounded like singing, which wasn't, because the background music was horrendous.

"Down with this city! Down with all the cities and the people!"

A loud snap, maybe as loud as one of the electricity crackles from earlier, stimulated the now broken electric lamps into a ball of fire. All of the lamps ignited at the same time. The glass made a windy whoosh noise even though the fire sparked spontaneously without any gas or flammable object, and continued to burn the lamps without any hints of dying down.

Snake made a surprised grunt when the cigarette at his mouth lighted up without a source of fire. He took in a deep breath from the roll and scratched at his head. "Does common sense work in this cave?"

"None at all." I smiled. I forgot the phantoms could shut on and off the lights by a snap of a finger. Although when they used it, it separates us into random parts of the cave.

Pichu's phantom yelped in surprise at the abruptly fire lit city. Young Link joined Roy and crouched low to absorb the impact. Lava shot from his mouth with the speed (and sound) of a gunshot. Even though the two were approximately a hundred yards away, I still stepped back from the massive heat wave Young Link produced.

The beam splattered into viscous bits at a nearby wall. Sparks ricocheted and showered onto the small guy. Pichu's phantom squealed and lost balance from its throne, making him fall face first in the pile of rubble. The lava dripped and slowly became harder, forming a black blob the size of one of those big, square rugs on the wall.

People screamed, and the heat wave Young Link produced when he shot the beam only made the civilians want to leave the plaza in an even more panicked fervor. The two large streets into and out the plaza were packed with people climbing over each other. It was a minor, tolerant heat and nobody should be burned, but they don't know that Young Link is on our side. The only one causing harm is Pichu's phantom, but nobody knows that.

"Cosby, Snake, help the people escape. Carry the injured and elderly."

Snake scratched his head and stepped on his cigarette to extinguish it. "Well, it's not my thing but I'll try my best."

Cosby bowed civilly and ran off to a populated area. He should be used to this kind of trouble. Lucas, who was left behind with me, looked up to me with curiosity. "What about me?"

"Follow the leader." I winked.

He grinned and attempted to wink back, but it ended up as a hard blink and I had to laugh a bit. Lucas' cheeks were rosy with embarrassment. "I'll get to know how to wink someday."

"By then you can pick up some ladies."

Pichu's phantom was on his feet by the time Lucas and I met up with Roy and Young Link. The creature was on fours, swaying gently, still dazed from the impact and burns. I spotted my holy bow circulating the phantom, suspended in the air from the biting static electricity. The rest of his electricity crawled around him, resembling snakes.

"We've been trying to get back your bow, but man, Pichu has a tight grip on that." Roy whispered.

I nodded. It may be impossible to wait until the phantom runs out of power, because honestly, he seems to have an endless supply.

"Uhhh… my heeeeaad…" The phantom groaned. "This isn't fairrr. Four against one… Heh heh, I know I said tag but… heh heh. Heh heh heh."

"You attacking innocent people aren't fair also." I added. "This isn't a game! Give Pichu back to me!"

The creature's eyes snapped open. He stopped swaying and was glower fixed in one spot, which was me. Perfect. And I mean perfect, as in it's just the attention I wanted. Young Link looked up to me nervously. I stepped forward, pulling my arm in front of me as my shield manifested from thin air and fit around it. I gave my dark-blue cloak for Lucas to hold.

Roy grabbed my shoulder. "Don't do anything stupid."

"I can't do anything if I followed that, Roy." I grinned. "I have a plan. Just stay there."

Eventually I had to brush his hand off. I approached the small phantom one step at a time. With each succeeding step, the hair-raising static made my toga or my wings nip at my skin. I was walking in a puddle of static electricity. I had to bite my lips when one of the statics ran a jagged cut across my foot.

The phantom was mumbling, occasionally twitching, and every time it did, sprigs of electricity flew in short frequencies.

"I-I never hurt, people heh heh, that'll be mean. I only… heh heh." The phantom giggled. "I only, want to, protect. P-Protect them from… heh, heh heh."

"Why did you attack the city hall? There were a lot of people there."

"Shut up when I'm talking!" The phantom exploded, discharging enough to engulf my entire body. My lungs felt punched out but my shield deflected most of the electricity. My arm shuddered up and down and all I could see was a vague outline of Pichu flailing like a pleading child.

"You're just like that black beard! And the glasses! You're hurting me! You're hurting Mommy! Stop it! STOP IT!"

"Pichu, listen to me!" I cried. "Nobody is hurting you! I'm trying to help you!"

The discharge stopped abruptly and I fell to my knees. My shield shimmered and disappeared. Pichu's phantom fell back to his haunches and continued to bawl. I felt Roy's arm sling over my shoulders and he tried to pull me away. "I told you not to do anything stupid! You idiot…"

"No, no. I'm not done. I'm okay."

"You're not okay." He pointed to my arms, which had a web of small cuts where blood smeared. It didn't hurt as much, but the pain slowly sunk in like a sore. I tried to ignore it.

"Pichu, who is your Mommy?" I asked.

Roy looked at me, then to Pichu's phantom. He's wondering why I'd ask something like that, but I didn't have time to explain. Pichu gradually settled down into sobs and I noticed the plaza felt awfully quiet; maybe the civilians all escaped. Footsteps were coming closer to us and I didn't have to turn around to know they were my friends approaching us, after assisting the people to escape.

"Mommy…" The phantom muttered under his breath, "I won't let anyone hurt you anymore, okay… W-We can hide and forget all about this… Mommy,"

One of the footsteps was coming in hastily. Before I could turn around, small but strong arms swung around Pichu and me. Young Link was biting his lip to conceal the lava from spilling out of his mouth, but it also looked like he was bracing for something.

A short, ear-splitting explosion, white smoke, then Young Link's head blew clean off his body only to regenerate in a column of fire immediately. Roy drew his sword and knelt near the three of us protectively. The rest of my friends were in an awkward distance away where they were too far to reach but they were close enough that I could see the surprised looks on their faces.

Behind them, the lieutenant (with the turban-like bondage on his head) was readying his next shot from his slender, lethal weapon. He husked, a crazy uneven smile dancing on his lips. "White Bird, and look, the whole crew. All over my prize."

Author's Notes: The problem with being attached to original characters or monsters is that it's sad to let them go. Dr. Sutherland, the wandering curious gentleman will make an appearance again. Along with Dr. Mario.