After Young Link's head regenerated from the phantom's power, he breathed. He gave me a wild smile, careful not to drool lava on Pichu's phantom or me. In front of us, Lieutenant Blackwood with his head bandaged like a turban, growled, "White Bird, and look, the whole crew. All over my prize."
"We missed you, lieutenant. Did you bring back some spicy curry?" Link chuckled. He was careful enough to draw his sword and shield just in time for the lieutenant to point the musket to him. His aim was steadfast and accurate as if he was turning to Link and snapping at him with his musket. Another reverberating explosion, and Link managed to only topple a bit when he deflected be bullet with his shield.
"You will get my personal attention later." Lieutenant Blackwood grumbled.
Link rolled his eyes. Sheik eyed him warningly but he shrugged it off.
I tapped Young Link's arm to let me go. I let Pichu's phantom behind us to leave him to sob just a bit more. My holy bow was lying on the ground so I rightfully took it back. As soon as I grabbed a hold of the hilt, sparks of fire popped from one of the short swords. "I'm glad to see you too." I smiled.
I placed a hand on Pichu's phantom to insure him and myself. My friends were surrounded me, all of them facing the slowly advancing lieutenant. The plaza was completely empty and his boots clicking against the rock base resonated unnervingly. The lieutenant's wild grin flickered against the firelight. Roy, who was still kneeling in front of me defensively, made his shoulders tense. I placed a hand on them to gently push him aside. He stared at me in silent protest, but I ignored him.
"White Bird, stop this nonsense." The lieutenant laughed. He placed his musket down on the ground and spread his arms. "Look at you; your white robes are ruined with blood and dirt. You don't have to do this… There's no need for you to injure yourself or your friends for this monster. But I thank you for capturing him. You can hand him to me now."
Without thinking, my hand cupped Pichu's shivering body and pulled him closer to me. "He's our friend. He's being controlled by an evil entity, but you already know that from your research with the cult."
The lieutenant stopped dead on his tracks. "The, c-cult?" He stammered, a rare nature for him. Lucario tensed by a fraction. He was with me when we found out of the existence of the cult back in Polis 3.
"Ahh, Cosby told you?" He grinned. "How did you seduce him? Your "hope" light? Or perhaps through his beautiful sister, Analiese. Haha! You dirty spawn of a monster… Hmm, yes yes! I was part of the cult! But I was only a doctor and a researcher…"
I tensed. His comments were disgusting, and the sudden change in his attitude was strange. The lieutenant gradually stopped advancing to us and cackled. He dragged his legs, but his laughter distracted him. Wario turned back to me. He made a raspberry while pointing a finger to his head and made circles. I shrugged. He may have gone mad. He may have been a doctor but he's a determined soldier with a heart of steel. There must be something that caused him to be this disturbed.
"I was a doctor… I was the best doctor… I loved my job… until, until that girl, ruined my career! It all started from her! If it wasn't for her I wouldn't be stuck in this Polis full of jolly happy idiots!"
"You mean, Priscilla?" I questioned.
Lieutenant Blackwood cocked his head. "Priscilla? …Oh, that child. She was the second worst. Her slut of a mother was my succubus. Just because she was a bit depressed from all the attention her daughter was getting… She thought she could play with me. She would compliment my eyes the most, see, through her sweet words and delicate handwriting. Ugh, but she was beautiful, and I had just lost my significant other from an accident. I was lured in like a desperate fish."
I was trying to form words to reply to his nonsense. Priscilla's mother? Blackwood was her doctor and they started an affair. No wonder he was kicked off the cult; Priscilla's father was the leader.
Marth stepped forward. He had a better tongue about these kinds of situations. "What a childish man you are. You blame a mentally weakened woman for your dismission? This isn't a matter about her, it's you, for being attracted to the wrong woman and destroying that family's fidelity and unity."
"Sh-Shut up… what do you know about me. You lot have no idea what I-I had to go through. All of you! You all are a pile of broken DOLLS! What do you know about human emotion!"
A sharp, needle-like touch poked at my back. Pichu's phantom was on his fours, baring teeth and growling. He paid no attention to me, but his glare was pointed toward the lieutenant. He weaved through us with a smooth execution of a snake. Fine blankets of static shrouded Pichu's phantom, occasionally snapping from its veil.
He spoke through barely contained rage. "You humans are disgusting. I'd rather be a doll than be one of you."
Pichu's tone was intimidating, more mature. His flailing and crying side seemed almost like a different personality. Of course, the lieutenant didn't notice this change. His face lit up almost as bright as Pichu's static veil. "Ah, creature! Come to me, I'll take you to your mother. It's all okay now." He exclaimed then shuffled his feet with his arms open as if he was going to go hug him.
"Deceiver! Liar! It is you who is the monster! I'll kill you for everything you've done to us!" The phantom screamed and arched its back, as the lieutenant, who was now on his knees, reached out to him. He only discharged when he was in touching distance, which blew him several feet away. The lieutenant hit the ground hard, skidding away at least another two feet, back to where he put his musket down on the ground. Sprigs of electricity coiled around the lieutenant, as he lay unconscious.
Breathing heavy, the phantom stepped back slowly until he bumped into me. His head whipped around in an angry glower, but when he met eyes with me, the big red eyes seemed to soften a bit. "Pichu," I called. The phantom twitched sensitively to my voice. He didn't step back or growl when I knelt and extended my arm to him.
Just at the mouth of the plaza, a familiar voice called. "White Bird!" It was Cosby, with his feet light and arms waving at us. His sandy blond hair and bouncing steps only made him suit the summer beach more. His musket was even beginning to look like a surfboard to me. I waved back.
The phantom seemed tense seeing Cosby coming to us. "It's okay, Pichu. He's our friend." I informed. He didn't protest, but he didn't seem very thrilled to meet him. The little guy didn't even seem so phantom-like anymore; just a pouty kid doused in black. I'll need to remember healing him later.
Out of the corner of my eye, Snake's eyes went round. Many of my friends took notice in Snake's sudden change. He produced a handgun and knelt but it was too late. Time itself seemed to take a breath at that moment, when Snake took a low stance with his handgun, and when Blackwood, jerking awake from unconsciousness, and aimed his musket towards my friend.
A reverberating explosion ripped through the silent atmosphere, immediately following a heavy sound of chain mail dropping. White smoke curled from the slender musket. The lieutenant cackled, and dropped his weapon. Cosby laid on the floor twitching, his blood spreading in a wide circle surrounding his body.
"Cosby, no… no, no, NO!" I scrambled to my feet and darted toward my friend. I heard Snake yelling at me to stop but I couldn't. I just couldn't. Pichu's phantom behind me screamed an unearthly sound, his endless electricity snapping at the air.
Cosby was breathing, but it was very shallow. Link came up with me and observed the chain mail. My hands were uncontrollable and I couldn't breathe, so Link helped Cosby pull off his heavy armor for him to breathe better. The shot destroyed his left shoulder. His collarbone was exposed and his arm was dangling from his side, only his skin was keeping it from falling off. His heart was pattering but it wasn't enough to support him. Link ripped the sleeve to tie Cosby's left arm intact with his body. Hot tears streamed down my cheeks to see the color in his face drain and twist in deep agony. He met glassy eyes with me.
"Wh-White Bird… I'm so, sorry." He rasped.
"Cosby, do you have a phone or some-something… need to call, h-hospital… now…" I spoke through gasps and gulps. I tried to gently pat Cosby's pockets, but nothing. The young guard shook his head slowly.
"There are no doctors in Polis 1… except for, that, Blackwood, son of a bitch and, Dr. S-Suther, land."
Dr. Sutherland. The well-dressed gentleman we met earlier. He's retired as a surgeon, but nobody else can help Cosby. Why is there nobody else! Why is the only doctor who can help us a retired old man!
Captain Falcon was holding the lieutenant as Snake produced a rope-like item to tie him down. He struggled, but with two well-built men holding him down, resisting was useless. I felt a tug on my toga. Lucas' eyes were misty but not god-awful-bawling like me. My nose was clogged and I choked back another sob. I threw my arms around the kid and ruffled his soft blonde hair. He too, but in a softer embrace, wrapped his arms around my neck.
"Leader," Lucas whispered, "I'll take Mr. Cosby to Dr. Sutherland with Link. I remember the alley where he went. Will you be okay?"
My throat tightened and formed a squeaky "Yeah." I nodded, and let him go quick. As Link lifted the limp guard up, he stretched his arm out to me. Cosby had enough power to grip my hand and smile. I made a crooked smirk and wiped my tears.
"Wow, I… never knew, you were going to, cry this much for me. It's only, been a couple days since we've met." Cosby breathed. Whether it was sarcasm or sheer surprise, I didn't know. I knew one thing: "You're my friend. You better come back alive."
Cosby nodded. "I will."
"Alright Lucas, lead me." Link smiled. Lucas agreed and the two of them left the plaza quick and soundless.
The plaza was quiet once more. My nose burned from crying and from the smell of fresh blood. When I stood from the puddle, I noticed most of the white in my toga was drenched in Cosby's blood. It made me nauseous. Blood on my skin dried and cracked, leaving smears of deep brown in between all of the creases in my hands. I gripped the dripping holy bow and turned back to Blackwood and my friends surrounding him. Even from this distance, I saw him meet eyes with me and smirk. My throat parched. The muscles around my eyes twitched.
I've never felt so driven mad to kill someone.
Flames licked at my weapon, embracing my right arm in bright yellow. Cosby's blood singed off but I didn't feel its heat. A strange, confining pain in my gut became stronger and stronger as I walked up closer and closer to Blackwood. Blood was rushing so fast in my head; honestly, I couldn't hear any of my friends' voices stopping me from getting any closer.
Roy stood in front of me. His round red eyes squinted with concern. "What are you doing?"
My voice came out a pitch lower. "Don't get in my way." Roy flinched. Everybody else held their breath. I didn't want to know how intimidating I was right now. I tried to shove Roy away, but he stood his ground. Irritation built up to the back of my throat and I had to take in a deep breath before I could do anything back at him. …Anything back at him. Am I trying to hurt Roy?
"Killing him will only make you the same, a murderer." He spoke, each and every word poking into my head like needles.
I knew I was going to regret every word I say back at Roy. I knew I can't win against him, but my mouth wouldn't shut up. "Who is going to miss him? Who will demerit if he dies here today? Who will cry to know his death? Who will mourn and want to remember this day, this day, which he dies?"
"Hey…"
"No one."
"You don't know that."
"You don't know him. He was part of a cult, a cult that wanted to know the truth about this godforsaken place. Didn't he trap everyone to study about the ink? His-his researchers used you! They injected the ink inside you for the sake of research!"
"Th-That's true, but..."
"And he just said he made Priscilla's mother cheat on her husband, he's the reason Priscilla died! The guards, they're being tortured because of him! Cosby is dying because of him! How can you stop me Roy, why do you want him alive?"
Roy's mouth hung open. His blank stare only made me madder. My head pounded in pain and my sight tinted with black circles. If there was anything else I could hate right now, was to argue with Roy.
When I stopped screaming, my lungs were scratched up from the inside. It hurt to breathe. Everyone fell silent, but I found Pichu's phantom dipping his head low and weaving through my legs. He shuffled his feet until he was clinging on to me from the cloth that hung over my neck. The fur that covered his body puffed up. He sighed contentedly, "Mommy."
Mommy? Why would Pichu's phantom call me his mom?
"Your wings." Someone announced.
A shudder went down my spine. My wings shook by default, and a couple feathers shed. The boiling heat I was feeling in my head dropped from the sight of the black feathers that surrounded me. My wings, were tinted a pitch black from the tip to the root. Not a single feather was white.
Blackwood snickered, gradually escalating into an uncontrollable cackle. His raspy laughs only rang in my head. My fingertips lost its senses, sending those tingling static throughout my body. The tainted wings were no longer mine. They flapped furiously with a mind of its own as if it wanted to rip off from my back.
My knees bucked, and Roy caught my fall.
"What's going on?" He cried. His desperate calls only became echoes.
More and more of my friends started to surround me. Lucario and Ness kneeled to me and started to produce a soft blue colored aura. It soothed me, but it provided only temporary comfort. I saw Red rummaging through his backpack for something and Charizard, his large dragon-like Pokémon pressed his muzzle to my face.
Unsettling prickles followed the tingling static. If I had to describe, it would be similar to rolling around in a pile of cacti. Roy repositioned his hold so I could lie on my side, but when he picked me up, I saw my arms were doused in the black ink. I was getting infested with 'despair'. With all of my friends surrounding me, I was turning into a phantom.
But why? Why now?
"I'm sorry," I gasped, "Roy, I'm sorry."
Roy couldn't smile back. He probably handed the ink ball to someone, since I could see his true self: his red hair, and his blue eyes full of tears. It pained me to realize this is the first time I saw Roy cry. A teardrop fell on my cheek as he choked in a breath. In the background, Blackwood was still making his hysteric cackles. I couldn't die like this, let alone become a phantom. I'm going to hurt my friends. Who knows what my phantom can do to them? Who can save me now? Who can save me?
I felt my eyelids being pulled shut.
A soft breeze caressed my cheeks. When I opened my eyes, I squinted from the penetrating afternoon sun. In my hand was a bouquet of white carnations that were still adorned with petals like laces. I sat upright. My back hurt from sleeping in an awkward position but otherwise I was fine. My toga was clean and dry. My wings were white. I was dreaming. At least my dreams are peaceful, although I don't deserve it.
I faced a flat, oval shaped rock that was leaning against a large tree with towering branches that provided shade to me. The rock was smooth and had no writing on it, but I had a feeling it was a tombstone. I placed the bouquet right at the base of the tree.
That was when I noticed the girl standing behind me. She giggled when I turned around to her. "Long time no see, white phantom."
The girl was around ten years old. She wore a billowing light blue sundress and her long dark-brown hair was billowing in the breeze also. She had a white carnation placed above her ear. I tried to recognize her, but I had no idea who she was. I just stared at her, trying to form some words, thinking 'I don't know you' was probably rude if she remembers me.
She smiled forgivingly. "I last visited you at a lake and the house made from a tree. Where you fought bravely against the phantom with your group. My form is different from when I visited you then, I'm presuming."
The deity being. I remember. He looked like a boy the last time. He visited me when we were going after Young Link's phantom. It's only been a couple days but his visit seemed like ages ago. He's the one who thrown all of us inside his toy box of a cave and watch us over like an ant farm. I didn't know whether to be mad at him or cry and ask him for assistance. Instead, I stayed still.
"Have you gotten closer to the truth?" She asked.
"I was getting there, but now I'm backtracking. I'm turning into a phantom." My voice cracked. Roy's face, full of tears, burnt into a part of my mind. I was cooked alive from the artificial, mild sunlight. I felt lightheaded. The spring grass became blurry and I noticed I was crying.
"I yelled at Roy again. D-Deep down, I know I'm the one that's wrong. But it… it just wasn't fair to let that horrible man do cruel things, and he could get away with it with his authority. If my friends, hadn't stopped me, I was going to, I was this close to killing… "
"But you didn't murder him. Why is that?"
The deity's face was timeless, penetrating. My insides felt like goo and all she did was stare at me.
"B-Because, I was turning into a phantom…"
"Why were you turning into one?"
"...I-I don't understand…"
Light shimmered and shrouded the deity. This light was pleasant and it filled me with a light, uplifting feeling. She took my hands in hers. Her voice became some tones lower than that of a girl's. It was a familiar voice. A voice too familiar. When she let me go, it was as if I was facing a mirror. The deity took in the form of me. The one thing that separated us was that the deity had a confident smile and I was crying my eyes out.
"Tell me, phantom." The deity spoke. "Do every one of your friends share the same fear?"
"I-I guess not…"
"Not everyone shares the same 'despair'. Do you understand? Remember Young Link. He was terrified of being left alone, not belonging anywhere. Pichu, he was furious when his friends and family were injured. Roy, he was a cat and his curiosity about this cave almost cost him his life when he became a phantom.
"Think of the other phantoms. Lucario, he too, his fatal flaw is curiosity when he investigated about the strange symbols in Polis 3. Ike, he felt powerless against the Green Bird and lost hope of winning against the monster. Captain Falcon, he sacrificed himself for the sake of his teammates."
I took in a breath. "Fatal flaws turn into 'despair'."
"And yours is the fear of murder. The fear of killing or be killed."
"How do I overcome it?" I asked, although I couldn't meet the deity's eyes. A god taking my form was just a little bit creepy.
That left the deity thinking for a bit. He pursed his lips and sighed thoughtfully. Or maybe he was toying with my feelings. As if he knew all of the answers and wanted to watch me "figure it out".
In the end, however, he did provide me with an answer. "Check your bag. You may have some goods you'd want to use."
The deity pointed at my side, and my brown bag appeared out of nowhere. I could have sworn I didn't feel its weight until now. Inside was my black notebook, a pen I took from the abandoned hospital, Priscilla's old-fashioned watch, and the Taser gun Snake let me borrow. I didn't know how any of these could overcome my fear of murder, but it's all I've got.
"I'll see you again, white phantom." He smiled. His smile, even though it was my face, was so even and divine, it took my breath away. Some part of his divineness actually left me afraid.
"Wh-Who are you, even. You help me, but then you watch over us from your mini garden like this is a game. Who exactly are you?"
"I'm whoever you want me to be." Cold hands cupped my face and I felt my eyes roll back and the world turning upside down. The carnations I placed at the tombstone shimmered from the sunlight peering through the foliage.
I looked up to the artificial blue sky until I closed my eyes once more.
Faint red tinted my vision as I came back to Polis 1. My arm jerked to grab at my holy bow without willing it to. The arm I saw that extended was smothered in black ink. Black chains and wires circulated around me. I don't know where they came from, but they continued to slither up my arms, my legs around my torso. Some of the chains and wires hovered and circled around me like I was the eye of the hurricane. I caught a couple of my friends trying to cut through the chains, but with each broken, three more joined in the vortex.
I saw Young Link crouching low and aiming at me, his mouth gurgling lava. My mind was the only thing I had advantage over my phantom, so as much as I wanted to bring my shield out in front of me, my phantom self was confident enough to just stand there.
Even though Young Link was almost right in front of me, the heat wave I felt was almost nonexistent. I felt a bit of heat like I was stepping outside to a sunny day. The lava he shot, I didn't feel at all. The orbiting chains spun faster and faster until they were literally chopping at the searing hot liquid, reflecting every last drop before it touched me. One chain lashed out at Young Link, who was tired from shooting the beam. The chain slashed his arm, but the severed limb constructed again in a column of fire.
A dozen chains snatched Young Link as my wings spread. More chains wringed his body and he was suspended roughly ten feet off the ground. The kid's scream and gurgles made my head pound in pain. My body didn't move. Or at least how I wanted it to move. My body was a case of concrete, a marionette with a puppet master that controls everything except for my thoughts. I never knew moving an arm I had no control over was so heavy and draining. I was just as restricted by the chains and wires as Young Link.
I remembered the deity's words: "Check your bag."
My bag was only a couple feet away from me. The flap was open and Priscilla's watch was peeking from the pocket. If I could talk or make a quick gesture, someone might notice.
Cold sweat and that irritating tingly sensation gushed all around my face and then to my body. My mouth managed to creak open before my face turned completely numb. By then, Roy cut through the chains and Red's Charizard caught Young Link in the air. The chains that were cut limped but quickly joined in the vortex that surrounded me.
"Uuuuugghhh," I growled. My bag. Somebody, please, grab, my bag!
Roy faced me, his flame-licking sword pointing at me with unsettling aim. He was breathing with his shoulders and with each breath, he glowed a fluorescent white from his phantom's power. He didn't move from his spot.
"Rrrrrr…" I strained.
Sweat dripped down my cheeks. I just need one word; I just need to call his name. I need to tell everyone I'm not completely taken over by the phantom. My arm jolted and swung toward Roy. Barbwires threatened to slice him in half. Three of them ignited in flames when Roy cut through them, but the remaining two coiled around his leg and dragged him across the stone floor, to me.
A pink substance catapulted from above. "Royyy!" Kirby cried and cut the barbwire with his three-foot javelin. He wore Ness' hat, which explained his next move.
"PK Flaaash!" Kirby raised his short arms in the air, sparking a bright green magic. It did no damage, other than it blinded me for several seconds. I stumbled back. The chains and wires circling me seemed to settle and slow down by a fraction.
Ness grabbed my hands. My phantom was about to shake them off, but oddly, he held onto them very tightly. A prickly sensation other than the spreading ink circulated starting with my arms.
"PK Thunder!" He called, his psychokinetic magic responding to his desperate state with brilliant white-blue electricity biting at every corner of my body. The chains and wires were excellent conductors. I was shuddering, and even though I couldn't hear it, I was probably screaming, judging the bubbles foaming at the corner of my mouth.
Ness let me go, but without moments to recover, something rammed into my stomach. A blue droning sphere spiraling with energy dug into my gut. I looked up. Lucario wore a stern expression with his palms open toward me, recoiling from his fresh shot. I doubled, and was flown back. My body scraped across the stone floor, peeling some of the ink off.
I couldn't breathe. My arms and stomach was smarting and shivering. The chains and wires hung over me heavily, twitching as if it too was in pain. My stomach turned over and I liberally vomited.
But my excreta wasn't actually 'vomit'. It was the ink and more of it continued to pour out like I was a hose. The overturning process was sickening, but on the flipside, I was gaining control over my body. When I wanted to cough, I could cough. When I wanted to breathe, my lungs filled with air.
"Som-Somebody," I gagged between retches, "Please, get my, b-bag."
Sheik appeared behind me with quick execution and quiet demeanor. He held the bag by the strap and settled it to the ground near me very carefully. Ike, who was near Sheik, didn't hesitate to come close to me. He knelt and started to rummage through my bag. "What do you need?"
I looked up to him. My body was still painted with ink and the chains and wires were still trembling around me, but he showed no sign of fear or suspicion. I honestly didn't know what I needed, but Priscilla's watch seemed like the right item.
"The watch."
Ike nodded and placed the watch in my hands. The thin chain from the old-fashioned clock slipped through my fingers. I caressed the elegant designs that adorned the cover and I immediately started to feel a sense of tranquility within me. A familiar white light glowed and embraced my hands, gently reaching my whole body.
Sheik shouted, "Get Pichu over here, we can heal them both at once."
I smiled to hear the confused dialogues and pattering feet all coming toward me. Wario came into view with a still sniffling Pichu's phantom. He grinned, and pressed the tiny friend to my chest to hold.
Somehow, I remembered to press my hand to Pichu's mouth, and drag the ink off of his body into a small compressed ball. The creature didn't complain despite being shrouded in the white light and his soul being sucked out of his host. But instead, he smiled. He thinned out the round red eyes with content and buried his face into my chest and mumbled his final words: "Mommy."
The light died down. My head was light and my vision doubled and tripled. Before I fell over and crushed Pichu in my arms, Marth caught my shoulders. I looked up and gave him a loose smile.
Everyone surrounded Pichu and I now, all of them injured but relieved we were free of our phantoms. Each of them had nasty cuts or burns. There were some that were more unfortunate, for example Roy's thigh was smeared with blood from the barbwires dragging him, and Young Link's body was red in places from the chains wringing him.
Charizard rumbled and pressed his muzzle against my cheek. His round nostrils opened and closed to get a good smell of me. The Pokémon had some jagged cuts in its legs and feet and it stood still for Red to rub some potion on him. Red smiled apologetically. "I wish I had potion for humans too."
I smiled back. After Charizard was patched up, Red invited Lucario for some potion also. He seemed a bit embarrassed at first but complied for the Pokémon trainer to heal him.
A vigorous hand grasped mine and my heart skipped a beat to find out it was Roy. He was near breaking down into sobs when I looked up at him. Marth politely recommended him to lie down, but Roy ignored him. Instead, he gripped my left hand in his, and let the first two big teardrops roll down his cheeks. I was able to sit up by now. I stood up, shook my wings a bit, and took a good look at Roy. This may be the last time I'd get to see him cry so I wanted a permanent memory of it, for some reason.
Marth scratched his head. "Do you want me to go, so you can comfort your girlfriend?"
"Yeah, Roy and I need some alone time." I chuckled and put my arms around him. Roy, who was now staring down at the ground and sobbing, groaned a squeaky, "shut up" and threw powerful arms around me. His grip and his armor crushing my lungs were pretty convincing.
I rested my head on his shoulder and sighed. "I'm so sorry for yelling at you. You know, I really hate arguing with you. You always seem to say the right thing and that ticks me off."
"It's because you're wrong and I'm right."
I just rolled my eyes. Although that was probably true.
Something small tugged on my toga. Out of the corner of my eyes (because Roy was holding me so tight and I had limited vision) I saw our new friend smiling a mile. He scrambled up my body to get a nice face hug. Yellow fluff filled my face.
"Pi-pichu!" He squeaked.
Lucario somewhere behind me translated the small guy's thanks. "He says 'Thank you for bringing us back together and I missed everyone', Leader."
"Wow, all that from 'Pi-pichu'? That's quite a mouthful from a simple language." I sputtered from Pichu's fine fur.
Behind me, I felt someone else wrap his arms around me. But I kind of already knew it was Young Link. He sighed, "I never want a chain hug. Never again." And I was completely engulfed from all sides. Every fiber of my being was getting a hug at the moment. But it wasn't a bad feeling.
"Look at this, it's a phantom convention." I muffled.
"That's not funny…" Roy mumbled.
Lucario and Ness did their best to use their healing energy to soothe some of us that got the worst. Some of us had to rely on others to walk. I asked Snake to hold onto an unconscious Lieutenant Blackwood, who apparently fainted as my phantom manifested me.
I couldn't even look at him. My biggest fear is having to kill someone, and even though I recovered from my phantom, my intentions to murder him weren't completely gone. I touched the watch in my satchel and calmed myself down, my silent thanks to Priscilla.
Pichu found the top of my head a comfortable spot. The new weight on my head was warm, but it wasn't very light so my head wobbled every once in a while. My last wobble was supported by Sheik. His eyes thinned like a worried parent afraid that his child might fall and cry. "I'm sorry for being suspicious earlier." He muffled, his voice soft underneath the cloth that conceals his face.
"I would've been suspicious to a phantom too. But you believed that I was, um, somewhat sane. I wouldn't have done anything if I was you."
Sheik nodded. "We're all here for you."
"Pichu." My new friend slithered down to my shoulder. He grinned.
My head still felt light. Sheik put an arm around me so I complied and leaned heavily on him.
Lucas was sitting on a porch in front of a modest house. Surprisingly, no civilians were around the street for Dr. Sutherland's medical help. Maybe there weren't many injured as I expected. But we could all hear Cosby's painful groans coming from the home.
He stood up immediately after seeing the group of us. He came up to me, fiddling his fingers and chewing his lips. "Link is inside assisting Dr. Sutherland. H-He might need more hands."
Ike and Snake volunteered. Their experience as mercenaries in war would come to good use for the doctor. The responsibility of the still unconscious lieutenant was given to Captain Falcon, Sheik, and Lucario. More of my friends decided to stay outside for Cosby's sake and to keep the lieutenant held.
I wasn't sure if I should go to Cosby. A part of me wanted to support my friend through this painful time, but a part of me didn't want to see his near-severed body and his face wringed in pain again. It was selfish to even stop to hesitate because seeing his injuries were… disgusting, but nevertheless, they were my feelings.
Eventually, Marth showed me and the other injured to a living room in the home, a wall separating Cosby's care room and the sofa where I laid down. Marth faltered when Cosby let out a horrible cry from the other room.
"We should go upstairs." He suggested.
"No, Marth. It's okay." I replied. I had my face buried in a pillow but I felt Marth's worried stare. "…Okay. But you can move upstairs if you need to." He acquiesced.
More of my injured friends filed into the room, each sitting down and tending to their wounds. After a while, a warm hand patted my shoulder. I almost wanted to smile when I knew it was Roy before he could speak.
"This sucks."
"Where did your motivational comments go? You're supposed to keep my hopes up." My question was muffled from the pillow I had my face in. In the other room, Cosby's groans were beginning to secede into heavy breathing.
Roy took his time to reply. In the other room, Dr. Sutherland cleared his throat and asked for certain medical equipment. Around the two of us, Young Link yelped while Wario tended to him. Kirby made a whiny "Oww..."
"I don't know."
Author's Note: Next chapter is the end of "Part One". Now that I have break, hopefully I can update more often.