Chapter 38: Bright New Hopes

They brought Bobbery back to the camp. Everyone there was terribly saddened about his loss.

"This is terrible." Double D said. His eyes were swollen and his face covered with tear-streaks. "Why… did this have to happen?"

Jimmy was in the worst shape, crying terribly. It was horrible for him worst of all. Eduardo Jr. stood nearby him.

Double D looked over to Vivian. "This is madness."

She was too sad to respond.

"They are innocent children. They shouldn't have to experience something as traumatic as this."

His hand balled into a fist.

"Why…" Double D fell on the ground crying.

The other stood nearby him.

Bobbery was drifting. He felt himself floating in the air, surrounded by whiteness.

He felt surprisingly comfortable as he drifted. Nowhere to go, nothing to worry about. He felt nothing, but at the same time felt happy.

"I must be on my way to the great beyond…" he said quietly. "…I'm here, Scarlette."

"No…" A kindly feminine voice said. "You're not yet."

Bobbery gasped. He saw something in the whiteness. It was someone he knew.

"Can it be…" Bobbery asked. "Scarlette, I've come at last. We can be together…"

Indeed, it was his beautiful wife. She was floating in front of him. She looked the same as he remembered her from years ago, only she now had angelic wings.

"Bobbery, my love…"

Bobbery was crying now himself. "I'm here. I can speak to you, touch you…"

"Please, not yet…" She shook her head.

"What?" he asked.

"I love you… that is why you cannot follow me to the great heavens above…" She said.

"No, let me come!" Bobbery begged. "PLEASE!"

"My dear love…"

Bobbery sobbed upon hearing those words.

"I love you more than ever."

"I love you too. I want you to know… You are everything I have ever lived for!" Bobbery said.

"Then go on. This isn't your time." she said.

"No! I belong with you! I will not go back!" he said.

"People need you… you still have a life ahead of you. Go, live it. I can wait." she said.

"No! Please! I just got to you again. Please, I never want go back!"

"Please. For me?" She asked as they were now floating next to each other. "Can you at least fulfill that wish?"

"I… can't. I've died, I can't return…" He said.

"You have only given up hope for life. Go back." She said.

"But… what about you?" He asked.

"I will wait. I will watch you…" She said. "…and whenever you look into the stars… I'll be looking back. I'll be where a sea breeze blows on you gently. We will never be apart…"

She got closer to him. "In heart."

They both kissed each other.

When they were finished, Scarlette turned away and started to vanish.

"NO! Please!"

Her figure suddenly exploded in bright light. The light fragments dissolved into the light surrounding Bobbery.

Bobbery shivered and cried. He had a choice to take… Whether to give up his life, or live it, once and for all…

"Oh…" Bobbery groaned softly.

Everyone's eyes opened wide. They all ran to Bobbery's side.

"Bobbery! Are you here! Are you with us!" Goombella asked.

"…huh?" Bobbery's eyes slowly opened.

"HE'S ALIVE!" Eduardo Jr. shouted.

"Either that or a zombie." Eddy said.

Nazz's eyes glimmered. "I knew he was too strong to give in."

"Nurse! Get this man healed, now!" Flavio commanded the crew nearby.

The Inn Keeper (nurse) got up, with a happy face, tears down her own face. "Yes, sir!"

"Thank you…" Bobbery said to the nurse.

He was lying down in the bed, in the Inn Tent. "I owe you so much to reviving me to life."

"No, Bobbery." she said. "Medications… bandages… they are nothing, compared to the power of your spirit. Your soul is like none other I have seen. I find it a miracle you survived."

Bobbery looked up with a smile.

"I'm humbled to have helped you."

"Now that everyone has turned out okay…" Double D said. "I feel better. We… can finally continue this quest of ours."

"Right… then, where do we go?" Goombella asked.

"Excuse me…" A new voice added.

It was Bobbery. He walked out of the tent, stepping into the fresh air.

"It's good to see you okay." Double D said.

"This ol' Bomb-omb's still got life in him. Now, I believe we should go find this treasure." he said.

"You mean you want to come with us?" Double D said. His group surrounded him.

"I will repay you for your kindness however possible. …I feel Scarlette would have wanted it this way." he said.

Double D's smile grew wider. "Okay."

"Oh, might I add some advice?" Bobbery asked. "During that time I was with Four Eyes and Ralph T, I remember seeing something at the top of the island."

"Like what?" Nazz asked.

"A strange ruins of sorts. Two statues: odd ones, and on a Cliffside nearby, a stone carving of a skull. One of its eyeholes had an open hole, like a keyhole. I surmise It was a secret entrance of sorts." Bobbery said.

'"Of course! A pirate would hide his treasure, and where better in someplace secret!" Double D said.

"Yeah, but where's the key?" Eddy asked.

"I feel one of us has this key… think." Double D said. "Who has a skull shaped item?"

The others held their chins in thought.

"Ah!" Rolf said. "Fancy-pants Flavio!"

"Yes, he has a red, skull gem thing!" Jimmy said.

"Of course. And did he not say his ancestor's had a history involving this island and it's treasure?" Koops asked.

"Yes…" Double D said.

"Hey, Flavio!" Eddy called out.

"Yes?" Flavio ran into the group. "Does someone require Flavio?"

"Hm… Flavio, I know this sounds crazy…" Double D said. "…but the only way to get to this treasure is through your assistance."

"WHAT!" Flavio shouted. "You want me to leave camp to come!?"

Flavio could remember that three people had come in earlier, Koops and Eduardo jr out cold, and Ed starving. And just an hour ago, Bobbery come from the jungle near death. He was already afraid of his own fate.

"I'm afraid we have no choice. We cannot let fear hold us back. The soon we get the treasure we came for to finish things, the better." Double D said.

"I am not going out there, none of you can make me!" Flavio pointed at the group. "I knew from the start that this was foolish!"

All 14 within the group looked back at Flavio.

"We must-a bring him." Mario said.

"We've come too far to give in. Bobbery taught us all that." Flurrie said.

"Well then, we shall vote!" Flavio said. "All of you!"

He looked over to the other sailors. "Who wants me to go with them!"

"Oh, heck yes!"

"Please take him!"

"Off with you!"

"Have fun out there, jerk!"

Flavio sighed in defeat. "No fair. …Flavio hates you all."

He turned to the group reluctantly.

"You have the pleasure of my company. Only temporary, I assure you."

They sighed.

"Hold on." Double D said. "Only a few of us are going this time."

"What? Why?" Jimmy asked.

"It is far too risky for us to all go." Double D said.

He walked to the path. "Who wants to come?"

"I'm going." Vivian said, going directly to his side.

"I need to protect my little bud here from danger!" Eddy said. "It'd be a travesty to loose the brains of the group, eh?"

"If he goes, I go." Goombella said.

"Flavio has to come by default." Double D said.

"I got a mission to complete." Bobbery said, stepping up.

"And I'll go." Nazz said.

"And me-" Kevin started.

"No." Nazz said. "I'm going to get away from you…"

Kevin looked at her. "…C'mon."

"No. Stay here, and don't leave." Nazz glared.

Double D said nothing but started walking back into the jungle. Vivian followed closely. Eddy went, with Goombella next to him. Bobbery was next, and Flavio was behind him, as if to use Bobbery as a shield. Nazz was last in line. Kevin looked at her, and she looked at him back with disgust. She turned away. He continued to watch her walk farther away until she vanished into the woods.

Kevin groaned and knelt down on the ground.

"Kevin?" Jimmy asked. "Are you okay?"

Kevin groaned. He covered his eyes and ran away, into a tent.

He jumped on to a makeshift bed and threw his face in a pillow.

"Nazz… I'm sorry." he whispered into his pillow.

"Huh?" A voice he didn't see asked.

Kevin shot up out of the bed. He noticed Ralph T, sitting in a chair inside the tent.

"How long have you been here?" Kevin asked.

"I'm sorry." Ralph T looked down.

"Look, I didn't know this tent was occupied. I'll get goin'." Kevin said.

The toad sailor sighed.

"What?" Kevin asked.

"Sorry, I'm just depressed." The toad sailor asked.

"Whatever. I'm out." Kevin said, getting out of the bed.

He started to proceed to the entrance of the tent.

"Kevin, there is only one dork on this whole island, and that's you!" Nazz's voice echoed in his mind.

Kevin's eyes widened.

"I'm going to get away from you…" He still saw her angry face imprinted in his mind.

Kevin closed his eyes. "It's not like I care that well, Ralphy… but what are ya so depressed about?"

"Did you hear the story of why I decided to come on this expedition?" Ralph T asked.

"I'm sure ya gonna tell me." Kevin said.

Ralph T sighed. "I wasn't always depressed and worried, you know. My real job is a carpenter, and before this, I was living in Petalburg. I was only 9 at the time. My parents were gone. My mother deceased, father left us."

"Boy, that's enough to cause depression." Kevin said.

"That's not it. I have a brother. He was 14 at the time. He had to take over the role of a parent for me. Anyways… our finances were running low…"

Kevin looked at him.

"My brother decided we needed money quickly. He joined a sailing expedition to find treasure. The same we're looking for. He left me with at the Inn to find the treasure… that was 2 years ago." Ralph said.

"So, where's he?" Kevin asked.

"We never saw again." Ralph T said. "After a month, I lost everything. Family, finances… I came to live at Rougeport, and when I saw this chance to find the same treasure, I hoped it can be a way to finish what my brother started."

"Hm…" Kevin said, with his usual tone returned, with his smirk. "How noble."

Kevin started walking towards the exit of the tent.

"Well, aren't you coming?" Kevin asked.

"Where?" Ralph T asked.

"To finish this." Kevin said.

"You mean…" Ralph asked.

"We're going to catch up to the other group and help them get this treasure." Kevin said.

"Thanks!" Ralph said.

He got up from the chair and they started walking for the exit of the tent.

"Oh, one more thing." Kevin said. "Tell anyone I've been nice, and I'll pound you."

"…fine." Ralph said.

Kevin and Ralph walked back into the camp to meet the others.

"Wait, where ya goin'?" Eduardo Jr. asked.

"To catch up with the others. They can't keep us back." Kevin said.

"Then I'm headed, too." Eduardo Jr. said. "I can't let my daddy do it alone."

"Rolf shall go." Rolf said with a serious face.

"I'll go." Koops said as well.

"Ed shall defend the mushroom people!" Ed shouted.

The others gave him a stare.

"Hm... That's it. Let's go before they get too far ahead." Kevin said.

"Wait, let me come!" Four Eyes said.

"Why you?" Kevin asked.

"There is something I forgot to discuss with the one named Double D." Four Eyes said.

Eduardo Jr. eyed him with suspicion, as the group proceeded into the jungle…

"So… um… why am I here?" Flavio asked.

Double D's group led him to a skull shaped carving on the wall. Either side, the statues seemed to guard it for some reason.

"We require your skull gem." Double D said.

"What? You are asking me for quite a valuable item. I will not give it so easily until you explain why." Flavio said.

Double D quickly told him about his mission and led up to the part about it being a key.

"My… your story is quite farfetched." Flavio said. "…though so far, none of you have given me reason to not trust you. Very well but be careful with it."

Flavio reached into a huge pocket in this red jacket and took out his red skull gem.

Double D placed the gem carefully within the carving's open eye socket.

There was a sudden flash, and a quick rumbling. The eyes on the statues flashed.

The others gasped. They stood directly next to each other, ready to defend each other from a possible attack.

…and that's all that happened.

"Ooookay." Goombella said.

"Hm…" Double D said, examining one of the states.

Flavio was shaking in fear. "Uh… uhh…"

"Flavy dude, calm down." Eddy said. "Your givin' me a headache."

"Uh… uh…" Flavio muttered, sweat trickling down his face. "Uh… "Skull caption cast's his gaze…"

Apparently, Flavio started singing his song to calm himself. He went on:

"Red jewel shines and plays!

Boomb-bassa-boom festival!

The 'Stash brothers, best

of Friends! 3 times Red

'Stash lands on his end!

Blue 'Stashe's belly 4 times

Is whacked, so let's hear

Those fireworks go BOOM!"

"That's it!" Double D said. "This makes sense now!"

The others circled around him.

"Flavio's song! The code within it." Double D realized.

He first waked over to the red statue. It was small, so he jumped on top of it.

"Fire Ball! Fire Ball! Fire Ball!"

Three fireballs fired from his hand and struck the statue.

"What the HECK are ya doin'?" Eddy asked.

From where he stood, Double D pointed at the blue statue and fired four more fireballs at it.

Both of the statues flashed. A panel above the carving of the skull opened up.

"Right, and the point of that?" Eddy asked.

"Patience." Double D said. "Now, if Flavio's song remained true to its word…"

"I see…" Bobbery said.

He stood by the carving. "Can someone give me a boost. I can't jump as high as I used to."

"Right." Double D nodded.

He lifted Bobbery over his shoulders. He tossed him hard into the open hatch. Bobbery walked into a dark tunnel and vanished.

"Fire in the hole!" Bobbery said within the wall.

A second later, the wall erupted, destroying the carving on the wall and throwing rocks everywhere. Everyone closed their eyes from the dust that scattered about.

When they looked again, a cave entrance took the place of the carving.

"MY GEM!" Flavio shouted. "What happened to-"

The red skull gem fell right on his head, knocking him to the floor. The others starred (Eddy fell down laughing) as he got up sluggishly.

"Uh… I'm fine." Flavio said and started to walk away.

"I guess I've done what I have to right? Well, I'm just going to return to camp and-"

"No, we still need help. We may require your assistance in the future." Double D said.

Flavio groaned. "No, ya can't make me go in there!"

"Eh, quit gripping." Eddy said.

The entire the group slowly entered the cave…