Opening File: Pleasure Island

Considered a myth by almost anyone who knows of it Pleasure Island is believed to be a theme park located inside an island. It is said inside the theme park those who visit can do whatever they pleased on the island, such as smoking, drinking alcohol, fighting, wrecking the place, and other deeds that good children wouldn't do. Food, alcohol and tobacco were made freely available on this island. The children were also free of the law and any parents or cops who could stop them from being naughty.

Legends speak of this theme park being a trap for the children have had enough time being bad, they would turn into donkeys after they made 'jackasses' of themselves. The children would first grow donkey ears, then a tail, their head would turn furry, having donkey hair, their laughing would then become braying, their hands and feet becoming hooves, before losing their ability to talk and then finally being on all fours. The donkeys were then rounded up by the mysterious owner known as the Coachman and his minions.

The donkeys were then inspected and those who couldn't talk were stripped of their clothes if they still wore any before being put into crates, then taken back to the ferry that took the boys to the island. They were then sold to salt mines, the circus, and other places for money. It is suggested that the Coachman was a Fallen who cursed the island to turn children into donkeys for unknown reasons but his motives suggest it was mainly profit. He was stopped and presumably killed in the mid nineteenth century and Pleasure Island was left abandoned and forgotten.

Close File

Xxx

"In certain places animals can be seen as symbols such as wisdom and power. In China when a ladybug appears it is a sign that a person's true love will appear. Black cats can be seen as symbols of bad luck and at the same time in other places they can come across as good luck. Of course, not all animals symbolize things like love and friendship." TOM said as the file closed. "In Italy the Donkey is a symbol of stupidity. The reason being is because there are young people who will scoff at education and moral codes set forth by their parents, preachers and authority figures and will engage in 'jackass' behavior instead, such as fighting, vandalism and underage drinking and are often destined to grow up to become men who have no option to make a living except through backbreaking manual labor. And there are plenty of people in the world who will take advantage of that. So when you are out there finding a line of work, make sure you got the smarts and the responsibility to handle it or be ready to having to settle for whatever degrading work that comes your way and having no other option than to take it."

Xxx

"Un-Globing-believable."

That was all Scotty Blake could say, looking the burning remains of the tavern he and Raven had come, looking for Scotty's old teammate, Keanu Grier AKA Da Samurai Huntsman. What started as a simple search mission turned into an all-out brawl as all of Da Samurai's enemies pretty much wanted him dead, forcing Scotty into a fight that ended in almost all fights he usually took part in: a big bang.

Da Samurai chuckled nervously. "Well, at least you don't have a tab."

"No, instead I got a lot of time wasted by an idiot teammate who was hiding in his own bar of all places." Scotty rolled his eyes. "You have not changed a bit, I see."

"Well, I did try to start over. Go on the enlightened path of the samurai and all that but it's hard to do when everyone wants you dead." Keanu argued. "I gave up my blade and all that, becoming the owner here and tried to pass on my wisdom to anyone who was in need of some. For some it worked out and others…Not so much. So why are you here, busting my masterful disguise anyways, Scot?"

"I am putting the team back together for a mission." Scotty answered, leaning down. "And I mean the whole team. I got a dangerous mission and I need some actual Huntsmen with me."

"Really?" Keanu smirked and turned around. "Well, I'd love to help out, Scot old-boy but I got to see if my bar has 'blown up by Scotsman' ensurance, paying for all the damages and possibly injuries and all that…And then there's the talk of payment upon mission over."

Scotty pulled out a large chunk of gold and tossed it onto the ground at Keanu's feet. "That should cover you."

Raven raised an eyebrow at the exchange. "You carry chunks of gold around with you?"

"Yeah." Scotty looked at Raven. "Why? Not normal from where you're from?"

Keanu eagerly picked up the gold and pulled out a katana with a red handle. "Scotty, Da Samurai Huntsman and Mama are back and love to be part of this mission."

Scotty nodded. "Good. Now tell me where I can find Lab Coat and Fancy Suit."

Xxx

"You sure took your sweet time coming to find me."

Kevin Levin rolled his eyes at his partner's ungrateful attitude but supposed he should have been expecting it. After breaking Mandy out of her cell the two quickly escaped the Blind Eye complex as it was brought down by the fighting. The two then took shelter in a shed, deciding it would be best to lie low.

"So how did you get caught in the first place?" Kevin asked.

"Cipher's Puppet…She was better than I thought she was." Mandy answered, her eyes flashing red as she sat on a haystack. "But it only makes me excited to destroy her even more next time."

"Really?" Kevin smirked. "How do you plan on that?"

"Those Northwests will be planning their party soon enough." Mandy answered, lying down on the hay stack and looked up at the ceiling. "I plan on seeing what they plan to do for that portal. They obviously want to gather those contestants and this party is the key."

"Oh, crashing a party huh?" Kevin grinned eagerly. "Now you're talking my language."

"Good." Mandy closed her eyes. "I want Pacifica Northwest to be right there to watch as I tear apart everything in front of her."

"And those Blind Eye freaks?"

"They have other problems to worry about."

Xxx

"We failed you, Great One. We beg forgiveness."

The Blind Eye Society had been forced to move to a backup base since the original had been regrettably destroyed. Fortunately the infidels had failed to recover any form of information that would be useful to them. Unfortunately the Fallen the Great One's daughter had escaped during the battle and that was a cause for alarm. With the Fallen on the loose it meant that the plan for the Great One's arrival was now in jeopardy.

They needed to consult the Great One.

The will before them showed a drawing of Bill Cipher, staring directly at them with his one eye as they waited for his response.

They did not have to wait long.

The world around them became still and the drawing glowed bright, eventually coming to life and appearing before them as their great one.

"Hey there, my blind peeps!" Bill Cipher laughed as he floated around the gathered Blind Eye Society. "I see you guys were on the wrong end of a major butt whooping by a bunch of kids, a grandma and a walking collection of dinosaur bones."

"Yes, Great One." Blind Ivan bowed his head. "It was...unexpected. We are working on prevent them from interfering with your arrival as we speak."

"Ah, don't worry about it, Pinhead." Cipher waved off the cult leader's excuses. "The good news is they don't got the old man's memories so as far they know nothing is going to happen which is good. So we remain on schedule and those kids don't have a clue."

"Allow us to go after them and we will erase their memories." Blind Ivan pleaded.

"Don't bother." Cipher replied. "I got my own plans for them. In the meantime we got deals to make, people to kill or curse and little heroes to play with."

Xxx

"All right! Here we are!"

Buttercup didn't know what to expect upon reaching this so-called Pleasure Island.

She knew it was supposed to be a haven for the kind of kids like her but even she knew better than to just trust the sale's pitch. The so-called island was up ahead and it looked like a deserted miserable pile of rock with nothing noticeable about it.

Except for the cave the boat entered.

Buttercup was absolutely stunned by what she saw.

An amusement park that looked like it only belonged in her dreams was right before her and all the kids were rushing in, eager have their fun.

"Why haven't I heard of this place before?" The Powerpuff Girl wondered to herself.

If she had known earlier she would have brought her sisters along a very long time ago.

'The Roughhouse, a demolition house and places you can try...Beer and drugs?' Buttercup flinched in disgust as she looked around.

While she was not one for being the 'perfect' little girl she absolutely sworn off alcohol and drugs for life as in her mind it went against her idea of being a superhero and a Huntress.

Still she wanted to try out a few rides like the giant Ferris wheel for one.

"Looks to be a fun place, huh kid?"

Buttercup turned around, about to answer but stopped when she saw who it was. "You!"

Ace, leader of the juvenile group known as the Gang-Green-Gang that was known for causing trouble in Townsville. Buttercup and her sisters had faced him and his gang when they started fighting crime and the first few times didn't end well for them since they were still experienced and Ace and his gang had fighting skills and unlocked their Semblances, making them formidable for anyone below a Class III rank.

The first time the girls had fought the gang they ended up getting saved by Valhallen, the Viking God of Rock, member of the Justice Friends and one of the strongest heroes/Huntsmen on the planet.

"Whoa, whoa!" Ace held up both hands in a placating gesture. "No need for violence between us here. We got a demolition ride for that."

"What are you doing here?" Buttercup asked, glaring hotly at the gang leader.

"Me and the boys were invited here for some fun." Ace shrugged. "Thought it be fun to have a vacation from all the craziness in Townsville."

"You mean all the crimes you commit?" Buttercup asked harshly.

"Hey, hey, it's not all bad. We don't try to topple buildings and eat people like those Grimm do. Compared to all the so-called super villains we are pretty tame." Ace said, his tone coming off as...sincere.

And maybe a little charming.

"Besides, am I committing any crimes right now?" Ace spread his arms out. "We got let out on probation and having to do some community service so is there any reason for us to fight?"

Buttercup narrowed her eyes. As much as she'd like to punch him in his green charming….face even she knew better than to just start fighting for no good reason.

Besides, Ace and the Gang-Green-Gang were a bunch of ugly high school dropouts that were not worth the trouble unless they were doing something really bad.

"Fine." She conceded but pointed her finger straight at him. "But if I even think you are causing trouble you'll get a one way kick off this island, pal!"

"Thank you." Ace lifted his glasses up, showing his eyes to the girl who turned and walked away. '...Always works.'

Xxx

"Steven, I'm starting to wonder if this was a bad idea."

Amethyst was usually all for rushing straight into danger without any form of thought or planning unlike Pearl but she had to consider that traveling through the Darklands might have been a bad idea. She mainly went along with this quest because it served as an excuse to get away from the drama back home between Garnet and Pearl and because she knew even if she said no Steven would still find a way to go. At the very least she was here to protect him.

And of course having Pops, Johnny and Carl along didn't hurt their chances…

Did it?

"But Amethyst, we need to find Lapis." Steven argued.

They had been traveling through the dark forest on Lion who was constantly on alert. This was after all a Grimm infested forest and it was a miracle they had not run into any yet.

"Where did you say your friends were again?" Pops asked, keeping a close eye on all their surroundings.

"They were in some kind of cavern deep in the heart of the Darklands. There was bunch of black pools that Grimm were coming out of." Steven answered.

"Pools of Darkness...We can't go any further." Pops said urgently. "We have to go. We have to go now."

"Why?" Steven asked, now confused.

"Pools of Darkness are what spawn the Grimm and they exist in the center of places like the Darklands. Going near them is pure suicide and not even an entire army of Huntsmen would risk it." Pops explained, looking very alert. "We'd be dead long before we even got close."

"Are you sure, Pops?" Carl shuddered.

Pops nodded. "Pools of Darkness are known to be in several places with the largest of them being the very one the Grimm originally came from in Japan but others were eventually made. The ones here in the Darklands made it impossible to build any more cities past GrimmFall because the Grimm spawned in numbers too great for almost any entire army to handle without nearly sacrificing every soldier. We can't go there."

Steven bit his lip, wanting badly to argue but was wondering if he was risking everyone's lives in this quest. Maybe by wanting to save Lapis so badly he was overlooking the fact that going after her was too dangerous. Things had just been so hard for him lately, Pearl and Garnet's fractured friendship, Peridot and that human still on the loose and Lapis trapped in a horrible fusion with Jasper.

Is it so bad that he just wanted to save at least one of his friends?

Or was it too much to ask?

"Steven?" The hybrid perked up at the mention of his name and looked back at Amethyst who was sitting behind him on Lion's back. "What do we do now?"

Steven wasn't sure how to answer that question.

Xxx

"YOU!"

Sammael lazily opened one eye to the sound of the doors to his chamber being kicked open and watched the young woman angrily march in. "You are fortunate that the Grimm won't be provoked to attack you in my presence, Miss Cree."

Cree Lincoln wore a look of absolute loathing as she marched into the throne room, knocking over several chairs as she marched up to the Fallen. "You promised me you wouldn't go after or hurt her!"

"And I didn't." Sammael replied calmly, sitting up straight. "One could even say I helped save her from being turned into a weapon by those grey people."

"Don't mess with me!" Cree kicked another chair down. "You had no intention of honoring our deal at all, did you?!"

Sammael raised an eyebrow. "I advise you to calm down, Miss Cree. Enough rage and the Grimm might find you too irresistible, even in my presence."

Cree gritted her teeth but kept still.

"When I found you all those years ago, you were on the verge of dying as a result of months in the Darklands, journeying through the twisted and dangerous forests of the land no one would dare enter and for what?" Sammael smirked. "You thought you could kill me to protect your sister from both me and the Satyra. Only things didn't work out as you expected."

Cree narrowed her eyes, watching as Sammael stood up from his throne and casually strolled towards her, circling around her with a look of deep interest. "I found you, I saved you from dying of horrific wounds and malnutrition. I knew who you were, I knew what you had done and who you wanted to protect and what did I offer in return?"

Sammael stopped in front of her looked her straight in the eye. "Her life for your service."

Cree flinched from the flashing red eyes that seemed pierce her entire being with just one look.

"Never forget this, Cree. I keep my promises and I reward those that help me and gaining the assistance of the Candy Elemental in our search is essential. Continue assisting me and she will live." Sammael turned away and walked back to his throne. "If she can be convinced to aid us, I will not even have to lift a finger."

Cree could only look bitter as she turned away, walking out of the room with Sammael watching in amusement.

She certainly kept things from becoming too boring around here.

Xxx

"Professor Mizuki is dead?"

Genki Sanban could hardly believe what she was hearing over the phone, even though she knew the messenger wasn't lying.

"Yes, Sanban-san. His entire lab burned to the ground last night."

Genki frowned. "Was his body found?"

"No, ma'am. They believe it was burned to ash in the fire."

"Hmm…Is it possible to find out who he was in contact prior to the fire?"

"I am afraid not. He kept all of his contact records in his private lab."

"And his financial records?"

"I…I am not sure."

"I want to compile a list of everything Professor Mizuki was doing in the last month leading up to the fire, no matter how small or insignificant it might be."

"Right away, Sanban-san."

Genki ended the call and tapper the intercom switch on her desk. "Sayoko?"

"Yes, Lady Sanban?"

"Please find Danielle and tell her I wish to speak with her at once."

"Right away, Lady Sanban."

Xxx

Danielle was slightly nervous about being called to Genki's personal office.

It was hard to imagine just why she was being called there since as far as she knew Danielle had been on her best behavior…

Except for helping Kuki and Mushi sneak out of the house through the use of her ghost powers.

Danielle shivered, suddenly afraid that Genki must have found out and now she was in big trouble for sneaking her daughters out of the house, even if they had been the ones who convinced her to do it but that would be a weak excuse at best. Kuki was at school right now and Danielle had finished her daily lesson under Sayoko when she had told her Genki wanted to see her.

Deciding to own up to her mistake Danielle took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "Mrs. Sanban?"

"Come in, Danielle."

She opened the door and peaked in, seeing the head of Sanban Industries at her desk, looking over some papers. The ghost child stepped in, closing the door behind her and quickly walked up to the desk. "You wanted to see me?"

"Indeed I did, Danielle." Genki said with a calming smile. "You seem a little nervous, Danielle. Is everything all right?"

"Oh, I'm okay." Danielle quickly put up a smile. "Just making sure to remember everything from today's lesson."

"I see…" Genki nodded, gesturing for Danielle to sit down on a nearby chair. "I'll be sure to ask you later on what you remember."

'Oh boy.' Danielle fought the urge to gulp in front her teacher.

"In the meantime, I would like to discuss the little trips you have been helping my daughters make during their free time." Genki continued, still smiling even as she watched Danielle turn, while not as pale as a ghost it was good enough for a human.

'Oh crud! She knows!' Danielle thought, shaking and gulping at the same time. "Mrs. Sanban, I know it was wrong and I know I wasn't supposed to but I just couldn't say no to them when they asked. I know it's a bad excuse and I am really sorry that I did it but-"

Genki surprised her by laughing and holding up a hand. "Calm down, Danielle. You are not in trouble."

"I…I'm not?" Danielle repeated, looking like she was about to collapse from a lack oxygen.

"You are pretty good at stealth and it's commendable you have been able to sneak them out without alerting anyone." Genki's smile turned into a smirk. "However, my Semblance allowed me to know what the three of you were up to even before the first time you snuck out."

'She knew?!' If Danielle's eyes went any wider she was sure they would fall out. "You knew? The whole time?"

Genki nodded. "And I made sure someone was watching the three of you in case anything happened."

"But if you knew the whole time why-"

"Didn't I say anything?" Genki finished knowingly and sighed. "I suppose it is because I wanted to let my daughters have the chance to act their age without any pressure on them. After all, they are heirs to the company my husband and I created and learning about it, along with teaching them how to protect themselves from just about anything can make it hard for them to have any kind of childhood. That was why I wasn't surprised when they convinced you to use their powers to help them sneak out to go down to the local parks. After spending much time having to learn all that is expected of them, making friends with someone who could turn invisible and intangible pretty much gave them the perfect chance to spend time without any expectations."

Genki stood up and walked around the desk, placing her hand on Danielle's shoulder. "Despite helping them sneak out without mine or my husband's permission the fact that they seemed more happy as of late made me consider letting you 'off the hook' as one might say. I am pleased that you have helped my daughters be happy and for that I won't be punishing you for sneaking them out. However the reason I am talking about this now is because I need something from you."

"You do?" Danielle asked quietly.

Genki nodded solemnly. "I need you to promise no more sneak outs for at least a week."

"A week?"

"Yes. You see, there might be some trouble in the following days and I don't want you three caught up in the middle of it. That is why I am asking you that the next time Kuki and Mushi want you to sneak them out you must turn them down and I will be talking them about this as well." Genki explained, smiling again. "This will just be between us for now. Do you understand, Danielle?"

The girl nodded. "Okay."

"Good. Now better hurry and greet them when they get back." Genki smirked. "Something about showing you taped videos of the Wacky Races?"

Danielle smiled. "Yeah, Kuki's a big fan of Penelope Pitstop. She's been telling me about her all week."

"Well, better be ready. Those races can make her and Mushi…Excitable." Genki giggled a bit, knowing how excitable her daughters could be.

Danielle was the calmer and more responsible of the three but when they two pulled her into the fun she didn't put up much of a fight. Kani was just glad Danielle didn't turn into a Rainbow Monkey fanatic like both his daughters did. She was too much of a tomboy for that and simply hung out and kept the girls company when they played with their dolls.

"Now, off you go." Genki said, dismissing Danielle. "You have a fun evening ahead of you."

"Okay." Danielle nodded and headed to the door. "Thank you and I'm sorry for the sneaking around again."

Genki chuckled as the girl left, closing the door. "Always trying to be considerate and afraid of other's expectations. I suppose it is good that my rebellious daughters are able to talk her into pulling off something crazy when they think no one will notice."