After finding out that Monotoli is already in some important meeting nobody's supposed to disturb, we decide to head out towards the Pink Cloud sanctuary on our own. Heading downhill to the south of Dalaam, we reach the entrance to the cave. No weird rabbit statues to block our way this time, so we're good to go in.

It's only once we enter that I remember the horrible maze layout of the cave. Having to fall through holes in the ground to reach lower levels is fine when the energy in the air slows our descent and prevents us from being harmed, but the way back up involves more ropes. The first time, we end up at the very bottom of the cave, and by the time I'm back to the entrance I need to take a several minute breather to shake off the soreness in my arms before I can climb back up again.

"Okay, with Giant's Step we had the excuse of not having been there before," I say, "But since you're the genius here, shouldn't you remember how to get through this one?"

"Believe it or not," Jeff says, "But math and experimental setup are different skillsets than a photographic memory."

"Sounds like being a prodigy scientist isn't worth much."

"Excuse you." He pushes his glasses up. "Trials and experiments are how we understand the world. That can be applied to any situation."

"Great. So what does that wisdom tell you to do now?"

"We keep going down paths until we find the right one."

I let out a groan. At least Jeff is a good sport, and once my arms feel a little less numb we continue going down the different passageways. Turns out that the correct path is the way we initially went, except we need to keep heading in further instead of dropping through the last hole. I swear I'm going to PSI Thunder the person who designed this cave system.

As with Giant's Step, the exit to the sanctuary is unguarded. Jeff and I take a breather while we're still in the cave, and he gives me some of his healing items. Without Ness we don't have Lifeup or Healing PSI to get us out of sticky situations, but honestly I'm less concerned about running out of healing items than I am getting overwhelmed and not having the time to heal. Ness bought so much space for us in these fights and has the vitality of a raging elephant. Without him present, we're vulnerable to getting rushed down.

I lead the way out onto Pink Cloud, stepping out onto the fluffy ground to see Poo levitating a few feet off the ground surrounded by a group of six Starmen that look like they're guarding him. Poo's eyes are closed, but the floating and the way the Starmen regard him as one of their own tells me he's a thrall.

Shit. How are we going to fight Poo and the Starmen without access to consistent healing?

Before I can back off and regroup, the Starmen look my way and burst into action. I put a PSI shield on us—the Σ version that doesn't reflect attacks, since I don't want to put Poo in danger. Sure enough, Starstorm PSI from the Starmen washes over us, nullified by my PSI shield.

Jeff fires off a multi bottle rocket that annihilates one of the starmen on the spot, reducing their count to five.

"You still haven't learned to aim those at multiple targets?" I shout his way.

"Not without setting each one off individually. Keep your head in the game, Paula."

Right. I unleash a Freeze Ω on one of them, and Jeff follows up with a shot from his heavy bazooka to finish that one off. The remaining four Starmen fire beams at me and Jeff, sending us staggering back.

"We need to think about pulling back," Jeff says.

"If you retreat now, they will call more Starmen to this place. You must proceed."

Poo's voice. I whip my gaze towards him and see that he's continuing to float still, Sword of Kings slung across his back and hands in his lap. He hasn't made a move to attack us, but then again the Starman that the Mr. Saturn transformed into was on the passive side as well. It's possible that Poo's voice is being used to manipulate me.

"Paula?" Jeff says.

I grimace as another beam flies into me. "We keep going. Can't let them call more Starmen in."

Jeff nods, his expression hardening. Even though I know his agreement is a matter of practicality—no point arguing on the battlefield when every second counts—I'm still surprised at the faith he's putting in my judgment. Let's hope it's not misplaced.

Three of the remaining four Starmen are grouped in a line, and I unleash a Fire Ω at them. Jeff takes another heavy bazooka shot, which softens them up but doesn't kill. These things are tougher than the regular Starmen we fought during our adventure, to the point that I'm horrified at what a Final Starman or Ghost of Starman could look like under the control of this "mistress."

More beam attacks put us down to our last legs. Jeff roots around in his bag for a healing item, but the next laser knocks him out. I let out a shout of alarm as his limp body rolls across Pink Cloud, mere feet from falling off the edge and plummeting down below. I run towards him, rooting around in my own supplies for one of the revival herbs he gave me.

"Attack the wounded Starmen. Please, trust me on this."

I grimace. As much as I don't want to admit it, if I get Jeff back up the Starmen will focus fire on both of us and knock us out together. In this case, the only way out is through.

"Fire Ω."

A wall of flames incinerates the three injured Starmen as they approach, and I let myself bask in the heat of the inferno. I may be wobbly and disoriented from pain, but no soulless alien is going to stop me from getting to my friend.

After the fire dies down, the last Starman sets its eyeless gaze on me. I know I don't have enough time to use another power, which means I'm hoping for a low probability miss on its part. I tense myself, ready for the attack to come.

That's when Poo bursts into action, unslinging the Sword of Kings and lunging at the Starman. His eyes remain closed for the entire time as his blade slices across the Starman's body in a flurry of strokes.

The Starman goes down, but not before getting off one last shot. A flash of pain tells me that the laser hit, and I can tell that the blow is enough to knock me out. With the few seconds I have remaining, I root around in my supplies for-

"Paula." Poo stretches out a hand. "I cannot use PSI without ceding control. Please, take this energy from me."

I fight through the panic and grab onto his hand. Using PSI is faster than eating a healing item, so there's a better chance of this working before I collapse.

"PSI Magnet."

My vision flashes white with power once again, and this time when it fades after several seconds my wounds are healed and my life force is no longer draining away. Poo is already over to where Jeff's body is, hair whipping in the wind.

"Healing Ω."

Jeff blinks awake, and rises with a groan. Poo glances over his shoulder at me.

"Thank you, Paula. It seems I am even further in your debt."

His voice is as calm and steady as ever. So calm, in fact, that it reminds me of what the thralls sound like when using telepathy on me.

"You were possessed," I say. "But you didn't attack us."

"Mu training has its benefits." Poo looks back towards the cave. "I can tell there's a story behind how you ended up here without Ness, but I should let the palace know I am okay first. Are you okay to teleport back there?"

"And avoid more climbing? Yes please."

The corners of Poo's mouth quirk up. "On second thought, maybe you should go back there on foot to get back into shape."

"Not everyone has your freakish discipline," Jeff says. "If everyone were like you, humanity never would have even invented the bicycle."

"I can't argue with that one. Let us be off then, before you invent an entire new class of vehicle out of junk parts to avoid walking a quarter mile in this one instance. Teleport β."

After we pick up momentum, we fly off and arrive back at Dalaam's palace. Jeff and I are happy to sit on a couch inside while Poo alerts the palace staff about his return, and when Poo returns a few minutes later I don't want to leave the comfort of the cushions.

"I can see that you're settled," Poo says, "And I won't take that little creature comfort away from you."

"Creature comfort?" Jeff says, shaking his head. "The monk lifestyle is corrupting your mind."

"As is your tinkering, seeing as how you're still working on bottle rockets. But while we're busy… what is the term you use? Losing braincells? Yes, while we are busy losing braincells, we develop useful combat skills from our lifestyles. And given that Ness isn't with you, we might need them. What happened?"

I relay the main events that happened, from the Starman attacking the school bus to Ness getting taken and our path to Dalaam. Poo takes in every word with uncanny focus, his gaze not even moving to acknowledge the court ladies who stop and gawk at him.

"I see," Poo says. "A heroic sacrifice does sound like the kind of stunt Ness would pull. And as usual, we're left to clean up his mess. Good thing that it sounds like our next steps are simple. Off to the Lost Underworld." He pauses, frowning. "After you two work up the energy, that is."

"Why do I feel like you're always judging me for needing to chill out every now and then?" Jeff says.

"Because you always look for something to argue about when you're cranky, so you assume the worst about me."

I suppress a smile. Guess Jeff isn't the only one who's been refining his roasts over the last five years.

"Though given your propensity for enjoying earthly delights," Poo says, "A trait unfortunately shared by many in the royal court of Dalaam, you may be interested to learn that there is going to be a grand feast for my return soon, with whatever food they can whip up in the next hour or so. That could be your chance to… recharge, so to speak." Poo frowns. "Even your expressions treat your bodies like machines. And you think my lifestyle is strange."

"A feast sounds great," Jeff says. "So good, in fact, that I'll even let that last comment slide."

I also don't bother hiding my excitement at free food—good free food at that—and before I know it I'm sitting in a banquet hall filled with dumplings and extravagant rice dishes. Jeff and I pile our plates high, and we wolf down our heaping servings of food in mere minutes.

"You two eat like pigs," Poo says. "Relax. The food will still be there five minutes from now."

I glance over to see Poo with a simple bowl of rice gruel. I can't even smell it from here, but remembering the scent from our adventures together nearly makes me gag.

"Well," Jeff says, "This little piggy is going to get seconds. Oink oink, bitch."

I stiffen when the comment draws stern looks from Dalaamian nobles, but Poo only smiles in response. After Jeff leaves, he sets down his bowl of gruel.

"I keep forgetting how much I miss Jeff and Ness until I see them," Poo says. "Being treated as just another friend to argue with over meaningless little things is wonderful."

Yeah, I guess Jeff's attitude could be refreshing after dealing with serious monks and fangirls day after day.

"And I've missed you as well, Paula," Poo says. "It is unbecoming for a Dalaamian monk to be desperate for another's presence, but it's been a long five years without seeing one of my closest friends."

"I…" should I apologize or thank him? "I missed you too."

Poo studies me, and I remember that he probably had no idea about my change in style before now. The way he assesses me makes me feel naked, and I shy away by impulse.

"Ah, my apologies," Poo says. "Ness mentioned how poorly your people treated you over harmless self-expression. I didn't mean to remind you of that."

"How do you know what I'm thinking about?"

"It's not telepathy, if that's what you're implying. The three of you are rather open books. I quite appreciate that about all of you." Poo flashes a quick smile. "And it's clear you have something on your mind. Something for my ears and not Jeff's."

It isn't even until he mentions it that I remember what I was supposed to ask.

"The thralls," I say. "They've been communicating with me and showing me that… state you were in. It felt like deep meditation."

Poo's brow creases. "Yes, it rather does. Quite the surprise. Or rather, what would have been surprise if I were not in a state of emptiness."

"And they've admitted they want to do that to me," I say. "But you were able to resist it. Thanks to your training, you said."

"To an extent. Reality-warping PSI can't be negated through sheer willpower, but all PSI deals with the mind. Controlling yourself prevents others from controlling you."

"Can you teach me?"

Poo cocks his head, and then offers a tentative nod.

"Really?" I say. "I assumed you were going to tell me that it takes years to master this kind of thing."

"It does," Poo says. "But you don't need to master it. Even slowing it down for a second or two could make the difference between life and death. After the banquet, I'll take you outside and give you the run down."

Poo takes a bite of his rice gruel, and then looks back at me.

"And I know this may be culturally insensitive with body image expectations placed on girls where you live," he says, "But this kind of thing really does work better when you are not stuffed with food. Please at least try to pace yourself so you know when you're full."

I let out a laugh. "Good thing Jeff's here to make me look disciplined by comparison, then. All right, I'll do my best to restrain myself."