The planet Pac-World

The city of Pacopolis, Paclandia

Play to win

You never lose when you pick the right one to choose

It's a natural kind of taste

Nothin' else comes near

It's the one that cools your thirst

With that one the difference is clear

A catchy tune. 'Always brightens up my day', he thought to himself.

This is Pacster Mannington, eighteen years old and enrolled in Maze University. Today was Monday. It was 10 in the morning. He was on his way to today's session in Ms. Irma Globular's history class and was listening to the aforementioned song on his smartphone, tucked away on the side of his backpack, via his earbuds.

Pac was born at the tail end of the Great War, or, as some would call it, the 'Ghost War'. He barely remembered his parents. Most of what he knew of them came from his aunt Spheria, who took him in after they disappeared, along with the rest of the yellow Pac-People. As far as he was concerned, he was the last yellow one on the planet - something that had not gone unnoticed by those around him.

He tended to get the short end of the stick because of his complexion, teachers and staff notwithstanding. Not only did this make it hard for him to keep a positive mood most of the time, it also precluded him from having a notable social presence in society. Few people wanted to be his friend, and even fewer were friends of his.

The yellow student had his eyes closed, almost fully immersed within whatever he was silently daydreaming about. And yet, there was almost no trouble in getting to his destination, considering how many times he'd been there.

Almost.

"Whoop!" Pac's train of thought was interrupted - as was the song - by a sudden and heavy bump. Opening his eyes and taking out his earbuds, he found himself staring at the back of a familiar white jacket. It belonged to Skeebo, the university's top football player - and an egotistical one at that. He in particular was one of Pac's biggest detractors, making jokes about his color on a regular basis, much to the detriment of both Pac and the university staff.

The blond, blue jock turned to face Pac. "Watch where you're going, lemonhead!" he growled. Pacster gulped. "I-I'm sorry about that, Skeebo! I'll try to pay more attention next time!" he hurriedly responded. "Hmph. You better be." Skeebo walked off and Pac continued on his way.

...

Pacster entered Ms. Globular's classroom. There were only a few other students present, considering he had arrived ten minutes early. Globular was beginning to set up her lesson for today. She smiled. "Ah, Pac," she began, "always on time!" The yellow student grinned in response as he sat down.

"So," Pac started, "what are we gonna do today?" Ms. Globular walked toward him. "I'll wait until class starts, but I'm sure you're going to love today's lesson." she said. She went back to her desk to resume preparing.

Pac's mind began racing. What, exactly, could it be that would catch his attention? The history of mazes? Food? Maybe Paclandia's past? He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the room filled up with the rest of its students and the bell rang to signify that class was in session. In an instant, he snapped back to reality.

To his right was Spiral, one of his childhood friends. Spiral was tall, red, and had blue hair that culminated in a ponytail - one that had spiraling strands, true to his name. "What's up?" he asked. "Oh, the usual. "Pac responded. "Nothing much." "Aren't you forgetting something?" Pac turned to face his friend in confusion. "Forgetting what?" "The Inde-Pac-dence Day party, remember?" The event had totally slipped Pacster's mind until that moment. "Oh, yeah, that! Isn't Sir Cumference gonna be there?" "Yep!"

The next few minutes passed as the classroom gradually filled up with the rest of its students. Seconds before the clock hit 11, Skeebo arrived with some of his posse and his girlfriend Cylindria - another one of Pac's old friends. Cylindria, or 'Cyli' for short, was hot pink and wearing glasses complimenting her pigtailed hair dyed with a streak of pink. She wore elbow-high gloves and knee-high boots that had three buckles on them each.

Everyone else in the room besides Pac, Spiral, Cyli, and Globular began cheering. It was evident that it took little action from Skeebo to elicit applause from his fans. Shortly after, the teacher quieted everyone. "Alright, settle down!" She walked over to her desk in the corner of the room, next to her big screen monitor. Pressing a button on her remote, the monitor turned on.

The screen displayed a formal (but not terribly plain) slide reading 'The Great War (Ghost War) - 2522 to 2545'. True to Ms. Globular's word, Pacster's interest was piqued. Ever since he was young, he wanted to know more about the war that had impacted his life. Globular began, "Today is Inde-Pac-dence Day, so I've decided to make today's lesson about the Great War of the 2520's."

She pressed a button again to change the slide. It was headered "Basic Summary" and showed a timeline infographic of the war. "It all started in 2522," she began, "when Sir Cular, brother of Sir Cumference, betrayed the nation." A picture of Sir Cuference and Sir Cular, circa the early 2520's or late 2510's, popped up. Cumference was green with hair that flared out in spikes and a big nose that bordered a mustache. Cular, in comparison, was a more pale and grayish shade of green and was taller than his brother while sharing a similar hair style. "Sir Cular amassed an army of ghosts from the Netherworld and declared war on the entire planet."

The presentation transitioned to wartime footage showing a battle between the resistance and enemy forces. Resistance hovercrafts opened fire on enemy battleships and tanks. "However, we were not without our own opposition."

It changed to a different set of footage depicting a struggle between rebels and enemy ghosts on foot. Rebel fighters were carrying plasma rifles and levitation beam cannons. The plasma rifles penetrated the ghosts' outer coverings, leaving their bare and defenseless eyeballs, while the levitation beams were used to engulf them in a field of energy and pull them into an internal storage unit - where their eyes would then be ejected from the back. "Using Sir Cumference's own technology, we were able to fight back against Sir Cular's ghostly forces."

The presentation then changed to one final image showing Sir Cular standing trial. "Cular was tried for his crimes against Pac-Manity and was found guilty." The image went away and the timeline infographic was shown again.

Throughout all of this, everyone but Skeebo was paying attention. Skeebo was more focused on texting Cylindria rather than watching the presentation. In a second, Cyli's phone buzzed audibly (as she had not silenced it). 'Hey babe,' the text message read, 'what's up?'

Taking note of the interruption in her lesson, Ms. Globular went over to where Skeebo was sitting. "Ahem," she began, crossing her arms, "Mr. Skeebo?" The blue jock's smartphone nearly fell out of his hands in surprise. "Yes, Ms. Globular?" he asked. "You should be listening, rather than focusing on your love life." This elicited a few chuckles from other students in the room, which the teacher quickly shuttered with a glare. Cyli just silently rolled her eyes. 'Why do I put up with him?', she thought.

Skeebo scoffed at the teacher. "C'mon, Ms. Globular," he started, "nobody believes in ghosts!" Ms. Globular grinned and looked over the class as a whole. "Very well then, does anyone else have something to add?" Silence. "Anyone?" she inquired again.

In an instant, a single hand shot up. "Pacster?!" most of the other students shouted in response to the yellow student, followed by rambunctious laughter. "Shush!" Globular said, quieting everyone else. She pointed toward Pac. "Now, Pac, on what do you base your beliefs?

Pac pulled several textbooks out of his backpack and stacked them on top of his desk. "I've read up on ghosts," he started, "the ones from the Netherworld. They hate us. They feed on our fear and will take any moment they can get to sneak up on you!"

His short speech was cut off by Skeebo yelling from behind him. "Boo!" the blue bully screamed. This was enough to scare Pac to the point of jumping out of his seat and grabbing the light fixture above. "Like that?"

Once again, the room was filled with laughter. Pac shivered, still hanging on to the lamp. Opening an eye, he swiftly jumped back down when he saw the coast was clear. "Alright, alright, that's enough!" Ms. Globular said a final time.

The clock hit 12. It was time for the lunch break. Everyone went out of the classroom onto the university campus. "Oh, and Skeebo," Ms. Globular said, motioning toward the blue jock as he was getting out of his seat, "I'd like to talk to you first." Skeebo angrily sat back down.

...

Pac, Spiral, and Cylindria walked out on campus and into the food court. "You seem awfully chipper after that stunt Skeebo pulled." noted Cylindria. "What can I say?" Pac replied, "I love a good meal!"

The three got into the line at the Pac-It-In Burger stand. When Pac reached the front, he told the cashier his order. "Five turkey burgers, a cherry, and fruit juice, please!" From behind, Spiral and Cyli chuckled, knowing that their yellow friend always had a big appetite. The cashier asked in response, "Would you like to try our new berry surprise?" Pac shook his head. "Nah," he said, pulling out a yellow snack dispenser, "I've already got berries of my own!" He pushed a button on the side of the dispenser and a purple berry popped out into his gaping maw. The cashier just rolled their eyes. 'They don't pay me enough for this,' they thought.

Pac and the others sat down at the table they chose. "So, Pac," Cylindria began, "why do you believe in ghosts? Just asking." Pac tossed one of his five turkey burgers up in the air and swallowed it in a single gulp. He calmly answered, "it's very simple - my grandfather fought them back when he was around, long before the war. People used to call him the 'Pac-Man'. At least, that's what my aunt told me." Spiral took a sip of his orange soda. "Really?" he inquired, leaning forward, "tell me more!"

Pac continued. "He used to work as the chief of security for the president. It was his duty to guard the Tree of Life. Then the evil wizard Mezmaron and his band of ghosts attacked." The yellow student's expression shifted to one a bit more placid over the course of his speech and he began to stare off into the distance. "The struggle continued for several years, but my grandfather won out in the end." Pac's eyes darted back to the direction of Spiral and Cyli. "That's why I believe in ghosts."

Suddenly, Pac heard a voice from behind. "Yeah, and my dad says he met Hugefoot in the hedge maze once!" It was Skeebo, and he had overheard the conversation. Pac turned to face the blue jock and his eyebrows tilted in anger. He stepped forward. "Don't you know when to stop?" he responded. Skeebo just laughed. "Don't you, ghost boy?" Pac's temper raised. He raised a fist before Spiral grabbed him by the shoulder and said, "I wouldn't do that, bro."

A member of Skeebo's posse - a brown Pac-Person with a nose ring and a mohawk - ran over and grabbed Pac's berry dispenser from his backpack. "Wha-hey! Give that back!" Pacster exclaimed. Spiral and Cyli stepped in to support him. "You heard him, Skeebs!" Spiral added. Cyli suggested, "Why can't you just leave him alone?" Skeebo laughed heartily. "Only if he admits once and for all that ghosts aren't real!" Pac growled. "Never!"

Pac struggled further against Spiral's grip. Eventually, the tall red student couldn't hold back anymore and Pac finally broke free. The mohawk posse member tossed the dispenser to his blue leader, who took off swiftly. "COME BACK HERE!" Pac yelled as he took off after Skeebo. Spiral and Cylindria took a moment to consider what just took place. "I was hoping that wouldn't happen!" Cyli said. "Me too." Spiral added. "Sometimes I wonder why I'm still going steady with that guy." "Me too."

...

Outside on the campus field, Skeebo ran across the grassy plain while Pacster gave chase with his arms outstretched forward and gritting his teeth in anger. They ran as fast as they could, pushing through the crowd almost carelessly. "Hey!" one student exclaimed. "Watch it!" added another. "Do you mind?" said a third. Much to the disturbed students' annoyment, Spiral and Cyli followed the same path, albeit a bit more carefully.

Ms. Globular, who was carrying a stack of papers to the lounge room, ended up with said papers all over the floor as Pacster and Skeebo ran by. "You two are going to the dean for this!"

Pac and Skeebo made it across the tennis court, still followed by Spiral and Cyli, although the former was slowed down a bit by a tennis ball to the head. Eventually, the chase stopped at the entrance to Maze 256, the hedge maze that gave the university its name.

In the span of a second, Skeebo put his footballer skills to use by tossing Pac's berry dispenser up high into the maze. In the span of a second, Pacster leaped forward. In the span of a second, In the span of a second, the dispenser landed deep in the seemingly vast and endless maze.

Pac tackled Skeebo to the ground, ready to knock the chompers out of him. "Look what you've done!" the yellow student yelled in the struggle. "Hey," Skeebo 'assured', "it was just a joke, man!" "Joke?! JOKE?! You call that a JOKE?!" Spiral and Cyli appeared to restrain him once more.

At that moment, Ms. Globular arrived with Administrator Radian and the dean. "You are most certainly due for punishment!" Globular announced. Cyli stood up. "That means you, Skeeby," she began, "and you too-" Her voice faltered in a stroke of surprise when she turned and noticed that Pac had vanished, seemingly into thin air. The only clue to where he was now were the revolving door handles at the hedge maze's entrance. "Pac?"

Next to the entrance, there was a sign warning not to go in alone - or at all, for that matter.

...

Pacster ran through Maze 256, desperate to retrieve his lost berry dispenser. He was aware of the consequences of his actions and what led up to them, but at this point, he didn't care. He rounded many corners, hit many dead ends, but he never thought once to give up. He was determined - even if it took him all night.

And all night he did. For hours on end, he tread between the hedges. Other students who had gotten word of where he was were starting to get concerned. Not just Spiral and Cylindria, but also the teachers - and even members of Skeebo's posse, for they thought their leader might've gone just a bit too far this time.

Speaking of Skeebo himself, he didn't care. He was well aware of his punishments - several hours in the detention room, being barred from attending tonight's party - yet he was content with himself. Kicking up his feet on his desk in detention, he thought to himself 'Well-played, Skeebo. Well-played'.

Meanwhile, the administrator and university staff had sent out several security guards into the hedge maze to find and detain Pacster - even if it took them all night. Knowing this made Skeebo all the more prouder of his twisted achievement. On the other hand, Spiral and Cyli were saddened that their friend wouldn't be able to attend the party - and meet Sir Cumference in-person.

...

Deep underground, below the surface of Pac-World, there was a landscape with jagged mountains and rivers flowing with magma, topped with a sky of crimson. This was the Netherworld, of creatures commonly referred to as 'ghosts' among others - and the current residence of Sir Cular and his army after the Great War ended.

The ghost lord sat on his throne in his castle. Over the course of his presence in this underworld, the harsh atmosphere had twisted his body in freakish ways - his hands turning into claws, his already pale skin turning a ghostly gray with serrated growths around it, his teeth growing razor-sharp, his hair growing out, and his eyes turning a menacing red. To his advantage, however, he had gained mystical powers as well - the power of flight and pyrokinesis.

Today was Inde-Pac-dence Day, the eighteenth one overall - and thus, the eighteenth anniversary of the end of the war. The day of Sir Cular's trial. The day of his subsequent banishment to the Netherworld.

He had remembered that day and the last battle that took place well. All too well.

Eighteen years ago

Sir Cular sat in the command room of his enemy base in silent fury. Someone had tipped off the location of the base to the resistance. He reminisced on everything in the past five years that led up to this moment. How he discovered the dark arts and how to summon ghosts from the Netherworld in an old, abandoned castle. How he used said dark arts to betray everyone close to him and declare war on the entire planet.

He knew the inevitable couldn't be delayed any further. He pushed a hidden button on his seat and stepped toward the adjacent wall. The wall opened up, revealing a hidden armory stocked for emergency situations. On the far end was a huge suit of powered armor. If Sir Cular was gonna lose the war, he was gonna lose it in style.

Using the armor, he stomped his way to the entrance to his base and shredded through the front doors like paper. The surrounding resistance soldiers got up in shock. At the same time, squads of ghost troopers emerged from their hiding spots below ground.

"It ends here and now, brother!" the general bellowed toward Sir Cumference.

He could visibly see his brother gulp.

Today

He still found it hard to believe. A stroke of luck in his brother's favor. The ensuing trial that took place later that day was short, as there were no objections to the judge's ruling. As punishment, he and his ghost army were banished to the Netherworld - something that was hidden from the general public and known only to a select few, including his brother.

Cular and his ghost allies were banished to the Netherworld as punishment after the trial - and to make sure there was no way of escaping, the castle they lived in was placed under a seemingly impenetrable glass dome, in addition to the sealed gateway in the sky.

Every so often, Sir Cular would attempt to break through the dome and escape the Netherworld - always resulting in failure. He tried many different methods - ramming into it, ultrasonic waves meant to shatter it, just plain shooting it - and none of them worked. But yet, he was still determined and believed that one day, he would finally be free.

Today, like usual, he sat on his throne in his castle, watching his big-screen television out of boredom. His faithful, purple, mustached spectral servant Ecto entered the room, carrying a platter of live slugs. "As requested, your ghostliness." he stated. "Good, good!" Sir Cular replied, "I'm starving!" Ecto silently rolled his eyes in response.

'His ghostliness' pushed a button on the remote to his television. The screen flickered on and showed a scenic view of the Netherworld's high-temperature and rocky landscape, as broadcasted via a slug camera. Cular sighed, considering there was nothing out of the ordinary. That is, until he saw a streak of lightning shoot across the deep crimson sky, followed by a deafening boom.

His eyes widened. He stood up from his throne and dropped the slug in his hand. Never, ever, in the history of the Netherworld, have there been thunderstorms - or any kind of climate, aside from extreme heat for that matter. "Impossible!" he shouted. He turned to face his butler. "Ecto!" he began, "escort me to the top balcony, at once!" The purple butler ghost saluted. "Right away, m'lord."

And so, Sir Cular and his butler traveled to the highest balcony of the castle. From there, they could see the lightning strikes firsthand. They seemed to be getting closer, in proximity to the glass dome. With one final bolt, the dome was struck and shattered on impact.

Sir Cular's toothy grin widened as far as it could. His eyes filled with wicked glee. He knew today was the day he would finally escape this wretched place.