The Sorrowful Prince
~ VISION 2-11: Hurtful Lies ~
It's still the middle of the night, with the pink-glowing moon out... In one of the southtern avenues in Joilant, Ken is sitting on a wooden bench, eating a cone of vanilla-flavored ice cream, crying a bit, watching a couple of other kids from Joilant in the distance playing a rifle game at one of the stands. His father eventually sits down next to him.
Ken: I... I don't even like vanilla... And now i can't play anything at the stands either...
The volkan father briefly lets out a sigh.
Volkan Father: Look, little Ken. If i paid for more, we ain't gonna have any money left for the tickets back home. It doesn't just grow on trees, y'know?
Eventually, Klonoa, Lolo and Popka walk up to them with Popka taking the lead. Klonoa casually walks up to Ken and kneels down to face him. Ken gasped a little bit.
Ken: Y...You're... the man from earlier...
Volkan Father: Tch... and what do 'ya hooligans want with us now?
Klonoa: So... this "vanilla" thing doesn't suit your tastes, right? I can certainly relate with you on that one, in some way at least...
Klonoa slowly begins to hold out his hand towards Ken, as he said...
Klonoa: Can i have that cone for a second?
Ken seems a bit reluctant at first, but then eventually hands it over slowly... as Klonoa grabs a hold of it, he then nonchalantly drops it to the ground. Ken seems shocked, as his father's face began to turn completely red.
Ken: Wha...
Volkan Father: WHAT ARE YOU DOING? ! ?
The father then tried to step up towards him, before Klonoa reaches for his pockets and hands Ken 5 golden coins into his hand. The volkan father immediately stopped. Klonoa just softly smiled at Ken.
Klonoa: Here. Now go and get yourself any flavours you like, okay?
Ken: Wh... whoa...
Ken's face began to light up, as he became incredibly happy. He got off the bench and with a face full of excitement, ran towards the nearest ice cream stall, to join the line of people. Klonoa then gets up from his knees and looks back at the volkan father, who still seemed a bit furious.
Volkan Father: Hey, don't think i owe 'ya one for that! YOU'RE the one who started this crap! Y'know, i had to deal with young brats like-
Klonoa reaches for his pockets as he kept on talking, and handed the volkan father two dream stones. He quickly began to drift off in the middle of his conversation, as his anger slowly vanished.
Volkan Father: Like... L...Like...
The volkan father eventually stopped, as he just scratched his head out of pure bewilderment.
Volkan Father: Wha... W...Why are you...
Klonoa closed his eyes for a bit and just innocently smiles at the volkan father. Lolo and Popka also smiled for a bit.
Klonoa: I told you before that i was robbed, so i came to find you as soon as possible after i got it back. I don't expect anything in return... I just want to make up for the mistakes i made, that's all.
Klonoa turns around, as he began to walk off further down the avenue, briefly waving off to the father behind him.
Klonoa: Have a good day, sir.
The Volkan Father just kept staring in disbelief as the anger completely had vanished from his face. Lolo and Popka followed Klonoa soon after, as the three kept on walking. Eventually Popka looked up to Klonoa as he seemed a bit frustrated.
Popka: Was that all we took this detour for?!
Lolo just kept smiling while looking at Popka, as was Klonoa.
Klonoa: Hey... It's the least i could do for them after our accidental run-in.
Lolo: Besides, it wasn't that difficult for you to track their scent down, right?
Popka: Ohoho, 'ya two don't even know the half of it. Their trail was barely even recognisable in this messy crowd! !
Lolo then leans on closer to Popka, looking down at him with a smug grin on her face, as she said...
Lolo: It wouldn't be so difficult if you didn't let your nose get so rusty.
Popka then quickly and awkwardly retreated from both her and Klonoa.
Popka: Urk... i just can't win with 'ya two!
Klonoa and Lolo both laughed, as they disappeared off into the crowd. The Volkan Father began to slowly look down at the two dream stones he was handed over by Klonoa. Meanwhile Ken walked back his father, holding an ice cream cone with three different scoops on it.
Ken: Who was that man?
Volkan Father: No idea, little Ken... Maybe i was in the wrong to call 'em hooligans...
The volkan father held up the two dream stones and put his hand on Ken's head.
Volkan Father: Say... we still got some time left before your mom expects us to be home. How about we hit up the stands?
Ken smiled back at his dad, as the two head for the row of stands filled with dozens of games...
A bit later, as the three were walking further down the district on their way back to the entrance of the park, Klonoa and Lolo both seemed to have turned more silent. After a while, Klonoa seemed to be getting a bit awkward, walking next to Lolo to the left of him, while she hasn't said a thing in a while. Klonoa slowly looks at Lolo next to him, as Lolo slowly and briefly looked at Klonoa. Her eyes widened a bit from the surprise, and she quickly looked further up ahead again, casually trying to whistle.
Klonoa: So... Umm... I couldn't help but notice... Ever since we caught the White Tat, you've been a bit more quiet... Is there something that happened?
Lolo dropped the whistling, as her face turned a bit red and she looked back at Klonoa.
Lolo: Huh? T-That's... uh... I've just been lost in my thoughts for a while, that's all... No real reason... B-But what about you?
Klonoa: Me?!
Klonoa's face began to turn a bit red as well. Popka at some point just raises his ear out of confusion, watching the two.
"Oh dear goddess, i can't let her know about it yet... There's way too many questions left to be answered before i could ever take my shot at her!"
Klonoa: Erm... n-no... no reason...?
"I really have to ease into this... As long as i don't ask her what she thinks of me yet, it should be-"
Lolo then began to twiddle with her thumbs a bit, looking down at the ground rather nervously.
Lolo: Look, i have to be honest. I... I've been pondering on this one for quite a while, and i want to hear what you think...
Klonoa's eyes widen, as he shockingly stared back at Lolo.
"...fine... Oh no, is she actually going to askme about it NOW?! I can't answer her question yet! It's way too soon! !"
Lolo: Klonoa... do you-
Then suddenly, just as Lolo was about to look back into Klonoa's eyes, someone suddenly yelled behind them from halfway across the street...
"KLONOA, SIR! ! !"
Klonoa, Lolo and Popka all stop walking in the middle of the street. Klonoa lets out a deep sigh of relief, all while he thought...
"Oh thank goodness..."
Klonoa, Lolo and Popka all slowly turns around to where the yelling voice came from, as it turned out to the mysterious darkblue and white-skinned joilantian man with the white mustache and darkgreen eyes in the bright red suit and tophat. He came running up towards the three of them, seemingly exhausted, while Klonoa just raised an eyebrow.
Klonoa: Hm...? You're... you're talking about me?
Joilant Man: Who else? You are THE Klonoa, right? The one and only Dream Traveler?
Klonoa: Umm... that's right...
The exhausted joilantian man's face slowly begins to shine with the enlightenment and happiness of hearing Klonoa say that, while Klonoa just tilts his head a bit, looking back at the joilantian man out of confusion.
Klonoa: I'm sorry, but... who are you, exactly?
Joilant Man: Oh, right! I never actually explained it to you!
The joilantian man grabs a hold of Klonoa's arm with his arm that was hidden in the long sleeve, much to his surprise.
Klonoa: Whoa! What are you-
Joilant Man: Let's get off of the street first!
Then joilantian man quickly runs off while dragging Klonoa with him, towards the entrance of the construction site nearby, right on the side of the street next to them.
Lolo: Huh?!
Popka: The heck...?
Lolo and Popka quickly tried to reach out to Klonoa as he was getting dragged along, without much success. The two nervously look back at each other, before giving chase after the man dragging Klonoa around, heading into the construction site.
Eventually the two caught up to the joilantian man dragging Klonoa, as they stopped at the empty center of the construction site, consisting of nothing smooth asphalt, an old tent nearby, and two stone towers. The joilantian man had his back turned towards them all. Klonoa looked back at Lolo and Popka.
Klonoa: Guys!
The three then all look back at the joilantian man.
Popka: A'ight, what's the deal, mystery man?
The joilantian man dramatically and slowly turned around, with a somewhat menacing grin on his face. Lolo and Popka got a bit more on edge.
Joilant Man: Wouldn't you like to know, my friends? Hehehe... I heard a lot about your feats...
Popka raised his up his claws, while Lolo immediately readied her hands for combat. Meanwhile Klonoa carefully starts to hold his hand on the Wind Ring, attached to his belt, irritatingly yelling...
Klonoa: Are you connected with them...?!
The joilantian man then noticed the three standing on edge as the menacing grin quickly faded from him, and he quickly cowered from immense fear, crouching down on his knees while covering his head.
Joilant Man: W-What?!
Klonoa: Are you connected with the Shinigami Gang by any chance?!
The joilantian man desperately looked back up at them out of fear.
Joilant Man: N...No! Of course not! !
Lolo: Then how did you learn of his name?
Joilantian Man: I... I learnt it from one of my dolls, that's all! !
Lolo: Dolls...?
All three seemed even more confused than before, after hearing the joilantian man say that. For a moment Popka and Lolo just look back at each other.
Popka: ...Has this guy gone completely cuckoo, or...
Lolo casually shrugs at Popka, before they all looked back. Klonoa loosened up a bit as he gets his hand off of the Wind Ring from his belt, and directly stared into the joilantian man's eyes.
Klonoa: Okay, explain yourself, please... I really don't get anything you're saying.
Joilant Man: R-Right, right.
The joilantian man then politely bowed, with a frown of sadness... Then as he raised his head, that frown quickly turned to a smile, as he said...
Momett: Pardon me for my sudden invasive manners, Sir Klonoa. It's no surprise you are all confused after that... So let me properly introduce myself first. I'm Momett, a showman of memories.
Klonoa: Memories? As in... recalling memories?
Momett: That's right! I'm even building various attractions based on them, for the whole world to enjoy! ! !
Momett then excitedly ran up near the tent, and stuck out his hand at the huge construction site next to him. Klonoa, Lolo, and Popka don't seem that impressed though watching him go at it, as Momett pulls back his hand into his sleeve and nervously chuckled a bit.
Momett: Haha... It's still under construction though... considering it's an ambitious project, but... you know...
Klonoa: I see... But how does that explain-
Before Klonoa could even finish his statement, Momett quickly appeared right behind Klonoa again as he leans on Klonoa's shoulder with one of his elbows, looking at him while his head is tilted a bit.
Momett: Well, you happened to come across some broken dolls during your adventures in the past, did you not?
Klonoa: Broken dolls...? Hmm...
Klonoa begins to deeply ponder to himself for a moment, as was Lolo... Popka just casually scratches his head and gives up. Klonoa eventually closed his eyes, as he briefly tries to think back on his past adventure in Lunatea... Then suddenly he opened them again as soon as he realised, filled with shock...
Klonoa: Oh! So THAT'S what those things were! I remember we found a dozen of them while searching for the elements three years ago! !
Lolo eventually gasped after a while, looking back at Momett with shock too.
Lolo: Wait, all of those were yours?!
Momett excitedly clapped his hands together, as he smirked while slowly rubbing his hands.
Momett: Correct! See, they're not just ordinary dolls... They're Memory Dolls.
Klonoa: Memory dolls?
Momett: It's a long story, but i'll try my best to keep it brief...
Momett then pulled out one of the dolls he kept on him. A purple koala doll with a golden bell around his neck, and with a star in his right ear. As Momett carefully rubbed on the doll's head, it excitedly let out a cute growl, as the golden bell on the collar of the doll began to light up, and then projected a set of memories at them...
The first memory shows a much younger Momett in his early adult years, wearing nothing but a wearing a thick, pink sweater and a small black hat. He didn't even have a mustache yet. The young Momett was relaxing in his wooden antique house, near the hearth, staring at the ceiling and occasionally looking at the window nearby, as it seemed to be almost completely snowed under. He was hanging over his comfy armchair sideways, seemingly bored out of his mind with a dull expression on his face.
"So there i was, several years ago... A bright passioned magician rookie, without any way to practice my tricks as i couldn't get outside for my lessons. The winter was getting harsher by the day, and i couldn't leave the house. It was so boring i began to learn mundane tricks like finger snapping! But... that's when i suddenly discovered something..."
Momett kept on practicing to snap his fingers. Then eventually as soon as he got one proper snap, a bit of sparkly dust came out... When it landed on the armchair he was resting on, the armchair began to try and move a bit.
Young Momett: W-WHOA?!
Momett then quickly stood up from the armchair in a panic, and reached for the pitchfork that was hanging on the wall nearby to stand guard. But then after a few second, the armchair stopped moving... Momett calmed down a bit, and just seemed confused.
Young Momett: H...Huh...?
"I didn't know it at the time yet, but... it turned out i had something truly magical all along..."
As it smoothly shifts to another memory from that same night, it shows Momett near a cup of coffee on the table in his living room, as he carefully snapped his fingers to make the sparkly dust appear... as it gets all over the cup of coffee, he sees it starting to jump around. First he looks in bewilderment, before it soon starts to make a mess all over the table...
Young Momett: H-Hey! !
Momett then quickly makes a clumsy dive for the table to grab a hold of the cup, before it could make even more of a mess. As he got up from the painful dive, he rubbed the back of his head and deeply sighs for a moment...
Then after some time passes, he gets near the coat rack at his front door, and snaps his fingers... the sparkly dust starts to make the coat rack lean more towards Momett, as he grabbed one of his winter coats hanging from it... Momett seemed a bit less confused and a bit more impressed... until the coat rack began to lean too far...
Young Momett: W...WhoooaaaaAAAAAAA! ! !
The coat rack harshly fell down to the ground and took Momett down with it. His eyes kept swirling for a while after he got knocked out...
Then after some more time passes, Momett gets out out of the kitchen with a broom. He carefully puts it against the wall, and snaps his fingers once more, as he watches the sparkly dust spread all over his broom while quickly shielding himself... But to his surprise, the broom just neatly kept sweeping up the living room with no problem. Momett seemed astonished, as his face was filled with enlightenment.
"It was from that moment that i realised, i had the ability to breathe life into inanimate objects. There was no mistake about it."
Then after a while, the broom suddenly swept dust into the hearth, causing the fire from the hearth to spread hard enough that the carpet nearby caught fire. Momett eyes widened harshly as he began to immediately panic, and rushed for the broom to try and grab a hold of it...
It swiftly shifted to another memory from days later, where Momett was sitting around the table with a sewing machine, as he had a box filled with spare cotton. Specifically, he had some darkgreen, lightgreen and black pieces of cotton next to him, as he was carefully sewing together what seemed to be a green-patterned and rough, but somewhat cute cat doll with black eyes and whiskers.
"And being fascinated with the concept of memories even back then, i came up with the incredible idea of making dolls that could store memories forever... That way, the important moments of Lunatea would never be forgotten!"
After Momett finally finished up the last piece of the cat doll's ear, he turns off the machine, and grabs the little collar with the golden bell next to him.
"I figured to use some sort of storage device. So I crafted together a collar that contains a chip in its golden bell, essential for saving the memories into the doll. No idea if it would work yet, but i had to give it a shot regardless."
Momett grabs a hold of the collar and carefully puts its around the cat doll's neck. As soon as he attached it, he held his hand above the doll and snapped his fingers, carefully sprinkling a bit of the magical sparkly dust on it. Slowly, the doll seemed to gain a consciousness and tried to get up on its legs by itself, as Momett just kept watching in awe. Eventually he tried to slowly reach with his hand for the doll, carefully picking it up. It just naively smiled at Momett. Momett then slowly petted the doll, as it began to purr a bit.
Momett: H...Hey, my darling...
Then all of a sudden, the golden bell lighted up, at it projected the brief memory of the doll itself looking at the ceiling and trying to get up himself. Momett seemed completely stunned.
"To my surprise, it was a huge success... and so i began to make more. And more. And more..."
It swiftly shifts to a montage of Momett sitting around the table, grabbing all of the cotton that was sitting in the attic, and sewing dozens of dolls together. An orange sun-shaped doll, a pink-haired girl doll, an apple-shaped doll, the purple koala doll displaying these memories, and many more various ones after. One by one, day after day... as he all kept putting them on the huge wooden cupboard, near the armchair.
"To my heart's content, i kept sewing more and more. Ready to share them with the world, the next time spring rolled around..."
Momett eventually puts the last doll he made with the remaining cotton on the top of the shelf, and backs off for a bit... as he proudly smiles looking at them all, as they all smiled at him.
"But i didn't realise that there was little problem that was beyond my grasp..."
It swiftly shifts to another memory. Many days later, the dolls are all angrily staring at him, at Momett, from the they shelves of the cupboard they were put on. Momett seemed to be getting slightly nervous, as he awkwardly chuckled a bit.
"They were getting tired of me keeping them cooped up. They all quickly began to turn more and more dissatisfied the longer they stayed here in my house!"
Momett: H...Hey... what's the problem, darlings?
The brown bear doll angrily yelled at Momett.
Bear Doll: You promised us that we'll get to learn of the world! !
The girl doll seemed to be crying, and sniffling.
Girl Doll: W...Why are you doing this to us...?
Momett briefly looks back at the window, noticing that his house still seemed to be snowed under, and then immediately looks back at all the dolls with a look of desperation.
Momett: I-I'm keeping my promise! Just a few more days, okay? You can't go out there yet, you know?!
Dog Doll: Oh, y'know we can make it through!
Momett: Now don't give me that tone!
Mushroom Doll: You're making me bored...
Sun Doll: I say we be set free right now! We DESERVE to get more memories from the world we were put in! !
Bear Doll: We wanna see more! We wanna explore!
Cat Doll: Please set us free for more memories! !
"WE WANT TO SEE MORE! WE WANT TO EXPLORE! WE WANT TO BE SET FREE FOR MORE MEMORIES! ! !"
They kept on angrily chanting as Momett seemed to be getting more and more nervous, watching all the dolls kept going. Then at some point, Momett reached for the pitchfork and pointed them at the dolls, as he angrily yelled for a bit.
Momett: I gave birth to you all and this is how you thank your creator?! Now, sit, back, down! Or things will get ugly, and very messy... for my living room floor that is! You sturdy pieces of cotton! !
The dolls then all backed up for a moment, as they all began to whisper to each other for a bit... Then they looked back at Momett, with the Cat Doll speaking up.
Cat Doll: Okay, that's too low. Even for you, old man.
Momett: O...Old man...?!
Cat Doll: We're gonna have some fun adventures on our own! If you don't wanna come with us, then fine! DOLLS! !
As the Cat Doll quickly pointed at Momett, multiple dolls jumped directly onto his face, causing him to drop the pitchfolk and blindly stumble through his living room. The rest quickly jump off of the cupboard and onto the living room floor, as Momett was still attempting to pull a few dolls off of his face. The group of dolls that were on the living room floor then quickly formed around to make a tripwire out of themselves. After a bit, Momett trips over the tripwire and harshly falls down to the ground, with his head against the wooden handle of the pitchfork. He loses unconsciousness for a while with his eyes swirling, as all the dolls round up together.
They all run for the front door, and form a human ladder to reach for the doorknob. Eventually the Koala Doll on the top reaches it, and starts to forcefully pull on it. By this time, Momett slowly regains consciousness and sees all the dolls near the front door, as it finally opens. Showing nothing but a wall of white snow through the doorframe. The dolls all excitedly cheered, as most of them began to run for the doorframe, diving into the snow to break out. Meanwhile the Koala Doll waved back at Momett as he said...
Koala Doll: We'll eventually be back...
Momett: N...No... wait...
Momett tried to stick his hand out to try and reach for the Koala Doll, with little to no success... The Koala Doll then also dug through the snow, as they all disappeared. Momett deeply breathes in, and lets out a big sigh of disappointment, while one tear dropped from his face.
"It was only a matter of time before they set out on their own, after all... I just didn't expect it to be so soon. Ever since then, they've been roaming throughout all of Lunatea, having their own grand adventures. For years... And years... and years. Occasionally they came back..."
Lastly, it shifts to one final memory... of a younger Klonoa climbing on the rocks of the Sea of Tears in Lunatea, trying and make his way to the mainland with Popka flying right near him. Eventually the two find the green cat-shaped doll within one of the wide crevasses. As Klonoa picks it up and looks at it, he notices its left arm and a piece of its right ear seems to be missing.
Young Klonoa: Hm? What's this...?
Young Popka: 'S just a doll, nothin' special... seems broken tho...
Klonoa then eventually looks up further to another rock in the distance, spotting the two missing pieces, hanging in one of the dead trees nearby. Klonoa began to run up to the tree to try and retrieve the pieces, with Popka trying to help.
"But sometimes they didn't. They aren't very sturdy, after all."
As the projection from the Koala Doll's memory stopped, Momett put it back in his pocket. Klonoa just seemed completely stunned from what he saw, as was Lolo... Meanwhile Popka just kept scratching his head with one of his nails.
Klonoa: Wow... So a few of those dolls we carried with us, managed to capture a few important moments we had throughout our journey, right? And that's how you personally knew my name!
Momett: Bingo!
Popka: Err... what... what kinda moments tho? Just curious...
Momett casually shrugged in a relaxed manner, as he leaned right next to Popka.
Momett: Eh, just a couple of them. The details aren't important.
Popka then harshly yelled back at Momett, while he didn't let that faze him.
Popka: I beg 'ta differ! ! !
Momett then nonchalantly walked back to Klonoa, as he looked down at the ground for a moment and closed his eyes.
Momett: Anyway, i have a huge request to make, Klonoa... The traveler of the dreams...
Klonoa: A request?
Momett harshly clapped his hands together, and bowed a bit towards Klonoa.
Momett: Please... PLEASE help me find my dolls back! !
Klonoa: Find them back? But didn't you say they-
Momett then abruptly interrupts Klonoa's sentence as he directly presses his nose against Klonoa's face and looked back up, to stare him right in the eyes.
Klonoa: Whoa! What the-
He seemed incredibly distressed, as Klonoa got a bit more awkward and tried to back off for a bit, looking off to the side.
Momett: Occasionally, yes! But these last few months, all of them suddenly disappeared! The ONLY one who managed to come back was my dear Koala! Aside from him, nobody else has returned whatsoever! Somebody must have DOLLNAPPED all my dearies! !
Lolo: Umm... I'm sorry, but we're in a hurry to save someone important to us. We need to be on our way to Volk soon, so...
Momett excitedly raised his hands, as he began to quickly smile again, looking directly at Lolo.
Momett: Oh, that's PERFECT! I don't know who the culprit exactly is, but i have my suspicions he's hiding in there!
Klonoa: Look, Momett... I don't know. It seems like it may take us a lot of time to find the culprit... We're running late as is...
Momett turned back towards Klonoa as he looked more and more desperate, putting his hands on Klonoa's shoulders.
Momett: W...What is it that you three want? Money? Lifetime supplies?!
Klonoa: I-It's nothing like that, it's just-
Momett fell down to his knees, as he began to cry a lot, desperately pleading to Klonoa while clinging onto his leg.
Momett: I'll give you THREE TICKETS for my upcoming attractions! No, AN ENTIRE LIFETIME WORTHY OF TICKETS! Please! Just... free my darlings! !
Klonoa: Alright, alright! We get it!
Klonoa then pulls Momett off of him as he seemed a little bit annoyed, before briefly backing off from him.
Klonoa: We'll find those dolls for you. Just... don't do that again, okay?
Momett's face lighted up full of happiness, as he politely and excitedly bowed down to all three of them.
Momett: Oh, thank you! THANK YOU! ! You'll have my eternal gratitude!
Popka: Yeah yeah, whatevs. Got any leads on that doll-nappin' guy?
Momett gets back up on his feet again, with a more neutral expression.
Momett: Right. So... I don't know his origin, but i heard rumors about there being a man in Volk, carrying a sack around. What my dear dollie experienced before coming back also seems to confirm this to be true.
Momett pulls out the Koala Doll again and briefly rubbed on its head, as it started to display a short memory of the first person perspective of the Koala Doll, in one of the back alleys from Volk barely squeezing through the tiny hole in the large bag. As it got out, it landed on the street, and quickly tried to run off, briefly looking behind him at the man he just escaped from. It looked like a black silhouette of a man with a long nose wearing a top hat. As the memory vanished, Klonoa briefly thought to himself, as Popka just directly points back at Momett...
Klonoa: A long nosed man, in a top hat... Hmmm...
Popka: Sounds an awful lot like what'cha sportin' right now.
Momett laughed it off and flung his arm in his long sleeve once.
Momett: Whaaaaat? That's silly! Anyway... He resides somewhere in Volk, on the southwest district. I don't have a clue where though.
Lolo: So... what's next after that? What do we do if we find the culprit?
Momett then briefly looks into Lolo's eyes, filled with anger and rage. To the point where it almost seemed.
Momett: ...Confront him. If he's got my sweeties, just free them from his grasp. Do ANYTHING you can to set them free!
But just before Lolo could feel more uncomfortable, the anger quickly vanished from his eyes, and Momett just smiled while closing them.
Momett: You don't even need to come back to Joilant to let me know you succeeded. They'll find their way back to me.
Lolo: G...Got it...
Popka: Dude, what's with these quick mood swings?
Klonoa just shrugs, as he begins to briefly wave off Momett while turning around. Lolo and Popka followed soon after, as they all headed back.
Klonoa: Good luck with the memory attractions.
Momett: Likewise! Safe travels, sir Klonoa! !
The three of them walked back onto the street, and headed back onto the road while Momett gracefully waves them off. From there they head back up the northwestern direction, as that's the closest path that leads back to the exit.
After walking for a bit more towards the northern direction while bypassing multiple thrill-filled attractions on another avenue, Lolo seems to be twiddling with her thumbs, as she eventually looks back at Klonoa, while she started to vaguely blush.
Lolo: Umm... sooo... what i wanted to ask you earlier, is, uhh...
As Klonoa noticed this, he seemed to be getting a bit more nervous. His face slightly turning a bit red.
"Oh no, here it comes again... Okay, try to think calmly through this... No, i can't. I can't... What if she already HAS a boyfriend? What if i'm too late?!"
Lolo: What do you think of-
Then all of a sudden, Klonoa's stomach began to rumble rather loudly, just before she could say anything further. The pain from the rumbling caused Klonoa to stop dead in his tracks for a moment. He deeply let out a sigh from both the relief, and the pain in his stomach. Lolo quickly cut herself off, and looked back for a bit.
"Wow... i didn't expect that to hit me right now... Lucky timing, i guess..."
Klonoa: Ugh... I may have overdone it today... My stomach hurts...
Popka: Feel 'ya there bud, that constant flyin' and scoutin' tonight's given me the munchies!
Lolo began to look back at Popka, raising an eyebrow.
Lolo: Popka... i don't think that sentence means what you think it-
Popka: Whatevs!
Klonoa: What does 'munchies' even mean in the first place?
Popka: Look! Point is, we all hungry, ain't we?
Lolo's stomach slightly growled a bit as well, as she embarrassingly held her hand on it, uttering the following words while looking down at the ground in front of her.
Lolo: Y...Yeah... i guess...
Popka then excitedly raised his fist towards the sky, as Klonoa followed.
Popka: Alrighty then! Let's get some grub! !
Klonoa: And fast! !
The two immediately high-fived each other with a very confident smirk. Popka runs on ahead, with Klonoa immediately following his lead.
Klonoa: ...What's a grub by the way?
Popka: Slang for food, dummy!
Klonoa: Ohh, right! So... what are we getting? What even is there to get?
Popka: Oh, you'll see! Nothin's faster and tastier than this joint!
The two of them both laughed for a moment, as Lolo noticed the two went on without her, as she quickly holds out her arm to try and pull their attention.
Lolo: W...Wait! Klonoa! !
Without any success, Lolo deeply just breathed in for a moment, and began to run after them to catch up.
Some time later, the three of them found themselves in what seemed to be in a restaurant named 'BurgerTown', over at the north-western corner of Joilant. The restaurant logo featured a Chibi-styled Burger logo winking, within the 'O' of 'Town'. Popka was leaning over the counter, looking at the Mira-Miran employee behind the cash register. Popka held up three of his nails while he smirked. Meanwhile Klonoa and Lolo just watched Popka do his thing, standing behind him.
Popka: 30 burgers to go, please.
The employee just sighed, as she began to type on the register.
BurgerTown Employee: Again...?
Meanwhile Lolo started to raise an eyebrow and look at Popka from behind, he briefly looked back and just laughed it off. The employee then looks back at them as she said...
BurgerTown Employee: That'll be 30 coins.
Popka briefly checks his pockets, and grumbled a bit.
Popka: Aw dammit... Forgot i didn't have any cash on me... Klo' could 'ya be a pal and-
Lolo: Don't think i will let him fall for your mischievous game, Popka! !
Klonoa: It's fine. If i pay for the burgers, then that means they're mine... right?
Lolo: Hm? I... i mean, yeah you're right...
Klonoa then pulled out his pouch and held up 3 dream stones.
Klonoa: Do you guys accept dream stones, or should i pay in gold?
The employee took the dream stones out of Klonoa's hand and put them in the register, as Klonoa's face lighted up a bit.
Klonoa: Wow. The first place here that actually accepts these things as is.
Popka: I know, right? Can 'ya believe it?
The three of them then began to wait near the cashier for a minute or so... Popka eventually got off the counter, and back on the floor. Aside from the kitchen fryer's making a lot of noise, the only other sound seemed to be from a radio playing a song. Eventually Lolo looks back over to Klonoa who just seemed to be a bit bored, looking around, outside of the restaurant for a bit. Eventually Lolo clears her throat a bit and turns towards Klonoa, as he seemed a bit surprised while his face turned red.
Lolo: Umm... Klonoa?
Klonoa gulped for a bit, while he tried to keep himself calm. He softly but nervously responded back to her with...
Klonoa: Y...Yes...?
"Ngh... okay, even IF she doesn't have a boyfriend... Am i still good enough for her? What if i'm just too lame and have nothing going on... or... something?"
Lolo: Look... after what Tat said, i-
Then in the middle of her question, Klonoa noticed the sound of the radio, as his mind drifted away for a bit from the conversation.
Singer on the radio: Those boys won't know, how the girls feellll... How they'll feeeellll...
He began to look around for a while, hoping to see where the sound comes from. As Lolo noticed that Klonoa stopped paying attention to what she was saying, she just shook her head for a bit. Popka turned around at the two of them.
Popka: Mm? What's up?
Klonoa: I... I don't know what it is, but... i hear some kind of sound... Sort of a singing voice?
Popka: The heck're 'ya talkin' abou-
Then soon after, Popka spots the radio in the upper corner of the restaurant.
Popka: Ohh, right, 'ya mean that thing... Yeah, i guess 'ya never learnt, but they've recently invented these new thingies called 'radios' i think? Supposed to be playin' music on the go from a station, or somethin', i dunno for sure.
Klonoa: Ohhhh... So those things literally play music?
Popka: Yeah! Well... news and other things too, i guess. But that crap's kinda expensive for us. 'Ya see 'em pop up more frequently around here tho...
Klonoa: Wow... That's honestly cool...
Klonoa began to softly bop his head to the song in the background for a bit, slowly starting to vibe with it more and more. Then eventually, one of the cooks from the kitchen quickly puts a giant paper bag on the counter, and yells...
BurgerTown Cook: Order number #371! !
The employee behind the register looks back at the three, as Klonoa seems a bit astonished and immediately stopped, while Popka just confidently smirks. Klonoa then grabs the bag and bows to the employee as he smiles at her.
Klonoa: Thank you!
BurgerTown Employee: Eh, whatever... Don't know what you need that many burgers for, but go nuts. Next!
The employee then points to the next one in the queue behind them, as Klonoa and Popka and Lolo head back for the exit. Lolo briefly sighed for a bit.
A bit later, they were walking across the northwestern avenue filled with closed cafe's all around them, as they were heading in the eastern direction towards the exit. Klonoa carefully opens up the bag and looks inside it, which contained exactly 30 burgers just like Popka asked.
Klonoa: Wow... you weren't kidding when you said they were fast.
Lolo: What do we even need this many burgers for? ...What did you order this many for earlier?
Popka: Erm... hmm... Supplies for the entire journey!
Lolo: Only because you wanted to secretly hog them all, if it wasn't for Klonoa paying them...
Popka just shrugged his head at Lolo's comment.
Popka: R-Regardless! Smart idea, ain't it?
Klonoa: I guess, but... i don't even know what exactly we got here...
Klonoa then reached for the bag as he grabbed one of the burgers, wrapped in paper, looking at it rather confusingly.
Klonoa: You called it a 'bur-ger'? They kinda looked like a few pieces of bread or something?
Popka quickly reaches for the bag and grabs one of the wrapped burgers, taking it out of the paper and just immediately eating it there on the spot casually eats it on the spot, as Klonoa was still talking. Lolo sighs a bit, as slowly she grabbed one as well.
Popka: Just twy it, dude. 'Ya know it'ww be gwood!
Lolo: Popka! Manners!
Popka: S-Sowwy...
Klonoa then took out the juicy burger from the wrapper, as carefully stared it down from a few angles. He still seemed a bit confused, looking at the beef, the red sauce, the lettuce...
Klonoa: Hmm... Looks like there's some meat in there... Maybe a bit of vegetable... Some kind of sauce... seems a bit wet? But... i don't know...
Klonoa eventually just went for it, and carefully takes a decent bite, slowly chewing on it for a bit... then all of a sudden, Klonoa's eyes widened.
Klonoa: W...What is this...?
Popka and Lolo seemed to be a bit concerned, as Popka walked up to Klonoa to stare him in the face.
Popka: Are 'ya okay, bud...?
"This... THIS IS...!"
The ground around Klonoa began rumble, as it seemed completely out of his control. Popka quickly ran out of the way while grabbing a hold of Lolo, as the rumbling got louder and louder, while a bit of smoke arose from both Klonoa's feet, and his ears.
Popka: W-Whoa, whoa, whoa! Watch out! ! !
Then all of a sudden, Klonoa launched into the air like a rocket with a huge blast coming from both his ears and his feet, launching him so high up, it shot him into space, while leaving behind a gigantic crater from the impact of his launch. All while he excitedly and loudly yelled...
"THIS IS AMAZIIIIINNNNGGGG! ! ! ! !"
Klonoa kept flying through space, as Lunatea completely disappeared from his sight... a little later beyond the moon of another solar system, a gigantic burger-like planet appeared, brightly shining... all while Klonoa thought to himself...
"I have never tasted something this delicious... EVER IN MY LIFE BEFORE! ! ! !"
And just as Klonoa was reaching for the gigantic burger in front of him, with gigantic hearts in his eyes and the biggest smile of awe on his face...
"Klonoa... KLONOA! ! !"
Back in reality, Klonoa was drooling a tiny bit, with small hearts in his eyes, as he seemed completely out of it. Even Lolo was already done with her burger... Then all of a sudden as he snapped back to it, the hearts vanish from his eyes, and he looked back towards Lolo and Popka. Popka especially seemed curious as he smirked a bit.
Popka: Welll?
Klonoa: It's, umm... it's good.
Klonoa then began to try and take a larger bite, savoring it as much as he could, while Popka just confidently grinned watching Klonoa go at it. Klonoa eventually hands the bag over to Lolo.
Klonoa: Lolo, could you store this in the Wind Ring?
Lolo looks back at Klonoa, as she softly begins to nod with a bit of a worried look on her face.
Lolo: Mm... Sure...
Lolo jumped into the Wind Ring with the paper bag of burgers, and then gets out of it without the bag in her hands anymore. The three of them began to keep on walking. Lolo tried to raise her voice once more to try and ask a question.
Lolo: I-
But before she could even start, Popka casually stretches a bit, and accidentally lets out a big burp. Lolo groaned to herself for a bit, while Klonoa just laughed.
Popka: Uaaaaahh... That food really filled a hole!
Klonoa: Heh, yeah... You weren't kidding when you said these things will cover us for the entire journey!
Popka: Told 'ya! Hahaha!
Klonoa: Hehehe...
As the two were laughing, Lolo softly grumbled a bit to herself.
Lolo: Ngh... stupid...
A bit more time passes, and the three of them finally reached the gigantic entrance gat at the northern part of the park. As they walked out, they arrived back at the parking lot just outside of the kingdom, as well as the train station. Lolo lets out a huge sigh of relief.
Lolo: Whew... Finally we're out!
Meanwhile Popka looks back at the clock tower in the distance of the park, as he notices the little hand of the clock was almost striking at 2.
Popka: Hey, uh... don't mean 'ta ruin our parade, but the heck're we supposed to do now? We can't keep goin' any longer like this! We're all tired and it's gettin' incredibly late!
Klonoa didn't give it much thought, as he just confidently stuck out his thumb with a smile at Popka, before turning back over to Lolo.
Klonoa: Easy! Lolo?
Lolo: Huh? R...Right...
Lolo slowly entered the Wind Ring and got out of it with the Air Board, as she hands it off to Klonoa.
Klonoa: Now we can just zip to Volk in a flash! Or... at least somewhat close to it.
Popka: Oh yeah, now i get'cha! Let's do it! !
Lolo: Wait, you mean as in right now-
Klonoa: Lolo! Popka!
Lolo: Nrk...!
Lolo quickly entered the Wind Ring, as she dragged Popka into it with her. Klonoa put the Air Board down on the ground, as it began to hover. Klonoa breathes in for a moment...
Klonoa: Well... let's give it a shot.
He then steps on the board with both feet, slightly accelerating by setting his left foot forward a bit. Gradually, Klonoa accelerated, as he began to ride across the empty train tracks heading north, towards the center of Lunatea... In just a couple of mere seconds, he was almost going as fast as the maximum, prior to the upgrades of his board. Klonoa just seemed shocked to witness this.
Klonoa: W-Whoa!
Klonoa then briefly kept leaning his foot a bit more forward... After a few seconds, he was now doing twice the speed that his old board could handle. Klonoa briefly chuckled a bit, as he felt the wind breezing through his face, while his ears were smoothly flowing along with it.
Klonoa: Ahahahahaha... Hahahahahahaha! ! Yes! YES! ! !
Klonoa got more excited, as he stuck out his fist, and yelled right up to the skies of Lunatea.
Klonoa: WHOOOOOOOO! ! ! ! !
Lolo (Wind Ring): ...Geez... This is all going way too fast for me to even get my thoughts out...
Popka (Wind Ring): Literally fast, or metaphorically?!
Klonoa kept leaning on forward with his foot, as he gradually kept speeding up... almost thrice the speed his old board could handle.
Some time later, still in the middle of the night, Klonoa slowly comes to a stop near a tree, far off from the train tracks. He was only a couple of miles away from the north-eastern walls of Volk. Klonoa then swiftly jumped off the board, and grabbed a hold of it right his right arm. As swift as they arrived, Klonoa set up a teepee with the nearby branches, Popka grabs one of his last few matches, and they light up the campfire. All three of them began to quickly sit down, around the fire. With Klonoa and Lolo sitting near the tree, as Popka was just lying on the grass.
Popka: Well... I dunno about y'all, but... that was certainly somethin'.
Klonoa: No kidding... That was, perhaps, the most exhausting day i ever had. I really need some time to even process everything that happened...
Lolo: L...Likewise...
Popka: I mean hey... we got the element? We didn't lose all our crap for good. We're still alive an' all... I'd say it was at least a success.
Klonoa: ...I guess so.
Popka then stuck out his arms and loudly yawned.
Popka: Uuuhhhh... uuuaaaaaahhhh... Well... t...that's enough shenanigans for me for one day. I'm pooped.
He curled up a bit, as he tried to take a nap. Popka softly let out one more yawn, as he said...
Popka: G'night, y'all...
Lolo: N...Night, Popka...
Popka quickly dozed off... Meanwhile Klonoa just looks up to the moon in the sky, as he could faintly hear some gunshots in the distance... he began to grit his teeth a bit and closed his eyes, as he frustratingly thought back on what happened with Tommey...
"Dammit... there really was no other choice back then, was there...? It was either more people getting hurt, or going directly for him..."
Klonoa then opened his eyes again, as he just sighed.
"I still made the right choice though... But i really want to resolve things much better, if possible..."
Klonoa was just about to turn over and rest against the tree, trying to sleep. But then Lolo turned her head towards Klonoa, as took a deep breath, and then she desperately yelled out...
Lolo: Klonoa! !
Klonoa seemed a bit nervous again, as he slowly turned back around towards Lolo... she seems a bit concerned herself.
Lolo: I... I've been meaning to ask you something for the past hour... But everything kept interrupting me as soon as i built up the courage to ask it.
"...And there's also this... Sorry, Lolo... but i really can't do this right now..."
Klonoa briefly closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, as he calmly replied back to her with...
Klonoa: Umm... s...sure... Go ahead...
Lolo: We... We have been going back and forth over this for quite a while... and Tat teased us about it... by now, after what happened between us and Tat, i need a clear answer... Purely to keep my feelings in check.
Klonoa's face began to turn more red as he began to sweat a bit.
"This was exactly what i was worried about... I... I don't know if i can bring her along on my journey to find out who i even am! It's too much to just ASK her something like that! ALL of these questions are too hard to just ask her! ! D-Don't make this any harder for me, Lolo! Please! !"
Lolo slowly begins to blush, with a genuine, wonderous smile.
Lolo: We... we've been friends for a while... but after some time, i've been questioning if it's just that... So answer me truthfully, Klonoa. What do you see me as?
Lolo directly looks back into Klonoa's eyes, as Klonoa's face turns completely red, from both the blushing and the sens of guilt he was felling, all while he stared back into Lolo's beautiful eyes.
"Dammit... DAMMIT! ! I can't lie to her like this, but... i can't tell her the truth either! It will just complicate things between us even more! ! I... This is almost enough to make me faint... I have no other choice..."
Klonoa nervously begins to look down at the ground a bit...
Klonoa: Lolo... I...
Klonoa then looks back up towards Lolo, with a somewhat nervous smile, as he uttered the following words.
Klonoa: You've been a great friend, but... i see you as more of a best friend... i guess.
Klonoa awkwardly chuckled for a bit... as Lolo's eyes briefly widened from surprise, upon hearing his response... Then suddenly she began to laugh a little bit.
Lolo: Ha... H-Haha... Right... It... It's not like La-Lakooshans are meant to go out with outsiders, after all...
Klonoa embarrassingly chuckled for a bit as well.
Klonoa: O-Oh, heh... I see...
The two look away from each other at that moment, both staring at the ground from their opposite directions. Klonoa seemed very guilt-ridden as Lolo had a very disheartened look... neither of them noticing this from each other. Then after a while, Lolo deeply sighs for a moment, before she replies back to Klonoa with her back turned...
Lolo: Well... good... good night then, Klonoa...
Klonoa: L...Likewise... Lolo...
Lolo rolled over against the tree, and began to try and get some rest. Just as Klonoa slouched down, lying against the tree, looking up against the night sky for a while. He briefly looks back at Lolo who had her back turned against him.
"So this is what Huepow must have felt like back then... Nrgh... I hate it so much..."
Klonoa deeply breathed in, and felt out a deep sigh.
"Please forgive me for this, Lolo... I will eventually tell you what i truly think..."
Klonoa closes his eyes, as he quickly drifted off into his sleep, due to being very exhausted... Meanwhile Lolo still had her eyes wide open, as she was just mumbling to herself, in an angry and sad manner while rolling a bit around...
Lolo: You should have known, Lolo... You stupid, useless priestess girl... Stupid, stupid! !
Then all of a sudden, harsh words echoed through her head from an unknown man, as they said...
"You insolent girl... You can't even perform one simple task without messing EVERYTHING up?! You... You're a disgrace! !"
Lolo's just completely dropped quiet... a few tears began to drop from her eyes while she closed them, as she defeatedly uttered to herself the following words...
Lolo: ...You were right, father... I am nothing but a screw-up...
