Nikki
Nikki are you there
I really need to talk to you
Oh, sure! What do you need?
I got a letter
From the Badge Arcade
What did they say?
Here I'll show you
Attached
Badge Arcade's closing
I'm officially out of a job effective immediately
The letter was sent two weeks ago
Oh my god
I'm sorry
That was my dream job
It was everything I could want
And it's just. gone
I'm so sorry
If you need a reference, know that I'm right here
Oh! I could call up Mary and see if she can't put in a good word for you!
It's not the money I'm worried about
Thank you though
Should I come over?
It's more that was my passion
And it just went up in smoke
I don't know what I'm gonna do
Do I have anything left
Baito listen to me
First, don't do anything rash, okay? Take a minute to calm down
Second, do you need me or anyone else to do something for you right now?
Should I tell Dr. Wright?
Not yet
Baito, I've known you for a couple years now and I know that you're nothing if not resilient
You have friends here that would drop everything to help you
I know this sounds mostly like empty comfort, but whatever happens, we'll be there for you, okay?
It's not empty
Thank you
Whatever comes next, we'll get through it together!
That's the scary part, though
I don't know what comes next
One Month Later
Baito usually appreciated the quiet of the mansion halls at the earliest waking hours. It was before most of the residents woke up and went about their daily business, or adventures, or mischief, or what have you. As much as he appreciated the mayhem of daily life ("Variety is the spice of life!"), he also appreciated a little bit of down time every now and then.
Now, at nearly six-thirty in the morning, he could only really describe the emptiness of the corridors as eerie. It was the quiet that forced one to visualize their daily tasks, or whistle a merry tune, or get lost in their thoughts, or anything, anything, to distract oneself from the dreadful silence.
Well… Baito's thoughts were only really centered around one thing as of late. And it wasn't something he liked to think about.
March 24, 20XX
Super Smash Brothers Headquarters
Attn Baito B. Badgegrab
World of Trophies
RYUO-000
Subject: Closure of Business
Dear Mr. Badgegrab,
In light of certain losses due to the discontinuation of certain badges, the Badge Arcade is constrained to close its operations effective April 8, 20XX.
In view of such closure, your employment as well as that of other Badge Arcade employees shall cease to exist effective immediately. The Badge Arcade agrees to pay you your regular compensation through the date noted above, plus all unused accrued vacation.
Normal direct deposit procedures will apply if you have already chosen that option; otherwise, payment will be mailed directly to you. Due to your current leave as an Assist Trophy, all time records have been completed and submitted.
The Badge Arcade would hereby like to add that this layoff has no concern with job performance. We appreciate your contributions during your employment and regret doing this for the reasons noted above. We can provide a recommendation letter, which may be helpful for yourself and for future employers.
We wish you the best in your future endeavors.
Thank you for playing,
Nintendo Badge Arcade
The first thing Baito had done after receiving the letter was call his boss. From the way he sounded, he was just as shocked (and heartbroken) as Baito was. The boss had told him, through barely contained tears and tissues being torn apart from the force of blown noses, that he'd been a great employee (the best he'd had, in fact), and given him a laundry list of contacts in case he ever needed a reference. And then, after one final forlorn sniffle, he'd hung up. Baito distinctly noticed feeling strangely empty inside after the call.
After that, he had texted Nikki, who had been reassuring and understanding as usual. She, too, had given him her number, and the promise of the aid of the other assistants if he would only say the word. That, and the not-so-subtle hint to not do anything hasty. Baito felt she didn't have to worry—he didn't feel like doing much of anything at that moment (a first for him), but after he hadn't shown up for dinner that night, Nikki had shown up with several bowls filled with at least two refrigerators' worth of food.
Eventually, after a few days of coaxing, calming tea, and big puppy-dog eyes, Baito conceded to let Nikki tell the others. He had expected a private meeting with Dr. Wright to discuss his next steps, a couple of sympathy cards in the mail, and possibly Rodin buying him a drink if he dared visit the Gates of Hell.
Baito had not expected Callie to practically break down his door, her cousin in tow bearing gift baskets and bouquets, and cry a sea's worth of tears at the foot of his bed and squeeze him tightly and tell him that it was gonna be alright. (It was only a lake's worth, if Baito had to guess. Incidentally, he realized firsthand that Callie was far stronger than she looked.)
Among the gift baskets, notes from practically every other assistant in the tournament, and a handful of fighters, were attached, no doubt Nikki and Dr. Wright's coordination. What surprised Baito was that Color TV-Game 15 had sent a pleasant box of macarons with chocolate ganache filling. (Definitely Nikki's suggestion.) The biggest surprise, however, was the card reading simply, "I hope you know I'm here for you during this time of sorrow." The card was unsigned, but the purple envelope with a hand-drawn inverted letter L on the back was unmistakable.
After that, Dr. Wright had indeed taken Baito aside to discuss what came next, and it made him smile for the first time in days because it was just so like him. He, alongside Isabelle, had given him a list of contacts as reference, and encouraged him to take things one step at a time. Master Hand, who had overseen the meeting, extended his sympathies, and lamented the fact that he had only received the notice of termination then. He had also expressed his desire to directly assist him (a pun that he perplexingly did not acknowledge), but due to certain duties that had fallen into his lap, he was only able to point him in the right direction (a twofer pun, which again went skipped).
And then, with a litany of knowledge at his side, that was the end of that. The tournament matches went on, the assistants continued to be summoned, and things went quietly back to normal.
Well… not entirely back to normal. Things continued on as they always had, but now, there was… something present that hadn't been there before. A sense of quiet, looming dread, of seeing the road stop before a yawning precipice and being helpless to stop the car, of knowing that everything he was doing was just a distraction.
The tournament could not last forever. And although Master Hand had not formally announced its closure, it still hung over him—and everyone, he realized, since the gala—like a guillotine. And even with the support Nikki and the others had given him, Baito realized, with no small amount of shame, that he had no idea what was going to happen next.
And now, here was Baito, getting ready to open up the trophy shop once again.
This won't last forever, either, said a needling part of him. Baito ignored that, and turned the key to open the door.
The Starman was waiting inside when Baito closed the door behind him, standing stock-still as usual. Apart from a slight turn of its torso, it gave almost no sign that it had noticed the rabbit enter at all.
"Hello, Baito," it said.
"Yeah," greeted Baito lamely. "Hi."
The Starman had fully turned to Baito now, its visor seeming to bore deep into his eyes. Baito felt like his very soul was being read, and he couldn't help but look away.
"You sound fatigued," said the Starman.
Baito shrugged. "Yeah, I just… didn't get a good night's sleep last night."
The Starman did not answer at first, for it did not need to sleep. But it understood that sleep was necessary for organic creatures such as its coworker, so it said, "You should rest."
Baito shook his head—evidently, a little too quickly, for he winced and pressed a paw to his forehead. "No, no, I'm fine. Really." He flashed a small, exhausted smile that did not reach his eyes.
The Starman was still looking at him in that pervasive, probing manner. Baito felt himself stiffen. After a few agonizing moments, it simply said, "I see," and teleported away to the inventory room.
Once it had gone, Baito sagged with relief, a drained sigh escaping his mouth. He did truly appreciate the Starman's help, but he did like some down time every now and then. And so, here he was, waiting for the first customers of the day to arrive, alone with his thoughts.
But, as we mentioned, Baito's thoughts weren't exactly a source of comfort at the moment.
He did have the contacts Nikki and Isabelle had given him (that Dollo guy seemed nice enough), but outside of that, he really didn't have anything concrete. If he chose to move to the Animal Forest, what would that look like? Not that living in the forest, fishing and trading turnips day in and day out, sounded unappealing, but… it wasn't his passion, as it were.
What was his passion, then? Well, there were games; receiving that invitation so long ago, to stand alongside his idols, had nearly sent him over the moon. To say nothing of his first day at the Badge Arcade…
The warm, cozy feelings that usually came with that memory sat bitter in Baito's chest, and he abruptly decided to stop thinking about it.
Perhaps… perhaps he ought to ask his fellow assistants on his next steps. Surely they would drop everything to help him, wouldn't they?
Well… not everyone, Baito thought wryly. Zero had been awfully distant recently. And Shadow and Rodin were distant all the time. Which reminded him—he hadn't heard from Waluigi in a long time. Maybe he should—
"Um, excuse me?"
Baito started as he was pulled back into reality. A tall blue humanoid fish with a tail fin on his head was waiting for him.
"Oh, um—" Baito blinked in surprise. "I—uh—Welcome to the Trophy Shop! How can I help you today?"
"Ah, yes. Those snacks over there…" The fish gestured towards the shelves lined with small bags. "How much for, oh, five of those?"
"That's…" Baito punched at the keyboard in front of him. "That's gonna cost three thousand and seven hundred fifty Smash coins."
The fish winced. "I, ah… I only brought Rupees with me."
"No worries!" Baito pushed a button, and his cash drawer popped open. Luckily, his drawer came equipped with a variety of currencies, from space credits to scarabs, and from Pokos to Pufftop Pearls. There was also a side pocket dedicated to what he and his boss called "real money". Strangely, only a handful of other people seemed to know what he meant, and when they did, they didn't particularly like it.
Cash was exchanged, and the goods were packed neatly into a bag. The fish-man nodded his thanks and quietly took his leave, his far-too-damp footsteps slapping against the floor the only sound, save for the tinny sound of nu-disco music from the speakers above.
And then Baito was alone again.
Baito took a breath, and then another. His shoulders ached and his heart felt heavy, like chains had been shackled to his very core. Something cold and gray began to spread through him like a mold. He felt restless, and yet he did not want to move a muscle.
Just as that feeling started to spread up to his head, a voice rang out, "Oh, thank goodness I got here before the lines started!"
Baito's ears pricked up, any leftover lethargy evaporating in an instant. He'd recognize that voice anywhere, any place.
Nikki broke into an unrestrained grin when she saw Baito perk up, and scurried up to his desk. "How've you been holding up?" she asked, clinging to the counter.
The rabbit shrugged. "Hangin' in there."
"Are you sure?" Nikki's face dropped and her hands clutched the edge of the counter.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I really did appreciate your help, by the way."
Nikki glowed like a star. "Well, that's what we're here for! In more ways than one!"
"Mmm." It was a joke he had heard Dr. Wright tell at orientation. Somehow, it wasn't as funny today.
Silence fell. Baito shuffled a stack of golden tickets in his paws, and Nikki tapped her fingers together. Off to the side, Baito could hear the swishing of the Starman telekinetically handling the broom.
It was too long of a pause before Baito asked, "So, uh, how are things in the mail room?"
Nikki blinked. "Oh! Oh, things are going pretty well, actually! The mail flow's finally started to slow down a little bit— and thank goodness for that, it was really all hands on deck there—"
"I provided my own assistance," said the Starman.
"And I'm so glad that you did!" laughed Nikki. "It just came in with Sukapon and even Alucard, if you can believe it! We were done with everything in, like, ten minutes!"
Seeing and hearing Nikki gush and smile about her good fortune made Baito want to smile, too. "Wow, that's… that's great!"
Nikki nodded. "See, at the end of the day, it's nice to have a support system! Friends that will help you, no matter what!"
Baito tilted his head. "Yeah. I think Sora said something like that, too. When he summoned me."
"Oh, really?" Nikki leaned on the counter, head rested in her hands. "When was that?"
"Couple of weeks ago." Baito tapped his paws together as he recalled. "It was him against Little Mac."
"Did you win?"
"Pretty easily, actually!" His eyes gleamed. "After that, Sora started talking about how he's done the summoning thing before, but with, like, charms and gems and stuff, and how his friends are his power, and… and a bunch of other stuff, too."
"Yeah." Nikki nodded. "Sora… he can be a lot, sometimes."
Baito shook his head, his ears becoming a blur. "Oh, no, nononono, it was actually pretty easy to follow! Like, I talked to Cloud and one of the Inklings, and they walked me through it. And if Cloud can get through it pretty easy, then so can I!"
"I mean, it helps that Cloud was actually, like, there for that. I think."
"…Wait, was he? I mean, I talked to him about it and he said that wasn't him."
"Oh. Hmm."
The conversation died, and silence fell once more. The air grew unbearably stifling, and Baito felt the urge to restock the shelves, or go check on the inventory, or do anything else. He examined the surface of the counter with deep, entirely feigned interest.
"…Baito?"
Upon hearing his name, he hesitantly raised his eyes to meet Nikki's. She was looking at him, her face tinged pink and open with concern. "When I say it's good to have a network, I really mean it."
"I know." Baito could feel the Starman's gaze on the back of his head.
"You know we're here to help you no matter what."
"Yeah."
"So…" Nikki's breath hitched. "…So don't give up, alright?"
Baito found that he could not answer. He felt his throat tighten. He didn't know what to say, only that he had to say something.
But he never got the chance, for Nikki had stepped through the miniature swinging door to pull him into a tight hug.
"It's gonna be okay, alright?" She rubbed at his shoulder blade.
All the breath left Baito, leaving him with just a sudden flush of heat and a lump crystallizing in his throat. He swallowed around it with great difficulty.
"…I know," Baito said, as he moved to embrace her.
The Starman was at a loss.
After Nikki had left, it had teleported back to the inventory room, both to think about its next move, and to give Baito some space, which it had heard was a good thing to do when people were troubled.
Baito was troubled. It knew this sentiment all too well. Baito was troubled because he was out of a job, without a master. Baito was troubled because he had been cast aside through no fault of his own. Baito was troubled because he was without purpose.
An old shudder ran up the Starman's back.
The Starman wanted (needed) to be of assistance (use). It wanted to help Baito. But how?
It had seen Nikki comfort Baito, with gentle, soothing words. But there had to be something else. What else was there? What else could be done?
What had it seen others do? It scoured its memory banks for moments such as these, scenes of hurt and comfort, of consolation, of reassurance, of placation, of soothing.
The Nopon, giving it advice on what his own purpose was, setting it off on its path…
Baito himself, speaking to a robot capable of creating explosives from nothing, speaking of their fate in life…
The same robot, cheering the boy that could manipulate plants…
That same boy, offering reconciliation to the tall purple man, debased and disgraced…
The boy in the red hat, standing over one of its defeated brethren, offering words of encouragement and tenderness to the girl in the red ribbon, their foreheads pressed together—
…
That same chill from earlier shook it to its core. No. Some memories were better left forsaken.
The Starman was running out of time. Customers could enter the store at any second. Its thoughts swirled and spiraled in every direction at once. What could it do?
Its thoughts rattled around in its head, until at last, they precariously settled, like a bluebird on a house of cards. There was a flash, and the Starman was gone.
Baito stared off into the distance, his paw making the motion of a world-weary barkeep wiping down the bar. Regrettably, in his case, there was no towel with which to wipe (Sukapon probably had one from one of his prop comedy acts), no drinks stocked behind him (he was more of a social drinker, if the sole glass of champagne he'd had once at a New Year's party qualified), and, more importantly, no customers.
Days like this, quiet and slow… they reminded him of the last days of the Badge Arcade, before he'd come to the World of Trophies. There came a point where the production of new badges simply stopped, something about "declining profitability" and "strategic realignment to focus on core products", whatever those were. He didn't recall the contents of that specific letter, but after that day, activity in the arcade had slowed down and never quite picked up again. His boss had remained merrily persistent in the face of it, as always, but there was a new, uncertain look in his eyes.
Baito wondered, distractedly, if his boss was going through the same thing he was.
Wait… if his boss was out of a job, then should he be trying to help him, as Master Hand and the others helped him? Baito reached for his phone. Maybe he should call. Maybe he could see if Doc Wright couldn't pull some strings and—
"Baito."
"Bwaaaugh—!" Baito nearly stumbled off the counter. "Wh—who's… oh, uh, hey, Starman. What do you need?"
The Starman stood stock-still across the counter. "I have a joke for you."
"Really?" Baito turned a curious eye on the robot. He'd never known the Starman to have a sense of humor, or know what humor even was. "Lay it on me."
"Very well." Somehow, the Starman seemed to stand even straighter. "Do you know what the most important part of a joke is?"
"Hmmm… I dunno, what is it?"
"Timing."
…
…
…
Baito blinked. "Huh?"
The Starman remained motionless, but on the inside, every synapse in its form was firing with fear. No—not fear. This was something new, different, alien to its being. It was the shame, the indignity, the utter disgrace of botching a joke.
But it couldn't botch a joke now! Baito was counting on it! It was time to recompose and give it another shot.
"Why was six afraid of seven?" asked the Starman.
Baito blinked again, this time in the way that people who have heard a joke fifty times before did so. "Why?" he asked.
"Because seven is larger and could defeat six in combat."
…
…
…
If the Starman had lungs, they would most certainly be on fire. And unless its optical processors were playing tricks on it, the room seemed to be spinning. No, there was no time for that. Recenter and try again.
The Starman rotated itself to face Baito directly. "You are good," it intoned.
…
…
"And not bad," appended the Starman.
Baito blinked a third time. Oh, this was not working at all! Its mind raced for an answer, some sort of soothing word to help him feel better. There had to be something, anything. This was its purpose, it couldn't fail now, not again, not after it—
"Starman?"
The Starman stopped mid-spiral to look at Baito, who was staring worriedly back at it. "Are you okay?"
A pang of guilt spread through the Starman, and it sighed, bending down to look at the floor. "I… am sorry," it said. At Baito's confused blink, it continued. "I am trying to do for you what you—" No, correction: "—what others have done for me."
Baito was still looking at the Starman, but in a far different manner than earlier. It made it feel strangely vulnerable, like it was being read without the use of any telepathy. Enough so that it couldn't look back at the rabbit for too long.
If Baito picked up anything from this, he didn't say. Instead, he asked, "What do you mean?"
The Starman hesitated before answering. "When I was searching for my… purpose, I had assistance from others. From Riki, and Nikki, and Zero, and… from you. It is only right that I should repay this debt."
Baito did not speak at first. The Starman was still avoiding eye contact, but it could still feel the rabbit's gaze upon it.
"Ah, well…" The Starman did not need a mental probe to hear Baito's smile. "It's okay! There's no debt to be paid! I don't mind helping others!"
The Starman hazarded a glance at Baito, mentally sputtering over the right words to say. "I just…" it began, slowly. "I only wish to support you in your time of need."
As the words were spoken, a foreign sentiment arose inside the Starman's core. It ran far deeper than the vulnerability it had felt earlier, but there was also a… gentle warmth spreading through its body. It was wholly unfamiliar. The Starman wasn't sure if it liked it.
And then, Baito smiled, his eyes crinkling with warmth. "…Y'know, Starman, you're more helpful than you realize."
That strange feeling made itself known again. This time, the Starman let it linger.
Hours passed, far too slowly. Customers drifted in and out like feathers in the wind. Chirpy, corporate muzak tingled overhead. The wall clock (a housewarming gift from Crazy Hand, one that had all the numbers nestled at the bottom with the words "Who cares? You're late anyways!" at the top), went tick-tick-tick as usual, but every time Baito cared to look, no more than a few minutes had passed. Even the Starman's quite-literally robotic diligence had begun to flag.
If there was one thing Baito disliked, it was a slow business day.
That's the scary part, though, came his words boomeranging back. I don't know what comes next…
He glanced over at the Starman, rearranging snacks for the seventeenth—eighteenth?—time. It was no secret that it had been on the losing side in its world. Perhaps…
"Hey… hey, Starman."
The Starman turned to Baito. "Yes?"
"What… what are you going to be doing after this?"
The Starman paused. "After the day is done," it began, "I will make a final count of the money we have received, and convert it into Smash Coins. Following that, I will take final stock of the shop's inventory and—"
"No, no, not like that," interrupted Baito. "I mean, like, after the tournament is over. What are you gonna do when we have to go home?"
The Starman fell silent. "…I do not know," it said after a long pause.
Baito gave a half-shrug. "Yeah, well, that makes two of us."
"I see," said the Starman, and nothing else. Both of them lapsed into silence.
After a minute of Baito avoiding eye contact (for whatever that was worth), he spoke again. "When I got that… that letter, it was kind of a wake-up call for me. Like, that was my passion and it's just gone up in smoke. And now, I'm here at the big Smash Brothers tournament, and I love being here, but after this…" He trailed off, sighing in both melancholy and frustration. "Like, now I just feel like I've got nowhere to go, with nothing except the clothes on my back, y'know?
"I know I'm lucky to be here," Baito told the floor. "But outside of this, I really just don't have a lot going for me anymore. And now…" He swallowed. "I have really no idea what comes next."
The Starman, who had been quietly listening to Baito's speech, remained still. Then, it straightened its back as it set its gaze on the rabbit. If there was ever a time for it to be of assistance, it was now. "Has Dr. Wright given you any guidance on the subject?" it asked.
Baito nodded. "Yeah. Him and Isabelle and Master Hand. They gave me a push in the right direction, but… I'm not sure it's the right direction."
The Starman watched Baito as his shoulders sank. It knew very well what Baito was going through… and yet, it still remained at a loss as to how to help him. What could it say to lift Baito out of his despondency? How could it help at all, if it itself was in the same position? The Starman's metallic body tensed further. How truly, utterly vexing it was, to be unable to solve the issue, or even put forth a passable solution!
All the Starman had, it supposed, were empty words.
"I do not know which method you will choose," it declared rotely, "but know that whatever you choose, we will always be behind you to—"
"Excuse me?"
Both assistants started as they looked towards the new arrival. Standing in front of the counter was a woman, hands clasped in front of her. She peered down at Baito. "If you could help me for just a moment?"
Baito blinked. "Oh, um… I mean, yeah, of course. What do you need?"
The woman nodded, and turned to go, beckoning him to follow. Baito stepped out from behind the counter to do so, nodding to the Starman both in departure and to trust it with the counter in case any other customers came in.
Baito had to hand it to this woman; she moved fast, in spite of her apparent leisureliness. She led him around the different aisles of the shop, through stacks of snacks and CDs, past flashy magnets and tournament-branded mugs. It was as if she was choosing the most meandering path possible.
There was something naggingly familiar about her, too. She looked to be about Lucina's age, with shorter, blonde hair, and a flowing blue dress with yellow and pink accents. She certainly wasn't on either the fighter or the Assist Trophy roster, and he hadn't seen her among the miscellaneous staff that dotted the grounds. Perhaps she was here for the street market?
The woman suddenly turned back to face Baito. She smiled serenely down at him, and he froze, feeling himself flush with a bout of self-consciousness.
"Could you get that for me?" she asked, pointing to a shelf.
The rabbit followed the woman's finger up to what she was pointing at. It was a CD case, depicting an image of Lucario, paws flaring with aura.
Baito, who was one head shorter than the woman at least, had to hop up four times before finally snagging it with one of his ears. He fumbled it in his paws for a good twelve seconds after the fact before handing it to the woman.
"Thank you ever so much," said the woman, clutching the CD to her chest. "Bless you, little rabbit."
The flush in Baito's face returned full-force, for reasons he couldn't quite describe. "N-no problem! This is…" He cleared his throat. "It's, uh… it's the least I can do."
The woman's smile faded. "Are you alright?"
"Oh, nononono, I'm fine!" assured Baito, scratching the side of his head. "I'm just a little tired, is all. See, this is what happens when I don't have my coffee in the morning!" he laughed.
The woman was still looking at him, blinking slowly and expectantly. Baito trailed off, feeling himself flush even more. After an agonizing pause, he sighed loudly, his ears drooping.
"I just…" Baito sighed and turned his gaze to the floor. "Do you… do you ever feel like you've just… gotten lost in your life? Like, you get into something you really like, like a big personal project or something, something you're really passionate about. Something that really makes you feel whole."
The patron stared placidly at him. Baito didn't really know why he was pouring his heart out to this woman. Maybe it was the way she was looking at him. "You're having a good time, you're pouring your heart and soul into it, you're enjoying life, and then one day… poof!" He clapped his paws together. "It just ends one day, out of the blue. The higher-ups give you your severance pay, and you're just turned loose into the world, and you're left wandering around, and wondering, well, what now? Like you just feel… lost."
The woman continued to stare at him. "Or, like, a puzzle game you really like reaches end-of-service…?"
She was still looking at him. Oh, that last bit sounded way less cheesy in his head. She probably thought he was a complete weirdo. "I'm sorry," he sighed, his chin dipping down. "I'm just rambling at this point."
The woman shook her head. "Not at all. I can see you have a lot on your mind."
"So… so you get it, right?"
"Mmm…" She tilted her head to one side, finger resting on her cheek. "Well, I can't say I've been in your position exactly. But…" She paused, as if she was deciding on the words to use. "If I may… would you entertain an old soul's tale for a moment?"
"Ummm…" Baito cast a glance back at the counter. There was still no one there, and the Starman could probably handle it if someone came in. "Well, all right."
The woman beamed like the sun (or, Baito thought subconsciously, like… something else). "In truth, I am what you might call… a nomad, roaming the land. Usually by night. It's an inclination of mine. And one thing I've learned?" She leaned in furtively. "There are no dead ends."
"No dead ends, huh?" Baito pondered.
"By night, I roam the land, the moon as my guide. No matter where She may take me, no matter how lost I may seem, She has shown me that there is always a way forward. I don't always know where I'm going, but… I suppose that's the fun part, isn't it?"
The woman turned to gaze at the window, at the moon that Baito just noticed hung in the sky, a pale gray dot in a sea of blue.
"In a way, everyone is on a journey of their own. We all have our own worries, our own desires and fears. And in times such as yours—" she rested a hand on Baito's head— "it's nice to know that we are all connected through this experience. And if you asked me, I'd say that in this regard no one is ever truly alone."
Silence fell, save for a laid-back piano piece playing over the speakers. The fluorescent lights droned on above.
"I… apologize if that was not helpful," said the woman, angling her face down.
"Oh, no, no, it…" For some reason Baito felt a little more… relaxed. Like himself. Maybe it was this mysterious person's words, or maybe it was staring at the moon. That always tended to calm him down. "It really was, actually. Thanks."
Baito could have sworn he heard the woman's delight radiate off her. "Well. I'm glad I was able to."
The walk back to the counter was lighter and shorter. Baito felt as though he could run to the moon and back. Like he was walking on a field of flowers.
By chance, he looked over his shoulder. There actually were thin, fragile-looking flowers trailing behind him. Oh, yeah. He tended to do that when he was in a good mood.
"Oh—oh, dear," said the woman suddenly, like she realized just where she was. "I'm afraid I didn't bring any money."
"Oh, well, that's no problem at all!" chirped Baito. He ducked under the counter. "We take cash, and most card networks, including Eagleland Express, BlasterCard, Pisa, or, if you want, you can start a—"
Baito stopped mid-sentence, the color draining out of his face (and the rest of him), leaving him completely grayscale.
The woman was gone.
Baito blinked once, then again to make sure he wasn't seeing things, the color returning to his being. She hadn't even taken the CD, for it was still on the counter. What really drew his attention was the new item left alongside it—a single spring-green feather.
The Starman, helpful as ever, took the time to voice what was on both of their minds: "Where did she go?"
Baito did not answer. He just picked up the feather and squinted at it. He couldn't quite place it, but it was annoyingly familiar, like the woman who had just disappeared. He turned it over in his paws. As he did so, it gleamed in the light, glowing like the moon. It was strange, but it felt strangely soothing to look at. Like all of his worries were banished just by looking at it.
Had… had she left it there on purpose?
The moon is my guide… She has shown me that there is always a way forward… No one is ever truly alone…
Baito stared at the feather for a minute longer. Then, he slipped it into his pocket. He had a feeling it was worth keeping. If nothing else, it would be a nice souvenir for when he… went back home.
"No dead ends…" he repeated to himself.
Something new materialized inside Baito's core. A fresh, steely resoluteness began to swell in his chest. He thought of Nikki, her jaw set and her shining eyes betraying her tenderness. Dr. Wright, buried under a pile of paperwork in the dead of night, mopping his furrowed brow. Lyndis, her motivations as honest as the day was long. Krystal, a faraway look in her eyes when she was sure nobody was watching.
Baito took out his phone and swiped to Isabelle's contact information. No, wait—first to Nikki, then to Isabelle. It really did help to have a network. And he was really going to need it, if he was going to find his own way forward.
He didn't quite know where he was going, he realized after the fact. But, he supposed, that was half the fun, wasn't it?
Nikki, are you there? Do you have Dollo's phone number? I might need to talk to him…
Author's Notes: Welcome to the new year, ten weeks late! Now there's a chapter for every day of the month.
This chapter is very topical, considering... everything that's happened since the last update (and beyond). Baito is right, in that the tournament won't last forever. What's gonna happen to him next? And, for that matter, what's gonna happen to some of those lesser-known Assist Trophies once it all comes to an end?
Can you believe I've been writing this for almost six years now? If you've stuck with me for this long, thank you ever so much for seeing my silly little fanfic through!