| Characters Appearing : Luigi, Dimentio, Gilgamesh, Tingle "Playtime is over," snarled Dimentio, floating towards them through the settling dust and lingering smoke---the effects of Pin clearly having worn off. He was burnt, and bloody, and for the first time, did not look at all amused. He was furious, his face curled into an expression of murderous intent. He fired off an energy blast more rapidly than they had yet seen him do, striking Tony and knocking him off his feet. Winded, he looked around frantically to make sure Peppy hadn't been hit. Peppy had to live. Even if Tony didn't make it... Peppy had to live. Dimentio advanced, his hands glowing and crackling with pure energy. "Not so fast," Peppy called out as he fixed his blaster at the jester. "This time you're going down you son of a bitch." The jester was not amused and calling forth a burst of energy, sent it at the general. But at that moment, the two spirits suddenly emerged from hiding and in the seconds it took for Dimentio's attack to connect, they performed a quick cycle around the old hare and there was suddenly a flash of light. Deperately the old hare tried to gain his bearings after the brightness had temporarily blinded him. His hand felt cold stone and he rested himself against it as blinked, his vision slowly returning. Dimentio was gone. Tony was gone. From the look of the architecture, he was in some kind of primitive city. He suddenly realized what had happened and spun around, glaring at his two Pokemon companions. He wasn't sure how, but they'd somehow pulled him away from the battle. And with Tony not around, then that meant... "Send me back!" Peppy demanded. Mesprit and Azelf exchanged glances. "Dammit!" Peppy continued, his temper flaring. "You left Tony back there! Send me back before it's too late!" If they understood him, they didn't seem to suggest it. "I know you understand me, dammit. You were able to talk through that woman, so send me back now!" In the end, no matter how much he tried to convince them the two Pokemon remained unresponsive to him. In the end Peppy gave up on the two of them and returned them to their Pokeballs, not quite up to the task of finding their missing sibling. He was on his own again, back on his lonely quest to find a way home. With a mournful sigh, he stepped out of the alley way he had been teleported in and took a good look at his surroundings. It didn't take him long to figure out where he was. Day 38: Section B-12E (Hyrule Castle Town) He'd never actually been in Hyrule before as he had been too busy to ever leave Corneria City during his tenure as a general in Subspace. However he had seen photos before and things had certainly changed since then. The long marketplace from the entrance of the city to the castle gates had been cleared and balloons and various ornaments decorated the length of the city. Worse yet, the city was crawling with soldiers dressed in SSA uniform. He'd been launched out of the frying pan into the fire. However a Cornerian didn't quite stand out in this city as he quickly learned from the rather diverse population of Hylians, Humans, and Cornerians that occupied the city. His face would still be known to the SSA thanks to the incidents he had been recently involved in, so he kept his hat tipped low and his coat hugged tightly around him. As he kept close to the buildings as he moved forward, he noticed a television crew assembled off to the side. The television anchor, Wario, was caught up in some kind of argument with the reporter Peppy had seen in Lance's tower. After getting completely fed up, the reporter threw his hat to the ground, stomped on it a few times, then walked away... and then walked back to grab his hat and march off again. Clearly something big was going down in Hyrule, though Peppy wasn't quite sure what. He decided that the best way to find out information without earning suspicion would be in a tavern he spotted. The 'Stubborn Piggy' as it was called was in a rather odd location but it seemed to have some popularity with the locals, so the general decided to pop in for a visit. Besides, he could do with a drink inside him after all that had happened. It would definitely help to calm his nerves. The tavern was full of people and were quite an unusual looking group. Among the patrons there were a few Cornerian ex-pilots that Peppy recognized (but decided not to approach lest he break his cover), a gruff looking group of humans - one of them with an Orange Star tattoo, indicating that they had likely been soldiers. Several more were Hylians. In one corner of the bat sat an unusual swordsman and an adventurer engaged in a serious conversation. Peppy himself took a seat by himself at the bar. Before he could place an order, he suddenly saw another person enter out of the corner of his eye. Luigi entered the tavern. At the current moment, he wore a plain bowler hat and nondescript clothing consisting of a white T-shirt and blue jeans. However, he wore a green bandana around his neck, feeling the need for something green. This was the outfit he usually wore when he was out and about in the various towns. No one really seemed to recognize him, but he had a tendency to be overlooked anyway, so that worked to his advantage. He originally wasn't much for strong drink, but with the changes that had happened over the years, a little went a long way. He sat down at the bar, a few chairs away from another man who had been sitting there. He didn't even look up when the bartender came up to him. "Beer, please," Luigi said. "And make it snappy." The bartender, without any reply, went over to the other man seated at the bar. He then turned to the mustached fellow. "Place sure is hopping today, eh?" Looks like the other guy wanted to talk to him. Hmm. Should he? Oh what the hell. Luigi went over to sit next to him. "Yeah," Luigi answered. "Everyone's getting ready for Perfection Day. Big thing around here." He did not want to reveal his true sentiments about this day to this fellow. He could be a SSA agent and Luigi would get busted. No. Keep things cordial, yes? This wasn't the first time Peppy had heard about Perfection Day. He had first heard of it from Dedede. It was described as the day that the rest of the worlds were destroyed. Thinking back, he also remembered hearing it from the newscasters. The champion from Saffron had mentioned it and so had Tony as well. Had the anniversary of the extinction of the rest of existence really become a holiday and festival to celebrate? Peppy grunted in disgust. "To think that people would celebrate something like that. It's disgusting." As his drink was delivered, he took one long drink before bringing the glass down empty. If his daughter was around, she would likely have chided him for drinking it so fast. But she wasn't around and technically he'd been dry for five years. He sighed, and took a drink. His glass was half-empty by the time he finished. "You don't seem to be from around here," Luigi murmured. "Who are you?" For a moment, Peppy was about to introduce himself as another alias. Then something held him back. It was the uncanny fact that no matter what happened, somehow people figured out who he was anyways. Everyone was always so damn suspicious. Chances are, even with his real name, this fellow wouldn't believe who he was. "Name's Peppy. You?" "Peppy..." Luigi murmured. "I remember you. I remember how you disappeared... I'm Luigi. Do you... remember me?" Somehow, Luigi felt he could trust this man. Or was it the crazy powers that were left behind in him telling him that? The power within him seemed to disagree, though. "I'm sorry," Luigi apologized. "I got you mixed up with someone else. You just happened to share the same name as him, and I assumed wrong." Dangerous thing, to assume in this world. He could be someone unwanted in disguise, hoping to oust him. Luigi would have to be very careful now. He got up, and motioned for Peppy to follow. Luigi had a "house" in the city, but he didn't call it "home". It was just a place to crash while he was here. But he could at least offer it to this old man for a short while. If anything, he had not forgotten about being good to his elders. Luigi led him in. It was a sparse room. Half of it was bare, but the other half radiated warmth. There was even a fireplace by the far wall, with couches and armchairs for comfort. There was even a plush rug near the fireplace, though not too close--Luigi was at least smart enough not to put a rug too close to a fire. "Here it is," Luigi said. "You can have the couch if you want." He went ahead and took a seat in one of the armchairs. "You said your name was Luigi, right?" "Yeah, I'm Luigi," Luigi answered. "Why are you bringing that up?" "Just recalling the old days," Peppy replied. "You served with Commander Max, no?" "Yeah," Luigi said. He paused. "So you ARE that Peppy, then!" "I'm with a resistance faction. We're resisting the forces of the SSA, and what I do is go bait the SSA, and then disappear somewhere. They don't know who I am, and it confuses them." Hopefully Peppy would believe this. Luigi wondered if any of the others had mentioned him at all. It was quite unlikely, because in order to keep the resistance functioning, they had to keep minimal contact once outside the base. "Good to finally hear from you again. How did you end up here?" "I'm here in Hyrule... because of the ceremony. And no, I'm the only one here--at least, to my knowledge." He looked at Peppy curiously. "How did you end up here?" The question of course was why Luigi would even want to come to a ceremony like this. If it was up to Peppy, he'd be putting as much distance as he could between himself and these nutjobs. Nonetheless, it piqued Peppy's interest. "What's your interest in the ceremony?" Then he looked directly at Peppy. "Though if I were my old self... I wouldn't be here. I'd probably be hiding in some kinda cave somewhere." "I don't like surprises," Peppy replied. However, he was in Hyrule. There was someone special about this city, after all. It all started here. The murder of Zelda. He still didn't know who was responsible for it. Which begged the question of why return to the past if he didn't even know what he had to stop? "This used to be Zelda's city," the hare said wistfully. "Did they ever catch her killer?" Ah yes, the Princess Zelda... such a beautiful, desperate woman... such a shame she was killed. The alliance fell apart after that and everyone had fled, with the SSA and the Creeper taking people out one by one... He still didn't approve of the methods used to eliminate the Creeper... Luigi shook his head, almost in shame. "It was Max... the man I had served under. He had an accomplice, Andy... It was all made quite public. So sad, really..." Peppy blinked. The Orange Star commander may have been a bit hotheaded, but he never would have figured the man to be capable of murder. "You're joshing me, right?" the general asked incredulously. "Commander Max? Really?" "I'd like to find out more," Peppy said at last. "Is there any way of getting into the castle to investigate?" "It's... really easy to get into, actually. I wouldn't want to waltz into there through the front door, though. There might be a side door we could go into." "Then we'll do that," Peppy replied. "If you're willing to come along, that is." He realized of course that the other man hadn't quite agreed to doing anything just yet. It was best not to assume he would get any help just yet. "The festivities are tomorrow, right? If you don't mind, I'd like to wait until daybreak... I've had a long day." "Yeah, I'm going with you," Luigi replied. "And yes the festivities are tomorrow. I wasn't planning on doing anything major until tomorrow, anyway." "Tomorrow it is then." Luigi nodded in response. --- The next morning arrived without incident. Peppy ate his own rations and shared what he had with his two Pokemon companions. He was no expert on their dietary habits, but they would have to be content eating the same kind of food he'd had. It may not have been the most tasty food, but it was sustainable and rich in vitamins - which likely accounted for the terrible flavor. When he heard Luigi approaching, he recalled the two Pokemon. There was no need to bring them into this situation just yet, there were other more important things to attend to. "Good Morning," Peppy greeted, not having yet got a chance to look at him. "Good morning. Sleep well?" Luigi asked. "Shall we go?" Making their way through the city undetected was no difficult feat. After all, there were more people present than usual, so who was going to notice a Cornerian and human making their way to the castle? Even the castle gates were open, as the local Enforcer didn't tend to be too strict about the castle grounds. It was just getting into the castle that was the problem. While Peppy waited for his new ally to figure out their method of entrance, he took a look around the grounds and got a good eyeful of the castle. "Hyrule Castle... now I wished I'd visited it during her glory days," Peppy said wistfully. "I imagine it looked much better without all those tacky banners everywhere." "Hyrule Castle was a wonderful place to be five years ago," Luigi answered automatically, even if Peppy wasn't expecting it. "It was beautiful. Too bad that moronic Enforcer had to put all these stupid banners on it." They reached the door that would lead to the prisons. Luigi opened the door--it wasn't locked--and went in. Upon entering the room, there was a pipe on the far wall that would easily accomodate someone if they were crawling through it--provided they weren't too big. Other than that, there was a drain under the pipe to catch the waterflow. "The secret entrance itself is actually a pipe for the waterflow--I don't know why there would need to be one so big, but it serves our purpose." Going through this pipe would be like being back in the Mushroom Kingdom for him. Oh, going through pipes! "Ah. Back in the sewers... how lovely," Peppy replied without any enthusiasm. He'd already done this routine once when entering Tetra's 'safe house' as well as his visit to Nayru. He began to wonder if maybe Hylians and sewers just went hand in hand with one another. "I just wish I'd wore my other trousers." Nevertheless, the Cornerian peered cautiously into the pipe. There was no way of telling what was on the other side... at least not at his size. He quickly reached into one of his pockets and retrieved one of the Pokeballs. Granted, he never knew which is which, but it didn't really matter. After pressing the button on the ball, the familiar form of the blue Azelf appeared. The trouble maker. Swell. "Now then... check down that pipes... make sure it's clear. Got it?" Even though they didn't talk, Peppy was fairly sure they understood him, even if they acted like they didn't at times. This one in particular had spoke through him with Mia, so certainly it had to able to understand him. In this case it apparently did, as the Azelf quickly dashed down the pipe and returned a minute with a blank look on its face. "Well?" The Pokemon did nothing. Peppy sighed and returned the Pokemon and glanced over at Luigi. "I suppose that's the all clear. After you, by all means." Oh, going through this pipe even brought tears to his eyes. He hadn't gone through a pipe in a very long time... Eventually they reached a dungeon area. Luigi looked left and right, up and down, before heading to a staircase going up down the far hall. This fellow seems to enjoy this far too much, Peppy through silently to himself in private amusement at his antics. Once they had stopped at the staircase leading up, Peppy decided he might as well make sure they knew where they were going. "Once upstairs, where do we go?" Peppy asked. He wasn't sure if Zelda had been assassinated in the throne room, her private quarters, or actually if it was even in the castle at all. Of course, there was also the issue of the Enforcer. Peppy already had the honor meeting three of them, he wasn't anxious to make it four. Oddly, the dungeon halls seemed devoid of prison guards. It also seemed devoid of prisoners... did the Hyrulian Enforcer execute his prisoners!? Luigi was curious, but that was not what he was here for. A library? In a place like this, reading would largely be done by natural light. Which meant that a library would be most practical on the western end of the castle, where reading could be done largely in the evening at a more leisurely pace after the day's activities had been largely concluded. With that in mind, he took the lead as they went through the corridors on their way to the library. For presumably being the domain of the Enforcer, the grounds were oddly empty, save for the occasional heavily armored knight who seemed a bit too thick to notice them. Sometime later, in the library, the two spent a short time pouring through the books. Eventually Peppy found what he was looking for. An old newspaper clipping that described the event. The Hylian Times. "... Princess Zelda, 22, was found dead yesterday at 11:45 AM in her private chambers after she had failed to make her earlier appointments. Estimated time of death was shortly after midnight earlier that day. Investigations have begun on possible suspects. Cause of death determined to be blunt force trauma. Major General Max Wilson is currently leading the investigation, but has refused to speak to the press until further information becomes available..." The article continued with some more useless details after that. Unfortunately there were no further news from the days afterwards that would be useful for them. Yet he already had something extremely invaluable. The cause of Zelda's death with date and time. He carefully folded the newspaper clipping in a place he wouldn't soon lose it. This piece of paper was going to save the future. "I think that's all I'll need," Peppy said. "I doubt we'll find any five year old clues better than this. We should get out of here." Just as Luigi was about to crawl into the pipe, a hand grabbed his shoulder. "Just a minute," a voice said. Luigi turned around. It was a Darknut guard. "You'll have to come with me." Oh crap. There was no way Luigi was going to fight in here and risk having his cover blown. He decided instead to go peacefully with the guard. Luigi sighed. "All right, then. Take me to your leader!" ---- Mr. Scaredy Cat...Rupeeless Monster Man...Bad Fairy Bad Fairy... The throne of Hyrule Castle was decked out in the same fanciful banners and streamers as the rest of the city, though they were hardly the brightest thing in the room. Rupees, every shape, every color, every size, were piled far and high in every corner, against every wall, leaving only a two meter path with which to enter the room and walk to the throne. Even the path had a trove of rupees set in the middle of it, forking it off in both directions before merging on the other side. As a result, the throne itself couldn't be seen from the entrance. A constant rain of confetti poured from the ceiling, where two wire grates had been placed on top of each other and slid back and forth to sift the little multicolored papers down, powered by an old steam engine hidden away in a different room. What was left of the floor was covered with the stuff; the rupees made it difficult to clean away (there was rarely anyone around to do so anyway), so it was more than ankle-deep. The throne itself, revealed upon rounding the obstruction that hid it, was not the giant, gold-plated chair one expected, but nothing more than a large ceramic toilet--thankfully never in use, as its owner had long shed the need for such actions as the relief of his bowels. It was presently inhabited by a mangy, rabid, brown-furred Wolfos that had been unhappily crammed into a pair of green and red tights, including a pointed hood of the same material. Crouching behind the chair, as if trying to hide, was a behemoth suit of green, plated armor; though the wearer's face and midsection were hidden, both left and right sides of his suit stuck out rather obviously. As if in recognition of this fact, a voice, cracking back and forth between a high and slightly higher pitch, shouted as the guard and guest approached, "Pay no attention to the man behind the plumbing!" The sight that welcomed Luigi was really creepy. Rupees were everywhere and the room seemed like it would be a happy place. Except Luigi knew this wasn't--this was the throne room of Hyrule Castle, where the Enforcer lived. Who the hell was the Enforcer, anyway? No one had been able to get any intel on him, really... either that or no one really cared. After all, there had been no soldiers wandering the castle... Luigi, upon hearing the voice, knew that when someone said not to pay attention to them, that they should be paid attention to more. Luigi tucked that thought into the back of his mind and "pretended" to see that the Enforcer was the Wolfos that sat on the toilet. "Your Eminence!" the guard accompanying Luigi cried out. "We captured this man hanging out near the castle's plumbing. What should I do with him?" Once the guard had left, trailing confetti into the next hall and stirring that which remained with the slam of the doors, the armor shifted again until it was standing upright, towering above its throne. The Enforcer stepped around the porcelain perch and sharply slapped the Wolfos off of it into one of the mountains of gems. He sat down carefully and propped up his wide chin with a fist, resting the elbow on the accompanying thigh. His favorite pose: Mr. Thinker. After settling himself, the sound of his shifting body plates echoing away, he went silent. He stared, focusing on the mustachioed man's neck wear. Eyes twinkling, dimples pronounced, he smiled the smile of the Tingle he was. Fake. Hell no... this guy had better not be the Enforcer! In that case... Luigi's heard things about him. Used to be called Tingle, he had heard that he was a coward and only joined the Subspace Army to save his own skin. How this guy became an Enforcer was beyond anyone's knowledge. "Are you the Enforcer?" Luigi asked anyway. He knew the man before him well. He knew them all, remembered all of the journal people...all of them his friends...whether they actually knew it or not. He kept telling himself that, anyway. It used to be easy, being locked up in his own fantasy, being everyone's friend. It wasn't anymore. The tights--those magical, wonderful, oh-so-comfortable tights--they had helped. The armor, though, was big and clunky and he couldn't even take it off, couldn't even tell where he was within it...if he was even within it at all. That was just part of it. The real determining factor, he had decided, was that ever since his journal had gone blank, ever since he had become a stupid, ugly, washed-up, pathetic, grimy, no good, loser of a hero and shortly after Enforcer, he hadn't spoken to a single one of his "friends." No one spoke to him, except the guards who he didn't even like because they just shouted and pushed and asked boring questions, which was why he made Barkle II the Second, Jr. (not nearly as nice or care-about-able as the original) do all the talking. Well, and the voices talked to him too. They were mean, sure, calling him a chicken, a weakling, a monster...but at least they were somebody. He buried his disappointment in Rupees, buried it in confetti and banners and all the little frills of his old life...but it still hurt. All of that...was until now, anyway. His enthusiasm was as slow to rebuild as his gait, but as he stared at Mr. Green 'Stache he could feel the fireworks popping in his brain. He had a friend again. A really real friend. There were so many things to do, so many games to play and maps to color and adventures to partake of, he couldn't decide where to start. He shifted in his seat, sitting up straight and slapping his gauntlets on their respective thigh guards. "Oooooh, what should we play first?" Play? Was this Tingle's sick idea of doling out punishment? No wonder no one wanted to be caught by him... But Luigi would play along. He would try to figure out what Tingle was like these days... and get as much information from him as possible to report back to the head of the resistance. "I don't know, Tingle..." Luigi said. "You play so many games... how about we play the one you like the best?" And instantly, Luigi regretted saying that. Now he was at Tingle's mercy. Almost sweating with the exertion of decision, Tingle defaulted to a classic. "Hammer Tag!" But...they didn't have any hammers. After mulling a bit on that little dilemma, he grabbed the sword buckled to his side and drew it, holding it dramatically against the sparkling of the room's primary occupants. "Hammer Tag...with swords!" "How do you play?" Luigi asked. Then he lied. "I... just need a refresher." Luigi promptly ran for the door, sword in hand. Mr. Good Fairy would know. Tingle grasped his sword by the blade and held up the handle to his face, staring at it, waiting for it to answer his unbidden thoughts, knowing it would-- Oh, who was he kidding? Mr. Good Fairy never talked anymore either. He grabbed the sword by the handle again and flipped it into the air, then stepped away as it came back to earth with a clatter. The blade pointed down the hall on his left, so he picked it back up and "skipped" that way. He made his way down to one of the corridors of the castle. He looked around while trying to listen for the gigantic armored Tingle. Hyrule Castle... Tingle had left much of it alone. Aside from the confetti and ribbons, it was pretty nice. It was nice to know that Hyrule still maintained its majesty from the last time he had seen it... He practiced his tagging on a few things along the way: some ugly potted plants, a few chairs, maybe a torch mount or two. His "pounding" was as accurate as ever. As for his seeking... He spun around and strode back the way he had come, sniffing the air. Mushrooms...cannoli...bean-flavored drinks...even the distinct odor of a vacuum, one of those magical devices he had learned of in recent years. Ugh! Stupid Mr. Good Fairy! He'd sent him the wrong way the whole time! On a sudden urge, Luigi ran into a nearby room. This one, for some reason, had something he could play music with. It was... a boombox! He hadn't seen one of these since he left the Real World! Fortunately it was rather smallish so he could carry it. This was going to be worth it. He took out a CD. This machine looked like it could play CDs. He put the CD in and set it to track 7 and then set that to repeat. The music began to play. We're no strangers to love~ / You know the rules and so do I Luigi had to be ready to take this boombox out in case Tingle showed up. Granted, Tingle was going to find him anyway with this music on, so what the heck? Luigi ran out of the room and ran down a hall, the music playing. A full commitment's what I'm thinking of / You wouldn't get this from any other guy So. Beautiful. Tingle slowed as the music hit his ears. He...he had no idea Mr. Green 'Stache was so talented! Curse his clunky feet! He couldn't hear! But no...this was a trick. Tingle would just have to find a way to walk and listen. Butter! That was it! If he smeared butter all over his soles, he could listen to that soulful music no problem! He tiptoed his way to the kitchen. I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling / Gotta make you understand Luigi walked through the halls. The close proximity of the boombox to his person didn't allow for him to hear when Tingle would be close. He slowed down some. Kitchen...kitchen... All these doors looked the same, and he was sure he had looked into some rooms twice already. The next room that Tingle peered into wasn't the kitchen either, so he took his blade and tore a hole in the door. There. At least that enticing little melody was getting louder as he went. "Wait Mr. Green 'Stache!" he shouted. "Come back! You can tell Tingle! I'll understand!" Never gonna give you up / Never gonna let you down He heard a faint sound. It had to be Tingle, so he increased his pace. He ended up in this grand room with chandeliers attached to the ceiling. The song seemed to echo here. It was here that he would rest... for now. Luigi put himself into the very center of the room. Never gonna run around and desert you He ran past one door, then skid to a stop and turned around. Loud to quiet...there he was! He snuck back, sword at the ready, whispering to himself to tag gently so the singing could continue, grabbed the knob and creaked the door open. "Gonna...get'cha!" Never gonna make you cry / Never gonna say goodbye Luigi was circling around when he saw one of the doors creak open. He waited some more. Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you ----- Peppy cursed under his breath as he saw his new comrade get taken away. He knew better than to rush in after him, but all the same... he'd already left Tony behind after the incident with the two Pokemon. If he was going to find a way to get Luigi out of there, it wouldn't be by sticking around. If there was even a chance, he was going to need help. He wasn't going to find any in the castle, so he grudgingly kept his cool until the knight had taken off with Tingle. When it was safe, he proceeded through the pipe to the other side. When he was back on the outside, he gave the castle a long hard look. I'm getting too old for this. There weren't a lot of options for him at the moment. Where exactly do you find friends in this kind of world? He had the newspaper article, that meant he could change the future. Luigi's situation might be pitiable, but he could fix it all when he went back in time. He just had to find the last of the three spirits. Once he was back on the streets, plodding through the alleyways as he had before, he released Mesprit. He hadn't quite taken a shining to Azelf and left that one alone. "... well, it's back to finding your friends. Where to?" Peppy asked. The Pokemon fixed him a blank stare, then start flitting away. The old hare kept us as fast as he could through the different streets and crossways, but was surprised to find himself back at the same bar he had been at the day before. The Mesprit merely floated beside the door, seeming to indicate that what they were looking for was inside. Stupid! No wonder they brought me here, the last one must've been here last night. Looks like I followed the wrong fellow. Undeterred, Peppy returned Mesprit to its Pokeball and entered the bar. Now there was the question of determining who he had seen the night before and was at the bar again. Quite exhausted from his early escapade and still just a bit damp, he saw down at one of the tables and carefully examined the patrons for any hints of being a trainer. In the worst case scenario, he'd just have to steal away the last spirit. As it happened, at the bar there sat a man who was also examining the patrons of the establishment from his seat, though he was just being prudent rather than on any mission to find a special something on the belts of any one of them. A tan-skinned fellow of about thirty, he didn't seem to have any particular interest in Peppy, scanning him with the rest of the people and moving his eyes back to his drink, which he didn't seem to have touched yet. His hair was cut short and uneven in places, and had been bleached blonde. He was dressed in a festive yellow and blue sleeveless tunic, with some denim jeans that had no place near any self-respecting tunic, hiking boots, and a blue scarf. A bag was slung over his shoulder and sat at his waist, and upon his back several swords of different sizes were strapped. A chipper little song sounded from the man's jeans pocket and after a second he pulled a phone. He let out a chuckle. "I wish I could've seen Minchlax spank him over bended knee, I really do," he said into the phone, frowning after a moment. "Wouldn't you be? Come on. That sort of shit happens in Grampa Totodile's place, not hers. Give her a break." The man glanced across the bar, taking special note of Peppy this time. "Hey, you said Hal was having trouble with... who, again?" There was a pause as he listened to the caller. "Right, right. Disappeared? Sounds like he'll be late to the party, then. Heheh," he snorted. Glancing at Peppy one last time, he proceeded to wrap up his conversation. "Me? No. ... No. Just Clefairy. Well, it's quiet so far, but it looks like it's almost party time. Yeah? Okay then. Thanks for the call as always. Later." Putting the phone back in his pocket, the man wasted no time in standing up, still without touching his drink, and walking across the room. "Happy Perfection Day, friends!" he chirped with a silly grin before slapping Peppy on the shoulder seemingly at random, donning a Keaton mask from within his satchel, and heading out the door. The old hare wasted no time and as he stepped out the bar door, reading his blaster and took advantage of his padded feet to catch up to the man without being loud about it. Once he was close enough, he held the blaster at the man's back. "Alright then. Turn around, son... and take the mask off." He turned around, his hands up in a sign of surrender. "You want to see my handsome face, huh? Okay," the man agreed, putting a hand to the mask, "but I think you should understand before we go any further that I'm strictly a fan of your handiwork." "Is that so?" Peppy asked suspiciously, keeping his gun leveled at the unusual man. "And which 'friend' tipped you off? Was it Volkner... maybe Dimentio or Sylux? Or perhaps one of the oh so wonderful Enforcers I've had the pleasure of meeting. Am I close?" The man nodded at a banner that was hung above them. "You know how people celebrate this holiday, old man? Some people pretend to have fun. The sick ones actually do have fun. Some commit suicide," he explained casually, his smile fading away. "But they don't mug people in alleyways. Put away that gun before Enforcer Clefairy's goon squad starts asking questions. Seriously." The general hesitated for the moment, then put the gun away. As odd as this man was, he didn't seem too hostile. "Are any of these code names supposed to mean anything to me?" Had he know anything about Pokemon, the names would have had more meaning to him. They apparently were references to the Enforcers as far as he could gather. Had Peppy's exploits really attracted that much attention already? "I've never celebrated the holiday myself," Peppy replied. "Wasn't planning on starting to." He put both arms down after Peppy put away his weapon and extended one hand to the hare. "I'm Alleyway Jack, and you?" After a second, he added, "Cottontail, you say? That is a wonderful name. It's great to meet you." "Likewise," Peppy said and took the man's hand. "However I have my own worries at the moment. Aside from some 'soul searching', if you will, I also have a friend to help. One of colorfully named friends has taken him... Mr. Clefairy, I would presume." "Clefairy's a bunch of nonsense. Full of swagger when no doubt he goes home to his bedroom mirror and cries because he wishes he could be the second coming of the goddamn Princess Zelda," Jack snorted. "But tell me, Cotton, what's more important to you right now? You wanna get your friend back or do you wanna continue doing whatever it was he was helping you to do?" Peppy paused for a moment. He almost answered to do what it was he had set out to do. Change the past, then his new friend would never be in danger. Yet it was that thinking... that was how Dawn thought. The ends justifies the means. But the ends weren't a sure thing. If he ever got stuck in this future for good, he wanted to do so with a clean conscience. "We already did what he was helping me do, Jack. But letting him stay captured... those aren't acceptable losses," Peppy answered. "I've got a duty to make sure 'Mr. L' gets out alive." He shot a friendly wink in Peppy's direction. "Not to worry, I just know which keyholes to listen at---not everyone knows what you've been up to. I'm sure the Enforcers will want to pin you down before long, but I doubt they'd start a panic on the public airwaves so soon, not without knowing what you're really up to, anyway." He nodded. "Mr. L's an occasional cohort of mine as well, so I'd be glad to help you spring him. Where'd he get nabbed, anyway?" "Before we go any further or I answer... I'd like to know how you know all this," Peppy insisted. "Aside from a few trusted companions, I haven't told any one person everything. How is it you've figured all of this out?" "Got to the point where I wasn't going to accomplish anything more than getting myself killed. So I had to change tactics a little. Faked my death and picked a new name, and here I am. Now I listen at doors instead of kicking them in. I gather information from the right people so I can help the right people when the chips are down. I have to constantly change what I look like and constantly keep moving, but it's a price I'm willing to pay." He looked at Peppy. "That work for you? I mean, obviously you're starting some kind of revolution or whatever yourself, so just know what you're getting into. They're gonna slap your face right next to Kong and McCloud on those posters if you keep at it, just like they did with me. But if you believe in what you're doing, then you know what you have to do---simple as that." The right people? He knew that Tabitha and Tony were well connected, but not so much the others he had met. However, the fact that he was causing a revolution caught him off guard. Peppy was a soldier at best, a mercenary at worst... a revolutionary was something he was not. If he was giving people the idea he would defeat the Subspace Army, that was well out of his ability. He could only hope to keep the person alive who might have a chance in doing so. "I suppose that will do, Peppy said. "I don't suppose you would know where Kong and McCloud are, would you?" Of course he wouldn't. He quickly changed the subject. "We got in through a sewer access. We were caught while we escaped." In truth, Alleyway Jack, despite his sources, didn't really know what Peppy's true objectives were. He'd only heard of a few recent run-ins between him and a few Enforcers. Perhaps the hare just enjoyed bothering a variety of them, and if that's all it was, that would be fine with him too. For the time being, though, Mr. L was the priority. "Ahh, sneaking around the castle, then. They'll probably still have him held in that area. Guess we'd better start over that direction." He put the Keaton mask back on and handed a matching mask to Peppy. "Put this on, Cottontail. We gotta look like senseless revelers, heheh." Leave it to Fox to remain off the grid so well. If Peppy wasn't so worried about him, he'd feel proud of Fox's resourcefulness. But there were more important matters at hand. Peppy slid the mask on and though he looked a bit ridiculous in it, at least on this day that was the point. "Let's do it then. Lead the way, Mr. Jack." "Find an open window or a service door, R.B.," the man told the rodent calmly. "Remember, sneaky, not cheeky. We don't want to be seen." The rat scampered off, and without hesitation, Jack led Peppy in a different direction, skipping out of where they'd been talking into a small crowd of people, heading all the while in the general direction of the castle. Peppy blinked. A Pokeball? The odds of finding someone like that in Hyrule... of course. It all made sense now. He had made contact with the wrong person all along. It wasn't Luigi he was supposed to find, but Jack here. While following his new companion, Peppy asked the all important question. "Jack... is that the only Pokemon you have?" "Looking to bind Dialga, my little fluffy friend?" Jack asked shrewdly after a moment. "You may find yourself in for a disappointment there, as I haven't heard of anyone actually seeing a Dialga in years... not since before I even got here, in fact." He stopped walking, glancing at Mesprit and Azelf and then to their current owner awaiting some kind of answer. "Five years to be exact," Peppy answered with a sly smirk creeping on his face. He was no longer surprised by the depth of Jack's knowledge at this point. "About the same time that I vanished... also before your time." He pocketed the two balls while Azelf and Mesprit focused their attention on Jack. Peppy continued: "Did you think I spent the last five years hiding under a rock?" He ripped his own mask off and looked intensely at Peppy. "You! You came here on Dialga?" he said, slapping his forehead. "So your little revolution was an accident! You've been looking for those two, am I right?" He cast a faux-casual-glance at the hare. "Tell me, Cotton... if you could wish upon a star, and that star granted you both Dialga and the means to bind it so you could, say, ride it back to where you sprang from... what might a guy like you do with that sort of gift?" This wasn't the first time Peppy had got a look at his new friend, but it was up close this time. He was a rather plain looking human all in all, blond haired and not very distinctive at all. In truth, Peppy had expected him to be a bit more mysterious. Nevertheless, the general took off his own mask and leveled his gaze at his comrade. "I'd say the answer is quite simple, friend." He reached into his pocket and handed the newspaper clipping over. "I have the date and time. I have the location. God willing, I'll stop this all where it began. But I can't do that without the last one of these three. They led me here to find their missing sibling. It's not just coincidence we ran into one another." Alleyway Jack glanced at the newspaper clipping. "Zelda..." he murmured, nodding after a second. "If there ever was a catalyst... I see." His ears perked up at something, then he leaned back down towards Peppy. "Let's say, hypothetically, that I might just know where the guy who has your missing Pokemon is. I'll show you to him once we spring Mr. L, but I gotta think about it. Time travel is dangerous. Heaven knows that the Timeless Siren is batshit insane these days. Maybe Dialga's a safer bet---" He was interrupted by the return of the large brown Raticate. "R.B., you found a way in? Let's go then." He indicated that this time they were to follow the Pokemon. Though Peppy suspected that his new friend held the Pokemon he was looking for, he decided not to push his luck. Demanding Azelf from that woman in New Pork City had been a truly bizarre experience. The mention of the Timeless Siren caught him by surprise, but he was getting used to that by now. He pocketed the clipping again, returned his Pokemon to their balls, and lowered his mask. "Very well then. Lead the way, Mr. Jack." "R.B., Hyper Fang," Jack ordered swiftly. The rat chomped through the padlock and the door swung lazily ajar before them. "Allrighty, you come back for now," he said, returning the Pokemon to its ball. He paused before stepping through the door. "This isn't how you got in before, is it? I don't want to fall into the same trap or anything." Peppy shook his head. "No, like I said... we came in through the sewers." Nevertheless, a simple padlock seemed a bit too easy. They had gone nearly undeterred during his last trip into the castle. Was this Enforcer so convinced of his own power that he didn't feel the need for guards? Peppy followed him inside. It was an empty hallway and nothing stood out. Yet it wasn't long before he heard heavy clanking armor. He pressed himself against the wall and moved on ahead of Jack. As had been the case with his other comrades, Peppy was far quieter about moving unheard. He shuffled along to the end of the wall, raised his mask, and took a look around. A large soldier, like the one he had seen before, was shuffling down the hallways with a massive broadsword. This one was a bit different. His armor was forest green and his head seemed to be just a little too small for the body it was on. "Should be him, Cotton," he whispered almost inaudibly. "Enforcer." He didn't yet see Mr. L, but clearly Tingle was in the middle of something. That's the Enforcer? Peppy was surprised, but then again they seemed to come in all shapes and sizes. Nevertheless, with all that heavy clanking... maybe Luigi was still on the move. In which case, he would be going the opposite direction the Enforcer was. Otherwise there was the possibility that the Enforcer was going to see the prisoner. "Do you think you can tail heavy armor there?" Peppy asked. "If I was Mr. L, I would be heading the other way. Nevertheless..." He nodded to Peppy and proceeded to follow Tingle alone. ---- No Mr. Green 'Stache, nowhere in sight. He was a tricky one. At least...Tingle hoped he was. He did run into the guard though, facing away and ignoring the usual sounds of its liege's rampaging, completely unsuspecting. As much as the Enforcer didn't like them, playing with two people was even more fun than playing with one. Raising the sword high overhead, he brought it down against the Darknut's exposed back. "Taaaaaaaaaaaag!" Ugly Mr. Nuts made some funny sounds. He didn't even turn around to take the sword and become it; how rude! Tingle tried imitating the sounds to make him see how stupid he was being, but the guard just ignored him and fell over onto his face. Tingle set the sword down next to him and watched for a minute, ready to run away as soon as the other got back up. Then he got bored and picked the sword back up. "Fiiiiiine. Don't play then, meanie." Alleyway Jack grimaced to himself as he watched the Darknut go down---so this was how Enforcer Tingle really spent his sick and twisted time: playing murder games. He hoped Mr. L had escaped harm thus far, but then again, Mr. L was a pretty slick character himself. He walked a little closer to the massive tin can. If he was going to give Cottontail time to actually find Mr. L, he supposed he'd have to actually occupy some of the Enforcer's time himself. Oh well! "Lose something, Clefairy?" he asked from behind Tingle. "Maybe a vial of glitter or a crayon?" He'd never heard that voice before... "Tingle lost his bestest friend ever," the tower of green replied as he turned. He only wished he could be a Clefairy... His eyes lit up at the sight of the man's mask. Maybe...maybe all the people in Hyrule finally wanted to be his friend. This one was surely only the first... "Ooh!" He dug into the crevices of his armor, scooping out bits of trapped confetti wherever he could find it, then threw it over the man. "A party goer! You're here to play Hammer Tag too, right? Hooray!" He readied himself in case the whole confetti-tossing-glee thing was a ruse. "Hammer Tag...with swords!" Tingle said. He put a hand on his cheek in embarrassment, though he smiled throughout. "Silly Tingle forgot to get hammers... "But let's play! Let's play! If it weren't for meanie Mr. Guard there, Tingle would have a full house!" He backed away from the Hylian, pushing Mr. Ugly Nuts's body aside as he did; if he wasn't going to play, he could at least stay out of the way. Rhyming, hooray! ♥ He stopped at the other end of the hall, now that his newest friend had a chance, slight as it was. He started running. "Tingle's...gonna...get'cha!" Tingle was already running towards him, so he had to act fast. No time to transform yet, so best to play dirty in another fashion. "Thundara!" he shouted, sending a flurry of lightning towards the giddy Enforcer. Jack bet that armor conducted electricity really well. Tingle ran straight into the bolt and flew straight back as it hit, shaking the castle as he landed. He pushed himself up, shivering. "Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-" He stopped and slapped himself to make the shaking stop, then tried again. "What are you doing, Little Foxy? Sowrds...and sparklies? Is...is that how you play Hammer Tag? But Tingle is "it", silly!" He got to his feet, shook himself for good measure, and struck a pose. "But we'll try again, hooray!" "Sparklies? That was lightning, genius." Alleyway Jack shook his head and debated transforming now. It was possible that the Enforcer's armor was resistant to magic. Best to see what he could dish out, first. Transforming was risky, especially in front of an Enforcer. Well, most Enforcers. In any case, Jack steeled himself waiting for Tingle's next attack. Tingle started his run again, though he was a bit slower this time. He couldn't grasp why this person had attacked when he was supposed to run... Surely he knew the rules. Everyone in Hyrule did under his orders, to that and all his special games. They never played with him, but he liked to watch them playing from the roof sometimes. And the foxy person still wouldn't run away! Well, fine! If he wanted to be "it" so bad...! Within two meters of the reveler, Tingle thrust his blade down at the man's head. "F-Fire!" Jack sputtered, aiming the spell the only place he readily could at the moment: Tingle's armpit. As the stalemate broke, he stumbled backwards. Tingle jumped away and dropped his sword, waving at and blowing on the flames in his underarm. The armor stopped any of it from getting far, but it was still hot and it hurt...and not just physically. He was getting a very bad feeling about what this person was really playing... "S-stop it!" he sputtered, glaring down at his guest. "Tingle doesn't like your rules! They hurt! Please just play by my rules. N-nobody ever got hurt from a little bonk from a hammer!" When the fire had been put out, he stooped down and picked up his sword. "So...so if you want to be "it" so bad...go ahead!" He lumbered past him and down the hall, still unaware of its other occupants. "Catch me, catch me! Tee hee hee!" As Tingle stormed past and insisted that Jack be 'it', it became clear that yes, he was that dim. Crap, Cotton was back in that direction, that wouldn't do at all. "Yo, Clefairy, wait!" he called. "I can't be 'it' if you didn't actually tag me yet... get back here!" He hoped he would live to regret the request. Tingle considered the words as he ran. Killed, hmm? Oh...oh well. He really hadn't liked that guard anyway. And besides, he hadn't lied. Nobody ever got hurt from a little bonk from a hammer... He slid to a halt and looked back. When he was sure he could afford it, he took a few steps forward. "You...you mean it this time? You'll play right?" A few steps more, then a wary pause. "You're not trying to trick Tingle, are you?" With that, he dashed off in the direction Tingle had been going before he'd approached, hoping Mr. L wasn't around any nearby corners. Tingle gaped in pleasant surprise. He couldn't believe he had just fallen for all of that! Tricky, tricky people. But if he thought he was going to win... As Tingle gave chase, he reached to the gauntlet on his sword arm and found a chain snuggled within. He tugged it out a little ways and hooked it to the handle of his blade, securing the weapon to his palm. Now he could be as fancy as he wanted. For starters, he tilted back on the rounded heels of his metal boots and made a heavy swing with the sword. The momentum made him spin, and he picked up speed by continuing to swing until he was buzzing after the foxy face like a top. Fleeing around a corner, he found himself facing another guard, one of those "Darknuts" again. Rolling between the guard's legs, he took a cue from Tingle and slashed the Darknut from behind. The guard emitted a moan and stumbled forward. Jack got to his feet as quickly as he could. The Enforcer would be spinning around that corner any minute now, but at least now there was an obstacle between him and his quarry. Tingle angled around the corner as well, scraping against and bouncing off the walls as he went. He couldn't focus on what was in front of him...or really, anywhere around him, but he thought he saw a blur up ahead. It must have been the party goer. The sword swung into his side and sent him crashing into the wall, though he had been heavy enough to turn Tingle's spin into a delicate wobble, which ended as he slammed into the opposite wall face first. Tingle pulled himself away and looked over, pouting over the fact that it had just been another dummy guard. He looked over at his opponent as he shook away the dizziness. For saying that he wasn't trying to trick Tingle, the man was being awfully tricky... Tingle started to run at him again, though it turned into an inebriated stumble and he rammed into the wall again...and again...and again. It would be best, he thought with a nod, to end things now and leave Tingle with some misplaced idea that would keep him out of everyone's hair. "Oh man, you tagged me!" Jack called amidst the wall-ramming. "Guess you better split before I tag you back!" With that, he cast Teleport and vanished from the castle grounds, hoping he'd given Cottontail and L the time they needed. Tingle steadied himself on a wall. He'd...he'd finally tagged him. Had he? He must have. Time to run, time to hide. He tumbled forward; the reveler wasn't in his path, probably sneaking up from behind. He ducked into the first door, which was nothing more than a little storage room. He was barely able to fit inside. He slid the door shut, and plunged himself into darkness. Somewhere...somewhere deep down inside, he knew what was really happening. So...so stupid. The voices were right. He was stupid, he was a coward, all he ever wanted to do was pretend. He dragged his knees up to eye level and cuddled the cold steel to his face. Why...why was that so bad? He'd show them. Everyone. He could be happy, no matter what. He was a Tingle...he was the Tingle. The biggest celebration of the year was on its way, and he was crying? Crying?! Not Tingle! No, he giggled! Giggled and chuckled and said the magic words and waited for the fox face or Mr. Green 'Stache to find him. Who knew how long it would take them? Who cared? He would be happy. ----- Peppy remained motionless as he watched Jack head off after the armored Enforcer. When the coast was clear, he ran silently across the open court hall until he reached another corridor. Chances were, Luigi would be hiding in a room of some sort. He would just have to hope one of them would be relatively close. Given how long it had been since he had gone to find help, the plumber could be pretty well holed up by now. Hopefully he'd be in a spot he could see the general coming or this would all end in tears. After inspecting a few other rooms, Peppy finally entered the kitchen area of the castle. There wasn't any signs of anyone inside at the time, though clearly it got used by someone. While checking the various nooks and crannies in the room, he grabbed a few bits of food here and there and stuffed them into his large pockets. Waste not, want not. Nearby the kitchen, Luigi was pacing. He had managed to elude the Enforcer. Then he heard someone in the kitchen. Could it be Tingle? Luigi slowly made his way to the kitchen door and peered inside. He couldn't see the figure well, but it didn't look like Tingle. Either way, he opened the door quietly and snuck in. The sound of the door opening didn't go unheard. Peppy immediately turned and whipped out his blaster at the intruder. However he quickly saw that it was Luigi. "There you are!" "Whoa! Hey now!" Luigi cried out when the blaster was pointed at him. This had to be one of Tingle's goons. Just look at the mask he's wearing! "Look, maybe we can discuss this..." Luigi said, trying to discourage this goon's efforts to bring him in. Though momentarily confused, Peppy quickly realized what Luigi was talking about. He slid the mask up over his head. "It's me. We're busting out of here," Peppy said. "Are you injured? What the hell did he do with you?" He recognized the face uncovered by the mask, and it was not a goon of Tingle's. "Oh! Peppy!" Luigi cried out. "I'm glad to see you again! Thanks for coming to rescue me!" Although... it should've been Luigi doing the saving... "I'm fine. Tingle just decided he wanted to play 'hammer tag'... with swords. I managed to elude him. You alone or did you bring anyone? Gotta make sure they get out too." "I have a fellow named Jack with us. He's going to meet us on the outside," Peppy replied. He didn't question the implications of what 'hammer tag' even meant. This world was far too strange to question certain things. He lowered the mask over his face and exited the kitchen to head back the way he came in. "Follow me." Jack... why was that name so familiar? Luigi nodded and moved to follow Peppy. Jack's distraction managed to pay off. As Peppy moved back into the main hallway, there wasn't a guard in sight. Conscious anyways, it looked like one of those heavy soldiers had been knocked out. After double checking to see that everything was all clear, he beckoned Luigi to follow him across to another corridor. After locating the service entrance they used before, Peppy and Luigi were at last back out in the open. Just as they did though, there was suddenly a huge explosion overhead. Luigi looked up. It looked to be fireworks... could it be? Luigi could only look, not wanting to speak. Once they were a fair distance from the castle, Peppy led Luigi back to the alley where he had spoke with Jack at. "That was a little too easy," Peppy said. Of course, such a thing would meant that they were bound for more trouble. Fortunately life wasn't like it was in stories. Luigi frowned. Easy? Not when he was being chased (and although he had to admit, it was a bit fun playing that song) by the Enforcer... who didn't really seem all that intimidating. It was all looks. "You're probably right, but at the same time, I don't think there's much else than that," Luigi replied. "The Enforcer... doesn't really seem to like being one. That's what I got, at least." Luigi held out his hand... and smiled. "I hope you find your way." Luigi shook Peppy's hand. "Good luck in your travels." "Oh, you made it out," he said, relieved. "Where's Mr. L?" He removed the Keaton Mask again and eyed the hare thoughtfully. "I suppose you'll be wanting my help with the next step of your journey, then, like I mentioned before." "If you would," Peppy replied. "If you know where the last one is, that is." From the ball a creature similar to Azelf and Mesprit sprang forth, flitting about. It was a pale blue, had a red gem on its forehead, and had a yellow crest to its head, as well as two tails. Its eyes were closed. "This is Uxie," said Jack, "Special, of course, in that when it buddies around with the other two it can bind Dialga---but also special in that it is the source of all Pokemon knowledge in its original world. He's the reason I know so much about them, to be honest. I got the gift of knowledge, so to speak..." Jack nodded glumly. "I'm not giving him to you lightly, but I think it'll be worth it. Just... be extra careful from now on. I don't know that many people know what those three are used for, but just in case, try to avoid getting caught, y'know?" "I understand, Jack. The two previous owners of Mesprit and Azelf... they felt the same way you did," Peppy said. He set a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You could come with me, you know." Jack shook his head with a smile. "The old life I led would've lent itself quite nicely to that, but I fear it's not to be, Cotton old boy." He gestured at the Pokemon before calling it back into its ball. "You can't tell just yet, but Uxie already knows his siblings are near... he knows he has to leave me, at least for now," the blond explained. "And don't get me wrong. I want to come along and help, but I think I'll be of far more use to you with my ear to the ground as usual." He paused a moment, then offered Uxie's pokeball to the pilot. And so Alleyway Jack slipped away before he had time to regret anything he'd done. In that respect he supposed some things hadn't changed. Discarding the mask, Peppy pulled his hat back out and tipped it back onto his head. Stuffing the new pokeball into his deep pockets, he began his trek out of the city. It began to rain. Even the Subspace Army couldn't prevent the weather from ruining their festivities. |