Earthbound is the property of Nintendo. No money is being made in the production of this fanfic. So you can get those government agents off my doorstep, Nintendo.
I got lucky in Saturn Valley. Sorta.
"No see boy, whiirrr ding! Would know if boy come, but no see, boing!"
"Really? Okay. Um, there haven't been any weird visions happening around Milky Well, has there?" I asked.
"Well? Magic circle? Pictures, yes. Boy like pig, boing!"
"Thanks." I walked away from the Mr. Saturn, cheering inwardly. It looked like things were going to get resolved a lot quicker than I expected. If the Mr. Saturns hadn't even seen Picky, there was a very good chance that he hadn't reached this place yet -- which meant that it would only be a matter of time before he showed.
Of course, since Saturn Valley wasn't exactly the most well-known place, there was also the possibility he'd miss it altogether . . .
Nah. It wasn't like it was a total mystery to the world, and if Picky had been able to follow rumors this far, he'd probably find this place soon enough. Now all I needed to do was sit back and relax, and maybe have some of that tripping coffee the Mr. Saturns made. Chances are by the time I snapped out of that, he'd be nearly here.
As I thought about how I would pass the time, my hand brushed the crystals in my pocket, and I paused. My mind wandered to the visions I'd seen at the past two My Sanctuaries, and what they all meant.
In the past, the visions I'd seen at the locations had merely been odd side effects of the songs, the cumulation of which resulted in my visit to Magicant, where the sum of my memories existed.
This time around, however, the visions had been different. They were far more extended, for one thing, and all seemed to revolve around the same topic -- namely, my memories of Pokey. Somewhere in my heart, I knew this was significant.
I tried to brush it aside. The last thing I really needed was more Pokey on my mind. The little jerk had nearly doomed the entire human race out of his greed; I shouldn't even be bothered with him. My quest was nearly over, at any rate -- the second Picky came, I could grab him and go.
Somehow, though, I couldn't let it go. If it wasn't significant, why was I seeing them? And why at the Sanctuaries?
I suddenly realized that in my musing, I had walked half the distance through the cave that would take me to the Milky Well. I stopped.
Turn back, my mind was screaming. You don't need to know. It's just Pokey. Screw him, right?
Well, darn my stupid feet for not listening.
I stood at the entrance to the clearing with the Milky Well and hesitated. Was this really a good idea?
I didn't hesitate for long, however. I knew the second I'd started walking here that I was going to do this. It was like watching a cartoon series on TV -- once you got a few episodes in, you had to watch more just to find out what was going to happen next.
I stepped through the opening. The song played . . .
"Keepaway! Keepaway!"
I'm rounding a corner in the school when the sounds hit my ears. When I turn the corner, I'm greeted by the sight of several boys throwing around a backpack. In the center of the circle, to be expected, is Pokey, jumping up and down and on the verge of tears. He's shouting at the other boys, threatening them with adult intervention, but they're not listening.
My friends look at me. "Come on, it's just Pokey. It's not worth getting involved in," they say. Part of me, remembering the insults from our first meeting, is inclined to listen to them. After all, a jerk like that probably did deserve having a few notches knocked off his ego.
The other part, however, is telling me that nobody, not even Pokey, deserves to be treated like nobody wants them.
I walk up to the boys despite the protests of my friends. "Yo."
The boys turn towards me, ready to snap, then stop and widen their eyes. "Oh crap, it's Ellis! Run for it!" They drop the backpack and run, leaving Pokey looking around wondering what happened.
My friends come up to me. "Geez, man, they just ran off! But man, why'd you even bother? It's POKEY," they say.
I shrug. "Hey, even being Pokey has to be better than being a bully, right?" I say, as we walk off, Pokey watching us as we leave.
The incident, however, fills me with a false sense of confidence -- which is a suiting set-up for what happens next.
I'm heading home. I can see Pokey way up ahead of me, but I know it's not worth talking to him. He'd just insult me if I did.
As we pass an alley, however, I'm suddenly grabbed from behind and pulled in. I struggle, but the sad truth is that I'm woefully weaker physically than my assailant.
The wind is soon knocked out of me anyway as a couple of punches suddenly connect with my midriff. I gasp in pain and bend over as much as I can, but I'm being held by my arms and can't bend far. My head is lifted, and I'm greeted by the ugly mug of the ringleader of the band which had been teasing Pokey earlier. His henchmen are surrounding us, looking just as malevolent.
"So, we meet again, eh, Ellis?" he says, sneering.
"Unfortunately," I wheeze. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to see that ugly face again." Definitely the wrong thing to say, as I'm suddenly kneed in the groin, and I see spots.
"I don't think you quite get the situation here, Ellis," the ringleader growls. "You picked the wrong guy to mess with your first day. Do you even know what I am?"
"Stupid?" I gasp. Another punch. Pain.
"Geez, look who's talking! I'm not the one insulting a high-ranking Shark member, now, am I?" he states. "You really are a moron, Ellis."
I manage to grin, somehow. "Shark? You look like a goldfish to me."
He looks livid with rage, but somehow manages to control himself. "Look, Ellis, I know you're new around here, so lemme explain something about how Onett works. The Sharks run Onett. You're in Onett. Therefore, you do as we say, or we knock the crap out of you, see?" he says, as calmly as he can.
"Sorry, my vision must suck, because all I see is a bunch of losers acting macho by beating up on second graders," I reply. I'm shaking inside, but I'm not about to let these guys see.
He loses it. "Okay, that does it. Guys, let's teach our friend Ellis here the rules of the school of Sharks."
The others grin menacingly and begin moving in. I shut my eyes and brace myself for what's coming.
Suddenly, I hear shouts. "Hey, they're beating up on Ness! Stop 'em!" The shouts are followed by the startled yelps of the gang members, and I suddenly feel my arms released. I open my eyes and am greeted to the sight of several of my classmates pelting the bullies with rocks and sticks. They follow them down the alley and watch as they run off. The ringleader stops briefly and looks back.
"You'll be sorry! You'll all be sorry!" he screams. Another hail of stones, and he's gone.
The crowd of kids rush back to me. A bevy of questions about my well-being are thrown at me, and I answer them as breezily as one who's just had the filling knocked out of him can. They offer to help me back home, but I refuse, assuring them I can make it. With some misgiving, they leave.
I pick up my backpack and begin limping my way home, when I hear somebody clearing their throat. I turn, and am surprised to see Pokey, standing awkwardly.
He doesn't seem to know where to begin, but finally, he speaks. "Ness, you're so lucky. You've only been here a few weeks, and you've got all these kids ready to help you out even against the Sharks. I . . . I envy you . . ."
He stops. Clearly, he's never acted humble a day in his life before. Finally, he starts again. "Me, I have no luck. You're the only one who even bothers to help me out . . ." He stops again, and doesn't continue -- he's too choked up.
I look towards him, still hunched over from the beating. "Pokey, sometimes you've gotta make your own luck, you know?" I wheeze. "With friends, the luck you have in making 'em comes from how hard you try to make 'em," I reply.
Pokey blinks. "But Ness --"
I put my hand up. "Look, Pokey, you seem kinda lonely. Stuck up, but lonely. So, today's your lucky day, if you choose so. How about we be friends? But you have to stop actin' like you're better than me, okay? That's not how friends work. How about it?"
I hold my hand out. He stares at it, as if unsure what to do with it. Finally, hesitantly, he grabs it. We shake. He grins.
"Well, okay, let's be friends forever, all right?"
. . . The vision was interrupted this time by a voice. "Nice to see you too, Ness. So were you just not able to read my handwriting, or did something about the words 'Don't follow me' not click in your head?"
I turned, startled. There was Picky, tapping his foot and staring at me.
"Picky!"
"Yeah. Hi. Start explaining."
Author's Notes:
Special thanks to D Marco, who not only gave me a valid point about timing, but also gave me a good direction to take this fic in. The flashback sequences were already pretty well laid out, but the present day sequences were still pretty vague save for the ending and the beginning. Like I explained before, it's a work in progress, and is ever evolving.
In case Pokey's change of heart doesn't make any sense (I mean, even I can see it's bizarre), let's put it this way: all your life, you're convinced everybody's an idiot because they won't help you or do what you say. Suddenly, you see somebody in the same situation, except he gets bailed out by people who normally wouldn't give you the time of day. Even POKEY would have to be humbled by that. Of course, hopefully y'all picked up on that anyway.
Hee hee. If you can't read the Mr. Saturn font, incidentally, the FF.net rendition is much more readable.