CHAPTER VII: Happy Happy Village
The bright sunlight stung his eyes. He looked around. Everything was blue. Blue houses, blue fences, even a blue cow! Ness nearly laughed, the town looked so ridiculous.
He decided to go about finding Paula, whoever SHE was. He wandered aimlessly around the town, the blue-clad townspeople eyeing him with frightful glares, some whispering "Evil One", or "Non-Blue". Ness felt very out of place.
Finally, he found a large blue courthouse. He opened the huge doors, and was greeted with the hardest sight on the eyes that there ever was. BLUE! Blue everywhere, cultists clad in blue robes and blue masks, chanting evenly: "Blue, blue, blue..."
Ness elbowed his way through the huge room to the other door at the far end. He was almost there, when an Insane Cultist trapped him against a wall.
"You...non-blueist! Don't go to Heaven!"
He lashed out with a blue-dipped paintbrush. Blue paint spattered on his face so hard, it hurt. Ness wiped the paint away, and attacked with a sharp kick. The Insane Cultist doubled over, and our hero attacked with a double-handed fist slam to the back of the head. While the Cultist was recovering, Ness slipped into the crowd.
Finally, he got to the doors, went in, went up a flight of stairs, and met the leader of the Happy-Happyists...
A tall man with blue hair stood on an altar. There was a large golden statue of a horned man holding a sword behind him. The man spoke.
"I am Carpainter! Who are you, who defiles my chambers?"
Before Ness could answer, Carpainter closed his eyes and smiled.
"Ah," he said. "You must be Ness...I have been expecting you..."
Ness' bat left the starched ring on his backpack. He assumed a defensive posture. "You know me?"
"Carpainter knows all...I don't suppose you would like to become my right-hand man, would you? I have seen your power in the clarity of the Mani Mani Statue!" He pointed at the statue behind him.
"Right hand man? Heck no!"
Carpainter chuckled. "If you don't want to be my right hand, my left will be just fine...just kidding!"
He whisked one hand out, palm pointed at Ness. "You made an awful mistake coming here!"
Lightning crashed from the four corners of the ceiling. All four bolts struck him. It didn't really hurt, but he couldn't see anything. Carpainter's voice rang out.
"Now, never come back again!!!"
When he came to, he was laid up against a blue fence next to the blue cow. The cow spoke to him.
"Yoooooooo must have done something to be punished by Carpainter,"
Ness chose to ignore the cow, and stood. There had to be something to lead him to Paula, or a way to defeat Carpainter. Ness hooked his bat back into the ring, and began his town-wide search.
As dusk settled on the sleepy burg of Happy Happy, Ness curled up against a rock wall at the north end of town, trying to sleep. In the darkness after, he suddenly heard a shuffling of feet. He followed it, and found a cave he hadn't noticed before. Suppressing his excitement, Ness curled into a ball, draping his sleeping bag around himself. He would need his strength for the next day.
Early the next day, Ness walked to the drugstore, and traded his T-Ball Bat for a Sandlot Bat. He then entered the unknown cave.
He followed the darkened path, using a ball of condensed PSI Energy to light the way. A few Spiteful Crows attacked him, but his strength had increased so much from when he was in Onett, that he took them down with no trouble at all.
Ness emerged into the daylight, and cast away the energy ball. There was a small cabin nearby, the same cabin he saw before on his trip through the valley. He opened the door, and went in.
Inside, there was a whole wall of jail bars. Behind those bars was a girl. Ness felt a shock at the back of his neck. She was familiar to him.
"Paula...?"
The girl turned towards him. She had long, blonde hair and deep blue eyes. She was wearing a pink traveling dress, and had a large leather purse next to her.
"Ness!" She called in a melodious alto.
Ness ran for the bars, his hands clutching at them. "Paula! Is it really you?"
She gripped the bars right above his hands. "Ness! I knew you'd come! I felt it when I first contacted you back in Onett!"
Ness jumped backwards, gathering his energy. "Stand back," He warned her. "I'll blow the bars apart!"
"No! Don't...!"
"PSI Rockin'!"
He threw his hands at the jail bars. The now-familiar red-and-blue energy surged from his fingertips. They struck the bars with a resounding crash. Smoke and chips of wood filled the room. When the smoke cleared, the bars were still there.
Ness rubbed the back of his head. "What the heck? Wasn't it supposed to blow up or something?"
Paula took her hands away from her eyes. "Those bars are empowered with the energies of the Mani Mani Statue, and the influence of Giygas!"
"Oh, great," Ness sighed. "Then how do we open the door?"
Paula slipped a small badge through the bars of the jail. "Here,"
The badge was blue and yellow, with a streak of lightning down the middle.
"What's this?"
"The Franklin Badge. Carpainter controls the lightning, and this badge reflects it. He won't be able to send you away, and you can fight him!"
Ness smiled widely, pinning the badge to the front of his shirt
"Now," Paula said with a smile. "Here's what we'll do..."
As he exited, he looked towards the cave. Standing there was a familiar shape. A wide shape, with golden hair, a turned up nose...a snotty laugh echoed.
"Pokey!"
Pokey laughed. "Been awhile, loser!"
"What are you doing here?"
"I've been exposed to Happy Happyism, Ness!" Pokey said, laughing at him with a superior attitude. "You are going to upset Mr. Carpainter's plans, aren't you?"
Ness whipped out his bat. "You bet I am!"
Two insane Cultists and a Coil Snake emerged from the bushes. Pokey pointed. "Get him, boys!"
Ness held his bat in one hand, and pointed the other. "PSI Hypnosis!"
The Coil Snake fell asleep. Ness dashed forth, and clubbed one Cultist at where he thought was the jaw. Without wasting any time, he pivoted, and struck the other with the Sandlot Bat's handle. He dashed after Pokey, but the fat little kid was too far ahead.
At dusk, a cloaked figure entered the town hall, shouldering aside all the cultists. He entered the door, and went up the stairs to confront Carpainter. The cloak covered all but the figure's eyes and hair. There was a red cap on his head.
Carpainter looked down on the cloaked person. "Ness," He said. "Have you reconsidered?"
"No."
The lightning instantly sizzled towards him. Ness threw his arms wide.
The light hit his chest, and he flew back. The shreds of his cloak flew everywhere. But he didn't vanish. Carpainter looked surprised when the lightning went right for him. He dodged aside.
Ness stood up. The Franklin Badge gleamed on his chest.
Carpainter sent the lightning again. Ness unpinned the Badge, and held it up. The lightning reflected off the badge, and struck its controller full in the face.
Carpainter flew back. Ness stood back as his attacker hit the ground.