CHAPTER III: Giant Step
Ness headed north on speedy legs, and soon arrived at the Touring Entertainer's Shack. After unlocking it, a couple of grateful touring entertainers rewarded him with a Travel Charm. He hung it around his neck, and went into the shack.
The place was a shambles. Books everywhere, the bookshelf overturned, the bed disheveled with springs poking through...and with one honking huge hole in the back. Just what he needed.
Ness slipped through the hole, and entered the cave behind it.
The inside was dark. Ness gathered his PSI Energy to form a ball of light, and trudged on. The cave was dreary.
A small mouse bolted out of the darkness, and bit his leg. He yelled, and smacked the thing. Another took its place. And another. And another. And another.
"Millions of Rowdy Mice!" he exclaimed.
The mice advanced.
Ness gathered his power again, and extended his hand.
"PSI Hypnosis!"
The light swung back and forth, slowly at first, then faster. The mice watched it with a strange fascination. The mouse closest to him dropped down, snoring loudly.
In seconds, the rest of the mice fell asleep, all of them going down with heavy-lidded eyes.
Ness grinned widely. I'm starting to get used to this, he thought. I think I'm getting better.
A few minutes later, he found a straight cliff face. A rope hung from the top. Ness grabbed it, and pulled himself up, his arms straining. After he made it up, he spent about five minutes getting his breath, and munching on a hamburger for energy.
About an hour and four cliff faces later, Ness came to a stark dead end. A strange lumine light streamed down from above. A rope descended from above.
Ness steeled himself. Maybe the monster was up at the top.
"Crud," He mumbled. "The moment of truth..."
The monster WAS at the top. It was a huge, gray, Titanic Ant. It giggled at him.
"This is your Sanctuary," It hissed in a low, dry, rasping voice. "But it's mine now. Take it from me...IF YOU DARE."
Ness was quaking in his sneakers. He knew that he was finally fighting one of Giygas' henchmen. The evil energy that was emanating from the Ant was huge. The Ant took a lurching step forward. Two small black Antoids crawled behind it.
Ness gripped his bat with renewed resolve. The Sound Stone in his backpack began to hum.
"Ah, you have the Sound Stone," The Ant said. "It is reacting to Giant Step..."
Ness dashed forward, ready to attack. The Ant dodged aside, and brought one of its legs crashing into his spine. He grunted in pain, and rolled away, quickly downing a hamburger. Staggering to his feet, he attacked again, scoring a satisfying hit. A Black Antoid ran up, and nuzzled the Titanic Ant. Ness felt a brushing at the back of his mind, and knew that the Antoid had cast PSI Lifeup. He smacked it, and it squeaked and fell over.
Ness gathered his Psychic Energy, and extended one hand.
"PSI Hypnosis!"
The Ant laughed hugely.
"Giygas has granted his truly powerful minions special powers of resistance," it said coldly. "Feel my wrath!"
The next ten minutes were very long for Ness. The Titanic Ant was kept very busy, throwing the young boy around, slamming him into walls, crashing its legs down on his back, and generally everything else. Ness' grunts and yells of pain became almost routine.
He lay there on the ground, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He convulsively gripped his T-Ball Bat in one hand.
His eyes closed.
"NESS!"
It was Buzz Buzz.
"NESS!"
He opened his eyes. A ghostly form stood before him. It was the spirit of Buzz Buzz.
"Ness," He said. "Don't give up yet! You can beat this thing. Use your Psychic Power!"
"It's i-i-immune..." Ness stuttered.
"In the name of bread and cheese, boy, use your head! Psychic Energy is not just used for healing and Hypnosis...what's your favorite thing?..."
He began to fade.
"Favorite thing...?"
He was gone.
"Thing...?"
Ness stood up, swallowing a hamburger.
"All right, you big old fat bug!" He screamed in defiance. "Now you get yours!"
"Ha! Useless. You cannot defeat me!"
"My favorite thing is..."
"Huh?"
A low pitch hum filled the room. Small chips of the ground began rising into the air under the influence of the tremendous power filling the chamber.
Ness extended his hand. His feet left the ground.
"PSI ROCKIN'!!!!!!"
A huge burst of raw energy flew from his fingertips. It wiggled and snaked towards the Titanic Ant. The thing screamed. A bright flash filled the young man's vision.
The Titanic Ant was dead.
Ness stepped onto Giant Step, a large footprint that was just outside the Ant's chambers. He looked at it, and looked at the Sound Stone.
It began playing a soft, soothing melody for about five seconds, then it cut off. Ness' cuts and bruises healed over immediately, and his body was filled with vigor. He saw a vision of a baby in a red cap, much like the one he wore now. It was him as a child.
And the first of his Sanctuaries was secured.