Karen awakened to see a man's face above her. "Good morning," he said.
Startled, Karen bolted to her feet, putting her baseball cap back on. "Who... Who are you?" she asked. It was now morning; the sun was rising in the east.
The last thing Karen remembered was sitting down and leaning back against a bush, thinking about Neil. She hadn't been concerned about Pokey reappearing; she had thought that she had dealt a large enough blow to his pride that he wouldn't come back for a while. After disabling her telepathy (something that was now very hard for her to do) so that the enemies couldn't track her anymore, she had closed her eyes for a minute, and then...
The man grinned. "Don't worry, you don't have anything to fear from me," he said amiably.
Karen stared at him. The man's blond hairstyle looked as if it had gone out of style more than several decades ago, and he was dressed in a business suit that clearly looked as if it had been bought at a secondhand store. Karen couldn't see his eyes, as they were behind a large pair of shades.
Tilting his head, the man eyed her hat. "Where'd you find that hat?" he asked. "The last time I saw a baseball hat like that was many years ago, on a man who had a profound influence on my life. I've never seen another one like it."
Karen blinked, surprised. She took off her hat and looked at it, and then looked at the man again. "You... You knew my father?" she asked.
The man's jaw dropped. "Y-You mean to tell me you're Ness' kid?" he demanded.
He took off his shades and took a closer look at Karen. "Oh, I see it now," he said. "You have his eyes. And you look a lot like him, only more... feminine."
Shaking his head, he laughed. "Who'd have thought that I'd see some kind of light show on top of the hill, and come all the way up here to check it out, and then find Ness' kid sleeping near this meteor?" He gestured at the meteor, lodged in the ground nearby.
The "light show" he saw must have been my fight with Pokey, Karen thought to herself (she no longer humored Pokey by calling him by his new name).
As she said this, the man kept talking. "So what are you doing all the way out here?" he asked. "No one lives up here anymore."
Karen looked down the hill. "I came to look at my father's old house," she said. "I... I'd never seen it before."
"Not much to see, really," said the man with a shrug. "It's abandoned now. Was that you who broke the boards over the door?"
She gave him a sheepish nod. "I'm sorry for breaking in," she said. "But I did learn a lot of things there."
The man grinned, brushing his hair back with his hand. "Well, don't worry, I'm not here to prosecute you," he said. "Besides, I don't think anyone else would mind you going into that place; in a few more years, it'll probably look like the one next to it."
Karen nodded, remembering the burnt-out foundation of what used to be Pokey's house.
As she looked at the man, Karen was tempted to turn her telepathy back on and simply read his mind to find out what he knew, but the risk of having her location known to the enemy was too great. Even though she was still in the same place, Pokey would probably think that Karen had left that area as soon as she could, so that she wouldn't be found again. If there were only some way to cover up my mental projections, Karen thought to herself, I could use my telepathy without the enemy knowing my exact location. She had to figure out a way to do that; with her telepathy disabled, it felt as if there were a hollow space in her mind.
"So, kid," said the man, "what's your name, anyway?"
"Oh," said Karen, realizing that she hadn't been listening; she had almost missed his question. "I'm Karen."
"Karen," the man repeated. "A beautiful name for a beautiful young lady. My name's Frank... Frank Fly. I used to know your father, a long time ago; he turned my life around once."
Karen smiled at that. "From what I've heard, he's helped a lot of people."
"Well, yeah," agreed Frank. "After all, he's one of the four people who helped save our world from that Giygas guy 30 years ago. I still remember that like it was yesterday; it was the only time I ever prayed for anything."
He took another look at Karen. "You look like you haven't eaten in a while, Karen," he said. "How about I get you something at the local burger place? They should be open by now."
To her surprise, Karen realized that she was starving; she felt as if she could eat an entire elephant and still have room for more. "That... sounds really good to me," she agreed.

As they walked down the hill toward the town, Karen learned some more about Frank.
It seemed that 30 years ago, Frank had once been a bad guy, the leader of a gang called the Sharks. He had made his base behind the Onett arcade and sent his gang out to terrorize the town. For a long time, there was no stopping them, and Frank had felt invincible.
Then Karen's father had come along, baseball bat in hand. Trouncing every member of the Sharks that stood in his way, he had challenged Frank and defeated him, making Onett a safe town once again.
The blow to Frank's overinflated ego had left him a changed and humble man. After that, he had resolved to clean up his act and atone for what he had done.
Today, in 202X, Frank was an assistant to Mayor Picky Minch; he was responsible for maintaining the town budget and not running up a deficit. So far, he had done a very good job, making a budget surplus each year.
Something Karen noticed was that Frank seemed to have no knowledge of the fact that her father had died 14 years ago; he believed that Ness was still out there somewhere, helping people as he had always done. Karen saw no reason to inform him otherwise.

Finally, they reached the restaurant, and Karen ordered two hamburgers, some fries, and a soda. She actually wanted a lot more than that, but she didn't want to take advantage of Frank's generosity; it wouldn't be right.
After they sat down, Karen said, "Thank you for buying this for me, Frank." She was glad to meet such a nice person after encountering such an evil one last night.
"No problem," replied Frank with a grin.
Two minutes later, Karen's food was all gone. "Wow, you must have been hungry," said Frank, impressed.
Karen blushed. "I... I'm sorry," she said.
"Don't be," said Frank. "You needed it. Want some more?"
Karen shook her head. "No, I couldn't possibly ask you to--"
Frank's grin widened. "It's not a problem, Karen. If it's my wallet you're worried about, don't be; I get paid well, and Mayor Minch always gives me a bonus out of the yearly budget surplus." His voice lowered its volume as he added, "I actually have a small fortune now, but I don't like to brag about it. That's why I wear such a cheap suit."
So Karen had some more.

After the meal, the two of them exited the restaurant and stood on the curb for a moment. "Um, Frank," said Karen, who had been wondering about something, "what exactly were you doing late at night, that you saw what happened on the hill?"
"Well," Frank replied, "I couldn't sleep for some reason, so I was out taking a late-night stroll. Then, I happened to look up at the hilltop, and I saw a bunch of flashes. I thought I even saw fire, once."
Karen nodded slowly, wondering how many other people had seen her battle with Pokey. "I... I was--"
Frank interrupted her. "No, don't tell me what you were doing, Karen," he said. "It's not any of my business."
Then he grinned at Karen. "In any case, I've got to get to the town hall now," he said. "I have some work to do."
"I understand," said Karen. "It was nice meeting you, Frank."
"Same here," said Frank. "Hopefully, we'll meet again."
Karen nodded. "I'd like that."
Frank smiled. "Then if you ever need me for anything, anything at all, just come to the town hall and ask for me. Oh, and tell your dad, wherever he is, that I said hello."
Karen winced at that. "I... I will."
Frank waved and walked away, in the direction of the town hall.

Left alone, Karen walked back behind the restaurant, where no one would see her. She took off her hat and looked at it. "...Frank says hi, Dad."
She was glad that she had met Frank. It was good to know that even though her father had had enemies in his time, he had also had friends.
Onett seems like a really nice town, she thought to herself. It was quiet and peaceful; the Madness didn't seem to have reached it yet, which was a welcome change. It was the kind of place that Karen hoped she could live in one day... After she found Neil, that is.
But there was no time left to linger. Her friends were still in Quattro City, and she still felt bad for suddenly leaving them last night. They needed her, and it was time for her to go back to them.
In order to do that, though, Karen needed to know where they were. It was doubtful that they were still at the hotel; knowing Zain, he would probably want to press on and reach Lode Spire. But to find them, Karen would have to use her telepathy again.
"Well, it's a risk I'll have to take," she said. Putting her hat back on, she restored her telepathy, breaking apart the mental wall she had erected to seal it off.
Her telepathy was a lot stronger than it had been when Karen had first discovered it. It was a simple matter to reach out across the world with her mind and find the people she was looking for. After a moment, she found them... And she found something else.
Shocked, Karen staggered under the weight of the presence she felt. She had never felt anything so powerful. Her own power, although it was strong, was microscopic compared to this.
"They're... They're in danger!" Karen cried. "I have to go to them!"
Focusing on the presence of her friends, Karen activated her power. "Teleport Beta!"

* * *

As they climbed the ladder that led out of the old mine, Sasha suddenly felt a very ominous warning in the back of her mind. It seemed to press at her; the warnings she had felt before were nothing compared to this.
She stopped climbing. "Everyone..." she called out. "Something is wrong."
Hearing her, everybody stopped climbing as well. Zain, who was directly below her on the ladder (and managing to control his acrophobia quite well), looked up at her, concerned. "What is it, Sasha?"
Kato and Deckard, who were ahead of everyone else on the ladder (the two of them had been growing increasingly like-minded ever since they had met last night), looked down. "Is there trouble ahead?" asked Kato.
Sasha nodded up at them. "If we keep going up this ladder..."
Jeff, who was the lowest on the ladder, called up, "Do you have any idea what kind of trouble is at the top?"
"No," Sasha replied. "All I can feel is a warning... A really bad warning..."
"I don't get it," said Deckard. "Last time, you saw the rats ahead. Why can't you see who it is this time?"
"I don't know!" Sasha cried out; as she spoke, the warning in her mind grew larger. "I don't even know why my Premonition still works with this pseal on it!"
Guy spoke next. "Kyla, do you believe that there are any other exits to this mine?" he asked.
Kyla shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't know, Guy," she said. "There may be, but it would take us forever to find one."
"I agree," said Apple Man. "Besides, there isn't anything preventing whatever's waiting for us at the top coming down to get us anyway."
Guy took one hand off of the ladder and scratched his chin, thinking. "Then it would appear that we have a dilemma," he stated. "If we continue to ascend the ladder, we will invariably encounter whoever it is that awaits us at the surface. On the other hand, if we flee and return to the mine, we could be trapped, and our antagonist may come to find us regardless." He looked at Zain. "Zain, what do you believe we should do?"
Zain looked down at Guy, and immediately wished he hadn't; he couldn't see the bottom of the shaft. Feeling a bit dizzy, and experiencing an ominous feeling of his own, he closed his eyes. "I... I don't know," he said. "I guess that the choice with the least unknowns would be better... Which would mean we go up and face whoever it is that's up there."
"A good decision, Zain," said Kato. "It is always best to minimize the unknowns in a potentially dangerous situation."
"Then that's what we'll do," Zain confirmed. "I don't like this situation, but I don't see any other feasible option."
Sasha closed her eyes; the feeling in the back of her mind was paralyzingly frightening. "If Karen were here," she said, "she could use that strange teleportation ability she used last night to get us out of here..."
"But she's not with us, Sasha," said Deckard. "We have to go with what we have."
Sasha nodded. "I know..."

The group exited the mine, emerging out onto the surface.
Even as the last of them climbed out of the hole, there was no sign of the danger that Sasha had seen. "Is there really anything here?" asked Kyla, looking around. "This alley is as empty as ever."
"There's someone here," Deckard confirmed; his senses had picked it up as soon as he had arrived here.
"Indeed," Kato seconded; he had felt it as well. "Two people, to be exact."
"Then where are they?" asked Zain. He stepped forward, feeling frustrated. "Show yourselves!" he shouted.
He was answered by a voice he had heard before. "As you wish, Zain."
Directly in front of them, there was the sound of a pseal breaking, and Kaatz faded into view. "Invisibility Pseal," he said. "Quite useful at times."
Zain, Sasha, and Guy stared in horror. "Y... You!" Zain shouted.
Kaatz smirked, closing his left eye. "I'm glad to see that you remember me," he said. "It looks like you've found a Sanctuary."
Jeff looked at Kaatz with a shocked expression. He had never been so surprised in his life, not even during the war against Giygas 30 years ago. However, no one saw him.
"Why were you hiding from us?" asked Kato.
"I wanted to wait until all of you were out in the open," Kaatz responded. "I didn't want my presence to scare any of you back down that hole."
Deckard stepped forward. "And where's the other one?" he asked. "There are two of you here."
Kaatz's smirk grew larger. "He does not wish to reveal himself yet," he answered. "For now, you will deal solely with me."
Zain's eyes narrowed. "We'll deal with you alright," he agreed.
Kaatz raised his only eyebrow. "Oh, really?" he asked sarcastically. "I seem to remember being a bit more than even you could handle, Zain," he said.
Kato emulated Kaatz's gesture, raising his own eyebrow. "We have increased in strength since then," he said. "And we have also increased in number."
"Your numbers mean nothing," Kaatz stated. "And the 'increase' in your power is negligible." He stared directly at Kato. "As a favor to you, little one, I allowed you and your group to escape before," he said. "But such a thing will not happen again."
Kato frowned. "What do you mean, a 'favor'?" he asked.
"It is of no consequence," said Kaatz, saying nothing further.
His red optical sensor focused on Kyla next; it changed to yellow, scanning her. "I see," he said to himself. "So it was you who were eavesdropping at the entrance to the Stonehenge base. I knew there was someone there."
Surprised, Kyla stepped back; at the same time, Guy stepped forward, readying his Equalizer gun. "Leave Kyla alone, fiend," he demanded. Kyla turned to look at him, surprised.
Kaatz's optical sensor returned to its normal red color as he looked at Guy. "If I were you," he said, "I would be silent, hoping that my life wasn't about to come to an abrupt end. Someone who speaks as eloquently as you should understand that it's bad manners to interrupt in other people's conversations. Or have you already forgotten my lesson about the consequences of your actions?"
"I do not fear you, Kaatz," Guy retorted, even though he wasn't so sure. "You... You leave Kyla alone, or I will--"
"Or you'll do what?" said Kaatz. Without warning, he was suddenly standing in front of Guy. "What will you do?" Kaatz asked. "Here's your chance to show me."
Bravely, Guy managed to stand his ground. He raised his gun. "I will--"
He was cut off as Kaatz rammed his metal right fist into Guy's gut, sending him flying into the brick wall. "Guy!" cried Kyla.
Guy stuck on the wall for a moment, and then collapsed to the ground, unconscious. "You'll get out of my way and be silent," Kaatz finished.
Tears in her eyes, Kyla raised the Gaia Beam that Jeff had given her. Because Guy had tried to protect her, Kaatz had hurt him. "You won't get away with this!" she cried at Kaatz.
Kaatz turned to her, and his eyes narrowed. Suddenly, he was standing behind her, drawing a pseal with his left index finger.
"Kyla, look out!" shouted Deckard, readying his sword.
"Kyla!" exclaimed Apple Man, bringing up his weapons.
It was too late. Kaatz pressed his finger to the back of Kyla's neck. "Paralysis Pseal."
Kyla suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck. The weapon fell from her hand as her entire body went numb.
Grabbing the front of her school uniform with his right hand, Kaatz stared into Kyla's green eyes. "I'll deal with you later, eavesdropper," he said. "Until then, get out of my way." With that, he threw her limp body on top of Guy's.
Watching Kaatz incapacitate both Guy and Kyla, Zain clenched his fists, feeling his anger rise. As it always did, his power rose as well, and his eyes turned red. "You..."
Before Zain could attack, though, Deckard stepped in the way. So far, he had noticed something: Kaatz moved like the Abductor Mook did. Deckard knew how to handle such speed; he had done it before. "I'll stop you, whoever you are!" he shouted. Forming his stance, he began to concentrate for his ultimate attack.
Kaatz's left eye blinked. "I don't believe I've seen you before," he said to Deckard.
Still concentrating, Deckard said, "I'm the last thing you'll see."
With a laugh, Kaatz retorted, "Is that so? How interesting." He folded his arms and stood there, unmoving. "Show me what you can do, then."
Deckard was only too happy to oblige. Kaatz's left eye widened as energy began to crackle around Deckard. "How interesting indeed," he said.
Finally, Deckard unleashed his attack. "PSI Eternal Wind Sword Alpha!" Blasting forward, he slashed over and over again at Kaatz, moving at blinding speed. Nothing can stand against this attack, Deckard thought. If this doesn't kill him, it'll at least wound him severely.
When Deckard couldn't attack anymore, he leaned on his sword, looking at the ground. "That should take care of you," he said, breathing heavily. He looked up to see what his attack had done.
Kaatz still stood before him, completely unharmed. "Not quite," he said.
Deckard's jaw dropped. "It can't be!" he cried.
"I must say, I am impressed with you," said Kaatz. "You're the only one here who has even come close to approaching my speed. I almost couldn't dodge your attacks." He smiled. "You deserve praise for your skill."
He paused a moment, and then continued, his smile becoming a stern frown. "Having said that, there is still the matter of you attempting to kill me. It would appear that like a certain few others, you require a lesson in the consequences of your actions."
With that, Kaatz reached inside his trenchcoat with his metal right hand, and brought forth a sword. It looked like a two-foot double-edged short sword, made out of some type of gold metal. The handle was covered with some kind of textured material for a better grip. The strangest thing about it was the blade; although the center of it was made out of the same golden metal, the edges and the point were made out of a strange green crystalline substance.
"This is my sword," said Kaatz, brandishing it experimentally, as if he hadn't used it in a while. "It's called a Psion Blade. It was a gift to me from Master Giaguo for my loyal service."
Deckard could only watch. Having expended all of his energy, he couldn't even move. Jeff and Apple Man looked on in horror, as did Sasha. Because of the narrow space of the alley, they couldn't move to help Deckard; if they did, Kaatz would surely counter them. Kato drew his own sword, trying to think of a plan to help Deckard. Zain stood enraged, his power filling him; he wanted to attack Kaatz with his power, but Deckard was in the way.
Kaatz ignored the others, continuing his explanation to Deckard. "The green crystal on the edge of this blade is called psionium," he said. "It's a rare mineral found only on certain planets. Psionium is a unique mineral because any creature with the slightest hint of psychic power who touches it experiences unimaginable pain."
Sasha suddenly got an idea. She concentrated, readying her power.
Kaatz still continued talking to Deckard. "I will give you the honor of being the first creature in several Earth years to be struck down by this sword," he said. He raised it, to cut Deckard down.
Deckard looked down, knowing that he was about to die. "Lexa..."
Sasha's plan was to surround Deckard with a PSI Shield Gamma, to protect him from Kaatz's attack. However, Zain acted first.
Surprising everyone, Zain blasted forward and punched Kaatz in the face. Completely caught off guard, Kaatz was knocked backward. The Psion Blade fell and clattered to the ground where he had previously been standing.
Shaking his head, Kaatz rubbed his face with his left hand. "...Well done, Zain," he said. "You actually caught me off guard with that attack. Your power seems to have improved since our last encounter."
His eyes burning red with his empathic PSI, Zain reached down and picked up the fallen sword. "I won't let you hurt my friends, Kaatz," he said angrily. "For once, someone's going to teach YOU about the consequences of YOUR actions."
Kaatz smirked at that. "Do you think you have what it takes, Zain?" he asked. He reached inside the other side of his trenchcoat with his left hand and drew forth another Psion Blade. "Fortunately, Master Giaguo gifted me with a PAIR of Psion Blades." He flung the sword into the air and straightened out his coat. "Let's see just how much your power has improved." He reached up with his right hand and caught the spinning sword, forming a stance.
Zain brought up the Psion Blade he had taken, holding it as if he were using his baseball bat. He looked back at the others. "Everyone else, stay out of this," he ordered, his burning red eyes accentuating his command. "This is between me and him."
Although they looked troubled, the others nodded. "It is a duel of honor," said Kato. "I shall not interfere."
"I can't move anyway," said Deckard, sounding extremely fatigued. "But thank you for saving me."
Sasha looked down. "Please be careful, Zain," she said. "If anything were to happen to you..."
"I'll be okay," Zain promised, the fire in his eyes dimming for a moment. "See if you can heal Guy and Kyla."
Sasha nodded. "We'll do what we can."
Zain turned back to Kaatz, and stared at him. He recalled when Kaatz had harmed his friends; when he had hurt Sasha's father and Guy. He remembered how Kaatz had tried to kill Karen. Most of all, he remembered how Kaatz was after Sasha, to capture her for his master, their ultimate enemy.
His anger increased, threatening to overwhelm him. Zain welcomed it; it was where his power came from. As he was consumed by his rage, his body was surrounded by a blazing red aura. The air around him swirled into a spiral, affected by the intense energy. The others stared at him in shock, awed by his power.
Kaatz smiled. Everything is going according to plan, he thought, pleased. Now Master Giaguo would see firsthand the immense power potential of this boy. He reached out with his left hand and beckoned to Zain.
Almost devoid of reason by now, Zain accepted the invitation. He dashed forward and slashed at Kaatz with the sword... But Kaatz was no longer there.
Zain's red eyes blinked, confused. But then, he suddenly felt danger behind him. Whirling around, he used the sword to block Kaatz's attack.
"Well done, Zain," said Kaatz, as if he were teaching the youth how to wield the sword. "Your speed has greatly increased because you've allowed your empathic PSI to flood your body. But it is still not enough to match my speed. You'll have to do better."
Zain's only reply was a snarl as he became even angrier. The burning red aura around him became even larger and more prominent.
"Yes," said Kaatz, pleased. "Let go of all your inhibitions, Zain. Show me your full power!"
Zain answered him with a primal roar, his red eyes glowing hotter than two suns. From where she was tending to Guy and Kyla, Sasha stared at him. It's almost as if... he's lost his humanity... she thought.
Kaatz's smile widened. He could feel the raw energy that Zain was giving off; it was the strongest force that he had felt in a long time, aside from the power of the master. Although he had been afraid of this power before, Kaatz now had a better idea of what he was dealing with. He did not feel that he was in any danger.
Zain suddenly attacked again, thrusting the sword with all his might. This time, even Kaatz was not fast enough to dodge it; the only thing he could do was parry with his own weapon. Even then, it was nearly not enough; Zain's thrust narrowly missed piercing Kaatz's body. Seeing that his attack had not worked, Zain blinked, almost as if he couldn't believe that the attack had been stopped.
Kaatz used the opportunity to counterattack. He moved his sword away and made a thrust of his own. Sensing the danger, Zain bent over backwards, allowing Kaatz's sword to pass over him; he then rolled to the side and struck at Kaatz again.
But Kaatz had anticipated this, and he blocked the attack. He was starting to understand how Zain worked when under the influence of his power.
Empathic PSI, Kaatz had learned, was actually a less-evolved form of the standard psychic ability that existed today. If a race in the universe possessed PSI, it had usually developed empathic PSI first. In the case of the planet Earth, it had developed in the prehistoric era, before humanity had evolved into its current state... Before humanity had possessed the ability to reason. Empathic PSI operated on raw instinct and emotion, something that Earth's first humans had had in abundance.
But when humanity had evolved into a greater life-form capable of higher brain functions, so had PSI evolved. Instead of emotion, PSI became powered by the concentrated mental energy that could only be produced by the brains of higher beings. This form of PSI was more orderly and rational than its empathic ancestor.
It was rare for a member of most races in the universe to have PSI at all... But occasionally, there would be stories of extremely rare beings who possessed, for some unknown reason, the original, primeval form of PSI... Beings such as Zain. And those who ended up on the receiving end of that power came to understand that while the current version of PSI was less chaotic than its devolved counterpart, it also gave up a lot of its sheer strength and destructive force.
Kaatz's musings were interrupted by another attack from Zain; this time, the boy darted forward and slashed in a wide arc. Kaatz copied the dodge that Zain had just performed, bending backward so that the blade would pass over him. After it passed, Kaatz somersaulted backward, returning to his feet.
This is truly getting interesting, thought Kaatz. Enhanced by his power, Zain was now nearly as fast as Kaatz was. A little more, and Zain would actually surpass him.
But why does he only attack me with the sword? Kaatz wondered. Why hasn't he used his power to strike at me? The boy had never hesitated to unleash his power in their last encounter; he had even wiped out Starmen Elite with it.
Then Kaatz glanced over his shoulder, and he had the answer: Zain's friends were in the way. If Zain were to unleash his power, the others would most likely be harmed as well. It appeared that Zain had not entirely lost his reason, that he was not completely ruled by his power... He was still able to distinguish friend from foe, and he was making sure that his friends weren't harmed. He's holding back, Kaatz realized, somewhat disappointed. This isn't his full power at all.
He wondered how far Zain would actually go to protect them when the boy was ruled by anger like this. Kaatz stretched his left hand out at Deckard. This one had been about to receive my punishment anyway, he thought, drawing a pseal. "Inferno Pseal!"
Deckard, surprised by the sudden attack on him, didn't have the strength left to move out of the way. He watched as the pseal flew at him; in his current state, he probably wouldn't survive it.
Suddenly Zain was standing in front of Deckard. His red eyes narrowing, he reached out with his free hand and caught the pseal. Then, to Kaatz's surprise, Zain clenched his hand into a fist, crushing the pseal.
"You monster," Zain accused Kaatz, his voice sounding eerily distorted. "This was supposed to be between you and me, Kaatz! Why did you attack Deckard, who couldn't even fight back? WHY?"
Kaatz's only reply was a smirk. So, he'll definitely go out of his way to protect them, Kaatz thought.
Zain wiped the smirk right off of Kaatz's face with his next action. Kaatz's left eye widened as Zain began to draw the Inferno Pseal with his left hand. It can't be! he thought, astonished.
Zain finished drawing the pseal, and it remaining hanging in the air, attached to his finger. "C... Can he really...?" said Kaatz falteringly.
"INFERNO PSEAL!" Zain shouted, actually throwing the pseal. Kaatz threw himself out of the way as it flew past him. It struck a wall and exploded in a colossal burst of flame.
On the ground, Kaatz stared at the effect of Zain's attack. Not only had Zain somehow copied Kaatz's Inferno Pseal, he had also made it much stronger than Kaatz had ever been able to.
It can't be, thought Kaatz. It had taken him years to master the art of pseals. It wasn't something that could be mastered in a single moment. It was true that Zain had shown promise in it, and that he could probably have learned how to do it, but it should have taken him years to do so.
Suddenly Zain was standing above Kaatz, pointing the Psion Blade at him. "It's over, fiend!" he said. He thrust downward with the sword, to impale Kaatz in the ground.
So then, this is how it ends for me, Kaatz thought. For some reason, he didn't feel frightened or sad at all. Maybe it's what I deserve after all I've done...
But the sword never struck him. Instead, it was deflected off of an invisible shield. Zain's angry expression became one of confusion. Oh, that's right, Kaatz thought. In the heat of the battle, he had completely forgotten that he had not come here alone.
A voice spoke out, echoing throughout the entire alley. "That is quite enough." Suddenly, Zain was thrown backward, away from Kaatz and into the wall, where he collapsed to the ground. Kaatz slowly rose to his feet.
Everyone stared as another figure materialized in front of them. It was a handsome man in a regal-looking black cloak. His hair and facial hair were brown, and his eyes were strangely deep black. In all, he looked like a king.
"Who are you?" asked Kato.
But Sasha saw right through his disguise, and she knew exactly who he was: someone whom she had hoped she would never see. Her blood ran cold with terror. "No... The... The dark one..."
Kato heard her, and he stared at the newcomer in a new light. "So then, you must be... Giaguo, the mastermind behind this new invasion... And the Madness," he said.
The man nodded. "Indeed I am," he said.
Kato could feel the power of Giaguo's mind; it was oppressively powerful, threatening to overwhelm them all. "You... do not appear to be an alien," he said.
"This form is not my true form," said Giaguo. "I merely borrowed it so that I could come here..." His black eyes fixed on Sasha. "So that I could finally find that which I most desire at last."
Sasha could not move, petrified by fear. She remembered her dream, in which this person--the dark one--claimed her. The memory frightened her even more.
Then Zain was there, standing in front of her. He raised the Psion Blade at Giaguo, his power still burning with his anger. "You won't touch her," he declared.
Giaguo smiled. "Indeed, I do have business with you first, Zain," he stated. Even Zain couldn't help but be unnerved by Giaguo's smile; there was something inhuman about it.
Kato stepped forward, unsheathing his sword. "Why do you continue to invade this planet?" he demanded. "Is it not clear that you will never crush the spirit of humanity? Giygas tried to do so, and he failed! And you will fail as well!"
Giaguo's smile became a smirk. "Ah yes, Giygas-12162*203*616*-630," he said. "The only Giygas that was ever defeated."
Jeff blinked in surprise. "Wh... What do you mean, 'the only'?"
Giaguo looked at him, and then his black eyes lit up in recognition. "Oh, that's right," he said. "You are one of the four who were responsible for the downfall of Giygas-12162*203*616*-630."
Apple Man frowned. "Why do you keep adding that number to the end of Giygas' name?" he asked.
The alien laughed. "Well, I suppose I might as well tell you," he said. He straightened out his cloak. "You have heard Giygas-12162*203*616*-630 be referred to as 'the devil's machine,' correct?"
Jeff nodded. "Pokey called him 'the devil's machine' at the final battle," he said.
Giaguo nodded, still smirking. "'Giygas' is a word in the ancient language of my race that means 'devil'," he explained. "And it is called the 'devil's machine' because that is exactly what it is: a machine."
Zain started in surprise, some of his anger fading. "A... A machine?" he repeated.
"That is correct," affirmed Giaguo. "The Giygas machine is a machine developed by my people for one purpose: the purpose of conquest."
Then the alien stared at Jeff. "The Giygas machine that you somehow defeated was, in fact, Giygas machine number 630," he said. "Number 630 out of approximately 750 such machines."
Everybody froze in shock. "It... It can't be!" cried Jeff. "You can't mean that there are 750 more of Giygas out there!"
"I assure you, there are," said Giaguo. "And my people manufacture at least one more every one of our orbital cycles, which means that at least one new Giygas machine is built every 3.14 of your planet's years."
Jeff could not speak any further; he was too astonished and horrified.
Giaguo continued. "My people manufacture the Giygas machines to take care of the arduous task of conquering other planets," he explained. "Without them, it would take about three of my kind to take over a planet, and it would take longer."
"But why do you have to take over other people's worlds?" demanded Zain.
"Because we can," replied Giaguo. "Because it is my people's right as the superior race of the universe. And because we have been exercising that right for thousands of your years."
Nobody spoke as they absorbed this horrible information.
"Enough talk," said Giaguo. "I have reasons for coming here." Then his black eyes stared directly at Zain. "First of all," he continued, "I have an offer for you, Zain."
"An offer...?" Zain repeated, his power rising up again. "What are you talking about?"
Giaguo smiled. "I had Kaatz battle with you so that I could observe your power," he explained. "Now that I have seen firsthand the power of an empathic psychic, I believe that that power would be a welcome addition to my own forces." He paused for a moment, and then continued. "I offer you the chance to join me, Zain. To join me and become part of the great conquerors of the universe. Join me, Zain; with you and Kaatz at my side, we will force our enemies to submit to us!"
Zain was horrified at the prospect of such a thing. "No way, Giaguo!" he shouted. "What you're doing is wrong! And I'll never betray my friends, or my world!"
"So be it," said Giaguo. "I gave you the chance of aiding me willingly, and you refused. Now, I shall have to implement the other plan." He turned to Kaatz. "Kaatz... Do it."
Kaatz nodded. "As you wish, Master Giaguo."
Suddenly, Kaatz was standing in front of Zain. Before Zain could react, Kaatz pressed the index finger of his left hand to Zain's forehead. "Empathic Pseal."
The tip of Kaatz's finger suddenly shone brilliantly. Zain felt a terrible burning sensation on his forehead, and then he felt pain, the likes of which he had never felt before. The pain consumed his entire body, and it felt as if something was driving straight through his mind. He screamed in agony.
"No!" cried Sasha. She ran over to him. "Zain, no!"
But Zain could not hear her. As the terrible pain flooded throughout his body, his red eyes suddenly faded back to their normal green color... and closed. The Psion Blade fell from his limp hand, and he began to fall as well.
Sasha caught him. "Zain!" she cried. "Zain, wake up! Zain!"
Then she saw it. On Zain's forehead, there was now a pseal, just like her own. But the pseal on Zain's forehead was in the shape of a lowercase Greek letter epsilon.
Tears in her eyes, Sasha looked up at Kaatz. "What did you do to him?" she demanded. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?"
Kaatz folded his arms. "I merely ensured that he will no longer get in Master Giaguo's way," he stated.
Kato picked up the Psion Blade that Zain had dropped in his free hand, wielding the Sword of Kings in his other hand. "You will pay for this!" he shouted, lunging at Kaatz with both swords.
Caught off guard, Kaatz blocked the Sword of Kings with his own weapon, but he could not parry Kato's other attack. The Psion Blade pierced Kaatz's shoulder.
Suddenly, Kaatz was wracked with unimaginable pain himself as the psionium in the sword reacted with his PSI. He fell to his knees and screamed in pain; it felt as if every one of his nerves was on fire.
"Enough of this," said Giaguo. He looked at Kato, and the young boy was thrown off of Kaatz. Kato managed to keep his grip on the Psion Blade, and it was pulled out of Kaatz's body.
Giaguo smiled. "Now that Zain has been taken care of, it is time to fulfill my other reason for coming here." He stepped toward Sasha.
Still holding Zain's limp body, Sasha froze in fear again as the dark form from her dream approached her. She knew that there was nothing she could do to stop him.
Just then, there was a bright flash, and Karen appeared between them. She looked different; she was now wearing a baseball cap on her head.
"Hmmph," said Giaguo. "It would appear that Pokey has failed again."
After quickly assessing her surroundings, Karen pointed her finger at Giaguo, and to the alien's surprise, her eyes turned red with the power of empathic PSI. "PSI Beam Gamma!"
The psychic beam struck Giaguo in the chest, and he was thrown backward. "M... Master Giaguo!" exclaimed Kaatz.
Jeff stepped up to Karen; there was little time. "Karen, can you teleport all of us out of here?" he asked. "It's our only chance."
Karen looked at him and nodded. "I think so," she replied.
"Then take us all to any safe place you can think of!" said Jeff.
Karen nodded, and focused on all of their presences, making sure that she would include them in the teleport. Meanwhile, Giaguo rose to his feet, completely unharmed by Karen's attack. "You... You cannot escape me!" he shouted.
"Teleport Beta!" cried Karen. All of them, except for Giaguo and Kaatz, were swept up, spinning into a large whirlwind, and then they disappeared in a flash of light.

Giaguo stared at the place where they had all been. He was furious; the girl with Premonition had been right in front of him, within his grasp, and then she had been whisked away from him. He felt like an Earth cat that had pounced at a string that had been offered to him, only to find that the string had been pulled away.
He turned to Kaatz. "These Chosen Eight seem to have a remarkable amount of luck," he stated.
"That they do," agreed Kaatz. He felt his wound where Kato had stabbed him; he would have to get it treated back at the mothership. Something that bothered him more than the wound was the fact that his enemies had taken one of his Psion Blades. "But their luck will run out soon."
Giaguo raised an eyebrow. "So then, you were able to correctly perform the pseal?"
"I was," Kaatz answered. "Its more... insidious effects will not appear until later on, but when they do... Zain will be yours. And when he is, it will be as I told you before, Master Giaguo... He will hand over the girl to you himself."
The alien smiled. "Good," he said. "Then let us return to the mothership and have your wound repaired, Kaatz. And then, we will bide our time and allow our other forces to continue the conquest of this planet. As for the Chosen Eight, it is only a matter of time until, as you said, their luck runs out."

To be continued...