I am but one tiny molecule of sand resting on the eternal beach that is the universe. What sets me apart from the others is my destiny. I am the savior of planet Earth, and the rest of the cosmos. I wasn’t always the brave warrior that I am today. Before that faithful night when it all began, I was just a regular person named Ness.

I was lying in my bed, asleep, unaware of the earthbound evil that would soon spread across the world over night. I’m not sure what I dreamt about that night, but I do know that I had the same dream before. I woke up with my face drenched in a cold sweat. I was breathing heavily, trying to calm my pounding heart. It wasn’t a nightmare, so I wasn’t sure why I was breathing like that. A light breeze was passing through my open window. I slowly got out of bed, and stuck my head out into the open air. After a few deep inhalations, my breathing had returned to its normal rate. I stayed by my window, and stared out into the night sky. Brief moments of my dream passed through my head, but I couldn’t put them together. What had I dreamt about? I instantly forgot about my mysterious dream when I saw something falling from the sky.

It was a spherical object surrounded by fire. Behind it was a tail of blue flame. I recognized it immediately as a meteorite. Two others had landed in the outskirts of town in the past few years. I watched it fall closer and closer to the ground. It looked like it would land in the hills that rested less than a mile from my house, and I was right. It crashed with great force. The shock from its impact shook the ground violently. I struggled to keep my balance, but it was futile. I fell to the floor, and banged up my knee. I nursed it in my arms as the tremor slowly subsided.

After I made sure my knee wasn’t broken, but only bruised, I headed downstairs to see if everything was alright. I met my little sister, Tracy, in the hall. There wasn’t a sign of fatigue on her face. "What was that, bro?" She asked.

"It was another meteorite." I said confidently. "I saw it from my window."

"Oh, nuts!" Tracy exclaimed. "I thought it would be some space ship carrying an evil alien that wanted to destroy the human race, and take over the Earth!"

"Sorry, kiddo. Maybe next time." I said sarcastically "Let’s go see if Mom’s alright."

"K."

We found her in front of the TV doing aerobics. The radio was on at an ear-bleeding volume playing eighties hair music. "One, and two, and three, and four!" She was shouting enthusiastically.

"Mom, are you alright?" Tracy shouted though cupped hands.

"What?"

"I said, "Are you alright?" Tracy repeated in a louder tone.

"What?"

"I said…" She stopped mid-sentence to lower her voice after Mom turned down the radio. "Are you alright?"

"Why wouldn’t I be?" She asked as she wiped the sweat off her face with a hand towel. "I always feel great after my aerobics."

"She means after the meteorite landed." I explained.

"Meteorite? What meteorite?" Mom asked.

"I guess you were too busy to notice it. A meteorite just crashed in the hills. It shook the house up pretty good." She looked around the room. There were family pictures, books, videos and all sorts of other objects scattered about the room.

"I guess I was too busy!"

"You’re always too busy." Tracy said. "That’s why you end up doing your aerobics at midnight."

"Yeah, Mom. Why don’t you ever take a break? We can handle things around here sometimes." I said.

"Well, I am a little tired." She said. "I’m gonna go to bed. Can you kids clean up this mess?"

"Sure thing!"

Nearly an hour later, Tracy and I were done. It was grueling work, but it was worth it. I wanted Mom to go to sleep so I could go check out the meteorite. She stopped me from checking out the others that had landed so this time, I was ready. "I’m going change." I said to Tracy.

"What for?" she asked.

"I wanna go check out the meteorite. You won’t tell Mom will you?"

"I guess not. Anyway, I’m bushed. We worked like dogs."

"That means we did absolutely nothing according to King here." I said.

"King is the laziest dog I know. Why did Mom and Dad ever get him?"

"I don’t know. Maybe next time Dad comes home, we’ll find out."

"I’ll be ancient when Dad ever has time to spend with us."

"Yeah, you’re right."

"Goodnight, Bro." Tracy said.

"Goodnight, squirt." I said.

"Goodnight, pesky girl." Said King. I was the only one who could hear him talk. It was a gift I had, but it wasn’t the only one.

"Were you always this lazy?" I asked.

"I’m too lazy to answer that question."

I ran upstairs, changed into some clothes that I wore for baseball, put on my shoes, grabbed my baseball cap, and bolted out the door. Tracy stopped me in the hall on her way to the bathroom. "Why do you always wear that old red cap, and that cheesy blue and yellow striped shirt?" She asked.

"For the same reason you’re so annoying." I said as I passed her.

"Oh, and why is that?" She asked.

"I can’t help it."

I tried my best to close the door as quietly as possible, but it’s hard to be like James Bond when you’re afraid of your own Mom. I was a little jumpy, and slammed the door right at the end. "Smooth move, Exlax." King said from behind the door.
"Did I wake Mom?" I asked in a whisper.

"I’m sure you woke up people in Dalaam." He answered.

"I’m serious!"

"Amazingly, she’s still asleep." I breathed a sigh of relief, and then headed down the trail to the meteorite.

I saw that the police were putting up a roadblock to stop the people of Onett from visiting the meteorite. Thankfully, I lived in the northern part of Onett, and was not stopped by a roadblock. Along the way to the meteorite, I met up with Lier X. Agerate. He was the local sign maker who lived not too far away from me. "Ness, are you going to see the meteorite?" He asked.

"Yeah, I am. Did you see it?"

"No, I was, uh, busy. That’s it, busy!" He said. It sounded as though he was hiding something, but I wasn’t one to make accusations without first having some evidence. "I’m always busy, busy, busy! Making signs, and working out, y’know?"

"Yeah, well I’m gonna go now…"

"Okay, you found me out!" He suddenly shouted.

"I didn’t…"

"Come by tomorrow, and I’ll show you what I found."

"What are you talking about?"

"I can’t say now. The police are all around."

"Okay, see you."

I made sure not to look back as I walked away from Lier’s house. I wondered what it was he had found, but I didn’t plan on ever going back there.

I made it to the crash site a few minutes later. It was mostly police there, but I spotted someone else. It was my rather hefty neighbor, Pokey. He was my age. We used to be friends before sixth grade, but we began to drift apart until we stopped talking to one another. Pokey spotted me approaching the orange tape that squared off the crash site, and walked over to talk with me. "Chief Strong would prefer it if the public didn’t bother the police with their investigation." He said. Pokey spoke in a strange way. His voice sounded as though he was talking through his nose. I looked up at the two men who were standing around the glowing meteorite. One appeared to be a scientist. He was taking notes. The other man was the Chief of Police. He was wearing his full black uniform, along with his sunglasses even though it the dead of night. He had a bushy moustache, and cold, hard stare.

"If Chief Strong doesn’t want the public to bother them, then why are you here?" I asked Pokey.

"I’m a valuable asset to the Onett Police Force. They need my keen intellect to complete this investigation!" I noticed that several police officers were mouthing something to me behind Pokey’s back.

"Make him go."

"He’s annoying the crap out of us."

"When will it stop?"

"We’re begging you."

"I have a feeling that they don’t need you as much as you think they do." I said.

"What do you know? Now leave. I’ll tell you all about the meteorite tomorrow."

I did leave then, but it wasn’t because of Pokey. I thought that the meteorite would be more interesting than it was. On my way home, I passed by Lier’s house. Lucky for me, he wasn’t around. I met Picky, Pokey’s brother along the way. "Pokey told me to stay home, that he was on Official Police Business. He’s supposed to be watching me while our parents are away at a fancy restaurant."

"Pokey’s full of it." I said.

"I know. Well, I’ll se ‘ya."

"Yeah, see ‘ya."

I crept up to my room as quietly as possible, changed into my PJ’s, and went to sleep.

Barely an hour later, I was awakened by someone knocking at the door downstairs. The knock was very erratic. They would knock three or four times and then beat on the door furiously. Then, they’d stop all together, but before you knew it, they were knocking again in a sort of rhythm.

I rushed downstairs to see who it was. Tracy, and Mom were already up. Mom was at the door talking to Pokey. "I’m terribly sorry to disturb your beauty sleep, not that you need it, but I really need to speak with…Ness! There you are, buddy." I knew then that Pokey was in serious trouble if he needed my help so desperately that he was calling me "buddy."

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Well, you see, it’s like this: The police left the crash site to go deal with the Sharks. You do know who they are, don’t you?"

"Yeah, they’re the local gang." I said in a monotone voice. "Please continue."

"Anyway, Picky and I were getting a closer look at the meteorite. I had to go to the little boy’s room. When I went back to the meteorite, Picky was gone. I need you to help me find him before my parents get home."

"Fine." I said. "Let me go change."

I put on the clothes I had on before, but this time I grabbed my yellow backpack. I stuffed it with a few cookies. I wasn’t sure how long we’d be out, and I thought that I might get hungry. Mom told me to bring my Cracked Bat along. "Who knows what’s lurking outside at this hour." She said. She also told me to bring King along. "He’s very reliable." I had a good laugh at that comment, and headed for the door. The phone began to ring just as we were about to leave. Mom answered it. "Ness, it’s your Father." I ran over to Mom, and tore the phone out of her hand. I was so happy to finally get a call from Dad. It had been so long.

"Hello, Dad?"

"Ness, my boy!" He said cheerfully. "I was thinking recently about how you’re getting older. I decided to give you your own ATM card. It should be in the mail by tomorrow. Just give me a call if need some extra cash."

"Dad, I miss you…a lot."

"I miss you two, Ness." There was a short silence.

"Something amazing will happen to you very soon, son. It’s something that will change your life. I can feel it in my bones."

"Dad…"

"Call me later, Ness."

"Okay, I will. Bye."

"Bye."

"Don’t be long, Ness." Mom said.

‘I’ll try not too."

"Let’s go before my parents get back!"

"Alright!"

As soon as we left, Pokey became this big overweight wuss. "Do…do you think there’s anything out here?" He asked.

"Nothing my Cracked Bat can’t handle." I said as I admired the bat. It was very special to me. I had hit every homerun I had ever made with that bat. The last one is what cracked it. It was a regular wooden bat, but most of the top half was gone leaving a jagged splinter-filled surface. "King’s here too, so don’t worry."

"I think you’re overestimating my abilities, kid." I didn’t answer King. Pokey would think it strange if I conversed with my dog in front of him.

We were nearly to Lier’s house, and nothing had attacked us. I wasn’t really expecting anything too, but with Mom being so worried, I was a little extra cautious. It was a good thing too because just as we passed Lier’s house, I felt something wrap around my leg. I looked down to see a fat green snake coiling itself around my ankle.

"A s…snake!" Pokey screamed. He jumped back a few feet in terror.

"King, get this thing off me!" I shouted. The lazy white mutt grabbed the snake with his teeth, and tossed it aside. I lifted the Cracked Bat over my head and slammed it into the ground, but the snake slithered away quickly. It coiled around my ankle again, but this time it sunk its teeth into the flesh. I shouted with pain, and kicked it away. King pounced on it immediately and began beating the reptile with his paws. I looked at the two small holes in my ankle.

"You’re poisoned! You’re gonna die!" Pokey screamed.

"Pokey, relax! There aren’t any poisonous snakes in this area." While Pokey was overreacting, I placed my hand over the wound, and began to concentrate. "Life Up." I whispered. A faint blue light appeared from my palm, but only for a second. I lifted my hand and the wound was gone. I wiped the blood off my ankle with an old rag from my backpack, and then went over to King who was standing over the lifeless snake. "Life Up" was another one of my gifts. I discovered it at a very young age. I skinned my knees from falling off my bike. As I held onto them, the light appeared, and they were healed. "Let’s go." I said.

A few minutes later we stopped so Pokey could eat something. "I’m starved." He said.

"I have a few cookies in my bag. You want one?"

"I’ll take two, please."

"Pig." King said. As soon as I handed the cookies over to Pokey, he began to inhale them. I decided to eat a cookie too. Just before I took a bite of one, I heard a high-pitched shriek. It sounded like a crow. It was saying something that I couldn’t understand. The only word I got was, "master." I returned to my cookie to find it gone.

"Pokey, did you steal my cookie?" I asked.

"No, way!" He yelled, spraying chunks of cookie left and right. "I wish I did. I’m still hungry!"

"Don’t his parents feed him?" King asked. "Oh, and by the way, that was a rhetorical question that doesn’t need a sarcastic answer by you in order to make this situation more humorous."

"Good to know." I said. "Anyway, where’s my cookie." I found out a second later. There was a crow standing only a few feet away from me. It was devouring the cookie like it hadn’t eaten in weeks. I noticed that it was wearing a pair of sunglasses that it probably stole. When it was done with my cookie, it flew over to Pokey who was picking up cookie crumbs off the ground. The crow began pecking at the crumbs furiously.

"Go away, crow!" Pokey shouted. "These are my cookie crumbs!"

"Just let it have the crumbs!"

"No way, Ness! These are my cookie crumbs! Go away you dumb crow!" With that, Pokey kicked the crow. It fell to the ground and shattered its glasses. Pokey gasped. The crow looked from its glasses, to Pokey, and back to its glasses before it began to shriek loudly. I understood every word this time.

"GET THE FAT KID!!!"

Almost instantly there were dozens of crows upon us. It was like that movie, "The Birds." They were trying to peck my eyes out so I covered my face with my arms, and ran. I managed to escape the flock. They were more concerned with Pokey than with me. I figured that I should help him so I used another one of my gifts. I called it "Hypnosis." I could only do it after I concentrated for a few seconds. The energy in my body would form into rings that could put any living being to sleep. The only way to defend was to be expecting it. I found that out when I tried it on myself one night. The only other things I tried it on were animals like King, and Tracy when she got a little to aggravating.

I closed my eyes and began to concentrate. I felt the energy in my body surging to my hands. Once I had enough, I held my hands out in front of my chest, and began the hypnosis attack. It was slow at first. They formed little rings of faint yellow light. As they traveled farther away from me, they grew larger. After a few seconds they were firing more rapidly. The first few rings began to hit a small portion of the crows. They fell to the ground in a deep trance almost instantly. I moved the rings over to the right where the crows were pecking at Pokey. He was lying on the ground with his hands over his head. "They’re trying to eat me!" He shouted. I made sure not to knock Pokey out with the rings. I didn’t want to lug his body around. When most of the crows were under the spell, I ran over to Pokey, and began knocking the remaining few away with my Cracked Bat. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Pokey shouted as I helped him up to his feet. "They were gonna eat me!"

"Yeah, whatever, let’s go."

"Wait, where’s King?"

"Good question. You look around over here, I’ll look over there."

"Y…you mean right here? W…with all of these crows?"

"They’ll be sleeping for hours."

"Hey, how did you put them to sleep anyway?"

"Don’t mind that now! Your parents will be home any minute!"

"Oh, right!"

I made Pokey stay so I could call for King in his language. "King where are you? Come here you stupid dog!"

"No one insults a soldier of the great master!" exclaimed a raspy voice.

"Who’s there?" I asked. "King is that you?"

"I am not the King. I am a mere servant of him, and you have offended me. Prepare to die!" Suddenly, I heard rapid footsteps from behind. I turned to find a large brown dog charging straight for me. I didn’t have time to move. It pounced on me and began to speak. "Are you frightened human? You should be! I will show no mercy!"

"Get off!" I shouted. I managed to push the dog off me, and stand up. The dog appeared to be a stray. There was no collar, its fur was very dirty, and its left ear was torn up badly. "What are you talking about?" I asked.

"I am talking about the one who will rule all man kind soon. There will be no mercy!" The dog charged again, but this time I was ready. I stepped to the side, and beat the dog in the backside with the Cracked Bat. "You dare strike me!" It charged once again. This time, I jumped over it, but the dog caught me with its teeth.

"You’ll pay for that!" I swung the Cracked Bat across the dog’s face. It yelped in pain. It began to growl, and I could tell it was going to lunge at my throat. I raised the bat in the air and slammed it on the dog’s head. It was knocked unconscious.

I healed the wound on my leg with "Life Up", and continued looking for King. All the while, I kept thinking about what that dog had said. I wondered if it was speaking nonsense or truth. "Ness!" I heard Pokey shout.

"Over here!"

"I found King."

"Actually, I found him crying like a baby, but I’m not one to complain."

"Let’s go." I said.

It wasn’t too long before we reached the crash site. There wasn’t a single cop there. We crawled under the tape, and approached the meteorite. It was still glowing brightly. I could feel the intense heat coming from it. Then, I heard a voice. "Pokey’s a wuss…a big fat loser."

"Ness, would you stop teasing me, and help me find Picky!"

"I didn’t say that! It came from behind that tree." We walked over to the voice, and found Picky lying against the tree, asleep.

"Picky, wake up!" Pokey shouted.

"Wha! What’s going on!" Picky asked, alarmed.

"I’ve been lookin’ all over for your sorry behind! Let’s go home before Mom and Dad catch us outside!"

"Fine! I was waiting here for you, and fell asleep. This wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t run away like a girl when that crow made that noise!" Picky exclaimed.

"Wha…what are you talking about?" Pokey asked.

"Stop fighting!" I said. "Let’s just go home."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Bout time."

Me made our way down the hill, but Pokey stopped us. "Do you guys here that?"

"What?" I asked.

"It’s a buzzing sound. Like a bee."

"I don’t hear anything." I said.

"Are you sure you hear something?" Picky asked.

"Yes, I’m sure you…"
"Wait!" I shouted. "I hear it now…"

There was a faint buzzing sound coming from the top of the hill. We made our way back up the hill to the meteorite. There was nothing there to make the noise, but it grew louder and louder. Then, suddenly, a large pillar of light shot out of the meteorite. Pokey screamed. King ran away. I shielded my eyes from the light with my hand. When the light began to subside, I put my hand down, and saw a small insect, surrounded by a blue light, flying above the meteorite. "What is it?" Picky asked.

"I think it’s a bee." I said.

"A bee I am…not." Said a voice that echoed around in my head.

"It can talk…" Pokey managed to say.

"Of course I can. I am Buzz Buzz. I have traveled to Earth on this meteorite from ten years in the future. In that time, the Earth is in ruins. Only a small portion of the human population remains. There is little we can do against the evil empire Giygas has forced upon us."

"Giygas?" I asked.

"Giygas is an evil alien who has come to Earth on this night. He plans on taking over. I’m here to warn you. Ness, you are the chosen one who will prevent the future extinction of mankind by eliminating Giygas."

"By myself?"

"No, you will have three allies. There is a legend where I come from that speaks of three boys and a girl. They will find a way to shatter Giygas’ power, and save Earth. There is much you must want to know, but we must hurry. There is no time to waste."

Of course this was all very strange, but there was something about this "bee" that made me understand and believe everything it said. "Alright, Buzz Buzz. Let’s go guys."

"Ness! You’re g…gonna trust that thing?"

"We have to Pokey. The fate of the world is at stake!"

"You believe all that mumbo jumbo he’s selling you?"

"Be quiet, Pokey!" It was Picky who had said this. "I believe him too."

It was a quiet trip home. I could only think about what Dad had told me on the phone, what that dog was talking about, and the words of the strange bee-like creature I just met. We were almost home when Buzz Buzz stopped us. "What is it?" I asked.

"He’s near."

"Giygas?" I asked.

"No, Junior."

"Who’s…" I was stopped by the sudden appearance of a human shaped object up ahead.

"Starman Junior." Buzz Buzz said.

"I can’t let you go through with this, Buzz Buzz." The figure said in a metallic voice. "You’ve interfered with Master Giygas for the last time!" The figure stepped into the moonlight, and revealed itself. It was a robot with curvy arms, and feet. They were like tentacles, and were very fluid like. Its body was silver. On its chest was a strange symbol made up of rectangles and a triangle. The only facial feature it had was a black visor that reflected the moonlight. The Starman put its arms together and fired a wave of red energy. "Psi Fire Beta!" It shouted in its robotic voice.

"Psi Shield Sigma!" Shouted Buzz Buzz. A purple light surrounded Buzz Buzz, Pokey, Picky, and myself. "This shield will protect you." Buzz Buzz said. "Help me defeat him."

He charged into the Starman with great speed. A thick blue light surrounded his small body, and it left behind a vapor trail as it attacked back and forth. Starman Junior blocked with the tips of its arms, and managed to fire a green laser every few seconds from them. They were useless due to Buzz Buzz’s shield. The laser was reflected into the night sky. I grabbed the Cracked Bat and ran over to help out. Picky followed behind, but Pokey didn’t. When Starman Junior noticed me, he pushed Buzz Buzz away and fired a blast of blue energy at me. "Psi Freeze Beta!" The energy froze around my shield, and then quickly vanished. I swung my bat, but the Starman blocked. Buzz Buzz hit him hard in the chest, knocking him back several feet. I noticed that Picky was chanting something behind me.

"Kame…hame…Ha!" He shouted as he threw his hands forward. Nothing happened. "Darn it! The Kamehame Wave didn’t work!"

Starman Junior turned his attention back to Buzz Buzz, leaving me with a free opportunity to strike. As I pulled the bat back, I heard Buzz Buzz in my mind. "Focus your energy. Use your Psi."

"My what?"

"Your special powers. They are Psi powers."

"I don’t have any powers like you two have."

"Yes you do. Deep within."

I tried to find my power, but nothing came to me. The bat struck Starman Junior’s body, but did nothing. "The kid doesn’t know Psi? Maybe he isn’t a threat to Master Giygas after all."

"I do too you bucket of bolts!" As I shouted with anger, the Cracked Bat began to glow with all the colors of the spectrum.

"You’re doing it Ness." Buzz Buzz said. "Now strike." I swung the bat. It was much lighter than before, and felt as though I was swinging a feather. The bat hit Starman Junior’s side, and continued on through, severing him in half. Sparks flew, and then he exploded. I fell to the ground.

I felt as though my body was drained of all its energy. "You are just beginning to tap into your hidden potential, Ness. On your journey, your powers will develop until they reach the Omega state."

"What’s that mean?" I asked as Picky helped me up.

"As your powers grow, you will be able to use them in different forms. Most of them have four forms. It begins with Alpha, then goes on to Beta, Sigma, and then to Omega. You will see in a few weeks."

We walked over to Pokey’s house to bring him and his brother home. Their parents’ car was in the driveway. "Pokey and Picky Minch!" Their father shouted. "Where have you too been!?"

"We were…"

"I don’t care! Go up to your rooms!" The two brothers headed upstairs with their heads hung low. Their father followed them up. Pokey’s mother, Lardna, approached Buzz Buzz and I.

"Please don’t mind Aloysious’ tone. He was just worried about the boys."

"Please Dad, don’t! We’ll never do it again, I…Yeowww! Stop it, please!"

Mr. Minch charged down stairs and approached me. He was not even an inch away from my face. "I never want to see you with my boys ever again. You and your family have taken thousands of dollars in loans, and have put my poor family on the road to poverty! Got that!?" I wasn’t sure if that money thing was true, but I nodded anyway. Mr. Minch stared at me for a few seconds before marching off to the living room.

"Let’s go, Ness." Said Buzz Buzz.

"Yeah, we should get…"

"Don’t move, Ness!" It was Mrs. Minch.

"Why?"

‘There’s a dung beetle flying over your head!" Before I could stop her, Mrs. Minch grabbed a newspaper, and whacked Buzz Buzz violently. I caught him before he hit the ground.

"Buzz Buzz, please don’t die!" I shouted.

"Put that down, darling! It’s probably diseased!"

I ran outside, and knelt down on the ground. Buzz Buzz was in my hands, his blue light was fading. "Ness," he said, "I’m done for."

"Don’t talk!"

"No! I must. There’s something I must give you." A small spherical stone slowly materialized on the ground in front of me.

"What is it?" I asked.

"It’s the Sound Stone. It can record the melodies of the eight sacred points. These points are known as "Sanctuaries", and they belong to you now. When the melody is complete, you will be able to channel the Earth’s power and make it your own. With this power, you will be able to defeat Giygas. There is a Sanctuary nearby. It is know as Giant Step. Start there. I have faith in you Ness. Don’t let me down."

"I won’t, Buzz Buzz. I won’t."

I dug a small hole, and buried Buzz Buzz in it. I covered it up, and made a cross out of twigs. The sun was just beginning to rise as I headed home. I felt different. I was holding the weight of the world on my shoulders, and I wondered if I had the strength to carry it all the way.

I was exhausted as I trudged through the living room. Mom was asleep on the sofa with Tracy. All I could do was sleep, and I did. It was a little past five in the morning when I got to bed. It was five in the afternoon when I was woken by a gentle tapping at my door. "Come in." I said from under my pillow. The door opened slowly. "Who is it?"

"It’s me, Mom."

"I’m sorry I went outside last night without asking you first." I said while removing the pillow from my face.

"Is something wrong, Ness? You seem…I don’t know, different."

I explained everything that happened with Buzz Buzz. I also told her about my powers, my Psi. "Your father and I always knew that you had "gifts." When you were just a baby, you’d bend feeding spoons, and shake bottles without touching them. We thought that your powers just left you."

"So, is it alright if I go?" I asked. I couldn’t tell if Mom was supportive or not.

"Of course you can. The world depends on you now. Just remember that you can always come home if things get too rough."

"I will."

After our talk, I got into the shower for a few minutes to wake myself up. I put on the clothes I had worn the night before, my Mom washed them, and grabbed my backpack along with the Cracked Bat. Tracy gave me her favorite yo-yo. "You can play with it when you get bored, and you might be able to use it as a weapon. Who knows!" I packed that along with several home made food items that Mom had cooked up for me.

"I guess this is it." Mom said. Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes.

"Don’t cry, Mom." I said. Seeing her cry was tempting me to do so as well. "I’m not leaving Onett right away. The first Sanctuary is nearby. I’ll come back to say "goodbye." I promise."

"Just be careful." Mom gave me a great big hug. Tracy jumped into my arms.

"I can’t wait to tell my friends that my big bro is gonna save the world." She whispered into my ear. With that, I was off.

I needed information on Giant Step. I’d heard about it before, but I had no idea where it was, and what I would find inside once I got there. I decided that the library would be a good place to start looking. It wasn’t very far from my house. It was just a little ways north of Onett. I approached the librarian to ask for a book on Giant Step. "We have many books on Giant Step, and other popular places to visit in Onett. You should find what you’re looking for in room 12-B." She was very cheerful, and enthusiastic, but also quiet.

"Thank you, ma’am." I said.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Kids can’t check out books unless they have a membership to the library."

"I’ll just take a few notes then."

I headed upstairs to room 12-B. I noticed that every room I passed was packed with large amounts of people, but most of them were not reading. I heard one person talking to another. "I wish he’d hurry up and leave. He thinks this library is his." When I reached room 12-B I noticed something else that was odd. Only one person occupied the room. It was a man. He was wearing a red pinstripe suit, and sunglasses. His hair was blonde and put up in the shape of a shark’s dorsal fin. He wore a chain with a red claw at the end. On his face, I noticed a long cut that stretched down from the side of his right eye, and down to the middle of his chin. He was reading a book entitled, "Advanced Robotics." In his right hand was a small throwing knife. He was twirling it around rapidly, never stopping.

"You got a problem, kid?" He asked me without removing his eyes from the book.

"No, I was just…"

"Go away."

"Excuse me."

"Get lost!"

"Why? All I want is a book!" I stepped into the room. That was a bad idea.

With a small flick of his wrist, the man threw the knife straight at me. I just managed to step to the side. The knife caught the sleeve of my shirt and pinned me to the wall. "What’s the big idea?" I asked.

"Good reflexes." The man said. He put the book down on the table, and left the room. "No one’s ever dodged Fail-proof Frank’s blade before." It was then that I realized who the man was. It was Frank Fly, the leader of the Sharks. I saw his picture on the news a few times before. His gang was ruthless. They had taken over the arcade downtown. The cops were no match for them. They attempted to enter the arcade to apprehend Frank, but his thugs were too tough. I pulled the knife out of the wall, and put it in my bag.

There were plenty of books on Onett, but only one had the information I was looking for. It was called "Onett" simply enough. There was a small section about Giant Step, but it had everything I needed to know. "Giant Step provides us with conclusive evidence that mammoth creatures once roamed the grassy hills of Onett. Located in the northwestern region of the small burg, Giant Step can be reached only by traveling through a sophisticated series of caves, and tunnels. The caves are inhabited by large rodents, and fearsome antoids, which are capable of eating a man alive. Some claim that Giant Step holds a special power, but there is no proof of this."

I wrote down everything I needed to know, and headed out. Before I left, the librarian handed me a map of Eagleland. "You deserve this you little scholar! Just be sure to return it by the year 2001, alright?" Once I was outside, I looked at the map of Onett to see exactly where Giant Step was. I realized that I would have a little more trouble getting there than I had planned. Since the book I had read at the library had been published, there was a small house built in front of the caves that led to Giant Step. It was called "The Touring Entertainers Shack." Not many people visited Onett, so the amount of entertainers coming to town was scarce.

I walked over to the shack anyway to see if I could pass through. The door was locked, and a tall fence full of splinters stopped me from passing on the side of the shack. There were two mimes standing outside watching me. I guessed that they had just arrived in town, and were looking for a place to stay. They tried to tell me something through their silent acting. It turned out that the Mayor, B. H. Pirkle, had locked the shack only a few days ago because the Sharks were caught vandalizing it. "I’ll go see if I can talk the mayor into giving us the key." I said. The mimes did a silent applause as I left for City Hall.

It was crowded with dozens of complaining citizens. "We must do something about these wild snakes, and dogs that are attacking our children!"

"We must deal with the Sharks!"

"The roadblock separating Onett and Twoson must be torn down!" The mayor’s secretary was trying to calm the mob.

"The mayor is trying to deal with these problems as we speak. He’s also working on his reelection campaign."

"Why? We aren’t voting for him!"

"Please, the mayor will deal with these problems. In fact, he’s currently in a conference with Chief Strong about dealing with the Sharks."

I decided to leave. It was hopeless. There was no way that I could reach Giant Step. While I was thinking about what I’d do next, I accidentally bumped into someone. "You’ve got a problem, punk?" I looked up to see an older teenage kid wearing a black rubber jump suit. There was a black shark fin on top of his head, and he was wearing goggles. I knew instantly that I was in trouble. I had just bumped into a Shark.

"I’m sorry." I apologized. "I wasn’t looking where I was going."

"Apparently." The Shark said. "Do you realize what I am?" I was tempted to say "A loser who’s wearing a wet suit just so he can "fit in" with a group of other wet suit wearing losers."

"A Shark?" Was all I said.

"That’s right! You’re a smart kid. I want you to meet some friends of mine." The Shark put his fingers to his lips and gave a short high-pitched whistle. Three other Sharks came rolling down the sidewalk on skateboards. "Teach this punk a lesson!" The Shark who whistled cried.

I broke free of his grasp, and pulled out the Cracked Bat. I sidestepped as the first Skate Shark passed by. I swung the bat into his stomach. The board slipped from under his feet and flew up into the air. I grabbed it and slammed it into the face of the second Skate Shark. His board continued rolling along the sidewalk, but he was on the ground. The last Skate Shark attacked. I swung the board, but the Shark did a kick flip to avoid the blow. He landed safely, and turned around quickly. He jumped into the air, and raised the board up to protect his body while he crashed into me. I hit the ground hard. The Shark got back on his board, and rode a little ways past me before turning back around. He was about to jump up again, but I caught him off guard with the yo-yo Tracy gave me. I threw it forward, and the string wrapped around the Shark’s legs. I gave a tug on the string, and the Shark came tumbling down. I recovered to my feet to deal with the last Shark, the one I had bumped in to.

"Look man! I was just joking around! We weren’t going to hurt you! Not on purpose!" I wasn’t listening. I was furious. The Cracked Bat was glowing with the rainbow light like the night before. I swung it hard into the Shark’s chest. He flew several feet away, and crashed into a street sign. He fell to the ground unconscious.

"Look, that boy just beat up four Sharks by himself!" exclaimed an elderly man who had seen the whole thing. "The police couldn’t even take out one!" The man ran over to me. "Hey, kid. You think you could take Frank, their leader?" Before I could answer, the man dragged me back to City Hall. He forced his way through the crowd up to the Mayor’s secretary. "Tell them what you just did, boy." The room got quiet.

"I…uh, beat up four Sharks." I said softly. Everyone burst into laughter.

"It’s true!" The man shouted. "Go look outside! You’ll see four unconscious Sharks there!" A few men and women stepped out to see if the man was telling the truth. They came back with excited looks on their faces.

"He did!" Shouted a woman. "They’re out cold!" More people rushed outside to see. The secretary pulled me into her office.

"Hey, kid. What’s your name?" She asked.

"Ness."

"Listen, Ness. How would like to be called "Town Hero" in the papers?" I didn’t really care.

"I guess that would be cool."

"Well, that could happen if you defeated Frank Fly." She said. "Will you do it?"

"I don’t now if I…"

"We’ll give you whatever you want."

"Okay, I want the key to the shack that’s blocking the way to Giant Step."

"The key to that old place? Whatever you want!"

"Okay, I’ll do it."

I wasn’t very sure of myself. Frank seemed like a very tough guy, but he also said that I was the only one who had dodged his blade. That gave a small boost of confidence. I met one Shark along the way to the Arcade. He threw a few quick punches at me, but I blocked each one with the Cracked Bat, and slugged him in the side of the head. It was perfect. I suppose I psyched myself up so much that I was invincible. This began to make me a little cocky as I entered the Arcade. "Can we help you, shrimp?" They asked as I walked inside.

"You’re the ones who’ll need help." I said. "Help to the hospital." I let out a slight laugh. I thought I was hot stuff.

The Sharks surrounded me. One grabbed my arms from behind, and lifted me off the ground while another came in from the front to attack. I kicked him in the stomach with both my legs, and wiggled free. I removed the Cracked Bat and beat down the Shark that was holding me. The rest of the Sharks came after me. I knocked out a few with the bat. I tripped one up with the yo-yo. Everything was going good at first. I hadn’t suffered a single blow. Then, there were too many. They forced me against the wall while they took turns punching me hard in the stomach. I was about to throw up when I felt the rainbow energy return. My entire began to glow with it. I was able to push the Sharks away from me. One punched me in the jaw, but nothing happened. It was as if my mouth was made of steel. I pushed the one who threw the punch into the Sharks that surrounded him. They all flew several feet away. I found my bat on the ground and picked it up. I knocked out nearly six Sharks with one swing. The remaining Sharks ran out of the Arcade in fear. My energy slowly began to fade. It left me tired, but I had enough strength to handle their leader.

I walked out into the back yard where I found Frank working on some strange robot. It was made out of a barrel, and a crate. It appeared to run on treads like a tank. There was a periscope on top of the head, and a long pointed nose. It also had two large metal arms and a porthole in the chest. "Is the calibration right, or what?" Frank asked someone I couldn’t see. I spoke up before anyone could answer.

"I’m here to take you down Frank!" I said.

"Oh really?" He asked. His attention was still on the robot. He stood up, and turned to me. "And who are you?" He was twirling around two knives this time. The grin he gave me lowered my confidence greatly. It looked as though he was absolutely certain he could take me. I took the knife that he threw at me out of my bag. I wasn’t sure how, but I managed to throw it pretty well. I was aiming for his chest. He quickly threw one of his knives up into the air, caught the knife I threw, and then began to juggle all three. He was mocking me. "I remember you, kid. What’s your name?" I couldn’t speak. All I could think about was how painful it would be when he stuck one of those blades into my body. "Can’t you at least tell me your name!" He shouted. With that, he threw one of the knives. I completely dodged it. The blade was stuck in the wooden fence that surrounded the Arcade. "That’s twice you dodged my blade. There won’t be a third time!"

He ran at me with the two remaining knives and began to slash at me furiously. I pulled out the Cracked Bat to block. Chips of the wood flew into the air with each slash. I managed to hit his hand with the bat. It forced him to drop the knife he was holding. I took this opportunity to swing. He blocked with his arm. The impact let out a gut wrenching thud. He quickly tried to jam the remaining blade into my throat. I stepped aside, and tried to attack, but Frank grabbed the tip of the bat. I tried to get it away from him, but I couldn’t. He was about to stab when I realized that he was holding the jagged edges of the bat. I pushed it forward, forcing several painful splinters into his hand. He screamed with pain, and backed off. I swung and hit him directly in the face. Saliva, blood, and a few teeth flew into the air as Frank fell to the ground. His glasses were shattered. "Got you!" I shouted.

"Think again!" Frank exclaimed. "Frankystein Mark Two!"

I heard the sound of an engine starting up. I was the robot. Inside the porthole I saw a Shark pushing levers. A large burst of steam erupted from an exhaust pipe. That was how the robot moved, through steam. It charged forward, and threw a powerful punch into my stomach. It raised me high up into the air on its closed fist, and let out more steam. I rolled off the fist, and landed hard on the ground. I retreated to a corner. My back was bruised badly from the fall. I closed my eyes and placed my hand on the bruise. "Psi Life Up…uh, Alpha." The blue light was much brighter than it ever was before. "I guess I said it right." My back no longer hurt. Frankystein was approaching me in the corner. I was trapped. It raised its fist high into the air, but stopped. It let out another burst of steam. I jumped onto the robot. I figured that it couldn’t punch me while I was on it. I was right.

The driver tried everything he could to knock me off. He would accelerate and then brake immediately. That threw me around, but I still hung on. He made a sharp turn that made me lose my grip. I began to fall, but quickly grabbed onto a pipe to stay on. I was about to make my move to the porthole when my hand felt as though it was on fire. I was holding onto the exhaust pipe. I fell to the ground. The driver quickly turned around, and tried to run me over. I got, and tried to get back on the robot, but it grabbed me with both its arms. All I could do was kick my feet, and that didn’t help at all. Frankstein lifted me up, and then slammed into the ground. It repeated that until Frank ordered the driver to stop. "So, you thought you could mess with the Sharks, huh? Well guess again!" He punched me in the mouth. I spit out some blood and a tooth. "Only seven more teeth to go! Then we’ll be even!"

"I’ll beat you." I said.

"And how are you gonna do that! You seem to be unable to move at the moment!"

I forced with all my strength to free myself. The energy was once again filling my body with power. The metal began to tear. "What!? How are you doing that!?" Frank asked. I continued to tear through the metal until I broke free. I picked up my bat and slugged Frank in the stomach. Frankystein rushed forward, but I grabbed Frank, and threw him in the porthole.

"The controls are fried!" The driver shouted. I grabbed Frank, and sat him down against the fence.

"Now you have to promise me you’ll never make trouble again!" I commanded.

"You’re strong, kid. I underestimated you." Franks admitted.

"Promise me!"

"Yeah, sure. I’ll promise you."

"Thanks." I said as I stood up to leave.

"Hey, kid. Why did you attack us anyway?"

"I need the key to open the Traveling Entertainer’s Shack, but I can’t get it until I stop your gang."

"Why do want the key to that place? It’s a mess."

"You’re the ones who messed it up! Anyway, I want to go to Giant Step."

"Be careful there, kid. You see this cut on my face? I got it just yesterday. I heard that Giant Step holds a secret power. I wanted to see if I could get the power somehow. I visited almost every day, but nothing. Yesterday, when I got there, I found an antoid. It was huge. I think it sucked up the power somehow. It gave me this cut. Be careful."

"Thanks."

Before going to City Hall to get the key, I stopped at the hospital. I couldn’t stop my hand from burning, even with "Life Up." "I need to get treated for a burn." I told the nurse.

"Please fill out these forms, and wait in the lobby. While I struggled to write down the information needed, an old man approached me.

"I see you burned you hand. Let me have a look." I showed him. "Not too bad. Here, I’ll cure you."

"You?" I asked.

"Why yes. I am a healer. I use the powers of the mind to heal ailments."

"You mean Psi?" I asked.

"You know Psi?"

"Yeah, a little."

"That’s remarkable for a boy your age. I’ve heard of another child who can use Psi. She lives in Twoson. I saw her on the news. Well, enough about that. I’ll teach you Psi Healing."

The old man taught how to do the Alpha form of "Healing." It was very similar to "Life Up", but a little more difficult. To do it, you must concentrate the energy of "Life Up" into a thin stream of light. Then, you move the light to your body where you’re suffering from an ailment. In my case, it was my hand. Almost instantly, the burn was gone. "Thanks, Mr. Healer. I’m sure this will help me out a lot."

With my hand healed, I headed to City Hall to get the key. They wanted me to stay, and have lunch with the mayor. I told them that I didn’t have time. It was getting late when I made it to the shack. The sun was beginning to set so I decided to hurry. The mimes silently thanked for opening up the shack. It was a real mess inside. Frank and his gang tore the place apart. Despite the condition of the shack, the mimes appeared happy. There was a large hole in the back of the house that led to the caves.

It was dark inside so I pulled out a flashlight that I had put in my backpack. It was quiet except for occasional scurrying of a mouse. There were ropes hanging down from the high platforms that led to Giant Step. I got quite a workout from all the climbing I did. I was leaning against the cave wall for a short breather when I heard a strange noise. It sounded like someone trudging through thick mud. It began to get louder, and more rapid. In a few seconds, it sounded like a large group of people running through mud. I looked all around, but I couldn’t find the source of the noise. Then, something sticky fell on my shoe. I looked up and saw hundreds of large slugs standing at the edge of the platform above me. They were dripping slime all over the walls. I walked over to the next rope so I could get past the slugs as quick as possible, but they were blocking me from climbing all the way. I pushed a few aside so I could get up on the platform. The slugs didn’t like that. They attacked me all at once.

They weren’t very strong, but they would bite pretty hard. I took out dozens at a time with the Cracked Bat, but it was useless. There were too many. With each swing, the slugs exploded. Slime was flying left and right. Every time one fell, another took its place. They were too quick, and began to climb up my leg, biting my ankles. The pain was unbearable. As I continued to swing left, and right, I noticed that the rainbow energy was back. It always came when I was angry and right then, I was furious. I swung faster and faster, but it was hopeless. I tried to run away, but they were surrounding me. The unused energy was beginning to build up in my arms. All that stored up energy was beginning to hurt too. It hurt more than the slugs biting me. I dropped the bat, and began shaking my hands to relieve the pain somehow. Sparks of multicolored light flew into the air. They landed on a few slugs, and instantly destroyed them. I had an idea.

I put both my hands together, and threw them forward. The energy was expelled in a concentrated beam of rainbow light. The slugs were falling upon impact. I moved the beam to the left to wipe out the rest of the slugs. After a few seconds, it began to fade until it finally stopped. The beam left me tired, and I knew that I would need more energy for the antoid Frank told me about. I was able to get away, and climb up to the next platform. There, I rested. "That attack was rockin’." I said to myself. I decided then to call it "Psi Rockin’." "If this is the Alpha form, I can’t wait to see how powerful the Omega form is."

After eating a sandwich that Mom made for me, I continued on. There was a short tunnel filled with antoids up ahead. Antoids looked like regular ants, but were much larger. Most of them were nearly the size of my foot. I had no desire to fight them so I created a distraction. I took all the cookies Mom had baked for me, unwrapped them, and placed them in a pile at the entrance to the tunnel. Sure enough, all the antoids came rushing forward for the sugar that they loved. I sneaked past them while they fought it out for the cookies.

There was one more rope that led up the exit of the caves. I saw a bright light shining from above. The climb up was tough, but I did it. I saw the way out, but there was a light coming from a large figure that looked like an erect antoid. It was much bigger than a regular antoid, nearly seven feet tall. "Frank? Is that you?" asked the figure in a voice you’d think worthy of an insect.

"No, I’m Ness."

"Oh, the Chosen One. This is the first "Your Sanctuary" location. Do you really think that you’re strong enough to defeat me, the Titanic Ant?"

"Yes." I said.

"Well then, come and take it from me…if you dare."

I rushed forward with the Cracked Bat raised high up in the air. The Titanic Ant grabbed my wrists with its middle set of arms, and twisted them around, nearly pulling my arms out of their sockets. It punched me in the face with its upper set of arms and sent me to the ground. "Get him my cohorts!" The Ant commanded. Two antoids came scurrying from behind Titanic Ant. One sunk its teeth into my leg, while the other got my arm. I knocked them away and rose to my feet. They ran in front of Titanic Ant and stood side by side. I put my hands out in front of my chest.

"Psi Rockin’ Alpha!" I cried. The beam of rainbow energy obliterated the two antoids, and knocked Titanic Ant against the cave wall.

"Interesting technique." Titanic Ant said. "Too bad it saps your energy so much. It’s a lot like this attack. Psi Magnet Alpha!" A bright sphere of light flew out of my chest and into Titanic Ant. It felt as though someone had stuck their hand into my soul. I felt my energy beginning to deplete. I wasn’t sure if I should use "Rockin" again, or save my energy for "Life Up." Titanic Ant answered that for me.

He grabbed me with four of his arms, and squeezed me hard. I couldn’t breath. He spread his pincers wide, and positioned them so they’d cut into my neck. "Don’t lose your head on this attack." He taunted.

"Don’t split after this attack." I managed to say.

"What are you…" Before he could finish, I fired a short blast of "Rockin" at the lower half of his body. The attack tore him in half. I fell down with the upper half.

"I told you not to split." I said as I left the caves.

The sunlight hurt my eyes. I had to use my hand as a visor until my eyes adjusted. Giant Step rested in the middle of the small cliff. It appeared to be just like a human’s footprint, but only bigger. As I approached it, I felt my wounds from the battle heal. My energy was also restored. I took out the Sound Stone. It was glowing. As I held it out, the outside world was suddenly muted. All I heard was the beginning of a beautiful melody. I wanted it to continue. The song was so soothing to the mind, and the soul. Before the beginning of the melody ended, I saw an image that I recognized from the dream I had the night the before. It was of a small white puppy. I wasn’t sure if it was King or not, but I had a strong feeling it was.

None of the creatures in the cave attacked me as I headed back for the shack. They appeared to be afraid of me. I guessed that they sensed I had absorbed the power of Giant Step. I whistled the melody as I slid down the ropes, all the while wondering how the rest went.

I was feeling pretty good when I left the cave. There were so many obstacles I had to face, and all in one day, but I overcame them. My mood was ruined when I heard someone yell, "Hey, you kid!" It was a police officer.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"Can’t you read?" He asked. He appeared to be very upset.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well it sure doesn’t look like it!" He shouted. "Did you see the sign on the fence?" He pointed to the fence, but there was no sign.

"What sign?" I asked. The officer looked to where he was pointing, and found that there was no sign there. He looked around a bit before exclaiming, "Aha!" He picked something off the ground. It was almost torn in half, and covered in dirt. He brushed the dirt off, and held it up over his head.

"This sign!" It read, "Do Not Enter!"

"How was I supposed to see that?" I asked. "It was on the ground. You could barely see it."

"That’s beside the point! I want you over at the police station tomorrow morning! Be there no later than six!" He left before I could object.

The streetlights were turning on when I got home. "Ness, you’re back!" Mom said as I walked through the door.

"I told you I wasn’t leaving Onett today."

"I know. I was just worried. I made your favorites for supper!"

I told Mom and Tracy about my day. Mom was pretty upset about the fights I had, but Tracy wasn’t. "I could’ve helped you out!" she said.

"How is wetting your pants gonna help me out in a fight?" I asked. "You’re a bigger wuss than King."

"Yeah, I never wet my pants." King said.

"You don’t wear pants you dumb dog."

I was going to miss sitting at the dinner table, insulting Tracy while Mom told me how worried she was, and King making his sarcastic comments that only I could hear. Tracy wanted Mom and me to watch a movie with her that night, but Mom said I had to get some rest. "Saving planets is a tough business." She made me go to my room to sleep at seven thirty. I stared at my ceiling for a few hours thinking about what would happen on my journey. When I finally fell asleep, I had a strange dream.

I was sitting in a classroom. I was the only person there. Outside the window I saw a street that I’d seen before, but it wasn’t very familiar. "Is this…Twoson?" I asked myself. I was surprised to get an answer.

"Yes, it is." The voice was very soft, and sweet. It echoed throughout the inside of my head.

"Who’s there?" I asked.

"I’m a friend you’ve never met before. My name is Paula."

"Paula?"

"Yes, I live in Twoson. You’re in the Polestar Preschool where I live with my Mom and Dad."

"Why are you talking to me in my dream?"

"I’m in trouble. I’ve been kidnapped, but I don’t know where I am. You must save me. I’ve seen you in my visions. You’re the Chosen One who will save the world. I know what’s going on with Giygas and the Sanctuaries. Please help me."

"I will."

"Thank you. Now wake up."

"Wake up."

"Alright, Paula. I’m up."

"Paula? Who’s Paula?"

"Tracy!"

"You’ve been dreaming about a girl, huh?"

"Get out!"

I got dressed, and grabbed all my stuff. "I’ll come back after I’m done with the police, but after that I’m leaving for Twoson."

"Good luck!"

The sky was still a little gray when I arrived at the Police Station. As soon as I walked in, I was treated like dirt. "So you’re that thieving punk!" yelled a gruff voice. It was Chief Strong.

"Thieving?"

"Come here, kid!" He dragged me into a room in the back of the station. It appeared to be a dojo of some sort. There were five officers practicing various martial arts techniques on one another. "Gentlemen! This is the boy who stole Lier X. Agerate’s golden statue. Get him!"

"I didn’t steal any statue!" I said.

"Tell that to Mr. Agerate!" Just then, I remembered that Lier had invited me to house to see what he had found. I supposed that it was a golden statue, but someone stole it.

One of the officers attacked me. He mainly threw kicks. I was able to block most of them, but he caught me with one across the face. I fell to the ground. "Get up you little punk!" The officer kicked, but I grabbed his leg and tripped him. I jumped on his chest, and threw one solid punch to the jaw. The next officer attacked.

He used only hand strikes. Rapid punches and occasional chops made up his arsenal of moves. After blocking a few jabs, he spun around threw a powerful chop with his left hand. It struck me directly in the neck. I was able to maintain my balance, and used "Life Up" to restore my health. The cop rushed forward with both of his hands up in the air, ready to chop. I pulled out the yo-yo, and managed to tie his hands together with the string. "What the…" I pulled the string towards myself, and kicked the cop in the face as he was pulled towards me.

I untangled the yo-yo, and threw a forward pass at the next approaching officer. It struck him right on the nose. He seized it with both his hands, leaving his entire body vulnerable. I did a slight jump, and kicked him in the groin. He fell to the ground in pain.

The fourth officer approached. He wasn’t throwing any strikes, and wasn’t guarding himself very well. I rushed in and threw a punch to his stomach, but he stepped to the side, grabbed my wrist, and threw me several feet away using my own force. He was using Judo. I figured that he could throw me aside no matter how I attacked. I decided to throw him a curve ball. This particular curve ball was made of a rainbow colored energy. "Psi Rockin’ Alpha!" The blast struck him in the chest, and propelled him out the window.

There was one officer remaining other than Chief Strong. He was shaking in fear. "N…no way! That kid’s weird!" He ran out of the room as fast as he could.

"Looks like it’s just you and me, kid." Chief Strong said. He began to walk towards me very slowly.

"Prepare for my Super Ultra Mambo Tango Foxtrot Martial Arts!" He assumed many strange poses before ending with his arms behind his back, and his chest sticking outward. "Try to hurt me." He said. I decided to use my bat. I pulled it out and charged. The bat struck Strong in the chest, but he didn’t budge. "Try again." I did, but to no avail. Strong appeared to be made of steel. "You can’t harm me, Minch."

"Minch?"

"Don’t play dumb, Pokey Minch. You’re going to be punished for your crime."

"I’m not Pokey Minch, I’m Ness…"

"Shut your mouth, you lier, and try to hurt me."

I tried again and again to hurt him, but he didn’t so much as flinch. "It’s an ancient martial arts secret. You need to possess a strong mind to do it. As long as I’m in this trance like stage, I’m invincible. No attack can harm me."

"What about this one?" I asked. I assumed the usual arms in front position that I used for "Rockin."

"That cannot hurt me either. Give me your best shot."

"Alright. Psi Rockin’ Alpha!" The beam hit him in the chest, but he still didn’t move.

"I told you!" He shouted over the noise the attack created. I decided to put more power into it. The beam became more concentrated, but Strong still didn’t move. "You’re wasting your energy!" I decided to increase the power once again. "What? Impossible!" Strong was beginning to slide backwards.

I increased the power more. "It’s not possible. It’s starting to hurt me!" I increased the power one last time. Strong began to scream. "Stop! Please!" The beam threw him against the wall. I felt drained after holding the beam for so long.

"I beat you!"

"Yeah, you sure did, Minch."

"I told you! My name is Ness!"

"So you really are telling the truth. Why are you here then?"

"I was told to come here for entering the Traveling Entertainer’s Shack, but I got permission!"

"Sorry about that. No hard feelings right?"

"I guess not."

"What can I do to make it up to you?"

"How about letting me pass through the roadblock to Twoson. Fine, I’ll give the order. The officers there will be informed by the time you arrive."

I was about to leave, but then I remembered something. "Oh, Chief Strong?"

"What is it?"

"What did Pokey do?"

"He stole some golden statue that Lier X. Agerate found buried under his house. It’s a creepy looking thing. I think he called it "The Mani Mani."

I went back home before leaving for Twoson. I said "goodbye" to Mom, Tracy, and King. Mom cried, Tracy said that she still wanted to help somehow, and King didn’t really care. I promised to call whenever possible. "Don’t forget this." Mom said. She handed me a small plastic card. "It’s the ATM card your father sent you."

"Thanks, Mom. I’m sure I’ll need this."

"Remember to call him if you need any extra money for your account."

"I will…goodbye."

That was it. I was officially on my quest to save the planet, and once I arrived at the roadblock, I knew that Pokey would play some role in it. The police officers looked really upset when I arrived. "C…can we help you?"

"I’m Ness, I need to pass."

"S…sure. Go on ahead."

"Is something wrong?"

"Pokey Minch just passed by."

"Really? Why didn’t you stop him?"

"That statue he has. It’s evil."

"Yeah, you can tell just by looking at it."

"Well, I’ll be going now."

"Stay away from it!" The officers warned.

"I will."