Winter 200X, Part 3 by SuprSmashKid
(I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! -SSK)
CHAPTER 6

12:25 AM
Southern Onett
    Ness could barely see, and was scraped by many tree branches along the path, but he found his goal. Giygas stood 
completely still. Ness could see his outline but not much else. I must've taken a wrong turn somewhere, he thought. It 
shouldn't have taken that long to get here. He stopped a few feet away from Giygas, expecting an attack. Instead, 
what he got was a response. "Hello, Ness..." Ness took a step back. He heard something he'd never heard from Giygas before; 
a chuckle. "You have nothing to be afraid of, young one. I am here for the betrayer. I have no more quarrel with you, 
or with this planet." 
    "I...I'm glad to hear that, Giygas." Ness motioned towards the hospital. "Pokey is in there. He's been wreaking havoc for 
some time now. I left Poo there to keep Pokey busy while I help you." Giygas chuckled again. "Who would've thought? Two 
old arch-enemies, and here we are talking as though it's all behind us." His voice was slow and deep, but Ness understood 
every word clearly. "So you are serious when you say you've changed your ways?" He saw the outline nod. "I have no use 
for evil. Evil only brings sadness, and I do not wish to wield evil's black sword any more." Ness nodded. "Let's go. We 
haven't a minute to lose!"

 * * * 

    Poo stumbled and fell backwards, but managed to recoil in time to dodge another large spear. "Is that all you got, chump?" 
Pokey laughed. Poo was apparently losing, but he'd never let his opponent know. "It appears that your energy is running 
low, prince. Care to take a break?" Poo jumped to the side, drew his sword, and charged the SpiderMech. "Never!" Pokey 
was totally unprepared for this but caught Poo with a move he didn't notice until seconds before the sword pierced the 
SpiderMech's armor. One of the spider's legs appeared on Poo's side and connected with his ribs, knocking him into a wall 
roughly 15 feet away.
    Poo wheezed and knew he didn't have much more left. He sat down and set his sword at his side. Pokey advanced slowly. 
"I've got you now, little bug. There's no escape." Poo closed his eyes and meditated, with Pokey standing in front of 
him. "Want to give up? Or should I kill you now?" Poo stayed meditating. "C'mon, it's your choice." After a moment, Pokey 
stepped back a step. "Okay, fine. It's your funeral." Poo's eyes opened and turned white. A bright flash enveloped the 
room, even the darkest corners. A shadowy figure appeared. "Poo, you have trained well. Time to use your abilities against 
the enemy!"
    The flash quickly subsided, leaving Pokey temporarily blinded. "Yow! That hurt, you little punk! You're gonna get it 
now!" Pokey charged and lunged with the spider's front leg. Poo dodged to the side and said, "PSI Starstorm Omega!" Bits 
and pieces of PSI energy rained down upon Pokey's SpiderMech, but Pokey had one more surprise. "I have you now!" The 
Starstorm attack diffused into the bubble shield of the SpiderMech. Poo watched in horror as the energy was refocused 
into a laser cannon that sat on the SpiderMech's left arm. "Fire 1!" The cannon charged itself. "Aren't you gonna try 
to run, like your loser friend Jeff did?" Poo held his sword at the ready position. 
    Seconds ticked by like hours. Pokey waited and said nothing. Finally, the cannon was charged. "Oh well. Good night." 
The cannon fired with an explosion that could've brought the world to its knees. After the explosion, all was silent. 
Trees rose and died, buildings were built and were destroyed, and after the minute that seemed like a millenium passed, 
the silence was broken. The clatter of metal on linoleum was heard, followed by a hollow yet dull thump. After that, 
the whirring noise from the SpiderMech slowly died out. "What the...?" Pokey exclaimed. The power returned, lighting the 
area, and Pokey saw the damage done. There was a gigantic red stain on the floor. Next to it was Poo's body, crumpled 
in a heap on the floor. The blade of Poo's sword was driven straight through the engine.
    Just then, the door flew open and Ness returned. He immediately saw Poo's dead body and gave Pokey an icy glare. 
"You're about to wish you'd never been born, you stupid scumbag." Ness took a step forward, allowing Pokey to see 
who was with him. Pokey dropped to his knees. "Giygas..." Ness whispered something to Giygas, and started walking for the 
stairs. Giygas turned to Pokey and said, "We meet again, betrayer." Pokey shook his head. "You say that like it's a 
bad thing." Suddenly there was a bright blue flash, and Pokey was knocked senseless. Giygas stared for a moment, and 
dropped to his knees. "Head hurts... Can't breathe... So this was the secret..." With that, Giygas collapsed and 
transformed in a flash.

* * * 

    Ness burst through the door and found a sleeping Paula. He knelt beside the bed and checked her pulse. "Whew, she's just 
fine." She stirred and he felt his heart skip a beat. "Hrmmm..." Her eyes fluttered and her left arm twitched a 
little. "Paula?" She turned her head a little. "Ow..." She whispered. Ness nodded. "Save your strength. I'm right here." 
He took a hold of her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. A faint smile appeared on her face. She fell asleep and 
went limp. The machines hooked to her were still giving readouts, so he had no cause for alarm. He heard something 
from downstairs and immediately worried about Giygas. He stood and quietly left the room, and ran downstairs. 
    What he saw shocked him. Giygas lay on the floor, unconscious. Pokey was out cold and looked like he'd stay 
that way for a long time. Ness turned back to Giygas. Instead of the tattered guard uniform that he'd been wearing, 
Giygas wore a normal-looking suit, a fedora hat, and black shoes. "Uh, Giygas?" He heard a mumble as Giygas rolled 
over. "Ness...?" He sat up and looked at himself. Ness went white as a ghost. "What's wrong, Ness?" 
    "You're human again!"
    "What? Really?"
    "By defeating Pokey, you defeated your own inner evil!" Giygas stood and walked into the bathroom. He stared into 
the mirror at what appeared to be just your average person. "Whoa." 
    "You're telling me."
    "This explains... Everything." Giygas looked at Ness with a thoughtful look. Ness sighed. "You're going to tell me, 
aren't you?" Without answering, Giygas gave his speech.
    "I was born in the 1920s under the name George Igor Lygas. Before the Second World War, my college major had been 
biochemistry. I had been first in my class, so the army called for me to work in their labs to create biological 
weapons. I had refused, but Aloysius Minch, my college roommate and second in our class, had agreed to help. Before he 
left college, we had exchanged some harsh words to each other. 'I'm not going because I don't want to be blamed for 
anything that goes wrong.' He called me bad names and left. There was more, but I can't remember it very well.
    "While he was away, I worked diligently and retained my number one spot. Two months later, Aloysius returned to 
the campus. He looked much different compared to when he had left. His hair went from curly red to wavy blonde. His 
walk, normally a type of confident stride, became a slow and sloppy shuffle. He spoke much more quietly. His class 
schedules had also changed, and he dropped out of all chemistry classes. 
    The night of his return, he told me about the horrors he'd experienced, and all I could do was listen. 
'Their methods of biological tactics are tasteless and dishonorable. The scientists that worked there had few resources, 
cramped working space, and even worse sleeping quarters. The experiments they had me perform were absolutely horrible!' 
He explained that when another scientist had an accident with the experiment they had been working on, he left.
    "After describing to me what his work included, Aloysius suffered a seizure and passed out. Luckily, the college 
hospital had been just across the street and our room was on the second floor, so I picked him up and took him straight 
over. The doctor said he didn't know what was wrong with Aloysius, but that his brain would most likely never be the same 
from whatever trauma he'd gone through."
    Ness headed for the lobby and motioned for Giygas to follow. "So what you're telling me," Ness said as he started 
up the stairs, with Giygas following, "is that your name is George?" George nodded. "In the 1920s, names weren't as 
hard to pronounce, and the letter L was silent, so while my initials were G.I.L, people called me G.I. Ygas, or Giygas." 
Back in Paula's room, Ness sat next to her bed as George sat on a chair near the wall. Paula had fallen back asleep and 
Ness would explain everything to her when she felt better. "Continue, George." 
    "Over the months that passed, Aloysius' condition grew worse. He began muttering nonsense and could no longer 
walk. I cared for him in the best way I could; told him how my day had gone, read him books, and even helped write a 
report on his condition, but nothing I could do would help save him. On May 2, 1940, he passed on." Ness shook his 
head. "Serious stuff." George only nodded. 
    "Wait, that's only half the story. How did you become that horrible monster?" George scratched his head. "I'm not 
quite sure I remember... If I do, I'll tell you about it later. She's waking up." He pointed at Paula, who rolled over 
and started opening her eyes. "You're back..." She faintly whispered. He grinned and shushed her. "Don't waste your 
energy. You'll need it." It was miraculous to him that she survived. She barely noticed George sitting on the opposite 
side of the room. She pointed weakly and Ness gave a brief explanation. "This is George Lygas. He used to be Giygas. 
Don't worry, he's back to normal and on our side." She breathed a sigh of relief. 
    Suddenly, Ness heard something downstairs. "Be right back. George, watch her for me." George nodded and Ness headed 
out of the room and down the stairs. At the bottom, he noticed the SpiderMech gone, as well as Pokey. All that remained 
was a letter. He opened it and read the words. "Hello Loser, my brother came and picked my stuff up. We'll be 
retreating to a different time now. Catch us if you can! -Pokey."
    "Well crap," he muttered. He'd hoped everything would keep balance. Suddenly, there was a bright flash and an 
odd-looking SpiderMech dropped in through a portal in the ceiling. He could identify the passenger without looking up. 
"Hello, loser. I see you got my letter. We can finish this now, since no other era has allowed my presence." Ness sighed. 
"This again? Why don't you give up? You've lost twice, and no one supports you anymore. If you still think you can win, 
then you're in denial." Pokey chuckled.
    "You don't get it, Ness. I must fight. If I don't, then losers like you will eventually take over all of us cool guys. 
Therefore, if I kill you here and now, then the dork population will be thin enough for the cool guys to maintain 
control, making my plan-" Ness interrupted. "Shut up." Ness took his hat off and threw it against the wall. He brushed 
his hair with his hand and looked at Pokey, who looked stunned. Ness's hair, brown and curly, made him look entirely 
different. 
    With his diversion working, Ness tried his PSI Rockin skill. "PSI Rockin Omega!" A bright flash shot from Ness's 
fingertips and struck the engine block, which exploded. The SpiderMech imploded on itself in a great blast, crushing Pokey 
and knocking Ness into the wall behind him. He kept consciousness but felt something running down his face. He wiped his 
brow with his hand and noticed a few drops of a light-red liquid drip down. "Well crap," he muttered.
    He could tell Pokey was dead, since there were red splotches covering the floor by the SpiderMech. "That's the end 
of that, I hope." There was a bright flash as another SpiderMech, the original version Pokey had once used, dropped from 
a portal in the ceiling. "Crap! Don't you ever die?" He heard a more child-like voice. "You killed my brother!? You're 
gonna get it now, Ness!" Ness sighed. "Great. Here we go again. PSI Rockin Omega!" There was another bright flash, but 
nothing happened. The SpiderMech hovered in midair, no action occurring. 
    "What did I hit?" Ness carefully got a firm grip on one of the turrets and boosted himself for a look inside. The 
inside was smoky, and nothing remained but a small trace of a fine black powder. "Done like dinner," Ness murmured. 
"How am I gonna move this thing? Hmm..." Ness thought for a few moments, but had an idea that would work perfectly. 
He headed for the stairs.

CHAPTER 7

12:37 AM
Northern Onett
    Ness's mother was worried about her boy. "Do you think he didn't make it?" She shook her head at Tracy. "He's been all 
over the world. What could stop him?" There was a loud explosion outside that shook the house, which both startled her and 
filled her with memories. "Almost like 3 years ago..." Tracy mumbled and headed upstairs. She heard what sounded like 
two teenagers fighting and headed for the door. Before opening it, she listened to the angry conversation taking place. 
"I told you I was a bad driver!"
    "Well you could've let me drive!"
    "I hadn't thought of that at the time!"
    "Do you ever think?" Suddenly, there was another voice. "Now calm down, you two. Paula, it wasn't Ness's fault. 
He got us here in one piece, didn't he? And Ness, it's rude to yell this late at night. Now lets go inside. We have 
some work to do." Ness's mother opened the door and squinted, but couldn't see in the darkness.
    Then, the three dark figures appeared from the south. Two were shorter while one was very tall. The shorter 
person on the left began to sprint for the door. "Hi mom, we're home." Once all three people entered, she closed the 
door. The older man wore clothing that she once saw in her great-grandfather's closet. Ness answered the unspoken 
question. "This is someone that helped us out, so we're repaying him by letting stay the night. If that's all right with 
you, that is." She nodded. "Sure. A friend of yours is always welcome to stay. I hope you like Steak, Mr..." 
    "Lygas. George Lygas."
    "Sounds kinda familiar. Nice to meet you, Mr. Lucas."
    "That's Lygas."
    "Sorry." Ness mumbled something to Paula, who chuckled a little. "Mom, we'll be going upstairs now." Ness's mother 
nodded. "Okay, dear. I'll call when dinner is ready." Ness, Paula and George headed into Ness's room to discuss the day's 
events. Ness sat on his bed and sighed. "It's amazing, all this happened in one day. I can't believe how or why, and I 
don't want to, but there it is. Jeff and Poo are gone, but so are Pokey and Picky, so the world will be safe for a nice 
long time."
    George, standing next to Paula by the door, thought for a moment. "I have an idea that will make everything a lot 
easier, Ness. First, however, we need the bodies of Jeff and Poo." Ness stared at George for a moment, curious. "What did 
you have in mind?" George hesitated, but explained his plan. "Well, it's a long shot, but my PSI powers may be enough to 
bring those two back. They'd be alive, but would need a lot of skilled doctors to keep them alive. This may be a problem, 
depending on how well the doctors around here work. Also, their revival will be at the cost of my life."
    Ness took in the information and thought for a few minutes. "Would you be willing to sacrifice yourself?" George 
nodded. "I've been alive much too long; I've fulfilled my goal on Earth, and I'm ready to depart." Ness thought again. 
"What are the odds of this working?" asked Paula. "About 1 in 50, maybe 1 in 100. It's tough to tell, depending on how 
much of my power is left." Ness made his mind up. "We'll do it," he said. George nodded and headed downstairs. "If we want 
this to work, we'll have to move fast, and move now." 

12:40 AM
Southern Onett
    Poo's body was still in the hospital, which was almost in complete ruins and was empty of workers. George climbed 
out of the SpiderMech and rushed in to grab the body while Ness and Paula waited. While waiting, Ness reached in his 
coat pocket and pulled out a small box wrapped in red paper and about the size of his fist. 
    "I almost forgot to give this to you, Paula. Your birthday is tomorrow, but I didn't want to forget, so here." He 
handed her the box, and she unwrapped and opened it. "Why, Ness, it's..." She stared at the rather large diamond ring 
sitting in the small box. "Remember when we went shopping a few months ago? This is the ring you wanted. I bought it while 
you were off somewhere else."
    "Oh, thank you so much! It means a lot to me!" She hugged him tightly, and he hugged her back. "Happy birthday, 
Paula." She looked into his eyes and wanted to kiss him, but George returned from inside, carrying Poo. They released 
each other while George chuckled. "I was a kid once, you know. But we have a lot of work to finish, so it can wait until 
when we're done." Ness and Paula nodded and hopped back in the SpiderMech.

12:43 AM
Winters
    George found the coffin that Jeff had been buried in earlier in the day. He opened it, took Jeff's body, and 
climbed back into the SpiderMech. George said, "It's getting a little cramped in here, don't you think?" Ness nodded 
and set the autopilot to Twoson Hospital. The SpiderMech took off in a flash, leaving a trail of smoke in its wake.

12:45 AM
Twoson Hospital
    George carried Poo and Ness carried Jeff. Paula called Dr. Kerns before they landed in the No-Parking zone in front 
of the hospital. Two paramedics appeared almost immediately with two stretchers. George and Ness set the bodies on the 
stretchers, which were wheeled inside. Dr. Kerns showed up two minutes after Paula called. "What's going on?" Ness 
turned and greeted the doctor. "My two friends, who were killed by Pokey, can be revived. We need a good doctor like 
you to help keep them alive." 
    "They both have large holes through their sternums."
    "I know that, but there are ways to repair these things."
    "Well, if you really need my help..."
    "I can pay you $10,000 for each day their statuses get better. If you can get them back to 100%, then I will be forever 
in your debt." Dr. Kerns looked astounded. "How did you get so much money for a 16-year old?" Ness smiled. "My allowance."
Dr. Kerns shook his head and headed inside, followed by George, Ness, and Paula. Ness saw George writing something on a 
piece of paper but was more curious as to whether or not Jeff and Poo would survive. 
    Ness turned to Paula. "So do you really think this'll work?" She nodded. "I hope." Ness said, "Me too." Finally, 
when the two stretchers were put into a room, George folded the note, wrote something on the folded part, and stuck it 
in his pocket. The paramedics left and George stood in between the two stretchers. Ness, Paula, and Dr. Kerns stood on the 
opposite side, waiting. 
    Dr. Kerns called three other doctors, who would be in within the next two minutes. George turned to Ness. "I want you 
to take care of your loved ones. Be kind and loving, and they will stay with you forever." He glanced at Paula, then 
turned back to Jeff and Poo.
    "Doctor, as soon as I fall, I want you and your crew here working on fixing these two up. Work as though their 
injuries are livable and you will do fine." With this, George held his hands over the two bodies and said "PSI Remover!" 
There was a bright flash as George's life drained into the dead pair. George felt his health fading, and finally he 
finished. His PSI, in the form of pure revival energy, flowed through the veins of Jeff and Poo, repairing and bringing 
their lives back. The holes in their bodies had closed, but their blood was in short supply. George collapsed and Dr. Kerns 
moved straight in, calling the other doctors in the room.
    Ness and Paula could only sit and watch. Ness tuned the doctors' voices out and leaned back in his chair, falling 
asleep. Paula sat, wondering if she could help. Dr. Kerns shouted, "I need a pint of some A- as soon as possible!" Paula 
took that as her chance. "I'm an A-, take it from me." One of the doctors turned to her. "You afraid of needles?" She 
shook her head. "Take as much as you need, but leave enough to keep me alive." The doctor readied some emergency blood 
transfusion gear.

2:30 AM
Twoson Hospital
    Ness woke up and looked around. Everything had calmed down. Paula lay sleeping in the chair next to him, her 
head resting on his shoulder. Dr. Kerns was watching Jeff and Poo, who were hooked up to several machines. "Doctor? 
How did it go?" Dr. Kerns jumped and turned. "Oh, you scared me. Well, we saved them in good timing, thanks to your 
girlfriend's help." Ness felt himself go red but he still asked how she helped. "She gave two pints of her own blood 
to help these boys, who were remarkably the same blood type."
    "Where's George's body?"
    "We took it to the morgue. I'll be checking up on his body in a moment. Would you like to go with?" Ness nodded. 
"How are these two doing so far?" Dr. Kerns looked a little puzzled. "Well, they're doing remarkably fine. Somehow, 
their natural healing systems are faster than we had expected, and they can be released in 3 weeks, if they continue this 
fast healing. Luckily, no bones were destroyed, but their muscles will be very sore for at least another month, and they 
can't take deep breaths for the next week or so." Ness sighed, relaxed. "At least they'll live." Dr. Kerns nodded.
    "Well, how about George, doctor?" Dr. Kerns replied, "Okay, let's go. I'm also curious as to how he has PSI power." 
They headed to the morgue, where George sat on a table, lifeless and pale. "I checked his clothing and found a letter 
addressed to you. You may want to read it while I examine the body." Dr. Kerns handed him the letter, which Ness opened. 
He read it while hearing George's voice narrate it in his mind. "If you're reading this, then I'm dead, obviously. I never 
told you about how I became what I was, so I wrote this letter.
    "A month after Aloysius' death, an army officer returned and asked me to work on the new drug that could cure rare 
diseases. I accepted and worked with what I was given, but it was all a ploy to get me to build a dangerous biological 
weapon. I had made one vial of the serum, and once I learned of the army's plan, I injected myself with the serum, 
which slowly ate away at my feelings. In one year, I had turned into a violent animal. Instead of what I had thought 
I created, it was much different. I merely became evil instead of being inflicted with some form of slow, horrible death. 
    My physical features changed tremendously, also. I can not describe how I looked because my memory is fuzzy 
in places. In the '50s, I was found by the government again and was given the name Giygas, since no one knew what 
the 'G' or the 'I' stood for on my college ID. I had been the first person known to have the power of PSI. Others 
with the power appeared slowly, though I'm not sure how it is created. For 37 years, the government kept me for testing 
of various drugs, which further molded me into what I was. I was kept in a hidden base near Stonehenge. The powers 
of my mind slowly took over all the workers in the base, turning them into my slaves. Yes, the starmen were actual 
people. The only robotic starman was the Starman Invincible, which Pokey had stolen right before our battle.
    "My starmen built massive robotic armies while I controlled them from that base. When you began your journey, I 
retreated to the Cave of the Past and looked for a new mind to corrupt. Aloysius had an older brother, Bob Minch. 
He was 30 when Aloysius died, and named his first son after his little brother. That Aloysius, in turn, had two sons, 
Pokey and Picky. 
    I slowly worked my way into Pokey's brain, corrupting him. I took a Minch because of their arrogant tendencies. Picky 
would've been the better choice, but Pokey was older. I gave Pokey things he'd need, and he used them wisely until you 
reached the Cave of the Past. He became nervous and very irritated.
    The last time I saw him was during the battle. He wanted to get out of there, you could tell. Well, you know what 
happened after that, so I suppose I'll stop writing now. I hope I answered your question, Ness. It's unfortunate I won't 
see you again, but I'm sure you're in the morgue with that doctor right now. I hope you take care of your friends and 
family, and especially Paula. You two are perfect for each other, but you're only 16, so I'll let you decide for yourself. 
Your friend, George."
    Ness folded the letter back up and stuffed it in his pocket. He was amazed at how small George could write. He stood 
and said, "Doctor, I have something to take care of. I have to take my leave. You will receive your pay in the mail later." 
Dr. Kerns said his goodbye, and Ness left, heading back to the room where Jeff and Poo were. Paula was still asleep in 
the chair. He scooped her up and carried her out of the room and out of the hospital, to her home near the hospital. He 
left her in her room while he went downstairs to talk to her parents. 
    "I'm glad to see she's doing well," her father said sleepily. Ness simply sat on the downstairs couch and nodded. 
Paula's mother turned to him. "Why are you here so early? What exactly happened in the hospital, Ness?" Ness looked up 
and said, "apparently, her condition cured a lot faster than anyone thought. Also, she had to give some blood to 
help an emergency patient. She was the only matching blood type in the local area." Paula's mother nodded. "I see." Ness 
heard a noise upstairs but shrugged it off. "Ness? You down there?" He glanced over to her father, who said, "go ahead, 
you have my permission." Ness stood and walked upstairs.
    "Hi, Paula." She was sitting on her bed almost in a daze, still worn out from giving blood. "Feeling better yet?" 
She nodded. "Thank you for being with me, Ness. I hope you know I enjoy your company." He smiled and replied, "I know, 
and I enjoy your company also." He noticed the ring on her finger and said, "Oh, you're wearing it. I hadn't noticed." 
She grinned. "I really love it, Ness." He shrugged. "I do what I can for my friends." Paula looked hurt. "Only... friend?" 
Ness shook his head. 
    "Then what am I to you? I'd like to know."
    "Well, you're more than friend. You're a really great person to be with, and everyone seems to agree on this point. 
A lot of people think we're perfect for each other."
    "But..."
    "Well, I'm not sure quite yet. All this stuff happening so fast just makes me feel dizzy. All I know is if I just 
make it up off the top of my head and improvise anywhere I can, then everything should be fine." 
    "That really didn't answer my question, but I understand how you feel."
    "Well, all I can say is that I agree with the people that think we're perfect for each other." Paula felt her heart 
skip a beat when she heard that. "Really? You mean it?" He nodded. "Although sometimes it's tough to say it, and it 
feels odd since I never said it to anyone before, well, I love you." She was about to run into his arms and hug him to 
death but the phone rang. "Is Ness there?" said the voice on the line. Paula sighed and said to Ness, "it's your mother."
    "Great." He took the phone and said "Hello?"
    "I found you. Finally! Where are you at this time of night? What do you think you're doing? It's 3 AM, for Pete's 
sake!" He sighed and said, "I'll come home in a few minutes, mom. Honestly!" 
    "You'd better not be lying, or you'll be grounded."
    "Mom, I'm 16. I'm too old to be grounded."
    "Not while I'm your mother. Now I want you home by 3:45 at the latest, since it's such a long walk. I mean it, Ness."
    "Okay, I'll be home then."
    "Bye, then."
    "Bye." He hung up and shrugged to Paula. "I have another 40 minutes or so, unless someone moves the SpiderMech." 
She sighed. "The moment was ruined. Stupid phone call." He nodded. "Well, what now?" She shrugged. "Let's go check up 
on Jeff and Poo." He agreed and they left.
    When they reached the room in the Intensive Care ward, the beds were empty and one lone doctor was in the room. 
Ness looked around and said, "Where are they, doctor?" The doctor looked up at Ness and said, "They were moved after their 
conditions were declared more stable. They won't be doing much moving for now, but they'll be just fine." Ness sighed. 
"Well, we checked up on them, like we said. Let's go." Ness and Paula left the hospital and had nowhere to go. 
    "Now what do you want to do, Paula?" She shrugged. "I'm really tired Ness, why don't you go home?" He nodded 
and replied, "You're right. I'll see you later." With that, he headed for the SpiderMech and she headed back to her 
house. Lying in bed, Paula sighed. "Did I do the right thing?" She fell fast asleep.

EPILOGUE

December 31, 11:55 PM
Ness' House
    Ness sat on the couch next to Paula, who had visited to celebrate New Year's Eve. Tracy was playing fetch with 
King, and Ness's mother had gone to the store to pick up supplies. "Well, it's almost New Years', Ness. You know the 
tradition, right?" Ness gave Paula a weird look. "What, the eat 12 grapes thing?" Paula shook her head. "No, that's in 
a different country. You never learned the tradition?" Ness shook his head. "No one ever told me about a tradition..."
    "Well, the tradition is that if you kiss the person you love the most on the 12th chime of the bell on New Years 
Eve, you and your loved one will be with together for the rest of your life." 
    "Do you believe it?"
    "Well, kind of..."

11:57 PM
Snow Wood
    Jeff's recovery was slow but gradual, and just a few days ago his muscles loosened enough that he could walk again. 
His days had been painful but Ness and Paula had visited often enough to keep his spirits high. He sat in a chair 
watching television with Tony, Maxwell Labs, and other inhabitants of the Snow Wood Boarding House. "3 more minutes until 
the ball reaches the bottom!" said the reporter in Fourside, watching the annual New Years ball. 
    Suddenly, the main gate opened and a man rushed in. "My son! Jeff!" Dr. Andonuts saw his son, walked over to him, 
and shook his hand. "Happy New Years, son." Jeff replied, "Thanks for stopping by, dad. Happy New Years." 

11:59 PM
Dalaam
    Poo's recovery was much faster than Jeff's was, and he was almost back to his regular life. He sat in his throne 
watching the large and expensive clock his father gave to him. "One more minute", he said to himself. Suddenly, 
there was a bright flash and his old teacher, the Star Master, appeared. "Happy New Years, Poo..." Poo felt almost 
shocked. "Star Master? Why are you here?" 
    "I felt that I should be here, son." 
    "Son? You're my father?" Poo shook his head. "Why did you never tell me?" The Star Master shrugged. "Never enough 
time. I must be going, but I'll always be your father. Goodbye, my boy." With that, the Star Master disappeared in 
another flash, leaving Poo in shock. The bell began to ring.

January 1, 12:00 AM
Ness' House
    Well, he'd done it. On the 12th ring of the bell, he'd leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. As Paula sat 
in near-shock, Ness put his arm around her and continued to watch TV. "What... Did you just-" Ness pulled her a little 
closer to him and whispered "I love you" in her ear. She looked at him, gave him a teary-eyed smile, and kissed him 
back. "I love you too", she said.

THE END