Tryst, Chapter 8: Setting Things Right
Tryst, Chapter 8: Setting Things Right


Paula nodded. "We NEED to work as a team! Unity is right! We've defeated Giygas before; let's see if we can do it again!"
The others nodded, but Luna stopped in her tracks.
"I don't understand! We don't have the orb, and our combined abilities may not even phase him!"
Unity began to argue with Luna, but she looked at something out of the corner of her eye. "Paula, what are you doing?"
Paula was sitting, cross legged, on the ground. "I'm preparing a prayer." She said, gritting her teeth. "It worked against giygas last time..but this time is different. This is a new prayer, a prayer for time itself. Join with me!"
Unity immediantly plopped on the ground, and put her hands in a fold. Luna followed suit, and Dan stared defiantly at giygas as he settled to the ground.
Anthadd and Cyan looked at each other and nodded. "It seems that Paula has an idea." Cyan stated grimily. "Let's let her try it out."
The two sat quietly in the middle of the battle. Giygas reared up and howled. "Why is it you refuse to fight? Do you actually think you can defeat me with the power of the mind? I am invincible, and there is nothing you can do to stop me!" He quivered in triump, then cried out in delight. "NOTHING!"
Paula stood up slowly, and walked to the middle of her circle of friends. "Please, guardians!" She cried out into the frosty air. The wind whipped her hair back, and she looked at the expectant faces of her friends.
"Send us the power of the Orb! Send it so that we may fight for justice, and for our loved ones!"
CAW! CAW!
A huge Bird came rocketing down from the sky, with two figures on its back. It dipped into a full out dive, careening toward the field of battle. Screeching to a halt, the two figures jumped off.
"It's the stream Guardian...and Matt?"
Matt grinned hugely, with his hair sloppily framing his boyish face. "Hi guys!"
The stream guardian, however, had a much different concern. He slowly walked up to Giygas, and stood boldly before him.
"Giygas! This was not your plan! Do you realize the pain you have caused so many people? all because of your quest for strength?"
Giygas cackled. "The man you once knew as Giegue is gone. I have inhabited his shell, there is nothing left of him but pain and anguish. Your master is dead; EVIL IS LIFE!"
Giygas whipped out a steamy arm and sent the stream guardian careening into a rock.
"PLEASE STOP IT!"
The voice boomed out through the field. Giygas blinked, and looked down. Matt stood with a stick in hand, ready to fight Giygas.
"You foolish boy! Are you actually daring to defy me, when your fallen comrades could not?"
"They have NOT fallen!"
"But they have! Look at them!"
Matt looked around, to see his friends struggling to get up, the prayer having drained all of their energy.
"Why would you do that to them, Mister Giygas? What have they ever done to you?"
"They've destroyed my dreams! A simple mind like yours could not even BEGIN to comprehend my immortailty, but yet these mere children have ruined my plans! But this time, I will destroy them!"
"NO!"
Matt ran up to Giygas, and stabbed him in the midsection with the stick. Giygas rolled his eyes, and lunged. Matt rolled out of the way, but he had just enough time to lok up before Giygas had him in his grasp.
"Now I shall destroy you!"
CAW!
The Space Guardian Bird spread its wings widely, and a burst of light flew out. the beam blasted giygas straight through the stoumach, and he lurched forward, still clutching Matt.
"What..have..you..done...foolish bird? You cannot comphrehend the power of Giygas!"
<Yes, but you can! You are a mortal, and you and I both know it! Leave the boy out of it, or it will mean your death! He bears the mark of destruction!>
"You lie!"
Giygas grabbed Matt fiercely, and crammed him into his gaping mouth. Matts supressed screams slowly dimmed as giygas sneered.
"The mark of destruction? I laugh at your....attempts...to..what?"
Giygas felt a sharp pain in his gut, and he screamed. With a slash and a hack, Matt stepped out, carrying something with him.
"What?? What have you taken from me, insolent fool?"
The Bird grinned. <it's the life force of your former identity, Giegue. Now Matt, return him to what he was! Play ball!>
Matt picked up the life force, and threw it at giygas. It sailed through the air, still not assuming a shape. In what seemed like hours, the force hit Giygas in the eye with stunning speed.
"AUUUUGHGHH!"
Giygas writhed in the air, desperatly trying to maintain balance. With one final yell, he faltered, and collapsed in front of Matt.

It was finally over.
The final war against Giygas and Giegue was over.
But what would the heroes and heroines do now?

"Stream guardian," Luna pleaded, "could you send us back to the proper time stream?"
"One second."
Matt came over.
"Bye... Luna," he said softly.
Luna's eyes watered.
She slumped down and hugged Matt.
"Do you have to go?" she asked.
"Yes, he does," the Guardian said. "He must be kept out of the flow of time, to protect it.
"But first, I will send all of you to the proper time stream. That way, Matt preceding you holds no danger.
"Close your eyes. All of you."
As each of them closed their eyes, they slowly faded out of view.
After they had all faded out of view, the stream guardian sighed.
"Do you understand what will happen now, Matt?"
"Y, yes." He nodded.
The stream guardian and Matt melded into each other, stretched throughout all the time streams, and finally disappeared.
Indeed, the guardian had held his promise of having Matt kept out of the flow of time. He had become part of it.

"Are we back?" Ryuji asked.
"It feels like we are," Luna replied.
And the journey ended.




Rusty and Paula returned to the preschool. It might have been tame, all things considered, but they needed tame.

Mike and Luna returned home. Mysteriously, birds began to flock to Summers. "Crazy birds" became the motto of the town.

Cyan disappeared not long after everyone split up. Since then, he hadn't reappeared. The common theory was that he'd gone to another alternate reality.

Anthadd returned to his island. He continued to practice his Sugemo and Stellar, but also focused on the study of alternate realities. He reasoned he could find some way to traverse the barrier.

Ryuji returned to his training. He increased his power, and eventually exceeded the power he thought he could never reach.

Unity followed her heart to Mu, where she began rigourously training to learn PSI.

Tracy returned home to her mom and King. Fifteen years later, she and Picky were married.

Captain Strong was hurriedly named as a Supreme Judge. On a not necessarily related note, Rockwell joined the Onett Police Squad, and quickly rose to Captain.

Dan returned to his home, and became a part-time magician for childrens' birthday parties.

Jakob...


THE END...?