UNUSUAL SPECIES (Revised) Chapter 4

Author's notes: Oddly enough most of this chapter was written not long after finishing Chapter 3. I only really got stuck on one scene, only because I've never really been big (nor experienced) on the shy-love scenes so I couldn't really figure where to put Ness and Paula or what to do with them, but couldn't really leave them out. As a result the last scene suffered a major wait, since it couldn't really be finished until I knew what I was doing with the rest of it. So... yeah.
Some parts of this chapter I really did like, but they might be a bit too odd. I wasn't sure. But I still like them. These are scenes where I really can't care what anyone thinks (like the 'orange' bit of the last chapter) because they made ME laugh and I couldn't help insterting them (the only other times I do this are when I'm scripting sprite-comics on a certain other site, and sometimes it really does work because I can get some really good feedback from viewers). So regardless, I liked them anyway. The only ones I wasn't entirely sure of were the Picky scene and the Ness and Paula scene. 

Hope it worked anyway. Read on.

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The journey back to the Magicant Rock had been, for want of better wording, interesting. Pippi had made clear her refusal to travel with the overzealous Dr.Andonuts, and her refusal to even go near that cave again, no matter what anyone said. They'd managed to work the journey so that Ness teleported a small group into Threed, and went back for the others, because otherwise it wouldn't be fair, while the first group made their way to the rock. Ness had looked back on the journey and reflected that it would have probably been easier if everyone had stuck together and just gone through the cave, though it wouldn't have saved any time. Once they were all at the rock, though, things calmed down some.
"This is a most amazing structure!" Dr.Andonuts gaped up at the rock which sat by the roadside. Ness felt that the air around it had changed, feeling... relieved?... that they'd returned. It was almost as if the rock was actually glad to see them.
Having gone through such a rapid change of mood, Pippi had settled back to her normal happiness, sitting by one of the trees with a large beaming smile, "It's definately not your average rock! I think it's supposed to be psychically charged or something, so that it will do some weird stuff when you touch it. For instance, creating a souped up charge that can level five Starmen Chrome." she directed the last comment at Ness with an amused eyebrow raised.
Paula looked round, "Speaking of which, where did they go? Weren't there remnants left here?"
The others looked round in suprise at that, realising that Paula had been right. The metal remains of the Starmen had disappeared, not leaving so much as a scrap. 
Pippi waved a hand dismissively, "I'd put it down to the rock again." she said calmly, "Probably cleared it up to keep things discreet."
"You put a lot down to that rock, don't you?" Ness stated, looking at the red-head. She just stuck her tongue out at him.
Apple Kid had only kept half an ear to the banter, deciding that it was probably safer to keep at least one eye on the good Doctor, in case he got any funny ideas. Such as this notion that he could chip off a piece of this rock. If what Ness told him had been correct, then this probably wasn't a good idea. "Uhh, Dr.Andonuts," Apple Kid hesitated, "Uh, I don't think you should do that..."
The others looked round, and almost panicked when they saw him using a chisel and hammer to take off a piece of the rock. Ness leaped forward and pulled him back, but the damage was done. The hammer came down at a wrong angle, and took off a chunk of the rock, which hit the floor at about the same time as the two males did.
Recovering quickly, Paula put her hands on her hips, "You really should be more careful, doctor!" she admonished, "You could have really gotten hurt, then! If it hadn't electrocuted you, it could have collapsed on you! You don't know how stable it is!"
"On the contrary," both Pippi and Dr.Andonuts spoke at once. They both paused, looking at each other in surprise, before Pippi looked away, allowing Dr.Andonuts to continue, "On the contrary," he said again, "I checked to make sure the rock was both safe to touch, and solid inside. Since it was both, it seemed safe to take a piece." he pulled himself to his knees and took up the chunk of rock.
Ness sat up, too, and frowned, "Wait, you said it's solid all the way through?"
The doctor nodded, "Yes, that's right. The whole thing's solid as... well, as a rock."
Thinking, Ness spoke carefully "But that makes no sense. If there's nothing inside it to get to, then what do the Starmen want it for? What's so special about this thing?"
Pippi stood up and dusted herself off, "Are you really asking that? You saw the... well, you saw the after-effects of what that rock did to you. There's probably more potential in that thing it can do, like opening up Magicant, which those Starmen want!"
Having been silent long enough, Poo finally asked "Pippi, why has your mood brightened so considerably? Is it because of that answering-message you heard?"
Curious, Ness looked to Pippi, "Yeah, you are happier than when you were in Saturn Valley. What's up? What's this answering message?"
Blushing a little, Pippi replied "I got a message from my friend back home. I should get in touch with him soon."
"You mean you haven't, yet?" Paula blinked.
Interest piqued, Ness turned to Poo. "So what did the message say? Was it anything good?"
This proved a bad move as Poo looked away, his fists clenched, but looking guilty. "I.. I don't know. I couldn't understand it."
Ness frowned, "What do you mean? I thought you could understand anything!"
It was Paula who reminded him "Because of his PSI."
Everything fell silent after that. Without his PSI, Poo couldn't understand other languages anymore. Of course, having spent enough time around Ness and the gang, Poo had learned enough English to see himself through, but anything else, he had no clue. So he probably didn't understand the mouse, or any animals that found him particularly interesting. This made Ness and Paula appreciate their gift that little bit more. Without their gift, they would have struggled so much on the adventure, and now, Poo was subject to this fate.
Although they did wonder just how Jeff understood them.
"Well," Dr.Andonuts broke the silence, holding the rock up for their inspection, "I think we should get this back, so the study can begin! Ness, would you be so kind?"
Ness stepped up to perform teleport, looking at the others. "Who's coming with me?" he asked slowly.
Pippi shook her head. "I'll catch up with you, probably. I should head home, call my buddy, and eat some! I'm starved!"
A low growl penetrated through the conversation, and all eyes turned to a now-embarrassed Poo. He held his stomach and looked away, turning red.
Unfazed by his emotion, Pippi declared "And Poo's coming with me to try some of my amazing patented right-from-the-East foodstuffs! Who else wants some?"
Paula giggled lightly. "Sounds interesting, but I think I'll go with Ness for now, and maybe stop by on the journey home?"
Apple Kid nodded. "I should go to Saturn Valley to help the Doc. Setting up the Phase Distorter is really tricky on one's own," he stopped to look in Andonut's direction, "Unless in my absense something has been created to make the job easier?"
The man laughed, "Nope, it's still as tricky as always! I've had my mind set on the portable snow-plough so I can get through the blizzard in Winters! But I'm sure Jeff will think of something equally as brilliant his end eventually!"
Everything decided, Ness nodded, "Okay, I'll get you guys off to Saturn Valley, and I'll see you two later! We should meet up again in a few hours to relay information, just in case."
The others agreed to this, and with a flash of teleportation and a declaration of "Let's go have sushi!", the two groups had separated ways.

~~~~****~~~~

As far as Picky had been able to gather from his piers, it was supposed to be the bad kids that got grounded. As far as he knew, he was a good kid. He was kind, he was honest, he was friendly, and he did his chores, and respected his elders. He was aware that his pig of a brother had been a bad kid, though it wasn't like he'd ever admit to thinking it. Even when it came to the obnoxious Pokey, Picky would respect him and treat him fairly, whatever happened. It was who Picky was. He was generous that way. Only, now his older brother was gone, as well as his dad, who apparently got hired into Monotolli's service (though this was never proved), any punishments fell to the young boy's shoulders. And so, with no Pokey to blame for whatever someone had decided to do to whatever it was his mom had decided she owned that day, Picky was grounded.
The boredom of sitting in one's bedroom with an old and out-dated portable console could entertain someone for only so long. Picky had grown bored after the first hour or so. He didn't want to read, since he'd already read all the books last time he was grounded. He didn't want to turn on the home console, since his mother would just shout at him for making a racket, even if he didn't have the volume on. Sometimes he wondered about that woman...
Distantly he heard someone jogging up the path outside of his home. This was normally a very unusual occurrence; most people avoided going up toward the Onett Hills after getting road-blocked in after the meteor strike. And Ness, apparently, wasn't expected home for the next few days. He looked out the window, half-expecting Tracy to have come back from her little adventure, hopefully in need of some help, but when he looked outside, pretty year-younger blonde girls was the last thing he was seeing.
Whoever the teenager was, he was definately in a hurry. It was almost as if he was trying to avoid being spotted or something. But that was silly, wasn't it? Who would want to avoid being seen in the most secluded part of Onett? From the Minchs' no less? But no, Picky was right, the young man confirmed his aversion by slipping behind the trees, instead of taking the path, and slinking through that way. Picky watched for a moment longer, before going back to his bed, and routing around underneath. He didn't have a very impressive weapon or anything, but after making friends with a couple of the old Sharks gang members, he'd been given a complimentary yo-yo, and, if ever the need arose, a pair of Sharks shades that would help identify members from non-members. He may not have been a bad kid himself, but he had some interesting friends.
The next stage would be getting past his mother. He could hear her in the living room, talking with her new boyfriend about some inane banter she had with a random woman in town, while they watched TV. So he couldn't go down the stairs, else he'd be spotted. That meant only one thing: He had to go out the window. Fortunately, for this exact situation, Picky had prepared a long line of rope he could securely tie to a sturdy hook in his cupboard, which he and Pokey had set up a few years ago for a late-night run-into town. In no time, he'd set up the rope, scaled his own house, re-checked his equipment, and gone up toward the Buzz Buzz meteorite, hopefully to see whoever this mysterious stranger was.
It was either by an impressive stroke of luck or because of the man's impulsive dodginess, that Lier X. Agerate had decided to stop the young man on his way to the meteorite with strange talk about goodness-knows-what. The teenager himself was somewhat startled at this man's approach, and kept trying to escape this unusual fate, but Lier X had a grip on his sleeve and wouldn't let it go.
"C'mon, you know you won't ever find a better deal anywhere else!" Lier X was saying as Picky came closer, "And because you're my good friend, I'll cut the deal by half! That's way less than most places would charge you for these things!"
The young man blinked, trying to step back, "I don't even know you! What are you trying to sell me?"
Lier X tapped his nose, "Ah, ah, ah! Remember, there're lots of people are these things, they're that rare, and you're going to be getting them so cheap their hearts will stop! Whaddaya say, good buddy? Have I piqued your interest, yet?"
At this point Picky decided to intervene. "Hey! Excuse me!" he called out, watching as both men whirled, startled, as he finished the climb up the hill.
Lier X dropped his hold of the man and adjusted his shades. "Come back later," he said, "When you're... alone." he shifted his gaze left to right, then ambled back into his home, taking one last paranoid look before closing the door, shifting locks into place that were audible even from Picky's distance.
The young man ran a hand through his hair and smiled in true appreciation at the blonde, "Thanks." he spoke with slight exhaustion, "I didn't think he'd ever stop..."
"Normally he doesn't." Picky agreed, looking back toward the dreaded house, "He never stops when he's really found something interesting. Last time, he found something that nearly wiped out the World." he frowned a moment. Ness had told him about the object, though he'd never really seen or heard anything about it himself. Not that he doubted his friend, it was just... a little unusual. He shrugged it off.
The young man nodded, and began up toward the meteorite again. "Well, thanks very much. If he's found something that interesting, I'll probably hear about it later." he stopped. Picky was right behind him. "Can I ask why you're coming with me?"
Picky grinned, "If I leave you here he'll only stop you again and badger you into getting whatever he's found. I'm just coming to keep you company. You know, so he doesn't bother you again."
Somehow the young man didn't quite believe that. Which was justifiable, Picky supposed, since it really wasn't true. But it was better to come find out what was going on than go back unsatisfied and deal with the wrath of his mad mother. But for whatever reason the man accepted this response, anyway, and silently continued up toward the meteor, listening to Picky following behind.
The rest of the journey up was both short and uneventful. Picky had already drawn the conclusion that the teenager didn't want to talk, long before actually meeting him, and the young man readily accepted this silence, figuring it a much better accompaniment than the last person he travelled with. When they arrived at the meteorite, Picky gasped.
Buzz Buzz the meteorite had cooled down not long after Giygas' defeat, according to Ness, and Picky had even witnessed it himself. They had come to the conclusion that it had been fueled by Giygas's evil presence on the Earth, and once Giygas was gone, it had cooled off, as a sign of the peace. Only now, the meteorite was hot again, smoldering like the day (night) it landed, as though it was a different meteorite entirely. Did that mean Giygas was back? Or was it something else entirely?
The young man looked up, his clouded blue eyes locking onto Picky's form. "What's wrong?" he asked carefully, kneeling by the meteorite. Picky relayed what he knew to the young man, who nodded slowly. "The meteorite was probably affected by Giygas' presence because he was leaving a negative affect on the Earth. Since this thing is half-embedded into the soil, it's probably picking up tremors from all over Eagleland, if not all over the World entirely. If anything negative is happening right now--"
"Then this'll know about it." Picky finished, looking at the rock again. "Does that mean something's happening right now?"
The young man didn't answer. He got back up and dusted off his jeans, casting another wary glance at the rock. "Yes, and no." he finally responded, "There is a problem, but it's minor at the moment." he looked at Picky carefully, "I don't want you telling people I've been here, but you probably will anyway. But if anyone asks you, tell them what I told you about this. It will work in their favour later. Trust me on this."
Picky nodded, looking at the rock. "While I'm relaying information, was there anything else you wanted me to pass on?" he asked innocently, looking round as the taller male started to leave.
The man paused a moment, then nodded, "Actually, yes. Could you tell them Frank got attacked earlier? They might want to know that. See you round." the man gave a small wave, then jogged off.
Picky watched him go for a moment, wondering how he knew Frank had been attacked, and also why he was helping them. For a moment he thought of the man as one of those mystery dark guys who go round helping main characters from the sidelines, before dismissing the thought as stupid, since the guy barely wore anything dark, and then blaming the thought on too much TV.
Shaking his head, he looked back at the meteorite again, then paused. Was it just him, or had the meteorite gone from practically blistering to somewhat smoldering since the kid left? He was sure the heat had died off a little bit since his departure. Looking back down toward the paths winding back to Onett, the button-nosed boy wondered -Who was he? He can't be the enemy... can he?-

~~~~****~~~~

Normally Poo was against Western foods. He didn't find it quite as appetising as the wholesome and deeply satisfying foodstuffs he would get in his home-Country. There was more nutrition and less sugar-and-salt in the sort of things he got at home. The only thing he normally enjoyed in Eagleland was the water, which basically came from the same source -- the planet's giant ocean's-worth of supply. So he often found himself reluctant to try food cooked in the West.
Yet somehow he found himself wolfing down Pippi's patented straight-from-the-East foodstuffs with little to no complaint. His biggest request thus far had been 'pass the soy sauce' whilst enjoying the savoury rice-dishes, cooked lovingly in a pot over a stone oven. Seasonings from Dalaam and the Far East were her friends in the kitchen and the rice seemed to love her -- some had even found itself entertwined in her hair, it loved her so much. She was not stingy with soy-sauce, and the fish? He didn't know how to describe the fish, even to his own mind. It was there, it was nice and what do you know, it's now gone because he's eaten it.
Toying with her chopsticks and amusing herself with Poo's inexplicable appetite, Pippi found the courage to ask "So what do you think?"
A rather incoherent garble of words which seemed to include 'exquisite' and something only his own Dalaamese could translate between mouthfuls of rice. He did a double-take when he noticed noodles had found their way onto the table and with a speed the equivalent of a leopard pouncing on its prey, Poo had delved into the new dish.
"I'm glad you like it." Pippi giggled, putting her chopsticks down. How could she eat after a show like this? For the most part she was amused at this flattery. Not since she invited a local Threed couple over had she seen someone enjoy her food so much, "But I think you might want to take a break to breathe at some point."
Somehow Poo managed to scoop his manners out from that deep little groove in his mind it had worked into, stopped gorging, and sat up straight, not really wanting to survey the damage that marked his most satisfying meal. "I apologise," he spoke with his usual dignity, which had been hiding a lot longer than his manners, "But I could not help myself. This food rivals that of the Royal cooks in the Palace and I find it simply divine. I did not mean to be an insult at the table."
Pippi just laughed, "Are you kidding? I've seen grown men try and devour the table itself because it got a splash of wasabe on it!" her laugh grew harder at Poo's sudden longing stare for the spicy Eastern radish, "You must have been hungry, though! When was the last time you ate, again?"
Poo looked down, scooping some of the loose rice and noodles back onto his plate and eyeing a shrimp that had somehow managed to escape, "It was yesterday morning. When I discovered the trouble over here, I lost my appetite. And since then, with the constant reminder of my loss of PSI at my back, I have not been in the mood to eat." he picked up the shrimp. He couldn't mope, not yet, if only there was some sauce he could dip it in his sprits would return and...
... and Pippi poured her special sauce that had accompanied the noodles onto the leftovers on his plate. He couldn't resist. He practically dropped the shrimp into the sauce, wrapped it in a length of noodle, and had almost inhaled the treat. He looked to her appreciatively.
"Don't mention it." she smirked, "You looked like you needed a pick-me-up. Just don't go getting sick or anything on me! That would not look good for the others!" she began tidying the noodles and rice into their pots so they were packed down. "Can I ask you something?" she cast a quick glance at him as she tidied the table.
Munching on the rest of his meal at a more controlled pace, Poo looked up.
Taking that as a sign to continue, Pippi cocked her head to the side, "I know all the psychic-types, they pick up some sort of fore-warning before things start happening, so I just wondered, did you have any dreams before you lost your PSI?"
Poo stopped. He didn't remember dreaming, not at all but... no, wait, he did dream. He remembered some fuzzy images floating through his head that night, and they only got fuzzier as the dream had progressed. "I... I did," Poo realised, "But, I don't remember it."
All he got for that was a knowing "Ahh," from the girl as she took the two pots into the kitchen, waving him off as he stood to help her. "I got it, I got it!" she called back, putting the two dishes into the fridge to keep. When she came back, Poo nearly fainted. She put two dishes on the table, her eyes twinkling in mischievous knowing as she sat down, watching him stare wide-eyed at his new plate. She had to admit, the look was priceless, and she only wished she had a camera with her.
"Mandan..." he practically purred, sitting down to the sweet mandan-custard rice-dish. He hadn't had this in years, when his mother made it for him. He sank into his chair again, his eyes gleaming in joy at the dessert, before Pippi handed him a spoon, and coherency was lost again on the Prince.
This was a meal Pippi could sit down and enjoy, whatever the occasion, or whatever the distraction. She scooped up some of the concoction that apparently the Prince had sampled once before, and emptied the contents into her mouth. She mulled over his answer as she ate, keeping an eye on the Prince in case he choked on his dessert.
Finally, Pippi had a suggestion. "Poo," she thought he responded, but it could well have been him just enjoying the dish, "Do you think if you meditated on that dream, you might remember it?"
Poo slowed down, his brow furrowed. He uttered a word that could well have been 'maybe'.
"I think maybe if you remember that dream you'll know why your PSI is missing, and be able to combat it." She said, "The dream was probably trying to tell you something about your PSI, and if you forgot it, that's why you forgot your PSI, like that dream was a... a symbol for your PSI or something."
Slowly Poo nodded. His next words sounded roughly like 'that makes sense' and also 'eat this foot'.
Unsure of exactly which of the phrases he had said, Pippi chose to ignore it. "I mean, Ness was right, Not all of this can be the rock's fault. I mean it does signify trouble, but maybe the rock isn't the trouble itself. But at the same time it might all be connected by something, like the Starmen. But I don't think we'll really know until you remember that dream."
Without waiting for another response, Pippi finished her dessert and took her plate to the kitchen, rinsing it out. She could see some people trying to set up another carnival outside, while paranoid locals were trying with all their might to stop it, shouting something about zombies. Pippi shuddered.
~I hope I never, ever have to come across another zombie as long as I live.~ she decided darkly, ~Else I'll give the thing a piece of my mind.~

~~~~****~~~~

"Hey, Paula?"
"Yes?"
"...I'm sorry."
Ness and Paula had decided to have a walk around the little hiding walkways blocked from the World by Saturn Valley; namely the road leading to Milky Well. Since Dr.Andonuts and Apple Kid were trying to set up the Phase Distorter which would take a couple hours, they had some free time to wait. Since neither psychic could feel a disturbance anywhere nearby, they figured they were safe to have these spare two hoursto do... personal things.
Paula turned to Ness, hands-on-hips, "Sorry for what, exactly?"
With a smirk Ness replied "For not convincing you to go home."
At first Paula was suprised. Did Ness not want her here? Well, even if he didn't, she was going to stay anyway. "Well you'll have a job to convince me now."
"I know." Ness agreed. He looked off at some trees lining the roadside, "I just... I'm worried. I know you can take care of yourself and you know what you're doing, and you don't need me behind you worrying and telling you what to do, but... I have a bad feeling about this." he gestured, "all of this! And I wanted you to, well, to go where it's safe."
Folding her arms over her chest she reminded him "Another place I can be kidnapped from." then she sighed, "I do know what I'm doing, and I do know how to handle myself, and here's where I feel I have to be. Even if I don't know what's up ahead, I know you're going to need my support. In some way, shape or form, you're going to need me. So I'm going to be there for you."
This made the right impact. Gratefully Ness turned to Paula again and gave her his truest of smiles, "Thanks, Paula." thinking back to being in Twoson he laughed, "Thinking about it, I got worried about you and you've done this sort of thing before, whoever thought I was going to let my little sister do it?! I care for her just as much and she's never done this sort of thing in her life! But if I know her she'll try something. She doesn't give up easy." Nodding at this Ness added, "As long as she doesn't get herself into any trouble I don't mind."
Paula nodded at her friend. She thought over her little lecture, and found herself wishing she did know what was up ahead. As things stood, she had no idea what she was doing there. She had no idea what part she was supposed to play, if she was supposed to play one at all! But if she needed to give Ness a reason, that was as good a one as any. She didn't know who was causing this. She didn't know who was setting the Starmen back up. She didn't know what sort of fights she and Ness would be having in future. But what she did know was that she cared just enough for Ness, and vice-versa, for her to become some sort of target to use against him. So the best place to stay was at Ness's side. That way they would be there for each other, regardless, and nobody would be able to get close, because the two would be like a barrier, or even just protected by one, that would mean they'd be safe, whatever happens.
Feeling a little better inside, and still smiling away on the outside, she tugged at Ness's sleeve with a childlike twinkle in her eye. "C'mon," she called out, pulling him along their path, "Let's go visit Milky Well!"
Ness, who was also smiling away, relented and gave in, "Okay, okay! Just quit pulling you'll stretch the arm!"

~~~~****~~~~

This was the worst blizzard to hit Winters in fifty years. The clouds were black with mass and the sheets of snow fell so close together all you could see was white. Experts had examined the weather patterns for this freak blizzard and estimated that if it continued this way, all of Winters would be submerged under snow within two weeks. Citizens were urged to stay in their homes, heating had hit the roof, so the gas and electric companies, since they couldn't leave to man any of the systems, had decided to leave it all running and hope for the best, delcaring that until this passed, the peoples' bills would be cut in half because of this inconvenience. Thanks to this blizzard, barely anyone could go to work, which included the non-local teachers at SnowWood Boarding House. Since the teachers not living on the premises made up nearly two thirds of their teaching community, all classes in the school had been dropped until further notice, and lessons were all optional.
So because of this, Jeff was bored. It had been a long time since he'd had time to himself for a few minutes, and he wasn't sure entirely how to spend it. The last time he'd really had time to himself was during the adventure the year previous, when he'd been touring the World with Ness, Paula and Poo. Granted he'd also been [i]saving[/i] the World, but that wasn't the point! Now he had all the free time in the World, and he found himself coming up short for things to do. He couldn't call his friends since all communication lines were down. He couldn't visit his father's lab since the door was blocked with snow and leaving would run the risk of hypothermia, according to the specialists. And he couldn't make any weapons because there wasn't a need for them, and the teachers wouldn't allow them on school grounds. He didn't even have anything to invent, since he couldn't think of anything that would alleviate his boredom. And so, Jeff Andonuts was bored.
Apparently so was Tony. The copper-haired young man wasn't known for his inventing skills or his amazing popularity, and he was just as stuck for things to do as Jeff was. However he'd found something of a game to while away the time. Since the two had confined themselves to their dorm-room, Jeff sat by the window, watching the snow fall, and Tony on the bed, keeping his eyes steady on Jeff, the latter would often break the silence with questions. They could range from idle chit-chat to proper challenging questions, but the object of the game was to make the ever-sure Jeff say 'I don't know'.
"How long do you reckon this will last?" Tony asked another of his many ranges of questions.
Jeff didn't look toward his friend, instead keeping his eyes on the view outside. In reality it was quite a pointless endevour, since the storm was falling so hard it was almost like looking at a sheet of paper, or a fuzzy TV screen. Somewhere behind the falling flakes -- which, as he thought about it, seemed to be the wrong word to use entirely -- he could just about make out the view of Winters leading to Lake Tess, though normally that view was white anyway. It was an appropriately boring view for a boring wait that would be inevitable as he waited for the snow to all clear up.
But something seemed wrong about it all. The snow was wrong, in some way. He didn't know how it was wrong, or why, nor how he knew it was wrong, but it did seem off somehow. It was like when Paula or one of the others used PSI. He could just about tell when it was happening because the air around them would shift, like it was trying to be something it wasn't. He always had assumed it was his imagination and not the reality. But this was slowly proving him right. The more he thought about it, the more he could relate that to this situation. The snow was definately making itself known, but, the more he mulled the subject, the more he realised it was almost like the snow was trying to be snow when, actually, it wasn't at all.
But that couldn't be possible.
Could it?
"The blizzard will stop," Jeff settled for answering Tony's question, "when it runs down the evaporated water particles that make up the cloud and break them apart, allowing a cease in the snow. That could be any time from one hour, to three weeks." he finished explaining, looking to his friend at last.
Tony looked a little disappointed. He'd really hoped to catch Jeff out that time. But Jeff was better than that, usually. Clearly, Tony would have his work cut out for him that day. He needed some harder questions.
Jeff smiled as Tony relapsed into thought. Yup, just another boring SnowWood day.

~~~~****~~~~

"So what makes you think it's anything different?"
To anyone who truly knew Twoson's handsome inventor, it would come as no suprise that Orange Kid was questioning the obvious. However, poor young Tracy hadn't been blessed with this foresight, but even so she considered this to be expected -- after all, he did think oranges had stalks. "Because it came as part of a man-sized formation -- bigger even -- that appeared out of nowhere overnight." Tracy explained, "And Ness got a strong psychic reaction from it that could have knocked out an entire army. Rose quartz can't do that."
Orange Kid waggled a finger at her, "Actually, I've heard certain rocks can produce very startling effects in people. Normally that sort of thing is very subtle, and I haven't seen much unflawed evidence, but nevertheless it stands proven. However this 'appeared overnight' thing I'm having trouble with. I mean, have you seen the rock before?"
Trying not to get annoyed Tracy responded "No, because it wasn't there before yesterday."
"And did you see that area before yesterday?" Orange Kid folded his arms.
Tract paused. "Well, no."
The boy continued, "Have you ever seen that point before? Have you seen that point to clarify that it wasn't there before yesterday?"
Suddenly her case seemed very flawed. "... no, not really." fighting to regain her ground she added "But Ness and Paula have! They passed that tunnel en-route to Threed lots of times and this was the first time they ever saw it! Ness and I had a dream the night it appeared and Ness told me that it had appeared at the same time as that dream! Even if it wasn't caused by it, it seemed to be affected by it!"
For a moment Orange Kid didn't respond. He looked like he didn't believe her, but wasn't sure how to get that across without hurting her feelings, if he even wanted to tell her at all. But he didn't need to: it was all over his face. He refused to meet her eyes as he tried to think of an excuse for his silence.
Filled with bitter disappointment, Tracy stood up. "Save your breath." she spat, grabbing the rock and her backpack. "I know when I'm wrong. I'll find someone else to help me. Sorry for wasting your time." she shook her head and turned to leave.
"Wait!" Orange Kid shouted, standing up as well, almost fearful of her taking what could potentially be a whole new discovery elsewhere. "Don't go, yet! It's not that I don't believe you--"
"Even though you don't." Tracy interrupted, turning to face him again.
Orange Kid barely managed to swallow his grimace at that statement, "--but in order for me to prove whether or not you are correct, I'd have to actually have the right equipment! For such a study, I'd need some high-tech scanning equipment, as well as really powerful microscopes and proper resources to put the data up against, and that's not something I have."
Frowning, Tracy asked "Why? Isn't that sort of thing important to your studies?"
It was time to confess, even though he really didn't want to. "I don't do research." he finally admitted, dreading her reaction, "I invent new products, I don't inquire about old ones." he smiled, "I've always felt that such studies were unneccessary and irrelevant to an inventor's line of work!"
This completely took Tracy by suprise. When she'd knocked on that orange door, she'd expected some handsome inventor who knew his stuff and would be able to help her with her study. Not someone who sounded crazier than her rock-story. "What are you talking about?" she demanded, incredulous, "Research is one of, if not the most important thing an inventor uses to make his products, and to see he doesn't blow himself up! If you didn't do your research, and tried to mix two deadly chemicals, you'd be dead before you could blink!"
Sheepishly, Orange Kid scratched the back of his head, "Well, yeah, there's the obvious things like that..."
However, the girl hadn't finished, "And if you wanted something to run successfully, you'd need to know what steps to take it through! You can't sit there and make an idea with no idea of how to make that idea work! I mean, if you didn't know what made things change when they got hotter, how would you know how to change it back?" she paused, curious as to how he was going to start his egg and toast ideas without researching the scientific compositions. Then she got back on track, "Did it occur to you, at any point, that without research you can't really progress as an inventor until you know just what it is you're inventing?"
Clearly he hadn't. He stroked his chin thoughtfully and mused "I never thought of that."
The rant now over, Tracy was left speechless. She knew she couldn't be called the brightest of the bunch, but here she was telling a supposed inventor how to do his job. Successfully. She wasn't quite sure how to respond to his apparent realisation at this inventing revelation. All she could think of to say was "I'm glad I could be of some use to you." she looked at the rock in her hand. "But in the meantime, I've got to find someone to study this rock for me."
Orange Kid hadn't heard her. The more he thought about it, the more this research idea made sense! He'd found out very quickly that the Super Orange Machine didn't go on loop like it was supposed to and broke down after one verse of 'Ode to Orange Kid'. With a bit of research he could probably figure out how to wire it to loop! And then he could sell it in the Twoson Department store as an official product! And then there was his other, bigger project, the Raw-Egg machine! He still hadn't perfected it after all this time, although he'd managed to get it to turn the boiled egg into a slimy mush, which was a much better result than the last, where the boiled egg would explode. Getting to grips with the molecule structures of a raw egg and a boiled egg would give him a better idea of what stages it would revert through, and probably even what chemical effects would reverse the process! But for now, and more important than even that, was this more interesting issue of hello, did he just hear the door close?
Blinking out of his inspirational trance, Orange Kid looked around. His latest guest was nowhere to be found, and she'd taken the rock with her. The colour drained from his face. She'd taken it somewhere else! "Oh, no!" he gasped, then dashed out the door.
Having gotten bored of watching Orange Kid think about goodness-knows-what, Tracy had decided to leave him to it, go back home for the day, and try again tomorrow. After all, there was still Threed and Fourside to check out before she could say she'd failed completely. It was a shame, though, really. She'd had a good feeling about this guy, and she couldn't even put it all down to his looks. Maybe if he'd actually been an inventor, let alone a good one, things would have worked out much better, but then, one can't have everything.
"Tracy!!" a stray call reached her ears. Turning, she found Orange Kid racing up the path toward her. This was earning some curious looks from passers by, but both blondes ignored it. Tracy looked herself over. Had she forgotten anything? She still had the rock so she can't have left anything important. Was her purse still in her bag?
The blonde male finally reached her and took a moment to catch his breath. When he did he spoke with great enthusiasm. "Your suggestion has really inspired me! I know now what my wondrous talents lacked, and I intend to rectify that now! But for your kind advice I want to pay you back!" he thought for a moment, "Tell you what, come back to see me in three days. I'll have all the equipment I need to scan your rock by then! I intend to make my first research project your rose-quartz!"
Tracy decided not to waste her breath telling him it wasn't a rose quartz, and instead asked "How will you get the equipment in three days?"
Grinning, Orange Kid tapped his nose, "I got a few contacts in high places that owe me favours. Fixed their toasters. Don't worry, everything will be ready in three days! I promise!"
For those who knew Orange Kid in the Twoson area, such repairs from the young man were no suprise; it was how he got his starting ground in inventing, after all. But with or without that knowledge Tracy was still suprised. After mentally questioning the reliability of the toasters and the edibility of the bread, she considered his offer. It was better than going off to another town and either coming back empty-handed or getting caught by Ness red-handed. And even though he didn't believe her, he was still willing to help her. It was, as one would say, 'blind faith', and for the first time in a while Tracy decided it was a good thing. Well, she wasn't about to let his faith down, or prove him right about the rock! "Okay," she smiled, "I'll see you in three days."
"Deal." Orange Kid beamed. Then he paused. "Now, to make those calls!" he declared and dashed back down toward his home.
Feeling better and somewhat more hopeful, Tracy took a look around. This proved to be a bad move, since some of the young girls who had seen the exchange were giving her dirty looks. Adjusting her top and shifting her gaze, Tracy headed back up toward Onett, to prepare for her next journey in three days time.

~~~~****~~~~

Milky well, upon Ness's arrival, had bestowed upon him the history of the well. And just why it was milky. Considering Ness's initial thoughts seeing it for the first time, the real reason was much more innocent. He hadn't even realised he was next to chalklands until this sudden little revelation. It made interesting conversation on the way back to Saturn Valley at least.
"So the water under us dislodges the chalk that falls into the water," Paula mused.
Ness nodded, "And because of the pressure down there it forces up through the natural hole in the rock, making it shoot up like a geyser. And then it all gets soaked back up again." he looked down the cliffs as he approached, "But these aren't chalk. It's like the land here used to be chalk long ago, and other rock just kinda formed over the top. It's really weird."
However by this point Paula had found something more interesting to look at. The first thing she had noticed was that the two geniuses were walking in and out of the Phase Distorter, sometimes with boxes, which meant they had finished doing whatever it was they had been doing. That was good. The next thing was that Pippi was watching them from near Dr.Saturn's hut. Last Paula checked, the redhead was in Threed, getting in touch with her friend to let him know she was okay and what was going on currently. Oh, and eating. She was going to eat, too.
"Good to see you again."
Both Ness and Paula jumped a mile when their friend spoke. They whirled to see Poo leaning against the wall, and he was, suprisingly, smiling.
Ness was first to recover, "Hey, Poo, you're looking chirpy. When did you get back?"
Standing again the happier-than-earlier Prince replied "We arrived five minutes previous. We decided to wait for you before questioning the doctor about what he was doing with the Phase Distorter. However Pippi is near-impatient and will not leave them alone. Perhaps we should go down before she attacks them in her own blind curiosity." with an amused expression and a light heart, Poo led the way down toward the others.
Paula curiously looked Poo over. "So where did your good-mood come from? Did something happen at Pippi's house? I swear that place is some sort of happy-generator or something."
Laughing, Poo replied "I have heard people here use the expression 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach'. I believe that to some respects this is correct. She has a divine recipe."
"And this is coming from a fussy-eater." Ness joked, poking his friend in the side, "So it must be good!"
The jovial mood had definately settled on the three. Poo's mind had been taken from its loss of PSI by Pippi's good cooking and wise suggestion, not to mention his pride in knowing he could still sneak up on people with the best of them, despite his newest disability -- you'd be suprised how uplifting that can be. With him in good spirits, Ness and Paula both felt better. Suddenly his loss didn't matter and didn't look like a big deal, either. One could get by without their PSI, as useful as it could be. So that was nice. And their own worries were disappearing, too. It didn't matter whether or not Paula was supposed to be involved in all this -- this is where she was, and she was not going to leave. Not when she still had some fight in her, anyway. Besides, Ness would need her support and she didn't want to be left out while she still held onto even the smallest of roles. Ness was happy now that Paula and Poo were happy, and, more importantly, things were running smoothly. Their enemy so far hadn't really done a whole lot, which meant the gang weren't rushed off their feet, and people that couldn't fight or shouldn't be involved were safe. This was the big one. Tracy was at home with their mom, and Paula was safe close by. Part of him wondered why the enemy was being so scarce and unpredicatable, and what it would do next, but really, he couldn't entirely bring himself to care. That issue could wait until later.
When they emerged from the cave at the bottom of the valley, Pippi was already waiting for them. "Ness and Paula," she huffed, "You really shouldn't take your time like that! I've wanted to know for, like, forever what these two are doing!" she was practically jumping from one foot to the other, "I'm really curious here! Come on, hurry up! Let's go ask them now!!"
As the freckled one ran back over to the Phase distorter, the other stood for only a moment, amazed at the girl's mood swings. Finally Ness grinned, "Well, she's happy."
"She has promised to make more shrimp noodles later." Poo declared, "I do not think that even she can mope with that prospect in mind. But nevertheless, we should not keep her waiting." with that he linked arms with the other two and half-led, half-dragged them to the Phase Distorter.
When Dr.Andonuts noticed the teenagers he gave his big, beaming smile, "Ah, welcome back. Did you all have fun?"
While Poo, Pippi and Paula just nodded, Ness rattled off what he had learned from Milky well. The others listened with interest, including Dr.Andonuts, who apparently hadn't looked into the issue so it did come as a mild suprise. After the explanation the males all expressed their fascination quietly. Not long after that, Pippi turned a tense glance at the Doctor.
"What, exactly, have you been doing here, Doc?" she demanded, just about keeping from jumping him and throttling the answers out of him in her impatience.
Not seeming bothered by this, the scientist continued to smile, "Apple Kid and I have been setting up this Phase Distorter and the one in Winters to establish a throughway, like two plasmic points in their own vortex in space meeting either side of the barriers holding them and creating a link between the two solid objects fencing them in and with enough force to make a safe link that can be passed through by any biological being for any period of time, which will speed up and enhance future research, provided the two solid links remain active at all times."
"In short," Apple Kid cut in, putting down a box, "the two Phase Distorters have established a pathway, linking Dr.Andonuts' lab in Winters, to our temporary base here in Saturn Valley. That way we can get the best of both Worlds."
Paula raised an eyebrow, "The best of Both Worlds? Meaning what?"
Ness fielded this one with a cheeky look on his face, "A combination of science and hot springs."
Apple Kid shrugged, picking up another box, "Pretty much." he replied, going off toward the hotel, completely ignoring Paula's look of suprise.
"I'd have never imagined." she gaped.
Finally satisfied, Pippi spoke up "Well, that explains that."
Having her attention caught by the girl, Paula turned and remembered that the redhead had a mission. "Pippi, did you get in touch with your friend?"
It was as if Pippi had suddenly been hit with something hard. She froze up looking spaced, her muscles twitching ever so slightly, then out of nowhere she keeled over and clutched her head, wailing, "Ohh, no! I forgot again! Oh, no! I need to talk with him or he'll get all worried and stuff and he does not look good when he's worried!" she stood straight again, her hands still on her head, and mulled "Come to think of it, it's not so bad, but his eyes get that really unhappy shiny look which makes you feel bad, too, and it's really unnerving." then she resumed her cries of despair.
To try and calm her down, Poo cleared his throat and suggested "Maybe you will feel better if you have some noodles?" there was a hint of hope in his voice.
Ness blinked. "The food must be good!"
"I'm beginning to regret turning it down." Paula added.
With a good-natured reprimanding nod, Poo said "Well you should."
Before anyone could form an answer to that, Apple Kid opened the door  of the hotel and called out "Ness, phonecall!"
The red-capped boy didn't get much chance to respond to that immediately, as Pippi latched to the collar of his shirt, "Why didn't you tell me there was a phone here?!"
"A-ah..." Ness gulped, "It slipped my mind! Honest!" The cinnamon glare turned to find new targets as their owner let go and snorted in annoyance. Ness straightened himself out again and called back to the inventor "Who is it?"
Apple Kid's response was "It's your sister!"
This was a suprise. Ness made his way into the hotel with just a brief glance at the others, and accepted the phone. "Uh, hello?"
"Ness! How are things going your end?" Tracy's unmistakable cheery voice rang through.
Something felt wrong here, but at first Ness couldn't figure out what. Then he realised it, and voiced it: "How did you get this number?"
Tracy's response was simple, "Escargo Enquiries." Then the tone turned serious. "Hey, listen, I spoke to Picky earlier, who spoke to Frank earlier, and apparently he got beaten up."
Ness sighed. "Tracy, I'm happy that you want to keep me up to date with all the latest Onett gossip, but really, what's that got to do with anything over here?"
There was something oddly serious in Tracy's voice, "He was attacked by a Starman. Like the ones we faced yesterday."
There was a small hesitation and Ness let that sink in. "Is he okay?"
"Yeah, some mystery kid bailed him out so he's only got some real minor scrapes. Picky told me that Frank told him that the Starmen were after Giant Step for something which was why he got attacked. And so was the mystery kid. Nobody knows who the kid is, and they've never seen him around Onett before, so he's not from the area. But that's not all." her tone turned a little amused, "Picky saw a mystery kid with the same description going up to Buzz Buzz, you know, the meteorite? He got stopped by X-Agerate, who said he knew the guy. And Picky told me that the guy told him to tell you that the meteorite was glowing really hot. And I've seen it; it's really hot!"
Frowning, Ness asked "Why was Picky by the meteorite anyway?"
Ness assumed Tracy was shrugging at this point, "Following the mystery guy, I guess. But anyway that's not the point! The mystery guy said that Buzz Buzz is probably picking up negative signals from all over Eagleland, which is why it's glowing again, and then he was gone. But when the mytery guy left, Picky saw the meteorite's glow die down. I think he knows more than he lets on. Picky tried to ask him about it after saving him from Lier-X again, but the guy shrugged it off and said it was nothing."
"So who is this mystery kid?" Ness asked her, wondering if she got a description.
And apparently she guessed that. She sounded as though she had drawn up to quote out "He's got longish silver hair and he's really pale, with blue eyes, and he's wearing some light clothes, not quite a late-teen but getting there." she sighed, "Sounds cute."
At this Ness raised an eyebrow, "Are you kidding me? For all we know this could be the enemy." he shook his head -- she'd never listen anyway, "Look, if anything else happens, let me know."
In hope she asked "Does this mean I get to--"
"No!" Ness realised he'd almost given her an opening to leave town again, "No, if anything happens in Onett. Nowhere else. Everywhere else can manage. If you see this mystery kid, try to get some more answers out of him, and when you next see Frank, give him my best-wishes and a hamburger. That'll tide him over."
"Wiseass."
Ness chuckled, "Just try to stay out of trouble. I'll let the others know what you told me."
Sounding a little more cheerful Tracy replied "'Kay. Just don't get yourself killed! I'll never forgive you if you die," after a moment she added, "And I get your bat as penance for destroying my old one."
Feeling better himself Ness agreed "I'll remember that. See ya."
They both hung up at the same time. So some other guy was going around doing stuff, and he was supposedly evil? And the Buzz Buzz meteorite was acting up. And more Starmen had appeared, and attacked people in Onett. So did that mean this mystery kid was nothing to do with the Starmen or was he trying to trick everyone into thinking that to win their trust? Without telling them anything. And trying to avoid people by being a 'mystery kid.'
He climbed down the ladder and opened the door, seeing that Pippi had met Dr.Andonut's lab assistant, 'Lab Assistant' and they were getting along suprisingly well. Everyone looked up as Ness stepped out, and instantly went into worry-mode.
Taking a deep breath and preparing for this explanation, Ness spoke, "Guys? I think things are starting to look a little more complicated."

~~~~****~~~~

Author's notes 2: I just wanted to add a thanks to James, Michael DePalma and Megaman202X for their feedback, it's been really appreciated. For the most part that's how I got out of my slump. The rest goes to Giampi who, while he hasn't seen my story (that I'm aware), his own is an inspiration and it can really get the creative juices going. *glares at the others* if certain other authors did that I'm pretty sure they'd be getting lots of happy happy feedback (Blue blue!!) and I wouldn't be going insane trying to get back into wanting to write EarthBound (my main trouble writing).

... and I have finished chapter 4! Definately the longest so far, by... a long shot. It's not going to be the longest of the lot, though -- I've got some pretty insane future chapters that will, if they haven't already, surpass this chapter in one scene alone. I'm still not happy with all the scenes, but considering some of them, I can't really do a whole lot about it, much as I'd like to. I simply can't find the right way to word the Ness and Paula scene to make it work. The last one I didn't mind quite as much. Now my only concern is my fighting my keyboard, which to my annoyance is a rather regular occurrence. If you see a typo, I probably did too but couldn't fix it because the keyboard died. *sigh*

Hope you enjoy. Feedback is really appreciated in some way, shape or form!