The snowstorm was raging outside. The wind could be heard through the windows of the lab. The rooftop had to be shut down to prevent the lab to be buried in freezing snow. On the main floor, Jeff was at the table, putting the last fixes needed for his newest creation. After completing his project, he stretched out a little, trying to get his tired muscles back on focus. It has been a week since his dad, Dr. Andonuts, went missing. Knowing him, Jeff guessed he might just have forgotten to leave a note like always. It has been a few years since the final battle against the Cosmic Destroyer. He was now 17 and was studying at the Winters' Sciences Academy where he was known as the great Jeff Andonuts, the new prodigy of his generation and the top ranked of the new students this year. He made astonishing progress and started to invent stuff of his own even when he had to start from scratch. This was his newest accomplishment. He has been wishing for a while to create a communication network that would help him communicate and transfer data with his friends across Eagleland without having to rely to any company or such. A private network. What to ask more? Since only a few would have access to it, he pulled out the big game without fears of restrictions. Text, voice, video, picture, encoding, satellite tracking, anything that would make him and the others look like some top secret agency. In a way, they were. After all, they were the ones who saved the world from an evil alien entity.
Jeff took a sip of his drink before taking the last piece of his work, the satellite that would link everything, and headed upstairs. He inserted the satellite within a rocket that took the place of where the Sky Runner used to be. He made the calculations over and over. All he had to do now was finalize the adjustments for the rocket to succeed its launch through the snowstorm. He could wait until the storm ends but where was the challenge in that? He knew he had the knowledge to overcome this difficulty and he wouldn't back down. After an hour of constant readjustments and then another hour of adjustments during the flight, he finally received a faint signal of the satellite that has finally reached orbit before the communication became too bad because of the storm. Finally, space itself was now the playground of the Andonuts family! All he had left to do now was go calibrate the Transmitter phones and then prepare to send them to Ness, Paula, Poo, Tony and even his father if he could get a hang of his current location.
As he reached the main floor, he was suddenly taken by surprise. In front of the consoles where the computer connected to the terminal for the programming and customizing of the Transmitter phones, there was a man clad in a black trench coat, his head covered by a hood making his face unable to be seen and black gloves to cover his hands to probably prevent any fingerprints. A thief? Jeff suddenly took a hold of his dear Gaia Beam gun. "Who's there!?" The man turned to see who called him. After a second, the man finally reacted, grabbed the phone that was plugged to the terminal and rushed out of the laboratory. Jeff took pursuit but as soon as he stepped out, he had already lost sight of him through the intense snow. He sighed as he returned back in. He let a thief took one of his tools. He swore he would make him pay. Then, he noticed something peculiar. On the table was six Transmitter phones. "Six? I don't get it. He took one! I'm sure of it! Still, I don't remember making a seventh one... did I?" Who was this stranger? How did he knew about his invention so soon? Why did he took it and what does he plan to do with it? So many questions were left unanswered and Jeff couldn't find an answer to any of them...
Ness was running around Onett with his backpack and baseball bat. Summer vacation was starting and he had a long time ahead of him. Sadly, it wasn't only for fun and relaxation. He still had unfinished business to accomplish... Pokey. In all those years, he hasn't found Pokey yet and he couldn't resolve to stop searching until he found him. He would either bring him back to his senses or make sure he wouldn't harm anyone ever again. Ever since he started high school, he had set up a number of destinations that he would teleport away in order to check out the newest rumors, hoping to find anything that would relate to Pokey. Twoson, Threed, Fourside, Summers, Winters, Dalaam, the Tenda villages, everywhere that Ness could reach before heading back home and give up for the day. It has been years since this routine started. Of course he wouldn't neglect his school nor his friends and family. He just felt like dealing with Pokey was his responsibility, his burden. He decided to spend a week or two around Eagleland to comb the country to find about Pokey's whereabouts. He would find him. Little did he knew that his plans might take a different turn. As he was about to initiate PSI Teleport alpha, heading to the first stop, he felt an uneasy felling...
Paula was in her room, organizing her drawers that was containing all her school material. She was finally happy to have some time to herself thanks to summer vacation. She just finished high school, graduated and was preparing for the next step. Ever since she came back home, she returned to her regular life as an extraordinary girl. Over the years in Twoson, she started to think about her future and finally decided that one day she would take over her parents' preschool. That's why she already set everything up for college next year. However, it was now summer vacation and she planned to enjoy it the most possible. She would spend time visiting her friends around Eagleland, especially Ness, Jeff and Poo. They didn't had much time to spend lately because of their lives. She missed the time where they would hang out every single day as they traveled the world. She really did. As she let herself daydream, a weird feeling made her snap back into reality. "Who...who's there!?"
Life in Dalaam was going as usual. Peace and quiet was the description that represented the eastern lands the best. Poo was in the throne room, hearing out the daily reports. He had a lot of responsibilities now and had to make decisions about every important details concerning Dalaam everyday. His role as the Crowned Prince seemed heavy but he knew he had to get used to it for he was soon coming of age to become the successor to the royal throne. He knew that soon he would have to resign on his current freedom. He wouldn't be able to leave Dalaam as much as he used to. He sure envied the time he was traveling with the other chosen ones. Granted the travels was for stopping the evil that threatened their world but he surely enjoyed traveling to such exotic destinations. He swore to himself he would one day try again on one of those ‘Hamburgers’ and maybe a slice of ‘pizza’ like his friends used to call those weird looking dishes. He didn't enjoyed them as much as them but it was more for the cultural knowledge that would remain his once he has to remain mostly in Dalaam. He could still teleport if the need wanted it though. After finishing with his duties, he was walking outside of his palace when he felt it. He turned toward the horizon as he felt the ominous call...
"Peace and tranquility will soon end... The four will unite once again but without renewed strength, it might not be enough. You that have endured so many trials, you must set out anew. Gather in the depths of the Lost Underworld and prepare to face Destiny once more."
The call ended... It had been a few days since the stranger disappeared from the lab. Jeff didn't find any clues and whatever tracking he had put on the Transceiver phones was not functional on the thief's one. Just as he was about to go on a more radical way, one of his remaining phones rang. As he picked it up, he heard the call and then it hung up. After a few seconds of reflexion, he immediately dialed Ness' Receiver Phone. "Hello, Ness speaking." said the phone on the other side of the line. "It's Jeff... I just got one weird of a call." "Let me guess, answered Ness. Some psychic call from someone whom you never met before called you out to the Lost Underworld?" Jeff was surprised. So the others did get the same call... "Well, pretty much if you omit the psychic part, he replied. Looks like I'll be needing a lift." "Right, answered Ness. I'm gonna go check on Paula and then we'll meet up by your old school in Winters... pretty much the only place I know with a clear way to teleport. As for Poo, if he did get the call too, he will be able to join us in the Lost Underworld by his own abilities." Jeff sighed as he looked around. "What mess are we getting ourselves into this time? Okay, I'm gonna pack up and I'll meet you there. Later" On that he ended the call and already looked at his gadgets and weapons. He had to be ready for anything.
The Lost Underworld hasn't changed despite the few years. Dinosaurs were still roaming around the gigantic lands, the small Tenda village was living peacefully along with the Talking Rock and the underground ‘sun’ remained shiny as ever. As the Tendas were occupied with their daily routine, a tear into the space-time fabric appeared as Ness passed through followed closely by Paula and Jeff. As the tear closed behind them and they stopped, Ness took a look around, adjusting his iconic baseball cap. His new clothes were similar to what it used to be. Paula, on the other hand, had a different look. Her hair was longer and her pink dress was more simpler. She also started to wear more jewelry. Of course, she still kept her Goddess Ribbon in her hair and the Star Pendant around her neck. Those were mementos of their previous journey she didn't wanted to give up. As for Jeff, nothing really changed with him. He was dressed like always with a good-looking suit. His glasses were different but sticked to how the old ones used to be. The only difference is that he started to carry some special backpack that contained most of his gadgets that he arranged so he could get whatever he needed the fastest possible. They were ready for adventure. Ready? Not yet. Something was still amiss. "You think he will come?" Ness turned to answer Paula's question. "All three of us got the same message. I wouldn't see why he wouldn't." Jeff readjusted his glasses as he looked away into the plains. "Well, he is a crowned prince after all. Maybe his duties became too heavy for him to leave Dalaam. It's not like us who are supposed to kick back and enjoy summer..." Ness smiled as he heard Jeff's concerns. "He'll show up. He won't let us down. He knows that if something that important is gonna happen, he can't stand aside while we go fight. Comrades in arms after all". As the other two seemed to understand Ness' point of view, another tear has just appeared, this time letting one single traveler through. Clad in the royal garments of the kings, he turned toward his friends, putting his cloak behind him and made his gesture of greetings of the eastern culture. "Whoa Poo. Looking good!" exclaimed Paula. Jeff simply made a small smile as Ness came to Poo to lock his arm against his, welcoming back into the group. "Back together at last. It been years since the last time we all set out on an adventure together." said the leader of the group. "Whatever shall happen, we will face it together!" said the prince. Jeff finally moved toward the group as he got out three phones. "I brought some goodies. This will allow us to stay in contact with each other and people close to us. It got some extras on it but I'll show you guys lat.." Before Jeff could finish his sentence, each phone, including his own, started ringing. The Chosen Four looked at each other. Ness, Paula and Poo quickly took hold of their phone as Jeff picked his own up. All four were linked to a single call with the mysterious fifth person. "I sensed your arrival... Make your way to the Fire Springs. From there, your strength will be put to the test." said the voice. "Wait, who are you exactly!?" asked Ness. Before any answer was given, the person had ended the call on his side. The four looked one last time at each other then turned toward the direction of the Fire Springs cave. It was time to get going.
The party entered the entrance leading into the cave of the Fire Springs. The heat was as intense as it was the last time but somehow it felt even worse to the Chosen Four. As they looked around, they noticed the only creatures around didn't seemed to be aggressive at all. "Looks like the place is more peaceful without any evil Cosmic Destroyer spreading evil thoughts around the globe, mentioned Ness. Getting to the top will be so easy this time!" However, after going through the first floor, they felt something was off. There was no creature in sight. They knew that THIS wasn't normal. If the locals weren't around this section, it was because something was chasing them away. Jeff was the first one to speak about the situation. "I normally don't like that much quiet... it's like they want us to lower our guards." As they reached the next floor, they understood what was going on. Magma and flames were fusing together, creating some sort of magma golem specie. "Those things... they're controlled by some kind of PSI!" exclaimed Paula. "Well, those doesn't seem to be here just to greet us and show us the way!" replied Ness. The Chosen knew what they had to do. They prepared their weapons and were ready for battle.
After a long series of tiresome battles, the four were almost at the Fire Springs. They decided to take a rest. They were trying to understand what was going on as they were catching their breath. "Those weird creatures... They're strong. There's only a few of them but they sure know how to fight." mentioned Poo. "They're not natural... whoever is behind this is probably as strong if not stronger... We have to be ready for anything." Jeff took a look onward. He then looked behind and then back toward the entrance to the Fire Springs chamber. "They're gone..." Ness looked at him in surprised. "They're what!?" He got up and looked for himself. He didn't liked that. It smelled like the perfect trap. They couldn't back down though. They had to go forward. "Well, we have to go there sooner or later. Let's go now before whoever waiting there gets impatient." The other three nodded and got up. Without waiting any longer, they entered the main chamber.
The Fire Springs chamber was as serene as ever. The crimson red lava was slowly pouring out of the spring atop the hill. The four arrived in the pass, looking around. Nothing. Was there really nothing? They had been called and fought those peculiar monsters on their way. They couldn't possibly have done all this for nothing. "I'm sick of those games! Show yourself!" said Ness, apparently irritated that his friends and himself had to play along to their dismay. Then suddenly, Paula noticed something happening at the Fire Springs. She tugged Ness' sleeve to lure his attention toward the springs. The lava started the flow out way faster. The extra lava started to gather into one point and slowly a figure started to form within. The lava was taking canine form and then flames, fangs and claws started to emerge out of it. "Isn't that.... Carbon Dog?" asked Poo. "There's no way! We defeated it!" said Paula, surprised. "Well looks like we'll just have to beat it again!" exclamed Ness with new fervor. "Wait! Something is wrong!" said Jeff before his friends had any chance to do anything. The Carbon Dog started howling. It seemed in pain. His lava started to compress within itself. Its fire started to slowly die and its body began crystallization. "It turned into Diamond Dog... we haven't done anything yet!" said Poo. Ness just shrugged as he pointed his bat toward the crystalline canine. "It's just Diamond Dog. We can still take..." Before he finished his claim, a huge beam of energy struck Diamond Dog. It started to growl loudly as it seems to be taken by convulsions. "What's happening to it!?" asked Paula, unsure how to feel about the situation. Diamond Dog's body suddenly started to bulk up, its diamonded skin was starting to spike up, its fangs and claws grew larger. Finally, in one final howl, he threw his back behind and stood on his back paws. Jeff finally stepped in. "That's my cue! Leave it to me." Jeff started to analyze the creature in front of him. The shape, the deadly new ‘arms’, the fangs, the spikes... He finally came to his conclusion but he was reluctant to tell. "If I had to name it, I would dub him the Adamant Dog... Evolved species of the Diamond Dog. However, I am certain of it: this evolution was forced. " "You mean someone did this to the creature!?" exclaimed Poo, disgusted by the idea. "I'm sorry guys... I can't seem to estimate the strength of that one. Its nature is too chaotic to get a clear idea of its offense, defense, weaknesses and strengths." concluded Jeff. Ness didn't like what he heard. Jeff failing on spying an enemy!? The only few times he failed were during the most dangerous battles of their lives. "Be very careful... We can't afford underestimating the enemy anymore. Whoever is behind this is very dangerous."
The weapons were out, stances taken. The battle was on. Jeff and Poo started to attack directly while Paula tried a PSI Fire. In the meantime, Ness used his PSI Shield Omega, hoping it would help both offensively and defensively. They would need it because he then noticed Poo's sword didn't made a dent and Jeff's beam was refracted then deflected all around. As for Paula's fire, it didn't do much except making some soot onto the crystals of the beast. They all got ready for what would then happen. The beast started howling and then stretched its limbs and a rain of diamond spikes was sent flying toward the group. Thanks to Ness' quick thinking, half to the spikes were deflecting back toward the Adamant Dog but the remaining that got through mercilessly hit them, leaving them heavily injured. "Half of the blast was that deadly? Would you have not set up the shield, we would be goners by now." commented Jeff. Poo turned to the enemy, he wanted to see how it was faring. The deflected spikes shattered as they hit it back. Despite it not looking obvious, Poo could see it. Dents all over the armored hide. Ness had no time to lose on the enemy. He quickly got up and followed it up with a Lifeup Omega in order to quickly restore the strength of his friends and himself. "We can't afford any more stalling... We have no choice! ALL OUT THIS TIME!" shouted Ness. He knew he probably will have to stick to healing with such a massive attack. Paula, Jeff and Poo however didn't took the command lightly. Both Paula and Poo started one of their most potent PSI. Jeff, on his side, flipped open an hatch on top of his backpack, pulling out one of his signature weapons, a Multi-Bottle Rocket. He put it down in front of him and set the angle pointing straight toward the target. Paula opened up the onslaught as she started with PSI Thunder Omega. She felt lucky. Three of the four summoned lightning bolts managed to hit the target. She could see the impacts made bigger dents into the armor. She knew that with that she left the enemy open for any other attack. Poo took the opportunity. "PSI Starstorm, Omega!" A dimensional flux was summoned above the chamber, opening a portal to the cosmos. A rain of shooting stars then suddenly came through, heading straight toward the Adamant Dog. Despite some missed the target, others hit with deadly accuracy. The Adamant Dog's crystal armor was shattering. Chunks of its armor was coming out. Before it could do anything, the next wave came in. A volley of rockets was flying toward it, hitting it one by one, denting the armor over and over until the big one launched from Jeff's Multi-Bottle rocket launchpad. As the explosion went off, smoke covered the area. However, as they thought they had done it, a stream of shards came flying, this time aiming only toward Jeff. He took most of them head on, the other ones deflected by the power shield. Jeff's situation was getting critical. Not even needing to think twice, Poo immediately casted Lifeup Gamma, saving Jeff at the last moment. Ness, enraged by the situation, decided to go at it himself. "PSI Rockin... OMEGA!" The waves of telekinetic blast swiftly came out of his hands, each of them heading straight toward the enemy. Blast after blast, they each hit the Adamant Dog, going through the failures of its armor. Finally, the Adamant Dog gave its last howl. As it fell on the ground, its limbs started to lose of its size. Fangs and claws were slowly retracting. "It's... it's returning into Diamond Dog..." The crystal canine got up and without even an instant, ran away from the chamber, not willing for more. "So... did we passed the test?" asked Poo, still confused of what has transpired.
Then, as if it was his answer, the Fire Springs started the erupt loudly, attracting the attention of the chosen ones. Flames spurted out and covered the ground in front of them. Through the flames walked out an hooded figure clad in black. Jeff quickly recognized the individual. "It's him! He's the one that barged in the lab and took one of the phones!" "That means he's the one behind the call and this... Explain yourself!" The man didn't moved an inch as he seemed to stare at each one of them. "Hmph..." The man suddenly raised his hand toward the group. Paula sensed something bad was about happen so she quickly reacted. "PSI Shield, Omega!" The purple lighted shield slowly wrapped around the four, shielding them from any psychic attempts. However, before they could even expect anything, a screen of light appeared behind the man and quickly raced toward them in a parabolic pattern. "A barrier!" shouted Jeff. Too late! The barrier cut off Jeff, Paula and Poo away from Ness. Ness turned and tried to smash through but deflected his baseball bat. "A power shield!?" Ness turned around. The barrier had the form of half an egg. Outside was his allies, his fellow fighters, his friends. Inside, there he was, standing in front of the mysterious man. "So that's how you want it... Very well." Ness took his stance, baseball bat in hand. He had received Paula's psychic power shield. He knew he could fight without worrying about surprises. The man simply stared at Ness. Then, after a few seconds, took a battle stance, unseathing from inside his black coat, a long scimitar. Poo then took an instant interest on the enemy's weapon. "This crafting, it looks a lot like those in my lands..." Ness took note of it but didn't really took any interest about it for now... After a few seconds of staring, the two charged at each others. They traded blows. Ness with his trusty Legendary Bat, the man with his unknown blade. Ness tried to swing his bat in an attempt to temporarily disarm his opponent but he then got surprised when the man coldly stopped the bat from its course and bringing it to a lock between the two weapons. Before Ness could react, he felt his stomach getting kicked as he was sent back into the barrier. The other three felt powerless, unable to help him from outside.
Ness got up quick, he then tried Lifeup Beta to recover the light bruises he got from the impact. As the man seemed ready for another attack, he got surprised yet again that the man didn't moved. He was simply staring from under his hood. He then lifted his free hand, gathering energy that slowly turned into water and then ice particles, slowly turning this into a familiar attack. 'Freeze huh... boy are you in for a bad surprise.' The man then quickly pointed upward. "PSI Freeze, alpha." The small orb of active ice particles then flew up, heading straight toward Ness. He didn't even tried to dodge. He WANTED it to hit. As it did, the psychic power shield kicked in, bouncing the freezing energy back toward the man. He didn't tried to avoid it though, deciding to take the damage. 'Weird... why use an alpha level attack? Is it all he got?' "He... he was just testing the barrier." Ness turned as he heard Jeff's remark. "What!? He thought my barrier was that weak!? HOW RUDE!" said Paula, obviously not happy about it.
Ness turned back toward his opponent. "Too bad! Now it's my turn! PSI Rockin, Omega!" Ness swiftly sent the telekinetic blasts after the man. He knew that much damage would definitely make a hole into his defense. However, he quickly realized his mistake as he saw the waves bounced back the target and headed toward himself. He took the waves, each one after another, and was sent back into the barrier. "NESS!" exclaimed Paula, shocked by what had just happened. "I'm alright!" said the boy. He got back on his feet and quickly used a Lifeup Gamma while he could. "Darn, I really fell into it. He has a psychic power shield too." Ness took yet again his fighting stance. 'Well, I can't break his barrier the easy way but so can't he... I'm gonna have to stick to normal attacks for now. The time I would waste on low powered PSI Rockin would just waste my time... It's not like he can dispel mine any easier way anyhow.' "Alright, my turn." The man lifted his free hand yet again gathered energy. This time, electricity was gathering into his hand and he let it reach upward, creating a cloud. "PSI Thunder, Gamma." 'You're in for a rude awakening this time' thought Ness with a smile. First lightning fell. It was way off the target. The second one came in. It barely missed Ness by a meter. The last one was coming. 'Come on!' The third one hit straight into Ness. However, the shield didn't kicked in nor got dispelled. The lightning seemed to get attracted toward Ness' shirt. A sparkle shined onto the Franklin Badge, and the lightning was redirected toward the man. He once again took the hit without much of an effort. "What's the matter!? Thought you could go through jail without paying? Close but no cigar!"
Ness didn't wasted any more time. He took the opening as he charged at the enemy, bringing his bat to the optimal angle. This blow would hurt, he knew it. The sound of the bat smashing right into the target at a critical location was heard throughout the whole chambers. The man simply made a spin on himself, held back on balance with his sword. "Alright Ness!" shouted the enthusiastic Poo, cheering his friend on. "Not good... he let Ness hit him. He moved just barely enough to not lose sight of him." explained Jeff. Poo looked at Jeff confused and looked back at the fight. Ness then noticed the man lifting his hand again. He quickly jumped back to regain safe distance. Electricity once again built up on his palm. 'He didn't learned his lesson huh. Poor guy will find out the hard way.' "PSI..." The man's energy was completely ready to be sent. However, as a surprise to everyone, he didn't aimed at the ceiling. His hand was aiming straight at Ness himself! "...Electro, Gamma!" The discharge quickly left the man's hand, heading straight toward the hero. "PSI Elec...what!?" Ness didn't had time to react. Taken completely off guard by this unknown technique, he took the hit dead on. 'No worry, it's still electricity. The Franklin Badge will just deflect it!' The electricity started to flux toward the badge, building up on it. However, as a twist of fate wanted it, the electricity actually started to spread into Ness' body instead of being sent back. The electrical discharge Ness was suffering was enough to shatter the psychic power shield. Ness was now completely defenseless.
"NESS!" shouted Paula, totally horrified that his badge AND her shield failed to protect him from a psychic move. "We have to get through! He needs our help!" exclaimed Jeff! Time was running out. They had to try. "It's a shield! I can still pierce through it! PSI Thunder, Omega!" Paula's hands pointed toward the sky. The cloud formed, the first lightning was heading straight toward the barrier, hitting it dead on. "We should have done that right from the start! He wouldn't have gone through that if we... huh?" Paula didn't had any time to scold the other two. The lightning that struck the barrier was holding still. It didn't pierce through. Before she could understand that the impossible was actually happening, the lightning got reflected toward her, hitting her dead-on. She fell backward but luckily for her, her Star Pendant protected her from any harmful damage. However, to her own dismay, the following bolts came down. She cursed her luck this time as all three of them met the same fate. Jeff was taken aback. "If PSI is reflected... then this is a psychic power shield!" He pointed his Gaia Beam toward the man through the barrier. If he could damage him enough, it would slow him down enough for Ness to recover. A psychic shield couldn't stop a physical attack even if it was a focused beam. He shot with deadly accuracy. However, to his horror, the beam was stopped by the barrier. "NO! How can it repel both psychic and psychical attacks!?" He didn't had time to try to understand it. He noticed where the shot was about to be deflected. It was aiming straight toward a defenseless Paula. Without even thinking, Jeff jumped straight in front of her, his back facing the barrier, taking his own blast. His backpack took most of the damage but he felt the pain. The blast managed to hit through him. Poo had no other choice. He had to go to Jeff's aid.
Ness got up on his feet after a few seconds. He wasn't that much hurt. He had a Star Pendant too after all and even though the move was different, that last PSI attack was still electricity. He casted Lifeup Gamma on himself. "I'll get you for this." The man seemed to chuckle under his breath. "What's so funny!?" shouted Ness. "It's just you are so stuck up that you never actually realized that there might be more PSI techniques in the world than those you already know. You're so full of yourself. You actually thought you could see through me. All you did was to play under my hand. Not a single time did you had the advantage on this fight. Do you know why? It's because you're simply not strong enough. You don't have enough strength. In this state, the world will fall and there will be nothing for you to do to prevent it." Ness really got angry. He wouldn't back down because of some discouragements from that guy. "I'm not gonna give up! You're not gonna get it your way!" The man simply shook his head. "So delusional. I can defeat you here and now. Then you will see you're not strong enough to defend this world as you're not even strong enough to defend yourself." He then slowly lifted his scimitar, pointing toward the sky. The blade then slowly started to have a silvery glow. "PSI Starstorm, Omega!" Ness' eyes opened up in horror. "Just how many PSI techniques he got!?" Jeff tried the last option. From the still intact section of his backpack, he pulled out his Shield Killer. He set it up at maximum power. However, his tool didn't even managed to disturb the energy that this mysterious barrier was made off. He was facing the unknown this time.The portal leading to the depths of space opened within the barrier. The stars went pouring into the battlefield. Ness didn't bother trying to dodge that one. He knew there was no escape from this now.
The damage was mortal. Ness was already on the verge of collapsing from the deadly rain of meteors he received. "I'm...not... giving up..." He gathered all the strength he had left and attempted a recovery. "Lifeup, Gam..." Just as he was about to finish, he felt his hand was being held by someone. He looked upward. The hooded man was right in front of him. His sword was seethed back into his coat. One of his hand was holding Ness' wrist while the other was pointing toward him. How could he have got to him that quick? Ness was puzzled. "This is why you're not strong enough. Without being able to heal, you can't take much of it in the end. Brainshock Omega." Ness couldn't get away, his wrist trapped right in front of his enemy. He felt his head hurting so much as the Brainshock ran through him. He didn't felt good at all. He tried one last time. "Lifeup.....Gam..ma..." However, despite all his effort, the Lifeup didn't went according to plan and went instead onto the man. He knew. This man somehow saw through him and totally played him. He felt his strength slipping away as his eyes closed. Ness finally got hurt and collapsed, fainting on the floor.
Paula, Jeff and Poo were horrified outside. Ness lost the battle. He lost... and they couldn't do a single thing to support him during the whole fight. All they managed to do was hurting themselves. Even Jeff didn't knew what to think. He should have seen it coming. He had the intelligence. How did he not saw it coming!? The hooded man then slowly picked Ness up, putting him onto his shoulder. "LET HIM GO!" shouted Paula, the tears almost coming out. "We won't let you take him!" The man simply starring at them, chuckling under his hood. "And how exactly do you think you will take him back? You can't even break through this barrier." Poo tried to think of anything. However, he hated to admit, but the man was right. As long as they were on the opposite side of the barrier, they could do nothing, just like during the fight. "Peace and tranquility will soon end... The four will unite once again but without renewed strength, it might not be enough." The three stared down on the floor as they remembered those words being said before. "One day soon, this kid will have to face the most important struggle of his life. He will have to either prepare and become stronger or face definitive defeat. When that day come, you will have to be by his side. However, if your strength lacks as well, you will be nothing more than burden and everything will be lost. You failed him once here. Do you think you'll be able to meet him face to face next time in this current state?" All three of them kept staring on the ground. As painful as it was, the man was right. How could they ever expect to be forgiven when they couldn't do a single thing to turn the table of that battle? "Think about this, chosen ones. PSI Teleport Gamma." The man then jumped straight forward to the ceiling and landed his feet on it, facing toward the floor. He then gave a powerful push and sent himself straight down. As he took on the speed, a dimensional tear appeared on the floor, letting the man carrying Ness teleport away. It took a few minutes before the remaining chosen ones finally regained consciousness of what was happening. "Come on guys, it doesn't look like there's anything else left here..." said Jeff in an half-hearted way...
As a fierce battle ended, courage has been shattered, friends have been separated.
As the three left the caves, questions were still growing in their weary minds.
Who was this man? Why did he took Ness? What is he gonna do with him?
More importantly, their hearts have been taken away, as more painful questions corroded their souls.
How could I let this happen? Why wasn't I strong enough?
As they left the scene, there was only one question whose voice ringed louder within them...
How? How can I become stronger!?
To be continued...