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EarthBound 202X: The Chosen Eight
Scene Commentary by INouveaux18
Zain
For a moment, Zain considered giving up this crazy idea and going back to the safety of his house. But explosions didn�t usually happen in forests; there was something not right about it. He had to find out what caused it, if only to protect his home. With this resolve, he trudged onward.
At this very early point in the story, Zain is very skeptical and uncertain. He is, in all appearances at this point, an average, ordinary young man living an ordinary life. With an attitude like this, he can't help but feel very apprehensive about the extraordinary circumstances in which he soon becomes involved (the way I wrote Zain at this part of the story was to imagine how I myself would react, if I were thrust into a similar situation). However, even from the beginning, Zain has a deep understanding of responsibility; with his father gone, Zain has taken on the role of "man of the house," doing whatever it takes to keep his home and family safe. It is this responsibility and maturity that spurs him to discover the source of the explosion, and it makes him a natural-born leader as he assumes responsibility for the safety and well-being of his friends.
Losing Lexa
Deckard smiled, and looked down. "But I still have to find her," he said.
"What?"
Deckard looked up at Vera again. "Lexa. No matter whose fault it is, that Mook thing took her. She's one of the nicest people I've ever met, Vera; she doesn't deserve this. I have to find her and rescue her."
"I understand that," Vera replied, "but you have no idea where to find the aliens. Unless you get some idea of where to look, it will be like searching for a needle in a very large haystack."
"I know," he acknowledged, "but I still have to do this. It's the right thing to do."
This entire chapter of the prologue, and Part 5 too, show how a single event can change a person's life forever. Deckard had always been a lone-wolf type of guy for his entire life, but then one day, a few kind words made him realize just how lonely he truly was; it was a realization that changed him forever. With those words, Lexa had earned Deckard's trust and unwavering friendship, and Deckard had really started to believe that he had finally found the place where he belongs. When that was all taken away from him by the Abductor Mook, Deckard was wounded far worse than any physical injury could ever have done (which was what the Mook was aiming for); all he could do was helplessly watch while the Mook took her away. This spiritual injury is then transformed into resolve to set things right.
Lexa is very similar to Neil in a lot of ways. Both of these characters had, in such a short time, opened the hearts of two lonely people, and in doing so, they came to mean the world to those people. And when a person's entire world is stolen away from them, they will do anything to get it back.
Surprise
Her fear caused Mister P to laugh. He stepped forward until he was right in front of her. "Your hair, your eyes," he said, "they remind me exactly of HIM. I wonder what else you inherited from your old man?"
Then Karen knew. She looked at Mister P in a new light. "You're not my father."
Mister P laughed. "Nope, I'm not," he said. "I have to admit, though, I did a pretty good job of faking it."
Karen thought otherwise, but she didn't say so. "Why?" she asked. "Why did you do this?"
"I'm following orders from the master," Mister P replied. "He ordered me to come here and take you out of the orphanage. He wants you out of the way, so that you can't interfere with our plans like your pig's butt father did."
Considering what happened at the end of "EarthBound"/"Mother 2," Pokey HAD to come back.
Writing Mister P for the first time, I tried to imagine how he must have felt after being beaten by Ness time after time, especially after having thrown his lot in with Giygas. The hate and jealousy Pokey felt after that drove him over the edge; thus, thirty years later, the adult Pokey, Mister P, is an evil maniac who has become insane with hatred. Even though he finally succeeded in destroying the object of his hate, he had become so bitter and deranged by that time that the hate bled over to everything that was connected to his enemy. His ultimate goal is to utterly eradicate every trace of Ness from the world, which leads him to search for and find Karen.
Mister P pretended to be Karen's father in order to get her out of the orphanage, but his true motive for doing this was to cause Karen as much anguish as possible; his twisted mind derives enjoyment from hurting others. Mister P hates Karen so much that he will seize and exploit any chance to hurt her, no matter how.
Kato's Training
Kato had never been at this place before; as he had told the old master earlier, this place was reserved only for royalty. Now that he was here, the sights and sounds of the world around him seemed to fade away, and Kato understood why it was called the place of nothingness.
It is time to begin the final training, he thought. It is time to see whether or not I deserve the master's faith in me.
He sat cross-legged on the ground and began to meditate, clearing his mind, becoming as nothing...
From the start, I sort of viewed Kato as a "mini-Poo," the spitting image of his father. As such, he is very driven by honor and duty, just as Poo was in "Mother 2."
At this point, Kato does not know of his heritage just yet, but that knowledge really has no effect on how he acts and composes himself. He goes to attempt Mu training because it is his duty to do so, and to respect the wishes of his master, which he has a duty to fulfill. He doesn't waste time considering the possibility that he could fail; he undergoes the training simply because he must.
Despite these qualities, however, Kato is not perfect, as later chapters show that he is proud to a fault. Although he is perfectly aware of this failing, and tries to control it, he isn't always successful (as is shown by his somewhat stuck-up behavior when he first joins the group).
Local Hero
"You're so cool, Mila!" he said in admiration. "You beat those mean guys like they were nothing! I sure wish I was as tough as you."
Mila smiled, running a hand through her blond hair. "Well, I've been street fighting since I was younger than you are," she said. "When you're older, I'm sure you'll be a lot tougher too."
"You really think so?" he asked enthusiastically.
She nodded. "You have a lot of potential, Brian," she replied, smiling at him. "You'll turn out alright." Mila looked over at the unconscious Gang Members. "Now, all of you help me get these two out of our territory. If they wake up before we get them out, just tell me, and I'll punch them out again."
As one of the three members of the Chosen Eight who don't have PSI, I tried hard to give Mila a quality that would make up for it, like with Guy and Kyla. But where Guy and Kyla's strengths are mental in nature, Mila's greatest strength, even more so than her fighting ability, is her indomitable spirit. She is extremely devoted to her home and to the children who live there, because she once WAS one of those children. Home Base has given her so much, and she wants to give everything she can back to that place.
Mila's devotion and kindness to her people, along with her considerable fighting ability and her strong maternal instinct, has made her something of a celebrity among the other youths at Home Base. Her fellow Defenders respect her, and the younger children look up to and idolize her. She is, in effect, the very symbol of everything Home Base stands for.
Introduction
The bus opened its doors, and passengers started getting off of it. Zain turned and started to continue his trek to the library.
As he began to move away, something made him stop. He had no idea why, but he suddenly had a strange gut feeling that he should turn back around.
Suddenly Zain felt a hand tap lightly on his shoulder. "Excuse me, mister," a soft soprano voice said behind him, "could you please tell me where I can find the hotel in this town?"
Zain turned around to reply, and found a girl behind him with long brown hair and eyes that reminded him of the sky on a clear sunny day.
The effect of the two of them seeing each other was momentous, to say the least. For Sasha Maybee came face to face with the boy from her dream.
I had been waiting to describe this encounter throughout the whole time I was writing the prologue.
Of all the character relationships in the story, I intended Zain and Sasha's to be the most straightforward. The quickly-developing feelings that they have for each other are the feelings of true love, pure and unadulterated. For Zain, it goes beyond his role as leader of the Chosen Eight. For Sasha, it goes beyond her dreams of him being the one to save her. They're in love, and although neither of them is bold enough to admit it themselves, their true feelings for each other are blatantly obvious to everyone around them.
Giaguo
Suddenly an ominous voice echoed throughout the chamber. "Enough squabbling. I will now listen to your reports."
Kaatz and Mister P both turned to the back of the room and responded simultaneously. "Yes, Master Giaguo."
In the back of the room, part of the wall swiveled around and reversed itself, revealing an egg-shaped tank of some unknown fluid. In the fluid was the master; a thin alien creature with four limbs and jet black eyes that seemed to peer into the souls of the two commanders before him. Although he was small and thin, both Kaatz and Mister P knew very well that the alien was fully capable of destroying them with ease.
After playing through "Mother 1," I was very curious about Giegue's origins; where he had come from, what his race was like, etc. So when I started to write 202X, I decided to make that race the primary enemy who was behind the invasion in this story (as well as in the story of the two games): a race of highly-evolved, nearly-invincible aliens whose ultimate purpose is to subjugate all other races whom they deem inferior ("inferior" meaning all races other than theirs). In 202X, as these aliens make a third attempt to conquer Earth, they are also seeking the reason why, of all of the planets they have conquered, this particular planet alone has successfully repelled them not once, but TWICE. And for Giaguo, the alien in charge of the third invasion, this question is secretly bothering him a great deal. This is why he attempts to use caution in his attacks; while he still believes that he is superior to the Chosen Eight, he acknowledges them as a threat and takes great care in dealing with them.
Heroes vs. Mister P
Zain was hit by the paralysis beam, and he collapsed to the ground. "No!" Karen cried, struggling to get up. Nearby, Guy was doing his best to get up as well, as was Neil.
"Zain!" the girl named Sasha cried. She knelt next to him, trying to help him up.
Mister P grinned. "For a chosen leader, you're not very powerful," he said. He aimed his weapon and shot Sasha with it as well, watching in satisfaction as she collapsed on top of Zain.
Using the wall to brace herself, Karen staggered to her feet. She had to do something to stop Mister P. She attempted to use her PSI, but for some reason she was having trouble concentrating.
Mister P bent down over Sasha and hauled her limp body off of Zain. "I don't know how I got so lucky, to find Target Priority One like this," he said, laughing. "Master Giaguo will finally get his wish... His 'trophy.'"
Unable to focus properly, Karen could only watch. I guess it's over for all of us, she thought.
To her surprise, Zain spoke. "He will get no such thing," he said, a hint of fury in his voice.
Mister P's jaw dropped as Zain sat up and got to his feet. "How can you still move?" he demanded. "I paralyzed you!"
I had a number of intentions in this battle. First of all, it awakens Karen's latent telepathy; from this point on, she begins learning how to use it.
Secondly, this battle introduces the three members of the Chosen Eight (other than Karen) to one of their main adversaries, the deranged and spiteful Mister P. It also introduces Mister P to some of the obstacles in his mission to kill Karen (namely Zain, in this case), and when this happens, he is utterly defeated and reminded of the times thirty years ago when he constantly lost to Ness.
My final intention in this encounter was to begin to reveal Zain's power, and what it is capable of. In Zain's fights up until now, it has been hinted that his power is extraordinary even among other psychics, but here is where this fact is first obviously shown as Zain brushes aside Mister P's paralysis attacks with ease and blows away Mister P's shield with a single use of PSI Hyperion.
Mister P does not escape from the fight without causing harm, however. By snatching Neil away, he hurt Karen in the worst possible way he could.
Encounter
It was the boy's garb that surprised Kaatz so much. He was dressed in a regal cloak, diadem, and bracer... Items that Kaatz had seen before, many years ago.
From where he lay slumped against the wall, Zain looked at the newcomer... And he was suddenly struck by the now-familiar sense of deja vu.
"Who are you?" Kaatz demanded. "Where did you get those items?"
The boy reached inside his cloak and surprised Kaatz even further by drawing forth a sword. "I am Kato, Crown Prince of Dalaam and member of the Chosen Eight," he stated.
Zain's eyes widened; this newcomer already knew that he was part of the Chosen Eight!
"Let them go," Kato ordered. "Or I will destroy you with the Sword of Kings."
Kaatz continued to stare in disbelief. It can't be! he thought. The royal line of Dalaam was broken!
As the first person to best Zain's empathic PSI in battle, the evil Kaatz is about to finish the job when Kato bravely appears on the scene.
Despite his artificial parts, Kaatz is originally from Earth, and by his reaction to Kato it can be seen that he is either originally from Dalaam or has been there. In any event, the action he takes when Kato shows up gives rise to many questions for the young prince.
We Meet Again
Jeff turned to him. "Guy, it's really good to see you again," he said. "You've really grown up since the last time I saw you... Although you still talk the same way."
Guy nodded. "I have... I have been through much since I last saw you," he said. Working up his courage, he asked, "How... How has... How has Kyla been...?"
Jeff smiled. "Why don't you ask her yourself?"
Just then, the door opened again. Zain, Karen, Kato, and Sasha looked as a girl entered the lobby. She appeared to be about their age (not counting Kato), and she had bright red hair and leaf-green eyes. She dressed in a private school uniform. As Zain looked into her eyes, he was assaulted by the deja vu sensation yet again.
The girl smiled shyly as she looked at them. "H-Hello..." she said.
Guy saw her, and he stared in absolute disbelief. "K... K-Kyla...?" he stammered.
Despite having made a pact with Karen that he would see Kyla again, Guy didn't expect at all that the reunion would be so soon, and he was caught totally off guard (resulting in his only known use of a contraction in his speech).
Guy and Kyla's relationship is almost as straightforward as Zain and Sasha's, but at this point in the story it is more developed. It is an almost Romeo and Juliet-like relationship, since their parents are not on good terms (although Apple Man personally bears no ill will toward Orangere).
Also, with the advent of Kyla into the team, Guy finally has someone else in the group that he can relate to, having constantly felt the sting of being the only non-psychic in the group before.
Revelation
Jeff didn't take his eyes away from Karen. "H-Her..." he replied, pointing. "Zain, when you said you had a girl named Karen with you... It never even entered my mind that it could be THIS Karen..."
Karen frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Is there something wrong with me...?"
At that, Jeff shook his head, getting over his surprise. "...No, no, there's nothing wrong with you at all, Karen," he answered. "Nothing wrong with you at all."
His mouth curved upward in a warm smile, possibly the most heartfelt smile he had had in a long time. "You have your father's eyes, Karen," he said. "And your mother's beauty."
Upon hearing this, Karen's mouth dropped open in shock. "You... Y-You know my p-parents...?" she stammered.
Jeff nodded, perplexed. "You don't know who they are?" he asked, slightly surprised. "Well, I guess that's only natural, since you were only 1 year old when they had to give you up..."
This is another milestone in the story that I had just been itching to get to. Although I had been dropping colossal hints all over the place that Karen was Ness and Paula's daughter, this is the point where those hints are verified.
This is the point where I also divulge Ness and Paula's ultimate fate, which I'd also hinted at earlier on.
I really enjoyed writing this part of the story, just as I always enjoy writing about Karen, because not only is she one of my favorites among the eight, she is also one of the major links between 202X and the original "EarthBound" story.
Ascension
She finally understood. Everything... Everything that has happened to me is because of him. I had to live in that orphanage because of him, and I lost my first friend because of him... I was denied the right to know my parents because of him! Because of Mister P... No, because of Pokey Minch! HE'S responsible for everything bad that's ever happened to me!
As Karen's entire being was flooded with anger, something snapped within her. She stood up instantly, startling everyone.
Her telepathy suddenly came back on of its own volition. She felt a tremendous power build up within her, and she suddenly realized that her PSI ability had radically expanded; strangely enough, she now knew abilities that she had never known before. She also realized, with some surprise, what she had to do next.
As everyone watched, Karen's black eyes turned red, and pent-up energy began to crackle around her.
Zain's jaw dropped. "Karen... You have empathic PSI too?" he cried incredulously.
She looked up at him, and Zain saw the anger in her eyes that others had often seen in his own. "I have to go," she said emphatically.
"Go?" Jeff repeated. "Go where, Karen?"
Karen answered without pause. "To where it all began." She stepped away from the group, and raised a hand to her forehead. Gathering her newfound power, she used one of the abilities she had gained. "Teleport Beta!"
Everyone's eyes widened as Karen began to spin into a whirlwind, and there was a loud crack as she disappeared.
As Karen begins to display an inkling of the incredible legacy that she has inherited, this is also where she changes on a behavioral level. At this point, she gains remarkable confidence in herself and becomes a resolute warrior.
When I wrote about Ness' house in the following chapter, sitting abandoned in the hills of Onett, I kept turning the game back on and referring to it for the way the house looked and what was in it; I wanted to portray the house just like that.
Karen's inheritance of the old, unmarked baseball cap her father once wore was not originally in my plans for the story. The hat just sort of spontaneously appeared as I was writing, and it felt right for it to be there. The hat symbolizes her father's love and the legacy he began, and by putting the hat on, Karen accepted her role as Ness' successor.
Resolution
With the object of her anger gone, her anger faded away, and her eyes faded back to their normal black color. Her psychic sword dispersed.
Despite what he had said, Karen felt somewhat triumphant. I beat him... she thought. I beat him all by myself...
But even though she had defeated Mister P, Karen still felt concerned for Neil. "I have to find him..." she said to herself. "I have to find him... I swore I'd find him, no matter what..."
She missed Neil terribly. No matter how strong she became, it meant nothing if Neil was not there with her. She had other friends as well now, but Neil was different... He was the first person to show her kindness. Neil was special to her.
Karen turned and stared at the place where Mister P had been standing before he left. "I WILL see Neil again," she said defiantly, fighting back tears. "I WILL see him again. I WILL find him someday. I swear I'll find him."
Karen's third encounter with Mister P is meant to show the full extent of the changes she has recently undergone. No longer afraid of her antagonist, Karen battles him with everything she has, even using two different PSI powers simultaneously (or four, if one counts the psychic weapons she was controlling at the same time). While the empathic PSI abilities she has gained prove to be less powerful than Zain's, she is still a formidable opponent.
Utterly beaten by someone he thought would be easy prey, Mister P lashed out at Karen in the only way he could, by using Neil against her. But although she was stung by his words, Karen was able to brush them off this time, believing in herself.
Karen's solo victory over Mister P made her even more confident in herself, and this leads her to develop the devastating PSI Pyro-Tower attack that she uses in Part 27.
The Battle Begins
Kaatz smirked, closing his left eye. "I'm glad to see that you remember me," he said. "It looks like you've found a Sanctuary."
Jeff looked at Kaatz with a shocked expression. He had never been so surprised in his life, not even during the war against Giygas 30 years ago. However, no one saw him.
"Why were you hiding from us?" asked Kato.
"I wanted to wait until all of you were out in the open," Kaatz responded. "I didn't want my presence to scare any of you back down that hole."
Deckard stepped forward. "And where's the other one?" he asked. "There are two of you here."
Kaatz's smirk grew larger. "He does not wish to reveal himself yet," he answered. "For now, you will deal solely with me."
Zain's eyes narrowed. "We'll deal with you alright," he agreed.
Kaatz raised his only eyebrow. "Oh, really?" he asked sarcastically. "I seem to remember being a bit more than even you could handle, Zain," he said.
Kato emulated Kaatz's gesture, raising his own eyebrow. "We have increased in strength since then," he said. "And we have also increased in number."
Kaatz is as confident as ever, and that confidence is well-founded, as he effortlessly puts down Guy and Kyla and evades Deckard's ultimate attack without even breaking a sweat. Jeff's reaction to the sight of him is a clue to Kaatz's identity.
Giaguo's role in the encounter at this point is an observatory one. Since he is wary of the Chosen Eight, he wants to see just what they're capable of.
Empathic PSI
He was starting to understand how Zain worked when under the influence of his power.
Empathic PSI, Kaatz had learned, was actually a less-evolved form of the standard psychic ability that existed today. If a race in the universe possessed PSI, it had usually developed empathic PSI first. In the case of the planet Earth, it had developed in the prehistoric era, before humanity had evolved into its current state... Before humanity had possessed the ability to reason. Empathic PSI operated on raw instinct and emotion, something that Earth's first humans had had in abundance.
But when humanity had evolved into a greater life-form capable of higher brain functions, so had PSI evolved. Instead of emotion, PSI became powered by the concentrated mental energy that could only be produced by the brains of higher beings. This form of PSI was more orderly and rational than its empathic ancestor.
It was rare for a member of most races in the universe to have PSI at all... But occasionally, there would be stories of extremely rare beings who possessed, for some unknown reason, the original, primeval form of PSI... Beings such as Zain. And those who ended up on the receiving end of that power came to understand that while the current version of PSI was less chaotic than its devolved counterpart, it also gave up a lot of its sheer strength and destructive force.
In writing 202X, I want to provide answers, or at least my version of the answers, to most of the unanswered questions from the games (of which there are a lot). One of those questions pertains to the nature of PSI: where it came from and how it evolved. Kaatz's knowledge of PSI's evolution shows his interest in it, and in the power that Zain is now displaying.
I should point out, however, that such a strong power also has its drawbacks...
The Power of Zain
Deckard, surprised by the sudden attack on him, didn't have the strength left to move out of the way. He watched as the pseal flew at him; in his current state, he probably wouldn't survive it.
Suddenly Zain was standing in front of Deckard. His red eyes narrowing, he reached out with his free hand and caught the pseal. Then, to Kaatz's surprise, Zain clenched his hand into a fist, crushing the pseal.
"You monster," Zain accused Kaatz, his voice sounding eerily distorted. "This was supposed to be between you and me, Kaatz! Why did you attack Deckard, who couldn't even fight back? WHY?"
Kaatz's only reply was a smirk. So, he'll definitely go out of his way to protect them, Kaatz thought.
Zain wiped the smirk right off of Kaatz's face with his next action. Kaatz's left eye widened as Zain began to draw the Inferno Pseal with his left hand. It can't be! he thought, astonished.
Zain finished drawing the pseal, and it remaining hanging in the air, attached to his finger. "C... Can he really...?" said Kaatz falteringly.
"INFERNO PSEAL!" Zain shouted, actually throwing the pseal. Kaatz threw himself out of the way as it flew past him. It struck a wall and exploded in a colossal burst of flame.
Like the fight with Mister P in Part 12 and the first fight with Kaatz in Part 16, this battle is another point where Zain shows that he is no ordinary young man... And no ordinary psychic for that matter.
Kaatz's flaw in this battle, the same flaw that almost cost him his life in their previous fight, is that despite his own misgivings about battling Zain again, he is too curious about Zain's abilities. Instead of quickly going for the kill, he goads Zain on by making him angrier, and as a result he ends up making Zain more powerful.
At this point, Zain is practically a berserker, using his rage to put him on a level equal with Kaatz.
Information
Giaguo smiled. "Indeed, I do have business with you first, Zain," he stated. Even Zain couldn't help but be unnerved by Giaguo's smile; there was something inhuman about it.
Kato stepped forward, unsheathing his sword. "Why do you continue to invade this planet?" he demanded. "Is it not clear that you will never crush the spirit of humanity? Giygas tried to do so, and he failed! And you will fail as well!"
Giaguo's smile became a smirk. "Ah yes, Giygas-12162203616-630," he said. "The only Giygas that was ever defeated."
Jeff blinked in surprise. "Wh... What do you mean, 'the only'?"
When I started writing 202X, I wondered, "What is the one thing that could be scarier than having to face Giygas?" And the answer I came up with was: "having to face another Giygas," which soon evolved into "having to face an army of Giygas." Then I tried to imagine what sort of effect such knowledge would have on one of the Chosen Four: the knowledge that the ultimate enemy they had narrowly defeated was only one of many. This leads to Jeff's severe depression in the next chapter.
Two of the questions that Giaguo's race seeks to answer are the question of how Giygas-12162203616-630 was the sole Giygas machine ever to be defeated, and also the question of how Pokey was able to gain a measure of control over him at the last battle back in 199X. Pokey's accomplishment enabled him to weasel his way into Giaguo's service and grow up to become the galactic warlord, Mister P.
Crossing Kato
Kato picked up the Psion Blade that Zain had dropped in his free hand, wielding the Sword of Kings in his other hand. "You will pay for this!" he shouted, lunging at Kaatz with both swords.
Caught off guard, Kaatz blocked the Sword of Kings with his own weapon, but he could not parry Kato's other attack. The Psion Blade pierced Kaatz's shoulder.
Suddenly, Kaatz was wracked with unimaginable pain himself as the psionium in the sword reacted with his PSI. He fell to his knees and screamed in pain; it felt as if every one of his nerves was on fire.
"Enough of this," said Giaguo. He looked at Kato, and the young boy was thrown off of Kaatz. Kato managed to keep his grip on the Psion Blade, and it was pulled out of Kaatz's body.
During the time that he has been with the group, Kato has truly come to respect Zain, both for his natural qualities of leadership and for the unwavering, unconditional friendship that he extends to everyone. So when his friend, for whom he holds so much respect, fell to Kaatz's Empathic Pseal, Kato was driven over the edge. Thus his quick, vengeful counterattack was able to outmaneuver Kaatz and wound him.
Enter Karen
Just then, there was a bright flash, and Karen appeared between them. She looked different; she was now wearing a baseball cap on her head.
"Hmmph," said Giaguo. "It would appear that Pokey has failed again."
After quickly assessing her surroundings, Karen pointed her finger at Giaguo, and to the alien's surprise, her eyes turned red with the power of empathic PSI. "PSI Beam Gamma!"
The psychic beam struck Giaguo in the chest, and he was thrown backward. "M... Master Giaguo!" exclaimed Kaatz.
Jeff stepped up to Karen; there was little time. "Karen, can you teleport all of us out of here?" he asked. "It's our only chance."
Karen looked at him and nodded. "I think so," she replied.
"Then take us all to any safe place you can think of!" said Jeff.
Karen nodded, and focused on all of their presences, making sure that she would include them in the teleport. Meanwhile, Giaguo rose to his feet, completely unharmed by Karen's attack. "You... You cannot escape me!" he shouted.
"Teleport Beta!" cried Karen. All of them, except for Giaguo and Kaatz, were swept up, spinning into a large whirlwind, and then they disappeared in a flash of light.
When Karen teleported to her friends' location, knowing that they were in grave danger, she moved and struck out at Giaguo without hesitation, which enabled her to get the better of him. If she hadn't done so, she would never have been able to surprise Giaguo, who, had he not been caught off guard, could have overpowered her with a thought.
Conversation
Apple Man shrugged. "Even if what you say is true, Kyla, that's just not the way I am." He glanced at her. "I invent for the betterment of humanity, Kyla. I invent to help people, not just to help myself. If I invented for myself, just to say that I was the one who did it... Well, I'd be no different from Guy's father."
Guy nodded. "I agree with you, Apple Man," he said. "My father only invented out of avarice, to become wealthy. He has never invented anything that actually helps others."
"And what about you, Guy?" asked Deckard, who couldn't help pointing it out. "You invent weapons. Weapons don't improve humanity."
Guy could not think of a response to this. "I... Well..." Deckard merely smirked, and folded his arms triumphantly.
Kyla wiped the smirk off of his face. "He invents weapons in the hope that someday people won't need them," she shot at Deckard. "Besides, you have no business berating someone for making weapons when you carry a weapon yourself. Somebody made that sword of yours, after all."
Deckard didn't speak again for a long time.
One of the purposes of this conversation is to fully explain Apple Man's ethical point of view. I always saw Apple Kid and Orange Kid as opposites, and so that worked its way into the story. It seemed that Orange Kid, despite his asking the player for money in the game, was relatively rich. Apple Kid, on the other hand, was obviously and blatantly poor. So when the two grew up to become Orangeman Orangere and Apple Man, they kept their respective qualities. Orangere's self-centeredness enabled him to build his corporate empire, while Apple Man, who still invents for humanity's sake, is still dirt-poor. This doesn't bother Apple Man, however; his only regret about his financial situation is that it kept him from properly caring for his daughter.
The other purpose of this scene is to highlight Kyla's quick thinking, when she defends Guy's hobby. While not a strong fighter (she still has yet to actually defeat an enemy in battle), her redeeming quality is her extremely high intellect; she is more intelligent than Jeff and her father put together, although she believes otherwise. Her sky-high IQ is complemented by a great wisdom and an uncanny power of perception.
Self-Esteem
"Kato... I'm sorry I let you down," she said. "I failed to protect you from that Madness creature. I'm sorry."
Kato shook his head. "I do not blame you for that," he answered. "You have nothing to be sorry for."
Sasha turned around and looked down at Zain. "I can't help anyone..." she said softly, so that Kato couldn't hear her. "I couldn't even beat that Madness creature by myself. I couldn't do anything to help Kato, and I can't do anything to help Zain..." A tear fell from her eye. "All I am is a burden."
In their time together, Zain and Sasha had come to rely heavily on each other for moral support. With Zain out of the picture, Sasha had lost that support, and her morale only worsened when everything she tried to awaken Zain failed, and when other fighters easily defeated enemies that she would have a hard time with.
This loss of morale caused Sasha to stop believing in herself; part of the reason she was unable to defeat the Crested Booka in the desert was because she did not believe she could.
Kato understands what is happening to Sasha, and because of it he has begun to feel very protective of her, trying to take Zain's place as her pillar of support. But because no one can really replace Zain for her, Kato is unable to raise Sasha's spirit.
Inner Strength
"I came here to see Talah Rama. Let me through!"
The Zain copy smirked. "I already told you, you lost your chance," he said. "Talah Rama does not wish to meet with a weakling."
Sasha didn't back down. "Maybe I'm not strong," she said. "Maybe I can't do everything, like Zain can. Maybe I am a weakling." She stepped forward. "But I came here for my friend. I came here to see Talah Rama. I don't care if he doesn't want to meet me. He's going to see me, whether he wants to or not!"
The Lune Knight folded his arms. "You're forgetting one thing," he said. "The only way you're getting past me is by defeating me."
"Then I'll defeat you!" Sasha shouted. She glared hatefully at this twisted copy of Zain. "For Zain's sake... I'll rip you apart!"
Scarcely aware of what she was doing, Sasha began concentrating, harder than she ever had before. A storm of mental energy gathered around her, and the surrounding air began to crackle with its power.
In this scene, an unexpected ally uses an illusion called the "Lune Knight" to give Sasha back her self-confidence.
Sasha is able to regain her faith in herself by putting her fears and doubts aside and focusing simply on what she needs to do. It doesn't matter how strong or weak she is; Zain is depending on her to help him, and giving up is simply not an option. By adopting this mentality, Sasha spontaneously masters the deadly power of PSI Cryo-Prism and literally crushes the Lune Knight to a pulp.
Awakening
She called to him again. "Zain, please come back to me..." Sadly, she closed her eyes.
Something stirred next to her. Surprised, Sasha opened her eyes.
Zain was sitting up, eyes open, looking around the room.
Sasha gasped in astonishment. Zain heard her, and his eyes turned to her... But something was wrong.
Instead of their usual green, Zain's eyes were completely black. There was no recognition in them when he looked at her; instead, his mouth turned upward in a strange smile. Sasha stared into his eyes; it was like looking into two black holes. There was nothing there.
What's wrong with him? Sasha wondered. "Zain...?" she asked.
At the sound of her voice, Zain blinked. When he opened his eyes again, they were green again, back to normal. He blinked a few more times, as if he were clearing away a bad dream, and then looked at her. "Sasha...?"
This was what she had been waiting to hear for so long; it seemed as if it had been an eternity since she had heard it last. When she heard his voice, Sasha smiled warmly, as happy as she had been when she first met him.
Zain was able to return to the waking world through a combination of Talah Rama's counterpseal and his unbreakable bond with Sasha. However, the Empathic Pseal is still affecting him. The black that appears in his eyes is the pseal's influence affecting him, just as his emotions would (turning his eyes red or blue).
Pseals
"You know well the conventional use of PSI, Prince Kato," Talah Rama continued. "However, that conventional use is still limited. This structured use results in a one-time, instantaneous effect. Even abilities such as Hypnosis, which causes your target to fall into a deep sleep, wear off as time passes."
Now Kato understood. "That is why pseals were developed," he realized. "To create a permanent or lasting effect from PSI."
The sage nodded. "Exactly, Prince Kato. This is precisely why the first pseals were developed, although later ones, such as the Inferno Pseal, were also created that mimic the instantaneous effect of conventional PSI." He looked at Zain knowingly.
Sasha reached up and felt her forehead, where her father's Prescient Pseal still was. Her great-grandfather had created this pseal to suppress her family's Premonition ability; that was indeed a lasting effect. "How do you use a pseal?" she asked.
Sasha's father can use one, Zain used one, and Kaatz has been using them the whole time, but this is where pseals are finally explained.
Like empathic PSI, I used the concept of pseals in the story to expand upon PSI; sticking only to the conventional abilities and powers would have been rather limited. Where empathic PSI is a less-evolved form of PSI, pseals are basically a MORE-evolved form, even more orderly and regulated than conventional PSI.
It is harder for most beings to use pseals because they must be able to almost perfectly control the flow of mental energy throughout their body. This is why it is difficult or impossible for an empathic psychic to use a pseal; the fact that Zain can do it is yet another indication of the extreme potential that he possesses.
Now that the three have learned the secret of pseals from Talah Rama, Kato will definitely be using them in the future, once he masters how. And now that Zain has realized just what he was doing when he used a pseal, it will be easier for him to use them as well.
Talah Rama and La-Renz
"It is a risk," Talah Rama agreed. "But a necessary one. Those young people are the Chosen Eight; it is by their actions that the future of our planet will be decided." He smiled slightly. "But we cannot forget that those eight are only human, and young humans at that." His smile widened. "And what do you suppose happens when you tell a young person that they cannot do something?"
A silent moment passed between the two men. "...I suppose you're right," La-Renz finally said. "I guess I should know that better than anyone..." He paused. "So what will you do now?"
"I am going to leave the desert," the sage answered, turning to face away from La-Renz. "I think I shall seek out another old acquaintance of ours. What are you going to do, La-Renz?"
The other man turned away. "I'm going to find the other four youths, and watch over them, for a time," he answered.
"Very well, then," said Talah Rama. "I will see you again in the future, then."
"In the future," La-Renz repeated.
I tried to portray Talah Rama as a kind, almost grandfatherly old man whose great wisdom was born from many years of personal experience. He has had to live with the consequences of his actions for a long time, and he is wiser because of it. Talah Rama is actually several hundred years old; centuries ago he used his Forge Pseal to make several weapons, including the Sword of Kings/Mother Earth Sword.
The mysterious La-Renz is even older than Talah Rama, although he doesn't really look or act like it. His knowledge of the human heart enabled him to restore Sasha's faith in herself. He is linked to a very special character from "Mother 2"; whoever he is, his intentions toward the Chosen Eight are pure.
Vendetta
"So who wounded you?" asked Hadurr.
Still not looking at him, Kaatz didn't answer for a moment. "...His name is Kato," he finally said. "He is my..." Trailing off, Kaatz turned around and faced Hadurr. "He is the son of that man."
Hadurr blinked, surprised; of all creatures on this mothership except perhaps the master himself, Hadurr knew Kaatz best, and he knew exactly whom Kaatz was talking about. "But shouldn't that be impossible?" he asked. "I thought you killed him."
"I thought so, too," said Kaatz. He looked at his right hand. "I thought I finally destroyed him fourteen years ago. But it seems that I was wrong. Not only did he survive, he also has had a son since then." He stared at Hadurr. "That man is still alive."
Kaatz's conversation with Hadurr, the mechanically-minded alien who outfitted him with his artificial body parts, reveals part of his background and offers more clues as to who he really is and why he is serving under Giaguo.
Given Kaatz's intentions at the end of this scene, Poo's first appearance in 202X is not far off.
A Brave Wolf Howls
OBEY MANI MANI.
"No!" Mila cried.
OBEY MANI MANI, ordered the statue. Its voice pierced through her mind, and Mila didn't know how she could possibly resist.
But she did. "NO!" she shouted.
The swirling grey mist around them turned red, and the statue actually started to absorb it, turning red as well. The statue gathered all of its power, seeming to draw in everything, and sent its will screaming into Mila like a bullet. OBEY MANI MANI!
"NOOOOOOOO!" As Mila screamed back in defiance, the statue's spell was broken, and with a sound like breaking glass, the world faded back to reality.
Mila suddenly found herself standing in Tom's back room once more, facing the shipping crate with the broken statue in it. Her fists were still clenched, and her mouth was still open from screaming.
Tom stared at her in utter disbelief. "How...?" he asked. "How could you resist it? It's not possible!"
Despite her lack of psychic powers, Mila is not an average human being, as is shown by her ability to resist Tom's attempt to enslave her mind. Her spirit and the memory of the people she cares about, particularly Brian, allow her to defeat the Mani Mani statue's influence.
Back when I started writing 202X, I had envisioned Dangerous Tom as a brutish thug not unlike Teddy from "Mother 1." But in a spontaneous idea that came to me early on in the story (like Karen's baseball cap), the leader of the Neo-Bla-Bla Gang evolved into Thomas Monotoli, the grandson of Mayor Monotoli from "Mother 2." Tom is like Mister P in a lot of ways -- power-hungry and insane -- but unlike Mister P, Tom usually keeps his madness covered with a cloak of authority and order, a cloak that was only disrupted when Mila impossibly defeated Mani Mani's influence.
As for the Mani Mani statue itself, I knew that I was going to have to incorporate it somewhere. Its origins and purpose were never explained that well in the game, so it was another aspect of the game I wanted to expand upon.
Rescue
Mila flailed around, punching many of them as hard as she could; she was not going to make it easy for them. She would keep fighting until the moment they killed her--
Suddenly a gunshot rang out. The Gang Members and Mila all stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the source of the sound.
Nick, Jenna, and Carl stood there, each of them armed with a shotgun. Between Jenna and Carl stood Brian, aiming resolutely at the mass of Gang Members with a nasty-looking slingshot. Behind them stood all of the rest of the Defenders of Home Base that Mila had freed by giving herself in exchange, all armed with some kind of weapon. Behind them stood the Providers of Home Base, Quincy among them, also armed with some weapon.
"We've come for our friend," declared Nick, who had fired the warning shot. "Give her back to us."
I really enjoyed writing this scene, which shows Mila at her best.
Mila's refusal to accept defeat during her escape, and her willingness to accept death rather than to be captured again, is a prime example of her strength of spirit. Even without her friends to save her, she might have made it out of that mob alive, broken leg and all.
But her friends did come to save her. Mila had given herself up to the gang so that she could save the other Defenders, and they were all willing to stand up to the entire Neo-Bla-Bla Gang to get her back.
Onward
"We'll go to Youngtown," Mila offered.
Nick's eyes widened. "The ghost town?"
Mila nodded again. "It wasn't abandoned THAT long ago," she said. "Most of the buildings there should still be standing. And hopefully, if Tom does take the South End, he'll ignore Youngtown and move on to something else. I can't see why he would go after an empty forest town near a swamp."
Sighing, Nick replied, "So we're just going to run away from Dangerous Tom and the Neo-Bla-Bla Gang?"
"It's the only option we have," Quincy recognized. "The tables were turned against us before; now, with that mind-control device, the gang is even more dangerous. And our priority is to the children, to their welfare. All else is secondary, including any revenge on the gang; that's what makes us different from them."
Nick nodded, seeing the wisdom in Quincy's words. "I understand," he said. "I'll go and spread the word around that we're moving to Youngtown."
Now that Mila has been rescued, everyone in her community is beginning to look to her for guidance. Their home was taken away from them, and now they need someone to direct them and tell them what to do next... And Mila is a prime choice to be that someone.
Having experienced the power of Mani Mani firsthand, Mila wants to keep her people as far away from it as possible, which is why she proposes the move to Youngtown. But Zain, Sasha, and Kato are now headed her way, and their fateful encounter with the last of the Chosen Eight is inevitable.
EFR
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