Chapter 8


	"Nikana needs our help!" Ness exclaimed. 
	"She's gonna be mortally wounded if we don't help her!" Poo stated as he took off running toward the fight scene.
	"Poo, wait!" Jeff and Ness called out and darted after the young prince.
	While running with incredible speed Poo leaped in the air, took his Sword of Kings, and slashed at Metal Mario's neck. The sword's contact made a loud "clang" noise, but only caused a dent into Metal Mario's small neck. It quickly turned around, snatched Poo, and hurled him over to a steel pole. The young prince yelped in agony and in pain, and his friends could not bear to watch any more. Jeff loaded his pistol with a big bottle rocket and aimed carefully at Metal Mario.
	"Jeff, that's your last powerful, bottle rocket!" Ness exclaimed as he reminded his friend.
	"I've been saving it for a special occasion." Jeff replied with his teeth clenched and narrowed his blue, nearsighted eyes.
	The boy pulled the trigger and shot the single, large bottle rocket at Metal Mario. As the rocket nailed Metal Mario, it ended with an explosion. After the small explosion cleared, Metal Mario remained standing, but with something that had been detached from the shot.
	"Dude, you shot off its head!" Ness observed with some excitement, but his expression suddenly changed with shock. "Hey look! Oh my God  . . . !"
	The headless Metal Mario walked toward Jeff and Ness. Its fists were clenched and it stumbled as it walked over to his targets.
	"Ahhhaa! He's still walking!" Ness yelled and walked back a few steps.
	"He won't be unless I hot wire his circuits." Jeff replied. "It seems as though Metal Head is nothing but a robot. I can see a switch panel on his back and I might be able to cut out the wires to destroy him. Since I've destroyed his sensory system with my bottle rocket, he's not only blind, but-"
	"We can talk about technical mechanic stuff later, Jeff. Just take care of Metal Mario for me while I try to heal Poo and Nikana."
	Jeff agreed and slowly sneaked behind Metal Mario. Ness ran to Nikana's side and gently shook her. He checked her pulse rate and found out that she was hardly breathing.
	"C'mon, wake up!" Ness pleaded and shook her again. "Don't leave us right now . . ."
	Suddenly Nikana's eyes flew open and she gasped for air like a suffocating trout. Ness was quickly taken by surprise and jumped back away from the teenage girl. Nikana weakly crawled to her feet and coughed. Ness helped her to stand as the girl glanced down at the boy wearily.
	"W-wha  . . . ?" She stammered and blinked. "Huh  . . . ?"
	"Jeff is taking care of Metal Mario." Ness replied. "How badly wounded are you?"
	Nikana pressed two fingers to the right side of her head that was near to her eye. In a dry, raspy voice, she answered, "The damage . . . three hundred, forty-nine percent . . .  The next hit will eliminate me . . ."
	"Hey Ness!" Jeff shouted from a short distance. "I did it!"
	Ness and Nikana glanced at the beheaded Metal Mario. They found various of colored wires torn out from its back and Jeff grinning with self proudness. The robot was also not in motion.
	"Good going, Jeff!" Ness congratulated as the blonde-haired boy swaggered over to Nikana.
	Poo limped over to the group with his sword still clutched in his hand. Jeff ran to the young prince's side and helped him over to Ness.
	"I believe that my spine has endured great pain." Poo groaned painfully as he was placed on the floor to lie down.
	"Great . . ." Ness mumbled in sarcastic and then turned to Nikana. "Could you still use your healing power on both of you?"
	"I'm sorry, but I . . . can't." Nikana apologized weakly. "You see . . . my healing only works when some of my strength is being used. Because of my condition . . . I cannot even heal myself. Don't you have any PSI powers that could be used for healing?"
	The boy nodded, but only wanted to preserve his PSI powers for The Master Hand. Seeing that there was no other choice of preserving his powers, the boy sighed and agreed to heal his friends. Just as Ness was about to touch the teenage girl's forehead, he suddenly felt something draining from his body. Something weakening . . .
	"Ness, what's wrong?" Jeff asked with concern.
	"My PSI powers . . ." Ness said in wonder and looked down at his hands, "they're suddenly draining!"
	"Mines too!" Poo exclaimed and felt a bit worried.
	Suddenly there was a familiar, cheerful, but an evil laugh that almost filled the entire room. The laughter finally stopped and then said a familiar voice, "You think you can resolve the problems around God?" 
	A figure that wore a pink garment attire with a pink ribbon in shoulder-length blonde hair slipped out behind a small stack of crates. Ness and Jeff widen their eyes with surprise. Poo shot a confused stare at the figure.
	"Paula . . ."  Ness whispered and slowly walked closer toward her.
	The girl smirked evilly and sinisterly. Paula narrowed her eyes and said, "Hello Ness. So you thought I wouldn't be the top among your group that you've once said to me? Well little boy, you're wrong."
	"Huh?" Ness with confusion. "Paula, what on Earth are you talking about?"
	"You know what I am talking about!" Paula snapped with defense. "It was all about you and saving the world! You, Jeff, Poo, my parents, and those brats at Polestar have all treated me like a worthless slave! You all have abused and harassed me in the past, did you not?!"
	"What?! Paula, we haven't done anything like that to you! We are your friends! What are you talking-"
	"Liar! They're all lies! You and your lies cannot bring me back to Eagleland! You guys were never friends of mine and used me the whole time! I remember how you had beaten me with your pitiful baseball bat. And Jeff, with his smart attitude decides to harass me all the time, and Poo being a spoiled, selfish, rotten brat!"
	"Ok, I have hit you once with my bat, but that wasn't my fault! You decided to pray to the Heavens in order to fight off an enemy and instead, it made us go crazy. We started attacking each other. And how could say such a thing about your friends like that?"
	"Ha! Friends they aren't of mine! And no Ness, it was not once that you've struck me. You're so full of it that it's not even funny! I hate you! The Master Hand gave me a place that I could never dream of. A place of peace and where I am accepted."
	Ness sadly shook his head and wondered what The Master Hand has done to her.
	"And now pretty boy," Paula continued and smirked, "It's my turn to take care of you and your worthless group! PSI Freeze Omega!"
	The girl outstretched her arms and opened the palms of her hands. A icy-blue substance shot from Paula's hand, but Ness quickly dodged it.
	"Paula stop it!" Ness shouted at the girl. "I'm not going to hit you, even if you cause damage to me."
	"Aw, well isn't that so sweet of you?" Paula sneered. "Too bad you couldn't have done that back then. Have at thee, coward!"
	Ness shook his head as Paula summoned PSI Fire Beta. The boy tried to dodged the girl's shot, but her power gazed through his side. Ness placed a hand and felt the burn sizzling and stinging as Jeff stood beside him.
	"Paula, you have to believe us!" Jeff cried out. "The Master Hand brainwashed you! He has filled your head with lies!"
	"Whatever, smarty pants." Paula laughed. "You and your science crap is making me sick!"
	Jeff rolled his eyes and at the corner of his eye, he spotted Poo hiding himself behind a crate that was behind Paula. He smiled and Paula grew even more defensive.
	"What are you smiling about, genius?!" She demanded at the suspicious Jeff as Poo tackled the girl to the floor.
	Paula struggled to throw Poo off her back, but the young prince knew what to do. He separated her arms out to prevent the girl from using her PSI powers against him. Jeff and Ness quickly ran over toward them and Jeff tied Paula up against a steel pole with some rope that he found near the crates. The girl desperately struggled to slip out of the ropes, but it was no use. She glared at Poo, Jeff, but most of all, Ness.
	"Paula, listen to me." Ness said calmly and gently.
	"NO!" Paula shouted in resistance. "You all are nothing but scum to The Master Hand!"
	"And you are correct," Jeff agreed calmly, "and you are also the enemy of The Master Hand as well. He gained complete control over you and erased your memory base. He created false illusions like Nikana does-"
	"That's a lie!" Paula cried out. "The Master Hand appreciates me for what I've done!"
	"Paula, listen to me and listen good." Ness said gently. "The Master Hand is using you, not us. He doesn't care about what happens to anyone. Look around you and see these other people in this room. They are slaves of The Master Hand, Paula. They are stuck here forever to work for The Master Hand until they die. That's what The Master Hand planned for you."
	Paula shook her head and cried, "That can't be true!"
	"Oh really?" Ness asked Paula. "Do you remember one day when I taught you how to play baseball with our school friends? I helped you hold the baseball bat. Johnny threw the ball and we hit a home run. Together, we scored and won."
	The girl squeezed her eyes shut. She could clearly recall the memory that The Master Hand hadn't erased. Paula remembered that it was on the last summer day before she and Ness were going back to school last year. The sun was setting, she could recall, and she remembered how Ness taught her how to hit home runs. Together they and a few school friends played baseball and won the game.
	"I think she remembers that." Jeff whispered to Ness. "Maybe The Master Hand hasn't erased all of her true memories!"
	Ness nodded and then asked, "Do you remember a week ago when we walked each other home that you said you cared for me in a ‘special way'?"
	Paula slowly opened her eyes and glanced up at Ness tearfully. She shook the tear out of her eye and then said with a glare, "I remember that! You gave me no answer and turned away as if you were going to burst out laughing!"
	"Oh please, I was not!"
	"See? You're laughing as if you were lying!"
	"I was laughing at the fact that you assume the most ridiculous things! I was shy and too nervous, that's all. Not to mention that I had hugged you farewell before we departed to our homes. If you don't remember those, maybe this will satisfy you."
	The group waited to see what Ness had planned to do. The boy nervously walked up to Paula and gulped. 
	"I'm waiting." Paula said impatiently. "Or are you proving that you don't behold the same feeling for me?"
	Finally, Ness laid a brief kiss on Paula's cheek. He quickly pulled away with his face deep red and turned away with shyness and embarrassment. Ness had just kissed a girl right in front of his friends!
	"Ohhhh!" Jeff playfully teased. "Ness kissed Paula! Wait until the clubhouse gang hear about this-!"
	Suddenly, Paula collapsed to the floor and her eyes squeezed shut. Ness quickly reacted by trying to support her to stand. The girl slowly opened her blue eye and looked around, a bit confused.
	"Huh?" She finally said confused. "What happened?"
	She glanced up at Ness and smiled with a friendly gesture instead of sinisterly.
	"Do you remember the fun things and adventures of what we've done?"  Jeff asked her.
	"Um, yea." Paula said rolling her eyes. "Like that one time when we had an ice cream race and four of us received really bad headaches? Of course I remember! That was fun, but um, why are we talking about it?"
	"She's back!" Ness smiled as he placed both hands on her shoulders and Jeff untied her from the pole. "Paula, do you remember anything about The Master Hand?" 
	Paula slowly nodded and stared at the floor.
	"He paralyzed me as he filled my head with ignorant lies." She sadly replied. "Unfortunately, I believe that I may have told him about what powers you've received from Nikana . . ."
	"WHAT?!" The group exclaimed altogether.
	"I didn't mean to tell about them, but I was forced to." Paula frowned. "He took over my mind and made me tell him about your secrets. Oh God . . . I'm so sorry!"
	The girl tried her hardest not to burst into tears. Guilt ran through Paula's mind and her stomach twisted. Unable to help it, she turned away from the group, removed Ness' grasp from her shoulders, and silently cried. Paula hated to cry, especially in front of her friends. 
	Ness placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as Jeff and Poo knitted their eyebrows with concern. However, Paula suddenly removed his hand from her shoulder again and turned to him. Ness scanned her face which was beginning to be soaked with her tears. 
	"It's all my fault!" Paula wailed, accepting the blame. "Earth is going to be destroyed and everyone will be enslaved! It's all because of me!"
	"No it's not." Said Ness. "Did you chose to destroy it? Do you even want to? Your answer is most likely no."
	Paula stared at the floor until Ness moved her chin up with the side of his index finger gently. Their eyes met each others with a bit of a worried expression. Finally, Ness said. "It's not your fault, Paula. It's no one's fault, but The Master Hand's. I do forgive you, but right now we must focus on destroying The Master Hand before he enslaves us and trashes Earth. We need your help in order to defeat him."
	The girl nodded, acknowledging Ness. They walked over to Nikana and healed her, and Nikana healed Poo.
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