As promised, I led Mavric, Charlie, and Addy all back over to where Origana, Onyx, and Timpani were waiting. Timpani looked a little curious but concerned while both Onyx and Origana seemed extremely on edge. Those two can hold quite a grudge, so it might be a looooong day.
"What are you three doing here?" Timpani asked with a smile as we neared. "No offense, but I was kind of expecting your parents..."
Timpani chuckled at this, probably trying to show that she didn't want to be mean about it, but she was probably hoping for someone more qualified to show up for help. Honestly, I didn't blame her much.
"Yeah, sorry, Mrs.Timpani. Our parents were all kinda already called over to help from some guy with a green bandana and black jumpsuit..." Addy sheepishly replied.
Origana and Onyx both turned and looked at me, their eyes narrowed as we probably all shared the same thought. Timpani sighed, running a hand through her hair as she did.
"Well, at least we know that Mr.L has been busy, heheh," Timpani pointed out. "In all honesty, he's probably going to be tied up for the next few hours trying to explain everything to them."
I looked at Timpani in horror at the thought and she quickly shook her head, holding up her hands in defense.
"Not literally! Not literally tied up, don't worry!" Timpani reassured.
I took a turn letting out a breath of relief as Charlie stepped up with a grin on her face.
"That's why we decided to help out instead!!!" Charlie cheered.
Timpani smiled in response, walking up to them and giving them all hugs.
"Thank you all, really, I appreciate the sentiment," Timpani told them as she pulled back, "but we don't really need the extra help from you three..."
"HA!" Origana blurted out, pointing a finger at them.
I quickly smacked Origana's hand, earning a yelp from her as I glared.
"Why not? We came all the way down here to help out!" Mavric practically whined.
Timpani chuckled again, shaking her head with a sheepish expression.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not even going to let Onyx or Origana here come with us for this," Timpani stated.
"WHAT!?" Onyx and Origana immediately exclaimed in response.
Addy snickered at the two of them a little, earning another round of glares from my fellow villain kids. I flinched a little when I suddenly felt Timpani's hand on my shoulder. Looking over, I could see her cheerful expression aimed toward the others.
"DJ here is the only exception, and that's because he was specifically told to go down there for this..." Timpani replied.
Origana arched her eyebrows at Timpani, giving her a quizzical look.
"So, you're telling me that you're sending DJ to deal with that psychopath ALONE?" Origana questioned.
Timpani quickly shook her head, laughing with a sheepish smile as she waved the thought off.
"No, no, no, no, no. Definitely not, ha," Timpani awkwardly replied with a laugh. "I will be going with him down there."
She placed her hands on my shoulders, smiling as she pulled me closer to her.
"I think just the two of us will have a shot!" Timpani cheered.
Onyx lifted his hand, an arched eyebrow underlining his expression.
"You don't need to raise your hand to ask a question, Onyx." Timpani chuckled.
Origana snickered at Onyx as he simply rolled his eyes, blushing in embarrassment as he cleared his throat.
"What about DJ's dad, Mr.L? I'm PRETTY SURE he's plotting something," Onyx pointed out.
Timpani hummed in thought to think up a solution, removing her hands from my shoulders as she did. However, she didn't make it very far when her train of thought was interrupted. I turned around to see the doors to the town hall building open, revealing Kade, Luisa, Luigi, Merlon, and Nolrem all walking out.
The two mayors seemed rather reluctant to be there and also a little panicky, now that I got to look them over. To be honest, after learning about what my parents - mostly my father though - did, I didn't blame them much! I don't want them to summon that stupid Heart-thingy if it meant that HORRIBLE abomination came back! I don't even know why Count Bleck wants that thing!!!
Anyway, getting back on track, Luigi and Luisa at least seemed cheerful, so they helped brighten up the overall mood. Kade just looked like a sweaty awkward mess, so I was fighting back the natural teenager reaction to snicker right now. However, no one seemed to be happier than Timpani. She lit up almost as soon as they stepped outside.
"Merlon, hi! Oh my Grambi, it's nice to see you again!" Timpani exclaimed.
I watched her run up to the old mayor in the blue cloak and wrap him in a hug so tight I thought she would pop him! He hugged her back with a smile and a small laugh.
"It is good to see you again as well, Timpani," Merlon told her.
They let go of each other and Merlon gently took her hands, bowing his head with a somber expression.
"My cousin and I were already worried when your son was declared missing, but both towns went into a panic when they saw him!" Merlon stated.
"We were relieved when Luigi explained to us that this evil Count is not one and the same as your husband," Nolrem added.
Timpani sighed in response, averting her gaze to the floor as a frown managed to cover up her smile.
"I wish that was completely true, but I'm afraid he's still as much of Blumiere as Blumiere is of him," Timpani replied. "Separate bodies or not..."
I hummed to myself, my thoughts unintentionally wandering back to when I had caught Timpani red - or I guess maybe blue - handed with the Count.
"For better or for worse..." I mumbled under my breath.
Everyone looked my way and I flushed in embarrassment, realizing I said that out loud.
"U-uhhh, I was just remembering a... cool quote from a book I read," I sheepishly lied.
Punctuating this with an awkward smile, the adults didn't seem to believe me but my friends all more or less shrugged.
"That checks out." Origana shrugged.
"I'm sure I've read that somewhere before," Mavric replied with a thoughtful nod, although it was a tad obvious he was lying.
I laughed it off and the adults thankfully averted their attention back to the others, allowing me to take a breath. Luigi stepped up, clearing his throat to get everyone's attention.
"Well, we've come up with a bit of a plan, so hopefully this works out, heh," Luigi nervously started, fidgeting with his hands. "Merlon and Nolrem are going to take Kade, Luisa, and myself up onto the tower to perform the ceremony. I'm gonna be there to make sure nothing goes wrong and no one gets hurt."
Luigi paused his explanation when he realized that someone was snickering. Looking around, I saw that Addy was fighting back a case of the giggles now.
"S-sorry! Sorry. Yeah, I just find it a bit ironic because my mom said that you literally tried to jump on the Chaos Heart..." Addy trailed off with a wheeze.
Luigi blushed in embarrassment while I and the rest of the kids fought back laughs. I didn't want to laugh at him, honest, but it WAS kinda funny with the irony here.
"U-um, yes, w-well, after that, we'll let Timpani hold onto the Chaos Heart and she will go with DJ down to the Pit," Luigi continued. "I will be taking Luisa back to Sarasaland tomorrow morning along with Kade, Origana, and Onyx until this blows over."
I arched an eyebrow, tilting my head at him.
"Tomorrow morning?" I wondered out loud. "When are we gonna go to the Pit?"
"Tomorrow," Timpani quickly answered.
With a frown, I narrowed my eyes at her.
"You want to WAIT another WHOLE DAY for me to see my father, which potentially puts him AND YOUR SON in harm's way?" I questioned.
She sighed, shaking her head as she rubbed the back of her neck.
"Unfortunately, it's not really our call..." Timpani replied.
I caught her gaze flicker past me and I followed to see who she was looking at. Merlon and Nolrem realized that they had been called out, sighing as they prepared their explanation.
"The entire area is currently shut off to EVERYONE," Nolrem firmly stated.
"The earliest time we can get you both in there without problems from the police would be tomorrow morning at the earliest," Merlon finished.
Origana groaned loudly in annoyance, earning everyone's eyes on her.
"Oh my GRAMBI, you guys are so useless," Origana moaned. "You might even be worse than Jaydes!"
Honestly, I'm glad that she said it because I think that I wasn't the only one thinking it by now. Mavric seemed to agree too as he chuckled a little, nodding and pointing a finger at Origana.
"Ha, I like this kid!" Mavric laughed.
"Don't ever call me kid again," Origana said with a glare.
I paused as a thought struck me - A horrifying thought that the Count had given me. There was the time limit he had set for me. THREE DAYS. Doing a quick count on my fingers, I went wide-eyed in realization.
"DJ, what are you thinking about..?" Kade warily asked, most likely recognizing my thinking face.
I did a frantic recount in my head, only to realize with horror that I was correct.
"Timpani, Count Bleck told me that I had THREE DAYS to meet up with him. Tomorrow is going to be PAST that deadline," I explained, straining to remain calm. "If we don't go before midnight tonight, h-he-! HE'LL DO SOMETHING TO MY FATHER!"
A panic attack struck me fast, squeezing out the air in my body, forcing me to frantically suck in as many breaths as possible. I couldn't see who, but I felt several reassuring hands and arms around me, trying to coax me into calming down.
I wanted to calm down, I really did.
"DJ, calm down! It's okay! You're alright!" Timpani told me, gently rubbing my back.
"No, I'm not!!! My father is in danger, and I can't do a thing about it!" I shouted back.
I didn't want to shout, I really didn't...
"DJ, we're right here, we'll figure this out..." Kade said in a soothing voice, mimicking a tone similar to his mother's hypnotic power.
"Yeah, we won't let anything bad happen, we promise," Addy reassured.
"You can't promise that he won't get hurt..!" I cried, choking on a sob.
I wanted to believe them, I really did.
My ears were ringing by now, I was crumpled onto the floor and couldn't do much about it. Grambi, I felt like such a baby! I was crying over something that hasn't even happened yet. Now all of my friends have to watch me cry and they'll think I'm not strong enough!!! That I'm just the BABY!
"Hey, Junior, listen to me, it's going to be okay..."
Blinking my eyes to get rid of the stray tears, I recognized the one voice. However, looking up I could see that it was only Luigi smiling at me.
I wanted to believe that it was my dad with me, I really did...
"Here, I'll help you get situated for the night," Luigi told me, his voice gentle.
Luigi reached down his hand for me to take, and I did. I quickly pulled his arm in and wrapped him in a tight hug, sobbing into his shoulder. He wasn't my dad, I know, but I need any kind of family right now. Even just if he's just an uncle.
"C-c-can you p-please keep calling me Junior, Uncle Luigi..?" I sheepishly asked between sniffles. "M-my dad calls me th-that, and you... y-you....."
He chuckled a little, patting me on the head.
"Of course, that's not a problem with me, Junior," he said with a smile in his voice. "Let's get you to the hotel for the night."
Leaning down, Luigi wrapped his arms around me and picked me up, laughing a little as he did.
"Ha, you're light, just like your father!" Luigi exclaimed with a snicker. "I can honestly say that I remember that from Mr.L..."
I smiled a little as he laughed, which helped to lighten my mood. It was nice to hear that he didn't remember all bad things about my father...
-----
The sun was beginning to set, casting an orangish-red colored light into my hotel room from the window. It was really quiet, nothing but a few birds and people in the halls making any sort of noise. I just sat there on the edge of my bed, my head down and hands in front of me. My panic attack had passed, thankfully, but the heavy blanket of sadness quickly enveloped me.
Normally, I would've been excited to stay someplace new. I would've probably explored it a bit, sketch it in my journal, that kind of stuff. But I was just so... unmotivated, I suppose is the word. However, Toady was out and about. The little robot made sure to check up on me and stuff, which I was very thankful for.
What was I doing right now? Well, I thought that if I could show them I had powers, maybe they'd actually trust me to handle myself. Maybe I could just use my new magic to get Marcus and my father out of harm's way!
At this rate, I was going to lose BOTH of them, and no one was going to do a thing about it.
"C'mon..." I muttered to myself, squeezing my eyes shut in an attempt to focus. "I just need something, anything!"
Toady gave me a concerned beep, and I didn't even need to look at it to see the sad expression it was most likely giving me. I sighed, falling backward onto the hotel bed with a small huff. The mushroom drone nudged my foot a little, probably trying to reassure me that it was still here.
"Toady... do you know how to either 1, get me out of this hotel without anyone noticing so I can save father, or 2, get my magic to somehow jumpstart?" I questioned sarcastically.
Toady beeped again and nudged my foot more, most likely trying to signal that it wanted up.
"Don't worry, I got you," I replied with a small chuckle.
I leaned over and picked up the little robot, plopping it on the bed next to me. Toady seemed to have a bit of trouble driving around on the mattress, but now I could at least see what its expression was.
"Sooo... any bright ideas?" I asked with a strained sheepish smile.
I felt like I was on the clock here, almost literally. Count Bleck seemed to me like the type of person who followed his word to the last letter. My father will most likely be game-overed for good - OR WORSE! - by the stroke of midnight!
"We have about..." I trailed off, glancing over at the light slowly fading from the window. "Maybe an hour, tops, to get my father back?"
Toady beeped in distress, giving me a dizzying expression. The poor thing was probably getting overwhelmed now too!
"I'm sorry... I know, I shouldn't put my problems on you," I sighed.
I went to give Toady a reassuring pat when it rolled away from me. Arching an eyebrow, I watched as the robo mushroom wobbled while it wheeled away.
"And where do you think YOU are going?" I questioned.
Toady eventually came to a halt when it bonked its dome against the wall. I squinted my eyes, trying to figure out what the little guy was on about. The only thing around the wall right there was the window.
I felt like I was getting a bit of deja vu, but it seemed like the best and only option now.
"I see where this is going," I sighed. "Let's... go over a plan first."
I nodded to myself as I climbed onto the bed, grabbing my bag of stuff as I did and hiding it beneath my cloak.
"Plans are good, they help me focus. They help me stay on track," I murmured to myself.
They also reminded me of my father, he likes to plan things out.
"I need a game plan, and a more thorough one this time," I stated. "I know I said that the first time, but still!"
I looked down at Toady, using my hand to count off the steps as the robot paid attention.
"Step one, gather all the supplies I might need for probably the fight of my life. Step two, climb out the window and make a mad dash for the fake wedding. Step three, snatch the Chaos Heart and go to Flopside. Step four, rescue my father and Marcus!" I exclaimed. "I know that there's a bit of grey area between three and four, but I'll just need to improvise that part!"
Toady beeped in response with a smile, wobbling side to side to show that it was happy with my plan. The little robot made me smile, giving me a quick jolt of happiness before my disheartening journey.
"So, Toady, I have an important job for you," I told it, kneeling down and patting its dome. "You need to make sure they don't realize I'm gone for as long as possible. Alright, Toady?"
The robo mushroom bobbed its head in a nod with a beep, its face showing a confident smug grin. I laughed in response, standing back up towards the windowsill.
"I trust you won't let me down, buddy!" I cheered.
With that, I turned and opened up the window, carefully hoisting myself up and slipping outside as I did. It was a race against time, and I couldn't afford to lose this.
Now it was time to attend my friend's wedding.
-----
I wheezed as I began to slow down, finally reaching my first destination. Uncle Luigi had said that they were doing the fake wedding on the Flipside Tower, so I had to find a way up WITHOUT using the elevator. Thankfully or not, there had apparently been STAIRS installed what seemed like recently. By the time I reached the top, I was dragging myself across the floor.
"Ughhh... This is one of those times where I wish I could levitate like my father using magic....." I groaned. "I mean... for all I know I can, but I sure as heck don't know HOW."
I instantly fell silent, cutting off my whining and complaining when I heard someone else nearby. There were few possibilities about who it was, but I didn't want to be seen regardless. Staying down on the floor, I army crawled until I was hiding behind the purple dimensional door. Just being near the door to The Underwhere gave me shivers, but I had to suck it up for now.
Peeking around the corner, I squinted around in the quickly fading light to see who I was looking for. Kade, Luisa, Uncle Luigi, Merlon, and Nolrem were all gathered together. There was a small baptismal fount-thing that was between Luisa and Kade, Merlon and Nolrem stood with the Light Prognosticus open in front of them, while Luigi stood off to the side with a nervous jitter. Luisa seemed more or less fine, but Kade sure as heck wasn't.
The poor guy was tugging at his collar, sweating buckets, and looked like he would faint! He obviously did NOT want to be here. I was starting to wonder how far along they were in the ceremony. After all, the Chaos Heart - whatever that was supposed to look like - wasn't here yet.
"Kade, don't panic! It's alright! It's not real!" Luisa tried reassuring him, waving her hands a little. "You don't even have to kiss me or anything!"
The Shadow Prince - or I guess I need to get into the habit of calling him KING now - shook his head while a deeper blush dusted his face beet red.
"I-I-I know!!! I-I just don't like this! It's too awkward for me, I'm sorry! ESPECIALLY since I have a crush on your brother..." Kade trailed off with an apologetic frown.
"It's alright, Kade. All you have to say is 'I do'. It doesn't even need to mean anything!" Merlon told him.
Kade replied with a flustered moan, covering up his face with his hands while he did.
"Oh my Grambiiiiiiii... Whyyyyy meeeeeeeee....." he groaned.
Luigi took a step forward, a worried expression on his face.
"Um, d-do you need a moment..?" Luigi sheepishly asked.
"We can take a break and come back," Luisa stated with a shrug.
Kade sucked in a deep breath, slowly lowering his hands in an attempt to not smudge his makeup. He shook his head, balling his fists up before giving them a thumbs-up.
"NOPE! It's fine- IT'S FINE! J-just two MEANINGLESS words! Yeah! Oh Grambi..." Kade rambled.
Taking a few inhales and exhales, he calmed himself down enough to try.
"...I........." Kade gulped, crossing his fingers as if to show that he didn't mean it. "...do.....?"
He shut his eyes tight while both Nolrem and Merlon took a big step back, closing the Light Prognosticus as they did. Luisa, Luigi, Merlon, and Nolrem all looked around, bracing themselves for something, but nothing happened. I don't know what they were expecting, but it probably wasn't this.
"Um... Dad, is something supposed to happen?" Luisa asked, arching an eyebrow.
Luigi hummed in thought as he walked around the makeshift alter, looking confused and lost. Kade warily opened his eyes, although he seemed hesitant to do so.
"Well..." Luigi started, scratching the back of his head. "Last time, when Peach said the words, the Heart just started to rise out of the-"
Just then, everyone seemed to simultaneously feel a chill pass through the night air. Everyone went rigid, their eyes turning towards the altar in anticipation. I brought a hand to my chest, a gasp escaping my lips when I felt it.
A heartbeat.
The whole world seemed to tremble as an almost blinding light came from the scene in front of me. I shielded my eyes and prayed that I wouldn't fall off the tower because of the quaking!
"I-i-is this more like it?!" Luisa exclaimed with a shaking voice.
"Y-y-yes!!!" Luigi replied, sounding horrified.
Gripping the floor in any way I could, I felt my stomach groan in protest, threatening to make me throw up everything as I was jostled like a plush toy in a washing machine. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the shaking and shuddering calmed down, leaving me sprawled on the ground behind the purple door. I wheezed and gripped at my chest, trying to catch my breath while everyone else seemed to recover their footing.
"Oh... Is everyone alright..?" Merlon asked, sounding dizzy.
"I'm quite alright here..." Nolrem replied.
"Same from me and my dad..." Luisa added.
Just then, I heard someone vomit onto the floor.
"Mostly okay," Luisa corrected.
"Um, is the Heart supposed to look so tiny..?" Kade questioned.
I arched an eyebrow to myself, confused about what he was talking about. Scooting over to the edge of my hiding spot, I peered over at the altar. Floating just above the surface of the podium, a black heart-shaped object that appeared glassy in texture was there. However, something did seem a bit off...
It was probably only about the size of one of those forbidden fruits from The Overthere (the size of an apple, for reference to those who don't know what those are).
"Uh... N-no, it was much... bigger, last I saw it," Luigi replied, tilting his head as he stared.
Merlon hummed in thought, placing a hand on his chin as he did.
"The Chaos Heart is the embodiment of hate, yes? I suppose that this is just an accurate representation to show that its ideal host doesn't have any hate to feed it..." Merlon stated.
Uncle Luigi looked at Merlon in perplexion, awkwardly fidgeting with his hands.
"But, Merlon, I don't really know how that's possible, I-I mean... I'm still me and Mr.L is still Mr.L. I don't think that there's any less hate than there was at the start..." Luigi sheepishly admitted.
"I think it's safe to assume that the Chaos Heart has moved on to its next host, Luigi..." Nolrem replied.
Luigi, Merlon, and Nolrem were now all distracted from talking to each other. Looking to the side, I could see Luisa trying to comfort Kade. No one was looking in my direction, it was a straight shot ahead to the alter, and they were all distracted.
That Heart is my ticket to seeing my father safe again.
"I just need to be really subtle..." I told myself under my breath.
Without a second's hesitation, I got up from the floor and made a mad dash for the Chaos Heart.
"DJ!?!" Luisa exclaimed, the first to even see me.
Before anyone else could even turn their heads, I lunged forward with my hand outstretched and grabbed ahold of the small Heart.
All at once, I felt a strong boost of energy course through my veins. It was like all of the untapped potentials in my soul let out a scream and burst forth into my body at the command of the Chaos Heart's beating. I felt like I had chugged down a hundred energy drinks all at once, but for magic!!!
However, I made sure to keep the Heart in my hand and NOT anywhere closer. Who knows what it would do to me if it got inside my body?!
"Junior, what are you doing!?" Luigi cried, grabbing and pulling at his hair.
I shook my head to shake off the initial buzz, taking a deep breath to center myself. Looking down at my other empty hand, I hardly had to think about it before a magic projectile formed. I smiled wide with a small chuckle, feeling a little giddy with this new sensation.
"YOU ACTUALLY HAVE MAGIC?!?!" Kade screamed.
I sighed in response, rolling my eyes as I did.
"I told you!!! It's not my fault you didn't believe me!" I huffed.
With that, I took off at a jog toward the edge of the tower, waving the Chaos Heart in my hand at the two mayors as I did.
"I need this, sorry!!!" I apologized.
Before any of them could even think to protest, I lifted the Chaos Heart and drew an invisible circle around me, effectively teleporting me away from Flipside Tower and to Flopside's basement levels.