Pokey was flailing his arms in the air in a panic. "Hey! L-L-listen to what I have to say!" he shouted at us. I've never seen Pokey look so terrified. This must have been really important to him. "When I took Picky to the place where the meteorite landed..." Suddenly he turned towards Mom, a huge grin on his face. "Oh... Good evening ma'am." he cooed. "You're looking lovely as usual..." She rolled her eyes and averted his gaze. Pokey was really creepy sometimes.

"Anyway, as I was saying, the police that were guarding the meteorite left suddenly to deal with the Sharks. You know the Sharks, they're the local ruffians, and they were really going wild. Suddenly, I noticed that Picky was gone. I blame the cops! This wasn't my fault at all!" He hung his head and sighed. "When my dad gets back, I know I'm gonna get it..." He stood there idle for a few seconds, then ran up to me, trying to make the most innocent face he could. "Ness! You're my bestest friend! You'll help me find Picky, won't you?" I probably didn't have a choice in the matter with Mom around, and Pokey's brother was actually really nice...

"Sure." I replied hesitantly, which made him giddy.

"Alright!" he shouted. "Let's blow this popsicle stand!" Pokey turned on his heel, then turned back around as if he forgot something. "Um, before we go... why don't you say goodbye to your mom? Don't you agree, ma'am?" The way he emphasized the word made me cringe. Mom just rolled her eyes.

She turned towards me, an encouraging smile on her face. "I know the dog is unreliable, but you should take King anyway. Tracy's bat should help at a time like this." She kneeled down and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Remember Ness, no matter what anyone says, you're a courageous, strong boy. You're my very own natural born fighter. You'll go far. Remember to... go for it!" she winked. "But I think you should change out of your jammies before you leave."

Oh yeah. That again.

"I'll go get the bat from Tracy's room too." I said, running upstairs as fast as I could.

...

This was the first time Mom ever let me go out by myself. The feeling was so... so exhilarating! Even with a nuisance like Pokey around, I think I might actually still enjoy this! I came down the staircase, swinging the bat back and forth playfully as I walked. Pokey jumped off of the couch he was sitting on, making the floor rumble a bit. "All right!" he cheered. "You go in the front, and I'll follow at a safe distance! Let's go!"

What a coward.

I petted the soft, plush fur on King's head, trying to encourage him to join. "Come on boy..." I coaxed. The old dog yawned and got up from his spot.

We were all halfway across the porch when our telephone rang. Not very many people called us, so this was rare. I ran back into the house and picked it up.

"Hello?" I called.

"Hey Ness, it's your dad." he said in a gruff, tired voice.

Dad?!

"Work to exhaustion when you're young... Have you ever heard of a phrase like that? Just remember, I'm behind you 100%. Don't be afraid. I know that you're brave. You can do it! Don't forget to call me periodically during your adventure. I can keep track of your progress." He paused for a second, and I twirled the telephone cord around my finger, anxiously waiting for something else to be said.

"Oh yeah! I deposited $30 into your bank account. Do you have your ATM card with you? You can deposit the money and spend it on anything you need. Good luck m'boy. I feel like such a hero... well, the father of a hero at least..."
The last part made me smile. I haven't heard from Dad in the longest time, and hearing this from him made me feel so amazing.

"..." The line went blank, indicating that he ended the call.

Pokey pointed at his wrist as if pointing at a watch. Alright, alright. I sighed and we all walked out the door into the night.

There were so many dogs outside, I noticed. This didn't seem right. You couldn't have this many stray dogs out in a small town like Onett. People took good care of their pets here. And they didn't look very friendly, which was even more peculiar. What was happening? The closer I got to them, the louder they growled. I raised my bat, ready to defend myself.

"Ness I'm scared!" cried Pokey, covering his face with his hands.

There was no way we could pass through without fighting one of the angry dogs. I didn't want to have to do this, but...

I walked even closer to the pack. They bared their teeth and tried scratching me with their claws. I quickly dodged every hit. I placed my bat behind my back, and swung it forward, releasing all of the potential energy into one impressive hit. Two of the dogs were knocked out. I smacked the palm of my hand with a fist, taunting them. They didn't like that. Three more dogs came running at us. That was a mistake.

Pokey grabbed my hand and dragged me up to where the hill was, leaving King to fight the vicious canines by himself.

"Hey!" I shouted, smacking Pokey's hand and running at them. I started swinging my bat left and right, hoping to knock out the dogs before they hurt King. It took a few tries, but I eventually landed hits on all of them. When they were hit, they snapped as if they escaped a trance, yup, they seemed to behaving like normal again. They sniffed the air and ran towards Onett town, tails between their legs.

"Well that knocked some sense into them. Literally." I said to Pokey, who was hiding behind a tree now. I had a terrible headache now, probably from all of the howling. I winced and rubbed my head. I wanted to get home quickly.

A muffled voice echoed in my head, "Lifeup..." Huh?

"Ness that was so scary! I can't believe you-" He stopped and bent down, picking something up from the ground. "Ooh, a cookie!" he exclaimed, popping it into his mouth. I groaned and walked up the hill, King following.

"Come on, Pokey. Let's go."

...

Leir X. Agerate was a treasure collector who lived on top of the hill, and we rarely saw him due to him being so busy with work. Right now, however, he happened to be standing outside of his house, whistling a familiar tune. He told us that he heard a child somewhere around him. Picky had to be nearby. "Thank you!" I exclaimed, running off towards the hill, thankful that he was here.

We were finally at the very top of the hill, where the meteorite was. The sight of the meteorite must've frightened King, because he booked it down the hill. I wasn't worried though, he always went back to the house. I gazed into the distance, staring in awe at the small town ahead of me. It was so quiet and peaceful... then I heard humming.

"Do you hear that?" I asked. Pokey nodded. I walked around, trying to figure out where the humming was coming from. I finally tracked it down! It was behind a huge tree. When I looked behind it, I saw Picky leaning his head against the bark of the tree, humming softly in his sleep. We found him! I nudged his shoulder, signaling him to wake up.

"Wha? Oh, hi Ness." he got up and stretched. "There you are Pokey!"

This confused me for a second.

"You see..." Picky started. "Pokey got scared and ran away!"  I looked at him with a stern expression. Pokey smiled nervously and avoided eye contact with me. "Oh really?" I sneered in a sarcastic tone.

"Well I'm glad you all are safe. Come on, Pokey, let's hurry home. Mom and Dad are probably worried sick about us!"

We were all about to sprint away from the hill when Pokey stopped, cupping his hand around his ear.

"Do you hear something that sounds like a bee buzzing?"

I heard it loud and clear, but what did it matter?

All of a sudden, a huge beam of light rose from the meteorite, lighting up the area around us. What was happening? An insect popped out of the meteorite, flapping its wings frantically.

"A bee, I am not..."