Wood and Words
Ness moved around carefully as the tank/mech trundled slowly, steam building up out of the smoke stack. As he saw the treads starting to spin, he lunged and rolled to the side out of the way of a charge before coming to his feet, holding his bat out as he watched for an opening.
"Come on, Ness!" Frank called out eagerly. "You can do more than dodge, can't you?" Another burst of steam poured out the smoke stack as the torso of the mech swiveled towards him.
Ness waited calmly for the next attack to come, once more lunging out of the way as he watched how the mech moved. Off to the side, Moondancer and Buzz Buzz watched curiously. Do you think he can take it? Buzz Buzz asked curiously, sending the question through thought so as not to disturb Ness.
Absolutely, Moondancer confirmed, responding in the same way. To be honest, after seeing him fight here, I think I might have been a bit overprotective when it came to the knives. I doubt he'd have gotten stabbed.
What do you mean? Buzz Buzz asked in confusion. All I've seen him do is run away.
He's studying his opponent, Moondancer explained. He knows meeting it head on is asking for shattered ribs or a caved in skull, like when he fought Deepsea. He's looking for his opening...and he's already seen it.
Just as the mech came in for the next charge, Ness dodged to the side. However, instead lunging far out of the way, he dodged just to the side of the mech and raced past it, spinning to strike the smoke stack with his bat as he raced by. This caused the mech to shudder for a time until the stack unblocked, and Ness took advantage of that to leap onto the treads on the other side and strike at the shoulder joint a few times before leaping away.
"Not bad, Ness, not bad!" Frank called out excitedly. "Figured my mech out already? Well in that case, it's time to show what really makes the Frankystein Mark II shine!"
A loud clacking heralded one of the arms of the mech shifting to point straight at Ness. Before he could react, the clenched fist launched off the arm, taking his hat right off as it grazed his head.
"Damn!" Frank snapped out as Ness stared in awe, the fist returning to the arm. "Those strikes must have thrown off the targeting calibrations! That's okay, the other arm's just fine!" The other arm extended.
Ness braced himself, pulling his bat up over his shoulder as he focused his PSI into it.
The rocket fist shot out towards Ness...and he stepped back and swung his bat, striking the fist like a baseball. There was a loud CRACK! at the impact, and the fist spun back into the mech to slam into the treads, crushing part of them and causing the whole mech to teeter to one side. Ness rushed in to take advantage of that. Using his bat as a level, he applied force until the entire mech tilted onto its side, rendered completely immobile.
The top of the mech popped open as smoke poured out. Frank coughed as he tumbled out of it. "Damn...you got my mech good," he murmured in awe as he looked up at Ness from on his back. "Not bad kid. My first defeat...ever. It looks like 'Fail-proof' Frank is now just... 'Failure' Frank." He slowly pushed himself to his feet. "...I'm gonna help you get to Giant Step," he decided firmly. "Can't disband the Sharks, wouldn't do any good. Someone else would just step in and take over. I'm still the toughest on the street - aside from you - so I can maintain authority...I'll change what we do. Reforming the Sharks, that'll get you into the Mayor's Office to get that key."
Ness smiled back at Frank. He wanted to say thank you, or...something. But he just couldn't get the words out.
To his surprise, Frank grinned at him and shot him a thumbs up. "No need for words now, kid," Frank offered warmly. "I felt your soul through your bat, through my mech." He held his clenched fists out to Ness. "Real men have no need of words...they speak through these!"
Uncertainly, Ness extended his own clenched fist to meet Frank's, becoming more certain as contact was made.
"...Men," Moondancer groaned in frustration.
With the Sharks no longer a problem for the city with Frank snapping them into shape, Ness led Moondancer and Buzz Buzz to town hall to speak to the mayor...only to freeze as he actually entered the building. "I...I'm actually going to have to talk to the Mayor, aren't I?" he murmured worriedly. "Explain who I am, convince him I'm the one who handled Frank and the Sharks, and that I need to get to Giant Step?"
"That's correct," Buzz Buzz observed idly. "I'm sure you can handle it."
"Can't either of you do anything to help me?" Ness asked worriedly.
"What, like psychic paper that you can just flash in his face on an ID wallet that will make him believe you're whatever authority will get him to immediately go along with you?" Moondancer asked curiously.
"Yeah, like that!" Ness agreed eagerly. "Do you have something like that?"
"Don't be absurd," Moondancer chided playfully. "Paper can't hold PSI energy of that complexity. It would have to be a handheld computer screen at minimum, and at the tech level I've seen around here the Mayor'd be more focused on the handheld comp than on who it said you were."
Ness' face fell. "But..."
"You've got this Ness," Moondancer reassured him. "You faced down a half-tank mech! How can this be scary for you after that?"
"I didn't have to talk to the tank!" Ness pointed out in terror.
"Yes you did," Buzz Buzz pointed out. "You spoke with your bat."
"Somehow I don't think whacking the mayor upside the head and swiping the key to the cabin is the right approach," Moondancer pointed out dryly. "If nothing else, how do we know which key he has in his desk is the right one?"
"Because you read that in his mind?" Ness asked hopefully.
Moondancer stared at Ness. "...you're actually considering whacking the Mayor upside the head and making a run for it with the key?"
"...no," Ness admitted apologetically. "I just..."
"How can this terrify you when you enjoy visiting the elderly in the hospital?" Buzz Buzz demanded pointedly.
"They never expect me to talk!" Ness pointed out defensively. "They just want someone to listen! I'm a great listener!"
Moondancer groaned, sitting back on her haunches. "...alright, here's my idea," Moondancer began. "How about we go back to your house, tell your Mom about what you did, and ask her to call the Mayor and make an appointment for you to talk with him so you can skip over all that social awkwardness?"
"I'm good at talking over the phone!" Ness offered excitedly.
"...if it works," Buzz Buzz murmured uncertainly.
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not bad, i'm loving it so far, keep it up! :3
Anyone else caught the Dr Who reference? Well played Tats.
Oi! Don't diss the psychic paper!
Great chapter though#
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Now imagen if they realy evolved.
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cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/54995135/i-see-what-you-did-there.jpg
Damn, I was hoping I'd be the first to catch it.
Huh, that was actually pretty cool.
Hobbits.
It's kind of a shame. It'd be neat to see what B.H. Pirkle would have to say in-person.
That Doctor Who reference.
Can't blame Ness for his social anxiety.
With how nuts all of the npcs in Earthbound are? You really can't blame Ness for social anxiety at all. Especially since PSI sensitive people get dose of that crazy just by talking with them.
"Social anxiety"
"I'm good at talking over the phone!"
IN WHAT UNIVERSE
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If the social anxiety is triggered by eye contact or physical presence?
It's actually based off me. When talking on the phone, I can be incredibly verbose and eloquent. Face to face, I'm lucky to get three words out without a script.
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WOOHOO!
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Mom whines that I cry every time we talk seriously face to face... Personally I think it is because I can feel her emotions... And my own get too much in control... I can talk via letters though...
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Here I was thinking he was more channeling Kamina, than anything else.
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Nah, that was all Elfmen of Fairy Tail. A brute of a man who believes all u need to solve any proplem...is two strong fists
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Fair enough. I wasn't being entirely serious, I just know how common hatred of phones is with people that have social anxiety (myself included).
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"What, like psychic paper that you can just flash in his face on an ID wallet that will make him believe you're whatever authority will get him to immediately go along with you?" Moondancer asked curiously.
Love that Doctor Who reference #Psychic Paper