Survivor: The Mushroom Kingdom

I: Prelude to Adventure

Have you ever wondered... what strange, new, and exciting worlds are really out there? Take the time to think what really goes outside this plain locality. What interesting happenings could we be missing? Is this boring world all we have to venture through and overcome? Or do you even care? Do you simply just take on what life throws at you? Why not search for thrill and excitement beyond the imagination?

Mr. Marigi slammed his chalk upon his podium, roaring loud through his gentle voice that tried to sound ferocious, "Are you kids even awake!?"

Feilon snorted as his head rolled off his palm, falling and nearly smashing into the desk below.

Marigi sighed and turned away, stopping to straighten his red shirt through his ridiculous green overalls. Looking back to gaze across his class, his thick, slightly curled moustache twitched as his eyes fell upon Noel, her head planted in crossed arms upon the desk. She was pathetically trying to hide behind Feilon, who was nodding off as well.

Marigi shrugged, apparently giving up on trying to teach his History-Geography class, his tall and slightly plump face twisting with slight anxiety. At the end of the year like it is now, you would expect, as a teacher, to see new faces becoming old. This year was different. Old faces were becoming older. It had been the third year for almost half of the class. Even so, they eagerly looked forward to spend their entire high school years in Marigi's History-Geography class as they snoozed through his quite boring lectures.

With his face nearly smashing off of the desk once again, Feilon's head sprang up and caught Marigi's exhaustedly angered glare. Feilon's golden eyes blinked a few times with terror as Marigi's icy blue eyes seemed to pierce his very soul. A smirk gradually formed upon Marigi's face as he shook his head at Feilon, who was running his hand through his hair, trying to smooth his bed-head hairdo.

Noel looked around Feilon to get a glimpse at Marigi as well. His eyes turned to meet her eyes only for a second. She pulled her long, light hair out of her face and placed it behind her ears before turning to the boy beside her and nudged him awake.

Kiro snorted lightly a Noel's nudge, looking about frantically before meeting Marigi's gaze. Kiro wiped drool from his face, still looking to his teacher's amused glare.

Rolan, sitting next to Feilon, was balancing a pencil on his nose. He kept very still with his hands out to the side. Trying to keep the balance, his eyes caught Marigi's as well. The pencil dropped to the desk and rolled off noisily as he continued to stare.

Sitting in the back was Ranta. In the palm of his hand rested a small, flickering flame. With a wave of his hand, the fire jumped from one palm to the other, his hands remaining unburned. He chuckled lightly as the flame trailed all around his hands as though it was a pet.

Taez, a rather dark boy with an even darker demeanor, sat next to Ranta as he watched him in awe. Every once in a while, Taez would tear off a section of his notes, roll it up into a ball, and hurl it at a random victim while Marigi wasn't looking.

"Ranta!" Marigi roared.

Ranta yelped lightly as he was finally burnt, shaking his hand of the fire. He held his hands together hoping to ease the pain as he looked up to his teacher innocently.

"Ranta, how many times have I told you about playing with fire in class? I know it's an illness you must have, but can't you try to wait?" Marigi bellowed in his gentle voice that tried to be stern.

"It's... not an illness, Mr. Marigi. It's..." Ranta whined, beginning to whimper.

"No matter, no matter," Marigi sighed as he played with his overall buttons.

Just as Marigi looked away, a massive wad of paper ricocheted off of Kiro's head, startling him from his sleep.

"George Washington! Hm? What? What was the question?" Kiro muttered frantically as he was shaken from his slumber.

Some of the first-year students giggled. Marigi picked up a broken piece of chalk from his podium and walked passed some equations on the chalkboard to some neatly drawn maps. He pointed his chalk to a small group of islands.

"For those of you who were awake, can you tell me what this area is called?"

"Bermuda Triangle!" a first-year girl blurted.

"Very good. Around 510 years ago, a small island surfaced in the center of this Bermuda Triangle. Does anyone know what it's c--"

"Saigaea!" the same girl shouted.

"Well done. And who are the famous adventurers to journey throughout the island, uncovering many secrets and treasures?"

There was a slight pause.

"Taez!" Taez shouted.

"Very good, Taez. Though, not the same Taez as the one in our class, mind you."

"The Spirit Weaver! Travis Detroit!" the first-year girl eventually shouted.

"Ah, so we are awake today! Yes, Travis Detroit the Spirit Weaver is another. And, F.Y.I., Travis is a graduate of 4350 from our very own school! You all have a chance to be as great as him. Yes, well, are there any other adventurers of Saigaea?"

"Dewilla... something." blurted the first-year girl.

"Yes, yes. The knight of Gnoevaugh with the really long name, hahah!"

"Madam Aulwrentina Perumentil Dewillachanci Cherisyno Genesyl Maurikisato III!" a first-year boy added.

"No, no! Maurikisato IV!" another boy quarreled.

"II!" another objected.

A group of students continued to argue which number came after Dewilla's name as Marigi's expression eagerly shown that he wanted to hear the names of other Saigaea adventurers.

"Aerleos! Myermak and Seymour!" came a mewling voice from up front.

"Correct, the anthropomorphic feline treasure hunters! And who's the Aerleo in our class?"

"Catsune!!" the entire class shouted excitedly.

A small feline student near the front looked about with a shy grin over his lightly furred face and muzzle. Two blue kitty ears poked through his scruffy red hair that fell over bright green eyes. A girl sitting behind him usually played with his incredibly fluffy tail that poked out of a hole within his violet trousers, often making him purr quite loudly in the middle of class.

"Hmhmh, yes. Oh, and rumor had it that a mythical Partasian joined Travis on his quest, but this hasn't been proven."

A loud crystal-like tone was sounded over the loudspeaker, making everyone scramble out of the room in a panic, as the class was finally over.

"Ack! Don't forget about the quizzes and tests over World War IV, Valley Everest, and the Bermuda Triangle this week! And make sure you have your field trip permission slips in by the 32nd of this month!"

Students dashed all about the halls, desperate to get to their next classes on time. Yeah, just as desperate to take those tests they stayed up until the wee hours of morning preparing for.

With a bit of effort, Feilon pushed open the cafeteria doors while carrying a small, brown lunch bag. He sat in his usual, baron corner, quick to empty the contents of his paper bag onto the table. There was nothing too surprising today: a strange fruit, a hearty sandwich, some odd variation of a potato snack, and a few gold coins. Poking at the colorful fruit, Feilon gathered his coins and hoisted himself up from the table. He casually walked into the kitchen, returning to his seat with a small carton of odd-colored juice he exchanged for the gold coins. Upon sitting, he discovered that Noel had seated herself across from him.

"Cream of mushroom soup again, today," Noel sighed, nudging at a fancy Styrofoam bowl she obtained from the kitchen. "I don't know what I'll do if I ever see a mushroom again."

"Ah, well," Feilon muttered as he rolled the strange fruit around, "It can't be as bad as having to eat these... things. I don't even know how to pronounce the name."

"It's just another discovery made by scientists who tinker with genes or DNA's or whatever."

"It doesn't even taste good."

As Feilon began to examine the strange fruit again, he noticed that the stem that projected from the tip was on fire. Feilon's eyes grew wide as he frantically scooted away, moaning with terror. Soon after, a harsh, squeaky cackle arose behind him. Turning to see what was causing that annoyance of a laugh, Feilon's eyes met a small, fancy, yellow-trimmed red garb. Looking higher, Ranta's visage came into view. Feilon stood up in a fury, towering over Ranta, whose small stature didn't even come up to Feilon's chest. Feilon's eyes burned with anger as he glared down into Ranta's frail face. Despite Feilon's ferocity, Ranta remained to keep a smirk on his face, a hand behind his back. Looking away from Feilon, his eyes fell upon the amused Noel and then the lightly blazing stem of the genetically altered fruit. Ranta's free hand waved over the top of the fruit, turning the small fire into a stream of smoke and instantly wisped away.

"Hey, Fei-Fei," Ranta sang calmly. "Guess what!"

Ranta looked to Feilon as he brought his hand out from behind his back, grasping a fancy Styrofoam bowl, "It's cream of mushroom soup day."

Ranta nonchalantly seated himself next to Noel. She couldn't help but giggle at Ranta's wit. Feilon looked from Ranta to his miraculously uncooked fruit. Feilon seated himself once again, rubbing his head, not sure what to say. Deep in thought momentarily, Feilon felt a brush beside him. Turning, he discovered that fancy-haired, not fancy-clothed Kiro had taken a seat next to him. On closer inspection, Feilon noticed that a mushroom slice was stuck to his forehead. A single chuckle escaped Feilon's mouth as his fiddled with his carton of odd juice, trying to open it.

"You, uhm... O.K., there, Kiki?" Ranta indifferently asked Kiro as he set little mushroom cubes aflame.

Kiro gazed dully over Ranta's shoulder. His face soon lit up as he looked to Ranta directly, "Oh, yes. It was a splendid autumn; especially the fall part."

"It's almost summer time... Kiro." Noel added.

"So, what you're saying is that you decided to take a dive for your soup again, eh?" Ranta muttered as he played with the yellow trim of his fancy red suit.

"Just like Kiro to always be chasin' after those mushrooms." Taez chuckled as he seated himself next to Ranta.

The slice of mushroom fell from Kiro's forehead as he continued to stare blankly over Ranta's shoulder. Feilon shook his head slightly with a sigh as he held his dry sandwich to his mouth. Noel scraped the bottom of her bowl with a spoon as she watched Rolan trot by, along with other kids coming into the cafeteria.

It wasn't too long before Rolan returned and seated himself on the other side of Feilon, "Oh me gosh! Feilon! Guess what! It's cream of mushroom soup day! And I got a C on my Algebra IX test! Isn't that great?"

Feilon nodded, not really paying attention as he gazed toward the other side of the cafeteria. The Aerleo kids sat in their own little corner, somehow making an exciting conversation about the wonders of pineapples in all of their little splendor. Catsune sipped at a carton of milk, a fish tail poking out of a female's muzzle. A taller Aerleo's tail waggled all hyper-like as he chattered, another talking at all of them. The distance made their words unknown, but they seemed joyous enough.

Ranta meowed mockingly, making Feilon look away from the kitty kids.

"You gonna eat that?" Ranta asked, poking at the fruit with an empty soup bowl.

Feilon simply shook his head slightly as he took a bite of his sandwich. Looking out of the corner of his eye, Rolan was balancing empty soup bowls on his fingers and nose. Looking to the other side, Kiro's head rested on the table. Noel tried to balance a spoon on her nose, failing every time, while Ranta and Taez mumbled amongst themselves, often chuckling evilly. The cafeteria was quick to fill with students... and many fancy Styrofoam bowls filled with cream of mushroom soup.

"FEILON!"

Feilon's head shot up and looked around. It was a new day, and Feilon was back in Marigi's History-Geography with Marigi waking him up and continuing to stare at him with his piercing glare. A few other students were shaken awake.

"Now then, that covers the Bermuda Tria--POP QUIZ!!"

Marigi glided across the room, setting a quiz paper face down upon each desk. All of the students began to moan with misery (Catsune's usually robust, perked, downy ears flattened as well).

"Any quick questions before the quiz? No? Then let's begi--"

"Marigi," Ranta whined as he raised his hand, "I have a question."

"...What is it, now?"

"Uhm... why do we have to take a quiz on something so flipping and utterly boring!?"

A bit of laughter broke out among the class. Marigi, though, stood up front, froze, with his mouth hanging open. Ranta did his best to hold back his own giggles.

"...Oh... So, this is all boring to you all?"

Feilon, Noel, and Kiro gradually nodded.

"...I... see."

There was a pause.

"As I'm sure of most of you, you haven't even read over your field trip papers. They're due today, mind you."

Some of the first-year students gasped.

"Read over and share some of the information before you pass them in... now."

The students pulled their permission slips out of their pockets and books, glancing over them for the first time. Noel and a first-year boy read over each others to find them different.

"Apparently, my class is very, VERY boring for some of you. Thus, the class of 4359 will be taking a different trip than the class of 4361's planned destination. The 4359-ers, Feilon, Kiro, Noel, Ranta, Rolan, Catsune, and Taez, will be heading to a special place... in the Bermuda Triangle."

Various chatting broke out in the class.

"So I advise that some of you take this quiz seriously.... Please pass in your field trip permission slips."

Feilon's corner at lunch remained empty during the lunch period.

"I don't take Marigi seriously, guys." Taez's voice could be heard.

The six of them sat in a circle on the edge of the Central Gardens, just outside the cafeteria.

"I don't think anyone does," Kiro muttered.

"Well, I think the old man's crazy enough to do it," added Ranta.

Noel nodded her head in agreement; "We've taken his class so many times now. Maybe he thinks we need some excitement to get us in gear."

"And do we seriously have to go with the... kitty-sapiens?" asked Rolan.

"Maybe part of this wild field trip is also bonding with other races like the Aerleo," Feilon suggested. "Marigi means more about this field trip than just a fun vacation. We should make the best of it."

There was a long silence among them, eventually broken by the light footsteps on the stepping-stones behind them. They turned to see Catsune looking shyly to them. It was as though the seven of them were now a group that would be journeying together soon. Noel patted the grass next to her. Catsune's face lit up, excited to actually be welcome among them. Catsune padded over to them and took the offered seat, joining and completing the circle.

"If what Marigi says is true about the seven of us going on a different field trip than the rest, it looks like we're a group from now on... or at least until this whole ordeal is over," said Rolan.

Catsune nodded slowly, the tip of his ample tail flicking as it curled around him. Feilon gazed about at each person in the circle. That proud image was the last conscious thought Feilon had before being hit hard in the head with a small object.

The piece of chalk bounced from Feilon's head and plummeted to the floor beside him.

"Feilon! Wake up, you thunderous snorer. Gosh!" Marigi roared, "I have never seen such a kid sleep more than... Kiro."

Feilon looked about in utter confusion. He was in History-Geography again, with Marigi in his red shirt and ridiculous green overalls with white cloth poking out of the back pocket. Kiro, to the rear left, was snoring quietly. His head was lolled back, mouth wide open with drool. Feilon cleared his throat as he turned back around to look at Marigi"Pathetic," Marigi muttered. "Today is the day of a field trip I worked so hard to put together for you, and all you kids do is sleep, and--"

"FORE!"

A flaming sphere was hurled from the back of the room, zipping right past  Marigi's head. As it smashed into the chalkboard, it shattered into little pieces of smoking fruit. Feilon realized it was his own strange pineberry fruit from two days ago. Even so, Marigi remained to keep his eyes perfectly fixed with Feilon's. Ranta and Taez laughed proudly as they did their own secret handshake.

Marigi pointed to the classroom door, "Ranta. Out."

It wasn't the first time Ranta had caused such destructive trouble. He was actually notorious for such acts. It's what you'd expect from a pyromaniac. Despite his fire works, he has never hurt anyone with his flaming mischief, and vows to never do so. Nonetheless, Ranta continues to constantly get in trouble and is always on the borderline for expulsion. The times of peace, his 'condition', and the lack of a disciplinary system are the only things that keep him at school.

"Aw man!" Ranta cried.

Ranta scooted from his chair and plopped upon the ground. Fixing his red suit, he began to slowly trot down the aisle. As he was standing and walking, he was at the same level of those who were sitting because of his petite size. Walking past Marigi, Ranta put on a look of pitiable misery, hoping his teacher would see. Feilon and Marigi continued to look to each other. Ranta opened and slipped through the door, closing it softly behind him.

"Taez," Marigi called, finally breaking away from Feilon, "you clean this mess up."

"What!? Why me?"

"Class," announced Marigi, ignoring Taez, "The vehicle to the Bermuda Triangle will arrive shortly, as well as the bus to the Gnoevaugh Museum. I do hope you are all well prepared for this exciting day."

Marigi motioned to the pile composed of the students' stuffed book bags, catching a glimpse of Ranta and Catsune making faces at each other through the window as Taez brushed passed to clean the chalkboard and floor of crispy fruit.

II: Welcome to The Mushroom Kingdom

"Oh, this is so exciting! I can hardly wait! Can you? Feilon?" Noel chirped as she poked at Feilon's nose.

"Huh? What? Oh. Yeah. This might actually be fun for a change."

Feilon, Noel, Kiro, Rolan, and Taez eagerly stood in the parking lot as they watched the strange vehicle pull up beside them. Coming to a halt, the hum of the electronic motor quieted. The reactor-like door swung open, a man donned in a blue conductors' outfit walking out to greet them. Marigi appeared next to him, wearing his worn blue hat he always had on outside of class. On the front of his hat was a special blue symbol encircled in white that resembled a heavily italicized and curved "M", almost seeming like an "L".

"Class," Marigi called out as he glanced over the students, "I'd like you to meet Cid."

Marigi gestured to the man in the blue conductors' outfit, who nodded with a slight bow promptly.

"I am Cid and I will be your pilot for this evening!"

Cid wore an obviously fake grin.

"You, the class of 4359, will be riding with Cid and I to Saigaea. My wonderful cousin, Mr. Warigi, has been kind enough to volunteer to watch over the class of 4361 as they participate in the oh so very exciting activities that may include cramming their brains with a royal family's history and sites that no one really gives a flaming pineberry fruit about, like the Gnoevaugh. Oh and here comes the flaming pineberry fruit cannon now."

Ranta could be seen off in the distance bursting through the school exit door, running with all of his might. As he came closer, a pink note stuck to his head was visible.

"Wait for me!" Ranta called out as his little legs carried him as fast as they could, "Don't leave without me!"

"Alright, kiddies, board the vehicle. Quickly, now!" Cid called out as he dragged Taez into the vehicle.

Rolan followed close behind with Noel following him. As Kiro clumsily made his was into the vehicle, Feilon looked between Marigi and Cid to get a glimpse of the other students finally scampering out of the school with a strange man resembling Marigi close behind them. His frame was a tad more bulky, but he still wore a very similar outfit. It was even more ridiculous-looking than Marigi's wild choice of clothing. Mr. Warigi wore a dark purple shirt with yellow overalls and an indigo hat with the same symbol as Marigi's, except it was upside down. His moustache was also somewhat jagged instead of curled and his face possessed what seem like twisted greed.

"Wake up, Feilon. Time to get in!" Cid hollered as he dragged Feilon into the vehicle, Marigi following.

Ranta dove into the vehicle at the last second and it quickly departed.

The large vehicle hummed quietly as it glided over land, air and sea. The interior was dimly lit with a soothing, plush demeanor, eight soft seats lining the sides. Marigi occupied the first seat. He sat quietly, occasionally looking from the window to his students. Kiro and Rolan sat in the seat next to Marigi's. Rolan was explaining basic scientific theories while Kiro looked at him utterly confused. Behind them sat Noel and Feilon. Noel was pointing out various landmarks as Feilon admired the interior of the vehicle. Feilon's eyes eventually fell upon a pink sticky-note that was attached to Ranta's head. "DETENTION," followed by a special code of numbers, could be easily read upon it.

"Yeah, looks like I'm in detention as soon as I get back to school," Ranta muttered to Taez.

Taez and Ranta occupied the seat behind Noel and Feilon. Catsune sat in the back, licking over the fur on the sides of his hands, which he preferably called "paws." The faintest of purrs came from him as he contentedly and indifferently sat in the back, grooming himself.

"Mmm, this fish is good," Ranta said as he held an empty fist to his mug. Taez snickered to himself as Catsune's ears perked up, attentive green eyes looking straight at Ranta's fist. Ranta mmm'd once more as he nibbled at imaginary fish in his closed hand. Catsune continued to watch intensely.

"Oh? Kittysune want some fish, too?" Ranta asked soothingly, Taez hiding his amused face.

Catsune inched closer as Ranta held out his closed hand. Catsune sniffed and Ranta's hand curiously. But as soon as Ranta opened his empty fist, it burst into flames, making Catsune yowl with terror as he dove under the seat, curling his tail around himself as he trembled. Ranta and Taez burst into laughter, a few people looking back to see what all of the commotion was about.

"Ranta!" Marigi roared, pointing directly at Ranta with a piercing glare as he continued to make various threats about kicking Ranta off the vehicle and whatnot.

Ranta accidentally smacked Taez across the face as he was attempting to shake his blazing hand of the flame, Marigi still throwing a tantrum. Rubbing the side of his face, Taez looked innocently to his teacher, Ranta doing the same as he showed off his not-scorched hand.

Noel curled down to look under the seats. Catsune was coiled into a tight ball at the back of the vehicle. Marigi apologized to the completely unaware Cid as Rolan chattered to a completely asleep Kiro.

A series of moderate waves crashed against the rocky Saigaean shore, a thick ocean breeze whisking through the plant life of the tiny Bermudan islands. In the center of the mysterious imaginary triangle now rested a new atoll. In the distance, a large object could be heard ripping through the air.

Cid's vehicle skimmed across water and air as it whizzed directly for the mystifying islet, a group of very anxious students riding within. The vehicle, Cid usually referred to as Prism Vista, glided along the ocean waves, making it's way neatly upon the Saigaean shore. A quiet hum came from Prism Vista as it gradually slowed to a stop. After it's long, hard journey, it's magic-based pressurized steam shot out from all sides. Eventually, at the side, the vehicle door slid open and out jumped Marigi as his large boots plopped into the dense beach sands.

"Alright, kiddies," Marigi called, "Out with you, post-haste! We have arrived at our destination! Look lively, now! Disembark the vehicle in an orderly fasion and make a single-file line before me, please!"

Rolan was the first student to peer out into the new land curiously. After rushing out onto the beach, Rolan took his place near Marigi, Kiro following his example. Noel briskly trotted out of the vehicle and glanced around the long stretch of water and sand. Feilon was soon to emerge as well, dragging Catsune by the paw, who was looking back, baring his tiny fangs at Ranta. As they joined up with the rest of the group, Ranta and Taez were fighting, both trying to squease through the door. They were soon met with a powerful shove from Cid, sending them both through the door and into the sand.

"Very good, we're all here," Marigi announced at the line of five students, with Taez and Ranta still having their faces planted into the sand behind him. "As you all may know, we have arrived here today for this special fieldtrip, because I just know how utterly boring a Gnoevaugh museum will be for you." Marigi said mockingly as Taez, Ranta, and Cid merged into the group before him. "I hope this experience will teach you many things about the world and about yourself. It may be full of danger as well, so be well prepared."

A few of the students gasped at the sound of danger.

"Teach gone mad!" blurted Taez.

"What do you mean `gone?'" jested Ranta.

"Very well," announced Marigi. "You're probably asleep, not even listening, or just don't care, so… Onward! Please come with me."

Marigi walked past the group and up the sandy beach into the dense jungle that lied on the sands' boundary. Without hesitation, Rolan immediately followed his teacher, leaving the group behind. Kiro sat down and started poking at a small sand creature, the rest of the party chatting amongst themselves.

Rolan turned around at the beach's boundary and motioned for them to join him. With a series of groans and sighs (murrs of distress coming from Catsune), Feilon, Noel, Taez, Ranta, Catsune, and Cid slowly made their way up the long stretches of dense sand. Kiro eventually sprung up and made a dash for the party, only falling a few times. At the woodland's edge, Cid came to a screeching stop and trotted back down to the shore. He pulled out a tiny remote and pointed it at Prism Vista, at which he pushed a button upon the remote. Prism Vista made two quick chimes, signifying that it was locked and secure. Pocketing the remote, Cid made a desperate dash to rejoin the group, kicking up tiny clouds of sand as he did so.

Feilon, Noel, Rolan, Kiro, Taez, Ranta, Catsune, and Cid crowded around Marigi as he pointed out some interesting artifact that was poking out of the ground. He began to give a long lecture about whatever it was and its fascinating history. Kiro yawned to himself while Marigi was looking away, completely lost and not having a clue what was going on. Ranta nudged Taez and whispered silently into his ear as they evilly eyed the short, feline student in front of them. Feilon, glancing away from Marigi for a second, caught a glimpse of Ranta's and Taez's mischievous looks and could only suspect trouble. Waiting for Marigi to look away, Taez began whispering into Catsune's large, fluffy ears. Catsune's face filled with excitement and, waiting for Marigi to focus on the strange artifact, was led away from the group. Knowing Ranta and Taez well, Catsune would surely be getting into trouble. Feilon easily slipped away from the party as well, following Ranta, Taez, and Catsune closely.

Ranta and Taez wandered off deeper into the dense woodland. Once the rest of the group was out of sight and sound, Feilon made a dash to confront the roguish duo.

"What are you two up to, now?" Feilon demanded.

Ranta jumped as Taez spun around. Catsune's massive tail began to waver happily.

"What!?" Taez responded, "Feilon! What do you want?"

"Leave us alone, kid!" Ranta added.

Feilon glared between the two, Catsune tilting his head curiously.

"What are you doing with Cat, Ranta?" Feilon growled.

A pause.

"We were just_ showing him around, y'know? Y'know how boring Mr. Marigi can be. What harm could come from us taking our pal aside?"

"Plenty, from a flamer like you," Feilon said coolly.

Taez's mouth fell open, Ranta becoming red in the face, furious.

"You take that back, now!" little Ranta screamed in a fury, his fists bursting into flames.

"Sure," Feilon responded indifferently, "I'd love to take Catsune back."

Feilon outstretched his hand for Catsune to grasp. Castune brushed past Ranta and Taez and curiously made his way to Feilon.

"_N-no!" Taez lunged out and grasped Catsune by his purple tunic, making him yelp a mewl, "Kittyboy wants to stay with us! We're going to have lots of fun together!"

Feilon grasped Catsune's blue, furred hand and tugged gently, "No! We all need to get back to Marigi and the others!"

The three of them tugged back and forth on Catsune, yelling at each other for some time. Catsune began to whimper loudly, pleading them to stop. He tried to wriggle free as he was slowly jerked back and forth.

"No! Stop! Let me go!!" Catsune mewled loudly.

"Let him go!" Feilon yelled, "We need to get back to the rest of the class!"

"Kitty Kid wants to stay with us," Ranta snarled, "We're going on our own trip!"

"I like pineberry fruits," Taez announced.

Catsune continued to mewl pleadingly as he tried to struggle free. He was eventually able to free himself from the three boys' grasp by thrashing about with a snarl. Once free, Catsune looked to them menacingly, slowly back away. Ranta began to reach out to Catsune, but Catsune turned darted away, his massive tail whipping about as he scampered and fled.

"No! Cat! Come back!" Taez yelped as he gave chase.

Ranta was about to follow, but he was met with a fierce grip on the cuff of his suit. With a mighty tug, Ranta was face to face with an enraged Feilon.

"You…," Feilon growled, "If something bad happens to Catsune, I swear, I--"

Ranta's hands gripped Feilon's wrists and quickly pushed him away, making Feilon stumble back as Ranta made a run after Taez and Catsune. Feilon caught his balance and watched Ranta dash through the thick forest, the red, yellow-trimmed, robe-like back of his suit flapping behind him. Feilon's face burned hotter than Ranta's fiery power as he looked from Ranta to the direction of the class. Feilon clenched his teeth and fists, soon to make a run after Catsune and the trouble makers.

Catsune stopped dead in his tracks, gazing up as his ears and tail lowered. Tauz huffed as his eventually caught up Catsune.

"Catsune… there you are," Taez panted as he dragged himself over to Catsune. "Why did you run off like that? Don't let those meanies bully you around like that. Just claw them over th--" Taez was destracted as he looked up as well.

Ranta's hollering could be heard as he made his way to Taez and Catsune, "Hey! Where are you guys? You get back here right now! I mean it! Don't make me beat you over the head with pineberries! You know I will! Stop running this instant!"

Ranta burst into the clearing where Taez and Catsune stood, frozen in awe as they stared towards the sky. Feilon suddenly stormed into the clearing and tackled Ranta to the ground.

"…What is it?" Taez asked slowly, ignoring the wrestling behind him.

Catsune gave a soft, befuddled mewl. Feilon finally looked up as well once he had Ranta pinned.

"…What could it be?" Feilon whispered, who was soon to be knocked aside by a weak punch to the face from Ranta.

The two boys picked themselves up, Feilon continuing to gaze up. Ranta was about to throw another punch at Feilon when he was distracted by the object floating in the sky.

Hovering in the air just above the boys was a brown, smooth-edged cube. A series of white, glowing question marks glided along its shiny sides.

Feilon continued to stare at the strange box hovering in mid air. His attention was soon diverted by the intelligent, explanatory chatter of his History-Geography teacher, Mr. Marigi. Marigi was leading the class right towards the four boys. Ranta tugged on Taez's shirt.

"Taez! Taez! Mr. Marigi's coming right this way. What're we gonna do?"

Ranta eventually got Taez's attention.

"Uh… We're gonna… tell Marigi that we made the discovery of the century! Yeah! We discovered the… Super Duper Magic Hovery Fancy Flying Box of Questions Thingamabob!" announced Taez.

"The… Super Duper Fancy Flying Magic Question Box Thingamabob?" asked Ranta.

"No, the Super Duper Magical Fancy Hover Flying Box of Questions Thingamabob," corrected Taez.

Feilon looked to Taez, "I thought you said it was the Super Duper Magic Hovery Fancy Flying Box of Questions Thingamabob."

Taez gave everyone a weird look, "Well, now it's the Super Duper Rinky Dinky Fancy Flying Magical Hover Box of Question Thingamadoodle!"

Feilon just shrugged as Marigi led the class into the clearing.

"Ranta! Taez! Feillon! Catsune! What're you doing here?" Marigi asked. "I thought things were going awfully smooth. How long were you away from the group?"

Feilon, Ranta, and Taez all began to talk at once, pointing at each other angerly. Marigi nodded as though he was actually interested in what they had to say. His eyes fell upon Catsune, who was reaching for the sky and bouncing. Marigi's eyes trailed the path of Catsune's grasping until they fell upon the strange cube in the sky. He smirked softly, walking between the children to the hovering box as he reached into his back pocket, pulling out the white cloth that has forever been sticking out of the back pocket of is ridiculous green overalls. The cloth took the form of white, sturdy, plush gloves. He stood in the levitating cube's shadow, turning around to face the children, Cid watching quietly in the background. The three boys' chatter of blame turned into a battle over who discovered the hovering box with the question mark marquee. Marigi raised a gloved hand and the class fell silent.

Marigi smiled, "For those who were with us, we have found what we were looking for."

Ranta and Taez sighed in defeat, for they knew that Marigi knew what their discovery was. Marigi looked very mystical as he stood knowingly under the levitating cube.

Feilon's mind was flooded with wonder, his world beginning to play out in slow motion. Marigi crouched, slow and blurred. His gloved hand clenched tight, Marigi sprang into the air with a mighty yell, his fist shooting towards the sky. Marigi's jump was impressively high. His fist hit the bottom of the cube hard, making it bounce, the question mark fading away. From the top of the hovering cube, now without the glowing marquee, out popped a disk with a huge button upon it. The button was marked with a brilliant "P." Marigi landed softly upon the ground and caught the huge, falling button that was nearly as big as he was. He gently set the massive button down, looking to the class.

"…So begins our little field trip."

With another incredible bound, Marigi jumped upon the button. It sank to the ground under him and disappeared. There was a pause as everyone else stared in question and awe. Before anyone could speak, the earth began to tremble. Some of the students shrieked and clang to one another. From beside Marigi, a green tube emerged from the ground.

"Here we are, everyone. Do not be afraid. Please follow me," Marigi said calmly.

Marigi hoisted himself upon the green tube. It was short but large, easy for anyone to slip inside. Marigi did just that. He slid inside of the massive, green pipe and was seen no more.

**********

He stood at a somewhat short height. Bright blue eyes peered out from under the brim of a gentle red hat. His fairly plump face took the form of a constant smile which was mostly hidden within a thick, bushy moustache under his large, round nose. Donned in an exhausted-looking red shirt, blue overalls, and dirty white gloves, the man gazed over the group as he crossed his arms, shifting his weight to one side. His big, brown boots, looking as though he had just walked a thousand miles in them, possessed a very well-kept look despite their heavily worn appearance.

A fairly taller gentleman stood over the one in red and blue. His face was thinner as well as more timid. He possessed identical blue eyes, but a moderately different style of moustache. His eyes looked about under a well-kept hat that bared a vivid green color that pierced the eye. The tall gentleman had a shirt to match, partially covered with blue overalls, very similar to the man in red. The two of them appeared to be brothers.

Next to the green gentleman stood yet another man nearly the same height and nearly three times the width. He was a massive man, his huge face baring beady eyes, an enormous purple-ish nose, and a horrifically jagged moustache. He wore a huge smile, eye brows wavering about with interest under a gigantic yellow hat. He had a yellow shirt to match, with which he often rolled the sleeves up to show his muscular arms, thick, white gloves over his enormous hands that looked as though they could crush anything. Uttering a deep chuckle, the massive man's massive tummy bounced through purple overalls with his laughter as he rolled a hearty clove of garlic between his fingers.

On the other side of the short man in red stood a dark fellow nearly twice his height. Black overalls stretched up his amazingly thin and tall legs, the straps wrapping around a dark blue shirt. Thick white gloves marked the end of his skeleton-like arms, with which he often wavered about with taunts. A well-defined and incredibly long chin projected from his thin face, a thin, slick, and jaggedly angled moustache poked out from the sides of his face. An evil grin rested under his moustache; A grin that made the long chin slash about when he spoke. His nose was similar to the purple-overalled man, except it was longer to match his bony structure. Small blue eyes stared blankly with evil under a dark blue cap that rested upon his light brown hair.

**********

Feilon noticed that Marigi and the two men in red and green shared a warm smile and a nod. It was the kind of greeting you would give to a very close friend. How it was possible that they new each other utterly befuddled Feilon. On closer inspection, Feilon noticed that the three looked very similar.

**********

NOEL:  Wario and I never exactly got along. It seems like he has a crush on me... Eww, gross! He's nice and all, but sheesh! He's all big and gross and he smells of musty, old money and garlic!