The Truth as it Stands (Me and Zero)

[doctorzero]

After a minute, the case popped open. A tiny piece of folded paper fell out.
"...that's it?" Kaitlin asked.
"Maybe it's a map to buried treasure," A.J. joked.
SPLOOOOOSH!
"AGH! What the hell was that for?!"
Max gave Buizel a look of disapproval as he picked up the paper and unfolded it. "..."
"Well?" Kaitlin demanded.
Wordlessly Max turned and showed her the paper. The thing was a wreck; it was charred in places, and great pieces of it were missing, either from being torn out, water damage, and other things. Max took a closer look at it. "I think there's writing on this thing...but I can barely read it."

---

My na#e #s ###v#t###e #e #o#. D#e to m# 'e#ders and bett#rs' cons##nly r##using to #o a##th#ng a##ut th#s m##t#r, I ##ve chose# #o take th#n## into my own hands. I will ####e my findings ### tho#g#ts in ##is jour###.
The 'ma##er' I ###ak of co##erns #y ##o yo###er ###lings, who I will ### name in t### ##urnal. #he## #wo ##ve b##n the ob#ec# ## ## contempt ### ### p### several years--I #### not deny that. However, ## dislike of t##m is ##t unfound##--##### behavior and mannerisms a## ###nri##t a#rocious. They con###nt#y misbehave, ##fuse to ## what they are told, and mani##### (or at l#### try to# without knowing ### to ## it pr##er#y or ##en w##t the word means# In ##ort, #### ### total bra##--and ### my par#nt# ha#e con##an#ly cho#en not to t##e ##em to a ps#c#ia#r##t or doctor. # ###e su##est#d this mu##i##e times #### both of t#e# a## ea## ti#e they respond ## # negat### ma#ner, st##ing #h#t my #######'s beh#vior d### not w#rr##t th#m a vi#i# to # shrink. V##y few ##hers m#de t#e s##e su#ge##ion to them. They #####ved the same ###ult as # did#
Be####e ## this complete refusal ## ##t h##p for th## a#d to ##nd out ### root of t###r b##avior, or #### therof, I h##e d###ded to #o t##s ###e#f, as pre##o##l# m####oned. This will no dou## ##ke # wh#le, and ##ll mo#t l#k#ly get ## in tro#b#e with my ###ents, but som#t#i#g h#s to #e done ab##t this.
F##st of ###, w# #### t# s##rt wi

---

"It stops there. Wonder where the rest went."
Kaitlin tapped the paper. "There's more on the back, look."

---

Alice i# ######## ##en she ##nts ## be a#d co##c#n##ng a## ru#e when she's not. S## h#s ##e a#r of # pe#son w#o s##ply has ##d it w#t# t#e n#ns##se a###nd ##r--iro##c, co##idering her ###ice of read### ma##ri#l. Regardless, she's ch##en to b# fri##d#y to me for the ###e being, though w#####r it's for her #w# agenda or t##t she ge###nely w##ts to ##lp me I c#n#ot fi##re out. S## rem##ds me ## Margaret, in # w#y.
Geppeto, ## the o###r hand, #s even ##re of an e##g#a. He ###ims to ## 'the ####d's most m########nt magician## and #is app##ra#ce cl##rl# do#s no###ng to #issuad# th# id#a. His per####lity, on the other #and# c##es a##oss as a li###e annoying ## ##. He c##ims he h#s m# o## int###st# at he##t, b#t conside#### th#t he h#s on## kn### m# fo# mor# th#n hal# an ####, I d###t he's being #####t. That and the #### he ###rs a slight re##mb#an#e ## Ian.
Is it ###### th## these #wo have the #### n##es as the fr#e#ds # pr####ded to #### when # ### # kid? It's #### ####ly to be a c#########e, but ####dering all of ##e we### mi#d sh#t I##e p## up ##th in ##e past, it's ######## ######### more. ## Profes### Prower was # shrink, ##'d pr#####y h### a field da# #### ##.

---

Again, it ended there.
"Whoever that guy was, he didn't do a good job taking care of his diary, now did he?" asked A.J.
"Well, at least we have a couple names now," Kaitlin observed. "Alice, Margaret, Geppeto--someone's been watching too many Disney films if you ask me--Ian, and--wait." She stared at the name at the end of the paper. "...Prower?"

[gantzgun74]

Gantz's head lifted at that name. "Prower?? Gimme that!!"

He carefully took the paper and looked it over... Being good with code and spotting words no matter how incomplete they seemed, he was able to read a bit of it, while the rest seemed to be a jumbled mess. "Hmmmm..." There was something about the writer doing something, someone else didn't want to, but just what he wasn't sure. After trying a few seconds to translate the first part of the note, he looked to the second one...

Now this one he was able to see a bit better. Okay, so whoever this Alice was, she wanted to help out whoever the writer was... Though whether it was for her own reasons or not was unknown... Though that didn't help anything since he didn't know WHO the writer was or what he was trying to do... The mention of a Margaret didn't help decipher anything else.

Then there was Geppeto... Hmm, something about an enigma. He looked at the '####d's' a second and thought a moment... 'Child's' maybe? Well if this Geppeto was close to who he thought he was, that might make sense. There was something about 'Magnificent magician##'? Perplexing... The mention of Ian rung a few bells but they went off when he noticed the name wasn't spelled the same... Still, he'd save that info just in case, it was a spelling error.

That last line perplexed him most, as it was where the burns was the most prominent. Okay... Alice and Geppeto became his... Friends, he supposed? Then something about a kid... then he saw a phrase he saw a lot when it came to Kavma; 'Weird Mind Shit'... Then... Something about Prower being a shrink and having a field day?

..........

Sighing, after what may have been 2 minutes, Gantz put the paper back in the container and slipped it into his pocket.

"Well?"

The paladin shrugged. "From what little I could decipher from the paper, it looked like the writer wanted to do something that no-one wanted to do themselves, so he took matters into his own hands..." He let out an annoyed groan. "But something tells me that, even if we had this paper in mint condition it wouldn't tell us just what the writer was trying to do. All it is, at least as far as I can tell, is a progress report, and a few details concerning some of the friends he's gained."

Shaking his head, he walked over to the staircase. "We're gonna need Kavma to tell us what this is about... In the meantime, just remember those names."

[doctorzero]

A.J., Max, and Kaitlin looked at each other. "Well, if you say so..."
The name 'Prower' still bugged them. How the heck did this guy know Tails? Or was there another Prower the paper had been talking about?
"Gantz is right," said A.J. "We can ask Kavma about it when we see him."
"Assuming that he'll be willing to do so," Kaitlin said doubtfully. "But whatever. Let's get this over with anyway, I just want to get Jaron and leave."
"The sooner we talk to Kavma, the sooner we can do that, Kaitlin," Max replied as he put away the red hat. "Hey, Gantz, is there anywhere Kaitlin and I can change?"
As the two of them talked with Gantz, A.J. tapped Lilia on the shoulder. "Hey, uh, Lilia? Can I talk to you for a second?"

[gantzgun74]

Lilia looked to A.J. as Gantz pointed Max and Kaitlin upstairs where a few guest rooms were. Raising an eyebrow, she looked to the man curiously. "Yeah, sure... What's up?"

[doctorzero]

A.J. rubbed his arm, somewhat disconcerted. "Uh...well, I'm sorry if we got on the wrong foot earlier. I didn't think I'd bother you so much. It's just that...well, Jaron told me a lot about you and Gene, and about...well, Gene is the only person I've ever met who has my...situation. It's hard not having someone you can relate to. I didn't think I would bug you so much. So, um..." He held out a hand. "No hard feelings, right?"

---

"I swore never to wear this dress again," Kaitlin grumbled. "Never again! I hoped--HOPED--that Black's machines had destroyed this thing, but no, it had to come out intact!" She raised her voice and yelled, "Soon as this is over, I am BURNING this, hear me?!"

---

Max and his Pokemon sweatdropped as Erin helped him with his tie. "She must really hate that thing."
"What was your first clue?" Buizel deadpanned.

[gantzgun74]

Gantz sweatdropped at the yells as he used the reading room to change... Though really, change was a rather relative term. What he was wearing to the party was his paladin gear, which was the only amount of changing he needed to do, followed by slipping on the robe he picked up for the party in his and the clan's honor when they beat Clan Red Wings and Borozoi. Since said robes were noblemen's robes, he did look something like a palace mage... Well whatever, they worked.

"G-Gantz."

When the young man looked he saw Rosaline joining him wearing a gorgeous brown strapless dress; probably the very one she wore back at the very same party. "How... How do I look?"

Gantz just looked on a moment in wide-eyes........... A second or so later, a smile appeared on his face. "You look like an angel, Rosie." He said as he walked up and embraced her. "As always."

Rose smiled at the compliment, and hugged back. "Hard to believe so much has happened since just earlier today..."

"I know." He smiled a bit. "But doncha worry. Soon enough, this entire matter will be solved and everything will go right back to normal." He placed a tender kiss on her cheek. "And when it does, we'll take that vacation, just like I promised ya."

Rose seemed quite content to hear that, and could almost imagine it.

A time where they could finally kick back, relax, and actually enjoy themselves. 4 straight weeks of thinking of nothing but each other, and the sights, sounds and smells.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"You didn't bug me kiddo."

Lilia said this plainly and assuredly. "Okay, yeah, I was suspicious at first... But when you live on this island, it's just part of life." She mumbled something about 'copycats'. "Look, I'm sorry for that earlier myself. I guess what happened could also be blamed on my want to actually have a normal night out with Gene for once."

And now she was throwing it away to go to Crystal Room... Probably the unsafest place in the world.

[doctorzero]

A.J. rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, don't worry. As soon as we kick Kavma off the edge of the island you can have that date with Gene. Heck, maybe after all of this is over I can get the band and play a concert for you two. I'm sure Cheryl wouldn't mind, at least."
The two of them were interrupted by Max coming down the staircase wearing a tuxedo. A.J. looked him over and whistled. "Someone's looking smart."
"I only pray that this night won't end with mass destruction," Max replied. "Remember that dance in Rabanastre?"
A.J. shuddered. "Ugh, don't remind me."
"On the plus side, there won't be any evil doctors waiting to ambush us," said Kaitlin's voice. "Unless, of course, Kavma has a deranged dentist on call or something."
The three of them looked up to see Kaitlin coming down the staircase. The dress she wore looked similar to Rose's, only blue, and she had done up her hair in a bun.
"Wait, I thought you gave that dress to Cheryl," said A.J. Max, on the other hand, just stood there, unblinking. Buizel reared back for the Spray Treatment, only for James and Erin to grab her and cover her mouth. "MPMPPH!"
"Believe me, I tried, but she insisted on giving it back," Kaitlin said, irritated. She waved her hand in front of Max's face, calling, "Hello? Earth to Max?"
Max blinked and shook his head. "Er, sorry," he mumbled. "You look great, Kaitlin."
Kaitlin looked somewhat taken aback, then she smiled. "Thanks, Max. But I'm still going to burn it later. Dresses aren't my thing. You look pretty nice yourself, though."
Max blushed. A.J. coughed, getting their attention. "Shouldn't we go see if Gantz and the others are done?"
"Good plan," said Kaitlin, her eyes glinting evilly. "Let's to get this over with. I want to make Kavma scream."

[gantzgun74]

When the group found Gantz and Rose, they looked ready to go. Kaitlin and Max probably looked thrown off that Gantz was dressed like an Ivalician nobleman rather then in a tuxedo, but it was easy to picture as he topped the look with his turban. Looking at him now, it would be difficult to tell he originally came from Toon Town, or even Futuropolis.

"You guys clean up nice." He said simply, a small grin on his face.

Metal stood at the door, looking to Gantz with an emoticon of concern. (<:- / ) "Are you sure you can't use and more help in there? I don't trust Kavma any more then you guys do."

Gantz nodded to Metal simply. "We know Metal, we'll be careful."

With that said, Rosaline looked among the group. "Who else is coming with us? Where's Misty?"

"Up here." Misty could be seen hovering above the stairs, her head leaning on the rail. "You can count me out. I have no interest in chasing that asshole Kavma."

..................................... Everyone looked at her with all kinds of weird looks.

"You heard me." She let out a sigh, "Look, me and Kavma reached an agreement earlier today. He's not worth me punching."

........................... "Okay then..." He looked to Red. "Red, I want you to stay here okay? You'll be nice and safe here." Red didn't look pleased at this, but, with a sigh, she nodded. "Okay, good. We're all set. Let's get on our way."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

.......... Outside the house...

Vanessa let out a bored yawn as she hid in the foliage that surrounded Gantz's front lawn... How much longer did she have to wait for them to come out? Well... whatever...

Once they came out, with or without that girl, it wouldn't matter...

She knew how to break into this magical stronghold, all she needed was an oppurtunity.

[doctorzero]

"Don't bother."
Vanessa sharply turned to see Jihl standing there, her gaze directed at the estate. "When we arrived here, my Lord, Kavma Raleigh, placed a protective barrier upon this building. You won't be able to get in with your method."
She looked directly at Vanessa, her lip curling into a smirk. "But perhaps I can help you achieve your goal. I too have an interest in disposing of the girl...threats must be contained, no matter what they are." She held out a hand. "So what do you say, miss?

"Do we have a deal?"