Author Notes - Tumblr Posts
Things about meee
-am old enough (21)
-i read alot
- am busy always
-i like people
MY PROMPTLIST♪♢
↪Bee overshares♡★♡
Hello dear readers, I've come to announce I'll be coming back in December from my hiatus. Expect schedules for the series to be in the pinned section.
I plan on finishing Week 4 for one-shots and then focus on Series for a few months. That means I plan not to do second parts of one-shots for a while. Still we know how writers inspiration might work.
As always I will appreciate to hear from you, so feel free to use the ask thingy or comment here.
Just, please , make sure to not pressure me with the works, thank you 💜
I'm sorry for the wait for replies and new stories. I have been sick for two weeks and have been working on replies and making new stories for you guys. I want to start posting things near the end of this week. I will try to start posting every week or every two weeks from now on. I hope you guys have a good day! Take care of yourself and make sure to eat and drink enough.
["...Did you say something?"]
Next time, we'll be heading into a more original area- A tunnel under the forest to get to BROTHERS' HOUSE! And we deal with the tutorial moles. And Basil's tutorials. Maybe Ye Old Sprout.
Oh my god, the tutorial took so long to write, and most of its just rehashing game stuff (UoU") Honestly, Imma ask my friend if I should remove redundant text. It feels like a waste of time and effort, but if it makes the experience less... interesting, then I might have to axe it.
Feel free to let me know what works, and what doesn't!
Oh, and here you go! @babil-plush
I'll add a little segment I'm worried about from the next part, so you can see for yourself. Note: This kind of re-explanation would be a good amount of the writing.
Basil watched the Sprout Mole stomp about uneasily, then tugged on Kel’s cape. “Hey, Kel? Just a little question, but why is the Sprout Mole… glowing?”
“Heh! It's because the Sprout Mole is ANGRY, see Basil?”
Kel pointed as the plant creature shook its head back and forth. Basil nodded, looking confused. “Enemies feel EMOTIONS, too, you know! Not just normal ones! And in battle, they change how you fight! So, you gotta remember what emotion does what!”
“Oh, uh, right. I’ve never seen them in a fight before. ANGRY makes you… hit harder, right?”
Kel cheered. “Yeah! ANGRY brings your ATTACK up! But you’re not being careful, so your DEFENSE goes down. Got it?”
He hummed, nodding slowly. “Defense down, attack up… So, now would be a good time to use Wallflower, so that I don’t get hurt, and the opponent takes damage?”
“Perfect!” Kel held up his hand for a high five, and Basil nervously clapped his hand.
Basil-Kel Swap Prologue Part 3
[The screen is white. A boy stands at a door. A girl stands at a door. A boy stands at a door. They knock, but the door doesn't shift. The doorknob has been removed.]
[The screen is black. A boy stands at a broken window. A single red eye peers from the darkness, slowly blinking. He turns to look at the person recording, and calls out. The audio is corrupted.]
["What did you do?"]
‘5… 4… 3… 2… 1… GO!’
Hide-N-Seek. A game older than time itself, revolving around the lessons taught so long ago- Hunter and hunted, predator and prey, an unending cycle where the only victories were-
“Omori… Psst!! Omori! Over here!”
Omori blinked. ‘Ah. It seems you were zoning out for a moment.’ He looked around, catching sight of Kel standing behind the tetherball pole. They stared at each other for a moment, before he ran to the seeker’s side, glowing a faint yellow.
“Hey, you found me! Nice job, Omori! Now I can help you find everyone!” he cheered.
Omori stared at him for a second longer, and Kel looked away in a fluster.
“Okay, fine! I wasn’t really hiding. I know you don’t like being alone, right? So I’ll help you out! Just don’t tell Berly, okay? Heh heh…”
He took Omori’s hand, with a grin, sheepishness erased.
“Come on! I don’t know where everyone is, but I know about how they hide! Let’s find everyone!!”
“Hmm… Basil’s normally pretty good at hiding. But he only ever hides near plants! Like, trees and bushes and stuff!” Kel put his hands on his hips, cape flapping. “How’s that for a hint, Omori?”
‘Was that a good hint?’
He was given a thumbs up, ‘it was serviceable.’ and Kel bounced in place.
“Heck yeah! I know my stuff, Omo!”
Basil was sitting behind a bush, staring at a small cluster of flowers growing nearby. With his light green hair, he was almost invisible, except for his flower crown.
“Found you!” Kel cheered, grabbing his shoulders, and Basil jumped, turning gray. His crown spat out another batch of petals as he caught his breath, flickering red. “Hehe, got you good, too!”
“Kel?! Oh, don’t sneak up on me like that!” He huffed, brushing off his pants as he stood up. He gave the pair a once over, and the anger faded away into a comfortable smile. “I guess you two are searching together now? Well, I’ll tag along too then! If you don’t mind, I mean…”
Kel wrapped Basil tight into a hug, grinning. “Of course we don’t mind! The more the merrier! Right?” Omori gave another thumbs up. “Yeah! Now, let’s go find everyone else!”
“Okay! Hero’s SUPER good at hiding! I bet he’s got an awesome spot picked out! Which means I won’t be much help, I guess. Sorry! Aubrey, though…” Kel hummed in thought, bouncing on his toes. “Well, she was eyeing the swingset earlier!”
Basil frowned. “But, that’s where everyone’s going once they’re found, right? Maybe that’s why she was looking at it.”
“Ohh, yeah! That makes sense!” Kel laughed. “Guess I’ve got nothing then! Oh, wait, no! Happy’s pretty small, and really likes to play, right? So I bet-”
‘You stopped listening, and indulged in the moment.’
“TEN-HUT!!” Berly shouted, beginning rollcall and Omori began to zone out again.
‘You didn’t find everyone… But you think you did a pretty good job! Congratulations, you!’
Omori abstinent-mindedly watched Berly smack Kel upside the head for falling asleep, and zoned back in.
“Hey, that was-!”
She smacked him again, and he glowered and shone red for a moment.
“BASIL!”
The green-haired boy smiled and waved. “I’m- I’m here!”
“AUBREY!”
There was no response, and Berly seemed to notice that she wasn’t there.
“Huh? Where’s Aubrey? Hey, Hero’s not here either!” She crossed her arms, flickering red as she looked at Omori. “What’s the big idea! You’re supposed to have ONE winner, not TWO!”
Kel hopped to his friend’s defense. “Hey, Omori found everyone else! So what if there’s two winners!”
Berly huffed. “Ugh. Fine. They went to hide up there, near that tree, right?”
Kel’s gasp of “I was right!” was ignored, as they all turned towards the tree.
“Hero? Aubrey? Are you two hiding there?” Basil called. There was a quiet thump, but nothing more.
“C’mon! You already won, you can come out!” He raced to the tree, then grinned. “Oh, I get it! You two are trying to see who gets found first, right? Well, Omori’s not seeking anymore!”
The tree shook, leaves rustling.
Basil took Omori’s hand with a frown, looking for reassurance. Omori shrugged, and they walked over to the tree with Kel.
“Uhm, are you guys okay?” He glanced at Kel, who frowned, in thought.
“Did… Did you get stuck? It’s not my fault this time!”
The tree slumped forward, falling like a dropped blanket.
“HWEHWEHWEHWEHWE!!” Boss laughed, Hero and Aubrey squirming from where they were being held under an arm each.
“BOSS!! I should’ve known it was you!” Berly yelled. “You good-for-nothing-... Let them go!”
“Yeah! What’d Hero ever do to you?!” Kel yelled, and Aubrey glared at him with an angry “Hey!”
Basil stepped back, eyes wide. “What-what are you doing Boss?! Aubrey and Hero are our friends! You can’t just-”
The Purple dinosaur bully cut him off with another laugh.
“You stupidheads! This isn’t about them!” Boss flexed, trying to look tough, and Hero winced.
“Ow, ow! Too tight, Boss!” Boss loosened his grip, continuing without even acknowledging Hero’s quiet “Thanks.”
“How dare you not invite me to play hide-and-seek! I’m the one who showed you all how to play in the first place!”
“That’s not really a good reason to kidnap our friends,” Basil said, and Aubrey joined in.
“Yeah! That’s right! Tell him, Basil!” She kicked frantically, huffing as she did.
Boss hopped in place. As he did, Mr. Plantegg tumbled to the ground with a squeaky whine, and Hero wheezed.
“MR. PLANTEGG!” Aubrey yelled, at the same time that, Kel flashed red, yelling louder.
“HEY! DON’T HURT MY BROTHER!!”
“Kel, I’m… huff, fine! Just… huff winded,” Hero said, before Boss straightened up, hopping again.
“If I can’t play with everyone, then no one can! This is a Boss-Only Zone now,” Boss puffed up. Basil took a step back in a panic. “And you’re NOT INVITED!!”
‘What will Omori and friends do?’
“Uhm, uhm!!!” Basil winced, looking confused and anxious. “I, I don’t fight! O-Omori, what do I do?!”
Kel rushed in front of him, grinning. “Don’t worry, alright Basil? Leave it to us!”
Basil nodded, still looking uneasy.
‘Kel encourages Basil! Basil’s ATTACK rose! Basil’s DEFENSE rose!’
‘Basil hides behind Kel! Kel gets ready to counter!’
Omori stepped forward, slashing at Boss.
‘Omori attacks Boss! Boss takes 19 damage!’
“Hwehwehwe!” The purple dinosaur laughed. “You weakling! You call that an attack!?”
‘Boss kicks out at Kel! Kel takes 7 damage! Kel counters! Boss takes 24 damage!’
Kel threw his ball at Boss’s face, and they backed up, shaking their head.
“C’mon Omori! We’ve got this, remember? Let’s go!”
‘Kel encourages Omori! Omori’s ATTACK rose! Omori’s DEFENSE rose!’
‘Basil hides behind Kel! Kel gets ready to counter!’
‘Omori attacks Boss! IT HIT RIGHT IN THE HEART! Boss takes 30 damage!’
‘Boss kicks out at Kel! Kel takes 8 damage! Kel counters! Boss takes 23 damage!’
“Hey, that kinda hurt! Hmph!” Boss huffed, frowning as he stumbled back again. “This isn’t fun anymore.”
Aubrey yelled as he regained his balance. “Hey, watch where you're aiming, Kel! You nearly hit me!”
“Oops! Sorry Aubrey!” Kel called back, distracted.
‘Basil hides behind Kel! Kel gets ready to counter!’
‘Omori attacks Boss! Boss takes 18 damage!’
“Grr…” Boss growled, tightening his grip again. “Now you’ve made me ANGRY… It’s time for my special move!” He held his arms out and placed Hero and Aubrey on the ground, before rushing forward. “BODY SLAM!!”
Boss leapt into the air and slammed down the trio.
‘Kel took 100 damage! Kel took 100 damage! Kel became TOAST! Basil took 30 damage! Omori took 100 damage!’
‘Omori did not succumb.’
Kel let out a shocked “Gah!” before he became TOAST, and Basil screamed as he was flung backwards from the leftover force. Omori staggered to his feet, heart beating and a distant monitor beeping in his ears.
Watching Omori get back to their feet, Boss gaped. “HUH!? HOW ARE YOU STILL MOVING!?”
‘Omori attacks Boss! Boss takes 22 damage!’
…
He didn’t go down.
Omori’s eyes went wide.
Boss took a step forward, cracking his knuckles. Then, a familiar jump rope grip whacked him in the forehead.
‘Basil attacks Boss! Boss takes 14 damage!’
‘Omori’s party was victorious! Gained 32 EXP! Gained 22 clams!’
Boss slammed face first on the ground, laying there, completely defeated as Hero rushed to Kel’s freshly unTOASTed side and Aubrey rushed over to Basil and Omori.
After a moment, he stood up, huffing and stomping a foot.
“THIS ISN’T FAIR!!” Boss yelled. “REMATCH!! I WANT A REMATCH!!”
Kel huffed, flickering red for a second as he whacked the bully’s knee.
Basil picked up the dropped toy, and held it out to Aubrey. “Are you alright, Aubrey? Hero and you were being swung around pretty hard…” He flushed. “Sorry about that.”
“I’m okay! Don’t worry about me! Right, Hero?” She grinned at him, and the older brother gave a thumbs up and smiled.
“Safe and sound over here.”
Aubrey’s smile faded, and she chewed on her cheek for a moment. “But you guys took a beating! Are you guys okay?”
Kel bounced on his feet. “Oh? Is Aubrey worried about me~?” He teased and she stomped up and down.
“AM NOT! I was asking Basil and Omori!” She yelled. “Not you!”
Hero shook his head, standing back up and ruffling Basil’s hair.
“You three were very impressive back there. Good job!”
Kel latched onto Omori and Basil, pulling them into a loose hug. “Hell yeah, we were!”
“Kelsey! Language” Hero gasped. Kel just laughed.
“If it weren’t for Omori holding on and Basil’s sneak attack, we all would’ve been toast for sure!”
Aubrey hummed, frowning as she turned to look at Boss. “... Would we?”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Kel asked and Aubrey stepped up in front of Boss again.
“Boss didn’t just drop us. He tried not to hurt Hero, too, and didn’t try to use us as, like, meat shields…” Boss turned away, quietly huffing. She hummed to herself again, then turned to the eldest in the party, smiling. “What do you think, Hero?”
Hero pursed his lips, thinking quietly to himself. “... that’s true… but he also hurt the kids… but it might’ve been because they were already fighting… but then again, he TOASTed Kel and hurt them…”
After musing for long enough, Hero shook his head and forced a smile. “I’m not sure I can forgive him. But if he behaves himself, then I guess it doesn’t matter. Whatever you want to do, Aubrey.”
She nodded sagely, then turned back to the humiliated Boss.
“Then, here’s what’s gonna happen!” Aubrey declared, and whacked his other knee with her plushy. Then, she pointed it at his stomach like a knight’s sword. “You’re going to sit here for a while and stay out of trouble! And then, you can help Berly and Van out with whatever they want to do! Does that work for everyone?” She glanced back at the group of spectators.
No one objected, so she nodded and walked back to her friends.
Boss huffed in embarrassment. “That’s not… I… TH-THIS IS A BOSS ONLY ZONE! YOU’RE NOT INVITED!”
He grabbed the tree blanket disguise, and hid behind it without another word.
“Well,” Kel whipped around towards the group again, beaming. “that’s enough fighting for now! Let’s go to my house. Come on! Movie night!”
Hero sighed, and smiled tiredly. “Everyone ready?”
Basil cheered, Aubrey grumbled, and Omori gave a thumbs up. ‘Yes’, definitely. Movie night time.
‘Would you like to have a picnic with your friends?’
After the food was devoured, the five broke into smaller groups to do their own thing.
Basil sat in the grass next to the blanket as he wove together a neat braid of small flowers. Next to him, Kel watched, trying his best to imitate Basil’s practiced motion. When he managed to get a chain as long as his spread hand, he rushed to show the light haired boy, practically vibrating with excitement. In his haste, the poor chain gave way, and Basil laughed pityingly as it fell apart and Kel gaped. He grabbed the flowers back up, turning back around to try again.
On the middle blanket, the older siblings were happily chatting. Hero was snacking on one of Mari’s famous cookies, he’d only just been able to distract the younger kids from before they were gone. Mari spoke animatedly, tilting her head towards him, then towards the rest of the playground, gesturing with her closer hand and occasionally stopping to squeeze Hero’s cheek and make him hide his face in his hands. When he wasn’t too flustered to face her teasing, Hero seemed content to just listen to her with adoration in his eyes, occasionally nodding or humming along.
Omori watched them from his place on the far edge of the blanket. When he’d finished eating, he’d sat down away from the others, and Aubrey had plopped herself down next to him, leaning against his shoulder as she chattered about this and that.
“I still think it’s dumb that Kel got the last laugh with that trick! I mean, come on!” She huffed, waving Mr. Plantegg around as she flickered red. “I bet he knew Hero was gonna say we couldn’t set traps anymore at this picnic, so he wanted to get the last laugh.”
Omori shrugged, and she flopped against his side, leaning her full weight on him.
“At least I can rely on you, huh Omori?” She said more than asked, and giggled at him at his blank expression.
“Oh! I heard Sweetheart made a new season of her show! ‘Sweetheart’s Quest for Hearts’ has been going on /for-ev-er/, hasn’t it? It’s weird!”
He tilted his head, and she nodded, as though she could hear his unsaid question.
“I know! It’s been going on for 57 seasons! I still like watching it, but honestly, it’s a bit boring.” She huffed, then gently leaned against Omori’s shoulder. “... I still wanna see the new one.”
Omori patted her back.
‘The curse of hyperfixations. Poor Aubrey.’
Next time, we finish Kel's Tutorials, and FINALLY see the Brothers' House! I know I said Ye Old Sprout, but that was before I realized that this section alone was about 6 PAGES on google docs, so I figured 'Ehh, maybe not.'
Oh, and reblog bonus! Kel's Skill set under the read more!
Showcased-
Encourage: Raises Attack and Defense for 3 turns
Shut Out: Cannot have HP dropped to 0 for 2 turns
Cheer: Makes a friend HAPPY and Raises Hit Rate 2 turns
Guard
Unseen-
Assist: Makes a foe take x3 damage for the rest of the turn
Construct: Raises Defense to Max, Restores 50% of Target's HP
Travel: Raises Evasion to Max for all Allies
Bench Rest: Restores all friends HP by 30%, restores all friends JUICE by 30%
Penalty Gambit: Drops Kel's HP by 95% of Max HP, Raises all friends' stat to Max, Restores all friends JUICE to full.
Yes, he's supposed to have OP support skills- Reflecting OG Basil Rush
I promise, I know he's not balanced "
BasilKel Swap Prologue Part 4
VAST FOREST- PATH TO FORT
After stopping by Mari’s picnic again, the party made their way south of the playground, then further past the crossroads, until they came across the familiar tunnel entrance that led to the brother’s house.
It was a wide tunnel, even at its entrances, and it cleaved straight through the forest dirt, surrounded by tree roots along the walls and ceiling, and glowing gems of all colors inlaid in and poking out of the floor. The biggest gems stood up out of the dirt, shining in the middle of the pathway and leaving the entire path lit up. In Omori's opinion, This-Way-Stones were the best way to see in dark caves.
Kel grinned at them as they made their way further down. “Y’know, everytime I’m down here, I remember just how cool this place is! Y’know, I actually helped dig this tunnel! Me and Hector!”
“Hector?” Basil asked. “Who’s that? I don’t remember meeting anyone who could dig this whole tunnel by themself.”
Kel huffed, sticking out his tongue. “It wasn’t on his own! I told you, I helped! And anyway, Hector’s a Pet Rock I found a while back! He came from Otherworld, and he’s super cool! I wanted to show you guys today, but I… couldn’t find him.” Kel ducked his head away as he stepped around a tall blue gem. Hero looked over at Aubrey, and she looked away, sweating. “I swear, I know where I put him, but he wasn’t there at all! I hope he didn’t run off without saying goodbye…”
“Well, I think Aubrey might-”
Aubrey yelled suddenly, interrupting Hero. “LOOK AT THAT!!” She pointed at a Lost Sprout Mole kicking one of the brighter gems. The deep blue crystal made a quiet clunk and seemed to get darker with each kick. “What’s that Sprout Mole doing?”
Kel looked, and jumped into action. “Huh? Hey! Stop that!” he yelled. “If you break that, we won’t be able to see where we’re going!”
The Sprout Mole stared at him for a second, then gave it another hard kick.
“Wha-! You!”
‘Kel engaged the Lost Sprout Mole!’
‘What will Kel do?’
‘Kel attacks Lost Sprout Mole! Lost Sprout Mole takes 10 damage.’
He threw his ball at the mole, knocking it over and letting it flail on the ground for a second. Then he seemed to get an idea.
‘Lost Sprout Mole is rolling around.’
“Hey, Basil! C’mere!” Kel turned and waved him over. Basil blanched at him, but approached anyway.
“What’s- What’s going on?”
Kel clapped a hand on his shoulder, grinning. “I’m gonna teach you how to fight! Then, you can go anywhere! Doesn’t that sound awesome?!”
Basil scrunched in on himself, flustering. “Is it really necessary? I mean, I,” he gestured out weakly. “I’ve got you guys to help me!”
“Yeah, but what if you don’t? Like, you get lost or something? Trust me, I know what I’m talking about!”
Aubrey snorted from where she was watching them. “Yeah, he does.”
“Thank you, Aub-”
“Kel gets lost all the time, remember?”
Kel sulked, suddenly blue, and Basil giggled.
“Well, alright. I guess I can give it a shot?”
‘Basil joined Kel’s party!’
“Okay, so, your skills right now are Wallflower, Guard, and… Tend!” Kel summarized cheerfully. "Guard, anyone can do that. It makes you take less damage! Stuff hurts less when you expect it! Like this!"
He crossed his arms over his face, adjusting his stance to take a hit.
'Kel guards.'
Basil nodded. "That makes sense, I think." Kel grinned, and continued.
"Alright! Wallflower's pretty cool! You ask someone on your side for help keeping you safe!" He pointed his thumb at his own chest. "You hide behind them, and any attacks that would hit you hit your friend instead!"
The green haired boy's face fell. "But, I don't want my friends to get hurt!" He whined, and Kel reached up and patted his head.
"Don't worry! Really!" When he didn't look convinced, the other laughed. "You don't have a lot of endurance, just like me, right? So if you get hurt, it'll hurt you worse than, like, Omori or Hero! It's, uh… What’s the word again, Hero?"
He turned to his brother, ignoring the fuming Sprout Mole, and Hero thought it over.
"Relative?"
"YEAH, THANK YOU!!" Kel cheered, and turned back to Basil. "If you take 10 damage, that's relatively more damage than if Hero takes 10! 'Cause, you're more soft and squishy and cute! It’d be bad if you got hurt!"
"C-cute? What-"
"Anyway!" Kel barged forward, ignoring Basil’s stuttering. "Try using Wallflower, and hide behind me!"
‘Basil hides behind Kel! Kel gets ready to counter!’
The Sprout Mole charged forward, smacking into Kel’s leg, and Kel kicked out, launching it.
‘Lost Sprout Mole bumps into Kel! Kel takes 2 damage! Kel counters! Lost Sprout Mole takes 10 damage!’
“Yeah, just like that!” The caped-boy cheered.
Basil watched the Sprout Mole stomp itself upright uneasily, then tugged on Kel’s cape. “Hey, Kel? Just a little question, but why is the Sprout Mole… glowing?”
“Heh! It's because the Sprout Mole is ANGRY, see Basil?” Kel pointed as the plant creature shook its head back and forth. Basil nodded, looking confused. “Enemies feel EMOTIONS, too, you know! Not just normal ones! And in battle, they change how you fight! So, you gotta remember what EMOTION does what!”
“Oh, uh, right. I’ve never seen them in a fight before. ANGRY makes you… hit harder, right?”
Kel cheered. “Yeah! ANGRY brings your ATTACK up! But you’re not being careful, so your DEFENSE goes down. Got it?”
He hummed, nodding slowly. “Defense down, attack up… So, now would be a good time to use Wallflower, so that I don’t get hurt, and the opponent takes damage?”
“Perfect!” Kel held up his hand for a high five, and Basil nervously clapped his hand.
‘Kel cheers Basil on! Basil feels HAPPY! Basil HIT RATE rose!’
‘Kel’s party was victorious! Gained 22 exp! Gained 3 clams!’
Sprout mole defeated, Kel stepped forward to check on the glowing crystal. He knocked on it and when it made a bell-like chime, turned back with a cheerful smile.
“Looks like the This-Way-Stone is A-Okay!” He said, giving a thumbs up. “You’re pretty good at this Basil!”
“Huh? R-Really? Heh heh,” Basil blushed as he looked away, Aubrey snickering into her hand. “I was just listening to what you said, Kel... But um, thanks anyway.”
“Hey, Kel? Don’t we have a book of enemies we’ve fought before?” Hero asked, and Kel jumped in place, eyes wide.
“Oh yeah, we totally did!”
“Did?” Hero gave Kel an unimpressed look, and the younger brother looked sheepish.
“I, uh, may have lost it?”
Hero sighed, looking tired, but Kel rushed to speak before he could get a word in.
“BUT IT'S OKAY! Beeecause of this! TA-DA!” Kel held out his camcorder, and shoved it into Omori’s hands. “My camera will be super useful for keeping track of stuff you come across! Weird enemies, confusing places, cool events, even battle techniques- You can take notes on everything! So, while it’s not /as/ cool as Hero’s Foe Facts! or Self Help books, you can use it for both! And, to review what you were doing last. Go wild!”
Omori looked over the camcorder, turning it this way and that, before finally pocketing it.
‘Kel gave you Kel’s Camera.’
Hero huffed, shaking his head. “Kel, what did I tell you about messing with my stuff?”
Kel went silent, glancing around, before his eyes caught on something down the tunnel. “Woah, what’s going on over there?!”
“Kelsey,” the older brother began, but Kel was already off like a bullet. Aubrey snickered behind her hand again as Basil giggled, and Hero just stared at the tunnel’s ceiling and sighed.
Kel and Basil faced down another Lost Sprout Mole- this one skipping and dancing so gleefully, that it had covered the nearby red glowing gems with dirt and hidden the path forward. Kel had eagerly jumped into battle, Basil dragged behind him, as Hero tried to clean enough of the gems to proceed.
‘What will Kel and Basil do?’
“Okay! Kel tutorial number two! Make sure to record this, Omori!” Kel cheered, pointing at the Sprout Mole. “This one’s HAPPY, see? Higher speed, and a higher chance to hit weak spots.”
Basil looked it over. “But if you’re skipping and playing like that, won’t you miss your attacks?”
“EX-actly! You're doing great, Basil!” Kel cheered.
‘Kel encourages Basil! Basil’s ATTACK rose! Basil’s DEFENSE rose!’
The Sprout Mole did a spin, and bumped into Basil’s leg. He jumped up, eyes wide.
‘The Lost Sprout Mole bumps into Basil! IT HIT RIGHT IN THE HEART! Basil takes 1 damage!’
Kel clapped his hands together, looking like he was fighting back a laugh. “Alright! It’s your turn to attack now!”
Basil looked up in horror, eyes wide. “Huh? Me? Are you sure?”
“Mm hmm! You should give it a shot! Then, you can handle yourself against other monsters!”
His face scrunched up in hesitancy. He glanced over to where the others were, Aubrey bouncing in place, Omori sitting on the tunnel floor, and Hero brushing spare dirt off his pajamas, having finished tidying the crystals. Omori handed Hero the camcorder, who sighed as he continued recording.
“Come on Basil!” Aubrey called, throwing her hands into the air. “You can do it!”
Basil tensed, then pulled his Jump Rope from his waist. Glanced up again, then squeezed his eyes shut and snapped the toy out at the Mole.
‘Basil attacks the Lost Sprout Mole! Lost Sprout Mole takes 12 damage!’
He peeked an eye open, flicking about over the battle, then relaxed when he saw the Sprout Mole skipping away from him.
“Nice hit Basil!” the caped boy tugged on his arm, eyes gleaming. “I think that's about all of the stuff this battle can teach you, soo… Let's finish this!”
Basil watched him for a moment, then stepped up next to him. “O-okay!”
‘Kel’s party was victorious! Gained 18 exp! Gained 4 clams!’
Hero hummed as Basil dusted himself off. “That’s the second ENEMY with EMOTION we’ve come across. That’s pretty odd, isn’t it?”
The green haired boy looked up, head tilting. “Is it? But, didn’t Kel say it was normal?”
Aubrey hummed, mouth a thin line. “It’s normal, but normally we’ll meet like, one or two in any area! They’re not super common. Right, Omori?” He looked her over, then gave a thumbs up. “Yeah, see! So two of them, so close together… It almost seems kinda important.”
“OHH!” Kel jumped up, glowing such a vibrant yellow that it hurt to look at. Omori squinted at him. “Just like a hero story, right?! Like, maybe a meteor’ll come from the sky! Or maybe-”
He gasped, and glowed brighter. A swirl of pink spun through the glow. Already? “MAYBE WE’RE GONNA GET /SUPERPOWERS/!!” He jumped in place for a moment, then rushed past them, running full speed around the room.
“Kel,” Hero began, and the younger brother skidded to a stop in front of him.
“HERO!! COME ON, THAT’LL BE SO COOL!” Kel flapped his hands, bouncing in place. “WE COULD BE SUPERHEROES!!”
Hero grabbed his shoulders, cutting him off, “Kel, hey. Let’s calm down a little, okay?”
“Huh? Aw man, do I have to?” Kel whined, but even as he did, the yellow faded away into nothing.
“Sorry, Kel. Maybe later,” Hero ruffled his hair, and turned towards the revealed path. “Let’s keep going, alright?”
“Outside ahoy!” Kel cheered, rushing through the end of the tunnel. Aubrey was only a second behind him, the other three content to just walk. “Ow! What the heck, Aubrey?”
Aubrey had whacked his arm with her plushy none too gently. “That doesn’t even make any sense!”
“You don’t need to hit me over it! Really!?” he argued back, and Hero sighed.
“Okay, that’s enough, you two. Look, right there, Mari’s just ahead at her picnic. Can we play nice for now?” He offered, and they glanced at each other before looking pointedly away. He sighed again.
Basil patted his arm in quiet sympathy.
Omori started walking up towards the others, then paused. A glint of blue caught his eye, and he turned his head, watching carefully.
“Omori?” Basil noticed his stillness. “Is… something wrong?” He glanced at the others, was given a confused shrug. Kel walked closer and followed his eyes into the thinner parts of the forest.
Right on the edge of the treeline, there it was.
‘Hidden in plain sight, you find a SAD Lost Sprout Mole.’
“Oh, it’s just a Sprout Mole. I didn’t even notice, heh heh!”
“Wow, really?” Aubrey bounced up next to Omori’s other side, then grinned. “There is! You’ve got good eyes, Omori!”
‘Oh. Well, that’s boring.’
Kel’s eyes went wide, “Oh, wait a sec! Basil, come on! It’s your time to shine!”
“Another fight? All on my own?” He stuttered, and Hero smiled softly.
“Hey, you were great before, and we’ll be right behind you in case anything happens.” The eldest reassured. Basil stared at him, then at the rest of the group.
“... Okay. I’ll… I’ll give it a shot!”
The friends cheered as Basil stepped forward into his first solo battle.
[A boy is standing at the school bus stop, face buried in a book. The cover was blurred, as was the background, and other people.
He suddenly jumped and looked up, smiling at the camera. He began to speak, but the words stayed silent.
A figure with long black hair snuck up behind him, and grabbed his shoulders. He jumped, mouth open in a shocked, silent scream, and the figure laughed, walking in front of him as they pulled their hair back, revealing-]
[The screen breaks. Someone is laughing.]