“Gran, I have to ask - how on Earth did you end up being friends with a ghost pirate?”

Everyone else was confused about the whole situation, but Tori was the only one who had the guts to ask.

The four were now walking the streets of the abandoned city, stepping out of the way of rubble.

“Well, it was back in the 1850’s- Did I already tell you that?”

Tori nodded. “But continue.”

“Well, it was in the 1850’s. I had been sent to Earth to get some specific parts for my crew’s spaceship-”

“You worked on a spaceship?!” Leicra gasped, spinning around to face the elderly Shambler.

“Yes, I did,” Gran chuckled. “I was the crew’s mechanic.”

“Ohhh, that’s why you’re so good with machinery and things!” Tori said.

“Yes. Now, as I was saying, I had been sent to Earth to get some specific parts for my crew’s spaceship. I got the parts I needed, but neither the crew or myself thought of a way to get me back aboard once I got the parts. That’s when I met Casey! He let me on board for a while and helped me find my crew! The Bellyflop crew was a lot smaller back then…”

What looked to have formerly been the tallest tower in the city had fallen onto the road, blocking it off. The four could very easily pass by on their search for the “magnetic mountain” Captain Casey told them of, but they all knew they it had to be moved out of the way, somehow. Sheer strength wasn’t going to move it, and an attempt to use telekinesis to move it from Tori ended in failure.

“I’m not sure if this will work, but I want to try something,” Leicra said after some thought. “Ransom also taught me this PSI technique while I was with him.”

Leicra focused, and a ball of water appeared in between their hands. It dropped to the ground, and Leicra raised their arms. The water spread out and became a wave, rising with Leicra’s arms. Leicra squinted as they focused more, and directed the wave to slide underneath the fallen building and raise it. It worked for a little while, but the wave started to fall once the building was raised enough to walk under it. Quickly thinking, Gran cast PK Freeze on the wave, which froze it and part of the building.

Tori stared at the now held-up building with wide eyes before spinning to face Leicra.

“That’s so cool! What’s it called?” she asked.

“It’s… just called PK Water,” Leicra replied. “I only know the Alpha level, but maybe if I use it enough, I can learn other stages of it!”

“I sure hope you can, that was AWESOME!” Tori replied, a wide grin on her face.

Looking over at the held-up building, Buzz Buzz stated, “I’m not sure how long that building will stay up, but it’s the least we can do for now. Let’s keep looking for that mountain.”

The four then returned to walking the street, until they found a brick wall to the south the tower. It wasn’t too tall, and Leicra was almost as tall as it.

Leicra went right up to the wall, got up on their tiptoes and peered over the edge of the wall. They then dropped back to their feet and turned to face Tori, Buzz Buzz and Gran.

“It looks like the “magnetic mountain” Cap-nnn Casey told us to find is on the other side of this wall,” they told them.

“I bet I could climb over that thing,” Tori said.

“Well you can try if you want to,” Buzz Buzz told her.

Tori hissed out a “Yesss!”, then took a running start up to the wall. She jumped and clung to the top of the wall. Her boots scraped the wall frantically as she tried to get up the wall. She made it up to the top, and took a moment before slipping down to the other side of the wall.

“Ta-daaaa!” she called out. “Told you I could do it!”

“I didn’t doubt you,” Buzz Buzz replied. He then darted over the wall and landed on Tori’s shoulder.

It took a little while for Gran to get over the wall, with Leicra acting as a step and Tori having to help her over. Once Gran had hopped over the wall, Leicra simply teleported to the other side of the wall. With everyone on the other side of the wall, the four took a closer look at the what was there.

“That’s… the mountain, right?” Leicra asked, looking at the small, grey, vaguely mountain-shaped metal sitting in the middle of the dry grass. It seemed too precisely cut to look much like a mountain, but the lighter part at the top helped enforce that it was supposed to be a mountain.

“It’s… a bit small…” Buzz Buzz murmured.

“It’s more like a hill.” Tori stared at it for another moment before grabbing the Sound Stone from out of her pocket and holding it up.

The Sound Stone glowed for a moment before a name was whispered into the four’s minds: Magnet Hill.

“You were right about it being a hill, Tori,” Gran told her.

“Well what kind of mountain is shorter than me?” Tori asked, gesturing at Magnet Hill as she put the Sound Stone in her pocket.

Once everyone had climbed back over the wall, they headed out of the city to search for the rest of the Sanctuaries. They went through the empty tunnels, Tori having to light them up with PK Fire, and across the dangerously damaged bridge. They arrived in a desert, perhaps the darkest place they had been to so far. And it was scorching. The four decided to stick to the road - they reasoned that if they ventured into the desert they probably wouldn’t make it out alive. The road was long. Painfully long.

As the four staggered past an abandoned store, a monkey bounced over to them. Said monkey seemed very frail, its fur lacking shine and sporting a grey beard. To be honest, I don’t know how the monkey got the beard, but don’t question it, okay? It’s for the best.

“It’s been a long time since anyone’s come this way…” the monkey murmured, probably to itself.

Tori’s eyes went wide. “The monkey’s talking?!”

The monkey looked up at Tori with weary eyes. “Yes, I am talking your human language. I would just use telepathy in tandem with monkey language, but that requires a lot of effort that I simply do not have the energy to perform.” The monkey turned to the side, and told the four, “Please, come with me. There are techniques that will help you on your quest that you can learn from our master.”

The monkey bounced into the desert and down a hole nearby the abandoned store.

“How does the monkey know we’re on a quest…?” Tori whispered to Buzz Buzz.

“I have no idea. Monkeys are weird creatures.”

The four followed the monkey down into a network of caves. There were more monkeys in the cave network, which the bearded monkey explained were also followers of their master. The other monkeys simply watched as the four squeezed through the tunnels that connected each cave. Finally, they were led into the deepest cave. An elderly man with a grey beard, wearing all white, hovered above the ground, meditating. He opened an eye and glanced to the entrance.

“You brought them?” he asked.

“Yes, Master Talah Rama,” the bearded monkey replied with a bow.

The monkey went to Talah Ramma’s side, and the four squeezed into the cave. Talah Rama watched as they tentatively approached him.

Talah Rama flashed them a smile, before taking a breath in as he closed his eyes. “The truth of space and time moves through like a wave… Truth speaks through space and matter makes itself known to human beings. Although you are not the chosen ones, I was waiting for you as well, and you came. It may not have been on destiny’s original course, but it was to happen. In truth, all is predetermined…”

“Then how was Giygas able to conquer the earth, if the chosen four were meant to stop him from doing so was predetermined like you say?” Buzz Buzz asked.

“They were unable to even start without the light’s guidance…” Talah Rama answered. His voice lowered to a mere whisper as he stated, “Ness, Paula, Jeff and Poo… when these four powers gather, twisted space will bring back peace to the world.”

“Just how do you know all this?” Tori questioned, putting her hands on her hips. “I know meditation is supposed to help you see things more clearly or something, but this is insane!”

“It is not insane, it is prophecy. My meditation allows me to reach out to my guide, the one who gives all knowledge of the future. And then, my guide shares it with me,” Talah Rama explained. “I am what is called an Agent of the Apple. The monkeys are my sole confidants.”

“Agent of the Apple?” Gran echoed.

“You don’t mean… The Apple of Enlightenment, do you?” Leicra asked.

Talah Rama nodded slightly. “That is correct.”

There was an air of silence before Talah Rama said, “Now, those powers… There is still a lot to be learned for all four of you.” He opened his eyes. “Buzz Buzz.”

Buzz Buzz blinked as he sat himself up on Tori’s shoulder.

“Many dangers await you and your friends. Dangers that just PSI Shields alone cannot stop. This power has resided in you for a long time. It has not been awakened until now.”

A wave of energy flowed through Buzz Buzz for just a moment. He then raised a hand and let the new power enter it. A shield appeared in front of him.

“You will need to learn the Sigma level on your own, but the power of Shield Alpha is now yours.” Talah Rama was silent for a few moments, as he closed his eyes again. He opened them up and said, “Tori.”

“Yo.”

“...Yes. Though the power of fire is strong, it will need to be stronger if you wish to help save this world.”

Power flowed through Tori for a moment, almost making her fall to the ground with its sheer heat. After assuring herself that she was on solid ground, she tested out the new power. A burst of fire appeared in between her hands, and her eyes lit up.

“Yes. The power of PK Fire Beta is now yours.” Another pause from Talah Rama. “Amienafleece.”

“Yes?” Gran replied.

“Your healing capabilities are more than enough for now, and will grow stronger when the time comes. PK Freeze will grow stronger soon, too. But this power you have never thought you could ever learn.”

A strange feeling washed over over Gran.

“I recommend you do not try it here, but in battle. Trying it here would have… not so good results. The power of PSI Brainshock Alpha is now yours, though.” Another pause before Talah Rama spoke again. “And Leicra.”

Leicra let out an inquiring whirr-like hum as they stared at Talah Rama, wide eyed.

“I need not awaken a previously unknown power within you… Instead, I will help you remember an technique you’ve forgotten.”

Talah Rama, not shifting his position, hovered over to Leicra, then gently booped them just below their eye. Leicra blinked and held their arms up against them as the Agent did this.

Leicra was silent for a couple of moments before blurting out, “Oh, that’s how to perform PK Beam Beta! I remember now!”

Talah Rama nodded as he drifted back to his original spot. “That is all I have to give to you. My most faithful monkey, however, has one last technique for you to learn. Please follow him once again.”

The bearded monkey led the four out of the cave network and back onto the desert road.

“This technique will allow you to go to any place you’ve been to before. I’ll demonstrate,” the monkey told them.

The monkey hopped over into the other lane, then took a running start down the road. The monkey went to speeds not usually possible by monkey, and a blue vortex appeared a few meters in front of it. The monkey dashed inside, and the vortex disappeared. It reappeared a couple of moments later and the monkey dashed back to the four.

“I just went to Fourside and back using a technique called Teleport. That was the Alpha level I just performed. It’s best to have a straight course when you use it, but you can make turns while building up speed,” the monkey explained. “You can’t use Teleport in rooms or underground, though. You need to have the sky above you. Now, you try young lady!”

Buzz Buzz darted off Tori’s shoulder, and Tori walked into the other lane. She took a running start down the road, and a blue vortex appeared in front of her a few meters away, like with the monkey. She went in, the vortex disappeared, then reappeared a few moments later. She spun her arms around as she skidded to a halt.

“Excellent! The landing can be a bit tricky to stick when you start, so don’t worry about it.” The monkey let out a large yawn before saying, “Okay, I’m going home now.”

And with that, the bearded monkey walked back into the caves.

“Okay, I think now we should be ready to keep looking for the other Sanctuarie-” Tori paused for just a second before asking, “Wait, where’s Buzz Buzz?”

As if on cue, Buzz Buzz came flying out of a tiny blue vortex.

“Buzz Buzz! You learned Teleport too?”

“It could be useful,” Buzz Buzz replied, “seeing as how… reckless you can be with your PSI attacks.”

Tori playfully blew a raspberry at him, gaining a small chuckle from the bug.

“NOW are we ready to keep looking for those Sanctuaries?”

A chorus of “yes”’s arose from Leicra, Gran and Buzz Buzz.