scary monsters ~endless halloween night~ 4-7 "whoever moves first is the victor!"

[mandytl]

 

 

Location: The Other Dimension - Bizzare Staircase

They step into a blinding white nothing.

Location: The Other Dimension - Ghost Ship Cove

Riddle: Is this… the sea?

Ortho & Ruggie: It’s a SHIP!

Riddle: What’s got you two so worked up over this shipwreck?

Ruggie: ‘Cause this is like, every kid’s dream!

Riddle: That again. What could possibly be so inspiring about a ship that’s run aground?

Ruggie: Just a stranded ship?

You’re reeeally missing the point here, Riddle-kun.

It’s about the secrets that could be trapped inside. The mystery!

Ortho: A ghost ship appears in the third volume of the “Adventures of the Bearded Captain!’

The mustached captain and the ghost captain fight it out, and in the end, he takes control of not just the riches in the cargo hold, but also the entire ship.

Isn’t it the first or second most popular scene among readers?

Ruggie: Pretty much. Kids all over the world long to be the guy with treasure galore.

Jade: It’s actually a very common occurrence to find wrecks with sunken treasure.

They’re very popular spots to explore for young merfolk, even in the Coral Sea.

Riddle: I reside further inland in the Queendom of Roses, so I'd never seen the ocean until coming to the academy.

So while I’ve seen ships and sea creatures in an encyclopedia, I have no strong feelings about them either way.

Jade: Come now, Riddle-san. Don't you already have a strong connection to the sea?

Riddle: Huh? What do you…--augh!

You aren’t going to bring that up, are you?!

Ortho & Ruggie: What’s “that”?

Riddle: Enough! There’s no need to dredge up that old saga right now.

Ghosts: Whoo-hoo! Another mirror shard!

Riddle: What impeccable timing those ghosts have… with shards in their grasp, at that!

Ahem. We’re done talking. It’s time to wrestle away those shards.

Ruggie: Right on. We’ve got more manpower with Jade on our side, so let’s just knock ‘em out with magic and… 

Riddle: One moment. I’ve come up with a fool-proof method to conserve our energy.

Ruggie: Yeah, sure… you said that earlier and we ended up charging into battle anyway.

Ortho: It’d be more efficient if we exterminated every single ghost we encountered.

Ruggie: That’s pretty brutal, Ortho-kun… 

Ortho: But we’re up against ghosts! There’s no reason to hesitate.

And besides, you guys might get possessed if we hold back any…

Riddle: Not to worry! I had an epiphany when it comes to their tactics; they’re aiming for a moment of surprise before they attempt to possess us.

When others around you behave in an unexpected way, it inspires fear.

In other words, all we need do to defend ourselves… is scare them. Whoever moves first is the victor!

Jade: Ah hah! Such a bold and interesting idea truly suits you, Riddle-san.

Riddle: Heh. But of course.

Ruggie: Jade-kun’s gettin’ a kick outta this.

… Well, if it don’t work out, we can just use our magic. If you're confident enough, why not give it a try?

Ortho: A chance to scare some ghosts sounds like fun. Count me in!

Riddle: Then let’s initiate our operation right away. Come with me, Ruggie and Ortho.

Jade, having exhausted himself in the previous battle, will cover our rear. I’m counting on you to handle anything that escapes us.

Pans away.

Ghost A: Oh-hoh-hoh! You collected a great deal of those shards, now, haven’t you?

Ghost B: We've got ghosts searching together all over the place.

Ghost C: With this many, we just need one more…!

Slosh…

Ghost B: Hm? What was that?

Slosh, slosh…

Ghost B: It’s some… unpleasantly moist sound, drawing ever closer.

???: That be my treasure. Put yer hands on it… and I’ll cut ya into seaweed!

Ruggie: RAWR! 

Ortho & Riddle: BOO!

Ghosts: WAAUGH!