SMG4: The Power Crystal (Episode)

Chapter 8 - Lets Find Him!

  SMG4 and the others were back out in the woods again, searching for SMG3 and Bob. This time though, they didn't have to worry about getting lost, since it was day time.
  Behind him, SMG4 could hear some of his friends chattering with one another, some of them arguing about the crystal and SMG3 himself.
   "Okay, so we're talking about Three. But what about Bob? He's clearly just as guilty if he's working with him."
   "What makes you say that?" He heard Luigi's voice. "M-maybe Bob witnessed him stealing it, so he grew giant and kidnapped him...?" He suppressed a shiver.
  SMG4 turned his head back. "If that was the case, then the castle would've been destroyed." He couldn't hide the annoyance in his tone. SMG4 had previously explained that to the group, but he guessed that they weren't taking the hint. At least most of them. 
  Some of his friends genuinely looked concerned for their purple friend, while others... not so much.
  Even SMG4 himself was in a bit of disbelief by how he felt for his friend. This guy was literally his old nemesis. His rival. Why have so much faith in somebody who was destined to throw everything away all for a cheap taste of power? But then again, at the end of the day, power meant nothing if it wasn't used right.
   "SMG4, how long do you expect us to look for them?" Meggy spoke up. "And why did you choose the forest for us to look?"
   "Where else would a giant go, genius?"
   "You mean where else would a giant hide." Saiko spoke up, wiping a strand of her hair behind her head. "He might be big, but the minute he sees us, he'll be running with his tail between his legs." 
  Meggy nodded in agreement. "Of course. Typical villain."
   "Kind of hypercritical for you guys to say that after how you reacted the last time you seen him that size." SMG4 narrowed his eyes.
  Saiko looked as if she were about to argue, but she didn't.
   "Kind of hypercritical for you to take your rival's side over your friend's!"
   "Meggy that is enough!" Shockingly, it was Tari, who suddenly shoved her friend. But she did it as a gentle gesture. "So what if SMG3 was a villain in the past? Can't we give him a chance to prove himself worthy as our friend?"
   Thank god! Some common sense! 
  Meggy looked up at her friend. A mixture of bewilderment and betrayal flashed across her face. "Tari..."
  Ignoring her friend, Tari swung her head upwards and stalked away.
   "Tari, wait!"
  Running after her friend, SMG4 turned to look over at Saiko. She was hugging her arms close to her body, looking down at her feet as she walked. She felt guilty too.
   "Aww man... I sure hope Bob is okay..." SMG4 turned down to see Boopkins, who was now walking at his side. "I care about Three, but what if he hurt Bob..."
  SMG4's voice softened. "Do you really believe he'd do that...?"
  Boopkins looked surprised. "N-no..! Of course not... I just..." He hung his head. "Theirs a chance... that..."
  SMG4 avoided eye contact. "Yeah..."

   -

   "Guys! I think I see something!" Melony was rushing towards something she had found on the ground near a large birch tree. When she was close to it, she gasped. "Guys, look what I found!"
  Rushing to Melony's side, everybody's eyes were met with a stack of bills.
   "That's undoubtedly Bob's!" Meggy exclaimed. "Good eye Melony!"
  Melony smiled. "Thanks!"
   "So that must mean that he's okay?!" Luigi's face lit up.
  Everybody immediately began to cheer. But Boopkin's wail suddenly cut them off.
   "This is bad!" Boopkins stared down at the bills in horror.
  SMG4 almost thought that he was staring at a dead body instead. "Boopkins, what's wrong?"
   "Bob would never leave his money out in the open like this..."
  SMG4 grimaced by the realization. He gently picked up the stack of bills and eyed it suspiciously. It looked normal to him? Nothing out of the ordinary?
  But that was exactly why Boopkins was panicking! Their was nothing wrong with this money, which meant that their was no reason for Bob to leave it behind. Bob was one of the most greedy people he knew. He even topped SMG3 of all people with the amount of greed he had.
  So for him to leave an entire stack of bills behind...
  Something was definitely wrong.
  The others must of realized this as well, because their joy and relief turned into panic in the blink of an eye.
   "Bob's in trouble!" Meggy exclaimed.
   "Wh-what do we do?!" Luigi stammered anxiously.
   "Now everybody calm down!" SMG4 attempted to soothe the current tension that was now as thin as ice. "Panicking isn't going to help anybody in this situation, now is it?"
   "Well what else are we supposed to do? We're in the middle of the forest, and we have no idea where to look!"
   "If we had that crystal, everything would've been so much easier!"
  The mention of the crystal made SMG4's emotions flare up. Not only that, but also his... jealousy?
   "Why do we need the crystal to help us?" He bared his teeth. "We don't need it!"
   "In this situation; yes! We do." Saiko argued. "We could get our powers to help us. We have them for a reason!"
   "You mean you guys have them for a reason!" SMG4 snapped.
  Everybody's eyes widened by SMG4's outburst.
   "But what about me? How come I don't get a special power like you guys? It not fair!"
   "SMG4..."
   "SMG4," Saiko cut in. "Quit acting childish."
  "C  H  I  L  D  I  S  H  ?  !"
  Everybody automatically stepped back in fear.
   "SO YOU THINK MY FEELINGS ARE CHILDISH, HUH?!"
  Saiko looked as if she immediately regretted what she said.
   "SMG4, that's not what she meant—"
   "Save it!" He snapped. "You think it's fair that all of you get some special power, but I don't! Do you have any idea how it feels to be the useless one in the group? Hearing you guys constantly talk about your powers like it's some kind of achievement, it makes me feel bad about myself! Like... like I don't owe anything!"
   "SMG4, that's not true..." Boopkins approached his friend. "You're special to us in your own SMG4 way!"
   "Yeah! Special to you!" SMG4 hissed. "But what about to me? What about to everybody else? How am I gonna feel when all of my friends get this... special attention, while their useless and powerless friend is in the back, forgotten and pushed away? What... what if you guys push me away?"
   "SMG4! Don't you ever think that!" Meggy kneeled down in front of her friend. "We're your friends! And we'll always be your friends! Super powers don't determine that!"
   "And who cares if you don't have a power? You're still you!"
   "But how is that something to be proud of? You all literally have a special power! I literally have nothing. How does that make me special?"
   "Maybe that's why you stand out," Tari pointed out. "We all have a special power, yes. But you're thinking so negatively about the situation. You're the only one in our friend group who doesn't have an actual power. And yes, that is a bummer. I was very bummed when I thought I didn't have a power. But now I see it in a whole different way. SMG4, you do have a special power believe it or not."
  Everybody stared at Tari with bewildered expressions. "Tari, what are you talking about?"
  Tari ignored the question. "It's clear now. Your power isn't physical nor emotional."
  Meggy and Melony glanced at each other.
  
"Your power is not having a power."
 
  SMG4 and the others stared for a moment. When the awkward silence had hung in the air for long enough, SMG4 stopped the silence by blinking. "Uh... how is that a power?"
  Tari smiled. "Don't you see? The crystal has no affect on you! That's a good thing!"
  SMG4's eyes grew wide as realization slowly hit him.
   "You said that the crystal was dangerous, right? Well now that we see what the crystal has done to SMG3, it's safe to say that you have the strongest power of us all..."
   "SMG4, she's right..." Meggy stepped forward. "The crystal has no control over you."
   "Which means that you're stronger than the crystal itself!"
   "I'm..." SMG4 couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Really...?"
  Meggy hugged his friend. "Don't you see, Four? You do have a power!"
   "I do...?" He glanced back at his friends. He smiled. "I do!" Rushing to hug the rest of his friends, he wept happily. "I am special!" 
   "You would've been special to us regardless," Meggy soothed. "That's why you're the best."
   "Thank you guys... so much," He released his friends from his embrace and sniffled. "Now I feel rather embarrassed."
   "Nothing to be embarrassed about, bud," Meggy chirped with a playful fist to his hair. "But next time, try to control that green-eyed monster of yours, yeah?"
   "We all get it sometimes," Luigi comforted. "Theirs nothing wrong with being jealous."
   "Yeah... heh," SMG4 scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I guess so."
   "Now what are we waiting for?" Meggy stepped away to face everybody in the group. She threw her fist in the air.
   "Lets go find Bob and SMG3! With all of our powers!"