The Chaotic House

Time Travel In a Pocket

Moxxie locked the door behind him, the faint click echoing in the quiet room. He stood still in the center, clutching the time-travel device, his hands trembling slightly. "I sure hope this works," he whispered to himself, glancing around at the remnants of their past adventures. Trinkets, memories, the group photo on the wall-they all reminded him of what was at stake. "Maybe... if this works, things won't be so hard."

Taking a deep, final breath, Moxxie switched the device to the day he made the deal, the day everything fell apart. He felt his heart pounding, faster and louder with each passing second. His foot tapped nervously against the floor. "What if it goes wrong? What if I get stuck? What if..." His voice trailed off, a shaky laugh escaping him. "No! No backing down now. It's too late for that." His body tensed, bouncing slightly on his feet with restless energy.

Then, from outside the room, he overheard voices.

"Moxxie? I was gonna say he had potential, but... not so sure anymore," Chester's voice drifted through the air.

"Potential? The only potential he's got is to be a potential threat!" CC's sharp reply followed.

"Come on, don't be so harsh. He's trying. But I think I'll tell him he can't come on adventures until he fixes his trust issues with us... for the best," Ravi added thoughtfully.

Moxxie's fists clenched, his heart sinking at their words. His resolve hardened, though. "Okay... after this, no turning back. I just hope it works out," he muttered. His breath hitched as he flipped the switch on the device.

A blinding light burst from the small contraption, swallowing the room in a flash. The last thing Moxxie saw was the photograph on the wall, frozen in time-smiling faces, untainted by betrayal.

**

When the light faded, Moxxie found himself stumbling through the crowded streets. His head spun for a moment before he looked around, realizing he had made it back. "It worked..." he muttered in awe. He hurried forward, only to collide head-on with a passerby, sending papers flying everywhere.

"Watch it!" the stranger grumbled, bending down to help collect the scattered papers.

"Ah, sorry! I'm in a bit of a hurry," Moxxie apologized quickly, his eyes darting around in a panic. "Gotta get these to the workshop or I'm doomed!" He let out a nervous chuckle, hoping to avoid any further interaction.

The stranger raised an eyebrow, curiosity flickering in his expression. "Workshop? What for?"

Moxxie stammered, backing away. "Uh... an invention thing my friend's working on. Real important." He flashed a wide, forced grin before darting off.

Once inside the workshop, he couldn't contain his excitement any longer. "I did it! I DID IT!" Moxxie shouted, spinning around with joy. He grabbed the nearest person, shaking them wildly. "CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! I DID IT!"

The poor bystander whimpered, wide-eyed and overwhelmed. "Yay...?" they managed to squeak out.

Moxxie let them go and twirled in place, pulling out the time-travel device. "Alright, now I can go home," he said triumphantly, setting the device to return to the present.

But when he arrived back at the house, something was horribly wrong. The house looked different-dirty, unkempt, like it hadn't been touched in days. A strange chemical stench lingered in the air. Moxxie stepped inside cautiously.

"Moxxie, where have you been?!" Chester's voice rang out, panicked. He rushed up to Moxxie, his expression etched with worry.

Moxxie blinked in confusion. "What... what happened?!"