A/N: Alright, this is the point in the game where things really pick up! Ness encounters the local ruffians and discovers the first "Your Sanctuary" location!
After waking up from a much-needed rest, I said my goodbyes to my mother and sister. They both wished me good luck; we all knew I needed it. Saving the world wasn't going to be easy, I was certain of it. I placed my baseball hat on my ruffled black hair and swung my backpack over my shoulder. I stepped out the door and called out one final farewell to my family. It was time to head into town.
I must have walked for a good hour. Onett truly wasn't that large of a town but I lived on the outskirts of it, far from the other houses and the shops. Just outside of town, near the library, I took note of a large, fenced off, wilderness area. Suddenly, something clicked in your head. You had always heard rumors of this place having a giant footstep at the peak. Buzz Buzz's speech ran through your head.
These Sanctuaries all have names, Giant Step, Lilliput Steps, Milky Well, Rainy Circle, Magnet Hill, Pink Cloud, Lumine Hall, and Fire Spring. Giant Step! A rush of emotion came over me. I was excited...and scared. I had found the first sanctuary, but what was I going to find there? Surely it wouldn't be as simple as walking in and absorbing the power of the place...would it?
I approached the gates of sanctuary, shaking out of excitement and fear. My hands on the rusted handle, I look up to see a large sign. It read, "KEEP OUT" in bright, bold, red letters. I pondered how I managed to miss something like that at first. I assumed the gate was locked, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try opening it so I pulled on the cold. rusted, metal handle of the gate. It was locked, as expected. I walked away, head low and sighing. This definitely put a damper on things, but I wasn't ready to let one locked gate stop me. After all, I was saving the world. What would Buzz Buzz think if the chosen boy gave up because of a lock!
After some thinking, I had thought of who would have the key. I didn't have how I would obtain the key worked out, but I'd get there. P.H Perckle, the mayor of Onett would almost certainly have the key, or at the very least know somebody who had did. I could probably do a favor for the mayor. He was always asking citizens to do his work for him and he never wanted to take responsibility for anything. I giggled at remembering the posters that were around town during the election. I remembered my favorite one which read, "P.H Perckle is a Jerkle!"
Walking to city hall, I noticed the citizens were acting strange. They were all riled up, ranting on about a group called "The Sharks". My opinion of The Sharks at this time didn't quite think they were all too threatening or dangerous. My opinion of them changed as I reached the south of town. One of the members wheeled at me on his skateboard, knocking me with a fist on my head. Rubbing the sore spot on my head I could hear the snickering of the Shark and his cohorts. I waved my hand on the ground, searching for my baseball bat. Once I had grip of it I stood up as quickly as my injured body would allow and swung. I managed to hit one of them. The tall, scrawny punk fell to the ground with a satisfying thud. The other two members in the fight just stared at me and back at him. As the injured Shark got up he quickly fled along with the other two.
Exhausted from the fight, I returned to the north of town. I hadn't seen any of the gang up there so I figured I'd be safe for the time being. I pulled out the ATM card my dad had given me once and withdrew fifty dollars for food and supplies, and went out to buy lunch. Sitting in Onett's burger shop, munching on my burger, I reminisced my not so pleasant encounter with the Sharks and realised I wasn't as strong as I initially thought I was. I'd have to train to get anywhere with saving the world.
I really had no sufficient way to train so I made do with beating trees in the nearby forest and practicing avoiding the rogue animals outside of town limits. Well, I couldn't get very far past town limits due to some policemen and roadblocks. Apparently, the Onett police force pride themselves on the roadblocks. My "training" was surprisingly effective. On my way back up to the northern part of town I encountered some more Sharks, which I easily defeated. I also completely forgot my quest to find the mayor. I was often easily distracted.
Remembering the reason I went to the south of the town in the first place, I quickly ran to city hall. Though expected, I was irked when I ran into some Shark members. I prepared myself for a fight when one of the punks hopped at me on their pogo stick. I quickly evaded their punches, kicks, headbutts, and other miscellaneous fighting moves. I swung my bat with near perfect accuracy, knocking them out and giving me time to pass them. Looking back, I feel bad for taking the stuff they dropped (i.e.Their lunch) but I was a hungry twelve year old boy who was just in a fight with some gang members. I felt I deserved some lunch.
I finally reached city hall. I went up to the secretary and was shown to Mr.Perkle. He looked distressed and frustrated.
Perefect, I thought. It meant there was something he had to do, but didn't want to. To him I seemed like a gift from above. Who would have thought somebody would just walk in his office and ask to do his work? Normally, He had a reputation for forcing people to do work but he wouldn't even have to ask this time!
I opened my mouth to speak but I was quickly interrupted by the mayor. "Ah. yes! You there, boy. Would you like to do the law a favor?"
Here we go, I think. As I nodded my head, the stress seemed to lift instantly off P.H Perkles face. He put his hand on my shoulder and began to speak. "So I'm sure you've seen that group of punks running around, The Sharks, yes? Well, see I need you to stop them! I understand you're just a boy but you can do it! You'll do it, right?"
I'll admit, I was expecting something much easier. I really did not think he would ask a boy to take down a whole gang but he did and If I wanted the key to Giant Step I'd have to do it. I threw on a smile and agreed. The mayors smile widened. "Alright! That's wonderful!" The mayors cheer stopped, his voice went down an octave, and he looked around cautiously. He whispered to me, "Just make sure if anything goes wrong, I won't be held responsible. Can you do that?" A bit worried, I nodded anyways.
I sat outside of city hall thinking just how exactly would I defeat a whole gang. It was really quite a lot for a boy of my age. I thought of just a week ago when my biggest concern was what I was going have for dinner, never would I have dreamed of me having to take town a group of ruffians...much less save the entire world from aliens! It was all too much for me, I really needed to rest. I could walk home and sleep there, but home was a few miles away and I was too exhausted to even walk that far. I was pretty much broke, so the hotel was out of the option. Or was it?
I went into the nearest building with a payphone and called my father. As I assumed, my mother had told him about my adventure. I was ready to ask him for some money, but as if he read my mind his voice boomed from the other end. "Ness, my boy! I found out about everything. You can do it, son. However, since you will be traveling around the country, maybe even the world, this obviously needs to be funded! I will occasionally put money in your bank account. I put three hundred dollars in there, be sure to not spend it all in one place! Anyways, son, I hate to hang up on you like this but I'm very busy. Call me if you need anything!"
I guess the hotel was an option.
---
I woke up from my slumber in a hotel room. First, I was a bit taken back by my surroundings. Astoundingly, I had forgotten everything that had happened yesterday. My memory was quickly regained, though. I sat on the edge of my bed, trying to come up with a plan to take down the Sharks. I would need some way to find their leader and to do that I'd need to find out where they all hang out. Remembering that they were all in the south of town, I deduced their hideout must be down there. There wasn't much in the south of town; A bakery, the police station, and the arcade. I couldn't imagine them hanging out at a bakery, so I checked that off my mental list. No crooks in their right mind would put their hideout in a police station! That leaves the arcade.
I made the small trek from the hotel to the arcade in a very little amount of time. I somehow managed to avoid getting in any fights with the members, I wanted to save my energy for the gangs leader. I entered the arcade, and my theory about this being their hideout was correct. There were at least two dozen of them on the first floor, who knows how many resided on the second.
I noticed a huge doorway, with a few of the members standing in front of it. Most likely, that was where their leader was. I approached the doorway. getting ready for a fight with the guards. Surprisingly, they just laughed at me. "So, kid. You really want to see Franky, huh? Good luck with that," they taunted. One of them opened the door, and I entered. I saw what I expected...for the most part. Yes, there was a gang leader there...but there was something else.
It was a giant robot! I couldn't believe my eyes. I stood there, certain I looked like an absolute fool. My mouth was gaping and my eyes were frozen on the robot. Franky spoke up. "Hey, kid. I see you starin' at my creation, Frankystien Mark II. It's pretty amazing, no? Anyways, I see a kid walk in here with a baseball bat and an angry look and I think that this kid wants to hurt me, yeah? Well I'd like to see you try."
He comes at me with a knife, much quicker than I would have expected from a man of his shape. He grazes my shoulder with the blade. I hiss and swing my bat, hitting him on the knee. Franky falls, but is quickly back up. He lashes at me with his knife again, this time I'm able to avoid his attack. I swing my bat again, this time barely hitting him on the shoulder. He smirks and comes at me again, this time with his fists. I wasn't up for fisticuffs with this guy so I keep hold of my bat. I try and swing but it's too late, Franky's fist met my face.
I'm knocked to the ground, and stay there for a few seconds. "Hey, kid," Franky yells. "You're really no good at this maybe you should stop at let us Sharks be, we aint' hurtin' nobody!" He snickers. I was well sick of his taunts now, and I was angry. Personally, I don't like being beaten up by cocky gang members. I get up, this time much more determined to beat this guy. I stared at him and he stared at me. We waited for the next move. As it turns out, I was the first one to lunge at him this time. Near-flailing my bat around, I knocked him in the head. I could tell it hurt him, but it seems like it wasn't enough to completely knock him out.
He was just as angry I was at this point. Both of us were prepared to win. He didn't want to be beaten by me and I didn't want to be beaten by him. So one attack after another, we both slowly became exhausted. Franky and I had barely enough energy to carry on with this fight. Luckily, I was a pinch more energized than him, and took Franky out with one final blow to the head.
Franky lay on the ground unconscious for a few minutes. I stared at him and then back at the robot. Was it going to attack me? Why did Franky even have it? Franky woke up and looked at me and smiled. "I may be done, kid, but Frankystien Mark II isn't! Go!" On his command the robot whirred toward me. I quickly ran out of it's way, but that didn't really help. It shot a burst of hot smoke. I covered my eyes and began to cough. Peaking above my arm, I could barely see. There was still smoke everywhere and the Frankystien Mark II had shrouded itself very well. I did the only think I really could do, and swung my bat around frantically. I heard a loud metal clank after, confirming I had hit the robot successfully.
The blow did virtually nothing. It kept releasing bursts of smoke, each burst getting gradually hotter. This was going to near burn my skin off! I was desperate, I would do anything to stop this thing! And then, as if something inside had answered my call of desperation, I glowed a bright, blinding red light. I did not know at the time, but this was one of my many physic powers. It hit the robot and Frankystien Mark II was no more.
Franky stood off to the side, his face showing a wide array of emotions. I couldn't tell if he was, angry, disappointed or confused. But then his emotions were clear when a wide smile appeared on his face. I was incredibly puzzled by this. Franky approached me, the smile still on his face. "Well, kid. It looks like you and I are equal." I wasn't sure what to say. "Tell ya what, I'll call of the Sharks. You wont be having any more trouble with them here in Onett." He offered his hand for me to shake, and I did. "Good luck, kid," Franky said.
I got a few dirty looks from the former members of the Sharks, not too happy about what I've done. I just shrug them off. Personally, I thought it was for the best, for them to leave a gang. They'd be happy to disagree, though. I reached city hall once again. I made my way up to the mayors office, and he greeted me with hopeful eyes. "Did you get rid of them Sharks?" I nodded. "See! I knew you could do it." I stood in front of his desk. "So," he looked around uncomfortably, "You probably want a reward, yeah?" I nodded again. "Er... Alright well here's some money." P.H Perkle handed me a one hundred dollar bill. This would be great any other time, but I did all of this for something else. I'm about to tell him what I wanted but the mayor spoke again. "And, well...my secretary was down by those woods with the gate. She said she saw you tryin' to get in so I guess it's really no big deal if I give you the key. There really is no reason why that place is locked up anyways."
Bingo.
Retreating to my hotel room, I lay down in my bed. I rubbed the key between my fingers. This is the key that would, more or less, be the start of my adventure. Sure, I'd taken down a gang but that was nothing compared to these Sanctuary places. It really was a lot to grasp. I closed my eyes and slowly drifted to sleep. I would wake up and go straight to Giant Step. I had no idea what was in store for me there, but I could certainly dream of it.
(Just because the Frankystien Mark II is probably one of the coolest looking enemies in Earthbound... Here's a picture
Also! The Sharks look like this... 
)
