Argh! Darn it! That wasn't it!\n\nSylveste plays his piece beautifully, but when your turn comes around, all you can manage are sour notes.\n\n"Darn it, kid!" says Sylveste, covering his ears. "Can't you play one note right?"\n\n"I'm trying, I'm trying!" you say. But your playing only gets worse. Soon, all the notes summon a cacophony of sound, which drowns out everything else.\n\n"Ahh! Help!" you scream, and stop playing your instrument to cover your ears. But the cacophony only seems to [[get worse, and louder|Bad Music Finale]]...
Meanwhile, Captain Crimson searches out his longtime foe!\n\n"I believe that is his old hillside hideout," says the Crimson Commander, "but where is Mastermancer himself?"\n\nSuddenly, he spies a curious blue creature coming up the side of the hill. "Gracious!" exclaims the Captain. "Whatever could that blue creature be?<<if $ShoeStore is true>> And why is it carrying so many loafers?<<endif>>"\n\n"Good evening, sir!" says the golem. "I am called... Cobalt! And who might you be?" Cobalt squints at our good friend the Captain.\n\n"Er, just an old friend of the Mastermancer!" replies Captain Crimson. "Have you seen him anywhere?"\n\n"Halt! Now I remember who //you// are!!" shouts Cobalt. "You are Captain Crimson, erstwhile foe of my Master, Mastermancer!! I am under orders to shoot you with the magical beams from his rod on sight!"\n\n"Do your worst, monster! I'm not afraid!"\n\nThe blue golem [[lifts the magic rod...|Reality]]
"All the better for me to go alone!" says Captain Crimson gravely. "I don't want any of you to be wrapped up in this madman's schemes! His grudge is against me, and me alone! I know you all can do just fine without me, friends! Farewell!" With that, he leaves the Leagues' Space Fortress.\n\n-------------\n\nMeanwhile, in the villainous Mastermancer's secret mountain hideout:\n\n"Perfect!" says the Maniacal Magical Mastermind. "That fool Crimson won't know what hit him once I fix him with my Shrink-o Gaze!"\n\nThe Mastermancer tries to adjust some contraption on his magical staff, but trips over his shoelaces. "Cobalt!!" he screams. "Get over here!!!"\n\nSuddenly, a strange, blue golem emerges from beneath a table. "You called, Master?" the curious creature drawls.\n\n"Adjust the magimoter on this, would you? Make sure it's set to shrink!! And get me another pair of shoes while you're at it!!" The Mastermancer hits Cobalt square on the back, hard.\n\n"Yes, Master." Silently, the blue monster-robot takes the Master Magician's rod and shuffles out of site. Look closely at the eyes of this creature, and you might even think there are tears there. But perhaps it is a mere trick of the light...\n\n[[Cobalt dutifully takes the magic staff outside to carefully manipulate its inner workings.|Comic3]]\n[[Cobalt dutifully heads to the shoe shop to get Mastermancer some loafers.|Comic3][$ShoeStore = true]]
...And that's when you wake up, and realize it was your bedcovers that were smothering you, not the sea.\n\n"Wes, are you okay? You weren't having a bad dream, were you?" your mom asks. (Apparently all your thrashing around made a lot of noise.)\n\n"No, I wasn't," you lie, "just trying to get up, that's all."\n\n"Well, I'm glad you're okay," says your mom. "Remember to get to the bus stop on time today, okay sweetie?"\n\n"Sure, sure, fine." You get out of bed and start the day.\n\n''the end!''
"Let's do boxing," you say. How hard could it be?\n\n"Very well," says Sylveste. "Let me fetch my gloves, and also my second."\n\n"What's a sceond?" you ask.\n\n"A second, my good man, is someone who fills in for me should I happen to be killed in the fight," answers Sylveste. "Why, do you want one, too?"\n\n[[You gulp|Boxing Round 1]]. Today is gonna be a long day.
"Westley!" says your mother. "What on earth is the matter?"\n\n"Uh, mom?" you ask.\n\n"It's four in the morning, for goodness sake! Quit yelling about papercuts and get back to sleep." She slams the door.\n\nYou lie back in bed. Ugh. Must have been something you ate.\n\n''the end!''
It's no use trying to find Atlantis on your own, so you might as well go to the Science Center and ask for directions. They offer sea tours, and Crimson said that Atlantis wasn't far from Pulsar City, so they'll //probably// know where it is. You hike over there.\n\nBut when you walk in the door, you find that Doctor Shrink is there, unpacking some boxes! Score! Now you won't have to walk all the way to Atlantis.\n\n"Hey, Doctor Shrink!" you shout. "I like your comic book!"\n\n"Hmm? Oh, yes, it took me ages to get it peer reviewed," says Doctor Shrink, too distracted to pay you much mind. "Now where did I put my grow tonics? Don't tell me they're mixed in with my shrinking pills!"\n\n"Oh, and Captain Crimson asked me to give you this," you say, waving around the package.\n\n"Oh, yes, the *****-- Wait. Captain Crimson sent //you?//"\n\n"Yeeaah..." you reply. "Is there a problem?"\n\n"Oh my god, that //ignoramus// has sent our most important plans with a child!" cries Doctor Shrink.\n\n"...//Is there a problem?//" you repeat.\n\n"No, no," says Doctor Shrink, "I just need to have a long talk with Peter. And the package," he quickly adds, snatching it from your hands.\n\n"You're //welcome//, buster!!" you yell as Doctor Shrink leaves the Science Center in a rush.\n\nSheesh! What a jerk! Whaddya wanna do now?\n\n[[Check out those shrinking pills|ShrinkPills]]\n[[Check out those grow tonics|Grow Tonics]]\n[[Just sit quietly with your hands in your lap and don't touch anything|Boring]]
"Time for bed, Wesley," Mom says, flicking the light to your room off.\n\n"Aww, but I really wanted to finish this comic book! Can't I have just a few more minutes?" you ask.\n\n"Sorry, kiddo, but it's a school night," your mom replies. "So lie down and get some rest." She leaves you alone in your room.\n\nDarn it! You were just about to find out what happened to Captain Crimson when he was captured by the evil Mastermancer! Now you'll never know if Liberty League Epsilon managed to rescue him or not. Life can be so [[unfair|Dream1]].
<<set $ShoeStore to false>>Captain Crimson gazes out into the abyss of space. "Liberty Leagues Alpha through Delta are currently engaged in fighting the Time Titan! That leaves Liberty League Epsilon as the last defense for Earth!" he says to his companion, Dreaming Scarlet.\n\n"But what does that have to do with why you won't let us go after Mastermancer?" Dreaming Scarlet asks demurely.\n\n"Because if we all go, there will be no-one left to defend Earth! That's why it's best for me to after Mastermancer--alone!"\n\n[["But what if it's a trap?" asks Dreaming Scarlet.|Comic2]]\n[["But what if Mastermancer tries to kill you?" asks Dreaming Scarlet.|Comic2]]
You reach the finish line in another hour and drag yourself onto the British shore. Sylveste follows quickly behind, out of breath. "Sorry I'm late," he says, "but I had to carry the Lusitania back to America. It was an ordeal, let me tell you."\n\n"So," he continues, "I guess this means I should give you this," and he hands you the package. Hooray! You've won! You run off and send it to America by post.\n\nOf course, Sylveste's rescue of the Lusitania causes big changes for the timeline. Because the sinking of the ship was prevented, America felt no need to enter World War I, thus leading to a narrow victory for the Central Powers. Germany, though still war-torn, manages to rebuild relatively quickly. A large part of this is due to a modest young painter's new meat pie business, whose exports causes Germany's industry to skyrocket.\n\nSoon, people all over the world are mad about this pies. They just can't get enough of them. Whole countries shut down when exports are delayed. That's when the young piemaker (who is, you guessed it, Adolph Hitler) reveals his plot to put mind-control ingredients in the pies and use them to take over the world. He starts a pie-ocracy (which he calls the Third Piech), and nation by nation, [[begins his reign over the entire world|Paradox Finale]]...
<<nobr>><<if $CheatCode is true>>//Well, I appreciate your honesty.//<br><br><<endif>>\n\n<<endnobr>>Sylveste comes back, with two men carrying a large trunk following at his heels. They set the trunk on the ground, bow to you and Sylveste, and scuttle away.\n\nSylveste opens the trunk and starts looking. "Ah, let's see here," he says. "My banjo should be around here somewhe-- Ah! Here it is." He pulls it out. "And now, which instrument will //you// choose?"\n\nNow what instrument were you going to pick?<<if $CheatCode is true>> Oh yeah, [[the harmonica|Good Music]].\n\n<<else>>\n[[The harpischord!|Bad Music]]\n[[The Saxophone!|Good Music]]\n[[The Xylophone!|Bad Music]]<<endif>>
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//"Screech screech screech screechscreechscreechscreech!!"// goes your alarm clock.\n\n"Westley!" your mom calls from the hallway. "Why aren't you up yet?! Your alarm's been going off for ten minutes!"\n\nYou groggily hit the snooze button and get out of bed. //Uuughh//. Today's gonna be a long day.\n\n''the end!''
You try and hit him with a flurry of punches! You're gonna make it, you're gonna make it--\n\nSuddenly, you're lying on the floor with the referee waving some smelling salts under your nose. Awww. You didn't make it.\n\nSylveste comes up, his face betraying slightly less disdain than usual. "My dear fellow, I am so sorry! I did not take you for an utter simpleton in the ways of pugilism! Perhaps I can make it up for you by allowing you to choose a different contest?"\n\nYou groan.\n\n"I am not a utter blackguard, after all," he continues. Well, //that// remains to be seen.\n\nAnyway, which of the other contests will you choose?\n\n[[Swimming]]\n[[Music Duel]]
You attempt to dodge, but just aren't fast enough for Sylveste, who punches you in the stomach.\n\n"Haha! You zigged when you should have zagged, kid!" he sneers.\n\nOkay, that made you //really// mad. What are you gonna do about it?\n\n[[Punch him in the face!|Boxing Over]]\n[[Knock the wind right out of him!|Boxing Over]]
The circus is loud and confusing and you're not even supposed to be here in the first place, but it could be neat to take a look around and besides, you're not looking forward to hiking your way back through the tunnel. So you stick around and check out some of the attractions.\n\nMost of them are just dumb games (hit the ninepins and win a prize pig!) or even dumber oddities (see the strongest ant in the country!), but one of them is not-lame enough to catch your eye: //Sylveste, the Big Strong Man!// You enter his tent to see what's going on.\n\nA big brag show, it turns out. "I can swim through pudding as if it were air, and crawl on nails as if they were the finest silk!" the big, huge man at the center boasts. That must be Sylveste. You have to say you're not impressed, and judging from the looks on the crowd already gathered, neither is anybody else.\n\n"And make no mistake, my strength is no mere bluster!" continues Sylveste. "Why, I'm as nimble as a fox, and nearly twice as clever!"\n\n"Oh, fie!" says a man in the crowd. "I bet you're as clumsy as an ox, and half as smart!"\n\nSylveste clicks his tongue and shakes his head. "Now, now, friend, I would //highly// advise you not to test me! I can be very inventive in my retributions!"\n\n"I'd like to see you try, //bucko//," you say with as much contempt as you can manage.\n\n"Very well, sirs!" says Sylveste with a hint of sadness. "I shall hope you do not regret this."\n\nMan, what a loser. There's no way this guy could pull a trick on y-- hey wait [[where did the package go|SylvesteTests]]?!
Years later, after getting some critical acclaim and winning a couple Grammies, you and Sylveste lie down on a starry night and reminisce about the day you first met.\n\n"Man, I was such a jerk back then," says Sylveste. "I can't believe all the things I said to you that day."\n\n"Naw, man, don't worry about it," you say. "I was kind of a snotty kid back then, too."\n\n"Yeah, but I was all grown-up when I said that," Sylveste replies, "but you were only how old when we first met?"\n\n"It doesn't really matter now," you say. "What's important is the frindship we have together!"\n\n"True, true," says Sylveste, and you both gaze at the stars in silence for a few moments...\n\n...A silence that is broken when the entire sky starts shrieking!\n\n"Aaahh! What on Earth is making that awful sound?" you yell. Sylveste just covers his ears.\n\nFor many long minutes the shrieking continues, [[//screech screech screech screech//|Good Music Finale]]...
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"Sure, I'll take it," you say.\n\n"Great!" says the Captain. "Now take this over to my buddies Orca Spirit and Doctor Shrink over in Atlantis."\n\n"Isn't that kind of a long way away?" you ask.\n\n"Nah, it's just a little ways out from Pulsar City. Besides, I know a shortcut." He takes the car out of park and speeds down a side road. After many twists and turns, you end up at the outskirts of Pulsar.\n\n"And here we are!" he says as he hands you the package. "Remember, straight to Atlantis, kid!"\n\nYou frown. You didn't want to bring this up in the car, but you've never actually //been// to Pulsar City. You wouldn't know your way around the city, let alone how to get from there to Atlantis. But before you can ask any questions, Captain Crimson speeds off. "Bye-bye, kid!" he yells as he disappears from sight.\n\nWow. Captain Crimson is kind of a //jerk// in real life. But now's not the time to dwell on such matters. You [[consider your options as you look out from the city|Hub]].
The way you see it, there are three good routes that might take you to Atlantis: First, there's the harbor to your right; second, the tunnel that's right in front of you; and lastly, the Oldtown Science Center, which is offering sea tours. Which do you want to take?\n\n[[The Harbor!|Harbor]]\n[[The Tunnel!|Circus]]\n[[The Science Center!|ShrinknGrow]]
"Hey, Sylveste!" you shout, struggling to stay above water. "There's a ship in distress over there!" and here's where you point it out for him.\n\nSylveste squints, his eyes searching off into the distance, until he comes across the ship. "Ah, I see what you mean!" He rushes to the Lusitania, gliding across the water. You take advantage of this momentary distraction and [[hustle towards the finish line|Paradox End]].
You swim towards Sylveste until you've just about caught up with him. Then you dive underwater and tug on his legs.\n\nSylveste is undeterred by this, however. "Ha ha! An underwater wrestling match, is it?" He dives under and drags you down into the deep.\n\n"No! Stop! Don't! Uncle! Uncle!!" you shout, but to no avail; Sylveste just keeps on dragging you down. (Also, what are you doing shouting underwater, you dummy?)\n\nDown, down, down the both of you go, until you're almost [[out of air|Depths Finale]]...
If you shrank yourself, you could feast on a chocolate for //months//, plus it'd make it easier to hide from your mom when you got in trouble. You rifle through the boxes until you find a package of pills labeled "SHRINK". Then you take it to the break room to get some snacks.\n\nWhen you have enough snacks to your satisfaction, you climb up on a table and take a pill. Instantly, you shrink to the size of a mouse.\n\n<small>"All right!"</small> you say, <small>"Time to chow down!"</small>\n\nYou start eating all of your snacks, but you get full pretty soon. <small>"Ugh, maybe I should take one of those grow tonics..."</small> You carefully climb down the table...\n\nBut you're jostled loose when the janitor comes by and cleans up! "Darn kids," he says, "leaving their trash everywhere."\n\nYou [[tumble down the table|SGFinale]], falling, falling...
"Is your name Orca Spirit?" you ask. You've never read any comic books he starred in before, so you're not sure what he looks like.\n\n"That be my name, yes, though I have many others," says the hippie merman Orca Spirit. "Why, you looking for him?"\n\n<<display "OrcaIntro">>
Running Down a Dreamland
"Honey! Honey, wake up!" You hear your mom's voice say. "Are you alright? I could hear you screaming in your sleep."\n\n"Mmm, I'm fine, mom," you say, still a little groggy.\n\n"That's good to hear," she says. "I was worried that you were having a nightmare. And what's all that you were yelling about Hitler, anyway?"\n\n"It's kind of a long story," you say.\n\n"Well, it's fine if you don't want to talk about it. Anyway, the bus is coming in about half an hour, so you better get dressed and ready!"\n\n"Okay, okay," you say. You get out of bed and start the day.\n\n''the end!''
...Down the side of your bed.\n\n"Goodness!" says your mother. "I guess you were impatient to get out of bed this morning, huh?"\n\nYou groan.\n\n"Well, you have to get ready for the bus in about 30 minutes, so I suggest you hustle!" Your mom leaves.\n\nYou get up. //Oh well, it was nice while it lasted.//\n\n''the end!''
"No true boxer would ever attempt a punch //this// early in the game!" says Sylveste.\n\nUgh, what a nusicance.\n\nSylveste uses this oppurtunity to throw a punch right at you! What do you do?\n\n[[Dodge to the left!|Dodge]]\n[[No, right!|Dodge]]
"In this corner," shouts the referee, "dressed up to the nines in his leopard skin trunks and royal red boxing gloves; ladies and gentlemen, you all know and love him: Strongman //Syyylveeesste!!//" The crowd cheers wildly.\n\n"And in this corner," he continues, "wearing short pants and the long face of shame, //sooooome dweeeeeb!!//"\n\nOh man. This was a terrible idea. What on Earth possessed you to pick boxing? The world may never know.\n\n//Ding ding!// The bell rings, and Sylveste springs into action. He's coming at you fast, kid-- what do you do?\n\n[[Hit him with a left hook!|LeftHook]]\n[[No, right!|RightHook]]
But then, a horde of paper...//things// start following you.\n\n"Help! Help!" you cry, but there is no one to hear you. You run through the halls, desperate to find the exit, but you keep getting lost. None of the hallways go where they're supposed to! You try to outrun the paper monsters, but you trip over one of your shoelaces (weren't they tied before?) and fall down to the ground.\n\nSoon, the monsters swarm all over you, cutting you with their thin, paper arms.\n\n"Stop that!" you [[cry out|StayFinale]]. "You're giving me papercuts all over! Stop that stop that stop that!--"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Crimson, but I can't. I have to go home pretty soon, and besides, I have school today!"\n\nCaptain Crimson seems a little crestfallen, but: "Yeah, you're probably right. I'll let you off at your school."\n\nYou enjoy the rest of the ride home, listening to Crimson prattle on about the oldies on the radio. Then, after what feels like both an eternity and an astonishingly short time, you reach your school.\n\n"Have a good day, hun!" says Captain Crimson as he lets you off at the curb.\n\nYou wave goodbye and enter the school doors. Man, wait 'til you tell your class that you met the real-life, actual Captain Crimson!\n\nIt's funny, though-- it's awful quiet for a school day.\n\n[[Maybe everybody's in the auditorium?|Auditorium]]\n[[Or maybe they all got in trouble and had to go the Principal's office?|Office]]
That's as good an introduction as any, you suppose. "My name's Westley. I was told by Captain Crimson to give you and Doctor Shrink this package."\n\n"Oh, Pete sent you?" (Peter Cramden is the name of Captain Crimson's secret identity.) "Well, it is just as the spirits foretold!" He takes the package out of your hands. "Thank you, little one."\n\n"You're welcome, Orca Spirit," you say.\n\n"Just call me Orca, little one," says Orca.\n\n"Sure, sure," you mumble.\n\nOrca looks you over. "Hey, since you're here, would you like to help me save the city of Atlantis?"\n\nSheesh! How do you respond to that?\n\n[["Thanks, but I gotta go."|BlankEnd]]
[[About]]
Everyone knows that Atlantis is under the ocean! So it only makes sense to look for it at the harbor. It's good thing you're using your noggin today! You hustle over to the harbor, package in tow.\n\nBut when you get there, you can't find Atlantis at all! In fact, nobody you talk to has any idea what you're talking about. //The best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray.// You sit down on a pier and sulk.\n\nJust when you've decided to give up and go home, you feel tap on your shoulder. "Hey, little one," says the voice behind you. "What's eating ya?"\n\nYou turn around to see a slightly bluish-colored man dressed head-to-toe in some kind of tie-die wetsuit. He's got gills on his cheeks and fins on his hands, and he's wearing weird beads in his hair.\n\n"Uh..." you say.\n\n"Take your time, man," says the hippie merman.\n\n[[Ask if he's Orca Spirit.|AskName]]\n[[Ask if he's expecting a package.|AskPackage]]
You try doing that for a bit, but //man//, you just don't have the attention span to pull it off. So what do you //really// want to do?\n\n[[Check out those shrinking pills|ShrinkPills]]\n[[Check out those grow tonics|Grow Tonics]]
"Let's go with swimming," you say. You've had a bunch of lessons back in the first grade, so it shouldn't be too hard.\n\n"Excellent!" thunders Sylveste. "We shall swim all the way across the Atlantic! First one to make it to England wins!"\n\nUgh, why does this guy need to make it so hard for you? He's such a jerk.\n\nSylveste breaks into a jog out of the dueling grounds. "Step lightly, now! We need to get to the shore before sundown!"\n\nYou [[follow him|Swimming Choice]], but not realy in any sort of hurry.
It's only when a familiar string of notes play that you realize the noise is coming from your clock radio. Sheesh, you must've set the alarm to radio in your sleep or something. You turn it off and get out of bed.\n\n"Morning, Westley!" your mother calls. "Did you have a good dream?"\n\nMan, how are you gonna answer //that?//\n\n''the end!''
"I'd like the music duel, please!" you say. It's the one contest you've had the most experience with.\n\n"Very well," says Sylveste. "I shall send some of my men to fetch some musical instruments within the hour. Then you may choose which one you like best."\n\nBut in your hearts you already //know// what instrument you'll choose. It's...\n\n//Hey, kids! It's time for a special interactive sequence that YOU can help with!\n\n"but hey isn't the entire game interactive"\n\nSHUT UP. \n\nUnscramble this word puzzle to find out which instrument you should choose! Remember to write it down somewhere so you don't forget it!\n\n//OENASXPOH//\n\nNow, did you unscramble the word puzzle yet?//\n\n[[Yes, I have|Music Main]]\n[[No, I have not|Music Main][$CheatCode = true]]
...//screech screech screech screech sceeech!!// Oh. It's your alarm clock. Jeez, how long has this being going off, anyway?\n\n"Westley!" your mother shouts. "Your alarm has been going off for ten minutes? Why aren't you out of bed and dressed yet?"\n\n"Aw, jeez, mom, I was having a nice dream!" you say. Gosh darn it. Now you'll never know if you and Sylveste win a grammy for your latest album.\n\nSighing, you get up and start your day.\n\n''the end!''
Wes Eas
"Are you expecting a package?" you ask. You've never actually //seen// Orca Spirit, but from what you know, this //has// to be him.\n\n"The sea and the wind have conspired to tell me to await a new gift from acquaintances, yes," says Orca Spirit. (Sheesh, get a load of //this// guy.) "Why, you got something for me?"\n\n<<display "OrcaIntro">>
For the most part Sylveste plays his bit beautifully, but you know you can lick him. When he's finished and your turn comes around, you crack your knuckles, take up your instrument, and blow that piece. Brother, do you ever! It's so good, the background turns all starry, and an angelic choir joins in on the last verse.\n\nWhen you finish your piece, Sylveste looks at you with tears in his eyes. "Oh, forgive me for my rudeness earlier, friend! Your sweet music has made me repent of my sinister strongman ways! From now on I'm going to be a superb jazzman, just like you."\n\n"Oh man!" you say. "What a great idea! To heck with playing deliveryboy for superheroes and working for the circus, from now on we're gonna play in a blues band!"\n\nAnd that's exactly what you do. From that day forward you're known as a jazz/blues duo called The Brothers Strong, and while it's not the best paying job around, you [[wouldn't have it any other way|Good Music End]].
Maybe they're having an event at the auditorium, and you forgot all about it. It's certainly happened before (remember that time with the water gun fight?). You head over to the auditorium to see if anybody's there. Sure is creepy walking down the hallways with nobody here.\n\nAfter walking down the quiet halls for what feels like //ages// (did the school ever used to be set up like this?), you finally reach the auditorium. And look, you can see a bunch of your friends gathered around the door!\n\n"Hey, guys!" you shout as you enter the auditorium. "Man, you won't believe who I just saw!" None of them turn around to look at you. Instead, they turn sickly pale and grow thinner right before your eyes. Soon, they become so thin they look... flat.\n\n"Hey, what's wrong--" you start to ask, but then it dawns on you: //they turned into paper. Everyone here is paper!//\n\nYou [[run screaming|Paperman]] out of the auditorium.
As it turns out, swimming across the entire Atlantic is not as big a deal as you'd expect, but Sylveste is still beating you.\n\n"Ho //ho!// Did you learn your backstroke from your dear old grandmama, to swim so fleetly?" he jeers.\n\n"Aw, can it!" you say, but your mouth quickly fills up with water.\n\nOh dang. You're never going to beat Sylveste at this rate. You're gonna have to cheat if you want that package back. You consider your options.\n\nIf you hustle, you can catch up with him a little bit, and try to drag him down. You can also spy a sinking ship, labelled the Lusitania, off in the distance; perhaps you could use that to distract him somehow?\n\n[[Drag Sylveste down to the depths|Depths]]\n[[Point out the ship|Lusitania]]
You try to hit Sylveste with a punch from your right fist, but he just dodges and counterattacks. //Ouch!// That //smarts//.\n\n<<display "Boxing Round 2">>
It's unlikely that //everybody// in the school got in trouble at the same time, but it has happened before (most notably at the water gun fight last year.) You walk over to the Principal's office to check things out. Sure is creepy walking down the hallways with nobody here.\n\nAfter walking down the quiet halls for what feels like //ages// (did the school ever used to be set up like this?), you finally reach the Principal's office. And look, you can see someone through the glass!\n\n"Hey, buddy!" you shout as you run into the office. "Aw, man, am I glad to see you!" You tap them on the shoulder, but they don't turn around. Instead, they turn sickly pale and grow thinner right before your eyes. Soon, they become so thin they look... flat.\n\n"Hey, what's wrong--" you start to ask, but then it dawns on you: //they turned into paper. Everyone here is paper!//\n\nYou [[run screaming out|Paperman]] of the Principal's office.
You frantically pat yourself down in search of the package. "My package!" you shout.\n\n"My pocket-watch!" cries the man in the crowd. "I always leave it in my right waistcoat pocket, but now it's gone!"\n\n"Yessir," says Sylveste, "I'm a mighty man indeed. A mighty, mighty, mighty--"\n\n"You can't have that it's not yours!" you cry.\n\n"My dear fellow," says Sylveste, voice dripping with mock concern, "can I take this to mean that you wish to apologize for your slight?"\n\n"Sure sure anything //as long as I get that package back!!//" you shout.\n\n"It won't be that easy, I'm afraid," says Sylveste. "For you se, I never back down from an insult unless the other man beats me in a duel first."\n\n"Okay, fine!" you say, a little frustrated. "If you want me to beat you in some fight, I can handle that, no problem!"\n\n"If you insist," sniffs Sylveste. "Meet me at the Dueling Grounds in a half hour."\n\nHuh? Dueling Grounds? Where's that? You [[stumble out of the tent|Dueling Grounds]] in a daze.
"Thanks, man, but I gotta go. It's getting pretty late and I should be home soon." Besides, weren't you supposed to go to school today?\n\n"Oh, bummer," mumbles Orca. "I thought we got a good groove going on here."\n\n"Yeah that's probably just the seawater talking." You rush out of the harbor and into the streets, hoping to catch a bus ride home.\n\nBut it's getting late and Pulsar City is confusing to navigate (hey, you've never been here before, remember?), so it's hard for you to find a bus stop. You swear you've passed that building before at least a dozen times. And isn't that the same dog at all those fire hydrants?\n\nIn fact, you seeing the same people over and over again. In fact, you keep walking down the same //street// over and over again! What is going on here?\n\n"Excuse me, ma'am," you ask a passing lady, "but do you know if there's a time warp in this neighborhood?"\n\nThe lady turns and looks at you, but to your horror, //she has no face.// And worse, that doesn't stop her from [[screaming her terrible scream|BlankFinale]]...!
<<nobr>><<set $UsedRetry to false>>\n<<set $CheatCode to false>>\n<<endnobr>>It turns out the Dueling Grounds aren't that hard to find; you just follow the trail of broken swords and discarded pistols until you reach it. There's even a great big sign saying "Dueling Grounds" out front (in Comic Sans, for some reason).\n\nWhen you reach the dueling grounds, you find Sylveste is already there, checking his watch and tapping his foot impatiently. "*Tsk, tsk!* Five minutes late! Didn't your mother raise you to be punctual?"\n\n"Yeah, well, I've never been here before." You sling your backpack down to the ground and bold stare Sylveste down. After a while you get tired of that and content yourself with boldy staring down Sylveste's shoes.\n\n"There are only three tests worthy of a gentleman," Sylveste says, his voice ringing out in the barren Dueling Grounds. "First, there are the pugilistic sports, like boxing. Next, there are tests of athletic skill, like swimming. Finally, any true gentleman would not lose a battle between instruments, or music duel. Which would //you// prefer, friend?"\n\n[[Boxing]]\n[[Swimming]]\n[[Music Duel]]
A tunnel might not seem like a good spot to search for Atlantis, but everyone knows that Atlantis is under the water, and tunnels go underground, and //this// one curves right, into the water, so when you put it like that, it's actually pretty smart! You head into the tunnel, careful not to bump into anything.\n\nAfter what feels like //hours// of walking (jeez this tunnel is long), you can finally see the light at the end. "Hooray!" you shout. "Atlantis, here I come!" You rush into the light, but you don't see any crystals or fountains or mermaids or any of the other typical Atlantis stuff when you reach the end. Instead, it's all... it's a... it's...\n\nIt's a circus. There's a great big tent in the center, and there are clowns mucking around and it's a circus. You came all this way to look at a circus. A friggin' circus!!\n\nDo you wanna head all the way back?\n\n[[Sure, lemme look at the Science Center.|ShrinknGrow]]\n[[Sure, lemme look at the harbor.|Harbor]]\n[[Nah, I'm cool staying here for a while.|SylvesteIntro]]
I swear to it that I will expand this part one day. Hold me to it, guys.
Based on the following songs:\n\n"The Big Strong Man" by Two Man Gentleman Band\n"Runnin' Down a Dream" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers\n"Super Mario Bros OST" by Koji Kondo\n"1983...(A Merman I Should Turn To Be) / Moon, Turn the Tides...Gently Gently Away" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience\n\nTested by Dan Snyder.\n\n[[Go back|previous()]]
Finally, you speak up. "So, does this mean that you guys are real?"\n\n"All stories are real, kid, in your //imagination!!//" says Captain Crimson.\n\n"That sounds like a dodge," you say.\n\n"It kind of is," says Captain Crimson. "Hey, could you do me a favor?" He pulls over.\n\n"What is it?" you ask.\n\nCaptain Crimson reaches into the glove compartment and pulls out a small package. "Could you take this to a friend of mine? Promise it won't take long."\n\nWow. What are you gonna say to that?\n\n[[Captain Crimson is asking //me// a favor? This is my lucky day!|AcceptPackage]]\n[[Eh, I'll pass, thanks. You never know when some simple favor is gonna blow up on you.|StayEnd]]
Growing is always way cooler than shrinking! Sometimes you wonder why the good Doctor even bothers. You rifle through the boxes until you find a bottle with the label "GROW" on it. Then you take it outside, so you don't hit your head on the ceiling or something.\n\n"Bottoms up!" you say, drinking the bottle in one giant gulp.\n\nKRAKATOO!! Soon you are as tall as a skyscraper!\n\n"Whoa! So cool!" But your happiness doesn't last for long, for out of the corner of your eye, you spot a couple of fighter jets gunning for you!\n\n"No! No!" you cry as you climb up the Pulsar Radio Tower. "I'm just a regular boy! Honest! Please let me be!" But the fighters either don't notice your pleas or don't care as they shoot you down and [[send you falling, falling...|SGFinale]]
You spot a hitch-hiker while driving down the road. You [[pull over|Dream6]] and roll down the window. "Coming in?"
The radio starts playing some dorky tune you've never heard of before.\n\n'S kinda catchy.\n\nYou [[hum a few bars|Dream5]].
"Thanks, kid!" Captain Crimson takes over the wheel. He drives in silence for a while. Then, he asks you a question.\n\n"So, kid, you've heard of me?"\n\n"Yeah," you answer. "I read your comic book every month! In fact, I was just about the finish the latest one before..." Your voice trails off.\n\n"Oh man, that one? D'ja see how it ends?"\n\n"Well, no. I would like to, though!" you say. "I was just at the part where that new monster guy was gonna blast you to smithereens."\n\n"Oh, I can tell you the rest!" says Captain Crimson. "Cobalt rebeled against Mastermancer, then we teamed up and beat on him. Then, because LLE was short on members, we let Cobalt join our team."\n\n"Oh, wow!" you say. "I guess that 'monster' wasn't so bad after all, huh?"\n\n"Oh, no," says Captain Crimson, "Cobalt totally sucks, dude. Man, I //hate// that guy."\n\n"Oh," you say. You [[sit silently for the next ten minutes|Dream8]], wondering how to respond to //that//.
"I guess so," says the hitch-hiker, "since it //is// my car."\n\nYou squint at the man. It's Captain Crimson, star of your favorite comic book!\n\n"Oh, sorry! You weren't in costume, so I didn't recognize you." You [[scooch over|Dream7]] to the shotgun seat. (Silently you wonder why you were ever driving a car in the first place.)
Bright, shimmering sunlight [[wakes you up|Dream2]] the next day.
You swing your left fist at Sylveste as hard as you can, but he just shrugs it off and punches you in the stomach. //Ow!// That really hurt!\n\n<<display "Boxing Round 2">>
Get into the Crimsonmobile and [[start the day|Dream4]].
You walk outside and [[feel the warm breeze|Dream3]] on your skin.