Everyone’s Dreams, Coming True!? Chapter 9 - Am I Still Dreaming...?

"Schezo!" Arle called. I turned around, and yep, the Dark Wizard is standing right there.
"You three. How are you faring on waking all that have touched the Dream Chest?" Schezo asked again. I stuck out the V-Sign to answer.
"Goody goody! Perfect! We've surely got them all!"
"I see. Quite appreciated."

I brought the good news, but he didn't even crack a smile.

"Oh yeah, Schezo~. Where were you until now?" Arle tilted her head.
"I said I was preparing to seal the little chest."
"Guess we finished up the moment you showed up~. It was pretty tough though!"
"Hm?"
"Raffine, Maguro, Sig...oh yeah, and Rulue too!"
"Rulue, huh? Perchance, you witnessed a dream of her wedding with Satan, did you not?"

Whoah, he nailed it. Schezo also known her for a long time, just like Arle~. Arle answered with "Well, it's as you imagine.", then Schezo answers with "Hah."

"Really now. It was best you three did not pursue the heartfelt wishes all at once. Had Satan intervened, Rulue would likely be the most troublesome."
"Hey-...!"

Arle looks like she's ready to dish out a rant...

"N-Now now. Let's cooperate before we break out into a fight." Ringo interrupted.
"I can't work with him!"
"That is nigh impossible!"

Both Arle and Schezo turned to Ringo to yell at her at the same time. She seemed thoroughly shocked, but snapped out of it.

"Oh, right. You're even on the same wavelength...Well, that aside, shall we quickly proceed with the small chest's sealing, Sir Dark Wizard?"
"Ah, very well."
"Please, without further delay!"

Ringo held her hand out like an play actor, showing where I should put the little chest down.

"The sealing ritual is minimal, but still difficult. I require your assistance."
"Could you be any more condescending~? Not like there's any other choice." Arle grumbled.
"Uh, what do you have in mind?"
"Ah right...First, Arle will be dancing with Puyo in hand."
"......"

silence...

Everything just went silent. Then, the silence broke.

"SAY WHAAAAAAAAAT!?" We all shouted together. Schezo didn't care one bit and just continued.
"You, the capped one, shall sing clear and vocal. As for the red-haired one, you shall chant the words 'Red Puyo, Blue Puyo, Yellow Puyo' ten times quickly and continuously."
"Hold up one moment, Schezo!"
"Is all of that necessary to seal it!?"
"This seal is quite extreme!!"

He got all of our concentrated complaints, but he just kept his cool.

"When a seal has been released, the same ritual must be repeated when the time comes again.The first seal was gradually dissolving, and must be sealed by anyone with knowledge of the sealing ritual. That someone must resolve this at once!"

He proudly clenches his fist as he said all that. ...I honestly can't do all that, though! But if the first seal was suddenly and certainly falling apart, then I guess I can't exactly complain at his coincidental spell explanation.

"Well then, on with you."
"Schezo, aren't you going to dance and sing?"
"Hmph...who else shall?"
"Carby, right there..."
"Gu..."
"A-Arle, NO! Do not incite Carbuncle to unleash its beam at me!"

The angry Arle managed to send Schezo in a panic.

"I was the one who fufilled the duty of reciting and completing the previous seal! Therefore, it must be you who shall carry out the ritual!"
"Sigh...if you say so..."
"We don't have much choice do we..."
Arle and Ringo dropped their head in defeat. Guess I have to do it too...

"Puyo-Puyo Puyo Puyo-Puyo~♪ Connect and pop them~♪"

I sang as best as I could, while Arle and Carbuncle did their bizarro dance.

"Okay! Here we go~! One! Two!"
"Gu guu!"

...she's looking pretty desperate. She did a spinny-spin pose while keeping a stiff expression, and she's red in the face. Carbuncle seems to be enjoying himself...

"Red Puyo! Blue Puyo! Yellow Puhyo...Gah! I fumbled my words!"

As for Ringo, she's shouting a set of words over and over quickly. Ringo, keep at it...please! All of this is so embarrassing! I continue to sing, Arle continues to dance, and Ringo's doing nothing but blabber those words away. And Schezo's just watching all of this with his arms crossed.  Wh- What is this weirdness. Let this be just a dream and make it over quick...

After a while, I'm total shame, and Arle's stamina is at her limit...

"Red Puyo, Blue Puyo, Yellow Puyo, Red Puyo, Blue Puyo, Yellow Puyo...Yes! A successful ten consecutive times!" Ringo excitedly threw her fist up. Schezo quickly said "Many thanks.", facing the little chest and poked at it with his sword. And then he recited a spell!

"Enthralling Dreaming♪ O Dream Mist, I have thee one wish for you! To this Pre~tty little chest slumber once more! Go forth...Seal!"

*SHING!!*

Schezo released a radiant white stream of light from his sword, and it surrounded the box. I can really feel a strong power get to work. But then the next moment...

*FLASH!*

The chest was engulfed in the light and disappeared completely.

"Wh-...What is this!?" Schezo spoke in shock. "I couldn't seal it. Why...?"

...oh.

"Schezo...Maybe that spell was filled with nothing but negative vibes?" Arle asked, filling our thoughts for us.
"I said nothing of ill will!" He clenched a fist, red with anger. "I cannot consider that! Still, due to that sealing spell, there is no other choice..."
"Are you going to humiliate us further by making us compete on who recites the spell better? How about it, Carby?"
"Gugugugu!"
"A-Arle! I...shall snatch you away this instant!"
"And this must be the screw-up of the moment!"
"Oh confound me! "I shall snatch victory away from you in Puyo this instant!" is what I meant to say!!"
"Each and every time, you turn into a pervert."
"Gngh...grrr...!"

Ringo and I were exhausted from all the shouting, while Arle and Schezo continued to yell at each other. How...enthusiastic. Well, from the look of things.

"Hey hey, Mr. Perv...no wait, Mr. Dark Wizard!"
"Hey, you. You called me a pervert did you not?"
"A- Ahahahaha! Besides that, you said you couldn't seal it~?"

I couldn't help but laugh when I asked, and he just gave me this serious look.

"Yes..."
"Is it possible your were mistaken on the sealing spell?" Ringo asked, but Schezo shook his head.
"No, I am not mistaken. While it is a quite shameful ritual, you'd remember it for that, no need for repeat."
"I see...You do have imposing persuasive ability..."

Ringo looks a little passive. Schezo thought of something for a bit, and then sighed.

"Well then, perhaps we were mistaken that the Dream Mist collection is complete. Hey, you three. Are you sure no one else touched the box?"
"Eh? Well uh..."

I tried to recall stuff from the day before, from step one. Raffine, Sig, Rulue, Maguro...Klug didn't touch the box at all...huh. Besides the three of us, I don't think anyone else else did.

"Hm, nothing off the top of my head." I answered...
"It couldn't have ended there." Then Schezo gave me a straight answer to my answer. "Then that means there is still a dream wandering out there."
"Uh, er, but..."

Now I'm really confused.

"Well then, Schezo, what about you?" Arle looked straight at Schezo. "If we're in a dream that hasn't woken up, then maybe this Schezo is just a Schezo within a dream..."
"Pardon...?"

Arle's question made him raise an eyebrow. Did his pride take a hit?

"Hmph. It wouldn't be like me to be imprisoned by my dream. Then perhaps you, Arle, are but a product of a dream, are you not?"
"Eh? No I'm not. Carby is proof of that!"
"Gu guguu!"
"You don't get it it. Carbuncle may also be part of that dream."
"Wh- What are you saying!?"
"Guguuu!?"
"Uhm, hello? Could you two please settle down..." Watching over them, Ringo cut in between them.
"Ah yes, not just Arle. You're also quite strange."

Schezo's eyes opened up as he said that.

"Wh...that's impossible! I-I am quite sane and conscious!"
"Can you prove it?"
"Uhm..."
"Show me then."
"Eeh!? You said that the situation will fall to chaos if I didn't chant those words repeatedly and quickly! Why are you so worked up!?"

Oh geez. Now Ringo's getting herself into this mess!

"We all went through Puyo Hell and back embarrassing ourselves, trying to work with you on sealing the thing following every crazy command you said!"
"Guguuuu!"
"I only spoke of the possibility! Your rage may also as well be unusual!"
"Us three always being together is more than sufficient proof of the validity of us not being abnormal. Logically, it is you that is the most strange, Pervert Magician!"
"For the last time...Do NOT call me a pervert!"

The look in his eyes heated up as he said that. I more or less tried to say "Heya~...Could you calm down..." but no one was listening! Oh phooey! ...then...

"I've had it! We'll settle it...with Puyo!"
"Gu guguu!"
"Hmph. Indulge me!"
"Of course! Let's play Puyo!"

In the end, the three of them started a battle of Puyo. Well, that's how it is. It's alright if a Puyo Battle gets pumped up like that. Stacking Puyo on other Puyo, really getting in sync in Puyo is fun in itself, and maybe their fight will end right there. Ah, I kinda want to play Puyo too...should I jump in? Just when I considered it...

"Gah! What the-!?" Arle shrieked.
"Wh...what is this turn of events!?" Schezo added.
"I-I-I-I don't know!" And even Ringo continued!

The three of them looked around, confused...

"EEEEEH!?"

And then they shouted. Before they knew it, they were surrounded by a giant mountain of Puyo.

"H-How did you not notice this!?"
"It's not our fault at all...uwaah, not any closer! We're surrounded! Surrounded! Carby, are you alright?"
"Gu gugu!"

As the Puyo closed in, Arle picked up Carbuncle in a panic, even though he looks like he's having fun.

"Come on Carby, carefree at a time like this...Still we have to pop our way through!"

Arle went to work on the Puyo, gathering the Red Puyo. Of course, she connected them by the colors.

"Yeah!"

...but then the next moment...

*Boom!*

"Wha- What the heck!?"

The connected Puyo should've popped, but instead they merged together and grew in size!

"Gugu!"

Carbuncle's eyes beamed as he looked straight on. The Puyo kept connecting one after another in every which way around us.

*Boom!* *Boom!*

But as they linked up right after each other, they all became one gigantic Puyo.

"C-Carby! Stop, stop...NOOO!"

Arle got squashed by mega-Puyo, unable to be seen!

"ARLE!" Schezo shouted, watching everything happen in front of him. "Grr...Cursed Puyo, wherever you're spawning from...My Dark Sword shall cleave the way!"

With an angry expression, Schezo swung the Dark Sword. But wait!

"Wh- What the-!?"

When the Dark Sword hit the Puyo, it got cut in half, but it only made them multiply! They've only split into smaller ones...

"Y-you Impudent-!"

He kept swinging his sword around, getting all the Puyo around him and continues to make them split and multiply.

"M-Maybe you should stop~..." I popped a suggestion as I watch all this.
"UWAAAH!"

Schezo eventually got buried by ever-multiplying Puyo, almost drowning in them.

"Geez...Wh- W-w-w-what do we do!? Do you know, Ringo!?"

Ringo keeping her cool and thinking of something...and then she turned over to me.

"Th-this...this is a Puyo!?"

Ringo's at a loss with the rock-hard ice block of a Puyo. Wait what!? Why is it frozen solid!?

"I stacked and I stacked, but the frozen Puyo won't pop at all!"

The Puyo chain she made looks more like an ice wall than a chain.

"Oh, if it melts at the tip...that's BAAAD NEWS!"

I pointed up as I pointed it out. But as soon as Ringo noticed, she noticed it way too late...

"Eh...? Wait- Wait a minute!!"

Once they started melting, all of the Puyo collapsed and popped in one big bang. She ended up getting smooshed by the Puyo chain surprise...

"NYAAAAH!"
"AAH! Ringo!"

I couldn't help but look and double-take all around!

"Pwah...Something hectic and strange is going on. This has to be a dream...Nragh!" Arle said, trying to struggle her way out of the mega-Puyo. "This is has to be, one of us or someone else, a dream we're seeing here!"
"Gugu!"
"H...Hah! Somehow...grngh...that's been established moments ago!" Schezo scoffed.

Uhm, staying calm while drowning in a sea of Puyo isn't something you see everyday...

"Hmm. Whose is it! I request an honest answer...Fwa-CHOO!"

Ringo looked around with suspicion, crawling out of the pile of Puyo.

...Oh~~~? I thought of something while looking around at the strange Puyo. With everyone fired up, are they really in the dream? We usually don't actually see the person in their own dream. On top of that, the wished dream in question, "I want the Puyo to have many various strange shapes," who wished for that? Did no one else really touch the little chest? Uh, uhm...

"Oh- OHHHHH!"

I let out a super-loud outcry, which caught everyone's attention. I get it! I totally get it!

"Hey guys, listen up! It's about the dream we're in right now. I figured it out!"
"Seriously Amitie!?"
"Guuu!?"
"So it is not I that shall propose it?"
"Please tell us!"

Everyone opened their mouth and spoke.

"Hu hu hu..." I felt a hint of superiority as I put a hand behind my back and pointed at the culprit. "The dream we're seeing right here and now...is the Puyo's!"

*Point!*

Everyone was frozen for a moment. And then...

"EEEEEEEH!?"

Everyone went and did a double-take on the strange Puyo surrounding them as they shouted their shock. As for me, I continued on with confidence.

"Don't you see now? The little chest got hit with Puyo by Carbuncle...In other words, they still touched it! We're in a dream here and now because they also got influenced by the Dream Mist!"

I went over to pick up the nearby Red Puyo, letting out a chuckle as I made eye contact with it. That's right, I'm pretty sure this dream is from these little guys.

"Wh- Whose dream are we in right now again...?" Arle tilted her head, not all that convinced.
"If that's the case, the dream will undergo various changes, then..." Ringo added.
"Well then, let's say that truly is the case. How will you awaken the Puyo from the dream?" Schezo asked with such a serious face.
"Ah hmm, about that..."

I pat the top of the Red Puyo I found. What kind of dream would you have I wonder?

"Maybe, just maybe..." I began to speak my thoughts lingering within my heart. "Guys, maybe it isn't just doing it for fun anymore!"

Yep. For some reason I feel it's just that. Puyo are always around us day by day in every which way. Obviously the Puyo can't communicate with words, so no one assumes they think. Makes you wonder what they're thinking in the first place, right? Getting extremely close to each other just feels normal to them, yet it's really strange wondering where they go when they connect and pop.

But Puyo are kinda like animals. They may not don't talk with words, and they can't hear anything so persuasion is out of the question...but having a fun Puyo match with the Puyo is great and all, and the image of them having so much fun in the dream is pretty wonderful too. Having thought of that, granting a dream like that is a bad idea!

"So guys! Since we're in a dream of the Puyo, we have to play tons of Puyo all the way to the end!"
"But uh...how do we do that with these strange Puyo?
"And in regards to the ice Puyo...how can I set up chains with them...?"

Arle and Ringo look concerned.

"Don't worry! The image will turn back to the original image!"

Even then, we packed the little chest to the brim with dreams. But I think we can do it!

"Have you seen me turn into a butterfly and fly off? If you tell the Puyo's heart that the battles are fun, then it will be fun!"
"...Amitie..."
"That's quite, quite, nonsensical..."

Arle and Ringo look to me, and then to each other. And then...

"But if you're the one insisting on it, then there's no harm trying, I guess?"
"Right. It can honestly be actually fun. It could turn into another Puyo match!"
"Gu guguu!"

Everyone laughed.

"Well then, here we go!"

With timing and cooperation from Carbuncle, Arle began to stack up the especially big Puyo.

"Aha! I can't make complex chains like this, but we've got push on with the popping. This is how we do it though~♪"
"Gu gu!"

Several quakes happened as Team Arle were putting down the Puyo!

"Having taken the time to solve this icy dilemma, there's potential for a nonstandard stacking method!"

While Ringo can't pop the ice Puyo, she seems to be having fun either way. Uhm, uh, which Puyo do I play with!?

"H- HEY! You three! Could you be any more flippant..."

Schezo shouted with confusion, trying to catch up with us.

"Come and join in, Schezo!" Arle paused herself from stacking the giant Puyo to wave at Schezo. Even I called for him.
"Yeah! Sure the small Puyo aren't the usual Puyo, but I'm sure you'll make some hu~ge chains!"
"...wh..."

Schezo didn't seem interested to what I said at first. But with determined eyes, he look over the Puyo around him...

"Let's go...Hah!"

He went and stacked them up. Alrighty, feeling great~♪

"Me too, me too! It's go time!"

Everyone looks like they're enjoying themselves, and the eagerness doesn't seem to stop. As for me, I jumped right into the ring. When the Puyo connect and pop, they disappeared into the Dream Mist. The Puyo have the same-as-always expression, can you imagine them with a content look on their face?

And then...

"And now!"
"This is the end!"
"Nyahahahaha!"
"Here we go...Bayoe~~~n!"

Almost at the same time, everyone went all out and popped the last Puyo...then up in the sky, we saw a rainbow stretch all across it. The last of the Puyo's massive Dream Mist shined radiantly and prettily, as if we came from a dream world.

"Whoah..."

I was breathless at the entire right, that is, until Arle and Ringo slapped me from both sides.

"Well well, you did great, Amitie."
"Fufufu. You really do resonate with the Puyo...Of course, Amitie will always the best Amitie!"
"Bwha? Wait- what?"

With a bit of surprise, I asked for a repeat. But they just smiled, laughed, and didn't give me my answer.

"And that's finally the end of it!" Arle threw her hands up.
"Yep! It was an uphill battle, but it was pretty fun!" Ringo agreed.
"Goody-goody, we're done here!" I also threw my hands up, then...
"Yeah!" The three of us did a high five!
"Gu gugu!" Carbuncle happily jumped up to join in.

The little chest took up the last of the Dream Mist. The seal must be done, then. ...uh? What seal?

"You have done well once again, you three." Schezo was behind us, noticing all of this. Then...
"We must perform the sealing. The sealing ritual is as before. Now, dance, sing, and quickly repeat the chant!"
"Wh- WHAAAAAAAAAT!?"
"No way, absolutely NOT!!"
"I am not confident the next attempt will be successful!"
"SILENCE! I don't pass off the ritual as mere banter, and you should not be an exception! Now make haste!"
"No waaaaaay!!" So the three of us went and...

The sun was already setting, on and on, working hard, very hard, really hard even more until we were done. Finally, at last, we were able to seal the Dream Mist...

I headed back home, had dinner, brushed my teeth, and took a bath. After that, I got in my pajamas, dried my hair, and hopped into bed. I always make it a habit to say "good night" to my Red Puyo Hat. As I closed my eyes, thoughts ran my mind. Lots of crazy things happened today...Sig getting taller in a blink, having a visit to each and everyone's dreams, having a Puyo match with the unusual Puyo, and ending it off with singing my lungs out... Bundling up in my blanket, reminiscing the entire day like this, having a good night's sleep felt really good. Wonder what dream I'll have tonight? Being the Wonderful Magician would be nice.

Speaking of Wonderful...My thoughts on becoming "Amitie, the Wonderful Magician who can do any~thing" didn't match Arle and Ringo's image. Having said that, it got me thinking. What does being "wonderful" really mean? What kind of magician will I be in my dream? Ah...but I'm so tired from today, why am I thinking about it now...I'm so tired...

"Uniting with everyone's hearts and keeping a smile will lead to happiness. That is what being a Wonderful Magician means. Good night, Amitie."

I thought I heard someone's voice. Oh, right, it's just my dream. It's all just in my room...