8 Phase 08: About Town

Riverside Town was very similar to Sunshine Town: they both had water on the east side, and they both had their Town Square and Gym in the middle.

But Riverside's Market was also on the East Side, all around the ferry, and the place was filled with shops and stalls and stores. As such, Colin couldn't find a nice quiet place to rest at all; the whole area was busy.

The Market did give Colin an idea, though.

He called Katrin. "Kat?"

"Colin? What's wrong?" Katrin asked.

"Nothing. I'm at Riverside Town Market. Is there anything you guys need from here?"

"Oh. No, we're just clearing a new field with those six Megants for now. Your room's all ready for you to come rest. But if you could get another few cans of tuna…"

"Right. I'll get some." Colin said.

"But Colin… your voice sounds… sad." Katrin said. "Are you sure nothing's wrong?"

Colin thought about it, then sighed. "It's just Rita… and Henry… we were Traveling together…"

He told her about it as he explored Riverside Town. He sat down for a while on a bench at the north side overlooking a huge vehicle showroom and the north road , which led to a bunch of hills with a signboard having a picture of the sea and two ships on it.

He went on to the west side, which was filled with factories. It was quite busy too.

The south side was the quietest of the lot, having houses and a plaza in front of the mayor's house, which was surrounded by a fence and a white gate.

Colin found himself back at the south road as he finished his tale.

Katrin sounded worried. "Colin… Jonah, Alicia and Larry… are they enemies of yours?"

{Enemies…?}

"Well… they're supposed to be friends, but… you know." Colin said, thinking hard. Their fathers said they should be friends… but that didn't mean that they were.

"It sounds like they want Rita to become your enemy." Katrin said. "Do you think they would do that?"

"That's exactly the kind of thing they would do." Colin agreed. "But… I don't think Rita's like that. I mean… I did apologize a few times."

"Maybe." Katrin said. "But she's also Traveling with them. You have to remember that."

"Only because we left her behind. It's our fault." Colin said.

"Exactly. That's what makes it worse." Katrin said. "Just… be careful out there."

"Thanks, Kat." Colin said. "I'll get the tuna and head back."

"Aren't you going to do the Treasure Hunt?" Katrin was surprised. "You went all the way there for that, after all."

"But… after everything…" Colin paused.

"You should try it." Katrin told him. "Or your trip will be wasted."

"It's too late, anyway." Colin said. "I think they already started without me."

"Maybe. Maybe not. You should go and check. See you later, Colin, and don't forget the tuna!"

"Okay." Colin said, and closed the connection.

***

The watch beeped almost immediately after that. Colin tapped it, thinking it was Katrin, but was surprised to find that the call came from Rita.

Furthermore, it said 'one-way transmission'.

{What does that mean…?}

His watch gave him the answer. {"You will hear what your contact sends, but you cannot send any reply."}

Curious about what this was about, Colin accepted the call.

"…a total of five steps. And now, a clue about the first step on this Treasure Hunt!" the announcer was saying.

Colin blinked. "Rita?"

But of course, he couldn't send anything. Rita couldn't hear anything on his side. He could only hear what was going on at hers.

"Twin ships sit side by side, facing the seat where I wait under." The announcer said. "Go!"

There was a lot of noise coming over the watch for a while, then a soft click.

Rita had ended the connection.

"What was that about?" Colin asked Shiro.

Shiro turned to the east side and said, "Yip."

Colin blinked. "You want to find the ships?"

Shiro nodded, and then sniffed at the watch.

Colin blinked again. "You think Rita wants me to join the Treasure Hunt?"

"Yip." Shiro nodded seriously.

Well… that did sort of make sense… it would explain why she sent him a one-way transmission…

Except that Rita hated him.

Didn't she…?

Wasn't she angry with him?

Or maybe… maybe his apologies did get through to her.

Colin felt the weight on his heart clearing as he thought of it. He smiled at Shiro.

"Let's go."

***

The East Side was even busier than it had been just minutes ago. Dozens of people were running up and down the river side looking for twin ships.

Colin stopped by the fish seller and asked for cans of tuna.

"Nine Clira each." The fish seller said.

Colin blinked. Tuna was cheaper here than at Sunshine Town. He bought five cans, leaving him with just 5cr.

"Are you on the Treasure Hunt too?" the fish seller asked.

"Yeah. Maybe." Colin said.

The guy laughed. "Well, let me give you a hint. There are no ships at Riverside Town."

"What?" Colin blinked. "Really?"

The guy pointed to the river. "You see those? Those are river barges. Big boats, ferries, yes. But nothing that qualifies for a ship. Those only appear farther downriver, where the water is deeper. Up here, all you get are boats."

"Then the twin ships thing…" Colin frowned.

"You'll have to keep an eye out." The fish seller told him with a wink.

Colin glanced at a nearby shop where someone was selling several kinds of Comrades, including sheep-like creatures. Some people were checking those too, but Colin didn't think that those were what he was looking for.

"Where else would someone find Twin Ships?" Colin wondered.

And then he remembered.

***

Colin looked around carefully as he sat down on the bench on the north side of Riverside Town again… the same bench he'd sat on just minutes before when he was talking to Katrin.

There in front of him was the showroom, the north road, the hills… and the signboard showing the sea and the ships.

Two ships, side by side, and they looked exactly the same.

Colin slipped his hand under the bench and found a little knob almost immediately.

Red light flashed on his watch. He tapped it.

{Incoming Transmission – Recorded Message.} The watch informed him.

Colin opened it.

It was a text message. {Outside the gate, take ten steps forward, turn left, take three steps forward, turn right, take two steps back.}

"Colin?" Henry's voice made him jump.

"Huh?" Colin spun to see Henry there.

"Can I… sit down?" Henry asked.

Colin frowned, thinking he wanted to talk, and gave him space.

Henry, however, carefully leaned forward and touched the knob under the bench.

{He's here for the clue…} Colin realized. He got up and waved. "Good luck, Henry."

"You too, Colin." Henry said, as he tapped his own watch to view the clue.

Colin thought about a gate and figured, {it has to be that one.}

***

There was only one set of gates in Riverside Village.

The white gates of the mayor's house on the south side.

Colin stood in front of the gates, turned around and scratched his head. "Ten forward, three left, and then turn right and three steps back… that means, seven forward and three left."

He went to the spot and found a rather jagged tile there, but nothing else. No knob, no paper, no clue.

"Move." A sharp voice said.

"What?" Colin glanced up.

Jonah, Alicia, Larry and Rita were there. Rita was still pale as she looked at him, and said nothing.

"I said {move}." Jonah told him.

Colin stepped back and watched as Jonah poked and pushed and pulled at the jagged tile. Nothing happened.

"The tile feels funny." Jonah told them all. "Kinda soft."

Alicia touched the jagged tile. Then she touched the other tiles in the plaza in front of the mayor's house. "They all feel kinda soft."

"Oh." Jonah got up. "Then it can't be this gate. Maybe there's a restaurant or factory named Gates or something."

They left the place, and Colin watched them go. Henry found him there, poking the jagged stone by himself.

"What are you doing?" Henry asked Colin.

"Um… nothing." Colin replied. "Just… checking."

Henry frowned and went to the gates of the mayor's house. He, too, turned around.

And then he took ten steps forward.

"It ends here." Colin told him, getting up.

Henry turned left and took three steps forward.

Colin sighed, stepping away. "I told you, it stops at that tile."

Henry turned right and took two steps back…

And promptly tripped over the tile.

"Whoa!" Henry gasped and fell over backwards onto the soft tiles of the plaza.

Immediately, red light flashed on his watch.

Colin blinked. "What?!"

He tried it. He, too, tripped over the tile and fell over backwards.

And his watch also lit up.

{We had to fall down…} Colin realized. {We were supposed to TRIP over that tile, not poke it or open it.}

"Wow." Colin said. Those instructions were very specific.

"Colin…" Henry said. "I'm going to need your help."

"What?" Colin blinked. "Why?"

"Open the clue." Henry said tensely.

Colin opened it.

{Behind the Riverside Comrade Home, there is a cave. At the back of the cave, there is a Wild Honeybear. One of his honey pots is made of metal. The next clue is under it.}

"Uhoh." Colin winced. "A {bear}?!"

"Like I said…" Henry started walking. "I need your help."

"Henry, I think we're going to need more than just Shiro and Tomato to take on a bear." Colin protested.

"I think we can manage. This Treasure Hunt is for beginners, after all. It can't be that hard. Just because it's a bear it doesn't mean it's all that strong." Henry told him. "Besides, I think it's the bear that the Chief Breeder was carrying earlier."

Colin blinked, remembering. "So {that's} why she came out to the back."

"Probably." Henry said. "Think we can manage that one with our Comrades?"

Colin nodded. "We should be able to manage."

Other people were coming to the plaza now. Colin and Henry headed south.

***

The Chief Breeder recognized them at once. "You two! Did you apologize to that girl?"

"Yes." Colin said, as Henry scowled. "Chief Breeder, can you tell us where the honey bear's cave is?"

She gave them both a close look, glanced at their Comrades, then said, "Just track the bear from the spot where we met earlier."

"Track it…" Colin nodded. "Thanks, chief."

"My name is Aoi." She told them. "Call me if you need help around these parts."

Colin's watch twitched. "Thanks, Chief Aoi. Call me too."

Meek tracked the honeybear easily, and they followed her to a cave that seemed a bit too large for such a small bear. "Ready?" Colin asked Henry.

"Let's go." Henry said shortly. He hadn't said a word since Aoi mentioned Rita.

"Shiro…" Colin began.

"Yip." Shiro said urgently, and tugged at Colin.

"What?" Colin blinked.

"Yip." Shiro said in a low voice.

"You want us to be quiet…?" Colin frowned. "Why?"

"Yip." Shiro said again, and pretended to go to sleep. He got up and said once more, "Yip."

Colin understood. "Henry… this isn't supposed to be a fight. We're supposed to sneak in."

"What?" Henry stared. "What are you talking about?"

"The bear's sleeping." Colin answered. "This is for beginners, remember? Something anyone with a Lynxmouse can do. We're not supposed to fight the bear. We're supposed to sneak past it. Or at least, send our Comrades to sneak past it."

"Yip." Shiro said, and scurried down Colin's arm. He tapped Colin's watch with his paw. "Yip."

Now {Colin} stared. "Are you serious?!"

"Yip." Shiro said.

"What is he saying?" Henry asked.

Colin didn't reply. He simply took off his watch.

The silver bracelet expanded immediately, back to its original size. Colin put it on the ground.

Shiro turned to Meek. "Yip."

Meek crawled into it and Shiro tapped it with his paw. Colin's watch closed and fitted itself to Meek's waist.

"She looks like she's wearing armor." Henry observed.

"Yip. Yip." Shiro told Meek.

"Mik." Meek replied, and crept into the cave.

***

Colin and Henry waited for perhaps two minutes before Meek was out again. Meek was beaming. "Mik!"

The watch was flashing red.

"Thanks, Meek. Thanks, Shiro." Colin said, putting on his watch again.

"My turn." Henry said. "Chip. Biscuit. Tomato. Let's go."

Colin scratched his head. "I'll wait…"

"No." Henry said. "You go on ahead. You're right – this should be done by beginners. I can manage. I have to manage this… on my own."

"Why?" Colin asked.

"Because that's what my brother would want. He'd want me to do things by myself so that I'll be ready when it's time for him to train me." Henry said. "Don't worry, Colin. I can do this."

"Okay…" Colin said, and left him to it.

***

The last clue said, {Follow the scent of this clue.}

Colin blinked. "Do you know the scent?"

Meek nodded. "Mik, mik."

"Okay. Let's follow it."

Meek followed the scent to the west side of town, but it went farther, to the north side, then the east side, back to the south before finally ending up right back in the Town Square.

"Are you sure about this?" Colin had to ask.

"Mik." Meek said, with certaintly.

She followed it all the way under the stage, watched by the announcer, the judges, and everyone else who had given up on the treasure hunt altogether. She just slipped in under the curtains, and Colin had about thirty seconds to wonder if he should follow her under it too.

But he didn't need to. Just before he could ask someone for advice, Meek popped back out.

This time, she had the golden watch in her paws.

The announcer's voice boomed all over town.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a WINNER!"

***

They wanted him to put it on. But he refused.

"Other than the color and the gold, there's really no difference between this watch and mine, right?" he asked.

"No difference. But you get to prove that you actually won this contest." The announcer said.

"Then I have a better idea." Colin said, looking around.

He spotted her arriving. Her face was still pale and went even whiter when she saw that he'd won it.

Colin went over to Rita and gave her the Golden Watch.

"Rita, I'm sorry for leaving you behind."