Chapter 3
Figuring that he would be caught dead instantly if Fang saw it, so he decided to move under the moonlight, using the only source of illumination to guide his actions. It was a common box, colored mahogany, with rusted hinges on one side, and a lock at the front.
Boboiboy had no other key other than the one he was holding, so he decided to try. And voila, it worked like magic. He opened the box, blowing the dust from his fingers, and looked inside.
Inside it was another key looped in a key ring, and a miniature card attached to it. It read: Tok Aba's Cocoa Stand. It was the name of the stall before Kaizo took over. Commencing a treasure hunt that your dead family set for you at the middle of the night was probably the start of some cheesy, clichéd anime sequence, but he went with it anyway. He needed to know why Tok Aba would leave this to him.
And he barely remembered Tok in the first place...
He steeled his nerves. Taking the keys from the hook on the wall, he jogged outside, careful to keep it down low. The stand was just within his sight, and it wasn't difficult for a hit-and-run.
Entering the stall, all he could find were cupboards of empty cups, ingredients or old receipts and books for accrued bills. Other than that, there was nothing else. That's when he noticed a small opening, just behind stacks of old receipts that no one bothered to look through, and a lock that fit the key just well.
He opened the lock, and he removed another box, shaped like a rectangle, as if it was holding a watch. There was a chain tied around it, looped through another key and a card. This treasure hunt was getting more infuriating than intriguing.
The card attached to it read: Room.
Room. Boboiboy's room. His room. He wasn't sure what Tok Aba's purpose was, but the box was probably meant for him too. He opened the box, sneezing as the dust was blown away by his breath.
There was a single watch inside, bulkier than any other regular watches, and the screen wasn't telling the time. It was a lightning bolt, but it was bright crystal blue, shaped as if to mimic a B. Despite the time it sat there, it looked brand new.
What was it?
He clenched the watch in his hands, the surface cold like metal. He quickly closed the compartment and hid it with the receipts, acting as if it never happened. He then hung the chain around his neck, hiding the key in his shirt, the cool surface pressing between his shirt and chest.
If Tok Aba wanted him to have this, then he should take it, right? It's the least he could do for him. He strapped the watch on his left wrist, as it was his non-dominant hand, but before he could even strap it on firmly, it clicked itself, and it secured himself on his wrist.
He almost shrieked. He immediately went to disarm it, only to find that it was removable. That was a relief. He figured that it was an automatic watch? Was that a thing? It didn't act like a watch. He reequipped it, and didn't freak out with it adjusted itself to his wrist size.
Boboiboy turned back to the house, ready to get to the final task of this treasure hunt, but he saw silhouettes walking towards his direction. He squinted, and he recognized them as the other two members of Fang's team, and the yellow flying robot that was named Ochobot.
Oh. He almost forgot that they were going into the city for a convention. They may have just returned by flight or speed or whatever. Whatever floats their boat.
"Hello!" The pink-hijab wearing girl cupped her hands around her mouth, calling out to Boboiboy. "What are you doing out so late? It's dangerous!"
"Uh, I'm just having a stroll!" he called back, hoping it sounded convincing. "Fine weather, eh?"
Don't I have better excuses? He mentally chided himself.
"You should go back home! Your parents will be worried sick!"
For the last time, is everyone in this place so hung up on their parents and kids? It's completely different from where he came from.
"Don't worry! I'll be fine!"
"If you say so!"
The three (if he's counting the robot) soon left to their separate ways, and he was alone in the dark again. He scratched his head and sighed, finally able to get some peace and quiet. He returned to his previous endeavor, only for his watch to beep and attract his attention.
He held his wrist up, and the blue lightning B was spinning in three-dimensional holographic image. It glowed the same color, though it was faint.
What was it doing? He shook his wrist, but the holographic image followed the watch's surface like it was attached.
Then his mind exploded. It was filled with images, voices, scenes; all from different places, but the same location. They were the same voice, but from different people. The people were different, but they were the same. Everything he was seeing was the same, yet so vastly diverse. It was painless, but his mind was overflowing with the unknown.
He lost track of time. It was so overwhelming that when he regained consciousness, he couldn't remember what he just saw. Not one bit. He knew he'd gotten a seizure of some sort, and the next thing he knew he was lying on the grass, the moon still high in the sky. One second could have passed for all he knew. Lucid dreaming was hard enough to keep track of.
Boboiboy groaned, but a part of his mind opened. It was like a new eye had been introduced to him, unable to see, but he could see everything.
"What did I..." he muttered, sitting up. He held his head, expecting throbbing, but none came. It was senseless heaviness.
He looked around, and nothing was out of place. He gritted his teeth, and he glared at the watch on his wrist. The only difference was that the blue was now grey, and it had stopped spinning.
When his eyes fell on the stand, he almost screamed.
The sign read: Tok Aba's Cocoa Stand, in its full blaze of glory.
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