Let's be honest—

We've all been waiting for this one 😳

————————————————

"WOAH!! IF IT ISN'T

LI  LIGHTNERS! !! [[2 for the price of one!!]] !!!"

The puppet, known as Spamton jumps out from the garage bin to greet his new customers. His dirty black yet fancy top with shoulder pads and his dirty white pants looked a little tight on his busty and hefty body. His dark fancy hairdo was dirty and greasy. His mitch-match glasses were yellow and pink. And his smile seemed more... desperate than welcoming.

"HEY-HE Y HEY!!!" Spamton greets. "LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE BOTH [[All Alone On A Late Night?]]. EVERYONE [[Casted You Aside]]?? ? SALES, GONE DOWN THE [[Drain]] [[Drain]]?? LIVING IN A GODDAMN GARAGE CAN???"

His body suddenly starts shaking and he laughs, before SLAMMING his fit on the side the garbage bin.

Kris and Sal recoil back out of cautiousness.

Spamton quickly regains his composure and turns back to the Lightners, putting on another eager smile.

"WELL HAVE I GOT A [[Specil Deal]] FOR LONELY [[Hearts]] LIKE YOU!!" He claps his hands together. "IF YOU'VE [[Lost Control Of Your Life]]. THEN YOU JUST GOTTA GRAB IT BY THE [[Silly Strings]]." His hands clutch into an open fist.

He takes a step forward.

"WHY BE THE [[Little Sponges]] WHO HATES THEIR [[$4.99]] LIFE."

He takes another step forward.

"WHEN YOU CAN BE A"

His glasses darkened, void of color as his body quivers once more. Then, like nothing happened, his big demeanor comes back, and the color returns to his glasses as he shouts

"[[BIG SHOT!!!]]

He yells even louder. His head somehow growing larger with each shout.

"[[BIG SHOT!!!!]]

[[BIG SHOT!!!!!]]"

Spamton's arms flail excitedly as his head shrinks back to its normal size.
"THAT'S RIGHT!! NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO BE A [[BIG SHOT]]!!

He takes another step.

"AND I HAVE JUST."

He steps closer.

"THE THING."

And closer.

Kris and Sal take a step back.

"YOU NEED"

And closer.

"THAT'S"

....

The shorter man leans closer to the boys, much to their dislike.
Their bodies lean back with discomfort as Spamton says his answer, glasses darkened.

"[[Hyperlinked Blocked]]"

He suddenly drew back, laughing maniacally.
His head starts to glitch and resize here and there as he continues to cackle.

"YOU WANT IT. YOU WANT [[Hyperlink Blocked]], DON'T YOU. WELL HAVE I GOT A DEAL FOR YOU!!"

His laughs ceased and his posture went still. "ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SHOW ME."

A wide grin returns to his face as his head slowly turns to Kris.

The Lightner felt a chill run up his spine.

Spamton titles his head, stepping forward.
Kris' hand glides to grab Sal's, who takes it without hesitation.

He didn't know why he was so scared all of sudden.
But one thing he did know— He didn't like where this was going nor could he trust that smile.

"YOU'RE LIGHT nearS< AREN'T YOU?

YOU'VE GOT THE [[LIGHT.]]

WHY DON'T YOU

[[Show it off?]]

HAEAHAEHAEAHAEAHAEAH!!"

Sal gripped Kris' hand tighter.

Think it's about time to leave.

He leans closer to Kris. "... Let's get out of here.." He whispers. Kris nods slightly, not wanting this psycho to know about their plan. He hoped this works somehow, like earlier with Queen and Berdly.

Carefully, they start shuffling their way around him.

"[[Hey hEy hey!!]] WHAT 'S THE [[holdup]] WHY LEAVING SO SOON??"

Shit...

"Uhh sorry we uh... have to get going. It's really important and we're really in a hurry."
Sal did his best to sound convincing.

But Spamton persisted.

"SURELY YOU CAN [[Spare]] SOME [[Generosity]] FOR A [[Tool]] LIKE ME??!!! !!
[[Come one come all!]] DON'T YOU WANNA BE A BIG SHOT?"

Sal gently nudged Kris' arm, gesturing him to keep going. "We would like to... But we really have to leave. Right now." They were near the end of the alley way. Just a few more steps.
They were almost there—

"WAIT [[One second on the timer!]] YOU CANT LEAVE WITHOUT [[Hyperlinked Blocked]]" Spamton jumped in front of the boys, giving them a fright, with Kris nearly fell to the ground.

They both sighed mentally.

He's not going to let them leave... is he?

.....

Guess it couldn't be helped.

Kris readjusted his stance, trying to seem more bold. "Ok.. w-what do you want us to do?"

He looked down at Sal as if psychically telling "there's no point in trying to leave."
Thankfully, he got the memo and sighed in defeat. "Yeah alright... I'll help too."

And with that, Spamton's smile grew once more. It was hard to tell if it was a genuine pleased smile.. or something more malicious...

"GREAT! !! IM SO [[Thrilled]] I COULD [[%&@!]] MYSELF! —THAT I COULD   JUST [[Die]]"

The puppet laughed and laughed.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

(Y'all know what time it is when we hear this song—)

Kris and Sal readied themselves for battle. Going through something like these already for the past two hours or so, Sal had an idea of what to except.

At least, that's what they both thought.

"HEY HEY HEY! I'VE NEVER SEEN A [HeartShapedObject] LIKE THAT BEFORE!!
MY EYES ARE [[Burning]] LIKE [[DVDs of ANY movie at Half-price!]]
I HAVE A VERY SPECIL [Deal] FOR YOU KID!"

The moment of proceeding forward.
They might as well be interested in what this puppet has to say.

Kris asked Spamton to tell them more.

As a result, the puppet was flushed with excitement.

"THAT'S THE ATTITUDE YOU LITTLE [Slime]!
DEALS LIKE THIS ONLY COME ONCE IN YOUR [[Ant-sized]] [[Rapidy-shrinking]] LIFE!!
ENL4RGE Yourself"

Suddenly, Spamton's head grew large, giving the teens more discomfort. Words like $VALUES, $PRICES, $CHEAP flew out from his large mouth in an attempt to hit Kris' soul.
Which, ended futile thankfully.

*THERE' NOTHING WRONG WITH HAVING A NICE [Splurge] EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE

"BELIEVE IT OR !! I USED TO be A BIG SHOT. THE BIGGEST!!!
BUT NOW...
I NEED A LITTLE [[Genorisity]]"

Spamton's body shook, seeming a little too eager for the request.
Kris contemplate his next move. He looks over at Sal for an opinion.
"Maybe try giving him a few dollars.." The teen whispers.

Kris figured, what else did he have to lose— other than his money.

He handed Spamton a couple of dollars. The salesman immediately snatched them and, to Kris and Sal utter shock, messively devoured the cash.

The boys thanked god Cuphead wasn't here.

After his having his snack, Spamton quickly turned back to the one who was so generous to donate some spare change.

"YUM YUM. DELICIS KROMER. DID YOU HAVE AN YMORE?" He grins, expression filled with hunger.

Kris spared Sal another look. They decided to give him more money.
Like a savage animal, the puppet devoured every dollar. It's like he hasn't eaten a proper meal in a while.

Though judging by his current condition before them, they can assume that could be the case.

It also didn't seem to help the fact that Kris and Sal would flinch at almost every sudden movement Spamton would make. But honestly...
Was it really their fault that they were so jumpy around this creep?

Kris decided this wasn't helping them move forward. So he decided to not give him anymore money, despite his own odd reluctance.

However, Spamton seemed to brighten at this, much to Kris' surprise.

"THAT'S RIGHT AND I DON'T MEAN [Money]!!! I'M A SALESMAN , I WAS NEVER IN IT FOR THE MONEY!!!"

The statement confused both boys. Wasn't that the point of being a salesmen?
To advertise your products so people become interested and buy them?
Guess this weirdo had different plans for his job.

An attack of dollar signs from the now giant headed salesman broke them out from their thoughts. Luckily, Kris was able to get back in the game and not let anything hit his soul.

*There's nothing wrong.
There's NOTHING WRONG.
THERE'S NOTHING WRONG.

"I WAS ONLY EVER IN IT FOR" Spamton continues, his glasses going dark.
"THE [Freedom]."

His depressive demeanor once again falls away, showing an excited grin.
"TO MAKE YOUR OWN
[Deals]
TO CALL YOUR OWN
[Shots]
AND SOMETIMES IN THE MORNING, A LITTLE
[Hyperlink Blocked]

SOUNDS GOOD DOESN;T IT?KIDS?
DON'T YPU W4NT TO BE JUST LIKE YOUR OLD PAL SPAMTON????
TAKE THE DE4L."
He said matter-of-factly, almost seeming like it's a demand.

It didn't matter either way.
Kris decided to Take The Deal as if something in his subconscious told him that not taking it would be the wrong choice.

Spamton beamed.
"NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING AB04T! YOU GOT [Guts] KID!!
THAT's [[Discomfort And Abdominal Pain]] IN MY [[Guts]]!!
[Press F1 For] HELP"

More attacks from the salesman made a feeble attempt to hit the soul. To their horror, there were smaller versions of the puppet flying out his mouth. They screamed as the little beings tried to latch onto them.
Jesus h. Christ this guy is something else...

*CONGRULATIONS YOU ARE THE 100TH VISITOR!!! CLICK HERE TO [Die]

"DONT WORRY KIDS I WILL GIVE YOU [Deal Insurance]
ONLY FOR THE LOW, LOW PRICE OF 1000 KROMER.
AN AWESOME PRICE. ! AN ABSOLUTELY [[Terrifying]] PRICE
"PRICES SO LOW, EVERYONE I KNOW IS [[Dead]] !!!"Spamton preached.

For a moment, Kris considered taking the deal, but then remembered that Spamton doesn't want the money, but... the freedom??

It didn't make much sense to him, however, with this information in mind, Kris hesitantly declined the offer.

In turn, Spamton looked pleased, despite his subtle outburst.

"WHAT!? YOU DOn'T HAVE ENOUGH [Wacky Stacks]!?
Kids, you're [Killing] me! HAHAHA!! HAHAHA!!" His laughing ceased abruptly.

"PLEASE STOP [Killing] ME I WILL GIVE Y OU ANOTHER DEAL.
Get Big and WIN [Wild Prizes!]"

The puppet made another attempt to damage Kris' soul. Just as the last of his attacks flew from Spamton's giant mouth, a $49.99 took some hits on them. Thankfully, it wasn't too bad.

"DON'T WORRY KIDS I'M AN [HonestMan] I JUST NEED YOUR [Account Details] AND THE [Number on theB4ck]! THEN YOU CAN ENJOY 1000 Fr3e KR0mer"

The offer seemed like an obvious scam that neither Kris nor Sal were willing to take.
Kris declined and once again, Spamton was pleased at the boy.

"WHAT!?!? YOU DON'T NEED IT!?!? THAT'S A REAL BIG SHOT MOVE KID!!!!
YOU'RE LIKE ME...

[Desperate]

BUT WE KNOW WHAT WE WANT, DON'T WE!?
WILD PRIZES,
HOTSINGLE,
100 CUSTOMER,
AND MOST OF ALL...

[Hyperlink Blocked].

WILL YOU TAKE THE FINAL DEAL!?
REMEMBER... THIS IS UP TO YOU! I WOn'T FORCE YOU."

Somehow, both Lightners highly doubted that— considering how this guy's been acting throughout their time with him..

In the end, Kris glanced at Sal
and took the Final Deal.

Spamton looked as if his jaw was going to crack with how wide he was smiling.
Neither boys knew if that was a good sign...

"THEN A DEAL'S A DEAL!!!" The puppet proclaimed enthusiastically.
"PLEASURE DOING BUSINESS WITH YOU KID!!!"

....

"NOW ON TO THE NEXT STEP..." Spamton spoke directly at Kris with that same thrilled grin.

"I'LL BE WAITING AT MY [[Home-made Storefront]]
IN THE [[Trash Area Closed For Repairs.]]"
His excited smile suddenly faded when he shot Sal a dangerous glare. The boy felt his body tense under the discomforting stare he was being weighed with.

"COME... ALONE." Spamton states grimly.

His expression then brightens up once again.
"AND DON'T... FORGET! TO [[Like and Subscribe]] FOR MORE [[Hyperlink Blocked.]]

HAEAHAEAHAEAHAEAH!!"

The howling laughs of the puppet continued as he ran down the dark alleyway. He had a new pep in his step, seeming as if he was more skipping happily than running.

He laughed and laughed, till he turned the corner and was no longer in sight.

Kris and Sal stood together in silence. Their minds still trying to comprehend what they had just went through, staring blankly down the alleyway.

".... Are you actually going to do what that guy says?" Sal finally asks.

".... I-I'm reluctant to answer that right now..."

...

Finally at the other end of the stoplight, Sal pressed the switch, turning it green. The cars that piled the streets quickly drove off to their destinations, leaving the streets bare in only a matter of seconds.

The car that housed Queen and Noelle pulled up to the curve. Queen rolled down her side of the window.

She was still in the back seat. With no one in front.

"Get In" She ordered. Noelle waved sheepishly on the other side of the backseat, her box with the robot face still over her head.

Sal and Kris were puzzled. "Uhh... how did the car just move without anyone driving?" Sal asked.

"Little Girl The Car Can Drive On Its Own"

....
So all this time... Kris didn't even need to stress about driving they could have just—

....

....

They both got in without saying another word.

^^^^^^

Time passed through a driverless car ride and soon, Kris, Sal and Noelle continued making their way through the Cyber City.

"Uh Noelle...?"
Sal had noticed the deer girl had been humming the same unknown song for the past five minutes.

"What are you humming?" He asked out of curiosity.

"Oh Uh... It was a song Queen played in the car. That one was actually pretty good, compared to the rest of her mixtapes haha.

... He just had such a beautiful voice..."
Noelle mumbles that last part to herself, still in awe of the male singer.

She wishes she could of heard more of him ......

***

"... I-I'm sorry about what happened to you, Sal..." The Lightner looked up, confused.
"What?"
"A-about... y-you being bullied, I mean.."

Sal lowered his head slightly.
"It's alright." He assured.
"They were just a bunch of assholes."
"But... w-why would they..."
Sal shrugged, knowing what Kris was going to say, feeling just as unsure as him.

"I don't know, it could have been for reasons we're not aware of. Problems at home, with themselves, or maybe some other reason.
... But it's better know."
Sal says, sounding almost relieved.

"I don't have to feel like I'm out of place anymore..
Because I know there's people who care about me and except me for who I am." He admitted.

"Being in this world made me remember all the fantasies I used to have about doing something bigger in my life. Having a friend or two and doing something that seemed worthwhile.
I guess it ended up happening regardless.

^^^^^^^

Soon, they ended up walking into an area with multiple blue balloons and enticing carnival stands, all assigned various games.
—Mostly ball throwing games.

Then they heard her laugh again.

Noelle went into fight or flight mode again.
"O-oh no, she's coming back this way!! I'll hide in that stall!"
She put her box head on and ran to hide in one of the open stands nearby, standing as still as an ice sculpture. The pins displayed thankfully helped hide her just enough.

Queen trotted over and glanced at the games. A confident smirk on her face.

"Hey Check This Out"

Taking a few steps back, Queen held the ball clutched in her dominant hand, positioned herself and raised one leg in the air as the ball in her hand was held back. Then she threw the ball as it flew straight at the pins.
Every single one EXPLODED! right in Noelle's box face and exposing her hiding place.

Those pins were a sacrifice for poor Noelle.

As Sal and Kris stood in shock, they knew she was merely inches away from death.

Queen smiled, pleased with herself, then walked over to the boys.
"Sweet Right" The screen on her face displaying the word: "NICE"

She then walked over to the stall. "Where's My Prize" Queen asked.

"Oh! Um..." Noelle hastily grabbed One of the nicely wrapped prizes from under the stand and held it out for Queen.
"H-Here!"

"Ha ha Nice" Queen grabbed it and started to walk away, but then stopped.
"Wait I Actually Don't Want This"
She walks back over to Kris and placed the box on top of his head, then finally walked away.

"... Did... .... Did she just put that on your head?"
Sal asked, puzzled by what just transpired.
"Yeah."
"Are... you going to keep that on your head...??"
"Yeah." Kris snickered.

Suddenly they heard approaching footsteps behind them.
They turned around to see it was Susie and Ralsei.

"Hahaha, how was THAT!?" Susie had her hands behind her head, feeling proud of herself.
"Haha, Susie! You're not supposed to ATTACK people with it!" Ralsei replied as he laughed at the Lightner's confident energy.
"Oh yeah!? Watch me!!!"

Their attention suddenly shifts to Kris and Sal. Relief washes over both monsters as they finally found the other Lightners.

"Kris!!!! There are you!!!"
Ralsei exclaimed, running over. He takes notice of his over excitement and calms down, a little embarrassed.

Susie grins as she makes her way over.
"Guys! Check this out!"
Magic begins to form in her hands, before she released it with her open palms.

She just healed Kris with a healing spell!
It wasn't that affective.... But it was still awesome!

"Oh my god..." Kris says in disbelief. Susie's confidence returns.
"Heh. Cool right!? I know you'd be impressed!"
"W-were you teaching her healing magic?" Kris asks The Prince. He smiles bashfully.
"I was hehe.. It's not much right now, but I think Susie is off to a good start."

"So what were you two up to this whole time?" Susie finally asked.

Kris and Sal spared each other a look of unease.
"Uhhh... a lot of things." The shorter Lightner replied.

Kris was about to give more details when he felt something odd... coming from his pocket.

"Kris are you ok?" Ralsei asked.
"Y-yeah..." He pauses, the odd sensation growing stronger. "H-hold on a second..."
He begin scanning through his pockets before suddenly screaming as a small-being suddenly launches out of Kris' pocket.

The being pounces on Susie and grabs her sleeveless jacket,
pulling her face closer so she could see the devilish and desperate look in his eyes.
He spoke grimly.

"W H E R E  I S  IT? 
W H E R E' S  T H E  C O T T O N  C A N D Y?"

"L-Like hell I'm giving any to you!! How did you even know I had some!?"
Susie put on a strong front, not wanting to seem affected by the sudden outburst.

"I  S M E L L E D  I T. 
I  K N O W  Y O U  H A V E  S O M E.
N O W  G I V E  I T  T O  ME."
He demanded.

"Uh... S-Susie, just please give him some of your cotton candy."
Ralsei politely persisted. Susie grunted, but obeyed taking out two cotton candies.

Sal quickly shuffled next to Kris, watching as the smaller-being gladly took the treats and began to eat the first one.
"Who's... that?" Sal whispered.

Kris sighs as the imp begins to float higher with the cotton candy happily shoved in his mouth.

"That's Jevil."

He didn't sound too enthusiastic when he said his name. It wasn't like he had a good first impression with the guy to begin with.

Finding him down in Card Castle's dark cell, locked away for who knows how long. Then being asked to find and put a key together, getting inside his.... his "freedom..."
And then almost getting killed with every attack he threw at them.
To this day, it was still a miracle to Kris that him, Susie and Ralsei were still standing.
At least for him now, compared to back then...

"It's... uh... nice to see you again, Jevil!" Ralsei smiled as he offered a pleasant greeting to the imp.
Through his blissful ignorant, Jevil nearly choked on his cotton candy once he noticed presence of The Prince.
How rude of him not treat royalty with such respect!

He quickly floated back down and bowed.
"IT'S AN HONOR, AN HONOR TO SEE YOU AGAIN, YOUR MAJESTY!"
"There's no need for you to call me that, Jevil. Just Ralsei is fine with me."
"MY APOLOGIES!" The imp replied, bowing once more.
"I FEEL THAT CALLING YOU BY A RESPECTFUL NAME FOR SOMEONE SUCH AS YOURSELF IS APPROPRIATE!"
"Oh. Well then, I suppose... if you really want to then I'm fine with it."

"Umm... Jevil?" The jester turns his attention to Kris and smiles.
"YOUNG LIGHTNER! IT HAS BEEN A WHILE SINCE I LAST SAW YOU!" He takes another bite of his cotton candy as he floats over to Sal.

"AND WHO IS THIS? ANOTHER LIGHTNER HERE TO PLAY MORE GAMES?"
"Uh... what?"
Sal says as the imp circles him curiously, causing the boy to become a little tense by the imp's unknown intentions.
"H-He's not here for a-any of your games. This, is Sal." Kris states matter-of-factly.

Jevil takes another bite, floating upside down in front of Sal, cocking his head to one side.
"WELL THEN, NICE TO MEET YOU..."
He finishes his first cotton candy, taking the empty cone into his other hand.
His other arm stretched and twirled till it reached Sal's hair, playful bouncing the hair in his hand.
"—PIGTAILS!" He giggles.
"Y-yeah you too..." The boy replied slightly uneased.

Kris sighed again. Hopefully Jevil won't try playing any games with Sal now.
... Wait... "games"...
Now that Kris thought about it—
He remembered the imp mentioning something about sleeping for a long time after their fight.
Fortunately, Susie was the first one to bring it up.

"Weren't you sleeping or something?"
"I WAS, WAS. BUT THEN I SMELLED MY FAVORITE TREAT, SO I WOKE UP AND CAME OUT TO TAKE A PEEK!"
"More like harassed me for it..." Susie grumbles. Jevil giggles, taking a bite of his second cotton candy.
"BUT WHEN I AM DONE, I'LL RETURN TO MY 100 YEARS SLEEP, AND CONTINUE BEING A TOY TO SERVE YOU LIGHTNERS!"

A frown spread across Kris' lips.
As much as he appreciated Jevil's help, he didn't like the idea of him sleeping for 100 years. It just... didn't seem right.
That would also mean they'll never get to see him again.

He also didn't like the idea of Jevil being... a "toy" to them.

Despite the chaos and all the fighting the imp put them through, he deserved to be treated like a living person and not a toy.
It didn't seem fair to Kris. Not in the slightest.

"W-wait hold on! I-I don't think you should go back to sleep!"
As he finished his second cotton candy, the jester seemed baffled at the remark.

"YOUNG LIGHTNER." He floats over to Kris.
"WHAT HESITATES YOU FROM ME FALLING BACK TO SLEEP?"

"I-I just—"

Kris stopped himself. He didn't really have a full fledge exclamation planned,
so he thought just speaking the truth of how he felt would be good enough.
"I-I don't think it's right for you t-to sleep that long. Y-You could miss out on a lot...
It... It just d-doesn't seem fair to me."

Jevil titles his head curiously.
"YOU WISH FOR ME TO STAY AWAKE AND YET YOU ARE NOT SCARED OF ME MAKING A MISTAKE. IF I'M AWAKE I MIGHT GET BORED, BORED! AND THEN I WILL CHAOS CHAOS! WHAT WILL YOU DO THEN?"

"Well... I-I don't think you'll get bored enough to cause t-that much trouble..." Kris pauses.
"A-and if you do sleep for 100 years... t-then we'll never see you again..."

To the Lightner's surprise, Jevil frowned, utterly bewildered.

The Lightner... was worried about his well-being...?

... ...It's been a while since anyone was genuinely concerned about the imp...
—Let alone a... a Lightner of all people...

".... YOU WANT ME TO STAY AWAKE BECAUSE YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT ME?"

Kris didn't have the words to respond the way he liked. So he only nodded.

Without saying another word, the imp threw away the empty cones in a nearby trash can. His smile then returns.

"OKAY! IF THAT'S WHAT THE LIGHTNER WISHES, THEN I WILL STAY AWAKE FOR YOU!"
A hopeful smile forms on Kris' face.
"T-thanks... I-I know you'll be ok. B-Besides, y-you can do anything after all."

The imp pauses before laughing at the joke.
"UEE HEE HEE!! YOU ARE CORRECT CORRECT! I CAN DO ANYTHING!"
He floats over to The Prince, and bows one last time.
"I WILL BE SEEING YOU IN THE NEAR FUTURE YOUR MAJESTY!"
"Oh! Of course!" Ralsei says.

Jevil begins to float again. "IF YOU NEED ME YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND ME!" Kris nods.
The imp waves goodbye before transporting himself back into Kris' pocket.

*Jevil is awake in the pocket! Kris is sure to remember that for later!

".... ... So... who exactly was that?" Sal asks, still curious of this jester character.

"He's the guy who beat our asses the first time we met him.
He was talking gibberish and saying that his cell was some sort of..."escape to freedom" or something like that." Susie said.

"And now... he's in Kris' pocket." Ralsei adds.
That's when he finally notices the gift that was oddly placed on Kris' head.
"Um... Kris? There's a gift box on your head..."
"Huh?? Oh! Uh..."

The boy realized he didn't know what to do with the gift.
"W-who should I give this to?" Kris whispers to Sal.
"I'm not sure. Maybe you should give it to one of them." Sal whispers back.

The decision hesitated Kris deeply, but he had to make a choice nonetheless.
Taking the gift off his head, he nervously walks closer to the fluffy boy and hands him the box. Kris' red face was focused on the ground, unable to properly look at The Prince.

In response, a hint of pink appeared on Ralsei's cheeks.

"H... huh!? You're giving it to... me...?"
He smiles warmly.
"Kris... I... I've never gotten a gift like this before."

His eyes couldn't find the strength to focus on the Lightner. His pink cheeks would become worse if he tried.
"U... ummm... I'm sorry, I... I'm so happy, I don't really know what to say..."
He stutters as he fumbles to put the gift away.

"I... I'll win something for you too, okay!?"
He happily walks over to the game stand Noelle is at and asks for a ball.
He then talks a few steps back, aiming the ball in his hand.

"W-WAIT!! RALSEI!!"
Kris shouts before the ball was thrown hard at Noelle's box face. The force sent the box flying off her head, realizing herself.

The entire group was either surprised to see her, or by the fact that she didn't get brutally murdered by the force of the ball.
Or both.

"Noelle oh god!! Are you ok!!??" Sal asks in a panic.
"I-I'm ok.." She groans slightly, before realizing her cover was blown.

"N... Noelle!? ... the hell were you doing in there? That's cheating." Susie says as the deer girl comes out from behind the game stall.
Noelle couldn't find a simple answer. "I... I... um... I.."
"... hm. Glad you're okay though. Since that stupid Queen took you. I was kinda worried..."

Noelle could feel her heart practically beat out of her chest.
Her eyes happened to land on Kris, who smiled at her in response as if saying
"Just tell her already."

"Wait!" A realization suddenly dawns on Susie. "Aren't you on their side!?"
"H-huh!? W-wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!! Umm, I... I.."
Noelle's eyes lock onto Kris, pleading for him to help her.

He gladly reassures Susie that they formed a truce. The deer Lightner nods eagerly in agreement.
"Th.. that's right! We have a truce!! Me, Kris and Sal!! They said I could... I could be on your team!" She tells Susie.
"Oh, really? ... well, if Kris said so, I guess." She smirks.
"Didn't really wanna kill you anyway."

Somehow, Noelle took that as a compliment as her heart started beating fast again.
It didn't really surprise Kris though.
Knowing Noelle had a crush on Susie, also meant that she liked scary stuff, which is something Kris also enjoy as they grew up together. It was always such a funny contrast to her nervousness and shyness, but he never questioned it.

^^^^^^

"What? You wanna go in by yourself...?"
Susie was visibly surprised by the request Kris asked as the group stood in from of a rusty door with a makeshift store, made of trash bags and other thrown away debris.
"Y-yeah. J-just trust me okay?"

Sal leans in closer to the boy and whispered.
"You sure you're going to be ok in there? That guy doesn't seem too stable in the head.
I don't feel safe with only you in there with him..."

As short as the demented salesman was, Kris didn't want to take any chances.
He had no idea what the puppet could do if he didn't listen to his current instructions.
And he sure as hell did not wanna find out.

Kris smiles reassuringly and responds just as quietly.
"D-don't worry. I-I'm going to see what he wants t-then I'll be out before you know it.
... Just... d-don't tell them about this.."

"What!? Why?"
"I-I'm just worried that t-they wouldn't want me to help this guy, y-you've seen how he is..."
"Well... I think they would... But should you help him?" Sal whispered.
"I just... I don't know about this..."
"L-like I said, I-I'll quick. Just s-stay with Susie and Ralsei."

Sal sighs deeply. "Okay... Just promise me you'll be safe?"
Kris nods. "I-I promise."

He turns, giving the group one final look before heading inside.

.....

The first thing Kris sees inside was the one and only salesman himself, sitting at his makeshift counter, smiling ear to ear.

"HEY EVERY                        ! ITS ME, SPAMTON G.

                         SPAMTON!"

He happily welcomed Kris with this signature lines before waving him over behind his makeshift counter.

"KRIS KRIS YOU [[Little Sponge]]!!! COME IN AND [[rejuvenate]]!! !"

The Lightner took a deep breath, before reluctantly obeying to the salesman's request.
He timidly sits on sturdy makeshift chair next to the counter like an obedient child.

Kris takes another shaky breath.

"O-ok... a-about the deal you mentioned earlier..."
Spamton quickly perks up at the sound of his deal being brought to light. He was nearly about to faint from his realization and his smile couldn't be more wider.

After all...
No one was ever interested in his deals in so long....

"KRIS!!! YOU [Little Sponge]! I KNEW YOU'D COME HERE [[On A Saturday Night]]! AFTER ALL, YOU WANNA BE A [Big Shot]! EAHAHAHAHAA!!" He laughs as he begins his next set of instructions.

"BUT HOW? HOW CAN YOU BE? LISTEN.   IN THE [Deep Abyss] OF QUEEN'S [Mansion] [[A Great Deal]] IS WAITING FOR [[A Limited Time Only!]] A HEAVEN-PIERCING [[Workout-Ready Body]]" He says.

"BEFORE YOU KNOW IT WILL BE TAKING [  A Ride around Town on Our Specil Cungadero] VACATIONING IN [Burning Acid] WHILE YOU SOAK IN THE [Hyperlink Blocked]. BUT KRIS DON'T [Breathe] YET!! THE WAY IS LOCKED BY [High Quality Encryption]!!! YOU WILL NEVER GET INSIDE."

Spamton's mood quickly changes as he continues. His yellow and pink glasses, flash back and forth through his excitement."WAIT KRIS LOOK!! HEAR THOSE [Balloons]??? YOU ARE [1000th Customer]!!. AS A [Commemorative Ring] I WILL LET YOU BUY [KeyGen] FROM ME AT [The Low Low Price of]
WHAT DO YOU THINK!?!? IT'S SUCH A STEAL, I'M [$!X$]ING MYSELF!!!
TAKE THIS DEAL AND YOU WILL [[Die]]!! IT'S THAT GOOD!!!

[BUY] THE KEYGEN FROM ME, UNLOCK THE BASEMENT, AND GET THAT EmptyDisk!!!"

He takes a breath, concluding his instructions.

Kris sat contemplating his decision.

Should he continue listening to this wacko?? He came all this way to see him, yeah but... now he wasn't sure. What was this guy's real intentions for wanting Kris and not any of his friends anyways? Everything about this situation was just... odd.

Kris decided it would better if he asked Spamton some questions first. Maybe then that would help him make a decision on this whole thing.

The mood felt awkward as he didn't really know what to say.
He brainstormed, questions of all kind soaring through his head about this guy.

His eyes accidentally reeled to the big v-shape of his top, where his large chest was visible showing.  Spamton caught onto his gaze and snapped his fingers in front of Kris, grabbing his attention.

"HEY! !! MY [i's] ARE UP HERE"
The puppet huffed sternly.

"Uh—s-sorry sorry!!" The boy quickly pulled his mind and eyes back to what he was thinking.

Before he knew it, he landed on one question that plagued his mind ever since he encountered this guy.

So Kris started with that one, leaning in closer.

Kris breathed deeply, pulling himself together once more. He didn't think he'll ever get used to this guy's weird energy, but he wasn't done yet, with his curiosity only rising more.

The boy then had a general thought. It might have been rude asking something like this when they clearly had just met, but it concerned Kris to the point where it'd be crucial not to ask.

"... ... Spamton... D-do you have any one to go to? L-like... a-any relatives, friends..."
He paused.
"...Partners m-maybe?"

The puppet's demeanor turns grim.
Dang it... He knew he shouldn't have asked something like that so soon.

Kris was about to apologize, when Spamton suddenly laughed, waving his hand dismissively.

"PARTNERS!!? I HAVEN'T SEEN MY [[Ken!]] IN A [[Hot Minute]]
I WISH I WISH I WISH I WISH [[Your Location Can Not Be Identified. Please Try Again.]]

KRIS! YOU AND ME. ARE ALREADY [Friend Request Accepted] WE DON'T NEED ANYONE ELSE!!! WE DON'T NEED [[Easels]] or [[CRTs]]! WE DON'T NEED ANY [[Man, Woman, or Child]] [[At Half Price]]!!
WE DON'T NEED ANY [[Click Here to Find your One True Love!!]]
WE DON'T NEED [[MIKE]]!!!"

...
Spamton lowers his head as if he was looking back on... something..

"... .... Mike..."

He jolts from his daze and desperately shouts at the top of his lungs.

"KRIS!!! DON'T BELIEVE [[Anything You See On TV!]] THE MAN'S A CRIMINAL, I TELL YOU!! A CRIMINAL!!"

.... .... ... Moments later, the salesman recoils back in his seat, embarrassed about the immature outburst he had.

It sure as hell was enough to make Kris anxious and curious yet again.
Maybe... Mike.. was someone he knew.

"W-Who's Mike..?"

.....

Spamton didn't bother answering.
He sat with his head hung low, his tiny hands gripping his white pants in his lap.

Maybe he didn't feel comfortable talking about him right now....?

Kris made sure to keep that in mind for later...

There just seemed to be so much nervousness in this small man.
But really... could you blame him?
Who knows how long he's been out here? Living in the streets and sleeping in filthy, smelly garage cans. Maybe other things happened that Kris isn't even aware of...
It's a damn good possibility.

Kris' eyes look around the shop, thinking of something else to ask, when he noticed the light blue brick wall behind the salesman.

The wall was painted to look like the sky on a nice day. A bright yellow sun casted over the blue with a few white clouds. The paint was a bit sloppy, but nonetheless really pretty to look at.

"Did... d-did you paint that?" The boy asks, gesturing to the wall.

Spamton turns around to the artwork and puts on a smile.

"MY [[$79.99 Masterpiece]]!! I PUT A LOT OF [Blood, Sweet, and Tears] WHEN PAINTING [[Bright!!! Too Bright!!!]]"

"... W-well... I think it's beautiful." Kris smiles.

Spamton's smile suddenly fades. He tried to hide the shock plastered on his face. It was like he hadn't had a complement in some time.

Still... he couldn't believe it. Did...Did the Lightner actually compliment him...?

He has to be faking it... right? He has to be! He's just being nice after all!

... But his smile.. it's so warm and genuine...

First Kris actually wanted to get to know him, then he asked if he knew anyone that could help him and now this!?

... Why would anyone want to have any concerns or want to know about a piece of junk like him...?

It has to be part of this business! It has to be!

.... .... right?

"A-are you also an artist? Or... d-did you just paint that for your shop?" Kris asked, wanting the conversation to hopefully brighten up more. In all honesty however, he also asked put of curiosity. Despite the messy strokes of the painting, it managed to give an eye-catching and beautiful look.

".... COMPARED TO MY [[Portrait Of The Gods]] MY ARTISTIC ABILITIES NEED [[Improvement]]" Spamton states.

"I-I'd still like to see them at some point. If.. I-if that's ok with you?"

Spamton hesitates, taken aback by the boy's request.
"... IF I HAVE THE [[Art Materials For 50% OFF!!!]] THEN.... MAYBE..."

The puppet shifts in his seat, feeling weirdly anxious about this "normal conversation."
The Lightner realizes this, deciding to point it out.

"Y-you seem nervous? A-are you okay?"

The salesman forced a smile.

"WHAT!!!??? NERVOUS!!?? SCARED!!?? YOU MUST BE [[Pulling on my heart strings]] EAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! WHAT'S THERE TO BE [crying all alone] ABOUT!!?"

Kris bit his lip, then asked.
"... D-Do you have trouble talking with anyone that's b-besides work, Spamton?"

The puppet froze.
A familiar sense of déjà vu suddenly hit him.

It was strange... This wasn't the first time he was asked a question like this.

"... ...NEVER HAVE BEEN" He admitted.

It felt pointless to explain why, after he's explained it so many times in the past.
Nothing complicated. He just never talked about anything other than work to anyone.

Anyone... Except...

....
Spamton quickly brushed the thoughts out of his head.

"T-that's ok. I've had that problem before too... I-I still do sometimes."
Kris paused. "It.. m-must have been hard, not being able to talk to someone in so long."

He looks around the makeshift store again.
"I-is this... all you've done all this time? Selling things... m-making deals with people?"

Kris was just being open-minded at this point.
He didn't know how long the puppet had been homeless for, but he wasn't about to ask.

"WHEN YOU'VE LIVED THE [[Charmed Life]] LIKE ME, YOU' 1L FIND [Suffering] AND [[Regrets]] [[Choice wisely]] [[For Our Next Deal!!]]
IT WILL [Break You] SO [[Watch Out Kid!]]"
Spamton continues with his explaining.

"YOUR [[Generosity]] WILL GET YOU INTO [[Specil Deals!]] THAT [[no no no nono nono no please!!! Please no!!!! Help Me!!!!!Please!!!!!]] [[Someone]] [[PLEASE!!]]"

It took a second for Kris to understand what the salesman meant by all of that.
And the reality of it made the boy freeze out of shock.

He stared at Spamton with wide concerning eyes.
"... Oh... my god..."

Spamton began to laugh maniacally.
"I'M FINE, LITTLE SPONGE!!! I'M JUST [[peachy]] WHY WOULDN'T I BE!?? YOU WERE THE [[#1 Customer]] TO NOT TREAT ME LIKE [[rotting garbage]] LIKE [[Last Week's Best Seller!!]] LIKE [[Enjoyable Interactive Merchandise]]!!!"

The response was both flattering and heartbreaking. This guy... Kris imagined he'd been though a lot, but he didn't think about any of that.
How badly he was treated by others. In so many ways.

And yet, Spamton sat, as his laughing died down, he forced a bright large smile.
It was rather painful to look at.

"... Spamton.." Kris said, stopping himself to think of the right words to say.
"I-it sounds like you've been though a lot....
... I-I just want you know that, e-even if you don't have anyone else to talk to... it was nice, being able to talk t-to you...
I'm... I-I'm sorry about everything you've been though..."

Kris admitted, giving the salesman a small, hopeful smile. A smile that made the puppet shrink.
But not in a bad way. It felt like centuries since he received so much kindness from a person. And every time he smiled, it felt important. It felt special.

It felt... nice.

".... THANK YOU BIG SHOT..."

Spamton responded rather timidly. This eyes watered a little and for a moment, it looked as if he was sane again.
Regardless, deep down, he was absolutely thrilled he had this conversation. That someone so kind took their time of the day just to talk to him, even if he wasn't the greatest at socializing back.

The Lightner's smile grew.
Though, he did remember— he had to make a decision on the puppet's deal sooner than later if he really wanted to help Spamton.

.... ... Maybe no harm no foul, right?

He needed help, and he was clearly asking for it this whole time.
But no one came to his rescue.

"Say..." Spamton perked up at the Lightner's voice.
"H-how much was the KeyGen again?"

Spamton suddenly beamed for like the eighth time today. He blinked away his tears as his smile grew so wide Kris thought his cheeks would crack.

Once the item was bought, the puppet started to flash rainbow colors. Kris' mouth was left ajar, staring dumbfounded at the salesman for like the 12th time today, unable to know what to do in the moment.

His flashing colors ceased, as he sighed and grabbed Kris' hand, staring directly into his eyes.

"MANSION... BASEMENT! FIND IT!!" He pleaded one last time.

"...Uh.... O-ok...?" Kris slowly withdrew his hand back, feeling slightly uneasy by his desperateness again. He left the shop, feeling Spamton's eyes watch him as he opened the door.

He really is such a nice kid...

.....

The boy sighed deeply just as the gang noticed he was back.

"Kris! Are you alright? What happened in there?" Sal frantically asked.

"I... I'm ok..."

Sal's head titled with uncertainty.
"N-no really, I'm fine." Kris replied, mustering up a smile.

"... what kinda creepy stuff were you buying anyway?" Susie smirks.
"Nah... like I even wanna know. Yikes."

Ralsei volunteered to brighten the mood.
"She said she hoped if it was candy, you'd share with her..." He winked at Kris.
"SHUT UP!!!"

^^^^^^^^

"Look!! We're finally close to the Fountain! It's Queen mansion!!"

The giant building in the distance displayed lopsided buildings fused into one. The entrance was a giant head of Queen as a long red carpet escaped down the outside, leading towards mansion, as well as a giant sign of "Queen" hung above the head in red letters. The rest of Cyber City shined in the background.

Noelle started panicking. "H-huh!? W-wait, why did we come here!?"

"Kris. Little Girl."

Oh no...

Everyone turned towards the voice and there, sat Queen in her flying armchair.

"You Brought Noelle Right To Me (I Knew Our Truce Was The Best) But Unfortunately"

She smiles menacingly. "That Means Trucies Are Over. Noelle Get Over Here"

"But I... I.." The girl was timid, unsure of what to do.

"Noelle" Queen demanded. "I Will Only Say It One Time. Infinitely.
Get Over Here Get Over Here Get Over Here Get Over Here Get Over Here"

"I... I..."

"Noelle Are You: Hesitating." Queen pouts.

"Let Me If—Then This For You. How About: IF You Don't Listen THEN

A Certain Bird Might Take A Ride In The Acid River"

Ok maybe that's a bit too far. He might be annoying and a jerk at times, but he doesn't deserve that.

"B... Berdly!?" Noelle exclaimed.

Her choice was clear, despite being hesitant to obey. In the end, she did what she was originally told anyways as she made her way over to Queen.

"I... I'm sorry... Kris, Sal, Susie... I... I wish I could have stayed with you longer, but... I... I can't let Berdly get hurt, y'know?"

"Don't Be Sad Noelle Honey" Queen cooed. "All That Remains Is The Final Step"

Speak of the devil, the bird himself entered the scene.
His cocky smirk, still present on his face.

"My splendorious Queen! There you are!" He huffed.
"Phew! I looked in every used games store for you!"

Berdly noticed Noelle's sad face. "Oh, Noelle. Are you okay? You look a little funny."
Tears threaten to face from the girl's eyes. She quickly wiped away before Berdly or any of the others saw.

Queen spoke up.

"Okay Plan B"

A green cage floated down, capturing Noelle again, flying away in a flash.

"H-huh!? What are you doing!? Berdly demanded, desperate to know what was going on.

"I See Now Her Will Must Be Unleashed By Force. Perhaps If I Make Her Face Into A Robot One...?" Queen proclaimed.

Berdly shock his head. "B-but... you said you wouldn't do that if I..."

Queen smiled, her face screen showing the word: LYING.
"Variable Lying Set To True"

"We were going to be smart together!!! That's not fair!!!"

"Understood. Fairness Activated"

Three more cages were summoned, capturing the shocked Kris, Susie, and Berdly.

"H-HEY!!!" Susie yelled.

"Good Thing I Calibrated Those Cages" Queen continued.

"You... you said I could trust you!!" Berdly said through gridded teeth.
"You said you were a GAMER!!!"

"Berdly

I Only Play Mobile Games"

Ouch...

The bird screamed in unimaginable betrayal as the cages SLAMMED! shut.

"One Of You Is Going To Help Me With My Plan. And It's Going To Be Noelle. The Rest Of You.
Go To Your Rooms"

With the final demand, The cages were sent flying away as Queen laughed triumphantly.

"Wh... What are you going to do with us?"
Ralsei spoke as he stood protectively in front of Sal.

Queen slapped a hand on her forehead.
"Oh Damn. You Two are Still Here. I Only Made Four Cages Ha Ha Ha

I Literally Don't Know Ha Ha Ha Ha" She admits as she laughs.

To be continued...