The Adventures of Pupu The Bubble Witch

Chapter 25: Invitation Only

"Wooowee!! I like foodoglians! Can we go again?" asks Punkin as she lands on her feet, just a mere instant after stepping into the port.

"Huh? Foodoglians?" responds Cer with curiosity as Cer scans for danger. Glad to be ho...what happened here? I can't smell the flowers or hear the bees? I smell fire. Where is the lush smell of foliage that should be wafting from the Western Woods?

Interrupting Cer's thoughts, Punkin responds, "FOOL DOGS and Garbage Lions is what Me-Ass said! I made that word- with my brain, because it is so big. Silly daddy!!...Where're we? Where's my house?"

Stepping in front of Punkin to protect her, Cer wields Fang in preparation to fight, "Pupu, draw your wand. We don't have time to argue about guardian lions and foo dogs."

"Huh? I need paper to draw..." responds Punkin confused as she attempts to dig through her backpack for paper and a writing instrument. "I can't draw. Baba didn't give me paper..."

With a bit of impatience, Cer sighs and repeats the instruction, "Pull out your wand and get ready to make bubbles. I do not recognize these auras and I don't know where we are. This is off, We should be at the edge of the forest but I smell no trees!"

"OKAY!" shouts Punkin with an air of overconfidence as takes off her necklace to summon her wand. "HIDE AND SEEK! I'm Gonna get you wherever you are!"

Taking a deep breath and observing the moving auras around them, Cer prepares Punkin for any surprises as Cer attempts to draw in mana. "Yes...just like hide and seek. But for real this time. It's not practice. They may want to chase us back and tag us hard."

"I'm gonna catch them first! Madman Eve said I'M THE BEST!" yells Punkin confidently as she draws her wand back to give a full swing!

"Here they come! I will point with Fang, and you swing your wand and make bubbles just ike we practiced!" Commands Cer.

As the auras and mana concentrations of souls, spirits, and ghosts quickly approach, Cer points and prods at the air while Punkin swings to cast bubbles. As bubbles release, some of the bubbles make contact and imprison the souls with their anguished energy within them, while other bubbles float off into the air.

Seeing the bubbles trap some of the souls and spirits, the remaining free roaming spirits scatter in fear and anger to avoid being caught.

"Pupu, pop as many of the bubbles as you can with the bubble blade. I will try to reach the ones that are too high for you to reach. Go!" shouts Cer, as Cer bounds forward to pierce the bubbles with stabbing motions of Fang.

"Okay! Hai-ya! Ya! Yeh! Ahh! Bam! Pow! Pa!" yells Punkin as she swings at the bubbles with her bubble blade, popping as many as she can. "I'M WINNING! I'M GONNA GET YOU!"

"Get the ones with the ghosts in them!" shouts Cer, as Cer tries to reach some of the bubbles floating higher into the air. Can she see the souls and spirits or is she just popping random bubbles? Why is she popping empty bubbles? "Pupu, don't waste your time popping empty bubbles. Only get the ones with ghosts in them."

"Huh? I pop them all! I see no ghosts! Pop! Pop! Pow!" yells Punkin as she continues to pop any bubble she can reach.

"Too HIGH! Daddy!! I can't reach 'em!!" shouts Punkin as she jumps up and down, struggling to pop the bubbles high above her. "Get them daddy! They're getting away!"

Feeling winded and trying to catch a breath, Cer sighs and doubles over and takes deep breaths.

Having difficulty recovering from the exertion, Cer resigns from popping any more bubbles. "It's... Okay... Pupu. We... can... stop... now." Wow, I am out of shape. That is almost as hard as trying to fight the black mass by The Mecca. No wonder I was defeated so easily. I can't keep my endurance up. "Pupu, we can stop now."