The 'Chu Brothers: A New World

Prologue: The Disappearance

12/27/2016
11:00 am
Entrance of Weird Woods

Cord was... a strange person to say the least. I didn't really get to know him that much since I met him four months ago, and yet I still consider him as a best friend. But I wasn't really sure why he would call me to go to Weird Woods.

I didn't question it either.

Weird Woods got its name after two kids in the 90's disappeared and never came back. Despite all the work done in the investigation, the case went cold. But there's a weird rumor in all of this that the woods somehow change its layout every day... I didn't believe the rumor at the time.

Anyway, I placed my bike in the pathway that led to the woods and saw a tall boy with tan skin, dark hair—which was always a mess—and blue eyes standing right at the entrance. It was Cord, waiting for me to come. It felt creepy, but he's probably done that to other people before.

I took a couple of steps toward him and finally said, "Hey Cord!" My hand waved at the sight of him. "This better be important because I had to stop my homework to get over here."

"Trust me, Lucas. It's worth it."

Cord made a hand gesture and entered Weird Woods. I—reluctantly—followed along and got my very first look at the forest. Trees surrounded the both of us with grass covering our feet. There was this weird smell in the air that I couldn't identify immediately. And there were no signs of wildlife. That was weird, 'cause everyone in this town says it's supposed to be teeming with life.

Eventually, we reached an open field full of grass. Cord ran in front of me and took a heavy sigh. "You know..." The older boy placed a hand on his chin, trying to figure out what to say next. "The first time I met you, I never thought my life would change right in front of me."

I squinted my eyes to create a stern expression. "I can tell you're stalling something," I responded while shaking my head. He did this earlier this month, when I had a surprise birthday party. A lot of people were jokingly mad at him that day. "Come on, just tell me!"

Cord smiled and chuckled. That chuckle almost became a laugh as he took out a plastic square. "You see right through me Lucas. I guess I'll have to tell you. The reason why we're here is because of this."

He moved his hand to what was behind him, an empty grass field. Suddenly, a bright light flashed blinded me. It was white at first, but changed into red, then orange, until all the colors of the rainbow were shown. It definitely wasn't human, that was for sure.

The boy took a deep breath, turned around, and started walking toward the blinding light. "Cord?" I shouted while trying my best to see him and cover my face. "What are you doing?"

"I'll see you in a year, Lucas," Cord simply responded. He moved his left hand, dropping that very same plastic, and kept moving forward until I couldn't see him again. Then the lights just disappeared into the regular skyline. What just happened?

In front of me was a tiny box. I picked it up and it had the title: "Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky." That was his favorite game. "What have you gotten yourself into Cord?" My head looked up, hoping he was playing some kind of a joke. I didn't know what was going on. I didn't know that these few minutes almost single handedly ruined my life.

I didn't know that after three years, I would finally get the chance to see Cord again.