Meanwhile! Nikki was up on the roof of the Boxer Beats tournament with their new ghost friend. The two looked over the city, making sure no one was chasing after them. Nikki barely even looked back to make sure Anger Mouse was okay. They weren’t being very considerate, but it was still worth it because she found a ghost! “I think we’ll be okay up here...” Nikki smiled, turning to their snakey-dog friend. “So, can I talk with you? Who are you?” The dog gave a soft howl, “Arooooooo~” “Aro? Like the name of that hummingbird referee?” Nikki tilted her head. “No. Sorry.” The dog only spoke in short words, “I am Dawn.” “Don? Like the name of that badger that only talks three words at a time?” “No. Sorry.” The dog lowered its black ears, “D. A. W. N. Dawn. Like the sunset.” “You mean the sunrise?” Nikki corrected them. “Dawn is like, when the big, yellow sun comes up, and a new day starts.” Dawn nodded her head. “That is Dawn.” The dog-snake slowly walked its long body in a circle around Nikki. “Dawn is. A plush toy.” Nikki thought to herself, this dog is a plush doll like Anger Mouse, but it had the same speaking pattern as Don Badge. “Maybe Anger Mouse really was pregnant... with Don’s baby!” “I am not. New to world.” The dog laid on the ground and rolled on her side, “I was here. With Anger Mouse. I was destroyed. By Anger Mouse.” She frowned and closed her eyes, “But Anger Mouse. Used my parts. For his body. My body parts. Lived in him.” Nikki shook her head slowly. If one living plush toy had parts of another plush toy in it, maybe it was technically two plushes living in one body? This wasn’t the first she’d heard of this kind of thing. She knew Dr. Ama and Yuaad were two different people sharing one body. Even Nikki herself wasn’t alone... “I see,” Nikki looked down, rubbing along Dawn’s back. “Well, you’re awake now. And you’re free to do what you want to.” Nikki looked out into the city, “You can take your time to think of what you want to do. Nobody knows right away.” “I know what. I want. To do.” Dawn said, stretching into Nikki’s rubs. Well great, so much for being sweet and reassuring. “You do?” “Yes. I would like. To spend time...” Dawn looked up to her, “With you.” Typical dog. Easy to please, they attach quickly, and love being pet. Nikki didn’t mind though! The two gals relaxed on the roof together. They talked on and off for hours, sometimes taking breaks to relax and lay down quietly, other times to find out more about who they were. “Are you a hot dog... because you’re a hot dog?” Nikki teased her, pointing out how Dawn’s yellow body and red underbelly made her look like a long hot dog. “I cannot be. A hot dog...” Dawn started to sniffle. “Why not? You can be anything you want to be...” “Because...” Dawn paused, “I do not. Have a wiener.” The two girls flopped on their back, giggling together as they continued to bond. Nikki told Dawn how she’d selfishly taken the ghost out of Anger Mouse’s body without any real concern for him. “I feel bad for hurting him, and not caring about it... maybe I should try and make it up to him?” Dawn nodded, “Maybe. We can help. Anger Mouse win. Boxer Beats?” Nikki grinned, “Oh! That’s a great idea! I bet he’d love that.” She bit her lip. “Well, actually, I have a lot of friends in the competition... I might feel bad making them all lose...” Nikki wouldn’t want to be unfair. “What if. We balance.” Dawn leaned up and nosed along Nikki’s paw, “We can make. Everyone win.” “I’m not sure that’s possible.” Nikki shook her head. “Someone has to win.” Dawn laughed, “No no. You see. Reset!” The snakey dog grinned, showing its jagged teeth, “One friend wins. Then we reset. Another friend wins. Another reset. Everyone wins. Anger Mouse too.” “What’s a reset?” Nikki tilted her head, confused. “Real?” Dawn smiled, “You don’t know. What reset means?” “Of course I know what it means!” Nikki kept rubbing her, “But you can’t reset life and reality.” “I can reset. Something like it.” “Oh?” Nikki wasn’t taking her word for it, but spirits could usually do interesting things. Maybe Dawn discovered the power of the element her spirit longed for the most. “Well let’s see! Do something easy.” Dawn looked around on the roof, picked up a pipe with her mouth, and tossed it over the side of the stadium. Nikki watched it fall all the way down to the ground. “Hey! What’s going on up there!?” an angry voice from below yelled up. “Shoot. Careful, Dawn!” Nikki warned her. “It is okay. Watch this. I will reset.” Dawn looked into Nikki’s eyes - the two suddenly felt drowsy and fell right to the floor. After minutes passed, or maybe more like, the minutes reversed, the two woke up. “What happened?” Nikki rubbed her face as she got up from the ground. “Did I fall asleep?” “I reset it. And I brought. You with me.” Dawn smiled, walking around the roof. Nikki watched her pick up a pipe and throw it off the ledge. Was that the same pipe she threw earlier? “Hey! What’s going on up there!?” the same angry voice from before yelled up at the two. Nikki did a double-take, looking down at the ground below. Just that one pipe was laying there, even though she saw Dawn throw it down twice. Nikki smirked, “That... was a reset?” She thought, “That could just be a trick. Maybe you made me sleep while you flew down, got the pipe, and brought it up again. Or even convinced that guy to say that same thing exactly again...” Dawn’s ears lowered. She felt bad Nikki didn’t believe her. “Aww, gee. I’m sorry...” she pat the dog’s head. “If you say it was a reset, I believe you.” That made Dawn smile, but she wanted to do better. “I can do. A bigger reset. A reset. So big. You will know. It is real.” The noodly pooch was set on showing what she could do. “A resety I won’t forgety?” Nikki smiled. “You bety.”
Ahah, aw, these two are really cute together! They make a great pair. Resetting sounds like it'd be a useful ability too! And a great way to help Anger, and others. Lots of fun dialog here, with Arooo and the wiener joke and the resety and everything else! It's cool how Dawn talks like Don! Maybe you learn a thing or two hangin' out in Angermouse! :) Anyway, these two are great pals, I'll look forward to hearin' more from 'em!
Ahah, aw, these two are really cute together! They make a great pair. Resetting sounds like it'd be
