"EXTRY! EXTRY! COME AN' GET IT FOLKS! YOR FAVOURITE SHOP IS MAKING IT'S GRAN' RETURN!"

A young boy rushed up and down the streets with an overflowing satchel. His parchments were prints of the local Park Press. A newspaper line that had increased in popularity after the recent tragedies striking Starr Park's walls. It prided itself on finding the truth and getting it to the public. No strings attached.

Now they were using their power to foster a sense of hope in the masses. They had good news today. A local shop that was closed due to 'non-specific circumstances' was finally ready to return with a hot new look.

"COME ON FOLKS! COME ON! WE'VE GOT PAYPAS FOR DAYS! AIN'T THA' RIGH' JOSIE!"

On the other side of the street, a carbon copy of himself stood with a matching costume and an equally bursting bag. Her voice was a bit softer though she projected twice as far as him. "THA'S RIGH' JONSIE!" Her tongue could not show the necessary tact on certain words, "WE'VE GO' THE SCOOP IF YOU'VE GO' THE LOO'! JUS' 50 CEN' A PAYPA!"

On his belt loop, he had a coin dispenser that he started presenting like a salesman, "COME ON PEOPLE I'VE GOT THA CHANGE IF YA GOT THA BLANG!"

They continued to garner a crowd worthy of the New York Times front office on election day. Every ear within shot was rushing to get another copy of the latest news.

All except a single pair. He sat atop a roof with his thoughts focused on the clouds. It was another uneventful day. He managed to get a new paint job from Bibi which did wonders for his rapidly cracking face. His clothes were starting to stink as it was the only set he had. His bucket of soapy water and clothesline were patiently waiting for him to employ their simple functions. However, his thoughts were not on hygiene.

This roller coaster felt like it was ending. He thought about the previous month. How just weeks ago he was peacefully enjoying his job as the sweet and sour jester of Starr Park. How he and Mandy would goof off inside the air-conditioned shop and bicker over what flavor of cotton candy was the best. (The obvious answer was puffball pink but she was dead set that skybound blue was the best.) Now he was on the run from Starr Security. Every camera phone and public place was another chance of imprisonment. The eyes he once lived to attract he now hid from daily.

He rolled his neck around to loosen his stiff joints. His bed was just a few feet away but the springs were doing more harm than the tiled roofing. He thought about how he was ready to rush Pam's Junkyard just the other night. The only reason he stopped was thanks to Bo's words.

'You'd willingly rush into the tiger's den?'

Would he? Could he bring himself to actually throw himself face-first into danger? Knowing that on the other side is a tsunami of strength that he could never compare to. An army of militaristic proportions. Elite officers with powers comparable to the Brawlers he struggled to match every day.

Of course, he couldn't. No sentient creature could bring themselves to dive headfirst knowing they'd only die. They'd search for options. Anything other than certain doom. That was a last resort.

His eyes looked down at the crowd as they murmured to themselves. Their heads were locked down at whatever the big new announcement was on those papers. So many innocent civilians, unaware of the monster that is resting just on the eastern corner of the park.

Chester rested his cheek in his hands. He was almost jealous. That blissful ignorance of the truth. He wished he could rock back into that simple way of life again. Just worried about whether he'd have enough money for a pizza that night. Nowadays his concerns are centered around whether he'd eat at all.

The colorful characters that rushed back and forth were mesmerizing. A dazzling man with sparkles and gold dust across his body. A lady with hair slicked so far back it made a floating S down her back. Jet black bikers all rested on their vehicles as they dragged on massive cigars. A girl with bright red pigtails watching from an alley with a black and blue jester cap on. An anthropomorphic alligator and her family of anthropomorphic ducks and chicks. A buff tiger lady and what he assumed was her short twink boyfriend.

*jingle*

Wait a second. One of those descriptions sounded familiar.

He looked back to the alley. A young girl was checking her corners before quickly rushing past the mob and hiding again against a wall. Very poorly he might add. She nearly tripped on the massive black tendrils as she struggled to see through the black and blue mask.

"Jessie?"

It had been over a week since their last meeting. He was struggling to find time when she was alone to interact with her. It was always either the guard dog or the hen herself watching the chick's every move. On sleepless nights he'd try to make it into the junkyard's walls only for the swarm to send him flying.

He assumed that he'd have to pull her away from a group of friends to get a word with her. What luck. She was completely alone. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So good in fact, it felt fishy.

He took a post overhead and followed along for a few blocks. Jessie continued to check every corner while keeping Chester's mask affixed to her undersized skull. At one point she fell face-first into the cement. A group of pedestrians checked on her. A few burst into laughter at the child's antics. She got up without any help and continued to frantically look around before hiding away in another alley.

Meanwhile, Chester tried to search for whatever was pursuing her. There weren't any enemies on the ground, in the air, and it couldn't be a threat from the sea. So, what had her so spooked? Despite the lack of an answer, he came to a simple conclusion, "Better go check on her while I can."

He leaped ahead with a jumping jellybean treat. When she eventually made her way to the segment he stood over, Chester calmly dropped down from the fire escape. His cushioned feet didn't produce a murmur of noise. His steps were silent like a lifeless lamb. Meanwhile, Jessie had her back turned to him and was panting from her nervous rush.

Chester got extra close until he could look over her shoulder. With his chin just barely hovering over her collarbone he whispered, "What are we looking at?"

"GAH!" Jessie jumped nearly a foot into the air. She tried to run away but tripped on the mask once again. Chester couldn't help but chuckle as he watched her struggle to turn the cap around so she could see again.

"Waaa-ha-ha! Sorry, did I scare ya?" Jessie jumped up with her mask the wrong way around. Seeing her struggle in her self-imposed darkness caused him to snap. He broke into a closed-eye giggle fit with his stomach cramping from his gleeful guffaws.

He could hear her pouting face in her whimper, "Y-You haven't won yet!"

Chester managed to choke back his joy, "Win? Win what?" He wiped away a tear, "I mean, watching that makes me feel like a-" When he managed to remove the waterworks, he noticed he was alone. "-winner?"

Chester looked around the alley. Had Jessie done a disappearing trick straight from Crow's stealth manual? He peeked outside at the sidewalk and noticed a black and blue body bopping away. "Jessie? Jessie!" He yelled after her but she kept up the speed.

He stepped back into the darkest corner when someone noticed his call. He was a bit perplexed. Why would Jessie run away from him? She always runs in his direction, never against him.

He quickly clamored atop the building and dashed ahead. He made another soft yet sharp call, "Jessie!" The girl looked up at her name by pushing the mask over her brows. When she caught a glimpse of Chester staring down from above she began cackling and running twice as fast.

Chester cocked his head in confusion, "What the heck is she doing?" He found himself in an impromptu chase with Jessie leading a block away. "What is she doing?" he continued to ask no one in particular. He didn't have time for this. A moment like this was so rare and she was squandering it to play a childish game of tag?

Chester jumped ahead to hide behind a dumpster. Jessie hadn't seen him land so she was still blissfully unaware of the rapidly approaching trap. She looked back while rushing full tilt ahead. The hat once again proved how cumbersome it could be. She stepped on the tendril and went rolling forward. Conveniently she managed to roll on the concrete directly under Chester's outstretched arm.

The clown was flabbergasted as Jessie not only did a combat roll beneath his barricade but also jumped right back up as if it never even happened. "When'd you get so tough?" he whispered as he returned to his overhead path. He looked over the ledge and noticed Jessie blowing a raspberry in his direction. She taunted him with finger antlers as she jumped into a massive crowd of pedestrians making their way across the street.

Chester was astonished, "Okay. So you wanna play?" He reached into his pocket for a snack. Another jumping green jellybean slipped between his lips. He gave himself a running start and went flying into the sky. As he coasted over the crowd he looked down to get an idea as to how far Jessie had made it. Only for him to see her laughing as she ran back the way they'd come. He couldn't help but smile fifty feet above the ground, "Clever girl."

He skidded to a halt on the opposing building and ran back for another jump. This was turning surprisingly fun. He jumped up ready to go soaring once more. Instead that strength in his calves gave out and he went tumbling through the sky. Luckily he positioned himself over an alley so his plummet landed him square in a convenient stack of wooden crates.

He had a few cuts on his arms and legs but he managed to walk it off. He imagined this is what El Primo felt like after taking a ridiculous bump through a stack of tables on stage. Chester didn't have much time to ponder the intricacies of a professional wrestler's pain tolerance. He popped another bean between his teeth. This time it held a light blue hue. The rush of momentum took him flying as he rushed forth with super speed. The cars were rushing at speeds equal to his own as he blitzed past them.

He could see Jessie just a few feet ahead. He reached a hand outward and nearly got a hold of the cap's bells till she cut away into another alley. The speed she turned with matched his own power up. His feet skidded to a halt and he boosted after her. The soft jingles of metal bells against concrete helped guide him through the urban maze.

Again he had the back of her head in his sights. Though he saw no reason for her to stay ahead of him with the extra speed he was sporting. Just before he could get a hold of her shoulders something heavy crashed against his face. He didn't even notice the low-hanging sign that she was able to ignore with her amazingly tiny build.

Once the bells in his ears stopped ringing, he again returned to his stardust highway. He held back a bubbling rage at the constant intrusions that were appearing. It was like calamity itself had crashed down on him to get in his way. The world itself was stopping him from finishing this deadly game of tag.

He was so lost in thought that he suddenly found himself rolling to a halt in the middle of the street. A car's horn and screeching tires woke him up from thought. He was currently between a four-way intersection flat on his butt and dazed. He looked around trying to figure out when he jumped down from the rooftops.

Jessie's voice rang out through the rapidly growing chaos, "Are you okay?!"

He rubbed a growing bump on his shoulder. The bit of missing flesh from that encounter with the robotic impostors was nearly replaced. "I'm fine."

"Okay!" Jessie began to retreat further away as she giggled into the distance.

"No, Jessie wait!"

He wanted to rush after her but the crowd that surrounded him closed themselves off. He was now stuck in the middle of the intersection with a mob forming around him. He was a bit confused till he realized what was happening.

"It's him!" A woman's voice shouted. A host of fingers began pointing in his direction.

"Chester!" A group of men made their presence known by stepping into the front of the pack. They swung heavy ropes and rusty chains as they drew near.

Again, it felt like the world was operating against him. Like a tsunami of unfortunate circumstances bred from the world's bad luck had been placed on his shoulders. A swarm of angry wasps with no reason for their existence enticed by the prospect of hurting an innocent man.

*jingle*

Yet at the same time, he couldn't blame them. In their eyes, this was punishment. He was the monster that had been closing down every business. All the missing Brawlers and their 'missions'. The lack of light. The dread that had oozed into the deepest crevices. The public knew all too well. This was all his fault.

*jingle**jingle*

It's all his fault. If he hadn't been born none of this would have happened. If he had never joined Starr Park they wouldn't be gone. His friends. He might have never met them otherwise, but at least they would be safe. At least Starr Park would be lively. At least Mandy would be alive.

*jingle**jingle**jingle*

"I FINALLY FOUND YOU!"

A new voice entered the fray. It pierced the heavens itself with its powerful shout. The horde stopped their advance to follow this new addition. Chester did the same taking note of a silhouette staring down from above.

The figure was male. He could tell from the broad shoulders and fatty waist. He could also tell that this person's fashion sense was a crime. They'd stolen his entire outfit. From the hot pink boots to the goofy jester's cap. Even his hair was done in the exact same way.

Whoever this was they definitely had the strength to match the role. They jumped down from the roof and rolled off a metal awning like a tumbling baguette. They continued to roll as the crowd parted to allow him to pass. He came to a spinning stop with his face lying on the asphalt.

Chester was on a knee as he tried to check on this man just a few feet before him. "...waaa..." There was a strange noise welling up from him. "...Waa..." It sounded like a whine but there was something off. On the corner of his lips, "...waaa-h..."

Chester saw a smile.

"WAAAAA! HE-HE-HE!" The Chester cosplayer suddenly popped up from his prone position. He started cackling like a mastermind supervillain who had finally completed his ingenious plan. Despite his uncomfortable tumble, his face seemed unharmed.

His sharp Roman nose showed no sign of scratches. His broad cheeks were unbruised. His eyes shone despite looking like coals in a bowl of milk. Thick black eyebrows, and mascara in the form of elongated chevrons below his eyes. A dazzling smile with teeth whiter than freshly fallen snow.

Chester's brain couldn't handle it. It was like staring into a mirror. A movie recording of another life, one exactly the same as his current yet twenty times brighter. This frightening imposter pointed a finger down at the black and blue Brawler.

"I found you, FAKER!"