Enter The Ninjas:

Notes: Shadow Julian will be referred to as SJ for the remainder of the story. This chapter takes place during the "Mastermind of Disastermind".

"So... This is what you do when you're 'plotting'?"

Antoinette felt herself suppress the heaviest of sighs, her ribs aching bad enough already from just her breathing. Whatever lack of sympathy she had for monsters ever since her first attack was replaced with full out empathy for the things. Well, all of the monsters except for one. The one she was currently glaring daggers at out of her eight new eyes.

"Well, what else am I supposed to do?" Shadow Julian scoffed, his own gaze never shifting away from his current task at hand.

Since the transformation had gone down, the pair found themselves skipping the rest of their classes in favour of taking a stroll through the woods- Or rather Julian had left on his own and just dragged a very reluctant and bitter Antoinette with him. Now, they were on their own, and the doppelganger was carving a skull shape into a large tree, albeit rather bored looking.

"I dunno. Go to class?" Antoinette huffed, fruitlessly attempting to bend her claws as she would her fingers.

"And have absolutely NO ONE notice that I'm any different?" He sighed, stabbing the rock he was using to carve into the bark. "Not as much fun."

"So, we're just going to carve trees and hope that your goals get realized in that time?"

"No. We wait for- You're going to hurt yourself if you keep bending them like that." The rock was dropped and SJ took a step back from his work.

"Well 'sorry', but they feel seriously weird like this!" She snapped, waving her claws in front of his face. "No thanks to you."

"Why don't you try scratching something onto the tree? They might feel better." It was only a suggestion, and not a very serious one at that either.

Still, Antoinette did eventually go over to the tree and drag her claws down the bark. Much to her surprise, they carved through the bark like butter, and it was just as satisfying. Still, leaving a few pinstripes in tree bark wasn't enough to make her feel any less annoyed with the other and their current situation- Whatever it was or why it was. He hadn't told her yet what he was after or why he bothered to get her involved. At least not completely.

"So... How long am I going to stay like this?" She asked, dragging her claws one last time through the tree, this time straight through SJ's carving.

"As long as it takes to retrieve the Sorcerer's power balls." SJ replied, frowning at his ruined project. "Which could be by the end of the day, or by the end of the world. However long it takes-"

"Okay, stop. I can handle monsters and ninjas existing in the school, my dad being an evil overlord, and you being a doppelganger, but "Sorcerer's power balls"?"

"Dear, there is quite a bit more to our school's lore than just monsters and a ninja." The discarded rock from earlier was picked up.

"Well, you better get talking then." The rock was snatched up between two claws, and pitched promptly across the forest clearing.

SJ turned to watch it fly off, and then sighed heavily. As Antoinette noted, this version of her friend was usually pretty blunt with her, so she didn't expect him to beat around the bush with this one. When he turned back to her, she took a seat on the ground and folded her arms as best she could, expecting she'd be hearing a story-

"Look it up." She would have struck him down right there if it wasn't illegal.

"Look it up!? I can't even pick up a book right now!" She exclaimed, getting up and tackling him suddenly. "Quit messing around and fill me in!"

"Antoinette, you're really the only person who I DON'T mess with." A signature giggle ended his sentence.

"You're joking, right?"

"Nope." One shove was all it took to knock the newly turned monster away.

"Then why not tell me this lore instead of just having me look it up?" Antoinette sighed, pushing herself back up.

"Because you wouldn't be able to accuse me of lying to you about anything if you looked it up yourself." Well, that was fair enough. "I could flip the pages for you too."

"We would have to get the book first, and I'm not sure if you remember, but I'm kind of a monster right now." Antoinette pointed out, frowning a touch.

"Knowing how stupid everyone at that school is, they'd sooner ask you if you did something with your hair over why you now have so many arms." Another giggle.

"Not the ninja. He'd sooner give me a scalp cut if he saw me like this!" Antoinette exclaimed.

"I have to do everything for you, don't I?" SJ growled, turning back to the direction of the school. "Fine. I'll get you a darn book, and I'll flip the pages for you. Lucky for you, I have to go have a meeting with myself anyhow... I just remembered something."

"I'll be waiting in the woods then." She sighed, leaning back against the tree.

"Stay here."

With a huff, the doppelganger took off in the direction of the school, leaving Antoinette on her own again. Not that she minded, as it gave her a chance to worry about herself and her regular friend in peace. Around her, birds chirped quietly, undoubtedly afraid of this new monster sitting so sadly in the middle of the woods like that. Not that she blamed them, as looking at her own reflection in her claws was making her fearful.

Though, not as fearful as the sudden sound of snapping twigs falling underfoot nearby did.

Jerking upright, she turned as best she could to search for the source of the noise. While her shadow problem was the last thing she wanted to see, she secretly hoped it was either him or an animal. The absolute last thing she needed was a poor civilian or a hunter seeing her like this. Then again, she could always just kill who or whatever it was as a last resort-

"Nope. I've already fled one country and changed my name because of a death. Not gonna do it again in the same year..." She huffed, looking around once more.

The crunching was getting louder, though she still had yet to locate the source of the noise. It sounded to only be a few feet from he-

"Neve' seen a spide' this big." Well, whoever that was didn't sound too friendly at all.

Whipping around, Anoinette cried out in surprise when a net was suddenly tossed over her head. The net thrower was now in view. He couldn't be more than a few feet taller than her, with spiky hair and a matching beard that was about the same colour as her new eyes. His overalls were stained with what looked to be pond sludge- or monster blood, that was just as ugly as the sneer he wore. The curved knife he held in his hands didn't make Antoinette feel any more comfortable with him.

"A-actually, I'm not a spider-" Antoinette whimpered, hoping to talk herself out of this mess.

"A talkin' spide'! Even betteer." He chuckled, raising his knife suddenly and in a few quick slashed, cut the net free from the poor girl's head. "Always nice to have someone to talk to back in my swamp."

"W-what-?"

"Names Catfish Booray. Local trapper in these woods, and you are?" He introduced, offering a dirty hand to the girl.

"U-um, Antoinette McFist- Student and reluctant monster." She coughed, raising a single claw up to him.

"Reluctant? Ya mean ya don't get to choose to be one er not?" Catfish laughed, swatting her claw away.

"No, you see, I'm actually a human- But this insane copy of my best friend is holding my human self hostage so he can do some shi-"

"WHAT!?" His voice was enough to both silence and deafen anyone within a country mile. "Doesn't sound like much of a best friend. Sounds like a jerk if you ask me, and you didn't. Though, since yer a human, I guess I can't take you in as a pet... And I don't think they'd be interested in eating something such as yer monster self, so I guess yer lucky- Well, other than the whole thing with that jerk and all."

"I know, but his normal self is a dorky kind of sweet and a GOOD level of crazy." Antoinette sighed, flexing out her new limbs as she spoke. "Hold up- Did you just say that you were going to feed me to-"

"Well, where is the guy now?" Catfish sneered suddenly, looking down at his knife. "Doesn't have to be around anymore if you don't want him to be... Probably would make good food for my pets if hes human-"

"Nah, I can handle him... He went to get a book for me to read." The monster attempted to explain, head swimming in sheer terror now.

"A book!? Well, I got plenty of them books back at my swamp. Any one yer lookin' for?"

"Unless you have one about Norrisville High's history or Sorcerer Balls, I doubt it." By now Antoinette had begun to back away slowly.

"I recon I got one somewhere or other." Catfish coughed, offering his hand up to the girl. "Swamps only about a half country mile from these parts if ya want to look."

"I don't." Antoinette politely declined. "No thank you."

"Suite yerself. Just thought it might help ya some." With a shrug, Catfish turned and began to walk back in which he came. "Careful for hunters now, Antoinette McFist."

Antoinette's breath hitched in her throat at the thought. As much as she DIDN'T want to follow this guy, she really didn't want to be killed by hunters her weren't as... Understanding? as this one. Plus, if he did have a book on the power balls, she might stand a chance at getting her human form back sooner. After quickly weighing her options, she took a deep breath and followed after him.

"Norrisville... Power balls... Found it! 'Complete History of Norrisville, volume 800'." Catfish announced, tossing the large volume on top of his coffee table, causing the wood to creek loudly under it.

"Lets hope it has answers... I'm starting to miss having ribs and fingers." Antoinette sighed, pushing the book open with her limbs and scanning the book quickly.

Once Upon A Time...

In ancient times, (specifically over 800 years ago), the man who would later become known as 'the Sorcerer' was a poor and lowly peddler. However, one day this poor and lowly peddler discovered one of the Chaos Pearls floating inside of a pond while wandering. Out of curiosity, he took it with him. However, as he did, the dark powers within Chaos Pearl were unleashed and corrupted him. Weak willed and tempted by the power in front of him, he allowed himself to be consumed by the darkness, thus The Sorcerer was born and the man he used to be was destroyed.