Chapter Text
A lone object sat on a chair, the skies a beautiful bright blue and the sands around him a dusty golden color. A simple but solid sand castle sat nearby, far away from the vibrant colored waves of the ocean.
Ace had to admit, he didn't know why he didn't do this sooner.
For so long, he'd been on some kind of competition or game show run by a guy named "Gold Ingot", where other objects like him could compete in multiple challenges in an attempt to win one million dollars. He'd lost of course, having been eliminated on one of the co-host's birthdays (which he later attended in secret anyway when Gold Ingot wasn't there). But as upset as he had been back then...he really didn't have a problem with how things were now. He could build his own sandcastles, fly as fast and as far as his body would let him, heck he could use his magic any way he wanted without anyone telling him what to do.
'Another day of being away from Gold Ingot,' Ace thought to himself. 'And all that counts is here and now.'
During the competition, Gold Ingot had the gut to limit Ace's usage of magic, which, while he supposed it was partially for the fairness, started to annoy him after a while. But none of that mattered in the present, for Ace was free as a bird. He'd chosen a small town by a beachside to relax by, as it had much more comfortable places to stay than Gold Ingot's "Dark Pit of Despair". It also had better refreshments, or at least Ace thought it did.
Today he'd spent the entire day at the beach, only taking a few hours out of his day to get something to eat, or take a break from sitting in one place for so long. It was currently around noon or so, and Ace had only just come back from his recent break with a container of food and a drink. He'd spotted a crab walk by as he made his way back to his seat, thankful that nothing had messed with it while he was gone. A few birds soared overhead, occasionally diving into the ocean waves to catch fish. An ocean breeze whistled through the air, bringing with it the faint scent of flowers.
As he looked up at the sky, Ace took a deep breath in before sighing, a small smile across his face. Frankly he believed he deserved to be here after the amount of things he'd been through in that competition. What with the paintball throwing, the argument his team had during a cooking challenge over what to make, the "princess rescuing" challenge where Gold Ingot forbid him from simply flying up, the puzzle block challenge, and more. Especially the "find the most bags hidden in an abandoned laboratory" challenge, what was Gold Ingot THINKING on that one?! Then again, those challenges were entertaining. Ace had to admit that at least, despite hating the other aspects of it.
'At least I have a few stories to tell to others when this whole thing is over,' Ace thought. 'My universe will never be the same...'
Ace's vacation was perfect as it was now, there really wasn't much more he could ask for.
But yet...it still lacked something.
Yes, despite the fact that Ace might as well have been living his own dream, there was still something he felt was missing from it. He'd had the feeling about a week or so after he first got here, but he never managed to figure out what it was. It would bother for him a little, then it would go away...only to come back a few days later.
And now it had come back once more to bother him again.
But maybe now he could do something about it. After all, he wasn't on a timer of any kind. Gold Ingot said there wouldn't be a rejoin involving the Season 2 contestants ever, only a rejoin with the Season 1 contestants. Better now than never, Ace supposed. In fact, maybe he needed to go on a walk, that could help sort out his thoughts.
Ace sat up from his chair, moving his sunglasses up to the top of his head. He then swung his legs over the side of the chair and lowered himself onto the sand, feeling the warmth of it almost immediately. He took a moment to stretch for a little, looking at the golden hills that were faintly visible in the horizon...and then made his way around his chair and started off in a direction at a leisurely pace. He glanced down at the sand in hopes of avoiding stepping on anything sharp, shortly before realizing something and lifting himself up off the ground by an inch. He then continued his "walk", this time looking up from the sand and over at the trees that surrounded the beach.
For a while, nothing really stuck out. It was just the same sand dotted with a few broken shells and stray seaweed. Looking back out at the ocean yielded the same result, at least if he looked at the trees there was a chance he'd see a crab scurry into its hole before he could get any closer. He kept going though, hoping he could find something that wouldn't make his idea a waste...and that was when Ace noticed something out of the corner of his eye.
He paused mid-step, curious as to what the odd shape was...and on closer inspection, found himself intrigued even more. It was a piece of driftwood, more specifically a stick that was stuck in the sand. Around the middle of it, there were two smaller branches on the sides of the stick that almost made it look like a weapon.
Ace blinked.
Something about that driftwood...seemed familiar.
It reminded him of something, but...what?
...
And that was when a thought struck him...