Chapter 4: Chapter 4
A large yawn forced itself through Mike's lips as he continued to stare at his monitor. It was his fourth night as the night guard of a convention of animatronics that were secretly sentient and there was only thing that he could think of in his situation.
"I have yet to ask Charlie whether or not using the cameras counts as spying on the girls," Mike sighed.
"Ye look sadder than those that are hung from the Yardarm," the night guard curiously looked up from the desktop of his computer monitor and found find Foxy kneeling in front of his desk. Even though he hasn't interacted with her much, he still was surprised to find such a boisterous girl sporting such an innocent and curious expression. "Such a negative expression does not befit such a cute face."
"Foxy…" the young night guard watched the eponymous animatronic's tail swing back and forth behind her back. "I'm not depressed or anything, I'm just trying to figure out whether or not using the cameras to watch the establishment counts as spying on you girls. I mean, there are probably things you all like to do in private and I'd know I'd hate to grow paranoid at the idea that I'm being watched at anytime."
"Ah… The eternal spy glass question…" Foxy's tail continued to wag from side to side before suddenly stopping as she grinned at Mike. Still, yer thinking too much about work."
"Well, I am supposed to be working right now," Mike replied.
"Aye, but ye forget the age-old phrase: 'All work and zero play makes the Night Guard a dull mate."
"Huh?"
Before he could get a proper response out, Foxy approached Mike and effortlessly lifted both him and his chair off the ground.
"To the pub!" Foxy declared.
"Somehow, I find this more terrifying than 'time to hunt the night guard!'," Mike mumbled.
He then tightly gripped the sides of his chair as he was carried out of his office. One short trip later, Mike was brought to the kitchen. To his surprise, they weren't the only ones in there. A familiar yellow animatronic was busy sifting through the contents of the refrigerator until she finally noticed she was no longer alone.
"Ahoy, you two," she greeted with a casual smile. "What brings you here?"
"All work, no play," Mike replied as Foxy placed his chair on the ground.
"Aye! Please fetch us both frothy mugs of water!" Foxy requested.
"Frothy mugs of water?" Mike inquired.
"Foamy and bubbly soda," Chica explained.
"Ah," Mike nodded.
He watched as the bright yellow animatronic grabbed two medium size mugs, filled them to the top with liquid from a nearby barrel and handed one to both Foxy and himself.
"Bottoms up!" With one swift gulp, Foxy quickly downed her drink then glanced at Mike. To her confusion, he had yet to even lift his drink up to his face. "What's the problem, Night Guard?"
"Nothing serious," Mike assured her. "It's just seeing such of foamy and bubbly drink brings back unpleasant memories."
"What kind of unpleasant memories?" Chica curiously asked.
It was then when Mike began to explain what event he was referring to. Some time back, while he was in one of his many mental ruts, he decided to drop one of his "Extreme Mouthpuckerers" in his drink to see what would happen. The minute the tiny piece of candy made contact with the acidic drink, the entire soda violently shook and bubbled before shooting out of his cup like an erupting geyser. When all was said and done, Mike was left with a ceiling with soda on it. Though he was able to clean it, a stain remained to remind him to find something less risky to do if he was ever in a mental rut ever again.
"Ugh…" Mike groaned as the memory ended.
"Extreme Mouthpuckerers? Weren't those recalled?" Chica questioned. "Was that why?"
"That was only one of the reasons," a sharp chill crawled down the night guard's spine before continuing. "I'm lucky I wasn't one of the people who actually ate them."
Suddenly, without even touching it, his mug rose up and stopped just a few centimeters away from his lips. Following the arms that did the deed, Mike came face to face with Foxy's eager face.
"Okay," Mike said before taking a sip of the drink. After his first sip, Mike glanced up and was shocked to find Charlie hovering over him. "Charlie?! What are you doing back here?"
"It's usually the time I'm supposed to be here," she pointed out with a chuckle.
"Huh?" his entire body shifted, finally allowing himself to realize that his back was no longer against his chair but atop the kitchen floor. Not only that, he also found himself wrapped in a blanket with a soft pillow under his head. "What happened?"
"According to Chica, Foxy accidently got you drinking more sugar then you could handle and you crashed."
"Oh."
"That said… You should've known that you couldn't possibly keep up with her and you conked out on the job. I should probably dock your pay for this."
"Ah…" Mike sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Well, that's only fair…"
"Just kidding," Charlie assured him. "I wouldn't do that to someone who got swept up in the moment. Here."
The young manager reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a check intended for Mike his check. As he accepted his payment, his eyes looked over the tiny slip of paper until firmly gluing themselves on his salary.
"Hey, Charlie…" Mike suddenly spoke up.
"Yeah?" Charlie replied.
"How come this job pays so much money?"
"Why?" Charlie's casual expression transformed into a more serious one. "Why do you think it pays so much money?"
The confused night guard stared at his check as pondered her question. "Rich organization desperate for Night Guards?"
"Good answer," Charlie grinned.
"But why do you need Night Guards in the first place? The girls have the abnormal strength expected from robots and anime girls. I'm pretty sure they would be able to serve as efficient night guards."
"Umm…" Charlie crossed her arms, remaining silent for a full minute. "Let's just say it's better to hire a Night Guard."
"Can't tell me, huh?" Mike concluded.
"Not really…" Charlie sheepishly admitted.
"Hmm…" following his boss' example, Mike crossed his arms as he pondered her response. "Who else besides us and the many Night Guards- Wait… How isn't it big news that the girls are alive?"
"We deny everything and no one believes the reports."
"Don't you think that some of them could be mentally scarred?" He knew from experience how frightening it could be to find out that something many people believe are actually sentient.
"We pay for therapy," Charlie assured him. "Anonymously of course."
"Of course. Okay, back on subject, who else besides us knows that the girls are alive?"
"Can't answer that either."
"Am I just an unimportant grunt that's strung along until he's not needed anymore?"
"You're not just an unimportant grunt. Look, I would love to tell you more than I'm allowed to but… I just can't. Seriously, if I could have warned you about Spring-Bonnie being super affectionate or that Fredbear would rather be left alone, I would have."
"Hmm… Am I being tested?"
"Why would you think that?"
"You not being allowed to give me any heads-up leads me to believe that I'm being evaluated for something."
"I'm not evaluating anything."
"Hmm…" Mike's eyes narrowed as he silently stared at his boss.
"You know, you should probably head home so you rest after such a crazy night," Charlie suggested. "You honestly look like you just regained consciousness after getting plastered."
Mike continued to blankly stare at her until his gaze drifted to his right. Charlie curiously glanced to her left, only to find an empty mug on the floor. She then turned her attention back to Mike, only to find that he was now gone.
"So that's what the others were talking about," she chuckled. "I didn't know I hired a ninja."
That smile quickly faded though as she picked the mug up. "I can't help but think him doing that is his way of showing how annoyed he may be being kept in the dark. I wonder if there's any way I could make it up to him."
Later that night, Mike sat in his office until a red blur sped past him. Perhaps it was only a blur because he wasn't paying too much attention to his surroundings.
"That's not a good habit for a night guard," Mike thought as he sighed.
Not too long after that thought, Foxy backtracked into the office and waved.
"Ahoy, Night Guard," she grinned.
"Evening, Foxy," Mike solemnly replied.
The spirited pirate fox approached the night guard, her eyes curiously scanning him from head to toe.
"Do you happen to be busy right now?" she asked.
Mike had no idea how to answer that question. Even though he was officially hired to keep an eye on the establishment, he had a strong feeling that he was really hired to interact with the animatronics; though he knows that he can't make a decision just on a hunch.
"I don't really know. All I know is that I'm on the clock," he finally said.
"Excellent," Foxy beamed.
"Huh?"
The female pirate causlly reached for Mike and effortlessly lifted him over her shoulders.
Mike was at a loss of words. He was well aware that the girls were exceptionally stronger than any normal human being and yet he still couldn't help but feel shock over how easily he was hoisted over someone's shoulder. He also couldn't help but find it weird that that he didn't react this strongly the night before.
"What are you doing?" Mike asked.
"Carrying you to my cove, mate," Foxy replied.
"But…"
"You said you were on the clock and one of your duties is to keep an eye on us. You'll be able to keep an eye on me while in my cove."
"That's…" Mike thought about what he had just been told. "That's a good loophole."
"I'm a pirate, Night Guard. Loopholes are my specialty," the pirate fox happily boasted.
In no time at all, Foxy arrived in her cove.
"So, what is your request, Foxy?" he asked.
"I need a sparring partner," she answered.
"A sparring partner?" Mike felt a shiver crawl down his spine as he imagined all the possible results of any kind of sparring session with Foxy.
"Aye. I want to make sure my swordplay is still sharp for tomorrow's performance."
Not too long after that statement, Foxy walked further into her cove and stood Mike up on the stage. There, two prop swords were already waiting for them.
"You really never intended on letting me say no, huh Foxy?" he said.
"I would have. I was just really hoping you say yes since I really needed the human night guard for this one," she answered. "Now, pick up your weapon, if you dare."
Mike did as he was instructed and brought the prop up to his face.
"You ready?" a menacing grin formed on Foxy's face as she grabbed her sword.
Mike unconsciously relaxed his stance as he stared at the animatronic in front of him. The entire scenario was beginning to seem familiar to him.
"Let's go!" Foxy swung her sword at Mike's; the clash resulting in her opponent's sword crashing against the wall on the other side of the room.
"If I didn't relax my grip…" he fearfully muttered.
"Heh. Looks like I got a little more excited than I thought I would," Foxy sheepishly giggled. "It's been a while since I actually got to practice swordplay with another human."
"You mean Charlie?
"Yep. She assisted me before, but at the end of the night she said: 'No way will I ever risk having my arm flying through the sky ever again.'"
"Will the kids really be okay tomorrow?" he struggled not to imagine any bad scenarios of what may happen tomorrow. He knew Foxy wasn't a bad person and refused to associate those negative images with her. "Still, if even Charlie refused to do this with Foxy after the first time…"
"All right, let's go again!" Foxy declared.
"Foxy, wouldn't it better to ask the others for help? This seems like a dangerous task for a human like me." Mike pointed out.
"Don't worry. I promise to use less strength this time. Besides…" Foxy's expression softened before continuing. "I want to see what the new Night Guard is made of."
Mike shot a curious look at the animatronic before stepping off of the stage and walking to where his blade lied.
"Here goes nothing, I guess," he whispered as he picked his blade off the ground.
"Look alive!" Mike immediately turned around just in time to notice Foxy lunge at him. As if by instinct, the night guard quickly rolled out of the way as Foxy swung her blade through a nearby table.
"S-Strong…" he gulped as he watched the pieces of the destroyed furniture fly through the air.
"Oh boy, Charlie's going to have my tail for this… Okay, this time I'll go a little easier," Foxy turned towards where Mike landed, only to find he was already gone. She then looked up just in time to catch the exit from her cove close. The pirate fox could only grin as she approached the door. "He's a slippery one."
Not too far away, Mike transitioned from fast sprinting to slow jogging as he tried to catch his breath.
"I know she's trying not to, but Foxy could seriously kill me if this goes on," he thought aloud. "Perhaps if I gave her some time to cool down."
The night guard then examined his surroundings, his eyes immediately zooming in on a nearby vent grate.
"Here goes… well my life so… everything," he quickly kneeled down and removed the grate, allowing him to crawl inside. Once in, he moved the cover back to its proper position and began his journey through the ventilation system. "Hopefully my lack of direction will be beneficial in my current predicament."
Meanwhile, in the main dining area's show stage, Bonnie strummed a few notes on her guitar as Chica stretched out next to her.
"Hey, Chica…" Bonnie suddenly said.
"Yeah?" Chica answered.
"Do you think that the Night Guard might be getting second thoughts about staying here?"
"What makes you think that?"
"I guess I'm just a little worried. The past days have been pretty 'eventful' for him to say the least."
"You think?"
"Mm-hmm," Bonnie nodded her head. "I mean, I freaked him out on Night 1 and he even ended up unconscious because of it, On Night 2 he almost suffocated, Night 3 had him squeezed to very painful extremes and last night he was knocked out again."
"I probably should've stopped Foxy from encouraging him to drink that much sugar…" Chica admitted.
"You don't think he's getting tired of all the things that happened in under a week, do you?"
"Actually, I never even considered that. I don't really know his feelings towards everything that happened so far, but I really doubt that he's, ya know, seething with frustration inside. Theoretically speaking though, if your worries were true than that would mean that one more incident would probably make him snap and, if that were the case, than that would mean that we all would need to minimize contact with him so nothing crazy could happen."
As if on cue, Mike tumbled out of a nearby vent.
"Like that," Chica continued.
"Night Guard? What were you doing in the vents?" Bonnie queried.
Suddenly, Foxy burst through the entrance doors.
"Oh," noticing the swords in their hands was all the blue bunny needed to get a grasp of the current situation. "Oh…"
"And that," Chica added.
"I thought you'd end up here," a knowing smile crossed Foxy's face as she approached Mike.
"What makes you say that?" he asked.
"Naturally, one on the run would think usually think of hiding in a secluded area. But I had the feeling that you would think of hiding in an area that had people but also wouldn't be loud enough to give away your location."
"That's…" Mike took a moment to think about what he was just told. "That's really clever."
"Never underestimate the cunning of a pirate! Or a fox, for that matter," Foxy proudly boasted.
The night guard then glanced at the vent he came out of and thought, "It would probably be the move of a jerk to tell her I accidently ended up here. Not like it would ruin how clever her thinking was…"
"Now, let's continue our battle!" the robotic pirate lunged at Mike, swinging her sword down the moment she was close enough.
Going against his instincts, Mike raised his sword over his head, stopping the opposing blade from hitting him.
"I actually stopped it..." though astonished by his achievement, it didn't take long for it to sink in that accomplishment was only possible because she was holding back her strength.
"You're finally into this it seems," Foxy grinned. She then released her sword from the blade lock and quickly crouched down. She then immediately jumped up, swinging her blade in an upward arc.
Once again having to rely on instinct, Mike quickly backed away from his attacker, narrowly dodging the swing. That move wasn't without consequence though, as he soon found himself falling back and landing on one of the many party tables in the room.
"Gotcha!" Foxy once again swung her blade at the night guard, only for him to offset the attack with his own heavy swing.
He then used his feet to propel himself forward, constantly offsetting his opponent's swings until he finally fell off the table.
"Gotta watch all your surroundings, mate," Foxy advised.
"Right," Mike staggered onto his feet and raised his sword.
The two continued their duel. Even though he knew he wouldn't stand a chance if Foxy was using her real strength, that fact soon didn't matter as he began to adapt to her movements and heavy swings.
After offsetting another attack, Mike gave into his instinct again and brought the whole of his sword up to Foxy's neck. The surprised look the fox displayed filled the night guard with the satisfaction of victory.
"Got you," he said, breathless.
"Is that so?" With a knowing smirk, Foxy gripped the tip of his blade, an act that confused Mike until he felt something press against his abdomen. Glancing down, he was surprised to find that it was the tip of Foxy's sword. "There's a reason why no one gets this close in a sword fight."
"Ah…" Mike couldn't help but feel like an idiot for making such an amateur move.
"Now…" the victorious fox pulled the night guard close and thrust her sword towards the doors. "Now we drink!"
"Looks like I'm up," Chica beamed. "Someone's got to be the bartender."
Later that night, the animatronic chicken handed Mike and Foxy each a mug of soda.
"Bottoms up!" Like the night before, Foxy made quick work of her drink. Wiping what's left off her red fur, she then turned to Mike, noting that he had yet to touch his mug. "What's wrong, Night Guard?"
"It's just… I feel like I didn't give you much of a sparring match," he lamented. "You kind of defeated me pretty quickly despite holding back."
"Aye, it was never like you would have defeated a pirate like me!" Foxy assured the night guard, gently patting him on the back. "Still, you put up a good fight despite how short it was."
"Even so, it was my job to make sure you were ready for tomorrow."
"Job? That's not your job."
"Hm? Isn't it implied that part of my job as a night guard to help however I can?"
"I don't know, but you make it sound like that you're less than what you're saying. It's true you're paid your weight in gold to keep an eye on us, but not to be our lackey or toy and I'm sure that no one here thinks of you that way," Foxy gently placed her hand on Mike's shoulder and flashed him a soft smile. "You're our mate, mate."
"Foxy…" Mike was rendered speechless by what he was just told. But despite his inability to verbally express his feelings, he could still give a small smile back.
"Now, drink and be merry!" Foxy cheered.
"To my tolerable limit," the night guard added.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone