The morning sun peeked over the horizon, casting golden light across a village completely passed out from the night before. Bottles rolled in the grass, confetti clung to trees, and even Dahlias was snoring softly against a tree trunk, flower crown tilted sideways.
In the center of the square, a grand statue stood tall—a beautifully carved monument of Eleo, Tony, Kenji, Olorun, and Timmy. Eleo had a huge grin on his face, one hand in the air. Tony held a cup of tea. Kenji looked like he was judging the stonecutter. Olorun's muscles had muscles. And Timmy… tiny, perched on Eleo's head like the spirit of joy.
The team stood at the base of their ship, the wind rustling through their hair.
Tony stretched, arms behind his head. "You guys do know Amai's gonna be pissed, right? We still haven't recruited a girl."
Olorun blinked, eyes wide. "Ah, shit… I completely forgot."
Kenji scoffed, folding his arms. "Tch. I ain't scared of no brat."
Eleo tilted his head, scratching it with his ear. "Y-Yeah… m-maybe she'll understand?"
Timmy stood small beside them. "So… you guys are leaving?"
Tony turned to him, smiling gently. "Yeah, Timmy. We're headed for World 2."
Eleo gave a thumbs-up. "So we can go on craaaazy adventures!"
Olorun cracked his knuckles. "And get stronger."
Kenji nodded. "And recruit more people."
Timmy looked down, his voice soft. "Oh… well. Goodbye. I hope you guys have fun."
Eleo's smile faltered a bit, but he kept it on. "Hope you find your dad. And your people too."
Timmy nodded with a weak little, "Yeah… I will."
The group turned and walked toward the ship.
Onboard the ship
Olorun dropped to his knees dramatically and kissed the deck. "Ahhh, the ship. I've missed it so much."
Just then—
"So." A familiar gruff voice echoed from the deck.
The entire team froze.
Amai was sitting casually in a chair—one leg crossed, drink in hand, Kawai waddling in circles beside her and randomly falling over. She raised an eyebrow. "Did you recruit a girl like I told you?"
All four looked at each other slowly…
"No," they said in perfect harmony.
Amai rose from her chair and walked toward them with slow, deliberate steps.
Amai offered a gentle smile, the corners of her eyes crinkling with warmth. "It's fine," she said softly, her voice like a calm breeze through tall grass. "There's no need to worry."
Eleo blinked. "Wait, really?"
BAM. BAM. SMACK. THWACK.
Amai beat the crap out of all four of them. Kawai was laughing in the background, puffing up with pride.
"I waited 2 nights!" she shouted, slamming her foot down. "Wasted my time for this?! Let's just leave this island before I turn this ship into a canoe!"
Tony, somehow already behind the wheel, cheerfully called out, "Already ready, baby!"
Amai rushed over. "No, no, no, not again! I don't want your trigger-happy self blasting us off like last time!"
"Come on, what's the worst that could happen?" Tony smirked.
"You made Kawai pass out last time, remember?!"
Tony shrugged. "Eh. That seems like a her problem. Or... he?"
Amai blinked. "Wait. Do we even know what Kawai is?"
They both turned to Kawai, who simply said, "Meep."
Tony clapped his hands. "Anyway! BLAST-OFF TIME!"
Amai's eyes widened. "WAIT—!"
Tony slammed the blue button. The ship's massive steel wings shot out, engines flaring.
Eleo bounced in place. "Do it! Do it! Do it!"
Olorun joined in. "Do it! Do it!"
Even Kenji smirked and chanted along. "...Do it."
Tony raised his hand, ready to slam the red button.
"WAITTTTTT!!"
A voice echoed from below.
The entire team rushed to the ship's edge. Below, Timmy stood crying, tears running down his cheeks as he looked up at them.
"Don't leave me!!" he shouted. "I—I want to go on adventures with you guys!! I want to laugh with you, get scared with you, eat with you! I—I want to be your friends!!"
He dropped to his knees, head bowed.
There was a silence. The wind whispered. The moment hung heavy.
Then—a thump.
Eleo leapt down and landed in front of him, kneeling so they were face to face.
"Timmy…" Eleo whispered.
Timmy looked up, eyes shimmering with emotion.
Eleo gave him that classic goofy smile. "Would you like to join our team?"
Timmy's tears fell harder. His voice cracked as he shouted, "YES! I WANT TO JOIN YOU GUYS!"
A blue message appeared:
TIMMY HAS JOINED ELEO'S TEAM
Eleo's Team: Tony, Kenji, Olorun, Timmy
Timmy — Age: 8 / Height: 20 cm / Race: Minari
Eleo picked him up, holding him high like a champion, and leapt back onto the ship.
Olorun and Kenji both smiled. "Welcome to the team."
Timmy wiped his tears away, sniffling. "Thank you…"
Tony twirled at the wheel. "Time to launch!"
Amai narrowed her eyes. "TONY—"
But it was too late.
CLICK.
He slammed the red button.
BOOOOOM!!!
The ship's engines exploded to life, a firestorm of light and smoke launching the vessel into the sky.
As the ship soared through the sky, cutting through the clouds like a silver bullet, a gust of wind brushed the deck. Amai strutted across, her drill-shaped twin tails bobbing behind her. She approached Timmy, who was curiously watching the sky with wide eyes. He turned and greeted her with a polite, "Hello."
Amai stopped, froze, then squealed.
"YOU. ARE. SO. CUTE." she barked, completely abandoning her usual gruff demeanor. She scooped him up into her hands like a prized plushie and violently rubbed her cheek against his soft, squishy face.
Timmy's voice barely squeaked out, "Uh… thank you?"
From the training area, Eleo peeked over and smirked. "Ahhh!! Timmy! Amai likes you!!" he shouted, clearly loving the rare sight of her going full soft mode.
Kawai waddled up beside her, puffed up like a deflated balloon trying to act intimidating. The tiny creature glared at Timmy with the fury of a jealous goblin. It slipped on the deck, fell flat on its face, but jumped up instantly with a proud "Meep!" as if nothing happened.
In the corner, Olorun and Kenji were shirtless and locked in a fierce hand-to-hand sparring session, muscles flexing and sweat flying. The clash of fists echoed through the ship.
"Yo!" Eleo shouted. "Can I join in!?"
Kenji blocked a punch from Olorun, and with a tired voice said, "Sure—"
"Then I'll go for you first!" Eleo yelled mid-jump, launching himself at Kenji with a flying kick.
Kenji barely had time to react. "Wait what?! Why ME?!"
"You said I could join!"
Olorun burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! He's got a point, Kenji!"
Meanwhile, Tony was at the control panel, pressing a green button. A glowing blue hologram burst out of the center console, spinning slowly—a magnificent world map, sparkling with dozens of islands and floating continents.
"Alright boys and gremlin," Tony said, "Our next stop could be… Kimyōna Island. Or… we could skip it."
He looked toward Amai, who was now casually cradling Timmy like a spoiled cat, stroking his ears while Kawai tried to climb her leg in protest.
Amai looked at the map, then up at Tony. "We're going to that island. I need a girl for my tea party."
Tony blinked. "That's your reason?"
"Do you want another punch in the skull?"
Tony sighed, "No ma'am."
He reached for the red button to change course, but Amai snapped, "Wait, idiot! We're low on gas!"
Tony paused. "Wait, how?!"
"I left the engine on the whole time, genius."
Tony laughed. "Pfft—BAHAHAHAHA—"
"Stop laughing before I punch your jaw off!"
Timmy, still nestled in her arm, raised a tiny hand. "Um… Miss Amai. Kimyōna Island is currently… in the middle of an all-out war."
Everyone on the deck froze.
Amai blinked. "What?"
Timmy's voice dropped a little. "The Ascendants are fighting the Vampires."
Tony dropped his wrench. "Th—WHAT?!"
Even Kawai stopped puffing to stare at Timmy in shock.
Olorun and Kenji stopped sparring, Eleo's jaw dropped.
"HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?!" Tony shouted.
Timmy tilted his head with an innocent smile. "Tony, you should never ask a Minari how they know things."
Tony rubbed his temples. "Right. Right. Minari secrets. Forgot."
Eleo leaned in, eyes twinkling. "This might actually be… kinda interesting."
Timmy looked nervous. "Maybe we should just go to World 2 instead."
Amai ignored the danger completely and kissed Timmy on the head. "Awww, you're so cute when you're worried, But we have to go there. ."
Olorun narrowed his eyes. "Because you want us to stop the war?"
"Nope!" Amai chirped. "I still need a girl for my tea party."
Kenji stared. "But… there's vampires."
Timmy added, "And Ascendants."
Amai rolled her eyes. "Come on, I believe in you guys. You can beat all of them."
Tony scratched the back of his head. "Ahhh… I mean, maybe we should—"
WHAM!
Amai's fist landed right on his head, flattening him like a cartoon. "Not you, dumbass."
Tony's soul momentarily left his body as he wheezed, "...Understood."
Everyone on the ship started arguing at once, comedic sparks flying.
Eleo: "Maybe we can disguise ourselves!"
Kenji: "I'm not wearing a wig!"
Olorun: "Let's take down both sides. Easy."
Timmy: "That's not how war works!"
Kawai: "Meep!"