Hunk cracked his knuckles, staring down Olorun with a smug grin. "Remember what happened last time?"
Olorun dusted off his coat and smirked. "Yeah, yeah… but second time's the charm."
Hunk scoffed. "That's not how the saying goes."
Olorun shrugged. "Eh, close enough."
In an instant, Hunk vanished.
Reappearing beside his squad of Ascendants, he raised his hand. "Fire!."
The Ascendants nodded.
A split second later—
A hailstorm of laser blasts erupted.
Olorun's eyes widened. "Ah, shit."
Tony put his hands together like he was praying. "Well, it was nice knowing you guys."
"INK DOUBLE ROPE!"
Eleo whipped two thick ropes of ink, launching them toward Tony and Olorun.
The ropes wrapped around their waists and yanked them backward just as the laser fire closed in.
They tumbled beside Eleo and Kenji.
Eleo barely caught his breath before—
"INK SHIELD!"
A bubble-like barrier of ink expanded around them, blocking the first wave of laser blasts.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The lasers pounded against the shield, shaking it violently.
Kenji looked around, surprised. "Nice going, Eleo!"
Eleo, however, was gritting his teeth, sweating bullets.
"N-No problem…"
Olorun crossed his arms. "So, uh, Eleo… you think this thing will hold long enough for them to run out of ammo?"
Eleo gulped. "I—uh—"
BZZT!
A crack formed in the shield.
Tony started dramatically cheering. "GO ELEO! GO ELEO! GO ELEO! YOU CAN DO IT!"
Kenji slowly turned to Tony. "What the hell are you doing?"
Tony grinned. "Uh, cheering our leader on so we don't get KILLED. DUH."
Kenji facepalmed. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."
BZZZT!
More cracks spread across the shield.
Eleo gasped. "Oh crap—IT'S ABOUT TO BREAK!"
The lasers kept coming.
The ink shield shattered—but before the lasers could land—
POOF!
Eleo, Tony, Kenji, and Olorun vanished.
And reappeared inside a massive ship.
The group blinked in confusion, looking around the dimly lit interior.
"Huh?" Eleo scratched his head. "Where are we?"
Kenji narrowed his eyes. "Did we just—teleport?"
They peeked through a window.
The Ascendants all stood frozen, staring at where their targets used to be.
One of them hesitantly raised a hand. "Uh… did we get them?"
Hunk crossed his arms and sighed. "No… they jumped off the building."
The Ascendants' jaws dropped. "WHAT?!"
Of course, Hunk knew that was a lie.
"They're on my ship," he thought, a smirk forming on his lips. "I can easily sense them. But… they interest me. That bunny kid especially. I can feel his true power—locked away."
One of the Ascendants, a round, floating drone-like creature, bobbed up and down. "Uh, so… what now?"
Hunk clapped his hands together. "Duh. We celebrate!"
The Ascendants cheered and sprinted toward the elevators.
Hunk took one last look at the ship, his grin widening. Then—
POOF!
He teleported away.
Back on the Ship…
Eleo, Tony, Kenji, and Olorun all exhaled in relief.
"That was too close," Olorun muttered.
Kenji turned to him, his eyes sharpening. "You…"
Without warning—he drew his sword and SLASHED.
CLANG!
Olorun blocked it instantly with his pinky finger.Eleo gasped. "KENJI, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Kenji didn't lower his blade. "He's with the Scorpions. He could assassinate us all in our sleep."
Olorun rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. I only joined them 'cause I lived rent-free. And since Eleo's going on an adventure, I wanna tag along."
Tony sniffled dramatically. "Ahhh, how sweet."
Before Kenji could respond—
SNAP!
A sharp sound echoed through the room.
They all turned.
A girl stood at the entrance, arms crossed.
She was around Eleo's age.
Her face had a faint scowl, but there was a softness beneath it—like someone who could melt you with a genuine smile… if she ever gave one.
Her large pink eyes shimmered, stars twinkling within her irises.
Her silver-white hair flowed behind her in drill-shaped twin tails.
And next to her—
Her Mysterious Companion…
A small creature waddled beside her.
It had a round, plump body, covered in soft, white feathers that shimmered slightly under the ship's lights.
Its beak was tiny yet sharp, and its wide, serious eyes made it look like it was constantly judging everyone around it.
However—
THUD!
The creature suddenly tripped over its own feet and landed flat on its face.
It immediately puffed out its chest like nothing happened, standing with a ridiculous level of pride.
The girl sighed. "Seriously?"
The group stared.
Eleo pointed. "…Is that a penguin?"
The creature glared at him.
Tony smirked. "Looks like a penguin."
The creature looked deeply offended.
Kenji, sword still in hand, eyed the girl. "And who are you?"
The girl yawned. "The person who just saved your sorry asses."
Kenji frowned. "Be more specific."
She crossed her arms and gave him an unimpressed look.
"I'm the one who teleported you onto this ship, idiot."
Eleo scratched his head and grinned. "Oh! Thank you, Miss, uh..."
The girl rolled her eyes. "Amai."
Eleo nodded enthusiastically. "Thank you, Amai! But uh… why'd you help us?"
Amai sighed, hands on her hips. "Well, I got tired of Hunk owning this ship. He's had it for too long, and honestly? He's boring. Plus, he barely even uses it. So, I'm looking for new owners."
Olorun grinned. "Wait, why don't you just leave then?"
Amai's expression flattened. "Because, genius, I'm stuck here. Forever."
Her little companion, Kawai, nuzzled her leg.
Tony raised a brow. "Ohhh, so you just gave it to us for free?"
Amai deadpanned. "Eh—no."
Eleo blinked. "Huh? So what do we gotta do?"
Amai smirked. "I need a favor."
Eleo thumped his chest. "Yes, little one! Whatever you need!"
Amai's eye twitched. "I'm literally your age."
Kenji sighed. "Just ignore him. What do you want?"
Amai crossed her arms. "Simple. I want you guys to recruit a girl onto your little group."
There was a long pause.
Kenji narrowed his eyes. "That's it?"
Eleo tilted his head. "Nothing else?"
Amai nodded. "Yup. I want a tea party."
Olorun grinned. "Pfft! That's easy!"
Tony shrugged. "Well, unless she means someone hot, then it might be a challenge."
Kenji sighed, rubbing his temples. "That's your priority?"
Eleo grinned and gave Amai a thumbs up. "Alright, Amai! Consider it done!"
Amai cleared her throat. "Oh, also—"
Everyone looked at her.
"If I die, this ship disappears forever."
Silence.
Kenji froze. "...Excuse me?"
Olorun laughed nervously. "Wait, wait, wait—you serious?"
Tony whistled. "Damn, that's cold. So, if you get hit by, like, a stray rock, we all die in space?"
Amai grinned. "Yup."
Eleo nodded sagely. "That makes sense."
Kenji grabbed him by the collar. "HOW DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?!"
Tony patted Kenji's shoulder. "Hey, hey, don't stress. Look at her! She's got that main character energy. No way she's dying."
Olorun snickered. "Yeah, yeah. But if she does, at least we won't have to pay rent."
Amai sighed and rubbed her temples. "I already regret this."
Eleo pumped his fists. "Alright, new mission! Keep Amai alive forever!"
Amai adjusted Kawai on her head as the little creature puffed up its chest proudly. She then pointed at Tony and said, "Alright, I need you, Mr. Skeleton."
Tony arched a brow. "It's Tony."
Amai shrugged. "Okay, Tony. Follow me."
Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and walked off. Tony sighed dramatically. "Jeez, no patience at all. I like it."
As they disappeared down the hall, Kenji turned to Olorun. "Alright, Olorun—"
Olorun immediately raised his hands. "What? You gonna try and attack me again?"
Kenji shook his head. "No. I want to apologize for how I acted."
Olorun blinked. "Huh?" He then crossed his arms and sighed. "Tch. Since we're stuck together, I'll forgive you."
Eleo grinned, throwing his arms around both of them. "Ohhh! So you guys are friends now?"
"NO!" Kenji and Olorun both yelled in unison.
Eleo nodded sagely. "That's what best friends say."
Kenji facepalmed. Olorun gritted his teeth.
---
Meanwhile...
Amai led Tony to the control panel, gesturing at the ship's wheel. "Alright, listen up. The red button is for the booster."
Tony nodded. "Got it. Red means go fast."
Amai continued. "The blue button activates the wings."
Tony grinned. "So blue means flappy-flap."
Amai ignored him. "The green button opens the world map, and the orange button powers the ship up."
Tony rubbed his chin. "Would I need to press the orange one if we were on water?"
Amai rolled her eyes. "No, it works like a regular ship there."
Tony cracked his knuckles. "Alright, easy. Let's fire it up!"
Before Amai could respond, Tony smashed the orange button. The ship rumbled to life, engine roaring as the deck vibrated beneath them.
Tony grinned manically. "Hehehe, let's see what this baby can do!" He then slammed the red booster button.
The ship lurched forward violently, sending Amai and Tony stumbling. The entire vessel shot into the air like a rocket.
Amai grabbed the wheel, yelling. "YOU TRIGGER-HAPPY MANIAC, WARN ME FIRST!"
Tony cackled. "WHERE'S THE FUN IN THAT?!"
He then punched the blue button. Large, sleek metallic wings unfolded from the ship's sides, spreading out with a powerful swoosh.
Back In the Kitchen...
Kenji, Olorun, and Eleo felt the ship tilt violently. Cups, plates, and food flew everywhere.
Olorun barely grabbed the table. "WHAT THE HELL?!"
Kenji steadied himself. "That idiot actually started it!"
Eleo stumbled out of the kitchen, flailing. "WE'RE FLYING?! WE'RE REALLY FLYING?!"
The three rushed out onto the deck just in time to see the clouds rushing past them. The ship soared through the sky, wings fully deployed.
Olorun laughed hysterically. "HOLY CRAP, WE'RE THE KING OF THE SKY!"
Kenji held onto the railing, eyes wide. "I hate everything about this!"
Eleo pointed excitedly. "TONY! GO FASTER!"
Tony grinned devilishly, hovering his finger over the booster. "Oh-ho-ho, you sure?"
Amai grabbed his wrist. "IF YOU PRESS THAT BUTTON AGAIN, I SWEAR TO GOD—"
Tony smirked. "Say no more."
He pressed the booster again.
The ship roared forward at breakneck speed, sending everyone tumbling across the deck.
Kenji yelled in frustration. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"
Olorun howled in excitement. "I'M GONNA LIVE FOREVER!"
Eleo cheered. "I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING, BUT THIS IS AWESOME!"
Amai buried her face in her hands. "I regret everything."