Dudu sprang high into the air like a tightly coiled spring launching loose, his rainbow hair bouncing wildly.
"BOING!"
His leg coiled mid-air like a steel spring, then—
"SPRING DROP KICK!"
WHAM!
Eleo blocked with both arms, skidding backward, his feet scraping the deck. The force nearly launched him off the ship.
Eleo gritted his teeth. "Whoa—! Okay, ow. That kinda hurt."
Meanwhile, the demon girl frantically searched the ship, flipping over barrels and crates.
"Ugh! Where the hell is a safe boat when you need one?!"
Dudu landed back on the deck, stretching his shoulders.
"Hey, Mr. Rat! You gonna help me or what?!"
Bo's giant pet rat twitched its nose, then charged at Eleo with blinding speed.
SQUEEEEEEK!
In four seconds…
BAM! SMACK! CRUNCH!
The rat was already on the ground, dazed, holding up a tiny white flag in surrender.
The entire crew stared.
Dudu's jaw dropped. "…You gotta be kidding me."
The demon girl raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? That fast?"
Eleo dusted off his hands. "Huh. Guess I'm stronger than a rat."
Dudu facepalmed. "…No shit, idiot."
He flopped onto the ship dramatically, groaning.
Eleo cracked his knuckles. "Okay, my turn—INK!"
He clapped his hands together.
His arms transformed into a massive black cannon.
"INK CANNON!"
BOOOOM!
A huge black ink ball blasted toward Dudu.
Dudu's eyes widened. "CRAP—!"
He instantly stretched his legs, making them ridiculously tall to dodge.
The ink cannonball sailed right past him.
BAM!
It smashed into the ship's hull instead.
Dudu's face went pale. "Ah shit—"
The ship shook violently.
Dudu blinked. "…Maybe I shoulda just let him hit me."
Dudu turned to his crew. "DON'T JUST STAND THERE, YOU LAZY BASTARDS! FIX THE SHIP!"
His crew groaned, rolling on the floor like they'd been mortally wounded.
"Ughhh, boss… We're dying over here…"
Dudu squinted. "…YOU ASSHOLES WERE FAKING?!"
The crew sprang up in perfect sync.
"Sorry, boss!"
Dudu facepalmed again.
Meanwhile, Eleo bolted toward the ship's railing.
"Welp, time to go!"
He grabbed the demon girl mid-run.
"Wha—WAIT, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"
They both jumped off the flying ship.
Dudu, BK, Bo, and the entire crew ran to the railing and leaned over, staring down.
Silence.
Bo scratched his head. "…I guess he didn't wanna die alone?"
The entire crew turned to look at him.
A beat of silence.
Then—
They all BURST INTO LAUGHTER.
The entire crew collapsed onto the deck, rolling in laughter.
Dudu wiped away tears. "Alright, alright—somebody get the binoculars. Let's see if the bunny actually survives."
Dudu snatched the binoculars from his crew and scanned the water below.
Nothing.
No splashes, no floating bodies—just the vast, endless sea.
He smirked, tossing the binoculars over his shoulder. "Welp, sucks for them. Guess they're gonna drown. HA! Sucks to be them!"
The crew burst into cheers.
Dudu clapped his hands. "Alright, boys, let's get moving! I need to find Kuma and beat his ass! Then I'LL be the strongest!"
The crew roared.
"YEEEAAAAHHH!!!"
BOOM!
The ship rocketed forward at ridiculous speed, disappearing into the sky like a shooting star.
Lilith sank deeper and deeper into the ocean, her long purple ponytail drifting like silk.
Her eyes fluttered as she saw bubbles escaping her lips.
(So this is how I die? Drowned in the middle of nowhere because of some idiot rabbit? I swear, if I become a ghost, I'm haunting his ass—)
SPLASH!
Suddenly, a strong hand grabbed her, pulling her onto a warm back.
Eleo kicked furiously toward the surface, holding her up.
Finally, they burst through the water, gasping for air.
WHACK!
Lilith slapped Eleo HARD on the head.
"YOU ASSHOLE! YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!"
Eleo rubbed his head. "Ow! What the hell, jerk?! I just saved your life!"
Lilith crossed her arms, shivering. "Maybe I wouldn't have needed saving if you HAD A PLAN!"
Eleo grinned and clapped his hands together. "Ink Bubble!"
A large, floating ink bubble formed around them, lifting them just above the water.
Eleo wiped his brow. "There! Now we don't need to swim!"
Lilith narrowed her eyes. "…Why didn't you do that in the first place?"
Eleo blinked. "Uh… oh yeah. That would've been smart."
Lilith facepalmed.
Eleo stuck out his hand. "Anyway, I'm Eleo!"
She hesitated before sighing. "Lilith."
Eleo grinned. "Well, Lilith, I'm on my way to… uh… I dunno, really."
Lilith rolled her eyes. "There's a town up north from here."
She hesitated, cheeks turning slightly pink. "And… thanks. For saving me."
Eleo grinned wider. "No problem, Lilith!"
He stepped inside the ink bubble, testing its movement.
It floated forward with him.
Eleo threw his fists in the air. "YESS! PERFECT!"
Lilith raised an eyebrow. "…You do know we literally just fell off a flying ship, right? Why not just use that fancy ship over there?"
She pointed at a small abandoned pirate ship floating nearby.
Eleo shrugged. "You can use it if you want. I'ma stick with my ink bubble!"
Lilith groaned. "Are you serious? What kind of idiot prefers an unstable magic bubble over a perfectly fine ship?!"
Eleo nodded proudly. "THIS idiot!"
Lilith sighed, rubbing her temples. "Fine. Then at least swim me over there—I can't swim."
Eleo grinned. "Nope!"
Lilith stared at him. "…Are you serious?"
Eleo hopped along the water in his ink bubble.
"La la la~! Ink bubble! Ink bubble! This thing is awesome!"
Lilith sat inside the bubble, arms crossed. "I swear, I'm going to kill him."
Then—
Eleo suddenly froze.
His eyes widened in horror.
"OH NO!"
Lilith snapped to attention. "What?! What happened?!"
Eleo fell to his knees dramatically. "MY CARROTS! I FORGOT ABOUT THEM!"
Lilith stared at him in disbelief.
"…ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS?!"
Eleo grabbed his ears. "THAT WAS MY ONLY FOOD! HOW AM I GONNA EAT NOW?!"
Lilith let out a long, exhausted sigh.
She snapped her fingers.
POOF!
A fresh carrot appeared in her palm.
Eleo's eyes sparkled like the sun.
"LILITH! YOU BEAUTIFUL GENIUS PRINCESS! THANK YOUUUU!"
He hugged her tightly.
Lilith stiffened, turning red. "H-Hey! Personal space, idiot!"
Eleo started chomping down the carrot. "Mmmm! So good!"
As he ate, he suddenly noticed her horns and tail.
"Hey, Lilith, why do you have horns and a tail? Are you like a really hardcore cosplayer or something?"
Lilith exhaled deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"…I'm a demon, you moron."
Eleo blinked.
"OH! That makes sense! …Wait, no, it doesn't. What's a demon princess doing locked up in a pirate ship?"
Lilith crossed her arms. "Hmph. None of your business."
Eleo shrugged. "Oh well, at least you're free now!"
Lilith glanced at him, her expression softening just a little.
(He's an idiot… but he did save me.)
Eleo stood proudly on his ink bubble, chewing his carrot.
"Alright! Time for adventure!"
After a few hours go by the ink bubble drifted across the calm sea, carrying Eleo and Lilith toward their destination.
Lilith crossed her arms, staring ahead. "We should be getting close now."
Eleo was lounging inside the bubble, casually munching on another carrot. "Man, I hope this place has food. I'm starving."
Lilith sighed. "It's called Burger Town. What do you think they sell?"
Eleo's ears perked up. "BURGER TOWN?!" He jumped up so fast that the bubble wobbled. "You mean, like, a whole town of BURGERS?! This might be the greatest place ever!"
Lilith facepalmed. "It's not literally made of burgers, you idiot!"
Eleo wasn't listening. "What if the houses are made of buns?! The streets are made of fries! Oh! Oh! And the rivers are flowing with ketchup—"
BOOM.
A sudden gust of wind hit them. The scent of smoke and ash filled the air.
Lilith snapped her head forward, her eyes widening.
Eleo blinked. "Huh?"
As their ink bubble reached the shore, they finally saw it—
Burger Town… completely destroyed.
The once vibrant city was now a wasteland of rubble. Buildings were collapsed, streets were cracked, and the famous Burger Tower—the town's pride—was split in half. Smoke rose from the ruins, the scent of burning wood lingering in the air.
Eleo's ears drooped. "Uh… I don't think they're selling burgers anymore."
Lilith stepped forward, her eyes darting around in disbelief. "No… this can't be right…"
Eleo knelt down, picking up a broken wooden sign that once read BURGER TOWN SPECIAL: TRIPLE CHEESE DELUXE! He sighed. "Man, I really wanted to try that…"
Lilith ignored him. Her hands clenched into fists. "There were people here. Families. Kids." She looked around, her sharp eyes scanning for any survivors.
Then—
CRUNCH.
Eleo stepped on something.
He looked down… and froze.
A shattered Toy bear… covered in blood.
Lilith stiffened.
Eleo tilted his head. "Well… that's probably not good."
Then—
A weak voice coughed from the rubble.
"H…Help…"
Both Eleo and Lilith snapped their heads toward the sound.
A man, bloodied and barely conscious, was trapped under a collapsed wall.
Lilith rushed over, kneeling beside him. "Hey! Stay with me!"
The man slowly opened his eyes. "D… Demons… they… attacked…"
Lilith's stomach dropped. "Demons?!"
The man weakly grabbed her wrist. "They… were looking… for someone…"
Eleo scratched his head. "Oh? Who?"
The man's eyes flickered toward Lilith.
Lilith felt a cold chill run down her spine.
Eleo raised an eyebrow. "Wait, wait, wait—are you saying those demons destroyed the whole town looking for Lilith?"
The man gave a faint nod before losing consciousness.
Lilith's fists clenched.
Eleo grinned. "Ooooh! Does this mean we're gonna fight some demons?!"
Lilith deadpanned. "This is NOT a good thing, you idiot!"
Eleo shrugged. "Still sounds fun!"