Imai woke up in the morning, staring blankly at the wall. The muffled chatter outside her door hinted at trouble—or chaos. Either way, she could already feel a headache forming. With a resigned sigh, she pushed herself up and went to investigate.
"What are you guys doing this early in the morning?" Imai asked, stepping into the open deck.
Her gaze fell on Uta, who was holding a cannonball, and Rei, gripping a bat made of ice. Both were too engrossed in their antics to notice her arrival.
"Ready? ...SWING!" Uta shouted as she launched the cannonball toward Rei.
"HAIIIYAH!" Rei bellowed, smashing the cannonball with her ice bat. It soared into the distance, disappearing beyond the horizon. Rei shaded her eyes with her hand, squinting into the distance. "Ah! That went farther than last time!"
"Great!" Uta cheered, and the two shared an enthusiastic high-five.
Imai blinked, utterly baffled. "Seriously?"
The pair froze. Dropping their makeshift weapons, they turned to her with exaggerated innocence.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Uta said.
"Me neither," Rei added. "I just woke up."
Imai sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "At least you're bonding. But stop using the cannonballs—we need those for emergencies."
"Got it!" Rei replied with a salute, already wrapping an arm around Uta's shoulder. "Hey, how about this? I make an ice ball, and we see who can kick it the farthest!"
Uta's eyes lit up at the idea. "That sounds amazing!"
Watching the two scheme further, Imai muttered under her breath, "Did I really make the right choice letting Rei on board?" Still, she couldn't deny their enthusiasm—and the spark of camaraderie between them.
The ship glided forward, cutting through calm waters. A call from Rei broke Imai's musings.
"Hey! Look! There's an island!"
"Looks like a forest," Uta added, shading her eyes to peer ahead.
Imai leaned over the railing, studying the dense greenery. "Shall we take a look?"
"Of course!" Rei said, practically bouncing with excitement. "What if there are treasures? Or monsters?!"
"No way. Monsters don't exist," Uta replied.
"Quit chatting. We're almost there," Imai interrupted.
As the ship neared the island, Uta and Rei bolted into the forest without hesitation. Imai sighed, quickly securing the ship before following them.
When she caught up, the two were staring wide-eyed at an approaching figure.
"Look," Rei whispered, "there's a monster heading toward us."
"Monsters actually exist here," Uta murmured, stunned.
A massive alligator, easily three times the size of their ship, charged toward them at a surprising speed.
"Go ahead, Rei," Imai said, folding her arms.
Rei turned to her, confused. "Huh?"
"Show me what you've got. Handle it."
Rei grinned, drawing her blade. "Alright, Captain. Watch closely!"
With a burst of blue flame, Rei disappeared from her initial spot. "Flash Step!" she shouted. Flames erupted around the alligator, momentarily blinding it. Rei seized the moment, appearing above the beast.
Her blade glowed with blue fire as she struck. A clean cut sliced through the alligator's midsection. The two halves collapsed with a ground-shaking thud, encased in spreading ice.
Rei landed gracefully, dusting off her shoulders as she sheathed her sword. "Ah, I'm just too cool," she declared.
"That was amazing!" Uta exclaimed, her face lit with awe.
Imai raised an eyebrow, impressed despite herself. "Not bad. Let's keep moving."
The forest, however, had more surprises.
Within minutes, the three found themselves running for their lives, pursued by a horde of oversized creatures—praying mantises, octopuses, and even lemurs the size of houses.
"WHAT DID THESE THINGS EAT TO GET THIS BIG?!" Rei screamed, launching a blue fireball at a mantis.
"Cover your ears!" Uta warned. The others obeyed as she activated her powers. "The new age—it's us who'll create the new page in the chapter!"
A wave of sound slammed into a massive lemur, hurling it against a nearby mountain. Uta deactivated her ability and grinned, turning to Imai.
"Good job! You've improved," Imai said with a wide smile.
"Thank you!" Uta replied brightly.
The group reached a clearing filled with abandoned buildings when the ground suddenly began to tremble.
"Uh, guys? This doesn't look good," Rei said nervously.
"Definitely not. Why do we keep attracting these things?" Uta added.
All around them, massive monsters emerged, surrounding the trio.
"Well," Imai said, drawing her sword with a grin, "there's only one thing left to do—fight."