Ben and the girls ventured further inland, their steps crunching softly over a mix of grass and rocky terrain. The landscape was wild and rugged, with patches of dense greenery within the jagged stones.
"Stay alert, everyone," Ben cautioned, scanning the area ahead.
"Why do we always end up in jungles?" Kaya said with a playful sigh, glancing at the dense vegetation surrounding them.
"My favorite kind of place," Nojiko added with a smirk.
"There are always giant spiders and daddy long legs waiting to bite dry," Robin commented.
"Giant spiders?" Marianne questioned.
"Daddy long legs?" Honey asked. They both looked a little shocked.
"We will squash them," Ben stated. He thought Robin`s dark humor will get them into trouble.
They all giggled. "Should we not be a little serious?" Tashigi asked.
"A little fun lightens the mood," Mikita responded with a smile on her face.
"Ben look up there," Vivi pointed on a ledge. They all looked to see a small creature, which looked like a rabbit. He had bluish-gray fur and ears that resemble wings, with white feathers extending from the gray stalks. He also has a tuft of white fur on his head, swirling and fuzzy eyebrows, and a canine muzzle. His eyes were dark blue. He also has a white underbelly, thin arms with white paws, short canine legs, and a thin tail. He wore golden cufflinks with yellow borders, and He had a jacket and a bell around his neck.
"Cute," Robin remarked.
"It looks like a cuddly toy," Marianne added.
At that moment the small creature raised his hand which had a staff. There was a bright light. The girls looked away. Suddenly they all saw a vision.
They saw the small creature and a tall man with light skin, white spiky hair, and a white spiky beard with part being shaped like an arrow on his lower lip. He had thin eyebrows. He looked old. He wore dark, round glasses and a tall, light-colored hat. He also wore a long, light-colored cloak that had a zipper down the front, a pair of socks that went above the knee, and loafer-like shoes. He had a necklace made of large beads. He was sitting in a wheelchair, which had only two large wheels, and carrying a golden polearm.
The creature looked fondly at the old man and they saw a large orb on his chest. At that moment, the vision changed and they saw a young Vivi playing with her mother hide and seek. Vivi looked happy. Then they saw a vision of Vivi talking with her dad on his lap. They both had smiles on their faces. The visions stopped.
"What was that?" Conis asked in confusion.
"It felt like... a vision from our past," Ben replied, still processing what they had witnessed.
The group's gaze shifted to Vivi, who looked slightly flustered under the sudden attention.
"You were an adorable child," Raki teased with a grin.
"And still an adorable princess," Alvida added, nudging Ben with a smirk. "I bet my love would agree," she added.
"Absolutely," Ben said, smiling warmly at Vivi.
Vivi's cheeks flushed as she glanced away. "This is so embarrassing," she murmured, pouting playfully.
Mikita tilted her head, thoughtful. "I wonder who that other person was, before Vivi's vision."
"And that strange creature... it was watching everything too," Saphir added, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Well, whatever it was, it's gone now," Kaya said, glancing around the area.
"We should keep moving," Hina said as she looked ahead.
They walked on the path and suddenly there was more light around. As it grew brighter, figures started to emerge, revealing themselves to be more Marine soldiers. There were in total 8 of them which appeared in front of them.
"More of them," Saphir said. Saphir ran towards the Marines. "Bleu Tempest Thrust," Saphir said as she thrusted her spear with full force and stabbed a Marine in the chest. The Marines groaned as he was pushed back.
Saphir quickly let go of the spear and looked at another Marine. "Finger Pistol," Saphir said as she thrusted her index finger and middle finger and penetrated his shoulder. She did not go deep into it but it made the Marine take a step back.
The Marine was about to swing his sword with the other hand when Ben came and punched the Marine in the face. The Marine went flying back and landed on the ground. "Careful," Ben remarked.
"Thank you," Saphir said.
Ben smiled back. "We are in this together," he stated as he turned into his hybrid form. "Demon Slash," Ben said he focused his energy in his hands. He launched a projectile claws attack towards the Marine on the ground and the two Marines charging towards them. The three Marines got hit and they all went down.
"Moonwalk," Honey said as she jumped into the air. She kicked the air. She kicked the air again. Her feet were off the ground. She was able to hover for a few seconds. "Liquid Air Blast," Honey said as she raised her hand and launched a torrent of purple liquid and hit two Marines. They both went flying back.
Honey landed on the ground panting. "You almost had it," Mikita said.
Alvida nodded. They were training together in the morning. Raki and Conis held their Axe Dials. They pressed the button and launched . A X-shaped compressed air blast went towards the two Marines. The Marines got hit in the chest. There was a X-shaped blast which hit them and they went flying back,
All eight Marines were down. As they faded back into light, they dropped behind two yellow small packets. Marianne walked towards the packets and picked them up. "They dropped something," Marianne remarked.
Robin approached Marianne and squatted down. "Looks like some dust," Robin said.
"Can I see it?" Ben asked. Marianne nodded and handed it over to Ben.
Ben held it and looked at it. [It is a healing powder, if you mix it you can make a healing drink which can help you recover your injuries.]
(Thank you for letting me know Sweetie. It sounds strong.)
[It is. This place has many dangers however also powerful rewards.]
Ben informed everyone about it. "Interesting, do we know to what extent it can heal?" Kaya asked.
"I am not sure, I don't know the other ingredients either," Ben responded.
[Fountain Berry and Blue Fruit are needed to make a Heal Drink.]
(Thank you Sweetie, you seem to know a lot. )
[I am here for you.] Sweetie quietly said.
Ben informed them of what they were going to need. "Lets collect stuff we think are useful and then we can figure it out," Zala remarked.
"Yes, this island may have more to it," Alvida agreed.
They walked around when Saphir spotted several blue fruits on the ground. "I see something there," Saphir said as she rushed to pick up a blue fruit.
"This must be the other thing we need," Conis said as she looked at the 8 blue fruits on the ground.
"Only one more thing," Honey added.
"This can be easier than we thought," Nojiko chuckled.