As the sun set, Tony looked at the massive, defeated monster and scratched his skull. "Okay, I uh… have an idea. What if we eat this thing for dinner?"
Eleo blinked. "Eat it? Uh… well, it's not carrots, but okay!"
Tony smirked. "That's the spirit, kid!"
With some effort, Tony dragged the monster back to the cave, while Eleo gathered wood and started a fire. Together, they cooked and feasted on the bizarre creature, the meat surprisingly tender.
After finishing his meal, Eleo patted his full belly and let out a loud burp. "Man, I'm stuffed!"
Tony leaned back, satisfied. "Yeah, me too… wait a damn minute—" He looked down at his ribs. "I DON'T EVEN HAVE A STOMACH! HOW DOES THIS WORK?!"
Eleo burst out laughing, rolling on the ground. "Guess your bones needed a snack!"
Tony shook his head, sighing. "I swear, kid, you're gonna be the death of me… again."*
Tony leaned back, his bony fingers tapping against his chest. "I gotta say, kid, I didn't expect to eat a three-headed freak for dinner. But not bad, not bad at all."
Eleo patted his full belly, grinning. "Yeah, I mean, it's no carrots, but hey, food is food."
After a brief silence, Tony turned serious. "Listen, kid. You don't have to stick around for two days with me. You got your own journey, your own mission. No need to waste time babysitting a skeleton."
Eleo tilted his head. "Of course, I have to stay. We're friends."
Tony's eye socket widened slightly. "Friends? You… you actually want to be friends with me?"
Eleo gave him a big, toothy grin. "Duh! You're cool, Tony. Who else is gonna teach me all those fancy palm strikes?"
Tony looked away for a moment, scratching the back of his skull. "Huh… Friends, huh? That's a new one."
For the next two days, they trained, fought monsters, and survived together. Eleo learned new combat tricks from Tony, refining his movements, while Tony admired Eleo's relentless energy and unpredictable fighting style.
When the third day arrived, Tony stood in the cave, arms crossed. "Well… that's it. My trial's over. I can go back to my people now."
Eleo nodded, trying to look happy but clearly a little sad. "Yeah… that's great, Tony."
He turned and started to walk away, but suddenly, Tony called out. "Wait."
Eleo stopped, confused.
Tony jogged up to him, gripping his shoulder. "Look, kid… I didn't tell you this, but my clan? They never really accepted me. They mocked me, disrespected me, treated me like I didn't belong."
Eleo frowned. "Why? That's messed up."
Tony sighed. "Because I wasn't strong enough. Not ruthless enough. But in just three days… you made me feel different. You didn't care about my past. You treated me like I actually mattered."
He placed a firm hand on Eleo's head. "So, screw my clan. If you'll have me, I'd rather stick with you."
Eleo's eyes widened in shock—then pure joy. He jumped onto Tony, hugging him so hard they both tumbled to the ground.
"YES! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, TONY!"
Tony laughed, patting Eleo's back. "Alright, alright, calm down before you break my bones, kid!"
Eleo jumped up, wiping happy tears. "Tony, would you like to officially join my team?"
Tony stood up, dusted himself off, and extended a bony hand. "Heh. You got yourself a deal, Eleo."
Tony has joined Eleo's team!
Eleo's Team:
1. Tony – The Skeleton Fighter
Eleo pumped his fist. "Alright! We're gonna be the strongest, Tony! Just you wait!"
Tony smirked, rolling his sleeves. "I'm counting on it, kid."
As Eleo and Tony walked through the dense forest, Eleo pushed aside a few branches and grinned. "I have a small boat that we can ride with."
Tony dusted himself off and nodded. "Lead the way, leader."
After a bit more walking, they finally arrived at the shore, where a small, slightly worn-out wooden boat was tied to a post.
Eleo proudly pointed at it. "Here it is! Our boat!"
Tony stared at it for a moment, then put a hand on his bony chin. "Wow, this is uh… it's great."
Eleo squinted at him. "Really?"
"Oh yeah, totally." Tony cleared his throat. "Not trying to be rude or anything, but uh… did you build this yourself?"
Eleo pouted. "No, Iron given it to me, but it floats, so it's ours now!"
Tony chuckled and hopped onto the boat. "Alright then, since you're the fearless leader, I'll handle the paddles."
Eleo stretched and flopped onto his back. "Thank you, Tony! I shall now take a well-earned nap."
As Tony rowed them out into the water, the boat rocked gently, the sound of waves slapping against the wood filling the air.
After a while, Tony broke the silence. "So, Eleo, question."
Eleo opened one eye lazily. "Yes?"
"Your ink powers—you got them from a Soul Orb, right?"
"Yep."*
Tony adjusted his grip on the paddle. "Alright, so… what rank is it?"
Eleo rubbed the back of his head and chuckled awkwardly. "Oh, it's F-minus."*
Tony froze mid-paddle, nearly dropping the oar into the water. "F-MINUS?! WELL, GOD DAMN!"
The boat wobbled a bit as Eleo laughed. "Yeah, I know, it's worse than F-rank, but—"
Tony waved his hands. "Hold on, hold on. But during our fight, it felt at least D to D-plus level! That's a hell of a jump!"
Eleo sat up and grinned. "Oh yeah, that's because I use my creativity! My master once told me…"
A flashback played in Eleo's mind.
A large bear wearing kung fu robes sat on a wooden porch, drinking from a large mug. His fur was thick, his presence calm and wise. This was Master Kuma, a man of charisma and peace, known for his diplomacy and humility.
He held up a small, glowing orb, swirling with inky black energy.
"Eleo, my boy," Kuma said in his deep, soothing voice. "This is a Soul Orb. Once you take it, you can never turn back…"
The young 7-year-old Eleo stared at it with wide, excited eyes.
Kuma continued, "But this is an F-minus rank Ink-Soul Orb. It is only meant for drawing, nothing more."
Eleo didn't hesitate. "I'll take it!"
Kuma hesitated for a moment, then handed the orb to Eleo.
The moment Eleo absorbed it, pain surged through his chest, his body convulsing as inky veins spread through his arms.
Back in the present, Eleo blinked and stretched. "Yep, that's how I got it."
Tony, still stunned, shook his head. "Man… You willingly took an F-minus orb and turned it into a weapon? That's crazy."
Eleo smirked. "I'm gonna be the strongest, remember? Doesn't matter what rank it is—I'll make it work."
Tony grinned, leaning back as he paddled. "You're something else, kid."
Tony paddled the small boat forward, the water gently rippling around them. After a moment, he cleared his throat. "Uh, excuse me, but I have another question."
Eleo, lying on his back with his hands behind his head, lazily glanced over. "Yeah?"
Tony kept paddling. "So, uh… how many people are going to join us?"
Eleo held up one finger. "Well, I already have you, so that means… thirteen left!"
Tony nearly choked on air. "THIRTEEN?! That's a lot of people! That means I'd have thirteen more friends, huh?" He paused, then grinned. "That's actually kinda nice. But uh… Eleo, we need a bigger boat."
Eleo sat up, nodding. "Oh, you're right. We'll get one soon!"
Tony chuckled. "Alright, next question. Uh… if you don't mind me asking, why would your parents let a—"
Eleo cut in, "An eight-year-old?"
"Right, eight-year-old," Tony corrected. "—run off into this dangerous world?"
Eleo's smile faded slightly. "Parents, huh? Well… I don't know them. They died."
Tony's grip on the paddle tightened. "Oh… I'm sorry to hear that."
Eleo shrugged, looking up at the sky. "Yeah. My mom died giving birth to me, and my dad was already dead before I was born. My grandpa—a scary old man—told me a little about my mom, but nothing about my dad. And honestly? I don't really wanna know much about them. I'm fine as I am."
Tony was silent for a moment before nodding. "Right…"
He hesitated before asking, "Okay, last question—why do you want to become the strongest?"
Eleo's face instantly turned red. He waved his hands frantically, embarrassed. "No, no, no! It's too embarrassing!"
Tony smirked. "Come on, it can't be that bad."
Eleo flopped down onto his back and closed his eyes. "Zzz… I'm asleep. Can't hear you. Zzz…"
Tony sighed, shaking his head as he continued paddling. "This journey is gonna be wild…"