as Olorun and Eleo were placing flower petals on their bug army's heads, the bush behind them rustled again—this time violently.
FWUMP!
Something tiny flopped out and hit the grass with a soft plop! right in front of them.
"ACK!" the creature squealed, immediately scrambling backward, slipping on a rock and tumbling into Olorun's foot. "MONSTERS!"
He was tiny—no more than 9 inches tall, fitting neatly in the palm of a hand. He wore a red mushroom cap for a hat, mossy green tufts for hair, and leafy suspenders that looked handmade. His big, round eyes were filled with panic.
Eleo blinked. "Whoa… hey, calm down, little guy."
Olorun held up both hands. "Yeah, we're not gonna hurt you. Unless you try to stab us, then—well, that's different."
The little Minari looked up, trembling. "Y-You're… giants!"
Tony and Kenji walked over.
"Aww," Tony said, his eyes sparkling. "It's a Minari! I've only read about 'em! This one's adorable!"
Kenji adjusted his sword on his back. "What's it doing out here alone?"
The Minari stammered, backing up. "D-Don't hurt me! Please please please! I-I don't even taste good!"
Eleo crouched low, smiling warmly. "We're not gonna eat you, buddy. We're just exploring."
Then—GRRRRRRRAAAAAHHH!!
A low, bone-rattling growl echoed from the trees.
Eleo's ears shot up.
From the shadows emerged a hulking beast—at least twelve feet tall. Its body was a tangled mix of bark, muscle, and pulsing fungus. Long, vine-like arms dangled with claws sharp as daggers, and its head looked like a rotting tree stump, hollowed out with glowing red eyes peering through the bark.
Its jaw split open like a jagged flower, revealing rows of mossy, jagged teeth.
"That thing was chasing me!!" the Minari squeaked, clinging to Eleo's leg like a terrified child.
"Aw man, he's ugly," Eleo said, setting the Minari behind him. "Don't worry, little guy—we'll help you out!"
Olorun cracked his knuckles, smiling wide. "Finally! I've been waiting to punch something with vines!"
Kenji drew his blade, calm and focused. "Don't let its size fool you. That thing looks like it eats swords."
Tony adjusted his gloves. "Or maybe it's just misunderstood and wants a friend—OH NEVER MIND IT'S CHARGING!"
The monster roared and lunged.
Eleo's feet sparked with ink as he leapt forward. "Alright! Let's take this freak down!"
The Minari peeked through his fingers, wide-eyed and whispering to himself, "They're… protecting me? Real humans don't do that or bunnies or skeletons …"
His heart fluttered with something strange—hope.
Eleo launched himself into the air, his arms bubbling and swirling into thick coils of black ink.
"Ink Barrage!!" he shouted, eyes blazing with adrenaline.
He rained down rapid-fire punches like a machine gun made of ink—each strike smacking into the ground with shockwaves—but the monster twisted its body unnaturally, slithering between the blows with terrifying grace.
"Tch! He's slippery!" Eleo growled, flipping midair.
Olorun charged with a wild grin, shouting, "Spin Tornado!!"
He spun like a cyclone, his entire body twisting into a blur—arms extended outward like twin helicopter blades. Bark flew like shrapnel as he slammed into the beast's side with WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM—each hit pounding like thunder.
The monster screeched and stumbled, but held its ground.
Kenji stood firm several meters away, eyes focused.
"KEN—SLASH!!" he called out, swinging his blade in a powerful arc.
A sharp shockwave of air ripped from the edge of his sword, cutting through branches and vines before slamming into the monster's back, leaving a deep gash.
Tony slid in like a ghost, light on his bony feet. With surgical precision, he palm-struck the creature's knees with explosive Wing Chun force, making them buckle slightly.
But then—SKKKRRRAAAK!
The monster let out a deafening roar and slammed its fist into the earth. Dozens of tree vines exploded from the ground like skewers—stab-stab-stab!—impaling Tony in a flash.
"TONY!!" Eleo, Kenji, and Olorun all screamed at once.
Tony dangled in the air for a moment, vines sticking through his ribs and pelvis. Then he gave a wobbly thumbs up and said, "Don't worry, fellas… my skeleton body's got no vital organs."
He wobbled and flopped out of the vines with a CLANK.
Eleo's face twisted into fury.
"You jerk plant… you're gonna regret that!"
Both of Eleo's arms exploded into massive ink hammers, swirling with energy. He charged and SLAMMED down on the monster's head, sending a tremor through the ground—but the vines twisted up to block it at the last second.
BAM!
A vine shield, thick as steel, absorbed the hit.
From behind a log, Timmy peeked out, his eyes shining. "O-Oh my gosh… they're… so cool. They're so strong…"
The monster swung its massive arm to swat Eleo away, but Olorun dashed in low, fingers sharpened like daggers.
"FINGER KNIFE!!"
His pinkies jabbed like lightning, piercing straight for the monster's weak points. Snick-snack-snick-snack! A full-on flurry, each strike aimed for a tendon or a knot in the vines.
But the shield held.
Kenji slashed relentlessly beside him, his sword howling with air cuts. SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! Bark flew, but no damage.
They all regrouped, panting.
"It's no use!" Eleo said through gritted teeth. "Nothing's getting through that shield!"
Kenji narrowed his eyes, analyzing. "It's that thick layer of vines… it's acting like natural armor."
Olorun stepped back, cracks of ink and blood around his fingers. "We need some way to break it… or we're just wasting energy."
The monster stood tall, vines wrapping tighter into its bark armor, glowing red eyes locked on them—growing more furious by the second.
Just as the monster loomed forward again, twitching vines ready to strike, the tiny Minari suddenly threw his hands in the air, his voice high and squeaky.
"WAIT!! I know how to bypass its shield!!"
Kenji, sword ready, glanced over with stoic intensity. "...How?"
The Minari pointed frantically. "Fire! Its vines are sensitive to heat!"
Eleo blinked, looking at his ink-drenched arms. "Uh… I don't think any of us can do fire, little guy—unless Kenji's hiding a flamethrower under his clothes."
Before anyone could respond, a tentacle of vines burst from the dirt like a serpent. The crew split with practiced speed—Olorun flipped sideways midair, Kenji ducked under with precision, and Eleo screamed, "YAAAH!" while diving face-first into a roll.
The Minari yanked open his tiny mossy bag with shaky hands. "I—I got it!! My emergency fire potion!"
He tossed it—his aim wobbly—and it whistled through the air, nearly decapitating Olorun.
"HEY!! WATCH IT!!" Olorun shouted, ducking.
The potion shattered against the monster's vine armor. BOOOOM!! A fiery burst exploded across its body, the heat burning away layers of vines in seconds.
The monster shrieked, its shield dissolving in smoke and ash.
Eleo grinned. "Nice job, little guy!" He clapped his inky hands together—fwip!—forming a massive cannon arm.
"INK CANNON!!!"
BOOOM!! A blast of pressurized ink shot from his arm, slamming into the monster's chest and erupting in a thunderous explosion. The beast staggered back, bark and sap flying off.
Kenji and Olorun didn't waste a second.
"Let's go," Kenji said coolly, breaking into a sprint.
"Combo time, baby!!" Olorun cheered, his tone shifting from goofy to fierce as he charged.
Kenji slashed low—an arcing blade of wind tearing through the creature's gut—while Olorun used both pinkies to drive Finger Knife strikes right into its shoulder joints.
SLASH! PIERCE!
The monster screamed again, thrashing and roaring in pure rage.
Back on the ground, Tony sat up with a yawn, brushing dirt off his bones. "Ughh… Okay, okay, I'm awake now…"
Eleo turned around, veins popping. "YOU WERE SLEEPING?!"
Tony shrugged. "I thought I was dead, and honestly, I was fine with it. But y'know, FOMO."
Suddenly, the monster opened its chest wide—POOM!—firing dozens of glowing seeds into the air. They rained down like bullets, embedding into the earth with plunks and thunks.
VREEEEEEMMM!!
Roots exploded from the ground. Vines slithered, climbed, and snapped across the battlefield like snakes on crack. Massive plants sprang up, covering the terrain in seconds.
Eleo saw the vines surging. "NOPE! Come here, Tony!"
He grabbed Tony by the skull and bunny-hopped high into the air, landing on a thick tree branch above.
Olorun looked to Kenji. "I got you, samurai boy—SUPER JUMP!!"
He launched them both into another tree with insane power, leaves exploding around them as they landed high above.
The Minari scurried up the tree with Eleo and Tony like a hyperactive squirrel, plopping down next to them.
Kenji took a breath. "...Thanks."
Olorun wiped imaginary sweat. "Yeah yeah, don't mention it. You weigh a ton."
Below them, the monster's body melted into the vines, disappearing into the roots and the earth. The forest around them began to dim—trees turning gray, their life force draining visibly.
Eleo looked to the Minari, who now sat huddled beside him. "Little guy… what just happened?!"
The Minari looked down, face serious for once. "It's using its seed vines. They drain life from everything around them. The more they suck in, the stronger it gets."
Tony glanced down. "Where is it now? I can't see a damn thing."
The Minari's voice trembled. "It… is the vines now. It's everywhere. It's inside the dirt, the trees, the roots. It's spreading through the forest…"
Across the way, Olorun shouted, "HOW THE HELL DO WE STOP IT?!"
The Minari looked up at them all, small fists clenched. "You… you can't. Not now. You have to wait until it stops feeding."
A tense silence settled over them as the forest darkened further.
Eleo turned to him. "Then at least tell us your name, little dude."
The Minari hesitated, then took a breath and smiled, proud.
"I'm Timmy. And I'm here to solve this island's mystery!"