Eleo and Tony trudged through the snow-covered ridge, Eleo's ears flopping with every cheerful bounce.
Tony, sipping from a silver flask he absolutely did not have five seconds ago, paused.
"...Eleo, do you hear that?"
Eleo clutched his stomach dramatically.
"Sorry, that's my tummy. I think it's trying to punch its way out."
His stomach growled like a wild animal on cue.
Tony rolled his invisible eyes and muttered,
"Not that stomach opera, you walking marshmallow. I mean that."
He pointed toward a distant echo of shouting, growling, and what sounded suspiciously like someone yelling.
Eleo perked up. "Oh! That might be Chiyo and Timmy! Maybe they're throwing a party!"
Tony snapped the flask shut. "Then let's crash it."
As they broke into a sprint, Eleo suddenly tripped—face-first into a big lump of snow.
"AAH! I HIT A SNOWMAN!" Eleo cried.
Tony strolled over, unimpressed, and nudged the snow. "That's not a snowman. That's... wait a second—"
The snow shifted, and beneath it...
Kenji.
Eleo gasped like he saw a ghost.
"KENJI!?!"
He immediately started shaking him violently.
"KENJI, DON'T DIE ON ME! DON'T GO TOWARDS THE SNOW LIGHT!"
Tony knelt down, placed two fingers on Kenji's neck.
"Relax, drama king. He's alive. Just knocked out. Scar on his chest, though. That's new."
Eleo's lip quivered. He clung to Kenji, tears welling up.
"KENJI, YOU CAN'T DIE—I STILL HAVEN'T FOUGHT YOU!!"
Kenji groaned and blinked.
"Eleo... I'm not dead... I'm just trying to rest... and... can you please get off me...?"
Eleo's ears shot up.
"YOU'RE ALIVE!!!"
He squeezed Kenji in a hug so tight, it probably counted as a submission hold.
"OW—okay okay, I'm still hurt, genius. Dial it down before you break a rib."
Tony stood, arms folded, smirking. "So. What happened? You look like you just wrestled a mountain and lost."
Kenji sighed and leaned back against a rock.
"Well... Me and Olorun beat the Ascendants. Stole their ship. Flew here to look for you guys. But then, we ran into Agharna... that bear bastard."
Eleo gasped. "Agharna!??"
Kenji grunted. "Yeah. I told Olorun to run. Fought him one-on-one. None of my attacks worked. Then he used his ability... next thing I know, lights out."
Tony tilted his head, mildly impressed. "You took a one-on-one with Agharna? Damn. Maybe you are fun after all."
Kenji shot him a glare. "Glad I could entertain you while almost dying."
Tony held up his hands. "Hey, suffering's part of the art. That scar? Real aesthetic. You've never looked more dramatic."
Kenji sighed. "Anyway... if we have to fight him again, we're in trouble."
Eleo jumped to his feet, fists pumped. "Then we're gonna fight him again!"
Kenji blinked. "...Why?"
Tony shrugged. "Because the bear stole our ship."
Kenji sat up like he'd just been slapped. "He WHAT!?"
Tony nodded. "Yep. Ship's gone. That means Amai and her flying furball are with him too."
Eleo pointed heroically to the sky—completely the wrong direction.
"Don't worry, Kenji! We're gonna get 'em back! But first, we gotta find Chiyo, Timmy, and Olorun!"
Kenji paused. "...Who the hell is Chiyo?"
Tony casually lit a match against his sleeve, despite not having matches.
"Vampire girl. Pretty strong. Everyone and their shadow wants to kidnap her. Including the Ascendants. And if she ever gets dragged back to daddy dearest? We're all doomed. Like, planet-go-boom levels of doomed."
Kenji blinked. "Oh. That's... comforting."
Eleo grinned. "I think she should join our team! She's cool and angry!"
Kenji rubbed his temples. "Just what we need. A vampire on the squad. Let's hope she doesn't suck our blood while we're asleep."
Tony laughed. "If she does, at least it'll be interesting. Besides—Amai's been begging us to recruit a girl for her dumb tea party."
Kenji groaned. "Of course she has…"
He tried to push himself up but stumbled slightly.
Eleo ran to help, nearly dropping him. "Whoa whoa—don't die again!"
Kenji muttered, "...I need my robe. And maybe a back transplant."
Tony extended a hand, grinning.
"Come on, samurai boy. Let's get your bathrobe and go get our ship back."
Meanwhile, snow crunched under the frantic steps of Olorun and Timmy. The wind howled like an angry spirit behind the them
"Wait, Olorun!" Timmy panted, tiny arms pumping. "We can't leave her!"
Olorun skidded to a stop, groaning. "Tch… fine, fine."
They turned and bolted back through the blizzard. Up ahead, the yeti towered over Chiyo, its breath steaming in the cold as it let out a guttural roar. Chiyo, blood smeared across her cheek, slashed outward—nails sharpened into crimson blades. Arcs of pressurized blood shot from her fingers and cut into the beast's hide, sending it reeling for a moment. But it only got angrier.
The yeti slammed its fists into the ground, sending a shockwave that shattered nearby trees. Chiyo vaulted into the air with an acrobatic flip, launching another salvo of blood-nails mid-air. The yeti snarled and scooped up a mountain of snow between its massive hands, compressing it into frozen mass before clapping them together. A burst of jagged ice spears erupted from the impact, shooting toward Chiyo. She twisted mid-air, dodging one after another, then landed with a slide and charged in.
She ducked under the next swing, sprang forward, and slammed her fist into the yeti's jaw—once, twice, again! Each hit echoed with raw force, making the beast stagger. But then—
WHAM! The yeti brought both hands down in a massive hammerfist. Chiyo just barely rolled away, but the sheer force sent her tumbling through the snow.
Miss Red and Mr. Red stood on the sidelines. Mr. Red scoffed, arms crossed. "Come on, Chiyo. Is that really the best you got?"
"She's a girl of course she's going to lose."
Then WHAM—Miss Red's elbow snapped into Mr. Red's ribs, cutting his breath short.
Miss Red smiled. "Shut up."
Mr. Red wheezed, "Geez…"
Miss Red stepped forward and taunted, "Seems your friends left you—just like the others in your life."
Chiyo staggered to her feet, blood dripping from her lip. She growled, "Screw you. I don't need anyone."
"Mr. Yeti," Mr. Red croaked. "Please break her bones."
The yeti grinned, raised its arms—ready to crush her.
Then—SMACK!
A rock hit it square in the eye.
"LEAVE HER ALONE, YOU BIG JERK!" Timmy's tiny voice echoed across the battlefield.
The yeti slowly turned, nostrils flaring, face twitching with rage.
It charged.
Timmy froze.
But Olorun appeared in front of him like a shadow cutting through the storm.
"SPIN TORNADO!!" he shouted.
Olorun twisted with a sudden blur—his entire body spinning violently. His limbs became deadly whirring blades, slicing the air itself. He launched forward and cracked the yeti across the face with a whirling arm. Blood and spit flew from the creature's mouth.
Before the beast could recover, Olorun planted a foot and drove a roundhouse kick into its skull. The hit launched it across the field like a ragdoll, crashing into a frozen boulder and leaving a crater.
Chiyo blinked, stunned. "Y-You guys… came back?"
Olorun shrugged. "Of course we did. We were hoping the yeti would follow us… but it didn't."
In Olorun's mind: Yeah right. We didn't do it for her.
In Timmy's mind: Yeah… sorry, Chiyo. Totally didn't mean to save you.
Timmy stepped up, puffing his tiny chest. "We never would abandon you, Chiyo."
She looked at them, eyes softening. "T-Thank you… guys…"
The yeti stirred, groaning as it climbed out of the snow.
Olorun extended a hand toward Chiyo. She hesitated—then grabbed it.
He pulled her up gently.
"Alright…" Olorun cracked his knuckles, grin sharpening.
"Let's beat the hell outta this frosty son of a bitch."
Timmy hid behind a snow-covered bush, barely peeking over the edge, his leafy ears trembling.
"Good luck, Chiyo… Olorun…" he whispered.
From the battlefield, both Olorun and Chiyo shouted in unison, bruised and out of breath:
"Gee, thanks, Timmy!!"
With a deafening roar, the yeti raised both arms and summoned a swirling sphere of compacted snow—massive, thick, and pulsing with frozen energy. With a grunt, it hurled the snowball like a meteor.
Olorun and Chiyo split in opposite directions, barely avoiding the direct hit—but—
BOOOOM!
The snowball exploded mid-air, sending out a shockwave of icy wind and frozen debris. The blast knocked both fighters off their feet and into the trees like ragdolls, splinters flying from cracked trunks. Chiyo crashed into a branch and tumbled down with a wince. Olorun's body slammed into the snow, a layer of powder flopping down from the treetops and burying his head like a cartoon.
"Pffft—ACK!" he coughed, struggling to shake the snow off—just before—
The yeti appeared in a blur, massive hand wrapping around Olorun's torso like a vice. Bones creaked. Olorun's eyes bulged as he screamed in pain, legs kicking.
"RRRGGHH—HNGG!! LET—GO—"
But the pressure tightened.
Then—
"Mini Cute Bat Bombs!!" Chiyo's voice rang out, fierce and defiant.
Dozens of tiny, cut chubby bats popped into existence around her—each with big shiny eyes, round fluffy bodies, and squeaky little giggles.
"Go get 'im, babies."
The bats zipped toward the yeti with a trail of glitter and sparkles. One landed on its arm. Another on its shoulder. Two clung to its face, purring affectionately.
The yeti blinked. Confused.
Then all the bats' eyes turned into shimmering hearts—
BOOOOOOM!!
A chain of explosions lit up the battlefield like fireworks, shaking the snow-covered forest. The force hurled the yeti backward, sending chunks of fur and ice flying. It screamed, stumbling—and dropped Olorun, who hit the ground hard but gave a dazed thumbs up.
"Heh… nice… one…"
Chiyo sprinted through the smoke, leaping over shattered ice, and roared—
"CRIMSON VAMPIRE CLAWS!!"
With a swipe of her arms, six glowing red claws materialized behind her like energy blades, then slashed forward all at once—ripping across the yeti's chest and arms in wide, arcing strikes. Each one cracked ice, tore fur, and left deep glowing red wounds across the beast's torso.
The yeti roared in fury and charged.
Chiyo braced, but the creature was too fast this time—it grabbed her by the face, lifted her into the air, and SLAMMED her into the ground—
Once. Twice. Three. Four. Five.
Each impact shook the snow underfoot like a mini-quake.
Then with a deep growl, the yeti summoned ice around her, forming a jagged boulder cocoon around her stunned body. It raised her high overhead—
And launched her into the earth.
The ground split.
Chiyo lay groaning, embedded in the snow, blood dripping from her mouth.
The yeti turned, only to see Olorun back on his feet.
Olorun cracked his neck. His usual cheeky smirk faded. The grin was still there—but now… sharper.
"Alright…" he whispered. "Time to flip the script."
He vanished.
With a burst of speed, he launched high into the air with a Super Jump, his figure twisting into a blur above the yeti's head.
Then—
"Afterimage Step!!"
In a flash, Olorun moved faster than the eye could track. His body split into multiple visual echoes, each darting in a different direction—some behind the yeti, others circling it, each one leaving a brief ghostly trail of motion.
To the yeti, he was everywhere—and nowhere.
Olorun's voice echoed from every corner of the battlefield:
"Hey big guy… guess what?"
The yeti spun around in confusion, snarling, swiping through nothing but smoke and snow.
"Which one's the real me?"