Episode 16
"Don't let it jump into the water!" Aria shouted.
Ray and Jason nodded as they ran ahead of her through the forest, chasing the blue otter. It dashed at full speed across the grassy field, weaving through the trees with incredible quickness and agility.
Ray used one arm to vault off a log and leap over it parkour-style. Jason jumped from a high slope and rolled forward in a freerunning move, following the otter as it ran from the forest toward the river.
"Don't you dare!" the purple-haired boy shouted, but it was too late. The blue Aquaotter moved swiftly and leapt into the river in an instant.
Zoom!
It swam away, backstroking as if waving goodbye to Ray's group chasing after it.
"Tch, you dare mock us, huh? Fagus, Spirit Fusion!"
Jason's purple hair turned half red as he ignited his wolf's explosive step and dashed after it.
"Moon, Spirit Fusion." Aria fused with her Moon Deer, antlers sprouting on her head. She manipulated her own gravity, then leapt through the treetops with light, weightless steps.
"Uh… Nixie, Spirit Fusion." The black-haired boy looked at his friends chasing after the otter, summoned his phoenix back from the sky, and fused with it. Fiery wings grew from his back, and he flapped them to soar into the air.
On his first flight he could barely control himself, piercing through the clouds before diving back down to the island after some time. From above, Ray saw Aria and Jason chasing the otter to a cliffside where waves crashed below.
In his wolf form, Jason charged with explosive steps and nearly caught the otter, but it sprayed water in his face, knocking him back. The little otter then leapt quickly into the sea.
"You're not getting away with this!" the purple-haired boy shouted, punching the ground.
Aria descended gracefully with her light steps, landing softly before fusing with her magical goldfish.
"Goldy, soul merge." Aria's legs transformed into a beautiful golden fish tail, gills appearing along her neck. The cool beauty turned to Ray in the sky.
"Ray, hold my bag for me." She tossed her bag up, and Ray caught it. Then the silver-haired mermaid turned and dove into the sea after the otter.
"Seriously? Hey, take this too! If you lose or damage my bag, I'll kill you!" Jason also threw his bag to Ray above.
"Vega, soul merge." Jason's legs transformed into the icy blue tail of a water serpent. He leapt into the sea, gliding with the waves to pursue, freezing the seawater behind him with Vega's chilling tail.
"Hey, I'm not your pack mule!" Ray complained in phoenix form, carrying both of his friends' bags. But no one heard him — the two were already locked in a fierce chase with the otter in the water. Ray followed from the sky.
The otter was clearly faster than mermaid Aria, swimming with expert maneuvering. She chased close behind, weaving through coral, fish, and beautiful jellyfish.
The otter used the sea life to evade her easily. It leapt above the water to breathe, letting the sun glint off its body, did a graceful roll, then dove back under.
Aria surfaced and called to Jason.
"I'll draw it up again. Slow it down for me."
"I know! Don't order me around!" the grumbler shot back, but the white-haired mermaid dove again to continue the chase.
Jason swam behind, tracking them by the scattering fish and broken coral from Aria's light blasts.
Finally, he timed it for when the otter surfaced to breathe.
Splash!
Water exploded in front of him as the otter emerged with a cute, silly face. Jason grinned wickedly and used his move.
"Fast, huh? Take this — Ice Breath!"
But the blue otter seemed to expect it, summoning a wave as it appeared.
Jason's frost froze the wave instead of the otter. "Tch."
It leapt over his head, blocking the sun for a moment.
"You're mine!" Ray swooped in with blazing wings, striking at the otter midair. But it blasted a high-pressure stream of water, launching itself back into the sea instantly.
Ray gritted his teeth, braking midair and twisting around.
"Wind Dance!"
He beat his crimson wings, whipping up a cyclone that churned the sea into a waterspout, lifting seawater high into the sky. Jason got caught in the vortex below.
"What the hell are you doing, orphan?!" he yelled.
The cyclone swept the otter back into the air. At the same time, the white-haired mermaid swam upward through the watery vortex, pursuing the otter spinning within it.
"Aria, catch it!" Ray shouted, still keeping the storm roaring until seawater rose into the clouds and began falling as rain.
Aria swam in the spinning downpour but still couldn't match the Aquaotter's speed. She called to Jason, who was in a better position.
"Jason, freeze it! Cut it off!"
"I said stop ordering me!" Still dizzy from the spin, Jason obeyed anyway.
He froze the cyclone from its edge downward, closing in on the otter as Aria drove it up. The freezing water closed in — she was nearly close enough to grab it.
But suddenly, the otter manipulated the currents, reversing the whirlpool and sucking Aria back into the sea. It escaped safely underwater.
Jason crashed down with the ice flow while the otter rocketed away at high speed, slicing through the waves.
"Tch, in that case… Geed, soul merge — Hyper Mode! Supersonic!"
Boom!
As soon as his red rabbit feet touched the water, Ray sprinted across it at blinding speed, leaving sonic booms in his wake.
Fwoooosh!
The sea split in two behind him, forming a path. He crouched low, darting ahead so fast he was a blur, cutting the otter off in an instant.
The blue otter stopped short and turned to flee.
Ray drifted hard, creating a massive wave as he looped back, driving it toward his waiting friends.
Aria, now in her ice bear claw form, and Jason in his water serpent form were ready.
"Ice Claw!"
"Ice Breath!"
Aria slashed at the sea, Jason breathed frost until his mana ran dry, and the ocean around them turned into a 500-meter field of ice.
The otter leapt to avoid the rising ice, but there was no more open water.
Ray came from behind, tackling the blue otter onto the ice.
Jason and Aria dove to pin it down together.
"Hold it! Hold it!" Jason yelled.
"I'm holding it!" Ray shouted back, quickly taking the exam bag and sucking the otter inside.
The 100-point beast was finally theirs. "G… Got it."
The three sat panting in a circle, looking at each other.
"Did… did we really just do that?" Ray was amazed at how well they had worked together.
"Of course," Jason replied.
"We actually coordinated surprisingly well," Aria smiled and shook her head.
Ray laughed.
"What's so funny, orphan?" Jason frowned in confusion.
Aria covered her mouth, laughing as well.
Jason, as if catching it, began laughing too.
But none of them noticed…
The ice sheet they were sitting on began to tremble and crack — the final moment for the three.
A dark shadow grew larger beneath the waves.
It burst from the depths.
A gigantic orca whale, mouth wide enough to create a whirlpool, surged upward. It swallowed the three from the surface in an instant.
Chomp!
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