Jimmy nodded, then turned back to Eleo with a small grin.
“Now then, Eleo... where were we?”
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Eleo tilted his head, then pointed toward the trio with wild confidence.
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“Uhh, you said to find a team—and I think I just found one!”
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He bolted toward the group of fighters like a kid chasing ice cream.
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Back at the bar counter, Jimmy hopped up onto the tabletop again, brushing crumbs off his mushroom cap. Timmy tugged on his grandpa’s sleeve eagerly.
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“Grampa, can’t I please join a team?”
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Jimmy gave him a long look. “Timmy, you know your father wouldn’t want you going off on some dangerous adventure. Not until you’re more like your brother, that warrior of his… Simmy.”
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Timmy crossed his arms. “Well, actually! I wouldn’t even need to fight! I could just stay in the back, y’know? Let my teammates do the punching while I do the thinking!”
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Jimmy narrowed his eyes. “Okay, but what if your team isn’t strong enough to beat their opponents, huh? Then what? You all get killed.”
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Timmy blinked, nervous. “Uh… well… I-I could always run away!”
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Jimmy pointed a small finger at him. “Right back to me, right? So wouldn’t that mean going in the first place is pointless?”
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Timmy gulped hard. “…R-R-Right.”
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Jimmy nodded with a smirk. “Exactly. So I guess you already know my answer.”
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Timmy sighed and looked down. “Yes, Grandpa…”
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Meanwhile, Eleo had already skidded to a stop in front of Tony, Kenji, and Olorun, the trio still recovering from their usual fight.
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He jumped onto their table, raising a fist dramatically.
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“JOIN MY TEAM!”
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They all blinked and stared.
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“…Huh?” said all three at once.
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Eleo hopped off the table and pointed at himself. “I said, join my team!”
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Tony tilted his skeletal head. “Uhhh... who even are you, stranger?”
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Eleo grinned proudly, chest puffed out. “I’m Eleo! The bunny kid who’s gonna become the strongest!”
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Kenji raised an eyebrow. “Oh great. One of those people.”
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Olorun nodded. “Mmh. He wants the prize for beating the strongest, doesn’t he?”
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Eleo waved his hands. “No, no! I don’t care about what I get for kicking his ass. All I want is his title. Then everyone will know—Eleo the Bunny Kid became the strongest!”
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Tony sipped his tea slowly. “Hate to ruin your dream, kid, but… I don’t think you’re anywhere near ready to fight him. None of us are.”
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Olorun crossed his arms. “Yeah, even I—who totally thinks I’m strong—know I wouldn’t last a minute with the strongest man alive.”
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Kenji nodded. “You might as well give up, Bunny Boy.”
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Eleo puffed out his cheeks and stomped once. “Hell no! I can’t give up that easily! My ink powers should be enough!”
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Olorun blinked. “Ink powers?”
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Tony leaned forward. “Wait. Are you an S-Orb user?”
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Eleo beamed. “Yup! Thanks to my master.”
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Kenji scratched his head. “Huh. Weird. I always pictured S-Orb users as… I dunno, scary. Like a buff dude covered in bear fur.”
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Olorun added, “Yeah, yeah! Like, same, but with a giant axe or something.”
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Eleo shrugged. “Well, I’m none of those things. But my ink powers are scary!”
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He stood firm, clenching a fist. “Anyway—look. I think you guys should consider joining my team! I swear I’m strong! I’ll kill any monster!”
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The three stared at him, then huddled up.
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Olorun whispered, “Okay, this kid might be a little crazy.”
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Kenji said, “More like addicted to the Strongest Man.”
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Tony nodded. “How about we call him S-Man for short?”
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Kenji frowned. “But wouldn’t that just mean he uses S-Orbs? That’s kinda implying S-Orbs are the best type.”
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Olorun smirked. “Fist users are stronger.”
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Kenji snapped back, “Here comes yet another disagreement. That’s our 1,809th. Sword users are stronger!”
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Tony held up his bony hands. “Guys, guys—let’s relax.”
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“YEAH!” Eleo suddenly shouted from inside their huddle, arms wrapped around them.
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They all jumped back.
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Kenji yelped, “WHAT THE HELL?! HOW DID YOU—?!”
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Eleo tapped his temple. “Uhhh… magic. Duh.”
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He flashed a grin. “Anyway—I won’t stop asking, so please… join my team!”
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The three exchanged tired glances.
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Finally, Olorun shrugged. “Well, uh…”
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Tony sighed and smiled slightly. “Yeah. We’ll join you.”
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Eleo jumped in the air, fist raised. “YES! That’s what I’m talking about!!”
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He spun and pointed toward the bar like a commander. “As leader, I say we start searching for the strongest right now!”
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Olorun blinked. “Whoa, whoa—who said you’re the leader?”
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Eleo gave him a confused look. “Uh… I recruited you guys. So obviously I’m the leader.”
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Kenji groaned. “Fine, leader. What do we do now?”
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Eleo gave his answer like it was the most obvious thing in the world:
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“Like I said—fight the strongest!”
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Tony sighed. “Look, kid. We could do that… but literally over a million people have tried. None of them succeeded. Why not do some jobs first? Build up some strength?”
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Olorun added, “Oh, oh! And money! We need money if we’re gonna buy food!”
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Kenji nodded. “And flying ships! Imagine having our own sky cruiser!”
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Tony stroked his jawbone. “Ooh, yes. That’d be nice.”
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Olorun frowned. “Nah, man. I heard they cost, like, 100 million coins.”
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Kenji and Tony both yelled in unison, “HUH?!”
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Eleo blinked. “Well then… I guess we’re doing jobs!”
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Olorun turned toward the bar.
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“HEY, JIMMY! IS THE MACHINE WORKING?!”
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Jimmy’s voice echoed back grumpily. “NO, NOT YET!”
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Olorun slumped. “Dang…”
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Tony chuckled. “Guess we’ll have to wait.”
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He looked at Eleo. “In the meantime, why don’t we properly introduce ourselves?”
Eleo flopped down into a chair with his usual carefree grin.
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“Sure! Let’s talk!”
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The rest of the team pulled up chairs around the wonky tavern table—some of them splintered, some levitating slightly for reasons no one could explain. A single flickering candle hovered over the table, casting a warm, cozy glow over the chaos behind them.
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Olorun leaned forward, arms crossed.
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“Alright. I’ll go first.” He flashed a cocky grin. “I’m Olorun—the deadly assassin!”
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Kenji smirked and adjusted the collar of his black kimono.
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“And I’m Kenji—the deadly swordsman!”
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Tony leaned back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other. He lifted a steaming cup of tea to his teeth.
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“And I’m Tony... the deadly tea drinker.”
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SLAP! SLAP!
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Both Kenji and Olorun smacked the back of his skull—clack clack!
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“BE SERIOUS, YOU IDIOT!” they shouted.
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Tony calmly sipped again, unfazed.
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“You just got tea on my nice clean clothes. Thank you very much, you brats.”
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Eleo tilted his head with big eyes.
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“Wait... how is tea dangerous?”
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Kenji pointed at him like an angry big brother. “Don’t fall for his tricks!”
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Olorun nodded. “He does this every time. Ignore him.”
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Tony muttered, “You can’t rush art... or tea.”
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Eleo chuckled, resting his chin on the table. “So… how old are you guys?”
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Kenji raised a hand. “I’m 17.”
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Olorun leaned back proudly. “Same here. Seventeen and already awesome.”
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Tony waved a dismissive hand. “And I… will not say my age.”
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Eleo blinked. “Why not?”
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Kenji grinned like a devil. “I bet he’s old. Like… 200 years old.”
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Olorun burst out laughing. “Kenji, you’re being too generous. He’s definitely like 9,000.”
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Tony scoffed. “Oh, shut up, both of you. You’re lucky I don’t steep you in boiling water.”
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Kenji smirked. “Admit it—you’re ancient, huh?”
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“Refined,” Tony corrected with a flick of his cape. “Not ancient.”
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Kenji rolled his eyes and turned back to Eleo. “Anyway, what about you, bunny kid?”
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Eleo raised a paw proudly. “I’m 12!”
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Olorun laughed. “Look at us. All young and in our prime.”
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Eleo nodded, beaming. “Yup! I’ll stay young forever!”
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Kenji leaned forward on his elbows. “So uh… now what?”
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Tony took another slow sip.
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“We wait.”
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Kenji blinked. “For what?”
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Tony gestured toward the back room.
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“For them to finally fix that stupid machine.”
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Olorun sighed. “Feels like it’s been broken for years.”
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Kenji muttered, “Honestly, I think Jimmy just likes looking important.”
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Tony added with a smirk, “And sipping tea while pretending to manage paperwork.”
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Eleo smiled as he leaned back in his chair, swinging his legs and humming a little tune. “That’s okay. We’ll wait. The second that machine works… we’re taking our first job!”
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Kenji raised his cup of water.
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Olorun clinked his cup against it.
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Tony slowly raised his tea.
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And Eleo, completely oblivious, clinked a empty bowl.
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“To Team Eleo!” he shouted.
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Everyone looked at him.
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Olorun blinked. “Wait… we’re calling ourselves Team Eleo?”
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Kenji groaned. “Oh no…”
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Tony muttered, “I was gonna suggest Tea Squad.”
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Eleo just laughed.
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“Too late! I already said it out loud—now it’s official!”
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