Dot burst forward, his body a blur as he closed the distance with Paw at breakneck speed, dust exploding under each step. His eyes burned with fury, and his claws gleamed like polished steel in the light.
"RAAAGH!!" he roared, swiping from the left.
Paw casually leaned back, narrowly avoiding the strike with feline grace. "Tch."
In a blur, Paw twisted and launched a brutal roundhouse kick straight into Dot's ribs. The impact echoed like a gunshot—Dot flew into the air, grunting, spinning—
—and before he could recover, Paw was already above him. A downward punch slammed into Dot's spine, smashing him into the ground. Dirt cracked beneath him.
Dot groaned, blood leaking from his mouth, but quickly rolled over—just in time to take another kick right to the face.
He tumbled, coughing violently.
"STOP KICKING, YOU BASTARD!!" Dot snarled, his voice broken with pain and pride.
Paw landed gracefully, licking his paw with a smirk.
"Meow meow. Don't tell me… a cheetah's losing to a housecat?"
Dot growled, shaking off the pain. His muscles coiled like springs. His eyes glowed.
With a roar, he slashed the air—Air Claws—a crescent-shaped wave of pressure cut toward Paw, slicing trees in half as it passed.
Paw did a cartwheel, effortlessly dodging the arc, landing on one paw, tail flicking lazily.
"Cute," Paw muttered. "But playtime's over. I've got business. Gotta head to World 2."
Dot froze.
"...What?"
"There's no point staying here when your boss is already gone."
Dot's heart skipped.
"You're lying. Agharna would never leave me behind."
"Oh? I can sense him. And trust me… he's not coming back."
"Shut up!" Dot lunged, swinging a claw at Paw's head—but the moment his strike connected—
—Paw was gone.
Dot's claw hit nothing but a blur of mist.
"Coward!" he screamed, spinning around. "SHOW YOURSELF!!"
Suddenly—SNAP.
The sound echoed through the clearing like thunder.
A strange pulse rippled outward from Dot's body, forming a translucent, purple dome—shimmering like warped glass. It expanded rapidly and enclosed the entire field.
Dot staggered.
"Wha... what's going on…?"
His breath shortened. His limbs felt heavier. His vision blurred. The tips of his claws shook uncontrollably.
"My stamina... it's draining..."
A blur dashed past his vision.
Again.
Then again.
And again.
He finally saw it—a regular-sized cat, completely black with hollow white eyes, dashing in circles around him.
"...The hell is going on?" Dot breathed. "My body—feels so slow…"
A voice came from behind him, soft, smug, and deadly.
"Let me tell you what's going on."
Dot turned around sharply. Paw was walking toward him, slowly, through the mist.
"This is my domain. My Poison Field. The gas affects your nerves… makes you feel sluggish. Messes with your sense of direction. Makes you see things that aren't there."
Dot ran the opposite way.
Paw appeared in front of him again. A blink. A breath.
"And me? Inside this field, I move like smoke. I'm faster, lighter. I don't walk—I swim."
Dot tried to leap upward—but the mist above him was solid. He bounced off the dome ceiling and landed hard.
Paw smirked, tail flicking.
"And when I activate Second State: Poison Field – Sealed Claws, this dome solidifies. Turns into a sphere. No escape. No air. No mercy."
Dot's eyes widened in horror.
"Wait—No—"
He turned to run again—Paw was behind him already.
A soft paw landed on his shoulder.
"...And you, my friend..."
Paw whispered into his ear—
"Are already dead."
Dot froze. His heart beat once.
Then twice.
Then—
BOOM.
He collapsed, twitching violently.
His eyes rolled into the back of his head.
His veins turned purple.
The poison had spread through his lungs, his bloodstream, his brain, his heart, his gut—every inch of him was melting from the inside.
Dot lay on the ground, choking on nothing.
In his fading thoughts:
"This… is it? My own leader… just left me here?
That bastard… Agharna…"
His heartbeat slowed.
And finally stopped.
Silence.
The dome slowly dissipated, like smoke blown by the wind.
Paw stood still, staring at the body.
No words.
He knelt, and quietly began digging a grave with his own paws.
Solemnly.
He carved a quick stone with his claw.
"Dot.
A fool. But a fighter."
"Rest easy," Paw said softly. "You deserved better."
He covered the body.
Turned.
And walked into the mist.
Meanwhile
The wind blew softly as dust settled across the cracked battlefield. Both Eleo and Nox stood, panting, bruised and battered. Then—
CRACK!
Two fists collided mid-air—smashing into each other's faces at the same time. The impact rang out like a thunderclap. They both froze…
…and collapsed.
"OHHH! DING DING DING! WE GOT A TIE!!"
Tony shouted, striding up with his usual swagger. He clapped his bony hands together.
"Man, y'all took forever! I was about to grow moss just standing here."
Flat on his back, Eleo laughed. "Hahaha! It's a tie… clone!"
Nox's eye twitched. "I'm not… your damn clone," he spat, voice dripping with disdain.
He pushed himself up with a grunt, standing over Eleo.
"Next time we fight… there won't be a tie," he said coldly, shaking with rage, but keeping his voice calm. Controlled.
He turned, beginning to walk away.
Eleo, barely lifting his head, called out, "H-Hey! Wait! You can't just—"
Nox stopped. Glanced back.
Smirked.
Then slowly… raised a middle finger.
His body turned into shadow, fading like smoke, and with a rush of wind—he vanished.
Eleo's eyes went wide. "HEY, YOU JERK!! COME BACK!!"
He lunged to his feet, but Tony casually stepped in front of him, one hand out.
"No no, Eleo. Let the edgy drama king go."
Eleo frowned, arms flailing. "Man, what a waste of time! I bet he didn't even use all his powers!"
Tony snorted. "Oh, he didn't. But so what? At least you're still alive. Which is more than I can say for most of your fights."
Eleo crossed his arms and pouted. "Yeah, yeah..."
Tony glanced up toward the sky. "Hopefully Timmy and that girl are back where we parked our ship. My bones are aching."
Eleo nodded. "Yeah, let's head back. Hopefully Kenji and Olorun made i—"
A sharp whir cut through the air.
A dozen laser sights locked onto Eleo and Tony.
Figures emerged from the treeline—Ascendants, each raising high-powered rifles charged with glowing energy.
One of them barked:
"Freeze. Don't move!"
Tony and Eleo slowly turned their heads. Looked at each other.
Then—
Smirked.
Tony whispered, "Guess they wanna dance."
Meanwhile
The ocean lapped lazily at the shore as Agharna stood at the edge of the beach, one foot planted firmly in the sand.
He narrowed his eyes.
A second ship was docked nearby.
Not the Ascendants.
Not PAW.
The BOOM-GO.
Agharna smirked. "Hmm… could this be that blue-haired swordsman's ship?"
With a flex of his powerful legs, he leapt high into the air and landed with a heavy thud on the deck of the BOOM-GO. The ship creaked beneath him.
He turned, giving it a once-over. His eyes landed on the unicorn figurehead at the front.
"…This ship looks like it was designed by a drunk raccoon," he muttered. "Trash."
He made his way to the door leading below deck, boots echoing against the floorboards.
First room — empty.
He scoffed. "Don't tell me… the swordsman left his ship wide open? Pathetic."
Second door — he opened it.
Inside, Amai and Kawai were sitting calmly, sipping tea. Amah's gaze flicked toward him instantly, while Kawai squeaked and dove behind her, trembling.
"Meep…"
Agharna stepped in, a wicked smirk spreading across his face.
"Well well well… What do we have here?"
Amai didn't even rise. Her voice was dry, unimpressed. "Who the hell are you?"
"Oh, little girl," he said mockingly, "I'm Agharna. The strongest animal in World 1. And I've decided to take this pretty little ship with me."
Amai squinted at him, placing her cup down with a clink.
"You bastard. Just wait until Eleo and the others get back—"
"Eleo?" Agharna cut in, laughing. "That bunny who raided Hunk Tower? This is his ship? Tch. Pathetic. But… I suppose that gives it some value."
He turned, facing the doorway again. "Now… I'm going to need you and your weird pet to get off this boat. Or I'll rip you both in half."
Kawai peeked from behind Amai, clearly terrified.
Amai stood now, chin high, arms crossed. Her tone was sharp.
"We can't leave we're stuck here forever."
Agharna raised a brow. "Oh?"
"Also if you do kill us … it disappears," she said, staring him down. "You kill us, you lose the ship. Your call."
Agharna's smile faded slightly. "…Tch. Fine."
He turned and walked away, stomping back up to the deck.
"Stupid rules and their stupid magical ships…"
He leapt back off the BOOM-GO and returned to his own vessel, rummaging around before grabbing a thick coil of rope. With a grunt, he dragged it back and began securing the BOOM-GO to his own ship.
"Ahhh… there we go. Now you're ship is mine, bunny boy."
From above, Amai and Kawai stood at the rail.
Kawai was shivering.
Amai placed a hand on the little creature's head gently. Her voice was quiet, but confident.
"Don't worry, Kawai… Eleo and the others'll save us."
She glanced out at the horizon.
"…They better."