After a few hours of sailing, the crew finally approached their next destination: the Animal Kingdom. Towering before them was a massive stone gate carved in the shape of a bear's head, mouth open wide as if it were about to bite down on the ship. Its eyes glowed faintly, casting long shadows over the waves.
Timmy leaned over the railing, eyes wide. "We made it."
Kenji, standing near the mast, narrowed his eyes as the island came into clearer view. "So this is the Animal Kingdom, huh…"
Olorun crossed his arms and tilted his head back with a relaxed grin. "Yeeeeep. Big ol' island full of talking animals."
The ship passed through the gaping mouth of the bear gate, the carved stone fangs towering above them. On the other side, the landscape opened up—dense forests, But something felt… off. The trees were shaped in strange, twisted ways—some spiraled upward like drills, others bent into unnatural archways. Many had bite marks the size of elephants.
"Wow," Eleo said, leaning on the front rail of the ship, mouth agape. "This place looks like a drawing I did when I was three."
Chiyo walked up beside him and squinted at the land. "Why's the island so small? That map we got made it look way bigger."
Timmy scratched the back of his leafy head. "Well… half of the island's been destroyed. No one knows why and… well, nobody really cares either."
Tony stretched his arms behind his head and grinned. "Oh, shit. Then it should be easy to find the boom-go."
Soon, the ship gently creaked to a halt, nudging up to a wooden dock nestled into the shore like a hidden tooth. Eleo dashed to the front and peeked over the edge.
"We made it, guys!" he shouted, turning with both arms in the air.
Without hesitation, he leapt off the ship and landed with a soft thud on the dock. The others followed—Kenji stepped off coolly, hand on the hilt of his sword; Tony practically skipped off, making sound effects with each step; Chiyo walked off calmly but with alert eyes; Timmy fluttered down with cautious precision; and Olorun leapt off with a front flip and a "YAHOO!"
Kenji took in the landscape. "Alright. So where does this Agharna even stay?"
Timmy shrugged. "Probably somewhere big or fancy. Villains like to be dramatic."
Chiyo nodded toward a winding road that snaked into the jungle. "How about we follow this road?"
Olorun gasped exaggeratedly. "Oh my God, Chiyo, you're soooo smart."
Tony placed a hand on his chest and staggered like he was swooning. "Yeah, I bet Chiyo is just soooo wise and powerful."
Timmy crossed his arms and smirked. "Yup. Chiyo might be smarter than me."
Chiyo scoffed, brushing her hair back with a grin. "Ha-ha, very funny, guys."
As they walked deeper into the jungle, the atmosphere grew thicker—humid and buzzing with the sounds of strange creatures. The trees loomed taller, and the path began to narrow.
Tony glanced behind and suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Wait a second… where the hell did those three go?!"
He spun around, eyes wide. Kenji, Olorun, and Eleo were gone.
Chiyo turned, casually chewing on a blade of grass she picked up. "Mmm… maybe they got distracted? You know how Eleo is. And Olorun probably wandered off to punch a tree or something."
Timmy fluttered anxiously in place, his leafy wings twitching. "Welp. I guess they want us to fight Agharna alone. Cool, cool, no pressure or anything."
Tony struck a dramatic pose with one hand on his hip and the other pointing at Timmy. "Don't worry, little leaf. Me and Chiyo got you. We'll protect you with our bones and blood—well, mostly bones in my case."
Just as those words left his mouth, two massive tigers sprang from the dense brush, landing with a thud on the path, their yellow eyes glowing with hunger.
"Well, well, well…" the first tiger growled, licking his lips. "Looks like we found some prey."
The second tiger chuckled darkly. "Fresh meat. A tiny one, a human girl… and a skeleton? Weird combo, but we'll take it."
Timmy yelped and immediately zipped behind Tony and Chiyo. "Nope nope nope! I did not sign up for tiger ambushes!"
Tony crossed his arms, unbothered. "Hey, jokes on you, stripes. You can't eat me—I'm all bones, bonehead."
The first tiger snarled. "Fine. Then we'll feast on the girl and that leafy snack."
Timmy peeked over Tony's shoulder. "No, please, I'm barely two pounds!"
Chiyo's eyes glowed faintly red, a sly grin curling across her lips. "Tony, mind if I drink their blood?"
Tony took a theatrical bow. "Knock yourself out, vampire queen."
Before the tigers could react, Chiyo shot forward like a shadow. In one fluid motion, she grabbed the first tiger by the muzzle and sank her fangs into his neck. He howled in shock, flailing wildly.
"What the hell?! Get her off—" the second tiger roared, slashing toward Chiyo. But she gracefully flipped back, and his claw caught the side of his own partner instead.
"Gah! You idiot!" the first tiger barked, blood dripping from his neck.
Before either could regroup, Chiyo was behind the second one in a blink. "You guys are slow," she whispered, and then bit down into his throat. He let out a gurgled scream before collapsing.
Timmy slowly peeked out from behind Chiyo and Tony, his eyes wide. "Uh… nice job, Chiyo. Remind me not to get on your bad side…"
Tony dusted off his bony hands. "Lucky me—I don't have blood to drink."
Chiyo smirked and wiped her mouth. "Don't worry. I wouldn't drink your blood even if you had it. Tastes like chalk, I bet."
With the threat dealt with, they regrouped and continued down the twisted jungle path. As they rounded a bend, the trees opened into a clearing—and chaos unfolded before them.
A group of animal citizens—monkeys, deer, even a rhino—were being tossed aside like toys by a towering figure clad in sleek black and gold armor. Each swing of his spear sent animals flying. The ground was cracked beneath his feet, and flames licked the edges of the nearby trees.
Timmy gasped and pointed. "That's him… that has to be Agharna!"
But what caught their attention even more was the battered state of the trees nearby—and right in the middle of the destruction…
Chiyo's eyes widened. "Wait… is that…?"
Tony blinked. "The Boom-Go?!"
Sure enough, their ship—the Boom-Go—was wedged into the dirt, smoke rising from its engine. It looked like it had been dragged through a battlefield.
Chiyo narrowed her eyes. "This just got a lot more complicated."
Timmy gulped. "Guys… what if Agharna already knew we were coming?"
Tony cracked his knuckles, his skull grinning wide. "Then let's give him a surprise party."