Lale was returning from an early morning fishing trip, tired but content. As she neared the shore, her eyes caught an unusual sight: a man lying completely naked on the sand, motionless and vulnerable. Surprise and confusion filled her mind.
"Did the monkeys strip him again, or what?" she muttered under her breath, stepping closer cautiously.
But the white tattoo on the man's back---a striking and distinct mark that read 'Ace'---froze her in place, time seeming to slow down.
Without thinking, her Sharingan activated involuntarily:
Suddenly, before her eyes flashed images of raging fire explosions, the wreckage of a ship sinking into the ocean, and then... a terrifying black hole consuming everything.
"No! This can't be!" she screamed, shutting her eyes tightly as the visions faded away. She reached for Ace's pulse---weak but steady.
With great effort, Lale dragged him from the sand and carefully carried him back to her small hut made from palm leaves.
For his wounds, she thought quickly:
First, rinsing the injuries with seawater---Ace groaned softly in unconscious pain.
Then, using coconut fiber as a natural burn dressing.
Finally, she borrowed some fever medicine from the monkeys' stolen pharmacy stash. "I borrowed these!" she mumbled to herself.
Suddenly, Ace's eyes fluttered open, filled with confusion:
"Who... are you?" he whispered weakly.
Panicked, Lale tightened the bandage carefully:
"Quiet! Rest now! If you lose any more blood, I might really have to disinfect you with coconut wine this time!"
Ace closed his eyes again, but a faint smile lingered on his lips, as if silently grateful.
The next morning, Ace woke up staring at the hut's ceiling. A mixture of rotten fish and alcohol scent filled his nose, making him wrinkle it in disgust.
"Does hell smell like this?" he muttered quietly.
Lale appeared at the doorway, holding out a strange fruit:
"You're awake. Here, eat this. It tastes awful, but at least it won't kill you from hunger."
Ace examined the fruit: spiral-shaped, bright red, with bizarre patterns etched across its skin.
"What is this? Poison?" he asked suspiciously.
Lale shrugged helplessly:
"I don't know. But there's no other food on the island, and the monkeys won't touch these."
He took a bite. His face immediately turned blue.
"WHAT KIND OF TASTE IS THIS?!"
Lale laughed heartily:
"Like I said, terrible!"
With the second bite, suddenly Ace's fingertips burst into flames. They both stared wide-eyed in shock.
"Wow... so that's how the fruit works!" Lale exclaimed.
She led Ace to the shore:
"Come on, touch the water!"
Ace hesitated but dipped a finger into the sea. Instantly, he fainted.
Lale quickly pulled him up, saying:
"Alright, now we know: you can produce fire, but the sea tortures you. And the monkeys still hate us."
Just then, a group of monkeys scurried toward Ace's hat, ready to snatch it away...
Ace looked at Lale and asked:
"So, what do you do with your eyes?"
Lale tried to hide her Sharingan:
"They're... a family heirloom."
Ace chuckled:
"Alright, 'mysterious girl.' If you teach me how to control fire, I'll teach you real combat. Deal?"
Lale's eyes sparkled brightly:
"Deal! But one condition: we stay away from the monkeys!"
At that very moment, as if fate was playing a trick on them, a coconut suddenly fell between the two of them...
TO BE CONTINUED...