Episode -5 D

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Perhaps having calmed down a little compared to before, Rogi agreed with her friends’ opinions and spoke.

Rogi: Yeah… let’s hurry.

Yona: …No.

Dabi: What’s wrong, Yona?

Rogi: Why not! [raises her voice]

Yona fell silent for a moment, lost in thought, staring at the crater before speaking again.

Yona: If we even get a little closer to the babies, the beasts surrounding us will rush in to kill us. And!

Yona: Even Leo alone wouldn’t be able to handle that number.

Ellie: Right. And the mothers next to the babies would become even more violent.

Pai: We’d approach with good intentions… but it would only make things worse…

Dabi: Now that I think about it, they look far away, but the babies seem much bigger than us…

Leo: Yeah… they’re huge…

Eti closed her eyes silently, deep in thought.

After a moment, she opened them—stepped onto a nearby rock with one foot, crossed her arms, and began speaking.

“Alright, first! We… can’t get close to the crater. And the beasts have to come out of it.”

“Should we make stairs? No! I saw how easily the ground collapses…”

“Should we dig the crater? We don’t have tools?”

“There’s only one way…”

Dabi, who had been listening carefully, asked:

“A way! What’s the way?”

Eti answered confidently:

“The way is water. We redirect the river here and fill the crater with water. Then they can come out!”

Ellie responded after hearing her idea:

“No… we don’t have tools… are we going to dig a river by hand?”

Eti had no answer, so Yona spoke in her place.

“Let’s find rocks. If Leo blocks the river flow and redirects it, it’s possible.”

(EAT watches the situation with interest.)

Leo, who had been listening absentmindedly, was startled.

Leo: …Me?

Yona: Yeah. And aren’t you curious whether those beasts can swim?

Leo: …Me?

Yona: Yeah.

After a while, the children and Poppy gathered near the closest part of the river to the crater. (Leo looks worried.)

Leo: Then… shall we start?

Yona: Let’s begin.

Leo took a deep breath—

then, beside a large rock, he lifted Poppy and threw it into the river.

The children were shocked. Even EAT, though expressionless, was greatly surprised inside.

Yona: Leo! What are you doing… [her voice trembling]

Leo: Huh? I wanted to see if it can swim~

Yona: What?

Yona was stunned by Leo’s unexpected action and couldn’t continue speaking.

Pai shouted:

Pai: Leo!

Eti: It swims really well.

Pai: Huh? Really?

Poppy moved more freely in the water than on land and seemed to enjoy it greatly.

Leo: Hmm… then can we assume the baby Poppies can swim too?

Ellie: Not necessarily…

Yona: No!! Instead of filling it all at once, we should add water gradually… and observe their reaction!

Dabi: Oh! That’s a good idea.

Yona seemed slightly angry at Leo’s impulsive behavior, but held it in.

Soon, from afar, Dabi shouted:

“There are a lot of usable rocks here!”

Leo ran toward the rocks.

The children tried lifting them—but couldn’t move them at all.

Leo found suitable rocks and began throwing them near the river.

Even rocks he didn’t like were tossed aside easily.

The children watched in amazement.

Ellie: Leo, you’re amazing.

Yona: Leo! First make a path toward the crater, then block the river!

Leo: Huh? Why?

Yona: We don’t know where the water will flow. If it goes into the forest, small animals could be in danger~

Dabi: Making a path all the way to the crater will take all day.

Yona: No. If we set the initial path properly, the water will carve the rest.

Pai: What if the current becomes too strong and doesn’t follow our path?

Yona: Then we’ll release it slowly and reinforce it little by little.

After shaping the water path toward the crater, Leo blocked the river with rocks—

creating a new stream.

As Yona intended, the flow gradually strengthened.

They were successfully diverting part of the river toward the crater.

Yona reinforced the flow with her crutches, stabilizing its path.

The others filled gaps with smaller stones and soil.

As time passed, the water path became clearer.

At Yona’s signals, Leo adjusted the flow.

Eti ran to Yona.

“Yona oppa, you’re so smart~”

Yona smiled.

“This plan came from your idea, Eti. You’re amazing.”

Eti felt happy.

Yona asked:

“Eti, tell Leo to block a bit more—but not completely.”

Eti ran to deliver the message.

Soon, water began filling the crater.

The children watched anxiously.

Eti: The water is rising!

Dabi: Please… please let them swim…

Rogi: Please…

They began shouting together.

“Please, please swim well!”

At first, the Poppies drank the incoming water.

But soon, both mothers and babies began floating—

then moved freely.

Dabi shouted:

“Leo! Block everything—fill it faster!”

Eti frowned and explained why that wasn’t good.

Yona said:

“Let’s wait until it’s enough.”

Eventually, the once dry crater filled with water.

The baby Poppies climbed out—

then returned to swim.

They had regained peace.

Then something surprising happened.

The father Poppies collapsed one by one.

Rogi ran over—

and sighed in relief.

“They’re asleep… they must have been exhausted… they’re amazing fathers…”

Pai approached them.

Ellie: It’s dangerous!

Pai: Trust me~

The mothers watched her cautiously.

The others observed from afar.

Soon, vines gathered near Pai—

producing many fruits.

Pai wanted to feed them.

The fruits piled up.

The babies approached—

hesitant but starving.

They began eating.

The mothers gradually relaxed.

Soon, they ate too.

The children joined—

playing and resting.

Even the babies were huge.

Time passed—

the crater overflowed.

Water spread across the land.

Eti shouted:

“The water’s overflowing!”

EAT: That’s good. It’ll create a new forest.

Yona: It’ll take time—but this will become their habitat.

Eti: Then the Kurak will be safe!

Leo: That’s a relief.

Ellie: But it will take a long time…

Pai stood up.

She walked into the water—

feeling the cool current.

The wind, the scent…

she smiled.

She whispered—

“By the name of the King.”

Plants grew rapidly.

Grass spread.

A new field formed.

EAT gestured to Rogi.

They joined Pai.

All the children gathered.

A baby Poppy lay down—

then many followed.

Pai: This is their new home.

Eti: That’s wonderful.

Pai: Let’s leave quietly.

Dabi: Home?

Pai: No—the Kurak village.

Yona: Yes, let’s tell them.

Eti: Huh? What’s that?

Yona: What?

In the crater—

a giant rock floated.

Eti: Why is it floating?

Dabi: A floating rock?

Rogi: That’s not a rock.

It drifted—

then stopped.

Dabi examined it.

“It’s hollow.”

EAT checked—

and was shocked.

“This is… Barak’s shell…”

Dabi: Shell? Barak?

EAT: A space insect.

Dabi: Ugh, bugs…

EAT: I’ll explain later.

Dabi dismissed it.

“Let’s go.”

Then—

Eti ran back.

“Big problem!”

Pai: What?

Eti: The fruits… they’re gone!

Leo: What?!

Pai: I have three left.

Ellie: Not enough.

Then—

two Poppies approached.

One was the giant beast Leo had defeated.

Leo named it:

“Puppu.”

They agreed to ride them.

Three on Poppy, five on Puppu.

Before leaving—

Leo asked for one fruit.

He fed it to Puppu.

He apologized.

Puppu roared—

full of strength.

They planned to use the remaining two fruits later.

“Let’s go!”

-5 D END