Ring, ring, ring, ring.

It's the tenth hour.

It's the tenth hour.

All daytime shift LopVampas, report to your stations immediately!

I repeat, all daytime shift LopVampas, report to your stations immediately!

Jolted awake, the bun let out a yawn. Even here of all places had work bells. Removing himself from the straw bed, the vampa slapped his cheeks. This time, for sure, he's going to take out the Ethanoribbit and leave this place. How long until the Mystic Carrot Bowl now? Oh, six days, right. He'd better eliminate this thing today, then.

Wait a second, hold on, six days?!

Six days bouncing around in his head, the vampa let out a scream. Wait a second, there's less than a week left until the Mystic Carrot Bowl! What should he do?! He's not ready for this at all! Maybe he should go find someone to train with later? But, what time would he have for something like that?! Time is running out in the blink of an eye!

Other buns still snoozing away, the young adult clapped his hands together. Weren't these buns supposed to be fighting the Ethanoribbit too? How can they still be asleep at a time like this? Rise and shine everyone, it's time for the final match! Snores continuing, the vampa placed his hand beneath his chin. Guess he's going to have to wait for now.

Ring, ring, ring, ring.

Ring, ring, ring, ring.

We're halfway into the tenth hour!

We're halfway into the tenth hour!

To all the lazy LopVampas still snoring away, get your act in gear right no before we get it in gear for you!

"What was that?" Pixiu asked, yawning. "Did you guys hear all that just now?"

"It was the morning work bell, duh!" Peltro cried, waving their hands in the air. "How could you forget even that?! Just how many times did you use your powers last night?!"

"I used my powers?" Pixiu asked, tilting her head.

"Yes, ugh! Can you stop asking questions already?!" There was an irritated tone in their voice.

"Sorry, Golden Hamster." She buried her head into her knees.

"It's Peltro! Peltro! Quit reminding me of my divine name! Or did you forget that, too?! I ought to lock you in the spaceship when we get back!" Their voice was raising.

Spaceship brought into the equation, the young adult shook his head. Good luck finding a spaceship to put her in. Every single one in Stratopia has been gobbled up! But, he knew he couldn't say such a thing. Why go around and ruffle people's feathers at a time like this? There's definitely no point in doing all of that. Other two waking up, the noise grew much louder.

"Peltro, could chew give it a rest already?" Zinn asked, groaning. "And, why are chew bringing up spaceships at a time like this? Ya'll should know by now there ain't any left in Stratopia!"

"Does it matter?! I'm sure Preciobu ordered another one!" Peltro cried. "Point is, if we put her in there, she'll probably remember everything and stop asking stupid questions every five seconds!"

"One does not ask questions every five seconds." Rashmi chimed in.

"She does, and you know it! I don't believe I asked you for your opinion, you stupid purple haired chinchilla" They folded their paws into a fist at that moment.

Clap, clap.

Pixiu slapping her palms together, the young adult turned towards the peanut gallery. Do these three get into heated nonsense over Forgetful Jerboa all the time? Maybe they did. These four sure were a group, alright. No, no, Siorc, come on, don't assume the worst like that! Surely they were all just tired out from their time stuck in this forest.

"Could everyone just stop, please?" Pixiu asked, tone annoyed. "Don't we have something to do today?" She then tilted her head. "What is it that we have to do again?"

"See? See? This is exactly what I'm talking about here!" Peltro cried, hands up in the air. "In case you forgot, genius, we're fighting the Ethanoribbit today!"

"Oh, right," Pixiu responded, head turning. "Why are we fighting that again?"

"How many times are we going to have to tell you?!" Peltro cried hands up in the air. "We have to fight it to prove that we don't need the divine to fight our battles for us! Quit playing dumb already!"

"But I'm not. Where is their lair again?" She tilted her head.

"The canopy of the forest!" Everyone except Siorc shouted.

Party of four stretching their legs, the bun did so in kind. Why did these four have to prove they don't need the divine anyway? Maybe if they beat the Ethanoribbit, they'd get a redo on their divine naming ceremony? Perhaps. Does that mean if he won this fight, he would too? He so has to make sure that's the outcome here!

Exiting the rest spot, the bun gazed at the world around him. Is it just him, or is the atmosphere even thicker now than it was before? He doesn't know, maybe it had been. What should he do? It might be too late to beat this thing! No, no, happy thoughts, Siorc, happy thoughts. He's got this in the bag, surely. He can do this, of course he can. He's got the Mystic Carrot Bowl on the line here!

Hopping through the northern path, something did not feel quite right here. Is it just him, or does something smell kinnd of funny here? No, don't tell him there's still some chocoyetis to deal with! Dripping monsters coming out of nowhere, the bun clutched a hairpin. He shouldn't have even thought about that just now!

Monsters vanquished, the party of five kept marching on. Jut how deep did Sumazo go? He swears, it's like this forest never ends. Come on, Siorc, he has to focus. The canopy of the forest could be upon him any minute now. Now is hardly the time to slow down here. Keep going, the end is almost here. The cave is getting so much closer now.

Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit!

"I can hear it, ya'll!" Zinn cried.

"Hear what?" Pixiu asked, tone confused.

"The Ethanoribbit?! Don't you hear it? Or did you blow up your ears with your powers, too?!" Peltro cried. "Listen! Can't you hear it?"

Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit, ribbit!

"A little, I think?" Pixiu asked. "Why are we fighting the Ethanoribbit again?"

"One has asked that question one hundred times since one came here," Rashmi said, arms crossed.

"Really, have I? Are you counting?" Pixiu tilted her head.

"Are you two trying to make me want to pull all my hair out?!" Peltro cried. "Come on already! We don't have much time left! If we don't get this done today you know what's going to happen to us!"

Declaration tossed out onto the battlefield, the bun wondered. What would happen to these four if they didn't manage to beat the Ethanoribbit by today? Would they be given even worse divine names? Oh, no, he can't let that happen! What if he also gets caught up into that mix? He can feel it now, he's going to be given the new divine name of Failure Bunny! No, no, happy thoughts, Siorc, happy thoughts! Don't be silly, that's not going to happen!

Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit, ribbit!

Sprinting into the cave, a gigantic frog bathed in rum the size of a small building hopped around the place. Smelly liquid dripping from the creature, the bun adjusted the cloth mask. Don't breathe that stuff in! Why does he feel like any moment now, he's going to be done in? He need to hurry and make quick work of this monster before it's too late!

"Woah, chew gotta be kidding me, this thing is huge!" Zinn cried, pointing.

"You think?! That's why we have to knock this stupid thing out!" Peltro cried. "Does anyone else have anything stupid to say before we start this fight?"

"How do we beat this thing again?" Pixiu asked.

"That wasn't an invitation to ask something moronic, for your information!" Peltro cried. "You know what we have to do!"

"What do we have to do?" She gave Peltro a glare.

"One should know to aim for the legs," Rashmi responded, pointing.

Creature leaping like its life depended on it, the young adult cracked his knuckles. Alright, here goes nothing. He has to aim for the legs, right? That shouldn't be too hard, probably. Alright, he can do this. Those little slimy limbs are his for the taking! Jumping upward, the young adult let out a battle cry. Does this thing want a piece of him? He'll give it a piece of him, alright!

Giving the fiend a good swift kick, the bun hopped back. That should have done something, right? Surely, it had to have slowed it down even a little. Or, maybe not? Who knows. He has to hurry and knock this thing out right here, right now! Where else should he aim? Oh, he knows, the head! Flapping upward, the blade was ready for action.

Rashmi clapping her hands together, a strong shockwave had thrown itself out into the open. Large megaphone bouncing orders to the creature, the young adult's jaw dropped open as the fiend nibbled on its own limbs. Uh, what's that going to do? Would that attack truly do anything at all? He should just keep his attention forward before it all goes downhill.

"Rashmi, come on! You have to demand it do more than that!" Peltro cried. "Use your attack again!"

"One acts like one isn't trying hard enough," Rashmi responded, arms crossed. "But, fine, one will try again." Brushing her tail on the ground, the megaphone returned for a second round. "One demands one eat their legs clean off right now."

Munch, munch, munch, munch.

Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit, ribbit.

"They're looking pretty weak now!" Pixiu cried. "Should I, you know?"

"Chew'r seriously gonna blow chewr head now?!" Zinn cried.

"Yeah?" Pixiu asked.

"Come on, chew should know that now ain't the time!" Zinn cried. "Ya better watch this!" They then turned towards Siorc. "Chew over there, I know chew got a shield into chewr powers, so follow along with my suggestion, kay? Let dat thing aim for you!"

Suggestion coming his way, the young adult placed himself in front of the battlefield. What kind of suggestion was that? He doesn't know, but he may as well at least try to follow along for now. Creature looking ready to drop something, the bun placed his hands out in front of him. Alright, Ethanoribbit, bring it on! He's so going to take this thing from out the back!

Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit, ribbit, ribbit!

Attack bounced his way, the farmer closed his eyes. Something is about to come here, any second now. Opening them once more, his ears bounced on top of his head. Oh, no, are those?! Explosive round sugar tablets coming his way, the world shook. Those things are going to crush everyone, he has to bounce them back, hurry!

Shield laid out in front of him, the bun huffed. Is it just him, or is this fight taking a lot more energy than he thought it would? No, no, it's fine, nothing's wrong here! Victory is definitely in sight here, right? Of course, it has to be. Creature wobbling, the vampa prepared himself for the next blow. The second leg is wide open! He's got this!

"It's looking pretty weak now!" Pixiu cried. "Is it time for my finishing move?"

"You'd better not get us caught in your blast, or I swear, you're getting locked into the next spaceship Preciobu orders to be made!" Peltro cried.

"Stand back, everyone, I'm going to blow!" Pixiu cried, hands on the side of her head. "You all just blew my mind!"

Boom, boom.

Pixiu's head twisting and turning, a small scale explosion overtook the area. Ethanorabbit looking about ready to collapse into a pile of ashes, the bun knew the time had come. This is it, the final stretch. Any second now, and this monster would bite the dust! One last round of projectiles fired from the fiend's mouth, the bun's shield did all the talking. Say goodbye, Ethanoribbit!

Ribiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!

Monster becoming nothing but a pile of ashes, the vampa did a small dance. It's finally over, the Ethanoribbit is down, he repeats, the Ethanoribbit is down! There's no other monsters hiding here, is there? He sure hoped not. Let this fight be over, please. No more monsters, thank him very much!

"We did it!" Pixiu cried. "It's finally down!" She then scratched her head. "So, uh, how do we return to Stratopia again?"

"Are you serious right now?!" Peltro cried. "You know what to do! Whistle, and the sky chariot will arrive!"

"Really?" She tilted her head.

"Yes, really! Are you trying to make me blow my top on purpose?" Peltro folded their arm into a fist.

"No? But, fine, let's get out of this cave already!" Pixiu shouted.

Dashing out of the cave, the bun placed his fingers between his teeth. Toothy tweet taking the stage, a floating vehicle came crashing down at lightning speed. Everyone hopping on one after another, the bun crossed his fingers. He'll still be able to compete in the Mystic Carrot Bowl, right? He didn't fall to poison at any point, did he? He sure hoped he wasn't forgetting something.

Returning to Stratopia after a long while, the party of four headed off towards Preciobu's temple. Divine glaring daggers at him, he crossed his fingers. He can still compete in the Mystic Carrot Bowl, right? He did everything he was supposed to, didn't he? Divine looking ready to kick him, he crossed his toes as well. Let there only be good news this time.

"I must admit, I thought you'd fail!" Preciobu shouted. "Fine, since you managed to complete your poison training, you can compete in the Mystic Carrot Bowl! You'd better be grateful!" They then turned towards the pathetic quartet in front of them. "Say, why don't you four train this sorry state of an unhappy bunny back in his home?"

"Send us back to his home, then," Pixiu said, arms crossed.

"Tch, fine! Is swear, you mortals expect me to do everything for you!" Poof.

Finding himself back in his abode, the bun moved off towards an empty field in his farm. Practice matches taking place for hours on end, the bun wondered. Did he have what it takes to win the Mystic Carrot Bowl? Maybe he didn't after all. He guesses he'll see. Late evening rolling around, the vampa crawled into his bed. World of sleep ready to take him for the evening, one last thought dragged itself into the land of dreams.

Six days left.

Can he win this whole thing?

He'll see.