【The Rise of the Ugly Monster】 A Walk in the Morning Mist
* * *
Now, it was the next day.
In the midst of the morning sun peeking out from between the tree trunks, dyeing the morning mist yellow, Emi was pushing through the giant undergrowth, advancing through the forest.
Her dark black robe she wore had a breast pocket... in which his body was completely tucked away.
According to her, this was a 'walk'.
'Is walking a pet a pet owner's duty?' was what Emi had muttered to herself before they left.
For some reason, in a tone as if asking someone.
(Well, wait—I'm not a dog... And besides, if this is supposed to be a *pet walk*, shouldn't *I* be the one doing the walking...?)
Even if he thought so, his cowardice prevented him from saying anything.
For him, who was so far outmatched by her, who fought against monsters of a size he couldn't even compare to, the option of defying her simply didn't exist.
He didn't know why, but it seemed his poison had no effect on her either.
And in the first place, he can't express his intentions with language.
So he shrank small in the breast pocket, and just quietly trembled in the slightly chilly morning temperature, even though it was summer.
"Mu."
Then, it was at that moment.
Emi noticed something, stopped her feet, and turned her head.
He too, wondering what was happening, stretched his neck and peeked his head out of the pocket.
And he regretted it.
What he saw at that moment... was!
Weaving through the trees... no, occasionally snapping trunks!
Flying towards them at a tremendous speed, a giant... something like a cannonball!
"N'EEEEEEEH!?"
He was astounded and couldn't help but scream while dripping poisonous liquid from his entire body, but Emi, on the other hand, was extremely calm.
"A Cannonpippi."
Muttering so, she fluidly... from around her shoulder, "grew" a rugged, pointed, dark black giant arm.
The 【Black Arm】.
ZUSHIN!!!
And with that giant arm, she caught the cannonball-like something without a moment's delay!
"Bibi!? Bibibi!!"
The cannonball-like something... was a sparrow as large as a car, with rock-like organs covering its entire body instead of feathers... but it seemed not to have expected its charge to be caught, and it flapped its wings in a fluster and shrieked shrilly.
"Die."
Emi's reply to that was truly simple.
Saying only that without emotion, she put strength into her giant palm and crushed the giant sparrow, Cannonpippi, to death.
GUCHARI.
With an unpleasant sound, blood splattered like a burst water balloon.
(Hieeeeeeeeh!?)
He screamed, but Emi was, as usual, expressionless.
She stared intently in the direction from which the Cannonpippi had flown.
There was the light blue sky, which was gradually beginning to brighten.
Emi gazed at that sky for a while, and then.
"The color of the sky... is pretty, isn't it..."
...she said.
(Who cares if the color of the sky is pretty right now!? That's not what you should be concerned about!? What kind of emotional state do you have!?)
He trembled at Emi's far too unique sensibility!
Now then, Emi, who had been gazing at the sky for a while, suddenly noticed something.
And kneeling beside the crushed sparrow's corpse, she tore off a small piece of its flesh.
(Eh, is that, by any chance...)
And that... she mercilessly pressed against the beak of him, who was trembling in fear!
"Dokugegon, it's breakfast."
(No! No! I don't want it—!!)
He wasn't that hungry right now, and for that reason, his human reason had triumphed over his monster instinct.
So he desperately closed his beak and shook his head, saying 'no no', but.
"Why won't you eat...?"
Seeing his state, Emi tilted her head and sank into deep thought while staring intently at his face...
"Ah... I see."
And she reached a conclusion.
"You won't eat meat that you didn't hunt yourself, is that it..."
(Noooooo!!)
"The rabbit from yesterday, the finishing blow was Dokugegon's poison... I see, so that's what it is."
(I said, noooooo!!)
He desperately shook his head to deny Emi's off-the-mark guess, but unfortunately, Emi's gaze was already facing forward, and she wasn't observing his actions in her breast pocket!
"If that's the case... 【Mana Sensing Threads】"
(Don't decide that! Don't just arbitrarily define my biological nature!)
And muttering something, she grew the fanged tentacle she had seen yesterday, devoured the sparrow meat, and closed her eyes.
As the crunching sounds of eating echoed, Emi, who had been like that for about a minute... as if noticing something, turned to look diagonally behind her, bent her knees slightly... and with a *pyon*, she jumped!
(Uwaaaaaaaah!?)
Although it was described as a *pyon* jump, its height and distance were extraordinary!
Emi and he, who had jumped higher than the surrounding trees in an instant, fell towards somewhere with the morning sun at their backs...
SUTAN!
The moment she landed on the ground with almost no sound, the being in front of them... was!
A creature boasting a body about 3 meters in total length... an indescribable monster.
For now... its color is dark brown.
And its body is long, with countless legs growing from it.
On its head, there are two long antennae.
Its body surface is covered with bumpy, fine protrusions, and it feels like it has a rubbery texture.
He had never seen such a creature in his previous life.
Therefore, 'indescribable monster'... if one were to refer to his subjectivity, this monster would be described as such.
However, although the size is different, a creature with a similar form also exists on Earth.
Its name is, the velvet worm.
"............!!"
The giant velvet worm noticed Emi and her companion who had suddenly landed nearby, lifted its head slightly, and released a silent 【Intimidation】 with a posture that seemed to look down on them.
"N'eh... N'eh...!?"
Frightened by the violent magical power and killing intent that was thrown at him, he dove into the safe zone he could hide in... the back of Emi's pocket, and trembled violently.
However...!
"Now, go, Dokugegon."
With that single command, he was easily exiled from his safe zone.
What did it was Emi.
She nonchalantly thrust her hand into her pocket, grabbed his body, and... what a thing, with a *poi*, she threw him in front of the giant velvet worm!
And then!
"Defeat that!"
She gave him such an unreasonable order!
(N-N-N-NO WAAAAAAAAAAY!)
He screamed internally, spewing poisonous liquid in his terror!
"And, that meat... devour it!"
(That's impossible too!? Give me a break!)
And receiving a further additional order, his heart was dyed with despair!
However, the die had already been cast.
Whether it felt threatened by his poisonous liquid... the giant velvet worm already seemed to recognize his small self as an enemy!
Whether it thought it shouldn't interfere with the battle, Emi began to slowly back away and distance herself from him and the velvet worm, and the velvet worm... began to direct its 【Intimidation】 exclusively towards him.
"N', N'eeeeeeeh!!"
There's no turning back now!
For him... the true trial had begun!
Dokugegon, go ! Cast [ Poison Tears ] !
Tremenda referencia al pokemon 🗿