<h4>18-13. The Adventure of Pochi (3)</h4>


    "Bunny Jumping Upper~!


    "Ro~lling Round Kick~"


    Usasa''s vertical sword sh finisher, and Rabibi''s horizontal sword finisher cut down the bad men.


    Apparently it''s neither a punch or a kick because that''s the specs.


    Pochi and the gang were looking for a ship at the port of Red Smoke Ind Vice City Cybe to transport the captives back home when they were found by the baddies, resulting in a huge scuffle.


    "They just keeping kuma."


    "There''s no end to them gau."


    Kubear who have been dealing with these viins using his great shield and Gaugaru who''s brandishing his great sword on the front line look fed up.


    Letting the beastkin group handle the frontline, Ninin keeps watch on Hitona who supports with magic and the captive representative, safely eliminating all the viins that got close with his sword.


    "Iai sh! Barrage~ nanodesu!"


    Pochi unleashed a barrage of Iai-style shes at speed impossible to be seen with bare eyes while saying ''Shubaba'' out loud, neutralizing the baddies.


    Battling with her sword unsheated would have been faster, but Pochi has steadfastly put trust in Arisa''s teaching, "Iai sh is the fastest ever."


    "Usasa!"


    "Sorry, Rabibi."


    As exhaustion setting in from the chain battle, Usasa got hit by an enemy''s attack during an intense sh.


    She managed to narrowly escape injury thanks to Rabibi''s intervention, but the two of them have run out of stamina, staggering.


    --pi~po~pa~po.


    The two got sshed in some sort of liquid along with that faint sound.


    "--Eh?"


    "The pain is going away. Did someone throw a magic potion here?"


    Usasa and Rabibi quickly looked around but no one could afford to do that for them. Even Pochi had a tired look on her face.


    Then suddenly dull thumping sounds apanied by tremors could be felt, drawing closer from the direction of the city.


    Beyond houses, a pir of me zed upward, scorching the sky.


    "He''s here!"


    "Boss!"


    The baddies looked gleeful.


    "It''s a hydra."


    "Oh no kuma."


    "I-it''ll be all right gau. We''ve got Nee-san with us here woof."


    On the opposite end, Usasa and the rest looked awfully tense.


    "T-that''s the Cmity…"


    "The Second Coming of Demon Lord, Baphomet the 『Cmity』."


    Hearing the captive rep, Ninin recalled what he heard at the vige.


    Baphomet riding on the Hydra''s back joined the battlefield.


    Followed by a huge amount of monsters, swamping even the horizon.


    "…It''s, all over."


    The rep fell down on his knee while muttering in despair.


    Ninin and Hitona turned toward their only hope, but even Pochi was trembling, her sword dropped.


    "T-this is just impossible nanodesu."


    ◇


    "Oy oy what the hell, I came outta here cuz you guys just ain''t going down, it''s just a bunch of brats."


    Baphomet shouted angrily.


    "And they''re already tremblin'' in fear at the sight of this great me''s hydra."


    He smugly looked at the staggering Pochi.


    "Impossible for Pochi-san…"


    "S-say it''s a lie!"


    Ninin grieved, Rabibi shouted out loud.


    "I-Impossible nanodesu. How do you eat that much meat nodesuyo?"


    """--Eat?"""


    Pendora gang looked like they were taken by surprise by that revtion.


    "Pochi''s magic bag don''t have the freezer function, the meat will go bad if you don''t eat it quick nodesu."


    Pochi spoke seriously.


    "Quit yer'' bluffing!"


    Baphomet yelled from atop the hydra.


    "How''d ya n to fight this great me and my Doran quivering like that huuh?"


    Looks like Doran is the Hydra''s name.


    "Pochi''s just a lil'' bit dizzy, it''s all ok nanodesu."


    Her legs are shaky despite saying that.


    --Pochi.


    A milk bottle-sized magic potion came flying out of nowhere.


    Pochi caught that.


    "T-this is! Beef Jerky-vored energy drink nanodesu."


    Pochi who saw the cowbel on the bottle''s side gulped it down without hesitation.


    Pochi''s tremble stopped at once, her small body was filled with strength.


    "Shakiiin nanodesu! Pochi is full of stamina nanowdesuyo!"


    Pochi struck out the shupin pose.


    "W-where''d thate from?"


    "You mind, you lose~?"


    Ninin and Usasa who heard that invisible voice had, "I knew it" looks on their faces.


    "First let''s start from the small fries nanodesu!"


    Pochi quickly blew away all the monsters flooding in.


    No one could catch Pochi''s shadow as she kept using Flickering Steps all over the ce.


    "W-what''s up with this brat?!"


    Baphomet sounded panicked.


    Neither the hydra''s me nor mobile monsters could hit Pochi.


    Even thest ray of hope, Hydra lost all of its heads in an instant.


    "Don''t think that''s all this great me can do!"


    Baphomet who was covered in a soggy mess of Hydra''s blood ran toward the shore like he was tumbling.


    "Come! Sea Cmity!"


    Baphomet shouted at the sea.


    Tentacles stretched out of the sea and made an attempt to entwine Pochi.


    "Eeeew, yucky, nanodesu."


    Pochi kicked walls, and ran out on roofs to evade the downpour of tentacles.


    "T-that''s!"


    "What''s that thing Ninin!"


    "That''s Kraken''s tentacles! The worst monster that would sink any ship be it pirates or merchants. If you meet one at the sea, only death awaits you. It''s an invincible monster."


    Ninin replied to Usasa''s question.


    From the sea an octopus-shaped monster <<octopus kraken="">> emerged out of the sea surface.</octopus>


    Even Pochi who had been taking it easy couldn''t hide her surprise when she saw that.


    "Ow yeah, this is the end for ya! Get eaten by Kraken you!"


    Baphomet looked triumphant when he saw her.


    "That''s takoyaki-san nanodesu!"


    Pochi''s eyes are sparkling.


    "…Takoyaki?"


    "You start from legs when you dismember octopus-san nodesuyo!"


    Pochi spoke as if she was replying to Baphomet before cutting down the Kraken''s tentacles one after another with a Magic Edge elongated over the tip of her sword.


    "The trick is to cut them down to the base right away nanodesuyo!"


    Pochi also ran up the Kraken''s body and then cut its main body cleanly in two.


    "Too bad for the entrails, but you can''t eat them without Master nanodesu."


    Pochi murmured as she longingly watched the kraken''s intestines fell down.


    Baphomet who was trying to sneakily run away got squashed by the falling intestines, unable to move a finger.


    "L-like hell I''d let this be the end!"


    There was an explosion and then the Kraken''s intestines blew up everywhere.


    Baphomet himself had suffered serious wounds, but he healed it with his magic potion.


    "Now''s my chance--what? My legs won''t move?"


    Baphomet tried to sneak away amidst the blood spray cloud caused by the explosion earlier, but his legs got sunk in the shadow below.


    "Found you, nanodesu! You can''t get away from Pochi nanodesuyo!"


    Pochi showed up splitting apart the blood spray.


    "Aku soku zazan nanodesu!"


    Pochi who shaped her Magic Edge into a blunt instrument reaped Baphomet''s consciousness in one hit.


    "Yay~!"


    "That''s Nee-san for you kuma!"


    "Nee-san the strongest gau!"


    "…I''ll get as strong as Pochi-san someday."


    As the Pendora gang cheered, Usasa quietly took a vow.


    Rabibi slowly put her hand on Usasa''s first. They nodded together.


    ◇


    "Those viins are getting away kuma!"


    "The pirate ships are sailing off woof!"


    Once they saw their invincible boss beaten, the viins at Vice City Cybe scuttled away in all directions.


    The pirates too began pulling up their anchors, putting up sails on their ships.


    "They''re gonna get away at this rate kuma!"


    Kubear was panicking, while the other kids surveyed the surroundings looking for a way to stop them.


    "Ah, nanodesu."


    The very first pirate ship that had embarked off the port suddenly went up in mes before sinking.


    At the end of Pochi and the gang''s line of sights, volleys of cannonballs fired from the open sea sunk the pirate ships one after another.


    "It''s warships! A fleet of warships ising from the open sea!"


    Pochi and the gang were unaware that navies from neighboring countries including Sherifad Principality havee.


    Once the one-sided massacre ended, one of the warships that eliminated the pirates sailed to the port.


    "It''s a military person nanodesu."


    An admiral with many medals on his uniform disembarked with many sailors and knights overlooking him.


    "You must be the hero who defeated Second Coming of Demon Lord Baphomet the [Cmity], are you not?"


    "Pochi wasn''t the only one who beat the baddies nodesu! She won because Usasa, Rabibi, Gaukun, Kubear, Nin, and Hitona helped her nodesuyo!"


    The admiral praised Pochi for defeating Baphomet, and took charge of transporting the captives back to their families.


    Even though Ninin and Hitona were the ones doing negotiation instead of Pochi who was bad with exnations, things just went oddly smooth.


    To begin with, the fact that the allied forces timely came into the picture right after Baphomet was defeated should raise an rm, but no one questioned that.


    The wiser ones, Ninin and Hitona knew about Pochi''s protector''s support, and those with wild instincts had also perceived it somewhat.


    "Dad!"


    "Wee home!"


    "Nee-chan, wee back."


    The vigers had gathered to wee the captives.


    "We''re throwing a festival today! Bring out the best booze and food we have!"


    "Oh then Pochi will bring some meat too nodesuyo!"


    "We can''t let our benefactor to--"


    From arge magic bag on her game carriage, Pochi fetched all the monsters she beat, piling up heaps after heaps.


    The vige chief who was going to decline changed his mind once he saw the monster bodies filling up thend.


    "Whoa, this is something else."


    "Gotta get good cook for these."


    "You men! Stop standing around and start dismantling now!"


    None can go against mothers. As the men left, the women rolled up their sleeves before the ingredients Pochi brought.


    "O-ou, leave it to us!"


    "I''ll help kuma."


    "We''re good at dismantling woof."


    "Pochi''s gonna help too nodesu! Pochi is a pro dismantler nanodesuyo!"


    The sailors also helped as ordered by the admiral, along with Pochi and the vigers.


    The food was ready before sunset, Pochi and the gang, the vigers, and the sailors began the meat festival.


    "We got so so much here, eat all you want nodesuyo!"


    "Count on me kuma!"


    "Eating is my specialty woof."


    "Ow, yies~?"


    "Ta-Tama-san? W-when did you…"


    Pochi and the gang relished on the meat dishes.


    At the opposite end of the bonfire roasting meat, admiral and a ck-haired boy--Satou were having a talk.


    "You have my thanks for your cooperation, Admiral."


    "Please, that should be my line. Thanks to Your Excellency Earl''s help, we managed to eliminate Baphomet family that controlled even Kraken without any intervention from Red Dragon inhabiting the Red Smoke Ind."


    Admiral and Satou toasted and drank their celebratory wine.


    "Defeating Baphomet the [Cmity] on her own, she''s truly one formidable youngdy. But I suppose it shoulde as no surprise from the retainer of the famed Earl Pendragon."


    "Oh that girl is more like family than a retainer."


    Satou watches Pochi with gentle eyes.


    Pochi was full of smiles as she cheerfully bit into meat.


    "Meat really is the strongest nanodesu!"