"Ahh! I think my ass is asleep!" Valiant grumbles as he gets up from hisseat in coach.


Ladon felt the same way, but he wouldn't put it that way. "It was quite a long trip. Still it would be better if the seats were more comfortable." The gecko puts its hands on its stomach when it hears it growl. "Better food would be nice too."


The deer begins to remove the small suitcases from the compartment on his seat. "At least we had fun while traveling." He said with a smile remembering the card games and the movie they played during the flight, even though they were too far away from the screen to see well. "I bet Prospero got bored all the time."


The deer and the gecko begin to go down with the other economy class passengers, tripping and crashing due to the number of people rushing to get off the plane.


In the first class section a cockatoo with almost completely white plumage wakes up in its comfortable reclining seat with pillows. "Mhh… are we there yet? I barely felt the ride." Prospero removed the eye mask from him while he yawned slightly and then removed the headphones with relaxing music that he had been using to get a good night's sleep. "Nothing better than a nap after enjoying a good first class meal." Prospero lightly adjusts his shirt and ties his sweater over his shoulders as he likes to wear it. He was not in a hurry, people in first class always disembarked last and in order to avoid crowds.




The 3 friends met at the boarding gate as usual and then went to line up to check papers. This was always terribly boring and time consuming, but it is necessary. After that, the 3 of them went to the baggage claim section, watching the conveyor belt carry several suitcases of all kinds.


"I have mine!" Valiant said picking up his overnight bag, which looks more like something you'd take camping. He doesn't care, he has taken the same bag on his adventures so he considers it one more companion.


A few minutes passed before Prospero picked up a silver suitcase of a make too complicated to write on, just one of several.


Ladon was starting to worry until he saw his suitcase, it was unmistakable with the cute stickers he got at every place they visit. It was like a travel album.


"Now we just need to wait for the rest of his majesty's bags." Valiant jokes by bowing making Ladon laugh.


"I don't expect you to understand how unique my wardrobe is or how exclusive every single item of clothing he bought is in every place we visit." Prospero said throwing a look at his companions.


"Like the Card Capture Sakura panties you bought in Dragon Land?" Valiant asked and then started running to get away from his friend.


The cockatoo chases the deer with open arms and an annoyed look. "They are not panties! They are limited edition briefs and high level fabric!" He yells as he chases the deer.


Ladon puts a finger to his chin, he thought about pointing out that the briefs don't have glitter, but the gecko preferred to silently observe the comic pursuit of his friends. Hopefully airport security wouldn't intervene this time.




It took some time for the rest of Prospero's bags to show up. Once everyone had their luggage they left the airport and took a taxi to the hotel, it was already late and they needed to rest. This time they would arrive in time for the reservation. While they will not meet vengeful children, wedgie ninjas or magic stones.


It seems these guys can't have a normal trip...




After paying for the taxi and entering the hotel, the cockatoo took it upon himself to speak with the receptionist. "Good evening, we have reservations in the name of Prospero."


The receptionist smiles and nods. "One moment, please." He checked on the computer. “A private room and a shared room, with breakfast included and a 10-day stay?” He said, wanting to check that everything was according to the client's wishes.


"Yes." Prospero said with a smile. “The private room with balcony and good view.” He added to make sure everything was according to what he requested.


The receptionist nods with a smile. “Yes, everything is prepared according to your specifications. Everything to please a distinguished client.” And with distinguished refers to those who pay 50% of the reservation in advance.


While they were at it Valiant and Ladon were reviewing a tourism brochure.


“Wow! They could make a small book with so many locations to visit!” The gecko said impressed by the number of places to visit.


“Now I understand why Prospero booked so many days.” The deer said with a smile seeing how many things they could explore this time. “This might be one of the best places we've ever visited, second only to when we met Sonic!”


Ladon blushed remembering the experience. “And we also ended up being targeted by a little psychopath and hanging by our underwear.”


"I have my underwear signed by Sonic, the rest are just bumps in the road." Valiant said with a smile, focusing on the good things about his adventure.


That contagious positivity made Ladon smile.




A bellboy put the bags on a cart and headed to an elevator for the hotel staff while another bellboy took the boys up the elevator to guide them to their respective rooms.


Valiant and Ladon stayed in a rather cozy room, with 2 beds, a television, and a bathroom with a tub. The little gecko enjoyed the complimentary chocolate on his pillow as Valiant peeked out the window, not a great sight but still a new place to see.


For his part, Prospero was guided to a private room, more luxurious and spacious. The cockatoo went out to the small balcony and admired the view from the heights and the soft breeze. "Not bad." He said with a smile as he went back inside.


The bellboy had already left the bags. "Sir, is there anything else you need?"


Prospero took out his wallet and took out a $50 bill to give to the bellboy. "I'll need one of those 'Do Not Disturb' signs you hang on the doorknob. I'm a writer so I appreciate the quiet when I'm concentrating."


The bellboy accepted the tip with a big smile and left the room. Alone, Prospero entered the bathroom, which had a more elegant design and a large tub. The cockatoo opens the water faucets, mixing it so that it comes out at an ideal temperature. While the bathtub was filling Prospero went to look for his personal hygiene supplements, especially the special conditioner for his feathers. The cockatoo got naked and he went to take a nice hot bath after a long journey.


After that relaxing bath and carefully removing the feathers from him, Prospero put on a bathrobe that is courtesy of the hotel. Now that he was much fresher it was time to unpack. The cockatoo put away his clothes, placed a couple of books on the nightstand so he could always read something before going to sleep, and his notebook with ideas for his book. There was only one small suitcase left. "I'll leave some things ready for tomorrow." Prospero then placed the suitcase on the bed and opened it. Immediately his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!!?"




Valiant was in the shower in his room, he moved the curtain slightly and looked up when he heard Prospero's scream. “Oh shit…here we go again.”


Ladon already had his foot pajamas and nightcap on when he too heard the scream. "Please don't be ninjas." He hugs her pillow. "I don't want to get wedgies!"




Prospero had been so surprised that he had fallen to the ground on his rear end, he was sweating seeing that the suitcase in front of him was full of large bales of bills. That shouldn't be in his suitcase! Just who would carry that much cash!? “W-Where did this come from!? This is not my suitcase!” The realization struck the cockatoo. “My suitcase was exchanged!” This was a lot of trouble coming at once. Prospero collected himself and went over to the suitcase. “Maybe the owner of this suitcase has mine…heck, the last thing I need is to be accused of theft.” Prospero started going through the suitcase looking for any identification or way to contact the owner. But there was only one thing that caught the attention of the cockatoo. "Mhh? These bills are foreign? Prospero didn't recognize the type of coin, but it's definitely a lot of money. He sighed and closed the suitcase before placing it next to the bed. "I'd better call the airport first thing tomorrow morning and demand they find the owner AND my suitcase before there's any trouble with this."


Many would think of taking the money and hastening to enjoy it. But Prospero not only has money but he wants to avoid scandals, like being called a thief, maintaining an impeccable reputation for when he starts publishing his books.


The cockatoo finished putting on his 2-piece pajamas and then laying down on the king size bed. "I'd better sleep and fix this tomorrow." Prospero arranged his pillow and closed his eyes to sleep. Just for a few seconds before another realization hits him and he sits up on the bed. "My things! My credit cards!"


--


“Yawnn~” Ladon yawns as he steps out of the elevator with Valiant. "What do you think happened last night with Prospero and his scream?" he asks as he rubs the sleep out of his eyes.


“Maybe it wasn't something important. Maybe it was something like he slipped on the soap and fell into the toilet.” Valiant said and opens the door of the hotel dining room.


It only took a few steps into the dining room to find a white cockatoo, its foot fidgeting and a disgusted look on his face as he furiously typed on his phone. It was obvious that he was upset.


Valiant strokes the back of his neck. "Well, something could have happened." The deer approaches his friend. "Hey, Prospero, good morning... did you sleep badly last night?"


“We have more problems than a night without restful sleep.” Prospero growls as he puts the phone away from him. “One of my bags was exchanged.”


Ladon takes a seat at the table and picks up the breakfast menu. “How terrible, I understand why you yelled like that last night. Did you have a lot of clothes there?”


"Yes! But that is not the main problem!” Prospero slammed the table. “I had my cards in that suitcase and most of my cash, which means…”


“Are we short of money?” Valiant said when he saw that his friend was having trouble finishing speaking. "Can't you ask for a replacement or something to get cash?"


Prospero growls in annoyance. “I have already blocked the old cards and ordered new cards that will arrive in a week.” A week, almost at the end of his stay.


Ladon swallows. “Will they kick us out of the hotel?” He said worried.


The cockatoo shakes its head. “No, pay in advance and the rest will be at the end of our stay… But until then we only have our free breakfast.” Not that Prospero eats much, he likes to keep his good figure, but he's still frustrating.


The waiter came to the table with a smile to serve the group, leaving a glass of water for each one and taking the boys' orders and then leaving them.


Valiant smiles as he takes out his wallet. "I suppose we will be the benefactors of this adventure." He opened his wallet, making his smile disappear when he saw how little money he has. "Huh...Ladon?" The embarrassed deer keeps the wallet from him.


Ladon takes out his toad-shaped purse. He had some money from his family, but not much. "Maybe we can find a job?"


Prospero almost spits out the water he was drinking upon hearing that. He took a napkin to clean himself. "...We could use that..." He muttered.


Ladon caught up to hear him. "Huh? Wear what?


Prospero proceeded to tell his friends about what he found in the suitcase. They both yelled a big ‘WHAAAAAAT?’ in unison, startling or frightening people in the hotel dining room and even kitchen staff.


“Shh! Do they want us kicked out of the hotel!?” The cockatoo scolds his friends.


“You are the first to scream. And now you say you have a suitcase full of money in your room? Valiant was finding that hard to believe.


Ladon hugs his tail. "Oh no! We're going to get in big trouble!"


Prospero shakes his head. “It's not like I meant to take it, it was a baggage mix-up. I already talked to the airport, they will try to locate the owner of the suitcase. Besides…” He notices the waiter approaching so he kept quiet.


"Sorry for the delay, gentlemen, here is the breakfast you ordered." The waiter says with a slight crouching to then place the dishes to whom he belongs next to his drinks. “I hope everything is to your liking and you enjoy the food.” He said to go away.


The cockatoo takes his cutlery. "As I said, we won't be stealing, he planned to return the money spent as soon as my bank situation is normalized."


Ladon begins to place the jam on his bread. "You talk like it's a loan."


"It is... unless the other person did something with my suitcase, then we're in real trouble." Prospero said taking the first bite of his fruit salad.


Valiant finishes eating the bacon that he had in his mouth to give his opinion. "Well, as long as you return the money, there should be no problem."


Ladon freezes midway through his waffles. "Are you serious?"


Valiant raises his hands. "I'm not excited about the idea either. But we will return all the money, you know that Prospero is capable of doing that.”




The 3 friends ate their breakfast while still talking about it. Ladon was the one who felt the most insecure doing that, but in the end the group agreed to Prospero's plan.


At the end of breakfast, the cockatoo went up to his room to fetch the suitcase and take one of the wads of bills. “This should be enough for the week.” It was better to do it this way so that there are no misunderstandings when returning the money.


Prospero left the hotel meeting with his friends. He used his phone to find a place to change. The trio of travelers walked through several streets following the path marked by the GPS until they reached a small bank.


"I'm still nervous about this." Ladon said from behind Valiant.


The deer pats his head to calm his nerves. “It will be quick, in and out.”


"Don't be so dramatic." Prospero said when he saw his friends acting like that. "Better wait here, I'll only take 2 minutes." He then entered the bank. Fortunately there was hardly anyone, so he went directly to a window.


Valiant turns with a smile to face Ladon. "You see it? Nothing bad has happened." He shrinks his shoulders. "We told you, right?"


"Huh..." Ladon looked past, into the bank through the glass. Prospero seemed to be nervous and the person at the window seemed to be upset. “Valiant…”


"Don't worry, Prospero will take care of returning the money, you know that he is willing to pay for justified cases like these." The deer was no longer turning its back to the bank.


"Valiant." Ladon sees Prospero starting to get agitated and a guard approaching him.


"But anyway, we should do something." Valiant still did not listen to his friend. “Prospero is our friend, we should try to pay for our things during our trips. I don't want to give him the wrong idea that we love him for that."


"Valiant!" The gecko sees the cockatoo being surrounded by guards.


“I know, working isn't always fun. But it's only fair that we do-"


"Valiant!" Ladon yelled finally getting the deer's attention. "They're arresting Prospero behind you!" He points inside the bank.


Valiant finally turns around and sees Prospero being held and then handcuffed. The deer's eyes widen and he runs to the bench dragging Ladon with him. “Wait! We just want change!” Valiant yelled as he burst through the doors, drawing the attention of the people in the bank.


One of the guards stands in the way of the deer. "Are you with him?" The guard asks and then points over his shoulder at the cockatoo.


"Yes! He is our travel companion and great friend!” Valiant said firmly.


The guard handcuffs the deer. "You will be arrested for trying to use counterfeit bills."


The deer's and gecko's pupils shrank almost to nothing. "... What?"




The boys were taken to the police station where their testimonies were taken and they spent a few hours in a shared cell. Prospero was yelling demanding a lawyer, Valiant was stammering trying to explain what happened but being behind bars short-circuited his brain and Ladon was hugging his tail as he mumbled apologizing to his family for ending up in a place like that.


Fortunately the officers realized that they were not criminals and that they did not know that the money was counterfeit. In this way they were released... after paying a fine which took almost the money they had left. But hey, they're free. The 3 left the station with sour faces.


"...Now what shall we do?" Ladon questioned quietly.


Valiant takes a deep breath before answering. "Search for a job."


Prospero had a slight twitch in his right eye. “... Let's start tomorrow. I need a long bath after being in that disgusting place.” The group begins to walk, it will be a long walk to their hotel located almost on the other side of the city.


"...You mean the cell or the interrogation room?" The gecko couldn't help but ask.


“Stupid station in general.” The cockatoo responded curtly.


--


The next day he started the plan 'getting a job to earn money for a few days until Prospero gets his bank cards back'. Valiant couldn't think of a shorter name and Prospero wouldn't waste his breath arguing over it in this situation.


And how would they do this? The cockatoo found a job agency near the hotel. A small 2 storey building, a bit old but still firmly standing. The interior mostly resembled a large waiting room, with the exception that there are ticket windows with workers on the opposite side of the entrance. Seeing a free one the group approached.


There they were greeted by a bat with a soft smile. "Welcome, is this your first time coming here?" she asked kindly.


"And hopefully the last one." Prospero splutters.


Valiant stepped forward to take care of this. “Yes, we are needing some money.”


Ladon stands on his toes to watch. "How does this place work?"


The woman smiles and brings a bowl of sweets closer, causing the gecko's eyes to light up slightly. “They need to fill out a form with their basic information, experiences and skills. Basically anything relevant to any job. We will then search our database for jobs that match your skills. We are associated with several places that need workers.” The lady explained and then handed out 3 copies of the form, one for each boy.


"That sounds... strangely easy and efficient." Prospero was a bit surprised by this.


"It's our job to make it easy." The worker said with a smile.


Valiant scratches the side of his head. “Would it be possible for us all to work in the same place?” The deer smiles to see the lady nodding. "Cool."


The boys sat in the chairs and began to fill in with their knowledge and skills. Prospero makes sure to be graceful with his words and lay out all that he had to offer. Ladon was slower, unsure of what things to put in favor of a job he didn't know. Valiant just wrote whatever he could think of.


As soon as they finished the worker she took the sheets with a smile. “Please wait a few minutes and we will have a list of available jobs.”


The guys sat down and started talking about the kind of jobs they could get. Prospero wanted something fancy, but he has low expectations of that place. Valiant was excited and optimistic, saying this would be fun. Ladon was nervous, hoping only that he wouldn't have dangerous jobs.


A few minutes later the bat called them. "Mr. Prospero, Mr. Valiant, and young Ladon." She had a small stack of papers.


Valiant was surprised to see the amount. “Are those all jobs for us?”


"Well, its are jobs, information sheets and details that they need to know about each place so they can choose a job." She explained. "Take your time to review and as soon as you have the job that interests you, come to do the corresponding paperwork."


"Leave this to me." Valiant said with a smile as he picked up the stack of papers. "I have some experience in this, I will choose a job for us."


Ladon smiles trusting his friend. "Sounds good."


“Just don't pick anything that relates to a fast food joint.” Prospero said. Those generic uniforms are hideous, not to mention the ridiculous hats on some.


“They're not that bad, sometimes they give you food for your good work. But it's okay." Valiant said and began to review the job offers without dwelling too much on each one. Then there was something that caught his attention. “This job is perfect for us!” The deer said with a big smile.


--


People jump into the pool and start swimming. It was one of the best things on that hot day. Children play in the lower pool, some with floats and others running around with squirt guns. Adults swim back and forth in the deep pool, some trying to flirt. Of course, the trampolines could not be missing, from where children and adults jump from different heights.


“Does this sound like a good job to you?” Prospero questioned. He was wearing a tight T-shirt and a red speedo with a white cross in the crotch. Plus a whistle.


"Isn't it great? Water, people, fun and a good pay.” Valiant said with a smile, he was wearing only the speedo. "We can do this."


"I don't feel so confident." Ladon said. He is wearing red shorts with a cross on them, a white t-shirt, and a swimming cap. “We must be controlling all these people to avoid accidents or problems and to enforce the rules of the pool.”


The deer shrugs. "How hard can i-brurrrrgh be!" He was interrupted when a boy shot water at his face. The boy laughs and runs away.


Prospero rolls his eyes. “I am in charge of watching over the adult area. You take care of the children. It's the best way to avoid 'accidents' with the little devils.” The cockatoo said while he walks away from that sector.


Valiant with a wet face gives a thumbs up. “We will do well together.”


Ladon sighs and they walk off together towards the kiddie pool. As soon as they arrived they had to stop some children running near the edge and explain that it was dangerous. Only to be completely ignored by the children who ran off once more. And of course some kids in the pool got splashed with water.


The cockatoo headed for the deep pool where almost all of them were adults with the exception of older teenagers. The good thing was that there was a high chair where he could get some sun. "They are adults, they must know how to behave." Prospero said to himself as he climbs into the chair and makes himself comfortable. Not even 5 seconds passed before someone kicked the chair. ”Gahh! What the hell!?"


"Hey you! Get off your ass!” It turned out that he was an elderly man. And many other equally old people in robes. "It's the reserved time!"


Prospero arches an eyebrow. "What the heck is that?"


“Young people these days never want to do their job.” An old critic. “You must from 10 to 11 is the time reserved for the over 60s, so you have to get those slackers out of the pool so we can have our relaxation hour.”


Prospero sighed and took the speaker that was hanging on the side of his chair, turned it on and spoke to the people in the pool. “Please leave the pool in an orderly manner. It's time for octogenarians to soak in."


“An ocher octagon?” A half-deaf man said. "Miss, we are not in the fights!"


Prospero turns around annoyed and yells into the speaker. "I AM A MAN!!"


"... cut your hair, gay." The old man answered after barely hearing clearly.


Prospero grunts as he watches people leave the pool, most of them grabbing their things and leaving. The cockatoo was not prepared for what came next. Slowly the old women put their things on the chairs and took off their bathrobes, little bathing suits showing off their wrinkled bodies.


“Gahhhhh!! My eyes!!" Prospero yelled and immediately reached for sunglasses, a beach hat, and an umbrella to cover his vision. But that terrifying image had been etched into his eyes and brain. He would probably need therapy later.


“Yuju~ Young man, I need help with sunscreen~” An old lady said flirtatiously.




In the other pool Valiant was removing a diaper with the leaf catcher. “Here you are ma'am…” He directs him to the woman with a baby wrapped in a towel. She took it with an annoyed look and walked away. "Uff." The deer felt the heat of that gaze.


“The good thing is that we didn't have to deal with other types of accidents.” Ladon tries to cheer up his friend. "Maybe we should d-!" A stray volleyball hit the gecko in the face. The ball fell into the water showing Ladon with a crooked smile and his eyes seeing stars. He fell into the pool and began to float.


Valiant winced. "Children! Be careful with your games!”


“Sir…” A little girl wearing floaties from Frozen pokes the deer's leg. "... I have to go to the bathroom." The little girl seemed to be alone at such times.


"Uhh!? Let's go fast!” Valiant picks up the girl by the armpits and rushes her to the bathroom.


What the deer didn't think was that the women in the ladies' room didn't take kindly to a man's entrance. The blows rained down immediately and mercilessly, raising the bathroom ceiling and being heard from outside. The girl made it to the bathroom while Valiant was kicked out of the bathroom, drooling and bulging until he hits a chair.


Ladon was still floating in the pool. Some children approached the gecko noticing that he was knocked out. One smiles evilly having an idea.




The lead lifeguard arrived a few minutes later to check on the rookies, first finding the deer 'taking a nap' in a chair by the pool. "Hey! What do you think you're doing!?" He yelled annoyed.


Valiant wakes up and falls to the ground, turning to sit on the ground he rubs his head, noticing a few new bumps. “Did I get to the bathroom on time?”


“Rookie, what do you think you're doing? And where are your companions? The lifeguard leader looks around the kiddie pool.


“This is not fun! Give it back to me!” Ladon was jumping up and down in the water and reaching up with one hand as his other hand pulled his shirt down.


A group of children were laughing while throwing something back and forth. It was the gecko's bathing suit. One of the kids took it from him while he was knocked out. Now they were having fun and occasionally pointing at Ladon's butt.


"Hey!" Valiant got up angrily seeing that. "Give that back!" He jumped into the water and hurried after them. The deer was moving fast in the water.


"Oh oh." The leader of the brats noticed this and hurried out from the opposite side of the pool. "Here! Throw it!” He told his friend, receiving the short. Apparently the little devil wanted to continue playing and began to run.


Valiant reached the other side and began to climb out. "Don't worry Ladon! I'll get your bathing suit back! Just wait!" He yelled and ran after the boy.


The gecko sank into the water with his face red while the lifeguard leader shakes his head at him. He was very unhappy with this.


Prospero was in the chair with his face a slight shade of lime green. “Please, I don't want to have even half of those wrinkles in my worst years…” He was seriously considering investing in anti-wrinkle creams from now on. Then he notices Valiant.


“Prosperoooo!” the deer exclaims. "Catch that little thief!"


The cockatoo arches an eyebrow and climbs down from the chair. "What is your-" The boy ran pushing Prospero aside. "Gahh!" He was at the edge of the adult pool, flailing his arms trying to regain his balance. But he fell anyway.


“Wahaha! They can't catch me!" The boy laughs a toothy grin. He slid to a stop to start climbing the stairs to the diving board.


Valiant did not hesitate and he began to climb the stairs until he reached the top. The deer did not notice how high they were, smiling to see that the boy could not run away. "Okay kid, now we're going to apologize to my friend and then time out for you for being so naughty." He extends his hand.


The boy pouts and makes a sad face at being caught, it was too high for him to jump. The boy extends his hand with Ladon's shorts to Valiant. Just to smile and throw it up, Valiant looked up and, the boy taking advantage of that distraction, threw a punch at the deer's crotch!


"GEEEKK!" Valiant squealed as his familiar gems were hit. His legs turned to jelly, he brought both hands to his crotch, his face reflecting pain and small tears forming in his eyes. The deer was unable to stay on its feet and ended up falling off the side of the diving board into the pool.


Valiant fell several meters head down into the water, splashing all the surrounding elders causing them to start complaining about the youngsters. The deer floats naked on the surface, to one side of it floated his broken speedo.


“Valiant! You are well?" Prospero swam up to his friend, noticing that he was passed out. The cockatoo takes the deer and swims to shore to get it out of the pool. “Come on, we're supposed to take care of the visitors…” Prospero mutters as he lays Valiant on his back and begins pressing on his chest. But the deer didn't seem to improve "...I forbid you to talk about this ever..." Prospero took a deep breath and began to give Valiant mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He was trying to ignore that is his friend and he is naked.


The boy came downstairs, laughing at having gotten away with it. Or at least he seemed that way until the lifeguard leader grabbed his ear. "Ow! Let me go!"


“Oh, I'm going to let you go, get out of my pools you little devil. You are permanently banned!" The lifeguard exclaimed annoyed. To which the boy crossed his arms and pouted.


Seeing that the 3 boys could not handle the responsibilities, keep order and 2 of them ended up naked; the leader of the lifeguards dismissed them. But they got half their pay for working those hours, so they wouldn't go away empty-handed.




The boys returned to the job agency, being received by the same bat. "Oh dear, what are you doing here again so soon?" She was surprised, people at least wait a day or two before coming back when things go wrong.


Valiant rubs his neck with an embarrassed look. "Let's just say we didn't do very well..."


"Not a word." Prospero snapped at the deer.


Ladon didn't know what happened, he was busy hiding in the children's pool. "You guys have been acting weird, what happened?"


"That we need another job, that's all." The cockatoo approaches the window. "If you allow us the leaves again, I'll take care of choosing this time."


"Of course." The worker went to look for the stack of sheets that were filed.


Prospero took the papers to review them, setting aside those that were not 'admissible' and going through those that caught his eye, carefully reading the descriptions and details. "Now this is a proper job." The cockatoo said with a smile.
Ladon stood on his toes and leaned down so he could read the sheet in his friend's hand. “Food taster?” He didn't expect something like that. “They are looking for someone to try dishes.”


“Eat and get paid for it? Sounds like a dream job.” Valiant said with a thumbs up.


“It's not just about eating. You must make a review, pointing out the positive and negative aspects of the food along with recommendations.” Prospero explained with a slightly arrogant smile. “A refined palate like mine is perfect for getting the job done.”


"As long as it's not snails or weird things." Ladon grimaced and stuck out his tongue slightly at the memory of some disgusting-looking food he'd seen on television.




The boys took the work and went to the place. Prospero was hoping to find a high end restaurant. But reality hit him in the form of a common restaurant. It seemed like the place where you and your friends could meet up for cheap eats and loud talk. Not to mention a pretty basic menu.


"This must be wrong." The cockatoo checks the phone checking the address.


Valiant chuckles slightly. "Maybe there's no silverware, but there's a good scent."


Ladon smiles. “Seems like a nice place to come and eat.”


Prospero winces and drops his arms. "It was not what I expected." The cockatoo sighs and is resigned. "I hope it's not that bad." He said with low expectations.


The door was flung open and a red-furred monkey came out with a big smile and a burning look in his eyes. He was dressed in black pants, a blue shirt with rolled up sleeves, a white apron, and a ribbon tied across his forehead. "Welcome! We were waiting for you!" The monkey took Valiant and Prospero with his hands and catches Ladon with his tail. "Forward!" He pulls all 3 inside without them being able to say anything.


The small restaurant turned out to have some small Japanese decorations. The monkey led his 3 tasters to the bar, the closest place to the kitchen where customers could be. He practically tossed them into the seats and jumped over the bar. "I'm glad to see that someone has responded to my request!"


Prospero fixes his shirt. "We can walk, you know."


Valiant smiles. "Don't take it into account, we had a difficult morning."


Ladon looks around him as he adjusts his hat. “This is a Japanese restaurant?”


"Mostly." The monkey crosses his arms with a smile. “My name is Tomioka and I am the second cook. I hope you came hungry, because I have recipes for you to try and I want to try as much as possible!”


The deer smiles upon seeing the monkey's spirit. "Sure! We're excited!"


“Speak for yourself…” The cockatoo can see the similarities between the two of them, noisy and with too much energy. “One question, couldn't you ask your customers to try the dishes? Hiring people to do it seems exaggerated to me for a restaurant… cozy.”


"We did, but some developed a fear of tentacles." Tomioka replied.


The gecko's eyes widened. "What thing!?" That was worrying.


“Now I will prepare the first test dish!” The monkey didn't listen or didn't care about the concern and went off to the kitchen. He is still a bit visible. "Let's cook!"


The stove in the kitchen was turned on and you could hear how the knives cut things with intensity. The boys leaned down to try to see what was happening, but they only managed to see the monkey's back and tail as he handled a wok to mix something at a time something near him was starting to boil. Tomioka's movements were fast, fluid, and full of passion.


Before the boys knew it, the monkey came out of the kitchen with 3 plates. "Try this!" He places a plate in front of each of them. The boys stared in disbelief at the cymbals before them.
“They are… rice balls.” Prospero feels like a fool for expecting more. The dish was 3 balls of white rice. "It's...traditional, at least."


Tomioka smiles. "They are not just any 'Onigiri'... they are surprise Onigiris."


Ladon bowed his head for a moment, then picked up one of the rice balls from him. “Very good…thank you for the food.” The gecko then took a big bite. Ladon's eyes widened immediately as he felt the taste fill his mouth. "DELICIOUS!!" He said with eyes bright with excitement.


Valiant smiles. "It's good that you like it." Valiant takes a rice ball and bites into it. “Ahhh~!! What is this feeling!?” He starts eating fast. "It is too good!"


Prosprero looks surprised as his friends eat. "Calm down a bit, it's a simple dish, it's not that bad." He said that and then picked up one of the onigiri to taste it. With just one bite the cockatoo's mouth was filled with flavor and he felt as if he was transported to another place with his friends. “W-What is this!?”


Tomioka smiles. “They are my new Onigiris recipes. The first one is seasoned with salt and onion, I did that with both the rice and the mackerel fillet inside. The second is stuffed with seaweed soaked in cheese and small pieces of ham. And the last one is stuffed with pork marinated in garlic, miso, sake and honey.”


"Ahh~ It feels so soft and delicious~ It's like honey is embracing me~ Ahhh~" The taste was too much for Ladon, so much so that his clothes exploded except for his Curious George underoos and he fainted with a smile.




Valiant and Prospero were shaking, but they could continue to taste the dishes. “Now the second course!” The monkey serves them both a plate of rice with strips of meat and an egg on top. "Try it, please!"


“Were you preparing 2 meals at the same time? Awesome!" Valiant praise.


"I couldn't have a restaurant if I only did one thing at a time." The monkey said proudly.


“Do you want to use meat with honey again? This time you won't surprise me with that!" Prospero said defiantly and took a big bite of the plate. His eyes nearly pop out of their sockets at how delicious it is and the refined taste of it. "What kind of ingredients are these?"


“The meat strips are actually carefully cut salmon that is marinated and then pan-fried with a hint of black pepper. And the egg is quail." Tomioka explained with a smile. “Of course, the rice had the same preparation as before.


Valiant couldn't hold back his tears of emotion as he ate. “Every mouth makes me feel like… like I'm flying above the sea~!” The deer's clothing could no longer contain the energy emanating from his body and was completely torn apart. Valiant falls down with just his Power Rangers underoos and a face of pure delight.


Prospero was holding on to the bar, panting and trying to contain himself from ending up like his friends. Although he had lost his shirt without noticing. "It can't be... even high end restaurants don't have something like that... and they're cheap stuff..."


Tomioka's eyes flashed with fire when he heard that. “If you judge food by its price alone, you are really simple.” He then smiles with arrogance and a hint of mischief. "But are you still up, ready for a third course?"


Prospero gives him a defiant look, feeling insulted by his words. "D-Don't think you'll be able to take off my pants that easily!"


"I accept the challenge!" Tomioka adjusts the bandage on his forehead and returns to the kitchen. "I will show you that cooking does not depend on prices!" To demonstrate this, the monkey decided to cook with the cheapest ingredients from his kitchen and teach his diner a lesson. Prospero used the time to regain his composure. Although the aroma coming from the kitchen made it difficult. But his pride was at stake in this culinary battle. 


In a few minutes the monkey came out with an inflated chest and a plate in his hands. "I hope you enjoy this." He said placing the plate in front of the cockatoo.


Prospero tried to resist, but he was drooling slightly just looking at the saucer. They were large chicken legs accompanied by mashed potatoes. "It is enough…"


Tomioka smiles. “I recommend cutting both pieces of chicken to start.”


Prospero swallowed as he stared at the chicken, so he did as the cook told him and cut the first piece of chicken. "What is this!?" With just one cut something spilled out from the inside of the chicken, it seemed to be a soft-boiled egg. "And what's here?" He cuts the other piece of chicken and sauce came out. The eggs and the sauce were mixed being contained by the puree absorbing part of them. With just the scent Prospero was reduced to his lavender underoos with Sailor Moon designs. "H-how?"


Tomioka chuckles. "The secret is to freeze cheap eggs, that makes the flavor of the yolks concentrate and acquire a gelatinous texture, when cooked it transforms." The monkey crosses his arms with a smile. "After cooking the chicken, the eggs and preparing the sauce and the puree I cut the chicken pieces and filled them."


Prospero wasn't listening, he was eating that dish like never before. He couldn't take it, it was so delicious that he devoured it as if he hadn't eaten in days. The cockatoo lost this culinary battle and passed out on the floor next to his friends as soon as the plate was empty. As if a bunch of birds had taken him to paradise.


The boys spent a long time resting on the floor. They weren't too happy to wake up in their underwear in the restaurant.


Ladon was using his tail to try to cover himself. He was pouting. "It's not fair! You guys ate more stuff than me!" He was more jealous than embarrassed.
Valiant was somewhat embarrassed and covering himself with both hands. "Huh... did we do it right?"


“Grrr! I will send you the bill of my clothes!” Prospero said annoyed at having lost his clothes. “How can you use those things to undress people? Pervert!"


Tomioka wasn't taking the complaints seriously, he was thinking about his cooking. "Sorry guys, but I can't keep you if you lose your mind so easily."


"Hey! Did you not hear me!?" Prospero was upset at being ignored.


"How about you try a dessert before you go?" The monkey said with a smile.


"YEAH!" The gecko screams excitedly.


"So we'll eat in our underwear?" The deer chuckles slightly.


"Don't think we're done talking!" The cockatoo was already sitting and waiting.


The monkey goes to the kitchen and returns with a plastic taper. "This is my last experiment." He said with a smile before revealing the content. The boys turned pale seeing that. “They are octopus tentacles dipped in pickled plums and peanut butter with a hint of spice.” Tomioka said with a smile.


The boys found out the hard way that not all innovations result in something delicious. Tomioka practically shoved the tentacles into their mouths and the boys felt terrible, as if an octopus had grabbed them and made nasty runs at them with its tentacles covered in something slimy. They passed out again, but the color had left their bodies.


They don't even react as they walk back to the hotel, walking around in their underwear and people laughing. Perhaps by tomorrow the curse of the tentacles will leave their bodies.


The next day the boys returned to the employment agency. This time it was Ladon who was looking for the job. Valiant insisted that it was the right thing to do after he and Prospero chose earlier. The problem is that the young gecko took his time to read and think about the consequences of each job. After the things that have happened to them he wanted something safe to do.


Prospero was beginning to lose patience. “Ladon, we've been here for 2 hours. Could you choose a job at once?”


"Relax, it's not like we have anything better to do." The deer said as he tipped his chair back. “Perhaps we will find our definitive work.”


"This is perfect!" Ladon said suddenly causing Valiant to fall backwards.


-- A change of scene later. --


The group of friends was in front of the main library building. Valiant looked especially bored by this job.


"Isn't it great? Nothing bad could go wrong working in the library. And there are so many books that we can read in our free time.” Ladon said with an adorable smile.


Prospero shoots a smile at his other friend of his. "Maybe you can find a children's adventure book and enjoy the illustrations." For its part, the cockatoo wonders what kind of books he could find in that place.


The friends entered the library and went to the librarian in charge of the place. A bee in her 50s with large lenses. "Hello guys. What do you need? Are you looking for a specific book? she asks quietly.


“We came for work.” Ladon said excitedly. To which several people made a collective 'Shhh!' at the top of the gecko's voice, making him embarrassed.


"How good it is to see some young people interested in books, unlike the others who do not take their eyes off those cell phones." The bee adjusts her glasses. "So, I'll need one of you to check the shelves for out-of-place books, one of you will be in charge of putting the new books back in place, and I need a volunteer to go to the children's section to read to the children." She said bluntly.


"I'll take care of the children." Ladon volunteered thinking he would be better for this. “It can be fun to read with them.”


"I'll go check that everything is in place." Prospero said, not very interested in the other task. "I'm a writer, so I'll know right away if there's something wrong."


"Oh, I'm glad to see that enthusiasm in the young people." The librarian said with a soft smile. "First, I need you to accompany me dear, I will give you your uniform."


The gecko points to itself in confusion. A uniform to read? Ladon didn't want to argue with the sweet old lady so he went to her without question. They went to what appeared to be an office behind the counter. Valiant and Prospero exchanged glances and shrugged as they waited. About 5 minutes later the librarian came out accompanied by Ladon. Now the gecko was wearing a blue rabbit duffel!


“WAHAhahahaha!” Valiant and Prospero couldn't help but laugh, earning a few glances from the people who wanted silence to read.


Ladon hangs his head in shame. "Is this really necessary?"


“Toddlers love these characters and come closer for reading hours.” The librarian then hands over a few books to Ladon. "Have fun."


Prospero took the opportunity to take a photograph. "Aren't you the cutest rabbit?"


Ladon pouted and walked off, walking awkwardly through the costume.


"And your young man, I'll show you where the warehouse is so you can unload the new books and take them to their corresponding place." The librarian said taking Valiant's hand.


“I'm glad to help…” Although he would have liked something more fun.


Prospero smiles and goes to explore the library, if there is a book out of place or someone was doing something wrong, he would take care of correcting it. And what better place to start than the classic and modern literature section?




Ladon made it to the children's section, a spot in the corner of the library with small padded seats and small tables. There were plenty of classic story books, but none of the little kids seemed remotely interested. They actually seemed annoyed to be in that place.


Well the gecko/rabbit would do something about it. "H-Hello children, his friend Mr. Rabbit has come to read you some stories." He said trying to give a good smile. The children turned to see him with annoyed looks. "Huh... What would you like me to read to you?" The children began to approach with their toys in hand as if they were weapons. The gecko swallows at being surrounded by so many children with annoyed looks. “…Cinderella?”




Valiant was pushing a cart full of books that he has to put away while the librarian takes advantage of her tea break. “Let's see…” The deer takes a book and reads the name. "...are they science books?" He wasn't sure, so he started reading a bit. “Ugh. History…” Was there anything more boring? Not for Valiant. He would put down one book and check another to make sure they were in the right place.


A few books were enough to make the deer quite sleepy, causing him to yawn long with his eyelids drooping. "And that?" Valiant came across several books accumulated in one of the corridors. To the deer's tired eyes it looked like a bed. "...a quick nap should allow me to work better." Valiant said to himself.




About 2 hours later the librarian thought it was a good time for her new assistants to take a break and drink some tea. So she started walking to the children's section. “I hope the children have behaved with him, lately the children have become something.- Oh! What happened here? She stopped when she saw Ladon passed out on the ground, his suit was torn in several places and the children used some books to build a castle on top of him. “Oh sweetie, how did this happen? The bee took the books, leaving them in her place, to help Ladon.


The young gecko woke slowly, until the memory of children everywhere made him jump up and back into a corner. “Get those little demons away from me! His sticky little hands were everywhere!"


The librarian sighed in disappointment. He is the fifth boy this has happened to. "Everything is fine, sweetness, the children are gone."


After helping Ladon to calm down they searched for the others. They were doing that when they heard something, some snoring.


“How daring, to sleep in a library. That's almost barbaric." The librarian said as she adjusted her glasses with a disgusted grimace.


She insisted on looking for the person responsible, following the snoring became louder. Long enough for Ladon to recognize them. The gecko's concerns were confirmed when they found Valiant. The deer was still sleeping soundly, with one difference. Valiant had things drawn on his face with marker. An eye on the forehead, spirals on the cheeks, a goatee and tears.


The librarian couldn't help but sigh a little annoyed to see the deer drooling over the books. "I hope his friend didn't have a problem doing his job."


At that moment Prospero was heard screaming. "Well, if you can't understand the beauty in Shakespeare's masterpieces, maybe you should go back to the circus you came from!" After that a loud bang was heard. Looks like Prospero got into a heated 'argument' with someone else.


A few moments later people passing by outside the library could see a certain cockatoo squashed against one of the stained glass windows. Prospero was hit with such force that he only had Doremi's underoos left as his eyes rolled uncontrollably.


As expected, the boys collected his clothes, the deer wiped his face and then drank tea. A delicious tea with honey.


--


After that they were fired. Again they went to the employment office. It's the fourth time in two days. Surely they broke a record.


“Oh dear, did you really have a bad time with that job?” The worker was surprised.


“Some problems arose that we had not contemplated.” Prospero said, his face still hurting from the blow of that 'uneducated troglodyte'.


"I'm sorry to hear that." She went for the papers again. It seems that the bat will have to keep the file of these young people close.


“This time I will find the perfect job for us.” Valiant said with a smile as he collected the documents. “We just have to look for something where our skills come in handy in times when something bad happens.”


"Sounds like you're waiting for accidents at your future job." Ladon pointed. He knows it's not his friend's intentions, it just sounds a bit wrong.


Valiant didn't take much notice of her and she started looking through the recommended jobs. "There must be something fun and exciting around here." He searched eagerly and fast.


Prospero rested his head on one hand. "Of course. And I'm going to eat my hat when that happens." He said sarcastically and without expectations.


Valiant stopped dead and exclaimed. “Nature tours!” He deer smiles as he lifts up one of the leaves. “People with nature experience are needed to help on forest tours with small groups of people. Adults only, no children on the tours or cameras. An experience to be in contact with the earth.”


"It's good that you don't wear a hat." Ladon told Prospero.


The cockatoo was skeptical. "Something sounds strange with this job, b-"


The deer interrupts the cockatoo. "If we hurry to get there and we could be part of the next tour!" Valiant takes his friends by the hands and leads them with him.


The worker there seemed to want to tell them something, but Valiant was too excited about this job and didn't give him time, the papers were signed and he took his friends to the nearest bus stop. Realizing that the deer did not know which bus they need to take, the cockatoo found out with the help of the phone.




The boys traveled by bus for about an hour and then walked about 20 minutes to reach one of the entrances to the forest. It was easy to find the place, there were several log cabins. Ladon remembered horror stories involving places like this, but they were already there.


“Welcome Buddys!” A werebear in blue pants and a red plaid shirt approached them. “Do you need help to get a cabin or maybe come for a tour?”


Valiant smiles at the friendly bear. “We actually came here because of the job offer.” The deer points to his friends and then to himself.


The bear smiles pleased and takes the deer's hands, shaking them energetically, so much so that Valiant leaves the ground at times. “Oh buddys, glad to hear that! I am the manager! But I insist on being called Buddy! We are all friends and friends of nature here!” He greets Prospero and Ladon in the same way, almost throwing them off.


The gecko felt macerated after that. "Uhhh...he reminds me of Valiant."


"Oh yeah." Valiant responds quickly. “Are we still in time for the next nature tour? We would like to start as soon as possible.”


“Glad to see that buddy spirit! Follow me to the main cabin and I will show you the route we will take, you can leave your things and I will give you the essentials.”


"Leave our things?" Ladon asks quietly as they follow the bear.


As Principal Buddy had anticipated, he showed the boys a map of the forest. Showing the path where they will take people, where they will stop to rest or see landscapes. The paths are clear, but they would still be receiving backpacks with maps, compasses, a first aid kit, and so on.


“You can leave your things here until you are assigned a locker. Any other questions?" The friendly bear questioned as he played with the buttons on his shirt.


Ladon raised his hand from him, like a child in a classroom. "What should we leave?"


"Obviously I mean their clothes." Principal Buddy said opening his shirt revealing much of his hairy chest and then sliding the rest of his shirt off.


"OUR CLOTHES!?" The group of friends questioned.


“You can keep your shoes and underwear at most, or wear a loincloth courtesy of our nudist camp.” The big bear unbuttoned his pants, letting them fall, he is not wearing underwear, so he is completely exposed without any shame.


Ladon lowers his hat to cover his face while Valiant and Prospero were impressed with his red faces. Being the cockatoo who recovered first. “This is a nudist camp!?” Then he covered his eyes from him.


The bear had bent down to pick up his clothes and then hung them on a hook on the wall. “Of course, they didn't know? Nature buddy camp is a nude camp for men, we offer 'Nature Tours' which are known as nude tours to get closer to nature, without clothes getting in the way.”


Valiant could feel intense gazes from his friends. “Oh…that meant…hehehe…” He laughs nervously. "Huh... could we wear pants or shorts?"


"Of course not, we must set an example." Buddy said without noticing the tension of the young people. Instead he took out a white loincloth, which is quite short. “It is the most that they can use during the excursions. Aren't they great?"


Somebody knocked the door. "Excuse me." A red panda entered the office, he too was completely naked. “The next group of hikers are ready.”


"Brilliant! Hurry guys put your things away! You have 5 minutes to leave!” Buddy said as he left the office to have a word with the visitors.


"Now what!?" Ladon was red in the face. "I don't want to go naked in front of a bunch of strangers!" He said very embarrassed just imagining it.


Valiant was sweating a little. “Well…Maybe if we go and try to talk to Buddy we can do the job in our shorts. Prospero support me with i-” He trailed off as he saw Prospero taking off his clothes and folding carefully. "What are you doing!?"


The cockatoo shoots a look. “Doing the job you brought us here for.” He pokes the deer's chest. “You chose this job. You had the responsibility to read the details. You dragged us here! So now get your ass off!"


Valiant was only able to raise his hands with a flustered face at his sharp gaze.


"I'll never understand why you're so confident with your nudity…" Ladon said with a defeated sigh. It seems that they would be doing this. "This is going to be so weird."


Prospero rolls his eyes as he removes his pants. "It's not like we're the only ones who are naked, literally this place should be full of naked people."


Valiant was sweating. "That doesn't cheer me up too much."


They undressed as they continued talking. Ladon decided to keep his Pokémon underoos, feeling more covered that way. Valiant opted to wear the camp loincloth, discovering that it is slightly larger than a belt and does almost nothing to cover himself, yet he pulls down trying to do so. Prospero, for some reason, was confident and chose to go naked after carefully putting away his clothes. And when they came out, as expected, they found a lot of men, the nude being the predominant form, some loincloths and no underwear.


This would be a tour of the forest that neither Valiant nor Ladon would forget.


-- Meanwhile elsewhere. --


A black car with tinted windows was crossing the city limits on an unguarded road. The driver was a gorilla who barely seemed to fit in that place while behind a porcupine rides in the back while he talks on his phone with someone.


"Calm down boss, everything is fine... Yeah, the airport people didn't even stop me to question... I have the fake money right here." The porcupine pats a suitcase next to him. "I assure you boss, there is no prob-!" The porcupine's words caught in his throat when he opened the suitcase and saw no money, but clothes and some personal care products. “...Boss, I'll call you back later. We er…we are about to go through a tunnel.” He ended the call immediately. "TURN THE CAR RIGHT NOW IF YOU VALUE YOUR SKIN!!!" The porcupine screamed. “I don't know what happened or how. But someone will end up at the bottom of a lake after this! And it won't be me!


---




The next day the boys returned to the work office.


"Again darlings?" The worker was already somewhat exhausted from seeing these young people so often. "What happened this time?"


"Nothing special. A certain deer didn't read correctly and then none of them wanted to go through with it." Prospero said with a shrug and a sly smile.


Very different from Valiant and Ladon who were still red-faced from yesterday. They were sitting with sorrowful faces.


The bat sighs and she hands him a significantly smaller stack of papers than other times. “Here you are. Good luck."


"Excuse me, I'm sure we had plenty of other job options." The cockatoo points to the leaf pile. "This is little."


The worker accommodates her glasses. “We have updated the data. We have spoken with your previous employers and based on their reports we have ruled out jobs that do not seem like a good fit for you.” She sighs slightly. "It's quite unfortunate."


Prospero makes a face upon hearing the explanation. But that made sense. "I understand. I'll make sure this is the last time." He said taking the papers.


This time it was Prospero's turn to look for a job. This was much faster because, well, the options had narrowed. The cockatoo found a job that caught his attention. It was the ideal job for someone like him.


“This is the definitive work.” Prospero said with a smile. “They look for models for art classes. I might as well treat them to a model of my level.”


"Models? Does it mean we should just… pose for someone to draw pictures?” Ladon asked. "That's... simple." He cheers up. There doesn't seem to be any way for this to go wrong.


Valiant strokes his chin imagining himself posing in the clothes of a warrior a hero while someone paints a portrait. "Sounds like fun."


Prospero smiles slyly. There was something else. But he would let his friends find out.




Prospero guided his friends to a great university. It seemed to be a prestigious place with all the buildings and the green areas very well maintained. There was even a statue of… abstract art? The shape is too complicated to describe. The group took a few turns here and there until they found the arts building.


"This was not what I expected." Ladon said seeing that most of the external walls were covered in paint.


Prospero strokes his chin, watching with interest. "The institution should give its most outstanding students permission to put their art on the walls. It's easy to appreciate the different artworks and different techniques. It's certainly inspiring." He takes out a small book and makes some notes.


Valiant smiles and gives a thumbs up. "I don't quite get it, but it's pretty cool."


The trio of friends enter the building. Prospero went to the reception to speak with the subject behind the desk. "Good morning. We have an appointment scheduled with Applegate.”


"Oh, the new models?" The man said with an amused smile. “Follow the corridor to the right, room 203A. There is no way to get lost.”


"Thanks for your time." The cockatoo said gesturing to his friends to leave.


It was certainly easy to find the room, so much so that only Roronoa Zoro would be capable of getting lost in that corridor. Valiant knocked on the door.


"Forward." A woman's voice said. Opening the door, the boys were met by a zebra woman, who was dressed in purple from head to toe. “I'm Miss Applegate, the very gifted teacher…” She clears her throat. “... artistic gifts.”


Ladon looks away shyly. "Excuse me miss, we came for the modeling job."


"Ohh, well, we'll see about that." Mrs. Applegate approaches the young people. Not caring about her personal space, she starts checking out the boys, pinching Ladon's cheeks, looking at Prospero's profile, and poking Valiant's stomach, among other things. "...Very well, you are hired." She said with a smug smile.


"Oh really?" Valiant smiles and high fives Ladon. “We will do our best to be apt role models.” He said and looked around the room. "So what shall we wear first?"


"You guys get naked and I'll take care of it." The zebra, she said as she made her way to some bookshelves on the other side of the art room.


“She said strip… how to do it completely?” Ladon already had his face red.


"Oh, didn't I mention it?" Prospero began to undress. "I thought after what happened yesterday I thought it would be cool to be models, nude models."


“I thrive, we get it, you like being naked in front of people for some reason. But we do have modesty!” Valiant said with his face red.


"Don't make it sound like I'm just stripping like a flasher." The cockatoo said defensively. “I do it for good reasons and when justified. Also, what's wrong? We will serve as the inspiration for potential young artists.”


“The inspiration of their teasing…” The gecko muttered as its head felt hot..


The deer was already sweating. “If this would help a lot of students….” He swallows. "And maybe it's not 100% naked, you know, like those statues and paintings with something covering people's private parts."


“Young gentlemen, please hurry up.” The zebra said returning and seeing that her models are still dressed. “Art waits for nothing and the students will arrive in less than 10 minutes.” She sounded more severe now. “This is what they will be wearing.”




The boys went up to a small stage, they were completely naked except for some 'accessories' to complete the image that teacher Applegate wants to give her students.


Ladon had a voluminous crown of golden leaves covering the top of his head. "Can't I use a blade like Adam?" The gecko asked covering itself with his tail.


“I don't feel safe about this either…” Valiant was shackled on his hands and legs with small loose chains. Also a red mark painted on his chest simulating a wound. “...Burr. This place is kind of cold." He said covering himself with one hand and rubbing with his free hand making the chains rattle. It was a bit annoying.


"Trying to justify something with that?" Prospero shot with a sly smile. He did nothing to cover his naked body. He received some cyan ribbons wrapped around her arms and dangling slightly. As well as a lightning bolt mark above his pelvis. "And both of you relax, the tension shows in your postures."


"It's starting to worry me how well you accept this." Ladon confessed. There was something strange. The cockatoo will normally become hysterical if seen in its underwear by accident. But he now looked confident and ready to show off her body to strangers. "I hope there are few students in this class."


Ladon will discover that the great room was just right for the number of students who arrived. All the seats were filled and students of different ages brought out their easels on which to place the canvas or a large notebook to draw on.


Ladon passed his tail between his legs and held it to hide from the eyes. Some girls mutter to each other pointing at him and then giggle lightly. "Ow!" He received a light hit on the butt with the teacher's pointer causing him to drop his tail.


“I can do this… I can do this…” Valiant mutters to himself to give himself courage. But that ended when some boys his age made gestures with his hands. Most likely accompanying sizes. The deer covered his bare forehead with a nervous smile. "Ouch!" He too was hit in the butt.


"No cover unless it's part of a pose." I scold Professor Applegate. "You guys should learn a bit from your friend."


He thrived on some poses, showing off his lean and supple body, assuming some pretty revealing poses before college students. “Make sure you do good shading and be thorough.” He said as he spread his legs wider. This only made the other 2 friends more uncomfortable.


Teacher Applegate addresses the university students. “Now, students, what can you highlight about our models?”


"The gecko is the smallest but he has the biggest butt!" A woman called out for the room to hear, drawing several chuckles.


“Lack of size elsewhere.” A man added causing more laughter.


The teacher swiped her pointer at the small stage causing everyone to fall silent. “Remember that when taking portraits of people you must watch your models carefully.” She begins to move her pointer on the deer's foot. “Small details can make a big difference…” She moves the pointer, starting up the leg. "... look at the thickness of the legs, the marked knees, curves of the thighs..."


"Eeek!" Valiant squealed in embarrassment.


"... don't get distracted by things other than capturing your model." Teacher Applegate said before turning to Ladon.


"Gah!" He was surprised by the pointer touching his tail and moving up and down, getting too close to his butt at times.


“Notice the color changes.” The teacher instructed the students from her. “In this case also focus on the big bright eyes. Our young model has a hard time holding an expression."


"I-I'm sorry!" Ladon spoke on reflex. At least he managed to look adorable to some of the women and men in the class.


The teacher then went on with Prospero. She took advantage of the fact that he was the most professional to point out EVERY PART and what the students should look for while doing the work. Occasionally asking the cockatoo to pose in a particular way. Prospero did so, enjoying the spotlight and interested in seeing the results.


Only with small breaks to hydrate and go to the bathroom. Although not to ruin anything the boys had to put on only a robe while walking up and down the hall of the university. This lasted for 3 hours until the class was finally over.


“Those who have finished leave their jobs.” Teacher Applegate told the college kids. “Everything will be evaluated and if there is any work of note then it will be added to next week's auction.”


Prospero, having finished dressing in his usual clothes, approached the zebra. "Auction?" he asked with interest. "Do you plan to sell any paintings?"


"Only if it's something remarkable." I clarify Mrs. Applegate. “Art supplies don't buy themselves.”


Prospero looks over at the easels with the portraits of him and his friends posing. "When did you say the auction will take place?" The cockatoo asks with interest.


Valiant, red-faced and wearing only Sonic's underwear, grabs his friend by the waistband of his pants and begins to rush out of the room. "No! You will not do it!" He said as he loads the rest of his clothes into his free arm.


"Hey! Get your hands off my ass!" Prospero yelled as he was dragged away by his friend.


"Wait for me!" Ladon was trying to adjust his sweatshirt while he goes after his friends. He couldn't even button his pants, so his underwear peeks out.


"Well, that could have turned out better." Ladon said as he walks with his friends in the direction of the hotel. They were already fully clothed again.


"Don't be so dramatic." Prospero said completely lucid. "I insist that we should go back, it's quite an appropriate job, if I may say so myself."


"No job is bad... but I'd rather look for something else." Valiant said touching her cheeks to see if they hadn't turned permanently red after the experience.


"Wouldn't you like to help college students reach their full potential?" The cockatoo said with a light laugh. The expressions of his enemies were the best bonus for him. "Maybe I'll buy some of the paintings, if they live up to the model."


Gecko looks at his friend. "A painting? But we are always traveling. Wouldn't it be annoying to carry that around everywhere?" Not to mention the embarrassing idea of a naked image of them being circulated everywhere.


“I will not take it with us, I will send it home and it will be placed in my…” The cockatoo searches for the right words. “...in my private art studio.”


Ladon tilts his head. “Do you have a room with paintings in your home?”


Valiant blushes again. "Don't tell me that you sent the portrait I did that time there." The deer got the answer from the look and smile of his friend.


"Portrait? Which one did he portray? The gecko asked curiously.


Prospero was about to reply until Valiant hastily covered his mouth. "Nothing important! We better go back to the hotel! We should rest and have something to eat before going back to the employment agency.” The deer hastened to change the subject.


But Ladon's curiosity made him ask again, puffing out his cheeks as he saw Valiant change the subject to avoid the answer. Prospero said it wasn't such a big deal or laughed.


It was the kind of discussion you can only have with trusted people and then laugh. This helped take the weight off their shoulders, even if they often end up in ridiculous situations.


Arriving at the hotel, the boys were about to head to the restaurant for something to eat.


"Excuse me gentlemen." But a staff member caught their attention. “I'm sorry to get in your way. But Mr. Prospero has a visitor waiting for him."


"A visit?" Prospero questions in disbelief. "That's weird." They didn't know anyone in that city. Unless your previous employers count. “Did this visit leave a message or a name?”


The staff crouch slightly looking uncomfortable. "Huh, no... he actually insisted on waiting and that he should meet you as soon as possible."


Ladon swallows. “This doesn't look good…” He was worried about seeing some of the 'enemies' they had been accumulating lately.


"The gentleman is waiting at t-oh oh!" The staff member was surprised to see the visitor approaching. "Are they."


The 3 boys turn around and see a huge gorilla covering much of their vision and a porcupine. The latter looks serious and annoyed. "Let's talk in the room. Me and my bodyguard insist." The bouncer behind him cracks his knuckles at him.


Ladon faints slightly against Valiant, who has a nervous smile, while Prospero maintains a defiant look.


"Unless you're from the bank to deliver some cards no s-Mhpm!" The cockatoo was seized by the head by the huge ape and held up as if it were a doll.


"As I said, we insist." The porcupine clarified with a threatening tone.


The receptionist was intimidated by the men and handed over both room keys. But they only took one, Prospero's. Ignoring the elevator sign, the 5 got on the elevator to go to the room.




As soon as they got to the room, the boys were pushed against the wall by the bodyguard and held. Valiant tried to push, but the ape is clearly stronger.


Prospero growls annoyed. "I don't know who you think you are but don't think you t-" He trailed off as he came face to face with a gun.


"Now they will tell me where my suitcase with my money is." The porcupine takes the safety off the gun. "And fast."


The cockatoo's already white feathers lost their shine. "In the closet! Behind the suitcase of summer clothes!"


"Did you really keep the fake money!?" Ladon questioned from his spot on the wall.


"And now imagine if I hadn't!" Prospero said. Everyone could imagine how terrible that scenario was.


The criminal carelessly threw things out of the closet and took out the suitcase with the money. He smiles, places the suitcase on the bed, and opens it to check the contents. The porcupine makes a disgusted face "You guys! Missing a bale of bills!"


Valiant tries to explain things without bothering the man with the gun. "You see, the bags were exchanged by accident at the airport, you didn't intend to steal anything. But you took my friend's bag with all the money we had, so we tried to change the money and then return it."


"They arrested us and we were in the jail of the police station for several hours." Ladon said with tears forming in his eyes. The adorable gecko looks on with puppy dog eyes. "Can you let go now? I don't want to wet my pants!" He said with his legs twitching.


The porcupine pats the side of his head and sighs annoyed. "Let the brat go to the bathroom, we'll take a long, long walk." He smiles mischievously. The intentions of the criminals were clear.


"There's no need to do that! We don't know anything about counterfeit bills and shady deals!" Valiant said, stirring.


"You're not helping us!" Prospero told his friend upon hearing that.


"Nothing personal, but if my boss finds out about this my head will be crushed. So I'm not leaving any loose ends." The rodent said with a grim look. "And you better not try anything! If I fall I'll take all 3 of them to hell with me!" He said pointing the gun at the boys.




The boys had their turn to go to the bathroom. After all, the bouncer just cleaned the car after the last dirty job.


The porcupine keeps the gun in his jacket pocket. "Now we will calmly go down the stairs, exit through the back door and everyone will climb in an orderly manner in the back of the car. All clear?"


The boys nodded silently. What else could they do? Dodge the shots and take down the colossal gorilla? It was too much to ask for the group of travelers.


Ladon was hugging his tail. Valiant tries to calm down his little friend and Prospero was thinking, looking for any way out of this situation with his friends.


It was when they passed near the kitchen that the cockatoo had an idea. "Excuse me, Mr. Dealer, would it be possible for us to have a last wish?" He said with a nervous smile.


The porcupine points its concealed weapon at the bird. "And why would I do that?"


"Because we will be obedient to all your demands." Prospero tries to ignore the sweat building up on his forehead. "And if at any time you receive a call from your boss we will remain silent."


The porcupine tensed. That was a possibility he hadn't considered. If the boss listens to the hostages he will start asking questions and won't let that go until he knows all the details of what happened. That would be a death sentence. "Fine. But don't think I'll agree to anything and won't tolerate tricks, my finger feels a little loose."


Ladon and Valiant exchange worried glances, then look at Prospero. The next few words could mean life or death.


The cockatoo swallowed. "We… want food."


Silence gripped the corridor they were in and lasted for what seemed like an eternity.


"That's all?" The armed man was a bit perplexed. He's heard a lot of last wishes and things, but food?


"Prospero I know we haven't had lunch but I think if it's the last thing we're going to do together we should do something else." Valiant said without letting go of Ladon.


But unlike his friend, the gecko understood what the cockatoo was up to. He wiped away his tears before murmuring. "I… would like to eat something too… could it be Japanese food?"


Prospero sighed internally. "Sounds good for a last supper." Valiant was just looking at his friends in extreme confusion.


"Tsk. Silly rice gobblers." The porcupine spat. "If they want those disgusting balls so much to keep quiet."


"Can I suggest a good place? I bet they might even accommodate you there." Prospero said with a small nervous smile.


The porcupine was tired of talking to them so he didn't argue, he just warned them that if there was anything suspicious he would shoot them and anyone nearby.


The group left the hotel through a back exit where the car was already waiting. Prospero gave the bouncer the address before climbing into the back. The porcupine climbed into the passenger seat. The bouncer adjusts the rearview mirror, making sure the 3 guys are in view and locking the doors with a button. No one would jump out of the car. With everything secured, the ape started the car and headed to the given address.


Valiant squints at his friend, hoping he had a plan.


---


The vehicle moved forward like any other and blending in with other cars despite what was happening inside. No one suspected that it happens just a few meters from them. The black car parked in front of a small Japanese restaurant.


Valiant's eyes widened in recognition of the place. "This place."


The gorilla looks in the rearview mirror at the deer sitting in the back of the car.


"Best restaurant in town!" Prospero said to divert suspicion.


The porcupine grimaces at the sight of the place. "I thought you'd have better taste in that outfit of yours. I guess I was wrong."


"I assure you that the food is more exquisite than you imagine, maybe you could even invite your boss to this place sometime." The cockatoo said, receiving a look from his captor for silence.


After a threat to remind the captives to behave, the group abandoned the vehicle and entered the restaurant. Even so, they stand out for the discord for what the group and the huge gorilla look like. Mainly the huge gorilla. Valiant and Ladon were instructed to sit down first and Prospero across from them for their captors to take a seat, placing the captives between them and a wall, negating any chance of escape.


Tomioka approaches the table with a smile. "Welcome! What would you like p-huh?" He notices the familiar faces at the table. "Hey! It's good to see you guys again!"


The porcupine, suspicious, looks at the cockatoo. "Do you know each other?"


But the monkey responded first. "Oh yeah. They came to help me by trying some new recipes. Unfortunately it was too much for them."


Valiant caresses the back of his neck with some sweat on his forehead. “We are short of money because of an accident… he… he… he…”


“Mhm. I guess the food here is worse than I imagined for something like that." The porcupine said relaxing.


Tomioka had a forced smile and a vein on his forehead marked. "Sorry? I'm pretty sure I haven't seen you before. So you should save the comments for after you eat something.” His words had some fire.


“As if you could make something as good as Italian food. Better go swallow bananas and bugs in your kitchen.” The porcupine I openly despise.


"Sorry?" The monkey was now on fire. "Let me serve you something and then your words will be the dessert." He said defiantly with a smug smile.


"Yes, yes, as you say, little cook." The delinquent said shaking his hand, not taking the monkey's words seriously. Which only motivated him more to silence the diner.


The people in the restaurant were watching with interest what looked like a cooking showdown, something quite common in this restaurant. The boys watched in silence as they remained stuck in place. Prospero slightly tugs at the collar of his shirt. This could save them or be the last supper.


The table where they are is far from the kitchen, so this time they couldn't see anything that happens there. A waiter took it upon himself to deliver food to other tables in the meantime. A little time passed and it was time to serve the dish.


Tomioka came out of the kitchen pushing a small food cart with 5 covered trays and a smile of a child who got away with it. "Thanks for waiting. Your special dish is ready." He said placing the food trays for everyone at the table.


The porcupine smiles mischievously. "I hope it's edible." He hadn't planned on eating, so he would leave the plate unfinished and say that was bad enough. "Let's see what we have here." He discovers the plate, being hit by the delicious aroma and what he sees surprises him. "Pasta?"


Prospero watches. “Bacon, peppers and mushrooms. It's Japanese Neapolitan spaghetti.”


"I didn't understand but the smell of the sauce is delicious" Valiant said momentarily forgetting about the situation they were in.


“Mhh. Fettuccine-shaped pasta? Don't think you impress me with that." The porcupine said as he picks up the fork. Despite his words, he could only focus on the food. “The sauce has a peculiar appearance and consistency.” He watched, then took the first bite. As soon as the porcupine tastes the food, his jacket is torn. "W-what is this?" He was in shock from the food.


Tomioka smiles. “I made the broth with chicken, beef, seasoned it with spices and added tamari.”


Ladon swallows the drool that was accumulating in his mouth. “Tamari? Is it something Japanese?


"Shh." Prospero gestures for his friends to keep quiet.


The porcupine takes another bite of his food, flinching as his shirt and tie explode, leaving him bare-chested. “There is also a Parmesan flavor… but where is it? I don't see it in the sauce."


"Look carefully at the noodles." The monkey said as he rubbed a finger under his nose. On closer inspection the pasta was filled with cheese, which had melted while cooking the noodles. “I made the pasta with turmeric and then filled them with cheese.”


Tomioka's explanation was not being heard. The porcupine was eating his pasta dish as if he hadn't eaten in days. He didn't care that his expensive suit had been torn to shreds. he kept eating in his boxers. As soon as his plate was empty, the porcupine snatched Prospero's plate to continue eating. And he is not the only one! The gorilla had finished his own plate and took Valiant's and Ladon's plates to eat from both at the same time. He too was caught up in the taste and reduced to his boxers. Both were caught as if they were tied up and subdued.


The porcupine slurped up the last of the pasta and his body fell limp on the seat with a goofy, gleeful grin. “More… I need more…” He said despite being more than full. Then he falls to the side, hitting the floor and passing out.


Valiant looks at the gorilla and stings his arm. The ape's body falls like a tree making a loud noise as it hits the ground. His expression had been replaced by a huge smile that completely clashed with his physique.


“Hihihihi! How rude they are!” Tomioka said with a triumphant laugh. “They ate each other's portions and then go to sleep! Talk about bad customers!” The monkey was about to say more but his foot hit something. He looks down and his face turns blue and tense at the sight of the gun. “E-E-Eh-” Tomioka looked like he was about to faint.


"Find something to tie these guys up!" Valiant said as he got up.


Ladon jumped away from the unconscious criminals. “Qu-quick! Before they wake up! Someone call the police!" He asks the diners.


Prospero gets up with a smile and fixes the answer to him, showing himself confident again. "You shouldn't have messed with me and my friends." He said to the porcupine on the ground.


“YEEEEEEK!!” Tomioka jumps out of his clothes, his brain seems to have finished processing the fear. The monkey runs to the back with only his banana underoos. He returned with something that no one had expected. Extremely long and robust looking noodles. "Use these!"


That was weird. But Valiant kept eating the noodles noting that they are tough as strings. "What are these things?" he asked as he begins to tie up the gorilla.


"They're one of my experiments gone wrong, rubber noodles." Tomioka answers.


What was the monkey trying to do by cooking something like that? That doesn't matter right now.




----




The police did not take long to arrive at the place and arrest the criminals. Both of them were thrown into the back of a pickup while they were still tied up.


The police commander was with Valiant, Prospero, Ladon, and Tomioka. “Let me see if I understand. The suitcases were exchanged at the airport, you were left with a suitcase of counterfeit bills and that is why members of a criminal organization kidnapped you. When they were kidnapped they asked to come and eat something for the last time and the food was so good that these guys fainted?" The officer summarized in disbelief what he said.


"Put it that way... yes." Valiant shrugs with a smile.


Prospero crosses his arms. “You can check the cameras in the restaurant. I bet they can do the same with the hotel.”


“It sounds very bizarre but it is the truth!” Ladon assured. "This was even scarier than the wedgie ninjas!" He said he affirmed. Which did little to make things believable.


The commander scratches his head and sighs. “Seriously, I will never understand the youth these days.” Another agent approaches and whispers something to him. "Oh really?" The commander turns to the boys again. “Well, it seems that these subjects are party had an arrest warrant and a reward. So congratulations." The boys' eyes light up when they hear it.


"Excellent!" Prospero puts his palms together with a smile. “We can stop looking for part-time jobs!” He sighs happily. "This is the best news we've had in days."


Valiant was jumping up and hugging Ladon. They would be free of economic problems.


"Not so fast." The commander cuts off the boys' celebration. "The reward is for him." The officer points to Tomioka. "He was the one who knocked them out to catch them." The jaws of the 3 boys almost fell to the ground when they saw how the monkey was given a sack of money.


"Are you fucking with me!?" Prospero yells. "I want his badge number!"


The deer grabs the cockatoo by the shoulders before anything happens. "Calm down! At least now you will recover your suitcase with your things!”


“Yes, in about 3 or 5 days.” Said the commander. “It will be treated as evidence, but you can fill out a form at the station to try to get your stuff back.”


Valiant put more effort into restraining his friend from attacking the policeman.


Ladon's shoulders slump with a depressed expression. “Are we really going to have to keep looking for more jobs after this?” A part of him wants to cry.


Tomioka approaches the boys with a bright smile. "Hey guys! I think I have the solution to your problems!” The boys are encouraged to hear that.




---




“Come try the best burgers and fries in town! You will not regret coming to eat with your family and friends!” Valiant exclaims as he is dressed up as a hamburger in front of a fast food outlet. He also has an arrow-shaped sign that says 'S-donald', which the deer moves trying to get people's attention. Well, people stop to see him and laugh at him. So that's working in a certain way.


Valiant decides to try a trick he saw once, so he spins the billboard and tosses it into the air. He is supposed to catch it with his hands, but instead the sign gets stuck on his horns. People start filming as they see the deer reaching for his antlers as he stumbles back and forth.




"So it would be 3 Chaos Burgers without lettuce, 2 fries, 2 emerald boxes and 7 soft drinks?" Ladon was wearing a headset taking orders from the cars.


"No!" An angry woman yelled into the comlink. “There are 2 Chaos Burgers without lettuce or onion, 7 fries, 3 emerald boxes and 2 large soft drinks!”


The gecko types with trembling fingers as he sweats nervously, difficult customers making him break out in a sweat in his uniform. "C-Come to the window to receive your order, please!" He forgot to mention the cost, but that didn't seem to matter to the woman.


Ladon sighs and talks to the next customer. “Welcome to S-donald. What can I serve you today?" Some unintelligible murmurs are heard. "Huh? Could you repeat that?" The gecko increased the volume but it didn't do much. "Excuse me, but I need you to repeat it a little louder." He turned the volume up to maximum.


“MEAT IS DEATH!!!!” The amplified scream focused on the headphones hit the gecko hard.


"GEEEEEEKK!" Ladon falls off his seat, falling to the ground with his eyes rolling.




"This is unacceptable!" A woman yelled at the counter as she waved some small papers. "Are you stupid!? I have coupons for free food!”


Prospero was on the other side, wearing a blue and green uniform with a hat similar to Elmer the Grouch's. The cockatoo had a look annoyed by more than just his hideous outfit. “Ma'am, coupons are not distributed here. And even if it were, it is obvious that these are made with a bad editing program and printed.” He was able to see those 'coupons' very well since the lady had been pestering for at least 20 minutes.


“How dare you talk to a customer like that!?” She yelled back.


Prospero crosses his arms. "You should buy something to be considered a customer." The cockatoo appeared to be in the 'fifth stage of pain' at the time.


“This is insufferable! I want to talk to your manager!” The woman yelled the typical Karen phrase when she saw that she wasn't getting anywhere with the cockatoo.


Prospero inhales deeply, as if asking for strength from a higher entity. “The manager went out to get his lunch, he might be back in 20 or 30 minutes.” The cockatoo could also have added that the manager was eating something that is not saturated with fat. But judging by the size of the woman that was not a relevant issue for her.


"Well, I'll stay until I get back! Or maybe I'll call the police before then!" she threatened.


Prospero rolled his eyes. "Do it, we would love to explain this attempted fraud towards the officers." The cockatoo makes a gesture in his hand. "Please stop making a scene so other people can place their order."


The woman had the appearance of having been possessed by a bloodthirsty demon. “Get ready to say goodbye to your job!” She yelled, hoping to scare him off.


Prospero appeared to have eaten a lemon as he looks at the woman. "Oh, what am I going to do without my beloved job behind a greasy smelling cash register and serving pain-in-the-ass who call themselves customers?" The cockatoo pauses dramatically. "Oh wait, I'm leaving at the end of the week to go back to my usual activities."


The woman began stomping and waving her arms in a tantrum as she yelled unintelligible things as the people in line grew increasingly impatient.


“…I don't get paid enough for this.” Prospero said as he considered the idea of dunking his head in the deep fryer.


…
…
…
…
…




Meanwhile, at the police station, an officer opens the cell where the porcupine and the gorilla were imprisoned. “I hope you have a good night, you bastards. His limousine arrived to take you to a more suitable place for you." The officer smiles as he sees the porcupine grunt in annoyance as 2 other officers escort him out.


A group of 5 officers surrounded the gorilla who had been sitting for hours. One of them shakes the gorilla's arm when he sees that it doesn't respond. "Alright big guy, time to go." Then they all jumped back as they saw the gorilla's head fall between them!


“W-What the hell does this mean!?” The officer at the gate entrance can't believe his eyes. Him and none of his companions.


The gorilla's body was empty! It was just a disguise!


The officers sounded the alarm and began searching for a faceless fugitive. Not knowing that the person they are looking for is in a small restaurant asking for the chef's specialty and exchanging messages with his real boss.




This story will continue…