Danika zipped over to Nao1 and asked, "New outfit? Is it related to Saaki's carpet?"

Nao1 replied with a sarcastic, "Because it looks like I'm wearing a carpet to you? I guess you're finally off work?"

"Yeah," she agreed cheerfully while both SilentSky and ShinZing casually swatted Nao1.

Hikaru had popped out of the garden space on the way down, and the little firefly darted over to Nao1 and stung her with a spark cantrip for good measure. Danika gazed at Nao1 with concern, but she didn't react to the small assaults. After a moment she decided that Naoki probably hadn't been looking at his phone.

Danika eyed Hikaru and asked suddenly, "Saaki, can you teleport to Hikaru like I could if I used a mark?"

"Uh, I've never tried adding your pet to my friend list," Saaki replied uncertainly. He brought up his menus, and a moment later reported, "It was refused."

"Hikaru, can you add Saaki as a friend?" Danika requested hopefully.

Her firefly circled her, but gave no sign that it understood.

"I tried again," Saaki reported, "and this time it added that NPC pets are bound to their owner."

"I guess you can't," Danika agreed, and brought up her own menus. A moment later she flicked an assassin's mark at Hikaru, who glowed red and flew in an angry little circled until Danika explained, "I think Hikaru can fit through the hole ShinZing poked into the ship, so we can all get into that space if we need to."

Dame Mouse was listing the things that they'd already tried, and she stopped mid sentence and asked, "How will that help?"

"I'm not sure yet," Danika admitted. "But the reason flammable things explode is because they make the air expand, right? So I think we just need to make something expand inside the ship without using flame?"

"Me! Me!" growled the cloud cat suddenly.

Everyone turned to look at him, and SilentSky ventured, "It doesn't sound like the cloud approves?"

"What?" the cat asked. "No! I approve! This is great!"

Danika looked at Dame Mouse when she said comfortingly, "Wait a moment my friend, I think this idea might have some merit."

"You can't actually understand what he's saying can you?" Danika asked with surprise.

"We have a great understanding between us!" the mouse declared. "Precise words are not required. Don't worry, I will convince him to try this tactic."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

The cat said quickly, "Don't tell her, it is okay, I will quickly be convinced!"

"Um, yeah," Danika agreed. "So, how big can he expand himself to?"

The cat exploded into a fine mist that stretched as far as ZipZing could see. "Quite large, don't you think?" Dame Mouse replied. "But he's far too thin to move even a leaf at this size."

"Woah, the cat exploded itself?" Nao1 said with amazement a moment later.

"How small can you get?" Danika asked in cat. "Do I even need to teleport you in?"

"Not as small as your bug." The cat condensed until it was the size of a small housecat like Naoki's Tora. It seemed unable to float at this size, and appeared to be losing water, as it left small wet footprints on the ground.

Dame Mouse blinked in surprise and told him with concern, "Save your strength, the battle isn't over yet."

"Alright, I can carry him inside, and then he can try to explode the ship," Danika announced as the cat expanded to his usual size and twined through the air around the little mouse for a moment.

"Good thing we have a little dragon to save the day," Naoki muttered.

"ShinZing could do it instead," Danika pointed out.

She felt slightly affronted by Naoki's sarcasm, even though she was getting used to it. She could never quite understand the way he used criticism to show his approval, but Shinichi had assured her that Naoki would only say that people he liked were annoying. He and Kimitoshi were really opposites in some ways. The longer she knew them, the more friendly Toshi seemed, and the more insulting Naoki became.

"He didn't think of it though," Nao1 pointed out sharply.

"I will do it," ShinZing agreed. "Just let me heal up my bush, so it has enough leaves for another round of lightning."

"I feel like I missed so much, even though I was trying to keep track of what you guys were doing," Danika complained mildly. "Your bush?"

ShinZing turned and showed her the hip pack he wore, that the stem of the plant that wrapped around him seemed to be rooted in. "I don't know what to call it, but it can put out a lot of leaves, and Saaki said it makes me look like I fell into a bush and didn't escape."

The plant looked sort of familiar somehow, and she asked, "Is that the same kind of plant that Arthur was using to catch beetles?"

"Yeah, it's the same plant," he agreed. "It seemed really tough, so I figured it would be good for this, now that I can control it."

"It doesn't look like a flower now," was all Danika could think of to say to that.

"It can make its leaves colorful like petals, but then its sticky, so I told it not to," Shinichi explained.

"Well, go forth and conquer," Nao1 instructed stuffily.

SilentSky bopped her on the head lightly.

"Let's try it," ShinZing agreed, and shot upward.

Danika zipped after him, and the cloud cat followed.

"Wait!" Dame Mouse called out in alarm.

Danika hesitated and then turned back. "What's wrong?" she asked as she reached the treetops again.

Hikaru popped into existence beside her as she slowed. The cloud cat hovered worriedly midway between ZipZing and ShinZing. Dame Mouse straightened and then said, "No, I suppose there's no room for me in this adventure. Your pardon ZipZing. Travel swiftly."

"Just take us along and hold the mirror so we can see," Nao1 demanded.

Danika sighed and zipped down to the pretty mercenary. Nao1, Saaki, and SilentSky didn't waste any time reaching for the pebble harnessed to her back and saying in unison, "dragonheart."

"Touch the stone and repeat…" Danika began as she zipped down to the mouse.

Dame Mouse was as quick to take action as she was to speak, and she leapt a startling height to meet ZipZing in the air, touched the stone, and called out, "Dragonheart!"

Danika spun in the air and and zipped upward fast enough that Hikaru was dragged upward by the automatic pet range teleportation. When she reached ShinZing she instructed her firefly, "Hide under the leaves until you are at the little hole he punched in the ship before, and then fly in. As soon as ShinZing is inside with you, return to our garden so that he can carry you out."

Danika shrugged out of the harness and handed the pebble that held her garden to ShinZing. As soon as he took it, she pulled out the mirror that transmitted its image to the one inside the stone space. Hikaru circled her uncertainly.

"You are the only one who can do this," Danika informed her firefly, as ShinZing threw his own mark at it.

Hikaru pulsed in a variety of colors and then landed on ShinZing. Danika pretended not to notice that his health dropped a point, and he didn't mention it either, but she assumed that Hikaru had just bitten or zapped him.

"You need to enter the stone space as well," Danika informed the cloud cat.

It took the cat longer than it had Dame Mouse, but she also remembered to tell the cat how to exit once ShinZing was inside the ship. ShinZing flashed her a grin and zipped toward the ship as soon as his last passenger was loaded.