Chapter 2 A Bird With a Pompadour Is Not a Good Sign

The rhino was still coming, and Kai's legs were screaming for him to stop.

"WHY IS IT STILL FOLLOWING US?!" Kai yelled as he jumped over a fallen log.

"Because you POKED it!" Pugzooka shouted back, his little legs moving like a blur. "Rhinos hold grudges! Everyone knows that!"

"I didn't know that!"

"Well, now you do! Congratulations! Learn from your mistakes!"

Kai looked behind him and immediately regretted it. The rhino was smashing through the forest like a wrecking ball, knocking down trees and sending birds flying everywhere. Its tiny arms were wiggling angrily as it ran on those two thick legs.

"I can't keep running forever!" Kai cried.

"Then find a solution!" Pugzooka said. "You're the master! Master means you're supposed to have a plan!"

"My plan was to eat it!"

"Bad plan! Terrible plan! Zero out of ten plan!"

Kai was about to respond when he saw something through the trees up ahead. A figure. A human figure standing near a large rock, maybe fifty meters away. Kai's heart jumped.

"Someone! There's someone!" Kai pointed.

Pugzooka squinted his tiny eyes. "I see them! Run toward them! Maybe they can help!"

"Maybe they can outrun the rhino instead of me!"

"That's the spirit!"

Kai changed direction and ran straight toward the figure, waving his arms like a crazy person. "HELP! HELP US! THERE'S A RHINO!"

As he got closer, he could see the person more clearly. It was a man, probably in his thirties, wearing a green hiking outfit with lots of pockets. He had a brown beard and a calm face, like someone who took long walks in the forest for fun. He was holding a wooden walking stick and looked completely relaxed.

The man noticed Kai running toward him and tilted his head. He saw the rhino behind Kai and didn't even flinch. He just stood there, waiting.

Kai finally reached the man and ducked behind him, breathing so hard he thought his lungs might explode. "Help... please... rhino... big... angry..."

Pugzooka skidded to a stop next to them and collapsed on the ground, his tiny chest heaving. "I need... a vacation... after this..." But it was only a whisper.

The man looked at Kai, then at the rhino, then back at Kai. He smiled warmly, like a friendly uncle.

"Don't worry," the man said. "It's just a rhino."

Kai stopped panting and stared at him. "Just... just a rhino?! It's the size of a car! It walks on two legs! It hates me!"

"They're usually pretty calm," the man said, still smiling. "You must have done something to upset it."

"I poked it with a stick."

The man's smile twitched. "Ah. Yes. That would do it."

The rhino was getting closer now, its heavy footsteps shaking the ground. It lowered its horn and growled, a deep rumbling sound that vibrated in Kai's chest.

The man sighed and put two fingers in his mouth. Then he whistled—a loud, sharp sound that echoed through the trees.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then Kai heard the flapping of wings, huge wings, and something big descended from the sky. It landed right in front of them with a soft thump, kicking up dust and leaves.

Kai's jaw dropped.

It was a bird. A massive bird, as tall as a human, with feathers that looked like someone spilled paint on it. Red, blue, yellow, and black all mixed together in patterns that hurt Kai's eyes. Its beak was sharp and curved, and its claws looked like they could cut through metal.

But that wasn't what made Kai freeze.

The bird had a pompadour!

You know, that old-school hairstyle—puffed up in the front, slicked back on the sides. The bird's feathers were styled exactly like a 1950s greaser. It looked ridiculous. It looked absurd. It looked like it should be riding a motorcycle and saying "hey there, sweetheart."

The bird turned its head and looked directly at Kai. Then it winked.

Kai blinked. "What?"

The man stepped forward and pointed at the rhino. "Blitzwing. Attack. But don't kill it."

The bird squawked something that sounded like "you got it, boss" and launched itself into the air. It flew up maybe twenty meters, its colorful feathers flashing in the sunlight.

The rhino stopped charging and looked up, confused. It seemed frozen in place, like it didn't know what to do against a flying opponent.

Kai craned his neck, trying to see what the bird was doing. "What's it going to—"

Then the bird fell.

No, not fell. Dropped. Like a rock. Like someone turned off gravity and then turned it back on too hard. The bird plummeted straight down, and before Kai could even process what he was seeing, there was a loud CRACK and a heavy THUMP.

The rhino was on the ground, completely unconscious. Its eyes were rolled back, and its tongue was sticking out. The bird was standing on top of it, one foot on the rhino's head, looking very pleased with itself.

Kai hadn't seen what happened. It was too fast. One second the bird was in the air, the next second the rhino was napping.

"How..." Kai whispered. "What..."

The bird hopped off the rhino and preened its pompadour, making sure every feather was in place.

The man walked over to Kai and patted him on the shoulder. "There. Problem solved."

Kai stared at the unconscious rhino, then at the bird, then at the man. His mouth was hanging open, but no words came out.

Pugzooka, who had been hiding behind Kai's leg, peeked out. He nodded in approval.

-

After Kai finally remembered how to breathe, the man introduced himself.

"My name is Neljun," he said, extending a hand. "I'm a Beast Master, same as you."

Kai shook his hand weakly. His brain was still trying to catch up. "I'm Kai. Kai Zang. And this is..."

He looked down at Pugzooka, waiting for the little beast to introduce himself. Pugzooka just sat there, staring up at Neljun with his big round eyes. He didn't say a word.

Kai waited. Pugzooka stayed silent.

"Go on," Kai said, nudging Pugzooka with his foot. "Say your name."

Pugzooka looked at Kai like he was insane. He still didn't speak.

Kai nudged him again, a little harder this time. "Come on, don't be rude. Say your name."

Pugzooka just tilted his head and made a small "pfft" sound.

Kai frowned. "What are you doing? Talk."

Neljun watched this exchange with a confused expression. "Um... are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, he's just being difficult." Kai crouched down and looked Pugzooka right in the eyes. "Dude. Say your name. Pugzooka. Just say it."

Pugzooka yawned.

"Seriously? Now you're going silent? After three days of non-stop talking?"

Neljun cleared his throat awkwardly. "Young man... beasts don't talk."

Kai froze. He slowly turned his head to look at Neljun. "What?"

"Beasts," Neljun repeated, speaking slowly like Kai was a child, "do not talk. They make sounds. They can understand commands. But they don't speak human language."

Kai looked at Pugzooka. Pugzooka blinked innocently.

"But... but he TALKS," Kai insisted. "He's been talking to me for three days! He insulted me! He even called me an idiot! He told me about his great-grand uncle who got eaten by a frog!"

Neljun stared at Kai with an expression that clearly said "this boy has lost his mind." He took a small step back.

"I see," Neljun said carefully. "Well. That's... interesting."

"You don't believe me."

"I believe that you believe it," Neljun said, which was a nice way of saying "no."

Kai grabbed Pugzooka and shook him. "TALK! TALK RIGHT NOW!"

Pugzooka made a cute little "squeak" sound and wagged his tail.

"Don't you dare act cute," Kai growled.

Neljun watched this whole scene with growing concern. The pompadour bird also watched, tilting its head side to side like it was watching a very confusing movie.

After a long, awkward silence, Neljun decided to change the subject. "So, Kai. Where are you from? You don't look like you're from around here."

Kai let go of Pugzooka and stood up, defeated. "I'm not from anywhere around here. I just... woke up in this forest three days ago. I have no idea how I got here."

Neljun raised an eyebrow. "Woke up? In the middle of Mount Tumbledown?"

"Is that where we are? Mount Tumbledown?"

"Yeah, it's a big forest area, about half a day's walk from the nearest village." Neljun crossed his arms. "You don't remember how you got here? Did you hit your head?"

"I don't think so," Kai said. "One minute I was in my apartment playing a game, the next minute I was face-down on dirt with that little stinker next to me."

Neljun stared at him for a long moment. Then he nodded slowly, like he had decided to just accept the strange story and move on. "Well, people end up in weird situations all the time. The forest can be disorienting."

"So you don't know anything about... you know..." Kai waved his hands vaguely. "A system? Or tasks? Or collecting beasts to go home?"

Neljun looked at him like he had grown a second head. "System? What system? You collect beasts because that's what Beast Masters do. It's our job. And go home? Where would you go? You live here now, don't you?"

Kai's heart sank. This guy didn't know anything. He was just some random hiker with a cool bird. The system must be something only Kai could see.

"Never mind," Kai mumbled. "Forget I asked."

"You're a strange one," Neljun said, but he said it with a smile. "Anyway, I'm heading to a village called Dustwell. It's about half a day from here. You want to come with me? You can rest, get some food, figure out... whatever is going on with you."

Kai's stomach growled so loudly that even the bird looked at him.

"Yes," Kai said immediately. "Yes, please. A thousand times yes."