Chapter 23: Setting Off
At the bay
The sailors are loading the supplies onto a ship as both Aladdin and Vulpi carry their bags.
"Aladdin-kun, did you pack those things I mentioned yesterday?" Yamraiha asks.
"I packed everything, just like you said." Aladdin replies.
"Well, but you're a scatterbrain."
"Don't worry, Yamraiha-san. I made sure of that Aladdin has everything he needs." Vulpi confirms.
"But really, it's amazing how time flies." Sinbad says. "To think that already, I'm watching you strike out on your own. But it was your decision, after all. I respect that."
"Thank you, Uncle Sinbad." Aladdin says.
"Okay, you're all set for your journey!" Yamraiha says.
"Right." Aladdin replies and carries the bag on the other side of where his bag is.
"Yamraiha-san, can you look after Ryuko while we're gone?" Vulpi asks.
"Of course. Although, I don't see it anywhere." Yamraiha points out.
"Yes. It probably sleeping in the palace somewhere."
"Please allow me to accompany you as far as the Actia Kingdom." Aladdin and Vulpi turn and sees Morgiana carrying her things.
"Mor-san!" Aladdin calls and she walks towards them.
"I'm going to see my homeland with my own eyes, and find some kind of closure. To help me in the battle that lies ahead."
"Good for you for making that decision." Masrur says.
"It was…" Morgiana trails off and looks at Hakuryuu. "…thanks to you, Hakuryuu-san. Because you gave me encouragement I was able to see it in a positive light. Thank you very much."
Well, I'm… I'm really happy for you." Hakuryuu says as he blushes. "S-since I'll be heading for the Tian Shan Plateau where my elder sister is, we'll be together for a time, won't we?"
In Aladdin's eyes, he sees pink rukh surrounds him.
"Hey, the Rukh around you are all pink, Hakuryuu!"
"What?" Hakuryuu says as he whirls to him.
"And they're all bubbly with excitement - what's up with that?"
"Wh-what are you talking about, Aladdin-dono?"
"Did something happen to you, Hakuryuu-oniisan?"
"Aladdin it's something that you will have to learn when you're grown up." Vulpi tells the small Magi.
"Morgiana." Masrur calls. "There are people in Leam who are skilled at enslaving the Fanalis. Watch your back."
"I will."
Meanwhile, Aladdin is still confused at Hakuryuu's action as the prince looks away from the boy.
"One more thing, Aladdin-kun…" Yamraiha says as she digs into her pocket before bringing it up a crystal ball. "This is called the Eye of the Rukh. It's a Magic Tool infused with my Clairvoyance Magic. We'll be able to communicate even if we're apart."
Aladdin grabs the crystal ball and smiles at her. "Okay, I will, Yam-san."
"Be sure to come back safety." Sinbad says.
"If things get too tough, you can come home anytime!" Pisti says.
"No, when a young man sets off with a goal in sight, we can't go easy on him, can we?"
"I'll do my best, Uncle Drakon!"
"I pray that you'll have a good journey."
"Thank you, Spartos-san." Vulpi says.
"Aladdin, you make sure you eat well and train hard! Grow into a great big man, okay?" Hinahoho says.
"Gotcha, Uncle Hinahoho!" Aladdin says as Vulpi stares at him before looking around for a specific person.
"So he didn't even come to see us off, did he? Alibaba-san…" Morgiana points out.
"I know. He wouldn't even talk to us since that day…" Aladdin says.
"Do you suppose that he's still angry, after all?" Morgiana asks.
"Don't worry." Vulpi assure the two. "Even if he's still angry, he understands what we're doing this."
"What are you talking about?" Sinbad asks.
Before one of the soldiers bangs the gong in his hand, Aladdin, Vulpi, Morgiana, and Hakuryuu get on the ship.
"Anchors aweigh!" He shouts and the ship begins to sail.
"Yam-san! Uncle Sinbad! You guy!" Aladdin shouts.
"Good luck!" Pisti shouts.
"You be safe!" Hinahoho shouts.
"Make sure you do your best!" Sharrkan shouts.
"Have a good trip!" Yamraiha shouts.
"I'm off, then!" Aladdin mutters.
Once the port is out of sight, they gather in the middle of the deck.
"So he never did show up, did he?" Hakuryuu says.
"Alibaba-kun…" Aladdin says.
"It'll be all right, Aladdin." Morgiana says. "We'll clear the air with him later on…"
"You're right. It's not as if we're all going to be separated. I just know it…" Aladdin says. "Something's going to guide us, and we'll be sure to meet again!"
"Right." Morgiana agrees and she and Hakuryuu get closer to Aladdin. "The next time we see Alibaba-san, let's make sure he sees how much we've grown!"
"Right. I'm going to become so powerful that Alibaba-dono will be stunned!" Hakuryuu says.
As Hakuryuu says that, someone peeks behind the crates and Vulpi's ears perk up and turns around at the crates as that someone quickly goes back hiding.
"What's wrong, Vulpi-nee?" Aladdin asks as Vulpi looks at him.
"It's nothing." Vulpi replies before looking back at the crates.
"Could it be…" Vulpi thought.
~Later~
The four walk through the hallways and enter the room that they are assigned to.
"Wow, what a fabulous room! Look, hammocks!" Aladdin points out.
"Since there are three, it looks like one of us should stay in another room." Morgiana says.
"Then I'll go to the room next door." Vulpi says.
"Sleeping these, we might not even notice it when the boat rocks."
"I've never slept in a hammock before."
As they continue to talk, Vulpi notices some noises on the other side of wall next door.
"Huh? Am I to sleep next to Morgiana-san?" Hakuryuu questions.
"Hmm? Something wrong with that?" Aladdin asks.
"No… Sleeping next to Morgiana-dono would be… I…"
"No worries! Right, Mor-san?"
"Yes. I have no qualms." Morgiana says.
"No, but really…" Hakuryuu flusters.
"It's all right! Hee hee…" Aladdin laughs but frowns as he gets off the hammock. "But… don't you get the feeling that something's missing here?"
"Something missing?" Hakuryuu asks.
"Yes… Actually, I've had that feeling myself…" Morgiana admits.
The three thought for the moment and make a sound of realization before Hakuryuu pulls out a box full of food.
"Breakfast! You see, I've prepared some for us!" He says.
"Yay!" Aladdin cheers as Vulpi falters a bit.
"Oh, but… To be honest, what do you all think about that person?" Hakuryuu asks.
"That person? Who do you mean?" Aladdin asks.
"Well, who else could I mean? I'm talking about Alibaba."
"Oh, Alibaba-kun… Right…"
"Aladdin-dono, you're quite the Alibaba-dono advocate, aren't you?"
"Am I? Well, he was practically the second person after Vulpi-nee I ever met when I arrived aboveground, so in a way… yeah…"
"Eh?" Vulpi thought as she gazes at the wall.
"But now that I've known him for a long time, there are certain things that I've noticed about him."
"L-like what?" Hakuryuu asks.
"Right, you see, Alibaba-kun… He's not popular. Whenever I'm getting chummy with a beautiful woman, he's always staring at us with these hungry eyes…"
"Aladdin…" Vulpi calls with a sweet but deadly voice. "It's not nice to insult someone who is listening right now."
"Eh? But Alibaba-kun isn't here."
Vulpi heavily sighs and leans on the wall before knocking it.
"Right here."
The three blink at her before looking at the wall that she's leaning on and then at Vulpi.
"Alibaba-san! Would you stop hiding and come over here?" Vulpi shouts and they hear someone walking towards the room before opening the door revealing Alibaba.
"Aladdin, what you said earlier… is that what you think of me…?" Alibaba questions.
"Sorry, Alibaba-kun. We heard from Uncle Sinbad that you'd be coming, see…"
"But, why did you board this ship too, Alibaba-san?" Vulpi asks.
"Yeah, only magicians can enter Magnostadt, you know." Aladdin agrees.
"Don't get the wrong idea. It's not like I'm tagging along with you." Alibaba says.
"Oh, so it's because you were lonely?" Hakuryuu asks.
"That's so not it! I'm going off to train! Look, I'm gonna become a gladiator in Leam."
"Gladiator?" Aladdin asks.
"Leam…?" Vulpi mutters.
"Why on earth would you do such a thing?" Hakuryuu questions.
"Do you really want to know?"
Yeah/yes." Aladdin, Morgiana, and Hakuryuu say.
"Well, okay. See, I told Sinbad…"
~Alibaba's flashback~
In Kougyoku's room
"Seeing you two battle it out, I realize that I'd never get anywhere as long as I could only Weapon Equip. Do you think that I have no talent, after all?" Alibaba ask Sinbad and looks at the sleeping Kougyoku. "I mean even a girl like that can do it…"
"No… Granted, she has extraordinary talent, but you're no different than her. If you're unable to perform a Full Body Djinn Equip even after all that training, there's got to be some kind of reason." Sinbad says.
"A reason, did you say?"
Sinbad then brings his hand to Alibaba. "Give me your hand." Once Alibaba gives his hand with his palm facing upward, Sinbad lightly presses his finger on Alibaba's palm before resonating his Rukh with Alibaba's. "Just as I thought, your Magoi might have changed in quality. I've had that experience myself, but if that really is the case… No matter how hard you train here, you'll never achieve a Djinn Equip."
"What?!"
"What caused your magoi to transformed into something completely different? Just how many years will it take for you to regain mastery over it…"
"No way! What did you do when it happened to you, Sinbad-san?"
"In my case… I left to undergo training for a year. To the Village of Magoi Manipulation."
~End Flashback~
"Village of Magoi Manipulation? What is that, exactly?" Aladdin asks.
"The thing is, the Village of Magoi Manipulation…"
"He's talking about a village inhabited by a minority race called the Yambala!" Hakuryuu cuts Alibaba off on the explanation. "They're a tribe that excel in Magoi Manipulation, and once when they happened to be near Kou, I received some training from them."
"He~h." Aladdin and Morgiana say.
"But the Yambala are a nomadic tribe, so no one knows where their village is."
"No one knows, huh?" Aladdin says.
"Actually, there's a place where you're sure to run into the Yambala, even if you don't go to their village!" Alibaba exclaims.
"And where is that?"
"Where is it? Well… The Le-"
"The Leam Coliseum!" Hakuryuu says cutting Alibaba off again. "The Yambala undergo warrior training all over the world. They're certain to be found in Leam which boasts the biggest coliseum in the world! A place like that would certainly provide gladiator training!"
"I see… That's really amazing…" Aladdin says when they hear something tumbling down, they see Alibaba is playing dominoes as he sulks. "Oh yeah, Alibaba-kun. What were you saying?"
"Well, that's about it." Alibaba says.
"Is that all?"
Alibaba slowly hutches his head and shouts. "THAT'S ALL, YOU GUYS!"
"Alibaba-san." Vulpi calls catching their attention.
"What's wrong, Vulpi?" Alibaba asks and Vulpi hands a letter to him.
"Can you give this letter to someone in Leam. I'm sure he is in the coliseum."
Alibaba grabs the letter and looks at it.
"I'm okay with that, but…"
"Please…" Alibaba looks up and surprised to see Vulpi who is about to cry.
"Vulpi-nee?" Aladdin calls.
"…So, what is this person's name?" Alibaba asks.
"Nox."
"I'll remember that. Don't worry, Vulpi."
"Thank you…"
Just then, they hear something from Vulpi's bag and they stare at it.
"That came from your bag, right. Vulpi-san." Morgiana points out and Vulpi goes to her bag before she opens it. When she opens it, Ryuko pops out as it spreads its wings.
"Ryuko!?" Vulpi calls out.
"Ryuko was in Vulpi's bag this whole time?!" Alibaba questions as Vulpi takes out her dragon from her bag.
"I thought I left you back at Sindria." Vulpi says and Ryuko screeches in reply.
"Could it be that Ryuko wants to come with you, Vulpi-nee." Aladdin says.
"Is that true?" Vulpi asks as she faces to her dragon causing Ryuko to nod. "All right, but you have to behave."
The group continue their journey as they have fun and training with each other for the next few days.
"This could be a good reference, don't you think?" Morgiana asks as she, Aladdin, and Vulpi look at a scroll that tells about magic.
"Yes, looks good to me!"
Meanwhile, Hakuryuu taps the bottom of his lance as he activates his Zagan's power causing a few plants to sprout on the deck. Suddenly, the boat rocks harshly.
"It's a South Seas creature! We've spotted a South Seas creature!"
The sea creature emerges out of the ocean as the sailors run away and the soldiers point their weapons at it.
"Watch out! There's only one, but's it's gigantic!"
"Go around it on the right side!"
"You guys! Let's go!" Aladdin says.
"Right!" Vulpi, Morgiana, and Hakuryuu say.
"Hold up a second!" The four of them look up and see that Alibaba is standing on gaff of the ship as he has his Weapon Equip ready.
"Alibaba-kun?"
"Leave this to me! If it's just this one, I can handle alone!" Alibaba says as the sea creature stares at him.
Alibaba then rushes towards the creature as it about bite him, but Alibaba jump up and activates his flames and defeats it.
~Night~
"Wow… you really were awesome, Alibaba-kun." Aladdin says.
"Yes, you were a sight to see." Morgiana agrees.
"We totally left it all to you, didn't we?" Hakuryuu says.
"Well, being that I'm not popular, I had to show you some flair, right?"
"You're still holding that against us, I see…"
"We said we were sorry, Alibaba!" Aladdin reminds him.
"But it was clearly your fault for saying it in the first place." Vulpi points out as she pets Ryuko.
"However, it won't do to have Alibaba-dono fight alone. Next time, I'll do my utmost!" Hakuryuu says.
"Think you can handle it?" Alibaba questions with a smug look on his face causing Hakuryuu to glare at him.
"Now, now… And besides, 'next time' might be a bit of a stretch, don't you think?" Aladdin says causing Alibaba and Hakuryuu to look at him. "Because this boat journey is about to…"
Both of them widen their eyes realizing what Aladdin said.
"We're near the port, right?" Morgiana says as Hakuryuu looks down, Alibaba plainly looks up, and Aladdin looks down with a sad smile on his face.
~The next day~
"Land ho!" A sailor shouts as the group and the Sindria's soldiers looks at the land before them.
"You couldn't ask for a better tide, either. At this rate, we'll be able to make port in less than half a day!"
"So that's Actia, huh?" Alibaba says.
"Yeah. Our new journey will be starting from there!" Aladdin says.
Then Morgiana notices something and walks even further to look closely.
"What's wrong, Morgiana?" Alibaba asks.
Oh no… It's just that… There's something strong about that port." Morgiana says.
"You mean you can see if from here, Mor-san?" Aladdin asks and Morgiana squints her eyes.
"Is that… on fire?"
"You've got great eyesight, onee-san." A voice says causing them to look up and sees a young boy inside a bubble in the air.
The boy has dark and disheveled hair, tied in a long pony-tail. He has the right side of his head shaved. In his left ear, he has an earring, whose form is that of a chain ended in a spike. He has several tribal-style tattoos, three on his head and two on his abdominal. Substituting his right hand, is a hook.
"Who the hell is he?" Alibaba questions.
"Hey, he's floating!"
"Watch your back!"
"Aladdin, is that…?" Morgiana asks.
"Yes… he's flying…" Aladdin says.
Behind the boy, a baby pops up with a smile on the baby's face.
"There, there. Hand tight for a second now." The boy tells the baby. "I'll be done before you know it, okay?" The boy turns his head towards the people on the ship as his expression changes. "You guys. This is one fine ship. No doubt, it's loaded with some fine items, am I right? Hand them all over!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't mess with us!"
"Who the hell are you?!"
"Who, me?" The boy says as he smirks and brings up his hook. "We are…" The hook glows brightly and the water suddenly sprouts up on the same side where the boy is.
"Wh-what the…?"
Then the other side, the water also sprouts up, revealing two ships inside the bubble. Vulpi, Alibaba, and Hakuryuu gets ready to fight as Aladdin stares at the boy.
"We're pirates!" The boy finishes.