I was lounging on my ugly rock throne, my trusty cactus standing guard like a spiky idiot soldier, when the thought hit me.
It's not weird I'm their leader.
Wise creatures flatter the wise. Idiots flatter the even dumber.
And me? I was somewhere in between, just dumber enough for both.
Couldn't talk. Couldn't write. Built a house uglier than a sand-crusted potato. Roared at cacti. Got lost in my own backyard.
Perfect leader material.
As I nodded proudly to myself, a passing Hollow bird smacked into a rock nearby.
[EP Gained: 10,000]
[Reason: Passive aura lowering flying creature's pathfinding IQ]
I roared at it.
"GUOOH!"
(Translation: You deserved that.)
But then… I remembered something.
"We'll come tomorrow, Boss, bringing a new guy for the crew."
I tilted my head.
A new member?
Wait… WAIT.
What if it's that one?
The panther Adjuchas.
The big blue bastard.
The one who almost bit off my head during mating season when my brainless pet Aizen tried to… you know… on him.
I froze.
The memory of one hand and one leg flying through the air like sad sausages made me sweat, even though Hollows don't sweat.
I paced in circles. I roared at my cactus for no reason.
What if it's HIM?
I'm not ready to lose another limb!
Not even a toe!
I tried digging a hole to hide in but forgot how big I was now and got stuck.
[EP Gained: 12,000]
[Reason: Brilliant tactical hiding fail]
I wiggled free and glared at the moon.
If that panther freak shows up tomorrow, I'm running. I don't care if I'm the leader.
I'll leave the cactus in charge.
He's spikier than me anyway.
I roared one last time and face-planted into the sand out of sheer stress.
[EP Gained: 6,000]
[Reason: Dramatic sand-eating performance]
As the moon hung silently in the endless sky, I whispered in my head:
"Please don't be him… please don't be him…"
[Current EP: 2,170,500 / 100,000,000]