Mahō no Dai-Konran: Yumi no Bōken

After the chaos caused by the accidental love spell, the city seemed to have finally returned to tranquility. Yumi, however, was determined not to repeat her magical mistakes. She wanted to help the group protect themselves from further unforeseen events as they continued their quest to return to the original dimension.

— Now that we have some peace, — Yumi said, concentrating as she drew glowing runes on the ground, — "I'm going to cast a protection spell around the city. That way, we won't have any more unpleasant surprises.

Sakura raised a suspicious eyebrow as she remembered the last spells Yumi tried.

— I'm sure it's not a good idea to do that.

 - Don't worry! — Yumi replied, with a confident smile. — This time everything will be fine!

She muttered magic words and chanted the magic wand dramatically. A gentle energy coursed through the air, enveloping the city in a subtle glow. Everything seemed normal. The magic seemed to have been a success… at least for a few minutes.

But, as expected, things started to go wrong.

At first, the group didn't notice anything strange. Ryo was busy checking out the city's flowers, Kenji was trying to rest against a tree and Akira was analyzing the sky, as always, lost in deep thought.

It was then that a seemingly ordinary gray cat approached Yumi, sitting next to her. He looked at her with a smug look and… spoke.

— Hey girl, was that a protection spell or did you just free us?

Yumi almost jumps in fright.

— W-who said that?

 She looked around, confused, until her eyes settled on the gray cat.

— Ah, no... — she murmured, pale. — Are you... talking?

The cat shrugged, or at least as close as a cat could.

- Yes, I am. And I must say that I don't look bad at all in this new talking version of myself.

 Kenji approaches when he heard the commotion.

— Why is a cat talking to you? —Kenji asked.

Yumi put her head in her hands, realizing something was very, very wrong.

— I just wanted to cast a protection spell! —she exclaimed, desperate. — I didn't want to do that!

Sakura took a deep breath.

— Now we have a talking cat… amazing. What else could happen?

That's when a group of cats started approaching. All of them meowing… and talking.

— Hey, humans! Now that we can talk, we decided to unite! — said a black cat, who seemed to be the leader.

Another cat, black and white striped, sounds youthful with enthusiasm.

 — Let's form the biggest gang of talking cats this world has ever seen!

Ryo, who just returned with a vase of flowers in his hands, was stunned when he saw this scene.

 - What is happening?

The talking cats wasted no time. They quickly began using their new abilities to cause trouble in the city. Running across rooftops, stealing fish from markets, hiding shiny objects and, of course, arguing amongst themselves like typical gang members.

— I always knew cats were naughty, but this is ridiculous! — Kenji complained, trying to retrieve a bag that one of the cats had stolen from him.

Sakura looked at Yumi.

— It looks like you managed to complicate everything again, Yumi.

Yumi, desperate, tried to think of how to reverse the spell.

— I don't know how this happened! I need to think of something quick before the cats take over the city!

 As the group ran to try to capture the cats and defuse the confusion, Akira watched everything with a thoughtful look.

— That spell was more powerful than you imagine, — he said to Yumi. — You have released something ancient and wild in them. The magic of words has consequences when it is not well calculated.

— And what do I do now? — Yumi asked anxiously.

Akira looked at the cats running through the streets.

— The answer lies in the spell itself. You cast a protection spell that you dedicated to the city's animals. If you want to undo it, you need to use the same energy, but redirect it.

Yumi looked at him, not understanding much.

 — What do you mean? Redirect?

— In preferring to try to reverse the spell directly, — Akira explained, — you must channel the magic that is already circulating and transform it into something more controllable. It's like changing the course of a river, rather than trying to block its flow.

Akira suggested a bold plan: they would first gather the cats in one place, which would allow Yumi to manipulate magical energy to undo the spell. But that would be easier said than done. Cats aren't exactly known for their cooperation.

— How are we going to get these cats to come to us? — said Ryo, in disbelief. Yumi scratched her head.

 — Maybe food? Fish?

— I can attract some with shadows, — said Akira, raising his hand as a shadow writhed around him, creating the image of a glowing fish. — But you need to help me.

Kenji sighed.

— Okay, so let's hunt cats now. The group split up around the city, trying to attract the cats with fish, reinforced objects and even improvised toys. Cats, however, were more organized than they seemed.

The leader of the talking cat gang, the black cat, watched from a safe distance as his gang did their dirty work.

— Do they think they can fool us with fish and shadows? — he said, with a feline smile. — Pathetic. Let's unite, my friends, and show these humans who's boss around here!

The city soon became a chaotic battleground between humans and talking cats. Cats jumped roofs, stole objects and ran to secret hiding places. Yumi tried to cast small spells to slow the cats down, but they were too agile.

Ryo, in turn, was surrounded by a group of cats, trying to drive them away with a piece of wood.

 — Get out of here! - he said. Akira, remaining calm, used his shadows to trap some of the cats, but they were stubborn and escaped easily.

— They're smarter than I thought, — he said, concentrated. — But we need a better plan.

It was then that Sakura had an idea.

— Akira, can you create an illusion with your shadows? Something big that can attract all the cats at once?

Akira looked at her with a slight smile.

 — Yes, but it will require a lot of concentration.

— Do it, — Sakura said, determined. — While you attract them, we prepare the final spell.

Akira concentrated deeply, his shadows expanding and taking the shape of a giant glowing fish in the sky, floating as if it were alive. All the cats in town, including the gang leader, were mesmerized by the sight. One by one, they began to follow the illusion, their eyes shining with greed.

While the cats were distracted, Yumi and Sakura began preparing the spell to undo the magic. They traced symbols on the ground, channeling the same energy they had released before, but this time redirecting it to neutralize the effect that gave the cats the ability to speak.

— It's almost ready... — Yumi murmured.

With all the cats gathered, Akira held the illusion in the air as Yumi finally recited the final words of the spell. A wave of energy coursed through the air, and in a matter of seconds, the glow around the cats calmed down.

The cats, now silent and confused, returned to normal, dispersing throughout the city as if nothing had happened.

The group sighed in collapse. The city was saved from yet another magical mess, and the cats were... well, just cats again.

Kenji looked at Yumi tiredly.

 — Congratulations, Yumi. You almost sparked a feline revolution.

Yumi laughed awkwardly.

 — Yes, I promise you will be more careful next time.

 Sakura looked at Yumi.

— You always say that. But do you know? It was fun. Who knew we'd end up fighting talking cats.

 Akira, as always, watched from afar, satisfied with the result.

 As they prepared to advance, the leader of the cats, the black cat, watched from afar, his eyes shining.

 — Maybe... one day we can talk again.