the chaos of lusto the lost genius

Another day in the lab, with the sun shining as brightly as ever. Zooe, wrapped in bandages like a mummy, leaned on a crutch while sweeping with the broom in his only free arm. He breathed calmly.

"It's good that Lusto is quieter than usual," he murmured, enjoying the rare moment of peace.

Suddenly, a sharp scream echoed from the lab, filling the air with an alarming urgency. Zooe frowned in displeasure, dropped the broom, and headed toward the automatic lab door. When it opened, he asked:

"What's going on, Lusto?"

Lusto lunged toward Zooe, trying to hug him, but the injured gigamono quickly backed away, rejecting the attempt. Lusto, now on the floor, got up again, and this time, he threw himself at Zooe more gently, crying uncontrollably as he clung to him.

"Zooe! The telemite has run out! That means… goodbye to the cards!"

Zooe's eyes widened in alarm.

"What? And how will you continue your research?"

Lusto dramatically pointed at his computer before spinning in his chair. It swiveled several times before leaving him facing the keyboard.

"Something curious about teleportation," he began, with a conspiratorial tone, "is that we can't go wherever we want. There's a key condition for it to work: there must be telemite at the destination."

"Then why don't we place telemite somewhere far away and teleport later? It'd be like controlling teleportation," Zooe suggested, shrugging.

Lusto let out a sarcastic laugh, hitting his forehead as if he'd heard something ridiculous.

"Don't act all clever with the great Lusto! Of course, I've already tried it. But to do that, you need enormous amounts. We're talking at least 400 tons. And to help you understand better, a single card uses 10 grams of telemite."

"So… what does that mean?" Zooe asked, not quite wanting to understand fully.

Lusto smiled widely, excitement sparkling in his eyes.

"I'm glad you asked, my furry friend. That means… we're going on an adventure!"

Zooe let out a sigh.

"Oh no."

Lusto threw a card to the floor with a dramatic motion, like a ninja expertly throwing a kunai. The card spun in the air before perfectly embedding itself in a red-painted picture frame, strategically placed on the wall.

"I'll call Solería. She'll be really useful," Zooe exclaimed.

Lusto, who was adjusting some cables on a complicated contraption filled with blinking lights, spun around abruptly, almost tripping over his chair.

"Mmm… I don't think so. Let's go just you and me. You know how it is. It's easier to stay alive with fewer people," he said, leaning over his console and frantically pressing buttons.

"Just make sure to bring her, because if we don't take her, she won't survive here. Remember the rule: one meter for seven minutes. We'll travel thousands of kilometers, meaning the journey will take millennia to go and return. If we leave her, we'll find her turned to dust. But if we take her and she's not tied up, she could kill us."

Zooe frowned and let out a tired sigh as he adjusted the bandages on his arms.

"Lusto, you're like a broken clock: you repeat the same thing over and over and still can't get the time right. Well, I'll get everything ready, you let me know when we're leaving."

Once the card programming was done, and everything was packed for the journey, Zooe spun around in his chair like an excited child, raising both arms in the air.

"Ready, Zooe! Everything's set!" He paused dramatically, standing up with his arms akimbo like a hero in an action movie.

"Did you call Solería yet? Because if you did… let's go on the adventure!" he shouted like he was at a rock concert, ending with an attempted jump that turned out more as a stumble.

At that moment, Zooe appeared at the door of the lab, carrying Foot in his arms like a huge stuffed animal. Foot emitted a soft nervous hum as he curled up slightly. Behind them, walking with an elegant stride and a calm smile, entered Solería. Her hair, neatly braided, and her impeccably fitting suit made it clear she had spent time preparing.

Upon seeing them, Lusto let out a loud scream that echoed throughout the lab.

"What is that danger-free thing doing here?!" He jumped up suddenly, taking a step back as if Solería were a bomb about to explode.

"Zooe, can't you see she could kill us at any moment!"

"What's wrong with you? Why do you always react like this? Solería isn't going to bite you."

"You don't know that!" Lusto replied, pointing at Solería with a trembling finger.

"Solería… She's like a storm with legs."

Solería rolled her eyes while crossing her arms, leaning a little toward Lusto and letting out a soft, annoyed sound.

Zooe stepped between them to separate them.

"She's not a storm. Remember, she fought by your side against that knight."

"I know, but I'm telling you seriously!" Lusto shouted, taking a step back as if he were being cornered.

"You're a danger, Solería. And I'm not just saying that because of your skills!"

"Oh, how dramatic," Zooe said, gently stroking Solería's pink hair.

Lusto stared at her with wide eyes, stepping back until his back hit the console.

"No, no, no! Zooe, tie her to the chair and let's go!"

Zooe gave Solería a sidelong glance, who was still curled up in his arms.

"Lusto, Solería is already here. Plus, she took hours to get ready. She's coming with us on the adventure, trust her."

Lusto raised his hands in defeat.

"Fine, fine… but if I die, Zooe, I want you to do seppuku for me!"

Zooe rolled his eyes as he placed Foot on the ground.

"Sure, Lusto. I'll do seppuku. But first, leave something for your epitaph. Something like: 'Here lies Lusto, the genius who died because of his own paranoia.'"

"That's not funny!" Lusto shouted, while Solería chuckled softly.

Finally, Lusto looked at the portal, which shone with an intense light and softly sparkled, as if containing immense power.

"All right, guys, let's leave the drama for later. Are we ready?"

"Yeah," Zooe said with a sigh.

And with that, the three teleportation scientists and the little gigamono, Foot, moved toward the unknown, leaving the lab behind and stepping into a new chapter full of uncertainty and adventure.