Twisted Wonderland 2

The Best Summer Ever

The boys on the other team gather at the edge of the jungle.

"We'd best get to work on fixing up the house." Riddle says.

Lilia grins. "Floyd's mischief can get a bit out of hand, but don't worry. I've got a handle on this. Surviving in harsh environments is basically a specialty of mine!"

Jack flicks an ear. "I really don't buy it."

"We'll need materials to make the repairs with." Riddle states.

Jack nods. "Yessir. I won't be outdone by Stitch. Leave the heavy lifting to me! Lilia, Riddle, you're welcome to rest up whenever you're tired."

"Oh, are you worried about us, Jack?" Lilia smiles. "You're such a sweet, energetic young man."

"I-I'm not worried!" Jack exclaims. "It's just that it'd be a huge hassle if either of you pushed yourself too hard and passed out!"

"A hassle?" Riddle scoffs. "You must be QUITE confident in your own strength to make such a rude remark!"

"Uh, no. I didn't mean-"

"Oh, my. A rare example of a tsundere who can't fully commit to the bit." Lilia chuckles. "Well, if you insist, I'll happily let you young'uns do all the heavy lifting."

The boys walk further into the jungle and begin cutting down trees.

Jack cuts halfway through a tree. "Looks like I'm a decent way through the trunk now, but how many more punches is it gonna take to topple this tree?"

Riddle sends a blast of flame to his tree. "Trees contain a lot of moisture, which makes burning them rather time consuming. It certainly was yesterday. And if I go too hot with the fire, it can cause accidents. It's hard finding just the right level of heat."

Lilia walks over. "How's it going, you two?"

"I'm still working on cutting down my first tree." Jack wipes his brow. "Everything okay on your end, Lilia?"

"Absolutely. I've long since filled my quota."

The two look to Lilia in surprise.

"Oh, you don't believe me?" Lilia gestures his pile. "Take a look beyond the foliage there."

Jack's eyes widen. "Look at that giant stack of logs! How'd you manage that?"

"It's easy once you know the trick." Lilia grins. "In fact, I'd be happy to teach it to you both. Watch very closely."

Lilia approaches another tree and punches the trunk. The tree falls to the ground while Riddle and Jack watch on in shock.

Riddle's eyes are wide. "He punched a tree trunk..."

"With his bare fist?" Jack finishes the thought.

"That's absurd." Riddle runs a hand through his hair. "That was no small tree, but it fell the moment he struck it"

Jack shakes his head. "I don't believe this... Even I can't do that! Lilia, is that delicate figure camouflaging monstrous muscles?"

"Please." Lilia places a hand to his chest. "I'm too cute for monstrous muscles! I told you there was a trick to it. You identify the weakest part of the tree. Then you go POW! And the tree goes WHUMP! If anything, brute force is counterproductive. First, relax your shoulders. Then widen your feet into a stance like so, and bam! Like that. Easy! Go on, give it a try. You can do it!"

"No, we can't!" The two shout.

After a little while, the boys have gathered a large pile of logs. They bring them back to the bungalow.