Elemental Cats

Although Lucy hadn't actively reinforced his body with mana or used magic, he was still a fifth level spirit beast. He shouldn't have to exert any effort to deal with something like a bubble made by a first level mage who had only awakened their inclination hours ago. Joshua didn't think much of it since he wasn't as aware of the discrepancy in strength between the two of them, nor did he know how hard Lucy had pushed against the bubble.

However, Lucy knew, and he felt like the bubbles Joshua would create in the future wouldn't be something an ordinary individual could destroy. Lucy didn't contemplate much more than that. Joshua had awakened a unique type inclination, so it wasn't weird for it to be strange and powerful during the right circumstances.

After Lucy popped the first bubble, Joshua didn't delay, and he made another two, this time on his feet. He had felt how bouncy and sturdy the bubble was when on his hand, and after seeing his feet out of the corner of his eyes, Joshua couldn't wait to try it out. It was slightly troublesome trying to stand up with the bubbles on his feet, but maybe due to his inclination, Joshua had an easy time getting used to it.

Joshua stood up and gently began bending his knees and swaying where he stood. The bubbles bent and deformed with each movement he made, but they didn't burst. And after Joshua got used to how the bubbles on his feet reacted to his movement, he carefully started walking. It felt like he was walking on clouds as each time he took a step, his feet were pushed off the ground due to the rebound of the bubbles springing back to their original shape. Joshua literally walked with a bounce in his steps.

Even without Joshua's giggling, Lucy could tell that it was an amazing experience and asked for bubbles for his own feet. Lucy also quickly got used to controlling his movements and joined Joshua in bouncing around the forest like a pair of pumped-up rabbits.

With how much time the two had spent playing together, they only needed to exchange a glance before they turned in the direction of the center of the island and raced to see who could reach there first. They needed to maintain a gentle balance in their leaps since jumping too high would slow them down and send them crashing into trees, but it wasn't any fun if they stayed too close to the ground, either.

Eventually, the pair reached the center of the island, and as soon as there weren't any trees blocking them, Joshua and Lucy soared into the sky, with Joshua shouting,

"Mom! I'm a bubble mage!"

Joan was naturally shocked and terrified when she saw her son flying through the air like a kite with its string cut. And her first reaction was to try and catch him as she dropped everything in her hands and dashed toward Joshua.

However, Joshua's tinkling laughter and words made Joan hesitate enough to realize that Joshua wasn't in danger. Seeing Lucy accompany Joshua through the air also reassured Joan about her son's safety.

The ruckus caused by Joshua's shout and Joan's reaction made everyone else on the island gather next to the mother, who still hugged her child to confirm his safety. But after his mother was reassured, Joshua received a slew of congratulations from everyone.

It wasn't exactly a secret that he had longed for his inclination and finally being able to use magic. And since the bubbles were still attached to his ankles and he was still holding the circle that matched the symbol on his chest, it was obvious that he had awakened his inclination. Although they didn't know what his inclination was other than the bubbles on his and Lucy's feet, it was still cause for celebration.

Since it was the best reason the group would have to set up a party for quite some time, they didn't hesitate to bring out some of the stuff found in the boats. It wasn't a lot, and it wasn't even better than the jellyfish, but the rations were a needed disruption from the unending stream of jellyfish meat.

And accompanied by some almost decent liquor, the food went down like a stone in water. Joshua managed to convince Joan to let him taste the liquor since he was almost a grown-up now that he could use magic. Joan tasted it first before allowing Joshua to taste it.

Stitches couldn't hold back his laughter after Joshua spit it out and his face turned into a raisin due to how much he was frowning. Joan also had trouble suppressing her laughter since the only reason she allowed Joshua's sip was because she knew how badly alcohol tasted to people who weren't used to it. She had struggled to keep it from showing on her face, but she also found the liquor's taste quite extreme.

Lucy was the only one out of the cats interested in the liquor, and only because he wanted to show he was better than Joshua out of some foolish spirit of competitiveness. And through sheer force of will, he managed to swallow a gulp of it. Though, his face twisted and turned as if he was possessed during the process. That was enough to convince the other cats that it wasn't worth trying, and Mindle, who had been about to taste, moved away from the alcohol and pretended as if she had never been interested.

Toz drank a little and built up a gentle buzz before he decided he couldn't down another gulp of it.

And it didn't come as a surprise when Hods and Stitches, the two pirates, drank the liquor like water and ended up crashing on top of each other next to a tree. But only after telling a bunch of embarrassing stories of themselves, each other, and other pirates they had met during their time as pirates.

Although the party was thrown to celebrate Joshua, he was more interested in playing with magic. So, after trying the alcohol, he made some distance and began experimenting with his bubbles and the ring.

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