Thomas the Little Train chugged along the tracks as Scott made his way through the soft carpet fibers to the toy train.
"Where did that guy go? Scott, buddy, that punk Klaus is right near you."
The giant above him, Itto, pointed ahead of Scott.
"My boys have this whole area surrounded. He's not getting away."
The faint rustling of crawling insects reached his ears.
Scott saw a dark mass of ants steadily tightening their encirclement.
He understood what Itto had meant and sprinted forward.
"Wow, are all these your boys?"
Itto was sticking his butt out, completely absorbed in watching the "battlefield" below, when he suddenly heard a voice behind him.
Cassie wanted to lean closer for a look, but she was afraid of both the bad man and the densely packed black ants.
Itto lifted his chin proudly. "You bet! These little ants are all followers of yours truly, Arataki Itto, the world's number one ant fighter! So? Pretty impressive, huh?"
"Uh-huh!"
Cassie looked delighted. "The ants are your boys, and you're my boy, so that basically makes me everyone's boss!"
"Hey, hey, hey! You can't cheat like that! Trying to take advantage of me, huh?"
Itto protested indignantly.
"You're the one who lost the contest. I'm still your boss, aren't I?" Cassie widened her eyes, refusing to back down.
"Huh? Oh! I almost forgot about that. Ah-fine! It's only for half a day anyway. I'm a man of my word. You're the boss!"
Arataki Itto magnanimously decided not to argue with a child.
"Where's Daddy?"
Cassie grabbed Arataki Itto's cape and hid behind him, poking her head out to look toward the toy train tracks.
"There, see?"
Itto pointed him out to the little girl. "Woo-hoo, they're fighting! Go, Scott, buddy! I'm rooting for you!"
"Go, Daddy!"