Paltio began striding toward Toco-Toco with determined steps. However, before he could get close, the cat vanished into thin air, reappearing behind him with an almost imperceptible flash. Paltio reacted quickly, moving with a speed he hadn't possessed before, and reached out his hand to touch the feline.
"Nice try, kid," said Toco-Toco with a teasing smile, dodging him with an agile maneuver.
"That was close!" exclaimed Paltio, breathing slightly heavier but without losing energy. He is faster now—much faster than before. He began zigzagging across the area, chasing the cat with renewed determination.
For a moment, his fingers nearly brushed against Toco-Toco's furry tail. "Don't move so fast, you mangy feline!" shouted Paltio as he continued running after him.
"You try to catch me and don't give up in the process... Meow!" replied the cat with a mischievous chuckle, increasing his speed even further.
Golden observed everything from a distance, arms crossed. "Well, it seems he's handling it well," he murmured to himself as he watched Paltio maintain his pace without showing signs of exhaustion. "If he keeps this up, we might be able to increase the power transfer to twenty percent soon."
Paltio did not relent in his efforts. Though he was now faster, Toco-Toco always managed to stay ahead of him, as if he knew exactly when Paltio would strike. "Even if you're a bit quicker, you won't catch me, meow!" taunted the cat, casting a look of superiority over his shoulder.
"If I don't catch him, they won't train me further, and several days have already passed here," thought Paltio, gritting his teeth. "I need to focus. Come on, Paltio, concentrate," he encouraged himself, feeling how his body was adapting more and more to the power coursing through his veins.
Simultaneously, Lukeandria arrived at the carriage where the three boys were training. She saw them sweating profusely, their eyes closed, immersed in that mental plane of training. At first, she considered waking Paltio to inform him about the danger Mok was in, but then she hesitated.
"What if I distract him? He could lose this crucial opportunity to improve," Lukeandria reflected. Finally, she decided to act without interrupting his progress.
She flipped her shield and used it to improvise a sort of portable chair. With effort, she tied Paltio up with ropes and secured him to the structure. "Wow! This prince sure is heavy," she muttered between breaths, adjusting the weight on her shoulders.
She began making her way uphill, battling the fatigue that was slowly building in her muscles. The path was steep, and sweat trickled down her forehead, but she did not stop. Once at the summit, she touched the crystals as the Rochet had instructed, signaling her return.
Instantly, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble, slowly opening up to swallow them whole, just as it had when she was searching for minerals alongside Mok.
"Alright, boy, I'll give you a little head start... Meow!" announced Toco-Toco in a playful tone. Paltio seized the moment, running even faster with each step he took. However, no matter how hard he tried, Toco-Toco always found a way to escape, increasing his speed just as it seemed Paltio had him within reach.
"I'll never catch him at this rate!" thought Paltio, frustration bubbling beneath his determination. "I need a strategy. I can't let that smug cat keep laughing at me."
He took a deep breath, focusing intently. He noticed something curious: his body no longer felt as heavy. It was as if he were gradually adapting to Golden's power, as though it had become a natural part of him.
Golden continued to observe Paltio's movements closely, though his attention wasn't entirely on Toco-Toco. He wanted to assess whether the prince was worthy of handling his full power. "Ten percent is going well," Golden thought, noting how quickly Paltio was mastering that level of energy. "But I still don't think he can defeat Tejod with this power... He can't even catch my cat."
In parallel, Alita took a deep breath and, with as much respect as she could muster, said to Nakia: "I want to keep training. I'm not ready to rest yet."
Nakia smiled warmly, but also firmly. "Well said, from one of my students," replied the bird with a cheerful voice. "Then prepare yourself for the second round."
The girl nodded with determination, rising to her feet once more to face the challenge. Nakia unleashed another torrent of fire, this time more intense and faster. Alita reacted quickly, forming spheres of water that blocked nearly all the attacks. For the ones she couldn't stop, she propelled herself to the side with agility, dodging them just in time.
"Come on, girl, try to counterattack with fire," thought Nakia as she watched her pupil. With a roar, the bird unleashed even more powerful flames, as if flamethrowers were aimed directly at Alita.
The young woman fought with all her might, but the fire seemed overwhelming. However, just before her water defense was completely extinguished, something surprising happened. With a superhuman effort, Alita extended her hands and repelled the fire with a fluid motion, as if the flames obeyed her will. Her eyes glowed intensely, taking on the same golden hue as the fire. But the effort was too much for her. Before she could continue, her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted.
At that moment, Nakia launched one of her feathers toward Alita, deflecting the remaining fire and shielding her from burns. "Phew! That was close," Nakia murmured to herself. "But I'm glad Meliradal placed her faith in this girl. For now, she needs rest."
Meanwhile, Chiki continued to push Ron, who seemed to be at his limits. The boy already had five heavy blocks on his back, along with two sandbags tied to each limb, as he struggled to perform push-ups. His face was drenched in sweat, and his breathing came in ragged gasps.
"Come on, lazy boy!" Chiki scolded mercilessly. "Do you call yourself part of the Strong family? I've seen stronger warriors carry these simple blocks and smaller children do it without complaining!"
Ron clenched his teeth, muttering inwardly: "I'm trying, you mangy little dog." But outwardly, all that showed was exhaustion, his muscles trembling under the weight, fatigue accumulating in every fiber of his body.
"Come on, kid!" Chiki continued, his tone laced with provocation. "Don't you want to tap into that form you unlocked some time ago?"
Ron furrowed his brow, wondering how the canine knew so much. "And how do you know about that?" he finally managed to articulate, though his words barely escaped between gasps as he tried to focus on staying upright.
Chiki looked at him with a sly smile. "Let's just say I have my sources," he replied, leaving Ron with more questions than answers.
The small dog tilted his head with a mischievous grin. "I won't tell you unless you can do a hundred push-ups," Chiki said challengingly.
As he watched Ron struggle against the weight, his thoughts wandered. "I know your people can create armor from their own bodies... I've seen it during my travels with Lord Silver," he muttered to himself. "But, in truth, it was Golden who shared that information with me."
Chiki paused for a moment, reflecting silently. "I think I know what kind of "Strong" family armor it is," he thought, looking at Ron with a mix of curiosity and concern. "This kid will need an immense amount of energy if he wants to use it again."
"Hurry up, slacker!" exclaimed the dog, breaking his brief introspective pause. "If you touch the ground, it doesn't count."
Ron clenched his teeth, sweat trickling down his forehead as his arms trembled under the weight. Though he wanted to protest, he knew he had no time for distractions. He had to keep going, even though every movement seemed to drain the last reserves of his strength.
All the while, deep underground, Lukeandria found herself immersed in a sea of sand that seemed to swallow her slowly. Paltio remained submerged in his subconscious, carried on her back, oblivious to the journey she was undertaking.
"Well, little prince," Lukeandria muttered between breaths, adjusting her grip on the improvised shield she used as support. "Even though you're slim, you sure are heavy. But here we are. I hope you'll help me... or rather, I hope you'll help your dear butler."
Lukeandria trudged forward with difficulty, the weight of Paltio and the resistance of the sand making every step a monumental effort. Despite her exhaustion, she couldn't help but feel a flicker of curiosity about what awaited them at the end of this strange journey.
On the other hand, Paltio remained immersed in his training plane alongside Toco-Toco, completely unaware that his body was being transported elsewhere. In his mind, he continued chasing the cat, trying to catch him with renewed determination. However, he had no idea that an unknown being awaited him in the depths, watching him from the shadows.