"Seriously? And you didn't wake us up? We wanted to meet that monster you described!" said Alita, crossing her arms in mock indignation.
"Sorry, but as I told you, everything happened so fast. Lukeandria brought me directly to the spot," Paltio replied with an apologetic smile.
"It's great that you gained an ally… and this time it didn't try to eat us like Tejod's other inventions," Ron commented, chuckling lightly as he adjusted his seat.
Suddenly, Lukeandria wrinkled her nose. "Something smells bad here," she said, glancing around suspiciously.
"I didn't want to mention it, but when we got on board, I smelled it too," Mok added gently, adjusting the collar of his suit.
Lukeandria approached Ron and, after a few seconds of inspection, pointed without hesitation: "It's you. You need a bath."
"I think so too," Alita chimed in, trying to stifle her laughter.
Lukeandria turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "I think you need one too," she shot back, moving closer slowly.
Alita blushed, though she tried to hide it. "Well, I guess the scepter's orb only heals but doesn't get rid of the smell from training," she admitted with a small grimace.
"I think we all need it," Mok interjected diplomatically, saving everyone from further embarrassment.
"Alright, I'll find a place," Lukeandria announced decisively.
"Aren't there any bathrooms on the plane created by Golden?" Lukeandria asked, pinching her nose with an exaggerated gesture.
Golden responded from some invisible corner: "No, but I'll make a note of it for next time."
Lukeandria pulled a pair of binoculars from one of the vehicle's compartments and quickly adjusted them. "Ah! I can see a kind of spring over there," she said, pointing toward the horizon.
They directed the carriage to the location. Once there, Toco-Toco was sent to scout the perimeter, ensuring the area was free of danger. Then, Chiki used his strength to divide the space with large rocks, creating one section for the boys and another for the girls. Meanwhile, Nakia used her fire magic to warm the water, making the atmosphere feel even cozier.
Once everything was ready, everyone enjoyed a well-deserved bath—even Nakia, Chiki, and the ever-vain Toco-Toco, who complained throughout the entire process.
"How relaxing… I already feel much better," said Alita as she emerged from the water wrapped in a blanket.
"Yes, it's nice to be able to unwind a little," Lukeandria replied, drying her hair with a towel.
Meanwhile, Mok took charge of washing and drying everyone's clothes, assisted by Nakia, whose magic sped up the process. After eating a light meal, the group decided to rest for a while, knowing they would soon need to resume their training. Thanks to the large amount of fuel they had gathered, they calculated that they would reach the next realm in just two days.
They set off at dawn, when Paltio's clock marked that it was already the 13th day. As the vehicle glided smoothly along the path, the young ones continued with their usual training routines. However, something strange began to stir inside Paltio's magical bag. A faint, almost iridescent light started emanating from it, as if a rainbow had been captured within. No one seemed to notice this phenomenon, as Mok was taking a short nap and Lukeandria was busy adjusting her suit and inspecting her equipment.
"Paltio, you're almost catching up to me... Meow!" exclaimed Toco-Toco teasingly as he zigzagged agilely in front of the prince.
"Do you really think so?" replied Paltio with a sly smile. He had devised something during his encounter with Rocky in the cave. With renewed determination, he ran toward the cat, who tried to escape once again. However, this time Paltio launched a viscous green liquid that left Toco-Toco stuck to the ground.
"Now I've got you!" said Paltio, laughing as he approached to touch the feline.
"That's cheating, meow!" protested Toco-Toco, wriggling uselessly.
The two began arguing, accusing each other of cheating whenever one got close to the other. Golden, seeing the scene, intervened calmly but firmly.
"You've both cheated," declared the golden knight, crossing his arms. "But it was clever of you, Paltio, to use that strategy against my companion Toco-Toco."
With no other choice, the cat accepted his temporary defeat. "Alright, boy, this is just the beginning... Meow!" he warned, though his expression now turned intimidating.
Paltio didn't flinch. On the contrary, he responded confidently: "Fine, I'll give it my all."
"As you wish, prince," retorted Toco-Toco with a mischievous smile. The real training was about to begin.
Elsewhere, Ron faced an entirely different challenge.
"Ron! Come on, boy. Today you'll have to dodge these stone discs flying out of these walls. It's to test your reflexes," Chiki instructed cheerfully.
The young man thought it would be easy. "This won't be anything," he muttered to himself, imagining that only one disc would appear at a time. But what he didn't know was that Chiki always took things to the extreme.
Suddenly, the walls began spitting out dozens of sharp discs in rapid succession. Ron barely had time to react before the projectiles hit him from all sides, knocking him to the ground with a pained groan.
"Pathetic," Chiki remarked without pity, observing Ron from above.
"Someone saw the license plate of the carriage that ran me over," Ron joked weakly, still lying on the ground.
"Don't clown around and get up," barked Chiki, glaring at him sternly. "Oh, have you given up already? Don't you want to be strong? All that talk was just empty words, huh?"
Ron clenched his teeth, feeling frustration mixed with his wounded pride. "No! I do want to be strong. Bring on the next round."
Chiki grinned ear to ear, pleased with the response. "That's what I wanted to hear," he said, beginning to reload the discs against the boy once more.
Meanwhile, Alita had made significant progress. She could now generate a small flame at the tip of her finger, so tiny it almost seemed fragile. However, when she decided to launch it, the flame shot out like an incandescent dart—fast and precise.
"Not bad, girl," Nakia noted, flying in front of her with a mix of pride and satisfaction in her gaze. "A couple more lessons, and we can move on to the next element."
"It's because I have the best teacher," Alita replied with a sincere smile, causing the bird to blush slightly.
In the meantime, the young ones remained immersed in their respective training sessions. Paltio faced Toco-Toco in an intense duel. The cat wielded his two weapons with feline agility, launching quick and accurate attacks. Paltio, for his part, used his gloves and boots to block and counterattack, demonstrating a notable improvement in his speed and precision.
"Perhaps now, Golden, you can increase your power to twenty percent!" Paltio shouted between breaths, never ceasing to dodge the cat's blows.
Golden observed thoughtfully from the shadows. He knew that time on this plane was distorted; nearly a month had passed here, while only a day had gone by in the real world. Still, Paltio's clock clearly marked 14 days. "In this world, time doesn't seem to progress as it should," Golden murmured. "But thanks to suggestions from your friends, I added baths, clean clothes, and other restrictions to avoid inconveniences like before."
"Yes, but I'm more than ready to increase the power to twenty percent of your strength," Paltio insisted with determination. "Come on, I'll handle it."
Golden looked at him seriously. "You've barely reached fifteen percent, though you've adapted well to the power so far. The good thing is, it occurred to me to train everyone on these planes; we'll be prepared for whatever comes."
Paltio lowered his guard for a moment, reflecting. "I wonder how my friends are doing... I think I don't need to worry about Alita, but I do about Ron."
"Stay calm," Golden replied serenely. "Your friends are overcoming their trials and unlocking their limits little by little."
Just as Golden was about to touch Paltio to grant him twenty percent of his power, something unexpected happened. The plane they were on began to change abruptly. The vibrant colors of the environment faded, giving way to a deep darkness that enveloped everything. Then, suddenly, the space erupted in flashes of light, as if the very fabric of the realm was transforming into a living rainbow.
"What's happening?" Paltio asked, alarmed.
Golden attempted to intervene, but even his magic could do nothing against such a phenomenon. The explosion of colors lasted only a few seconds before vanishing completely, leaving them plunged into absolute darkness.
Before them, something enormous emerged from the shadows.
"This is…," the three said in unison, their voices filled with awe and fear.