Natalie—the sabertooth Transformer—attacked first, lunging forward with incredible speed. Its claws tore through the ground, closing the distance in an instant.
Marcus realized he couldn't dodge without putting Liora in immediate danger behind him. With a sharp, commanding tone, he yelled:
"Get on my back, now!"
Liora didn't hesitate. She leapt onto his monstrous frame, gripping tightly as Marcus extended two small spikes from his plates, giving her secure holds to cling to.
Marcus focused ether into his forearms, thickening the plates by three centimeters. He then crossed his arms in front of his chest and lowered his stance, preparing to take the sabertooth's full force head-on.
The impact hit Marcus' forearms with a deafening force, shaking the ground beneath him. He slid backward, keeping his stance low, while Natalie—still snarling—followed relentlessly, claws scraping the dirt.
Natalie lunged again, aiming for Marcus' side. He pivoted quickly, letting the attack miss as he kept his stance low. Natalie immediately followed with another strike, this time targeting his head. Marcus ducked beneath the swipe and delivered a precise uppercut to her jaw, making her stagger backward.
Natalie, enraged, lunged again, this time aiming for Marcus' leg. But Liora, perched on his back, hurled a red bubble, which exploded against the creature's face, interrupting the attack.
Marcus seized the moment, spinning his body fluidly, and struck the beast's head with a powerful kick from his ankle, sending a shockwave through Natalie and staggering her backward.
After Marcus' powerful kick connected, Natalie, dazed from the strike, leapt backward, desperately trying to create distance. Marcus advanced with controlled steps, launching precise punches and kicks that she barely managed to dodge, retreating with each blow.
Seeing that she was losing and that Marcus had taken control of the pace, Natalie decided to turn the tide. She let out a thunderous roar, the sound shattering the air around them. The effect was immediate and brutal: Marcus and Liora felt stunned and disoriented, their ears ringing with a high-pitched pitch, tiny droplets of blood trickling from their eardrums.
The shockwave was so powerful that Marcus stumbled two steps backward, struggling to regain his balance, while Liora clung tightly, trying to recover from the stunning effect. The battlefield seemed to pause for a brief moment as the force of Natalie's roar reverberated through the trees.
Natalie, seizing the moment from the stun, launched a powerful swipe with her claw, aiming directly at Marcus' leg. The strike cut through his plates, grazing his tibia and forcing him to shift his weight instantly to maintain balance.
She followed immediately with a ferocious strike toward his neck, intending to finish the fight with a decisive blow. But Marcus, miraculously regaining his focus despite the lingering disorientation, managed to raise his arms just in time, crossing them around his head to absorb the impact. The force reverberated through his forearms, but he held firm, narrowly avoiding a potentially fatal strike.
Natalie pressed her advantage, lunging forward and snapping her jaws around Marcus' thigh, clamping down with terrifying force.
In a brief moment of clarity, Marcus attempted to strike her head from above the grasping jaws, but Natalie retracted her head just in time, easily dodging the blow.
She didn't hesitate. Launching another attack, she moved swiftly past Marcus, leaving a deep scratch along his side with her claw as she passed.
Seeing Marcus struggling under Natalie's relentless attacks, Liora gathered enough ether to summon a special variant of her explosive bubbles. This time, she created a green-colored bubble and hurled it directly at Marcus' head.
The effect was immediate and miraculous: upon contact, the bubble released a restorative ether wave, healing Marcus and erasing the damage Natalie had inflicted.
Marcus, clever and cunning, didn't reveal that he had been healed. Instead, he pretended to still be affected by Natalie's roar, giving her the impression that her stun was still in effect.
Seeing an opportunity, Natalie lunged at him again, confident that he was still disoriented. But Marcus was ready. He countered with a powerful upward knee strike to her jaw, the suddenness and precision catching Natalie completely off guard. The force of the blow was so brutal it lifted her off the ground, sending her flying backward with her head thrown back in sheer violence. Her eyes widened, unable to process the force of the counterattack.
After the knee strike, Natalie's abdomen was exposed, and Marcus, furious but controlled, switched his stance and delivered a powerful kick directly to her stomach. The force, combined with Natalie being airborne, sent her crashing into a nearby tree.
Marcus didn't hesitate. He ran toward Natalie, while Liora, perched on his shoulder, launched another explosive bubble at her face, stunning her further.
Seizing the moment, Marcus leapt into the air, using the momentum to drive down onto Natalie's stomach with full force. He landed squarely, and the satisfying crunch of bones breaking echoed, signaling the final decisive blow.
Soon after, Natalie's bracelet emitted a red light, signaling her defeat.
Not long after, her monstrous form shimmered and reverted to a humanoid shape, revealing a girl around Marcus' age. She had short brown hair, a fierce expression, and an athletic build, but she was completely unconscious, slumped on the ground.
Marcus watched as 100 points were added to his bracelet, a tangible reward for his decisive victory. A moment after 295 points more, probably they were Natalie's. And inmediatly turned back to his human form.
With the fight concluded, As they waited in silence, Liora suddenly spoke, her voice calm but deliberate.
"Marcus… could you help me with something? I'll send you fifty points now, and another fifty once it's done."
Marcus raised an eyebrow at the unexpected generosity. Fifty points upfront wasn't something to take lightly. After a brief pause of reflection, he finally nodded.
"…Alright. I'll help."
Liora urged Marcus to follow her. As they moved through the forest, she asked curiously,
"Why did you help me?"
Marcus answered, his voice calm but firm:
"Honestly, I came because it was a mission."
Liora shook her head with a smile, her tone playful and sarcastic:
"Silly me, I thought it was because you liked me."
Marcus couldn't help but smile at her joke, a brief moment of levity amid the tension of the exam.
Soon after, they arrived at a peculiar-looking rock, jagged and protruding from the forest floor. Liora turned to Marcus and said,
"This is where I planned to meet my brother."
Then, they climbed a nearby tree, settling among the branches. From there, they could watch the area carefully, ready to spring an ambush if needed.
Soon after, Rylan, Liora's brother, arrived, visibly battered and injured, limping heavily with bruises and scratches across his body.
Not far behind him, a boy of similar age with dark skin followed,
The dark-skinned boy called out mockingly, a smirk on his face:
"Well, looks like you don't have anywhere left to run."
From their perch above, Marcus glanced at Liora. She gave him a firm nod, her eyes sharp with intent. Marcus understood the signal immediately.
Without hesitation, he leapt down from the tree. The impact shook the ground as he landed directly behind the dark-skinned boy, his posture low and balanced—like a predator ready to strike.
But the dark-skinned boy reacted instantly, spinning around with remarkable speed. He launched a spinning kick aimed at Marcus.
Though Marcus was momentarily surprised by the boy's incredible reflexes, he managed to block the attack, crossing his forearms just in time to absorb the force.
Taking advantage of his spin, the boy followed up with a punch aimed at Marcus' face.
Marcus instantly dodged, sidestepping with precision, and countered with a punch of his own, landing squarely on the boy's mouth.
As Marcus' punch connected, the boy took the hit—but instead of recoiling, he smiled.
Marcus' eyes widened in surprise, caught off guard by the unexpected reaction.
Marcus followed up with a high kick, but instead of dodging, his opponent blocked it with his raised arm. Marcus could feel the impact resonate, likely causing serious pain to the boy's arm—but the dark-skinned boy barely flinched.
Immediately, he countered with a punch to Marcus' stomach. Marcus wasn't expecting such a swift retaliation. The blow hit with brutal force, making him gasp in pain and sending him flying backwards, eyes wide with shock at the sheer strength of the strike
The dark-skinned boy charged again, throwing a powerful straight punch.
Marcus, fully aware of the strength behind the blow, sidestepped, narrowly avoiding it, and followed up with a low kick that connected against his opponent.
Marcus immediately threw another straight punch, which his opponent managed to deflect, prompting a middle kick in retaliation. Marcus blocked it expertly, grabbed the boy, and threw him backward, sending his opponent tumbling behind him.
Just as the two locked eyes, preparing to shift into their monstrous forms and end the fight, a red bubble streaked past Marcus and exploded just in front of the dark-skinned boy.
From behind, Liora shouted sharply,
"—Hey, Duke! Are you sure you want to keep going?"
Duke raised his bracelet with a smug smile and replied,
"—Well, now that you mention it, as much as I'd love to stay here, I've got business elsewhere."
He then turned to Marcus, smirking,
"—You owe me a fight."
Then he turned around and walked away, leaving the tension behind as he disappeared into the distance.