Stella:

  Teeth clattering, muscles bulging and ripping apart, veins popping from her forehead! All that effort and sacrifice to fight against her greatest rival - the one who gave her grief from her first day of training...

  DWAYNE!!!

  "You're my bitch now, stupid rock!" Stella psyched herself up as her material shell was pushed to its limits. The rock, ten times her size and a hundred times her weight, was pulled from the soil and forced to defy the role gravity enforced upon it.

  The crowd went wild as the girl lifted it halfway through! Well, I suppose two don't make a crowd...

  "THAT'S IT, STELLA!!!" The Silver Knight pumped his fists in the air, his fake eyes sparkling as a couple of flames. "YOU'VE IMPROVED SO MUCH! BREAK THROUGH YOUR LIMITS!"

  Lien hopped back and forth, howling in support. "Yes! Yes! YES! You can win! You feel great! Eat this rock for breakfast!!!"

  The power of friendship... One could almost cry...

  Nevertheless, Stella was determined to finish this TODAY! Weeks of an intense training regimen forged her body, mind, and spirit for the day of reckoning. Dwayne would feel break apart in shame as her victory was at hand!

  ...Perhaps her hatred for a lifeless mineral was blown a tad off proportion...

  Fuck it. Stella's arms slowly defied the laws of physics as her biceps grew the size of an American football ball! Or rather, the pseudo-football ball. Regardless, her triumph was so close she could taste its sweetness...

  "A little... more..." Her teeth threatened to shatter by the sheer pressure her mandible exerted as her hands reached the height of her forehead. She arched her back, which trembled with the pulsating agony of a thousand tortured souls!

  "STELLA!" The Knight shouted. "Throw it up! Then catch it from the bottom!"

  Time of truth... After gathering all the Saniya she cultivated in the morning, her body emitted a glorious golden light! Her muscles hardened as she flung the imposing rock to the sky, just enough to run below it and stop its fall with both hands.

  Her arms were outstretched, aching and throbbing as she steeled her mind for the upcoming hurdle. As expected, the mineral formation slammed onto her palms, shaking the foundation of her being down to her atoms. The pain was all her mind could process as her knees buckled under the herculean pressure of her final challenge.

  "Is she doing it?!" Lien asked. "She sounds like she's in a lot of pain!"

  "Not yet," the hero answered. "But I have faith in her..."

  How touching... If only it wasn't so distracting...

  However, their faith reminded her of what drove her forward through these weeks. Stella's pride, the unwillingness to become a helpless victim, and her promise to knock down a certain Oni to the floor.

  Her legs grew sturdier, immobile like a mighty oak. The rest of her body, however, quivered by the crushing defiance against the natural limits of the Human body. Her chest heaved with raspy breaths as her eyes glanced at her most avid supporters with a wild mixture of determination and surrender, a physical projection of the battle for dominance inside her mind.

  No... Stella lived in fear for far too long. Now, she had the power to crush whatever bully stood in her way if she put her heart on it. Nothing would slow her down, especially not a fucking rock!

  "Watch me..." Her voice was hoarse, animalistic. "I'M NOT YIELDING TO ANYONE!!!"

  Her body ceased shaking as her resolve won the mental conflict. Her friends proudly yelled as Stella triumphally held Dwayne over her head as if she were a demi-god. She has aced the test.

  "I've waited forever for this moment..." Asra "wiped" the faux tears away. "It's..." He sobbed. "It's beautiful..."

  Lien howled as loud as she could be. "Let's go! Stella!" She sprinted on all fours towards her packmate.

  Wait, does that mean-

  "PREPARE FOR MY SPECIAL HUG!!!"

  Stella's eyes widened in desperation. "LIEN, DON'T-"

  And she was pinned down by her girlfriend. It WOULD be a pleasing experience for anyone else if not for the "tiny" detail of Dwayne crashing upon them like the meteor that annihilated the dinosaurs.

  If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  Speaking of, I wonder if this event happened in this universe... Do you think Dragons evolved from dinos here? Just imagine a fire-breathing T-rex!

  ...

  Oh yeah. Stella was in a lot of pain. It would be worse if Lien hadn't cushioned the impact, though.

  Thankfully, the pressure ended when the caped agent of justice, The Silver Knight, effortlessly lifted Dwayne. "Unfortunate yet inevitable ending aside, you have passed the test with flying colors!"

  Oh, how Stella longed for Asra's words of pride. It was the paternal support she never knew she craved for! Not that the girl would ever admit it out loud! No, she would keep it to her grave...

  The Human tween slowly sat up after Lien jumped out from her, barely affected by the incident. It was frustrating and weirdly reassuring how much she still had to improve to reach her packmate's level.

  "That means my physical training is over, right?" Her chest visibly heaved by the exhaustion. "What's next?"

  The hero puffed his chest before jumping left and right and performing a series of dramatic punches and kicks in the air while uttering those silly battle cries she heard in some of those old-ass martial arts movies. "Since your body has been properly forged for combat, it's time to polish your moves!" He pulled off a flying kick inches from her face, landing on his knees with his majestic golden cape swishing at her. Then he turned back to the girls, flashing a reassuring thumbs up! "It's time to spar with justice's brightest star, The Silver Knight!"

  Stella tilted her head slightly. "Lien already does that."

  He flashed from his location to behind the girl. "I know!" He backed away with a couple of backflips. "But you'd better benefit from an older, more skilled instructor." He turned his attention to Lien, waving his hands placantingly. "No offense, Lien."

  The pup shrugged. "None taken." She scratched her neck with her leg. "He's right, Stella. You'd get super-duper strong if you train combat with him."

  The Human girl stroked the back of her head. "I suppose... I still want to train with you, though..."

  Lien giggled. "Who says we won't!" She grinned. "You're my favorite spar partner!"

  Stella scoffed. "More like 'favorite punching bag'."

  "You landed some good blows last time!" the pup pointed out. "After I become an eira and Mom and the Knight kick the assassins' butts, we'll go through Sayama and hunt the biggest prey we find!" She clutches her paw, shaking with excitement.

  Stella blushed at the scenario. That sounded... weirdly romantic... Perhaps she was spending too much time amongst Wolves. Regardless, her heart fluttered at the prospect of adventure alongside her loyal packmate...

  ...

  ......

  Love is disgusting. Or perhaps infatuation? Lust? It's all the same for me...

  "You know..." Asra interjected. "It hurts me that you didn't tell me about your newly formed bond! I heard it from..." He feigned a dramatic fainting gesture. "...DAILY GOSSIP!!!"

  Stella rolled her eyes. "In my defense, I didn't know Lien's mom would have such loose lips."

  "It was Uncle Tarb, actually," Lien clarified.

  "Oh! Makes more sense." Her attitude went 180° with the realization. "Wait, does that mean he let his sister turn my face into a pile of lumps?"

  Before Lien could answer, the Knight cleared his throat to reclaim their attention. "As riveting as this conversation is, we don't have unlimited time..." The hero chuckled sheepishly before regaining his composure and clenching a fist at her. "I shall test your might! We must duel for the first time, Stella!"

  His infectious energy caught up to Stella. "Alright, man!" She stood up. "Show me your worst!"

  The Knight's helmet's "eyes" gleamed with challenge. "Prepare yourself for the spar of a lifetime!" She prepared himself to sprint at Stella, who prepared herself with a fighting stance reminiscent of Lien's.

  Suddenly, the agent of righteousness disappeared before her eyes in a blinding light, reappearing behind them with no chance of being perceived by either girl's senses. "But not here!" He captured Stella and Lien, holding them below his armpits, and dashed into the woods!

  Strong as she was, the Human tween's stomach churned as she was carried by The Silver Knight's Lightspeed. Thankfully, he was kind enough to not bump into any trees, rocks, or animals, as far as that mattered for her swirling lunch.

  Fortunately, the torturous ride lasted less than a minute when the guard landed on a rock formation almost as towering as the one guarding Pantsti. The difference was that, other than not being hollow, it had a large, flat, smooth top.

  Stella pulled away from Asra. "Cool mountain."

  "More of a plateau," the hero corrected. "This is Pantsti's sacred arena! Where the fiercest duels throughout centuries have taken place!" He opened his arms wide, gesturing at the whole area.

  Stella scanned the area with disinterest. "A little lacking." She stepped towards the edge, gaining a good view of the Wolves' territory, including the towering barrier of redwoods that blocked Namadi from viewing this wacky world. "The view is nice, though."

  The hero nodded. "Indeed!" Then, he pulled off a jump far beyond Stella's wildest dreams, landing on the far, opposite end of the plateau. "NOW! ENOUGH PLEASANTRIES!" He balanced himself on one leg, assembling his signature pose.

  Stella took a deep breath and resumed her fighting stance. In hindsight, she was impressed by how fast she recovered from the Dwayne lifting.

  "HERE'S HOW WE'RE DOING THIS!" Asra shouted at the top of his lungs. "I'LL HANDICAP MYSELF AND NOT USE MAGIC, BUT YOU'RE ALLOWED TO USE ANYTHING AT YOUR DISPOSAL! ALSO, THE ONE WHO FALLS OUT OF BOUNDS LOSES!"

  The girl had the feeling this handicap wouldn't amount to much...

  Lien jumped between them. "Hey! Can I signal to start the fight!? Like this!" She did a karate chop in the air.

  Stella blinked. "S-Sure. Why not?"

  The pup squealed. "Yes!" She hopped a few meters away from her girlfriend. "I need to be perfectly in the middle!" She turned to the Human girl. "Is this it?"

  "Not even close," Stella answered.

  "I see..." She started to sprint, only stopping too close to the Knight. "OKAY! I SEE I WENT TOO FAR!" she shouted. "WAIT A MINUTE!"

  And so, Lien kept running back and forth, frantically searching for the exact middle point between the combatants.

  "LIEN! IS THIS REALLY IMPORTANT!?" Stella asked.

  "MORE THAN ANYTHING, STELLA!" Lien howled with an unnecessary amount of resolve. "IT'S MY DESTINY!!!"

  At least it gave Stella more time to recover...