Making it out of the forest

The lizard tail flicked. His reptilian eyes narrowed slightly, his clawed fingers flexing in anticipation.
"You can come out now." His voice was calm, almost amused.
From the bushes, Renji's entire body stiffened.
(Shit. He can sense our Ti-Bu… He knows we're here.)
Beside him, My-My gripped his arm tightly. "Renji, what do we do?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Renji exhaled sharply. "You stay here. I'll fight."
My-My's eyes widened. "But, Renji—!"
Footsteps echoed through the clearing.
Renji froze. My-My held her breath.
Someone emerged from the shadows.
A man with long silver hair, sharp features, and an eerie air of confidence stepped into view. His cold, piercing gaze settled on the lizard.
The lizard expression didn't change. But his tail twitched slightly.
"Oh? And who might you be?"
The silver-haired man smirked.
"I am Veger." He lifted a sleek, polished revolver into view. "And I'm here to kill you Tokuma."
Tokuma let out a slow, guttural chuckle.
"So, it was you." He licked a drop of blood from his clawed fingers. "The one watching from the shadows. Watching while I was picking off these pathetic humans one by one. You think you'll be any different? Do you really believe you can make me sweat? Let alone touch me?**"
Veger let out a low chuckle, spinning the revolver effortlessly in his hand.
"Oh yeah, funny thing about that."
With a casual flick of his wrist, he aimed the revolver directly at Tokuma's head.
Tokuma tilted his head slightly, unamused. "And what, exactly, do you expect to accomplish with that?"
Veger grinned.
"Once I pull this trigger, you'll regret ever thinking a human couldn't touch you."
Tokuma let out a short, condescending laugh.
"A mere gun? Against me?" He spread his arms, his scaled chest exposed. "Go ahead. Amuse me."
Veger's smirk only widened.
"Oh, this isn't your ordinary bullet."
Tokuma's expression darkened slightly.
Veger reached up, grabbing the bandage over his right eye. With one swift motion, he ripped it away.
Beneath it, his eye gleamed crimson red.
"My Ti-Bu is absolute accuracy."
Tokuma's grin faltered.
"I don't miss."
The revolver clicked.
"And more importantly, these bullets?" Veger continued, his voice dripping with amusement. "They were made from Nuke City. I plucked an asteroid, ground it down, and forged exactly one hundred rounds."
Tokuma's eyes narrowed.
"Impossible."
Veger shrugged.
"Tested one on the person your guardian guard. Poor bastard never knew what hit him."
A deadly silence hung between them.
Veger raised the revolver slightly.
"And guess what? I already know who you're guarding."
Tokuma's tail lashed violently.
Veger grinned.
"And I can see all your weak points."
The trigger pulled.
The instant Veger pulled the trigger, Tokuma vanished.
The bullet, infused with absolute accuracy, curved mid-air, tracking him like a homing missile.
BANG!
It pierced directly into Tokuma's chest— right where his heart was.
Veger's eyes gleamed with victory. "HA! GOT YOU!"
But Tokuma simply grinned.
A deep, sinister chuckle rumbled from his throat.
"Nope."
Veger's smirk dropped. "...What?"
Tokuma tapped his scaled chest, completely unfazed.
"You see, I can move my organs." His forked tongue flicked out slightly. "Or shrink them down to the size of an atom."
Veger stiffened. "W-what?"
"You could shoot me a thousand times," Tokuma mused, cracking his neck, "and you still wouldn't kill me."
Veger cursed under his breath.
Without hesitation, he tossed a smoke grenade to the ground.
PSSHHH!
A thick cloud of smoke engulfed the area, and Veger bolted.
Tokuma let out a dark chuckle.
"Hmm… my prey is running." His eyes narrowed, a predator's hunger gleaming within them. "Like a lion chasing a zebra."
FWOOSH.
With a burst of speed, Tokuma vanished.
Before Veger could react, Tokuma reappeared right in front of him.
Veger skidded to a halt, cursing.
Tokuma's toothy grin widened. "Hello."
Veger backed up, gripping his revolver tighter. "Y'know… I think I have a better idea."
Tokuma tilted his head. "Oh? Do tell."
Veger's grin returned.
Ti-Bu surged into his gun.
He pulled the trigger.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
This time, when the bullets hit Tokuma's body, his skin tore open, blood spraying from the wounds.
Tokuma grunted in pain, stumbling back slightly.
Veger smirked. "I can't kill you, but I can sure as hell make you feel pain."
Tokuma's laughter echoed. He clutched his wounds, but his eyes gleamed with twisted amusement.
"Not only did you hit me... but you actually made me feel pain." His grin stretched wider. "I declare you the first person to ever do that."
Veger gave a mock bow. "It's an honor."
Tokuma's flesh began to regenerate instantly.
Veger clicked his tongue. "Of course."
Without hesitation, he unloaded more rounds.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The lizard snarled as his body was torn apart again, but his grin never faded.
Veger tossed another smoke grenade, disappearing into the fog.
Tokuma let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh, good grief… fine." He stretched lazily. "I'll let the little fish go."
His tail flicked.
"Besides, I need to get out of this damn forest anyway."

Back to My-My & Renji
Renji watched carefully as the smoke cleared.
He exhaled. "Alright… they're leaving."
My-My let out a relieved breath. "Oh, thank god!"
"What are you two doing?"
A familiar voice suddenly spoke behind them.
Both of them jumped violently.
Renji's soul nearly left his body. "OH MY GOD—!"
My-My spun around and gasped. "RO-RO!!"
She threw herself at him, hugging him tightly. "I'm so glad you're safe!"
Then she pulled back and looked him over.
Her eyes widened.
"Wait… what happened to your clothes?!"
Ro-Ro rubbed the back of his head. "Uh… I got attacked by wolves…"
Renji raised an eyebrow. "And?"
Ro-Ro looked away, grumbling.
"...I got saved."
My-My tilted her head. "By who?"
Ro-Ro tensed.
"...By a girl."
Silence.
My-My's eyes sparkled. "OOOOH REALLY?!"
Ro-Ro's face turned red instantly. "IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK!"
My-My grinned, wiggling her eyebrows. "You got a girlfriend~!"
Ro-Ro gritted his teeth. "SHUT UP!"
Renji snorted. "Man, you're really out here getting rescued by mystery women, huh?"
Ro-Ro crossed his arms, still flustered. "Man, whatever."
Renji sighed, rubbing his temple. "Alright, fine. Jokes aside… where's Kai?"
Ro-Ro shrugged. "No clue. But honestly?"
He pressed his hands together in mock prayer.
"I'm praying he forgets about us… and makes it on his own."
Renji and My-My stared.
My-My pouted. "Ro-Ro! That's mean!"
Renji exhaled. "Honestly… I wouldn't be surprised if that idiot found a way to survive."
Ro-Ro snorted. "Yeah, knowing him, he's probably making friends with a bear or something right now."
The three stood in silence for a moment.
Then My-My pumped her fists. "Alright! Let's go find him!"
Ro-Ro groaned. "Man, do we have to?"
Renji glanced toward the darkened forest ahead.
"Yeah. We do."

For an hour, Renji, Ro-Ro, and My-My searched the forest, their eyes darting between the shifting shadows.
Ro-Ro sighed in frustration, crossing his arms. "Okay, okay—I'm pretty sure Kai made it."
My-My frowned. "But he was fighting that guy with the mask!"
Renji nodded. "My's right. He might have lost."
Ro-Ro shook his head. "No way. I ain't believing that." His fists clenched. "And now I just wanna get the hell out of this damn forest. I can barely see in this darkness."
Renji exhaled. "Fine. Let's focus on getting to the finish line."
My-My perked up. "Okay! But… where exactly do we go?"
Renji closed his eyes for a moment, focusing. Then, he pointed in a direction.
"I can feel a lot of Ti-Bu over there. A whole crowd of people. That's gotta be the right way."
My-My paused. Then, hesitantly, she asked, "Uh… Renji? How do I put Ti-Bu into my legs?"
Renji rubbed the back of his head. "Hmmm… it's kinda hard to explain."
Ro-Ro rolled his eyes. "It ain't that complicated. You just need to build it up and focus on where you want it to go."
My-My nodded, closing her eyes.
She focused… BOOM.
A sudden surge of energy pulsed through her legs.
Her eyes shot open. "YES! I did it!"
Renji grinned. "Nice, My. Keep training it, and you'll be strong in no time."
My-My bounced excitedly. "Okay! But… how do I awaken my ability?"
Renji explained the process, telling her that it takes time, experience, and a strong enough trigger to awaken one's unique Ti-Bu ability.
My-My pouted. "Ohhh, so I just have to wait?"
Renji shrugged. "Yeah. You'll get your own ability eventually."
Ro-Ro crossed his arms. "Okay, what about me?"
Renji smirked. "Hmmm… maybe twenty years."
Ro-Ro grabbed Renji by the collar. "YOU WANNA RUN THAT BY ME AGAIN?!"
Renji held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay! I was just messing with you!"
Ro-Ro let go, grumbling. "Man, whatever. Let's just hurry up before the others get too far ahead."
Renji nodded. "Alright, follow me."

After hours of running, pushing their bodies to the limit, they finally reached the end of the forest.
But the sight before them made them freeze.
A massive stone wall—practically a mountain—stood in their way.
Renji exhaled sharply. "Yeah… I already know what's next."
My-My tilted her head. "Huh? What do you mean?"
Ro-Ro groaned, cracking his knuckles. "What else? We gotta climb this thing."
Renji nodded. "Exactly. There's no other way forward."
Behind them, the remaining survivors trickled in, exhausted, some collapsing onto the ground.
Above them, a loud voice echoed.
Zoe stood on an elevated platform, looking down at the crowd.
"Ahhh… only 800 people made it."
Behind her, janitors rolled in with carts… carts filled with bodies.
The three stiffened.
The brutality of the test truly sank in.
Ro-Ro gritted his teeth. "Damn… this really ain't a game, huh?"
Renji narrowed his eyes. "No. It's not."

Then, they heard footsteps.
Renji, Ro-Ro, and My-My turned—only to see Hiroki casually strolling in, Kai slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
Ro-Ro stiffened. "Wait—KAI?!"
My-My gasped. "Oh my gosh, is he okay?!"
Hiroki grinned, tossing Kai to the ground like he was unloading groceries.
Kai groaned, barely conscious.
Renji knelt beside him. "He's alive. Barely."
Hiroki stretched, cracking his neck. "Man, that was fun. You wouldn't believe how hard this dude tried."
Kai weakly lifted his middle finger. "Screw you."
Hiroki cackled. "Oh, don't be like that! I even carried your sorry ass here!"
Ro-Ro glared. "Yeah, and why'd you do that, huh? Didn't you wanna kill him?"
Hiroki grinned wider, eyes flashing with amusement. "Oh, I did. But y'know… Kai made things interesting. So, I figured—why not keep my new favorite sidekick alive?"
Kai groaned again. "You are the worst person I've ever met."
Hiroki smirked. "Oh, you flatter me."
My-My grabbed Kai's arm, shaking him lightly. "Kai, what happened? Did you win?!"
Kai closed his eyes, exhaling. "Let's just say… I made it."
Renji looked back at the mountain. "No time to rest. If we don't get up that wall, none of this will matter."
Hiroki grinned, stepping ahead. "Ooooh, a climb? Now that sounds fun. Let's see who makes it to the top first."