The sun was still high when Gustavo and Bia got off the bus at the last stop on the line. In front of them stretched a vast abandoned lot on the outskirts of São Paulo — an old construction site that had been halted years ago, surrounded by tall grass, piles of rubble, and a rusted fence full of holes. Far enough from the city to avoid attention, but close enough to return before nightfall.
"This place works," Gustavo said, stretching his arms with a wide grin. "No one's gonna bother us. No monsters, no cops, not even that stuck-up Isadora."
Bia looked around, a bit uneasy, but determined.
"Then let's get started. I don't want to waste time."
They jumped over the fence and walked to a more open area, where the ground was packed dirt and there was enough space to move freely. Gustavo took off his shirt, leaving only a tank top, and started stretching his shoulders.
"Simple rule, sis: no mercy. You want to get stronger, so I'm gonna push you hard as hell. You ready?"
Bia took a deep breath, activating her electric aura. Blue sparks danced between her fingers.
"Yeah. Let's begin."
"First round"
Gustavo moved first, using only physical strength. He advanced with heavy steps, throwing a sequence of straight punches. Bia dodged with impressive agility, using her speed as her main weapon. She spun her body and landed a spinning kick to his side.
"Nice!" Gustavo laughed, feeling the impact. "But that's still light!"
He counterattacked with a punch charged with energy. Bia barely managed to block with her crossed forearms. The force pushed her several meters back, her feet sliding across the dirt.
She didn't stop. She rushed forward again, releasing small lightning bolts as projectiles. Gustavo dodged most of them, but two hit his shoulder, causing a sharp tingling sensation.
"You're improving!" he shouted, excited.
"Second round — Higher intensity"
This time, Gustavo partially activated his energy aura, making the muscles in his arms glow. Bia realized he wasn't playing around anymore.
She attacked first, using bursts of speed to create afterimages. Gustavo spun his body, trying to keep up, but Bia was already behind him. An electrified punch struck his back.
"Argh!" Gustavo grunted in pain, but smiled. "That's it, Bia!"
He turned quickly and grabbed her wrist before she could escape. With a pull, he brought her closer and delivered a controlled knee to her stomach. Bia felt the air leave her lungs, but instead of backing off, she released a direct electric discharge into his chest.
Both of them were thrown in opposite directions.
Bia fell to her knees, coughing, but got back up almost immediately. Her eyes burned with determination.
"Again!" she shouted.
"Final round — All or nothing"
"Alright… now I'm getting serious," Gustavo said, flexing his arms. His aura exploded around his body, making him look bigger and more imposing. "Come on!"
Bia took several deep breaths. Her entire body trembled from exhaustion, but she refused to stop. She activated everything she had: maximum speed, electricity concentrated in her fists and feet.
She disappeared from Gustavo's sight for a split second.
When she reappeared, she was midair, spinning her body with a kick charged with bright blue electricity. The impact was strong enough to make Gustavo take two steps back.
"Holy shit, Bia!" he exclaimed, impressed.
She didn't give him time to recover. She attacked with a frantic sequence of punches and kicks, each strike accompanied by sparks. For nearly thirty seconds, she kept Gustavo on the defensive, forcing him to block and retreat.
But Gustavo was still Gustavo.
He endured the barrage, found an opening, and counterattacked with a punch charged with pure explosive energy. The blow hit Bia in the stomach, lifting her off the ground and throwing her nearly ten meters away.
She landed on her back in the dirt, struggling to breathe. She tried to get up, but her arms trembled too much. After three attempts, she gave up and lay there, staring at the sky.
Gustavo ran over to her, worried, but when he saw she was conscious, he smiled proudly.
He knelt beside his sister and extended his hand.
"Hey… you okay?"
Bia took his hand and let him help her sit up. Her whole body ached, her clothes covered in dirt and sweat, but there was a different light in her eyes.
"I… got wrecked, didn't I?" she said, laughing softly at herself.
Gustavo sat beside her, still holding her hand.
"Got wrecked? Bia… are you crazy?" He looked at her with genuine seriousness. "You pushed me like hell. For almost half a minute, I couldn't even counterattack. Your strikes got way stronger. And that speed… damn, I could barely keep up with you at the end."
Bia lowered her gaze, still breathing heavily.
"But in the end, I couldn't keep going…"
"That's normal, you idiot," Gustavo laughed, ruffling her hair with his big hand. "I'm your older brother and I've got more muscle mass. But you almost made me sweat for real. If you keep this up, in ten days no one in the tournament is gonna want to fight you up close. Your speed combined with those lightning attacks is getting dangerous as hell."
He went silent for a moment, then smiled with big brother pride.
"I'm proud of you, you know? For real. You don't have a transformation, you don't have psychic powers… but you've got insane grit. Keep this up and I guarantee it: you won't be the weakest in the group. Far from it."
Bia felt her eyes water. She quickly wiped her face, pretending it was sweat.
"Thanks, Gustavo… Now help me up. I want to try one more time before we leave."
Gustavo laughed out loud and pulled his sister up with ease.
"That's my little sis! Let's go. One more round. And this time… try to hit my chin."
The two of them returned to the center of the field, tired, sweaty, but with fire in their eyes. The countdown to the Rank D tournament continued, and in that forgotten corner of São Paulo, Bia was becoming stronger — one strike at a time.