The transformed girls glared furiously at Spider Gagi, the culprit, only for him to glare right back without backing down.
"Hmph, this guy's still wet behind the ears and wants his master to teach him a lesson. How embarrassing."
"You actually took advantage of a boy's desire to apologize. That is—"
"Unforgivable!"
Rei and Erika were visibly growing stronger.
The Desertrian swung down the signboard it wielded as a weapon, smashing the spot where the girls had been standing into pieces. But the two had already slipped around its arms from opposite sides. Their shouts rang out together as simultaneous roundhouse kicks instantly sent the massive Desertrian crashing down.
Erika no longer acted entirely on impulse as she had before; her movements had begun to become sharper and more efficient. Rei, too, had gone from being so timid she could even be frightened by enemies to daring to take the initiative and attack. On top of that, having always fought as a pair, their coordination had become increasingly precise and ingenious. How could an ordinary Desertrian possibly be a match for them?
"Rei, aren't we starting to get pretty strong?"
Seemingly realizing something, Erika could not help asking her friend beside her. Rei kept her eyes on the Desertrian as it climbed back to its feet and nodded without looking back.
"Yeah. We have to become stronger."
At that moment, two completely different people came to Rei's mind. Timons, who had repeatedly and mercilessly taken their Heart Seeds, had forced them to grow stronger.
Then there was the shop manager, who treated them in his own "gentle" way... Thinking of Ash's encouragement, Rei's heart stirred.
How could she not want to work hard after hearing words like that?
"All right! This time, let's finish this in one go—!"
Just as