The trio continued living in this light hearted fashion for several more weeks. Oscar's control of star dust had greatly improved, by that point, but one key factor still inhibited his growth: the door to his star port temple remained closed.
From inside his mind's eye, Oscar pounded repeatedly on the temple entrance.
"I don't get it! I'm doing the meditations like you say, why isn't this thing even budging?"
Zarog materialized next to him with a yawn.
"Such a racket! The lock is disintegrating, just very slowly. If you look real close, you can see it is about 5% more transparent, now."
"Ugh! And I'm supposed to just stay cooped up until it opens?"
"You're barely stronger than the average human, you brat! What happens if you run into another competitor outside? Don't worry, at your current pace, it'll only take another 6 months of seclusion before this door blows right open! Now, come take a look at your training for this week."
He waved his hand, and a large chart appeared in front of the two. Reading it, Oscar couldn't help but frown. Lecture time had doubled, martial arts training was added, and sleep was reduced to a mere 6 hours!
"Is there a reason for the sudden increase in intensity?"
"What can I say, it's nothing but boring stuff until that door pops; your body simply can't support anything further with its current infusion rate."
"Why are you being like this? Is it because I won't do your crazy plan?"
"It's not crazy! I said you needed high grade minerals to advance, you said you couldn't afford them, so I proposed a solution. If you don't like my suggestion then, as your master, I can only adjust training accordingly."
"... Fine, we'll do it!"
HONK!
"We're here," Penelope said as they pulled up to the Geoscience Center & Museum. It looked no different from the other strip malls off of Sam Houston Tollway, and hopefully possessed a similar security system.
Oscar, having awoken in the passenger seat, couldn't help but shake his head.
"No, this is a bad idea. Let's just buy rocks off the internet," he said.
"You're the one who proposed this trial run in the first place, brat! Besides, you humans don't even know star dust exists; what sensor could you hairless monkeys possibly build to detect what we're going to do?"
Penelope, despite not being able to hear Zarog, held similar sentiments.
"We can't afford that, not unless you want to get a job. Plus, what secret agency would take interest in a place like this? It's not even in the museum district!"
Outvoted, Oscar was helped into his chair before the trio entered the building. After paying the entrance fee, Penelope immediately began peppering their guide with questions.
"So, has there ever been a case of you all accidentally drilling into the subterranean world? What about mole people, how do they affect surveying?"
"Um, those things aren't real," the tour guide blurted out.
"Sure they aren't," she responded with a wink. It flustered the attendant, making his attempts to get things back on track even more difficult.
"The distraction is set, now go," Zarog prodded from behind.
"Don't rush me," Oscar grumbled, before focusing his attention.
Slowly, he began draining star dust from some nearby display minerals. To avoid detection, this required Oscar to force the glittering substance along a circuitous route.
"Ma'am, is he okay? He's looking a little pale."
"My brother is fine, don't change the subject! Why are you hiding the mole people agenda!?!"
"Finished," Oscar declared under his breath before slumping into the wheelchair. The process was far more exhausting than he had expected, leaving Oscar winded until the very end of the tour.
With the job done, their nerves finally relaxed. But, as Oscar was being loaded back into the car, something strange happened. Another car pulled into the parking lot and, when the driver exited, Oscar suddenly began drooling.
"Huh? What's happening to me now?"
Instead of answering, however, Zarog simply laughed. The man's eyes met Oscar's, and he pulled a slip of paper from his pocket. It contained a bright orange spot, drawn in crayon.
"I challenge thee," the man said before handing Oscar the paper. It fell from his grasp, as a single thought echoed through his mind.
"No, I'm not ready..."
…
Back in the shared dorm, Penelope's eyes had finally dried.
"That was a crazy evening," she commented with a chuckle.
"See, exactly my point. I was completely unprepared for that one, and we made it through regardless. The situation now is far more in our favor, even Zarog agrees!"
"Does that mean... I'll be your second here, too?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
They hugged one final time, before preparing for bed.
Meanwhile, in a dorm on the opposite end of the hall, Logan was conversing with his version of Zarog.
"So, where can we kill this guy safely?"
"There's a bigger concern here, disciple: you have not picked a second."
"What? You never mentioned this with the other guy."
"You mean the guy you sneak attacked before running away? Gee, I wonder why I didn't have the chance to talk proper dueling procedures then."
"I was on an escort mission, what do you want?"
"Nothing, forget I said anything. Actually, why not just make that girl your second? She'd probably accept without asking too many questions."
"I think you are going senile; have you forgotten those two suspicious fellows following her every move?"
"Well you need to chose someone soon! The next time you two meet, one of you will have to issue a challenge..."