"I didn't know it would be this bad," Carl said as soon as his feet stepped on the ground. His stomach was churning. It was his first teleportation experience.
"You have to get used to it. You'll learn it, anyway." Miku let go of his hand after making sure he was stable.
"I'd better fly."
Miku took a step and looked around. "You need to improve that one too," she said.
After making sure he was fine and wouldn't vomit, he followed her movements. They were in a quiet place with no one around. "Where are we?"
Her eyes were still moving to every corner to look at the situation around them. Then, suddenly, a faint scream was heard. They immediately turned around just to find nothing.
"We must be on the hill but on different sides," she replied.
Yes, he could see it. The surroundings were still forest. Perhaps they teleported further up. "Where do you think the teachers hid it?" He decided to restart his search. He walked in the opposite direction.
"In a visible spot, but a little hard to reach."
Carl furrowed his brows. It exactly sounded like Julian and Vega that making something easy became difficult.
He kept stepping into different areas and guessing where and how they might have hidden the pouch. In this vast forest, there were many possibilities.
He stepped on dry leaves, making a sound to accompany his search. Then, just as he began to drift off into his composure, the trick did its job. A hole appeared under his right leg, startling him and causing him to immediately jump to avoid it.
However, obstacles were never easy. Other holes appeared in another spot. It seemed as quickly as he moved. So, he kept jumping to avoid those.
Carl must have been so focused on the holes that he didn't predict his movements well. He hit a tree behind him and lost his balance. While a deep hole was ready to welcome him below.
Fortunately, Miku rushed to help him. She made a shield to cover the hole and became his foothold. Then, she widened it so that he could fly.
"Whoa-whoa." Carl was trying to balance his body when something transparent silver-pink lifted him up. He was still not used to flying!
"Bend your legs a little to get a firm stance."
He knew that. Without Miku telling him, he remembered that. But, being carried to fly with no preparation was definitely different from when he was preparing himself for their training.
And Miku did nothing and only watched him. After all, he had to do it himself.
Moments later, Carl found his balance. He could stand the moment it brought him to Miku. "Is it over?" he asked while looking down. The hole no longer appeared. Perhaps the trap was over.
"Let's see." Miku cut a nearby branch and dropped it. Instantly, a hole appeared and engulfed it. "It's still there," she said casually.
He exhaled a heavy breath. That meant he had to stay in this position.
"Let's find at the above." Then she flew higher. While Carl just stared at her and prepared himself to make another flying trip.
Miku taught him to focus on her magic foothold to control it. So he did that. He even looked straight at it and ordered it to slowly ascend.
"Yes. Right. Like this." He smiled with satisfaction as he managed to climb up, even though it was so slow. He had wrong control once so that it flew fast, and he wouldn't do it again unless he had mastered it.
Miku laughed, amused at seeing him like that. Still, it was progressing as he could control his speed and direction.
However, her smile instantly disappeared as her instincts worked. She realized the danger was coming her way. "Watch out, Carl!" she warned him when she felt something also lead to him.
Training with Miku sharpened his instincts. He could sense where something or someone was coming. And so he knew something was targeting him from behind. The problem was that he didn't know for sure where the attack would hit him.
He turned his head and immediately tilted his body to the left as something fast aimed at his right side. And it was only when it passed him that he knew it was an arrow. The teachers also sent arrow traps for them!
He had managed to avoid one. But he very well knew another was about to come. And right. It started popping up and attacking him.
If he could avoid the hole by jumping, he didn't know how to get through the dozens or hundreds of arrows. He couldn't move that fast.
And this was when Miku's existence mattered. She created a shield so that arrows bounced off.
"Thanks, Miku." He then looked up and realized Miku had created a similar shield for herself.
"I promised to protect you, remember?"
"Yeah. And I'm thankful for that too."
"Instead of discussing this, how about we complete the task? Or do you want to stay longer in the trap?"
"Sure, no," he blurted. He couldn't imagine another trap waiting for him if he didn't find the pouch soon. "But I don't know where it is."
"Take a good look around you. It has to be somewhere around us."
But, all around him were trees. If the teachers hid it there, it must be in one of them. The problem was that he didn't know which one and how the teachers hid it. It must have used magic, and he doubted he could find it easily. If it was magic, he could only rely on Miku.
He thought hard about how to help Miku with his abilities. Just then, he faintly saw something carried by the arrow. It was brown. "I think I found it." He was somewhat hesitant to say it because that thing was moving fast. Was that the pouch he was looking for?
"Where?"
"On the arrow."
Miku approached him. "Can you catch it?"
Carl hardly swallowed. It was definitely not a simple thing. "Yes. But it might take some time."
"That's fine. I'll remove the shield and protect you as best I can."
He gave a nod of understanding.
"It might hurt you. Are you okay with that?"
He nodded again. It was the time to help Miku.
"Then, you must prepare." After that, Miku widened her shield and then removed it. That would give him some time to dodge the arrows.
Carl moved right, then left, and sometimes he had to duck to avoid the arrows. But his eyes did not let his guard down to find the pouch.
And the opportunity came as he saw an arrow carrying a pouch shot at him. He was ready to catch it, but it was not as easy to imagine. He lost. It passed through him fast. Not only that. It injured his arm from the arrow that shot to the other side, which he couldn't dodge.
"Relax, Carl. Remember when we practiced."
It reminded him of practicing arrows with her. He not only learned archery but avoided it and caught it. Although he failed many times, he succeeded several times.
And so he recalled the moment. Calmness and concentration. Those were the key.
The opportunity came again. This time, he greeted it with an even more excellent preparation. He let his instincts work.
The result?
He made it.
However, before he had time to celebrate, they suddenly moved.
"Congratulations, Carl and Miku. You're the first."