We are all humans

Tony said, "We've been walking for two days, can we rest?"

Aria replied, "I heard true heroes never rest."

Tony sighed. "Wow, people are liars. We're human too, so I'm resting."

Togo said, "Fine, we can rest for 2 hours. Then you and Aria can train for the rest of the day."

Tony squinted. "How do you even know I've been training with Aria?"

Togo's voice echoed inside Tony's suit. "Because I'm your suit — you wear me 24 hours a day."

While resting, Tony turned to Aria. "Hey, how old are you?"

Aria's eyes narrowed. "Never ask a girl her age."

Tony smirked. "Are you 14 or 15?"

"Close," Aria said.

"16?"

"17," Aria corrected. "What about you?"

Tony grinned. "Togo, how old am I?"

Togo replied, "18. But if we're talking about all your past lives—"

Tony cut him off. "Nope! We're not talking about that."

Aria stretched her arms. "Enough talking. Let's train."

The Training - Half a Month of Martial Arts & Enemy Threading

The sun rose and fell, day after day, as they traveled toward New Place. Every time they stopped to rest, Aria forced Tony into brutal training sessions.

"Again!" Aria shouted, sweeping Tony's legs out from under him.

Tony crashed into the dirt, coughing. "You're enjoying this too much."

"I enjoy seeing improvement," Aria said, standing over him. "But you rely too much on your tech. If you lose your suit, you're helpless."

"Helpless? I'm fighting for my life here!" Tony groaned, rolling to his feet.

Aria's expression stayed cold. "You want to survive? Fine. I'll teach you something new."

Tony's ears perked up. "New? Like a secret move?"

"Not a move," Aria said. "A system."

"A power system?" Tony asked, brushing dust off his suit.

"Not the Kai System," Aria explained. "This is something only a few fighters can master. It's called Enemy Threading."

"Enemy Threading?" Tony repeated, confused.

Aria drew a line in the dirt. "Every fighter has a thread — a connection between their mind and body. It's invisible, but it's there. If you can sense it, you'll know what they're going to do before they do it."

"That sounds… crazy," Tony said, eyes wide. "Like some kind of future sight."

"It's not future sight," Aria said. "It's reading intent — sensing the slightest twitch, breath, or shift before an attack comes."

"So it's like… feeling the wind change before a storm?" Tony asked.

Aria nodded. "Exactly. But it's not easy. Most people don't even know their own threads exist, let alone others'. You have to sharpen every sense — your sight, hearing, even your skin."

"What does my skin have to do with it?" Tony asked.

"Pressure changes. A punch or kick disturbs the air before it hits you. Learn to feel that."

The next two weeks were brutal.

Aria attacked Tony without warning — while they ate, when they rested, even when they walked. He had to sense her intent before she moved, or he'd get knocked down.

At first, Tony failed every time. But slowly, something clicked. During a sparring match, he dodged a punch — not because he saw it, but because he felt it.

"You sensed the thread, didn't you?" Aria asked, a rare smile forming on her face.

Tony stared at his hands, amazed. "I… I think so. I knew where you were going to punch before you moved."

"That's the first step," Aria said. "Feeling it isn't enough. You need to react faster than they can adjust."

They sparred every day, Tony getting better at predicting Aria's moves — though her speed and skill still overwhelmed him. Every victory was small, but they added up.

"You're not ready to fight pros," Aria said near the end of the training. "But you've awakened the sense. The rest is practice."

Tony wiped his face. "Thanks, Master Aria."

Aria's eye twitched. "Don't call me that."

"But you're my master."

Aria kicked him in the leg.

"OW!" Tony yelled.

"Let's move," Aria said, walking ahead.

Tony grinned, limping after her. Even though the training hurt, for the first time he felt like a real hero — and maybe, just maybe, he had a chance of surviving what came next.