Rose groaned as she stirred awake, her ears twitching at the sound of faint humming. The air smelled faintly of vanilla and lavender, an oddly calming scent that didn't match the situation. Blinking a few times, she stretched lazily, her tail flicking against soft, plush sheets. The room was a sensory overload—pastel walls covered in cutesy star and moon decals, sparkly curtains, and a ceiling painted like a whimsical night sky.
"What… is this?" she muttered, her voice heavy with disbelief. Sitting up, she pinched her cheeks.
"Okay, Rose, wake up. This has gotta be a weird dream."
Before she could process further, the door burst open, hitting the wall with a loud thud. A whirlwind of pink energy dashed into the room, humming a cheery tune. Rose barely had time to react before the newcomer struck a dramatic pose in the middle of the room, her hands on her hips.
"Good morning, sunshine!" the girl chirped, her voice high and energetic. Her bright pink hair was styled in twin buns, and her outfit was a mix of frills, ribbons, and questionable practicality. She radiated enough energy to power a small town.
Rose blinked, her eyes narrowing as she tried to process the situation. "Who the heck are you?" she finally asked, her tone sharp.
"I'm Mochizuki Miu!" the girl exclaimed, clapping her hands together and bouncing slightly on her heels. "Your super-duper amazing trainer! Aren't I the cutest teacher ever?"
Rose stared at her in disbelief. Without warning, she lunged forward, grabbing Miu's cheeks and stretching them out like dough. "No way you're my teacher! You're way too cute to be a trainer!" she said, her voice dripping with skepticism.
"OW! Ow, ow, ow!" Miu squealed, flailing her hands as she tried to free herself. "L-let go! I really am your teacher!"
Rose smirked, releasing her grip and crossing her arms. "Yeah, sure. You're telling me you're the one who's gonna train me to be some kind of warrior?"
Miu puffed out her cheeks, rubbing them with a mock pout. "I'll have you know, Mochizuki Miu is not just cute—I'm also the best agility trainer on Mars! By the time I'm done with you, you'll be unstoppable!"
Before Rose could reply, Miu darted forward, wrapping her arms around Rose and burying her face into her chest. "Sooo squishyyy!" she cooed, her voice muffled by Rose's shirt.
Rose's ears flattened in exasperation as she gently pried Miu off her. "So… are you just here to cuddle, or do you actually have some kind of training planned for me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, yes, I doey! Come outside!" Miu chirped, practically skipping toward the door.
Rose followed reluctantly, her ears twitching with skepticism. Outside, the building was surrounded by nothing but open fields, the small structure looking almost comical in the middle of nowhere.
"Alright," Rose said, crossing her arms. "What exactly am I supposed to do here?"
Miu grinned, pulling out a sparkly pink blaster from seemingly nowhere. "Simple! I'm gonna shoot at you, and you're gonna dodge!"
"Wait, WHAT?" Rose's tail puffed up as she stepped back.
Before Rose could say anything else, Miu fired. The beam hit Rose square in the chest, sending a ticklish sensation coursing through her. Rose doubled over, laughing uncontrollably. "AHAHAHA! What the heck was that?!"
Miu giggled, her eyes sparkling. "You didn't dodge! Gotta work on that reflex speed!" She grinned wider, then fired again.
Rose scrambled to her feet, gritting her teeth. "Okay, okay, I'm ready now!"
And so the training began.
Miu fired at Rose again and again, her blaster zipping through the air with precision, each shot forcing Rose to dodge, duck, and leap in every direction. It didn't take long before Rose was breathing heavily, her tail flicking wildly as she scrambled to avoid the blasts. She could feel the sweat trickling down her back, her muscles burning from the constant movement.
But Miu wasn't letting up.
She kept firing.
Rose growled under her breath, her tail flicking back and forth with frustration. "Seriously?! How am I supposed to dodge all these?!" she exclaimed.
Miu flashed a cheerful grin, dodging one of her own blasts, and shot another at Rose's feet. "You're doing great! Just need to move faster! Come on! Show me those demi-cat reflexes!"
Hours passed, and Rose had barely managed to land one solid dodge without getting hit by at least one beam. Her energy was quickly depleting, but Miu showed no sign of slowing down. It was as though she had endless reserves of energy, each beam aimed perfectly to keep Rose on her toes.
Rose eventually collapsed onto the ground, her chest heaving as she gasped for air. "I swear I peed my pants ten times!" she groaned, her tail limp against the dirt. "This is insane!"
Miu crouched beside her, her expression still upbeat. "You're done for today! You did well!" She poked Rose's nose playfully. "But tomorrow's gonna be hard!"
Rose's ears twitched as she shot her trainer a bewildered look. "This wasn't considered hard?!"
Miu patted her on the back, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Just wait for tomorrow! It'll be harder. But don't worry—you're getting better already!"
Rose sighed deeply, rolling onto her back. "I'm not sure my body can handle tomorrow."
"That's the spirit!" Miu said with a grin. "Now rest up, because tomorrow, it gets even tougher!"
Rose groaned, closing her eyes. "I think I'm gonna die before I even get a chance to become a warrior."
But deep down, she knew this weird, insane training was making her stronger, even if it didn't feel like it in the moment.
The next morning, the sun was barely peeking over the horizon when Miu barged into Rose's room, wearing her usual mischievous grin. Rose was half-conscious, still lying under the covers, not ready to face another day of whatever insane training Miu had planned.
"Good morning, sunshine!" Miu chirped, jumping onto Rose's bed and bouncing up and down. "Time to get up! We've got a fun day ahead!"
Rose groaned, pulling the blanket over her head. "Five more minutes," she mumbled, burying herself deeper into the soft sheets.
Miu wasn't having it. With a quick movement, she yanked the blankets off, leaving Rose exposed to the chilly morning air. "Nope! No sleeping in today. You've got a 10K run ahead of you!"
Rose's eyes snapped open, and she shot Miu a death glare. "A what?"
"Yep, a 10K!" Miu grinned wider, bouncing on the bed again. "And you're not alone! You'll have some... company on your run."
"Company?" Rose raised an eyebrow, still trying to process the absurdity of the situation. "Are you serious?"
"Oh, I'm very serious!" Miu beamed. "You're going to run through the woods. Ten kilometers. And the best part? There'll be dogs chasing you the whole time! Not just any dogs. Wild, trained, very motivated dogs. It's a special training exercise to test your endurance and speed!"
Rose stared at Miu, the disbelief on her face growing. "Are you out of your mind?!"
Miu's grin only grew wider. "You'll be fine! It'll help you get faster, just like yesterday's training!" She hopped off the bed, grabbing Rose by the hand and pulling her up. "Now, get dressed! The dogs are waiting!"
Minutes later, Rose found herself standing at the starting line of a forest trail, dressed in workout clothes that felt way too tight for comfort. The trees loomed overhead, casting long shadows on the ground as the morning mist hung thick in the air. Rose couldn't help but look behind her, expecting to see something... but nothing prepared her for what happened next.
Miu stood at the starting line with a smirk. "All set! Good luck, Rose. And remember, you don't outrun them, you outrun your fear! And don't stop—if you do, the dogs will catch you!"
"You're a monster," Rose muttered under her breath, taking her first hesitant steps forward. She could already hear the faint sound of barking in the distance. "This is the worst idea you've ever had," she thought.
But then—
"GO!"
Before Rose could even react, the pack of dogs, fast and agile, burst from the bushes with a roar. Rose barely had time to register what was happening before she was already sprinting, the pounding of paws behind her driving her forward like some primal instinct had kicked in.
She ran, not looking back, just focused on putting as much distance between herself and the wild pack chasing her. The dogs were getting closer, their barks echoing in the trees, sending chills down her spine.
"Keep going, Rose!" Miu's voice came from the starting line, her tone almost cheerful as she watched from a distance. "You've got this!"
Rose's lungs burned, and her legs felt like lead as she pushed herself through the rough terrain. The forest path twisted and turned, but she didn't have time to think about where she was going. She was focused on the sounds of the dogs getting closer.
The pack, mostly mixed-breed wild dogs, were fast and relentless. Their paws slapped against the dirt as they chased her down the trail. They barked and howled, seeming to enjoy the chase.
"Not today!" Rose gritted her teeth, pushing herself even harder.
The dogs seemed to be gaining on her, and panic surged within her. She pushed harder, ignoring the burning sensation in her legs, focusing on the path ahead. She didn't dare look back, but she could feel the dogs' breath on her heels.
The path took a sharp turn to the right, and Rose didn't hesitate. She took the corner as quickly as she could, but she lost her footing. With a yelp, she stumbled forward, her feet slipping on the wet ground.
The dogs were closing in fast, and Rose could feel her heart racing, her breath ragged.
But before the dogs could catch up, Rose pushed herself back onto her feet and darted forward again, her pulse pounding in her ears. She couldn't give up—not now.
"Just a little more!" Rose thought as she pushed through the exhaustion, her legs burning, but she wasn't stopping.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the dogs slowed as they neared the finish line. Rose stumbled, then collapsed in a heap at the base of a tree just short of the line, her chest heaving.
Miu appeared beside her, offering a smug grin. "You made it! See? That wasn't so bad, was it?"
Rose glared at Miu between breaths, her face flushed and covered in sweat. "I'm going to kill you," she muttered, still trying to catch her breath.
Miu laughed, patting her on the back. "I'm sure you will. But hey, look at you! You're faster already! I knew you had it in you."
Rose could only groan in response as she lay against the tree, trying to regain some sense of composure.
"Alright," Miu said, "rest for a bit, and then we'll get back to dodging practice. The dogs didn't even break a sweat, so you need to keep pushing yourself."