Xopil was running through the streets on the outskirts of the abandoned town. As he became comfortable and acclimated to his shorter limbs, he pushed himself harder until he was finally running with a speed on par with his human-sized legs.

Why am I running on only my hind legs though... Xopil thought as he rounded the corner. His snout collided with a hurdle that hadn't been there on his last pass down this road, he fell hard on his butt.

"That's smarts! How about a warning before you go changing my course huh?" Xopil complained while rubbing his nose. He rose to his feet, and bent over placing his front paws on the ground as well. He took off like a shot headlong down the street, dodging new obstacles left and right as they appeared in his path, leaping over hurdles and walls that completely blocked his path. Rather than slowing down, he managed to maintain and even increase his speed. Up ahead, a giant wall protruded from the ground with a series of platforms leading up to it rising ever higher into the air.

Xopil jumped, landing on the first hurdle and he leaped from there, landing skillfully on the small platform before leaping immediately to the next. There were many platforms, some higher, some lower, and for no reason other than he'd get bored if he didn't, he set a rule for himself that he had to use all the platforms without touching any a second time.

"That's fast... but why is he using all the platforms? Clearly they're not all needed..." Winter asked.

"This is a game to him... Have no doubt he's not moving at full speed yet. If you don't believe it, mess with him by taking some platforms away. His new goal will be to touch them before they vanish."

Winter listened and laughed nervously as she took out three platforms Xopil hadn't used yet with a slight delay between each. Xopil turned into a literal blur as he completed the obstacle course in a single second, scaled over the wall, and used every platform on the way down. As he approached the corner he did a slight hop, performed a somersault in the air, and landed standing still.

Xopil paused for a moment to calm his breathing, not that he needed to, as he peered around the corner to see what was waiting for him. He smirked as he took off like a shot running through the seemingly empty street. His progress was halted when he ran into a special pocket of air that had been saturated with water magic. Xopil had instantly been drenched from head to toe, and moving through this spot was similar to walking or running in water, but wasn't solid enough to be able to swim through it. Xopil was messing around in it for close to a minute.

Okay, that's enough playing around... let's see how should I deal with this? I could use air, but that would pose other problems. Earth? Certainly doable and while fire would work too, the best choice even if it seems counter productive is water. Xopil thought to himself and added water magic to the trap, causing the water to explode and fall to the ground harmlessly like rain.

Xopil continued his path down the street, entering new traps he had yet to experience, and instantly dispelling those he's already figured out.

"That's not fair, it's like he knows where they are! And how to get rid of them!" Beda pouted as she complained.

"Well... he does know where they are, and he can tell by their magic signature if they're new or not. Watch this." Xiara placed a trap back at the beginning of the street that was basically a thick mist hidden in the air. Xopil's whiskers twitched as he sensed the addition, but he looked bored and ignored it, until Xiara changed it slightly. He dashed towards the trap with an almost gleeful look on his face.

Xopil jumped into the space, he was instantly soaked again and then the water suddenly froze.

Hmmm hmm yes I see. Thought Xopil. He once again used water magic to break out of this prison, near instantly melting the ice.

"But why did he use water instead of fire?" asked Calypso.

"That's simple really. Have you noticed he's using the fastest and most effective method on each of the traps he's encountered?" Xiara asked.

"Seriously? He's not just escaping, he's also deducing the most effective and efficient means of dealing with the traps?" asked Felicyta as she saw at Xopil in a new light.

"Quite right... and wasting nearly a full minute just playing with each trap. He could solve any puzzle here within ten seconds." Xiara scorned. Her tone was harsh, but her eyes were sparkling as she watched Xopil playing.

"Are you confident in your air, earth, and fire magic?" Xiara asked.

"We were until we watched him picking apart the water magic." Lexi replied for all of them.

"Do your best girls, look at how he's smiling in anticipation." encouraged Xiara.

"You can't lie to me you know?" Xopil flicked Xiara's forehead. "I can tell the difference in magic practiced for a few days compared to a few years."

"That was impressive improvement though, I thought it could pass as a few years," Xiara defended as she rubbed her forehead.

"It doesn't actually work like that," Xopil smirked, "just like how I know that ice trap was your doing."

"Scary..." Lexi slipped.

"Yes she is," Xopil laughed.

"She meant you," Xiara punched his arm.

"It applies to you both actually." Calypso corrected.

"Seriously," nodded Felicyta, "I've never seen anyone move as fast as you today Xopil... not even you."

"Something just clicked..." Xopil scratched his head.

"No," Xiara corrected, "You used time magic on yourself."

"..." Xopil fell into thought.

"Any other revelations on your memory?" asked Xiara.

"Just bits and pieces as usual, but the exercise today helped fill in some blanks and connect some of dots." replied Xopil.