Luca pedaled with all his strength; despite being the lead, he didn't want to be overconfident and ruin everything at the last moment. Now everything depended on him.

"Silenzio Bruno," Luca thought. "This is like the other times; just reach the top and then downhill, you got this, although that one time you tried and fell, and that last time you and Alberto crashed into the sea - No! Shut up, Bruno!"

There wasn't time to be afraid anymore; he had to do this for Alberto. Even if his friend had already forgiven him, Luca still wanted to win the Vespa for him; he wanted his apology to have weight.

And he also wanted to win for Giulia; after today, no one would remember her as "Spewlia" anymore. No, she would instead be the brave warrior who never gave up until she defeated Ercole's reign of terror.

This would be the day of triumph for the Underdogs, and no one would stand in their way.

Or so he thought until he heard his mother's voice:

"That's him. That's him!"

Luca opened his eyes and mouth, in front of him were his parents, next to them was a table with glasses of water.

"Luca, stop!" Daniela yelled as she tossed the glasses and stood in the middle of the road; Lorenzo joined her.

Luca groaned; what were they doing here? Well, he already knew they were in town, but how did they know he'd be competing? Anyway, he didn't have time for that; he snuck out under his dad's arm, then pedaled harder.

"Sorry, Mom! Sorry, Dad! I have to do this!" He told them as he looked at them over his shoulder.

His parents chased after him, but Luca was too fast for them; he would be impossible to catch.

"Get back here right now!" said Lorenzo while pointing his finger at the ground.

Luca had to ignore him; he would deal with the consequences later.

"Now they'll surely send me to the deep," he thought.

However, Daniela had a different reaction from what Luca would have expected.

"Wow," she said between sighing, and then added with great pride:

"He's fast."

...

Alberto ran to Giulia's cart and grabbed his blue umbrella, then he ran to the descent, he was going at his fastest, but it wouldn't be enough.

Giulia looked at the clouds; it would rain at any moment.

"If only I had my..." she stopped realizing she still had a bike.

She grabbed the spare one Luca brought and quickly ran off to see the Cup organizer.

"Ms. Marsigliese! Would it be a disqualification if we go up to give Luca an umbrella?" She asked, pointing down the slope.

Marsigliese saw downhill and then at the girl.

"Luca's allergic to rain," she didn't even think it for a second; she just said it.

"Santo Pecorino, I don't know how to lie," Giulia told herself.

Marsigliese winced; could someone be allergic to rain? If it could, poor Luca, he must have had many restrictions, and it would be unfair for them to lose just because of that. And as she had said, she was tired of Ercole taking the cup.

"Go downhill; it doesn't count if you make the trip backward."

Giulia smiled as she got on the bike.

"Thanks, Ms. Marsigliese. You just saved a life!"

She smiled, so used to Giulia's exaggerations at this point.

The bike was rusty, which made the pedals heavier, but that didn't stop her. Luca was in danger; the adrenaline rushed through her body and made her overcome the oxidized mechanism.

Those waiting at the finish line looked at her in surprise.

"Giuletta, what are you doing?" Asked Massimo in confusion.

"We need to get Luca an umbrella! He's allergic to rain!"

People turned to see each other, no one knew that was possible, but in the end, they decided to accept it; and instead applauded. After all, the Underdogs were the favorites to win, whoever was except Ercole.

Although something came to Massimo's head, the first night the boys spent at his house, it rained, they were outside, but Luca didn't seem sick when he woke up, he looked perfectly normal. Besides, if he was allergic to the rain, he should be allergic to the sea too, and even then had agreed to go fishing.

There was something more happening there.

Alberto was running with all his might; his stomach hurt because he had just eaten, but he ignored the pain. He had to get to Luca; make sure he was safe, even if Alberto felt like he was carrying stones in his stomach.

"Don't give up, Luca needs you, don't give up!" he didn't care if he denied him to Giulia. Luca had brought so much light into his life that it compensated for any damage. Luca was willing to risk everything for him, now he had to do the same.

Luckily, he wouldn't have to do it alone.

Giulia came up past him, then stopped when she was in front of him.

"Hop on!"

Alberto stood still, looking at her without knowing what to think. Giulia rolled her eyes, the first raindrops began to fall; Alberto gasped as he walked away from the wet spot.

"We'll get faster this way!" Giulia said, pointing to the bike, and then in a pleading tone, she added: "Please, Alberto, time is running out. Luca needs us!"

Without Giulia having to repeat herself, Alberto got on the bike; luckily, the seat was big enough for both the two.

"Go! Go! Go!" Alberto said energetically.

Giulia started pedaling; thank heavens she didn't have to eat, no nausea or stomachache this time, she could go to her maximum. And she wasn't even tired from the swim; she got used to doing much more.

The further they advanced, the more and more raindrops fell from the sky.

"Don't worry, Luca; we're coming for you."

...

Luca began to breathe through his mouth; he had been so focused that he forgot to do it for a moment. Luckily, his lungs reminded him that they needed oxygen.

He made one last turn before reaching the tower; he had made it, overcome the uphill, now he just had to survive the downhill, and the cup would be theirs.

"You can do this! You got this! Forza! Forza!" He said to himself, he was tired, but Luca wouldn't give up, not now he was so close.

The first raindrop fell on his hand.

"Huh?" He asked, seeing his limb; with horror, he found that he had his scales, and not only there, but another drop also fell on his arm, "no, no, no!"

He looked terrified at the sky, it was fully dark, and the raindrops kept falling. Luca groaned in fright; there were people on the borders of the houses, in the tower, under it, they were going to see him!

Luca inhaled and exhaled; there was a small ceiling before the descent, where he could take refuge and hide the scales. Taking a breath in and out, he pedaled harder.

Luca managed to get under the roof just in time, as the rain went all out.

He placed both feet on the ground and quickly wiped his arms; while doing it, he turned to see the people; they were confused why he had stopped but didn't seem to have noticed his transformation.

"Thank golden fish," he thought, but now he had a bigger problem.

"Oh, not now! Come on! come on!" He said pleadingly to the sky, as if that could stop the rain, then he looked ahead. "I'm so close!"

Those gathered at the sides of the downhill looked at him confused, not knowing why he wasn't continuing.

Luca sighed and looked down, the rain was not going to stop, and there would be no way for him to get out of there; it would be a death sentence.

"I guess this is as far as I go. I'm sorry, friends, we're gonna lose because of me," he thought. Imagining the disappointed faces of Alberto and Giulia, if his betrayal almost ended their friendship, this surely would.

...

"Go faster!" Alberto yelled as he looked around; the water was pouring down in droves, the streets were already soaked, it would be impossible for Luca to continue like this.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Giulia replied, looking upfront; despite the adrenaline, this was still not her bike; she wasn't used to the pedals, which from time to time got stuck. In addition to the fact that this was downhill, they tried to ascend. She had to put in twice the effort so they wouldn't go backward.

"It's not enough!" the boy claimed.

Giulia clenched her eyebrows and teeth.

"Would you like to try? Oh, that's right! Last time you crashed into the sea!"

Alberto opened his eyes, he was going to reply, but in the end, he just closed his mouth and looked away. Giulia immediately felt guilty.

"He's worried for Luca, that's all, and there you go caviling him, what a great friend you are!" her conscience scolded her. It seemed that the only thing she knew to do with Alberto was to ruin their already delicate relationship, "now he will never forgive you."

"I'm sorry, okay?. I didn't mean to. I'm worried for Luca too."

Alberto didn't answer; he didn't even look at her. Giulia rolled her eyes.

"You know what? I'm gonna do it," she told herself, "probably we won't even get out of this one, so better now than never."

"And I'm also sorry about yesterday, okay?"

That made Alberto react; he looked at her face, she turned to see him quickly before returning her eyes to the path.

"I'm sorry I screamed, and I'm sorry I pointed a stick at you. I should never have done that."

Alberto only looked to his left side; people stared at them strangely.

"And it's okay if you don't want to talk to me ever again once we're done with this," Giulia turned the bike; so they didn't hit a chair. "I just wanted you to know that I do regret how I acted."

"I'm not angry."

Giulia opened her eyes and looked at him over her shoulder, with doubt painted on her face. Then back to the front, they were about to crash into a flowerpot, but she managed to dodge it.

"What?" She asked.

Alberto nodded with the head.

"I'm not angry with you," they shook a little, and Alberto had to hold the umbrella more tightly, "you didn't do anything wrong, okay?"

Guilia opened her mouth; it took her a bit to find the right words:

"What are you talking about? That was the worst way I could have reacted!"

"No - Giulia. I wanted to scare you, I wanted you to react that way, and for that, I'm very sorry."

Giulia didn't know what else to say; she wanted to accept his apologies more than anything because she wanted them to be at peace but-

"Why?" That was all she could ask.

Alberto just bit his lip.

"Please tell me."

"I was scared! Okay?!" Then, in a softer tone, he added: "I was scared you would take Luca away from me."

Giulia opened her eyes, unable to believe her ears.

"What?"

Alberto didn't have time to explain his whole story, so he would go with the basics.

"I was afraid Luca would prefer being with you and forget about me."

Giulia shook her head, still unable to believe it.

"What are you talking about? Luca adores you! He could never forget about you... and neither could I."

"Really?"

"Yes!"

A person was in the middle of the road. His back turned on them; without knowing they were going directly towards him. Giulia stepped aside to not run over him; the person looked at them and shouted in surprise.

"Look, if it was for what Luca asked me, the only reason I got so excited was because I thought you two would come with me."

Alberto didn't know what to say.

"Alberto... since I've known you two, I've been happier than I've ever been. If you told me that I don't have to be separated from you nor Luca for six months... I'd be the happiest girl in the world."

Alberto kept thinking about what Giulia had just told him.

"Look, I'm sorry we made you feel left out; it's just... it's a little easier to get along with Luca because he's curious about everything and-"

"And you know a lot; I know."

"Yes... and honestly... it's nice to have someone who wants to listen to you, who doesn't treat you like an annoyance."

Albert looked at her curiously.

"Let's just say that the other kids don't like being taught; they think that school is enough."

Alberto laughed.

"Luca's clearly not one of them."

Giulia also laughed.

"Obviously."

They were already close to the tower; they even managed to see Luca.

"So... friends again?" Alberto asked.

Giulia looked at him and smiled.

"Friends again."

Alberto just nodded his head; Giulia looked forward again, incredibly; she felt better than ever.

...

"What's wrong, piccoletto?"

"Oh no," Luca thought as if not being able to keep competing because of the rain was not bad enough; now, he had to deal with Ercole.

The abuser reached the top and stood next to him; Luca just shrugged without getting off the bike.

"Afraid of a little rain?" Ercole mockingly asked, then slapped Luca's helmet.

Luca growled; despite everything, he wasn't going to show fear. He hardened his eyebrows while looking at him; if Ercole wanted a fight, he was going to give it to him.

"Hey!" someone yelled; it came from the front.

"Huh?" Asked Ercole before looking; Luca did the same.

Luca's eyes lit up when he saw that Alberto and Giulia were coming at him, and with an umbrella in hand!

"We can still win this!" He thought. And best of all, it seemed that his friends had finally managed to solve their problems.

"I told you, Ercole! Your reign of terror ends today!" Giulia shouted.

Ercole grunted as he resumed his track.

"Have a nice view of my butt, losers!" He barked at them as he passed past.

Giulia took one hand off the handlebar and put it to her nose, then she blew a raspberry at Ercole. The tyrant began to descend quickly; with the advantage acquired, he could beat them.

Giulia stopped next to Luca; Alberto got off, but Giulia took his arm; Alberto turned to see her.

"Let me go, so we only have to worry about one -" she looked at Luca.

"Sea monster doesn't offend us."

Giulia just nodded her head. Alberto was going to protest, but he realized that Giulia's plan made sense; she could get wet; the girl got off and was going to get on when Luca said:

"Both of you get on."

The two saw him as if he was crazy.

"What?" they asked at the same time.

Luca pointed the handlebar towards the descent.

"Let's end this together."

Giulia was to protest when another competitor passed past them, and behind him came another.

"We're losing time! We don't have time for this, Santa Gorgonzola! We'll have to go with his crazy plan."

"Fine, I'm going last to hold the umbrella."

The boys smiled; Albero got on behind Luca, the youngest had to stand up for the other two to fit in, but that didn't affect him; in fact, it made him go faster. Giulia sat behind Alberto; with the umbrella on hand; luckily, it was big enough to cover the three of them.

"Go! Go! Go!" said Giulia energetically.

He didn't have to hear her again. Luca pedaled with all his might; they soon went downhill at full speed.

"Whoa! You really are crazy!" Alberto exclaimed.

"Learned it from you!" Luca happily replied, looking at him over his shoulder.

Alberto smiled, showing his teeth.

"You know? Some may say you two are bad influences," Giulia commented.

"I bet their names are Bruno!" Alberto said, and Luca laughed.

"What do you mean?" Giulia asked.

"Well - We'll explain it later," Luca finished; before concentrating on the path.

It didn't take them long to overpass the two who went ahead before. The downhill was rougher than the uphill because Luca still had a hard time, his hands wanted to let the bike handle itself, but he had to be strong, hold the handlebars and not let go.

They soon caught up with Ercole. Luca pedaled harder, and the distance between them shortened.

"What?" He asked, turning to see them.

The Underdogs smiled; it was time Ercole knew what fear tasted like.

Luca went to his right to pass him, but Ercole closed on him. Luca tightened his eyebrows and tried to beat him on the other side, but his opponent closed on him again.

"You're gonna provoke an accident!" Giulia yelled at him.

Ercole ignored her, Luca tried to get in front of him, but Ercole wouldn't let him.

"I'll never let you win! Never!" He looked at them over his shoulder: "This is my town and...!"

"Look out!" Luca interrupted him, pointing to the front.

Ercole looked up and saw he was heading towards a barrel. The boy yelled as he slammed on the brakes; he managed to stop in time, leaving his left flank exposed.

Luca smiled and took the opportunity.

"NO!" Ercole screamed.

"See you at the finish line!" Alberto sang, the three of them laughing as they gained more and more ground.

Ercole grunted as he tightened his grip on the handlebars; that trio was testing his patience.

He resumed his track and quickly caught up with the kids.

"For the last time!" He yelled at them; the boys turned to see him, "you two don't belong here!"

He pedaled up beside them, Luca tried to outrun him, but Ercole was determined.

"And you!" Ercole pointed at Giulia with a finger. "You're nothing more than Spewlia, and you will never stop being it!"

And without warning, he kicked the bike, sending it the other way; the kids screamed as they staggered; the impact had knocked everything off balance, the bike hit some steps, and they jumped into the air.

The three yelped; they hit the ground but bounced into a house with open windows; unfortunately, the umbrella got stuck on the edges of the window, and Giulia couldn't hold it.

"No!" She screamed.

Luca wanted to see, but he had to concentrate. He nearly ran over a cat and almost collided with the lady who lived there, luckily he managed to dodge her.

"Sorry!" He said with sincerity, then noticed that they were heading towards another window. "Hold tight!"

"Luca, wait!" Giulia tried to warn him, but it was too late.

They went out the window, opening it with a bang, gravity did its job, and as they fell, they came off the seat. Luca managed to hold on to the bike, but Giulia and Alberto went flying; the boy put his arm around Luca's waist and clung to him.

"AAAAARGG!" Giulia yelled as she was hanging in the air.

"GIULIA!" Alberto shouted, terrified; with his free hand, he grabbed the girl and then pulled her towards himself. Giulia managed to get back on the bike, sat down, and clung to Alberto's chest using both arms. "You're safe! You're safe! I got you, I got you," he comforted her.

Giulia just hugged Alberto tighter, burying her head in the boy's back.

They landed with a big thud, and to their misfortune, they went straight for some spiral stairs, coming down and crashing into the wall as they turned, the three screaming as they bounced off the steps.

In that, Giulia felt something wet and - heavy around her waist; she looked down and stifled a cry when she noticed Alberto had his tail wrapped around her.

"Oh-oh."

The boys turned to see her; Luca noticed that Alberto had transformed; he looked at his hands and saw that he, too, had changed.

"No, no, no, no, no, no," the boys repeated, scared.

"Don't worry, as long as no one se-" Giulia could not finish; because the bicycle hit a piece of wood that was placed like a ramp.

The bike jumped into the air, the three of them screamed; worst of all, they landed on the main street at the same time Ercole was passing.