They finished in a tie, with James hanging out the window and laughing. “See? I knew all you needed was the proper encouragement.”

“If you ever pull that crap again, I’ll…I’ll run you over,” Sera growled.

James grinned. “It worked, didn’t it?”

“Good job, Sera!” Lisa said. “But now that you’ve learned to drive, let’s see how well you can walk. Fur, you go first.” Lisa led James behind a safety barrier as the Elise split along a dozen invisible seams and unfolded into a humanoid.

“Hey, wait,” Sera said. “How do I do this?”

“Just imagine yourself standing up,” Lisa said. “Don’t force it, just let it happen.”

The pickup quivered for a moment, but nothing happened. “Dammit!”

“Hmm. There’s a little trick we use sometimes to help newbies get in the right frame of mind.” Lisa said. “Kind of like running a trickle of water in the bathroom. Fur, play…that sound.”

The robot nodded…and loudspeakers around the training area started to play the familiar “transformation sound effect” from a certain old cartoon.