Chapter 3: To sharpen a sword.
Leni's eyes slowly opened and took in the world around her. "Wow, Lori I had the weirdest dream that this cute green guy and his friend wanted me to…" Leni turned her head to the right expecting to see her sister in their bedroom. But she wasn't there. Leni took a moment to reexamine her sleeping area and recognized it as the tranquil room she had chosen from yesterday to sleep in. The drab gray walls were aligned with a couple book shelfs and mounted potted plants. She looked and saw herself in the same outfit she made yesterday. As well as being in an ordinary bed with a green blanket. "Oh. It's like, real!" She said amazed.
"Leni, come. Your training starts in an hour. Eat some breakfast and prepare." Zamasu called from outside. Leni got up from her bed and hurried out to the courtyard of the palace. There, she saw a small wooden table and a few chairs set up. Her 2 superiors looked at her with a calm smile. Black pulled out one of the chairs to reveal a plate with a bowl of oatmeal garnished with some mint.
"Have a seat and enjoy it. You're going to need your energy for first day of practice." He insisted. Leni did so and grabbed a spoon as she ate the oatmeal. Despite its bland appearance, she thought it tasted heavenly with the additions of the mint, sugar, and bits of fruit. She looked at the 2 and smiled.
"So, like, what am I practicing? Is it to do a fancy walk? Or is it something more like posing with props?" She asked not fully understanding the role Zamasu and Black were intending for her. The pair exchanged a glance and Black cleared his throat.
"Your first lesson will be assessing your combat abilities and how we can improve upon them." He explained. Leni didn't comprehend a thing he said as she just stared blankly ahead. Black pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. "The 2 of us are going to fight each other." Leni gasped in surprise.
"Fight!? But you wanted me to be a role model for people." She reminded them. Zamasu nodded with a stern expression on his face.
"Yes. But in addition to displaying traits of a good, gentle, little rule follower, you must showcase proper strength as well." He explained. Black continued his partner's thoughts and the 2 began to speak in sync a bit.
"Strength to protect the law of the land…"
"…To defend those who follow that law…"
"…And punish anyone who dares to break that law…"
"…In the pursuit of total divine justice!" The pair exclaimed extravagantly as Leni stared in wonder. She never thought that this little job she had been given would have involved having to hurt people. Anxiety gripped at her throat and she swallowed nervously.
"Do I, like, have to fight people? Can't I just be a picture on a magazine?" She asked sweetly with a tiny smile. Black shot her an intimidating look of frustration that instantly quieted her. However, fearing the loss of Leni's trust, he softened and cleared his throat.
"If you are concerned about your abilities, a little training will be able to unlock any and all latent potential in you. Now come, we'll see how strong you are currently." With that, the 3 of them walked out of the temple courtyard towards the giant tree. Leni looked up to the yellow sky and sighed somberly.
"I wish my sister was here. She could give me tips on fighting." She lamented. This statement caught Zamasu's attention and he turned to Leni with an expression of curiosity plastered on his face.
"You have a sister who is a warrior? I can only imagine how much trouble she caused you in the past." Leni caught the hidden tones of disgust in his voice and shook her head rapidly.
"She isn't a war person. She's a sports person." She corrected. Now Black was getting involved in the discussion as well.
"Sports? Isn't that the name that mortals give to activities and competitions?" Leni nodded in response.
"She is fantastic with, like, all sports. She has trophies in baseball, soccer, and kickboxing. I still don't understand how she got that last one though. She was hitting people, not boxes." She remarked a bit puzzled. Black chuckled and picked up his pace so he was in front of Leni, he then turned and entered a fighting stance as the wind blew a few flower petals around the 3.
"Let's hope you picked up on some of her athletic abilities." He remarked as his aura flared up and Zamasu backed off to the side to watch. Leni broke a sweat and did her best to look strong. She bent her knees slightly and curled her hands into fists as Black lunged forward and took a few swings. Leni instinctively screamed and jumped backward in fear, constantly running from her teacher's assaults. Black raised an eyebrow. "Come now, Leni. You can't possibly hope to last in a real battel if you don't even try in practice." He taunted. Leni blushed in embarrassment and grunted as she punched him in retaliation.
Zamasu and Black simply stood in shock at the event that unfolded before them. Leni's attack connected with Black's cheek full force. Yet, he simply stood in place. Completely unharmed as if his opponent never tried to attack him at all. Once Black recovered from his shock, he looked at Leni angrily. "Leni. Remove your inhabitations and attack me with full strength!" He ordered. Leni did as he commanded and threw a couple more punches at Black.
He didn't even move as all the blows landed without inflicting any damage. Realization dawned on Black slowly as he raised his arms and caught Leni's fists. He took a deep breath and looked at Leni was an expression of pure pity. "You have been fighting me at full strength the whole time, right?" Leni nodded in response to the question and Black released his grip. "Do you even know what Ki is?" He asked, hopeful that the girl would at least know of its existence. Sadly, she simply shook her head in response.
Black then pointed an arm to the sky and formed a ball of black and yellow energy in his palm. Leni stood in wonder at the sight of it. Despite its dark appearance, it gave off a majestic shimmer that completely entranced her. Black caught sight of her wonder and smirked as he fired the blast into the sky and it exploded. "Before you ask, no it's not magic. You can learn to do it too with enough practice." He claimed. Leni gasped at the thought of doing something so extravagant herself. "But before you get too ahead of yourself, we should find a fighting style that suits you."
Leni only stood as Black took her arms again and adjusted her hands so they were flat and open. He then proceeded to adjust her legs so they were squared towards where he was standing. "Your lack of personal strength is troubling. Perhaps, we could center your combat skills around using the barbaric energy of your enemies against them." He suggested. Leni let out a small "oh" in response as Black reentered a fighting stance. "Now, I'm going to attack again. This time, focus on trying counter my attacks and bring me to the ground. Do that, and we'll call it a day." Leni still felt uncomfortable with having to fight someone. But she felt slightly more confident with Black's guidance.
"Ok. I'm ready." She claimed. With that, Black charged forward and attacked with a large swing. Leni ducked under his fist and kept her hands open as Black punched again. This time, she caught it with both hands and began to struggle as she attempted to flip him onto the grass below. Not wanting to go down too easily, Black used his free arm to strike Leni in the face which caused her to tilt her head to avoid the punches. Black smiled as Leni started to overwhelm him, granted he was holding back, but he felt proud as their little apprentice started to blossom.
"Yes, Leni. Don't let up. You can do it!" And in a few short moments, she did just that. Black felt his body flung to the side and he landed on his back. Black simply stared up at Leni, who had a small, open mouth smile with an outstretched hand offering to help him up.
"That was totes incredible! I never knew I could do that before." She said happily. Black then felt an odd sensation through him. He was reminded of the first time he fought Goku and lost, laying on the ground with the incident scaring his mind. But as he looked up at Leni, a mortal he was actually hoping to beat him just this once. He took Leni's hand as she pulled him up.
Zamasu also couldn't help but smile as the scene unfolded. Yet, he remained uneasy about the possibility of a strong enemy that Leni would be unable to handle. He pondered the thought until an idea came into his mind. 'She has potential, I just need to unleash it.' He thought. He walked over and clapped his hands. "Well done, Leni. But you still have much more room to grow." He stated. Leni felt a sense of joy bubble inside her again as Zamasu said that.
"You really think so?"
"Of course." He retorted. He turned and started to walk back towards the temple. "Feel free to do as you please for the rest of the day. Work on your body, mind, spirit, whatever wish. Because tomorrow…" He grinned as his idea became clearer in his mind. "…I will be your instructor."