Chapter 9: Small Steps Lead to Big Accomplishments
Snowball walked into the dojo the next morning. Last night she had gone out with Pengu to the coffee shop and then played some arcade games. She had a great time! She noticed the Sensei sitting on his throne. Snowball walked up. "I'd like to…" Sensei pointed to another penguin in a ninja mask. This penguin wasn't Pengu however. "Beat him and you get purple belt."
Snowball walked over to the ninja and pulled out her cards. The ninja pulled out their cards. Snowball was almost winning the game—she needed one more fire card. She grabbed her best fire card and prayed inside her head. Her opponent pulled out a snow card. Snowball ran to Sensei. Sensei smiled and handed Snowball her purple belt.
Snowball tied the belt around her waist and kept challenging people all day and winning. Finally after a match with another ninja she went to Sensei. Sensei presented her with a brown belt. Snowball wanted to get her black belt today but it was already 10 pm. She walked home and watched TV for an hour. At 11 someone rang the doorbell, it was Pengu!
"Could I spend the night here?" Pengu asked. Snowball nodded and began to open the couch to form a bed. She went upstairs to her room to grab her sleeping bag and a pillow. The two penguins set up the living room for tonight and turned off the TV. They whispered to each other for another hour before falling asleep.
At 7 am Pengu woke Snowball up. Snowball fixed dinner and got ready to go back to the dojo. She was now a brown belt! Snowball told Pengu the entire story of her earning her brown belt while preparing dinner. "Congratulations! Soon you'll be a ninja like me!" Snowball smiled at that happy thought, and at the thought that she would be able to do Card Jitsu Fire soon too!
While eating Snowball was curious if Pengu was going to move on. "Are you moving up to Card Jitsu Fire?" Pengu looked at her confused. "It's a game for member ninjas." Pengu still had the same expression on her face. Snowball went into a brief explanation about Card Jitsu Fire. "Cool, I'm going to wait for you though." Pengu promised. Snowball smiled and looked back at the clock. It was 10 am. "Let's go to the dojo."
Pengu complained that Snowball always gets to drive so today he drove her to the dojo. Snowball followed her routine with Sensei and spent the rest of the day challenging other penguin's while Pengu played some games too. After her 10th game which she had won Sensei smiled and pulled out a black belt. "Congratulations young grasshopper! You have earned your black belt, to be come a ninja and move onto Card Jitsu Fire you must challenge me! Are you ready?" Snowball tied the black belt to her waist and looked at Pengu. He put a thumbs up. "Bring it on." Snowball flashed a devious little smile. She had a good game plan up her sleeve.
