The door opens and a bunch of people file into the room, having answered Momo's summons. Including some of my friends that have read this story elsewhere…

Amy: SHOT GUN!

Hanna: I'm driving!

Katie: Nope. Sr is.

Nich: Oh God…We're all gonna die…

Sr: I just got my permit

Jakob: …That scares me…

Katie: clears throat Well it appears that we have so many members that we must separate into multiple rides WOOO!

Group 1:

Leader: Katie

Members: Sarah, Hanna, Geoff

Group 2:

Leader: Sr

Members: Jakob, Morgan, Nich

Group 3:

Leader: Amy

Members: Joy, Brian, Tyler

Group 4:

Leaders: Mackentosh

Members: Christina, Ashley, Stephanie

Mackentosh: We call the Lamborghini…DRIVERS SPOT!

Amy: Porsche all the way peeps.

Sr: We call the Mercedes.

Katie: Screw you people. We got the Bently…Oh!
everyone piles into the cars…some sitting on others laps just to fit…

Group 1:

Katie: Just feel that breeze in you hair….

Geoff: I would…But…I can't move hardly…Sarah in the way…turning blue

Katie: Crap. pulls over

Hanna: I have an idea….
a few minutes later all is well…but Sarah is missing

Somewhere in the Trunk: HEY! This isn't funny! Let me out!

I looked strangely up at the two older guys who looked each other in the eyes; Jakob's hand still rested on my head. I wondered why. I moved away.

"Hey, ya'll. Why don'cha lighten up?" I asked them, planting my feet and putting my hands on my hips. I stared at them, and they stared back, taking in my body language. They each cracked a smile and then burst into laughter.

"HAHAHA! YOU LOOK SO STUPID!!" Geoffrey exclaimed, tears running down his face.

"Really! Bwahaha. You're not very intimidating…!" Jakob cackled.

I thwacked them both into silence. Then they took me seriously. Mackenzie came over.

"OK, we've been training up your physical abilities for three days now. You've got three days until we leave. Seeing's how our party has grown much bigger than I had intended-," she glared at me, "-I will request the use of another caravan. But, back to the main order of business, I want to start training you guys in the more serious forms of martial arts-type moves. I have picked out some moves that will be more suited to each of you. Sarah, Amy, and Katie. Come here!" Mackenzie barked. I jumped and hurried over to her. "The rest of you move back to the castle or into the villa. Somewhere you will be far from range. These three, I believe, need to learn the ranged attacks so they can fight battles from the back,"

"Hey! I thought I told you I was no puny little woman!" I exclaimed indignantly.

"I'm sorry, Katie. But this is what I've decided on. Deal with it," Mackenzie snapped. I groaned, but eventually agreed and let Mackenzie teach us. The others were peeking around the corners of McCarthy's shop. "Okie dokie, the moves you will learn and will therefore be practicing the rest of your time; are ranged attacks. They are used with your swords and can create wind and other elements if begun correctly. Watch; this first one is the shock bomb," Mackenzie shooed us back, stood beside us, then ran forward about five feet, spread her legs apart, and did a cartwheel. After this rather magnificent piece of gymnastics, she cried "SHOCK BOMB!" and a large amount of earth was torn away about twenty feet in front of her sword. She stood up, and the three of us applauded.

"THAT WAS SWEET!" I exclaimed.

Mackenzie nodded.

"That was something Mackenzie. I wonder how you keep so fit when you're that old!" Amy chirped.

"Oooh, you're in trooouble…!" Sarah trailed off.

"No, she's not. I am old. I know this. And these moves are taking their toll on my body. It hurts, but I deal for the sake of my kingdom.

"YOU GO, GIRL!" Morgan sobbed from the shop. Mackenzie raised her sword and acted as if she would bombard the house. It fell into silence, and she lowered her weapon.

"Now, you guys try,"

"No way I'll learn that move!" Amy exclaimed, gawking at Mackenzie.

"Same! I may have been in gymnastics for six years, but I haven't even gotten used to my armor yet!" I said.

"Take it off," Mackenzie said simply. I scowled at her and took off the armor. So, about forty pounds lighter, I lined up and got ready for my first attempt. I gripped my blade tightly. My greatest fear was that I would end up impaling myself on my sword.

"Do we gotta cry out 'shock bomb'?" I asked curiosly.

"Of course. A person's true strength comes from the abdominal region. Exhaling a great amount of air helps build up strength. Or something like that. In any case, just cry it," Mackenzie said.

"Roger," the three of us said.

"GO!"

I ran and sucked in a large amount of air, but when I went to try and flip, my fear gripped my stomach tightly and I fell flat on my back, winded.

"What the hell was that?!" Mackenzie snarled, helping the three of us up.

"WTF did I tell you?! I can't do it!" Amy snarled.

"Exactly," Sarah added.

"OK, since you can't do it, I'll help you learn to do the move myself," Mackenzie grabbed me and dragged me apart from the others. "Now, just go limp and try to tune your body to what I am going to do," I felt weird with Mackenzie holding my hands and everything. She told me to control my hands and swing when I felt the time was right. She then used her hands; putting one on my back, and my calves. She made my legs spread, sending pain into them, and flipped my body over her back.

"OWW!" I slammed my sword into the ground when Mackenzie dropped me. My legs ached. But something else happened as well. A slight wind suddenly swooped from behind my and blew a couple of stones from around my sword.

"See? It's not impossible you three. Now, I know you can do it! AGAIN!" Mackenzie cried.

Encouraged by what I had done, I grabbed my sword and limped back to my starting point.

"Maybe stretching would help," I said.

"Whatever will help you; do it," she told us.

So, my little trio of training buddies did a number of weird stretches. I pulled my foot to the back of my head while standing up. (A/N: I can actually do that. :D) The muscles between my legs ached and my back popped numerous times, but I felt loose and limber. Sarah did the splits. I gaped. And Amy pulled her feet behind her neck and ran with her hands for several feet. I smirked.

"That'll be the best distraction we can get if we need to escape!" I told her. She hit me and we lined up again.

"GO!"

This time, I got about halfway up the flip before I crashed to the ground. Amy had tried getting away with holding her sword in her teeth and doing a normal cartwheel, but she had been too slow, and fell also. Sarah had stood valiantly defying Mackenzie. She knew her limits and knew that she would be unable to do this. What a mistake.

"OK! SINCE YOU CAN'T DO IT---," Mackenzie trailed off and stared at the little heads poking around the corners in the distance. "GEOFF! GET OVER HERE!!"

"EEP!!" Geoff pulled back behind the house, hoping Mackenzie would forget him.

"Go on, now!" Jakob said, shoving Geoffrey toward us. Geoffrey flicked him off and stomped toward us, looking mutinous. "What do you want…erm-Mackenzie?" he asked.

"I want you to show these women how to do the shock bomb whilst I go start teaching the others. I assume you are familiar with the move," here she glared at Geoff who cringed and shadowed his face.

"Yes. I do. Go teach the others…," Geoffrey mumbled. Mackenzie walked away toward the blacksmith where it was chaos; so many people running around trying to find a place to hide.

"Are you crying?" I asked Geoffrey, looking up into his face.

"YOU STARE AT ME LIKE THAT AND ASK ME IF I'M CRYING?! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!!" Geoffrey cackled, slapping the air indignantly. I jumped back, startled.

"Well, you sure don't seem to be crying to me," I mumbled.

"Whatever. Now! I am not nearly as strict a teacher as Mackenzie is. I will teach you how to get into the positions needed to do this move," Geoff said.

Sarah raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"What did Mackenzie mean when she was glaring at you?" she asked.

"That is private," Geoff replied. "Now, I want you to do your stretches for a bit, then tell me when you think you're ready to do this-," he ran, did that spinning cartwheel, and slashed about another twenty feet in front of his blade.

"WOW! You do know how to do it!" I exclaimed, clapping.

"OK! I will take…," Mackenzie trailed off, looking at the rest of my friends who remained by the smithy. I'll take the lot of you. That'd be easier. But then I'm going to split you into two factions of two people. Morgan and Nich will be in one group, and Jakob and Hanna will be in the other," Mackenzie said all this while walking out to a blank splotch of training ground. Hanna sighed.

"What will we be learning today?" Jakob asked eagerly, rubbing his hands together enthusiastically. Hanna wondered what had happened to the stoic prince she had admired. Oh well, this one was cooler anyway.

"You two-," Mackenzie pulled Hanna and Jakob out of group and put them at the front lines, "are learning the 'pulse thrust.' It is a powerful move that requires a lot of legwork. If there is a wounded enemy, this move guarantees an instant kill. It can also blow up walls and tough-standing buildings,"

"Coool," Hanna said.

"OK, show us the pulse thrust," Jakob said.

"I will. Watch; let us hope that you will be able to grasp the concept better than those three Mackenzie said, pointing to my group. Mackenzie crouched down so that her bottom almost touched the ground. Then, while spinning and working jumping forward at the same time, she pulled her sword up to eye level. She was about 3/4 's of the way up when she cried 'PULSE THRUST!' and pushed her blade forward, the muscles in her arms bulging, evident even under her clothing. A large ball of wind had been forming around her, and at the command, flew forward and obliterated a tree standing by the River. "Think you can do it?" she asked Hanna and Jakob. They were already bouncing around, too concentrated to respond. Mackenzie nodded fondly.

"OK, Nich, Morgan. You two are the lightest of all of us, so you will be at the sides of our battle formation, and will learn close-ranged, quick-step moves. Your key move will be the 'Aura Shot," Mackenzie said. They both nodded. "This one is-,"

"An attack where you use part of your chi, focus, and then shoot off at a speed thought of in the mind, which should be really fast. The shot is then to hit the enemy and cause damage. Though not very effective if used once, being hit a considerable amount of times will cause great injury and pain," Morgan said quickly, all in one breath. Mackenzie and Nich gawked at her. "Whaa-aat? I read…every now and then… … ."

"Anyway, it goes like this-," Mackenzie stood still, holding her sword to her eyes. She was concentrating. All in about the space of five seconds, a glowing red gas-like substance began rotating around her. 'AURA SHOT!' was cried and the red chi concentrated itself in the form of a ball and slammed into the already-defeated tree which cracked and turned into dust.

Nich was the first up to try the Aura Shot. He closed his eyes and drained all emotions out of himself. He felt someone flick his nose. He opened his eyes and Morgan was standing there making a stupid face. He burst into laughter, and the light yellow light that had begun to form around him flew outward.

"Morgan!!" Mackenzie snapped, dragging Morgan away from Nich with one hand.

"Whaaat? It's all in good fun! Let me go!" Morgan whined. Makenzie dropped her.

"Stay here and practice. I will be back. I'm going over to Katie's group," Mackenzie said huffily, stalking off.