"... And that's why I ask you all to welcome our new Dojo member, Akoni, and his little sister, Amancia!" Yukan finished with presenting the two primates with his wing, causing all the Dojo members to cheer loudly. The big brother smiled and waved at them while his little sister did the same, but a little bit more shy.

"We are more than happy to welcome you both in the Frog Dojo, my dear friends," Master Shujinko kindly said as he came before the two siblings. "You are welcome to stay as long as you want to."

"Thank you, Master," Akoni said with hitting a fist in the palm of his hand and bowing. "I also want to apologize for the trouble I've caused you and your students. Would you ever be able to forgive me?"

"Hey, there's no hard feelings: you just protected your little sister," Kivuli pointed out as she started drinking a sake cup. Then, with a smirk, she added: "Besides, it's not your fault if Yukan isn't good enough to defend himself."

"Hey, are you calling me weak?" the sun parrot asked, getting into his avian friend's face. "I remind you that the only reason you took him out is because I was distracting him. Otherwise, you wouldn't have lasted two minutes against him!"

"Oh yeah?" the martial eagle replied, pulling her sake cup down and getting in his face with a grin. "How about we fight to see who's the strongest, orange feather bag?"

As the two friends walked away to have a duel, Akoni blinked his eyes. "Are they always like this?"

"Yup, always," Mei Ling replied with a giggle. "If there's one thing that is strong in this Dojo, it's the fighting spirit. We're always ready to take on a fight. Speaking of which..." She placed a gloved paw on the simian's shoulder. "You said you were a Capoeira fighter, right?"

"Yes; I learned it back in my hometown of Jamaica."

"I've never seen it before. Would you like to make us a little demonstration by having a duel?" she suggested with a wink.

"Oh, oh, I can be your opponent!" Kodok offered as he suddenly ran to the primate. "It has been a long time since I last had a duel. You'll see: I'm a very capable fighter."

"... Sure, if you want."

The amphibian and primate walked out into the Dojo's garden where there was enough space for their duel. Mei Ling decided to serve as the referee, standing on the sidelines with her gloved paw raised. "Ready? Fight!"

Kodok immediately grabbed his slingshot and started charging and shooting bills at his opponent while stepping back to keep some distance between them. Unfortunately for him, Akoni revealed himself to be very agile, managing to dodge the bills and reached his opponent in no time. He knocked the slingshot out of his hands with a moonkick before sweeping him off his legs with a spin kick and then jumped on top of him, with his forearm pressed against his throat.

"We have a winner!" Mei Ling announced as Akoni got off Kodok. Of course, the primate helped the amphibian back up before Mei Ling came to praise him. "That was really good, Akoni; I can't remember the last time I saw someone moving so fluidly."

What the two masters didn't notice while complimenting Akoni was that Kodok looked down with a sad expression.


The next day, Kodok, Mei Ling and Akoni went to a small restaurant not too far from the Frog Dojo to relax a bit and get to know each other more. The trio was seated at an outdoor table, each with trays of food.

"... So these guys really forced you to work for them during these last four years?" Mei Ling asked with a horrified expression.

Akoni nodded while chewing on a dumpling. "Yup, doing things like stealing, fighting the Imperials, and even killing sometimes. They made me wear these black clothes to hide in the night. I'm glad that Yukan bought me these new ones; they fit more with my style." Indeed, before joining the Frog Dojo, Yukan brought Akoni to the cloth shop and changed his dress. He now wore a light green sleeveless vest that was open to reveal his toned torso with green wristbands and yellow Capoeira pants held by a rope tied around his waist.

"Yeah, it's true that this colorful dress looks better than your black jumpsuit," Mei ling agreed with a nod.

"Of course, very flashy costume," Kodok said, his face bitter and resting on the palm of his hand.

Mei Ling frowned a bit as she noticed her friend barely touched his food which looked delicious. "What's wrong, Kodok? You haven't finished half your food yet."

The frog sighed sadly, poking at his most favorite food in the world. "It's just... you guys can do all this awesome stuff with elemental powers, summoning swords, and hand-to-hand combat. I can't do any of this... I can't do anything."

"That's not true, Kodok," Mei Ling defend her friend. "You can do plenty of things. You're the best map reader of the Dojo."

"I might have known you for only a day, but Yukan told me that you're a great sharpshooter and that you know how to craft tools too," Akoni pointed out.

"Thanks, guys. I appreciate the effort, but the fact is that all of you guys are strong and special. I am not. I'm just a smart wannabe warrior, that's why I didn't go beyond the first phase in the Legendary Tournament," the young frog sighed, even more upset.

Mei Ling walked over to get beside her friend. "I'm sorry you're feeling so down, but I hope you know none of us are seeing you that way." She placed a thumb on her chin and thought for a moment before snapping her fingers. "I know exactly what's gonna make you feel all better!"

Kodok turned his head to look at her in confusion. "You do?"


"SHOPPING!" Kodok beamed, excitedly clapping his hands as he, Mei Ling, and Akoni stood in front of a weapons shop. He ran forward and started examining the various weapons displayed on racks and shelves in the shop. "You're right, Mei Ling! Maybe all I need is a few new items to expand my arsenal!"

The frog grabbed a pair of nunchucks and started swinging them around. However, he ended up hitting himself on top of the skull and collapsed on his back. "Maybe you need... something else," Akoni pointed out with a wince as he helped his friend back up.

For the next minutes, Kodok tried many different weapons such as a Guan Dao, a metal club, a dagger, a spiked club, and even an axe. But he failed at using them correctly and only succeeded in hurting himself. As he rubbed his skull in pain, something caught his attention from the corner of his eye.

He turned around and saw a rack onto which was displayed a beautifully-crafted shield. He widened his eyes as he examined the details of the item and the way the material had been crafted. "Oooh, now THAT is the kind of equipment I'm looking for," he said as he walked over to the shield and examined it.

The shopkeeper watched him in amusement as he walked beside the young frog. "You have a good eye, my young friend. This shield has been crafted by Dagon, one of the best crafters of any tool in the Valley of Peace. He lives in his little sanctuary outside the city."

Mei Ling suddenly gasped and grabbed Kodok by the shoulders. "That's it, Kodok! That's what you needed all along!"

"... A shield?" Kodok and Akoni asked at the same time.

"No, a craft master. Yukan and I are so good at Kung Fu because we had good masters; Shining Eagle is a great aerial master because her father was Master Eagle, and Kivuli is a good swordsman because she had a swordsman teacher. You never had any crafter as a master to help you. You should ask this Dagon if you can study under him."

"That's a great idea!" Akoni said in agreement. "Let's go see him."

Kodok looked at the shield. "It would be nice to have a crafter as a master. Alright, let's go!"


Kodok easily found the sanctuary, which was located near a river outside the city. At the front gates, he knocked politely and waited for someone to open. It took thirty seconds before the gates were pulled open, revealing an old goat dressed in white robes. "Can I help you?" he asked.

"I've come to train with Mister Dagon," Kodok seriously said.

"Really? That's new," the goat sarcastically said. "You should know that he turns down almost everyone. What makes you think YOU will be different?"

"That's not for you to know," the frog replied in the most serious tone he could use. "I wanna talk to Dagon and no one else."

"... Very well, follow me." The old goat gestured for Kodok to follow him as they stepped inside and closed the gate behind them. They walked through the sanctuary's courtyard before getting inside the main structure.

The two animals soon entered a large room with a huge window that gave a beautiful view outside on the green fields. The one Kodok assumed to be Dagon sat behind a desk, writing or drawing something over a paper on his table. To his surprise, Dagon was a dragon of all things. An Eastern Dragon, to be more precise.

He had light green scales with a white underbelly, flowing white hair on the back of his head, and a long mustache reaching down to his chest. He wore green robes with a sleeve only for his right arm while his left one was missing, exposing his strong torso, and some bandages tied around his waist.

With a nod from the old goat, Kodok stepped forward and got down on his knees. "Mister Dagon, my name is Kodok, and I've come to be instructed in the ways of crafting," he politely said.

Dagon just kept drawing on his paper without looking up at the amphibian. "Let me guess, you're the best warrior from your village where you have crafted fine tools and you feel like are worthy of learning from me."

"Well, actually, I'm the only crafter from the swamp I lived in, Mister. And there's one thing I know for sure... I'm far from being the best fighter in my Dojo."

Dagon looked up with a surprised expression. "You're not very good at selling yourself."

"Yes, your goat friend told me when I arrived that you turn down almost everyone. But the thing is... I don't know if I'm worthy of being trained by the best...," Kodok finished, looking sad because of his own patheticness.

"Hmm, I see. Well then." Dagon stood up with a smile and walked over to the young frog. "Stand up. Let's find how worthy you are together." Kodok looked up at him in surprise. "I will train you."

A huge smile formed on the frog's lips.


Kodok's training with Dagon started right away. The young frog would spend all of his time at the crafter's sanctuary to progress. His friends at the Frog Dojo were a bit worried at first, but Mei Ling and Akoni told them everything about the situation. Kodok would always say about his training to his friends when he came back at the end of the day, covered in sweat and dirt.

Apparently, the first step Dagon made him go through was mastering the art of tracing a paintbrush on paper. "You cannot hope to have a good blueprint for a good weapon if you cannot trace a good line," he always said.

Next, Kodok needed to watch at a picture and try to re-draw it as best as he could without looking at it again. It was hard at first, but his memory soon got better and better at it until he could reproduce perfect drawings of the pictures. Apparently, memory was also an important factor in crafting, according to Dagon.

Unfortunately, the Frog Dojo masters didn't get to know more about it as Kodok decided to sleep at his master's sanctuary to spend more time with his training. He wanted to give 100% of his best and grow stronger just like all of his friends.

Then, came the day where Dagon said it was time for Kodok to go for the most important part of his training. "You will build your very own weapon," he said.

His own weapon. What could Kodok possibly make? A new slingshot? Nah, he already had one; it wouldn't be very original. A sword? He wasn't a very good swordsman. An axe? We already saw how terrible he was with it.

Then, an idea clicked into his mind. He rushed to his bedroom in the Frog Dojo and ran through old papers and drawings he made when he was younger. Pulling out a special piece of paper, he returned to the sanctuary where his master waited for him at the entrance gates.

"I finally decided what weapon I'm gonna build, Mister," he happily said and unrolled his scroll paper, showing the drawing on it. "Do you think it would be possible?"

Dagon took the paper and examined it in detail. Eventually, he looked up at Kodok and declared: "We will make a weapon unlike any other in the world."


Kodok and Dagon spent all day following the design of Kodok's work as a kid, starting by making a better blueprint with more details and some modifications. Afterwards, they headed to the forge and got to work. They spent all day giving their best efforts to build Kodok's weapon, drinking a lot of water and taking only short breaks to allow their muscles to rest.

But the end result was totally worth it.

By the next morning, Kodok was sitting in front of Dagon outside the main building. The old goat was standing behind Dagon, holding the weapon they had spent all day building, hiding it beneath a sheet.

"Kodok, when you came to my sanctuary, you were unsure, you didn't know if you were worthy of learning from me. But you had something special. You had a golden heart and the mind of a genius. As we trained together, it wasn't your skills that impressed me. No, it certainly wasn't your skills." Kodok looked away with a little frown at that remark. "You showed something beyond that. What you don't have in strength and talent, you compensated with intelligence and creativity - the traits of a great crafter."

He removed the sheet to reveal the weapon that had been built. It was a wooden glove with a round shield connected to the back by some sort of magnetic connectors. A frog and a dragon were drawn on the flat surface of the shield to represent those who created it.

Kodok could not contain his excitement, grabbing the weapon and immediately putting it on his hand. "My own weapon! I'm gonna call it the Magne Shield!"

Dagon chuckled a bit at his student's reaction. "What are you saying about testing your weapon right now against me?"

Kodok immediately accepted. The frog and dragon squared off in the fighting zone of the sanctuary's backyard. The old goat was watching from the sidelines. The student readied the Magne Shield while the teacher rose his sword, pointing it at his opponent. The goat's expression was nervous.

There was a long moment of silence before Dagon lunged forward, and began attacking, thrusting his sword forward a few times to be deflected by Kodok's shield. Eventually, the amphibian switched to the offensive, swinging his shield at the dragon who moved his head out of the way and stabbed at his student, forcing him to back flip to avoid it. Dagon swept his sword at his legs instead, but he jumped with his strong legs and span on himself before throwing his shield at Dagon.

He ducked the wooden spinning item, letting it bounce against a tree before the magnetic connection allowed it to come back on the gauntlet. However, just before that happened, Dagon hit the rear of his sword into Kodok's stomach, knocking him back several feet away, and making him slide on the floor. He flipped backward and grabbed a post of a small bridge to regain his balance. He quickly climbed onto the post and leapt to the other one just as Dagon thrust his sword at him.

The dragon spun around and sliced at his foot, but Kodok jumped away to the other rail of the bridge. He then blocked another stab attempt just before jumping off the rail and rolled to the side. Kodok ducked slice after slice before using his strong legs to jump back and put some distance between his more experienced opponent and himself.

"Excellent! Using your superior agility against an elder opponent... smart," the dragon commented with a smile.

He charged at Kodok again, striking at him and pushing him up a large stone stairway. The amphibian managed to block all the attacks, but the force pushed him back against the wall of the stairway. He deflected a few thrusts with his shield before ducking as the sword sliced through the part of the wall above his shoulder. The frog cartwheeled to the side, span back around, hopped a foot off the ground, and pushed off the wall with his legs, propelling himself forward with his shield raised. He slammed into Dagon, knocking him to the ground, and climbed the top of the staircase.

"Good use of terrain. Fighting from the high ground," Dagon pointed out.

Kodok swung his shield at Dagon who parried and swung back at him. The frog jumped and pinned the sword under his shield. The dragon tried to break his sword free, but couldn't. He leaned forward and pushed his sword upward, throwing Kodok off and making him stumble back into a tall stalk of bamboo.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to change tactics," Kodok mumbled as he saw Dagon raising his sword and charging at him again.

Kodok ducked as he sliced the bamboo just above his head and ran off into the bamboo thicket, pushing many stalks of bamboo out of his way with his Magne Shield. As Dagon chased after him, the amphibian grabbed a stalk, pulling it back, and letting it go to whip at his teacher, hitting him across the face and knocking him back.

"Yes, use your surroundings! Let them fight for you!" he praised.

The fight continued for a long time, but in the end, kodok was knocked on his back with Dagon pointing his sword at his chest. The tired frog was defeated. "Excellent work, Kodok," he said with pulling his sword away and offering his hand to help his student back up. "I taught you everything I know about crafting, You must now continue your training on your own. If you stay on this path, I know that one day you will become an even greater crafter than I am."

"Thank you, Master," the frog gratefully said with bowing down. He then looked at his Magne Shield. "I can't wait to show this to my friends..."

Author's note: I've been wanting to write a chapter focused on Kodok and how his defeat at the Legendary Tournament affected him. We got to see him develop his strongest points, intelligence and creativity, and even build himself a new weapon: the Magne Shield.

A good portion of this episode was inspired by Avatar's episode "Sokka's Master", one of my most favorite ones.

Also, with over 3,300 words, this chapter is my record-breaking longest one! Cheers! As always, constructive reviews are welcome and may the gods watch over you all.