Ackar kept his word. As they traveled across the desert toward the village of Tesara, he began schooling Mata Nui in the art of combat; a traveler had to be prepared, but a Glatorian even more so. That meant today was the first day of class. As night fell on the second day of their journey, Berix was in the driver's seat of Kiina's chariot, with Gresh riding along beside. Kiina, Ackar, and Mata Nui walked.

"Unfair," said Gresh. "l score this clawed-out new weapon, and Mata Nui tells me I've got awesome 'Toa' powers—whatever those are—but none you will let me test them out!" Gresh was already a good fighter, but always looking for new things to try or ways to improve. Given more time and experience, some Agori believed that Gresh could one day rival Ackar, Tarix, perhaps even Certavus himself in the ranks of great Glatorian. But it remained to be seen whether the Skrall invasion would allow anyone the luxury of time to train and learn. Yet, here he was, now, with a new weapon and abilities that he hadn't seen yet.

Kiina smiled. She had been after Gresh for a while to "lighten up." For a young Glatorian, he had always been much too grim and serious. It seemed that he had taken her words to heart. "You mean like this?" she said, laughing as she thrust her trident forward. Three jets of water shot from the tines of the weapon, striking a pile of boulders and blasting the rocks to bits.

Although young and exuberant by nature, Gresh believed that he needed to appear very dedicated and serious all the time. Kiina has been trying to get him to enjoy life a little more and show his feelings, with some success. She believed he felt a little intimidated around famous veteran Glatorian like Tarix and Ackar. It was good to see him starting to embrace more fun.

Gresh raised his new shield with his good arm. "Come on…just a little test?"

"Patience is the first lesson in becoming a great Glatorian," said Ackar.

"Oh, I think this is pretty 'great'," said Kiina, firing another blast of water from her trident.

She wasn't helping his point. Mildly frustrated, Ackar stepped right in front of her water jet, fire sword raised. As the water struck his blade, it turned to steam.

"Guess it's a standoff," said Kiina.

A sudden blast of sand struck the cloud of steam, blowing it away. Kiina and Ackar turned to see Gresh hurling a mini-cyclone from his shield at the ground. The concentrated air was hurling the sand aloft with amazing force. "Looks like I can blow you both away," Gresh said, smiling.

Kiina's expression brightened. "Better yet—why not combine our powers?"

"Enough," said Ackar. "There's more to winning a fight than fancy weapons. And let me tell you, Mata Nui isn't the only one that could use a few tips. You've got raw talent, Gresh, and a lot of courage, but that will only take you so far. Kiina, I saw your last match with Vastus in Tesara. You let your guard down and he almost took your head off."

Berix burst out laughing. "Ha, Kiina, he got you there!"

Kiina whipped around and smacked Berix out of the driver's seat with her trident. Gresh leaned forward to grab the wheel and keep the vehicle from veering off course. Ackar stepped forward and grabbed the shaft of Kiina's weapon.

"Stop it, both of you. Pay attention and you might actually learn something—like this!" Ackar said, as he turned on Mata Nui and slashed downward with his fire blade. The whirling attack over his head took Mata Nui by surprise. Shocked, he barely blocked the blow with his own sword, but the impact knocked him backward into Kiina and then off his feet. Click flew from his shoulder and landed on Kiina's arm.

"See?" said Ackar. "A good fighter always has to be ready. Lesson two—you have to learn to read your opponent's next move, know what your they're going to do…before it happens."

Kiina wasn't paying attention. She was eyeing the beetle on her arm warily. "Watch it," she said to Click. "I'm warning you. I'll bite back."

Click opened his pincers as if to snap at her, but before he could do so, Ackar had grabbed him by the shell. The Glatorian lifted the beetle into the air. "Study your opponent's fighting style," Ackar continued. "Find their weakness, then use it against them…if you can."

Click snapped his pincers together angrily. Ackar tossed the insect back to Mata Nui. The beetle scrambled up Mata Nui's settled contentedly on his shoulder once more. Ackar helped Mata Nui get up. "How do I do that?" asked Mata Nui.

"You use your eyes and your brain," Ackar answered, smiling. "Now let's practice. Attack me with your sword."

"But what if I hurt you?" asked Mata Nui.

Ackar laughed. "You will have to hit me first, my friend."

His concern abated, Mata Nui swung his sword. Ackar blocked it easily, almost lazily. Mata Nui tried again…and again…and again. Ackar dodged or blocked his blow every time. He must be reading my very mind! Mata Nui thought.

Kiina, Gresh, and Berix watched the ongoing display with interest quietly. When he was too tired to keep going, Mata Nui dropped his sword and sat down on the sand. "I need to rest," he said. "How do you do it?"

Ackar pointed with his sword at a huge bird with a long, sharp beak that was flying overhead. "See that bird? It's a predator called a Cave Shrike. Cave Shrikes horde food in stockpiles, but do not fight for them unless eggs are in stockpile. They hunt small animals, and catch them by diving swiftly down at them; should they miss, they immediately flee, for their thin bodies cannot withstand most counterattacks. They are known to glide over the sand dunes for days in erratic patterns to escape notice while in search of food."

"What does that have to do with my training?" asked Mata Nui.

"Watch that bird for a minute."

Mata Nui did as he was told. The bird didn't do anything exciting. If just flew back and forth from its nest in the rocks.

"That bird is about to fly in a different direction," said Ackar, when Mata Nui was quiet for some time. "Is it going to fly to the right or to the left?"

"How should I know?" asked Mata Nui. He was starting to get frustrated. What did bird-watching have to do with fighting?

"It's going to turn left," Ackar said. He sounded absolutely sure of it.

Mata Nui was amazed to see that Ackar was correct. The bird suddenly turned to the left and flew toward the purple and orange twilight coming on the horizon. "That's incredible!" said Mata Nui. "You must know some fantastic trick!"

Ackar addressed Mata Nui's words and his tone. "Swords made from Cave Shrike feathers are brittle, but seen as great prizes, as the Glatorian who takes a feather must be able to predict the bird's attack and counter it without injury. Your training, this lesson, is not in fighting moves, but the power of observation. We both watched the bird, but I watched closely."

Mata Nui looked back up at the fowl as Ackar continued, "Just before it turns, one of its wings flutters a little. Its right wing flutters before it turns to the right. Its left wing flutters before it flies to the left. By watching its wings and studying the subtle movements of its flight, it's possible for me to predict which direction it is going to turn next. The same can be done in battle to guess an opponent's next move."

Mata Nui smiled. "Okay. I am all set for a battle with birds, then."

Ackar laughed. "Keep watching. You will figure it out."

For the next several minutes, Mata Nui tried to predict how a creature would move. He paid attention to where it was before it jumped or flew or ran. He even listened to the noises it made. But nothing helped. Each time he made a guess, he was wrong.

"I will never be able to do this," Mata Nui said. He was tired of this game.

"Come with me," said Ackar. He sheathed his sword and began walking to a nearby collection of rocky points. Mata Nui followed him, gathering his own sword. Gresh started to ask a question, but Ackar prematurely answered, "No. Stay there with the chariot. We'll be back shortly."

X X X

Ackar led Mata Nui across the sands and up into the rocks. When they were close to the top, Ackar suddenly stopped. He pointed to a strange creature up ahead. "That's a Rock Steed," Ackar explained. "It's one of the most dangerous creatures in all of Bara Magna."

It is certainly one of the strangest looking, Mata Nui thought. It stood on two legs and had two small arms, with three prongs sticking upward out of the back of its head. It had fierce jaws and a stinger tail like a scorpion. "It looks like a giant lizard," said Mata Nui.

"Giant lizards are nicer," replied Ackar. "Get too close to a Rock Steed, and it will bite or sting you. But if you can tame one, you can ride it."

"How do you tame a creature like that?" asked Mata Nui.

"You need to win a fight against the animal," Ackar answered. "That's what I am going to do."

Ackar walked toward the Rock Steed. When the Rock Steed saw him, it hissed and snapped its jaws. Ackar moved to his right, shifting the zone of battle away from Mata Nui. The Rock Steed watched him warily as he circled. Suddenly, the creature ran at Ackar and tried to bite him, but missed. Ackar took the opening and grabbed the Rock Steed around the neck.

Mata Nui ran to help—this didn't seem like part of the plan. Before he could reach Ackar, the Rock Steed attacked with its stinger. Ackar was hit! He fell on the ground, where the Rock Steed looked, ready to strike again.

"Hey! Over here!" Mata Nui yelled at the Rock Steed.

The creature turned from Ackar. It looked at Mata Nui and gave an angry hiss.

"That's right, bug guy," said Mata Nui. The Rock Steed came toward him. That was what Mata Nui wanted—for it to move away from Ackar.

The Rock Steed struck at Mata Nui with its stinger tail. Caught by surprise, Mata Nui barely dodged the attack. Then the creature came at him with snapping jaws and Mata Nui had to jump back to avoid being bitten. "I don't know what's worse," commented Mata Nui, "your sharp teeth or your bad breath."

The creature tried to sting Mata Nui again. Mata Nui almost fell off the mountain trying to avoid its tail. "Okay, this isn't going well," he said. He spared a look at Ackar, but the fighter was still not moving. Mata Nui knew his friend might be badly hurt. That meant he had to end this fight quickly so he could help Ackar.

The creature came to attack Mata Nui once more, propelled by its long and powerful legs. This time, Mata Nui watched very carefully. He saw the Rock Steed's right shoulder move a little bit. The next moment, the creature tried to hit Mata Nui's right side with its stinger.

"Now, that's interesting," murmured Mata Nui. He backed away from the creature. This time, the Rock Steed's left shoulder moved. Then the stinger lashed out at Mata Nui's left side. But he was ready for it and batted it away with his sword. "Okay, so if its right shoulder moves, it attacks on my right," said Mata Nui. "And if its left shoulder moves, it attacks to my left. Got it."

The Rock Steed came at him again. But this time, its stinger slapped against the ground. Then it lunged forward and tried to bite its enemy. Mata Nui was so taken by surprise that the Rock Steed almost got him. "And…stinger against the ground means a bite," Mata Nui said to himself. Alright. Now let's see if I can use what I know.

Mata Nui got ready to fight. The Rock Steed charged, but each time it attacked, he managed to block it. It tried to sting and bite him, but it could never get a successful hit. The Rock Steed was really angry now, twitching, roaring, and swaying its tail left to right. Mata Nui felt more confident with every passing moment. He knew he was ready for anything the Rock Steed might do.

The creature came at him again. This time, Mata Nui smacked it with the flat of his sword. When the Rock Steed tried to sting him, Mata Nui struck it again. One step at a time, he drove the creature back. There was nothing it could do to stop him.

Finally, the Rock Steed gave up. With a loud hiss, it turned and ran away, sprinting through the rocky structures. Mata Nui watched it scramble down the slope and then run off into the desert. He had won.

Then Mata Nui heard an unexpected sound. Someone was clapping for him! Ackar was back on his feet and had not been hurt. "I know if you thought I was hurt, you would know what to do," Ackar revealed. "So I pretended the Rock Steed had beaten me. You thought my life depended on you winning."

"That was smart," said Mata Nui, putting away his blade. "And I'm happy to see you are not hurt. But if you ever do something like that again…I'll push you right off this mountain!"

Ackar laughed. So did Mata Nui. Together, they made their way down the slope and back to the others near their vehicle. "I'll let you tell the others," the Fire Glatorian added.