When it was time to start training, nobody put up any protests. Master Fung had an entire course set up for them, and the five monks gazed at it in silence. Master Fung looked at them, wondering what had happened over the night. Usually they would complain, beg for some time off. But today they just did what he asked without question. Taking out the Mind Reader Conch, he pointed it at each monk individually.
'I can't believe Omi would say something like that to Torie,' Raimundo thought, and Master Fung raised an eyebrow.
'Oh, I know that Torie is evil. It is a gut instinct,' Omi's mind announced.
'I wonder where the nearest all-you-can-eat buffet is,' the cowboy wondered.
'I swear, if Clay wasn't standing between me and Omi, he wouldn't have enough time to say good-bye,' Torie thought, and Master Fung raised an eyebrow.
'So… Tired… Maybe I can sneak in some sleep later on today, during lunch or something,' the last monk suggested to herself.
'Master Fung, I remember when you were their age. I mean, back when the dinosaurs roamed,' the young dragon thought, unknowingly upsetting Master Fung until he saw the glare. "I'll be going now," Dojo said, slithering off at a remarkably fast pace.
"My young monks seem a bit off today. Care to explain why?" the elderly man asked, and they all shook their heads. When he held up the conch they all froze, guilty looks fanning over their faces. Taking a deep breath, Master Fung said something that perked them each up a bit. "Alright, whoever gets through the course fastest decides what they do for the rest of the day. They can choose one other person to... umm… 'hang out' with them, and the others get to split their chores. Fair enough?" he asked, and everyone shrugged, determined to win.
As Master Fung made a sound for them to start, everyone ran off. Not only were there many obstacles, but a large maze past the door made it even more challenging. Each element had an advantage on the course, making it a fare game. The first obstacle was a long, wide swimming pool, and four monks dived in. Omi smiled to himself, rather running over the water. He finished much farther than the others, running off to the next part of the course.
Four soaked, very unhappy monks followed behind Omi, running as fast as they could. Meanwhile, the bald monk was having a bit of difficulty weaving in and out of the falling boulders. He had tried to soften them up with water, but they were so heavy and hard it was impossible. As the others approached the obstacle, Omi was already halfway through it. Clay merely ran through, punching all the boulders that got in his way or were falling towards him. At the end of that obstacle, Clay and Omi were tied while the other three struggled to make it out alive.
Next was a giant field of fire, five stuffed animals in the center of the flames. "Old Bessie!" Omi shouted, running through the open areas of flames, grabbing the stuffed cow and running back out. Clay also ran in, grabbing a stuffed horse he knew too well. He caught up with Omi, and the other three just saw this obstacle. Kimiko flew through the flames, grabbed a stuffed dog, then sprinted out and catching up to the other two. Torie jumped over, through, and even under all flames she could, Raimundo soaring carelessly through the air and grabbing Ninja Fred as Torie grabbed a small replica of Holly.
When they reached the next part, Omi, Clay, and Kimiko wondered what was so threatening about an empty room, hesitating for a second before sprinting in… And sprinting back out. Once again they tried, only to come out with a charred hat, a singed pigtail, and a torn sleeve. The other two approached then, each looking into the area. "So… what's up?" Raimundo asked, stepping into the room… And jumping back out. "Oh, that's what."