6:00 am, Monastery

"WAKEY WAKEY WAKEY!" Shi once again yelled.

"Dude, be quiet next time, will you?" Kavi groaned in vain. "Now EVERYONE'S up."

"But aren't they SUPPOSED to be up?" Bra asked. "Your training starts at 6:15."

Kavi looked at her alarm clock. "Shoot! You're right. And I only have 15 minutes. I'd better tell Amu that too."

"They didn't tell ME training was at 6:15!" Amu whisper-shouted as they both were running down the stairs.

"Yeah, because they thought you'd FORGET, that's why!" Kavi replied back. She stole a look at her watch. "Oh no… 5 minutes! And it was my Seh Ssung who told me 'on time is late'!"

They finally got at the first floor. They went to the training building, but no one was there.

"Hello?" Amu called out. "Uh… what were their names again?" she asked Kavi.

"Kai, Jay, Cole, Zane, Lloyd."

"Oh yeah." Amu raised her voice. "Kai? Jay? Cole- oh my god!" Kavi was being choked in the back. However, Kavi quickly countered it with a self-defense technique, and he was quickly grounded.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kavi muttered. "Amu, watch out!" Someone else choked her from the side.

"Quick! Pull one of their hands and throw a knee at them or something!" Kavi yelled.

She got ahold of ahold of the ninja's arms. "Uh… what… do…I…"

"PULL IT DOWN!" Kavi yelled again.

Amu pulled the arm down with surprising force.

"Now, throw a combative at them!"

Amu did one of her best cheerleading kicks and he was down in an instant.

Sensei Wu walked in. "Oh, this is good. We have some very alert students," he said.

"Thank you, sensei," Kavi acknowledged.

Jay and Cole revealed themselves from their ninja outfits. "Yeah," Jay added.

"They sure kick butt too!" managed Cole, rubbing his hand against his head.

"Aw, thanks," Amu said, her cheeks turning red.

At that moment, Kai, Zane, and Lloyd stepped into the room. "Ready to begin your training?" Kai asked.

"Yep," Kavi answered.

The ninja led them to a barren ground. Amu looked confused. "What are supposed to be doing here?" she asked.

Kai flipped up a small dragon. Immediately the obstacle course came into life.

"Get through all THAT before Sensei finishes his tea," Kai said.

"WHAAA... I mean, ok!" Amu said.

Amu went first.

"Whenever you're ready," Sensei muttered.

Amu jumped right into the training course. But she had barely even crossed the first obstacle when Sensei called out "Failed."

"She did NOT fail!" Kavi cried. "She just didn't… um, pass?"

"I like your optimism, but I'm addicted to my tea, so could you maybe start…?"

"Ok!" Kavi said. She climbed over the first obstacle, and she was just touching the second when Sensei muttered, "Fa-I mean, not pass."

The next day, they tried again. They both got farther, but still no success.

This continued for a week.

Finally on Monday morning…

"I have an idea," Kavi said. She whispered something into Amu's ears. A strange smile lit up her face following that.

"Whoa Amu, your smile's freaking me out," Jay said, backing away.

"What happened? What did she tell you?" Zane asked with interest.

"Oh, you'll see," Amu said, making her way towards the training course.

"Ready? Go," Sensei said.

Amu quickly dodged the first obstacles and looked back. Sensei had already poured his tea.

"I'd better hurry before he finishes," Amu muttered.

"Looks like Kavi's idea hasn't worked!" Lloyd teased.

Kavi shot a fierce look at Lloyd. "She hasn't started, dumbo."

Sensei was now plopping the sugar lumps into his tea, thinking that even as slow as he could go, she would fail again.

"Now?" Ran asked.

"Ready!" Amu said. "Character Change!"

"I could have sworn I heard some voice…" Zane said, completely baffled.

"Look at that!" Cole said, pointing at Amu.

"Hop, step, JUMP!" Amu quickly passed through the other obstacles. Wu nearly did a double take. He started gulping down his tea as fast as he could, but before he had finished half of his cup-

"Mmmm… that sure smells good. Could I have some?"

"Ah, you passed," Wu said, finishing his tea. "Yes, sure. Go ahead and have some. I have the feeling we'll be drinking many cups today."

"Brother, you sure are addicted," Garmadon mentioned as he was coming on the ground.

"You were addicted to Condensed Evil when you were Lord Garmadon too," Kai pointed out.

Garmadon said nothing.

"Hell-o? I STILL haven't gone!" Kavi said loudly.

"All right, go to the start of the course," Wu muttered. "Only this time I'd better remember to drink faster."

"Looks like SOMEONE has a harder time now!" Lloyd teased.

"Big deal," Kavi huffed, standing at the beginning of the course.

"How come you don't have any weapons?" Kai asked.

"You'll see. Whenever you're ready Sensei."

Sensei picked up his cup slowly and Kavi began. She easily navigated her way through the first two obstacles.

"Character Change!"

"What the-"Zane started.

"Failed," Wu said simply.

"But you haven't even finished half of your cup yet!" Jay cried, pointing at Sensei's cup.

Wu sighed seeing he had failed in his trick, and continued on his tea.

"Wow, look at that guys," Cole murmured. Kavi was now zipping through the course with full speed ('Chop, kick, PUNCH!') with a very peculiar training weapon…

"Kamas?" Lloyd wondered. "I never remembered us having any type of kamas. I don't even know if that's LEGAL!"

"Yeah it is, dummy," someone said.

Lloyd jumped. "Whoa, done already!?"

"Yep," Kavi said. "Piece of cake once you get it, really. Has Sensei finished his tea?"

"He's not even half-finished yet, why?" Zane reported.

"How come he didn't finish?"

Wu awoke with a start. "I think I'd had enough tea for a day," he said, rubbing his stomach. "It must've been the syrup on the pancakes…"

Everyone laughed.

12:00 p.m.

"Sparring time, everyone! Then we'll have lunch," Wu decided. "You both may join in if you have the adequate skills."

"I'm joining you guys! But where's the gear?" Kavi asked enthusiastically.

Sensei Wu plonked very sparse gear by their feet- just a helmet and gloves.

"There you are," he said.

"Wait- no padded shins or anything? Not even a rib protector?" Amu whined.

"If you wish to join us, please put on the gear, or you may go back to your room."

"I'm outta here," Amu muttered, walking back.

"Amu-chan!" Ran said.

Amu turned back, while Zane tensed slightly.

"I still cannot detect what this presence is..." he muttered to himself.

"Amu-chan! Turn from the girl who is scared to fight back be one who can!" Tiya said.

"Character Change!" Ran said.

Kavi sighed, knowing what would happen.

Amu ran over to the armor and enthusiastically started putting it on. "I'll do anything for protection, Sensei!" she said.

Wu chuckled. "Looks like someone changed her mind," he said.

Meanwhile, a puzzled Zane was talking to Kai.

"That was quite... weird," Zane said. "There was this voice that said 'Character Change!' and then that girl- Amu- she became all different and everything."

"Honestly Zane, I hear them too," Kai said, fixing his helmet. "I don't know about the others, but I think you can hear them because you're a- um, Nindroid, and I can because of that X-Egg encounter with Nya."

"But then wouldn't that mean the others could hear it too, because they were exposed to Pythor's Eggs as well?"

"In that case, I'm still confused."

"I won't stop tonight until I find who is saying those phrases! It's creeping me out."

"I'm with you, Zane." The ice and fire ninjas made their way towards the sparring area.

"Remember," Wu started. "Sparring is a game of-"

"-TAG!" Kavi finished.

"Quite smart there. Now we shall have the first matchup, regular sparring, no powers or weapons. First matchup will be Cole against Jay!"

"I'm gonna beat you, sucker," Jay teased.

"Just you try," Cole sneered, taking his place in the ring.

"Why do you guys spar in this again?" Kavi asked.

"Because it is to practice real-life fighting, with no protection at the legs," Zane answered.

"Go!" Wu shouted.

"Gee, no shin armor or anything, how will this work?" Kavi whispered to herself.

Meanwhile, Cole had lunged at Jay, but Jay had stepped aside, smirking. He took this chance to start punching him unguarded. Cole took the punches… until he took to knees. Jay's knees. He grabbed them and pulled Jay down, and tried hopping onto him. Jay narrowly escaped.

Meanwhile, Amu yawned, thinking about all the ninja. Cole, the leader, strong and with will. Jay, talkative and an optimist. Zane, inquisitive yet stoic. Kai, a hothead, fierce, and strong.

But Lloyd stood out from all of them. He had something different than all the other ninja, other than him being more powerful than them all. He was younger, more youthful, and he had a thirst to learn and never backed down. And his looks… oh, he looked so hot. Wait, did I just think he was hot? Am I getting another crush from my side when I already have Tadase and Ikuto? She thought.

She turned to face the monastery… and met Lloyd's eyes instead.

"Oh… hi," she said, startled.

"Hey," he said.

"Lloyd, right?" This is AWKWARD.

"Hehe, yeah," he said.

"Green Ninja, right?"

"Don't mention it."

Awkward silence followed. Lloyd and Amu stared at each other for a long time.

Until Wu announced the next opponents.

"The next match will be… Amu vs. Lloyd!"

(Okay, doing author notes now. Looks like a little Lloyamu has been sparked! Kavi's matchup(s) will be revealed in the next chapter as well, so stay tuned. Until then, have a great rest of the day, and Ninja-GO! Unlock your heart!)