Chapter 4: All you need is dedication
Crystal secretly rode on top of Timmy's mother's car. Timmy's mom was playing music from the car stereo so they didn't notice Crystal jump on. She lay down in order to not be too noticeable. When the car neared the garage at Timmy's house, she jumped off and hid next to window that was cracked open. Since the window was open, she could hear the conversations going on inside. "Lights out in 10 minutes Timmy" Timmy's Mom said. Timmy replied "I'm going to go play video games in my room." Crystal used the sound of Timmy's footsteps to find his room, which was on the first floor. She snuck over to his bedroom window and knocked on the glass.
Timmy paused the video game he was playing and turned to see what had made the noise. He looked surprised and was about to speak excitedly when Crystal held a hand to her mouth in a "be quiet" gesture. Timmy opened the window a crack and Crystal whispered "May I come in?" "Sure" Timmy whispered back and opened the window enough so she could fit through. Once she was inside Crystal started to explain to Timmy. "I'm sorry I disappeared earlier, but I can't let anyone else find me." she said. "Why did you come back?" Timmy responded, thankfully staying quiet. "I need a place to sleep for the night." Crystal responded, her stomach rumbled and she sheepishly added "Some food would be nice too". Timmy wasn't sure what to say. Crystal had an idea of how to win him over. She made him an offer: "If you let me sleep here tonight and keep me a secret, I'll tell you the secret of how I fight so well tomorrow morning." Timmy looked like he'd just won a free trip to Disney World. "Let me get you something to eat" he said and walked out of the room. He returned a minute later with a fork and two containers. One had chicken fingers and the other had pasta. Crystal ate the food and Timmy hid the containers in his closet. He told Crystal that no one would find her if she slept under his bed.
Five minutes later Timmy's Mom came to tell Timmy that it was time for bed and expected to have to pry him away from his video games like usual. She was surprised to find him already in his PJs. She thought the pillow was missing from his bed but decided not to question her good luck. She kissed him good night and he eventually fell asleep. In the morning Crystal woke before Timmy did, since she hadn't spent half the night anticipating the morning. Crystal decided to wake Timmy before his mother came in and saw her. Timmy opened his eyes and was confused for a minute. Then he remembered last night and energized the moment he realized that he had kept his end of the bargain. Crystal began her explanation. "My ability to fight so well is a skill, not a super power" she said, "It took me time and dedication to learn it." Timmy looked disappointed and exclaimed "Everyone beats me up though, I'm too small!" Crystal listened for footsteps but luckily Timmy's parents were out of earshot. She continued "We are the same size Timmy. If I can learn self defense, you can too." Timmy agreed with her but still didn't look convinced. Crystal tried a different approach and asked Timmy "Is there something you are good at?" Timmy looked at the floor and said "Playing video games I guess". Crystal asked "How good were you when you first started." Timmy thought back to his first few times playing video games at a friend's houses and replied "Terrible." Crystal proceeded to her next question. "How did you get better?" Timmy replied "I bought the game and played it a lot". Crystal figured that she was on the right track and said "Learning to fight is almost the same. You just need a good teacher in addition to dedication and lots of practice" Timmy looked like he understood. Crystal finished by saying "Even if you do know how to fight well. You must not use your skills to attack people. Only use them to defend yourself and those close to you. If you attack people, your no better than a bully. If you want a teacher, ask your parents to sign you up for self defense classes." Timmy took it all in. Crystal turned to leave through the window and said "What are you going to ask your parents for?" As Crystal jumped out the window, Timmy replied with a determined look on his face "Self defense classes".