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Chapter 13: Baptism by Water and Fire
For over a month Toa had been baptizing Yeung in the fires of the Crane Style of Kenpo. Each day, he pushed the boy harder and every day Yeung struggled to keep up. Every day, he put the boy to the test, and each day in turn Yeung fought on.
"Get up boy!" yelled Toa.
"I'm going! I'm going!" shouted Yeung. Yeung tried desperately to keep up as Toa had him running laps in water up to his waist. To top it off, the sandy bottom provided suction that slowed Yeung down considerably and forced his lower body to adapt to drag.
As the day progressed, Yeung would find himself locked in a hyperbaric chamber submerged at the bottom of the lake.
With the weight of both air and water crashing down on him, his mind succumbed to a dream-like, half-conscious state. It was this state that was meant to draw on the young adolescents' untapped mental capacities.
Later, Yeung would have his focus trained in the assassin hall. Wooden exercise dummies were marked to display the location of acupressure points both vital and non-vital alike.
"Alright," said Toa "Think of nothing else! Concentrate! Remember the state of knowing but not knowing!"
Like an arrow straight and true, Yeung dived and dipped between the mannequins, his hands and fingers repeatedly, though sloppily, finding their mark. Severed heads, limbs, and splinters flew to and fro from dummies that had the dexterity of live targets. When in this room, all things had a tendency to go in slow motion.
In the late afternoon, Toa would spar with Yeung mercilessly until the boy literally had to be brought back from the brink with a sensu bean. And then, his inoculation into Tsuru form would continue further.
"Erahhh…Get up!" Toa reached down and roughly jerked Yeung off the asphalt by the scruff of his neck.
Every other day, Yeung would be taken out into the foothills to be trained in the art of the wave.
"THAT'S IT KID!" hollered Toa, "PULL IT TOGETHER!"
Trees and landscape alike were bowled over as air currents laced with fighting spirit and sharp as daggers danced around the aspiring student. The air became superheated which gave rise to wild fires and mists.
And then there would still be other times in which Toa would put Yeung's adaptive capacities to the test in ways that became ever more outlandish…
"If I can walk on water, than so can you!" hollered Mercenary Toa. "Concentrate! Use your baku-jutsu! Manipulate the surface abrasion of your heal-skins! Dig deep maggot!"
Yeung did as he was told as best he could. Nonetheless, his efforts to stand, let alone walk on water, proved to be less than graceful for the boy soon found himself struggling to stay above water.
"You suck!" yelled Toa. "Forget flying! You gotta know how to swim in water before I can teach you how to walk on it."
There were some days on which Yeung would deliberately be drugged into a near-death experience for the sake of finding the other 90 percent of his brains' cognitive powers. Latched to an operating table deep beneath the compound, he would lay there as IV bags full of glucosamine, morphines, and pig steroids were pumped directly into his bloodstream.
This part of the training however, was kept secret from the other students who were being drilled by Choatzu….
"You kids have two more weeks until your summer vacation is over!" squealed the small Choatzu. "And we're gonna make use of every minute we can until your next semester starts! Don't give up! You can do it!"
"How many more of these damned flutter kicks do we godda do?" prodded Xin between breaths. "These exercises are so grab-assed gay!"
"Stop your damned complaining Gorilla Biscuit!" commanded Kato.
"What'd you say fruity-ass?!"
"Err..STOP IT! BOTH OF YOU!"
Just then, Mercenary Toa entered the room. The four boys picked themselves off the floor and knelt down out of respect.
Toa waited until everything was quiet before beginning. "Today I have a special test for all of you!"
"What kind of a test?"
"I will be taking you all into the mountains on a camping trip," droned the old assassin. "However, this isn't going to be no half-assed boy scouts hike! Leave your parents a note or something. Tell them you will be gone a few days."
"Will Choatzu be accompanying us?" asked Den Sum.
"Yes." Toa turned away before continuing. "I'm going to need someone to bring you back alive."
"Uh-oh….," mouth Choatzu. "Considering this is one of your ideas, I don't think the kids are gonna like it."
"Doesn't matter..," said Toa fondling his mustache, "They gotta go through with this part of the program eventually. Might as well get it outta the way while they're still young."
Elsewhere, the days and weeks passed equally fast for Fein as he struggled to keep up with his instructors.
Fein swam as fast as he could to stay ahead of the man-eating shark just as he had for the past six weeks. Every week he pulled ahead of the shark further and every week Master Roshi would add an additional thirty pounds of weight to his turtle shell.
In the late afternoons, Yamacha would have Fein practice the Kame fighting form, a form that had been kept from both Kuriran and Yamacha during their first year of training under Roshi.
"Hexagon Form!" Yamacha commanded, "You've been through this a thousand times so pull your fingers out of your ass and put some effort into it!"
Occasionally, Yamacha would call in Krillain to assist Fein in developing his defense. This experience would prove valuable to Fein as he prepared for his own future battle with Yeung at the Northern Kingdom's National Tenkaichi Tournament. No matter what, Fein would not be blind to Yeung's power for as is the case with Krillain, Yeung was living proof that midgets can bounce right back.
"Come'on kid! I'm not even fightin half-assed! Keep your guard up!" The formerly bald monk again got on the inside and delivered a punishing assault to Fein's torso.
As Krillain stepped out, Fein fell over in a heap of his own blood. This frightened the former monk for Krillain began to panic.
"Oh my God! I hurt him!" shouted Krillain in distress. Suddenly, Roshi came shuffling out of the Kame house, curious to see what all the fuss was about. Following him was Android 18 who had recently begun seeing Krillain.
"Krillain! What's going on?!"
"Master Roshi! It's Fein! Help me get him inside!"
"What happened?!" asked Eighteen. The female cyborg bent down to help Krillain in supporting Fein's neck.
"I'll go get the smelling salts!" said Yamacha.
Within this same timeframe, Hard Copper too was putting his all into retaining his title as the Northern Kingdom's martial arts champion.
Rusty wheels screeched and groaned as the iron-hard mountain lord pushed train car loads of bauxite ore out from the unknown depths of the earth. With each step, stone cracked and rail lines buckled under his fearsome might.
Off to the side, the supervisor who presided over the local mining company was entertaining a cadre of journalists who were clamoring for an interview with the muscled monster.
"PLEASE PEOPLE! ONE AT A TIME! PLLLEEASE!"
"Mr. Siks! As Hard Coppers' self-proclaimed manager, can you comment on Hard Coppers' behalf regarding the rumors concerning Mr. Satans' entering the National Budokai Tournament?"
The old executive rubbed his chin for a moment before responding. "Any and all challengers are welcome to try!"
"Is there some truth to the rumor that Hard Copper privately makes light of Mr. Satans' recent victory over Cell?!"
"I'm not privy as to what rumor it is you're talking about…."
"What is his opinion on the revival of the Tsurusinnin Dojo?!" asked yet a third.
"The Kame School also seems to be entering!" said a forth. "How is Hard Copper going to deal with the prospect of Master Muten Roshi coming out of retirement?!"
"Hmph! At Roshi's age he should be in an obituary!" answered the man. This got a few laughs from the press corp. One of the journalists however decided to push further.
"Don't you think it's bad taste for your client to be parraging the accomplishments of past champions? Sure Hard Copper is strong, but let's face facts here! Hard Copper has never really been in a fight in which he has had to go the distance!"
"Look!" began the wily businessman, "If you're insinuating that my client is a 'protected fighter' as that publicity freak Mr. Satan has suggested, then you got another thing coming to you! Mr. Satan has had every opportunity to schedule a real match with Hard Copper! There is no excuse why the worlds' savior hasn't except that he's scarred shitless! Cell was just some two-bit Youtube clown in a costume who should have got a job in the movie business! The fact that such a half-assed Pre-Madona nearly killed Mr. Satan's top two students just shows how pathetic his dojo really is!"
"But he saved the world!" stated another of the journalists. "Give the man his dos for crying out loud!"
"Whatever…," continued Mr. Siks, "The clown probably staged the Cell Games himself just so he could get famous! HAHAHAHA!"
"Seriously, you can't suggest that…!" began one journalist. However, she was cut off before she could finish.
"What's he gonna do?! Sue me for slander. Don't make me laugh! It's his lawyers versus mine! The fact still remains that this will all be settled in the ring in less than five months! No further comments!"
Days later in the forest adjacent to the Crane Dojo compound, Mercenary Toa, Choatzu, and the four young boy students finally reached their destination.
"Just above us is a waterfall," explained Toa. "You are all still too weak to qualify for the kind of fighting I and Yeung engage in! Because of this, I have conjured up a different test to determine whether or not you are truly ready for the next level of your training!"
The old assassin then turned to the waterfall and looked skyward. "You are all to climb this mountainside! Both I and Choatzu will be waiting at the very top on that ledge just adjacent to the waterfall!"
The Crane killer than turned to the boys once again. "When or if you get there, you will receive your test! Neither Choatzu or myself are allowed to aid or encourage you in any way! All motivation must stem from within! Be warned that if you reach the top, you will not be allowed to back out of the test! You will all have come too far for such discrepancy! All climbing must be done with your bare hands and feet!"
Just then, both Mercenary Toa and Choatzu bounded into the air as if they weighed little more than feathers and landed far up out of sight on the distant ledge.
"I don't care what anybody says!" said Xin. "This is still better than those grab-assed gay floor exercises the mime had us doing!"
"Speak for yourself," replied Gen si. "You're not fat. I got forty pounds of extra cargo on me!"
"Not my fault you didn't take the diet seriously!"
"Let's just get this over with," said Kato. Kato braced himself and latched firmly onto a protruding surface at the base of the cliff.
"Ya know fellas!" began Den Sum. "Sometimes being scrawny has it's advantages."
"So does shutting up, so do it short shit!" retorted Xin.
"You know Xin," started Kato, "When this is all over, I'm gonna glass you!"
"Bring it when you're ready gender-bender!"
Meanwhile, back at the Crane Dojo, Yeung was following the dietary plan specified by Toa Pai-Pai. In the absence of his seifu and the other students, Yeung half-expected to have the dojo to himself so that he could train in private. However, on this day Tien Shinhan was paying a visit to assess Yeungs' progress.
"How can you eat that shit?" asked the triclops. Across from him, Yeung was finishing up his second tub of peanut butter.
"You get used to it," answered the boy between scarves.
Since beginning his training in the Crane style of Baku Jutsu, Yeungs' steroid supplemented program had paid huge dividends. Whereas once was an undersized midget little bigger than Krillain now sat a fair-sized fourteen year old who could have easily tipped the scale at 180 lbs. Yeung had well outgrown the simple training getup he now wore. Monstrous flesh jiggled from even the simple act of eating.
Where once were short, limited arms existed giant-sized behemoths that could have easily been 15 inches in circumference and 25 inches long. His height, where was once a kid of a paltry 4 ft 2 in, now was a frame little over five feet. As for his chest, it looked as if it had been stuffed with cotton. Looking at him from the other side, his back muscles had a spread like a pair of terrapin wings.
"I'm not sure if I agree with Toas' methods," said Tien. "Sure you're stronger but it looks somewhat unnatural, especially for someone your age."
"I know what you mean," replied Yeung setting the empty peanut butter cart aside, "It feels unwholesome."
"Do you think it will affect your speed during the Nationals?" asked Tien.
"Master Toa said that he would work with me in increasing my speed and endurance a few months before the tournament begins," said Yeung. "He just wants to see when this growth spurt will plateau. I think he intends to take me off the growth hormone in another two weeks."
"That's good," stated the triclops. "Four months should give you enough time to get your body ironed out. Having that much bulky muscle mass has to make some aspects of your training more difficult."
"It does slow me down a lot when me and teacher spar," spoke the boy, "Teacher still thinks that there's no way I'm gonna be able to get past the range disparity between me and Hard Copper. It's physically impossible so we're hoping that speed and endurance will carry me through."
"Nonetheless, you're gonna have one hell of a time explaining how you grew that much to the Martial Arts Commission."
"I'll just say that I eat my spinach," said Yeung.
________________________________________________________________________
"We're almost there!" shouted Kato. "Hang in there guys! If we give up now, it's a long drop to the bottom!"
"Oh, thank God!" stated Gen si.
In the ensuing hours since Toa put forward his ultimatum, the four boys had done well in surmounting the jagged cliffside. From the beginning, the smallest among them, Den Sum, had stayed far ahead of the rest of the group in scaling the mountainside and was even now waiting at the top of the waterfall with Mercenary Toa and Choatzu. This was most likely attributable to the fact that the small boy had less weight to carry than the other students. The other three had strayed far behind with the last one Gen si, taking up the rear.
"I help but say it again," said Toa, "I'm surprised you made it up here at all. Despite being the smallest and weakest, you made it to the top first."
"Maybe now the others will respect me more," mused the small kid.
"However…"
Den Sum turned to look up at his master. "However…."
"However, this just means that I need to enforce some standardization on all four of you," continued the aged hit man. "From here on out you will be required to where additional gear so that your body will be just as heavy as that of the others."
"Oh…uh, hmmm….hey look!"
Just then, a pair of small hands reached over the edge of the cliff. Finally, Kato and Xin hefted themselves over the top and onto flat ground followed closely by Gen si.
"It's about time," chided Toa snidely, "You can all learn a thing or two from Den Sum's example. Now all of you follow me."
The four boys scurried after Mercenary Toa with Choatzu following close behind. They soon came upon a rocky overhang that dangled hazardously above the waterfall.
"Now, I want you all to line up right here." Toa motioned toward the said overhang with a wide gesture. The four boys shuffled to comply. From left to right, they all looked worse for wear. Of the four, Gen si looked as if climbing the rock face took the most of him.
"What do we do now Master?" asked Kato.
A sly grin spread across Mercenary Toas' semi-prosthetic face. "Just live…"
The four boys had no warning, no chance to prepare themselves for what happened next. Mercenary Toa fell backwards, and using his arms as a brace and pivot, spun his whole body around like a top. If not for what was to soon transpire, one would be hard-pressed not to call it break-dancing.
His legs splayed out like an upside-down fan blade, the old assassin shifted his weight to the side and delivered a powerful spinning heal kick to the overhang. The fragile structure soon gave way and fell towards the base of the mountain, the four boys falling with it. The boys screamed in mortal terror as they plummeted towards the rocky ravine floor.
Toa stepped up to the edge and peered down into the ravine at the base of the waterfall. Gears whirred as his prosthetic eyes zoomed in on the four boys far below. Choatzu who had remained stoic up until then decided to come forward.
"I still think this is a little too extreme," said the young emperor.
"It's no different from the kind of trials I put you and Tien through when you were kids."
"But still..," began Choatzu. However, before he could finish he was cut off by his old teacher.
"But still nothing!" snapped the aged killer. "I too was subjected to the same test by my own brother when I was being trained. If they can climb back up, they will be allowed to further their training. If not, they will be held back."
"Besides..," continued Toa, "You can always fly the stragglers to a hospital if bad comes to worse."
"That doesn't make me feel any better about it!" replied the eternal child.
Meanwhile, far below at the base of the waterfall, a nightmarish scene was unfolding. It had been a few hours since their sensei, Toa Pai-Pai, had sent the four aspiring students plummeting to the canyon floor, and only now were either of them coming too. Blood and small chunks of wringed flesh stained the rocks pink and the mist from the waterfall added a surreal yet grizzly effect to the site of impact.
It was Kato who was the first to bring himself around. The young boy winced from the pain, the strain of moving putting him on the brink. It was then that the boy began to scream uncontrollably.
"WHY!!?" It was then that his legs gave out, sending him sprawling out on his backside. The young boy lay there a few moments just screaming and sobbing desperately. With every scream, with every seizure the young man suffered, flakes of blood would curdle from his mouth.
'Why? Why did this happen?'
It was then that he heard a slushy sounding moan. With a spasming hand, Kato reached for something, anything to brace himself with. It was then that he was faced with another dilemma. His depth perception was going, and strangely, he was unable to attain balance.
He soon found a rock and began to pull himself to his feet. He tried as best he could to find a decent footing but failed utterly. He soon gave up and resigned himself to crawl along the stony river shore.
"GEN SI!!!" hollered the worried kid, "OHHH GOD!! PLEASE GOD!!! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"Kattooo…"
Kato jerked around frantically until spying a cushy, blood-drenched lump lodged under a massive boulder. He hurriedly scampered over to the said lump only to make an appalling discovery.
"G-Gen si!" Katos' voice shook with strained emotion as he reached for what was left of his best friend. It had seemed that in the middle of the drop, Gen si Twan was pulled under the falling overhang. Upon impact, the rocky protrusion smashed his lower body into applesauce.
"Kat-t-to!" whimpered the injured Gen si, "P-please! For-g-g-get about m-me… G-Go and climb back up! You could b-become a m-master!"
"NO!! Don't talk that way Gen si!" Kato cradled Gen sis' head and embraced his fallen compatriot. "This will mean nothing if I don't have you there to carry me!"
"I'm afraid that this is it for me Kato." The overweight boy breathed deep before continuing. "Bring me honor.."
It was then that Gen si passed out. The silence that ensued became nearly intangible. Kato began to shake with unbridled angst.
"GEN SIIIIII!!!!!"
Just then, Kato shot up and grabbed the boulder that had pinned his friend. Fingertips popped and flesh ripped, leaving bloody stains as Kato dug into its' grainy surface. With an ear-splitting shriek, the lad hefted the massive boulder over his head before chunking it aside.
Reaching down, Kato hauled Gen si up by one wrist and slung him over his shoulder. All that kept him going at this point was that he had to do something to save his student-in-arms.
"Well…, That's that!" mused a disappointed Toa. The old assassin turned to leave.
"Look! I know they're still in the game!" said Choutzu assertively, "I can feel it! This was your idea! Just give them a little longer! Something's bound to come out of this!"
"It's been five hours," said Toa. "None of them are ready for the next stage of the training. If they can't get past this, than promoting them to another belt level is pointless. Just go get them before they die of blood loss!"
Just as the elder Tsuru assassin was getting ready to pack it in, both he and Choatzu heard a sound.
"Hmm!?" Toa stepped up to the edge of the cliff and peered over. What he saw left him absolutely flabbergasted, for right below him was Kato, bloodied but not beaten, slowly climbing up the sheer geography. However, it was not this that amazed him. Slung over Katos' shoulder being held in place by one arm was Gen si Twan.
'I can't believe it! Just simply can't believe it!' The old killer almost had to stop himself from rooting on the powerful boy. 'He climbed back up with only one arm, and with a whole other person in tow! This one will go far beyond my expectations indeed!'
"Choatzu!"
Immediately, the eternal child stood to attention. Just as Toa Pai-Pai was pulling Kato onto the ledge, Choatzu had yanked Gen si aside and administered him a senzu. It was a wonder that giving his condition, Gen even lived long enough for Kato to hoist him astride the sheer cliff.
"At least it's nearly over…," said Choatzu.
"Not quite!" spoke Toa. "Den Sum and Xin are still down there!"
"Of course!" Choatzu then took to the sky. "I can still sense their ki signature. They probably fell into the river. I'll have to check downstream!"
"Make haste!" the Crane assassin commanded, "They are as much apart of our schools' future as these two are!"
"Well kiddo! I'll be taking my leave now."
"When will you be back?" asked Yeung.
"In about a month," answered Tien. "I also have my own affairs to think about."
"You better not forget your promise," warned the boy warrior. "I'll come looking for you if it comes to that!"
"You and everyone else!" With that, Tien Shinhan again took to the sky, taking time only to wave goodbye.
Just as Tien was departing, Toa and the other Crane students emerged from the woods. In Toas' arms lay Kato who, never mind the senzus' healing properties, looked as if he had been through a war. Trailing behind them were Choatzu who himself was carrying an unconscious Gen si Twan, with little Den Sum and Xin taking up the rear.
"Master!"
"Yeung!" said Toa.
"How did their test go?" asked Yeung. It was then that Yeung noticed the down-trodden looks Xin and Den Sum wore.
"Kato passed spectacularly!" squealed Choatzu enthusiastically. "You should have seen it Yeung! Incredible doesn't even begin to describe what happened! It was wild!"
"There's still the matter of Den Sum and Xin utterly failing however," explained the aged cyborg. "They got lost in the woods after their fall from the cliff side. As for Gen si, it's a miracle he's even alive."
"Cliff!? What cliff?"
"Don't ask!" snapped Xin.
"I'm going to take Kato home," said Toa Pai-Pai. "Choatzu! Check Gen si into a hospital just to be safe!"
"Den Sum," spoke Yeung. "I think its time you got home as well. Your mom is probably worried sick. Don't need her suing the school over breach of contract! You too Xin! You're in trouble with the juvenile system as is."
"Hai!" Den Sum performed a cordial bow before scampering off.
"You're not my dad!" popped Xin. "I'll do what I want!"
"Fine! Whatever! If you get into trouble with the probation officer again, don't go crying to Master for help!"
It hadn't taken long for Toa to return Kato to his grandfather at their temple. Kato belonged to an old, displaced Japanese family that for political reasons, fled the main island of Honshu hundreds of years ago. Their family started a Shinto shrine that quickly converted many of the local towns' Buddist and Toaist followers. Explaining where Kato had been for the past three days had taken some doing. Katos' grandfather was about as unforgiving as Toa himself so an argument ensued between Katos' grandfather and the old Crane assassin. In the end, this led to a tacit compromise between the two seniors.
Hours later, Toa finally came home. It was then that Yeung and Mercenary Toa were alone. The two looked on as the twilight of dusk settled over the pristine landscape. As usual, it was Toa that jump-started the conversation.
"So, what did Tien have to say?" the former assassin asked.
"He still has problems with my dietary program," answered Yeung. "He's concerned that my health is at risk."
"Let him be concerned!" replied Toa. "I'm taking you off the growth hormones anyway. You're just about where I want you to be. Tomorrow I'm putting you on another supplementary program."
"Hmm…?!" At this Yeung arched an eyebrow.
"That's right!" began the assassin, "Starting tomorrow, you will be placed on a program geared towards bone density. I fear that despite your frames' increase in dimensions, the boosted growth may have weakened your skeletons' integrity. In addition to this, a part of your training will also be tapered to coincide with the goals of your dietary program. Drink lots of milk. You're going to need it!"
"I'll do whatever it takes!" said Yeung.
"Good boy," spoke Toa, "We have less than four months until the Nationals. We're gonna need every second we can get!"
"Have you gained any recent information on our competition?" Yeung asked.
"Yes I have," answered Toa. "Master Muten Roshi has registered some young and coming fighter. This completely changes everything."
"How so?"
"This takes a paltry material struggle and turns it into a war of ideas," explained the older man. "Now, not only must you train to move the immovable object, you must also bear the heart and soul of the dojo!"
It was then that Toa placed a heavy hand on Yeungs' shoulder. Normally, this wouldn't mean much had it been for one thing: Mercenary Toa Pai-Pai never touched anyone save when he killed them!
As they stood there looking into one another's eyes, time seemed to stand still. For warriors such as them, it took every scrap of energy to even stare. Whether or not either of them knew it, a kindred spirit had formed between them, one that only seifu and pupil could understand.
"You cannot and must not lose this upcoming tournament!" droned Toa. "For the rest of the time you're here, I will be familiarizing you with the flaws of the Kame style. You and only you can carry the hopes and dreams of this dojo! Internalize these words and do what must be done!"
"Sir!" began Yeung. "For as long as you provide an example to follow, I will commit myself to your teachings! Please, let us do this together!"
Power Levels:
Rolo Yeung : 171
Hard Copper: 209
Fein: 123
Mercenary Toa: 187
Kato Noranuga: 21.8
Gen si Twan: 11.5
Den Sum: 7.3
Xin: 16.2
Authors' Note: For those of you who are wondering, Yeungs' relationship with Mercenary Toa is one of mutual respect. That is, it is one born of the kind of respect that comes in a typical master/student relationship. There is also some father-son style closeness between the two that is similar to what one sees between Muten Roshi and Krillain. A lot of this is due to Mercenary Toa and Yeung having similar personalities. Yeung is like the son that Toa Pai-Pai never had.