This chapter was made as a tribute to Bruce Lee.
In Ben Lung's underground lair, the Dragon himself meditated in the middle of the lair in front of his father's shrine. His mind became a lot calmer knowing his lover Maggie had been reborn. Before it was more difficult to meditate because of his anger and grief for the death of his father, but after he reunited with her, it became easier. But now, he must focus on his training. Ben opened his eyes and got up then headed for the training room.
Ben set up four heavy around himself. After taking a deep breath he got into a fighting stance and continuously punched and kicked them and even used his tail to attack simultaneously with great strength and speed, almost breaking one of them. The dragon grunted and shouted as he attacked the heavy bags. The exercise lasted for ten minutes.
The dragon then put away the bags and did two sets of one hundred push-ups with his fingers before moving on to do two sets of one hundred sit ups. Ben then grabbed a pair of fifteen pound dumbbells and did three sets of thirty curls. After that he practiced his punches with the dumbbells in hand. After ten minutes Ben put away the dumbbells and brought in two wooden dummies. He attacked the dummies in many different strikes including finger jabs, punches and palm strikes with lightning speed. The exercise lasted for seven minutes.
Ben put away the dummies and brought out two small bags and hung them on strings from pipes on the ceiling. The dragon pushed the bags to make them swing and took his combat sticks. Ben eyed the swinging bags, waiting for the right moment. After what seemed like minutes he threw the sticks at the moving targets, hitting them with great precision.
He then replaced the bags with stone boards. Like the bags they swung from the ceiling. Ben waited for his moment, then with great power and speed as well as accuracy he demolished the first stone board with a punch and kicked the second into oblivion.
The dragon put away the bags and any other equipment still in the area and stood alone in the center with his staff. After inhaling and exhaling slowly with his eyes closed, Ben began to swing his staff with lightning speed, striking the air as if he were fighting invisible enemies. He then added kicked and somersaults and tail swipes to his moves. The dragon then held his staff in front of him and detached them into two sticks and began doing fast strikes in the air as well as kicks and somersaults. After for about a minute he stopped and panted hard. Ben had been working out for more than an hour. His scales were drenched in sweat and the dragon decided it was time to shower before the next part of his training.
After his shower, Ben took out the water scroll and sat in the middle of the training room. He laid the scroll down on the floor and read the contents. As Ben studied the symbols and diagrams, he focused on a diagram of a figure moving a ball of water then throwing it telekineticlly. Ben knew this was the technique he should start with, but first he must maintain a constant control over water. The dragon closed his eyes as he remembered his master's words.
"Empty your mind. Be formless, shapeless, like water. Water can flow, or it can crash. Let your emotions flow like water. Be water my student."
"Be water." Ben thought as he got up from the floor and left the training room to get something.
The dragon came back with a large bottle of water and set it beside the scroll. He uncapped the bottle and set it in front of him. Ben closed his eyes and calmed his mind. Slowly the water began to rise from the bottle. He soon began to have recollections of his father, both pleasant and unpleasant, but Ben let his emotions flow, as if it was water. He then began to have flashbacks of Maggie and their good times together before tragedy struck them both. Again, Ben let his thoughts and emotions flow on. The water began to take on a spherical shape. After concentrating for more than twenty seconds, the water ball split into four smaller balls. Smiling at his success, Ben telekineticlly put all of the water back in its bottle. The dragon decided to do a little more offense with his water training.
Ben brought in a single small bag and hung it on pipe in the ceiling. He pushed the bag to make it swing back and forth and focused on the water. Emptying his mind and allowing his emotions flow freely, he telekineticlly brought out the water out of the bottle and hovered it in front of him. Ben eyed the swinging bag and waited for the right moment.
"Be Water." Ben thought has he concentrated.
After for what seemed like minute, he thrusted his palm forward and launched the ball of water at the bag, striking it with great accuracy.
"Well done." Said Lei who was watching from the entrance.
Ben turned around and bowed to his master.
"You are making great progress on your training, Chen." Lei said.
"Thank you, sifu." Replied Ben with a smile.
"Clean up this room and meet me in the main lair, there is something we must talk about." Said Lei before he walked out the training room.
Ben then but away the drenched bag and gathered up the water bottle and scroll before heading out of the training room to see what his master wanted to speak to him about.
Meanwhile, in the turtles lair, the four brothers were sparring in front of their master in the training area. Leo was pitted against Mikey, while Raph was against Donny. All had their weapons drawn, ready to fight.
Mikey was looking a little nervous, as he knew Leo was more skilled and focused than him. Still, he made the first move, lunging at Leo but the latter jumped out the way, then struck with his nunchucks yet his attacks were blocked by Leo's katanas. Mikey jumped around Leo attempting to hit him but the latter calmly blocked and dodged every move with extreme focus while the blue clad turtle swiped and slashed with his blades. Eventually, Leo used one of his katanas to catch and yank out one of Mikey's nunchucks then sweeps his legs, making the party dude fall to the ground and drop his other nunchuck. Leo then put his foot on Mikey chest and pointed his sword at his face.
"Nice try, Mikey." Said Leo with a smile.
Mikey merely groaned in embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Raphael narrowed his eyes at Donnie as the latter held up his staff. Raph roared and charged at his opponent, but the brainy turtle stood his ground with little fear and struck Raph in the face with the butt of his staff, making the hot head step back a few inches. Raph growled in frustration and stabbed and kicked at Donnie but the latter blocked and dodged every blow, standing his ground. Eventually, Raph managed to catch and trap Donnie's staff with the prongs of his sai when the latter tried to attack overhead. The hot head yanked out the staff then knocked down his opponent with a side kick.
"Not a good idea to stay in one place, Don." Said Raph.
"Noted, Raph." Replied Don.
Raphael and Leo then looked toward each other and circled each other, holding up their weapons.
"Looks like it's just you and me, bro." Said Raph.
"Indeed. May the best turtle win." Said Leo.
Raph charged at his brother with a yell for Leo to spin out the way and hit him in the back of the head with the butt of his sword. The red masked turtle then furiously kicked, stabbed and punched at his elder brother but the blue masked turtle dodged and blocked every attack. Leonardo thrusted one of his katana at his brother only for the hot heat to catch it with the prong of his sai. Raphael yanked the sword out of Leo's hand only for him to be kicked down by the blue masked turtle. Leo held up his remaining katana with both hands. Growling in frustration, Raph got up and again attacked with a series of kicks, punches, and stabs but Leonardo again dodges every single one. Eventually Raph became tired and began panting in exhaustion. Leo then flicked kicked brother, defeating his opponent.
"Rushing in blindly without thinking isn't healthy, Raph." Said Leo.
Raph just growled in response.
Master Splinter then slammed his walking stick to the ground. All the turtles looked towards him and bowed.
"Well done my sons, you have done well in your sparring." Said Splinter. "And you all fight like the elements of nature."
"Michelangelo, you are like the wind. Free, unpredictable, unfettered. But if you do not focus, you will fall."
"Donnatello, you are like the earth. Solid, unmoving. But if you stay in one place for too long, you shall be defeated."
"Raphael, you are like fire. Destructive, unstoppable, uncontrollable. But if you let your fury take control of you, defeat is inevitable."
"Leonardo, you are like water. Calm, fluid, wearing down anything in its path. If you continue to flow with a calm, focused mind, victory will be within your grasp. And that is why you have won, my son." Said Splinter.
"Thank you, Master Splinter." Leo said with a bow.
"Training has concluded for today." Said Splinter.
Leo went to his room to read a book, Mikey went to the tv area to play video games, Donnie went to his lab to work on some new gadgets and inventions, and Raph went to lift some weights. Meanwhile Splinter retreated to his quarters. The rat sat down and began to meditate. After a few minutes of meditation, he soon began to see glimpses of a dragon made of water, a bird emerging from a fire, which he believed was Ben Lung and Maggie Ling, but then he began to see a large white rock taking the shape of a tiger. Splinter snapped his eyes opened, shocked at what he's seen.
"The white tiger in my vision. What did it mean? Could it be?" Thought Splinter.
And that's that! And just in time for Bruce Lee's birthday too! My OC, Chen Lung, also known as Ben is based off of him.
That was quite the workout Ben had there. He sure had great determination and commitment. And he's finally getting the hang of his water training.
Though I'm sure you want to know what his master wanted to speak to him about, well that's for me to know and you to find out.
And that was some sparring the turtles had. The brothers almost acted like the elements there.
But what was Splinter's vision about? What did a White Tiger coming from a white rock mean? Again me to know and you to find out.
Happy birthday, Bruce Lee.
This is MergingEmperor7, bowing out.