author's note : being able to write for a fandom that i have grown to love so much more as an adult than i did as a kid has been such an incredible experience, and i'm so grateful to have you all along for the ride as i share a story i have grown so passionate about. it has been such fun to be able to write for the canon characters and sort of play with them a bit, while also being able to develop lyla and fit her into the events of the story in a way that i hope you all have enjoyed. hang in there, because things are only going to get crazier from here!

trigger warnings : small amounts of violence- all comedic (aka: the training course)

words : 6,938

chapter eight : qualities of a ninja master

Having stayed up fairly late the night before as a result of hanging out with Cole and learning his way around the monastery, and being worn out after the long journey he'd gone on with Wu that had taken most of the morning (and afternoon), Jay slept quite well once he made himself get to bed. He woke up early the next morning feeling exhausted, but yet excited for some reason that he couldn't seem to recall.

The faint sunshine filtering through the curtains made the lighting in the bedroom peaceful and sleepy, and Jay shifted onto his back with a soft sigh of content as he gazed up at the ceiling for a moment, studying it. He then pulled the blankets up closer to his chin, snuggling deeper into the warmth that they provided before tucking Mr. Cuddlywomp under his arm. The blue teddy bear was already showing signs of age, the material's color fading slightly but not losing its softness, and a patch or two covered the few places in which it had been a little too well-loved. He'd had it since he was five, but for some reason Jay found that he still couldn't sleep very well unless he slept with the teddy bear.

However embarrassing it was to be a teenager and still sleeping with a stuffed animal, Jay kept Mr. Cuddlywomp close to him, regardless of what anyone else said. There were few people that knew about him anyway, unless his parents had told anyone else, and the auburn-haired boy felt confident that his secret was (fairly) safe for the time being. Of course, now that he would be living in a monastery and training alongside other students, it was a possibility that they would find out about the teddy bear eventually and would probably tease him about it. But that was in the future, so he decided to cross that bridge when he came to it. There were more important things to worry about.

Like food. Jay suddenly realized how hungry he was, and though part of him wanted to sleep longer, the other part of him wanted food more, so he pulled himself out of bed. He arranged the blankets into a somewhat presentable state and quickly stuffed Mr. Cuddlywomp under his pillow in hopes that the blue teddy bear would remain out of sight, before stumbling sleepily toward the door. Cole was still asleep in the bed on the other side of the room, snoring softly, which made Jay smile as he tiptoed out of the room and headed off to find the kitchen.

Upon finally reaching and entering the kitchen, Jay found that Lyla was already up, working on something by the stove, and he let out a soft squeak of surprise that startled the blonde-haired girl almost as much as her unexpected presence had startled him. She quickly turned around to face Jay, her anxious expression fading when she noticed that it was only him standing there in the kitchen behind her. Suddenly feeling sheepish, the auburn-haired boy chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Hey Lyla. Good morning." He greeted cheerfully.

The blonde-haired girl chuckled and gave him a small smile, a calm expression making its way back onto her face. "Good morning, Jay. Sorry if I startled you, I was just getting some stuff ready for tea. Did you sleep okay?" Lyla absentmindedly tucked a stray piece of blonde hair behind her ear as she looked up at Jay expectantly, waiting for his reply. He returned her smile with one of his own, leaning lightly against a counter.

"I did sleep pretty well, thanks. And it's okay, you didn't really startle me." She gave Jay a look that seemed to indicate that she disagreed with his statement, and he chuckled once, quickly correcting himself. "Well, you didn't startle me too badly. I'm just still adjusting to finding my way around the monastery and all, and I'll admit that I wasn't really expecting anyone else to be up, since it is pretty early in the morning."

"Early?" Lyla repeated with a smile, her blue eyes sparkling with amusement as she looked at him. "It's really not that early, at least not for us."

Jay frowned in confusion, glancing toward one of the windows where he could see that the early morning sky was just beginning to glow pink from the light of the rising sun. He could hear a couple birds singing outside, but otherwise everything was still and quiet. Wasn't this early?

Lyla laughed when she noticed the puzzled expression on his face, and Jay looked back at her with a small frown. "We usually get up pretty early, at least on most days." She quickly explained. The water in the teapot on the stove had begun boiling, so she turned to pour it into the small blue mug resting on the counter beside her, before she continued speaking. "Sensei was up an hour or so ago, and he's probably meditating in his room like he does almost every morning. Usually training begins sometime after everyone has eaten and woken up a little."

"Oh. Well, that sounds fun." Jay's excitement faded a little as he realized that he would probably have to wake up earlier than this every day until he finished ninja training, whether he wanted to or not. Today he'd gotten up earlier than he was used to getting up, and willingly too. He couldn't imagine being forced to drag himself out of bed each day and begin training before a generally accepted wake up time. Then again, Jay thought with a chuckle, he was used to sleeping in pretty late most of the time. Maybe this would be a good habit for him to get into.

"It really isn't that bad once you get used to it." Lyla's voice brought Jay back to the present, and he looked over at her with a smile. "Sensei says that it's good for us to wake up early and be ready to face the day, whatever it brings." She continued, turning back to face him once she'd finished pouring the water for her tea. "It gives us more time to train and get things done and helps us be ready for anything."

"Makes sense." Jay replied with a grin. "I probably would have gotten into that habit a lot sooner if my parents had been as convincing as he is when they tried to persuade me to get up earlier. But even if they had, I probably still wouldn't have followed their suggestions."

Lyla laughed softly as he spoke, and Jay found himself laughing too. "You're probably right. I don't think it'll be too bad once I get used to it. Though to be honest, caffeine may be the only thing that keeps me going some days. Which reminds me, do we have any coffee?"

"Coffee?" Lyla questioned with a smile. "I think we might have some left. Sensei Wu doesn't drink it very often, but Cole does occasionally, so we have a little bit stashed away somewhere." She chuckled to herself, looking thoughtful. "I'm not supposed to drink it yet, at least that's what Cole says. He thinks I'm too young to have it, though he probably is too come to think of it, and I'm not that much younger than him."

Jay laughed and shook his head, a small grin on his face. "Cole seems like the kind of person who needs caffeine to wake up in the morning, and be really grumpy if he doesn't get it, even though I haven't seen yet if he's much of a morning person or not. I only drink coffee sometimes, my parents aren't fond of the idea of me liking it even though they both practically need it to make it through the morning."

"Hey, are you calling me grumpy?" Cole's voice, sounding tired and annoyed suddenly came from the doorway behind the auburn-haired boy.

For some reason, Jay wasn't startled by the sudden appearance of Lyla's older brother, and he turned around with a smile to study the other boy standing behind him. Cole had a slightly disheveled appearance, wearing a plain black outfit that looked like something a ninja would wear, minus the hood and somewhat wrinkly, his black hair messy and an expression on his face that was definitely a grumpy one.

Jay bit back the laugh that threatened to escape him, amused to discover that he was likely right in his observations of the other boy and suddenly feeling a little mischievous. "Hey Cole. Nice pajamas." He greeted innocently, though there was a teasing smile on his face.

If it was possible, Cole looked even grumpier than he had a moment ago. "Very funny, Jay. I'll have you know that this just happens to be my ninja gi, and I'm sure that you will soon get one of your own that is identical to this one, so I would watch my words if I were you."

"Is that a threat?" Jay questioned with a smile, crossing his arms across his chest. "What are you going to do, whack me with a pillow?"

Cole huffed in irritation before he facepalmed, sighing loudly. He was quiet for several moments before he eventually looked up again, and Jay was surprised to see that there was a flicker of amusement visible in the other boy's eyes, even though he still looked a little irritated.

"Alright, that's enough." Cole's voice was softer than Jay was expecting, though it was still firm and immediately caught his attention. "I do appreciate your sense of humor, but I think it would be best if we focused on getting something to eat before training starts. If you want, once we finish eating, as long as Sensei Wu hasn't begun your training yet I can teach you a couple things, just some warm-ups and stuff."

As he spoke Cole gave Jay a small smile, his remaining irritation beginning to fade away. He now had a more determined look on his face, and his words reminded the auburn-haired boy of just how little he knew about being a ninja, and how grateful he was to have someone else to not just go through this journey along with him, but also to be willing to teach him a couple things and to help guide him along the way.

Cole was already turning out to be a great leader, and even though he barely knew the other boy yet, Jay was happy to follow him. So, he promised to himself that he would focus on more important things, and gave Cole a grateful smile, quickly nodding in agreement.

"You're right. We should get something to eat before we start training, and I'd be happy to learn a couple things from you if you're willing to teach me." Jay paused, frowning as a thought suddenly occurred to him. "But for now, what do we have to eat? I'm getting kinda hungry."

Cole laughed softly and shrugged, a smile making its way back onto his face. "I don't know, to be honest. I could make toast or something."

Lyla, who had been silent for the last few minutes, quickly spoke up. "It's alright, I can take care of it. You guys can get everything else ready, and I'll have the toast ready in just a few minutes." Cole shrugged one shoulder and nodded in agreement, heading over to one of the nearby cabinets, while Jay sent the blonde-haired girl a confused look. She looked back at him with a small smile and nodded once in Cole's direction.

Oh. That's when Jay remembered that while they had been cleaning up from dinner last night, Lyla had confided in him that Cole wasn't a great cook. Correction, he was a terrible cook. Of course she hadn't said those exact words, that was just the impression that Jay had gotten from the conversation, when she'd warned him to be careful of her brother's cooking. Perhaps there was one skill Jay could be proud of that the other boy didn't share, and that thought brought a smile to his lips. Cole might be the better ninja, but he could be the better cook.

"While you're working on the toast, I could start some eggs or something maybe." Jay offered after a moment, looking over in Lyla's direction.

The blonde-haired girl looked back at him with a smile of her own, nodding as she looked up from the bread that she was preparing. "Sure, if you want to. But if you guys are trying to save time and get started on training, we can always do something else that would take less time."

Jay shrugged, grinning as he headed over in the direction of the fridge. "Nah. There's always time for food. Besides, it won't take that long."

Lyla laughed softly but said nothing in response, while Cole remained quiet as he began getting plates out of the cabinet, so Jay decided just to enjoy the temporary silence and do his best not to disturb it. He found several eggs in the fridge and cracked them into a bowl, whisking them together with a fork before adding in a splash of milk. Once that was finished, he poured them into a pan on the stove, sprinkling some salt and pepper on top before he stepped back to watch them cook, leaning against one of the kitchen counters with a soft sigh of content.

The eggs ended up taking a little bit longer to cook than Jay had originally hoped, since he wasn't used to making eggs for more than just himself on a regular basis and wasn't sure how many to make. He was sure to stay far out Cole and Lyla's way as they wandered throughout the kitchen, setting the table and finishing with the toast, but eventually everything was ready, and they were able to sit down and start eating.

The food was quite good, and though it was a different experience than Jay was used to, he found that he actually really enjoyed eating with Cole and Lyla. It was kind of cozy to sit around the table and chat with people this early in the morning, and when the time finally came to tidy up and begin thinking about heading outside to start training, he was feeling somewhat reluctant. But like it or not, it was time to get started.

Jay began to gather together the dishes that were still on the table, stacking them carefully. "So... what kind of stuff are you going to try and teach me first?" He asked Cole while beginning to make his way across the room, heading to the sink with his stack of plates and silverware.

The raven-haired boy looked up from where he was wiping down the counters as Jay spoke, a small smile on his lips. "I was just thinking about showing you a couple different warm ups- nothing too difficult. I don't know what kind of stuff Sensei is planning to teach you today, but I figured we would start with the basics. I'm interested to see what kinds of skills you have, and what kinds of things you're good at doing."

"Sounds good." Jay said as he nodded once, too focused on not dropping the stack of dishes he was holding to give Cole much more of a response. He set the plates and silverware down in the side of the sink that Lyla wasn't using, and the blonde-haired girl gave him a grateful smile as she stepped back to give him a little more room, thanking him for his help with the breakfast clean up as well as making the eggs.

"It was no problem, really." Jay replied with a smile as he finished setting the dishes down. "Is there anything else that needs done?"

Lyla glanced back toward the table for a moment before she looked up at Jay once more. "Pretty much all that's left to do is to wipe the table and wash the rest of these dishes. I can finish washing them if you and Cole are able to help with the table and put the leftover eggs away."

"Sure, we can do that." Jay glanced over just in time to see that Cole had finished wiping down the counters and was now eating the last bite of egg right out of the pan, which made the auburn-haired boy laugh softly as he looked back in Lyla's direction. "I think Cole's already taken care of the eggs, can you toss me a rag for the table?" He asked, unable to stop the large grin that had begun to spread across his face.

"Yep, just a second." While Lyla was in the middle of washing a plate, Cole happened to look over and catch Jay's eye. He gave the auburn-haired boy a mischievous smile and a wink, before carrying the now empty pan over to his sister. After a moment he returned with a soapy rag and casually chucked it in Jay's direction, mumbling something along the lines of good reflexes as the auburn-haired boy fumbled to catch it.

Once the soapy rag was safely in his hands, before he turned to wipe the table Jay gave Cole a small glare. If the raven-haired boy noticed the glare, he gave no sign that he did, innocently announcing that he was going out to begin setting up the training course and saying goodbye to his sister before he left the kitchen. A moment or two later, Jay had finally finished with the table and returned the rag to Lyla, before he too wandered off to join Cole outside. By some miracle he didn't end up getting lost along the way, and soon wandered out into the courtyard.

He was surprised to see what appeared to be the training course Cole had mentioned set up in the previously empty courtyard, almost looking as if it could have come right up out of the ground somehow. Jay perked up upon that thought, his inventive and creative instincts kicking in as he scanned the courtyard. Maybe Cole would be able to show him how this thing worked, or he could figure it out on his own later.

"Hey, you ready to start training or not?" The raven-haired boy's voice immediately caught Jay's attention, and he looked over to see that Cole was leaning casually against one of the nearby walls with a grin, and what appeared to be a scythe propped up against the wall beside him.

A small grin began to form on Jay's face as he hopped down from the monastery steps, walking over to where Cole stood. "Yep! I'm ready."

"Great. Here, hold this." Cole suddenly thrust the scythe in Jay's direction, and the auburn-haired boy scrambled to catch it before could fall on top of him. He let out a soft yelp of surprise as he grabbed the weapon with both hands, while Cole started to head off in another direction.

Jay had never held a scythe before and wasn't sure what he had expected it to be like, but it seemed heavy and rather unbalanced. For a moment he just stood there awkwardly and tried to keep the weapon from falling over, almost embarrassed to say anything as he worried that the older boy would make fun of him for being unable to hold it and keep it steady. But eventually he gave up, and turning to look in the direction that the raven-haired boy had gone, he asked: "So... why am I holding this scythe... thingy? Some sort of warm up exercise?"

As the auburn-haired boy spoke, Cole stopped walking and turned to look back at him with an amused expression. "I just wanted to see if you could hold it, that's all." Was his deadpan response. His dark brown eyes twinkled as he spoke, and there was a teasing smile on his lips.

Jay sighed quietly, feeling a mixture of annoyance and amusement as he heard Cole's words. Just because he had been here longer and was clearly the stronger one didn't give him the right to be teasing Jay about it on his first day. But then again, the friendly bickering and teasing that had begun to occur between the two over the last day or so was now a part of life that he would have to get used to and go along with for now, at least that's what it seemed. "Of course I can hold it! Just not very well!" He exclaimed cheerfully, giving the older boy a smile.

Cole laughed a little, shaking his head as he turned away from Jay to grab two swords from somewhere nearby. "I'm just messin' with you. It takes some skill to wield that thing in battle, or even just during training. Hopefully Sensei will give you something a little easier to start with."

"That makes two of us." Jay replied with a grin. "I can't imagine trying to lug this thing around while also trying to sneak around stealthily."

Cole chuckled softly as the auburn-haired boy spoke, turning back to face him once he had grabbed the swords. "Well, it does get easier with practice." He replied, walking over to him. "Though I wouldn't recommend trying to train with one your first day. Here, this should work better." He held out one of the swords to Jay, and after a moment of thought also offered him his free hand so that he could pass the scythe back.

Jay was more than happy to return the weapon to its rightful owner, and once his hands were free again, he carefully took the sword from Cole. It seemed to fit perfectly in his hands, and as he stared down at the blade in fascination, he couldn't help but think that this was undoubtedly the coolest thing that he had ever done, at least so far. He had always wanted to hold a sword, and now here he was, holding one. But not just holding one, he was going to learn how to use it too. At that thought Jay suddenly became even more excited, if that was even possible.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Cole's voice was soft, almost reverent as he watched the scene in front of him. Though his voice startled Jay out of his thoughts the raven-haired boy just continued talking, half to himself, as if he didn't expect a reply. "I remember the first time I held my scythe."

Jay shook his head as he tried to clear his thoughts, a small smile making its way onto his face. "Yeah, it is pretty cool." He murmured in agreement, looking up from the sword and back at the older boy in front of him. "So, are you going to teach me how to use this thing?"

"Well, I'm going to try." Cole replied with a grin, straightening up as he rested his scythe up against the wall of the courtyard once more. "You ready to learn?" He asked, grabbing the second sword in both hands and moving into some sort of ready stance as he looked over at Jay.

"I'm ready!" Jay said confidently, a wide smile spreading across his face as he moved into a ready stance of his own. Truthfully, he had no idea what kind of move or position qualified as a ready stance, but he figured that copying a Fritz Donnegan pose from a poster of Starfarer would suffice. For all of the hours that he'd spent studying that poster, he would have liked for his own attempt to replicate that pose to be just a bit nicer, but Cole didn't say anything about it so Jay assumed that it must be fine. Plus, it felt like a pretty awesome and heroic pose to be in.

"Now, I'm not going to rush into things and go too fast for your first lesson, but I'm interested to see how good your reflexes are and how well you do with that sword. So, I'm going to move in very slowly and attack you, and I want you to try and block my attack. And don't forget, these are real swords so I want you to be extra careful, though they're practice swords they will hurt if you get whacked by one. Got it?" Cole shifted his weight from foot to foot as he waited for Jay's affirmative reply, giving him a moment to process things before he moved in for the attack.

As the auburn-haired boy watched the skilled swordsman lunge toward him in a motion that must be considered 'very slow' only by a ninja, his first thought was to immediately jump out of the way of his impending doom, lest he be stabbed and die right here in the training yard. It wasn't that he didn't trust Cole, he already trusted him more than most people that he had ever known, it was just himself that he didn't trust.

Gone were the heroic and adventurous thoughts that had filled Jay's mind only moments ago, and he couldn't help but realize once more just how unqualified he was for all of this. But against his better judgement, something prompted him to stand firm. So, he did. Once he had calmed his thoughts and emotions enough to realize that Cole was in fact moving at a fairly slow pace, he was able to react to the attack, and taking a step forward he carefully held out his own sword to block it. His block was successful, and Cole's sword was knocked harmlessly away.

Jay waited until the raven-haired boy had stepped away and he was sure that no one had been injured, before he stepped back with a grin. "I did it!" He exclaimed triumphantly, not caring about how ridiculous he must sound, or the fact that this really wasn't that big of an accomplishment in the grand scheme of things. But it meant something to him and gave him the confidence that he needed to move forward.

Cole grinned and shook his head, bringing his sword down to rest at his side as he regarded Jay with amusement. "Congratulations. I honestly wasn't sure if you were going to get that one, but you did a pretty good job. Do you want to try that a few more times before we move on?"

"Sure!" Jay replied, his blue eyes shining with excitement and energy. The two of them then moved into their ready stances, almost complete opposites of each other. Cole's was neater and he moved with the ease of having done this before, while Jay's was less uniform, and his appearance and expression were similar to that of a younger child given the opportunity to cosplay as one of his favorite action characters.

But as they began another round, what struck the auburn-haired boy as amazing was the fact that Cole wasn't just good at this, and he was really good it, it was the fact that he was willing to let someone else much less skilled than he was train alongside him and learn from him. While he did offer tips and explain the right way to do something, he was patient and didn't come out as bossy or arrogant. While he must be aware of the skills and talents that he had, he didn't flaunt them in anyone's face. He was a good teacher, while at the same time a good fellow student. Jay felt honored to be training alongside Cole and couldn't help but wonder how he had ended up meeting someone so amazing.

The two of them sparred together for a little while before they attempted a couple of other training exercises and warm ups, and they ended up losing track of time. Jay was already exhausted when Sensei Wu came strolling leisurely out into the courtyard sometime later, though he was surprised to find that he had a sudden surge of energy and excitement upon noticing the ninja master. Training with Cole had helped him to feel more prepared for whatever tests were in store for him, and though he was still feeling a little nervous, Jay felt as ready as he could.

Sensei Wu finally came to a stop in front of the boys and glanced between the two of them, his blue eyes sparkling warmly. Cole was standing there with his arms folded comfortably across his chest and a proud smile on his face, and while Jay seemed worn out, he had an aura of excitement surrounding him and a wide smile on his face. That made the ninja master's own smile widen as he turned his attention to the auburn-haired boy at his right. "I see that Cole has started teaching you a few things already. And you seem to be doing quite well so far."

Jay beamed at the unexpected praise, and though he was surprised and happy to hear that Sensei Wu considered his work today to be anything near decent, he did his best not to appear too excited. "Thanks, Sensei." He said, straightening up a bit as he regarded the ninja master with as much seriousness as he could muster. "Cole has taught me a lot of stuff, and it's been kinda fun. But at the same time, tiring."

Sensei Wu chuckled softly as he gazed down at Jay. "I'm glad to hear that you have seemed to enjoy training so far. Training may not always be considered fun, so take the time to enjoy it whenever it is. There will be a lot of things that will challenge you, stretch you, and grow you in ways that you did not know were possible. But that is an important skill to learn, not just as a ninja, but also in life." He paused for a moment to glance toward the center of the courtyard, then looked back at Jay with a smile. "With that thought in mind, are you ready for your first test?"

"I think so!" Jay said cheerfully, but there was something about the look that Sensei Wu and Cole then exchanged that suddenly made him feel nervous. The raven-haired boy was trying his best to conceal his look of amusement and clearly failing, which just made Jay worry and wonder what in the world could be so amusing. Was there some kind of joke that he wasn't getting? What kind of test was he about to undertake?

"Good. You can follow me to the training course, then." Sensei Wu's voice was calm and betrayed no emotion as he began to make his way across the courtyard, with a quick glance back at the two boys, who were following close behind him. "Cole, could you get my tea for me?"

Cole nodded once, giving the ninja master a smile. "Sure thing, Sensei! I'll be back in a minute or two." He picked up his pace a little to pass the small group and began to make his way back to the monastery, while Jay just watched the older boy curiously. Was his first task to make tea? That seemed too easy. But then he remembered that Sensei Wu had mentioned the training course, and that calmed him down a little.

The ninja master finally came to a stop beside a section of the training course, then turned to look back at Jay. "Alright, this should be good for now. Please wait here until Cole returns to the courtyard, and be ready to run through the training course when I give you the signal to begin."

"Okay...?" Jay said, hoping that he didn't sound as confused as he felt. Sensei Wu just gave him a small nod and began to make his way back to the monastery, sitting down on the steps and leaving Jay to gaze out at the training course anxiously. There were so many things to dodge, jump over, avoid, and they were all moving. Quite fast too. Plus, Cole hadn't taken him through the course yet, so he felt pretty unprepared.

But he chose to continue with whatever this was, and by the time the raven-haired boy came back with a tray full of tea supplies, Jay decided that he was ready. So, he looked over in Sensei Wu's direction, waiting expectantly for the signal that the ninja master had mentioned before.

At first the ninja master seemed not to notice the auburn-haired boy waiting eagerly by the training course, but after a moment of rearranging his tea things, he looked up with a small smile. "I'm assuming that you are ready to begin." Jay nodded and was about to speak, but the ninja master seemed to take that as enough of an answer and resumed talking. "Your first test is to finish this training course before I finish my tea."

"Wait... what?" The small bit of confidence that Jay had faded almost immediately- replaced by confusion as he stared at Sensei Wu for a moment. The ninja master calmly began to pour himself a cup of tea, saying nothing else and passing on no helpful words of wisdom. Not too far behind where he was seated on the monastery steps, Cole was leaning up against the doorframe and watching Jay with a small smile.

The auburn-haired boy was beyond confused, and as he turned to look back toward the training course uncertainly, he was fairly positive that this had to be the most confused that he had ever been. But though he didn't really understand what Sensei Wu wanted him to do, or know if he was even going to be able to do it the right way, Jay trusted the ninja master, and wanted to do his best to please him and follow his instructions. So, without another thought he ran charging into the training course, beginning to dodge the obstacles that he found there.

Time seemed impossibly slower and yet somehow faster as Jay clumsily stumbled his way through the course, but it couldn't have been anywhere near a minute later when Sensei Wu called for him to stop. So, he stopped right then and there, turning to see that the ninja master was setting his now empty cup of tea back down on the tray and getting up from the steps to talk to Cole. But before Jay could figure out what they were saying, one of the training dummies of whose existence he had completely forgotten about decided to make its presence known.

The auburn-haired boy let out a shriek that was more of surprise then pain as the dummy crashed into him from behind, knocking him off balance and sending him flying out of the training course. While he was falling, he couldn't help but feel irritated with himself for being stupid enough to come to an abrupt stop in the middle of a moving training course, but it was too late for that now. The last thing Jay thought right before he collided with the ground was how relieved he was that it hadn't been one of the swords or axes that had caught him off guard.

He soon hit the ground in a way that was somehow much less painful than he had imagined it would be, though still rather humiliating, and tumbled once or twice before landing in a rather undignified heap in the middle of the courtyard. For a moment Jay just laid there and looked up at the cloudy sky above him with a newfound fascination for the particular shade of blue that he observed among the white clouds, but eventually his train of thought was derailed as Cole appeared above him, holding out a hand. Jay accepted it, and his help without hesitation.

"That was pretty impressive. You honestly got a lot further than I did my first day of training, I just stood there and stared at Sensei until he finished his cup of tea. Not my best moment." The raven-haired boy admitted, chuckling to himself as he pulled Jay to his feet. "You okay?"

Now that things had stopped spinning and he was back on his feet without anything worse than what must be a nasty bruise on his hip, the auburn-haired boy was sure that he was quite fine. "Never better!" He replied immediately, giving Cole a grin. "Honestly, even if I didn't get that far, I did learn something out of this whole endeavor: don't stop in the middle of a moving training course. It's really not a good idea."

Cole laughed for a moment before he patted Jay on the back, grinning widely. "Well, as Sensei says: there's always a lesson in everything."

"Is that really what I say?" The aforementioned ninja master asked as he approached the two of them, his blue eyes flickering with amusement. "Well, in this case, I believe you are correct. I don't think that is a direct quote, but it seems you both understand the main idea." He then turned his attention to Jay, giving the younger boy a soft smile. "Cole is right. You did very well today, and you will only improve with practice."

"Thank you, Sensei." The auburn-haired boy replied, giving the ninja master a respectful bow. Though he did his best to appear calm on the outside, he felt as if he might burst from happiness. He had definitely gone out of his comfort zone today, but in the end, it had been worth it to hear that Sensei Wu believed he had done well in training. And what surprised Jay was how much the ninja master's praise meant to him.

A smile appeared on Sensei Wu's face as he nodded once, gazing down at Jay thoughtfully. "I will expect you to run through the course again tomorrow morning, but in the meantime, you are free to train and practice in whatever ways you see fit. I'm sure that Cole will be available if you have any questions or need help with training, and of course I will be around as well. Do not hesitate to ask for assistance if you need it."

"Got it!" Jay exclaimed with a smile, and as a thought suddenly came to mind, he gazed up at the ninja master with a newfound sense of excitement and a hopeful expression. "Sensei, I know it's probably still a little too early to tell, but I just wanted to ask... do I have an element that I get to be the master of, like Cole? If so, what element would it be? And what kinds of cool powers would I get?" Then another thought struck him, and his smile grew wider. "Ooh! Can I be the Element of Surprise?" In his excitement, he was just kind of rambling at this point.

Though it was partially hidden by his long white beard, the corners of Sensei Wu's mouth were now twitching in a sort of amused smile. He ignored the raven-haired boy who was snickering behind him, managing a serious expression. "To answer your first few questions simply: yes."

Here the ninja master paused for a moment, and Jay couldn't help but wonder if it was purely for dramatic effect. He gave Sensei Wu a look that was somehow both impatient and hopeful at the same time, his mind reeling as he tried to process what he had just heard. But thankfully, the look sent in the older man's direction was unneeded, as he had already begun to speak again, a small smile beginning to form on his face.

"Like Cole, you also possess Elemental Powers, though they are quite different than his. You are energetic, quick to try and solve problems as well as to lighten the mood of the group and uplift your fellow students. These are all excellent and fitting qualities of a Master of Lightning."

Jay shouldn't have been surprised to find himself speechless once again, but he was. This news was so incredible, so much more than he could have imagined or hoped for. Ever since he'd arrived at the monastery he had longed for a sense of belonging, and he finally felt it now. This was where he was meant to be, and this was the adventure that had been set before him. With a feeling of intense joy suddenly threatening to overwhelm him and a bright smile on his face, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind to say in response. "Well... this is shocking!"

Cole, who had been standing close beside Jay with an expression of awe and fascination as they waited for the reveal promptly burst into laughter upon seeing his friend's reaction. "Maybe we should just call you 'Mouth of Lightning' instead." He suggested with a mischievous grin.

"Hey!" Jay yelped in response, trying to sound irritated though it was difficult to do so when one was extremely happy. "You'd better watch out- I have fists of lightning too!" He then proceeded to punch Cole playfully in the shoulder, to which the raven-haired boy responded by countering the attack with a playful punch of his own. That soon turned into a lesson in hand-to-hand combat of sorts, while Sensei Wu gathered his tea things and retreated to the peaceful silence of the monastery to begin mentally preparing himself for the next few weeks.