The sun lined the roof of the Monastery of Spinjitzu, warming the backs of the newly assembled group of Elemental Masters. It was the first official day of training, and PIXAL had suggested (or rather, strongly implied) that they get up at 5 am.

At the latest.

So instead of buzzing with excitement, the group of 20 young boys was vibrating with yawns. The only ones that weren't drowning in sleeplessness were those that were used to being up at such an hour: Valt Aoi, who had been through this training regime already; Shu Kurenai, who had often been up early to run; Lui Shirosagi, who was on the strictest blader training regime known to man; the Sword Flames, who were martial artists themselves; and Ren Wu Sun, for the same reason as the Sword Flames. The others didn't have this luxury; the youngest were practically falling asleep on their feet. Free De La Hoya and Jin Aizawa had fully given up on trying to stay awake and were sleeping soundly against the wall, snoring in unison softly.

When PIXAL opened the doors to the courtyard, she was greeted by an orchestra of yawns. Her face betrayed nothing at the sight - she had probably been through this beginning many times. She strode to the edge of the porch, causing the group to straighten at the sight of her. Cuza Ackerman quickly shook Kit Lopez and Fubuki Sumie, startling them out of their attempts at napping. Orochi Ginba took care of Free and Jin, producing a sharp yet low whistle that had them awake and on their feet in no time. PIXAL watched as they fell into position before her, feet spread shoulder length apart, hands clasped behind her back; the picture of a teacher surveying her students.

"No armor today, Pix?" Valt asked, tilting his head at her appearance.

The Nindroid smirked and glanced down at her outfit. As opposed to her usual purple kimono or red and blue Samurai X armor, she was wearing a loose fitting white tank top that showed off her metallic white and purple arms. Her legs were clothed in black sweat pants that ended soon enough to reveal black tabi shoes in their full image. "I thought we would...ease the group into their training," She explained.

Valt grinned like a fox. "So you don't think they can handle it?" He asked teasingly. A couple of the boys around him looked at one another in confusion. Ren Wu just looked outraged.

PIXAL snorted slightly. "In time, they might," She told the snickering blue boy. "But when you try new things, it's important to take baby steps. I seem to remember you weren't exactly a natural when you started out, either." She said with a giggle to the group, "He couldn't get past the first set of warmups before he passed out." A few of the martial artists snickered, but a couple of the less athletic boys went pale.

Valt sweat dropped. "I was recovering from being banged in the head with the Earth," He protested with his arms flailing, though the joking tone never left his voice. "What did you expect - Lloyd Garmadon, reincarnated?"

PIXAL laughed loudly at the cocky question, tilting her shiny head to the sky and closing her green eyes from the force of her guffaws. While the name vaguely rang a bell in the minds of those in attendance, the joke did not.

" 'Being banged in the head with the Earth'?" Shu asked, giving his boyfriend a concerned glance. "Valt, what does that mean?"

Valt's sweat worsened as he realized he hadn't told Shu everything about the day he had discovered his Elemental Power. "Uhhh...longstoryI'lltellyoulater," He said quickly, then shushed harshly enough to spit. "PIXAL IS TRYING TO TEACH US A LESSON." His body posture returned to one of respectful compliance, but his nervous sweat remained.

Shu gave him a look that said they would be talking about it later, whether Valt wanted to or not.

"Anyway," PIXAL broke in, growing serious. "Today, I will begin to teach you boys the way that has been taught since before time had a name. The art that the First Spinjitzu Master established when he created Ninjago and its sister realms. The Art of Spinjitzu."

Valt's brown eyes swelled with pride as PIXAL said the name of the art of their ancestors. A few of the boys breathed deeply, as if readying themselves for the journey ahead. Ren Wu just rolled his eyes.

"The Art of Spinjitzu, otherwise known as the Art of the Dragon," PIXAL continued. "Is unlike any other martial art. It is uplifting, yet grounding. It is ferocious, yet restrained. It is terrifying, yet gentle." She paused, as if for dramatic effect. "These descriptions should show you that the art is not just one thing. It is a balance of many things; in order to fully understand the art, you must all find balance within yourselves."

A loud groan suddenly erupted from within the group. The boys glanced around wildly for the culprit before finding him: Ren Wu. "Give me a break - this is a load of crap!" He snapped, his navy eyes flashing.

Everyone around him showed varying degrees of horror while PIXAL merely watched the brunette. "Do you question my teachings, Ren Wu Sun?" She asked calmly.

"I have a LOT of questions," Ren Wu growled, slowly stalking towards her, despite the attempts of his fellow teammates to hold him back. "First off, if we're all members of this mystical group of yours, how come only Valt has displayed such powers? Secondly, why do we all have to dress like we're different versions of the same candy?"

He was referring to their training gis - they had gotten them shortly after they had first gathered. They were exactly the same as Valt's blue one, except each was their respective colors and sizes; like Ren Wu Sun said, they were different versions of the same candy.

"Thirdly, I've seen the effects of an Element, so I'm not sure I want to be in this group of people who supposedly have abilities just like it." Valt noticeably flinched at that. "Lastly, this whole concept of an art unlike any other art is just a load of horseshit!" He was now standing in front of her. Behind him, Rantaro Kiyama and Daigo Kurogami leapt to protect Kit and Fubuki's innocent ears. "I am trained in all major disciplines, and a good chunk of them teach inward balance." He dared to step close enough that his breath stirred the fabric of PIXAL's tank top. "You may say you're here to teach us about our ancestors, but how can we be sure that this all isn't a big fat hoax?" His glare challenged her to defy his statement.

PIXAL stared at him with an immeasurable sense of calmness. It was obvious where Valt had learned his new patience - the chilly unwavering body language that he'd demonstrated on his "goodbye" mission a few weeks ago. The Nindroid stared the Regulus blader down with her glowing robotic eyes. The energy they emitted from their staring contest became so intense, Ren Wu eventually had no choice but to look away and step off of the porch stairs.

"It's perfectly normal to be in denial at your situation, Ren Wu Sun," PIXAL told him as he blinked furiously. "But I can assure you that everything that has been mentioned or occurred thus far is real."

She started to explain in detail, "As to your questions - after an Element is transferred to a new Master, it takes a cool down period. The new Master has to awaken the Element on their own terms; either by confronting a physical enemy or a mental one.

"Your gis are only temporary; once you know more about the fundamentals, you'll be allowed to create your own outfits.

"Yes, Valt's outburst was destructive, but that was only because he didn't know how to control it. Now he knows more about it, so he can control it better; your case, as well as those of your teammates, shouldn't be that different.

"The Art of the Dragon is a complicated martial art that is difficult to describe with words; you will have to pay attention to my teachings in order to truly understand it.

"And lastly, there are several ways I can prove the sincerity of your family's past, but seeing that you're a young man of suspicion, chances are you'll believe none of it." She chose not to walk off the porch and bent down with her chrome hands on her knees so she could look Ren Wu in the eye. "All I can ask is for you to trust me with teaching you," She told him softly, a pleading look in her artificial eyes.

Having applied natural first aid to his eyes, Ren Wu gave her another glare. "Then make me," He challenged. "Spar with me; I'll use my teachings, and you can use this so called Art of the Dragon. If you can best me, maybe I'll believe this whole thing."

The gathered group took a collective gasp. Not all of them had seen PIXAL in action, but they knew enough about her to know that she was centuries old; there was no telling what she had learned in that long time. Ren Wu was playing a dangerous gamble, assuming he could beat PIXAL in the ring. But one look at the ferocity in his navy eyes, and you could tell he wasn't about to back down.

The boys whispered amongst themselves, All this...just to prove she isn't lying?

When PIXAL didn't respond to accept or deny, Valt stepped in to talk the brash brunette down. "Are you crazy, Ren Wu? PIXAL is a literal machine in the ring; trust me, you don't want to fight her without being prepared first!"

The brunette only glared at him. "As if I need advice from you," He snarled. The abrasive tone in his voice caused Valt to flinch and step back.

"Hey, hey," Xander Shakadera said firmly, placing a large hand on the smaller boy's shoulder. "Calm down and think this through!"

"I am thinking this through," Ren Wu growled, shaking the hand off of his shoulder. "You're the one who's not thinking it through! None of you are thinking this whole goddamn situation through!" He faced the whole group. "You know nothing about her, yet you're choosing to blindly follow her and this ridiculous art!"

"He said after he put on the gi," Ukyo Ibuki said snidely in the background.

"SHUT IT," Ren Wu snapped at him.

PIXAL watched the intervention without saying a word. When Ren Wu stopped ranting for a breath, she finally spoke softly, "If sparring with you will make you believe in my teachings..." Her eyes flashed a brilliant green. "I will gladly fight you."

The boys gawked at her, but Ren Wu nodded in affirmation. "Great, it's settled," He said flatly.

"Clear a circle that is 24 feet in diameter," PIXAL told the group, walking down the porch steps with her head held high. "We'll need all the room required for this sparring session."

Valt ran up to her as the Sword Flames guided the other boys into position, having been in sparring sessions themselves before. "Are you sure about this, Pix?" He asked worriedly. "Killing a student while in the presence of other students doesn't exactly boost team morale."

PIXAL snickered. "I'm not going to kill him," She assured him, walking to the opposite side of the circle from Ren Wu.

"You say that, but I've seen you crush a thirty pound log with your bare hands," Valt reminded her. "For a warm up!"

"That comes from practice."

"You know what else comes from practice? The strength of a Titan, apparently!"

"If you two are done confessing your secrets to one another," Ren Wu snapped, glaring at the pair on the other side of the circle. "Let's do this."

PIXAL and Valt looked at each other, shared a nod, then broke apart. Valt moved to join the group around the circle while PIXAL remained on her side.

"This is gonna be bad," Naoki Minamo fretted, though secretly wishing he had his tablet on him to record the event.

"Yes," Boa Alcazaba added. "PIXAL has hundreds of years of experience. Compared with Ren Wu's one digit years of experience, it's not a good matchup."

"I don't know," Yugo Nansui broke in, his samurai expertise on display. "Xander said that Ren Wu is the strongest and most experienced martial artist in SB Rios; he rivals even Banner Clay. Even Xander has a difficult time taking him down." He crossed his tan arms and fixed the sparring circle with a calculated glare. "It's a total toss up, if you ask me."

Valt was quiet, listening as the boys discussed the possible outcome of the battle while his own eyes remained glued to the ring. Then he silenced them with two sentences, "You don't know PIXAL like I do. Trust me, Ren Wu is going down hard."

Xander took the role of referee and took the desired position off the center of the sparring circle. He stuck his hand out flat, either side facing the two opponents. When he deemed them ready, he threw up his hand and yelled, "And GO!"

(I know nothing about martial arts, and I don't really know how to write fight scenes; this is going to be my version.)

At first, the two just circled the outside of the ring, watching each other, calculating their movements. All the while, the other boys were rooting for Ren Wu; mostly because they wanted to see what PIXAL was capable of. The brunette paid their words of encouragement no heed. He only had eyes for the white and purple Nindroid across from him as her feet moved across the ground like those of a cat. Then one foot struck the cobblestones hard enough to crack one, and she refused to move anymore, instead fixing Ren Wu with a hard stare. Her message was clear: Now is the time to act, or don't act at all.

Ren Wu also stopped, but his expression conveyed that it was more out of fear than everything. Everyone else in the courtyard also fell silent, though Valt's eyes merely held silent respect. It was the first time since they'd met her that PIXAL had made it clear who she was: a machine that had seen it all. An AI that had never stopped learning. Her exterior might look shiny and new, but her programming was centuries old.

She had seen countless wars. No way she was scared to fight an 11 year old.

The courtyard was quiet for a few moments as the two continued to stare at each other. Finally, Ren Wu leapt into action and attempted a roundhouse kick towards her head. PIXAL bent backwards to sidestep it, then swept her foot out to loop around his knee and pull him off balance. As he fell, her arm shot out and broke his fall, then tossed him high into the air. He was airborne for about two seconds before PIXAL leapt up to meet him and drive her fist into his chest, speeding up his trip back to the ground. He hit the cobblestones hard, knocking the wind out of him and temporarily paralyzing him.

PIXAL hit the ground in a crouch about a second later, straightening up in the blink of an eye. Ren Wu spent a few seconds gasping for air before he painstakingly pulled himself to his feet, undeniable rage in his eyes. He swung at PIXAL with his fists, but they wavered, and she easily ducked out of contact. When one was aimed at her face, though, she met it with her palm and pulled the arm towards her. Ren Wu stumbled past her, and she took the opportunity to deliver a sharp elbow to his back, pushing him to his knees and scraping his palms as he tried to break his fall.

This time, he was on his feet in mere seconds. He came after PIXAL again, this time with a kick angled directly towards her midsection. She caught the kick in midair by his knee, and used the momentum to flip Ren Wu over her shoulder. He landed on his stomach, and from the sound of his cry, he wasn't getting back up.

The boys were still quiet as PIXAL rushed to the brunette, falling to her knees beside him and putting her hands on his back, gripping the fabric of his gi. Everyone watching thought she was going to use the gi to force him to his feet. Instead, she ripped the fabric and the undershirt underneath, exposing the skin of Ren Wu's back, which had turned a vibrant red and sported more than a few scratches. She laid her palms on his back, which soon secreted a pale liquid. She moved her hands around the skin, rubbing the liquid into his injuries; it appeared to be some sort of alcohol-based cleaner, because Ren Wu hissed. Once the cleaner had completely seeped into his back, she produced a thread and needle out of her finger and stitched his gi and undershirt back together as quickly and as seamlessly as if they had never been ripped.

She repeated the process to his hands and chest, cleaning the wounds and stitching his gi up over and over. All the while, the boys around her barely breathed or spoke. It was all too...weird. She had beat Ren Wu up, and now she was treating his injuries? Immediately afterwards?

None was as confused as the hurt boy himself. He only watched as PIXAL cleaned him up, a questioning look in his eyes. The Nindroid waited until all of her contact points had been cleaned, then faced him fully. "Alright, out with it," She commanded, though gently.

Ren Wu was quiet for a second, then asked, "Why? You have more experience in warfare than the rest of us combined. You could have easily beaten me near to death for questioning your teachings - why do this?"

PIXAL smiled warmly. "That's the Art of the Dragon. Only attack when necessary, and use your opponent's strength and stamina against them," She explained.

"Still," Ren Wu pressed.

"For one, beating up a student before other students is bad for morale." She looked to Valt at that, who rolled his eyes as she recounted his statement. "Another thing is, the relationship between a teacher and a student is all about trust. Right now, I need to gain yours if I am to teach you. So take to heart this statement: whenever I may beat you down, it's because I care for you and for your future. And no matter how much I or my teachings may beat you down, know that I will always be there to boost you back up." She lifted her head and surveyed the rest of the group. "And when I can't be there, I want the rest of you to be there for each other," She told them all firmly. Having seen what she could do, the boys were too scared to reject and nodded their compliance. Valt's nod was the firmest of all of them.

Satisfied, PIXAL stood up and reached a hand down to Ren Wu. "Now that you've seen the Art of the Dragon, what do you have to say about it?" She asked him.

Ren Wu took her hand and stood up. "I have to admit, it's like nothing I've ever seen. I could sense you channeling a lot of your strength into your movements, yet you choose to deflect my attacks; your defense, though is as affective as an offense. I was practically powerless." He gazed at her inquisitively. "It's...quite interesting, actually."

PIXAL grinned playfully. "So what do you say? Are you interested in learning?"

Ren Wu seemed to think. Then, without a second thought, he looked straight at her and said firmly, "Yes."

PIXAL turned to the group. "What about the rest of you?"

They answered in unison, "YES."

Her smile could rival the Sun. "Perfect. Let's start with some stretches."

—————
3381 words.

I don't know what I'm doing anymore...