”Oh, s-so…you wanna learn, huh?”

The old hermit stuttered over his words as he turned the page in the first magazine Hail had brought him, paying far more attention to it while he laid back in his deck chair. The changeling, meanwhile, stood there with his hands on his hips, glancing awkwardly around this island. It was…very small. His eyes trailed onto the pink coloured house, the name of it written in large, capitalised red lettering on the front above the door. This wasn’t what he’d been expecting. The few bits of earthling media he’d managed to get out back in civilised space all had martial artists in their foggy dojos, with more extensive buildings and….at least a student.

Finally, he looked towards the smaller earthling, who he now realised was standing right in front of him, staring up at him behind those sunglasses. It gave Hail a start; how hadn’t he sensed him move? He quickly spat out the answer. ”Er…well, yes! Of course. I was told that you were the best martial artist one could find on this planet. I did mention I wasn’t from this planet, didn’t I?” There it was, still that stare from behind the shades. What was this pressure he felt? It was the same sort when around more powerful changelings, but he kept his cool easily for them, and this man certainly didn’t have that level of power.

”Let’s get to it, then! You had any training before?” Roshi slapped his fist into his palm, and Hail just felt a strange sense of relief that the conversation was continuing. It was nothing like what he was used to, even more so than other parts of Earth. This was the most alien conversation he’d had thus far. ”I did my basic training back when I joined for service back on my home planet, but not much more than that, I must admit. It would offend my sergeant to say it, but it isn’t very much. I…also have some reservations. You see, I’ve encountered a lot before coming to this world, but I have been told that here, ‘martial arts’ can take any weak being, and make them strong. I’ve never seen such a thing. My race, for instance, are strong, and-”

The hermit waved dismissively in Hail’s direction, trying to get him to stop talking for now. The changeling was surprised enough that he actually did it. It was rare for any being weaker than another in the PTO to show any kind of insubordination, never mind this level of indifference. He was sure that if what he was sensing was right, he could kill this man with a thought. If that was the case, though, why was he so hesitant? Of course, he usually tried to maintain a polite facade, but there was something else. Something deep within him, a primal animal instinct that warned him away from trying anything funny with the old master. Perhaps there was truth to the stories of Earthling warriors who, despite having low power, could power themselves and create an attack that exceeded their usual abilities. Such a thing was often dismissed as rumour, but the hesitation that suddenly spiked when Roshi took a few steps back and seemed to wait for him only made it more and more likely to be true.

Light glinted off the shades of the turtle hermit as he stood there with his hands behind his back, half-leaned over like a geriatric. ”Alrighty, let’s start with somethin’ simple. I want you to try and hit me.” Hail blinked a few times, bringing his hands away from his hips as he gazed towards Roshi in confusion. Try to strike this man? Maybe it was his more conscious instincts and his mercy that had held him back from even considering the idea of violence, after all. This earthling looked like a stiff breeze would knock him over, nevermind a strike from a being of highly superior strength. What could he be thinking? Did he have the ability to sense ki? He must have, everyone knew that on a technical level, Earthlings were excellent in the knowledge of battle. In that case, Hail simply had to have faith that he would have some trick up his sleeve. Perhaps an illusory technique of some kind, or something equally as complex. It was the only explanation. ”Very well, then. I’ll try to take it easy on you, then.”

A warm sea breeze blew over the island, and Roshi broke the silence once more. ”Don’t be holdin’ back on my account.” That caused a sudden smirk to appear on Hail’s face. Yes, of course, it had to be a trick. Some kind of technique, and it already fascinated him. He was going to learn about it, one way or another. He just needed to see the illusion demonstrated. Digging his feet into the sand for a moment, his tail beat the ground behind him, and he suddenly launched forward, flying through the air as he aimed a swinging punch right for the old hermit’s face. There was always a thrill to this, even if he wouldn’t admit it. His swing continued, going and going and…there was no impact. He didn’t feel any impact. Hail didn’t even feel it, but he could see Roshi’s hand almost gently moving him aside, the master’s foot readjusting his leg, changing his balance. Why was he-

Hail’s thoughts were cut off as he was flipped over, turning entirely in the air and then slamming onto the ground of Kame Island on his back. He had been smashed into the surface of a world before, and he’d been struck by beings that would be considered all-powerful on some planets, mostly those that had never even had the idea there were others. This was not like that. When he slammed into the ground, pain shot through his body, sending a shock up his back and overloading his nerves as his mouth opened instinctively and the breath was driven out of his body. His vision blurred as he stared up at the blue sky, that strange sensation of utter pain shooting through his body. How was this happening? All the man had done was flip him over, right? Even then, how did he have the power to do it? There had to be some explanation. This didn’t make sense.

He could see those same shades staring down at him as his vision finally cleared, and he laid there, dumbfounded as he gazed back up into them. Hail had come here intending to learn something about Earthling culture from the experience of understanding their arts and how some kind of inner exercise would increase your power a smidgen. Yet, when he looked up, he couldn’t help but feel a little inadequate. He’d long since accepted that there was an order of things. Beings he would always be weaker than, others he would always be stronger than. What did this mean? Was he supposed to believe that all this time, there was a way to attain strength? To be like this old man, who despite having creaking bones and a greying beard, had made a Changeling feel so much pain he couldn’t think straight?

”How…how did you do that? You must tell me.” He rolled over onto his front, pushing himself up with his forearms as he regained his balance, shaking his head to get rid of both dizziness and the sand that was now all over his bio-armour, horns, everything. Even now, there was residual pain, an aching in his spine that felt like it’d never go away. The whole time, Roshi just gave him time to correct himself. Hail couldn’t shake the feeling that perhaps this was intended as a first lesson; he thought he’d had to swallow his pride already and face his role in the order of things with humility, but he was wrong. He’d had such arrogance coming here. There were massive powers here he felt coming from foreign beings, and he had just assumed the Earthlings would have no means of standing against them. He had thought…he had been foolish, is what he had been.

There was a mixed look of bemusement and frustration on Hail’s face as Roshi spoke up, a less serious tone in his voice than before. ”I’d explain it, but it looks like you get it. You’re starting to, anyway. You come back here tomorrow, and then we can start your training.” The turtle hermit simply walked past him as he spoke, casually stepping through the warm sands and returning to his deck chair that he’d laid out earlier. Hail watched with a look that almost seemed amazed, shock still present on his face as he still processed what had happened. It was never enjoyable to be humbled, that much was true, but he did feel a certain sort of…relief. The possibility had opened up again that real power, real strength, could be his. That he wouldn’t be trapped forever with the blood of a shipwright, unable to climb any higher than acting as a spy who could only pretend to be a lackey for his betters. He’d consigned himself to the idea that his power would come from a soft influence; that all it would take was a single Changeling, a real changeling, with a hair-trigger temper and a dislike for him, for all the work he’d done to mean nothing, for it to be over in an instant. Instead, he stood here, betting his hopes on an Earthling. Perhaps he was a pathetic specimen of one of his people, but so be it. He wouldn’t be for long.

”Is there any reason we can’t just begin the training now? At least today, there is plenty of light.” He motioned to the sun, as though it would back up his argument. Roshi shook his head as he continued relaxing, reaching down for something. ”Nope. Y’see..” He grabbed something off a stack on the ground, holding up one of the lewd magazines that Hail had brought with him, an unusual amount of them, with a toothy grin on his face. ”I got some readin’ to catch up on!” Roshi let out a laugh as he leaned back, opening the magazine and looking inside, his face already going red. Hail stared for a moment longer before letting out an exasperated sigh. It wasn’t as though he could force this, he supposed. As it turned out, he wasn’t exactly strong enough for that, and part of him just didn’t want to. He felt a sense of…gratitude towards this old man, almost. This little performance had shown him something. If it was possible for him to not only gain control over his energy from the technical genius of the earthlings, but increase his strength….he could do so much. He was lost in those thoughts for a moment, then snapped back to reality as he quickly yelled in Roshi’s direction, his red-coloured aura surrounding him as he began flying off into the air.

”I’m going to want those back, don’t you forget!” Hail shouted it back in the direction of Kame house as he continued flying through the air, leaving an arc of crimson energy behind him as his aura pulsed around his body. His arms crossed over his body as he flew, his face focused. He thought more about how Roshi must have achieved the move. Hail had felt no increase in his power overall, and there was certainly no great strength emanating off him from the start. He supposed it was possible that…well, just maybe, this was the method he’d heard rumours of. Earthling martial artists concentrating their energy into a technique, attack or movement, able to so easily manipulate it, that they could do things far beyond what their capabilities should have been. Maybe it wasn’t even that, but something beyond it, what a real martial artist could pull off; Roshi had not used his energy, but simply turned the Changeling’s own against him. That would explain the sheer force that he’d felt, the pain,but barely any visible impact on the ground. All the energy reversed back into him, and then diffused. Of course! How hadn’t he seen it earlier?