The Hoe Continues

Sparkly Individual

~Previously on the last chapter~

"...training me all the way up here?" I heard the end of an unfamiliar voice's phrase.

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When I heard the noise, I jumped to my feet and dashed home. SSSSPPPEEEEEDDDDD! I crept inside before returning and peering between the doors. After several lengthy moments, the courtyard doors finally opened. Two people arrived, one of whom I now recognize as my now Sensei Wu.

The same long white beard and ceremonial white attire. A ninja gi, which I now know what the fuck it is, made by his father once he became a sensei. What a wonderful father, I think. To protect himself from the sun, Sensei walked with a staff and wore a bamboo-strung conic helmet atop his head, which is freaking brilliant.

Is it just me, or does the other guy look familiar? He appeared to be a young man, possibly my age. His hair was a bright brown, nearly orange, and the blur jacket he wore clashed with the color of his ha------JAY! HOLY FUCK! WHY AM I SO SLOW?

"I know you said you wanted me to 'train myself,' but there's not much here!" Jay stated.

Wu smiled as he moved to the side of the monastery's big doors. He reached for the hidden wall panel and shifted it aside. There was a button beneath it, which Sensei Wu pressed.

The courtyard's earth began to shift. Five patterned cobblestone circles sunk into the ground and shifted to the side, revealing mechanical workings beneath. Four carousel-like machinery ascended and locked into place at the courtyard's four corners before whirling. The middle entrance exposed a towering mast that was taller than the corners and contained a long wooden pole with a punching bag on one end and a spiked metal mace on the other. Small apertures opened between the four carousels, and wooden beams of varied sizes and manufactures rose and began to spin.

What about the new look? Jay took a step back in surprise as he stared at the concealed training course. He started talking on and on, aawww, much different Jay from my past life. Sensei Wu stepped across the training course and onto the deck. "How about you welcome the first of four new students, (Y/N)?"

I moved back in, astonished, my body now stiff. I shouldn't be shocked by Sensei's keen perception. Even when I try to hide, he can easily find me-----Wait, the first of four? Will there be three more?

"You have another student?" Jay exclaimed with glee. "I'm sure they'd be happy to meet someone new," Wu said with a nod.

"Well, uh, if they don't really want to meet me," he says. "I don't really mind," the newcomer began. "I know I like to ramble a lot when I chat to people, but I'm not a particularly social person. So, if they require a little more time, then---"

I rushed for the door and yanked it open. I stepped into the threshold, a timid friendly grin on my face. As I stood before him, the new Jay had trailed off. He looked at me with surprise? Awed? But I gradually began to feel weird, especially since he doesn't know much about me but I know something about him.

"Holy crap!" He took a step forward, and I took a step back in amazement. "Your outfit is fantastic!" "Really? Pfft?" "Thank you," I say in response to his surprise. 'I wasn't anticipating that.'

"My name's Jay. I'm really good at a lot of things, like inventing, building, and painting. I even do a bit of cooking and some poetry on the side."

'Woah, okay, didn't expect that much from him for the first introduction' and I say, "Oh my, well then Jay, I'm (Y/N) and I'm really good at, um, well when you hang out more with me, you'll know."

"Nice to meet you!" Despite my reservations and concerns, Jay appears to be content. "Didn't you say something about inventing?" With awe, I inquired. "Yeah!" Jay nodded frantically. "Before Wu found me, I was working on a massive pair of gliders. Those stuff..." He laughed nervously and put his hand behind his head. "Those wings didn't work out all that well. Wu spotted me when I crashed into a billboard."

I kept a pleasant smile on my face. This Jay appears to be more of a chatterbox than the last Jay. How adorable.

"Actually," Jay said as he turned to face Sensei. "You mentioned 'achieving the impossible,' didn't you? What if you were seeking for someone who was interested in doing that? What exactly did you mean? Am I going to train to learn cool stuff?" Jay then takes a look around. "Isn't this place called a monastery?"

Man, this one says a lot in a short period of time.

"Within you is a powerful storm waiting to be unleashed," Sensei Wu said as he put his staff on Jay's right shoulder. "We will begin your journey of unlocking this storm."

"Do you mean that metaphorically or literally?" Jay was curious.

"You will see for yourself when the time comes," Wu lowered his staff with a sliver of a smile. He knelt on the deck of the monastery. "Could you please bring me some tea, (Y/N)?"

I kept the smile on my face as I nodded and went inside. Oh, the notorious training test, as I like to call it. I believe it is rigged, but I cannot argue with Wu's rationale. It took me a little bit, but I was soon back with his tea set. I placed the tray beside him, and he poured himself a cup. "Finish the course before I drink my tea."

Jay remained motionless, as though perplexed. Leaving me perplexed in this circumstance, I decided to murmur to Wu, "Aren't you gonna expla----" Wu drank his tea and lowered the cup. "Today, you have failed."

Jay merely looked at Wu and I, puzzled.

"You will learn how to finish the course on time," Wu said. "For now, you must train." He picked up the tray and rose from the ground before turning to face me. "Thank you, (Y/N)." He soon vanished within the monastery.

My face was puzzled as I gazed at the doors. I know he's a little distant, but he didn't explain the training course like he did for me. Despite this, Jay was not awarded one. What an odd man.

"Hey, uh," Jay said as I turned to face him. "You've been here for a while, right?" I nodded, "In a way, yes."

"Do you think you could show me how this works? You know, because you'd be living here and certainly know a lot more than me, you could probably tell me a thing or two about what to do!" With a 'please teach me' tone, he inquired. "Oh man, I'm happy to help you learn the ropes of this course, but I'll warn you, I'm terrible at explaining things." With some hesitation, I said.

"Yay!" exclaimed Jay. "Don't worry, I'll probably understand what you're saying, so uh" he indicated to the course. "Where do you think I should start?"