The mountain wind howled softly as the sun peeked over the jagged peaks, casting long shadows across the courtyard of the Monastery. It was quiet, too quiet. "KAI!" Kale's voice thundered across the field, jolting the red ninja-to-be out of his half-sleeping state.
Kai blinked, barely dressed, stumbling out from the training hall. "Wh—huh? I'm awake! I'm—!"
"You're slow." Kale stood near the obstacle course, arms crossed, staff in hand, wearing the expression of a hardened war general. "Get through the course. One minute. No excuses."
Kai stared at him like he'd been asked to climb to the moon barefoot. "ONE minute?!" he sputtered. "Even a speeding dragon couldn't make it through this!"
"Then I guess you'd better start growing wings," Kale said, unmoved. "Clock starts… now."
Kai bolted forward, hurdling over the low logs, vaulting the walls, and nearly tripping over the spinning poles. His breath caught, his muscles screamed, but he pushed on, driven by a need to not give Kale the satisfaction. Halfway through, he dove into the narrow crawlspace, scraped through the netting, leapt across the pit, then promptly smacked into the last wall and fell flat on his back.
A heartbeat passed. Then another. Kai sighed. "Okay. So maybe not one min—"
SPLASH.
A bucket of cold water slammed into his chest. "GAAHHH!" Kai flailed upright, sputtering. "What was THAT for?!"
Kale stood over him, expression unreadable, holding another bucket. "Break time's over," Kale said.
"Break?! That wasn't a break, that was a KO!"
"Good," Kale replied. "Now: 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, warm-up stances, five times through. Before lunch."
Kai groaned, but seeing Kale raise the other bucket ominously, he scrambled to obey. "Alright, alright! You win, Captain Frostbite!"
Kale let the corner of his mouth twitch upward before heading toward the monastery steps where Master Wu sat with his tea. Wu gave him a curious glance. "Your methods are… rigorous."
"They're effective," Kale replied, settling beside him. "Break them down. Build them back stronger. Every failure is an invitation to grow."
Wu nodded slightly, sipping his tea. "Spoken like someone who has already fallen… and learned to stand again."
Kale didn't answer. His eyes drifted toward Kai, who was grunting through push-ups. "He'll thank me. Eventually."
Days turned into weeks. Kai pushed himself harder each morning. He stopped complaining. He stopped hesitating. Kale watched as his movements grew sharper, his instincts quicker. Master Wu aided where needed, especially when the questions turned mystical or when Kale's knowledge faltered. But most of his focus remained on Kale, watching him train with the Staff of Twilight. The ancient weapon was temperamental, but Kale was learning, learning to guide its dual nature without being overwhelmed by either light or shadow. Master wu having the element of creation which close to light really helped him understand light and as if the staff is helding his dual nature, he understood darkness too.
Then came the day of the Trial Match. The course stood silent, rebuilt and polished. Poles stood tall. The wind whispered challenge through the trees. Kai stood across from Kale, both dressed in their training gear, faces stern. "Ready?" Kale asked.
"Born ready," Kai smirked.
"Prove it." At Wu's signal, they both launched forward. The obstacle course became a battlefield. Kai ducked under a swinging log, leapt over a tripwire, and used a vaulting pole to flip past a spinning blade. He moved like lightning, each step calculated. Each obstacle memorized.
Kale followed, slightly behind, nodding in approval even as he closed the distance. Near the final section, Kale jumped, wind curling around his body. In mid-air, he spun, Spinjitzu igniting beneath his feet. The energy surged, launching him higher than physics would allow. He landed with perfect balance on a narrow pole. The mechanism clicked, and the wooden beam began sinking into the ground.
Before it disappeared, Kale vaulted off, using his staff to redirect his momentum. He landed on the next pole just as Kai arrived. The two met mid-air, Kale with his staff, Kai with his sword. Their weapons clashed with a burst of sparks. They fought, balancing on the thin poles. Kai's sword swung fast and fiery, clashing with Kale's precise, flowing staff work. They moved like dancers across sky-tipped platforms.
Kai lunged. Kale parried. The staff moved like a river, the sword like a flame. Then, with a sudden shift, Kale swept low, hooking Kai's foot and knocking him clean off the pole. Kai landed hard, breathless. Kale hopped down and offered a hand. "You've learned everything I know," Kale said with a smirk.
Kai took the hand. "Then you'd better start learning more. I plan to beat you next time."
From behind them, Master Wu approached with measured steps. "It's time," he said. "Time to rescue your sister, Kai. You are ready."
Kai's face shifted from proud to serious in a heartbeat. Kale spoke up, glancing toward the distant gates. "The others return tomorrow."
Wu nodded. "Then we begin."
{That Night}
Kai slept lightly, nerves still buzzing from the day. Then—
Crash!
The doors flew open. Shadows danced across the walls. Three silhouettes emerged—Jay, Cole, and Zane—masks drawn, testing the newcomer.
"What the—!" Kai sprang up, reaching for his sword.
Cole charged. Kai blocked the punch, spun, and swept his leg out, the same move Kale had used on him. Zane came in fast. Kai dodged, countered, then dropped low and struck from the side. Jay tried to grab him from behind—Kai ducked, twisted, and flipped him clean over. The three groaned, sitting upright, stunned. Kale stood in the doorway, slow-clapping. "You pass."
Kai panted, looking between them. "You sent them?!"
Cole chuckled, rubbing his back. "You move just like him."
Jay muttered, "I thought this was a four-man team. It's always a four-man team…"
Zane corrected, "Actually, our team formation has shifted multiple times depending on—"
Jay waved him off. "Not the point!"
Master Wu entered, his voice silencing the chatter. "Good. You are acquainted. The time has come to gather the Golden Weapons."
He turned to Kale, tossing the Staff of Twilight through the air. Kale caught it in one hand. "This one… my father forged before his end. It has already found its master."
Wu spun once, his own Spinjitzu glowing briefly, and in a flash of energy, the ninja's suits formed over their bodies. Red. Blue. Black. White. And Kale, a shimmering suit, half twilight purple, half golden light, swirling in harmony. His eyes shimmered the same. Wu looked over them all. "Now… we find the rest. And we stop my brother."