The day after the Spar Debacle, as it came to be called, the new Masters came to the Monastery moaning and groaning. PIXAL had been right - it was smart to take baby steps in their training. Their first day, they had gone through the entire round of stretches and warm ups before nearly every one of the boys tapped out. Seeing as they needed their strength for their own activities, PIXAL decided to cut the session short and send the boys home. Valt stayed at the Monastery, as he was still at odds with various militaries, but even he was sweating after the lesson.

That day, the boys realized with a sinking feeling of dread, was going to be no easier. As they each entered the courtyard, the first thing they saw was PIXAL doing push-ups with one hand on the cobblestones with Valt standing by. But what made the group pause was the fact that her hand was the only part of her that was touching the ground. Her other hand and the rest of her body was sticking pencil-straight up in the air, like she was her own lightning rod. And her feet - they were covered with what looked like shoes crossed with weights. The soles had a clasping mechanism along the sides that connected to thick clay bricks that also had clasps to connect them to other bricks.

Every time PIXAL went down, she also brought her feet down in a sort of upside down wall sit, then switched to her other hand as she straightened and repeated the process. She continued for a few push-ups, then nodded to Valt, who took a pair of bricks from a nearby pile and added them to the collection already on her feet while she was in the down position. By the time he was done, she had a total of 12 bricks each on her feet, and was still going strong.

Valt had been at the Monastery longer than any of them, so he knew most of PIXAL's training styles. But based on the look on his face, this was a new one for him.

That didn't exactly instill confidence in the other boys.

PIXAL continued her bizarre push ups without any indication that she was aware that her students were there. For a few minutes, the group just stood there awkwardly, a mix of confusion and horror on their faces. Then she gracefully pushed her full weight off the ground and swung her legs down, bricks and all; when she straightened up, she stood at least two feet taller than Xander, which was a little disconcerting for the Laughing Giant. Luckily, she bent down to undo the clasps connecting the bricks to her shoes, and jumped off the now separate stacks. Stretching slightly, she stood before the group and smiled brightly. "Welcome to Day 2," She told them confidently. "Are you ready for more?"

The group just stared at her, then their questioning gaze went to Valt behind her. He gave them all a confused look back and shrugged helplessly. He really had no idea what the day's lesson would entail.

"Uh...depends," Honcho finally spoke up. "What exactly were you...doing just now?"

PIXAL turned back to the clay stacks behind her as if she had forgotten they were there. "Oh, this? This is your new training exercise."

There was a chorus of groans. "WHHHYYYYYYY?" Kit whined, nearly in tears at the sight of the bricks. "Why do WE have to suffer because of what REN WU did?"

Ren Wu shot the younger boy a wounded glance. "This has nothing to do with me!" He claimed. Doubt crossed his features and he turned to PIXAL to confirm. "It doesn't; does it?"

PIXAL laughed gently. "No, it has nothing to do with Ren Wu's brash performance," She confirmed. "This is a training exercise designed to teach balance physically and mentally." She gestured to the bricks. "Think back to when you witnessed me performing the exercise. My legs were pretty straight, correct? It takes a lot of mental and physical strength to keep my body from tipping one way or another under the mass of the weights. It will strengthen your arms, legs, and core, as well as teach you how to keep both your bodies and your minds in perfect balance."

"Uh, PIXAL?" Valt spoke up, stepping forward tentatively. "This exercise seems pretty cool-"

"By matter of opinion," Orochi broke in, staring at the stacks of bricks.

"But I don't think most of them can even stand on their hands," Valt concluded, shooting the dreadlocked musician a stern look; he received an exasperated look that said can you blame me?

"I am perfectly aware of their current physical capabilities, Valt, as well as yours," PIXAL informed him, to which he flushed. "That's why, just like the rest of their training, we're going to take baby steps." She pointed to either side of the courtyard. "Take a spot on the walls and do a headstand. With BOTH hands - don't automatically assume you can already do a one-handed headstand."

The boys complied, moving to take their spots along the courtyard walls. One by one, they dropped into headstands, a few of the younger kids having a few failed attempts before getting it correct. After each of them were perfectly stationed against the walls, PIXAL walked between both groups, examining their forms and adjusting them when needed. She made sure to hold on to their soft bodies to keep them upright as she slowly repositioned their hands, double checking with them to see if their new positions pained them in any way. The only ones who didn't need much adjusting were those who were used to it; that being Valt, Shu, Cuza, the Sword Flames, Ren Wu, Free, and Lui.

When PIXAL deemed that all of their forms were acceptable, she then told them to attempt walking away from the walls at least a foot. Physically fit boys like the aforementioned were able to walk without much trouble, but the other boys were not so lucky. A few of the younger boys were about to face plant, except PIXAL caught them all with the speed of a Nindroid. She then took her time repositioning the boys so they could stand on their hands away from the walls, while the boys who were okay continued to do so; their faces continued to turn red and most started to pant.

When the boys were somewhat stable, PIXAL then told them to attempt raising and lowering their legs while keeping them together.

At that, every single one of the boys dropped.

Every.

Single.

One.

Not even Xander, the Laughing Giant, could support his own weight in such a way.

After the initial shock of falling flat on their faces wore off, each rolled on their backs and just stared at whoever was closest, as if daring the other person to say something about the whole situation. Even PIXAL was silent at the sight. She had to have seen such a scene before, but now she was speechless.

Then Valt broke the silence, "WELP. That didn't work."

If you asked the boys afterwards why they had suddenly burst out laughing, they wouldn't have had an answer for you. Maybe it was the fact that such a feat had fallen on all of them; the largest coincidence of their lives up till then. Maybe it was because they were all in a compromising position. Maybe it was because they all realized that it was impossible - learning such a complex exercise on their second day and thinking they would nail it so soon. Not even PIXAL was immune to the laughter - she was shaking on her feet as she laughed at her mistake as a teacher.

After few minutes of laughter, PIXAL finally clapped her hands. "Alright...who's ready to try again?"

The boys were still for a few seconds, then slowly all got to their feet. They may not learn this exercise entirely today, but they would in time. And they would learn it together.

As a family.

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1356 words.

Sorry it was so short, but my imagination has its limits.

And apparently the boys have theirs...