The next morning, Duck barged into Vulcan's room at the crack of dawn.

“It's time to wake up! We have an action packed day today.” Vulcan is sucked out of his dream and wakes to see his new teacher. The sun's rays leaked in through the window and onto Vulcan's weary face.

The fresh student slid out of his bed as the sound of bustling feet echoed throughout the hallway. Vulcan got ready before heading out to join the other students.

Vulcan stepped out into the dojos training area where children lined up in front of Duck. He was unsure where to go and simply went in the very back.

“Alright, we’re doing the usual today but I want to welcome our new student.” Duck announced before raising a hand in Vulcan's direction. The children turned to look at the much older and much taller student.

“I ask that you treat him with the same respect as your peers. He’s family now.” Duck gave Vulcan a reassuring nod before continuing.

“First off, stretching!”

The class was quick to fall into formation, Vulcan following along. After ten minutes of stretching they moved towards the back of the dojo. Duck led them to a path leading into the woods.

“Five mile run, let's go!” He began jogging down the path with his students following in a single file line. Vulcan was the very last one and was unsure if he could even survive a mile.

The group was deep in the forests when they hit their 2.5 mile mark which led to them turning around. Vulcan was no longer behind them and was quite far. The line of runners passed Vulcan who was told to keep going. Vulcan huffed and puffed as he finally reached two and half miles. Sweat dripped off him like a river but he continued to jog. By the time Vulcan returned, everyone was doing other exercises.

Vulcan was only given a five minute break before Duck had him doing squats. He then moved onto lifting weights and much more painful workouts. The children were officially done while Vulcan was halfway. Duck decided to redo them so the boy wasn’t alone.

Vulcan finally finished and fell apart on the floor. He was extremely exhausted. Every part of his body ached and yet this was just the first day.

“You did good.” Duck told him despite being far behind the others. “I couldn’t even keep up with some kids.” The teacher shook his head and passed Vulcan a cup of water.

“Skill isn’t based on age or gender. You’ll see soon enough that you can achieve their strength and more.” Vulcan sat up to drink his cold refreshing water.

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The new student was ready to take a long break until Duck added more to his plate.

“Hey, I need some help before you go rest up. I forgot to buy a special fruit yesterday and I need it for supper. Think you’re up for a chore?” Duck pulled out a piece of paper that had Nintai written on it. Vulcan was tired but didn’t want to back down even if it was a small task.

“Sure, I guess you forgot to get it after beating me up huh?” He joked which got a chuckle from Duck.

“Perhaps. Nintai is a fruit so go ask some vendors about it in the market. Good luck!”

Vulcan headed off with his sore body to find this fruit. He had never heard of it in his life, ‘Maybe it's a delicacy?’ Vulcan thought to himself as the crowd grew thicker. He kept an eye out for any stalls selling food. The pupil’s eyes eventually grazed upon someone with a wide variety on display. He approached with the paper in hand.

“Hello, how may I help you today?” The man asked which Vulcan responded by handing him the paper. “Nintai huh? I ran out a while ago but if you go down some more and to the left you’ll see a woman in a stall with a pink tarp. She’ll have some for sure.” Vulcan listened to the specific details before thanking him politely.

Vulcan followed what he was told and found himself in front of another stall.

“Hello, I was wondering if you had any Nintai fruit?” He asked which caused the woman to crack a smile for whatever reason.

“Sorry, pal. Just sold my last one. I know a guy who always has them. He wears a green shirt and is back down the way you came.” Vulcan nodded his head, unknowingly falling into a cycle.

The young man continued to visit vendor after vendor who always told him where to go to find someone who did have Nintai. Vulcan did this for an hour until he finally reached his limit. He arrived at the final vendor who began to give him directions again when he exploded.

“Stop making me go in circles and just tell me where the hell I can find some Nintai fruit! I’ve been running around for a fucking hour!” Vulcan shouts, losing his composure.

The woman behind the counter leaned forward with a smirk, “You failed. Return to Duck kid.” Vulcan's expression shifted from rage to confusion at the statement.

Vulcan sighed loudly before stomping off towards Ducks dojo. His arrival was loud as he slammed the door behind him after entering. He entered the training area to see Duck waiting for him.

“Why did one of them say I failed? Are you just toying with me?” Vulcan was fuming and Duck could clearly see that.

“Sit down, boy.”

After Vulcan took a seat in front of Duck, he explained.

“It was a test to measure your patience. One often looks to gain power without any respect for what it can do to you. Impulsiveness, lack of knowledge and no regard for the world around you can get you killed before you step foot outside that door.” Duck elaborated on why he had Vulcan accomplish nothing in the market. Vulcan lowered his gaze as the lesson dawned upon him far too late.

Duck didn’t want Vulcan to feel like he did anything wrong as it was clear he was taking it hard.

“Now you know what to improve upon. I don’t expect you to be perfect, I expect you to do your best. You’re free to take your break now.” Duck dismissed Vulcan before taking his leave. Vulcan felt defeated but tried to stay determined in the face of hardships.