First Stage of Training

"Hello, Mr. Popo," Kasso said with a smile.

"Hello, Mr. Popo," Ausbie repeated, imitating Kasso.

?

This girl's copying me?

Kasso gave Little Biel an exasperated look, and she looked right back at him. The two little kids stared into each other's eyes.

Neither one blinked.

Popo stood beside them without saying a word. The three figures stood quietly in the middle of the Lookout.

In the midst of this utter silence, Popo suddenly spoke. "You two are pretty good."

?

Kasso was a little surprised to hear Popo's voice. Since they'd met, Popo hadn't said a word to him, and now the first thing he did was praise them both. Kasso couldn't help feeling a little flattered.

"All right, let's begin training," Popo said expressionlessly.

"Okay!" Kasso nodded.

Kasso had just tried to sense Popo using his lousy detection method, but as expected, he'd found nothing.

And it was precisely because he'd found nothing that Popo seemed even more mysterious to Kasso.

Popo somehow produced two little bells. "Tie one bell around each of your ankles."

He handed each of them a bell and told them to grab the apple in his hand without making their bells ring. They could use any means they liked; once they got the apple, they could move on to the next stage.

Seeing the bells and apple suddenly appear in Popo's hands, Kasso froze for a moment. Wasn't this the same training method Popo had used when Goku first arrived at the Lookout?

Kasso was now far stronger than Goku had been back then. He couldn't help wondering if a method like this would even work!

As Kasso questioned it, he suddenly noticed the Weighted Clothing he was wearing.

Am I an idiot or what!

Kasso smacked his forehead and laughed at himself.

He'd been wearing the Weighted Clothing for a week now, and he could only use his physical strength. In that sense, he wasn't much different from little Goku.

Now Kasso understood: the simplest way was often the best, and the same methods could work for anyone.

Meanwhile, Ausbie had already started training.

"Mr. Popo, here I come!"

She charged straight at him.

But!

Jingle, jingle...

The bell rang. Ausbie ignored it and kept reaching for the apple in Popo's hand.

Popo then did something astonishing. Although his body hadn't moved, he somehow dodged Ausbie's attack. He raised his hand, intending to flick her on the forehead as punishment.

Then, for some reason, he changed his mind. He lowered his hand and flicked the little hand she'd stretched out instead.

"Ow, that hurts!" Ausbie immediately crouched down, rubbing her little hand.

Ausbie cursed him inwardly. That coal ball had dodged so quickly, and he'd flicked her hand so hard it was almost swollen and red.

How mean!

"Remember, don't let the bell ring," Popo said calmly, then stood motionless.

Then Popo suddenly turned around.

Sure enough, a bell rang behind him.

This time, Popo didn't hesitate. He raised his hand and flicked Kasso on the forehead.

"Ah, that hurts!"

Kasso covered his forehead and realized a huge bump had already risen there.

Damn it, I just wanted to try sneaking up on him. Did he have to hit me that hard?

And why hadn't he flicked Little Biel on the head, but hit him instead? Wasn't that blatant favoritism toward girls?

Kasso felt like a stampede was thundering through his mind. He was completely speechless.

Popo looked at them with a profound gaze. "Keep going."

Kasso and Ausbie exchanged a glance.

They weren't going to give up.

They carefully took a step forward.

Jingle, jingle...

Then came two thumps, one after another. They both crouched down again, clutching the spots Popo had flicked as they cried out in pain.

Half a day passed.

After being flicked dozens of times, Kasso lay exhausted on the floor of the Lookout, while Ausbie leaned against him.

One had bumps all over his head; the other had two bright red hands. Both wore expressions of utter despair.

"This is so hard!"

At first, Kasso had thought the training would be easy. Only when he actually started did he realize it was a nightmare-level challenge.

No matter what he did, he couldn't keep the bell from ringing. It was absolutely hopeless.

Kasso closed his eyes. He'd rest for a while before trying again.

He remembered that Goku had struggled at first too. No matter what he did, the bell rang. The only way to keep it quiet was to stay still, but how could he grab the apple without moving?

Kasso found himself trapped in a dead end.

"How did Goku do it back then?" Kasso murmured.

He remembered Popo saying something like, "You have to be as calm as the sky..."

That was it!

Those were the words.

To keep the bell from ringing, he first had to be still—not just in body, but in spirit too. The two had to work together, moving in harmony with nature and following his instincts. His mind would guide his body, and the bell would become a part of him...

"Mr. Popo, let's go again!"

Kasso seemed to have figured something out! He leaped up from the floor and called out to Popo.

Ausbie remained where she was, lying on the floor and watching Kasso's back. She muttered, "Is Kasso hurrying off to get himself killed?"

In the distance,

Kasso and Popo stood facing each other. Kasso suddenly closed his eyes.

Seeing this, a glint flashed in Popo's otherwise calm eyes.

"Not bad. He learns quickly!"

Soon, Kasso's entire body settled into a state of calm. His mind was exceptionally clear, and he seemed able to sense where the bell was.

Suddenly, Kasso moved.

Ausbie, still lying on the floor, widened her eyes in disbelief.

Kasso was moving quickly in the distance, yet the bell wasn't making a sound.

"Kasso's so amazing!" Ausbie exclaimed.

But two seconds later,

Jingle, jingle...

Ausbie curled her lip. "Who does he think he's fooling?"

Kasso: "..."

After a while,

Ausbie had rested enough, and the two of them resumed training.

Time passed quickly, and a week went by just like that.

Atop the Lookout,

Popo balanced an apple on his head and held a banana in his hand. He peeled it and took a bite.

Suddenly,

Two figures darted out from somewhere, making no sound at all.

The two moved in perfect sync: one attacked Popo's lower body while the other went for his upper body.

But Popo kept eating his banana with a calm expression. He pushed off lightly with his toes, curled his body into a ball, and ended up perfectly between their attacks, unharmed. The apple on his head didn't even budge.

Kasso and Ausbie leaped into the air, about to fall to the ground.

In a flash!

Kasso sucked in a deep breath, puffing out his chest, then blew with all his might. The apple on Popo's head flew straight into Ausbie's arms.

Thump, thump, thump!

All three landed on the ground at the same time.

The Lookout fell completely silent. The three of them stood motionless, as if the scene had frozen.

Even Popo's hand, with the banana halfway to his mouth, didn't move.

A few seconds later, Popo said expressionlessly, "Next stage."

As he turned away, where Kasso and Ausbie couldn't see him, the corners of Popo's mouth lifted slightly.

"Yay! Kasso, we did it!" Ausbie cried happily, jumping right onto him.

"Hahahaha!" Kasso laughed too.

Heaven knew how much effort he and Little Biel had put into getting that apple. They'd only succeeded by using a dirty trick at the very end, but if it got them the apple, it was a good trick!

As the two of them jumped around in delight,

Jingle, jingle...

Only then did the two bells ring.

At the entrance to the Lookout, Kami's mouth twitched slightly. It was as if a stampede were thundering through his mind. What little monsters those two were!

While Kasso and Ausbie were still celebrating, Popo came over again, carrying two strips of black cloth.

"Your bells haven't rung again. You've basically learned to keep your minds as calm as the sky, so the first stage of training is complete."

"Now we'll begin the second stage: your movements must be faster than lightning."