The next day, the very first thing that I did was go to meet with the princess. I arrived there an hour early because I wanted to make sure that I was the first person she spoke with. When she arrived to her office, I greeted her before her protectors could even open the door.

“Your majesty, I’ve trained with Master Kim Lee, and I’ve had no progress. May we now contact a trainer from the Hikari Tribe?”

“No! You only tried for one day. You think that if you plant a seed that you’ll be able to reap the harvest on the next day?”

One of her protectors whispered to the other, “She’s been hanging around Corvi for too long. Now she’s giving people old Shido Tribe proverbs.”

The princess continued, “Master Kim Lee is an excellent trainer. He trained nearly half of the shōkans in my father’s territory. So, be grateful.”

“Princess, I understand that he is a great Umi Tribe trainer, but in this case I need a trainer from the Hikari Tribe. That’s the only—“

“Now you listen! You will train with Master Kim Lee and I will not contact the Hikari Tribe for something as futile as a trainer!”

“But-B—“

“It was nice talking to you, Kazai, but I have real work to do. I expect you to meet with Master Kim Lee today. And, just in case you didn’t know, THAT’S AN ORDER!”

So I ended up at the training ground… again.

“What’s wrong, Kazai? Why the long face?” Master Kim Lee said while smiling with his arms behind his back.

I didn’t say anything. I just sat there on an old stump.

“If you don’t want to train today, that’s fine. We can just sit here.” Then he laughed and muttered to himself, “I get paid either way.”

At that moment, I saw an old man in a distance walking with a staff in his hand. It was the old man from the induction ceremony. Master Kim Lee shouted to him, “Hey! I thought you were retired old friend! Shouldn’t you be at home napping?”

While Master Kim Lee was distracted, I walked off so that I could train on my own. I figured that there was no need to completely waste my time. So, I tried to remember how I felt when I was fending off the hybrid and tried to remember how I focused all of my energy into every swing of my sword.

I remembered that I was afraid, yet determined to protect the Umi Tribe. I felt like I didn’t have a chance to stop the hybrid unless I gave everything I had.

Then, just as I felt I was making a breakthrough, I noticed that Master Kim Lee was gone from where I left him.

“Hello there.” Master Kim Lee said as he crept up behind me.

“How did you get over here so fast?” I asked.

“Don’t be concerned about that. Why won’t you let me train you?”

“Because.” I said.

“Because is not an answer! Tell me now!”

I looked at Master Kim Lee straight in the eyes and said, “No offense to you. I respect that you’re a highly skilled Umi Tribe trainer, but I don’t need an Umi Tribe trainer. I need a trainer from the Hikari Tribe!”

“You know, you may be right, but the Hikari Tribe is a long way from here. You expect one to just travel all that way just to train one person. We can’t ask that. The last time the Umi Tribe asked the Hikari Tribe for anything was when our tribe was coming under attack. And that was over 15 years ago!”

That’s when it dawned on me: Why ask them to come to me? I could go to them and come back after my training. On top of that, I may even have a chance to meet my dad. I became so excited that I just dropped my sword and ran off.

“Wait Kazai! Where are you going?” Master Kim Lee shouted.

“I have to talk to the princess about something! I’ll see you later!”

As I ran, I thought to myself, ‘Surely the princess will let me take a leave to train. I’ll come back stronger. I could meet my dad. Everybody wins!’ I could just taste the victory as I ran to the Capitol Building, but when I arrived the princess refused to see me.

Her assistant said, “The princess says that your assignment for today is to train with Master Kim Lee, and she is too busy at the moment to speak with you.”

Then, I heard laughing coming from the princess’ meeting room. I could clearly hear the princess and Corvi just laughing it up. I quickly devised a brilliant plan: I shouted while pointing out of the window, “Whoa, is that a Hybrid?”

The assistant screamed and hysterically looked out of the window. When she did, I slipped past her and walked into the meeting room with a smile on my face.

“Your Majesty! I have excellent news!”

The princess looked furious. “HOW DARE YOU? First, you disrespect Master Kim Lee. Then, you ignore a direct order. Now, you barge in on my meeting! GET OUT! NOW!”

Corvi intervened, “Wait, Princess: hear him out first. Please, it must be of some importance if he was willing to barge in here like this.”

“Go ahead boy,” Corvi said while smiling.

“Well, it’s just that... I was thinking.” I spoke cautiously.

“SPIT IT OUT!” The princess shouted.

“I was thinking about what we talked about earlier. You know, me getting a trainer from the Hikari Tribe. Well, I was thinking, maybe, instead of you having to call the Hikari Tribe here, I was thinking that I could go there instead. That way you’re not asking them for a favor: I am. I’d come back stronger, and that way everyone’s happy.”

Corvi looked at the princess with a smug look on her face that just screamed, ‘I told you so!’

The princess looked at me and said, “You know, ever since you found out that you’re a shōkan, you’ve been acting real high and mighty. You better remember your place and where your loyalties lie. You swore an oath to serve as a protector of the UMI TRIBE! Now get back to your training with Master Kim Lee as I ordered!”

Later that night, I told Dan what happened.

“I wish you would have spoken with me before you tried talking to the Princess. Whenever she feels pressure, she tends to over-assert herself. She’s still new to being in charge and she doesn’t want to appear weak.”

“But, is that any reason to deny me an opportunity to become a better shōkan?” I asked.

“No, but the way you approached her was all wrong. Besides I think it’s deeper than that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I overheard some people talking. They said that they heard the princess and Corvi discussing how they believed that you would betray the Umi Tribe and join the Hikari tribe. That’s probably why she doesn’t want you to go there or to have anyone come here. She’s probably afraid that you’ll like them better than us.”

“Wow, talk about insecure. Shucks, with the way she’s acting, I’m sure I would like them better. But, even if I did, I made an oath to the Umi Tribe, and I plan to stick to it.”

“I know that kid, but does the princess know that?”

The next day, I woke up early so that I could buy a map. I was beginning to like waking up early because people were not up to bombard me for my autograph. After purchasing a map, I calculated the distance between the Hikari and Umi Tribes and how long it would take to get there. I already made up in my mind that I would eventually go, and the more I looked at the map, the more I felt like doing something crazy. I was thinking about leaving the Umi Tribe on my own to find my father and someone who could teach me to use my shōkan abilities.

Next Chapter: SHOWDOWN