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When Lee arrived to the dojo from his studies, he was informed of Koopin's progress, much to Chan's stinging shame. The beetle nevertheless took it on the chin for his older disciple and friend, as both him and the Master explained. After the day's session was over, Koopin waited to speak to them, patient yet nervous before Lee turned to face him, his ghostly smirk forever creased upon his imperial-purple cloaked form. "So, you want to prove yourself to be stronger?" "Yes sir. I need to show that I can be stronger." "And what is your reason?" "Um...well, my boyfriend's really protective of me, he always thinks that I can't protect myself so he's always so aggressive towards anyone else who even looks at me! I don't want him to be like some punk, so I need to prove to him that I CAN fight for myself." "Hmm...an unusual reason but...I can see your good intentions through it. It's not often we have someone wanting to be stronger for the sake of others around them. Usually we have those wanting to be strong just to PROVE to others around them." "Um...aren't I doing just that?" "Yes. But your ulterior motive in proving to your boyfriend so he can stop being aggressive towards others, is a good thing to us. Therefore, I am willing to fight you. I warn you however, I am not going to be fooled by the tricks of a koopa. I need to see a REAL warrior before me." "Yes sir." "Stand before me." Lee smiled wickedly as Koopin stood nervously so, bowing appropriately when told before moving into his stance, as Lee did the same. Koopin had already outfitted his hands and feet with the padded glove-like equipment as per dojo rules. Lee's robes flowed with a will of their own, as if some unseen breeze was all around him. There was little else to say, and both of them knew this to be true other than: "If you can stand well enough against me Koopin, then we shall see if you deserve to go further in your training. But I want you to promise me something." "Y-yeah?" "...don't hold back."

With that threatening proclamation, the battle began. Lee floated forwards with seemingly invisible legs, his sheet-like body charging towards Koopin who could only dodge and punch to one side. Lee anticipated such easily, grabbing the punch with one cloaked arm and pushing Koopin away. The koopa regained his balance and once again waited for the charge, the duplighost coming closer. A swift rush forwards knocked Koopin back, making him stumble when he was elbowed in the soft underbelly of his shell. Hard enough to make him wince, but not enough to lose the breath in his lungs. He waited for the next hit, which came in the form of a straight fluid double-jab that was made more difficult by the large cloak that Lee wore around his body, a blur of imperial purple obscuring Koopin's vision. But he was not undaunted, shoving forwards to smack one hand away before grabbing the other by its wrist, punching Lee in the shoulder area and shoving him hard away with a shouldercharge. The disciple floated back, smiling with approval before charging forwards once more, only this time he received an uppercut from the student. Koopin decided not to dodge, instead ducking beneath any punches and uppercutting Lee hard across his spooky face, making him grunt with pain. "NNGH! Not bad! You can handle the basics, but can you handle me?" With a glimmer in his eyes, the spectre rushed forwards in a swooping motion, raising himself off the floor briefly so before divebombing Koopin a few feet above him. The koopa rolled somewhat, his stumble coming at the end of the roll as he was soon kicked in the back by Lee, sending him down across the floor. The moment Koopin got back up, he received a spinning lariat to the face, two haymakers one after the other coming from the swirling spectral foe that battered his beak black and blue. Crying out with a wincing sore eye, Koopin rushed in to try and get off a few lucky punches, rallying his wilting confidence up to try and assault Lee with a barrage of fists. Of the six he managed to hit out, only two made their mark on the phantom's face, before his last punch was blocked and shut down. Lee pounded Koopin's arm during the grab, and threw him against the wall, his shell preventing any further damage to his back as he struggled to get up. He decided to try and use his own natural advantage against him, as the koopa ran forwards before retreating into his shell, spinning across the floor like a curling iron. Lee however in turn decided also to use his own advantage, and merely floated above Koopin's shell-sliding assault. Despite his best efforts in skidding around the dojo like a hockey puck, Lee merely dodged Koopin effortlessly with his ghostly ability, before Koopin popped back out of his shell in frustration. "I warned you," said Lee, "I will not be fooled by the tricks of a koopa...but will you be?" "H-huh?! What do you mean?!" "See for yourself."

One of the most significant abilities of a duplighost, was naturally their skill for duplicating themselves. Or rather, more erroneously, impersonating others. Koopin soon learnt that all too well when a cloudy veiled aura began to swirl around Lee, covering him from head to wispy toe. When the fog soon fell, a koopa stood in his place. One exactly like Koopin, which made him pull back with shock. "Wh-wha...you-" "Do you know why the Master chose me as his disciple?" Lee's voice came from the other Koopin's mouth, the clear blue eyes showing the slightest malice within them. "Because one of the greatest obstacles that one must overcome, is oneself." The false koopa soon charged ahead, letting Koopin take time to absorb this fact before readily laying into him with yellow fists. Despite now dealing with another of his own species, Koopin struggled to keep up in the battle of fists that soon took place, his opposite pulling out fierce vicious jabs left and right which forced the koopa back. Trying to block them all was difficult, and for every five that came, only three of them would miss. Koopin himself only ever got one or two punches in, before he managed to grab both of Lee's hands. Despite Lee's strength, Koopin had managed to grab him by the arms in the right spot, enough to prevent his muscles from extending out to punch at his opponent. With the two now in a standstill, Koopin tried to slam his foot down on Lee's before shoving him hard. But unfortunately, the other koopa resisted being pushed backwards and merely swung his foot upwards to strike Koopin's beak hard with a snap kick. Even though the real koopa struggled not to lose his grip, another kick attack made him fall back, swiftly smacking his beak harder before he saw a dangerous move about to come before him. Lee swung up his foot high over Koopin's shoulder, ready to cleave down on his head like an axe. Koopin dodged backwards just in time to miss being hit, panting hard with his face covered in bruises before Lee came forwards for another brutal barrage. But Koopin was not going to let this happen again, swinging his leg low in a roundhouse kick to the knee. It was successful enough to weaken Lee's stance, which made Koopin charge forwards with a desperate cry as he shouldercharged his instructor back, pummelling him twice in the face for good measure before knocking him down. The duplighost chuckled in pained grunts, clearly impressed as he got back up swiftly so before rushing in once more. Koopin was ready to do the same again, but it was to be in vain. Making the student think the same attack was to happen again, Lee dodged in low before executing a magnificent backflip.

Both boots came straight beneath Koopin's chin, smacking him backwards and down onto the floor with a mighty crack of foot against jaw. The koopa winced hard and tried to stand up once more, his eyes clearly dazed from the many blows to his head. Lee however was concerned, and asked curiously: "Can you still stand?" "Y-y-yeah...a-aaah..." "If you are too wounded to fight, you should not push yourself." "No no I...I can still do it!" "If you cannot even see then-" "I CAN DO IT!" To prove his point, Koopin rushed forwards with a stumbling gait, swinging his fist haymaker-style against the false koopa's cheek, which easily blocked before he was punched hard in the arm. Throbbing hard enough to stop him punching back, he used his other arm instead to try and quick-jab his foe, getting a few sudden blows to Lee quite surprisingly before the disciple tried to punch out his other arm. In desperation, Koopin pulled Lee hard against him, and stomped his foot before shoving him down hard. This time he was successful. Lee fell backwards with a wounded foot, roaring briefly in pain before he swiftly bounced back up. Koopin was at the end of his rope, his arms shaking with his cheeks throbbing in bruises. But he wanted to fight to the end, he needed to do this. Lee smiled softly at such determination, before quickly ending the fight with a devious spinning kick. Koopin didn't see it coming, due to being too focused by Lee's sleight-of-hand in the form of a low-set knee thrust. Koopin tried to block low, but instead was kicked high across his face. He spun onto the floor, falling onto his belly hard. With swollen cheek and throbbing arms, as well as a mighty headache that blurred his vision, he whimpered as he tried to deal with the pain, exhaustion finally sinking in. "You fought well," said Lee from above. "You still need to work on your footpins...also you should kick more, I gave you plenty of opportunities to kick and yet you still rely on fists." "I...I-I'm sorry..." "To who? You have nothing to apologise to me for." "I...I don't know...I'm not strong enough...right?" "Not enough to defeat me, no." "I just...I don't wanna be strong enough to...f-fight anyone...I just wanna help James...p-please...let me try!" "I am sorry but-" "LET ME TRY!" The koopa struggled to get up, but exhaustion was far too heavy upon him as his legs gave way before slumping down onto the ground. The Master and his disciples watched Koopin eventually urge himself to stand up, his legs quivering with exertion. But it wasn't to last, not even long enough to get into his stance before he misplaced his step, stumbling back down onto the floor from dizziness.

"Stop, you'll hurt yourself!" warned Lee. "Let me help you." Lee reverted back to his original form, and slowly helped Koopin sit up against the wall to rest, offering him some iodine to nurse his wounds with as he said: "Let me speak to my master, we will see what we can do for you." Koopin simply nodded and struggled to hold back his tears, sighing as he tried to accept his failure. Lee floated over towards his master and Chan, the three of them speaking between each other in hushed tones. Koopin however was close enough to hear them, trying to pick out what he could from their dialogue. "What do you think?" "He's certainly got the spirit, but his strength is lacking." "He still beat you Chan." "H-hey, not so loud!" "Not like he doesn't know, come on...he couldn't beat me though." "That's not so much strength as it is his confidence." "Indeed, I could see desperation in his eyes, not confidence. It makes for a poor motivator." "Yes...but he DOES have potential. Perhaps he should broaden his horizons more in gauging other opponents." "Not like we were expecting him to get a Diploma right?" "Hah, course not, what is he, Mario?!" "Alright...what do we agree on?" "Broaden his horizons? ...it's been a while, do you think they're still around." "I know they are, I have only spoken with them last month. It would be perfect for him, something more customary towards his skill and occupation." "Right." "I agree." "Very well." "Koopin?" The last voice came from the dojo door. Koopin gasped and looked up towards the raptor, outlined in the night air. He was already fearful for the outrage upon James' face. "KOOPIN!" "J-james, no, it's okay-" "WHO DID THIS TO YOU!?!" James barged into the dojo with a fit of rage in his eyes, piercing his stare into the three instructors. "WHO DID THIS?!" "I did," said Lee. "Koopin was testing his skill against me, and despite being a very determined pupil, he lost." "Why the hell was he fighting you, I thought this was a place to train, not to get beaten up like THIS!" "He wanted to face me to test his skill, he is not in any danger." "Danger?!?! YOU FUCKING PULVERISED HIM! NOBODY HURTS HIM, I'LL-" "JAMES!"

Koopin cried out as soon as he gathered up his strength enough to shout, wanting to stop FG before things got out of hand. "I asked to fight Lee. I don't want you to get mad because of something I decided to do for myself." "L-look at you! Your face is like a goddamn prune, even your shell's all bruised!" "I know! But I can handle myself, let's not make this a big thing here!" "NO, I am NOT gonna let someone walk out of this unpunished for letting you get hurt like this!" "Why!? Why are you so eager to punish someone?!" "Because I'm here to protect you dammit, I promised you!" "I DON'T NEED YOU TO PROTECT ME!" "...wh-what?" The koopa slowly got up, pushing his back against the wall as he recovered his second wind, his fury spurring him on towards indignation as he walked up to James. "I...don't need you...to protect me...ALL the time." "...what the hell are you talking about?" "You know why I get mad at you? Because you're always so aggressive. Every time we're out somewhere, you always at least once a WEEK start showing your teeth to SOMEONE out there who you THINK might wanna hurt me. You are paranoid, angry, and WAY too protective of me. I know what happened a year ago, but that was ONE THING. You're the only one who keeps reminding yourself about it." "Well what do you want me to do about it then?!" demanded FG. "Just LET people come up and hurt you?!" "I want you to let me defend myself! I'm not a wimp James, I've been in this class for years, and I may not be as strong as you, but I don't want you to end up in trouble because you went too far trying to protect me!" "I've never done that!" "No, but you will one day! ...I want to help you James. I said that before, that night...I want to help you with your anger, to help you live a better life." "I..." Having such an argument in front of strangers only made this all the more vulnerable to James, his mind in a tussle between outrage and confusion, clasping a hand to his head. "I just...want to keep you safe. Is that really a bad thing Koopin?" "No. I know you want to protect me, I don't want to stop you from that...but you have to stop trying to protect me from everything out there that you think might hurt me. That's why I've been fighting like this. I want to be stronger. I want to be able to protect myself...so I can protect you." "Protect me? From what?" "From yourself. From your own problems. I know why you get aggressive like this, but if I can just prove to you that I CAN defend myself, I thought that maybe you could trust me, trust me in my own strength and finally relax...and not have to worry about me anymore." "Koopin..."

James hugged his koopa softly, the smell of iodine upon his bruises stinging his eyes. "You don't have to prove anything to me." "No...I do." He slowly stepped back, holding James at arm's length, his hands clasped around his. "Let me do this." "........hhhhhhh fine." "Huh?" "I said...fine. You want to be stronger? Then fine. God I had no idea you felt this way." "I wasn't gonna say anything until it worked. ...but after losing so badly I think it doesn't matter." "Actually," said Lee, "that's not entirely true." "H-huh?!" "While you may have lost quite badly against me, that does not necessarily mean your road is over. Me, Chan and my Master have been speaking about you and we have decided on another course of action." "Wh-what kinda action?" "First we must see if we can make some sort of training regime available to you, one that would allow you to both strengthen your mind as well as your body. Something more...accustomed to your interests." "D-does that mean I won?!" "Nooo, you lost. But we have another option for you that will achieve just the same goal as you wanted." "Oh thank you, thank you!" Koopin tried to hug Lee, but he stumbled somewhat in his step and was soon grabbed by James to stop him falling to the floor, the koopa giggling a little bashfully. "We will send you a letter," said the Master, "that will explain all our plan to you soon. For now, I want you to rest, to relax with your James, to heal your wounds, and to continue coming to our dojo. Will you do that for me Koopin?" "Yes master. Th-thank you master." "Very good. Now, you may go." With hope springing forth in Koopin's renewed heart, James carried him home carefully, letting the koopa lean against his body as the two of them talked out their differences. Eventually James' anger subsided, and Koopin's wounds started to hurt less. His hopes would soon be answered within the next few days, in the form of one special letter. In his exhaustion, taking time to recover from a battle that throbbed sorely for two days, Koopin dreamed of a strange place he had never dreamt of before.

A staircase, shining with starlight, stretched out before him within the black-ink sky. He looked behind him, seeing nothing but the abyss of water, softly undulating far far below him down onto the world. He made his first step, the staircase shimmering beneath his foot at the simplest touch. He took another step, less unsure of himself now as he strided softly up towards the heavens. It seemed to stretch on forever. Yet no exhaustion remained in his pace, walking with an automatic pace borne from curiosity, guided by the rails that dreams take the living upon. As he reached halfway, he could hear the strangest sounds from all around him. A familiar sound that he did not expect to hear in the sky itself, the stars peeking out from beyond the veil of night. At first he smiled, seeing the stars tenderly twinkle above and around him. Then he saw them move, softly, one by one, rearranging the constellations that he could remember reading of. They came closer with each step he made, his pace only halted briefly before carrying on. Glimmering lights revealed themselves further to not be stars at all, but somehow to be strange white squids floating in the air, their eyes in black like bandit masks as their tentacles pushed them through the air. Koopin smiled at recognising them once again, instinctively trying to flap his own arms with them. But then he remembered he was still a koopa, and walked on with the slightest forlorn steps.

They chittered and gurgled around him, their strange sounds serenading him with carefree innocence, shooting black ink that further painted the sky, covering what little light remained beyond the shining staircase. Eventually, he ascended to the top. A plateau he had rarely ever seen in his lifetime, but one he knew well like every other resident of this land. He gasped unconsciously at the sight of it. A clearing upon a hill made entirely out of rock, the sky casting a strange navy blue across the landscape. The stars shined only above, never anywhere else around him. Occasionally he would see a shooting star crash upon the hill, bouncing off and rolling away like a celestial wheel down the hill. The squids continued to swim all around him, catching the stars, playing with them with smiles upon their faces. Koopin could imagine speaking to them, the strangest of ululations uttering from his throat as they responded in turn. He tried to initiate a conversation, asking them: Where is the sea? Far far below. Why are we in the sky? Why do we not swim in the water like always? We want to know too! We want you to come back and play with us! Why are you with shell? I don't know...maybe someone is here. Maybe there is! Please ask. "Hello?!" he cried out in his language. "Anyone there?!" "Koopin?" A voice he knew well came from the centre of the plateau. He did not see anyone at first, but the moment he stepped a few steps closer, the raptor appeared before him, smiling humbly. "...James? What are you doing here?" "I am not who you think I am." "H-huh?" "You stand before the gateway to destiny. Are you ready?" "...yes." He didn't know why he said that. He did not even understand the question consciously. But still he spoke this without any reservations in his heart. The raptor nodded with a smile unbecoming of him. A smile of utmost serenity. "Then your day has come at last. I have something for you." "What is it?" "Hold out your hand." Trusting him, the koopa did so. The moment he did, the raptor tightly gripped his hand and squeezed powerfully. Yet there was no pain, only uncertainty rising in Koopin's voice, struggling not to resist. "Do not be afraid. Wake up..." The raptor soon closed his eyes. The world turned dark with him as Koopin gasped at the last thing he dreamt. James' eyes reopened. But they had turned into the blackest night. "And embrace eternity..."

Koopin woke up with a nervous twitch. James was hovering over him, smiling down upon him with a letter in his hand, which Koopin had somehow grabbed by instinct. "You alright?" asked the raptor. "Y-yeah...gosh I had the weirdest dream." "...you were asleep?" "Um...yes?" "...huh, I thought you were just closing your eyes, cuz I asked you to hold out your hand and you did." "Yeah...you did." "Huh?" "U-um, anyways, what's this?" "Uhhh the letter you been waiting for?" "Really?!?!" Koopin jumped up from his bed and snatched the letter out of James' hand, who sat down beside him to read what it said. "How come you're up already?" asked the koopa. "I heard the door knock, the mailman came and I thought, might as well do the dishes a bit. I thought you'd woken up by now, normally you're not the kinda guy to sleep in." "W-well...it was a weird dream." "Tell me later, what's it say?" The letter was soon unveiled and a rather archaic font was presented before them, in a rather illustrious yellow paper scroll small enough to fit into the envelope. Unrolling it smoothly, Koopin read it aloud for both of them.

_Dear Koopin

Your chance has come. After consulting with my fellow students as well as fellow associates, we have come to the conclusion to give you the chance to expand your strength and spirit across the world. Several years ago, there used to be another sort of tournament, known as The Mushroom World Warriors Tournament. Fighters from every region would attend to combat each other in a test of great skill and variation across a dozen different arts. However, this is no longer available due to various reasons concerning expenses, venue costs and diplomatic reasons. But for one lone fighter such as you, this will not be a problem. We know that you are an enthusiastic traveller, and as such it is part of your current occupation. You will have to pay for your own expenses, all we can do is arrange the meetings with our various associates, who are interested in your offer of wanting to prove your strength. Four warriors from around the world are ready to do battle with you. Your first one is in Toad Town itself, available at any time you are able. Head to the Club 64 and ask the bartender for "Wart". Apologies for the vague instructions, it was a request from our fighters to have a little amusement with._

May the stars shine upon your strength and growth

The Master, Chan and Lee

Both of them looked at each other with some confusion, not entirely sure what to make of such instructions. "...you seriously gonna do this?" asked James. "I'm not stopping now James," said Koopin. "I wanted this, and I'm gonna go for it." "All because you want me to feel...safe about you?" "Well yeah! I don't wanna be some weak guy who hangs onto your arm you think's needing rescued all the time." "Okay you are NOT that, you know that." "Do either of us know that? ...I'm not gonna give up James. I'll head down to that bar next day I'm free, you can come along too if you want." "Oh I am so going, no way are you going out there on your own." "James-" "No no...lemme see for myself how you fight...and IF you need any help, ANY at all...you can count on me." "...alright. Thank you." The two hugged softly, letting themselves warm up in the light of the morning sun before getting ready for their days. The next free day they had, a new challenger would approach.