First Day of Training

The twin suns had barely crested the horizon when the sound of approaching footsteps roused Karnel from his meditation. Opening his eyes, he found the two rabbit princes racing toward him with the same enthusiasm they'd shown the previous day, though Noffey was notably struggling to keep pace with his portly brother.

"Hoo... hoo..." Noffey panted as they came to a stop. "Teacher Karnel, we're here as promised!"

Karnel had been maintaining his Super Saiyan transformation for practice since dawn, his golden hair flowing upward as energy crackled around his seated form. The sight of his transformed state gave Noffey pause, his large eyes widening with uncertainty.

"Are... are you really Teacher Karnel?" the slender rabbit asked hesitantly, clearly intimidated by the warrior's imposing aura.

Karnel's teal eyes opened fully, studying the brothers with an intensity that made both princes instinctively step back. The power radiating from him in this state was overwhelming to their untrained senses.

"Indeed. Even teachers must practice," Karnel replied, his voice carrying an otherworldly quality in his transformed state. "I had originally planned to leave this planet after defeating that cosmic invader, but since I've promised to train you both, I'll remain here to continue my own development while teaching you."

The brothers found themselves trembling under his piercing gaze, the raw power he emanated far beyond anything they'd ever experienced. Just then, Karnel's energy reserves reached their limit. With a flash of golden light, his hair returned to its natural black and his eyes shifted back to their normal color. He stood up with a slight sigh, maintaining the transformation for over an hour was his current limit, and it would be some time before he could attempt it again.

"Now then," Karnel said, his tone becoming more approachable, "have either of you had any martial arts training or physical conditioning before?"

"Teacher Karnel, that transformation was incredible!" Noen exclaimed, his earlier fear forgotten in his excitement. "Your hair and eyes completely changed color!"

"As for training," Noffey answered more seriously, "we haven't had any. Our people are devoted to peaceful living, we generally avoid violence of any kind. In fact, our idea of conflict resolution involves cooking competitions." He seemed almost embarrassed by this admission. "When disputes arise, both parties prepare carrot dishes, and whoever creates the more delicious meal wins the argument. Our father actually became king by defeating all challengers with his legendary carrot cuisine."

Karnel blinked, processing this information. Culinary duels... I'm dealing with complete novices who've never thrown a punch in their lives.

"I see," he said aloud, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Well, that explains your current physical condition. Since neither of you has undergone any conditioning, we'll need to start with the absolute basic, building your stamina and strengthening your bodies."

He gestured toward the coastline that stretched into the distance. "Your first exercise is simple: run to the end of this beach and back. No stopping to rest along the way. If you're not back by noon, you'll discover what real training intensity looks like."

Noen's jaw dropped as he squinted toward the barely visible endpoint of the beach. "Teacher Karnel, that's... that's really far!"

"Noen!" Noffey scolded his brother with surprising firmness. "The teacher is absolutely right. How can we expect to protect Durastar if we can't even complete basic exercises? Do you want to be a hero or not?"

Without waiting for an answer, the younger brother grabbed Noen's paw and began pulling him toward their destination. "Come on! The teacher said we need to be back by noon!"

Seeing his brother's determination, Noen's expression shifted from apprehension to resolve. The dream of becoming their planet's protector blazed in his eyes as he picked up the pace. "You're right, Noffey! I'm going to be Durastar's greatest hero!"

Karnel watched them disappear down the beach, noting the stark difference in their approaches. Noen had immediately sprinted off at full speed, while Noffey maintained a steady, measured pace. One's enthusiasm will be his downfall, while the other actually understands pacing. This will be interesting.

With his students occupied, Karnel settled back into meditation. His energy reserves needed time to recover before he could attempt another Super Saiyan transformation, and he wanted to continue working on that mysterious clone technique he'd learned on Yardrat.

"The Multi-Form technique," he murmured, attempting to split his consciousness. A translucent duplicate began to form beside him before flickering out of existence. "Still not there yet. Even with enhanced comprehension, mastering this level of ki manipulation requires patience."

Several miles down the beach, Noen's initial burst of energy was rapidly abandoning him.

"Noffey... I can't... can't keep going," he gasped, his rotund form heaving with exhaustion. His usually pristine white fur was matted with sweat, and his legs felt like they were made of lead. "Maybe we could just rest for a few minutes?"

His brother, though tired, was still maintaining his steady rhythm. "No way, Noen. Teacher Karnel specifically said no resting. Besides, this is your own fault for sprinting at the beginning."

"But my legs won't move anymore!" Noen whined, his pace dropping to barely a shuffle.

Noffey slowed to match his brother's speed, running alongside him with encouraging words. "Listen, you need to pace yourself. You're carrying more weight than me, so you can't just burn through your energy like that. Find a rhythm you can maintain."

"I... I'll try," Noen panted.

"And remember why we're doing this," Noffey added, his voice growing stronger. "We want to be strong enough to protect our home, our family, everyone on Durastar. That invader proved how helpless we really are."

Noen's ears perked up despite his exhaustion. "You're right! I'm going to be the hero who guards our world!" With renewed determination, he managed to find a sustainable pace, matching his brother's steady rhythm.

The two rabbit princes continued their journey under the warm morning sun, their shared dream driving them forward step by step.

Back at their starting point, Karnel had managed to create a more stable clone that lasted several seconds before dissolving. "Progress," he noted with satisfaction. "At this rate, I should have basic mastery within a few weeks."

Glancing at the sun's position, he estimated it was nearly noon. He walked over to the grove where he'd planted the Tree seeds the previous evening, drawing fresh water from a nearby stream to nourish them. As he watered each planting site, he wondered how long it would take for the first shoots to appear.

Just as he finished, two small figures appeared on the distant beach, growing larger as they approached. Both brothers looked like they'd been through a torrential downpour, their fur soaked with sweat and their tongues hanging out as they stumbled toward him.

They collapsed at his feet, completely spent.

"Te... Teacher Karnel," Noen managed between gasps. "We... we made it back!"

Karnel checked the sun's position and nodded approvingly. "Just in time for noon. Well done, both of you." He paused, studying their exhausted forms. "Take your time recovering, have lunch, and rest. We'll continue your training this afternoon."

Both brothers groaned in unison, but there was a note of pride mixed with their exhaustion. They had completed their first real challenge, and despite the pain, they felt a small spark of the strength they hoped to achieve.