Progress and Gifts

After ten days of the grueling beach runs, Karnel decided it was time to increase the intensity. "Go home and have weighted training clothes made in various weights," he instructed the brothers. "From now on, you'll wear them during all your exercises."

The rabbit princes groaned but complied without complaint. They had learned not to question their teacher's methods.

Three months passed in this manner, with the brothers gradually adapting to heavier and heavier weighted garments. Their transformation was remarkable, Noen had shed most of his excess weight and developed a lean, muscular build, while Noffey had filled out considerably, no longer appearing quite so scrawny.

"You won't be running today," Karnel announced one morning, still maintaining his Super Saiyan form as part of his own training regimen. The brothers had grown accustomed to his transformed state, though they still found it awe-inspiring. "Today, you'll begin training in this."

He tossed a small capsule to the ground, which erupted in a cloud of smoke to reveal a large, dome-shaped structure.

"Teacher Karnel, that's incredible!" Noen exclaimed, removing his weighted vest. "How did such a big room fit in that tiny bottle?"

"This is called a capsule, technology I acquired during my travels," Karnel explained, producing another empty capsule for demonstration. "It can store objects of virtually any size for convenient transport."

Noffey's eyes lit up with entrepreneurial interest. "Teacher, could you spare one of those capsules? It could be incredibly useful!"

"I suppose I can part with one," Karnel said, tossing the empty capsule to the younger prince. "I have plenty, and they're not particularly valuable to me anymore."

His expression grew serious as he gestured toward the gravity chamber. "Now then, this facility can multiply the planet's natural gravity. Start at the lowest setting and work your way up gradually. Push too hard too fast, and you could seriously injure yourselves, or worse."

The brothers entered the chamber with a mixture of excitement and trepidation, while Karnel settled into his usual meditation spot outside.

Over the past three months, his own training had progressed significantly. He could now maintain his Super Saiyan transformation for hours without fatigue, bringing him closer to the "Full-Power" state. Even more intriguingly, his work on the Multi-Form technique had taken an unexpected turn. The clones he created were inherently unstable, but he'd discovered this could be weaponized, when struck, they would detonate with explosive force proportional to the energy he'd invested in them.

'Almost like living bombs, he mused. Not what I originally intended, but potentially quite useful.'

The next morning, both brothers approached with barely contained excitement.

"Teacher Karnel, good morning!" Noffey called out. "Noen and I have something special for you, a gift to show our gratitude for all your training."

"A gift?" Karnel raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious. "This should be interesting."

"You're definitely going to be surprised," Noffey grinned, nudging his brother. "Noen, show him!"

The portly prince, now considerably less portly than before, proudly withdrew the capsule Karnel had given to Noffey and activated it. When the smoke cleared, a sophisticated-looking machine several meters in length stood before them.

"Teacher, this is our planet's most advanced technology, a cloning machine!" Noen announced proudly. "My brother and I... borrowed it from the royal palace."

Karnel stared at them in disbelief. They stole from their own home and look proud of it?

"You took what appears to be an extremely expensive piece of equipment from your parents' palace," he said slowly. "And they haven't discovered this theft yet?"

"Oh, it's not really theft," Noffey waved dismissively. "This particular machine hasn't been used since Noen and I were born from it. Our parents won't even notice it's missing. Besides, cloning machines aren't that rare on Durastar, you can buy basic models in most major cities."

"You were... born from a machine?" Karnel asked, momentarily distracted from his incredulity.

"Most Durastarians are," Noen explained matter-of-factly. "Natural birth is quite rare for our species. But that's not the important part, this machine can clone any biological organism!"

"I appreciate the thought, but I don't reproduce the way you rabbit people do," Karnel said, rubbing his temples.

"It doesn't have to be for reproduction!" Noen continued enthusiastically. "You can clone animals, creatures, even plants! We've cloned several guard beasts for our family's estate. They look quite impressive."

"Don't these cloned beasts attack people?" Karnel asked, his curiosity piqued despite himself.

Noffey's chest puffed with pride. "That's what makes our family's machine special, it's not like the basic city models. This one can program loyalty into cloned creatures. Every beast we've created is completely loyal to all Durastarians and will never attack us."

Programmable loyalty... Karnel's mind began racing with possibilities. That could be incredibly useful in the right circumstances.

"Well," he said aloud, "since you've gone to such trouble to obtain this gift, it would be ungracious of me to refuse. Thank you, I accept your generous present."

Both brothers beamed with happiness at his acceptance, and they quickly moved on to that day's training with renewed enthusiasm.

Two years later...

Time had flown by remarkably quickly. Under Karnel's rigorous guidance, both Noen and Noffey had transformed from soft palace princes into genuine warriors. They spent their mornings in the gravity chamber, now capable of training at fifteen times Durastar's natural gravity, and their afternoons learning combat techniques.

Karnel had taught them the fundamentals of KI manipulation, including a modified version of the Turtle School's signature Kamehameha. Now, he mainly served as an observer and occasional sparring partner, allowing the brothers to develop their own fighting styles through practical experience.

The sounds of their daily combat practice had become a constant background noise in the small forest clearing.

As for Karnel himself, his progress had been equally impressive. He had finally achieved the Full-Power Super Saiyan state, able to maintain the transformation indefinitely without energy drain during non-combat situations. His modified Multi-Form technique had evolved into something uniquely devastating, he now called them "Explosive Clones," capable of detonating with three times the total energy invested in their creation.

In his most recent test, he had channeled half his total Super Saiyan energy into a single clone. If detonated, it would release destructive force equivalent to more than seven times his base power level, enough to instantly eliminate most opponents and severely wound even those near his own strength.

'The technique has evolved far beyond its original Yardratian design, he reflected during one of his meditation sessions. Sometimes the most valuable discoveries come from unexpected directions.'

As he watched his students spar in the distance, their ki-enhanced strikes creating small craters in the training ground, Karnel felt a sense of satisfaction he hadn't expected. Teaching had proven to be its own form of training, forcing him to refine and systematize techniques he'd learned instinively.

The rabbit princes had grown strong, not just physically, but in spirit as well. They were no longer the soft, sheltered royalty who had approached him two years ago. They had become true warriors, ready to protect their homeworld if the need ever arose.

'Perhaps it's time to consider the next phase of their education, Karnel mused. They're ready for real combat experience.'