"Welcome. I've been waiting for you."
Alex finally reached the top of the tower, gasping for breath. In front of him stood Korin, the mysterious cat-like martial artist.
"You were waiting for me?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.
Korin nodded, casually brushing his whiskers. "Of course. It's been a while since someone last climbed Korin Tower." His tail flicked behind him. "So, what is it that you want?"
Alex straightened up. "I'm here to get th—"
"Wait. Let me see for myself."
Korin suddenly went still, as if concentrating.
Alex frowned. "What are you—"
"Shhh! Don't talk." Korin kept his eyes closed, his whiskers twitching. After a moment, he exhaled. "Hmm… interesting. You're the fourth person from the Turtle School to reach this place."
Alex tensed. "Wait… how do you know I'm from the Turtle School?"
Korin smirked. "Heh. I have my ways."
Alex's mind raced. Then it hit him—Korin could read minds.
'Shit, shit, shit! I didn't think this through!' he panicked. 'Okay, calm down. Assess the situation first.'
Korin chuckled, rubbing his face with his paw. "I've got to admit, you've got a strong mind. It's a bit difficult reading your thoughts… but I got enough to understand your situation."
Alex gulped. "W-What do you mean?"
"You're training in martial arts so that if another threat like King Piccolo ever appears, you'll be ready."
Alex clenched his fists. "That's right. And?"
Korin studied him for a moment before nodding. "And… I can tell that your intentions aren't evil."
Alex let out a deep breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Whew…"
Korin stretched his arms. "Anyway, it's getting kind of boring up here. If you want to drink the Sacred Water, go ahead." He pointed toward a pedestal, where a jar filled with water sat.
Alex blinked. "Just like that?"
"Yep. Just like that."
Alex stepped forward cautiously. As he reached out for the jar—
WHOOSH!
Alex ducked just in time to avoid Korin's staff swinging at his head. He immediately jumped back, putting distance between them.
"Hey! What was that for?!"
Korin grinned. "Oh, don't mind me. You can drink as much as you want."
Alex narrowed his eyes. Instead of responding, he lunged for the jar—
KICK!
Korin's foot slammed into Alex's stomach, sending him crashing to the floor.
Alex groaned and pushed himself up, eyes locking onto the old cat, who now held the jar on his staff.
"Heh. Here, here. Come and get it." Korin smirked.
"You… I'll get you for that!" Alex growled.
And so, the chase began.
---
For hours, Alex recklessly chased Korin around the tower. Each time he thought he had the jar, Korin slipped away.
Meanwhile, Yajirobe, who had been watching from the sidelines, had already fallen asleep, completely uninterested in the struggle.
Eventually, Alex collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily. His muscles screamed in exhaustion.
"Huff… huff… You're… huff… too fast…"
Korin shook his head. "At this rate, you could spend your whole life trying and still never catch me." He leaned on his staff. "You're not reading my movements—you're just blindly attacking."
Alex wiped sweat from his brow. "Read your moves? But… how?"
Korin pointed at him. "You feel light-headed and weak, don't you?"
Alex nodded. "Yeah… the room is spinning…"
Korin smirked. "That's because we're at a high altitude. The air here is thinner than what you're used to. All that wasted energy you're throwing around? It's draining you faster."
Alex sighed, running a hand through his hair. "So what should I do?"
Korin turned and started walking toward the stairs. "Follow me."
---
As they walked downstairs, Korin continued explaining.
"You need to move like you speak—with purpose, with clear direction. Commit your mind and focus. Distraction is the root of all failure."
As he spoke, he casually picked up a capsule from a nearby table.
"Hey! That's—"
Before Alex could finish, Korin tossed the capsule off the tower.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Alex shouted. "That was my Turtle Shell! If the capsule broke—"
Korin shrugged. "Well, if I were you, I'd hurry up and go find it."
Alex clenched his teeth. "Sigh… Fine."
Without hesitation, he jumped off the tower and began climbing down.
---
After hours of searching, Alex found the capsule—broken. The Turtle Shell lay on the ground, intact but unusable for storage.
Slinging it onto his back, Alex furiously climbed up again.
By the time he reached the top, night had fallen.
Korin sat on a wooden bed, reading a scroll, seemingly unbothered by Alex's return.
Alex crept behind him, reaching for the staff—
But the staff moved away on its own.
Alex tried again—same result.
Korin smirked. "Concentrate. Anticipate my movements. Know my thoughts by reading my breath."
Alex sat down, crossing his legs. 'Reading his breath… but how?'
He narrowed his eyes, watching Korin carefully.
His ears twitched before moving. His breathing changed just before he stepped.
'That's it… His breath changes before he moves!'
Alex stayed up all night, studying Korin's every breath and movement.
---
The next morning, the chase began again.
But this time, Alex didn't move blindly.
He focused. He studied Korin's breath. He anticipated his next step.
"There!"
Alex lunged, aiming for a specific copy of Korin.
For a moment, it almost worked—
But at the last second, Korin kicked him aside, sending him tumbling to the ground.
"Wha—? I almost had you! What happened?!"
Korin chuckled. "Your brain figured it out… but your body is still too slow."
Alex groaned. "Damn it…"
Korin smirked. "Don't worry, kid. You'll get there… eventually."
power level
korrin : 180