"What's the problem, master?" Taro asked as his master looked concerned. "If it's that guy and his prodigy that you're concerned about, I'll make sure to beat him thoroughly." Surprisingly, Taro gave out an entire sentence without much of a glitch that time.
The master sighed inwards and then glanced towards Taro with a smile on his face. "Look, I appreciate the bravado and all, however we are NOT going to the state tournament. We just won't." He replied.
"Master! Didn't you promise that guy?" Taro asked. He wanted to show off in that tournament and smack the shit out of Anil's pupil.
"People make mistakes, okay? I made a huge one by accepting that challenge. Anil might make fun of me for the rest of my life, however I won't allow you to participate in the tourney nevertheless." The dojo master replied.
Taro didn't get why his master acted like that. "Master, why are you so adamant about not letting me participate?" He asked the question that arose in his mind.
The master looked distressed, as if he didn't know how to explain it. However, he wanted his pupil to know the reason. "Sadanandan, ten years. I've been in this business for ten years, give or take. I've always wanted to become a prodigy even though I didn't actually know what it meant to be one. However, that changed when I met you. For the first time I understood what these prodigies are capable of. Hence, I thank you for showing me that." He gave out a smile.
"Well, I'm not actually one but it feels good for some reason though!" As Taro's pride grew inside, he still didn't get the answer he needed. "So, why the hell are you not allowing me to participate in the tournament?" He asked.
The master sighed. "Because you'll lose."
"What?" It didn't make sense to Taro. As far as he knew, there wasn't anybody as strong as him on this planet. However, his master seemed really convinced that this prodigy guy would be able to beat him. That would mean that this guy's either an alien like him or the Earth really had strong people beyond the realm of his imagination. Either way, hearing this only made him more fired up. "Why do you think he'll beat me?" Taro asked with a smile on his face, which his master thought was one of overconfidence in himself.
"I'll give you two reasons. First of all, you're my prodigy. What do I mean by that? Well, you're a prodigy in my eyes; the eyes which had previously never seen a prodigy. So, my prodigy radar could be wrong. Let's be real for a moment here, I'm one of the weakest black belters in this area. To be a prodigy in my eyes could mean nothing special. However, Anil's case is different. He's actually pretty talented in martial arts. So, if that guy calls someone a prodigy, you better believe he's the real deal. Although, I believe that only a true genius could achieve what you did. Which neatly brings us to the next point. Let's say you're a prodigy and my eyes weren't deceiving. Let's also say Anil's pupil is one too. What do you think makes you two different from each other? Good master for the other guy? That's a yes. But more importantly, it's the experience. You might have the talent, but you're still one month in practising martial arts. However, Anil's pupil had been doing this for like ten years or something, I don't remember what he said. Anyway, that'll be a deciding factor in the battle between two." The master explained, after which he had to look around for a glass of water, since he explained too much.
"I see." Taro looked disappointed. He wasn't disappointed about what he just heard, instead he was disappointed at his misconception. When he heard from his master that the so-called prodigy could possibly defeat him, he was considering a fight of insane proportions where he could actually unleash his real fighting prowess. However, upon hearing the explanation and actually reconsidering the possibility of such a thing happening, he could deduce that his master was talking about his strength that he revealed before him, which made sense, because there was no way that his master could know about his real power level. Hence, his disappointment towards his own judgement was immense. However, to an out-of-context outside perspective like his master's, it seemed like he was really disappointed about his powerlessness to face a true talent.
The master looked at him with pity. "I can understand what you're currently feeling. This is why I wanted you to face someone relatively new and gain experience first. And that's exactly why I can't let you face a guy like him in one of your very first matches. Failure might be the stepping stone to success, however if you are to fail so miserably that your inner strength gets destroyed, there's no coming back. You're talented. I don't want such a thing happening to you." The master patted him.
However, Taro showed an expression, much different from before; much different from what the master had expected. He gave out a gleaming smile. "Who do you think I am, master? Do I really look like someone who will back down and tuck his tail once I get destroyed? No, I always get back up. Therefore, even if I'm gonna be defeated by that guy, I'll still bounce back and I'll continue practising even harder because that's what I do. That's how much I love martial arts." He responded.
The master sighed. "I don't know if that's your overconfidence speaking or your genuine love towards it. Whatever it is, I really wanna believe you. However, are you really sure about it?" He asked for the first and last time.
"Yes, I am." Taro gave out an emphatic reply.
"Well, there's nothing I could do then. I'll believe in you and move forth towards the tourney next week." He replied.
"Next week? Isn't that too soon?" Taro asked. Although he wanted to participate in the tournament, he didn't expect it to be this soon. He didn't know how he'd be lucky enough to get another free pass from Lonappan like he did this time.
"I get that. However, that's the nature of tournaments around here, due to the low number of competitors. They just wanna get over with it. What? You don't wanna participate now that it might be a bit too early than you imagined?" He asked.
"It's not like that!" Taro protested, thinking of a nice way to explain how he had to get permission from his babysitter Lonappan.
"Hmm, you got no choice though! So be prepared for that, I guess." The master replied.
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Few hours later; back in the Holy Land household. Unlike other times, each one of them were present in the tiny room that couldn't even be called a living room. Before them stood Taro, explaining the stuff that happened that day. Everyone listened attentively about what Taro had to say.
"So, what you're saying is that even though you participated, you technically won it without fighting." Kunjan summarised.
"Basically, yes." Taro nodded his head.
"Isn't that cool? You can just straight about brag about winning it! People don't have to know about the finer details now, do they?" Thankappan asked. He thought much like a certain someone that Taro knows.
"Shush. I don't think it's about awards or prizes for Taro. It's about the honor. That's what every martial artist strives for. I don't believe Taro feels like he won it in an honorable way." Gibli interrupted Thankappan.
"You're exactly right!" Taro agreed with Gibli's explanation.
"I see. What are we supposed to do then? It's not like he can put the award on the line and challenge someone, right?" Thankappan asked.
Taro coughed to bring their attention back to him. "About that. The state tournament is scheduled for next week. And since I won this tournament, I'm qualified to participate in it. So, what do you guys think?" He asked.
"Yea, go for it!" Gibli replied enthusiastically.
"I don't see why not." Kunjan agreed to it as well.
"I don't understand how you find it enjoyable, but since you do, just do it!" M'Baku, who made an unusual appearance that day, replied.
"Well…" Thankappan didn't give out his opinion. Instead, he looked towards Lonappan.
Everyone kinda knew that their opinion doesn't mean shit if Lonappan said no. However, they still tried their level best to appeal it to the final judge, before he made a decision. They hoped that Lonappan had the same chill mood that he had three days back.
"Oh, are you waiting for my decision? Of course, you can participate, Taro! I believe you should at least fight once to judge your current level and the effectiveness of what you learned. It would be a shame if you didn't." Lonappan replied, much to the surprise of everyone there, except for Thankappan since he knew the reason behind it.
Taro was happy beyond words. "Thank you, Lonappan! I swear I'll repay you for this!" Taro spoke. And this way, Taro finally could see the state tournament in sight.
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