The spirit world is broken and in desperate need of a restoration. True heroes and ancient beasts that once walked are now a thing of the past. Between the empty spaces of forgotten treasure halls there are whispers of one who has returned. One lege...
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After hours of absorbing the smoke from the ovens and the trash rolling over the concrete, Ritsu was barely glowing and couldn't unlock light mode any faster than before.
When it came to stockpiling qi, Ritsu seemed to be a natural at it. But when it came to transforming the staff, even with the understanding of light mode, our hero really struggled. If he went this slow with all the comforts of the Lunch Hero and his trainer there to support him, how was he going to fare in a packed stadium with the pressure on and the stakes higher than he could imagine?
That's a problem for future you, Bodhi reminded themself. This was only day one. No matter how great of a mentor Bodhi was, they couldn't expect Ritsu to get the hang of everything right off the bat. The body had to get used to the feeling of things and it needed time to adapt. The only reason Ritsu was even kind of good at cultivating natural energy was because he already did that in the kitchen. It was just that until now, he didn't have a name for it.
While the two of them were wrapping up with some cooldown stretches, Ritsu asked Bodhi if he could make dinner for them and everyone else back at the hotel. Bodhi gave him permission to return to the kitchen while they waited on the roof alone, thinking of the best way to break the news about Sun Zhaoling.
On their way back to the hotel, Bodhi went over all of the sun clones that they read about the night before. They explained to Ritsu that Zhaoling was making a name for himself primarily by avoiding his own Radiant State.
"He's beaten many of his opponents who were high on sweet immortal peaches. Not only is Zhaoling extremely strong, but he's totally in control." Bodhi groaned and stretched their arms up overhead. They folded their hands behind their head and said, "To be blunt, he's pretty much the worst matchup for you in a head to head battle. At the same time, you could stand to learn from him."
Ritsu's reaction wasn't really what Bodhi expected. The sun clone didn't reply right away and he got very pensive all of a sudden. "You're saying that he doesn't use peaches... like at all?"
Bodhi regretted saying anything about it. "It's scary, I know, but–"
"I wish I could do that."
That was not the reaction Bodhi was expecting. They slowed down as the two of them came up beside the massive stadium. The giant dome of concrete was blocking the afternoon sun, casting the whole sidewalk in a cool, bright shadow.
Well. Bodhi knew that Ritsu didn't like all of that monkey king stereotyping and pressure to compete, but they didn't realize that he disliked his own Immortal State to this extent. At least, that's the vibe they got from the way Ritsu looked off to the side and brooded over his deep seeded frustrations.
"Uh..." Bodhi decided to approach the next thing on their mind very gently. "Look, Sun Ritsu. There's something I want to ask you. What's going on in your head when you're in the kitchen doing your thing?"
