Snippet #1723581

The master nodded his head as Jack entered. He thought that his words might have stung a little, but he had to be honest with the boys. When it came to the race to be the successor, they had to give it their all. All four of them would be worthy successors in their own right, but only one could bear the title. It made him sad that such competition had to be held among boys with such camaraderie, even though Joey wouldn't admit how much he cared about his brothers. It would be interesting to see how their abilities developed.

Joey bowed back, putting tradition and respect before jealousy. When Jack asked him about his training method, Joey could not help but smile.
"Yes, I did start doing that for training. It tries to use its claws, but I've managed to restrain them to the point that they are useless. I have conquered the strongest animal in Japan. That is a huge milestone in my training."

When Jack revealed how he desired to train with them, Joey's eyes softened. If the truth was to be known, Joey cared a great deal about his brothers, loving them as if they were his own flesh and blood. Sure, he could get jealous and petty, but if the opportunity came to seriously harm or even kill them, he doubted he would follow through with it. There were two sides to Joey, and reconciling them would be important for his training. If he could gain control of his emotions, there would be a high probability that he would be named successor. Right now, his good side was showing.

Joey reached out and gently ruffled Jack's hair.
"Just keep training hard, little bro. I know you've got it in you to make us all proud."
He smiled at him.
"Your technique is beautiful, and once you get it mastered, it will be a testament to the greatness of Ansatsuken."
His smile went away and he turned to watch Tsubasa cooking.

Master Ryuken could not have been more proud of Joey. He admired him for putting aside his jealousy to support Jack on his path. This was who Joey really was, and who he had been prior to the other boys coming to the Hokuto Dojo. Joey was doing well, as were they all. Ryuken really wanted to see Jack make it to the level of his brothers, so that the three of them could teach him, as well. It would be a great learning and growing experience for them all to work together to reach their goals.