Super Pickles Chapter Four: Pickles Becomes a Monk
Ever since the spiders fought with Pickles that one time, they had their eyes on him. Every now and then, they would make Pickles bring them food from home. If he didn't bring anything, they would intercept him on his way to school and beat him up. Afraid that his mother, Mabo, would worry about him, Pickles didn't tell her. Instead, he secretly took food from home and gave it to the spiders. At the same time, Pickles began practicing martial arts in secret.
When the ants saw the spiders benefiting from bullying Pickles, they also started threatening him, demanding that he show them respect and give them some benefits. Pickles was so angry that, despite never having hit anyone before, he lashed out that day, releasing all the frustration he had been holding in against the spiders onto the ants. He ended up breaking the ant's leg.
Realizing he had caused serious trouble, Pickles decided not to go to school or return home. Instead, he went straight to Shaolin Temple. He felt that he must learn some skills, as this was no longer just about being successful or not.
Pickles arrived at Shaolin Temple and knocked on the temple door. A young monk came out, bowed, and asked, "Which temple do you come from, master?" This question left Pickles confused. He touched his bald head and said, "I come from school. I want to become a monk. I haven't been to any other temples." The young monk then asked, "Why are you bald?" Pickles replied, "It's natural for me to be bald." The young monk then said, "Ah, I understand. It must be Buddha's arrangement." With that, the young monk led Pickles inside.
The master looked at Pickles and said, "You don't need to shave your head; it's already done. And those bumps on your head are perfect for practicing Iron Head Technique." Thus, Pickles was accepted into the temple.
Pickles trained very hard. After starting the Iron Head Technique, he stopped treating his head like a head but rather like a ball or like a spider's head, ramming it with all his might. As a result, several trees in Shaolin Temple were broken by him.
One day, a cow from an unknown household ran to the front of Shaolin Temple and ate all the cabbages planted there. Seeing this, Pickles got angry and charged at the cow. The cow, not backing down, also charged at him. They locked horns, pushing back and forth for several rounds. Suddenly, Pickles exerted all his strength and threw the cow onto a tree branch. The cow sat on the branch, mooing and crying, "Master Pickles, Uncle Big Belly, please let me down. I will never steal vegetables from Shaolin Temple again."
Seeing that Pickles had mastered the Iron Head Technique perfectly, the master said to Pickles, "Pickles, you have completed your training. You can go home now." So Pickles returned home.
Upon returning home, Pickles found his family even poorer than before. His mother, Mabo, looked much older. It turned out that after he left, the ants had come to their house demanding compensation. Mabo had to pay them with all the family's possessions.
Heartbroken for his mother, Pickles worked tirelessly to earn money. Gradually, the family's situation improved. Because Pickles had learned skills, not only did no one dare to bully him anymore, but people constantly sought his help. The spiders, hearing that Pickles had learned many skills, feared retaliation and specially invited him for a drink, insisting on becoming friends. Seeing her son become a capable person, Mabo was very happy.