Training: Obstacle Course is an optional mission in Patapon 2, accessable after completing the first battle against the Karmen in the Juju Jungle. As the mission description says, it is a timed mission, forcing the Patapons to hurry by obstacles at a fast pace. It is excellent to gain stones for upgrading your initial units, since beating it gives lot of them.
A similar training mission can be found at Nanjaro Hill.
Walkthrough
Initially, you'll have one hundred seconds to reach and destroy a tombstone. You are notified at the 50, 30, 10, 5, 3, 2, and 1-second marks. Don't get too pressured; you'll move further by staying in Fever mode and scoring Perfect beats than by trying to rush.
This is completely optional, so don't feel like you have to beat it as soon as you unlock it. You can play it with your initial three Yaripons, for fun, or to get a better sense of rhythm and attack ranges. But without Mater, The Tree of Life, rewards gained here are no use-and you won't get too far with only three units-so it's best to increase your army size first.
It's quite hard to destroy the obstacles quickly if you don't have Yumipons or Megapons, because Yaripon's range can be hard to control. A Yaripon Hero works very well but you should take into account that Hero Mode takes a full set to activate. Use Yumipons and stay in Fever mode to fire a barrage of arrows, you will be able to destroy multiple rocks in one attack command, cutting down the number of beats spent to reach the tombstone.
If you don't mind building up your forces even more, a Kibapon or Robopon Hero can be helpful, as their Hero Mode attacks will cut through the obstacles in short order. A Dekapon Hero has a similar ability, but it's slower, so you may want to avoid it. Megapons are also useful, but only use a Hero Megapon if you don't plan on landing Perfect beats, the Icicle of Death Hero Mode is not effective here. Focus on increasing damage output and critical ratios; there's nothing but static obstacles ahead, so defense and status effects are unnecessary. Pi
ercing weapons are handy for the bigger obstacles, especially when you get to Level 2 of the mission.
Before you get to the tombstone, you'll have to destroy several small rocks, a large rock (with a sign behind it), and four wooden fences. The small rocks are embarrassingly weak, a properly placed Yumipon squad can destroy most of them in a single Attack command. The large rock is quite durable in the early game, but if you destroy it, you'll get a random level 2 material (the first time, anyways). The fences are surprisingly tough, but a rain of blows should deal with them in short order.
If you get past the sign and destroy the tombstone, you'll receive the Cap of Pakapon, and the mission will end regardless of time remaining. Don't celebrate too hard, as the fun has only begun...
The next time you play this mission, you'll have two hundred seconds to get to a goal post. Unfortunately, it's much further away, but there's plenty of treasure to be had. After you pass the obstacles from the first time around (minus the tombstone), you'll enter a forested area. At the beginning of it, you'll see a sign, a small rock wall, and a treasure chest. The latter two are fairly tough obstacles, but destroy them both to gain access to a few Level 2 materials (usually Fangs, Hides, and Ore). If you manage to do this, the rocks may become easier to destroy the next time around.
Past the treasure chest are the real challenges: two small brick walls followed by a large one. To make matters worse, the trees above are crowded with beehives, which give Ka-ching and Wood Branches when struck, but also block ranged attacks until destroyed. The previously mentioned methods of increasing your army's efficiency are all but mandatory here; Megapons and piercing effects are especially useful for hitting the beehives and going straight to the walls. The walls occasionally give up Hard Iron instead of Stones when they fall-especially the big one.
The last obstacles between you and the goal are another row of small rocks (with a sign in front to encourage you). If you make it here with more than 50 seconds remaining, you should be able to get through in time. Don't be discouraged if you run out of time just one or two March commands away-just try again with better beats or stronger forces.
After you pass the goal, a treasure chest will appear the next time you play (approximately where the tombstone once stood). Attack it to gain a random piece of Giant or Ancient equipment. In future victories, it will hold a random Level 5 material.
You can continue to play the mission even after ransacking the chest, but there are a few changes. If you beat the mission last time, the chest with your prize is another obstacle-more than likely ruining your run if you haven't upgraded your army in the interim. Secondly, the rock mound and treasure chest at the entrance of the forest will be at full strength again (although still relinquishing the same materials). Finally, the last stretch of small rocks has become harder to destroy-not by much, but certainly enough to deny your complete victory if you don't hurry.
Of course, your main objective is claiming the spoils of your last win; the next time around, the more durable rocks at the end are the only lingering change. Once your Patapons are strong enough, they can probably beat the level even with the extra chest from the last time you won.