Owner listed in chapter 1. Joke listed in Chapter 2. Big disclaimer listed in chapter 4. What can I say. I'm lazy.
****
Subaru Nakajima is a girl who adores and idolizes Head Aerial Combat Instructor Takamachi Nanoha. This idolization comes from the time when she was saved by the woman from amidst the flames of the burning Airport some time ago. When she was alone, lost, hurt, and scared, Nanoha appeared like a guardian angel. The fires of that hell seemed to be held at bay by the very overwhelming presence of that woman, and fled before the might of her unstoppable magic.
And yet, despite that fearsome strength, Nanoha was a gentle soul, cradling Subaru like a loving mother as she flew away from the inferno. She saw the crying girl to complete safety in the arms of her sister before flying off again to fearlessly brave the flames again in hopes of saving another.
Since that day, Subaru sought strength so that she could one day be like that cool, kind, yet strong woman she adored.
Subaru's family style of martial arts, as well as Revolving Knuckle, her fist style Knights Weapon (Right hand version, inherited from her late mother), followed the modern Belkin style of magic. All of this was very powerful in it's own right, with the potential to grow even stronger, yet that was not enough. Subaru didn't want to be 'as strong' as the White Ace, she wanted to be 'just like' her, so she went and developed spells in imitation of her idol to work into her fighting style.
One of Nanoha's most identifiable spells is her Divine Buster, a long range magic barrage attack spell. At it's core, the Divine Buster is nothing more than a Particle Beam Cannon, the strongest of the ordinary long range magic attack spells, however there are several other features thrown in that differentiate it from the generic. For one, it holds a sealing effect, to suppress the magic of an object gone out of control. For another, it doesn't kill, simply shears away at the magic and protective layers of an opponent while the flesh remains unharmed. All of this and more ultimately adds to the cost of the spell, bringing a basic Divine Buster to a cost of around 1.5 Million mana!
Since the DB is so identifiably linked to Nanoha, then naturally Subaru added it to her own arsenal as well. There lies problems though. For one, it's a high end Mid-childian spell, and thus incompatible with her Belkin Knights Weapon. Another problem is that Subaru just doesn't have the Linker Core strength that Nanoha has, and so cannot afford to meaninglessly squander THAT much magic on a single attack.
Subaru is not smart, strong, or learned enough to develop her own spells, so how can she have a DB? The answer; she contracted it out.
Everyone has their own unique magic combat style, so there are people who make a living developing spells to suit a persons wants or needs. The cost of those custom spells vary depending on the complexity of the job, so it can get pretty expensive to customize one's arsenal.
Ethan looked it up on the developers BBS, and sure enough, Hanz Beetle, one of the more well known developers of modern Belkin spells, made a version of the Divine Buster for the Nakajima family. According to his notes, the spell is actually a close range Explosion spell, with a string added for Focus and projection, turning the area explosion into a purely destructive mid-range beam. As a measure of pride, he also through in a condition to where the caster (Subaru) could consciously limit the distance in which the spell projects, thus amplifying the destructive ability.
Ethan was impressed to say the least. On-the-spot willful manipulation of any of a spells effect is an incredibly complicated and difficult formula.
As mages have their own combat style, so too do developers have their own writing style, and they don't like it when others steal their trade secrets. To that end, there's an unspoken rule to never publicly release the magic equations or creation techniques, so while they freely release What they did, they never say how, other than the occasional tips or tricks they discovered in their work. The equations, findings, and processes do have to be given over to the Bureau so that it can be logged and filed in the Infinity Library though.
To a resourceful guy like Ethan, the Developers BBS was a virtual treasure trove of information. Even if he couldn't see how certain effects were applied, the very fact that they could provided Ethan with inspiration on how to work his own magic, as well as aided in his understanding of the intricate workings of a spell formula.
Now Ethan could never fly, or even float, but considering the frequency in which Bureau mages see danger, especially when deploying to a distant unknown dimension, he felt reasonably sure that he'd have to fight against those who could. Subaru got around this by virtue of her Wing Road spell, which allows her to skate across thin air. Even that was out of Ethan's league though, so he had to find other ways to freely move around.
Ethan felt that movement should be one of the cornerstones of his fighting style. A person cannot be trapped on a rooftop if they are capable of leaping to another one afterall, and instead of trying to dodge a homing bullet or withstand an area explosion, it would be better to simply be somewhere else when the spell hits. Even against the strongest opponents, if you survive long enough, an opportunity would present itself. While a person takes less damage if they strengthen their defense, that same person takes NO damage if they avoid the whole thing altogether.
The idea on how he could move so freely began to take form during the third week of training when they learned the Body Augmentation spell. BA is a simple, cheep spell that strengthens the human body. It serves as the prototype to the Barrier Jacket, and allows a person to run a little faster, longer, and take hits without getting as hurt. It has a short casting, cheep magic cost, long lasting, and doesn't interfere with the casting of future spells. A staple in any mage's inventory. As a test, to show everyone what their new limitations are when the spell is in effect, everyone had to jump off of a 10 meter high platform. A very effective spell, because even those that cowered on the way down and hit the ground in an odd way were able to get up and move on unharmed.
The spell showed Ethan that he could survive the jump to the metaphorical rooftop, so now it was a matter of how to even reach it. He had a few ideas regarding the feat derived from the BBS and his own past life experiences, it was just a measure of working out the details and finding a place to try it out.
****
It was a month and a half into the training, and Ethan was doing a rare thing for him. He was lounging in the common room watching a movie. Oberi was by his side, and since the movie was one of those old, dumb, Sci Fi flics, the two of them found themselves performing a Mystery Science Theater 3000 routine, which the other trainees found to be really funny.
"Oh no! My chronic miss-at-the-most-critical-moment illness kicked in causing me to miss the core! We'll never be able to stop the radioactive mutant slime ghost from eating the world's supply of potatoes now!" said Oberi, who didn't really care what the onscreen character was really saying.
"Oh, Have hope one of my loves! Surely the nerdy doctor whom I'd never sleep with will magically appear at just the right time with an absurd and impossible plan that somehow works out anyway, causing me to sleep with him anyway!" said Ethan in a high pitched voice over the female lead.
"There is no hope for us now, but I would not be the male lead if I said that, so let us hope you are right. And don't call me Shirley!" said Oberi.
"My pants are on fire!" called out William, another trainee who was enjoying this so much he decided to join in as the scientist. "I mean, I know how to stop the giant radioactive mutant slime ghost now!"
"See? I told you" said Ethan.
"It's really simple really. Lola must sleep with me!"
"Yess!!" cried out Ethan
"Now doc, we all know how much you need a prostitute, but surely there's another means to stopping this giant radioactive mutant slime ghost" said Oberi
"Yes, you must perform the ancient and difficult tribal slime dance to get it to mate with you. Only then the potatoes of the world will have the time to learn to poison themselves, causing the giant radioactive mutant slime ghost to regret it's actions and leave of it's own accord. Only you can do it! And don't call me Shirley!" said William.
"Very well, I shall go and sacrifice my life for a plan that will never work, because that's what we make leads do. Lola, When I mysteriously return alive, let's get married!" Said Oberi in a very dramatic tone.
"Oh, if only I could go with you. I'll never be able to love again for at least a week when you die" lamented Ethan.
"That's all I ask. Porkchop Sandwiches!" Obery called out as the character fled through the door to confront the monster. "Hau Hau Hau, Monseri, you luke very beautiful in sa moonlight. Vould you care to mate vit me?" Oberi said in a very bad French accent.
"Gladly!" growled one of the girls in a mock monster voice as the camera showed the slime.
"Hoot, Hatt! Bogaboga tootoot!" said Oberi in a mock tribal chant as the character jumped around to avoid thrown slime bits.
"It's working!" cried Ethan hopefully over a distraught looking female as the slime changed colors.
"hmmm, you smell very nice today" said William seductively as the scientist screamed into the monitor.
"Why thank you. It's Lilac rouge. Do you like?" said Ethan seductively as the Female lead fell to her knees and cried.
Everyone was laughing as the movie faded into the commercial break. Ethan and Oberi were conspiring on how to finish the movie when Subaru walked in, obviously looking for someone.
"Hey Ethan!" she called out.
"Miss Nakajima?" he asked as he looked up at her. She had a grin on her face, the kind that usually meant some absurd request was coming.
"You never told me you were a Martial Artist!" she said.
"You never asked"
"Oh, well I practice the art a little myself. How about we spar some time?"
"Ok" Ethan said before he could think about it. "I…"
"Great!" Subaru interjected before he could tack on some ridiculous condition. He had a nasty habit of actually doing whatever he said. "I'll see you in the morning then!" She waved and ran off after her partner, who was standing outside the doorway with an annoyed expression on her face.
Oberi took a sip of his soda and turned to his partner. "So when did you get so friendly with the golden duo?" he asked.
"She works out with me in the early mornings" Ethan said honestly. After a week of recovering, Subaru had started to follow along on his workout routine again, and has been keeping up with it every day since. It's also why she was so familiar with him, despite his insistence otherwise. The only person Ethan refers to on a first name basis is his partner.
"Really… Perhaps we should invite them to join in our evening repast" said the partner in question.
"Don't" said Ethan warningly. "Both of them each managed to usurp your position as the best, and are showing no sign of slowing down. If you try and be friendly to them now, it could very well be taken as a challenge or a trick to get your spot back. I for one certainly don't want them to be cross with us."
"hmmm… perhaps you show wisdom in your youth. Very well, I shall find a different means by which to swoon the maidens!"
"You do that" Ethan said. That was odd. Grey almost never usually backs down from something like that. Ethan wondered what it meant.
"But seriously" said Will with a nudge to his side. "What's she really like?"
"huh" asked Ethan in confusion.
"Comeon. You said you 'work out' with her in the mornings, right? So how is she?" Will asked suggestively.
"Well she's got a really firm body" said Ethan with a half smile and a side-long glance.
"Gods, you are such a jerk!" called out Lara Melt from the back row. "And to think I was starting to like you!"
Ethan turned around and held his hands up defensively. "It's not like that Miss Melt. We only exercise together. I swear!"
"My friend breaks no bonds in his dealings with persons other, my Fiery maiden." Added Oberi. "Fear not, for the hard built bindings of our friendship remain firm and true!"
Lara humphed and turned away.
"But on a matter of direness my friend" said Oberi to Ethan. "how could you so openly lie to me, your closest confidant?"
"When have I ever lied to you?" he asked.
"When asked a fortnight ago, thou told me to my face that you are not the specially bred heir of Martial prowess with barrels of excessive chi at your disposal, did you not?"
He remembers that? "I'm not, and I don't. I practice the art a little, but that's all." Ethan idly wondered when he became the center of so many conversations. He knew there was a reason he didn't socialize that much.
"So you say. We shall find out on the morrow then. Shall we?"
By then, the commercials had ended and the movie resumed.
"Oh, Duke, what a wonderful male lead you are. You successfully mated the monster and drove it away! But why are you eating your own child?"
"What? You mean I shouldn't?"
****
In the early rays of morning, Ethan stood infront of the mirror tightening the belt to his Dogi. He didn't really want to do this, but couldn't easily see a way out of it.
It was bad enough that the Cyborg chose to join him in his morning routine, but if he did well enough in this, it could deepen a bond that he didn't want to exist. As much of a likeable person she is, and as much as he'd like to be her friend, he couldn't risk the change his presence may create.
Ethan was an outsider with knowledge of the future, and people like that are the ones that end up changing that future. When that future involves a world spanning incident that's originally only barely averted, little changes could find themselves tipping the balance in the bad guy's favor.
If he paid close enough attention to what changes he could notice to what he remembers, he could perhaps lend himself to cover the shortcoming those changes wrought. Patching the holes that only he can see so to speak. The problem with that is, a pathetic mage like him whose only redeeming feature is a fit body would find himself extremely hard pressed to insert himself into the unit of Elites and gain a position to make those patches.
A way around the whole thing would be to simply blow the lid on Jail Scalleti and his organization right now. Simply go to the authorities and tell them everything that's expected to happen, about the Numbers, his tie in to Project Fate, and the resurrection of the original Belkin King. Let the aces deal with him now, while most of the numbers are still undergoing construction.
They might believe him, except that he's shown no tendancies towards psychic ability before and wouldn't be able to fake it later. With someone like that, such a clear and concise prediction would be under suspect, and he'd have to face no end of troubles and trials as a consequence.
An anonymous call to Hayate, Nanoha, and Fate perhaps? Those three would probably believe him enough to look into the matter, but then again nothing's truly anonymous these days, so all the other troubles could still occur.
That left sticking to the canon and hoping for the best, which also meant not getting involved with Nakajima Subaru. The easiest route would be to simply start being rude to the girl, so she'd choose to ignore him for the rest of training. Ah, if only he could be so heartless, everything would be so much easier.
There was hope though. Despite his presence, Subaru and her Partner Teana both seem to follow the canon, as far as he could tell. A few weeks in, they made their vow to be the best and have been the best ever since. They both spend most of their free time working and training, and so don't socialize with other's much. Even Subaru, as personable and friendly as she is, mostly keeps to herself between breakfast and sleep.
So she wants to spar a little this morning. Maybe it won't be so bad afterall. Well, one can hope anyway. With that in mind, Ethan left his room and walked to the front courtyard…
…Only to stop and slap himself on the forehead.
Apparently word got out and most of the group was there to watch. There was a lot of fanfare floating around with the majority of conversations being about what brought this on and who would win. They had already formed into a large circle around the grassy area.
Subaru was off to one side, stretching and cheerfully talking to a tired Teana who looked like she wanted to slap the girl and go back to bed.
Oberi, the betrayer, had apparently assumed the role of one Nabiki Tendo and was roving around the crowd talking up the fight and running a betting pool.
William Fiero apparently noticed Ethan first, since he broke away from the crowd to fetch him. "Man, you got guts Frist. I didn't think anyone would dare challenge that monster woman."
Ethan merely groaned into his hand.
"Don't worry about it dude, I'm rooting for you" said Will as he practically dragged Ethan into the circle. "Just make sure you last a while before you lose!"
"What?" Ethan said as he looked at the guy. "What the hell happened to rooting for me?" as much as this sucked, that hurt his pride.
"Comeon man, Everyone knows your going to lose, so the betting is based on how long you last. I'm in for longer than 30 minutes."
"Hey, no swaying the contestant before the match!" yelled Oberi as he came over and forcefully separated the two. He grabbed Ethan and dragged him into the center. "We've been waiting for you my friend!"
Ethan grabbed him in a headlock, and the taller guy suddenly found it very hard to breath. "What the hell are you doing, what the hell is all this, and why the hell is everyone betting against me? Answer in 10 seconds or die"
Oberi smiled weakly from his position under his partner's armpit. "You are the man heaven chose to be my partner. I have no doubt you'd win. Since everyone now thinks you'll lose, we'll make off with all the winnings!"
"Oh?" Ethan said as he tightened his grip alittle. "and what kind of winnings are we talking about?" Oberi weakly squeeked out the numbers, and Ethan's grip slacked. These people are betting that much? With that kind of money, he could finally afford that spell he needed! Still though…
He tightened his grip again as he thought about it, and finally let the taller guy go when his face turned purple. "No, I refuse. It goes against my pride to fight for the sake of spectators."
"Oh, comeon, It's more fun this way" said Subaru as she assumed her spot in the middle of the ring.
Ethan crossed his arms and put a stern expression on his face. It's going to suck giving up the potential for that much money. "Sorry Miss Nakajima. Maybe some other time." He turned to walk away.
"So what are you, a coward?" she called out and pointed at him. "Martial artists can't refuse a challenge, and I challenge you!"
Ethan winced. She got him there. With those words it was now a matter of a different kind of pride. Oberi was standing up, having finally recovered, when Ethan snagged his shirt like a whip and dragged his face to his own. He gave his roommate a very stern, angry glare that promised lots of unending pain should he not listen. "80 percent" he hissed quietly enough that only Oberi could hear it.
"Naturally" the taller guy said with a smile and he was let go.
"Ladies and Gentlemen" Oberi called out for all the world like a circus ringleader. "I apologize for the delay, but the moment you've all been waiting for is now upon us. The fight to end all fights. David versus Goliath. The good verses the bad. The Golden child versus the Problem child. Who will emerge victorious in this grueling grudge match?"
"In this corner" he said with a sweep of his arm towards the woman "Our defending champion, The Golden child of Training group 4. She has climbed her way to the top, rocking the score of every stat. She is the one who sets the standards for the rest of us and crushes her opposition with her fearsome might. Subaru Nakajima!!!"
"Yeah, go girl!"
"You can do it!"
"Just hurry up so I can go to bed"
"And in this corner" Oberi continued, indicating the guy "The challenger. The problem child of training group 4. He gets the worst scores in almost every department, but he has not given up yet. In his ambition to climb the charts, he has set his sights on the best, and skipped the climb in the process. Ethan Frist!"
"Yeah, go for it"
"Don't lose too quickly, ya hear?"
"Show that girl what we guy's are made of!" why haven't the instructors come out to stop this yet?
"This is a no holds barred fight, with no magic and no time limit. The match will continue until one contestant gives up or is unable to continue. Challenger Nakajima, Are you ready?"
"Yeah, Let's do this!"
"Challenger Frist, Are you ready?"
"ugh… let's just get it over with"
"Then without further ado, ready….Fight!"
Neither of them made a move right away. There were some rituals that needed following first, and Ethan was glad that she was experienced enough to follow them.
Subaru put her fist into her palm. "Subaru Nakajima, First dan of the Nakajima school of the Righteous Fist" she bowed correctly.
Ethan mimicked the maneuver. "Ethan Frist, Third dan of the Flying Foot Open Fist school." He bowed his respects as well. He wondered a little about her claim to experience. According to the manga, she had only been learning that style for a little over a year, since the Airport fire.
Subaru assumed an aggressive stance, her right fist held out with her left over her chest. Ethan idly noted that her right glove was significantly thicker than the other, probably related to her device. In response, he assumed a defensive stance, his right hand open infront of his face, while his left hung loose over his stomach.
She attacked first, jumping in with a 4 punch combo followed by a high kick to the head. Ethan blocked all of it, and pushed against her leg with his forearm to force her to jump back.
She showed how flexible she was by instead leaning into her leg with a one-two jab to his chest. He deflected one of them with his free hand, but took a tag to his chest, and stepped back himself as a result. She was much better than he thought.
Subaru calmly put her foot back on the ground and took up the same stance. She had a smile on her face from the moral victory.
Ethan took a more aggressive stance himself this time, and even before he finished it, he leapt directly into her personal bubble. Subaru instinctively tried to block a hit she knew was coming at her face, only to feel a strong punch in her gut, forcing her back a few steps. Ethan shook his fist warningly at her. It was a favorite trick of his when fighting against experienced fighters, to use his chi to make them react to an attack that never comes.
The crowd was starting to swing a different direction by now. "What? The recluse is actually good at something?"
"Woah, I wasn't expecting this"
"I want to change my bet!"
The two clashed again, trading blows and parries for a moment before separating again. The brown haired guy had taken a rather strong blow to his face which staggered him, while the blue haired girl was nursing her side from a kidney shot.
The fight broke out in earnest there, both fighters using tricks and advantages in reckless abandon. Ethan had the better skill, that was for sure, but Subaru had a mechanically reinforced body that gave her inhuman levels of toughness and strength that amounted to a pretty even fight.
"What the hell is going on out here!?" yelled assistant instructor Tundra as he finally stepped outside to investigate the commotion. The crowd panicked, and made a mad dash to the door, each hoping to be able to pretend they slept through the whole thing.
Subaru and Ethan were frozen in the act of pummeling each other as they stared at the instructor. Teana was off to the side, her head in her hand. She knew better than to run, especially since her partner was involved, but was obviously trying to spontaneously develop the art of 'I-really-don't-know-her' jutsu. Oberi was snagged from the fleeing masses, and now hung defeated in the hands of the instructor.
"Nakajima! Frist! Lanster! My office. Now!"
"…yes, sir" they all said in shame as they turned to follow.
"I told you we should have put it off" Ethan said to Subaru under his breath. She simply stuck her tongue out at him.
****
Teana Lanster and Oberi Grey were both standing outside the administrators' office, waiting to collect their respective partners. By proxy of being partners (at least in Teana's sake) they had both received the same punishment as the two fighters - one week of additional duty - cleaning toilets, groundswork, that sort of thing to take up one hour each morning and 4 every evening.
Lanster had a scowl on her face, but when an honor student like her who didn't even want a partner like that get's dragged into this stuff, a slightly irate mood is to be expected, right?
Grey, in contrast, thought the whole thing was appropriately funny, and nursed a whimsical smile as he thought about how to better exploit his partner next time. His mood didn't help the orange haired girl though, as her scowl deepened.
Finally, Teana snapped. "What's wrong with you!?" she hissed angrily at the taller boy. "What did I ever do to you to disserve this?"
"Moa?" the curly haired guy asked, putting his hand to his chest for effect. "I was not the one fighting" he said in his best state-the-obvious voice.
"Shut up!" She snapped, a vein bulging on her forehead. "You set the whole thing up, and dragged us all into it. This is all your fault you ass!"
"Be at peace my friend. I only did what I felt would strengthen the bonds of our collective friendships."
Teana shivered, obviously trying to suppress her rage. She succeeded, but only barely. "She is not my friend, you are not my friend, He is not my friend, and if we weren't in the same training group I'd never even look at any of you again!"
"You would deny the euphoric bonds of youthful friendship?" Grey looked like he was in genuine shock at that statement. "How? What tragedy must have occurred in your past to merit this unnatural and unholy behavior?"
"That's none of your damn business!" she said as the door finally opened, spilling out two shame-filled youths. Without even waiting, She grabbed her trying-to-apologize roommate and started to drag her off. She had a bit of yelling to do herself on this matter. "And if you ever do something like this again" she yelled over her shoulder "than I'm going to earn my punishment with your spleen!"
Oberi, Ethan, and even a quickly disappearing Subaru looked at Teana in mild shock at that last statement. Perpetually serious and sometimes angry, sure, but they never knew she could talk so violently.
The two guys looked at each other for a brief moment, and simultaneously shrugged. "Shall we go?" Oberi said. Ethan nodded and they walked off.
They were stopped in the main lobby by Lara calling over to them. She actually *Swaggered* over and gave the taller boy an *almost* pleasant smile. "If you'd please" she said as she held out a pad.
Oberi sighed and pushed a few buttons on the pad, causing a number to appear near the top. Lara inspected the number and her smile grew. "Thank you" she said in a singsong as she carefully put the pad away. She leaned in closer to Ethan and pinched him on his injured cheek. "You be sure to win me some more money now, k?" she giggled and skipped off.
"What just happened?" Ethan asked of his companion.
"She was the only one to bet on the fight being cut short. Sorry my friend, no earnings this time"
Ethan drooped his head. He became friendly with a girl he didn't want to know, Got beaten up by her, got into trouble, violated his no-fighting-for-the-spectators moral, probably worsened his changes to the canon plotline, lost his hard-earned reputation among his peers, and didn't even get any of the much needed money he needed. Epic failure.
In the shower later, Ethan benched the other stuff to concentrate on the fight. He had more skill than her, that much was certain. She was strong though. Mechanically reinforced frame or not, she had managed to injure him something good, a feat he felt intimately as he massaged his many bruises and struggled to see out of his swollen left eye.
Since his magic is so pathetic, he was hoping in some way that his martial prowess would make up for the shortfall. Obviously that's not so much the case anymore. Throw some magic into the equation and he'd be done. He needed much more training if he was going to be anywhere near effective with his art, training he couldn't get on his already tight schedule.
His creative ideas would still take a while to finish, and it was his hope that he could win out against stronger opponents (most everyone really) if he used those tricks right, however they were only tricks, and he knew it.
He needed something else, some edge over the magic, and simply understanding it on a formulae level won't do anything. The problem there was that nothing was coming to mind.
Ethan mulled over the issue long enough that he missed breakfast, which only served to worsen his mood.
****
Subaru was absent the next day, sent away for a maintenance checkup. The official excuse was a private checkup with her family doctor, but Ethan knew better, and felt a little better about it all that he hurt her enough to merit it. She came back that evening looking as healthy and chipper as ever.
The rest of the week was cleaning, training, and people asking when the next fight's gonna be.
After the punishment, Ethan and Subaru resumed their normal morning regiment, though after a few days (when people stopped coming out in hopes of seeing another fight) they incorporated a period of light sparing.
Other than that, routine resumed as it always had.
****
Ethan sat up from the impact crater he was lying in. His skin was slightly cooked, his pants were seared up to the knees, and he had a huge grin on his face. It was the middle of the night, deep in the woods behind the dorms, and he was testing out a new spell he had been working on.
The spell was a resounding success. Half a blitzball field away was the blackened ground where he started, and the explosion sent him all the way over here in a split second!
The direction and round shield strength would have to be fine tuned, and he'd of course need some practice. It also took a large chunk of his magic to do it, so a version for shorter jumps would also be necessary. His BA modifications had worked wonders though, so continuing its modifications along the same thread were looking to be a good idea.
There was a rustle, and one of the instructors appeared to investigate the explosion. "Trainee Frist" he called out when he saw the guy. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine sir" Ethan said as he stood up and went to attention.
"What happened here?"
"I'm sorry sir, I was testing out a new spell when it exploded"
The instructor looked around, saw the blast area and nodded in understanding. "You've got to be careful with new spells. Was it from a private developer or one of the mainstream ones?"
"Private sir" Ethan said. He considers himself a private developer, right?
"Privately made spells can have all kinds of nice effects, but you've got to be especially careful of shotty workmanship. I'm glad to see you had your BA on."
"Yes sir! Always" he said honestly
"Are you hurt anywhere else? Did you hit anything?" it was a pretty long impact crater.
"No sir, I'm fine"
"Alright then. It's very late. Check in with the clinic room before going to bed."
"Sir" Ethan saluted before moving off
"And come find one of us next time you want to test a new spell" the instructor called out. He took another look around the area. Decent sized explosion, with a long crater a good distance away. He was actually impressed with trainee Frist's progress if he could use so much of his available magic to do something like that.
****
"Force Jump" is what Ethan called it. It was a Grenade spell, with the timer, light, and projection elements stripped away, cast at his feet beneath a Round shield. The explosion pushed against the shield and flung Ethan a distance away, like a cannonball.
He got the idea from a time in his first life when he went to the circus. Young Naoko was enthralled with the Human Cannonball stunt. It was a way for a human being to actually fly for a short period. No tethers, no wings or other tools, just the person and the sky. It was a dream of his for a short time to one day do that himself.
That dream was short lived, because when he looked it up, he was able to see how often stuntmen got seriously hurt when the cannon was poorly primed, or when they missed the net, and young Naoko didn't want to risk getting that hurt, just to spend a few second flying.
The Body Amplification spell changed all that. A means of surviving and remaining unhurt from impacts of moving like that. With that available, he could work on now creating the metaphorical cannon to shoot himself from, which he did successfully.
Fine tuning or not, the existence of his Force Jump spell opens up a whole new scope to his battlefield and capabilities. That rooftop is no longer unreachable.
Practicing and further testing this spell could be problematic though. It was a custom made spell, of which he doesn't have a licence to do. In addition, it can be considered dangerous to the user. It's one thing if he 'luckily survived an accident', but another thing entirely if they see him intentionally blowing himself up again and again for the sake of moving a little faster.
Therefore, practicing where people could find him is out. He needs someplace private, a place where nobody would be around to see the flash or hear the explosion, yet a place that was wide and open so he could freely jump around without obstacles.
The answer was the airport.
Mid-Childa Costal Airport 8. The sight of the great fire more than a year ago. Crews swept through the place for a few months after investigating the cause and salvaging useable stuff and equipment, but the whole area remained abandoned since. He knew this was the case, because according to the anime the ruins of the airport served as the testing ground for the golden duo's B-rank test.
The training ground was located conveniently close to the airport ruins, just a 30 minute jog away, which meant he could get a good run in trying to go back and forth.
The area was still considered a condemned area, so it was cordoned off, the cordons watched by automated sensors and warning signs. Following another hunch though, Ethan found that the sewer system was oddly unguarded, so he was able to use it to get back and forth.
He took a deep breath and stretched as he stood in the middle of the ruins. The sewers may be unguarded, but they twisted and turned in such a way that it took him a while to find his way to the airport. Still though, the place was perfect. Wide, open, empty, plenty of natural obstacles to use if he wanted to, and no way for anyone to know he was there!
He ducked under an overturned building as a low flying ship flew overhead. Ok, almost no way to know he was there. He'd have to be careful of aerial surveillance, and satellites.
The place ultimately chosen was a large warehouse on the coast. No idea what it was used for before, but now it was a mostly intact structure that was HUGE! And empty. It was big and wide enough that he wouldn't be able to jump from one side to the other in a single spell, and the roof was completely intact to block view from the sky, and it even had it's own sewer access.
After doing a detailed inspection of the walls, to make sure it wouldn't collapse on him during training, he called his staff and started jumping.
****
Ethan yawned and rubbed his eyes as he sat back to wait for the next class's instructor to arrive. He had been doing his jump training for 3 weeks now, always late at night when he could go to and from without being caught, and the sleep deprivation was starting to have an effect on him.
His partner took notice and nudged him in the side. "Long night buddy? What are you doing at night anyway?"
"Training" Ethan said simply.
"Oh? Must be something really important. Well, you're not performing as badly during the day anymore, so I shouldn't complain. Easier on me if I don't have to hold you up all the time"
"Please don't push yourself too hard Mr. Ethan" said Luna delicately from the row infront of them.
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine" Ethan said, his words belied by another yawn. "'sides, I'm not the only one doing secret night training"
"Yeah, I'll say" said Lara. "I've noticed that golden girl Lanster going out at night a lot. Either she's got a boyfriend, or she really wants to maintain her position at the top"
"And which do you think my fiery maiden?" asked Oberi.
"Stop that" said Lara as she slapped him lightly from across the desk. It was an old conversation by now. "If she had a boyfriend, then I'd eat my staff"
"You seem so sure of that" said Ethan
"You just don't know girls like I do. Lanster has no friends, barely talks to even her own partner, yet still maintains her spot as one of the best. She's a workaholic if I ever saw one."
"Point" said Grey.
"So what's your excuse?" Ethan asked of his partner. "What do you do every night that's so secretive you can't even tell your 'merry companions'?"
The taller boy smiled. "Would you believe that I was part of a secret underground organization who utilized advanced alien biomechanical battle suits to fight off undercover aliens and other monstrous threats from beyond?" he looked hopefully at Luna.
Dawn giggled. "If it's you….maybe" she said "but otherwise, no"
"So instead of more lies, how about a serious answer for once?" asked the red-head.
Oberi closed one eye and wagged a finger. "Now that, is a secret!"
Ethan had to take pause at that, but shook his head at the thought. It just wasn't possible.
Luna giggled again, but her friend just said "Jerk"
"So miss Melt, I have a question" Ethan said as he propped his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his fingers.
"What is it?"
"It's a derogatory statement used to test knowledge." Lara rolled her eyes. "But that's not important right now. Why did you choose to hang around us so much, especially when you seem to hate that" he indicated Oberi with his head "so much?"
The girl in question shrugged. "It's not much really. I can't hate anyone who earns me a lot of money" she smiled at Grey, but in a way that promised a lot of pain if he didn't provide during the next big bet.
"You're fun too" Luna supplied for her friend.
Lara just rolled her eyes again. "Besides, most of the guy's here keep hitting on me. It's annoying. At least you guy's don't" she glanced at Grey again momentarily. "At least, you don't. Him I stopped caring about."
"Not ready for the dating scheme yet?"
"I'm ready" said Luna quietly, though nobody heard her.
"Gods no! I'm still way too young. What about you though? Surely some of those other tramps have tried hitting on you? What about that golden girl Nakajima?"
"Please, like I've got the time to date. I've got to train practically every waking moment just so that I won't fail out of this place" He yawned again to emphasize his point. "And don't call me Shirley"
"You're very smart" said Luna. "I'm sure that you could do with an hour less of studying a night." She looked hopeful. "a week maybe?"
"Woah, Hold it everyone" said Oberi. "I'm supposed to be the dashing hero of the group. Why is my little buddy the one getting all the girls?"
"It's because everyone hates you" said Lara matter-of-factly
"You are a bit loud" supplied Luna
"You act like a jerk and ignore what people tell you" mentioned Ethan
"You keep taking our money" said Will from 2 rows back
"Because we're not gay!" said another of the girls nearby, causing the room to start laughing.
"Honestly, you act more like a girl than we do" said her partner.
"And you're pretty ugly" supplies a third girl.
"And I'd like to begin class, if you'd all be so kind" said the instructor. "Unless Mr. Grey feels that his lack of relational expertise is more important"
Everyone laughed again, but quickly found their seats, except for Oberi who wilted under the shame.
****
Next time… A Chilling Encounter