Chapter 12 - Finn, Gareth and Bete
Hermes decided that training with Finn, Gareth and Bete should be combined. It would be more efficient and there was increasing concern that time is running out. Furthermore, to get the competitive juices flowing, he announced a round robin tournament between the 4 boys after 3 days of training. This immediately boosted Bete's spirits, as he was humiliated by Bell's lap pillow and teasing by Tione and Tiona.
The first task was again checking if Joint Mage providing any benefits to their magic and skills. There again was some benefits though the amount of enhancement was again much less than with Ais. At this point, everyone was quite sure that 'Joint Mage' was 'designed' for Ais and Bell. As with the earlier trainees, it was still worthwhile to fully delineate the amount of benefit and how to optimize the benefit. To the chagrin of the 4 male trainees, testing started with holding hands and advanced to embracing. Even Finn protested while Bete was in total revolt. After warnings from Loki, her familia members obeyed begrudgingly. As it turned out, the bad atmosphere generated by holding hands and embracing reduced the effectiveness of their magic. However, Loki, Tione and Tiona did enjoy peeking into the spectacle. Ais refused to watch anyone embracing Bell due to jealousy, and she attacked Tiona when she teased that Ais' boyfriend was enjoying his embrace with Bete.
After lunch, sparring sessions began, lifting everyone's mood. For combat training, initial training would involve 1 on 1 matches. After each hour, sparring partners would be rotated until each combatant has sparred with the other 3. Magic was also allowed with the exception of argonaut, while weapon use was limited to blunt metal rods. To get even more competitive juices going, anyone who was knocked unconscious would be subjected to lap pillow assistance until he waked up. Bell started off with Gareth, who had strength and endurance advantages over Bell, but lacked Bell's dexterity and agility. Bell was able to land many hits, but Gareth's toughness allowed him to withstand Bell's attacks. With Gareth's resistance, firebolt and crystal attacks also did not cause much damage. On the other hand, Gareth was not able to land many hits, but when he did, he left a substantial impact on Bell. At the end, Bell found himself on Gareth's lap. The next match pitted Bell against Finn. This was almost the reverse of the 1st battle. Bell had the advantage in strength and endurance, while Finn was quicker and more agile. Furthermore, Finn's experience and quick decisions gave him a substantial edge. Unfortunately for Bell, he also found himself on Finn's lap. In his final match, Bell fought with Bete. Skills-wise, Bete was a bad matchup for Bell, as Bete was at least as good in all the key categories except for magic. Furthermore, with Bete's magic resistance, firebolt and crystal attacks would have limited use without argonaut. Thus, Bell also found himself on Bete's lap.
On the second day, Hermes skipped magic training and went straight to combat training. In the morning, it would be 1-on-1 again while afternoon would be 2-on-2. Against Gareth, Bell showed improvement, as he avoided being knocked out but also was unable to deliver a knock-out strike. Against Finn, Bell also improved and was much more prepared for Finn's creative mind. The match ended up in a draw with neither able to knock the other out. The match against Bete was closer, but Bell ended up on Bete's lap again. In the afternoon, the team with Gareth always won as no one was able to knock him out. Training ended when Hermes and the 4 trainees went for a cookout, in which Finn and Gareth told stories about their old battles.
On the third day, Hermes continued with 1-on-1 sparring in the morning. Against Gareth, Bell showed even more improvement as he landed even more hits, but still was unable to knock Gareth out. Against Finn, Bell was starting to get the upper hand, and did finally deliver a knock-out. Against Bete, the match was even closer than the second day, but Bete still ultimately won. In the afternoon, Hermes conducted 3 hours of 2-on-2 battles. Gareth's toughness continued to give his team the advantage, but the combination of Bell and Bete did managed to knock Finn out.
The final day of training ended with a feast for all the trainees. As a huge surprise during the meal, Hermes, Loki and Fels announced that the round robin tournament has been replaced by a war game with the Xenos. Everyone was shocked with the Xenos announcement. Finn and Gareth were also marveling at Bell's incredible improvement in the last 3 days. Given how well Bell was battling at level 4 without using argonaut, he would surely have surpassed them when he reaches level 5.