"The key to getting the hang of your powers is to figure out how to channel your powers through your conduit. But don't get too dependent on it as Jack did," Ash instructed. She'd had the idea that, in order to help Scarlett gain control over her powers, she should spar against Ash after watching River and Jack go against each other.

"Hey! I am not dependent on my staff!" Jack exclaimed. He took one look at his staff, which was currently in his hand before he tossed it aside. Only to pick it back up when he saw River pulled out his iron ring (River's conduit) embedded with an amber stone in the center. "If River can use his, then so can I!"

"But I don't use it nearly as much."

"Well, Ash uses hers too!" Jack retorted. But both him and River knew that Ash hardly ever used hers at all. Out of all the Seasonals, she was definitely the one who had the most control over her powers. Then again, she'd been around a lot longer than the others. Not that either of the guys would ever call Ash old or anything. They valued their lives too much. "Okay, fine. You guys are right. Can I still use it to spar?"

"Yes," Ash replied. She grabbed Scarlett's hand and pulled her a little ways away from the boys. They'd gone to Ireland, a forest near Dublin, actually, so Scarlett could use some of her "Irish" powers as she called it. There was a big clearing, large enough for the guys to fight without Scarlett or Ash accidentally getting hit with ice or water (did I mention there was a small river nearby?) "Alright, you guys can fight now."

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you," River smirked. Jack smiled innocently. He'd been meaning to try out that little 'trick' he'd used on Pitch and River was the perfect test subject.

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing," Jack shot back as he winked at Scarlett. The redhead shook her head in amusement, but if she had to bet on one of the guys, it would be Jack.

Mostly because Ash and River had no clue that while Jack had been training Scarlett, he'd also been training himself. Slowly but surely, he'd weaned himself off his staff almost entirely. Which provided Jack with the element of surprise.

"And…begin!" Ash shouted before she nudged Scarlett playfully. "How much do you want to bet that we could beat them faster than they'll beat each other?"

Scarlett giggled softly as she watched the two Seasonals fight. River was focused on offense, while Jack just stuck with defense. The Spirit of Summer summoned water from the river and formed the water into a giant fist that tried to ram into Jack. The keyword was tried.

Jack swung his staff towards the flowing water and turned it into ice before it could touch him. The ice fell to the ground and broke into a bunch of pieces. "Try again."

"Damn it!" River huffed. Then he glanced over to Ash and Scarlett and quickly backtracked. "I mean, dang it."

"He knows we aren't a couple of kids who aren't allowed to hear 'bad words', right?" Scarlett whispered. Ash shrugged. River and Jack, despite both of them being younger than Ash, always seemed to play the roles of the overprotective big brothers towards Ash. Though when it came to Scarlett, Jack was the overprotective boyfriend. But either way, neither Jack nor River like the girls to hear "foul language".

"When did you get so good at fighting?" River asked as he jumped out of the way to avoid being a human popsicle. "I could've sworn you were bad at this."

"That's what happens when you fight the Boogeyman," Jack smirked slightly as he tossed his staff aside. "Speaking of which, here's a little trick I learned."

Jack cracked his knuckles and thrust out his hands to let forth the almost electric-like icy blast that Pitch had referred to as Jack's "little party trick".

"Ow!" River cried as he fell to the ground. Jack winced; he'd tried to be careful but River had been knocked off his feet almost instantly. Jack ran over to River and helped the dark-haired teen up onto his feet. River groaned and held onto Jack's shoulder for support. "Okay, you win."

Ash had to admit that she was pretty impressed with Jack. She knew he had potential but she'd never seen him perform Winter magic without his staff. Even when she'd been there to fight Pitch the second time, Jack's staff never left his hand. She followed Scarlett as they walked back over to the guys and clapped a couple of times out of amazement.

"Congratulations, Jack. You managed to trick River, which isn't much of a feat, but you also managed to pull a fast one over me. When did you quit relying on your staff?" Ash asked.

"Well, Scarlett's been a big help. I help her, she helps me, and as a bonus, I get to spend time with a beautiful girl," Jack wrapped an arm around Scarlett's waist, pulling her closer to him. Scarlett rolled her eyes but pecked him on the cheek anyway. Dork or not, he was cute when he was romantic.

"I thought you were spending time with Scarlett," River smiled teasingly. Until Ash hit him upside the head. He grabbed his head dramatically and backed away from the Spirit of Spring. "Ow! It was a joke!"

"No, you're a joke," Scarlett remarked with a smirk. Jack let out a laugh and high-fived the redhead, as did Ash despite River's glum expression. "But you did a great job, Frosty."

"Now it's time for you and me to show these guys how it's done," Ash tapped the pink diamond that laid in the center of her headpiece meaningfully before she glanced at Scarlett's staff. "Conduits are allowed, as is martial arts. And kickboxing, of course."

"Kickboxing?" Scarlett asked hesitantly. She remembered Jack mention Ash's kickboxing, and how talented the brunette was. Ash smiled reassuring, which melted all of Scarlett's worries away. She knew that Ash wouldn't hurt her, not on purpose. It was just training. And honestly, getting to spend time with the Spirit of Spring was worth any potential bruises Scarlett might have received. "Might want to stand back, boys."

Jack and River glanced at one another before they ran off towards the trees Scarlett and Ash had hidden behind previously. Scarlett sighed nervously as she tightened her grip on her scepter. It was made of oak wood, and the top was shaped like a torch with a large fire opal instead of flames coming out of it. There were also little pieces of fire opal embedded in the wood, which made the entire scepter sparkle.

Ash picked up on Scarlett's anxiety, and she couldn't help but smile to herself. She saw so much of herself in the Spirit of Autumn, back when Ash was a new Spirit. But unlike then, Scarlett had not only Ash to depend upon, but River, Jack, and all of the other Guardians. Not to mention the support from the Burgess kids. And Jamie's mom (which is a story for another day). "Don't worry; I'll go easy on you. And unlike the guys, I actually mean it."

"Thanks," Scarlett beamed. "Okay, on the count of three."

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

Ash raised her hands and vines shot up from the ground, which caused Scarlett to jump out of the way to avoid getting knocked off her feet. Scarlett ran a few feet as the ground underneath her began to shake.

'Move,' the mysterious Voice that only Scarlett could here when she needed assistance whispered. Scarlett threw herself to the ground and rolled out of the way as the ground that the redhead had just been standing on cracked and pulled away.

"Nice instincts," Ash complimented. Rocks began to fly towards her and it took all of Ash's strength to bend the rocks to her will, which forced them to fall before they could hit the brunette. Both Spring and Autumn had control over the Earth, as in rocks and the ground, so it made for an interesting fight between the seasons' embodiments.

Scarlett opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by the mystery Voice again. 'Slam your scepter on the ground and think of rain.'

Without a second thought, Scarlett once again did as the voice commanded. Within seconds, stormclouds had formed above Ash's head and rain began to pelt down. Since Ash was momentarily distracted, Scarlett took the opportunity to command the Wind to pick up the redhead to help her fly towards the brunette. Scarlett knocked Ash down to the ground before she pulled away to await Ash's next move.

Like Jack, all of the Seasonals had some kind of control over the four Winds. Through teamwork, of course. Jack's bond was with the North Wind, River's with the South, Ash's with the East, and Scarlett's with the West. While the West Wind and Scarlett hadn't worked together much before, the West was more than happy to comply with the redhead's wishes. If the other Seasonals trusted her, then all four of the Winds trusted Scarlett too.

'Now concentrate,' The Voice once more commanded. 'Control the Earth, the ground, the rocks, and form a trap.'

Scarlett had never heard the Voice talk as much as it had that day. Normally, it would only say a word, but it seemed to have gotten more talkative. Why she heard the Voice, Scarlett didn't know. She didn't think she would ever truly understand it. But that didn't matter, not as long as it helped Scarlett form a cage around Ash made of rocks.

Ash raised her hands up in surrender, a surprised expression on her face. Scarlett tapped the rocks with her scepter and they crumbled to the ground. Jack and River quickly made their way over to girls, both visibly surprised as well. Scarlett's face flushed as the others clapped.

"What was that?" Jack asked. Sure, his girlfriend had definitely improved over time, but she'd never been able to fly. The West Wind and Scarlett had never managed to connect, yet she was still somehow able to ride the West Wind.

"It was the Voice again," Scarlett stated. Jack knew about the Voice, but at Ash and River's confused faces, she rushed to explain. "Part of my 'Irish' powers includes hearing this voice that kind of...guides me, I guess you could say. It's harder to hear it the farther away from Ireland I am, but today it gave me advice. That sounds weird, doesn't it?"

"No, it sounds cool. I wish I had a voice like that. Maybe I'd finally beat Ash like you just did," River had in fact beaten Ash before, but Scarlett was shy and still new to the whole powers thing. So if he had to give her a confidence boost every now and then, the dark-haired boy realized that he didn't really mind.

"Congrats, Scarlett. You did really well today," Ash praised. Before Scarlett's face could turn an even darker shade of red, Ash decided to change the topic. "I think that's enough for today. Keep practicing, and be prepared for our rematch. Because there will be one. And voice or not, I'll be the winner next time."

"Sounds good," Scarlett replied. River and Ash said their goodbyes and left. Which only left Jack and Scarlett by themselves. Jack wrapped his arms around Scarlett and pulled her into a quick embrace.

"You were great out there," Jack gave her a peck on the cheek, smirking when Scarlett blushed even more. "Wanna spar with me?"

"Only if you're prepared to lose."

"Win one fight and you think you can beat me?"

"If I can beat Ash, I can beat you any day."

"Hey!"


AN: For anyone who has forgotten poor River, he's the only Seasonal who I haven't made the main character in one of my fanfics yet. I could do a story on him. Or just dedicate a few chapters to him.

- Kitkat Out!