Chapter 5: School and Training
The poll is still on, but let me clarify this now. Toko's wish is not to lose his powers, or turn into a normal human. Think about Horus' response when it was whispered to him. Horus would have found both those solutions boring, but what Toko told him had the exact opposite effect.
"Maaaaan...its been awhile since she has been overprotective and overcaring like that" Toko sighed as he walked down the halls of the school.
Meanwhile, Horus was walking right next to him, also now wearing a school uniform. For boys, it was shorts, a blaiser, and a white shirt, as well as indoor shoes. The only thing that Horus did not have were the shoes, going barefoot. Toko was somehow able to convince him to wear the rest, but he pointed out shoes were only invented to protect the feet, and were unneeded for Heroic Spirits. He even quite litterally said "If I was able to be harmed by pebbles, I wouldn't be much of a heroic spirit".
And of course, no one even noticed because Horus manipulated his Pressence Concealment to prevent that. The only ones who would were other Masters, and those with exceptional Magecraft abilities.
"I am amazed you realized this. From your reactions, I was sure you thought she was trying something with you".
And Horus immediately got Toko to be embarrassed again.
"No way! Its just...she just really like to embarrass me! How can you think that!"
"...you are really complicated. After all, you can get embarrassed so easily like that, but dont you share a locker room with the rest of the soccer club?"
"That is different!"
"Speaking of different...why are you still going to class and school?"
Horus had been curious about this for awhile now, but everyone was still going to class and school like it was normal.
"Well, we still need to learn right? Its not a holiday after all".
"No no no, isn't this entire school involved in the Holy Grail War?"
"Yeah. BUt we are still students, so we still need to learn".
"I would think a Holy Grail War counts as a holiday!"
"Nope! We cant fall behind in our studies after all, or else rival academies might overtake us! We are proudly in the first place position for our region, and we are close to being first place in all of Japan!"
Horus...Horus was taken aback by what was being said right now.
"You all...you are all fighting over a treasure like the Holy Grail...and you are still participating in your normal daily lives? Thats...kind of amazing...kids these days are amazing".
"You betcha! We are number one! We are number one! Oh, this is my classroom!"
Toko then entered a classroom, and went over to his desk. Horus meanwhile...he had no idea where he should sit. Maybe on the floor? Should he get a desk for himself?
"Come on Sho-kun! There is a desk next to me that is open!"
Desk it was!
And while that was going on, Archer of Black was in the back of the school. There was an archery club, and therefore an Archery club training ground which he was using to try and shoot even faster, without loosing accuracy.
"Well now, someone seems busy. Not going to class with your Master?"
"If she needs me, she can call" Archer replied, looking at his progress and not at the one who appeared, Castor of Black. "Shouldn't you be busy working on your territory and item creation?"
"I am, but everyone needs a break. Furthermore, I have solidified the entire school as a territory, and have started on the city. And of course, the Grand Project is proceeding well also".
"So, why are you here?"
That was when Castor, who appeared as a rather swazzy businessman. He raised a hunting rifle, and fired, only instead of a bullet it produced a highly concentrated and condensed magic projectile that tore right through the archery target, through the back wall, and out into hte ocean.
"You shouldn't do that. You might hit a student".
"YOu are not doing much differently".
"Its not the guns that are really the Noble Phantasm, its how I shoot them".
"Hmmm...maybe I should make you a pair of guns then. Would boost your power as an Archer".
"Speaking of which, I couldn't help but notice everyone is wearing the new school uniforms you made".
"Same design, but the materials are extremely durable, and wont get destroyed even by most Noble Phantasms. And for the Masters, theirs are even stronger".
"Good. Glad to hear it".
As Archer focused back on the target...
"You are Billy the Kid, right?"
He got distracted again.
"So you figured it out, huh?"
"Not that difficult. YOung appearance, clearly an outlaw type. AMazed you were summoned as a normal Archer Class servant, and not a Gunner".
"There was an option for that?"
"Well, anyways...you do seem rather close with your Master. Is the big bad outlaw actually soft?"
"Haha. Mock me all you wnat, but last time I checked, even outlaws have hearts".
His response caught Castor off guard.
"That was unexpected. I thought you would take the tsundere route for sure".
"Nah. The truth is, Mika-chan is an amazing mage. Well, in a way, all the students here are. Instead of turning to sacrificing animals, or each other, they are investigating alternative means to generate mana and magic. And Mika-chan...did you know she thought of a way to power various powerful magic tools and artifacts, not through blood sacrifice or souls, but she designed a hydro-mana plant? And her magecraft...even if she specializes in the water element, she has amazing potential. She managed to focus her spell several times over, fold in on itself, and then used it to damage Berserker. Its no wonder she was selected as a Master".
"Even more unexpected. Billy the Kid, honestly praising people on their academic work?"
"Hey, in my day and age, outlaws were not all idiots and throatslitters. Some of us sorta fell into it naturally, and we were able to operate well in it. I wont deny I can kill people, but I also have a heart. And class".
"I see. My apologies, Billy. You are far a greater person then I thought. It really is a shame though..."
Castor slung his rifle across his back, and began to walk away.
"You know that people like you tend to end up getting killed, though at least doing something honorable and worth it".
Castor stepped out of the range, leaving Billy with that thought.
"...well, I have no intention of just letting that happen either, Castor".
Ren was practically fuming, although it did not look like it. Not because she was disrespected, not because someone didn't notice her when she spoke. Nothing like that even happened.
No, she was fuming because there was exactly two more people sitting with Suzuki Subaru then there were sitting with her.
Of course, no one noticed, because she was only fuming on the inside. On the outside, she looked kind, charismatic, and wonderful.
"Just wait, Suzuki...I will become Student Council President. I will become the most powerful wielder of a Servant. I will have everything..."
Yes, Ren considered herself to be Suzuki's rival. At least to some degree. In truth, she did enjoy discussions with the current Student Council President for her intelect, as she was one of the few people who could keep up with, and although Ren would never admit it, surpass her.
And then, the usual scene at school happens as a certain boy walked right into the cafeteria.
"Toko! Sit next to me he-"
"Nope! I am sitting with my friends and classmates today!"
"Awwww".
Yep. Ren had calculated the odds. There was a 60% chance Toko would casually dismiss her, though she was sure they both saw it done in a playful manner, and go to eat with his friends and classmates. There was a 20% chance he would cave, and sit with her, although he would secretly be cheerful about it. There was a 10% chance he would be on cooking duty, and therefore the interaction would never occur. And the final 10% was that she was too busy with student council work to be here, which resulted in Toko never interacting with her. Well, technically inside that 10%, 3% of the time he would get pulled in with her, using his pressence to calm her nerves so she can focus on the overload of work.
After all, they both knew Toko should be interacting with kids his own age, so it only made sense that over half the time that instance would occur. Still, she would ask him every time the two encountered each other here.
"Well now, if it isn't Ren Nakamura. You know, from the way you are looking at them, someone might think you wanted to steal Toko away from her all to yourself".
Suddenly, the words from a familiar male broke her attention, and she turned to stare daggers at the culprit who had sat down at the table, Malcom Lee. She was pretty sure that he might know about her inner thoughts, but he could also just be his typical deliquent self. Although, that said, he did always get good grades in class.
"Why hello there, Lee-kun. What brings you here?"
"I was wondering..." he started, before looking around. Then, suddenly there was a slight, minor but noticable to someone like Ren, shift in the clarity of the light around them. Lee had raised some form of barrier, with lots of stealth magic loaded into it. "...if you bought that story, about Toko-kun and his Servant somehow managing to survive, and even lasting long enough to force two Servants to retreat. Now, I know Toko is the best in our entire school, even surpassing you, me, and the Prez in Magecraft to some ridiculous level, a supposed natural prodigy...but, I find it all very hard to believe".
It seemed the others sitting at the table were somehow excluded from the barrier, as no one reacted to what he said. However, she did find his words interesting.
"I actually had some of those same ideas, to be honest. Of course, I would never do something like openly bringing it up, but...I find the whole thing suspicious. However, she tends to be extremely protective of Toko-kun. At first, I just put it off as normal older sister doting, but...although no one says it out loud yet, he is the strongest Mage at this school. He doesn't really need that much protecting. So its made me wonder...how did she meet Toko, and what if...they were hiding something. Of course, it might just be my intellectual curiosity".
"Of course. However, I do agree...I think there might be more to this then meets the eye. Think about it, both the prez and Toko being some of the most gifted in Magecraft? What if...what if in truth, they actually possessed Magecraft before the Grail appeared?"
"But they already claimed they did..."
"But they also said they were only novices, and while they possessed a lot of books and knowledge, had not learned much advanced Magecraft yet. But what if they are keeping it a secret?"
"Secret magecraft...like something that could be used against a Servant?"
"Like something that can be used against a Servant. After we beat the Red Faction, we will have to fight each other after all. I am sure those two are holding some trump cards for when that happens".
"How interesting...and what makes you so curious about this?"
"I am honestly just in this for the thrill. Might just use my wish for my servant...which also means, I am perfectly willing and able to team up with someone to find out some juicy secrets. After all, I cant help but love stirring up some trouble".
This was an unexpected boon for Ren, but all the same it was good. Besides, Malcom made good company, so to speak. He didn't steal any of her attention, which meant he didn't steal any pawns for her to manipulate, and he didn't have a wish, which meant it would be all hers. it was a fantastic situation indeed. And unlike the normal Grail, which supposedly only granted one wish, and was heavily layered in obscurity, the Greater Grail was a lot more clear, and would grant a wish to both Master and Servant who achieved it.
There was one rumor she once heard from the principle of all people that the Grail was dangerous, and was also evil. Though, the vice principle seemed to think that the Greater Grail was different, more pure, which was why it was greater.
In truth, that was a bit symbolic about the school itself. A number of people were concerned about the power the Greater Grail held, while others believed it could do a lot of good. And then, there was the largest faction of the group. They kept their beliefs secret to an almost insane degree, but they were the people who often talked with Toko, and Ren was pretty sure they were aware of his wish.
Ren was curious about the other wishes as well. Malcom apparently was just in it for the thrills, but according to rumors, Suzuki who was known for having high intelligence and a reasonable mind had a great wish to maximize the effectiveness of the Grail, while Toko had a wish that would put all other wishes to shame. Serdtse-sensei also seemed to have a wish, but he would always be cryptic about it. Then there was Sanchez-sensei, who wanted to bring his children back...though not his wife, so clearly he had not gotten over the divorce at all. As for Mika, she wanted her older brother back.
Ren had properly done her research on her opponents. In truth, although Suzuki was her rival, it was Toko's wish that concerned her. She did not know specifics yet, but it seemed that it either mesmerized someone into believing in it, or terrified them into silence. Even mental invasions had bore no fruit.
And Ren's own wish? She wanted to connect to the Root. To become the ultimate master of magic. That was her wish, and it was a wish that she would make sure would be granted, no matter what. Even if she had to order her own servant to impale herself.
"Are you sure about this?"
After today had ended, and it was finally after school, Horus and Toko were far back in the woods between the beach and the school, away from prying eyes. They were both wearing enhanced gym uniforms, which looked like normal gym uniforms but were capable of withstanding dragon breath. You know, because Magecraft.
"Yeah. I have set up three barriers to prevent people from sneaking up on us" Toko said, as he made two daggers appear from thin air. "I need to catch up on combat training, and it wouldn't hurt if you had someone to spar against to train for your next fight against Set".
"I suppose...alright then, lets do this!"
Immediately, Toko used body strengthening magic, physical reinforcement magic, enhanced defense magic, and other things like that. This allowed Toko to fight on par with a servant of high quality. After that...he just seemed to vanish, accelerating to high speeds and slashing right at Horus. Horus ducked under the slash as he twisted his foot around, and tried to kick Toko in the gut. But Toko wrapped his body around the limb and Horus' body, and proceeded to then plant his feet on the ground and launch Horus into the air.
"Well done, but how about this!"
Suddenly, a bow appeared in his hands as he notched multiple arrows at once, and fired them down at Toko. Toko quickly went and dodged them, as they exploded behind him.
"I thought only Archers could do that!"
"I trained with a lot of weapons while trying to kill my brother! Next time, I might even be summoned as Sabre!"
Toko dug his feet into the ground, and jumped up with high speed, practically appearing instantly next to HOrus and downkicking him into the ground. Horus however fired two arrows back up, and landed two hits on Toko, knocking him to the ground as well. Both of them quickly jumped to their feet, where Toko then charged at Horus with high speed.
But Horus swerved around the attack and avoided it completely, tripped and disarmed Toko, and then got on top of him and pinned him to the ground.
"That was no fair! You used your Noble Phantasm didn't you!"
"The enemy wont be playing fair either. DOnt be afraid to use your trump cards".
"...how do you know about those already? I was going to mention them, but I never got to it yet..."
"Haha!" Horus said as he puffed out his chest. "My Noble Phantasm is truly the greatest".
"...the Eye of Horus really is amazing...still, you know I could have gone further right?"
"I know, but this was training. If the enemy keeps up their pattern, there will be another incursion tonight, so we need to be ready. I hear that we will likely be mobilizing Berserker and Sabre in this battle. By the way, what is our position?"
"We will be station in the smaller more residential area in the north, called Kokomi. And they will be positioning Archer in the south. We are to relay any movement we see".
"Makes sense. We would be better be called in to flank the enemy from their side then attack it head on".
"Since you are an Assassin, and me a Master".
"A Master who can go toe to toe with a Servant and not eat dirt. Thats pretty impressive".
"Didnt you just take me down?"
"Yeah, but I am an Assassin. I have a lot of clever and annoying tactics to use. You have skill and experience, but you can still improve. Well, everyone can always improve. That said, I do think you could handle most Servants, with the exceptions being Berserker and Sabre. Never face them".
"Alright, I will try" Toko said as Horus helped him up.
"Now come on, lets get changed and head out to our positions. Its about time for things to get started".
AN: It was more the Black Faction this time around, but it couldn't be help. This chapter just kind of wrote itself, and we got to see a lot of fun stuff! But I will re-iterate again. The poll is still on, but anyone who said Toko's wish was to be a normal human was dead wrong.