CHAPTER 3:

THE FIRST STAGES OF TRAINING

A few days later, they came back to Melromarc Castle Town. Harry, Ren, their respective parties, along with Éclair and Elrasa, Atla and Fohl, all arrived there. Itsuki and Motoyasu, along with their respective parties, had been wrangled into coming. Harry reckoned there would have been more trouble getting Motoyasu back. Itsuki, at least lately, was cooperative enough, even if his party was another matter.

In addition, Mirelia had asked him and Raphtalia to try to teach the other Heroes something. Harry and Raphtalia were reluctant, at least with Motoyasu, but they agreed to try. It might help Ren and Itsuki, at least.

As Mirelia, Melty and Risa Itami looked on, Éclair, Elrasa and Youji Itami took the stage, so to speak, in a training courtyard. "Cardinal Heroes and their parties, please attend carefully," Éclair said firmly, shooting Motoyasu in particular a brief glare as the blonde moron (Ren had called him a 'himbo', which Harry thought appropriate once he had the term explained, a male bimbo) undressed her with his eyes. "With more Waves on the horizon, to say nothing of the threat posed by other forces including the rogue warlocks known as the Death Eaters, it has been decided that you and your parties need training. While the attributes of most of you are doubtlessly impressive due to your battle experience in Melromarc and on Cal Mira during the Activation Event, you lack fundamental skill. This is, admittedly, due to you being summoned from relatively peaceful worlds. What is more, Sir Itsuki, at least, has the advantage of something known as an Esper ability, allowing him to hit any target he fires at with his Bow, and Sir Harry has innate magic from his world, though Sir Ren and Sir Motoyasu have no such innate advantage. Therefore, Her Majesty has arranged for us to train you in varying fields."

"Uhh, I hate to be that guy, but what's the old granny in the Chinese outfit going to train us in?" Motoyasu asked.

Harry sighed. "She's a martial artist, Motoyasu, and she could hand your rear to you faster than you can say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Though what are you doing here, Youji?"

The scruffy JSDF officer scratched his head. "Right, I'm technically a military advisor to Her Majesty now, acting as a liaison with the JSDF. Now, you might be thinking, I don't look like much. But I'm a JSDF reservist. 2nd Lieutenant, if you want the rank. That being said, due to annoying more than a few superior officers, I've been put through more than a few training courses, including Ranger training and Special Forces. I passed, even if only barely, so while I'm not exactly going to be R Lee Ermey to you guys, I know a thing or two about military training, as well as some handy stuff that could help you guys."

"Whoa, seriously? You passed JSDF Ranger training?" Motoyasu asked.

Itsuki whistled, impressed. "Even if you only barely passed, that's still pretty good."

"Thanks, I guess? Look, I only joined the JSDF to support my otaku hobbies," Youji said, a little sheepishly. "But here I am, living what people would say is the otaku dream, ending up in another world. That being said, you guys have to take this training seriously. This may be like something out of a light novel or manga or anime or game, but it's still reality. You don't get any continues when it's game over, you're not gonna pull out some new superpower from where the sun don't shine. You mess up, you die, or someone else will die."

Mald scoffed. "And you are supposed to be a prime example of your world's soldiers? Don't make me laugh!"

"Okay then," Youji said, before gesturing at Mald. "No sword, Sir Arthur. Just come at me with your fists."

Mald, after a moment, did so, walking over to Youji, and then throwing a punch. Almost immediately, Youji dodged the overconfident knight's strike, before throwing him to the ground in a series of swift martial arts moves. "See that? CQC, Close Quarters Combat. Otherwise known as Defendu. You guys ever play any of the Metal Gear Solid games in your timelines? Like what Big Boss or Solid Snake use."

He helped Mald to his feet, only for the knight to shove him away and storm away, grumbling angrily. Elrasa nodded approvingly. "Not a bad use of unarmed combat technique, young man," she observed. "Did you ever teach your adopted daughter that?"

"I learned mostly kendo and iaido back home," Raphtalia said. "A form of fencing back in Japan."

"True swordplay is little like fencing, I'm afraid," Éclair said. "Do not misunderstand me, from what I have seen, you have a good grasp of the fundamentals of swordplay. But fencing is a sport. We are teaching you how to fight." She turned to look at Ren. "Sir Ren, if you would allow me to demonstrate?"

The dark-haired teenager nodded. "What are the rules?"

"If you have a non-lethal sword in your arsenal, please change to it," Éclair said, reaching for a wooden sparring sword. "We fight to the point where a final blow could be used, or one fighter yields. In addition, no magic or Skills, just sword skill from training. Her Majesty will act as referee, if that is fine."

Mirelia nodded, as did Ren. They readied themselves, before Mirelia gave the signal to begin. And the fight began.

Harry almost immediately noted that Ren was faster than Éclair. On the other hand, Éclair seemed to read his attack movements well enough to dodge or deflect his attacks. And Ren's techniques seemed to be almost childish, like someone playing at swordfighting, or someone who only saw swordfighting in TV, film, or anime, whereas Éclair's attacks and defences flowed into each other. Eventually, though, Ren was put on the defensive. He leapt back at one point, raising the Sword in a certain way, before shaking his head. "I yield," he said, albeit reluctantly.

Éclair, after a moment, lowered her own sword. "You did well, Sir Ren. My main advantage was your lack of formal training in how to use the sword. Nonetheless, you have an excellent grasp of situational awareness. How did you gain such a thing?"

"Playing Soulsborne games," Ren said. "Not that that means anything to you, Lady Éclair. I stopped the fight because I very nearly used a Skill from the Cardinal Sword. Which I would have done if it was a serious battle to the death, but this was just a demonstration, a spar."

Éclair nodded in gratitude. "Indeed, and I am grateful you stopped yourself from doing so. Do not misunderstand me, you are correct. Outside of sparring, training and duels, you need to use whatever you have in your arsenal to win, as long as you do not disgrace yourself. In battle, there is still a distinction between pragmatism and dishonourable methods. Still…your fighting techniques seem like they came from the theatre, given how…dramatic they look. The Itamis told me of entertainments from your word, plays recorded and transmitted known as movies and television, as well as this…anime? You are copying them, yes? You waste too much movement, and leave yourself open to counterattack." As Ren looked away, she said, "Sir Ren, you still have much to be commended for. You have excellent awareness and reflexes, even without the power and speed your Cardinal Weapon and your levels grant you. Even without formal training, you were a substantial challenge. I spoke to my teacher, the one you sparred with prior to my rescue, and he agrees with me."

"…Thanks," Ren said quietly, his expression lightening a little. "Sorry, I…I just don't like losing."

"I don't think anyone likes losing, Ren," Harry said.

Elrasa stepped forward. "Now, I will be trying to teach you young 'uns how to use Hengen Musou. There is no guarantee that any of you will be able to use it, though Atla and Fohl have grasped the basics, and one of you has great potential, so far. Now, in speaking with Harry, Raphtalia, and the Itamis, I am told that you could consider what is at the core of this martial art as ki, the term you use for life-force in your country. And as I told 2nd Lieutenant Itami, in case you're wondering, no, you cannot do Hadoukens or Kamehamehas, whatever those are."

"Aww, man," Motoyasu groaned.

"What, you think that unimpressive?" She nodded to him. "Come here…Sir Motoyasu, was it? I'm not asking for a spar, just a demonstration. I'm going to come at you with an attack, and I want you to block or parry it with your Spear. Just block or parry it, mind you. And Lady Éclair, that wooden sword, please?"

Éclair handed over the wooden sword, and Elrasa swung it a few times, testing the balance, before nodding. Motoyasu readied the Spear, albeit reluctantly. Elrasa then sped forward, and Motoyasu just barely managed to ready the Spear to block it. But after the wooden sword collided with the Spear, the Cardinal Weapon seemed to vibrate, the vibrations rippling into Motoyasu's body, and he suddenly sagged to one knee, grunting in pain.

"That, Sir Motoyasu, is known as Point," Elrasa said, helping him back to his feet, with one of his party hurrying over and healing him. "It's a defence-inversion attack, as you would put it, and the first special attack in the Hengen Musou style's repertoire. It sends a ripple of energy into the enemy's body, using their rigidity and strength against them."

"So, less Dragonball and more JoJo's Bizarre Adventure," Ren mused. "It seems a bit like Hamon, the Ripple."

"The ki used…maybe it's the resonance that causes damage to the body," Raphtalia pondered.

"And it also goes to show, never underestimate old people," Harry said. "Didn't they have that in a Discworld novel somewhere(1)?"

"And keep in mind, I held back," Elrasa said, before nodding to Atla. "Atla? That statue."

The Hakuko demi-human nodded. Elrasa then looked to the others as Atla walked over to a nearby marble statue. "Hakuko demi-humans are quite strong, true, but until recently, Atla was afflicted with a severe congenital illness. Even by human standards, she is still a little on the weak side, and she's blind. I only started training her a couple of days ago, but the lass is a prodigy. Yet you are potentially capable of this. Marble's not exactly the hardest of materials, but it's not something you could normally destroy easily with just your fingers, right? Okay, Atla, begin."

Atla, after a moment, thrust out a pair of fingers into the statue. Her fingers penetrated about an inch into the statue, before the statue crumbled into shards of stone and motes of dust. "…Okay, forget JoJo," Ren said. "She just gave me serious Fist of the North Star vibes."

"Omae wa mou shindeiru," Raphtalia intoned in an attempt to emulate a masculine growl. "But you said that Atla was a prodigy. What will we be able to learn?"

"Cardinal Heroes have often had trouble learning the techniques themselves in the past, something to do with the way their weapons affect their life-force," Elrasa said. "Of course, that doesn't actually preclude you four from learning the basics, it just makes it more difficult. And not everyone has the knack for sensing or manipulating their own ki, nor do they have the knack for learning not just the system, but also the techniques. But to those who can master it, they can amplify their attributes." Her eyes went to Rishia pointedly. "Even someone who is nominally weak could match or even surpass a Cardinal Hero if they master these techniques."

"One last thing," Mirelia said, stepping forward to speak. "Soon after the Third Wave, my former consort demanded that Harry teach the Cardinal Heroes how to wield the magic of his timeline. It may not be possible for you to learn them, but it seems that natives of this world can still learn the magic from his timeline. Raphtalia is a blatant example, and Hedy was able to use Apparition, a form of innate teleportation, instinctively. If nothing else, learning about the theory of that world's magic should stand you all in good stead should the Death Eaters ever attack again. At my request, Harry and Raphtalia have agreed to act as teachers, in the theory at least. Although the magic of that timeline is relatively weak compared to the magic our mages use, it has considerable utility and variety."

"And believe it or not, I actually have some small experience teaching," Harry said, stepping forward. "Our teachers teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts ran the gamut from incompetent to brilliant, but one year, the British Ministry of Magic sent a rather nasty woman to try and sabotage our education, supposedly because the headmaster of my school was raising an army to overthrow the Minister of Magic. Which he wasn't. I formed what was basically a secret club, an extra class, to teach willing peers how to defend themselves. This was in spite of many of them thinking I was, at best, a deranged, fame-hungry brat." He looked to one side. "…That was one of my worst years at school, really." He looked to Motoyasu. "You've been on the receiving end of some of those spells. I used some on you during that trial by combat, and Raphtalia used them to stop you just before Balmus attacked us with Judgement, if you recall."

Motoyasu scowled at the memory. A sore loser, Harry reckoned, on top of being a himbo and manwhore. What a wonderful combination.

Still, he'd taught worse. The Dumbledore's Army (and he cringed at that name now) group included many who were still reluctant to consider the fact he was right about Voldemort's return. And of course, it had that treacherous bitch Marietta.

While he doubted he could teach, say, Mald, anything useful, or any of the physical fighters here, he might be able to teach the Cardinal Heroes and the magic users under them a thing or two, with Raphtalia's help. Motoyasu might be a bad student, but Ren seemed willing to address his flaws, and Itsuki, he hoped, was the same.

Still, he hoped matters would go somewhat smoothly. Then again, the universe was rarely so kind to Harry Potter…

CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:

Training has begun! Honestly, I wish they put even an abridged version into the second season of the anime. I began watching it at the same time as I started writing this, and while it's actually a good adaptation in many regards, removing certain scenes did it no favours.

Now, Youji Itami taking down Mald was a reference to his original series, GATE: Thus the JSDF Fought There. In the very first episode, Youji takes down a Saderan Empire soldier, showing that, despite him only being in the JSDF reserves to fund his otaku lifestyle, he's a pretty badass soldier. He actually turns the Saderan Empire soldier's own dagger on him. Mald was lucky. He may be more powerful than Youji Itami, but he is cocky, overconfident, and doesn't know jack about CQC.

Éclair's fight against Ren was meant to be a mirror of that they had in canon. Ren's actually more powerful than he was in canon due to him sharing enhancement techniques with Itsuki, but he still can't quite match Éclair's skill. And unlike the light novels, he doesn't cheat. He very nearly does so out of a desire to win, but this version of Ren can swallow his pride and concede defeat. It helps that he already had his arse handed to him by Éclair's teacher. I was also partly inspired by the similar take on their clash in Armory of the Forgotten Hero by Masked Spider.

As for Ren and Raphtalia exchanging pop-culture references, I've had it in my mind that Ren's timeline is the closest to the Potterverse's and ours, at least in terms of pop-culture, being more like a future version of ours, but with various tweaks to history. Motoyasu's is not far away, but still divergent, while Itsuki's is the most divergent, hence not having Spider-Man in his timeline.

1. Harry is referring to Thief of Time, where there's a rule that states that one should not act without caution around 'little bald wrinkly smiling old men'. The same could apply to Elrasa, really. I wonder how well she'd get along with Lu Tze from the Discworld books?