All right, here is the next chapter.
As you have noticed this one is different than the original.
It's longer and more detailed.
I hope you're enjoying this so far.
Now, on with the show!
Once Jellal heard Lucy's words, he sprayed the drink he had just taken out of his mouth as he choked and coughed. Ultear patted him on his back as she tried to hide her laughter. Meredy, however, didn't bother to hide hers as she fell backward off the rock she was sitting on.
"What?!" Jellal finally asked as he got himself under control. Lucy tightened her grip on her strap again as she curled her hand into a fist at her side. She went to open her mouth to ask again when Jellal waved her off. He hit his chest a couple of times before clearing his throat. "No, what I mean is why? Why do you want me, of all people, to train you?" He asked more clearly.
Lucy relaxed a bit but wasn't sure how to go about explaining. She supposed she could go with the truth but would they believe her? They had no reason to believe her but she had to get Jellal to train her for this to work.
Lucy blew out a breath as she closed her eyes. "I had a dream. A strange dream at that." She started but Jellal cut her off.
"A dream? What does a dream have to do with this?" Jellal asked standing up and crossing his arms.
Lucy's face fell. This was what she was afraid of. He was going to tell her to take a hike. He may even laugh at her and call her crazy. Lucy's body sagged but what she heard next had her standing straight with wide eyes.
"Hear her out, Jellal. Lucy isn't one to come and ask, basically, a complete stranger for help. So, give her a chance." Ultear said looking slightly amused at the scene in front of her with her head propped up on her hand that rested on her knee.
Jellal sighed as he rubbed a hand down his face. "All right," Jellal said with a glare shot at Ultear before turning his attention back to Lucy. He had a feeling that he was going to regret this but Ultear did have a point. Lucy would only come to them if she felt there wasn't any other choice. "Tell us everything. Once you do, I'll decide if it's worth Erza's wrath." Jellal said mumbling the last part.
Lucy nodded as she took a seat next to Meredy when she moved over and patted the spot next to her. That's when Lucy launched into everything from her dream to the choice she decided to make. She needed to do this for more than just the future, she needed to do this for herself.
By the time she was done explaining Meredy had Lucy's hands in her one while she rubbed her back. Lucy didn't even realize she was breaking down until she finished speaking. She looked at Jellal who sat there with his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped together covering his mouth. He looked in thought like he was deciding to believe her or not. Lucy couldn't help the urge to shrink into herself.
Meredy rested her head on her shoulder as she moved the hand rubbing her back to her other shoulder and squeezing her. Meredy wanted to link Jellal and Lucy so he could see that she telling the truth. She could feel it vibrating from her she held her.
Ultear looked into the orb in her hand. "I think you should do it." She said shocking Jellal out of his thoughts.
"What?!" Jellal sputtered.
Ultear shrugged. "Why not? It couldn't hurt. Plus out of everyone, your magic is the closest to hers. It should be fairly simple for you to train her. Unless you don't feel up to it." She said in a taunting tone.
Jellal glared at Ultear before clearing his throat and looking back at Lucy. "All right, we'll give this a shot." Jellal sighed. "But one question before we started. Why me?" He asked curiously.
Lucy wiped at her eyes before meeting his gaze. "You have a specific spell I would like you to teach me." She said.
Jellal tilted his head. "Which spell?" He asked narrowing his eyes at her.
"Grand Chariot," Lucy said in a tone that said no arguments.
Jellal nodded having a feeling that was what she was going to ask. He didn't like it but with what all she explained he figured she needed it. He knew it wouldn't be easy for her to learn it her body probably wouldn't withstand the tax that it would take on it.
"You're sure?" Jellal asked double checking. At Lucy's nod, he sighed. "All right. It's not going to be easy I can tell you that now. The amount of magic and energy needed for that spell is extreme. I'm not sure your body will be able to handle it." He explained so she knew the risks involved.
"I'm aware of the risks of using a different kind of magic but I'm not going to let that stop me from making sure my family is safe," Lucy said a determined look in her eyes.
Jellal smirked. "Erza is going to kill me." He muttered shaking his head before standing. "Have you eaten yet?" He asked. Lucy shook her head. "All right, eat first then we'll get started." He said walking over to get some more food from their stash in the cave.
"Don't worry, I have faith in you," Meredy said with a smile.
Ultear nodded. "We all do." She said.
Lucy forced a smile with a nod. "Thank you." She said before she let her body relax.
They nodded as Jellal handed her a plate. He was still on the fence but he didn't feel right turning her away. Did he believe her? No, not at all. But was he going to turn her away for something she dreamed of? Also a no. Something scared her enough to come to him and his guild for help instead of going to her guild. He was going to take her fear seriously whether he wanted to or not. The look in Lucy's eyes was haunted and that was one look he didn't like coming from her.
As they ate they discussed didn't things. Lucy's abilities, her keys, and if she could open more than one gate at a time. Lucy answered truthfully. She told them about Urano Metria and how she learned it. She explained about having to use Gemini to help increase her power for the spell to have twice the attack power. Jellal was impressed but worried that Lucy wouldn't be able to withstand being able to learn any of his magic and spells. Her body looked frail and weak. Not that he would ever voice his thoughts.
Though their magic was similar it was different as well. Lucy was a holder mage whereas Jellal was a caster. Lucy had the ability to use some caster magic but it drained her. Even though he agreed to help and not hold back on her he did warn her that once she learned the spells to only use them as a last resort. And the only one he was willing to teach her was Grand Chariot. She asked about a few of his other spells but he said they would be too much on her. She didn't like it but she did let it go. Although, he didn't like the look in her eye when she agreed to only stick to the one.
Once they were all done eating Jellal told Lucy to get changed into something she didn't mind getting dirty or ripped. She nodded and did as he said without any arguments. He took off his cloak and stretched his muscles out. It'd been a while since he sparred with anyone or had a real fight, he felt a bit stiff.
Jellal watched Lucy come out of the cave in a baggy T-shirt and shorts while she was pulling her hair up in a ponytail. She had ditched her shoes but kept the belt with her keys and whip on it. She dropped her bag by the rocks they were sitting on and as soon as she did a ringing sound came from it. Lucy stared at the bag blinking in confusion. She didn't know what was making that sound and was scared to even look.
"You going to answer that?" Ultear asked looking at the bag curiously.
"Answer it? What is it?" Lucy asked looking at Ultear like she was crazy.
Ultear blinked before laughing. "A communication lacrima?" She asked raising an eyebrow.
"What? I don't have one of those... Do I?" Lucy muttered inching her way to the ringing bag. She reached inside and pulled out a blinking and ringing glowing orb. "How?" She mumbled as she looked at the picture that appeared on it. Her eyes went wide as she began shaking her head. "No... Erza..." She held the orb away like it was going to attack her.
Jellal snorted before walking over to Lucy leading her to a rock and sitting her down. He had her sit with her back to the ocean. The scene behind her would show she wasn't far from where her group was staying but wouldn't show them any identifying landmarks so they couldn't track her as easily. He wanted to chuckle as Lucy eyed the blinking and ringing orb like it was evil.
"Answer it. Don't tell her where you are. All she'll see is the ocean behind you. She won't see us because we'll be right over here." Jellal explained as he stepped back. He let a chuckle slip when the look she gave him was what he could only describe as sad puppy eyes as she shook her head rapidly trying to hand him the lacrima. "No. She'll know where to find you if she sees us. Plus, she'll kill me for agreeing to help you. You'll be saving my life, Lucy." Jellal said fighting back laughter at Lucy's glaring pout.
Lucy looked at the lacrima in her hand. She really didn't want to answer it and get chewed out by Erza but she needed to do something before she released Natsu from his leash for him to track her down.
Lucy sighed before letting it connect. "Hey, Erza. What's up?" She asked forcing a smile.
"Lucy? Where are you?" Erza asked as her tone made Lucy want to shrink away.
Lucy knew Erza enough not to tell her where she was and who she was with. She'd definitely try to kill Jellal for agreeing to train her when in Erza's eyes she could train her just the same. The problem though training with Erza she felt it was bad for her health. She saw the woman train herself and wanted no part of that.
Lucy sighed propping her chin on her hand while her elbow rested on her knee. She knew Erza wasn't going to like her answer but at the moment she didn't care.
"I'm fine, Erza. I left you a note why are you calling me?" Lucy asked sounding exhausted.
Erza blinked. "You did?" Erza asked sounding surprised.
Lucy nodded and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yes, Erza. Do you really think I'd leave without leaving some kind of note telling you what I was doing? I don't have a death wish." She said shaking her head.
"Here it is!" Lucy heard Levy call in the background. "Sorry, Lu!" Levy said waving the note in the background.
Erza sighed. Lucy could tell that she didn't like this but there was nothing that she could do about it right now. She watched Erza read over the note and nod once before sighing again.
"All right. We plan to leave in a week. And I can't promise to be able to keep Natsu from hunting you down. You know how he gets." Erza said with a chuckle.
Lucy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, don't I know it. I covered my tracks as well as I could so I'm hoping it'll be enough to keep him at bay." She said before her eyes quickly moved to the group in front of her and then back to Erza. "I have to get to training. I don't want to waste the time I have. Talk to you in a week." She said cutting the connection.
"That wasn't so painful, now was it?" Ultear asked laughter clear in her voice.
Lucy shot Ultear a glare as a shiver raked down her spine. She didn't like lying to her or in this case keeping a secret from her but it had to be done this way. She looked at Jellal who nodded and walked toward the open area of the beach. She sighed but stood and followed Jellal. Once they got to the where Jellal thought was the best place to start they faced each other.
"Now, we won't be starting with learning the spell, I need to make sure your body can handle the impact it'll have. I know most holder magic types don't fight in hand-to-hand combat. So, we're going to start with some basic hand-to-hand combat training. Is that all right with you?" Jellal asked stretching his right arm over his chest to the left side.
Lucy thought about it. It wouldn't hurt to get better at the hand-to-hand part of fighting. Most people assumed she hid behind her spirits in a fight anyway. She knew she didn't and her spirits knew she didn't but most people were ignorant to the fact that Spirits were living beings and should be treated as such. Not to mention, Lucy wanted to improve.
Lucy nodded. "That's fine. I'm not much of a fighter in that sense but I know some and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to protect those dear to me." She said stretching her arms over her head.
Jellal chuckled but nodded. He had a feeling that was the case. He stretched his left over his chest to the right side. He knew Lucy was more determined now than when she first arrived. He could see it burning in her eyes. He knew if this ended up going wrong Erza definitely would kill him, hell maybe even all of Fairy Tail would. He knew how much the girl meant to everyone.
"All right then, let's begin," Jellal said getting into a fighting stance.
Lucy took a deep breath as he said that. She let it out slowly as she rolled her shoulders and neck before getting into her fighting stance. Was she afraid to spar with Jellal? Of course, she was. She's never fought with anyone like this before. But she wasn't going to let that intimidate her. She would do this to protect her family.
That's when the fight began. Jellal shot forward, throwing a punch that made Lucy move her head to the side before dropping to her hands and swinging her foot around. Her heel connected with Jellal's side, sending him flying across the beach. Lucy spun around but stayed crouched, ready for him. She winced at the sound of Jellal's body hitting the rock wall.
"Sorry! Reflex." Lucy said scratching the back of her head.
All she heard behind her were Meredy and Ultear laughing. Well, mostly Meredy because she didn't bother hiding her laughter at all. Ultear attempted to keep hers hidden but you could still the laughter in her voice when she would speak.
"Nice job, Lucy. I don't think I've ever seen someone send Jellal flying like that." Ultear commented.
"Sorry! It's a reflex." Lucy said nervously as she saw Jellal walking back towards them.
Jellal waved off her concern. "You're fine. However, that was unexpected, especially with the stance you took. We need to work on that. If you would have been one second slower I would have gotten you because you left yourself wide open to an attack." He explained walking over to her. "Now, hold your arms like this and curl your fingers over your thumb." He said as he moved Lucy into what he called a better stance. "Feet apart, knees slightly bent." He continued kicking Lucy's feet apart with his foot.
Lucy nodded and followed everything he said. She had to admit it was going to take some getting used to since she wasn't used to taking up this kind of stance. She didn't think the difference in stances would help but she'd give it a shot.
Once Jellal walked Lucy through some of the ways to move and protect her most vital points they went back to their starting points to try again. This time when he charged forward with a punch she brought her arm up blocking the punch and pushing it away before throwing her own punch forward. He caught the punch getting the feel for the strength of it. He had to admit it was a good punch but didn't hold that much strength and power behind it.
Jellal nodded before he stepped away and again helped walk Lucy through a few more steps. He made it a point that today's training would be working on Lucy's upper body strength and building up her muscles. He said they would work on that for two days before he would start with the spell. But he still wants to work on her fighting in between.
Lucy nodded as they went over different moves, offensive and defensive. How and when to block, how and when to counter. She had to admit he was a better teacher than Erza was. Erza would just attack and not point out anything, just expected you to know how to do all this.
Jellal stood next to Lucy and had her copy his movements so she could get a feel for them. They worked at it up until lunch when he called for a break which made Lucy pout.
Jellal chuckled. "We need to refuel. Otherwise, we'll collapse in the middle of training and that wouldn't be a good thing." He explained as they walked over to the rock where Meredy and Ultear were sitting watching them.
Lucy sighed but followed. "I know. I'm sorry." Lucy mumbled sitting beside Meredy.
Jellal shook his head. "We have time, don't worry. I won't let any of the time be wasted, but you did need to keep up your strength by making sure you have enough food and water in your system and enough rest. Otherwise, you won't be any good to anyone on the battlefield." Jellal explained before taking a bite of the food Meredy and Ultear handed them.
Lucy nodded taking a bite. She knew this but it wasn't always possible, especially with Natsu as a teammate. He normally ate all her food making her have to eat at the guild. She'd be annoyed with him which everyone could tell just by her mood. Or it could have been the glare she shot him anytime he came near her. Or both.
Lucy asked questions throughout lunch about each one of them. She didn't know them as well as Erza did but she wanted to. Since joining Fairy Tail she's had this habit of trying to be friends with everyone, sometimes that included the ones claimed to be their enemies like Sherry and Lyon. And of course, the ones that joined Fairy Tail like Gajeel and Juvia.
Once they were done eating Jellal and Lucy went back to where they left off. Jellal was going easy on her at first but as they went he started getting harder on her. He had to admit that she caught on quickly and was easily keeping up with him even when he increased the speed of his attacks. She blocked and countered him easily. She even landed her fair share of attacks. They continued training up until dinner.
When Ultear announced it was dinner they broke away. Lucy had her hands on her knees as she panted trying to catch her breath as beads of sweat dripped down her forehead. Jellal stood there with his hands on his hips getting his breathing under control also. He chuckled when Lucy groaned as she stood up. He knew this was different than what she was used to doing when training but she didn't let that stop her. They both walked over and sat to eat.
"You're getting the hang of it," Jellal commented after a few bites.
Lucy smiled. "Thanks. It's going to take some getting used to since I'm not usually allowed in the front in a battle. Everyone normally keeps me in the back." She said with a shrug.
"Why?" Meredy asked with her mouth full.
Lucy held back a giggle. "To my team, I'm the weakest among them. Not that they'd ever say that to me. They're more encouraging than I give them credit for but we all know I'm the weakest one on the team, hell probably the entire guild." She said with a shrug and a smile.
Jellal looked surprised. He couldn't believe that's how she viewed herself. He'd spoken to Erza about everyone and she had nothing but nice things to say about Lucy. However, it was mostly about her personality rather than her fighting skills. She was kind and was always there if you needed her. She had always tried to keep everyone's spirits up when it looked bad. And the most important thing he was told was that she would never back down even if she was getting beaten to a pulp. She'd hold her head up and take until she couldn't and even then Erza has seen her try to get back up. It amazed him how highly she spoke of her.
Jellal cleared his throat. "After dinner, we'll work on meditating. You have to focus on expanding your power, especially if you want to use Grand Chariot." He explained.
Lucy nodded. "Would having Gemini out help? They helped with enhancing Urano Metria." She asked.
Jellal looked in thought for a moment before he shrugged. "It couldn't hurt but you'd need to figure out how they could help while in the middle of a battle." He said finishing off his plate.
Lucy nodded. "We'll figure it out." She said with determination.
"Your dream, did the girl explain how your battle went?" Jellal asked curiously.
Lucy shook her head. "No. She was too tired to keep the connection at the time. I'm hoping she comes again to tell me more so I can change how I did things." She explained putting her plate to the side.
Jellal nodded. "All right then, let's get back to work."
There's Chapter 2!
I hope you're enjoying this new version!
And thank you for your continued support!