Told you it wouldn't be nearly as long of a wait! It will be shorter chapters as I get the story up and going once more. If you can not tell, I have also improved my style of writing drastically. Way less errors, more similes, more metaphors, etc. Even managed to put a couple double entendres in my stories. Now. ON TO THE STORY!
Chapter 24: Carla's Turn To Train
Carla ran over to Happy and put her ear to his chest. She sighed in relief as she heard a heartbeat. She looked at the puddles of blood that Happy coughed up. She said, "Such a large amount of blood! Maybe he fainted from blood loss. Whatever the reason is, I need to get him back to the castle. I am sure Lucy and Mirajane sense the threat is over so they can start bringing people back to Magnolia." Carla picked up Happy's unconscious body and activated her Aera magic, not noticing she now had six wings instead of four. Carla began to fly back from where she came from, carrying Happy.
She arrived back at the castle after thirty minutes of flying. Exhaustion was beginning to hit her like a Forest Vulcan's fist. Carla flew through the open window and laid Happy down on the bed. Carla laid next to him and swiftly fell asleep.
The next morning, Carla was awoken by a knock at the bedroom door. She got out of bed and walked over and opened the door. She saw Shagotte standing there. Shagotte immediately walked into the room and walked over to Happy and sat down. Carla looked at her mother and said, "What in the world are you doing? Didn't even ask to come in. Just barged in like you own the place!" Shagotte said, "Calm now. I knocked. And besides, Happy needs to recover. Do you believe me now that you two are the Heavenly and Infernal Exceeds?" Carla replied, "Yes. Yes I do."
Shaggote said, "Good! Now, it looks like you're training with me to hone your Precognition." Carla looked flabbergasted and said, "How in the world does one hone Precognition?!" Shagotte replied, "I will teach you. Let's go."
Carla followed her mother and looked around. She asked, "Why are we where Happy and Lucky fought one another?" Shagotte replied, "To train your Precognition. First stage will be forcing your Precognition kick in. Can be very useful if you need to formulate strategies for an upcoming battle, or even in the heat of the moment, defend yourself in combat by knowing your opponent's next move." Carla looked at her mother curiously and asked, "Are you gonna attack me?"
Shagotte smiled and said, "Heavens no. Never been much of a fighter. But I talked to Lucky and he agreed to help you. For the time being, focus on the innate magic inside you. Focusing on the Magic Energy inside you will make it easier to force your Precognition to activate." Carla listened to her mother, still skeptical of the training, but focused on the magic energy inside her; closing her eyes.
Shagotte said, "Good. Don't forget to breathe. Keep focusing on your Magic Energy." Carla kept her eyes closed, taking slow deep breaths. She felt something inside her change as her Precognition kicked in. She saw something attempting to strike her from behind.
Carla's Precognition faded and she immediately leapt to the right. Shagotte watched her daughter leap to safety and said, "Good. Good. But you saw further into the future than we are trying to see currently. Try again. Right now, you're trying to figure out where Lucky is coming from." Carla looked at her mother and nodded in understanding.
Carla closed her eyes once more and focused on the Magic Energy circulating through her body. Carla's breathing slowed as her body began to glow white as a cloud. Her Precognition kicked in and she saw Lucky walking into the hollow from behind Shagotte.
Carla's Precognition faded and she said, "Lucky's coming from behind you." Shagotte smiled and said, "Good job Carla." Shagotte then said, "You're good to reveal yourself Lucky."
Lucky walked out from behind Shagotte and said, "Impressive that you were able to figure it out that quickly, Carla." Carla nodded her appreciation when she got the feeling something wasn't right. She immediately leapt to the left to avoid whatever was coming from behind her. As she leapt to the left, she saw an Exceed she recognized immediately fly past her. Carla said, "Nichiya." Nichiya landed and said with a bow, "A pleasure to see you again, Princess Carla." Carla replied, "Likewise. Even though our last meeting was… let's say less than ideal." Nichiya nodded his agreement and said, "Sorry about that."
Carla asked, "So. You're here to help me train as well I assume." Nichiya said confidently, "Correct. With such a phenomenal mentor like myself, you'll be a fighting machine in no time." Nichiya struck a courageous pose. Carla shook her head and asked her mother, "What's next?"
Shagotte replied, "Next, you're going to be blindfolded and dodge attacks using your Precognition. You will more than likely get hit multiple times before we finish for the day. But I did tell them to strike weakly for the time being until you evade more than ninety percent of strikes for a couple days in a row." Carla nodded her understanding.
Shagotte tied a blindfold around Carla's head and covered Carla's eyes with it. Shagotte said, "Focus on the Magic Energy circulating through your body once again." Carla nodded her agreement, and unable to see, began to focus entirely on the Magic Energy circulating through her body. Her Precognition did not kick in and she dodged right, only to get hit by someone. Shagotte said, "Again."
Carla focused and dodged right again, only to get hit once more. Shagotte said, "Again!" Carla took a deep breath and calmed her mind, concern for Happy's wellbeing drowning her thoughts. She took another breath and dodged right, evading a strike. Shagotte said, "Good! But you need to use your Precognition! Force it to activate!" Carla was confused how her mother knew she didn't use her Precognition but nodded her agreement. Carla took a breath and dodged left and blocked right. She felt someone's hands strike her guard and Shagotte said, "No blocking! Only evading!" Carla sighed and took a deep breath.
She focused intensely on the Magic Energy inside as her Precognition suddenly kicked in. Carla saw a strike coming from the left. Her Precognition faded and she evaded the strike with ease. Shagotte said, "Good job! Keep it up!"
Carla trained for hours and only managed to evade twelve strikes out of several hundred. She went back to the castle, ready to prepare food when she caught the scent of something delicious being cooked. She walked into the kitchen to see Happy cooking. She scolded him gently and said, "You should be resting. Silly Tomcat." Happy replied, "Maybe so, but you always cook for us. It's well past my turn. So! I cooked. Sorry Love, but you'll have to deal with it. I also made your favorite tea." Carla's eyes lit up at the talk of Darjeeling tea and she said, "Aww Happy! You shouldn't have!" Happy beamed and said, "But I did. How did training go?" Carla looked shocked that Happy knew about it but he said, "Thoughts Love. I can hear your thoughts. I also felt how many times you got hit. That's gotta hurt."
Carla replied, "It did and it didn't go as well as I hoped it would. But I am sure it hurts nowhere near as much as the strikes Lucky hit you with during the fights you two had." Happy laughed and said, "No kidding. What kind of training is your mother subjecting you to?" Carla answered, "Trying to hone my Precognition so I can use it at will and when necessary instead of random intervals." Happy said, "Sounds like something that would be useful to hone." Carla nodded her agreement and said, "Exactly. My mother said this training could take awhile." Happy replied, "That makes sense. Precognition is an ability that many do not have so no one knows how to properly train and hone it."
Carla nodded her agreement and sat at the table. Happy pushed her chair in and set the table. Carla watched Happy with a smile. Happy brought her her food and then served himself.
Carla and Happy ate and then went to bed. Happy said, "I have something to tell you." Carla rolled over and looked Happy in his eyes and asked, "Oh yeah? What is it?" Happy responded, "I used the move. The Iced Shell move. I have called it Hellscape." Carla looked at him seriously and said, "What did I tell you about that move, Happy?" Happy replied, "I know. I know. Not to use it. But it caused some serious damage to Lullaby." Carla responded, clearly exasperated, "Not the point Happy! You could've died! And then guess what?! I'd be without the love of my life for the rest of my life. Use your head, silly Tomcat!"
Happy said, "I am sorry! I had to use it! Lullaby would've taken out all of Magnolia! I couldn't risk it!" Carla sighed and said, "I know, but you need to be more careful alright." Happy said, "I promise to be more careful." Carla purred quietly and said, "That is all I can ask for. Thank you." Happy beamed and pulled Carla close as he swiftly fell asleep. Carla purred quietly, letting Happy's body heat warm her cold and exhausted body as she fell asleep.
Carla woke up the next morning and slowly got out of Happy's grasp. She prepared herself mentally for the upcoming training. She sat on the floor and began to meditate, clearing her mind and preparing for the upcoming challenges that her mother was going to put her through.
A Week Later:
Carla took a deep breath as she prepared herself. She had the blindfold on and focused on her Magic Energy. Her Precognition kicked in and she saw Nichiya attempting to strike her from the left. She dodged left and her mother said, "Good job Carla. That's the first time you dodged the first strike. Good on you. Next time, strike your assailant with a counter attack." Carla opened her mouth to ask why, but Lucky said, "You need to also attack your enemies after dodging. You can't just use support magic and let Happy do the physical combat. You need combat training as well, because being able to defend oneself is a very important skill to have. Especially on your journey that will surely be long and arduous." Carla nodded her understanding.
After a few hours, Carla was forcing her Precognition to kick in about half of the time now. She slipped a strike and retaliated with a hook. She heard her mother say, "Good good! Onto something a little more challenging now. They will both start attacking you. You need to use your Precognition to evade all attacks and counter when it's safe." Carla nodded her understanding and forced her Precognition to kick in. She foresaw the combo that Lucky and Nichiya were going to use. She saw a safe moment to retaliate against Nichiya.
Carla heard a strike coming and thought, 'It's started!' She began evading strikes with ease. She heard her mother gasp in disbelief. Carla thought, 'The moment's coming!' She evaded Lucky's strike and shot to the right, hitting Nichiya's body with her paw covered in magic. Nichiya coughed in pain and fell to his knees. Carla immediately took off the blindfold and rushed to his aid. She asked, "What happened?!" Lucky laughed loudly and said, "You got his kidney. Knocked the wind right out of him. Good stuff Carla." Shagotte stifled a purr of amusement and said, "That's enough for today. We gotta let Nichiya recover." Carla said, "What if I heal him? I would like to continue training cause I would like to get back to the other group sooner rather than later. There are still a lot of members of Fairy Tail and SaberTooth we need to rescue. Happy and I have been here too long to begin with."
Shagotte looked at her daughter and said, "Alright. Go ahead." Carla nodded her appreciation and healed Nichiya swiftly. Nichiya got to his feet and said, "MAN! Good attack Carla." Carla said, "Thank you Nichiya."
After several more hours of training, Carla heard her mother say, "Enough!" Carla took the blindfold off and asked, "Are we done for the day?" Shagotte nodded and said, "Tomorrow Lucky and Nichiya will not be holding back. We have done as much as we possibly can. The rest, you will have to learn from hands-on experience." Carla nodded her understanding and returned to the castle.
Happy greeted her at the entrance to their castle and said, "How'd it go?" Carla replied, "Very good. Tomorrow is the final test. Lucky and Nichiya will not be holding back anymore." Happy replied, "Good. Good. But I will be coming to the hollow to watch tomorrow then." Carla blushed and said, "You don't need to Happy." Happy kissed her quickly and said, "Oh but I will be. You came to my fights against Lucky. Least I can do is watch your final training and be there to support you." Carla blushed more and said, "Alright Happy. I will be looking forward to it."
The Next Day:
Carla walked into the hollow and looked around and saw only Shagotte. Carla noticed she wasn't holding a blindfold and she asked, "No blindfold this time?" Shagotte shook her head no and said, "It was only to help you focus on the magic in your body. The true test is activating your Precognition without it." Carla asked, "Where are Lucky and Nichiya?" Shagotte smiled and said, "Figure it out. I told you they weren't holding back this time. I'd suggest you don't either. This will be a good opportunity to train with Happy as well. I would say he's recovered more than enough at this point. Switch with him as needed. This is gonna take awhile." Shagotte walked away and Carla heard the bushes around her rustle. She looked over and saw Happy walk out the bushes. Carla smiled but her Precognition kicked in.
Carla saw Lucky strike her from above in his battle form and Nichiya attacked from behind her with his sword. Carla's Precognition faded and she took a deep breath.
Carla leapt to the side as Lucky landed, his fist going into the dirt; dirt flying everywhere. Carla whirled around and used magic to shield herself from Nichiya's strike. She leapt backwards and evaded a strike from Lucky as she made several hand signs and said, "Heavenly Exceed, Four Layer Magic Circle! BLINDING EXPLOSION!" A massive four layer magic circle appeared above Carla and a white orb flew from her paws and struck the ground in front of Nichiya. The resulting explosion sent Nichiya flying and Carla said, "SWITCH!" Carla felt Happy's magic enter her and she said, "HELLFIRE SECRET ART! LUCIFER'S SWORD!" A sword of Fire appeared in her hands and she tossed it to Happy. Happy caught it and shook his head as he leapt into the fray, going after Nichiya.
Carla forced her Precognition to activate and she saw Nichiya and Lucky take to the sky. A sword began flying at her from above. Her Precognition faded and she leapt out of the way. She heard Happy yell, "SWITCH!" Happy then yelled, "HEAVENLY EXCEED, SIX LAYER MAGIC CIRCLE, HOLY ARMAMENT! CATCH IT CARLA AND DEFLECT NICHIYA'S SWORD!" Happy's sword of fire glowed bright white and he threw the sword towards Carla. Carla caught it and deflected Nichiya's sword deep into a tree. The sword of fire disappeared from Carla's hands. Carla forced her Precognition to kick in once more and thought of her plan.
Carla slipped Lucky's strike and retaliated with a magic attack straight into Lucky's chest. Lucky was sent skidding backwards and he nodded towards Nichiya. Nichiya and Lucky switched their targets and Lucky ran straight towards the tree that had Nichiya's sword lodged deep within it. He pulled it out and threw it towards Nichiya. Nichiya caught it and looked at Carla as he posed and said, "MAN! That was some seriously powerful Magic there Carla. Too bad it won't help you here!"
Carla took a deep breath and made several hand signals as she said, "Heavenly Exceed, Four Layer Magic Circle, ANGELICAE EVASION!" A Magic Circle appeared below her. Carla felt her body get lighter and Nichiya charged towards her. She evaded all of Nichiya's attacks, her body moving on its own. Carla saw an opportunity and said quietly, "Switch. Hellfire Secret Art, Molten Strike." Carla's paw glowed red as she hit the hilt of Nichiya's sword. Nichiya's sword flew from his hand, the entire sword glowing red as the hilt began to melt. Nichiya looked at his sword and chuckled as he said, "Impressive. No one has ever managed to disarm me with a bare handed strike. Good stuff. Too bad for you, I brought a dagger just in case." Nichiya grabbed the dagger from his belt and thrusted towards Carla. Her body didn't react quick enough and it grazed her side. She hissed quietly in pain and leapt backwards.
Happy felt a stinging in his side and he hissed in pain. He entered his battle form, fists ablaze. Lucky chuckled and nodded towards Nichiya. Nichiya and Lucky switched targets once again. Lucky said, "Shagotte asked us to give you both training here. Hence the constant switching. Giving you both a taste of different fighting styles." Carla said, "Of course she did."
Lucky chuckled and leapt at Carla, Carla evaded the attack easily, a small trickle of blood slowing down her side. Carla began to evade Lucky's strikes, looking for an opening. She tried to force her Precognition to kick in, but failed. She growled in annoyance, and slid between Lucky's legs and said, "Heavenly Exceed Secret Art, ANGELICAE PRASIDIUM!" A magic circle appeared below Carla and her Aera Magic activated as an armor made of light covered her. She got to her paws quickly and Lucky whistled as he said, "GAAH! Impressive looking armor. Is that light?" Lucky smirked and clapped his hands. Lucky leapt towards Carla.
Carla evaded the strike and retaliated with several fast magic attacks to Lucky's sides. Carla flew past Lucky, making several hand signs and said, "Heavenly Exceed, five layer magic circle, MERCIFUL SMITE!" A gargantuan white Magic Circle appeared above Lucky and a massive beam of holy light struck Lucky. Lucky yelled in pain and was sent flying into the bushes around the Hollow. Carla flew down to the ground and walked over to Lucky. Lucky was unconscious, but breathing. Carla sighed in relief and said, "I was worried that might've been too much." Nichiya looked at Carla and said, "The training is done. You two passed. You only had to render us both unable to fight, but Lucky may need medical attention. Sorry to cut it short."
Happy deactivated his battle form and flew over to Carla and asked, "Did you need to smite my father?" Carla responded, "Shagotte told me to not hold back as they weren't either. Your father is fine love. I promise. That attack I used isn't very powerful. It's mainly used to knock someone out, hence why it's called the Merciful Smite. Five layers of magic circles may have been too much. Normally, I'd use only a two layer Magic Circle to knock someone out who was unable to fight, but kept trying anyway. Five was to ensure your father was knocked out as he had barely been wounded, but four may have done the trick." Happy nodded his understanding and said, "Good stuff Carla."
Shagotte walked into the hollow and looked at the crater in the ground and asked Carla, "I saw the beam of light." Nichiya said as he bowed, "They both passed my Queen." Shagotte beamed and said, "Good! Now they are able to return to their traveling group. Don't forget that you both are welcome here. I love you, Carla." Carla looked at her mother and said, "I love you too."
Carla and Happy ate one last meal before they took off to find their traveling group.
There we go! What did you all think? Be honest. Until next time, HappytheExceed, logging out!