Chapter 17

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• A/N : A quick note, Daisy is male and any reference to him being female is from the other's POV so sometimes I call him a 'he' while other times he's referred to as a 'she'. Now onto the chapter itself, enjoy!

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•Flora City•

•West Village•

•Training Camp•

Eden walked with determination on the track lanes that had reappeared after they got past the trees, she had noticed that Poppy and Orchid hadn't been with them while they did this. She sighed, why did she have a feeling that Poppy stopped because something happened to Orchid? Maybe because she knew it was something that Poppy would definitely do even though the rules expressly stated that they shouldn't.

"Whoa!" Li's voice breaks her out of her thoughts and she looked up, she had unconsciously slowed down so she had to hurry up to catch up with them and in doing so, passed through another magical barrier, the scene this time around was that of a jagged mountain.

They all slowed down at this.

 "We have to get over that, without using our wings??" Lily exclaimed.

"Apparently." Eden panted, shrugging her shoulders.

It was just the four of them now, Aster still in the lead with Li and Eden walking at the same pace just a couple paces behind him, Daisy drew up at the rear, the tiny Fairy was easily keeping up and Eden made a mental note not to judge a book by its cover.

"Daisy, you can't continue." Li says with a serious expression, they had all slowed down that the smaller Fairy was able to catch up with them.

"What?" Daisy blinked, of all the things he'd expected Lily to say.

Eden didn't blame Li for thinking that way about the fragile Fairy, she didn't want anything to happen to her too.

"I can't let you go up that mountain." They were at the bottom of the rocky mountain now, the sun was high in the sky even though it was just morning outside of the barrier.

Daisy stopped fully and the the rest followed suit, Li stopped as well because there was no way he was letting Daisy climb up that deathtrap.

Eden stopped because she was worried about the delicate female Fairy and Aster stopped for reasons he wasn't still sure of, if he was asked, he would have said that he was calculating how best to go about his climb.

"You don't have the right to order me around." Daisy fumed, a hand on her tiny waist.

"I don't." Li agreed somberly. "That's why I'm telling you, not ordering you." He explained patiently.

Daisy looked at him incredulously, he couldn't believe what his ears were hearing. "That's the exact same thing!"

Eden felt like she should step in at this point as Aster remained content to just observe.

"Daisy, he does have a point."

Daisy whipped his head around to her, his short, pale-white hair  swishing around, a look of disbelief on his beautiful face. "Even you too Eden!" He threw his small hands up. "I can't believe this."

Eden cringed, she knew it wasn't fair as they were both girls but Daisy really looked like she'd get seriously hurt.

In a loose, sleeveless turtleneck, tucked into high waisted loose pants she looked like a glass doll and just as breakable too.

"I'm sorry, I'm just really worried and even though I'm a girl just like you, I can't help but be." She rubbed her neck nervously.

Lilly and Daisy paused at this…

"Eh?"

"What?" Daisy spluttered, blinking furiously. "You think I'm a girl??"

Aster frowned at this. "You're not?"

Daisy placed both hands on his red cheeks at this, Fairy Dust twinkling around him. "You all think I'm a girl!!!" He exclaimed in a high voice, his breaths coming out in short pants.

"Breathe Daisy." Lily said seriously, with amusement in his deep voice.

"Don't just tell me to breathe like I'm fussing over a broken nail." He lashed out at him. "Wait, even Poppy? You're telling me that even Poppy thinks I'm a girl."

Eden laughed nervously, scratching her head, eyes closed to avoid looking at the mutinous expression on the Fairy's face. "Um, yeah." She mumbled, still out of sorts at finding out that Daisy is a boy.

"Tch, stop lying." Aster spoke up, leaping up the mountain to begin his climb, effortlessly he grasped a cleft and hung off it. "Don't let her come up." He threw down at them before continuing his climb.

"Unbelievable!" Daisy threw his hands up again. "I'm a bloody boy and if you call me a girl again I'll burn you into a crisp." He called up to Aster who was comfortably climbing up.

"Stop nagging Daisy." He drawled down to him.

Daisy went beet red at this and started making Fairy Dust double time, one moment his wings were fluttering and the next moment he was jumping.

Eden gaped as she watched him do a simple flip and land effortlessly on a ledge.

"I see you want to lose all of your hair." He threatened calmly and Aster missed a step, nearly falling down.

"You'd have to catch me first." Aster shrugged blankly, his long hair waving around.

Eden watched as Aster took off with Daisy on his tail, actually keeping up.

She gaped at this and turned to look at Li who was sporting an identical expression on his face. "Did you know she… I mean he could do that?"

"Not at all and she practically raised me." 

Eden blinked. "S-She?" She stuttered, beyond confused.

Which was it?!

Lily full on grinned, lightening his actually handsome face that was hidden by his aggressive resting face. "I was just messing with you."

Eden blinked, as her brain shut down for a couple seconds when Li smiled at her, too soon he stopped an evil smirk on his face.

"Race you to the other side."

He took off.

"W-What?" Eden mumbled in confusion, her brain still melted, she looked up to see him already starting the climb. "You cheat!" She accused, taking off after him.

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Poppy hoisted Orchid's limp body up, it wasn't easy and she practically half dragged her out of the forest. She finally broke through the magical barrier and was back in the First Phase, the fastest way to get back to the starting point was to fly but if she couldn't even lift the Fairy that was much taller than her off the ground, how would she fly?

She had one of Orchid's arms over her shoulder and was slowly inching forward and then it hit her, Eden had said something about this but what? She collapsed on the ground with Orchid still draped over her, she was getting nowhere if she didn't figure out how to move.

Orchid's breaths were slowing down and she was getting colder, the panicked state Poppy was in didn't help.

Wait! She could use her wings like an engine and all she would have to do was hold onto Orchid! That was the reasoning Eden used to make her holster for carrying honey!

Quickly, she switched positions and wrapped both of her arms tight around Orchid in a choke hold, the last thing she needed was dropping her.

Concentrating, she started to move her wings, faster than she'd ever needed to and slowly she started to fly up.

As soon as there was a reasonable distance between the both of them and the ground, she took off.