cooperation training

In the middle of the night after dinner,

Aki couldn't sleep and decided to take a walk to the nearby lake. When she was close, she heard someone walking in the water. Approaching quietly behind a tree, she saw someone moving as if dancing. After a moment, the person stopped and approached not far from Aki, but she remained hidden behind the tree. Observing the man, she realized it was Akira. Akira lifted a book and, murmuring something, glanced towards Aki. But after a while, he returned to reading. 

Aki, still frightened, continued to hide and watched, saying to herself, "Why am I hiding?" Then Akira entered the water again and began to perform similar movements.

For four minutes, Akira danced, and then his hands began to glow, than the water around him starts to glow. The dance looked even more beautiful and astonishing. Akira concluded the dance with a leap and a strike of his foot on the water. 

"You can come out now," Akira said, looking towards Aki.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked as she emerged. 

Akira looked surprised and said, "I didn't know. I always say that when I feel someone is watching me." 

Aki, visibly annoyed that she fell for such a trick, 

asked after a moment, "What are you doing here at this hour?" 

"And you?" Akira retorted. 

"I couldn't sleep, so I came for a walk," Aki replied. 

"I'm training notes from the first Fire Deity," Akira responded. 

Surprised, Aki immediately asked, "What notes?" 

Akira proudly replied, "The ancient notes of a man who rivaled the gods in swordsmanship and fire magic." 

Aki couldn't believe it. "Where did you get such notes? He lived billions of years ago," she said. 

Akira replied, "When I was still in school, I had visions. In one of them, I saw the location of this notebook and a hint." 

Aki, intrigued, asked, "What hint?" 

"You won't choose the element; it will choose you," Akira replied.

Aki said, "I don't understand." 

Laughing, Akira replied, "Maybe you'll understand when you wake up. Let's go back before we start coming up with theories."

 When they returned home, Akira quietly said to Aki, "Don't tell them about these notes." Aki nodded, and they went to sleep. The next morning, they were awakened by a girl's scream. Akira fell from his hammock, shouting, "Ow, my back!" 

Gamble rushed to the girl and calmed her down. 

"Where am I?" the girl exclaimed. 

Kaido replied, "You're in our apartment." 

"What happened to those scary men?" she asked, still terrified. 

Kaen answered, "They're gone." 

The girl stared at Kaen for a moment and then, in a split second, disappeared from the bed she was sitting on.

Gamble looked at Kaen, and the elf girl hugged him. 

Kaen, frightened, asked, "Is everything okay?" 

The elf girl released Kaen and bowed to him, everyone except Akira, who was dying on the floor from back pain, everyone is a little suprised.

"From now on, I am your servant for life, in battle or as a lady in bed," she said.

Everyone was astonished.

 Akira finally got up and said, "Are you all acting like you've seen a ghost?" 

Kaen replied, "I don't know if it's ne—" 

"Yes, it is necessary." 

"I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOUR NAME!" Kaen yelled,

 then immediately got an answer, "My name is Elariana, sir."

 "Stop being so formal," Kaen replied, jumping behind Kaido,

 "Kaido, help," he said quietly, but Kaido stood frozen and said nothing.

 Gamble said, "Elariana, right? What you said was quite strange, and aren't you too young for that? What do your parents think?"

 Gamble got a cold stare in response and replied, "One could say I'm the same age as my lord, and my parents are dead."

 Gamble wanted to say something,

 but Akira interrupted, "Long story short, as long as Kaen is with us, you won't leave us alone?" 

Elariana shook her head no. 

Akira smiled and said, "But you know we're going to war." 

Contrary to Akira's expectations, Elariana didn't seem scared; instead, her eyes lit up with excitement. 

"But they were just some ordinary bandits; Akira, let it go," Gamble said, 

to which Elariana replied, "They surprised me by putting drugs in my soup that I was cooking." 

Akira replied with irony, "Yeah, like I can do light magic." 

Annoyed, the elf girl tried to hit Akira in the face, but he avoided it with closed eyes.

Elariana launched a few more attacks, but Akira easily dodged them, and finally, he blocked the last one and threw the girl against the wall with a wind spell.

"So, you're a sun elf," Akira said with a smile. 

Gamble added, "That's why her mana is so distinct." 

Kaen asked, "Distinct? What do you mean?" 

Gamble explained, "Sun elves have calm mana compared to other races. Sun elves have the calmest mana and mostly never lose control over it." 

After the fight, Elariana attacked Akira again. 

This time, Akira grabbed Elariana's hand and, using wind magic, opened the window and threw her out.

Then he jumped out himself, and finally, Kaido snapped out of his daze, saying, 

"What did I miss?" 

Akira said to Elariana, "If you want to accompany Kaen, you have to impress me."

Elariana stood up and cast a spell, "As the lady of winds and the warrior of the sun, I command you to shine and blow away my enemies, Solar Wind!" 

Elariana started to glow, and a high-temperature wind blew towards Akira from her direction.

Unmoved, Akira said, "So be it," and with a single motion of his hand, he countered the wind and sent Elariana straight into a tree. 

Gamble shouted, "Akira! Guards!" 

Akira quickly grabbed Elariana and rushed into the house. 

The guards knocked on the door, and Gamble opened it, asking, "How can I help you?" 

The guard replied, "We saw a girl being attacked by some man here."

Gamble said, "I don't know what you're talking about; I didn't see anything." 

"Alright, if you see him, please let us know. We won't tolerate attacks on the weak in this town," the guard said before leaving. 

"Alright, alright, I'll let you know," Gamble said, closing the door. 

Immediately, he hit Akira on the head, saying, "What were you thinking? We're almost in the middle of town," Gamble said. 

Aki said, "We should leave." Gamble agreed and started to pack, while Elariana hugged Kaen.

Kaido asked, "Why are you hugging him like that?" 

The elf girl replied with a cold stare, "Are you jealous?" 

Kaido denied, "I'm just curious." 

The elf girl sighed and said, "According to the law of my race, I have to marry the one who saves me first."

Kaido, surprised, asked, "What if someone else saves you someday?" 

Elariana replied, "Then nothing. He saved me first, so I have to marry him." 

Kaido, intrigued, said, "Will you tell me about your race someday?" 

Elariana replied, snuggling into Kaen, "Maybe." 

Akira interrupted their conversation, saying to Elariana, "Don't think that training will spare you." 

Elariana looked slightly scared at Akira's smiling face. 

When everything was packed and the horses were ready, Akira took Kaen, Kaido, and Elariana to the lake to test them once more. 

Akira removed the upper part of his kimono and shirt underneath. "Okay, let's go all out. No holding back," he said.

Elariana, silent as a shadow, approached Akira from behind with the intention of surprising him. 

Her steps were light as leaves, and her hand was already extended for an attack. But before she could touch him, Akira instinctively turned around, catching her hand in mid-air and effectively avoiding her attack. 

At the same time, Kaen and Kaido, in perfect synchronization, rushed towards Akira from two sides, trying to surround him and deliver a decisive blow. 

However, even in the face of danger, Akira remained unruffled. With a grace befitting a master, he evaded their attacks, moving with precision and agility. 

Kaen and Kaido were surprised when their attacks missed Akira, almost in a helpless surge of astonishment. Their movements were like the wind that swirled in the void, while Akira remained untouched, maintaining calm and control over every move. His body moved like in a dance, harmonized with the rhythm of combat. Elariana, though surprised by Akira's speed and agility, didn't lose her determination. 

Her determination grew with each move, and fiery desire for victory burned in her eyes. During the fight, their skills were like a melodious dance, where every move was precisely aimed. 

Each of them, in their own style, tried to gain the upper hand over the opponent, disregarding difficulties or dangers. In this symphony of battle, Akira was like an experienced composer, conducting every move with confidence and control. Kaen and Kaido, on the other hand, were like talented instrumentalists, performing their parts with enthusiasm and dedication. When Akira finally made an attack, he threw the elf girl into the air, jumping after her and saying, "I told you not to hold back," and kicked her, sending Elariana crashing to the ground, creating a small crater. Kaen and Kaido, shocked, stood still as Akira landed and approached Kaido. Terrified, Kaido tried to defend herself, but time stopped. She could only look around, but nothing moved. "It's just like before," Kaido thought, and the mysterious voice prompted her again. This time, the hint was, "Grab Kaen by the hand and throw him at Akira." 

Surprised, Kaido thought, "There seems to be no way out," and when time returned to normal, she followed the command of the voice, throwing Kaen towards Akira. Akira, greatly surprised, avoided the attack by jumping to the side, but Kaido attempted to attack him there. Amazed by the idea, Akira thought, "So that's it," and dodged Kaido, sending her crashing into a tree. Akira looked around and noticed Kaen was nowhere to be found. "Where did he go?" he thought, scratching his head. Suddenly, Kaen emerged from the water, hitting Akira in the back with a fireball in his hand and shouting, "Now, Kaido!" Surprised, Akira was pushed forward by the impact, and Kaido, flying towards him with her hand covered in rocks, hit Akira in the face.

Akira took a hit but stood on his hands and began to spin, summoning strong gusts of wind that sent Kaido and Kaen flying into trees and water. As Akira stood up, he was hit below the belt by Elariana. 

Akira muttered, "Knockout," before collapsing to the ground. Gamble facepalmed, and Aki refrained from laughing. 

"Alright, we need to go," Aki called out to the kids. 

Aki said to Gamble, "I'll go get him," 

and Gamble replied, fastening his cloak, "I'll go reserve our stay." As Kaen and Kaido enjoyed their training, Elariana stood aside, tormenting herself for being defeated so easily. "What's wrong? Don't torment yourself; you couldn't handle him. Sir Akira is too strong for us for now, that's all," Kaen comforted her with a smile and determination in his eyes. 

Elariana started to smile and said, "So I have to become stronger too?" 

Kaen replied, "I'm supposed to be your husband." 

Elariana added, "Can I be a medic? I think I've broken half my bones." 

The faces of Kaen and Kaido immediately changed to frightened, and they called out for Gamble. When Aki lifted Akira, she noticed a scar on his right shoulder and said with a smile, "So it's really you." 

When everything was settled, and Elariana was healed, the team set off towards the land of the fields of humans. Elariana asked Akira, "How long have you been training?" 

Akira replied with a smile, "Since the beginning of my education in the capital." 

The kids were impressed, and Kaido asked, "What about other heroes?" 

Elariana inquired, "What heroes?" 

Kaen answered, "Gamble and Akira are heroes of the sword and shield." 

Elariana replied emotionlessly, "Cool. I've never heard of them." 

Akira said, "Going back to your question, Kaido, I can tell you only a few words about them. Once you meet them, they're good friends... but they are being used by the king's daughter."

Kaen asked with interest, "How so?" and 

Akira replied, lying down on the back of the wagon, "I'll tell you about them someday by the campfire. For now, I'll take a nap." 

Kaido and Kaen sighed and said, "Are we making a campfire today?" Gamble quickly replied, "No, today we're riding all night to the city of Pokeropolis." 

Elariana asked, "What city is that?" 

Gamble replied excitedly, "The City of Gambling, on the border with the half-human city, literally half of it is ours, and the other half is in the half-human country." 

Aki asked, "Will the horses endure?" 

Gamble replied, "I'll give them strength through magic. Don't worry; it's safe, and I'll rest when we get there since we'll arrive during the day, and the city comes alive at night." 

With a smile on her lips, she thought, "Finally, somewhere where I can have some fun."