battle training

Two days later the teachers are starting to train the students in combat magic and teamwork with the specialists, every combat fairy getting a specialist partner except for a few who are assigned to support roles and Garfield, since he's helping with the teaching again, despite his initial protest.

"You still need to work on your aim Bloom." Garfield says watching her fire a stream of fire at a target but burning everything in her path as well.

"Your fire is not earthbound." He tells her, the girl stopping her stream of fire.

"Here. Try using this as you new path to help you envision how the flames will move." He says, slipping a glove on her left hand, attaching a steel cable to it and stabs its end into the target.

"Try again." He says.

"Alright." She says, focusing on the cable in her hand, lighting it on fire and creating a concentrated fire stream towards the target.

"Nice. Keep doing that, just make sure you won't burn yourself with the cable." He advises.

"Hey, I have to ask, we never talked about it but why did you and Musa start going out?" Bloom asks.

"We like each other. And if you're talking about our previous moments... we both know that you like Sky. Just be careful. I'm not trying to get between you two, but you shouldn't trust him right now." He tells her, whispering the last part.

"What are you talking about?" Bloom asks quietly, grabbing his hand and pulling him behind some tree for cover, leaving the glove behind.

"He is up to something with Silva and I think it has to do with you." He says.

"Why do you think that?" She asks intrigued and confused.

"I came up with a lot of the teams, but when it came to you all of the teachers were insistent on you pairing with Sky when there were a handful of better choices." He informs her.

"That's weird, but what do you think is the reason?" She asks.

"They probably want Sky to check on you, if it's because they want to keep you save or to spy on you I don't know." He says, leaving the cover with her following moments later.

"Just keep training and don't confront him about it." He advises, offering the glove to her carefully.

"I gotta go help the others." He says after she accepted the training help.

"Terra. Your vines are strong, so why are you only containing?" He asks, seeing her wrap vines around her target, pulling it down before it shoots back up with her repeating this.

"What?" The cheerful girl asks.

"Do you know what happens if you build something over roots?" He asks, getting a shoulder shrug in response.

"When the roots are strong enough, they dig through the material." He says, holding up a leaf and stabs his finger through.

"You have your pull down quite niely. Time to work on your stab." He tells her.

"O... OK." She says insecurely and tries to push her vines into the target.

"That's the idea. Now just think about your vines end. Make it harder, sharper and then stab." He says and Terra concentrates, her vines rearing back, wrapping around each other to become stronger and she tries to sharpen its tip, the vines flying back at the target, making a miniscule dent.

"Nice. Now just keep working on it.". He tells her, moving on to the next one, which is a wind fairy, lifting up the target.

"Nice work. But you will only contain this way and are reliant on your partner. If you want to be able to defeat burned ones alone your winds have to be more violent." He tells her.

He then moves to the last fairy under his mentoring, since Aisha who initially was part of his squad dropped out to become part of the support.

"So, how's the armor faring so far Musa?" He asks, Musa enveloped in a purple see through wolf shroud.

"It's hard to deal damage with it. Even though it has claws." She says, the few scratches on her trainings dummy disappointing her.

"Show me." He tells her softly and she steps over to the trainings dummy swiping her arms a few times.

"Alright. Just watch." He says, swapping spots behind her.

"This is you basically." He says, hitting the dummy with a transformed leopard paw, leaving a few scratches.

"And this is what you want to do."

He tells her, slashing the target faster and with more intensity, literally cleaving it in half.

"You need to be more intense. Feel the animal's power." He instructs, pulling her towards him, placing his hands around her from behind and makes her face the target, placing his hand over the back of hers.

"Don't be afraid." He whispers and slashes the target together with his girlfriend, leaving deep gashes.

"See. You're fine. Your cloak wants to protect you from the looks of it." He says, patting her shoulder before heading over to his specialists.

"What is it now?" Garfield asks Dowling when the woman comes over to him while he's instructing the specialists.

"We need to talk about Musa. She doesn't belong on the battlefield. She's a natural support class fairy. Not some kind of half assed specialist." Dowling tells him.

"This is her choice. I don't want her to head towards danger myself, but you will not force her into a job she doesn't want." Garfield tells the teacher.

"What makes you think you could stop me?" The woman says.

"Don't push me. I am getting fed up with your lies and secrecy. And don't think I'll show the same restraint as with the queen. Luna may be beyond my reach but an old useless headmistress having her own agenda, no one will miss." Garfield replies.

"Hmpf." Dowling scoffs and leaves.

"You really got stones. How about you spend the night in my room sometime?" Trixie, who he was teaching says, having overheard the conversation and rubs her palm over his shirt.

"No thanks." He replies awkwardly.

|At lunch|

"Do I need to worry?" Musa asks, sitting down next to her housemates with Garfield.

"Worry about what?" Terra asks intrigued.

"Gar got hit on by his star pupil." Musa says.

"What? I wouldn't... Oh you mean Trixie." Bloom says blushing sheepishly.

"Yes Trixie." Musa says laughing lightly.

"No Musa, I'm all yours." He says squeezing her hand with her magic feeling his love and honesty subconsciously.

"Good." She smiles linking their fingers.

"So, we only have 2 more hours after lunch, how do you feel up to more training by ourselves?" He asks her.

"I'm sure you guys are just training when you're by yourselves." Bloom laughs lightly, Terra blushing at this.

"We are." Garfield tells her.

"Yeah. Gar is helping with my emotion detector problem to help me zone out the many emotions." Musa tells them.

"Suuure. Whatever you say girl." Bloom says smirking.

"When are we training with the specialists anyways?" Terra asks.

"After lunch." Garfield answers.

"So how's being Dowling's errand girl going?" Bloom asks Aisha, still weary of the woman.

"It's better than having to deal with a bummed out Riven." Aisha answers.

"You could still train with the others you know. You could partner with Musa." Garfield suggests.

"No. Thanks." Aisha says, not even looking at him.

"Fine. OK guys meet me in 20 back at the training spot. I'm gonna stretch my legs." He excuses himself and once outside the cafeteria turns into a leopard, dashing through them empty training field.

"He's only trying to be nice you know." Musa says slightly defensive of her boyfriend.

"I just don't trust him. He's too clued in not to be involved in some shady stuff." Aisha says.

"Come on Bloom tell her she's not in her right mind." Musa says, looking at the girl, only to feel her guilt.

"What? You too? Come on Terra. You'll support me right?" Musa says.

"I like Gar, but he is dangerous. I mean even the teachers including my dad are afraid of him and follow his orders almost all the time." Terra says.

"And he knew about Callum." Bloom adds.

"So did I. Or don't you trust me either?" Musa asks.

"Of course we do, but there are just too many mysteries around Garfield." Bloom says.

"Really? You're saying he has too many mysteries and secrets? You Bloom?" Musa challenges the redhead.

"Yeah, I guess I get it. Sorry." Bloom apologizes.

"Why are you so defensive of him? You've only started dating. It's not like you love each other." Aisha counters.

"Maybe we do. But with your attitude I doubt you'd be interested anyways." Musa says disappointed and leaves, Terra going after her.

"Why are you so upset? They are just being careful." Terra asks Musa.

"Because even if Gar doesn't show it. When people look down on him or don't trust him, it hurts him. And I would have thought that my friends would at least be supportive of our relationship." Musa says.

"I am. I think you two are sweet together." Terra says with a small smile.

"I know. Thanks Terra." Musa says, hugging the girl.

"Just don't like do stuff in our apartment OK?" Terra laughs.

"I think we can mange that." Musa tells her smiling in a bit better mood.

"Come on, let's join Gar." Musa says, taking Terra's hand and joins the leopard on the training ground. Garfield playfully tackling her over and licking her face in his leopard form, before letting her sit up and lies down half in her lap, rubbing his head and neck against his girlfriend with her brushing his soft fur.

"You can pet him too. I don't think that counts as cheating does it?" Musa laughs, seeing Terra's curious look.

"Well, I do like being scratched. But not enough to think it's sexual." Garfield says, licking over her palm, Musa wiping the saliva into his jacket which lies at their training area.

"That's my favorite jacket." He says.

"Well maybe don't slobber all over me Mr. Drooly." She teases him. Garfield pushing her down slowly, leaning on top of her with his leopard body before turning his head and arms human again and kisses her, caressing her cheek with one hand while the other is wrapped around her back.

"Ew guys, get a room." Terra says blushing a bit.

"Sorry." Garfield says, turning completely human and sits down next to Musa shirtless, hugging the girl sideways into himself.

"See I told you, you guys look good together. If you're not sucking face right in front of me." Terra tells Musa supportively.