the bet

"How's their progress?" Dowling asks Silva as they are looking at the students training with their specialist partners.

"Well enough I suppose. But barely any of them are going to be ready." Silva reports.

"How about Garfield's group?" The older woman asks.

"They are ready for the most part. Bloom still has some trouble but everyone else is competent enough to fight burned ones. There is just one issue though 2 days ago Sky got removed from the group when he refused to partner with anyone but Bloom.

"So we don't have an inside man anymore who can find out what she knows." Dowling says worried.

"I'm afraid so." Silva agrees.

"Looks like Garfield's making a mess of things for us then." Dowling says looking at the teen who is currently a mix of leopard and hawk, flying at his and Lola' opponent with her speeding him up with her wind magic. As he speeds past the burned one dummy he stabs his claws in its chest and uses the speed to round the burned one, literally cleaving him in half and tosses the core towards the wind fairy, who uses air pressure to crush it into a pile about a third of its original size.

"Nice work partner." Garfield says, high fiving Lola with his wing.

"Are you sure you don't want to be in a team with your girlfriend?" She asks, seeing Musa watch them and wave with barely an expression readable on her face.

"Yeah. She knows that this is the best grouping. Both of us count as specialists here. Me because I can only use front line magic well and Musa because her mind magic doesn't harm the opponent's body, well without our combination at least." Garfield says.

"Your choice. So, shall we try our combination again?" Lola asks, holding out her hand.

"Sure." Garfield agrees, turning human and takes her hand, white energy flowing down his arm and over hers until she has transparent wings and talons.

Garfield himself takes of the form of an enormous Hawk about one and a half meters big, half a meter wide and has talon of at least 10 cm length, which are razor sharp.

"Let's go." They say nodding at each other and take flight, both flying at a target and striking it from each side.

"Nice work." Garfield says as they fly back to their starting position.

"Really?" Lola asks, not seeing much damage.

Garfield turns around and flaps his wings intensely a couple of times, the gust of wind separating the target in its now 6 pieces.

"I have to say though. This feels amazing. Being able to fly. I don't know why you don't always use this form." Lola says, landing on their spot.

"Because it's not suited for fighting multiple targets." Garfield replies.

"Hey guys. That was amazing." Terra compliments the two, coming over to them with Trixie.

"Thanks." Lola says with a smile, her wings disappearing with Garfield recalling his magic from her.

"You guys are moving well together too." Garfield says.

"Thanks Gar. What about Bloom and Musa though?" Trixie asks, the four watching the two beautiful girls barely beat a burned one dummy.

"I'll talk to them. Why don't you three discuss combos and try to pick up some ideas in the meantime.

"Hey, take a walk with me guys." Garfield tells the two girls, who follow him, shrugging st each other clueless as to what he wants.

"Alright guys, I'm gonna come right out and say it. Your teamwork sucks." Garfield tells them.

"Hey we're getting better!" Bloom objects.

"As individuals, I agree. But as a unit you two are like I'd have to work with Riven." Garfield says.

"We're not that bad." Musa says, shaking her in disbelief.

"Yes. You are." Garfield tells them compassionately.

"Then what are we doing wrong?" Bloom asks stubbornly.

"I'll show you." Garfield says, stopping at an empty field he wanted to bring them to.

"What you guys lack is confidence and trust in each other." Garfield says.

"Quit joking. We're roommates. If we have one thing then it's trust." Bloom objects.

"Really? So, you two talked about how Musa is distracted by your whirlpool of emotions? You talked about how you think everyone is lying to you and in league with the old hag? And you talked about that the two of us kissed a few times before Musa and I started dating?" Garfield asks them challengingly.

"No." Musa answers timidly.

"Look I'm not telling you this because I want to anger you or make things hard. But I see the problems you have and if you want to stay alive and become the strongest unit of us all, then you'll have to address these things." Garfield tells them, walking back to the others, leaving the two girls in the clearing.

"Do you think he's right?" Bloom asks Musa once Garfield is gone and sits down in the grass.

"I know he has a point on some of what he said. I do get distracted if you're emotional and I wonder about what happened between you and Gar when we started school." Musa says, sitting down across from her.

"Don't worry about that. I don't think of Gar like that. Certainly not anymore." Bloom tells the empath.

"Anymore?" Musa asks.

"OK, there may have been a moment where I liked Garfield but that was before I got to know Sky." Bloom tells Musa, taking her hands in her own.

"And about the emotional distractions, I'm sorry. My life is just a big mess right now and I want answers. Answers Dowling seems to have but isn't willing to share." Bloom tells Musa.

"I understand. But in a fight, it would be helpful if you were focused on the fight and not drift away every time Dowling shows her face." Musa laughs lightly.

"I think I can at least tone it down." Bloom promises with a smile.

"Thanks." Musa says gratefully.

"And about the not trusting thing, Gar's wrong about that. I trust every girl in our suite completely. It's him I can't trust right now." Bloom tells her.

"Why? What did Gar ever do to you?" Musa asks saddened.

"Musa, you two are great together but even the teachers listen to him. He must know more about my past than he's willing to tell." Bloom says.

"Fine. I guess I can live with that. At least I definitely won't have to worry about you two running off together." Musa chuckles, shoving Bloom sisterly.

"Now, let's show Garfield that he was wrong." Bloom says with a smirk.

"But if we are stronger now doesn't that prove his point?" Musa questions confused.

"Not if we just say we didn't talk. And hey you could make a bet with him and make him do stuff for you." Bloom suggests with a smirk.

"N... no I can't do that. Gar has been so perfect I don't want to mess things up." Musa says.

"Fine. Then I'll make the bet." Bloom says, pulling the raven-haired girl along behind her, back to their training area.

"Back already?" Garfield asks genuinely surprised.

"We don't need to talk to get stronger. We can already beat any of you." Bloom claims.

"Really huh?" Garfield says pensively.

"And I want to make a bet with you. If we're better than before you'll do whatever I say. If I lose I'll do what you want." Bloom says.

"Alright. Deal." Garfield agrees and watches while the two whisper something between each other.

"So, show us. You claim you don't need to clear the air." Garfield says, throwing a burned one dummy crystal up and down in one hand.

"Alright. Do it." Musa says while holding her hand out expectantly, waiting for his magic to transform.

Garfield pulls her in by her hand and kisses her, with Musa quickly taking on the wolf armor.

"Start." He says looking her in the eyes with a smirk and tosses the crystal a good distance away.

"Let's do this!" Bloom says pumped up and fire engulfs her arms while Musa joins her side.

The two exchange a look and then Musa then runs at the burned one. When Musa is about to make contact she jumps up, raising her right hand high while fire whip shoots past her feet, wrapping around both legs of the burned one and pulling them out from the creature, making it fall on its back. While Bloom pulled out the legs, however she thrusts forth her other hand and a large flaming hand shoots forward, covering Musa's raised hand and the empath slashes down, resulting in a large hole in the burned ones chest, the core broken to bits.

"Whoo. Great job!" Terra cheers on her suitemates with Trixie and Lola also applauding, getting the attention of the other students who only see a large cloud of dust coming from Musa's position.

"I guess I won the bet huh?" Bloom says victoriously.

"Yeah. You did. Nice work." Garfield compliments.

"Great. I'll tell you what I want you to do later then." Bloom says.

"Fine." Garfield agrees and steps over to Musa, hugging his girlfriend while telling her, "nicely done. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks." Musa replies while hugging him back and her eyes light up, noticing almost every student staring at them.

"Cat's out of the bag I guess." Musa says, taking his hand and joins their small group.

|Later that day|

"So, you want me to let you talk to Beatrix?" Garfield asks, having just been told by Bloom what she wants as reward.

"Yes. She's the only one who seemed like she might tell me about my past or at least knows who can tell me where I can find out more." Bloom answers.

"Hey, I get it. I would be thrilled if anyone could tell me who my parents are. I'm on board, on one condition." He tells her.

"Which is?" Bloom asks.

"You don't talk to her by yourself. I don't trust her." Garfield says.

"Fine, but you stay out of sight." Bloom tells him.

"Sure. I can just turn snake and slither around out of sight." Garfield tells her, holding out his hand.

"Deal. And thanks. I know Musa told you that we had that talk." Bloom thanks him, shaking his hand.

"She didn't have to. I know that you two are strong on your own, but that teamwork wasn't possible without a consensus." Garfield tells her.

"Why did you agree to the wager then?" Bloom asks surprised.

"Because you two deserve a reward for the result you two achieved." Garfield explains.

"Thanks." She smiles in response.

"We'll do it tonight." Garfield says after a quick pause to think.

"You're doing what tonight?" Musa asks, arriving at the suite with Terra.

"I'm gonna make good on my promise. You can still wish for something too you know." Garfield says, getting off the couch he and Bloom were sitting on and lifts his girlfriend up, twirling her around with ease.

"Get a room." Bloom says chuckling at the two.

"I don't want anything, honestly." Musa says.

"Fine. But offer still stands, though I doubt there is much I wouldn't do for you." Garfield says, letting her down on the ground again and holds her hand.

"Same to you." Musa replies, stealing a kiss before getting hit in the back of her head by a pillow curtesy of Terra.

"So Bloom, what's going on with you and Sky?" Musa asks, turning to the girl with glowing purple eyes.

"Nothing really. I guess I'd like there to be something but there isn't." Bloom answers.

"Maybe you need to make the first move." Musa suggests.

"Our mind fairy is right Bloom, it's so obvious he likes you." Terra says.

"Garfield, care to chime in?" Bloom says calling him out.

"I never said he didn't like you I'm just telling you he's up to something." Garfield replies, shrugging his shoulders.

"Why do you think that?" Musa asks.

"Silva and he have been meeting secretly and the teachers tried more than once to force me to pair Sky with Bloom." Garfield explains.

"That doesn't have to mean anything. They could think they make a great pair." Terra says.

"But I'm the one with 10 times their battle experience, they should trust me to do the right decision and listen to reason. I mean look at what Musa and Bloom accomplished. With moves like that you could even take me out if you wanted to." Garfield tells them.

"Well, don't worry. We'd never do such a thing." Musa tells Garfield, slinging her arms around his arm and leans into his side.

"I know." He replies, kissing the top of her head.

"So tonight?" Bloom asks Garfield, getting up.

"Yeah." He responds, giving her a nod.

"Come on Gar. We should continue our training Musa says, tugging him to his room.

"Cya." Gar tells Terra and Bloom, following his girlfriend.

"So, has training paid of yet anyways?" Garfield asks Musa once they are in his room and he starts kissing the nape of her neck from behind while putting his hands around her stomach.

"I think so. I'm less sensitive to other emotions. I still get all the input but process it better so to speak." She tells him, leaning back into him with her eyes closed.

"So... training." He says, and walks over to the bottom bed, letting her climb inside before jpining her, the two of them being literally pressed against each other.

"OK. Let's start." He says, taking her hands and they intertwine their fingers.

He then tries to use mind magic to affect his girlfriend.

After about 10 minutes of this she stops him.

"Something wrong?" He asks.

"I... can't concentrate. You are touching me." She says blushing embarrassedly.

"We're always touching during mind training." Garfield says.

"No. I mean you're touching me down there." She says, looking to their pressed together crotches.

"Sorry, I'll move." He says, scooting back a bit but Mus pulls him against her again quickly by his hips.

"Not yet. I know I said I'm not ready and I'm not. But I still desire you and your body." Musa says, breathing into his ear.

"You don't need to explain." He says understandingly and kisses her, one hand going through her hair.

"Mhh." She hums delighted slipping one hand under his shirt and places it over his chest, feeling his heart racing.

"I love you Gar." Musa says, her lips barely leaving his.

"I love you too." Garfield tells her and puts his arms around her, hugging her tightly.

"Is this OK?" Garfield questions lowering one hand down to her ass.

"It's fine." She says, wrapping her arms around his neck while making out with him.

Garfield gently gropes her ass through her tight-fitting sport leggings and she lets out an erotic gasp.

"Calm down sweety." She tells him with a red hue on her face.

"Sorry. You're just so gorgeous." He apologizes.

"I understand. I'm curious about you down there too." Musa confesses, brushing her knee over his crotch.

"Let's try to get back to training." He says and kisses her, focusing on sending her feelings of love, lust and desire.

"Ahn." She moans, throwing her head back when the rush of pleasurable emotions hits her.

"Cheap shot." She says, pushing him out of the bed with her hand on his face once she calms down after the rush of emotions.