Bonus Chapters every 100 Power Stones
"Normal Dialogue"
'Inner thoughts'
[Year X789]
~ With Shisui ~
Five Fairy Tail members could be seen training with each other in the guild's private training ground outside Magnolia. Six months had passed since their commitment to enter the Grand Magic Games, transforming what had once been an overgrown clearing into a proper facility with reinforced training dummies, magical targeting systems, and various terrain features. Shisui stood at the edge of a small rise, arms crossed as he observed their progress. The intensity in his gaze hadn't diminished since day one of their training, but neither had his patience.
"Again," Shisui called out, his voice carrying across the field. "Max, your sand formations are still dissolving under pressure. Maintain your focus."
Max nodded, wiping sweat from his brow despite the cold. His hands moved, golden particles swirling around him before merging into a dome structure. Unlike six months ago, when his sand would scatter at the slightest disturbance, the particles now maintained their cohesion.
"Better," Shisui acknowledged. "Now make it thinner. You're using twice the magic you need."
Max's face scrunched in concentration as he spread his fingers wider. The sand dome responded, its walls thinning gradually while maintaining their protective shape. For a moment, the structure wavered, threatening to collapse. Then Max adjusted his stance, feet planted more firmly, and the dome stabilized.
"That's it," Shisui said. "Magic efficiency isn't about how much power you use, but how precisely you control it. Remember that during the Games, you'll need to conserve energy for multiple events."
Nearby, Jet sped across the training ground in a blur, weaving between obstacles Droy had grown specifically for this exercise. Six months earlier, Jet could maintain his top speed for barely thirty seconds before his magic reserves depleted. Now, he was approaching the two-minute mark, though his form looked shaky as he navigated the increasingly complex patterns.
"Keep your breathing steady," Shisui instructed as Jet passed him. "You're starting to waste energy with unnecessary movements."
Jet adjusted mid-stride, his trajectory becoming more efficient. The slight wobble in his path disappeared as he focused on making each step count, extending his magic further.
Suddenly, Jet stumbled, his speed dropping dramatically as he caught himself with one hand against the ground.
"Damn it," he muttered, breathing hard. "Almost had it."
"One minute and fifty-two seconds," Shisui noted. "Eight seconds longer than yesterday. Rest for five minutes, then try again."
While Jet recovered, Shisui turned his attention to Droy, who stood in the center of a cleared area, seeds lined up on the ground before him. At Shisui's nod, Droy activated his Plant Magic, and the seeds burst to life simultaneously. Vines shot upward, twisted into the shapes of human figures, then waited in attack positions.
"How many can you control at once now?" Shisui asked.
"Five," Droy replied, though one could tell he was concentrating hard by the furrow in his brow. "Maybe six if I push it, but they get sluggish."
"Five is good," Shisui confirmed. "Quality over quantity. Make them attack the targets."
Droy gestured, and his plant constructs sprang into action, each striking at a different training dummy with surprising speed. The vines whipped and coiled, displaying far more than the wild growth Droy had relied on before their training began.
"Your control has improved significantly," Shisui noted. "But you're still taking too long to switch targets. In a real battle, you need to be able to redirect instantly."
On the far side of the grounds, Alzack and Bisca stood back-to-back, their magical guns raised as targets appeared and disappeared around them at varying distances. Unlike traditional marksmanship, this exercise forced them to minimize the magic used in each shot while maintaining their accuracy.
"Smaller charges, Alzack," Shisui called out. "Bisca's got the right idea."
Alzack nodded, adjusting his grip slightly. His next shot contained visibly less magical energy, yet still struck the target dead center. Bisca, meanwhile, fired three shots in rapid succession, each using the exact amount of magic needed to disable its target. No more, no less.
"You've both improved your efficiency by nearly forty percent," Shisui noted, walking toward them.
Bisca spun her rifle with a satisfied smile. "And we've been practicing our combination attacks too. Want to see?"
"Later," Shisui replied. "For now, I want all of you to work together on the scenario we discussed yesterday."
A short while later, the five mages gathered at the center of the training ground, their expressions turning serious.
Max stepped forward first, creating a swirling sandstorm that enveloped a wide area marked with enemy targets. Within this confusion, Jet darted in and out at high speed, appearing just long enough to place small markers on the "enemies" before disappearing again. Following Jet's lead, Droy sent his plant constructs surging through the sand cloud, their movements guided by the markers.
Meanwhile, Alzack and Bisca took position on opposite sides of the field, their guns tracking movement through the swirling sand that would have blinded ordinary marksmen. When they fired, their magical bullets curved around the plant constructs, striking the targets.
"Time!" Shisui called.
The sand settled, revealing every target marked and "neutralized" in just under forty-five seconds. A far cry from the thirthy minutes it had taken them during their first attempt at this exercise.
"Not bad," Shisui acknowledged, though his expression remained serious. "But still not good enough for the Games. You'll be facing mages who've trained together for years, who can probably read each other's intentions without speaking."
"We're trying." Max said frustratingly.
Jet nodded in agreement. "We've come a long way, but the top guilds have S-class mages. We're still..." He trailed off, not wanting to state the obvious.
That they were still the remnants of a once-great guild.
"You're still thinking like individuals who happen to be working together," Shisui explained. "True teamwork means becoming extensions of each other. Max, your sand should instinctively clear paths for Jet without him having to ask. Jet, you should be able to predict exactly where Droy's plants will grow. Alzack and Bisca, your shots should complement each other, not just avoid interference."
The team exchanged glances, doubt in their expressions. However, this quickly turned into determination when their eyes met with Shisui's gaze. A gaze filled with confidence for them.
"We've got six more months," Bisca said, straightening her shoulders. "We'll get there."
Shisui opened his mouth to respond, then froze, his gaze shifting beyond the team to the edge of the training ground. Two figures stood there, partially obscured by the treeline. Women, one with long dark hair and the other with bright pink.
He had already sensed them the moment they appeared near Magnolia. After all, it was hard to forget the magical signature of the people he had spent over a year with, especially when they were the first two people he had gotten close to in Earthland. However, he was hoping that they were not here for him, and that they were just passing by.
For them to stop directly at the perimeter of their private training ground gave Shisui all the answer he needed.
~ End of Chapter 43 ~
You can read advanced chapter on p@treon.com/The_Editor982
YAY THE RETURN OF ULTEAR AND MEREDY HAS FINALLY ARRIVED!!!