darkSpyro

Asuna thought for a moment, "you're thinking of it as an object," she began. "But it's not. It's an extension of your arm, and it should flow with your body, not against it. Don't resist the movement, go with it." She swung again, still as slow as the last two times but at a slightly more difficult angle.

Viridi looked up again, focusing on the trees in front of her. "If I died, you wouldn't be able to fly anymore," she replied.

"That doesn't even make any sense," Gladion muttered, moving to try to block the next attack, which he just barely managed to do.

"Well that's definitely one of the reasons I follow you around," Dark Pit admitted.

Asuna sighed, putting the wooden sword back on the rack. "Sit," she commanded, pointing at a nearby spot in the grass.

"Exactly," Viridi retorted, slightly annoyed. She paused, "the point is I can take care of myself without you here. I do not make stupid decisions, and even if I did, what could you possibly do to stop me?"

Natsu's sleep was disturbed by a sudden presence next to his feet. "Hm?" He tensed before he noticed the dog from before was looking at him. His eyes softened and he picked up the dog, hugging it close to his body. "Did you miss me?"

Gladion put his sword away and sat down, confused.

"Because telling me to leave you to wander the forest unarmed is a good decision," Dark Pit sighed.

(You know what you do what you want with the dog)

Darkrai looked at the sun's position in the sky, hoping everyone would be awake by now. He returned to the camp.

Ryuko yawned awake just before Darkrai arrived, sitting in her bed sleepily.

Mikasa left Lucina to stand on guard, hoping someone was better than nobody.

"I'm not unarmed," Viridi scoffed. "The only thing that's even a slight worry is where I am, and I'm sure I could easily find my way back if I needed to."

Asuna looked around, "I'll be right back, don't move." She smiled at him before running off into the food hall, where Lucina was still waiting. "Can you help me do a demonstration for Gladion?" She asked, trying to ignore the pain she felt everywhere.

Natsu stood, the dog in his arms. He sniffed the air, trying to find Lucina and Asuna's scent. He walked out of the boy's bedroom and tried again, this time picking up on something.

Ryuk began floating back to the camp.

Meliodas watched Gladion, wondering what he would do next.

Most people were eating in the food hall. Phosphora was just grabbing apples and stuffing as many into a bag she'd found as she could fit.

Lucina hesitated before nodding. "All right."

Darkrai looked around for his friend.

Gladion took in his surroundings. It was honestly rather pretty. He stared at a familliar dark shape for a minute when he saw it. Darkrai? "What's a legendary Pokemon doing here?" he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

"You are unarmed! You don't really have the most aggressive powers and you don't have a weapon at all," Dark Pit pointed out.

Asuna lead Lucina back to where Gladion was waiting. "We're going to show you form," she said, drawing her sword. "Oh, I'm teaching him to sword fight," she explained to Lucina.

Natsu began running toward the scent of his friend until he reached him. "Hi!" He shouted, a large grin on his face.

"Are you saying my forces of nature aren't dangerous?" Viridi questioned, turning around to face him.

Gladion looked to Lucina and Asuna again. He just watched them.

"Alright then," Lucina nodded. She got her own sword out, getting herself into a neutral stance.

Darkrai turned to Natsu. "Dar," he greeted.

"I'm not saying they aren't dangerouss, I'm saying they aren't here," Dark Pit sighed.

Asuna glanced at Gladion before attacking Lucina, their swords clattering. She swung with incredible speed, twisting her body to follow the movement.

"Come on, let's go find Asuna or Lucina! We gotta show 'em the puppy!" Natsu shouted, sniffing the air again.

"I can call them here anytime I want," Viridi replied, crossing her arms. "I'm just deciding not to right now."

Lucina retaliated, each of her movements fluid, following the sword as if it were what was controlling the whole thing.

Darkrai nodded. "Krai."

"Sure you can," Dark Pit muttered.

Asuna did the same, her eyes glistening as she clashed with Lucina. It was as if the two were one, sword and human, human and sword. The perfect match. She seemed to forget the pain that lingered inside of her, as if a good distraction was all she needed.

Ryuko got up from her bed and walked to the food hall, where she saw most people waiting. The strange noise was back, all of the voices in the room were contorted and strange, unrecognizable. She shook her head, hoping her ears would begin to work again. It didn't work.

"Why do you always doubt my powers!" Viridi began walking again, her pace faster this time.

(Um. where are my people?)

Lucina hadn't had a friendly competition in a long time, every time she had fought in the past few years being in a life-or-death situation. It made her feel oddly relaxed, though she kept her guard up in the battle.

Gladion watched the battle with interest. He'd never seen anyone fight with anything other than Pokemon before, and the way they moved with the swords was oddly similar to the way some powerful Pokemon trainers moved around with their Pokemon in battle.

"Well you don't give me any reason to think otherwise," Dark Pit shrugged.

(Asleep in their respective genders' rooms)

Link woke up. he looked around. he left and looked for his horse.

Leo woke up. he ignored the fact that he was alone.

Nyx woke up. she thought about how no one said Leo's collar was inside out.

(Leo's collar's still inside out)

After a few more minutes, Asuna called for a stop. "Nice job," she gave a smile. "And thank you. I can take it from here," she finished.

Viridi didn't answer for a moment, "I shouldn't have to. You're only here to listen to me, so why don't you try that for a while?"

Lucina nodded. "I guess I'll just head back to the food hall. Let me know if you need me again."

Dark Pit shrugged, not saying anything this time.

Asuna nodded, a small smile on her face. "Gladion, get a wooden one, we'll try again," she called gently.

Natsu finally noticed Asuna and Lucina. He carefully put the puppy on the ground before dashing over to Lucina, grinning. The puppy followed, "LOOK WHAT I FOUND!" He called out and as he reached Lucina he pulled her into a bear hug, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around. "It's a puppy!" He said into her hair.

Viridi rolled her eyes, "just go. I'll be fine."

Link arrived at the food hall with Leo following him.

Nyx came and laughed under her breath again.

Leo glared at Nyx.

(oh by the way, his collar's pink when it's inside out. so if he knew, he'd be very embarrassed.)

"Um..." Lucina wasn't really sure how to respond to what had just happened. She looked at the dog and then back at Natsu. "Er... yes. It is."

Gladion took a wooden sword after staring in confusion at Natsu. He ignored the odd scene, turning to Asuna. "Is this a normal occurrence?"

"I've already said I'm not leaving you to get yourself killed," Dark Pit sighed.

Henry looked over the three who'd just come in. "Ooh, you're a dark mage!" he called excitedly to Nyx. "I love dark magic."

Natsu only smiled while flinging Lucina over his shoulder and picking up the dog. "Let's go find more!"

Asuna shrugged, a smirk on her lips. "I've never seen it happen before, but who knows. Now that you've seen what it looks like to properly move a sword, you try," she swung slowly again, after retrieving the sword she had put away.

"I'm not going to die," Viridi smirked as she remembered her power, teleporting Dark Pit back to the camp. "Much better. I guess..."

Mikasa, who sat next to Henry, waved the three over. "Sit here," she called.

Nyx looked at him "cool.'' she said. "I'm the only girl dark mage where I come from if you don't count the kids."

"What's so funny?" Leo finally asked still glaring at her.

Link sat down and ate. he looked at Leo as he ate.

"WHY IS EVERYONE LOOKING AT ME!" Leo yelled.

(You are very stuck on the collar thing...)

"Hi, I'm Henry."

Gladion blocked it more effectively than before, though his movements were still erratic and unsure.

Lucina gave a cry of surprise initially, catching her sword as it fell out of its sheath. "H-Hey!"

Dark Pit blinked, before cursing under his breath. "Of course she'd do that."

"i'm Nyx." She said.

Link ate.

"Better," Asuna smiled, repeating the motion. "Again," she commanded.

Natsu only laughed and picked up speed to an inhuman pace.

Viridi continued walking, unsure of where to go.

Gladion blocked it again, more sure of himself but still not comfortable with the sword by any means.

Lucina gave a yelp of surprise, before just letting Natsu do... whatever he was doing.

Asuna sighed, "you're too tense. Loosen up and you'll be fine," her voice was soft as she took another swing. "These weapons kill people. They give you physiological power you can't even imagine. You have to let yourself become one with the sword, working both with it and against it. Let your blade do the work, your body will naturally follow it.

Natsu finally got somewhere in the middle of the woods and let Lucina down. "Come on, this is where I found the first one! There's gotta be more!"

"Because it's so easy to relax when you're being attacked," Gladion muttered as he blocked the next blow.

"Okay...?" Lucina wasn't sure what to say.

Asuna laughed, "it is if you know you'll be okay." A sad expression crossed her face before she went back to her usual smile. She swung again, faster this time.

Natsu began pulling trees out of the ground to look under them, "come on! Help me look for one!"

Gladion wasn't fast enough to block this one, though he barely flinched when Asuna hit him. "When you're me it's hard to be sure of anything," he grumbled.

"I don't think dogs hide under trees," Lucina pointed out.

Asuna sighed, "with that attitude, sure. Now follow me," she brought him to the sword rack again and took his wooden sword. "Pick out the metal one that appeals most to you."

Natsu thought for a second before dropping the tree in his hand. "Good point," he began whistling again, hoping to attract another dog with that method.

Gladion looked at the swords, though none of them really appealed to him any more than the others. Eventually he decided on one, which was pretty plain, though it had a screw shape on either side of the hilt, which reminded him of Silvally. He tried to pick it up, but stopped when he realized just how heavy it was. "How is it that heavy?" he muttered.

(I felt like there'd need to be that kind of reason for him to take it so)

No other dog came, and Lucina just watched.

Asuna stifled her laughter, "can't you lift it?" she called.

Natsu gave a low growl, "come here puppies! I promise I'll love you!" After another minute of waiting, he stomped back to Lucina and threw her over his shoulder again. "Let's look somewhere else," he said brightly.

"I probably could but it's so heavy I don't see how anyone could use it," Gladion sighed.

Lucina gave a yelp again before just letting herself hang limply and waiting for Natsu to put her down.

Asuna smiled and walked over to Gladion, "it's not all that heavy." She lifted the weapon with ease and took a step back, swinging it around a few times with a pleased look on her face. "A good choice," she commented, putting it back. "It's light and easy to swing, but it won't crack like a katana."

After a while, Natsu finally found another clearing. He carefully dropped Lucina to the ground, "let's look here!" he then began to whistle again.

"That's light?" Gladion stared at Asuna in disbelief.

Lucina just sat down, watching Natsu do whatever he was doing.

Asuna laughed, "yes it's light! You should try lifting my sword if you think that's heavy." She thought for a moment, "can you do ten pushups for me?"

Natsu frowned as he saw Lucina, "come on! You should help look, this puppy's for you!"

Ryuk arrived back to the camp and entered the food hall, where he knew Phosphora was. "Hey."

"I don't know," Gladion shrugged. "I've never really had to do that sort of thing."

"All right, all right," Lucina said. She stood up and looked around.

"Hey," Phosphora waved, tossing Ryuk an apple.

Asuna sighed, nodding. "Okay then, we'll work on your...er...stregth issues first." She thought for a moment, "though I doubt I'm the right person to teach you anything about that. I'm completely clueless," she thought for a moment, "give me a minute, I'll see if anyone else knows anything about it."

Natsu began walking farther and farther away from Lucina, still whistling in hopes of finding a creature.

Ryuk eagerly bit into the fruit, "where are you getting all of these?" He questioned.

Gladion shrugged and sat down.

There were no dogs here either.

"Well there's a few on the table here," Phosphora pointed out.

"Okay, I think I know who to go to," Asuna walked away from Gladion. After speaking with Mikasa, she walked over to Phosphora. "Sorry to inturrupt, but where did your...pets...go last night?"

A few minutes later, Mikasa returned, an emotionless look on her face. "I'm from the military," she explained, "so I was trained in all aspects of what you need. Now, I want 1000 jumping jacks to start. Cardio's important for sword fighting."

Natsu smiled, turning back for Lucina. "Come on! I have one more idea," he flung her over his shoulder yet again, and began running back to the camp. Once he returned, he entered the food hall, where he walked over to Henry. "We need your magic!" he spoke with a grin.

Gladion stared at Mikasa for a few seconds before responding. "You really expect me to do that?" he muttered.

"In the woods, but I can call them back if you want," Phosphora shrugged.

Henry grinned. "What kind of demonic ritual do you want me to do for you?" he asked cheerfully.

Mikasa shrugged, "I'm going easy on you. Now hurry up, we only have half of the day."

Asuna shook her head, "no, that's okay. I was just curious."

"I want you to summon puppies!" Natsu responded, unsure as to whether he was supposed to let Lucina down for this part or not.

"I'm not doing that many jumping jacks," Gladion grumbled.

"Okay then," Phosphora shrugged.

"Hmm... I'll need a small animal to sacrifice, and a second that's got enough blood to draw the sigils," Henry said casually. "Maybe a candle."

Mikasa pulled out her swords, holding them both to Gladion's neck. "You will do that many,m and you'll do that many now."

Viridi realized she had nothing to do, "Phosphora," she mind-contacted.

Natsu froze for a moment, "but I don't wanna kill any animals...LUCINA! WILL YOU KILL THEM SO WE CAN GET PUPPIES?"

"Okay, geez," Gladion muttered. He waited for her to remove the swords before he started to do what she'd told him to.

"Oh hey Viridi," Phosphora said.

Lucina glared at Henry, though the effect was greatly diminished by the fact that she was hanging upside down over Natsu's shoulder. "Henry, is a sacrifice really-"

"Yep, but it's gotta be something really small, and it's gotta be killed at exactly the right moment and stuff," Henry grinned. "I just need to be provided with the animals, which need to still be alive, and a preferably unused candle."

Mikasa put her blades back and took a step away from Gladion, waiting for him to start. "And don't think you can cheat, I'll be watching."

"Give me something to do, it's boring out here," Viridi complained.

Natsu smiled, "let's go find something then! But you have to do the killing," his grin slightly faded. "I don't wanna kill harmless animals."

"I get it," Gladion snapped, before beginning to do as asked.

"Well why'd you go out there in the first place then?" Phosphora pointed out.

"That was kind of the plan," Henry grinned. "A mouse or rat would be preferred, if they're here. A small bird will do if they're not available."

Viridi thought for a moment, "It's safer out here than it is with the humans."

Natsu began walking out of the food hall, not letting Lucina down.

"Not really," Phosphora said. "There are monsters and that angel out there."

Lucina had accepted the fact that she was going to be spending most of the day hanging over Natsu's shoulder, so she just didn't say anything.

Viridi froze, "what angel? And the monsters are no problem, I can take them easily."

Natsu wandered back into the forest, placing Lucina down again. "Okay, you get the stuff Henry asked for!"