Earth land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
September 15, x791.
Since the little episode with Bianca, things have not changed much in Magnolia. Alfonzo continued his recovery while the other Fairy Tail wizards continued taking quests as usual.
However, there was one thing… Or rather, person who was taking some time to settle in.
And that person was Retsu Unohana.
As a former guild master of Mermaid Heel, it would not be considered proper for her to join Fairy Tail. Not that she had any intention of doing so in the first place. For one, she was well past the days when she would find fulfillment from taking quests and making money in that manner.
On top of that, the only reason she joined a guild was so that she could fight powerful beasts, monsters, and Dark Guilds to hone her skills and test her limits. But by this point in her career, there was nothing that would give her the thrill that she wanted.
Except for the man who was able to subjugate her without killing her.
Alfonzo Marcus…
However, she did find one thing rather enjoyable over the two weeks she spent in the Mansion on the lake. And that was sparring with Alfonzo during his rehabilitative training. Because despite the fact that he was not supposed to use more than the bare minimum magic power until his magic power reserves were fully restored after his encounter with Acnologia, his physical prowess was incredible. In fact, he was strong enough to defeat most B-Ranked wizards without the use of magic power.
As a result…
*Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!*
Retsu blocked a flurry of blows from Alfonzo's tonfa in the training room under the mansion on the Lake. And with every slight movement of Minazuki's blade, she masterfully deflected each of Alfonzo's incoming strikes.
However, this was no simple spar, as indicated by the panel near the training room's entrance, as it was showing 95G on the display. Meaning, despite the fact that both combatants were moving so fluidly, they were doing so under ninety-five times Earth Land's normal gravity.
And the strain could be seen by the sweat that flew through the air with each of Alfonzo's and Retsu's movements after sparring for nearly an hour. On top of that, while there were small cuts all over Alfonzo's arms and legs, nearly every part of Retsu's skin that was visible was covered in bruises from attacks she was unable to avoid or parry.
Still, the sparring match continued without an end in sight.
*Clang!*
As soon as Alfonzo's flurry of attacks ended, Retsu thrust her blade directly at Alfonzo's heart. In response, Alfonzo used Bedlam to parry the blow. However, instead of giving him time to counterattack, Retsu stepped in even further, riding the momentum of her blade being deflected to her right, she then bent her elbow and lunged at Alfonzo's throat with its tip.
Eyes widening in surprise, Alfonzo leaned back, Retsu's elbow missing his throat narrowly. Unfortunately, he was not quite quick enough to avoid the blow completely, as the tip of Retsu's elbow clipped his collar bone and caused him to stumble backwards.
Luckily, thanks to all the time he had tempered his body with the Techno Organic Metal, there was no real damage done, only resulting in a dull pain. Still, with his balance off, Retsu found a moment to follow up her attack.
"[Fire Magic: Hado Number 31: Shakkahō]." Retsu' chanted as she raised her left palm in Alfonzo's direction.
In the next instant, a high-temperature orb of crimson red flames gathered in front of Retsu's palm.
When Alfonzo heard Retsu's chant and saw the subsequent gathering of magic power, his eyes opened even wider than before.
"What the hell are you doing, Woman?" Alfonzo asked as he tapped his right foot on the ground over two dozen times in the blink of an eye. "This is supposed to be a purely physical spar, God damn it!"
*Swoosh!*
Having fallen too far into her bloodlust, Retsu did not respond to Alfonzo's complaint. Instead, she fired her spell with zero hesitation while a manic smile seemed to split her face from ear to ear. Luckily, despite his off balance posture, Alfonzo was able to activate [Shave] and dodge Retsu's attack.
*Boom!*
A moment later, the barrier surrounding the sparring area was impacted by Retsu's [Shakkahō]. The crimson orb then exploded on impact, filling the arena with smoke.
*Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!* *Swish!**Swish!*
Even so, despite the fact that the entire arena was wreathed in smoke, the two did not stop their spar. Instead, the sound of air being cut could be heard repeatedly. And with the force of their weapons, the smoke was slowly dispersed.
By the time the smoke had thinned out enough to see the two fighters again, both were standing still. However, it was clear to see the winner at that point. With both of his tonfa in scissor-like positions on either side of Retsu's neck while Retsu's blade, Minazuki, was raised high in preparation for a downward strike, Alfonzo's victory was obvious.
"*Sigh* And this is why no one other than people like Erza will spar with you." Alfonzo said as he looked Retsu in the eyes. "You really need to do something about losing control."
"And just what makes you think I lost control?" Retsu asked, her manic smile turning into her usual gentle one. "I would not take things this far if it were not you. With neither of us using our Zanpakuto or [soul Armament], I know you can handle this much. Or are you saying that I am mistaken?"
As she asked her question, Retsu tilted her head, looking much cuter than she had any right to.
'Damn this woman.' Alfonzo thought to himself. 'She's been spending more time with Erza, Sun, and Saeko and started picking up some of their mannerisms. And it's obvious to see why. She's trying to seduce me. But I never thought she was the type. I thought she'd just come at me and try to stake her claim.'
["well, she is pretty old fashioned."] Bedlam said with a shrug from Alfonzo's inner world. ["So, to her, it's only right that the man makes the first move, isn't it? Regardless of anything, she's the model of a Yamato Nadeshiko from your past life, isn't she?"]
{'she's still too damn old to be acting cute like that."] Riot said in an irritated tone.
Immediately after Riot spoke, he, Alfonzo, and Bedlam all felt a chill.
'Shut the fuck up, Riot!' Alfonzo shouted internally. 'This is an anime world. There's no way any woman wouldn't know when you were talking about her age. And I don't wanna deal with that shit with a crazy chick like Yachiru living in the same house.'
And just as Alfonzo said, Retsu had a feeling that Alfonzo was thinking something rude about her. At least, that's how it looked to Alfonzo. Although the gentle smile on her face had not disappeared, the dark, overwhelming killing intent swirling in her eyes was enough to let him know that shit was about to get real.
"Well, why don't we call it a day?" Retsu asked as she lowered her sword. "From what I can tell, your magic power should be completely refilled in the next few days. So, perhaps you should spend the rest of the day resting."
Despite Retsu's calm words and the fact that she put her weapon away shortly afterwards, Alfonzo did not lower his guard as he also put Riot and Bedlam into the strap on his lower back.
"Yeah, I felt the same way." Alfonzo said with a nod. "I'm definitely taking a quest as soon as I'm cleared. I mean, it's been a long time since I did."
"I can understand." Retsu replied with a nod of her own. "Sitting still at your age must be difficult."
"You make it sound like I'm some hyperactive kid." Alfonzo grumbled.
"*Giggle* Well, when you've lived as long as I have, anyone under a certain age is still a kid." Retsu said in a gentle tone. A moment later, she put on an expression as if she just thought about something. "By the way, would you mind activating the device that allows Zanpakuto spirits and [Armament Spirits] to manifest in the real world? During our spar, Minazuki expressed the desire to exchange blows with your [Armament Spirits]."
["Fuck…"] Bedlam swore in a low tone. ["So, she understood that it wasn't Alfonzo who was thinking something rude, huh? The issue is that she doesn't know if it was me or Riot. Damn hot headed bastard, dragging both of us into the fire. That woman's Zanpakuto is just as crazy as she is."]
This time, not even Riot had anything to say. Just like Bedlam said, Minazuki was just as unhinged as Retsu. And both Riot and Bedlam had suffered by her hand at least once since Alfonzo unveiled the device that allowed weapon spirits to manifest in the real world.
["Hey, Alfonzo."] Riot said, his tone uncharacteristically subdued. ["Why don't you tell her that the device is undergoing maintenance?"]
Hearing Riot's tone, Alfonzo was initially surprised. However, after only a moment, he smiled widely.
'Hmph! You've talked so much shit over the years, Riot.' Alfonzo replied in a tone filled with schadenfreude. 'Now, it's time for you to learn that there are consequences for everything.'
["Son of a bitch."] Riot growled. ["You'll regret this, Alfonzo."]
'Riot, I am the Hokage.' Alfonzo shot back.
["Ahahahahahaha!"] Hearing Alfonzo's reference, Bedlam could not help laughing hysterically.
Meanwhile, riot gritted his teeth in anger. He then thought of withholding his power the next time Alfonzo needed it. However, when he remembered that Alfonzo had been able to subdue him and Bedlam to achieve something similar to [Bankai], he knew that was a fool's errand. On top of that, if Alfonzo were to die thanks to his act of revenge, he would die, too. And that was not worth it. Especially if that meant leaving Elicia and Amar'e alone.
"Sure." Alfonzo replied to Retsu's question with a smile. "Oh, and I think Riot needs the most work. He tends to let his anger take over too often. And that can affect me from time to time. So, if Minazuki could help temper that, I would really appreciate it."
Understanding the meaning in Alfonzo's request, Retsu's smile widened, as well.
"She agrees to do her best to help." Retsu replied. She then swept a lock of hair out of her face. "Then, after we let them out, I think it is time for a bath. We've both worked up quite the sweat under such high gravity."
"That's not a bad idea." Alfonzo replied. "A bath will help soothe the muscle fatigue, too."
"Indeed." Retsu replied with a smile. "Also, if you're not opposed to it, I can help you wash your back."
'This sounds kinda familiar, doesn't it?' Alfonzo thought to himself.
["Yeah, it sounds like you're gonna have some fun in the bathroom again."] Bedlam added.
["Fuck that!"] riot shouted. ["You through me under the Got damn bus, you bastard!"]
'No, I would never do that, Riot.' Alfonzo replied, his tone once again filling with schadenfreude. 'Instead, I'd rather tie you to the God damn train tracks. That way, you wouldn't be able to get away.'
"Well, I guess I don't mind." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "Just be sure you understand what this could mean for us, okay?'
Instead of responding, Retsu only smiled. She then turned towards the training room's entrance.
Shrugging his shoulders in response, Alfonzo followed Retsu towards the entrance. Then, just before leaving the room, he shut down the gravity augmentation and turned off the lights. He then led Retsu to the room where the [Spirit Manifestation Device] was located before summoning Riot and Bedlam into the world while Retsu summoned Minazuki.
"Okay, you three have fun." Alfonzo said while patting Riot on the shoulder. "I'm gonna go get cleaned up. Then, I'm gonna head to the guild hall to see what quests are available for when I'm cleared."
"Sure." Bedlam replied with a smirk. "I'll spar a round or two with Minazuki. Then, I'll ask Grayfia to make something to eat. It's been a while since I had real food. And I kinda miss the feeling. I'd rather you cooked, though."
"It still kinda amazes me that you two can't cook for shit." Alfonzo said while shaking his head. At the same time, he switched from patting Riot's shoulder to ruffling his hair as he continued. "But I guess you are only certain aspects of my personality. So, it makes sense in the end."
"Get your hands the fuck off of me!" riot shouted angrily as he swept Alfonzo's hand away.
Ignoring riot's outburst, though he did remove his hand, Alfonzo then turned to Minazuki.
"it's good to see you again, Minazuki." Alfonzo said in a friendly tone. "Don't take it easy on this guy. His anger management issues have been getting worse in recent years.'
"Don't worry, Alfonzo." Minazuki said while bowing politely. "I'll do my best to help correct such a character trait."
"That's all I can ask." Alfonzo said as his smile widened. He then turned his attention to Retsu. "Well then, let's go. I wanna relax a little."
"Yes." Retsu replied with a nod as she followed Alfonzo out of the room.