Chapter 172: Mutual Training
After Gildarts left, everyone in the guild settled back into their daily routines.
However, the younger generation had been fired up by the recent battle. Besides taking on jobs, they spent most of their time on the training grounds. When Noah did his usual checks on them, he noticed that many were overdoing it, accumulating hidden injuries.
So, Noah shooed them out of the guild to take on more jobs, telling them not to stay cooped up in the training grounds all the time and to get out and see the world.
Still, this newfound dedication was a good thing, so Noah didn't try to stop them completely. He just reminded them to be mindful of their training schedules. He also brewed up a large batch of potions to help heal the injuries of those who had pushed themselves too far.
The adults were also inspired. They too began spending more and more time on the training grounds, and a new wave of motivation swept through the guild.
Noah, for his part, returned to his own cycle of studying, research, and training.
A few days later, he had just stepped out of his workshop, planning to grab some lunch, when he saw Erza, Ultear, Sorano, and Mirajane sitting in the common room, deep in conversation.
To say Erza and Mirajane were just "chatting" would be an understatement; it looked more like they were about to start a brawl. Thankfully, Ultear and Sorano were sitting between them, otherwise Noah had no doubt they would have already come to blows.
As Noah walked over, all four of them turned to look at him, leaving him a bit baffled.
"What's up with you guys?"
"I'll explain," Ultear said, taking the lead.
"We've all been training hard these past few days, but we feel like our progress is a bit slow. Specifically, we lack the experience of facing a much stronger opponent. We want to fix that, so we came to you."
"To me? But don't I already spar with you guys?" Noah asked, confused. He frequently trained with them to hone his own combat skills. While he didn't fight them as often as Natsu and Gray—who he fought almost daily—he still made sure to spar with the girls every week.
"You're so dense!" Sorano chimed in, exasperated. "We want to face you when you're using more of your power, not when you're always holding back to match our level!"
It finally clicked for Noah.
There was a significant power gap between him and the girls. If he went all out, it would be great training for them, but it wouldn't do much to improve his own technique. As he grew stronger, that gap only widened, forcing him to be even more careful with his power. The last thing he wanted was to lose focus for a second and seriously injure one of them.
Because of this, Noah would always cast a spell on himself before their spars, suppressing his magic to match their level. It was only then that they would begin. This method had allowed him to gain a wealth of combat experience himself.
"I see…"
Noah began to think. They must have been inspired by his battle with Gildarts. Was this a good idea?
He looked at the four of them sitting there and decided it wouldn't be a problem. All four had clearly found their own paths and wouldn't lose their confidence just from facing a powerful foe. He could afford to unleash a bit more of his strength to let them feel the pressure.
Besides, other than his fight with Gildarts, he rarely had an opponent he could go all out against. The girls were strong enough to trade a few blows with him at full power—though, of course, that would only be possible because he was still holding back in his own way. This would also be a good opportunity for him to practice controlling his magic at full strength.
Having made up his mind, Noah nodded.
"Alright. But will you be fighting me one-on-one, or all four of you at once?"
"We'll fight you one-on-one first, and then all four of us together," Erza answered, her expression serious. "We want to see how big the gap is individually, and how much we can close it as a team."
Ultear nodded in agreement. "As for the four-on-one, we want to practice our teamwork. It's very likely we'll need to cooperate on missions in the future, so training in advance is just being prepared."
"That's a good idea," Noah said. "Training early is smart. In that case, let's add one more exercise: I'll suppress my power down to your level, and then I'll face the four of you at once."
"You want to train yourself the same way?" Erza immediately caught on to his intention.
Noah nodded. "Exactly. If you can use me to create pressure for yourselves, then in turn, me facing all four of you with suppressed power will be a lot of pressure for me. That way, we all get to improve."
"Then it's settled," Ultear said, finalizing the plan. "When can you start?"
"Not today. Let's start tomorrow afternoon. We can hold our mutual sparring sessions every afternoon."
"That works for us. Tomorrow afternoon it is." Ultear confirmed the time. Noah nodded, ready to go get his lunch. It was clear from looking at them that they had already eaten.
Just as he was about to leave, Mirajane, who had been quiet the whole time, spoke up with a serious expression.
"Thank you, Noah!"
Noah paused for a second, then smiled warmly. "Don't worry about it. I'm getting something out of this too. Besides, we're all comrades. It's normal for us to help each other out."
He then turned and headed to the kitchen to get his meal. When he returned to the common room, Mirajane was gone, and the other three were chatting amongst themselves.
Noah set his food down and asked Sorano, who was sitting beside him, "What was that about with Mira just now? Why did she suddenly thank me?"
"When Ultear and Erza brought up asking you for help, Mira wanted to join in, but she felt like it would be too much of a bother for you, so she kept hesitating," Sorano explained. "Erza couldn't stand watching her waver and just dragged her along. That's probably why she thanked you."
Noah nodded in understanding. Although Mirajane always acted tough and wild, and was constantly butting heads with Erza, the events of her past had left her with a sensitive heart. Even though she was good friends with Noah, thanks to his earlier guidance and their training together, she would still hesitate to ask him for a big favor.
"Erza," Noah said, turning to her. "You should look out for Mira more often. She might still have some psychological scars from what happened back then."
"I will," Erza replied, her eyes filled with determination. "She is my rival, after all. We both have to go through the same training so that I can defeat her, fair and square."
~~~
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