Chapter 95 - Blades Reunited

"Still, Zach, you know how Yin has black lightning, right? Several other people have different and diverse affinities. I mean I am not bragging but my grandfather had green flames as well as being a Combat Slayer and Summoner hybrid." Gavin was walking around the living room, touching ever nook and cranny of the place. "Hm. It would see as though you guys did not clean the place as often as you promised you would."

The Serpent Summoner's eyes squinted at Suna and Zach.

Both of them thought it was unfair that they were getting lectured while Yin was on his lazy ass sleeping, dreaming about whatever it was he had in mind.

Gavin cleaned off his hands and wiped them with his coat.

"Anyway, to go back to my grandfather, it took him several years to develop green flames. I believe other variations of affinities are much stronger from a power-wise perspective, but they are highly unstable and harder to control. For you to have learned it in what, two to three weeks…" Gavin placed his fingers on his chin. "Wait, how long has it been since we departed? Ah. Never mind that. Anyway, it is generally impossible to go from normal affinity colors to other variations with no training or prior experience, disregarding Yin's case, though. As he awakened his Anima cells at such a late age. So, what I would like to ask you, Zachary, is the question – who taught you how to do all that?"

Gavin's tone was confrontational but not utterly mad, per se.

Zachary shot a glance at Suna, asking her without words whether they should tell these two that Kai was sent here to basically beat them to a pulp.

Suna shook her head ever so slightly, but Gavin caught wind of this.

"Seriously though, who was it? I would actually like to commend him or her. I mean that person managed to train our rookies for some reason, and I am thankful for that. Zach, you went from spouting about not using your affinities in combat and look at you now, using blue azure flames and all that."

Finally, Zach gave in.

"K-Kai…"

Both the Commander and the Serpent Summoner tensed up and cut Zach off before he could finish the person's name.

"Kai Xin?!" Luken asked. "Where is he now?"

The Commander was frantically looking for him in the hideout, as if the Dragon was hiding here somewhere waiting to surprise him.

Gavin let out a chuckle.

"Hah. I would have thought as much. No wonder why he was not there during the meeting at the Grand Castle."

Zachary and Suna had a look of confusion on their faces.

"Wait, you guys are not mad?"

Suna jolted a question in response.

"Of course not. Kai Xin is our friend. We were in the same class of rookies together with the Specter, Ignis Silva, and Isabelle." Gavin walked towards the sink and washed his hands. "We are just more upset at him for not staying till we got home."

"He looked like he was in a hurry. Do you remember the letter we sent back to you when you were still on stand by at the Grand Castle? After that, he just vanished."

Zach said.

"So, what was he here for, actually? Did he not know we were away?" Luken was pondering about it, thinking deeply. The Commander was never one to use his brain and come to conclusions, so this was a rather strange occurrence to everyone there."

"Careful, Luken. You might fry your small brain if you use it too much." Gavin said a slight to the Commander. "I think I know why he was here. How did you guys manage against him? I would not be surprised if you did not land a blow at all."

Gavin said with a confident grin.

Just as Zachary was about to open his mouth and say excuses about how Kai took him off guard, Suna immediately revealed that Zach just casted some petty fireballs which hit nothing and was sent to sleep by the Dragon with neck chop.

"For me, I was actually doing well, up until he used his Anima cells, anyway…"

Suna's smile turned into a frown of disappointment.

"Hah. Classic Kai."

Luken said as he nodded.

"Although, Kai Xin did say that Yin gave him the most trouble out of the three of us. We were knocked unconscious so we did not really see what went on during their fight. But from both of their mouths, we heard it went on for almost an hour."

Zach said with the click of his tongue at the end. Perhaps he was still salty about being taken out of the fight at the start.

The Serpent Summoner's brows raised up once more.

"Really now, one hour?" He said as he shot a glance at Luken. "Do you think he was having fun playing and toying with Yin during that time span?"

Gavin asked.

"Nah. Kai is not the type of person to not get bored of toying with his opponents in a fight about ten minutes or so afterwards. Perhaps Yin was really holding his own back then. I am just curious as to how. We definitely have a lot to talk about with Kai once we see him again, Gavin."

The Serpent Summoner nodded.

"Definitely."

"Speaking of Yin, where is that boy?"

Gavin asked.

Zachary pointed at the hammock, which he covered in sheets earlier.

"D-Did he die or something?"

Luken joked. He walked towards the hammock and got rid of the sheets.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Luken said as he saw the baby panda, Oliver sleeping on Yin's stomach. 

His eyes were absolutely enamored by the panda's small soft breaths while sleeping. The immaculate fur as well as the precious beany toes it had on its arms and legs.

"Where did you guys pick this thing up!?"

Luken said as he raised Oliver up, the baby panda's cuteness was definitely getting to the Commander.

"Interesting, where did that summoned creature come from?"

Gavin was puzzled.

Suna explained to them how they found Oliver that one fateful night.

"He's stuck in our world, basically." Suna said as she gave Oliver's original owner's letter to Gavin.

The Serpent Summoner read intently and was teary eyed after taking in every word in the letter.

"This is the first time I have heard of a summoned creature being 'trapped' in the human world even after coming into terms and finishing his job order by his Summoner." Gavin wiped his eyes off. "It seems the Six Blades have its mascot now. A baby panda, not bad…"

"Yin! There is an Angel invasion! Twelve of them are hovering around the hideout and are closing in on us! Wake up!"

Luken shouted at Yin.

The latter then got up as quick as he could and although he was still groggy from waking up, was now assuming a fighting stance.

"W-What? Where? Wha- Wait, why are you guys laughing?!"

After realizing Luken had pulled another prank on him, Yin slapped himself in the face.

The sound made Oliver wake up and stare at the Commander's face.

Something was up, though. Oliver was pissed.

"O-Oh, sorry about that, Oliver. I am Luken Regalia, by the way." He pointed at Gavin. "That guy right there is Gavin Khalil. He's a pretty strong summoner so you guys might get a-"

He was interrupted with a slap to his knees.

Oliver had pulled out his retractable bamboo stick and began smacking Luken's knees with it.

"Ouch! H-Hey! I am sorry for waking you up! I thought you were someone who could do no harm, Oliver?! What happened to you!?"

Luken said dramatically as well as in a comedic way.

Oliver began to chase him around the area.

Gavin cleared his throat before speaking.

"Now that you three are awake, I am excited to see how you have spent these past couple of weeks. Eager to see just how much you have improved in this limited amount of time without us. Tomorrow we shall be training as usual. For now, let us call it a night and catch some sleep." Gavin stared at the clock and realized it was already late as hell. "Err. Just this once, I would like to give you guys the leisure of sleeping in and waking up at the time you desire. I feel groggy and tired myself, let us rest up and prepare for an even more grueling conditioning and training, got it?"

Gavin asked the trio of rookies.

"Sir, yes, sir!"

They replied.

After finishing up helping their seniors unpack. Each one of the Six Blades went back to their rooms upstairs. Suna had removed Oliver's hammock from the living room and decided to take it upstairs to her room.

"Starting today, Oliver, you are going to have to be nice to your new family. The Commander is pretty annoying but trust me, he is a good person deep down. Both he and Gavin are the types of people you can trust."

She said.