Chapter 55 – Charlie Spitfire

• by lemuel moo

Lucy spent many hours and several days teaching Gale about her [Black Ice Technique] using her body. She refused to teach Gale by verbatim, and only through physical intimacy as she caused her energy to direct Gale’s flow of energy within his body. Because Gale had experiences with other breathing techniques, he understood and learned as though it was from a textbook.

Lucy trained Gale’s body never to forget her. They drowned in pleasure and ecstasy, and Gale feelings inclined to her as their physical intimacy climaxed repeatedly.

Gale struggled in his feelings and mind. He wanted Kasumi to be his only choice, and he tried to find an alternative plan for Reyna after he fought for her at the marriage duel. But the turn of events with Lucy made it impossible for him not to embrace a harem.

The lovebirds explored every inch of their bodies and knew each other’s intimate weaknesses. As they played, Lucy’s and Gale’s powers grew by leaps and bounds. Lucy transferred thirty percent of her powers to Gale, and in doing so, she unconsciously enlarged the energy channels within her body. Her capacity grew, and she could store more [Black Ice Energy] within her body.

“Right you’re at level three in my [Black Ice Breathing Technique],” Lucy said. “I’m at level thirteen. The highest level for a practitioner is at level fifteen.

The levels in the [Black Ice Breathing Technique] do not always correspond to the amount of power we have. It indicates how well-versed you are in the [Black Ice Breathing Technique], and how well you can use your abilities. You can only use the [Black Diamond Technique] after reaching level ten in the breathing technique.”

Gale knew that the [Black Ice Technique] was powerful because of the Babel Square incident. Lucy once trapped his body in [Black Ice], and heat cannot melt it. It must be broken via force.

The [Black Diamond Technique] compresses [Black Ice] to increase density and strength. It becomes as hard as a diamond, and that was why Lucy Adamas was the Black Diamond, one of the Twelve Gemstones in the world.

Gale looked at his hands as the [Black Ice Technique] enveloped a black and cold aura around his hands. His [Black Ice Energy] was about one-tenth of Lucy’s.

Lucy rested on his body and kissed him on his cheeks. “We’re one now, both in body and power. Do you like it?”

Gale ranked Kasumi first in his life, but he couldn’t deny Lucy any longer. “Yes, I’m glad I’ve met you.”

“You should’ve had said no, and I would’ve trained your body further,” Lucy teased.

“You would still do it even if I said no,” Gale grumbled.

Lucy laughed and proceeded to start another round of lovemaking. Footsteps echoed in the cavity, and Selphie said in a worried voice.

“Lucy! Charlie Spitfire is searching near here to look for you!”

Selphie didn’t dare to walk further to where Lucy and Gale were because Lucy’s [Black Diamond Technique] could absorb body heat, and that could injure her. The lovebirds stopped, and Lucy asked, “how did he locate me here?”

“Charlie had a lieutenant whose name is Radar. He could detect presence with his psychic powers, and I realized he could locate people through walls! I took an alternative route and ditched them, but they now know where to look!”

Lucy’s powers stabilized significantly after her training with Gale, but she wasn’t ready yet. Her [Black Ice Energy] continued to overflow even after she poured thirty percent of her energy into Gale.

“Selphie, How long will Charlie take to come to us?”

“About one hour,” Selphie replied.

“Let me finish up here, and we’ll evacuate.”

Lucy looked at Gale in his eyes. “You’ve heard. Let’s play and train for half an hour, and then I’ll run with Selphie.”

Gale nodded. “I’m your bodyguard, and so I will follow you — ”

Lucy interrupted Gale with a kiss. “No, silly. You can’t expose yourself to Selphie. How am I supposed to explain to her that we’ve been trying to make babies for days?!

Hide yourself and follow us discretely. I’ll need your protection from Charlie Spitfire, but I’m very close to stabilizing my powers ultimately, so let’s get started with love!”

It was wildly arousing as the lovebirds kept their volume down while they indulged in intimacy. Lucy had a hard time keeping quiet as Gale teased her weaknesses mercilessly.

After the lovebirds had their fill, they dressed up. Lucy gave Gale a parting kiss. “Wait for me to leave with Selphie.”

Gale picked up his sword and nodded.

Lucy walked out with poise and calmness, and Selphie was waiting impatiently at the entrance.

“Lucy! We don’t have much time!”

Lucy calmly said, “chill, girl. My powers are so close to stabilizing. What are our alternative safe spots?”

“We can drive out to — ”

At that moment, noise emerged from another cavity within the mountain. Lucy and Selphie knew it was too late.

“Let’s walk to an open area. I can’t use my [Black Ice] without hitting you in such a tight spot.”

Gale hid his presence and climbed on the ceiling as he followed Lucy and Selphie. They arrived at an open area, and the sun was shining brightly into the valley, and Lucy’s beauty sparkled like diamonds. Gale knew Lucy was beautiful, but when he saw how radiant Lucy was, he couldn’t believe he had such a blissful time in the cave with her.

Lucy said to Selphie, “we’ll wait for them here.”

“Can you fight?” Selphie asked.

“When the battle begins, stay far from me. I don’t want my powers to overrun you.”

Lucy signaled to Gale to let her fight first. Perhaps Lucy could bluff Charlie that her powers had stabilized and he wouldn’t want to fight Lucy when she was at full strength. Gale understood Lucy’s intentions and hid nearby.

Shortly after, Charlie Spitfire walked in with his beach pants and shirt, and Radar followed closely behind.

“There you are, my love!” Charlie began. “I’ve been looking all over for you! You looked beautiful as always.”

“And I’ve not been looking for you,” Lucy’s voice was hostile and rough. “What do you want?”

“I thought you’d need some protection, so I’m here to protect you,” Charlie said. “My lieutenant here, Radar, can warn us early from imminent threats.”

“And why do you suppose I need your protection?” Lucy said menacingly. “I’m sure I can turn them into ice quickly.”

Charlie paused as he peered at Lucy’s beautiful countenance. Lucy was quietly confident, and Charlie began to worry. He knew he couldn’t beat her if Lucy were back to her full strength. “…Are you done with your training?”

“You can test it out by attacking me,” Lucy said.

Radar whispered into Charlie’s ears, and Charlie said, “I see that you’ve another person hiding around here!”

Selphie looked at Lucy, and Lucy smiled in response. Radar’s detection skill was incredible. Gale could hide by concealing and keeping quiet, but Radar sent small pulses of psychic energy around him, and if it interacted with a person, Radar would know.

However, Gale continued to hide as he knew Radar didn’t realize it was him. Charlie was confident that he could handle any intruders, and so he laughed and walked forward.

“C’ mon, darling! I came here to guard you, but is this how you’re treating me?! Didn’t I profess my love to you a few months back?”

“I don’t like you. You’re not my type,” Lucy coldly said. “You’re like any other man. If you can’t get what you want, you’ll force your way through. You even teamed up with Ramada and the Twin Stars Syndicate to bring me down during the City Plaza battle!”

“Darling, a beautiful girl like you shouldn’t be out there fighting. You should spend time cooking and making babies,” Charlie said.

Lucy confidently walked forward to fight. “Sadly, I don’t know how to cook, and you can be sure I won’t be cooking for you even if I knew.”

“Are you sure you’re going to fight?” Charlie taunted. “Once your powers run amok, you’ll kill yourself!”

“I rather kill myself than marry you,” Lucy retorted.

Charlie stopped in his tracks. He didn’t come all that way not to end up empty-handed. He fell in love with Lucy’s beauty and wanted to make her his wife.

“Radar!” Charlie yelled.

Radar used his telekinesis to restrain Lucy, and Lucy couldn’t move an inch. However, as Charlie ran forward to immobilize Lucy, Selphie backed away from Lucy. Immediately, Charlie knew something was wrong.

“[Frozen Guard].”

Without using her hands, Lucy emitted a spherical pulse of [Black Ice Energy] through her skin, and it became an ice barrier which surrounded her! Charlie used his [Fiery Blade] and attempted to break through the [Black Ice], but the [Black Ice] grew stronger and more considerably in mass as it absorbed heat from the [Fiery Blade]!

Charlie bounced back from the impact of his blade, and Lucy stood calmly without moving an inch. With a shrug of her shoulders, she broke free of Radar’s psychic hold.

“… I see. Your powers have stabilized to considerably, and that’s how you’re confident,” Charlie said as he sharpened the edge of his blade with his energy. “But it’s useless to struggle, Lucy. Once I capture you, I will take your first time and train your body to become mine!”

Lucy laughed. “I’ve already given my first time to someone else!” Gale couldn’t help but blush as he heard those words.

“What?!” Charlie was enraged! He didn’t expect Lucy to fall in love with someone else, and he had been monitoring her social circle through scouting reports. “Who is it?!” Selphie also looked at Lucy in bewilderment.

“My bodyguard took both my first kiss and my first time. We’re destined to be together,” Lucy said confidently. “Moreover, he trained my body as though I was his pet. You’re too late.”

Selphie couldn’t believe Lucy’s words initially. She had been with Lucy most of the time, and Gale had never met Lucy ever since Babel Square! Moreover, the news report where Gale fell off a cliff came from her!

Gale squirmed, and his face became as red as a tomato. He wished Lucy would stop taunting her opponent with their physical intimacy.

Charlie’s face was pale with a horrified look. He pictured Lucy in his mind in a wedding dress, but it shattered before his eyes completely. “I will retrain you, Lucy Adamas! You will be mine!”

Flames emerged from the edges of Charlie’s saber as he gathered his energy into his weapon to unleash his [Fiery Strike]. Though the [Black Ice] could strengthen in the presence of heat, Charlie was confident that his attack would have enough force to break Lucy’s barrier.

Charlie charged into the [Black Ice Barrier], and it broke in a loud explosion! As the broken pieces of [Black Ice] fell, Charlie sent them to Lucy as an attack.

“Hmpf. Do you think using my [Black Ice] against me will work?”

Lucy had full control over her [Black Ice], and as she stretched out her hand towards the broken pieces, the [Black Ice] melted into vapor before entering into Lucy. Undaunted, Charlie sent a thunderous slash from above to attack Lucy.

“[Ice Queen],” Lucy whispered her incantation.

Lucy’s body became frozen, and her body radiated with her [Black Ice Energy]. Charlie tried to cut Lucy, but the [Black Ice] on her was too hard, and he bounced off. Lucy’s [Black Ice Energy] gradually froze everything around her, and the ground became littered with icicles! Lucy’s [Ice Queen] technique grew in radius, and Charlie had to retreat to prevent himself from being frozen.

But Selphie sensed something was wrong. “Lucy has lost control! Her powers are overflowing everywhere!”

The [Black Ice Energy] threatened to freeze the valley and kill every living being in the vicinity. Both Radar and Charlie could only back away as the ground froze toward them. Selphie stood far, and she was ready to retreat into the caves if Lucy’s powers reached her.

Gale took his sword and quickly ran forward to break the [Black Ice] from Lucy’s face. However, his sword bounced as the [Black Ice] was too hard for him to break, and he paused for a moment. He didn’t want to scratch Lucy’s face by accident if he used too much strength.

In a flash, Gale suddenly remembered he could also use the [Black Ice Technique], and he knew he could absorb the [Black Ice] from Lucy’s face instead. Immediately, Gale touched Lucy’s face, and the [Black Ice] melted into vapor before entering into Gale’s pores on his palms.

Soon, Lucy’s head was free from [Black Ice], and Gale quickly plunged his lips into Lucy to suck the [Black Ice Energy] from her mouth. In the process, Gale absorbed the excess [Black Ice Energy] from Lucy’s body, and she started to warm up.

After a few moments, Lucy awoke from her unconsciousness and realized Gale was kissing her. Her tongue moved by its own as her body sensed the familiar intimacy they shared when they were having fun in the cave.

“Don’t move your tongue, Lucy! I need to absorb the excess [Black Ice Energy]!” Gale pleaded. “Otherwise, you’ll freeze from within!”

Lucy broke free from the [Black Ice] that wrapped around her body, and she wrapped her arms around Gale before saying cheekily, “I know you like it!”

Gale was exasperated as he tried his best to focus on draining Lucy’s [Black Ice Energy], but Lucy didn’t stop kissing and drowning both of them in ecstasy. Charlie realized that Lucy wasn’t bluffing about her love interest, and he clenched his fists till his knuckles turned white.

“Gale Gainsborough. I will remember this humiliation,” Charlie said as he turned away with Radar. With the corner of his eyes, Gale saw that Charlie and Radar retreated into the caves.

However, Lucy didn’t want to stop kissing, and Selphie could only stare at them in wonder.

“L-Lucy! People are looking!” Gale pleaded. “Let’s stop!”

“Who cares?!” Lucy retorted.

“A-hem, Lucy,” Selphie broke her silence with a cough. “The Black Diamond Syndicate are awaiting your recovery, and we’re at a loss without you. Could you let us know if you’re back on your feet with your powers?”

Reluctantly, Lucy peeled herself away from Gale for a moment to address Selphie. “You witnessed how my powers ran amok, didn’t you? I’m nearly done, and I need Gale to suck my powers out.”

Selphie looked at Gale sternly, and the latter could only smile sheepishly. Selphie couldn’t fathom how Gale survived his fall, and she exclaimed, “I thought you were dead! Didn’t you fall off the cliff above us?!”

“He fell right into my arms,” Lucy interrupted as she fawned over Gale. “We’re one in body, mind, and spirit.”

Realizing that Lucy and Gale spent several days together in a lonely cave, Selphie stuttered, “b-both of you were making it out all this time?!”

Lucy couldn’t hide her glee as she caressed Gale’s hair fondly. “Well, it was mouth-to-mouth at first, but somehow, we became one.”

Gale was embarrassed at Lucy’s confession. “Didn’t you say you didn’t want Selphie to know?!”

“Who told you to kiss me so passionately? You know there was no way my body could resist you,” Lucy cheekily said. “I’m not done with training yet! Let’s head back and finish up!”

Lucy dragged Gale back into the cave, and Selphie had her hands on her head.

———-

Days went by, and it was approaching the end of two weeks. Everyone mulled over Gale, but because Aunt May gave her assurance that Gale was alive, there was no panic. Two weeks was the time limit, and everyone tried to be as patient as possible.

Valerian took the opportunity to care for Kasumi because she was distraught. Kasumi didn’t mean to accept Valerian’s gentlemanly gestures and help in various school chores, but she received his kind gestures, and her opinion of him grew.

Valerian’s tenderness and kindness impressed Kasumi. He was a SPAW operative, but he was different from other agents. Though Valerian took the opportunity to be Kasumi’s support during Gale’s absence, Valerian placed Kasumi’s mental state of mind and well-being above his interests, and Kasumi was very thankful about it.

However, nobody could eclipse Gale in Kasumi’s heart because he jumped off a cliff to save her. That sacrifice from Gale sealed Kasumi’s heart, and she vowed she would never marry anyone else except him.

But Hideki wasn’t as kind as Kasumi. Hideki wanted Kasumi to move on from Gale because he was supposed to be dead, and tried to talk to Kasumi about it. However, Hideki incurred her wrath instead.

“Sis, Gale wouldn’t want you to be this distraught if he was alive. It’s time to move on,” Hideki began. But he quickly stopped because Kasumi glared at him, and he didn’t dare to utter another word afterward.

During Gale’s absence, Kasumi refused to cook for Hideki or tend to him. As he was also behind the [Mysterious Allure] drug, Kasumi was incensed that Hideki had the cheek to ask her to move on.

Hideki also used the opportunity to be around Clere and tried to be around her as much as he could. Clere noticed Hideki’s continual presence, but she avoided him because of his Uncle Kenji. She was worried it could give a reason for Kenji to demand marriage between Hideki and her, and Clere often pulled Jacinta around to block Hideki’s advances.

But Hideki’s behavior towards Clere made Satori upset. Satori longed for Hideki and observed him from far, but she didn’t approach him as she used to. To alleviate the pain in her heart, Satori decided to focus her energy on training for the school’s annual competition. It was her dream to break into the top two teams in Aelfsige Academy and to represent the school during the inter-school tournament.

Back at the Gainsborough residence, Raine was quiet and calm. Aunt May soothed Raine and assured that Gale would be back, and so Raine was comfortable with Gale’s absence. After all, Raine never heard a lie from Aunt May before, and she implicitly trusted Aunt May’s words wholeheartedly.

Aunt May called Sunny up to train her in private. She couldn’t wait for Sunny to shine because she was confident that Sunny was a precious jewel which needed to be refined.

Aunt May didn’t teach Sunny new skills though, and the former only emphasized fundamental strengthening and breathing techniques. Sunny’s resourcefulness and quick thinking impressed Aunt May during their mock battles.

“If it wasn’t your brother, you could’ve been more than ten times your actual strength!” Aunt May lamented.

Sunny sighed. “My brother’s a worrywart and refused to allow me to train much. Even now, he’s telling me not to train too hard! But when it comes to himself, my brother would beat himself up for me.”

“That’s a good brother. I’m glad Gale and Zeel are friends, “Aunt May said. “I’m only training you in basics, but I will leave you to explore the [Steel Maiden Technique] by yourself. We’ll spar frequently, and you’ll gather battle experience to sharpen your senses.”

Sunny nodded. The [Steel Maiden Technique] was passed to her from her master, and she wanted to excel in it before venturing to a new skill.

“That reminds me. Gale mentioned that he was going to gather a team for the annual competition in his school, and he wanted you to join,” Aunt May said. “He isn’t back from the mountains of Gilbor, so he’s not around to tell you, but I thought we could use this competition as a motivation in our training too.”

Sunny’s eyes brightened with anticipation! She wanted to be part of what Gale was doing, and the annual competition provided the perfect opportunity.

“Count me in! Let’s train for it then!”

Aunt May couldn’t hide her smile as she mused about the many girls who fell in love with Gale.