SECRETS OF THE SWORD

Volume 1, Chapter 1; excerpt by Melody Miro.

The knight had not made any effort to let his presence be known. He had heard the familiar sound of steel against steel and had decided that observing what remained of the spar to its completion was more important than being polite.

With an unblinking eye and an open mind, he watched Sword of Justice and Elite 4 member clash; unfortunately, what remained to see was brief, if meaningful.

As Melody got her ass knocked on the floor, the blonde man slowly brought a hand to his chin, cupping it in thought and considering what he saw briefly... before the pink haired woman called his name.

"Hm? Ah, hello Ms. Miro, Ser Cobalion. I'm glad to see the both of you in good health!" The man said, polite as ever as he bowed at the waist to each. "Though, it seems I've arrived at an inconvenient time... and if I may be completely honest however, I'm quite glad I did."

This was even better than he could have hoped for. He hadn't thought he would get to witness the Sword of Justice actually teaching someone. There was much he could learn.

The man folded his arms behind his back, looking at either once before producing a simple notepad and pen from his jacket.

"If you might be so kind... May I spectate your next bout?"

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SECRETS OF THE SWORD

Volume 1, Chapter 1; excerpt by Melody Miro.

Melody wasn't entirely wrong in her assumptions; Gwyar's interest laid in Cobalion over all else.

"But of course. There's much he could learn from this." Gwyar said with a smile- before promptly turning around and whistling sharply down the hallway leading into Melody's chambers. A moment later, a small puppy came rushing in, a lunch box dragging across the floor as it came to a stop in front besides Gwyar, slurping on a Custap Berry juicebox the entire time. "He got distracted on the way here... while I was perhaps a little too focused."

Yip! greeted the puppy cheerfully at the legendary sword of justice and the Elite Four member, waving a paw their way.

"Eyes up front, Raki." The man said as he put pen to paper and kept his eyes wide open, ready to catch every tiny detail.

And that he did.

He observed the entirety of the battle from start to end, noting down his thoughts on each and every action taken. Every stance, every step, every attack, every counter, every parry, every block. From footwork to grip to battle strategy-

He did not judge or dissect what he saw. He simple absorbed, his pen scribbling along his notepad.

When the spar came to an end- it was almost too soon. As if snapped out of a trance, the man blinked for the first time since the match had started, his gaze slowly moving away from the Elite duo to instead stare at his notes.

Except... These were not observations, they were barely even words, each closer to a rorschach test of what he saw put to pen and paper. To anyone else, it would've been akin to unintelligible chicken scratch; but him... he could almost see clear images, the longer he stared.

Putting his thoughts in order, the man began to approach the duo, Raki rushing ahead to check up on Melody where she had landed, patting the woman's arms in a 'there, there' motion.

"Impressive, Miss Miro." The man offered with a smile as he approached, holding out a hand for her. "I did not know you were a swordswoman as well. Thank you for allowing me to watch your bout. You as well, Ser Cobalion."

Pulling her to her feet, the man tilted his head and cupped his chin in thought.

"Though, yours is not a Sword Style I'm at all familiar with. Most curious... I've spent a good deal of my life studying martial arts from all around the world..." He said, before bringing up his pad and pen again. "I must admit, my curiosity is quite piqued. May I ask you a few questions?"

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SECRETS OF THE SWORD

Volume 1, Chapter 1; excerpt by Melody Miro.

Raki had seemed quite happy to have come with Gwyar as he was placed down, stumbling onto the man with a goofy grin.

The blonde knight simply snorted.

"You lucky dog, you." He had said teasingly as the bout started, the puppy loudly cheering the idol on besides him.

Later on...

"Is that so?" He said simply at her admission. The blonde man's pen was a flurry of motion as the Elite 4 spoke, the man nodding with a hum.

Bonding with a pokemon through Fencing lessons? The man could only smile.

"An excellent idea." The man said approvingly, thinking of Gawain and Galatine; his brother and sister, his oldest partners, and his oldest teachers. "I couldn't think of a better way to strengthen your bond."

Finally, they got to the meat of the matter- Melody's unusual swordsmanship. What most had intrigued Gwyar in the beginning was the fact that he did not recognize the forms.

Sword dances were not entirely rare in some cultures; usually intended for ritualistic over martial purposes. But none of the ones he had studied matched the form and rhythm of the young idol.

"I understand." The man said after a moment, his words taking on a more philosophical edge as he cupped his chin, brow furrowed slightly. "He's helping you create your own sword."

Focusing on Melody's innate strengths was fine, but Gwyar was a more thorough sort of teacher. He preferred to build up a solid foundation, regardless of how much time it took.

Throwing away strength to focus on Melody's agility would create results faster, but...

"Thank for your answers, Ms. Miro. They've been terribly interesting- and terribly helpful." The man said with a smile, before casually moving to take a seat at Melody's piano. "Will you be sparring again?"

He paused, before smiling.

"Would you like to hear my thoughts, once you're done?"

---

SECRETS OF THE SWORD

Volume 1, Chapter 1; excerpt by Melody Miro.

If Gwyar recognized the name Thomas Benoit, he certainly did not show it, simply nodding along at the woman's explanation.

There was a reason the blonde had avoided any public contact with the man, and Thomas had been both sharp and sensible enough to avoid so much as looking at Gwyar where other's might see as well. He had always been a sharp one, that young man.

At her mild question, he paused, before smiling.

"I'm something of an old hand, yes." The man said with what looked like a self-amused smile.

When had he first picked up a sword...? He couldn't recall a moment in his life where he hadn't one at his side. It had been more than 30 years ago at least, of that he was certain.

"There's a few observations I could make, but..." He began to say, before cupping his chin. "I am uncertain if what I've seen is flaws, or incompleteness."

These were the teachings of Cobalion, after all, given to Melody expressly for the purpose of helping her protect herself. What he saw as flaws could well be simply signs that she had not yet reached the level Cobalion expected of her.

Though...

"Something I noticed,, but... when you lost the fight, you lost in almost precisely the same way, beat for beat." He pointed out, cupping his chin thoughtfully. "I hadn't been looking at your bout as a teacher earlier. Please, spar with Cobalion once more. This time... I'll perfectly determine what is good, what is incomplete, and what is a flaw."

The man said this with a strong confidence, the puppy besides looking up at him briefly before placing his hands at his hips and mirroring him, giving a several nods.

"It's been a while since I've taught swordsmanship..." The man said with a smile. "Not since my daughters were younger still. I'm beginning to feel a little nostalgic."

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SECRETS OF THE SWORD

Volume 1, Chapter 1; excerpt by Melody Miro.

Gwyar observed the passionless dance with an equally dispassionate stare, capturing Melody's every move in a flurry of long swift strokes in a manner not dissimilar from an eccentric sketcher, closer to slashes from a sword than doodles from a pen.

Years of training in and studying the history of Martial Arts came to him as in short, blessed instants of enlightenment with each stroke of the pen, each a phase in a sequence.

He could see the steps that were yet to come before Melody had performed them, could recall the ones he should've missed with crystal clear accuracy. The next several pages of his pad became akin to Martial scrolls, simple yet precise illustrations etched upon them in yet to dry ink.

Martial Arts were more than the art of fighting. They were philosophies, dogmas, ways of life— Martial Arts were culture and lifestyle as much as they were self-defense. The way of life of the people of old was suggested in every form; from training methods to the simulations during training...

"I've seen enough." The knight's voice suddenly cut through the clashing of steel, his notepad slamming shut as he softly panted with a smile.

Releasing a low exhale, the man's shoulders fell briefly before he looked between Cobalion and Melody.

"You seem exhausted." He observed to Melody. "How about we go over my observations over some lunch? I believe some sunlight would do you some good."

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SECRETS OF THE SWORD VOL I

Chapter 1: Cobalion & the Sword Dancer Melody Miro.

Gwyar bowed back at Cobalion before waiting until Melody recovered her breath, watching her pokemon assist her whilst nodding in approval.

"It's not often that I frequent Ever Grande; I've only tried a couple few places... but I imagine your fame precedes you." He said at her question, cupping his chin thoughtfully for a moment before smiling. "Fortunately, I know just the place."

Raki yipped at those words, knowing just the place the man referred. The puppy began to salivate a little.

They hadn't been there since his first meeting with dahlia goode!

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[player]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/850907874325823529/873390743643906138/Rainy_Day_Cafe.mp3[/player]

A chime rang through the cafe as Raki hurried inside, Gwyar lingering by the door to hold it open for Melody whilst clasping an umbrella over her head.

Raki kicked the air and shook his head sharply at their feet, sending droplets of water flying off while Gwyar peered around the cafe with a hum, smiling at it being mostly empty.

Not great for business, but wonderful for the idol's privacy, he supposed.

As he had not prepared an entire team to maintain the privacy of these affairs this time, he casually pointed out a table far enough away from the windows and smiled.

"Will that one do?" He asked as the waiter approached them, asking typical questions. "Yes, we'll be eating here. Three of us; do you have any daily specials?"

Gwyar made some short conversation with the waiter before eventually moving towards the table and sitting across from Melody, humming.

"So... where to begin?" He wondered as he gently placed his notes on the table, opening them to flip through the surprising number of pages he had managed to fill in Melody's 3 short spars...