Fic: [Crossover] The Substitute
Title: The Substitute
Series: Dresden Files meets Negima
Type: Crossover
Links: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5959964/3/The_Substitute
Chapter Three
Negi Springfield pressed the attack with his staff, the brown haired boy leaping about like a monkey. Harry Dresden parried with his own staff, the older man in the trench coat bracing himself for the impact. The kid was damn well trained, hitting hard and fast as well as dodging any return shots. Worse they weren't using magic, putting Harry at a greater disadvantage.
"Sparkling twister strike!" Negi yelled as some kind of chi attack built up around his fist and blasted harry right off his feet and into the far wall with a loud thump!
"Dresden!" Takamachi yelped as the spikey haired teacher jogged over, checking the other man for injuries.
"Oww," Harry winced, using his staff to leaver his way up to his feet. "I thought we said no magic?" he asked, frowning.
Negi looked sheepish, "Uhm, it wasn't magic, sir. Just chi."
"Seriously?" Harry blinked. He shook his head ruefully as he muttered, "You know magic and chi based martial arts? What are they teaching you here?"
Negi just looked sheepish. "I have a lot of different trainers," he admitted. "I could teach you, if you like," he offered.
"I'm not sure if I want that degree of fighting," Harry admitted.
"How are your ribs?" Takamachi asked wryly, seeing Harry flinch in pain.
"May have cracked one," Harry admitted, having been in enough fights over the years to get pretty good at assessing his own injuries.
"Konoka!" Negi called.
Konoka Kanoe hurried over from the group of watching students, what Harry thought of as Negi's team. Setsuna and the ninja girl were both there, as well as Asuna, Evangeline and the android Chachamaru. It was a bit surreal having the teens watching them spar, but not as odd as where they were sparring.
"Adept!" Konoka called out, a set of fans appearing in the black haired girl's hands. She elegantly waved them across Harry's chest and he could feel the mystical forces washing over him. "How's that, Mr. Dresden?" she asked politely.
"Wow," Harry blinked, realizing that the pain was gone. "Your artifact is for healing?" he asked
her, impressed.
"Yes," Konoka nodded, "but I can only heal a injury within a short period of time after it happens."
"Still, useful talent," Harry acknowledged, taking in their surroundings thoughtfully.
When Harry had expressed interest in training, Takamachi had gone to Negi, who had then talked to Evangeline, after which they went to the rather odd cabin Evangeline lived in. Together they trooped down to the basement, where there was a model castle in glass.
Only it WASN'T a model!
As soon as they stepped on the transport circle they found themselves on the catwalk leading into the castle, inside the globe. Not just a castle, there were several environments connected by powerful magic, all of which could be used for training. The scale and power of the spells involved staggered Harry's mind, he could barely conceive of trying something like this!
"You still look stunned, Boya," Evangeline noted as they took a break on a terrace outside the castle, being served by more androids. They resembled Chachamaru, but seemed to lack her spark of... intelligence? Or maybe soul?
"Yes, a bit," Harry admitted, not even commenting on her calling him a boy. Compared to her age he was a kid, even though he was the oldest looking person in the room.
"It really isn't as awe inspiring as it looks," Evangeline lied.
"Right," Harry shook his head. He looked at her curiously and asked, "So you trained Negi in combat magic?"
"Started him out," Evangeline corrected him. She sat back, looking thoughtful, "I trained Negi in the basics, but he built on that a lot in the magical world." She actually looked kind of rueful, "In some ways he's progressed beyond me."
THAT made Harry raise his eyebrows, "Seriously?"
"In combat magic and spell creation," Evangeline corrected him with a smirk, "in other things I can still kick his ass."
Harry chuckled softly. It was strange, he knew he should be wary of the daylight walker vampire, but for some reason he felt comfortable around her. He resolved to be more cautious, even though he knew it would probably not help.
"Mr. Dresden," Setsuna said respectfully, "we were wondering if you would help us test our abilities against White Council magic?"
Harry got up as he joked, "As long as you promise not to hurt me too bad."
"We'll do our best," Setsuna promised.
"Somehow," Harry noted as he followed her, "that's not too comforting."
The clear area they picked was the castle courtyard, large enough they could move around and surrounded by walls. Harry didn't know what would happen if they fell off the castle into the mists surrounding it, and he didn't want to find out.
"Can I go first!" Asuna waved, the girl's long orange hair flowing in two ponytails.
"Sure, why not?" Harry offered, not noticing the amused looks the girls were exchanging.
"Adept!" Asuna called as she held the tarot like card, and the biggest sword Harry had seen outside a video game appeared in her hands.
"Oh shit," Harry yelped as Asuna charged. He ducked under the first swing then parried with his wizard's staff, only to cry out in surprise as he felt the sword disrupting the enchantments on the wood. 'How the hell...?' he thought, kicked out and sweeping the girl's legs out from under her.
"Whoop!" Asuna yelped, her skirt fluttering up enough to reveal her bear print panties. She recovered fast, grinning fiercely as she went for Harry again.
Unlimbering his blasting rod from his overcoat Harry opted for a blast of flame, "Fuego!" The fire burst zipped at Asuna who blocked it with the flat of her blade, dissipating it and confirming Harry's guess: the sword canceled out magic.
'You have GOT to be kidding,' Harry thought, rolling aside and avoiding another sword chop.
"Come on, Mr Dresden," Asuna advanced on him, "you can do better than that."
From the sidelines, the girls were watching intently. "You can do it, Mr. Dresden!" Negi yelled.
"Kick his ass, Asuna!" Evangeline grinned.
Negi looked at her as he mildly noted, "That's a bit mean..."
Dodging another swing Harry quickly assessed his options. Direct magical attacks were out, and he didn't dare rely on the protective spells of his duster. He had to try to take her physically, and from what he could tell she was a very good fighter.
'Story of my life,' Harry thought, dodging another strike by far too close a margin.
"Not bad," Asuna grinned, not even out of breath yet, even though Harry was panting a bit. "Not really a fighter?' she asked.
"No," Harry conceded, "but I get by."
Combining word and deed Harry scuttled in close to Asuna, punching upwards at her as he activated his force ring, gambling it would not be hurt by the magic cancel. "Whoop!" Asuna yelped as she went flying upwards, the backwash of force stunning Harry a moment too.
"Oh dear," Negi winced as Asuna plummeted downward to slam into Harry, leaving both of them collapsed on the ground, Asuna on top.
Asuna recovered first, Harry having taken the worst of the crash. She sat up dazedly, then flushed as she realized she had landed with her butt in Harry's face. "Dresden you PERVERT!" she roared, scrambling off him.
"Wait, I didn't mean...," Harry recovered enough to stammer.
WHAM!
Somewhat later Harry held a icepack to his face, sighing as the soreness went down. "I'm really, really sorry," Asuna sighed, "it's kind of a reflex..."
"It's all right," Harry waved it off. He smiled slightly, "At least fighting you showed me how far I have to go." He looked at her curiously, "Are you typical around here?"
"There's a few who are better than me," Asuna admitted, "Setsuna, for one. And Mana, too."
"Damn," Harry shook his head in surprise. Tho he supposed it made sense, he was honestly a bit scared at having students this combat ready. He could see them even beating some Wardens, under the right circumstances.
"Mr. Dresden?" Negi trotted up to ask, "Takamichi mentioned you'd like to learn some of our combat spells. Would you like to start on that?"
"Please," Harry smiled as he got up.
After determining Harry's rough level of power Takahata and Negi conferred, then decided to teach him the Arrows of Light spell. It was a useful spell and as Harry grew in power his ability to manifest more arrows would increase, too.
It took a while for Harry to master it, not the least because he sucked at Latin, but eventually he got it. Harry chanted out the spell, gestured and cried, "Three Arrows of Light!"
On cue three lances of magical energy burst from his hand, zipping at the wall where they blew a substantial hole in the stone. "Impressive," Takahata blinked.
"that shouldn't have been that destructive," Negi agreed, He looked at Harry, "How are you feeling?"
"More tired than when I use the blasting rod," Harry admitted, "but not as tired as when I usually cast spells without the props."
"Give five a try," Takamachi suggested thoughtfully.
"You're the boss," Harry shrugged, chanting again in Latin. He gestured dramatically at the wall, "Five Arrows of Light!"
This time the blast brought everyone running as Harry blasted out the entire wall, sending stone flying off into the void. "Wow," Negi blinked.
"What are you three idiots doing?" Evangeline roared as the little blond glared at them, "Do you know how hard it is to repair this place?"
"Sorry, master," Negi bowed slightly as he explained, "but Mr. Dresden did this with just five Arrows of Light."
"That's it?" Evangeline blinked, looking over at Harry curiously.
"I take it that's unusual?" Harry asked wryly, a bit tired but otherwise not too bothered.
"Very," Evangeline said, "it's usually only dangerous in large quantities." She studied him thoughtfully, "Maybe there's some hidden depths to you, Mr Dresden..."
To be continued...
Series: Dresden Files meets Negima
Type: Crossover
Links: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5959964/3/The_Substitute
Chapter Three
Negi Springfield pressed the attack with his staff, the brown haired boy leaping about like a monkey. Harry Dresden parried with his own staff, the older man in the trench coat bracing himself for the impact. The kid was damn well trained, hitting hard and fast as well as dodging any return shots. Worse they weren't using magic, putting Harry at a greater disadvantage.
"Sparkling twister strike!" Negi yelled as some kind of chi attack built up around his fist and blasted harry right off his feet and into the far wall with a loud thump!
"Dresden!" Takamachi yelped as the spikey haired teacher jogged over, checking the other man for injuries.
"Oww," Harry winced, using his staff to leaver his way up to his feet. "I thought we said no magic?" he asked, frowning.
Negi looked sheepish, "Uhm, it wasn't magic, sir. Just chi."
"Seriously?" Harry blinked. He shook his head ruefully as he muttered, "You know magic and chi based martial arts? What are they teaching you here?"
Negi just looked sheepish. "I have a lot of different trainers," he admitted. "I could teach you, if you like," he offered.
"I'm not sure if I want that degree of fighting," Harry admitted.
"How are your ribs?" Takamachi asked wryly, seeing Harry flinch in pain.
"May have cracked one," Harry admitted, having been in enough fights over the years to get pretty good at assessing his own injuries.
"Konoka!" Negi called.
Konoka Kanoe hurried over from the group of watching students, what Harry thought of as Negi's team. Setsuna and the ninja girl were both there, as well as Asuna, Evangeline and the android Chachamaru. It was a bit surreal having the teens watching them spar, but not as odd as where they were sparring.
"Adept!" Konoka called out, a set of fans appearing in the black haired girl's hands. She elegantly waved them across Harry's chest and he could feel the mystical forces washing over him. "How's that, Mr. Dresden?" she asked politely.
"Wow," Harry blinked, realizing that the pain was gone. "Your artifact is for healing?" he asked
her, impressed.
"Yes," Konoka nodded, "but I can only heal a injury within a short period of time after it happens."
"Still, useful talent," Harry acknowledged, taking in their surroundings thoughtfully.
When Harry had expressed interest in training, Takamachi had gone to Negi, who had then talked to Evangeline, after which they went to the rather odd cabin Evangeline lived in. Together they trooped down to the basement, where there was a model castle in glass.
Only it WASN'T a model!
As soon as they stepped on the transport circle they found themselves on the catwalk leading into the castle, inside the globe. Not just a castle, there were several environments connected by powerful magic, all of which could be used for training. The scale and power of the spells involved staggered Harry's mind, he could barely conceive of trying something like this!
"You still look stunned, Boya," Evangeline noted as they took a break on a terrace outside the castle, being served by more androids. They resembled Chachamaru, but seemed to lack her spark of... intelligence? Or maybe soul?
"Yes, a bit," Harry admitted, not even commenting on her calling him a boy. Compared to her age he was a kid, even though he was the oldest looking person in the room.
"It really isn't as awe inspiring as it looks," Evangeline lied.
"Right," Harry shook his head. He looked at her curiously and asked, "So you trained Negi in combat magic?"
"Started him out," Evangeline corrected him. She sat back, looking thoughtful, "I trained Negi in the basics, but he built on that a lot in the magical world." She actually looked kind of rueful, "In some ways he's progressed beyond me."
THAT made Harry raise his eyebrows, "Seriously?"
"In combat magic and spell creation," Evangeline corrected him with a smirk, "in other things I can still kick his ass."
Harry chuckled softly. It was strange, he knew he should be wary of the daylight walker vampire, but for some reason he felt comfortable around her. He resolved to be more cautious, even though he knew it would probably not help.
"Mr. Dresden," Setsuna said respectfully, "we were wondering if you would help us test our abilities against White Council magic?"
Harry got up as he joked, "As long as you promise not to hurt me too bad."
"We'll do our best," Setsuna promised.
"Somehow," Harry noted as he followed her, "that's not too comforting."
The clear area they picked was the castle courtyard, large enough they could move around and surrounded by walls. Harry didn't know what would happen if they fell off the castle into the mists surrounding it, and he didn't want to find out.
"Can I go first!" Asuna waved, the girl's long orange hair flowing in two ponytails.
"Sure, why not?" Harry offered, not noticing the amused looks the girls were exchanging.
"Adept!" Asuna called as she held the tarot like card, and the biggest sword Harry had seen outside a video game appeared in her hands.
"Oh shit," Harry yelped as Asuna charged. He ducked under the first swing then parried with his wizard's staff, only to cry out in surprise as he felt the sword disrupting the enchantments on the wood. 'How the hell...?' he thought, kicked out and sweeping the girl's legs out from under her.
"Whoop!" Asuna yelped, her skirt fluttering up enough to reveal her bear print panties. She recovered fast, grinning fiercely as she went for Harry again.
Unlimbering his blasting rod from his overcoat Harry opted for a blast of flame, "Fuego!" The fire burst zipped at Asuna who blocked it with the flat of her blade, dissipating it and confirming Harry's guess: the sword canceled out magic.
'You have GOT to be kidding,' Harry thought, rolling aside and avoiding another sword chop.
"Come on, Mr Dresden," Asuna advanced on him, "you can do better than that."
From the sidelines, the girls were watching intently. "You can do it, Mr. Dresden!" Negi yelled.
"Kick his ass, Asuna!" Evangeline grinned.
Negi looked at her as he mildly noted, "That's a bit mean..."
Dodging another swing Harry quickly assessed his options. Direct magical attacks were out, and he didn't dare rely on the protective spells of his duster. He had to try to take her physically, and from what he could tell she was a very good fighter.
'Story of my life,' Harry thought, dodging another strike by far too close a margin.
"Not bad," Asuna grinned, not even out of breath yet, even though Harry was panting a bit. "Not really a fighter?' she asked.
"No," Harry conceded, "but I get by."
Combining word and deed Harry scuttled in close to Asuna, punching upwards at her as he activated his force ring, gambling it would not be hurt by the magic cancel. "Whoop!" Asuna yelped as she went flying upwards, the backwash of force stunning Harry a moment too.
"Oh dear," Negi winced as Asuna plummeted downward to slam into Harry, leaving both of them collapsed on the ground, Asuna on top.
Asuna recovered first, Harry having taken the worst of the crash. She sat up dazedly, then flushed as she realized she had landed with her butt in Harry's face. "Dresden you PERVERT!" she roared, scrambling off him.
"Wait, I didn't mean...," Harry recovered enough to stammer.
WHAM!
Somewhat later Harry held a icepack to his face, sighing as the soreness went down. "I'm really, really sorry," Asuna sighed, "it's kind of a reflex..."
"It's all right," Harry waved it off. He smiled slightly, "At least fighting you showed me how far I have to go." He looked at her curiously, "Are you typical around here?"
"There's a few who are better than me," Asuna admitted, "Setsuna, for one. And Mana, too."
"Damn," Harry shook his head in surprise. Tho he supposed it made sense, he was honestly a bit scared at having students this combat ready. He could see them even beating some Wardens, under the right circumstances.
"Mr. Dresden?" Negi trotted up to ask, "Takamichi mentioned you'd like to learn some of our combat spells. Would you like to start on that?"
"Please," Harry smiled as he got up.
After determining Harry's rough level of power Takahata and Negi conferred, then decided to teach him the Arrows of Light spell. It was a useful spell and as Harry grew in power his ability to manifest more arrows would increase, too.
It took a while for Harry to master it, not the least because he sucked at Latin, but eventually he got it. Harry chanted out the spell, gestured and cried, "Three Arrows of Light!"
On cue three lances of magical energy burst from his hand, zipping at the wall where they blew a substantial hole in the stone. "Impressive," Takahata blinked.
"that shouldn't have been that destructive," Negi agreed, He looked at Harry, "How are you feeling?"
"More tired than when I use the blasting rod," Harry admitted, "but not as tired as when I usually cast spells without the props."
"Give five a try," Takamachi suggested thoughtfully.
"You're the boss," Harry shrugged, chanting again in Latin. He gestured dramatically at the wall, "Five Arrows of Light!"
This time the blast brought everyone running as Harry blasted out the entire wall, sending stone flying off into the void. "Wow," Negi blinked.
"What are you three idiots doing?" Evangeline roared as the little blond glared at them, "Do you know how hard it is to repair this place?"
"Sorry, master," Negi bowed slightly as he explained, "but Mr. Dresden did this with just five Arrows of Light."
"That's it?" Evangeline blinked, looking over at Harry curiously.
"I take it that's unusual?" Harry asked wryly, a bit tired but otherwise not too bothered.
"Very," Evangeline said, "it's usually only dangerous in large quantities." She studied him thoughtfully, "Maybe there's some hidden depths to you, Mr Dresden..."
To be continued...