Chapter 51 – Combat Training begins

As the days went by, Rose joined Anastasia, Matt, and Sean in their intense physical training and they pushed themselves to become stronger, quicker, and fitter even though Wyatt pushed them to their limits they managed to overcome every obstacle and finally they started their combat training in the dojo which Bastian and Billy helped fix up after the last attack.

"Right kids, show me what you have learned. Pick your sparring partner," Wyatt announced as he stood in front of the dojo in his training robes. Bastian and Billy stood on either side of him dressed in regular training gear: white tank tops and black track trousers that were lightweight and flexible, ideal for combat training.

"Anastasia."

"Warren."

They both looked exchanged smirks as they named their sparring partners at the same time. Wyatt and Billy exchanged doubtful looks, but Matt and Sean simply smirked at each other, knowing full well what Bastian was capable of. After all, he'd trained in Celestial City for 150 years—only four months on Earth—but that type of skill wasn't something you could ignore.

"Ooooh this should be good," Matt said smugly, rubbing his palms together.

 Anastasia's attention shifted to him, and her grin vanished. "Why?" she asked hands on her hips.

"Oh, nobody told you?" Matt chuckled and leaned back lazily. "Warren has been doing combat training for 150 years. "He's going to kick your ass."

Sean attempted to suppress his laughter but failed, covering his mouth with his palm.

Bastian approached Anastasia with a smirk on his face. "Ignore them." I won't be too hard on you, but I won't make things easy either."

"Good. I would not want it any other way," Anastasia grinned back, taking into a fighting position.

They squared up, moving slowly and carefully, like they were doing a fight dance. The place went dead quiet, and everyone was watching as the tension between them grew with every second that ticked by.

Anastasia made the first move, like a flash of lightning, but Bastian was ready for her. He just flicked her away with his arm, his muscles popping out under his tight tank top like he was showing off. And when she missed his leg by a hair, it was like their bodies touched for a quick second, a connection that went beyond a casual training exercise.

Bastian didn't let up. He started throwing punches faster and harder, pushing her to her limits. Anastasia kept up, though, giving it everything she had, and the people in the room could tell there was something going on, like they both wanted to win more than just the fight. Every block and dodge was full of tension that had nothing to do with the flying punches.

As they went on, the air became electric, like before a storm, and they didn't even notice the sweat running down their faces because they were so into it. Bastian grabbed her wrist, holding her tight but gentle, whispering, "You're not giving it your all. Show me what you've really got."

Anastasia's eyes got all fiery. She wiggled out of his grip and threw a bunch of punches at him, so fast he had to step it up abit. It was like nothing else in the world mattered except for that moment, just the two of them.

But then she kicked at him, and he caught her leg before she could pull away. She stumbled into him, and he grabbed her around the waist to keep her steady. They were so close, their breaths mixing, and for a second, it wasn't about who was the best fighter anymore.

Warren's hand slid up her back, making her shiver, and the battle was forgotten. The distinction between sparring and something far deeper became increasingly blurred. It was like the fight had turned into something else, something deeper, and how much they wanted this moment to last forever.

"Alright enough, enough," Wyatt interrupted. "I think I have learnt my lesson to NOT let you choose your spar partners."

"Dad!" Anastasia, who was pulled away from Bastian suddenly, blushed intensely when her father decided to embarrass her in front of everyone so she returned to the side of the mat looking down with a scowl. Bastian could only smile sheepishly, rub his neck with his hand and was about to make his way to the side lines until Wyatt stopped him.

"No Warren, you stay there. I think you only broke a sweat by trying to hold back and be lenient to Anastasia. Show us what you really capable of," Wyatt smirked. "Off you go Billy. Show my kids what you guys can do."

Rose widened her eyes, as Billy looked at Bastian with a dangerous grin, one she had never seen before. He slowly stalked on to the mat and set into a fight stance.

"No holding back?" Billy smiled smugly.

"Not a chance," Bastian chuckled.

Wyatt chuckled to himself as he surveyed the mats, then raised a hand. "On second thought, we're not wrecking the dojo. This one's going outside. Everyone, follow me."

The group followed Wyatt outside to a vast, grassy field behind the building. The sky was cloudy and it looked like there was a storm coming, which was the perfect setting for the battle to come.

Bastian and Billy walked to the centre of the field, with focused expressions and no sign of their previous grins as it was replaced with calm determination. The atmosphere was different. Anastasia's heart pounded as she watched them prepare to fight. Even though she had seen Bastian's power before, she had never seen him in a true battle, and certainly not against another angel.

Rose stood beside her, gripping her hand. "This is going to be something else, isn't it?" she whispered.

Matt and Sean stood at the front, their eyes locked on the two fighters, and their faces brimmed with excitement.

Wyatt positioned himself at a safe distance and gave a sharp nod. "Alright boys, show us what you've got."