Gunblade specialization

[champagne supernova]

Iceglow, if you recall, Squall & Ultimecia travelled back to the Orphanage when there was a young (age indeterminate) Squall. Old Squall then gave Edea the idea behind Garden, SeeD etc, and how Ultimecia would try get her hands on Ellone. She then persuaded Cid to get the Garden thing going, while she sent the older orphans onto a ship with Ellone (these orphans then became the White SeeDs).

How they learnt to fight is a mystery, but it is possible that Edea herself taught them. Their sole purpose is to protect Ellone.

Quistis, Zell, Selphie & Irvine were all adopted. Squall and Seifer remained, but when Garden was opened, they were taken in there. Quistis had foster parents issues (perhaps that's why she likes a whip) and joined them shortly. Zell lived in Balamb and went to Garden as a school.

So, looking at this timeline, it would suggest that Garden itself can not be much more than 10 years old. It also suggests that Squall & Seifer were there from the beginning and therefore their basic training could not have been done under SeeDs, as there couldn't have been any SeeDs at all. Unless Cid himself trained them (which isn't all together impossible as he did have the Devil in his lamp), there must have been instructors sourced from military veterans. That's the most likely place for Squall & Seifer to learn how to use a sharp blade with explosives.

EDIT: Maybe Cid is more hectic than we think. He does say that he can't face Edea/Ultimecia because he doesn't want to kill his wife, not that he can't. Hmmmm.