It seemed like just another normal day within the Fairy Tail guild. Cana was drinking, Makarov was also drinking, and in fact there seemed to be a generous amount of alcohol consumed throughout. Though there were clearly less mages than normal, with most of the Dragon Slayers away in missions and taking their respective parties with them, this did nothing to quieten the mood. The day was starting to settle into evening and spirits were high as the entire hall gathered and laughed and bonded together.
"That's awesome, Romeo!" Natsu, the only remaining Slayer, exclaimed loudly, laughing as he looked back at the newly conjured flame against the boy's hand.
The youngest fire-wielder grinned wide, his creation reflecting in his eyes. It was powerful, but he knew that he still had quite some way to go before he reached the same level as the wizards he admired. "Thanks," he beamed, letting the fire disappear and pointing three fingers towards the Dragon Slayer. On the end of each finger, a different colour of flame danced; one red, one yellow and one purple. "I've got three types of flames now. I'm going to get them all, and one day I'll have mastered the Rainbow Flame."
"Whoa!" Natsu and Happy exclaimed in unison, admired the three flaming colours, though careful to keep back from the foul-smelling yellow.
The boy grinned proudly. Though he knew that they were nothing compared to the powerful magic that the senior wizards had both seen and used, he could tell that Natsu was still genuinely impressed. It was enough to encourage him to ask the question he'd been wanting for years: "Natsu, will you teach me how to create your dragon flames?!" he begged, leaning forwards expectedly.
Natsu blinked, but burst out laughing. "Sure I will!" he agreed, punching through the air confidently, his own fists erupting into brilliant light as their fire soared through the air.
The new lesson quickly gathered attention from the rest of the guild, as more and more wizards turned towards them. The chatter, as always, erupted between the mages as Natsu took to the centre of the room. He began eager and full of hope, using the first ten minutes or so to simply demonstrate how incredible his flaming power was (as if Romeo didn't already know) before he eventually asked for the boy to try.
Romeo, however, just looked at him blankly.
It didn't take long for them to realise that this simply wasn't as easy as they first thought. The Dragon Slayer had the difficulty of trying to explain something that was as simple to him as breathing. He tried to desperately recall every lesson that Igneel had given him, but the memories were blurred by many years. He didn't like to admit how much he struggled with knowing every day without his father made them harder to grasp.
Instead he pushed himself forward into creating his own backwards lessons, filling in most of the gaps with less than useful hints. He spoke of using their emotions and overwhelming urges to create the dragon attacks, enhancing the power that burned from within. He mentioned nothing of technique, skills or the usual preparations Romeo had come to expect from his own style of magic.
"I-I'm sorry Natsu, I just don't understand…" Romeo stammered, looking at his hands and realising that he might have to admit defeat sooner rather than later.
Gray rolled his eyes with a loud "Tch".
Natsu's patience had snapped. He turned to the Ice Maker, the heat that he was trying so hard to teach emanating from his body. "What's your problem, droopy eyes?!" he scowled.
Gray scowled back, the area around him dropping in temperature as his magical energy conflicted against the rising heat. "There's a reason why they call it Lost Magic, dumbass. No wonder he's confused," he explained, fully aware of patronising tone that slithered between his words.
"You think you could do better, Ice Block?!" Natsu growled.
"I probably could, Ash-for-Brains!" Gray shouted back.
"Uh… guys…" Romeo blinked at them both, too afraid to step closer to the magical conflict that was burning half of the guild while freezing the other.
"Like you could do a damn thing with fire, idiot!" Natsu yelled.
"It can't be that hard if you can get it through your thick skull!"
"Better than your ice blocks, princess!"
"Oh, that sounds like a wonderful idea!" Mirajane called out, quickly clasping her hands together. The boys, stunned out of their argument by her sudden outburst, could only stare back at the Take Over wizard blankly. "Why don't we have a little competition?"
"Competition?" Lucy stepped forwards, wondering why she was so afraid of the wonderfully happy look plastered across Mirajane's face.
Mira nodded swiftly, seemingly incredibly proud of herself as she glanced at the two seasoned wizards, her beaming grin unflinching. "Why don't we see how well Natsu and Gray can use each other's magic?"
Silence dropped on the Fairy Tail guildhall. It was impossible to say whether it was one of anticipation, excitement or just pure confusion.
"How do you mean 'use each other's magic'?" Happy asked curiously with a swish of his tail.
"Simple!" With a kind smile that was impossible to resist, Mira once again leant the magic pen from Reedus to draw her explanation through the air. Beneath the glowing tip, the outlines of two stickmen were drawn on either side of the Take Over wizard, one with far spikier hair to separate the two. Above each she drew a snowflake and a flame, before crossing them out and swapping the order. "Natsu will train with Ice Make magic while Gray trains with Fire Dragon Slayer magic. They will both learn as much as they can within a week. Then, we will see whose new magic is stronger and announce the winner!"
The two wizards before her stared with wide and almost terrified glances, knowing not only that the challenge set but that their reputation was at stake if they denied it. All they could rely on was one of their nakama to complain. They hoped someone like Erza would stand up and disagree, instantly striking down the deal, but she wasn't there. No one moved. No one complained. As the silence began to turn to soft mumblings, an agreement could be felt running through their fellow mages, and finally a sense of curiosity.
Lucy was the only one who finally stepped forwards, able to see a thousand ways that this could go wrong. "Mirajane, I'm not so sure if that's such a good idea," she whispered. "Natsu uses fire and Gray uses ice, and two completely different types of magic. Even if it was a way to swap them around, I'm not sure if they should…"
"Not to mention it's impossible!" Gray raged, remembering the cause of the argument against the Dragon Slayer in the first place.
"Are you saying you give up then?" Natsu beamed, confidently crossing his arms across his chest.
"Like hell I will!" Gray yelled back.
"Place your bets, everyone!" Cana announced as she rose from her seat, somehow not losing a single drop of beer as she raised her tankard into the air. "Natsu vs Gray, winner takes all! Normal rules apply; no betting on a draw!" she grinned as she ignored the unanimous groans.
"Alright!" Natsu beamed confidently as he tightened his fist, looking back at Happy excitedly. "Let's go, Happy! We're not gonna lose this!"
"Aye!" Happy agreed, swinging up into the air as they both disappeared out of the door.
The guild burst into new life with Natsu's sudden exit. There was only one topic of conversation on everyone's lips. It had been a long time since the last tournament between Gray and Natsu, mostly because there was little interest when the two so frequently fought against each other and the outcome was never anything but a draw. But with the change of rules and the added curiosity, there was a new anticipation and already wizards were piling over to Cana's table to request bets on their favourite nakama.
The Ice Maker stood alone in the centre of his guild, surrounded by those that were placing their money both with him and against him. The difficulty of the challenge was finally sinking in. Excited chatter buzzed around him but he was unable to share their enthusiasm. "But… it's… impossible…?" he mumbled to himself, twitching.
Hey Fairy Tail Fans! Every once in a while I will make something just for a bit of classic FT fun. This is it.
As always, reviews are loved and I hope you enjoy. I'd love to hear your theories how Gray and Natsu can win!