Baron ran over to Nelly, who was eating at a nearby table. "Nelly! Nelly! I got my guild mark!"
She grinned. "That's awesome!"
Baron threw his fist into the air. "We're officially wizards!"
Nelly joined him. "Yeah!"
The guild's doors were then thrown open by Natsu. "Nelly! Let's fight!"
Nelly sat down and continued eating. "Not a chance."
He walked over. "Aww. Why not?"
"Because you already asked me yesterday and the day before and the day before that. Why would my answer be different today?"
"I don't know… But why not?"
Nelly sighed. "Because I don't feel like getting my butt kicked again.."
"Again?"
"You already forgot that you beat me up before I even officially joined the guild?"
"Oh yeah! That was a ton of fun! Hey, let's fight again!"
"I already said no!"
Baron nonchalantly nibbled on the chicken leg he was eating. "You should fight him."
Nelly gave him a horrified look. "Why would I doom myself like that?!"
"You already said you needed more fighting experience! This is your chance!"
Nelly sweatdropped. (Crap, Baron's right… But I REALLY don't want to fight Natsu. Well.. I suppose it's better than fighting Gray or even….. Erza.) She shivered at the thought. "Okay. Sure."
"YES!" Natsu practically leaped into the air with excitement. Nelly facepalmed, "I hope I'm not making a mistake…"
~A Short While Later~
Gray nearly spit out his drink. "Wait, Nelly and that meathead are gonna fight?!"
Erza nodded. "I overheard the two of them talking about it. Apparently, the battle is scheduled for noon today. And put some clothes on."
Gray leaned back in his chair. "I will in a minute."
Lucy then entered the guild hall. "Hey guys, have you seen Nelly? I told her I'd help her out with a job today."
Gray pointed to the clock. "Well, if you hurry, you can catch her while she's still in one piece."
Lucy got a worried look. "What do you mean…?"
Erza ate a slice of her cake. "I'm sure she'll be fine. It's only Natsu, after all."
Lucy got a horrified look on her face. "SHE'S GOING TO FIGHT NATSU?!" Lucy sped out of the guild as fast as she could. Erza stood up. "Perhaps I should join her."
Gray shrugged. "You said it yourself. She'll be fine. Natsu wouldn't hurt her that bad."
She started making her way towards the door. "I'm sure she will, but I'm going to make sure Natsu doesn't take it too far. You should know that he lacks restraint."
~Meanwhile, On the outskirts of Magnolia…~
Nelly stood by a cliff, kicking at the dirt with her bare feet and Baron was sitting on her shoulder. "I hope you win, Nelly!
The girl gave a soft smile. "Thanks, buddy. I need your support."
"Are you going to try to use your Sun Dragon Slayer Magic?"
Nelly gave her feline friend a confused look. "Why wouldn't I? It's a fight, right? My illusion magic won't be able to beat him alone."
"But it's cloudy outside."
Nelly looked up and sweatdropped. (Crap, Baron's right.) While lost in her thoughts, Natsu and Happy came into view. He waved.
"Hey! Are you ready to get this started?"
Nelly smiled at his enthusiasm. "I'm ready when you are!"
Without further warning, Natsu swung his flaming fist at Nelly, who was barely able to avoid the attack. Baron flew away. "I believe in you, Nelly!"
Nelly was on edge. Natsu, on the other hand, was grinning with confidence. Nelly dodged another attack. (I have a huge disadvantage here. Natsu is skilled in hand to hand combat. That's where I lack the most.)
"FIRE DRAGON ROAR!"
On reflex, she retaliated with an attack of her own. "Sun Dragon Roar!" Nelly was surprised to see it blow right through Natsu's attack and hit him square in the chest.
Natsu shook it off. "That's a powerful breath attack you have there!"
Baron called out to Nelly. "It looks like your sun magic absorbed Natsu's fire magic!"
Nelly quickly retaliated, swinging her fist. "Sun Dragon Claw!"
Natsu caught her fist mid swing. "That won't work on me!"
The girl was thrown off but she maintained her footing. (I don't know what else to do! He can hit me harder than a train!) That was when the young wizard sprouted an idea. She took a stance. "I summon you! Giant Beast of the Underworld! Come Cerberus!"
Natsu once again fell for her illusion magic and screamed as the wolf approached him. Nelly ran with the wolf to stay hidden. (If I can get one good hit on Natsu, I might stand a chance. I have to time this perfectly.)
Nel timed her jump and when the wolf vanished, Natsu was exactly where she wanted him to be. She leapt into the air and swung her arms back. "Sun Dragon Wing Attack!"
She managed to catch the Fire Dragon Slayer by surprise when he realized the wolf was an illusion. Natsu was open. Nelly's attack was on its way to hit the mark, but out of nowhere, some clouds drifted over the sun. With no direct sunlight, Nelly's Sun Dragon Wing Attack faded and her eyes widened. "Uh oh."
Natsu seemed shocked at first then grinned when he saw his opening. Happy cheered for Natsu and Baron covered his eyes, both at the sideline. Natsu took a deep breath which caused Nelly to sweat nervously.
"FIRE DRAGON-"
Nelly's eyes widened. (I'm so dead.)
"ROAR!" The breath attack hits its mark and the young Dragon Slayer was sent flying. She hit the ground, face first, defeated with one blow. Natsu threw his fist into the air. "Yeah! I won!"
After a short moment, Nel sat up, a little burnt, but alright. She lightly laughed. "Did you expect a different outcome? I didn't stand a chance!"
Baron flew over, "Are you okay, Nelly?"
"Yeah! That was actually really fun!"
"Why did you battle him knowing you were already at a disadvantage?" Nelly looked towards the source of the voice and blushed in embarrassment. Erza and Gray had watched the fight. Natsu seemed to get offended. "You guys were watching the whole time?!"
They approached. Erza was glaring daggers at Nel and she was getting nervous. She stopped just shy of Nelly. "So your magic is useless on cloudy days. Nighttime as well?"
Nel hung her head. "Yeah.."
Lucy had just arrived, panting. She looked like she ran over as fast as she could. "You seem to be in one piece. I thought for sure that Natsu was going to-"
Erza interrupted her. "Do you realize how huge a weakness that is?!"
Both Nelly and Lucy's eyes widened as she continued. "You won't have opponents like Natsu who will show you mercy."
Nelly straightened up. "Y-Yes ma'am."
Natsu got a chip. "Hey! I'm not merciful!" He ran at Erza, who knocked him out with one blow. "Stay out of it!"
The armoured wizard sighed and rubbed her temple. "That is troublesome indeed… But… for the time being, I guess it's alright."
The young Dragon Slayer sighed with relief. Everyone soon departed for the guild hall. Baron smiled mischievously. "You should fight Gray next!"
Lucy glared. "She shouldn't have fought Natsu to begin with! What makes you think fighting a second person would be a good idea?!"
Nelly sweatdropped. "True…"
Erza handed unconscious Natsu to Gray and turned to Nel. "I have a proposal."
"Huh?"
Erza smiled. "How about you and I go on a job tomorrow instead of you and Lucy?"
