Dori decided to take a break from writing, heading to the kitchen of Fairy to make a pot of coffee. As soon as she entered, she saw that the kitchen was already occupied by someone; Levi, reading a book as she stood next to the magic coffee maker.

"Hey, Levi." Dori greeted her. "Hi, Dori." she greeted eagerly, "Are you getting use to your dorm room?"

"Yeah, although I hadn't started on any decorations." Dori explained, "Thought I come and grab some coffee."

"Good timing! I just made some, but I only need one cup." Levi stated, walking over to the cupboards, "I'll get you a cup, too."

"Thanks." Dori replied with a smile, looking about, "This kitchen is pretty big. Do all the girls use it?"

"Pretty much." Levi answered, taking out the cream for the coffee, "Oh, how do you like your cup?" Dori turned, seeing the cream in her hands, and understood the question. "Light amount of cream, no sugar."

"So, were you getting into the diary I placed in your room?" Levi asked as she prepared hers and Dori's coffee.

"It's pretty much the only thing I've been doing this whole time." the crystal mage answered, leaning against the counter, "So far, I've written quite a bit. I'm not use to writing in diaries, and my handwriting could be a bit better, but it does seem to be a bit relieving. Course, I'm only just starting at the point a week after my sis was arrested."

Levi smile faltered a bit as she turned to Dori with her cup of coffee. "Well, I'm sure you'll feel better after you finish writing your feelings down on it." Dori nodded in agreement, taking her cup and thanking Levi for it, before departing the kitchen.

She walked back into her dorm room, taking a few sips along the way back, before placing the cup down, and pulling out the pen to write in her diary. "Now, let's see here… Where should I start?" she muttered, tapping the pen to the paper, "Maybe…after that week at the Magic Council?" She thought back on that, and begun writing about it.


(Flashback) In the Magic Council Headquarter's courtroom, the eight magic council members were glaring down at Dori and Makarov, most of them with anger. However, it wasn't due to anything that they had said, but more of what one of them were doing. Dori was fine, but she was glaring down at the master, who was dead asleep where he stood.

"Um…Master Makarov…" one of the amphibian-like council employees called to the guild master.

Dori, frustrated that he was sleeping, raised a fist and hammered it hard on top of his head, sneering, "Be serious, will you?! You're suppose to help save my sis, not taking a nap!"

"Taking a nap?! I have no idea what you're talking about!" Makarov stated, trying to laugh it off. However, Dori's glare made him shut up, and he muttered, "It's not my fault these council sessions are so boring…"

"Enough!" Gran Dorma, the head of the magic council barked, "The council will not stand for your lack of interest in what is clearly a serious situation here!"

"I apologize on his behalf." Dori apologized, "We'll make sure to keep our eyes and minds open in this situation, right?!" She emphasized the last word as she glared at Makarov, who innocently chuckled a bit, before clearing his throat to get serious.

Org, the owner of the 2nd seat of the council, looked to Siegrain and asked, "Might I ask why Ultear has not returned in this entire week, Siegrain? Surely, you know of where she is, don't you?"

"I can be sure that she will return eventually." the blue-haired member of the council answered, "She has other businesses to tend to." Course, in his mind, he knew why she wasn't really with them. Dori Himeka would immediately recognize her from Galuna Island, and that would put his plans into trouble.

"In any case, can we continue with what we were saying, please?" Dori asked, "I want to make sure my sister is freed from captivity as soon as possible."

Belno, the second female member of the court, apart from Ultear, cleared her throat as she stated, "Well, based on your testimonies, eye witnesses, and the tests we placed Palva through…" Dori frowned, recalling how some of those experiments were a bit cruel, despite her watching them. "…We can deduce that your words about Palva are correct."

"From what we can see, her magic power is on a completely different scale compared to most others." said Yajima, an elderly man who was about as tall as Makarov, "But there seems to be more to her magic than meets the eyes."

"From what we gathered, her magic's instability is something we cannot understand." Gran Dorma followed, "She can control it to a certain level without her weapon, the Dragonic Fang. However, she cannot contain the magic without it. What's more, her emotional state also becomes berserk after a certain period of time, although it quickens when she is in a state of stress or anger, as you have explained to us. And the most peculiar part of this whole thing is that not even magic-restraining handcuffs are able to nullify the magic fully, when in all cases, it should. Meaning there is something more to her magic than we realize."

The head of the council looked down at Dori, who didn't waver her gaze from him at all. "Tell me, is there anything you are withholding from us other than what we know?"

"There isn't." Dori answered, "I have told you all that I have said."

"From everything that was gathered, we can all agree that the charges based on the wanted poster's accusations might be false."

"Might be?!" Dori echoed, slamming her hands onto the podium, "Everything those wanted posters accuse her for are based out of accidental causes or self-defense! She's not truly guilty at all!"

"Nevertheless, the crimes placed on her bounty cannot be removed unless she's proven innocent for them by the Magic Council." Org explained, "And even though we have ascertained the reason as to why her magic is unstable, we have no way of proving her innocence against her crimes."

Makarov looked to Dori, who clenched her fists at this fact. "I have studied so much about her magic." she told them, "I've researched all kinds of books on fire magic, sealing magic, even curses. I've searched all over the Western Continent for answers, but I couldn't find anything! Unless you have the wisdom to know something I don't, then I'm all ears!"

The Magic Council members looked to one another, some muttering their solutions to her statement. Finally, Siegrain spoke up, "I would like to ask you one thing, though; Why did you decide to come to this continent instead of any other?"

"We came here because of Salamander, Natsu Dragneel." Dori answered, "As far as I know, he is the only one who possesses the same Fire Dragon Slayer magic as my sister. As such, he may be the only person who knows how to save my sister from her cause."

"You can't be serious?" "That destructive mage?!" Most of the Council members made their accusations of disbelief that he could possibly help her. From what Dori learned, Natsu and the rest of Fairy Tail had a bad habit of destroying buildings and even whole towns when doing requests. Only Yajima and Siegrain had nothing to say about them.

"How can we be sure that he will not make things worse than they already are?!" Michello demanded.

"Because Natsu Dragneel is the only one left I can turn to." Dori answered simply, "And I know, without a doubt, that he can save my sister."

The defiance in her tone was enough to stir the entire court. She had placed her whole trust into Natsu, the Salamander who's tendency to destroy things were high. If they were allow to let Palva and Natsu work together like this, it would cause massive destruction beyond compare. The fact was that they were too scared of Palva and Natsu's magic together. And yet after everything Dori had just said, it seemed like there was no other way of curing her of her uncontrollable magic other than through Salamander.

"We must discuss this among ourselves." Gran Dorma told Dori and Makarov, and the eight Council members huddled together to discuss the matter.

"I must say, Dori, that you are one of the few people I know who will approach the Magic Council as strongly as you." Makarov pointed out, "You never back down, no matter what they say."

"This is my sister we're talking about." Dori retorted, not wavering her gaze from the Council, "If I didn't defend my sister with everything I had, then she would be dead, right now. Surely, you know what it means to defend your family, right?"

"Absolutely." Makarov agreed, "I treat every member of my guild like they were my own children. I will be right next to you, helping Palva be freed from her chains." Dori smiled and nodded in approval for his assistance.

Unbeknownst to them, there was one member of the council who was eyes them during this time. Siegrain couldn't help but be interested in Dori and her sister. After all, this is the girl who defeated José, one of the ten mage saints, despite being sixteen years old. If she was this powerful, then how strong was her sister? Was she just as strong as Natsu, or stronger? Nevertheless, he was intrigued.

After some time, the council finished their discussion, and turned to the two Fairy Tail mages. "After some consideration, we have decided to allow you to have Salamander work with Palva Himeka, to see if he can find the solution to her magic instability."

Dori seemed pleased at this, until Gran Dorma added, "But taking into consideration the dangers of her magic, and the destructive habits of Salamander, not to mention the rest of the Fairy Tail guild…" Dori looked Makarov, who had a sheepish expression from this note, "…We must add a few additional ground rules before you are allowed to have you do this 'experiment'."

"I'm listening." Dori told them, in a tone that suggested she might not agree to the terms they would give.

"Firstly, you must have an open area, far from any village or town, so as to not allow any damage to the people or property." Gran Dorma started, "Secondly, you are only allowed three days to find the solution to her magic."

"Wha- Three days?!" Dori demanded, "That's way too short! Can't you give us a week instead?!"

"We have considered many things in our choice, such as the volatile state of her magic, the intensive research you claimed to have done during the past decade, and the destructive powers of Dragon Slayer Magic, not to mention the worry of bounty hunters or even the Western Continent making moves to claim her. Given all of this, we cannot give you any more time than three days in order to give us results." Dori seemed furious that the Magic Council was more afraid of this than the safety of her sister. They were plenty more cowardly than the empire back home.

"Finally, we will have the projections of one of our Council members observe your progress." Gran Dorma finally added, "We wanna make sure that you don't try anything beyond our laws or cause any more problems for us. We will also have an army of Rune Knights at the ready should you try to escape us."

Dori looked down, thinking on all of this. The terms they gave were strict. Their first rule was something she could understand and tolerate. The time limit to get the job done was blasphemy, but she couldn't counteract it considering what they were factoring. The third was similar to the first; a safety protocol, and one she prayed was fair to her and her sister. Besides, she was done running away from the law. If she needed to save her sister from her, she had better give it her all to save her, and danger might as well be the adrenaline to do it.

"Fine then. I accept your terms." Dori decided, "But I would like to know the proper location and who will be observing us." Gran Dorma looked back at Dori, then to Siegrain, who continued to look down at Dori with an intrigued look.


Later on, Dori and Makarov stood in the hallway of the Magic Council building, with Dori having one of her communication lacrima, talking to Leon, who gathered with Pastry and the rest of Team Natsu at the guild hall under construction. They were waiting for Palva to be returned to them, so Dori filled in her comrades of what transpired.

"You're kidding me?! Only three day?!" Pastry demanded, hearing the time limit.

"Well, at least it's better than straight up killing her or a life sentence." Leon pointed out.

"Yeah, but that barely gives us any time to help Palva find a cure." Lucy muttered in worry, "If Natsu doesn't figure out how to help her control her magic without that lance, then it's all over for her."

"Then it's a good thing I promised to help her, and I intend to keep it!" the Fire Dragon Slayer stated, punching a fist into his hand, "She's a good kid, and a member of Fairy Tail. No way am I gonna let her or any of you guys down!"

"So who's this examiner from the Magic Council, Gramps?" Gray asked suspiciously.

"They decided on having Siegrain watching us." Makarov answered.

"Siegrain?!" Erza gasped, shocked at the choice, "But why would he…"

"He was actually eager to take that position." Dori explained, looking to Erza's reaction, "Is he someone we should worry about, Erza?"

"N-No…" Erza answered, giving a slight glare as she followed, "He's just…someone we shouldn't put our full trust into. He is one of the Ten Mage Saints, as well as someone who has supported Fairy Tail. Even so… If he is interested in Palva, he must have his reason behind it." Based on her warning, Dori could feel that she had some sort of personal reason behind her cautious behavior towards Siegrain.

Just then, Makarov and Dori heard some footsteps coming down the hallway, and they turned to see Yajima and a worried Palva walking with him, her wrists in handcuffs, and her lance held in both hands. She looked up to see her sister waiting for her. "Sis!" she cried, rushing over to her. Dori dropped the communication lacrima, causing it to shut off and for Makarov to fumble to catch it, and wrapped her arms around her sister.

"It's gonna be okay, Palva. Your sister's got your back." Dori reassured her.

"I…I heard everything from Yajima about what you did." Palva sobbed, "I know you did your best, but can we really figure out a way for me to be free from this curse in only three days?"

"We have to." her sister answered, pulling her back and kneeling down to her level, "I promise you that Natsu and I will do everything we can to make sure you won't be locked up again."

"I thank you for guiding her here, Yaj." Makarov thanked the Magic Council member.

"It wasn't a bother, Maki." Yajima answered, looking to Palva and Dori, "Truth be told, I can tell that the child is merely a victim of her own magic. If it were my choice, I would give her all the support I could give to help cure her of her condition. However, the Magic Council is not so easily swayed."

"Still, I was glad you were able to help support us with Phantom Lord's assault." Makarov stated, "The guild is to be disbanded, and José is to be stripped of his rank as one of the ten mage saints. Pretty much what I expected. But to think you swayed the rest of the council for making Fairy Tail innocent."

"Considering the facts and eye-witnesses, I was only partially involved with proving your guild not guilty. Still, I glad you appreciate the support I gave." Yajima stated, "But now you have another difficult challenge ahead of you; proving Palva's innocence and relieving her of her curse." Makarov frowned in agreement.

"I take it you two are close to one another?" Dori asked as she and Palva approached them.

"I was once a member of Fairy Tail back in the old day." Yajima answered, "Me, Makarov, Porlyusica and Rob were quite a group of reckless fools back then. But we lived every day to the fullest."

"We sure did." Makarov agreed, looking down solemnly, "Fairy Tail was a great place to be until Rob left us." The Himeka sisters looked to one another. They knew Porlyusica based on what Leon told them. However, they heard nothing about Rob before now.

"What happened to him?" Palva asked, hesitantly.

Makarov looked to her, then to Dori. For a moment, he didn't answer. Then he answered, "We're not too sure. Erza knew him in his later years, and he gave his life to protect her." The sisters looked startled at this, and felt guilty for asking. Still, they didn't expect the connection between him and Erza to pop up.

"I'm sorry…" Palva apologized.

"Do not fret, my child. Rob may have passed on, but his will still lives on in Fairy Tail." Yajima assured her, "Still, you should prepare yourself for the next three days. It will test your resolve on staying alive. I'll keep an eye on the situation from a distance, supporting you all the way."

"Thank you, Mr. Yajima." Dori thanked him, bowing down to him, "We'll need all the support we can get right now. I just hope three days is enough." The Himeka sisters both looked worried at these last words. Was it really gonna be enough? (Flashback ends)


Dori had just finished the last of her coffee before continuing to write, "Palva was gonna be escorted to the place where we were to start her training tomorrow; the Fiore Badlands, located east of Mt. Hakobe, and north of the East Forest. The rocky terrain and lack of greenery or nurturing soil made it rather inhospitable for any towns or villages to settle at. The occasional nomads would pass by, but otherwise, it was deserted. The perfect place for destructive practice."

"Master Makarov and I went back to explain the situation to the guild. Natsu eagerly stepped forward, declaring his vow to save Palva. Happy also stated he would come to cheer them all the way."

"Leon and Pastry also stated that they would come and observe, hoping to help out any way they could. Considering they were with me and my sister all this time, I did kinda expected this."

"The one person I didn't expect to join us was Erza. She decided to help out in order to make sure Palva stayed safe, but I bet it was more due to keeping an eye on Siegrain. He did seem rather suspicious, so I wasn't one to complain. Still, what was her connection with that guy?"

"Anyways, we arrived at the Badlands the next day, going to where we were told was the base camp…"


(Flashback) "According to the map, the campsite should be nearby." Dori explained, holding the map as she led Natsu, Erza, Leon, Happy and Pastry through a ravine.

"Remind me again why they sent Palva and I all the way out here in the first place?" Natsu questioned in a nonchalant manner.

"It's because of the destructiveness of your guys' magic, Natsu." Leon pointed out, "From the stories I've heard about you, it seems like you've managed to destroy all manner of buildings, towns, and even a mountain or two. And most of the time it's by accident."

"Aye! We're the strongest there is!" Happy declared eagerly. "Not exactly something to be proud of." Pastry noted with a sweat-dropped expression.

"It's a shame Gray and Lucy didn't come along this time." Leon continued, "It feels weird not having our two teams together."

"True, but the two ended up going on a mission to stopping some bandits." Erza responded, "Considering we weren't with them, I requested the members to team Shadowgear to go join them. Hopefully they'll do a good job together."


Elsewhere, in Fort Term…

While Juvia was secretly watching from the outside, Lucy and Taurus were cleaning up the bandits that were inside. "That was great! Just look at you go!" Lucy cheered, giving a lovesick Taurus a high-five.

"Moo! You got some moves of your own!" Taurus replied, seeing Lucy's chest move from jumping up reach Taurus's hand.

"Just who do these guys steal from? Old ladies and kids?" Gray asked, shoving one of the bandits' heads down with his foot.

"They don't seem to put up much of a fight." Levy pointed out, using her Solid Script magic to slam the word 'Stone' onto a bunch of bandits, putting them under rubble.

"Hey, Levy! We just took care of six bandits down below!" Jet called out as he and Troy joined up with them on the upper floor.

"That all? We took about thirty of them up here." Gray pointed out, getting distraught looks from them, "What the heck were you doing down there? Fooling around?"

"But…we were fighting as hard as we could…" the two men moaned in despair, causing Levy to look sympathetic towards them.

"At least they've proven just how strong they were." Lucy muttered, with Taurus flexing his muscles to display his strength. She looked to him, seeing what he was trying to prove, and sent him back through the gate again, sighing in relief.


Back with Dori and Natsu's team

"…I'm sure they're fine." Leon assured them, "Gray's strong, and Lucy can hold her own."

"Yeah, they're probably helping Jet and Troy out as hard as they can." Happy smugly added.

"Yeah? I don't remember them being that hopeless." Pastry pointed out, then thinking, 'Although they might not be the same as I remember.'

The team finally made it to where the campsite was. There was a wide open part within the ravine, where about a six or seven Rune Knights have gathered around a set of white tents. Palva and Siegrain were with them, with Siegrain speaking to Palva about a few things.

Palva turned to see her friends, and smiled in a relieved manner as she raced over to them, with the blue-haired Council member watch them come, specifically Erza, who stopped and glared at him suspiciously.

"I'm so glad to see you here, Natsu!" Palva stated eagerly, stopping herself in front of him, "Let's get started right away!"

"Sure thing, Palva!" Natsu answered, giving her a thumbs up.

"Just a moment." Siegrain stopped them, approaching the group, "Before we begin, I want to make sure that all of you know the ground rules we, the Magic Council made. For example, we made sure that Rune Knights are not only watching you here, but that there are some stationed around the ravine and at both ends. Any attempt of leaving cannot be allowed unless approved by me."

"And you're sure you'll treat us fair?" Erza asked, approaching him with a cautious glare.

"Of course. I wouldn't dare imprison all of you here." Siegrain answered with a sly grin, closing his eyes, "This is mainly for your warning that Palva is not allowed outside this ravine at any time. Also, any attempts of hostility towards the Rune Knights will be returned with force." He opened them, looking at Palva, "This is all a precautionary measure while you are training with Natsu Dragneel. We can't have you leaving freely when you aren't cured of your curse."

"Trust me, pal! Palva will walk out of here a free girl!" Natsu declared angrily, "And when she does, you guys better be sorry for locking her up in the first place!"

"Natsu…" Palva muttered, looking up at him. In truth, being imprisoned inside the Magic Council cells wasn't hard, but it did give her claustrophobia after a while. She hated being stuck in there, not sure of what would happen the next day, the next hour, the next minute. When they took her out, it was only to do tests on her to see the proof behind her condition. Some of the tests were mainly her using her magic power and demonstrating her control. Others…well, they had some painful results.

"In that case, I'll leave everything else to you, Dragneel." Siegrain stated, turning and walking away, "I am merely here as an observer."

As he left, Pastry looked to Leon, and saw the surprised look on his face. "What is it?" he asked, getting his attention.

"Nothing. It's just…" Leon answered, looking at Leon as he left, "I can't help but feel like I've seen him before. And for some reason…I feel relieved to see him."

Dori and the others looked to him, surprised. "Are you sure?" Erza asked, confused.

"Maybe he is linked to your past." Dori figured. "Maybe…" Leon answered absentmindedly.

"Well, whatever." Natsu shrugged it off, "Come on, Palva. Let's get to some training!"

"You got it!" Palva answered, and the two rushed off, leaving the rest of the crew watching.

"You can do it, Natsu!" Happy cheered. "I just hope Natsu's the key to solving this mystery." Dori added, her hands folded in prayer, "Please, Natsu. You're my only hope."

"Okay, Palva. Let's see how well you control your flames." Natsu started, turning to her and holding out a fist, igniting it in flames.

"Oh, right." Palva answered, holding her lance in one hand. She raised a fist, and ignited it into flames.

"Great! I guess that's a start!" Natsu stated with a grin.

"Thing is, I don't really use my fists at all in battle." Palva pointed out, getting a "Say what?!" from Natsu, "If I use my hands for anything, it's to channel flames into my lance, using it to unleash my attacks."

"I didn't realize you could do that!" Natsu pointed out, amazed.

"You didn't think I lived my life in fear of my uncontrollable flames, and not try to learn every way of controlling them?" Palva asked, "Thing is, when it comes to flame control with my lance, it's pretty darn easy. I can even control the flames of other with my skills."

"Huh… You mean like that fire guy we fought in Phantom Lord?" Natsu asked, recalling his appearance, "What was the guy's name? Tot Mar or something?"

"Totomaru, and yes." Palva corrected, "Although, to be frank, if I had used the full might of my flame control, I could easily trump his skill."

"Hey, that's pretty cool!" Natsu stated happily, "You should teach me how to control my flames better!"

"You're the one who's suppose to do that with me, right now!" Palva barked angrily, "Did you forget why we're set up here in the first place?!"

"Oh, right." Natsu chuckled, "Well then, let's get started!" Palva sighed at his ignorance at the situation for the moment, but nodded in understanding. (Flashback Ends)


"For the rest of the day, Palva demonstrated her skills in controlling her flames with her lance on-hand. It was even impressing Natsu, who did his best to teach her some of his ways he was taught by Igneel. However, when she wasn't holding onto the lance, she would start combusting within the next few seconds, and she couldn't contain them inside her body. Natsu was definitely confused as to why this was happening, and continued to try and help her until night fell, when they were both exhausted from using their magic and stamina."


(Flashback) Natsu and Palva were out like a pair of logs, flat on their backs in the middle of the large field, which had been charred in certain places from their practicing.

"Didn't seem like Natsu was able to do anything to help Palva out so far." Dori muttered, worried.

"And they wore themselves out from training so hard." Happy added, also worried.

"It's still the first day. I wouldn't be too worried about it." Erza assured, patting her shoulder, "Still, we only have two more days for Natsu to help Palva out. He may act hotheaded, but when push comes to shove, his mind works at incredible speeds."

"I've seen that first-hand." Dori noted, reminding herself of the battles they had been a part of, "I know he has yet to show his true strength to me. I know, one of these days, he will show me that power and wit he had deep within him." Erza nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Leon was watching the amphibious council member finish writing down the results of today's training on paper for records to the Magic Council. He concentrated, making sure everything they said was true and complete.

"There's no need to keep watching." said Siegrain, approaching Leon from behind, "I promise you, we won't forge any lies nor leave any details unannounced."

"You can't be too careful. Authoritative figures like yourselves can sometimes bend the truth to your own benefit." Leon pointed out, looking to his fellow blue-haired man, "Since Palva, Dori and I have been fighting against the Empire's soldiers for quite some time, you can forgive me if I don't fully trust you guys until we're certain you are just and true."

"Fair point." Siegrain understood, looking towards where the two Dragon Slayers are at, "Although, I can tell you I did honestly want to be the viewer of this due to my interests in both Palva and Natsu Dragneel. The fact that two Dragon Slayers wielding the same element of magic is unprecedented, and yet their two magics are different from one another. One possesses hidden potential that is waiting to be unleashed, while the other can't control what she already has."

"It's almost like the two need to gain what the other lacks, right?" Leon asked, leaning against the post of the tent and folding his arms in front of him, "I guess when you put it that way, it makes Natsu an even more important asset to helping Palva out." Siegrain smirked at his statement, but didn't say anything in response.

Leon looked at the Council member once more, focusing on him enough to get his attention. "Is there something else that's bothering you?" Siegrain asked.

"A few things." Leon answered, "However, I gotta ask…have we met before?"

Siegrain looked to him curiously, wondering. Finally, he answered, "Sorry. We have not met at all. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing." Leon answered, turning away, "Just gotta a sense of deja vu since I saw you. I get this feeling of…content, ever since I saw you."

"Content?" Siegrain asked, now more curious.

"Yeah. Don't ask me why." Leon answered, walking away, "After all, I'm still trying to figure out who the heck I was long ago." Siegrain raised an eyebrow. He didn't believe that this guy was as important as the Himeka sisters, and yet he was intrigued. He didn't know his past, and yet he felt like he and him have met. But that was impossible. After all…

"I got it!" Palva shouted, suddenly awake from out of nowhere, startling most of the people around him, except for Natsu, who was snoring loudly.

"Palva, what is it?!" Dori asked, surprised at her sudden awake state.

"I have an idea on how to get my flames under control!" the female Dragon Slayer announced, rising to her feet, "I remember that Totomaru guy using Blue Flames, which were cold, so they wouldn't burn. I remember reading about different kinds of flames that can be controlled and even not burn stuff like my flames do." she turned specifically to Erza as she asked, "Does anyone have that kind of control over their flames like that besides Totomaru?"

"Well, apart from Natsu… There is Macao Conbolt. He uses Purple Flare magic." Erza recalled, "And he is able to control flames quite well, and from what I know, he can even perform tricks like picking up objects and binding people with his flames without burning them."

"It is a simpler magic than Dragon Slayer magic, but it is worth a shot." Dori responded, "Let's call him here tomorrow morning."

"It's night?" Palva asked, looking up, "Jeez, I didn't know!" And with that, she plopped back onto the ground, and started falling asleep again, much to the teams bemusement.

"She is more like Natsu than anything." Erza muttered. "I begin to wonder if it's just a Dragon Slayer trait?" Dori questioned, getting an 'aye' in agreement from Happy.


The next day, Erza and Leon went and came back with Macao from Fairy Tail. Romeo was also brought along, requested by the child himself, wanting to support Palva since she was the youngest mage of Fairy Tail, apart from the cats. The Dragon Slayers explained to Macao what Palva's idea was about dealing with her magic.

"Well, Macao? Do you think you can help her out?" Natsu asked.

"It is possible." Macao answered, turning to Palva, "I can teach you some tricks to making your flames not burn stuff. Here, let me show you…" With his fingertip, Macao summoned a stream of purple flames out, which swerved and slithered across the air like a snake, heading towards a rock the size of a beach ball. It coiled itself around the rock, and lifted it off the ground, carrying itself to Palva, where she caught it in her hands. The areas where the flames held the rock were warm, but not enough to burn something badly.

"See that? That's how you use Purple Flare magic." Macao stated with a grin.

"Think you can pull something like that off, Palva?" Natsu asked the younger pink-haired girl.

"I have to try. If I can't control them at the moment, I can at least control them enough to prevent burning stuff." Palva stated, looking at the rock, "I have to do this. I have to…"

For the next few hours, Macao instructed Palva how to go through with the plan. Her Dragon Slayer magic was powerful, and she had excellent control with it while holding the lance, but the temperature was something she needed help with. It was difficult to accomplish, and Natsu's attempt to do the same thing were…less than successful. Nevertheless, Palva was determined, and placed all her self into trying to attempt and move rocks without burning them too badly.

Natsu was panting, and went back to a fireplace that was built by Dori so that he could replenish his magic, with Leon, Erza and Dori standing right next to him. The two cats were with Romeo, making sure they would keep an eye on him. The former group watched as Palva surrounded a rock in a stream of flames, picking it up, and bringing it towards her. They could see a slight singing around the rock, indicating she had failed once again.

"She's really trying hard, isn't she?" Leon asked. "She at least reached the stage of bringing it to her instead of breaking the rock altogether." Dori noted.

"I don't get it. How come Palva doesn't seem to be losing her magic as quickly as me?" Natsu asked, chewing on fire from a piece of wood like it was cotton candy.

"It's not that she's losing as much. It's that she's recovering her magic much quicker than you." Dori corrected, "In fact, I'd say she recovers her magic faster than any person I know, and it's all thanks to the Dragonic Fang."

"Huh?" Natsu questioned. "Isn't that lance just a way to suppress her magic?" Erza questioned Dori.

"Yeah, but it's more than that." Dori answered, turning to see Palva trying another go in getting a rock, "I haven't studied it enough because she is required to hold onto it at all times, but from what I can gather, the Dragonic Fang not only restrains her magic, but she recovers her magic energy at a speed much quicker than any normal mage."

"Seriously?" Natsu questioned in amazement. "I've never even heard of such a weapon before." Erza noted.

"Neither have I when I first met them." Leon added, "As far as I know, there is no other magical weapon like it. It is unique, and it is powerful." Erza and Natsu were both amazed at this new info, but looked at the sound of Palva crying out in frustration after leaving another burnt ring around the rock she was carrying.

"This is so hard!" Palva barked, "How can I bring that rock over without burning it?!"

"You just don't know how to make your flames not burn." Macao told her, "Remember, in order to bring that rock over without burning it, you must change the properties of your flames. Make it so you won't burn when you touch them."

Palva calmed herself down after her rant, and took a deep breath. "Okay, I'll try!" she declared. She thrust a palm out, and a stream of flames came out of it. It went to another rock the same size as the ones she had been getting, carefully wrapping the flames like a snake coiling itself around a large egg.

"That's it. Now remember to change the property of your fire." Macao reminded. Palva breathed heavily, concentrating as she mentally changed her flames, concentrating on them becoming less hot. All she wanted to do was bring in the rock without burning it. Slowly, she picked up the piece of rock with her flames, reeling it in like a tow-cable. She was sweating, but held firm to her concentration as she pulled it in inches away from her, and she dropped it onto the ground next to the remains of her failed attempts. She recoiled the fire, and looked at the rock. Although it had a couple burnt spots, most of the parts her flame touched weren't singed.

"There you go!" Macao cheered. "Well, I did burn it in a couple places, but it was at least much better than the others." Palva noted, "I got the feeling down, I just need to do it a few more times before I got it absolutely right!"

"Looks like she's making progress now!" Pastry pointed out eagerly.

"Yeah! It's all thanks to my father helping her out!" Romeo cheered, "I'm so proud of him!"

"He may not got anything against Natsu's powerful flames, but he's definitely helping Palva!" Happy added.

For the time afterwards, Palva was able to start bringing rocks over without burning them badly. In fact, they progressed to doing things like holding up a rock for a minute, wind her flames around pillars, and even pick up other items and even people and bring them closer to her. They kept this up until they noticed that the sun was starting to fall on them.

"I gotta say, you're a real natural for this." Macao stated as Palva tried another technique with her stream of flames, which she dubbed 'Fire Dragon's Whip', to reel herself on top of a pillar, "I never imagined you could master that magic so easily."

"After all the training I've done to try mastering the control over my flames before, I pretty much became quickly adaptive in learning new skills with my flames." Palva stated, climbing up the pillar while using the whip of flames like a grappling hook.

"Oh, man! How come I can't do that?!" barked Natsu's voice, and the two Fire mages looked to see him trying to do the same Fire Dragon's Whip as Palva, only his flames pretty much burnt the area his flames bound around, causing it to crumble.

"You do know you can just climb up there without that trick?" Dori muttered with a quizzical look, "Seriously, your physically stronger than my sister. She just has better control over her fire than you."

Palva reached the top of the pillar, diminishing her flames as she reached the top. "I wonder…now that I have control over the power of my fire's temperature, I should try doing them without my lance."

She threw down her lance towards the bottom of the pillar, near where Macao was at. The sight of this drew everyone's attention, including Siegrain. Was she really gonna try again?

Concentrating, Palva closed her eyes as she felt the flames starting to unleash outside her body. She mentally focused on her flames, manipulating the temperature as they started to emanate all around her. Happy and Pastry took to the sky, watching her and where she was standing. All around her, the fire was blazing harder and harder, but the ground was, for a moment, unburnt.

"So far so good." Pastry said with a grin. "She's not burning it!" Happy cried out, getting pleasing looks from some of the people. Natsu smirked as well at this, but then, he felt something. He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew something was gonna go wrong.

Suddenly, Palva's body bursted with an intense flame, and her eyes snapped open as the pillar below her broke apart and crumble, causing her to fall. Palva suddenly roared in rage as she felt the flames consuming her. The crumbling pillar around her not only get scorched, but even melt, causing Macao to run for his life before being hit by the molten rock.

"What happened?!" Romeo questioned in shock. "Her flames are out of control!" Erza gasped.

"Natsu, get Palva her lance back!" Dori shouted, terrified at the condition of her sister.

"I'm on it!" Natsu barked back, already racing towards her as she fell. He dodged the molten rock as it hit the ground, now in a liquidized form. Her lance was almost met with similar molten rock had Natsu not grabbed it, burning his shoulder in the process. Wincing, he turned as Palva looked down as she fell, and Natsu clearly saw the rage emanating from her eyes. Shocked for a moment, he shook it off, and threw the lance at her in a spin. She wasn't able to catch it in her blind rage, but the lance's grip hit her in the elbow, giving her physical contact. Her eyes suddenly died in rage, and the flames around her died down. She went limp as she fell, but Natsu caught her, pulling her out of the way of the remaining molten rock. He skid to a halt, looking down at Palva, who laid across her lance, breathing heavily.

"Natsu!" Dori cried as the Fairy Tail crew rushed to them. Siegrain sat in his chair, narrowing his eyes at the sight he had just witnessed. Others around him were more petrified than anything.

"We're okay." Natsu assured them, hearing Palva moan as she was coming around. Natsu looked to see her raise her head, realizing where she was at.

"What…happened?" she muttered, feeling the discomfort for laying on her lance.

"That's what we want to know." Leon answered, concerned for her condition. "One moment, you were doing fine. The next, you literally exploded."

"Do you have any idea what had happened?" Erza asked Natsu as she settled Palva down.

"Not sure. But I did feel something was off before she went into a rage." he answered, "I don't know what the hell it was, but it wasn't normal…" He looked down at Palva, who had noticed what she had done. The area where the pillar stood was now melted away from the molten rock, leaving nothing but a black mass of charred rock on the ground.

"But why?" a petrified Palva questioned, stepping back from everyone, "I was so sure I had it. Why was it worse that before?" She stumbled and fell on her butt, unable to comprehend what she had done, only knowing it was even worse than before. All the others could do was look at her, worried about her state.


Late that night, everyone was awake, too concerned about Palva to fall asleep. Macao and Romeo left to go back to the guild, the former having already done everything he could to help Palva. Erza and Dori were with Siegrain right now, summing up based on each party what had happened.

"It seems like that the manipulation of the temperature of her flames didn't help in the slightest." Siegrain summed up, "In fact, it as if the more she tried to prevent the flames from burning, the more they fought back, causing the explosion that we saw."

"I never saw her take such a radical change to the temperature of her flames and her emotions like that before." Dori muttered, "I can't understand what caused this. It's a new piece of evidence, but it just makes things more confusing."

"I don't suppose you have any ideas you are hiding from us to answer why she is like this?" Erza questioned Siegrain with a stern tone.

Siegrain merely smirked as he answered, "I wouldn't hold anything behind you that would ruin the lives of your guild, Erza. However, there is one idea that does come to mind. There is a possible chance a second party is manipulating her flames on the inside."

"Are you saying something inside her is causing this?" Erza questioned in surprise.

"That's impossible." Dori retorted, "I was with her when she was born, and her magic was like this from the very beginning. In fact, it caused internal damage to my mother the moment her magic came into being. It didn't kill her, but it did cripple her until she died from that accident."

"Accident?" Erza asked, "You mean when Palva accidentally killed your parents?" She was told of this by the others who heard it from Dori and Palva.

"Not just them. The entire village we grew up." Dori answered, "She was only two years old when it happened. My father sacrificed himself to save her from herself. He made me promise to not be angry at my sister for that, but to protect her at all cost. It didn't stop my hatred for her for a while, but overtime, I realized she was not to blame. She was just as much of a victim to it all as I was. I can't blame her for that."

"I do sympathize for Palva Himeka's situation." Siegrain stated, getting a disbelieving look from both Erza and Dori, "As much as I would like to help her even further, I cannot sway the Magic Council to give her more time. If the solution to helping her control her magic isn't solved by tomorrow night, then it's all over. She will either be turned to the Alvarez Empire, or at the worst, be executed."

The two red-headed mages were fully aware of the consequences, but that didn't stop the pain of the truth. They were running out of time, fast. And what's worse, they were even further from helping Palva than before.

Meanwhile, Palva was sitting on the ridge of the canyon, her legs dangling over, and her lance in her lap. She was spacing out, recalling the incident that had happened that afternoon.

"You doin' okay, Palva?" said a voice. Natsu had just flown up with Happy carrying him.

"We came to check to see if you were okay!" Happy told her with a chipper voice.

"Hey, guys." Palva muttered half-heartedly, as the two landed on the ridge next to her, "Sorry. I just…needed some time alone."

Natsu sat down next to Palva, with Happy sitting right next to him on the far side of Palva. "Man, I thought Macao would've surely helped you out at least a little bit better." Natsu sighed, "Guess we'll have to train extra hard tomorrow to find out what's causin' your flames to go crazy."

Before he finished his statement, he heard stifled sobs from Palva. Turning to her, he saw Palva was pouring with tears, dripping into her lap. "Natsu…I'm scared…" she sobbed, "I…I…I just can't see any way of coming out of this. We couldn't get my flames under control today, but made them worse. No matter what I try, I'm constantly ending up at a dead end. If thirteen years of figuring out my problem hasn't helped, then what's one day gonna do to change that?"

"Don't say crap like that!" Natsu retorted, "One day is all it takes to change something for the better, and you better believe tomorrow's your day. I'll make sure it is. So don't go giving up on me."

Palva raised an arm, wiping away her eyes, but her tears still flowed. "Thank you, Natsu." she thanked him, "I apologize. It's just…I'm scared. I'm scared of dying. I'm scared of not succeeding tomorrow. I want to believe I can, but…" She couldn't finish her sentence after that, her eyes still filled with tears from worry and despair.

Natsu looked at her for a moment. He hate to see her in such despair. He hate to see her in tears. He had lost his father, but she lost way more than that. He had to help her in some way. However, he knew thinking was not his best quality, though he hates to admit it. No matter how much he wracked his brains yesterday and today, he had no way of knowing how to help Palva.

"Let's go, Happy." Natsu ordered, "We should give her some space." "Aye." the blue cat answered, sprouting his wings and carrying Natsu off. Palva watched them leave, then looked down, returning to her thoughts once more. Natsu looked back as they descended back to the campsite, his eyes narrowed. What had Palva not tried? What had Dori not tried to help her? What was one thing that they had never done before that could help Palva?

That night, Natsu only came up to one idea. One idea that a loving sister could not do to her younger sister. It was gonna be hard, but he knew there was no other choice. He had to help Palva, and he was the only one who could do it.


The next morning, after they finished their breakfast, Natsu had Palva join with him in the middle of the opening, away from the others.

"Looks like Natsu has a plan." Pastry noticed.

"Aye. It's the first time I ever saw Natsu think so hard throughout the night." Happy explained, "He said he had an idea, but he wasn't gonna tell anyone about it."

"Well, right now, we're getting desperate." Leon noted, "If Natsu has something, then we might as well hope it's a good one." Erza and Dori stood nearby the tent of Siegrain's projection, who sat, eyeing the Dragon Slayers as they were preparing themselves for something.

"So what are we gonna do today?" Palva asked Natsu, her tone showing a bit of hopelessness that whatever he was gonna do, it wouldn't work.

"Before we start, I wanna see your lance for a moment, okay?" Natsu ordered, raising a hand to her.

Palva was confused, not sure what he wanted to see her Dragonic Fang for. However, she guessed he had a good reason, and held out the lance to him. He took it off of her, and without warning, threw the lance behind him, slamming it point-first into the pillar far behind him. Palva was shocked, as was everyone else.

"Natsu, what are you-?!" Palva started, but she was stopped by Natsu igniting his fist into flames, and punching her away from him.

"Natsu!" Dori shouted. "What are you doing?!" Erza demanded, "This is reckless!"

"Give her back her lance, Natsu!" Leon ordered as Palva rose to her feet, massaging the part of her face he punched.

"Wha-what are you doing, Natsu?!" Palva questioned, shocked at his abrupt assault.

"If you wanna get to your lance, you're gonna have to go through me!" Natsu barked at her, his face serious and his fists ignited, "I'm tired of goin' easy on you, Palva. Show me what you got, right here, right now!"

"This is insane!" Pastry gasped, turning to Happy, "Can't you stop him? He's your best friend!"

"I don't think he's gonna stop." Happy answered, "Besides, I'd rather not get in the middle of that fight unless you like the smell of burnt cat fur."

Palva was really scared now. Natsu was literally keeping her away from her lance, and not allowing her to have it without a fight. He didn't want to fight him, but she could feel the flames around her starting to come out, unable to contain themselves.

"What's the matter? You scared?!" Natsu demanded, taking a leaping charge and raising a fist at her. Palva crossed her arms and blocked the punch, but got sent flying in the process.

"Why are you doing this, Natsu?!" Palva questioned, skidding to a halt, "I don't want to fight you!"

"Why not? I'm a Fire Dragon Slayer, just like you!" Natsu barked back, giving a demonic grin, "So you can't hurt me with those flimsy flames of yours. Come at me, Palva! Don't hold back!" Siegrain raised his eyebrows, starting to see what Natsu was planning.

He charged at her again with another leaping Fire Dragon's Iron Fist. Palva, realizing he was egging her to fight back, decided there was no choice but to show the danger she possessed. She ignited her foot in flames, and unleashed a Fire Dragon's Talon to counter his fist, creating a burning explosion between the two.

"She's really fighting back!" Leon stated.

"Natsu's going way too far with this!" Dori growled, "I'm getting her lance for her!"

She was about to take off to where the lance was when Siegrain called out, "Hold on!" She stopped and turned to him as he stepped forward. "I think we should allow this to happen. Do not interfere with their fight."

"Are you insane?!" Dori demanded. "What are you getting at here, Siegrain?!" Erza hissed angrily.

"Think about it. They are both Fire Dragon Slayers, so their magic won't hurt one another that badly." the blue-haired Council member stated, "What's more, Natsu Dragneel might be onto something. He's planning to draw out the full extent of Palva's magic, and see if that doesn't draw out what's causing her instability."

As Palva unleashed a Fire Dragon's Pounce at Natsu, who took the hit, Dori pointed out, "But Natsu looks like he'll break her before she reaches that point! And if she doesn't, she could cause major devastation if this keeps going!"

"That's exactly why I want this to continue." Siegrain retorted, surprising Dori and Erza, "Being that you are her sister, and a loving one, you don't want Palva to go to far with her magic. Natsu's doing the one thing you won't do. He intends to push her to unleash her magic until she breaks, and that's when he'll discover the truth about her magic."

Dori was startled at this plan. It was true that she never tested the limits of her sister's magic. In truth, she was afraid of her sister hurting herself because of it. Natsu wants the complete opposite, but he also does this because he cares for Palva. He wants to help Palva, no matter what. And he really meant 'no matter what'.

"Fire Dragon's Sword-Horn!" Natsu shouted, charging at her with a blazing headbutt. "Fire Dragon's Sword-Horn!" Palva retorted, unleashing a similar attack. They came at one another, and the collision they made caused the ground to explode from the flames. Palva was sent flying harder than Natsu, due to the difference in weight. She glared at Natsu, her flames fully encasing her body.

The male Dragon Slayer looked up to see her shout, "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Talon!", unleashing a stream of flames from her foot that curved to Natsu, hitting him in another fiery explosion. The team was shocked at the damage, but saw Natsu whip his arms out, grinning at Palva.

"Oh, yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about!" he declared, landing on the ground and leaping at her, his arms encased in flames, "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" He swung his arms forward, unleashing a stream of flames as they collided with Palva, creating an explosion equally as devastating as her Brilliant Talon. And just like her attack, she came out of it without too much trouble, only her body emanating with more flames than before.

"I don't know what you're planning Natsu, but I can't stop myself from fighting you!" Palva barked, "Don't apologize if I actually hurt you! Fire Dragon's Roar!" She unleashed a blast of flames from her mouth. Natsu pushed himself upwards with a frog leap, dodging the attack and reaching a high point.

"Don't worry about me! I'm all fired up, already!" Natsu barked, inhaling deeply, and unleashing his own Dragon Roar attack, coming down at Palva. She took a leap back, dodging the attack as it exploded on the ground she stood. She skidded to a halt, and unleashed another Fire Dragon's Pounce to come at Natsu. She unleashed another Fire Dragon's Talon, to which Natsu countered with his Fire Dragon's Iron Fist. With their flames at a new intensity than their last collision of similar attack, the explosion caused shockwaves to reach the rest of the group.

"This match is intense!" Pastry stated in shock as he and Happy held onto each of Leon's shoulders to endure the shockwave.

"I'll say. Natsu has incredible tenacity, combat skills, and is physically stronger than Palva." Leon stated, watching Natsu push Palva away in the air, only for her to spin around and come in with a double kick that sent him back to the ground, "Only Palva has the combat skills of a dragoon, and has more powerful flames than Natsu. That said, this fight is so powerful, I can't really declare a winner."

Palva watched as Natsu instantly got back up onto his feet, creating intense flames in his hand, and placing them together. "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" Natsu roared, unleashing a powerful ball of flames up at Palva, who took the hit, creating an explosion. Palva came flying back down to the ground in a smoke trail, falling hard onto her back.

"I really, REALLY hope Natsu doesn't cause too much damage to her!" Dori stated, "If he does, then I'm gonna pummel him for putting her through all this!"

"I'm sure Natsu does know what he's doing." Erza stated, "They're hitting each other with intense magic, but neither one of them is getting burnt. I hate to say it, but Siegrain might be onto something with this fight." She turned to the said Council member, who was too focused on the battle as Palva got back up and came at Natsu again, who charged right back at her.

"A battle between two Dragon Slayers of the same element." he stated, watching Palva trade kicks with Natsu's fists, "This has never happened before in our kingdom. I am very intrigued to see just how far they will go, and what the results would be from this fight."

Palva got knocked back once again by Natsu due to the difference in physical strength. She tumbled along the ground until she caught herself on her feet, skidding to a halt. She then glared fiercely at Natsu as she stood back up. She then unleashed a roar that caused the flames to erupt around her.

"Crap, she losing her sanity!" Dori stated.

"Looks like Palva's all fired up, too!" Natsu stated, glaring at her, "Time to go all out!" He launched himself at Palva, who charged right at him in retaliation, unleashing flames from her feet that burned the ground she was running on. When they got close, she flipped over and kicked Natsu in the face, making him recoil. He regained himself and punched Palva in the gut right back, making her recoil in pain. They kept punching and kicking one another, neither side giving an inch to one another, but the same couldn't be said for the ground and nearby pillars that were starting to be affected by the heat.

"So hot!" Happy cried, sweating up a storm.

Leon, who went into his Flame Emperor Armor to provide better heat protection, muttered, "They're fire is so intense, it really could burn the entire place down!"

Just then, Palva grabbed ahold of Natsu around the waist, and used Fire Dragon's Pounce to bring the two of them into the air. "GET READY TO FALL!" Palva roared at Natsu, and she let go of him and unleashed a fiery drop kick on him. He caught her foot, and spun her around, sending her to the ground hard first.

"Fire Dragon's Whip!" Palva roared, unleashing a burning stream of flames from her palm, grabbing Natsu around the throat, gagging him and pulling him down with her. Both Dragon Slayers hit the ground hard, causing craters to form from the impact. All viewers were concerned and worried about the two battlers, hoping they were fine.

After several seconds, Natsu rose back up, shaking and coughing as he rubbed his throat. "Dang, Palva. You really are trying to kill me, aren't you?" he moaned, looking up to see Palva rise back up in a burst of flames. She looked ferociously at Natsu, with eyes glowing red in rage. At this, Natsu realized that something was really off about her right now. It was similar to what he felt yesterday when she attempted to control her flames.

His nostrils flared as he sniffed at Palva from a distance, who roared as she charged at Natsu once more, shouting, "I'LL KILL YOU, NATSU DRAGNEEL!" She unleashed a Fire Dragon's Roar, and Natsu took the attack by the palm of his hands, being pushed back by the intense flames in the process.

"Natsu!" Dori cried out. "I never seen Natsu struggle against flames like this before!" Erza recalled, "What could this mean?"

Natsu split the attack apart with his hands, looking surprised at Palva for a second, then glaring at her as she stood there, growling with gritted teeth and red eyes. "What the hell is this?" he questioned, looking at his opponent.

"Natsu, what are you doing?!" Leon demanded, with the two cats behind him.

Natsu didn't answer, but looked at Palva as he stood his ground against the intensity of her flames. Finally, he demanded a question that was startling to the group around him.

"Tell me, who are you? And why are you in Palva's body?"

Palva didn't answer, but after a few seconds, she grinned maliciously. It was a fearful grin, and one that showed that Palva was not in control now. Someone else was controlling Palva at this point.


Sorry for the long wait, guys. IRL is a pain, and so is the lack of influence to working on the story constantly. Still, I was able to beat myself mentally into doing this chapter, and it took a lot of brainstorming in order to figure out what works for this.

I know that I had to make the Magic Council a firm group and very difficult one to deal with. I looked a lot at InsaneDominator's idea on them in his series 'The Fairy Contender' and 'A Contender's Bonds', and I decided to dull down the control they try to have, and be a bit more reasonable. I felt from his work they were too 'control-freaky' than I imagined in the manga/anime of Fairy Tail. Then again, I guess we all have our different views on politics, and while I can't stand the politics IRL, I can understand a bit of the ones in anime and manga. Some are cruel like the World Government in One Piece, while others I can get by with. Still, this was my idea of the sternness of the Magic Council, so hopefully it works well to others.

I had to make this chapter at least 10k, and I managed to do just that. I added Macao training Palva to get some attention to him. He was kinda cool in some ways, mainly in the pre-timeskip parts. And as for Romeo, I just decided to add him for the sake of it. Still, what were your guys' opinion on me adding that moment of training? I decided to look back on the short flashback during Natsu's battle with Erigor on the bridge, and decided to work from that bit.

As for the cliffhanger I left at this story, you will see that a new character will arrive onto the scene, and the fate of Palva will be told in the next chapter, which will be the last chapter of this arc before the Tower of Heaven arc begins. I assure you, you will find the entire thing enjoyable!

As usual, please like, leave a review, and be patient for the next chapter!