Another short break from the action, then heading back into it. Reviews and constructive criticism is welcome. Enjoy!
Chapter 25: Analysis
"Well everyone, these matches seem to get better and better. But before we announce the next fight, Jura would like to go through the two battles we've seen today and breakdown what Elemental and Natsu can do." Lola said. "Listen carefully, you'll want to know these tips."
"Thank you Lola." Jura nodded. "First of all Elemental. We've seen that he uses air magic, and has an incredible amount of control over it. He can use the air molecules around him to push others away, or squeeze them so tightly together that it creates protective barrier around him. This wall has proven to stand up to brute strength and it held back Elfman. But it seems to be weak to cutting power, such as that of a sword. That doesn't mean it's easy to defeat. We saw Elfman get thrown around repeatedly without anything counter to it. Elemental could've possibly won the whole thing by only doing that. His defence is truly fearsome."
"Now Natsu has both incredible offence and defence in combat. His fire makes it hard to come close to him without risk of getting injured. And that same fire makes his strikes strong and not something to take lightly. What truly helps him is his speed. Mest utilises teleportation magic, transporting to places in near instances. However, Natsu can sense his movements with the smell and hearing of a dragon. His dragon slayer's senses are something to behold, as it's hard to sneak up on him with anything. Add this to the destructive force he wields, he is someone hard to take down. And that's his normal magic. As we saw, Natsu can enhance his magic with lighting, producing even more powerful spells then before."
"Who do you think would win in a match up between Natsu and Elemental?" Yajima asked.
"I cannot be sure." Jura admitted. "Both have impressive abilities and styles of fighting. Elemental wants to sit back and let his opponent attack him, while Natsu is very forwards and goes for the attacks. Doing that could play into Elemental's hands and his extraordinary defences. But as we saw, enough power can overwhelm the capabilities of the air wall, which could leave Elemental vulnerable."
"Nothing beats a battle like a little breakdown of the action, and it comes from one of the strongest mages in Fiore." Lola said. "But I wonder how these two would stack up to those already gone through."
"Well I feel like Natsu would lose to Laxus quite quickly. They are from the same guild, and Laxus holds the title of S-Class wizard in Fairy Tail, while Natsu does not. The same with Gajeel." Yajima thought. "Todoroki may be an interesting match against Natsu due to his fire, and Natsu has spent his life fighting against Gray, so he is use to combating ice. As for Erika, I don't think her kinetic magic is fast enough to catch up to Natsu's own speed. However, Elemental may pose a threat to all of them, unless Laxus' raw magic or Gajeel's sneaky tactics come into play. I also think we haven't seen all of Todoroki's full strength, so he could be a wild card in the whole thing. Honestly, out of Natsu, Todoroki, Gajeel, Elemental, Erika and Laxus, it all depends on who they face and who else goes through. It's hard to say an outcome this early on."
"I think that's an excellent point Yajima. We need to see everyone in action before a conclusion can even be thought of. So, no more waiting around. Our next match up is... Toph vs Jellal!"
Jellal raised his eyebrows when he heard him name called over the lacrima. He was hoping he had been paired with someone he was familiar with, but he had never heard of Toph before. He didn't even manage to pinpoint what they looked like earlier. He sighed, before grabbing his cloak he hung up. He was about to leave his waiting room, when someone came in.
"Erza?" Jellal raised an eyebrow. "Why are you here?"
"Can I not wish you good luck?" Erza asked.
"You know I don't believe in luck."
"You know what I mean." Erza huffed. "Besides, you don't even know who you're facing or what magic they have."
"What will happen will happen." Jellal shrugged. "It doesn't matter who my opponent is, I'll fight and beat them."
"I'll remind you of that when we fight then." Erza smiled. "I don't want you holding back."
"We haven't properly fought in a while. I expect nothing but the best from you."
"Same expectation is on you." Erza replies. She gave a small nod and wheeled around and out of the room. Jellal smiled, glad he got to talk to her before heading out. He had nerves before, knowing that a lot of the audience wasn't happy with him. But the talk with Erza calmed him down, and he was ready to face whatever was waiting for him.
Another breakdown of those battling, just so we know how everyone matches up. All info provided by a wizard saint. Hopefully you all enjoyed!