Violet was in her room humming alongside with the music playing in her room when Mira knocked on her door. " Violet? Sweetie, Cana's here and she's really upset." Violet sighed and got off her bed and walk to the kitchen where Cana was sitting on the table drinking more than usual. " You do know they have these things called chairs right?" Violet asked. " Shut up! I am not in the mood!" Cana snapped. Mira and Violet sat down " now what is the matter?" Mira asked. Cana groaned " I am so stupid!" " Yeah I know" Violet said. " Shut up bitch!" Cana yelled. " Okay calm down Cana. What did you do?" Mira asked. Cana sighed and looked down" I... may have told Ragnar...how I feel about him." " What do you mean?" Mira asked confused as Violet laughed so hard she fell out of her chair. " You did not!" She managed to say while holding her stomach. " Wait, I'm confused. Do you know what she means Violet?" Mira asked. " Oh yeah. You see mom, little miss Cana here has herself a little crush on one Ragnar Dreyer." Cana groaned and Mira clapped her hands happily " that's great news! I knew it was a matter of time before Ragnar got himself a girlfriend! How did he react when you told him?" Cana groaned " I ran off before he could say anything, I was so embarrassed." Violet laughed even harder, her face turning red. Just then the back door opened and Ragnar's voice rang throughout the house " hey, anyone home?" Cana gulped and ran out the front door as Violet pounded the kitchen floor while laughing
Ragnar was on the Mariott with The Brotherhood a couple days later. Each of them had a fishing rod in their hands and a cooler full of alcoholic beverages, both of which were forgotten about as Ragnar was telling them what Cana said. After they had a good laugh Alain looked at him " so what'd you say?" " She didn't let me respond. She took off before I could say anything" Ragnar replied. Storm smirked "I bet Violet teased her relentlessly for that." " Apparently she has been. I've been hearing them go at it" Ragnar said looking at the sky. " Well?" Alain asked reeling in his line. " Well what?" Ragnar asked. " Well, what are you going to tell her?" Ragnar bit the inside of his cheek " Dunno to be honest. I mean she's a fantastic friend and all but-" " but you don't feel the same way?" Alain butted in. " No, it's not that" Ragnar said. " So you do feel the same way?" Storm asked. Ragnar wished his friends would butt out but he was the one who asked them to come fishing with him. It was only right he tell the truth. " Truthfully? Yeah I do." His friends teased him at first but ended up giving him heartfelt congratulations. " So? What the hell you doing here man? Go get her, seal the deal" Storm said. " One problem" Ragnar said. " Her father, Gildarts." " Oh yeah, him" Alain said frowning. No one spoke for a while until Jeremiah cleared his throat " If you want my opinion dude, you need to talk to him about this like a man." Both Alain and Storm voiced their agreement and Ragnar nodded " trust me, I want to but... it's Gildarts." " Well it ain't like he's gonna kill you" Alain said " but you are at a crossroads. Nut up or shut the fuck up." Ragnar sighed and stood up " I'll be back" he said flying off.
Ragnar flew back to the Guildhall and walked to the front door. I must be out of my mind he thought as he opened it. He saw Cana at her normal spot and turned a faint shade of red. He walked over to her who blushed deeply as Mira watched an amused smile on her face. " Hey" Ragnar said. " Hey" Cana responded. " You... you know where your dad is?" " Yeah he's on the second floor. Um... I gotta go" Cana said, clumsily standing up and knocked over a lot of empty mugs. She stumbled out of the Guildhall as Mira chuckled. " Well" she said with a smile. " Mother... don't" Ragnar sighed as he went upstairs and saw Gildarts hanging out. For a second Ragnar thought about turning around but he clenched his fist. Get ahold of yourself man! Grow a pair and just do it! " hey uh Gildarts" Ragnar said. Gildarts smiled at him " Ragnar! How are you?" " Fine sir. May I sit down?" he asked. " Of course!" Gildarts said. Ragnar sat in the chair across from him and took a deep breath. " It's about Cana. See... I seem to have... developed feelings for her. And I know she has done the same for me" he said. Gildarts raised an eyebrow " Is that right?" he asked. " Yes sir. So I've come to ask for your blessing to act on said feelings." Gildarts leaned back rubbing his chin " I see. Well Ragnar, I thank you for coming to me and talking to me about this like a man. I respect that and you were straight with me. I respect that as well. Here's the thing. I like you, you're a good kid. So I'm not opposed to this but if you want my blessing, you'll have to earn it by beating me in battle. You beat me, you get my blessing. Do we have a deal?" Ragnar sighed and shook Gildarts's hand. " Yes sir."
Word about the future fight spread like wildfire. Gildarts vs Ragnar tomorrow night. Posters advertising the fight were posted everywhere. People were taking bets and even a two-man commentary team was assembled. Ragnar gave an interview and was training hard getting himself ready for the fight of his life. Finally, it was time. Ragnar breathed hard as he taped his fists up. The fight was taking place in an old stadium which was jammed back. The fight was going to be broadcasted everywhere via Lacrima Vision. The Brotherhood, his parents, and Violet were with him in the locker room. " You ready for this?" Laxus asked. " Yep" Ragnar said. " Give it everything you got" Storm said. A knock on the door sounded and the referee walked in. " Mister Dreyer, we're ready." Ragnar followed the referee out to the stadium where the roar was deafening. Gildarts was already waiting for him and smiled as Ragnar joined him. " Some crowd huh?" " For real" Ragnar said. The referee stood between them. " Alright gentlemen I want a good clean fight. Defend yourselves at all times, fight fair, act with honor, integrity, and class. Fight ends when one of you can no longer continue. Shake hands and start on my signal." Ragnar extended a hand which Gildarts firmly shook. " Good luck. You'll need it" Gildarts said.
The gong sounded and Ragnar wasted no time. He flew at Gildarts and aimed a punch at Gildarts who attempted to meet the punch with one of his own. However, his punch went right through Ragnar, revealing it to be a Shadow clone " wait, what?" Gildarts asked before Ragnar appeared to his right and kicked him in the jaw. Taking advantage Ragnar unleashed an assault of Gildarts, not letting up for a second. However, Gildarts caught a fist and smirked " I'll admit you caught me by surprise at first but you'll have to do a lot better in order to beat me" he said before punching Ragnar in the stomach. Ragnar choked as Gildarts grabbed his heel, slammed him in the ground a few times before sending him flying and crashing headfirst into an arena wall. Ragnar got to his feet and gritted his teeth. Damn it! I better get serious. No time for feeling this one out. He narrowed his eyes " Shadow Rise." His became cloaked in shadow as the wind picked up. " And Ragnar is using his Shadow Rise, which amplifies his power exceptionally. Looks like the warm-up is over folks!"
Ragnar rushed at Gildarts again " Shadow Phoenix Scream!" As Gildarts disintegrated the spell, Ragnar rushed behind him and fired again, this time his spell engulfed Gildarts. Once the dust settled Gildarts was smirking at Ragnar " Clever move." " There's more where that came from" Ragnar said " Shadow Phoenix Lightning!" Once again Gildarts disintegrated the spell. Ragnar rushed for Gildarts again except Gildarts caught him in midair and blasted Ragnar with a spell of his own. Ragnar hit the ground hard and skidded back to where he started. " Crap!" Ragnar grunted as he got on his feet and created four clones. Four of the Ragnar's rushed at Gildarts while one stayed behind. Gildarts punched through three of the clones before rushing at the one who was staying behind. " It's clear you're the real one, you are the one holding back after all!" Gildarts said firing a spell at it. However, it dissolved into shadow, revealing it to be the fourth clone. " What?!" Gildarts said before looking up where Ragnar was smirking " Just like how I planned! Now take this! Phoenix Slayer Secret Art! Shadow Phoenix Nova Flare!" Ragnar fired his favorite spell at Gildarts who stood there in shock for a moment before chuckling. " You really have grown since you were a kid Ragnar. I'm proud of you" he said before catching the spell with one hand and disintegrating it, the aftershock throwing Ragnar back and throwing him into the arena wall.
Ragnar was breathing hard and fast as he glared at Gildarts who wasn't even scratched. " What the hell is he made of?" Ragnar growled before sighing, his body glowing. Once the glow died down Ragnar removed his leather jacket, the damage he had taken thus far healed up. " I hate having to do that but I can't afford to take too much damage." Ragnar gritted his teeth as he started to power up to his normal Phoenix Force. His body was cloaked in shadows and feather-like markings lined his body. " I thought you had combined that with your dual slaying modes" Gildarts said thoughtfully. " That's my full powered transformation. I've learned how to pace myself since I hate going full power." " I see. I must admit I'm looking forward to seeing just what you're capable of." " Trust me, I won't disappoint you!" Ragnar said before rushing at Gildarts.
Gildarts attempted to catch him but Ragnar turned into a shadow, slipped through his fingers and reappeared to punch Gildarts in the face. Ragnar turned back into a shadow and circled around Gildarts again and again, appearing only to punch him. Every time he successfully landed a punch he appeared to get faster. " That's an interesting Technique. What do you call it?" Gildarts asked as Ragnar continued his assault. " Shadow-Strike" Ragnar said reappearing again. Gildarts caught Ragnar's punch much to the Phoenix Slayer's astonishment " what?!" " I must admit I'm impressed. You've been hanging with me at 25% of my full power. Let's see how you handle 50%" he said before the area where he was standing blew up. Ragnar was thrown through the air violently but stopped himself in midair. " Phoenix Slayer Secret Art! Shadow Phoenix Vortex!" Ragnar made a diamond with his fingers and charged up his spell before firing the massive burst of shadow magic at Gildarts who just stood there and took it. " Did I get him?" Ragnar wondered. Once the dust died down Gildarts stood there smiling with very little damage. " Oh come on! You overpowered son of a bitch!" Ragnar swore under his breath before rushing him again.
Gildarts punched Ragnar in the face and caught him by the leg " you fought well Ragnar but you're going to need a lot more power in order to beat me" he said before slamming Ragnar into the ground and causing the ground beneath him to blow up. " Woah! That could be it folks!" the commentary team said. Once the dust cleared Ragnar was motionless deep in a crater, his Phoenix Force having worn off. " Ragnar, can you continue?" the referee asked. No answer. " Well... I guess that's it. ladies and gentlemen-" " Hold on!" Ragnar said slowly getting up. " I knew you still had more fight in ya" Gildarts said with a smile. Ragnar winced as he flew away from Gildarts, his body telling the story of the battle. " No choice, I'll have to use my full power" Ragnar said. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes " Second Origin Release!" The ground began to shake and powerful winds roared as Ragnar powered up. Gildarts smiled as he watched.Yeah that's it. Show me that you are worthy to take my spot one day. Once Ragnar stopped powering up, he was in his Holy-Lightning Shadow Phoenix Force. " Gildarts, it's time for the real fight!" " Bring it on!" Gildarts called.
Ragnar flew at Gildarts in the blink of an eye before Gildarts could prepare a counterattack and punched him in the jaw with such force it sent him flying. Not giving the man a chance to recover he flew after Gildarts and punched him over and over again with shadow covered fists. The rest of the guild watched with wide eyes and open mouthes. " Gildarts is losing ground?!" Makarov asked. " I never thought I'd see the day where one of our own would be able to challenge him." Freed said thoughtfully. " Well he is my son after all" Laxus said. Cana rolled her eyes as she finished her drink and started on a new one " this is stupid. We all know that Ragnar will run out of energy soon." Violet smirked at her " that's no way to talk to someone fighting for you." " what do you mean?" Cana asked confused. " My brother challenged Gildarts to get his blessing. Three guesses as to why." Cana looked confused at first but a look of realization crossed her face " You mean he..." " Yep!" As the rest of the guild exchanged amused glances Cana scowled " battle hungry idiot" she grumbled, trying to hide a smile.
Ragnar smirked as he looked at Gildarts. " Looks like I'm finally getting somewhere" he said looking at the wounds he caused Gildarts who was looking at him completely shocked. " I never guessed you were this strong!" " You haven't seen anything yet" Ragnar promised before his right hand became covered in Holy magic, his right hand covered in lightning magic and he began charging up an orb of shadow from his mouth and put all three together " Phoenix Slayer Secret Art! Holy-Lightning Shadow Phoenix Final Atomic Shine!" The three element spell rushed at Gildarts, engulfing him. The Ace of Fairytail yelled in pain and was thrown towards the arena wall. Ragnar grunted as he powered down and fell to the arena floor, having used up way too much power. " I...I did it!" A hush fell over the crowd as the referee checked on Gildarts. " mister Gildarts, can you continue?" Gildarts smirked and stood back up. " Don't you worry about me." "No way!" Ragnar said, shaking in disbelief. Gildarts smiled and closed his eyes " I must say, Ragnar, this has been a very rewarding battle. To think half of my full power is no match for you. I wonder, can you handle 75%?" Ragnar growled and powered up to his regular Phoenix Force. " Curse you!" he yelled flying at him.
Gildarts smirked before powering up, causing Ragnar to stop. There's a heavy pressure building! " There. I can't remember the last time I had to use this much power. Ragnar Dreyer, allow me to thank you for pushing me this far. I've quite enjoyed our battle but the time has come to end it." " Don't you get cocky!" Ragnar yelled flying towards Gildarts again. Gildarts smirked and caught Ragnar midair before slamming him into the ground hard before causing the ground to explode beneath him. However, Ragnar was able to turn into a shadow and escape just in time and reappeared behind Gildarts. " Phoenix Slayer Secret Art! Shadow Phoenix Nova Flare!" Gildarts stood still as Ragnar's spell rushed towards him before catching it with one hand and disintegrating it, the counter-attack hitting Ragnar dead on and sending him to the ground, his body making a crater in the earth. Gildarts walked to Ragnar and helped him to his feet. " My mistake. You aren't ready yet." Ragnar summoned all the remaining strength he had left and grasped the arm of Gildarts. " You're done Ragnar, I've won at last" Gildarts said before blasting Ragnar with a spell.
Ragnar closed his eyes as he felt his body fly through the air. So strong. Beyond strong. I am no match. Ragnar smiled faintly. It was an honor to cross fists with the very best in Fiore. But I... I... I'm not done yet! A strange feeling filled Ragnar's body, numbing cold and blazing fire at once. He opened his eyes and stopped himself from hitting the ground and let out a primal scream. Gildarts backed up in shock as the commentary team expressed their disbelief. " Ladies and gentlemen, it seems Ragnar is still not down for the count!" Ragnar's eyes were silver, his body was shining and light purple energy was flowing from his body like steam. Before Gildarts could even register what just happened, Ragnar appeared in front of him and sent him flying with a punch. Makarov's eyes were bulging at this point " no way...could it be?" " What's wrong Master?" Mira asked. Makarov asked. " That... is an ancient power known as Soul Surge. It once belonged to Anubis. only his descendants that bear his seal can access it but it's incredibly advanced magic. No doubt the seal acted on its own accord. After all, Ragnar is only in its most infant stage." As the guild marveled, Ragnar faced Gildarts down who chuckled than started laughing " Ragnar... it's been my honor fighting you. You're just going to keep going until you can't go anymore aren't you?! I'm thrilled!" " Gildarts, let's finish this" Ragnar said flying at him.
" it's...it's just like last time" Cana stammered as she watched Ragnar smack Gildarts all over the arena. " Hmm?" Mira asked as the guild looked at her. " The last job he took, it was an ambush set up by Bluenote. They fought and it was in that battle Ragnar was able to access that power." " I see." Makarov said thoughtfully. " So the seal is weakening. I was worried this would happen. I only hope Ragnar is strong enough to endure what is to come." Gildarts was breathing hard as he looked at Ragnar who had taken control of the battle. " Ragnar... you have earned my respect. As a reward, I shall show you my full power." Gildarts began to power up and Ragnar tensed up. This pressure... I've never felt anything like it! Once Gildarts was done, the two wizards faced off against each other as the crowd began to chant. " This is awesome! This is awesome! This is awesome!" The two wizards rushed at each other and began to strike each other with everything they had. " is Ragnar stronger?!" Makarov asked in shock. " No, they're evenly matched" Freed said evenly.
Gildarts fired a spell at Ragnar who fired one in return. The two wizards engaged in a stalemate trying to overpower the other before the two spells exploded causing both wizards to crash into the wall. Both dropped to the ground and the referee looked at both of them. " I guess that's it. Ladies and-" " Don't you dare call it!" Ragnar snapped as both he and Gildarts got to their feet as the crowd roared. Both Ragnar and Gildarts eyed each other, breathing heavily. Their bodies told the story of the battle they had waged. The energy surrounding Ragnar was starting to flicker. Gildarts narrowed his eyes " seems as though your time's up." " I'll pretend I didn't hear that" Ragnar said flying at Gildarts and throw a punch at him who causally dodged. " look, you have nothing to be ashamed of Ragnar. You exceeded my expectations. you can hold your head up high" Gildarts said as he continued to dodge Ragnar's punches as the energy surrounding Ragnar continued to flicker. " Will you quit talking like it's over?!" Ragnar snapped throwing another punch at Gildarts who caught it. " Ragnar, your power is running out, accept the fact you lost!" He said firing a spell at Ragnar who was sent headfirst into the wall once more.
Ragnar dropped to his hands and knees as he stared at the ground. He slowly got to his feet. " I.. I... I'm not done yet!" he yelled as his body exploded in energy. He glared atGildarts his vision blurring. He yelled and flew at Gildarts first cocked. he swung and hit Gildarts in the forehead who didn't react. Ragnar gritted his teeth before choking in pain. He looked down to see Gildarts had punched him in the gut. Ragnar collapsed and didn't respond to the referee. " Ladies and gentlemen, your winner is Gildarts!" The entire crowd roared, the rest of the Fairytail guild being the loudest. " Both these guys! Both these guys! Both these guys!" came the chant. Gildarts splashed water on Ragnar who sputtered waking up. " What happened?! What..." he frowned as he heard the crowd chanting for Gildarts " ... I lost, didn't I?" " I wouldn't say that" Gildarts said helping Ragnar up. " You may not have defeated me in battle but you accomplished what you set out to do. You earned my respect and my blessing" Gildarts said with a smile. Ragnar sighed and dipped his head to Gildarts " I accept defeat. And thanks for that Gildarts. It was an honor. You showed me just how far I have to go." "There's no need to get down on yourself. I know power when I see it and yours is remarkable" Gildarts said. " Now let me tell you something as a friend. I can appreciate your passion for the guild, your drive to be the best and your will to win. I say that because I share it. Like you, failure to me just isn't an option." He smirked " I was always going to give you my blessing Ragnar. This battle was just an excuse so I could see what kind of man you truly are. After all, what kind of father would I be if I let just anyone date my daughter?" He clapped Ragnar on the shoulder " you're just the kind of man I know will treat her right. Just don't betray my trust" he said extending a hand. Ragnar shook it and looked Gildarts in the eye " I won't sir. Thank you."
The rest of the guild made their way to the two combatants and congratulated both of them on their battle. " You've both made the guild proud" Makarov said. " Thanks master" Ragnar said looking around. he stopped when he spotted Cana hanging back and limped towards her. " Why don't you and I take a walk?"