Chapter 35

Lighting training

After leaving behind the takeover siblings to train in east forest and find his way out the forest at last. Athos decided to find out where laxus and his team had gone to train. However with no clue where the lighting dragon slayer and his team would be. The bard's search got as a bar in Oak town named the last sap.

The afternoon hour struck as athos entered the bar and taking a seat on one of bar stool cushioned with a royal red cushion, he was welcomed to the bar by a large, middle-aged male bartender with a bald head and stone cold look on his face from behind the bar. Athos politely asked him for a glass of red wine to which with a nod the bald bartender went off to make. Only to then come back a few seconds later without athos's drink and a confused look on his face.

This man's confusion struck athos as odd. After all how difficult is it to get a glass of wine? Still with the man looking at him with his confused look, athos asked the man if there was a problem to which the man answered back quietly.

"No, no you. You just look like someone."

Hearing this answer athos had to know who this man thought he looked liked. After all he thought he had a pretty unique look what with his style of clothing. But to athos surprise it seemed being gone for seven years had made someone step up to fill his place. A man known as the minstrel who sings to the red moon. The bald man told athos that this minstrel rose from nowhere after the disappearance of the famous fairy tail bard and started to play and sing exactly like the bard and instantly became famous within the rich folk as the next sensation.

Poor athos couldn't believe it. A copy-cat of his work. He couldn't help but feel a little honoured that someone had taken it upon themselves to learn his songs. But that didn't stop him feeling angry that some upstart little wannabe was using his songs to make a name for himself.

"Tell me." Athos said quickly to the bald man. "Do you known anymore about this minstrel?"

The bald man shook his head and athos sighed in disappointment. He knew he should have expect someone to take his place. There's a lot of money in being an source of entertainment for the well off people of fiore and only a fool would turn down the opportunity to have at it. Still at least the bard knew now why he hadn't been getting request to play even with his return. It was all because of this minstrel who sings to the red moon.

"What a stupid nickname. At least mine makes sense." Athos thought letting his bitterness get the better of him. Still knowing he could do nothing at this point, athos thanked the bald man for the information before asking if he could get his glass of wine now. The bald man nodded in response before going off again leaving athos to think. The fairy tail bard wondered how he was going to compete against a man who could sing his songs and with a seven-year reputation behind him. This new minstrel would be a real thorn in his side.

Yet his wondering came to an end when a womanly voice from behind him said.

"Well, well. Is the fairy tail bard afraid of a little competition? I thought you'd be up for one after the years you were on top."

Athos quickly turned around in his chair ready to give this rude women a piece of his mind. When he saw behind him stood Laxus's team member Evergreen.

"Evergreen?" Athos said surprised at the sight of her. The female fairy tail mage told him it was nice to see him too before sitting beside him. The two began to talk about their purpose for being here and to athos's surprise Evergreen told him she had come to see him.

"Me?" Athos said confused. He wasn't sure how she knew he would be here. But with her laughing in her proud way at the confusion on his face. The bard soon got his answer from her.

"I came here by the request of laxus." She began to explain as the bald man brought athos his drink over.

"We're all training out in open land around oak town and then suddenly this morning. Laxus goes off one about feeling something. I for one told him it was properly some travelling mages and their magic. But he won't have it. No, he insisted that his feeling was none other than the magic of the famous fairy tail bard himself. And so he asked me nicely to check to see if he was right since you know I'm the most trustworthy one. And won't you know it. Here you are."

Athos couldn't believe his luck. He came to town for a drink only to find laxus and his team training in the area. What were the chances? He shared his amazement with evergreen, who simply smiled at athos before telling him he was silly for being so amazed. But athos didn't care. He had found who he was looking for and quickly downing his glass of wine. Athos then asked Evergreen if she would mind if he tagged along with her back to their training spot.

She teased him at first saying she would only let him tag along if he admitted to her that she was in the fact the beutifulest fairy in fairy tail. Athos found this very difficult as he almost felt he was cheating on mirajane. But luckily seeing him struggling so much Evergreen dropped the tease and told him to follow her.

The bard followed Evergreen all the way out of oak town and to a large open field a few miles away from the town. Talking to pass the time as they walked only to arrive at the training ground of laxus and his tema where both Freed and Bickslow begin to tease Evergreen about what would Elfmen think if he saw her with athos?

She showed the two no mercy as she began to batter the two for such a comment all the while Laxus and athos greeted each other.

"I thought it would be you athos." Laxus said shaking his friends right hand. Athos shook his friend's hand back saying he would have guessed only the lighting dragon slayer could have felt his approach. The two laugh as team thunder-god tribe came to them with Freed and Bickslow holding their head.

Athos could guess Evergreen had punished them for teasing her about Elfman. It was then Bickslow asked Laxus if he planned on sparring with athos?

"Bickslow! Freed said in his usual commanding way to him. "As fairy tail mages we should not be trying to make each other fight. Laxus and Athos are friends not enemies. "

Bickslow knew that and told Freed he wasn't thick. He just thought it be fun to see two top s-class mage go at it with each other. Of course hearing this suggestion Freed suggested to Bickslow that for someone who isn't dumb, he sure could fool him. However backing Bickslow idea up, Evergreen agreed with him saying a battle between the Laxus and Athos would certainly be interesting to watch and learn from.

The three members of team thunder-god tribe began to argue with each other over the matter until with a grin on his face, Laxus asked athos what he thought about the battle idea.

" Truthful Laxus, I recently lost to Mirajane in her Satan Soul Sitri form. So I hardly doubt I would be a challenge to you." Athos answered honestly.

Laxus couldn't help but laugh hearing this. He knew his friend never lied about a battle and the way he said it so honestly the lighting dragon slayer knew the battle had to have been a difficult one with mirajane. He then insisted athos spar with his just to see how strong his friend had become since they last fought.

Bickslow and Evergreen cheered hearing this. But Freed knowing all to well that his team mates had got their own way again insisted that he referee the sparing match. Laxus and Athos had no problem with this and so as sun began to disappear behind the horizon. The match between fairy tail's lighting dragon slayer and the fairy tail bard began on Freed's call of go.

Freed dashed away as fast as he could as the two s-class mages walked towards each other. Athos knew that if he stood any chance of being selected for the grand magic game he had to prove his strength and to him nothing seemed a better way then show it then to fight Laxus.

The fairy tail bard meet the lighting dragon slayer in the middle of their battlefield, the two mage began to take and give punches between each other. Team thunder-god tribe watched as laxus let athos hit him first with a punch to the chest before he gave a punch right back into athos chest. The two mages were testing each other power, a simply yet strange thing to do. This little test went on for a few minutes before finally Laxus punched athos so hard the plant mage fell back on the floor.

Yet getting right back up, athos charged at his standing still foe ready to attack. He released a rapid fury of punches upon laxus, who with his lighting speed dodged them all. The lighting dragon slayer then countered with a sweeping low kick knocking athos to the ground again. He then tried to stamp on athos. But avoiding laxus's stomps by rolling quickly side to side. Athos then rolled away from the last stomp attack before jumping to his feet with a small smile on his face.

Laxus could see athos had hugely improved in his dodging since their fight in the cathedral. But then the lighting dragon began to dash around the battlefield at lighting speeds leaving athos trying to keep track of his movement. The fairy tail bard left himself open for a back attack from laxus, who at once acted on his foe blunder and flying kicked the bard. Sending the plant mage crashing to the ground face first.

"Come on athos you're not thinking straight." Laxus called to his foe as the plant mage forced himself up to his feet. "You know I'm faster than you. What are you going to do about it?"

Athos answer came in the form of thick vines that popped out of the ground near laxus. They wrapped themselves around the thunder dragon slayer's legs and wrists forcing him to be bound to a spot. Laxus had to admit to himself he should have seen this coming as Athos called forth his spell of storm of a thousand roses. The razor-sharp roses rained down on Laxus cutting what they could.

However with a simple lighting magic burst from his body. Laxus destroys the last few incoming roses and come out the attack with only a few tears his clothing.

"Nice try athos. But I know you can do better than that." Laxus taunted to his foe. He had heard all about athos last few battles. Fighting off the grimoire mage as well as number of creatures on s-class job. Laxus wanted to know how strong his friend had become. And he wanted to see the spell that wiped out team thunder-god tribe in one go. The drgaon slayer got his wish.

For with his heart racing and his nerves shaking a bit from seeing Laxus merely walk out unscathed for his last attack, athos cast his nature wrath spell.

The ground shook violently and with athos's eyes now glowing a green colour. Laxus found himself being surrounded by grass made man and flower made men who popped up from the ground around him like rabbits out their holes. The lighting dragon slayer couldn;t beleive it. Did his frind really have the power to do this? Laxus had no idea and soon he seemed to be having a difficult time fighting back against his nature made foes as they absorbed his electric magic attacks like they were nothing. He had to resort to punching and kicking his nature foes to try to destroy them. But even that didn't help him.

For watching in surprise, team thunder-god tribe saw Laxus become overrun by the sheer amount of foes against him. The lighting dragon found himself being strangled by a single grass man as the other grass men and flower men punched and kicked him. They forced him to the ground and began to swarm him like a bunch of angry bee's. Freed demanded athos to stop his attack as he was sure laxus was down. But in an instant, a huge electric blast from Laxus blew every single grass and flower man to bits leaving free him to get up.

The lighting dragon slayer didn't look too injured from the experience. But now with a few more bruises all over his body, laxus stopped playing around. His almost death experience had shown him his friend wasn't messing joking about anymore. Athos had grown a lot sicne their battle and now he would have to do the same.

The battle intensified between the two mages with spells of great power being fired back and forth between the two mages. Team thunder-god tribe had to move away from the side battlefield to avoid being hit by the attacks. They couldn't believe athos and laxus were really going at it as they now lock spell together and blasted each other with everything they had.

"Do you think athos has a chance of winning this spar?" Bickslow asked his team-mate from their safe distance. Evergreen wasn't willing to share her option on the matter as a lighitng bolt nearly hit her. But Freed told Bickslow that even thought athos had improved drastically from the last time he fought Laxus. The bard's strength had a limit on it.

"For you see Bickslow," Freed said diving behind bickslow as a sharp rose nearly hit him.

"The spell natures wrath consumes a lot of athos's magic and once he runs low on the magic stored in his body. The power of the spell decreases as well as his control over the grass-men and flower-men. It's a spell really that should be used to finish a foe quickly. But in this case athos seems to be using it just to keep up with laxus's strength."

Bickslow wasn't sure about freed's view-point. But with a yell of come on fight, fight. He and the rest of team thunder-god tribe watched the battle came to a huge end. With Athos nature wrath spell fading out leaving the plant mage tired and weak from his heavy loss of magic. He couldn't stop or avoid Laxus's final attack of a lighting dragon roar. The huge electric beam spell hit athos head on sending thousands of watts through his body. The painful experience finally came to the end when the beam faded out and to Laxus's surprise his foe still stood.

Athos didn't look in the best shape as he stood there. Panting and the electric magic inside him causing him to shake regularly. The fairy tail bard then with a step forward announced that he surrendered. The match ended there.

Team thunder-god rushed over their leader to congratulate him on his victory only to have laxus walk past them to his standing foe. The lighting dragon slayer held out his left hand out to athos saying to him.

"Good match. Though I'd like for you next time not try to kill me."

With a laugh Athos agreed to his friend's request and accepting his friend handshake. Freed and Bickslow couldn't help but cry at the sight of the two of them.

"Oh two friends who fight to the end and then shake each other hands to show no hard feelings. That is true bromance right there." Bickslow said through his tears.

However Evergreen told them they were being to over dramatic about a hand shake only then to have Bickslow tease her about how she wanted Elfman to hold her tight. She instantly started to give chase to a running Bickslow threatening to shove his babies somewhere the sun don't shine if he teased her again. Laxus, Athos and Freed laughed at the two happily.

Today's battle unbeknown to athos would be shared back to the guild master by laxus as they all went back to oak town to find a place to sleep. The lighting drgaon slayer wrote a detailed letter to his grandfather explaining what had happened before sending it off with a carrier bird from the inn's entrance. Laxus hoped it would be enough to show his grandfather that athos deserved a place in the grand magic games.

Yet unknown to the lighting dragon slayer and the other fairy tail mages. Their guild master had already drawn up his selected team of the games. However also had drawn up a back up plan. A plan which athos and laxus would soon learn about from another dragon slayer. Who was on his way to them with a message from their guild master.