"ACNOLOGIA!"
Knowing that Makarov was preparing for battle, that Gildarts stood with him, and that his family was running in fear, Kai surged his power all the way up. He instantly took to his Takeover form, brandished his blade, and blared his aura around him.
Someone called for him to stop but he couldn't. Kai sliced through the sky at blinding speed, searing across Acnologia's chest as the dragon didn't cry out in pain but with a laugh. Acnologia spun around to face Kai as the boy charged in.
"Ice Dragon Talon!"
Acnologia held a hand out and stopped Kai as he slammed his spell into Acnologia.
"You infant!" Acnologia roared, and uppercut Kai with his other fist, sending Kai shooting into the sky.
Just as he prepared a blast, though, Makarov, in his Giant form, slammed Acnologia, wrapping him with both arms.
"Hold him there, Gramps!" Kai shouted, his voice no doubt echoing around the island. "We can kill him! This is our only chance!"
"Get out of here!" Makarov roared.
Acnologia howled a laugh as Kai descended at an even greater speed than his ascent. "Bring it, boy, show me what my pathetic sister taught you!"
"Don't you dare talk about Kairi like that!" Kai flipped end-over-end before he had himself in proper position. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art! Hail of the Azure Blade!"
His sword gleamed a brilliant bright blue as he stabbed it down at Acnologia, and what was a tiny beam turned to a massive one, supercharged with all of Kai's power. It ripped through the sky, drawing a laugh from Acnologia.
"Pathetic."
With a single stroke, he slapped away Makarov and the blast from Kai.
"What?" Kai shouted.
"Oh! Good job, that stung a bit, Kai, maybe you weren't so worthless after all!"
He reached up to try and catch Kai, but that's when Gildarts flew through the air and forced Acnologia's hand away and Makarov rounded on Acnologia, punching the head of the dragon hard, exposing his back. Kai was still falling.
"I can skewer him," Kai muttered. "I can run him through his dark heart and put and end to this right now!"
Compared to the draconic form his uncle had taken, Kai was puny. But that didn't matter. This was the moment he and Kairi had waited so long for. The moment he'd lived his life for. He worked alongside the two most powerful wizards he knew for it. He could not fail.
Makarov struggled to grasp Acnologia's head as Kai continued his descent when a shadow befell him: the dragon's wings. Kai arced himself away, now off-target from landing on Acnologia's back. The dragon twisted its long neck around and bit Makarov hard on the shoulder, forcing the old man to let the beast go.
Acnologia swung around and slammed Kai to the dirt with a single punch. He went to punch again but Gildarts stopped him, forming a crater around Kai.
"What are you thinking?" Gildarts gasped.
"We have to save everyone!" Kai exclaimed, pushing himself back up, despite how wobbly his legs got.
"You made me a promise, Kai," Gildarts said. "That you wouldn't go after him until you could prove you were stronger than me."
Makarov charged at Acnologia once more and the dragon ripped his hand away from Gildarts to lock with Makarov as another tiny person charged toward Acnologia, little bursts of flame streaking behind.
"We have to run," Gildarts said. "Even now he's holding back. He's gotten stronger than when he and I fought."
"And when it was just you two, you had no backup."
"Kai you don't understand. Nothing works on him. It's brute force or it's nothing, and none of us are physically strong enough to take down a dragon of that scale." Gildarts sighed, balling his fists. "We need to get everyone to the boats now and hope we can somehow disable Acnologia or distract him long enough for us to get away. Maybe that water girl can get us home faster I—I don't know."
"No we can't, Gildarts, we can't keep letting Acnologia go free."
Gildarts grit his teeth. "Kai, we have to get out of here. You truly don't understand—"
Acnologia's massive form overtook Makarov and slammed the old man to the ground. Gildarts looked away, his jaw set.
"I understand what you're saying," Kai said. "But think about it. He's not going to let us go. He was never going to. This is our last stand."
The old man stepped away from Kai, who shuddered at his own words. In his heart, he knew that it wasn't just his last stand because he at last found Acnologia. It was his last stand because…Acnologia wouldn't let them leave alive. Kai readjusted the grip he held on his sword.
Others charged toward Acnologia, and a flurry of lights and magic flashed around the dragon as he roared with annoyance.
"One last charge," Gildarts said. "Everything we've got."
"You got it."
Tons of power summoned around Gildarts as he burst forward toward Acnologia, who at last turned toward Gildarts, slamming his fist into Gildarts, who did not yield. Laxus and Erza's battle-cry ushered everyone else forward.
Kai cleared his mind, letting the momentary quiet control him before the rupture of battle stole his attention away and he ushered forth every bit of magic he had remaining, intensifying his aura and the form around him.
No Dragon Force. But it didn't matter.
Acnologia's voice cut over the others, "Boy! I've already decimated some of your family. How about the rest?"
The Ice Dragon Slayer said nothing; instead, he took to the sky, shooting an icy trail around him. Acnologia turned toward him, the deep blue eyes trained specifically on him. Magic wouldn't work on him.
But a sword certainly would.
The sword surged with power as Gildarts slammed into Acnologia, this time bucking the dragon forward. Someone called Kai's name as he continued onward toward Acnologia.
"Die!"
The voice wasn't Kai's…it was Acnologia's.
The dragon spread his wings, knocking even Gildarts aside, and fully faced Kai, who was going too fast to stop now. He sucked in a breath.
"Ice Dragon Roar!"
The blast shot through the sky, with sheets of ice descending over the nearby trees and freezing them, before it slammed into Acnologia and within moments completely froze the dragon over.
Kai's icy draconic wings shattered and he soared toward the ground. The icy coating around his body also disintegrated. His body momentarily went limp, void of all energy, maybe even all life.
But someone caught him. Scarlet hair matted his vision. A kiss caressed his forehead before they slid to a halt.
"Did…"
"He's frozen." Erza smiled down at him, weary.
Kai fell out of her arms onto his knees, stabbing his sword into the ground and looking up to the frozen beast that now lived upon Tenrou Island.
"We need…the Magic Council…" Kai muttered. "They can seal him, or something, they'll be able to do something."
Erza braced him before he could fall forward. He used his sword as a crutch.
"Hey!"
Lucy sprinted over, as she was the one nearest them. Everyone else stood in awe, staring up at the dragon. Kai waved at her as she helped him get to his feet as well.
He plucked the sword out and re-sheathed it. With wobbly legs, Kai moved into a small clearing, gazing up at Acnologia. Just as Kai remembered in his nightmares.
"It's just like Deliora," Lucy muttered.
"Iced Shell would definitely trap him," Kai said, but waved off Erza's stern look. "I literally don't have any magic left in me. Just attempting that spell would kill me."
"Still, crazy that the first dragon we see tries to kill us," Lucy said.
"I wonder if he knows anything of the other dragons."
Kai shrugged.
Crack.
"No."
Crack. Crack.
"Please…no."
A low, guttural laugh rumbled over the entire island. All chatter ceased. Someone even cried out in terror as the ice continued to crack further before it completely burst apart, a massive roar sending it all flying away and knocking Lucy, Kai, and Erza back.
Kai almost bashed his head on the ground. Acnologia stretched his wings out, turning his great head to Kai.
"That was impressive power," Acnologia said. "For an ant. Now see what a real dragon can do, boy!"
With a single burst from his wings Acnologia shot into the sky before rearing around.
"He's going to blast the island!" Wendy exclaimed.
Erza wheeled around. "Freed, an enchantment!"
"I—I don't have the power or time to block something of that scale!" Freed shouted. "I—I'm sorry. I've doomed us all."
"Not true!" Levy said. "Not all barrier spells need runes. Come on, everyone get together, hold hands, now!"
Lucy and Erza had to pull Kai up to his feet. Iggy blitzed over to them, instantly clasping onto Kai's hand, her entire body trembling.
The Black Dragon blotted out the sun in the sky as a tiny blue light emanated from his mouth, preparing his Dragon Roar. Kai closed his eyes.
"I failed," he muttered, but Erza squeezed his hand.
"We're going to make it home," she said for everyone, though she was looking at Kai. "Do you all hear me?"
"Fairy Tail will not fall this day," Makarov said.
The circle came together, with everyone holding onto their adjacent person's hands so tight they were all white-knuckled.
"Send your power into Freed," Levy said.
"I'm scared, Carla," Wendy said.
"We're going to be fine," Gray said. He grinned, looking up at Acnologia. "So come on, do your worst!"
"Our adventure isn't over yet!" Lucy shouted, so loud Acnologia had to hear it.
"It's just beginning!" Natsu followed. "Fairy Tail will never die!"
"NO!" Acnologia's voice bellowed. "But today, hope falls! Dragon Roar!"
The beam that seemed to split the sky shown brighter than the sun and crashed down at the island. Kai closed his eyes for a moment before training them right on the beam hurtling toward them. He squeezed Erza's hand.
"I love you," he said as the world shook around them, and, in a strangely golden flash, all the world turned to darkness.
But there's something to be said about the power that comes with hope. Hope is the power to save lives, to seek an everlasting adventure, and to carry forward for the sake of a new dawn, a brighter day, and a promising future. Hope guides the crestfallen and destitute into the path of the righteous, and guides those who side with heroic justice toward their goals of prosperity. Hope always carries forward.
Such was the fate of Kai Hope, who opened his eyes to the splintered sunlight that shone through the thick Tenrou treeline. Acnologia no longer floated about in the sky; in fact, his scent was completely gone.
Kai was braced against a tall, heavy tree, his sword blasted into it over his head. With some renewed strength he managed to pluck it out from above him.
"This is impossible," he muttered, brushing off some debris and pushing to his feet.
Voices whispered around the island. A pair of silhouettes, one thin and one rather rotund, appeared, carrying someone's body. Kai adjusted the grip of his blade, but the shorter person vanished before basically reappearing right in front of Kai and giving him a big hug.
"You're okay, too!"
"J—Jet?"
Kai stepped back to get a better look of the guy. He looked…weird. Kai couldn't quite put anything to it. His features were sharper, and he didn't have a weird hat on. The rotund man jogged over, holding Natsu in his arms. Kai couldn't visibly recognize the man, but his scent confirmed his identity.
"Droy? What—why do you look so different? What happened, how long was I out, and where's everyone else?"
"Everyone else is just now waking up, too," Droy said.
Jet clamped a hand on Kai's shoulder. "You've been out for a while, Kai. We thought you guys were dead."
Kai chuckled. "Oh, well, come on, we've only been gone a day."
Tears filled Jet's eyes, but he smiled through them nonetheless. "A day? Try seven years."
Time skip!