SailorStar9: We now continue with Chapter 130 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?

Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the plot bunny and my OCs.

Chapter 130: Avatar Arc: Pitched Underground Battle

"Natsu, are you sure Gray is in there?" Happy asked.

"Yeah, no doubt about it." Natsu was confident.

"We need to take him back to Ulyo right now." Lucy remarked.

"This place sure is gloomy." Natsu sighed.

"Why would they built it here, of all places?" Happy agreed.

"These guys are shady, through and through." Lucy sighed.

"All right, charge!" Natsu grinned.

"Hold on!" Lucy held Natsu back. "We really don't know who we're dealing with this time." she reasoned. "Rushing straight in isn't the best idea."

"But Gray might be in there." Natsu argued.

"Precisely." Lucy agreed. "We need to be cautious and gather info first. Virgo can help us sneak into the church from under the ground." she pulled out Virgo's Celestial Key. "Open, Gate of the Maiden! And next, Star Dress: Virgo Form!" she donned on the Virgo Star Dress.

Inside the Avatar stronghold...

"I wonder what the Avatar guys are doing here?" Happy looked around.

"We need to find info about Gray without being spotted." Lucy reminded.

"Gray!" Natsu roared. "If you're here, show yourself!"

Elsewhere...

"That shouting..." Jerome was alerted. "I don't recognize his voice."

"It coming from inside the church." D-6 noted. "Does that mean...?"

"Intruders?" Abel grinned. "This sounds like fun.

"Natsu?" Gray wondered.

With the infiltrating group...

"What did you do that for?" Lucy snapped. "You ruined our whole reason for sneaking in."

"He's here." Natsu was certain. "Gray's here. I can smell him."

"Then, there's no need for us to hide." Happy pointed out.

"Whatcha doing inside our hideout?" Abel asked the intruders. "Is it something fun?"

"The enemy?" Lucy gaped. "Wait, that doll..." she recognized the Mr. Cursey voodoo doll.

"You already know about Mr. Cursey?" Abel pouted. "How fun. A former big shot from Grimoire Heart gave him to me. He uses truly terrifying black magic."

"Be careful." Virgo cautioned. "This person is far stronger than he looks."

"Sorry, but I only got business with Gray." Natsu remarked, slamming a fist on Abel's head and knocking him to the ground.

"Abel!" Gômon hurried down the staircase. "Trouble is brewing." he moaned. "Curse you intruders. How dare you 'leaf' Abel like this? Unfortunately for you, you broke into my personal training grounds. Prepare to suffer torture upon torture." he promised, sending various assorted torture items towards he group. "Triangular Dummy Dragon!" he sent the construct towards Natsu who had dodged his attack wave.

"How is this ugly thing a dragon?" Natsu stopped the construct with his foot.

"While I actually attack with the Iron Maiden." Gômon then trapped Natsu within an iron maiden. "Steep tight." he shit the device. "Punishment completed to a T. The iron..." he gasped when a melted hole formed on the front of the iron cast. "It's melting."

Bursting out of the completely melted down casket, Natsu slammed a fist on Gômon's face, sending him flying towards the nearby wall. "That's two down."

"You're wide open." D-6 came from behind.

"Three down."' Natsu did not even give D-6 a chance to attack, leveling with flaming kick on the armored male.

"Impossible..." Gômon was shocked. "We're top-tiered black wizards. How can this brat beat us?"

"He's way too much for you guys to handle." Gray stepped in. "I'll deal with him."

"Yo, how's it going?" Natsu grinned.

Without much invitation on either sides, the two rivals leveled punches on each other's faces.

"Come on!" Lucy tried to break up the fist-fight. "Stop it, both of you."

"What are you lot doing here?" Gray inquired.

"Likewise." Natsu fired back, both rivals charged up their elements on their fists and decked it out once more. "What are you doing here?"

"I can do whatever I want." Gray retorted.

"You're wrong." Natsu forced Gray on the defensive with a flaming kick. "Ulyo is still waiting for you. I'm waiting for you, too. We're rebuilding Fairy Tail." he informed, his flaming fist was blocked out by an ice shield. "And we need you."

"Don't be stupid." Gray growled, slamming a fist across Natsu's face. "Fairy Tail no longer exists." he locked Natsu in a block of ice which the Fire Mage promptly melted.

"In form only." Natsu turned the water into steam. "All our memories and bonds with our friends still exist."

"Then, shouldn't that be enough?" Gray snorted. "if it's already in your heart, then leave me be. I'm following my own path now. Fairy Tail is no longer a part of me. So quit acting like we're friends anymore."

"'Acting like we're friends'?" Lucy hissed, slapping the Ice Mage across the face. "We've always been friends. Stop saying such heartbreaking things. We don't want to hear you talking like that. After all, we... my stomach... suddenly..." she winced.

"It's you, Mary." Gray realized.

"Who are these people?" Mary demanded. "Old friends of yours? Friends from that Guild that went bellied up?"

"What did you do to Lucy?" Natsu glared.

"Simmer down!" Gômon trapped both Natsu and Virgo in chains.

"These are made of Sealstone." Virgo gasped.

"Thanks for the help, Lady Mary." Gômon remarked, Abel having used Mr. Cursey to take out Happy.

"Stop right there." Jerome rested his sword against Lucy's neck to stop any resistance.

"This is what you get for butting in where you don't belong, Natsu." Gray huffed.

In their prison cell...

"Someone's coming." Lucy heard footsteps.

"Where's Gray?" Natsu demanded, ramming against the cell bars. "Bring him here."

"Gray-dono and the others are no longer here." Gômon replied. "They've left to begin the Purification Plan. I, on the other hand, am here to find out who sent you via torture."

"Purification Plan?" Happy echoed.

"The purification of souls." Gômon supplied. "The deaths of countless innocents will beckon Zeref's arrival." after lifting Lucy in mid-air via the cuffs and securing Natsu and Happy against the wall, he entered the cell. "Now, tell me who sent you." he demanded, putting Lucy's feet on the metal footrest with a goat on the other side.

"I told you!" Natsu snapped. "We only came here to take Gray back with us."

"How many time must I tell you Gray-dono is one of us?" Gômon reminded.

"He's our friend." Natsu insisted. "But if he can't believe in himself, then we'll believe for him."'

"Silence!" Gômon roared, releasing Lucy from the foot-licking torture and brought out his ax. "Foot-licking torture is canceled." he lifted the weapon above his head. "This calls for chop-in-half torture. Do you still have faith in Gray-dono now?" he was instantly stopped in mid-strike when he was suddenly turned into ice.

The surrounding freezing air then collated around the Sealstone cuffs, freezing them and freeing Natsu, Lucy and Happy.

"Damnit." Gray complained. "You guys ruined everything." bringing out his Miniature Communication Lacrima, he made a call. "Code Blue here. I've hit a snag. It's not that. Hell if I know. Ask him yourself." he tossed the smartphone-like device to Natsu. "Put it to your ear."

"What is this thing?" Natsu asked.

"Is that you, Natsu?" Erza's voice sounded from the other end. "Good grief. So much for Gray's undercover mission."

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.