Surprise!
Happy New Year! I was planning on releasing this chapter on Dec 31st, but I am late by over an hour. Oh well.~, at least it's 31.12 in USA.
First of all, I'd like to thank you all for all of the support you've given me this year. 515 favs, 632 follows, 300 reviews, 80,000 views and 20 individual uploads - those are the numbers we made this year. I simply can't thank you enough for tagging along on this journey.
Let us hope 2018 will be even more successful, and this story will get even better! I'll make sure to give it my all!
Now that all that feelsy stuff is out of the way, welcome to Chapter 19. It focuses mainly on Natsu vs Gildarts, and I gave it my own original twist and changed it accordingly to the way my Natsu is. I think I did a good job at portraying what characters were feeling, but if you have any problems with that, let me know in PM's or reviews.
I hope you have a wonderful New Years Eve and I hope you enjoy the chapter!
December 29th, Fairy Tail's ship
The past week went by fast, maybe even too fast according to some people. All of the participants spent their week training, planning and getting closer to their partners.
They were all currently sailing towards Tenrou Island on their private ship, their moods foul, to say the least. Their ship was reserved only for the participants and Makarov – S-Class Mages and couple onlookers went on ahead to prepare the island for the exam.
"Why is it so god damn hot?" whined Lucy for the tenth time since they left Hargeon. She was currently sprawled on a sunbed, several of her shirt's buttons undone. She wasn't the only one, almost everyone else was also dying from the heat.
Levy, who was currently sitting at the table, her torso on its top, raised her head lazily. "Lucy, you're showing off too much."
Too tired to care, Lucy looked over to the side, where Gray was. He was one of the three people who were perfectly fine with the heat. With an idea popping into her head, she got up from her seat and walked up to her teammate, before taking his hand and placing it on her forehead.
Gray blinked. "What are you doing?" he asked her.
"Magic. Use. Now." she mumbled. To no avail.
"I'm not a freezer."
"Please?" she added, her voice on the verge of begging.
Sighing in annoyance, Gray released a bit of his magic, icy mist forming in his hand. Lucy groaned in relief.
"Thanks." she said with a grin.
"Enjoy it while you can, couple more minutes and you can forget about me helping you." he said. "Though I have to admit, it really is pretty damn hot. Are we sure Natsu is not the one heating the air to get a better chance at getting the rank?" he added with a smirk.
Natsu, who was sitting couple meters away with Wendy looked at the Maker, his brow raised. "Why the hell would I do that?"
Gray sweatdropped. "I was joking, man."
Elfman, who was now sitting shirtless by other table looked at the Slayer suspiciously. "You might be onto something, Gray." he grumbled.
Elfman had to avert his eyes to avoid daggers sent by Natsu's eyes.
"No, it's not him." explained Cana. "The currents around this area keep clashing with each other, so it's not affected by other types of weather or climate. It's summer here all year long."
Lucy hummed under her nose. She then looked at the previous culprit and blinked. "Aren't you hot in all that?" she asked Natsu.
The Slayer blinked and looked down. He was still wearing his black boots, jacket and dark brown pants, with his scarf wrapped around his neck.
"No." he said truthfully. "Should I?"
"Expecting someone who eats fire to feel hot is pretty stupid." remarked Evergreen from beside Elfman.
Lucy's brow twitched.
"The better question is" said Gray, diverting his eyes onto Natsu "why are you not sick? You feel bad on trains, surely ships must be no different."
"She used a spell on me." he said and pointed at Wendy with his thumb. "Topia."
"Troia." corrected him Wendy with a smile. "Do you want me to use it on you as well?" she asked, directing the question to Gajeel.
The man looked at her with surprised eyes, blindsided by the question. "No." he replied after a short while. "I can handle it."
Wendy blinked. "I see."
Lisanna's eyes widened, as she leaned in towards Juvia's ear, her hand covering her mouth. "Did you know he gets sick when he's in vehicles?"
"Of course. You didn't?"
The younger Strauss sister shook her head.
"Wait." threw in Gray. "Does that mean Laxus gets sick as well?"
Evergreen laughed quietly. "Of course he does. Why do you think he never wants to travel with anyone outside of us three?"
"Ever!" roared Freed. "How could you reveal Laxus' weakness so carelessly?! We are about to battle him!"
"How exactly are we going to use it against him? Conjure a train and throw him in there?" asked Elfman, his eyebrow arched.
"Exactly. Besides, it's not that much of a secret anymore."
"I could do that." murmured Gray, imagining himself trapping Laxus in an ice train.
Juvia caught Lisanna looking at her brother and his partner. "Is something wrong?"
Lisanna twitched, out of her trance, and looked at the rain woman. "No. I'm just surprised they actually partnered up, I said it as a joke."
"Well, they are definitely not the weirdest duo on this ship." pointed out Loke.
Almost like on command, everyone looked at Natsu and Wendy, who were currently talking to each other. Natsu stopped midsentence and looked at their faces one after another, his frown deepening with each shift of his gaze. "What?"
"Nothing. We're just surprised to see you partnered up with someone. We expected you to take this exam on your own." said Lucy.
"I was going to, but she wanted to team up with me. So I took her up on that."
"You must be slowly regretting it, aren't you?" teased her Cana.
Wendy shook her head with a smile. "Not at all! I've greatly enjoyed the past week!"
Noting in their minds that Natsu must have had a hidden, more pleasant side to himself they've yet to discover, everyone got back to their previous activities, or lack there of.
Gajeel, who continued to stare into the horizon, squinted his eyes and straightened himself in his seat. "Is that the island?"
Everyone looked at him, before turning around. Their eyes widened.
In front of them was a lone, giant island with lots of greenery and unusual shape. Right in the middle of the island was a giant tree, its crown flat, almost shaped like an island. One could easily mistake it for two islands placed on top of each other. The tree was thick, very deep brown in color, its roots spread out all over the ground, some of them going into the ocean. It was also emitting warm, powerful magic that appeared to soothe one's troubles.
"Beautiful..." gasped Lucy.
"It is said, that Fairies used to live on this island." said a voice from behind.
Clad in his Hawaiian shirt, Makarov walked out of the cabin and gazed at the island, a warm feeling reflecting in his old eyes. "It is also the place of rest of Fairy Tail's First Master, Mavis Vermillion."
"The hell's up with that outfit, old man?" asked Gray.
"What am I supposed to do? It's hot." sighed the elder. "Well, now that the island is in sight, allow me to explain the first stage of the exam."
Suddenly, heat was not a problem. Everyone's attention was focused on Makarov, who closed his fan and cut the air with it. A magical table was formed to his right, with drawings forming with each second.
"First exam?" asked surprised Wendy.
"It's always divided into stages." explained Mest from behind her. Unlike other candidates, he remained without a partner, his attempt to recruit Wendy being the only time he asked someone to do so.
"As you can see, there is smoke rising up from that beach." continued Makarov and pointed at the place at hand. "That is where you're headed. Upon arriving, you will find nine paths. Only one group can enter each path. This is what awaits you upon entering."
As soon as he finished, the magic table has been completed.
9 paths have been formed. 4 of them were decorated with faces of Erza, Mirajane, Laxus and Gildarts, with HARD BATTLE written above. 4 other paths met each other in pairs at one point called BATTLE, while the last, ninth path was called QUIET.
"Hard battle?" asked Wendy.
"That's where the monsters are." explained Bickslow.
"So Battle must be us fight each other." deducted Levy.
"What does Quiet mean?"
"Battle means two teams will meet each other and fight. The winning pair will continue to Second Stage." said Makarov. "Hard Battle is the most difficult one. In order to pass, you must best an S-Class Mage in combat. Quiet is the only path where you can pass without fighting anyone."
"Master, may I ask why there are nine paths, when there are eight teams?" asked Freed.
"I was about to get to that." nodded Makarov. "There will be two additional rules applied to the First Stage. First, Natsu and Wendy's path has already been decided. They cannot pass through any other path. It's been marked accordingly, so you can't miss it."
The guild looked at the elder with surprise.
"So this must be this special term he talked about last week." said Cana.
"Second, due to the uneven number of paths, one of them will not be taken. In other words, whatever lies ahead will be nullified. One S-Class may not get to taste battle, Quiet route may be untouched, or one team will not be forced to battle yet another team."
"So, best case scenario, 6 teams will pass onto the Second Stage." pointed out Evergreen.
"No way this many of us will get further." said Elfman with a sigh.
"Worst case scenario, three teams get further." added Levy, her enthusiasm gone. Gajeel, on the other hand, was beyond excited.
"That's exactly right." said Makarov and opened his fan once again. "In this test, your luck and power will be put to test!"
"Luck, huh?" sighed Cana.
"If we're lucky enough, we will hit one of the non-battle related paths!" Lucy tried to comfort her.
"Our chances of that happening are low, though."
"Even if we have to fight, we'll pull through! I promised you, didn't I?"
The brunette couldn't help but smile at her friend's eagerness.
"Well then, now that we've talked things through!" roared Makarov. "Let the exam begin!"
Gray blinked. "Huh?"
"We're still on the ocean though." added Loke, also confused.
Their only response was Makarov's grin.
Suddenly, flapping of wings could be heard on the ship, as Freed and Bickslow took off the ship, both of them flying towards the island.
"So that's how it is." huffed Gray and ran towards the board. Only to hit something invisible. "The hell?!"
"Sorry!" yelled Freed. "I'd rather be the first one to choose a path. They will disappear after 5 minutes!"
Gritting his teeth, Gray started to look for another way of getting out. On the other side of the ship, Evergreen chuckled to herself and pulled out a pen.
"What are you laughing about?" asked her Elfman.
"I've known Freed for long enough to learn a thing or two." she said while doing something with the runes. "Something of this caliber...I can bypass with my eyes closed!" she exclaimed and created a hole in the runes. "Let's go, Elfman!" she said before jumping into the water, with grinning Elfman behind her.
"The hell geezer, they're going to cover the island in runes!" yelled Gray.
"It's not like this is a race, you know..." sweatdropped the elder.
"Yes! I can rewrite it!" exclaimed happy Levy.
"Levy..." started glad Lucy
"But only for me and Gajeel!" added the bookworm, before jumping into the water with Gajeel, the gap closing behind her.
Lucy did not say anything.
"Why are you so calm?!" yelled Gray at Natsu.
The Dragon Slayer looked at his teammate funny. "My path has already been decided. Does it matter when I get there?"
Feeling stupid and frustrated, Gray sat down on his chair, waiting for the time to pass.
Four minutes later, the runes have disappeared. With everyone expressing their happiness, Gray walked up to the board and put his hand on it, only to be interrupted by a scared yelp behind him.
He turned around to the sight of Natsu throwing Wendy onto his back. She desperately clutched herself to his back, her hands and legs wrapped around his torso.
"Hold on." he said, before jumping into the water. However, instead of falling in, he lit his feet and hands aflame, turning his limbs into thrusters. Like some sort of a living jetpack, Natsu flew towards the island, with screaming Wendy still glued to his back.
Gray shook shock out of his face and jumped into the ocean, with Loke behind him
ICE MAKE: FLOOR!
In one quick move, Gray turned water beneath his feet into a footing, as he and Loke slid their way towards the island.
"Are you kidding me?" deadpanned Lucy at the sight of the males in the distance. Then, she felt something brush her leg, as Juvia and Lisanna swam towards their destination underwater, with Lisanna turned into a fish.
"Don't tell me we're the last ones..." started Lucy.
"Mest should still be on the ship." reassured her Cana, only to be grimly mistaken, as the man was already nowhere to be seen. "Damn it!" yelled the woman and started to swim, with Lucy doing the same right beside her.
Natsu and Wendy arrived at the shore. The older Dragon Slayer gently put her on the ground, which she accepted with gratitude. Wendy looked around the area, taking in the beautiful view.
"I can sense great magic power coming from the island." she noted.
"Yeah." he said. "Let's go."
The pair ran towards the beach, the pillar of smoke growing with each step. After a minute they reached the marked place. Four paths were closed off already, but it didn't matter to him. His path was right in the middle, marked with giant, flaming N above the entrance.
"Well then. Let's go in." said Natsu and started to march into the dark cave, his partner right behind him.
It wasn't late before he had to set his hand on fire to light the place up. He walked in front, his hand raised high in the air like a torch. They marched in silence, before Wendy spoke out first.
"I wanted to ask you something."
Natsu turned around, slightly surprised. "What's up?"
Wendy breathed in, both the air and confidence. "What was Igneel like?"
For a while, there was no answer. They just continued to walk in silence, silence that started to make Wendy anxious. She was slowly regretting asking this question, before he finally broke the silence.
"Strict. He was strict. But he wasn't cruel, or cunning, even though there were times I was sure bastard was torturing me on purpose. He expected a lot from me, and he wanted what was best in my interest. Whether he did it all out of love or something else, I don't know. But he was kind. He was my only family in this world. He was my father, and I'm thankful he took me in. I just wish I could say it to him properly."
Wendy lowered her head. She felt exactly the same about Grandeeney.
"That's why when I'll find him, I will punch his lights out first, and then get sentimental." added Natsu with a small smirk. "What about you?"
She looked at him in awe. He said it like it was obvious, like it was bound to happen. She felt like she'd lost hope many times, but truthfully, it was always inside her. And it just received a boost.
"Same." she said with a smile. "But I think I will refrain myself from hitting."
Natsu snorted in amusement.
After taking yet another corner, they were met with the sight of a giant room placed at the end of the route, with a figure standing in the middle of it.
Already suspecting who it was due to their enhanced smell, Natsu and Wendy walked into the cave, their suspicions answered.
"Hello there." said smirking Gildarts. "Looks like you've finally reached the end of your journey."
Wendy took a step back, shocked. Why were they put up against the most powerful mage in the guild?
"I think we both know why I'm the one you have to face." said Gildarts. "Any other route and you could pretty much name yourself S-Class at the spot."
Natsu took a step forward. Wendy looked at him, intimidated. She trusted her partner, but she knew this battle would not be easy. Although the more she looked at him, the less she was scared of Gildarts, her fear jumping onto Natsu.
His face became unrecognizable. It was now focused, his pupils small and sharp, staring at his target as he walked further into the cave. This sudden change in behavior was not natural. It was trained, almost as if he changed places with someone else.
"So, I have to beat you to get further?" asked the Dragon Slayer.
"That's the main requirement. Though you have to meet many others as well. I won't let you pass without them." answered the older man with a smirk.
Natsu stopped just a few meters away from his opponent.
The pressure was ing. Air became heavy from all the magic power gathered in the area. Wendy felt so out of place, it would be hilarious under any other circumstances. She could simply watch as her teammate stretched his arms, his eyes still locked on Gildarts.
"Guild's number two versus number one..." she muttered to herself, a slight bit of excitement building up inside of her chest.
"Let's get this over with." Natsu cracked his knuckles and neck, before gently bending his knees.
"Ready when you are." said Gildarts without moving from his spot.
Not having to be told twice, Natsu kicked the ground and dashed at the man.
"Rushing in a straight line? How green." Gildarts shook his head in his mind.
Before he could crash into the older man, Natsu set his right leg aflame, and stomped the ground, a giant piece of debris jumping in front of him. He lit up his other leg and kicked the rock, sending it flying in Gildarts' direction.
"Seriously?" asked the man in disbelief, before swatting his left arm to the side, the rock in front of him shattering into hundreds of pieces, only to find out Natsu was no longer in front of him.
He emerged from behind Gildarts and threw a right highkick at the man's head, who raised his right arm to block it. Flames spat out of Natsu's foot, his attack nullified. Before he could react, Gildarts took a hold of his ankle and threw him over his head, crashing him into the ground just with his right arm. Natsu grunted upon impact and tried to set himself free, only to be lifted off again and smashed into the ground once again, this time on the other side. Gildarts lifted the Dragon Slayer once again and began to spin his arm around with Natsu still in his grasp. Sick of being tossed around, Natsu set his right leg on fire and forced it out of the man's grip before he could build enough momentum. Still in the air, Natsu flexed his left leg and kicked surprised Gildarts under the chin, making his head jump upwards. Gildarts let out a quiet grunt and retaliated by punching immobile Natsu in the stomach.
The Dragon Slayer flew backwards and turned in the air, his body upside down, with his head just a few feet above the ground.
FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!
Natsu puffed out his cheeks and released a tornado of fire at his opponent. Gildarts blinked in slight surprise, before smiling to himself.
"This is gonna be amusing." he muttered, before cutting the roar in half with his left hand. Much to his shock, what he found inside the flames was Natsu, his right, set aflame hand retracted behind his back.
"He's fast." noted Gildarts, before raising his arm to block Natsu's punch.
FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!
The strike landed on Gildarts' forearm, slightly pushing him back. Before he could react, Natsu threw yet another punch, followed by third and fourth, which then turned into a full out barrage.
DRAGON SLAYER'S SECRET ARTS: CRIMSON LOTUS, FIRE DRAGON'S FIST!
Natsu continued his onslaught, effectively pushing Gildarts back bit by bit. Sick and tired of being punched around, the man awaited his moment, before swiftly ducking under a flaming punch and planting his own fist deep into Natsu's stomach.
The Dragon Slayer gasped in pain, his barrage stopped. Feeling good about the strike, Gildarts was about to continue, before being forced to lean his head backwards in order to avoid a kick aimed under his chin.
With his leg still extended in the air, Natsu leaned forward until it landed on Gildarts' left shoulder. He quickly jumped with his left leg and used his right to wrap it over the man's shoulder, before getting on top of him, his legs locked on the man's back. He then raised both of his hands above his head, setting them aflame.
FIRE DRAGON'S…
It was a moment. Gildarts quickly broke Natsu's locked legs and grabbed him by the calf, before smashing him into the ground. He then tried to throw him away, only to feel resistance. After looking down, he noticed that Natsu dug his nails deep into the ground, locking himself in place. He then bent his right leg and successfully kicked the man in the face. Losing his patience, Gildarts let go of Natsu's leg and kicked him in the stomach, making him fly. The Dragon Slayer turned over in the air and landed on all fours, before sliding on the ground.
Gildarts released a sigh and massaged his sore chin. "You really do pack a punch, don't you?" he asked him, genuinely impressed.
Natsu stood up, his hands massaging his aching stomach. "You too."
"Don't hold it against me. I have been instructed to not go easy on you, no matter what. Turns out I was right to do so." said the older man. "So you better start treating this seriously. This is no longer an exam. Think of this as a life and death situation. Playtime's over."
Natsu spat out a little blood to the side, and resumed his position. "Sure."
Playtime?
Wendy had trouble believing what she'd just witnessed. It all happened so fast it felt like seconds. The lack of hesitance in their moves, their precision, their technique. And it was all just a warm up?
"Don't make that face, Wendy."
Natsu's voice woke her out of her trance. Although he wasn't looking at her, he knew what was going on with her. "We'll get through. Just leave it all to me."
Without a warning. Natsu took off in yet another charge. However, this time, he zig zagged his way towards his opponent. Gildarts followed him, his eyes jumping from side to side. He squeezed his fist and punched the ground beneath, breaking it into multiple chunks of debris. Natsu jumped in the air to avoid impact and jumped from rock to rock, before setting his feet on the biggest one. He kicked it as hard as he could and launched himself at Gildarts like a meteor, his fist set ablaze.
Natsu's fist struck Gildarts, who raised his own arm above his head and effortlessly caught the blow, much to Natsu's shock.
"I did say playtime's over.". he replied to his shock and pulled him towards his own figure, before attempting to strike him once again. Natsu managed to use the arm Gildarts has been holding him with to jump out of the way of incoming punch. Gildarts struck thin air, with Natsu already flying above his head. The Dragon Slayer turned in the air and threw a kick at the man's head, who ducked under it and retaliated with a left hook. Natsu raised his right leg and blocked the strike with his knee, only to be thrown backwards. He landed several feet away, with Gildarts already chasing after him.
Natsu planted his hands into the ground, which soon began to shake.
FIRE DRAGON'S PILLAR!
A giant tower of flames erupted from beneath Gildarts, who flexed his muscles and shattered it into tiny bits of fire. Natsu answered by throwing another barrage of punches at the man, who successfully blocked all of the strikes. Gildarts sidestepped outside of Natsu's range and stepped in, kicking him in the back. Natsu flew foreward, before planting his hand on the ground and pushing it, launching himself in the air. He landed few feet away and looked up, only to see nothing.
"What are you looking at?" asked a voice behind him. Natsu quickly turned around just in time to see Gildarts' fist being mere centimeters away from his face. Throwing himsself to the side in despair, he managed to avoid what seemed like a decisive blow. He looked at Gildarts, who followed his moves with his eyes, his left arm bent and readied by his left hip. Suddenly, it twitched.
This little movement of his muscles was the only warning Natsu had received before barely dodging a powerful left straight aimed at his face. Seeing that his opponent was starting to get serious, Natsu decided to drop any boundaries and give him everything he had.
FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!
Yet another tornado of flames formed before Gildarts, swallowing him whole. Not noticing anything weird with his flames, Natsu felt good about the attack, only to feel something grab his face.
Gildarts emerged from the flames, with barely any damage on his skin and grabbed a hold of Natsu's face, killing his attack. He squeezed hard and pushed the Slayer, grinding him into the ground.
Instinctively, Natsu wrapped his legs on his arm, attempting to break out. He felt like he was trying to move a mountain, Gildarts' arm not moving even an inch.
"Life and death, remember?" whispered Gildarts, his voice rid of its previous playfulness.
Feeling his face being crusheded, Natsu let out a muffled grunt, breath escaping his lungs. He was losing consciousness, and fast.
SKY DRAGON'S ROAR!
A sudden torrent of wind hit both men. It did not inflict any damage, but it distracted Gildarts for long enough to allow Natsu to slid the arm on his face and roll to the side, before jumping away.
The Crush mage stood up and looked at Wendy, who was panting, currents of air still flying in the air around her mouth.
"Young lady" said Gildarts "as brave and honorable as it was, you shouldn't have done that."
Time froze. Wendy suddenly felt much heavier than a second ago. Gildarts started to slowly walk towards her.
"Stop!" yelled Natsu and threw himself at the man, only to be swatted away like a fly. Gildarts hit him with a nasty right backhand and sent him flying into the nearby wall, burying him under debris.
"On the battlefield, it is always the weakest who are targeted first. And this is a battlefield. I told you, if you treat this like an ordinary exam, you will die." continued Gildarts, as he walked towards the girl.
She couldn't breathe. His magic, his voice – they were too much. Asking herself how in the world she could still stand, Wendy simply watched as the man was now only a few feet away from her. He raised his hand and stopped just before her.
"Don't hate me for this."
Suddenly, Gildarts was behind Wendy, as he flew in the air and smashed into the wall right next to the entrance to the cave. Before Wendy stood Natsu, his fangs bared, pupils almost non-existent and his body clad in flames, with small, yellow crackling circling around his right leg.
But that didn't cease Wendy's fear. She was still afraid, only now the source of this feeling had changed.
"Nat...su?" she asked him, the wilderness on his face making her unable to speak properly.
Suddenly, his face relaxed. His animal features disappeared, replaced with a concerned frown.
"You ok?" he asked her.
She wanted to say yes, but that would be a lie. She's yet to truly see this side of him up close, and it was not something she looked forward to.
"Get behind me." he said and gently pushed her behind his figure.
Gildarts slowly stood up and wiped his lightly cut lip. There was blood on his hand, not a lot, but it was still there. However, instead of anger, he was happy. He couldn't help but gently chuckle to himself, as he smeared the blood in-between his fingers and turned around. He could finally proceed with the plan. Everything was set in place.
The seed has been planted,
"What are you laughing about?" asked him annoyed Natsu.
"Although you can't use your lightning, you still managed to generate it just for a second in your legs in order to increase your speed. That way, you did not damage your body and still tapped in into your full power for just a moment. For what you've shown up until now, I'd be more than obliged to make you pass further. But I won't."
Gildarts' face suddenly grew serious. "What you just did was reckless. What if your body couldn't handle what you just did? What if you missed and kicked her? What if you hit me the wrong way and made me crash into her? Did that even cross your mind?"
Natsu's face has also grown serious, his previous traits coming back. "You just tried to kill her. You have no right to speak."
"Is that how you're justifying yourself?" asked Gildarts. "I did it because they made me do it. Is that what you've told yourself when you vaporized upper floors of the Tower?"
Natsu's jaw clenched. Seeing that he had him on the ropes, the older man continued.
"Yes, you managed to bring your enemy to the knees. You have also almost killed a person who would then become your teammate. You did save her, but did you really do that out of the concern for her life? Or maybe because you felt guilty and did it to feel better about yourself?"
Natsu clenched his teeth, ready to throw himself at the man. He sure knew which buttons to press.
"This recklessness of yours is the main reason people treat you like an animal. It's because of that Erza cannot help but wince in pain every time she has to carry out her daily tasks, because both of her arms are severely burned."
That did the trick. Natsu stared at Gildarts, dumbfounded, unable to respond. The man simply snorted ironically. "You didn't even know, did you? She didn't have the heart to tell you herself. You did that to her during your recent sparring matches. You can't even see things unless someone points their finger and forces you to see them."
"Are you done?" asked him irritated Natsu.
Seeing that he failed to reach him yet, Gildarts sighed and prepared himself for the upcoming attack.
Natsu once again charged at Gildarts, this time much faster than before. However, unlike previous times, he charged straight ahead, his fist blocked as soon as it was thrown out.
"Predictable." whispered Gildarts and answered with a right uppercut to Natsu's stomach, followed by an elbow into his beck, Natsu crasheded into the ground before his feet, air leaving his lungs.
He quickly stood up and attempted to punch Gildarts one more time, only to be immediately countered. Bouncing off the ground, Natsu managed to get on his feet and slid on it, growling as he did so.
Suddenly, he felt weird light gathering on his arms and legs, before being completely covered in brightness. He looked questionably at Wendy, who stood several meters away, her hands pointing at him.
"Young lady, have you forgotten that you are also my target?" asked softly Gildarts. "Reminding me of your presence is not a smart thing to do."
This time, she wasn't intimidated. "That may be the case, but we are both fighting you, as a team. As you said, I am here to support Natsu, and support him is what I will do. Please, attack me if you see it as necessary, but do not think I will stand down once again."
Gildarts couldn't help but smile. She was clearly afraid, terrified even. However, she was still able to strangle her fears and keep them in check, using them in order to achieve something greater.
Unlike a certain someone.
ARMS! VERNIER!
Natsu looked at his hands, his eyes wide. He suddenly felt so light, yet so powerful. Was this Wendy's magic?
"I have enchanted your magical abilities, Natsu." explained the girl. "Now, g-"
She was interrupted by Gildarts, who tried to attack her once again.
"You said I could do it."
His plans were interrupted, as Natsu crashed into him with his legs, pushing him back a little. Not giving him a moment to rest, he followed through with a barrage of kicks and punches.
Both men engaged each other in a wild exchange of strikes, their limbs becoming blur. Dull sounds of connecting fists and legs echoed throughout the cave, as well as the sound of dust moving beneath their quickly shifting feet.
Although neither was giving in, Natsu could feel he was being overwhelmed. Panic starting to kick in, he unleashed even more of his magic in order to match his opponent's fierceness. To no avail, as it turned out.
Natsu ducked underneath Gildarts' arm and managed to kick him in the stomach, his foot planting itself into his body. However, the man quickly retaliated with a powerful right hook that split Natsu's forehead and blew his head to the side. He then stepped in and followed with a left uppercut, proceeded by another right hook that made Natsu roll on the floor. The Slayer regained his footing and dashed at Gildarts once again, a growl escaping his mouth.
After a short exchange, Gildarts once again came out on top and left Natsu lying on the floor, his hands desperately clutching his stomach.
"Another one of your weaknesses." spoke out the S-Class Mage. "Panic. When things start to get rougher, you begin to panic. Your actions become easier to read and you slowly start to lose control over your own power. You were much stronger at the beginning of our fight. I'm pretty sure this is how you've burned Erza."
This is too easy. thought to himself Gildarts when Natsu threw himself at him once again, Erza's name triggering the reaction.
Couple seconds later, Natsu was once again lying on the ground, Wendy's enchantments wearing off. The girl wanted to help, but she knew she'd be of no use in combat. She simply stood on the sidelines and watched the fight carry out, at the same time thinking of a way to intervene.
"Your magic boosts are gone, your hand-to-hand skills don't work against me. What are you going to do now?" asked Gildarts, his tone curious.
Natsu glared daggers at the older man, before cloaking his body in flames.
"Are we going to compare out magic now?" Gildarts asked while doing circles with his right arm.
Yet another charge. Gildarts effortlessly blocked the strike. Then another. And another. He gave Natsu ten chances before fighting back, his elbow connecting with his right cheek. Natsu's head was blown away, blood escaping his cut lip. He remained in this position for a moment, before quickly snapping his head back to its previous place, a point blank Roar escaping his mouth.
The orange-haired man was once again swallowed by flames. After couple seconds, Natsu ceased his attack, dust and remains of his flames still in the air.
His onyx eyes widened in shock at the sight of unscathed Gildarts standing in front of him, the only damage inflicted on him being the one to his ragged clothes.
"Do you see it now?" he asked. "There is no way for you to defeat me."
Natsu grit his teeth and punched Gildarts in the face, his strike barely making the man move. He answered by putting his open palm on Natsu's chest and pushing him back, creating several meters of distance between them with just his arm alone.
"You can't beat me with magic."
Natsu cried out and threw himself at Gildarts, his magic rising to its absolute limits.
DRAGON SLAYER'S SECRET ARTS: CRIMSON LOTUS, EXPLODING FLAME BLADE!
Gildarts allowed himself to be swallowed by flames yet again, however this time, he put his guard up. A giant explosion of flames erupted in the cave, swallowing the majority of its interiors. Wendy was forced to jump behind a giant piece of debris, the heat of the rock causing her to sweat immediately.
After what felt like a minute, it calmed down. Wendy peeked out from her hiding spot, her eyes squinted from all the dust and ash in the air. She searched the area for a bit, before her eyes finally laid on the scene.
Naysu was currently pressed against the ground, his face smelling the soil, with Gildarts standing on top of him, his right leg pressing his bent right arm into his lower back, effectively subduing him.
Gildarts had small burns all over his body, however his wounds were not serious. His clothes were in worse shape, his bandaged torso and fake limbs open for everyone to see.
"The third, final stage of your weakness. Fear." said Gildarts. "You let it control you. When things don't go the way you want them to, fear starts to take control of your body. You might gain a tremendous amount of power, but you lose something far more valuable in return. Your humanity."
Natsu growled and stared at his opponent with pure hatred in his eyes. However, it wasn't vicious. It was momentary, shortlived. And scared."
"I will give you one final chance. Give up. You can't win this." said Gildarts, his tone cold.
Give up. Those two words triggered a sensation that'd been driving him for years. Pushing him forward, keeping him alive. That sensation, was fear of failing. Fear of losing. Fear of being locked up.
Natsu turned his free hand and aimed it at Gildarts, before unleashing a pillar of flames. The man jumped off of him, setting the Slayer free.
Gildarts looked at Natsu and could barely contain himself from showing his saddened, concerned frown.
Natsu no longer resembled a human. His breath was uneven, his pupils so small they were barely visible, his magic blasting off on full throttle and his face stuck in a horrifying grimace of fear. He looked like a wild beast.
Gildarts wanted to reach out to him, to help him. But his mission had to be carried out. There was one more step until the end, and after coming this far, he had to see this through.
"I don't even know who I'm looking at anymore." he whispered. "A wild beast who can't tell when it's defeated, or a selfish brat unable to comprehend things can't always go his way."
He made a step towards the Slayer. This act, this little motion caused Natsu to coat his entire body in flames. Not even a second later, lightning started to crackle around him, this time all over his body. He was about to use his second element.
Gildarts stopped, a vein popping on his forehead. He's had enough.
"I see." he said quietly. "You'd rather break your own body than surrender a lost battle. You're just a brat."
Time froze. A drop of sweat that had just flowed off Wendy's chin has been blasted away when Gildarts unleashed his own magic. A white pillar of pure magic power formed around him and crashed through the ceiling above them, cutting through the ground above them like butter.
Wendy fell onto her face. Her body and mind didn't even have time to register the moment she'd lost consciousness.
Natsu simply stared at his opponent, unable to react. The ground beneath his feet split open, but he didn't give a damn about that. He could only stare into the face of what felt like death. He never felt power like this, not from Erza, not from Laxus, not even from Silva. He felt like he would be killed with a glare alone.
And yet, his body refused to bend. The instincts, the very way of living he'd beaten into it refused to bow down. For 7 straight years he pushed past his limits, shut down the very sense of his being, kept it under lock and trusted his instincts to do the work for him. The thought of failing to punish those, who turned his life into hell kept him going. But, they were gone now. Why was he still holding onto this ideology? Why did he allow himself to be dulled down every time things went even slightly not as planned?
Natsu continued to ask himself these questions in his mind. His body, on the other hand, refused to admit defeat. A wild roar escaped his mouth, as he took a step towards his opponent, his flaming aura continuously growing.
This wasn't a life and death situation. This was just a stupid exam. Why was he still going forward? It was easy to be fooled, after all, this looked like many situations he'd been in in the past. Except in the past, he could actually pull through. This time, there was no chance of winning.
However, his body did not understand that. He took step by step, feeling himself being crushed by Gildarts' magic more and more with each step. But, why? For what purpose?
Seeing that he still hasn't achieved his goal, Gildarts pushed harder. This time, Natsu's body broke on its own, as his knees planted themselves into the soil beneath, like to a prayer.
It did it on its own. Gildarts' magic had a part in that, but he finally understood it. He wasn't a rogue anymore. He didn't have to run from place to place and turn over his shoulder every time he went to sleep. He no longer had anyone to chase. There was no longer any need to chase anything. He didn't have to live his life in fear, like he used to.
So, just this time, just this once, he gave up..
Gildarts released his magic, the air coming back to the room. He carefully observed Natsu, who was on his knees in front of him. He couldn't see his face, but he knew what it looked like.
"I give up." choked out Natsu.
Silence fell. For a long while, neither of them spoke out. Gildarts was the one to break the silence.
"I see." he said quietly. "You pass."
Natsu sucked his breath in and looked at his examiner in disbelief. "What?"
"As I said. You pass." repeated Gildarts, this time with a smile.
Natsu still didn't buy this. "But...why? I failed, I couldn't beat you. I-"
"Accepted your own weaknesses and answered to them." cut him off Gildarts. "My main objective was never to test if you are strong enough to be S-Class, you are beyond that already. My task was to make sure you pass as a human being."
Natsu was still unsure what to make of this. Seeing that he needed to go full way, Gildarts released a tired sigh and massaged his sore neck.
"I was asked by Master Makarov to put you through hell. I pushed you to your absolute limits, you could say I deconstructed you. I had to put up an act. I was to crush all of your strong points one by one and leave you with nothing, only to then see what this nothing was truly worth, and come up with my decision based on that. I talked to Erza, Master and Laxus, since all three of them had encountered you and seen you at your worst. All of them told me you simply refuse to bow down to circumstances and recklessly push your way through, no matter the consequences. Having to be victorious is in your blood, and frankly, I cannot blame you. Living a life where one mistake can result in losing your life – not every man can walk down that path. But the way you did it was wrong."
The Slayer listened in peace, his head still lowered.
"Fear is not evil. It keeps us alive, it aids us in time of need. There are many types of fear. Fear of spiders, fear of losing someone, fear of things returning to the way they used to be, fear of losing, fear of dying. However, despite being so different, all of them have one thing in common – they can break you, if you let them. As soon as you let fear control you, that's game over. Your kind of fear is the worst of them all. You let it fuel your actions and cloud your judgment. You do things you later regret and later on have to fix by trying to convince yourself with an argument that is very often made up. After listening what others say about you, I was sure you are nothing but a simple mad dog, unable to generate any human emotions. But I was mistaken."
Gildarts squatted in front of Natsu and put his hand on his shoulder. The younger man lifted his head and met Gildarts' eyes.
"Although the fear of being defeated is still superior, you do care about others. The most powerful blow I have received in this fight was when you tried to protect that girl." he pointed at Wendy with his head. "And later on, despite being put against a wall, for the first time in your life, you denied your instincts and bowed to me. I cannot blame you for trying to stand up to me, but those, who can put their sword back in its place after taking it out, are in a league of their own. The fact that you managed to do that on your own, without others beating sense into you, means that you are not who I thought you were. I was mistaken. You are not a beast, Natsu. You are human, just like me, or that girl. And as long as you remember this feeling, as long as you remember this lesson, you will become stronger, as well as kinder."
Gildarts extended his hand to Natsu, who gently took it. He allowed himself to be brought to his feet.
"Find a new goal in life. Right now, you have nothing to fight for. It doesn't have to be anything remarkable, but as long as you stay true to it, you will never stray off your path. The next time your back's against the wall, think of people you consider to be family. Point your fear in the right direction and don't let it consume you. Use it to protect them. You're no longer alone."
Natsu took a deep breath. His mind was still in pieces, but he registered every word said by this man. He gave him a weak nod, his head still kept low. His eyes landed on unconscious Wendy. "Will she be okay?"
Gildarts blinked and looked at the girl, before releasing a nervous laugh. "I think I overdid it. She should be fine in a few."
Natsu nodded once again and picked the girl up bridal style. He then walked towards the exit, and as he passed Gildarts, the man spoke out.
"Natsu, don't make me give you this lesson ever again."
He received a nod in return.
"And make sure to aplogize to Erza!" he yelled after the Slayer.
Natsu stopped walking. He slowly turned around and looked at the Crush mage.
"Yeah."
Was all he said, before adjusting Wendy in his arms and walking out of the cave. He was still broken, his legs were shaky and his head was ringing. But mentally, he never felt better. Thankful to Gildarts beyond imagination, Natsu gripped Wendy's body even tighter and stared ahead with determined eyes.
He'd finally found the answer he's been looking for.
End of Chapter 19. To be continued in Chapter 20: First Stage.
I feel like I could have done more with Wendy, but frankly, against Gildarts the only thing she could do is tousle his hair with her magic. She will get her share of being badass later on, but for now, this is still the OC Wendy. Remember, Natsu was the one who taught her how to fight in Edolas, and she met him after that. Her battle capabilities are still low. Give it a moment and she will rise up to her canon self.
Rest of the exam will be covered in the next chapter. I wanted Natsu vs Gildarts to happen in one single chapter, with no break in-between. I have also kept the fight shorter than usual to not drag it out. I think I made my points clear.
Once again, Happy New Year and I hope you have a wonderful 2018! Cya!