A/N: Alright, it's time for the chapter you've all been waiting for: Gohan vs. Laxus! I couldn't wait to get this chapter done, so I was kind of excited and rushed it a bit. I've officially taken off the poll on the Key to the Starry Heavens; big thanks to those who voted and/or sent reviews! Hope I don't mess this up, I got a pretty good idea of how this arc will go. As I've been asked a few times, I'll let you all know that Mirai Trunks will not be a part of this arc despite Lamia Scale's involvement, but Gohan will be a part of it. And now without further ado, let's get back to the story; enjoy the fight!
Disclaimer – I don't own Dragon Ball Z or Fairy Tail
Chapter 8 – Turbulent Showdown! Gohan vs. Laxus!
The son of Goku was currently near the lake, fishing in the East Forest with the son of Igneel and his blue Exceed. Gohan had decided since Lucy and Michelle were busy trying to find out what that writing on her father's memento was and Wendy and Carla had gone into town, that he'd spend some time with Natsu and Happy. Although he and Happy were getting into it, Natsu was bored and began to doze off. "This is so boring," Natsu complained.
"Come on, it's a matter of lunch or death here, Natsu!" Happy said. "How can anyone be bored by that?"
"Ok, I'll snap out of it, I promise," the fire mage said seconds before he dozed off again.
"Are you kidding me?!" Happy yelled in disbelief.
"You should see the fish where I'm from, Happy," Gohan told the cat. "They're too hard to catch like this since it only makes them jump out at you, so it's best to jump in the water to get them."
"Catching fish must be impossible where you're from, Gohan," Happy noted. "Do people go hungry when they can't catch a fish?"
"Actually, they're easy to catch for me and my dad. Even though they're huge, we still manage to catch a boatload," Gohan replied.
"What?! The fish are big at your home?!" the cat asked.
"Oh yeah, they're enormous. Some of the biggest ones I've seen are about Natsu's size," Gohan revealed. "Some can even talk."
The blue Exceed began to drool as he thought about giant talking fish. "I bet they taste great," he said as he licked his lips. "Gohan, you've gotta take me to your home one of these days!"
Gohan smiled at the cat. "If I ever find a way home, I'll be sure to take you there," the Saiyan promised. "There's a talking, flying cat there too; his name's Puar."
"Really? Is he an Exceed?" Happy inquired.
"I don't think so. He doesn't use magic wings to fly, but he does transform," Gohan explained. "Although he doesn't do people very well, he can do animals and objects pretty good."
"Giant talking fishies and a transforming cat; your home sounds pretty interesting, Gohan!" Happy remarked.
Gohan nodded before saying, "Yeah, it does." Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed in the sky, a result of Laxus' small scuffle with a Vulcan. Natsu, Gohan, and Happy noticed it, along with Gajeel Redfox, and the Thunder Legion. "What was that?" the Z fighter questioned.
"I know what that means," Natsu said as he stood, sounding serious.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Happy asked his friend.
"Laxus is here," the Dragon Slayer answered.
"What?" Happy replied.
"Laxus? Are you sure, Natsu?" Gohan asked.
"I'm positive it's him. I was wondering where he had run off to," Natsu said. "I guess he picked the wrong neighborhood."
"But master didn't let him get back into the guild, did he?" the cat wondered as he dropped his fishing rod. "I wonder what he's doing around here."
"Do you think Laxus is in trouble?" Gohan questioned.
"I don't know, but I'm gonna find out!" Natsu proclaimed before running off.
"Hey Natsu, wait for me!" Happy cried as he flew after his friend.
Thanks to his time at the guild, Gohan knew that Natsu liked to challenge many of its strongest members to a fight; specifically, the S-Class mages, Gray, and Gajeel. He was pretty sure that if Laxus was here, then Natsu was most likely going to fight him. From what he heard, Laxus was much stronger than Natsu, so this would probably be an exciting fight. Gohan remembered how his dad loved to fight against strong opponents even if they were stronger than himself. Thinking that the Fire Dragon Slayer reminded him of his dad once again, the Demi Saiyan decided to follow him. It wasn't long before Gohan had caught up to Natsu and Happy; as the three were moving through the forest, Black Steel suddenly showed up ran up beside them. "Hey Gajeel," Gohan greeted.
"Hey, kid," Gajeel greeted back.
"What's up, metalhead?" Natsu asked.
"None of your business, flame brain!" Gajeel replied.
"You going somewhere?" Natsu continued to ask.
"Why? Are you?" Gajeel shot back.
"I asked you first, didn't I?!" Natsu argued.
"Yeah, who cares?!" Gajeel countered.
Realizing that they were both going to the same place, the two First Generation Dragon Slayers struggled to get ahead of each other and reach the Second Generation Dragon Slayer first. "You ain't following me!" Natsu yelled as he ran faster.
"I don't wanna, so get lost!" Gajeel shouted. The two mages eventually stopped running and glared at each other. Gohan chuckled as he thought the two Dragon Slayers reminded him of his father's rivalry with Vegeta; two warriors of the same kind, both with the desire to be the strongest.
"Would you two cut it out already! We need to go see what that random lightning strike was about!" Happy reminded them.
"What?! I already told you it was Laxus!" Natsu exclaimed. "I'm gonna go put the smackdown on him!"
"Please! You don't have a snowball's chance in hell against him!" Gajeel stated. "Remember last time?" The two Dragon Slayers reminisced on the last time they fought Makarov's grandson; despite their teamwork leading to Natsu defeating the Lightning Dragon Slayer, it was the Fire and Iron mages who ended up in bandages from head to toe. "Even with me giving you a major helping hand, he still beat the ever-loving snot out of you!" Black Steel chuckled.
"Chuckle all you want, but I didn't need your help then, and I don't need it this time!" Salamander denied while jabbing a finger at Black Steel. "I'll beat Laxus with my own two fists!"
"Not if I get to him first!" Gajeel declared.
"Who's beating who again?" Laxus questioned as he abruptly appeared in front of his ex-guildmates.
"Laxus!" the First Generation Dragon Slayers exclaimed as the Second Generation scowled at them. "Whoa! That lightning really was him after all!" Happy said. "Laxus!" the Thunder Legion cried as they just appeared behind their boss. "It would seem that he's not alone either," Freed observed. "What's going on here?" Bickslow asked. "There's nothing going on here, is there?" Laxus replied sternly.
"Have you been living out in the woods this entire time?" Natsu asked him.
Laxus turned his head a bit before answering, "I travel around a bit, but I've been here for a little while."
Gohan kinda felt sorry for the guy; he got the feeling that he was actually just sticking close to his home since he wasn't allowed back. "Guy has nowhere to go, and he's homesick; no wonder he was living here," he thought.
"If you're this close, you should just come back to the guild already," Gajeel suggested.
"Why's that? Have you been missing me?" Laxus asked.
"I don't give a crap if you come back or not," Natsu stated before bashing his right fist into his left palm. "But since we're here, I think we should throw down and see who comes out on top!"
"Sounds good to me," Gajeel agreed.
"You guys really want me to take the bait, don't you?" Laxus scoffed. "You wanna get me all riled up and ready to fight. Well, I've got better things to do." The Lightning mage turned to leave.
"Like run away?" Natsu inquired, getting him to stop. "You've never been the type of guy to back down from a challenge, so what are you scared of?"
Gohan watched cautiously as he recognized what Natsu was doing. "Classic fighter move," he thought. "He's egging him on, tempting him. If he backs down, he'll look weak."
"You'd be wise to watch your tongue, Natsu," Freed warned him.
The Fire and Iron Dragon Slayers patiently waited to see what the Lightning Dragon Slayer's choice would be; seeing as how neither of them were willing to take no for an answer, Laxus turned to them, smirked, and said, "Ok, fine."
"Now that's more like it!" the First Generation exclaimed in unison.
"Sorry, but you ain't laying a finger on him!" Bickslow told them.
"You'll have to go through the Thunder Legion," Evergreen stated.
"Laxus' fate and our own shall never again be torn asunder!" Freed declared while shedding tears.
"They must be really devoted to Laxus," Gohan thought.
"No, I'd actually love to teach these two clowns a lesson all by myself," Laxus said as he cracked his knuckles.
"Sounds like fun to me," Natsu responded.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say these guys were Saiyans," Gohan thought as he watched the three Dragon Slayers prepare to square off.
"Alright Natsu, guess you're first in line," Laxus noticed as he and the Salamander took their stances. Natsu ignited his fist while Laxus charged his body with lightning. Gajeel stood back with his arms crossed, waiting for his turn. Just as the two were about to fight, someone shouted, "Wait, hold on!" Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw the Sky Dragon Slayer and her Exceed had joined them. "What for?" Natsu questioned. "If you guys are really going through with this, you gotta make sure it's a special occasion!" she insisted. "I don't follow ya," Natsu admitted. "What are you talking about?" Gajeel inquired. The Sky maiden then jabbed her finger at them and declared, "The match will take place tomorrow!" while holding a serious face. Having no problem with that, Natsu replied, "Ok, if you insist, have it your way. I can wait one more day to kick his butt." He then pointed at his opponent and said, "Meet me tomorrow under the big solar tree in South Gate Park!"
"And when he's done, it'll be my turn!" Gajeel added.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Laxus agreed before turning to leave again. Wendy let out a breath of relief as he walked away when Makarov's grandson suddenly stopped and looked back. "Hey kid, your name's Gohan, right?" he questioned. Everyone then looked toward their newest member, who they finally noticed was still here.
Gohan nodded. "Yeah, it is."
"I hear you're supposed to be strong, that true?" Laxus continued to question the boy.
"I guess you can say that," Gohan replied.
"Gohan's definitely strong! He fought Natsu and beat him without even trying!" Happy stated.
"Hey, I wasn't really trying either! Plus, the kid got lucky!" Natsu argued.
"So you beat Natsu with ease, huh? That means you're clearly stronger than you look, kid," Laxus said. "And I'd like to find out just how strong you are, so why don't you join us in the ring. I don't mind one more opponent." Wendy, the Exceeds, and the Thunder Legion had looks of shock on their faces while Natsu and Gajeel frowned. "He'll fight a kid without a second thought but not me?" they both thought.
"Now wait a minute, Laxus! He's just a kid!" Bickslow argued.
"He may have beaten Natsu, but you're much stronger; you might actually hurt this kid!" Evergreen pointed out.
"Gohan, for your own safety, I highly suggest that you turn down the offer," Freed advised the young boy.
The Demi Saiyan didn't answer as he thought about accepting the lightning mage's challenge. Truth is, after his fight with Natsu, his life seemed a little too calm, and his Saiyan blood was hungry for a good fight. If this guy was stronger than Natsu, then he would be a more significant challenge than the Fire mage was. Wendy looked worried that her friend would say yes to fighting Laxus, but she didn't say anything to avoid upsetting Gohan in case he was going to do saw her friend's uneasiness and spoke out. "It would be wise for you to refuse, child, you don't know what you're getting yourself into." Gohan still gave no answer, so the son of Igneel came toward him and put his hand on his shoulder. "What are you waiting for, Gohan? You should totally join us! It'll be fun!" he assured him. "I'll even soften my blows on him so that you can take a crack at him!"
"You don't have to do it if you don't want to, but I'd like to see what you can do now that you're a member of Fairy Tail," Laxus said. "And this is the best way to do it."
Gohan still didn't answer; instead he asked, "So, you're stronger than Natsu?"
"That's right, kid," Laxus confirmed.
"Then this should be fun after all," Gohan decided as he came to a decision. "Alright, count me in! I could use a good fight!"
Natsu, Laxus, and Gajeel smirked while everyone else stared at the Saiyan with their jaws hanging open. "Well then, guess I'll see you guys tomorrow," Laxus said before leaving everyone in the woods.
Later that day, some Fairy Tail members were chatting about the fights that were going to take place the next day. "You guys hear about the big showdown?" Wakaba inquired.
"Add that to the list of Natsu's bad decisions," Macao remarked.
"Did you know Laxus was around?" Romeo asked. "He's been in the woods around Magnolia for a while."
"Big time fights are so manly! This is gonna be the best one ever!" Elfman exclaimed.
"Should we be worried about Natsu and Gajeel getting hurt?" Lisanna inquired.
"Oh, they're gonna get hurt alright," Wakaba said matter-of-factly.
"Yeah, Laxus is not someone I'd ever want go up against. Those two don't stand a chance," Mira said.
"Is he really that much stronger than them?" Kinana wondered.
"He's a tough customer for sure. Back then when he was still a member, I'd say the only one more powerful than him was Gildarts," Wakaba said.
"Did you guys hear that Gohan's also going to be fighting Laxus?" Romeo questioned.
"What is that kid thinking? Taking on Laxus is just crazy!" Macao shouted.
"Beating Natsu is one thing but beating Laxus isn't something you expect to do in one fight," Wakaba commented. "Poor kid's gonna get creamed."
"That kid's a real man, and real men don't back down from a fight!" Elfman proclaimed.
"Sounds to me like he's already acting like a real Fairy Tail member," Lisanna said. "He sure is catching on to our guild's style."
"You don't think Laxus would hurt Gohan too badly, do you?" asked Kinana.
"I don't know. He may have changed, but Laxus still isn't the type to hold back much when he fighting someone," Mira answered. "He's all about how many hits you can take from him before he beats you."
"Guess all we can do now is hope that Gohan doesn't end up in a body bag after Laxus is done with him," Wakaba said.
"Ok, as the master of the guild, I'd better get this party started!" Macao declared with excitement.
"Yeah! It'll be a fight party, the manliest kind there is!" Elfman proclaimed.
"That's a great idea; turn this into something fun for everyone!" Lisanna agreed.
"ALRIGHT!" everyone cheered.
That night, everyone in town had gathered in the South Gate Park to throw a party to celebrate the fights that would be taking place tomorrow. Stands were placed all around the big solar tree for people to buy food or merchandise. Natsu, Gohan, and Happy had just arrived at the park where they saw the party taking place. "This is crazy! What's going on here?! Is there some kind of festival happening or something?!" the confused Dragon Slayer wondered.
"Everyone's getting their party on!" Happy said enthusiastically.
"Wow! Wonder what the occasion is?" Gohan said.
"You do realize this is all because of you?" Lucy told them as she and Michelle came up to them.
"How so?" Natsu inquired.
"Does this have something to do with the fight with Laxus?" Gohan questioned.
"I'm having so much fun, and all the food here is wonderful!" Michelle exclaimed as she started coming down on the tons of food she got from the party. She then handed some to the Saiyan. "Here Gohan, I wanted to wish you luck in the fight, so I brought you some food since, like me, you have a big appetite!"
"Thanks, Michelle!" Gohan said gratefully as he accepted the food.
"By the way Gohan, is it true that you're also going to fighting Laxus tomorrow?" Lucy asked.
"Yeah, it is," Gohan replied.
"That's crazy! Just because you beat Natsu, doesn't mean you should take on every one of our guild's toughest members!" Lucy shouted. "You should back down while you can!"
"But I haven't had a good fight in a while, and this is a great chance to see just how strong Laxus is," Gohan argued."If he's one of the toughest members in our guild, then this should be really fun."
"Aren't worried that you're gonna get hurt?" the Celestial Mage questioned.
"Nope. I'm pretty tough myself," Gohan responded.
"Hah! Will you even get a shot at him?! There might not be much of him left when I'm done with him!" Natsu laughed.
"Somehow, I doubt that," Lucy sighed.
"But seriously, what's the festival for?" Happy asked.
"I'm serious, it's because everyone heard about the big fight," Lucy answered.
"And they decided to put together a festival the night before," Michelle added.
"Really? All because of a few fights?" Gohan said as he thought, "Kind of reminds me of the tournaments my dad used to fight in; people always came to see that."
"Magnolia sure does love to party!" Happy commented.
"Well, I know you probably don't care, but we weren't getting anywhere with figuring out that ancient language, so we came here to unwind for a bit," Lucy revealed to them.
"Don't worry, Lucy, I'm sure you'll find out what that old writing means," Gohan tried to encourage the blond mage.
"I'm getting hungry again!" Michelle declared.
Many of the townspeople had gathered around a performance stage where the reporter for Sorcerer Weekly expressed his enthusiasm. "I can hardly believe it; so cool! Ladies and gentlemen, it has been too long!" the reporter announced. "But your favorite reporter Jason is back!" The crowd cheered as he continued to speak. "It's a reunion 7 years in the making, and what a cool way to celebrate, because this... is gonna be the most insanely awesome fight in the history of fighting!" Jason exclaimed as he shed tears of joy. "Get off the stage!" Wakaba cried. "It's time for bringing out the real talent already!" Macao yelled. Jason took no offense and continued talking. "Without further ado, I'm here to welcome a woman who's the very definition of beauty! The lovely and super talented... Ms. Mirajane!" The crowd roared as Fairy Tail's poster girl appeared on stage in a yellow dress with a guitar. "Are you boys and girls ready to rock?!" Mira asked the audience.
"Wow! I didn't know Mira could sing," Gohan said.
"Yeah, and she's outstanding, too! She sang me a song about fish once!" Happy told him.
"Bring it on, sis!" Elfman cheered.
"Light the stage, Mira!" Lisanna called out.
"Well I hate to break it to ya, but my poor throat has been awfully sore all day," Mira confessed, making the audience groan.
Over by the food stands, Gohan and Natsu were still stuffing their faces with numerous delicacies. "Hey Natsu, Gohan, don't you guys think it's a good idea to get at least a little training done before the big fight?" Happy questioned the fighters. "That won't be necessary, I was just planning on hitting him hard with everything I've already got," the Fire mage replied before he went back to eating. "Of course, why would I ever think you had any real strategy in mind?" Happy asked rhetorically. "What about you, Gohan, planning on doing some training for tomorrow?" Gohan shook his head and replied, "My Dad once told me that training the day before a big fight might actually tire you out rather than get you ready, so no thanks. But I do have a plan, between Laxus' fights with Natsu and Gajeel, that should be enough for me to observe and study his moves before I have to fight him." "See Natsu, why can't you be more like Gohan, someone who uses both their brain and brawn in a fight?" the Exceed asked his friend. "I wonder how Gajeel's gearing up for the showdown." The tomcat searched the crowd for the Iron Dragon Slayer. "I know he's gotta be real scared he's gonna get beat," Natsu said, "so he's probably off somewhere doing some kind of super crazy training."
"Gajeel kinda reminds me of Vegeta, they both never stop training," Gohan thought.
"Instead, let me introduce to you a singer who's got soul and style," Mira went on. "A true one of a kind performer like you've never seen before, put your hands together!" She stepped aside to reveal Gajeel wearing a white tuxedo, a white hat, and sunglasses and holding an eletric guitar.
"What the heck is he doing up there?!" Natsu asked in shock.
"Doesn't look like training!" Happy noted.
"Ok, maybe he's not so much like Vegeta after all," Gohan thought before he spoke. "I didn't think Gajeel could sing or play guitar."
"I wouldn't say he could sing, but he does love to express himself through music," Happy explained.
The crowd sweatdropped at seeing the Iron mage on stage."Thanks folks, I appreciate ya'll coming out here to see me tonight," he said.
"I didn't come here to see this crap!" Wakaba complained.
"For my special request, I'd like to start off with a little diddy I wrote myself!" Gajeel announced.
"You trying to tell me someone actually asked for this?!" Macao yelled disbelievingly.
"I call it best friends; here we go!" Gajeel continued.
"Doesn't he know any other songs?!" the old mages shouted at the same time. Once Gajeel started singing, people could only stare in horror at how bad the iron muncher's singing was. "Wow, his singing's almost as bad as Krillin's," the Demi Saiyan thought. He then spotted Lucy approaching team Shadow Gear within the crowd. "Guess Lucy will be getting Levy to work on that ancient writing soon; too bad, they'll miss our fights." The Iron Dragon Slayer ended his performance with a howl and a "Good night, Magnolia!" and that concluded the festival.
The next day, Laxus came to the South Gate Park while the festival was starting again. "What's the occasion?" he inquired. "When word got out that you were having a big fight, the whole town decided to throw a party," Bickslow answered. "You see, Laxus, you're still quite the celebrity around here," Evergreen told him. "Yeah, I see they're all still a bunch of idiots," Laxus remarked. "You're a true legend of the Fairy Tail guild," Freed spoke before he started weeping. "So why don't you realize how desperately we need you?!" "Get a hold of yourself, man," Laxus muttered. He then saw a young boy enjoying the festival with his grandfather; seeing this made him smile.
Elsewhere, Gohan was walking through the Eastern Forest with Wendy and Carla; the Dragon Slayer and the Exceed were looking for Master Makarov and had invited the half Saiyan to go with them in the hopes of talking him out of fight with the lightning mage, but no such luck. "This is horrible. The only reason I asked them to wait a day is so that you guys could calm down a little and call off the fight," the Sky madien confessed.
"Is that what you were trying to do?" Gohan laughed. "Trust me, Wendy, I've seen fighters like Natsu, Laxus, and Gajeel, and asking them to postpone the fight doesn't get them to calm down. It just makes them more anxious, the longer they have to wait."
"It seems your plan may have backfired, child," Carla told her.
"I never thought it would turn into such a big deal," Wendy said. "Gohan, please don't fight Laxus, you could get seriously hurt!"
Gohan simply smiled. "Don't worry, Wendy, I'll be fine. As long as you've known me, you haven't seen me when I'm at full strength. In fact, it's actually Laxus you should be worried about."
"What do you mean? Why should I be worried about Laxus instead of you?" she inquired.
"Is something troubling you, Wendy?" Makarov asked as he abruptly appeared in front of the three before Gohan could answer.
"Actually, there is," she replied.
"Hello, master," Gohan greeted the old man.
"Where have you been hiding yourself?! We've been looking everywhere for you!" Carla exclaimed.
"Why, has something happened?" Makarov asked.
"Natsu and Gajeel are in trouble. They're about to have a fight against Laxus," Wendy answered.
"THEY'RE DOING WHAT?!" Makarov screamed as his eyes grew blank and wide.
After Gohan removed his fingers from his ears, he said, "Speaking of which, I'd better get over there; don't want them to think I chickened out! But first, I need to look the part." The Son of Goku closed his eyes; his Ki started flashing until his clothes completely changed into his purple gi with brown shoes and the white weighted cape. (A/N: The outfit he wore at the Cell games.) "There, much better."
The three mages stared at the Saiyan with curious looks. "How did you do that, Gohan?" Makarov questioned.
"It's called Magic Materialization," Gohan replied. "I don't have the time to explain it, so I tell you guys about it later. Wish me luck!" And on that note, the Demi Saiyan ascended to the sky and flew toward South Gate Park.
"Where's he going to in such a hurry?" Makarov wondered.
"Wendy failed to mention that Gohan would also be fighting against your grandson," Carla explained.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?! DOES THE BOY WANNA DIE YOUNG?!" Makarov screamed again.
"I was hoping that Gohan would've changed his mind by now," Wendy told him.
"We'd better get over there now! If we hurry, we might be able to make it in time to stop Gohan's match!" Makarov declared. The three Fairies started running through the forest to head toward the south park.
At the South Gate Park, everyone from the festival aside from Lucy, Levy, and Michelle had gathered around the big solar tree. The Lightning Dragon Slayer was sitting in a chair against the tree while his personal bodyguards stood behind him. Laxus had his arms crossed and his eyes closed as he mentally readied himself for the fight. "COOL! Laxus is so cold and collective, it's terrifying!" Jason reported. Gajeel suddenly appeared and stood before his fellow Dragon Slayer. "Sweet! Black Steel Gajeel is ready to throwdown! The two heroes stare down their opponent, the tension is so thick you can cut it with a knife!" The Iron Dragon Slayer looked at his black Exceed standing in the crowd and smirked when Fairy Tail's Fire Dragon Slayer suddenly appeared with his Exceed by his side. "Natsu Dragneel has arrived, 3 out of 4 warriors are in their places!" Laxus opened his eyes and saw the Fire Dragon Slayer; he started looking around for the Z Fighter. "Where's the kid?" he asked. Everyone soon started to scan the area for the Demi Saiyan, but there was no sign of him. "From what I've heard, the 4th fighter has yet to arrive! Will young Gohan show?!" Jason pondered.
"I wonder where Gohan is," Macao said. "Although I didn't like the idea of him fighting Laxus, I was curious to see how he would do against him." "I thought he would at least be here to watch the fights," Wakaba added. "Guess he decided to do the smart thing and keep his body intact." The Strauss siblings were also searching for the Saiyan. "Do you think Gohan will show up at all?" Lisanna wondered. "I don't know, he seemed pretty eager to fight. Maybe he got scared and changed his mind," Mira suggested. "Don't tell me Gohan chickened out at the last minute! I thought he was a real man!" Elfman said. "Actually Elfman, he's a kid, and any normal kid would be terrified to have to fight Laxus," Lisanna corrected her brother. There was still no sign of Gohan; after a few minutes, Jason said, "It looks like Gohan won't be joining this awesome fight party! But that's cool, we wouldn't want the kid to get hurt, now would we?"
Pretty soon, only the Dragon Slayers were still looking around for the Saiyan hybrid. "Why isn't Gohan here yet?!" Natsu wondered. "I don't want the little guy to miss this; it's all for him too!" "Do you really think he would run away and let all these people down?" Happy asked. Laxus finally stopped searching and faced his two opponents. "Guess the kid had second thoughts about fighting me," he said. "That's a shame, I guess I'll just have to work with what I've got." "Heh, I wouldn't be too sure about that," Gajeel said with a chuckle as he looked upward. "Take a look over there." Everyone looked at the top of the big solar tree, where they spotted the half Saiyan standing there with his cape blowing in the wind. Gohan looked down as he gave the family Son grin before jumping off the tree and flipping toward the ground; the Saiyan landed on his feet and faced his opponent. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm glad you guys didn't start without me," he said.
At first, everyone was staring in stunned silence at the appearance of the Saiyan child, but then Jason announced, "SO COOL! Young Gohan has arrived, and what an entrance, might I add! Now Laxus and all of his challengers are here and ready to fight!" The crowd suddenly went into uproar, making the Demi Saiyan smile while putting a hand behind his head. "Well, how about that, the kid actually showed up." Wakaba sounded surprised. "Guess he's braver than we thought," Macao said. The Strauss siblings all smiled at the appearance of Gohan. "Wow! Gohan came after all," Lisanna exclaimed. "Although I hoped he wouldn't show so that he wouldn't get hurt, part of me is actually glad he had the courage to face Laxus." "I know what you mean," Mirajane agreed. "He's got the Fairy Tail spirit." "Way to show you're a man, Gohan!" Elfman shouted. "He's still a kid Elfman," his sisters said. Panterlily smiled at the boy in spotlight. "Nice work Gohan; I applaud your courage," he thought.
In Lucy's Apartment, the girls had decided to take a small break from their work to see Gohan's fight with Laxus, using a Lacrima to observe; they were surprised when the halfbreed showed up. "I can't believe he's actually going through with this! What is he thinking?!" Lucy questioned. "Gohan is so brave to take on that strong man, I'm so proud of him," Michelle said as she weeped. "He's definitely acting like a Fairy Tail member," Levy commented. "Yeah, I think our guild's insanity is rubbing off on him," Lucy muttered.
At the park, the crowd started chanting the Demi Saiyan's name. "Gohan! Gohan! Gohan!" The son of Goku blushed at the attention he was getting, which was noticed by the Thunder Legion. "Kid's got heart, don't ya think?" Bickslow said. "Yes, he's certainly learning the Fairy Tail way," Freed agreed. "Well Laxus, it look like little Gohan's stolen your spotlight," Evergreen teased the Second Generation Dragon Slayer. "Who cares, I'm just glad the kid showed up," Laxus stated as he smiled. Gajeel stood beside the half Saiyan and said, "You got guts, kid, not bad." "Thanks, Gajeel," Gohan replied. Natsu and Happy then went over to the Z Fighter. "About time you got here, I was starting to think you got cold feet and that I would need drag you here!" the Fire mage told him cheerfully. "Way to show that you're a proud member of the Fairy Tail guild!" "Aye sir!" Happy agreed. Gohan smiled at his guildmates. "What can I say, I was itching for a good fight," he said. "Well, now that you're here..." Natsu started. "What do you say we get down to business?" Gajeel asked. "Sure thing," Gohan said. The three fighters turned to face their opponent, the Lightning Dragon Slayer.
"I must admit that while I'm surprised you showed up, I'm glad that you're here," Laxus admitted. "Now things can get interesting." The Lightning mage slowly got out of his chair and approached the Salamander as his other two opponents stepped aside, leaving the Fire mage to face the Lightning mage alone.
"Laxus stands up, and it looks like Natsu's getting first crack at him!" Jason stated. The other two fighters watched anxiously as the two Dragon Slayers prepared to face off. "Let's do this thing," Laxus said. "Bring it!" Natsu challenged. "But I gotta warn you, that I'm not gonna hold back," Laxus warned his opponent. "I don't blame ya," Natsu responded cockily. "Do you understand? If you don't survive this, it ain't my fault," Laxus warned him again. "I could say the same to you, big guy!" Natsu said as he ignited his fist. Laxus responded by charging his body with lightning. "Happy, you'd better get back," Natsu told his partner. "Good luck, Natsu, I'm rooting for ya," Happy wished his friend luck. "Thanks, pal," Natsu said as Happy flew to a safe distance. Everyone in the audience watched anxiously as Natsu prepared to take on Laxus; the Fire Dragon Slayer then roared as he amped up the flames around his body, as did Laxus when he increased his lightning output.
Sparks of fire and electricity flew around, stinging some of the audience. "Yes, it's on now!" Jason announced. In the center of a circle of people stood a blaze of glory and a bolt of power; the spectators watched as Natsu and Laxus continued to charge up. "This is gonna be intense!" Macao thought. "Whoever strikes first will lose," Lily thought. "Both Natsu and Laxus' energies are greater than any average human's, but..." Gohan thought. Natsu suddenly charged at Laxus with his fist ready, yet Laxus made no attempt to dodge and just stood still while throwing his own fist. Both fists swung past each other, but Laxus' struck first, knocking out the Fire Dragon Slayer in one go. "…Laxus was still stronger, sorry Natsu," Gohan thought sympathetically.
Natsu laid on the ground in defeat with white widened eyes and smoke coming out of his head. The Strauss siblings held shocked looks on their faces as Jason announced, "T.K.O.!" Everyone else laughed at Salamander's humiliating defeat. "The poor kid couldn't land a single hit!" Macao laughed."I don't know about that, he hit the ground pretty dang hard!" Wakaba joked. Happy rushed over to his friend, who was still flat on his stomach in disbelief. "Are you ok?" the blue Exceed asked his partner. "Great job as usual, Laxus!" Evergreen congratulated him. "The little guy's still got nothing on ya, buddy," Bickslow said while Freed just wept. While they were talking, Gajeel was sweating bullets as he realized he was next. "So, are you ready for round 2?" Laxus asked his second challenger, but he was surprised to see that the place Gajeel recently stood was empty.
"He's gone!" Lisanna stated.
"Whoa! Gajeel just ghosted!" Jason announced.
"You mean that lousy coward ran away?!" Wakaba yelled.
"What?!" Lily shouted.
"Huh, well if he's gone, then I guess that means you're my next victim, kid," Laxus noted as he faced Gohan.
"Vegeta would've never ran from a fight," Gohan mused before he turned to the still passed out Salamander. "And my dad would've lasted longer than one punch." He then sighed and said, "So much for studying Laxus' moves." He then faced the Lightning Dragon Slayer and smirked. "Guess it's my turn then; let's do it!" Everyone was taken aback by Gohan's eagerness to fight. "So cool! The young Gohan shows no fear as he prepares to face the mighty Laxus!" Jason announced. Gohan pulled off his weighted cape and tossed it aside. "Ah, that takes a load off," he said before he started flexing and doing exercises. "Is this kid seriously still doing this?" Macao inquired. "I know, right. How can he be so calm after what he saw Laxus did to Natsu?" Wakaba questioned.
"Does Gohan still wanna fight Laxus?" Lisanna asked.
"I think he does," Mira answered. "I just hope Laxus doesn't hurt him too badly."
"Come on, Gohan! Show 'em how a real man fights!" Elfman cheered.
At Lucy's Apartment, the girls watched as Gohan prepared himself for the fight. "I can't beleive Gohan's still not backing down! Is he insane?!" Lucy asked." "Do you think Gohan stands a chance against this Laxus guy?" Michelle pondered with a worried tone. "Let's hope so, for his sake," Levy replied.
At the park, Gohan finally stopped his warm-ups and faced Laxus. He then bowed to the Lightning Dragon Slayer and said, "Let's have a good match!" Laxus blinked at the boy's gesture and replied, "Sure thing." "It doesn't look like Gohan's going to back down," Lily thought. In the trees nearby, Black Steel was watching the Demi Saiyan get ready for his fight. "Kid's brave! Let's see what he's got," Gajeel thought.
"So cool! Two of Fairy Tail's strongest warriors are about to duke it out; this fight will be legendary!" Jason announced. "This is gonna be so cool!"
"Let me give you the same advice I gave Natsu," Laxus said. "I don't plan on holding back!"
"I'd be insulted if you did!" Gohan replied.
"Do you understand? If you value your life, now's your chance to back down, " Laxus told him.
"Trust me, I'm not backing out of this," Gohan answered with determination.
"But how can you still want to fight Laxus? Aren't you afraid of what'll happen to you?" Evergreen inquired.
"Nope, my father never backed down from a fight, so neither will I!" the Demi Saiyan declared.
"You do realize that Laxus is probably ten times stronger than Natsu, right?" Bickslow asked.
"That's right, so how can you still be ao eager to fight Laxus after hearing that?" Freed questioned.
"Because hearing how strong he is only makes want to fight him more!" Gohan answered.
Laxus smirked at Gohan's answer. "Alright then, let's do this!" he said as he took a stance. "Ready?"
"Hold on!" Gohan called as he raised his hand. "Before we begin, I do have one request. Would everyone watching please take a few more steps back?" Although everyone was confused, they complied and moved back until the two combatants were within a large circle, about the size of a fighting ring. " Is this ok?" Laxus asked. "Yeah, it is." Gohan nodded. He held up one finger and channeled Ki into it; he then fired a gold beam at the ground and moved the beam in a circular motion. When he was done, there was a dirt circle that separated the audience from the fighters, with Gohan and Laxus being the only ones inside the ring. "This will be our battlefield, and we're only allowed to fight inside this ring," Gohan explained. "If either one of us steps out of the ring, we automatically lose." "Fine by me, I've got no problem with it," Laxus agreed.
"SO COOL! Gohan has made his own rule for their fight!" Jason observed. "I think things are about to get real interesting!"
Laxus then charged his body with electricity."So, are you ready to do this?" he asked his opponent. Gohan responded by crossing his arms in front of his face before lowering them and letting out a mighty yell. The Demi Saiyan released a strong wave of energy as he revved himself up. The spectators had to shield their faces from Gohan's powerful force; even Laxus was having a little trouble resisting Gohan's energy. "SO COOL! Little Gohan is powering up; his energy is so strong, I can feel the force of its power! Laxus may need to be on his toes for this fight!" Jason commented. Eventually, the force of Gohan's power up calmed down as the half Saiyan was emitting a white aura. "I don't sense any magic from this kid, but his energy, I can feel the pressure from it," Laxus thought. Gohan then took a fighting position (A/N: The one he took when he was about to fight Perfect Cell, round one.) and said, "Alright Laxus, ready when you are!"
Amongst the crowd, Wendy, Makarov, and Carla finally showed up but not in time for what they wanted to prevent. "Oh no, we're too late!" Wendy cried. "Gohan and Laxus are about to start fighting; now what do we do?" "The only thing we can do is wait and hope that my grandson goes easy on the boy," Makarov decided. Laxus smirked at Gohan as he slowly walked toward the black-haired fighter. The two fighters were soon facing each other and staring each other down. "The two fighters are in each other's faces, but who will strike first?!" Jason asked. His question was immediately answered when Laxus threw a punch at Gohan; the Demi Saiyan easily caught it with his right hand. Laxus attempted to kick the Z Fighter, but his attack was blocked again. The Lightning mage continued his assault barrage, and the halfbreed blocked every single blow. When Laxus stopped attacking and jumped back, he smirked and said, "Not bad, kid, but I'm just getting started!"
"So am I!" Gohan replied. The Saiyan charged at the Lightning man and threw multiple blows at him; Laxus managed to block all of them before punching the half Saiyan in the right cheek. Gohan flew backward but backflipped and landed on his feet. "You're not gonna beat me with one punch like you did with Natsu!" Gohan told him. "You're a tough one, kid, I'll give you that!" Laxus complimented him before he disappeared and reappeared in front of the Saiyan; Gohan didn't react fast enough and took a punch to the gut. He slid across the ground but quickly got up and jumped at Laxus. He tried to kick the Dragon Slayer, but his attack was blocked. Laxus countered by kicking Gohan upward before jumping after the boy; he then struck Gohan with multiple lightning charged fists before kicking Gohan back to the earth. The Saiyan landed on his back as Laxus descended on him. "Here it comes, kid!" the mage cried as he joined his hands and imbued them with a large amount of lightning. "Lightning Dragon's Jaw!" he shouted as he brought his hands down on the monkey prince; Gohan was struck in the chest with the attack and zapped as the force pushed him deeper into the ground.
When Laxus finished his attack, Gohan laid flat on the ground with his mouth open, looking lifeless. Everyone was too sad for words, even the reporter couldn't talk when he saw the state Gohan was in. "Poor kid, shouldn't have tried to take on Laxus," Wakaba said dejectedly. "Yeah, but that was pretty rough on him, wasn't it?" Macao remarked. "Why didn't we try to talk him out of it?!" Lisanna said sadly. "I hope he's not hurt too badly." Mira frowned. "At least he went out like a real man," Elfman commented. "I'd expect nothing less from our Laxus," Freed said. "Yup, the kid never knew what hit 'em," Bickslow added. Laxus looked at his downed opponent and said, "Not a bad fight, kid, I actually had to try a little bit." In the crowd, Wendy looked devastated at seeing Gohan's supposed defeat, as did Makarov and Carla. "Wendy, you must go and heal the boy right away!" the Exceed ordered. "R-Right!" Wendy agreed, and she began to push her way through the audience to get to the Demi Saiyan. However, a second before she could reach him, Gohan's eyes blinked twice before the boy hopped back on his feet, surprising everyone. "What the hell?" Laxus questioned in shock.
The son of Goku cracked his neck before saying, "That was pretty good, your attacks actually stung a bit."
"Just a bit?" the Dragon Slayer asked.
Aside from the few sets of bruises Gohan got from Laxus' attacks, the boy acted like nothing had happened to him. "SO COOL!" Jason cried. "The young Gohan shows his strength by taking all of Laxus' strikes and getting back up as though he didn't feel a single one!" The spectators were still a bit surprised to see that Gohan wasn't damaged at all. "Dang! I don't think there's any man who can take all of Laxus' attacks like that and get right back up, let alone a kid!" Wakaba exclaimed. "Tell me about it; how is he not hurt right now?" Macao inquired. "That's kid's a real man," Elfman muttered. "Yeah, he sure is strong for his age," Mira remarked. "Just how powerful is this kid?" Makarov mused.
From the view of the Lacrima, Levy, Lucy, and Michelle saw Gohan take a beating from Laxus and get right back up; they were all surprised to see that. "What the heck?! How is Gohan still standing?!" Lucy exclaimed. "He must be really strong," Michelle deduced. "No kidding, he doesn't even look the least bit injured," Levy observed.
"Wow! Not even Natsu or Gajeel could get up right after taking something like that," Happy shouted. "Yes, it's clear that Gohan is much stronger than he lets on." Lily remarked. "How's Natsu doing, by the way?" The blue Exceed looked at his friend, whose expression hadn't changed since his loss to the lightning mage. "He's still pretty out of it. Too bad; he's gonna miss the show."
The Demi Saiyan cracked his knuckles and said, "Alright, now it's my turn!" He then took another fighting stance (A/N: The stance he took in his 2nd round with Cell.) as he flared his Ki once again. He then rushed at the Dragon Slayer and started throwing multiple blows at him again; Laxus managed to block all of the attacks before punching Gohan away while asking, "Nice try, kid, but is that all you got?!" Gohan backflipped and landed on all fours while answering, "Not even close!" He then flew straight at the Lightning man; Laxus couldn't react fast enough and was struck with a skull bash attack. Everyone was shocked to see Laxus being hit like that, while the mage staggered back a bit as Gohan landed on his feet. "Now you're wide open!" Gohan shouted as he attacked Laxus again. The Saiyan struck the mage in the face with his right fist, kicked him in the gut, then hit with an elbow bash attack, and finished with a straight kick to the face. Laxus slid across the ground on his back before stopping just inside the ring.
The audience was stunned to see Laxus forced to the ground by a little kid; the 2nd Generation Dragon Slayer slowly got back on his feet and took a few heavy breaths. "COOL! The youngest member of Fairy Tail has given an awesome display of his power! I don't think this fight's going to be an easy one for Laxus!" Jason announced, which made the crowd cheer loudly. Gohan smiled sheepishly as the audience cheered him on. "Wow! That kid's no pushover, that's for sure!" Gajeel thought. "I'll say this kid, you are a challenge," Laxus admitted. "I can see why you didn't back out when you had the chance." Laxus then let out his lightning aura and began to increase its size. "If I'm gonna win this, I'll have to turn up the heat." Everyone was affected by the force of his magic power; only Gohan remained unfazed. "His power just increased dramatically," the Saiyan thought as he smirked. "Guess he was holding back, too." Gohan then flared his Ki as he began to increase his own power. "As Natsu would say, I'm all fired up now!"
"Cool! Both fairies have unleashed their powers! Looks like this fight is about to reach a whole new level!" Jason shouted. Both charged at each other and fist bumped; the force of their collision blew everyone watching back a bit and created a trench in the ground. They proceeded to throw blows at each other, locking themselves in combat. Everyone was amazed at how well Gohan was keeping up with Laxus. The Lightning mage punched Gohan in the face, and Gohan countered with a kick to his chin. Laxus elbow bashed the Demi Saiyan and he skull bashed the Lightning mage. The Dragon Slayer handchopped the Z Fighter, and he palm struck him back. Gohan then flew upward to gain some distance and Laxus immediately jumped after him; the son of Goku swerved through the air with Makarov's grandson right on his tail (figuratively). "He's chasing after me! Can he fly, too?" Gohan wondered. "Where are you going, kid?! The Fun's just beginning!" Laxus stated as he shot bolts of lightning at Gohan; the Saiyan hybrid dodged the attacks by moving swiftly.
"So cool! Gohan and Laxus' battle has gone sky high!" Jason stated. "Which fighter will prove to be the strongest in the heavens?!"
"And I thought Natsu's fight will Laxus gonna be intense, but this battle is epic!" Macao thought. The audience watched in awe as lightning flashed in the sky, but not a single bolt struck the Saiyan. Gohan then flew straight at his opponent and kicked him the face. Laxus countered with a punch to Gohan' s chest and they proceeded to begin pummeling each other. Sparks of electricty and sound waves flashed through the firmament as the Fairies kept trading blows. Gohan then knocked Laxus downward and placed his hands above his head. The Z Fighter charged Ki into palms and shouted, "Masenko...ha!" before firing his demon flash attack at the Dragon Slayer; the beam collided with Laxus and sent him plummeting toward the ground "Laxus!" the Thunder Legion cried, but he quickly regained his posture and landed on his feet. "Take this, boy!" the lightning mage shouted as he fired multiple lightning blasts at the Saiyan; Gohan deflected all of them before diving toward Laxus. The Dragon Slayer fired more lightning bolts at the halfbreed but Gohan countered with a Ki blast before landing on the ground.
The two charged at each other again and prepared to strike at the same time, but at the last second, Gohan disappeared and reappeared behind Laxus and kicked him in the back. Laxus flinched before turning to face the Saiyan, only to find him gone again before getting kicked in the head. Every time Laxus tried to hit the Saiyan, he would phase somewhere else and strike him. The audience was having trouble keeping up with Gohan's speed; to them, it was just flashes of the half Saiyan that was moving all around Laxus. "Whoa! Gohan's giving Laxus a major run for his money; so cool!" Jason exclaimed. "I didn't think I'd live to see the day when Laxus would fight someone even faster than him," Wakaba marvelled. "Yeah, the kid's mopping the floor with him," Macao noted. Laxus then roared as he started throwing lightning bolts all around himself, but Gohan's superior speed and agility made it easy for him to dodge the magic attacks. "Stand still, you little runt!" Laxus shouted as he threw more lightning attacks.
"The kid's quick on his feet," Bickslow commented. "Yes, combine that with his speed and size, and it'll be extremely difficult for Laxus to tag him," Freed agreed. "I've never met a fighter that Laxus couldn't strike." "What do you think he'll do now?" Evergreen wondered. Laxus threw another lightning bolt at the Saiyan, who countered with a Ki blast; the explosion blew Laxus back a bit, leaving hin wide open for Gohan's attack. "You're mine!" Gohan cried as he charged the lightning mage with his fist ready. Gohan threw his fist forward just as he was inches away from Laxus' chest, and the next thing the boy knew, he was positioned behind the lightning mage, who was still standing. "What just happened? I know I had him, there wasn't any time for him to dodge," Gohan thought as he turned around to face his opponent. "What did he do? And what was that tingling sensation I felt?" Laxus smirked as he charged his body with lightning. "Well, guess the only way to find out is to attacķ him again," he deduced as he retook his fighting position; he then charged at his opponent once again.
The moment he was right in front of Laxus, he somehow ended up behind him with this tingling sensation, but this time Gohan fired a Ki blast at the lightning mage as he turned around. He couldn't belive what he saw: the Ki blast went right through the Dragon Slayer, whose body was entirely made of lightning. "What is this?" he questioned. "This is my Lightning Body. My magic allows me to not only use lightning but become it," Laxus explained. "In this form, my speed is increased greatly, plus my body becomes intangible to physical and magical attacks. Good luck trying to touch me now." The lightning mage then disappeared in a bolt of lightning and appeared behind the Saiyan; Gohan couldn't react in time and was struck with Lightning. Laxus continued to moved all around Gohan while repeatedly striking him with electricity. "What's the matter, kid, can't keep up?!" Laxus taunted the half Saiyan. "Laxus has him on the ropes, I don't know if Gohan will last much longer," Makarov said. "The child seems to be in quite a predicament," Carla noted. "Do you think he'll be alright?" Wendy asked. Gohan then closed his eyes and stood still; just as Laxus was about to strike him, he jumped to side, dodging it completely.
"Impossible, how did you see me coming?!" Laxus demanded.
"Your form may allow you to move too fast for the eye to track, but I can still sense your life force!" Gohan answered. "That's all I need to predict your movements and counter them!"
"You may be able to see me coming, but your attacks still can't touch me, so the most you can do is dodge!" Laxus said. "We'll see about that!" Gohan retorted as he clapped his hands together. He began channeling Ki into them as he tried to pinpoint where Laxus would be next. "Take this!" he cried as he released numerous electric attacks at Laxus' Lightning Body; the electricity captured the lightning mage and blasted him out of the sky. Everyone had their jaws hanging open when they saw Laxus on the ground in his physical form. "What did you do?! How did you attack me?!" Laxus questioned. "Just a little trick I learned from my master; it's called the Thunder Shock Surprise Attack!" Gohan stated. "It allows me to convert my Ki into electricity and zap my foes with it. Honestly, I wasn't sure it would work on you, but it looks like you can still be touched by electricity. It worked even better, being that it's still technically Ki and not magic, something you're not used to."
"Heh! Impressive, kid, you're much stonger than I thought you'd be," Laxus said. "I was right to offer you a chance at fighting me, this has been a fun match for me."
"For me too, but I want to fight you at your best, and I know you're still holding back," Gohan told him. "Come on, Laxus, show me your true power."
"Heh heh! So, you want me to go all out, huh?" Laxus asked rhetorically. "I guess I'll have to comply if I wanna win this fight." The Lightning mage's body started to expand, his teeth turned into fangs, and his eyes became plain white with no pupils. His forearms gave the appearance that he had scales on his arms. As impressive as his physical growth was, it was his energy's growth that caught Gohan's attention. "His power has increased dramatically again, this guy could be as strong as Nappa when my dad fought him," he thought. The boy smirked with excitement as his Saiyan side took over. Laxus roared, creating a great shockwave that made everyone shield their faces except Gohan, who embraced this show of power. "I've been waiting for you turn it up," he muttered.
"Is this kid crazy?! Why would he ask Laxus to go all out?!" Wakaba exclaimed.
"Kid sure does love to fight, huh," Macao reasoned. "Just look at how calm he his, he seems more excited than terrified."
"This battle's starting to get real manly!" Elfman shouted.
"I hope Gohan knows what he's doing," Lisanna said.
"Yeah, I'm not sure if he has a chance against Laxus anymore," Mira added worriedly.
"What was that boy thinking?!" Makarov yelled. "He can't hope to match Laxus at full strength!"
"It seems that was he intends to do," Carla said. "The child seems to grow more excited the stronger Laxus gets."
Wendy held her hands together as she stared her friend with concern. "Please be careful Gohan," she thought.
"Well, that kid's a goner," Bickslow said.
"Agreed. I can't imagine Gohan standing a chance against him now," Freed added.
"He doesn't look too worried about it; in fact, he's smiling," Evergreen noticed as she glanced at the Saiyan child.
"Man, I remember when he used that form on us, we didn't stand much of a chance," Gajeel thought. "And yet, Gohan looks glad that he gets to have a shot at it." The Iron Dragon Slayer smiled as he looked over at the half Saiyan. "Heh, as insane as the kid is, I think I'm starting to like him."
"So that's what Laxus' power feels like at its max," Panterlily said.
"Yeah, it looks seriously scary," Happy remarked. "Why would Gohan ask for this?"
"Simple, it's because he has the heart of a warrior, unlike a certain Dragon Slayer that's not here," Lily stated.
"Cool! Laxus has just gone full Dragon Slayer mode, and yet Gohan shows no sign of fear, only excitement! This is gonna one of the greatest battles in history, the showdown between a mighty Dragon Slayer and an unwavering warrior! So cool!" Jason screamed.
Gohan retook his fighting stance as he prepared to take on Laxus at full strength; the Lightning Dragon Slayer charged at Gohan and attempted to punch him, but the half Saiyan quicky jumped to the side to dodge him. Laxus quickly turned toward the hybrid and threw another Lightning Dragon's Iron Fist at him; Gohan crossed his arms and blocked the attack. He then jumped up to kick the Mage in the face, but Laxus grabbed his leg and tossed him aside. Gohan quickly caught himself and charged at Laxus, who charged at him. The two collided and entered a grappling match. Gohan kneed Laxus in the chin but he shook it off and slammed the boy into the ground before stomping on him with a lightning charged foot. He then tried to punch Gohan but the Saiyan quickly jumped into the sky. Laxus chased after him and the two began trading blows again. "He may be big, but his speed has increased as much as his power," Gohan observed. The Dragon Slayer clamped his hands together and brought them down on Gohan; the Saiyan quickly jumped over the Mage and gave him a good kick to the back.
Laxus winced before turning to attack his opponent; however, he was met with hand leveled at his face, courtesy of the son of Goku. Gohan fired a Ki blast at Laxus, and the explosion sent Laxus plummeting toward the ground. Gohan descended to the earth just as Laxus got up from the ground; they rushed at each other and were once again locked in combat. The crowd watched in awe as the Demi Sayian held his own agaist the Dragon Slayer. Laxus punched Gohan in the face and the half Saiyan kicked him back. Gohan then jumped back a bit and Laxus followed him; the lightning mage tried to punch the Saiyan but he fired a blast at the ground, launching himself into the air. Laxus turned around in time to get socked in the face by Gohan, knocking him flat on his back. The Saiyan didn't let up in his assault as he started rapidly punching the Dragon Slayer.
He then charged his right fist with Ki and aimed it at Laxus' face, but the S-Class mage dodged at the last second, making him smash the ground. Laxus then grabbed Gohan and yelled, "Now I've got you! Lightning Dragon's Roar!" He hit Gohan his breath attack and sent him flying; he then jumped above Gohan to hit him with another lightning blast, but Gohan quickly shouted, "Rapid Fire!" as he launched multiple energy blasts at his opponent, countering the lightning. Gohan descened to the ground while Laxus stayed in the air. "I think it's time we end this fight, boy!" Laxus said. "I agree!" Gohan responded. Laxus then gathered his lightning into his right fist before extending it toward Gohan. "Lightning Dragon's Demolition Fist!" Laxus shouted as a giant fist of lightning shot out of his hand and dived toward Gohan; the crowd was surprised to see Gohan made no attempt to dodge the attack, as if he planned to take it head-on. The Son of Goku cupped his hands together and placed them at his side; he focused his Ki into the center of his palms while chanting, "Ka...me...ha...me...Ha!" He shot his hands forward and launched a blue energy beam at Laxus' attack.
The two attack collided and Gohan's began to overtake Laxus'; pretty soon, the beam made it all the way to the Dragon Slayer and consumed him. The explosion created a blinding light that forced everyone to shield their eyes; when the light faded, everyone looked to see Laxus rapidly falling toward the ground. Gohan quickly flew under him and used one hand to catch him by the back (A/N: Like how Goku did to Nappa and Burter.) He gently placed Laxus on the ground and inspected him. "He's fine, just unconscious," he reasoned as he faced the audience, which was when he noticed that everyone was staring at him with stunned expressions. The Demi Saiyan was nervous about the looks he was getting from the townspeople. "Uh, is everyone ok?" he inquired. As soon as he did, the crowd went into uproar, which kinda hurt his ears. "SO COOL! I don't think anyone's ever seen a fight like that before!" Jason exclaimed. "It was so intense, so spectacular, so... cool! Young Gohan has defeated the mighty Laxus, making him the champion of the fight festival!"
"I can't believe what I just saw, did that kid really beat Laxus?!" Macao shouted.
"Beat him? The kid completely demolished him!" Wakaba said.
"Wow! Gohan actually defeated Laxus!" Lisanna smiled. "That was amazing!"
"Gohan was so awesome; he was manly awesome!" Elfman yelled.
"He's an incredibly strong boy, guess that's why he wasn't afraid to fight Laxus," Mira said.
"The last time I witnessed Laxus' defeat was when Natsu beat him during the Battle of Fairy Tail, and that was just barely," Freed spoke. "I never thought this kid would best Laxus in battle like that."
"Yeah, that kid's super tough," Bickslow agreed.
"Do you think Laxus is alright?" Evergreen asked. The Thunder Legion glanced over at their boss, who still remained unconscious.
"Gohan said he was fine, but perhaps we should go check on him," Freed suggested.
"In all my years, I've never seen a kind of power that allows a child to defeat a Dragon Slayer," Makarov said. "The power of this Ki is truly impressive, and to see this child wield it so well is astonishing."
"Indeed, his power is quite formidable," Carla commented.
People started gathering around the Demi Saiyan and the Dragon Slayer and began clapping. Gohan gave the family Son grin while touching the back of his neck; he then noticed Wendy Marvell coming toward him. "Hey Wendy, what did you think of the fight?" he inquired. "It was a little scary, but incredible," Wendy replied. "You were amazing, Gohan." Gohan blushed a bit as he smiled at her. "Thanks. Do you mind healing Laxus now?" he asked her. "You sure you don't want me to heal you first?" Wendy questioned with concern. "You look pretty hurt." "Oh, don't worry, I'm fine. I may be bruised but it's not as bad as it looks," Gohan assured. "It's Laxus who could really use your help right now."
The Sky maiden nodded before she placed her hands above the fallen Dragon Slayer resting flat on his back; she started releasing her magic around Makarov's grandson, and after a few minutes, the S-Class mage awoke. "Laxus, you're alright!" Evergreen exclaimed. "You scared us for a second there, pal," Bickslow added. "I'm so glad you're ok! I was so worried that you might've been hurt!" Freed wept. The Lightning Dragon Slayer held a neutral expression as he glanced around. "What happened?" he questioned. "You lost, sorry about that," Gohan answered. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine, but what are you apologizing for, kid?" Laxus asked. "You won, that means you were clearly stronger than me." Laxus then stood up after Wendy finished healing him. "I know you asked me to fight with everything I had, but I get the feeling that you weren't."
Gohan laughed a bit. "Would you believe me if I said that I didn't even use half my power?" Hearing this made everyone in the audience jaw drop.
"Kinda hurts to hear you say that, kid, but I won't complain much since I really enjoyed our fight," Laxus said.
"Thanks, I had fun, too," Gohan responded. "You're really strong,"
"You too, Gohan, you're gonna fit in nicely at the guild," Laxus assured. "The next time we fight, I won't go down as easily."
Gohan smiled at the Mage as he replied, "I look forward to it."
Gajeel was leaning against the tree above the ground, still letting everything he saw sink in. "I thought Laxus' power was scary, but man, that Gohan's power is just terrifying," Black Steel thought. He smiled when he saw the crowd praising the Demi Saiyan. "Kid's gonna be a great Fairy Tail member. I should probably get out of here before someone spots me or worse." What could only be described as bad luck occurred as the branch the Iron Dragon Slayer was standing on snapped, causing him to fall to the ground with a loud thud; the crowd turned to where they heard the noise and saw the black-haired Mage. "Aw crap," he muttered.
"So, you're still here, huh, Gajeel," Lily said. "I was starting to think you were scared."
"Guess he wanted Gohan to fight Laxus first and then get his turn," Happy figured.
"Cool! It looks like this fight festival isn't over yet, because Black Steel just showed up for his match," Jason announced, which made Gajeel start sweating again now that everyone was looking at him. "Will he win like Gohan did, or will he be one-shot like Natsu? Either is cool!"
"Guess your fighting's not over yet," said Bickslow. "What do you say Laxus, wanna go another round?"
Laxus thought for a moment and replied, "Why not? I still got some left in me." The Lightning Mage turned to face the Iron Mage, but he vanished once again. "Seriously?"
"Wow! Gajeel has disappeared again!" Jason stated.
"Did he seriously run away again?!" Wakaba yelled.
"Are you kidding me?!" Lily cried.
"Alright you guys, let's track him down!" Macao ordered as he and a few other members stampeded away to search for the missing Dragon Slayer.
"A man hunt, that sounds so manly!" Elfman shouted.
"I always thought you had the heart of a true warrior; I didn't think you were a coward, Gajeel!" Lily said as he flew with the crowd.
After everyone left, the only ones who remained were Wendy, Carla, Makarov, Laxus, the Thunder Legion, Gohan, Happy, and the still unconscious Natsu. The Demi Saiyan went to check on the Salamander. "How's Natsu doing, Happy?" he asked the tom cat. "Not good, I think he's still in shock from Laxus beating him with one blow," Happy answered. "Maybe Wendy should heal him," Gohan suggested when he suddenly sensed tension and looked over to see where it was comimg from. He saw Matser Makarov and Laxus staring at each other with neutral expressions. Everyone watching the moment of silence between grandfather and the grandson had looks of concern and sadness.
After a few more minutes of silence, Laxus turned away from his grandfather began to leave. "You're just gonna take off again?" Bickslow asked.
"Wait! Please, come back to Fairy Tail!" Evergreen pleaded, but Laxus gave no reply.
Freed turned to speak to Makarov. "Master, hasn't his expulsion from the guild lasted long enough? Take him back!" he urged.
Makarov only turned to look at his retreating grandson. Gohan thought that he should say something, but like Wendy and Carla, he wasn't a member during the Battle of Fairy Tail, so he didn't know what Laxus had put everyone through or done to get expelled. He could clearly see that Laxus wasn't ready to return home nor was Makarov ready to take his grandson back, but he couldn't help but feel sad that the Lightning Mage was forced to leave his loved ones. With this in mind, he left as well with Wendy and Carla. Moments later, Natsu started to wake up. "You rattled your brains, huh?" Happy asked.
"Nah, I've had much worse headaches," Natsu said. "I wonder where that scaredy cat Gajeel is hiding himself?"
"Macao and the others went looking for him, but no one knows where he is," the blue Exceed replied.
"Hey Happy, did Gohan really beat Laxus?" the pink-haired Mage inquired.
"Yeah, he was super awesome! I've never seen anything like him before," Happy answered.
"So, where is he now? I wanted to congratulate him on his win," Natsu said.
"After Laxus left, Gohan just left too," Happy told him.
Later that day, three strangers were approaching the guild hall. Pantherlily heard their approach, but thought it was the Iron Dragon Slayer. "I think I can hear Gajeel outside," he said before exititng the guild hall with Happy and Carla right behind him. "Where have you been?!" he asked when he got outside and saw someone coming. Once he could see who it was, although he was still glaring, he was clearly surprised based on what he said next. "I don't believe it." The Exceeds saw two girls and a guy walking toward their guild.
A/N: Done! So whatcha think of the fight; pretty awesome, right? But now to what's important, this means we're moving onto the next part of the Key to the Starry Heavens arc! I've put up another poll, and I already got 2 votes for no and 1 for yes. Not what I was hoping for, but I'll keep waiting. Thanks again for your reviews and support, and stay tuned. Until next time, TTFN AntiHero out!