A/N: Hey there, AntiHero here! I forgot to mention this in the last chapter but Lucy has her clock piece with her, just for the sake of plot convenience.
Disclaimer – I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Fairy Tail, Akira Toriyama and Hiro Mashima, respectively, do.
Chapter 12 –
"It's Coco and Dan!" Gohan exclaimed as the two Legion mages stared down at the Fairies.
"Oh man, not this clown again!" Lucy shrieked before she quickly hid behind Michelle.
"How did you guys even find out about this place?!" Natsu demanded.
"Thanks to the Key of the Starry Heavens, Samuel told me the whole story from memory," Dan revealed as he pointed his new sword at them. "And guess what, it said that one of the clock pieces is right here!"
"It looks to me like you sorry losers haven't been able to find it yet either," Coco noted.
Dan then gasped when he spotted the celestial mage behind her sister. "Could that really be my lovely Lu-Lu pumpkin over there?" he asked in disbelief.
"Don't you ever call me that again!" Lucy yelled.
"That's even more embarrassing than the names from last time," Michelle giggled.
"Our paths were meant to cross again, its unavoidable destiny!" Dan cheered as his eyes sparkled and he moved toward Lucy. "I can practically feel the thread of fate pulling us closer together!"
"How about you take that thread and wrap it around your neck instead!" Lucy screamed.
"L-O-V-E!" Dan shouted joyously.
Natsu suddenly charged at the knight and started rapidly punching his shield with flaming fists. "Well I'd love to get payback for last time!" he shouted before backing away and taking a deep breath. "Fire Dragon Roar!" He shot a stream of fire from his mouth at Dan, but it was easily deflected by the Ricochet shield.
"I can't waste my time screwing around like this, because love beckons me with its sweet song! Oh yeah!" the lovesick knight declared. The flames from the Dragon Slayer started bouncing of the shield and spread all over the tomb; Lucy, Michelle, and Romeo were dancing in an attempt to avoid the flames.
"Hey Natsu, you gotta be more careful!" Romeo warned. Natsu ignored his warnings and went back to bashing the shield with his fire fists, yet with every punch, balls of fire were sent flying until they crashed into the ceiling of the tomb. Large chunks of rocks were raining down on the fairies as the cave started crumbling. "We gotta get out of here!" the fire mage cried. The Demi Saiyan quickly used Ki blasts to destroy the falling boulders, allowing his friends to flee. After a few minutes of running, the fairies stopped to look for the Legion knight and athlete. "They're not coming after us!"
"I hope we lost them!" Michelle cried.
"Exactly as I planned!" Natsu exclaimed.
"You are such a liar!" Happy accused his friend.
"Let's just find what we came here for!" Lucy said.
"Heads up, guys, they're back again!" Gohan alerted his comrades.
Dan suddenly appeared front of the celestial mage, startling her. "Whoa there, my lovely Lu-Lu pumpkin," Dan said. "First you and I need to water our garden of love!"
"That's gotta be the craziest thing I've ever heard in my entire life!" Lucy screamed.
"Hold on!" Coco called to Dan. "First you and I need to find that clock piece! Have you already forgotten that we were sent here on an important mission?!"
"Did I forget my mission, no way!" Dan replied. "I remembered my sweet love!"
"That's pretty much the same thing," Coco sighed.
"L-O-V-E!" Dan cried again.
"WOULD YOU JUST STOOOOOOP!" Natsu shouted as he let out another breath of fire, but once again it bounced off Dan's shield, accidentally getting Lucy who was standing right in front of it. "Whoops, sorry about that, Lucy," he apologized to the blonde mage.
"You dare stand in the way of our love?!" Dan asked Natsu in anger. He spun his new sword around and pointed it at the Salamander. "For that I'll slice you up like a tuna and serve you raw!"
"Sounds like a good way to go to me," Happy commented.
"Now I'm gonna give you a taste of my new magical sword!" Dan said. "Open wide 'cause here it comes!" The Spearhead of the Legion Platoon swung his sword numerous times at the Fire Dragon Slayer, but Natsu demonstrated his agility by swiftly evading every strike. However, Dan refused to give up so easily. "Let's see how long you can keep dodging!" he challenged the fairy as he swung even faster.
"Cut it out, Dan, you can fight him later! We need to find the clock piece!" Coco reminded her comrade.
"Can't you see that I'm busy right now?! Go on ahead; I'm sure you can find the clock piece without me!" Dan said.
"I can't because Samuel gave you all the details on how to find it!" Coco retorted, which made Dan frown. "I wouldn't even know where to start looking!"
"Alright, enough is enough!" Gohan shouted. He then disappeared and reappeared behind Dan before he hand chopped him in the neck, knocking him out.
"Phew, thanks Gohan!" Natsu said gratefully.
The Demi Saiyan nodded to his friend. The Legion athlete rushed at him and tried to kick him multiple times, but he blocked every strike before pushing her aside. "You guys just don't learn, do you?" Gohan questioned rhetorically. "You're no match for me!" Coco stubbornly tried to kick Gohan in the head, and this time he didn't counter it. Her foot made contact with the Saiyan's skull, but he showed no sign of pain from the attack. He then released a small kiai that blew Coco onto her rear; when she looked up, she saw her crush pointing Dan's spear at her. "You'd better surrender now, or I'll shrink you to the size of the ant you are!" Gohan threatened, trying to sound intimidating while he was actually thinking, "Man, I hope she buys this. The last thing I wanna do is make her the size where she could crush my friends."
As she sat on the ground, Coco was feeling conflicted on what she should do herself. "Darn it, Dan's out and only he knows how to find the clock piece! I can't take on Gohan, let alone all these guild mages by myself!" She then sighed as she thought, "Guess we'll just have to go with plan B; if I play nice for now, they can lead me to the clock piece! I'll have to stall them long enough for the others to arrive so that we can stop these guys from getting it." The athlete slowly stood up, making Gohan pull the spear back, and held up her hands in surrender. "Alright handsome, you win! I surrender!"
Gohan raised an eyebrow as he tried to decide if the girl was trying to deceive him or not. "She backed down that easily? This isn't like the last time we met, could she be up to something?" the Z Fighter wondered. "Why should I believe you?" he asked her.
Although she couldn't answer, she didn't need to as the celestial mage spoke for her. "It's okay, Gohan. I don't think we have to worry about her trying something now, she's practically beaten," Lucy said.
Gohan still didn't drop his guard. "Well, I guess she has no choice in this situation, but we should still be careful," he thought as he lowered the spear. "Fine, but I want to make sure she doesn't try anything, so let's bring her along!" Gohan suggested.
"What about this guy?" Romeo inquired as he pointed to the unconscious Dan.
"Better take him with us," Gohan decided.
"I've got him," Natsu said as he picked up the knight and placed him on his shoulder.
"Just know, I'll be keeping an eye on you," Gohan warned the athlete.
"No problem, cutie," Coco responded as she winked at the Demi Saiyan, making him blush. The fairies and the Legion members then continued their journey through the tomb in search of the clock piece.
"How are we supposed to find the clock piece when we don't know where it is?" Michelle wondered.
"Don't worry. I brought the Key of the Starry Heavens book with me just in case," Lucy revealed as she pulled out the book and began to read it. They continued walking until they came across a statue holding a sword with the bladed pointed downward. Everyone stopped walking, but Lucy had her head still buried in the book and didn't notice that her friends had stopped walking.
"Lucy, wait!" Romeo called.
"Hang on, guys, I've almost got it," Lucy said, still oblivious. She then crashed into the statue, causing her to fall over. "Owww," she groaned. The statue's eyes started glowing red, which surprised the explorers. A large trap door suddenly opened up from under their feet, causing everyone aside from Gohan and Happy to fall in. Before they fell far though, they grabbed onto the side of the hole. As they hung on, Coco saw a skull right in front of her face and freaked out, losing her grip and falling further down the hole. She closed her eyes in fear before she stopped falling abruptly. When she opened her eyes, she saw that she was in the arms of the Demi Saiyan. Gohan flew back to the top of the hole and placed her on her feet.
"Y-You… saved me?" she asked in confusion. "Why?"
"Well, I couldn't just let you fall, now could I," Gohan replied. He gave her the son family grin before going to the hole to help his friends up. Gohan brought Lucy out and Happy pulled Michelle up while Romeo and Natsu climbed back up while still holding Dan. "Everyone ok?" he asked, and they all confirmed they were fine and decided to keep moving.
"Hey Gohan," Coco called the Z Fighter to get his attention. "Thanks for saving me," she said gratefully before quickly saying, "But it doesn't change anything." And with that everyone continued through the tomb.
"So, what exactly is the Legion Platoon's goal here anyway?" Lucy questioned the athlete. "Why are you trying to collect the clock pieces? What's with all this Holy War and chaos stuff?"
Getting irritated, Coco replied, "Well, here's my question for you! If you don't know what we're doing, then why are you and your guys trying to stop us?!"
"We just wanna figure this whole thing out," Lucy said with concern. "Why, is there something else we should be doing?"
"Yeah, and that's leaving us alone!" Coco answered smugly. "You guys are a bunch of crappy wizards; you might as well just give up now!"
"What'd you just say?!" Natsu shouted furiously.
"Besides, you guys were the ones who attacked us first!" Romeo stated.
"We probably wouldn't have known about any of this if the Legion Platoon hadn't attacked our guild, stole Lucy's clock piece, and wrecked her home," Happy put in.
"Actually, you, Natsu, and the others destroyed most of Lucy's home," Michelle corrected.
"And we may not know what the Legion's goal is, but we know that the clock pieces aren't supposed to be gathered," Lucy added.
"Oh really, and how'd you figure that out?" Coco inquired.
"Gohan figured it out after reading the Key of the Starry Heavens," Happy answered.
"Which is why we're here in the first place," Gohan said. "To stop the Legion from doing just that!"
"You're pretty smart, handsome," Coco remarked. "But how can stop us from gathering the clock pieces when you don't know where to find it?"
"You don't exactly know where to look either," Gohan pointed out. "And your partner that did is a love crazed fool that's now unconscious. I thought Samuel was the brains of your group, why would someone as smart as him give important details to Dan instead of you?"
"I guess he just made a mistake," Coco said.
"More like a major miscalculation," Gohan muttered. His comment made Coco giggle and hearing this made Gohan smile at her. "You know, this is the first time I've seen you smile."
"What are you talking about? I've smiled before!" Coco argued.
"I mean not in delight at others being hurt, it's genuine now," Gohan explained. "It makes you look even cuter." He blushed as Coco's grew deeper.
"Aww, he liiiikes you," Happy teased them, which made Coco frown.
"You two do look so cute together," Michelle commented, and the others nodded in agreement.
"It's too bad this is how we had to meet each other; on opposing sides. We could've been good friends like you said," Gohan said.
"Well we aren't friends, we're enemies! And I wouldn't want to be friends you people anyway," Coco huffed before moving ahead.
"Well isn't she a ray of sunshine," Lucy thought. As everyone then resumed walking in silence, the blonde mage started to say something. "We need to be more careful, guys; there are probably a lot more booby traps in this place."
"Ah, you worry too much, Lucy," Natsu said. "I'm sure we'll be fine."
"Must've already forgotten the traps we barely escaped from earlier," Happy muttered.
"Your friend has a right to worry," Coco said obnoxiously. "The builders of this tomb set up these traps to stop grave robbers and petty thieves like you guys!"
"Hey, we're not thieves!" Romeo exclaimed.
"Besides, you're here for the exact same reason as we are!" Lucy argued.
"True, but this is Zentopia territory, and it's my duty as a member of the Legion Platoon to stop any lowly trespassers from messing with this place," Coco answered with disgust.
"Jeez, are you always this unfriendly to people?" Lucy asked the athlete, who didn't reply but just kept walking. "It's weird because you're so much like the other Coco we know, except she's a million times nicer."
"That so?" Coco questioned. "Then how am I like this other girl?"
"You both can run fast," Happy spoke.
"Yeah, and besides your personality, you two are practically identical," Lucy added.
"Huh?" a confused Coco said.
"Well, she looks and sounds exactly like you, and we actually started out as enemies, too," Lucy explained. "But by the end of the day, we became close friends."
"That doesn't sound like me, because I wouldn't want to the friend of a wannabe mage like you!" Coco denied.
"You don't have to get so personal," Lucy said. "We're just afraid that putting the clock pieces together is just gonna cause some major problems like Gohan said. We're trying to stop a worldwide disaster from happening; you know, the inevitable chaos thing."
"Do you guys honestly think we wanna destroy the world?" Coco questioned.
"Well, seeing as how things went from the day we met you guys, I would say yes," Gohan replied. "But getting to know you a bit, I can see that you guys aren't evil, especially not compared to some of the people I've faced who have tried to destroy the world."
"Then why are you guys getting our way?" Coco asked.
"It's not like we wanna be, but we're trying to do the same thing, yet you guys seem to think we're a problem," Gohan answered. "If you don't want to invoke this inevitable chaos, then what do you want?"
"Sorry, handsome, but I can't tell you that, we're still enemies," Coco responded. "This mission was given to us by the Archbishop, and we intend to complete it."
"Well, Lucy's dad gave us this job and we're not gonna let him down!" Natsu said.
"That's right! We must finish what Mr. Jude started so that he can rest in peace," Michelle agreed.
"Her dad?" Coco said, referring to Lucy. "Oh right, you're the daughter of Jude Heartfilia; he was one of the richest businessmen in the country."
"I may be his daughter but I can't say we saw eye to eye very often," Lucy admitted. "And this is no exception. I mean, why would anyone go through the trouble of hiding pieces of a clock in these hard-to-find places? I can't help thinking there might've been an easier way to go about it." Her friends nodded in unison.
"That might be the one thing we agree on," Coco said, which got Lucy to smile at her. "You wanna tell me what's so funny?"
"Nothing," Lucy answered. "Well, I was actually thinking that you're kinda silly."
"Hey, I don't appreciate you saying that about me!" an offended Coco exclaimed.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it as an insult," Lucy apologized.
"Well, since we're getting to know each other, then I've got some questions for you, Gohan," Coco said to the Demi Saiyan. "Exactly what kind of magic do you use? How did you get so strong that you were able to take on Lord Byro? And why would you join Fairy Tail?"
Gohan thought for a moment. "Well, I can't answer your 1st question since we're still enemies."
"Okay, I deserved that one." Coco deadpanned.
"As for your 2nd question, I acquired this strength after years of intense training and fierce battling against dangerous foes," Gohan revealed. "And for your final question, Fairy Tail found me after I defeated a dangerous monster. Then the master invited me to join since I didn't have a way to get home, so I did."
"But why? I'm sure you could've gone anywhere else if your top strength is capable of besting the strongest member of the Legion Platoon," Coco said.
"First of all, you haven't seen me at top strength, because there's no one on Earthland capable of making fight at my full power," Gohan said.
"Just how powerful are you?!" everyone asked in unison.
"I hope we get to see you at your best someday," Natsu said.
"Don't count on it, Natsu," Gohan told him. "Anyway, I wasn't sure if I should join them, but I felt welcomed and they accepted me. Plus, I didn't feel like I was surrounded by adults, just kids who were a little older than me, and a few agemates like Romeo here. Trust me, they're really nice people, even to those who are supposed to be their enemies." His words made Coco ponder as they walked. The group soon came up to a dead end, with the only thing in front of them being another statue of a winged woman.
"Looks like a dead end, so maybe we should turn around and go back," Lucy suggested.
"Gee, you don't know anything, do you?" Coco mocked her. "Places like this always have secret hidden entrances!" She started walking toward the statue.
"Wait, no! Don't touch that!" Lucy cried. The fairies grew alarmed when the Legion athlete ignored them and touched the statue woman's chin, and the tomb began to quake while the ceiling collapsed, causing chunks of rubble to descend. Coco shrieked as she was about to be crushed, but then numerous fireballs and Ki blasts disintegrated every falling boulder, saving the Legion member. Coco looked back to see Gohan, Natsu, and Romeo with their hands pointed upward and smoking.
"I told you we're nice people," Gohan said as he looked at Coco's surprised face.
"How many more of these traps are we gonna have to go through?!" Natsu asked in annoyance.
"At this rate, it'll take us forever to find that clock piece," Happy noted.
Gohan then marched up to the statue and punched it hard; the statue and the wall crumbled before opening to reveal another tunnel.
"Nice work, Gohan!" Romeo cheered.
"How'd you know to smash the wall?" Michelle inquired.
"I was just getting impatient," Gohan replied simply. Everyone stared at the Demi Saiyan before following after him. Eventually they ended up inside a room that looked just like a church hall. There were numerous seats and an altar with a large Zentopian emblem on the wall right above it.
"Is this really the place?" Happy asked.
"Yeah, I think so," Lucy answered as she opened the book she brought. "There's a line in the Key of the Starry Heavens: 'Long and silent has the key rested, embraced by the sound of reverend prayer.'"
"A prayer? That does suggest a church of some kind," Michelle said.
"Yeah, but there aren't a lot of places to hide anything here," Romeo stated.
"I'll get an Exceed's eye view and see if I can spy anything," Happy offered. As he flew to the top of the room, everyone else was searching from the bottom, but they didn't see any sign of what they were after.
"I don't see anything," Natsu said.
"I just don't get it, where could it be?" Lucy wondered.
"What'll we do now?" Romeo asked.
Just then, Dan woke up and broke away from the Salamander before whacking him with his shield, sending him flying. "Dan!" Coco gasped.
"Oh great, now he's awake!" Lucy groaned.
"You jerk!" Natsu growled.
"Hah! Thanks for leading me to the place where the clock piece is hidden," the Knight said as he stood in front of his comrade. "Now stand aside so that we can find it! And then… my dear Lu-Lu and I can finally be married!" Dan exclaimed as his nose released steam.
"In your dreams, you creep!" Lucy shouted.
"Alright, time for me to put you back to sleep," Gohan said, but before he could move, Natsu stood in front of him.
"Let me take him, Gohan, I still owe this jerk from before," an enraged Natsu said.
"Are you sure, Natsu?" the Demi Saiyan asked him.
"Yeah, I can handle him," Natsu assured him.
Seeing his guildmate's confidence, Gohan nodded and relented. "Alright, he's all yours. Just don't lose, or else I'll have to step in."
"You got it!" Natsu agreed.
"Hah! You should've let your friend take me on; you don't stand a chance against me!" Dan taunted the Dragon Slayer while pointing his sword at him.
"We'll see about that, I'm gonna give you a major butt kicking!" Natsu exclaimed as he ignited his fists. "It's time to settle the score once and for all!" He charged at the Legion knight and swung his fist at him, but Dan once again blocked the attack with his shield. "Not bad, but try this! Fire Dragon Roar!" Natsu unleashed his breath attack at Dan, who smirked and swung his sword at flames, causing it to disperse completely. "I see you got yourself another toy to play with!"
"You like it? My new sword is called Rebound! It takes your attacks, absorbs them, and releases with ten times their previous force! It's the perfect offensive weapon, and combined with the perfect defensive weapon, I'm practically untouchable!" Dan boasted as his sword started channeling fire. He then swung his blazing blade at Natsu, who blocked it with both of his hands. "Nice catch, but it's only a matter of time before your hands give in…" He stopped talking when he saw that the Salamander was sucking the fire into his mouth. "What the?" a stunned Dan questioned before he jumped back.
"Hah! You thought using fire on me could work? Well I got news for you, pal! Against me, fire is the worst weapon to use!" Natsu exclaimed as he smirked and held up another flaming fist. "Romeo, now!" he ordered.
"Right!" Romeo said in understanding as he tossed two purple flares at Natsu's fist. The two flames merged together, enhancing his fire even further. Dan tried to strike him with his sword but the Fire mage caught the blade and shattered it. He then appeared behind the Knight and shouted, "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" He socked Dan right in the face, sending him flying. He crashed into the wall and fell to the ground, unconscious.
"That's how it's done, Fairy Tail style!" Romeo said.
"Oh yeah!" Natsu cheered.
"I prefer him when he's unconscious," Lucy remarked with relief.
"Hey, where's Coco?" Gohan inquired when he noticed the athlete wasn't around.
"She must've ran off during the fight," Michelle figured. The Zentopian emblem on the wall suddenly started to glow brightly. "Wow, the wall is shining." As the light began to fade, an enormous object was presented before the Fairy Tail members.
"That thing's gigantic!" Natsu commented.
"What is it?" Romeo questioned.
"It's the clock piece! We found it!" Lucy exclaimed.
"So that's where it was," Gohan said.
"Natsu's last attack must've caused it to be revealed," Michelle said.
"Two birds with one stone, nice one, bro!" Romeo complimented the pink-haired mage.
"That was my plan from the start!" Natsu said.
"Sure it was," Lucy laughed. "I'm just glad we found it, we're still in the game!" While the fairies were observing the clock piece, the athlete of the Legion Platoon was hiding behind a shattered wall, spying on them. "I managed to slip away during the fight, and now I've found the clock piece," she whispered to herself. "Now I need to figure a way to get it."
Elsewhere, after Team Shadow Gear and Pantherlily found Gajeel, the five fairies went on to find/protect the clock piece, and their journey led them to the top of a large mountain. They started digging to see if their objective was buried inside, but it wasn't long before they encountered a member of the Legion Platoon. The Exceed Samuel engaged Pantherlily in battle, with both entering the same Battle Mode, while team Shadow Gear and Gajeel continued digging. They eventually ended up inside the mountain where they saw many statues, one with an inscription, and clock hands on the ground.
After solving the puzzle, the four mages found the clock piece, but when Gajeel removed it, they awoke the rock guardian. Despite Team Shadow Gear's coordination, they failed to defeat the enemy, and Jet and Droy were now out of commission. Gajeel and Levy continued to evade the rock guardian while Pantherlily and Samuel's battle moved to inside the chamber. "Gajeel," the black Exceed muttered as he looked over his shoulder.
"It's just as I calculated!" Samuel declared. "While I defeat you, brother, the ancient guardian will dispose of your comrades, and then when the dust has settled, I will claim the clock piece as my prize!"
"Fighting on an empty stomach ain't helping; I need some iron and quick!" Gajeel said before glancing at the clock piece in his arm. "Guess I can bite a chunk out of this thing."
"We need that, metalhead! Find something else to snack on!" Levy shouted.
"Cool it, princess, I was just kidding!" Gajeel yelled back.
"Now's not the time for jokes!" Levy reprimanded him before the two were separated by another attack from the rock guardian. "Run, Gajeel! It's trying to get the clock face back!"
"Well, that just makes things a lot easier," Gajeel said with a smirk. He then tossed the clock piece over to the blue-haired mage. "You hold on to it!"
"No, I don't wanna!" she shrieked as it landed in front of her feet, but the rock guardian turned toward her anyway, making her scream in fear. Before it could attack her, something burst through the ceiling and landed right on top of the rock guardian. Standing on top of the guardian was the red humanoid robot with many navy blue gems all over its body. The war machine's hand started to glow green from the energy it was channeling; it struck the guardian with its Ki enhanced fist, smashing it into numerous pieces. "What is that?" Levy questioned.
"I don't know," Gajeel answered.
"What's happening?!" Pantherlily asked.
"What is that thing?! It wasn't in my calculations!" Samuel yelled.
"Is that thing here for the clock piece?!" Jet questioned.
"Geez, I hope not!" Droy said.
Just as they feared, the machine started walking toward Levy, who was holding the clock face. "So you want this, huh?" she said to it. "Well too bad cause you're not getting it! Solid Script: Fire!" The blue-haired mage wrote the word fire in the air, creating an enormous blaze, and tossed it at the machine. After a few minutes, however, the machine walked out of the flames, completely unscathed.
"I thought only Natsu was fireproof," Jet said.
"Ok, try this! Solid Script: Iron!" Levy created a giant block of metal in the air; it appeared right above the machine and plummeted downward. The red robot simply threw its fist upward and made contact with the iron. The metal word immediately shattered into chunks of metal, surprising all who were watching.
"Oh man, it shattered iron like it was glass," Droy noted.
"Levy, run!" Lily shouted.
The blue-haired mage stood in fear as the machine started to walk toward her. Black Steel jumped in front of her and took a deep breath. "Iron Dragon Roar!" A hurricane of iron shards flew right at the oppressor, and it collided with the machine and exploded. "Heh, heh! Whatever that thing was, I just reduced it to scrap!" he chuckled.
"Thanks, Gajeel," Levy said.
"Sure thing, shrimp," he replied before the dust cleared and he saw that the machine was still completely intact and holding out one hand. "So, you're a tough piece of metal. Well, let's see how you take this! Iron Dragon Lance: Demon Logs!" The Iron Dragon Slayer shifted his right arm into a spear and fired numerous iron spikes at the enemy. They all hit their target but none of them made even a single dent in the war machine. "What the hell?! Not even a scratch!" Black Steel shouted in disbelief. He then swiped the clock face from Levy as the machine got closer to them. "Hey fast feet, catch!" Gajeel ordered as he threw the clock piece to Jet.
"Why the heck are you giving this to me?!" Jet asked.
"Just hold onto it and don't stop running!" Gajeel instructed. "I need to refuel!" The ex-Phantom Lord mage went over to the pieces of iron and started devouring them quickly.
Jet looked at the machine, which was slowly walking toward him. "Alright, big guy, you're strong, but let's see if you're fast! High Speed!" The orange-haired mage started running incredibly fast, but before he could get far, he crashed into something hard. Jet shook his head and saw the very machine he was running from standing right in front of him. "Whoa, when'd he get in front of me?!" Jet thought. He quickly got up and started running again, only for him to crash into the red robot again. Every time he tried to escape, the war machine somehow got in front of him faster than anyone could see. "How is he moving so fast?!" Before he could do anything, the machine grabbed him by the neck, lifted him up, and took the clock piece.
"Jet!" Levy cried.
"Let him go!" Droy shouted as he dropped a few seeds. "Take this, Knuckle Plant!" Numerous fist-shaped plants erupted, heading toward the machine, yet it countered by firing a green energy beam at the plants, reducing them to ash. "No way!"
"That looked like… Ki," Levy muttered.
"But I thought only Gohan could use Ki," Droy said in bewilderment.
Jet managed to escape the machine's grasp while it was distracted and regrouped with his teammates. "So what do we do now?" he asked. Lily tried to sneak attack the machine with his sword but it dodged the attack. The black Exceed continued to swing at the enemy but it was futile. Suddenly, many vines were wrapped around the machine, preventing it from moving. "Got it! Gajeel, Lily, attack now!" Droy shouted. The Iron Dragon Slayer and the Exceed soldier charged at the red robot. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art – Karma Demon: Iron God Sword!" Gajeel exclaimed as he formed his arms into a massive black blade. Both fairies swung their enormous weapons at the enemy, but were shocked when it snapped the vines and blocked their strikes with its arms. "What the? How did he do that?!" The machine then let out a force of energy that blew both fairies into the walls of the room, forcing Lily out of his Battle Mode. "Gajeel!" Levy cried worriedly as she ran to check on the Dragon Slayer.
"That thing's a real monster," Jet remarked.
"Yeah, it took both Gajeel and Lily's attacks without getting a scratch," Droy stated.
Just then, Samuel descended to the ground and faced the machine. "It's clear that this thing is not on either of our sides, yet it's here for the clock piece," he thought. "I thought that by watching his fight against Fairy Tail, I could study it and calculate a way to defeat it, but all my calculations end in my defeat; this thing is too powerful! Its magic is unknown and its strength surpasses even a Dragon Slayer's!" The Exceed took a deep breath. "There's still one way I can win this. I can't beat that thing head-on, but my objective is the clock piece and if my calculations are correct, I should be able to swipe it or at least destroy it!" He then brought his claws out and took his stance.
"What is that cat doing?!" Gajeel demanded.
"Is it really gonna fight that machine?" Levy questioned.
"Don't do it! You don't stand a chance, Sammy!" Lily warned.
"I told you my name is Samuel! And I'm doing what needs to be done, brother! I calculated all the possibilities and there's only one way for me to win this!" the Legion cat shouted as he rushed at the machine. He launched his claws forward to attack, aiming for the clock piece, but before he could get it, the machine disappeared and reappeared behind the Exceed. "What?!" Samuel gasped in shock.
"You're not the only who can calculate, cat!" the machine stated as it raised its hand. It fired another Ki blast right above Samuel, hitting the ceiling and causing it to collapse on the Exceed. The rubble landed on the Exceed's right leg and wing. "Objective complete, 2nd clock piece acquired!" it said before flying through the hole in the roof.
"Well, at least it's gone," Jet said.
"Yeah, but it got away with the clock piece," Droy moaned.
"Damn it!" Gajeel growled. "What was that thing?!"
"Sammy!" Pantherlily cried as he rushed to help his fellow Exceed, who was also forced out of his Battle Mode. He removed the rubble off of the Zentopian feline. "Are you alright, Sammy?" he asked with concern.
"OF COURSE I'M NOT ALRIGHT, YOU BARBARIAN!" Samuel shouted, making Lily sweatdrop. "IT'S INCONCIEVABLE; I'VE NEVER COME ACROSS ANYONE WHO CAN ELUDE MY CALCULATIONS! HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED?!"
"WOULD YOU SHUT UP ALREADY?! THERE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT THAN A SIMPLE INCORRECT GUESS!" Lily yelled as he kicked Samuel into a wall, knocking him out. Gajeel and Team Shadow Gear regrouped with him. "So, what's our next move?" he inquired.
"I think we should meet up with the others," Levy suggested. "If that thing took our clock piece, it could be after the others."
"Then let's get going already, unless Lily wants to spend more time with his brother," Gajeel teased.
"We're not related in the slightest," Lily said before he glanced at Samuel and thought, "Fighting is a dynamic thing; strategy helps but you must adapt when things go wrong. You've still got a lot to learn before you're called my brother, Sammy, but you have talent. If you wish to settle the score in the future, I'll be happy to oblige." The fairies then left the Legion cat and went on their way.
Back at the tomb, Dan had awoken from his nap but honorably surrendered due to his defeat, so the Fairies decided that now would be a good time to ask him what the Legion Platoon's agenda was, who he was and why he was chasing after Lucy. However, Dan took this as an invitation to tell them his background story in pictures, basically about growing up in Cedar city, training as a knight, falling in love with a fellow woman knight who looked identical to Lucy before getting rejected, traveling the world in search of true love, and then finally joining the Legion Platoon. (A/N: If you want to know the actual story, then watch the show.)
He stated that he couldn't reveal any of the Legion's secrets and started chasing Lucy around to try to marry her. As Lucy ran from the knight, the others just watched as they decided to wait for their comrades to meet up with them. Wondering what happened to Coco, the others still thought she was an enemy but Lucy defended her, as did Gohan. Although he knew where she was hiding, the Son of Goku didn't reveal it to his friends and just stayed alert while Coco was conflicted about what she should do while watching them.
"Man, I can't believe they're still going at it," a bored Natsu commented as he watched Dan chase Lucy.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting hungry," Romeo said.
"Me too," Gohan growled as he watched the scene while tapping his foot.
"What part of no don't you get?!" Lucy screamed at Dan.
"No doesn't exist in the dictionary of love!" the knight answered.
"Go find someone else to feel up!" she shouted.
"You do realize she's not the only girl in this room right?" Happy asked as he flew beside Dan. "Michelle is a nice young lady with a body that won't quit, if you know what I mean."
Dan then went over to Lucy's sister and examined her. "Uh, hi," she said nervously.
"I see what you're saying. She's pretty and all, but I like my girls with a little more life in them," Dan replied. His statement made Michelle frown and Gohan raise an eyebrow.
"I don't get it. He must have a thing for loudmouth tomboys," Happy figured.
"You shut your mouth, cat!" yelled Lucy.
Suddenly, Virgo appeared in a puff of smoke. "Shall I punish him for you, Princess?" she asked Lucy.
"Virgo? But I didn't summon you!" Lucy exclaimed.
"You know I'm always ready, willing, and able to offer my help in your times of need, Princess," Virgo responded as she ran beside Lucy.
"Princess? I didn't know Lucy was actually royalty!" Coco said as she gazed at the celestial mage with starry eyes. "That explains why she's so kind and beautiful!"
"Princess, I could put him deep in the ground if that would please you," Virgo offered.
"That might be a little too much," Lucy admitted hesitantly.
"Hello there, are you Lu-Lu's maid?!" Dan asked the celestial spirit. "In that case, I'd like you to prepare a meal for the two of us, something romantic to kindle the fires of love!"
"I'm not ready to prepare a meal, I'm afraid, but I can entertain you if you like," Virgo offered the knight. She then started dancing in a strange way.
"Not this again! Wait, why are you even listening to him?!" Lucy questioned.
Dan seemed completely fascinated by the maiden's dance movements. "I can't believe you know my hometown's dance, and you perform with incredible grace!" he complimented Virgo.
"I've performed this dance countless times before, but I've never been praised for it until now," Virgo replied. The Knight soon joined in and the two danced together, confusing the others watching.
"Wait a minute, are they flirting?" Lucy inquired.
"If you ask me, they're perfect for each other," Happy remarked.
Virgo then stopped dancing, leaving Dan to dance on his own "It appears I've defused the situation, Princess. If you need anything else, let me know," she told Lucy before vanishing in a puff of smoke.
"Wait, I thought you were getting rid of him!" Lucy yelled.
"Alright, I've had enough of this!" Gohan stated, finally fed up. He fired an energy beam at the giant clock piece, causing everyone to scream, thinking it would be destroyed, but the blast sailed past the piece and hit the side of the wall.
"What the heck was that for, Gohan?!" Lucy questioned.
"You know we can't destroy the clock pieces!" Michelle said worriedly.
Gohan's face turned serious, which started to scare everyone. "That was a warning shot!" he declared. "And if you don't want that clock piece reduced to its own pieces, you'll answer our questions truthfully!" His eyes turned to Dan Straight, who stopped dancing and nodded. "First, I know where you're hiding Coco, so you might as well come out!" the Demi Saiyan shouted to the athlete, and she quickly came out from her hiding place and stood beside her comrade. "Now, tell me what the Legion Platoon's goal is! If you have no interest in ending the world, then why are you gathering the clock pieces?" he questioned them.
"We don't have any intention of using the clock pieces to harm anyone!" Dan answered. "We're trying to protect them since they're Zentopian property; this is the will of the Archbishop!"
"But why?" Gohan asked again.
Both Legion members were silent for a bit before Coco answered, "His grace has been having… nightmares, specifically about the clock pieces being gathered and bringing about the inevitable chaos. It's been getting worse with time, and we believe the only way to end it is to prevent his nightmare from coming true." Her words were filled with worry and fear. "I know it seemed like we were oppressing you, but when you think about it, we're actually trying to accomplish the same thing."
Gohan then closed his eyes before reopening them. "Ok, I believe you," he decided as he lowered his hand. "But that just leaves one unanswered question: if you guys aren't trying to bring about the inevitable chaos and we aren't, then who is?"
"You think someone else is gathering the clock pieces?" Lucy inquired and Gohan nodded.
"What makes you think that?" Natsu questioned.
"I was suspicious since our conversation with Coco in the tomb," Gohan revealed. "But then I remembered something Michelle said when we met those architects."
"You mean the thing about someone from Fairy Tail being a traitor?" Romeo asked.
Gohan nodded. "Although I doubt anyone from Fairy Tail would do something like that, there might be someone leaking information about the clock pieces, and that same person is the one who really wants to gather them."
"Does that mean they'll come here for this piece?" Happy wondered.
"What about the others?" Lucy asked. "This person may attack our friends for the pieces they're trying to protect!"
"And our friends!" Coco added worriedly. "What can we do?!"
Before anyone could provide an answer, Gohan sensed something. His face turned serious as he looked up at the Zentopian symbol. "Someone's here!"
"How disappointing, I expected you to have the clock piece by now!" a sudden cold voice said from seemingly nowhere.
"That voice… it's Lord Byro!" Dan exclaimed.
"You mean the Octo-jerk?!" Natsu questioned. A giant octopus suddenly burst up from underground, blowing everyone back and causing the church building to collapse. "I cannot understand why the two of you seem to be having such difficulty!" Byro said before he spotted the Demi Saiyan among the group of fairies. "That boy is here?! Now I see, you have interfered with Zentopia's plans once again!"
"We failed to acquire the clock piece through any means necessary; our deepest apologies, Lord Byro!" Coco said.
"I'm terribly ashamed! I allowed myself to be distracted from my objective, forgive me, sir!" pleaded Dan. He then smiled with joy and said "However, I am happy to report that this holy ground is where I met the girl of my drea—ah!" A large piece of rubble landed on the knight's head and knocked him.
"You deserved that," Coco said bluntly.
"Fall back and reflect on your incompetence while I clean up the mess you've made!" Byro ordered. He then turned his attention to the fairies, specifically the Son of Goku. "You and your guild have caused us enough trouble, boy. I'll make sure that all of you live to regret it!"
"Check it out, guys; he's trying to act all high and mighty while standing on a giant octopus!" Natsu giggled to Gohan and Romeo.
"I wouldn't laugh, he held his own against Gildarts, remember?" Romeo pointed out.
"Yeah, yeah, he's powerful, who cares?! He's riding on a giant freaking octopus!" Natsu said again harshly, making Kanaloa's face drop.
"I think you're hurting its feelings," Gohan noted.
"Natsu's turned into a jerk of a role model," Happy said.
"That makes me worry about Gohan and Romeo's future!" Michelle cried.
"Wait, that means if I beat this guy, then it's kinda like I beat Gildarts too!" Natsu exclaimed with excitement.
"You're no match for me, I'll destroy you," Byro stated. "But I didn't come to face you; it's the black-haired boy I wish to annihilate!"
"Say what?!" Natsu shouted in fury. Kanaloa then attacked by releasing a massive ink blast at the boys, so they quickly dodged and the ink hit the ground, melting a hole into it. "Oh man, that is some dangerous ink!"
"Be careful, guys!" Happy called.
"Don't worry, just stay back, I've got this!" Natsu assured his friends. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" He jumped into the air and slammed his flaming fist onto the octopus' skin, but his fist just sank into the squishy creature's skin, causing no damage at all. There was no time to be surprised as Kanaloa slapped the Dragon Slayer away with its tentacle. Natsu crashed into the wall but quickly recovered in time to dodge Kanaloa's second strike. "Fire Dragon Roar!" Natsu announced as used his breath attack. Kanaloa countered with its ink blast and the two attacks canceled each other out. Coco stood there watching while her comrade laid beside her, still unconscious.
"What now?" she asked herself, feeling conflicted. "I don't know… what I… should do."
"Coco! Look out!" Lucy cried in warning. She tackled the athlete, saving her from getting crushed by Kanaloa's tentacle. The two tumbled across the floor until they crashed into the wall. "Ow… are you alright?" she asked the girl.
"I think that's 7 points," she replied before asking, "What about Dan, is he okay?!"
"Yeah, see," Lucy answered as she pointed to Natsu, who had grabbed the knight in time.
"Hey Octo-punk, are you so stupid that you don't even know whose on your side?!" Natsu shouted to Byro.
"Yeah, Coco and Dan are your allies!" Lucy agreed.
"I realize that, but as proud members of the Legion Platoon, they are prepared to sacrifice their lives to win this holy war," Byro answered heartlessly.
"What gives you the right to decide that for them?!" Gohan questioned.
"That's right! You don't get to speak for her! She doesn't belong to you or Zentopia or anyone else, she can make her own decisions!" Lucy yelled in Coco's defense, though the young girl seemed to grow more depressed as Lucy spoke.
"You're in no position to chastise my actions; you fail to grasp the severity of the situation!" Byro said. "There are many more lives at stake in this war than you realize!"
"We know what's at stake; the whole is in danger from this holy war! And that's why we'll do what we can to stop the gathering of the clock pieces!" Gohan declared.
"We'll see about that, boy!" Byro yelled. The giant clock piece started glowing, revealing the same inscription that was on Lucy's clock hand.
Meanwhile, the Strauss siblings found their clock piece in a large river by the side of a cliff, but not long after they did, they were confronted by Mary Hughes. She used her conducting art's second movement to pull out Mirajane's default Satan Soul and used it as a puppet to attack them. Elfman attempted to fight the demon, but it proved to be just as strong as when his sister used it. With her siblings beaten down with her own power, Mira was the only one left to oppose the conducting wizard. "That was fun, but I don't wanna play with you guys anymore," Mary Hughes laughed. "So I'll put you out of your misery before I go, though."
"Tell me, do you enjoy hurting others like this?!" Mira demanded.
"Honestly, I do, 'cause it proves I'm not the helpless loser I used to be," Hughes admitted. "Now that I'm powerful, the only thing I need to worry about is wiping out anyone who opposes the Archbishop." The Satan Soul puppet began charging up Mira's Soul Extinction attack. "It's a shame you're defying Zentopia, 'cause that's a major sin! And all sinners must die!"
"Just try it!" Mira challenged as she stood up.
"What are you gonna do? You're helpless now that my sacred baton has control of your powers! This is the end of the line! Goodbye, Fairy Tail!" Hughes declared as her puppet fired its attack at the Strauss siblings, and the cliff was consumed in a dark explosion that stretched upward. "Who knew she was so strong, I think I might've overdone it." Hughes eyes went wide in shock when she saw that Mira had deflected the attack, protecting her siblings and herself by entering a different form.
"Uh oh, we've got trouble now!" Elfman gulped when he saw Mira's appearance. "Calm down, Mira! Don't let it take over, stay in control!"
Mira's new form consisted of sky blue scales that covered her arms and legs like armor. Her forearms had fins, her fingers had turned into sharp claws, and she had pointy ears in the same colored scales that covered part of her face. She wore a light and dark blue-striped one piece suit that left her arms, legs, and stomach uncovered and revealed a large part of her upper chest and back. Her shoulders had spiked pads, she grew two feathery curved wings, and behind her was a scaly tail that swayed around. Her lips were a darker shade of red and her eyes were a piercing dark blue color.
"No way, that's impossible!" Hughes cried. "No one told me she had another Satan Soul!"
"I don't understand, what's happening to Mira?" Lisanna inquired.
"This is bad, we've gotta get out of here while we still can," Elfman warned his sister. "This form is different from Satan Soul. The reason you've never seen it before is because our master forbade her from using it. It's known as the Demon God Halphas!"
The two demons charged at each other, destroying the landscape in their battle, yet with every strike, it seemed that Mira in her Halphas form had full control of the fight. "This is no fair, she's totally cheating!" Hughes complained. "I had no idea she was an actual demon! How am I supposed to fight her?! She's so sinful and wicked!"
"To be honest with you, I like Zentopia's teaching," Mira confessed. "Acknowledging and bearing the malevolence within you, devoting every ounce of your love to others. However…" She raised her hand and fired a pink blast that created an explosion; the Satan Soul tried to block it, but was being overpowered. "I've lost all respect for them now that I know they embrace people like you. Such a shame!"
"How dare you, I've had enough of this!" the conductor mage screamed. Her body started releasing golden magic energy as her baton hand fully opened up its palm. "I'm sorry, Archbishop! I know that I'm committing a sin, forgive me! I'm doing it all for you!" The Satan Soul flew above Hughes and turned into a stream of dark red magic that plummeted into the conductor and consumed her in a blinding explosion of light.
"What the heck is happening?!" Elfman wondered.
"Look, inside the blast!" Lisanna shouted.
"Merging with someone you control, Conducting Art: Third Movement!" Hughes called out. When the light dissipated, Mira's Satan Soul stood before them wearing a malicious smile on its face. "Using this forbidden technique, I will defeat you with your own power!" she cried as she charged at Mirajane and threw a punch at the demon goddess, but it was easily blocked. Hughes proceeded with a barrage of blows that Mira continuously deflected.
"So this…" Mira said as she smacked Hughes in the head before kicking her in the gut. "…is what you call a sin?!" The two demons flew around the whole cliffside, clashing repeatedly with astounding force.
"They're moving so fast I can barely see them!" Elfman said.
"Wow! Mira's… kinda scary," Lisanna admitted.
Hughes formed a giant ball of magic energy and fired it at Mira, but the She Devil held out her hand and deflected the blast, which flew around her and hit numerous spots on the ground. "No way! That attack didn't even scratch her!" Hughes yelled in shock before Mira appeared right behind her.
"As far as I'm concerned you've committed an even greater sin!" Mira exclaimed as she struck Hughes again. "You've had your fun! Now, you'll pay for taking my power and using it against my siblings!" She opened her hand, and fired a massive pink blast that consumed Hughes and blew her to ground. After the debris ended, Hughes was lying on her back in a large crater. She groaned in pain as Mira descended right in front of her. "You used my magic to threaten my loved ones, and that is unforgivable!"
"Stay away," Hughes muttered weakly.
"Here it comes, just thinking about it makes me wanna pass out!" Elfman said.
"What's Mira gonna do to her?" Lisanna questioned.
The Demon Goddess smashed her fist right beside Hughes' head, cracking the ground. Mira then raised her hand as if to strike. "Please…don't!" the conductor pleaded, and her eyes widened with fear as Mira thrust her hand forward, stopping right in front of Hughes' face while making an L sign with her index finger and thumb. Mira looked at Hughes sternly before speaking one word.
"Bad!" Hughes stared at the demon in shock. "Bad!" Mira repeated and Hughes passed out.
"So terrifying," Elfman muttered as he trembled. "This one time, she was so desperate to catch an enemy and discipline them that she wiped out an entire town."
"No wonder Master forbade her from using it," Lisanna laughed.
Suddenly, the red robot from before landed on the cliff, drawing everyone's attention; it glanced around until it located the clock piece that the Strauss siblings found. It started walking over to the piece before Elfman stepped in his path. "Who are you?" he asked, but the machine ignored him. "Are you here for the clock piece, too?" Again the robot didn't answer as it continued to approach the clock piece. "Why won't you answer me?! What kind of a man are you?!" Elfman questioned the machine. "Look, I don't care who you are, but you're not getting that clock piece, so you might as well leave before you lose to a real man!" The machine ignored the man's warnings as it got closer. "Alright, you asked for it! Beast Arm: Black Bull!" The male Strauss charged at the machine and threw his beastly right fist at him, but the machine easily caught the punch, surprising the Take Over mage.
"Ok, big guy, how about this! Iron Bull!" His left arm changed into a metal fist and he punched the machine in the face, yet it showed no sign of any damage from Elfman's attack as it grabbed his wrist. Elfman stared in surprise, and the machine picked him up and tossed him into the side of the cliff. "Elfman!" Lisanna cried. She quickly ran to check on her older brother, while Mira stood up and faced the machine, still in her Halphas form.
"Listen, I don't appreciate anyone hurting my family!" Mira declared. "I'll have to discipline you as well!" She held up her hand and fired her pink blast at the machine. The blast hit and consumed the red robot, but when the smoke cleared, Mira gasped when she saw the war machine was still standing with its hand held out. "What? H-How?!" she asked. The machine lowered his hand and its eyes starting glowing; it fired eye beams at Mira's feet, which she jumped to avoid. The beams hit the ground, creating an explosion, and the shockwave blew the She Devil into a rock wall. She returned to her original form as she lay on the ground, unconscious.
The machine then walked over to the clock piece and picked it up. "Objective complete, 3rd clock piece acquired!" it declared before levitating into the air and flying off.
At the tomb, Natsu and the others were still avoiding Kanaloa's attacks, when the octopus managed to grab the Dragon Slayer with one of its tentacles, pinning him to the ground. "Your tentacles are so heavy!" Natsu cried. The sea creature then opened its mouth to fire an ink blast at the mage. "Wait! No! Don't shoot, Octo-scum!" Natsu pleaded but the octopus fired away. Fortunately for him, the ink was quickly countered with a wave of water from a certain water bearer.
"You're lucky I got here when I did or your loudmouth friend would be a goner," the mermaid commented.
"I knew I could count on you!" Lucy said while holding Aquarius' key in a puddle.
"What the heck?! You summoned me with a puddle?!" the fish lady questioned furiously.
"Sorry, but that's all I could find," Lucy defended herself.
"Thank you, Lucy and, um, Aquarium," Natsu said.
"It's Aquarius!" the water bearer corrected.
Gohan then grabbed Kanaloa's tentacle and lifted it up. Romeo grabbed the Fire Dragon Slayer with his fire magic and pulled him to safety. "Cool, it's like Natsu fishing," Happy remarked.
"Hey, Romeo, you think you can get its mouth open?" Natsu asked the young boy.
"Yeah, just leave it to me!" Romeo assured. "Purple Net!" He threw a purple fireball at the octopus, which expanded into a net that forced Kanaloa's mouth to remain open.
"Alright!" Natsu cheered as he jumped toward the octopus. He took a deep breath and announced, "Fire Dragon…" as he prepared to launch a breath attack at the sea creature.
"Natsu, what are you doing?!" Gohan questioned.
"It looks like he's gonna breathe fire right down the octopus' mouth!" Happy shouted.
"But isn't that kinda cruel?!" Lucy asked.
"Oh, I bet it's going to taste delicious freshly grilled," Michelle said with joy.
"Well she doesn't seem to think so," Aquarius noted.
Before Natsu could attack, the octopus grabbed him again and slammed him into the wall. "How terribly naïve," Lord Byro said. "Kanaloa is a veteran warrior like me. Such childish tactics aren't going to work." As the octopus' tentacle moved around, the Dragon Slayer's face became pale due to his motion sickness. "It would appear victory is ours. Let us retrieve the clock pieces and go, Kanaloa."
"Hey!" Gohan cried as he raised his hands above his head; the octopus turned toward the Demi Saiyan as he poured Ki into his palms. "Masenkoha!" he shouted as he fired an energy blast at the sea creature. The blast struck its tentacle, severing it and freeing Natsu.
"Thanks, Gohan," Natsu said gratefully.
Gohan nodded as he faced the octopus. It tried to squash him with its tentacle but he jumped into the air to dodge. Gohan threw his fist back and punched Kanaloa, but just like with Natsu, his attack didn't damage the sea creature at all due to its soft, squishy skin. It then grabbed the half Saiyan with its tentacle and slammed him into the wall. Gohan showed no sign of injury as the octopus held him in front of Lord Byro. "You and your guild have proven to be a great nuisance to our cause," Byro said. "Give us the clock pieces and we'll leave you without causing further harm."
"I don't think so!" Lucy shouted, getting Byro's attention. "My father left this clock hand to me! It's the only thing I have to remember him by; you don't have the right to take it!"
"What's so important about these clock pieces that you would go to such lengths to steal them?" Michelle inquired.
"We're not stealing them; we're taking them into our care!" Byro corrected them.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Lucy demanded.
"We're gathering these pieces because they belong to the Infinity Clock. The Archbishop of Zentopia has demanded that we retrieve them, so we're just simply following his orders," Byro explicated.
"The Infinity Clock?" Lucy muttered.
"What could the Archbishop possibly want with something like that?" Michelle asked. Byro didn't reply as he reminisced on what the Archbishop told him.
Flashback- "Time ticks forward, on toward inevitable chaos," the Archbishop said as he sat up in his bed. Lord Byro was kneeling in front of his bed. "I don't suppose you know what that means, Byro?" the Archbishop questioned.
"That's the phrase you hear in your dreams, is it not?" Byro responded. "Forgive me, my lord, but I haven't the slightest idea."
"Once every one hundred years, the Infinity Clock releases the magic power it has accumulated and becomes active," the Archbishop clarified. "It is said that if all six of the scattered clock pieces are gathered together when it is activated…"
"What will happen?" Byro asked.
"Then the clock will begin to tick, and it will bring about the end of the world!" the Archbishop stated darkly.
"That can't be!" Byro gasped.
"According to the cardinals, a wizard guild is looking to gather the pieces of the Infinity Clock," the Archbishop told him. "We're the only ones who can stop them! In other words, we now have a purpose given to us by a higher power! Byro, prepare yourself for a holy war!" Flashback ends
"If all of the clock pieces are gathered together…" Lucy began.
"Then the world will come to an end," Michelle finished.
"So that's the inevitable chaos," Lucy deduced.
"Yeah, sounds like it," Romeo agreed.
"Things just got way more serious!" Happy cried.
"Now do you understand? We cannot allow you to keep the clock pieces; a mere wizard guild does not have the power to protect the world from destruction," Byro stated.
"He's got a point! If we make one mistake, it could spell disaster," Michelle said.
"Maybe… we should give them the clock pieces after all," Romeo suggested.
"No way! The Legion Platoon is the reason we're looking for the clock pieces in the first place!" Gohan shouted. "How can you people have the power to protect the world from chaos when you're trying to cause it without knowing?!"
"Yeah, and that story sounds like a bunch of baloney if you ask me!" Natsu added. "If gathering the clock pieces is gonna make something bad happen, then I gotta wonder what you and your buddies are up to!"
"Natsu's right! The answer is to not gather them, just like Gohan said!" Happy agreed. "Besides, do we really want Zentopia holding the fate of the world in their hands?"
"Yeah, you guys don't know what to do with them any more than we do!" Lucy stated. "Who says you guys won't make a dangerous mistake?!"
"Oh no! We're all gonna die!" Michelle screamed in despair.
Lord Byro looked stunned for a moment before he glared at the Fairy Tail mages. "I can assure you, our teachings are not mistaken!" he stated angrily. "How dare you even question the Archbishop; he is infallible!"
"That's not true!" Michelle argued. "Nobody's perfect; we all make mistakes. That's why we can't find world peace."
"I don't buy it! You're trying to play the hero, but I can tell you're up to something!" Natsu accused Byro. "You can't fool me! Someone's a jerk, either you or that Archbishop you keep talking about!" The Salamander continued to rant, which infuriated Byro even more.
"Such blasphemy! Kanaloa, attack!" Byro ordered, and the octopus swung its tentacle at the Fire Dragon Slayer, who managed to dodge it. "I have thoroughly explained the purpose of this holy war, yet you still insist on opposing us!"
"Honestly, I don't know if I believe all that stuff you said about the end of the world," Lucy admitted as she clenched her fist. "I just care about keeping my dad's memento safe! That's why we're gonna do our best to stop you from getting your hands on all of the clock pieces!"
"That's right!" Gohan agreed as he broke free of Kanaloa's tentacle. "We'll make sure the world doesn't come to an end!"
"Enough of your sinful drivel!" Byro shouted. The octopus attempted to grab the Demi Saiyan once again, but he swiftly avoided every strike before grabbing two of Kanaloa's tentacles. "I-Impossible, how can this be?!" Byro asked in shock. Gohan then smirked as he began to use his monster strength to lift Kanaloa and swing it around. Byro quickly jumped off as the Z Fighter tossed the octopus into the air.
"Natsu, you're up!" he called to the fire mage.
"Alright!" Natsu cheered as Happy picked him up.
"High speed!" Happy shouted as he flew toward the octopus.
"Fire Dragon Sword Horn!" The Son of Igneel set himself on fire as the Exceed let him go; he crashed into Kanaloa, sending it tumbling until it crashed.
Lord Byro stood on the sideline, watching his octopus get defeated. "Impressive, by working together to defeat Kanaloa, they can now focus on me," he said. "Apparently there's more to these Fairy Tail wizards than I originally thought."
"Now that just leaves you," Gohan said. "Your best option is to surrender so I won't have to hurt you."
"I'm afraid I cannot back down even now," Byro declined. "As we speak, members of your guild and the Legion Platoon are fighting over the scattered clock pieces. My followers will most likely triumph and bring them here. I'm prepared to do what it takes to get the remaining pieces from you and your friends!" Byro jumped down and stood in front of the Saiyan.
"Then you leave me no choice," Gohan declared as he prepared to attack.
"Hold on, Gohan!" Natsu said as he stood in front of Gohan. "I wanna fight this guy!"
"Are you sure, Natsu?" Gohan inquired.
The Dragon Slayer nodded. "Yeah, if this guy is on par with Gildarts, then beating him means I can take our guild's strongest member on!" he replied.
At first, Gohan wasn't sure if he should let this happen, but he remembered what his guildmates told him about letting them do things for themselves once in a while. Seeing the Salamander's eagerness to fight Byro reminded him of his father's love for fighting strong opponents, even if they were stronger than him. Gohan then stepped back and said, "Alright Natsu, he's all yours! But if it looks like you're in trouble, I'll step in!"
"Heh! Sure, and thanks!" Natsu exclaimed as he smirked at the Legion leader.
"You truly wish to battle me?" Byro questioned the fire mage. "Be warned, I'm prepared to do what it takes to defeat you!"
"Well, I'm prepared to beat your face in!" Natsu retorted, accepting the challenge. The two mages stared each other down as they prepared to fight. No one noticed Lucy's clock hand or the large clock piece glowing with the inscription warning.
In Zentopia, one of the ministers went to check on the Archbishop. He stepped into his room and was surprised to see his grace standing, rather than in his bed, and surrounded by numerous lit candlesticks. "What are you doing, Archbishop?" he asked with concern. "You shouldn't be up, sir."
"It's close, so very close," the Archbishop muttered as he moved the candles around. "Time ticks forward, on toward inevitable chaos!" He turned to face the minister, wearing a dark look on his face. "It won't be long before the end is upon us! Soon, very soon!" The Archbishop began laughing maniacally and the minister fell to his knees.
A/N: And that's that! I know it seems like I'm rushing it, but I just wanna get up to the part where the Neo Oracion Seis reveal themselves. Thank you all for your patience; it takes a long time for me to finish these chapters since I share my computer with my siblings, and my internet is limited so I have to wait till I get more before I can post chapters or check my status on Fanfiction. One more thing, I've seen my poll's results so far: Mira – 7 votes, Kagura – 6 votes, Ultear – 4 votes, and the Saiyan Harem is 3 votes. I also got a few reviews; thank you all for your opinions! Until next time, TTFN AntiHero out!