It was a crisp, Tuesday afternoon, everyone was leaving school, ready for their little Fall break from school. It had been weeks since Levy had thought of Jose Porla, trying to keep the lingering fear from her mind. She'd been getting more and more skilled with her kubatons as well, eventually being able to graze Laxus with one of the spikes, but she thought he was just going easy on her. Gajeel had decided to make things official with her too, going as far as calling her his little Levy, it was sweet in its own teasing way. Everything had been going great for her, Laxus even apologized for his behavior toward her about Gajeel, surprising, but not unpleasant. One thing that had worried her, however, was that they hadn't had any more run-ins with Gajeel or Juvia in "villain mode." She and Gray had given them that title because they needed to differentiate between their two personalities, Gajeel at least seemed only a bit scarier, but Juvia was completely different. Gray was glad he only had to worry about normal Juvia, but it bothered him, knowing she was a thief. Since everyone was on break, and no one actually had any family to visit, Laxus suggested they do hardcore training, which everyone had turned down. Gildarts thought a little break was good every once in a while, or for him, all the time. This was one of the few times the kid's from Makarov's house all went home together, just wanting to hurry and get their little vacation started.
Unbeknownst to the kids however, Professor Makarov had been planning a mission for them. He had been speaking with Laxus and Gildarts, discussing the ins and outs of the mission. There had been reports of strange readings near an old mine right outside of Magnolia. They thought maybe it was a lacrima, crystalline structures that give off energy. They looked like crystal orbs, and rumored to have been linked to mutant activity, however, many of the stories were just myths, and inconclusive. Lacrima were very rare and typically only found deep in the Earth, so readings like this were strange. Makarov had already made a plan on who would go to the site to bring back a sample or a few specimens to study. Gildarts would go to supervise, but Laxus would be running point on the mission, Mavis was back up to make sure no one had suspicions. Natsu, Levy, Jet, and Gray would be going to help the excavation, while Droy and Laki would help isolate the area and ward off animals and intruders.
When everyone got home, Laxus cherry picked the specific people he needed for the mission as they walked inside; before they could do their own thing. He briefed them on what was going on while they walked to Makarov's office for a wider view of the mission and what exactly was going on. He didn't notice it yet, but Wendy was following close behind, listening to every word. Coming into his office, Makarov was in his chair looking over all the information he was going to give.
"I believe there is a lacrima somewhere in this area outside of Magnolia. Here is a map to the location, and the area you will make camp, it's close to the site. I expect you all to be on your best behavior?" Makarov asked them. They all nodded as Laxus gave them copies of the data and info. As they went out of the room, Laxus notices an extra head of blue, putting his hand on the head to keep her from leaving.
"And where are you going, Anemone?" Laxus asked Wendy, using her code name.
"I just wanted to listen…I wasn't going to come along." Wendy pouted and looked away.
"I know, but this mission is for big kids, not ankle biters like you. If anything happened to you, Mest would probably kill me, you know." Laxus laughed nervously, knowing what he said was partially true.
"Okay, but when can I go on a mission? I'm doing so good with training…"
"When you're a little older alright, you're still a kid, go do kid stuff." Laxus ruffled her hair and gently nudged her out as he left as well.
Everyone packed for their mission, they only packed essentials, extra clothing and enough emergency gear in case something happened. The only people who'd been on overnight missions were Gildarts, Laxus and Natsu. Gildarts would frequently take Laxus and his old team on overnight missions, and Natsu only came because he stowed away. He never actually did much, he didn't do anything actually; Evergreen would just turn him to stone and call it a day. It wasn't a pleasure trip, so they knew not to pack anything frivolous; once the mission was done, they were to come back, but it wouldn't be easy. Gildarts and Laxus looked over the layout of the mine as well as the surrounding area, just in case they needed to traverse the mine to get to the lacrima, they packed caving equipment and headlamps. A few hours later, everyone going on the mission was down in an underground vehicle bay to house the mission transports. They would be taking a large, matte, black RV to their destination; it had room for all of them and a bit more, with high tech equipment and a few weapons built in as well as heavy reinforcement, it would be the safest thing on the road. Gildarts took everyone's bags and put them in the luggage compartment while Laxus took a head count. With everything in place and everyone accounted for, they hit the road. The site was a good two hours from the mansion, giving them ample time to prepare for the mission. Gildarts drove the RV and Laxus was in charge of navigation. Gray and Natsu shared a bench right behind them while Mavis and Laki read magazines. Levy and the rest of her little team were looking over different things that pertained to the mission. Since their encounter with Juvia and Gajeel, they had invested in some new equipment, getting real voice modifiers installed in their face masks and little communicators put in for easier communication, plus little trackers in everyone's suit in case they get separated. As Gildarts drove, he wanted some background noise, but didn't want to turn the radio on.
"Hey Levy, why don't you give everyone a history lesson on lacrimas and why it's something important to us as mutants." Gildarts shouted back, knowing this would make the drive a bit faster.
"Really? You want me to explain it?" Levy was a bit surprised, she only really got to flex her knowledge when tutoring, so doing it for a mission got her pumped.
"Go for it, it'll help educate some of the more ignorant of the bunch." Laxus chuckled, referring to Natsu, and slightly Gray with his remark.
"Aright, where to start…" Levy thought of how she'd explain the history and the mythos surrounding it, then it hit her, she'd start from the beginning. "So, lacrima is Latin for tear, and it's rumored to have gotten that name from its translucent coloration. Back in ancient times, people said that lacrima were either produced by dragons or were literally the hearts of dragons; whichever story you believe, it's rumored that that's what led to dragons becoming extinct and only showing up in fantasies. And throughout different cultures, lacrima have shown up, always being linked to immense power and even wars over them. But they've also been linked to mutants like us, we're not sure if they cause us to become mutants or if they just awaken something in us, that's one reason we're going to check out the energy readings. Back to them being linked to mutants historically, think of mythology or any of the stories we've read in English class. One example is The Green Knight, he was practically made of plants and lived after getting his head cut off. Or take Grendel and his mom from Beowulf, they were both supposed to be creatures who had superior strength." Levy spoke, pretty happy with the information she had accrued over the years, then she noticed one of her companions with their hand up. "Yes, Gray?"
"You've named three hideous creatures Levy, are you going to give us people who look normal?" Gray didn't like being compared to a monster who's framed as the bad guy.
"Fine, think of people like Achilles or even Hercules, they were almost invulnerable and very strong. Or maybe I should mention the numerous tales of shapeshifters around the world, very beautiful men and women, but being looked upon in disfavor. I'll tell you one last example, Fafnir the dragon. Fafnir was a regular dwarf, or maybe even an abnormally short human, but then turned into a dragon. It's said that he became that way to protect gold and a ring with a curse. Perhaps the ring was actually a lacrima or made from one. Then that means the lacrima would have done something to his DNA to change him, right? And yet, once Sigurd slaid him, he wore the ring, but nothing happened, even cooked his heart, and ate it, and nothing happened to him. Why would something drastic happen to Fafnir, and not Sigurd if it was a lacrima?"
"Because Sigurd didn't have a mutation. Fafnir turned because he must have had something different going on inside than Sigurd. Fafnir, like us, must have already been a mutant, and coming into contact with that ring is what awakened his power. Sigurd, on the other hand, had remained the same because he had no such mutation." Laxus interjected, having analyzed the story numerous times with professor Makarov.
"So, what about us? We've never come into contact with lacrima before? So how are we mutants?" Laki spoke up.
"That's why we're coming out here, this could tell us why people who've never been around a lacrima would have mutant powers. Each of us was born with some sort of mutation, but the idea is that the lacrima is what awakens it." Gildarts said while rounding a corner.
"So, the lacrima flips a switch inside of us and tells us we have power? Great." Natsu folded his arms.
"That's a simple way of putting it, a bit too simple." Mavis replied.
"Anyway, history lesson, over. I hope you all enjoyed it." Levy said with a soft smile.
"Course we did Lev, you're so smart." Jet said, trying to boost her ego.
"Totally, 'specially about the green knight and him being a real plant man!" Droy added on.
The rest of the ride went by with Laxus explaining they would set up camp tonight and start looking for the lacrima the next day. They had extra big tents for everyone to camp in as well as enough food to last a month, but they wouldn't need it. The longest they planned on staying was until Sunday before the kid's had to go back to school, but it wouldn't take that long. The area was near a mine, but the readings weren't clear about if it was coming from within or just outside of it. So Laxus figured they'd do both, two teams, one inside and one outside. Gildarts would be outside, using his powers to crush the earth around him to dig, but Levy and Gray would be inside the mine looking for clues. Jet would be helping Gildarts by clearing away excess dirt and debris. Laxus was going to help here and there, but he was more so supervising the efforts of everyone else and focusing on things if there are other problems that may arise. They still had a ways away, so they just focused on different things until they got there. The sun was only just starting to set, so they'd need to set up camp quickly once they got there. Then Levy got a text on her phone, it was Gajeel.
Gajeel: -Hey Shrimp! You free tomorrow night? -
Levy: -No, a few of us are going on a little family bonding trip. -
Technically, she wasn't wrong.
Gajeel: -Bummer. I was looking forward to taking you on another date. Laxus there too? -
Levy: -Yeah, and a few more people. Not jealous, are you? :P
Gajeel: Why be jealous of him when I get to call ya my gf ;)
Levy smiled a little bit, she was actually happy that they'd made it official. She thought about the day he actually asked her to be his girlfriend for real.
That morning, Gajeel came to school with his acoustic guitar, something he hadn't done in a long time. The second he saw her, he walked right up to her and started strumming away on his guitar, singing about her. It was a beautiful song, and she could tell he practiced his singing in order to make it special for her. He sang about how her hair was like an ocean, and her eyes were like honey, both making him feel like he was drowning in her and he didn't want to escape. Then he sang about how smart she was, and her kindness, how they both made him feel like a fool, in a good way of course. He ended the song with an "I wanna date you" line and a smile. Levy herself smiled and laughed, telling him they'd need to talk about a few things first, like boundaries and what they were both comfortable with. Gajeel agreed, knowing it was necessary to move forward in their relationship. Before they'd met, Gajeel never really dated anyone, not for real at least. He'd go out with a girl here and there, but he never liked them beyond face value. Then Levy started treating him with kindness, breaking down his literal and figurative iron shell. He thought she was cute, but in more of a doll-like way due to her size, then he started to get to know her, and liked her for her personality and her mind. Of course, he still found her cute, but it was deeper than that now, she was his friend, and she was seconds away from being his girlfriend. At lunch, they sat away from Jet and Droy, in a little booth to discuss things. They sat next to each other rather than across so they could be more private.
"So, if we're gonna be dating, there are some ground rules for you to follow." Levy told him, looking into his eyes.
"Whatever it is, I promise to follow it to a 'T'." Gajeel nodded and listened intently.
"First off, you can't come over to the mansion okay. The people there are pretty private and get a bit annoyed when we have guests coming over at the last minute. Second of all, you can't refer to Laxus as my boyfriend or anything similar. He's like a brother to me, okay."
"Gotcha, no coming over, and stop acting like Laxus is gonna take you from me. That's pretty easy." Gajeel shrugged, putting an arm around her.
"Do you have anything you need to specifically ask me to do or not to do as your girlfriend?" Levy glanced up at him.
"Huh, not really, you're perfect as is Shorty, unless you wanna give me a nickname, gihi." Gajeel leaned down to kiss her on the cheek.
"I'm not a nickname person, you know that." She smiled and said when his lips left her cheek.
"Oh, there is one thing, I don't want you anywhere near Jose. I'll bring you over when I know he won't be home, but he's definitely not the type of person I'd bring anyone home to meet." Gajeel spoke in a low tone. Jose didn't go into detail about possibly knowing Levy's father, but if Jose was involved, it was bad news. He'd keep Levy from him as much as possible in an effort to protect her from him.
"I understand, you don't want him to sour my taste for you." Levy said this makes Gajeel feel better. She knew Jose was bad news, knowing that he was probably the one sending Gajeel and the gang on missions of mischief.
With those things taken care of, they were finally official. Their peers all thought, 'finally', as if they weren't beating around the bush long enough. The relationship between them was the same aside from the occasional kiss hand holding; they treated each other the exact same otherwise. Juvia had imagined that perhaps Gajeel would make new nicknames for Levy, maybe a bit less about her height, and more of who she is. He had declined, knowing his nicknames were fine, but he was debating on whether or not to add Shortcake to the already long list of things he called her.
Levy was pulled from her reminiscing thoughts, as Gildarts pulled up to the site. He and Jet were the first ones out, Gildarts unloading the equipment and Jet quickly setting it up. They started with the tents and other things to make sure the area was fully set for the next morning. Droy and Laki looked around the trees in the area and manipulated them into weaving into one another to form a cocoon type structure to secure the area. Natsu began getting dry leaves and twigs to help make a fire, using his hands, he shot a small fireball, and it lit a small area in the center of the camp. Since Mavis' illusions weren't very strong when asleep, she helped where she could for now, Laxus was giving some power to a few extra lamps they bought along to give lighter and heat than the small fire Natsu was burning. Levy and Gray helped Gildarts take everyone's things and setting them near the tent, Laxus had instructed her not to go overboard with her powers, knowing how much weaker she would be if something were to actually happen. So, she too, just needed to help where she could. Gildarts gave her a little device that monitored the energy levels in the area and said she could walk around to see where the energy is the highest. The readings were fine, but when she got to particular points where it spiked, she made distinct looking rocks and placed them in the areas. Levy walked closer to the mine, seeing the energy spike really high both at the entrance and in an area a few yards away, she marked both spots and went back to camp, letting everyone know what she had found. They nodded, sitting by the fire to have a small meal for dinner.
"I'm not gonna ask anyone to sleep in their gear, but I don't wanna see casual clothing tomorrow. This is a mission, and just in case we run into trouble, I would rather stay anonymous under our masks." Laxus said while eating the rest of his food.
"I'm sure they all know what you expect of them. They may still be in high school, but some of them sure don't act like it. Each of them has done their own little missions, just like you used to Raijin. I've personally been there with Laki on her missions. You know she's got a good work ethic." Gildarts happily defended.
"I just don't want any mistakes, this is new territory for you guys."
"Everything's gonna be fine Laxus, have a little faith." Natsu said with his wide grin.
"Coming from you, I'm a little worried. Anyway, I'm hitting the sack early, and I expect each of you to do the same. Gotta be up bright and early tomorrow. And don't forget to pack emergency rations in your suits." Laxus took his leave, going into one of the tents to be well rested in the morning.
One by one, as each got done with their meals, they made sure to pack emergency rations in a small compartment on their suits and headed to bed. Natsu made the flames of the fire go out and Gray made some ice to help the area cool down and fully put out any remaining embers. A few of them used the shower in the RV before bed, while some others decided to leave it for the morning.
The morning after in the Porla household, Jose had gotten word about the strange readings. He had a contact, who had a contact, who knew a scientist studying lacrima. He was told that the readings were definitely from a lacrima deposit, and it could go for a hefty price on the black market. Jose knew Gajeel hated last minute missions, but it only made it more satisfying when he begrudgingly agreed to it. So, he woke all the kids up, letting them know about the last minute escapade they'd be going on. They all sighed and got ready, going through the routine of putting on their gear. Jose told them it should be easy and shouldn't take more than a day, meaning they might need some snacks. Thankfully, Gajeel always kept emergency jerky and water in his Jeep, so they had little to worry about. Very soon, they hit the road, discussing a plan of action while they played some music. They figured just checking the mine would be easiest, meaning they could just follow the layout until they found something. With that out of the way, Gajeel cut his music up, blasting some heavy metal to get himself into the groove and wake up. He was just glad his Jeep had still been behind the museum the day after their failed heist, it would've been a time if it had been impounded.
At the camp, everyone was already up and ready to work. Mavis woke up first, putting on her suit of gold and white. She had to concentrate, but it was worth the effort, projecting the illusion of the trees being the way they were the day before. Then it was Gildarts and Jet, using his powers to crush the earth as Jet swept up the rubble. Laxus had to wake Levy and Gray to perform their duties, threatening to send a shock through them to wake up. He did, however, send a light shock through Natsu, jolting him awake with a fright. Laki and Droy were able to get out of that from waking due to the commotion. They both walked around the perimeter of the cocoon they'd made to make sure there actually weren't any onlookers. There was a little awkwardness as they walked along though. Laki wanted to break the ice, but she had no clue what to say.
"Nice weather today." Droy piped up to cut through the awkwardness.
"Yeah, it's not too bad, hopefully it warms up." Laki replied, still checking for any intruders.
"Carpentress, why are you always so weird around me?" Droy asked, knowing that he and Laki only truly interacted when training or around Levy.
"I don't know, sometimes I feel like maybe it's because our powers are similar. Like some sort of redundancy, or even maybe I feel like I need to be better than you." She shrugged, walking ahead of the boy.
"It's not a contest, we're just trying to figure out how we can best use our powers. No one has to be better than anyone else. Training with you is really cool to me, I get to go toe to toe with someone who can quite literally stop some of my moves."
"You're not wrong, but it doesn't quite make me feel special. Not like Rajin or Heatwave, I'll even say Amnesia is special." Laki kept walking, arms crossed as she mentioned her friends and even Mest by his code name. She knew Mest didn't do missions or anything, but they gave him a code name anyway, in case of any emergencies.
"C'mon, you're totally special! Who else can make the trees turn into sculptures?
"You."
"But not like you can! You can literally make wood carvings with no tools."
"I guess you're right, thanks Plant-Man…"
As they continued walking, Gajeel and his gang pulled up. Everything seemed normal, until they walked too close to Mavis' illusion and Gajeel walked smack dab into a tree. They all investigated and found a real tree being hidden behind the guise of a path. They felt around for an opening and walked through, being met with the cocoon of trees that was created the day before. Gajeel instructed Totomaru, whose code name was Shinobi, to go into the trees to have a better vantage point and scout the area while he and Rainwoman looked on from afar to see if there was anyone else there. They each had walkie talkies, something Totomaru had suggested they invest in, just in case a situation like this happened. Gajeel and Juvia went on the outskirts of the cocoon, waiting for Totomaru to give them any sort of word of how things look. Totomaru looked down, seeing two figures walking around the cocoon, as well as a few more figures in an area nearby, they were digging and walking around. He noticed the outfits they had on, kind of fitting the description of the people from the museum. He got a little closer, trying to remember the colors they mentioned; purple, orange, and black. None of the colors on the people below matched, gold being the only common color.
He picked up the walkie talkie, speaking into it, "We got some company, looks like some friends of the people you met at the museum. But I don't see anyone in the colors you saw that night. Over."
"Got it, how many people do you see? Over." Gajeel spoke back, his eyes narrowing as he heard the three from the museum seemingly weren't there.
"Aside from two walking around, there's one with her eyes closed, and three more digging into the ground; so, I guess six in total. I think they might be after the same thing we are. Over." Totomaru made sure he counted correctly, they were out matched.
"Hm, how far are they from the mine entrance? Over."
"I don't know, maybe a few yards away. Over."
Gajeel thought for a moment, trying to formulate a small plan. "Can you make a few fires as a distraction? If we can just get inside the mine, we can seal off the entrance. It might be risky since it's an old mine, hopefully it doesn't collapse. Over." Gajeel chuckled, seeing the risk, but still up for the challenge.
"Few small distractions coming right up Kurogane." Totomaru said, not into the walkie talkie, but to himself as he shot a few small fire balls on different trees.
The fires started small, but quickly started engulfing the trees. Mavis' eyes shot open, causing her illusion to disappear as she smelled the smoke; the rest of the gang smelled it too. Natsu sprang into action, trying to get the flames under control, but then seeing more small fires popping up. Laki and Droy, did their best to unweave the trees from one another before it spread further. Laxus finally revealed himself from the RV, seeing the trees up in smoke, he knew Natsu wasn't stupid enough to shot his own fire into the trees, meaning someone else had to be around there. One the communicator, he told Gildarts, code name Demolisher, to crush a few of the trees with flames to keep the fire from spreading; then shouted for Speedster to create a gust of air to snuff it out. Then he thought of both Freezer Burn and Artificer in the mine, if they did have intruders, it would be better that they stay where they were. Contacting them over the communicators, he told Gray exactly what just happened, and they needed to stay put, neither venturing further in the mine, nor coming back to camp. Despite Gray's ice being beneficial in this situation, if someone was going after the lacrima through the mine, he needed someone to head them off. While the rest were handling the fire, Laxus himself took a pair of binoculars, scanning the area until he saw a blue blur in the trees, calling to his companions to be on guard. That's when I saw them, Gajeel and Juvia, making their way to the mine.
Laxus shot electricity toward them, missing, but getting their attention. The other noticed too, Mavis herself ran in to help Laxus fight the two. Juvia went straight for her, knowing that if she had fought Laxus, it wouldn't end well. She was surprised how well her adversary fought right now, Mavis was small like Levy, but she was a fighter. Whenever Juvia punched, she'd block and punch back, even avoiding the water she would try slicing with. Gajeel on the other hand, knew that he and his opponent were even. But on the other hand, Laxus knew he needed to knock him out somehow. Everyone Laxus punched, Gajeel moved out of the way and tried to land his own punch. He'd been practicing, trying to get better, to not fail. The fight was visible to Totomaru in the trees, he didn't want to compromise his position, so he jumped from tree to tree as he shot more fire towards the fight, a few sparks hitting Mavis and Laxus. They both jumped back, looking from their fight, and then back to it before their enemies could land finishing blows. Totomaru kept it up, acting like a pesky bug to them, but he lost his footing, falling from the tree. Droy noticed, making vines grow from the trees, wrapping around his wrists to catch him. This wasn't the smartest idea however, Totomaru simply emitted flames from his hands, freeing himself and carefully landing in the ground. He tried dodging his opponents, but he was vastly outnumbered. He let out an enraged scream, letting flames consume him and burst from his hands and mouth, this was enough to cause them to back off. Once they were far enough away, he created a ring of fire around them, but he hadn't noticed one being missing from the group. Speedster had run off without any notice, sneaking behind the fire starter, who could only be identified as Totomaru at this point. There was still fire coming from his mouth and hands, which needed to be put out. With no other option, Jet began running circles around Totomaru, it was starting to extinguish the flames being emitted from him, but it was also stealing the boy's breath, suffocating both him and his fire. Totomaru slowly fell to the ground, trying and failing to catch his breath, soon going unconscious on the ground. Jet kept running, only stopping when Natsu, code named Flamethrower, told him it was enough. Finally stopping, Jet could tell he was still alive, but his breathing heavily labored. They tied him up, putting an oxygen mask on him before they turned to the other four who had been fighting. Juvia was winning against Mavis, but Laxus and Gajeel were still pretty even. Unlike with Gray, Laxus wasn't too keen to put her against the iron giant. He feared she'd just end up like Levy.
"I don't have time for this!" Gajeel yelled, turning his body to steel and roundhouse kicked Laxus in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.
This was enough to make everyone go to Laxus' aid and for Mavis to hold off on Juvia. With that keeping them busy, Juvia do Gajeel made their way into the mine, trying to block the entrance by breaking the beams and causing it to cave in a little. There was another exit, so they didn't have to worry about being trapped for long. The duo quickly ran through the shaft with a flashlight until they saw two extra headlamps in front of them, stopping in their tracks when they recognized who it was. The girl he had choked and that ice guy, he felt a bit relieved that he hadn't killed her, but this wasn't the time. They all went into a fighting stance, no one moving a muscle. Of course, Gray didn't want to fight his friends, but goodness was this going to be tough. With cramped corners and generally dark surroundings, this fight was going to be tough, he really wished Natsu were here right now.
Gildarts came on the com, "Raijin's down, he's gonna be fine. They blocked the entrance too, I should be able to crush it, but I'm worried it'll just cause more damage."
"It's okay, take care of Raijin first and secure the area again, Freezer Burn and I will handle the two in here." Levy replied back to him, still wary about if she should move first, but materializing her kubatons, nonetheless.
Without lowering his guard, Gajeel made a little small talk to get into his opponents' heads.
"Good to see you too survived a night with me. Thought for sure you'd be outta commission for longer, pipsqueak." Gajeel smirked under his mask and came a little closer. This made Gray immediately put an ice barrier between themselves, doing this as a way to protect Levy from her boyfriend.
"I'm stronger than I look." She retorted, looking at his fuzzy figure through the ice.
"And you haven't changed in your chivalrous ways, Mister Jake Frost." Juvia caught on to Gajeel's game, the mix of her tone and the little nickname she threw out there, Gray was so glad she couldn't see the massive blush on his face.
He didn't reply to her, not wanting his voice to waver. This just made Gajeel grin, knowing something had caught his tongue. He was still in steel mode and started punching through the barrier, Juvia joined in as well, slashing through the thick ice. They hadn't noticed that their rivals had run away until they cleared the barrier. Soon enough, they gave chase, only catching up to them when they saw the reason they stopped. The shaft had collapsed, meaning they were actually stuck unless they wanted to dig their way through, something risky. Gajeel took the opportunity to run straight for them, separating them so the icy knight could protect the weaker companion. He went after Gray, not wanting a direct repeat of last time, meaning Juvia would go for the pipsqueak. Her hands made fluid water ribbons, sending them Levy's way. The kubatons sliced through, but no dice, they just reformed. She didn't want to hurt Juvia, but she needed to do something. Dropping one of her weapons, she materialized a taser, hoping it would down her for a little bit. Juvia knew what was happening, so she kept her distance and didn't have her water connected to her body, instead shooting it away from her. Gray was using an ice shield to block Gajeel's strikes while trying to freeze his feet to the dirt. It wasn't working too great though, Gajeel was hitting too fast and evading the ice as much as he could. Gajeel drew one fist back, but before it could land, Gray dived under it, making Gajeel's punch go clean into a hollow patch of wall, which was weird. He pulled his hand out, turning around and furiously tried to his Gray, but not landing a hit; concerned for his partners wellbeing though, he shot a beam of ice towards his girlfriend, freezing her leg in place so Levy could tazze her. It worked, but this gave Gajeel an opening to hit Gray again and again.
"This is why you need to pay attention to who you're fighting, snowman." Gajeel laughed, then feeling a soft rumbling in the mine, looking over at the only other person left to fight, the girl he thought he killed.
He lunged and she dodged, going to Gray, whose mask was still thankfully intact. She placed him against a wall to be safe and she turned back to Gajeel, she had Juvia over his shoulder, no way was he planning to fight her while carrying his teammate. But of course, he was, Gajeel was going to fight with Juvia over his shoulder. Levy stood her ground, no way was he'd run straight for her, right? Wrong, he ran right into her, she had no time to react though, slamming into the wall behind her. Unfortunately, the wall was also hollow, making her fall right through from the impact. As she fell, it all seemed to go in slow motion, grabbing both Gray and Gajeel absentmindedly, bringing them both through the gaping hole with her, and Juvia was none the wiser.