...
Ultimate Fairy
Chapter 10: The Phantom Lord
Part II
…
Ben Tennyson was no stranger to battles. He had been in many throughout the years of his hero tenure; however, he had to concede, he's never been in a fight like this one before. Things were still leaning toward Fairy Tail's favor, but Ben still had a nagging feeling in his gut that told him something was wrong. Nevertheless, like the rest of his friends, he continued the onslaught against Phantom.
Ultimate Swampfire pulled off a blue, gooey shell from his back and tossed it at the feet of a Phantom clique in front of him. The shell instantly ignited in a cobalt inferno, blasting the mages off their feet and sending their bodies flying back.
"Yeah!" Natsu exclaimed; his fist covered in flames. "These guys got nothing on us!"
Suddenly, a crash got everyone's attention. The guild members from both sides ceased fighting and looked up at the large Phantom Lord sign in the room. Standing on the top was a young man with black spiked hair, a black and silver vest, and had iron studs all over his body.
A few members mumbled in fear from the presence of the man whilst Erza's eyes narrowed from recognition.
Gray looked at Natsu and glared. "You were saying?"
"It's the Iron Dragon Slayer," Erza muttered, "Black Steel Gajeel."
"That's the Iron Dragon Slayer?" Ultimate Swampfire took a moment to study Gajeel's appearance "Huh... he looks close to what I pictured."
Suddenly, Nab, a tan-skinned man wearing a black vest and a necklace of skulls, jumped into view behind Gajeel. "You attacked Levy! AGGHH!"
Before Nab could punch him though, Gajeel transformed his right arm into a large, iron pillar and swiftly slammed it into Nab's torso. Gajeel's iron-club arm kept stretching out until it smashed across the floor, forming a trench and knocking back his own guildmate in the process.
"Okay... that's new," Ultimate Swampfire noted. He never recalled turning into an alien or facing an opponent who could do a move like that.
"What the?!" Gray yelled in shock. "He just knocked back his own guildmates with that attack!"
Black Steel Gajeel jumped from the billboard and landed safely on his feet. He chuckled as his iron-club arm reverted back to normal. "Show me what you got. Unless you scum are too scared to face the great Iron Dragon Slayer." He taunted.
This comment immediately enraged Elfman. "Too scared!" He lunged straight at Gajeel, his arm, which was transformed into some sort of beast-like appendage, was cocked back. "Real men have no fear!"
An amethyst magic circle appeared in front of Elfman as his beast arm shifted into a bulky, stone-covered one. His stone fist connected with Gajeel's shoulder but had no effect on the black-haired wizard.
"You're Elfman, right?" Gajeel shifted his other arm into an iron pillar and thrust it towards the white-haired man.
Elfman was quick to dodge the attack. As Gajeel's arm returned to normal, he kicked his leg out, which instantly changed into an iron-club and extended forward at the white-haired Take-Over mage. Amazingly, Elfman caught the pillar with his still armored hand.
"Ah, not bad, big guy," praised Gajeel.
"Well, that's because I'm a real man," Elfman stated.
"Yeah," Gajeel smirked, "well then, let's see how a real man handles this!"
Without warning, a few lumps grew from Gajeel's leg. They quickly stretched out into miniature pillars and smacked into random Phantom members nearby who were spectating.
'Huh?!' Ultimate Swampfire cocked a nonexistent brow. 'This guy would purposely attack his own comrades? No loyalty amongst low lives, I guess.'
"You attacked your own men?!" Elfman shouted, distracted by the Phantom members being knocked back by Gajeel's manifested pillars.
"Because I knew it would distract yah!" Gajeel explained. His right arm shifted into a club and slammed into Elfman's face, driving him back.
Natsu jumped into view and used Elfman as a springboard to launch himself at Gajeel. He dodged another iron-club that Black Steel attempted to strike him with. The fire mage lite up his hands with flame and delivered a wicked right hook into Gajeel's face. The blow sent the iron mage flying back and crashing through the bar area.
"Whoa," a scared Phantom mage said, "he sent him flying!"
"No one's ever done that before." Another added uneasily.
With a small groan, Gajeel steadily picked himself out from the wreckage of the ruined bar countertop, glaring at the pinked haired mage who had punched him.
"Allow me to introduce myself," Natsu said with his fists still shrouded in fire. "I'm Fairy Tail's Dragon Slayer."
A wicked grin grew across Gajeel's face.
"Elfman, leave this guy to me," Natsu demanded.
"Aw come on!" Elfman complained. "First you used me as a springboard and now you're stealing my man-to-man fight?"
Gajeel jumped forward and shouted, "Iron Dragon Club!"
The onyx haired mage's arm shifted into a large, steel colored pillar and extended toward Natsu. Natsu managed to catch the club but was still driven back a few meters.
"Natsu!" Erza yelled. She took a step forward, worried and ready to jump in if necessary.
However, Natsu came to a stop as his feet found a grip on the stone floor. The fire mage's fingers were now smoking as his hold on Gajeel's clubbed arm tightened.
"You tried to destroy our guild hall and then you attacked Levy's team." Natsu snarled. He lifted up his head and glared at his opponent. His hands ignited in flames as his fury increased. "I'm gonna make you pay!"
Natsu tossed Gajeel upward. The iron mage, however, used one of the rafters as a springboard to launch himself back at Natsu. But the Fire Dragon Slayer expected this as he reared back and connected his flaming fist with Gajeel's face, sending him crashing into a wall.
"Oh boy," Ultimate Swampfire commented, "he's fired up now."
"Yeah, I'd hate to be that other guy," Macao added.
Elfman huffed.
"He's quite a wizard," Erza said proudly.
"Alright fine," Elfman conceded. "You're manlier than I thought. I'll let you have this one, but you gotta promise me you'll leave some for me!"
"Too bad," Natsu placed a hand on his right bicep. "I'm gonna beat him to a pulp!"
Their attention was grabbed again from the sounds of shifting rocks. They turned to the pile of rubble by the wall that Gajeel had crashed into. A fist broke out and stone fragments were moved aside as Gajeel stood back up. He appeared to be unscathed.
"Nice try," the iron mage mocked, "but I'm still standing."
"You won't be for much longer though." Natsu retorted.
Gajeel's grinned widely. "Oh yeah!"
Suddenly, Gajeel rushed forward at blinding speeds. Natsu was unprepared for his opponent's iron-clubbed leg slamming into him. The pink haired mage was thrown back across the floor, forming a crevasse and throwing up rocks and dirt.
"That hurt," Gray remarked.
"This is pretty crazy," Loke noted.
"Oh, what's the matter?" Gajeel prodded. "You can dish it out but you can't take it?"
Instantly, stones and cracked wooden boards went flying from the trench as the fire blazed upward. Natsu jumped out and stood in front of the other Dragon Slayer. A hungry smile was spread across his face.
"It's gonna take more than that to keep me down!" proclaimed Natsu.
The black-haired mage grinned. "You seriously think you can beat me, ya pyro!?" A pale green magic circle appeared around his right fist.
"What do ya mean 'think'? I know I can!" Natsu countered as a fiery-colored magic circle appeared around his fist as well.
'Things are about to get intense...' Ultimate Swampfire thought. He glanced up to the roof with a suspicious look. '...I'm getting that feeling again. Something just doesn't feel right here...'
"We'll see about that!" Gajeel yelled. He shifted his arm into a metal club and shot it toward Natsu.
The Fire Dragon Slayer easily caught it with his flaming hands, only being driven back a couple of meters.
"Your steel beams can't even touch me." The metal pillar between Natsu's hand began to liquefy as his anger rose. "You better start stepping up your game!"
"The rumors are true," Gajeel said. "You're way more powerful than yah look."
The iron mage pulled back his club arm as it shifted back to normal, a bit of smoke billowing off of his skin. "Ha! That actually burns a little." he jeered. "Is that all ya got, Salamander?"
"That was only my warm-up." Natsu scowled. "I'm just getting started. You ain't seen nothing yet, yah metal freak!"
For a moment, the two Dragon Slayers stared down at each other. Fairy Tail and Phantom had all ceased fighting as they watched the fight. The tension in the room was palpable.
Suddenly, the stone floor beneath both Dragon Slayers erupted as they lunged at one another. Natsu threw a right jab and then a left hook, but Gajeel blocked each attack and then punched Natsu in the face, specifically his left eye.
Natsu went sliding back, he growled in pain from the hit to his eye. "Man this guy is tough." He muttered.
Gajeel leaped high and aimed himself to deliver a powerful kick into Natsu. Salamander though cocked back his flaming fist and punched the sole of Gajeel's boots. He went flying upward, but a couple of spikes popped out from the heels of his boots, allowing him to stand upside down from a wooden rafter.
Natsu crouched low and jumped at Gajeel, intending to strike him again. Gajeel was ready as he shifted his arm into an iron-club to block the blow; however, the force behind it sent the iron mage careening upward as he crashed through a couple of rafters.
"How do you like that, huh?!" Natsu yelled.
Gajeel grabbed onto a support beam and pierced the rafter with his spiked heels as he did before. "Don't get too cocky! It won't happen again!"
The two continued to glare at each other, the anger between them was profound. The attention of both guilds had been captured by Natsu and Gajeel's fight. Even Ben found himself engrossed in watching the brawl, though if things did get too intense, he was ready to step in.
Gajeel made the first move as he transformed his arm into an iron-pillar and stretched it toward Natsu. The fire mage was quick to dodge out of the way, letting Gajeel's club destroy the girder he was previously standing on. Natsu lit his feet on fire and blasted himself straight at the iron mage, his fist cocked back.
"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" he yelled.
Gajeel was too slow to jump out of the way, but he held up his iron-clubbed arm and used it to block the punch. However, the firepower and strength behind it sent him hurdling downwards. A few Phantom mages jumped out of the way as Gajeel slammed into the floor, creating a shallow crater.
Natsu descended from the rafters and landed on his feet near the crater edge. A hazy dust cloud was billowing over the hole.
Natsu smirked brightly. "Had enough yet!"
There was no response. Natsu, along with the others watching, were beginning to think Gajeel was down for the count. But suddenly, a huge iron-club shot out from the dust cloud and slammed into Natsu's gut with a lot of force. The blow sent the Salamander smacking hard into a wall, burying him under a big pile of rocky rubble.
"Natsu!" Erza cried.
Gajeel stepped out of the small crater, his arm reverting back to normal. A grin of smugness was adorning his lips.
"Anyone else wanna give me a try?" Gajeel challenged.
Shaking his head from his worries, the Omnitrix bearer stepped into action. Ultimate Swampfire rushed forward and stopped a few meters away from the onyx-haired wizard.
"I'll take up your challenge!" Ultimate Swampfire announced.
He held up both hands and fired an intense blast of azure fire.
"You might not like it though..."
Some of the Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord mages had to step back and cover their eyes due to the intensity of the flames. The hyper-evolved Methanosian kept up his attack for a couple more moments before he ceased and lowered his arms. The aftermath of the blast was a scorched trench in the stone floors with black smoke hazing off of it.
As the smoke cleared, Ultimate Swampfire and the rest of Fairy Tail were surprised to see Gajeel still standing! He had been forced back a few meters and both of his arms were shifted into thick, iron-clubs, crossed out in front of him. However, smoke was hazing off his body and there appeared to be red hotspots on his arms as well.
Gajeel scowled, reverting his arms to normal. The iron mage noticed the burn marks left on his forearms and pretended he didn't feel much of any pain. In reality, though, they BURNED!
"Huh... gotta admit that actually hurt a bit." He lied. "So... I'm guessing you're the new guy who undid the makeover I did for your guild hall, right?"
"Yeah... the iron pillars weren't really our style." Ultimate Swampfire snarked. "We prefer a more open concept, ya know."
Gajeel scowled in response. "Open concept, huh? How about I open you up then! Iron Dragon Club!"
Ultimate Swampfire was too slow to react as Gajeel's iron-club slammed into his wooden torso; however, instead of being blown back, he held on and pushed against the pillar. After sliding back a few meters, the hyper-evolved Methanosian was able to stop the club. Gajeel gritted his teeth in frustration as he put more strength into overpowering Ben, but Ultimate Swampfire was still holding the pillar back.
'Okay, …looks like fire isn't going to help much here. What else could I try...' Ben recalled a moment from last night's conversation in Lucy's apartment.
"Okay...uh...Gajeel, was it? I'll give you one last chance to give up while you're still ahead." Ultimate Swampfire offered, still pushing against the iron-club.
The Iron Dragon Slayer's cocky grin grew bigger. "Bring it! I'm not afraid of you, freak!"
"You should be."
With extra effort, Ultimate Swampfire twisted the iron-club and threw Gajeel onto his side. While he was down, he slapped the Omnitrix dial. The Phantom guild Hall was shrouded in emerald light, forcing everyone to turn away.
When the light died away, standing in Ultimate Swampfire's place was an eight-foot-tall, dark blue humanoid robotic, beetle-like creature. It had dark bluish-purplish armor, a long fin-shaped horn on the top of his head connected to a shorter horn at the back, and a large silver mouth that spreads over part of his chest. It also possessed a belt and wristbands as well as green oval-shaped eyes.
"Eatle!" He shouted.
The Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord wizards were taken back from this unseen transformation. A few Phantoms began to mutter in awe and fear.
"Wow! What kind of mage is this guy?" a random Phantom asked.
"He can change in-between Take-Overs? That's crazy!" Another exclaimed.
The Fairy Queen stared at Ben quizzically, wondering what this form was capable of.
"Whoa, what can that thing do?" Gray asked the question that was on everyone's mind.
Gajeel picked himself up from the floor, glaring at Eatle as his arm shrunk back to its normal size. "So, you changed into something uglier. Big deal! Doesn't mean I'm not gonna beat you senseless!"
With that said, Gajeel rushed forward and leaped in the air, changing his right arm into a pillar once again and shooting it at Eatle. The beetle-like alien was quick to sidestep the attack, letting it strike the ground instead. He then grabbed Gajeel's iron-club, opened his large mouth, and took a big bite out of it!
The wizards of Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord were all shocked and dumbfounded by this. Did Ben seriously take a bite out of Gajeel's arm?
"Whoa! He just bit off a piece of Gajeel!" a Phantom mage shouted.
"No way." another commented.
"AWW!" Gajeel cried out. His arm quickly shrunk and changed back to normal; thankfully, there wasn't any big chunk of his arm missing.
He looked back and glowered at Eatle. "Hey!"
The iron mage paused as Eatle began to chew away at the hunk of iron he bit off of Gajeel's club-arm and then swallowed it.
"The hell!? I'm the only one who eats iron around here! That's my move!" Gajeel shouted indignantly.
"Oh yeah," The fin on top of the beetle alien's head illuminated green. "Well, this is my move."
Gajeel was taken by surprise as a green energy beam blasted out of Eatle's fin and slammed into his chest. The Iron Dragon Slayer went careening back until he smashed straight through the wall, tumbling somewhere outside.
"I think that wraps this up," Eatle remarked.
A groan caught Ben's attention. He looked to the side to see Natsu standing out of the stone debris, rubbing his torso area.
"You okay?" asked Eatle.
Natsu curtly nodded. "Fine,"
Before anything else could be said, the building began to shake violently.
"Everything's shaking," Wakaba noted.
"I guess they're going at it," Loke said.
Eatle paused and looked up. In a flash of green, he transformed back to Ben. "That doesn't sound good."
"This is what happens when Master Makarov's angry," Cana remarked.
"It's called the Giant's Wrath," Macao explained.
"Nobody will be able to stop him now," Nab said confidently.
A few Phantom Lord wizards began to whimper in fear.
"He's going to make the guild hall collapse!" a Phantom mage cried.
"When the master gets angry, the master's even manlier," Elfman commented.
Erza, who had re-quipped back into her Heart Kreuz armor, held up her magic sword and slashed it across the air. "Prepare to fight! We cannot lose as long as Master Makarov is with us!" She declared.
All of a sudden, everyone's attention was grabbed as something fell from the ceiling and crashed into the floor.
"What was that?" someone asked.
"It fell from the rafters."
When the dust cleared, everyone, including Ben, gasped in shocked horror. Lying in a small crater in the floor was Makarov. His skin had turned into a sickly green as well as his eyes and hair only a lighter shade.
"It's Gramps!" Natsu shouted.
"Master!" Erza yelled in worry.
Ben, Gray, Natsu, Erza, and Cana immediately came to Makarov's side. Erza picked him up in a cradling position.
"M-m-my m-magic power…it's…" Makarov stuttered, struggling to form a sentence.
"Master," Erza said softly, "calm down."
"What happened to him?" Cana asked.
"I don't know," Gray said. "But I don't sense any magical energy coming from him at all."
"That's bad," Ben turned to Gray, "right?"
"Gray," Elfman said in disbelief, "are you saying he's just an ordinary old man now?"
"No, that can't be!" Happy exclaimed, ready to break out in tears.
"Come on Gramps," Natsu encouraged, "you can pull through this."
While the Fairy Tail mages were focused on Makarov, Gajeel stumbled back into the building through the gaping hole in the wall. He winced from the burn mark left on his chest via Eatle's beam. In addition to the burns on his arms from Ultimate Swampfire's attacks, Gajeel was definitely not pleased.
As the rest of the guild was distracted, he leaped up into the rafters. He stuck his spiked heels into the wooden beam so he could stand upside down with his arms crossed.
"Hmph," he mumbled, "guess the fun's over and just when things were starting to get good."
Black Steel looked around for Eatle and didn't find him anywhere. Instead, huddled around Fairy Tail's fallen master, he spotted a brunet teen wearing a green jacket. 'Is that him? Doesn't look like much. Still though,' he glanced at his recent burn marks, 'he packs a serious punch. Makes me wonder what else he's capable of. Maybe he'll give me a real fight sometime soon.'
"I don't understand." Gray gapped. "Gramps is so powerful, how did they beat him?"
Ben turned his gaze from Makarov to the ceiling. He could see a straight shot all the way to what he presumed was the top floor, where whoever did this to Makarov would presumably still be.
"Only one way to find out," Ben stated.
However, any chance of invading the upstairs was completely crushed as the other Phantom Lords begin to rally.
"Their master's been defeated!" a Phantom shouted.
"For real?"
"He's out!"
"You guys," one said, "We can beat 'em."
"Yeah, we can take these flies!" another added.
Erza, with a tear in her eye, turned to the Phantom mages. She had heard them speaking and knew that with the master out, their spirits would be revived. 'This is not good.' She thought.
"LET'S GET 'EM!" One cried out.
The now recovered Phantom Lord wizards all charged and attacked Fairy Tail. Natsu quickly lit up his fists with fire and punched a Phantom mage who tried to jump him.
"Don't you start getting cocky!" the Dragon Slayer exclaimed.
Being taken surprise by Phantom's attack, Ben quickly activated the Omnitrix, selected an alien without looking, and slapped down the dial. After a flash of emerald, standing in Ben's place was his Necrofriggian form.
"Big Chill," he announced in an eerie whisper.
A clique of Phantoms lunged at Big Chill. The Necrofriggian simply went intangible, letting them pass through him. He opened up his wings and hovered in the air. Big Chill inhaled deeply and exhaled a sheet of ice over the pack of mages, freezing them like ice sculptures.
"Please, just chill out, will you..."
Big Chill looked around. Phantom was beginning to gain the advantage due to Fairy Tail's fractured spirits. Though Ben could handle himself just fine against these Phantom creeps, he knew that now that the master was down, they had lost their advantage. Continuing the fight would only cause more injuries and ultimately led to defeat.
Erza realized the same thing as Ben as she surveyed the battle. 'I can't do this. Without the master, we aren't strong enough and our morale is dangerously low.'
"We must retreat!" Erza commanded. "Everyone, back to the guild at once!"
Natsu tossed away a Phantom wizard and stared at Erza incredulously. He wasn't the only one. Gray, Loke, and Elfman looked at her with shocked expressions.
"Erza?" Loke stuttered.
"No way!" Gray protested. "We can't give up!"
"Real men never retreat!" Elfman added.
"I still got some fight in me," Macao muttered. He was banged up and had Cana under his shoulder to support him.
"Me too," Cana concurred.
"Guys," Big Chill flew down toward them. "I never like retreating, but we've lost the upper hand; besides, Makarov needs help now!"
"Ben's right. Now retreat!" Erza shouted. "That's an order."
Meanwhile, along the rafters of the Phantom guild Hall, Gajeel watched as Fairy Tail fled out of the building. While still hanging upside down, he sneered as Fairy Tail began to fall back.
"There they go." He noted. "I knew it wouldn't be long before those gutless cowards gave up and started running for their lives."
"They're retreating with sorrow in their hearts." A man, standing on the rafter above Gajeel, declared.
He was a tall, tan-skinned man with a rectangular face. His eyes were covered by a blindfold. He wore a long, green coat, yellow shirt, and a pair of loose pants. On his head was a green top hat that matched his jacket. This was Aria, the strongest member of the Element 4.
Gajeel flipped back up to stand on the girder next to Aria. "Aria, I can see you're creepier than ever." He commented. "I gotta commend you for taking down that Fairy Tail geezer."
"I just followed Master Jose's orders." Then, a waterfall-sized amount of tears began to pour out from beneath his blindfold. "But…thank you!" Aria sobbed.
"Why are you always crying? Geez, cut it out!" Gajeel shouted in annoyance. A malevolent grin then grew on his lips. "So, what happened to that Lucy girl?"
From below, Natsu's keen hearing had picked up what Gajeel had said. He immediately turned to look up at him.
"She's been captured," Aria replied. "The poor wretch is being held in a gloomy cell at headquarters."
"So much for giving her a warm welcome, huh?" Gajeel joked smugly.
"No way," Natsu whispered, stunned over this new information.
"Is there something wrong?" Happy asked in concern.
Natsu didn't respond as he glared up at the Iron Dragon Slayer. "GAJEEL!"
The Iron Dragon Slayer looked down at Natsu and smirked. "We'll finish this someday, Salamander."
Aria extended his right arm behind Gajeel, and then both wizards vanished into thin air.
"Those jerks kidnapped Lucy." Natsu murmured, his anger boiling high.
Happy screamed in response.
"Everybody out!" Erza yelled as flocks of Fairy Tail mages ran past her, bolting for the main gate. "Let's go!"
"No way! I'm not falling back yet." Gray asserted stubbornly. "They're gonna pay for what they did."
Erza came forward and gently lowered Gray's hand. "Please," she begged.
Gray's eyes widened in shock; he certainly wasn't expecting this from the toughest woman in Fairy Tail. She put her face into his chest, tears streaming down her face.
"We need him." She continued, her voice quivering in-between her usual commando tone and sobbing. "We can't win without the master."
Without a word, Gray gave in. Erza lifted her tear-filled face from his chest as both mages sprinted for the door.
Fairy Tail ran out the main doors as they retreated. Big Chill, who was flying at the rear, looked back to see a swarm of Phantoms still chasing after his friends. The Necrofriggian turned to face them, inhaled deeply, and let lose a powerful blast of cold breath. A giant wall of ice formed on the floor between him and Phantom Lord, blocking any attempts by them to continue their chase.
"That outta hold 'em."
Ben was just about to follow the others until he noticed that a certain Dragon Slayer and flying cat were still in the Phantom Lord guild hall.
'What are they still doing here?' Ben wondered.
Big Chill quickly went intangible, preventing the Phantom Lord mages from seeing him. Not that he needed to since the rest of wizards were so focused on breaking through his ice wall. Big Chill became tangible once more as he descended in front of Natsu and Happy, folding his wings over his body.
"Ben?" Natsu cocked a brow. "What are you still doing here?"
"I could say the same for you." Big Chill retorted.
"Natsu says Phantom's kidnapped Lucy!" Happy exclaimed. "He overheard Gajeel talking to one of his guildmates."
The Necrofriggian's eyes widened. Why would they go after Lucy? She had stayed back to care for Team Shadow Gear in the Magnolia Hospital. Wait... was all this a setup?
"Did that iron-faced creep say where she was being held?" Big Chill asked.
"All that guy said was that she's being held in a cell at their headquarters," Natsu replied.
"Any clue where that is? I thought this building was their headquarters."
"Not sure," Natsu turned to the group of Phantom wizards lying unconscious on the floor. "But I bet one of those losers might know."
Big Chill walked over to the nearest knocked out Phantom Lord member, grabbing him by the shirt and casually lifting him off the ground.
The man then woke up and realized who was lifting him. "No!" he screamed, "Not you guys!"
Big Chill glowered coldly at the man. " We need to have a chat."
"Please! Don't hurt me!"
…
A mile outside the Phantom Lord guild hall, Big Chill, Natsu, and Happy were standing in rocky terrain with their captured Phantom mage in tow. The former had gone intangible and was able to get the group out without being noticed; much to their shock.
"So, what are we gonna do now?" Happy inquired.
"We're gonna get this guy to talk so we can rescue Lucy. Duh!" Natsu replied.
The man struggled against the Necrofriggian's grip, but his attempts were futile. The alien was simply too strong for a human to overpower.
"Why don't you make this easy on yourself and start talking." Big Chill's cold voice caused a shiver to travel up the man's spine.
"I... I don't know! How would I?!" he choked out. "I don't know this Lucy."
Natsu ignited his own body on fire and stomped towards their hostage with a menacing scowl. The man cowered and flinched from the intense heat he was giving off. The bitter coldness Big Chill gave off in combination only made matters worse.
"Start talking!" Natsu snarled.
"I already told yah, dude, I don't know nothing!" He replied hysterically. "I've never heard of this Lucy chick! If I did, I would've told yah by now!"
"That so?" Big Chill narrowed his eyes. He brought up left clawed-hand and brought it closer to the man's chest. "You already saw me go intangible earlier. Did you know I can also freeze things while intangible too?"
"Huh...?" the man uttered, confused.
"I'll put it in laymen terms. I can phase my hand through your chest and instantly freeze you from the inside-out. Turning you into a human popsicle." Big Chill hovered his hand closer the mage; the man's shirt froze and shattered into pieces while a big blue freezer-burn expanded on his chest.
The man cried out from the bitter pain. Natsu and Happy winced from the scene.
"Even if you don't know Lucy, I believe you know more than you let on. Make things easier for us and tell us everything you know. Otherwise...well... I'll get the information by other unpleasant means."
'Please don't make me have to use Pesky Dust in front of these guys...' Ben inwardly begged.
The man painfully screamed as the cold sunk deeper into his body. "Okay, okay! Our headquarters are up ahead!" the man shouted hastily "If I had to guess, I would say she would be locked up there!"
"You should've said that to begin with!" Natsu yelled indignantly.
Satisfied with his response, Big Chill tossed the man to the ground. He curled up in a ball next to a boulder and turned away, reduced to a shivering mess.
"Is he gonna be okay?" Happy glanced at the semi-frozen wizard. "I know he's from Phantom, but still..."
"He'll be fine." Big Chill replied, his eerie voice still unnerving for the Dragon Slayer and flying cat. "I made sure the cold wasn't severe enough to be life-threatening."
The Necrofriggian turned back to the duo. "Alright, let's start heading up the hill."
"You don't have to come, man," Natsu suggested. "Happy and I can save Lucy. You should head back with the others and make sure they're okay."
"I'm sure they'll be fine. Besides," Big Chill sighed, "I want to come along. I feel responsible for Lucy getting kidnapped."
"Huh? But why?" Happy asked, confused.
"When I saw Team Shadow Gear this morning, like all of you, I was angry and wanted to make Phantom pay." Big Chill admitted. "But I see now I shouldn't have come along. Lucy was left to watch over Levy, Jet, and Droy all by herself, making her an easy target for Phantom to ambush."
Natsu and Happy's eyes widened, realizing Ben was right. In the heat of the moment, they didn't leave behind any other members to defend their friends and Magnolia in case Phantom tried something shady. They let their emotions get the better of them.
Big Chill clenched his fists, frustrated. "Had I stayed behind; I could've kept her from getting captured. So, I'm coming along."
"Well... I ain't gonna stop yah." Natsu replied, turning up to the hill. "Let's go get Lucy back!"
"Aye, sir!" Happy agreed.
Big Chill nodded. "Hero Time, again."
…
Situated at the top of the rocky hill was the headquarters of the Phantom Lord guild. Lying in a melancholy, stonewalled prison cell was Lucy, her hands bound behind her back. Lucy's brown eyes finally began to flutter open.
As soon as she regained full consciousness, she instantly sat up with wide eyes and blinked a few times. The Celestial mage was shocked and bewildered as she tried to figure out where she was.
"What the?" she remarked. "How did I get here?"
Suddenly, a figure appeared outside the cell, looking in through a small iron-barred window with only the lower half of his face visible.
"So you're finally awake." The man said. "I was getting worried about you, Lucy."
Lucy turned to the door, and asked, "Who are you?"
The metal door opened and revealed a tall, slim man with long, straight black hair that reached his shoulders. His lips were dark colored while his face was long and sharp. His attire consisted of a purple jester-like coat with a high collar, two dark blue prominent wings similar to a bat's on his back, a plain white shirt, and a purple witch-like hat bearing Phantom Lord's symbol.
He looked at Lucy with narrowed dark eyes and a malign smile. "I am Master Jose Porla," he answered, "of the Phantom Lord guild."
"You're with Phantom?!" Lucy shouted angrily.
The blonde mage then recalled what had happened earlier. She remembered getting trapped in a sphere of water, courtesy of Juvia the rain woman, a member of the Element 4, and passing out inside of it.
"I would like to apologize for this dingy cell," Jose said, stepping into the cell, "being tied up must be degrading. But I'm afraid I had no choice my dear. That is how you treat a prisoner after all."
"You're the jerks who attacked my friend Levy and her team!" Lucy yelled, ignoring Jose's prattle. "You better let me go. My friends are gonna come looking for me."
Jose turned away, rubbing his chin in fake thought. "Depending on your willingness to cooperate, I'm fully prepared to treat you as a distinguished guest rather than a lowly prisoner."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Lucy. All of a sudden, when she noticed a pink centipede crawling on her leg, she shrieked in a girlish manner. "Awww! YUCK! A bug crawled on me!"
Jose smiled smugly. "See? You don't wanna stay here, do you? I have a fully decorated suite ready for you if you promise to behave."
"Why does your guild keep attacking us?" Lucy demanded, not listening to what Jose's offer.
"Who is 'us'? Oh! I'm sorry are you talking about Fairy Tail?" Jose inquired in a mocking tone. He smiled sinisterly, showing off his pearly white teeth. "It was a means to an end, and that's all."
Lucy continued to stare at Jose determinedly. "What?"
"You see, we were working on our main objective of acquiring a certain someone." The Phantom master explained. "They happened to be a member of Fairy Tail so if we have to destroy the guild to get a hold of them, so be it."
"Who are you talking about?"
"Well my, my you're such a naïve young lady," Jose remarked, "not at all what I would expect from a debutante."
Lucy lightly gasped while her eyes widened considerably.
"I'm talking about you of course." He continued. "Lady Lucy, the daughter of the wealthy Heartfilia family."
The Celestial wizard regained her composure and looked back at the Phantom Lord guild master, but not with the same fire in her eyes as before. "But…how did you find out about that?"
"You know, I'm surprised you never told your fellow guild members the truth," Jose admitted. "And I don't understand why the daughter of a wealthy tycoon would stoop to such dangerous work as wizard-ing for such a low-class guild. Do you?"
"I've…been kidnapped?" She implied.
"No my dear, I promise it's not like that." He replied. "We're not looking for ransom money; we're just doing our job. We were hired by your father to bring you home to him."
In response, Lucy gasped in shock as her face paled a bit. "No," she quivered, her head hanging low. After a moment, she found her voice, and said to no one in particular, "I don't understand. Why would he want me back?"
"Why do you seem so confused? Any father would go looking for the daughter who ran away from home." Jose replied.
The blonde mage's eyes were closed as she clenched her teeth together, trying to keep herself from crying. "No…not him. Honestly, I'm shocked he even noticed I was gone." She then snapped her head back up to Jose, her eyes burning with fury. "I'm not ever going back to that house! I don't want anything to do with him!"
"Oh dear, I should've known you would be problematic." The master of Phantom Lord commented, his creepy smile never wavering.
"Well then, you might as well let me go," Lucy stated.
"I'm sorry but I can't do that." He responded.
"Please, I need to go to the bathroom." A sweat drop falling from her brows.
"Give me a break. You don't think I would fall for the oldest trick in the book, do you?" Jose muttered.
To make it seem real, Lucy began to squirm around. "No, please." She begged. "I'm dying here."
Jose grinned. "Fine then," He then brought forth a bucket out of thin air and laid it in front of her. "Go ahead."
"A bucket!" the Celestial wizard cried incredulously.
Jose chuckled in amusement. "I'm ready for any trick you may throw my way."
Lucy sighed, and then stood up and wiggled behind the bucket. "Guess it'll have to do." She conceded.
"You're gonna do it!?" Jose shouted, dumbfounded. His left eye began to twitch as he ground his teeth together in disgust. "Well…I have never met such a vulgar young lady!" He turned away. "I'll turn away because I'm a gentleman."
Lucy smirked in victory. She then kicked Jose right between the legs with as much force as she could unleash. As a result, Jose cried out in pain and collapsed to the floor, his legs clenched together as he writhed in agony.
"You know," Lucy retorted, "there's a reason old tricks are still around because they work!"
Lucy then got up, glanced back and winked. "Bye! Take care, 'kay?"
Lucy bolted for the nearest exit, which happened to be a large opening that led outside. However, she quickly stopped when she saw the opening was actually a window that appeared to be over ten stories off the ground. She let out a collective gasp of fear, the cool wind blowing against her body.
Jose grunted as he steadily stood back up, though he was still clutching his groin area. "Oops! I forgot to mention…this cell is several stories high." With a pained effort, Jose slowly walked toward her. "I must admit, you got a number on me, young lady."
Lucy glanced down at the ground far below. She shut her eyes as painful memories of her father returned to her.
"But you're not gonna get away with it." Jose continued, an uncanny smile reappearing on his black lips. "You will be punished. I'll show you just how terrifying Phantom Lord can be."
Lucy's face turned into rock-hard determination. With a deep inhale, Lucy did the unthinkable. She let herself fall backward and fall over the edge. Jose, as a result, gasped from absolute shock.
As the blonde mage plummeted to her doom, she thought, 'I heard them in the distance. I know they're here.'
"NATSU! BEN!" Lucy screamed, letting go of all the air in her lungs.
Suddenly, Natsu came running across the rocky terrain at full speed, his face set in determination.
"LUCY!"
With a huge amount of strength, Natsu crouched low and leaped into the air. Miraculously, Natsu caught the blonde-haired mage in his arms. The momentum from his jump sent him and Lucy crashing into an old brick wall; however, Natsu made sure to take the full impact.
"Whoa," Happy breathed, "Natsu caught her!"
"Awesome!" Ben, who had transformed back to human earlier, ran up behind Happy. "Nice save, man!"
When the dust cleared, Lucy was lying on top of Natsu; her big breasts were actually pressed up against his face. Ben sweat dropped from this scene, feeling awkward at the moment.
"Made it just in time," He mumbled through her chest.
"Yeah," she said weakly, "thank you. I knew you'd save me."
A moment later, Natsu untied the rope from Lucy's wrists. "There you go. Are you okay?" He asked; feeling very concerned for his partner.
"You did just fall several stories," Ben added, equally worried.
Lucy nodded, but with a downcast expression on her face. "I think so."
Ben looked at her closely. He didn't know what, but something wasn't right with Lucy. She seemed so desolate, and he doubted it was because she had fallen from such a height. Something had happened while she was in Phantom's clutches.
"That's good news." Happy replied. "Okay, we better head back to the guild."
"What? That's their headquarters! Let's get 'em!" Natsu protested.
"Not a smart move." Ben countered. "We don't know anything about these guys. We need to retreat with the others before any of Phantom notice us here. Besides, you saw they did to Makarov."
"Exactly! That's why I wanna get revenge!" The Dragon Slayer declared.
"But you're not strong enough to fight them all on your own!" Happy argued.
"We can't charge in headstrong like we did this morning!" Ben added strongly. "That's what led to Makarov's current condition and Lucy being kidnapped in the first place!"
"I'm sorry." Lucy whimpered weakly, clutching the end of her blue skirt. "I'm so sorry."
Ben, Natsu, and Happy quickly ceased their quarreling and turned to Lucy in confusion. Their eyes widened a bit when they noticed that she was beginning to cry.
"All of this…is my fault. But I don't wanna leave. I wanna stay with you guys." She choked out through the tears, turning to face them.
The trio looked at her in worry. "What's wrong? You're crying. Why are you upset?" Natsu asked.
"You can tell us." Happy said softly.
Lucy didn't respond as she continued to cry.
"You're one of us. You don't have to leave." Natsu added.
Ben sighed deeply. "C' mon, let's get back to the guild hall."
Natsu rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, and conceded, "Yeah okay, I guess we should."
Ben activated the Omnitrix, scrolled to the transformation he wanted, and pressed the dial down. In a flash of emerald, he was replaced with a red mantaray-alien.
"Jetray!" He turned his back to Lucy and spread his wings out. "Okay Lucy, we're gonna fly outta here. I need ya to hop on my back. Is that okay?"
Lucy only cried in response.
"Ahh," Happy moaned, "look what you did. You made the poor girl cry again."
"I think she would've cried regardless." Jetray retorted.
Despite her distressed state, Lucy managed to get up and lean against Jetray's smooth back. She wrapped her arms tightly around the Aerophibian's neck, burying her teary face into it.
Jetray gently took off into the sky while Happy grabbed onto the back of Natsu's shirt and flew right behind him. The Omnitrix wielder, Dragon Slayer, and flying cat flew across the sky back to Magnolia, leaving the Phantom Lord headquarters in their wake.
…
In the gloomy cell, Master Jose had fallen to his knees, holding his crotch in agony. He began to hiss in anger until suddenly his form was shrouded by menacing purplish-black magic energy.
"SHE MADE ME ANGRY! HER FATE IS SEALED!" Jose bellowed furiously, his dark magic erupting around him.
…
A/N: UPDATE 5-17-2019
Made significantly more tweaks in this chapter than I previously thought I would. I feel Ben's lines are drastically improved compared to the first version, which was cringe-worthy. Ben put more of a dint in Gajeel than before, which Black Steel couldn't ignore.
I also added the part where Ben realizes the attack on Team Shadow Gear was a trap, blaming himself for not staying behind in Magnolia to aid Lucy. He let his emotions get the better of him, like with everyone else.
Please leave any comment, critique, or suggestions in the review box below.