...
Ultimate Fairy
Chapter 38: Fighting Festival
Part V
...
It was mid-evening in the town of Magnolia. Several hours had passed since the conclusion of the Battle of Fairy Tail. During that time frame, all of the wizards who had sustained injuries from the fighting and/or the Thunder Palace were amazingly back on their feet. Most of them would require a few days to fully recover though, and would therefore be unable to perform in the parade.
They were alive, nonetheless, and this fact had moderately surprised Ben. People from his world would most certainly have died after being struck by the Thunder Palace; however, not a single wizard had been killed. This only showed the teen hero that wizards in Earthland were more durable than he had previously assumed.
He wondered exactly what their physical limits could be.
However, even though nobody had died during the battle, there were still the consequences that the guild had to face. Less than an hour after Laxus's defeat, citizens had stormed the guild hall's courtyard and had angrily demanded an explanation for all the fighting and damages done across town; specifically, the Kardia Cathedral. Many of the guildmembers were unsure of how to handle the situation with Makarov currently in the infirmary.
Thankfully, Ben – who had transformed into Gravattack– stepped outside and confronted them. For some reason, Ben felt there was a calm nature to forms like Gravattack and Terraspin. Even though the townspeople were at first fearful of the rock monster's appearance, his tranquil presence was able to put them at ease.
He quelled their anger by stating that the guildmembers had been practicing for the parade and went a tad overboard in their excitement. Obviously, it was a lie but Gravattack believed the town didn't need to know that their lives had been threatened by Laxus and the Thunder Legion. Ignorance is bliss, after all.
Gravattack assured the townspeople that the guild would make it right to them via promising to repair damages and pay restitution, if necessary. This seemed to work as the people accepted his explanation and peacefully left. Needless to say, Erza and many other guildmembers were impressed with how Ben handled the situation.
Ben, on the other hand, was hoping that Makarov wouldn't be angry with him for technically speaking on his behalf while said guild master was out of commission. He was still a new member, after all. Erza, however, proudly assured him that the master would've given the same response under these circumstances.
Speaking of the master, everyone was currently residing in the guild hall, waiting for further news on Makarov's health. Porlyusica had arrived a few hours earlier to treat the master and her initial diagnosis was grim. His condition was critical and she feared he didn't have much time left.
As Erza stepped out of the infirmary, everyone looked at her expectedly. They were pleased to see the relieved smile on her face. The scarlet-haired mage happily announced that Makarov was alive and was on track to making a full recovery. Loud cheers of joy and relief erupted across the guild hall.
Ben, who was currently sitting at a table near the bar with Gray and Lucy, let out a relieved sigh. 'That's a relief. Miss Porlyusica may be crazy, but she's a pretty good healer at least...'
Upon arriving to the guild hall, Ben had wanted to help treat Makarov. He wasn't sure exactly what he could do, but he was confident that Grey Matter or Brainstorm could devise a method of healing the old man upon examining him. Porlyusica firmly denied his request and stated it wasn't necessary.
She had stated that 'the old fool', as she had called him, was starting to make a miraculous recovery and his condition was no longer critical. He had reached the point where her healing methods could restore him to full health.
Nevertheless, Ben couldn't help but feel fully reassured after receiving the confirmation from Erza.
"Thank goodness." Lucy smiled. "I gotta admit I was getting a little worried."
"Ah c'mon," Gray replied, "it'll take more than that to make gramps kick the bucket."
"He's pretty tough for an old man." Ben noted. "Really reminds me of Grandpa Max in a way..."
Gray turned to Ben, and smirked, "Yeah. After seeing him while we were in your head, I can say both your gramps and our gramps are pretty tough."
"True." Erza stepped toward the table. "However, the master is not as young as he used to be. So any added stress to his heart could significantly affect his health." She looked up and announced to the rest of the guild, "Let's all be on our best behavior, okay?"
"AYE, SIR!" Everyone said simultaneously.
"I dunno if it's such a good idea to do the Fantasia Parade after everything that's happened." Lucy said, unsure.
Mirajane, who had been standing near the table with Elfman, happily replied, "But the master wants us to do it. Besides, it's the perfect way to cheer everyone up after all that fighting."
"Yeah, that does make sense." Ben agreed. "It'll help lighten things up between everyone."
'Plus, it would help restore everyone's trust in each other.' He inwardly noted.
As the conversation switched over to who would participate in the parade due to the limited available wizards, the Omnitrix bearer glanced over to Natsu and Gajeel – who were sitting at a bench by the wall; both heavily bandaged. A bucket was by the former's left leg, where he would occasionally pull down the bandages covering his face to empty the contents of his stomach.
The pyromaniac hadn't been feeling too good since the power-up he had gained from NRG's radioactive fireball had worn off.
'It's strange. When I let Natsu eat the flames from my fire-aliens, he never got any abnormal upgrades.' He contemplated, holding his chin with his right thumb and index finger. 'So, that means NRG's radiation had to have been the cause. But...that transformation wasn't quite the same as when he entered Dragon Force. It's more like NRG's power had fused with his fire somehow...strange...'
Ben noticed Natsu's cheeks puff out. He pulled down his bandages again and continued to vomit in the bucket, making Gajeel grimace and scoot away from him.
'I dunno if it's smart for us to do that move again; not if it makes him that sick after every time. But...then again... maybe he might become more resistant to it if he keeps consuming it?'
"C'mon, look at yourself!" Gajeel yelled in a reprimanding tone. "How yah gonna be part of the action in your condition? You're out!"
After Natsu finished emptying his stomach, he pulled his bandages back up and glared at Gajeel. He then muttered something incomprehensibly due to his bandages covering his mouth. Strangely enough, Gajeel understood it perfectly well and sweat-dropped.
"That's got nothing to do with it, bro!" Gajeel argued. "What the heck is your problem?!"
"I wonder how Gajeel's able to understand him?" Lucy questioned.
"Well it's probably 'cause he's just as stupid as Natsu is." Happy answered with a fish in his mouth.
"That was harsh! You've got a serious mean streak in you, cat." Lucy reprimanded.
Erza smiled and looked around the building, pleased to see everyone's smiling faces. 'It's good to see everyone getting along again; especially after we were forced to fight against one another.'
The scarlet-haired wizard then took notice of Ben's thoughtful expression as he stared at Natsu and Gajeel.
Ben ignored the conversations around him as he continued to ponder. 'All of this does raise some questions though. Can Natsu achieve that mode again on his own? Or does he need to eat NRG's radiation every time? If he can combine NRG's radiation with his fire, what other power from my aliens could he combine with it?'
"Ben..."
Erza's voice broke Ben out of his trance and he turned towards her. She looked at him in mild concern.
"Are you alright? You were staring at Natsu and Gajeel very intently just now..." she voiced.
"Oh...yeah," he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "I was thinking about Natsu's power-up and what it could be. That's all."
"Levy told us about all that." Gray mentioned. "Whatever that energy was that you gave flame-brain, it must've been crazy powerful if it made him strong enough to take down Laxus."
"It seemed to have made him pretty sick though." Lucy noted, concerned. "You think he'll be okay?"
"I think he'll be fine." Happy assured. "He's not quite as sick as he was when he ate the Ethernano. He should be okay by tomorrow."
"That's good to hear..." Lucy said, sounding relieved.
"We can think more about that later." Erza said. "For now, we need to focus on the parade tomorrow. After that, we're all going to have to chip in on repairing all the damage across town from the fighting." The red-haired beauty turned to Ben with a sly smirk. "And the master told me he has already placed Clockwork as the leader of the repair efforts."
Ben sighed heavily, placing his right hand on his forehead. "Why do I get the feeling this won't be the last time I use Clockwork to fix everyone's messes..."
Everyone at the table laughed in response to Ben's exasperation.
Then, the guild hall suddenly started to quiet down. The group at the table noticed everyone was turning their attention towards the main entrance. They looked and were momentarily surprised to see who was walking through the doorway.
Laxus stood in the doorway, his chest and torso wrapped in white bandages. There were several bandages on his face and arms as well. His black coat with grey fur trimming hung down from his shoulders, but his arms were not in the sleeves.
He continued to walk down the pathway with an impassive visage.
"Laxus?" Macao said, surprised.
"What do you want?" Wakaba asked angrily.
Laxus stopped and impatiently asked, "Where's the old man?"
A group of wizards started to gather in front of Laxus, glaring daggers at him.
"We ain't telling!" Jet exclaimed.
"You think you can just waltz in here and ask to see the master?!" Droy added.
Loud exclamations of protest erupted from across the guild. The majority of the members were vehemently opposed to allowing Laxus to even step foot in the guild hall, much less to letting him see the master. One of those people was none other than the otherworldly shape-shifting hero.
Ben frowned, immediately stood up from the table, and headed towards the commotion while his teammates looked at him in concern.
The quarreling members in front of Laxus paused from the emerald flash of Ben's transformation behind them. Standing in Ben's place was Four Arms.
"Ben..." Laxus said flatly.
Four Arms clenched his fists and scowled hard at the spiky blonde.
Jet, Droy, and the other wizards nearby immediately stepped out of the way, giving the two powerhouses room in case a fight broke out.
"You've got some nerve showing your face here after everything you've done." Four Arms growled.
Ben was obviously still furious with Laxus over his actions and the despicable things he had said in the cathedral. Even if he didn't truly hate his grandfather and his comrades according to the failure of the Fairy Law spell, it didn't matter much to Ben at the moment.
Yes, Laxus may not be a true enemy to the guild, but Ben just couldn't forgive him so quickly.
A tense moment of silence fell upon the guild hall as Four Arms and Laxus stared hard at each other. The tension in the building could be cut with a butter knife. Everyone looked uneasily at the lightning wizard and Tetramand, expecting the two to start exchanging blows at any second.
The long silence was finally broken when Four Arms demanded, "Leave. You have no right to be here, let alone to see the master."
Laxus was like a statue and gazed at Four Arms with a stone-faced look.
The feeling of cool metal resting on his lower left wrist made Four Arms pause. He glanced down to see Erza gently placing her armored hand on his wrist. She looked up to him with a soft expression.
"He may not have the right as a member... but he still has the right as family." Erza calmly stated. "Let him pass. He won't try anything."
Four Arms looked back at Laxus with a scowl still present on his face. A short moment passed before the Tetramand let out a deep sigh. "Fine..." he relented. "The master's in the infirmary."
He stepped out of the walkway, allowing Laxus to pass. The lightning mage looked at Four Arms for a moment before walking past him, continuing towards the medical ward without saying a word. Everyone stared at the master's grandson with a mixture of anxious and angry expressions.
Out of nowhere, Natsu popped up behind Lucy, Gray, Happy, and Juvia and started yelling – his words muffled by his bandages. The four yelped in surprise from the pyromaniac's sudden appearance.
He jumped in front of Laxus.
"Natsu..." Laxus said.
The Fire and Lightning Dragon Slayers glowered at each other for a short moment before the former pointed at the latter with his left index finger – his right arm wrapped up in a sling.
"HMPH-RMPHPH-HMPPPHH-RRAGHH!" Natsu muffled. "RHHMPP-FRPPPMMPP-HMPPPPH! HMPPPHH-RRFFF-RRHHHPPPH!"
Nearly every member present in the guild hall turned white, completely dumbfounded by Natsu's incoherent speech. Four Arms blinked dumbly a couple times, a sweat-drop racing down his face.
Natsu took in several deep breaths as he finished "speaking". His cheeks suddenly puffed out while he turned slightly green. He glanced away and hunched over, trying to keep what remained of his stomach contents inside him.
"What'd he say?" Mirajane asked curiously.
Gajeel walked over to the gathered group of Mira, Lucy, Gray, and Happy with a crutch underneath his right armpit.
"Can you interpret, please?" Lucy requested.
"He said next time it ain't gonna be three-against-one. It'll just be me and you face-to-face, and I won't need any help from Ben either. I swear I'll be the one to defeat you...or something." Gajeel answered.
"Wait a sec, I thought Natsu did beat him?" Lucy said, confused.
"Salamander may have landed the final blow, sure. But that was only possible 'cause of Ben over there." Gajeel gestured towards the Tetramand standing a few meters back with Erza.
Lucy blinked and glanced back at Four Arms before realizing that Gajeel was referring to the strange fire Ben had given Natsu – which was apparently still having a lingering effect on his health.
"I ain't exaggerating when I say this...but if Laxus had been around during the Phantom battle and Ben hadn't showed any mercy back then, me and the rest of Phantom Lord would be six-feet-under right now." Gajeel stated unhesitatingly.
An uneasy expression crossed Lucy's visage from the Iron Dragon's grim statement.
As the duo were talking, Laxus nonchalantly walked past Natsu as he was trying to prevent himself from hurling. Natsu managed to keep his stomach contents down and turned back towards Laxus in annoyed ire.
"HMPPH-BBBRRRGHH!" Natsu muffled angrily.
Without looking back, Laxus held up his right arm.
The pink-haired wizard stopped as his expression immediately softened. He looked at Laxus with a teary-eyed look.
Four Arms paused and looked around in confusion while everyone stared at Laxus with small smiles of empathy.
'Wait...did he just apologize in some way?' the Tetramand thought. 'They got that from the gesture alone...?'
"Show's over, guys!" Erza announced. "Let's get ready for the Fantasia Parade!"
The guild hall shouted happily in agreement.
Erza glanced up at Four Arms and noticed the slight bewilderment on his face.
"Whether he'd admit it or not," Erza said, "I believe Laxus is regretting his actions deep down."
"Maybe so... doesn't change what he did." Four Arms sternly replied.
"No. It doesn't." Erza agreed. "However, you did say you believed in second chances. Remember?"
"Yeah, and I still do. But... I just don't see how Makarov will be able to overlook Laxus's actions this time; regardless if he's family or not." Four Arms proclaimed, frowning.
Erza frowned and lowered her head, knowing what Ben was implying. However, she couldn't disagree with his assessment on what would happen. She had come to the same conclusion, after all.
Nevertheless, she lifted her head and looked up to him with a cheery smile. "We'll let the master decide. For now, we should both go practice on our performance for the parade."
Four Arms looked down and grinned. "Yeah. I guess you're right."
'Whether Laxus is sorry or not, it's all in the master's hands now.' Ben inwardly noted.
...
Makarov was laid out in one of the beds located in the infirmary, arms crossed across his front while Laxus was leaning against the wall on the other side. Laxus had his face turned to the side, a sullen expression on his face. The sounds of the other guild members, muffled, drifted up from outside.
"They're a rowdy bunch, aren't they?" Laxus stated rather than asked.
A moment of silence passed.
Makarov sighed, shutting his eyes as he pushed himself to sit upright in bed. "Laxus, I don't think you understand the seriousness of what you have done." he said in a grave tone.
Laxus looked away from his grandfather. His eyes looked haunted, as if he didn't realize he'd be confronted over his actions, or knew that he would but wasn't ready to face them.
"Look me in the eyes, young man." Makarov said sternly.
That voice: the grandfather voice. It was the one voice Laxus simply couldn't refuse. If his father couldn't make headway, it was always his grandpa who could make him listen.
Laxus slowly turned to face his grandfather, his eyes widening slightly at the stern expression on Makarov's face.
"Fairy Tail is a place... where friends can gather, where wizards can find work, and where children who have no kin to call their own can feel like they're part of a family." Makarov gazed hard at his grandson, and continued explaining, "It's not something that can be owned. It's important that each member not only be loyal but also trustworthy. Otherwise, no bonds will be formed and the entire guild will eventually fall apart."
Laxus looked at his grandfather with a stricken expression, his eyes soft, and mouth slightly agape.
"Your actions have proved you lack BOTH of those qualities," Makarov said with disappointment in his voice, "AND you threatened the lives of your comrades. That's unforgivable!"
Laxus closed his mouth and lowered his head; shame present on his visage.
"I'm sorry, sir..." He apologized sincerely, his fist clenched tightly from the storm of feelings brewing in him.
"Honestly, I never meant to hurt the guild." Laxus admitted, taking a couple steps away from the wall. "I just...wanted to make it stronger."
Makarov exhaled sharply through his nose and slid out of his bed into his slippers.
"I swear, you're just as high strung as I am." Makarov confessed. "You better learn to relax or you'll end up in here with me."
Makarov walked over to stand in front of Laxus, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Take some time to smell the roses." Makarov advised his grandson. "If you do, you'll be able to see things you couldn't see before and you'll hear things you've never been able to hear. Life can be a lot of fun if you allow it to be."
Laxus stared down at his grandfather, his words making a huge impact on him. He then looked to the side sadly.
"Through the years I have watched you grow into the man that you are today." Makarov said softly, his eyes shut briefly before he opened them. "Where did we go wrong? What lesson did you not learn? The past is the past." He ended in a resigned manner.
"I am left now with only one choice..." Makarov's voice became heavy with sorrow and regret.
Laxus knew what was coming. He could feel it as his body trembled and the corners of his eyes became slightly moist. Laxus took sharp breaths through his nose, trying to contain his emotions.
"Laxus...you are hereby expelled from Fairy Tail." Makarov pronounced with his head held down and one arm stretched out to the side.
Makarov's words struck Laxus harder than any wounds he had sustained in the past twenty-four hours. His face was stricken with utter grief while his lips were pressed together tightly as he tried to hold in his emotions.
"I understand. Thanks for everything..." Laxus trailed off softly. He turned around to exit as his grandfather turned away from the sight of his grandson leaving.
"... Grandpa." Laxus whispered with a bitter smile.
Makarov heard those words and his body shook with his lips quivering with suppressed sobs, teeth clenched. He tried to hold back the wave of sorrow overcoming him from his beloved grandson now leaving, expelled by him.
Laxus smiled sadly, his expression portraying heartbreak but understanding at the same time.
"You take care of yourself, old man." Laxus said.
Makarov's back was turned so Laxus couldn't see the tears in his eyes, his arms crossed tightly, and teeth clenched to keep himself from breaking down.
"Please...just GO!" Makarov ordered in a choked voice, tears freely falling from his eyes.
Laxus continued for the door, his footsteps echoed across the room as he exited the infirmary and the guild entirely.
...
The sun was beginning to set below the horizon, casting an orangish-yellow shine in the late-evening skies of Magnolia. Despite the time of day, many shop owners were still open due to the increase of business from many people visiting across the kingdom.
Ben was currently walking down one of the many cobblestone streets. He and Erza had spent the last few hours practicing for their performance in the parade. It had taken a lot of trial and error but Ben was feeling confident in his overall role. The couple ended their practice just ten minutes prior and kissed each other goodnight before heading towards their respective homes.
The teen hero was inwardly debating if he should practice more when he got home until Laxus crossed his path at a four-way intersection. Ben noticed a sack and a rolled-up sleeping bag slung over his shoulder.
The lightning wizard and Omnitrix bearer managed to walk by each other without making eye contact. They took several more steps until both simultaneously came to a stop. Laxus had his head down with his eyes closed, sporting an indifferent expression. Ben, on the other hand, frowned while trying to temper his contempt towards the spiky blonde.
A moment of silence passed by the two powerhouses while a small gust of wind blew across the street.
Ben clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes. 'Is this just a coincidence... or is he here for payback?' he thought anxiously, silently reaching for the Omnitrix.
Unbeknownst to Ben, Laxus was walking away from the park after having a meeting with the Thunder Legion, informing them about his expulsion.
The brunet tapped the Omnitrix faceplate, thinking, 'Regardless, gotta be ready in case he tries to jump me...'
Laxus finally let out a deep sigh before softly saying, "I was wrong about you..."
Ben's eyes widened while his jaw dropped slightly from shock. Did he just mishear him?
The teen hero didn't have time to muster a response before Laxus continued, "...Take care of the guild."
Ben turned to face Laxus, only to see he had vanished. He looked in every direction, finding no sign of him. He lowered his head, his mind racing over the brief interaction.
'What was that about...?' the brunet wondered.
...
The sky was lit up with beautiful, colorful fireworks as everyone was gathered together for the parade. People were dressed in various costumes, hundreds were clustered at the edge of the streets, leaning out windows, and even sitting on top of roofs. In fact, some of the people sitting on the roofs were demons from Galuna Island!
The largest attraction in the parade were the various floats.
One float was a simple wheeled platform with two gigantic light blue-colored Fairy Tail symbols set up behind Cana, Macao, and Wakaba. Cana held her hands up in the air and her magic cards started floating over her head with glowing pink hearts around them. Macao and Wakaba combined their Purple Flare and Smoke Magics respectively to create a giant pink heart in the air. Cana threw a card through the heart, making it pop; much to the audience's enjoyment.
The trio continued this act of making and popping hearts. Everyone cheered and smiled from the dazzling display.
Meanwhile, Laxus watched the ongoing parade from an archway under a nearby bridge, a small smile on his face. He couldn't help but feel amused from seeing all of his former guildmates happy from dressing up in costumes and entertaining the citizens of Magnolia.
The wizards were dressed as plants, animals, or in outlandishly bright clothes. Jet and Droy were wearing a caterpillar and pumpkin costume, respectively. On one float was Lucy, Bisca and Levy and the girls wore tank tops with ribbons, miniskirts, gloves and thigh-length stockings. Each of them carried a flag bearing the name of the guild. They swung them, waved them, and did all sorts of dance moves while smiling and winking at the crowd.
The float behind them was decorated with a broken, cracked tower and bent yellow iron bars bordering around it. Elfman, who was in his Beast Soul form, lifted his arms in the air and roared at the onlookers. The audience laughed and squealed in delight.
At the top of the tower was a pink, glowing rose that sparkled as it slowly opened, revealing Mirajane. The dazzling beauty waved and smiled at the crowd. She then threw her arms up as her body shone with golden light. The jubilant smiles of young men in the crowd turned to shocked horror as Mira had transformed into a giant, pink gecko-like creature. A dazed, startled Elfman fell forward as the tower was crushed underneath Mirajane's weight.
The next float had a large pool in the center. Gray and Juvia were dressed as a prince and princess, respectively. The water gleamed with brilliant white light before it formed a large castle made of ice. Sparkling stars, bubbles, and various shapes floated around the float.
Gray turned to Juvia with a smile and a nod. The blue-haired maiden raised her hand, causing the water in the pool to arc over the castle. Gray used his magic to freeze the water, shaping it to spell out the words: Fairy Tail.
In the crowd, Lyon, Toby, Sherry, and Yuka watched with impressed and happy expressions. Lyon, with his arms crossed, smiled at the beautiful display from his rival and the beautiful blue-haired maiden.
Behind the ice mage and water lady, Natsu walked down the street, his torso and face still bandaged up and his right arm in a sling. He had started to feel better as his magic was properly working now and he didn't feel nauseous anymore. Happy was next to him, riding on one of several odd creatures that walked along the street with fake wings on their backs.
"AYE!" Happy cheered, waving happily to the crowd.
Natsu leaned back, taking a deep breath and unleashing a torrent of fire. The flames formed letters that spelled out 'Fairy Tail' in the air above him. Natsu then started to cough as he got winded from the action. Happy flew up in frantic worry over his injured friend.
The next float was what could be considered by many the main attraction of the parade, Titania of the Fairies AND the unknown but powerful Take-Over wizard.
Erza was dressed in a beautiful belly dancer-like outfit and held two large, scimitar swords in her hands, waving them in a hypnotic manner. In a golden flash, multiple swords appeared and floated around her in a circle. Then, she banished the swords and took Ben in her arms, dancing a little bit and Erza spun them both around fast.
In flashes of gold and green, the duo changed. Erza was in her Flame Empress Armor while Ben had transformed into Heatblast. If that didn't catch the crowd's attention, the crystals (which were levitating around the float) were now glowing a fiery red.
Erza ignited her large crimson sword on fire, spinning it in loops in a very impressive dance. She threw the sword in the air and did somersaults before catching it in her hands. Heatblast, meanwhile, shot himself into the air by shooting streams of fire from his feet. He blasted several fireballs into the sky and detonated them to make sparkling firework-like explosions. Focusing on his abilities, he shot out several streams of flames to create various images that consisted of the Fairy Tail symbol, Happy, Elfman's Beast Soul, and a dragon.
Everyone cheered in amazement at the two fire-wielders' show.
Heatblast gently landed back on the float. Erza ignited flames around her sword while Heatblast clasped his hands together, pulling them apart to reveal a large fireball between his palms. The heat could be felt by the crowd as the duo charged at each other.
A smoke cloud covered them and emerald and golden lights flashed through. As the smoke dissipated, it revealed Erza who had re-quipped into her Sea Empress Armor and Heatblast now as Water Hazard. The crystals on the float turned blue due to their changes.
Erza started doing a flowing dance, spinning on one foot, arching her head back, and waving her arms backward as if she were swimming. Water Hazard unleashed a water torrent that swirled around the redhead. Using Water Magic granted to her by her Crystal Sword, Erza manipulated Water Hazard's spray to make a whirlpool that swirled around her like a tornado. In response, Water Hazard fired water torrents out of his palms and controlled them to form his own whirlpool that swirled around himself.
Erza danced towards the red-armored alien, swaying her body sensually. When the two met, the water swirling around them came together to form a single, massive whirlpool.
Once more, emerald and gold flashed out of the water tornado. The whirlpool quickly fell apart and splashed over the audience, causing them to cheer out in excitement; much like a crowd that gets splashed by an orca at SeaWorld.
Erza was now adorned in her Lightning Empress Armor while Ben had changed into Shocksquatch; the crystals on the float turning yellow in turn. The sasquatch-like alien grinned before rubbing his large hands together, slowly pulling them apart to reveal lightning bolts sparking between them.
He took his time as he hurled the bolts at Erza, who absorbed them using her spear. She twirled the spear around to shoot the bolts of lightning into the air. She spun the weapon around expertly, capturing lightning as Shocksquatch shot them off.
Everyone in the crowd who could see the duo marveled at the performance.
Then, Erza aimed the spear upwards while Shocksquatch slammed his fists together, creating a blinding light that engulfed the area. When the light died away, Erza was now wearing her Armadura Fairy Armor while Ben had shapeshifted into Upgrade. Before the crowd could wonder what Upgrade even was, the amorphous blob stepped up to the red-haired wizard and oozed over her entire body; shocking many of the spectators.
A short moment later, Erza was now tricked out in what Ben had dubbed the Upgraded Armadura Fairy Armor. The crystals around the float glowed a dark green color. Many people let out 'oohs' and 'ahhs' from the incredible sight.
Erza smiled as she proudly displayed her new armor. Suddenly, the scarlet knight noticed the armor was beginning to heat up. She glanced down, tilting her head in curiosity.
At that moment, the teen hero had realized that by merging with Erza's armor he had essentially become Erza's clothes and that he was plastered to her bare, NAKED skin! This, of course, caused Ben to become very flustered and led to his increase in body temperature. How had he not realized this fact sooner!?
Ben, noticing Erza's questioning gaze directed towards him, snapped out of his musings, and hesitantly responded, "It's...it's nothing..."
Although Erza wasn't convinced in the slightest, she shrugged and summoned her twin blades – which were also upgraded via Upgrade's black and green tar-like body.
The Fairy Queen proceeded to do a sword dance – chopping, slicing, and stabbing in the air. She moved more wildly while levitating upward, still performing elegant movements. She blasted upwards with her swords crossed over her chest, leaving a green light trail in her wake. Erza flew around to form the outline of the Fairy Tail emblem for everyone below to see.
She landed in the center of the float and, in a flash of emerald, Upgrade had transformed back into Ben while Erza wore her previous belly dancer uniform; the former holding the latter in a dip. Their performance had been concluded.
A thunderous applause roared across the streets from everyone who could see the performance. In the front row closest to the float, Sho, Milliana, and Wally were the loudest and most excited of all.
Makarov, meanwhile, hummed in satisfaction at everyone's amazing performance while his own float was getting prepped to go out.
"Hey, Master."
Makarov look down to Gajeel, who was still sporting bandages over his torso, arms, and head. Only one of his eyes was left uncovered as he leaned on a crutch. Despite the pain flaring up in his body, the former Phantom Lord member was smiling.
"Oh, you're not gonna be in the parade, Gajeel?" Makarov asked inquisitively.
"I don't like being in the spotlight." Gajeel admitted with a smirk.
"That can't be true, you're Mister Shoo-bee-do-ba " Makarov teased.
Gajeel pouted furiously, his cheeks puffed outrageously. "By the way, this is for you." He held out a slip of paper to Makarov. "Sorry it took so long, but I finally managed to track down your missing son, Ivan."
"Ah. Marvelous work, my boy." Makarov pocketed the paper. "I'm just sorry it was so dangerous."
"No prob. I can handle it." Gajeel said lightly. "Besides, it was actually kinda fun. And that guy has no idea I'm a double agent."
Makarov puts a hand on Gajeel's shoulder, grateful for his work.
"Thank you, I appreciate it." Makarov said. "We can't let him do as he pleases."
A voice with a lisp called out, cutting into the serious moment. "Are you ready, Master? It's about that time."
Makarov smiled, putting on a hat with cat ears. It was a goofy outfit consisting of a long-sleeved shirt with gloves, pants, and pointy shoes. "Sorry, but my public needs me." He said with a goofy grin.
Laxus walked at the back of the crowd, giving everyone a wide berth, his head low as his eyes were downcast.
"Look, it's the Master!" A girl exclaimed.
Laxus looked up to see his grandfather. Makarov stood on a raised intricately designed platform with a statue of an angel behind him. He was waving his arms wildly to the crowds.
"He sure is wearing a fancy outfit." A man remarked.
"I'd say it's more 'funky' then 'fancy.'" Another man exclaimed.
"I like it." A third individual remarked.
"Why is he acting so goofy?" One teen questioned.
Laxus looked up with a small smile at his grandfather. He shut his eyes, the smile growing with the fond memory of his past.
"But, how come you're not going to be in the Fantasia Parade this year?" A young Laxus asked his grandfather.
"Because this is your big moment, but I'll be watching you from the sidelines." Makarov said, smiling.
"When I look into the crowd, how will I find you?" Laxus asked eagerly.
"Forget about me. You're the star." Makarov replied with gentle insistence,
"If you say so," young Laxus frowned slightly, shutting his eyes and resting a finger on his forehead and elbow in his palm. His eyes snapped open as he slapped his fist into his palm. "Oh, I know! When I'm in the middle of the parade, I'll do this!" Laxus held his index finger up into the air with his thumb sticking out.
A big smile beaming on his face. "You can see that, right?" Young Laxus asked his grandpa.
"You'll raise your hand?" Makarov asked in amusement.
"It's a message!" Young Laxus explained eagerly. "When you see me holding up my hand like this, it means even if I can't see you, I'm looking your way."
Makarov had his eyes shut during their chat, but they opened, with tears shimmering from the deeply touching gesture.
"Mmmm~ That's my boy!" Makarov whimpered with joy and love.
In the present, Laxus was looking at his own hand using the same gesture, a soft expression of nostalgia on his face.
"Be sure to look for it, okay?" The voice of his younger self echoed in his head.
Laxus looked up toward his grandfather as he put on a big show on the top of his float, smiling with a fond expression. He turned away with his eyes shut as he proceeded down an alley away from the crowd and parade.
Suddenly, as if he sensed something, Laxus eyes snapped open with shock as he turned back around and saw his grandfather making that same salute gesture as Laxus did all those years ago.
The blonde's jaw dropped in deeply moved shock as all of the Fairy Tail members present in the parade reached up into the air and raised their hands in a salute to the excommunicated Laxus, reminding him that they would always be watching over him even if they couldn't see him.
Laxus couldn't move, tears blooming in his eyes at this incredibly amazing gesture from everyone. All the members he had made fight each other, even the ones he had brutalized and attacked. Despite all that, they still showed their care for him.
"Grandpa..." he wept softly.
"I may not be able to see you...there may be hundreds of miles between us... but I'll always be looking your way." Makarov projected to Laxus's mind. "I'll always be watching over you forever. I promise."
"I know..." Laxus inwardly replied, starting to walk down the alley away from the parade. "Thank you, grandpa."
Natsu, meanwhile, smiled brightly as he blew out flame-letters to spell out 'Fairy Tail' again. "The party's just gettin' started! Ha-Ha!" he cheered. "I'm all fired up now!"
"Aye, aye, sir!" Happy agreed.
"Alright, guys! Who's proud to be a member of Fairy Tail!?" Natsu yelled.
In response, every present guildmember in the parade cheered to Natsu's exclamation.
Ben smirked, excited from the enchanting atmosphere. 'I know I may technically not be a wizard and all... but this place... this guild... is just incredible. I really feel like I'm a part of something special here...'
Laxus's words echoed in the hero's mind. 'Take care of the guild...'
Ben sported a firm, resolute expression from that memory. 'I will... Laxus. I won't let anything bad happen to this guild.'
...
In an unknown part of the Fiore countryside was an intriguing yet outlandish building - the headquarters for the Fiore branch of the Magic Council.
It started out as more-or-less a normal building, shaped like an octagon with multiple doors and large windows. Above that level, the shape of the building suddenly expanded outward like a massive bowl. The bowl-shaped rim level was elaborately and colorfully decorated with various geometric shapes, such as alternating red diamonds, smaller green rhombi on the lower section of the bowl, and a row sharp triangle above them.
One layer higher, floating several meters above the bowl were ten decorated panels. Each panel was divided into nine sections; each section bearing three red dots stacked on each other. Finally, above the ten panels was a colorful round tower sitting on a round octagonal tower with two smaller structures flanking it. To top things off, floating around the spire of the central tower were blue and red rings.
In short, the building was ridiculously but marvelously designed, looking like it had come out of some fairy tale story.
Somewhere inside the building was an entire section that served as a prison for dangerous wizards. The layout was nothing fancy: a series of stone-walled cells lining the corridors. Dimly-lit lanterns with the Council's ankh-like symbol were attached to the section of walls separating the jail cells.
At the moment, a couple Rune Knights were escorting a prisoner down one of the corridors. The prisoner's wrists were shackled together via a set of metal cuffs. He was roughly six-feet-tall and was clad in a black-and-white jumpsuit –common fare for prisoners. His black hair was long and spiky with red streaks while his eyes were as black as charcoal.
John Magtartus sported an indifferent frown as he was led down the hallway. Due to the Seal Stones lining the prison walls, he was unable to use his magic.
The knights stopped in front of one of the cells on John's left. One knight took out a ring of keys to open the grated metal door while the other knight removed John's cuffs before promptly pushing him in. John glanced around to see that the inside of the cell was a simple stone-walled box with a wooden bench on the far-side of the wall.
"Your trial is tomorrow afternoon." The knight on the right stated. "Your verdict will be decided by the Council then."
"We'll come to pick you up an hour beforehand." The knight on the left finished.
With that, the knights walked away; their footsteps echoing throughout the stone corridors until finally disappearing behind the slamming of a metal door.
"Well, well... look at what the council trash dragged in. Another failure." The words belonged to a snarky voice that John was all too familiar with.
John looked up to see two men in the cell across the corridor from him, both wearing the black-and-white stripped prisoner jumpsuits. The man who snarked at him was around five-foot-nine and had black hair and red dipped on the bangs on his temples. His eyes were a bright red and his face was rather pointy-looking.
Joe Magtartus was sitting on the bench while leaning against the wall. His red eyes had an unscrupulous look about them as he wore a smug expression.
John 'tsked' in annoyance, wishing he could punch his younger brother's face as hard as he could. "Like you have any room to talk, runt. You're just as much of a failure as am I right now."
"Hey! At least I came close to achieving my goal." Joe said angrily.
"I don't count moral victories." John retorted. "I only accept results."
"And the result is that we ALL failed; otherwise, none of us would be in here." The third prisoner interjected.
He was sitting on the other end of the bench across from Joe. He was roughly six-foot-three and sported a well-toned, buff body. His hair and eyes were as dark brown as the earth while his face was rectangular with dark stumble on his broad chin.
John narrowed his eyes at the brown-haired man in recognition. 'I think I remember that guy. Gordon, was it? He used to be part of Joe's little ridiculous gang back in Peony when we were kids. Guess he never left his side since then... tough break for him.'
"So," Gordon Seismo continued, with an exasperated voice, "can we please put a rest to the family quarrel already?"
John and Joe grunted, looking away from each other stubbornly. The former took a seat on the bench and leaned against the wall; unknowingly in a similar fashion as his brother.
"So," Joe turned back to his big brother with a serious look, "what happened? Last time I heard from yah you were planning something big in our hometown. I'm guessing it didn't end too well, huh?"
"Clearly..." John groaned.
He sighed deeply, and said, "After you and your band of misfits left town, I went to explore the caverns of Mount Infernus."
"Ha! Seriously?!" Joe laughed. "Don't tell me you were looking for that rock that can supposedly absorb magic? You realize that was just a bunch of crap from dad, do yah?"
John was silent for a moment; the mere mention of his father made his blood boil. He clenched his fists and 'tsked', unpleasant memories resurfacing in his mind.
"Dad was many things... but he was at least right about the mineral." He turned to Joe seriously, and revealed, "I found a whole mine of it in the volcano. It is real, Joe."
Joe gaped slightly in surprise. The serious visage of his older brother was enough to convince him that he wasn't lying... at least this time.
"Seriously?! You're sure?" Joe yelled, clearly astounded.
"It's real alright. I even held it in my hands. I created an entire army of lava-golems to mine the mineral for me and everything." John added.
"Does that mineral have a name or anything?" Gordon questioned.
John shrugged. "Not sure. Read several geology books and couldn't find any information on it. Guessing it must be an undiscovered mineral."
"So... what did you do with it?" inquired Joe.
"Initially, I was using the lava-golems to terrorize the town and force them to call guild mages. That way I could capture them and absorb their magical power... adding it to my own." John answered.
"How did you keep it from draining your own magic?" Gordon asked curiously.
"I discovered that iron blocks the mineral's magic-absorbing properties. I wore a pair of iron gloves, had iron-lined compartments on my belt to store the rocks, and even had iron particles infused with my clothing to shield myself from the rocks' effects."
"If that's the case, how the hell did you lose?" Joe demanded. "If that mineral was everything dad said it was, it should be able to kill any wizard!"
John gritted his teeth in anger from the memory of his humiliating defeat. He sighed heavily. "Titania and Tennyson somehow...fused... together in some odd fashion to become stronger. It's... difficult to explain. They were even immune to the mineral's magic-absorption. In the end, I was outmatched by them."
"So that's how yah got here." Joe said, his arms folded over his chest.
"That's crazy..." Gordon remarked.
"Not as crazy as an artifact that can increase your magic power by tenfold. Right, Joe?" John smirked. He brought up his left foot onto the bench and rested his arm on his kneecap.
Joe's grin widened as he rested his hands behind his head. "I'll have you know, brother, the Empowerment Charm actually was real. We saw it." His smirk turned into an infuriated frown as he hissed, "... and I almost had it too. If weren't for Fairy Tail..."
"You were a fool to challenge them head-on; even if their guild hall was destroyed by Phantom Lord." John remarked.
"He thought because their master was away, it would be the perfect time to strike. I told him at the time we should wait until night while everyone was away in their homes." Gordon sighed, closing his eyes. "But he was too stubborn to listen..."
"Ah, shut it, Gordon!" Joe snapped. "If we hadn't gone through with my plan, we never would've been transformed into those powerful creatures, now would we?!"
"Does that even matter anymore? We were changed back and defeated." Gordon deadpanned.
"Hmm..." John glanced back at duo in confusion. "Transformed? What the hell are you idiots talking about?"
Joe and Gordon looked over to John, the former replying, "Guess you never did hear all the details about what happened to our guild."
"Not particularly. Just that Tennyson and Titania were part of the wizards who defeated you." John said.
Joe provided an explanation to his older brother of what he and his group, the Rapid Weasels, did after leaving Peony. His guild's primary mission was to find the fabled artifact known as the Empowerment Charm – wanting to use its power to increase their own and accomplish whatever they wanted. Many had thought that the artifact was just a myth, but Joe had received information from an anonymous source of its existence and rumored location before leaving Peony. Knowing no one else would be seeking such a thing, he decided to set out to find it.
Joe and the Rabid Weasels followed the trail for the charm and committed many crimes along the way, mainly theft and property destruction. Joe believed they had finally found the location of the charm in east Fiore, in the outskirts of a town called Magnolia.
After interrogating the property owner, the individual revealed that they had already given the 'antique necklace', as they had called it, to a group of wizards from Fairy Tail as payment for killing an infestation of monster-rose bushes on her land.
From there, Joe continued his explanation of his guild's encounter with Fairy Tail and everything that had transpired up to Titania destroying the Empowerment Charm.
"After that, we were all suddenly changed back to normal by Tennyson's magic. He then changed into a demon and defeated us with the help of the other guild wizards." Joe finished. "You know the rest after that. We got arrested and now we're here."
John was silent for a moment as he processed the information he had been given. So, this Take-Over wizard, Ben Tennyson, was capable of unintentionally transforming other people into his forms? He didn't know much about Take-Over Magic or anything, but that didn't sound right.
"Something's not right about that guy." John claimed. "Back in Infernus, I threw him and Titania into a pit full of that mineral. It should've killed them! But the rock didn't seem to have any effect on Tennyson. Meanwhile, Titania looked like she was going to collapse from exhaustion until they merged and all."
"That's... odd." Gordon cocked a brow. "If that rock was strong enough to make even Titania Erza exhausted, how could he tough through it?"
"It doesn't end there." John continued. "Did you know that he didn't even know what Ethernano was?"
"That's ridiculous." Joe commented. "Any wizard at his level should be aware of the basics of magic. What? Is he stupid?"
'Tennyson was the only one unaffected by the rock. Could it be that...' a sudden thought entered John's head – which made him pause.
"Maybe he's not a wizard at all..." John muttered aloud.
Joe and Gordon overheard the spiky-haired man, looking at him strangely. "What're you saying?" the former said. "He has to be a wizard. No one could transform into creatures like that without magical power... right?" He turned back to Gordon for confirmation.
The dark-haired Earth mage lowered his head, humming in thought. "Lots of strange things in this world. Who knows? Maybe he's just a monster?"
"A monster, huh?" John said.
He remembered the scenes of Ultimate Articguana freezing his lava instantly and Upgraded Erza charging towards him with a bright emerald energy sword.
John shuddered lightly, as a result. "Yah know... you might not be wrong about that."
"Not that it matters anymore..." Gordon grimly stated.
"Yeah... guess you're right about that." Joe agreed, lowering his head.
A short moment of silence passed between the trio before John spoke up, "So, what punishment did those Council blowhards give you and your guild?"
"Everyone in the Rabid Weasels is doing labor for the kingdom for the next few years. Gordon and I, however, are being shipped to Crocus tomorrow morning. From the sounds of things, we'll be thrown into the Abyss Palace." Joe replied.
John's eyes widened slightly, taken aback by the news. "Seriously? They're throwing you both into the Capital of Death? Why only you two and not the others?"
Joe looked away in silence with a grave expression.
John gritted his teeth in annoyance. He was about to demand an answer until Gordon interjected, "Because Joe and I were the only ones in the guild who had murdered. In the case we were arrested by the Council, Joe and I never permitted anyone in the guild to kill anyone while they were under us. Whenever we passed through a village searching for the Empowerment Charm, we'd allow them to steal things or damaged property and whatnot. But we did the dirty work, not them."
John blinked a couple times and turned to Joe incredulously. "You did all that... just so their punishments wouldn't as severe as yours, huh?"
Joe 'tsked' as he was unwilling to look his brother in the eyes, crossing his arms over his chest.
A small, nostalgic smile graced John's face. "Yah know... that sounds like something mom would've done." He softly noted.
Joe had no response to that as another moment of silence passed between the three prisoners. Finally, the younger Magtartus sibling glanced back to his older brother. "I know your trial is tomorrow. But do you have any clue on what your punishment will be?"
John shrugged, unsure. "Dunno. I've killed several people before – which is on the long list of charges they have against me from all the stuff I did in Peony. I wouldn't be surprised if they sent me to the Abyss Palace too."
"Or just execute you on the spot?" Joe suggested snidely.
"Yeah, that's a possibility too." John conceded, smirking.
Joe lowered his head solemnly. "It just doesn't seem right. I mean, yeah, I was prepared to one day pay for all my crimes... but I just thought me or you would finally get back at the old man beforehand, yah know?"
John grunted in agreement with his brother, seemingly for the first time in a while.
He lowered his head and gritted his teeth in frustration. Their father. The mere thought of that bastard even disgusted a greedy, power-hungry scumbag like him! He was part of the reason why he sought after more power throughout his young adult life. He imagined that Joe had similar motivations as well.
All of a sudden, before John could ruminate any further, a pink light appeared and shone brilliantly down the corridor.
As soon as the light appeared, it vanished and the sounds of footsteps echoed down the hall. The three prisoners got up from the benches and curiously looked into the hallway to identify the source of the disturbance.
Two individuals wearing dark brown cloaks and hoods calmly walked down the corridor. The cloaked individuals stopped in front of the trio's cells.
"John and Joe Magtartus, and Gordon Seismo?" the cloaked person on the right asked, with a feminine voice.
"Yeah." Joe answered skeptically. "Who wants to know?"
The female turned to her partner, and said, "It's them. We should hurry before the guards notice."
"Alrighty, champ!" the second person said excitedly with a salute. He was definitely a man, but had a strange accent. The female sighed in exasperation as she walked in front of Joe and Gordon's cell.
The guy stepped towards the door of John's cell. John eyed him closely and could see his face through the shadows. He had silver haired bangs above his temples, purple eyes, and a seemingly carefree smile.
The silver-haired guy looked at John with a grin, making the Lava Mage cock his brow in confusion. 'The hell is this guy grinning about?'
"Okay, champ, yah might wanna stand back for this one." The mysterious man advised.
"Why -" John stopped when the man cast a silver-whitish magical seal in front of him. A large metal mallet formed out of the circle and plopped into the man's hands.
'The hell?! He can use magic in here?! HOW!' John screamed internally, shocked.
With a yell, the man reared back the mallet and slammed it into the grated door. The force behind the blow bent the metal and knocked the door off its hinges, sending it flying into the wall where it unceremoniously fell to the floor with a loud clang.
John turned to the silver-haired wizard angrily. 'Idiot! Is this moron trying to get the guards' attention!?'
Meanwhile, his partner cast a green magical seal onto the floor. Several green vines grew out of the circle and wrapped around the iron bars of the door. With incredible strength, the vines pulled the bars apart just enough for Joe and Gordon to exit the cell with hardly any sound.
"How subtle..." the female remarked dryly, and unknowingly voiced John's thoughts, "were you trying to call the guards?"
"What can I say, champ? I got excited." Her silver-haired partner replied sheepishly.
John eyed the woman individual curiously and could see mint-green hair through the shadows of her hood.
"Who the hell are you guys?" John demanded as he walked into the corridor. "Why free us?"
"More importantly, how the hell can you use magic in this prison?" Joe added, stepping out with Gordon.
'Is that really important right now...?' John inwardly deadpanned, annoyed with his brother's mixed priorities.
"Long story short, champs, our master ordered us to free you 'cause he wishes to speak with yah." The silver-haired man answered.
"Master...? Who's your master?" Gordon inquired skeptically.
Suddenly, the sounds of multiple footsteps and shouting of Rune Knights could be heard echoing outside the main prison door, getting louder by the second.
'Shit! I knew they would hear the commotion that moron made!' John inwardly panicked.
"Crap! The guards are comin'!" Joe exclaimed nervously.
"You three can come with us to meet our master... or you can stay here in prison." The green-haired woman offered with a cool tone.
"It's your call, champs." The silver-haired man said nonchalantly, placing his hands behind his head.
The older Magtartus brother narrowed his eyes at the two cloaked individuals suspiciously. Could these two really be trusted? Or was it possible they could be leading them to an even worse fate than the Council's punishment?
However, the younger Magtartus brother didn't seem to have these concerns. "What kind of choice is that?! Get me outta here!" Joe demanded roguishly.
"Same! I don't wanna die in that pit!" exclaimed Gordon.
The two individuals then looked up to John, awaiting his response.
"Tsk! I'll go." He replied impassively. "Anything's better than staying in this dump."
"Great choice, champs!" the silver-haired mage said enthusiastically.
With that, the five wizards were suddenly enveloped in pink light and disappeared!
A short moment later, a group of guards stormed down the corridors and were left dumbfounded at the sight of the demolished cells and vanished prisoners.
...
A/N: With that, this is the conclusion of Season 1 of Ultimate Fairy!
Sorry for the delay in uploading this chapter. Had a lot of things keeping me busy over the past couple months. Primarily I'm gearing up for a move across country very soon with my family. So, I'll be out of commission for at least a couple months until I settle down in my new home and find a good job.
With that out of the way, I'd like to give a special thanks to Masamune X23 for offering ideas on Ben and Erza's performance AND to Vanessa Masters and Scholarly-Cimmerian on DeviantArt for their assistance in writing this chapter. I really appreciate it! Thank you, guys!
Here are the Voice Actors I had in mind for my three OCs. The VA's for the two mysterious individuals who freed them will be decided later.
John Magtartus – Jim Foronda (English Voice of Muscular, My Hero Academia)
Joe Magtartus - Vic Mignogna ***
Gordon Seismo – Benjamin Diskin (English Voice of Ban, Seven Deadly Sins)
***I understand Vic already voices Mard Geer, but I figured he could use a different tone for Joe. After all, it's not uncommon for VAs to voice multiple characters in a show.
Now that the Fighting Festival Arc is complete, I will be writing a couple one-shot chapters before moving into the Oracion Seis arc – which will be really exciting to write! Got several awesome things planned for it. Feel free to offer any suggestions if you have any though.
Here's what the next few chapters should look like. This is open for change, however.
Chapter 39: A So Cool Reporter [Tentative Name] – a certain reporter arrives from Sorcerer Weekly to interview wizards of Fairy Tail. His real mission though is to get the scoop on our Omnitrix hero.
Chapter 40: A Very Worm Welcome – Ben and Natsu are exclusively selected by a client to retrieve a rare, expensive magical herb. There are two problems though: one, they have to go to the harshest desert in Earthland; two, the herb only grows inside the throat of a desert-worm monster. Should be a piece of cake, right?
Chapter 41: Oracion Seis, Part I – The beginning of one of the better arcs in Fairy Tail with Ben Tennyson added in. Things should turn out the same as canon, right? Not quite...
As I'm sure most of you are aware, Stan Lee, the creator of many beloved Marvel superheroes, has sadly passed away. May his amazing work and influences live on! Thank you, Stan-Man, for all the heroes and stories you helped create.
Please leave any critique, comments, or suggestions in the review box. Until next time... EXCELSIOR!