Chapter 12: S Class Trials
A smile filled Makarov's face as he sat on the bar while watching his children run around frantically while trying to finish as many jobs as possible. This is a yearly traditional mad dash to earn his favor in the hopes the master will choose them for one of the spots for the S-Class Trials that are coming up.
Despite the chaos, the energy of place is intoxicating. This is the one time of the year where everyone is giving it their all without destroying everything around them. Jobs were getting done at a fast rate with a high success rate. The clients putting in their request are happy with the work done for them. Of course, there are still some troublemakers, but even their shenanigans are toned down.
Even though he would never admit it, Makarov is the happiest with the minimal damages. Both on job and in the guildhall.
While everyone is working their hardest, the guild master has already decided on this year's contestants. To his own surprise, everyone that made the cut for the exams is a part of the younger generation of Fairy Tail mages. This may be a new record for the younger generation. At least there has never been this many amongst the candidates since he was a child.
Walking on stage, Makarov is flanked on both sides by Gildarts and Laxus. The former having proud look on his face while the latter looked irritable by just being there. "Everyone, listen up," those words quieted the guild down in record time as everyone focused on Makarov.
"It has come to that time of the year once again. To say that I am proud of the progress all of you have made in the last year, some of you have truly shined above the rest. I am proud to announce to the S Class Candidates."
Everyone was hanging on the master's words. It was so silent that a pin drop could easily be heard.
"Natsu Dragneel, Sayla, Erza Scarlet, Mystogan, Mirajane Strauss. Will all of you please come on stage." At the announcement of the names, the guild erupted in a chorus of cheers. While some were upset at not being chosen, everyone was happy for those that were.
"In the last year, each one of you has shown exceptional growth. All of you have risen above unforeseen obstacles. Overcame difficult odds. And have always come out on top. Each of you have proven yourselves ready for these trials." Words couldn't describe the amount of pride Makarov is feeling. Seeing these specific children grow and prove that they are more than their magic.
"Each of you are to pick one person to partner with. You are not allowed to partner with another person you are competing with. After which you have one month to prepare for the trials. I recommend all of you use this time wisely". With that said, Makarov and both S Class mages left the stages.
After the chorus of applause and congratulations, each candidate sets out to decide who to partner with.
'Morgana would be an easy choice', Natsu thought as he ran through the list of people he can work with. When it comes to raw power, the pinkette has an advantage over the others. Morgana would be able to give him a boost in mobility. Would that be enough though.
Both Mystogan and Sayla have an intelligence advantage as well as versatile types of magic/curse. Sayla could remove any advantage Morgana could bring and Mystogan is a nightmare to deal with in anything other then a direct fight. Even in a direct fight, both would be difficult to win against. Erza almost ties Mystogan in versatility and her stubbornness/persistence makes up for any short coming.
Mira is another person that Natsu needs to watch for. Her intelligence almost rivals Mystogan and Sayla's, and potentially has the widest range of magic at her disposal of the five of them. Her speed is on par with both Erza and Natsu and her physical strength and magical power are nothing to scoff at.
The most difficult part of this is that none of them have seen each other go all out. Each of them only have a vague idea of what their limits are.
'It's probably better to have Morgana sit this one out.' Despite his speed, Morgana lacks many offensive options. He's started learning swordplay from Panther Lily not to long ago, but he's still a novice.
The other Dragon Slayers are an option. Both Wendy and Sting have ridiculously easy times to refill their magic containers thanks to their elements. Rogue makes it the easiest to avoid any unnecessary fights. Plus, each one of them would easily be able to track their opponents thanks to their noses.
Problem is with fighting. None of the three younger Dragon Slayers would win a fight with the examinees. Plus, any advantage they have, Natsu has but better.
'That's it!' Natsu thought ecstatically has he figured out who would be the perfect partner for him.
Elsewhere
'I can't believe I didn't get picked this year.' Cana thought as she stared absently at the stream in front of her. Of course, she was not picked. The others are magical power houses. All she has at her disposal is her Card Magic. When compared to the others, why look her way.
How can Gildarts want to be her father if she's so week. Maybe it would be better if she gave up on telling Gildarts who she is. At least he wouldn't have to be ashamed to have such a week daughter.
"Hey Cana!" Natsu yells, nearly causing the poor brunette to jump out of her skin.
Taking a moment to stave off the imminent heart attack, Cana has to resist the urge to glare at the pinkette. She doesn't understand how he always manages to show when she's… having a moment. Oh well, she could use a break from her train of thought. "Would you stop scaring me like that!"
"Sorry about that. I tried getting your attention, but you were so out of it." Seeing the brunette look away sheepishly, Natsu's expression grew more serious. He had an idea on what she was thinking about, it pissed him off that he couldn't do anything to help her out with her own self-doubts. "Want to talk about it?"
"No, thanks though," Cana couldn't help but smile a little bit. Even though Natsu is aware of her… situation, Cana is grateful that he's respectful of her wish for privacy. She could tell that the pinkette wants to do something which makes her feel more grateful for having a friend like that. "Oh, I never got a chance to congratulate you on making it to the S Class trials."
"Yeah, thanks." And like that, Natsu remembers the reason why he came here. As much as he hates to admit it, Cana's situation will have to wait for the time being.
"So, do you know who you're going to pick as your partner?" Cana has heard all the talk going around the guild. From what she has gathered from the older generation of guild mates, this is the most uncertain the guild has been in years about who is going to pass. People have been changing their minds and bets more in such a short time span then she has seen. It almost makes her want to get in on the bets.
"Funny you should ask." Cana recognized that tone and she couldn't believe that of all people, Natsu came to her.
"You have to be kidding me. Why would want me to be your partner." This has to be some kind of joke. No, Natsu knows how important the S Class trials are, especially to the brunette. He isn't the type to tease her in such a cruel way. Thinking about it a little more, Natsu's choice made sense. His whole team was selected for the trials. They're competing against each other. Those three plus Erza and Mira are easily the strongest of their generation. The gap in power between them and most of their guildmates is staggering at best.
That must be it. Cana is simply his last choice.
"What are you talking about?" Natsu asked as he crossed his arms and tilted his head. "I can't imagine anyone better to have as a partner than you."
Cana almost didn't believe him. The other Dragon Slayers are better trained in fighting. Morgana gives him an ariel advantage. Panther Lily is both a great fighter and flies. What does she have to offer? "Come on, stop joking around."
"I'm serious." When it comes to pure strength and power, Natsu has an advantage over both Erza and Mira. While not necessarily an easy fight, he knows he'll come out as the victor against those two.
The problems lie with Mystogan and Sayla. Natsu's strength is all but useless all but useless against either of them. The second Mystogan activates a trap his victory is assured. The longer a fight between those two goes on, the more difficult it would be for Natsu. If it's a matter of stalling, Natsu wouldn't stand a chance.
Sayla's Macro may not be able to control Natsu, but it's still a dangerous thing to go against. Her reaction time rivals Natsu and her ability to focus on multiple things at once in her vicinity is terrifying for anyone going against her. Factor in her creativity and her knowledge from reading so many books is almost enough to give Natsu pause. And that's still not factoring in when she's being serious in a fight.
Strength and power won't be enough to beat them. Natsu needs something more. Something that Natsu has seen Cana use multiple times at the guild. Out of everyone, she's his best chance at passing. "If you don't believe me, at least hear me out first."
'At least he seems serious,' Cana lets out a sigh. Oh well, she might as well hear him out.
Time Skip
"Ok everyone, listen up." Makarov said as he stood on the railing. Each of the contestants gathered around the guild master. On his left stood Mystogan with Wendy, Erza with Grey, and Mira with Elfman. On his right was Natsu and Cana, and Sayla and Levy. "The island behind me is Tenrou Island. For generations, our guild has considered this island to be a sacred place. And this is where we shall be conducting the S Class Trials."
For a moment, various memories of the past came to mind, making Makarov feel nostalgic. The look on Gildarts face when he passed. The joy Laxus felt when he came out on top for his trial. Even Makarov was grinning like an idiot for weeks after he passed.
"Somewhere hidden on the trial is a relic. Your goal is to find it and return to the ship." He had to hold back a laugh at the look of confusion on the faces of each of his children.
"Is that it?" Mira asked, voicing everyone's thoughts.
"With real S Class jobs, you will rarely have enough details on what your mission is. In those cases, the responsibility falls to you to assess the situation and resolve it. Why not have the trial reflect a real scenario." Seeing the look of understanding across everyone's mind, Makarov could only smirk. They still don't understand the situation. "However; because I'm so generous, I'll give all of you a few more crucial details. Laxus and Gildarts went on ahead of us. Their job is to prevent all of you from passing."
Once again, Makarov had to resist to laugh at the looks of fear that came over most his children. Mystogan's expression is unreadable for obvious reasons while Mira and Natsu looked excited for the upcoming fight. "Also, there's only one relic. Whoever returns it to me on this ship, passes. The Trial shall begin on my mark."
"Wait Master, shouldn't you wait until we reach shore to start," Erza asked as she looked over the side of the ship. They are still miles offshore of the island.
"Nope"
Lining up along the edge of the ship, everyone gets themselves ready. , Mira, and Natsu were jumping around in place to loosen up. Mystogan grabs one of his staffs while Wendy takes some deep breaths. Sayla is looking as calm as could be while Levy and Cana were fidgeting nervously. Elfman was muttering to himself about manning up to help his sister. Erza was formulating plans while staring intently at Tenrou.
"On your marks, get set," Makarov said as he raised a palm to the sky. Firing off a singular ball of flames into the air. As soon as the flames reached its apex, it exploded into a colorful ball of flames. "GO!" Not only signaling his children to start but alerting Gildarts and Laxus the trials have started.
As fast as he could, Mystogan aimed his staff at Natsu. Firing off single concentrated ball of magical energy, hitting the wristband that is holding back Natsu's motion sickness.
Upon it's destruction, Natsu dropped to the deck of the ship immediately, doing everything he could to not violently vomit all over the place. "YOU BASTARD!"
"Sorry Natsu, I'll make you a new one once we get back to Magnolia." Mystogan said as two of his shadow familiars picked up Wendy and himself and flew off towards the island. Erza requiped her Black Wing Armor while Mira activated her Satan Soul, they grabbed their partners and flew off. Using her Macro, Sayla levitated herself and Levy off the ship.
"Really?! Now of all times?!" Cana roared as she tried to lift Natsu up. Watching as everyone is getting a head start on them, she's annoyed at the underhanded tactics. They'll have to get their payback later. "Alright Natsu, time to close the gap." She said as she threw Natsu overboard. Not waiting to see what happened, the brunette followed suit and jumped after the pinkette.
Not even hitting the water, Cana lands in Natsu's arms as he's floating in the air thanks to the two pillars of flames firing from his feet. "And you thought picking you was a bad idea." Natsu said smugly.
"You can tell me 'I told you so' later, we need to get going!"
Flying as fast as he could, the two of them reached shore in less then a minute. They would've felt good about how quick they arrived if it wasn't for the fact the others were nowhere in sight. To make things worse, Natsu's sense of smell could tell they weren't close but couldn't pinpoint anyone's location. Each of them had to have taken steps to hide from his nose. 'Impressive.'
"Good job Natsu," Cana said as she threw a card towards the pinkette. Before it made contact, it burst into flames which was quickly consumed by Natsu. The pinkette is the powerhouse of their team. Topping off his magical container will come in handy when things go to shit. "Now to find the relic."
"Easier said than done." No one knew what the relic looked like. They didn't know if it's some sort of magical artifact or some useless Knick Knack. They would search for high magical energy, but the island had a bizarre flow to it. To both, it felt like magic is flowing all around them. It made them feel oddly comforted by it.
Before them were five tunnels. Just taking a quick sniff, told Natsu that the others each took a different path. Who got here first is impossible to tell, but they all arrived somewhat close to each other.
Looking towards Cana, she understood what he was going to say next. "Let's go down the one no one picked." As much as it would help to take out their competition, they need to save as much energy as possible for later. For now, taking the road less traveled will be more beneficial then fighting.
"So, any guess on where we should go." Natsu said as he focused on his surroundings. Just because they went down their own path doesn't mean they should let their guard down. Mystogan could have easily sent his shadows out to lay traps. Not to mention they could only imagine what Gildarts and Laxus has in store from them. Plus Gramps never said he wouldn't do anything to make this even harder.
While Natsu was focusing on their surroundings as they walked through the cave, Cana was focusing on her cards. Using her Clairvoyance, she could eliminate some areas of interest. "Well, it's definitely not in some random spot."
"Yeah, kind of figured as much." If it were, then they may as well be looking for a needle in a haystack. Then again, their current situation isn't much better. "If we're looking for a relic, I'd imagine it's in an altar or maybe displayed on some pedestal."
"Knowing Master's love for the theatrics, I wouldn't be surprised."
As they approached the exit, a quiet rumbling reached their ears. Stepping out of the cave, both mages are temporarily blinded as they adjust to the sunlight. A loud cracking sound comes from above. Looking above, they see a bolt of lightning coming their way.
"Shit!" Cana yells as she dodges to the side to get out of the way.
Natsu watches the lighting go straight for him. Bringing his arm to the side, Natsu smacks away the lightning. Natsu should have been on the defensive. Laxus had just attacked him. But he stayed exactly where he stood. Natsu and Laxus have fought enough times for the pinkette to know what that attack was. It was a message. It was far too weak to be anything else. It was letting Natsu know that he's being watched.
'Great, another pain in the ass to worry about.' Oh well, who said this was going to be easy.
"What was that?" Cana had a feeling she knew the answer. She really wanted to be wrong. They didn't need any extra problems. Looking to the sky through the cracks in the tree branches she couldn't see any storm clouds. "Can things ever be easy with you…"
"I wish," Natsu let out a sigh of frustration. Knowing his luck, they'll probably have to deal with Laxus at a horrible time. "So, did your cards tell you anything?"
"Not much. All I know for certain is that the relic we're looking for isn't on the coast. Wait, hold up a minute." Cana said as she pulled out a cards Throwing a card straight into the air, within a second it was struck by a bolt of lightning. Catching the falling card, the brunette smirks. "Thanks, Laxus!" She yells as she stores the card.
"Uh, what was that?" Natsu ask as he tilts his head to the side.
"I figured Laxus wouldn't do something like that again if he thought he was helping." Cana answered as she pulled out another card. "Plus, who knows. His lightning could be useful later." Throwing this one just as high as the previous card, it floated in the air for a few seconds before it fell. Catching it, Cana holds the card up as it projects a layout of Tenrou Island. She can feel the amazed look that Natsu was giving off with this spell. "I developed this nifty little spell a while ago. It's makes surveilling an area so much easier."
"That's amazing!" Natsu all but shouted as he had stars in his eyes. "Seriously, why aren't you a contestant in this exam?!" Sure, the brunette lacked in physical power, but her versatility and creativity easily rivaled Mystogan.
Cana felt her cheeks warm up at Natsu's compliments. She was thankful that the pinkette was too focused on her hologram than her. "Let's see, if I had to guess…" She began to say.
"Hold that thought." Natsu interrupted as he threw a concentrated ball of fire off towards some trees. Shielding Cana from the explosion of flames. The pinkette stares intently at the aftermath of the attack, looking for any signs.
"What was that about?" Cana asked as she eyed the charred remains of the trees caught in the attack.
"Had a feeling someone was watching us." If the pinkette had to guess, Mystogan might have a few shadows tailing them. For all he knows, every contestant could have shadows following them. If any of them learned something useful, the masked mage would know right away. Turning away, Natsu lost the feeling of them being watched. There was so much magic flowing through the island that it is almost impossible to know for sure.
Going along with it, Cana brings up her map again. "Like I said earlier, I doubt the relic we're looking for is on the beach front."
"Makes sense." The only place the beach would make sense would be if it was located on the opposite side of the island from where the boat is located. Whoever would get it in that situation would have to choose between running straight through the island, providing lots of cover and ambush points, perfect for traps by Mystogan and Sayla. Or choose to run along the coast, leaving whoever has the relic directly out in the open, perfect for Erza, Mira, and Natsu. Having the relic on the beach has one major draw back from an exam standpoint. It's too easy to get.
"If we think like Master, he will choose somewhere that would be the most difficult to return to the boat." By that logic, that still leaves most of the island. With four mages with S Class potential and their partners and two S Class mages, one of which is the guilds ace, hunting down whoever has the relic, every location is hazardous. "If I had to guess, this location would be the most likely." Cana says as she points to one of the highest flat areas on the map.
"And what makes you think that?" From what he could see, the place Cana was suggesting didn't seem that special. At least, there was nothing that made that specific location stand out.
"Because I can't see anything about that spot." Every spot on the map had details to it, how useful that information is varies. The one spot Cana had pointed out was simply a blank zone. Odds are, there something there. There is a chance that it's nothing. If it is, they can cross this location off and look somewhere else.
"Worth a shot." Natsu said as they both raced off to the spot.
Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched by a short blonde girl with her hair almost going down to her hair and wearing a pink dress. She has a soft smile on her face as she watched the two of them run off. She certainly didn't expect the pinkette to hurl a ball of flames at her, not that it would have done anything to her. Usually, people can only see or sense her if she allows. "So that's Zeref's little brother. Color me impressed." She murmured to herself before disappearing.
Time Skip
As they neared the location, Natsu picked up a familiar scent. The scent alone filled with him excitement that they were on the right path. Busting through the tree line, the duo was greeted by the site of Makarov sitting cross legged next to pedestal holding what they assume to be the relic they were looking for.
However, before they could celebrate, Erza and Grey burst through the tree line opposite of Natsu and Cana. The two teams stared at each other with wide eyes.
"I wouldn't hesitate for too long if I were any of you." Makarov reminded them of the job at hand.
As if receiving a signal, both Natsu and Erza rushed the relic with the redhead in the lead. Grabbing Erza by the arm, Natsu pulls her back and throws her across the opened area. Reaching for the relic, the pinkette is stopped as multiple swords block his path, nearly slicing his arm in the process. "Tch, Cana! You get Grey, I'll take Erza." Natsu said as he and the redhead rushed each other.
"Got it." Cana yelled as she pulled a few cards from her pouch. Getting ready to fight, Grey brings his hands together as icy magic circles his palms.
A clash of sword and fist is what Makarov was witnessing. His trained eyes followed Erza and Natsu as their fight grew more intense. He examined their movements, looking for any flaws in their attacks. Watching for any openings that could be exposed. Erza, for all her skill, showed more than Natsu. That's not to say she was being sloppy in the fight. The redhead has far surpassed those with decades of experience on her. Her skill, versatility, and strength are what led to the master picking her for the exam.
Natsu just happens to be a poor choice of a match up. If Erza had gotten here a few seconds faster, she would have had a more defined advantage.
Jumping back a few feet, Natsu dodges slice after slice from Erza. The redhead is dual wielding two identical swords. When one sword attacks the other is there to defend. The knight expertly switches which is attacking and defending so much that even Natsu has some troubles getting past this hurdle.
Erza, gritting her teeth, is not liking how this fight is going. With how the fight is going, she can't an advantage over the pinkette. He's simply to fast and agile for her. Summoning more swords, the redhead puts more pressure on the pinkette. He can't attack if he's too busy trying to defend himself.
Feeling annoyed, Natsu figures out what Erza's plan is. She's trying to create an opening to knock him out. Erza has the strength to pull it off. 'Does she really think I can't attack?' Natsu questions himself. To be fair, Erza hasn't been on that many jobs with him and their duels usually consist of a contest of strength and endurance.
Igniting his fist; Natsu punches the ground, cratering the earth beneath him and sending the swords sailing in all directions away from him
"Hey! Watch it!" Cana yelled as she narrowly dodged a sword that flew right by her face. She was already having enough issues with fighting Grey while he's stripping. She didn't want to worry about getting impaled by accident.
"Sorry." Was Natsu's reply. He was too focused on his fight to give a proper apology. With the swords being blasted away, Erza capitalizes on the opening.
Getting behind the pinkette, Erza spins her sword around and brings the blunt side of the sword down on Natsu's head.
At the last second, Natsu dodges to the side. Knocking it to the side, Natsu punches Erza in the gut, sending her flying a few feet away. Turning back towards the relic, the pinkette makes a run for it. before he could grab it, it starts shaking lightly before it lifts off the pedestal and flies off towards Erza with an outstretched hand
Somehow, Natsu managed to not only forget that Erza has telekinesis, but also how good she is with it.
While the act of getting the relic hadn't gone how she had hoped, things are turning to her favor. If she can store the relic in her pocket dimension, then it guarantees her success in the exam. Unless someone can force an item out of that space or make her give it up, it would be impossible for her to fail. No one on the island would do anything that can convince her otherwise without doing something drastic. Even then, Master wouldn't allowing anything that extreme to happen.
It was only moments before Erza came to a shocking conclusion. Don't jump to conclusions. The redhead learned this lesson the hard way as the strongest bolt of lightning she has ever felt struck her and her highly conductive metal armor.
After covering his eyes from the blinding light, Natsu blinked, confused by what had happened. Looking around, he half expected Laxus to show up and stop the pinkette from getting the relic. Though no blonde jackass was in sight. Looking towards the other side of the clearing, he sees Cana with her hand outstretched.
"Huh, didn't think I would use that card so soon." Cana said as she released an exhausted sigh. Fighting Grey had been exhausting. The ice stripper had an advantage in strength plus a lot of options for both offense and defense. Though that advantage made little difference when all Cana had to do was hit him once to seal him within a card. Fighting the ice mage while he was stripping wasn't an experience she was thrilled about. "Natsu, you're replacing that card." Cana said as she looked back at the card containing a naked Grey. She wasn't going to bother picking it up.
"For everything you've done, I'll buy you a deck." Said Natsu as he picked up the relic. One step closer to passing.
"Well done my children." Makarov said, feeling an immense sense of pride. "You two have worked together wonderfully and handle the hurdles thrown your way in a truly magnificent manner." To make things better for the guild master, he had won a side bet that he had with Gildarts, Macao, and Wakaba on who would get the relic first. "Don't get comfortable just yet." Makarov warned as he raised a hand to the sky. Firing a ball of flames, it exploded in the sky to mark their location. "Everyone now knows that you have the relic. The two of you are now targets. Good luck getting back to the ship." Makarov laughed at the look of dread that came over the two mages.
As if feeling everyone locking their eyes on them, Natsu and Cana make a run for it. The pinkette could practically feel everyone heading their way as his instincts told him to get a move on.
"Natsu, let me see the relic." Cana said as she fiddled with her card pouch. Handing her the relic, the brunette stores it in one her cards. It isn't as secured as Erza's dimensional space, but it'll be safer than having it out in the open. Storing the card, she turns her attention back to the pinkette, neither of them slowing down. "Can you tell who's closest to us?" the Card mage ask as she throws another card towards Erza to seal her away for the time being.
"No. Whatever is blocking my nose is still at it." Natsu hated the feeling of running into a situation like this blind. Almost every single person on the island, Natsu is confident he would beat in a fight. Laxus would give him the most trouble given how close to strength and power they are. Mystogan and Sayla would be the next hurdle but that's because of their fighting styles are a pain in the ass. There is only one person Natsu doesn't believe he can beat in a fair fight yet.
Running into a clearing, both mages stop dead in their tracks as they stand across from the worst-case scenario. Gildarts. 'Great, the one-time I don't want to fight him.' Natsu gritted his teeth and got himself ready for a fight.
"Hey kids, what brings you two out this way?" Gildarts asks jokingly. "On a romantic stroll around the island?"
"Something like that." Cana says with a laugh as she reached for a card. "As fun as it would be to stay and chat, why don't we be on our way. We'll catch up later." Maybe today he'll be generous and let them go without a fight.
"Maybe next time." As it would seem, fate isn't on their side. Oh well, both Cana and Natsu knew this wasn't going to be easy.
"Remember the plan." Natsu says to Cana before rushing Gildarts with a flaming fist. Cana runs back to the tree line to conceal herself to wait for the opening. If they're going to pull this off, she needs to be ready to act in a moment's notice.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist" Natsu yells as his fist collides with Gildarts' own Crash infused punch. The ground beneath them blew apart from the impact as shockwaves tore up the area around them in the power struggle.
"Getting serious right off the bat." Gildarts smiled. If nothing else, Natsu's ability to tackle impossible odds without batting an eyelash is commendable. During the power struggle, Natsu is looking for any opening he can exploit. He's keeping an eye out on his surrounds without looking away from the more experienced mage. Though it isn't enough to win, much less come out on top in this situation.
Losing the contest of strength, Natsu is blasted across the clearing towards a tree. Flipping himself mid-air, the pinkette kicks himself off the tree back towards the guild's ace.
Gildarts lost his smile at this action as he smacked Natsu away. The pinkette had tried this strategy during their last fight and it failed to yield any results. Sure, it impressed the Crash mage at the time, but now this strategy is old hat. The only difference now is that Natsu is putting more force into his attacks. Like last time, it won't get him anywhere.
Seeing Gildarts' expression, Natsu internally smirks. So far, everything is going as planned. "Fire Dragon's Claw!" He yells as he raises his leg up and brings it down on the ace.
"Come on Natsu, I know you can do better than that." Gildarts said as he grabbed the pinkette by the ankle, stopping his attack a moment before impact. With as much force as he felt necessary, which is more than what was necessary by a normal person's standards, and slams Natsu into the ground. Any other of the examinees, Gildarts might have held back a little. Unfortunately for the pinkette, Gildarts knows Natsu can take a beating and keep fighting.
Hitting the ground headfirst caused Natsu's head to spin a bit. Shaking himself out of his funk, he sees that he's about to be slammed into the ground again. Igniting his fist with purple flames. "Fire Devil's Raging Inferno!" he yells as he throws a punch towards the ground, cratering the earth beneath him, softening the impact. Bouncing off the ground again, Natsu ignites a foot and kicks Gildarts in the chin. Staggering him momentarily, the pinkette jumps away to create some distance.
Before the ace could focus on where Natsu had jumped to, he noticed the cracks in the ground around him started glowing an ominous purple. As the glow grows more intense, Gildarts coats his palm with his magic and blasts the ground, nullifying the attack. This unfortunately had resulted in a dust cloud to fill the area. Obstructing his view, Gildarts scans the area, waiting to see how creative Natsu can be to take advantage of the situation.
Through the dust cloud, Gildarts can make out the silhouette of dozens of purple magic circles surrounding him from all angles. The ace raised an eyebrow at this tactic. Ranged attacks are all but effective against him. Each circle fired off various flames towards the ace. As they fired off towards him, Gildarts released a small wave of his magic, destroying the attack and the magic circles and cleared out the dust cloud.
'What are you up to Natsu?' Gildarts was confused by the pinkette's actions. If this a fight of endurance, Natsu must rely on whittling down the ace enough to land a final blow to finish the fight. The only way this plan works is if the pinkette lands every hit and can avoid each of Gildarts attacks. Natsu's strong and quick but not enough to pull it off against someone like Gildarts.
Neither mage can rely on ranged attacks because Gildarts can easily counter them. This effectively took Cana out of the fight since her attacks, at least to the ace's knowledge, are all ranged. What few close ranged attacks she has won't land without her taking massive risk. Maybe they're trying to seal him away in one of her cards. That would work, if the brunette was fast enough to pull off. Unfortunately for the card mage, she's one of the slower mages on the island. Gildarts' eyes widen slightly as he grins at the realization. Cana isn't fast enough, but Natsu is. If they have a braincell between them, they would have worked out a strategy to take him out if it came to that. 'It's ambitious, I'll give them that.'
Hearing explosions off in the distance, Gildarts turns his head in confusion as he sees various blast of lightning coming over the tree line. 'Huh, I wonder who Laxus is fighting?'
In that moment of wondering, Natsu burst from the tree line. Not seeing a card in his hand, Gildarts smirks, assuming the pinkette is trying to surprise him. 'Come on Natsu, let's see if you can pull this off.' He grins as he swings his arm to swat the pinkette away.
Ducking under the arm, Natsu only narrowly dodges the hit. While the pinkette was fast enough to dodge to the swipe, he wasn't fast enough to dodge the follow up kick.
"Are you getting tired yet Natsu?" Gildarts teased as he watched the pinkette fly through a tree.
"Are you kidding? I can do this all day!" Natsu joked as he jumped out from behind the tree he flew through. Rushing the ace, the pinkette cocks his fist back.
Seeing this, Gildarts throws his fist forward, curious of what the pinkette was planning. Before the attack could connect, Natsu dodged at the last second. Quickly sending another hit towards the pinkette, Natsu dodged again and cancelled his own attack in the process. This caught Gildarts attention since he seemed Natsu was changing his strategy.
For the next couple minutes, Natsu was only getting close to landing a hit but abandon his attack and dodge when Gildarts would get close to hitting him. The ace was confused. He knows Natsu can take a hit and keep moving. Why is he being so cautious suddenly. Smirking at the reasoning is, Gildarts leaves himself open.
Seeing the opening, Natsu moves to punch the ace. Not moving a muscle, Gildarts lets the pinkette land a punch. That told him everything he needs to know. Grabbing 'Natsu' by the front of his shirt, Gildarts leveled his amused expression towards him.
"Clever using a clone. The only problem is that once whoever you're fighting realizes it," he began to say as he quickly turned his attention towards the falling pinkette holding a card in his hand. Grabbing that pinkette by the wrist, Natsu drops the card as he struggles to get free. "It ruins any chance of catching them off guard."
This must have been the reason why Natsu had picked Cana. If they can't beat Gildarts in a fair fight, they must outsmart him if they want to win. The brunette is one of the few people that has a chance to trick the guild's ace. Or at least so Natsu had hoped.
Feeling the 'Natsu' that was holding the card struggle in his grip, Gildarts could tell that this wasn't Natsu either.
"Nice try you two. Why don't you come out and we can keep this going?" Gildarts announced loudly. He didn't know where the team was hiding but he had a feeling they are still close by.
"Sorry Gildarts, but that isn't going to happen." One of the Natsu clones said as he stopped struggling.
"Oh, and why is that?"
"Because the boss and pinkie are long gone by now." The other clone said as him and the first clone clung tightly onto Gildarts. "Boss does want to apologize though."
"For what? Does Cana really think you two can hold me back?" Sure, Cana and Natsu may have a head start, but Gildarts can easily close the distance in only a few moments. Plus, these clones, while well made, aren't enough to stop him.
"No," one clone began to say as they both began to glow brightly as their bodies begin to grow, Causing Gildarts' eyes to widen. He struggles to get free of the clones as they tighten their hold on them.
"She apologizes for this."
"You clever little bastards!"
With Cana and Natsu
Hearing an explosion behind them, neither mage turns their heads towards the explosion. Both know that they had no chance of winning a straight fight against Gildarts of all people. Fortunately, Makarov never said anything about beating the Crash mage to pass the exam. If they can't beat him, they just had to distract them long enough to get clear.
"Do you think we went a little overboard with that explosion?" Cana asked as she was nearly taken off her feet by the shockwave of the explosion. Infusing a couple of her cards with Explosion magic wouldn't be enough to buy them time to create any meaningful distance. But infusing Explosion magic and Natsu's Devil Flames will certainly buy them a few minutes. Hopefully at least.
"Nah. It's like one of my old teachers used to tell me, 'Overkill is seriously underrated'." Neither of them was worried about Gildarts wellbeing in the slightest. Someone as tough as him can withstand an attack like that. He'll be sore for a while, but he'll be fine. The pinkette is more worried about what the ace will do to them if he catches up to them. Sensing a sudden spike of murderous intent coming from behind them, both mages stiffen up as they can tell who it belongs to. "Cana, can you run any faster?"
"Afraid not." As soon as those words lefts Cana's mouth, Natsu had scooped her up in his arms and ran faster than the brunette has ever experienced. As soon as she adapted to the speed, the brunette reached into her card pouch, pulling out a card and slapped it to her forehead. Removing her hand from the card, the eye at the center of its design began to glow as well as her own purple eyes. "I'll watch our backs!" she yells as she reaches for more of her cards. The card planted on the brunette's forehead is an experiment she has been working on. It allows for quicker clairvoyance readings though it only works with the immediate future.
Natsu nods in appreciation. With him carrying Cana in this manner, he can't protect them. With the threats that will be coming down on them soon enough, they need to be perfectly in sync.
Arriving at a cliff, the team could see the boat. They could finally see the finish line and before it, a lot of open space. There was nowhere to hide, and everyone knew where they were going. With one look, both of them could tell that things are going to get out of hand.
Jumping over cliff and running down the hill, both mages grinned as they were excited to see how this mess would unfold.
"Natsu! Count to three and veer left then count to five and veer back right!" Cana yelled as she reached for more of her cards.
Following her instructions, they narrowly avoided a barrage of swords and ice.
"You will give us back the relic!" Erza roared as she sent a volley of swords towards the fleeing duo. Her and Grey were hot on their trail sending as many attacks as possible their way either to stop them or help them steal the relic back.
Cana groaned in annoyance. She must have accidentally released them when she made those Natsu clones. The clones took a lot of energy and concentration to make. Assuming that explosion was enough to wake them up, the brunette is impressed they caught up so fast.
"Ice Make Floor!" Grey yelled as he slammed his hands on the ground. Racing towards the Cana and Natsu, the ground beneath them was coated in a thick layer of Ice. Erza had switched to her Black Wing Armor and picked up the Ice Mage to avoid getting caught in his attack.
Igniting his feet, Natsu melted the ice with every step. Moving back to the right, he nearly avoided getting blasted by one of Mira's attacks.
"You're not winning this one Natsu!" Mira declares as her and Elfman were quickly catching up to them.
"Cana! I'm open to any ideas" Natsu said as he was trying to avoid any attacks he could. The brunette was busy either throwing explosive and fire cards to keep the distance from their pursuers and throwing any cards to intercept attacks Natsu couldn't dodge.
"Count to three and take a sharp right turn." Cana said as she took a second to focus on her clairvoyance.
The siblings were close enough to hear the brunette's words. They weren't going to give Cana and Natsu any room to breathe. If she must team up with red to beat Natsu, so be it. Mira will just wipe the floor with Erza later.
Unbeknownst to the sibling team, Cana was facing away from them. They may have heard her words but missed her winking towards Natsu. "Turn now!" The brunette yelled loud enough for Mira to hear.
Turning on a moment's notice, Mira and Elfman turned exactly when Cana had said. When they had, they were stopped dead in their tracks as various shadowy tentacles popped up from the ground, ensnaring both Take Over mages in the trap. The siblings scream in terror as it looks as though they are being attacked by an eldritch abomination.
Neither Cana nor Natsu were surprised by the fact they had come across a random trap Mystogan had placed. What had surprised them is that they haven't come across more.
"Well, that worked out." Natsu said as he ignored the screaming white-haired mages. Given what he knows of Mystogan's traps, he's keeping as much distance from that monster as possible. Mira and Elfman will be fine, probably… maybe… hopefully…
Cana almost felt guilty for them. Then again, they're all competing against each other, and the brunette would happily have the Strauss siblings fall to Mystogan's trap instead of her.
"Gray!" the knight yelled, causing the Ice mage to groan in annoyance. He already knew what she was going to do.
Throwing the Ice mage, Grey brings his hands together as he focuses his magical energy into his hands. "Ice Make: Hamm…" he began to yell out only to be cut off as he was caught in another card.
"Sorry Grey, better luck next time." Cana smirked as she looked up. Flying in from above them, the Card mage could spot Sayla floating in with Levy right next to her with the word 'Wings' sprouting from her back. Her eyes widen as she sees a vision of what's going to happen. "NATSU, GO LEFT NOW!"
With that, dozens of trees slammed into the ground in front of Natsu and Cana. Making a sharp turn, they only barely avoided the attack. By the time they were cut off as several spikes made of the word 'Spikes' cut them off again. "No matter what, don't stop moving!"
Natsu only nodded as he turned back towards the boat. If Cana is telling him to don't stop moving, then she clearly has a plan.
Reaching for four cards, the brunette turns her attention back towards the knight. As fate would have it, she finally found an opening. Throwing the first cards towards the knight, Cana turns her attention back to the flying team.
Seeing the card come her way, Erza effortlessly slices it in half. Unfortunately, that activated Cana's trap card as a bright light flooded her vision. Seeing more projectiles coming their way, Cana throws her second card. Instead of aiming to intercept the incoming projectiles, she aims for off to the side of the attacks. As soon as the cards reach a specific point, they explode, sending the projectiles flying off in another direction.
As soon as Erza regained her vision, she went face first through a few trees that were flying through her path. Given the force of the impact, she was down for the count this time.
Throwing another card towards the flying team, Cana began smirking.
Seeing the card coming their way, Sayla stopped the card mid flight and crumbled it well outside the effective range. Seeing the card explode, the demoness narrowed her eyes. Cana should know that wouldn't work. Her eyes widen she only barely caught sight of another card flying through the explosion of the previous card.
"I got this one." Levy said as she created another spike and fired it off to intercept the other card. Sayla's eyes widen as she sees that her partner was just slightly too slow in her casting. By the time the spike and the card intercepted, they were too close to it. Sayla barely had enough time to bring her hand up to protect them. This explosion was significantly more powerful than the last one, which knocked both mages out of the sky.
Grinning, Cana was glad that they hadn't used all of the 'special cards' she had made for Gildarts. The Card mage may not be the strongest mage on the island, but she knows exactly how to play her cards.
Seeing the boat getting closer, both mages' eyes widen as they felt to forces barreling down on them. Turning to look to see who's coming, Cana is speechless to see both Gildarts and Laxus rushing towards them.
"We're not done yet!" Both mages yelled as they rushed the sole remaining team.
"Natsu, you need to pick it up!" fighting either mage one on one is already a huge gamble, fighting both at the same time is a guaranteed loss for them. "Must go faster, must go faster." The brunette muttered to herself as she watched her impending doom.
Natsu is speeding up as much as possible. He can practically feel both mages closing in on them.
With a sudden burst of energy, Laxus closes the gap. With his fist engulfed in lighting, he brings it down on the team. Missing them by a hair, the blonde strikes the ground. The force of the hit was enough to send them flying.
Flipping around midair, Natsu holds Cana closer to him as he spins them so that he was the one skidding across the ground. Between him and the brunette, he's the one that can easily shrug off something like that. "Cana, are you ok?" Natsu asks as he looks see how much distance between them and the S Class mages.
"Yeah, I'm fine." In only a couple moments, both Laxus and Gildarts will be on top of them.
Both mages raising a single hand in the air, they wait for the pursuers to get close enough. Right as they were about to be right on top of them, they slam their hand down. "Base!" they yell as their raised hands collided with the ramp onto the ship.
Seeing this, both mages stop in their tracks. Gildarts with the look of shock and pride. Laxus with frustration and annoyance.
"Good job you two," Makarov said from atop the railing of the ship. Both Natsu and Cana looked on in confusion, they didn't think Gramps would beat them back to the ship. "The two of you have not only collected the relic, but also made it back to the ship. Natsu, it is with great pride that I declare that you have passed this year's S Class Trials." The guild master said with a proud smile.
Time Skip
After some time collecting everyone, the everyone was on their way back to Magnolia. Though some were beat more than others, everyone took their turns congratulating the winning team. After all the congratulating was over with, everyone retreated to relax after that exhausting exam. Some already forming strategies for next year's exam.
"Ugh, thank god the exam is over." Cana said as she leaned against the railing at the back of the ship, glad the exam and the stress from getting ready for it is now over. At least until it becomes her time to take the exams.
"Yeah, I can't thank you enough for everything you did Cana." Natsu said as he leaned back into the railing. "If it wasn't for you, there's no way I would have passed."
"I'm sure you would have been just fine." Cana said as she looked off to the side to hide her blush caused by the pinkette's praise.
"Are you kidding?!" Natsu said as he laughed incredulously at what Cana had said. "If it weren't for you, I never would have gotten off the boat." If it wasn't for Cana, there would have been multiple points where Natsu would have failed. Cana got him off the boat. She found the general location of the relic. She came up with the strategy to get around the wall that was Gildarts. And she covered them as they raced back to the boat.
Even if Natsu had picked someone else, the results still wouldn't be in his favor. The fight alone with Gildarts would have drained him too much to fight off anyone else. If everyone teamed up against him, he would lose. He'll last for a while and wouldn't go down without a fight, but the results still would have ended the same. It was through their teamwork that they pulled this off.
"I may have been the one that passed, but the win goes to you, hands down." Natsu said as he stood up to look Cana in the eyes. "Hell, even Gildarts is proud of you for how for how well you did." That wasn't a lie. The pinkette overheard the Ace talking to Gramps about how he was excited to see Cana in the Exams. "Maybe it's time to tell Gildarts."
That one statement caused Cana's eyes to widen. "There's no way I can tell him yet." She still had a long way to go. If she couldn't even be nominated along with everyone else, much less pass, how is she supposed to tell Gildarts that she is his daughter.
"Cana, you are an incredibly skilled mage. You have the intuition to use your magic to the absolute best of your ability that rivals most of the people in the guild. Power and strength come with training and time. Everyone can see that you working as hard as you can to get better. Even Gildarts sees it."
Cana looked down as he took in Natsu's words. His instincts were usually spot on, case and point being when he picked her as his partner. 'Maybe it is time to tell him.' Cana thought as she experienced a moment of confidence. Her own insecurities were trying to squash these feelings. Capitalizing on the moment, Cana pushes off the railing. "Well, if you're so sure." Stopping on the spot, she turned towards Natsu and kisses him on the cheek. "Thanks for everything Natsu." Cana said as she ran off. She needed time to calm down her raging blush before she confronts Gildarts.
This has been a hell of a day for the two of them.
And that is it for this chapter. This chapter has been a pain in the ass to write. I think I have been trying to plan out the S Class Trials for the last six months, maybe longer. So, if the exam part of this chapter is lacking, sorry. By the time I committed to writing this I just settled on a glorified fetch quest.
Also, for anyone that can write multiple characters fighting and/or interacting in believable and interesting ways, I hate you for being so skilled at that. That alone I struggle with the most here and I'm not sure I was able to pull it off.
Though there were some fun things here. I tried to experiment with a few different things. Settling fights in other ways than just brute force. I tried to get better at writing movement and more chaotic fight scenes. Please let me know how I did. I'm really trying to get better at writing these scenes.
For anyone that hasn't read my latest chapter for Makings of a King, I announced there that I am working on redoing the previous chapter of this story. Apparently, people are not fans of OCs. Thank you to everyone let me know what they think, I almost expected to catch a lot more flack than I did. Originally, I was going to put that out along with this chapter, but things didn't work out that way. I'll try to get that chapter out with my next update for this story. I'm trying to find a good balance between Natsu being vindictive and making things somewhat balanced for what I have planned.
Speaking of which I want to give a shout out to The God Fist and SomeGuy717. Those two provided some great insight that was extremely helpful, and I cannot thank you two enough.
I wish I had more to say with this AN
Anyways, onto reviews
The God Fist: Thank you so much for your review. Reviews like yours are extremely helpful and I cannot describe how appreciative I am of that. Glad you're happy about Juvia being in the harem. I laughed more than I should have when I saw that that is what made you say this story is great for you.
Cairo Blackflame: Funny you should draw a similarity between my stories Natsu and Goku because I'm not the biggest Dragonball fan. Nothing against that series, it's just not my favorite.
Moon Ashura: The years being incorrect was an intentional mistake. It was a convenient excuse to give Natsu a few more years of training. Unfortunately, there's nowhere to explain that and not seem out of place. Plus, this story is AU to an extent.
Username6166: That wasn't the plan or my intention, but pretty much. Rallo was the set up for something I had for the future, those plans are scrapped btw, and I didn't think for second that there was another fire god slayer. At times I can be a dumbass… a lot of times, actually.
Agile PvP: Glad you liked the fight, sorry that my updates are slow. I spend so much time working that I can unintentionally go a month or two without writing because I just don't have time and don't realize it. Also I spend a lot of time trying to figure out power scaling and try to be very conscious about how I work around it. Seeing a character get stomped is fun but it gets old if done too much. Hope you like this chapter.
SomeGuy717: Once again, thank you for taking the to talk to me about OCs it was a huge help. Hope you like the redo of the previous chapter.
That's it for the reviews. Like always let me know what you think in the reviews. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in a review and I'll respond in the next update or PM me and I'll respond as soon as I can. Usually within a day or two.
Anyways, next update covers team Fallen Fairy first S Class Mission. Thanks again to AnonDr for the name. After that, there is only one more chapter before finally getting to cannon.
Ok, I have to get ready for an Avatar concert.
Till next time
Mreh.