If Team Natsu was expecting a standard fight, they would be mistaken as Alex and Kenith showed that they were more than equals to the S-Rank Wizards, their blows and strikes tearing trenches and trails through the plant life and breaking through to Akane Beach as even the wildlife that picked fights were nothing more than cowering critters and those that did pick a fight with them...
Well, Natsu was glad NOT to be picking a fight with either of them as they could and would waste him in seconds if they were rather ticked off. They paled to the rest of the fight where Alex downed fruity juice in seconds while Kenith downed a ten-ton barrel of some fizzy drink called 'Noca-Nola' before they went at the battle again, every powerful strike blasting shockwaves across the sands and trees, some didn't even meet before they erupted with sheer power that made them stand taller than even Wizard Saints. Truly, they were powers beyond Wizards as they tired again before Alex smiled as he held up a finger and Kenith groaned before both pulled out blackboards and chalked one up and planted them in the sand, the tally being in Alex's favor of two hundred and seventy four matches won, to Kenith's two hundred and seventy three won and three ties.
Kenith huffed as he folded his arms. "You got lucky...!"
"Maybe, but out of five hundred and fifty matches, I have taken the lead after deadlocking for forty times." Alex smirked as he rested his hands on his hips in speaking. "Now that we got some tension out of the way, we should address our present party." Their eyes landed on the assembled Team Natsu and both Happy and Natsu gulped in a sweat, worrying Erza, Lucy, and Gray of what could be so terrifying before Alex spoke. "Happy, Natsu, I hope that you have been keeping up with your training."
"A-Aye, Sir!" Gray was freaked out as Natsu only acted like Happy when Erza was keeping an eye on them as Kenith pulled up a seat on a tree stump there in speaking.
"If we are talking training up their skills and abilities, I find that Erza is the least advanced in those here." The other members shook their heads in terror as Kenith continued, meeting eye contact and causing Titania to freeze. "You have a menagerie of armors and weapons, that is clear and it is all good to know, but as for reaction, you are average in switching armors on a fly, I give it a decent three seconds of switching up, and that is one, maybe two seconds off of the fight and battle, seconds you could use in keeping pace, closing the gap, or even getting distance for more ranged fights." Kenith voiced and Erza paused in thinking on how that could be done as Alex took up the conversation.
"As for Lucy, her skills with the Celestial Spirits is remarkable, but without them, she is up a creek without a paddle, so improving her skill with a whip will make her more of a threat, but she could learn of another way of how to use her Celestial Magic." Alex rolled his wrist as he voiced. "But before we get into that, can someone please insult the Celestial Spirit Law and get Leo back in, an audience is required to even talk to the big guy." Lucy paled at the notion of insulting the Celestial Spirit King, but the comment about Leo got her attention as she spoke.
"What do you mean, Leo is one of the Golden Zodiacs, why would he need to go back in?" Alex opened his mouth before he huffed.
"Right, I didn't finish when I went teleporting about the world while speaking to Cana." Alex ran a hand down his face and hummed before he breathed. "Leo... was banished from ever returning to the Celestial Spirit world, on account of his previous Wizard's death, but the context to that is that the previous holder, Karen Lilica, was a sadistic and cruel Wizard who didn't view the Spirits as people, just tools." Lucy's brow furrowed and her face took on anger as Alex spoke. "She carried the Keys of both the Ram and the Lion, and had planned to torture Aries on being told to be more respectful by Blue Pegasus Master Bob, but Leo took her place and remained in the Human World to force her to sever the contracts, but she was completely stubborn and a fool, she perished for trying to summon a second Spirit against a killer of Celestial Wizards." Alex pulled up a knee as he spoke. "Aries is still elsewhere, but Leo was forced to reduce use of his power for his mistake, as the law punishes those that are responsible for the death of their Wizard, directly or not." Natsu started to put the pieces together as he spoke.
"Huh? You mean that Loke is just Leo, but on reduced magic use? How long is a Spirit suppose to exist in the human world, exactly?" Gray and Erza met the same thought, now that Natsu mentioned it, but Lucy changed expression to shock, that the playboy of Fairy Tail was a Celestial Spirit and one that was supposed to be the most powerful among them.
"They shouldn't, Natsu, forcing them to exist in the Human World is torture to them." Kenith answered as he slumped forward with a arm holding up his face, the elbow on his knee. "Even a week could murder a Spirit, but Leo held out for three months before Karen died and now it marks the fourth year since her death that he has been here." Kenith spoke with a solemn tone and that sent alarms in their heads as Alex nodded.
"Before we can start, you should save Loke first, grab Levy as she could easily puzzle out the whole thing out and make a clear case for him, we will be waiting." Without any further words, the Team rushed off to find Loke and save him as the two were joined by a third, stepping out from behind one of the trees as she spoke, now in a red tank top, demin pants, and a bomber jacket as a small scar could be seen around her right eye, like fractured glass, as a remainder of what her final act had done and the price of it in her mind.
"I got to say, I was not expecting you to throw them off with that."
"Quite the opposite, in saving Leo, Lucy will get her hands on another one of the Golden Zodiacs, to join the ranks of Aquarius, Taurus, Virgo, Cancer, and Sagittarius. In doing this, we will have corrected an error in judgement among the Spirits and helped heal the wounds that were left in the gaps of Leo's banishment." Alex clasped his hands together as he continued to Ur's approach of watching them go, the Fairy Tail mark on her abdomen in grey which was done in secret, quite the amount of work done before Phantom Lord had ATTEMPTED their attack.
"Plus, there is also that... resort that they would need to go to."
"It is possible..." Alex hummed as he continued. "We will have to be sure, if that is the case, but I doubt that it will be a real problem. Still, we will only intervene should it be more than they can handle, even with the limited training we can give them." Ur chuckled as she spoke with watching them head off.
"That's good, makes me a bit better if I get a bit more training and practice in and teach that to my students." She turned to Alex and Kenith in smiling. "So, what is first on the agenda, now that you have used some some energy." Both smiled as Kenith spoke.
"Lyon uses animal constructs and thinks that one-hand casting is more powerful, but it is more agile in reactions and less powered."
"Gray uses two-hand casting, like you, but uses objects and environment features to his attacks."
"Let's see if we can get you casting both animal and object, while also incorporating humanoid casting to your skill set." Both answered as one and Ur felt fear as she mentally thought to herself.
'It seems I chose a bad time to come back to life, I am going to die again if I let my guard down for even a minute around these two.' It was an exaggeration, but the feeling was there as both of them helped Ur learn to use her magic again, even feeling out the difference between single-hand and dual-hand casting before pushing her to use more humanoid concepts in testing, the best one was the Ice-Make Golem, it is classed as an object, but it is brought to life via magic or artificial life methods and it shaped to whatever the maker, user, or Wizard wants it to be for, whether it is support, combat, or utility. It is all up to the mind and the value of that use that is the Wizard's choice and Ur is one of the best of a teacher and she picking up these will allow her to grow from her past and be much stronger, Deliora may have been gone, but there was no telling when another powerful force will rise to cause destruction upon the world.
Team Natsu were fast in finding Levy, recruiting her for Loke's aid, and finding the playboy just in time to notice him starting to flicker out before Lucy tried to open his gate to send him back, alerting the big man to what was happening.
In truth, the law was in place for a reason, but reviewing it over and even getting some feedback from Aries on the character in question, the King came to the conclusion that what Leo had done was not in the name of harming the Wizard, rather to protect Aries and have said Wizard sever the contracts to prevent them from abusing the contract anymore, it was her own fault for not swallowing her pride and just accepting the demands from Leo, he was not wrong in doing it, but then it would make the law the thing in error and he corrected it by giving Leo back his connection and letting him rest his energy after four years of torturing and punishing himself while his key fell into Lucy's hands and everyone commenting on a job well done for her before Erza froze in realizing something.
"...We were just sent to help Loke, could this have been a test?" Team Natsu froze as well in realizing that, while they could have trained with the powerful duo, they were instead sent off to help a banished Celestial Spirit, an act that showed that they cared more over training and that was bothering Erza somehow as they quickly made their way back, thanking Levy for her help, and returning to a shift change in the location.
At first glance, everything was perfectly the same and it looked like they were waiting for the members to return, but Gray and Erza perceived a bit more as there was a brief chill in the air, like ice was being used there and it was still lingering around, but they didn't get to put that into perception before Alex spoke with glancing up. "Welcome back, and you have shown to be a worthy user for the lesson I intend to teach, Lucy Heartfilia."
"Oh, so... it was a test... in saving Leo...?" Lucy asked as Alex hummed with giving a fifty-fifty.
"Partially, saving him is what a decent person should do, he is a close friend and ally and should not be left to suffer, but it also will serve you in this as Celestial Wizards can use this with any of the Golden Zodiacs, but with a solid base of trust and understanding, they will also be willing to provide that strength for you." He waved for the members to take a seat back and they heeded it, doing so as Alex stood up and loomed over Lucy in speaking. "This lesson is on Star Dress, hosting the power of a Celestial Spirit in the form of their borrowed magical energy, a change in wardrobe with their mark on you, and giving you a larger reserve of power to use spells that one can't normally do on their magic alone."
"Uh, okay..." Lucy breathed with a bit of fear before Alex spoke in running her through the process.
"First, pull out one of your Golden Zodiacs." Lucy pulled out Aquarius's key and Alex deadpanned as he huffed. "Someone OTHER than the bitchy mermaid who mocks everyone and insults them in the same line." Lucy let out an uneasy chuckle before she returned the Key and pulled out Taurus's and Alex nodded as he spoke. "Next, letting your body act as a door, insert the key into your chest and turn it." Lucy nodded as she breathed and followed suit, inserting the key as it plunged into her body, magic overflowing from her before she changed, her clothes changing into a bra and sleeves; they of cow print, cow bell chocker, gloves, boots, and pants, the right leg exposed, as she now donned a bag and a belt, the Zodiac of Taurus on the belt buckle while her hair was done up in two buns with hair hanging down the front of her face before she blinked and looked squeaking as she covered up, a whip also in hand.
"What the heck is this!?"
"Lucy..." Alex tapped his foot and she gulped to the strict tone as she removed her arms to bear it as Alex spoke. "This is only the Star Dress for Taurus, but in using it, you will find that your physical prowess is increased tenfold, so best not use Lucy Kick on Natsu or Gray, you would seriously shatter ribs if you were to do it to them."
"Which is why you will be using it on me." Kenith answered and Lucy steeled herself as she readied and Alex raised his hand before chopping.
"Begin!" Lucy was first, her whip lashing out and Kenith forming a earthen barrier and all watched at the barrier was completely destroyed under the whip's strike before she lashed out with striking the ground, shockwaves tearing through the grounds toward Kenith before he slammed his hands into the earth, erupting it up and having the shockwaves impacting the sudden defense before Kenith jumped and swung, Lucy reacting with her own fist, both colluding before both flew, Kenith skidding while Lucy went flying with nearly getting skid marks when Alex caught her from it as he commented. "You see, this is what happens when you have a bit less strength to someone who can lift a mountain as a past time."
"Ohhh..." Lucy moaned as the Star Dress undid itself and Alex hummed.
"Ah, the Loke matter might have drained her reserves a bit more than I was expecting, she should have been able to use Star Dress a bit longer before timing out." He shook his head in leaving her against one of the trees as he returned to the field. "Magic is many things, but like the human body, there is always a limit to how much you can take, and I would prefer that you all know your limits before I help in instructing." Alex answered in tapping his fingers on his left arm in a fold. "Power, speed, reaction, and will. What my brother and I will do is enhance these as we train you to higher limits of your magic, Natsu is getting a grip on that in utilizing Dragon Force, but for the rest of you..." He smiled as he spoke, sending fear into all of them. "You haven't learned and so, I will teach you how to get much stronger, to unlock those reserves within and use them in your day-to-day lives." On that day, they knew what Natsu went through, and while they were sure that they would come out better than before...
...They now understood what scared Happy so and started to bring Natsu down to level, Alex was a taskmaster, he will ensure you do alright, but he will cut you off until you have either fully understood and grasped the ideas and method or fall flat in exhaust and he lets you off the hook for the day. He is a teacher who understands how the magic can be meant and how it can be used, but he levels it out as a balance, a practice of humility and power, a lesson he grapples with often, but understands how it works in measures as Gray learned that, while One-Hand Casting is weaker, it also allows the freedom of rapid attacks and testing the waters, the concept of not bringing the best to bear if you find that they are not all that powerful, even showing the barred signs of Devil-Slayer Magic, but it was locked and how to unlock it was to either get empowered by the former Devil-Slayer or unlock it through more training and focus, something that Gray was unsure he could manage right then.
Erza decreased her Requip period a tad, making her more quicker to the strike, but also showing the slight signs of trying to call forward the Nakagami Armor, but getting flickered for trying too hard, Magic was not meant to be rushed and both Kenith and Alex scolded her for attempting to use an Armor that was far beyond her magical strength right then.
The sessions opened their minds to the possibilities and how to use those to the best abilities and with a calm mind and they would invite the others to better themselves for any future missions that they may do or to overcome barriers planted in their minds from doubt, pain, or loss...
Jellal flexed his hand in recovering from his brief pain of fighting the Trinity Raven and winning, they didn't make it easy, but he came out on top and turned them back over to their dark guild, stating 'I had a lot on my mind and, while they are great at being assassins, I don't need assassins, not any more'.
He opened his eyes to the board in front of him, representing his friends, him, and in the likely event of Erza getting his message, the members of Team Natsu, including a Wizard with a bounty hunter appearance to him, this 'Alex Arcturus'. He breathed in moving Simon, Sho, Millianna, and Wally toward the Team Natsu pieces and spoke with sitting back. "I hope that she is willing to hear me out, after so many years of just leveling her with a threat, I am half-expecting a blade to the chest before this is over..." Siegrain had also reported that the prep work has been done and Ultear clarified that it will be done, the Magic Council has been slipping up, this was to get them fixing things up in a more proper fashion, whether it was reorganizing the guard, filling in the gaps or otherwise, things were not looking too good for the Council, after all, Lullaby is one such case that showed that a change in guard was deeply required...