Hi everyone. Thanks again for your patience, now we continue on with the S-Class trials as Cana's and Dante's teams have passed their trials while Natsu has come face-to-face with Gildarts, more than ready to brawl. This won't be exactly like how it was in the cannon series, but Gildarts still has something very important to teach Natsu as they duke it out. Consider this an early Christmas present to all my followers who have joined me on this journey. So, without further delay, let us get started.

Trial by Fire and Fear

Lisanna and Trish had chosen Route J which took them towards a large stone bridge with a massive lake down below, but before they could consider crossing, they stood facing the opposing team on the other side of the bridge.

"Well, safe to say that this is a Combat Route." Lisanna pointed out as she and Trish took combative stances.

"You think? I'm just glad we're not up against an S-Classer." Trish stated as they faced the duo of Juvia and Modeus.

"I had hopped this would have been the Serenity Route." Modeus said in a disappointed sigh. "I'm not too fond of facing off against my friends."

"Neither am I." Juvia admitted. "However, if we are to succeed then we must! Water Slicer!" Juvia launched a torrent of sharpened-water blades at the pair; forcing them to scatter as Trish shot a bolt of lightning at the attack to dissipate it and turn into a plum of steam. However, before Trish could make a move again, she was forced to draw the Devil Sword Sparda to block Modeus' sword strike as he launched himself at her.

Trish flipped and landed in the middle of the bridge as she squared off with Modeus. "I apologize Trish, but I cannot allow you to pass."

"Yeah that's nice of you, but I'm not losing!" Trish replied as she pulled out her Luce and Ombre guns and shot multiple electric bullets at Modeus who drew his second sword and swung both his blades at a blinding rate to intercept all the bullets.

"Take Over: Animal Soul: Snake-Arms!" Lisanna's arms transformed into green and pink snakes which she lashed out at Juvia to try and ensnare her, but her arms just fell through Juvia's water body, much to her frustration.

"Have you forgotten? My body can change between solid and liquid whenever I choose thanks to my water magic." Juvia informed. "Your physical attacks will have no effect on me. Water Cane!" Her right arm transformed into an elongated whip of water which she lashed out at Lisanna who rolled back and out of the way.

"Take Over: Harpy!" In a flash of light, Lisanna had transformed into her harpy and lunged at Juvia, but as usual, she just passed through her liquid body.

"I already told you. Your physical attacks will not hurt…" Juvia soon found herself looking in surprise as she felt a strong wind blowing around her. She looked up in greater surprise to see Lisanna hovering in the air above her, flapping her wings rapidly to create a powerful gust of wind.

"Physical attacks maybe, but let's see you try and hit me inside a tornado!" Lisanna channeled a little extra magic into her wings to give then a boost so they could beat and flap faster, creating a powerful whirlwind, something that Juvia had a hard time standing in as she felt her clothes and hair blowing back, she even slid back.

"Clever…" Juvia grunted. "But not clever enough… Water Dome!" Juvia used her magic to pull water from below the bridge to encompass herself in a dome; which protected her from Lisanna's improved wing attack. But Lisanna didn't get a chance to retaliate as a large torrent of water shot out through the dome, hit Lisanna and pulled her in before shooting itself down into the lake of water below, along with both young women.

"Crap! This is bad!" Trish had seen what had happened and knew that Juvia had the advantage if she was completely submerged in water, but before she could make any move closer; she was put on the defensive as Modeus shot at her, locking blades.

"I would advise paying more attention to the enemy in front of you." Modeus told Trish before they sliced their swords at one another. However, since Modeus had two blades in his hand, Trish was put on the defensive as she could barely block the strikes from both swords. She attempted to jump back and gain some distance as she swung the Sparda sword to send a large wave of blue lightning at Modeus who responded with a similar technique.

"Demon Sword: Phantom Moon!" Modeus swung one of his blades to launch a volley of crescent-moon energy projectiles. The front most ones cancelled out Trish's attack as several more from behind came directly for Trish herself as she pulled out both her pistols again to shoot at the incoming projectiles. However, this left her open as Modeus had appeared above her to strike down with both his swords; slashing at Trish's back and sending her rolling across the bridge; where she quickly got the feet and brought up the Sparda sword once more to block Modeus' blades.

"You are skilled Trish." Modeus acknowledged. "However, you seem to focus too much on what's in front of you. While this can be helpful in defeating your enemy, it also leaves you vulnerable to an attack outside your field of focus."

Trish jumped back. "I'll keep that in mind." She glanced back towards the water, something Modeus noticed.

"You're worried about Lisanna. I'm certain Juvia won't do anything to hurt her too badly, but she has total advantage in the water. So, I'm sorry, but the odds don't seem to be in your favor."

"You think so huh?" Trish smirked. "Sure, that water-chick might have the advantage in her element, but the kid's got more than a few tricks up her sleeve to. I'm not worried, I'm just upset because I can't see what she can do."

Meanwhile in the water; Juvia's body solidified as she looked around but couldn't seem to find her opponent. "Are you trying to hide from me?" She called out. "It's futile, no matter where you hide, you cannot escape me forever. I control all the water here, you cannot…" She was interrupted as she was caught off guard by a projectile that shot and appeared to have torn her body in half, but since it was made out of water, Juvia herself was fine.

"I'm not hiding. Just waiting for the right chance to strike." Lisanna revealed herself. She appeared to be in a dark blue-grey bathing suit with claws on her hands and feet, small but sharp fish-like fins on her arms and legs, gills on her neck, and even some fangs in her teeth. "Take Over: Animal Soul: Barracuda!"

Before Juvia could try and re-form her body, Lisanna shot at her at blinding speed to slice up what remains of her water body with claws and fangs. "Some predators don't go hunting in broad daylight, they wait for the right moment to strike so they can tear their prey apart." Normally Lisanna wasn't this ruthless, but given how strong her opponent was, Lisanna knew she had to get serious if she was going to win.

Juvia's shocked look on her seemingly severed head became serious as water streams formed around her and she re-constructed her waterbody with almost no effort.

"I see, that transformation grants you incredible speed and devastating blows in the water. Clever." Juvia nodded. "However, how can said predator hope to win when her entire environment is her enemy?" The water around Juvia began to surge as Lisanna readied herself for another strike.

Meanwhile; after clearing the first round, Lucy felt it was a good idea to cool off and take a break by lying in a lake next to a waterfall, and she was enjoying it.

"This is exactly what I needed." Lucy said with a relaxed sigh. "Feels great."

Cana didn't seem to feel as relaxed, however. "I've never seen anyone get over-heated so easily."

"It's not my fault it's so freaking hot out here." Lucy replied as she continued to cool off.

Cana sighed. "Hey, we should get going."

"What's with the rush?" The duo looked up in surprise to see Dante and Lady walk onto the scene. "We just got here to." The red-clad Devil hunter said with a smirk as he took off his jacket.

"Oh Dante, you and Lady just finished?" Lucy sat up in the water with a relaxed smile. "Congratulations."

"You to blondie." Lady said as she laid down in the water as well. She gave a relaxed sigh of her own. "Oh yeah, this feels good."

"See? Glad to know someone agrees with me." Lucy said as she continued to relax in the water along with her friend.

Cana looked to see Dante walking toward the water fall as he splashed the water all over his body and throughout his hair. "Dante passed… great." She looked down, feeling as though her chance of passing this trial dropped significantly.

"Oh, by the way, nice job." Dante said as he stepped out of the waterfall. "Actually, made it to the next round, so who'd you beat?"

Cana hesitated slightly before answering. "Freed and Bickslow."

Dante looked a bit impressed. "Heard those guys were really tough fighters. And you actually beat them, nice." Dante gave a thumbs up, but Cana didn't seem as victorious.

"Yeah, it was pretty cool." Lucy continued to relax. "So, who'd you go up against?"

"Oh no one, just a certain she-devil." Lady said in an equally relaxed tone.

Cana looked in total shock. "You guys beat Mira?!"

"Well what'd you expect?" Dante asked. "Two experienced devil hunters against a She-Devil? Yeah, I'd say we could handle." This caused Cana to look even further down.

"Yeah, makes sense." Lucy seemed to agree.

"What's with this laid-back attitude of yours?" Lady asked, feeling just as laid-back herself. "You're normally one of the most worked-up girls I know."

"Like you're not feeling too laid-back yourself." Lucy teased as he stuck her leg out.

Route D

Meanwhile; Elfman and Evergreen had traversed through a massive, half-flooded, man-made tunnel toward a large cluster of ruins. As the two stood on top of a pile of rubble, they looked in absolute terror at the opponent they would be facing.

"Great… we are so screwed…" Elfman grunted.

"Of all the people to run into… why'd have to be her…?" Evergreen voiced in frustration and fear herself.

Erza Scarlet, also known as Titania, stood tall on a large pile of ruins, high over them, fully quipped in her Heaven's Wheel armor as she gazed down at her opponents.

"The master may have chosen you, Elfman; but I am the one who has final say over whether or not you are truly worthy. Are you?"

As Elfman cowered in fear, Evergreen looked more than a little peeved over being ignored. "Hello!? I'm here! You gotta fight me to you know!"

Route E

Natsu and Gildarts stared each other down, both of them had confident grins on their faces. "I should warn you; I've never been good at holding back in a fight." Gildarts said. "So, this will be quick."

This only seemed to make Natsu even more excited. "I'm fired up now!" However, Happy didn't seem to share that excitement as he was already dragging Natsu's bag of supplies toward the exit. "Uh Happy? What the heck are you doing?"

"Figured we might as well go home." Happy commented, thinking Natsu didn't stand a chance.

"Have some faith in me little buddy." Natsu said as he cracked his knuckles. "If you really think about it, Gildarts should be scared of me. I'm gonna kick his ass and I won't let up till I hear him say 'mercy'!"

"Fine, mercy." Gildarts deadpanned.

"You can't say that yet!" Natsu's eyes comically popped in anger. "I hadn't even lain a hand on ya!" His right fist lit on fire. "I'm coming for ya Gildarts! I got a heck of a lot stronger over the last three years, and I can't wait to show ya!"

Gildarts didn't seem as eager to get started yet. "Now wait one-minute Natsu, try to calm down, would you?" Natsu however was already charging in. "I'm not ready to begin our fight just yet. Stay back."

"You shouldn't rush in like that Natsu!" Happy called to him. "He could pulverize his opponents!"

But it was too late, Natsu had already laid a punch that was blocked by Gildarts' palm. It dealt a strong and powerful explosion which seemed to encompass Gildarts, but Gildarts wasn't even scratched. He went on the offensive as he used raw magic power to blast Natsu back.

"I warned you!" Happy called out.

The smoke cleared to reveal an empty crater in front of Gildarts. "Geeze kid, how many times have I told ya? Holding back in battle isn't exactly my thing."

Happy looked in shock as tears fell down his eyes. "No… how could you… poor guy's been blown to smithereens."

"Yeah right! He wishes!" Natsu appeared just above Gildarts. The Salamander landed a powerful flaming knee strike to Gildarts' head, but he was barley affected as he sent another blast of raw magic down below to shatter the ground and cushion the blow. Happy's jaw dropped out of surprise while Gildarts had something of a proud smile on his face.

"There's more where that came from!" Natsu was on the attack again with both his fists lit aflame. He tried to punch Gildarts, but he blocked each strike with his arm before driving his elbow into Natsu's face, but Natsu was quick to recover as he jumped back and shot at Gildarts again. However, when Gildarts glanced at Natsu, the Salamander stopped just briefly. For one brief second in his mind, he saw Vergil glaring at him in his place, which caused Natsu to falter slightly; letting Gildarts smack the back of his hand in Natsu's face before driving his fist into his head and into the ground.

"HE'S BEATING HIM SILLY!" Happy comically screamed

Gildarts looked in minor surprise. "He hesitated for a second. That's odd."

Natsu tried to pull himself up. "No, why am I thinking about him? He isn't here! Gotta focus on Gildarts!" He was quick to spin his feet as he tried to launch a flaming-kick for Gildarts' head, but Gildarts caught the attack with his bare hand before comically spinning him in the air.

"Natsu's serious." Happy thought with a concerned expression. "You can tell by the look on his face."

Gildarts threw Natsu away, but he caught himself by digging his fingers into the ground before landing at the edge of the crater above Gildarts. "Fire Dragon Roar!" He launched one of the largest breath-attacks he could muster. This caused Gildarts to smile, guess Natsu hesitating earlier must have been a fluke.

"Yeah, you have gotten stronger, I'm proud of you Natsu." Gildarts thought before raising his hand to intercept the attack. "The Dragon Son." He used his crush magic to slice and dice through Natsu's attack. However, as Natsu saw Gildarts do this, his heart skipped a beat as he was instantly reminded of how Vergil would similarly slice through the same attack using Yamato. This hesitance was what prevented Natsu from getting out of the way in time as he was engulfed in the grid-like attack.

Happy looked in terror as he saw this, and even Gildarts was shocked "Uh oh."

Natsu was suddenly exploded in the form of little white particles. Happy's face was one of despair and shock as his tail fell.

"Natsu…?"

"Crap." Gildarts winced. "I overdid it."

"You jerk…" The shocked Happy already had tears coming down his eyes. "I'll never forgive you… This was just supposed to be a test! You killed him!"

"Relax, he's not dead." Gildarts told Happy. "It's not that kind of magic. Look up." Both of them looked up to see hundreds, maybe even thousands of one-inch-sized chibi-Natsus all falling to the ground with X's in their eyes. "Disassembly magic breaks its target down into tiny little pieces."

"THERE'S A TON OF NATSUS!" Happy comically screamed as all the mini-Natsus pilled everywhere, even on top of Happy.

"Don't worry, he'll go back to normal in a bit." Gildarts assured before had a small, yet regretful, smile on his face. "Unfortunately, this means your test is over Natsu. Sorry, but I can't pass you…"

"Not so fast, old geezer!" Gildarts looked in honest surprise to see all the mini-Natsus standing up and ready to fight. Each of them spoke how they weren't finished yet, just warming up, or just getting started; but they each said a different thing and spoke over the other, so it was impossible to tell what each individual was saying.

"PLEASE STOP!" Happy couldn't take it.

"Hey, I just came up with a brilliant idea!" One mini-Natsu said.

"Yeah, we should all gang up on Gildarts!" Another mini-Natsu agreed.

"You know what they say, great minds think alike!" A third mini-Natsu agreed as well before all the others got the same idea.

"Let's see you beat an army of Natsus!" All the mini-Natsus said before charging in. Gildarts had a sweatdrop on the back of his head but he couldn't help but laugh. "Well this is a first, I've never been challenged by a mini-army before." Yet, this also reminded him of all the times Natsu challenged him as a little kid.

Flashback – Many Years Ago

Gildarts had just returned home from a job and stretched his arms out. However, he didn't even get a chance to so much as sit down as Little Natsu dropped down from the ceiling for a surprise attack.

"Here I come!" Little Natsu exclaimed.

"Aye sir!" Little Happy flew in behind him.

"Fire Dragon Sword Horn!" Little Natsu delivered a flaming head-butt to Gildarts' head.

"Never saw it coming!" Little Happy cheered.

Gildarts merely groaned in annoyance. "Oh, it's just you."

"Of course! Wants some more? Or you gonna say 'mercy'?" Little Natsu challenged.

"Say it!" Little Happy challenged as well.

"Aw come on kid, I just got back into town." Gildarts said. "Don't you think I deserve some time to relax?"

"No way!" Little Natsu exclaimed immediately. "I'm about to beat your brains out right now!"

"Are you scared?" Little Happy teased.

"Fire Dragon…" Before Little Natsu could even land the attack, Gildarts comically sent him flying out of the house with a small smack of his fist.

"NATSU!" Little Happy comically screamed as he flew after him. Despite this round of annoyance, Gildarts couldn't help but smile in amusement. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't gotten attached to the little twerp and his antics.

Back outside; Little Happy had caught up to Natsu after he had landed and was comically pouting as he had a large and pulsating bump on his head. "Man, that hurts. I swear, that guy's gotta be some kind of monster."

"You gonna be okay?" Little Happy asked out of concern.

In direct response, Little Natsu was already back up on his feet. "Don't worry! I'm not letting that jerk beat me again!"

"Aye!"

Guildhall

"Gildarts!" Little Natsu marched towards the man as he sat at the bar alongside Little Lisanna. "I've been looking for you!"

"Yo." Gildarts waved casually.

"Hey, how's your day going Natsu?" Little Lisanna asked; but Little Natsu didn't provide an answer as he jumped straight for Gildarts with a flaming fist, only to be comically knocked down onto the floor with a karate chop.

"Instant KO!" Little Lisanna and Happy all exclaimed out of shock.

"At least have the decency to say hello when someone greats you." Gildarts lightly scolded. "Where are your manners, kid?"

"Sorry… Hello…" Little Natsu moaned from the broken floor with a massive bump on his head.

At the same time; Little Erza, Mira, and Elfman watched the event unfolding from a separate table; and it wasn't that surprising for any of them.

"Looks like he's at it again." Little Elfman observed as he held a book in his hand. "Ya think he would have learned by now."

"Give me a break, that bonehead will never learn." Little Mira said with a cocky smirk.

"Mira, he may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I think his courage is commendable." Little Erza complemented.

"Wow look at you, pulling out the big words today. You're so lame, you probably don't even know what commendable means." Little Mira mocked, much to Little Erza's irritation as Little Elfman sunk into his book to avoid being caught in the crossfire as both girls butted heads.

"If you got something to say, then go ahead and say it you simple-minded scrumpet!" Little Erza stated.

"Quit trying to act like you're so much better than me or I'm gonna knock your teeth in, got it!" Little Mira challenged.

However, Little Natsu had recovered and was more than ready to challenge Gildarts again. "Know what happens after hello?" He challenged with an evil grin.

"Oh, I know!" Little Happy voiced excitedly.

"Fire Dragon Talon to the head!" Little Natsu suddenly delivered a flaming kick right to the back of Gildarts' head, forcing him to spit out his drink.

"Cheap shot!" Little Lisanna scolded.

However, Gildarts wasn't at all upset, but instead he gave his own sinister grin right to Natsu, causing him to look comically terrified.

"Scary!" Little Natsu and Lisanna didn't like the look on his face before Gildarts flicked his fingers to send Little Natsu flying through the ceiling.

"You're on Natsu!" Gildarts stood up excitedly. "Let's take this outside!"

"That works, he's already outside." Little Happy put in.

This seemed to get the attention of the other kids present, even Mira and Erza as they continued to wrestle with one another.

"I think we should call a truce this once." Little Mira suggested. "Their fight's gonna be way more brutal than ours."

"Good point, let's go check it out." Little Erza agreed as they followed Gildarts outside.

"Everybody's sure getting their panties in a wad over this." Little Gray stated.

"So, you're not gonna go watch with them?" Little Elfman asked.

"I never said that." Little Gray said before turning to Little Cana at the table across from him working on her cards. "What about you Cana? Are you gonna go watch the fight?"

"Me? Uh… no I'll stay here." She answered somewhat timidly, much to Little Gray's confusion.

"Okay…?"

Outside

Little Natsu roared as he tried to attack Gildarts with multiple melee-attacks, but Gildarts countered each of them with no effort whatsoever, resulting in Little Natsu ending up on the ground. But that didn't stop him from getting back up again, if only to end up back on the ground again a second later. Little Erza, Mira, Gray, Elfman, and Lisanna all watched the one-sided fight either with interest or worry for Natsu; but they all had a good idea how this would end.

"You haven't gotten a single hit in yet Natsu!" Little Happy cried as the child Dragon Slayer laid comically smoking on the ground.

"Shut up… I know…"

"What's the matter?" Gildarts asked. "Don't tell me that's all you got."

Little Natsu struggled to stand up. "Let me tell you something, Gildarts."

"Yeah?"

"I know you're powerful… you're the strongest guy in the whole guild!"

"You're looking pretty wobbly there." Little Happy observed.

"That's why I've gotta beat you! It'll happen someday…" That was the last thing Little Natsu said before he fell flat on his back with swirls in his eyes, signaling his defeat.

"You know it's kinda hard to take what you're saying seriously when you just keel over like that Natsu." Little Happy said as he hovered over him.

Despite that, Little Natsu stuck out his finger straight towards Gildarts. "We're gonna fight… it'll happen… someday…"

Gildarts couldn't help but smile at this, deeply impressed by Natsu's stubbornness and determination. "Kay, but I'm warning now, I won't hold back, or loose…."

End Flashback.

All the micro-Natsus roared as they leapt towards Gildarts.

"IT'S A HORDE OF MINI-NATSUS!" Happy screamed.

Gildarts smiled and laughed slightly. "Here we go again."

Route J

Trish meanwhile continued to clash her sword against Modeus' own blades. She thrusted the Devil Sword Sparda, the blade extending from the handle and spinning like a helicopter blade, forcing Modeus back as Trish charged the sword with lightning to slash at Modeus, blasting one blade out of his hand. He jumped backwards towards the far end of the bridge with Trish rushing in pursuit. As their battle continued, Modeus glanced at the sword Trish was using and couldn't help but smile nostalgically, being reminded of his time training under Sparda; though Trish's own style was nothing like his, it did bring up some good memories; but of course, Modeus was not about to let his nostalgia get the better of him as he channeled red chaotic energy into his remaining blade.

"Demon Sword: Chaotic Moon!" He shot a large spectral image of a blood red moon with chaotic energy surging around it straight at Trish; forcing her to jump back as she thrusted her hands forward to shoot a large blast of lightning at the projectile; but this proved to be a mistake as the attack caused it to explode; sending a large shockwave of red demonic energy and demon lightning all over the area; destroying the bridge and forcing both demons flying and landing somewhat gracefully on the opposite ridges, facing one another.

Meanwhile; debris from the destroyed bridge fell into the water below as Lisanna, still in her Barracuda Take-Over, swam like a bullet as she propelled herself at a piece of ruble sinking down, and jumped off that to slash at Juvia, tearing up her water body before coming to a halt at another piece of debris and repeating the same process.

"If I can slash her body faster than she can repair it, I might be able to beat her." Lisanna thought to herself, however, it seems Juvia may have caught onto her opponent's strategy as what remained of her body faded into the water and disappeared, much to Lisanna's confusion.

"You believe that if you can beat me by keep me from attacking, right?" Juvia's voice echoed throughout the water as Lisanna tried to look for the source. "I'm not sure you quite understand the nature of my abilities. I don't just control water, I am water." Lisanna was suddenly pulled into a raging vortex and gave a scream as she was sucked into it. "Simply put, you are inside me; while your ability to transform may provide an advantage, it can hardly compensate when your opponent is literally the environment around you."

Lisanna closed her eyes and tried to focus. "She's right… I can barely make things out in this whirlpool. Come on think! What would Natsu do at a time like this?!" Suddenly her eyes widened as she got an idea.

"Take Over: Dragon Soul!" Lisanna's body was engulfed in a small explosion of fire, though it was quickly extinguished by the water, the force was enough to blow away the whirlpool to reveal her Dragon Take Over form.

Juvia's face materialized in the water as she could only look confused. "I don't understand. She's smart enough to know that water trumps fire, so her own fire abilities are virtually useless. Not to mention she cannot breathe underwater in that form. Is she getting desperate?"

However, Lisanna actually had a plan, her body was engulfed in flames which she expanded and kept pouring her own power into them to keep the fire from being extinguished. As she kept this up however, steam was already beginning to form around her body, and even Juvia herself was beginning to feel the heat as she looked in surprise.

"Is she trying to evaporate the whole lake?!"

Modeus and Trish meanwhile continued their own battle above the water as they ran along the cavern walls. Trish shot Luce and Ombre with electrically charged bullets at Modeus, who was quick enough to block and deflect with both his swords. However, as they ran around the cavern, they both looked down to notice bubbles forming on the surface of the water below; and even steam flowing upward.

"The water is boiling?" Modeus questioned in thought and confusion.

"The kid's probably using her Dragon Take Over to try and evaporate the lake, or at least over-heat Juvia." Trish figured out. "Wait a minute…" An idea came to her as she smirked. She stopped running to jump outward from the wall and soar just above the lake, much to Modeus' confusion. However, confusion turned into shock as Trish thrusted both her hands downward to shoot a large bolt of her lightning straight into the over-heated water. Once it made contact…

*BOOM!*

The entire body of water exploded; shaking up the entire cavern. The shockwave was enough to blast back both Modeus and Trish to opposite ends of the cave, both of them having a rough landing; even Lisanna herself was flown out suddenly. She gave a slight scream but was able to spread out her wings and stabilize herself as she hovered in the air, trying to catch her breath as she looked down in surprise towards the steam flowing away from where the lake once stood.

The entire body of water seemed to have completely vanished, save for a few small stray puddles. Juvia herself laid unconscious on the ground, covered in bruises, her clothes slightly tattered as well; but she was more-or-less alright.

"What… the heck… was that?" Lisanna stuttered in surprise.

"Heh, a bit more explosive than I thought." Trish said, getting Lisanna's attention. "But all and all, I'd say it worked out pretty well."

"Trish? What did you just do?" Lisanna asked.

"I added a little lightning to the mix." Trish began to explain. "We all know what happens when lightning mixes with water; but if you add some fire or heat to the mix as well, you got yourself an instant bomb. In fact, if you add lightning and fire to a big enough body of water, you could create an explosion that could even flatten a mountain."

"WHAT?!" Lisanna's eyes were completely white as they almost popped out of her sockets. "I was just trying to evaporate the water not blow it up!"

"Yeah, sorry about that." Trish chuckled as she rubbed the back of her head. "But seeing as how Juvia could control the water, I don't think she was gonna give you enough time to heat it up enough."

"How about a little warning next time you do that." Lisanna said in a sigh.

Modeus looked down in surprise. "Impressive; I knew they were powerful, but to deliver this kind of destruction with an improvised strategy… their combined power is nothing to scoff at." Modeus didn't have time to continue pondering as both enemies appeared next to him. Lisanna fiercely grabbed his left arm with both her dragon-claws as Trish held his right arm in one hand while holding the Sparda sword right under his chin, the tip less than an inch away from his neck.

"So, you wanna keep going?" Trish asked.

However, Modeus merely sighed as he gave a small smile. "I surrender."

Lisanna was slightly surprised, but still let go along with Trish. "You're not gonna keep fighting?"

"I don't see a way I can beat you, not with my partner defeated." Modeus said.

"You could just use your Devil Trigger." Trish pointed out. "I doubt the two of us would stand a chance if you did."

"Perhaps." Modeus began. "However, I don't have complete mastery over my transformation quite yet. If I were to let loose, I run the risk of seriously hurting the two of you, or worse."

"Eh… yeah I see your point." Lisanna laughed nervously.

"Aside from that, Juvia asked me not to." Modeus added, much to their confusion.

Flashback

Just before Lisanna and Trish arrived, Juvia had made the request for Modeus not to use his full power, though he himself seemed rather confused by it.

"You do not wish for my help?" Modeus asked.

"That's not what I meant." Juvia began. "I greatly appreciate any help you'd be willing to give. But I'm the one being tested; I have to be able to win this with my own strength. If I depend too much on you or any of my friends and comrades, I'll never get stronger. If I am to become S-Class, or worthy of Gray's affection, I must be willing to pull my own weight without becoming too reliant on others. I need to win this!"

End Flashback

"Awe, that's so sweet." Lisanna said with a sweetly smile.

"You're a real gentleman, pretty boy." Trish smirked as she nudged Modeus with her arm.

"I am a demon of my word." Modeus said. "Though I couldn't use my full power, I could still do what I am able to try and help her win. That is why I battled against you solely, Trish. I knew your lightning would be an effective match-up against Juvia's magic, so I believed that if I could keep you separated, we'd have the advantage. It would seem I'm mistaken."

"You weren't too far off." Lisanna said as she transformed from her Dragon Soul back to her normal appearance. "Honestly, I was getting a bit desperate down there. I never tried using my Dragon Soul's fire like that, and I wasn't sure if I'd pull it off. So, thanks for your help Trish… even if it was a little… excessive."

"No problem kid." Trish nodded.

"I just hope Juvia's okay." Lisanna voiced with concern as she looked to the unconscious Rain Woman.

"I'm certain she's fine." Modeus said as he began to slide down into the crater of where the body of water once stood. "I'll get her to the campsite that was set up for us." He picked her up bridal style as he turned back up to the two young women. "Congratulations on your victory, Lisanna and Trish, good luck going forward."

"Thanks, Modeus!" Lisanna waved as she turned to her partner. "Let's go!"

"Right." Trish nodded as they made their way to the exit, having passed their trial. As they walked down the cavern, Lisanna smiled.

"Thanks for volunteering to become my partner Trish. I had no idea you were that good." Lisanna told her.

"Don't sell yourself so short kiddo, you're plenty good yourself. I can see why the old-man choose you." Trish had an eager smirk on her face. "So, what do you say we get you that S-Class rank huh?"

Lisanna mirrored her partner's smirk. "Yeah! Let's do it!" They exchanged a high-five as they continued onward.

Route E

All the Mini-Natsus leapt up towards Gildarts in an attempt to swarm him, but he swiped his cape and threw in just a small hint of his own magic to force back all the Mini-Natsus and send them flying. Several more tried to overwhelm him, only for him to swat them back with his cape and for them to all comically pile on top of each other with X's in their eyes.

But they weren't done yet as several landed on his head and bit down onto his face, much to Gildarts' comic surprise. They even began to pull on his mouth and eyelids as a few more landed on his shoulder to punch, jump down on, or bite. It looked like something out of a silly cartoon.

"Better watch out!" Two dozen Mini-Natsus leapt in front of him. "Fire Dragon Roar!" They all launched a simultaneous breath attack that engulfed Gildarts' entire head; though the combined fire was small in on itself, due to all the tiny Natsus, it was enough to surprise Gildarts.

"There so creepy…" Happy didn't know what to make of it.

"You're annoying me!" Gildarts was able to shake off all the Mini-Natsus that piled on him. But they were quick to get back on their feet and challenge him again. Like before, they all spoke over each other, so it was hard for them to understand what they were all saying. And Gildarts was getting sick of it.

"Time to go back to normal, Natsu!" With a wave of his finger, Gildarts reversed his disassembly magic and all the Mini-Natsus were pulled together by a powerful force before they all merged back into one single regular-sized Natsu. However, he was smirking as Natsu was less than a foot away from his opponent's face.

"Here I come! Dragon Slayer Secret Art…!"

"Uh oh!" Gildarts was completely caught off-guard.

"… Flame Lotus Exploding Flame Blade!"

Both Natsu's arms were engulfed in fire as he spun his body and launched a massive torrent of flame on Gildarts as he tried to steel himself and block the attack. As Natsu pressed his attack however, he faltered slightly as when Gildarts glanced up with a slight glare, Natsu for a brief moment, saw the eldest son of Sparda glaring at him with cold eyes. However, Natsu tried to push all those feelings back as he kept up his attack.

"No… No! You're not him! You're… You're… YOU'RE NOT VERGIL!" Natsu exclaimed as he exploded the attack right into Gildarts. The explosion was enough to almost blow back Happy, but he steadied himself in the air with his Aera magic as he looked in total shock at the attack Natsu just made.

"Did he get him?" Happy wondered as the smoke began to clear.

Natsu stood firm, trying to catch his breath as he saw the Gildarts also standing with a serious look on his face, but his cape was almost completely blown apart with massive holes in it, and even Gildarts was forced back a few feet, his feet appearing at the end of skid marks in the ground.

"That's crazy!" Happy exclaimed out of shock. "You attacked him at full-power, and he didn't even flinch! Looks like it didn't faze him at all!"

"Yeah it did! You gotta take a closer look, Happy!" Natsu pointed to the skid marks on the ground. "The old man tried to stand firm, but my blast moved him back a few feet!" He even laughed. "Not to mention his cape is all messed up!"

Happy looked in honest surprise. "Did he really move him?! Now that I think about it, he's right! Gildarts didn't take a single step during this fight!" Happy's face suddenly became one of comic terror as he held his head and even screamed. "Wait, that's bad news for Natsu cause Gildarts barley moved and he still beat him!"

Natsu chuckled eagerly, but he almost lost his balance and even wobbled a bit on his feet. "You're wobbling like the last time you guys fought!" Happy exclaimed.

"I got this!" Natsu said stubbornly.

"Yeah sure you do… NOT!" Happy shouted.

Gildarts then smiled to the young Dragon Slayer. "Very impressive work, Natsu. This gave me a good feel for your skill-level. You may not have defeated me in battle, but as your examiner I think you deserve to move onto the next round."

Most people would have celebrated at that declaration, but not Natsu. "There's no way I'm giving up now! I'll beat you Gildarts! What's the point of moving up to S-Class if I can't even do that!"

"I'm not Vergil."

Suddenly, Natsu's ranting stopped as he looked to Gildarts in surprise, even Happy was caught off guard.

"That's an odd thing to say." Gildarts said as he looked to Natsu with a serious yet concerned expression. "I doesn't seem like your mind was entirely focused on this fight."

"Vergil? Why would Gildarts bring him up?"

"Dante's older brother, the eldest son of Sparda." Gildarts began. "Yeah, I heard about the guy. When I came back to the guild and met Dante, he told me about him. Plus, I heard from everyone else after that whole mess back at Temen-ni-gru. Not even the likes of Erza or Mira could beat him, even Dante lost." Gildarts glanced down to the diagonal-scar on Natsu's chest. "I never did ask about that scar of yours, Natsu. Am I right to assume that Vergil did that to you?"

Natsu instinctively held his scar with his hand as he remember Vergil in his Devil Trigger slicing at him back in their first fight. He tried to push that unpleasant memory aside as he had a defiant look on his face.

"Yeah? So, what if he did? Vergil's got nothing to do with this!"

"I'm not so sure about that." Gildarts contradicted. "It was brief, but I did notice a few moments where you hesitated, for maybe half a second, but you still hesitated. It's pretty clear that Vergil's left a mark on you Natsu, and I'm not talking about that scar on your chest."

"Forget that bastard!" Natsu exclaimed. "I'm gonna kick that guy's ass when I see him! But first I'm gonna kick your ass! So, let's stop yapping and get on fighting!"

Gildarts had a serious look on his face. "I see, you still don't quite get it." He gave a sigh. "I had a feeling you'd say that."

Suddenly the whole ground around Gildarts began to rumble, and soon the whole cave began to shake as a strong and powerful force began to build up all around Gildarts. A white aura formed around him as he had gravely serious expression on his face.

Natsu's pupils shrank as he felt this force, and even Happy began to feel more than a little nervous. "There's some kind of pressure building up in here."

"In order to walk the path of magic and eventually reach its peak, there is still one lesson that you need to learn Natsu. And I intend to teach it to you."

Suddenly Gildarts was completely enveloped in a massive surge of pure magic power; this caused Natsu to look in absolute shock as he instinctively backed up a few paces. Gildarts was now unleashing the full force of his power. The force was strong enough that the entire island felt like it was shaking, even a surge of white light shined out from out of the cave and into the sky.

Lucy, Cana, Dante, and Lady all felt the tremors even from their place at the waterfall, and it caught most of them by surprise.

"What the hell is that?!" Lady exclaimed.

"Is the whole island shaking?!" Lucy exclaimed in a similar tone as well.

"It's magic power! An incredible amount!" Cana stated with a serious look on her face.

Dante said nothing as he himself never felt this kind of power before. Nothing this strong and this close. It was undoubtedly someone from the guild, but nobody he knew had this kind of power. He could figure out that it was likely either Gildarts or the Master, and this was something that gave him goosebumps.

"Is… is this an Earthquake?!" Trish questioned as she and Lisanna just walked out of a cave.

"No, it's magic…." Lisanna's eyes wavered, having a good idea who was giving it off.

Natsu couldn't believe his eyes as he saw Gildarts standing at the very epicenter of this concentrated maelstrom of pure magic power. The look in his eyes was enough to make even the most hardened of warriors tremble. Natsu couldn't muster any words as he saw only a silhouette of Gildarts in the powerful surge, and glowing red eyes.

Despite this overwhelming surge of magic, Natsu tried to steel himself and push himself forward. He roared as he tried to launch himself and attack, but the second he saw Gildarts' eyes, he instantly stopped and skidded to a halt in front of his opponent.

"How foolish. I knew he wasn't the smartest, but to do something as stupid as that… I'll never understand these guild wizards."

"Those flames you attacked me with, they couldn't even melt a marshmallow."

"You should be able to understand the importance of power, as it's the only thing that matters in this world."

"Might controls everything, and without strength you cannot protect anyone, let alone yourself."

Those words replayed in Natsu's memory as he looked to see not Gildarts standing in the middle of his own magical maelstrom, but Vergil clad in his Devil Trigger, a massive dark blue aura surrounding him, looking into Natsu's own spirit with his soul-piercing glowing blue eyes. The moment he saw the vision of Vergil in that form, all fear flooded throughout Natsu's being. He had never admitted to anyone, not even himself, but ever since his first fight against him, when he got the scar on his chest, Natsu had been afraid of Vergil. He was so much stronger than anyone he met before; friend or foe; Erza, Jellal, Mira, Gajeel, Laxus, Zero, Arkham, even Dante himself. And now that Natsu has allowed that fear to enter his mind, and seeing Gildarts unleash a power he never felt before… the power that made him the strongest wizard in the entire Fairy Tail guild… maybe even more than what Vergil himself had… Natsu knew… that despite all the training and battles he's been through his whole life… he couldn't hold so much as a candle to him.

Natsu fell to his knees and hands. Happy looked at him with shaky and tear-filled eyes as Gildarts ceased his demonstration. All the pressure in the cavern vanished, but Natsu's body and eyes continued to shake with pure fear.

"I… accept defeat…"

Happy was on the verge of crying his eyes out. Natsu just surrendered! He never surrendered the fight! No matter how strong his enemy was, he kept going until he found a way to win and come out on top. Yet he just now given up. To see his best friend not only give up, but in such a state of terror… it was too much for the little blue Exceed.

"Natsu…"

Gildarts smiled. "A wise choice. I applaud anyone who has the courage to stand up and face their enemies, even those that are stronger than they are. However, the ones who are the most courageous, are those exceptional few who know when to stand down." He glanced down at Natsu. "I think I understand now. Vergil didn't just beat you, did he? He left a special kind of mark on you that no one else had before. He made you afraid, a special kind of fear that always lingers on. You tried to push that fear away and fight your way through it. Ordinarily, there's nothing wrong with that. But simply ignoring your fear or locking it away doesn't cure you of it. It's perfectly fine to feel fear, Natsu. Without fear, we can't hope to know our own weaknesses. You need to know them in order to become a stronger and gentler person. The strongest type of people aren't those who have no fear, but rather those who accept their fear so that they can overcome it. A necessity for those who want to be S-Class. Now that I've shared this knowledge with you, and you've learned to accept your fear… you pass kid."

Natsu couldn't believe what he just heard. Gildarts just passed him, even though he couldn't beat him. Even Happy was stunned. Light shinned down onto the pair from the holes in the top of the cavern, almost like a divine light as Gildarts continued.

"But… I didn't win… Natsu stuttered.

"Don't argue with me. I'm your examiner and I say you passed." Gildarts stated. "You made it through the first round, but this is just the beginning. You know how Master can be, I'm sure this was nothing compared to what he's got in store for you. Have confidence in yourself, I know you can do it. Now that we've finished up your test, let me tell you a few things as your friend. You've gotten so much stronger than the little kid I remember Natsu, both in body and in heart, I'm proud of you. But you still have a long way to go. And while I truly believe that you can become even stronger than Vergil, if he ever comes around and gives you trouble again, don't be afraid to ask for help. I'll be more than happy to put that power-hungry punk in his place. And if you ever feel like challenging me, feel free to come on by. I'll take you on any time." He grinned broadly. "Now go become an S-Class wizard, you fire-breathing knuckle head."

Tears flowed down Natsu's face as so many emotions flowed throughout his entire being. He was happy, sad, fearful, and elated all at the same time. He had no idea what to say or do in response, even as Happy came down to help him up. But one thing was for certain, he was going to become an S-Class wizard! He was going to become someone who could make everyone in Fairy Tail, and even Igneel, all proud. He'd make sure of that.

Done.

Well, that was more intense that I thought. So Natsu has passed the first stage of the S-Class exam as well; but not without learning a valuable lesson from Gildarts about fear. It was more evident in this story than in the cannon because he encountered an enemy that actually traumatized him: Vergil. Nearly every opponent he's faced before, he was able to overcome. But not Vergil, he never beat Vergil on his own before, he always had help from someone; and Vergil even landed a permanent scar on Natsu, so yeah, I'd say he was definitely affected by him.

But now Gildarts has helped him to understand that it's okay to feel fear instead of just ignoring it or bottling it up deep inside. If you understand and accept your fear, you'll be that much closer to learning how to overcome it. And Natsu is well on his way to overcoming his own weaknesses as well.

Also; Lisanna and Trish have passed their test as they have defeated Juvia and Modeus; while Elfman and Evergreen are still fighting Erza and the outcome of that battle will be revealed in the next chapter.

Thanks again for your patience, you can expect the next chapter sometime in January. See you soon, and Merry Christmas!