Natsu sat in a train cabin with Teams Natsumi and Shadowgear plus Gajeel, along with Seilah, Ikaruga, Juvia and the three Strauss siblings.
It was a little bit of a tight fit packing them all in but they had managed to work them all inside the cabin.
Droy had been forced to sit on the floor by Erza due to taking up too much space on the benches. Next to him was Jet, the speedster choosing to sit by his friend so he would feel better.
"Why the fuck aren't you sick!" Gajeel groaned from his spot beside the window. He was giving the two pinkettes the evil eye as lent against the wall, incapacitated by his motion sickness.
"It is the portals." Natsu informed the man, empathetically giving the man a once over before turning his attention to the equally incapacitated Wendy. "They somehow disrupt our sense of balance and cure a dragon's motion sickness."
The pinkette glanced out in the window as a thought sparked to life in his head. 'I wonder why the Eclipse Gate didn't do that.'
'It is because the Gate works differently, it creates a pocket dimension in time where time itself comes to a top from the outside perspective.' END pointed out, slowly, in Natsu's mind he was dressed in a lab coat and stood in front of a whiteboard with a stick, pointing to a well-drawn diagram. 'Eons pass in the blink of an eye, so you walk in and walk out of the dimension physically the same age. But due to the passage of time, you are technically older.'
The man nodded to himself as he gazed out the window absentmindedly. 'Makes sense, it is just another dimensional pocket in this reality, like how requip works.'
'Something like that.'
"Umm, Natsu, how will you be training us?"
The man was brought out of his internal conversation by the question, he turned his head and looked back at the group of mages. "Sorry, what was that?"
Wendy slowly raised her hand, shyly, having asked the question. "I was wondering how you would train us."
"Oh. Well first I want to work on expanding your magic containers, which would allow you to cast stronger spells more often. It will be a large part of the training. Second, we'll work on developing new spells and techniques, and for those who need it, hand-to-hand combat and working your magic into it."
"Who do you think needs that special class?" Gray asked, he had cooled down a little around Natsu but he still didn't fully like the guy. "And from someone like you, who only punches things as hard as possible."
"I punch big things as hard as possible, you can't do that with people. It would kill them or leave lasting injuries." Natsu replied with a roll of the eyes. "And since you'll be facing other mages, you need to learn techniques to counter their attacks and control the fight."
"Will you be fighting with us, Natsu?" The busty blonde girl asked curiously, she hoped he will say yes, they could use a powerhouse like him.
"I hadn't planned on fighting alongside you guys, I know Makarov would already have people picked out for the games."
"Who is picked out?" Wendy asked, curiously and quietly.
"Sorry, Wendy, you'll have to wait and see." The man replied, a small smile on his face.
"Aww, come on Natsu~ tell us." Natsumi playfully begged, she stood up on the bench on her knees as she clasped her hands together. "Please~."
"Fine, alright. I'll tell you guys." The pink-haired man conceded, he looked around the room at all the younger mages.
His eyes came to rest on the white-haired model, Mira, and he gave her a small, knowing smirk before quickly hiding it. He stood from the bench and lent against the window so he could see all the occupants of the cabin. "As per usual, the "Strongest Team" has been selected. Team Natsumi, consisting of Erza Scarlet, Gray Fullbuster, Lucy Heartfilia, Natsumi Dragneel, and Wendy Marvel."
"Due to the incredible teamwork that has been demonstrated by you guys, you have been chosen to represent our guild in the games." Natsu continued, he noticed Lucy and Wendy exchange subtle glances. "What's up?"
"Oh! Umm…" Lucy said, startled that he noticed, she gazed at the floor as she murmured her misgivings. "Wouldn't Wendy and I be a hindrance? We aren't exactly powerful."
Both pinkettes sighed loudly at her comment, Natsu looked to the two young mages. "Look, right now you two might not be crazy powerful, but you both have great potential."
Wendy and Lucy looked at the man curiously, wondering the same thing. Did he really mean that?
"Yeah, I wouldn't say it otherwise, I can help you get stronger but I can't give you the knowledge to use your more powerful spells, Lucy. I'd need to bring my own Lucy for that, but I am sure she would say yes right away." He looked over to the blunette. "Wendy, on the other hand, I can teach you to offensive moves and help you work them into your sky magic."
"You can?"
"Yes, should be fairly easy, plus I have a few tricks to pass onto Natsumi herself too."
"YES!" Natsumi cheered loudly as she launched up off the bench, she practically floated in the air for a few seconds.
"Sorry to interrupt, Natsu." Erza said, her eyes glued to the large sword that sat against the wall. "But…"
Natsu looked between her and his sword, he sat back down and picked up the sword. "Figured you would ask about that, let me tell you the story of how I came into possession of… I still don't have a name for it. Ah well, I guess it is storytime."
The mages walked through the forest near the Akane Beach Resort, heading for the secluded spot that had been chosen for their training.
Gajeel had split from the group, citing that he would do a better job at getting stronger by himself than having some chump teach him.
Mira and the rest of the Strauss family, on the other hand, chose to stick around and see what Natsu had planned before they made their decision on whether they split from the group or not.
"So, what's up man? Who are we going to meet?" Gray called out from somewhere in the middle of the procession.
The King of Fire turned his head and looked back over his shoulder at the mages behind him as he led the way through the forest. "A couple of, old friends. They said they would help with what I have planned."
"And what is it that you have planned?" Erza asked, a hand on the pommel of her sword, just in case.
"You'll see, they aren't much further. I can hear their whispered conversation." The pinkette replied as he turned back to the path ahead, his eyes fixing upon the hidden figures of three cloaked people.
"I don't hear anything though." Natsumi said, curiously, she looked to the man and tried to see what he was looking at.
"I am not surprised, you don't really know what to look for. Focus, five hundred meters in front of us and about five degrees to the left." He replied quickly, not looking over his shoulder.
The Princess honed in on his directions, slowly picking up the whispers. She heard their names appear, one by one. "The voices sound familiar, but I can't place them."
"You Know! When We Received A Message From A Small Dragon, We Were Shocked That Natsumi Had Created Something So Sophisticated!" Shouted a familiar voice, it came from further up the path.
The trio of independent mages from Crime Sorcière stepped out and slowly walked towards the group. Jellal spoke up once again. "We'll be glad to help Fairy Tail, we owe you our lives. But, is it really true that you are basically a male version of Natsumi from another universe?"
"Why don't I prove it?" Natsu said, idly, as he held his bare arms out to the side.
Scales rapidly raced across his skin as horns made of fire shot out of his head. His fangs lengthened as his eyes became draconic. "This is my Natural Dragonforce. Natsumi's will be the same once she is able to use it."
"That Is So Cool!" Natsumi shouted in awe as she sprinted to his side and gently ran her hands over his arms. "They are actual scales!"
The princess looked up at the fiery horns and passed her hand through them. It felt warm, very warm, it surprised her as she could feel the power in the fire.
"Well, he seems like the real thing to me." Meredy said simply as she turned to the other members.
"So you guys accept the offer to help these guys?" Natsu asked as he raised an eyebrow at the curious pinkette next to him who is still feeling him up.
"Yeah, we were planning on doing it anyway, but we planned on coming over this way in a few months as we had planned on going to this winery on the other side of the country for Meredy's birthday, when you sent the message she became hard stuck on the idea of spending time at the resort instead." Ultear replied, gesturing to her adopted daughter.
"Oh, remind me to buy a round for you." Natsu said as he smiled at the cloaked bubblegum pinkette.
"Sure!" The woman cheered, happily.
"Anyway." Erza spoke up, taking control of the conversation. "We plan on camping out by the beach. Away from prying eyes. Would you like to come and set up camp with us?"
"Sounds like a good plan." Jellal said, softly with a kind nod of his head. He turned to Natsu once more. "Have you told them about your plan?"
"I was waiting for you guys to turn up first, and for us to get settled down at camp." The King of Fire replied, he heard footsteps walk around from behind him and to his side.
"Hello Jellal, it has been such a long time, you've grown up."
"Ikaruga? Why aren't you dead?"
The swordswoman pointed to the dragon slayer next to her. "He intervened and saved me from dying."
"A story for another time." The pinkette said, quickly. "Let's go and find the campsite."
The man walked past the independent mages as he shut down his Dragon Force. He led the group to the sandy beach that had been chosen for their training due to being out of the way and had enough room for them all to go about their own training without interrupting the others.
"Alright, we have a few choices; sleep under the stars, in handmade tents, or we can use normal tents?" Natsu said as he turned back to the group, the water to his back.
"Handmade?" Lucy asked curiously, she had slept under the stars and in the tents that they had brought with them but never in handmade tents.
"Sound fun to me." Natsumi cheered, she got a nod from an equally excited Meredy and Juvia.
"Juvia loves the sound of that idea."
"Alright. So, basically, we will make either a cone or a triangular prism frame, put down some soft material for comfort then put sleeping bags in it. Oh and make sure it is off the ground so you don't get things crawling on you." Natsu informed the group.
"Crawling on us?" Lucy said with a shudder as they hair on the back of her neck stood up.
"Yeah, creepy crawlies creepily crawling all over you while you sleep." Natsumi teased as she pushed up against Lucy's arm. "Careful as they may crawl into your mouth."
Lucy let out a groan and shuddered, she jumped a mile into the air when she felt a tickling up her spine. "Eeek!"
Ultear walked over to the dragon king and whispered into his ear. "When do you want me to do that thing?"
"Let them get settled down first, then I'll let you take care of things, make sure to ask Ikaruga if she wants in on it too."
"Sure, but what are you going to do?" The time mage asked, curiously.
"Going for a swim." Natsu said as he turned to the water, a glow surrounding his body, his clothes and weapons were replaced with a pair of black trunks with a red flame pattern.
The little gold celestial key pendant glinting on his chest caught the attention of the busty blonde mage. She was about to go and question the man but she was pulled away by Erza as she started shouting commands to Team Natsumi.
The mages sat around a fire they had made near the ebbing and flowing tide. They were roasting marshmallows on sticks over the fire while they talked about their adventures and what had happened over the past seven years.
Natsu watched the group with silent envy. 'Oh how I wish things were this simple.'
The man's arm was nudged by the woman sat to his left, he turned his attention away from the carefree mages. "Yes, Ikaruga?"
"You seem troubled, what is on your mind?"
"The horrors that are yet to come."
"Well aren't you the melancholic one?" Ikaruga replied, gently shoving the man's arm playfully. "Why do you say that?"
"I sense… trouble, in the near future. Only time will tell if my instincts are correct."
"Is that so? Care to explain yourself?"
Natsu turned to the pink-haired swordswoman, letting out a soft sigh. "Three months from now, during the Grand Magic Games, the Eclipse Gate in Crocus will be opened, calamity ensues."
"What kind of calamity are we talking about?"
"Well, it ranges from a real pain in the arse, to apocalyptic in the worst-case scenario."
"Why is that?"
"What determines the severity of the disaster is if that gate doesn't get shut in time, or at all." The Dragon King said, he laid back on the sand and stared up at the twinkling stars. "And if Acnologia decides to show is dumb fucking face then shit will really hit the fan."
"Sounds like a gloomy future."
"Gloomy ain't even the half of it. I've seen glimpses of that future, I will stop it, even if it kills me."
Ikaruga glanced away from the pinkette, looking towards an approaching figure as they came around the fire. "Looks like someone wants to talk to you."
Natsu turned to look at the figure, her voluptuous body sashaying over to him, perfectly silhouetted by the firelight.
"I believe that now would be the best time. Natsu." The time mage said, her arms crossing under her bust. "The air is cool and the weather is calm. It is a perfect night to release their second origin."
"I agree." Salamander agreed while he rose to his feet. He shouted to the group. "Listen up!"
All eyes turned to the man, the beach went quiet except for the crackle of the fire and the rolling of water.
"Now that we are all settled in, I want to start the first step of your training." The man continued, his gaze drifted across the members around the fire. "Ultear will be unlocking your second origin, it is another magic container within your bodies."
"Woah." Natsumi murmured in awe.
"It will be painful, trust me I have felt it myself, but it IS a necessary evil for you to be able to cast higher level spells with ease, efficiency, and regularity." The pinkette let out a sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. "It is my belief that it will benefit all of you, as well as make my job of training you much easier. But, if you think that this isn't for you then speak up now."
Only the crackling of the fire and the crashing of the waves met the man's ears, his eyes roamed the group for hesitation but only received fierce expressions full of unrivalled conviction.
"Good, lay down in a line, over there." He ordered, pointing to a patch of sand not far from the fire. He turned to the pinkette swordswoman. "I want you to join them, for your own benefit as well as mine, if you are to work alongside me then I want you to be as strong as you can be."
Ikaruga slowly rose to her feet, cradling her sword in her arms. "Don't you suspect that I would use this power to doublecross you?"
"If I thought that, you wouldn't be standing there, in front of me, right now. Don't you think?" Natsu replied, a red glint flashing behind his dark, obsidian green eyes. "Now go, line up for the process."
The man watched as the doubles of his family as well as Ikaruga all laid down in a line. He stood at their feet with a remorseful look on his face as he held his hand out to the group of mages. "I am sorry for the pain I am about to put you all through, truly… Forgive me. Freeze and Be Silent."
His had dropped to his side as those before him all found themselves unable to move a single muscle beyond breathing and moving their eyes. "Please forgive me, I can't allow you to hurt yourselves or each other." Natsu looked over to the time mage and gave her a dejected nod. "Do it."
Red markings rapidly spread across the bodies of the mages, their eyes went wide as they silent screams of pain, like their nerves were on fire and their very beings were being ripped apart bit by bit.
Natsu glanced over at Erza, the only one who was completely calm. "So it is true." He walked over to her head and released her from his curse.
"Bastard, what are you doing to my friends?!" The redhead yelled as she launched to her feet, her sword grinding from its sheath and glinting in his face threateningly.
"Exactly what I said I would, I am having Ultear unlock their second origin." Natsu replied, he pinched the tip of the sword that was inches away from his nose and moved it away from his face. "I did say that it would be painful and I am sorry for it. I underwent the same process, only I had shit all time to prepare for the games, you guys have three months still. More than enough time for me to get you up to par, starting with this."
"It's a bit extreme don't you think?!"
"No." The man replied as he walked past the woman and to the fire. "Far from extreme, people have done far more in the pursuit of power. You'll find that out soon enough."
"What do you mean, Natsu?" Erza asked, her voice slowly becoming calm and curious. "What do you mean by people have done more?"
Natsu sighed and looked up at the stars. "I can give you a few names off the top of my head. First up is Acnologia, the false king of dragons, he is a Gen Zero Dragon Slayer."
"Gen Zero?"
"They are the original Dragon Slayers, Erza. Gen Zeros were taught Dragon Slaying magic but had no dragon antibodies, so as they grew stronger they became dragons themselves."
"They became dragons? What about Gen Ones?"
"Yes, the slayers like Acnologia became dragons. Gen Ones don't run the risk of this due to the antibodies we have that were created by our parents. Igneel for myself and Natsumi." The pinkette replied, he turned to face the knight, slowly. "Gen Twos, like Laxus, have dragon lacrimas inside them, this is classed as Artificial Dragon Slaying magic. They don't run the risk of Draconification."
"Are there any others?"
"Just one more type, which I know of. Gen Threes, there are only two of them. They are Gen Ones who had a dragon lacrima placed inside them."
"Only two of them. Who are they?"
"Back home, they are family to me, even more so than our guild, my kin if you will. But here, they are our enemy."
"Why are they our enemy?" The redhead asked as she walked to his side, her head turning to the stars above.
"Very much like Phantom Lord, their guild master hates us, and he is very strict to the degree that if you fail then you will be shamed in front of all the guild and made an example out of before they cast you out for the wolves."
"How can that be allowed!?" Erza shouted in disgust, anger radiating from her in powerful waves.
"When we disappeared, we left a power vacuum, all these guilds vied for the title of the strongest. And they did whatever it took too."
"Natsu?" A voice called out to the pinkette, he turned around and saw that Meredy was waving for his attention over by the Strauss family. "It seems that Mira has finished, could you please remove her restraints."
"We'll continue the conversation later, Erza, I have a duty to care for my family. Even if they aren't from my universe." Natsu said with a glance at the knight. He left her side and walked to the white-haired model and held a hand over her. "I am sorry for putting you through all that, Mira. Here."
The take-over mage rose to her feet and stretched out with a deep groan. "It's fine, I don't feel any different…"
"Use Sitri and attack me with a high-level spell." He said as he walked over to the water's edge so that the other mages aren't in danger. "I want you to focus on how much it drains."
Mira slowly stalked forwards as her magical aura started to surge around her body. The power caused her dress to rustle and her hair to rise up. "Normally I would have used my standard Satan Soul on you due to your resistance to fire."
"You and I both know that Sitri can do more than fire-based attacks, you have darkness magic for example." Natsu replied with a smirk as he sank into a fighting stance, his hands closing into fists in front of him. "But definitely come at me with everything you have. It would allow me to get a good grasp of your skills and what I can teach you."
A demonic grin spread across the woman's pretty face as it slowly tilted to the side. "You asked for it." She started to glow blindingly bright.
The beach exploded in a shower of sand and fire.
"Well shit." Natsu mumbled to himself, he had bent all the way over backwards to dodge the attack.
She had moved faster than he had expected her to and he only just managed to avoid the strike aimed at his stomach.
"You know, for someone who is from the future. I'd have thought you'd be faster." Mira said from behind him, her voice deeper and filled with dark intent.
"Heh." A grin spread across the man's face as he straightened back up and turned to the demonic woman. She was standing in a field of fire.
"What was it that I used to say? Oh, right. I'm All Fired Up!" He shouted as he surged forward, aided by a blast of fire.
"Come and get me!" Mira shouted with glee as she launched towards him.
BOOM
The mage's fists collided, hard. Their powers releasing a powerful blast of magic.
"Not bad, Pinkie. But you know I was holding back right?"
"Come on, Mira. I didn't even feel that one. Did you poke me or something?"
The white-haired mage grinned playfully as she spun and landed a heavy kick to his stomach.
"Oof… Now we're talking!" Natsu said as he dug his feet into the sand, he came to a stop ten meters from Mira.
Mira kept up her momentum as she charged forward.
She sent a flurry of punches at the pinkette, empowering them with more and more magic with each strike.
0=0=0=0=0=0=0=0=0
"They are really going at it…" Ultears quietly said to Erza as they watched the two mages duke it out.
"I'm surprised he can keep up with someone like Mira, she is so far above Natsumi's league right now."
"Isn't Natsumi a dragon slayer though?"
"Yeah, and while Natsumi, and by extension, Natsu, can easily incinerate normal people and low-level mages. The stronger the mage gets, the higher their magical resistance will get too."
"How come I can't sense Natsu's power level?" Meredy asked as he walked up to the duo. "It feels like he is just a normal person…"
"He'd be suppressing it, mind you the only thing he has cast around us is that control spell." Ultear told her daughter, tapping her cheek in thought as she observed the battle.
"It isn't a control spell, it is a demonic curse." Seilah chimed, tearing her eyes from the book she is reading beside the fire, she looked up at the mages. "My curse to be exact, it allows us to perfectly control anything, though I had trouble controlling Lady Mirajane in our universe."
"Then how did it work when Natsu did it?" Erza asked as she looked down at the demon. "If it didn't work for you."
"Master is much stronger than me, so it is only natural that he succeeded where I failed."
0=0=0=0=0=0=0=0
Natsu broke through the woman's guard and landed a heavy blow to her stomach.
The force knocked the wind out of Mira's lungs and sent her stumbling back. "Damn… Nice hit."
The pinkette stood straight and relaxed as he observed the model. "I can't really teach you much beyond what you have already shown me. But, I would like you to join me in a martial arts class, you'll be with Lucy, Wendy, Carla, Happy, and Lisanna should she wish to join."
"And if I want to take my family to go train by ourselves?"
"I will not stop you, I have given you three the one thing I deemed most important. Your second origin."
"Thank you, Natsu. I wish to do just that. Out of respect I will put everything into my next attack."
A wide smile spread across the pinkette's face as he held his hand up, words forming out of fire from his fingertips. "Come On!"
The ground started to shake as Mira held her hands in front of her.
Surging dark purple magic formed an orb between her hands, ever-growing in power.
'Kiddo, you sure about this?' END said to the pinkette, it was worrying him the amount of power this woman had at her fingertips.
Natsu didn't reply, his smile turning into a wicked grin. He crossed his arms in a guard in front of his chest.
"Oh? You plan on taking my attack head-on huh?"
"Bring It!"
The sand started to rise from the beach and float as the air grew thick with magic power.
The orb grew brighter and brighter as Mira's darkness spell grew stronger, she had started to draw power from her second container and poured it into the attack.
'Natsu, it is getting pretty powerful…'
'We'll be fine, END.'
'I'm not so sure about that…'
"Damn, Mira, either that spell is very efficient already or you have a lot of magic."
"Both." The woman replied, grinning like crazy. "DEMON BLAST!"
WHOOOOSHHH
The spell shot out of her hands and raced towards the pinkette in the form of a powerful laser.
Sand arced up and formed perfect rings around the attack as it quickly closed the distance.
The laser-like spell pushed forth for a few hundred feet before becoming unable to go any further.
The beam started to split and shoot off in trails behind the blockage, wisping into nothingness.
Mira tilted her head curiously at the far end of her spell. "Huh?"
After half a minute of relentless assault, the spell finally died out in a cloud of dust, dirt, and sand.
"Woah, man that was toasty!" Natsu shouted as he walked out from the cloud, his arms were still crossed in an X in front of him but were covered in the scales from his dragon force, he held a hand out to the line of mages. "Release!"
"FUCK THIS HURTS!" Gray shouted at the top of his lungs.
The pinkette lowered his smoking arms to his sides as he walked to the white-haired woman. "I had to engage my Dragon Force to boost my defences against that spell, how much power was that?"
Mira dropped out of her Sitri form and tapped her cheek in thought. "I used all of my first container and about ninety percent of my second container."
"No wonder. I'd hate to fight my Mira then…"
"Why is that?"
"She has an even more powerful soul than Sitri at her disposal. Sitri is basically childs play compared to Algeria." Natsu informed the double as he walked back over to her, shutting down his dragon force along the way. "As I said, you are free to train how you wish. I'll see you in three months?"
"Thank you, Natsu." Mira replied, happily, as she gave the man a deep bow. "We'll meet you back here in three months' time."
The pinkette rested his hand on her shoulder and brought her out of the bow, he smiled gently at her and turned to the rest of the mages. "Looks like your family have finished the process too. Will you three be leaving right away?"
"We'll wait until everyone is finished so we can say our goodbyes, but we'll be leaving right after." She answered as she returned the smile, with interest. She wrapped her arms around the man and gave him a tight hug. "You're just as kind and friendly as Natsumi. Thank you for helping us."
"No problem, Mira." Natsu said as he headed back to the mages who were slowly starting to rise to their feet, one by one.
The sun slowly rose over the water, marking the start of a new day. A day full of training for all of the mages.
"Rise And Shine, Everyone!" Commanded Erza as she banged a spoon on a pot. Clanging and banging to wake everyone up.
She was abruptly met with a pillow to the face.
"Will You Shut Up!" Shouted Seilah, she stood next to her hut in her Etherious Form with close to a dozen pillows floating around her. "I am trying to sleep next to my Master, I was even having a great dream about my Master! And you interrupted it!"
"You… You were doing WHAT?" Erza shouted with a blush. "P-P-P-Pervert!"
The various remaining mages groaned as they rose from their beds and left their huts. Some had some serious bed hair happening while others were seemingly as fresh as the wind.
"Can you two cool it." Lucy said, tiredly. "It is too early for all this…"
"You said it, Lucy…" Natsumi agreed as she stretched and yawned.
Natsu slipped out of the hut that he and Seilah had built and looked around at the scene before him. He grabbed one of the floating pillows and whacked the demon in the face with it. "Cool ya jets, I agree with Natsumi and Lucy, it is too early for this bullshit."
Erza's face was swiftly met with the same pillow, Natsu had thrown it as he turned to the fire pit. "I'm going to get started on our breakfast. Erza, can you take everyone for a run. Make sure Droy doesn't fall behind."
"Right away. Alright Everybody! You heard the man. Get moving!" Erza commanded the group, she herded them all like sheep and set them running up the beach as she trailed slightly behind.
"What was all the commotion?" Ikaruga asked as she emerged from a nearby hut, her pink hair and nightie a mess.
"Erza being Erza." Natsu replied as he stoked the fire back to life.
"What's for breakfast?" Seilah asked as she sat on a log beside the fire, she had returned to her normal form, wearing a purple sheer nightgown. Her horns grew out from her head as she opened a small bag at her side.
"I am thinking either eggs and bacon, or different flavoured pancakes." The dragon slayer informed her as he took a metal plate out from his requip dimension.
"Pancakes Please!" The two women shouted, gleefully.
"Say, where is Jellal's group?" The demon asked as she started to file her horns. "They aren't doing the run with Erza's group.
"MUSH! MUSH!" Came a shout from up the beach, followed by the sound of a whip crack.
"Speaking of Erza…" The pink-haired man deadpanned as he looked up and saw her whipping Droy. He turned to a group of three tents not far from them. "I hear soft snoring from over there, three sets, so they are all asleep still."
"Maybe the smell of food will wake them." Ikaruga pondered as she started to polish her sword. "Would you like for me to take care of your sword too?"
Natsu stared at the woman as he placed the metal sheet on a rack over the fire. "Only if you don't plan on doing any funny business with it…"
"I'm not Erza, I don't have weird kinks… I heard from Mira that she has this one sword…?"
"Lady Mirajane wasn't lying, Erza does have a very special sword."
"Very, very special." Salamander added, idly, as he started to mix various different flavours of batter.
"Special like…?" Ikaruga asked as he held her hand out for Natsu's sword.
"It's a Dildo Sword, Ikaruga. A big Dildo Sword." He said, flatly. He requipped his sword and handed it to her.
"Oh my… I never expected Erza Scarlet could be so… deviant…"
"Erza is a closet perv. Ikaruga." Seilah revealed to the swordswoman. "She is secretly a very perverted woman. Worse than Master's demon side."
"She isn't afraid of using her Dildo Sword on people either. I remember there was this one time, after the war, some dude grabbed her ass in a pub we were in. She immediately whipped it out and clobbered him with it, all while threatening to shove it so far up his arse that he'd be feeling it for the rest of the year."
"O…kay… then, remind me not to harass her too much…" Ikaruga muttered as she started to polish her sword again.
"Eeh, that wasn't even the half of it. She then proceeded to lube it all up then beat the man with the lubed up sword, then tore off his clothes and started spanking him with it." Natsu said, bluntly, getting stares from both the demon and the swordswoman.
"Did the sword go where I am thinking it is going?" The swordswoman asked.
"Yup… It wasn't pretty."
…
"Natsu… could you uh… put on some tea for me, I need it to wipe that image from my head…" Ikaruga muttered as she slowly turned her eyes to the redhead down the beach.
She was still literally whipping Droy into shape.
All three adults by the campfire turned ghostly white and sweat-dropped, Natsu shook his head slowly. "You know, when I said to whip him into shape, I didn't mean for her to actually whip him…"
"Who is whipping who?" Came a voice from behind the group.
Ultear sat down with the group, brushing her hair slowly to get rid of the knots.
"Erza is being Erza." Seilah said, simply, as she pointed down the beachfront to the knight.
"Oh…"
"Yup." Natsu handed a hot teapot to the pink-haired swordswoman. "Here is your tea."
"Thank you."
"How is your group, Ultear?" The Dragon Slayer asked the time mage as he started to cook the pancakes on the hot metal.
"Meredy slept soundly, I could hear Jellal talking in his sleep in the next tent thought. He still regrets his actions."
"I'm not surprised, though, you still are responsible for that too you know." Natsu replied. "But, you have had seven years to repent, righting wrongs along the way."
"You… You?" Ultear stuttered, she stopped brushing her hair mid-stroke as her eyes snapped to the scarred man.
"I am from another universe, one where I am years ahead. Plus I know you very well. I will not ruin things by telling you your possible future, but I will say this; when the time comes in Crocus, don't throw your life away."
"Don't throw my life away…?" Ultear murmured to herself, she looked out at the water as she pondered what the man was talking about.
"What smells good?!" Shouted a bubbly voice from behind the group.
"Hey, Meredy. I am making pancakes." Natsu replied, watching the pancakes as they flipped over by themselves, some even going onto a waiting plate.
"OOO~ GIMMIE!" The pinkette shouted as she raced over to the plate.
THWACK
The woman's face was met with the sheathed sword of Natsu's, wielded by Ikaruga. "Wait for everyone else to get back."
"Aww, meanie." Meredy muttered as she held her nose.
"Ikaruga is right, Meredy. Wait for the others to get back, then we can all eat together." Ultear half scolded her daughter.
"Looks like you won't have to wait long, Erza is already coming back." Seilah informed the group, she was watching the approaching mages as she polished her horns.
"All Right, The Run Is Over. Now, Everybody Get Down And Give Me One Hundred Push-Ups!" Erza commanded at the top of her lungs, she looked strangely like a Drill Sergeant with the strange camouflage and broad-brimmed hat she was wearing.
"YES SIR!" They all chanted in unison as they obeyed the Knight.
"I think they'll be a while…" Ultear deadpanned as she turned to the man. "Can we eat first?"
"Yeah, why not." Natsu replied as he handed out plates with their breakfast.
Seilah took her plate and rose from her seat, her horns shining in the morning sun as she walked over to the line of mages. She sat down in front of Droy and placed the plate of food on her lap.
"Damn devil woman…" Droy muttered as he struggled to do the push-ups.
"You are to do all one hundred push-ups perfectly, for every single one you fail, you will do ten more. You will not stop until you have completed this task." The demon ordered, she delicately sliced off a piece of pancake and ferried it to her mouth with her fork, all while keeping unwavering eye contact with the plant mage.
"Isn't she being a bit… cruel?" Ikaruga said as she looked between the two Etherious.
"As long as it isn't life-threatening or actual torture, I won't stop her from messing with people. She has spent too long with Mira to not do it anyway."
"What do you mean?" Meredy asked, curiously. "Everything I have heard and seen of Mira is that she is the kindest person in Fairy Tail."
"She is very kind, and equally mischievous and devious. She loves pranks and toying with people." Natsu told the pinkette. "Though mine is even more devilish than the one from here. That could just be because mine has gone back to her old ways."
Once everyone had finished their push-ups, Erza ordered them to do one hundred sit-ups before they were allowed to eat their breakfast.
"FINALLY!" Droy shouted, his stomach roaring with hunger as he crawled to the fire, he grabbed the offered plate of food and started to chow down on it.
"I think I am losing my appetite…" Ikaruga said as she stared at the man, disgust was written all over her pretty face.
"What a pig…" Seilah muttered, turning away from the man as she sipped some tea. "Master, I will be going for a swim after this."
"That is fine, you are free to do as you wish. I won't need you to help with training so just enjoy your free time."
"Thank you, Master." The demon replied, bowing her horned head to the pinkette.
The King of Flames turned to the mages gathered around the fire. "I had hoped that Mira, Lis and Elfman would have stayed, I could have used Mira's help teaching transformation magic… ah well, I can use it well enough to teach."
"Who are you going to teach that to?" Natsumi asked curiously, mid-bite of her food.
"Happy and Carla. Carla will be able to get a hang of it quickly but Happy…" The man looked over at the blue exceed, he was drooling while daydreaming about fish.
"Fishies, fishies."
"Happy may need some work…" Natsu conceded, he slapped his hand to his face. "Mine honestly does too. He has fallen so far behind both Carla and Lily, while I love the little guy he needs to put effort into improving himself."
"You can do Transformation magic?" Wendy asked the pinkette, her eyes wide with curiosity. "What do I look like when I am older?"
The man rose from his spot by the fire. "Well, for one, my Wendy recently had an incident with made her age three years in moments, so she is eighteen now. But, I should know her well enough to show you.
A puff of smoke engulfed his body, when it dispersed he had changed into the Wendy from his universe, perfectly replicated down to the voice. He stood in Wendy's red, school uniform outfit.
Little Wendy sat forwards, her jaw of the floor in awe as she was stunned by her well-developed adult doppelganger. "Woooaaah!"
The disguised Natsu looked over at Ikaruga. "Hey, Ika, you done with my sword?"
Ikaruga twanged at the nickname, her eye twitched as she slowly turned to the older Wendy. "Call me that again and I'll knock your lights out." She threw the perfectly polished and re-sheathed sword back.
Natsu smirked as he placed the sword on his back, causing runes to glow faintly on the sheath as it locked in place in the air behind him. "Well, Wendy. This is what my Wendy looks and sounds like."
"Wow, Wendy grew up to be a pretty woman." Erza said with a pride-filled smile. "I bet she has many adoring fans?"
"She does, she finds it a little off-putting though. She isn't used to it like you, Lucy, and Mira."
"Oh! What do I look like?" Levy requested, eagerly, practically bouncing in her seat.
The fake Wendy beamed a smile at the short blunette before becoming a puff of smoke once more, when it faded the figure had shrunk a bit.
"Oh…" Levy murmured, her eyes dropped to the doppelganger's bust, disappointment evident on her face. "So I don't grow at all in the next few years?"
"You will be an inch or so taller." Natsu said as he walked to the blunette and pulled her to her feet so show the height.
"I didn't mean my height…" Levy grumbled, still looking at the differences in their chests. 'At most I have only gone up half a cup…'
The disguised dragon slayer looked around at the group. "Who else wants to see what they look like when they are older?"
"Do me!" Lucy cheered, excitedly, as she rocketed to her feet.
"Not the first time I have heard that." Natsu said with a grin as he vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Huh?" Lucy tilted her head, not catching what he meant.
"He bangs Lucy, a lot." Seilah informed the blonde as she rose from her spot and headed for the hut.
"WHAAAA?" Shouted the busty blonde as she blushed as red as Erza's hair.
A little more mature looking Lucy appeared out of the smoke, wearing a long and slim red dress, a split down the right leg. "What do you think? Am I pretty?"
"I don't sound like that!"
"Oh? Are you sure~?" The doppelganger said as he leant forward and cracked a devilishly beautiful smile. "I have lots of experience when it comes to hearing Lucy's vocal range."
"Don't You Dare!"
Natsu walked around the fire to the blonde, he leant close to her ear with a very devilish grin, whispering breathlessly into her ear. "Ooh~ yes Natsu~ Fuck me harder~ Faster~ Kami Yes~!"
Poof
Lucy's head exploded in a plume of steam as she fell back, she had passed out from embarrassment.
"Heheh! Ok, who is next?" Natsu asked as he straightened up and looked around.
"I think it is time to start training, before Fatty over here pigs out on the breakfast you made." Ikaruga said, jabbing Droy in the stomach with her sheathed Mugetsu Ryu.
"Alright." Natsu said as he became obscured by smoke once more, he returned to normal and put Lucy over his shoulder. "Natsumi, Wendy, Carla, Happy, I want you to come with me. Gray, I recommend teaming up with Ultear, she can teach you a few things about Ice Make magic. Erza, stick with Shadowgear. Juvia, you can do what you want for now as I am not sure what I can do to help you."
The mages broke up into their groups, Natsu leading his group into the forest while still carrying the passed out Lucy on his shoulder. "First up, I plan on teaching the exceeds transformation magic. This is so both of you can join us in the rest of the training. Alright, Happy and Carla?"
"I am all for it." Carla agreed as she floated along with the group. "If it means I can hold my own in a battle, I'll do it."
The pinkette put the celestial mage down against a tree. "Well, there are three levels to this Caster magic, Basic, Intermediate and Advanced."
He turned and held up a finger to the group. "At the Basic level, this magic allows you to change your outward appearance. Like so." Natsu said as he once again became engulfed in a puff of smoke, it quickly faded to reveal that he took on the form of Natsumi, but with his shorts and tank top.
"Woah!" Happy shouted. "You look exactly like Natsumi!"
The double of Natsumi nodded with a smile. "Now, I know it probably sounds weird, my own voice coming from Natsumi's body. But that is all the Basic level can do, just your appearance."
Natsumi walked over to her double and walked around slowly, inspecting every angle for any difference. "It looks very thorough." She peeked under the clothing, curious as to if he got her exactly right. "Damn, that is very thorough."
"Enough checking yourself out." Natsu chuckled as he batted her hand away before she got too into exploring the spell. He was obscured in a puff of smoke again to be revealed in identical clothes to Natsumi. "At the Intermediate level, as you can see and hear, you can change your clothing and voice to match the person you are copying."
Lucy mumbled incoherently as she started to come around, she held her head as she looked up at the two Natsumis. "Oh, Kami, why I am seeing double… What happened?"
"I'm trying to teach Happy and Carla Transformation magic." Said the Natsumi with the extremely long katana strapped to her back.
"So that one is Natsu…" Lucy muttered as she pointed to one of the pinkettes. "Ok, what did I miss?"
"Not much, just Natsumi trying to get into her own pants." Natsu replied, jutting his thumb to the pinkette next to him.
"Hey! I was checking if you got it all in the right places!" Natsumi argued with her identical twin.
"She was trying to strip me." The pinkette informed the celestial mage. "Tugging at my clothes and trying to rip them off."
"That does sound like Natsumi…" Lucy deadpanned as she glared at the pinkette without the sword. "She can't keep her hands to herself. She is worse than Cana."
"ANYWAY!" Carla shouted, angrily as tick marks throbbed on her head. "Please continue with the lesson."
"Right." Natsu said as he turned back to the two exceeds. "Now unfortunately I cannot demonstrate the Advanced level but it allows you to change your form completely. For example, if I were able to do it I would be able to turn into a bear or dragon with it."
"So, it is like Lisanna's magic?" Happy asked, his head tilting to the side as he held a fish in his hands.
"It resembles her magic but it is very different." Natsu answered as he changed back to his normal self. "I believe that it is this final level that you will need to reach in order to have a more combat capable body."
"Hold on." Natsumi said as a memory flashed into her mind. "I remember Mira teaching us, Lucy couldn't even manage to make her hair pink, but I pulled off a Basic level transformation of Lucy. Happy managed to pull of making his head Lucy's."
"Yes, but the reason Happy couldn't pull off a full Lucy transformation like we could. Is because he is from the Exceed race, not a human. They will need to reach Advanced so they can change to human, or at least somewhere in between." The pink-haired man said as he pointed at Carla. "Carla can do it, the form she takes is a human girl but with cat ears and a cat's tail."
"So how is it done?" Carla grilled him, her curiosity peaked.
"To begin with; Close your eyes and focus on the form you want to take, feel your magic and will your form into reality."
"Simple as that?" The white Exceed asked as she crossed her arms in disbelief.
"Yup."
"Oh… ok." Carla said, she dragged Happy over to a tree so they had peace to practice.
"Alright, while those two practice their magic." Natsu said as he turned to the blonde. "I want you to pair up with Natsumi, she'll teach you how to fight properly and not just "Lucy Kick" everything that moves."
"HEY! What is wrong with my kicks!" Lucy shouted to the man, she shot to her feet and snapped off a heavy kick at the man.
The kick slammed into Natsu's stomach but the man remained unmoved. "One, you lack the power to take on tougher opponents, two, you lack technique."
"Come on, Lucy. Let's go train." Natsumi cheered as she dragged the blonde to another part of the small clearing.
"Umm, Natsu?" Wendy asked, quietly, getting the attention of the older dragon slayer. "What will you be teaching me?"
"I think I'll recruit some help, but we'll be teaching you how to use your powers to their full ability." The pinkette told the young mage as he knelt down to her height.
"Recruit someone?" The Sky Maiden quietly said as she slowly walked to the man. "Who?"
He smiled and took out his P-IVD, Natsu brought up the interface and created a communications tunnel. "You, Wendy." The King of Flames said as he pulled out his mobile lacrima communicator and called his Wendy.
A holographic window opened above the mobile containing the older sky dragon slayer. "Hey, Natsu! How is your trip?"
"Heya, Wendy, it is going good. Hey I have a favour to ask…"
"Oh, how can I help you?" The blunette asked, just as her younger version moved around behind the pinkette and peered at the holographic screen. "Oh! Hello there young me!"
"H-hello…" Wendy replied timidly. "You're the Wendy from Natsu's universe, right?"
"Yup! I take it you want to train her, Natsu?"
"Yes, Wendy. I need your help with it."
"Sure." Wendy smiled at the pinkette over the call then looked off-screen as someone caught her attention. "Carla just told me she is coming too."
"She can help the Happy and Carla here with their transformations. I'll open a portal now."
"Can you give us, err, about half an hour? We need to get home and pack."
"Alright, I'll keep the tunnel online so just send me a message when you are ready and I'll make a rift." Natsu said as he glanced at the blunette behind him, the young Wendy looked like she was idolising the older one.
"Bye~." The older Wendy cheered before closing the call.
"WOW!" The blunette cheered. "She is so cool!"
"She is strong too, stick with her and she can teach you lots about your magic. She might even be able to show you how to pull off a true Dragon Force too."
"What does it look like?"
"You'll have to wait and see, little one. Now, let's get to training."
A full hour and then some had passed before Natsu finally received a message from Wendy. In it she had apologised for running late but she told him that she is now ready to come by.
Crack
Reality shattered as the rift between universes formed. Natsu stood with his arms crossed in front of the portal, patiently watching and waiting for the blunette to walk through.
"Hey, Natsu. Sorry I kept you waiting." The mature Wendy said, meekly, as she came through the portal with Carla. "We kind of got held up…"
"By that she means she fell asleep in the bath and had perverted dreams." Carla clarified, she looked very cross with her best friend.
"Carla!" The blunette cried out in embarrassment, a heavy blush set on her face. "He didn't need to know about that!"
Natsu shrugged, a look of indifference plastered on his face. "I think little Wendy would have preferred to not hear about that… Anyway, while you are here Wendy I'll call you Marvell, to make things easier."
"That is fine with me." Marvell said as she sniffed the air, she spun around as the portal closed and came face to face with her younger self. "Wendy!"
Wendy just stood stock still, she looked shocked at how much her double has grown, seeing Natsu as her is one thing but seeing the real deal… It gave her hope in her development.
Natsu smiled at the two blunettes, he turned to the transformed Carla and pointed over by a nearby tree. "Happy and Carla are over there. Good luck."
"Thank you, Natsu." The white-haired neko girl said, she bowed politely to the man and walked off.
"Wendy, Marvell, I'll leave you two to get to know each other. I am going to check on the others." The pinkette said to the two Wendys, he glanced at them when he heard no reply back only to find that they were completely engrossed in a conversation to even notice him.
The man shrugged and headed back through the forest to the camp. "I wonder what Ikaruga and Seilah are up to."
He didn't have to wait long for the answer, as he left the tree-line he had to immediately dodge to the side as a slash flew right through where he was standing.
"What the fuck?" He exclaimed, looking out towards the water he saw both Ikaruga and Erza duelling.
Their movements were quick as lightning but remained perfectly controlled, there was no wasted movement, no foot out of line, no slash off target.
"What the fuck are you two doing?" Natsu asked as he stalked towards the two swordswomen.
"What does it look like?" Ikaruga retorted, not taking her eyes off the redhead as she deflected a strike to the ground.
"Two monkeys swinging sticks at each other." The pinkette deadpanned as he crossed his arms.
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!?" Both women shouted in unison, forgetting each other and turning on the dragon slayer.
"Well fuck…"
The women launched at the man, aiming to cut the man down where he stood.
Natsu leapt back, kicking up sand from the force of his jump, embers exploding from his body.
"What the?" Erza exclaimed, she hadn't seen Natsumi do this.
The pinkette thrust his hand forwards, aiming at the two woman. "EMBER SHOT!"
The floating embers shot quickly towards the swordswomen causing Erza to falter slightly.
Shing Click
Ikaruga sheathed her sword as the air rippled with a multitude of projected slices. The slices cut each of the embers and destroyed the spell.
"Heh." Natsu grinned at the pinkette as he landed on the sand.
The man reached over his shoulder and slowly drew his sword as both swordswomen moved apart, forming a triangle between them.
Erza's eyes slowly moved between the two pinkettes, watching for who would make the first move.
An eruption of sand to her right alerted her to Natsu, he had launched at her.
Sparks flew as the two swords collided viciously.
"You think you can beat me?" Shouted Erza as she pushed the man back.
"Worth a shot." The dragon slayer replied, he slid back a foot and swung his sword back.
Clang
He had timed the swing perfectly and incepted the attack Ikaruga had launched from his blind spot.
"So what was that about backstabbing?" Ikaruga jested, her sword grating along the dragon-forged blade.
"Hey, I stopped it didn't I?" The pinkette shot back at the woman behind him.
The sand beneath them shot out in a ring as Natsu shot up into the air.
Ikaruga fell forwards, Mugetsu Ryu clashing with Erza's own sword.
"Out of my way." Erza demanded as she pushed the pinkette aside.
The Knight charged the falling dragon slayer, leaping to intercept him before he could get a footing.
"Eager, aren't you?" He said as he crossed swords once again.
He shoved her back just as he saw a flash of light, Erza had requipped a second sword.
"Getting serious, huh?" The King of Flames said as he landed a few feet away from the redhead.
"Pushing our training as far as possible." Erza corrected him, a small playful smile spreading across her stoic face.
Natsu held out his left hand, a ball of fire growing in his palm. He squashed the flame in his fist.
Embers flew through his fingers as the fire shot out of his hand to form an identical sword in his left hand. It hardened into a solid and shiny red material.
"How?" Erza and Ikaruga said in unison, surprised at how he had made a weapon out of fire.
"I've learnt many things over the years." He replied with a grin. "Hey, wait… Erza aren't you meant to be keeping an eye on Droy?"
"Seilah took over." The redhead told him. "I didn't see a problem with it as I wanted to use the time to train."
"Uh-huh…" Natsu muttered as he glanced around. He could hear the sound of a tune being hummed, it was coming closer.
"Why are you doing this to me!?" Droy shouted as he was being rolled around on his side by Seilah who was standing on top of him.
"Because I caught you trying to sneak food." The horned demon replied as she was walking backwards on top of the large man, making him roll around like a ball.
The three mages watched in utter bemusement as Seilah rolled the man between them and out into the forest.
"Okay then…" Natsu muttered before turning his eyes back to the two swordswomen as he lowered his swords. "Well my buzz just died, let's do this some other time."
"Yeah, I could do with a tea…" Ikaruga agreed as she sheathed her sword and walked to the fire.
"Should I be worried about him…?" Erza asked the pinkette.
"Nah, he'll be fine." The man replied as he waved her off. "Come join us for some tea."
"Gladly." The redhead knight said with a happy smile.
Well, that ends another chapter, I know it is a bit all over the place but still. Hope you have all enjoyed it, be sure to follow and favourite if you haven't already so you can keep up with the updates to this story. I know I was a bit slack getting this out but I have been sorting out a few things. I have a few things planned that will happen soon, plus some collabs with other writers.
There is also my other story, The Agency: Tale of Agent Salamander. It is an action story following Agent Natsu "Salamander" Dragneel as he works for the Fairy Tail Agency, FTA, it is an Alternate Universe set in a near-future version of Fiore and very vaguely follows the original storyline.
Well, that is enough plugging, again I hope you have all enjoyed this chapter, I'll see you all next time.
