A Dragon Father

by BoazOfEirini

Death roared onto the battle field. The black dragon has introduced itself to the Fairytail guild on Tenrou. This time, the feelings of their friends empower Natsu and Wendy to make different choices, leading to Natsu's broken spirit. When the worst happens, Natsu leaves for revenge. Only upon reaching his breaking point does he realize his true purpose in life.

5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Birth of a Family. November 1-3rd, 787. Song I Burn by Casey Lee Williams.

Several days have passed since Fairytail left and made it to the capital Crocus. Inside Domus Flau, the stone Coliseum with four stone guardians at each of their corners was the Fairytail guild standing outside a conference room with bright purple doors with a golden rim. Natsu could only stare at the task before. On each of his side were his guild mates, with only his advisor allowed to accompany him.

"This is my first appearance as guild master", he mumbled. Wendy put her hand on his shoulder.

"You'll do fine, Master", she said.

"We'll go save you some seats", Kinana said. Brandish, Jenny, and her left. Natsu could still only stare at the obstinate portal which would permanently keep him in a world he never thought he would enter- the life of a guild master.

"Let's do this", he said.

"How should we enter, Master?" Wendy asked. Without answering, Natsu kicked open the door and immediately drew everyone's attention. The room was around forty feet wide and eighty feet deep. On the sides very various foods and drinks, with a stage on the back end. Every guild master he had ever known was there, as well as much more he didn't. He immediately recognized Quatro Cerberus', Blue Pegasus', and Lamia Scale's masters.

"Yo", Natsu said waving up one hand after being underwhelmed by those before him. Half of the audience fell over from his greeting. Natsu didn't move. Bob and Goldmine approached the young man.

"Natsu, what are you standing still for?" Bob asked.

"I realized I don't know anyone", he said.

"Well, you were Makarov's child", Goldmine said. "You can talk to us. Many of the guild masters here will recognize you and are bound to approach you."

"He's right, Natsu", Wendy said. She immediately grabbed his hand and pulled him into the room with him behind her. Although quickly heading to the food, introductions would cut him off. All sorts of men and women began gathering around Natsu to meet him. In many ways, Natsu was legendary in the eyes of the common guild master. Wendy and Natsu were the only wizards known to have survived an appearance of Acnologia, and the alleged rumors of Natsu surviving a second fight during his travels from Fairytail's funeral spread like wildfire. One man in black suit, with a gray-green tie, and a black robe with a purple inside appeared at the center of the group. He had dark hair and a beard, with a mischievous face and the body language of an angry king.

"My name is Ivan Dreyar," he said to Natsu. "I'm the master Raventail, and Makarov's son." Natsu only laughed while Ivan frowned.

"Oh, you're not joking?" he asked. "You look nothing like Gramps. I apologize."

"You're a fool like the rest of the fairies." Natsu twitched.

"What was that?"

"I doubt you even fought, Acnologia. You probably ran away, coward." Natsu's eyes darkened. He stood motionless.

"You're a weakling, like all of the Fairytail." Natsu suddenly hit an open palm with his fist in genuine eureka.

"Now it makes sense", he said.

"What does?"

"If you're Makarov's son, then that makes you Laxus' dad. No wonder he was kicked out. You're a dick, and he was a miniature version of you." Veins began to pop on Ivan's forehead.

"Why you!"

"Oh? And Ivan?" he asked. Ivan calmed himself.

"What?"

"If you dare threaten or hurt Fairytail, I will not hold back my wrath like Makarov." Ivan snickered.

"How do you know he held back?"

"If he was serious, you would be dead or fear for your life." Ivan grew angry again but only walked away with quiet rage.

"Quite the scene for your first appearance", a familiar raspy voice said. It was a pale man with purple hair, wearing a wizard saint robe. Natsu turned to see an old enemy- Jose.

"Messing with Makarov's Fairytail was the last mistake I ever made", he said. "Although, it has to be considerably weaker now."

"Jose, who let you out?"

"Is that any way to greet an old friend?" Natsu sighed.

"What do you want, Jose?" Jose laughed.

"I am simply saying hello, and giving friendly advice: don't mess with Phantom Lord."

"I hope that's not a threat", Natsu said. "I will say the same thing to you; I won't hold back like Makarov."

"It'll be your word against a Wizard Saint's."

"And a former criminal."

"You're a former criminal too", a female voice said. Two others made their way through the crowd. One man and one woman. The man was in his mid-30s, with black hair, brown eyes, rather short, and very muscular. He wore a black skin tight outfit. The woman was in her late thirties with brown hair, purple eyes, average height, and a large bust. She wore a red low cut dress with sparkling gloves of a matching color and knee high stockings.

"Rumors have been flying around other than your miraculous survival of Acnologia", the man said. "Rather, your times of illegally hunting down dark guilds, picking fights, and even murdering dark guild members who went without trial." The woman turned and slapped her counterpart.

"Ah! How rude of us!" she said. "My name is Bastila Onasi. I'm the master of Sage Centaur. My friend here is Nihlius Hernandez, and he is the master of Kraken's Reach."

"A few minutes ago I was worried about who I would talk to", Natsu said loudly under his breath. "Now weirdoes won't stop trying to pick fights." Natsu began picking him insensitively.

"We aren't here to pick fights, ass!" Nihlius said. "Although, seeing how strong you are could satiate my hunger for a while."

"You can eat fire too?"

"No, I'm hungry for a fight", Nihlius said. Natsu stared intently at the man.

"You sound lame when you talk", Natsu said. Nihlius immediately rose his fist to strike but was pulled back by Bastila.

"You're a feisty one", she said. "I wonder; can you back those words up?"

"Of course he can!" Wendy, previously silent, shouted. Bastila smiled at the girl.

"Aww! You must be his first new member! He already has a child." Wendy pouted.

"I'm his advisor", she said.

"Someone as tiny as you? Whatever does he see?" Natsu put his arm on top Wendy's head.

"She's my best friend. That's all I need to see. If you insult her, you will make enemies of Fairytail." Bastila let out a fake laugh.

"Oh don't worry, child. I would never want to make enemies of Fairytail." She began to make her way back into the crowd and to mingle with other masters, with Nihlius following behind.

"Attention everyone!", a short, pumpkin headed man said on a stage before them.

"May I have your attention ladies and gentleman?" The crowd hushed itself.

"Thank you. Welcome, one and all guild masters to this year's Magic School Graduate Tournament. This is the third year since founding this new tradition. As you know, the rules are simple. First, you cannot interfere with any of the matches. Second, you are allowed to interview and talk to any particular young wizard instead of watching another match. Third, you will each announce who you want to join your guild officially after the tournament is over. No one can join a guild while the tournament is going on. Be respectful to the young wizards. As you all know, they are of various ages. The youngest is eleven and the oldest seventeen, but don't let the age fool you!" The crowd began to whisper louder in volume as Mato lost control.

"STOP!" he screamed. Silence fell once more. "Those are the rules. You may take your seats in the coliseum. Pick your interviews and watch carefully."

In a large group, the guild masters began to slowly scatter to their respective guilds. Brandish, Kinana, and Jenny was waiting for them with front row seats underneath one of the towering statues. Not a soul was missing from the stadium as everyone prepared for action. Different competitors were scattered, none within noticeable reach of Fairytail. Raventail and Phantom were both close to large concentrations of eager wizards. Natsu shrugged it off.

Mato appeared in the center of the ring.

"Hello everyone gathering here today!" a voice said over a microphone. "I'm your announcer, Chapati Lola, while my partner, Mr. Yajima, is doing the play by play magical analysis. As you know, this is the graduation tournament for the top magic school students around the nation of Fiore, some from the same school. The winners show off their magical abilities over the course of the next two days until only one stands on top. Mr. Yajima, would you kindly explain the rules to the viewers?"

"Certainly", he said. "Each wizardry match is given a half an hour time limit. The initial bracket is chosen by lot. Victory is achieved by knocking out an opponent, surrendering, or upon reaching the time limit, a vote by Chapati, Mato, and I. Killing is forbidden, lethal force is not. There will be thirty-one total fights. The first round, with sixteen fights, will be today. Tomorrow will be the second, third, fourth, and fifth rounds, totaling another fifteen fights. Losing in the tournament is not the end, as the goal is to garner the attention of the more powerful guilds of Fiore. By fighting more, each wizard is given more chances to gain the interests of different guilds. Back to you."

"Most importantly", Chapati said. "Through funding by the Fiore's king, the magic council is offering the five best competitors a lost magic of their choosing. Each competitor is voted on by the guild masters on how each contestant did on a ranking of 1-32. The competitors with the five lowest averages are given their choice of lost magic. Since it is limited, the one with the lowest score gets first to pick, second gets the second pick until the fifth pick."

"In other words, you can lose the very first fight and still impress the strongest gets and be given a unique lost magic", Yajima said.

"Now, let's begin the first fight!" The crowd erupted. Mato clapped his hands over his head.

"This random name generator will decide the first round fights, to create the bracket. No wizard knows who they are fighting in the first round until before the match." A blue lacrima television screen popped above Mato's head and began scrambling through random names at rapid speed, finally landing on the first two wizards.

"The first fight is Chelia Blendy and Ochako Uraraka. Contestants, enter the ring!" Both Uraraka and Chelia walked into the ring.

"Chelia is a proficient wind user and the holds the highest grades in her school. She is the youngest competitor in the entire tournament- only 11 years old! Uraraka is a unique user of gravity magic."

"Well, that's a crappy introduction", Uraraka mumbled. Both girls gathered to the center of the ring.

"Fight!"

Natsu looked at the two girls and was not taken back by them. He was not interested in the fight, which went by rather quickly. Gravity magic is very powerful but was not used or understood well in the hands of a child. Chelia made quick work of the enemy. Wendy sighed.

"That was anti-climactic", she said.

"She looks familiar", Natsu said.

"That's because she's my cousin", Sherria, who was now only a few feet from them, said. "She's very smart and talented. You'd be lucky get her to join Fairytail." Natsu shook his head.

"That's not what I mean. I knew immediately she was your family since she looks like you and holds the same last name. Her mannerisms… They are strikingly familiar." On cue, Chelia tripped over a pebble and fell on her face.

"Awwww! Wasn't that cute!" Chapati said, wiggling his butt in the air uncontrollably.

"That's it! She reminds me of Wendy!" Wendy fell face fist at hearing his words, crushing her soul.

"See!", he said. "She literally just fell like Chelia did."

"Anyways, I didn't want you to get your hopes up for recruiting her, Salamander", Sherria said. "She belongs with Lamia Scale."

"Yeah, we'll see. If she's a little version of Wendy, she should join our guild."

"Next up", Chapati said, "Is Josh Randallson facing against Namiyari Ohno. Josh, 14 years old, is notorious for dreadlocks hair magic. Nami, 14, is known in her class for her strong enhancement and light magic."

Another quick seemingly quick fight. Nami, was polite upon winning, offering her opponent her hand who quickly swatted it away.

"Wendy, do you have the list of names?"

"Yes, Master."

"Cross Josh off the list. He won't be joining Fairytail."

"Alright."

"For the third fight is Cyrus Abrams and Ilium Wada. Please enter combatants!" Two young men entered at opposing sides. Cyrus Abrams was moderate size, with black hair and brown eyes. Ilium Wada was average size with blue hair and blue eyes

"Standing on my left is Cyrus Abrams, who is 16 years old and a user of shadow magic. On my right is Ilium Wada, 16, a user of sand magic."

"Fight!"

"Are you ready Ilium?" Cyrus asked.

"I'm always ready to kick your ass", Ilium said.

"Try it", he said. Natsu's ears perked up. Ilium charged forward towards Cyrus.

"Sand Wave!" Ilium began spiraling large amounts of sand in his right palm and released it a blast of sand at Cyrus.

"Victory", was all Cyrus responded. Upon contact, the attack pierced through Cyrus' body and he began bleeding profusely on the ground. Ilium's eyes widened. He ran to the bleeding corpse.

"Someone! Get help! He's dying!"

"What's wrong with you?" was all Mato asked before Ilium lost all ability to move. The body before him disappeared.

"They always forget I'm good at illusions too. You're under my shadow possession. You cannot move without my permission."

"Cyrus, I know you love ninjas, but you aren't smart enough to master this technique."

"Why is that?"

"You don't have enough power to knock me out", he said. Cyrus began grinding his teeth and glared at his enemy.

"Shadow Punch!" Punching the air before him, a magic circle appeared and a much larger black fist shot out and struck Ilium in the face, causing him to bleed.

"How's that?"

"I'm still awake aren't I?"

"Well, I'm not giving up either! Shadow Strangle!" Suddenly hands from Ilium's own shadow became tangible and began to slowly choke Ilium. "You won't die, but you will fall unconscious." Cyrus turned around to see Ilium before him, striking him quickly in the stomach. Falling to his knees, Cyrus looked behind to see the former Ilium break down into the sand.

"I can make sand clones, remember?" Cyrus body began to break apart slowly.

"I surrender! I'm sorry! I knew I couldn't beat you, but I had to try. Don't you understand? You've been my best friend for so long now." Ilium grew sad.

"You've been such a good friend to me, yet I've been such a jerk today. How could I make it up to you?"

"It appears Ilium is trapped in another illusion", Chapati said.

"Damn it!" Cyrus said. "Really?"

"Sand Slash!" A sand whip formed in Ilium's hand which he flung towards Cyrus, gripping his ankle and leaving nicks all over his body. Taking air, he was quickly slammed into the ground. Cyrus was unconscious.

"Winner of the fight: Ilium!" Ilium raised his fists into the air.

"Jot both of them down for approval so far, Wendy."

"Yes, Master."

The following two fights were more of the same: boring fights which left Natsu uninterested in the fighters. Following, the sixth match entered two young women.

"On my left is Kokea Meridius. She is twelve years old and a user of the peculiar tattoo magic." She white hair with an average build. Her nose was prominent but had bright blue eyes which would still enrapture men.

"I can do what I want", she said. "You only don't like it because I'm twelve."

"Ok… Well, on my right is Kelsea Ballerina. She is fifteen years old and a master marksman for this year's class." She stood a few hairs taller than all other girls. She had pink hair and purple eyes, with a tomboyish camo outfit and boots to match.

"Fight!"

Kelsea immediately took several steps back and requipped a sniper rifle. Kokea merely giggled.

"Don't be so serious!" Kokea said. "Let's have fun with this." Placing her right hand on her left shoulder, she screamed "Fire Wolves!" Miraculously, a bulge from her shoulder began to appear. Five wolves consumed by fire came charging out geared towards Kelsea. She picked off each wolf with a single shot, with a sixth hitting Kokea's stomach. Clutching her stomach, she winked at her enemy and created a morbid, twisted sexual tension, and followed by smacking her own butt.

"Love's Healing!" Instantly, the wound was gone. Ponting her right arm out and grabbing her wrist, she yelled "Swarming Forest". Branches of all shapes and sizes flooded out of her arm and reached for Kelsea, who managed to dodge with continual ease.

"You'll never beat me, Kokea", she said. Re-quipping into a shotgun, she began to slowly run towards her enemy. Kokea used the branches to swipe at Kelsea, creating a wooden barrier in between them and snorted laughter at her thorough planning. Yet, the moment she turned around, Kelsea unloaded a point blank elemental blast round into Kokea's stomach. After Kokea fell to the ground, Kelsea pushed her boot on top of her head.

"Give up", Kelsea said. Kokea slammed her fist into the ground.

"Why?" she asked. "I'm only getting warmed up!" Attempting to push herself up, Kelsea slammed her face back into the ground with her heel. She leaned over and whispered.

"I'm user of telepathy magic as well. I know all your moves before you do." Kokea smirked. New life appeared to be in her. Unaware of the new found knowledge, the crowd was taken back when Kokea suddenly flipped Kelsea onto her back and sat on her waist. Kelsea was unable to move.

"Water Lion!" A new bulge came out from Kokea's leg calf, forming itself into a lion formed of water. Diving onto a paralyzed Kelsea, the tomboy lost consciousness.

"The fight is over!" Mato announced. "Kokea is the winner!" Kelsea got up moments later with an infuriated and embarrassed expression.

"What is wrong with you?!" Kokea only winked back.

"You know you enjoyed those thoughts too."

"You're a pervert", was all Kelsea could mumble back. Natsu was laughing from a distance. Only Wendy understood what had transpired besides him.

"You want to keep both of them on the list, don't you?"

"Of course", Natsu smirked. Despite his hopes rising, the following fight between Yang Xiao Long and Marshall Mathers gave little to excite him. Both were competitive but showed no sense of respect or unique character. However, the next fight was the last fight of the first half block of round one.

"For the next fight", Mato said, "we have Asaras! She is red-haired maiden blessed with a fire dragon lacrima and only fourteen." She was short for her age and overall very petite but stood stall and firm with strength in her heart. Clothed in a pink jacket and red mini skirt with bright blue eyes.

"Her opponent is Hiskanna Alexandra, known for her unnatural take-over and thirteen years old." She too was short, with raven colored hair, light brown eyes, and wore all black shirt and pants.

"What you do think he means by 'unnatural', Master?"

"Kind of a dick comment if you ask me. Isn't all magic either natural or unnatural?"

"Fight!" Both girls stared at each other for a few seconds; both looked ferocious. Hiskanna ran towards Asaras with arms spread wide.

"Is it a human take-over?" Wendy asked. Natsu only laughed as a response. Hiskanna hugged her enemy, with Asaras returning it.

"I'm glad you're kind", Asaras said. "Let's have a fun match." Hiskanna smiled brightly and nodded, not uttering a word. A large black magic circle appeared under Hiskanna's feet, immersing her in magic.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Igniting her right fist, Asaras charged towards Hiskanna and made contact with the purple energy. The magic pressure pushed back and forth for several moments before Hiskanna reemerged and caught the fist. Hiskanna was now covered in a black and read scantily clad skin tight armor which would highlight a woman's breasts if older than twelve, reaching down her groin as like Mira's take-over, had a black tail, claws and talons, and her eyes turned black. She resembled a vampiric black widow.

"What an ass!" Natsu yelled from his seat. His surrounding girls were shocked by the sudden outburst.

"What is it, Master?" Brandish asked. Natsu sighed and crossed his arms.

"It's only a Satan-Soul take-over spell", he said. "It's nothing unnatural. Mira could do it." Natsu thought to the young girl's potential struggles with an outside hated magic. "Keep both of them on the list, Wendy. This is going to be a good fight."

"Fire Dragon's War Axe!" Back to their deadlock, Asaras jumped to the sky and launched her ignited heel towards Hiskanna's head and slammed her into the ground, causing a miniature crater. Covered in dirt, Hiskanna's hand began gathering large amounts of magic, which promptly unleashed a large purple beam hitting Asaras. Ladies were now both covered in dirt.

"You ruined my outfit!" Asaras roared mightily into the sky. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

"You kicked me in the face!" Hiskanna shouted back. "Terror's Blast!" A dark sphere, emulating purple energy shot out of Hiskanna's hand and made contact with the fiery roar. The colliding attacks exploding, nullifying the other.

"They're near perfectly even", Jenny remarked.

"Not quite", Natsu said. "It's actually very one-sided."

Asaras ran towards Hiskanna and began to deliver a barrage of Fire Dragon Iron Fists. Hiskanna got immediately, covered in bruises but undeterred. Once again launching a Fire Dragon Iron Fist, Hiskanna caught the attack single handed. Launching a second fist ended in vain. It too was captured. Hiskanna's black eyes turned sadistic with lustful pleasure.

"Evil Spark!" Discharging massive amounts of electricity into Asaras body, she could barely stand and screamed in agony. Hiskanna continued to smile, licking her lips.

"You won't win", Asaras mumbled. Hiskanna leaned in.

"What was that sweetie?" she asked. "I won't win? How preposterous!" Asaras tilted her head back and began laughing hysterically.

"They're both insane", Wendy thought.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Grabbing both of Hiskanna's wrists tightly, Asaras opened a massive magic circle. Fire flew from her mouth as if the gates of hades had been opened up by Lucifer. Smoke swarmed from the resulting fire attack. The crowd waited eagerly for the results as the wind slowly blew the smoke away.

Hiskanna was unconscious, with Asaras standing on top.

"Asaras is the winner and moves on to the second round!" Chapati announced. "We will have a thirty-minute recession before the second half of the first round starts."

Natsu stood up. The fights averaged less than ten minutes.

"Master, what are your orders?" Wendy asked.

"I want you to interview those on those who have interested me so far in the first round. Who remains on the list so far?" Brandish ripped the notepad from Wendy's hand.

"The momentary survivors", she said, "are Chelia Blendy, Namiyari Ohno, Ilium Wada, Cyrus Abrams, Kokea Meridius, Kelsea Ballerina, Asaras, and Hiskanna Alexandra."

"I want each of you to take two and see if you can find any details on them."

"How should be decided?" Wendy asked. Natsu sighed. Although he was serious about his job, Wendy seemed overly eager as his advisor.

"Wendy, you take the first two. Jenny takes the two boys. Kinana takes the tattoo and marksman." Kinana tilted her head.

"He wants me to interview a tattoo?" she thought, before registering.

"And Brandish will take the last two fighters. I don't need you gauging their potential. Only talk to them to see if they're Fairytail material."

"What do you mean, Master?" Jenny asked. "Do you mean to see if they're good people?"

"No, that's not necessarily important. Make sure they're willing to protect and love their friends. Even the evilest of people can love their family." Wendy tugged on Natsu's shirt.

"Master, why did you want me to cross off Joshua then? Wasn't it because he was rude?"

"Of course", Natsu said. "He was a dick. I don't care if you're evil in the site of Fairytail's enemies, but if anyone ever offers you a hand of friendship you don't smack it away with callousness. We are bound to have issues in the guild, but if someone lacks basic human decency before joining, why should I let give them the chance?"

"What about Gajeel?" Wendy asked.

"Well, you have to offer your hand out to those who want or even need redemption."

"Shouldn't we give the dick a chance?" Brandish asked.

"No!"

"Why not?" Jenny asked confused. "You said it's ok for them to be evil, and it's ok for them to be redeemed. Why can't we give Josh a chance?"

"Deus Ex Machina," Natsu said. "Because I said so. If you don't like it, tough. He gave me bad vibes and I don't him to join."

"Can you explain how that works?" Kinana asked. Natsu becomes squirming in every direction, unsure of himself. Wendy laughed and attempted to cover her mouth politely.

"Why is my anger funny, Wendy?!" Natsu asked.

"Well", she said, "Asking Natsu to explain what his gut tells him is like asking him to explain science. It won't happen effectively." Natsu raised one finger in the air and thought on how to respond hesitantly.

The girls all stared at him.

"When I say I don't mind if people are evil, I meant that they can have some evil. They still need basic levels of human decency."

"So you take back what you said?" Wendy asked.

"Damn it! I don't remember what I said." Wendy smiled at Natsu.

"Hello everyone", Chapati announced. "We are back from the recession."

"That was thirty minutes?" Natsu said surprised.

"You took around fifteen minutes to respond while we stared", Jenny said.

"You were staring at me?" he asked. Brandish winked at him.

"I'm always staring at you, Master", she said. Wendy blushed and sunk her head down in shameful thoughts.

"Well", Natsu said, "We might as well pay attention to the next fight."

"The next two fighters are Esau Jacobs and Een Hannibal!" Two men stepped forward on opposing sides of the coliseum. One had white hair and green eyes, who was very tall. Easily the largest fighter of the day. He wore a loose navy t-shirt and brown khaki shorts. His opponent was of more average height and easily a year or two younger. He had red hair and brown eyes, with an orange hooded robe.

"Een Hannibal is one of older contestants, being seventeen years old. He was widely considered the favorite of the tournament today by his teachers and is already considered a master fire wizard." Mato pointed to the white-haired, indicating he was Een.

"Esau Jacobs is of average age for the wizards of today's tournament, being fourteen. Unluckily for Een, Esau was considered one of the few wizards who had a chance of opposing him. He is considered a prodigy in every sense of the word, with his love for earth magic."

"Fight!" Mato announced. Both men lunged at each other.

The fight beheld in front of the Fairytail guild was awe-inspiring. Each wizard matched the other blow for blow. What Esau lacked in power, he made up by the sheer will of endurance and defensive skill, taking dozens of blows. In many ways he resembled Jura. Een, lacking in defense, made up for in raw speed and offensive prowess preventing many attacks from making contact. His magic was unlike anything Natsu had ever seen. Een's fire took many shapes, colors, sizes, and drew on different powers. Truly unique, was his body was like fire formed variation of Juvia's water body. However, after twenty-five minutes of non-stop fighting, Een made eye contact with Natsu. Something determined entered his eyes, but not a determination to win the fight. Sending one last attack on each other, the fire was overwhelmed by molten rock and collapsed on Een. After uncovering the rock, a snoring Een was revealed.

"The winner is Esau!" Chapati said. "Een has been upset! The tournament is up for grabs now!"

"I'd hardly call that a win", Natsu said.

"What do you mean master?" Wendy asked. "Een barely fought with any conviction. It wasn't that he didn't have any, but he wasn't taking it seriously. Look at both fighters. Examine their wounds." Squinting her eyes, she noticed Esau was covered in bruises and burn marks. Een had barely a single scratch on him, only covered in sweat.

"He's only tired?"

"He is more than tired; he is exhausted. The attack didn't knock him out. He fell asleep in the middle of a fight."

"If he's exhausted, why is he drenched in sweat?"

"He probably didn't sleep last night. Maybe he was nervous about something which caused him to break out in a sweat."

"About the fight?"

"Don't be ridiculous", Natsu said. "If he was that nervous, he would have taken the fight equally serious. He is sixteen right?"

"That's what Chapati stated his age was", Jenny said.

"He was probably talking to a girl", Natsu said. All the girls stared in amazement and wonder. All this time they weren't sure if Natsu understood what they were doing, yet on some level, they realized he did.

"When I talk a girl I'm into, I act all sorts of nervous and stupid. I can't sleep. I sweat from the anxiety and the constant blush on my face."

"R-r-really, Master", Wendy asked. Natsu sat his arm on his advisor's head.

"Not really. I'm only nervous around Erza. She's terrifying. But everyone has something they are afraid of. What else could be his?"

"That's actually… smart", Jenny said. Natsu glared at her.

"What does that mean?" he asked.

"Nothing, Master."

"Keep both on the list, Wendy," he said. Wendy sighed.

"I don't have it anymore, Master", she said. He looked around. "Brandish has it." Natsu's eyes widened as his head was suddenly given shade. Two large circles seemed to shadow his entire body.

"Brandish, keep the-"

"I'll do it if you take me on a date, Master." She leaned down and whispered in his ear. "You can do anything you want all night long."

"R-really?" Natsu asked. He finally stumbled over his own words.

"Of course. I'll do anything." Natsu gulped with intense stare Brandish gave.

"Want to go right now?" he asked. Brandish blushed.

"R-right now? Sure!" Natsu nodded, picked Brandish up, and then sat her in front of Jenny on all fours. He stared deeply into her eyes and smiled as he politely stole the chart of fighter's and their names from her and handed it to Wendy.

"Ok, this is our date", He said. "I want you to be Jenny's footstool and do everything she says all night long." Brandish posted, as Jenny stared at her with evil intent.

"Natsu, this isn't exactly what I had in mind!"

"Really?" he asked. He scratched his cheek to be coy. "What else would I want to do?" Never had words crushed Brandish soul to such lengthy despair, but with determination for Natsu and apathy in her heart, she submitted.

"For the next fight we have Blake Belladonna", Chapati said. "Another of our oldest competitors, being seventeen, she is considered a proficient user of shadow magic." Appearing on the south side was a moderately tall girl with black hair and brown eyes. She had two odd shaped weapons on her back, with a black and white dress shirt, black pants, and heels.

"Her opponent is Iroas Helt, a fourteen-year-old boy with average magic and the third highest grades in his class. He was widely noted a lazy genius by his teachers." Approaching on the north side was a young boy with semi-curly blonde hair and brown eyes. By all means, he was scrawny and short. He had no grand appearance. He wore a navy t-shirt with howling wolves and a pair of jeans. "For the crowd watching, can you define 'average magic', Mr. Yajima?"

"Certainly", he said. "Iroas was not known to specialize in any time of magic in school. Rather his larger intellect and ability to moderately do all types of magic decently well set him apart."

"Should I cross him off, Master?" Wendy asked.

"Don't rush judgments", was all Natsu mumbled.

"Iroas is it?" Blake asked. He nodded. "I'm going to warn you, give up. You can't win against me." Iroas replied with only a blank stare.

"He really is lazy", Jenny said. "He can't even talk trash back?"

"Wendy?"

"Yes, Master?"

"Keep him on the list."

"Why?" Natsu didn't respond. He merely looked back to the field and watched the silent, lazy warrior.

Iroas extended out his arms and smiled creepily. Blake cringed in thought. "Was he groping me in his mind?" Soon Iroas fell on his back and laid in the dirt. Little bubbles slowly flew out of his fingers and swirled around the coliseum. The sky looked like a child's paradise.

"He really is lazy", Kinana mumbled. Taking the opportunity, Black disappeared into the shadows of the stadium and reappeared right in front of Iroas with her oddly shaped sword in hand.

"You should give up", she said, "Or this will be unpleasant." Iroas began laughing hysterically and loudly. Everyone stared in amazement. He showed no care nor worry about the fight. It was a joke to him.

"I would say the same", he said. "But that's less fun for everyone else." Blake gazed up to see the concentration of bubbles growing vastly increased near here. Hundreds of minor bubbles surrounded her. When she looked back down, Iroas was gone.

"Bubblebomb!" Iroas shouted. Blake cringed, but nothing happened. Taking out her sword, she walked over to Iroas new position several meters south. The harmless bubbles followed.

"Your attack is worthless", she said. "You lose." She extended her sword out to a nearby bubble and popped it. Iroas smiled.

"You popped my bubble", he said. "That's just rude." Everyone in the crowd watched as a sudden explosion sent Blake flying through the air. A bubble collided and caused her to be sent into a new direction, only to be hit again and caught in an endless chain reaction of bombs. When she finally landed, she was unconscious. Iroas left the battlefield.

"Iroas is the winner, and with one attack!" Chapati said.

"More like a hundred smaller attacks with that chain reaction", Yajima inputted.

"He's insane!" Jenny screamed. Wendy nodded.

"He's lazy too", Kinana added. Jenny stared at her footstool.

"We already have one insane person in our guild", she said.

"Fairytail can use more", Natsu said.

"He defeated his enemy with one attack", Brandish said. "He is quite powerful and exhausted no effort at all. I'm with Master." Wendy gripped her nose bridge in stress as she crossed Blake's name off the list and kept Iroas.

"For the next fight, we have Kaori Hinazuki, a fourteen-year-old girl who is a user of water magic, and widely considered the strong water user here." After the last fight, everyone doubted that statement. However, she appeared, and she was relatively fully grown with dark brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a cyan dress, which went down above her knees and matching boots. She had an ivory sash around her waist.

"Her opponent is Sakura Hanna", he continued, "Who is the same age and user of 'white lightning' magic." Outstepped her opponent who had long green hair and dark pink eyes, with a sage colored battle styled dress. Despite being short, she stood tall and held great confidence in herself.

"Great" Kaori complained. "I have to fight the most proper bitch in the entire country."

"How dare you!" Sakura replied. "I would never say such things!" Kaori laughed in response.

"Let's make this fight quick", she said. "I hate being around you. All out in one attack?"

"Sounds fine with me."

"Fight!"

"Heaven's Falls!" Kaori said. A magic circle encompassing half the coliseum appeared above their heads. Falling heavily and making direct contact, Sakura barely held onto her consciousness and breath. After nearly a minute of constant raging water, the coliseum grounds were soaked and muddy. Sakura remained standing still, not moving an inch from her original spot.

"Holy Shock!" screamed Sakura. A bright magic circle with the radiance of the sun appeared before her hand, blinding nearly all viewers. With regained sight, the crowd saw Sakura discharge vast quantities of an ivory colored lightning magic into Kaori, who fell immediately unconscious.

"Victory goes to Sakura!" Chapati announced.

"Did you see that Wendy?" Natsu asked.

"Of course", Wendy replied.

"See what?" Jenny said.

"They made an agreement for only one attack, right," Wendy asked. Jenny nodded in agreement. "However Kaori launched two. First, she used water like whips which bound Sakura from moving and then used her waterfall. Not only did Sakura survive, but she actually achieved an amazing feat. Kaori isn't unconscious. Sakura's electricity completely stunned and stopped Kaori's nervous system momentarily."

"Not only did she win", Natsu said, "But she kept her promised and found a way to achieve victory without leaving her enemy with serious injuries. Keep Sakura on the list, remove Kaori." Wendy drove a notch through the name.

"For the next fight, we have Diaten Harada", Chapati said. "He is a user of iron make magic. He is thirteen." No one stepped forward.

"Diaten? Where are you?" Walking forward was an average height young man with tanned skin, brown hair, and brown eyes. He wore a black t-shirt and jeans. He was yawning and stretching is arms.

"Sorry, everyone! I fell asleep," Diaten said. Chapati laughed.

"Well, he must certainly not be worried if he can fall asleep before a big fight. His opponent is Jun Wallace, who is fifteen, and a master of possibly the most dangerous and deadliest magic here- explosions."

"That's odd", Yajima said. "I've never heard of magic that deals purely with explosions. Rather particular spells in each magic principal that creates them." Jun walked forward on the opposite side.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm a weird fucker. Screw me right?"

"Now sir", Mato said, "Please abstain from using obscene language."

"Fuck off."

"Alright", Mato said and walked away.

"Fight!"

"Are you ready to lose, shitbag?" Jun asked.

"Wow", Diaten said. "You really are not very nice. Well, since I have a full day of rest before the next fight, I'll end this quick."

"You really fucking think iron-make magic could defeat my motherfucking explosions in one hit?"

"No, but they only said one of my magical abilities", he said.

"What the fuck?" A large outpour of magic power started coming out of Diaten excessively. Natsu smirked. The young boy's stance, aura, and magic's condition reminded him of Gildarts. Without a doubt, not a single soul that day unleashed more magic power.

"I only can use this magic once a day", he said. "It also only lasts for a few minutes as it takes up an entire day's worth of magic power. He began to walk forward. Jun laughed and punched the air repeatedly and psychotically.

"Explosion!" he yelled in a raspy, despairing voice. Magic circle after circle formed orbs around Diaten's body and created an explosion engulfing the coliseums grounds. Jun smirked for mere seconds before another explosion blew everything away to reveal an unharmed enemy. Diaten began sprinting at top gear and launched his fist towards Jun's face.

"Crash!" The air itself began to fracture around Jun's body and was sent flying into the wall unconscious.

"At least he didn't feel any pain from crashing", Diaten said. "He's not dead. He's only severely concussed." Doctors ran onto the grounds with a stretcher.

"Diaten wins!" Mato announced.

"Thoughts, Master?" Wendy asked.

"Keep Diaten on there", he said. "He will be our new Gildarts." Wendy laughed. She could feel that comment coming. "Scratch off Jun, he seemed a bit of a douche."

Following three fights seemed to reflect the first half, as they lacked something. First was Kayo Hinazuki, 14, against Weiss Schnee, 17, an odd snow against ice battle. Kayo was a twin of Kaori physically, but different in every way. She seemed kind and melancholy, with bright, sad smile. Despite a seeming lack of confidence, she pulled out a victory. Next was Priscilla Pnevma, 14, and Ruby Rose, 15, with a battle of ice-make versus speed respectively. Pnevma won easily, as the speed user couldn't maintain her balance on ice changed terrain. Announcing the others magic really hindered that fight. After was Giovanni Alighieri, 17, who lost against Chloe Bluefox, 13, who used water and script magic respectively. Natsu mentioned keeping each of the winners and crosses of the losers. As the day gathered on, there were a fair amount of fighters he liked. It had gotten easier to disqualify them.

It was past four o'clock when the final fighters of the tournament were announced. A fighter who would change the destiny of Fairytail.

"We've finally reached the final fight of the first day, folks", Chapati said. "Our last contestant is Beidaggar Cataline, a fourteen-year-old take-over user." Another young man stepped onto the field like the rest, he stood slightly taller with minor facial hair. His chest was large and quite muscular, indicating a heavy workout regiment. He had brown hair and green eyes, with a collared shirt and jeans.

"He will be fighting against Boaz…. Mr. Yajima, how do you say that? Oh. His opponent is Boaz Irony!" A taller, overweight young man stepped onto the field. He was easily the tallest person there besides the freakishly tall Een. Unlike all the fighters, he was clearly out of shape. He wore a blood red flannel short-sleeved shirt with a smoked style red undershirt and short tan khakis. His hair was short, dark brown, typically referred to as black, blue-green eyes, and a gentle smile coupled with an intense stare. Walking out onto the arena he sighed.

"They always mess up my name…" he said. "I typically don't care, but it would be a bother if one of the guilds couldn't find me." He walked over to Mato and asked for the microphone politely, to which his request was given.

"Hello everyone, my name is Boaz of Eirini. I don't have the last name, as I grew up without a family. My parents were killed when I was very young, and I was taken in by priests of The Way which focused in Eirini, a village outside of Fiore." He took an awkward breath. "The man I called my father, after being adopted into their order, ran away when a dragon as dark as the night sky attacked our town. I've been searching for him my entire life, and any information on my real parents." Natsu sunk his head down and closed his eyes. He curled his hands into fists on his lap.

"Sir, I think you're done", Mato said. "We should get the fight on." He reached for the microphone only for it to be pulled away.

"A little more Mr. Mato", he replied. "I promise to whichever guild that takes me in, I will use my abilities to find my family, but I'm not naïve. I know they're dead. All I really want is a guild to take me in and be a part of their family." He laughed awkwardly. "I'm sorry, I only intended to correct my name and I ended up sharing my life." He handed the microphone back to Mato and walked to his side of the stadium, with his head hung low.

"Is he really that embarrassed?" Jenny asked. Natsu didn't respond. His silence was painful.

"No", Wendy said while putting her hand on Natsu's. "The boy is in pain. He has low self-worth because he feels abandoned. He is hurting inside and unsure if any guild even wants him. If I had to guess, he isn't very strong at all."

"He's strong in other ways", Natsu mumbled. He stared back down to Boaz with keen interest. "I can feel it."

"Sorry and my condolences", Chapati said. "Boaz of Eirini is revered by his teachers to be the second smartest of his class, and when it came to the written portion of the entrance exam, he achieved a never before gotten a perfect score. Sadly, his magic is also considered the weakest of everyone's here, and can only use telekinesis effectively for combat." Boaz sighed once again.

"Everyone's a critic", he mumbled.

"Are the two gentlemen ready?" Mato asked.

"Indeed", Beidaggar said.

"Aye", Boaz said.

"Fight!"

"Fighting against you won't be easy, my brother", Beidaggar said.

"Go all out and I will too", Boaz said. "Don't hold back. Use all three." Beidaggar shook his head but relented.

"Beast Soul Arm: Grizzly! Beast Soul Arm: Lizardman! Beast Soul Legs: Cheetah!" His right arm turned into that of large grizzly bears, granting great strength and toughness. His Lizardman left arm provided great defensive power and ease of blocking, and his cheetah legs allowed for greater total mobility.

"He may not be capable of a full-body take over", Yajima said. "However, it's still an amazing achievement to activate three different takeovers for different body parts."

"You want all three", he said. "I will give you all three, Boaz!" Beidaggar charged towards Boaz at racing speeds and delivered a decisive blow to Boaz.

"Boaz is down! The fight is over!"

"No, it's not", Boaz said while getting up. "That hurts like hell, but if there is one thing I'm good at it's taking a beating." A bruised was already forming on his left arm, which managed to block the attack with.

"Quick thinking Boaz", he said. "Using your magic to brace your own body."

"Who said I used magic? Remember, I learned Martial Arts when studying as a priest."

"That's a badass priest", Natsu said.

"I wanted to my own physical will against yours", he continued. "And I know you're holding back! Stop! If we are friends, fight me at your limit!"

"Alright." A magic circle appeared underneath Beidaggar, streaming a black magic circle into the air.

"Full Body Take Werewolf!" Taking the form of a member of Lycanthropy, he grew black fur all around him, with an elongated snout, sharp claws, and grew three feet taller.

"You've got to be kidding me? You've been hiding this the entire time?!"

"You asked me to go all out!" The werewolf charged and launched its fist, only to be caught. The crowd was aghast. Launching his second fist, it too was caught.

"Impossible odds?" he said smirking. "You know that's what I live for!" The werewolf changed his fist to a grip and tossed Boaz into the air. Following with a jump, he launched an ax kick, crushing through Boaz block. A minor crater formed. Once again, Boaz got up and coughed up blood.

"Now I'm done warming up", Boaz said.

"You're insane", Beidaggar said.

"Would you have it any other way?" His enemy laughed.

"Never", he replied. The werewolf charged once again. Lunging forward, Boaz dodged the attack.

"Telekinesis: Fall!" A magic circle the size of the werewolf appeared his head. Suddenly vast quantities of force began to push down Beidaggar.

"Brilliant", Mr. Yajima said. "He's using own magic to imitate another. Although not as effective nor powerful, it's ingenious." Beidaggar pushed himself up.

"Nice try! You won't win that easily. I'm slower, but I'm still faster than you."

"But, I dodged you before I used gravity magic."

"Stop using logic, damn it!"

"Werewolf Bloodthirst!" Another magic circle appeared under Beidaggar, seemingly not affecting his own spell. "I'll give you a hint. Every time I hit an enemy with this enchantment for my beast soul, I grow in anger and stronger into a frenzy until victory. One hit will make your crappy gravity magic ineffective." Boaz shook his head. The gravity magic disappeared. Boaz was panting heavily. Beidaggar looked surprised.

"I'm fat, you idiot", he said. "I don't have endurance like you do, nor the magic power to continue that spell much longer. Besides, if one hit counters the spell, why waste my magic?"

"You're giving up?!"

"Did I say that?" Boaz asked. "Telekinesis: Water Push!" A new blue magic circle, of similar size, appeared over Boaz.

"You plan on using push to run fast and create bigger jumps with each forceful kick?"

"Something like that." Previously, the fight had already lasted near ten minutes. After using this new spell to increase his jumping power, Boaz continued to dodge attack after attack for ten straight minutes. They ran over the entire ground, not a single spot was left uncovered without a footstep.

"HOW THE HELL ARE YOU DODGING ME?" he screamed.

"Who said I was dodging you?"

"That doesn't make any sense, damn it!" Natsu laughed gently. No one had seemed to notice.

"This kid… He's a genius", Natsu said.

"What's he doing?" Wendy asked. "He hasn't landed a single blow"

"He's outthinking his opponent. He's three steps ahead and knows he can't win a physical battle." Suddenly, Boaz stopped and ducked underneath a swing from Beidaggar, and jumped into the opposite direction, past his legs.

"Telekinesis: Fall!" The magic circle above his own head disappeared while reactivating the former gravity magic spell.

"It appears he can't use more than one spell at a time, even if it's weak", Brandish said.

"That's not it", Natsu said. Beidaggar ran towards a now still standing Boaz and launched an uppercut.

"I have a new attack too, my friend", was all Beidaggar heard before launching his friend into the air from a nonsurvivable height. Beidaggar pressed his feet into the ground and attempted to jump forward. He didn't, only now he realized he was knee high in mud. Looking around, the entire stadium was covered in mud. Each step he took was slowly muddying the ground for ten minutes.

"That's what he meant", Beidaggar said laughing. "I should have seen this coming." He looked up to see Boaz reached his max height with a magic circle the size of the stadium.

"Limit Breaker: Telekinetic fall!" Boaz entire body turned red. His muscles tensed and stiffened. Now the gravity spell pushed heavily onto Beidaggar, with levels similar to Bluenote himself. Boaz began his descent, with his arm sticking out forward.

"Limit Breaker Will: Hammer Fist!" For a mere moment, his entire body turned blue. Beidaggar moved his arms to block the attack, but his arms were easily crushed with a near lethal hammer fist dealt onto his torso. Upon contact, dirt flung up into the air, creating a smoke screen. After being blown away by the wind, the crowd saw Beidaggar on the ground.

"Boaz wins the final fight of the first round!" Chapati announced. "What an upset! Mr. Yajima, can you explain what happened? I don't think half of us understand what took place."

"Of course", he said. "When Boaz used his water push technique, I would assume it actually added to the element of water to each step he took, if we assume rightly he used it to dodge like Beidaggar said. Slowly, over the fight, it muddied the ground. In his Werewolf form, the mud slowed Beidaggar down considerably with the extra weight and force in each step. Boaz, at the end, likely let himself get hit, betting to be knocked into the air. He used a spell called limit breaker, which is exactly as it sounds like. Combining its use with his gravity spell and push magic, he delivered the ultimate hammer fist- claiming his victory." Boaz laughed at Yajima's keen eye. He lifted his thumb up.

"You got it!" Medical staff ran onto the field to take Beidaggar. Looking at the doctors he said, "He likely has several broken bones in hands, ribs, and legs. He shouldn't have anything else." Then Boaz fell over. Natsu smiled.

"What do you think, Master?" Wendy asked. Natsu got up.

"Keep both of them on the list", he said and smiled. "And if anyone is going to join Fairytail, it's Boaz." Wendy smiled back. Nearly brought to tears, they all understood what Natsu saw. Natsu put reached out his hand towards Brandish and helped her up. For an odd reason, the moment they touched hands, sparks flew in her eyes. Her patience had its own reward.

"Do you have any commands for us, Master?" she asked.

"Wendy, what are the names on the list?"

The names are: Chelia Blendy, Namiyari Ohno, Cyrus Abrams, Ilium Wada, Kokea Meridius, Kelsea Ballerina, Asaras, Hiskanna Alexandra, Esau Jacobs, Een Hannibal, Iroas Helt, Diaten Harada, Sakura Hanna, Priscilla Pnevma, Chloe Bluefox, Beidaggar Cataline, and Boaz of Eirini." Natsu nodded.

"What about the twin?" he asked. Wendy blushed from the uncertainty of her decision.

"I figured it would be a bad move to offer only one twin a position and not the other."

"It makes sense", he said. "I trust your judgment." Natsu yawned and his stomach growled. "I want each of you to take a copy of the list and find as much information as you can on them. Each of you needs to take four amongst yourselves to interview personally. It doesn't matter who. Wendy, I recommend visiting the hospital and offering your help. You could gain a lot of information by talking to the injured. I will personally interview Boaz."

They all agreed and separated. Natsu walked to the hospital rooms in the stadium with Wendy, as Boaz was likely bound to be there first. After reaching a receptionist, Wendy explained her abilities and was immediately let in with Natsu behind him. Walking between rooms, they searched for fighters. At the end of the hall, they heard yelling.

"I said I'm fine! I only need to replenish my magic."

"Sir, stop!"

"You know I'm fine! Stop with the pointless tests, please?"

"We have to make sure! Stop being arrogant! What if there's something wrong with

you?"

"I'll deal with it", he said.

"Why can't you listen to everyone else?"

"I'm impatient and hungry." Natsu appeared in his room and smacked the boy on the head.

"Ouch! Who the hell are you!?"

"Listen to the woman", he said. "The care is free. She has no reason to harm you." Natsu extended out his arm for a handshake. "My name is Natsu Dragneel, the Salamander of Fairytail, and the fifth guild master." Boaz' face turned in awe and shook his hand firmly.

"Hi!" he said excitedly. "I am Boaz of Eirini. It's an honor, sir."

"Call me, Natsu, Boaz", he said. Suddenly, an awkward cough came from behind him.

"Aren't you going to introduce me, Natsu?" Wendy asked.

"Sorry", he said. "Boaz, this is my advisor, Wendy."

"The legendary Sky Maiden", Boaz said. "It's a pleasure to meet you", and then shook hands with Wendy.

"I'm glad you know who we are", she said. "It means our reputation hasn't gone that bad."

"Are you kidding?" he asked. He grinned ear to ear. "If it weren't for a legendary dragon, your entire guild would still be the strongest in all of Fiore!" Then he looked at Wendy. "Wendy, you're even more beautiful than I've heard." Wendy launched a kick, which Boaz dodged much to her chagrin.

"I hate perverts", she said.

"Hey! I may be a pervert, but I'm not disrespectful", he said. His head sunk down, but looked back up and smiled. "I know you're out of my league. You're strong, intelligent, and I've heard many say you're charming. I won't ever take a step past a compliment." Wendy looked down.

"I'm sorry", she said. "I shouldn't be presumptuous. You're not the type to lie, are you?"

"Only when trying to tell a funny story."

"What?" Natsu asked.

"I really overuse hyperbole." The nurse began to fiddle with her medical supplies and ordered Boaz to sit down and take off his shirt. Although embarrassed from being overweight, he stood up strong being in front of Natsu and Wendy. Wendy then got behind him and placed her hands on his back and gently touched his back while healing him, noticing a tattoo in the shape of a cross with a floral triangle background.

"I can restore your magic", she kept saying.

"You're really awkward, aren't you?" he asked. Natsu broke out in laughter.

"You say whatever you're thinking, don't you?"

"Typically", he said. The more I trust the person, the more I say exactly what I'm thinking."

"Do you trust me?" Natsu asked.

"I've always looked up to you", he said. "There's an element of trust even though I don't know you."

"Do you mind if I test this?"

"Sure."

"What do you think of your fight?"

"It was fun. I really pushed my limits. If Wendy wasn't here, I wouldn't gain half of my magic power back by tomorrow. However, to resort to extremes easily and knowing Beidaggar wasn't using his full strength really bothers me."

"I'm surprised you mentioned his superior strength", Natsu said. "I wasn't sure if you would own up to that. Now, are you a pervert?"

"Yes sir!" he snickered. Wendy and the nurse began blushing nervously from his honesty.

"Breasts or butt?"

"For perversion, breasts. However, when it comes to girls I like I only care about their face. I don't care what they're body looks like."

"Is that because you're fat?"

"Partially, I think. I would suggest it's because most of the girls I like are my age and still in the body shape of loli's."

"You read the manga? What's your favorite?"

"One Piece", he said.

"Weird. I've never heard of it. On a scale of 1-10, how attractive do you find Wendy?" Wendy suddenly stopped healing, barely able to hold in the embarrassment.

"Easily a ten", he said, "because she is very cute."

"What would you do with her?"

"NATSU?!"

"I would…"

"You're going to answer that in front of me?!" Wendy screamed. Boaz sighed.

"I wouldn't do anything with her", he said.

"Why is that?" Natsu asked.

"Don't you have feelings for her?" he asked. Natsu didn't respond, only offering a blank expression with Wendy having a soul-crushing weight on her shoulders. "Even if I am a pervert, something inside me can't be lustful towards girls who I see as taken."

"You're a good kid", was all Natsu said. Wait. Didn't Natsu deny it? Wendy refocused and finished healing him moments later.

"I'm all done", she said.

"Good, now I have two questions left for you, Boaz."

"I will do my best to answer, Natsu."

"First, are you hungry? I'm starving and I would like to offer you dinner." Boaz only nodded in fervent agreement. "Second, do you want to join Fairytail?" His jaw dropped. Boaz didn't know how to answer in a manner reflecting the joy he felt.

"Don't answer yet", he said. "You can't officially join during the tournament. Come on, let's go to dinner." Natsu walked away with him.

Wendy couldn't stop gushing over Natsu's lack of denial. Were they in a relationship already? Were they dating? Were they… gone? Finally, she realized Natsu left her behind without offering to bring her back food, let alone take her with them. She regretfully remembered what Natsu asked of her: heal contestants, gather information, and interview the four wizards she agreed to.

Walking around Crocus, now nearly six o'clock, Natsu and Boaz couldn't find a place they both agreed to. Everything sounded good. When a decision was made, the wait was over an hour. After nearly an of searching since they left Domus Flau, they finally found a small barbecue shop.

"God, I love meat", Boaz said. Natsu raised an eyebrow and stared at him. "I heard what I said. I don't take it back." Natsu laughed at the teenager.

"Boaz, will you tell me about yourself?"

"Of course", Boaz said. "What do you want to know?"

"What happened to Eirini?" Boaz sighed.

"Acnologia attacked it. My dad and his priests ran away instead of trying to defend it. Everyone but me died."

"Who is he- your dad?"

"I call him my dad because he is the one who found me after I was orphaned. He trained and taught me until I was ten when it was attacked. Really, he never cared about me as his son, or at least he never referred to me as his son. But I always loved him. Do you mind if I'm really honest?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Boaz."

"I've always wanted a father figure in my life after he ran away. Looking back, I didn't call him my dad that much, but I realize how alone I am. I don't have that person to support me or believe in me. I've been alone for four years, and even in Eirini, I didn't any real friendships with the priests and villagers. I think I'm trying to find my parents or him to help fill the loneliness and hole in my heart."

"I know, Boaz", he said. "I could tell by how you walked."

"I reminded you of yourself?"

"Over ten years ago my dad disappeared. I felt alone until I found Fairytail. Even then, I still struggled because I missed my dad. I spent as much time as possible as I attempted to find him. On New Year's Day of this last year, I found my dad." Natsu began to cry a little. "But he died in front of me. The Fire Dragon Igneel died in front of me, protecting me from my vendetta against Acnologia, and died by his hand."

"Igneel taught you Fire Dragon Slaying magic?"

"Yes, and language, arts, culture, and other things. He was my dad. He raised me."

"I'm sorry, Natsu. I know everyone strong wizards are human, but it doesn't click until I see their scars."

"Ok", Natsu smiled. "Back to you. Why did you hold back?" Boaz began to sweat.

"What do you mean?" he said hastily.

"Your spell, limit breaker, greatly multiplied your power and pushed your body to its very limit."

"Yes?"

"And you're completely unharmed. You had no lasting physical consequences. An attack like that with your level of magic power would damage you greatly, yet you walked away unharmed besides being drained of all your magic power." Boaz laughed nervously.

"Oh, that's what you mean? I practiced many times. It no longer affects my body."

"You don't seem to get it. That level of difference in magic power would kill you if you didn't already use it, nor could your potential limits be that vastly different if you weren't capable of more than you presented." Boaz sighed and turned around. Lifting up his shirt revealing the tattoo on his back.

"It works as a seal of sorts. During the attack on Eirini, I was searching for our church for my dad. Stumbling in was one of his highest priests, Salmon, who extended his hand out and said, 'Even if your dad doesn't trust you, I think you have the potential. It doesn't matter what he thinks, he ran. I fought and failed. I'm sorry. I grant you this.' When I touched his hand, a blue fire swarmed around me and I got this tattoo. I was in excruciating pain for a while and got knocked out. When I woke up the entire village was destroyed, Acnologia was gone, and everyone was gone or dead."

"What does it do exactly?" Natsu asked.

"I'm a fire demon slayer", he said. Natsu's eyes widened. "But I can't control it. I always hurt people and lose control, with something dark inside me taking over. If I don't activate it, I remain in control, but my ability to use magic is greatly reduced." Natsu gulped.

"Are you really that strong when using your fire magic?"

"Not when I'm in control. I'm not that much stronger in larger comparison. The magic council attempted to help me control it but to no avail. When I lose all control, yes. They need to call in wizard saints to knock me out."

"How many times has it happened?"

"Thirty times. Luckily, only one fatality."

"You've killed someone?"

"Yeah… I was horrified upon hearing the news when I woke up. It was the thirtieth time I lost control. I swore to never use it again after. The magic council agreed and are considering outlawing Devil Slayer's magic, but no else has been discovered with it." Natsu nodded in understanding.

"Can I ask you one more thing?"

"Yes, Master Dragneel." Natsu's face cringed at the name, still getting used to the respect. Natsu stood up.

"Do you want me to be your dad?" Boaz didn't react. Waiters came out with the food, giving deep fried steak and fish to Natsu, with a massive grilled steak burrito to Boaz. The waiter walked away.

"Not even a thank you? That's rude", he thought.

Neither Boaz nor Natsu made a noise or took a bite of their food.

"Yes", was all Boaz managed to mutter. "You aren't afraid of me? I'm a demon. I can't control my power. I'm not very strong."

"No, I'm not afraid. You're a genius, and you have plenty of talent." Natsu finally took his first bite of food and swallowed, trying to ease the awkward tension. "From this day on, you are a member of Fairytail. You are my son. I will believe in you and protect you with all my might." Natsu extended his fist, which Boaz returned with a fist bump. The started eating and didn't say another word until they decided to head home, where Natsu ordered another fish to go.

"Hey, Boaz?"

"Yeah, dad?" Natsu stopped. It was odd, mainly because Boaz was taller and their age difference was less than a decade, but he enjoyed being called that.

"Why are you afraid of using your fire magic?"

"I told you why."

"Your fear is deeper than that. You don't believe in yourself. You assume you'll fail."

"I know, and there isn't anything I can do." Natsu put both of his arms on Boaz's shoulders.

"Fairytail wizards don't give up. You aren't an exception. One more thing, why are you so freakishly tall?!"

"I started puberty around ten."

"Ohhhh…"

"Do girls like you because you're tall?"

"No, I'm fat."

"God damn it! Stop with the self-deprecation. I believe in you. I have faith in you. Believe in yourself. You are capable of getting any girl you want, even someone as wonderful as Wendy. Furthermore, you are more than capable of controlling your fire demon magic."

"How do you know?"

"Well, for the one you're a genius. More importantly, you're my son now. It's my responsibility to have faith in you, even when you don't have faith in yourself. I will always believe in you."

"Thank you", was all Boaz could muster.

"Don't worry about it. I need to go back to my hotel now and speak to my guild mates. I will see you tomorrow morning."

After the interviews were over, they headed to their hotel rooms. As Brandish reached for the door, Jenny pulled arm into her own room.

"Sorry", she said, "Master said you have to do everything I said."

"All night", Brandish said looking down. Besides Natsu, nearly everything was a drag. Jenny smirked and pushed Brandish to the ground, pointing for her to go on her knees like a dog.

"You're the one who played hard to get a few days ago in front of Master Dragneel."

"What? Are you a closet lesbian?" Brandish asked. Jenny looked away in shame. She knelt down and started in Brandish's sage colored eyes. Her hand extended onto Brandish's cheek and caressed it gently. Moving closer, their lips were millimeters away. Jenny extended both of her arms out and wrapped them around Brandish as embraced the few millimeters of separation left. Brandish purred. After only a couple seconds, Brandish gripped the back of Jenny's head and began kissing back. Jenny lifted her hand up Brandish shirt and began to massage her breasts. Brandish only moaned. Suddenly, Jenny pushed Brandish away.

"You really haven't been touched in ages?", she asked. Brandish pouted. Jenny laughed and got up. "You make me feel like a fool, I will make you feel like a fool a thousand times over." Brandish grabbed Jenny's hand and pulled her into another kiss, prompting a slight moan.

"Right back at you", Brandish winked and left a stunned Jenny behind.

What they didn't notice was Natsu opening the door without knocking and witnessing their actions. Promptly leaving, he didn't wish to disturb them and decided they could all wait until tomorrow to discuss their findings. Walking over to Wendy's room, he knocked on the door. Opening the door was Kinana, who stated Wendy was still at the hospital. Natsu rushed over to Domus Flau with a bag in hand.

Upon reaching the hospital rooms, he came across a sleeping Wendy. Everyone had already left, including the workers. Natsu began to call Wendy to wake her up. Words tumbled out of her mouth.

"What was that, Wendy?" Natsu asked. He leaned closer. Wendy kissed him on the cheek and mumbled an "I love you" before falling back.

"That was odd. Anyways… WENDY!" Her body shot forward.

"Yes, Master?!" Natsu relaxed.

"You finally woke up!" He said handing out the bag of food. "I brought you dinner." Wendy opened it fast and began to eat.

"Thank you, Master", she said. "Do you want to hear what I learned?"

"Let tomorrow worry about itself. Relax with me for now." Wendy nodded and smiled. "How was your day?" Although stiff at first, Wendy's posture seemed to relax.

"Healing for a couple hours was draining, but talking to potential guildmates has been fun." Wendy's continued to eat, while nearly dozing off, causing it to take twice as long. Her legs began to swing in the silence.

"What is Boaz like?" she asked.

"He's a good kid. However, he still holds back. Something is off in his story. He is sure of small details, but the words he uses to make his conclusions sound slightly off." Natsu put his arm on top of Wendy's head.

"Do you think he's lying?" Wendy looked up at her hero.

"No, I am sure he is embarrassed to admit not even he knows what happened in its entirety." Wendy's legs continued to swing as she ate, listening to Natsu's explanation his previous conversation. After a while they returned to their respective hotel room, falling asleep instantly.

Following in the next morning, Natsu listened to his member's decisions of approval concerning the remaining members. No one, according to the ladies, held reason as to be denied entrance to Fairytail. Upon hearing further details, Natsu gave a simple command.

"I understand your choices. Make thorough notes as possible on our remaining contestants for entrance." Wendy giggled at hearing Natsu's decision. Slowly but surely, Natsu continued to grow in the most practical ways to become a wiser guild master. Reaching Domus Flau, the guild sat in the same seats as the former day. At ten o'clock, Chapati and Yajima took to the announcer's room with Mato returning to the field. The stadium's floor had been dried and fixed.

"Good morning, Crocus!" Chapati said. "It's Chapati here with Mr. Yajima as cohost to do play by play. Today is the second day of the tournament, meaning the remaining fights must take place. Time for our first fight!"

His statement brought on the day. Despite the excitement in his heart, Natsu's mind was focused on Boaz and barely paid any attention to the other fights. When it came to the question, "Are they Fairytail material?" the girls all gave a resounding yes to each potential member. The fights now were boring. Some intangible lacked in them, and the fights which held up to those standards were quick. The first fight was Chelia against Namiyari. Although Namiyari's powers are ideal for strategy and enhancements, she was outsmarted and defeated in two attacks by Chelia.

Following was Ilium against the winner of a fight Natsu doesn't even remember, Elizabeth. The battle was decisive and exhausting. How can it be boring? Natsu didn't watch. He knew from the beginning Ilium would win, like Ilium himself as he declared his victory at the immediate start. Although Elizabeth held the elemental advantage with careful and quick wind magic, Ilium managed to overpower her gentle finesse with his raw pride and effort.

Next was Sato against Kokea. Although the result was determined quick, the fight lasted long as Sato was determined to see every spell Kokea had. With all her willpower Kokea fought until the ink in her soul was out. Not until a minute left was announced did Sato manage to knock Kokea out with a quick hit. Undoubtedly, Sato and Ilium were compared with their similar magic, nonetheless, the clear favorite would have been Sato.

Yang Xiao Long and Asaras fought after. Both were fire wizards and refused to give up. However, the winner was obvious. Asaras, as a slayer of her opponent's element, would only grow stronger as the fight carried on. After a short while, Yang resorted to pure martial arts as to prevent a greater disadvantage. Even if without her magic, Asaras wouldn't grow stronger. Without magic, Yang couldn't survive for much long after. Asaras won, but not without a couple bruises and a noticeably less amount of magic power.

Despite his bored nature, Natsu's mood would soon pick up. Following the fight were two of the strongest wizards in the tournament- Esau and Iroas. Nonetheless, Iroas held a clear advantage as a water wizard. Iroas' potential insanity during fights through Esau for a loop, making him unpredictable. With two clear disadvantages, Esau didn't give and managed to put up a good fight. Iroas still won, although barely. For the first time in the entire tournament, a fight lasted a full thirty minutes. Due to a tie, the judges had to decide who fought better, with the victory going to Iroas for a greater degree of strategy. When it came to magic power and overall tenacity, Natsu knew Esau was the clear victor. In a fight to the death, Esau would have won, but that wasn't what the judges looked at.

With an epic fight still on his mind, Natsu grew increasingly happy when he realized the young wizard with crash magic, Diaten, would fight next against the lightning wizard Sakura. Instead, the fight was painful to watch. Diaten typically used crash magic as a last resort. In a tournament where he would fight again within two hours, he wouldn't recover enough magic in time. Instead, he chose his iron to make magic, putting him at a great advantage over the lightning user Sakura. Sadly, her white lightning had all the power of a normal lightning element but wasn't attracted to metal. Although occasionally using the iron as a wall, Diaten's seemingly obvious advantage turned to disadvantage. Although an iron-make wizard, he focused his iron making on weapon specialization and mastery. Without effective distance attacks, Sakura made quick work of his enemy. Not until Diaten unleashed his crash magic did Sakura begin to lose ground. Yet, when all seemed lost, she managed to shock him into a brief paralysis, wasting the uncontrollable outpour of magic. When the stun ended, Diaten had been forced to surrender since he was out of magic.

One more fight before his son's. Oddly the fight was one of grace and beauty between the snow image Kayo and ice-make wizard Priscilla. Neither wizard's attacks were effective. Through unconventional thinking, Priscilla outmaneuvered Kayo with the denser and sharper nature of ice magic. On the verge of losing Kayo began to swear violently, assuring Fairytail of their previous decision. Priscilla used her strongest ice creation, a make-shift ice armor, to protect her own and puncture Kayo's skin. With blood on the field, Kayo surrendered embarrassed and swore her revenge.

"Now is time for our last fight of round two", Chapati said. Boaz and his opponent, Chloe Bluefox, entered the field. "Both wizards won yesterday with the use of superior strategy. The strategy will determine the victor again today." Chloe giggled.

"Fight!"

"Are you ready Chloe?" Boaz smiled at her. Chloe smiled back with mischief.

"I'm always ready", she said determinedly. Boaz charged and led with a series of punches, each dodged. Boaz attacked with a proper change of pivot and perfect stance to no avail. After stopping, the crowd realized Chloe had used a full body fox soul take over, giving her fox ears, a fluffy tail, and blue fur covering her body. Chloe then barraged Boaz with a series of punches and claw swipes with tangential success. Boaz came close to dodging nearly every attack but continued to fail.

"I really don't want to hit you", he groaned. Chloe smiled.

"I know. I don't get why you don't give up." She began to chase Boaz, easily catching up to him and delivering several swift kicks to the stomach.

"If I lose you would never let me live it down", he said. "Regardless of how beautiful you are; I can only take so much crap." Chloe lunged in for another punch, for Boaz to meet it with his own and collide fists.

"Ouch! That hurts!" Chloe yelled.

"You have to ignore the pain", Boaz said.

"Like how I ignored you asking me out?" Boaz stopped moving as Chloe punched him in the gut.

"That's just cold." He grabbed her arm as she struggled to get away. "You're mine now", he whispered.

"I NEED AN ADULT!" Chloe screamed. Boaz laughed, let go, and chased her around the coliseum in a continual circle, although seemingly never getting close to his goal. His weight seemed to finally catch up to him without the use of magic. When Boaz stopped, she gritted her teeth. "You asked for it, Boaz. Solid Script: Fear!" In black bold letters, fear was written out and launched at Boaz. Taken head on, Boaz remained unaffected.

"You really think I could ever be afraid of you?" he asked. "Yet you remind me of horrors I've told you in trust." Boaz ran forward and punched his opponent in the face, followed by a quick jab to her throat.

"You're finally getting serious?"

"I've been serious. Look around you." Chloe gazed around to notice a large magic circle taking up shape in the dirt.

"You were doing that this whole time?!" she asked.

"Limit Breaker!" Vast amounts of magic energy shot into the air and began to pour back down, to no effect on Chloe.

"I messed up one of your letters", she said. "Your attack is pointless. I saw it coming." His body stiffened from the strain of using vast magic. Chloe walked over to him and bided her time. She put her hand on his chin and made a kissy face

"You are right", she said. "You won't hear the end of this."

"Damn it, Chloe!" he shouted. "GIVE IT BACK!" His eyes were fierce. Anger erupted in his voice.

"I can't give you back your own magic!" she said back. She shook her head. "Why would I if I could?" Boaz began to mumble.

"That's not what I mean…" Chloe stared at him confused, at his statement and since he maintained his stance.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"GIVE IT BACK!"

"What are you talking about?"

"GIVE IT BACK!" he shouted again.

"GIVE WHAT BACK?!" she returned. Boaz's pose relaxed. The spell stopped and he smiled.

"My heart." Chloe's hands retracted to her chest as she squeezed it tightly from the influx of emotions.

"Awwww! Ohhh! Awww! Stop it!" She slapped herself to avoid her confusion, to which Boaz tripped and ax kicked her in the stomach, causing her to vomit.

"Looks like it isn't there… I guess you didn't steal it." Chloe looked up with disgust and disappointment.

"You know what?" she said. "I'm not even mad. That's amazing." Boaz laughed and helped her up.

"I won this", he said. "You see that, right?" Chloe giggled.

"Yes, Boaz," she said smiling. "I give up." The crowd watched in confusion but erupted in applause and laughter thereafter. "I will win next time when a crowd isn't watching."

"That's about as likely as you agreeing to go out with me", Boaz said. Chloe laughed again and returned inside the stadium to watch the rest of the fights and be interviewed.

"Ha! You heard it, folks!" Mato said. "Chloe has surrendered. Therefore, Boaz moves on to quarterfinals against Priscilla. Now time for a ten-minute recession."

"That fight was disappointing", Jenny said. "Are you sure you want him to join Fairytail?"

"Did we watch the same fight?" Natsu asked. "Neither of them were taking it seriously. I have no doubts they're friends and had their own competition. Neither of them used much magic; likely to limit the difficulty of their next fight." Jenny's eyes widened.

"Did you use sarcasm?" Natsu faked tears.

"Brandish? Attack!" Out of nowhere, Brandish appeared with a whip in hand and forced Jenny to submit to the ground.

"It's fair you do whatever she says for a night."

"Oh God", Jenny groaned with a face palm. "This won't end well."

"You guys are dating, Jenny", he said. "Don't be annoyed with me helping you." Jenny sighed. Brandish reached down and pulled Jenny up by her neck.

"You do have to do everything I say, right?"

"Yes", she groaned.

"Call me mistress for the rest of the day."

"Yes, mistress." Brandish then placed Jenny on her lap and began kissing her neck.

"Let's make out for, master. He might enjoy two hot girls kissing right next to him." Natsu stared at the stadium stoically and unaware, only to look on his opposite side to speak to Wendy. However, Boaz ran over to Iroas, Diaten, and Beidaggar and pointed towards Fairytail.

"The former Miss Fiore is making out with another girl", he said out of breath.

"Wait. What?" Iroas asked. They looked over and watched in amazement, along with countless husbands and men surrounding Fairytail.

"I need to go to the bathroom", Iroas said.

"Really, Iroas?" Beidaggar asked.

"I'm joking", he said. "Like I would masturbate without making sure they watched. Who do you take me for?" Beidaggar shook his head while Boaz laughed, although staring to the point of awkwardness. Diaten began to slap his thigh at high noises. It didn't take long for them to all agree to sit with Fairytail.

"Master Natsu?" Boaz asked, garnering his attention. "Do you mind if my friends and I sit with you?"

"Of course!" he said. "The more the merrier!" Iroas, Diaten, and Beidaggar all found seats in their row from families who left from the PDA being witnessed. Boaz, however, was made room by Natsu by forcing Brandish and Jenny to move one seat over.

"Hey, Boaz?" Natsu leaned over and whispered.

"Yes, dad?" Boaz responded.

"What would you do to them?" Boaz stared in admiration before looking back to the master of Fairytail.

"You don't want to know the answer to that question", was all Boaz said before continuing to stare. In truth, all four boys continued to stare, but only Boaz made it blatant. After another minute, girls which they knew had made their way over to the guild along with most of the guys fighting in the tournament.

"Master, I think everyone on our list is now sitting next to us", Wendy whispered. Natsu nodded in agreement with a grin on his face. Did Natsu actually somehow plan something?

"Alright," Chapati said. "We are back." Brandish finally pushed the red-faced Jenny back onto the ground and used her as a foot stool. As the next fight was announced, Chelia and Ilium made their way onto the field. Sadly, Ilium was too exhausted from his earlier match with a wind wizard in order to keep up properly with Chelia. Although able to last longer than any of her previous opponents, brute force overcame the obstacle this time.

Following Chelia's victory to put her into the semi-finals, Asaras and Sato Takahashi fought. Despite all her effort and superior lost magic, Sato won through ferocity. Understanding the power of dragon slaying magic, he never allowed Asaras a second to breathe and constantly kept her on her toes. However, the strategy worked with little success. Although outlasting Asaras, besting a fire dragon slayer in endurance is a daring feat which left him exhausted and holding next to no magic. Sato fought with his pride and not his mind. The victory was attained nonetheless.

"For our next fight, we have Iroas against Sakura!" Chapati said. Iroas got up from his seat.

"Win Iroas", Boaz said. "I want to fight you next."

"Ha!" he said. "Like you could win." Boaz frowned and raised his fist, causing Iroas to flinch.

"I hate you…" Iroas mumbled.

"It's hilarious that I still make you flinch still", Boaz said, followed by blowing a kiss. Iroas merely laughed and ignored the pseudo-sexual nature of their friendship, causing Wendy to stare.

"Master", Wendy whispered, "Is Boaz gay?" Natsu raised his shoulders without understanding.

"Hey Boaz, are you gay? Wendy wants to know." He said. Boaz bit his lip and blew a kiss to Natsu, which Natsu returned with a wink. Wendy, Jenny, and Brandish stared with confusion and awe. Natsu's first remotely flirtatious action they witnessed was a boy.

"See?" Natsu asked. Beidaggar and Diaten laughed in the background, understanding. Boaz walked over and plopped himself in Wendy's lap.

"Is something wrong with me being gay?" Wendy grew incredibly nervous.

"N-nothing is wrong with being gay, Boaz." Boaz smiled at her despite the physical discomfort. "It just explains a few things, like why you said I'm pretty but you wouldn't… you know." Boaz smiled.

"Miss Wendy, you are very beautiful. Don't discredit yourself." Wendy let out a slight blush and thanked him, while he got up right after. "I'm straight though; I'm not into guys. I find acting sexually flamboyant funny." Wendy's body began to shake with rage as Boaz set down on the opposite side of Natsu.

After the minor ordeal, Iroas had finally entered the stadium with Sakura at his opposite. She smiled politely at him, and he looked her up and down.

"Fight!" Iroas snickered. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Bubble Bomb!" One by one bubble came out of Iroas' fingertips, filling the air and surrounded Sakura. "How do you like my attack?"

"It's absolutely wonderful", she said. "Overload!" Sticking one hand straight in the air and another up front, two white magic circles appeared and discharged violent and large amounts of electricity. Smoke covered the area from the resulting explosions, but when it faded both wizards remained unharmed.

"Holy Shock!" Lifting up her right hand, lightning shot out of Sakura's fingertips and made quick contact with Iroas.

"This powerful attack helped finish off Kaori in one hit", Chapati said. "Will Iroas suffer the same fate?" Iroas laid paralyzed on the ground and continued to laugh.

"What is so funny?" she asked. He continued to laugh all the louder.

"You think being paralyzed will stop me", he said beginning to levitate. Her pupils dilated. Time slowed down in her mind.

"You're insane!" she yelled. Iroas merely laughed again.

"Aqua Jet!" Surrounding his body in water, he created a propulsion system through his water engine feet. In a split second, Iroas closed the distance to a less than a meter.

"Overload!" Iroas disappeared, dodging the lightning. Reappearing behind her, he struck her in the back and knocked her to the ground. Getting up from the ground, Iroas stopped his propulsion and stood before her.

"You are your attacks own weakness", he said. "If you break concentration the paralysis ends." Pulling herself up, she smiled wickedly at him.

"Divine Cataclysm!" Earth began to shatter as lightning shot up from the ground. Every step became a land mine to destructive electric power. Iroas didn't move, merely creating another bubble bomb and began walking. Each time a new "mine" went off, the bubble exploded to counteract the force created. Sakura gazed at him in frustration as he inched continually closer.

"Zeus' Fury!" A magic circle near equal to the size of Boaz' limit breaker appeared overhead. "This is my strongest spell! You cannot win!" Lightning concentrated in the sky, crackling in the air, and struck down Iroas. Despite the terrifying attack, Iroas remained standing stall without a scratch.

"What?" was all she asked before Iroas summoned another Aqua Jet and tacked Sakura to the ground.

"Brine!" Iroas shouted. A fairly large magic circle appeared over Sakura and down poured a crushing water, effectively knocking her out.

"Iroas wins! He moves on to the semi-finals!"

After waking up Sakura looked up at Iroas. "You wasted enormous amounts of magic power", he said. In addition, you were distracted and not composed despite your proper nature. You think your attack hit me. In reality, it missed. I acted slightly crazy to throw you, and everyone else, off from the beginning. In a straight up fight, I don't know if I would have survived the attack… But you missed." Sakura's planted her face back into the ground, and Iroas walked away.

"Our final fight of the quarterfinals is Priscilla against Boaz!" Chapati announced. "Contestants, you may enter." Boaz got up.

"You got this", Natsu said while giving a thumbs up.

On his way down he passed Iroas, who only gave a head nod and a fist bump. Boaz continued on to the field. Never would he have imagined making it to the top eight fighters of the tournament. He had always been considered weak by his classmates, none of which knew about his demon slayer magic. Now he was on the verge of making a greater statement in his first serious fight as a member of Fairytail, even if not official. Upon entering the stadium, he took in the crowd excitement. He heard Natsu, his friends, and even Wendy scream his name. Sweat dripped from his nose as the sun beat down on him. He felt the pressure of winning the fight from his pride, and the fear of disappointment. Mixing the strange and unfamiliar confidence with his self-doubt create a new sensation in his soul- life.

"Are you ready, Boaz?" Priscilla asked. "I'm determined to win. I won't go easy on you." Boaz nodded in agreement.

"Let's have a fun fight", he said. Priscilla grinned in excitement.

"Fight!" Mato shouted. Everything went slow again. Adrenaline rushed through his mind. He would win. His pride and newfound confidence demanded it.

Boaz sprinted towards Priscilla at near lightning speeds, already enhancing his body with his magic and pinned Priscilla to the ground. Creating a magic circle beneath her hand, she created an Ice Geyser. They shot into the air, with Priscilla standing tall and Boaz falling into the dirt. Bones and muscles across his body ached already.

"Starting impatiently screwed me over", he thought. Gazing up at his opponent, she was

looking up into the sky, not paying any attention. Trees, roses, bushes, thorns, and all sorts of plants made of ice covered the ground. Not a blotch of dirt was found. Boaz' joints stiffened as he continued to stand tall.

"You can't win", she said. Descending onto the ground, with each step creating a new stair, she stood before Boaz. "I've always thought you were a kind person. I don't want to hurt you." Boaz smiled as he continued to stretch.

"You've made an ice forest", he said. "Everywhere I go is a trap. You've out strategized me. All I can do is the limit breaker." She shook her head.

"Even your limit breaker will fail", she said. Boaz disagreed and began to create a magic circle above him, closing his eyes to concentrate. Priscilla was as smart as Chloe and tougher than Beidaggar. She could create ice at will to block attacks, and as the attacker broke through she could merely create more ice. Using gravity magic would be a waste. He needed every ounce he in order to land a single attack.

"Limit Breaker: Will!" His stiffened body turned red as steam began coming out. Opening his eyes, Priscilla disappeared as suspected. Running through the entire forest, every living creature attacked as he dodged relentlessly. Priscilla was standing in the midst of several trees. Extending his arm out, he created a blast of air which shot at her, triggering her trap. Impressed by his forward thinking, she smiled. Taken back by the threat, he delayed for a split second. Both of his ankles and arms were grabbed. He continued to struggle with his limit breaker but to no avail. Her ice was dynamic in a marvelous way, allowing for it to be bent and create greater resistance, although still fragile to a direct attack.

"Surrender please", she asked. Boaz shook adamantly. Commanding the trees, Boaz was slammed into the ground repeatedly before being tossed through the ice forest and into the side wall.

"I can't win", he thought as he stared at the ground and shoulders slouched. "I wasted magic. I doubted my gravity limit breaker. If I still had enough, maybe I could use it." Waving his hand into the air, he began to create the massive magic circle with only one thought on his mind- pride. Priscilla appeared in front and struck his stomach with another tree branch. Boaz fell to his knees and coughed up blood, causing Priscilla to cringe. He refused to surrender or stay down. He had no magic. He was hopeless. He was weak.

"BOAZ!" Natsu screamed as he stood up. "Listen to me!" Boaz looked up to his new master, with Priscilla staring in curiosity

"All magic that surpasses reason still comes from reason! Magic is alive and comes from the passion in our hearts. Don't let your mistakes or blowhards on the magic council define what you can do! I have faith in you. This is your first step to joining Fairytail, and it is why Fairytail will be number one!" Boaz had a single tear fall down his cheek as he shook it off. He smiled with terror. Priscilla took a step back. Boaz got up slowly and began to laugh.

"The legendary Salamander has faith in my magic", he said. "I will believe too." Taking in a mighty breath, his body relaxed. Exhaling, his became consumed by blue fire shooting into the sky. Magic being released dwarfed nearly all competitors. An all-consuming hellfire poured out, blinding the entire crowd. After stopping, the fire slowly began to build around his body, creating a blue fiery aura. Boaz stood before Priscilla with confidence and rage. Multiple magic council members watching nearly stopped the fight.

Chelia watched in awe from her seat next to Sherry as the fight took place. Staring at someone she considered a self-deprecating genius struggle to survive and suddenly become stronger than nearly anyone here. In truth, Chelia was always inspired by Boaz. He was awful at nearly everything. He could be very awkward, and he will say whatever he thinks if asked. However, despite all success, praise from different teachers, and hate from students Chelia experience, Boaz was consistently kind. Sherry always told her she needed more "love", but Boaz' sunk the lesson deep in her mind. Despite every awkward circumstance she created for herself, he helped her up; not because they were friends, rather it was simply who he was. Pride filled her chest to see her peculiar hero grow in strength, but sorrow flooded her mind with the implications. Without knowing anything, she understood how little Boaz believed in himself. What he lacked in natural talent with magic, he made up for in his determination to understand all magic. She watched him struggle and curse at himself when he proved incapable of most magic spells during class. He thought the world of others, yet hated himself. She witnessed his heart speak through his actions as she watched him from curiosity. Something unique in his life always set him apart; something painful in his heart brought out the most beautiful smile. Across the stadium was the infamous demon of Fairytail, Natsu Dragneel, who Sherry told her about. The demonic salamander earned the respect and instilled a hopeful change in Boaz. Despite the odd pride and retroactive sorrow, Chelia felt joy in her heart. Her hero had a hero who believed in him.

Iroas, Diaten, and Beidaggar all started impressed by the sudden drastic change and ability to use fire magic. Yet they were all wounded at the same time. How could Natsu know about this and not them? How could he not let them know Natsu talked to him already? Doubts and concerns filled their mind. Did he not trust them or truly care about them? No, he trusted and cared for them. Boaz isn't the type to lie. He didn't wish to burden them. Excitement and anger filled their voices as they continued to cheer. Fear filled Iroas thoughts for his next fight; he has to fight his friend.

Nearly each wizard and a member of the crowd watching the tournament was stricken with surprise. Chloe was only who wasn't surprised. Boaz told her in trust due to his obvious (former) feelings for her, although not mutual, years ago when he still believed he would learn to control it. She was there for emotional support and watched him lose control on the thirtieth attempt, witnessing him kill a wizard saint. The power he wielded was terrifying. Tears streamed down her face when she heard Natsu's confidence. If he wasn't fighting her best friend, she would have screamed her lungs out in support.

"I won't hold back anymore", Boaz said. Rushing forward, Priscilla summoned an ice shield to block the incoming attack but melted instantaneously from his surrounding heat.

"Fire Demon's Fist!" Launching his fist at her jaw, she flew back several meters. The increased explosiveness from his fire magic in every action wasn't near as strong as his limit breaker, but noticeably stronger than normal enhancements. Boaz was excited. All the feelings from before the fight upon entering the ring rushed back to him. Time slowed. He could hear more people shout his name than before. Oddly enough he heard Chelia too. He never felt close, but it warmed his heart.

Priscilla toughened and stood tall. With time still slowed, he took in the beauty of the moment, and beauty of the fierce nature of her face. Her nose was soft and sweaty. Freckles covered her face. Her eyes were a bright blue, telling him stories of her genuinely kind, loving, and determined heart. It was nearly like falling in love, but what he loved was the fight and power he wielded.

"Ice-Make: Forest Rush!" Aiming her arms, each and every plant in her ice forest came alive to tackle Boaz. Their sole purpose was to crush him.

"Fire Demon's Rage!" Inhaling heavily, the fire began to build up in his core. Natsu waited eagerly, seeing what was coming. Fire exhaled from the young boy's mouth and crushed every mass of ice in its way, making its way to Priscilla. Taking a direct hit, Priscilla was knocked out.

"Boaz wins! He moves on to the semi-finals against Iroas!"

"What a twist of events", Chapati said with Yajima agreeing. "Now time for a quick ten-minute recession. The following fight will be Chelia against Sato."

On his way back to Fairytail, he met Chelia in the tunnel. She greeted him politely, which Boaz returned. There were words she wanted to say but couldn't express. Her feelings were mixed and knotted. All she could do was be an acquaintance to him as they walked past each other.

"Hey Chelia", Boaz said. Her eyes widened before turning around.

"Yes, Boaz?" Her voice was high pitched.

"Thank you", he said. He gave a smile she adored. "When I started using my fire magic, time slowed down. I heard you cheering for me. I know it's not much to you, but it helped me win." Chelia blushed as Boaz began to walk away.

"I'll be cheering for you", was all he had left to say while waving. Chelia clutched her chest. His words endeared her to him. Kindness and genuine vulnerability were uncommon in humanity, yet it came with ease to him. She would win. She had to win.

Upon entering the stage, she did so. Sato didn't show up. He forfeited his fight without caring if he won. Chelia moved on, albeit depressing her slightly without enacting on her firm determination.

"Only two fights left ladies and gentlemen", Chapati said. "The winner of this next fight will face Chelia in the championship. Iroas faces off against Boaz." Both boys walked down together, without saying a word. They knew what this fight stood for. Fighting each other was a symbol of their pride and friendship. Perseverance in their innermost being pushed them to win regardless of the costs. Winning a game, even for fun, was a source of pride they relished. Neither boys denied their times of failure. In terms of magic power, Iroas always won. When it came to physical power, Boaz always won except in tests of running. With scholarly based tests, both split nearly even, although Boaz held an edge. They were rivals and brothers until the bitter end.

Thousands screamed their names as they entered the arena. Goosebumps covered their arms and legs. Sunlight was bright, but not overly hot. Each step registered in their brains; a moment closer to the clash of wills and rivals. Boaz grinned evilly with joy, causing Iroas to laugh. They both knew the excitement in one another. "Fight!" Mato screamed with the energy of the crowd.

Neither boy moved. The crowd mimicked.

"Are you thinking what I am, Boaz?" Iroas asked.

"This is the real championship?" He replied. Chelia frowned upon hearing his words but understood his heart. If this fight was in the first round, it would have been the same. Winning the tournament was nice, but it was nowhere near the importance of fighting each other. Iroas could only smile mischievously.

"Hell yeah! All out from the beginning, or have fun with the crowd first?"

"Fuck the crowd! Let's have fun, Drizzle!"

"Did Boaz just call him, 'Drizzle'? Natsu asked. Beidaggar laughed.

"Yes, its Boaz' term of endearment. When he begins to feel close to you, he can't help but give people nicknames."

"Are they good or bad?" Natsu asked.

"Depends on the person", Beidaggar said. "He only calls me 'brother'." Natsu then looked at Diaten and raised an eyebrow.

"He hasn't nicknamed me yet", Diaten said. "I'm more of an acquaintance. Several kids from our school entered the tournament. None of my friends are here so I've been hanging out with them."

"All out from beginning…", Iroas said. Without hesitation, both wizards drew all the magic power they could find within themselves to the surface. If the same decision was made between wizard saints, the earth would have shaken. Instead, the earth mocked the lack of noticeable changes to the scenery or wizards.

Boaz charged first.

"Fire Demon's Fist!"

"Aqua Jet!" Colliding with each other resulted in a minor explosion of force. Although already slightly damaged, both got immediately and continued their assault.

"Water Shuriken!" Dozens of water blades became guided missiles with Boaz as their target.

"Fire Demon's Rage!" Overcoming the shuriken, Iroas dodged the breath attack with another aqua jet. Bouncing off the coliseum walls, Iroas made a direct strike on Boaz.

"It will take more than that!" Boaz said.

"Water Slicer!" Iroas sliced the air in front of him diagonally, creating a slash of sharp water sent to Boaz.

"Fire Demon's Whip!" Mimicking Iroas, Boaz used his own variation of a similar attack motion. Once more, the attacks collided with neither user giving any ground.

"Fire Demon's Perverse Flame!" Lifting both of his hands in the air, Boaz summoned a large ball of spiraling fire and flung it at Iroas. The resulting contact crashed Iroas into the coliseum wall upside down.

"Well, this is new", he said to himself. Getting up quickly, he began creating Bubble Bomb. Hundreds of miniature explosions were around Boaz within seconds. Boaz grinned. Creating the attack that fast meant a large drain on magic power. At this point, he has to be low. One by one, each of the bombs exploded.

"Demon Slayer's Secret Art: Babylon's Guilt and Hell's Bath!"

"Explode my bubbles!" Iroas said. Moments before the explosions started, fire shot up from the ground in front of Boaz and created a shield. As explosions began under way, the fire began to liquefy and enveloped in a gooey substance around each and every bubble. Explosion after explosion resulted in the fire shattering onto the floor, slowly burning the earth away. Iroas lifted his hands up/

"Well", Iroas said. "This is an odd way to play the lava floor game. Anyways, look up!"

Boaz gazed up, and fire began disappearing on the floor. It was a large magic circle. Iroas thought far ahead. In as much as Boaz wanted to plan the fight, with his magic barely able to be held under control he had been fighting purely off instinct.

Boaz burped.

"Brine!" The waterfall of rain poured onto Boaz, while inches away from his face there was only one option left.

"Fire Demon's Rage!" The attacks collided once more.

"There's no way you can beat my strongest attack!" Brine began to be pushed back and evaporated.

"What the hell?!" Continuing to collide, Boaz grounded his feet and roared with all of his might. Brine had ended.

"Aqua Jet!"

"Shit."

Boaz was down.

"HA! You let down your guard, Boaz!" Instantaneously, Boaz was behind Iroas, pinning his arm behind his back. Iroas sighed.

"Damn it. Really?" Iroas asked. Boaz twisted harder. "Well, I guess this is real. You know? I always forget about your telekinesis." Boaz snickered for a second. Casting another bubble bomb, although only a few, the resulting miniature explosions separated the two fighters. Both wizards were out of breath. The fight had begun taking a turn for the worse.

"I won't let you win", Boaz said.

"I refuse to lose", Iroas said.

"Tie?" Boaz asked.

"Sure", Iroas said. Using an aqua jet to fly into the air, Iroas pushed his body to its finite limit. Another large magic circle was formed, vastly greater than the previous brine.

"Brine! Bubble Bomb!" Falling down both the immense water pressure and miniature explosions, the attack was fierce and deadly.

"Limit Breaker: Fire Demon's Rage!" One last breath attack with every ounce of his magic emerged deep within the soul and out through his mouth. Despite the effort of Iroas, the limit breaker was too much. Iroas was overwhelmed and fell to the earth. Smoke covered the battlefield.

Iroas got up with one arm completely limp, from being dislocated and fractured in multiple areas. His body was injected with a high dose of adrenaline and ready to fight once more. However, Boaz lied down on the ground unconscious. He pushed his body too far. By using all of his magic past his normal limit, Boaz lost the physical will fight. Iroas won.

"The fight is over! Iroas won!" Boaz got up.

Boaz' hair turned navy. The fire consumed his entire being. Both of his eyes turned red.

"Thanks for the injury, Boaz", Iroas said. Boaz responded with only a loud screech, shattering the ears of the viewers. Charging forward, he slammed Iroas' skull into the coliseum.

"Stop the fight!" Mato screamed. "Someone stop the fight!" Several rune knights stepped forward but were easily dispatched by Boaz. Stepping towards Mato, the magic council wizards were terrified. The king of Fiore was in genuine jeopardy against a demon who could kill one of the wizard saints. Boaz let out another unintelligible screech, charged a Fire Demon's Fist, and aimed it at Mato.

Natsu blocked the attack.

"Stop it, Boaz", he said. "Don't be a coward because you lost!" Boaz wailed in pain. He continued to push against Natsu, managing to force him back a few inches. Natsu began to summon his own fire magic, which Boaz began to eat. Refusing to let things turn for a worse, Natsu punched Boaz in the gut and instantly knocked him out. Natsu carried Boaz to the infirmary but was cut off by Wendy.

"Let me help him, Master", she said. Her eyes were watery. She had been crying. Natsu nodded and handed the large boy to the strong, tiny girl. Chelia then entered the coliseum's floor all the while.

"One last fight for the tournament", Chapati announced. After getting up from Boaz earlier assault, Iroas remained standing in the same spot, with only one arm able to fight and a bloody head.

"To determine the champion, Chelia will fight Iroas! The winner is considered the strongest rookie wizard."

"Let's do this!" Chelia said. Boaz believed in her, and she wasn't able to show her determination before. She had to win, and she would do it for love.

"Fight!"

"Aqua Jet!" Iroas shot out at Chelia relatively slow compared to the attack's average speed, which easily dodged. Iroas crashed into the wall, stopping himself.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! IT HURTS!" Iroas was on the ground, shrieking in pain. His adrenaline kicked in and he managed to use his previously injured arm to cushion the fall. Iroas was down but got up nonetheless.

"I won't lose! I beat my best friend, so I will not lose to anyone else!" Iroas roared his determination before the entire crowd. Nearly everyone got goosebumps. He was livid. He refused back down in his condition.

Chelia approached him slowly and hugged him. She felt his pain. She was worried about Boaz too, especially after what had just happened. Iroas didn't know what to do. A girl had never hugged him before. Unbeknownst to him, her kindness decided the match. As she was about to surrender, moved by his words, Iroas fainted. It was the only reaction his body could achieve while processing the day's events.

"Chelia wins! Who ever knew a hug could be so lethal and cute?" Chapati was happy. "Chelly-welly" had won, albeit with tears in her eyes from worry over Boaz and hurt pride. Chelia wasn't proud of her victory; in fact, it destroyed her inside. Boaz and Iroas, although not intentional, were right. The previous fight was the "real" championship.

Nurses came out and carried Iroas away to the infirmary. Mato walked over and raised Chelia's hand high and offered her a large trophy, nearly of an equal size as her body.

"All guild masters", Mato said. "Please report to the meeting hall you first arrived to immediately."

Natsu made his way to the hall, avoiding all sensory images in physical surroundings. Only two things were on his mind: Boaz' fight and Wendy being broken up over his injuries. Yet the image of Boaz' enraged gaze, the forever repetitious screech, and his merciless hatred overwhelmed him. His scent itself changed when it happened. The scent of the honest, sweaty warrior changed to the smell of fear and blood of a battlefield. If his scent was any indicator, Boaz had killed thousands more than he even knew.

When Natsu finally reached the hall, he entered and stood beside the familiar guild masters.

"Tomorrow will undergo the normal process with a twist", Mato said. "Each of the thirty-two wizards will approach the panel of guild masters who are interested in any of them joining their guild. Each guild master will have a flag of their respective guild. When a wizard approaches the panel, the guild masters who are interested in that particular wizard will raise their hand, to which the wizard will pick one of those masters to join said guild. All wizards in the tournament are required to join a guild by these means." Mato coughed. No applause? I guess he should get used to not always be worshiped.

"Lastly, each guild master must fill out a sheet of paper that ranks their opinion of each contestant. If you think the champion, Chelia, was the best fighter, you rank her as 1. If you think one of the losers in the first round was the worst, then rank them 32. The five wizards with the lowest averages will be given a unique prize tomorrow. Pick carefully and honestly." The masters were dismissed, giving Natsu a new task after meeting Wendy at the infirmary.

Boaz was getting up in his bed in the infirmary. He smelt thick blood, along with alcohol and various drugs, followed by the flowery aroma. Looking down, Wendy was resting her head on his stomach. A clock was ticking in the background. It was near midnight. Natsu was asleep on a chair against the wall, with a pen and paper in his hand. He heard rustling in the next curtained room over.

"Can you be more gentle?" Iroas asked. There was a long pause with more rustling. "Thank you… That feels good."

"Iroas? Stop having sex and talk to me." The nurse walked passed Boaz mini room shaking her head.

"I hate you", he said.

"I love you too. How are you feeling?"

"Like I broke my arm."

"Did you win?"

"No. I was defeated by a hug." Boaz laughed and picked his sore body up slightly.

"I'm serious, Drizzle. What happened?"

"I'm not joking." Silence fell over the room once again.

"I'm sorry."

"For not telling me about your crazy-ass magic or nearly killing me?"

"Yes." Iroas laughed and then groaned to his reply. Boaz let his body fall back down, prompting Wendy to wake up.

"You're awake! Thank goodness you're alright!" she said. Boaz looked away. He didn't respond. Natsu woke up following her statement and continued to work without saying a word. Wendy grew nervous. The silence was killing her.

"Thank you, Wendy", Boaz said. "For healing me."

"Of course", she said. "I couldn't let you stay hurt. You're a good person."

"Can you really say that?" he asked. "I nearly killed several people today. I was wrong to have faith in myself."

"Don't say that! You're a good person! You wouldn't do that."

"How do you know, Wendy?"

"Natsu has faith in you", she said. "I have faith in you too." Wendy did her best to hug the bruised man, although difficult.

"Hey, stop making out you two", Iroas said. Natsu raised an eye. Wendy turned red. What Boaz saw as a smart ass comment and an awkward hug, Wendy now perceived as the most sexually compromising act she had ever done with a boy. She felt awkward and slightly dirty by Iroas comment.

"Hey Boaz, can I ask you something?" The girl he had heard and seen as a brave warrior was now timid and meek before him. Her shoulders were slouched and her hair was a mess while her gaze was fixated on nothing.

"Sure, what is it?" he asked.

"Do you really think I'm beautiful?" Boaz began to grow nervous. He was honest, but he still wasn't good with women.

"Yes", he said cautiously. He took in a slow breath. "You're one of the prettiest girls I've ever seen."

"Then why did you answer Natsu's question 'that way'?" Boaz' eyes widened. He was thankful for his bandages covering his body. There was a reason he was terrible with girls. In no world would his hormones with his body to that question. He took another slow breath.

"Aren't you and Natsu an item?" he asked. Neither dragon slayer showed a response. "I guess I'm wrong. Whatever the case, I wouldn't disrespect you like that. I've heard stories of the famed Sky Maiden, the last remaining S-class wizard of Fairytail. You are kind, gentle, and very loving to even the most random of strangers, but men constantly hit on you, ask you out, and propose to you. You're constantly given reasons to hate being attractive and any man who thinks highly of you. I wouldn't wish anyone to dislike themselves or others for what makes them who they are."

"So you truly wish nothing?"

"For you, yes. I mean… it's not an absolute. If something weird happened with another girl in a similar situation, I wouldn't go so far as to rule enacting on thoughts in marriage with her."

"So you would marry another and not me?"

"Can you please stop asking me questions that will make me dig a hole? Or would you rather a new member to Fairytail end up saying he wants to marry you?" Wendy laughed awkwardly.

"Fair enough," she said. "You want to wait until marriage?" Boaz laughed.

"Being blunt makes me feel awkward when talking to girls", he said. "But in short, yes. Any other questions?"

"Are you excited to join, Fairytail?" Wendy smiled at him preciously. It was truly a sight to behold. A mumbled "yes" was let out before he fell asleep.

Waking up the following morning, everyone left the infirmary except Natsu, who was waiting for Boaz. The odd mixture of smells had left.

"Ready?" Natsu asked. "The doctor said you're ready to leave when you woke up. Wendy finished restoring your magic power." Boaz dressed. He wore blue flannel and tan pants.

"I told you", Natsu said. Boaz raised a question as to what. "Girls can like you if you merely have some confidence in yourself. I don't know how Wendy feels, but she seems attached to you."

"That's it? I almost killed people yesterday."

"So? Don't focus on the what-ifs. Don't focus on your failures. Move past them. You have the strength to control your magic. You only need practice." Natsu grinned ear to ear, albeit in his classic style. Boaz hugged Natsu for the first time after that. He didn't cry. There was no emotion felt but confidence and faith bestowed on each other. Of greater importance, masculinity, in its essence, had begun to be bestowed from father to son.

"Now we have to hurry", Natsu said. "It's 9:55 a.m. The third day begins soon."

"WHAT?!" Natsu grabbed Boaz and floored it all the way the stadium, making it in time. The crowd, although smaller, was still there and ready to watch. It was exactly 10:00. The sun was out. All the wizards were lined up on the back end of the stadium's grounds. At the front were the guild masters, each with their flag, and several members of the magic council. Mato stepped forward.

"Today, the each of you thirty-two rookie wizards will choose a guild to call your home. You are the most promising of Fiore. Welcome to your futures. Now, there are five wizards who have stood out to amongst you in the eyes of the guild masters. These five were voted the top of the class. Each of these five will receive a lost magic of their choice. There are five options, so the fifth wizard will not have a choice as to theirs. The choices are a book on sky or ice god magic and sand, sapphire, or sea dragon lacrima put into you. These gifts are a joint venture and promise of faith from the king of Fiore and Fiore's magic council to all of you." Various magic council members stepped forward.

"Before guilds are chosen, we will allow the winners to choose their magic", an aged man with a long, gray beard said.

"Ranked first", a frog lady said, "With the lowest total score is Chelia Blendy." Chelia stepped forward and saw the options in front of her. Leaning over each choice with careful consideration, she finally picked up the book on Sky God magic.

"Excellent choice dearie", the frog said. A fatter man stepped forward this time.

"Ranked second is Iroas Helt", he said. Iroas immediately stepped forward and chose the Sea Dragon lacrima. Procedures to input them in the young wizards were all in the infirmary immediately after the last wizard guild was chosen. Mr. Yajima stepped forward this time, although only a previous member.

"Ranked third is Sato Takahashi", he said. "Who forfeited his last match. You must be a special talent young man." He stepped forward silent and unsurprised and chose the Sand Dragon lacrima.

"Ranked fourth", the bearded man said, "Is Kayo Hinazuki." Taking meek steps, Kayo chose the book on Ice God magic.

"Finally", Mato said. "Ranked fifth is Kaori Hinazuki. Do you accept the Sapphire Dragon lacrima?" She accepted with a mischievous and arrogant smile.

"Now", Mato said. "We will randomly bring contestants forward through the same random name generator we used to pick the fights. When your name comes up, step forward. If a guild master raises their hand, it means they are offering you place in their guild. Choose carefully everyone!"

The generator began spinning through the options, settling upon the first choice: Boaz of Eirini. He stepped forward with a gulp. Almost no one raised their hand, except Phantom Lord and Fairytail.

"Fairytail", he said, before lining up behind Master Natsu. "Thank you, Master. Didn't you get in trouble for calling me your son earlier?"

"I settled that last night", he said. "You didn't have a guild mark so no harm was done."

Spinning through the names, the next name came up- Beidaggar. A handful of guilds rose their hands, including Phantom and Fairytail. He chose Fairytail, likely to follow his friend or the Miss Fiore. Not even he knew.

Following Beidaggar was Esau Jacobs, a man who always wished to join Fairytail and adored the legends of Laxus, Titania, and Mystogan. He got his opportunity. Kaori Hinazuki was next, and much to the relief Jose she didn't choose Fairytail. Rather, she chose Sage Centaur.

Iroas Helt was up next and chose the easy decision of Fairytail when Natsu rose his hand. Natsu had struck a chord with him, as did Brandish.

Cyrus Abrams and Ilium Wada were the following two, who both chose Fairytail when they witnessed Natsu's ease of stopping Boaz. Hiskanna was given the choice next, who gladly chose Fairytail after hearing stories of the beautiful "she-demon" Mirajane. Even if she was gone, Hiskanna wished to walk in her footsteps Josh Randallson, Jun Wallace, Marshall Matthews, and Mei Hatsume all joined various guilds, with the odd one out being Jun joining Phantom Lord.

When a non-Fairytail joining streak had started, Jose rejoiced. A greater depression would soon begin enough. Kokea Meridius joined Fairytail next due to wishing to follow a long time crush. Priscilla Pnevma joined Fairytail without a second thought, assuming Chloe would want to stay friends with Boaz and herself. Although originally uninterested in Fairytail, when her choice happened right after, she refused to abandon her best friend Priscilla. Next was Diaten Harada, who joked he would join Fairytail from peer pressure, although mainly joined from being wildly attracted to Jenny and hearing Natsu tell stories of a man with similar magic as he did. Kelsea Ballerina joined simply because she grew up in Magnolia. Bisca had taught her basic shooting lessons when she was a small girl. Namiyari joined to increase her knowledge of healing and enchantments with the hopeful help of the famed Sky Maiden.

Giovanni was next, who ended up joining Phantom as Jose rose his hand for every wizard so far. Kayo Hinazuki was next, who decided to join her twin sister in Sage Centaur. Sato Takahashi, the soon to be Sand Dragonslayer, joined Kraken's Reach with a merciless hesitation. Oddly enough, nearly every guild but Fairytail rose their hand for him. Weiss Schnee, Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose, Blake Belladonna, Az Ula, Ochako Uraraka, and Elizabeth Chae all went after and joined various guilds.

Twenty-eight wizards had decided on their guilds. Fairytail easily had already received the most members up to this point. Jose began to protest to prevent Fairytail from offering any others but was declined when noted Fairytail had only risen their hands each time someone joined their guild, unlike the greedy Jose.

Sakura Hanna was the twenty-ninth wizard to be chosen. Her decision was easy in her mind- Fairytail. Sabretooth and Lamia Scale had both risen in the ranks in previous years, but Sabretooth wasn't here and Lamia Scale didn't have a young, handsome Salamander as their master.

Thirtieth was Chelia. Every guild rose their hand. In her mind, she already had made her decision. She would choose Lamia Scale to be with her cousin. However, seeing Boaz and Natsu's relationship had begun to change something in her. Natsu had been described as the merciless demon of Fairytail, yet he loved Boaz like his son. A difference had been made in the life of Natsu to cause such change, and even greater change in order to move the hero which she longed for. Despite the smiling, old master Lamia Scale assuming Chelia would join, Chelia ended up in the moment choosing Fairytail. She had to understand what was happening. Sherria went for a powerful spin that night by Lamia Scale's master, and not the fun kind.

Thirty-first was Asaras, the red-haired warrior with a fire-dragon lacrima already inside her. She gazed at another miracle, every single guild rose their hand, albeit to prevent Salamander from training her. Nonetheless, she chose the obvious option. Only one person could help her master fire dragon slaying magic, and that was her only goal. Asaras joined Fairytail.

Last, but certainly not least, was Een Hannibal. In the first round, he was considered the favorite to win before losing to Esau. Five guilds rose their hands: Fairytail, Phantom Lord, Raventail, Sage Centaur, and Kraken's Reach. He stared at each of his options for several minutes.

"Will you hurry up and pick already?!" Jose snapped.

"Well, Phantom Lord is out", Een said. Taking a seat on the ground, he thought for a few more minutes before finally point to Raventail.

"Excellent!" Ivan said. "Raventail has the strongest wizard in the tournament!"

"Did you say, Raventail?" Een asked. "Sorry, I thought the symbol was Fairytail. I will be joining them."

Ivan and Jose were both livid as Natsu waved at them. The handful of remaining viewers in the crowd were laughing.

"That ends the third day of the tournament", Mato announced. "Enjoy your new lives as wizards a part of a guild!"

Natsu sat down and engaged each of his new members one by one after, getting to know them and their strengths and weaknesses, although refusing to pry. They all waited and talked while Iroas had lacrima implanted in him. He had achieved a miracle; Fairytail now had seventeen rookie members wanting to be a part of his family. Despite this, something was missing.

After a while, Iroas walked out of the infirmary a dragon slayer. Boaz greeted him a handshake of his fractured arm.

"Sea Dragon's Raging Fist!" Surrounding his fist in water, he struck Boaz in the face.

"Now it feels like Fairytail", Natsu thought. They would leave on their way to Magnolia that night and arrive the following morning. Yet, Natsu knew in his heart something was still missing- guidance. It suddenly occurred to Natsu in its fullness exactly what being guild master to each of these young wizards meant. He needed to be a dad, mentor, guide, redeemer, friend, and master to seventeen young wizards who had no idea what it truly meant to be a part of a guild.

A/N: Obvious canon changes you may have been wondering. Yes, Raventail is already a legal guild. The magic council bumped them up since the magic world and governments are unstable. Furthermore, this imploded into Jose's release and the refounding of Phantom Lord. In fact, Boaz thirtieth attempt and killing of a "no name" wizard saint, along with the war and unstable governments, made the decision over the top to release Jose and reappoint him to the previous title.

Also, if you were wondering why Boaz could use his Limit Breaker twice against Beidaggar and once against Priscilla, it is because you can stack Limit Breaker's one after the other easily, but if there is a separation of time they become monstrously difficult to attain. Not to mention the pseudo limit breaker with Chloe, which didn't actually do anything, but still wasted some magic.