Chapter 20
"Ready?" Erza asked her team mates just as they entered the structure. They all nodded in agreement.
"REQUIP: FLIGHT ARMOR!" Cheetah-inspired armor covered her body. However, aside from the pair of one-handed swords Titania was holding, that came with the set, there were weapons of different sizes and designs encircling her. Lucy tried counting and indentifying each. Five for the Heaven's Wheel, one for the Black Wing, one for the Flame Empress, one for the Purgatory, one for the Lightning Empress, Two for the Armadura Fairy and one for the Sea Empress. The shields from the Adamantine Armor were floating on both of her sides.
"Impressive! Year after year, Erza Scarlet continues to impress us!" The emcee clapped.
"You really are amazing, Erza, requipping different armors and weapons at the same time and holding those heavy weapons using Telekinesis!" Lucy watched in awe, feeling like drooling.
"Hn, well I believe you also know how to use Telekinesis, seeing as you asked me to train you, two months ago." It was true. Lucy knew of her weakness. It was her keys. Whenever they were taken from her or away from her, she couldn't do a thing. A proof of that was when she almost died five months ago as her keys were lost in the commotion Sael created at that time in the guild, on her birthday. So she asked Erza to help her train to use Telekinesis to bypass that handicap.
"Well, I guess s…"
"Erza, I challenge you for the awesome power boost award?" Natsu interrupted Lucy.
"Very well, then." Erza accepted the challenge, smiling. "Gray, you too be a man and impress me."
"Fine." Gray and Natsu said at the same time.
"Whoever wins in impressing me, shall be my opponent." Erza smirked.
"I'm all fired up! FIRE BODY!" A sphere of flames engulfed Natsu.
"Is that it?" Lucy asked, disappointed.
"Just you wait, Luce. DRAGON WINGS!" A torrent of flame appeared in both sides of the sphere and took the form of large, draconic wings.
"Tsk, that's child's play." Gray taunted as he stripped off his clothes and took on the battle stance. "ICE MAKE: KNIGHT ARMOR!" Medieval-looking armor made of ice covered his full body except his face. "Now, there's more of that were it came from. ICE MAKE: DYNAMIC CLONES!" Twelve Gray-looking knights made of ice appeared behind the original.
"Kyaaa! Gray-sama is so handsome!" Juvia said through the microphone. Wait. What? They all snapped their attention to the blue-haired girl and sure enough she's fighting Chapati over the seat.
"Both of you are impressive but I will have to reserve my judgment until later since monsters are now appearing." Erza commended the two males' effort but then turned towards the blonde. "Lucy?"
"Huh? What?" Lucy was caught off-guard. Why all of her team mates were looking at her funny. Oh no, it couldn't be. "Don't tell me that I should also do that kind of thing?" She took a step backwards but was cornered by the three.
"Of course! It's only natural for you to show off." Erza smiled evilly. Lucy gulped just as she noticed something missing. She tried to use her hands to feel her belt but she couldn't find it. Where's Fleuve d'étoiles. If she remembered correctly it she had it when she trained with Laxus this morning then he said that they'll train hand-to-hand but she refused then he…took…it.
"LAXUSSS!" A surveillance camera floated over her face just as she said it. "Okay, since Laxus took my whip, then I'll have to fight without one." The pressure around her started to weigh. The golden keys released themselves from her key holder and went behind her, encircling.
'Wow, that's some incentive.' Erza sweat-dropped.
"You know, sometimes I'm afraid of Lucy." Gray whispered in Natsu's ear.
"Well, that's Luce for ya!" Natsu grinned.
"Let's do this!" Lucy walked forward.
"Okay, since the king is not some sadistic ruler, he gave us a bonus. You will first fight the D-Class monsters and then the C-Class and so on and so forth." Chapati announced, still struggling and vying with the blue-haired mage for the microphone. White quadrupedal, dog-like monsters appeared in every corner of the room.
"Clones, attack!" Gray commanded all of his twelve clones to directly attack a monster. They all performed the One-Sided Chaotic Dance before shattering in pieces.
"Kyaaa! Gray-sama has just wiped one-hundred twenty-five of the D-Class monsters all at once!" Juvia was once again the emcee.
"My turn." Natsu, flew towards the ceiling using his Fire Body Spell, flames billowed behind him. "CRIMSON LOTUS: EXPLODING FLAME BLADE!" he ignited his arms and generated torrents of flames. It spiraled and exploded upon impact on the monsters.
"Natsu-san has just copied Gray-sama because he too has taken one-hundred twenty-five. A copycat, indeed!" Juvia interjected.
"Hey, I don't copy that weak ass Ice Cube!" Salamander shouted. He tried searching for Chapati and then he found him. Sleeping. More like passed out.
"Yes, you did! Gray-sama is much more amazing and handsome in Juvia's eyes!" The blue-haired girl countered.
"Enough!" Erza and Lucy said at the same time. They were fighting back to back. This felt like old times and both were thankful that they have settled everything behind them. This was the new start of their friendship.
"I'll take the right, you'll take the left." Lucy suggested as her redhead team mate agreed. In the count of three, they broke off on their own and ran towards their respective battlefield.
"WATER SLASH!" Erza replaced the swords of the Flight Armor with that of the Sea Empress when she flew towards the ceiling. Whirlpools covered the blade as it swung down. The attack brought down a flood on the ground, drowning the monsters.
"AQUARIUS!" Lucy took this as a leverage to summon one of her Spirits since the air was too dry and she doesn't have her whip. Thinking about it reignited her anger towards a certain Lightning Mage Idiot. The mermaid appeared in a golden light. Using Telekinesis, she lowered the key in water and called for the Spirit.
"Tsk, summoning me while I'm on a date, you want me to drown you?" The mermaid threatened.
"Shut it." Lucy glared at her.
"Aye!" Aquarius saluted like Sagittarius. It was the first time that The Water Bearer ever felt fear in her chest. She never would have thought that Lucy, certified crybaby would shot her a menacing stare accompanied by a dark aura. It was the first time that she can't think of a comeback.
"Drown them." Lucy ordered. The mermaid gulped and sweat-dropped. What's with the sudden mood swing?
"Yosh! GIANT WAVE ATTACK!" Water gathered in the urn and with her strength, she hurled it towards the remaining monsters.
"A combination from Erza-san and Love Rival finally defeated all of the D-Class monsters. Next will be the C-Class!" Juvia didn't leave her post in the emcee's place.
"Close!" Lucy sent Aquarius back without sparing a word. "Laxus, you and I will talk. Later." She looked straight at the blond man in Fairy Tail B's watching post and despite the long distance between them; a blood-curling chill ran down the man's spine. He clutched the whip in his hands tighter, gulping.
"I never would have thought that one day The Almighty Laxus will find his match. Gihi!" Gajeel teased.
"Lucy, you should focus on the…uh…fight." Erza sweat-dropped, not knowing how to approach the blonde. 'Was I always like this?'A thought suddenly crossed her mind.
A/N: Hello, everyone! I'm really sorry about not updating yesterday. I went swimming with some of my classmates. You know, to relieve some of those studying stress and crap. Now, onto the story. Now, what can I say about this one? Hmmm, basically nothing. Well, I kinda miss writing battle scenes. Thanks for the reviews, twilightamanda, sofsof2015 and supercrazyperson.
