Chapter 6

Battle between Dragons Part 2

The crowd was going ballistic at Natsu's blatant challenge toward the Twin Dragonslayers. They could see that his strength was more than enough to back up his words. And with the introduction of this newfound power of his, the combination fire and lightning, two of nature's most destructive forces, many would bet their bottom dollar that he could pull the upset. The mages residing in the Fairy Tail stands looked on in silent awe at their dragonslayer cloaked in his flames with arcs of lightning passing through every now and then.

"Master…did you know about this?" The question came from Mirajane who had virtually said what was on everybody's minds. Well that and 'when the hell did he get lightning magic' anyway. The elderly man looked at his child on the screen with a stern face. He scratched his chin in concentration as if coming to a consensus for Mira's answer. The other guild mates waited with bated breathe to hear what their master had to say. When he turned around he gave them what they were eagerly waiting for.

"No I did not." The others sweat dropped and some fell down at his answer. With him keeping a straight face it didn't give them any more comfort.

"But I had suspected of such when I overheard him say he ate Laxus's lightning. I had thought it would be a one-time thing but I didn't think it would fuse with his fire magic like it did." Makarov clarified. The others looked on at their master and back to the battlefield. Neither side had moved yet though they could tell that Natsu was itching to go if his smirk was anything to go by.

"I can't believe he's resorting to that right here of all places." Gray was awestruck at Natsu's boldness to fight in his enhanced dragonslayer mode. Erza scoffed at his statement and when he turned around he could see a proud smirk across her beautiful features.

"What's with the look" he asked.

"It's obvious why he's doing this." Her answer was vague and confused him even more.

"Huh?"

"God you're just as dense as he is." Both mages turned to look at their third silent team member leaning against the wall.

"I assume you figured it out as well." Gray looked between the two S-class mages in both confusion and irritation.

"What are you guys talking about? Come on." Gray asked/demanded while steadily getting pissed.

"Think about it. Sabertooth, like Raven Tail, just without the dirty tricks, has tried to undermine Fairy Tail throughout most of this tournament. That memory mage made quick work of you and their dragon slayers publically both in the area, and from what I heard in the town square, that they were the true dragon slayers and that Natsu and Gajeel were beneath them. Also don't forget how they treated one of their own when they lost and how that women beat Lucy into a coma after the battle was declared over. Lucy and Natsu are thick as thieves and Natsu cares more about Fairy Tail's reputation than his own, so of course he would make them pay for trying to drag it, and his friends' names, in the mud. Heh not mention, I see how close that girl has grown attached to Natsu…" Laxus's stoic expression gained smirk when he said the last part. Erza as well.

"That is very true. He may not be able to see it but I know he is fighting for more than just Fairy Tail." Erza added in.

"So what you're saying is Flame Brain is fighting to preserve the name of Fairy Tail…and avenge Yukino?" His answer was a knowing look from the two older mages causing a smirk to come over his face.

"Well image that…that idiot." All three nodded at the name but inwardly they couldn't be prouder.

XxX

The fight below in the man-made chasm had turned quite swiftly. Before Sting and Rogue had Natsu and Gajeel against a wall once they activated their Dragon Force. Now they found themselves with their backs against a wall and their attacker wasn't letting up but was pounding them into said wall's foundation. Every attack they tried was trounced by one of Natsu's lighting-flame maneuvers and it seemed that he wasn't even putting in the effort in trying. That thought alone was what spurred Sting and Rogue to keep fighting, no one, not even their idol, was going to make fools of them in front of a coliseum filled to the brim with cheering fans. The Twin Dragonslayers of Sabertooth were renowned as the best and they were going to prove it. Just as soon as they were able to get a hit in on Natsu.

"White Dragon's Roar!" Sting shouted, his elemental roar firing off as a beam of light. Natsu swiftly dodged that attack by going left but Sting redirected it towards him. Caught in a chase Natsu had no time to react to the moving shadow coming towards him.

"Shadow Dragon's Claw!" Rogue rematerialized from his shadow to swipe at Natsu's head but when he did a bright surge of light engulfed Natsu and he was gone. Shock turned to confusion when Rogue saw Natsu had vanished within the surge of light. Too caught up in what had just happened, Rogue was hit by the moving beam of his teammate, damaging him.

"Dammit Sting, watch where you fire that thing!" he shouted.

"I was trying to hit Natsu-san dumbass! What were you doing!?" Sting ran up to his teammate to shout back, not liking his tone of the voice in the slightest.

"I was doing the same and I thought I had him but he just disappear in a flash of light." Rogue explained.

"What the hell are you talking about?! How could he just disappear?!" Sting declared.

"Yo!" A joyful voice was heard above them. When they looked up both Sabertooth mages paled when they saw Natsu Dragneel, above them, holding a ball of fire with lighting arcing throughout it that was several times larger than he was.

"Lighting Flame Dragon's…!" Natsu chanted.

Sting and Rogue were too slow to react when Natsu came hurtling back down to the ground and crashed the attack upon them.

"Brilliant Flame!" The aftermath was an explosion that rocked the foundation of the stadium. The audience shouted in fear when they felt the ground beneath them quake violently. A dome of crimson flames and surging lightning nearly 10 meters high and 15 meters in diameter had appeared where the three dragonslayers had been, completely blocking any view from inside of it. The heat from the flames made audience and guild members sweat from its intensity. The magnetism in the stadium had increased tenfold due to the electricity that was generated from the explosion making everyone's hair stand on in. As if it were alive the dome reverted in on itself for a split second before exploding violently. Tremors and quakes ripped the stadium apart as cracks raced up the walls of the bottom floor to reach up to where the audience was seated. More pieces of the demolished stadium floor broke off as well as parts of the wall that separated the audience from the arena. Screams of panic could be heard but so could the shouts of praise and encouragement for Natsu and the Sabertooth mages.

"Ara ara, Natsu sure is full of energy today. I wonder if I'll get my hair to go back to normal." Mira wondered with a sweet smile and a hand on her cheek. She had her hair standing on in like with her Satan Soul transformation and the rest of the guild were no better. Her sister, along with the rest of the guild, sweat dropped at her airheaded question.

'You should be wondering if the stadium can be rebuilt back to normal once this is all over, nee-chan.' Lisanna thought inwardly. She had always known Natsu was strong, one of the top tier in the guild, but she never would have guessed he had this much power at his disposal. The same thought was going through the minds of the other guild mates as well when they saw the amount of power and destruction Natsu was able to unleash without even breaking a sweat. For those who stayed in the guild for the past seven years, they couldn't help but feel nostalgic at seeing their lovable dragon slayer wreaking havoc like the good old days.

When the smoke cleared a massive crater had formed when the attack hit the ground with Sting and Rogue lying inside of it. Neither one was moving with the only proof of either being alive with the up and down movements of their backs.

"Ladies and gentlemen as hard as it is to believe the Twin Dragons are down! After that devastating attack by Natsu Dragneel are the two out of the fight!?" the announcer proclaimed.

"Like hell we are!" Raising himself up to one knee Sting shot a defiant glare at Natsu who just stared back with an emotionless expression. Beside him Rogue had situated himself on both knees with his head back gasping him air by the mouthful. Both were still in their Dragon Force forms, which more than likely aided in them surviving Natsu's attack.

"We're not bowing out! Not now, not ever! I made a promise to a friend of mine and I'm going to keep, not for him but for me! Because if I don't, it'll make me out to be a liar and I have never lied to him before and I won't start now! You got that!" In his rant, Sting shot a fist in Natsu's direction who smirked.

"Hehe, I see you're getting fired up! That's what I've been waiting for…" Natsu took a fighting stance and ignited his body in fire and lightning once again.

"Show me what you got in round 2." He challenged. Both dragon slayers took the bait and charged at Natsu with all they had. Sting tried to punch Natsu with a fist coated in his blinding light but Natsu swatted it away and kicked Sting in the chest who flew onto the ground. Feeling a presence behind him, Natsu swung his leg and roundhouse kicked Rogue into a stone wall. Standing in his same position Natsu turned his head to look at both mages, one on his right and the other his left. Rogue wiped some blood from the corner of his mouth and looked to Sting. When they made eye contact they nodded their heads before inhaling deeply.

"Dodge this!" Sting yelled.

"Shadow Dragon's…!"

"White Dragon's…!"

"Roooar!" They fired their roars in synch with one another towards Natsu who made no effort to move. When the two attacks collided a massive explosion went off that shook the stadium but when the smoke cleared Natsu was nowhere in sight. Gasped were heard from the audience and the Fairy Tail guild looked on in horror at the possibility that their dragons slayer had perished.

"Wh-where did he go?!" Rogue questioned alarmed. Their attack was powerful sure, but not enough to wipe a person out from existence.

"Yo, you looking for me?" Sitting on top of an ivory pillar some yards was Natsu who seemed unaffected by their combined attack.

"Unbelievable folks, Natsu Dragneel has once again escaped from a perilous situation! Just what is his secret!" the announcer shouted.

XxX

"That's the second time he was able to do something like that. What's up, did he learn a new technique?" Gray asked in mild astonishment. Erza looked on at the fight both impressed and befuddled as well but she had more or less come across an answer to Gray's question.

"It would seem that Natsu has taken on more than just Laxus's power." She started.

"What do you mean?" Gray turned to look at the Titania expectedly.

"The magic that Laxus gave Natsu on Tenrou Island combined with his own. In doing so Natsu was able to tap into a greater power due to the combined magic within him. But it seems that Natsu is not only able to tap into greater power but also the abilities that come with it."

"In short, Natsu can use my lightning step. Tch, little copycat." Laxus added.

"So Natsu can move at the speed of lightning now?!" Gray asked.

"I can only assume it's in his Lightning-Flame Mode…but yes." Erza answered.

"Huh, Flame Brain just keeps bringing more and more surprises. But wait, if Natsu can move as fast as lightning in this form, and let's just assume he's figured it out as well, doesn't that mean he can get the drop on you two at any time." Gray looked at both S-class mages but only saw dark, death glares aimed at him.

"Don't underestimate us." They said in unison.

"Y-Yeah my bad."

XxX

"How'd you get up there so quick?! There was barely any time for you to escape from out attack let alone cross such a distance and climb a pillar!" Rogue shouted. Nothing was adding up. Here was he and Sting in Dragon Force, the epitome of a dragon slayers strength and abilities, the strength they used to kill their dragon foster parents with, and they were being toyed with. Natsu Dragneel had been away for seven years and if the rumors were true, he and the rest of his guild were in a stasis like sleep. That meant no training for the past seven years. The same strength that he had seven years ago would be the strength he would have now. He had heard that they had come back months before but even so, such a short amount of time wouldn't be sufficient enough to close the gap that seven years could create. Yet here he was grinning like a loon and beating him and his partner into the ground while at their absolute best. And what was that move he was using to avoid them.

"Hehe to be honest, I just learned this move a weeks before coming here. It was completely by accident too, same here. I just got the knack for it here and I gotta tell ya, I'm loving it!" Natsu was all smiles when he told Rogue, but the latter was in no joking mood and neither was his teammate.

"You learned the move by accident when he tried it the first time…and today. Are you fucking serious?" Sting said in a deadly tone.

"Completely serious." Natsu stood up on the pillar and ignited his body in lightning flames once again. Rogue and Sting matched his display by shrouding their own bodies in their respective elements.

"That's bull shit! There's no way you could just make something like that happen completely by mistake and learn how to do it on the fly!" Sting shouted upward to his enemy/idol.

"It's impossible!" Rogue added in.

"You forget, this isn't just my magic but the magic given to me by someone of my guild who for a split second believed in me. He trusted me with it and I'm not going to put it to waste. You said you fight for your guild but I'm fighting for a whole lot more! For my friends who were laughed at and ridiculed! For my guildmates who stood by Fairy Tail when it was on hard times! They never gave up and neither will I! That's what I'm fighting for and it's the reason that you will never beat me!" In a flash of lightning Natsu disappeared and reappeared a few feet from Sting. The White Dragon Slayer had no time to dodge the lightning and fire coated fist aimed straight for him.

"Lighting Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!" In a spectacular explosion, Sting was launched catapulted into the air while letting out a silent scream. A second passed before a random bolt of lightning struck him, singing his clothes and parts of his skin.

Rogue looked on shocked and that would be his demise. Natsu used his lightning step to cross the distance in the blink of an eye and kicked Rogue away with a lightning and flame clad foot. Rogue had noticed in time to put his arms up to shield himself but if would do little to help as the force behind Natsu's kick alone rattled him. The ensuing fire and lightning that would consume his form was just icing on the cake. Tumbling about on the ground he landed next to Sting he was trying to stand.

"Dammit, he's so strong. How…how did he get his powerful, he was away for seven years while we trained?" Sting smashed his fist into the rock floor making a small crater beneath it. Trickles of blood came from his knuckles but he could give a damn about some small scrapes. His pride, as well as his guild's honor, was on the line.

"Sting, we need to use it. Max power." Looking over Sting saw Rogue on his knees like him and taking deep breathes. Like himself he wasn't liking the situation at all and was desperate to end it quickly. He knew as well that if the fight were to go any longer, they would surely lose.

"Alright, let's do it."

"Oi, what you two talking about!? You giving up already?! Don't be lame, I thought you were 'true dragon slayers'?" Natsu said with his hands making air quotes.

"We are true dragon slayers! Don't fuck with us!" Standing tall the Twin Dragon powered up to their max. Their elements exploded around them, their rebellious roars echoing throughout the underground chasm. Natsu had to shield himself from the wind being picked up by their power.

"White Dragon's Ray!" Natsu dodged the multiple beams of light and when he looked again Sting and Rogue were gone.

"Where'd they go?" He took to sniffing his opposition and he found that their trails were leaving the hole they were in.

"What is this, are Sabertooth's Dragon Slayers running away?! How unforeseen?!" the announcer spoke stunned, like the rest of the crowd.

XxX

"Where do they think they're going?" Orga inquired aloud.

"I have no memory of them ever running away from a fight." Rufus spoke

"They're not running, they're just making room." Minerva responded.

"Making room for what?" Orga asked.

"For destruction." The smirk on the tanned woman's face spelt that she was confident that they would win, but internally she had her doubts.

XxX

With their magic propelling them out of the whole Sting and Rogue shot into the air like rockets. They crisscrossed each other in the air and stopped once they reached a comfortable altitude above the arena. They nearly a hundred feet in the air above the crowd. When they stopped they had done so right next to each other with one of their arms out.

"Try and dodge this Natsu-san!" Sting declared loudly.

"Full power Sting, don't hold back!" Rogue professed.

"You don't have to tell me twice!"

In the blink they summoned their magic in one another hands and the size was gargantuan, easily several times the size they themselves were. The amount continued to grow and grow making the spectators worry at what they had planned.

"Are they going to attack together again?! That's insane!" One audience member shouted.

"They'll destroy this whole damn place!"

"Please someone make them stop!"

"All this for a victory!"

The shouts of the crowd did nothing to sway Sting and Rogue form their decision. They were determined to beat Natsu and nothing would change their minds.

XxX

"Huh, looks like they want to end it with their best attack. Well I'll match him blow for blow! I'm getting all fired up now!" Natsu yelled excitedly. He set his feet shoulder width apart and set his arms at his sides, fist clenched. He inhaled deeply, streams of fire and arcs of lightning flowing into his mouth like a current. After a few tense moments he stopped and turned his head upward towards his two adversaries who had stopped their attack as a small purplish black orb had been created between them.

'I don't know how much this will take out of me, but I'm not going down without a fight!'

XxX

"Does he expect a breathe attack to beat us?!" Rogue questioned.

"In that form, I wouldn't put it past him if he actually wins. But you know Rogue…" Said shadow mage turned to his partner to continue.

"...this fight is everything I thought it would be and more." Rogue smirked at his partner.

"Easy for you to say, you fought your idol, mine went down a mine shaft." Sting gave a short chuckle but refocused on their target.

"You ready?!"

"Yeah?"

XxX

'Bring it on!' Natsu thought resolutely.

"Holy Shadow Dragon's Fang Flash!"

"Lightning Flame Dragon's Roar!"

The three dragon slayer's unleashed their attacks simultaneously. Sting and Rogue's unison raid shot downward, its purple, black and white colors mixing amongst each other in a complex beam. Natsu's most powerful attack ripped through the remaining structures that were below the arena tore an even wider whole in the stadium than when Sting used his Dragon Force enhanced breathe attack. The sheer force of the attacks blew everyone back into their seats, and for those who were standing on their ass. Some had to hold onto the railings to keep their person's stationary unless they get blown away.

The audience waited with baited breathe as to which attack would prevail over the other. Both were imposing with the amount of raw magical power that they possessed so making a choice was rather difficult.

The mages in the Sabertooth guild felt their confidence take a slight dip when they saw Natsu's attack was on equal par with their own dragonslayers' most powerful combined attack. The same could be said for the mages of Fairy Tail. They knew Natsu was one of their strongest mages but for him to match the combined power of two fully powered dragon slayers, even in his new form, they still had their suspicions. The screams of the crowd were so loud that those on the streets could hear them, and when they turned towards the stadium they too bared witness to the might of the dragon slayers.

The two titanic attacks collided with one another for a brief power struggle but ultimately Natsu's dual element roar won out against Sting and Rogue's unison raid. The beam of fire and lightning tore through the attack like paper before striking the airborne mages. The crowd went silent when the blast connect and the only noise to be heard was a draconic roar that exuded total supremacy over all. For those that thought that the title dragon slayer was just a name given to a mage of superior strength, they had learned that was far from the case. These mages were indeed on equal caliber to the revered dragon.

No longer feeling any other magic Natsu stopped his attack and collapsed on one knee. He was breathing deeply at releasing so much magic power but the manic grin on his face told that he was fine with it, given that the attack usual put him out of commission with just one use. When he looked up to see how his rivals were doing his eyes grew wide. They were out and the victory was his but they weren't moving. Not at all. And the worst part was that they were in a free fall towards the ground. With the height that they elevated to with their magic combined with the depth of the hole he was in, Natsu knew that there was no way they were going to survive, and it seemed the audience knew it as well.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it seems that Sting and Rogue are unresponsive after that last attack and are falling towards the ground! There is no stadium floor for the castle guards to stand on to catch them so what shall become of our favorite dragon slaying duo?!" the announcer screamed in a panic. The audience matched his intensity with their own screams as well, dreading what might happen if the two don't wake up. Even the mages of Sabertooth looked on in worry at their guildmates plummeting to the ground, Minerva herself could be seen with a nervous smile.

"Gah that move took a lot out of me and I can't go back into my lightning-flame form, but I'm not done yet! You two may be pains in the ass but you're not all that bad." Natsu ignited his feet and hands with his dragon flames and angled himself towards the two targets.

"Let's go! Raaaargh!" Like a rocket Natsu took off towards the two, his flames acting as boosters as he traveled towards Sting first. Letting the flames in his right arm die out he caught the young man, his body limp in his hold.

"Man you're freaking heavy!"

'Weight how the hell am I gonna catch Rogue, he's too far below me now!' Looking down he saw Rogue's body some meters below him. The crowd had sighed in relief at seeing Sting being caught but once again screamed when they saw Rogue still falling.

"Goddammit, this will be tight!" Readjusting his body Natsu let all his remaining magic out and sped towards Rogue with all he had. He had crossed the distance but was still too far away to reach with his outstretched hand.

"Come on, come on, come on!" He screamed pitifully. He could scrape his cloak with his fingers but that was it. The ground was coming fast and Natsu knew if he didn't grab him now and redirect himself they would both hit the ground and die. Natsu was ready to give it another go but out the corner of his eye he saw a shadow shoot past him and engulf Rogue's body. His eyes grew at the scene and he readjusted himself and shot back towards the arena. Arriving at Sabertooth's sky box he found the other members around the unconscious Rogue.

'How the hell did he get here before me, and what the fuck took him?' With these thoughts Natsu felt a strange and unsettling feeling in his gut but ignored it. Taking Sting from under his arm he dropped him in the box.

"Here's your teammate back." He said with a steel gaze.

"You have my thanks, Salamander, but don't think this means we owe you. We're still going to wipe your trash guild away." Minerva spat, her confidence brimming.

"He did you see the same fight everyone else did. You guys may talk big but you better back it up because we're aiming for the top spot. Oooh my bad we're already there, check the score board!" With that Natsu flew to the center of the arena and breathe deeply, his stomach expanding comically. With a great heave he released a stream of flames into the sky that turned into morphed into a fireball before exploding. The audience covered their eyes and what they saw brought them to their feet. In the air was the crest of Fairy Tail made of crimson fire, and above it was Natsu Dragneel with his right hand in the signature hand sign. The other guild mate's applauded Natsu for his showmanship and mimicked his gesture, all with large smiles on their faces as they cheered at their victory and the taking of first place.

"Folks I'm happy to say that the Twin Dragonslayers are no longer in any danger and I'm also happy to announce that Team Fairy Tail has taken the lead! The guild that was number one seven years ago is now back to being king of the hill, but the question remains will they be able to hold on?!"

"Are you kidding, there's no way in hell we're losing after coming this far! We're just getting fired up, right everyone?!" Natsu shouted so the crowd could hear. Natsu shot his infamous toothy grin and a fist at his teammates in the fighters box and his guildmates it their sky box. Each and every one matched him with a grin and raised fist of their own.

"Yeah!" They screamed heavily motivated.

"Hehehe, that's what's up!"

At the act the audience cheered with the guild, the volume becoming almost deafening. Natsu rotated in the air to oversee the applause and when he saw a head of silver hair he paused. Their eyes locked gazes and a small smile appeared on the young woman's face making Natsu smile as well. Before flying off to his teammates he shot her one last Fairy Tail sign and she him.

XxX

"Is everything in order, Arcadios-sama?" A soft voice asked as she watched the fire dragon slayer fly back to his guild. The young woman was sitting in a chair that overlooked all the fights and next to her was a tall, well-built man in shiny soldiers' armor.

"Yes Hime, but if we wish to acquire what we need, the plans may have to change for a certain fire mage." He spoke.

"Yes, you may be right. Make arrangements. I will protect this city and the country by any means." She said assertively.

"Yes Hime." Arcadios bid farewell and exited out of the room, leaving the young woman to her thoughts. Well her thoughts and to the guards located inside and outside her room.

'Natsu Dragneel…you sure are interesting.' The princess thought with a mischievous smile.

XxX

[A/N: The fight is over! Sorry if you think it was too short but I didn't want to drag it out with a whole of fighting. Besides if you've read the mange or seen the anime, you would know that Natsu wipes the floor with Sting and Rogue in his normal form, so it's only logical that Lightning-Flame Mode would decimate them. I know I didn't include Lucy or Yukino all that much in this chapter but next chapter they'll be back as well as Gajeel. This is probably littered with grammar and spelling errors and I apologize. Rub a Dub Dub and My Bloody Valentine are up next for updates but watch out for M Bloody Valentine, I'm aiming to update it this week. Read, review or PM me if you want. Blaccdragon out!]