Fire vs Poison
As Natsu and Cobra faced off, the Fire Dragon Slayer was rapidly losing his patience, not that he really had much to begin with.
"I can't get to the boss without going through this punk!" Natsu said.
"Don't worry!" Happy said, "There's no way he can get through our teamwork!"
"Cobra!" Brain yelled, "Deal with this witless worm!"
"Like you even need to tell me!" Cobra answered, as Cubelios charged Natsu and Happy. The snake snapped at Natsu, only for Happy to swoop him out of the way.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu said, as he struck forward. However, Cobra (or more accurately Cubelios) easily avoided it. The reptile then swatted Natsu with her tail.
"I said I could hear your movements," Cobra said, "There's no way you're going to touch me!" Cubelios then soared around to the other side, hitting Natsu again with her tail.
"Happy!" Natsu said.
Aye!" the cat answered, catching Natsu just before hitting the ground. Happy then carried Natsu behind a wall. Great, we can hide here Natsu thought, as he grinned with anticipation. That was when he heard the sound of stone exploding. However, when Natsu turned to face him, he saw Cubelios coiled up in front of him.
"Wha…," Natsu began.
"You're so loud!" Cobra said, as he kicked Natsu from behind, sending him flying.
(in the city)
"This place is beyond creepy," Gray said.
"I think that's an understatement," Lucy said, "But what is it anyway?"
"Well, its clearly a city," Carla noted.
"This is Nirvana! Oh yeah!"
"Wait, is that…," Wendy began. Everyone turned to see Jura and Hoteye standing before them.
"Its the guy from Lamia Scale!" Gray said, "And he's with that other guy from Oracion Seis!"
"Nothing to worry about," Jura said, "He's with us now."
"Everything is for love now, oh yeah!" Hoteye vocalized.
"That's not a satisfactory explanation!" Lucy answered.
"I'm afraid it would take quite sometime to explain," Hoteye said, "But I only have time to explain one thing, and I need to explain Nirvana instead. The city was inhibited by a people known as the Nirvites. 600 or so years ago, there was war across the world. The Nirvitttes were staunch supporters of neutrality, mourned for such a world. They created the magic to help regain balance, which would switch light and dark. And such they named it 'Nirvana', to refer to their country of peace."
"Well that's ironicc,' Gray said, "They named this place is after peace, but now a mad evildoer is using it."
"I don't see the point of making this at all if it affected light the same way it did dark," Lucy muttered.
"Wouldn't be a whole lot more effective if they just made it one, and left the other alone?" Wendy said.
"Chances are the Nirvittes didn't intend that either," Jrua answered, "But all magic has its side effects."
"But now that its moving, there's no point in debating its purpose," Hoteye said, "We need to stop it immediately!"
"Isn't that obvious?" Lucy said.
"Brain is almost assuredly up in the King's Tower," Hoteye said, "That's from where Nirvana is controlled."
"Wendy said its going to Cait Shelter," Lucy said.
"That's bizarre," Jura said, "I confess I know little about that guild, but to the best of my knowledge, there's nothing really exceptional about it. No offense, Ms. Wendy, Ms. Carla."
"No, its okay, there really isn't anything special about our guild," Wendy said.
"Do you know why they would be going there?" Jura asked Hoteye.
"Honestly I haven't the foggiest."
"Of course you wouldn't." Everyone looked up.
"Midnight!"
"That's another Oracion Seis guy!" Gray said.
"Wasn't he the one sleeping earlier?" Wendy asked.
"So you opted to betray us, Hoteye?" Midnight inquired.
"Betrayal implies I was in the wrong!" Hoteye answered, "But it is Brain who is in the wrong!" Midnight jumped down to their level.
"Yo dare suggest that my father is wrong?" he asked.
"That Brain guy is his father?" Gray asked.
"Can't say I ever thought about a dark guild being a family thing," Lucy said.
"Magic comes from within one's heart," Hoteye explained, "Hearts that are twisted by darkness are the weak ones."
"I'll be happy disprove that," Midnight said, as he waved his arm He promptly bisected several structures almost instantly. The only one who managed to fully dodge the attack was Hoteye, while the others were sunk down into the ground.
"Can someone please tell me what happened?" Gray asked dizzily.
"Hoteye caved us in," Jura answered.
"You all go face Brain!" Hoteye said, "The Oracion Seis are all equal to each other! Let me face Midnight!" He then held up his arms, sending a massive torrent of earth at Midnight, only for it to circumvent the dark mage flawlessly.
"The Oracion Seis are fighting against each other?" Wendy asked.
"I almost want to stay and watch," Gray said.
"Are you sure about this, Hoteye?" Jura asked, "I'd readily stay and help!"
"Just go!" Hoteye said, before turning and smiling, "Oh, and my name is Richard!"
"You reveal your true name?" Midnight ask, "You're pathetic Hoteye."
(with Natsu and Cobra)
"Fire Dragon's Talon!" Natsu said, swinging his fire charged foot at Cobra, who dodged it easily with Cubelios.
"Damnit! What's with this guy?" Natsu growled.
"Is he reading your movements with magically?" Happy asked.
"No, I can hear your heart," Cobra answered, "You're probably one of the most noisy people I've had the displeasure of fighting." Natsu stared at him, running his options.
"Was that Dragon's Eye thing what you used against Brain earlier on?" Cobra asked, "Well if you managed to use that technique to defeat Jellal, than chances are it may be able to beat me. Of course the key word being 'may', and even then its not like you can use the magic anyway." Natsu blinked in surprise.
"Yes, I can hear your thoughts," Cobra answered, "Its not like you're very subtle about your battle tactics."
"Well this sure sucks!" Happy sad.
"You think!" Natsu said. There was a brief silence.
"You're going to go left while thinking about attacking from the right."
"EH!"
"He can hear that much?" Happy said.
"Thoughts are thoughts," Cobra answered, as he petted Cubelios' head
"It doesn't matter what the thoughts are, I'm going to hear them," Cobra said, "You don't stand a chance!" Natsu's chest lit up as he let out a rumbling growl.
"Listening to all that thinking, I'm almost wondering if you're hurting yourself by doing that," Cobra sneered.
"That's not fair!" Natsu yelled.
"Who said fighting was supposed to be fair?" Cobra countered.
"Then I'll just go head on!"
"Aye sir!" As Natsu charged them, Cobra easily dodged Natsu's first attack, as well as his second.
"Look, just give up, there's no way…" That was when Cobra felt a brief burning sensation on the side of his face. In a moment of confusion, Natsu was able to smash his fist into Cobra's face.
"You will burn!" Natsu yelled angrily. With that, his first burst into flames, consuming Cobra, and sending him flying.
"What the…," Cobra began, only to be kicked in the stomach, and sent flying again, though Cubelios managed to catch him in her coils. He then looked at Natsu in surprise. He's just not thinking! he thought. With an animalistic roar, Natsu launched at him again, but Cobra caught his fist.
"That's pretty good," Cobra commented, "Got to admit that its never happened to me before. So with that…" His fist then began to smoke with some kind of red cloud, as red scales climbed up his arm.
"Gah!" Natsu cried as he recoiled back.
"Its time I got serious here," Cobra said, as he bared his newly acquired claws, "You say that I'll burn. But not before you rot!"
"This guy's a Dragon Slayer too!" Happy said
"How…," Natsu began. He was silenced when he was struck in the face by one of Cobra's red charged fists. Natsu let out a cry of pain. It was like someone had hit his fist with acid.
"The power of the Poison Dragon decays everything that it touches!" Cobra explained. He punched at Natsu again, which Natsu tried to block, only to be kicked did the stomach, and sent careening away again. Happy was barely holding onto Natsu at this point.
"Cubelios!" Cobra called. The snake, understanding what to do, opened her mouth, and exhaled a cloud of poisonous mist. Cobra promptly began sucking it back up.
"He's eating the poison?" Happy asked.
"That doesn't sound very healthy," Natsu muttered. Cobra then inhaled.
"Poison Dragon's Roar!" Cobra cried, as he exhaled a massive cloud of poison, which consumed both the Dragon Slayer and the cat. Natsu tried to face Cobra, but Happy was barely, if at all, airborne. Much to the contrary, he was beginning to descend.
"Happy!" Natsu cried.
"I'm… not feeling so good," Happy said weakly.
"Now that you mention, neither do I," Natsu responded. It did really feel like Natsu's body was starting to decay from the inside out.
"Damn! If only I could use Dragons' Eye!" Natsu hissed.
"The breath of the Poison Dragon spreads like a virus," Cobra explained, "Slowly but surely, it destroys the human body, until there is nothing left but a pile of bones." A sinister grin slid onto his face, as Natsu glared back at him.
"The moment I struck you, you've already lost," Cobra said. However, much to his surprise, he was charged by Natsu again.
"Fire Dragon's Scythe!" Natsu said, as he swung his arm in an arc, creating a large blade of fire. Cobra easily avoided the strike.
"I can hear your movements!" Cobra said, "Don't tell me you already forgot that!"
"Damnit!" Natsu grunted.
"But props for still being able to move despite being poisoned like this," Cobra continued, "Pretty good for old school."
"'Old school'?" Natsu asked.
"I'm one of the new generation of Dragon Slayers," Cobra explained, "I had Dragon Lachrima directly implanted into my body."
"Then he isn't really a Dragon Slayer!" Happy yelled, "He's like Laxus!"
"There's no such thing as a 'real Dragon Slayer'," Cobra countered with a sneer, "There's no way for humans to learn Dragon Slaying magic. Only dragons can. Your's makes less sense than mine. Especially considering that there aren't any dragons left."
"Bullshit!" Natsu yelled, "Igneel's out there!"
"You're the one who's spouting bullshit!" Cobra countered, "All dragon's are extinct!" Cubelios then charged, as Cobra swung his poison cloaked arms up.
"Poison Dragon's Twin Fangs!" The dual blades of poison blasted Natsu and Happy into the air.
"Damn you!" Natsu yelled. Cobra let out a cackle.
"That blonde was your girl, right?" he said, "You know she's really kind of weird. Of course, all Celestial Mages are like that. Those keys got a lot of voices coming from them. Really confuses me."
"Don't you talk about Lucy!" Natsu yelled. Cobra then let out a sneer.
"Of course I could hear something else from her," he said, "Something I've never really heard before." Natsu became silent.
"Well if you're that curious, I'll guess I'll just tell you," Cobra said, "I heard another heart inside of her!" Natsu froze, as did Happy.
"Is she…," Happy began.
"That's right! Your girl's pregnant!" Cobra announced. Suddenly, Cobra couldn't hear anything from Natsu again. He was completely silent.
"Lucy's going to have a baby?" Happy asked.
"The hell's with you?" Cobra said, "Are you going to do something?"
"Happy, drop me," Natsu instructed calmly.
"What?" Cobra and Happy asked at the same time.
"I've got to finish this now," Natsu said as his chest began to glow, "I've got to get back to Lucy." You're going to do another fire breath, eh? Cobra thought You really did forget about what I can do, didn't you?
"Happy, now!" Natsu demanded.
"Aye, sir!" Happy said, as he dropped Natsu.
"This is over now," Cobra answered.
"Fire Dragon's…." There's no point! I can hear you! Cobra thought You're going to go for a wide ranged attack!
"But it won't hit me from here!" Cobra said, as he jumped up from Cubelios, and grabbed the back of Natsu's head.
"Now let's see the snake crush the salamander!" he proclaimed
"Natsu!" Happy cried.
Natsu opened his mouth to swear, but instead, a roar began to slither out. Before it began to rather rapidly evolve into something entirely different. From within his body, something began to stir.
From Natsu's maw, emerged a roar that was so loud, the term "tremendous" would be a gross understatement. Cobra couldn't even vocalize his shock, as his ears were tortured.
It was the roar of a dragon.
Throughout the entire city, people could hear Natsu's roar.
"Such power," Brain commented from his vantage point, "I can't remember the last time I felt such a force."
(with Lucy, Gray, Wendy, Carla and Jura)
"The hell is that sound?!" Gray said.
"Is it a monster?" Wendy asked nervously.
"Its such an awful noise!" Carla said.
"Perhaps there is Nirvana has some kind of beast guarding it?" Jura offered, "No, this is too monstrous, even for a place like this!" Lucy was also in awe, but she was not afraid.
"Natsu," she muttered. In that period of awe, she didn't feel the strange sensation in her stomach.
(with Erza and Jellal)
As Jellal and Erza listened, Jellal couldn't help but feel as if that roar was familiar. Erza had a similar sense.
(with Natsu)
"MY EARS!" Cobra cried, as he crashed to the ground. Cubelios soared down, and looked over at him. Natsu panted, as he smiled triumphantly.
"That was…," Happy couldn't find the proper words for it.
"I guess my plan worked!" Natsu said with a smug grin, "I knew that your awesome hearing would backfire!"
"No you didn't," Happy muttered.
Brain just watched in shock from his stand.
"This worm beat Cobra with just his voice?" he muttered, "What is this boy?" Natsu then hovered over Cobra, as his expression turned more serious.
"Sorry, but if I'm going to be a dad, then I've got to get back home soon!" he said.
Note: That's right, Lucy's pregnant. Let's start hearing baby names.
This won't be the last we see of Cobra. I'm a fan of his
Be sure to review.