Waves and Clones

Elfman tried to think of a way to speed up Natsu's melting. Sadly he didn't have any magic that created anything really warm. He was relegated to trying to start a fire at Natsu's feet.

"Damn it!" he said, "A real man should be able to start a fire!"

"You won't succeed," Zephyr said. Elfman whirled around to see Zephyr weakly sitting up. He took a fighting position.

"I could've just killed you when I regained consciousness," the Space Mage said, "I'm out of power." Elfman glared at him.

"So what now?" Zephyr asked.

"You piss off," Elfman answered.

"Really, you won't try and ask for information, or where your friends are, and how to get them back?" Zephyr asked.

"You said yourself that you don't have any magic power left," the Take-Over mage explained, "And I won't leave Natsu." Zephyr was silent for a time, as a sinister grin slid onto his face.

"You're an idiot," he said, as he grinned, "You don't know when people lie." He then warped away, much to Elfman's surprise.

(with Frieze)

Frieze could hear Zephyr warp into the room, but didn't turn away from the ritual.

"My lord," Zephyr said.

"Ah, Zephyr, I was under the impression that you were defeated," Frieze said.

"It takes more than that to defeat one of the Tri-Blades," Zephyr answered.

"Is that so?" the lord said.

"Just give me a few minutes, and I'll…"

"My board uses Link magic," Frieze interrupted, as he looked at Zephyr, and walked towards him, "Link magic doesn't lie, nor does it make mistakes."

"Uh….," Zephyr stuttered.

"You were defeated," Frieze said, as he approached the mercenary. It was then that Zephyr realized that Frieze was a full head taller than him. And Zephyr wasn't short.

"Don't worry," Frieze said, "I am not intolerant of failure." Zephyr let out a brief sigh of relief.

"From my observation, people who fail will always be useful," Frieze said, "They can be used as a power source." He then held up his hand. Zephyr didn't even had time to open his mouth, as he promptly became a pile of soot. A magic aura slid out of the pile, as it was siphoned off into the statues.

"Any effect?" he asked the ritualist.

"No…," the performer trailed off before recoiling in surprise, "Actually…. yes! That aura increased the magic output of the Six Wombs. We should be able to complete it in just one more hour."

"Brilliant," Frieze said, "I'll be looking forward to killing these Fairies with the magic of their own child."

"What about the child's father? He is one of the guild's strongest."

"He will not be able to interfere," Frieze answered, "True, he can melt out of the ice I froze him in, but I also froze his mind. He's stuck in limbo in his mind, until he eventually melts out of that. A simpleton like him, it will be some time."

"You are brilliant, m'Lord."

"I know."

(with Levy)

"Solid Script: Fire!" The "fire" letters sprung at Netja, which collided directly with her. Levy blinked in surprised.

"Wait! That worked?" she asked.

"Not even close," Netja's voice answered. Levy whirled around, to see Netja standing a nearby rock.

"How did you…," she began, only to be kicked in the back. With a cry Levy tumbled away.

"I thought you were smart enough to know to watch your blindspot," Netja commented. Levy turned, and saw her there as well, having apparently disappeared from the rock.

"Solid Script: Water!" Levy declared, as she wrote "water", sending a torrent that consumed Netja, only for her to again disappear.

"Damn it!" Levy muttered as she looked around, not intent on making the same mistake again.

"You're learning, I guess I can praise you for that," Netja's voice echoed.

"What're you, too afraid to actually face against me?" Levy called.

"No, I'm just passing the time. Soon Lord Frieze's plan'll be compete, and he'll kill the rest anyway. He's more flashy too, so maybe I should just let you live. What do you think?"

"I think you love hearing the sound of your own voice," Levy answered, as she looked around, "If your plan is to talk me to death, you might actually have some success with that."

"I'm not a fan of wisecrackers," Netja sneered.

"Hate to break it to you, sister, but it comes with the guild."

"Then I'm going to certainly look forward to Lord Frieze burning it to the ground," Netja said. Levy then saw her leaning against the wall, her arms folded.

"Now let's see what you're made of," Netja said, gesturing for the Solid Script mage to come. Levy took a breath, as she took out her pen.

"Its time you see just what Fairy Tail is made of," she said.

(with Cana)

"Take this baldy!" Cana yelled, as she threw her glowing cards at Xinglong, who remained still as the cards shot him, before holding up his hand, and waving. The cards swirl back at Cana, who only just managed to jump out of the way.

"Really, going after my shaved head?" Xinglong asked.

"You're not worth the time it would take to think of a real insult," Cana said, as she pulled out another couple cards. The cards had "Wind" and "Fire" on them.

"Card Magic: Inferno!" As the cards were thrown, they combined into a massive torrent of flames, which swirled around Xinglong, as he waved his hand again.

"Attacking me didn't work the last time, why would it work now?" Xinglong said. However, when the fire cleared, Cana was trying to punch him. However, Xinglong easily avoided the attack, and kicked Cana away.

"What did you think that would accomplish?" Xinglong asked, folding his arms behind his back. Cana glared at him as she rose back to her feet.

"Though I suppose I should've made it more clear that I'm also a martial artist," Xinglong said, "Limiting one's skills to their magic is an inefficient way of fighting." The drunk ran her options. There weren't many. This guy had her outclassed in several fields, including physicality. And Cana was no pushover when it came to hand to hand fighting; a couple times she actually went up against Elfman. All the times she heaved up late barrels paid off.

The only option she had was to keep trying. She had to find out what to do at some point.

"Card Magic: Lightning!" Cana declared as she threw some more cards at Xinglong, which created a bolt of lightning in his direction, which he waved again.

"So much suffering," he muttered, as he pointed at Cana. Cana then let out a cry of pain, as she was struck in the side by a burst of energy. Before she could react, she was struck in the opposing side by another blast, which sent her tumbling away.

"You can't win," Xinglong said, "Just retreat. I won't pursue you." Cana let out a gasp, as she tried to get up, only to tumble over again. Xinglong narrowed his eyes.

"You took my friend, while she was pregnant," Cana muttered, as she slowly got back up, before she looked up at him, her eyes blazing, "I will never leave! Not without Lucy!"

(with Natsu and Elfman)

Elfman was leaning against a rock, staring at the hall, waiting for someone to come. He was all that was standing between them and Natsu, and he was intent on not letting anyone lay a finger on the Salamander. He was a man after all.

During this, Natsu remained still, as he continued to melt.

(in the mental world)

The normally burning world that existed within Natsu was now completely frozen, the magma solid rock, and snow falling to the earth instead of ash. Natsu himself, knelt in the cold, completely still. He couldn't move, he couldn't feel anything, it was if the rest of the world had just disappeared.

"I really hope our kid takes after me instead of you." Natsu couldn't look up, but he knew that voice to be Lucy's. The blonde stood before him, her hands on her hips, frowning down at him.

"Because I hate to think of the notion of him being so wimpy, letting a little cold bring him down," Lucy said, a she knelt down at Natsu, putting her finger on his forehead, "You'll be a bad influence on him." Where Lucy's finger was, Natsu could feel an iota of warmth, but he still couldn't move. Lucy sighed, as she stood up straight again.

"Come on, lover boy," she said, "Don't tell me you're giving up already? The Natsu I know would never let something like this keep him down. He would melt right through this ice like it was nothing. Now get off your ass, and take initiative!"

(in the real world)

Natsu remained frozen, as he heard Lucy's words echo through his head.

(with Levy)

Levy wasn't making any progress either. Every attack she threw at Netja went through, but didn't seem to do any damage, and Netja wasn't having any trouble hitting Levy. As if that wasn't enough, during all of that, Levy was continuously draining her own magic pool, in her constant, in vain attempts to hit her. On the practically non existent plus side, she eventually realized what kind of Netja was using.

"Double Magic," Levy muttered as she rose to her feet after another strike.

"Come again?"

"You're using Double Magic," Levy explained, "That explains a lot, every time I strike you, I'm just destroying another double. In fact, I probably even seen the real you yet. All of these women are your doubles."

"How observant," Netja said.

"But unfortunately for you, I also know its weaknesses. I've studied lots of magic, including Double Magic," Levy said, pointing at the first Netja she saw, "You can't create doubles within a certain radius, and it has to be in direct line of sight. That means you're in this hall somewhere, among them."

"Clever girl," Netja said, "But surely you know just knowing what I can do isn't enough to defeat me." Levy grinned, as she pulled out her pen.

"Actually, now that I know you're nearby, I've got all I need," she said. This next spell was going to take up a sizable chunk of her remaining magic power, but Levy didn't care.

"This is for you, Lu!" she declared, "Solid Script: Explosion!"

(with Cana)

Cana was blasted away again by Xinglong's magic. As she skidded to the ground, Xinglong winced.

"Why must you keep on fighting?" he asked, "I hate inflicting suffering!"

"Didn't I make it clear?!" Cana yelled as she looked up," I've got to save Lucy! And her baby!" As she rose to her feet, she glared at Xinglong.

"Come to think of it, you say you hate inflicting suffering, and yet you're working for a dark lord?" she said, "What kind of sense does that make?"

"I may hate to inflict suffering, but I need to get by," Xinglong explained, "And my oath as a monk forbids me from joining a guild, so I had to become a mercenary." Cana clenched her fists.

"Listen here you…" She was silenced when the wall exploded. The two fighters turned as two bodies were flung into the room. Cana was quick to recognize one.

"Levy!" she called, as she pulled out a card, and threw it. The card turned into a pillow, which Levy landed safely on. Meanwhile, Xinglong flicked his wrist, and Netja, who was the other body, floated slowly to the ground.

"Damn it!" Netja said as she looked up, "She got the drop on me." She then looked up at Xinglong.

"You're one of the mercenaries?" she asked.

"Have you seen me around before?"

"No."

"Then that should answer your question," Xinglong said as he looked back the Fairy girls.

"Now if you will please step aside, so I can end this," he said.

"Hell no!" Netja said as she got back, "I want to kick the blue haired girl's ass!" Cana wasn't paying attention to their bickering, her attention on Levy.

"Come on, Levy!" she said, "Talk to me!" Levy cringed as she looked up at Cana.

"Hey Cana," she said, smiling, "Hate to drop in on you like this." Cana smiled at that.

"Can you stand?" After getting confirmation, she helped Levy to her feet. The two then looked at their opponents.

"The bald guy your enemy?" Levy asked.

"Unfortunately," Cana answered, "Though I can't say I'm having much luck. You?"

"Well, I scored one hit, though she scored about ten hits on me."

"That's more that I've been able to do." Cana then pulled out a couple more cards.

"We shouldn't have split up," she said, "We need to work together if we want to save Lucy." Levy pulled out her pen.

"Let's kick their asses!" she declared. Xinglong stepped forward.

"Please stand back, Ms. Netja," he said, "I can finish this quicker."

"I guess I didn't make it clear, so let me say again," Netja said, before clearing her throat, "HELL NO!" She then glowed as several new clones flashed into existence.

"Why don't you stand back?" she sneered.

"I'd offer for us to work together, but you'd refuse," Xinglong said, "So…" He couldn't finish when he had to redirect a powerful blast from one of Cana's cards. Several of Netja's doubles, but not Netja herself, charged Cana.

"Solid Script: Wall!" Levy said, as "wall" appeared before Netja. The doubles slammed face first into the wall.

"Solid Script: Rock!" The massive stone letters crashed down, crushing the doubles.

"Take this!" Netja said, as she pointed at Levy. Several clones appeared around her, but they were blasted away by Cana.

"Thanks!"

"No problem!" Cana answered. Xinglong ran at the girls.

"Solid Script: Hole!" Levy said, as a hole appeared in Xinglong's path. However, Xinglong seemed to grab the air, and pull it, as the hole seemed to twist away.

"How…" Levy didn't get to finish, as she got hit by a blast of Xinglong's magic.

"Card Magic: Typhoon!" Cana yelled, throwing four cards, which formed a swirling torrent of wind at Xinglong, who bent the wind out of the way, into Levy's direction.

"Solid Script: Wall!" Levy said, as she dove behind her wall. Netja's doubles were promptly blown away.

"Hey, watch where you're aiming!" Netja yelled.

"I can't aim after bending them," Xinglong answered.

"Solid Script: Fire!" Fire descended on Xinglong, who held up his hand, and the fire bent away. In his moment of distraction, Cana threw several more cards at him. Xinglong held up his hand to deflect them, but was too slow, as the cards struck him, sending him careening back. He managed to regain his footing, as he looked up at Cana.

"Good, this fight isn't completely one sided after all," Xinglong said.

"You haven't seen anything yet!" Cana said, before throwing cards that read "Fire" and "Lighting". Both burst into magic energy, while Xinglong managed to deflect the fire. However, the lightning he had to jump out of the way of. Something Cana took note of.

"Take this!" she said, as she threw a card at the ground. The card had "Smoke" written on it. In the distraction, Cana ran in Levy's direction.

"How you doing?" she asked.

"Probably not much better than you," Levy answered, as she panted, "These two are tough."

"Yeah, we need to change our strategy," Cana said, "I think I realized the bald guy's weaknesses."

"What's the plan?" Levy asked.

"Ever wonder what happens if you write letters on my cards?" Cana asked with a grin. Meanwhile, Xinglong flipped back to Netja.

"Why are we letting them talk like that?" Netja asked.

"I was occupied," Xinglong said, "What's you excuse?" Netja scowled at him. Cana and Levy then turned in face their foes, as Cana drew her cards.

"You sure about this?" Levy asked.

"If I wasn't I wouldn't be suggesting it," Cana answered, "Now let's do it!" She then held the cards between the fingers, and Levy briefly scribbled on them.

"Now take this!" Cana said, as she threw the cards. The cards, which had the words "Fire" written on both of them by Levy. The cards themselves were "Impact".

"Story of the Cards!" the girls said in unison, as a massive blaze of fire blasted at the enemies. Xinglong held up his hands to deflect them. But as much as he tried, he couldn't redirect the magic.

"What're you doing, why aren't you deflecting it?" Netja demanded.

"That's a Unison Raid!" Xinglong said, "The waves are…." He couldn't finish, as the fire consumed both of them, sending both Xinglong and Netja careening away into a wall. The girls were both panting.

"You owe me a drink," Cana said with a grin.

"And you owe me a… favor," Levy said.

Note: I know this was much shorter than my fights usually are. But I don't want to doddle anywhere. I want to get through this, so as to get to the main bulk of the story again, which was why I opted to make Levy and Cana's fight end the same chapter, and sorry for not having a better ending. I have another three full fights to do after this one, and that isn't easy.

Be sure to review.

You know, I recently saw the reviews of chapter 323, by Sawyer7mage and King of Lightning. Different strokes for different folks and all, but those reviews are especially mean, and the comments are also especially mean. One guy went so far as to complain FT fans to pedophiles. I'm not making that up. Comparing people who disagree with you to pedophiles, only on the Internet people.

I'm sorry for constantly spamming you with this, but it really gets to me when people are this mean to FT and its fans.