The group made their way outside to the front. Natsu and Sidney were standing a few paces apart from each other, while the others were watching on the front porch of the guild. "So, are you gonna go first, or am I gonna make the first move?" Natsu grinned, pounding his fist together.
"It's customary to allow the weaker opponent the first move," Sidney replied. That's all Natsu needed to hear too.
Natsu sprinted forward, his right arm cocked back as flames danced wildly around his fist. "Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu threw his arm forward at Sidney, who leaned his body to the side, avoiding the punch. This only increased Natsu's confidence, however. If he was fighting Gildarts, Gildarts would've countered the punch and tossed Natsu away like a rag doll, Sidney just dodged.
"GO NATSU!" Happy waved his arms around in the air happily.
"Hey you, Wendy, right?" Reve asked.
"Yeah…?" Wendy turned her attention to Reve, tilting her head.
"You're the healer, right?" Reve asked, his attention not leaving the fight.
"Yes, why?" Wendy blinked. The fact that Reve was speaking to her at all had her surprised and she unintentionally stiffened up from nerves.
"I suggest you're ready…Natsu's going to need some healing when this fight is over…" Reve chuckled a bit.
"Something's not right about that guy…" Carla narrowed her eyes at Sidney, who was putting little effort in dodging Natsu's punches.
Natsu finally landed a hit on Sidney's chest, grinning widely. "I got'cha!"
A few seconds passed before Sidney shook his head slowly. Whatever Natsu thought he did, clearly, he didn't. "…" Natsu's eyes widened slightly, but he figured that Sidney was bluffing. Natsu jumped back, allowing flames to cover his leg, jumping forward once again.
"Talons of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu aimed his leg at Sidney's neck, but Sidney brought up his forearm, easily blocking the kick. Natsu didn't let up however, the Fire Dragon Slayer jumped back yet again, puffing his cheeks out. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu opened his mouth, unleashing a funnel of fire towards Sidney.
"Hm," Sidney placed his hands together, a purple fog filling the area. The fog lingered for a few seconds, and when it faded, Natsu and Sidney switched places.
"WH-" Natsu let out a yelp of surprise when he was attacked by his own move, a miniature smoke cloud appearing from the impact.
"W-What just happened?!" Levy's eyes widened slightly.
"They switched places?!" Lucy rubbed her eyes to make sure what she saw was true, and sure enough, it was.
"That's Sidney for you!" Kuro nodded.
Natsu jumped from the smoke cloud, glaring at Sidney. "That was lucky!"
"Tch," Sidney placed his hands together again, the purple fog reappearing. When the fog cleared, Natsu was standing on a small raft in the middle of the ocean. However, this was only an illusion created by Sidney. Natsu was unaware of this, so he fell to his stomach, his face turning blue as his cheeks puffed out in a way that made it look as though he were about to hurl.
"Ugh…What's going on…?" Natsu groaned.
"W-What now? Get up, Natsu!" Happy jumped up a few times.
Reve let out a soft chuckle, "Oh, now he's just playing with him…"
"Playing with him?" Mirajane cut her eyes at Reve, then Sidney. "Is this a game to you or something!?"
"Hush, demon," Sidney replied. "I can make your worst nightmares come true, so watch your tone with me."
"Come on, Natsu! Fight!" Cynthia moved her arms up and down.
"H-Hey!" Natsu attempted to stand, but the "raft" was causing too much trouble for him, his motion sickness starting to get the better of him. "I'm right here…!"
"He hasn't even thrown a punch yet…" Levy whispered.
"Trust me; you don't want him to swing…" Waiston nodded slowly.
"Who is this guy...?" Carla demanded an answer. She couldn't get a read from Sidney at all!
"Sidney Castle. The Ghost Mage." Zalen, the younger brother of Sidney, answered while adjusting his glasses. "Easily the strongest mage of White Eclipse...barring our master, Calium, of course."
"The Ghost Mage...?" Lucy looked over at Sidney. He was an imposing figure, his scarf didn't come off once. But she truly could sense something ghastly from the Ace of White Eclipse.
"Come on, finish it, Sidney!" Reve shouted from the sidelines.
"Fine," Sidney dispersed the illusion, and Natsu hopped back up, panting heavily.
"I'm gonna finish it right here!" Natsu pulled his arm back as he sprinted forward once again. Sidney pulled his own arm back, waiting for Natsu to get close. When the two were in range, they swung their fist at each other, the area going silent after some kind of collision; the two combatants unmoving.
"W-What happened…?" Lucy whispered under her breath.
Natsu's fist stopped just before Sidney's face, while Sidney fist struck Natsu directly in the torso, causing Natsu's eyes to widen. A sickening crunching sound broke through the silence as Natsu fell onto his knees, and then onto his side. "N-NATSU!" Happy shouted out.
"What was that noise…?" Levy muttered under her breath.
"You guys just don't get it." Takeru said while shaking his head. "This was never a fight Natsu could win."
"What makes you say that?!" Lucy exclaimed in response.
"Because Sidney isn't just any ordinary ace..." Takeru railed off. "Just about everyone you've seen here today has tried to fight him. And we all failed. At once."
"Huh?" Even Mira was surprised to hear this. "What do you mean?"
"...It's exactly as it sounds." Selene replied with a huff.
[Flashback, several months ago.]
Sidney Castle returned to White Eclipse after an ace level job. Since he hadn't been home in a long time, he didn't know any of the new faces that joined, and he wasn't eager to find out either. The only thing on his mind was seeing how Zalen was shaping up. Even though they were brothers, it was hard to call them close. From the eyes of the people that didn't know Sidney, he was unnecessarily cruel to his younger brother. They were fighting outside, but it was clearly one sided and Zalen was beaten and bruised at the end of it. Sidney stood over Zalen, not even his scarf hiding the frown that was on his lips. "I thought you were better than this."
"Agh...gah..." Zalen was on his hands and knees, breathing heavily. It was always like this. Improving against his brother, the ace of White Eclipse, was impossible. The gap between them was too vast and nothing Zalen could contruct could even come close to bridging it. "I..." He was unable to look up at Sidney. His gaze was directed at the snow.
"Hey, that's enough!" Selene exclaimed, steppnig out from the guild.
"Yeah, back off." Luke followed suit. Behind him were Cygnus, Jaxon Takeru, Aira, Michio, and Zain. They were sick and tired of watching Sidney's treatment of Zalen.
Reve, Waiston, and Kuro all stood back, while Calium just watched from afar. "...I knew it was going to come to this..." Kuro closed his eyes. He knew what was coming next and he didn't want to watch.
"I don't blame them." Waiston said. "Sometimes he does go a little far...but we can't stop him."
"They'll learn." Reve had his arms crossed. "This is their chance to learn what the strongest wizard of White Eclipse is truly capable of. They'll understand just what exactly it is we're working with and how high they should aim." It was unfortunate that this had to come at Zalen's expense, but that's just how it was.
Sidney glanced over at all the newcomers that approached him. They were serious about this. He barely gave them a second glance. "...You get one chance." That was his warning to all of them, because he wasn't going to hold back. The others all nodded at each other and attacked Sidney at once, preparing to strike him down despite his power. They had to defend Zalen's honor! But...that's not what happened at all. Sidney Castle, the Ace of White Eclispe, displayed his dominace over every single mage that attempted to attack him. Luke was batted away with ease, Cygnus' gravity had no effective, Michio's illusions were useless and he was sniffed out easily, leading to a powerful hammer fist to his back; Selene's diamonds were useless as Sidney's magic allowed him to push her out of her defensive coating, before slamming her into the ground; Takeru was dragged out of the shadows and punched in the gut; Jaxon didn't even have the chance to act and he was taken down along with Aira. All of them were sprawled along the ground, groaning.
"W-What the hell..." Cygnus grit his teeth, attempting to stand back up.
"H-He's so strong..." Aira whined.
"This is...no way..." Luke was in shock. How could one man be this strong!?
"You had your chance." Sidney said while clapping his hands together. This prompted a black and white magic seal to appear on the ground, encompassing everyone that attempted to try him. "White Eclipse Art: Eclipse Tower." One of the secret spells from the book of Calium, being used by Sidney to demonstrate a point. This spell was composed of Eclipse magic, and a powerful tower of it surged and erupted from the ground, consuming all of his challengers in its destructive wake. When the spell faded, everyone was unconscious before the Ace of White Eclipse. Sidney just carried on from there, walking inside the guild.
"There it is..." Reve said.
"Man...guess we better start bringing them inside." Kuro sighed. He and Waiston started to carry everyone back inside the guild so they could rest from the beatdown from Sidney. "I hope they'll be okay."
"They joined this guild for a reason." Reve said. He, Zalen, Sidney, Waiston, and Kuro were the original members of White Eclipse. That's why they watched this fight...well, no, it was no fight. It was a one sided slaughter. "If something like this is enough to make them quit, they have no business wearing our guild mark in the first place."
"Hm." Taya just let out a quiet noise at Reve's words.
[End flashback.]
"He...took out all of you like that?" Mira said with a surprised look. White Eclipse gave a few Fairy Tail members some trouble, but was their Ace truly that strong?
"That...doesn't matter." Natsu was slowly pushing himself up. Everyone watched as fire and lightning began to spark around his body. Clearly he was making no progress against Sidney as he was now, so he had to use his full power if he wanted to win. He was back on his feet in his Lightning Flame mode, snow completely melting around him as he glared at Sidney.
"..." Sidney didn't say anything in response to this show of power. Everyone knew Natsu was serious, but could the same be said for Sidney? This was something Fairy Tail wondered, but White Eclipse already knew the answer. "Don't waste your chance."
Natsu crouched down, bending his knees before lunging towards Sidney headfirst. "Swordhorn of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" Natsu intended to slam his skull into Sidney's chest. Compared to before, he was much faster and his magic output was much higher. Just before he would've hit Sidney, the ghost mage's body turned transparent, causing Natsu to completely fly right through him. "Tch!"
"Natsu, watch out!" Happy warned. Natsu was going to crash into the White Eclipse building at this rate!
Natsu had more than enough control to halt himself. He flipped and landed against the wall of White Eclipse, using this momentum to push himself forward. He flew towards Sidney while twisting his body around, aiming a fiery axe kick towards Sidney's skull. "Talons!" Sidney raised one arm to block Natsu's hit. His expression didn't change whatsoever, but Natsu was just grinning. A bolt of lightning followed Natsu's kick, but Sidney just avoided this by leaping back. The bolt of lightning struck where Sidney once was, and the ghost mage still had not a scratch on him. Natsu growled and leapt foward again, choosing to keep Sidney on the defensive. "Claw!" Natsu swiped at Sidney's face with a blazing attack, but Sidney grabbed his wrist with a single hand, and used his opposite elbow to slam into Natsu's face, sending the fire dragon tumbling along the ground. "Gah!"
"Not even close!" Reve taunted Natsu. It was high time the cocky Salamander learn the true heights of White Eclipse's strength.
Reve's words riled Natsu up, but he knew victory would only be sweeter when he toppled this mountain before him! "Roar...!" Natsu's cheeks began to inflate well beyond human limits. He lurched forward and parted his lips. "OF THE LIGHTNING FLAME DRAGON!" From his mouth, a gigantic funnel of lightning and fire shot outward, covering a wide rage and even carrying off of the mountain.
As Natsu inflated his cheeks, Sidney just placed his foot on the ground, a gray magic circle appearing. "Resurrection: Knights." From the magic circle, numerous ghastly knights with shields appeared in front of Sidney. The Lightning Flame roar collided against this wall of knights, barreling through them with some difficuitly. Sidney didn't budge from his spot, for his wall of knights was capable of fending off the Roar just before it could reach him. The roar split off before it got to Sidney, only wisps of flame brushing against his scarf.
"Come on, Natsu!" Lucy cheered.
Natsu rushed Sidney again, throwing a flurry of punches towards the ace of White Eclipse. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Lotus: Lightning Flame Dragon's Punch!" Natsu aimed punch after punch at Sidney's body. Sidney was either evading or blocking Natsu's attacks, leaving him unable to land a single hit despite his efforts. The members of Fairy Tail watched worriedly as it looked like Natsu was really unable to land a hit. But Natsu wasn't as helpless as everyone thought; he was watching Sidney's movements and adapting quickly. So he stepped to the left and thrusted his fist forward, landing one true hit against Sidney's cheek. There was a small shockwave that boomed out from the impact and everyone's eyes briefly widened.
"He hit him!" Kuro gasped.
"Atta boy, Natsu!" Lucy said with a proud grin.
"No way..." Luke said.
"..." Takeru narrowed his eyes. Sidney's head didn't even snap when Natsu hit him. Natsu may have landed one direct hit, but...
"Only one of these things is an unstoppable force." Jaxon said from experience. "And lemme tell you...it's not your hot head."
Sidney's head slowly turned despite Natsu's impact. He didn't react to the punch at all. He acknowledged the impact, but that was as far as it went. "...Was that your strongest attack?" Sidney asked.
"And if it was!?" Natsu growled, his fist still against Sidney's cheek. Natsu was well aware that his follow through was completely halted by Sidney's sheer strength. In truth...Natsu was stuck. Sidney didn't respond, but he instead struck Natsu in the chest with his knee. That reminded Natsu of his injury and his eyes widened, and he nearly collapsed to the ground again. But it was his sheer determination that prevented him from falling over.
"You wasted your chance." Sidney said before clapping his hands together. If this was all Natsu had to offer, Sidney would at least return his efforts in kind and unleash his strongest spell. A black and white magic circle appeared under Natsu. "Eclipse Tower."
"Here it comes..." Zalen said while adjusting his glasses.
"Natsu, look out!" Cynthia warned. But it was too late. Natsu was consumed in a rising pillar of Eclipse magic. The mountain rumbled and everyone had to cover their eyes from the light of it all. When that light faded, Natsu was on the ground, eyes pure white to signify his KO.
"Natsu-san...!" Wendy gasped.
"And that's all she wrote..." Jaxon shrugged his shoulders.
"But he got a hit in...!" Happy objected.
"He hit Sidney twice, but do you think that mattered in the end?" Reve retorted. "Look at Sidney after those hits. Natsu may as well have not hit him at all, and there wouldn't be a difference."
"...Is he...really that strong?" Levy was shocked. Was Sidney as strong as Gildarts...? Maybe even...no, she couldn't think that way! But to beat Natsu at his best like it was nothing? That left an impression she wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon. The shocked thoughts were interupted when Natsu let out a cry of pain. Everyone turned and saw Sidney kicking Natsu while he was down. He was sparing no force either.
'W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Lucy cried out before running over to Natsu and Sidney with Happy by her side, but a wall of fire and ice created by Waiston and Kuro cut her off.
"Natsu lost," Reve stated.
"Exactly! So stop the fight! It's over!" Levy pleaded.
"No can do…" Kuro frowned slightly.
"And why not!?" Mirajane growled.
"The bet was if Natsu lost, he'd have to go through the White Eclipse punishment. This is exactly what it is," Reve nodded slowly.
"That's so brutal…" Cynthia averted her eyes from the sigh, unable to bear the sight of Natsu so helpless while someone stronger repeatedly stepped on him. None of the White Eclipse members objected as Natsu's pain filled screams echoed throughout the mountain range.
"S-STOP IT!" Lucy cried out once more, tears starting to fill her eyes.
"N-Natsu-san…!" Wendy closed her eyes, turning her head away. She knew each guild had its own punishments for breaking the rules, but never had she seen once so brutal.
"…" Takeru stayed silent. Normally he would enjoy this, but he felt empathy for Natsu, since Takeru went through the exact same punishment as before when he and another member took an S class mission, while they aren't S class mages. The White Eclipse punishment truly made the punished regret their actions, while the unpunished thought twice about what actions they may make in the future.
Luke was watching Sidney pound Natsu from the second floor balcony, shaking his head. "Idiot…"
"It's a bit too much….don't you think?" Nami looked over at Luke, frowning heavily.
"He agreed to it…" Luke sighed, leaning against the railing.
"Please…stop it…" Cynthia couldn't bear the sound of Natsu's screams of agony; red flames starting to appear on her body as her emotions started to take control. "Stop it…please…"
"C-Cynthia…!" Wendy threw her arms around Cynthia, attempting to console her while she a few tears fell from Wendy's eyes. Wendy knew every guild had its own kinds of punishments, but never had she seen one so brutal.
"Natsu…STOP IT PLEASE! I BEG OF YOU!" A tear rolled down Lucy's cheek and fell onto the snow as she watched the horrific sight.
"That's ENOUGH!" A magic circle appeared over Mirajane as she entered her Satan Soul takeover, immediately spreading her wings as she flew through the fire and ice wall, pulling her fist back. "STOP IT!" Mirajane threw her fist, but Sidney caught it, not even looking in her direction.
"I was finished," Sidney replied. Sidney carelessly kicked Natsu's body over onto his back, revealing all the bruises. "His ribs are broken, so you might want to fix that," Sidney shrugged, walking off as if nothing happened.
"N-Natsu…!" Lucy crouched down, cradling the unconscious Natsu in her arms.
"N-Natsu-san!" Wendy and Cynthia rushed over to Natsu. Wendy placed her hands over Natsu's chest as she began to heal his injuries.
"…It was nice having you over!" Kuro said, attempting to change the mood. However, the Fairy Tail group was no longer in the mood for talking.
"Before you leave, don't forget your drunk," Waiston commented, pointing to the unconscious Cana on the floor. She and Jack tied in the drinking contest, and both were out cold, unaware of the events that transpired. Mirajane stomped past the White Eclipse members present, shooting them all a hateful glare before picking up Cana, and started down the trail along with everyone else.
"W-We're gonna tell Master, aren't we..?" Cynthia asked, rubbing her arm.
"Yes, we're going to," Mirajane replied.
"The whole story, right…?" Cynthia asked again, worried that parts of the story would be left out on purpose to make White Eclipse seem like the bad guys. Granted, she did think of them as bad guys in that moment...
"Yes…" Mirajane nodded slowly. As upset as she was, that didn't mean she wasn't going to tell a one sided story. Granted, Natsu was largely to blame for provoking them, she still had no idea things would end up like this.
"Well…that could've gone worse," Luke shrugged.
"I don't really see how…" Nami sighed, shaking her head.
"The entire group could've been bodied by Sidney instead of Natsu?" Luke turned around, starting to walk away. "So much for a friendly dinner..."
"Way to make a first impression, Sid," Reve chuckled slightly. "Good thing that Wendy girl was here otherwise you would've had another Dragon Slayer to deal with.
"..." Sidney said nothing as he walked inside.