Wwwwhhhhhaaaattttt is happening, my readers? 3rd dragneel, returning with the fourth chapter of War Beyond Worlds. Again, I'd like to thank all of you for sticking with me so far. I know it may not seem like the best story in the world, but after this next arc, it will REALLY pick up(I hope.) I have a few original arcs planned for this story so it doesn't feel like a copy and paste of the Fairy Tail anime.
DB-20: I like Tommy, and Blake is… well she's not bad either. But Bumblebee(the ship between Yang and Blake) isn't my favorite pairing. I know you didn't ask, but I thought I'd give my opinion.
Kamen Rider W: Hehehe, I see you're a fan of Fire Force as well, but it is not Tamaki(though it would be funny if it was since she and Gray would be known as the strippers of Fairy Tail.)
Ushindeshi: No, she's just a character I added just cause. Yes, she's the next Champion.
BanRedfox: *Facepalms* I am not mad, I'm just disappointed in that pun.
Guest: That's what she said. But yes, Fire Force is next.
To recap: After returning from their mission on Mt. Hakobe, Yusei asked Makarov if he could join the Guild, which he happily allowed. Realizing his friend had no money and no home, Natsu and Happy offered the Head Signer a place in their house, which he took. After some much needed cleaning, the trio went to sleep, where Talion had some one on one time with Yusei in regards to the other Champions. The next day, Mirajane was kind enough to explain how jobs work and Yusei decided to do his first job on his own as payment for staying at Natsu's home. After chatting with Lucy, Natsu gave Yusei the directions to Mechro Town and the Head Signer left.
How will Yusei's first job go? And who was that strange woman from before? Let's find out...
'Sometime later'
It had been some time since Yusei Fudo had driven from Magnolia to Mechro, yet he didn't mind in the slightest. He always enjoyed riding around in his Duel Runner, almost like all his worries were nonexistent just by turning on the engines. He looked at his left to see the peaceful environment around him. 'No matter how many times I see it, this place always looks so peaceful.' He thought to himself while pushing the gas slightly. While nothing extremely dangerous happened aside from Bora and the mission to save Macao, Yusei still had to keep his guard up since he still had the mission given to him by Talion.
"You're worried that this world isn't prepared for the darkness to come, am I correct Yusei?"Stardust questioned mentally, though it was more of a statement since he can hear his duelist's thoughts.
'It's not that I doubt everyone, especially Fairy Tail. But who knows what kind of things will come from that god Ankhersam. I don't even know what he's capable of.' Stardust had to agree with what Yusei was saying. Despite being one of the five Signer dragons, as well as part of the Crimson Dragon, if Ankhersam was as powerful as Talion briefly said, then he doubted he could defeat him by himself.
"While the future may not be clear, what is certain is that we are not alone. We have Fairy Tail, and we have the other Champions to rely on. Yusei, I know many of the fights we've had involved you by yourself, but here, we have allies that can give us the strength, like with Goodwin and the Meklords." Stardust said with a knowing tone.That's right, Yusei wasn't alone. Even though he didn't say anything to them, Natsu, Lucy, Happy, even Makarov and Mirajane: they all believe him. A small smile crept on Yusei's face as he focused back on the road.
'Thank you Stardust.' Yusei thought with gratitude. The dragon smiled before disappearing, resting up for a battle that will require his power. It wasn't long before Yusei saw a small wooden sign, standing proudly in front of him. He began to decrease his speed before stopping a few inches from it. Raising his visor up, Yusei could now read the sign clearly.
You are now entering Mechro town, where we have all you need for Magicmobile repairs.
"Magicmobile huh?" While the word itself was pretty foreign, Yusei had a feeling this was Earthland's equivalent of a car. Reactivating his visor, Yusei once again revved up the engine and drove forward. He looked around and saw this town was no different from Magnolia, just a bit more grey bricks and one fountain. Some of the citizens looked out their windows in awe at the strange vehicle he was riding. "Maybe I should've turned this back into a card before coming here." Sighing a bit, Yusei drove forward until he stopped in front of a store called 'Howie's magicmobile. You break it, we fix it for a reasonable price.' Killing the engine, Yusei removed his red helmet, shaking his head a bit to free his hair before setting it on his seat. He doubted that anyone here would try to steal his Duel Runner, mostly because they might not know how to even turn it on. Grabbing the package from his small storage compartment, Yusei walked towards the two large wooden doors before knocking on them. "Special Delivery for Howie!"
"Come on in! I'm working on something out back!" He could faintly hear a voice from inside the shop. Yusei then pushed the doors open, allowing himself to enter the workshop. The interior of the shop was pretty interesting: some simple tools were scattered on a large wooden table, some parts for what he believed were for a magicmobile were on one side of the room and blueprints were posted on the wall. It wasn't long before Yusei for a door with the lights on in front of him. Walking inside, he saw a short man that looked to be as tall as Makarov with downward brown hair, blue overalls over an orange shirt, and brown shoes. The man seemed to be tightening a screw on what looked like an engine. "You have the part I need?" The short man said without looking away from his work.
"Yeah, I'm from Fairy Tail." Yusei said while closing the door. The man finished turning the screwdriver in his left hand before sighing a bit. He turned towards Yusei, revealing his small brown beard/mustache combo and eyes that seemed to be closed permanently. The short man put his hand under his chin, almost as if he was examining Yusei.
"Hmmm, usually that orange haired kid Jet would bring my packages, but you, I've never seen. You sure you're a part of Fairy Tail?" The old man asked suspicious. Yusei answered him while removing his jacket, showing off his red guild mark. "I see, mind telling me your name, son?"
"I'm Yusei Fudo, I just recently joined Fairy Tail and wanted to start my first job as soon as possible." Yusei answered honestly. The man hummed in understanding before giving a small smile.
"Well, name's Howie, like the sign outside. Pleasure to meet ya Yusei." He extended his hand towards Yusei, who had to kneel down to shake. "So, you got the parts I need?" Yusei nodded before showing him the same package he got from Magnolia. Howie opened it up and pulled out a strange blue part. Judging by the smile on Howie's face, he could tell it was the right part. "Excellent! I've been waiting to get this part in for weeks, but because they're in high demand, it's almost impossible to get." As a fellow mechanic, Yusei could understand what Howie went through as the Satellite was either get or get beat up when it came to rations and parts for his Duel Runner."Thanks for getting this to me so quickly Yusei, but how did you….get….here….." The short man slowly trailed off as he finally noticed Yusei's ride outside. "My god, what a beauty!" He quickly put his part down and rushed outside to examine the Runner up close. Never in all his life as Howie seen anything this….advanced in his life. He ran his hand on the paint job as Yusei walked behind him. "Is this yours?"
"Yeah, this is how I got here fast." Yusei said with a mental sigh. He should've known that keeping his Runner out in the open was a bad idea. Now he might have to answer some questions he hoped to never speak.
"Mind telling me how fast this baby goes?" Howie asked like a kid in a candy shop.
"Hmmm, its maximum speed is about 50 miles per hour at full throttle, though I do want to try to get it to go faster." Yusei answered honestly. That part, he wasn't lying about as he, Jack and Crow were working on increasing the miles on their Runners for Speed World 2 if another tournament comes up. Howie tapped his finger on his head in thought, as if something was coming up. Snapping his fingers, he went back into his shop before getting four yellow orbs Yusei had never seen and carried them inside a small wooden box.
"These are Lightning Lacrima. I use them to increase the speed of the magicmobile I fix in case the driver doesn't have any magic to spare." Howie said, his smile growing ever so slightly. While Yusei had read about Lacrima in those books back in Hargeon, this was the first time he had actually laid eyes on one and safe to say, he was impressed. He was surprised when Howie brought it up to him. "Take them."
"You don't have to do that." Yusei said while waving his hand. The pay was enough, so he didn't need anything else. To his surprise, Howie smiled before pushing the Lacrima forward, which practically begged Yusei to take.
"My boy, this vehicle you have is an amazing piece of machinery, something I haven't seen in years. Just by looking at it, I can see the care you put into making it, and I'd hate for this beauty to run out of power. I don't see any harm in trying out a Lacrima to speed it up. Besides, think of this as a bonus for getting here faster than Jet ever could." Howie couldn't help but chuckle, imagining the look on Jet's face if he ever heard those words. Seeing as he would never be able to talk Howie out of it, Yusei gratefully took the small box and placed it inside the small storage space on the side of his Runner. Howie didn't stop however, as he pulled out some familiar dollar bills and handed it to Yusei. "This is your real reward. If you ever need an upgrade or just wanna know more about a magicmobile, don't hesitate to come back."
"Thank you Howie." Yusei said with a small smile as he took the Jewel in his hand, pocketing it. "Have a good day." With that, Yusei put his helmet on, activating the engine before driving away.
'Yusei Fudo. What an interesting man. You're lucky, Makarov.' Howie thought with a chuckle as he saw Yusei drive away in his Runner. Something told the mechanic that Yusei was hiding something, but he wasn't in any position to push the matter. 'Careful you don't lose him.' With that, Howie walked back to his shop, ready to finish his masterpiece.
'With Yusei'
"That was much easier than expected." Stardust said as he and Yusei moved through the forest towards Shirotsume Town, where Natsu, Happy and Lucy were doing their mission. Since the job didn't take too long, he thought that meeting them halfway would be the best idea.
"Yeah. But the missions we take, the harder it might get. I can't rely on dueling forever." Yusei said with a stoic tone. He knew the job was easy and the pay was good, but he couldn't relax now. Anything could happen to him. His eyes wandered to the Lightning Lacrima in his storage unit. "Still, I don't know what I should do with these. Maybe Howie had a point. I should probably test the engine-
"YUSEI, LOOK OUT!" Stardust's sudden shouted startled the Signer as he looked ahead, only to see a figure walking out of the shadows.
"WOAH!" The shadow shouted before Yusei turned the Runner to the left, causing it to stop automatically. However, the figure, surprised by the vehicle, fell on their rear, panting heavily. "What the hell-Yusei?!"
"Natsu?" Yusei took off his helmet before seeing his pink haired friend on the ground, looking at him with a surprised expression.
"What was that for, man?! I was just walking, minding my own business, then you just come in and try to run me over?" Natsu exclaimed in a bewildered expression. Getting off his Duel Runner, Yusei extended a hand towards Natsu, who took it before he pulled him up.
"Sorry, but I thought you guys were still doing your job." Yusei said with a raised brow.
"Natsu! Where are you?!"
"Seriously, can't you wait up?!" The bushes began to rustle once again, revealing Happy and an irritated Lucy. "Honestly, first you take me on this stupid job, then-Yusei?" The blonde lost her anger as she noticed her other friend.
"Hi Yusei!" Happy said casually. "I thought you were doing a job too."
"I did, just finished a while ago. What about you guys?" Yusei asked curiously.
"We finished ours half an hour ago, it was pretty okay." Natsu said with a mild shrug.
"Though we didn't get the reward money." Lucy said with a deflated tone, much to Yusei's confusion.. Wouldn't they have gotten the reward when they finished the job?
"Did something happen?" Yusei had to ask. Since the conversation was going to take a while, the group decided to sit somewhere to relax. Natsu sat on a log while Lucy sat on a large rock and Yusei against his Duel Runner, with Happy sitting on top while eating his fish.
"So we get the mansion where the client was and he tells us this book was in some weirdo's estate." Natsu started with a relaxed tone. For the next few minutes, the Dragon Slayer explained how the reward went to two million Jewel if they destroyed the book. When they arrived, Duke Everlue rejected Lucy, who was told about the short man's fetish for hiring blonde maids(Yusei thought Lucy was going to strangle Natsu for that.) They tried to sneak in, only for Everlue to catch them and a large fight ensued. In the end, Lucy discovered the book was meant for the client, written by his father. In the end, it was revealed that the client was only using his friend's house to act as if he was rich and Natsu refused to take a reward as it would bring disgrace to the Guild. "So, how was your job Yusei?"
"It was good, though the client gave me a bonus." Yusei admitted, getting their attention. He reached into the storage compartment and showed the trio the lightning Lacrima. "He said this could boost the speed on my Runner, though I don't get how."
"Woah, you got lucky, Yusei. Lightning Lacrima are pretty expensive in the market, especially for magic mobiles." Happy said with staring at the Lacrima.
"So not only did you get the reward, but also Lightning Lacrima? I'm jealous." Lucy said with a pout. Yusei let out a small chuckle before taking one of the Lacrima and handing it to Lucy, much to her surprise. "What?"
"Since you guys didn't get the reward, I'd feel bad letting you go back empty handed." Yusei said in a genuine tone. Lucy was honestly not expecting him to offer her something like this Lacrima. While it would help her with next month's rent, she didn't feel it was right for her friend to just give her his bonus.
"But Yusei, it's-" Lucy was cut off when Yusei placed the Lightning Lacrima in her hands.
"It's fine Lucy, I'm happy to help you out." Yusei said, his smile growing ever so slightly. The busty blonde sheepishly took the Lacrima while blushing slightly.
"Thank you...Yusei." Lucy said meekly, something Happy caught.
"Oohhh, she llliikkkkeeessss you!" Happy teased while giggling mischievously, getting Natsu to chuckle.
"Shut up stupid cat!" Lucy shouted, her blush growing. Yusei and Natsu shook their heads in amusement before noticing the sun starting to set.
"Well, it's getting late, I'm gonna hit the hay." Natsu reached into his pack and pulled out some sleeping bags. "Here Yusei, take one."
"Thanks man, but are you sure we should….." The Singer sweatdropped a bit as Natsu was fast asleep, snoring rather loudly.
"That's Natsu for ya, always sleeping the minute he closes his eyes." Happy walked up to his best friend before curling in a small ball and fell asleep.
"I guess we really should get some sleep huh?" Lucy opened her sleeping bag before setting it down. "Godnight Yusei."
"Night Lucy." Doing the same as his friend, Yusei laid down and simply looked up at the stars with a calm expression. He would usually do that kind of thing when he was young, sneaking up to the roof and watching the stars with Jack and Crow. He only hoped his friends were okay back home, not worrying about him.
'Era, later that night…'
Siegrain had to hold back a yawn as he signed yet another boring pile of paperwork the Magic Council required him to sign. He looked forward to the day when he could leave this all behind and be his true self.
He then felt the cool night wind brushing against the back of his neck, causing him to shiver a- wait, he didn't open the window. So how could he feel the wind?
'Ultear wasn't here, and Kane is off on his own personal mission. So who could have…'
"You look busy, Siegrain. Is being a member of the Magic Council taking its toll?" A disguised and deep voice spoke out from the shadows. Siegrain couldn't hide his smile as he turned to the right, noticing a figure, hidden within the shadows. The figure crossed their arms, tilting their head curiously. "I know the paperwork can be annoying."
"I see you chose to come in from the window, rather than the door. But I like your way of thinking, Chase." Siegrain said, his hand still signing the forms, though he was still conversing with his ally in the dark. "How goes the mission?"
"Eisenwald had completed their mission, and the flute is on its way to the Guildmaster's conference." The figure, known as 'Chase,' said with a nod. "But I have some… concerns about this. If the Magic Council is our enemy, why aren't we striking here as well?"
"Because we are, inch by inch." Siegrain said, finally done with the boring paperwork as he leaned against his chair. "You know better than anyone that the best way to destroy someone is from the inside. Didn't you tell me you trained for years just to destroy one man? That kind of tenacity is why I respect you."
"I know, but even I can feel a little… impatient." Chase confessed before he reached into his pocket, pulling out a small note. "There is the matter of Fairy Tail's newest recruit." Siegrain raised a blue eyebrow as Chase placed the note on his table. Opening the piece of paper, the blue haired councilman moved his brow at the paper.
"Yusei Fudo, one of the newest recruits of Fairy Tail. His information is scarce and his magic isn't listed." Siegrain said with a hint of interest in his voice. Normally, when someone joined a guild, the Guildmaster would file a report to the Magic Council: their name, hometown, magic, etc. Yet for some odd reason, Makarov Dreyar didn't fill it out all the way. How peculiar.
"He might be a person of interest." Chase said with his arms crossed.
"Agreed. Have a spy watch his every-"
*Knock, Knock*
"Sir Siegrain, I'm here to collect the signatures." A knock on the door, followed by the sound of a Rune Knight caught their attention. Chase glanced at Siegrain, giving a short nod. Siegrain let out a small sigh before he stood up, papers in hand. He walked towards the door before opening it, coming face to face with a young looking Rune Knight. He looked at him curiously. "My apologies, sir. Was someone with you?"
Siegrain let out a calm smile as he handed the Rune Knight the papers. "No. I was just lost in my thoughts, that's all. Here you go."
"But, I could've sworn-"
"It's late, and I'd like to go to sleep." Siegrain countered. Hearing the annoyance in his voice, the Rune Knight nodded before he left with the papers in his the Rune Knight was out of sight, Siegrain closed the door and turned back to his desk, only to find his ally was gone, a shuriken imbedded on his desk. 'I wonder how long your loyalty will last, Chase?' With that, Siegrain took the shuriken off his desk and exited his office, ready to turn in for the night.
'The next morning….'
Natsu, Yusei, Happy and Lucy, aftering walking up rather early, begin walking through the forest, trekking back to Magnolia.
The problem was… they were a bit lost.
While Yusei did offer to use his Duel Runner, the Dragon Slayer would most likely reject that idea due to his motion sickness. "Are you sure this is the way back to Fairy Tail?" Lucy complained while ducking down under a branch. Unlike Natsu, she would be more than happy to take Yusei's offer to drive back home.
"Yeah. Me and Happy made sure to remember every turn we made, right little buddy?" Natsu said to the blue cat, who was currently eating a fish on top of the Dragon Slayer's head.
"Aye! We just need to keep going through here and we'll be at the guild in no time!" Happy said with his paw raised high.
"Just relax Lucy, we'll make it back." Yusei said, walking over another large root. This wasn't the first time he had to go through a dense area and it would certainly not be his last. The best thing to do now was to just keep going. The group had passed through the crowded trees before making it to an open area. "If you want, we could take a break here."
*Rustle*
The group stopped when the bushes suddenly began to rustle. Yusei slowly opened his deck box, ready to summon a monster if need be. "I got this!" Natsu yelled while jumping onto the bushes, causing a cartoonish dust cloud to appear.
"I suppose that's one way to get someone out." Stardust said with a slight sweatdrop.
"Do you always have to punch anything that moves?" Lucy questioned, also sweatdropping. After a few moments, Natsu and whatever was hiding behind the bushes jumped into the opening, giving them a view of who was watching them.
Dark blue hair, a sword like necklace, a pair of boxers… there was only one person that came to mind.
"It's Gray!" Happy pointed out. True enough, the one behind the bush was none other than the Ice Mage of Fairy Tail, who was half naked… as usual.
"And he's naked. Great." Lucy said with a facepalm. The Head Signer didn't know why in the bloody hell this guy kept losing his clothes. Either he stripped on purpose, or some God was punishing him.
"I was trying to find the bathroom when Matchstick here attack me." Gray said while getting in a fighting position.
'And he decides to strip before finding a bathroom.' Yusei thought with his own facepalm.
"Who the hell thought there was a bathroom in the middle of the forest?" Natsu said with an irritated tone.
"I wanted to get some privacy, but I didn't expect an idiot to get in the way." Gray shot back with a glare. The two then butted heads while saying extremely lame insults. Signing a bit, Yusei decided to walk up to the two before pulling them away from each other. "Hey, what the hell are you doing?!"
"Look Gray, we're sorry for… barging in on you, but we're kinda lost. You know how to get back to Fairy Tail?" Yusei asked politely. Gray raised a brow before he glanced at Natsu, smirking.
"Let me guess, Flamebrain got you lost?" Gray questioned, much to Natsu's irk.
"Screw you, ice princess!" Natsu shouted. As much as Gray wanted to taunt Natsu, there was something he needed to tell him.
"Look, I'm only telling you this because I might get screwed too: get back to the guild as fast as you can." Gray said with a serious tone.
"And why's that?" Natsu asked curiously. The others watched as all the color faded from Gray's face, as if he saw the most horrifying thing.
"Because… Erza's coming back." Gray said in a fearful tone. It was at this moment Natsu also lost the color in his face.
"Woah, you mean THE Erza?!" Lucy exclaimed with wide eyes. The only one who wasn't affected was Yusei, who was just plain confused.
"Who's Erza?" Yusei had to ask.
"She's the most powerful woman in all of Fairy Tail!" Happy answered, plain and simple.
"I can't wait to meet her! Oh, I wonder if she's as cool as they say in Sorcerer Weekly." Lucy said with a dreamy tone. While Lucy was gushing over this, Natsu and Gray were as white as ghosts. "You know, I've never seen a picture of her. What's she like?"
"Scary." Natsu, Gray and Happy said in unison, much to Yusei and Lucy's confusion.
"Mind telling us how?" Yusei asked while crossing his arms.
"A wild animal." Gray said.
"A crazy beast." Natsu added.
"More like a full on monster!" Happy shouted with a haunted expression. Lucy began to shiver at the thought of Erza: a giant monstrous woman who stomps over anything in her path, breathing fire.
"That's rather much, wouldn't you say Yusei?" Stardust said, unsure what to think of this 'Erza.'
"That may be going a bit too far, don't you think?" Yusei said with a sweatdrop. He recalled meeting Akiza when she was the Black Rose, but underneath that hard exterior, she was a good person. This Erza doesn't sound too different, maybe she was also a good person. "We can't really judge her until we meet her."
"Dude, you have no idea how monstrous she is! She's rip you apart if you talk back!" Natsu whined, shaking like a chiwawa while muttering to himself.
"Like I said, we should get back before she kills us." Gray urged. If he got his ass kicked by Erza, it would be on Natsu. But just as they were about to move on...
*BOOM*
A sudden explosion erupted in front of them, sending everyone flying to the ground.
"What was that?!" Lucy called out, coughing heavily. The dust began to clear up, though luckily they were all fine.
"Is everyone good?" Yusei asked while standing up. He was lucky Stardust gave him a bit of power to minimize the damage. However, his friends weren't so lucky as Natsu was in the dirt with his legs stuck out, Gray was buried halfway and Lucy was dazed. The dragon slayer quickly shot out and noticed something different.
Happy was gone.
"Where's Happy?!" Natsu shouted with urgency.
"Whoever attacked us must've taken him." Gray theorized as he dug himself out while Yusei help Lucy out.
"Yusei, I can sense Happy is not too far from here, though he appears to be surrounded." Stardust said in a serious tone.
"Guys, I think I know where Happy is." Yusei said as he looked east. Natsu quickly began sniffing the air before he caught Happy's scent in the same direction.
"Well what are we waiting for?! Hang on, little buddy!" With that, Natsu began to run towards the direction Yusei pointed to, with the others following suit.
'With Happy'
"Ummm, can't we talk about this?" Happy begged as he was tied to a stick over a fireplace while five wizards were looking at him with hungry eyes.
"We really got a good bite tonight." One of the wizards said with some drool running down his mouth.
"No more berries." Another wizard said with a relieved sigh.
"I can't wait to eat some meat!" A third wizard(this one much larger than the others) shouted, drooling at Happy, much to his fear.
"Relax little cat, soon you'll be in our bellies." An elf-looking midget, the one responsible for the sneak attack, said with his arms crossed as everyone laughed. He then looked at a large chicken-like creature. "Start cooking, will ya?"
"Meat!" The chicken raised his staff as it ignited.
"I'll take my medium rare." The wizard who looked rather emo said.
"Wait! I have to go to the bathroom and if I don't go soon, I'll taste bad!" Happy tried to reason, though his words fell in deaf ears. 'This can't be it! I don't wanna be someone's food! If I get out of this, I promise not to eat fish anymore… well maybe less… SOMEONE HELP!"
*WOOSH*
Just as the fire staff was about to touch Happy… the fire was put out. "Meat?" The Chicken Man said with utter confusion.
The sound of footsteps against the grass caught the wizard's attention. Faster than they could react, the Chicken Man came fast to face with a hard fist, sending them crashing to the ground.
"WHAT THE-?!" Before the others could react, the same figure delivered quick jabs and punches, knocking all of them off their feet. One wizard pulled out a sharp dagger and rushed towards their attacker. However, the figure grabbed them by the wrist, twisting enough to force them to drop their weapon.
"Sputter…" Using their right hand, the figure's violet eyes began to glow as a fireball suddenly appeared on their palm. What was strange… was the fact the fireball had a face on. "COMET!" With that, they thrust their fireball into the wizard's chest, sending them crashing into a nearby tree.
"Woah…" To say Happy was impressed would be one hell of an understatement. This person, wearing a heavy set of black clothes, along with a big black hat, took out six wizards with nothing but hand to hand combat. The figure slowly kneeled down, revealing their feminine face.
"Are you okay?" She said softly as she began to untie Happy, bringing him to her arms.
"Y-Yeah. Thank you." Happy said, getting a smile from the woman as she stood up. For some reason, she seemed like a good person. "Who are-?"
"Hey, you bastards!" The two jumped a bit as they turned around, only to see Natsu rush towards them with a furious expression. As soon as he saw Happy in some women's arms, his anger rose, his right hand ignited. "Give Happy back!"
'A Third Generation Pyrokinetic?' The woman thought with narrowed eyes.
"Natsu, no!" Happy tried to call out, but Natsu didn't listen as he jumped in the air.
"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" Seeing the pink haired male push towards them, the woman raised her left hand before turning her wrist, her eyes glowing for a brief moment.
The moment she did this… Natsu's flames suddenly disappeared.
"What?" Shocked by what happened, Natsu stopped in place, looking at his fist. "How the hell did you do that?"
"You should hide." The woman said to Happy while putting him down. She then looked at Natsu with a calm, yet serious expression. "I didn't take your cat, I was helping him."
"Eh?" Okay, now Natsu was confused. How can she say that when she was just carrying him? Then again, she didn't look like a bad person.
"Owww, my face." Both Natsu and the woman turned around as the imp-like wizard and his friends stand up, rubbing their faces. Once he noticed their eyes staring at him, the wizard sneered. "You know it's rude to interrupt a meal."
"Happy! Natsu!" Standing above a small hill were the rest of Natsu and Happy's friends, all giving glares to the wizards who kidnapped their friend.
"Are you alright?" Yusei called out, his eyes not leaving the other wizards.
"We're fine! Thanks to this lady!" Happy replied back, gesturing towards the woman in black. Yusei noticed the girl and felt something odd about her. Her uniform was obviously meant to represent a firefighter's attire, yet she had this… aura around her.
"Yusei, you feel it too, don't you?" Stardust said with narrowed eyes. This girl had such energy, almost like Yusei. Could that mean...
"You're all wizards, aren't you?" Gray questioned harshly. "What Guild are you with?" The Imp wizard gave a cocky grin.
"I'm not telling you anything." The Imp wizard said as he and his allies got into fighting stances. "GET THEM!" With that, the five wizards quickly charged at the Heroes.
"Lucy, take cover." Yusei said swiftly before he and Gray dodged the Chicken Magic's fire staff. Natsu and the woman leaped back as two other wizards attempted to stab them with their daggers. The Dragon Slayer then stood back to back with the woman.
"I don't know who you are, but you helped Happy." Natsu said, looking over his shoulder with a smile. "Thanks for that… ummm…"
"Maki." The woman now identified as 'Maki' said with her own smile. "Maki Oze. It's a pleasure." Natsu looked at her with a nod.
"Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail. Let's kick some ass." Natsu said with small embers escaping his mouth before he charged forward. His opponent attempted to stab him, only to get a flame fist in response.
"I'd rather not stab a lady, especially someone as beautiful as you." The second wizard said with a smirk as he kept swinging his dagger. "Maybe when this is over, we can go out for a drink." Just as he thrusted his dagger forward, Maki grabbed his wrist. With surprising strength, she began to squeeze his wrist, making him yelp as he fell on one knee.
"If that's how you talk to women, then you obviously have some work to do." Maki said in a flat tone before she slammed his chin with her knee, knocking out a tooth and sending him falling to the ground. "And I thought Arthur was bad."
"Try this, Sand Bomb!" The Imp wizard punched the ground as a large sphere of sand began to form in the air, specifically in front of Yusei.
"Yusei, watch out!" Lucy called out with concern. Yusei said nothing as he quickly drew the top card of his deck, looking at it.
"I summon Justice Bringer!" Yusei shouted as he raised his card. However, the sand sphere consumed him whole, much to the concern of his friends.
"Meat!" The Chicken man kept swinging his fire staff, only for Gray to nimbly dodge each one.
"Will you shut up?" Gray said with an irritated tone before he leaped over the Chicken man and delivered a hard kick to the back of his head, knocking him out. He landed on his feet and glared at the emo wizard. "Next."
"Oooohhhh…" The emo wizard began concentrating magic into his crystal ball, forcing Gray on the defensive. However, rather than firing a blast of magic energy, the emo wizard talked. "You see someone special, but the stars point to great trouble with water and women."
"Are you telling my fortune?" Gray asked with a sweatdrop before he slammed his elbow on the emo wizard's face, knocking him out.
"Wow, they aren't even using magic." Lucy said in awe, having newfound respect for her teammates. But then… Gray's clothes disappeared. "And put some clothes on!" Gray gasped in shock.
"Where did these brats come from?" The Imp wizard said with a hint of sweat running down his head.
*SLASH*
To add insult to injury, something slashed through his Sand Bomb, effectively destroying it. The Imp wizard gasped as Yusei landed on his feet, with a tall man wearing light green judge clothes, large brown shoulder pads with tassels, a gold winged helmet and long gold sword standing in front of him. "What is that?!"
"You attacked my Duelist." The man, also known as 'Justice Bringer,' said in a stoic tone before raising his sword. "For that, you must be punished." All the Imp wizard could do was scream as Justice Bringer slashed his chest in a non fatal fashion.
"Thanks for the help, Justice Bringer." Yusei said before his monster disappeared in a flash of light, allowing him to return the card to his deck. "Is that everyone?"
"Way to go! That's showing these guys what happens when they try to eat a cat!" Happy said, kicking the unconscious Imp wizard's side.
'What kind of magic was that?' Gray thought in surprise. One minute, Yusei was being engulfed in sand. The next, he brought out that swordsman. Was that some kind of summoning magic? If so, he had never heard of it.
"We should tie them up, bring them to the authorities." Maki suggested as she and Natsu joined the group, the latter dragging their fallen opponents by the legs. It was then the group noticed her presence.
"Thanks for your help, Miss." Yusei said while extending a hand towards the woman. "I'm Yusei Fudo and these are my friends. Lucy Heartfilia, Gray Fullbuster and Happy." Maki stared at the group, then at Yusei's hand, then Yusei before she returned the gesture.
"It's an honor. My name is Maki-"
*Thump, Thump*
Both Yusei and Maki gasped as they felt a surge of power course through them. Yusei's Mark of the Crimson Dragon began to glow while Maki's eyes began to glow as well. This never happened to them here. Unless… this was what they were told what would happen if they met another.
It was confirmed: Maki Oze was the second Champion.
"Yusei, Maki? Are you guys alright?" Natsu asked with a concerned tone as he looked at his Guildmate and the woman who saved Happy. The glowing Dragon Mark was new, and from the way they were looking at one another, it felt as if they had met.
"Lu… Lulla… Lullaby…" The Imp wizard suddenly began to speak unconsciously, catching everyone's attention.
"Lullaby? What the hell does that mean?" Gray questioned with a frown.
*Thwip*
Natsu's ears suddenly perked up when he heard something fly past him. 'Wait, that smells like… FIRE!'
*Tap*
*BOOM*
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!1" Before Natsu could tell his friends, the five wizards they captured all suddenly combust into flames, forcing them all back.
"WE DIDN'T TELL THEM, WE DIDN'T… WE DIDN'T… aaaahhhhh..." The Imp wizard tried to plead, but the flames quickly consumed him and his allies and in a matter of seconds, they were dead.
"What the hell was that?!" Lucy shouted in pure horror, her nose filled with the smell of burning flesh.
"I didn't even see anyone attack. Whoever they were, they're good." Gray said with a hint of anger. Maki looked at the flames before pushing the wind in front of her, causing the flames to disappear. She walked up to the five burned bodies, trying her best to ignore the smell as she checked their pulses. With a sigh, she turned back to the others and shook her head.
"Who would even do that?" Natsu said while trying his best to suppress his anger.
"Someone who doesn't want this Lullaby to be found." Yusei said with narrowed eyes, looking at the forest.
He had a sneaking feeling that whoever killed these men would return, and he would need to do all he could to prevent anymore deaths.
'Not too far from the group'
"Oh Takamoshi, you almost spoiled the surprise." A lone man stood on top of a tree branch, watching the Fairy Tail wizards from a distance so they couldn't sense his presence. If he was a minute too late, those five idiots would have ruined everything. He inhaled smoke from his cigarette before breathing out a puff of smoke, grinning like a mad man. "Then again, why not tease our players a little before the big show. I'm sure they would be more than thrilled to participate. Especially you, Maki Oze. Let's see if your training in the military will pay off."
And with that, the man leaped off the branch without a noise.
I think you all know who that was. If not, I wouldn't say anything, except to get amped for the next chapter since Erza is making her debut!
For those who kept thinking it was Tamaki who was being a Champion, go try, but you weren't close. It's my girl, Maki Oze. Honestly, when my friend and beta reader Earth Dragon Arnighte told me about Fire Force, I was interested and just seeing Maki on screen, I can tell why he's in love with her. I will explain how she came to this world and what magic she uses(although that should be obvious.)
Not much in the way of action in this chapter, especially with Yusei's job. But hey, it's good to relax before a big arc. I have a lot of changes to make for the Eisenwald arc I just know you guys will love. I can already see Natsu and Maki getting along, and I hope you guys can too.
If you don't know who that 'Chase' guy was from earlier, don't worry. I will have that explained after Eisenwald as it regards the next Champion.
But anyways…
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Next time: The Titania of Fairy Tail