Zero has been a problem that Salamander and his team have been looking for since he first showed himself. He's a dangerous individual who will hurt anyone anyway he can. He's been roaming around free and has been stirring up some sort of trouble. He's recruited Fall, Dark Raven, Shira the Vampire, Lady Aqua, and now the new madman named Callous. What for?

"Yes... Good..." Zero said as he watched his new recruits training and working with their powers. "They all are just as how I wanted. Each one of them have their own unique powers and abilities. With a force like that, we can do whatever we like with no one to stop us. To show that, we just need to eliminate those who would dare stand against us." He turned to a table that had articles of Salamander and his team. It looks like whatever he's planning to do is going to happen very soon.

...

The Airship

The sun rose up and it was the start of a new day. As that happened, Erik woke up in his room. He looked out his window, but he groaned about it being what the day is.

"Okay. Just keep your head low and get through today." Erik said as he got himself dressed and tried just to get through the day. As he finished getting himself ready, he could hear some sort of commotion going on out his room. "Who's there?" He went on over and opened the door only to see arrows placed on the floor for them. He didn't like this, but he followed the arrows regardless. "Sting! Natsu! If this is your idea of a joke, I'm not in the mood for it!" He kept following the arrows until he reached the kitchen on the ship.

"Surprise!" Everyone shouted with Erik getting a little scared by streamers, noisemakers, and a Happy Birthday sign unrolling.

"What the hell?!" Erik said.

"What kind of reaction is that, birthday boy?!" Natsu said.

"Wha... How did you guys know it was my birthday?" Erik questioned.

"You are aware we have access to your file." Jellal said. "That includes telling us the day you were born."

"Why didn't you tell us your birthday was coming up?" Sting said. "Check it out. We've got birthday pancakes, birthday waffles, and birthday toast."

"Wait. Does that toast have frosting and sprinkles on it? That sounds rather unappetizing." Laxus said.

"Doesn't everyone change the food they eat to birthday food? No? I guess that's just me." Sting said.

"So, do you like it, Erik?" Wendy asked.

"I... I really don't know what to say... No one has ever thrown me a party before." Erik admitted. "I will admit that I'm surprised. I didn't think you guys would actually do something like this for me."

"Sure we did." Natsu said. "I'll admit that when you first came around, we weren't sure about you. You have proven to be some trouble, but you seem to have really changed around. You really became our friend and teammate. That's why we're doing this."

"Check it out. We even got your old Oracion Seis buddies to sign a card." Gajeel said as he handed it over to Erik. "They're all doing well. Zero hasn't gone near them, so they're all protected like you wanted. We even got a piñata shaped like Sting. You know you want to smack it."

"Hey!" Sting complained.

"And we're going to have a nice dinner later today so that our friends can become your friends." Natsu said. Erik was really amazed. No one has ever done something like this for him before. He's never really had that many friends, and now it seems like he's got a good set with him. It's hard to believe, but maybe Erik really has changed his life for the better.

...

Erik

Erik tried to get through the rest of this day, but he was still impressed with what his new teammates are doing for him. They just did something nice for him since it was his birthday, and it's not stopping. He wasn't sure what to really think. He never had anyone be so nice to him...except one...

"Is this really my life now?" Erik questioned as he walked through the streets of Magnolia.

"Hey! It's Cobra!" Before, someone calling that would cause people to be afraid, but that doesn't appear to be the case now. People seemed to be getting impressed with him. In fact, even a fan of girls came after him like they really wanted him. Erik ran for it and tried to escape from his new fans. Erik kept running from those girls until he went around a corner. When the girls went after him, they all lost sight of him and were bummed out he was gone. Really, he was just up on a fire escape and waited for them to leave.

"Now I see why heroes make a big deal about the secret identity thing. Guys dream of something like that, but when it really happens, it's a little scarier than it looks." Erik complained and then jumped down. "Typical that they all like what they see." He claimed and then thought of someone. "She liked more."

"Enjoying your new life, Cobra? I guess you could say you shed your old skin." Erik actually got scared now. Hearing that voice sent shivers down his spine.

"No..." Erik said as he turned around and saw Zero standing there.

"Yes." Zero said. Once seeing him, Erik acted and had to be Cobra. He went right at Zero with poison in his hands. He shot himself right at Zero, but Zero caught him and smashed him against the wall to hold him there. "Aren't you glad to see me? I thought I pay the birthday boy a visit." Cobra tried to fight back as he drove his knee right into Zero's gut, but he was able to endure that. Zero just smashed him against the wall and got him to hold still.

"What do you want?" Cobra questioned.

"I have a birthday surprise...for you and your new little friends." Zero said. "I think it's time to pull back the curtain on the act." This didn't sound good at all.

...

The Airship

"Trust me, Lucy. It's going to be awesome. Once you get to know him, he isn't that bad." Natsu said over the phone. "Don't worry. Zeref and Mavis are going to be there, as well as others so even if I have to take off, you won't be alone. Yeah, love you. I'll see you tonight." He claimed and ended the call. "Are we good for the party?"

"Yep. The restaurant is holding our reservations. On top of a good party, we'll be able to get a nice spot for the game tonight." Laxus said.

"Does Erik even like football?" Rogue questioned.

"I'm sure it will be good either way. I also made sure they hold the reservation for a long time just in case of an emergency." Jellal said.

"I just hope everything goes good and he likes it." Wendy said as they all want this party of Erik's to go good. Just then, their communicators went off and knew this was the opposite of what they wanted.

...

Cobra

Cobra looked like he was hurt pretty badly. He looked a little beaten and bruised with how he was against the wall. Once he got the message out to the others, the rest of the team got changed and hurried to his location.

"Hey, guys." Cobra said as they all hurried to him.

"What happened?!" Salamander said as they tried to help him.

"It was Zero." Cobra said as he tried to stand. "He remembered my birthday as well and wanted to give me a special birthday gift. As you can see, it left quite the impression."

"Did he say anything?" Shadow questioned.

"Actually, he did." Cobra said. "He's calling us out. He said he wants to meet us at the old abandon factory by sunset. Whatever it is he's been up to seems to be ready."

"He recruited a few villains that before, but what does he want them for?" Steel questioned.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough." Salamander said. "Zero is a dangerous man, but we know where he's going to be ahead of time. This could be our chance to bring that lunatic in." They all agreed to that. After their first encounter with Zero, they can't underestimate him. Having that man out there is dangerous and they need to bring him in.

"Sorry, Cobra. I guess your party will have to wait." Shadow said.

"What? We'll get this done with plenty of time to spare." Ray said.

"Sorry, Cobra. I guess your birthday isn't going that well. In the meantime, let's get you treated." Maiden said.

"Don't worry too much about my birthday." Cobra said as he brushed the others off. "It's not really that big of a deal. Really, all I want for my birthday is to bring that guy down. Let's get going." He claimed as this could be their chance to take Zero down, but is Cobra really up for a fight.

...

The Factory

Cobra and the others got themselves together for whatever it is Zero might have ready for them. Soon, the sun was almost set, but they still managed to get to the old abandon factory they were told about. All seven of them acted sneaky as they made their way to the entrance of the factory. Knowing their enemy, as well as whoever else, might be in there, they had to be careful. Once they reached the door, Salamander signaled the others as he counted down the seconds and gave them the signal to charge right in. All seven of them busted right through the door and readied themselves.

"Zero!" Salamander called as they were all set for a fight, but there wasn't a sign of anyone around.

"Nobody is here? Did we get the wrong place or the wrong time?" Ray questioned.

"No. He's here." Cobra said. "Stay on your toes, guys. Zero might like sheer destruction, but he is methodical and smart. There's no telling what he'll do." All of them understand what they might be getting into. They're not going to make the same mistakes that allowed Zero to escape them before. The seven of them moved around carefully for whenever he might show himself. With how creepy and abandoned this place was, the whole thing was unsettling.

"Welcome!" All of them got ready from hearing that voice. They all looked and spotted Zero up on a catwalk. "I'm so glad that all of you came here."

"Like we had much of a choice." Cobra said. "If we hadn't, no telling what someone as insane as you would have done."

"You got our attention, Zero. What do you want us here for?" Legion questioned.

"Who cares why he wants us here?" Sting said. "What matters is that we have a chance to bring this guy down. We won't make the same mistakes as before. It's seven against one."

"You might want to do a recount." Zero said. "Let me introduce you to some of the new friends I have made. Bluenote "Fall" Stinger!" Fall jumped out from his hiding spot. "Dark Raven!" A flock of ravens came over and formed Dark Raven. "Lady Aqua!" A stream of water came out of hiding and formed her. "Shira the Vampire!" Shira flew out from her hiding spot. "And finally, we have Callous." Callous came out as he twirled his sword around.

"The villains you took away!" Steel said as they couldn't believe it. Standing right before them were six powerful and dangerous people. Six...

"No way!" Cobra said as he realized the number. "You... You formed a new Oracion Seis!"

"That's right." Zero said. "Brain made the mistake of forming his own little team of normal humans. I took a different approach. I formed my own team with powerful and skillful individuals that I knew would be of great use to me. These five have come together thanks to me."

"That's right." Callous said. "We have decided to form our own little team. We might not have been together like all of you have, but it works for us."

"The one thing that brought us all together is the desire to bring all of you down." Shira said. All of them felt like they were in real trouble now.

"Attack!" Zero called as the other five went on the attack. Salamander and his team might have one more member than them, but that doesn't mean they can win this fight. They're not only dealing with one dangerous individual, but they're now dealing with six of them. Each of the villains attacked with the heroes trying to guard and counter.

"I'll get Zero!" Salamander said as he made his way around them and went straight for Zero. He jumped on some of the machinery and tried to attack him, but Zero grabbed him and flung him down to the other end of the factory. He didn't stop as he went after Salamander.

"Salamander!" Cobra called as he hurried over to help him. Zero walked right over to him, but Cobra chased after him as he a fist full of poison, but Zero was able to kick him back.

"You're going down this time, Zero!" Salamander claimed as both her and Cobra tried to fight him. Legion was going to go to, but Lady Aqua got in his way as she tried blasting him with water.

"Water against me is a big mistake." Legion claimed. He tried to blast her with lightning, but Callous stepped in as he had his sword impale the ground and it was used like a lightning rod. When he did that, Callous used his sword like a stand and swung his other leg right in Legion's face.

"I've got your back, Legion!" Ray called as he tried to blast Callous, but Callous kept moving away. That was when Lady Aqua made her move. He tried to blast her, but all of his attacks passed right through her since her body was made out of water. She blasted him with that same water and smashed him against something. "Not bad...for a fake."

"I'll show you I'm even more powerful and real than that girl I came from." Lady Aqua claimed. Shira fought too as she went at Black Steel. She tackled him cling to him with her trying to bite his neck, but he was able to throw her off.

"Watch it! I've got a lady, and she won't like us getting frisky!" Steel said.

"I wonder if she'll like you as a vampire." Shira said as she attacked him again. As for Maiden, she tried fighting Dark Raven. She used her wind powers and threw them at him, but he kept moving around and avoided each of her attacks.

"I don't get it, Dark Raven. You're Thunder Legion's father. How could you become such a horrible person." Maiden said.

"That's really none of your business. You should be more worried about yourself, my dear." Dark Raven claimed as he turned into a flock of ravens and then they all tried to attack her like they were in a feeding frenzy. That just left Shadow with Fall. Fall was charging at him and then jumped up for an axe kick. Shadow quickly turned into a shadow and slipped away from him. Then, Shadow managed to get behind him and tried jumping at him.

"Predictable." Fall said as he managed to catch Shadow and threw him against the machinery. Fall tried to attack him again, but Shadow moved out of the way as Fall's punch actually pierced through solid metal.

"Yikes." Shadow said.

"You haven't seen real fear." Fall said. Everyone was doing their best to fight off against the villains. That left Salamander and Cobra to fight against Zero. The two of them tried fighting together, but Zero was tough with how he handled each of their attacks. Cobra tried another attack, but Zero did a roundhouse kick that knocked him down. After he did that, Zero was going to attack him some more, but Salamander tackled him and kept hitting Zero across the face a few times. Zero stopped it by grabbing his arm and smashing Salamander against the ground.

"Not bad, but you can't beat me." Zero said.

"Just what is it are you after that you need these nutcases to help you out?" Salamander questioned.

"Simple. It's to get rid of you and your friends so that we are free to destroy whatever we want!" Zero said. He attempted to stomp down on Salamander's head, but he rolled out of the way. When Salamander got back up, he threw another punch, but Zero caught it and twisted his arm rather painfully.

"I heard you were insane, but you're practically the definition of psychotic." Salamander said. "Normally, surrounding yourself with other psychos means you're trying to be more normal."

"I'm pretty satisfied with where I am." Zero said as he tried twisting Salamander's arm even more until Cobra hit him across the face and kept knocking him away from Salamander.

"You okay?" Cobra asked.

"Nearly broke my arm, but I'm good." Salamander said.

"You're good. I wonder, Salamander... Do you really think your new friends can really help you?" Zero questioned. "They haven't been at this for as long as you have. Can you honestly say you trust your life to them?"

"What are you saying? Our team works because we trust each other." Salamander said.

"And that was your mistake." Zero said. Salamander didn't get it until he felt something hit him in the back of the head and had Zero hit him pretty hard. Salamander looked up and saw the one that hit him was actually Cobra.

"Salamander!" Ray called as he saw what happened. They all became aware of it, but the villains used that as a chance to attack. Each of the villains attacked each of the heroes with hard and fierce attacks that knocked each one of them out.

"Cobra... How could you?" Salamander said as he glared at him before he blacked out. Salamander and the others trusted him and he just helped the bad guys catch him. Could this be the end of Salamander and the others because they were betrayed by one of their own?