"Salamander?! Sky Maiden?! Nova Ray?! Does anyone hear me?! Report!" Jellal called as he tried to get in contact with the team, but no one was responding to anything. "Where are they?" He didn't like where this was going. What he didn't know was that the team was actually betrayed by Cobra. Zero formed a new Oracion Seis and Cobra aided in them in the capture of the heroes. Now the other six could be in real trouble and the last one is now a possible traitor.

...

The Abandon Factory

Because of Cobra's betrayal, it allowed the villains to capture the other six heroes. All six of them were placed in restraints. Zero had a spectacle he wanted to pull and seeing the six of them in restraints will help show how serious he is.

"I say we just destroy them right now." Lady Aqua said. "We have them right here. We should just finish them while we have the chance."

"I agree with her." Callous said. "My sword is thirsty for their blood. Why wait to go straight for the kill?"

"Now, now... Let's not rush this." Dark Raven said. "All good things come to those who wait. Isn't that what they say?"

"I say I change them. I would love to have children with powers like they have." Shiva said.

"Fall? Do you feel the same?" Zero questioned.

"I desire victory." Fall said. "I already have that. Finishing off an opponent who can't really fight back like this isn't my style. What you plan to do with them is not really my concern." This wasn't looking good for any of them. However, Salamander's biggest problem right now was Cobra himself. He just glared at him.

"If you have something to say, now would be the time to say it." Cobra said.

"How could you?" Salamander questioned as they all wanted to know the same thing. "How could you just betray us like this? I thought we were actually becoming friends. I thought you really changed around."

"Don't be so hard...on yourself, Salamander." Zero said as he walked over to Cobra. "After all, Cobra was never really meant to be a hero. With his life, was he really cut for anything else. He only helped you to keep himself out of jail."

"So it was all a lie? We trusted you and you were just helping yourself?" Salamander questioned.

"I knew from the start we shouldn't have trusted you, but even I let my guard down and thought you actually changed around." Steel said. All of them were dismayed at what Cobra has done. They all started to trust him, treat him like he was part of the team and their friend, and he just ended up doing this. Cobra couldn't even look at them, but they were all jumping to their own conclusions.

"What about the rest of you?" Shadow questioned. "Why did the rest of you decide to join forces like this? Zero is just a psychotic. What's in it for the rest of you?"

"Zero might be psychotic to you, but each of us are here for our own reasons...and Zero here promised it to all of us." Dark Raven said. "For example, getting you folks out of the way means I can return to my business and have all the money I want." He did looked at Legion and was a little hesitant to do dispose of him since it was his son. "I do wish things were a bit different, but it looks like it can't be helped."

"You old bastard." Legion complained.

"As for me, I was hoping to find a challenge. Finding a good challenge and a good fight is all that I wanted, but I barely managed to get that." Fall said.

"But whatever it is each of us desire, we can't obtain it as long as all of you are in our way." Shira said. "Some of us desire money, power, or simple pleasure. If we can get you lot out of the way, we can have it all."

"What exactly is the plan?" Cobra questioned. "You have them all right here. Why not just finish them off right here and now?"

"That would be too boring." Zero said. "It's not enough to defeat them. There will be others like them that could rise up. We need to make it clear that we are not someone to be messed with. I want to make it clear that we will do as we please with no one to stop us. To do that, we are going to need an audience."

"An audience?" Cobra questioned. "Do you have a place in mind? Even if you did, how do you plan to get everyone there?"

"Do you honestly believe I spent all this time just recruiting villains to aid me in my travels of destruction?" Zero said. "There's a reason I wanted you all to come here. I have been working on something on a "prop" that will help us." Cobra was worried about what he meant. He knows what Zero is like better than anyone. With that in mind, why is he helping him? He looked at Salamander and the others again only to see Salamander's glare. Salamander's glare said it all. Is this really what he wants? Does he really want to throw away lives like this? What is it that's really going on in Cobra's head?

...

The Football Game

"Welcome, football fans! It's game time!" A big football game was going on with it being broadcast all around. Even the restaurant that was going to hold Cobra's birthday party had a view of it. The field was perfectly lit and the two teams were ready for action. "Now, please rise for the National... What is that?!" Everyone looked up to the sky and could see something floating down to it. Zero managed to craft together his own aircraft. He used it to hold his team and his prisoners. It floated down and landed on the middle of the field for everyone to watch.

"Ruining a football game? You really don't respect anything." Cobra complained, but Zero just brushed him off.

"People who can hear my voice, listen and behold." Zero claimed. "As you can see, the ones you recognize as heroes have been captured and defeated. It was done by the likes of me and my team, and I have no powers. In fact, one here even decided to join us. He tried to be something he's not, but I pulled him back to where he belongs." A lot of people were shocked to see Salamander and his friends captured and that Cobra was with them.

"Why drag me into this?" Cobra said.

"Be quiet." Dark Raven said.

"I can only imagine how upsetting it must be to see people you deemed as "heroes" to have fallen." Zero said. "As you should be. Be very afraid. They are the only ones who had any chance of stopping us. Without the likes of them, none of you will be safe. We will be free to crush and destroy whatever we want out of the sheer pleasure of it, and no one will be able to stop us." Zero was trying to induce fear into many. He's quite cynical as he is saying he will hurt and destroy whatever he pleases with no one to stop him. Showing that he defeated heroes with powers without any powers of their own helps with that.

"Cobra, please! It's not too late to do the right thing!" Maiden pleaded.

"Why bother? It was all just an act. You were really working for him the whole time, weren't you?" Ray accused.

"No, of course not!" Cobra said.

"I thought you were afraid of him, but it doesn't look like it now." Shadow said.

"It's more complicated than you think." Cobra said.

"What's so complicated about it? We're either your friends or we're not." Salamander said as he boiled it down to just that. The way he looked at Cobra when he said that stirred something in him. Could Cobra actually be feeling guilty?

"Cobra, it's just as how things are. After all, you are just punk. You go looking for trouble because there aren't people who cared about any of you." Zero claimed. "Things are just as they should. Now, let's show these people why they should really be afraid."

"Does that mean we finally get to offer them?" Callous said as he got his sword ready and was looking forward to this.

"I wonder which one I should make my servant." Shira said as she liked the idea of brainwashing one of them.

"Let's not be hasty. Cobra... I think you should have the honors." Zero said. "Go on and eliminate one of them." Cobra didn't really want to, but what was he to do against them alone? With one last glare from Salamander, he realized something. Zero says that no one cared about him, but after what they did for him today, he sees that there are people who care.

"No." Cobra said and then ran towards them. He used his poison against Dark Rave and and Fall as he was able to move around them and got to the control box. Once he smashed it and pulled out some of the wires, he ended up freeing them.

"What are you doing?" Zero questioned.

"Siding with my real friends. I'm more scared of letting them down than you." Cobra said. They were all stunned, but his real team was impressed with him. Cobra held out his hand for Salamander and Salamander took it to get back up.

"We're really your friends?" Salamander questioned as he was still skeptical.

"Yeah. I just needed to see that sooner." Cobra said.

"Big mistake, Cobra." Zero said as he and his own Oracion Seis joined together. "We'll just eliminate you with them."

"Except that it's seven against six. The odds in our favor now." Cobra said as the seven of them were ready for a fight.

"Zero, it's over for you. You're not going to hurt anyone. Neither are any of your buddies." Salamander said.

"We'll see about that. Let's give these people a show they won't forget." Zero said. Both sides stood ready for a fight with the people watching closely. Either they defeat Zero and end his insanity by working as a real team or Salamander and the others will fall as a team. At times like this, there's only one thing to say to the heroes.

"Get them." Someone voiced and that's when they all charged at each other. Both sides went at each other and got their opponents by random, at least looked that way. Salamander went straight for Zero as he jumped at him and tried to punch him but Zero caught him and tossed him to the ground. He was going to attack more, but Cobra stepped in as he kicked him right in the back and helped Salamander up. The both of them were fighting together on this one. That left the others to fight. Callous fought Sky Maiden as he went at her with his sword, but she kept flying around and stayed out of his range.

"Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're a young lady. I ended my own sister." Callous taunted.

"And for that, you can't be forgiven!" Sky Maiden said as she blasted him with some wind to blow him back. When that barely worked, she flew right at him and drove her leg right into his head. Black Steel fought Shiva some more. He charged right at her, but she flew up and got over him. That was when she got behind him and tried to bite him, but she bit something that nearly broke her teeth.

"Solid iron, baby." Steel said as he grabbed a hold of her and tossed her as hard as he could. Shadow ended up fighting against Fall. He tried to keep his distance from him, but Fall was agile and easily closed it as he leaped at Shadow and kicked him all the way to the end zone. Fall came at him again as he jumped up at the goal post to swing himself around and went at Shadow again. His attack was about to hit him until Shadow became a shadow and slipped around his attack.

"An attack from behind again?" Fall said as he turned there, but he didn't see Shadow anywhere. "Where is he?"

"Right here!" Shadow called as he unleashed all the shadow power he could and blasted Fall from right underneath. When he came down, Shadow finished it by striking him right in the head and knocked him out. "I honestly didn't think that would work." Legion was fighting a more personal villain as he faced his father.

"Do you really intend to strike the likes of me?" Dark Raven questioned. "Boy, I tried being nice, but it seems you just need to learn your lessons the hard way." Dark Raven turned himself into a flock of ravens and began to circle around Thunder Legion to make sure he can't escape.

"It would seem so would you." Legion said. He caused lightning to spread in a widespread attack and blasted all of the ravens at once with them forced to become Dark Raven again. As he tried to remain conscious, Legion showed his father means nothing to him now as he kicked him down. As for Nova Ray, he was fighting Lady Aqua. At least he was trying to, but all of his attacks kept blasting right through her.

"Your power useless, but mine isn't." Lady Aqua said. She even tapped into the sprinkler system running through the field and tried to have water attack him from everywhere. Ray kept moving around to avoid her attacks until he had his backed against the wall...or really the power box.

"You think you're so tough? Come on!" Ray taunted. Lady Aqua stretched out her arms at him, but he dived away at the last second and she hit the power box and caused her to get electrocuted. Water and electricity isn't a good mix. Back with Steel, he seemed to have the advantage over Shira. She was tossed around again as she slid against the ground. Black Steel charged right at her to attack her and finish this.

"You wouldn't really hit a woman?" Shira said. That did get Steel to hesitate.

"I would!" That was when Sky Maiden flew in and finished the job for him. She hit Shira as hard as she could and sent her flying into the stadium wall and knocked her out.

"What happened with Callous? How did you beat him?" Steel asked.

"I didn't." Maiden said. Callous came right at her and had his sword ready to cut her down, but Steel returned the favor by turning his body to iron and blocked the attack. When he did that, Steel grabbed a hold of Callous and smashed his head against Callous to knock him out. That's a point for good old fashion teamwork. The Seis kept on dropping and now only Zero was left, but he was tough. He kicked Salamander as hard as he could, but Salamander used that. He jumped against the wall and used the momentum as he ignited himself and tried to smash himself against Zero, but Zero jumped right over him.

"Salamander!" Cobra called as he grabbed a hold of Salamander and tossed him back at Zero to have the attack hit. Cobra took his turn as he used his poison and punched Zero around as hard as he could. He kept the attacks going until Zero smacked him across the face and punched him down. Cobra hit the ground rather hard and Zero intended to finish him.

"Get away from my friend!" Salamander called as he struck Zero in the back and forced him away from Cobra. Salamander helped Cobra out and the two of them stood strong against Zero. Zero wanted to keep fighting until he looked around and saw he was surrounded by all seven heroes.

"It's over, Zero. You're done." Cobra said.

"Not as long as I'm still standing." Zero said as he simply refuses to surrender. With a mighty yell, he jumped into the air and was going to attack them again, but Sky Maiden intercepted him and blew him away with her wind powers. When she did that, Thunder Legion, Nova Ray, and Shadow each blasted Zero. When he came down, Black Steel pounded him as hard as he could and passed him to Salamander and Cobra. The two of them attacked together and dealt the final blow that finally took the psychotic Zero down. It was over and done. All the villains were beaten in a clear win and the fans cheered for this.

"Well... That's that..." Cobra claimed as he could see it was finally over.

"Yeah, but the fact is you still turned your back on us, even if it was for a moment." Legion said.

"What was that about, Cobra?" Ray questioned. Cobra thought it be easier to explain it by showing it. He reached inside his coat and pulled out a photo of a girl.

"Her name is Kinana. We've known each other since we were kids." Cobra explained. "I never really had a family, but she was the only real friend I had. Zero threatened to hurt her if I didn't do what I did. What I didn't know at that moment...I already had more friends that really did care." The reason made sense, and they're starting to see a side of Cobra they never seen before. It seems he really does regret all of it now, and this means the seven of them are a real team.

"Well, I say we still have a party to get to." Salamander claimed.

...

The Party

All of them were still able to make it once they turned all the criminals over and sent them to jail. Now, everyone can enjoy Erik's birthday. Natsu and the others invited their close friends, and they're becoming Erik's friends as well. For the first time in a long time, he can actually enjoy his birthday.

"I've got good news, Erik." Jellal said. "I talked to my father. Zero is being sent to a special jail so he won't be able to hurt anyone, and maybe help Brain suppress him so that he never comes back."

"That is good, but... I think I rather enjoy this." Erik said as he was having a nice party. He said as he took it all in and loved it. "Jellal, thanks for letting me be a part of this team."

"We're all glad you're here." Jellal said.

"Okay! Here comes the cake!" Natsu said as he brought the cake over with candles for Erik. "Happy Birthday, my friend."

"Happy Birthday, Erik!" The rest of the team cheered. Once that came out, everyone sang for Erik. Before, Salamander was just a lone hero who fought alone. Now, he's actually glad he got to be a part of this team. He, Gajeel, Wendy, Sting, Rogue, Laxus, and Erik have proven that they all made a great team. Now, they've become great friends. With Erik blowing out his candles, he wishes he'll continue to have these great friends in his life. The Seis might have been strong, but seven is bigger and luckier, and these seven heroes are going to be together for a long time.