After their back to back victory in the Grand Magic Games, Fairy Tail celebrated their achievement in Magnolia. The town's people were very happy about this because they were the first guild to win 2 years in a row and that's with a different team than the S-Class mages.
Everyone in Magnolia was happy, except 1 person. Natsu can't join the celebration because he was being punished by Makarov for causing a ruckus during the award ceremony. He is now receiving the worst possible punishment for a Dragon Slayer.
Natsu is tied to a roller coaster that Ben made with Arc of Embodiment. He made it just to punish Natsu, which showed just how pissed off Makarov is. Actually, Makarov only asked Ben to make a vehicle with normal speed, but Ben thought it would be funnier if he made a roller coaster.
The roller coaster also became entertainment for people because they can use it while it's still available just for today. It's an unusual thing, so people were excited to try it. They didn't need to pay either, so everyone was happy.
Anyway, the celebration ends after a day, which also ends Natsu's suffering. He lost all his energy that day and can't even go home, so he slept in the guild hall. But the next day, all his energy returns and he also returned to his usual self who likes to cause a scene in the guild.
The first scene he caused was challenging Ben to fight him. He skipped everyone else and went straight to Ben. Maybe it's because he isn't satisfied with what happened during the award ceremony or maybe it's just because Ben is the best Fire Mage he can challenge to test his progress.
Ben doesn't have anything to do except train and spend time with his family anyway, so he accepted Natsu's challenge. He and everyone else are also curious about just how much Natsu had grown in one year. The situation wasn't ideal before, so Ben finished Natsu quickly because they were in the middle of an important event.
But now, he can play along with Natsu's game and see what Natsu could do. They all go to the training ground which had changed a lot since Natsu had left. The open and rather small training ground had been transformed into a big stadium.
Ben and Natsu stand in the middle of the arena while their guild mates watch from their seats. They knew Natsu wouldn't win, but they are curious about how far they can go against Ben. No one had seen Natsu in a year, so they don't know how strong he is now.
"How long will he last?" Wakaba asked.
"Maybe 5 seconds." Droy said.
"Hey, his opponent is Ben, so obviously he will be done in a second. But that's only if Ben is taking this seriously. If he wants to end Natsu in a second, then he wouldn't bring the fight here." Macao pointed out.
"I agree. I think Ben will just observe until he thinks it's enough before attacking." Al said.
Everyone agreed with Al's opinion because they all knew that Ben liked to watch his guild mates growth. He would always give them advice while fighting, so it was never a fight for Ben. He even did the same thing for the Wizard Saints which shows how big the gap between them is now.
The 'fight' finally begins and just like everyone predicted, Ben only observed Natsu's attacks. He moves just to dodge, block or parry Natsu's attacks. But he doesn't say anything at the beginning of their fight and only watches because he wanted to see Natsu's growth first before giving pointers.
Natsu attacked him directly using punches and kicks coated in fire. Ben can feel that Natsu's fire had gotten stronger and hotter now. Even Romeo who has Fire God Slayer Magic, a fire magic at a higher tier than Natsu's Fire Dragon Slayer Magic will be hurt by this fire, but that's not the case for Ben who wasn't affected at all.
Natsu used combinations of close and long-range attacks. His style is still the same, but he has gotten better at judging the situations to choose his next attacks. His magic has gotten considerably stronger also made his attacks more lethal and dangerous.
Others like Gajeel, Erza and even Laxus were interested in fighting Natsu now. These guys are very competitive and seeing Natsu's progress makes them want to fight him. Fighting each other in sparring matches is one of the best ways for them to grow.
Sparring is also exciting because of that, with one exception, sparring against Ben. They all knew that Ben always tries his best to help them grow by giving pointers in their sparring matches. However, the way he fights them is very frustrating because it felt like he didn't take them seriously.
Well, they are easy opponents for Ben, and they won't be able to defeat him even if they attack together. But they always feel that it's better if Ben just defeated them in a second instead of toying with them.
Natsu also feels their suffering in this sparring match because Ben finally starts commenting and giving pointers to him after a while. Ben had seen enough to know Natsu's progress, so he now he gave his usual advice. He evades, blocks and parries Natsu's attacks while telling him how to do things.
It easily made Natsu frustrated because he was the most hot-blooded individual in the guild. But there's nothing he can do because he really can't land a clean hit on Ben. As stupid as he may be, Natsu knows the gap between them is too big to be closed with sheer will.
Their 'play' finally ends after Natsu became too exhausted to continue. They've only been fighting for 10 minutes, but Natsu became tired because he kept going all out and used everything he had to attack Ben while shouting, which tired him out a lot faster.
He panted hard on the ground and Ben just said, "Hmm, you still lack stamina."
Natsu was so frustrated hearing this he faints from frustration. Ben just shook his head and asked Happy to take him back to the guild. Then he looks at his guild mates and they all have a bad feeling about this.
"Now, while we're all here, let's check your progress too. It's been a while, hasn't it?" Ben asked with a grin.
They all shudder and try to escape with different excuses, but Ben stopped them by wrapping them up with fire chains that won't harm them. Now they can't escape and can only do what Ben asked them. Everyone there sparred with Ben and in the end, they end up like Natsu.
A few days later, Gray and Juvia returned from training as well. Natsu who had returned to his usual self immediately challenges Gray to a fight. But just like Natsu, Gray wants to challenge the strongest man he knew to test his growth.
Needless to say, Gray ended up the same as Natsu and everyone else. Juvia who never asked for it also sparred with Ben before ending up the same way. They have grown a lot in one year, but the ones who stayed in the guild also grew a lot with help from Ben's Dragoram dungeon.
Ben is satisfied with his guild mates growth and hopes that it will be enough to face the impending danger. His friends and acquaintances from other guilds and groups also grew a lot. It reassured him a little because now their chance to win against the Alvarez Empire will increase.
Other than preparing his friends for the incoming danger, Ben also prepared many more things and obviously himself. He will be the main figure in the upcoming war, so he needed to prepare himself thoroughly. Now, he is ready to face even Acnologia and Zeref alone.