Chapter 45

Konsilisto- Well, I was going to have someone else do it and have Khurze just be an above-average Aspiring Champion. So there was no need to have another person do it.

I love those types of conflicts too, but I honestly don't think Khurze is the one to do it.

Well, it seemed to have worked with my LOL/Hazbin Hotel crossover fic for some reason. Not planning on doing it here, but just letting you know.

Akane Beach

Akane Beach. A popular resort town in Fiore that was a major tourist attraction for its beautiful beach and its various luxurious resorts and food. The place is so beautiful and gorgeous that many critics of the resort town often say that a person should visit it, at least once in their life, just so they can experience the luxuries of the town. And it was at one of the finest resorts in Akane Beach that Team Natsu, Diederick, and Daxter were having the time of their lives.

"I'm the king of the hill!" Yelled Natsu as he stood atop a large pile of sand, boasting about his accomplishments, both fake and real. Laughing at her friend, Lucy walked over with a smile.

"C'mon Natsu! The water is great." Said Lucy as she looked in amusement as Happy joined in and the two kept yelling.

"*Sighs* What boneheads." Said Gray as he looked at Natsu from his position in the water.

"Well, everyone enjoys the beach in various ways." Said Erza in amusement while Diederick and Daxter were waiting for the next high tide, eager to experience one for themselves. Both the boys were grateful that Diederick's mothers gave them the tickets from one of their jobs. No doubt because they thought the boys will benefit more from them than the Sisters ever could.

"According to my calculations, the next tide should happen right now." Said Daxter as he sat on his surfboard while Diederick was in the water, eager to experience the tide without one. Erza, upon hearing that, asked how high it is. "Pretty high. It'll be quite an experience, I think." Erza smiled at that.

"Well, might as well enjoy it." Said Erza as she got ready with Gray.

"Got to admit, I'm surprised your mothers didn't take the vacation." Said Gray as he talked to Diederick. "Granted, I can see Arahan refusing to take a vacation, but I thought Naestra would bring you here with her."

"Neither of them are really the type to relax in a resort if they want to relax." Said Diederick. "They also probably felt that Daxter and I would benefit from them more than either of them. Plus, I don't think they have the attire appropriate to fully enjoy this place."

"They don't have swimsuits and summer attire?" Asked Gray with a raised eyebrow. How could any girl not have swimsuits and summer attire? "I get they're not your typical women, but I thought they would have at least one swimsuit each?"

"Gray." Said Erza with a tone of warning.

"I mean do they seem the type of women that will have swimsuits?" Asked Diederick, not realizing what his question caused before it was too late.

"Well, I…oh." Said Gray before thinking of Arahan and Naestra in various swimsuits, some revealing and others rather modest, causing a big blush to appear on his face. This caused Diederick to let out a sound of disgust at Gray while Erza smacked him upside for thinking of Diederick's mothers like that, knocking him unconscious. Daxter, meanwhile, to his shame, was also thinking of the same thing and he had to admit he wasn't too ashamed of it because the images he thought of were quite…hot.

Meanwhile

Arahan was drinking a cup of water when she suddenly received a sudden urge to murder both Gray and Daxter. Slamming her cup down, she turned to Mirajane and asked her if there was a shop in Magnolia that sold torture devices. Upon hearing that, Mirajane frowned and asked her why she wanted to know.

"Because I have a sudden urge to murder both Gray and Daxter." Said Arahan with a scowl. "But since I can't, I have to settle with simple castration." Mirajane rose an eyebrow at that and was about to reply when Naestra came forward and grabbed her sister's shoulder.

"Sister, no." Said Naestra, causing Arahan to glare at her as her sister, once again, rein in her sister's murderous impulses.

Sundown

Diederick

"Man, today was a fun day." Said Daxter as he lay on his bed of the suite that they've been provided in the hotel he, Diederick, and the other Fairy Tail girls and guys were staying in.

"Yeah, despite the moment that Gray imagined my mothers in bikinis." Said Diederick as he lay on his own bed. "Like c'mon. Did he have to do it while I was around? Like, who does that?" Silently gulping, Daxter loudly agreed with his friend while also silently being thankful that he didn't know that he did the same thing.

"So what do you want to do for the night?" Asked Daxter as Diederick looked at a brochure of the resort, trying to see what they can do. "I heard there's a casino in the lower levels that's fit for people our age. Want to go?"

"Wait, there's a casino for soon-to-be high schoolers?" Asked Diederick in surprise as he looked at the brochure. To his shock, there was. "The hell? Why is this…"

"I don't know." Said Daxter honestly. "Want to go?"

"I don't know. Our parents will be angry with us if we got a big debt from gambling." Said Diederick as he looked at the games available in the casino."

"Well, if it makes you feel assured, we can have our friends in the guild to rein in our base impulses. Is that fine with you? Asked Daxter. Diederick thought long and hard before coming to a decision.

"Alright, we'll ask, but if they decline we find something else to do." Said Diederick, causing Daxter to nod in agreement. As they left to go find the others, Diederick wondered if they'll agree to it or not.

Later

"Can't believe Erza agreed to go to the casino." Said Diederick as he and Daxter were watching Natsu play a large slot machine in the shape of a bubble gum dispenser. To Diederick's surprise, Erza agreed to go to the casino. In fact, Erza and her group were going to go there anyway as they thought it would be a great time. However, Erza only agreed to go there in the first place if they abstained from drinking alcohol on account of the fact that gambling while drunk is just a recipe for disaster. After everyone agreed to that condition, they left to get some appropriate attire for a casino. Even Natsu was wearing formal attire fit for such a lavish place. Although his behavior was something that needed work.

"C'mon!" Whined Natsu as he slammed the machine in frustration. On display were several sevens and a big eight in the middle of it all. "I was so close! I was so close to getting the jackpot! It's not fair!"

"Aye!" Yelled Happy in agreement as the two whined about the game. Meanwhile, Gray sighed as he played some cards.

"I mean, this game is designed to make you think you got it before pulling a fast one on you." Said Daxter as he adjusted his glasses as he looked at the machine. "My dad claimed he has seen countless people play similar machines to this and he only ever saw one jackpot in his entire life. These things are money sinkers, Natsu. I recommend not even trying to play this game."

"But it's the only thing worth playing!" Whined Natsu as he tried again. Daxter sighed while Diederick left to get a drink. As he walked, he spotted Gray speaking to a blue-haired woman in a sparkling blue dress. On her neck was a golden chain with the symbol of Fairy Tail on it. Raising an eyebrow at this as he has never seen this woman in Fairy Tail, he walked over there and spoke up.

"Sorry to interrupt Gray, but do you know this woman?" Asked Diederick, catching the attention of the two. Upon seeing Gray's attention being taken away from her, the woman glared darkly at Diederick, causing him to step back a bit in surprise and fear before Gray spoke up.

"Easy, Juvia. He's a friend." Said Gray before turning back to Diederick. "This is Juvia. She's a former member of Phantom Lord. One of the Element Four, believe or not." Upon hearing that, Diederick widened his eyes in shock.

"One of the Element Four? I heard they went off the face of the map after Phantom disbanded. Why is she here?" Asked Diederick, looking at Juvia, who sighed before speaking.

"Well, if either of you won't mind. I like to speak at the bar." Said Juvia before leaving the table that Gray was playing on. "Unless, my darling Gray wants to stay here." She then looked at Gray with puppy dog eyes, creeping Gray, Diederick, and everyone else seeing this.

"Uh, no. The bar sounds appealing." Said Gray as he got away from the table with Diederick in tow. "Was probably going to lose a bunch of money anyway. Have no clue how to play cards."

"Uh…then why play in the first place?" Asked Diederick as they walked towards the bar with Juvia.

"For the thrill." Said Gray with a shrug, causing Diederick to sigh.

"No wonder Fairy Tail is so bad at handling their funds." Said Diederick, wondering if there needed to be a person in charge of money upkeep in Fairy Tail. As they walked, Diederick noticed with interest that Juvia was close to Gray. Like up his personal space close, making Diederick wondered if she had a crush on him or something. If she did, he probably had to tell Gray as he was one of the densest people that Diederick knew, rivaling Natsu in how dense he was.

Soon the three sat at the nearest bar they could find. After getting comfortable and ordering sodas, Juvia began to speak to Gray and Diederick.

"After Phantom Lord disbanded, I became an independent mage." Said Juvia. "Despite my role and position in Phantom Lord, I was let go on account of me only participating in the fighting in the war. I didn't do anything to provoke a violent response from Fairy Tail, like Gajeel and Jose. And my mission of kidnapping Lucy was technically within the bounds of Jude Heartfilia's wishes, so the Magic Council didn't do anything to me for that. As a result, along with the rest of the Element Four and most of Phantom Lord, we were let go and became independent mages. For a time, I've gotten by with odd jobs here and there, but I miss the interaction and comfort that a Guild can provide." Gray, upon hearing that, let out a nod of understanding.

"I see." Said Gray as he kept a straight face, not sure of what to think of all this. After all, she was, just a short time ago, an enemy of Fairy Tail. Granted she didn't do anything bad or unforgivable, she just fought him and kidnapped Lucy if he recalled correctly, but Naestra claimed she healed her and was just a soldier following orders. And if Naestra says she's alright, who was he to say she was wrong. "And I'm guessing you want to join Fairy Tail if the symbol is any indication." Juvia looked at the symbol and nodded.

"Yes." Said Juvia as sorrow started to show up in her voice. "I feel shame for following Jose's orders and I want to make amends. Both for my part in the war between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord as well as my part in kidnaping your friend. Lucy Heartfilia. Plus, there's the debt I owe you, Gray Fullbuster, for saving me from Laxus Dreyar when he attacked me." Upon hearing that, Gray nodded, seeing why she wanted to join Fairy Tail. Both because she felt it would be best to atone by working under those she hurt and because she felt she owed him, along with Naestra and Arahan, a personal debt for saving her from Laxus. Gray was about to respond when Juvia bowed in front of him, surprising both Diederick and Gray.

"I know that you're probably feeling disgusted and shame for me asking you this, but I beg you to let me into your guild." Said Juvia as she clasped her hands together. "I truly wish to make amends for the horrid crimes I've committed to your guild and I feel like this is the best way I can do so, even if it means I have to endure insults and abuse from your guild for my part in the war." Upon hearing all that, Gray got a little angry at her assumption, but eventually, his logic won out and he adopted a sympathetic look on his face.

"Hey, no need to bow or anything." Said Gray as Diederick, who was on the opposite side of Juvia asked her to stop bowing. "I get what you're saying and I see why you think we would hold a grudge against you, but we're not the type of Guild to do that."

"It's true." Said Diederick, supporting Gray's statement. "With the exception of Laxus and one of my mothers, Fairy Tail is probably the most forgiving Guild in all of Fiore. We're willing to give people multiple chances to be better people and improve themselves, even if they've done things that some people deem unforgivable. I mean, my mothers' kill and a lot of the Guild hates that, but they're still around and popular with the people of Fiore. I'm sure that you'll be welcome as well, even if you were formerly involved with Phantom."

"You two really mean that?" Asked Juvia with hope, causing Gray to smile.

"Yeah." Said Gray as Juvia turned to him with hope and an adorable look on her face, causing him to chuckle. "You'll have to ask the master for permission as he handles this stuff, but the old geezer will no doubt let you in. You didn't really do much against Fairy Tail besides kidnapping Lucy, but I'm sure even Lucy will forgive you once she gets to know you. And, if it's needed, Diederick and I will vouch for you." Upon hearing all that, Juvia squealed out in joy.

"Oh thank you both." Said Juvia with a bow, happy at their kindness and generosity. "I was so nervous in approaching you two because of what Phantom Lord did. I thought you two would push me away because of my affiliation with Phantom Lord. I'm glad to see that you made my worries false." Gray just chuckled.

"Yeah, well. Don't go assuming you're off the hook with everyone else in the Guild." Said Gray with a hint of warning. "Arahan will no doubt be pissed at you for just being affiliated with Phantom Lord, but don't let her discourage you. She gets pissy at everything that isn't Gwindalor, her sister, and her son." Diederick would have been offended at that if it weren't so true. "Then there's Laxus, but just tell the master that he's giving you trouble. He'll straighten that guy out. I hope." Juvia was about to respond to that when all three suddenly heard a deep voice speaking out.

"Gray Fullbuster." Said a deep, manly voice behind Gray. Hearing the tone of the man-made Gray narrowed his eyes as he turned to face whoever was behind him. Slightly surprised at the man's appearance for he had a metal jaw guard along with his mouth and an eyepatch on his left eye. The man was massive and rivaled Elfman in muscle and height. Though it was covered with white cloth, Gray could see some brown hair coming out of the cloth. Overall the man was intimidating, and it left Gray, Juvia, and Diederick on guard.

"Yeah, got a problem with me?" Asked Gray as he looked at the man's black-colored eye. Instead of answering, a magic circle appeared over the man's only eye and a massive explosion occurred at the bar.

Meanwhile

"Not again!" Yelled Natsu as he failed to get a jackpot. Happy, also angry, began hitting the machine.

"Why!?" Demanded Happy as he futilely attacked the machine in hopes it'll give them a jackpot. Daxter just shook his head at this.

"Guys, you're creating a scene." Said Daxter as a casino dealer came over to them and asked them to calm down. Before Natsu could say anything back, everyone heard someone speak up.

"You should listen to your friend, man." Said a well-dressed man as he looked at Natsu with a smirk. The man was, for some strange reason, blocked-shaped with a big block-shaped chin. "It ain't dandy for someone to go raging on machines like that and creating a fuss." Upon hearing that, Natsu tilted his head in confusion.

"Dandy?" Asked Natsu. "What the heck does that mean?" The man simply chuckled a bit before getting up from his chair and looking at Natsu in amusement.

"Well, to make an explanation short." Said the man before a bunch of blocks appeared out of nowhere and were sent flying to Natsu before pinning him on the machine he was frustrated with.

"What the hell?" Yelled Daxter before looking at the block-like man transforming one of his hands into a gun and pointing it at Natsu's mouth.

"There are only two paths a man can travel... Live on in a dandy fashion... or roll over and die." Said the man before firing his literal handgun at Natsu.

"Natsu!" Yelled Daxter as he saw the bullet whizzing towards Natsu before everything went black for him and everyone else in the casino. While all this was happening, a young girl with a cat-like look with some of her hair on top of her head shaped like cat ears and a blond, tanned-skin boy confronted Erza and Lucy, utilizing their magic to both incapacitate Lucy and everyone around the two mage girls.

Few minutes later

Diederick

"Oh my god." Said Diederick as he got up, grasping his head in pain. "What the heck happened?" Shaking his head, Diederick soon looked around his surroundings and instantly got his answer. His immediate surroundings looked like they were caught up in the middle of some battle between mages or some sort of hurricane. Normally Diederick would assume Gray fought off whoever attacked them, but he didn't see any water around or ice shards for that matter, meaning someone got the jump on him.

As he was getting up, Diederick noticed Gray sitting against the wall with his head down. Seeing his friend, Diederick got up, noticing the tears on his clothes, before going over to him to see if he was in bad shape.

Kneeling next to his friend, he touched Gray, only for Gray to break down in little tiny ice shards, freaking Diederick out.

"What the hell!?" Yelled Diederick, shocked to the point he went to his butt in shock. Shock then turned to horror as he thought he killed his friend. Before he could do anything, however, he heard Gray's voice.

"That ain't me, Diederick." Said Gray as Juvia and Gray came out of a pool of water with Juvia on top of Gray, relieving Diederick of his horror. "Made an ice clone of me as a diversion. Course, the plan was for me to get the drop on the guy but Juvia messed that up by grabbing and turning both of us into water." Upon hearing that, Juvia let out a gasp of horror and shock before profusely apologizing.

"I'm sorry, my beloved!" Yelled Juvia in shame as she got off him and began to bow down to him as Gray got up. She had only wanted to protect him from harm. She didn't mean to destroy his plan. Oh, how foolish she was! "I didn't know that was your intention. Please forgive me!" Rolling his eyes at that, Gray took off his dress shirt, leaving him shirtless before speaking up.

"Relax." Said Gray as he looked around, seeing just how trashed the place was. "Whoever that guy is, he must be pretty powerful if he can do all this. Wonder where the others are." Diederick spoke while getting up.

"Well, Daxter was with Natsu the last time we saw him and Erza and Lucy went to get drinks at another bar." Said Diederick, worrying for his friends' safety. They may be powerful, but Naestra had taught him long ago that even the toughest of foes can be beaten or killed if caught off guard. "You think that guy brought more thugs with him?"

"No doubt on that." Said Gray before spotting Lucy running over to them with a worried look on her face. "Speaking of our friends. Luce! We're here!" Running over to them, Lucy stopped for a moment to catch her breath before speaking.

"Guys! Erza's been taken!" Yelled Lucy after catching her breath, catching everyone off guard, even Juvia.

"What!?" Yelled Gray in shock. Erza was the strongest person here. How the hell was she taken.

"How?" Asked Diederick in shock, also in shock at the fact that Erza was taken. "How was she taken? What happened?"

"Two goons, around our age, attacked us, and Erza got knocked out by some blockhead." Said Lucy as she remembered what happened. "She didn't even put up much of a fight. She just looked shocked and angry at them all." Upon hearing that, Gray asked her if there was a buff man with a metal jaw with them. When she confirmed it, Gray narrowed his eyes.

"Somethings not right." Said Gray as he heard all this. "Erza wouldn't have let her guard down unless she knew about these blokes. And they must have been friendly once because the Erza I knew would have attacked them if they got off on bad terms and she attacked you guys."

"That sounds reasonable, but that leaves one question." Said Diederick as he saw that they were all alright. "Why the hell didn't they kill any of us. That buffed guy could have easily killed me and from the sounds of it, they could have easily killed Lucy too. Why didn't they?" Gray and Lucy frowned at that as they both realized Diederick was right. If they were ruthless enough to attack them with a bunch of bystanders around, why didn't they make the effort to finish them all off?

"I don't know, but we won't get those answers unless we find them." Said Gray before sighing. "And the only one of us that can reliably find them is Natsu." Before anyone can speak up, a massive stream of fire suddenly came flying straight into the air along with a roar of rage. Running towards the stream of fire, the group found Natsu roaring out in anger while Daxter was getting up.

"Holy shit." Said Daxter as he rubbed his head. "Who the heck was that guy?"

"I don't give a shit!" Yelled Natsu in anger as he remembered what happened. The block head shot him in the mouth and sent him flying inside the machine he was held in place on, breaking it. If it wasn't for his Fire Dragonslaying magic he would have died right there. "That guy has a death wish shooting me in the mouth! Like, who the heck does that!? He could have really hurt someone."

"Uh, I'm pretty sure that any normal person would have died if they were shot in the mouth." Said Daxter as everyone else sweatdropped at Natsu's declaration. Before anyone could stop him, Natsu suddenly took off towards the exit.

"That blockhead is in for a beatdown!" Declared Natsu as he ran towards the exit, breaking it down and running towards the beach.

Sighing at Natsu's antics, Gray looked at Diederick and Daxter.

"Alright, here's the plan. We're going to go get Natsu and calm him down." Said Gray. "Diederick and Daxter. You two stay here. Contact both the local authorities and the military. Tell them what happened here. We'll be back as soon as we can."

"What about Erza?" Asked Diederick, concerned for the redhead.

"We'll get her after we inform the military of everything." Said Gray. "But you two are staying here. Even if they aren't tough to take us on, they have magic and you don't. Even if you're trained in fighting Diederick, it's better if you stay here. Less collateral that way." Offended at that, Diederick argued with Gray.

"Just because I don't have magic, doesn't mean I can't help you Gray." Said Diederick as he glared at his friend. His moms have shown time and time again that one doesn't need magic to defeat mages. Plus he had armor and weapons with him on account of Arahan forcing him to have them in case of trouble arose. It caused an argument between her and Naestra that eventually ended with Naestra agreeing to it so long as Diederick promised to keep them hidden from the public eye. They didn't want to cause an incident with local authorities. "And you need as much help as you can if you want to rescue Erza." Gray pursed his lips at that, knowing he was right. He didn't want Diederick to get involved on account of worrying for his safety and what would happen to him and his team if Naestra and Arahan found out he got hurt while he was supposed to be on vacation. Eventually, he sighed.

"Alright, you can come if you want. But Daxter, you're staying here. You're just going to be baggage." Said Gray. That got no complaint from Daxter as he took a step back. "Alright, let's go get Natsu, Luce. Juvia, you want to come?" Juvia nodded eagerly at that before taking off with Gray and Lucy. Once the three were gone, Diederick looked at Daxter and spoke.

"You okay with staying behind?" Asked Diederick. "I'm sure Gray can be convinced to let you tag along if we push him enough."

"Nah, he's right." Said Daxter, completely fine with staying behind. "I'm not a fighter yet. I'm not going to contribute much to whatever fighting that'll be going on between you guys and those guys that kidnapped Erza. Heck, I'll probably end up being a princess in distress or something if I come along." Diederick had to cede that point to his friend. He could just get up captured and that's one more thing that they have to worry about.

"Alright, but stay safe okay." Said Diederick. "I don't want to lose you." Daxter just nodded at that before speaking.

"You too, man. Now go kick some butt." Said Daxter with a smile, causing Diederick to nod before taking off. Unfortunately, he remembered what he and Daxter were supposed to be doing and instead went to find a communications lacrima along with Daxter, who also realized what they were supposed to be doing.

Later

Lilea's ship

"Lady Lilea, we have confirmation from our spies in Akane Resort that a small team of Fairy Tail wizards is there. Erza Scarlet's team." Said an assassin as Lilea sharpened her sword. The same one that she used against Makarov all those years ago. Pausing at this, Lilea asked him what their purpose was there. "Apparently enjoying the resort, my lady. But recently, they reported that one of them was kidnaped. By the people in the R-system tower." Humming at this, Lilea got up from her seat and looked at the assassin.

"Then things have gotten interesting." Said Lilea with a hint of amusement. "No doubt this Erza's team will go and try to free her from the clutches of the R-system's owners. That will, undoubtedly, make things much easier for us to take the tower. Still, we cannot be hasty. The Fairy Tail wizards are strong, much to my distaste. And have proven more than capable of thwarting my plans. Therefore, we must proceed with caution. Let the owners of the tower fight with the Fairy Tail wizards. We shall strike when both sides have exhausted one another and then we'll take the tower by force."

"As you command, lady Lilea." Said the assassin with a bow. Nodding, Lilea dismissed the assassin before going back to her sword. Examining the fine blade, she then touched her face brand, feeling it.

"Makarov." Said Lilea with a growl. "I will have your head for what you brought upon me, but until then, I'll take the head of your "children" as an alternative."