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Chapter 90

The Town of Naoko

A few moments later...

Mira was feeling excited to actually get to spend some time with Willy. They were on the train which was already on its way to their destination, but Mira's previous excitement had now dissipated in the wind. Why is that you ask? Well... let's just say that her hopes for spending time alone with Willy were dashed for there were a few additional people coming along for the ride. The entire team of Team Natsu to be precise.

"Listen, you guys... I know that Master said that he couldn't have Willy go by himself," spoke Mira trying her best not to sound annoyed. "But why are all of you here? In fact, how did you all end up coming with us, for that matter?"

"Let's see... I think it went something like this," said Happy. "First, Willy found out about the job asking for him specifically, so he wanted to go by himself. But Master and that Tu-Chi lady didn't want him to go by himself, so they suggested that you go with him. Then just as you both got checked out, Natsu jumped in begging to come along on this job because he wanted some of the reward money for food, then Gray started calling Natsu an idiot and then the two started fighting. After that, Erza came in and knocked them both out. Then Master ordered Natsu, Gray, and Erza to come along, so he wouldn't have to deal with them and so that Erza could keep them in line. And since Lucy was interested in the reward too, naturally she wanted to come too. And not wanting to be left out, Wendy came along too, and since that Carla can't go anywhere without Wendy, she came too. And since my dear sweet Carla was going, naturally I came along. And that's how it all happened."

Mira looked at the blue cat taken aback. "Wow, Happy. I'm... kinda surprised, how it all turned out when you put it like that."

Natsu could only groan as he lied in his seat trying not to throw up due to his motion sickness. "Why did I go on this job again...?" he whimpered.

"Last time I checked, it was because Master forced you too because he didn't want you trashing up the Guildhall," spoke Gray huffily.

"Not to mention that you wanted some of the reward money, even though it was Willy's job," added Lucy. "I can't believe that you would even think something like that."

"I wouldn't talk if I were you," Carla spoke snootily. "You were just as invested in the reward money as he was, so there's no point of playing innocent, you greedy floozy."

Lucy instinctively flinched.

"Now, now. Let's not be mean," soothed Wendy. "Besides, we're all here now and that's all that matters. At least Willy isn't going by himself. And don't worry, Natsu. I'll cast a Troia spell to ease your motion sickness right now."

She then placed her hands on the sides of Natsu's face as they glowed green and Natsu's face started to light up a bit

"Wendy's right," agreed Erza. "The more the merrier as they say. Besides, it's been a while since we've gone out on a job together. Not to mention it's not every day that we'd get to go on a job with Mira or Willy. We might as well sit back and enjoy it."

Mira sighed. "I suppose so."

"But it was supposed to be just me and Willy!" Mira wailed to herself. "Why couldn't have been just me and Willy?!"

"I blame the writer for this story," said Happy.

Willy then looked at Mira. "Hey. Are you feeling OK?" he asked. "You look like you're disappointed, Mira."

Mira then quickly put on a smile to hide her disappointment. "Oh no! I'm fine!" she said. "Don't mind me."

WILLY'S POV

I wasn't sure about Mira being fine, but I decided not to worry about it too much. Truth be told, I really didn't expect Natsu and the gang to be along for the trip. I really wanted to handle the job on my own, but I didn't mind it now. In the meantime, I figured I might as well sit back and enjoyed the ride.

As the train rumbled on, speeding along the tracks, I couldn't help but think about the job that we were taking. I dug into my pocket taking out the request flyer and stared at it thinking about what Master and Makarov said. The job did seem a bit suspicious, but it couldn't be that bad, right? I then shook my head.

"Come on, Willy. Now isn't the time to be thinking like that," I thought. "You need to lighten up a bit. All you need to do is focus on the job."

The train rumbled and speeded on going past the meadows and the many towns. Soon, it reached its destination and came to a stop outside of a station. As soon as it did, Natsu immediately bolted out of his seat and exited the train car faster than any of us could react.

"Yes! I'm finally off that death trap!" he shrieked with joy. "Then again I didn't feel sick at all thanks to Wendy! I feel like I can ride anything!"

"Natsu, can you be any more annoying?" sighed Gray. "You're gonna cause a scene if you keep acting like a moron."

"Besides, Wendy's Troia spell can only last for a short amount of time," pointed out Carla. "And the more she uses it, the less effective it'll be."

"And we've got to catch a carriage to get to Naoko," said Lucy. "So you might not wanna get too happy since we're not even there yet."

"Oh, come on. There's nothing to worry about!" grinned Natsu. "I can take any vehicle you dish out! So I say, bring it on!"

We then left the station and hitched a ride in a carriage being driven by two pigs. And sure enough on the way there, the Troia spell had worn off and Natsu motion sickness kicked in full swing causing the Fire Dragon Slayer to hang his head out the window sweating buckets and cheeks puffed up.

"Can't say we didn't try to warn him," sighed Carla.

"Should... I cast the Troia spell on him again?" wondered Wendy.

"Don't bother with it, child," said Carla. "You'd just be wasting your magic power."

"Guess you'll have to grin and bear it, buddy," said Happy patting Natsu's back. "Don't worry. Hopefully, we'll get there soon."

Natsu could only groan in response.

"You know, I just realized something," said Mira. "Willy and Wendy are Dragon Slayers too, right? So how come they don't get motion sick?"

"I don't really know," shrugged Wendy. "I've never had any problems riding vehicles for as long as I can remember."

"Me either," I spoke. "Although I never really thought about it, to be honest. I'm guessing it's something that only happens to Natsu."

"So, where are we going anyway?" wondered Lucy. "I don't think I've ever been in this part of Fiore before."

"According to the flyer, we seem to be going to a town that's called Naoko, a town that's right next to the mountains," I said. "I'm not really familiar with this town."

"I'm not even sure if I've heard of it," I said. "Then again, Fiore's a pretty big place."

"I wonder what we'll find when we get there?" wondered Lucy. "And I wonder what kind of job the client's gonna want you to do, Willy?"

"Hopefully, we'll find out when we get there," said Erza. "For the moment, we should be prepared for anything. Even though this is Willy's job, it's our job to help in any way we can."

Everyone gave a firm nod in response. Soon, we could see the town in sight. It appeared to be a merchant town that was somewhat similar to what Magnolia had except that it was a bit smaller. The streets were completely empty and there wasn't a soul to be heard.

"What's the deal with this place?" wondered Gray.

"It seems to be deserted," said Wendy. "There's not a single person around."

"I'll say," agreed Lucy. "It's like a ghost town. Kinda creepy."

I then looked around gazing up at the windows. Sure enough, I could see a couple people hidden in the windows staring particularly at us. Some of them continued to stare at us, their eyes filled with unease and fear while others immediately shut their curtains and windows. Then as we reached an intersection, I sensed something. Something or someone was following or watching us aside from the people in the windows. This caused me to stop.

"Guys. I think we're being watched," I said. "And not by the people living here."

Everyone then stopped. At that moment, five different men came out from the shadows. Each one of them was a certified thug wearing a strange garment on their bodies that was colored blue and they were mean looking as they were dirty. They all sniggered darkly as they walked up to us.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?" one of them said. "Looks like we got some tourists."

"And they appear to be wizards," said another. "And you know what that means right?'

"Yeah. That means we gotta welcome them," smirked a third. "And who better than to give them that proper greeting than us?"

"You looking for a fight?" growled Natsu. "Then bring it on!"

"Don't be so quick to jump into fights Natsu!" snapped Lucy. "Wouldn't the sensible thing to do is to walk away?"

"I don't think these guys are giving us much of a choice," said Gray. "Besides, we shouldn't be rude. After all, they went through all this trouble just to "greet" us."

"Now hold on you two," intervened Erza. "There's no need to bother with these thugs. They're just a couple of weak fighters who want to cause trouble. Just ignore them."

"Oh. A wise girl, eh?" said another thug scowled. "Surely, you don't realize the situation you're in, Red. This is our turf and anytime someone walks in on our turf, it's our job to show em where they stand. However, I'm feeling a bit generous today. We'll let you pass through if you pay the toll of forty thousand jewel."

"You can't be serious!" exclaimed Lucy. "That's way too steep!"

"Besides, even if we did have jewel, we wouldn't pay you a cent," I spoke. "So why don't you guys, just mosey along?"

"Otherwise, we won't be responsible for what we'll do to you," said Mira. "Trust us. Walk away now and we won't hurt you."

The five thugs then surrounded us not listening to a word we said. I prepared to take my stance to fight as did everyone else. At that moment, an elderly woman came walking up. She was about in her mid-thirties had long black hair in a braid with a few gray hairs on top also having a few wrinkles close to her eyes which were also an amber brown.

"Now hold on, boys," she said. "You know the rules. Fighting time happens at sundown. Anyone who violates that rule will get sent to the mountain. Especially those who try to pick a fight with my guests of which I called here."

The five thugs immediately took a step back seeming to be afraid of the woman as all of us looked at the woman in slight surprise. The woman then walked up to us.

"Please excuse the rude greeting. These guys don't know any better," she said. "I also bid you all welcome. Pardon my forwardness, but are you all wizards?"

"You bet we are," said Natsu. "We're wizards from the Fairy Tail guild."

"Fairy Tail? The guild from Fiore?" the woman spoke. Then she looked at me as her eyes grew wide. "Excuse me for being so forward, but are you, Willy Falconer?"

"Yes. I am," I replied.

The woman then smiled. "Great! I'm glad. My name is Haruka and I've been expecting you," she said. "I just didn't know that you'd bring other people with you."

"We're friends of his from the Fairy Tail guild," said Mira. "Are you the one who sent the request?"

The woman named Haruka shook her head. "No I am not, but I can take to the very person," she said. "Come with me."

And so we walked on following Haruka as she led us deeper into the town. We soon arrived at a house that was about two stories in appearance and had a blue roof. The woman then knocked on the door, opened it, and went inside.

"Excuse me. Mr. Satoshi, you have some visitors here," she said. "And I believe they're here for the job request you posted to them."

Then from the stairs, a man came walking down. He was young and tall in appearance, had a full beard of blonde hair with long ponytail matching in color. He also had bright gold eyes hiding behind a pair of glasses and he wore a black suit with brown dress shoes. The man smiled when he saw us.

"Well hello there, strangers," he said. "Who might these people be, Haruka?"

"These people are from the Fairy Tail guild," the woman said. "They are here because of the request you sent them."

"They are?" gasped the man. "Then that must mean..."

His eyes looked over towards our group until his eyes fell upon me making me gulp nervously. As soon as he saw me, the man walked towards us until he now stood right in front of me.

"Excuse me for my bluntness, but... would you by any chance happen to be Willy Falconer?" he asked.

"Yes. That's me," I replied tentatively.

The man called Satoshi stared at me. Then his eyes seemed to sparkle as he let out a gasp of joy as he grabbed my hand shaking it furiously up and down.

"I knew it! It's really you!" he said. "You don't know how long I've been wanting to meet you, my boy! It truly is an honor to meet you!"

"N-nice t-to mee-meet y-you too!" I said shakily as I tried to endure the shaking.

"Um... Sir Satoshi, you're doing it again," the woman said. "You probably should let him go, so we can focus on the task at hand?"

The man then stopped and let go of my hand chuckling awkwardly. "Y-Yes. Quite right, Haruka," he said as looked toward us. "I... apologize about my behavior. I kind of have a tendency to get a little overexcited."

"It's no problem," I said. "I can get like that sometimes too."

"Some being more excitable than the others," I heard Lucy mutter.

The man then cleared his throat while putting on a mature face. "My name is Satoshi Kuropan," he introduced. "And you've met my most trusted friend, Haruka."

"Well, I'm Willy Falconer as you already were aware," I said. "And these are my guildmates from Fairy Tail, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Wendy, Erza, Mira, Happy, and Carla."

"Pleasure to meet your acquaintances," said Satoshi. "Now, why don't you all have a seat?"

He then walked over to the couch in the living room and we followed suit. I then sat down on the couch in front of him as the others took their seats or remained standing.

"Alright then, let's get down to business," said Satoshi. "First things first, about the job. Long story short, I need your help, Willy. It has to do with the current state of this town."

"Does it have anything to do with those guys who were trying to pick a fight with us?" asked Natsu.

"Yes. Well, part of it anyway. But in order for you all to fully understand, allow me to start from the beginning," said Satoshi. "You see... the town of Naoko wasn't always in this current state you saw. A few years ago, it was once a prosperous town. Local businesses were booming, the plants grew, and the people here were happy and lived their lives to the fullest. However, that all changed one day when someone discovered a very valuable mineral in that mountain. Crystalized ethernano."

"Crystalized Ethernano? In a mountain?" wondered Erza. "I've heard of people creating crystalized ethernano themselves, but I've never heard of it being produced naturally."

"Neither have we," said Satoshi. "But ever since then, people have flocked all over like a gold rush just to make some loot with it. Eventually, two wizards took over the mountain, Bradley, and Mami. The two needed people to mine the ethernano, so they gathered people from all over the town and forced them to work, the sides also forming their own respective guilds. Those who served Mami were known the Harpy Orb guild. And those who served Bradley were known as the Crimson Devils guild."

"Were they the ones who we encountered earlier today?" asked Mira.

Satoshi nodded. "In the end, they decided to compete for workers by the way of a fighting competition called a Kyōsaku," went on Satoshi. "And the town eventually became ruled by that fighting. If you won, you would earn a large amount of jewel by working for them. Therefore, skilled wizards came from all over just to make some jewel in this town."

"Wait a sec... What about the losers?" wondered Lucy. "I mean... what happens to them?"

Satoshi paused impressively. Then he looked up and spoke in an ominous tone.

"You would be sent to the mountain. Never to be seen or heard from again."

"You gotta be kidding me..." gasped Gray. "That's crazy."

"And a little scary," squeaked Wendy.

"Yeah. No kidding," said Lucy. "I don't wanna end up in the mountain."

"So whoever loses the fight, basically become a slave to the winner?" I asked.

"Yes. For the rest of their lives," said Satoshi solemnly.

"Those bastards," growled Natsu. "How can they be so heartless?!"

"Natsu, calm down," said Erza. "There's no need to get upset of this."

"I did everything I possibly could to try and stop them, but because of that, they sent me this letter in response," said Satoshi as he then dug into his pocket and pulled out a note and placed it on the table in front of us.

I then took the letter and looked at it. It was a blank sheet of paper with letters in red ink which read:

STAY OUT OF OUR BUSINESS!

OTHERWISE, YOU'RE IN FOR A WORLD OF HURT!

"I even went as far as to try and call the Magic Council and any guild to help, but they would always somehow try to find a way to stop any request I send," continued Satoshi. "I was lucky that you were even able to get my request."

"So why summon Willy in particular for this job then?" wondered Mira. "Surely, there are other wizards or guilds that you can call on."

"Yes, that is true, but there's an important reason for that," said Satoshi. He turned to me. "As I'm sure you're all well aware, there isn't a man in Fiore who hasn't heard about the tale of Willy Falconer. The boy who was once a member of the Oración Seis and now is known as the enemy to all dark mages, the Traitor of the Balam Alliance."

"The Traitor of the Balam Alliance?" everyone repeated excluding me.

I then immediately clenched my fists as I tried to hide my shock and surprise.

"Who the heck would come up with a crazy name like that?" wondered Lucy.

"I don't know, but it's a name that has spread throughout the continent ever since Willy was released from the Magic Council," said Satoshi. "Since then, there have been numerous people who have been showing negative feelings at the mere mention of the name. Mostly fear or hate."

"But... why?" demanded Wendy. "Why would they believe such things? Willy was proven innocent."

"That may be so, child, but I'm afraid the people don't see it that way," said Satoshi solemnly. "The Magic Council may have cleared the charges, but the people think differently than they do. They still believe Willy to be a dark mage and a person that can't be trusted."

I then looked down towards the floor feeling everyone's stares on me feeling ashamed. It felt like everyone was glaring daggers at me Natsu then immediately shot to his feet.

"That's not true!" he snapped. "Willy's not a dark mage!"

"There were some crazy circumstances as to why he was with those guys!" added Gray angrily. "It wasn't his fault!"

"Natsu! Gray! Calm down!" ordered Erza calmly. "I can understand your feelings, but you both need to settle down."

Natsu and Gray both still had some slight anger, but the two did as they were told. I, however, continued to sit where I was not daring to say a word.

"I apologize about that," said Satoshi. "I didn't mean to make it seem like I was insulting you, my boy. I actually hold you in the highest regard."

This made me look up as Satoshi was now looking at me as a kind smile worked his way to his lips.

"You see, ever since I heard your story, I immediately thought that you were a one-of-a-kind wizard and a very courageous boy," went on Satoshi. "There hasn't been many wizards in the world that have the courage to not only break away from the Balam Alliance but to then join a legal guild after that. You should feel proud."

"I... I should?" I asked shyly.

"Indeed. You're serving a great example for those who want to want to turn their lives around despite what background they have," continued Satoshi. "In fact, that's the very reason why I called upon you to this job. I want to show the people in Naoko what kind of person Willy Falconer is. The kind of person that they should look up too. A person that's not afraid to want to be an upstanding wizard despite his background. A wizard like you that can save our town."

I stared at Satoshi feeling a bit touched and a sense of pride for what he said. "You... you really mean that?" I asked.

Satoshi gave me a firm nod. "Yes. Every word," he said. "We've also heard about you being under the tutelage of Tu-Chi of the Ten Wizard Saints which in turn makes you a master of water magic, isn't that right? That makes you a powerful wizard."

"Well... I wouldn't go as far as calling me a master," I spoke scratching my cheek in embarrassment. "And I'm not really that strong."

"Don't sell yourself short, Willy," smiled Mira. "You're practically a ninja master. You're even stronger than Natsu. I mean after all, you did beat him in that fight."

"Hey! That's because he got lucky in our fight is all!" Natsu objected. "I was just holding back is all!"

"So... will you please help me, Willy Falconer?" asked Satoshi. "I only ask that a wizard of your caliber help us. Save this town and put an end to this feud once and for all."

I then thought it over and looked towards my friends. They all looked at me back and seemed to look at me with confidence. I then looked at Mira who smiled and gave me a nod. I nodded at her back and then looked at Satoshi.

"Very well then," I said. "I'll accept the job. As long as my friends can stay here to back me up."

Satoshi then smiled his eyes sparkling once again as he immediately grabbed Willy's arm shaking it wildly. "Oh, thank you! Thank you so much, Willy Falconer! I am in your debt! Our town is as sure as saved now!"

"Y-You're We-elcome! But pl-please do-don't shake my arm off!" I yelped as I endured the hearty handshake.

"Alright! I'm all fired up now!" cheered Natsu. "Let's free this town of some bad guys, Happy!"

"Aye, sir!" agreed Happy.

"Now hold on just a minute, Natsu," said Lucy. "I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. Can't we relax for a bit?"

"You're more than welcome to stay in town in one of our hotels," said Haruka. "I can even arrange for a place for you all if you want."

"That's perfect," I replied. "Thank you very much."

"Splendid idea, Haruka," said Satoshi who finally let go of my hand. "Make sure that you get them to their room before the sun sets. Because you know what happens."

Haruka then nodded. "I know."

A little later, we all left Satoshi's place followed Haruka to a hotel that was a few blocks from town. After that, Haruka led us at the said hotel and we were now on the upper floor in a big room. As we were settling in, I couldn't help but think about what Satoshi said. It did make me worry a little.

"Say, Willy, is something the matter? You look worried."

I then looked at Lucy of whom she and along with Wendy, Happy, and Carla were looking at me a bit worried.

"It's nothing. I'm fine," I said shaking my head. "I was just thinking is all."

"Is it because of what Satoshi guy said?" Wendy asked. "I mean it was pretty shocking to hear all of that."

"Not to mention this town," said Gray. "It's definitely got a mix of crazy and dangerous."

"Truth be told, I'm a bit surprised to hear that myself," said Erza. "But I don't think that we should worry about it too much. Right now, we should try to get to our rooms and get as much rest as we can. We'll need our strength for tomorrow."

"Until then, I'm looking forward to getting some sleep in a nice fluffy bed," said Lucy. "A pretty girl like me's gotta have her beauty sleep."

"In any case, thank you for the room, Haruka," I said bowing slightly. "We appreciate the help."

"You're quite welcome," said Haruka. "If there's anything else you need, don't hesitate to-"

Then suddenly Haruka was rudely interrupted by a roaring noise which was coming from outside. The roaring noise of an engine.

"What is that?" wondered Happy. "It's really loud."

"It's finally time again," Haruka spoke quietly. "The time to fight."

I then looked out of the window wondering what was going on. From outside, I could see the intersection of where we once were a few moments back. The sun was setting over the horizon and the noise grew louder and closer. Then I saw two large clouds of dust coming from opposite directions of the streets.

"Hey, guys. You might wanna take a look at this," I spoke.

At the moment, I don't know who else was watching with me, but we soon could see the source of the dust clouds. From the dust, were two groups of wizards all riding on strange magic cycles. On one side, we saw one group being led by a dark-skinned man with a familiar red bandana on his head wearing a black tank top with leather pants and boots and on the other a woman that wore a bikini top with a blue pirates hat of sorts with blue pants and high heels.

"Hey! Those were the guys that tried to pick a fight with us!" said Natsu.

"Yes. Those are the members of the Crimson Devil guild," said Haruka. "And the one in the front is the leader, Brandon. On the other side is the Harpy Orb guild, led by the woman with the blue hat over there. She's known as Mami."

"I don't know about you, but I don't like the look of that Bradley guy one bit," said Gray.

"And that girl Mami, what's the deal with her outfit?" Lucy poke. "I mean, come on. That outfit is way too revealing and tacky."

"Says the girl who wears undergarments just as revealing if not more," Carla sneered.

From the two groups, Mami and Bradley stepped forward their eyes never gazing grimly at each other. Mami then looked back towards her group.

"Alright then, bud. You're up," she said. "Remember, if you win, I'll personally see to it that you get paid handsomely."

Then at the back of the pack, a large muscular man stood up. He appeared to be as tall as Elfman if not a few inches taller, had a brown braided ponytail and a small mustache matching in color. He also wore a pair of blue fingerless gloves, a pair of black pants and boots. He walked toward the center of the groups cracking his knuckles and his neck.

"Alrighty then. Which one of you gals do I get to beat up?" the guy asked cockily. "I gotta finish this quick."

"Be careful not to talk too tough, musclehead," smirked Bradley. "He who barks the loudest is also the weakest. And those words might actually be your last."

The other members of Crimson Devils all snickered causing the ponytail man to glare angrily. Then Bradley snapped his fingers and someone stood up from one of the bikes. It was another man a bit shorter than the ponytailed man was, he also had short black hair, and compared to the ponytailed man, he was a bit less buff. He also had a face that was completely neutral and had an atmosphere that was completely calm.

"Make sure you win for me, my little worker," Bradley called. "You win and I'll pay you with what you deserve."

The boy on Bradley's side said nothing as he walked towards until he was right in front of Ponytail who was now cockier than before.

"Oh come on. You really think this runt is enough to beat me?" he scoffed. "This'll be over in twenty seconds."

The two then took their stances preparing to fight. The townspeople who had been hiding in their homes couldn't help but open their windows and doors peering and peeping their heads out. They wanted to see what would happen. The sun continued to set growing lower and lower to the horizon and the tension was so tense, you could cut it with a knife. Then one by one, people began to chant one single word, the chant growing louder and louder.

"Kyōsaku, Kyōsaku, Kyōsaku!"

Then the bottom of the sun touched the horizon and then the two fighters dashed forward beginning their battle. The ponytailed man let out a yell as fists began to glow in a bright light. He then swung throwing a powerful punch, but the black haired kid dodged the attack with ease by jumping back causing the pigtailed man to punch the ground with a boom. The pigtailed man punched his knuckles and went on the attack with another punch and once again the boy dodged the attack again.

"Damn it! Keep still will you?!" snapped the pigtailed man. "I can't beat you if I can't punch you!"

The black haired boy didn't say anything as he continued to dodge Pigtail's blows.

"What's the deal with that guy?! Throw a punch already!" yelled Natsu. "You're not gonna beat him that way!"

"Natsu, be quiet you moron!" snapped Gray. "Besides, why are you even picking sides in this fight? You do realize they're both the enemy right?"

"Yeah. This isn't a spectator's fight, you know," added Lucy.

At this point, the pigtailed man was beginning to grow tired. His movements began to grow more and more sluggish as he was huffing and puffing also sweating up a storm. He then gave one more final punch at the black haired boy. This time, the boy went on the attack by sidestepping the blow and throwing a punch right in his abdomen hard. The man's eyes almost popped out of his skull as he staggered back holding his abdomen in pain. The boy then shot forward in an incredible speed and nailed the pigtailed man with an uppercut nailing him in the chin. Then he followed up with a series of kicks with his right leg and a series of punches with his left fist. The pigtailed man took the hits, blow for blow making him disoriented and confused. The boy then walked forward and placed his hand on Pigtail's stomach as he stood there dazed. His hand then began to glow with magic power. Then the boy fired a powerful blast of magic engulfing the pigtailed man completely. The pigtailed man screamed in pain as he was sent flying in the air and crashing to the ground with a thud, down and defeated. At the very same time, the sun had set comepletely and dusk was settling in.

A few seconds passed. Then everyone on the Crimson Devil' side cheered while the Harpy Orb's side said nothing. Mami especially was seething in anger.

"Looks like your fighter lost again, Mami," laughed Bradley. "He didn't have a chance in hell against my fighter, but hey at least he looked like a hard worker."

"Screw you, Bradley," snapped Mami. "Just you wait, I'll get you next time! I'm gonna send you and that little brat to the mountain!"

"Yeah, yeah. I heard it all before," scoffed Bradley. "In the meantime, I'll be taking my newest worker now. Let's do this again sometime, eh?"

And with that, the two gangs left the town with the Crimson Devils taking the pigtailed man with them. Needless to say, we were all stunned as to what we had just witnessed.

"No way... you all saw that right?" asked Happy.

"You mean that one guy from the Crimson Devil totally obliterate that big guy and the big guy being taken away? Yes, we did," responded Lucy.

"And... since he lost... does that mean..." began Wendy.

"Yes. It is," said Haruka. "That means that he will be sent to the mountain to work for as a slave."

The rest of us didn't say anything more as the two guilds disappeared into the distance.

Later that night the entire room was silent. I could hear nothing but the peaceful breathing coming from all the other members of Fairy Tail. I didn't mind if there was a lot of people sleeping in the same room and there even was a peaceful rhythm, which should have helped me fall asleep.

Sadly, it didn't.

I was lying on my back in my bed, I stared up at the ceiling with one hand behind my head.

I can still recall the recent events from earlier today making my mind go faster than a speeding train.

The dazed look on that man's face when he was getting beaten to a pulp. The cool calm boy that defeated him with that palm attack.

I then sighed turned my head over to the others. Natsu and Gray were sleeping next to each other snoring away. Lucy and Wendy were sleeping in another bed with Wendy hugging Carla in her arms, and Erza and Mira were sleeping together.

"How can those guys sleep so well?" I thought to myself. "Especially after what had happened?"

"Hah."

Finally giving up on sleeping right now, I rose from my bed and walked towards the door.

I needed to get some time to relax a bit.

I quietly opened the door to the bathroom and shut the door behind me making sure that I wouldn't make any noise. Then I turned on the light and then turned on the water. As the tub began to fill, I took off of my clothes folding them neatly. Soon enough, when the tub was filled enough, I stepped into the water. At first my muscles tensed up, but then they relaxed as they began to get accustomed to the temperature. With a content sigh, I sat in the tub the water up to my shoulders.

"Now this is what I needed," I said. "There's nothing like a good bath to relax your nerves."

I sat there in the tub now feeling good and a lot less stressed out, but I was still thinking about Crimson Devil and Harpy Orb. Both those guilds were as ruthless as they were cruel fighting and sending people off to be slaves without a care in the world. There was no doubt that they had to be stopped, but the question was how.

I then sat in the tub thinking for about fifteen minutes or so until I decided to get back into bed before anyone else noticed me. I stepped out of the tub and walked out of the bathroom. I dried myself off with a towel and got dressed. I had just opened the door when I found someone standing there in front of me. I jumped a bit feeling a bit startled, but then I saw who it was. It was Mira who was also a bit startled.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"No. It's OK. I startled you too," I said. "So what's up, Mira? Why are you up in the middle of the night?"

"That's my question to you," said Mira.

"Well... I couldn't get to sleep, so I decided to soak in the tub for a bit," I explained.

"Makes sense. Guess that makes two of," said Mira. "You know... truth be told, a bath seems like a pretty good idea right now."

"Yeah. It really helps you relax," I said smiling. "Well then, I'm gonna go get some sleep."

"Willy, are you feeling OK?" asked Mira. "I mean do you wanna talk or something?"

"Not really," I said. "But don't worry. I'm fine. Like I said, I needed to clear my head in the bath. I'll see you in the morning, OK?"

"Oh. OK. Night, Willy."

I then went to my bed and got into the covers and closed my eyes.

NO POV

Mira watched as Willy went back to bed. Then she went into the bathroom next and turned on the water and waited till it was full enough. Then she stripped down and stepped into the tub letting the warm water wash over her body relaxing her nerves. As she sat in the tub, she stared up into the ceiling letting her mind wander. She was still thinking about what Satoshi had said.

"I still can't stop thinking about it," she thought to herself. "About what Satoshi said about Willy. I knew that there would be some backlash after he was released, but I never imagined that he would end up getting a nickname like that. It makes me wonder if he's been having problems with the people as of late."

As she thought about Willy, she sank deeper into the water letting out her breath making bubbles. Then she shook her head shaking the thoughts from her mind.

"No. There's probably nothing for me to be worried about," she said. "Willy can take care of himself. Right now, I have to focus on helping him and the people of Naoko. Until then... I might as well enjoy the bath."

Sorry if it's late but I just wanna say Happy Thanksgiving!

And if you liked what you read or want to give me some pointers, make sure to review or PM me!

Dragoman out!