Sorry, I only just realized I hadn't posted this yet. I thought I posted it two and a half weeks ago or so. My bad. Anyway, since this is an AU and I'm re-arranging things, the next fight is with Grimoire Heart. Why? Because I thought it made more sense for Precht to try and crush them in one go, because of how demoralizing it would be to the rest of Fiore. So yeah. Look forward to that. But it'll take a while since I'm gonna have to reread those fights to see what I can keep and what I absolutely have to change to fit in better with this AU. Now enough of my rambling.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail. I do not own these characters. I do not own this story idea, at least not entirely. Then again, someone else may have had the same ideas I did. Eh, how about I don't own anything in this story. Is that good enough for a disclaimer?
Chapter 21.
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"Igneel, did our foolish boy really manage to best Galvanduros?"
Tektari wondered, openly acknowledging that she had come to feel as if Natsu was also her child, though her bond with the pink haired man wasn't yet as strong as the one between him and Igneel.
"Sure he made the final push, but he was not the only one to participate in the fight. The slayers did well."
Igneel replied, praising the other dragon slayers too.
"That is true. Metalicanna's kid has endurance on par with some of the lesser Earth dragons I knew. Though I should have expected that given his element is a metal. And the sky dragonling is already so versatile despite being so young."
"Aye. But when you consider the fact her mother is Grandeeney, that versatility is something you'd expect the child to have. I was more impressed by just how long her enchantments were lasting. She only had to apply them twice, and that fight was a good hour and a half."
Nodding her head at that, the dragoness started to speak about Natsu's mate.
"And Cana made a fairly impressive showing for her first time using dragon slayer magic in combat. Though I am a bit disappointed she didn't try to roar."
"Yes, it's true that the mark of a dragon slayer is using their roar. But I suspect that she still isn't comfortable channeling her magic through her lungs that way yet. I'm sure after she hears about the fight and gives them her critiques, Selene will work with her on that."
Her mate offered his thoughts on the matter.
"And then there's the blonde one that joined them though. He was able to lift Galvanduros with his raw physical strength. Sure it was boosted by the fact he was channeling his magic into his body and keeping it pure so that it would only enhance his muscles but still."
"That was Laxus Dreyar. He is the grandson of Fairy Tail's current guild master. From what Natsu and I have pieced together, Laxus' father was power hungry and experimented on the boy when he was young, implanting a Lighting dragon lacrima in the child. It was before Natsu joined Fairy Tail though, so aside from the fact that no one speaks about Laxus' father, we don't know what happened after that. But with his grandfather being a powerful and well known mage in his own right, Laxus felt too much pressure from the constant comparisons and snapped a while back. Makarov exiled him from the guild because his actions put innocent lives in danger."
"Well that explains why I haven't seen him, if he's been gone since before Natsu used my lacrima. Speaking of. Back to our child. How the hell did he make plasma for that last attack?"
"I'm not sure…. Though now that I'm thinking about it, every time Natsu has clashed with Laxus, even if it was unintentional, he has eaten a bit of lightning. Not enough to gain it as an element, but perhaps enough that he can manipulate electric currents a bit? Or maybe the air was just so charged because of Galvanduros that the heat from his attack allowed it to cling to the molten earth and then become plasma?"
Igneel answered, before shrugging. He didn't really care why Natsu was able to do it. He was just proud of how well his son fought.
Since she couldn't come up with a different guess, Tektari nodded.
"When he comes in here to train with us next, we'll have to praise him for the fight."
-XXxxXxXxxXX-
"Well… Clearly we made the right choice in offering Natsu Dragneel the position of Wizard Saint."
"If you wish to talk about his power then certainly. Though at least he has the decency to hold back when required."
Two members of the Magic Council spoke as they finished watching the broadcast of the fight between Fairy Tail's dragon slayers and the dragon.
The second one was referring to their man that they had on Tenrou Island itself to watch over Fairy Tail's exams. Natsu had easily found the man and knocked him unconscious before leaving a message warning the poor man to leave or be injured bad enough to need a hospital visit.
Of course they had received the mans report, as he withdrew from the island upon waking up, as he saw the titanic beast flying towards the island and fled.
"You misunderstand. Now that he's a Wizard Saint, we have more control over him than we did. The power he just displayed is ours to order around."
A third member commented with a derisive snort. But the Chairman growled lowly.
"No we do not. The Wizard Saints do have the ability to refuse requests from us. The only time we can give an order that can't be refused by the saints is if their home nation is in the middle of a war. And those orders must be related to the war effort in some way."
He mentioned, feeling a bit bitter after the display they had just witnessed. Until this point, he was confident that they could overpower Natsu and force him to obey. But after seeing what he was capable of while going all out, he knew that they couldn't behave in such a corrupt manner with the Fire Dragon Slayer.
-XXxxXxXxxXX-
News magazines the country over had spread the word that they were putting out a special evening edition, and they all displayed the same front cover. Natsu Dragneel in his Dragon Force viciously attacking a dragon. The headlines all being some variation of "Proof the Dragon Slayers were telling the truth!"
This included the Sorcerer Magazine. The image they chose to use being pulled straight from the lacrima footage of Natsu as the pillar of magic kicked up from him activating Dragon Force was dying down and revealing the new look for the form to the world. The headline proclaiming "Natsu Dragneel Proving His New Position as a Wizard Saint Was Earned!"
The entire magazine was one article this time, and it was essentially a play by play of the entire fight. But it wasn't just that. It also included comments and short interviews from mages that Natsu had worked with from other guilds, such as Jura and Lyon from Lamia Scale, and Ichiya and Eve from Blue Pegasus. It even had statements from the general public about what they thought of Natsu Dragneel.
It was such a big deal that everyone in Fairy Tail that wasn't present for the S-class Trials had picked up a copy.
"I always knew the kid was strong. But after seeing that lacrima video, and reading the comments from the other guilds? I don't think it's possible to be any more proud of Natsu than I am right now."
Macao commented to the others that were sitting at the same table as him.
Raising his mug in a salute from his seat beside his friend, Wakaba grinned.
"Damn straight."
Everyone nearby raised their drinks as well.
"I'd say we should celebrate Natsu making a name for himself, but he's already done that. Plus it wouldn't be fair to the others that helped in that fight."
Max stated, before Warren who was standing just a bit away grinned.
"Then how about we drink to the fact that the dragon slayers just proved once and for all that Fairy Tail is number one?"
Everyone in the guild hall grinned at that, before letting out a large cheer.
"To the dragon slayers!"
-XXxxXxXxxXX-
"So what are you going to do now?"
Makarov asked his grandson as their ship slowly made it's way back to mainland Fiore.
"I don't know. Probably the same as I have been. Taking random jobs that seem interesting and wandering the country."
"Not gonna try and talk me into letting you rejoin the guild? I'm sure that after seeing you came to help, the others will forgive you, just as those of us here on the ship already have."
The elderly wizard wondered. But Laxus shook his head.
"Maybe some day. But for now, I think it's better for me to stay away and make sure my head stays on right."
"So long as you remember. You might not be a part of Fairy Tail right now, but Magnolia is still a place for you to call home."
Laxus let out a sigh at that.
"Thanks gramps."
Makarov just nodded before letting out a sigh of his own.
"I'm not entirely sure, but in the coming days you may find your power has grown significantly after that fight."
"Huh?"
Since he was still a dragon slayer, Makarov thought it was only right that Laxus know what the others did. So the guild master told his grandson what he'd learned thanks to Natsu. When he was done Laxus could only smirk.
"So that's why that punk seemed so much stronger since the last time I saw him."
"And considering he's the one that finished off the dragon, and was there for the whole fight, I suspect that the boost in power will be larger for him than the rest of you. That is, if you all get the boost for participating in that fight at least."
But surprising his grandfather Laxus just shrugged.
"If it happens it happens. If it doesn't well… At least we know Natsu won't use that power for evil."
They both suppressed a snort of amusement at the idea.
"Speaking of the pinkette. I seem to have missed a fair bit considering the kid that Cana took with her when she went to sit with Natsu."
Makarov grinned.
"Yeah you have. It's quite the story."
"Well we've got time to kill before we're back in Hargeon at least."
The blonde retorted as he shifted his body so that he could sit in a more comfortable and relaxed fashion while talking with his grandfather.
-XXxxXxXxxXX-
"Given I'm still alive, I take it I won?"
Natsu questioned his mate as he woke up.
"Yeah."
"So how bad off am I?"
He wondered, as he could feel the bandages on his body.
"Not as bad as you were when Erza brought you back to the boat."
"Doesn't surprise me. I was still in Dragon Force when she came to get me. A slayer's natural healing ability is amped up to extremes while using it."
The Fire Dragon Slayer told her as he sat up.
"You'll probably still be a bit sore for a while though."
Cana said when she noticed him wincing a bit.
"I'll be taking it easy for a couple days anyway. Even if there's nothing wrong with me physically I should probably see Porlyusica and get her to whip up that magic restorative draught she has the recipe for."
Before the brunette could reply, they both stiffened in their seats as they felt a rush of power. After a moment of dizziness, she shook her head.
"Was that what I think it was?"
"If you're thinking it was the magic of Galvanduros being absorbed by us after killing him, then yes."
Natsu answered with a grin. It was a hefty boost to his power, but he still thought he should get that magic restorative draught just to make sure he was back at a full tank after a couple days of rest. He did use up far more magic than he actually had in him for his final attack against the Lighting Dragon.
"Wow. That was a rush. Is it like that every time?"
Cana wondered, as she realized the magic she'd just absorbed nearly doubled the size of her magic container.
"Eh, less intense but yeah, kind of. It was only that noticeable because Galvanduros was so powerful."
"So it was pretty strong for you to?"
The Cards mage asked, causing Natsu to nod.
"Yeah. It was a pretty big boost too. I can't know for sure until I'm back at full, but I'd estimate an improvement of like 35% or so."
His words made Cana go wide eyed. She was certain he received more of Galvanduros' magic than the rest of them. But if what he got was only that much of an increase for him, then he was far more powerful than she'd thought. Even after seeing his training, and knowing how much he'd improved because of all the wyverns, she didn't think there was that much of a gap between them.
"I didn't expend nearly as much magic as you did, so I can gauge it pretty well for me. That bit I absorbed was enough to almost double what I had when I woke up this morning."
But Natsu only nodded.
"Yeah that makes sense. You're still new to dragon slayer magic, and Wendy's still young. So the two of you probably received a bigger and more noticeable increase than Laxus, Gajeel and I did. After all, it's not just a power increase, but it makes our dragon slaying magic more potent too."
"You mean if I was as skilled of a dragon slayer as you are, the boost wouldn't have been such a huge increase to my magic container and instead would have just made my magic more effective at what it does?"
"Yeah. Why do you think I've stopped using my magic as much in the brawls back at the guild? Not only do I have more magic than everyone in the guild, but my magic itself is just more powerful now."
After a moment, Cana just let out a sigh and muttered "Just how much of a monster are you compared to the rest of us."
The only thing Natsu could do in response was laugh.
-XXxxXxXxxXX-
When the Fairy Tail wizards returned to Magnolia, they found that the mayor had asked those that weren't participating in the S-class trials to help temporarily re-arrange the town so that they could have a parade of honor as they made their way back to the guild hall.
Apparently after seeing the dragon slayers fight off and kill a dragon, the mayor felt that they deserved the praise. From what Natsu could hear when the mayor spoke with the guild master, it was both to honor them for that fight, and to thank the Fairy Tail wizards for their efforts in protecting the town.
He couldn't really care though, as he strolled through the town with Cana at his side and Koharu in his arms.
Of course as was standard for Fairy Tail, they would all return to the guild hall, Makarov would make his announcement about how the trials went, and then they would party. Natsu and Cana were going along with it since it was tradition, and because they'd been told that Porlyusica would be waiting for Natsu in the guild infirmary. Otherwise neither one of them would have bothered with heading to the guild hall.
He did however grin to himself when his eyes caught the various news magazines talking about the dragon slayers and their fight with Galvanduros. Not that the magazines knew that was the name of the dragon.
Just before they got to the guild though, Natsu's shoulder was clapped by Gajeel who was grinning like mad. In his hand was a copy of Sorcerer Magazine, with a picture of all the dragon slayers. They were all labeled with new titles.
"So Salamander, how do you feel about this re-branding?"
Taking a look at the new nicknames, He had to smirk.
Cana was already a pretty popular mage, but she'd never had a moniker before. But now? She was Cana Alberona "The Arcane Moon." Same with Laxus actually, apparently as people just called him Laxus until now. Now he was "Surging Thunder" Laxus. Of course the people only came up with that because it was already well known that he used Lighting magic, since he didn't really display his magic in the fight with Galvanduros.
Little Wendy used to be known as "Sky Maiden" Wendy Marvell, but now she was "Sky Empress" Wendy Marvell. Gajeel's title of "Blacksteel" had been altered to "Dragons-steel", making him Gajeel "Dragons-steel" Redfox to the public now.
Natsu's new epithet had taken into account both his new Earth Dragon Slayer magic, and the fact that he grew horns and a tail. Now instead of just being "The Salamander" he was "The Volcanic Dragon."
Smirking Natsu looked to his fellow dragon slayer and replied "Well it does fit me better than 'The Salamander' now, considering everything."
Gajeel just cackled in response.
"I'd say Gajeel's new moniker fits him better to. Wendy's is a nice upgrade, but I'm willing to bet it was solely because she displayed how dangerous she can be, other wise there wouldn't have been any change at all."
Cana gave her own thoughts on the titles.
"No bet there. I'm in complete agreement."
Natsu stated with a nod.
"Same here. But you and sparky got epithets for the first time now. Which is weird since I thought that thunderhead already had one."
The Iron Dragon Slayer commented as he tried to see what Cana thought of her label.
"Laxus was really well known as the masters grandson and leader of the Thunder Legion, so he never really got any special title."
The brunette explained.
"The Arcane Moon does sound pretty cool for you though."
Natsu told her with a happy and proud smile on his face.
"Eh. It works I guess. I mean Arcane can technically apply to any mage since it's just another word for magic. They couldn't really use Arcana since my name is Cana. It might have been better to use Tarot or some other form of cards, but then they would have had a harder time incorporating the Moon Dragon Slayer magic into my title too."
"That's a good point actually. Now I feel bad they were so lazy for yours."
Gajeel said with a sheepish grin, after Cana gave her thoughts about her own nickname.
"Then how about we send them a suggestion. You're my mate, so if I'm a dragon you can be one too. How do you feel about 'The Clairvoyant Dragon?'"
"Well, I do use my cards for general fortune telling and diving locations of lost objects and people. So 'The Clairvoyant' would work. Plus I've heard that people with magic relating to the moon tend to be better with prophetic work so it works for both. I don't necessarily need to have the dragon label like you Natsu."
The couple talked about a possible alternate moniker for Cana. Though Natsu pouted a bit at her response, as he felt she should be recognized as his mate, even with their titles. After a moment though his eyes went wide.
"Crap. We've gotta go tell grandma about what happened. Because I'm sure if we don't tell her, she'll come looking for us and then it won't be pretty."
His brunette lover paled a bit as she nodded her head in agreement. It would really only be an annoyance to Selene, but as a fledgling dragon slayer Cana was certain that Selene's reaction would be worst than most. A dragons temper was not something you wanted to be on the receiving end of, no matter how intense.
"Hey gramps. Cana and I are gonna bail on the party. We've got to talk with grandma Selene. Just have Porlyusica make a batch of her restorative for me, and I'll pick it up later."
The pink haired man told the guild master before he and Cana booked it back to their home to talk with Selene.
-XXxxXxXxxXX-
"So Galvanduros interrupted the exams you were doing for the guild?"
Selene asked, just to make sure she had the story right. When the two nodded she continued.
"And you thought it would be better to fight him, than to try and defend the others as the guild fled?"
"Well, we thought it would be better if only us dragon slayers were present to interact with him. As I told Gajeel, we were going to handle the situation in a reactionary way. If Galvanduros just talked with us, we would have only talked. But if he attacked, we'd defend ourselves and fight back."
Natsu explained despite knowing that Selene was trying to keep things simple.
"That is good planning but still. You know how powerful Galvanduros was. What made you think to fight back rather than just defending yourselves as you ran away?"
The dragoness questioned as a vein in her forehead grew, showing she was a bit upset with him.
"Uh, the fact that he could just chase after us, and even if we managed to get away he would have our scents and would just track us down later? Well that and it would keep the collateral damage down to fight him on the island rather than risk him attacking us while we were in the city here."
Since that was a good point the Moon Dragon just sighed.
"So you fought him. From what I saw of the recording you handle it pretty well. But could you have ended the fight quicker?"
"I don't think so. I mean Cana is still new to dragon slaying magic so she couldn't have used Dragon Force. Laxus as a second gen slayer doesn't receive the same benefits from Dragon force. And neither Gajeel nor Wendy have learned to use it without outside stimulation yet. So I kinda had to wait for the best time to use it."
"Fair enough I suppose. But you do know that we have even less time to get you ready for the Trial of Dragons and dragonification now?"
Natsu and his grandmother went back and forth.
"I know. But the last time I spoke with Igneel about it was before we left for the S-class trials and he said I should be ready before the end of the year."
That made both Cana and Selene look at him with surprise. He hadn't told them that. But if he would be ready by the end of the year, then that meant they only needed to spend the next month and a half working with him.
"Then you should get ready to tell Makarov that you'll be gone for a while so you can travel to the draconic homeland for the Trial of Dragons."
"You mean that we'll be gone for a while. Even if I can't help him during the trial, I'm going with him."
Cana jumped in.
"I suspect the others of our den will want to go as well. But it would be best if they stayed here and protected Magnolia. I've been hearing rumors lately that have me concerned."
The Moon Dragon allowed.