"Dialogue"

"Thoughts"

Magic

Mermaid Heel Training Grounds.

Natsu found himself standing at one end of the training grounds, his ears buzzing with the overzealous chattering from the audience - a sight which made him snicker with amusement.

"Yep. Yukino wasn't lying… gossip gets around fast, here." Natsu chuckled to himself, noticing as more and more mages appeared to be spectators for the fight.

Standing across from Natsu, a bit of a ways away, was Mira - who seemed to be deep in conversation with Ultear and Erza, the redhead and Mira seeking to get along, for once. Though Natsu couldn't quite make out the conversation entirely, due to the abundance of noise that the spectators presented - he was able to read Erza's lips a bit, picking out various details of their conversation.

"Looks like.. advice? Yeah.. yeah Erza's mentioning advice from when her and I fought." Natsu said to himself, having picked up on just enough of Erza's lip movement to deduce that much.

"I can't believe Natsu and Mira are fighting!" One person spoke in the crowd.

"I know - who do you think will win?" Another asked.

"Mira, obviously! She's one of our strongest!" A third lady said.

"But Natsu managed to beat Erza and Kagura back to back!" Another countered.

Natsu snicker again, listening to the debating going on by the onlookers. "At least some people have confidence in my skills." Natsu murmured, with a smile.

"As they should. You've proven yourself to be a capable warrior, after all." A voice suddenly said, from behind Natsu.

Turning around, Natsu saw Kagura approaching him, a small smile plastered on her face, as she approached the dragonslayer. After hearing her words, Natsu simply snickered, returning her own smile in kind. "Capable? Please, I'm just really lucky." Natsu said.

"Then few can manipulate luck such as yourself." Kagura responded, as she finally reached Natsu, only being a few feet away from the pink-haired man. Despite their little banter, Kagura's eyes were not trained on Natsu - but instead, her gaze was fixed firmly on Mira and Erza, the redhead woman in particular… this fact didn't go unnoticed by Natsu, however.

"You good Kagura?" Natsu asked, his smile shifting into a frown.

"Yes… it seems Mira is getting advice from Onee-sama, on how to fight you. I'd like to give you the same aid. Mira is -" before Kagura could continue further, she'd be cut off, as Natsu raised his hand up.

"Nah, it's good. I don't think I need any advice - I think I've seen Mira fight enough." Natsu said, his tone lacking it's usual playfulness, as he gazed back towards Erza and Mira. "Though I'm surprised. I thought Erza and I were on good terms - didn't know she wanted to see me lose, so badly." Natsu joked.

"Onee-sama… seems to not be fond of you, Natsu." Kagura replied, with a small frown.

Natsu quickly whipped around to stare at Kagura, a comical look of expression written all over his face. "What!? I so thought we were chill!" He said, with genuine surprise.

Kagura would give Natsu a dumbfounded look, for a moment, as he responded. "Chill? She avoids you at all cost - have you not noticed?" Kagura asked, with equal amounts of surprise. "Natsu didn't know? I thought it was obvious." She thought to herself.

"I thought she was like - I don't know, waiting to challenge me to a rematch or something! Like a stoic rival who keeps their distance, from a book or something!" Natsu exclaimed, with the same shell-shocked expression. He'd eventually let out a groan, which bordered on a whine, as the reality of the situation hit him. "Maaaan. Looks like I'll have to look elsewhere for my rival who pushed me to greater heights…" Natsu mumbled dejectedly, his body comically deflating.

Kagura simply stared at Natsu for a moment, her usually stoic face having morphed further and further into one of genuine confusion, throughout his miniature rant. Before she knew it - Kagura found herself laughing, out loud - a sight and sound which caught many people's attention. "Pffft - hahaha! I can't tell if you're serious, or insane, Natsu." Kagura spoke, with a humorous tone, as she brought her fist up to her mouth, trying to stifle her laugh from continuing further.

"Woah.. did Kagura just laugh?" One spectator said.

"Never thought I'd see the day.." followed up a second.

"Huh." Natsu said to himself, having recovered from his momentary bout of comedic depression. "You should laugh more, Kagura. It sounds pleasant." Natsu replied simply and nonchalantly. He immediately turned to look back towards Mira, who seemed to be doing a few simple stretches to get ready. Following her lead, Natsu began to do the same, squatting down with one leg outstretched to the side, holding the position for a few seconds before alternating.

Kagura simply stood their even more dumbfounded before, her face lighting up like a Christmas tree, at Natsu's comment. "He.. Natsu said I.. I have a pleasant laugh..?" Kagura thought to herself briefly, before clearing her throat and trying to regain a semblance of composure. "A-ahem. Anyways… if you don't require any help, I'll go join the spectators." Kagura said simply.

Natsu nodded his head, still keeping his eyes trained on Mira. "Sounds good." Though after a few moments of pause, he'd speak again. "Oh, yeah. You had some questions for me, right? I lost, and I'm a man of my word, so you can ask me after this fight if you'd like." Natsu said, his tone simple.

Kagura nodded her head, having already forgotten about how she wasn't able to ask her questions. "Are you sure? Won't you want to rest after this fight?" Kagura asked, with a hint of concern in her voice.

"Nah." He replied, nonchalantly. "To be honest, I was really sloppy when I fought you and Erza. As much as I try to pride myself on not being as arrogant as I was as a kid… I underestimated you two, a bit." Natsu said truthfully, with a sheepish grin. Though his face suddenly took a 180, turning into a much more serious and confident expression, not at all unlike he usually portrays himself with a fight. "I know I usually talk down on myself when it comes to fighting… but I've seen Mira fight twice now. She's good, you all are." Natsu said, before a small sky grin spread across his face. "This fight is about seeing how capable Mira really is. I'm not pulling punches." Natsu said, his voice heavy with seriousness, as well as a bit of.. amusement? Excitement?

Kagura shuddered a bit at Natsu's new disposition, her instincts as a warrior making her instinctively grip the handle of her Archenemy. "This change… is Natsu really not going to hold back?" Kagura thought, a bead of sweat forming on her face due to Natsu's sheer intensity, along with the possibility of his destructive capabilities. "While I would normally be angry about being underestimated - I did underestimate you as well, so I'll let it slide this once." Kagura said, her voice quivering a little more than she liked.

Natsu let out a laugh, as he looked over his shoulder and towards Kagura once more, a toothy grin on his face. "Glad you're so understanding." He responded, humorously. "Alright! Looks like I should get ready." Natsu said, as, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Erza and Ultear leaving Mira's side, the white-haired woman in question giving Natsu a knowing look.

"Natsu!" Mira called out, her face split apart in a wide, cocky grin. "You ready to get your butt handed to you?" She asked, her voice filled with confidence.

"Funny, I was gonna ask you the same thing." Natsu responded casually, the duo taking a few steps closer to one another. "You better not hold back on me Mira, you understand?" Natsu asked, with a grin.

"So long as you don't go and start crying when I beat you!" Mira responded, slamming a fist into her palm, her body glowing with faint lines of dark, purplish-black magic.

Natsu simply kept his gaze on Mira, as he lowered into a combat stance. "You're always talking about being so strong… Let me see that strength, Mira." Natsu said, his hands balling up into fist, as his own magic began to swirl and emanate around him, in fiery orangish-red sparks.

Mira grinned at Natsu's readiness, feeling her blood pump with excitement. "Perfect! I just gotta say one thing.. that technique you used against Conway - I want you to use it against me." Mira said, borderline demanding.

Natsu cocked his eyebrow at this, with a sky grin. "My drive? Heh, no can do, Mira. That one is for when I'm in a pinch… so you'll have to beat it out of me, if you want to see it." Natsu replied, rather cockily.

Ultear had stepped up from the sidelines, walking forward a few feet, as she did. "Mirajane Strauss Versus Natsu Dragneel…" Ultear spoke loudly, quieting down the excited crowd quickly. "First to fall unconscious and or surrender will be deemed the loser. Please try to keep the fight clean, with no serious or debilitating injuries! New barriers have been installed around the training field, to mitigate damages caused - but I still ask you two to keep destructive attacks to a minimum." Ultear said, a bit of desperation and panic in her voice at the end. "Is there any final statements or stipulations either of you would like to add before we begin?" The dark-haired mage asked the duo.

"Nah, I'm good." Natsu replied nonchalantly, his gaze locked on Mira.

Mira wasn't as quick to answer, as Natsu was. Her mind was reeling with the possibilities, as she thought about what she could try to put at stake. "Most people here don't know about the mission Ultear, Natsu and myself are going to head on… so I probably shouldn't mention anything about that." After a few moments lost in her own head, Mira finally sighed, shaking her head no. "Nothing comes to mind here, either." She finally verbally replied.

Ultear, after getting confirmation from both of the mages, nodded her head. She'd take a few steps back, until she was about an equal distance away from Mira and Natsu as the rest of the spectators were. Raising her hand up, she'd wait for a few moments, before swiping it down in a fluid motion. "Begin!" Ultear shouted.

"Take-Over! Satan Soul!" Mira shouted, instantly transforming into her Satan Soul, as soon as the fight started. Her hands became covered in demonic claws, with fin like protrusions stretching from her forearms - her outfit noticeably changing into the same one she always had when in this form, like a one-piece swimsuit, her newly acquired tail thrashing against the ground, with a thud - as her leathery song fanned outwards.

Seeing Miras immediate transformation, Natsu would grin. "Oh? Serious right off the bat? How fu-" Natsu's eyes immediately shot up, widening in alarm as Mira suddenly launched herself towards him. He managed to maneuver his body a bit, his head tilting to the left, with Mira's fist just narrowly missing making contact with his face, as he did so.

Natsu immediately raised his right hand, clenched into a fist, as he went to return the attack. However, before his fist could make contact with Mira, he felt a gut-wrenching blow to his stomach, a stream of saliva shooting out of his mouth as he coughed in surprised pain. Looking down, he only had a few moments to see Miras knee firmly implanted in his stomach, before the force and trajectory of her leg sent him flying backwards, a good ten feet.

Kagura would watch on with surprise from the sidelines, her eyes slightly wide, at the display she saw. "Mira.. usually she smack talks a lot - but she hasn't said anything.. is this what her and Onee-sama were talking about?" Kagura thought, giving her redheaded sister a sideways glance.

Skidding to a halt, Natsu's grin was replaced with more of a grimace, as he rubbed his stomach for just a moment. "Damn. You've got one hell of a leg on you, Mira." Natsu remarked, as he looked back up from his stomach. It was a good thing he did, too - as Natsu saw Mira's outstretched wings flapping towards him, as she came in for another punch.

"Sorry Natsu! Just gotta make sure you don't get too cocky, y'know? I want to see you at your best, after all." Mira smirked, her feet landing on the ground not far from Natsu, as her right fist flew forwards in a right hook.

Right as her fist was about to collide with the dragonslayer, he pivoted on his foot, turning his body to the side, forcing the woman's right hook to miss him - though he did feel her arms fin-like protrusion graze along the bridge of his nose, leaving a tiny cut in the progress. "Give a man some room to breathe, why don't you!" Natsu exclaimed, his left and right hands shooting down and to his side - grabbing Mira's thick tail. With the woman in his grasp, Natsu tugged upward with as much force as he could muster, lifting Mira off the ground by her tail, as he proceeded to spin the woman in circles, rapidly.

"What the-!?" Mira exclaimed, as she watched the world turn into a blur, due to the fast pace Natsu was spinning her. "I'm gonna barf-!" Mira exclaimed, her head growing dizzier and dizzier. In an effort to escape, she began to slam her leg forward, pounding the sole of her foot against Natsu's torso, hoping to break his grip.

Natsu cringed as he felt Mira's powerful legs kicking into him, but he wasn't going to give in so easily. Digging his feet into the ground, Natsu kept spinning in circles, feeling his own vision blur, his head bobbing back and forth in dizzy madness. With one last spin, he'd finally let go of Mira, sending her flying upwards into the air. With shaky vision, Natsu would ignite his hands on his orangish-red fire, a ball of fiery flames forming between his hands, as he raised them up over his head. "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" Natsu shouted, as he brought his hands forward in a wide overhead arc, throwing the glowing orb of blazing fire up into the air, and at Mira.

Mira barely had enough time to stabilize her flight, before the impending orb of dragon fire was upon her. Acting out of instinct, Mira's clawed hands slammed together by the wrist, her palms outstretched as an orb of dark, demonic energy gathered in her palms. "Evil Explosion!" Mira shouted, as the orb of demonic energy shot outwards. While her spell was significantly smaller in size, resulting in the demonic magic getting seemingly engulfed in Natsu's attack - the power wasn't any less, the two attacks disrupting and exploding outwards in a burst of crimson and black flames.

Natsu, who was at a safe distance away from the colliding attacks, suffered little to no drawback from this - only having to dig his heels into the ground to prevent himself from being blown back. On the other hand, as the smoke created from the explosion cleared, Natsu would be able to make out the sight of Mira, watching as she panted and her body heaved, due to the push back of the collided spells. Her left arm, which was held up to shield her face, as evident scorch marks running along its length, with her lower stomach and legs also sporting a few burns.

"Shit- you good Mira?" Natsu called out, after seeing his opponent and friend after the explosion.

Upon hearing Natsu's call of concern, Mira simply let a shaky smirk form along her lips, as she held her hands up in front of her, once again. "Never been better, Natsu!" Mira responded, as another orb of dark energy began to charge in her hands. "Demon Blast!" Mira shouted, as tiny beams of demonic energy began to rapid fire out of the orb between Mira's hands.

Natsu immediately went on the defensive, jumping away from his current position, and to the side. Though as Mira adjusted her aim, the dragonslayer would let out a little tsk in annoyance. "Man.. I hate rapid fire attacks." Natsu muttered to himself, as he kept jumping around the battlefield, feeling various parts of his body getting pelted by blasts, here and there.

"Sit still, damnit!" Mira groaned through gritted teeth, as she pumped more magic into her spell. The dark orb her onslaught originated from suddenly grew bigger, as each tiny pellet of demonic magic shot faster than the last, each one resulting in tiny explosions upon impact.

"Oh fuck-!" Natsu muttered, as the newly strengthened attack hit him dead on. Unable to dodge, Natsu simply raised his arms in an X-like form, trying to protect his head and chest from the burnt of the strike, as he was slowly pushed further and further back with each passing second. "Things are going to plan… but fuck does this hurt." Natsu thought to himself, as he steeled his resolve. " Just a few more seconds… almost there… now!" Natsu thought to himself, as he braces against the attack. Suddenly, an opening presented itself - as Miras onslaught weekend, just for a moment - but long enough for Natsu to counter.

Crouching down, Natsu planted the palm of his left hand against the floor, as a magic circle appeared under his body, which was then quickly enveloped in flames. His head immediately snapped upwards, his eyes locked on Mira, he shot into the air at a breakneck pace. "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" Natsu shouted, as his flames propelled his fire-cloaked body through the air. Natsu cringed and groaned, feeling as his body was pelted continuously by Mira's assault, but that didn't stop him, as he rocketed towards the flying woman. Just like that, he felt the top of his head slam into the woman, breaking through her spell and driving into her stomach in a powerful headbutt.

"Gah- you bastard..!" Mira shouted in pain, the air having left her throat alongside her words, as her body doubled over in pain as Natsu rocketed into her stomach. Using what strength she has left, Mira interlocked her clawed fingers above her head, her hands glowing with a dark purple magic. "Dark Cloak: Hammer!" Mira exclaimed, the swirling dark purple energy coating her hands, as she brought them down in an overhead arc, slamming her demonic fist into Natsu's back, in retaliation. "Get back on the ground!" Mira shouted. Despite the seemingly apparent anger in her tone, as well as the harsh onslaught of attacks, any onlookers would see the visible grin on her face - with the most observant easily noticing the sparkle of excitement and enjoyment in her eyes.

Natsu's eyes shot wide open, as he felt the powerful blow dealt to his back. Before he knew it, he felt himself begin to rapidly descend to the floor, due to Mira's blow. "Shit shit shit! I can adjust myself and land.. but then what!?" Natsu thought to himself, rapidly. But as he felt his body moving down, it was as if time slowed down, as he tried to rapidly think of all his options. "No.. I need to counter now - but how!?" His eyes suddenly took notice of Mira's legs which were just dangling as she was floating in pain. It was then that time no longer seemed so slow, and he felt himself plummeting. "Fine - but you're coming with me!" Natsu shouted, as his hands suddenly outstretched with lightning fast reflexes. Just like that, he felt his hands wrapping around Mira's ankles, his grip immeasurable, as he proceeded to yank the woman out of the air, with him.

A yelp of surprise quickly came from Mira's mouth, as she felt Natsu grab onto her by the ankles. While she tried to fan her wings out for support, the sheer speed of their fall and strength of Natsu's grip made the action pointless - as she stared at the rapidly approaching ground. "You cheeky punk-!" Mira shouted, a maniacal grin on her face.

Natsu's face split into a wide grin, his own enjoyment at the brutal fight being displayed, much like Mira's. "Let's see who's more durable!" He shouted, with his grin matching Mira's in the sheer maniacal display, as the two of them slammed into the ground at just about the same time, causing a cloud of dust to erupt from their landing, completely obscuring the crashing mages.

Most the surrounding mages shielded their eyes in alarm, as dust scattered around the entire field, due to the gravity fueled impact of the two mages. Ultear, on the other hand, would watch on at the sheer ferocity of the two mages, surprised and stunned at just how seriously they were taking this fight.

"I've never seen Mira fight like this, against someone who wasn't her enemy…" Kagura spoke softly, as she approached her guildmaster, with a very similar facial expression.

Ultear nodded her head in agreement, as she waited for the dust to settle. "You're right. I didn't think they'd be this intense… man, it's a good thing that barrier was put up - one stray spell and we'd be out a guildhall." Ultear joked, even though her face was clearly displaying her inner nervousness. "Natsu.. Mira.. you two better not permanently hurt each other." Ultear thought, with worry. Though before the dust could even clear, she saw a faint glow of orangish-red flames, as well as a faint glow of demonic magic, piercing through the flames.

"Fire Dragons Iron Fist!"

"Explosion Punch!"

Mira and Natsu shouted simultaneously, their fist flying past one another. Mira had caught Natsu's face with a devastating left hook, while Natsu returned the act with a right hook of his own, damn near simultaneously. After holding the punch for a few seconds, an explosion of fire shot from Natsu's hand, while an explosion of demonic energy shot from Mira - resulting in both mages being sent flying backwards, and out of the dust cloud - which dissipated due to the force of the two mages punches.

Skidding to a halt on the ground, Natsu was panting and run ragged - his shirt and waistcoat torn to pieces, barely hanging on by threads as he shakily brought himself to his feet. He'd wipe a bit of blood from his lips, staring at the red liquid on the back of his hand for a moment, before his eyes went back towards his opponent.

Mira wasn't in any much better of a position than Natsu. Shakily standing in her feet, she panted and heaved - clearly much more exhausted than Natsu, and just about as beaten up. Even more though, the most shocking revelation would be her back in her normal apperance - having been knocked out of her Satan Soul from the force of Natsu's punch. Despite this fact, she couldn't help but grin, almost victoriously.

"Fuck, Natsu… you have one hell of a hook." Mira complimented, wiping a bit of blood from her brow.

"Right back at you. That left hook was fucking painful." Natsu responded, with a smirk. He took a closer look over Mira's appearance - before he nodded his head. "Sorry, but you'll have to wait till some other time to see my drive in action. It doesn't look like you can really stand all that well, now does it?" Natsu teased, thinking the win was his already.

Mira narrowed her eyes for a moment, in annoyance. "Oh yeah? What makes you say that?" She questioned, her tone a little sharper than intended.

"You're roughed up pretty good, Mira. Plus - I'm sure you're pretty spent, magic wise. You always go overboard with your spells, after all." Natsu explained, his confidence in his win still present.

Mira simply scoffed, before laughing a little bit. "Yeah.. I guess I do go overboard, don't I? But I've still got plenty in the tank!" Mira exclaimed, with her own cocky look. "Why don't I show you?" She asked, her voice carrying a hint of danger that was not at all pleasant for Natsu to hear.

Mira's body is suddenly surrounded by the very same remnants of her dark purplish magic, as were present at the start of the fight. However, the magic surrounding the Take-Over mage seemed to intensify, growing stronger and more wild by the moment. "Take-Over! Satan Soul: Halphas!" Mira shouted, as the magic around her body exploded outwards, in a blinding display of raw power.

Natsu was forced to cover his eyes with his arm, unable to withstand the sheer intensity brought on by Miras new transformation - much like everyone in the audience, including the fellow S-Class Mages.

"Mira!" Ultear shouted out, as she took had to cover her eyes due to the blinding light. "It's just a sparring match! You needn't use this form!" Ultear urged, the sound of panicky desperation evident.

Suddenly, the light surrounding Mira subsided, as she stood in her new transformation. Mira's head was suddenly adorned by a pair of horns made of long sky blue scales, extending backwards to a pointed edge, the horn's scales also extend to form a pattern on her face. Her ears, hidden behind her horns, pointed upwards reminiscent of that of an elf from some child's tale. She also gained similar scale-like covering on her forearms and hands as well as on her legs, with the addition of a large, sky blue, stocky and seemingly aquatic tail. Her clothes also changed, with her usual Gothic attire she was presently wearing replaced by a light and dark blue, striped, one-piece suit with pointed shoulder-pads, revealing her arms and legs, which is open on the front and the back; exposing most of her stomach, wide cleavage, and upper back. Her new form also dons and displays two sky-blue wings composed of numerous spiky scales that are always pointing upwards.

Staring at her new form, Natsu could only look on in amazement - having been unaware she had such levels of strength hidden in her reservoir. "Woah, Mira… I've got to give you credit, you're stronger than I thought!" Natsu said, a grin spreading across his face once more, as if he had no worry in the world about her new form.

"It's a very draining form, more than I can confidently handle." Mira responded back, with an equally enthusiastic smile - her voice coming out sultry and sweet, with an almost sharp and dangerous edge to it. "truth be told, at my current magic levels… I've got about one minute until my tanks empty. So all you've got to do is hold on until then, Natsu." Mira said. "Not that I'll let you." And with those words leaving her lips, Mira suddenly vanished, before reappearing in front of Natsu, her fist poised and aimed straight for his face, as she slammed it forwards.

Natsu, barely being able to react to the woman, quickly raised his own hands, using both of his palms to stop Mira's fist from making contact with his face. "Fucking hell…!" Natsu exclaimed, his arms straining against the force of Mira's blow, as his legs shook under the pressure. "So I've just got to hold on for one minute, right..?" Natsu panted back, all his effort focusing on holding the woman's punch at bay. "I can do that…" Natsu panted, feeling his feet sink further into the ground, due to the constant pressure Mira was applying to him. "But to be honest.. that ain't my style." Natsu spoke, his face which was locked in an intense look of concentration suddenly replaced by a grin. "Fire Drive."

Mira's eyes would widen briefly, as the air around the two mages suddenly became supercharged with both of their magics respectively. An intensely dark and demonic aura engulfed Mira, spreading out rapidly as her full-might was on display - but it wasn't any different from Natsu. He was suddenly engulfed in in a fiery flame-like aura, which began to rapidly heat the surrounding air to a blazing heat - causing many spectators in the audience to begin to hear up and sweat profusely. What tattered and shredded remains of his shirt and waist coat Natsu had left suddenly evaporated, the fragments of cloth catching fire and burning away in a pile of cinders, as a result of the magic pressure leaking out of Natsu at this moment. Flame-like tattoos began to appear around the dragonslayers exposed torso, licking their way up his chest, with a tiny bit ending on his chin - his back and shoulders have tattoos, as well.

"I prefer to beat my opponents out right… I'm sure you'll understand, Mira." Natsu said, his voice much less strained, and more confident, as his arms and legs no longer shook under the force of Miras blow.

Mira's shocked look was quickly replaced by an intensely enthusiastic grin, as she quickly realized what Natsu just did. "Fuck yeah! Give me everything you've got, Natsu!" Mira exclaimed, as she took a quick jump backwards, to create a little distance.

Natsu immediately seized the opportunity, not letting Mira get a proper moment of rest. "Fire Dragons Iron Punch!" Natsu shouted, as he shot forwards - his fire cloaked fist slamming into Mira, who just barely managed to raise her arms in time to block it. Not wasting any moment, Natsu immediately brought his hands together, forming a funnel in front of his mouth, as he rested his head back - his belly comedically widening in size. "Fire Dragons Roar!" He shouted, as a magic circle appeared in front of him, which he began to blow an intense torrent of flames through, straight towards Mira.

Mira managed to flap out her wings, catching herself as Natsu punched her away. Watching the oncoming torrent of fire, the demoness stuck out her left hand, which began to faintly glow with a dark aura. "Dark Deflect." Mira stated calmly, as the torrent of flames halted right in front of her outstretched palm.

After a few seconds, Natsu would notice the irregularities in his attack - cutting off his exhalation of fire, from his roar. "What the…?" He muttered confusedly, seeing his roar turned into a shimmering, undulating ball of fiery doom, in Mira's hand.

Mira quickly shot the newly formed flaming orb of fire into the air, where it proceeded to soar higher and higher until it exploded in a brilliant blaze, leaving her panting. "hah… that could've been bad." Mira panted out, having exhausted herself in deflecting the powerful blast. Mira would promptly raise her right fist shakily, which started to cloak itself in a dark energy once more, as she prepared her next attack.

Natsu noticed the exhausted state Mira was in - his eyes narrowing a bit as he examined her body. He could see the struggle she was having, every breath the woman took causing her legs to nearly buckle over - the magic forming around her fist shaky and unrefined, little the spell will collapse and dissipate at any moment. "Mira… I think we should call it here. You're in no position to keep fighting." Natsu pointed out.

Ultear took this moment to chime in, calling towards Mira from the sidelines. "He's right, Mira! It's okay to surrender now!" She called urgently, wanting to spare Mira from any aftereffects of her overexertion.

Mira seemed to just ignore Ultear, her eyes and attention locked solely on Natsu. "What…? You scared.. Natsu?" Mira panted out, as she finished charging up her spell. "Here.. here I come, Natsu! Explosion Punch!" Mira shouted, as she launched herself towards Natsu.

The mages speed, while still impressive - was nowhere near as fast as before, her movements sluggish and sloppily, as she went in for what was likely her final punch for the day. Natsu has ample time to dodge, to get out of the way - but he never did. As Mira was approaching him, he stood there, unphased and unbothered - going as far as to deactivate his Fire Drive even.

Just as Mira had reached him, as she was raising her hand to deliver a blow - she fell over, her legs giving out as her body reverted back to its normal state - her Halphas form vanishing in a flash of magic, as Mira depleted the small remaining sliver of her magic far more quickly than she had anticipated, falling unconscious as a result.

Natsu, who was expecting something like this to happen - quickly took a step forward, making it so Mira only gently slumped onto his body, rather than fall onto the floor harshly. His arm instinctively wrapped around the woman's waist, as extra leverage for keeping her up and off the floor - as a sigh left the dragonslayer's mouth.

"A minute my ass.. you're terrible at gauging your power, Mira." Natsu chastised, with a small smile. Though he took quick notice of Mira being unconscious - lifting her up in a bridal style way, as he turned towards Ultear and the spectators, who were thus far silent.

Ultear quickly rushed forward, examining her friend and guild member, closely and intently. After a few seconds, she eventually let out a shaky, yet relieved, sigh. "Alright everyone - Mira will be okay. If I had to guess, she just passed out from exhaustion." Ultear explained, as she turned around to the audience. "But… it seems as if Natsu is our winner!" Ultear announced, as she put on a forced smile. Though she would stare at Natsu through the corner of her eyes, while she mouthed to him under her breath. "... Did you two have to go THAT aggressively against one another!?" Ultear hissed under her breath.

Natsu smiled sheepishly, as he kept the unconscious woman in his arms. "I was just doing what Mira wanted! Besides, it helped me gauge her strength." Natsu said, in defense of himself. "It's a good thing she deflected my roar though… I may have got a little carried away there." Natsu said, with an embarrassed chuckle.

Ultear just sighed in exasperation - but she couldn't help but smile a little. Looking at the audience of spectators, she couldn't help but notice just how excited all her mages had seemingly become - watching and listen to them talk amongst themselves rapidly and enthusiastically about the fight. Finally, she turned back to Natsu, with that same small smile. "Well… it encouraged my guild, at the very least. They always get encouraged watching you fight." Ultear said, softly.

Hearing this, Natsu's ears perked up a bit, in curiosity. "Really? Why's that?" He asked, simply.

"You've beat three of the strongest mages in my guild, Natsu. Everytime you're around - it's like you shatter the preconceived ceiling of strength they have in their minds. It makes them more motivated.. it's one of the reason I like having you around so much." Ultear said, with a simple and sweet smile. "So thank you very much Natsu!" Ultear chirped, genuinely and happily.

Natsu couldn't help but feel his cheeks heat up in embarrassment, as he listened to Ultear's sincere praise - something he really wasn't too used to from the conniving witch. "Erm - yeah." He finally said, with an awkward look. "Anyways - I'm gonna get Mira to the Infirmary.. so, uh - bye." Natsu awkwardly said, as he proceeded to leave almost as soon as the words left his lips.

Ultear was most certainly surprised at the dragonslayers reaction to her genuine thanks - though she did find his embarrassment and awkwardness quite funny - and cute. She'd let out a little giggle, as she watched Natsu shuffle away. "Oh Natsu.. you're just too cute." She finally said to herself, with a small smile and blush.

Mermaid Heel Infirmary.

Natsu managed to make his way to the Infirmary, with little to no difficulty - minus the awkward presence Mira presented by being in his arms. After approaching the Infirmary door, he'd shuffle the woman in his arms a little bit, managing to free up one of his hands, as he used it to gently knock on the door.

"Coming!" Meredy said.

Hearing the muffled voice of Meredy through the Infirmary door, Natsu sighed in relief - having been originally worried no one would be present. After waiting a few seconds, he'd be greeted to the sight of the familiar looking bubblegum pink hair, that belonged to Meredy.

"Sup, Doc?" Natsu asked casually, while holding Mira in a bridal style still.

"What happened!?" Mira exclaimed, having paid no attention to Natsu's comment. She immediately backed up from the door, making room for Natsu to walk as she hurried him towards the nearest bed.

"Mira and I had a sparring match. She ended up passing out from exhaustion - shouldn't be anything too serious." Natsu said, with a sheepish smile, as he slowly and gently laid the white-haired woman down and onto the bed. Getting back up, he'd turn to Meredy, while scratching the back of his head. "Sorry, Meredy. I feel like every time I'm here - someone's in the Infirmary." Natsu joked.

Meredy sighed a little, at Natsu's explanation. "Well, that's relieving to hear." She responded, though she still made sure to check over Mira, just to be safe. "It's fine, Natsu. It's usually you, after all." Meredy joked back, after checking up on the young woman. Looking back to Natsu, Meredy immediately realized the dragonslayer's lack of a shirt - noticing his defined torso and physique, alongside the countless scars that littered his body. "U-Um.. do you think you could put on a shirt..?" Meredy asked, her facing hearing up in embarrassment, as she quickly brought a clipboard up to hide behind.

Natsu stared at the woman dumbly for a second - his head tilting downwards to look at himself, having forgotten completely that he lost his shirt. "Oh. Shit, my bad." He responded lamely, as he re-quiped an extra shirt in his hand, quickly putting it on. With that taken care of, Natsu took a seat at a chair, positioned just a few feet away from Mira's bed, leaning backwards a little bit as he did so.

"Huh? Are you not going to go?" Meredy asked curiously, once she noticed Natsu sitting down.

"Nah. I'm the one who put her here - I figure it's only fair I wait for her to wake up." Natsu stated, as he stared at the ceiling absentmindedly.

"You sure?" Meredy asked, as she moved back to her desk, and continued what she was doing before Natsu's arrival. "It's getting a bit late, she could be out the rest of the night." Meredy explained.

"Oh well. This chair isn't too uncomfy." Natsu shrugged it off, as he continued to lean against the back of the chair.

A silence soon overtook the room, as Meredy did her thing, and Natsu his. Though Natsu would eventually turn his head to look back towards the doctor, with a curious glint present in his eyes.

"You know, Meredy.. Everytime I see you, you're doing paperwork, or something like that. Don't doctors.. I mean, don't you have like - doctor-ly things to do?" Natsu asked, curiously.

Meredy stopped what she was doing, and looked towards Natsu - her eyes squinted nn confusion, before she giggled. "Sadly, this is the stuff I've got to do, Natsu. I'm a doctor, not a scientist - I don't get to spend my time making new medicine, or things like that." Meredy laughed. Though she'd stand up after a few moments, with a smile. "Now that you mention it, though.. I do have to get going. Like I mentioned, it's getting late - and I need to pick up some supplies in town. You sure you want to stay here till she wakes up?" Meredy questioned, as she pointed towards Mira.

"Yeah, I'll be good." Natsu responded, rubbing his head awkwardly as he realized the own stupidity to his question.

"Alright. Have a goodnight, Natsu." Meredy said, as she gave the man a small nod, before leaving the room.

Natsu returned the nod, with a grateful smile, as he watched Meredy walk out the door. Looking back down to his left, be saw the form of Mira, peacefully sleeping on the Infirmary bed - and sighed to himself. "Oh well. Guess I'll try to get some sleep." Natsu mumbled to himself, as he slumped back against the chair, burying his face into his scarf, a little bit.