Wendy, Cynthia, Romeo, Chelia, Spark, Alex, and Raven were all dressed in training gear. Standing in front of them was none other than Jack Corvus, arms crossed as he looked them over. This unlikely group was just outside of Magnolia, as they needed the space to train. "Alright, listen up, chumps! Welcome to Jack's training camp. I'm here to make you stronger."
"Huh?" Raven blinked. "What's this guy's deal? Is this what I was dragged over here for?"
"Hey, be nice!" Chelia lightly chided. "We were invited, and I don't see any problem with it."
"Why are you the one doing the training?" Cynthia spoke after raising her hand.
"Because I'm stronger than you all." Jack said confidently, rubbing his finger under his nose. That comment did rile Cynthia up.
"What do you mean you're stronger!? I could so take you!" Cynthia exclaimed, already preparing to get in Jack's face. Luckily, Wendy was holding her back. Carla was watching from the sidelines, letting out a small sigh. She felt like this was a disaster waiting to happen.
"Have YOU beaten Natsu yet." Jack tilted his head with an annoying smile. He was a smug brat when next to people his age. Somewhere, Natsu felt extremely irritated for some reason.
"W...Well, no..." Cynthia grumbled.
"I can't believe this guy beat Natsu-nii..." Romeo shook his head. He knew Jack wasn't all talk, but this attitude was really grating to him.
"Anything's possible, I guess..." Alex shrugged her shoulders. She was just here for the ride, since it sounded like fun.
"Trust me, this will work out for you." Jack said while looking at the others. "If you don't like it, then just try and be stronger than me! But I tell you, that's not gonna happen so easily. But I can at least give you some tips on how to be strong."
"I really wonder if this is a good idea..." Spark mumbled. After being held in captivity for so long, he wasn't really sure how to interact with others. So he felt a bit awkward.
"I know what I need to know." Jack pointed at Cynthia and Wendy. "You two have magic you haven't fully mastered, isn't that right?"
"Yes..." Wendy admitted a bit sheepishly. "I still haven't been able to fully push myself into Dragon Force at will. I can use it, but not as long as I would like to..."
"And that's why we're here today. I'm putting you all through the wringer." Jack said. "So get ready, all of you! Drop and give me twenty!"
"Huh?" Chelia looked at Jack, and then her arms. "Twenty?"
"Thirty if you complain! Now chop, chop!" Jack pointed at the ground. Everyone dropped and started to do push ups at his command. Not everyone was happy about this - especially Romeo - but there was nothing he could do.
Nearby, Tia was watching this with Lucy, Erza, and Mira. Her arms were crossed, looking on as Jack bossed around everyone else. "...Thank you all for setting this up."
"You're welcome!" Lucy smiled at Tia, who couldn't help but glance away slightly. "I knew Cynthia and Wendy could convince the others to come along! They were happy to."
"Jack hasn't had the opportunity to interact with people around his age." Tia explained. "So...I thought this sort of social interaction would be good for him."
"I understand." Mira was an older sister after all. So if there was anyone that understood her concerns, it was her. "This sort of thing is good for all of them as well. I wasn't so surprised when you asked about this."
"Are you sure he makes a good leader, though?" Lucy looked over to Jack and the others once again. Now that they were done doing pushups, Jack had them doing jumping jacks. He was laughing a little as well. "This seems, a little, uh..."
"I'm sure it's fine. This is part of the interaction." Tia said dismissively. Was she worried? Maybe a little. But anything that happened was Jack's problem. He was the one who was going to have to learn.
"Is Jack the only one who wants to train?" Erza asked.
To that, Tia shook her head. She tapped her chin a few times as she tried to recall. "No. Diamond has decided to try and train at Black Phoenix; I believe she enjoys the company of the people there? Strong made friends with those of Quatro Cerberus...I don't believe Spade, Heartless, and Daigo had any interest in training, however."
"Sounds like all of them are acclimating nicely to things." Erza crossed her arms. "What about you, Tia? Do you want to spar with someone?"
"I don't know." Tia shook her head, uncertain. "I do practice to make sure I do not get rusty."
"Spar with me!" Lucy offered, flexing her arm in the process. But instead of getting an actual response, Tia just gave her a deadpan stare. "W-Why are you looking at me like that!?"
"I appreciate the offer, Lucy. But you are not exactly the type of person I would gain something from sparring with."
"Do you have to be so blunt about it!?" While Lucy did understand why Tia would say that, it wasn't any less soul crushing.
"Would you care to spar with me then?" Erza suggested.
"Absolutely not." Tia shook her head. Erza was the last person she wanted to spar with. "A spar with you would turn into a fight I do not feel like dealing with." She didn't even glance at Mira. Another avenue she would rather not deal with. So she walked off and took a seat nearby to watch Jack train the others.
"I can't tell if we're getting any closer with her or not..." Lucy sighed, placing her hands on her hips.
"She's opening up to us, little by little." Mira placed a hand on her cheek, smiling in Tia's direction. "After all, she asked for help with her brother. At the very least, I believe she trusts us, even if it's a little bit. Being an older sister means you have a lot of responsibility. So, her asking us for help means a lot." If anyone would know about that, it's Mira.
"Yeah, I guess you have a point there..."Lucy said while watching Tia. The others of Dealer were somewhat quick to warm up o Fairy Tail. Tia just lagged behind...but it was understandable. That girl's heart was in turmoil after what happened with Ace...
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With all the physical exercise done, Jack nodded in approval towards the group. "Not bad. You made those laps in record time!"
"Was there a point to any of this?" Raven asked.
"Duh!" Jack rolled his eyes. Raven was currently a nonbeliever, but that would change soon enough. "Now you're nice and warmed up for the real thing! Jumping into training without getting the blood pumping...that's just not right!"
"I do feel pretty good after that!" Spark said with an excited nod.
"Oh, so this was all a warm up." Alex nodded in understanding. "So...how is this going to work."
"Everyone's gonna pair off and put their magic to the test, no holding back!" Jack explained. "The best way to improve is to go all out. Focus on what's giving you trouble and go from there!"
"Sounds simple enough!" Cynthia nodded. "Okay, Wendy! Let's-!"
"EXCEPT YOU TWO!" Jack pointed at Cynthia and Wendy, the both of them struck with comically shocked expressions. "You won't improve facing the same person over and over! Besides, I want to train Wendy for a sec."
"And why's that, huh!?" Cynthia got defensive, narrowing her eyes at Jack. "You want her to yourself or something? Because that's not gonna!"
"GROSS!" Jack gagged at the thought. He was the last person, at present, to be thinking about anything romantic. "No way! Girls are gross!" That said, he probably said the worst thing when the majority of this training group were girls.
Alex lifted a brow. "You wanna repeat that one, Jack?"
"Yeah, what was that?" Chelia placed her hands on her hips.
"...You don't mean that, do you?" Wendy and Cynthia stood side by side. The girls present were giving him forceful stares. Romeo, Spark, and Raven looked at each other, began to sweat, and took a step back. They were staying out of this one.
"W-What? No, I just, uh..." Jack looked around. He saw Tia sitting nearby, watching the whole thing. He was giving a gaze that asked for help, but Tia shrugged and looked elsewhere. He was on his own for this one. Great. "Ugh, whatever! Just pair up amongst yourselves!" He was changing the subject, because he didn't have the words for it.
Left with no options, the girls decided to let him off the hook this one time. But they wouldn't let him live it down either and they all knew it.
Spark paired with Romeo, Cynthia paired with Raven, and Chelia paired with Alex. They all did some practice sparing, focusing on their weak points. Since Spark and Romeo were about the same strength, they did make good sparring partners for each other. Spark threw an electrified fist at Romeo, which he blocked with red flames. "You're not bad, Spark...!" Romeo said with a grin. He rarely had the chance to spar with anyone! The others were simply too strong and out of his league...
"You too!" Spark said with a smile. "I'm not as strong as my brother at all...but I want to be!" Right as he said this, Romeo managed to clock him in the cheek with a solid punch. It hurt, but Spark fought through the pain. He fired back with an electric punch.
"I know how you feel! I want to be as strong as Natsu-nii some day." Romeo slid back from Spark, glancing at the flames on his hands. "Natsu-nii is so strong. I know I have a long way to go until I reach that point, but I want to keep going! I have to keep up with the others so I don't slow them down." Cynthia and Wendy were way stronger than him and he knew it. He didn't want to fall behind them! "So I'll beat you in this spar!"
"Good luck!" Spark grinned, feeling that spark of competitiveness within him. He created a magnetic magic seal on his fist, while a minus sigh appeared on Romeo's chest, drawing him in. "I learned this from my brother!"
"Huh!?" Romeo's eyes widened as he was drawn in. Before he knew it, Spark slammed a punch into his stomach. "Gah-!" Romeo coughed from the impact, but smirked. "You got me in close...!" And then a yellow flame appeared on his hand, which he held in front of Spark's face.
"Eh-?" Spark made the mistake of whiffing the scent of that yellow flame. It was noxious! Rank! Awful! Spark's eyes widened and he recoiled from such a horrific smell. "Ugh! Agh! Why!?" This left him open! Romeo then struck Spark down with a purple flame. The younger Magnes hit the ground on his back. "Ow..."
"Looks like I win!" Romeo said with a wide grin.
"No fair! What was that!?" Spark held his nose, still recoiling from that smell. looking up at Romeo with an annoyed look.
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"So...you and Chelia..." Cynthia thought she would try to sneak that question in while she trained with Raven.
"Focus on the training, you!" Raven wasn't going to let Cynthia get started on that topic. He heard enough of that from Sheri already...! But that response was what Cynthia was probably hoping to hear, based on her giggle. But Cynthia decided to give Raven some close combat training. He was an archer, so if he couldn't deal with people getting close, it was a recipe for disaster!
As for Chelia, she was staring at her hands. She threw a few attacks at Alex, who focused on defending for Chelia's sake. "..."
"Are you getting used to that power?" Alex asked, tilting her head. Her entire right hand took the form of a black shield, and she was capable of sponging plenty of hits.
"I am..." Chelia admitted. "I still don't have full control over it, though. It's a little scary...I don't want to accidentally hurt anyone, or worse, again." If she could get rid of it, she absolutely would.
"You can't be scared of your power." Alex said firmly. "It's your power now, and no one else's! What matters is what you do with it!" If anyone could speak about that, it was Alex. Aiden tried to force her into being some anti-Dragon, anti-Cynthia weapon. But she was able to break free from that. "Nobody can use that power but you."
"...Alex..." Chelia looked towards the slightly older girl, biting her lower lip. It did scare her, but...
"It doesn't matter where the power came from. What matters is the heart of the person using it. That power may be dark and evil, but YOU aren't!" Alex exclaimed. "You have a lot of love in your heart. I haven't known you very long, but based on how my Sister and Wendy talk about you, I know it to be true."
"She's right!" Cynthia exclaimed from nearby.
"Yeah!" Wendy couldn't help but join in either. This sort of support did make Chelia smile a bit, along with Raven.
"You control your power. Not the other way around." Jack commented.
"So, hit me with a full power shot!" Alex told Chelia, who blinked in surprise a few times. "C'mon, I can take it! The point of training is to improve, so let's do it!"
"Okay..." Chelia nodded slowly. She took a deep breath, and activated her Black Sky mode at will. She took a deep breath, wisps of pitch black wind swirling around her lips. "Bellow of the Black Sky God!" She exhaled, letting loose a potent blast of wind that erupted outward. It struck Alex's shield, which pushed her back a great deal. The power behind it was immense. Alex's hand, which was her shield, was barely able to withstand it all. It it broke, it meant her hand would as well. The bellow slowly died down, and Chelia exhaled, panting softly.
Alex, on the other hand, was feeling the impact of that. "Hoooooo! Wow! Okay...that was something!"
"You did great, Chelia!" Wendy clasped her hands together.
"You think so?" Chelia wasn't so sure, but the support of her friends did make her feel a little better.
"Not bad." Jack said. "You're all making some decent progress. Now it's your turn." He pointed at Wendy, which caught her by surprise.
"M-Me?" Wendy then pointed at herself.
"Yeah, you!" Jack repeated. "Everyone else has been making strides. But you...you lack a little something. You're pretty timid, aren't you?"
"W-Well..." Wendy wasn't going to deny that. It was no surprise that Jack was calling her out on it.
"Wendy is not an aggressive fighter." Carla said from the sidelines. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, mind you."
"Maybe not always. But there's something else, too. What are you holding back?" Jack peered closer, which made Wendy lean away.
"Um...I do have Dragon Force." Wendy said softly. "I've been able to use it a few times, but I haven't been able to truly make use of it. It's something I can tap into for a little bit."
"Dragon Force?" Jack looked to the others, hoping they would fill him in. "Isn't that the stuff those Sting and Rogue guys can use?"
"I got this!" Cynthia said with a wide grin. "Dragon Force is a unique power to Dragon Slayers. For second and third generation Dragon slayers like myself, and a few others, we can use Dragon Force at will. But for First generation dragon slayers like Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel...it's not exactly something they can do so easily. Wendy is unique, because she can do it at will too!"
"Only kind of." Wendy shook her head. Raven and Spark, the two who were out of the loop, were curious about this.
"Kind of? If you can use the power even for a little bit, that means you should be able to use it fully." Jack furrowed his brows. Being able to use a power was a yes or no type of deal. A middle ground didn't really exist.
"It's just...that power feels out of reach when I consciously think about it." Wendy admitted. The times she's tapped into it before, it was subconsciously. But actively trying to reach that state felt off. There was an imbalance. This made Cynthia frown.
"I think I get it." Alex said. "You're used to having the power, but you aren't used to using it. But that's what this training is for!"
Jack paced around a bit. This was his chance to look really cool in front of the others! He was the boss of them right now, and he wanted them to revere him a bit! But he needed to come up with something good to help Wendy with her breakthrough. The others were watching him curiously, and he eventually he clicked upon something. "How does Dragon Force make you feel?"
"I don't know." Wendy replied, looking down at the ground. "It was because of Cynthia that I was able to push myself into that power. But it was even used against her, when I was forced to hurt her..."
"Remember how it made you feel the first time." Jack said seriously. The fact such wise words came out of his mouth surprised everyone, even his sister. "In order to properly control something, you need to remember how it makes you feel. Like I told Chelia, it's your power, no one else's! Emotion is important to controlling magic, but I think you guys already knew that."
"Emotion..." Wendy looked at her hands.
"You're not even that much older than us. How are you so wise?" Raven said with a slight scoff.
"...Ace told me that stuff." Jack admitted. As much as he wanted to sound cool, he couldn't ignore Ace's words from the past. "I used to hate fire. My house burned down, after all. But that's the magic I was gifted with. The armor I wear bolsters that flame. But I learned to appreciate my flames thanks to Ace and my sis. So...the least I can do, in this case, is make sure Ace's words don't go to waste. But I'm pretty cool for bringing it up in the first place, right?" Now he grinned.
"I somehow knew he was going to do that." Chelia said with a faint giggle.
"Move aside, all of you." Jack said. The others, excluding Wendy, all stepped back slightly. Cynthia did remain close, because she wasn't sure what was about to happen. Jack then donned his Corvus Armor and flew into the air lifting one hand above his head. A ball of Wicked Flame slowly beginning to form. "You and me, Wendy! I'm going to throw this attack at you, and you're gonna have to break through it on your own! I'll get you to push into Dragon Force one way or another!"
"What!?" Cynthia, Wendy, and Carla all exclaimed at once.
"Don't you think this is a bit too far!?" Cynthia took a step forward, but Alex grabbed her wrist. "Alex-!?"
"...Let her do this." Alex said with a bit of sisterly authority.
"I-Is this alright?" Lucy looked to Tia, Mira, and Erza.
"It's fine." Tia replied, not looking away for a single second. "I believe he knows what he's doing. A hands on approach is better for someone like Wendy."
The sphere of Wicked Flames within Jack's hand was enormous; several times larger than Wendy and even himself. "Wicked Blaze!" Jack threw it down, watching as the orb of purple fire flew towards Wendy at speeds that made a bullet look like a snail. Wendy stood firm, gritting her teeth as the flames moved to collide against her. She threw her hands out, a powerful force of wind erupting from her body as she tried to fend it off. As she thought, the sphere was power, and she started to slide back from it immediately.
"Wendy!" Cynthia cried out in worry. "You can do it...!"
"Wendy!" Carla bit her lip nervously. This felt like it was too much...!
"..." Romeo was silent, but he was worried. This felt like it was too far...!
"Wendy!" Lucy called out to Wendy as she struggled. "Remember how you felt that day...! And remember how you feel about it now!"
"Ngh..." Wendy had one eye clenched shut. Jack was really strong! Instinctively, she wanted to enter her Omega Flame Sky mode, but she held that back. She couldn't always rely on that power either. Because of that, she continued to slide back even more, slowly feeling her efforts to hold her ground failing. "How I felt...that was the worst day of my life. I wasn't strong enough to fully save Cynthia, I thought I lost her. I felt so weak back then...even when she gave me her power..." Images of her fights with Cynthia and Aiden. And then again, a few months ago, when Hyde captured her. She hated that feeling. Dragon Force was a symbol of her and Cynthia's bond, she'd only gotten so strong because of her. And she never wanted to lose Cynthia again. She wanted to protect her and all of her friends, that desire was always within her!
"..." Mira and Erza remained silent. Nobody could utter a word as they intently watched Wendy
"I don't ever want to feel that weak again. I want to protect Cynthia...I want to protect Fairy Tail and all of my friends!" Wendy thought to herself. She was holding herself back out of fear. But she'd never be strong enough if she thought like that! Her eyes flashed pink, and scales started to form along her wrists, ankles, and her back. In a blink of an eye, her hair turned a vibrant pink hue as the winds around everyone began to pick up.
"Whoa...!" Raven gasped. This was the first time he'd seen Wendy use Dragon Force. "Is that-!?"
"GOO, WENDY!" Cynthia yelled.
"SKY DRAGON'S ROAR!" Wendy exhaled, releasing an extremely powerful torrent of wind from her mouth. This collided against the Wicked Blaze, ultimately pushing it away from her, and towards Jack! Wendy was far from a destructive fighter, but she packed a punch when she used her full power!
Jack's eyes widened at the speed his own attack was coming back at him. He quickly flew to the side, watching as the Wicked Blaze exploded in the air. "Whoa!?" He then looked towards Wendy. All eyes were on her as she sustained Dragon Force of her own volition.
Wendy looked at her hands. She could feel the power surging through her. "This is-ah!?" She couldn't finish her thought, as Cynthia tackled her to the ground for a hug.
"You did it!" Cynthia giggled, nuzzling Wendy's cheek.
"That was so cool, Wendy!" Spark said with excited eyes.
"Geez..." Raven rubbed the back of his neck. Slayers were scary...
"Nice job, Wendy!" Alex clasped her hands together.
"I've got a long way to go..." Romeo crossed his arms. How could he be as strong as Natsu if he was going to be behind Wendy and Cynthia? The gap between them was wide, but he wanted to cross it!
"She did it!" Lucy felt so relieved.
"I'm so proud of her!" Mira clasped her hands together happily.
"I knew she could. She's stronger than she thinks." Erza replied with a faint smile.
"Don't scare me like that..." Carla thought she was about to have a heart attack. But she was smiling all the same. Wendy really had come a long way. She was proud of her...
Jack landed on the ground, watching as Wendy was crowded by everyone. "Hah...not bad."
Tia then approached him, standing by his side. "...I think you made a cool impression on everyone, Teacher Jack." She spoke with a slightly playful tone.
"What? You think so?" Jack looked towards his older sister.
"Mhm." Tia nodded. "I think...you made some f...friends today." That word felt awkward to say aloud. She turned her head afterwards, feeling embarrassed. "I know I don't look it, but I'm happy for you."
"Thanks, Sis." Jack had a proud grin on his face. "Now, let's focus on getting you some friends. You're 25 and friendless. That's not a good look."
"SHUT UP!" Tia comically thwacked Jack over the head.
"OW! I'm just trying to help you here!" Jack shouted. It wasn't long before the two of them started a sibling argument. One that everyone couldn't help but watch now.
Lucy had a soft smile as she watched the two of them fight. The members of Dealer were just like everyone else at the end of the day. Giving them the chance to be normal...it was exactly what they needed. "I'm happy they can loosen up a little."
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Blues: This lack of rain is really getting to me, I'm dying here...
Juvia: Oh no...we forgot something important!
Blues: Uh oh...I knew something was wrong...!
Next Time: Water God's Festival!