Chapter 21

Knucklehead

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Magic"

Flashback

Location / Date / Time Skip

With Natsu

"Ow." Natsu found himself on a cage hanging above the ground. "What the heck was that?"

"Salamander, its you!" Simon shouted as he and Gray entered the room.

"Who the heck is yelling at me now?" Natsu asked, turning around.

"Watch out, he's with block head." Happy said.

"So, you're with Jellal?" Natsu asked.

"I'm not!" Simon shouted. "I was just pretending to be under that lunatics spell. It was the only way id be able to stop him."

"Why should we believe you!?" Happy asked.

"Hold on. Gray, is that true?" The pinkette asked.

"Yeah, it is." Gray nodded.

"Good enough for me." Natsu said. "So, who is Jellal anyway? And why is he making us play this ridiculous game?"

"He's got a twisted sense of humor." Simon explained. "He's the twin brother of Siegrain, a magic council member. It's the only way he knows how they're planing to fire Etherion."

"So this is just a fight between two brothers?" Natsu asked.

"Maybe." Simon mumbled. "I don't know what kind of relationship they have. But it seems they are at odds."

"I'm Coming Down!" All four looked up as a man wielding a black and white bat swung it. Natsu and Happy jumped out of the way, causing the bat to hit the cage, making the metal explode. "Nice instincts, kid." The man said. As the dust settled, his tattooed face came into view.

"Not good." Simon said. "Dark Moment!" He cast his spell, shrouding the room in darkness.

"I told you we shouldn't have trusted him." Happy shouted.

"We have to leave, now!" Simon shouted.

"Where's the fun in that!?" The man asked from behind before swinging his bat, sending Simon crashing into a cage.

"Simon!" Gray shouted.

"Question Everything." The man chanted, before hundreds of copies of himself appeared around Gray. "Let's see if you can find the real me."

"You okay, dude?" Natsu asked the downed man.

"He means business." Simon groaned. "He's with an assassination guild, the Death Punch. They specialize in taking lives. He calls himself Knucklehead."

"Assassins have guilds too!?" Happy shouted.

"What kind of name is Knucklehead?" Natsu asked.

"It's my name!" The assassin shouted, swinging his bat again. "So, this is the famous Salamander? Looks more like a newt to me! I can't believe the chumps back at the guild who are scared of you."

"You cannot beat him!" Simon shouted.

"Listen, punk." Natsu said, lighting his hands on fire. "Magic guilds are supposed to bring like minded people together so they can share their dreams. It's not a place for killers to team up."

"Don't do it, Salamander!" Simon shouted.

"I can't stand the fact that there are people out their willing to pay someone to commit murder." Natsu continued. "I hate people who will kill for money. And I hate that you're talking like you're in a real guild. So I'm gonna take you down a notch. Let's dance, you freak."

"With pleasure!" Knucklehead charged forward, his bat glowing white. Natsu dodged a swing before kicking the man in the face. "Lift Me Up!" Magic circles appeared under his feet and he began to float. "Let's see you hit me know!"

"Happy!" Natsu shouted. His partner picked him and the two began to fly around the room, trading blows with the assassin.

"Let's see if you can fight without this!" Natsu threw a flaming punch that broke the bat.

"You're gonna pay for that!" Knucklehead pulled the knuckles off his belt and slid them in his hand. "White Knuckles!" He threw a punch that glowed in a white aura. He hit Natsu and sent him flying into Gray.

"Found you!" Gray shouted before punching Natsu in the face.

"Gray, it's me!" Natsu shouted. He cries fell on deaf ears as Gray kept throwing punches.

"I knew these assassins would be tough, but I didn't think it be like this." Simon mumbled. "And this is only one of them."

Throne Room

Jellal picked up the brass knuckles piece and knocked over one that looked like a castle wall. "Such a same, defeated so easily at the start of your turn, Simon." He moved the dragon piece and an ice crystal one in front of the knuckles. "So, now it's time for the opposites to fight along side each other. This should be fun to watch. It's such a shame I won't get to face Salamander after this."

Cage Room

"Snap out of it, Gray!" Happy shouted as he pulled on Grays lip.

"Get off me, you sick freak!" The maker wizard tryed to get the cat, but couldn't reach him.

"Fire Dragon Talon!" Natsu kicked Gray in the side of the head, dazing him.

"That heat... Natsu, is that you?" He asked as the illusions faded.

"Yeah, who else would it be?" The pinkette chuckled.

"Aw, and it was just getting fun." Both looked up to see the assassin dangling his feet of a cage.

"You were just gonna sit there and watch us tear each other apart..." Natsu growled. "Your gonna pay for that! Fire Dragon Roar!" He pulled his head back and unleashed a torrent of flames.

"That's it? Wash It All Away!" Knucklehead held his hands forward and streams of water shot out, meeting the flames head on. The resulting steam left them all looking around the room, until Knucklehead pulled out his pistol and fired through the steam.

"Get down!" Natsu cried as he forced Happy and Gray to the floor.

"Nothing worse than survivors." The assassin mumbled as he holstered his gun.

"Ice-Make: Cannon!" Gray shouted as he fired a shot of ice at Knucklehead, who jumped out of the way as the blast froze the chain. It broke and the cage fell to the bottom of the room.

"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" Natsu shouted from behind as he punched the back of the head. The assassin flew towards a cage before his Flight spell reactivated.

"Nice shot, Natsu." Happy praised as he landed the Dragon Slayer.

"It's time to put you on ice." Knucklehead pulled a grenade off his vest and pulled the pin off with his teeth before spitting it out. "It's all gone Cold!" He threw the grenade at Natsu's feet, forcing the pinkette to push the cat out of the way as it exploded, creating a lot of steam. It soon faded and Gray looked in horror at the frozen frame of Natsu.

"Natsu!" Happy cried as he reached the statue. "Come on, snap out of it! You can melt your way out of this, cant you!?

"Nope, can't happen! White Knuckles!" Knucklehead punched the cat into the wall above Simon. "Ten minutes. That's all it will take to freeze him solid. And then... Crack."

"Then I'll just beat you by myself!" Gray growled as he entered his maker stance. "Ice-Make: Lance!" A dozen spears shot forward at the assassin.

"Digging My Own Grave!" The assassin drew pebbles from his pocket and threw the at the ice. The pebbles soon expanded into giant boulders that crushed the ice before continuing towards Gray. The legal wizard jumped out of the way of the rocks as Knucklehead flew behind him and kicked him in the back of the head, sending Gray crashing into the wall. "If this is the limit of your power, than you're just pathetic."

"Shut up..." Gray growled.

"Why don't you make me?" The assassin mocked. "Meet the Monster!" His arms and chest swelled up with muscles before he rushed forward and unleashed a barrage of heavy punches before he threw Gray out of the whole and sent him flying to the platform.

"Hard to See!" He rushed forward, leaving a blur of green as he ran and circled Gray multiple times, punching and kicking whenever he wanted to before pulling away, letting Gray drop to his knee.

"You wanna see something really cool?" Knucklehead asked as he pulled his head back. "Fire Dragon Roar!" He unleashed a torrent of flames from his mouth, shocking Gray.

"Ice-Make: Shield!" Gray created his flower like barrier and blocked the attack. "How did you do that spell?"

"Nifty little side affect from that grenade." The tattooed man confessed. "Until the target is frozen solid, I can use their magic. After that, the statue brakes and the magic is last forever."

Gray growled as he forced himself to his feet. "How dare you use his power! Ice-Make: Hammer!" A solid hammer of ice fell down at the assassin, who didn't even flinch.

"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" Knucklehead threw a punch and shattered the object before reactivating his Flight magic. "Let's try this!" He slammed his hands together and created a giant wave of flwe and hit Gray. "Maybe I should just keep this kid as a prisoner for life. His magic is pretty useful, and fun."

"I'm not done yet..." Gray huffed as he froze the flames.

"What the?" Knucklehead asked in shock.

"Natsu's real flames are ten times hotter than yours!" Gray shouted as hs charged his magic. "Someone like you could never really use that power! Ice-Make: Knuckles!" He slammed his hands down and ice fists shot out of the wall and sent the assassin flying towards him as Gray froze his arms with ice blade before jumping off the platform. "Ice-Blade: Seven Slice Dance!" He swung seven times and locked the assassin into a cage that fell to the ground.

The ice coat on Natsu cracked and broke apart, freeing the Dragon Slayer. "Achoo!" Natsu sneezed. "What happened? Where'd he go? Why am I so cold?"

"Natsu!" Happy cried as he tackled the wizard. "That guy froze you, but Gray beat him up and freed you."

"That was incredible..." Simon mumbled as Gray landed.

"Thanks, snowflake..." Natsu begrudgingly said before falling on his back, unconscious.

"No problem, ash for brains." Gray said.

Throne Room

Jellal knocked over the brass knuckles piece before looking at the ice crystal. "Two world class assassins, defeated. I'm impressed. Seems I underestimated the two of them. Still, it's already too late." He looked down at the knight piece. "It's your move Erza. Hurry up, the light of heavenly justice will rain down on us soon enough."

Era

"With eight votes in favor, and only one against, the use of Etheron on the Tower of Heaven has been approved." Org said.

Siegrain sat in his office as a knock came from the door. "Enter." The door opened and Yajima popped his head in.

"I do hope I'm not interrupting anything." The elder said as he walked into the room. "I'm sorry, but don't think this is a wise move. A man as intelligent as you are, you should have been able to come up with a more peaceful solution to this problem."

"I wish there was another way." Siegrain said. "But no matter what happens, Zeref cannot be resurrected. That is why we must stop him by any means necessary. I thought understood that."

Yajima sighed as he looked out the window. "Yes, we must stop Jellal. But can you live with the votes consequences?"

"That is a burden I'm willing to bear." Siegrain said, making Yajima turn around in anger.

"This blast could wipe thousands of innocent people from the planet!" The elder shouted. "Including your own brother. I do hope you realize that all the blood of those lost in this massacre will be on your hands. Do you know that?"

"I'm willing to live with that." Siegrain said. "I will do what I must."

The power absorption was a good idea, it's the whole 'eating' someone that I have a problem with. Now, where is Laki? Like you all don't have a brain, you'll see her next chapter.

Beta Read by Natsu is Awesome.