𝙇𝙄𝙂𝙃𝙏𝙉𝙄𝙉𝙂 // 𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙪𝙚 𝙭 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

𝙗𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡

The card mage, Cana Alberona, appeared on the scene suddenly.
"Hey, have you guys seen Gildarts?" she asked, waving a hand. Her two bracelets on her right wrist clacked together.

"What now? Are you lonely you aren't next to your daddy for a second?" Gray said with a cheeky smile.

"Jerk!" Cana glared, nodded slightly towards Lucy.
"Ahh! Sorry!" Gray exclaimed.

"No, it's fine, don't worry!" Lucy smiled. [Y/N] backed up slightly at the sight of Juvia glaring from the request board. If looks could kill... the water mage's grip sure could. She sent cracks right through the wooden border.

"I wish my darling Gray would consider my feelings that way..." she whispered.

"If you're looking for Gildarts then Master... uh, I guess I have to call him Makarov now..." Erza started.
"I think Master is fine." Lucy chimed in.

"He went with Master to the old Fairy Tail building." [Y/N] finished for Erza.

"Alright! I'd better take this chance to go do my work!" Cana exclaimed, speeding away.
"Cana's devotion towards Gildarts is really amazing, isn't it?" Happy observed.

"That's the most powerful strength of this guild." Carla nodded, her paws crossing.

"What about your devotion to Carla?" Kuschel chirped, hopping down from [Y/N]'s head and landing between Carla and Happy.

Happy started spluttering wildly, blue face flushed bright red.

// Time Skip //
// 2nd P.O.V //

"S-seriously?!" Natsu yelled.

"You see, Natsu?" Max smirked, giving a halfhearted gallic shrug. "The past seven years has meant a lot to us, despite our core members being gone... we've tried hard to grow up."

"Natsu..." Wendy started.
"Lost to Max?" Lucy finished with a gasp.

"Let's go again!" Natsu roared, leaping at him.

Max stood face-to-face with him, dodging every punch he threw your way.

"Sand Rebellion!" Max cried, sweeping Natsu up with his Sand Magic.

"Burn!" he yelled, setting the sand ablaze.
"Go ahead, Natsu!" Happy cheered.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

"Sand Wall!"

Max blocked his attack with his own.
"Yeah! Go, Natsu!" you cheered. "Heh... you can try too, Max!"

"Aha... I'm not the man you knew seven years ago anymore, Natsu!" Max laughed.

"Unbelievable!" Vijeeter threw his arms in the air.
"Max's overpowering Natsu?!" Warren gasped.
"Then maybe we can, too!" Nab added.

Max and Natsu pushed forces against one another, sand versus fire. His grinned and his eyes met the former's hazel ones. He wasn't smiling.

"Lightning Flame Dragon Mode!" he screeched. "Lightning Flame Dragon's..."

"What's that?!" Max said, smile dropping.

"Roar!"

The attack missed his body, thankfully. Yet he stumbled anyway, and when the inferno of lightning dissipated, he stood, stunned.