𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙜: 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙘𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙗𝙮 𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩 𝙛𝙩. 𝙖𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙖 𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨
❛ ... ❜
◊
Natsu stood still, watching firmly as the air around Sting began to stir with more power- many times greater than the amount he had been emitting before. The air around him glowed brightly as his magic manifested.
"When we decide to go all out... there's no way fire could stop us!"
Sting sounded as though he was reassuring himself of his abilities, as the light around him began to grow brighter. The light itself was bright enough to blind those watching momentarily.
"Here it comes, Natsu..." Sting muttered, loud enough for the person mentioned to hear. "Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Holy Nova!"
The light generated from his magic focused on his fist, and the ground exploded upwards as Sting rushed at Natsu who remained motionless. Chunks of rubble flew about as Sting's attack generated a massive explosion, clearly terrifying the vast majority of the audience.
The blond-haired dragon slayer remained standing alone, arm outstretched as a smile stretched across his face.
However, as the dust cleared away and settled, the salmon-haired figure of Natsu remained standing- shocking Sting.
Natsu glared at him defiantly, with his right arm, the Fairy Tail emblem displayed proudly on his shoulder, holding back Stings fist in a manner which made it seem effortless.
Sting's face distorted with surprise and fear as he realised one of his most powerful attacks had been stopped by Natsu with one hand.
Rose watched the battle between Natsu and Sting with a smile, proud of her guild mate's ability. She turned slightly, sensing the air behind her rippling as a figure rushed at her.
"I wanted to fight Gajeel!" Rogue cried out, attempting to attack the seemingly careless phoenix slayer.
With a well-placed kick, she sent him hurtling backwards, forcing him to crouch down and regain his balance. Before he could, she rushed at him and began to throw multiple attacks, this time not bothering to speak or make a sarcastic comment.
Sting and Rogue collapsed in a pile at the centre of the arena, whilst the two flame-wielders from Fairy Tail watched cautiously for any signs of movement.
The crowd began to cheer even harder, obviously awed by Fairy Tail's impressive comeback.
"If I wasn't watching it with my own two eyes I wouldn't believe it!" Chapati's voice echoed through the speakers. The collapsed twin dragons attempted to push themselves off the ground as he continued. "Sabretooth's twin dragons are completely at the mercy of Fairy Tail's two flaming slayers!"
Rogue managed to stumble upright, wincing in pain.
"Will the two dragons end up face-down in the dirt?"
"We're not finished yet," Rogue growled.
Sting followed him, expressing his pain through a low hiss.
"He's right. It's not like we expected this to be easy, y'know?" he paused. "Give us some credit."
Sting staggered slightly and closed his eyes as if to gather his thoughts. The aura he gave off took on a calmer feeling.
"I'm not gonna lose..." he whispered. Pulses of more magic energy caused the air around him to ripple as he erupted into bright light.
Following his example, Rogue's magic also surged- the shadows swirling and seemingly denser than before.
"Hm..." Rose hummed softly. "So, you still have a few tricks..."
Sting and Rogue had triggered another skill, as dragon-like scales began to form on their bodies in random clusters.
"The intensity of their magic keeps getting stronger..." Rose murmured, turning to Natsu. "Do you know what spell they're using?"
"Dragon Force..." Natsu replied. "they... can trigger it by will..."
The two were interrupted by Sting, who strutted forward confidently.
"Hang back Rogue, I got this," he swiped his arm across to block his companion from moving. "I can handle these chumps by myself."
"Looks like that spell gave your ego a boost too," Rose remarked.
"Don't underestimate him." Natsu cautioned, "He's strong."
A gust of wind triggered the first attack.
Rushing forward, Sting sent Natsu flying with an unexpectedly strong punch. Rose spun on her heel and threw a roundhouse kick at Sting's side, only to be forced to bound back a few steps to dodge a punch.
Recovering immediately, the two mages from Fairy Tail bounded forward and attacked Sting with multiple kicks and punches, although they were all warded off by Sting, who proceeded to knock Rose away by throwing Natsu at her.
"Well, that was mean." Rose sighed before her eyes widened as she noticed Sting prepare to fire another of his attacks from far above. "Natsu! Get down!"
Natsu responded immediately, dropping to the ground as Rose chanted for a spell.
"Flame Phoenix's Impenetrable Wings!"
A dome of flames formed around them just in time to defend against Stings attack, only for the ground around and below them to shatter from the impact.
"Incredible! The floor of the arena gave way to Sting's astonishing attack!"
Rose tumbled through the air, cursing and fumbling as she attempted to right herself, before realising she could control the air- to some extent.
"Oh... right..." she laughed at herself despite the fact she was falling into a massive void-like cavern being attacked by an arrogant dragon slayer, before easily changing her position in the air so she would land feet-first.
The wind whipped her hair into her face, earning an annoyed growl from the phoenix slayer as she cursed the untameable strands.
"You can't leave, cause we're not done yet!" Sting called out to them, rocketing after the fire mages.
Rose rolled her eyes at him, managing to direct herself to a large chunk of falling rubble behind the white dragon slayer whose attention was completely on Natsu.
The Salamander had also located a convenient platform, launching himself off it like a spring while calling out an incantation.
"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"
Natsu slammed into Sting with a flaming head-butt, sending him flailing backwards into Rose's outstretched talons.
"Flame Phoenix's Screech!" Rose chanted, sending a flurry of blistering hot flames at Sting.
Sting rocketed towards the ground, crashing into it. However, much to the surprise of the Fairy Tail wizards, he rose from the crater seemingly unscathed, hands clasped together.
"The radiance of a White Dragon... purifies all-" a bright ball of light formed in his hands. "Holy Ray!"
The bright light in his palms erupted, firing multiple needles of light at Natsu and Rose. Neither of them was able to dodge in time, getting attacked countless times by the speedy flashes of light.
Natsu landed on the ground, bouncing multiple times before getting up, whilst Sting rushed forward and punched him. "Time to fly!"
The salmon-haired fire dragon slayer was flung back into the air, crashing into the side of the massive cavern.
Meanwhile, Rose emerged from the rubble seemingly unscathed- having used the short amount of time which Natsu had distracted Sting for her to completely focus on recovery.
"Hey, Sting! Mind if I crash the party?!" she smirked, tossing a ball of fire to him.
Sting scowled, leaping over the ball only to have to change his direction as Natsu threw a kick at him. The two fire mages began to work together to defeat their opponent, swiping at him with punches and kicks.
Sting bounded backwards and out of their reach before releasing a highly-concentrated beam at the two, who were unable to dodge and fell over. They were finally defeated.
The white dragon slayer raised his fist proudly, before yelling.
"See that, Lector?! I won!"
Rogue walked towards Sting, musing.
"Change is inevitable... and there's the proof." He glanced down at the motionless form of Natsu. "The old generation, battered and beaten at the hands of true dragon slayers. Their era was grand, but now it's come to an end."
"You got that right," Sting replied.
"Natsu and Rose may not be getting up after that one, folks." Chapati sighed. "It was an intense battle for both sides, but it looks like Fairy Tail has succumbed to the might of Sabretooth's Twin Dragons after all."
◊
In the crowd above ground, the Fairy Tail members gazed at the Lacrima Screen with mixed emotions.
"What are you doing?" Gajeel scowled. "The fight isn't over yet, you two hot-heads."
"Natsu..." Happy murmured, eyes filled with tears.
"Even those two can't beat these guys?" Wakaba muttered.
"I was starting to think that we had a chance," Macao crossed his arms, glancing down at his shoes.
Romeo gritted his teeth, slamming his fists onto the rail. "Get up! Please, you can't lose like this!"
◊
The markings on Sting's face dissolved, signalling that the time for his power up was over.
"That fight... was the toughest I've ever had," he smiled, somewhat satisfied. "Thanks. I mean it."
"Are they down for the count?!" asked Chapati.
Rogue leapt down from his perch above. "Sting."
Sting smirked. "Yeah, I know, you're disappointed that you didn't get to fight Gajeel, and I beat your opponent. Sorry."
Rogue sighed. "She did put up a good fi-"
Both of them turned, at the sound of an annoyed harrumph.
"Good fight?" Rose questioned, standing up.
Beside her, Natsu was already standing.
"The fight's just getting started!"
The cheering of the crowd from above could be heard even far below, in the cave, as they watched their newly appointed favourite guild on the lacrima screens.
"My head..." Natsu groaned, rubbing the back of his neck with a pained expression.
Rose mirrored him, squinting slightly. "Yeah, I think I can see pineapples floating around my hea- wait... oh! Hey Sting Bee, Penguin!"
Sting and Rogue both had expressions of disbelief- they were so surprised, they hadn't even commented on the strange nicknames Rose had bestowed on them.
"It's as if Sting's attacks didn't even faze them!"
Natsu paused, stopping his complaints as a determined look flashed in his eyes.
"Not bad, but now we've seen all your little quirks!" He smirked triumphantly, revealing the two fire mages' master plan.
"What?"
"No..."
Natsu continued on, revealing the information the two had been collecting carefully.
"I know the timing of your attacks, the way you defend- even the rhythm of your breathing!"
"What the hell?!" Sting exclaimed. "That's impossible! I used my dragon force... you shouldn't be standing!"
Natsu waved him off, rotating his shoulder. "Yeah, you're definitely strong. I feel like a train ran over me." he gestured for Rose to speak.
She smiled cheerfully, all traces of the battle which had just taken place including injuries gone. The only sign she had been fighting was the dust on her clothes and her slightly torn cloak.
"I'm a phoenix slayer- bouncing back from situations like these are my speciality!" she clapped happily, pausing for a moment. "Besides... if I lost, Erza and Gajeel would probably rip me limb from limb and cremate me."
"You've got that right!" Natsu laughed. "Erza's scary!"
Rose nodded in agreement, as the two suddenly began to derail from the original topic.
"Keep your composure," Rogue informed Sting. "They're just bluffing."
"Pfft... does Natsu here seem like the type that's smart enough to do that?" Rose piped in, jumping at the chance to pick a fight.
"I'm smart!" Natsu protested, "Just watch- for example, when he attacks, he pivots his foot to around 11 o'clock!"
Rose smirked, crossing her arms. "Nope. It's 10 o'clock, dummy."
"It's totally eleven."
They both began to throw insults at each other, a competitive aura surrounding the two.
"Are you blind?! It was 10:30 at most! Were you even watching him?"
"I think you hit your head too hard- it's 23 o'clock~"
"That's the same thing, you moron!"
Suddenly, the two had started a miniature battle between themselves, whilst the two Sabretooth members watched on in confusion.
"Well, anyway, we can argue about this another time." Rose sighed.
"Fine," Natsu grumbled.
"So, what do you say? Shall I take them on, or will you take care of it yourself?"
"I fancy a fight."
"Alright. I'll be sitting right there if you need me!" Rose proceeded to prance off and sit down calmly on a piece of rubble.
"Insanity! Natsu Dragneel had declared his own one on two battle against the twin dragons! We could be witnessing history!"
Natsu smirked.
"Are you getting fired up?"
Sting scowled.
"Do you think you can take us on all alone? That's a big mistake."
"I have no interest in fighting you. I must finish my battle with the phoenix slayer," added on Rogue.
"Beat me, and you can take on whoever you want!"
Rose watched on with a bored expression as the two infuriated dragon slayers re-cast their Dragon Force spell.
"Did you forget we have control over dragon force? There's nothing in the world stronger than a dragon! And both of us have their power!" Sting yelled, before rushing forward to attack Natsu with a punch.
Natsu caught the punch easily. "I don't think you're all the way there yet pal," he remarked, still smiling.
"This is the power of a true dragon slayer! I should know- it's the power I used to kill Weisslogia!"
A smirk spread across the salmon-haired Salamander's face. "Huh. Is that so? Then I should use the same kind of power," Natsu's body ignited into flames. "That I used to protect those friends you laughed at!"
Natsu's flames easily overpowered Sting's own magic, sending the confused white dragon slayer hurtling away.
Rogue bounded up to Natsu from behind. "Shadow Dragon's Roar!"
A funnel of dark shadows and magic swept towards Natsu, who spun around and immediately launched his own spell.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
The two imposing waves of magic collided, but Natsu's easily overpowered Rogue's own spell and slammed into the awed shadow mage.
"I'm not done with you!" Sting snarled, rushing at Natsu.
"I'm not giving up!" yelled Rogue.
Natsu smiled, gesturing for them to attack. "Bring it on."
They both rocketed forward and began exchanging blows with him, although Natsu easily avoided their attacks and returned the favour ten-fold.
"Good job!" Rose cheered from the sidelines, cheering on her teammate.
◊
Above in the crowd, Fairy Tail watched on.
"Nice job," Pantherlily commented, "but isn't Rose going to join in?"
"I'm sure she realises that Natsu wants to do this himself," Happy replied with a smile.
◊
In the battle below, the two opposing forces continued to war, although Natsu easily dodged every attack thrown his way.
With another attack from Natsu, both Sting and Rogue were panting, standing side-by-side.
"Sting! Now!" Rogue called out, forming a massive ball of energy in his palm
"Yeah!" Sting replied, doing the same.
The orbs of energy grew larger as the two dragon slayers continued to pour power into them until they slowly began to merge together.
"A unison raid?" Rose remarked. "Not a bad idea."
Suddenly, the two balls of energy disappeared- condensing into two tiny, incredibly dense balls of opposing energy. The area in-between them began to emit a bright and blinding light as the two balls merged into one.
"Holy Shadow Dragon's Flash Fang!"
They moved the ball of energy so it was in front of them, aimed at Natsu.
A beam of light and shadows exploded in the direction of Natsu, packed with power. The air trembled from the massive amount of energy which had been used, and static crackled in response to the combination of two opposing elements.
Rose smirked. There was no way Natsu would lose, especially since Lucy was waiting for him.
An explosion rang throughout Domus Flau, the air ringing with the might and power released.
The dust from the explosion cleared away, leaving the collapsed figures of Rogue and Sting on the ground – completely and utterly defeated.
"Unbelievable!" Chapati called out. "The last man standing is Natsu Dragneel!"
Natsu struck a triumphant pose. "Yeah!" he cheered.
Cheers erupted from all over the stadium, shaking the ground with all the noise created.
Rose stood up from her seat. "Great job," she congratulated him. "Now all we need to do is get back to the others- I bet Lucy's waiting for you!"
Natsu grinned. "Yeah."
The phoenix slayer paused and turned to the two collapsed dragon slayers.
"We should probably get them some medical attention..." she trailed off, before (somehow) managing to sling the unconscious white dragon slayer over her shoulder.
The girl ignored the flood of emotions which belonged to Sting that swamped her mind at the physical contact, instead gesturing to the area above them.
"I bet I'll get back first!"
"What? No fair!" he exclaimed, chasing after the disappearing figure of the girl with an unconscious Rogue tucked under one arm.