Receiving a punch to the stomach from Gajeel, I was forced several steps back and fell to one knee, though knowing who sat behind me made it impossible for me to give up; quickly standing back up, I pushed the pain down and lunged at Gajeel, who kicked his metal-pole leg, prompting me to raise my arm as I blocked it before digging my fist into his stomach, though I internally hissed in pain as my fingers broke against his iron skin. Pushing Gajeel back, I ignored the pain of my broken fingers and gasped for breath while Gajeel patted his iron stomach, where I had only managed to leave a bloody fist print.
"Heh, seems you've finally reached your limit, Cooper; I hardly even felt that." Said Gajeel mockingly as he flashed a wicked grin while ever so slowly approaching me, though I simply bared my fangs and aggressively growled. "If I've reached my limit, then kill me!" Flexing my muscles, I stood in front of Lucy with slumped shoulders and a hunched back, my body too exhausted and injured to stand straight, though I refused to fall. "Kill you? That was the plan, but only after I kill Lucy!" Grinning, Gajeel extended his metal-pole arm, punching my stomach and flinging me past Lucy; nearly exiting the magic circle, I dug my nails into the ground and narrowly stopped in time before glancing at Gajeel, who took a deep breath while taking an all too familiar stance.
"LUCY!" Pushing against the ground, I dashed towards Lucy as fast as I could, but with my current injuries, I was too slow; making a last-ditch effort, I leaped through the air, intending to dive right in front of Lucy, protecting her at the cost of my life, yet just as I did so, a flaming figure busted through the wall. "Fire Dragon's Fist!" Yelled Natsu loudly as he shot through the air and punched Gajeel with his flaming fist, flinging him through the wall.
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Natsu POV
Hopping off the train, I was about to dash for Phantom Lord's guild int he distance, but before I could, Erza grabbed me by the scar, causing me to fall onto my butt. "Hey! What the hell, Erza!?" Yanking my scarf out of my hands, I turned around and glared at Erza, who narrowed her eyes at me. "Don't recklessly run in." "But big bro and Lucy are right there!" Pointing at Phantom Lord's guild in the distance, Erza's gaze merely hardened, though before I could do anything, Gramps disembarked from the train, looking incredibly serious. "It's alright, Erza; you don't need to continue to limit him." Said Gramps firmly as he walked past us, prompting all of Fairy Tail to follow as we left the train station.
"I just didn't want Natsu to mess the plan; not when we're so close." Said Erza lightly with a nod, and while I understood her sentiment, I couldn't wait any longer; who knows what terrible things those Phantom Lord bastards were putting big bro and Lucy through. Remaining silent, just like everyone else, Gramps led us all to Phantom Lord, and unable to contain myself, I busted through the wall with a fiery punch, creating an opening in the side of the guild that led directly to the main hall. "Attack!" Yelling loudly, I didn't hesitate to dash into the main hall while slamming my flaming fist into a mage's face, knocking him through several others.
My actions served as a catalyst, prompting the numerous mages to violently retaliate, but I wasn't alone, and with revenge on our minds, we Fairy Tail mages fought with unmatched ferocity. "Master, don't waste your time with these weak mages; leave them to us." Said Erza as she effortlessly cleared a path through the numerous mages, knocking them all back with a swipe of her sword. Punching my fist into the stomach of a random mage, I was about to use a dragon's roar, but I heard Cooper's voice before I could. "LUCY!" Snapping my head upwards, I turned and glanced at Nab, who was in a battle of his own; dashing toward him, I used Warren's telepathy magic that connected all Fairy Tail mages, allowing us to communicate easily.
'Nab! Throw me to the ceiling!' Yelling at Nab through the mental link created by Warren, Nab punched away the mage he was fighting while the magical silhouette that surrounded him morphed from a wolf to a gorilla. Clutching his hands together, I leaped toward Nab and landed directly on his hands, prompting him to throw him into the sky with all his might. Crashing through ceiling after ceiling, I bust through the final ground, and while I didn't know what was happening, I didn't hesitate to light my fist ablaze with flames as I punched the man who stood before Lucy in the face, sending him crashing through the wall.
Clicking my tongue, I landed on the ground and quickly helped Cooper onto his feet. "Big bro, are you okay?" "Hmph, y-you think these injuries are enough t-to stop me?" Said Cooper with a weak smile as he pushed my hands away, refusing my help as he stood on his own, nearly falling in the process. If Cooper could still speak, it meant he was fine, he had incredible endurance, so much so that even I envied him, and I was a dragon slayer; shifting my gaze to Lucy, who looked fine, I suddenly heard her stomach growl, causing me to faintly smile. "Heh, after we destroy Phantom Lord, we'll have a feast, so hold out until then, Lucy!" Giving Lucy a thumbs up, she smiled before narrowing her eyes.
"Thanks for saving us, Natsu… Also, make sure to beat the hell out of that bastard Gajeel!" Said Lucy with a friendly smile before hardening her gaze as she glared at the hole in the wall, causing me to firmly nod before chasing after Gajeel.
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Cooper POV
Watching Natsu chase after Gajeel, I softly sighed and plopped onto my butt; I was more than exhausted after receiving a two-day prolonged beating, though at least on the bright side, it served as decent training. 'I probably would've enjoyed it if my sibling's life weren't in danger.' Gazing at the ceiling, I fell onto my back while Lucy propped my head onto her lap and wiped my bloody face clean. "Haa, they finally came; I was starting to get worried they'd forgotten us." Said Lucy with a wry chuckle as she gave me a faint smile while I snorted and eyed her. "I didn't… I knew they'd come; I never once doubted them. You shouldn't either, Lucy." "Haa, I know… I'm sorry. It won't ever happen again."
Nodding at Lucy's beautiful smile, I closed my eyes, only to feel a pair of soft lips press against my cheek, prompting me to open a single eye as I glanced at Lucy. "Hehe, thanks, big bro, for protecting me… I'm weak right now, but I promise that I'll return the favor and protect you in the future." Said Lucy with a lovely expression as she sported a large smile, causing me to scoff, though internally, I couldn't have been happier. "Hmph, my little sister protecting me? I'll kill myself before such a time ever passes." "Eh, but didn't Natsu, your little brother, just protect you from Gajeel?" "No. I was protecting you and stalling Gajeel for Natsu; there is a clear difference." Firmly looking at Lucy, she rolled her eyes, clearly not believing my words, but I didn't need to elaborate, well, more like I didn't have the chance to, as Jose suddenly appeared, causing me to push my broken, battered, and exhausted body into the air before landing in front of Lucy.
"Hehe, perfect. It looks like your little guild has arrived; I thought they cut their losses and forgot you two." Said Jose with a wicked grin as he stood just outside the magic circle, while his sinister magic power erupted from his body, prompting hundreds of shades to be released as they swarmed the guild, causing me to clench my fists as just one of those shades would give most of my siblings a difficult time. However, as if to clear my worries, several of the shades were suddenly disintegrated by a powerful white light, prompting us to shift our gaze behind us, only to see Gramps approaching with a furious expression.
"Jose Porla." "Makarov Dreyar." They stared at each other dangerously, seemingly waiting for the other to make a move, prompting me to gesture for Lucy to leave, and although she was hesitant, a reassuring smile was all she needed; seeing her leave the floor, I turned and glanced at Gramps. "Oi, Gramps, I can't leave this magic circle so quickly, defeat Jose and dispel it." With furrowed brows, Gramps glanced at me and the magic circle before lightly nodding.
When their eyes locked for the second time, Gramps' magic power erupted from his body, enveloping him within a white light as he matched Jose's, but as someone who has witnessed Gramps' true strength, I knew he was still holding back. 'He could probably make a strong case for being one of the four Gods of Ishgar.'