Makarov froze, glancing down at his flashy getup. A flash of embarrassment crossed his face before he slammed the door with a loud bang.
From inside came the clatter and jingle of frantic rummaging.
A moment later, the door creaked open again. Now he was decked out in a baggy, old-school robe, with a few smudges of dirt smeared on his face for effect. He played it cool and waved them in.
"Come on in, folks. Standing out here too long, and that fire dragon's gonna sniff us out."
They stepped inside, and Makarov poked his head out, dramatically scanning left and right before carefully shutting the door.
Turning back, he took the Water Spirit Pearl from Kagura, his expression turning dead serious as he addressed the group.
"Truth is, there's something I didn't spell out for Little Red Riding Hood. That fire dragon terrorizing the village? It didn't just show up recently."
"He's been living underground in the village for ages—as its guardian, protecting that legendary weapon. And thanks to his power, the village has had a steady flow of hot springs."
"But hanging out with the weapon all these years must've messed with his head. The thing's leaking unconscious energy, turning him all ragey and irritable, with his power spilling out of control."
"When the Ice Priestess sensed the shift, she handed me this Water Spirit Pearl right away and filled me in on the prophecy."
He took a deep breath, then bowed deeply with all the gravity he could muster. "Please, I beg you—take down the fire dragon and bring him back to his senses."
Erza rushed forward to steady him. "Don't worry—we'll beat that fire dragon and snag the second weapon, no problem."
Lucy facepalmed in defeat. "=_= You didn't have to say that last bit out loud, though…"
Makarov dabbed at nonexistent tears, his voice thick with emotion. "Thank you, Princess. You're the kindest soul in the world."
He passed the pearl to Erza. "The fire dragon's deep underground to the northwest—super hot down there, drains your energy and wears you out fast."
"The Ice Priestess said if you use the Water Spirit Pearl, it'll amp up its power and shield you all from those nasty side effects."
"Got it," Erza said, pocketing the pearl. "We won't let you down—we'll come back victorious!"
With that, she spun on her heel, ready to roll out.
Makarov blinked. Wait, she's leaving? I still have lines left!
As the others turned to follow, he bolted after them, yelling from the doorway.
"Princess! The fire dragon's under a dried-up hot spring to the northwest! There's a clear marker on the path nearby—don't miss it!"
"Gotcha!" Erza's voice echoed back.
Hearing that, Makarov finally exhaled, slipping back inside. He fished a half-empty bottle of booze from the corner, a lazy grin spreading across his face.
"Who knew I'd get to play pretend at my age? Shame the fire dragon's heat turned my wine all lukewarm—otherwise, it'd be perfect."
"Once Erza and the crew wrap up their plot, I can hit the hot springs. Life's good."
Fanning himself with a hand, he sipped the tepid booze and muttered contentedly.
"Y'know, aside from the extra lines popping in my head, this world's pretty much spot-on like the real one."
"These kids these days—making some wild stuff."
---
Meanwhile, Erza's group reached the northwest spot and stared at the massive sign reading Looking for the Fire Dragon? This Way!
Ellipses floated over all their heads in unison.
Lucy jabbed a finger at it, her eye twitching. "=_= This hint's way too on-the-nose. Like, suspiciously fake-level obvious…"
Roger cleared his throat, forcing an explanation. "Maybe the Ice Priestess put it up so the princess wouldn't get lost."
"I mean, even the toughest warriors can miss a turn sometimes."
Lucy shot him a yeah right look. "If they're that tough, how do they even get lost? That's just being directionally challenged!"
She grumbled under her breath but fell in line behind them, heading into the tunnel.
The moment they stepped in, torches along the walls whooshed to life one by one, the orange-red glow chasing away the gloom.
They followed the flames downward.
The deeper they went, the hotter it got—sulfur thick in the air.
A weird exhaustion hit like a wave, weighing down their limbs like they'd just fought a three-day brawl.
Erza pulled out the Water Spirit Pearl, channeling a thread of magic into it. Four streams of clear blue light shot out, wrapping each of them—plus the dog—in a thin, shimmering film.
"Whoa, that's awesome!" Lucy gasped as the heat and fatigue melted away. "Not hot or tired anymore—just like that!"
"And super handy," Erza added, stowing the pearl with a nod. "Keeps the environment from messing with us mid-fight."
Right then, a blinding red glow spilled from the tunnel's end.
They picked up the pace—and bam, the space opened up into a massive red cavern, walls like glowing-hot stone.
In the center coiled a hulking dragon with dark-red scales… and, weirdly, a white checkered scarf looped around its neck.
Lucy's eyelid twitched hard. "That's definitely Natsu! Why's he still wearing that dumb scarf as a dragon?!"
She opened her mouth to rattle off the "standard knockout solution" from memory—when she saw Erza and Roger strolling right up to the beast like it was no big deal.
"Look—I can probably guess the answer," Lucy said, unable to hold back, "but you two aren't seriously about to just… charge in, are you?"
She pointed at the monster, voice shaky. "That's a dragon!"
"That's why it's a dragon—makes it fun," Roger chuckled, glancing at Erza. "Feels like forever since we teamed up like this, huh?"
"Yeah," Erza grinned, battle-lust sparking in her eyes. A white flash—and her outfit swapped to the dark-red Unyielding Barrier armor.
"Since we got stronger, we hardly run into foes that need both of us."
"A scrap like this every now and then? Not half bad."
Roger's hand glowed white too—a fancy staff taller than him materialized.
He gripped it right-handed and slammed the base into the ground with a thud.
A massive blue magic circle of swirling water patterns erupted under his feet.
[Abyssal Vortex]
The ground beneath the fire dragon turned into a churning blue whirlpool!
Countless razor-edged water blades slashed at the dragon scales, screeching like nails on a chalkboard!
Natsu yelped in pain, roaring mad. "You jerk—who's sneaking up on me?!"
His flame-wreathed claw swiped down, ripping the vortex clean in half!
A hiss of scalding steam exploded everywhere, fogging up the whole cave.
Meanwhile, Erza had drawn a longsword.
She inhaled deep, leaning forward into a coiled stance—power building till cracks spiderwebbed the stone under her feet.
[Enhance: Rend · Hardness · Armor Break]
[Enhance: Attack · Speed · Full Magic Boost]
Magic lights in every color raced along the blade and her body!
Raw power surged into the sword, making it hum faintly.
Then—boom—her legs exploded with force. She became a crimson streak, too fast to track, barreling at the dragon.
[Form One: Final Flash]
A blinding red sword-strike cracked like lightning. Natsu's underbelly scales shattered, hot dragon blood gushing out.
"Ow!! Erza, you sneak—!!" Natsu bellowed, jaws gaping wide. A massive fire pillar erupted, boiling the steam away in seconds!
Now he saw them clear.
"Not just Erza!! Roger too!!"
"You two ganging up?!"
No fear—just hype. His dragon eyes blazed. "Heh, now we're talking!"
He reared a flaming claw for a smash—then paused, a lightbulb moment hitting. Wait, I'm a dragon now! Way stronger than these two! Beat 'em here, and boom—S-Class wizard before that ice-puke loser!
Lucy: "=_= You're still obsessing over S-Class? You're plenty strong already…"
"What a weird hang-up…"
Natsu didn't care. His whole body whooshed with fiercer dark-red flames. "I'm fired up!!"
The blazing claw swung at Erza mid-air, no footing.
[Ice Domain: Thousand Spear Forest]
Hundreds of bone-chilling ice spears rained from Roger's side like a storm!
They doused the claw's flames and knocked it off-course with sheer force—Erza barely dodging.
"Erza—right flank!" Roger's voice cut cool and clear.
On instinct, she twisted right—landing on a sudden stone pillar that shot up. She bounced off it, launching faster at the dragon.
[Thousand Lights: Chaotic Sword Dance]
She blurred into a whirlwind of red shadows, slashing from every angle in endless combos!
Clang-clang-clang—metal on scale rang like frantic rain.
Her Unyielding Barrier glowed red, blocking the heat and fire backlash.
Whenever Natsu powered up to lock on and counter, Roger's magic zipped in—ice walls to block, rocks to trip, wind gusts to shove—always disrupting his rhythm or veering his strikes wide.
"They sync perfect," Lucy muttered, mesmerized by the seamless flow. "No words needed—they just know the next move, setting each other up on autopilot."
"Erza goes offense, Roger handles control and defense, neutralizing every ranged threat."
"And her dodges? They herd the enemy right into Roger's sweet spots."
"It's like they're toying with this powerhouse dragon."
Lucy gawked in awe—but Natsu? He was fuming, frustration boiling over.
His hits barely grazed Erza—either canceled by Roger's spells or deflected into nothing by weird force fields.
But her enchanted slices? Always sneaky angles, landing solid every time.
It was like charging in a game, only to get CC'd nonstop—raw power bottled up, ready to burst.
"Damn it!! Quit the tricks—let's fight fair and square!!"
Natsu roared, wings flapping a gale that nearly bowled Lucy over.
"Screw it! Take out Roger, and I win! Taste the fire dragon's wrath!!"
He zeroed in on the backline support, dragon bulk charging at max speed. His right claw, loaded with all that pent-up rage, whistled through the air and slammed down!
Roger didn't back off—he leaned in, smirking.
Hands tight on the staff, magic poured in. It clicked and whirred, reshaping fast.
In a blink, the fancy staff morphed into a massive two-handed greatsword, taller than him, gleaming dark gold.
He dropped into a low horse stance, muscles bulging, and swung the totally un-mage-like blade up to meet the flaming claw!
CLANG!!!
A deafening boom like a gong shook the cavern!
The shockwave hammered the walls.
Natsu's claw bounced off the golden sword! Roger? Untouched—except for the crater under his feet from the impact.
Lucy and Natsu gaped in sync. "(0_0) No way!?"
Natsu stared at his tingling claw, dragon face pure shock. "Wasn't that a staff?! How'd it turn into a huge sword?!"
Lucy pointed wildly, voice cracking. "Y-you're a mage, right?! How do you have that kinda strength?!"
Their questions overlapped.
Roger twirled the sword one-handed, eyebrow arched with a tease. "Who said it had to be a staff?"
"And who says a mage can't pack a punch too?"
He hefted the blade, deadpan. "A mage who can't melee? Ain't a proper swordsman."
Lucy clutched her forehead. "That's apples and oranges! Totally unfair!"
"You… you piss me off!" Natsu was losing it to this rule-breaker.
"Fine—gloves off!"
He threw his head back, maw wide—a colossal dark-red fireball of pure destruction brewed in his throat!
The heat softened the rocks around, melting them into dripping lava.
"W-wait!!" Lucy gulped, staring at the world-ender. "Isn't that a bit overkill?! We're in trouble!"
"Erza—hit from inside!" Roger called, charging his own hands.
"Copy!" Erza vaulted up, landing on the dragon's back.
She sheathed her sword, right fist clenched—magic flooding it like a storm.
[Eight Extremes Fist: Collapse]
The punch, packed with devastating force, smashed into Natsu's back scales!
Power pierced straight through to the guts!
"GRRAAH!! That—hurts!!!"
Natsu's eyes bulged, body spasming. The fireball destabilized from the gut-punch and fizzled out!
Roger seized the opening—lunging under the belly, weak spot exposed.
His right fist crackled with tiny magic arcs, hissing like lightning!
[Dragon Skeleton: Heaven-Shaking Force]
The upward haymaker exploded into the earlier slash wound!
BOOM!!!
A thunderous crack ripped from the impact!
Natsu's whole dragon frame launched skyward!
His gut caved like invisible hammers kept pounding—twisting mid-air!
The relentless shockwave hurled him up till—thud—he cratered into the ceiling.
Then he flopped down like a ragdoll, kicking up dust and rocks.
Natsu's eyes spiraled, sprawled out, mumbling weakly. "I… I give up…"
And with that, he conked out cold.
Lucy covered her mouth, floored. "Natsu… admitting defeat? Out loud?!"
"=_= Though, y'know, after tangling with these two? Kinda makes sense…"
She sidled up to Roger, poking at the unconscious dragon. "That last punch—layered forces that drilled right inside him, right?"
"Spot on," Roger nodded, breaking it down. "Dragon scales tank surface hits, so you want penetrating shockwaves—straight to the organs for max damage."
Erza strolled over, chiming in. "My opener softened his belly armor, setting you up."
"Then the flurry? Kept the pressure on and scrambled his head, throwing off his reads."
"After all, he's got the dragon edge here—and we're nerfed from real life."
"Slacking on strategy? We'd get wrecked."
Lucy blinked, surprised. "I figured you two were just bulldozing 'cause it's easy."
"Didn't peg you for tactic nerds."
"'Raw power' and 'smart plays' aren't opposites," Roger said, his staff flashing back to his Requip space.
On strategy, size up the foe and build unbreakable confidence. But in the thick of it, respect every enemy—prep for everything.
'Cause you never know what ace they've got hidden. Always hold back a little, just in case.
Lucy: =_= I get the wisdom—but why telepathy?
Roger quirked a brow, his mental reply laced with amusement. Don't forget—this 'show's live for a crowd. Some lines? Better half-said.
Lucy: ←_← Paranoid much?
Erza pulled out the Water Spirit Pearl—whoosh—blinding blue light flared, forcing everyone's eyes shut.
When it faded, they blinked open to… not the scorching cave anymore.
A dreamy aqua palace, walls and ceiling dotted with water-drop patterns—like the whole place flowed.
In the center, a small pool rippled gently. Hovering above it: an ancient longsword stabbed into a gray boulder.
"Congrats on thrashing that dumb, clumsy, brain-dead fire dragon idiot."
Gray sauntered out from the depths, grinning—wearing nothing but shorts.
Lucy eyed his getup, twitching. "Setting aside your super-personal grudge words… are you playing a perv right now?"
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