Statiw was not entirely satisfied with Cana's suggestion. However, it wasn't completely useless. Even with lighter enchanted clothing, he would still need some form of protection. But he wouldn't be able to adapt it specifically to different enemies on the fly. He could, in theory, layer multiple enchanted garments to defend against various magics, but that seemed cumbersome and inefficient.
"Thanks, Cana," Statiw said, scratching his head after thanking her. "I'll go ask some of the others. If it really doesn't work out, then this might be the only option."
"Wait!" Seeing Statiw about to go ask others, Mirajane pulled him back. She then extended a finger, a thoughtful look on her face. "I just thought about it carefully. Why are you so focused on purely defensive effects?"
"Huh?" Statiw was stunned.
"You could learn Transformation Magic," she suggested. "That way, you could transform into a more agile creature to dodge attacks. Though, that would put you in a more passive, evasive position." She wiggled her finger as she thought. "However, if you achieved a high level in Transformation Magic, you might even be able to directly transform into the forms of the constructs you materialize. Don't you already know their detailed data inside and out?"
"But..." Although Statiw was intrigued by Mirajane's idea, he still had reservations. "Wouldn't that prevent me from unleashing my maximum combat ability? Think about it, my ideal setup is having my materialized constructs at the front line, while I control the battlefield and provide support from the rear."
No sooner had Statiw finished speaking than Cana rolled her eyes before Mirajane could reply. "Now I believe Happy's assessment of you," Cana said with a smirk.
"Happy?" Statiw looked at Cana with a puzzled expression. "What did Happy say about me?"
Cana chuckled softly, then imitated Happy's high-pitched voice and silly mannerisms. "Oh~, Statiw is very devious. Natsu always falls right into the traps he sets..."
Upon hearing this, Statiw immediately understood that Happy was referring to the indirect methods he used during his duel with Natsu. However, even so, Statiw had no intention of letting the Exceed off the hook. He said with a sinister smile, "Happy dared to say that about me? It seems I must teach him a lesson. Next time, I'll tie him to a tree and eat a whole pile of fish right in front of him."
Cana, Elfman, and Mirajane all looked at Statiw speechlessly. Mirajane even retorted, "You're really mean; you can even think of something that cruel."
"That's right. This time, I'll make sure Happy, that forgetful cat, remembers the consequences of speaking ill of me." Statiw was unfazed by Mirajane's complaint and instead puffed out his chest, feeling rather pleased with his diabolical idea.
"Alright, I'm not interested in how you punish Happy," Mirajane said, seeing his indifference. She waved her hand dismissively. "Since you think using Transformation Magic would reduce your overall combat effectiveness, I have another idea."
"Oh?" Statiw's expression immediately changed to one of serious interest. He looked at Mirajane intently. "What's the plan?"
"It's simple," she said. "Since enemies getting close reduces your combat ability, then simply don't let enemies get close." With that, she raised her hand again, extending two fingers. "The second plan is to learn Barrier Magic. Before a battle, you could set up a defensive barrier to completely prevent enemies from reaching you. The drawback is that high-level Barrier Magic is very difficult to learn and requires immense concentration and power."
After Mirajane finished speaking, Statiw's eyes lit up. The second plan was very much to his liking. A powerful, preemptive defense fit his strategic style perfectly. As for the difficulty of learning it, that was not a significant problem for Statiw. His unique magical talent allowed him to grasp complex theoretical knowledge quickly; all that remained was the practical application and building up the necessary magic power.
Now that he had a promising solution, Statiw immediately bid farewell to Mirajane, Elfman, and Cana, ready to return home and begin researching Barrier Magic.
However, just as he was about to leave, Natsu, who had been sound asleep since Statiw hypnotized him, finally woke up. After Lisanna, who had been keeping an eye on him, explained the situation, he immediately shot to his feet and charged towards Statiw, shouting, "Statiw, you cheated! Our duel isn't over yet!"
"Sorry, Natsu. I have something important to do, so I won't play with you right now," Statiw said, hearing Natsu's shouts. He turned and walked out the door, waving a hand dismissively at Natsu, who was rushing towards him.
Natsu paid no attention to his words. But after he chased out of the guild, he hadn't run more than a few steps before he realized Statiw's figure had already disappeared. He scratched his head, chased a few more steps, and sniffed the surrounding air hard with his nose, but when he truly couldn't find a scent trail, Natsu returned to the guild, feeling very displeased and grumbling.
After Natsu had fully entered the guild, Statiw quietly emerged from a shadowy corner nearby, dropping a simple cloaking spell that had masked his presence and scent. He looked at the guild's main entrance and let out a long sigh of relief. To be honest, after Lisanna had given Natsu the idea to pester him for a 'fair' rematch, Statiw had become genuinely wary of the fire mage.
Just imagine, when you're in the restroom doing your business, there's always a person and a blue cat staring at you intently, and what's even worse, those two keep commenting on you, one after another. That feeling is really...
After emerging from his hiding spot, Statiw, before Natsu could think to get outside help like Happy to track him, scurried quickly back to his home.
However, in reality, Natsu didn't go looking for help. After returning to the guild, he found a seat, looking supremely displeased, and then angrily slammed his fist on the table. A loud 'BANG!' echoed throughout the entire guild hall.
Immediately, in the next second, an extremely terrifying and gloomy voice entered Natsu's ears: "Natsu... how dare you do such a thing..."
Upon hearing this, Natsu instinctively looked up and saw Erza, who had been sitting at a nearby table. She was now covered in strawberry cream and cake, her unfinished dessert splattered on the floor. Natsu immediately realized that things had just gone very, very badly. He quickly extended his hands, gesticulating frantically, trying to explain. "Er... Erza, listen to me... it was an accident!"
Unfortunately, Erza was in a rage and had no patience to listen to him. She suddenly stood up, her aura darkening. "REQUIP!" she shouted.
In a flash of light, her armor transformed into a set of fierce red plate mail, and her hair styled itself into twin tails. This was one of Erza's newer armors: the Flame Empress Armor. Moreover, astonishingly, the cream that had been smeared on her face had also vanished, wiped away by the magic of her requip.
After the transformation was complete, she held a massive zweihander sword, her eyes flashing with fury. She roared at Natsu, "Accept your punishment, Natsu! I will avenge my strawberry cake!"
"No, don't! I'll buy you a new one! Ten new ones!" As Erza lunged forward, Natsu's wails of despair instantly erupted throughout the guild.
Statiw, who was already a good distance from the guild, thought he heard a faint, distant scream. He turned his head to look back in the direction of the guild, a puzzled expression on his face. He scratched his head and muttered to himself, "Did I just hear Natsu wailing? ...Nah, impossible. Must be my imagination."
With that, he shook his head and continued on his way home without looking back...