With Great Power Comes Great Responsibilty

Chapter 53

A few weeks later, a group of thugs broke into a chemical plant to steal a newly developed drug designed to rapidly enhance the strength and immunity of white blood cells. The drug hadn't undergone testing yet, which is why it hadn't been released to the public—but if it worked, it would be worth millions. Naturally, criminals looking to make a quick buck saw an opportunity they couldn't pass up.

The break-in triggered an alarm, summoning the police—and as expected, Natsu and Gray were dispatched to intercept the intruders. They arrived just in time to find the thieves attempting to flee the building with crates full of the experimental drug.

"Excuse me," Gray called out. "Do you guys have a prescription for those?"

One of the thieves spun around, eyes wide. "It's Red Dragon and Blue Tiger!"

"Well, don't just stand there—shoot 'em!" another shouted.

The gang pulled their guns and opened fire. Natsu and Gray dodged the bullets with ease, dropping from the ceiling and launching themselves into the fray. It was five against two, but the heroes' advanced abilities more than made up for being outnumbered. Within moments, they'd disarmed the attackers and started taking them down one by one.

But the fifth thug was different—bigger, stronger, and more aggressive. He and Gray clashed in a brutal struggle, slamming each other into a stack of crates. The impact shattered the glass test tubes inside, spilling the glowing chemical substance across both of them.

Natsu quickly joined the fight, and together they managed to bring the brute to his knees. With all five thugs subdued, the duo restrained them and left the cleanup to the police, who arrived moments later to take the criminals into custody.

"Another job done," Natsu said with a grin. "And not a single scratch."

"Speak for yourself," Gray muttered, trying to wipe the chemical residue off his skin. "The broken glass from those test tubes shredded my back. And now I'm soaked in mystery chemicals. If Aunt Ur saw me like this, she'd lose her mind."

"To be fair, it is a medical drug," Natsu smirked. "She probably wouldn't freak out too much. But seriously—are you okay?"

"I'll live. A few cuts never killed anyone."

"You sure you didn't get any glass stuck in your back?"

"Pretty sure."

"Want to swing by Erza's place and have her patch you up?"

"Nah, I got it. I'll head home, take a shower, sleep it off. I'll be good as new by morning."

"Alright. See you tomorrow, then."

"Yeah. Later."

Gray expected to wake up sore the next morning—but surprisingly, his back didn't ache at all. In fact, he felt great. Confused but not complaining, he shrugged it off, got ready, and headed to class.

By noon, his third class had just ended. He was packing up to head to lunch when a familiar voice called out to him from across the hallway.

"Gray!"

He turned to see Juvia waving enthusiastically as she hurried toward him.

"Oh, hey Juvia," he said with a small smile. "How's it going?"

"Great! I just got the best news ever, and I couldn't wait to tell someone."

"Oh yeah? What is it?"

"My performance got a great review in the paper—and a director saw it. He called me this morning and offered me an audition!"