Fairy Tail: The Dark Swordsman

81 - Return of Gildarts

[X784, Fairy Tail]

— Dannis Martell —

"Is this really happening?"

"It sure is."

"You think Natsu stands a chance?"

"Of course not, this is Laxus we're talking about!"

The voices continued drifting across the guild's newly restored training yard, with much excited chatter and laughter echoing as more and more members of Fairy Tail gathered to watch the spectacle.

Dannis leaned against the railing of the second floor balcony, arms folded, watching the two mages below.

On the left side was Natsu, grinning and excited as he stretched by the field. On the right was Laxus, his posture relaxed as he matched the Fire Dragon Slayer's grin with a smirk.

"There he goes, challenging the S-Class mages again." Lucy sighed, resting her chin in her hands.

"You'd think he'd learn after the last time with Erza," Gray muttered, shaking his head. But Dannis knew he was just as excited as anyone else. They were Fairy Tail, after all. If someone wasn't fighting, something was wrong.

Apparently, Laxus had promised Natsu a fight during the Tower of Heaven. The bets were all already in place, and people were just waiting for it to begin.

Obviously, everyone bet on Laxus. No one in their right mind would vote for Natsu.

"Hey, Dannis!" Cana's voice rang out as she appeared beside him, carrying a jingling box full of cash. "Stop brooding around and have fun! Who you got in the fight?"

"Are you kidding? Ten thousand jewels on Laxus."

"Now that's more like it!"

Mira came up beside him, a faint curve on the edge of her lips. "Do you think Natsu could put up a fight?"

"It's hard to say." Dannis replied, studying Natsu's stance. "He's definitely gotten a lot better, but we'll have to see just how much he improved."

Their match began immediately, with Freed being the referee. Natsu lunged forward with a roar of fire, getting the crowd even more excited. Laxus just lifted a forearm, blocking Natsu's kick.

"You're going to have to do better than that, Natsu!"

With a crack of thunder, Laxus swept his arm and sent Natsu flying back. The pink-haired dragon slayer flipped in mid air and landed with both feet, the soles of his feet igniting into flames as he rocketed forward.

"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"

Laxus dodged to the side, knocking Natsu down with a downwards chop. "Don't be too predictable in your movements!"

Dannis raised an eyebrow as the fight continued following the same pattern. Natsu continued being on the offensive as Laxus was content in merely dodging and countering. But everytime, he kept giving short critiques whenever he spotted a mistake in Natsu's combat style.

"Utilize your surroundings!"

"React faster, Natsu!"

"Pull in your magic quicker! Don't wait for your enemy!"

They were quite the rough and tumble kind of lessons, but it was obviously working. It might not look like it, but Natsu was quickly improving. Behind the loudmouth were instincts made for combat. Dannis didn't doubt that Natsu would be a real monster in the future.

Especially if that monster was trained by another monster. By Mavis, the world wouldn't survive.

Laxus certainly changed. The old him would've just punted Natsu to the ground and be done with it. But now, he was calmer, measured—still just as powerful, but no longer trying to prove it with every blow.