With Great Power Comes Great Responsibilty

Chapter 4

When Gray got home that night he felt very strange. His head started to spin, his face was burning up, and his legs were becoming numb. In a swoon, he passed out on his bed. It was the scratch on his arm that did this to him and it was the bite that Natsu received to kept him unconscious as well. It turns out the dragon and tiger that attacked them were part of an experiment Dr. Kingston was working on.

His plan was to mix the D.N.A of various animals together into a formula that once injected into a human body would give that human abilities of the animals. It was a way of giving humans a better chance at avoiding danger and surviving deathly illnesses. But before he could extract the D.N.A from the animals he wanted to enhance their strengths, abilities, and senses of his two strongest profiles: The Komodo Dragon and the Sumatran Tiger.

Due to the police both animals were dead but they had managed to unintentionally infect the boys with their own mutated D.N.A that would transform and change their genetic make up.

It was morning when Natsu woke up and the first thing he saw was his father's smiling face.

"How are you feeling son?" Igneel asked.

"I've got a bit of a headache but I think I'll live. What happened to me?"

"You were attacked by a giant lizard and you've been out of it all night."

"Do I still have my hand or was it eaten?"

"See for yourself."

Natsu looked to see that his hand, although bandaged was still attached to his arm.

"Was anyone else hurt?"

"Gray was attacked by that tiger that had gotten loose but he only got a scratch. They sent him home with Ur last night. You should have seen her Natsu, she was a nervous wreck."

"Sounds like typical Ur."

"If I may ask son how on Earth did that thing get you?"

"Uh...I was doing something stupid. Nothing important Dad."

"Excuse me?" At the door to Natsu's room was Lucy. "May I come in?"

"Lucy!" Natsu said nervously. "Sure. What are you doing here?"

"I heard about what happened to your from Professor Clive and I just felt so terrible. Especially since you ended up like this because you saved me."

"Saved you?" Igneel said with a grin and an eyebrow raise.

"Yes. It was really brave of you Natsu. Thank you. You really are the nicest guy."

"Oh no I'm not." Natsu said blushing.

"You are. You really are. I don't think anyone could ask for a better friend."

"Oh...A friend." He sighed.

"Yes. Anyway I'm glad to see that you're feeling better. I'd like to stay longer and talk but I have a date. See you on Monday?"

"Yeah."

"Great. Bye Natsu, it was nice to see you again Mr. Dragneel."

"You too Lucy." Igneel said.

When she was gone he looked back at his son with an even bigger grin.

"So you got that bite doing something stupid and not important huh?"

"Okay so maybe it wasn't that stupid or unimportant? It went after Lucy so I went to her rescue."

"I see. You know you never told me that you had a girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend. You heard her Dad, she's seeing someone."

"She's Captain Jude Heartfilia's daughter right?"

"Uh-huh."

"He's a very good man and from what I hear about Miss Lucy she's a very remarkable young lady."

"It'll never happen Dad. Gray and I have both dreamed of going out with her but we know that neither one of us have a chance with her."

"Well I believe that Gray doesn't have a chance with her because she doesn't seem right for him."

"What do you mean?"

"She's a great a girl Natsu but she's a little too exciting and risky for someone like Gray. He needs a girl that's more humble and gentle, but Lucy's perfect for someone like you."

"She's too perfect for someone like me."

"I wouldn't say that. She's out going, cheerful, and very bright, someone who can really get you out of your shell."

"My shell?"

"You are a little shy and timid son but you have a lot to offer that girl."

"I appreciate you trying to support me Dad but right now I really don't want to talk about the sad pathetic story that is my love life."

Igneel chuckled and later went to check his son out of the hospital. In the bathroom as Natsu was changing back into his clothes he realized that he had developed upper body strength and rugged muscles.

"Whoa!" Natsu said looking at his new muscles in the bathroom mirror. "I wonder if this is a new type of growth spurt."

After getting dressed, he and his father went home.

"How about some breakfast Natsu?" Igneel suggested.

"Sounds great."

He pulled out a frying pan and started to cook up some eggs and bacon.

"Get your plate ready son." Igneel said. "Here comes the first egg."

With his back turned, Igneel tossed the fried egg up from the frying pan but Natsu didn't catch it with his plate as he always did. He caught it with his tongue which instinctively flicked out of his mouth like a serpent's and he swallowed it in one gulp much to his amazement.

"Huh?!" Natsu said confused.

"Everything alright Natsu?" Igneel asked.

"Yes. I just need to go to the bathroom right now. Excuse me Dad."

He went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. He opened his mouth and was shocked to find that his tongue had become long and forked. His teeth had changed too, they had become pointed but very thin and had glands like the teeth of a reptile. But what shocked him the most was his eyes. Normally they were black but now they had turned yellow.

"What the hell? Am I hallucinating or something?"

He closed his eyes and shook his head a few times. When he opened his eyes again and looked back in the mirror his tongue, teeth, and eyes were completely normal.

"Must be because I haven't eaten yet. Yeah that's it. I'm so hungry that I'm imagining things. I better go eat before I start seeing myself with a third eye."