With Great Power Comes Great Responsibilty

Chapter 19

A week had passed since the lizard incident and Professor Clive had returned to teaching seemingly normal but Natsu and Gray wanted to make extra sure that he was alright. So after class they went to pay Erza a visit, according to one of her co workers she was in a lab working on something. But when they got there they heard strange noises coming from behind the door.

"Please stop it! Don't touch me!" They heard Erza scream followed by the sound of glass and other things breaking. "What are you doing?! Stop it! This is exactly why I left!"

"Why? Because you found someone else?!" They heard a man's voice shout.

"What the heck?" Gray opened the door. "Erza? Is everything alright?"

The whole lab was in shambles and standing across from Erza was a young man though he was older than Natsu and Gray, wearing clothing that looked like a cross between a hunter from a safari and savage wild animal. He was good looking but his eyes seemed to be filled with some kind of madness.

"Who are you?" Natsu asked. "What's going on here?"

"Stay out!" He shouted before throwing a desk at the door.

While he was distracted, Erza quickly slipped out through the fire escape and climbed up to the roof of the building. The strange man followed after her. Seeing their must trusted friend in danger, Natsu and Gray immediately changed into their costumes and rushed to her aid.

"Erza you cannot give your heart to another man!" The maniac said once he had her cornered on the roof top.

"Don't touch me! Stay away!" She cried as he walked closer to her.

"I love you. I do not want to harm you."

"That's up for debate." Natsu then swung down in his super hero alter ego and kicked the man away from Erza while Gray in his alter ego, grabbed her and moved her to the safety of another rooftop.

"Are you alright?" He asked her.

"Yes I'm fine." She assured him.

On top of the other roof top, Natsu and the man were wrestling each other for dominance. The dragon themed superhero was amazed by the strength of his opponent, he was on the same level of strength as he was.

"Whoever you are! This is none of your concern!" The man said.

"After what you just did Erza, I'm concerned enough to haul you into the police!" Natsu said.

The man attempted to hit Natsu with a crow bar but he grabbed hold of him and flipped over the building.

"Jellal!" She screamed when she saw him fall over.

The three of them looked over the edges of the buildings they were standing on but they didn't see the man anywhere on the ground.

"Where did he go?" Natsu wondered.

"Strange. He's disappeared." Gray said.

"Oh he'll be back." Erza said looking more frightened than Gray had ever seen her. "You can't stop him! Nothing can stop him!"

"What do you mean? Who is that guy?"

"I'll explain everything to you two but first get me out of here. Before he returns."

They went to Kardia Cathedral and hid up in the bell tower where Erza told them the whole story.

"His name is Jellal Fernandes." She said. "It all started when my mother, a scientist in animology got a new job that transferred both her and myself to the wild and untame Galuna Island. There we had a guide lead us through the jungle and I befriended his son Jellal. We were children when we first met and we spent our entire childhood exploring and learning about the exciting world of the jungle. Upon reaching adulthood, he took over his father's job as a tour guide and became a skilled hunter while I studied to become a medical student traveling between here and Galuna so I that could cure the fatal diseases that were spreading on that island. He often helped me on my search for herbs and other plants that I could use for medicine, during all that time we spent together we realized that our friendship had become something much more and we fell in love."

"So when did he go crazy? Did the heat get to him or something?" Natsu asked.

"No. After synthesizing several exotic plants that I had discovered on my expeditions, I created something most fascinating. A miracle drug that could cure an injury or illness but I wasn't sure if it was stable or not. I was going to test it out on an elephant who had recently broken his ankle when suddenly I was attacked by wolves. Jellal came to my defense and saved my life but he was seriously injured in the process. I was so desperate to save him that I gave him the drug without testing it first, something that will haunt me for the rest of my life."

"Why? What happened to him?"

"At first he was fine. He recovered miraculously and he seemed to be well but later the drug had a terrible side effect on him. It made him feral, primal, beastlike. He had gone completely mad and he started to behave like a wild animal. He had alos become very jealous and possessive of me, after he attacked an assistant of mine who he believed I was having an affair with I asked the authorities of Galuna to hold him there and I fled back to Magnolia where I could I work on a cure for his condition. But somehow he broke out and he found me here."

"Don't worry Erza we'll protect you from him."

"It's not my safety I'm worried about. He won't hurt me, I know that for a fact but he may hurt someone else to get to me."

"Do you know any safe place you could stay at?" Gray asked.

"I have an old friend from my early years in college who might be able to hide me but I'm afraid of what Jellal might do to her if he finds me."

"We'll find him before he finds you." Natsu said.

"Then we'll have a clinic hold him until you finish the cure." Gray added.

"I don't know if you two stand much of a chance against him. He has your strength and your agility, those combined together in any man would make him unstoppable."

"Can't hurt to try right? Wait a minute don't answer that. Look Erza we can't just leave that psycho to run around the city and do God knows what. We have to stop him."

"Alright but please don't hurt him. He's not a criminal he's just sick."

"We make no promises." Natsu said.

"We'll try not to hurt him." Gray said.

"Gray you take Erza to her friend's place while I look for animal boy, we'll meet back here in an hour."

"Right."