36

Natsu and Wendy stopped and sat down on a small log within the densely packed forest they'd found themselves in. After a day and a half of searching, the pair were still no closer to tracking down the lair of the Drakes.

"Their scent is starting to fade," Natsu muttered quietly to himself. "If we don't find them soon, we'll be forced to wait for them to attack again…"

"Well, we at least know that the scent is concentrated around these two mountains," Wendy pointed out, eliciting a hum of agreement from the older Slayer.

"That is true, at least we managed to determine that early on," Natsu sighed, staring up at the peak of the nearest mountain, deep in thought. "But remember, nothing is stopping them from relocating as we fumble around trying to pinpoint their location?"

"How do you know so much about Drakes Natsu? You seem to know everything about how they act?"

"Heh. Now that's a good question, isn't it? Although, to be honest, if it wasn't for Gildarts, I probably would've died against my first Drake years ago. Back when I was around your age, I ran off from the Guild with Gildarts to train," Natsu explained casually. "I wanted to become strong like him, and he ended up taking me to the Scarlione Empire, which is a country that borders ours."

"You went that far at my age? Weren't you scared at all?"

"Scared? Wendy, I ran off without telling Erza, so being scared was the least of my concerns," Natsu replied with an amused chuckle. "See, Erza and I used to be rivals back then, and we'd spend all our time training, doing jobs, or hanging out at the Guild. Back then, life was good. And honestly, I thought things were going great. But then, the S Class Promotion Trials came around."

"S Class Promotion Trials? What are they?"

"Oh, I forgot that you probably don't know what S Class even is… An S Class Mage is someone who is able to demonstrate certain qualities that make them, well, I suppose you could say, better, than a regular Mage. Now, you're probably thinking that I ran off with Gildarts to gain power, just so I could be S Class, right?

"Uh…"

"You would be wrong, of course," Natsu continued, not even giving her a chance to interrupt. "See, you need to have more than just raw power to be S Class, which was something I didn't understand until selections for the S Class Promotion Trials came around."

"I'm not sure I quite get it though Natsu? Why would you run away if you wanted to become S Class," Wendy asked curiously. "Wouldn't that make you seem less desirable?"

"Well, that's technically correct," Natsu chuckled in response. "What I did was extremely irresponsible, and I probably should have been kicked out of Fairy Tail for it. That aside though, I ran away to get stronger, but not to become S Class…"

"Wait…I'm confused? You just said-?"

"Becoming S Class when I was younger was something I always wanted. I thought it was cool, that only the best could be S Class," Natsu explained. "I thought that if I was S Class, it meant that I was one of the strongest in the Guild and they'd all have to respect me."

"And… I'm guessing that isn't what it means to be S Class, right?"

"No, its most certainly not. Little me got a fat serving of the reality of being a Guild Mage one day when a girl, just a few years younger than you, was brutally slaughtered, in a mission gone wrong."

"What-!?"

"She was the younger Sister of Mirajane, the girl who was snuggling you back in the Guild Hall before we bolted," Natsu explained, as Wendy's eyes widened in shock. "Mira was one of our strongest Mages back then, and an S Class Mage. Little me learned that being S Class doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things… What matters, is how strong you are, and how well trained your abilities are. Pointless titles such as S Class are nice to puff up your ego a little, but they don't matter when you're facing down a monster, do they?"

"No, I suppose they don't…"

"That, that is what makes a good S Class Mage, Wendy," Natsu smiled, as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Once you recognize that this isn't all fun and games, and that lives are at stake… Once you show that you understand what it means to hold the lives of others in your hands, is when you're ready to become an S Class Mage."

"Wow…"

"Now," Natsu said suddenly, snapping Wendy out of her entranced stupor, as he clapped his hands and stood back up. "You're probably wondering why I told you all this, right?"

"I assume this is part of what you said about training me?"

"It is, yes," Natsu nodded, as he stepped closer to the Sky Dragon Slayer. "But, its an important lesson for right this second…"

Wendy was confused as he gently picked her up, freezing in place for a moment, before they were suddenly thirty feet away from where they had just been mere moments ago.

To her shock, a thick, greenish gas swept through the area they had just been sitting, quickly exploding, shaking the entire area violently, as Natsu held her tightly.

"What was that Natsu," Wendy gasped with a worried expression, feeling the ground to continue to shake.

"Show yourself, Drake," Natsu barked out in a demanding tone, ignoring Wendy's question, as he slowly put her down.

"Hmm? You reacted rather quickly to my mist, fleshling, didn't you? I take it you must be quite the hunter to react to my mist so quickly…"

"First off, I'm no ordinary hunter," Natsu replied firmly, with Wendy's eyes darting around to try and locate the Drake. "And second, your camouflage isn't fooling me!"

"Well now, isn't that a shame…? I was hoping for a quick snack before the others arrived, but it seems you might be more trouble than you're worth," the Drake snarled, as it slowly emerged from the tree-line. "Although, the small one doesn't seem so bad… Hand her to me, and I'll let you live? Now, doesn't that sound like a good deal?"

Wendy looked up at Natsu whose expression had not changed, as he gazed down the moss green colored Drake, its small wings and tail flitting and flapping wildly in anticipation.

"You Drakes are all the same, no matter where I go," Natsu scoffed, placing a hand atop Wendy's head in an assuring manner. "Always demanding, always violent, and always causing a nuisance of yourselves! Not a trace of the regal and majestic ways of the mighty Dragons…"

"They have nothing to do with this," the Drake huffed. "Hand the girl over, I'm hungry!?"

"I've got something better for you," Natsu countered evenly.

"Oh? And what would that be," the Drake asked with an amused expression, before it gave way to a look of fear, as Natsu began powering up into his Flame Drive.

"You have five seconds to start running… before I tear you apart for even having the gall to ask me to serve up Wendy to you," Natsu hissed, the Drake taking several steps backward slowly.

The Drake looked between Natsu and Wendy for several moments, still pacing backward, as it mumbled something under its breath.

"Yeah," Natsu snarled, having heard what it muttered to itself, surprising it, as it took to the skies and flew off at high speed. "Come on Wendy, let's chase after it!"

"Right! Um, but didn't it say just now that it had friends?"

"Yeah, he did," Natsu nodded slowly as he picked her up. "Let's get after it!"

***POTD***

The two Dragon Slayers pursued the Drake across the densely packed forest, with Natsu carrying Wendy since she was still far too slow to be able to move at his speed.

"This Drake doesn't seem very smart," Wendy yelled over the sound rushing wind. "Its taking us right back to its lair!"

"If it was any old creature, then yes, that would be a stupid move! But Drakes aren't your garden variety creature Wendy," Natsu replied loudly in response. "Think about this way, the Drake can use some sort of explosive mist, right? If we chase the Drake into its lair, then I would say there's a ninety percent chance that it's a trap."

The pair skidded to a stop, as the Drake shot into a cave entrance, spraying the entrance with the mist.

"So, what do we do now? The Drake just laced the cave entrance with that mist, and it'll probably be in there for a good while?"

"Well, considering what we have between us ability wise, we have several options. First option is, I could blow up the mountain with my Crash Magic, forcing them into the open? Second option is, we can wait for them to leave themselves, whenever that may be? Or the last option is, we can go into the lair, and hope it's not a trap?"

"All of those plans are really bad Natsu…"

"Well, you're only saying that since you've probably never blown up something before," Natsu replied with an amused smirk. "Still, perhaps this could be a good bit of training for you? Pick one of the options, and we'll go with it?"

"Are you serious? I just said all three options were bad!?"

"And?"

"B-But what about our safety-!?"

"We're about to fight Drakes, Wendy… Safety was never an option."

Wendy sighed, realizing that, although it was a terrible response, he wasn't exactly wrong in what he was saying. So, she began pondering which option to choose.

"Destroying the mountain, while it is the craziest option, is probably the quickest and safest one, since rushing into the lair could be a trap like you said. Going into the lair would take longer, because we'd have to be cautious of it being a trap. And, waiting for them to leave is probably the worst option, since Drakes probably don't have to leave for a long time, right?"

Natsu nodded approvingly at her assessment, petting her head again as he looked back over at the Drake's lair.

"I'm glad you're looking at the situation with safety and time in mind Wendy, it's a good trait to have when assessing any situation. But did you consider any other possibilities, like there being other Drakes outside the lair? Or, what if I destroy the mountain, and there are ten or more Drakes in there, and we're forced to fight all of them?"

Wendy looked up at Natsu, appearing rather sad that he'd chosen to pick at her response, rather than just solely praise her. Chuckling lightly, he dropped down to one knee, and placed both hands on her shoulders gently.

"Hey, I'm not trying to pick at your choice Wendy, I'm trying to teach you, remember? Criticism sucks, I know, but it will also save your life one day you know? When I was your age, I would have chosen to just charge into the cave, consequences be damned, and often times I got beat to Hell and back."

"Right," Wendy sighed. "I guess I'm just not used to all this stuff…"

"You will be little one, you will be," Natsu replied, gently petting her cheek before rising back to his feet. "Now, try and pick an option you think will work?"

"Well, I think we should go into the lair… Blowing up the mountain would be easier and safer, but like you said, we don't know what's inside there? Plus, I just realized that I can actually get us past the gas too."

"See, now you're starting to use your head," Natsu grinned as they slowly approached the lair. "Remember, this is a team effort, not just me? You might not be as powerful as me right now, but you can do things I can't do."

Wendy nodded and crossed her arms, before extending them outward, creating a modest gust of wind that blew all the gas away from the entrance and off into the distance. Once that was done, Wendy sighed, and turned toward Natsu.

"Is this how Gildarts trained you," she asked curiously. "Did he just throw you into random situations like this and expect you to solve them yourself?"

"Yeah, something like that," Natsu smiled as he ruffled her hair, before motioning for her to follow behind him. "Just swap Drakes with things like Dark Mages, Hydras, Basilisks, and all manner of things that can eat a man whole."

Wendy winced, looking at Natsu's scars and beginning to realize just why he had so many, before shaking her head and following quickly after him into the lair. Once they made decent progress into it, both Slayers begin sniffing the air.

"I can smell… multiple Drakes," Wendy whispered. "I hope they don't know we got inside just yet?"

"They probably do, but its alright."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We're following your plan, so its bound to be alright, right?"

"B-But you just said that-!"

"I said you decide what approach we should make, and we go from there to see where it takes us? I'm here to support you, but this is your first time learning how to take charge in any capacity. Better to learn when you have me at your back, rather than someone weaker than you, right?"

Wendy sighed, but nodded, clearly not buying what he was saying, as a low rumbling sound echoed through the deep cave system. It didn't take long for the pair to find what was generating the noise.

Reaching the back of the cave, the two found a Drake that appeared to be asleep. Natsu looked to Wendy, who appeared somewhat frightened by the large creature, before placing a hand on her shoulder, and stepping in front of her.

"Good job, but I'll take it from here," Natsu smiled, as he turned to look over at a darker section of the cave. "Out you come…"

"That nose of yours is rather irksome, Dragon Slayer," the moss green colored Drake snarled, as it slowly walked out of the darkness. "You must seriously have a death wish if you thought coming into our lair was a good idea…?"

"Brave or foolish, I suppose that remains to be seen, doesn't it," Natsu replied calmly, as the Drake closest to the pair let out a low growl, steam filtering through its grit teeth.

"You know of our kind, Human, and yet you don't appear afraid of us like the small one… Is this confidence warranted, or are you merely bluffing?"

"You know as well as I do, we wouldn't be here if we didn't think we stood a chance. The fact we know what you are, and still came regardless, should tell you all you need, Drake."

The Drake looked at Natsu, before stepping forward into the light, it's light grey scales illuminated by the dull flame burning in the corner.

"We smell an unusual scent on the two of you… It is a scent that hasn't been around for centuries, at the very least? Before we gut you, Human, tell us the location of the Dragons!?"

"Beats me where they are," Natsu scoffed in response. "But even if we did know, we'd never tell your kind. Igneel always said your kind was stupid, but this is just sad."

"Your words do not aggravate me Human. Rather, they only serve as a reminder of the superiority of our race to yours!"

"Yeah, that's pretty much what the last Drake I fought said, and it didn't do too well for him. Besides, you're the one doing all the talking here, aren't you? Why don't you tear me to shreds like you keep saying? Unless… you're afraid?"

"Afraid!? That is utter nonsense, Human," the moss green colored Drake roared in response. "If a quick death is what you seek, then we shall grant it to you!"

The two Drakes rushed forward, as Natsu grabbed Wendy, propelling them back out of the cave using a burst of flame at his feet.

"Fight it is then," Natsu grinned, holding tightly onto Wendy. "We'll get them back outside, since this cave is a bit too small for my attacks!"

"Natsu, look out," Wendy cried out, as the grey colored Drake quickly caught up to them, right as they reached the cave entrance.

"Alright Wendy, give this everything you've got," Natsu barked out, as he tossed her lightly to the side, spinning around to engage the grey scaled Drake. "These two are coming for our lives!"

"Right," Wendy responded sharply, a determined expression on her face.

"I'll tear you in half Human," the Drake roared, cocking back its right claw. "Steam Drake's Scalding Claw!"

"Fire Dragon King's Quaking Talon," Natsu snapped back, as he kicked the Drake's claw out of the way with ease using his left foot, following up the counter as his right fist ignited with flame. "Fire Dragon King's Quaking Iron Fist!"

The Drake roared as Natsu slugged it across the side of its face, knocking it into the left side wall of the cave entrance. As it stumbled, clearly taken aback by the sheer power behind the strike, Wendy quickly moved to follow up.

"Now it's my turn," the Sky Dragon Slayer shouted, as she took a deep breath, her chest puffing up. "Sky Dragon's Roar!"

Unleashing a vortex of powerful wind at the already stumbling Drake, it struck it directly into the side, sending it flying back into the wall, the beast screeching in a mixture of pain and confusion as it struggled to regain its bearings.

"Foolish Humans, those attacks are child's play," the other Drake snarled, emerging from the cave.

"Is that so? Well, your buddy there isn't looking too good," Natsu responded with a smug grin, as the grey scaled Drake staggered over toward the moss green colored one.

Where Natsu had landed his blows, large cracks had appeared in the Drakes scales, startling the green scaled one as it appeared to realize just what they were dealing with.

"Impossible!?"

"Still think I was bluffing when I said I fought one before?"

The two Drakes simply roared in response, and charged the duo. Thinking quickly, Natsu grabbed onto Wendy, and quickly started sprinting up the side of the mountain, leaving small craters with each rapid step.

"Not a bad breath attack back there Wendy," Natsu said between steps. "Nice job!"

"Thanks! I still can't believe you can use the King variant of your Dragon Slayer Magic!?"

"Hey, we'll get you there sometime soon Wendy, count on it" Natsu replied, spinning mid-step as a large blast of steam shot past the pair.

"What was that," Wendy gasped in shock, as Natsu shot her an amused grin.

"The grey scaled one is a Steam Drake," Natsu replied quickly. "We caught a lucky break with these idiots!"

"And how exactly is steam good!?"

"You control the element of wind, and I control the element of fire, right!? Think about it Wendy, what do those two elements have in common with steam?"

Wendy thought for a moment, as Natsu dodged several more shots of steam, with the two reaching the mountain's peak.

"Our elements have the advantage! Mine can dispel the steam, and your element generates it! That means we have the stronger category of elements than the Steam Drake, right!?"

"That's right! Now, we know the other one is a Gas Drake of some kind, which means at least you have an advantage over it," Natsu replied, as the two Drakes quickly arrived at the peak, landing quickly.

"Nowhere left to run, Humans!"

"Run? Who said we were running?"

The two Drakes looked at each other, before looking back at the two Slayers with loathing and hatred. Natsu also noticed that the Steam Drake was bleeding now from where he'd struck it, a further boon for their side.

"Even in the face of death, your confidence is detestable, Human… It annoys us greatly that you have managed to last even thirty seconds against us, when all other Humans fell so quickly!"

"Considering that the only Humans you've been fighting have been farmers and children, I'd say any records you set aren't valid. Also, if you didn't already notice, I've brought us to the peak of the highest mountain in the area, something which makes things a lot worse for you?"

"Is that so? Have you already forgotten that we can fly? That we are creatures of the open skies? You've only brought us to our domain!"

"Your domain? The skies of Earthland aren't your domain, Drakes… They're the domain of the Dragons!"

The Drakes took several steps back, as Natsu began to power up, scales appearing all over his body. Wendy watched Natsu in awe, knowing full well what was coming next.

The flames quickly subsided, the smoke being blown away by the heavy wind at the peak of the mountain, to reveal Natsu in his Dragon Force form, wings fully outstretched as he slowly flapped them, taking to the skies.

"What's wrong Drakes, you look like you've seen a ghost? What happened, is the domain of the mighty Drakes not enough? Oh, and by the way, this isn't even why I brought us here you know? I brought us here, because now I can go all out without worrying about civilians…."

"So, you have the Dragon Force, what of it!? We are the mightiest race, and we won't be beaten by the likes of yo-."

Before the Drake even managed to finish its sentence, Natsu had vanished, appearing right in front of the moss green colored one to deliver an uppercut, sending it high into the air.

The second Drake roared, letting out a large blast of steam. Natsu, however, just stood there and took the hit directly.

"Rule number one Wendy, is always knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your Magic. What does it work well against, what doesn't it work well against? What does it have zero effect on, what does it completely hard counter-?"

"Don't get cocky yet, Human scum!"

The Drake Natsu had uppercut let loose a cloud of purple mist, which was aimed directly at Natsu's position. Natsu scoffed, before taking in a deep breath, his chest puffing up.

"Fire Dragon King's Quaking Roar!"

The roar incinerated the mist attack, and blasted the Drake directly, causing it to cry out in pain.

"When I'd realized there were Drakes around, I'd hoped for a better fight than this," Natsu scoffed, as a low chuckle emanated from below him.

"Underestimate us … AND SUFFER!"

The grey scaled Drake that Natsu had been mostly ignoring, had circled around behind Wendy whilst he'd been focusing on the moss green colored one. Wendy, who had been simply watching Natsu in his Dragon Force form, hadn't been paying attention at all…

"Shit-! WENDY-!

As Natsu began to rush towards Wendy, beginning to channel his full power to his legs, he suddenly found himself smash into the ground, along with both Wendy, and the two Drakes. Snarling, he immediately rose to his knees, advancing forward, as the Drakes snarled at him.

"What sort of trick is this Human," the Steam Drake roared, as its face was been crushed into the ground.

"This … isn't me … but it works in my favor for now," Natsu said through grit teeth, as he was brought to the ground once again as the pressure over him doubled.

A mountain shaking roar silenced all four atop the mountain, as powerful gusts of wind rolled over their pinned forms. Suddenly, a purplish blur moved over them, before coming to land on the peak opposite the one they were pinned to.

"No way," Natsu muttered under his breath

"Natsu, is this real," Wendy gasped in shock, as the Drakes began to thrash about where they were currently pinned.

"It's real, Wendy… That's the real deal … a Dragon!"

Before them was a massive Dragon, easily around a thousand meters tall. Its form was dwarfed by Xicor's own, but even still, it looked huge, even whilst sitting atop an opposing peak. The Dragon had shimmering, deep purple-colored scales, and matching purple-colored eyes. It also had two horns jutting from just above it's temples that were blackened and gnarled.

"Rule number one, Natsu Dragneel, is to always be aware of one's surroundings, as they dictate the fight before it begins," a deep, alluring, feminine voice hummed, causing the thrashing of the two Drakes to increase. "You know this, but Grandina's child, evidently, does not. You were correct in bringing these two Drakes to the peak, but you failed in remembering one crucial detail…"

"Wendy," Natsu replied immediately, eliciting a pleased hum from the Dragoness.

"That mishap aside, you've done well," the Dragoness continued, as the two Drakes attempted to fire breath attacks at her, only for the crushing force to smash their maws shut and pin them further into the ground. "It seems the Son of Igneel didn't inherit his thick-headedness in its entirety…"

"Thanks, I guess," Natsu replied awkwardly, not entirely sure how to respond since she technically took a shot at Igneel.

"Apologies for not arriving sooner, but I was using these two as a test to see what the two of you are capable of. I must say, your Fire Dragon Slaying abilities are everything Xicor praised them to be. I was half expecting him to be over-hyping your abilities, if I'm being honest?"

"Uh thanks, but could we have this conversation when you're not pinning us to the ground," Natsu asked, as the Dragoness giggled lightly in response.

"Ah, of course. Just one moment, and I'll let you up," the Dragoness replied, as she set her sights on the two Drakes. "It seems your services are no longer required… Away with you!"

The two Drakes roared as they were suddenly picked up, before being tossed far off into the distance via an unseen force generated by the Dragoness. Once they were gone, the pressure over the mountain's peak vanished.

"That was awesome," Natsu grinned, as he went over and helped Wendy up. "You alright?"

"I'm sorry I worried you Natsu, I should have been paying more attention," Wendy replied sadly, as the Dragoness got up from the peak it had landed on, and hopped over to the one the Dragon Slayer duo were on.

"You must be Wendy Marvell, the child of Grandina? As it stands now, you shouldn't have expected to beat a Drake at your current level. So, in saying that, you performed quite admirably."

"Th- Thank you ma'am," Wendy stuttered, as she bowed on the spot.

"Please don't bow to me I'm not anything special," the Dragoness replied with a wave of her massive claw. "Oh, I suppose I should probably introduce myself, shouldn't I…?"

One Of The Last Surviving Dragons

Former Ally Of The Dragnof Kingdom

The Gravity Dragon Monarch

Lykyria

"Lykyria," Natsu repeated, as if testing the name, before nodding stiffly. "Nice to meet you, Lykyria."

"Yeah, its nice to meet you Miss Lykyria!"

"Likewise," Lykyria smirked, positioning her head so she could see them both. "I never thought I'd ever end up training any Humans, let alone ones such as yourselves…"

"Well, I'm honestly surprised that you aren't mad at me for bringing Wendy here in the first place," Natsu replied honestly, eliciting an amused giggle from the giant Dragoness. "Xicor said that you were a grumpy Dragon, but you seem really nice?"

"Oh? He said I'm a grumpy Dragon, did he? Well, I'll be having words with him soon enough... As for Wendy, I'm perfectly fine with her being here, since she is a Dragon Slayer after all. So, she is more than welcome."

"Um, excuse me, Miss Lykyria? I was wondering… What type of Dragon are you," Wendy asked shyly, eliciting an amused giggle from the Dragoness."

"Well now, that's a fair question Wendy," Lykyria replied, adopting the closest thing resembling a smirk, as she laid down on the ground. "I could simply tell you, but, I have a fun idea… Why don't I show you both what I am instead?"

"A live demonstration? Now we're talking," Natsu grinned. "Let's go!"

"Sounds great," Wendy agreed with a swift nod.

"Both of you, hop onto my back," the Dragoness grinned, as they quickly climbed aboard. "I'll take us both somewhere nice and remote so I can show you both my power!"

"Wow, I haven't ridden on a Dragon's back since I was a kid," Natsu said, cheerfully sitting down on Lykyria's back, with Wendy doing the same. "So, where are we going?"

"An abandoned Human city I found a while back. I think it's the perfect place to train the two of you, and no one will mind if it gets damaged at all… I think?"

"Sounds great," Natsu replied, as the giant Dragon took flight. "Let's go!"

***POTD***

"Hold on tight you two, we're heading down," Lykyria said, as Wendy held on to one of the spines protruding from her back. Natsu, on the other hand, was standing on the top of her head, an almost childlike look in his eyes.

"Oh, how I've missed this," Natsu cheered, as they flew down toward a modestly sized island off the coast of Fiore.

'As expected of a child raised by you, Igneel,' Lykyria thought to herself, as they touched down just outside the ruined city. 'Not a care in the world…'

Once Lykyria had landed, Natsu and Wendy hopped off, and began looking around their immediate area.

"So, what's the story behind this place," Natsu asked curiously, turning to look back up at the Dragoness.

"I'm not really sure Natsu? The city was abandoned when I first discovered it, and had been for quite some time prior."

"This is an island, isn't it? Maybe the name could tell us something," Wendy chimed in, as she looked at a building on the outskirts of the town.

"Well, I've heard Humans refer to this place as Nautilus Island before, but they've never mentioned the reason for its abandonment? Either way, it should serve as a good location to train, regardless of its past."

Natsu looked at some of the buildings Wendy had been examining, when his nose suddenly caught a rather enticing scent.

"Smells like… cooked food," Natsu muttered, with Wendy humming in agreement.

"It's coming from that direction maybe there's someone still living here," Wendy mused, only for Lykyria to shake her massive head.

"Hold on, something isn't right about this… I can't smell anything, and as you both know, a Dragon always trusts her nose."

"Hmm… Well, if you can't smell it, then it must be specifically targeting Humans," Natsu mused. "Which means, someone has set a trap for Humans here…"

"It would do us well to investigate the island before we settle in here anyway," Lykyria replied as she lowered her head to look directly at the pair. "The two of you should go and find the source of the scent, and deal with it, if possible? Oh, and I hope this isn't something I need to state… but don't eat whatever food you find?"

"Of course we won't eat it," Natsu replied with an amused look, as he began to walk into the city, with Wendy close behind.

"It's like a ghost town..."

"Ghost town, minus any actual ghosts. Judging by all the fresh food in the houses, people were here up until recently. That, however, doesn't line up with what Lykyria told us," Natsu replied, as they stopped before one of the houses. "Since she told us she discovered this place a fair while back, yet all this food is fresh. That means its most certainly a trap of some kind…"

"So, what should we do? What if there's danger here?"

"Wendy, if there is one thing you'll learn with me over the next six months, it's that when you're with me, we'll always be in danger," Natsu replied with a grin, as he walked into one of the houses.

"Natsu, are you sure we should just let ourselves in like this? What if the person who owns this place comes back?"

"Wendy, I'm sure you can sense the unusual Magic Energy coming from this town, right? Something is wrong here, so I don't think anyone would mind us poking around..."

"Well, there is something strange with the air? There seems to be a lot of Ethernano gathered in the air…?"

"Lots of Ethernano in one place means that there's a powerful spell being used here. Come have a look at this table of food Wendy," Natsu replied as he motioned for her to come over.

"You aren't going to try and convince me to eat it are you?"

"What have I done to you to make you even think I'd suggest that!?"

"…"

"Aside from the whole Drake thing!?"

"Well, aside from that, nothing…"

"That's right," Natsu huffed, before smirking. "That aside though, look at the table, and tell me what you think looks wrong about it?"

"I … I don't honestly see anything wrong with it," Wendy admitted. "It just looks like an ordinary table with food on it?"

"Oh yeah? Well, you clearly didn't look hard enough, did you? Look at that bowl of soup right there, like, really look at it, and tell me that's normal," Natsu said, as he pointed at a specific spot on the bowl.

Wendy moved in for a closer look, and examined the area. "I don't get it? I don't see anything wrong about it other tha-?"

Wendy fell silent, when the pattern of the bowl shifted ever so slightly, in a manner akin to a faint ripple.

"Natsu… what did that bowl just do," Wendy asked, clearly concerned, as Natsu's face became serious.

"It's not just the bowl, Wendy… Look at everything in this room…"

Wendy began to scan the room, and, to her horror, everything was now moving, rippling, and distorting.

"What is this," Wendy gasped. "I-I don't get it!? None of this was moving just before!?"

"It was always moving Wendy; you were just under the spell. Because you are unfamiliar with Illusion Spells, it was able to fool you into thinking that everything was normal. To be fair though, this is a highly advanced form of Illusion Magic. My main question is, who cast it, and why?"

"Uh, Natsu? I think we might have a problem," Wendy said, as she began to back away towards the door slowly.

Natsu turned to look at what Wendy was facing, and was surprised to see the other half of the room shifting and changing into something distinctly non-roomy.

"Well, this is interesting… It must be somewhat sentient? Maybe it knows that we know it's an illusion? Now, I probably don't have to tell you this, but we should really get out of this town as quick as we can…"

Wendy simply nodded in agreement, as Natsu picked her up, and quickly exited the building, as a large mass of tentacles attempted to strike the pair.

"What is that," Wendy squealed, as she saw the mass of tentacles continue to expand, multiple buildings becoming entwined in a writhing mass of flesh.

"I don't know what it is, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough," Natsu replied as he picked up the pace. "Let's get back to Lykyria!"

After several minutes of running, the two reached the outskirts of the town as Natsu skidded to a stop before Lykyria, who was watching the town slowly become one giant writhing mess.

"I leave the two of you alone for less than an hour, and this happens!?"

"Don't blame me, I've got no idea what this is," Natsu snapped back. "One minute, it was a town, and the next, it's a giant tentacle monster!"

"I wasn't placing blame Natsu. But the question still stands… What happened to this town that could have caused this?"

"Do you think it might have always been like this Miss Lykyria?"

"Perhaps Wendy? Although, I would have most certainly picked up on it sooner? The most likely cause, however, is one of those Dark Guilds. They seem to love causing messes like this one…

"That seems like the best bet," Natsu agreed. "Dark Guilds love doing this kind of thing."

"Well, in any event, this is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate my element to the both of you."

"That's a good point," Natsu replied, as they hopped back onto Lykyria's back, with the Gravity Dragon taking flight.

"Alright you two, pay close attention! My element is one that works a little differently than a regular element like fire, wind, or ice-."

"Aww man, are you gonna show us the roar," Natsu asked excitedly. "This is gonna be awesome!"

"Settle down Natsu. And yes, I am going to show you the breath attack. This, as you both know, will be the first attack you will need to learn. Make sure you are both paying attention!"

Lykyria soared high above Nautilus Island, before rearing back her head, taking a deep breath as the pair felt a colossal surge of Magical Power.

"Gravity Dragon Monarch's Roar!"

A dark purple beam of light erupted from Lykyria's maw, with the size of the breath attack deployed easily engulfing the entire island's circumference in seconds. The attack then seemed to condense into a dome shape, surrounding the entire island as the two Dragon Slayers watched on in a mixture of shock and awe.

"Whoa, what's going on inside the attack," Wendy gasped. There are cracks appearing all through it!?"

"Now pay attention to what happens next you two," Lykyria replied, as she motioned towards the tentacle monster.

"No way," Natsu muttered under his breath, as he watched the full effect of Lykyria's element at work.

Everything within the sphere began to be crushed from all sides, as the tentacle monster was being thrust in all directions simultaneously. Sections of its body being crushed, before the pressure would abruptly shift, crushing other parts in a seemingly endless cycle, until finally, the force compacted the monster into a tiny ball.

After thirty seconds had passed, there was an audible screech from the tentacle monster, before it exploded, sending bits of blood and gore flying out across the now devastated island.

Nautilus Island itself was virtually gone, with only the very fringe outskirts remaining behind, as seawater rushed to fill the massive crater that had once housed an entire island larger than Crocus.

"So, what do you think," Lykyria asked, as she turned her head towards Natsu, who still had his eyes on the spot where the sphere had been.

"Is it possible to control the force of the Gravity within the attack, so everyone you hit with it doesn't get crushed like that?"

"Of course. I just let the gravitational forces act on their own, which, as you saw, can do things like that. I deliberately did that so you would recognize the amount of power you are using. Gravity is something that, like the Crash Magic that you use, must be constantly kept in check."

"Believe me, I can tell," Natsu replied with a slow nod as he finally met the Gravity Dragon's gaze. "Please, teach me how to wield the Element of Gravity, Lykyria…"

"Of course I will, you already know that," Lykyria snorted in response, though, she clearly appreciated him officially asking. "As for you Wendy, my goal for you is to help you master your current Dragon Slayer abilities. Unfortunately, you wouldn't be able to handle two elements at your current strength."

"That's fine. I think that mastering the gift Grandina gave me should come first anyway. Oh, and thank you for training me too, even though you didn't have to."

"That's quite alright," Lykyria replied with a small smile. "Besides, there won't be anything stopping Natsu potentially teaching you how to wield Gravity Dragon Slayer Magic somewhere down the line…"

"Speaking of training, when do we start?"

"Tomorrow, Natsu. We should probably make sure that there aren't any more surprises in this area, like there were on Nautilus Island."

"Agreed. Tomorrow it is," Natsu grinned, as Lykyria gently touched down on another nearby island.

"Here's hoping I don't have to blow this one up," the Dragoness sighed, as Natsu and Wendy hopped off her back. "Until we destroy this island, welcome to your home for the foreseeable future!"

Natsu nodded eagerly, keen to get stuck into training, as his mind replayed what Lykyria had done to Nautilus Island. He would work hard to master as much as he could before the six-month deadline was up.

To gain strength such as what Lykyria displayed… He would work harder than he ever had before.

Looking down at Wendy, he smiled lightly, knowing that she was going to become one of the main reasons he trained so hard. To protect those closest to him…

At any cost