Ice Dragon Slayer/Chapter 34: Who's the Lucky One?

Fairy Tail ship, en route to Tenrou Island:
"Why is it so hot? Wasn't it snowing the other day?" Lucy moaned as she sat back in her chair with Happy laying on a stool on her left and Godzilla sitting to her right.
Godzilla shrugged. "It doesn't feel that bad."
"Sure." Lucy said sarcastically as she glared at him. "It wouldn't be for you. It's like nothing can affect you."
Godzilla smirked a little. "Sure. Whatever you say."
Levy looked over to the blond Celestial wizard from a table where she sat with Cana and Wendy. "Lu, I know it's ridiculously warm, but do you have to sit like that?"
"You think it's warm?" Cana asked sarcastically as she waved a fan at herself. "It's freaking boiling here year round cause there's like never any wind." Wendy groaned a little as she laid her head down on the table.
"What a bunch of wimps." Varan said quietly. "They can't even take a little heat."
"Be nice." Gorosaurus whispered back. "You do realize that they aren't as immune to such intense conditions as we are."
Almost everyone else on the Fairy Tail ship (aside from Freed, Bickslow, Juvia and the Earth Defenders) felt the exact same way as Lucy.
Hot. Just too. Damn. Hot.
"Seriously. Why does it need to be so hot?" Lucy whined again.
Godzilla, who was sitting on his haunches next to Lucy's seat, just cast the Celestial Mage an annoyed look. "I swear if I have to keep listening to you complain for the rest of this trip, I'm tossing you overboard."
Lucy looked over at the saurian with a confused look. "How are you not feeling this heat right now?"
Godzilla gave the blonde a deadpanned look. "I've survived being buried in boiling lava for five years and being frozen for about four. I can handle a little heat." Mothra Lea squeaked in conformation while the Shobijin nodded.
"Still..." Lucy managed as she rested her head back on her chair. "...it's so hot."
"Alright, we get it! It's a scorcher. Talk about something else." Gajeel groaned as he rested his arm on the table he sat at.
"For once, I agree with you." Baragon grunted.
Lisanna then noticed Juvia was still wearing her dark blue uniform and hat." Juvia, aren't you hot wearing that? Your gonna get heat stroke."
"I agree. That attire does not seem best suited for this weather." Manda added while Mothra Leo squeaked in concern.
"No, I'm perfectly fine." Juvia replied. "However, one thing that might do it..." Her eyes suddenly turned into hearts. "Is the sight of my beloved Gray's naked body!"
Gray was sitting back in a chair and was as naked as the day he was born. "I'm dying here!" he gasped. Manda and Leo sweat dropped at the Ice Mage while King Caesar looked visibly disturbed by Gray's stripping habit.
Natsu got up from the floor of the deck with his face completely purple and his cheeks as large as balloons. "So this is what hell is like..." he wheezed as he slowly made his way towards the side of the ship.
Loke noticed the Salamanders condition and put his hands up a little. "Yo, point that puke cannon somewhere else bro."
"It wouldn't be so bad if Wendy would cast that miracle spell on me again." Natsu groaned before he began blowing chunks over the side of the ship.
"You can't blame her though." the Lion Spirit said as he looked passed the puking Dragon Slayer. "I mean, she is technically your enemy."
Wendy gave an apologetic smile. "Sorry Natsu. Hang in there." She then noticed Rodan was standing by the edge of the ship with his wings spread out and his eyes closed. Wendy lifted her head up a little with a confused look. "What's Rodan doing?"
"He's absorbing the sun's heat."
The three girls turned to see Varan and Gorosaurus approach them. Levy raised an eyebrow. "Absorbing the sun's heat? What do you mean?"
Gorosaurus continued. "Before the extinction of the dinosaurs back on our world, Rodan's egg was layed in an active volcano on an island that would come to be known as Adonoa. However, due to the island being subjected to nuclear tests by the humans, Rodan's egg was mutated and when he hatched..." He then turned to look towards his ally. "...he became what he is today."
Varan picked up from there. "Then one day, Rodan discovered that due to the volcanic heat from that volcano combined with the nuclear waste that was left over from all those tests, he has the ability to absorb heat and convert it into energy. Simply put, the more heat he absorbs, the faster and stronger he becomes."
Wendy looked back at the Master of the Skies with amazement. "Wow. So he's almost like Natsu."
"In a way, yes." Gorosaurus replied.
Evergreen smirked as she waved her fan at herself. "Well isn't this touching. Here they are, about to engage each other in brutal combat and their being all buddy buddy."
Elfman groaned. "Gah! I'm roasting! I feel like a man steak!"
"Would you mind roasting away from me?" Evergreen asked with an annoyed look.
Zilla leaned over to whisper to her ally. "Hey, Anguirus. Is it just me or are you sensing some tension between those two?"
Anguirus just sighed in exhaustion. "Only you would think that."
"Hey Godzilla." Lucy said weakly. "Cool me down will you?"
"As if." Godzilla grunted. "I'm not an umbrella."
Lucy just sighed and looked up a little when something in the distance caught her eye.
A large, hourglass shaped island with a massive tree on it.
"We've arrived!" Loke announced.
"Whoa. It's weird looking." Gray said to himself while Juvia ogled over his nude body from behind him. "Sure took us long enough."
Rodan opened his eyes and took notice of the landmass in the distance. "That is one freaky looking island."
"You can say that again." Varan said from beside him.
Lucy finally stood up from her chair. "That's the ugliest island ever."
"You think? Looks kinda manly to me." Elfman said.
"An island on top of an island, huh?" Levy asked herself.
"It's amazing." Wendy said in awe. "So much magic power. I can feel it from all the way over here."
"...Most impressive." Mest complimented.
Kumonga tuned to Godzilla. "Do you feel that boss?"
The saurian nodded. "I do. This place...it truly does posses incredible power."
Natsu looked like he was going to hurl again, so Happy jumped up and patted his back. "Don't worry, we'll be on land soon."
"There's a legend about this place..." Everyone turned around to see Master Makarov standing on the higher deck wearing a tropical shirt and brown shorts. "...that it was once populated by fairies."
"Is the legend true?" Lucy asked as she and Gray stepped forward.
Makarov shook his head. "Nobody knows, but it is of great importance to our guild. The resting place of our first master, Mavis Vermilion!"
Gray sweat dropped and pointed an accusing finger at the Master. "And your going there dressed like that?!"
Makarov pulled out a fan and waved it at himself. "Says the nudist to the stylish man?"
"Speaking of which, mind putting some clothes on?" Lucy asked.
"What is it with his obsession for stripping?" King Caesar asked asked as he leaned over to Juvia and Lisanna.
Juvia still had hearts in her eyes. "I do not know, but I think it's so incredibly hot!"
The guardian beast face palmed. "Of course you would say that."
Makarov continued to wave his fan as he spoke again. "Anything else? I'd like to reveal the first round of your trial if I may!"
Wendy was surprised. "There's more than one round?"
Mest crossed his arms and gave an amused smile. "If any of the Masters events were ever deemed 'simply' he'd probably keel over."
Rodan smiled as he stood behind the two. "Sounds like fun."
"Please direct your attention to the smoke coming from the shore!" Makarov announced. "Your fist task will be to head to it's source. Once there, you will choose one of the eight routes leading into the island! Each is meant for a single team only, so don't dawdle and pick one! After you've made your choice, you will encounter these obstacles!" Then, a large map of the island appeared next to him that showed all eight routes.
Route 1: Intense Combat, Route 2: Combat, Route 3: Combat, Route 4: Intense Combat, Route 5: Serenity, Route 6: Combat, Route 7: Combat, Route 8: Intense Combat
Makarov continued. "Teams that make it through these tests in one piece will advance to the second round!"
Natsu looked at the map with a stunned expression. "Whoa." Godzilla just narrowed his eyes.
Gray narrowed his eyes as well. "That last one's fighting S-Classes. 'Intense Combat' no joke."
"Yeah, right..." Lucy said quietly with a nervous look.
Loke looked a little confused. "What's the Serenity Route?"
Makarov went on. "Combat routes are self explanatory. Two teams will clash, but only one moves on. Use every power at your disposal! Intense Combat routes are more difficult. Find yourself on one of these and you'll be facing one of Fairy Tails elite! On the Serenity route, you'll pass the first round without fighting, but you will still be tested." He then pointed his fan at the group. "Passing this challenge requires quality team work...and a whole lot of luck!"
Almost everyone blanched. "How do you test that?!"
Lucy smiled and turned to Cana. "Let's rely on good luck, right?"
The Card Mage gave her a deadpanned look. "Even as a gambler, I think that strategy blows. With one or eight odds, be ready to brawl."
Varan punched his hand with his fist. "Bring em' on! We'll show em'!" Mothra Lea squeaked in approval.
Evergreen smirked as she stared at the map. "If I've done the math correctly, only a maximum of six teams will make it to the next round."
Elfman gritted his teeth. "This sucks! If we pick the routes the S-Classes we're gonna get a manly pounding!"
Evergreen shot him a glare. "Your no real man, your a real wimp!"
Anguirus just stared at them. "Okay, now I see it."
Zilla nodded sagely. "I told you so."
"The first round could be the end of us." Levy complained. "I don't wanna have to fight a bunch of my friends."
Gajeel, who was now using Levy's head as an arm rest, clenched his fist and smirked. "Sounds great to me. I've been looking for an excuse to punch one of these fools."
Levy just gave a weak smile. "Yeah, I know."
Gorosaurus sweat dropped a little. "Does she not realize that he's using her head as an arm rest?"
Baragon shrugged. "The humans on this world are strange indeed."
"Alright! You ready?!" Makarov announced again. "Your trial starts right now!"
"What?" Caesar asked in confusion.
Godzilla cocked an eye. "Hold on. It starts before we get on the island?"
The master just gave a wicked smile.
"Uhh...I don't like that smile." Rodan whispered nervously.
Manda flinched a little. "I don't either."
Natsu grinned. "You know what that means bud. Time to jet!" Happy nodded as he grabbed Natsu by his backpack and took to the sky. "Looks like the first pick is ours losers!"
"Catch ya later!" Happy called.
"Get back here you pyro!" Gray shouted.
"Losers?! You wanna die!" Elfman yelled angrily.
Suddenly, Rodan took flight and zoomed in the same direction as Natsu and Happy. "Sorry guys, but you can't out-fly the fastest Kaiju on Terra!" Rodan called out as he caught up to them.
"We'll see about that!" Natsu retorted.
However, as the three got to the side of the ship, they crashed into an invisible wall.
"What the heck?!" Rodan groaned in pain as he, Natsu and Happy began to slowly slide down the wall back onto the deck.
Cana's eye's widened a little. "An enchantment?!"
"A what?" Varan asked.
Freed was flying towards the island with his rune wings while Bickslow was flying on his baby's. Kumonga and Kamoebas were flying on a floating platform that Freed had created out of runes. The green haired man looked back at the ship and smirked as he called back to them. "It isn't permanent! Five more minutes on that boat won't kill you!"
"Speak for yourself!" Natsu shouted in anger as he started punching the wall.
"That's cheating!" Gray shouted as well.
Kumonga cackled. "Ha! See you later suckers!"
Kamoebas sweat dropped a little. "You seriously need help Kumonga."
Bickslow turned to his partner. "I don't understand why don't just keep em' trapped there all day."
Freed just shrugged. "It wouldn't be much of a trial then."
Gray turned to the master. "Gramps, do something! That's gotta be against the rules!"
"Chill." Makarov replied. "It's not a race, so just wait."
"Chill?!" Rodan shouted in disbelief. "I'm sorry, but chilling ain't exactly my style!"
"If he gets to the island, we're screwed!" Gray retorted. "He could cover the whole place with enchantments!"
Natsu continued to bash his fists against the invisible wall angrily until Happy got an idea. "Wait a second! Couldn't Levy get us out?"
Said wizard nodded as she already started rewriting the runes with her magic pen. "This'll be a piece of cake!"
"Nice!" Lucy and Cana exclaimed in unison.
However, Levy turned to them and winked. "Sorry! I only rewrote it for me and my partners!" she shouted as she, Gajeel, Gorosaurus, and Baragon jumped off the ship.
Everyone was completely dumbstruck. "NOT COOL!"
Lucy looked on in shock. "I thought we were friends!"
"Not today Lu-Lu!" Levy retorted happily.
"I didn't know this human was so cold inside." Gorosaurus said to no one in particular.
"Forget about that!" Baragon exclaimed impatiently. "Let's just hurry up! I'm itching to bash someones head in!"
Gajeel laughed at the red kaiju's comment. "Now your speakin' my language dog face!"
"Call me that again and I'll roast you alive you scrap-iron bastard!" Baragon snapped.
"Later taters!" Levy shouted as she and her group started swimming to shore. "See you on the island!"
"What a bunch of traitors!" Natsu growled.
"Well, it is a competition after all." Godzilla reminded him.
Then, Evergreen pulled out a magic pen as well and began to rewrite the runes as well. "Now, aren't you glad you teamed up with someone who knows Freed so well muscle man?"
Elfman grinned. "I didn't know you could do that!"
Evergreen smirked. "Rewriting something is simple as this is child's play. Someone with my talents can handle the toughest enchantments with ease." Once she was done rewriting the runes, she jumped off the boat. "Let's go!"
Elfman dove after her. "Man to dive!"
"Move it Anguirus!" Zilla called as she jumped in after the two humans.
Anguirus just grunted as he jumped after her. "Like you need to ask."
"C'mon!" Natsu shouted impatiently.
Lisanna turned to Juvia. "How much longer are we stuck here?"
"Another four minutes at least." the Water Mage replied.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Rodan exclaimed as he began bashing his head against the invisible wall.
Wendy did her best to try to calm him down. "Stop it Rodan! You'll hurt yourself!"
"Whoa! Remind me to have Levy around the next time I piss off Freed!" Cana remarked.
----After another four minutes of waiting, the enchantment finally wore off and the invisible wall shattered.
"FINALLY!" the mages shouted.
Cana rushed to the side of the ship with Lucy, Varan and Lea at her heels. "Once you hit the water, go all out!"
"Okay!" Lucy and Varan replied in unison while Lea just squeaked.
"Looks like we're playing catch up!" Gray exclaimed irritably.
Loke sweat dropped. "Mind playing with some pants on?"
"I would recommend that as well." King Caesar added.
"Let's do this!" Natsu said as he stood on the edge of the ship while Happy still clung to his backpack.
"Aye, sir!" the exceed exclaimed as they flew towards the shore. Godzilla jumped into the water and took off after them with incredible speed.
"Time to soar." Drake had icy wings form on his back as a pair of white wings emerge from Harrison's back. The Dragon Slayer and Exceed flew towards the island.
Gray put his right fist into his left palm and shouted, "Ice Make: Floor!" A road made completely out of ice appeared that lead straight to the island. Gray began to skate on the frozen road towards land with Loke and Caesar right behind him.
Lucy, who had just entered the water along with the rest of her team, looked on in shock. "Whoa! Well, that's one way to get across."
Varan just stared after them without saying a word, too stunned to even comment on what just happened.
Juvia propelled herself through the ocean with her Water Body while Lisanna used her Take Over Magic to transform into a fish. Manda swam beside them with pure ease while Mothra Leo did his best to keep up. "I'm very fast at sea. Are you sure that you can keep up?" the Water Mage asked.
"Of course." Lisanna replied.
Manda smirked. "Are you kidding? This isn't even a challenge for me."
"Never thought I'd envy a fish." Cana remarked.
Lucy eventually broke out of her stunned silence and turned to the rest of her team. "What are we gawking for?! If we don't get a move on, we're gonna be the last ones there!"
"Calm down. Wendy, Mest and Rodan haven't even left the ship yet." Varan assured them, but when he looked back up at the boat...they were gone!
Varan's eyes almost popped out of his head. "The hell?!"
"When did they leave?!" Cana shouted
"How should I know!" Lucy retorted.
Without wasting anymore time, the two girls and the two Earth Defenders swam towards the shore with everything they had. "If we don't get there asap we're gonna end up fight Erza or worse!" Cana shouted as they continued to swim.
"We're dead!" Lucy whined.
"Put the pedal to the metal Lea!" Varan exclaimed. The larva responded with a squeak.
----Natsu and Happy made to the source of the smoke and saw that Godzilla was already waiting for them. "Good, you made it." he said calmly.
"How the heck did you get here so fast?!" the two shouted in unison.
The saurian simply smirked. "I have my ways." He then began to look around at the surrounding area. "However, I still can't get over all the energy this place is giving off. It honestly is a little unnerving."
Natsu nodded. "Yeah, I hear ya." They then made there way to the eight paths and saw that four of them were blocked off by magic barriers. "Aw man, we're way behind."
"Which path should we pick?" Happy asked the Salamander. "You choose."
Natsu eyed the paths for several seconds before pointing towards Route E. "That one! If we take Route E, I bet we'll have to fight Erza!"
Happy shivered a little. "That's definitely not the path I would choose."
Natsu, however, was grinning from ear to ear. "I finally get to fight her mano-a-mano!" He then started running towards the path. "I'm coming for ya Erza!"
"Have you thought about what you'r going to do if she's not on this path?" Godzilla asked in a flat tone as he and Happy chased after him. Once they entered the path, another barrier blocked the entrance.
----Once Cana, Lucy, Varan and Mothra Lea made it to the routes, almost all of them were blocked off except for Route C.
Cana sighed in disappointment. "Looks like we're dead last. I can't believe even Wendy, Mest and Rodan got here before we did."
"Hey, don't sweat it." Lucy reassured as she walked up to her. "like they say, 'the best is always saved for last.'" She then winked at her. "That's us. We got good looks and good."
Varan smirked as he and Lea walked up to them. "So what do you say we stop standing around and get you that S-Class rank, huh?" Lea squeaked in agreement.
Cana could only smile at them. "Nice to know some of us can stay chipper." They all then entered the path, causing it to close behind them.
They continued down the path in the cave for several minutes, which was being lit up by several small, firefly looking insects.
"I didn't expect a cave to be so well lit." Varan remerked.
"Probably because of all the Spirit Flies." Cana replied. "Since the island stays warm all year they multiply like rabbits."
"Aww! I was just starting to relax!"
The four stopped where they were and looked around. "Who's there?!" Cana demanded.
Lucy looked around frantically. "If someone else is here then that means..." She looked up and noticed a green banner that read 'Combat!'. "Our luck sucks!"
Then, Freed, Bickslow, Kamoebas and Kumonga appeared out of the shadows. Bickslow grinned. "Look babies! It's Cana and the loud mouth blonde!"
"The names Lucy, jerk!"
Freed smirked. "Sorry, but it appears you won't be making it passed this round."
Kumonga cackled madly. "Gahahaha! Get ready ready to eat dirt Varan!"
Kamoebas gave a determined look. "We will not be defeated so easily, so be prepared."
Varan glared. "Bring it! We'll make you eat those words!" Lea squeaked with determination.
Bickslow pointed to a metal gate nearby. "The gate opens when one team wins, and I'm sure it ain't gonna be you two bimbo's!" His babies repeated his insult. "Bimbo's!" "Bimbo's!"
Freed narrowed his eyes. "Forgive me Cana, but I cannot allow you to pass this round. If I am to follow Laxus' path, I must win here."
Cana cringed a little, but then shot them a glare. "Bring it on! I swear I am not gonna let the S-Class slip through my fingers a fifth time! It's all or nothing for me!"
----While Cana's team engaged the Thunder Legion and their kaiju partners, Juvia and Lisanna were hopping from rock to rock through a flooded tunnel while Manda slithered through the water along with Mothra Leo, until Manda and Leo halted their course and began to tense up a little.
Juvia and Lisanna stopped and turned to the two Earth Defenders. "What is it?" the Rain Woman asked in concern.
Manda narrowed her eyes as she peered through the darkness of the cave. "We're not the only ones down here."
Then, a figure appeared standing in their path. Lisanna's eyes widened nervously. "Not the best start for this exam." Leo squeaked in slight fear as he hid himself behind the Take Over mage.
"Personally, I was hoping for Anguirus and his group or even Godzilla and Natsu, but I think you will be enough of a challenge for me." the figure spoke.
Manda shot a glare. "You'd better believe we will be enough of a challenge for you."
The figure then raised her sword and pointed it towards Juvia with a serious look. "In that case, come Juvia. Show me how strong you truly are."
Juvia glared as she and the others got into a fighting stance. "I accept your challenge, Erza Scarlet..."
----"Great. We're so screwed."
"Of all the people to run in to."
Elfman and Evergreen watched in horror as a demonic tail swished from side to side teasingly. Anguirus and Zilla watched their opponent carefully without an ounce of fear, but were quite surprised by who they ran into and how different she looked now than she normally did.
Mirajane was in her Satan Soul form and her body was giving off a menacing aura that made her long, white hair wave around a little. She smirked darkly at them. "I'm not holding back just because your my little brother, Elfman. Understood?" Her voice was slightly deeper and made her sound more menacing.
Anguirus and Zilla continued to watch their opponent warily, Elfman was trembling in complete terror while Evergreen started waving her hand madly to get Mira's attention. "Hello! I'm here! You've gotta fight me too, you know!"
----Mest, Wendy and Rodan stood inside a large cave that was completely surrounded by rock pillars. They stood completely still as their enemies stared them down with fierce looks.
Gray, Loke and King Caesar watched their enemies closely, ready to spring into action if the tried to move. Caesar looked towards his fellow kaiju with a glare. "I honestly was hoping I'd get to face you Rodan. Now we can finally see who's the strongest among us."
Rodan glared back. "Good luck, cause we both know it ain't gonna be you."
Gray smirked. "We'll leave him to you. We'll take Mest and Wendy."
Loke sighed mockingly. "Too bad. Normally, I wouldn't dare hit a little lady, but this is S-Class we're fighting for."
Mest crossed his arms and shifted his gaze towards Gray and Loke. "You two. I want to know... Do your skills warrant such cockiness?"
----"Hey Erza! Quit hiding and fight me! I'd like to kick your butt today!"
Godzilla sighed in slight annoyance. "Natsu, we don't even know if this is her route or not, you need to remember that."
Natsu began to stomp his feet on the ground in frustration. "No! I chose E for Erza, so this has got be her path!" He then pointed ahead with a look of determination on his face. "I'm gonna claim the title of S-Class wizard!" His look of determination then changed to a crazed smile. "And I'll have a ball kicking Erza's teeth in while I do it!"
The King of the Monster face palmed. "He is so clueless."
Happy noticed something up ahead. "Check it out! The path ahead opened up!"
Natsu snickered with excitement, but once they entered the area, Godzilla's sixth sense began to go crazy. His eye's widened a little when he felt the mass amount of energy coming from the room.
This was not Erza's path.
They then noticed a shadowy figure standing in the middle of the room. "I think I see somebody." Natsu said.
"Is it Erza?" Happy asked.
"No."
They turned to see Godzilla staring ahead, his body was tensed up and his eyes were fixed on the figure. "Much, much worse..."
They looked back as several Spirit Flies came out and began to light up the room, revealing the true identity of the shadowy figure. Natsu's eyes widened in complete shock.
Gildarts.
Natsu and Happy jumped in horror. "NO FREAKIN' WAY!"
"Sorry, dead end." Gildarts said with a smirk. "Luck just ain't on your side."
Happy's eyes where completely white and comical tears were streaming down his face. "We're dead!"
Godzilla tensed up even more when Gildarts casually started walking up to them, still smirking. "I should warn you, I've never been good at holding back in a fight, so this'll be quick."
Godzilla looked back at Natsu, but was surprised to see the look on his face change from terror to determination, his fists clenched so tight he could hear them crack. The saurian then backed up a little when his entire body was suddenly engulfed in flames. Gildarts stopped just a foot or two way from them and watched the Salamander with a casual look, which then changed to a small smile.
Happy looked at his friend with surprise. "Natsu?"
The Fire Dragon Slayer grinned madly. "Oh yeah...I'm all fired up now!"
----