Ice Dragon Slayer/Chapter 35: Natsu vs Gildarts

AHHHHH!"
Several screams followed be a loud explosion echoed through the partially flooded tunnel. Juvia and Lisanna were covered in bruises, but were still able to get to their feet. Manda and Mothra Leo were also slightly battered, but they too stood strong. As they all managed to recover, they turned to a large cloud of dust that obscured their opponent from view.
Manda just stared in complete shock. "So strong... Has she always been this powerful?"
"Pretty much." Lisanna replied while she continued to eye their opponent, who was still hidden behind the dust.
"You're going to have to do better than that Juvia."
The dust eventually cleared, revealing the S-Class wizard, Erza Scarlet. She was currently dressed in a rather revealing outfit which was comprised of dark green armor and silver head piece with fin shaped protrusions siding her head. Her sword appeared to be made of crystal, with several small smaller jutting out from the hand-guard.
Erza gave the Water Mage a stern look. "You'll never become an S-Class wizard at this rate."
Lisanna immediately recognized the outfit Erza was wearing. "Her Sea Empress Armor. Your attacks aren't gonna have any affect on her now."
Juvia clenched her fist and squeezed her eyes shut for a few seconds. She opened them again, a look of determination on her face. "I can do this!" she shouted as she transformed into water and shot towards the S-Class Mage. "I will defeat you!"
Erza raised her sword and sliced through Juvia's water, forcing her to transform back. Juvia jump into the air with a shout, "Water Slicer!" A long, sharp blade of water raced towards Titania, who raised her sword again and blocked the water blade with ease, causing it to cut through several boulders instead. Juvia landed on a rock that managed to survive her attack and stared at the S-Class Mage in shock. "She deflected my attack like it was nothing!"
The Water Mage suddenly noticed movement behind Erza and saw Manda shoot out from behind her and knock the Knight away with a swipe of her tail.. Erza flipped midair and landed on her feet, eyeing the sea serpent carefully. "Impressive. I didn't even sense your presence until you attacked."
Manda smirked. "You should have known. On this battle field, I have the advantage!" She then plunged into the water before completely disappearing from view. Erza watched the water below, hoping to catch a glimpse of where Manda had swam off to.
"I got you now Erza!"
Erza looked up and noticed Lisanna flying towards her, using her Take-Over Magic to transform her arms into bird wings. Titania was not about to let her get a shot in. She planted her sword into the rock she stood on and did a back flip, launching herself into the air, before kicking Lisanna back to the ground. Lisanna screamed in pain, but still got to her feet.
The Take-Over Mage looked over from behind Erza. "Now Leo!"
Erza spun around just in time to notice Mothra Leo sitting on a boulder before he fired his Silk Shot at her. Erza sliced through the silk, leaped towards the youngest larva and grabbed him by the small stub at the end of his tail before tossing his at Lisanna. The Take-Over Mage quickly jumped up and managed to catch Leo before he could hit the ground. Unfortunately, this caused them both to crash to the ground once again, but Lisanna seemed more focused on the baby larva that was now laying on her lap.
Lisanna looked over Mothra Leo with concern. "Are you okay? Did she hurt you?" Leo just replied with a squeak, letting her know he was okay. Lisanna sighed with relief before standing up again, the two facing Erza, who was watching them from her rock. The Take-Over Mage looked down at Leo. "Stay here. Okay?" Mothra Leo nodded. He knew that he would probably just get in the way and decided he would leave the fighting to the experts.
Lisanna charged at Erza with a shout. "Animal Soul: Rabbit!" Her body glowed for a few seconds before she reappeared again as a giant, purple bunny. Erza jumped up and landed on Lisanna's back before jumping off just as the youngest Strauss sibling slammed into the tunnel wall.
Erza watched as Lisanna pulled herself from the rubble. "You've improved a lot. I'm quite impressed. But you could use some work on your timing, as well as the forms you take on."
"What's wrong with the bunny?" Lisannna asked, genuinely surprised by the S-Class Mage's statement.
"Water Whip!" Juvia appeared behind Erza and shot a whip made of water towards her. "I told you I could beat you!" Erza blocked the attack with her sword again and kicked Juvia in the stomach, causing her to fall back towards another boulder.
However, she expected that.
"NOW!" Juvia bellowed.
Manda shot out of the water from behind Erza and started to coil around her with her snake-like body, squeezing her with all her might. Titania grunted in slight pain as she tried to wiggle herself free, but she was completely stunned by the level of strength that the mutant snake was applying on her. I knew the Earth Defenders were strong, but I never imagined they would be THIS strong!
Manda glared at Erza, who continued to struggle in her grasp. "Like I said, This is MY domain!"
----While Juvia's team seemed to be finally getting the upper hand on Erza, Elfman's team was having some minor difficulties.
Okay, scratch that. A lot of difficulties.
Zilla was sent crashing to the ground be Mirajane, who was know in her Satan Soul. The mutant lizard slowly got to her feet and looked up at Mira in shock. 'This power...and the way she fights. I-It's like she's a completely different person!'
Zilla managed to compose herself and charged again. The She-Devil got ready to defend herself, but instead, Zilla dove down and disappeared into the sand.
Mira looked around cautiously. "What's this?"
"You didn't know?" Mira turned and found the source of the voice to be Anguirus. "Like Baragon, Zilla also possesses the ability to burrow into the ground. An ability she utilized quite well during her first fight with Godzilla."
Mira stared at Anguirus with an expressionless look, which slowly changed into a dark smirk. "A clever move, but it won't save you from me."
Elfman and Evergreen were watching from a short distance, observing Mirajane's movements in the hopes of spotting a weakness of any kind.
The She-Devil suddenly raised both her hands towards Anguirus and shouted, "Demon Blast!" A beam of dark energy fired from her hands towards the spike-shelled kaiju, who managed to dodge before charging at her. At first, she thought he was going to run right through her, but was suddenly caught off guard when he spun around and slammed his spike covered tail into her stomach. Mira skidded back a few feet, but didn't look the least bit fazed by the attack.
Anguirus growled in annoyance. 'She didn't get a single scratch by that last attack and she doesn't even look worn down even the slightest. At this point, we may just end up exhausting ourselves.'
Suddenly, the ground in front of Mira exploded as Zilla charged out of the ground, jaws wide open. Mira raised her hands and managed to grab Zilla by her jaws, forcing them from bitting her in two. Mira was stunned by how much pressure Zilla was putting on trying to snap at her, but she still managed to put on a straight face. She quickly removed her left hand from Zilla's upper jaw and delivered a powerful punch to her face, sending her crashing into a large rock.
"Sonic Roar!"
Mirajane was suddenly sent flying into the air when a powerful, high-pitch roar blasted into her from behind. After summoning her wings, Mira gently landed back on the ground and discovered the one responsible for the roar to be Anguirus. Mira smirked darkly. "Impressive. I had no idea you possessed that kind of ability."
Anguirus' breathing was heavy, no doubt due to all the energy had spent during the fight. "A little trick I picked up during the two years after the Trilopod incident. It's not a move I usually use, but it helps."
Mira continued to smirk. "I'll remember that." She then raised her hand again as a sphere of dark energy appeared in it. "Evil Explosion!" she bellowed as she hurled the ball of energy towards the mutated ankylosaur. Anguirus was too exhausted to dodge and was sent crashing towards were Zilla was.
Elfman and Evergreen rushed over to help their partners. "You guys okay?!" Elfman asked.
"No... That really hurts." Zilla gasped as she struggled to get to her feet.
"I...I never would have imagined...that was Mirajane." Anguirus said breathlessly.
"That's my big sis for ya." Elfman said quietly.
"You sit this one out for now." Evergreen added. "We'll take care of things from here."
"I...ain't arguing." Zilla replied.
"Be careful." Anguirus said. "She's incredibly powerful."
"Trust me, I know." Elfman said as he and Evergreen stood in front of Mirajane, who watched them with an expressionless look.
Elfman gritted his teeth as he met her big sisters gaze. 'She managed to overpower Anguirus AND Zilla at the same time. She's not messin' around, but still, I won't give up just yet!'
----Manda seemed to be struggling to keep Erza restrained, the female knight was now proving to be a hassle to keep at bay. 'It feels like she's getting stronger somehow, but that doesn't matter. I said I would help Juvia get to S-Class and that's exactly what I plan to do!'
Suddenly, Erza managed to free her arm and grabbed Manda by her horns before she tossed her into a boulder, causing it to shatter. The S-Class mage then swung her sword and released a slash of energy that sent all four of her opponents flying away. Lisanna was badly hurt and looked completely drained. Mothra Leo squeaked in pain as he tried to move, but the pain was too intense.
Juvia looked over and noticed that Manda was already unconscious, be it from her being tossed by Erza or from the slash attack, she couldn't tell. He gave then fell onto Erza again and gasped in fear. The S-Class Mages body was surrounded by a red aura that made her look more terrifying than she normally did. Juvia had never felt so scared in her life.
'So this is the power...of an S-Class Wizard!'
----Gildarts watched Natsu and Godzilla as the stared back at him. Godzilla was watching the S-Class Mage with caution, but Natsu just couldn't seem to stop smiling.
After a short silence, Gildarts finally spoke. "I should warn you, I've never been good at holding back in a fight. So this'll be quick."
Natsu just continued to grin like an idiot. "I'm fired up now!"
He then heard the sound of grunting and looked to see Happy dragging Natsu's pack away. "Uhh, Happy? What the heck are you doing?"
"Figured we might as well head home." the blue exceed replied.
Natsu cracked his knuckles. "Have some faith in me little buddy. If you really think about it, Gildarts should be scared of me!" He grinned again. "I'm gonna kick his butt and I won't let up until I hear him say mercy!"
Gildarts gave the Dragon Slayer a deadpanned look. "Fine, mercy."
"You can't say that yet! I haven't even laid a hand on ya!" Natsu shouted in comical anger.
"Natsu."
The Salamander looked up at Godzilla, who was eyeing Gildarts wearily. "Listen to me. Don't treat this like it's going to be some walk in the park. I can tell you right now that Gildarts is not going to be that easy to beat."
"Relax will you." Nastu reassured, causing Godzilla to look at him with surprise. "I've known Gildarts since I was a kid. I know I can take him."
Godzilla didn't look convinced. "From what I've heard, he's beaten you to a pulp every time you've challenged him without even trying."
"That was a long time ago!" Natsu exclaimed. "Just watch! I bet you I can beat him all by myself!"
Godzilla was stunned by this, but sighed. "Very well, but if I start to see that you can't handle it then I'm joining in too."
"Deal!" Natsu replied before cloaking both fists in flames. "I'm comin' for ya Gildarts! I got a heck of a lot stronger over the last three years and I can't wait to show ya!"
Gildarts raised a hand out in front of him. "Now wait one minute Natsu." The Salamander didn't seem to be listening and was already rushing towards him with a battle cry, but Gildarts kept a calm expression. "Try to calm down would ya? I'm not ready to begin our fight just yet. Stay back."
"You shouldn't rush at him like that Natsu!" Happy exclaimed as he stood next to Godzilla. "He can pulverize his opponents!"
Natsu didn't hear him, for he had already jumped into the air and sent a flame covered fist flying towards Gildarts. The S-Class Mage stopped the punch with his outstretched hand, a massive explosion followed immediately after, engulfing Gildarts.
"Is it already over?" Happy asked.
Godzilla narrowed his eyes. "No. Too easy."
The dust cleared and to Natsu's surprise, Gildarts was still standing, completely unfazed from the attack. Suddenly, a massive blast of pure white energy erupted from Gildarts hand and completely engulfed Nastu.
"I warned you!" Happy shouted as he tried to keep his footing.
Godzilla looked completely caught off guard by the blast. 'I-I don't believe it... I could already sense how strong he was, but I never believed he was this strong.'
The dust cleared once again, revealing a large crater where Natsu had been standing. But Natsu wasn't there. Gildarts sighed. "Jeez kid. How many times have I told you? Holding back in battle isn't exactly my thing."
Happy stared at the crater and started crying. "No... How could you? Poor guy's been blown to bits..."
"Yeah right! He wishes!"
Gildarts looked up and noticed Natsu jump down from the ceiling of the cave. The Salamander engulfed his body with flames and bashed his knee into Gildarts' head. The S-Class Mage shrugged it off and put his hands out in front of him, using his Crash Magic to create another, larger crater below himself and Natsu.
Godzilla found himself stunned again. 'He shattered the ground to cushion the blow! Just how strong is this human?!'
Natsu jumped down to meet Gildarts. "There's more where that came from!" he shouted.
He attacked Gildarts with a flurry of fiery punches, but S-Class Mage effortlessly blocked them all with his right arm before elbowing the Dragon Slayer in the face. He then delivered a punch to Natsu's face, following it up by smashing his fist onto his head, sending the Salamander into the ground.
Happy was panicking. "He's beating him silly!"
Natsu gritted his teeth, jumped up and sent a flaming kick to Gildarts, who once again caught in with his hand. Happy looked on with slight concern. 'Natsu's serious. You can tell by the look on his face.' Gildarts started swinging Nastu around by his leg before tossing him away. The Dragon Slayer dug his hands into the ground before jumping backwards so he was outside of the crater. 'But he's still smiling.'
Godzilla couldn't believe it. Gildarts was hardly putting any effort into his attacks, yet Natsu was still willing to keep going. He couldn't help but smile. 'He still wants to keep going despite the fact that he's at a major disadvantage. Hehe, he's as stubborn as I am.'
Natsu sucked in a mouth full of air and bellowed, "Fire Dragon Roar!" A massive torrent of flames erupted from Natsu's jaws and was sent flying towards Gildarts.
The S-Class Mage watched the fire speeding towards him and smirk. 'Yeah, you have gotten stronger. I'm proud of you Natsu.' He slowly raised his right hand out in front of him. 'But dragons suck.'
Suddenly, a wave of energy flew out of Gildarts' hand and literally cut through the fire, turning it into blocks. Natsu saw that the wave was still coming towards him and knew that he wouldn't be able to dodge in time.
Luckily, help came from an unlikely source.
Godzilla rushed forward and grabbed Natsu by the back of his scarf and tossed him away from the blast, switching places with the Dragon Slayer. Natsu landed on the ground and looked up just in time to see the wave of energy hit Godzilla.
Gildarts' eyes widened. "Uh oh!"
The saurian gave off a sharp roar before he suddenly vanished into thin air.
Natsu was completely stunned into silence. Happy's tail fell to the ground, tears in the corners of his eyes. "...Godzilla?"
Gildarts gritted his teeth. "Crap! I overdid it!" He swore.
Natsu finally managed to speak. "You jerk... This was just supposed to be a test. You killed him..."
"Killed him? What are you talking about?" A voice asked, confused. Natsu and Happy looked around the cave and eventually spotted Ryu sitting down on a rock in the back of the cavern. "Take a look up at the ceiling."
The two looked up and what they saw was something they never in their lives thought they would see.
A horde of chibi Godzilla's started to fall from the ceiling.
Natsu's eye's practically popped out of their sockets. "W-WHAT THE HECK?!"
"That was Disassembly Magic. It breaks down it's target into little pieces." Ryu explained the type of magic Gildarts just used.
"There's a ton of Godzilla's!" Happy screamed.
As the horde of mini Godzilla's came tumbling to the ground, Gildarts laughed nervously. "Don't worry. He'll go back to normal in a bit." He then closed his eyes and gave a confident smirk. "Unfortunately, this means you lost your partner Natsu. Looks like it's just you and me-"
"Not so fast!"
Gildarts eyes shot open and watched as the chibi Godzilla's regained consciousness and were all glaring at him, each of them shouting over each other.
"Don't think we're down for the count yet!"
"We're just getting started!"
"We can still beat you!"
"We'll never surrender!"
"Someone turn us back right now! This isn't fair!"
"PLEASE STOP!" Happy screamed, unable to handle all of the noise the mini horde of Godzilla's were making, but they just kept chatting away.
A light bulb suddenly went off in Natsu's head. "Hey! I just got a great idae!" he exclaimed, causing all the mini-Godzilla's to stop and stare at him. "Since there are so many of you now, I just found out how we're gonna win."
"How?" the horde asked in unison.
Natsu grinned darkly. "Gang up on Gildarts!"
The mini-Godzilla's looked at each other before cheering in unison. Natsu already started rushing towards Gildarts again, this time with the mini Godzilla's by his side. "Let's get him!" the Salamander roared.
"AYE SIR!" the horde replied.
"THAT'S MY LINE!" Happy screamed again.
Gildarts watched Natsu and the large group of tiny Godzilla's charge him and chuckled. 'Well this is a first. I've never been challenged by a mini army before. Natsu...after all these years you still haven't changed, have you?'
----9 years earlier:
Gildarts walked across a small stone bridge towards his cabin on the outskirts of Magnolia, his back slung over his shoulder. He had just gotten back from another S-Class quest and had decided to take the rest of the day off and relax. When he got into his house, he dropped his sack onto the floor and stretched his shoulder.
"Man, it feels good to be home." he said to himself.
Little did he know, that two pairs of eyes were watching him from the ceiling.
Just as he was about to sit down, Gildarts heard two very familiar voices appear from above.
"Here I come!"
"Aye sir!"
The owner of the first voice bashed his skull into the back of Gildarts' head. "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"
"Never saw it comin'." the second voice remarked.
Gildarts rubbed the back of his head and turned around were he saw a pink haired boy who looked to be about ten years old. He wore a red shirt with tan colored shorts and he had a white, scaly scarf wrapped around his neck. Floating next to him was a tiny blue cat with small wings sticking out from his back.
Gildarts looked at the boy and sighed. "Oh, it's just you."
"Of course!" Natsu said with a feral grin. "Want some more or are you gonna say mercy?"
"Say it!" Happy said.
Gildarts continued to rub the back of his head. "C'mon kid, I just got back into town. Don't you think I deserve some time to relax?"
"No way!" Natsu exclaimed. "I'm about to beat your brains out right now!"
"Are you scared?" Happy asked.
Natsu jumped towards him while fire engulfed his fist. "Fire Dragon's-"
Gildarts smacked Natsu away and sent him flying, causing him to crash through the roof. "-Iron Fiiiiiiiiist!"
"Natsu!" Happy called as he flew out the door.
Gildarts watched them go and couldn't hold back a smile.
Natsu sat cross legged on the ground with a massive bump on his head. "Man...that hurt." he grumbled. "I swear, he's gotta be some kind of monster!"
"You gonna be okay?" Happy asked in concern.
Natsu got to his feet and pumped his fist in the air. "Don't you worry!" he declared. "I'm not lettin' that jerk beat me again!"
"Aye!" Happy cheered.
----The next day, Gildarts was sitting at the bar of the guild hall and was talking to Lisanna, enjoying the peace and quiet.
"Gildarts! I've been lookin' for you!"
The S-Class Mage looked over and smiled when he saw Natsu stomping over to him. He waved to the young Dragon Slayer. "Yo!"
Lisanna smiled. "Hey. How's your day going Natsu?"
Natsu suddenly leaped towards Gildarts and was ready to punch him before he was smashed into the floor, causing the floor boards to splinter.
"Instant K.O.!" Lisanna and Happy exclaimed in unison.
Gildarts sighed. "At least have the decency to say 'hello' when someone greets you. Where're your manners kid?"
"Sorry... Hello..." Natsu wheezed, another massive bump appearing on his head.
From across the room, Erza and Mirajane witnessed Natsu's beat down by Gildarts. Elfman, who was in the middle of reading a book, sighed. "looks like he's at it again. You'd think he would've learned by now."
"Give me a break." Mira said smugly. "That bonehead'll never learn."
"Mira. He may not be the smartest tool in the shed, but I think his spirit is commendable." Erza said.
Mira gave off another smug smirk. "Wow, look at you pulling out the big words today. Your so lame. You probably don't even know what 'commendable' means."
Elfman nervously covered his face with his book as Erza glared hard at her rival. "I'f you've got something to say then go ahead and say it you simple-minded strumpet!"
"Stop trying to act like your so much better than me or I'm gonna knock your teeth in! Got it?!" Mira retorted with a growl.
Natsu managed to get back to his feet and flashed an evil grin to Gildarts, who was drinking from his wine glass. "Know what happens after hello?!"
"Oooh! I know!" Happy cheered.
The Dragon Slayer suddenly jumped up and kicked the S-Class Mage in the back of the head, causing him to spit out his drink. "Fire Dragon's Talon!"
Gildarts flicked Natsu on the face and sent him crashing through the roof of the guild hall before rising to his feet, a fierce grin on his face. "Your on Natsu! Lets take this outside!"
"I think we should call it a truce this once!" Mira grunted as she and Erza continued to pull each others hair. "Their fights gonna be way more brutal than ours!"
"Good point! Lets go check it out!" Erza said with a grin as she and her rival dashed out of the guild like kids on Christmas.
Gray smirked. "Everyone's sure getting their panties in a wad over this."
"So...your not gonna go watch with them them?" Elfman asked.
"I never said that." Gray replied. He then turned to a brown haired girl who was looking at some cards. "What about you Cana? Are you gonna go watch the fight?"
"Uhhh... No, I'll stay here." she replied nervously.
"Ooookay..." Gray said awkwardly before he followed Mirajane and Erza out the door.
----Natsu charged with a flame-coated fist, but Gildarts simply smacked him away without even trying. Natsu charged several more times at the S-Class Mage, but just continued to get knocked back every time.
Their fight went on for what felt like almost half an hour and it was already sunset by this point, but Natsu never seemed ready to back down. Gray, Erza and Mira were watched from the sidelines with grins while Lisanna and Elfman looked to be the only ones who were concerned.
After several more minutes, Happy hovered over Natsu, who was lying face first in the sand, covered in bruises. "You haven't gotten a single hit yet Natsu!"
"Shut up... I know..." Natsu groaned.
"Whats the matter?" Gildarts asked with a fierce look. "Don't tell me that's all you got."
Natsu slowly got his feet and turned to look at the S-Class Mage. "Let me tell you something Gildarts..."
"Yeah?" he replied.
"I know your powerful. Your the strongest guy in the whole guild. That's why I gotta beat you! It'll happen someday..." The Dragon Slayer began to consciousness and fell back onto the ground before pointing a finger at Gildarts. "We are gonna fight! It'll happen...some day..."
Gildarts smiled. 
"Kay. But I'm warning you now, I won't hold back..."
----Present day:
Gildarts watched Natsu and the mini-Godzilla army charge at him with a confident smile.
"Or lose."
"Ready or not! Here we come!" Natsu roared.
Gildarts grinned. "Here we go again.
The chibi Godzilla's charged ahead and were about to pounce on the S-Class mage, but Gildarts effortlessly blew them back with a single swipe of his cape. He managed to punch several more away before Natsu somehow managed to get behind him and grabbed him under his arms. Gildarts was about to knock him away too, but several mini-Godzilla's managed to land on him and started pulling and biting on his face, causing him to lose his focus.
Natsu then released his hold on Gildarts just as more mini-Godzilla's jumped in front of him, their spines glowing. "Here we come!" the shouted together. "Atomic Roar!" The all fired their blue energy beams from their mouths, engulfing Gildarts head and causing him to yell in comical pain.
Happy cringed from where he was standing. "They're so creepy!"
The horde charged again, but Gildarts finally had enough. "That's it! Time to go back to normal Godzilla!" He made a quick motion with his fingers, causing all the mini-Godzilla's to assemble together.
Godzilla reappeared in a puff of smoke, but then charged at Gildarts. He sent his fist flying towards the S-Class mage, who just barely managed to block it with his left, prosthetic arm. He was surprised when he felt his knees slightly buckle from the force of the punch, but smirked. "Man, I know your strong and all, but to make me shake from just one punch is pretty impressive."
Godzilla snarled. "If there's one thing that I've found that you, me and Natsu have in common, it's this!" He brought his other fist back before punching Gildarts square in the face.
"I HATE TO LOSE!"
Happy almost lost his mind. "He actually managed to hit him!"
Natsu watched from nearby, his eyes completely wide. 'He actually managed to land a hit on him?! No way!'
Gildarts felt himself actually take a few steps back before he regained his footing. He wiped the corner of his mouth with a fierce grin. "Impressive. I haven't felt someone punch me that hard in god-knows how long."
Godzilla grinned back. "If you thought that hurt, then your going to be really shocked by what else I can do!"
Gildarts rushed at the King of the Monsters and threw a punch of his own, but Godzilla managed to catch it before sending another punch of his own, which Gildarts also caught. The two pushed against each other while shooting piercing looks at each other, neither one willing to back down. Godzilla gave off a loud roar and managed to push Gildarts back before spinning around and slamming his tail into his stomach, sending him crashing into the side of the small crater.
Godzilla powered up his spines and bellowed, "Atomic Roar!" His blue energy ray blasted from his mouth and flew towards Gildarts.
The S-Class mage had just managed to get to his feet when he saw the beam coming towards him. Gildarts quickly put both of his hands out in front of him. "Crash!" he shouted. A blast of white energy similar to the one used against Natsu flew from his hands and made contact with Godzilla's beam, creating a powerful explosion.
Godzilla seized the opportunity and charged forward, ramming into Gildarts in a body slam. The Ace of Fairy Tail grunted before the King of Monsters suddenly used his tail to trip Gildarts up and make him fall to the ground. He looked up and saw Godzilla's tail coming right at his face and quickly rolled to the side as it slammed into the ground with enough force to create several cracks.
Gildarts got to his feet and Godzilla saw an opening. He then turned to the Salamander. "Natsu, now!"
"Got it!" Natsu replied as he jumped onto Godzilla's tail. The King of the Monsters roared as he swung his tail and sent Natsu flying towards the S-Class mage. The Salamander grinned. "Here I come!" He began to spin his flame-covered arms around in a circular motion. "Dragon Slayer Secret Arts!"
Gildarts flinched a little. "Uh oh!"
"Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!"
A massive blast of fire struck Gildarts and engulfed the whole area where the three warriors stood in a massive ball of fire. Happy watched with anticipation. Did THAT get him?
The fire and dust dispersed, revealing Natsu who looked extremely exhausted and were panting profusely. Both his and Godzilla's eyes suddenly went completely wide when they saw Gildarts. There were two deep skid marks in the ground in front of him and part of his cape was completely shredded. Other than that, he looked completely fine.
"That's crazy!" Happy shrieked. "You attacked him full power and he didn't even flinch! Looks like you didn't faze him at all!"
Natsu suddenly pointed at the S-Class mage. "Yeah it did! You just gotta take a closer look Happy!" He then gestured to the skid marks in the ground. "The old man tried to stand firm, but my blast moved him back a few feet!" he said as he started laughing. "Not to mention his cape's all messed up!"
Godzilla stared at Gildarts. 'Did we really move him? Hmm... Now that I think about it, he's right. Gildarts didn't take a single step when he fought Natsu. I was the only one who actually managed to make him move.'
Godzilla then noticed that Natsu started wobbling a little. "Your too exhausted. Let me take over for now."
"No...way..." the Dragon Slayer growled. "I made a promise I would take him down...and that's exactly what I'm gonna do!"
Gildarts smiled. "Very impressive work you two. This gave me a good feel for your combined skill level. You may not have defeated me in battle, but as your examiner I think you deserve to move on to the next round."
Natsu looked a little shocked, but then glared at the S-Class mage. "There's no way I'm giving up now! I'm beating you Gildarts! What's the point of moving up to S-Class if I can't even do that!"
Gildarts stared at the Dragon Slayer with slight surprise, then smiled. "I had a feeling you were gonna say that."
Godzilla began to tense up again. Here it comes...
The ground suddenly began to rumble, small pebbles began to levitate and Gildarts became surrounded in a white aura with a fierce look on his face. "...But I don't think you'll wanna keep this up once I've finally released my full power."
Godzilla felt his sixth sense screaming at this point as the energy emitting from Gildarts continued to rise more and more. 'It feels like there's some kind of pressure building up in the air.'
Gildarts continued to stare down the two as he continued. "In order to walk the path of magic, and eventually reach it's peak, there is one thing you still lack Natsu."
The ground below Gildarts suddenly erupted as the energy surrounding him became stronger, causing more rocks to rise out of the ground.
"Let me show you!"
Natsu and Godzilla struggled to keep their footing as the energy grew stronger to the point that it felt like all of Tenrou Island was shaking, the cave being engulfed by the blinding white light emanating from Gildarts.
Natsu was completely terrified by the level of magic power Gildarts was giving, which was creating another crater around them that grew deeper and deeper. Slowly, the Salamander regained his courage and shot towards Gildarts with a roar.
Godzilla was shocked beyond belief. "Natsu! Stop!"
Nastu was literally about a foot away from Gildarts when he suddenly skidded to a halt and froze.
The S-Class mages energy was still growing and wasn't showing any signs of slowing down. Natsu tried to keep a brave face, but he suddenly felt himself trembling again in complete and total fear. He then took a step back before he slowly fell to his hands and knees.
Godzilla was stunned by his actions, but then slowly began to feel Gildarts energy dropping until the aura disappeared. Gildarts watched Natsu as he stared at the ground, sweating bullets and trembled in complete terror. Eventually, Natsu finally managed to speak.
"I...accept defeat..."
Gildarts said nothing and just stared at him expressionlessly. Happy was trying to fight back tears as he too stared at his friend. Godzilla was still in a state of complete shock from what he felt earlier. 'I...I'm at a complete loss for words... Could there be MORE humans on this world that are as strong as him?'
After a few more moments of silence, Gildarts smiled and spoke. "...A wise choice. I applaud anyone who has the courage to stand up and face their enemies." He paused for a moment. "However, the wizards who are the most courageous are those exceptional few who know when to stand down."
Gildarts continued as sunlight began to pour in from the the cavern ceiling. "Remember Natsu, their's nothing wrong with feeling fear. After all, how else would we come to know our own weaknesses. You need to know them in order to become a stronger and gentler person. A necessity for those who want to be S-Class." He continued to smile down at Natsu, who was still on the ground, trembling. "Now that I've shared this knowledge with you..."
He paused again.
"You pass kid."
Natsu was stunned. Happy just continued to stare at Natsu with tears still in his eyes. Godzilla was silent, almost just as shocked as Natsu.
The Salamander finally spoke. "But...I didn't...beat you-"
"Don't argue with me." Gildarts interrupted. "I'm your examiner and I say you've passed. You've made it through the first round, but this is just the beginning." He grinned. "You know how Master can be. I'm sure this was nothing compared to what he's got in store for you."
Natsu continued to stare at the ground and kept on trembling, so Gildarts went on. "Have confidence in yourself, I know you can do it. Now that we've finished up your test, let me tell you something as a friend." He then looked up to the ceiling. "Possessing powerful magic isn't the be-all-end-all. One thing I can truly appreciate is your hunger to win. Your burning desire for victory." He then closed his eyes and smiled. "I say that 'cause I have it too. Like Godzilla said earlier, I don't wanna lose."
He looked back at Natsu and grinned. "I'll take you on any time. Now go become an S-Class wizard. You hear me?"
Natsu said nothing, but instead was doing something he felt like was one of the few things in his whole life he had ever done.
Natsu was crying.
Godzilla and Happy walked up so he was next to the Dragon Slayer. When Gildarts saw Godzilla, he grinned again. "Same goes for you too. Lets do this again sometime."
The King of the Monsters nodded. "It's a deal." He then looked back at Natsu, who was still crying with Happy trying to calm him down. 'There's nothing wrong with feeling fear... I remember believing that fear was someones ultimate weakness.'
He rolled his eyes in exasperation. 'Good Tanaka... It seems I still have a lot to learn about these humans.'