Chapter 19: Tower of Heaven
Part I
…
Akane Resort was the most popular tourist spot in the Kingdom of Fiore. The large resort area consisted of a giant amusement park, a five-star hotel, and a huge white sandy beach adjacent to the sea. The hotel also housed a casino in its basement where visitors could enjoy themselves.
A couple days had passed since Loke gave the Ultimate Team their tickets to the luxurious resort, and so far the team was having a blast!
Currently, two surfboard-like wooden boats were racing across the waves of the blue, sparkling ocean. However, instead of engine power, the two watercrafts were being pulled by sea creatures connected to them via ropes and harnesses.
Lucy was standing up on her group's board, holding on tightly to the reins and laughing boisterously while doing so. Natsu and Happy, meanwhile, were at the back, clutching onto the board and the former looked like he was ready to puke at any moment. The creature pulling their boat was a bizarre, grey-skinned fish-like creature.
The Celestial Spirit wizard was wearing a white, two piece bikini with pink stars emblazoned on her bikini top. Natsu was sporting a pair of pink swim trunks and his scaly scarf was wrapped around his forehead like a headband.
"I…think…I'm gonna hurl." Natsu moaned sickly.
"I can't hold on much longer!" Happy cried.
Lucy glanced back, smiling. "This was your idea in the first place, Natsu. You two should try and have some fun like Ben, Gray, and Erza over there."
Thirty yards off to Lucy and Natsu's portside, Gray and Erza were skiing on an identical surfboard-like craft. They pulled ahead of Lucy and Natsu, surfing and bounding smoothly across the waves. Erza had put on a revealing two piece, black bikini while Gray wore a pair of icy blue swim trunks.
Erza was at the front of the wooden board and holding the reins, which were connected to a particularly odd creature.
It was a fish-like humanoid that had a black mermaid-like tail with green fins. Its forearms were black and had green fins sprouting out. It had greenish-white scales on its broad chest, torso, upper arms and head. Large, sharp teeth protruded out from its jaws and it had a phosphorescent lure sticking out from its skull. Strapped to its waist was a green and white belt with a green hourglass disk attached to it. The Fairy Tail guild mark was stamped in black on its left shoulder.
Erza and Gray were smiling and laughing madly as they raced across the seawater.
"What did Ben call this form again?" Gray inquired.
Without looking back, Erza answered, "Ripjaws. Not only does he have the ability to breathe in water, but Ben has told me that his jaws are powerful enough to rip through steel."
"Whoa," Gray gaped, "that's insane."
"Not as insane as this!" Ripjaws called out. "Hang on tight!"
With a surge of speed, Ripjaws raced toward a large, incoming wave. Once Ripjaws swum his way up to the wave's crest, all the speed and momentum he'd gathered caused him and the craft he was pulling to go flying high over the water.
Erza and Gray cried out in excitement when their board became airborne. A few seconds later, the trio smoothly landed back in the water with a splash.
"Righteous" Ripjaws commented.
The Piscciss Volann continued to pull forward so Erza and Gray wouldn't fall off the board. The re-quipping mage and ice wizard laughed elatedly as they sped swiftly across the sea.
Half an hour later, Ripjaws was beginning to feel a bit fatigued and pulled Erza and Gray back to shore whilst Lucy, Natsu and Happy continued to ski across the ocean waves. A number of beachgoers gasped in shock when they saw Ripjaws walk out of the water on two legs. They were even more dumbfounded when Ripjaws's body was suddenly enveloped in emerald light and transformed into a brown haired young man sporting a pair of black swim trunks and a tight, green sleeveless shirt.
Ben's swimming attire certainly showed off his well-muscled body, and it brought a hearty blush to Erza's face when she glanced at him. Ben also felt his own face heat up when he glanced over at Erza. Her black bikini didn't leave much to the imagination, and he was amazed by how sexy and well-developed her body really was. He inwardly shook his head from those thoughts, but his face flushed deeper regardless.
"Hey Ben, how come you're wearing that shirt?" Gray asked.
"Uh," Ben rubbed his neck sheepishly. "I just…feel more comfortable with it on."
Gray shrugged and accepted the answer. Erza, however, knew the truth as to why Ben didn't want to go shirtless. He didn't want anyone to see "it" on his chest. Erza knew that she needed to confront Ben about it in the future, but for now she would let it slide and bring it up another time.
The trio decided to play a game of volleyball next. After getting a ball and the net set up, Erza and Gray were together on one side while Ben was on the other.
"I dunno," Gray said, spinning the white ball on his right index finger. "This just doesn't seem fair with us going against just you."
Ben smirked smugly. "No need to worry." He activated the Omnitrix and began scrolling through his transformation playlist. "I've got something that can even the odds."
When he found the alien he wanted, he slapped down the dial. After an emerald flash, standing in Ben's place was a four-foot-tall humanoid with white skin and three green fins on its black head. It wore a green jumpsuit with black triangles on the shoulders and green in the center, giving it the appearance of a green hourglass symbol. It had three green gems on its black belt. The Omnitrix was positioned on its forehead while the Fairy Tail symbol was emblazoned in black on its left shoulder.
"Ditto" Ben shouted.
Erza and Gray both blinked in confusion at the small alien while a few passing beachgoers gawked at Ben's transformation. After a short moment, Erza crossed her arms over her breasts and smiled.
"I'll admit," Erza confessed, "this form is quite adorable."
"Hey!" Ditto said indignantly.
"How is this guy supposed to even the odds?" Gray asked.
"Like this," Ditto grinned.
Suddenly, Ditto's body shone with green light. Erza and Gray were in slight awe when a second Ditto split off from the original. After a couple more green flashes, there were now four Dittos spread out.
"He can clone himself?" Gray inquired. "I gotta admit that's impressive."
"Indeed it is." Erza smiled. "But still…just because he has quantity, doesn't mean he has quality." She tossed the ball in the air and served it when it came back down.
The original Ditto smirked when he saw the ball coming for him. He clenched his right fist and wrapped his left hand around it before serving the ball to another Ditto, who then hit the ball back over the net. Gray was quick to jump up and smack the ball back. A Ditto at the back dived into the sand to hit the ball back in the air, allowing another Ditto close by to serve it back to Erza and Gray.
Neither the re-quip mage nor ice mage were quick enough to get to the ball, which hit the ground despite their best efforts. The four Dittos grinned, realizing that they had scored the first point.
"As a matter of fact…" Ditto 1 said.
"…we have both quantity…" Ditto 3 said.
"…and quality." Ditto 2 finished.
Their volleyball game continued for another three minutes and both teams were tied at ten points. Gray yelled excitedly as he tossed the ball in the air and served it to the Dittos. The quartet looked up and realized the ball was too high in the air and would fly over them.
The Dittos looked at each other thoughtfully and nodded in agreement. They jumped on each other's shoulders to make a tower. The Ditto at the top was now high enough to smack the ball right back over the net. Erza dived for the ball and managed to prevent it from hitting the ground, letting Gray come over and hit the ball back across the net.
However, just as the Ditto at the top of the tower was preparing to hit it back, the one at the bottom felt his knees quake. He couldn't support all the weight bearing down on him.
"Uh oh," Ditto 1 remarked as he stumbled forward.
"HEY WATCH IT!" Ditto 2 shouted.
"YEAH, YOU'RE GONNA…" Ditto 4 trailed off.
"AHH!" The four Dittos yelped as they tumbled over and collapsed onto the volleyball net in a dusty heap.
The poles supporting the net had fallen and the net was sprawled across the sandy ground, ripped in a couple places.
"Oh yeah, you sure do have quality alright." Gray deadpanned.
The Dittos groaned as they returned to their feet. When they noticed that the volleyball net was thrashed, they looked at each other angrily.
"Now look what you did!" Ditto 4 pointed an accusing finger at Ditto 1.
"Hey, don't look at me! It was his idea!" Ditto 1 shouted as he pointed to Ditto 3.
"WHA?!" Ditto 3 remarked, shocked.
Erza and Gray, meanwhile, watched the Dittos argue with each other. The argument eventually broke out into a brawl. A dust cloud formed around the four aliens as they punched and kicked at one another.
"OW!" one Ditto cried. "HEY! That was my foot!"
"That's my fin you're pulling!" Another Ditto shouted, irately.
Erza and Gray sweat dropped at the strange but amusing scene.
"Is Ben fighting himself?" Gray asked.
"It would appear so." Erza replied, resting her left hand on her hip.
The Fairy Queen sighed and shook her head. 'Though this is amusing, they really need to knock it off.' She thought.
Erza turned her attention back to the quarreling Dittos. "Ben, you all need to calm down and change back already." She commanded.
The Dittos ceased their fighting and glared at one another, panting heavily with minor scrapes across their bodies.
"Yeah, yeah okay." Ditto 1 conceded.
"You all should be thanking her." Ditto 2 stated smugly. "She just saved you from a major butt-kicking, courtesy of me."
Ditto 3 huffed. "As if"
"Yeah, don't make us laugh." Ditto 4 scoffed.
Ditto 1 groaned. "Okay, that's enough." He reached up and tapped the Omnitrix symbol on his forehead.
In a flash of green, the three extra Dittos disappeared as the original transformed back to Ben. Ben glanced back at the ruined volleyball net and chuckled awkwardly. "Uh…hee-hee…sorry about that"
Later, after Lucy, Natsu and Happy returned from skiing, the Ultimate Team was now running along the white sandy beaches. Ben and Erza were at the head of the group, laughing excitedly as they ran ahead of the others. Years of playing soccer combined with training alongside Gwen and Kevin had boosted Ben's stamina and speed, which meant he was more than capable of keeping up with Erza and the others.
Ben looked over to the scarlet haired beauty running beside him. The bright smile that she wore made his face heat up and butterflies to flutter in his stomach. Erza's smile was truly something special in Ben's opinion.
After their jog across the beach, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy decided to bury Gray in the sand with only his head sticking out. They sculpted the sand in front of him to give him the body of a woman sunbathing, much to his chagrin. Erza was doing something similar to Ben close by, only she was giving him the body of a mermaid.
Ben tried to pull his arms out of the sand, but to no avail. "You know…" he spoke up, "maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all."
"Oh, don't be silly. I'm almost done with the breasts, so be still." Erza dismissed as she continued sculpting the breasts on Ben's mermaid body.
Later, the Ultimate Team had decided to go out swimming for a while. Erza had gotten a purple inflatable raft for her and Natsu to ride on while Lucy and Gray pushed; needless to say, the Dragon Slayer was less than thrilled about it. Ben, meanwhile, was planning to have his own fun.
He scrolled through the Omnitrix library, selected the icon he wanted, and slapped down the dial. In a flash of green, Ben had transformed into Ripjaws once again. A few tourists on the beach cried out from the shocking transformation, their jaws hanging freely from their skulls. Suddenly, as Ripjaws was about to dive deeper into the water, a blue blur zoomed at him and clutched onto his head.
"OH WOW!" Happy said exuberantly. "YOU'RE A GIANT FISH! You look so yummy!"
"Happy, I wouldn't." Erza warned as she got on her raft. "That's no ordinary fish."
"She's right." Ripjaws pulled Happy off of his face and showed the cat his mouth of sharp teeth. "Nothing's ordinary about jaws that can rip through steel."
Happy squealed in terror upon seeing Ripjaws's sharp teeth and flew away. He got behind Lucy and started to tremble in fear.
"I'm gonna have nightmares about fish for a week now." Happy murmured fearfully.
"Oh c'mon...he's not that scary." Lucy rebuked. The blonde mage glanced over to Ripjaws, only for him to look back and give her a savage-looking smile before diving into the water. Lucy flinched in trepidation as she began to shake. "Okay, maybe he's just a little scary!"
An hour later, after Ripjaws and the others had gotten a good swim in; they met back at the shore. Once he was over his motion sickness, Natsu decided to be mischievous and snatch Gray's swim trunks from him. This prompted the ice mage to grab Happy to conceal his private parts.
"GIMME BACK MY BATHING SUIT, NATSU!" Gray yelled.
"NO WAY, MAN!" Natsu laughed.
Happy cried out from being held so close to Gray's man parts.
"I don't think Happy likes being treated as a cover-up." Lucy mentioned.
Ben and Erza simply laughed at the hilarious scene taking place before them.
Meanwhile, a young lady with alabaster skin and short blue hair that was curled at the base was peeking out from behind a palm tree. Her clothing consisted of a dark blue bikini with purple circles emblazoned on it. Her outfit certainly showed off her voluptuous body. Hearts filled her eyes as she ogled Gray's almost naked form.
"Oh my darling, Gray," Juvia said lustfully, "what a hunk."
…
A few hours later, Erza was now on the balcony of her hotel room, which provided a marvelous view of the amusement rides and the sun setting over the sparkling ocean. Erza, still attired in her black bikini, was lying on a wooden lounge chair with her eyes closed and a peaceful expression on her face.
'I really had a great time today.' Erza thought happily. 'It was wonderful.'
A moment passed and Erza drifted off to sleep. However, instead of sleeping peacefully, Erza experienced a nightmare; a nightmare which made her recall dreadful childhood memories that had transpired a decade ago.
Erza could still remember it all so vividly; being forced into slavery on an island along with hundreds of other innocent people, working all day, sleeping in a ragged cell, and always living in constant fear.
Suddenly, Erza's brown eyes abruptly opened as she awoke from her slumber. She sat up on her chair and panted lightly, a troubled expression on her face. After Erza caught her breath, she got up from the chair.
"Just a dream," Erza said to herself. "I must've fallen asleep without realizing it."
The scarlet haired woman gazed solemnly at the sun setting over the ocean's horizon in deep thought. A short moment later, Erza turned away and went back into her room. When she came across the big mirror mounted on the wall, she stopped and looked into it. Erza examined herself and smiled as she began to pose, satisfied with her body.
'I do look nice.' Erza said inwardly. 'Hmm…I wonder what Ben would say…' The redheaded warrior then recalled the few instances on the beach where she saw Ben taking glances at her, and then turning away with a flushed face. Erza couldn't suppress her smile from those memories.
"What would I say?" A familiar voice said.
Erza turned around to the source of the voice that had interrupted her from her musings and lightly gasped. Standing in front of her was Ben, still wearing his black swim trunks and that tight, green sleeveless shirt. Erza blushed at the sight of his broad chest, firm stomach, well-toned arms, and his handsome face. The Fairy Queen had to concede, Ben certainly looked quite appealing.
"B-Ben?" Erza stammered in confusion, taking a step back. "W-w-what…how did you get in here?"
Ben stepped forward and placed a finger on her lips to silence her. He gazed at her with a sparkle in his emerald eyes and a warm, dazzling smile that made Erza's knees tremble.
"Does it matter?" Ben said softly. "You asked yourself what I would say about your body, didn't you?"
'H-How…how did he know?'
"Well…I'd say you're even more beautiful without your armor." Ben stated.
Erza felt her breath hitch while her eyes widened. She could feel her heart rate increase and her face heat up exponentially. What was happening to her? Erza had never felt like this before.
"B-B-Ben…I…" She stuttered.
All of a sudden, Ben swooped Erza off her feet and held her in his arms bridal style; much to her embarrassment. Ben carried Erza to her bed and gently laid her down on the plush mattress, crawling on top of her. She nearly moaned from the direct skin-to-skin contact of their bodies.
Erza felt her breathing increase and her heart pound through her chest. Her face turned several shades of scarlet from being in such close proximity to Ben. The brunette haired hero hovered over her and looked down at Erza with a gentle, caring look in his eyes. Erza stared up at those green eyes, locked in a trance.
'His eyes…I've never noticed how…gorgeous they are.' She thought idly.
"Words are too weak to describe how I feel about you, Erza." Ben proclaimed gently. "You're the most amazing woman I've ever met, and… I never want to leave your side."
Those words caused her blush to deepen and her heart to pound against her bosom more forcefully. She was so shocked and was incapable of speaking coherently.
"B-Ben…" Erza whispered, gazing at him with glossy brown eyes...
Ben looped his right arm around Erza's back and lifted her up slightly, and then leaned forward in an attempt to kiss her. Erza's eyes widened from this bold action and she felt her breathing hitch in her throat. She placed her hands on his shoulders and tried to push him away; however, she was putting very little strength into her arms. Why?
Erza looked up at Ben's handsome face and into his alluring emerald eyes. From that moment, she realized why she was fighting so little. She wanted this...badly.
Subconsciously, Erza tightened her hold on Ben's shoulders and unexpectedly pulled him closer to her. The pair paused when their foreheads and noses touched, gazing into each other's eyes. They were so close they could feel each other's hot breath. The shape-shifter and re-quipping mage simultaneously closed their eyes and titled their heads forward for a kiss.
Suddenly, just when their lips were millimeters away from touching, Erza's eyes snapped opened. Instead of lying on the bed, she was standing in front of her mirror. Erza was panting heavily and she had turned red from head-to-toe, feeling like she was on fire. She stared at her reflection with wide eyes and a slightly gaping mouth.
"W-w-what the hell just happened?" Erza said, shocked. "How could I allow myself to think of something so…so…scandalous?"
'Why would I think of something like that with Ben?' Erza wondered. 'Grr…this is just too frustrating!'
Erza took a moment to steady her breathing and calm her nerves. When the scarlet haired warrior felt her heartbeat slow down to normal, she looked into the mirror at her bikini-clad form. Golden-white light consumed her body and when it disappeared, she was wearing her Heart Kreuz Armor.
She opened her eyes and stared at herself for a short moment. "I always feel at ease wearing armor; although, as a wardrobe choice, I guess it's not exactly feminine." She admitted.
Erza was brought out of her musings by a knock at her door.
"Erza? You decent?" Ben asked.
The Fairy Queen almost gasped upon hearing Ben's voice, the memory of that crazy daydream still fresh in her mind.
"Uh…y-yes, come in." Erza stuttered.
When the doors opened, Erza's eyes widened upon taking in Ben's appearance. He wore a pair of black dress shoes, brown slacks with a green belt, and a black polo shirt that was tucked in. The underside of his collar was green and emblazoned on his left breast was an emerald Fairy Tail mark with a white number ten stamped on top of it. His brown hair was combed up nicely as well.
Erza smiled. She was definitely impressed with Ben's formal attire. She especially liked the custom work he'd done with the Guild mark on his chest.
"What are you doing in here, Erza? Get out of the room and let's have some fun." Ben urged eagerly. "Natsu, Gray, and Lucy are downstairs. Let's go find 'em and play some games."
"That's right. There's a casino here. In that case…"
Suddenly, her form was engulfed in golden-white light. When the flash disappeared, Erza was now clad in a lovely purple dress with red roses all around it and white silk gloves that stretched to her upper arms. Her long scarlet hair was tied up in a big bun at the back of her head and a couple bangs hung freely from her temples.
Erza cocked her hip out and rest her left hand on it. "So, how do I look?" She asked teasingly.
Ben's jaw dropped and his eyes widened in awe. After standing like an idiot for a few seconds, Ben shook his head and tried to compose himself; which was far from easy.
"You…you look…amazing, Erza." Ben stammered, giving her a bashful smile.
Despite his stuttering, Erza could sense that he was speaking the truth and couldn't help but blush. "Thank you, Ben."
Erza took one last glance at herself in the mirror and smiled with her eyes half-opened. 'I suppose it's alright for me to enjoy myself every once in a while, isn't it?'
As she approached Ben, the teen hero rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Man. Compared to you, I feel underdressed."
Erza chuckled and took Ben by surprise by hooking her left arm through his right arm, bringing a blush to his face. "Don't be ridiculous. You look quite handsome." She said sincerely.
Ben blinked, feeling his face grow hotter. He then smiled in appreciation and replied, "Thanks."
With that said Ben and Erza made their way out of the room and ambled down the corridor. As the duo walked down the hallway, Erza recalled something that the Ben in her daydream from earlier had said to her, and it had her wondering.
"Ben?"
Ben turned to Erza, and asked, "Yeah?"
"What do you…think about my armor?" Erza inquired.
The teen hero blinked, confused by that random question. However, he answered truthfully. "I think your armors are pretty awesome. It's really cool how you can re-quip into them with just a thought and that most of them have some type of special ability like my transformations do."
"Yes…but…my armors aren't exactly the most…feminine thing to wear." Erza disputed.
'I wonder what made her think of this topic.' thought the teen hero.
"Erza," said Ben, "in case you didn't know, most of your armor doesn't leave much to the imagination."
'Especially that Seduction Armor,' Ben mused.
Ben inwardly shook his head and came back to reality. "Besides, you shouldn't care if they're feminine or not. With or without armor, you're still Erza Scarlet: the strong, beautiful, determined woman that I've gotten the pleasure to know these past two months."
Erza stared at Ben for a moment with a shocked expression. She felt as if her heart had skipped a few beats from those words. Her eyes widened when she realized something else. 'Did Ben just call me beautiful?' Erza said inwardly, stunned.
"You…really mean that?" asked Erza.
Ben shot her a confident smile. "Of course, I wouldn't have said it otherwise."
From that response, Erza's shock faded away into a warm smile, which made Ben's insides flutter; much to his confusion.
"Thank you, Ben." Erza responded.
Ben gulped nervously when he felt her tighten her arm around his and pull him a tad closer to her. "Um…no problem," He said. "I was just speaking the truth."
The duo continued down the long corridor toward the elevator at the end of the hall.
…
The casino facility in the hotel basement was quite spectacular. There were many different types of gaming machines, card tables, and even a roller coaster. A light fixture on the ceiling projected a multitude of various colored stars all around the spacious room, giving it a rather sparkly look.
Ben and Erza couldn't help but marvel at the casino. As they entered, the two could've been mistaken for a couple with Erza's arm locked around Ben's. Unbeknownst to them, a few male customers glared at Ben in obvious jealousy for him being so close to a beautiful woman. A few female customers were also envious of Erza for having her arm locked around one belonging to an attractive guy.
The Omnitrix bearer and re-quipping wizard came across Natsu at one of the gaming machines with Happy, both of them were begging for the number seventeen. They spotted Gray sitting by a card table across from where Natsu and Happy were playing their game.
As they were walking through the casino, Erza turned her gaze onto Ben's lips. As the redheaded wizard stared at them, she suddenly had another daydream of her locking her arms around Ben's neck and tongue kissing him right in the middle of the casino. As a result, Erza's face turned bright red as steam hissed from her ears.
'What the hell, Scarlet?' Erza shouted inwardly. 'Why the hell would I imagine something like that?! And how in the world do I know tongue kissing? I don't know anything about deep kissing a boy, or regular kissing for that matter!'
Ben glanced over at Erza and took note of her crimson face and the faint trails of steam pouring from her ears. "Um…Erza, you okay there?" He asked, concerned.
Erza immediately snapped out of her thoughts and turned to Ben. "Of course," she chuckled nervously, "why wouldn't I be?"
"Well, your face was turning as red as your hair and…it looked like you had steam coming from your ears." Ben replied.
Erza chuckled again, tightening her hold on Ben's arm. "You were just imagining things. That's all, Ben."
Ben cocked a brow suspiciously. "Sure…whatever you say, Erza."
The duo walked to the other side of the casino where they found Lucy sitting at one of the card tables. Lucy smiled at them and waved them over to the two vacant seats on her right.
"Well, don't you two make a cute couple?" Lucy grinned slyly.
Erza swiftly unhooked her arm from Ben's as they both blushed lightly and stuttered incoherently. Lucy couldn't help but giggle at their awkwardness.
"Oh lighten up, I'm just teasing you two. Have a seat." She gestured to the two open stools. "With you two we should have enough to play now."
Erza smiled and nodded while Ben shrugged. He'd learned a little about playing cards from his Grandpa Max so he figured he'd give it a try; however, he wasn't quite sure if people played cards the same way here in this crazy magical world. Well, it looked like he was about to find out.
Ten minutes into the game and Erza was on a hot streak. Lucy was doing fairly well too. Ben, meanwhile, wasn't doing so good; mainly because he was still a bit bewildered by how this card game was played. But he was learning the mechanics as the game progressed.
Suddenly, the group was brought out of their game when they heard the sound of an explosion from across the room. Ben, Erza, and Lucy turned around, confused.
"What's all the commotion about?" Erza asked.
"It sounds like the parade is starting outside!" A man wearing the Akane Resort mascot suit exclaimed.
"Makes sense," Lucy replied.
"Yeah," Erza said.
"Hmm…still, it sounded like there was an explosion in this room." Ben noted.
Oddly, Ben felt a nagging sensation in his gut. During his stint as a superhero, he had only experienced this feeling when danger was approaching. For now though, Ben turned his attention back to the game; nonetheless, he would keep his guard up.
"OH LOOK!" Lucy said happily. "You totally got a straight!"
"Looks like today is my lucky day" Erza smiled proudly.
Ben took a glance at his cards and sweat dropped. There was no way in hell he could win with the set of cards he possessed. He chuckled lightly and rubbed his neck sheepishly, and commented, "Heh-heh…the same can't be said for me."
Meanwhile, a young man with tan skin and blond hair walked up behind the card table to the dealer. He wore the typical uniform all hotel employees were required to wear: black dress shoes, black pants, a white collared shirt, and a black button-up vest to go over it.
"Dealer change," The blonde haired man said.
The current dealer simply bowed and sauntered away.
"I have a feeling this hot streak is just getting started." Erza stated confidently.
Lucy winked playfully. "Oh yeah"
Ben hummed out loud as he eyed his cards. "If only I could find my hot streak." He grumbled.
The blonde haired dealer began to shuffle the cards from his right hand to his left. "In that case," he said as he smoothly slid five cards in front of Erza, "I have a special game for you folks tonight."
Erza paused as she looked at her cards, which had black letters imprinted on them. Together they spelled, DEATH. Erza lightly gasped as her eyes widened.
Ben glanced over at her cards and arched a brow in confusion. 'What the hell?' Ben thought. 'Is this some kind of joke?'
"And while we're at it, why don't we raise the stakes a little higher, sister?" The dealer asked with an ominous grin.
Erza glanced up at him and almost felt her heart stop from shock. "It can't be…" Erza said in a trembling voice. "…Sho…is that you?"
"So you do remember me." The blonde haired dealer known as Sho, replied.
"You know him?" Lucy asked.
Erza didn't respond. Her brown eyes were wide open and her jaw was quivering. Ben was surprised and concerned by Erza's reaction. He had never seen her act like this.
"Y-You're…alive?" Erza stammered, shocked.
Sho leaned slightly forward with a dark smile. "Alive?"
"I…I…" Erza stuttered incoherently.
"Whoa. Erza…are you alright?" Ben inquired, worried.
He mentally slapped his forehead for asking that question. 'Of course she's not alright, stupid! But still…why is she acting like this? Who is this guy?'
Without warning, the lights shut off and the casino was instantly shrouded in total darkness; much to everyone's confusion.
"Hey, what happened to the lights?" asked Lucy.
"That's what we'd all like to know." Ben deadpanned, looking around him for any source of light; however, he couldn't find any. There was nothing but pitch black darkness.
Suddenly, a loud gunshot rang through the casino, startling everyone present.
"What? A gunshot?" Lucy said, nervously.
"What's going on?" Erza inquired.
Just as quickly as the lights went off, they came back on; however, there was something amiss. Ben, Erza, and Lucy were the only ones standing by the card table or in the room, in fact. Everyone else had vanished.
"Where'd he go?" Erza asked.
"More importantly, where did everyone else go?" Ben added.
"I'm right here, sister."
The trio turned around to see Sho standing behind them and wearing a menacing smile. He held out his hands and let a multitude of cards fall freely to the floor, but they were not ordinary playing cards. Cries of fear and confusion were ringing out from them. When the three looked closely, astonished expressions took hold on their faces.
All the missing people in the room were trapped inside the cards!
"Oh no…" Erza murmured fearfully.
"He trapped them inside the cards?!" Lucy said, astounded.
Ben's eyes widened from shock. He had seen many strange, seemingly impossible things throughout his many adventures, but this…this was definitely up in the top five. "But…how?"
Sho held up the card that had the man dressed in the Akane Resort mascot costume trapped inside. "HELP! PLEASE!" He cried.
"Cool, huh?" Sho smirked.
"You can use magic?" Erza asked.
"That's right." He replied. "You're not the only one with powers anymore."
"But who taught you that?" demanded Erza.
Ben's brows furrowed as he took a step toward Sho. "You can ask him later, Erza." He stated, narrowing his eyes at the blonde haired young man. "Right now, you need to let those people go!"
"MEOW!"
All of a sudden, pink magical seals appeared under Ben and Lucy's feet and they were caught off guard when what appeared to be orange, furry ropes came out and wrapped around them. Ben's arms were pinned to his sides and his legs were tied together, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the floor. Lucy's arms were tied over her head in a rather uncomfortable positon. Both the superhero and Celestial wizard ground their teeth in pain as the ropes tightened around them.
"Let them go!" Erza shouted, wide-eyed.
Sitting on the table counter behind them was a curvaceous woman of average height, but what really made her stand out was her cat-like appearance. Her brown hair was stylized into cat ears at her crown and tied into two ponytails at the base. There were four red whisker-like tattoos on her face while her eyes, nose, and mouth were all cat-like. She wore a yellow jacket with white stripes and black trimming, a pink dress with a white bow tie, a choker with a bell on it, and white leggings.
"Sorry, but nobody's going anywhere except you, Erzy" The cat lady retorted cheerfully.
"Millianna?" Erza stammered; her shock intensifying. "You can use…magic too?"
"It's been a while, Erzy worzy." Millianna replied, ignoring Erza's question.
"Please, you have to let them go." Erza begged. "Please, they're both friends of mine."
"Meow. Friends, huh?" Millianna responded.
"We used to be friends of yours too. Good friends." Sho mentioned. "Remember?"
Despite the growing pain, Ben and Lucy both turned their heads to Sho and Erza with the same question in their heads. 'These creeps were her friends?' They both thought.
Erza held her left elbow awkwardly and replied, "I…I do."
"We were very close. That is…until you decided to betray us." Sho stated, narrowing his greyish-blue eyes at her.
Erza turned away from him as her body began to tremble ever so slightly. Ben looked on in shock and confusion. He had never seen Erza act this way and consequently was very concerned for her.
"Why don't you cut the dame a little slack, pal." A voice remarked.
Suddenly, a man appeared right behind Sho with his left arm draped around his shoulders in a friendly manner. However, he was no ordinary man. His whole body was regular-toned but consisted of geometrical shapes, and resembled one made of blocks. He had black hair, an oddly-shaped chin, and had thick lips. His outfit consisted of a royal blue suit with a white collared shirt and red necktie, black oval-shaped sunglasses, a boater hat, and a white scarf hung loosely around his neck.
"Just keep those emotions in check and everything will be real dandy." He stated in a New York-like accent.
The trio's eyes widened from the sight of the rectangular-toned man.
"A BLOCKHEAD?!" Ben and Lucy shouted incredulously.
"Just…how the hell is that possible? Ugh…you know what, I give up! I guess anything's possible in this crazy fantasy universe.' Ben mused.
"Very nice," the block man gave Erza a thumbs-up. "Life on the outside's been pretty good to yah, huh doll?"
"W-wait a minute…Wally?" Erza stuttered, flabbergasted by his appearance.
"I've gone through some changes myself." Wally explained. "Ole Mad Dog Wally has seen a lot since the old days. You see…I'm much smoother now."
Ben and Lucy both groaned and sweat dropped from Wally's comment.
"Oh please," Ben grumbled, exasperated. "Bloxx is much smoother than you."
"You practice magic as well?" Erza asked.
"You sound surprised." A deep masculine voice spoke out.
All of a sudden, a black haze appeared behind Erza and out from it came a tall, muscular man. He wore a white turban to conceal his long, dark hair, a black eye patch over his left eye, and a peculiar armored metal plate that obscured his prominent jaw. His attire consisted of a pair of loose dark pants, a white sash around his waist, and a large cloth with dark-colored, double-edge axes emblazoned on it passing over his left shoulder.
"It's not so hard once you get the hang of it." The large man continued. "Of course you already knew that, didn't you?"
Erza turned around and gawked. "Simon?"
Lucy yelped as Millianna pushed her to the floor with her arms stretched out behind her head, and the ropes appeared to be slowly pulling her arms and her feet together. Ben felt the orange ropes begin to tighten around him as well.
"Erza," Ben said through clenched teeth, "I think an explanation is in order."
"Seriously!" Lucy cried. "Who are these people?! And why did he call you 'sister'?!"
Erza was silent for a moment. She then glanced at Sho, Millianna, Wally and Simon and lightly sighed. "He's not actually my brother, but we all grew up together."
"What do you mean?" Lucy asked. "I thought you said you joined Fairy Tail when you were just a little girl."
"This was before I joined the Guild." Erza elaborated. "Why did you find me? What do you want?" She asked her old friends.
"Meow," Millianna said, "you really wanna know?"
"We're here to take you back with us." Wally answered.
"I'm begging you, please release Ben and Lucy." Erza pleaded.
"Who cares about them?" Sho retorted nonchalantly, and grinned ominously. "We want you, sister."
Ben lightly growled and scowled at the quartet. Despite his growing pain, Ben rolled onto his front side and sat up on his knees. "No! I'm not gonna let you bozos take her!" he exclaimed fiercely.
Sho glanced at Ben, his left eyebrow twitching in annoyance. "Oh really?"
The Card mage walked over to Ben and delivered a fierce kick into his gut, making him double over. Ben couldn't hold back a groan of agony from the blow.
"BEN!" Lucy screamed.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Erza shouted.
Sho ignored Erza and Lucy's pleas and kicked the Omnitrix bearer again, which caused him to fall onto his side.
"So," Sho grinned menacingly, "you're that new Take-Over wizard from sister's Guild? The one with so many powerful forms? Ben Tennyson, right?"
Ben grunted painfully as he opened his right eye and gritted his teeth. "Yeah," he responded, "and when I get outta these ropes, you're gonna be in for a world of pain, punk."
Sho snarled. He then reared back his leg and sent another strong kick into Ben's abdomen, and the blow actually made Ben spit up a bit of blood.
"SHO, STOP!" Erza yelled. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!"
Simon grabbed Erza firmly by the shoulders, preventing her from stopping Sho. The Card mage kicked Ben a couple more times with a sick smile on his face. Ben clenched his eyes and mouth shut, not wanting to give Sho the satisfaction of hearing his yells of pain.
'Man…if only I could reach the Omnitrix…' Ben thought.
The teen hero tried to move his right arm, but to no avail. The ropes were just too tight. He was really in a bad situation now.
"I don't care how strong you are! Sister's coming with us and there's nothing you can do about it!" Sho exclaimed crossly.
"NO, STOP HURTING HIM!" Lucy cried desperately.
Erza watched with wide eyes while her lips quivered. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Every time Ben was kicked she felt a stab in her chest. Determination soon formed over Erza's face as she could no longer stand to see Ben take such abuse anymore.
"PLEASE, SHO, STOP THIS AT ONCE!" Erza bellowed angrily.
"Sho," Wally tipped his hand and approached him. Sho stopped kicking Ben when he felt Wally lay his hand on his right shoulder. "That's enough. I'll take care of him."
Sho reluctantly nodded and stepped aside. Wally approached Ben with a smug smirk on his angular-shaped face. "Now, Mister Take-Over wizard, here's some friendly advice that I shared with your pal, Salamander."
Ben cocked a brow when Wally mentioned Natsu's nickname. "What do you do to him?" He growled.
Wally ignored his question, and stated, "In life you've got one of only two paths to take…you can either live a dandy life…" He extended his right arm and, in a flash of white light, his arm transformed into a gunmetal gray, rectangular-shaped rifle. Wally aimed his Polygon Rifle straight at Ben, placing his red laser target in the middle of his forehead. "…or die a jealous poser."
Erza and Lucy both gasped in shock and apprehension.
"No, don't!" Lucy cried, and then groaned painfully as her bindings pulled her arms and legs together tighter.
"WALLY! I beg of you…PLEASE DON'T!" Erza begged frantically.
Suddenly, Wally's Polygon Rifle disappeared and then reappeared right by Erza's left side. A gold magic circle appeared in front of the barrel as a magical projectile fired and shot her in the side. Erza cried out before she tumbled over, but before she could hit the ground, Simon caught her in his arms.
Ben and Lucy's eyes both widened in utter shock. "ERZA!" They yelled simultaneously.
"Somebody…HELP!" Lucy screamed.
"You bastard!" Ben shouted heatedly, struggling even more against his bindings.
Simon picked up Erza's unconscious form and held her bridal style. "We got what we came for. Let's go home." He declared.
"You sure she's okay?" Sho asked Wally.
Wally grinned confidently as he held up his rifle. "She's just taking a nap."
"HOLD IT!" yelled an angry Ben Tennyson. "Where are you jerks taking her?! I promise you, when I get outta these ropes, I will find you…and I will make you pay!"
"Yeah, and Natsu and Gray too!" Lucy added. "All three of them are going to take you down!"
"Sorry, losers, but those two are gonna be licking pavement for a while, yah get me?" Wally stated.
"What?" Lucy said, confused.
"What do you mean by that?" Ben asked.
"Those two were nothing but talk." Simon simplified.
Ben and Lucy's eyes widened from a frightening realization. 'No…it can't be.' Ben thought fearfully.
"But…that's impossible!" Lucy disputed. "You mean they're…"
"Sleeping the big sleep" Wally finished.
Millianna winked at the duo and held out her hand. "Meow" A small, pink magical seal appeared in front of her hand; as a result, Ben and Lucy's ropes tightened even more and intensified the pain.
"Meow. In about another five minutes you're gonna be all twisted up into a yummy little pretzel." Millianna commented to Lucy. She then turned her gaze to Ben. "Meow. And as for you, pretty boy, soon those ropes are gonna keep squeezing you until all the juices inside you spill out on the floor."
"Hey Millianna," Wally walked up to her. "I scored a little something for yah."
"Meow" The cat lady replied.
In a flash of light, an unconscious Happy appeared in Wally's block-like hands. Instantaneously, Millianna's eyes lit up in excitement. "OH…A LITTLE KITTY WITTY OF MY VERY OWN!" Pink hearts appeared in her eyes as she hugged Happy affectionately. "OH HE'S SUCH A LITTLE CUTIE WUTIE!"
"Happy!" Lucy exclaimed worriedly.
"That's enough." Simon ordered sternly. "Calm down."
"Alright doll, time to get to work." Wally said.
"Meow" Millianna agreed.
Sho glanced at Erza with a tear of happiness running down his face. "Sister," he murmured, "I can't believe you're finally coming home…to the Tower of Heaven. I know Jellal will be very happy to see you."
Erza's eyes slowly fluttered open as her consciousness steadily returned. She was coherent enough to have heard what Sho said.
'The Tower of Heaven. Did they really finish it?' Erza thought dreadfully.
When the quartet stepped a few meters away from Ben and Lucy, a blue magical circle appeared above them.
"Where are you taking her?" Lucy shouted angrily. "COME BACK!"
In a flash, Erza and the four kidnappers disappeared. Ben gasped as his eyes widened.
"ERZA! NO!" He yelled in dismay.
Ben clenched his teeth tighter as he struggled more against the ropes, but despite his determination, he was met with zero results.
"Erza…she's gone." Lucy whimpered in disbelief.
Ben shifted his head toward Lucy, a familiar expression of anxiety etched on his face. He turned to the floor and snarled in fury, not at the kidnappers…but rather himself. "DAMMIT! I couldn't do anything! She needed my help and I couldn't do squat!" He berated himself.
He closed his eyes and sighed. 'Damn…this feels familiar…' He thought absentmindedly.
"Ben!" Lucy cried as her ropes fastening her arms and legs together pulled even more, causing her even more pain. "Pull yourself together! We will save her, but right now…we have to get outta these bindings!"
Ben turned to his blonde haired friend. A short moment later, the teen hero regained his composure and determination.
"You're right. Sorry about that." Ben groaned as he put all of his strength in trying to move his arms, but it was futile. The ropes were just too strong for a human to break. "Damn! I can't even budge my arms!"
Ben then glanced over to see Lucy frantically rolling around on the floor. "I swear we're gonna get outta these things somehow!"
The Omnitrix bearer sweat dropped. "Yeah…I don't think rolling around the floor is gonna do the trick though."
Suddenly, a brown leather pouch full of gold and silver keys fell out of Lucy's dress pocket. Lucy saw this and smiled. "Yes!" She exclaimed hopefully. "Don't worry, Ben, I'll call one of my spirits to get us outta out of this mess."
Ben grunted as his restraints squeezed his body even tighter. "G-great…but…hurry! This is…ugh…really getting painful!"
Lucy rolled onto her side so she could grasp a key with her fingers. "Open, Gate of the Giant Crab: Cancer!"
A moment passed and, instead of a Celestial Spirit appearing in a flash of light, nothing happened. Lucy blanked and began to sweat nervously. "Uh…okay…Cancer?!"
"W-What…happened?" Ben asked through gritted teeth. "Why didn't that crab guy show up?"
"I – I don't know. Here," She reached for another key, "let me try another. Open, Gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!"
However, just like the first attempt to summon a spirit, nothing happened; much to Lucy's shock and confusion. "Huh? Oh no! Why can't I call my spirits?"
In spite of the agony he was experiencing, Ben looked back-and-forth between the orange ropes wrapped around him and Lucy. His green eyes widened when his brain came to a realization.
"That's it! The ropes! The ropes must be suppressing your magic." Ben deduced.
Lucy groaned, not only from frustration but pain as well. "Oh terrific!" She said sardonically. "Now what are we gonna do?"
Ben growled under his breath as he wracked his mind for any possible escape from this situation. When he glanced over at Lucy and noticed that her fingers were clutching onto her key pouch, that's when an idea hit him like a freight train.
"Wait! Lucy!" Ben rolled himself over toward Lucy's position until he was lying on his front with his left side facing her. "Do you think you can reach the Omnitrix?"
The blonde haired mage glanced over at him, clenching her teeth in major discomfort. "I'll…I'll try." Lucy rolled closer to Ben until her back was facing him. She reached out with her fingers and could feel Ben's upper arm.
"Lower." Ben instructed.
Lucy squirmed until she could move her fingers across Ben's left arm. She stopped when she felt something metallic. "I…I think I can feel it." Lucy notified.
"Good" grunted Ben. "Now tap the faceplate."
Lucy could feel the smooth surface of the Omnitrix faceplate on her fingers and tapped it. As a result, the watch beeped as a green holo-wheel popped up.
Ben smiled. "Good job, Lucy. Do you think you can select a form?"
Lucy tried turning her head; however, the painful, awkward position she was in prevented her from looking back. "No…I can't even see what I'm doing."
"Don't worry. I'll tell you where to press then." The brunette haired teen replied.
The Celestial mage felt around for the holo-interface, but couldn't seem to find it.
"To the left," Ben instructed, "No! Your other left! Now, go up!"
"AAARGGHH!" Lucy squealed in agony as her bindings pulled tighter.
"LUCY!" Ben shouted, concerned. He then gritted his teeth, trying to hold in his cries of pain. He had to stay strong. "Your fingers are right on it! Tap it!"
"O-okay…" Lucy said weakly.
Lucy's finger touched a head icon. Ben smiled brightly when he felt the Omnitrix faceplate slide back and the core pop out. "Great job, Lucy!" He praised. "Alright, it's Hero time!"
He rolled over on his side, which pressed the core back in. Ben's body was instantly engulfed with emerald light. When the flash died away, in Ben's place was a seven-foot-tall being made completely out of turquoise crystals.
"Diamondhead" Ben shouted. He examined his form briefly and smirked. "Oh yeah! This'll work."
Diamondhead morphed both arms into lethal, crystal blades and easily cut through his restraints. Once he got up from the floor, he swiped his blade across Lucy's ropes and freed her. The blonde mage let out a sigh of relief as the extreme pain she had been feeling faded away.
As the Petrosapien helped her back to her feet, she looked up and smiled appreciatively. "Thanks, Ben."
Ben shook his head. "No. I should be thanking you."
The superhero and Celestial wizard turned their gaze to the spot where the four kidnappers had disappeared with Erza.
"Erza…" Lucy said solemnly.
Diamondhead's already determined expression had hardened further as he turned to Lucy. "Like you said, we'll get her back and Happy too. Right now, we need to see if Natsu and Gray are as dead as those creeps claimed them to be."
Lucy looked back at Diamondhead and nodded in determination. Just when the duo was about to leave, a thought came across Lucy's mind. "Wait! What about those people trapped in the cards?" Lucy pointed at the multiple cards sprawled across the casino floors.
Ben paused and pondered for a moment. Lucy did have a point. They couldn't just leave them there; however, Ben wasn't sure he had a form that could get them out. He contemplated a little longer before he figured out what to do next.
"You're right, Lucy, but there's nothing we can do to save them. We'll tell the guards and let them handle it." Diamondhead declared. "They'll know how to fix this."
Lucy tilted her head down, feeling guilty about just leaving those people behind; however, she knew Ben had a valid point. There was nothing they could do; besides, they already had enough on their plate, not to mention the possibility of accidentally hurting the prisoners while attempting to free them. Erza and Happy had been kidnapped while Natsu and Gray were supposedly dead.
"Okay. Yeah, you're right." Lucy admitted reluctantly.
The Petrosapien and Celestial wizard then sprinted away from the card tables and further into the casino.
After running down a pathway for two minutes, the duo finally arrived at the spot where the explosion had taken place. To their horror, Gray was lying motionless in the wreckage of a card table with his mouth and eyes wide open.
"Oh crap!" Diamondhead shouted, fearing the worst. "Gray!"
"Snap out of it, Gray!" Lucy kneeled by him and grabbed his right shoulder. "He's cold!" She gasped.
Diamondhead arched a crystal brow. "Wait…he's an ice wizard. Isn't he supposed to be cold?"
Before Lucy could comment, in a flash of light, Gray's body transformed into an ice statue and shattered into tiny fragments. Lucy flinched back as her eyes bulged out while Diamondhead felt his jaw drop in shock.
"AAAAHHH!" She screamed in terror. Lucy picked up the icy pieces and attempted to put them back together in a panicked fashion. "Oh I'm so sorry! You're gonna be okay! I'm gonna fix you up in no time, I swear!"
Diamondhead, meanwhile, sweat dropped at the scene. "I don't think that's gonna help much, Lucy." Ben then held his chin in a contemplative manner. 'You know…this kinda reminds me of when Kevin tried to put me back together after Tetrax broke Diamondhead apart into tiny pieces.' He mused.
Ben shook his head from his musings and returned to reality. "Step aside, Lucy." Diamondhead ordered. "I'll - I'll go Clockwork and see if I can fix him by reversing time around him."
"There's no need to panic." A feminine, monotone voice announced.
The Petrosapien and Celestial wizard were surprised when a ball of water flowed out from the debris. Amazingly, the water morphed into a young, blue haired woman standing on her hands and knees. She stared at the duo with neutral azure-colored eyes, and wore a blue dress and a necklace with a golden Fairy Tail emblem hanging over her ample chest.
Lucy returned to her feet and glared at the woman in recognition. "I remember you! You're with the Element 4!"
Diamondhead's eyes narrowed in anger. "In that case…" He held out his right hand, preparing to fire a barrage of crystal spikes at the woman from Phantom Lord.
"Ben! Lucy! Wait!" a familiar voice cried out.
Suddenly, the water below Juvia washed away, and revealed Gray lying beneath her unharmed; much to Ben and Lucy's surprise.
"She's not our enemy anymore." Gray assured.
"Yes, that's right." Juvia explained. "I pulled my precious Gray inside of me to ensure his safety."
Diamondhead and Lucy both sweat dropped from how Juvia said that sentence.
"Um," Ben rubbed his crystal neck awkwardly. "Well, that's a relief that Gray's okay and all...but…"
"That sounded very weird." Lucy concluded.
Juvia stared at the duo with a victorious smirk on her smooth face. "Are you two jealous that he was inside me and not either of you?"
"WHAT?!" Diamondhead recoiled in shock, caught off guard by the creepy woman's question. "NO! GOD NO! I don't swing that way, lady!"
Lucy sweat dropped awkwardly. "And…no. I'm not jealous either."
Gray got up from the floor and began to untie his black tie from around his neck. "This dude cast a darkness spell, so I created an ice decoy to distract him until I could figure out my plan of attack." He explained while unbuttoning his red shirt.
The Omnitrix bearer groaned lightly. 'Is he really taking off his clothes?'
"I wanted to keep the real Gray safe from harm, so I pulled him into my Water Lock until I was sure the danger had passed." Juvia elucidated.
Diamondhead nodded and felt his previous anger toward the woman evaporate away; it appeared that she really wasn't their enemy. "Makes sense"
"Yeah, and I couldn't do anything while I was in there. Thanks to you the creep got away." Gray deadpanned as he took off his shirt.
Juvia yelped in shock from her beloved's harsh words.
Diamondhead tapped the Omnitrix dial on his belt and, in an emerald flash, transformed back to Ben. Gray turned to Ben and Lucy with a serious expression.
"Now what?" asked Gray. "You two know where everyone else is?"
Ben shook his head. "No, we don't. It's bad. Those four bozos took Erza and Happy."
All of a sudden, a familiar enraged yell echoed throughout the casino. The superhero and three wizards turned their attention toward the direction of the yell. Ben, Lucy, and Gray could recognize that roar from anywhere.
"It's Natsu!" Lucy said.
"Guess he wasn't as dead as those bastards claimed him to be." Ben commented; feeling relieved that his friend was alive.
The four ran down the pathway until they could see a torrent of orange flames shooting up in the air. They followed until they could see their pink haired friend standing atop a pile of game machine wreckage, exhaling fire from his mouth.
"RAGGGH!" Natsu roared, "The nerve of that guy!"
"Natsu!" Ben, Lucy, and Gray yelled.
Natsu calmed down and turned his gaze to the quartet. Needless to say, Ben was a bit taken back when he saw a trail of smoke hissing from Natsu's mouth.
"What happened to you?" Gray inquired.
Natsu felt a few veins on his temple throb in ire. "HEY! What kind of jerk shoots someone in the mouth!?" He yelled crossly. "Huh? I mean, someone could get really hurt."
Ben, Gray, Lucy and Juvia sweat dropped in response.
"Uh, I think that would kill anyone who wasn't a weirdo like you." Lucy retorted.
"I would have to agree." Juvia said.
Ben rubbed his chin when an old memory crossed his mind. He remembered two years ago that when Sunder had come to Earth to capture Eunice, the human form of the Unitrix, the bounty hunter had shot Ultimate Spidermonkey in the mouth with a laser beam.
"Well, actually, I got shot in the mouth once." Ben noted.
Gray, Lucy, and Juvia turned to Ben in disbelief.
"Seriously?!" Lucy said, stunned.
Ben nodded. "Yeah, and let's just say it wasn't a pleasant experience." He then shook his head and refocused on the current crisis. "But that doesn't matter right now."
"GRAGHH! I'LL SHOW THAT BLOCKHEAD!" Natsu bellowed, his anger flaring to the boiling point. He then took running in the other direction, leaving a trail of dust in his wake. "He's not getting away with this!"
"Follow him!" Gray said.
"Um…wait does he even know where he's going?" Lucy asked.
"Natsu has a nose that puts wild animals to shame." Gray commented.
"Well then let's not waste any more time. Let's go!" Ben stated.
The superhero and three wizards took off in Natsu's direction, following the dust cloud that he had left in his wake.
…
It was nighttime. Close to the coast of the Caelum Kingdom, south of Fiore, a small ship with a single mast was sailing across the mildly rough ocean waves. Inside the cargo bay, which was littered with wooden crates and barrels, Erza Scarlet groaned lightly as she regained consciousness.
When she opened her eyes, she realized her hands were tied up behind a thick, wooden pillar via an orange rope. Erza blinked in confusion until it all came back to her. She briefly scanned the cargo bay until she spotted Sho walking toward her.
"This place…where are we?" Erza asked.
"Inside the hull of a ship at sea," Sho answered.
"A ship?" Erza echoed.
"That's right." Sho replied. "And our course is set for the Tower of Heaven."
Erza stared at Sho for a moment before she lowered her head in dejection. "I see." She murmured. "I should've known. Would you please untie me? I won't cause any trouble."
Sho frowned. "I'm afraid I can't. You've proven yourself untrustworthy."
Erza attempted to use her magic, but discovered that she couldn't. Sho picked up on this and explained, "That won't help. Millianna's bindings can cancel magic so you're struggling in vain. You'll find that you have no luck in breaking free of them. Your efforts will just tire you out."
She lowered her head, and declared gloomily, "Fine. I won't resist. But please Sho…will you allow me to re-quip into my armor?" She paused as her body began to quiver in fear. "The tower…I'm afraid of going back there. I just want to have it on…so I'll feel safe."
The card mage smiled lightly. "But the outfit you have on right now is lovely."
A short moment of silence ensued before Sho got on his knees and wrapped Erza in an embrace, resting his chin on her left shoulder. Erza ceased her trembling and looked at him in bewilderment.
"Honestly…I didn't want it to happen like this." Sho admitted sadly.
Erza lowered her head in understanding. "It's okay." She whispered.
Sho hugged Erza tighter as tears streamed from his eyes. "I missed you so much…it hurts me." He confessed, holding back a sob. "Tell me…why…why'd you do it?"
He pulled away and looked at Erza straight in the eye with a livid expression. "WHY'D YOU BETRAY JELLAL?!" He yelled.
Erza's eyes widened, slightly startled by Sho's sudden outburst. After a moment, she sighed and closed her eyes, reminiscing on old memories.
'Jellal…' She thought.
…
A few hours later, morning had arrived. Ben, Natsu, Lucy, Gray and Juvia were in a moderate-sized boat floating in the middle of the ocean. Apparently, Natsu's sense of smell was telling him that the scent of Blockhead, otherwise known as Wally, was out at sea. The group quickly got a boat and set out with Natsu's nose as their guide, Gray having attached the engine's SE plug to his right arm and moving the boat forward when he was given directions.
They didn't bother to waste time changing clothes, so they were all still outfitted in their formal clothes; except for Gray, who was now shirtless.
"I'm worried about those people that were stuck in the cards." Lucy said sorrowfully. "You think they're okay?"
"We let the military know about them before we left so I'm sure they're fine, Lucy." Ben reassured.
"I hope so." Lucy replied.
"Hey, wait a minute, where the heck are we?!" Gray demanded.
"I don't know." Juvia said. "We've been following Salamander's lead."
Lucy turned to her pyromaniac friend. "Natsu, are you sure we're going in the right direction?"
Natsu couldn't comply since he was busy leaning over the stern of the boat, puking his brains out. Ben and Lucy simply sweat dropped at the scene.
Ben groaned in annoyance. "I swear…that motion sickness of his is really annoying."
"No kidding." Lucy agreed.
"Man!" Gray exclaimed angrily. "Pull it together!"
"How dare you disappoint my love with your childish actions!" Juvia added.
Gray looked away and slightly huffed. "Geez…I can't believe how easily they were able to knock us out and kidnap Erza and Happy. We're pathetic."
Ben sighed. "It's my fault. My gut was telling me something was wrong when we heard that explosion in the casino, but I ignored it. I was right there when they kidnapped Erza and Happy and I couldn't do a thing about it."
"Don't blame yourself, Ben." Lucy comforted softly. "We were both tied up. There was nothing we could've done."
"Also, in our defense, they must've been powerful wizards to defeat someone as strong as Erza." Juvia asserted.
"What?" Gray turned to Juvia, cocking an eyebrow in ire. "They didn't beat her. Quit talking about her like you know her."
Juvia flinched and whimpered, saddened that she had angered her love. "I'm sorry!"
"Calm down." Lucy said sternly.
"Seriously, Gray" Ben added. "You don't need to get so worked up. She didn't know. Besides," the teen hero paused for a moment, "those goons that attacked us said they were old friends of Erza's."
"That's right. It makes me wonder…if we know her any better than Juvia does." Lucy pondered somberly.
A moment of silence passed over the boat as the group was left to simmer in their own thoughts. Ben glanced at the ocean water and thought, 'Erza…what is your story? What happened to you?'
The silence was broken when Natsu stood up from the edge of the boat. He looked around, sniffing at the sea air. "I just got a bad feeling all of a sudden."
Suddenly, dark clouds blanketed the skies overhead and the flock of birds that had been flying above instantly died and plummeted to the ocean.
"The birds" Lucy said fearfully.
"What's happening to them?" Gray wondered.
The group paused when they felt the boat bump against something. They turned to the water and were met with a shocking sight. Floating alongside them were multitudes of dead fish and wooden debris.
"Not the fish too" Gray muttered.
"I've never seen anything like it." Juvia remarked.
"Wait a minute," Gray eyed a piece of wreckage more closely and lightly gasped. "That's wreckage from a Fiore naval ship!"
"Okay, I'm officially creeped out now." Lucy announced.
Ben turned his gaze away from the ship wreckage and toward the direction they were currently heading. His eyes then widened in shock and astonishment.
"Hey…what's that?" Ben asked, pointing toward the bow of the boat.
The rest of the group looked forward and were flabbergasted at what they saw. Ahead of them was a small, rocky island with an awe-inspiring structure built in the center of it. It was a massive, dark-colored tower that had a twisted body and irregularly jutting sides, giving it a rather chaotic appearance.
The main body of the tower was comprised of intertwining lengths of large, metal tubes which shot straight up into the sky. The giant pipes were held together through a series of smaller tubes linked to the main sections as well as many different sized and shaped golden decorations. Around the main form of the structure was a twisted staircase that wound around the tower and led straight to a giant green sphere encased in crystal at the top.
"It's…the Tower of Heaven." Lucy realized.
"Whoa," Ben said quietly, fascinated. He then eyed the enormous structure with an arched brow. "But even though it's really tall, I can't say there's anything heavenly about it."
"You got that right." Natsu concurred. "That place looks creepy."
Gray, Juvia, and Lucy nodded their heads in agreement.
Juvia held up her right arm and summoned a large blue magical circle over their heads. "Don't worry. I'll protect us."
Without warning, a few tendrils of water extended out from the ocean and swirled above the boat. The water amazingly created a dome of water over them, concealing their presence from the outside by camouflaging them with the ocean.
"My Water Dome will keep us from being seen." Juvia clarified.
"Nice work, Juvia." Lucy complimented.
"UGH…" Natsu collapsed to his hands and knees, his face turning a sickly green. "I can't take it." He moaned.
"Dude, just chill out" Ben replied, annoyed. "We're almost there."
"That's it!" Gray shouted. "Next time we go somewhere we're knocking him out first."
The team then spotted a wooden dock off the rocky shore of the island and made their way toward it. Ten minutes later, they finally arrived and tied their boat off to a wooden pylon. When the superhero and group of wizards stepped off the boat and onto the dock, they gazed up at the dark, towering structure with mixtures of awe and determination.
'Hang on, Erza…we're coming.' Ben thought resolutely.