Natsu's Idea
Happy spread its wings, flapped them twice, and rose into the air from the water.
It hovered in mid-air and looked around. What came into view was an endless ocean, with shimmering waves stretching all the way to the horizon.
Only one isolated island floats in the entire sea, sparsely covered with vegetation.
Natsu!
Beneath the surface, Natsu was sinking, water churning around him.
He saw Wendy and Carla swimming towards him and his eyes widened in surprise.
He was about to greet them when he opened his mouth, but then remembered that he still had the Fire Dragon's Roar ready to be unleashed in his mouth, so he quickly closed it again.
Wendy immediately noticed Natsu's condition and frantically gestured with both hands in the water, pointing to the Pisces not far away.
The mother shark opened her blood-red mouth wide, with her kappa son beside her, a ball of black, pulsating energy already forming in his claws.
Natsu turned his head in the direction Wendy pointed.
[Fire Dragon's Roar]
A burst of blazing flame erupted from his mouth.
The mother shark opened her mouth and roared in attack, spewing a stream of black water from her throat that collided with the flames.
The two forces collided, creating a huge bulge on the sea surface. A muffled roar rose from the seabed, shaking the surrounding water.
The bulge could not withstand the pressure and burst open, sending a jet of water shooting into the sky, carrying foam and hot air.
Happy was standing right in the path of the water jet and was hit squarely, being propelled high into the air like a ball.
"Aye... glug glug."
It splashed around in the water column a couple of times, choked on some water, and its voice became off-key.
Wendy and Carla swam over.
"What's Natsu doing here? Shouldn't he be over there in Leo?"
"I don't know either. A ghostly green energy blasted me over there. Oh, and that energy even had a hint of Riyao in it!"
Upon hearing this, Wendy and Carla both widened their eyes.
Unexpectedly, I received information about Riyao.
"You dare to chat in front of us, you kappa!"
The kappa son from Pisces waved his hands, wildly hurling black energy balls at Natsu and the others, one after another.
"Mr. Natsu, be careful, this black energy sphere will neutralize our magic."
"Oh, I see, it's just like the magic of those weird eyebrows."
Natsu ignited flames in his hands and pushed them forward to meet the black energy sphere.
The black, pulsating energy ball struck his hands, like a bucket of water poured on a fire, extinguishing the flames instantly, leaving not even a spark.
Carla slapped her forehead, put her hand on her face, and her expression was indescribable.
Do you really understand?
"Haha, I have an idea."
Natsu, far from panicking, laughed even more smugly.
"Your idea??"
Carla remained hesitant about Natsu's idea, her tail tip standing on end, ready to run away with him at any moment.
Natsu sidled up to the cat and whispered his plan in a low voice, gesturing with his fingers as he spoke.
Carla pursed her lips, finding it difficult to comment.
This plan is fraught with Natsu- like risks, but there's no better option at the moment.
Wendy, on the other hand, believed it wholeheartedly and nodded vigorously, her eyes full of trust.
She rushed forward to restrain the mother shark and the kappa son, and waved her hands forward.
[Sky Dragon's Wing Attack]
A gust of air shot out from her palm, stirring up the seawater and creating whirlpools that expanded in circles, making the seawater extremely turbid.
The mother shark lunged forward, heading straight for Wendy. Carla reacted quickly, grabbing Wendy and pulling her aside. The two of them narrowly missed the mother shark's fin.
Wendy steadied herself and continued to stir the seawater, thoroughly churning it.
Mud and bubbles surged up, drastically reducing visibility across the entire sea area. Both sides' vision was affected, and only blurry shadows could be seen shimmering in the water.
The mother shark, accompanied by her kappa son, charged forward, cutting through the murky water with ease.
"Are you playing hide-and-seek? What a cute child, Steamed Clam."
"Hey, you old hag, don't praise your opponent!"
The kappa's son was so anxious that he jumped up and down, and immediately complained about his mother praising someone at the last minute.
Taking advantage of this time, Natsu ignited flames in his hands, and the two flames burned brighter and brighter, the intense heat forcing the surrounding seawater back.
[Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame]
The two enormous fireballs gradually closed in, like two suns moving closer together.
With a short distance remaining, it suddenly accelerated, colliding the two fireballs violently together.
The fireballs collided and merged into an even larger fireball, its surface surging with scorching flames, the light so bright it was blinding.
The fireball began to collapse, as if it were being squeezed from all sides, its volume gradually decreasing, while the density of the flames inside increased exponentially.
The raging energy is compressed at the very center, ready to explode at any moment.
Carla dragged Wendy out of the water, flapped her wings hard, and the two of them flew awkwardly close to the surface of the sea.
Happy saw Carla, his eyes lit up, and he was about to rush over to greet her.
"Stop looking, run!"
Carla shouted anxiously and rushed forward without looking back.
Happy immediately chased after Carla and left the spot, flapping his wings faster than anyone else.
The fireball exploded, unleashing even greater power, like a volcanic eruption.
The immense impact blasted Natsu and Pisces out of the water. Natsu tumbled twice in the air before being propelled by the heat towards the island.
Wendy!
Natsu shouted the moment he came out of the water, his voice cracking from shouting.
Carla grabbed Wendy by the back of her collar.
Wendy leaned forward, clasped her hands together in front of her, magic surged, and a white whirlwind surrounded her, whipping up her long hair.
A storm barrier encircled the mother shark and her kappa son, with white air currents swirling around the surface of the barrier.
[Dragon Slayer Secret Art Modified: Illumination Break - Spiral Sky Pierce]
The barrier suddenly compressed, condensing into a spiral storm that pierced the sky, with a sharp and piercing wind that seemed to suck the surrounding air dry.
The spiral storm, like a giant drill, with destructive force, blasted the mother shark and her kappa son directly onto the island.
Bang!
Two Celestial Spirit crashed onto the island's ground, creating two craters, sending debris flying and dust billowing high into the air.
The mother shark rolled over, slapped her tail twice on the ground, and her son, the kappa, lay at the bottom of the pit.
Happy caught Natsu as he fell, flapping his wings several times in mid-air before regaining his balance and landing back on the ground.
Natsu!
"Oh, Happy! What do you think? This was my idea."
Natsu landed on his feet, patted the water off himself, put his hands on his hips, and looked incredibly smug, waiting for Happy to praise him.
"Natsu actually came up with a good idea? Have you changed too?"
Happy tilted his head, his face full of disbelief, as if he had seen some wonder of the world.
Natsu ignored Happy's subsequent sarcastic remarks and looked smug.
Carla landed next to Pisces with Wendy, and she took out a key and pressed it on the child and the fish.
A second flash of light.
Pisces successfully closed the door.