Gale

"Ha! Brothers! Hit them! What kind of lousy Magic Council is this? We're the famous Temple of Desolation!" a tall man with green punk hair shouted.

A young man covered in wounds and wearing a Magic Council uniform stood there shakily. "Everyone, don't give up! The mages from Yaksha Mask will be here soon!"

A bespectacled boy supported the man and said anxiously, "Captain Luca, don't force yourself! Even you won't be able to endure wounds this severe!"

"Even if I can't endure it, I have to! There's still a Train full of innocent people not far away! If we run, who'll protect them?!" Luca shouted firmly at the boy.

"You sure talk a lot. Die!" The next second, the punk-haired man swung down his massive cleaver.

"Well said!" Just as Luca and the boy closed their eyes to face death, a figure stepped in front of them and blocked the attack.

Luca hesitated. "You're from Yaksha Mask...?"

"No, I'm Feng Lan of Fairy Tail!" Feng Lan shoved the punk-haired man away.

Dragon Fang of the Fire Dragon! Natsu leaped out from behind Feng Lan and struck the punk-haired man in the head, sending him flying.

Immediately afterward, Gray and Lisanna arrived as well. "Ice God's Purification!" Gray slapped both hands against the ground, and countless black ice spikes burst from the earth, piercing toward the Dark Guild mages.

"Animal Take Over—White Cat Soul!" After Lisanna took over White Cat Soul, another layer of slender, snow-white magical claws appeared over her cat-paw hands.

Luca stared blankly at the four of them. "Fairy... Tail?" With that, he closed his eyes and passed out.

"Captain Luca!" The boy hurriedly caught Luca as he fell.

"You go take care of the wounded. Fairy Tail will take over from here!" Feng Lan rolled his neck as he stared at the Dark Guild mages eyeing them like tigers.

"Mm... then we'll leave it to you." The boy nodded slightly. "Everyone, hurry and treat the wounded!"

"Requip—Onikiri!" Feng Lan extended his right hand and requipped Onikiri. "Moon Chant Style—Round Dance!"

Just a few seconds later, more than twenty mages were lying at Feng Lan and the others' feet.

"Well? I took down one more than you did~" Gray said to Natsu.

Natsu said indignantly, "Can't you count?! Obviously, I took down more than you!"

Lisanna pulled the two apart speechlessly. "You two, stop arguing. Even combined, the three of us didn't take down half as many as Brother Feng Lan..."

Feng Lan walked over to the young Council Member from before. "Are the wounded all right?"

The boy hurriedly got to his feet. "Mm, none of them are in mortal danger anymore. Thank you so much!"

Feng Lan shook his head. "It was nothing. Just doing what I should... What's your name?"

The boy gave a salute. "I'm Rahar, a member of the Magic Council's Fourth Enforcement Supervision Unit."

"Rahar..." Feng Lan stroked his chin. "Then, do you know someone named Raid?"

Rahar nodded. "I do. Mr. Raid is the captain of the Magic Council's Second Enforcement Supervision Unit. He's the youngest captain in the Council's history. Is something wrong?"

Feng Lan shrugged. "Nothing. He's a friend of mine. I was just asking."

"Brother, someone else is here!" Natsu shouted, pointing at an unfamiliar boy.

The boy had silver hair and wore a black trench coat.

"Ah, looks like I'm late again..." The boy looked at the messy scene before him and said awkwardly, "Um... did you take care of these mages?"

Feng Lan pulled Natsu and the others behind him. "That's right. May I ask who you are?"

The boy gave a slight bow. "I'm a mage from Yaksha Mask. My name is Gale. I was supposed to deal with these people..."

Feng Lan looked him over and spotted the guild mark on him. "Gale... ah, I see. Sorry, but we already took care of these mages for you."

Gale looked at the group before him. "You are...?"

Feng Lan showed Gale his guild mark. "I'm Feng Lan, a mage of Fairy Tail."

The boy scratched his head. "Uh... thanks. As for a reward, how about I split this mission's payment with you?"

Feng Lan waved his hand. "No need. They were only a few mages. It was no trouble."

Gale hesitated for a moment. "Then... as thanks, how about we have a fight?"

The others stared blankly at Gale. "Huh?"

Feng Lan smiled knowingly. "Not bad. I like that kind of reward!"

The others then turned their bewildered gazes toward Feng Lan. "Huh?!"

Feng Lan looked at them and said, "Watch carefully, all of you. Especially you, Lisanna. This guy is a very, very strong Take Over mage~"

Lisanna looked in Gale's direction. "He's a Take Over mage too?"

Rahar froze. "Feng Lan... Gale... aren't they the ace mages of Fairy Tail and Yaksha Mask?"

Natsu looked at Gale. "Is this guy... really strong too?"

Gray shrugged. "He's the ace of a guild. He can't be that weak, right?"

Feng Lan and Gale came to an open area. "Please teach me," they said in unison.

"Take this punch!" Gale charged in front of Feng Lan at incredible speed and threw a heavy punch.

Feng Lan raised both arms and blocked the attack. "So fast!" Even though he had blocked it, the blow still sent Feng Lan back several meters.

"Next comes a kick~" Gale flashed above Feng Lan and kicked him in the head.

Feng Lan barely managed to steady himself. "Ha~ Your hand-to-hand combat is top-notch. Among the people I know, you're definitely one of the best."

Feng Lan steadied his breathing and began gathering magic power. "Water Dragon's Iron Fist!"

His water-coated fist collided heavily with Gale's fist, neither giving way.

Natsu swallowed. "This guy... really is strong."

Feng Lan took a step back and retreated several meters. "Water Dragon's Roar!"

Gale pushed off with both legs and leaped high into the air, dodging Feng Lan's attack. "Whew~ That was close... Just as expected of Fairy Tail's ace, huh?! This is really interesting!"

Gale performed a graceful backflip and landed steadily on the ground.

Seizing the opportunity, Feng Lan dashed forward and grappled with Gale once more.

Lisanna asked in confusion, "That guy really is pretty strong, but why isn't he using magic? I want to see his Take Over Magic. Could it be stronger than Sister Mira's?"

Gray explained, "This is just an appetizer~ It's understandable to warm up before the real match."

Their fists struck each other's faces at the same time, and both of them were sent flying backward.

After steadying themselves in sync, they exchanged a look.

Feng Lan's body gradually began to take on draconic traits as he said slowly, "Release..."

Dark magic power began to surge around Gale as well. "Full Body Take Over..."

"Dragon Force—Abyss Mode!" (Feng Lan)

"God of Death—Thanatos!" (Gale)