Fairy Tail: Lost One-Chapter 27: Natsu VS Romeo

A few days had passed since the Fairy Tail members returned from Tenrou Island. The guild had spent most of that time celebrating their reunion, but as the excitement died down, things gradually returned to normal. Missions were being taken, fights were breaking out, and Fairy Tail's signature brand of chaos resumed as if nothing had changed.

That was until a loud thump echoed through the guildhall as Natsu slammed his fist onto the desk.

"What did you just say, droopy eyes?!" Natsu shouted, his sharp glare fixed on Gray.

Gray crossed his arms, unfazed. "Did you not hear me, flame brain?"

"Oh, I heard you just fine, you bastard!" Natsu growled, flames flickering around his fists.

"You wanna go, flame freak?!" Gray shot back, ice forming around his hands.

"Like you'd stand a chance against me, ice cube!"

"Says the guy who gets motion sickness from standing too fast!"

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!"

Before the two could launch themselves at each other, a sharp crack rang out as Erza slammed her fist onto the table, shaking the entire guildhall.

"Natsu. Gray. Stand down." Her voice was firm, her presence terrifying.

The two immediately tensed before muttering in unison, "Aye, Erza..."

Watching the familiar scene unfold, Lucy let out a sigh. "Stupid boys..."

"Tell me about it," Carla muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Aye!" Happy chimed in, nodding sagely. "To be fair, they'd probably fight over what color the sky is."

"They have fought over that before," Wendy pointed out.

"A dark day in Fairy Tail history," Mira added from behind the bar, chuckling as she wiped a glass.

Curious about what started the fight, Wendy turned to Gray. "So, what were you saying earlier?"

Gray exhaled, crossing his arms. "Every time I go into town, people keep asking me, 'Did Rudra come back?'"

Hearing this, Lucy perked up. "Oh yeah! The same thing happened to me. A few people asked me about Rudra too."

"Who the hell is Rudra?" Natsu asked, tilting his head.

"That's what I wanna know!" Gray huffed. "I can't go anywhere without hearing his name! It's like the guy's a ghost or something."

"A ghost?!" Happy gasped. "Wendy, protect me!" He immediately clung to Wendy's shoulder.

"It's not a real ghost, Happy," Wendy sighed, patting his head.

Erza, who had been listening silently, finally spoke up. "If my memory serves me right, isn't Rudra that small kid with black hair who used to propose to every girl in the guild?"

Lucy snapped her fingers. "Oh! I remember now! People used to call him Fairy Simp!"

Natsu and Gray's eyes widened in realization.

"Ohhhh, him!" Natsu blurted out. "I totally forgot about that guy!"

"Same," Gray admitted. "Didn't he try to propose to Cana once, and she just poured beer on his head?"

"And to Erza," Mira added with a giggle. "But she scared him so badly he ran out of the guild screaming."

"...Wait, what?" Wendy blinked in confusion.

"That explains why he left Magnolia," Carla deadpanned.

Mira, still giggling, set down her glass. "Actually, there's more to Rudra's story than just him being a hopeless flirt."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Mira leaned forward slightly. "I overheard Master and Macao talking about him a while back. Apparently, Rudra went missing about four or five years ago. No one knew where he went or why. Then, a few years later, he just showed up again, out of nowhere."

"Wait, what?!" Wendy's eyes widened. "He disappeared and then just... came back?"

"That's not even the weirdest part," Mira continued. "When he returned, he wasn't the same flirty little kid we remembered. He was stronger. He took on high-ranking jobs, helped out the guild a lot... but then, six months ago, he vanished again."

Silence filled the guildhall as everyone processed this.

"Okay, that's super suspicious," Lucy finally said.

"I'll say," Gray muttered. "How do you just disappear for years, come back way stronger, then vanish again? That's not normal."

"Maybe he's a secret agent!" Happy suggested. "Or a time traveler! Or an alien! Or a dimension traveler!"

"Or he just got sick of everyone calling him Fairy Simp and left," Carla added dryly.

Natsu frowned. "Wait, wait, wait. So this guy disappears, magically comes back strong as hell, and then disappears again? That's way too sketchy."

"Exactly!" Gray agreed. "Nobody just gets that strong overnight. Where the hell was he? And why didn't he tell anyone anything?"

Lucy crossed her arms. "Yeah, and now, people are asking about him again? Why now? It's like someone knows something we don't."

Mira tapped her chin. "That's possible. Maybe the townspeople heard something we haven't."

"Or maybe," Erza said, her expression darkening, "he never really left."

Wendy shivered slightly. "You think he's been hiding this whole time?"

"It's possible," Erza replied. "We assumed he vanished, but what if he was here all along, just staying out of sight?"

"Then why come back at all, only to disappear again?" Gray questioned.

"Maybe it was just a test run," Mira suggested. "To see how strong he really was before doing whatever he planned next."

Lucy groaned. "Ugh, great. So either we've got a missing guild member with a dramatic flair, or we've got some kind of crazy conspiracy."

"Either way," Gray muttered, "I don't trust it. Nobody changes that much without a reason."

"And what if he does come back?" Wendy asked.

Before Natsu could answer, Elfman slammed a fist against the table. "If he comes back, he better prove he's a MAN! Running away twice isn't manly!"

"Yeah, yeah," Gajeel grunted, leaning against the wall. "But if he came back stronger, then vanished, I wanna know what kinda training he did. Ain't no way he just got a power-up for free."

"Maybe he found some secret technique," Lisanna suggested. "Or—" she grinned playfully "—maybe he got rejected one too many times and went on a soul-searching journey."

Gray smirked. "That'd explain why he left the first time. But coming back stronger? That's still weird."

"If he comes back, I'm making him explain where the hell he's been," Gray added.

"And if he proposes to me, I'm kicking him into the ocean," Lucy sighed.

Mira just chuckled. "Either way, if you really wanna know more about Rudra, you have to talk with Romeo since he became his disciple."

For a moment, there was complete silence in the table. Then—

"WHAAAAAT?!"

The entire table exploded in shock, voices overlapping in disbelief.

Gray nearly dropped his drink. "Since when did he become a teacher?!"

"I'm just telling you what I heard," Mira said with a playful smile, enjoying their reactions.

"What the hell?!" Natsu blinked, looking around. "That guy had a disciple and never told us?!"

Erza crossed her arms, deep in thought. "That means Romeo must know where he went... or at least, what kind of training he did."

Lucy groaned, rubbing her temples. "This just keeps getting weirder. First, Rudra shows up out of nowhere, and now we find out he's been training Romeo?"

Elfman slammed a fist on the table. "A true man passes down his strength to the next generation! Romeo must have gained some serious power!"

Gajeel scoffed, leaning against the bar with his arms crossed. "Tch. If that guy's training was worth anything, the kid better have somethin' to show for it."

Lisanna smiled. "I think it's great! Romeo must have worked really hard if Rudra took him as a student."

Just as the conversation grew more heated, Natsu noticed movement near the entrance. He turned and saw Romeo heading toward the guild doors. Without hesitation, he called out.

"Oi! Romeo!"

Romeo stopped mid-step and turned around. "Huh? What's up, Natsu?"

Natsu motioned for him to come over. "Come here for a sec!"

Romeo walked over, looking slightly confused. "What is it?"

"Where ya headed?" Natsu asked, leaning on the table with a curious expression.

"Oh, I was just about to do some chores at Rudra's house. Then I was gonna train a bit," Romeo replied casually.

The entire group stiffened.

Gray narrowed his eyes. "Wait... so Rudra is your master?"

Romeo blinked, then nodded. "Yeah. He taught me a lot before he left."

Once again, the table erupted.

"WHAAAAAT?!"

Natsu slammed his fist on the table, eyes blazing with excitement. "Alright then! Let's have a match!"

Romeo looked at him, puzzled. "A match?"

"Yeah!" Natsu grinned, cracking his knuckles. "I wanna see what Rudra taught you! If he was strong enough to make people in town talk about him, then his training must be pretty badass, right?"

Romeo hesitated for a moment, then smirked. "Alright, Natsu. I'll take you on!"

Gray leaned back in his chair with a smirk. "This oughta be interesting."

Lucy groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Great. More destruction incoming... Can we at least make sure this doesn't end with the guild being wrecked again?"

Erza nodded seriously. "If things get out of hand, I'll put a stop to it."

Elfman pounded his chest. "A battle between men is the best way to test their strength!"

Gajeel scoffed. "Tch. If Romeo doesn't put up a decent fight, this'll be a waste of time."

Lisanna giggled. "I think Romeo will surprise you, Gajeel. He's grown a lot, you know."

Mira smiled knowingly and leaned against the counter. "Well then, let's see just how strong Rudra's training really was."

With that, the entire guild turned their attention to Natsu and Romeo.

Their match was about to begin.

The entire guild moved outside to the open training grounds, eager to witness the battle between Natsu and Romeo. A crowd quickly formed, the excitement in the air almost electric.

Natsu stretched his arms, rolling his shoulders. "Alright, Romeo! Show me what Rudra taught ya!" His grin widened as flames burst from his fists.

Romeo exhaled slowly, eyes steady. "I won't hold back."

Macao, standing among the spectators, felt a mix of pride and concern. Just how strong has he gotten?

"Alright, begin!" Mira called out.

Natsu lunged first, fists blazing. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

Romeo barely dodged, sliding to the side before countering. "Purple Flare: Fire Shot!"

Natsu smirked, swiping the attack away like it was nothing. "Not bad, but you're gonna have to hit way harder!" He pressed forward, launching a flurry of fiery punches, forcing Romeo onto the defensive.

Romeo gritted his teeth. He's too fast!

From the sidelines, Lucy sighed. "Yeah... this feels one-sided."

Gray crossed his arms. "No surprise. It's Natsu."

Gajeel scoffed. "Tch. What a waste of time."

But Elfman, watching closely, narrowed his eyes. "Wait... something's changing."

Romeo, panting, clenched his fists. Frustration simmered in his veins as Natsu continued to dominate. Then—

He whispered the words Rudra had drilled into him.

"Prepare to kill."

Romeo's eyes darkened. His breathing evened out. His stance shifted—low, sharp, predatory.

Natsu noticed immediately. "Oh?" He grinned, flames flaring higher. "Looks like you're gettin' serious now!"

Then Romeo reached into his belt.

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And pulled out a knife.

The crowd gasped.

"Wait, what?!" Lucy's eyes widened.

"Why does he have a knife?!" Wendy clutched Carla's arm.

Macao's face turned pale. "Romeo! What the hell are you doing?!"

Romeo didn't hesitate. He wrapped fire around the back of the knife, forming a flickering, molten string connecting it to his hand.

Natsu's instincts flared. Danger.

Romeo spun the blade like a whip before launching it forward.

Natsu barely dodged, but the fiery string adjusted midair, snapping the knife toward him from behind.

Shit—he can control it mid-flight?!

Natsu twisted, catching the knife between his fingers. The force sent him skidding backward.

"Now we're talkin'!" He grinned, charging forward. "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"

Twin arcs of fire sliced through the air.

Romeo leapt over the first, twisting midair, and slashed through the second with his knife, dispersing the flames as he landed with cat-like precision. With a sharp tug, he reeled the blade back, making it whip through the air like a serpent.

Natsu ducked just in time, feeling the heat graze his skin. That thing's trouble.

He kicked off the ground. "Fire Dragon's Crushing Fang!"

His fist rocketed upward. Romeo had no time to dodge—he crossed his arms to brace.

The impact sent him flying.

"Romeo!" Macao shouted.

Romeo coughed, rolling to his feet. His arms trembled, but his grip on the knife tightened. I need to be faster. Sharper.

He surged forward, vanishing in a blur.

What the—? Natsu barely had time to react before Romeo reappeared behind him.

"Purple Flare: Serpent's Fang!"

The knife lashed out in a flurry of rapid strikes, each one cloaked in dark purple flames.

Natsu dodged the first few—then one sliced across his arm.

He growled, gripping the wound. "Damn... that actually stings."

Romeo pressed the attack, his blade snapping from multiple angles, forcing Natsu onto the defensive.

Gray frowned. "What the hell kinda fighting style is that?"

Gajeel's eyes narrowed. "That ain't Fairy Tail brawling. That's assassin-level precision."

"Romeo! Stop this!" Macao yelled.

But Romeo wasn't listening.

Natsu saw it—the blank look in his eyes. Like he wasn't even there.

Shit. He's too deep in the mindset.

"Alright, kid." Natsu exhaled, his flames turning white-hot. "Enough."

The ground cracked beneath him as he launched forward like a meteor.

Romeo barely had time to react before—

"Fire Dragon's Exploding Fist!"

The punch connected square in his gut. Flames detonated on impact.

Romeo's breath caught in his throat as he was rocketed backward, crashing into the ground.

His knife clattered to the floor.

Silence.

Romeo coughed, blinking through the daze. His hands trembled. "W-What...?"

His flames flickered out. His mind cleared.

CLANG!

A massive sword slammed into the ground between them, sending a shockwave through the field.

"That's enough."

Erza stood there, gaze sharp as steel. The weight in her voice left no room for argument.

The tension finally snapped. The guild exhaled, murmuring among themselves.

Lucy clutched her chest. "That got way too real."

Gray let out a slow breath. "What the hell was that?"

Gajeel frowned. "That kid wasn't holdin' back. He was tryin' to kill."

Macao rushed to Romeo's side. "Son! That wasn't training! What the hell happened?!"

Romeo stared at his shaking hands. "I... I don't know..."

Natsu scratched the back of his head, his usual excitement gone. "Damn, Romeo... just what the hell did Rudra teach you?"

Mira folded her arms, watching from the sidelines. "Looks like there's more to this than we thought."

Erza picked up the fallen knife, inspecting it with narrowed eyes. "Rudra..." Her voice was quiet, but firm. "Just what kind of master were you?"

The match was over, But the questions had only just begun.