Once the Sky Reaches the Flames

Chapter 35: Natsu vs. Wendy!

The two dragon slayers explored the resort after having lunch together. They ran around, hand in hand, letting their hearts lead the way.

"There are so many places to check out!" Wendy exclaimed. "It's like a maze!"

"That's where the fun begins!" Natsu beamed, keeping up his pace with her. "Come on, let's head on an adventure!"

Through glass displays on their left and right, they could see a diverse number of places to visit. So many shops, attractions, facilities, and the like as far as their eyes could see. It was a dive into the unknown. One day, even a week, wouldn't be enough to fully explore all the areas the resort had to offer... and this was on a single floor.

BOOM!

"Woah..." Natsu stopped running as the fight to his right caught his attention. He pressed his palms and face against the glass, focusing on the wizards battling each other. Explosions and crashes scattered around the battlefield.

"Wow, it's a battle arena." Wendy walked to his side and paid attention to the wizards. They were fighting in a dome-shaped arena. "It's like the one we saw on that screen."

"That's so cool!" Natsu clenched his fists with excitement. "They're both going all out!"

The two wizards didn't hold back, giving each other everything they got. What Wendy found interesting was their magic attacks were nullified once they reached the barrier of the dome that was enclosing them. That's kinda neat...

Wendy turned her head to Natsu. His eyes seem fixated on the fight. Earlier, he wanted to fight Gray and Jellal in the arena... she was starting to feel bad about not wanting him to fight. Natsu loved his brawls with his fellow guildmates. It wasn't out of ill will either. It often seems he just wants to dominate his opponent on the battlefield, but this was his way of respecting his opponent's strength. Regardless of their strength, he'd always respond by giving his best.

"You might already know this, but he also likes to challenge others for a good fight."

Erza's words from a while ago flashed through her mind. A surefire way to grow closer with Natsu was to challenge him one-on-one. It shouldn't really come as a surprise to her. What if there was a way to have Natsu's attention while trying out the battle arena? I think I know just the thing!

"Uhm, Natsu?" Wendy tugged on the sleeve of his shirt.

"What's up, Wendy?" Natsu turned to her, shifting his gaze away from the fight.

"Do you want to... check out the battle arena?" she asked timidly.

"Oh..." Natsu glanced at the arena for a brief moment. Wendy could see conflict in his eyes. "I would love to but..."

"Come on!" Wendy grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "Let's check it out!"

"O-Oh, sure?" Her change of mind left him confused. I'm not complaining, though.

They walked down the stairs and moved into an empty battle arena. It seemed they had several battle arenas for free use. As they stepped into the arena, they got access into a wide field.

"Wow..." Natsu's eyes widened with surprise. "There's a lot of space around here."

"It looks much bigger up close." Wendy agreed.

A holographic screen faded into view in front of them with an audible sound.

"WELCOME TO BATTLE AREA #7. PLEASE CUSTOMIZE THE SETTINGS TO YOUR LIKING." A female robot voice played.