Sitting on a branch while Laxus leaned against the same tree, we looked at Gramps, who cleared his throat. "Alright, listen up, you two. There will be three trials, though you'll only learn of them after completing the previous trial." Said Gramps with a firm expression, causing me to nod as I smirked in anticipation of what the trials would be. "What's the first trial?" Grinning, I leaped off the branch and cracked my knuckles while looking at Gramps, who smirked before pointing to Gildarts, causing me to raise an eyebrow before smiling.
"Hehe, our first trial is beating Gildarts? Perfect!" Quickly using my magic, causing my skin to shimmer gold, I narrowed my eyes at Gildarts, whose expression twitched while Gramps shook his head. I knew beating Gildarts couldn't be one of the trials since even with Laxus and I working together, I had no confidence we could beat him, though if it was, I wouldn't give up. "No, the trial isn't to defeat Gildarts… It's to grab the bells on his waist; however, to make things fair, he cannot leave from his spot." "That's it?" I had to agree with Laxus; Gildarts was, without a doubt, strong, but with the goal being only to grab two bells off of him, it seemed like a bit too much of a handicap.
"Heh, you think that's too much of a handicap?" Said Gramps with a large smile as he folded his arms, causing me to furrow my brows as I felt something was slightly off; however, in the end, I nodded, agreeing with Laxus that it might've been too much of a handicap. "Yeah." "Heh, oh, I wasn't talking to you, Cooper, I was asking Gildarts." I looked at Gramps with a twitching expression, only for Gildarts to erupt into laughter. "Haha, not at all, Master; got to let these brats know how big this world is." Rolling my eyes at his words, I suddenly narrowed my eyes at Gildarts, who took a deep breath before tossing his cape off and flexing.
Immediately after, magic power exploded from Gildarts as he pressured Laxus and I with it, causing my heart to beat rapidly as I was quickly engulfed in fear; the sheer amount of magic power he was releasing was hard to describe, it was entirely overwhelming and felt like it was trying to crush me into the ground. 'I-I can barely breathe!' Leaning onto my knees, I gasped for breath while struggling to look at Gildarts, who stared back at Laxus and I with a smile. However, the fear that engulfed my entire body was swiftly replaced by rage and fury; ever since joining Fairy Tail, I've changed as I had gained a family, though that didn't mean for a second I had forgotten what transpired all those years ago. Fear reminded me of that night from eleven years ago, and it filled me with rage that would never be quenched; it was counterproductive as it overrides my survival instincts, but it wasn't something I could change.
"Tsk, f-fucking, Gildarts!" Yelling furiously, I resisted the incredible magic power and glared at Gildarts as I approached him; each step felt like a mountain was pressing down on me and caused my body to creak as if it were moments away from breaking. I had no idea how Laxus was faring, though even if I wanted to know, I didn't have the luxury to, nor did I care; right now, all my focus was directed at Gildarts, who just smiled. "Heh, C'mon, you're almost there, Cooper! Just a few more steps!"
Furiously gnashing my teeth, I powered through the oppressive magic power until I stood directly in front of Gildarts, prompting me to raise my head as I glared at him. "Haha, nice job! Just grab the b-" Before Gildarts could continue speaking, I violently punched his stomach, knocking him onto the ground while the oppressive magic power vanished, prompting me to lean down and grab the bells before tossing one to Laxus, who was just a few steps behind me.
"Hahahaha!" Glancing at Gramps, who was rolling on the ground laughing, I snorted and walked to a nearby tree, where I plopped onto the ground and sat down. "Ugh, you knew this would happen, didn't you, Master?" Said Gildarts in annoyance as he sat upright while looking at Gramps, who nodded. "Hahaha, yep! Fear is that boy's worst enemy!" "Tsk, well, I'll be damned." Ignoring the two, I tossed the bell into the forest behind me before closing my eyes and calming down, though after a few minutes, Gramps was ready to continue the trail.
"C'mon, hurry up, Gramps. What's the next trial?" Asked Laxus impatiently as he scratched his head while looking at Gramps, who nodded before reaching into his pocket and retrieving two pieces of paper. "Here is your second trial… A written test with 100 questions. You have one hour; good luck." Laxus and I didn't grab the papers and just silently looked at Gramps, hoping he was joking, but his bland expression said otherwise. "What? Don't give those looks; the Magic Council has been pressuring Fairy Tail for our destructive tendencies, and I want the newest S-class Mage to know what they're supposed to do." Said Gramps solemnly as he glanced between Laxus and I, causing us to grunt and groan before we grabbed the paper from him. "Even if I answer all these questions correctly, I won't follow these rules, Gramps." "Hah! Spoken like a true Fairy Tail!" Said Gildarts with laughter.
"That's fine. So long as I can use it as an excuse for the Magic Council whenever they inevitably get on my ass, I don't mind." Said Gramps with a faint smirk as he gave us a thumbs up before plopping onto the ground, prompting Laxus to approach me as he sat beside me. "C'mon, let's just work together and get this shit over with. Though you can read, right, 'Beast'?" Scoffing at Laxus, I caught the magic pen Gramps threw at us, and together, the two of us spent the next fifty minutes answering this one-hundred-page test, which might've ended up being the most wasted hour of our lives.
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"Hm, good job, all the questions are correct. Both of you shall move on to the third trial, which I expected from you two." Heaving a sigh of relief, I plopped onto my back and closed my eyes, feeling freed from that terrible experience. "What's next, Gramps? Let's just finish this; that stupid test sapped all of my excitement." Looking at Gramps with a single eye, I saw him stuff the tests into his pocket while chuckling before nodding, as for Laxus, he was just as annoyed as me. "There can only be one S-class mage, and since both of you made it to the final trial, I'll be generous and allow you two to choose the final trial."
Hearing Gramps, a smirk made its way onto my face as I leaped off the ground, landing beside Laxus, who was unable to hide his grin. "Heh, I've been waiting for this moment; I can properly put this brat to sleep for good." Said Laxus with a wicked grin as he clenched his fist while lightning arced across his body, causing me to smile as I strengthened my body to the limit, filling me with strength while I stared at Laxus.
"I suggest we back up a little, Master." "Not a bad idea." With Gramps and Gildarts distancing themselves from us, Laxus started the battle with a mighty lightning dragon roar that filled my vision with destructive lightning. Grinning, I dug my feet into the ground and dashed into the powerful attack; the incredible force behind it tried to push me back, but I forced my way through it before emerging on the other side, where I grabbed Laxus's face and violently slammed him into the ground, destroying everything around us.
"Hehe, c'mon, Laxus, you'll have to do better than that!" Quickly standing up, I kicked his stomach, sending him flying into the forest while crashing through trees. Chasing after Laxus into the forest, I saw a flash of lightning followed by him appearing directly in front of me; clenching my fist, the two of us punched, causing our fists to collide while Laxus's lightning left scorch marks across my arm.
Grinning, the two of us stared into our eyes before we were forcefully pushed back. "Heh, you've got a lot stronger brat." "Heh, I wish I could say the same for you; the title of a Dragon Slayer is wasted on you if you're only this strong!" Licking my lips, I glanced at my wounds before looking at Laxus, who grunted before spreading his arms, causing several lightning bolts to appear above him.
With incredible speed, the bolts of lightning swiftly struck me, forcing me to divert each bolt with a punch of my fists, only for Laxus to flash behind me before kicking my back, sending me crashing further into the forest while even more bolts of lightning struck me. 'Hehe, this is fun!' Reorienting myself in mid-air, I leaped off a tree, narrowly dodging the lightning bolts before slashing at Laxus, who crossed his arms, defending the attack.
"Hehe, after this, you'll have to call me big brother!"
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So, who do y'all have winning? Laxus and Cooper are on par with each other.