Fairy Tail: Metal and Threads

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia. 

December 20, x789. 

It took nearly an hour for Elicia to finish reprimanding Chōjurō about his sky blue shirt/green camo pants combo. When she did, Alfonzo led the group around the guild hall for a tour. And when Mei saw the training chambers, he could tell that she would be ordering some for her village. 

'I really need to find a way to make these damn training rooms something that can be put together like Ikea furniture.' Alfonzo thought to himself while continuing the tour. 

And when the tour finally came to an end, the group found themselves on the first floor of the guild hall again. And this time, they were sitting at one of the many tables spread around the main hall. 

"This place is quite impressive." Mei said while leaning on the table and supporting her head with her right hand. "To think you designed it all. You really are something, Alfonzo." 

"Well, it was either that or not having a guild hall for a while." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "And I liked having somewhere to meet up with my guild mates. Plus, I always wanted to be able to put myself through harsher training." 

"Indeed." Mei said with a nod. "Now it's clear to see why all the wizards of Fairy Tail are so strong." 

"Just out of curiosity, how much gravity can you stand?" Ao asked curiously. 

"Hmm… Last time I checked, I maxed out at around 200G." Alfonzo replied after thinking for a short time. 

"Damn… Seriously?" Laxus asked in a dumbfounded tone. "I just hit 175G and I thought I had finally caught up to you." 

"Well, I spend more time working on my body than anyone in the guild." Alfonzo said with a shrug. 

"That's because you have an unfair method." Marin said with a pout. 

"An unfair method?" Mei asked, her interest rising as she did so. 

"Sorry, that's one of my secrets." Alfonzo replied while shaking his head. "It doesn't leave the guild." 

"Hmph!" Mei snorted while pouting cutely. 

Like that, Alfonzo, Laxus, and Marin continued to chat with Mei and Ao. All the while, Chōjurō, who was sitting at the same table was fidgeting nervously. He could feel several rather intense gazes on him. But he had no idea why. 

"Chōjurō, is something the matter?" Mei asked curiously after trying and failing to get Alfonzo's secret training method out of him for a while. 

"It-It-It's just… There's someone staring at me." Chōjurō replied in a nervous tone. 

"Oh, there's not just one person staring at you, man." Alfonzo said with a wide smile on his face. "But from what I can tell, there are at least five. And if I had to guess, it's because of that sword on your back." 

"Ah! I see." Mei said in an understanding tone. "So, they either want to fight him or see his sword then, huh?" 

"In most cases, it's probably both." Laxus said casually. 

"A fight?" Chōjurō asked. "Do I have to?" 

"You don't." Mei replied. 

In response, Chōjurō exhaled a relieved sigh. 

"But, if possible, I'd like to be able to show off the strength of the Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist to our new allies." Mei continued, causing Chōjurō to tense up again. 

Seeing the expression on Chōjurō's face, Mei and Ao knew exactly what he was thinking. He was afraid that he would let the Mizukage down and bring dishonor to the village. Because of that, both Mei and Ao could not help but sigh at the lack of confidence the swordsman had. 

"*Sigh* I'd like to show off the power of the Mizukage, as well." Mei said in a wispy tone while cupping her right cheek with rh right hand. "Unfortunately, my Kekkei Genkai are not suitable for sparring." 

"[Boil-Style] and [Lava-Style], right?" Alfonzo asked. "Yeah, that would cause some trouble if you used them in the training chambers. Not that the chambers would be harmed. But there would just be nowhere for your opponent to dodge." 

"Are you saying that Lady Mizukage would be unable to destroy one of those training chambers you showed us?" Ao asked with an eyebrow raised in irritation. 

Even Mei looked at Alfonzo in interest after haring his statement. 

"Well, they are made of an Adamantite alloy." Alfonzo replied with a casual shrug. "So, unless they get to a temperature so high that they could melt Adamantite, then the training chambers will be fine." 

"*Sigh* I haven't reached that level quite yet." Mei replied while shaking her head. 

Meanwhile, Ao was looking at Alfonzo with disbelief. It was common knowledge throughout Earth Land that Adamantite was the strongest metal in terms of defensive properties. And that, in turn, made it exceedingly difficult to mold or alloy with other metals. So, his surprise was understandable. 

"You know what my moniker is, right?" Alfonzo asked after seeing Ao's surprised expression. 

Before Ao could respond, one of the pairs of eyes that were staring at Chōjurō and his sword could no longer hold back. Then, before they knew it, a tall woman with long scarlet red hair was standing behind Chōjurō and staring at the bandaged sword on his back. 

"Oh, hey, Erza." Marin said with a smile. "What's up?" 

"Good afternoon, Marin." Erza replied without taking her eyes off Chōjurō's sword. "I was just curious to see the sword this young man is carrying. And if possible, I'd like a chance to spar with him, as well. From what I can tell, he's quite skilled." 

"Why doesn't it surprise me that she was the first one to show up?" Laxus asked. 

"Because you're not a total moron." Alfonzo replied. 

Meanwhile, the owners of the other four pairs of eyes clicked their tongues after realizing that Erza had stolen the opportunity to spar with the swordsman from the Mist. 

"Well, if it isn't Titania, Erza Scarlet." Mei said, turning to size up the newcomer. "Tales of your skill with a sword have spread all over Ishgar." 

'She might even be stronger than me.' Mei thought to herself. 'Now, I'm really looking forward to seeing her in action.' 

"The only way I have been able to hone my swordsmanship to a degree where rumors like those have spread is through testing my blade against strong swordsman." Erza replied without taking her eyes off Chōjurō's sword. "And I would relish the opportunity to do so once again.' 

"Well, I think that can be arranged." Mei replied with a smile. "I've often wished I had the opportunity to witness one of the continent's strongest swordswomen's skill with a sword myself." 

Nodding in response, Erza kept her eyes on Chōjurō, and despite how rude her actions were, Mei did not seem to be bothered by it at all. Chōjurō, on the other hand, found the fact that Erza had not even looked in Mei's direction quite the insult to the Mizukage. 

"Very well." Chōjurō said, his shy and nervous tone nowhere to be seen. "If that is what you want, then, I'll oblige. I'll teach you a lesson in respect with this sword, the Hiramekarei." 

However, although Erza could be quite forward, she would have never been so disrespectful to Mei. She understood that Mei was the leader of an allied force. So, in normal situations, she would have shown her the proper respect. However, the reason she never truly acknowledged Mei was because of Alfonzo. 

Understanding Chōjurō's personality and lack of confidence, Alfonzo, after Erza appeared behind Chōjurō, set up a [Telepathic Link] between himself, Laxus, Erza, Marin, Mei, and Ao. He then explained his plan to get Chōjurō interested in fighting Erza. Though, he knew they would have to explain the entire situation to him after the spar was finished. 

But Mei, after hearing Alfonzo's plan, was all for it. She knew exactly how skilled Chōjurō was. It was just his lack of confidence that was holding him back. So, he would have never accepted the offer to spar under normal circumstances. 

Then, with the spar decided, Alfonzo, Laxus, Erza, Marin, Mei, Ao, and Chōjurō headed toward the elevators so they could move to a training chamber. At the same time, the other swordsman in Fairy Tail, namely Fried, Sun, Saeko, and Sasuke, also moved toward the elevator. However, before they could all enter the elevators to watch the spar, Alfonzo stopped one of them. 

"Hold up, Sasuke." Alfonzo said. "I can't let you watch this." 

"Why not?" Sasuke asked in an irritated tone. 

"It's because you're from different villages." Alfonzo explained. "Non allied villages, at that. And if you knew how one of the trump card shinobi of another village fought, it would give your village an advantage." 

Though he was not happy to hear that, Sasuke understood the reason. So, he snorted to show his discontentment. The, he crossed his arms and turned away from the elevator. 

"Thank you for that, Alfonzo." Mei said with a smile. "As he is a member of your guild, I would have had no justification to send him away." 

"*Sigh* Although I hate to say this…" Alfonzo began to say as he pressed the button for the tenth floor. "Although he is a member of our guild, he will always be a member of the Leaf first." 

With that, the elevator doors closed, and the elevator began ascending. And before long, it stopped on the tenth floor. Then, Alfonzo led the group to the large training room where most of the important spars happened in the guild. 

A few moments later, Erza and Chōjurō were standing opposite each other near the center of the training chamber, both with swords drawn. Though, the bandages were still wrapped around Hiramekarei. 

"Erza, don't use Astraia." Alfonzo said before the two could start with their spar. 

"I understand." Erza replied while nodding without taking her eyes off her opponent. 

"What is Astraia?" Mei asked curiously. 

"Something exclusive to our guild." Alfonzo replied while wearing a teasing smile. 

Once again Mei pouted at not getting a straight answer to her question. Even so, she remained focused on the upcoming spar. 

A moment later, without any kind of starting signal, Erza narrowed her eyes. Then, she dashed forward with anormal long sword primed to thrust forward. 

*Clang!* 

In response, as soon as Erza was in range, Chōjurō, with a solemn expression on his face, swung Hiramekarei to the side, deflecting Erza's blade to his left. However, instead of being thrown off balance, Erza rode the momentum of his parry and spun around, launching a horizontal strike at Chōjurō's waist. 

*Clang!* 

In response, Chōjurō repositioned his sword, holding it vertically on his right, and blocked Erza's strike. He then leaned his shoulder into the flat of his blade and pushed Erza's sword away, then he raised his sword and performed a diagonal slash. 

*Clang!* 

With her sword out of position, Erza had no way of defending against Chōjurō's slash. So, she did the only thing she could. She released the hilt of her sword with her right hand and [Requipped] a second longsword into it. Then, she used the new sword to parry the incoming slash. 

Unfortunately, thanks to her unstable posture, Erza was blown backwards by the force behind Chōjurō's strike. And Chōjurō had no intention of letting her regain her footing. So, he dashed forward while circulating his magic power through is legs to increase his speed. 

However, Erza was much more agile than the armor she wore would suggest. Meaning, by the time Chōjurō was close enough to strike again, Erza had recovered and raised both her swords in an X-shape and caught the downward strike Chōjurō performed in the hope of ending the match. 

*Cling!* 

With his sword caught between the two Erza wielded, Chōjurō, with fire in his eyes, stared into Erza's eyes. However, when he did, he was surprised to see that she was smiling. 

"Good, you're just as skilled with a blade as I expected." Erza said. Her smile then disappeared as she pushed Chōjurō's blade back and continued. "Now, I think that's enough of a warm up. [Requip: Heaven's Wheel Armor]." 

In the next instant, Erza was covered in the light of her magic power. At the same time, Chōjurō leapt away from her. He then started flowing his magic power into Hiramekarei. The magic power in the blade then began flowing out of its tip as the bandages began to unravel. 

By the time the blade of the Hiramekarei was revealed, Erza was now donning her [Heaven's Wheel Armor] with nearly two dozen swords floating around her, held aloft by [Telekinesis]. 

"[Hiramekarei Unleashing]." Chōjurō chanted as the magic power flowing out of the tip of the blade coated the sword. 

Chōjurō then removed a thin cord was wrapped around Hiramekarei's hilt, revealing that there were actually two hilts, not one. 

"Oh, that's unusual." Alfonzo said while looking at the two hilts. 

"Those two hilts are where Hiramekarei gets its nickname, the Twin Sword." Mei said proudly. "And I'm sure you'll find out why in a moment." 

In the next instant, Erza pointed one of the swords she was holding towards Chōjurō. At the same time, she commanded her floating swords to shoot forward. 

In response, Chōjurō held one of the two hilts in each hand. Then, he pulled them apart. When he did, Hiramekarei also split into two blades. Then, with great skill and precision, he rapidly swung the two large swords as if they weighed nothing and deflected all the incoming swords. 

*Cling!* *Cling!* *Clang!* *Cling!* *Ting!* Clang!* *Cling!* 

Though she found herself more and more impressed by Chōjurō's skill, Erza did not stop her onslaught. While Chōjurō deflected her swords, she floated slightly off the floor. Then, she rocketed forward with the swords in her hands drawn back and ready to attack. 

"[Blumenblatt]." Erza chanted as her speed increased significantly. 

Noticing Erza's approach, Chōjurō swung his swords even faster to clear the incoming telekinetically controlled blades. Then, he crossed his blades in front of him in preparation for Erza's attack. 

*Clang~~~~~!* 

The impact between Erza's and Chōjurō's swords echoed loudly throughout the training chamber as Erza zipped past Chōjurō. However, before she could even come to a stop, Chōjurō slammed his two swords together, creating one sword once again. Then, the blade of the sword changed shape into a large hammer before he spun on his heels and swung it down at Erza's back. 

Reacting just as quickly, Erza was covered in the light of her magic power once again while quickly turning around. 

"[Requip: Adamantine Armor]." Erza chanted. 

*Clang~~~~~~~~~!* 

In the next instant, Chōjurō's hammer strike was stopped and Erza was revealed once again. This time, however, instead of holding a sword in each hand, she was holding a pair of shields that had been combined into a single, large shield that she used to block the hammer blow. 

"Seriously, every time I see how fast she can [Requip], it feels unfair." Laxus said while shaking his head. 

Meanwhile, Mei and Ao had widened their eyes in surprise. After seeing how expertly Chōjurō had defended himself from Blumenblatt and how quickly he had counter attacked, they were both sure that the spar was about to come to an end. Yet, neither of them expected just how quickly Erza could [Requip]. So, when they heard Laxus' comment, all they could do was nod their heads dumbly. 

Alfonzo and the other Fairy Tail wizards, on the other hand, only watched the spar as if something like that was expected. And when you consider how long they've known Erza, it was. 

Erza then used her abnormal strength to push Chōjurō back with her shields. Then, she stepped forward and was once again covered in the light of her magic power. 

"[Requip: Black Wing Armor]." Erza chanted. 

Then, in a burst of speed, Erza vanished from where she stood. And when she reappeared, she was standing in front of Chōjurō with the sword she wielded resting against the side of his neck. Chōjurō, on the other hand, had only raised his sword, which had transformed back from the hammer, halfway into position to guard. 

A moment later, when Chōjurō realized the outcome of the spar, he exhaled a sigh. Then, he lowered his sword. 

"I concede defeat." Chōjurō said calmly, bringing the spar to an end. 

Nodding in response, Erza lowered her own sword before [Requipping] back into her [Heart Kreuz Armor]. However, before she could say anything, Chōjurō's resolute expression was replaced by his usual shy and apprehensive one. Then, he ran towards Mei, bowing his head when he arrived in front of her. 

"I'm sorry, Lady Mizukage." Chōjurō said, sounding as if he were on the verge of tears. "I've dishonored the village and the title of one of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist." 

In response, Mei could only sigh in exasperation. Then, she tried her best to assure Chōjurō that he had not dishonored anyone with his display. 

'You're sure as hell dishonoring yourself by acting like this after a match like that, though.' Mei thought to herself while trying to calm down her shinobi. 

Meanwhile, Erza was left in the sparring ring with a dumbfounded expression on her face. She had wanted to let Chōjurō know that he was quite good and discuss the match with such affine swordsman. However, now that he was almost crying because of his loss, she had no idea watt she was supposed to do. 

"It's okay, Erza." Alfonzo, after approaching Erza, said while combing his fingers through her hair. "Let's just let Mei figure that whole mess out. For now, how 'bout heading downstairs? I'll even bake you a strawberry shortcake to celebrate your victory." 

Immediately, Erza lost interest in Chōjurō. She then wrapped her arms around Alfonzo's while [Requipping] out of her armor and into some casual clothes to make his arm more comfortable. Then, she dragged him towards the training chamber's exit excitedly. 

"Alright, everyone." Alfonzo said with a smile while allowing himself to be dragged along. "Let's head back down stairs. I'll be cooking a feast to welcome our guests from the Village Hidden in the Mist." 

Just like Erza, when the Fairy Tail wizards heard that Alfonzo would be cooking, they lost interest in watching the drama. They then hurried to follow Alfonzo and Erza out of the training chamber, leaving Mei, Ao, and a still saddened Chōjurō standing there in confusion. 

"Is his cooking so good as to make everyone act like that?" Ao asked in a dumbfounded tone. 

"I have no clue." Mei replied. "I was invited to have dinner with them a few times while they were in the village. But I was too busy to attend." 

'But if he truly is that good a cook, then he's even better husband material than I thought.' Mei thought to herself as her dumbfounded expression slowly morphed into a smile. 'And that might be one of the reasons he can keep so many lovers happy. I'm looking forward to finding what else he has in store.'