6

Chapter 6: Cruisin' for a Bruisin'Summary:

Ben has finally made it to Hargeon! However, he uncovers an unfortunate truth that he wasn't prepared for. He then stumbles across a young Celestial Wizard and a nefarious plot by a man claiming himself to be "Salamander of Fairy Tail". Though Ben may have his own struggles, he can't turn a blind eye to people who need saving and bad guys who need butt-kickings!

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

It was early morning in Hargeon, a beautiful seaside town located on the southeastern coast of Fiore. The sun rose over the sea's eastern horizon, its warm glow sparkling off the clear waters.

As a city renowned for its fishing, many boats were setting sail out from the marina into open waters. Outside the marina's entrance, a covered wagon with a purple boar-like creature pulling it rolled to a stop.

Ben stepped off of the wagon's bench with his bag slung over his left shoulder–a single-strap green bag that had white, yellow, and red tribal patterns on the straps and hems. It was currently packed with all of his clothes, money, and items that had been gifted to him by Cait Shelter.

There was a cacophony of seagulls and gentle waves hitting the docks while the air permeated with salt and fish.

"More fishing boats oughta come back this afternoon." Mr. Kale told him. "Just gotta be patient waiting for them."

Ben looked at the marina's entrance before turning back to the rider. "I can't thank you enough for the ride, Mr. Kale. Sorry for any inconvenience I caused."

The merchant chuckled wryly. "Ah, don't worry about it. It got crazy at times, sure, but it didn't get boring at least. But hopefully all the trouble continues to follow you from here on out." He laughed.

"Yeah…" Ben then remembered something else. "Oh, and thanks again for letting me clean my clothes with that…huh…whatcha-ma-call-it last night." The brunet was referring to a magical contraption in the wagon that could wash and dry a small amount of clothes via a series of magical spells. He didn't understand how any of it worked, but he appreciated the convenience it provided for washing his apparel.

"It's a Heartfilia Portable Insta-Washer-Dryer. A bit glitchy and pricey…but it gets the job done, I suppose." Mr. Kale shrugged. "Speaking of clothes, yah thinking about updating your wardrobe? Nothing wrong with Cait Shelter's clothes…but they do stick out."

Ben glanced down at his primary wardrobe, which consisted of a short sleeved white shirt and a black-and-green triangle patterned mantle over it, tan knee-length pants, and his brown sandals. He still wore the green-and-black forearm sleeve to conceal the Ultimatrix.

"I probably will eventually…but I'll wait till I get home and find my friends and family before then. Need to be mindful of my spending and all." Ben replied, thinking pragmatically.

Mr. Kale nodded in understanding, frowning slightly. "Makes sense."

'I give the kid flak for the trouble he attracts, but he was still a big help with my deliveries. And he did save my life too, can't forget that. I gotta give him something in return aside from just a ride…' The merchant's eyes widened as an idea came to him.

"Hey, Ben, wait just a moment." He stepped off the chaise and into the wagon, digging around for something. Ben, meanwhile, stood patiently and curious as to what the merchant was looking for.

Moments later, the merchantman stepped out holding a small rectangular brown box. "Knew it was in here somewhere. Here. This is for you."

Ben took the box and carefully opened it to see it had a small silver key inside on a white cushion. "Thanks… Uh, what is it?"

"A Celestial Gate Key. A client was low on funds and gave this to me as collateral." He answered. "I know you're not a Celestial Wizard, but you can sell that to a magic shop for money. It's what I was gonna do while I was in town, actually."

Ben was mildly surprised. "I can't accept this. This is supposed to be your money, right? I didn't earn–"

Mr. Kale interjected. "Contrary to what I say, you have actually been a big help the past week. Plus…you did save my life back in Freesia. This is the least I can do to repay you. And I'm not taking the key back either. So you might as well keep it till ya sell it…or, knowing you, find some pretty lady to give it to." He smirked coyly.

The brunet rolled his eyes at that last comment. "I…Thanks, Mr. Kale." He said appreciatively, holding out his hand for a handshake.

"Murphy." He accepted the handshake. "If you're ever in Magnolia, come stop by the office. It's a couple blocks east of the train station."

Ben nodded in acknowledgment, placing the box in his bag. "I'll keep that in mind. Safe travels back home, Murphy."

Mr. Kale nodded. "Same to you, kid." He then cracked his buggy whip by the boar. With that, the wagon lurched forward and began rolling down the street.

The merchant glanced back with a concerned frown, watching Ben step through the marina's entrance. 'Really hope he finds that home he's talking about…'

Mr. Kale wasn't impressively smart, but–as a merchant–he understood the map of the Ishgar Continent fairly well, and the places that Ben had claimed he originated from simply did not exist anywhere on it. But that didn't mean they couldn't exist on the northern, western, or eastern continents. He never studied up on those territories, deeming it pointless as he didn't possess the means to travel so far away.

Hopefully the sailors could be more helpful in that endeavor.

…

Ben walked through the marina, carefully reading the signs. Most of the boats were still out but he spotted a few that had just come in with nets full of fish. He walked up to the nearest boat, careful to not be in their way.

"Hey, guys! Looks like you had good luck." Ben greeted, trying to break the ice.

"Hehehe! Yeah, the fishing gods were kind to us this mornin'." Fisherman 1 commented, smiling.

"Something we can help you with?" Fisherman 2 asked pointedly while tying off the mooring line on the dock.

"Actually, I was wanting to ask you guys a question." Ben took a breath. "Have any of you ever heard of a country called the United States of America? Or maybe a region called New York?"

"Huh?" The fishermen looked at each other, confused.

"America… Is that a continent? Also, what's a state?" Fisherman 1 questioned.

"New…York? Does that mean there's an old York?" Fisherman 2 followed up.

Ben frowned. 'Not off to a good start. Are we?'

From there, Ben spent the next hour inquiring to fishermen as they came in about Bellwood and America and received similar responses.

"Never heard of it."

"That doesn't sound like any nation in Ishgar."

"I'm a fisherman, not a navigator. Can't help yah."

"What?! Are you here to buy fish or not?"

The last fisherman he spoke to was a dark-skinned man with a black mustache, wearing a dark-blue cap, a light-green cape over a white t-shirt, and dark pants with boots.

"Excuse me, sir." Ben called out.

"Name's Bobo. Can I help you with something?" The man asked cordially.

"Well…maybe. I was wondering if you have ever heard of a nation called the United States of America. I'm trying to find my way back there."

Bobo hummed thoughtfully and then shook his head. "Sorry. I'm afraid I've never heard of that country."

"Seriously…" Ben dropped his head. 'Am I really so far from home that no one's even heard of my country?'

Bobo went on. "You can check the docks over there." He pointed in a direction. "Those people are sailing in from all over. I reckon someone over there is bound to have heard of that nation."

Ben's mood brightened a little. "Thanks sir."

Following the directions Bobo had given him, Ben arrived at the next set of docks and proceeded to ask the sailors. Much to his surprise, he received similar responses.

"Sorry, son. Never heard of that land."

"Never traveled to a nation with that name."

"No such country exists in Ishgar. Are you sure that's even a real place?"

There were also a few rude responses mixed in. "Huh? Look, man, I gotta get this boat ready for a big party tonight. So scram!"

And then there was one response that gave him an inkling of hope. "I'm afraid I'm not aware of a country by that name. Of course, our map only covers the waters around Ishgar. So perhaps it could exist in a different part of the world."

By the afternoon, Ben was walking out of the marina in disappointment. 'Seriously? Even sailors have never heard of my country? How far am I from home? How did I get here in the first place? In the freaking middle of the woods no less!?' He furrowed his brows in vexation. 'Amnesia really sucks…'

An idea then occurred to him. 'Wait…That one sailor mentioned they only travel around Ishgar. So maybe–' His eyes shot open as Juvia's words from earlier in the week came to the forefront of his mind.

"You could always check the library for answers too. They usually have the most recent maps."

"Ah, I almost forgot! Thanks, Juvia!" With that, Ben started running down the street.

Asking bystanders for directions and following posted signs, the brunet turned a corner and smiled when he spotted the library down the street. After walking to the building and up the stairway through the front doors, he stopped to look around. There were two floors with giant bookshelves everywhere and tables and chairs placed in certain spots.

Stepping to the front desk where the librarian was seated, Ben inquired, "Excuse me, would you have the most recent world maps available? Oh! And some books on world geography too?"

The older lady nodded, smiling. "Certainly, young man!"

From there, the librarian kindly showed him all of the geography-related books and brought him a couple of rolled up maps. Finding a place at an empty table in a corner, Ben sat down and unrolled one of the maps.

"Okay…Ishgar…" The map predominantly featured the Ishgar Continent, a large peninsula branching off from the Eastern Continent that was mostly grayed out. "Here's Fiore…Next to that are Bosco and Seven. Caelum…Iceberg…Pergande Kingdom? Neither of these places ring any bells…" As he looked over the nations on the map, he noted how random the naming of the countries was.

He didn't spot America labeled anywhere on it.

'Looks like those sailors weren't kidding.' He carefully rolled up the map. "Ishgar's a bust. Let's try the other continents…" Placing the map off to the side, he grabbed another map and unrolled it to reveal the western continent dubbed Alakitasia.

"Alvarez Empire takes up most of the map… No America or New York there." He squinted his eyes to carefully look over the city pins. "No Bellwood either…"

Rolling the map back up, he unrolled another that featured the northern continent dubbed Guiltina. "Bargo…Valeria… Nothing." Ben's eyes widened slightly. "Okay… This is concerning. Maybe the Eastern Continent?"

At this point it had to be. There was literally nowhere else on the globe it could be!

He pulled out the last map and unrolled it. The Eastern Continent was a large landmass that connected with the Alakitasia. There were several countries split up amongst the territory…but none of them were labeled as America.

Ben felt a pit form in his stomach. 'Something's not right…' Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his wallet and opened it. Inside was still the crinkled up one-dollar bill and his "Driver License". 'Bellwood…New York…United States… They're not mentioned anywhere. And nobody has heard of them either. Am I missing something?'

He then glanced at the geography books stacked to the side. 'Maybe…'

With nothing else to lose, he grabbed the first book and opened it. It was then that Ben made a shocking discovery. The titles and subtext were written in a language that he could understand, but the actual content of the pages was written in a foreign calligraphy.

Turning page after page and looking through all of the books present, the foreign language was prevalent in all of it. Whatever wasn't a title or subtitle, Ben couldn't understand it.

It was by that point he came to a startling realization. 'I can't read this language…' He slumped his shoulders, feeling defeated. Today has just gone from bad to worse.

…

Later…

Ben was walking aimlessly down the street away from the library. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and his head was hanging low. A despondent aura wafted off of him, unaware that he was unintentionally causing bystanders to awkwardly step away from him.

'No Bellwood…No America…It's like they don't even exist…' Ben gazed down at the cobblestone pavement. 'Where do I go now? I just…don't know what to do anymore.'

The whistling of a train snapped the somber teen out of his lamentations. Glancing up, he realized he was standing outside the train station.

'Maybe I should just get a ticket to the farthest town on the line? My situation wouldn't change regardless…' He mused forlornly.

Before Ben could consider that idea further, the sounds of groaning caught his attention.

He turned to find a young man with spiky, pink hair kneeling on the ground close by. He had a big green backpack and rolled up sleeping back strapped to his back. His outfit consisted of a red jacket over a black vest with gold trim–which was open, revealing well-muscled arms and chest–and a pair of white, knee-length pants that seemed to be tightened to his legs by black straps. Around his neck was a scarf that bore a scale-like pattern.

"Ugh…" He painfully grunted. "...I can't believe…I had to ride the stupid train…twice…"

Standing next to the sickly young man was a humanoid blue cat with a white underbelly and wore a pale green knapsack around its neck and over its back. "You really need to get over that motion sickness of yours."

Ben looked at the blue cat mildly surprised. 'So Carla isn't the only talking, humanoid cat around. Must be a whole species then.' He then shifted his attention to the ill pink-haired guy. 'He's not looking so good. Maybe I should get him some help?'

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Before he could do that though, electronic beeping emanated from his left arm. He partially pulled back the sleeve to see the Ultimatrix dial and tubing were flashing yellow.

"Uncatalogued DNA detected… Scanning…" The core then popped up and a yellow beam discharged from it, scanning the blue cat while he wasn't looking away from head-to-toe.

"Unknown DNA sample acquired. Scan complete."

After that, the beam disappeared and the Ultimatrix went back to normal.

The odd pair perked up and turned to Ben, who was starting to feel mildly flustered by what just transpired. 'It happened again… But why?'

"Hey man…ergh…" Natsu grunted, coming up to a knee. "What was that about? What'd you do to Happy?"

"Huh? What was what?" Happy asked, clueless as to what transpired.

At least the blue cat didn't feel any pain by what the Ultimatrix did, Ben thought.

Ben held out his hands placatingly. "Um…sorry about that. I'm not sure what happened myself. Crazy magical item I'm still getting used to. It's not dangerous though…" He pulled back up his forearm band over the green gauntlet.

'At least I don't think it is…' He mused sheepishly.

Natsu glanced down at Happy, noting that he looked unharmed. His smell was normal too.

Ben decided to quickly switch topics. "Anyways, what about you? Are you feeling okay, man? You're looking pale there."

"Eh, he'll be fine." Happy waved off unconcernedly. "He's always this way after riding the train."

Ben turned to Natsu, offering a sympathetic smile. "Not a fan of trains, huh?"

"Ugh. Not at all." The pink-haired man shakily stood up, holding onto his backpack's straps. "Well… We should be going, Happy. C'mon." The pair began to walk away.

"Aye. We gotta make up for the lost time you spent riding the train again." Happy remarked. "Hopefully that Salamander hasn't left town."

Just as Ben was about to leave, he perked up. "Salamander…?"

Natsu and Happy stopped and looked back at him.

"You guys are looking for Salamander?" Ben inquired.

"Aye! Do you know him?" Happy asked, sounding hopeful.

"No… But I've heard him mentioned a couple times." Ben said. "He's like a popular wizard or something, right?"

"Eh?" Natsu and Happy looked befuddled.

'What did I say?' Ben frowned in exasperation. People looking at him strangely had become a regular occurrence today. He was becoming weary of it.

"You got it wrong, man. We're looking for A Salamander, not a wizard." Natsu clarified.

"Okay…" Ben cocked a brow in confusion. "...and what does a Salamander look like?"

"A Dragon, of course!" Happy chirped. "What else?"

At the mention of the word 'dragon', Ben's breath hitched in his throat as a few scenes suddenly played in his mind.

Echo Echo fighting and destroying a realistic mechanical winged beast.

Chromastone fires his ultraviolet rays at a large, green-skinned reptilian beast with wings. Himself, in human form, standing in front of that same creature trying to reason with it. "You're not a monster. You're a map maker."

Standing in a remote and barren landscape devastated by fire and the air choked with smoke. He could remember standing there with his cousin Gwen and a taller muscular dude with black hair. He was very familiar to Ben in some way…but he couldn't pinpoint it. They witnessed a gruesome sight of a knight in armor with a sword slaying a fearsome dragon, literally cutting out its heart right before their eyes.

Ben blinked a few times as the memories stopped, briefly unsettled by the last memory he had seen. 'Dragons, huh…'

"Um…you okay, dude?" Natsu asked.

"Aye. You spaced out for a little bit." Happy added.

The brunet shook his head and chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry about that. That happens from time-to-time."

"That's weird." Happy bluntly said.

Ben ignored that remark, mainly because he agreed with it. "Just so there's no confusion, you both are looking for a dragon. Right?"

"Aye sir!" Happy replied. "Have you seen one around here?"

Was the cat being serious?

He looks at the pair strangely. "...A dragon? Big reptile? Wings? Scales? Breathes fire?"

"Yes!" Natsu became excited. "Were his scales red? Did he mention his name?"

Yes. They were being serious. And people thought he was strange when he asked them if they heard of his homeland and village.

Ben looked at the pair plainly. "Guys, I've been in town since this morning, and I haven't seen or heard word of a dragon being here. Actually, wouldn't something like a dragon be impossible to miss in the middle of town?"

Natsu and Happy both went comically wide-eyed, speechless from Ben's sound logic.

The Ultimatrix bearer sweat-dropped from their reactions. "You both didn't think this through, did you?" He deadpanned.

"Are you serious?!" Natsu pulled his spiky hair in frustration. "Aw man!"

"It does make sense, I guess." Happy agreed. "If Igneel were here, he'd be pretty noticeable."

"Igneel?" Ben questioned.

"Long story." Happy then turned to his disappointed friend. "Guess we should head back home now, Natsu."

"Grr!" Natsu straightened up, clenching his teeth angrily. "Heck yeah! I owe someone back there a butt kicking for lying to me!"

"We'll have to walk home though." Happy pointed out. "After that second train ride of yours, we're outta money."

"You guys live close by?" Ben questioned curiously.

"Aye, we live in Magnolia."

'Same as Murphy's home, huh? Small world I guess…' Recalling the layout of Fiore he was familiar with, he knew Magnolia was on the same railroad that ran through Hargeon. It should only be a three-hour ride by train. But by foot? That would be a long trek.

"That might take you guys a couple days to get back." Feeling sympathetic for the odd pair, Ben decided to lend his aid. "Tell ya what, I'll pay for your train tickets."

Natsu and Happy perked up, wide-eyed.

"Y-you don't have to do that, man." Natsu tried to dissuade him. "I mean, we're cool with just walking back."

"Aye! We've done it plenty of times before." Happy added.

"Even so, I insist. Also," Ben's smile dropped slightly, "I've been having a pretty rough day today…and I could use the good vibes from helping someone out…Yah know?"

Natsu and Happy looked at each other, both picking up on the despondence in Ben's tone and overall visage. They weren't sure what was bothering him, but maybe just accepting the offer could help him?

"If it's really alright with you, man, then it's alright with me I guess." Natsu replied, scratching his cheek.

"Aye! We'd really appreciate it!" Happy chirped, eager to get home sooner even if his friend had to be sick for a bit. He'd get over it anyways.

Ben smiled and nodded. "Thanks."

Later, after purchasing two tickets from a kiosk, he handed them to the pink-haired teenager and blue cat. "Here you are. Safe travels back to Magnolia."

"Thanks… I dunno if I can repay you for this though." Natsu mentioned, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "We're kind of broke right now."

"It's cool, dude. Don't worry about it." Ben waved it off. "Gifts don't need to be repaid."

"You're so kind!" Natsu said through teary, grateful eyes.

"Aye! Are you like a saint or something?" Happy inquired, equally teary eyed.

"I dunno about that…but I can't turn a blind eye when I see people in trouble." Ben stated seriously.

Natsu briefly stared at Ben (as if he were getting a read on him) and grinned roguishly. "I hear yah. Well, thanks again…uh… I didn't get your name."

"It's Ben. Ben Tennyson." He greeted, shaking the pinket's hand.

"Cool! Name's Natsu and this here is Happy." He introduced. "Anyways, thanks for the tickets, Bend! Maybe we'll see around!" He smiled sharply.

"Aye! Later!" With that, the pair turned and proceeded in the direction of their train.

'He got my name wrong, but whatever.' Ben waved them off. "Yeah, see ya guys." He then turned around and proceeded to walk away.

"Man… I don't wanna get on…" He overheard Natsu bemoan. "...it's gonna suck…!"

"Too bad there isn't a spell to cure your motion sickness." Happy mentioned offhandedly. "That'd be super handy."

Ben didn't think much of that comment as he walked further away, no longer in earshot of the duo.

Handing the conductor their tickets, Natsu and Happy walked into a train car and sat down in an empty bench seat. Natsu took off his backpack and sat it on the floor beside him. The train hadn't moved yet, so Natsu's motion sickness hadn't been triggered.

"Really nice of that Ben guy to pay for our tickets, huh?" Happy mentioned. "Saves us two days of walking back to Magnolia."

"Yeah, it was pretty cool of him. Still," Natsu folded his arms over his chest, grumbling, "if it weren't for that lousy rogue wizard, then we wouldn't have been broke to begin with."

"Aye…" Happy slumped his shoulders. "First it was the Devon Bandit Gang job in Freesia, then the Oshibana merchant bandits' request, and then that Beast Tamer bounty. That's a lot of money we could've used."

Natsu growled under his breath, clenching his fists. "I swear, I'll kick that dude's butt for taking our work."

"If we ever find out who that wizard is." Happy pointed out.

"All aboard!" The conductor shouted out.

Moments later, the train whistled loudly and lurched forward. Natsu instantaneously turned a sickly green and sank into his seat, feeling nauseated. "Urk!"

Happy shook his head, sighing heavily.

Meanwhile, Ben walked down the street away from the train station with no particular destination in mind. He did feel better after helping the odd pair at the train station, but he was still in a quandary. What was he supposed to do with himself now?

Then, several moments later, Happy's remark finally sunk in.

'Wait a sec… A spell!' He stopped walking as his green eyes shot open in shocked realization. "That's it! Magic! I could try to find a spell to restore my memories!" His expression brightened as hope was reignited within him.

'Okay… What to do next?' Bystanders passed Ben by and looked at him strangely as he stood off to the side with a contemplative look.

He then recalled something Murphy had told him that morning.

"I know you're not a Celestial Wizard, but you can sell that to a magic shop for money. It's what I was gonna do while I was in town, actually."

Ben snapped his fingers. "Magic shop! I'll start and go from there."

Now he just needed to find a magic shop. Surely there had to be at least one in this town, right?

…

After asking a town resident, it turned out there was exactly one magic shop in Hargeon. A small business that had just recently opened its doors apparently, according to the local Ben had spoken to.

Ben was currently walking down the street, keeping the directions he had received in mind. He stopped at the sudden sounds of women screaming.

"AAAHHH! He's here! He's really here!"

"It's Salamander!"

Ben perked up. "Salamander?"

'Guess there is a Salamander in town. Just not the one Natsu and Happy were looking for.' Curious, Ben decided to follow the sound of the cheering, which led him to a large group of women surrounding someone, hearts were throbbing in their eyes and wide smiles were plastered on their faces.

"He's so dreamy!"

"Salamander's so cool!"

'Salamander must be quite the guy to draw this kind of attention.' Ben mused, feeling oddly empathetic. The mob of squealing women surrounding the unknown Salamander character felt familiar for some reason.

Wanting to sate his curiosity, he began walking towards the group and carefully squeezed his way through. As he got closer to the commotion's epicenter, he accidentally tripped on someone's leg and stumbled forward. "W-whoa!?"

The brunet collided into a girl standing close, allowing him to regain his balance. "Sorry about that!" He quickly apologized.

The person he stumbled into was a young girl, likely around Ben's age, with shoulder-length, blond hair, tied in a ponytail to the right side of her head with a blue ribbon. She wore a white, sleeveless shirt with blue highlights, and a blue cross down the center of it, intersecting at her chest. She also wore a blue skirt and had a brown belt around her waist, which had a black whip and key ring on it.

"H-Huh?" The girl blurted out.

Ben was confused by her dumbfounded expression. Was she not aware of what she was doing? "Are you okay?"

The blonde blinked at his question, but she was more focused on another matter. The last thing she remembered was arriving at the scene to see the famous Salamander with her own eyes. When she first laid eyes on the man, everything had started to cloud up. Thankfully, with her knowledge, the girl was aware of what had happened to her.

Receiving no response, Ben shifted his gaze to the center of the mob. Based on the girl's reaction, it seemed like she was surprised to be standing in the crowd. Something wasn't right here, he mused.

After carefully squeezing past a few more girls, Ben stepped into the center of the group where he could finally see the source of the commotion.

It was a tall, slim man with a rectangular face and sharp handsome features, dark eyes, and thin eyebrows. He had short, spiky dark-blue hair and long fringe hanging over the left part of his face and a distinct tattoo just above his right eyebrow. His wardrobe could be considered ornate, consisting of a dark-purple high-collared cape with yellow trim and light-purple motifs on each shoulder, a white short-sleeved shirt with maroon outlines, a pair of maroon pinstripe pants, and polished dark shoes. There were also three golden bracelets on his right wrist and two rings on his index and middle finger.

The man's expression was practically oozing with pompousness as he posed for the girls ogling him.

Ben cocked a brow. 'So this is Salamander…' The dude didn't appear to be impressive but looks could be deceiving. He briefly glanced around at all the lovestruck girls. 'Fame goes a long way, I guess.'

"You ladies are so sweet. Hm?" The man perked up when he noticed Ben. "Oh, I didn't expect to attract a man's attention."

"I'm just passing through. And who are you exactly?" Ben asked suspiciously.

"Who am I?!" The man staggered a bit in surprise. He then quickly regained his composure, brought a hand up to his chin and posed, "I am Salamander. Surely you've heard of me, yes?"

Ben shrugged impassively. "In passing."

Salamander blinked twice, surprised by Ben's lackluster reply. Was he not impressed to be in the presence of a famous mage?

"Gotta say, you're not exactly what I expected." Upon making that remark, the hairs on the back of Ben's neck went up as angry red eyes of the girls were directed at him.

"Who the heck is this guy?"

"He's being so rude to Salamander!"

"How dare he disrespect such a great wizard!"

Right before the girls could pounce on the tribal-attired brunet, Salamander put up his hand to stop them. "Now, now, ladies. No need for violence. I'm sure the poor boy didn't mean anything malicious by it." Contrary to his words, he sounded very conceited.

The man then pulled a small piece of board from under his cape (why was it there?) and a black marker to sign his autograph on it before handing it to Ben. "Here you are. Now you can brag to your friends."

"You're so kind, Salamander!" The girls–sans the blonde–squealed in delight, the hearts returning to their eyes.

"Uh…thanks?" Ben awkwardly accepted the autograph.

"Don't mention it, kid." Salamander said before shifting his attention back to the ladies. "As much as I would love to stay, ladies, I'm afraid I have business to attend to."

"~Aw!~ You're leaving already?!" The crowd whined.

"Time for the Red Carpet!" With a snap of his fingers, a magical circle briefly appeared in front of him before purple-colored flames erupted underneath the man's feet. The man was impressively hoisted in the air on the trail of flames. "I'm having a little soiree on my private yacht tonight, and you're all invited!" With that, Salamander rode on the fire trail and flew over the buildings.

Ben watched the Salamander until he disappeared from view, the crowd of women around him beginning to disperse.

He then looked down at the autograph, debating if he should toss it in the trash or not until an idiom popped into his mind. 'One man's trash is another man's treasure…' He internally recited. 'Maybe I can sell it to one of those fangirls later.'

The Ultimatrix bearer pulled his bag off his shoulder to place the board inside. "Something definitely seems fishy about him." He said to himself.

"I know, right? He's a total creep."

"Hmm?" Ben turned to his left to see the blonde girl from earlier standing in front of him. As he looked at her closely, he'd confess she was really cute.

"Thank you for your help." The girl continued, smiling brightly.

"Uh, yeah…You're welcome." Ben then tilted his head, befuddled. "What exactly did I do?"

…

And then…

Ben and the blonde girl were walking together into an eatery creatively dubbed "Restaurant". It was a two-story building with tan walls, blue shutters and purple roofing shingles, and had a nautical theme about it. The inside of the building had hardwood flooring, tan walls, green sills on the windows, and orange booths.

One of the hostesses, who was dressed like a maid, kindly guided the pair to an open booth and they sat on opposite sides. The pair gave their respective orders to the waitress as they sat alone with the muffled sounds of other customers around them.

"Lucy, right? Thanks for inviting me out for lunch." Ben said appreciatively. "You didn't have to."

Lucy smiled. "My pleasure, Ben! Treating you to lunch is the least I can do for you after saving me earlier."

"About that… How exactly did I save you?" Ben asked.

Their conversation was momentarily paused as the waitress came back with their meals. Ben was impressed by the speed of service. Perhaps magic had been used? He had ordered a simple seafood platter while Lucy had gotten a small sandwich. Once the waitress left, the pair resumed talking.

"Well, evidently that Salamander guy was using a type of magic called 'Charm'." Lucy answered. "It sways the hearts of people in the caster's favor against their own will."

'Charm. Murphy mentioned that spell the other day…' Ben then recalled another memory.

A balding blonde dwarf man with a comb over and curly mullet. He was wearing a red ringleader coat, a white dress shirt with red tie and black vest, white dress pants, and a pair of rounded purple sunshades. The man sneered as he held up a golden pocket watch and gently swung it back-and-forth, sinisterly cackling.

'Sublimino…' Ben recalled the experience he had against the dwarf. "So… That crowd of women earlier, were they being hypnotized?"

Lucy nodded. "That's right. Which is odd because Charm spells have been banned for years. No one even sells them anymore."

"Hmm… He must've gotten it illegally somehow." Ben deduced.

Lucy was in agreement. "Anybody who'd use tricks like that to attract girls can't be trusted." She then smiled at him. "I totally fell victim to his spell, but when you bumped into me you snapped me out of it. I really can't thank you enough."

"Oh…you're welcome." He then rubbed his shoulder, smiling awkwardly. "Though, to be fair, bumping into you was by complete accident. I had no idea that guy was using a spell."

"Even so, I'm grateful. There's no telling what that scumbag would've done to me had I stayed under his control." Lucy stated seriously.

Ben glanced down at the tabletop thoughtfully. 'All those girls…and he said he was throwing a party tonight. He can't be up to no good.'

"I know I may not look like it, but I'm more or less a wizard myself." Lucy revealed.

He looked at her with interest. "Oh yeah?"

She then looked away, sheepishly scratching her cheek. "Though it isn't like I'm in a guild or anything yet. Oh!" She perked up. "I should probably explain… You see, guilds are these organizations where wizards come together to share information and find work and stuff."

Ben nodded in acknowledgment while chewing on his food. He already knew that but thought it'd be rude to interrupt her.

"Unfortunately, they say you can't be considered a full-fledged wizard until you join a guild."

Ben paused. He did not know that.

Lucy suddenly became giddy in her seat. "But there are tons of them all over the world! I've heard it's really hard to get into the more popular ones, and the one I want to join is the most popular one!" She happily sighed. "It's a place where really incredible wizards gather! Oh, what I'd do to get in…but I'm sure it's super-strict."

She blinked twice and then chuckled sheepishly. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sure all this wizard talk sounds like gibberish to you, huh?"

Ben shook his head, smirking. "Not at all. It's cool to see you so passionate about it. It's also pretty cute." He blurted out.

"C-cute?!" Lucy squeaked, her cheeks turning red.

"Uh, anyways!" Ben coughed into his hand, blushing slightly. "What kind of wizard are you, Lucy?" He asked, trying to play off his faux pas.

Lucy shook her head, recomposing herself. "Oh… I'm what's called a Celestial Wizard. There aren't too many people who can use my kind of magic, so I wouldn't be shocked if you have never seen it before."

Ben blinked twice, recalling the gate key Murphy had given him earlier today. 'Wow… Crazy coincidence.'

"You'd be right about that." He replied. "Though I've heard Celestial Wizards use keys of some sort. Mind explaining that?" He stopped to take a few bites from his meal.

Lucy's expression brightened, excited by the fact that someone was actually interested in her magic! "Of course! You see, a Celestial Wizard uses these magical objects called Gate Keys to summon Celestial Spirits that they've made contracts with." She then pulled her key ring off her belt, which had six keys on it, three of them being gold and the other three being silver.

"Celestial Spirits?" Ben repeated. "What are those?"

"They're magical beings from a place called the Celestial Spirit World. They're named after the constellations. Celestial Wizards can summon those beings to our world using Gate Keys to help them with whatever they may need."

'Celestial Spirit World… Hmm…' Ben didn't know why, but the place Lucy said her spirits hailed from made him wonder.

Shelving that thought for later, he nodded in response. "I see… I noticed you have gold and silver keys. Is there a difference?"

"Yep!" Lucy held up a silver key that had a green cross on the handle. "Silver Keys like this one are pretty common, and you can even find them in magic shops. Well, except for in this town…" She murmured that last part under her breath.

She then held up a gold key which was sort of shaped like an urn and had blue wave marks on the handle. "Gold Keys like this one, on the other hand, are extremely rare. There's only twelve of them in total, and they can be used to summon the Zodiac Spirits."

"I'm guessing these Zodiac Spirits are stronger than the Silver Key spirits then?" Ben surmised.

Lucy eagerly nodded. "Much stronger! And I'm fortunate enough to have three of them!"

"That is pretty impressive. Must've cost you a fortune to get those keys." Ben commented.

"Well…" Lucy looked away awkwardly. "...not really. I inherited them actually. It's kind of a long story."

Sensing that she didn't want to discuss the topic, Ben decided not to press. "I gotcha."

"So what brings you into Hargeon, Ben?" Lucy inquired. "Based on your bag and clothes, I'm guessing you're not from around here?"

Ben nodded. "You'd be right. I came here to find a boat ride back home." His smile dropped. "But that turned out to be a bust."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Lucy said apologetically. "Where are you from?"

Ben exhaled heavily. "You probably haven't heard of it. No one else has…"

Lucy cocked her head in bemusement. 'That's an odd reply…'

Before she could inquire further, he quickly changed topics. "You mentioned you wanted to join a popular guild. Which one are you referring to?"

Lucy smiled brightly. "I want to join the Fairy Tail guild! They're featured all the time in Sorcerer Weekly and they're the best of the best!"

'Fairy Tail, huh?' Ben remembered the past instances that the guild's name was mentioned over the last week. "If you wanna join them so badly, then why don't you apply?"

"Well, the most popular guilds are usually the toughest to get into." Lucy replied. "I'm sure they have strict requirements for new members and all."

"So?" Ben shrugged. "Doesn't hurt to try, right?" He paused to take some bites from his meal. "I mean, even if they are strict, you can at least find out exactly what you have to do to join."

"That's true, I guess." Lucy admitted.

"Yah don't wanna just assume it's too difficult without even trying. Who knows, it may not be as difficult to join as you think." He pointed out.

"Maybe…" Lucy lowered her head, mulling over Ben's suggestion as he continued to eat his meal.

After the pair finished eating their lunches, Ben had tried to be sneaky and pay the bill first, but Lucy had managed to beat him to the punch.

"Thank you! Come again!" The hostess said happily as the brunet and blonde walked out of the restaurant and down the street together.

"Well, thanks again for lunch, Lucy." Ben said. "I didn't have breakfast, so I was getting pretty hungry."

Lucy grinned. "Don't mention it! I was happy to do it. You helped me, so it was only fair."

'Yeah…but I wasn't even trying to help her. I have to do something for her.' He didn't have to ponder long before an idea then crossed his mind. "Oh! Hang on just a moment, Lucy." He pulled his bag off his back and dug through it while Lucy watched him curiously.

Ben then pulled out a small brown box and handed it to the blonde girl. "Here. This is for you."

"For me?" Lucy took the box and opened it. "What is–" She gasped excitedly at the content. "It's the Little Doggie!"

Ben tilted his head, confused. "The what?"

"It's a key that summons Nikora, the Canis Minor Spirit! Eeh!" She squealed happily, jumping in place. "I've been looking all over for this one!"

Ben smiled at her jubilance. She was really cute. He also tried to ignore the fact her chest was bouncing rhythmically with her hops inside her tight vest. 'Relax, dude. Just try not to focus too much on them.' He glanced away, flushed.

"Well, looks like your search is over. Huh?" Ben chuckled.

Lucy paused and turned back to him. "Wait…I can't just take this. Here, let me pay you for it!"

Before she could pull her purse out, Ben held out her hand. "Don't. You don't have to pay me."

"But–"

He interjected. "You already paid for my lunch and all. Consider this a gift from me in return. Besides," he shrugged, "I can't use Celestial Spirit Magic, so I would've had to sell it to a magic shop for less than what it's worth. It might as well be in your hands."

Lucy was rendered momentarily speechless by Ben's kindness. "I…T-thank you…" She managed to utter, her cheeks turning a light pink.

Ben smiled. "Don't mention it."

Murphy's words from earlier then rang through his head. "So you might as well keep it till ya sell it…or, knowing you, find some pretty lady to give it to."

He sweat-dropped. 'I hate that I validated him without meaning to.'

Ben then lifted his bag over his shoulder. "By the way, if you see that Salamander guy again, make sure to stay away from him." He cautioned. "Like you said, anyone who uses tricks like Charm can't be up to no good."

Lucy nodded, her expression becoming serious. "You don't have to remind me. I'm staying as far from that sleazebag as I can."

Nodding in satisfaction, Ben decided he should get going–even though he'd admit he wouldn't mind spending more time with the attractive Celestial Wizard. "Well, as much as I'd like to stay, I've got somewhere I need to be. So, we'll have to part ways here." He extended his hand out to her. "Pleasure meeting you, Lucy."

The cute blonde looked momentarily disappointed but regained her smile, accepting his handshake. "Same to you, Ben! Hopefully I'll see you around soon!"

"Ditto." Ben winked at her.

'Eep!' A hearty blush erupted on Lucy's face. Ben was quite an attractive guy, after all. The kindness and charisma he demonstrated so far had only enhanced his appeal further. Additionally, it's like he wasn't even trying!

'This guy…'

…

Later in the afternoon, Lucy was sitting alone on a bench in Hargeon's city park reading the recent edition of Sorcerer Weekly. She was eager to see what shenanigans the Fairy Tail guild was up to lately, but a new story had captured her interest.

"The Wandering Take-Over Master." Lucy read the title. "In the last week, multiple sightings and eyewitness accounts across eastern Fiore have reported of a mysterious man stopping crime and rescuing people by changing into unknown, powerful creatures. Some are calling him a rogue wizard; many are calling him a Hero."

"A hero?" Lucy continued to read to herself, intrigued. "The first reported sighting of this man was in the tiny village of Gardenia, where he rescued several villagers from a flash flood. The next sighting came from the town of Freesia, which had been recently overrun by the Devon Bandit Clan, stealing money and harassing townspeople. Before any authorities or magical guilds could intervene though, the Take-Over Master defeated the group single handedly. One eyewitness recounted the experience:

"'A lone merchant happened upon our town and the bandits held him at sword point. Unbeknownst to them by doing so they had interrupted the sleep of a powerful Take-Over wizard resting in the wagon. His nap interrupted, our savior merely strolled out of the wagon, taking in the scene with but a glance, before completely changing his form in an instant and with an awe-inspiring use of Gravity Magic handed the whole lot of them their collective backsides without moving one step. Ten seconds later, it was over, and we were free! I even heard he completely shrugged off a spell designed to cancel his magic. Truly he was one with the skills of a master! Those bandits may as well have been children compared to him.'"

"Wow…." Her eyes widened in amazement. 'His magic must be really strong…'

Engrossed in the story, Lucy laid down on the bench and held the magazine above her. She continued to read the article, which further discussed the hero's exploits in Oshibana, Kunugi, and Onibus. But the mysterious wizard's latest exploit was his most noteworthy.

"The Wandering Take-Over Master rescues Blue Pegasus's sweetheart, Jenny Realight, from the clutches of the Beast Tamer! Oh wow!" Lucy exclaimed gleefully. "This is like something out of a novel! That Hero sure is something else! Seems like everywhere he goes, there's trouble though." She chuckled to herself. "But he's helping a lot of people too, and he doesn't ask for anything in return? He sounds like an amazing guy…"

She continued reading. "The mysterious mage has been rumored to be a young man with brown hair and green eyes. His name and origin remain unknown."

Lucy's eyes widened slightly as Ben came to mind. 'Could he? No, that's crazy.' She immediately dismissed that idea. 'Way too coincidental. Besides, he never mentioned being a wizard or anything.'

She resumed. "There have been two common denominators in all of the Take-Over Master's sightings: a green light envelops him as he assumes a Take-Over and a green hourglass dial is present somewhere on his body."

"Huh… a dial. Could it be a symbol for a guild?" She wondered aloud. "It doesn't mention he's in a guild. If he's not, I wonder why. It doesn't sound like he's a criminal or anything. I mean, if people are calling him a hero and all."

After finishing the article, Lucy moved on to look for any Fairy Tail-related stories but could only find the pinup section featuring a certain albino-haired model.

"Mirajane is so pretty." Lucy sighed contently at the model's swimsuit spread. "I really wanna join Fairy Tail… I wonder what it takes?"

"Doesn't hurt to try, right?" Ben's words echoed in her head.

The Celestial Wizard considered those words and sat up with a determined smile. 'Ben's right! I won't know if I don't try!'

"Whatever it takes, I am so gonna join Fairy Tail!" She giggled to herself.

"Oh? What's that? You want to join Fairy Tail?"

Lucy shrieked, startled by the sudden voice. She turned to see the Salamander walk out from some nearby bushes. "S-Salamander?!"

Salamander smiled smugly. "You're a hard girl to find. I wanted to personally invite you to the party on my yacht tonight." He winked, holding up his right hand which fully displayed his two rings.

Lucy narrowed her eyes in disdain and pointed at him. "Your Charm spell won't work on me! It can be broken by awareness. Anybody who knows you're using it is unaffected!"

Salamander's smug smile never faltered. "Just as suspected, I knew you were a wizard when our eyes met. Fine. No charms as long as you come to my party."

"Hmph!" Lucy turned away, folding her arms under her impressive bust. "Forget it! I wouldn't be caught dead in a party thrown by a disgusting man like you."

"Disgusting? Me?" Salamander seemed offended.

Lucy glared back at him, clarifying, "Your Charm spell. Trying to make yourself popular."

"Oh come now, that's only used for show. Every party needs a celebrity." Salamander assured her.

The blonde mage, however, wasn't buying it. "This only proves that even famous wizards can be idiots." She then began to walk away.

"Wait!" Salamander called out, sounding desperate. "You said you'd like to join the Fairy Tail guild, right?"

Lucy stopped in her tracks, glancing back at him. Her interest was piqued now.

Salamander inwardly sneered. "Tell me, have you heard of Salamander of Fairy Tail?" He smirked.

Lucy's breath hitched in her throat, her brown eyes widening in shock. 'Wait! Is he that Salamander!?'

She knew that she shouldn't be talking with this man, but with a potential opportunity to get into the guild of her dreams, her caution was set aside.

…

Meanwhile, Ben finally arrived at the magic shop he was looking for—a two-story blue building with a sign hanging out front that read 'Prosper Grocer'. A small bell above the door chimed as he stepped inside, noting that it was a quaint establishment with shelves of bottles, books, staves, swords, and various other items.

The owner of the shop walked out from behind a curtain and up to the counter. He was an older gentleman with two sections of gray hair protruding from either side, had black eyes, big lips, and a small pig snout-like nose. He wore a dark-gold shirt and a green pointed-tip hat with a yellow star on the front.

"Hello! Welcome to my magic shop! Can I help you find anything?" He politely asked.

"Actually, yeah." Ben walked toward the counter. "Tell me, what do you know about Charm spells?"

"Charm spells? No one in the kingdom is allowed to legally sell those."

"Right, I get that. But could there be an item or spell that could nullify it?" Ben inquired.

"From what I understand, awareness is the only thing needed to break a Charm spell. If a person knows the caster is using Charm, the spell will be broken." The elderly man then looked at Ben suspiciously. "Young man, you're not thinking of trying to find one, are you? It's illegal to use such a spell."

Ben shook his head and placated the man's concerns. "No, no. I was just curious. I had heard about them in passing, that's all." He half-lied. "Anyways, I did have another question. This may sound odd, but I was wondering…is there any spell that could say…I dunno, restore lost memories?" He asked with a hopeful tone.

"Restore memories, huh?" The shop owner scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I wouldn't know of a fancy spell like that, I'm afraid."

"I see…" Ben frowned at that.

"Still, that doesn't mean there couldn't be one." The shop owner continued, making Ben perk back up. "I'd recommend talking to wizards in the magical guilds about such a spell if I were you. You'll have better luck getting a straight answer from them."

Ben considered that suggestion and agreed. "Yeah… Good call. Thank you."

"Certainly! But is that all you wanted? Surely there's something here you'd like to buy?" He then pulled out a pink rectangular box with the word 'ColorS' printed on it. "This ColorS magic is popular! It lets you change the color of your clothes by placing your finger over the dial." He swiped his finger on a round mirror-like object superimposed on the bottom.

A teal magical circle appeared on top of the item. "Purple!" The shop owner's clothes sparkled and turned purple. "Now, Green!" On cue, his attire sparkled again and turned green.

"Huh… That's kinda cool. But I think I'll pass." Ben glanced over to the bookshelf, noting a collection of Sorcerer Weekly magazines; recent and old. Oddly enough, he remembered Sorcerer Weekly being written in the calligraphy he could understand. 'Maybe I can find out more information on wizard guilds reading those. Definitely not because I want to see any photo spreads. Absolutely not.'

"I'll take a few of those magazines though."

…

Later that night, a wooden, blue-colored yacht was seen sailing out of Hargeon's harbor. It was large and highly decorative with four visible levels and had many windows. On the open decks, under the lights were decorated white-clothed tables of food and drink.

Moments ago, many women in fancy dresses were mingling and enjoying the soiree. But now, the situation has completely changed. Inside a lavishly decorated room, Lucy, who was wearing a fancy red dress complete with red heels, had her arms restrained by two robust crewmen.

Earlier, Salamander had invited her inside for a private toast, but Lucy had quickly realized he was planning to use Sleep Magic on her. It was then that the ugly truth behind Salamander's party was revealed.

"What's going on!?" Lucy shouted, trying to pull herself free from the men's clutches but to no avail.

"We got ourselves a big haul this time, boss." One crewman reported, cackling sinisterly.

"Who are you people?" Lucy froze when Salamander grabbed her chin and turned her head to him. She couldn't help but shiver fearfully at the malicious sneer plastered on his expression.

"Welcome aboard my slave ship. You're going to behave yourself until we arrive in Bosco, young lady."

"Eh?!" Lucy panicked. "Bosco!? What about Fairy Tail!?"

"Forget it." Salamander replied, waving his hand. "I just told you that to lure you here. You're valuable merchandise, after all."

"You can't!" Lucy glanced back to see some of the other girls were unconscious and being carried by crewmen. "You're going to kidnap all of these girls?"

"Heh! That's our Salamander for you." A crewman boasted.

"Salamander has it all worked out." Another said. "Girls fall under his Charm spell and bring their little bottoms to us to be our cargo."

A third man joined in. "But this girl didn't take to the Charm, so we'll just have to break her in the old-fashioned way. Heh-heh-heh!"

'N-No… This can't be happening!' Lucy was aghast as she dropped her head, beads of sweat racing down her face. 'I knew he was bad news…but not this bad!'

"Hmm?" Salamander noticed something clinging on a band strapped to Lucy's right thigh, close to her dress's slit. He walked over and reached down to pull the items off the leg band, making Lucy shiver in disgust as his fingertips brushed against her skin.

He held up Lucy's key ring and looked at it keenly. "Gate Keys… So you're a Celestial Wizard?"

Salamander's cronies were dumbfounded. "Celestial? We don't know anything about magic, boss!"

"It's nothing to worry about." Salamander casually twirled the key ring around on his index finger. "Only the mage contracted can use these. So they're absolutely worthless to me. Whoops!" He callously tossed the key ring out an open window and into the sea, much to Lucy's dismay.

Lucy angrily bared her teeth and glared at the evil pompous man, her brown eyes brimming with tears. 'Is this…what a Fairy Tail wizard does?'

"You…You use magic to take advantage of others…turning people into slaves?! You're the worst wizard alive!"

Salamander was unaffected by her exclamation. "That's an exaggeration, my dear. You'll learn there are individuals much worse than little ole me out there." He walked back holding branding iron, the end was red hot with smoke wafting off it. "Now, the first thing we do with our slaves is brand them!" He leered. "This might sting a bit but grit your teeth and bear through the pain."

'I should've just listened to Ben and ignored this guy! How could I have been so stupid?!' Lucy shook with fury, tears streaming down her face.

The men cackled in sinister delight as Salamander moved the branding iron closer to her exposed right thigh.

By this point, Lucy couldn't stop herself from openly crying in despair. 'Someone! Please…HELP ME!' She internally cried out.

On que, the door to the cabin was promptly smashed in! Followed by that, two crewmen were hurled inside and crashed onto the floor. They were roughed up and covered in claw marks, groaning in agony.

"What's going on?!" Salamander exclaimed, pulling the iron back.

A figure then walked through the smashed doorway and everyone inside tensed up.

It was a fish-like humanoid with grey scales on its head, broad chest, torso, arms, and two-toed legs while its waist was black and a triangular and green-striped loincloth-like skin hung down between its legs. It had four-fingered hands with sharp yellow claws, green webbing between its fingers, and green fins sprouting out from its muscular forearms. Its most predominant feature was the large, sharp, yellow-colored teeth protruding from its jaws and the phosphorescent lure sticking out from its skull. On a black patch over its left pectoral was a dial with a green hourglass symbol.

The creature glared at the slave traders through its round, grey eyes. "Alright, fellas." He spoke in a raspy, gargling voice. "Party's over."

Everyone was dumbstruck by the humanoid anglerfish.

"W-what the hell is that?!"

"Some kinda sea monster!?"

The creature countered. "No. More like a Ripjaws."

Salamander shook his head and regained his composure. "Who cares what it is?! Kill it, men!"

"Sir!" The cronies immediately dropped the unconscious women they were holding and charged at Ripjaws, some were even wielding swords.

"That's not a proper way to handle ladies, guys." Ripjaws growled.

The first goon who came at him was sent straight through the wooden wall by a powerful kick. The next one was smacked away with his claws out, leaving some deep cuts on the guy's face that would very likely form scars.

That didn't deter the next dozen cronies from attacking, though. Nevertheless, Ripjaws knocked out several guys with powerful punches while tossing others across the room like ragdolls. He was making short work of the canon fodder.

One goon tried swinging a sword at his head, but Ripjaws opened his gaping teeth-filled jaws and chomped down on the blade, breaking the steel apart like glass. The man was too shocked to react to the gut punch Ripjaws delivered, sending him hurtling across the room and colliding into Salamander. The two criminals tumbled across the floor in comical fashion.

The branding iron that Salamander had been holding fell to the floor away from Lucy. Lucy fell to her knees and stared at Ripjaws in shocked apprehension. What was this creature?! It took down all those men like childs play!

After defeating the goons, Ripjaws shifted his attention on Lucy and began to walk toward her; much to her trepidation.

"W-w-who are you?! P-please…don't hurt me…" She stammered fearfully.

"Lucy, it's alright." Ripjaws knelt in front of her, trying to appear harmless. That was difficult though, given his monstrous appearance.

"Huh?! You know my name?"

Ripjaws nodded. "Lucy, it's me. Ben."

Lucy's eyes widened as she gasped in shock. "B-Ben?!" She couldn't believe it. This creature was the guy she met this afternoon?! "Y-You're a monster…?!"

"Well, a little more than that." Ripjaws opened his left hand, revealing her key ring in the palm. "Here. I believe these are yours."

"My Gate Keys!" She perked up, a bright relieved smile crossing her face.

"Was following the boat underwater and spotted these sinking in the ocean." Ripjaws handed her the keys, which she immediately reclaimed. "What are you doing here anyways?"

"He tricked me!" Lucy responded, feeling flustered. "He said he'd get me into Fairy Tail and I–"

"YOU!" Salamander returned to his feet with a livid expression. "You think you can stop me, fish!? You're out of your element!" A red magical seal appeared in front of him as he stretched his arms out. "Prominence Typhoon!" A spiraling column of purple-tinted flames was sent flying directly towards Ripjaws and Lucy.

Ripjaws stood protectively in front of Lucy and immediately tapped the Ultimatrix dial on his pectoral.

A brilliant emerald light enveloped his body before the spiraling flames struck him, resulting in an explosion that blew apart the cabin walls behind him and left a gaping hole that led outside to the main deck. Pieces of flaming wood fell into the ocean.

"Heh!" Bora grinned smugly. "Of course no sea monster could hold up to fire. A shame we had to lose a piece of valuable merchandise in the process," he shrugged uncaringly at Lucy's supposed death, "but that's how the ball rolls sometimes."

"You really are a piece of work, aren't you?" A deep, raspy voice commented.

Alarmed, Salamander's eyes shot open in shock.

As the smoke cleared, in Ripjaws's place was a tall, muscular humanoid figure seemingly made of magma. His head was surrounded by fire, his hands were oversized, and two volcano-like vents were present on his shoulders with flames coming out. The Ultimatrix dial was displayed on his chest.

Salamander blanched, taking a few steps back. "W-what's going on here?! What are you!?"

"Heh. A favorite of mine." The magma humanoid cracked his rocky, fiery knuckles, grinning roguishly. "Heatblast."

Lucy was kneeling behind Heatblast, completely unharmed. She didn't even feel that much heat coming off from him. Unbeknownst to her, Heatblast was consciously suppressing his intense heat so as to protect her.

The blonde girl stared at the magma humanoid with wide eyes, her mouth hanging down in shock. It had happened so fast, but Heatblast had absorbed the blunt force and heat of Salamander's fire attack, shielding her in the process. But that wasn't what she was focused on.

Ben had transformed from one creature into another… In a flash of green…? Her breath hitched in her throat, recalling the article she had read that afternoon. "Ben… Are you–"

"I'll explain the details later, Lucy." Heatblast cut in. "Right now, I need you to turn this ship back to port. I'll handle this scumbag." He kept his heated gaze focused on Salamander.

"O-Okay." She shakily returned to her feet, looking at the back of Heatblast's flaming head. "But I want a full explanation later! You got it, mister?!" With that, the blonde turned and ran out of the gaping hole in the wall.

Heatblast smirked. 'She's feisty.'

"Monster, you think you can defeat me so easily?" Salamander growled.

Heatblast didn't respond, instead glancing at the sleeping women lying all over the floor. He had absorbed the heat from Salamander's fire attack to protect them and Lucy. But if a fight broke out here, they'd be in grave danger.

Another red magical seal appeared in front of Salamander. "Prominence–"

'Can't let this idiot cast another fire spell inside!' Heatblast quickly shot fire out from the soles of his feet, rocketing himself forward and slamming into Salamander before he could finish his incantation.

The pair went crashing through the cabin wall and out of the yacht, falling toward the water.

Heatblast pushed Salamander away and continued shooting flames from his feet and palms to keep himself airborne, akin to a certain armored hero in another universe.

Salamander bounced across the ocean surface a few times like a flat rock in a lake. "Red Carpet!" Snapping his fingers, he summoned a winding column of purple flames from his feet, allowing him to stand atop it.

The slave trader glared hatefully at the shape-shifting hero. "I don't know who or what you are…but I won't let you ruin my lucrative business plan!"

"Your business?" Heatblast snarled. "You mean kidnapping women and selling them as slaves? How can you live with yourself, scumbag?"

Salamander shrugged, sneering evilly. "Well, the money certainly helps me sleep at night."

Heatblast scowled at the fire wizard. "You know, I was just going to knock you out quickly like the other losers back there." Without warning, the flames coming off his head and shoulder vents became larger and hotter, much to Salamander's surprise. "But I've changed my mind. I'm gonna roast your ass!"

"YOU'LL WHAT?!" Salamander cried out.

…

'I can't believe it!' Lucy internally shouted. 'Ben is the Take-Over Master!?'

The Celestial Wizard was running across the boat deck, looking for a stairway or ladder to the upper deck levels where she presumed the bridge would be. She stepped around and jumped over the beaten, unconscious goons lying on the deck around her.

'Ben sure made easy work of them.' Her thoughts briefly drifted back to the article she read about him easily defeating the criminals he crossed.

Shaking her head, Lucy refocused on her task. With all the other girls onboard, she needed to get this ship safely back to port! However, she wasn't finding any way to get to the yacht's top level.

'I guess the way upstairs is inside.' She was about to turn around and head back into the cabin until…

"What the?! What happened to the guys?!"

"Hey, who's that over there?"

Lucy froze at the sight of several burly men stepping out of a hatchway from the ship's cargo hold. 'Crap!'

"She's one of the slaves. Get her!"

Lucy backed away toward the railing, glancing back at the water. The sight of the ocean instantly sparked an idea in the blonde's head. 'Wait…Water!' She looked down at her red dress and internally groaned. 'Aw crud! And I just bought this dress too…'

As the goons were closing in around her, Lucy quickly swung her legs over the rails and dove overboard; much to the men's surprise. They ran to the railing to look for her but didn't see her anywhere.

"Ah dammit! The broad actually jumped?!" One exclaimed.

"What do we do?" Another wondered. "Should we turn around and–"

"Ah, forget it!" A third waved off nonchalantly. "We're far enough away from shore, so she won't make it back. Let's just find out what happened up here."

As the yacht continued cruising along out to sea, Lucy's head popped up from above the waves. "AAAHHH!" She took in a deep breath of much needed air.

She then looked back at the boat and smiled confidently. "Here we go!" She placed the gold key in the water and shouted, "Open, Gate of the Water Bearer: Aquarius!"

With the sound of a doorbell, a royal blue mermaid was summoned. She had a long, blue fish-tail, waist-length blue hair, and blue eyes that were devoid of pupils. She wore a dark blue bikini top over her large bust, a golden belt, golden bracelets, and a headband. A dark blue tattoo that resembled the Aquarius zodiac symbol was stamped under her collarbone. Finally, she held a blue urn with both hands.

"Listen up, Aquarius!" Lucy pointed at the yacht. "I need you to use your power to push that ship back to port. Oh! And be careful about it. There are innocent girls on that ship."

"Tch!" Aquarius shot an annoyed glare at Lucy.

"Hey!" Lucy was irked. "You're supposed to come to help me, not give me attitude!"

"Let's get something straight, blonde. The next time you drop my key, you're dead." Aquarius coldly stated. "Am I clear?"

Lucy broke out into a nervous sweat. "I-It w-won't happen again!"

The mermaid began to gather water from all around into her urn. "HYAAH!" Once she had collected enough, she unleashed an enormous wave of water in front of the yacht which lifted it up.

"GYAAAHH!" The conscious crewmen on board cried out. "Why's the sea so angry!?"

But the yacht wasn't the only thing caught up in the tsunami. "HEY! Don't wash me along with it!" Lucy yelled out.