"What in the world are these?"
Erza, Gray, Lucy, and Happy stood in a circle, staring down at the four wooden brooms lying on the cobblestones. Their expressions ranged from utter confusion to mild skepticism.
In the land of Earth Land, magical transportation usually involved steam-powered trains, Magic Four-Wheelers, or the elite—and prohibitively expensive—magical airships.
Fairy Tail, being a guild that spent most of its income on property damage fines, certainly didn't own a private fleet of airships.
"These are Nimbus 2000s," Goku explained brightly, as if everyone should know what they were. "Just hop on, push some magic into them, and you can fly!"
Always the first to take action, Erza straddled a broom and focused her magic. Within seconds, she hovered a few feet off the ground. Gray and Lucy followed suit. Given their exceptional physical coordination and mastery over magical energy, it took them less than two minutes to master the basics. If they were at Hogwarts, they'd likely have been recruited as world-class Seekers within the hour.
However, there was one glaring exception.
Natsu Dragneel, a man who could trade blows with mountain-sized monsters, looked at the floating broom and turned green before he even touched it. He climbed on, wobbled for three seconds, and then promptly plummeted off the side as his motion sickness kicked in mid-air.
"Ugh... the ground... I love the ground..." Natsu groaned, face-planting into the dirt.
"He's hopeless," Gray sneered, performing a graceful loop-de-loop. "A mage who can't handle a stick. Pathetic."
"I'll have to knock him out again and carry him," Erza sighed, reaching for her gauntlets.
"Wait! Two people on one broom will be too slow," Goku interrupted. He reached into his storage box and pulled out a small, fluffy yellow cloud. "Let's see if he can ride the Flying Nimbus!"
"A cloud? Is that another magical tool? I've never seen a transportation lacrima shaped like that," Erza noted, her tactical mind analyzing the golden fluff.
Goku shook his head as he hopped onto the cloud, which hummed with a cheerful energy. "Nimbus isn't a tool. Nimbus is a friend! Hey, Nimbus, say hello!"
The cloud did a playful 360-degree spin in the air before nuzzling against Goku's cheek like a loyal puppy.
"Amazing! Let me try!" Lucy, always eager for a more comfortable ride than a hard wooden broom, reached out to hop on. However, the moment her weight hit the cloud, she fell straight through it, landing on her rear with a bewildered yelp.
"Oh, right," Goku scratched his head. "Grandpa Roshi told me: only those with a pure heart can ride the Nimbus."
Lucy felt a metaphorical arrow pierce her chest. 'Pure heart? Does that mean I'm... corrupt?' She thought about her secret hobby of writing slightly spicy romance novels and her habit of using her "feminine charms" to get discounts at shops. 'Okay, maybe I'm not a saint, but still!'
"My turn!" Natsu yelled, leaping from the ground. He landed squarely on the golden cloud and stood tall behind Goku, looking perfectly stable.
"WHAT?! Why can he ride it?!" Lucy shrieked. "He literally destroys half a city every time he goes for a walk! How is he the pure one?"
"Hey, look!" Happy pointed out. "Natsu isn't barfing! He's actually fine!"
Indeed, Natsu was standing with his hands on his hips, breathing in the fresh air. "The Nimbus isn't a vehicle! It's a friend, just like Happy! I don't get sick when Happy carries me, so I don't get sick on Nimbus!"
"Logical... in a very weird way," Gray muttered.
...
Arrival at Kunugi Station
"Alright, Team Natsu—let's move! Follow the railway!" Erza commanded.
Under the shocked gazes of the local townspeople, a golden cloud, three flying broomsticks, and a blue winged cat shot into the sky, disappearing toward the east.
Thirty minutes later, a jagged canyon came into view. Nestled within it was Kunugi Station.
"Look down there! The army is already engaged!" Gray shouted.
The scene below was chaotic. A passenger train had been derailed and sliced clean in half. Hundreds of terrified civilians were huddled on the platform, guarded by a handful of sneering mages. At the station's entrance, a large battalion of the Fiore Kingdom's army was attempting a siege.
However, despite their numbers, the soldiers were being decimated. Ordinary humans, even with peak training and equipment, were no match for the area-of-effect spells of the Eisenwald mages. A single blast of wind or a wave of shadow could clear a dozen men at once.
"They're being slaughtered," Erza said, her eyes narrowing. "I'll handle Erigor. The rest of you, neutralize the other mages and secure the hostages!"
Without waiting for the brooms to land, Erza leaped into the abyss. Mid-fall, a brilliant light enveloped her.
"Requip: Heaven's Wheel Armor!"
Four metallic wings erupted from her back, and she materialized in a suit of silver plate armor, surrounded by a halo of floating swords. With a powerful flap of her wings, she intercepted the "Death God" Erigor, who was hovering over the station.
"Whoa... Erza is so cool!" Lucy stared, stars in her eyes.
"That's her signature," Happy explained. "Knight-class Requip. She stores different armors in a pocket dimension and swaps them instantly to counter whatever the enemy throws at her."
"I'm going in too!" Goku yelled, leaping off the Nimbus. Natsu and Gray followed suit, diving into the fray like shooting stars. Lucy, however, gripped her broom for dear life and descended at a much more "sane" speed.
...
The Martial Arts of Magic
Goku hit the ground with a soft *thud* and was immediately surrounded by Eisenwald mages.
"Look at this kid! Did Fairy Tail send a toddler to die?" one mage laughed, raising a staff to cast a fire spell.
Goku didn't even use his ki. He moved like a blur, weaving through the mages with the grace of a leaf in the wind.
"Petrification Punch!"
Goku delivered a lightning-fast strike to a mage's pressure point. The man's magic circuit jammed instantly, his body locking up as rigid as stone. He tipped over like a statue.
"Fainting Palm!"
Goku ducked under a swinging mace and tapped another mage's chest. The shock of the blow rattled the man's nervous system, causing his eyes to roll back as he collapsed into a deep sleep before he even hit the ground.
"Get him!" a third mage screamed, trying to run and reposition for a long-range spell.
"Leg-Locker Finger!"
Goku flicked his wrist, his finger striking the back of the mage's knee. The tendons spasmed and locked tight. The mage let out a yelp as his legs refused to move, sending him face-first into the dirt in a spectacular "dog-eating-crap" fall.
"What kind of magic is this?!" the remaining Eisenwald mages cried out in terror. They were used to fireballs and explosions, not a boy who could disable their bodies with a single touch.
Goku just grinned, his tail swishing behind him. "It's not just magic—it's martial arts!"