09x280 - Avatar

[bunniefuu]

[NARRATOR] At the end of last

year's Grand Magic Games,

Rogue traveled from the future

to unleash a swarm of

dragons and terrorize Fiore.

It was revealed that Frosch's

death had been the catalyst

for the change in Rogue,

filling his heart

with an evil shadow,

and sending him on his

quest for vengeance.

Before fading away,

he told Natsu who was

responsible for the m*rder,

and that this tragic event would

occur in one year's time.

He implored the Dragon

Slayer to protect Frosch

at that crucial moment.

A promise that Natsu

intends to keep.

It looks like the rain is

concentrated on that village.

That must be it, huh?

[HAPPY gasps]

It's rainy over here!

But sunny over here.

And I'm back in the rain!

I guess.

But I see things just

a little differently.

Why not stand here and

get the best of both?

I like your style, buddy!

[CARLA]

They're so easily entertained.

Does anyone even

live in this place?

[WENDY] It seems

completely deserted to me.

Nah, I smelled Juvia

the second we showed up.

She's over there.

[gasps]

[NATSU]

Hey! Juvia!

[gasps]

You miss me, babe?

[JUVIA]

With all of my being.

We should blow this town.

[gasps]

[JUVIA]

My icy hunk!

How can you be so cool

and still so hot?

Simmer down.

But I am glad you're fired up!

Yeah, I gotta say, that was

a pretty energetic welcome.

It's so good to see

you again, Juvia!

[JUVIA]

Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy.

Don't forget Happy and Carla!

So, are you the only one

who lives in this village?

What's the matter with you?

[LUCY]

She fainted!

[WENDY]

She's burning up.

[CARLA]

Of course.

Everyone knows you

shouldn't spend

so much time

standing in the rain.

I wonder if this is

even Juvia's house.

[NATSU]

Hmm.

I'm pickin' up a faint

whiff of Gray, too.

Is he hiding from us?

[JUVIA]

No.

[BOTH]

Hm?

You asked if I was

living here alone.

In truth, Gray and I shared it.

[BOTH gasp]

Just us two.

[LUCY]

She looks so smug.

[JUVIA]

After the guild disbanded,

we came across this

deserted village

and decided to stay

in one of the houses.

We took our meals together.

Trained together.

Worked together.

And at night we slept--

[LUCY]

Stop!

We get it, okay?

[JUVIA] ...in separate beds,

which was his idea.

[BOTH chuckle]

It was pure bliss.

Until one day...

[JUVIA]

Gray, my love.

Be careful about leaving

your clothes lying around.

Again.

[JUVIA]

Darling?

Are you okay?

You look like you have

a rash or something.

Don't worry about it.

Let's go eat lunch.

[JUVIA]

From that day on,

he insisted on leaving

the village by himself.

[JUVIA] And half a year ago,

he never came back.

I'm sorry.

What kind of a jerk up

and leaves like that?

[LUCY]

I can think of one.

At least I left behind a will.

[HAPPY] Pretty sure

that was just a note.

Still, you took off one day

without so much as a warning.

How do ya think

that affected me?

Honestly, it made me feel...

Do you have to flirt

with him in front of us?

I'm not flirting!

Are you trying to tell us

that you don't even know

where he ran off to?

Yes, that's precisely

what she's telling us.

I searched far and wide,

frantically, for days on end.

But... I never found him.

I decided to come back home.

This house may seem

empty, but it's not.

It's filled with every

memory we made together.

So I waited here,

foolishly hoping he'd return

to the life we'd built.

Sorry, guys. I wish

I had happier news.

I promise I'll find him.

For you and the rest of us.

We're gonna get

everyone back together.

And I ain't stoppin'

until we're a guild again.

I hope some rest will

help her feel better.

Finding Gray would

be far more effective.

I tried my best, but I wasn't

able to keep tabs on him.

You're being unusually

quiet over there, Natsu.

[NATSU] Just thinkin'

about our next move.

We're gonna pay

Sabertooth a visit.

[LUCY]

Huh?

[ARLOCK] The Oración Seis,

Grimoire Heart, and Tartaros.

The three powerful members

of the Bahram

Alliance have fallen.

The era of dark guilds is over.

Which means, now begins

the era of Avatar.

What we pray for, is a world

ruled by the dark lord Zeref.

The time is upon us.

We must purify the world

of all who oppose our

demonic sovereign.

All we do, we do for Zeref.

All we do, we do for Zeref.

All we do, we do for Zeref.

[giggles]

All we do, we do for Zeref.

[WENDY]

This is bad.

For some reason,

my healing magic

isn't working on her fever.

We can only hope and

pray that the others

find some useful information

from Sabertooth.

We'll take care of everything

here as best as we can.

But they need to find Gray

and bring him back soon.

That's gotta be it.

[LUCY]

Whoa! That's huge!

Hey, what makes you

so sure Sabertooth

is gonna have any

info on Gray anyway?

I can't talk about it.

[LUCY]

Uh.

But why would that be a secret?

Listen real close, Lucy.

[LUCY] Hey, you need to

look where we're going,

and don't let go of the reins!

[NATSU]

I trust Gray, all right?

But the only way

we're gonna be able

to find out anything useful

is if we stop trusting him.

[LUCY]

I don't get it,

but can you talk and look at

the road at the same time?

[NATSU] I gotta stop

trusting him for now,

but only until we find him.

That's what I mean.

[LUCY]

That doesn't make sense!

I swear, I will find Gray

and bring him back.

You hear me?

[LUCY gasps]

But I can't say any more

until that happens.

Turn around, dummy!

[YUKINO]

Lucy?

It's you!

Well, this is certainly

a pleasant surprise.

[LUCY]

Hey, Yukino!

I hope everything's

going good with you!

[YUKINO]

Yeah, things are great!

Honestly, business picked

up for us when we stopped

having to compete with

you guys in Fairy Tail.

I can't remember a time the

guild's been this profitable.

[YUKINO] Um, sorry, Lucy,

that's not what I meant.

Don't worry about it.

Besides, Fairy Tail is about

to make a big comeback!

[YUKINO]

Oh, really?

That's great! I'm so happy

that you guys are gonna...

That's not something

to cry about.

[STING] There's some faces

I haven't seen in a while!

[LECTOR] Oh, yeah.

It's been a long time.

Hey there, strangers,

thanks for droppin' by!

It's good to see ya!

[grunts]

You are...?

What's up, Sting?

[LUCY yelps]

Wow, man, you haven't

changed one bit!

Yeah, you either!

Are you blind?!

[chuckles]

[STING] So, what brings you

all the way to our guild?

If you came here to hang

out, then be our guests!

And if it so happens that you

came here to work with us,

then be our partners.

That's really sweet of you,

but we're a little too

busy at the moment.

[LECTOR] Hey, uh, did

Carla not come with you?

[HAPPY] Nah, not this time.

Is Frosch around?

Frosch went out on a job

with Rogue and M'lady

and I don't know when

they'll be back.

Where'd they go?!

Hey, man, get your

hands off Lector, okay?

Please calm down.

[grunting]

I don't know.

But they just left.

They're probably only as far

as the city gates by now.

Awesome! Thanks, little guy!

[LUCY]

Hang on, Natsu!

[HAPPY]

Wait for us!

How rude.

What the heck was

that all about?

[LECTOR]

No clue.

You're back to normal?!

He was a little out of balance,

so I had Libra even

the scales out for him.

Hey, Rogue!

[ROGUE]

Hm?

Is that Natsu?

[NATSU]

Let's have a chat!

[FROSCH]

Uh?

[ROGUE]

You're choking me!

[LUCY]

Hey! We're right behind you!

Don't just run off without us?

Why are they here?

If you guys wanna talk,

I'd be happy to!

Sorry, but this is a

private conversation

between me and Rogue only!

It's been some time.

Yeah. I'm glad to see you're

part of Sabertooth again.

[MINERVA] Oh, were you

just at the guild hall?

[LUCY]

We dropped by for a sec.

Is Sting okay? He looked

a little bit "plus-sized."

[MINERVA]

It's because we had our annual

"Tiger, Tiger, Tiger" eating

competition a few days ago.

[LUCY] Ah, and he went

overboard, did he?

[MINERVA] But I was the

one who tasted victory.

Is that why you skipped this

year's Grand Magic Games?

Well, Sting is our

guild master now,

and he's of the opinion that

the games are too boring

without Fairy Tail

in the competition.

I think so, too!

Lucy.

I'd like to apologize for

my behavior last year.

Huh?

[LUCY]

Apology accepted.

I mean, both of us

only wanted our teams

to take home the grand prize.

That's true, but I

went way too far.

Listen, it's all water

under the bridge now.

I think it's a shame that Fairy

Tail had to disband like that.

You all made such

a wonderful guild.

But it's not really gone.

It'll always live

on in our hearts.

That's a guild's true home.

Check it, Happy!

Same place as mine!

Now what's so urgent?

Why the hell did you drag

me all the way out here?

[NATSU]

I wanna see your job request!

Huh?

Just show me the flier!

--Here you--

--Gimme

[NATSU]

"Destroy Avatar."

That must be it...

I'm gonna take this one for ya.

[ROGUE]

Huh?

You can't steal my job!

And besides, you

don't even belong

to a guild anymore, do you?

[NATSU]

You bet I do!

I'm a member of Fairy Tail.

So like I said, I'm gonna

take over this job.

Only thing I want out of it

is to destroy this "Avatar."

The bounty's yours.

But you and Frosch can't

leave town until I get back.

I want you to swear

you'll stay put.

You've lost your mind.

Where are you going?!

[LUCY]

Whoa, wait! Natsu!

It's time for us to start

makin' tracks, you guys!

Minerva! Keep an eye

on those two, okay?

Don't let them leave town!

[ROGUE]

One year from now...

What's going on with them?

No idea.

That was weird.

[ROGUE] ...you must warn

the Rogue from your time

to protect Frosch

one year from now...

[HAPPY]

Hey, Natsu?

Do you have any idea what

this "Avatar" thing is

that Rogue is

supposed to destroy?

Beats me.

[LUCY]

They're a black magic cult.

[BOTH]

Huh?

After all of the dark

guilds were defeated,

Avatar rose up to

take their place.

They're fanatically

devoted to Zeref.

To Zeref?

[LUCY] I'm not sure if he has

anything to do with them,

but as I understand it,

the members of Avatar

worship him like a god.

So they're just a bunch

of Zeref's flunkies?

This is gonna be fun!

But I still don't get

why you think Gray

would ever join up with

a creepy group like that.

Yeah, it doesn't

make sense to me.

[NATSU]

Hm.

Hmm... Hmm... Hm...

[HAPPY]

Is that him trying to think?

[LUCY]

He really can't tell us, huh?

Nah, I'll tell you

what's goin' on.

It's all because of what

future Rogue said to me.

When those dragons came?

And then, on that fateful

day that I lose Frosch,

it will finally happen.

I will be swallowed by

the darkness forever.

[NATSU]

That's not gonna happen.

It most certainly will.

One year from now...

...you must warn the

Rogue from your time

to protect Frosch one

year from now...

...from Gray Fullbuster.

[gasps]

[ROGUE]

He will k*ll Frosch.

[LUCY] Come on, Natsu,

don't keep us in suspense!

Are you gonna tell us what

Rogue said or what?

[NATSU] A year after that Grand

Magic Games, meaning right now,

Gray's supposed to be our enemy.

[LUCY, HAPPY]

No way!

[NATSU] So I thought if we

went where Rogue and Frosch

were supposed to go,

we'd run into him there.

But didn't we successfully

change the version of the future

that Rogue came from?

That shouldn't be

possible anymore.

[NATSU]

Yeah, I don't know for certain,

but right now, this is the only

lead that I have to go on.

I can't imagine him

being our enemy.

You heard what Juvia said.

Gray had those black

markings all over him.

They were on him when we

fought Mard Geer, too.

I'm not sure,

but I think the way he was given

his Demon Slayer magic

may have involved him

getting taken over

by some kind of demon.

Oh, no.

[LUCY] Why did he wait

so long to tell me?

Obviously, Gray and Rogue were

supposed to fight at some point

and Natsu knows what

the outcome will be.

Is that why he left?

It'll be okay, Lucy.

'Cause no matter what happens,

Gray's always gonna

be one of us.

You're right.

Aye, aye, Sir!

[ARLOCK] O Zeref, the day

of purification draws nigh,

when all souls are offered up

to you in a great reaping.

You shall be exalted on high

atop a grand world of magic,

heralding the death and rebirth

of this contaminated domain.

[JEROME]

Your Eminence.

Please excuse me.

But do you intend

to proceed soon?

We've received word

that the council

may have already learned

of the purification plan.

[BRIAR]

We may need to root out

any subversive

elements beforehand.

Isn't that right, Bushy?

Bushy?

I shall consider it.

[ARLOCK]

Leave me to my prayers.

I require solitude.

[MARY]

Okay.

We all know how grandfather has

a tendency to be hard-headed,

so I'd wager it

won't be too long

before we have some company.

[giggles]

Silence, Poison Tongue.

Hey, now!

I really don't

appreciate being given

one of your terrible nicknames.

Couldn't you at least

think of something cool

to call me instead?

If the Magic Council

has caught wind

of the purification plan

we're brewing up,

that would be

might-tea bad indeed.

[MARY] Ugh, first these

terrible nicknames,

then terrible tea puns?

Give me a break. Ha!

[D- ] Which way will

the winds of fate blow?

As long as I can have a

little fun, I'm all good.

[JEROME] Our problem is

not with the council,

but rather how word of our

plan has reached their ears.

[GRAY]

What you're trying to say

is that they have a spy

in our ranks, right?

And you're trying to point

the finger at me, aren't ya?

[grunts]

Icy boy.

Well, you did come to us

from the quote unquote "greatest

guild in the world," LOL.

[JEROME] We've done our

due diligence on you,

Gray Fullbuster.

You have quite an

interesting past.

Not only was your family

k*lled by Deliora,

a demon from the books of Zeref,

our dark lord also was

involved in the deaths

of your master and her daughter.

If you've been truly

that suspicious of him,

why wait to bring it up now?

[D- ] He's faithfully

served alongside us

for over half a year.

However, he still has no

reason to revere Lord Zeref.

Sounds to me like your

due diligence was spotty,

"Dark Sword" Jerome.

Master Ur's daughter is

still alive, for one thing.

So tell us, what did

draw you to our cause?

Lay off him, Bushy.

It's cool, Briar. I welcome

the chance to explain myself.

I joined you because I'm

after the Book of E.N.D.

Is that a good enough

reason for ya?

And that's all I want.

No matter what I have

to do to get it,

or who I gotta go through,

it will be mine.

[BRIAR]

Such darkness.

[GRAY] Yeah, I used to be in

a guild, you all know that.

But it's gone, and I've

found my true calling.

Now listen up closely so I

don't have to repeat myself.

The only thing I care

about is k*lling E.N.D.,

and I'm sure as hell

gonna make that happen.

[BRIAR] Revenge has cast a

dark shadow over his heart.

[GRAY] So if you can get

me there, I'm with ya.

Ooh, there's no way some

spy from the Magic Council

could give off that kind

of raw, dark energy.

And he's super hot.

[D- ]

Mhm.

[JEROME]

I wonder...

[JEROME] I've given it

careful consideration,

and yes, you may

call me "Bushy."

[BRIAR]

Uh?

Well, that's the place.

No doubt about it.

It's creepy. Like an old church

swallowed by the forest.

Okay, what now?

Trusty ol' Plan T, of course!

[SOLDIER A]

Captain.

We're getting close

to Mikage Forest.

Avatar's HQ is

somewhere in there.

[GAJEEL]

Roger.

But, sir, I have some

unfortunate news.

Our spy has confirmed...

that Gray Fullbuster

is in fact affiliated

with the cult.

[GAJEEL]

Gray?

I guess we'll just

have to arrest him

with all the other creeps.

Isn't that what the

"Custody Enforcement Unit"

is supposed to do anyway?

[chuckles]

[LUCY]

Inside those cold stone walls,

the battle against Avatar's

most powerful members begins.

And unfortunately,

Gray is on the dark side,

wielding his new-found

Demon Slayer magic.

Just as Rogue predicted,

former comrades meet

again as enemies.

Has he forgotten

the bonds he formed

during his days in Fairy Tail?

I can hardly believe it.

Next Time: "Underground Clash."

The cry of a trusting heart

reverberates through the air.

But will it be returned

with silence?