Oh look, I'm archive binging again.
Previously on Tari's Fairy Tail archive binging, she got most of the way through the Phantom arc, spent a lot of time gushing and fangirling the ladies (and Gray), hemmed and hawwed over various shipping combinations, eventually enthusiastically declared Gray/Erza her ship, and just generally had a lot of fun.
In-between this post and her previous Fairy Tail post she watched a few more episodes, got Mirajane and Elfman's backstory and learned what became of poor Lisanna, met Juvia and found her to be a very adorable and sweet girl (even though she might not really ship her with Gray, she doesn't know yet), and was highly tempted in the Loke/Lucy department.
And now, picking up with episode 26...
Episode 26, "Wings of Flame":
I had actually watched this one half-way through before. There's not really all that much to say about the latter half. Erza is awesome, Lucy is endlessly Woobie and gets beat up a lot, Jose is CREEPIER THAN ALL HELL OH GOSH.
Oh and Erza tells Natsu to unleash his full power and he goes, like, Super Saiyan, to an awesome Theme Music Power-Up. And he barges in like a Big Damn Hero when Gajeel is beating up Lucy and my fangirl heart swells.
Episode 27, "Two Dragon Slayers":
This episode was mostly one big fight between Gajeel and Natsu. And BOY WAS IT AWESOME. I still think Gajeel's powers look tremendously painful. This opinion has not changed one bit. I flinched several times Natsu got hit. Ow. Just... ow.
During the fight, Lucy (who is looking much better after her beatdown by Gajeel last episode for some odd reason) angsts and worries about being useful and trying to help. Since she lost her keys when Juvia captured her, she only has access to Sagittarius, with whom she doesn't have a current contract. She summons him anyway, though he seems to be useless at first.
Meanwhile outside the giant robot, the shades all coalesce into one big ball that flattens the remains of the Fairy Tail guild building. Guild members watch this with horror and in Cana's case, some wailing and shouting. Oh gosh I love her so much. Natsu watches the guild collapse and has several flashbacks to his childhood arriving at the guild, including the first time he met Erza and Gray, and Lisanna. Then he flashes back to Lisanna saying goodbye to him right before she, Mirajane, and Elfman go on their disastrous mission. And then there's a flash of him at Lisanna's grave. Oh gosh he loved her so much and I ship them so hard.
Oh and then he has a few flashbacks to meeting Lucy and getting her to join the guild. And my Natsu/Lucy side swells and "Aww"s.
Sagittarius finally gets the idea that he's supposed to produce flame somehow, to replenish Natsu's magical energy, and does so. And then Natsu gets even more awesome and totally starts wasting Gajeel, calling out the names of the people he's fighting for, Levy and entourage, Makarov, Erza, and of course Lucy. (Natsu/Lucy! Squee!)
Episode 28, "Fairy Law":
So then after Natsu finishes curbstomping Gajeel, we cut back to the fight between Erza and Jose. And Erza is super-awesome badass woman, even when she gets caught up and trapped and electrocuted. You would not believe how my heart swelled to hear Erza defending Lucy's honor. Ladies sticking up for ladies y'all!
Meanwhile, Makarov wakes up from his coma, his magic restored to him. It's later revealed that Mystogan, an S-class Fairy Tail member, gathered up Makarov's dispersed magical energy after Aria drained him of it, and returned it to the old Fairy Tail master. Oh, and went and crunched a bunch of Phantom guild branches all by himself. Holy cow he is awesome.
And so is random Pink-Haired Lady, who reminds me of an older Sakura from Naruto.
Anyway, Erza is about to commit suicidal self-sacrifice when Makarov bursts in and begins THE MOTHER OF ALL POWERFUL WIZARD BATTLES. THE GUY SERIOUSLY BRINGS DOWN DIVINE JUDGEMENT FROM THE SKY ON JOSE. IT IS RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME.
The day is thus saved. Jose has withered into a frail old man under the power of Fairy Law, and Makarov declares the feud between Phantom and Fairy Tail over. All our friends are reunited. Well, except Natsu, who kinda lies on the robot exhausted but happy after his fight with Gajeel.
Episode 29, "My Resolve":
Everyone is celebrating their victory over Phantom. Lucy looks angsty.
Natsu starts a pleasant conversation with Gajeel. Are... is this turning enemies into friends thing constant and reoccurring? Turns out their dragon mentors vanished the same exact day.
The guild rebuilds. Juvia gets hilarious moments perving over Gray. She is adorable. I love her.
Lucy looks surprisingly good considering the beatdown Gajeel gave her in episode 26. She writes a letter to her mom and looks angsty some more.
Gray, Natsu, Erza, and Happy pop in on her apartment, but find that she's not there. She has, in fact, gone home. Lucy rides a train and flashes back to a disastrous birthday when workaholic daddy rejected her rice ball and told her she was a pest. Poor mini Lucy! The servants are all very happy to see her and then Lucy gets all dolled up and looks absolutely gorgeous, before going in to see her father.
And he is seriously the worst father in the world. X'haldamn. Already talking to her about marrying her off to some boy of another family and saying her selfish actions caused the whole Phantom vs. Fairy Tail mess. Fortunately, Lucy gets really amazingly awesome and tears her dress and tells daddy where to stick it.
LUCY MY HOMEGIRL YOU ARE AMAZING.
O-oh... turns out her mom, who she's been writing letters to all this time, is actually dead. Oh gosh that makes her letters so much more heartbreaking.
And of course Team Natsu shows up just as she's leaving and have cute reunions with her. Aww.