Guess who?

It's Charle. She's learned the technique that Pantherlily uses to change into his full-size fighting form.

Looks like there's been a lot of powering up going on. Natsu we already know about, and in this chapter Lucy says she's been training too, and offers to spar with him. (It doesn't happen, but maybe later we'll see it.)

I wonder what Lucy has for us? There are several possibilities:

The first, and most obvious, is simply that her base power level has increased further. She did a triple summon in the Tartaros arc, and it damn near killed her, but she was able to keep it going. If she's been doing a lot of meditating, she may have reached the point where she can do three simultaneous summons without distress -- and if so, she's going to be terrifying. (Layla could do that. We saw a flashback where she had Aquarius, Cancer, and Capricorn all summoned at the same time.) It may also mean that Lucy is strong enough now to do Urano Metria without any help, and without keeling over afterwards.

Then there's the entire question of Aquarius's power. The Spirit King gave it to her during that battle in the Tartaros arc, and she used it to defeat one of the demons who otherwise would have killed her. Was that grant of power temporary or permanent? If she still has it, and can fight like Aquarius when need be (firing jets of water), then that will be a major change. (And if so, this might be why she's willing to spar with Natsu.)

With regular work and pay, she may also have purchased one or more new silver keys. The number of practicing celestial wizards has plummeted. There may only be the three of them. So the demand for keys likewise is down, and I bet they're a lot cheaper now than before. They aren't as strong as the gold keys but some of them are quite powerful, like Caelum (which Angel used).

Yet another possibility: has she learned to do Galaxia Blade? That's the attack the Spirit King used in the Tartaros arc.

We already know that Gray gained a big powerup from Zero during that battle, and I have a feeling that the author has decided that it's time for a general power boost in the series. In the next chapter we'll get to have a talk with Wendy, who's been hanging out with Chelia in Lamia Scale. It wouldn't surprise me if they've been training together and trading techniques, and if so she may be a lot stronger than before, too.

I wonder if Happy can learn to transform, and if so what he'd look like? (I wonder if he already knows how, and just hasn't shown it to us yet?)

UPDATE: Actually, it would be extremely surprising if Wendy and Chelia had not been sparring, at the very least. Since they're both healers, they could go full out in their fights, and if one of them really did get hurt, the other could heal it. So as long as they don't outright die, it's all good.

As similar as their magic is, it's also highly likely they've been teaching each other their best attacks. The magic doesn't have to be exactly identical; we already know that. Wendy had been learning attacks by watching Natsu, even though Sky Dragon Slayer magic is not the same as Fire Dragon Slayer magic. Sky Dragon Slayer magic is almost certainly similar enough to Sky God Slayer magic for the same thing to work.

Wendy's "Sky Drill" (her attack that almost knocked Chelia cold in the tournament) is surely decent trading material, and I have no doubt that some of Chelia's techniques would be useful to Wendy. Besides, they're friends. There doesn't necessarily have to be an exact quid pro quo.

I wonder if Wendy can learn to heal herself, for instance? That's a very powerful ability.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in General Anime at 10:41 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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