Once upon a time in the Tenrou Arc, a man named Mest gave a creepy smile when Wendy was nearby and he was forever known as Pedoranbolt. Nevertheless, Wendy stuck around with him anyway, but I'm sure in her mind she needed a ten-foot long stick. Let's begin Chapter 8.
Chapter 8
"You don't look so good, Meredy," Wendy commented. In truth, she probably felt just as bad as the pink-haired girl looked, huddled against the bedpost with wide eyes. All the euphoria from the previous evening had already drained out of the two freshmen.
"I'm so nervous…" the girl whispered so that only Wendy could hear. Wendy nodded, trying desperately to get her own nerves under control. Tentatively, she reached out and put a hand on Meredy's shoulder.
"We'll be fine," Wendy said with a smile. "Remember, Fairy Tail is supporting us all the way." This seemed to calm Meredy down because she stopped shaking and smiled. All at once, the ambient sounds of the cabin rushed back to them, as though their conversation had taken place in their own little world.
Erza was already prepared and was standing at the front of the cabin with a plateful of muffins that was half depleted while she waited for everybody. Juvia was sighing delightedly as Ultear watched her with a smile. Lucy was the happiest of all of them, almost singing to herself, though this action caused a disgruntled glance from Levy every time. Wendy, already dressed for the day's events, grabbed her clarinet case as Meredy fully recovered. She gave a brief hug of thanks to Wendy before leaving to freshen up quickly. Wendy took a deep breath, sucking in the air around her as she attempted to calm down.
"Juvia wouldn't worry," Juvia said with a smile to Wendy. "Juvia also performed her freshman year."
"What did you rank?" Wendy asked nervously. Juvia gave a little giggle at this.
"Fourth, but Fairy Tail still cheered for Juvia as if I had gotten first," Juvia answered and that thought lit a fire of warmth in Wendy's heart. Feeling better, Wendy took her once again straight hair and tied it behind her. At that moment, Meredy emerged from the bathroom and grabbed her own instrument case. Erza saw this.
"Let's go," she announced. She then turned around and led the remaining six girls from the cabin. The air outside was buzzing with noise and Wendy could swear that she saw more people than usual, especially people who looked far too old to be in the program. Wendy turned her eyes front again and saw the guild hall approaching, a number of their members entering in front of them.
To Wendy's surprise, Gildarts was in the hall, stationed near the front where Laxus would usually stand. The girls broke apart upon entering, with only Juvia and Wendy sticking together. The two of them made their way over to the milling group of clarinets who seemed to be waiting for them with their cases by their sides. Wendy sat hers down and put her clarinet together while also grabbing her sheet music.
"You ready?" Romeo asked from right next to her.
"I hope so…" Wendy said, adding a smile at the end. Romeo just gave her his own smile and patted her on the back. Before he could say anymore, Gildarts clapped his hands loudly and the entire guild hall was silenced, each and every head turning to look at him.
"All right, Fairy Tail, today's the day we've been waiting for," Gildarts said. "Laxus has informed me of all your choices for the upcoming competitions, so all that's left is to go over a few rules for the Games. First, all participating guild mates are required to wear their guild colors at all times." He then held up two articles of clothing which looked to be a red bandanna and an armband.
"This'll make it easier to identify you by guilds," he continued on. "Second, no sectional participants may join their guild until their scores are given. Lastly, all instruments are to be returned to the guild hall at nighttime where they will be kept under lock and key. Understood?" A chorus of agreement followed and Gildarts nodded approvingly.
"All right, Fairy Tail," Laxus called, drawing all the attention on to him, "huddle up!" All of the guild mates turned away from Gildarts and formed a crowd around Laxus, who stood like a solitary island in the middle. "Remember, as much as we want to win this, the most important goal is that we do our best. If we do that, then we're sure to come out on top. We all know the stakes here, so we just have to keep that in mind. That being said, let's kick some ass!"
"Aye, sir!" Natsu cried and the crowd dispersed. Gildarts immediately took the reins again.
"Okay, everyone in marching order, sectional participants at the head of each section." They all scrambled and Wendy soon found herself at the head of the clarinet section. Juvia put another comforting hand on her shoulder as Gildarts gave the order to march.
Wendy took a deep breath and stepped forward, her feet falling in tandem with the guild mates around her as they marched across the grass. It took only a few minutes for Wendy to catch sight of their destination. In fact, it was so large she had wondered how she hadn't caught sight of the stadium before (although the camp was rather large). Cheers were erupting from it and Wendy could see all the other guilds lining up like them at the entrances. Thankfully, because the clarinets were close to the front, Wendy could hear what was going on inside the stadium.
"Everybody, welcome to the Grand Music Games! I'll be your lead commentator and judge, Chapati Lola!" Another cheer went up at the sound of the man's name and Wendy figured that he must be popular. "Now, let's introduce our guilds to the marching field. First up, you don't want to mess with this manly band: it's Quattro Cerberus led by their guild leader this year, Bacchus Groh!"
"Wild! Fwooh!" A laugh came from the crowd and Wendy felt her palms start to sweat.
"Next is the complete antithesis to that guild, the ever feminine and ever lovely Mermaid Heel, led by Kagura Mikazuchi!"
"Marry me, Kagura!" came a cry from the crowd. Wendy couldn't help but snort with laughter.
"This guild is known for its good looking members. Will they take flight this year? Blue Pegasus, led by Hibiki Lates!" A number of sighs came from the crowd which Wendy took as them fawning over the guild members. "They're skilled and they're popular. Taking the field is Lamia Scale, led by Lyon Vastia!" Another outcry rose from the crowd, making it the most popular guild yet. Nothing compared to the next guild, though.
"They're number one and many musicians strong. Last year's champion, everyone welcome Saber Tooth led by Minerva Orlando!" The crowd whipped into a frenzy at their announcement and Wendy found herself scowling. The announcer didn't speak again until the cries died down. "Last but not least, once known as the best guild in Magnolia's Music Program, let's all welcome the guild with a heart of gold. Don't let the dainty name fool you; it's Fairy Tail, led by Laxus Dreyar!"
The guild began marching forward to enter the stadium and Wendy could already feel the vibrations of the cheers reverberating through her skin. It made her proud to be a member of Fairy Tail and when the guild finally stopped moving, she looked up with a bright smile. Seated in a box just above the stadium field were six individuals and Wendy could only guess that these were the judges. Before long, the one on Wendy's far right began speaking and she guessed that he must've been Chapati.
"Before we begin the Sectionals, allow me to introduce my other five judges," Chapati said enthusiastically. "Going from my right is Yajima, the local music aficionado, former member of the Fiore Musical Association and restaurant owner of 8island. Next to him is Mato, owner of Crocus Fields, and Jason, a reporter from Musician's Weekly. The two gentlemen on my far right are Lahar and Doranbolt; one's a member of the Fiore Musical Association and the other is a teacher at Magnolia Junior High."
Wendy gave a double take at the last name and peered up at the judges. Sure enough she noticed the form of her seventh grade music teacher and she almost blanched. He had been the teacher that she danced with and they hadn't exactly spoken since then. Of course, in this moment Wendy remembered that he was simply a judge here and they would likely never come into contact, which made her breathe easier. She heard a vague announcement for all non-participating members to leave the field.
"Good luck, Wendy," Romeo said. She came back to reality and gave him a quick high five.
"Juvia knows you will do your best!" Juvia said, giving her a small hug before she left the field with Romeo. Wendy nodded emphatically to herself before heading over to join the other participating clarinets.
"Now for Day One of the Grand Music Games we have Sectionals!" Chapati announced. "Ten sections with a member for each guild on each section. Each member will be ranked from first to sixth place. First place receives five points, second gets four points while sixth receives no points at all. This means that a guild can earn as much as fifty points or as little as zero points, but each guild should keep in mind that these points carry across all five days of the competition. So, now let's introduce the participating flutes!"
A round of applause went up from the crowd as the six participants strode onto the field in front of the stage that Wendy only just realized had been set up. Wendy noticed Lucy in the crowd with the most infectious smile on her face.
"Performing for the flutes," began the man named Lahar, "will be Warcry for Quattro Cerberus, Beth Vanderwood for Mermaid Heel, Eve Tearm for Blue Pegasus, Sherry Blendy for Lamia Scale, Yukino Agria for Saber Tooth and Lucy Heartfilia for Fairy Tail." A cheer had gone up with every name and Wendy could swear she heard Natsu when Lucy was called. She might have been wrong, though, since Chelia was screaming loudly for her cousin Sherry right next to her ear. When the screaming subsided, Wendy watched Warcry take the stage.
It was probably the worst performance she'd ever heard for a soloist. Even Chelia was cringing next to her as they both took pity on one another's ears. Once Warcry had finished his five minute performance of fumbled notes and pitchy-ness, the crowd was left with disconcerted murmurings to which Beth of Mermaid Heel took the stage. Her performance was much better and it seemed to only go up from there. Eve had a few mishaps, but Sherry, Yukino and Lucy all seemed to hit their pieces out of the park and their good-natured rivalry only served to heighten their performances. When Lucy had finished her last note, the judges all huddled into a discussion.
"Ooh, I hope Sherry wins…" Chelia said, crossing her fingers.
"No way, Lucy's gonna win for sure!" Wendy challenged. Chelia responded with a smirk and Wendy all too quickly realized that they had just started their own rivalry. It was here that the judges turned around, Chapati holding a piece of paper in his hands.
"In sixth place is Warcry, receiving zero points!" Chapati announced to the groans of everyone from Quattro Cerberus. "Following that is Eve in fifth place, Beth in fourth, Sherry in third, Lucy in second, and Yukino receives first place. Given that this is the first round, this reflects the overall rankings."
"Aw, I was hoping Lucy could pull out a win," complained Wendy, a pout on her lips.
"Heh, that's what it means to be Saber Tooth," said a boy next to her, his head covered by a hood. She could tell from the white band on his arm that he was from the guild he was speaking of.
"Shut up, Dorbengal," Chelia snapped. "It's just the first round. So, let's see how well you do up against us in this round." The boy, Dorbengal, just scoffed as the flutes finally left the field and Chapati called the clarinets forward. "I hope you know that I'm not gonna let you win, Wendy."
"I wouldn't expect you to, Chelia. This is for my guild, after all," Wendy said. Nevertheless, the two girls shook hands as Lahar stood once again.
"Performing for the clarinets is Semmes for Quattro Cerberus, Milliana for Mermaid Heel, Hibiki Lates for Blue Pegasus, Chelia Blendy for Lamia Scale, Dorbengal for Saber Tooth, and Wendy Marvell-Dragneel for Fairy Tail."
"Go Wendy! Show 'em who's the best!"
"That's my girl! My baby girl!"
"Gee hee, kick some ass!"
"This is too exciting! An absolute explosion of cuteness! Wendy-tan and Chelia-tan, please do your best! This old man can't take it!" The crowd laughed loudly at Chapati's reaction, Wendy joining them nervously. Semmes ignored that and took the stage. Wendy then blocked everything out; she wasn't going to focus on anyone else's performance but her own. If she did, she knew she would start to doubt herself. So, she closed her eyes and waited, only becoming aware to reality when Dorbengal of Saber Tooth finished playing. Wendy took one last breath and began heading for the stage, throwing a glare to Dorbengal who smirked at her confidently.
She didn't care. She was going to beat him.
When Wendy sat down, the entire crowd hushed and she couldn't even hear the beating of her own heart. All that mattered was the music. She brought her clarinet to her lips and began to play. Her fingers flew up and down, her breaths measured. Every piece of advice that Juvia had given her, every piece of experience, every smile that her friends had given her fueled her and made her piece swell with emotion. Ironically, it was only when she stopped that she realized she had been playing at all.
"That's it! Game over for this old guy!" Chapati cried over the raucous cheers of Fairy Tail. Wendy sighed in relief as she went back to her fellow clarinets. Chelia nodded to her but said no words as the judges discussed the performances. She held her breath as the judges turned back around. "In sixth place is Semmes. In fifth place is Milliana and fourth is Dorbengal."
"So, we're competing for the top three spots," Chelia said. Wendy nodded. It was guaranteed now: she had beaten Saber Tooth; she had met her goal.
"Third place goes to Wendy-tan of Fairy Tail, second to Chelia-tan, and first to Blue Pegasus' Hibiki," Chapati continued. Chelia made a fist pump at the announcement. "That's right, folks, two sections in and we have a three-way tie for first place!"
"Looks like we're almost even," Wendy said as she turned away from the field with Chelia.
"I still beat you," Chelia teased. "But I've got to admit that you were pretty good and we absolutely crushed Saber Tooth. Who wants to bet Minerva's probably blowing a gasket about now?"
"I don't really want to imagine it," Wendy said with a laugh, all the earlier tension having vanished. "Well, I'll see you later."
"Right. May the best guild win!" Chelia cried before giving a wave and skipping off. Wendy turned in the other direction and headed for the bleachers where Fairy Tail was waiting, her instrument and music still clasped in her hand. Both Juvia and Lucy caught the girl in a silent hug since the oboes were already beginning their performances.
Wendy spied Meredy shuffling nervously on the field below, but she knew she couldn't do anything to encourage her. She was only consoled by Natsu handing her a bag of popcorn. From her new vantage point, Wendy could see a scoreboard on the other side, keeping track of each guild's performance. It satisfied her to know that she had helped her guild as much as she had. The only shame was that as Meredy stood up to perform, she was simply too nervous to perform well, a strange contrast to her usual bubbly personality. It cost her and she only received fifth place, bumping the guild to fourth.
"I'm sorry, guys. I really sucked out there," Meredy said dejectedly as she returned. "I let Saber Tooth get to first place."
"Don't worry about it," Cana consoled the girl with a wave of her bottle.
"There's still the best to come!" Juvia agreed brightly.
"Besides, we didn't put you out there to have you perform badly. It's a learning experience," Ultear said. Meredy nodded but her mood didn't improve. Wendy frowned and quickly decided on a course of action. She grabbed Meredy's arm and pulled her forward.
"Cheer up, Meredy. You may not have done very well, but Erza's about to face off against Minerva and you just know that she'll beat her!" Wendy encouraged. Meredy finally looked to the field to see the bass clarinets taking center stage. "It's just a bump on our road to victory."
"Aw, yeah! Kick her ass, Erza!" Natsu cried from next to the two girls. His jubilation seemed to pass on to Meredy because she finally smiled. Erza also heard Natsu's cry because she raised her fist into the air to say she got the message.
"See? We'll all win this together," Wendy said. Meredy sniffled a little but proceeded to give Wendy a one-arm hug.
"Thanks for cheering me up, Wendy."
The two then turned their attentions to the field where the bass clarinet for Quattro Cerberus (who still had zero points) was performing.
Wendy felt she could describe most of the performances as forgettable, though she did feel a little bad for thinking of them in that way. It was only when Minerva took the stage that she felt the need to pay attention. The tension between Fairy Tail and Saber Tooth crackled like electricity and even the audience seemed to sense this because they were all silenced. Wendy leaned over and saw the members of Saber Tooth sitting nearby with smug looks on their faces. She then noticed an older man sitting amongst them calmly.
Even amidst the trim suit he was wearing, she could feel the rolling waves of anger coming off the man. There was no doubt in Wendy's mind that this was Jiemma Orlando. He commanded a presence with his large body and the fourteen year old bluenette could only presume that his presence was the reason that Saber Tooth was so silent. Wendy drew her eyes away to the stage as Minerva began to play.
As much as she wanted to deny it, Minerva was skilled, but there was something off. It almost sounded as though there was no soul to the piece she was playing, like she was just going through the motions. It put an unpleasant taste in her mouth. Then Minerva stepped down as Erza stood up. There was a brief moment where it looked like the two girls might try to fight one another, but it passed without incident and the crowd remained silent.
If Minerva's piece could be described as soulless, then Erza's was the opposite. It was hard to make the bass clarinet sound so full of life, but Erza certainly did. This led to a sudden standing ovation from every guild but Saber Tooth. They were forced to quiet down only when the judges turned back to give the scores. Naturally, Quattro Cerberus was in last place, making Natsu joke that they should just be called Quattro Puppy. The rest were mostly predictable except for Lamia Scale's placement at fifth. Then they made to announce the remaining results.
"In second place, for a fantastic performance of great skill and knowledge is Minerva Orlando of Saber Tooth. This leaves Erza Scarlet in first for a wonderfully soul stirring performance!" Chapati announced.
Fairy Tail roared with cheers at Erza's performance and Wendy watched as they suddenly jumped into second place, only three points behind Saber Tooth. Wendy hugged Lucy, who was cheering with Natsu's arm around her. Meredy even began crying tears of joy that her loss hadn't set them too far back. They still had a chance. Wendy took a glance over to Saber Tooth and saw that a number of them had moved away from Jiemma Orlando, who was shaking with rage as his daughter went screaming off the field.
"You were amazing, Erza!"
"Awesome!"
"You're like a flower; you bloomed so brightly!" Erza waved off all the compliments with good natured smiles and laughs as she took Jellal's hand.
"We haven't won yet. There are still six more rounds," she pointed out. This fact was sobering and the guild returned their attentions to the field where the saxophones were gathering. Wendy could even see Gajeel smirking at Rogue, who was trying to appear uninterested in the events. Nevertheless, Wendy could see the rivalry sparking between the two. Like Erza and Minerva before them, the tension between Fairy Tail and Saber Tooth was palpable. It was then that Wendy realized there were certain rivalries that appeared to garner more attention than others, and Gajeel and Rogue's was at the top of the list.
At this moment, Jenny Realite of Blue Pegasus stepped up to play and Wendy found herself watching with rapt concentration. She was skilled, but there was no doubt to the fact that Lamia Scale (who performed after her) was better. It was funny that when Rogue stood up to perform, Wendy couldn't really describe his performance as that good, but she would say that Gajeel's was definitely better.
"Shoo-bee-doo-ba, everyone!" Gajeel cried to the roar of the crowd once he had finished and the judges went to confer. Moments later they announced the results that placed Lamia Scale in first place for the saxophones, Gajeel in second, Rogue in third and Jenny in fourth. This made Wendy really focus on the scoreboard.
1st: Saber Tooth 19 pts
2nd: Fairy Tail 17 pts
2nd: Lamia Scale 17 pts
4th: Blue Pegasus 13 pts
5th: Mermaid Heel 9 pts
6th: Quattro Cerberus 0 pts
"And there's our standings halfway through this first day," Chapati announced alongside Wendy's reading. "We will now take a twenty minute intermission before continuing with the trumpets."
"Second place, huh?" Lucy commented. "Looks like it's up to Gray and Laxus to get us up into first place."
"Meh, Popsicle Pants won't lose to that spoony bard, Rufus," Natsu said with a bite of his taco. Lucy appeared to have a double take at this.
"That was fast! When the hell did you get that taco?" Lucy questioned. Her boyfriend just gave a shrug. "Whatever, I am not kissing anyone with taco breath; not with the amount of hot sauce you put on."
"Guys, I'm gonna get some water and use the bathroom," Wendy told them but her brother and Lucy were already in the middle of one of their strange arguments. Shaking her head, Wendy left her things behind and departed from the crowd of Fairy Tail members for the bathroom. It was when she emerged that she received a surprise.
"It's good to see you, Wendy," said the authoritative man. Wendy turned around and saw Doranbolt standing there. He hadn't changed much in the year since she'd seen him (she'd had a different teacher in eighth grade) other than having grown a goatee.
"Mr. Doranbolt, how are you?" Wendy asked with a smile. "I didn't know you'd be a judge here."
"Honestly, neither did I, but Lahar managed to convince me. You've improved immensely," he said kindly. Doranbolt had always been surprisingly kind, but it took until a year later for Wendy to realize that it was only towards the female members of his class. This made Wendy make sure to always keep a few feet between them, even if they had once had a close student-teacher bond.
"I hope I have, but being in the program makes me realize just how outclassed I am by some of the other musicians."
"Well, I'm rather proud of your improvement," he said. Wendy nodded and then nervously observed him for a moment as he seemed to be thinking about something. The moment was broken, however, by the appearance of someone else into the conversation.
"Hey, Wendy, you wanted some water, right?" called Romeo and she turned to see him approaching with a bottle of water in his hand.
"Thanks, Romeo!" Wendy said, gratefully taking the bottle. "Oh, Romeo, this is-"
"I know, he's one of the judges, right?" Romeo said, offering his hand to Doranbolt. "Don't you guys think you were a little harsh on Lucy? I mean, she was just as good as Yukino."
"Well, the judges have to be impartial , you know," Doranbolt said with a nod as he shook Romeo's hand. "Nevertheless, you seem to be doing well, Wendy."
"Doranbolt, it's time to go," called the judge named Lahar. Doranbolt offered a chuckle and then a wave to the two teens.
"Well, it was good to meet you, Romeo, Wendy." Then he was gone. It didn't mean that Wendy's conversations we're done, because soon she felt herself smothered by her mother's hug.
"You were wonderful, Wendy. I'm so proud of you," she said before releasing Wendy from her grasp.
"Mom, I only got third place," she tried to point out. It was obvious that Romeo wouldn't let her belittle herself, though.
"Still better than Saber Tooth," he corrected her. Grandine smiled at Romeo.
"The young man has a point. I think you should keep him around."
"Mom!" Wendy hissed, her cheeks flushed from embarrassment. Grandine laughed.
"Well, anyway, I think you did a good job. Now, go and enjoy the rest of the Games with your friends." She gave Wendy a kiss on the cheek and a nod to Romeo before departing. Wendy and Romeo then turned around and started heading back to the guild section.
"I like your mom," Romeo told her with a grin.
"Yeah, then you'd like my dad. He's a lot like Natsu," Wendy said as they entered back into the guild section and took seats in the front row. A hush fell over the crowd as the trumpets gathered onto the field.
"Welcome back to the second half of day one of the Grand Music Games!" Chapati proclaimed. "Up next is the trumpets and we've got four strong contenders up this year: Gray Fullbuster of Fairy Tail, Lyon Vastia of Lamia Scale, Rufus Lohr of Saber Tooth, and the lovely Kagura Mikazuchi of Mermaid Heel."
The crowd went wild at those four's names. True to what Chapati said, those four proved to be the ones to beat. Unfortunately for Lamia Scale, Lyon was off due to his obvious obsession with Juvia. Wendy also felt that Rufus' performance was lacking because it seemed like he was just mimicking other performances…but that may have been her own bias talking. Nevertheless, Kagura and Gray gave the strongest performances and Gray walked away with first place.
"Unbelieveable!" Chapati screamed. "After six rounds of a heated back and forth, Fairy Tail and Saber Tooth are tied for first place. Who knows what the next round will bring as the trombones head to the field?"
Even with Chapati's question, it came as no surprise to anyone that Bickslow managed to take first place with Yuka of Lamia Scale coming in at second. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the trombone section was undoubtedly the fact that Quattro Cerberus took fifth place, earning them their first point in the game, though everyone knew it would be impossible for them to catch up to the frontrunners of Fairy Tail, Saber Tooth and Lamia Scale.
Unfortunately, Fairy Tail had something to groan about the next round when Elfman performed for the baritones. It wasn't like he had put out a bad performance, but Wendy could tell that he wasn't pacing himself and it proved to be his undoing as he practically fell apart at the end. This poor performance ended up earning him fourth place and the obvious need for him to apologize to the guild for not being manly enough. The others told him not to feel bad about it considering he had gone up against Orga, who took first. Still, Elfman beat himself up for losing to Quattro Cerberus who had gone and gotten second, signally a resurgent war cry from their guild.
Elfman didn't feel quite so bad for losing to them next round, though.
"I can't believe it! We're two rounds away from the end of the first day and Quattro Cerberus has attained first place in the tubas thanks to Rocker!"
"Hmm, it may not be enough to reach first place today, but if they improve over the next four days, we could certainly see some rank reversals," said Yajima, having been the first words he had spoken to the crowd all game.
"It's so cooool!"
Wendy shook her head. Thanks to Lisanna, their team had taken first place once again in the overall rankings (though she herself had only ranked third) while Saber Tooth's dismal performance had actually landed them in last place. Wendy almost wondered just what Minerva would do to the member that allowed them to fall two points behind Fairy Tail. She soon didn't care, though, because the chair that was on stage was moved aside in favor of a drum set. It all but screamed that this was the final round of the day and would all but set the pace for future days.
Fairy Tail watched the performances with bated breath. Bacchus performed reasonably well, though anybody could tell he was so drunk it was a miracle he could hold his drumsticks at all. Mermaid Heel and Blue Pegasus also seemed to perform well, but it was obvious that they paled in comparison to even Bacchus. Toby of Lamia Scale put out what was easily the best performance thus far, even if his playstyle was rather eccentric. Wendy wasn't sure what to think of Sting's performance: it seemed exuberant to the point of overconfidence. Then Laxus stood up.
It was a marvel to watch him, and even Natsu had quieted down to stare at him in awe. Laxus started out slow and quiet to the point that the only reason they heard it was because of the echo effect in the stadium. Then he got louder, and though he didn't increase the tempo, his added use of cymbals and the bass drum made it seem faster than it was. His speed really did increase after this, though it was incremental so that the audience wasn't overwhelmed by the speed. By the end, his drumsticks were flying across his set until the final moments where he slowed and tapered off into silence.
Natsu was the first to clap, followed by the rest of Fairy Tail who began cheering loudly. They were soon joined by the entire audience who had begun cheering "Laxus! Laxus!" Wendy glanced down at the field to see Sting wearing the look of having been clubbed over the head. It was no contest. Even when Sting snagged second place behind Laxus, everyone knew that it was a rank far below that of the blonde-haired senior.
"This concludes the first day of the Grand Music Games!" Chapati cried. "Now, if you'll turn your attention to the scoreboard for the final tally for today."
1st: Fairy Tail 37 pts
2nd: Sabertooth 34 pts
3rd: Lamia Scale 31 pts
4th: Mermaid Heel 19 pts
5th: Blue Pegasus 17 pts
6th: Quattro Cerberus 12 pts
Fairy Tail cheered loudly while Natsu called for a party at the nearby pizza place. They were in first place! In a state of complete glee, Wendy hugged Romeo who managed to hug her back amidst all the chaos. Then, as their unified guild, they all made their way back to the guild hall to deposit their instruments before heading to the pizza parlor.
The guild dominated the restaurant that night, celebrating their first day victory in the Games. Wendy spent most of her time with her family, Romeo, and Meredy. She even joined them when they turned the place into a dance floor. Wendy had never been one for dancing wildly, but that night she let loose amongst her guild mates. She danced with her brother and cousin before Lucy and Levy stole them away. Then she and Meredy danced until Romeo cut in and stayed with her the rest of the evening, the giddiest smile on both of their faces.
And Wendy knew then that they would win the Games.
The next morning, however, seemed to decide that reality should crush them in the face. Though all the girls in Wendy's cabin were still pleased about yesterday's performance, they were now far more subdued. Unlike the day prior, though, not all the girls left together. In fact, only Levy, Wendy and Meredy remained, but they didn't mind. It was nice to not have to rush out and they grabbed themselves breakfast before heading to the guild hall.
"What's going on here? It seems rowdier than usual," Wendy observed. In fact, there was a single spot that the chaos seemed to be reigning from.
"Look, I know I locked it in here with the rest of us!"
"We know that, Lucy," Laxus said with a fold of his arms.
"Then why isn't it here?"
"Lu-chan, what's up?" Levy asked as she and the other two girls broke into the circle. Lucy turned to her best friend with wide and tearful eyes.
"My flute is missing!"
Author's Note: Cliffhanger action week! At least in my stories. So, here's the start of the Games. I hope you enjoyed it, but we've still got four rounds to go. As a note, we're about halfway through the story here. So, how about that chapter this week? We really should have seen it coming once we knew Keith was a necromancer. Plus, super moving. Also, who read Fairy Tail Zero? Great start, it's just a shame we have to wait a month for the next chapter. And that new episode…good but damn did Cana look awful. Anyway, that's all I have to say besides Review and Dare to Be Silly.
