The roar of the crowd echoed throughout the stadium of Domus Flau. Hundreds of thousands of spectators sat in the stands, each of them eagerly anticipating the start of the Grand Magic Games. After narrowly making the cut in the preliminary round, Natsu and his team stood in the locker room area of the stadium.
"The crowd sounds lively." Said Erza.
"Yeah, it's pretty intimidating when you think about it." Lucy commented.
"A lot of non-magic users are here in addition to guild wizards, but I wasn't expecting it to be like this." Gray said a bit on edge.
"Well this is a pretty big event in the kingdom." Erza pointed out. "It makes sense that there would be a lot of commotion and people here."
"Soo…" Natsu interrupted. "What's with these outfits?" Natsu asked looking at his new attire. It was essentially the same as his regular clothing except that his vest was now purple and white with a white Fairy Tail symbol emblazoned on the front.
"Well Master did say we should all be coordinated as a team." Lucy answered.
"I think they're cute." Erza smiled with pride.
"Me too." Gray said standing next to her.
"Did you even try it on?!" Lucy shouted at the shirtless maker wizard.
"Hey guys correct me if I'm wrong here…" Elfman began. "But I'm not supposed to wear this am I?" Everyone looked over and saw the middle Strauss sibling holding up a dress that was smaller than his hand, it had clearly been designed for Wendy.
Natsu began to laugh uproariously, causing Erza to smack him on the back of his head.
"Of course not." Lucy said through a laugh. "There's no way you'd fit into Wendy's clothes."
"I guess I could just wear what I had on earlier until I get something made." Elfman grumbled. Soon he, Gray, and Lucy began diving into the finer points of fashion with Erza and Natsu looking on a small distance away. Natsu turned his head to look at Erza, examining her outfit.
"Something wrong?" Erza asked, noticing Natsu's glance out of the corner of her eye.
"No, it's just…" Natsu began to protest.
"You don't like my outfit?" Erza inquired, finishing his thought.
Natsu looked Erza up and down, from her red hair to her slander legs. "You're not gonna wear pants with that?" he questioned. Essentially she was wearing a sleeveless collared cloak over a battle bikini.
Erza smirked. "I really don't see the need for such a focus on them when I'm going to requip anyway. Besides, I like it."
"I guess you're right." Natsu relented, standing up.
"Although, I do like how you're worried about my appearance." Erza smiled softly, her comment making Natsu blush.
"I'm not worried about it." Natsu said as he scratched his blushing cheek and looked away. "I was just asking."
"So do you guys think Wendy is alright?" Elfman asked suddenly, causing the mood in the room to shift.
Several Hours Earlier
The green light slowly began to fade from view as Lisanna, Happy, Pantherlily, Alana, Alzack, and Levy ascended the hill towards the palace. Jet, who used his speed magic to scout ahead, could be seen at the top of the hill.
"Jet!" Levy called out to him. "Do you see them?!"
"No, nothing yet. You guys might wanna come see this!" Jet yelled back. Levy and the others soon reached Jet, all of them standing in awe at the sight before them. Nearly the entire courtyard of the palace grounds was covered in flowers and vines, each of them lush and vibrant as if they had just bloomed.
"What is all this?" Levy asked. "Was this caused by that green light from earlier?"
"I don't know." Alzack answered. He pulled out his magic gun in anticipation of any threats.
"This is creepy but pretty at the same time." Happy commented.
"Yes, it certainly is eerily beautiful." Pantherlily said in agreement.
"This is just weird." Jet said. "Someone had to use some serious magical power to do all of this." He swatted a few vines away from his face
"You think whoever did this attacked Wendy and Carla?" Levy fretted.
"Everyone!" Alana shouted a small distance away. "I've found them!"
The others rushed over to Alana. She was kneeling next to a pair of bushes at the palace gates, beside her were Wendy, Carla and an unknown girl. The stranger was taller than Wendy, around Lisanna's height to be exact. The three laid in a spooning position, the mystery girl's arm covering Wendy and Carla. Her lips were parted slightly, her breathing slow as her golden brown hair cascaded messily over the side of her face. She wore a tattered cloak, revealing a blouse and skirt underneath.
"Thank goodness." Lisanna said relieved.
"Are they ok?" Jet asked looking down at his fallen guild mates.
"They're fine." Alana nodded. "Just unconscious."
"Well that's good." Levy said.
"But guys, who is that?" Alzack asked on his guard, pointing at the stranger among them.
"I don't know." Alana said. "But she's knocked out as well."
"What should we do?" Happy asked looking at Lisanna.
"Let's take her back with us." Lisanna answered.
"What if she's the person who attacked them?" Jet asked.
Lisanna shook her head. "I don't think she was the one. It looks like she was trying to protect them."
"Regardless of whether she protected them or not, we can't just leave her here. Can we?" Pantherlily asked.
"No we can't." Alzack answered. "That's not how Fairy Tail does things.
"Aye." Happy nodded.
Jet sighed. "Fine." He knelt down in front of the three down girls. "Put her on my back."
Alana placed the mysterious girl on Jet's back.
"I'll take Wendy." Alzack volunteered.
"And I'll take Carla." Levy said.
Once everyone had been accounted for, the group headed back towards the inn. Happy looked up at the labyrinth still high in the sky. "I hope Natsu and the others are ok."
"I'm sure they're fine Happy." Lisanna reassured with a smile. "There's no way Natsu and Elfman will lose in the preliminary round."
"Besides, it's Wendy and Carla we should really be worried about." Pantherlily said.
"I wonder who did this to them." Levy said worriedly. "And who is this girl?" she asked looking at Jet's passenger.
"I'm wondering that too." Alana said. "Do you think she's the reason we saw that light?"
"Maybe." Levy pondered. "We can't ask her until she wakes up though."
Unbeknownst to the Fairy Tail wizards, their unknown guest slowly began to stir. Groggy, she opened her eyes just enough to see Levy's guild mark as the bluenette walked in front of Jet. "Fairy…Tail…" she said weakly, before her eyelids fell heavy again.
"Wendy!" Natsu yelled as he and the others burst into the stadium infirmary after clearing the preliminary. The young sky dragon and Carla lied in the same bed, both of them weakened due to the unknown ordeal that they experienced. Lisanna and Happy stood by their bedside.
"What happened?" Lucy asked Lisanna.
"I don't know for sure." Lisanna shook her head.
"We found them by the palace after seeing this big green light." Happy explained.
"Green light?" Gray asked.
Lisanna nodded. "We saw it after you all started the preliminary round."
"Do you know what may have caused it?" Erza asked.
Lisanna shook her head again. "I'm not really sure."
Wendy began to stir awake due to her friend's worried chatter.
"Wendy?" Natsu said walking to her bedside.
"Nat…su?" she strained.
"Thank goodness you're ok." Lucy smiled warmly.
"What happened to you two?" Gray asked Wendy.
"I can't really remember…" Wendy winced when she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder.
"She's suffering from hypomagia, a condition caused by a sudden loss of magical energy. She's been weakened physically, but luckily it's nothing bed rest won't cure." A voice said from behind the Fairy Tail wizards. They all turned around, surprised to see Porlyusica walking towards Wendy and Carla.
"Porlyusica?" Lucy said with widened eyes.
"Why are you here?" Lisanna asked.
"Am I not allowed to cheer on Fairy Tail?" Porlyusica inquired.
"No, of course you are." Lisanna replied.
"You said Wendy suffered a loss of magic?" Erza inquired, Porlyusica nodded in confirmation.
"How in the world did that happen?" Elfman questioned.
An image of a small black creature flashed in Wendy's mind. "There was this black creature…I think." She winced in pain again as she tried to remember her ordeal. "Then…" a hooded figure entered her mind next. "Someone in a cloak appeared."
"A cloak?" Lisanna asked. She and Happy looked at one another.
"I remember being grabbed, and there was this bright, warm, green light." Wendy continued. "When I opened my eyes Carla and I were on the ground and a girl was holding us. Then I blacked out and woke up here."
"So that girl was protecting you." Lisanna said with a smile.
"What girl?" Gray asked.
"They must be referring to my other patient." Porlyusica answered. She walked over and pulled back the curtain next to Wendy's bed, revealing another bed. Under the blanket, sleeping rather peacefully, was a young girl with golden brown hair.
Wendy looked over to her neighbor. "That's the girl that grabbed me."
"Who is she?" Natsu asked. He attempted to poke her sleeping face out of curiosity but Erza pulled him back by his scarf.
"We found her when we found Wendy and Carla." Happy answered. "We don't know who she is."
"Is she responsible for that green light you mentioned?" Erza questioned Lisanna.
"We think so." Lisanna answered.
"What exactly did this light do?" Lucy asked.
"I don't know." Happy answered. "But when we got to the palace there were vines and grass and flowers everywhere."
"You sure that wasn't just part of the garden?" Gray asked a skeptical look on his face.
Lisanna shook her head. "No, everything looked like it had just bloomed, and some of the vines were too irregular to be there already."
Erza placed her hand under chin and began to think.
"You think this is what Ultear and the others were talking about?" Gray whispered to her.
"I'm not sure. This is indeed something unusual but if the irregularity they were feeling only came from this one person I'm sure they would have found her on their own without our aid." Erza replied perplexed.
Wendy clenched her fist tightly, tears welling up in her brown eyes. "I'm sorry everyone…" she sobbed. "I trained really hard…but I'm still holding everyone back."
Everyone looked at Wendy with sympathetic looks in their eyes and a fire raging in their bodies. "Elfman..." Wendy looked over to the Strauss sibling.
"Hm?" Elfman replied.
"Please…do your best in my place." Wendy pleaded.
"I swear as man, I won't let you down." Elfman replied determined.
"Good." Porlyusica said. "Now if you're all done get out. Wendy stills needs to rest." Porlyusica pushed Natsu and the other unceremoniously out of the door, closing it behind them.
Wendy rolled over and hugged the still sleeping Carla, tears were still flowing from her eyes.
"Stop all of that crying, it's getting annoying." Porlyusica said.
"What?" Wendy said confused. "But…"
"The Grand Magic Games are a week." Porlyusica said as she began to mix chemicals in test tubes. "You can rejoin the others when you're healthy."
Wendy stopped crying, her sorrow replaced with confusion.
"As the Fairy Tail guilds chemist…" Porlyusica turned around, a look of determination in her eyes. "I will heal you."
A smile appeared on Wendy's face, and she nodded. "Thank you Grandeeney."
"Don't call me that." Porlyusica retorted.
Wendy returned to her back and looked up at the ceiling. "Hey Grande…I mean Porlyusica?"
"What is it?"
"Can you heal her first?" Wendy pointed to the girl in the bed next to her. "I want to thank her for saving me and Carla."
Porlyusica smirked. "Fine, I'll heal her too."
"Thank you." Wendy smiled.
"Now get some rest." Porlyusica ordered.
"Yes ma'am." Wendy closed her eyes, a smile still on her face as she fell asleep.
…
"You guys ready?" Natsu asked his team, they all nodded. "The person who attacked Wendy, Carla, and that other girl are most likely in the tournament, right?"
"We don't know anything for sure." Lucy answered as she affixed her key pouch to her belt. "But it's probably a safe bet that they are."
"Think someone was tryna sabotage us?" Gray asked, finally putting on his shirt.
"Doesn't matter!" Elfman shouted. "We only got one goal, do our best for Wendy. A real man never goes back on his word."
"Let's go." Erza said as the group exited the locker room and walked through the tunnel towards the stadium center.
"Well it's that time of year again folks!" an excited voice announced over the stadium intercom. "It's time for the greatest magic spectacle in all of Fiore, the Grand Magic Games!" The crowd roared with excitement.
"I'm your commentator, Lola Chapati and joining me is former member of the Magic Council and the current owner of the 8island restaurant: Mr. Yajima! Thank you for joining us Mr. Yajima." Chapati announced.
"It's nice to be here." Yajima said over his microphone.
"And our guest commentator for the day is none other than Ms. Fiore herself, from the Blue Pegasus guild, Jenny Realight!"
"Thank you for having me." The blonde smiled. "This is going to be Blue Pegasus' year." she declared determined.
"We can only wait and see." Lola said. "With the level of this year's teams, it's anyone's ball game. Speaking of, let's get on to announcing our competitors shall we?"
The crowd continued to show their anticipation for the competition as the teams began to exit from their respective tunnels.
"First up, they placed eighth in the preliminary round, but they're looking to reclaim some of that former glory. It's the rowdy guild with the dainty name, Fairy Tail!" Lola announced as Natsu and the others emerged from the tunnel. Initially amped up, their faces soon soured once they heard the crowds overwhelming boos.
"What?!" Natsu shouted in shock.
"They're booin us?" Gray said.
"What's their problem?" Elfman asked irritated.
"Fairy Tail has come in last place at every Grand Magic Games, but this year they've cleared the preliminaries. And with the unexpected return of the members thought lost on Tenrou Island, things could be looking up for the former top guild." Lola said.
Yajima smiled and gave Natsu's team a thumbs up. "Congratulations Fairy Tail."
Lucy sighed sullenly at the crowds boos. "Don't let them get to you, Lucy." Erza comforted.
"Mama! Papa!" a voice called, catching team Fairy Tail's attention. They looked over to see Aura, along with the rest of the guild sitting in the stands. They cheered them on, even bringing a banner to drape over the railing.
"Let's hear it for Fairy Tail!" Makarov shouted, standing on the railing of the seats. The other guild members followed his example.
"Yes, let's all hear it for Fairy Tail." A familiar voice said happily. All of Fairy Tail looked to the side, all of their eyes, except Aura's, widening in surprise.
"Is that…?" Erza began.
"I-I think so." Lucy nodded.
"What the…?" Gray said.
"Huh?" Natsu tilted his head in confusion.
Sure enough, there was Mavis Vermillion, Fairy Tail's First Master, sitting on the railing next to Makarov. "What are you doing, Master Mavis?" Makarov asked with widened eyes.
"I wanted to cheer you all on, so here I am." She said with a smile. "Right, Aura?" she winked at the child. Aura nodded and smiled back.
"Here I am, huh?" Makarov repeated. "You can't just…"
"Don't be such a downer, Makarov." Mavis interrupted. "Only those with the Fairy Tail mark can see me. SO you don't have anything to worry about"
"That's not the issue here." Makarov sighed.
"But it's so boring staying on Tenrou Island all the time. I deserve some fun every once in a while too." Mavis whined.
"Well I feel better now that Master Mavis is cheering us on." Natsu laughed.
"Even though she's a ghost?" Gray asked, a little freaked out.
"Now, our seventh place team." Lola resumed. "It's that vicious pack of hellhounds, Quatro Cerberus!"
"Oh yeah!" one of their team members yelled.
"Wild!" Another proclaimed.
"Heh, heh. We're gonna win it this year." Goldmine, the Quatro Cerberus guild master, smirked.
"Coming in sixth place we have an all-female guild." Lola said intrigued. "It's the beautiful dancers of the deep, Mermaid Heel!"
The five women of Mermaid Heel exited the tunnel, each of them waving and smiling at the crowd except for two. The first was a woman with long purple hair who wielded a nodachi with a wrapped handle, her walk was deliberate and controlled; giving little to no insight on her thoughts. The second was a cloaked woman who held the guild's sign, and ever present smile on her face and her hood shielding her eyes. They walked past Fairy Tail, Erza immediately feeling a tingle in her spine when the swordswoman passed her. The woman under the hood's Cheshire grin grew wider.
"I didn't even know there was an all-female guild." Macao drooled.
"I know right." Wakaba agreed. "Think they need a man to join?"
"I think it's an all-female guild for a reason." Lisanna said.
"In fifth place, the sapphire wings that sparkle in the night, Blue Pegasus!" Lola announced.
Out from the tunnel emerged Ichiya and the Tri-Mens, along with a person in a giant rabbit costume. All of them struck a pose.
"You can do it, boys!" Jenny cheered over the mic.
"In fourth place, the holy destroyers, Lamia Scale!" Lola announced next.
Lyon emerged from tunnel; Jura, Yuka, Toby, and a young girl with dark pink hair following behind him.
"Is that Jura of the ten wizards saints?" a spectator asked.
"No way!" another shouted.
"Fourth place?!" Obaba, the Lamia Scale guild master, shouted angrily as she shook her fist in the air. "Were you idiots even trying?!"
"Sorry, Master Obaba." The young girl nervously apologized. "It's because I'm so clumsy." Then as if on cue, the girl tripped on fell on her face.
"Try and keep it together Shelia." Lyon said helping her to her feet.
"Sorry, Lyon." Shelia apologized.
"Who's that?" Natsu asked pointing at Shelia.
"What happened to that chick who kept going on about love?" Gray questioned, referring to Sherry Blendy.
"Yeah I've never seen her before." Lucy said referring to Shelia. Her eyes slowly drew towards Blue Pegasus' mystery member. "Or that rabbit!"
"Shelia is Sherry's cousin." Yuka explained.
"Hey look it's that eyebrow guy from Galuna Island." Natsu said as he pointed at Yuka. The Wave User's ears pricked up. "How ya been?" Natsu shouted.
One of Yuka's vein's appeared on his forehead and he trned around, ignoring the dragon slayer.
"Huh?" Natsu said. "I guess he didn't hear me." Natsu frowned slightly.
"Of course he heard you." Gray said. "You just pissed him off. You can't say crap like that to people."
"Shelia's super strong." Toby grinned.
"Hey, that dumb dog guy is here too." Gray pointed at Toby with widened eyes. He completely forgot his own words to Natsu a few seconds ago.
"Hey!" Toby shouted at the maker wizard. "Who are you calling a dog?" It surprised no one that Toby completely ignored Gray's calling him dumb.
"Oh no, I don't have nearly enough love as my cousin." Shelia denied innocently.
Toby instantly turned his attention to the nervous Shelia. "Can't you take a compliment?!" he yelled, frightening the young girl.
"Calm down." Yuka said.
"Don't forget Gray…" Lyon said, glaring at his rival. "If we win, Juvia joins Lamia Scale."
"I don't remember agreeing to that, but I'm not gonna lose to you." Gray retorted with a smirk.
"If we're trading members, I'll be glad to take Erza." Ichiya said as he slid over towards the requip wizard.
"I-I don't think so." Erza said slightly frightened. She felt hands on her arms and was suddenly pulled back. She looked behind her to see Natsu holding her.
"Back off, buddy." Natsu said, fire in his eyes.
"Natsu…" Erza blushed.
"Ah, a rival." Ichiya smirked. "I accept your challenge."
"Challenge?" Natsu inquired, his irritation giving way to genuine confusion.
"For the lovely Erza's hand in marriage." Ichiya explained. "If Blue Pegasus wins, she and I will be married. If Fairy Tail wins, she marries you."
"What?!" Erza shouted angrily, but she was more embarrassed than anything.
Natsu's face slowly turned red. He swallowed hard as he thought of Ichiya's terms. "Y-you're on!" he accepted.
"Wait…Natsu!" Erza exclaimed.
"Then let the best man win." Ichiya said before walking back to his team.
"Right!" Natsu nodded.
"I didn't agree to this!" Erza protested. "I am not some prize to be won!"
"Don't worry Erza." Natsu turned her around to face him, looking into her eyes with determination. "I'll beat that guy and-"
Erza struck Natsu on the head, sending him slamming into the ground. "You idiot!" she shouted, her cheeks still red. "Don't decide things like that on your own."
"Y-yes ma'am." Natsu said weakly, his word muffled by the dirt.
"Why did Mama hit Papa?" Aura asked looking at Macao.
"With Natsu, it could be anything." Macao sighed.
"He probably said something he shouldn't have, again." Levy said with a nervous smile.
"I'll take you then." Ren said, wrapping his arm around a surprised Lucy. "But's it's not because I like you or anything." He looked away, a small blush on his cheeks in typical tsundere fashion.
"Still the same, huh?" Lucy sweat dropped.
"Then I'll take Wendy." Eve said dreamily. He walked to Elfman, who had quite the scary look on his face. "What happened to you, Wendy?" Eve asked distraught. "Puberty has not been kind." He said under his breath.
"Are you some kind of idiot?" Elfman asked.
"I'll just join Mermaid Heel then." Hibiki said happily as he walked towards the uninterested female wizards.
"Ahem." Lola cleared his throat, somewhat calming down the commotion among the teams. "Moving on, in third place...well this is something!" he said surprised. "This is this team's first time in the games, but they managed to take third in the preliminary."
The team in question walked out of the tunnel and every Fairy Tail member's eyes widened in shock.
"It's the midnight Marauders, Raven Tail!" Lola announced.
"Raven Tail?!" Natsu shouted, having quickly risen from his spot on the floor. Gray and Elfman looked on in stunned silence.
"That's Ivan's guild." Erza said.
"But aren't they…?" Lucy began.
"They're a dark guild!" Makarov shouted from the stands. "What are they doing here?! Are they letting dark guilds in the games now?!"
"Calm down Master." Macao said as he, Wakaba, and Lisanna tried to restrain from the old man from jumping onto the arena floor.
"I do sense an evil from them." Mavis said.
"Well according to the info guide, Raven Tail has been around for more than seven years; but they've only just become an official guild." Lola explained.
"Then they are no longer a dark guild if the league has recognized them." Yajima said.
"Damn you Ivan." Makarov cursed under his breath. "How did you do pull this off?"
"Fairy Tail." The armored man who led the team said. "Even though you spoiled our 'welcome gift', it seems we still had somewhat of an impression on you."
"Welcome gift?" Lucy inquired.
Next to the armored man stood a figure with a top hat and a long nose, a small black creature on his shoulder. The creature snickered, transforming its head to mimic Wendy's. It hit itself and fell over.
Natsu glared angrily, clenching his teeth. "Then it was you." He growled. "You guys hurt Wendy. You're gonna pay for that."
The armored man turned around, his team following him. "Let's enjoy the festival." He said smugly.
"Ivan…" Makarov said low.
"Alright, we're down to the final two teams who passed the preliminary round." Lola said.
"Two?" a spectator questioned. "Sabertooth is obviously one of them, so who's the other one?"
"I don't know." The person next to them shrugged.
"Is there another powerful guild hiding around?" Gray asked Erza.
"I'm not sure." She replied. "But it might have to do with the warning Jellal and the others gave us."
"What do you think that guy meant by 'spoiling their welcome gift'?" Lucy asked Elfman.
"I don't know." He answered. "It might have to do with the girl that Lisanna and the others found with Wendy and Carla."
Could this mystery guild be the irregularity that Crime Sorciere warned us about? Erza thought perplexed as she and everyone else in the stadium awaited Lola's next announcement.
"Now for the team who took second place in the preliminary round." Lola's eyes widened as he looked at the paper in front of him. "This is certainly a shocker." He said. "Perhaps with this they may have a chance after all!"
"What is he talking about?" Lucy asked to no one. As the mystery second place team entered the arena center everyone's eyes once again widened in disbelief, including team Fairy Tail's.
"Coming in second place, Team Fairy Tail B!" Everyone's jaws nearly dropped as they watched the second team from Magnolia's premiere guild enter the stage. The team itself was stacked. It consisted of Juvia, Gajeel, Mirajane, Laxus, and a member thought long gone.
"Sis?!" Elfman exclaimed.
"J-Juvia?!" Gray and Lyon shouted in unison.
"Gajeel?!" Natsu yelled.
"Laxus is here too?!" Lucy asked pointing at the lightning dragon. "That can't be allowed!"
"Another Fairy Tail?" the crowd was just as shocked as Natsu and his team.
Natsu looked over to the team's fifth member and his eyes almost popped out of his head. "Hold on…what's Mystogan doing here?!" he shouted.
"Jellal, you wouldn't…" Erza grimaced. "Mystogan" put his finger over his lips and Erza instantly went silent.
"Really?!" Gray and Natsu shouted.
Lyon blushed as he looked at Juvia. An irritated Shelia puffed out her cheeks.
"Why does Fairy Tail get two teams?" one of the spectators yelled.
"Yeah, what's the big idea?" another shouted.
"What the hell's going on?" Natsu asked.
"I wanted to participate in the games this year." Alana sighed as she walked towards Fairy Tail's seats.
"Oh hey, Alana." Max greeted. "I didn't know Master picked you."
"It was between Juvia and I, so we played rock, paper, scissors." She pouted and crossed her arms. "She beat me. Now I'm just an alternate."
"Well that's better than nothing." Wakaba said trying to lighten her mood.
"But I wanted to be in the games." She whined. "Aura, big sister needs a hug." Alana cooed as she ran over to the young girl and grabbed her, holding her tightly to her chest.
"I can't…breathe." Aura said as he face squeezed against Alana's chest. She struggled valiantly, eventually freeing herself and running over to Romeo and Macao for safety. Alana frowned at the child's frightened look.
"I see that everyone is confused about the revelation of Fairy Tail having two teams in the games." Lola announced. "However, there is nothing in the rule book against an event like this." Lola knew this as he was flipping through said rule book while he talked.
"But we didn't know this was happening." Lucy argued.
"I see my strategy paid off." Makarov beamed from the stands.
"I should have known Master was behind this." Erza sighed.
"But if Fairy Tail has two teams, won't they be able to switch out members at will?" Jenny pointed out.
"That's just an advantage they will have to utilize." Yajima nodded, giving Makarov a thumbs up. Nice one Macky.
"Screw that!" Natsu yelled, surprising everyone. "It doesn't matter if we're in the same guild. If you get in our way we'll take you down." He pointed at Fairy Tail B.
Gajeel smirked. "Wouldn't have it any other way, 8th place." Gajeel mocked, earning Natsu's angered glare.
"My, they sure are getting into it." Mira giggled at the two dragon slayers.
"What are you doing here sis?" Elfman asked Mirajane with a raised eyebrow.
"Lighten up, Elfman. It's a festival." Mira smiled at her brother. "May the best team win."
"I'm not gonna go easy on ya just because we're in the same guild." Gray said to Juvia.
The rain woman nodded in confirmation. "I know. I won't hold back either."
"Mystogan" swallowed hard as he watched a rather peeved Erza Scarlet approach him. "Je-Mystogan..."she said. "Why are you here?" her gaze narrowed, causing the mysterious wizard to sweat under his hood.
"Master Makarov is quite the reasonable man." He answered. "When I explained the situation to him he was glad to help.
"You said you weren't able to enter the arena." Erza reminded.
"I-I hadn't thought of this option yet." "Mystogan" stammered.
"It's against the rules. You're not in Fairy Tail." Erza countered.
"From what I've been told, this 'Mystogan' and I are nearly one and the same." He retorted.
"Come on Erza, no need to be all worked up. It's a festival." Laxus interrupted, draping his arm over "Mystogan's" shoulder. "Right, 'Mystogan'?"
"There you have it, Erza?" "Mystogan" said.
"But…"
"Laxus is right, Erza." Natsu said as he walked up to the three. "It doesn't matter, we're still gonna win."
"You really think so, lizard boy?" Laxus smirked.
"I know it, lightning butt." Natsu smirked back. While Natsu was still intimidated by Laxus' power, he did enjoy trading barbs with the recently reinstated leader of the Thunder Legion.
"Oh…" "Mystogan" said, his eyes widening in realization. "Congratulations, Natsu."
"Hmm?" Natsu grunted with a raised eyebrow. "Congratulations for what?"
"For becoming a-""Mystogan" was interrupted by Laxus covering his mouth with his hand.
"Man, 'Mystogan' when did you become such a chatterbox?" he said with a smile, but "Mystogan" could feel the irritation in the blonde wizard's voice. "Mystogan" nodded and Laxus removed his hand. The hooded wizard fell silent.
"What was that about?" Natsu asked Erza, not noticing the small smile on her face.
"I have no idea. Let's rejoin the others." She turned around and began walking, Natsu following her.
"That masked man isn't apart of Fairy Tail is he?" Mavis inquired. Makarov's jaw dropped in shock.
"He's not?" Aura asked looking up at the first master.
"I'm so so so sorry." Makarov apologized to Mavis.
"I told ya not to do it." Macao scolded.
"He just wouldn't listen to us." Wakaba said to Mavis.
"He doesn't feel like an evil presence." Mavis said. "Even more strange is the fact that he feels like one of us."
"Well technically he's in the guild." Happy said.
"He must be Prince Jellal's counterpart." Pantherlily deduced.
"Is he strong?" Mavis asked Makarov.
"Y-yes." Makarov stammered. "He used to be one of the Ten Wizard Saints."
"Ok." Mavis said.
"Ok?" Makarov repeated.
The first master nodded, a wide smile on her lips. "If it's to help Fairy Tail win then I approve." Her eyes sparkled.
"That's the first Master for you." Droy sighed.
"She fits our guild to a tee." Levy said with a nervous smile.
"Have you noticed anything odd?" Jellal whispered to Erza before she rejoined her team.
"Other than the fact that I don't trust Raven Tail…no, nothing." she answered. She then thought harder. "Actually…" she began.
"What is it?" Jellal asked.
"According to Lisanna and Happy, there was a bright green light radiating from the palace during last night's preliminary round." Erza said.
"A green light?" Jellal inquired .
Erza nodded. "Yes. When they reached the source, they found Wendy and Carla unconscious along with an unknown girl."
"An unknown girl?" Jellal repeated. Could she be that other force we felt?
"Yes." Erza nodded again. "Do you know anything about it?"
"No." Jellal lied.
"Are you sure?" Erza probed, catching the hesitation in his voice.
"Yes." He answered.
"If you say so." Erza relented. "We can discuss it at length later."
"Ok." Jellal nodded, the two parted ways.
"Now for the moment you have all been waiting for!" Lola exclaimed on the mic. "The team who came in first in the preliminary round." The crowd began to roar excitedly as the number one team entered the arena. "You know who I'm talking about!" Lola exclaimed. "The reigning champions, the powerful, unrivaled, incomparable…Sabertooth!"
Sabertooth's team entered the stadium to deafening applause. Sting led his teammates through the cacophony, his hands raised in victory. However not everyone was pleased by their entrance. Sting looked over to his left. The blonde saw Natsu's serious gaze fixated on him.
"They're here." Natsu said to his team. Sabertooth. He thought. He looked over to Aura and couldn't help but notice his daughter's hesitation to look at the number one guild.
Sting waved at the pink haired dragon slayer. "This should be fun, Natsu." He grinned.
Rogue's eyes however were glued to Gajeel. The Iron Dragon returned Rogue's gaze with an irritated look.
"The hell are you looking at?" Gajeel growled.
Rogue looked away. "Gajeel." He said under his breath.
"So that's Fiore's number one guild, huh?" Gray said, Lucy nodding in confirmation.
"The two guys in front are the dragon slayers." Lucy said, directing Gray's eyes towards Sting and Rogue.
"Now that all of the teams are present, what do you think of this year's competition, Mr. Yajima?" Lola asked.
"Ah, to be young again." Yajima reminisced.
"That's…not what I meant, Mr. Yajima." Lola sweat dropped. He cleared his throat and powered through. "Well folks, the time has come…" as Lola spoke a huge rock slab arose from the ground. "It's time to announce the rules for this year's Grand Magic Games!"
Surveying the slab, everyone saw that each successive day had a series of question marks followed by the word "battle".
"So every day has a battle in it." Gray said.
"Battles?!" Natsu exclaimed.
Lola began to explain the logistics of the Grand Magic games. Each day started with an event wherein each team would be ranked and awarded points based on their performance. First place earned ten points, eighth place received zero points, and every ranking in between were awarded points on a specific scale. While teams could choose their representatives for events, battle match ups were determined at random through sponsor votes. This rule didn't sit too well with Natsu's team.
"What?" Erza said, completely turned off.
"They pick who fights for us?" Gray asked irritated.
"That means we could be completely worn out by an event and then turn around and fight." Elfman said.
"That seems pretty harsh." Lucy commented.
Lola further explained that while a team may lose in an event, they could make up for it in the battle portion of the day. In battles wins totaled ten points, loses resulted in zero points, and draws awarded five points per participating team.
"Now for our opening contest…the Hidden!" Lola announced. "Will each team pick a member and step forward." He instructed. "We will explain the rules of the contest once everyone has decided."
"I'll take this one!" Yeager, representative of Quatro Cerberus, shouted as he stepped forward; his guild mates cheering him on.
"All we need is a win to start this off, right? Will ya'll let me take care of it?" Beth, Mermaid Heel's representative, asked.
The dark haired swordswoman nodded. "Go."
"Go Nullpudding." The armored leader of Raven Tail instructed.
"Right, boss." The aforementioned Nullpudding stepped forward.
"I'll handle this." Eve Tearm of the Tri-Mens said as he stepped forward. His team encouraged him with a pretty well choreographed chant and dance.
"Looks like almost every team has their members chosen for the Hidden." Lola said. "But who will the reigning champs, Sabertooth, choose first?" All eyes fell upon Sabertooth as they stood together.
A blonde haired man in a red hat and mask stepped forward. "Allow me." He said. "It seems the birds are singing pleasantly in my ears on this day."
"There he is!" Lola shouted. "The Minstrel Who Sings To the Red Moon, Rufus!" The crowd went wild, most noticeably the women.
"What's everyone so excited about?" Natsu inquired angrily.
"Guy seems pretty popular." Gray said.
"I should go first since I'm a real man!" Elfman blurted out.
"And how does the word 'hidden' apply to you?" Gray asked curtly.
"Judging by the event's title, it must have to do with stealth." Erza pondered.
"I wish Wendy was here." Lucy lamented. "Since she's so little I bet she would do well."
"If you need to be small, maybe Yuka or I should go." Shelia said with a raised hand, catching wind of Fairy Tail A's conversation.
"Don't call me little." Yuka retorted.
"No need." Lyon smirked. "I'll start us off. We're gonna start things off quickly."
Lyon looked over to his rival. "So that's how you wanna play it, huh?" Gray said. "Fine, show me what these games are all about." Gray stepped forward, naming himself representative for Fairy Tail A.
"If Gray's going then I will too." Juvia said with hearts in her eyes.
"Hey!" Gajeel shouted. "Don't you even think about throwing this."
"Are the teams set?!" Lola exclaimed, all the teams nodding in agreement. "Then, let the 7th ANNUAL GRAND MAGIC GAMES….BEGIN!"
…
New chapter up, with some bad news...I'm putting this story on hiatus for a little bit :(. Sorry guys, but i promise its for a good cause. I need to do a lot of planning for the next few chapters. What's going to change for Fairy Tail, how I'm going to move to the next arc of the story and what's going to change in the Grand Magic Games. Which depending on how you viewed the original, some of you may not like what changes.
I also wanted to focus on other projects I have rolling around in my head, mostly one-shots to keep my mind fresh, but I'll also add more chapters to my older multi chapter stories. Don't worry, I'll still type up chapters of this story, I just need to plan them out and make sure they're perfect before I release them.
With all that being said, thank you guys for reading and I'll see you next time. :)