"You guys are pathetic!" Cana slurred in a drunken stupor toward Elfman. "What kinda crappy performance was that? You made Fairy Tail look like a bunch of *hic* losers."
"Says the girl who went bar hopping." Elfman replied. "You didn't even cheer us on."
"Aw *hic* shut *hic* up." Cana retorted, nearly falling from atop the table she was sitting on. "I saw it all on lacrima-vision. Besides if it wasn't for *hic* Lucy, you guys would be in last place like Mira's team." The drunk fortune teller pointed at the oldest Strauss sibling, who simply smiled and waved at the pair. If she heard Cana's insult she most likely ignored it.
"Don't be so hard on them, Cana. There's always tomorrow." Lisanna said, attempting to calm her.
Erza and Mirajane sat on a bench on the other side of the bar, the former with Aura in her lap.
"Today was tough for all of us." Erza said to Mirajane. "There are a good number of strong wizards in the games."
"True." Mirajane smiled. "Let's do our best tomorrow."
"Are you going to fight tomorrow, Mama Mira?" Aura asked, looking at Mirajane with curious eyes.
"I don't know." Mirajane replied. "But if I do you'll cheer me on, right?" She smiled and pinched the young girl's cheek.
"Mhmm." Aura nodded with a smile.
"Oh yeah, it's my turn tomorrow." Natsu grinned. "I'll make sure we take the number one spot."
"Go for it, Natsu!" Happy exclaimed.
"You can do it, Papa!" Aura encouraged.
"If Salamander is competing then I am too." Gajeel proclaimed.
"Then you can finally show everyone just how hard you trained." Pantherlily nodded in approval.
"Where did Lu and Gray run off to?" Levy asked.
"Come to think of it I haven't seen them, Alana's gone too." Jet said.
"So is Master." Droy said, stuffing another piece of chicken in his mouth.
...
Outside of the bar stood Makarov. He walked into an alleyway, being careful that no one saw him. He clenched a small communication lacrima in his hands, causing it to glow dimly. "Laki? Are you there?" he whispered.
"I can hear you, Master." Laki answered, her voice slightly muffled due to external interference. "How are things at the guild? I know that the Grand Magic Games were coming up last we spoke."
"Everything here is fine, Natsu's team managed to place in the top four on the first day. Although, Laxus' team wasn't as lucky."
"I see." Laki said happily. "I wish I could be there to see everyone. Has anyone asked about me?"
"They have, but I told them you chose to stay behind and look after the guildhall."
"Did they really believe that?"
"Mostly but Laxus and Mirajane were less than convinced."
Laki laughed. "I should have known those two would see through the ruse."
"Have you reached Pergrande?" Makarov asked, his tone becoming serious.
"Yes. I entered the country a fortnight ago."
"Good, have you found Fenrir's Fang?"
"Not yet, it seems they've moved since I was last in the country. I'm currently heading to Jergrande, the country's capital, to see if anyone there knows where they relocated to."
"Has anyone recognized you?"
"No, I used makeup to conceal my guild mark. As far as anyone can tell, I'm just a tourist."
"Good, try your best to keep a low profile. Contact me the moment you learn anything new."
"Understood, Master."
"Goodbye Laki." Makarov said. "Stay safe."
"I will Master. Wish everyone luck in the games for me."
"I will." Makarov smiled. The light from the lacrima faded, ending the communication. Makarov sighed and turned to reenter the main street. Looking down at the ground, he unknowingly bumping into an object that caused him to fall over. He looked up, a nervous look on his face as he saw Laxus towering over him.
"Something you wanna tell me, old man?" Laxus questioned, a frightening look in his eye.
"L-Laxus." Makarov stammered. "I-I was…I just had to use the restroom, this old bladder of mine ain't what it used to be." He let out an embarrassed chuckle, but Laxus was unamused.
Makarov sighed. "Fine." He stood up and filled Laxus in on the details on his plan with Laki and the mysterious men that entered Magnolia a few months prior.
"Are you crazy, old man?" Laxus shouted. "Sending her there by herself? You got no idea what these Fenrirs Fang guys are like."
"I know." Makarov said. "But Laki insisted."
"Doesn't matter, you shouldn't have sent her there by herself." Laxus looked away from his grandfather. "I'll go join her."
"No Laxus you can't." Makarov protested.
"Why not?"
"If you suddenly leave, everyone will get suspicious. We can't afford to cause a ruckus right now, especially here during the games. Don't forget we also have to help Crime Sorciere."
"Yeah, fine." Laxus sighed. "But we can't just leave her there alone. I'll ask Bixlow and Freed to go. Those two should be good right?"
Makarov nodded. "Yes, those two should be enough help for Laki. I'll let her know." Makarov clenched the lacrima in his hands, causing it to glow again. "Laki? There has been a slight change in plan…"
Laxus looked up at the moon. I gotta bad feeling about all of this.
…
"Natsu told me that Lucy went to check on Wendy and Carla. Alana went to find Gray." Macao replied. "He's probably still tore up about his loss today."
"Really?" Romeo asked his father. "I thought he looked great! It was just that Raven jerk and that Rufus guy kept messing him up."
Gray…Juvia thought sadly. Her mind began to wander. Slowly she began to imagine all of the dirty things that Gray and Alana were most likely doing with one another behind her back. She could hear them now:
Alana, I've waited so long for this. Gray said in a low tone.
But Gray, Alana said softly. What about Juvia?
Forget her. Gray said throwing Alana on the bed. I only have eyes for you.
Oh Gray. Alana cooed. Take me now!
"Gray how could you!" Juvia shouted.
"How could I what?" Gray asked as he, Alana, and Lucy arrived in the bar.
"Her imagination has gotten the better of her again." Alana sighed with a smile.
"I'll say." Lucy agreed.
"How are you feeling, Lu?" Levy asked concerned.
"I'm still a bit sore, but I'm ready for tomorrow." Lucy gave her friend a thumbs up.
"Are Wendy and Carla ok?" Gray asked.
"Wendy's still sleeping, and Carla…" Lucy looked down.
2 Hours Earlier
Lucy sat on her stool across from Wendy's bed. Carla stood on another stool next to said bed, her previously frightened look having softened some.
"Now tell me, what did you see?" Porlyusica asked the tabby.
"Well I can't really say for sure but…" Carla began, recalling the flashing images in her mind. "I saw…a garden. It was beautiful, green, and teeming with life."
Lucy sat quietly, holding Plue in her lap as she listened to Carla's recollection.
"Did you see anything else?" Porlyusica pressed.
"Yes." Carla nodded.
"What was it?"
"I saw a man and a woman."
"A man and woman?" Lucy asked
Carla nodded. "The sun was bright so I was unable to recognize faces, but the man was looking out at the garden from a hill. The woman was next to him, but she was kneeling…and crying."
"Maybe she was happy." Lucy suggested.
Carla shook her head. "The cries I heard were of deep regret and sorrow."
"What did this girl look like?" Porlyusica asked.
Carla shook her head. "I don't know for sure, like I said then sun was too bright, but it looked like she was also holding someone in her arms. They appeared to be dead."
"Dead?" Lucy questioned. Carla nodded in confirmation. "What does that mean?" Lucy asked.
"I don't know." Carla said worriedly.
"In any event, we should keep this away from Makarov and the others until we know more." Porlyusica said.
"But…" Lucy began.
"We will keep this between the three of us, understand?" Porlyusica glared at Lucy. The blonde swallowed hard before nodding in compliance.
"Good, now get lost." Porlyusica said, pushing Lucy out of the door. "These three still need their rest."
Lucy watched the door slam in her face before she made her way back towards the bar the others were located, Plue still in her arms. She looked up towards the palace. Most of the fauna around it was gone, most likely due to the efforts of the royal guard. What was that vision about? It seemed way more vague than usual. Is something going to happen at the games?
…
"Carla is still under the weather as well." Lucy lied with a smile.
"What about that girl that was with them?" Lisanna asked. "Is she doing better?"
Lucy shrugged. "I'm not sure. Porlyusica said that she's not hurt as badly as Wendy and Carla, but she still hasn't woken up yet."
"Ah, looks like everyone is here." Makarov said as he reentered the bar with Laxus. The old man climbed atop a nearby table while Laxus motioned the Thunder Legion to his side. "Listen up you brats!" Makarov yelled, a mug of beer now in his hand. "We had a decent showing today but I know we can do much better! We're going to take that number one spot and take down anyone who stands in our way! Because the word 'surrender' doesn't exist to us! Let's aim for number 1!"
"Yeah!" the guild yelled in unison, all of their spirits energized. Everyone began celebrating in earnest, either by drinking, eating, fighting, or some combination of the three. Erza sat at her table with a small smile on her face as she looked out of the window at a nearby rooftop. On this rooftop sat Jellal, still dressed as Mystogan, keeping watch for the partying Fairy Tail guild. However, unbeknownst to Erza, a secret conversation was taking place amongst the members of Crime Sorciere.
"Are you sure that's what she said?" Ultear asked. She and Meldy remained at their mountain location. There they watched Jellal from Ultear's crystal ball as he held his communication lacrima.
Jellal nodded. "Yes, Erza told me that a girl was found at the palace. The same place where the green light you told me of originated from."
"Ultear." Meldy looked at her "mother", the worry permeating her voice.
"Does she have anything to do with the other presence we sensed?" Jellal inquired.
Ultear nodded. "Yes, I believe she does."
"What should I do?" Jellal asked.
"Well obviously, having you continue taking part in the games is out of the question." Ultear said. Jellal sweatdropped, thinking of his battle with Jura. "Stay with Fairy Tail and when you get a chance, apporach the girl."
"Ok, I'll just tell them and…"
"No." Ultear said sternly, cutting off Jellal. "You can't let Fairy Tail know what we're doing."
"Why not?" Jellal questioned.
"Because," Ultear began. "Depending on how much of a threat she is, we may have to…" Ultear paused. "If Fairy Tail has become…attached to her, 'removing' her would only complicate matters with them."
Remove. Ultear's words hung in the air. They floated above Jellal's head, and slowly sunk into to his skull, giving him a slight headache. He wanted to protest, but in the end he knew that Ultear was making the right decision, at least that's what he wanted to believe. If he told Fairy Tail, it would only make things difficult in the long run. They would want to protect this mystery girl for protecting one of their own, they would want to befriend her, and that would only complicate things further.
Jellal steeled his gaze and nodded. "Understood."
"Good." Ultear said. "Contact us when you gain more information on the girl."
"I understand. I'll talk with you two later." With that, the light from the crystal ball faded, ending their communication.
"Ultear, are you sure about this? You know how Jellal feels about killing." Meldy said.
"I know. Honestly I don't want to have to resort to this course of action either, but we have to do what must be done to safeguard the world. If this girl is connected to Zeref and is a threat to the world, we must dispose of her; regardless of what anyone, including Fairy Tail, says." Ultear said resolute.
Meldy nodded. "Ok. If this is what you want, I'm with you all the way."
"Thank you, Meldy." Ultear said with a soft smile.
Jellal turned his attention back towards the tavern, a solemn but determined look in his eye. Regardless of my personal feelings, the mission comes first.
...
Erza felt Jellal's gaze and her eyes narrowed back at him. Jellal? What is this uneasy feeling?
Aura looked up, curious about the stare in her mother's eye. "Are you ok, mama?" she asked.
Erza looked down at her daughter, her apprehensive gaze turning into a smile. "Yes honey, I'm fine." She rubbed her daughter's head. The child smiled wide like her father.
Erza looked forward. Her eyes fell upon Natsu, who was dancing and talking with Lucy and Happy. The redhead caught Natsu's eye. He smiled and waved, both Aura and Erza waved back.
"So do you guys understand what's going on?" Laxus asked the rest of the Thunder Legion. They all nodded in confirmation.
"Why are Freed and Bixlow the only ones going?" Evergreen complained. "I can help too."
"It's nothing personal, Evergreen." Laxus reassured.
"Besides, shouldn't you stay and watch your boyfriend?" Bixlow teased, pointing at Elfman.
Evergreen blushed and looked away. "Under no circumstances would that buffoon ever be my boyfriend."
"Sure he's not." Bixlow smirked.
"When do you wish for us to depart, Laxus?" Freed asked.
"The old man wants ya gone as soon as possible, so tomorrow morning. Don't worry, I'll cover for you." Laxus said.
"Understood." Freed nodded.
"Yeah, don't worry, boss." Bixlow said. "You can count on us."
"Good, now let's join the party." Laxus smirked, the Thunder Legion nodded in agreement and went to join the rest of the guild.
"Man, they sure are rowdy." One of the bar patrons complained.
"Aw, cut them some slack." The bartender smiled. "They did good today."
"Alright! Who's next?!" Natsu shouted cockily as he stood on the table. He had just defeated Max in a fight, leaving the sand wizard in a less than flattering position on the floor. "I'll take anyone on!"
"You the man, Natsu!" Macao said.
"Max was no match for you." Wakaba added. Max groaned in pain.
"How did he get so strong in three months?" Warren asked, a cold sweat running down his face.
"What'll happen to us?" Vijeeter questioned.
"Fine! I'll take ya on." Gajeel smirked, standing up from his seat.
"Bad idea." Laxus said, sipping from his mug. "With you two it'll go from an 'exhibition' match to an all-out brawl."
"When did you get so soft, Laxus?" Gajeel laughed, patting the lightning dragon on the head. Laxus said nothing, instead he just stared at Gajeel.
"Stop, Gajeel!" Levy pleaded, trying to pull away the Iron Dragon. "Don't make Laxus angry."
"You insolent…" Freed growled. "How dare you touch Laxus like that?!" Freed snapped at Gajeel. "You have insulted our honor! Thunder Legion, Assemble!" he shouted, but to his dismay both Evergreen and Bixlow were too drunk to move. Even Freed himself was a bit tipsy.
"I'm too wasted." Evergreen slurred as she laid against the bench of the table she was previously sitting. Bixlow laid on his stomach next to her, groaning in defeat.
"Lightweights." Cana smiled.
"Mama…" Aura said in a shaky voice.
"Hm?" Erza looked down at her daughter. Tears pooled in her eyes as she rubbed her little knees together.
"I have to go to the bathroom." Aura whimpered.
"Oh…Oh!" Erza's eyes widened in realization. She stood up with Aura, taking her daughter by the hand and walking briskly to the bathroom on the other side of the bar. Before reaching the restroom door a man passed by Erza. A drunken smile was on his face as he stumbled past the redhead, who noticed something familiar about him. Is that…?
"Hey sister, you look pretty strong." The mystery man said to a still drunken Cana.
"Huh?" she said looking up at him. His hair was in a bun with a white cloth covering it. He had distinct tattoos under his eyes and wore what appeared to be the shoulder portion of a piece of armor that extended down his arms, exposing his chest and abdominals.
The man slammed a glass of beer on the table. "You wanna try your luck against me?" he grinned, his sharp canine's showing his eagerness.
"Ok." Cana smirked. "I don't know who you are dude, but you're on." She stood up, accepting his challenge.
"Hey, I wouldn't' do that if I were you!" Macao warned the stranger.
"That girl's a monster." Wakaba chimed in. Their words went unheeded.
The two lushes began their fierce battle of wills. Wakaba, Macao, and soon the entire guild were looking on amazed as Cana and mysterious challenger consumed bottle after bottle of alcohol. Beer, ale, mead, wine, liquor; if it made one even the slightest bit inebriated it found itself consumed in a single gulp.
"I had heard the stories, but I had no idea Cana was such a hardy drinker." Alana commented with widened eyes.
"Yeah, she's something alright." Lucy laughed.
"The guy she's goin against is no slouch either." Elfman said. "Pretty manly."
Max, having recovered from his beating by Natsu, placed his hand under his chin to think. "That guy, I think I've seen him somewhere before."
After what seemed like forever, one of the mighty gladiators finally dropped. To the Fairy Tail guild's overwhelming surprise, it was Cana. Her challenger, now champion, laughed triumphantly through his drunken stupor.
"Cana…lost?!" The guild exclaimed in disbelief.
"That should be impossible…right?" Kinana asked aloud.
"I've never seen Cana lose a drinking contest before." Warren said.
"Well you can't win 'em all." Laxus said, sipping from his own mug.
The man took Cana's bra. "I'll *hic* be taking this as a prize." He said as he wobbled towards the bar's exit.
"What are you doing, jerk?!" Droy yelled.
"Hey, give that back!" Macao yelled after him. He and Wakaba began to give chase.
He swung at the man, who unexpectedly fell over despite Macao's attack not connecting. "What the?" Macao said.
The man then stood back up, falling back onto Macao and Wakaba, sending them crashing through a couple of benches.
"Dad!" Romeo shouted.
"What is this guy's deal?" Warren asked.
Natsu watched the commotion and clenched his teeth in anger. His fist ignited in flames. "Why that…" he was ready to attack until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked back and saw Erza and Aura, having just returned from the restroom.
"Erza." Natsu said.
"Stand back, Natsu."
"But…"
"I'll handle this." She smiled at him before walking forward. She looked down at the drunken assailant. "I knew that was you I saw earlier…Bacchus."
"Huh?" The man, whose name was now revealed to be Bacchus, stood up.
"Erza?" he said with a smile, his face closer than Titania's than she would like. "It's been a while. You look as hot as ever." He looked down and saw Aura, who was hiding behind her mother's leg. He smirked and squatted down in front of the young girl. "Cute kid, she yours?" he looked up at Erza who nodded in confirmation. He looked back at Aura. "Hey little lady, name's Bacchus. Me and your mom go way back."
Aura pinched her nose closed with the fingers. "You stink." She said, the foul stench of alcohol filling her sensitive little nostrils.
Bacchus laughed uproariously. "You're just like your mom."
"Are you participating in the games as well?" Erza asked Bacchus, who stood back up and faced her.
"Well I was gonna sit this one out and let the younger members handle it, but after what happened to Warcry I decided to join as a reserve member *hic*."
"I see." Erza said, slightly narrowing her gaze.
"Seeing you again makes my spirit tremble." Bacchus said. He began to walk, or rather wobble, towards the bar exit. "If we meet in the games, let's have a decisive battle this time. See ya!"
"Bacchus, wait." Erza said.
He halted and looked back at the redhead. "Yeah?"
"Cana's top, give it back."
Bacchus sighed. "Fine, you guys are too serious for your own good." He threw the bikini top and Erza caught with one hand.
"Thank you." She said.
"Yeah, yeah." Bacchus waved. "See you in the games, Erza." He laughed loudly as he walked out into the street, drunkenly running into passersby.
"Hey watch where ya going ya idiot!" someone shouted.
"Ha Ha Ha! Sorry about that!" Bacchus apologized loudly.
Erza let out a deep sigh once Bacchus departed.
"Mama, that man smelled bad." Aura said, her nose still covered.
"He did, didn't he?" Erza smiled.
"Erza…" Lucy began, gaining the redhead's attention. "Who was that guy?"
"He is an S-Class wizard from the Quatro Cerberus guild, and possibly their strongest member. The Drunken Hawk…Bacchus, of the Drunken Pigua Quan School." Erza explained. "We've fought many times before, but neither of us has had a clear victory over the other."
"Y-you mean he's as strong as you?" Lucy trembled.
"Well it doesn't matter now, right?" Natsu said. "There's no way Erza would lose this time around."
"Sounds like he already knows he's going to fight you in the games." Gray commented.
"Whether he fights me or not is of no great importance to me." Erza looked at the clock, realizing that it was almost midnight.
"You all need to get some rest." Makarov said to Erza and the other games participants. "You still have four days of games left."
Erza nodded. "Understood Master. Let's go." Erza said as she and the others headed back to the inn.
"Hey, Erza?" Natsu whispered as to not wake the others. Inside Fairy Tail A's room at the inn everyone had their own bed, save Natsu and Erza who chose to share one along with Aura.
Erza turned over. "What's wrong, Natsu?" she asked groggily, her eyes still closed. "You can't sleep?"
"Not really. I just keep thinking about that Bacchus guy, and those guys in Sabertooth."
"What about them?"
"I can sense how strong they are and it makes me shake a little." he answered.
"Don't tell me you're afraid of them." Erza smiled.
"No, I'm just excited." Natsu replied. "I didn't know there were so many strong wizards in Fiore. I wanna fight them all."
"I'm sure you'll get the chance. Now try and get some rest, we have our work cut out for us tomorrow."
"Ok." Natsu nodded.
"You can do it...Papa." Aura moaned in her sleep. Erza and Natsu looked at their daughter, who lied between them, and smiled warmly at one another before drifting off to sleep.
…
"Good morning everyone and welcome to day two of the 7th annual Grand Magic games!" Lola announced over a roaring crowd. "Once again I'm your host Lola Chapati, joined once again by Mr. Yajima. How are you doing on this fine day Mr. Yajima?"
"I'm doing well, thank you, Lola." Yajima said with a smile.
"Today our special guest host is reporter and photographer for the world renowned sorcerer weekly: Jason!"
"Thanks for having me guys, it's so cool to be here!" Jason exclaimed in his usual excited manner.
"All of the teams are gathered in the arena center and each participant has been selected as we await the announcement of the event for day 2." Lola resumed.
"Go, papa!" Aura shouted with a smile from the stands.
"Come on, what's taking so long?" Natsu said as he tapped his foot on the dirt. "I wanna get this over with already."
"Calm down, Natsu." Lucy said.
"Lucy's right, being anxious will only ruin your performance." Erza added.
"Do your best Gajeel." Mirajane smiled.
"Right." Gajeel smirked. "No way I'm losing to Salamander."
"You can do It, Risley." Beth cheered as she and the rest of Mermaid Heel stood behind their guild mate.
"Don't worry." Risley said as she finished stretching. "I'll show these guys why they shouldn't underestimate Mermaid Heel."
"Yuka! You better not lose or I'll spin ya!" Obaba yelled from the stands.
"I…I understand Master Obaba." Yuka sweat dropped while his guild mates snickered.
"Remember your objective, Kurohebi." The armored member of Raven Tail said. Kurohebi nodded in confirmation.
"Let's go, Bacchus!" Rocker shouted, his cries echoed by his fellow guild mates. "Wild!"
"I can feel my spirit trembling." Bacchus smirked.
"We believe in you, Sir Ichiya." Hibiki said as he and tri-mens bowed in respect.
"Fret not, men. I shall bring our guild honor today." Ichiya said.
"I didn't think you would wanna show off this early, Sting." Orga said.
"How could I not?" Sting replied. "Natsu's participating, that means I gotta go too. It's only fair as a fellow dragon slayer."
"You can be quite ruthless sometimes, Sting." Rufus said.
"Ya think so?" Sting replied with an arrogant smirk. Rogue said nothing, instead his eyes were focused on Gajeel.
"Fairy Tail A has chosen Natsu Dragneel, Fairy Tail B has chosen Gajeel Redfox, and the defending champions Sabertooth have gone with Sting Eucliffe. Could we see a battle of the dragon slayers in this event Mr. Yajima?" Lola asked.
"It is certainly a possibility." Yajima nodded.
"Three dragon slayers in one event?! This is gonna be soo cool!" Jason shouted.
In a puff of smoke Mato appeared before the teams. His smiling pumpkin head bobbing from side to side. Natsu was less than amused.
"Have all of the participants been selected?" Mato asked. He surveyed the teams, noticing the members that had stepped forward a small distance ahead of the others. "Good. Now we can begin the event for day 2 of the Grand Magic Games!" Mato waved his arm in the air and snapped his figures, in the blink of an eye Natsu and his fellow participants were gone.
"Where did they go?!" Elfman exclaimed.
Natsu and the others appeared near the base of a small mountain on the outskirts of Crocus. The mountain had to be over 1,000 meters tall. Everyone looked up and saw a small piece of cloth waving on the mountains peak.
"What the hell…" Gajeel began.
"Is going on?" Natsu finished.
"I now present to you the event for day 2 of the Grand Magic Games!" Mato announced. He pointed into the air. "Ascension!"
…
In a small room tucked away at the edge of an enormous hallway inside of an equally huge building, words of desperation and fear were being exchanged between two women.
"You have to go." One of the women commanded in a whisper. She was the elder of the two, noticeably taller than her companion by a few inches. Although her face was obscured by the darkness, her long brown hair and her flowing white dress shined dimly in the creeping moonlight.
"But I…" the younger woman began to protest. There was a frightened look in her eyes, her small hands quivering.
"Now." The elder woman said harshly, her voice raising an octave. "It won't be long before they find out."
The girl shook her head. "No." she said shakily. "I'm not going to leave you behind."
The older woman placed her hand on the girl's. It was warm, soothing, soon the young girl's hand stopped shaking. She looked up at her companion.
"Don't worry. I promise we will see each other again, but you have to go. Without you, he won't be able to enact his plan."
"But he will find me and..."
"He won't find you. I'll make sure of it, but you have to leave…" the pair soon heard footsteps approaching from outside that steadily grew louder and louder the closer they came. The elder woman turned back to the young girl. "Go, now." She said urgently.
The young girl reluctantly nodded and ran to the wall furthest from the door. She knelt down, removing a small piece of the wall to reveal a crawlspace. She entered it, moving the false wall piece back into place. A few moments late she emerged on the opposite direction of the footsteps. She was a good distance from the door, but she could see a lantern light emerging from the opposite end of the hallway. They were approaching the room she had just exited. Against her better judgment, the young girl returned the crawl space.
She crawled through just stopping short of her initial entrance. She carefully removed the false wall, being sure not to make a sound.
"Open this door, now!" a booming voice called from the other side of the closed door. The woman inside didn't respond. The door was suddenly forced open, making way for a man to enter the room. The young girl began to shake again as she looked upon him. He was an elderly man, but with a rather muscular frame. A short white beard framed his square face, an eye patch covering his left eye. She also took notice at the various men and women at his back.
The man stared angrily at the elder woman, who was turned away from him in disgust. "Hold her." He ordered. Two men emerged from the pack, grabbing the woman by her arms and turning her towards the elderly man.
The woman struggled to break free from their grip. The elderly man walked towards her. He was easily a couple of feet taller than the woman. He looked down at her in anger. "Do you have any idea about what you have done?" He asked.
The woman looked up at him defiantly. "I know full well the consequences of my actions. You can't have expected her to follow through with your plan, could you? She's only a child."
"She willingly accepted the dangers involved." He replied.
"You lied to her!" the woman shouted.
"I did what need to be done!" The man retorted. "All of this is for the good of the entire land."
"No, Master…" The woman said. "This was only to benefit your own selfish desires."
The elderly man looked away from her, a disappointed look in his eye. "I thought you would have understood my intentions more than anyone, but I was wrong. Take her away."
The woman continued to struggle as she was taken out of the room. The young girl watching from the crawlspace covered her mouth in fright, tears pooling in her eyes. She turned around, and returned to the hall.
"Find the girl." The man commanded. The remaining men and women nodded and exited the room, splintering off in different directions.
"Master, please. You can't do this." The woman pleaded. "You can deal with me however you wish, but please spare her."
"Take her to the cellar." The man ordered loudly, drowning out the woman's protests.
"Stop! Let me go!" The woman's desperate cries soon faded into the darkness.
The young girl continued running through halls. Noticing footsteps approaching behind her, she quickly entered a door of a vacant room.
"She can't have gone far!" a man shouted as he ran past. "Find her!"
Her pursuer's footsteps soon inaudible, the young girl placed her back against the door. She slowly slid down until she was sitting on the ground. Thinking back to the sight she saw only moments ago, she covered her mouth with her hand and began to sob, tears streaming down her delicate face.
"Freyja…" Shizuka said low, a tear streaming down the side of her cheek as she lie in her infirmary bed.
"Freyja?" Wendy, now awake and healed from her injuries, repeated confused. She looked over to Carla, who sat next to her. The tabby could only shrug her shoulders and shake her head.
Ever since waking up, Wendy stayed by Shizuka's bedside, anticipating the moment she would finally awake. While Carla and Porlyusica advised against it, Wendy insisted on staying by Shizuka's side.
"What did I tell you about bothering her?" Porlyusica chided. "She'll wake up when she's ready."
"But she was crying." Wendy said sadly.
"She probably just had a bad dream." Porlyusica said plainly.
"She also said something." Carla added.
"Really?" Porlyusica asked. Her interest piqued, she arose from her desk and walked towards the three girls. "What did she say?"
"She said…Freyja." Wendy answered.
"Freyja?" Porlyusica parroted.
Wendy nodded. "I think she might be a friend of hers or something."
"Hmm. Well in any case, we can ask her when she wakes up." Porlyusica said as she walked back to her desk. She sat down, looking at her three patients before turning around to resume her research. Freyja…why does that name sound familiar?
…
"Crap!" Natsu exclaimed. He had once again dodged some rather large boulders that had fallen from the mountains peak. He punched through them and continued running the spiral path towards the top.
Ascension, the second event in the 7th annual Grand Magic Games. The object of the event is to reach the peak of the mountain and plant your guild's flag in the podium. Each participant had been given a flag which remained strapped to their back until it was time to place it. Along the narrow path were various traps and obstacles designed to slow progress. Magic is permitted to ensure victory and an instant disqualification is granted to those whose flags are destroyed or lost during the event. Those who fall from the mountain are also disqualified.
Natsu found himself in 4th place. Kurohebi of Raven Tail led the charge, with Ichiya and Yuka close behind. Behind Natsu were Risley, Bacchus, Gajeel, and Sting who were quickly gaining ground on him.
"The participants have all passed the 1/3 marker and Kurohebi of Raven Tail is currently maintaining a steady lead with Yuka and Ichiya close behind." Lola said. "Although it looks like Natsu of Fairy Tail A is trying to close the gap. Since the participants are a third of the way there it's time to increase the load!" Lola shouted.
Natsu continued his steady pace until he felt a pressure weigh him down. "What the…hell?" Natsu strained as he tried to regain his stride.
"What's this?" Gajeel said confused, also straining. His momentary lapse in momentum allowed Risley, and Bacchus to overtake him. "Dammit." He cursed as he watched them pass.
"Natsu seems to be doing well." Erza said as she and the others watched the monitor "Although he is still lagging behind."
"Come on, Natsu!" Elfman shouted. "You're faster than that!"
"He looks tired." Lucy pointed out.
"Yeah he does." Gray nodded. "That's weird, he can usually run for days."
"It's the flag." Erza said. "The more altitude Natsu and the others gain, the heavier it gets."
"Sting looks like he might lose this one." Orga said.
"I wouldn't count him out just yet." Rufus smiled. "I'm sure he has something in mind."
"Damn." Gajeel grimaced. "This thing weighs a ton." He managed to pass Risley, setting his sights squarely on Natsu. I'm not gonna let Salamander get ahead of me.
Natsu panted heavily. He had just passed the halfway point, causing the flag's weight increased another 20 pounds. His legs were aching but he couldn't stop running, not while everyone in Fairy Tail was watching him. He watched Ichiya, who was a small distance ahead of him, jump over something. "What was that?" Natsu said. Natsu squinted to see, his eyes widening when he saw an oil slick. "Oh man!" Natsu shouted as he slipped into it.
"Oh!" Lola shouted. "It looks like Natsu has fallen victim to the oil slick trap. Will he fall off the mountain?"
"He does seem to be having trouble." Yajima nodded.
"Cool!" Jason shouted.
"Idiot!" Gray face palmed. "He should have watched where he was going."
"This is bad." Lucy said.
Erza shook her head in disapproval. "He lost focus."
Natsu wailed as he spun around, inadvertently hitting Ichiya and knocking him off the mountain. "Meeeennn!" Ichiya yelled as he fell from the mountain side.
"Master Ichiya!" The tri-mens shouted concerned. They trembled in fear. Tears began to form in their eyes. They began to mourn the loss of their leader, until Hibiki saw a faint light on the lacrima-vision screen.
"Wait, what's that?!" Hibiki shouted, pointing at the screen.
The camera flew around the side of the mountain, showing Ichiya hanging off the side of the mountain by his fingertips.
"Sir Ichiya!" The Tri-Men's exclaimed happily.
"By the skin of his teeth it looks like Ichiya has managed to survive Natsu's uncontrolled spinning!" Lola announced. "But how long can he hold on?"
"Man." Ichiya sighed. He looked down, gulping loudly as he took in the height of the mountain. "That is certainly a long way down."
"Well that was unexpected." Lucy said.
"That was quite resourceful." Erza said impressed.
"I don't think lucky is the same as resourceful." Lucy sweat dropped.
Back on the mountain Natsu managed to regain his footing, although he was still dizzy spinning. "Ah, my head." He grumbled with spirals in his eyes. "What happened?"
"Outta my way, Salamander!" Gajeel yelled, pushing Natsu and passing him on the path.
Natsu stumbled back, almost falling off of the mountain as Gajeel, Risley and Sting passed him. "Hey watch it you jerk!" Natsu shouted at the Iron Dragon. "You could have knocked me off!"
"It looks like Natsu has fully recovered from his spin-out." Lola commentated. "But now he's in last place."
"Crap!" Natsu exclaimed. "Looks like I have to play catch up now." He held his arms behind him and began to run.
FIRE DRAGON BOOSTER
Natsu's fists caught flame, increasing his speed. He quickly caught up, easily passing Gajeel and the others.
"What's this?!" Lola exclaimed in surprise. "Natsu has quickly caught up to the others, and by the looks of it he'll be taking first place!"
"That is certainly an inventive maneuver." Yajima commented.
"Natsu is soooo cool!" Jason shouted.
Bacchus noticed Natsu closing the gap between them and smirked. "Looks like it's time for me to get wild." Bacchus lifted one of his legs high and stomped it on the ground, causing the entire mountain to shake.
"Whoa!" Natsu shouted, losing his balance once again.
"Ah!" Risley squealed. She looked down and saw cracks forming in the path. "What's going on?"
"The hell is up with this guy!" Gajeel shouted, grabbing the mountain side to stabilize himself.
"Oh man!" Elfman yelled, gripping the balcony railing. "What's with that guy?!"
"Bacchus has gotten even stronger." Erza said with widened eyes.
"Natsu's going to fall off!" Lucy pointed at the screen in a panic.
"Nnn-not this time!" Natsu stomped his leg into the ground, holding himself in place. "Now, all I gotta do is…mmph!" Natsu's words were cut short when Sting suddenly jumped on him, using his face as a springboard.
"Sorry, Natsu." He winked as he pushed off of the fire dragon slayer.
The force of Sting's ascent caused Natsu to fall over the side of the mountain, hitting boulders and other rocks on the way down.
"Natsu!" Erza gasped.
The crowd looked on in hushed shock as they watched the dragon slayer rapidly descended from the mountain top.
Before hitting the bottom, Natsu disappeared from the monitor. In a flash he reappeared in the middle of the arena, unconscious, his body more than a little banged up.
…
Shizuka's eyes slowly opened as the sunlight seeped in through the window at her bedside. She moaned softly and looked to the side. She saw three figures standing at a counter a small distance away from her bed.
"Where…am…I?" she said low.
Wendy's ears perked up at the subtle sound and she turned around. "You're awake!" She exclaimed. She walked to the bed and sat in the chair she had previously next to it. Shizuka squinted as she looked at Wendy's smiling face, her eyes still trying to adjust.
"You are...the girl I bumped into the other day." Shizuka said.
Wendy nodded and bowed. "My name is Wendy. Thank you for saving Carla and me."
"Carla?" Shizuka asked.
"I am Carla." A voice said from the edge of the bed.
Shizuka titled her head up and saw a white tabby in a sleeveless shirt and tie. She also wore a small skirt and cute little boots with a bow tied around her tail. She stood on her hind legs, a sour look on her face as she crossed her arms.
Shizuka looked back at Wendy and smiled. "You are quite the ventriloquist."
Wendy sweat dropped. "Well actually-"
"I am perfectly capable of talking on my own!" Carla shouted.
"Oh, my apologies." Shizuka smiled at the tabby. "I have just never seen a talking cat before."
"Well now you have." Carla pouted, turning away.
"Carla, be nice." Wendy said trying to calm her.
"How are you feeling?" Porlyusica asked, having walked from the counter to Shizuka's bedside. Shizuka looked up at the elderly woman, her permanent scowl serving to unnerve the girl.
"I am feeling better, thank you for asking. Were you the one who brought me here?"
"No, I only treated you." She pointed at Wendy. "Her meddlesome friends are your saviors."
Shizuka looked back to Wendy, a curious look in her eye. "Friends?"
Wendy nodded smiling. "Yeah, my friends in the Fairy Tail guild brought us here."
"Fairy Tail…" Shizuka pondered aloud. Suddenly her eyes widened and she grabbed Wendy's arms.
"What are you doing?!" Carla shouted on guard.
"Fairy Tail?!" Shizuka exclaimed. "I have been looking for your guild!"
"Y-you have?" Wendy asked, still a bit unnerved by Shizuka's sudden action.
…
"Natsu Dragneel has been disqualified!" Lola shouted. "Since he fell from the mountain, Fairy Tail A receives no points." Lola explained.
Yajima said nothing, instead staring angrily at the screen.
Erza gritted her teeth and jumped over the railing, desperately running to Natsu's side.
"Erza wait!" Lucy shouted, but she was already out of earshot.
"Papa!" Aura tried to join her parents, but Alana grabbed her.
"No, you can't Aura. You'll hurt yourself." Alana said.
"But Papa's hurt." Aura whimpered, tears pooling in her eyes.
"That bastard." Gray growled, looking at Sting on the monitor.
"What the hell was that?!" Elfman shouted.
Makarov clenched his fist tightly as it shook in anger. Mavis' look also darkened.
"Natsu." Mirajane said low, her hands covering her mouth.
"Natsu!" Erza slid on the ground, stopping next to Natsu. She looked at his still form, a mixed feeling of both rage and horror filling her being as she slowly lifted his head onto her lap. "Come on, Natsu. Wake up, please." She pleaded as he rubbed his head.
"Salamander!" Gajeel called out, looking down the mountain. He looked up at Sting angrily. "Why you…!" he pointed his arm at the blonde dragon slayer.
IRON DRAGON CLUB
Sting saw the attack and smirked. He stepped against the side of the mountain, jumping off of it and landing on Gajeel's club, using it as another springboard.
"Dammit." Gajeel cursed.
"Once again Sting has used his opponent as a launching pad!" Lola shouted.
Bacchus, who had used the confusion caused by his attack to gain the lead, arrived at the peak of the mountain. He smirked triumphantly and pulled out his flag. "Alright." He grinned.
He moved towards the stand but stopped short when he saw Sting ascend from the side of the mountain.
"Sting has reached the peak!" Lola yelled to some crowd applause, others were still worried about Natsu.
Sting smirked at Bacchus as he grabbed his Sabertooth flag. Shifting his weight in midair, Sting dive bombed, sticking his flag into the first place stand.
"Sting has stuck his flag in the stand!" Lola yelled. "Sabertooth has won Ascension, earning them 10 points!"
"Tch." Bacchus clicked his teeth before putting his flag in the second place stand.
"After coming so close, Bacchus has come in second place, earning Quatro Cerberus 8 points." Lola announced.
"Don't worry about it, Bacchus!" Rocker reassured loudly, along with the rest of his team. "You still showed everybody your wild spirit!"
"FWOO!" they all yelled in unison.
The other participants soon arrived at the peak. After watching Sting, Risley used her gravity magic to come in fourth after Kurohebi, tailing the pack were Gajeel and Yuka who came in fifth and sixth respectively; Ichiya brought up the rear in seventh place. Once everyone was at the peak, they were transported back to the arena.
Sting waved his hands in the air triumphantly, to the crowd's thunderous applause.
"You smug bastard." Gajeel said.
Sting looked back at him with an arrogant smile and shrugged. "Hey, it's not my fault he lost his balance."
"You…!" Gajeel dashed at him.
"Gajeel!" Erza shouted.
Gajeel looked down and saw the redhead kneeling on the ground, Natsu's head still in her lap. The pink haired dragon slayer was almost completely covered in dirt, bruises, and scrapes from his fall. He was still unconscious.
"Not now." Erza said, trying to mask her anger. "We have nothing to gain by fighting him here."
Gajeel acquiesced and lowered his fist. "You got lucky this time." He said to Sting.
"Hmph." Sting huffed. He walked back towards his team, Erza and Gajeel doing the same.
"I'm taking Natsu to Porlyusica in the infirmary." Erza said, carrying Natsu on her back. Her words were aimed at Gajeel, but her hardened gaze was fixed solely on Sting.
"Alright." Gajeel nodded, noticing the anger in her eyes.
The Fairy Tail guild watched as their friends walked into the tunnel.
"Poor, Natsu." Levy said.
"We're going to the infirmary, Master." Alana said to Makarov. She was holding a crying Aura's hand.
Makarov nodded. "Ok. Check on him and let me know what happens."
"Right." Alana nodded. "Come on, Aura." The two headed towards the infirmary.
"That was a cheap shot." Jet said, glaring at Sabertooth's team. Makarov and Mavis also glared at the reigning champions.
"That was certainly unsportsmanlike of you, Sting." Rufus grinned as the dragon slayer returned.
"I just saw an opportunity and took it." Sting shrugged. "Not my fault the guy is clumsy."
"I'm sorry, guys." Risley apologized with her head down. "I let you all down."
"Now's not the time to get discouraged." The long haired swordswoman said. "We must prove ourselves in the battle portion."
"She's right; you did good, Risley." Beth added. "We got'em next time."
"Now that the event portion of the games is over we can move on to the battle portion of the day, but first the current rankings." Lola announced. Everyone turned their attention to the screens:
1st: Sabertooth – 30
2nd: Lamia Scale – 18
3rd: Blue Pegasus – 15
4th: Raven Tail – 14
5th Quatro Cerberus – 11
6th Fairy Tail A - 10
7th Mermaid Heel – 7
8th Fairy Tail B – 4
"Sabertooth has gained a sizable lead, but what else would you expect of the reigning champions?" Lola said.
"Despite questionable methods, they managed to pull off the victory in the event." Yajima said, still visibly upset.
"That was certainly a cool victory though." Jason nodded.
"Now on to the battle portion of day 2." Lola announced.
"Papa!" Aura shouted as she and Alana walked into the infirmary. Aura ran to the bed her father was resting in. Erza was sitting in a chair next to him.
"Shhh." Erza said to her daughter. "Not so loud, Aura."
"How is he, Miss Porlyusica?" Alana asked.
"Fortunately nothing is broken. He only has some minor scrapes and bruises." Porlyusica reported. "That boy is a sturdy one, he should be up and annoying in no time."
Alana sighed with relief. "That's good." She then looked around the infirmary. "Where are Wendy and Carla? Have they recovered?"
Porlyusica nodded. "Yes, they took our mysterious guest to the restroom. They should return momentarily."
Alana's eyes widened. "The girl woke up too?"
"Yes she did." Porlyusica answered. "She certainly fits with you lot. Makarov did always attract the odd ones." Porlyusica's voice trailed off as she walked back to her desk.
What's that supposed to mean? Alana wondered. She then shrugged her shoulders and walked over to Natsu's bedside. Aura leaned on his bed while Erza looked on from her chair. Alana smiled softly at the family scene.
"Erza," Alana began. "You should go back. Aura and I can stay and watch Natsu."
Erza shook her head in protest. "No, I'm exactly where I need to be."
"But what if they call you to fight?" Alana asked. "You'll be disqualified if you don't participate."
"So be it. I'm not leaving until Natsu wakes up."
"Don't be stubborn, girl." Porlyusica scolded. "The boy's fine, all he needs is rest. Now go, you don't want to let your team down."
Erza let Porlyusica's words sink in. After a few moments of quiet reflection she sighed reluctantly and stood up, walking over to Natsu's bed. She looked at him one last time. "Fine, I'll go."
"Mama…?" Aura looked at her mother, tears still in her eyes.
Erza knelt down and smiled at Aura, placing her hand on her daughter's face and wiping away the child's tears with her thumb. "Now, now don't cry." Erza smiled. "Papa is going to be fine. He just needs rest. I need you to be a big girl and watch over him with Alana until I return, ok?"
Aura nodded. "Ok." She sniffed, rubbing her eyes with her shirt sleeve.
"Good girl." Erza kissed Aura's forehead and stood back up. She then walked towards the door. "Let me know when he wakes, Alana." Erza said.
"I will." Alana nodded. "Good luck."
With that Erza walked out of the infirmary and back towards the arena.
"Erza, you're back." Lucy said with widened eyes. "How's Natsu?"
"He should be fine after some rest. Did I miss anything?"
"Well…"
"And the winner of the first fight is Nullpudding of Raven Tail!" Lola announced.
Erza looked down at the arena floor. Her eyes slowly widened in surprise when she noticed that the opponent Nullpudding had defeated was Lyon. She looked over to Gray, who was tightly clenching the balcony railing.
"What happened?" Erza asked.
15 Minutes Earlier
"Now for the first match of Day 2!" Lola announced. "It will be Lyon Vastia of Lamia Scale versus Nullpudding of Raven Tail!"
The two wizards stepped forward, trading confident looks.
"I won't fall as easily as Gray." Lyon declared.
"We'll see about that." Nullpudding smirked.
The gong rang, signifying the beginning of the match. Nullpudding held out his arm. It grew bulbous, spikes protruding from it.
NEEDLE SHOT
A flurry of needles shot from the purple man's arm, all of them aimed at Lyon.
ICE MAKE SHIELD
Lyon created an ice shield, blocking the spike projectiles.
ICE MAKE EAGLE
Eagles made of ice shot forth from Lyon's shield, making a beeline for Nullpudding. Nullpudding jumped into the air. "You'll have to try better than that, ice boy!" Nullpudding shouted.
Lyon smirked as his eagles flew into the air.
"What?!" Nullpudding exclaimed. He used another Needle shot but the eagles dodged.
"Are you even trying?" Lyon asked smugly.
The eagles collided with Nullpudding, sending him crashing to the ground.
"What an attack from Lyon!" Lola shouted.
"What control he has over his creations." Yajima said with piqued interest.
"So cool!" Jason shouted.
"Wow, Lyon's gotten even better." Lucy said.
"Show off." Gray scoffed.
"Sounds like you're jealous." Elfman said.
"Shut up." Gray retorted.
"Man, he's just as good as Gray." Wakaba commented.
"There ya go, Lyon!" Makarov shouted. "Show Ivan's idiots whose boss!"
"Looks like Master Makarov is really into it." Pantherlily said.
"Yeah, it's kind of scary." Happy commented.
Mavis intently studied the fight between the two warriors. I sense something…unsettling.
Nullpudding rose from the ground, scrapes on his body from the fall he just suffered.
"Are you ready to give up?" Lyon asked.
Nullpudding smirked. "Don't get so full of yourself, ice boy." He pointed at Lyon's feet.
Lyon looked down, his eyes wide when he noticed glowing needles near his feet. "When did he…?"
NEEDLE BOMB
Nullpudding snapped his fingers and the needles exploded around Lyon.
"What a move by Nullpudding!" Lola said. "Could Lyon be finished?"
"Lyon!" Shelia called out.
The dust settled, revealing an iced dome. The dome dissolved, revealing Lyon. His arms were crossed over his face, his clothes cut and burned in various places.
"It looks like Lyon survived the attack." Lola commentated. Shelia sighed in relief.
Dammit I was careless. Lyon thought. He looked ahead, noticing that Nullpudding was gone. "Where did he go?"
"Behind you!" Nullpudding shouted. He struck Lyon in the back with a hard kick, causing the ice wizard to slide across the ground. "What was that about not falling as easily as Gray?" Nullpudding mocked.
Gray clenched his teeth. "Come on, Lyon." He said under his breath.
Lyon stood up, wiping the bit of blood from his mouth. Once again Nullpudding was gone.
"Looking for me?" Nullpudding said as he once again struck Lyon, this time with a hard punch to the cheek. He unleashed a flurry of attacks on Lyon before finishing with an uppercut.
"Augh." Lyon grunted as he flew back.
"And Nullpudding gets the jump on Lyon once again with a punishing combination of blows." Lola said. "Can he bounce back?"
"You can do it, Lyon!" Sherry shouted from the stands.
"What are you doing you idiot?!" Obaba yelled. "You're making us look bad!"
"This Nullpudding is a quick one." Ichiya observed.
"Yeah, I noticed it in the Hidden event." Eve nodded.
"Looks like Lamia Scale's gonna lose this one." Orga said.
"Maybe," Sting said, leaning on the balcony railing. "Let's just see how it plays out. Right, Rogue?"
"I don't care." Rogue said uninterested.
Lyon stood up once more. He wiped the dirt from his cheek using what was left of his shirt sleeve. Ok, calm down and think. I can still sense his magic so I should be able to anticipate his next move. I just have to concentrate. Lyon closed his eyes and exhaled.
"What's this? Lyon's closed his eyes. Is he admitting defeat?" Lola asked to no one.
Jura and Yuka grinned.
"He's doing anything but." Yuka said.
"Wait what's he doing?" Toby asked confused to his teammate. "I wanna know!"
"This is the end!" Nullpudding shouted. He drew back fist, his forearm becoming covered in needles.
NEEDLE BLAST
He swung his arm, but Lyon caught his attack.
"What?!" Nullpudding grimaced.
"I've caught you." Lyon smirked. He gripped Nullpudding's hand tight, freezing it. In an instant the two's hands were frozen together.
"Hm." Gray grunted with a smirk.
"The two fighters are locked together, what will happen now?" Lola asked.
"Let me go!" Nullpudding shouted.
As his opponent struggled to break free, Lyon gathered energy in his free hand. Ice began to cover Lyon's arms, creating a wolf's head on his fist.
"Do it now." The armored Raven Tail member commanded to Obra.
ICE MAKE: WOL-
Suddenly the wolf disappeared before collision, as did the ice holding Nullpudding and Lyon together.
"Lyon!" Shelia shouted.
"What is this?" Jura asked shocked.
"What happened?" Lola asked. "Lyon was ready to deal the finishing blow but suddenly stopped."
Yajima's face darkened with anger.
"Lyon!" Gray shouted.
'What happened to him?" Juvia asked.
What? Lyon thought astonished. My magic…it's gone.
"Looks like you lose." Nullpudding smirked. He struck Lyon in the face hard with his needle arm, knocking out the ice wizard. Everyone in the crowd was surprised by the sudden turn of events.
"W-well." Lola stammered. "The winner of the first bout is Nullpudding of Raven Tail!"
The entire Lamia Scale team glared angrily at the arrogant Nullpudding as he stood over the defeated Lyon. Fairy Tail's looks carried no less of ill will. Each of them knew something went wrong in the fight, and they knew Raven Tail was behind it.
"Lyon." Sherry sobbed. Obaba stood next to her, a fierce look in the old woman's eye.
Jura jumped down to the arena center.
"Mr. Jura?" Shelia said as she watched him walk to Lyon.
Jura picked up Lyon, then looked up towards Raven Tail. The gaze in his eyes would send shivers up the spine of even the strongest of wizards. He walked back to the wall and summoned a pillar of rock to lift him back to the balcony. He placed Lyon down on the ground.
"Is he ok?" Toby asked worriedly.
"Thankfully, he's only unconscious." Jura answered.
"Sheila, can you heal him?" Yuka asked.
Sheila nodded. "Yes, I'll do my best."
"They fixed that fight, I know it." Elfman said.
"Yeah." Lucy nodded and looked over to Gray. He was tightly clenching the railing of the balcony, any tighter and he would have crushed it.
Lucy looked over at the Raven Tail team, coincidently Flare was also looking back at her. Lucy's eyes slightly widened when she noticed all of the bruises and scrapes on Flare's body. What happened to her? Those can't be from our fight.
"Blondie…" Flare muttered.
"Flare!" The armored man shouted. "Take this as a lesson, you will not fail us again."
"But…blondie was glaring at me." Flare pointed at Lucy nervously.
The armored man grabbed her face, terrifying the long haired red head. "It is due to your failure that Fairy Tail defeated us yesterday and that we had to resort to such tactics today to win, or have you forgotten?" He tightened his grip on her cheeks.
"N-no." Flare answered, her words muffled. "I apologize. Please…forgive me." She pleaded.
The armored man let her go and turned back towards the balcony. "Don't forget your place." He said.
Flare bowed her head. "I won't….Master"
Lucy frowned slightly at the sight, her heart tugging inside of her chest slightly.
…
"I see." Erza said. "So Raven Tail cheated to defeat Lyon. I can't say I'm surprised. Have they announced the second match?"
Lucy shook her head. "Not yet."
"Look, Erza's returned." Juvia pointed.
"I hope Natsu is ok." Mirajane said concerned.
"I'm sure he's fine." Laxus said. "It'll take more than that to keep that idiot down."
Gajeel clenched his fist and looked across at the balcony Sabertooth. His eyes fell squarely on Sting. That guy will pay for humiliating us.
"Now onto the second match of day 2!" Lola said. "It will be Bacchus of Quatro Cerberus…"
"Yeah! Show 'em how wild your spirit is!" Yeager yelled as Bacchus stepped onto the arena floor
Lola continued his announcing. "Versus Elfman of Fairy Tail A!"
Everyone in Fairy Tail expressed shocked looks, including Elfman.
He clenched his teeth. "W-what?"
"Elfman's fighting?" Mirajane said in slight disbelief.
"Big brother Elf?" Lisanna said.
"It's all over now." Macao and Wakaba sighed.
"Don't say that!" Lisanna squeaked.
"I know the situation isn't ideal." Erza began. "But after what happened to Natsu we have to recollect ourselves and pull out a victory."
"Right." Elfman said, albeit reluctantly, as he made his way to the arena floor.
…
Natsu slowly opened his eyes, the bright lights of the infirmary stinging his sensitive pupils. "Agh." He groaned.
"Papa! You're awake!" Aura exclaimed happily.
"Aura?" Natsu looked down at his smiling daughter. "Why are we in the infirmary?"
"You don't remember what happened?" A voice said. Natsu looked over and saw Alana sitting in a chair a small distance from his bed.
Natsu groaned, placing his hand on his bandaged forehead. To his surprise his hand was bandaged as well. "I remember that Sabertooth jerk knocked me off the mountain, everything after that is a blank."
"Sounds about right." Porlyusica said as she walked over to Natsu. "Erza brought you here. You should thank her when you leave."
"Alright." Natsu nodded. "Thanks for patching me up, old lady." Natsu smiled.
Porlyusica scowled at him and turned around. She walked away offended. That brat, I have no idea what that girl sees in him.
Natsu looked confused as Porlyusica walked away.
"I'm glad you're ok, Natsu." Another voice said.
"Huh?" Natsu looked over to his left and saw Wendy and Carla. His smiled returned. "Hey you guys. You're finally awake, huh?"
Wendy nodded. "We're feeling much better thanks to Grande-I mean Ms. Porlyusica."
"Well that's good." Natsu said. His eyes then trailed to the figure standing next to Wendy, he looked up until his eyes reached their face. It was a girl, her warm smile accented by her long golden brown hair. "Hey, you're that girl that saved Wendy and Carla." Natsu said.
The girl bowed. "My name is Shizuka. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Oh, yeah. It's a pleasure." Natsu bowed in his bed, a small embarrassed blush on his face.
"Do you want me to heal you?" Wendy asked Natsu.
"Yeah." Natsu nodded. "Thanks, Wendy."
"It's no problem." Wendy smiled. "I'm just glad I can be of help." She stood next to Natsu and her hands began to glow, signifying that the healing process had begun.
"So how did you do that?" Natsu asked Shizuka, who was now standing next to Alana.
Shizuka tilted her head. "Do what?"
"You know." Natsu said. "Happy and Lisanna said they found you and Wendy after seeing a green light, then they said all these plants were growing everywhere."
Shizuka continued to look at the dragon slayer quizzically. Natsu returned her gaze.
"This one seems to be suffering from amnesia." Porlyusica said from her desk.
"Amnesia?" Natsu questioned.
"That means she can't remember certain things." Porlyusica dumbed down for Natsu's sake. "In this case, she doesn't remember much of anything before coming to Fiore. She also doesn't remember rescuing Wendy and Carla."
"Really?" Natsu asked with widened eyes. He got up from his bed and moved closer to Shizuka, Wendy following him so she could continue her healing.
Natsu looked Shizuka up and down.
"Is there something wrong?" Shizuka asked, a bit uneasy at how close Natsu was to her.
"So you really don't remember saving Wendy and Carla?" he asked.
Shizuka shook her head. "Unfortunately I do not." She then smiled. "But I am glad I could help them it that is what I did."
Natsu smiled wide. "You're weird. I like you."
You're one to talk. Wendy, Carla, Porlyusica, and Alana all thought simultaneously.
"Thank you Mr.…?" Shizuka trailed off, hoping Natsu would finish for her.
"Name's Natsu." The dragon slayer pointed at himself.
"Mr. Natsu" Shizuka smiled.
"You don't have to call me Mr." Natsu said embarrassed. "How old are you?"
"You fool. It's rude to ask a lady her age." Carla scolded.
"I am 17 years old." Shizuka answered.
"See, we're the same age. So you don't need to call me Mr." Natsu smiled.
"Ok…Master Natsu." Shizuka said.
Natsu almost fell over. "That's…better I guess." He laughed nervously.
"Stop moving around so much." Carla scolded the dragon slayer again. "Wendy isn't finished yet."
"Oh yeah." Natsu said in realization. He looked behind himself at the blue haired girl. "Sorry, Wendy."
"It's ok." The sky dragon smiled. "I'm almost finished anyway."
"I'll go tell the others you're awake." Alana said, rising from her seat. "You can sit down if you want, Shizuka." Alana suggested. "You must still be tired."
Shizuka shook her head. "No thank you, Mistress Alana. I am fine."
"Ok then." Alana said with a smile and walked to the door. If she was being honest, she liked being called "mistress" it reminded her of when she lived at home with her parents and servants. "Do you want to come with me, Aura?" Alana asked, looking back at the child with an expectant.
Aura shook her head. "I wanna stay with Papa."
"Ok." Alana smiled, although she did sulk some. "I'll be back shortly." With that she was gone.
"I wonder how the others are doing." Natsu wondered aloud.
"Me too." Wendy said.
…
Elfman and Bacchus stood across one another as they waited for the gong to sound. Well to be more precise, Elfman stood and Bacchus laid on his side with a bottle of what was most likely alcohol in front of him.
"Let's go Fairy Tail!" a spectator yelled. "You gotta make up for that loss earlier!"
"I don't know." Another spectator said. "I heard Bacchus is pretty strong."
"Is that big guy any good?" someone pointed at Elfman.
Alana walked onto the balcony where the rest of Fairy Tail A stood. "Erza." She said.
"Alana." Erza said, looking at the dark blonde. "What's wrong? Is Natsu ok?"
"He's fine. Wendy is healing him right now."
"Wendy's awake?" Lucy asked.
Alana nodded her head in confirmation. "So is the girl that saved her and Carla."
Jellal's eyes widened after having heard Alana's words. She's awake?
"I'll be right there." Erza said.
"We'll go too." Lucy said, Gray beginning to follow her.
"No." Erza said. "You two stay here and support Elfman, he'll need it against Bacchus. I will return shortly."
"Ok." Lucy said. Erza and Alana took their leave, the latter going to report Natsu's recovery to Master Makarov.
"You think Elfman can win this?" Lucy asked Gray.
"I don't know." He answered. "Erza said that this Bacchus guy is about as strong as she is, and that was seven years ago. Who knows how strong he is now.
"That last fight was pretty boring don't cha think?" Bacchus asked Elfman.
"Y-yeah, I guess." Elfman replied, a bit confused.
"So what do you say we make ours more interesting?" Bacchus suggested.
"Interesting how?"
"Those two white haired girls I saw at the bar last night, they were your sisters, right?"
"Yeah…so?"
"They're quite the gorgeous pair. So how about this…" a sly smirk appeared on the Quatro Cerberus wizard's face. "If I win I get them for a night…together."
Elfman's eyes narrowed in anger. Mirajane looked on worriedly, Lisanna on the other hand was completely turned off.
Bacchus sat up. "Let's see, if you win…"
"You bastard." Elfman growled.
"Huh?" Bacchus asked.
Elfman clenched his fists tightly. "As a man I can't forgive what you just said."
"Oh?" Bacchus said with a raised eyebrow, his interest piqued.
"I'm gonna break you apart." Elfman roared.
"I guess that means the bet's on." Bacchus smirked.
The gong sounded, and the second fight of day 2 began.
…
Next chapter is up. I know these things keep getting longer and longer, please don't kill me lol. Still figuring some things out so who knows when the next chapter will come out, but I will try my best to not keep you guys waiting too long.
Also I would like to thank all of you guys from of the bottom of my heart. 200+ follows and faves? I would have never guessed my dinky little stories would be liked by so many people. You guys are awesome.
As always, comment and let me know what you think. Till the next chapter. :)