Update: There are some issues with FF. This chapter has been posted over 16 hours ago, and I have not deleted it even once. If you are/were unable to access it through your e-mail, or notifications, please give it time. I have lost almost 10 followers in just 16 hours, all of them probably thinking I was joking around by posting a new chapter, which did not show up to them. I am not at fault, and I have already messaged the moderators. Thank for you your time. /Update End.

Sup. Chapter 20, dropping right now. Sorry it took so long, due to many circumstances that are not even connected to each other, I couldn't get this done earlier. It's short , but I will make it up by posting another one much quicker. I hope you like it! It's centered around the first stage of the exam, as well as some original bits at the end.

Enjoy!

December 29th, Tenrou Island

Pantherlily and Carla flew above the quiet, peaceful island, the sound of the ocean and birds being the only distractions. Having arrived on the island earlier, they helped the S-Class mages to set up the first stage of the exam. With the exam finally taking place, they had some time to look around the island.

They flew beside each other, circling the island for the second time. Each time they did so, they managed to find something new, be it a new animal, or piece of nature.

Pantherlily seemed to be more interested in the island than his companion. Carla simply hovered in the air beside him, her face stuck in a gentle frown.

Having noticed her mood, Lily decided to finally address the issue. "Is something wrong?" he asked her. "You've been quiet for a while now."

Carla shook her head. "No. I'm fine."

Not buying it, Lily decided to pressure her a little harder. "You're worried about Wendy, aren't you?"

His plan worked wonders. "I told her I'm against it, but she still went through with it!" blew up Carla, getting a small smile from her companion in return. "She said she was going to help him, because they'd both benefit from it, and after that, she refused to talk to me."

"She gave you the silent treatment for a whole week? Now that's stubborn." Lily stated with surprise, although he couldn't hide that he was slightly impressed. "Are you that scared of this Natsu person?"

Carla sighed and shook her head. "No, I know he wouldn't hurt her. I just have a very bad feeling about this whole exam thing."

"You mean that future related ability of yours?"

"Yes. But all I've seen were small fragments, so I can't say for sure. Call it a hunch, if it makes it easier to understand."

Pantherlily grabbed his chin with his paw. "I'm more interested in this Mest person."

Carla blinked. "Why so?"

"He claims to be Prince's disciple. Something is fishy about this."

This statement only made Carla feel more anxious.

Tenrou Island, D Route

Juvia panted lightly and raised herself to a sitting position, her partner, Lisanna, doing the same beside her. Both women were banged up, and couldn't help but stare at their opponent, who was standing proudly before their eyes.

"Was she...always this strong?" asked Juvia.

"That's Sea Empress Armor." explained the barmaiden "She's using it to seal away your water abilities. It appears she wants to shut you down completely."

Erza swung her blade to the side, her stern, sharp eyes glued to Juvia's figure. "What's wrong, Juvia? You won't be able to become S-Class at this rate!" she proclaimed proudly.

That seemed to do the trick. Juvia's eyes narrowed and focused on their target.

"Lisanna, please move out of the way." she said quietly, not leaving much room for negotiation.

Unsure what was going on, Lisanna nodded and took a step back.

Juvia extended her right arm to the side, her hand clawed. Noticing the bluenette's stance, Erza lowered her knees and brought up her sword, ready to counterattack.

Juvia flexed her right arm and quickly swung it horizontally, with seemingly nothing happening.

Erza had only a split second to react. With reflexes she'd never find herself capable of, she quickly discarded the idea of trying to block the strike, and managed to lean her torso backwards on the last possible second, fear filling every fiber of her being.

Lisanna, who had no idea what happened, was about to speak out, before feeling her eyes widen in pure awe.

Everything behind Erza has been cut in half, with narrow, but wide slashes appearing on the walls. The tall pillars have started to split apart, the top halves sliding off their place onto the floor. The stones and pieces of rubble have also been split apart, as they fell into pieces, echoing throughout the cave.

Erza gulped and looked at her sword, which was now missing its tip. She focused her magic in her palm and increased the pressure of her water to the point where it cut through stone, and even metal. If I had not dodged in time…

"Please do not make this face, Erza."

The knight was snapped back to reality by Juvia, who pierced her with her eyes. "You've said it yourself - you want to see me at my best. I have no intentions of holding back against you."

The sudden change in bluenette's attitude caught her off guard, but Erza could not help the gentle smirk that took control of her lips. Well played.

"That's the way, Juvia!" yelled Erza and swung her blade to the side. "You will not be able to get past me with an undecided heart! Give me your all!"

Juvia turned herself into water, ready to strike at any moment. I promised I'd meet him later, I cannot fall this early! "I will beat you!" proclaimed Juvia and threw herself at the redhead in her Sierra form, with confused Lisanna right behind her.

The rain woman launched a giant wave of water at Erza, who swiftly cut it in half, disposing of the threat. She readied her blade once again, ready to attack her opponent, only to find nothing behind the mass of water.

Juvia used this moment to get behind the knight and sent multiple blades of water in her direction.

WATER SLICER!

Erza swiftly ducked under the blades, which cut the remains of the pillars behind her. Juvia tried to close the distance, only to be cut in half, and her torso kicked aside. Lisanna used this opportunity to strike from above in her harpy form.

"You're mine, Erza!" she exclaimed and tried to kick the knight with her right leg.

Erza stabbed her blade into the ground and supported her weight on the blade, before lifting her body off the ground and positioning herself directly above Lisanna, who missed the knight just by the skin of teeth. Erza kicked Lisanna in the back and caused her to crash into the ground, before landing back on the ground and kicking her one more time in the abdomen, which sent her flying to the side.

Erza pulled out her blade and looked at Lisanna's aching figure. "Never be sure of your victory, not unless your opponent is lying by your feet. A battle can be easily overturned in a matter of a second."

"I agree."

Before Erza could react, she caught Juvia approaching her at incredible speed with the corner of her eye. The rain woman placed her hand on Erza's chest, before unleashing her magic on the knight.

WATER BOMB!

Erza's body has been blasted away by a powerful explosion of water, the impact making her grunt from pain. Despite having immunity to water, the impact still hurt her. She felt her back crash into a nearby wall, her body sinking into the stone.

Juvia did not let this chance slip away and unleashed a massive torrent of water, one that could potentially make her the winenr of the fight. Erza stabbed the surface above her head with her sword and kicked the wall, using the momentum to swing her body upwards, as she dodged the attack just in time and landed on her sword, which has now acted as her footing. Erza re-positioned her grip on the sword and kicked the wall once again, pulling the weapon out in the meantime. She flew straight at Juvia like an arrow and kicked the shocked woman in the abdomen, making it her turn to fly into a wall.

The knight landed on her feet and swung her sword to the side, cleaning it off the debris and water, a smirk glued to her face. She couldn't help but feel excitement, something she's learned quite recently. Her repetitive sparrings with Natsu have taught her, that battles could be in fact exciting, thrilling and sometimes even fun.

"That's the way, Juvia. You're finally becoming worthy of your position." she praised the woman, who was now back on her feet, her partner right beside her. "However, you won't be able to defeat me alone. I want you both to come at me and give it your all."

"Don't worry, Juvia. We'll make it through." reassured her Lisanna, now back in her animal form.

Juvia smiled at her partner and nodded. "Yes. We cannot fall here." she said, before preparing another attack.

A Route

"I can't believe we've had to run into her, of all people..." cursed Elfman under his nose in-between his panting, as he kneeled on one knee beside his partner, Evergreen. He's been knocked out of his Beast Soul for the third time now, and his stamina was starting to drop.

"How many times are you going to repeat that?"

Mirajane struck the ground behind her, using her tail like a whip and stared her brother down. "I told you many times before – if you run into me, do not expect me to go easy on you. You being my brothers doesn't change a single thing. If you're too weak to get on my level, I will simply drop you and that will be the end of it."

Elfman grit his teeth. "I know that already!" he growled and stood up, ready to attack one more time.

"Don't be rash!" hissed Evergreen. "You obviously can't beat her with brute strength!"

Elfman turned to her. "And you can't turn her into stone, because she's avoiding your eyes. I don't see too many options here."

"That doesn't mean you have to charge at her and think things will go differently!"

Ignoring her, Elfman charged at his sister, who sighed in disappointment. The giant retracted his fist and struck with a powerful right straight, only to be stopped with just one hand. Unwilling to give up, he followed with a left kick to the head, which was once again blocked with Mira's right forearm. She pushed his leg aside, causing him to lose balance, and punched him in the gut. Much to her surprise, he caught it with his left hand and retaliated with a punch of his own, which she has also blocked in similar fashion.

"Now then, what will you do?" she taunted him, before pushing him away and kicking him in the gut, which sent him flying into a nearby boulder.

Evergreen scoffed and crossed her arms on her chest, before attacking Mira.

FAIRY MACHINE GUN: LEPRECHAUN!

Multiple yellow needles launched themselves at Mirajane, who simply raised her arm and created a dark-blue sphere, which absorbed every single one of them.

The Demon smirked and sent the sphere at Evergreen and blasted her away. Elfman used this moment to sneak up on his sister and try to punch her, only to be blocked, once again with just one hand. Mira grabbed his wrist and twisted the arm, before clenching her right fist and punching him in the gut, which made him fall to his knee.

"If that's all you've got, you might as well give up." she said coldly and kicked him, sending him fly in his partner's direction. Elfman rolled on the ground and came to a stop just beside Ever, who was only now trying to stand up.

"Is there nothing we can do?" grunted Elfman, as he was also back on his feet.

Evergren remained silent for a moment, as if waging their options. "There is one thing we could use, but I can't guarantee it will work." she said quietly.

Elfman looked at her, and replied just as quietly, picking up the hint. "Anything's worth a shot. What you got?"

"There is something we can exploit, but it'd be all on you. Wanna hear it?"

"Sure."

As the duo discussed their options, Mirajane carefully observed them from afar. With them occupied, she could finally scowl and let the accumulated pain find an exit. Although she was powerful enough to block her brother, her right hand was still not up for the job. Each of his strikes hurt it, and if it continued, she'd be forced to fight with one hand. Unwilling to let it happen, she raised her left hand without a warning and started to charge yet another attack.

Evergreen and Elfman, who have just stopped discussing their plan raised their guard, quickly going through the steps of their plan once again.

"I can't believe I agreed to it..." the giant shook his head in shame.

"Stop whining. If you want to become S-Class, suck it up."

The giant grunted and kicked the ground, charging at Mira once again. Evergreen carefully observed this action – their entire plan depended on the next couple of seconds.

Seeing her brother run in her direction caused Mira to scoff and cancel her attack, before resuming a fighting pose. Evergreen couldn't help the grin that spread on her face.

Elfman punched his sister in the face, only to be stopped just before he could make contact. She answered with a quick punch to his gut, which he endured, and attempted to attack with his left. Mira stepped to her left and nailed him with an overhand right, which made him turn around and fall to his knees.

"Give up." she ordered him.

Elfman clenched his left fist and struck at Mira, who sidestepped out of the way. He let out a barrage of punches, all of them blocked. Losing her patience, Mira clenched her right fist and delivered a powerful punch aimed at his chin, which he blocked with his right forearm.

A loud crack reached their ears, followed by Elfman's roar, as he grabbed his broken arm and fell onto the ground, veins popping on his forehead from pain.

"Stop messing around, I didn't hit you that hard." said Mira, although her voice lacked its previous confidence.

As her brother continued to scream in agony, which was now accompanied by him rolling on the ground, Mirajane's attitude started to drastically change.

"Hey, Elfman...stop kidding. I didn't hit you..." she started, her voice starting to take a worried tone.

The giant dropped out of his Beast Soul and dug his face into the dirt, which muffled his voice.

"Lookwhat you've done!" yelled Evergreen from aside. "You broke his arm! No matter what, this is only an exam! There was no need to break your own brother's arm!"

Mira was now panicking. She walked up to Elfman and tried to reach out to him, no longer trying to hide her guilt and concern. "Elfman, I'm sorry..."

Before she could touch him, he sprawled from the ground and walked around her, before securing her in a full nelson, hiw body now back in its Beast Soul form.

"Wha-" gasped shocked Mira, unable to comprehend the situation.

"Sorry Sis, it was not my idea." he said solemnly, but kept her in a strong hold. Small pieces of debris fell out of his left hand, and that caused Mira to connect the dots.

"You crashed rocks in your hand and made me think I broke your arm..." she said in disbelief, which then subdued to anger. "You bastard!"

"If you want to be angry with someone, then do it with me. I was the one who came up with that." said Evergreen with a confident voice and gently took a hold of Mirajane's chin. "Now then, would you please look at me?"

Mira flexed her neck so hard she felt she was gonna piop a vein any time now. "You've gotta be shitting me..." she grunted through her grit teeth, as she refused to turn around. Much to her shock, her brother was much stronger than she'd initially thought, to the point where she could not just force her way out.

Evergreen only chuckled to herself at the sight. "Oh, that's quite alright. We can do this all day."

Elfman simply watched the scene, completely unsure of who the true Demon was in this situation.

C Route

Lucy and Cana continued further into their route, so far not meeting anyone beside frogs and spiders.

"It sure is deep. I wonder how much more we have to walk before getting to the exit." wondered Lucy aloud. Cana followed her in silence.

Finally they reached an open area, a banner gently flowing with the air above their heads. At the sight, Cana clenched her teeth, despair grasping her heart.

"Quiet, huh?" Lucy read the banner, quite pleased. "I guess we're lucky, we don't have to fight anyone!"

"Lucky?!" repeated angry Cana. "Like hell we are!"

Lucy blinked in confusion. "Cana…?"

"I didn't come here to become S-Class out of pure luck!" yelled angry brunette. "How can I face him after all that, when things are given to me on a silver platter?! I've come here to prove myself, not pass by pure luck!"

"Do you honestly think you are the only person in this exam who feels this way?" asked her Lucy, her tone surprisingly cold. "I can name at least five different people who'd agree with you, but as Master said, this exam will test our resolve and luck. We got lucky, so let's take it and move forward."

Cana did not respond to that. Instead, she sat on a nearby rock and put her hands on her face, her elbows supported by her knees.

Lucy walked up to her friend and put a hand on her shoulder, before kneeling before her. "Think of it this way. We don't have to use magic in this stage, which puts us in an advantage in the next one. We still have plenty of time left to prove ourselves, there is no need to rush things. I'm sure he won't even care how you've become an S-Class, the sheer fact will render him speechless."

Cana sighed and looked at her partner. "You're right. Sorry, I'm way too tense, I can't even think straight. "

Lucy smiled. "I think we're all nervous. Let's get to the end of this route and meet up with the others." she said, as she stood up and extended her hand in Cana's direction, who smiled in return and took it, allowing the blonde to get her back on her feet.

"I wonder who else made it through." wondered Lucy, with Cana thinking the same in her mind.

F Route

Freed and Bickslow continued down their path, both of them tense. Although they have yet to meet any enemies, they could feel someone's presence somewhere in the area.

They took a turn and found themselves in a massive, open room carved inside of their cave. At its very center stood Laxus, his lips curved in a smirk, his lightning crackling dangerously by his feet.

"Well, well, well. I guess you've drawn the short straw." said the Dragon Slayer.

Bickslow sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Why did I know it'd end up like this?" he asked.

Freed, on the other hand, puffed out his chest and quickly drawn his sword, his eyes set aflame with determination.

"Oh? You look ready to throw down with me, Freed." hummed impressed Laxus.

Freed nodded. "Even if it's you, I shall not hold back. If I am to stand by your side, I must be able to match you in battle. There is no room for personal feelings at this very moment."

"Hey, hey, are you sure about this?" asked him surprised Bickslow. "This is Laxus we're talking about here, no way it's going to be easy."

"I wouldn't see it any other way." replied his partner.

Laxus grinned in approval. "That's exactly right. There are no shortcuts in becoming an S-Class. It's been a while since we've sparred, show me just how much stronger you've gotten."

"I guess there's no other choice." sighed Bickslow and readied his dolls.

"Don't think I'll let you use your Runes." smirked Laxus, his body now coated in lightning.

"I've figured that out on my own." replied Freed, his right eye starting to glow.

B and G Routes

Loke slid on the ground from a blocked kick, his arms crossed in front of his face. He shook his sore arms off and looked around the area, searching for his opponent.

"Troublesome bastard." cursed the spirit under his nose.

Gray, who was right behind him, punched his hand, before creating a set of ice spears.

ICE MAKE: SPEARS!

The weapons launched themselves at Mest, who appeared for a second, only to then teleport away, unscathed. Gray scoffed in annoyance and joined Loke in the search.

"Doesn't he get tired? He's been jumping like that for over 5 minutes now." wondered aloud the Maker.

"Since he travels very short distances, he can probably keep this up for a long time. His magic hasn't dropped that much since the beginning of this fight." explained Loke. "At this rate, we can either tire him out, or somehow manage to hit him once, but heavily."

"I'll go with one, strong hit." said Gray and punched his palm. "I'd rather avoid long fights for the time being."

He sent an ice hammer in Mest's direction, who teleported away and jumped back, creating some distance.

"Looks like it won't be that easy." noted Loke.

Gray smirked. "Nope, it'll be over before you know it."

He once again punched his hand and placed both of his palms on the ground.

ICE MAKE: FLOOR!

Ice has quickly spread all over the ground of the area, making Loke almost slip in his spot.

"Well then, now what?" asked the spirit.

"Useless. You won't be able to catch me." said Mest and vanished once again.

Gray let his guard down and loudly breathed out, his eyes closing themselves. He knew he'd never be able to catch Mest with eyes alone, so he has given up on using them. Focusing his senses, as well as thinking of all possible patterns of teleportation he has seen up until now, he'd decided to put it all on one card – prediction.

Loke did not say anything in order to not interrupt his partner, so he simply watched the area, anticipating an attack.

Suddenly, Gray snapped his eyes open and threw a quick right jab to the side, his thumb scratching Mest's cheek. The man gasped in shock, as he was grabbed by the collar by smirking Gray and tossed over his shoulder. Mest turned around in the air and landed on his feet, only to then slip on the ice and fall onto his knee.

Loke did not waste this chance and rushed the man, catching him with a light enforced punch to the face. Mest was blown away, his back smashing into a nearby rock.

"What?" he gasped, shocked.

Gray clehcned his right fist and grinned. "I have some experience when it comes to fighting people who can teleport. I just put it into use."

Mest wiped his mouth and stood up. "Miracles don't happen twice."

"Why don't you come here and find out whether it was a miracle or not by yourself?" taunted him the Maker.

Mest scoffed and dashed at Gray, who remained unguarded. Just 3 meters away, Mest vanished. A second later, Gray quickly turned around in his spot and readied a left straight, with Mest doing the same just behind him.

"Wha-" gasped Mest, before being hit straight in the face. Gray quickly followed with a left kick to the ribs, and finished with a right kick to the stomach. Mest slid on the ice, his hands clutching his abdomen.

He was then ambushed by Loke, who threw a quick right hook at his head, which was evaded with Mest vanishing once again. He appeared behind Loke and tried to kick him, only to be blocked. The spirit brushed the strike off and threw one more punch, once again avoided. Mest teleported to his right side, however, instead of trying to block or counter, Loke smirked and lit his hand up so much ir blinded Mest.

Gray used this chance to create an ice bazooka, aimed at Mest and ready to launch at any moment.

ICE MAKE: BAZOOKA!

A giant ball of ice launched out of the weapon, hitting Mest straight in the torso. A powerful explosion of ice covered most of the cave, ice and frost spreading all over the rocks. When the icy mist went down, it revealed a defeated Mest, as he sat against the rock wall, his head hung low.

"Well, I'll be damned." whistled impressed Loke. "That was excellent." he added and raised his hand.

Gray grinned and took it, their hands meeting with a loud clap. "First Stage, cleared!" he exclaimed happily.

After taking their bags and making sure Mest was down for good, both men left the cave, and headed to the meeting point.

"With Mest out, it definitely makes things easier." noted Loke, as they walked down the path. "It'd be great if Natsu and Freed failed as well. Then again, Cana might also be a problem..."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." stated Gray with a displeased face. "If this exam is to be this smooth, I'd rather not take a part at all."

"I know, I was just saying." Loke put up his hands defensively. "Then again, I'm really impressed we've managed to defeat Mest this easily, even if he was all on his own."

"Has he always been this weak?" wondered Gray with disappointment. "I remember him being much stronger a year ago."

"It just means we've gotten stronger."

Gray hummed and ducked to walk under a rock sticking out of the ceiling. "I have to say, I don't exactly remember him fighting anyone."

Loke laughed. "A memory loss joke? Lucy would love it." he walked under the rock as well and continued. "He got pretty far in the last exam, don't you remember?"

Gray turned around to face him. "Then who was his partner?"

Loke opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He closed it and focused his eyes on the ground, trying to remember.

"Who...was it, indeed?" he asked and grabbed his head with his hand. "I can't remember anything."

"Looks like memories regarding Mest are always pretty hazy" pointed out Gray.

Loke's eyes widened. "Now that you mention it, whenever I try to remember something about him, it always cuts off at some point."

As they both continued to try and remember something, they walked out of the cave and got blinded by the sun.

"Gray, Loke!" someone called out to them.

After getting used to the light, Gray spotted Lucy and Cana standing right in front of them, both grinning. Behind them sat Gajeel and Levy, their expressions being polar opposites of each other, with Gajeel's face twisted in a scowl, and Levy's in a happy smile.

"So, you guys have made it through huh?" asked them Lucy and raised her hand.

"Yeah." nodded Gray and gave her a high five, with Loke doing the same a second later.

"Well, congratulations." smirked Cana.

Gray returned her smile and looked around. "Is this everyone? No one else made it through?"

Lucy shook her head. "No. Natsu and Wendy are over there." she pointed at the Dragon Slayers with her thumb.

Gray looked over to where she pointed and gulped.

Wendy was currently healing Natsu's split forehead. The entire left side of his face was covered in his already dry blood, his cut cheek and lip already sealed. His clothes were a little torn, and he was bandaging his hands in the meantime.

"What the hell happened to him?" asked Loke.

"I don't know. Neither of them want to talk about it." sighed Lucy in defeat.

"Is that everyone?"

Makarov walked out from behind the bushes and slowly strolled to the candidates. "I guess it's safe to assume it is. Time to announce the official results."

The elder cleared his throat and pointed with his hand at Lucy. "Cana and Lucy have proved, that luck is on their side, and thus have successfully passed through the "Quiet" Route!"

Lucy grinned and raised her fingers in a victory sign, with Cana sighing at the sight.

"Levy and Gajeel entered the "Battle" Route, however, due to the lack of an opponent, have passed through by default!"

"We got lucky!" beamed Levy.

"Like hell we did!" yelled angry Gajeel. "I didn't get to hit anyone! I got worked up when I saw that sign, but then no one came around! There is nothing lucky about that!"

Makarov sighed and pointed at the Dragon Slayers. "Natsu and Wendy overcame Gildarts!"

"You've gotta be shitting me!" yelled shocked Gray.

"I guess that explains why he looks like that." noted Cana. Lucy could only nod in awe.

"Freed and Bickslow have fallen before Laxus in "Hard Battle."

"Talk about bad luck." Levy shook her head.

"Gray and Loke have defeated Mest in another "Battle" Route." Makarov concluded the results.

Gray looked around. "Does that mean Juvia failed?" he asked.

Makarov blinked, before his face twisted in an unpleasant grimace.

"What the hell's up with that face, old man?!"

Makarov turned on the balls of his feet and straightened his back. "Juvia and Lisanna met her..."

Gray blinked and awaited the continuation. There were two women that could have this effect on the elder.

"That woman-knight that does not know the definition of holding back!" he yelled, the image of victorious, smug Erza standing above Juvia and Lisanna's unconscious figures still haunting him in his mind. Gray could only laugh awkwardly.

"That leaves Elfman and Evergreen." noted Cana.

"And the only route left they could take is..." added Lucy, before her face dropped, with Cana doing the same beside her. "...Mirajane's." they finished with lifeless voices.

"Poor things." sweatdropped Levy.

"We would've beaten her." smirked Gajeel.

"Hold on a second!" yelled someone from behind trees.

The group turned around to the sight of Elfman and Evergreen, both of them injured and supporting each other, but happy nonetheless. "You forgot about us! We defeated Sis!"

"What the-" Makarov failed to supress his shock.

Gray facepalmed in disbelief, with Loke laughing behind him.

"You've bested Mira?" frowned Cana. "How?"

As soon as she asked the question, the giant's face took the shade of pure scarlet. "I-I can't tell...as a man." he stuttered.

Cana did not buy this, but decided to drop the topic.

Makarov cleared his throat. "In that case, it is time to make it official. Natsu and Wendy, Gray and Loke, Cana and Lucy, Elfman and Evergreen, Levy and Gajeel. These five teams shall advance onto the Second Stage, which will begin in 20 minutes. Allow me to explain the details of this exam."

Makarov snapped his finger, and a magical drawing of the island showed up. "Somewhere within this island, there is a grave of Fairy Tail's founder – Mavis Vermillion. Your objective is to find this grave within 6 hours. There are no clues, no headstarts, no checkpoints. You have 6 hours to find it. Those, who find it, will become S-Class. If all of you fail to stumble across the grave, the exam will be ended with no one taking the rank. That is all. You have 20 minutes to restock your supplies and treat your wounds. You will need it." he finished with a sinister smirk and canceled the table.

The teams started to whisper to each other.

"No clues? This place is too big to search through everything." noticed Lucy.

"Looks like this stage is also dependent on luck." Cana bit her lip.

"What a boring exam." yawned Gajeel, all of his interest gone.

As they continued to discuss the next stage, Erza walked out of the exits, with unconscious Juvia and Lisanna hanging over each of her shoulders.

"Ah, I see you've all made it." smiled the knight and gently put down the girls. "Master, Laxus carried Freed and Bickslow back to the ship along with Gildarts. He said he will join us soon."

The elder nodded. "Good work. You could have gone easy on them, though..." he added with a sigh.

Erza puffed her chest out. "There are no shortcuts when it comes to being an S-Class."

Makarov simply waved his hand and walked away.

Erza looked around the area, taking in all of the contenders. She expected to see 3 teams at best, so seeing 5 of them was a pleasant surprise. She searched the area for a particular color of hair and found it sitting by the tree couple meters away.

"How are you?" she asked gently, as she walked up to Natsu and Wendy.

Natsu, whose head was resting on his hands twitched at the sound of her voice and looked up, meeting her gaze. Erza immediately frowned at the sight of his dirtied face. As expected, Gildarts was simply too much, even for him. Still, seeing him here meant that he has obtained something very valuable, and was found worthy of going further.

Natsu did not reply, and instead stared at her armored hands, but to him, they could as well not exist. He could imagine her scorched skin hidden beneath the metal, with Gildarts' words echoing in his brain. And make sure to apologize to Erza!

Natsu stood up, which slightly startled the redhead. "Are you okay-" she wanted to ask him, but he cut her off and gently grabbed her right wrist. She couldn't help but slightly hiss from the touch.

"Come here." he said shortly and pulled her behind him, dragging the knight into the forest.

"Wai... Natsu! What are you doing?" she asked him and tried to free her arm, but his hold was simply too strong. Despite putting barely any pressure, he still managed to make the lock too powerful for her to just break out of, so she had no other choice but let him drag her like a doll into the tree.

Natsu turned around and looked at his partner. "You come, too."

Wendy blinked in confusion, but complied and followed the pair.

"What the hell are they up to now?" asked Loke, as he observed the trio with confusion.

Gray simply shrugged and took a sip from his water bottle. He stopped caring a long time ago.

After a minute of walking, Natsu stopped and released Erza's arm. The knight shook it off and stared at the man in confusion. "Could you explain this to me?" she asked, her patience slightly strained.

Natsu ignored her and looked at Wendy. "How are you feeling?" he asked her.

The girl blinked. "I'm still a little dizzy, and I used a bit of my magic, but I can keep going!" she tried to assure him as best as she could.

Natsu walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders, the action making the girl blush.

"Try eating air."

Wendy blinked. "Huh?"

"I've heard you can eat air, and you replenish your magic this way. Do it." he ordered her. "You." he turned to Erza. "Take off your gauntlets."

Now it was Erza's turn to be confused, and even angry. "Natsu, I don't know what you're planning, but at least have the courtesy of warning me, before you do something-"

"Just take them off." he cut her off, his tone harsher that he meant it to be. "Please." he added, this time much softer.

Erza sighed through her nose. Cursing Gildarts in her mind for telling him, she complied and slowly Requipped out of her gauntlets, revealing her bandaged hands.

"Those too."

Scoffing, Erza began to undo her bandages, revealing her burned arms. Although they were not as serious as before, her skin was missing in certain areas, with pinkish, new one growing in other places. She also still had blisters here and there.

Natsu's eyes narrowed at the sight. It also made Wendy to quickly understand the situation and suck nearby air into her mouth, her magic growing immediately.

"Natsu, really, there is no need for-"

"I'm sorry." He cut her off once again. His voice was low, broken and full of guilt. "I had no idea I was doing this to you."

Although Erza's gaze softened at the sound of her voice, his time, she refused to be gentle with him. "Don't be. I knew what I was getting into. I do not need your pity, Natsu. I can take care of myself just fine. You don't see me jumping around the cuts I gave you, now, do you?"

"I know you can." he assured her, having not meant to insult her pride. "But no matter what, what we've been doing was just training. It has its limits. And I've crossed them. I'm sorry."

Wendy tried to not listen to their conversation out of respect and started to heal Erza's arms, the warm light already soothing her itching and aching skin.

Glad that he knew her well enough to choose his words well, she shifted her eyes at her hands. "Well." she smiled. "Apology accepted. But you should really start to control yourself, I can't keep on forgiving you forever. You have to learn how to control yourself."

"I know, I talked with Gildarts." said Natsu. "He told me to find something to fight and live for, and that it should help me with it."

Erza chuckled. "Of course he has."

"Still, you telling me to control myself..." said Natsu, as he looked over his shoulder. "You sure about that?"

Erza followed his eyes and spotted Lisanna and Juvia. Cursing in her mind and subconsciously admitting she made a miss, she blushed gently and looked away. "Shut up." she muttered quietly.

Natsu snorted in amusement and shifted his eyes to look at her face. She was carefully watching Wendy's magic, taken in by the sight. He's been around her long enough to know she was fascinated with the sight of Wendy's healing magic.

"I think I got the right idea of what could it be." he mumbled to himself by accident.

Cursing in his mind, he snapped his head away, just in time to avoid Erza's questioning eyes. "I'm sorry, were you saying something?"

"Nope." he replied shortly. Wendy couldn't help the gentle snort of amusement that escaped her mouth. It wasn't long enough before she could feel her partner's piercing eyes drilling a hole in the back of her head, which made her drop it almost immediately.

After couple more minutes of treatment, Erza's hands regained a huge part of their past glory. She still needed to wrap them up for the time being, but the relief she felt was heavensent.

"Thank you, Wendy." smiled the knight, as she wrapped fresh bandages over her hands. "Natsu." she added after turning to the Dragon Slayer.

Natsu blinked and looked to the side. "Yeah?"

"I'll remember your promise. Make sure you work hard on fulfilling it." she added after Requipping back into her armor. She then smirked and playfully punched his chest, earning her a questioning look from the man. "Now go out there and become S-Class. I'll be waiting for you."

With a weird feeling of excitement, Natsu grinned and returned the favor by putting his fist on her chestplate. "Yeah. You bet on that."

Wendy simply watched the scene in silence, her lips curved in a smile.

Tenrous Island, Shore

Carla and Lily walked on the beach, with Lily continuing his previous thought.

"The Prince has avoided making contact with people of this world. Even when he visited the guild, he'd always put everyone to sleep, so that no one could see his face. I find it hard to believe he'd take a disciple."

Carla gulped anxsiously. "Where are you going with this?"

Pantherlily exhaled through his nose and looked into the sky. "It might be just a wild guess, but...is that Mest person really a member of the guild?"

Carla's eyes narrowed. Now she wished he did not finish his thought. Her bad feelings only getting deeper, she looked at the island, her thoughts with Wendy.

Unbeknownst to both of the Exceeds, they were being watched from behind the trees by a male figure, his earring gently reflecing in the sun.

End of Chapter 20. To be continued in Chapter 21: Death.

I know it was rather short and probably not worth the wait, especially with how I cut off most of the fights. The characters that have been skipped or cut off get more spotlight later on, this chapter was meant to just get the manga material out of the way and be done with it as best as I could. Next chapters will start to show clear differences between the story and canon, so stay tuned for that. Tenrou will start slowly, but once it drops, it drops hard.

I hpe you've enjoyed it anyway, and I promise next chapter won't take this long. See you later!