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Chapter 20: Hearts Combined
Today's the fifth day of the Grand Magic Games. On the center of the stadium was a giant sphere made entirely of water, the Naval Battle. The rules were simple: the participants must enter the sphere and try to knock the others out. The last person remaining is the victor. However, a special rule appears when two people remain, the Five Minute Rule. If one of the two remaining participants got thrown of the field, they will get last place.
"THE FOURTH DAY'S COMPETITION EVENT HAS STARTED!" Chapati announce, wearing a wavy, blond wig.
"It's like underwater sumo, huh…" Yazima said.
"I am looking forward to it!" Rabian, a man with a weird moustache and hairstyle who is today's special guest, said. "Thank you very much!"
"THE PARTICIPANTS ARE ENTERING THE SPHERE!" Chapati announced as the following mages entered; Lucy, Juvia, Paulina, Jenny, Risley, Ember, and lastly, Minerva, all of them wearing swimsuits.
"I'm gonna win!" Paulina said, smirking in confidence.
"I won't lose this time!" Jenny said.
"Don't look down on Mermaids!" Risley said.
"I'll show you how wild a girl can be!" Ember exclaimed.
"If it's water it's got to be Juvia," Juvia said. "This is Juvia's stage."
"Sabertooth Minerva, enter," Minerva said, her face full of confidence.
"THERE SHE IS! MINERVA!" Chapati exclaimed as the audience cheered loudly. "WHAT A HUGE APPLAUSE!"
"So, Sabertooth's Strongest Six have all gathered now," Yazima commented.
"Thank you very much!" Rabian exclaimed loudly.
"I can't lose either!" Lucy exclaimed, looking determined. "I'll make up for the First Day's embarrassment."
"Go Lucy!" Natsu cheered.
"She can use Aquarius in the water," Gray commented.
"She can do this," Erza said, smirking.
"Yeah!" Wendy agreed.
"Go, Lucy-chan!" Levi cheered.
"THIS HAS BECOME ANOTHER SPLENDID PICTURE!" Chapati exclaimed, and the older male audience agreed with him. "WOMEN FROM EACH TEAM HAVE ENTERED THE STAGE IN SWIMSUITS!"
Thank you very much!" Rabian exclaimed ten times, waving his arms wildly.
"LET THE GAMES BEGIN!" Chapati exclaimed. Suddenly, someone rang the gong, signaling the beginning of the event.
"Sorry everyone," Lucy said as she pulled out a gold key. "I know it's early, but I'm going to end this! Open, Gate of the Water Bearer; Aquarius!"
"The water is my garden!" Aquarius exclaimed as she raised her vase, looking angry. All the participants looked worried, except for Minerva and Juvia, as Aquarius fired a torrent of water at them.
"Juvia will not let you!" Juvia exclaimed, raising her hands. "Water Cyclone!"
The two torrents of water met, creating a small whirlpool, pushing the closest mages away.
"Juvia!" Lucy exclaimed, looking at Juvia.
"Love Rival!" Juvia exclaimed.
"What is this!?" Risley exclaimed as she tried to swim out of the current.
"We're evenly match?!" Aquarius exclaimed with a shock expression.
During the distraction, Paulina looked and saw Ember, who was pushed away by the current and was near the edge. She smirked as she swam towards her.
"Now's my chance!" Paulina exclaimed as she aimed a kick at Ember. "First person down!"
Suddenly, Ember grabbed her leg, stopping her. Paulina gave her a surprise look as Ember smirk.
"Guess that person's gonna be you, Dipstick!" Ember exclaimed as she swung Paulina towards the edge. "But first…"
Before she threw Paulina towards the edge, she grabbed her bikini top and pulled it off. Paulina screamed as she flung towards the edge, covering her chest.
"LAMIA SCALE IS OUT!" Chapati exclaimed. "THAT WOULDN'T HAPPEN IF YOU LET CHELIA-TAN PARTICIPATE!"
"Thank you so much!" Rabian exclaimed.
"Wild!" Ember exclaimed as she raised her 'trophy' high in the air.
"I'm gonna get you back for this!" Paulina cried angrily, glaring at Ember. "Now no one's gonna marry me!"
"I'll go, too!" Jenny exclaimed as she charged at Risley, her arms covered with red gauntlets.
Suddenly, before she could land a hit, Risley used her magic to make herself go up.
"Don't look down on the chubby!" Risley said, looking skinny. Jenny looked at her with surprise while the males cheered.
Meanwhile, Aquarius and Juvia were still in a stalemate.
"This is getting us nowhere!" Aquarius exclaimed. "I have to leave this to you!"
"Eh!" Lucy exclaimed. "Why!? You're the one I'm counting on the most here!"
"I have a date," Aquarius replied with a dreamy expression.
"Wait a minute!" Lucy exclaimed with a ludicrous expression as Aquarius disappeared.
"You're open!" Juvia said as she fired a torrent of water at Lucy, pushing her away. Lucy quickly grabbed two keys as she was near the edge.
"Virgo! Aries!" she exclaimed.
Suddenly, Virgo and Aries appeared and stopped her from going out the sphere.
"Sexily Guard!" Virgo exclaimed, wearing a black two-piece.
"I am fluffily sorry," Aries said, wearing a white, fluffy two-piece. The male audience started cheering louder as two more women joined.
"THE WATER FRENZY CONTINUES!" Chapati exclaimed as the girls were still fighting each other. "FAIRY TAIL A, YOU SHOULD HAVE LET WENDY-CHAN PARTICIPATE!"
"Shut up!" Lucy exclaimed, glaring at Chapati. Danny gave Chapati an annoyed look, feeling angry for some reason.
"Juvia will defeat you all!" Juvia exclaimed as she swirl her arms around. "There isn't anyone in that can beat Juvia in the water!"
Juvia spun around, causing the water to gather around her.
"The new finishing move Juvia has mastered thanks to Second Origin," she said as she started her attack. "Spread! Wings of Love! Gray-sama Love!"
"Stop it!" Gray exclaimed with shook as a whirlpool filled with hearts attacked the participants.
Minerva smirked as she used her magic to stop the attack from hitting her. Lucy, with the help of her two spirits, managed to stay inside the sphere. The other participants weren't lucky; they got thrown out of the sphere.
"AMAZING!" Chapati exclaimed as Juvia raised her arms in victory. "JUVIA HAS DEFEATED THREE PEOPLE AT ONCE! THIS IS HER UNBELIEVABLE STRENGTH IN UNDERWATER COMBAT!"
Did you get fired up watching Juvia, Gray-sama? Juvia thought, looking at Gray with a hopeful expression.
Her expression suddenly changed when she saw Gray's embarrassed and disgusted expression.
He is appalled! Juvia thought in shock. She was so distracted that she didn't notice that she was out of the sphere.
"Juvia!" Lucy exclaimed as Juvia fell to the ground with a shock expression.
"That idiot!" Gajeel muttered with an annoyed expression.
"She went out…" Cana said, still shocked.
"Why?" Mira asked, confused.
Laxus and Freed didn't comment. They were probably too shock to comment.
"HOW UNFORTUNATE!" Chapati announced. "EVEN THOUGH SHE PLACED A GREAT EFFORT…BUT SHE'S STILL IN THIRD PLACE! 6PTS!"
Minerva smirked as she looked at Lucy, who was ready to battle.
"That young lady sure is nasty," Sting commented, resting his head on his hand.
"Indeed," Rufus agreed.
"With the young lady's magic, she could have sent everyone out in an instant," Orga said.
"…I'm worried…" Danny whispered with a scared expression.
"Why are you worried?" Sting asked, looking at Danny. "Young lady's going to win."
"I'm worried about Lucy-san," Danny said, feeling that something bad is going to happen.
Rogue looked at Danny before he turned his attention back to the event, his expression blank.
"Sabertooth's victory is assured," Lector said, smirking.
"Fro thinks so, too!" Fro cheered.
"…Lucy-san…" Persephone said with a worried tone.
"ONLY LUCY AND MINERVA REMAINS!" Chapati announced as a giant hourglass appeared. "WHO WILL WIN!? WILL IT BE SABERTOOTH OR FAIRY TAIL? SINCE THERE IS ONLY TWO REMAINING, THE FIVE MINUTE RULE WILL TAKE EFFECT! WHOEVER GETS THROWN OUT UNDER FIVE MINUTES WILL BE LAST PLACE!"
"What's the point of this rule?" Yazima asked, looking confused.
"To keep the suspense until the very end!" Rabian exclaimed. "Thank you very much!"
"Fairy Tail…" Minerva said, looking at Lucy. "With my magic, I could expel you out of this arena…but that would be lacking amusement. Try to endure this, Fairy Tail."
Minerva gave a small twirl with her hand. Before Lucy could react, something appeared next to her. She looked at it with a shock expression when it suddenly exploded.
"Heat in the water!?" Erza exclaimed, shock.
Suddenly, before Lucy could recover from the surprise attack, something behind her. Lucy screamed in pain from the sudden attack.
"Lucy!" Natsu exclaimed, looking at his friend worriedly
"What kind of magic does that woman have?" Gray asked, looking at Minerva.
"Now it's heavy…like lead," Lucy said, holding her head, which was bleeding a little. "I won't be beaten down like this!"
She tried to reach for her keys, only to find them gone.
"Wha-! My keys!" Lucy exclaimed. Suddenly, she heard a jingle. She looked and saw Minerva holding her Celestial Keys. "When did she-!?"
Before Lucy could react, she was blown away towards the edge. Lucy desperately waved her arms so she can slow down. She managed to slow down before she got thrown off. Minerva smirked as she just sent another attack on Lucy, pushing her forward.
"Lucy!" Happy exclaimed, looking frustrated.
"Without her keys, she can't use her magic…" Carla said with a worried expression.
"I…I'll show you I can stand any attack," Lucy said as she endured the relentless attack.
Only two minutes remains until the Five Minute Rule ends and Lucy was still enduring the relentless attacks.
"Shall I send you out now?" Minerva suggested, raising her hand.
"If I lose to a place like this," Lucy said, panting and holding her injuries. "I won't be able to face my friends who fought with all their strength. I won't betray their feelings, so I'll never give up!"
Minerva just stared at her when she slowly lowered her hand. Everyone just watch as only a pinch of sand was left in the hourglass.
"WHAT HAPPENED!?" Chapati announce in a shock voice. "MINERVA SUDDENLY STOP ATTACKING! THE CLOCK'S WILL REACH THE TIME LIMIT SOON!"
"Alright!" Natsu cheered.
"NOW WE JUST HAVE TO SETTLE THE RANKINGS!" Chapati continued.
Before anyone could react, Minerva suddenly attacked Lucy, her expression filled with sadistic pleasure. Lucy suddenly screamed in pain as the area around her exploded. Her guildmates were shock at the sudden violence.
"You're acting so presumptuously, Fairy Tail!" Minerva exclaimed, her attacks not relenting. "What do you take us for!? We're the world's top guild! We are Sabertooth!"
Lucy screamed in pain as another explosion happened. She was slowly drifting towards the exit, not bothering to move.
"SHE'S EXITING THE ARENA, AS EXPECTED," Chapati announced. Suddenly, Lucy vanished. "She disappeared!"
They heard a scream and Lucy was next to Minerva, who was still beating her.
"LUCY WAS ABOUT TO BE KNOCKED OUT OF THE ARENA!" Chapati exclaimed in a shock tone. "WHY IS SHE IN FRONT OF MINERVA!?"
"She used her magic!" Wendy exclaimed in shock.
"Why did she bring her back!?" Levi exclaimed as she was forced to watch her best friend getting beat up.
"To torture her…" Gajeel growled angrily.
"This match is already over!" Laxus shouted, looking angry.
"Stop the match!" Natsu roared, looking angry beyond reason.
Sting, Rufus and Orga started laughing as Minerva showed the true nature of Sabertooth.
"Sabertooth!" Natsu shouted as he, Gray and Erza glared at them.
Wendy looked at team Sabertooth with a look of disbelief. Suddenly, she noticed Danny shaking as he refused to watch the match. Rogue was looking at Danny, feeling like he knew what he was going through.
"Is that what are guild is about?" Danny muttered to himself, feeling ashamed.
Minerva started laughing as Lucy stopped moving, her body covered with bruises and wounds.
"Stop them!" Arcadios exclaimed with a panicked expression. "The Stellar Spirit Mage is getting destroyed! Stop the match!"
"Th-th-this is a referee-called stop!" Mato exclaimed, trying to stop the brutal, one-sided match.
Minerva smirked as she placed Lucy outside the sphere, holding her by the neck.
"THE COMPETITION IS OVER!" Chapati shouted, the crowd to shock to cheer. "THE VICTOR, MINERVA! SABERTOOTH IS INDEED STRONG! LUCY…SHE HASN'T BEEN MOVING…IS SHE OKAY!?"
"Lucy!" Natsu shouted as he and the other team members ran towards the arena.
"Call the medics!" one of the guards exclaimed. "It's an emergency!"
Danny clenched his fist as he watched. The other participants stared at Lucy with shock expressions.
Minerva suddenly released Lucy, letting her fall towards the ground. Natsu quickly slide down and caught Lucy. He looked up and glared at Minerva.
"Are you trying to kill her!?" he demanded as Gray stop in front of them and checked on Lucy.
"Lucy! Hang in there!" Gray exclaimed.
"Darn it!" Danny exclaimed as he jumped towards the arena.
"Quickly!" one of guards exclaimed. "We need to bring her to the medical bay!"
"No!" Wendy shouted as she ran towards Lucy. "I'll provide emergency treatment first!"
She stopped in front of Lucy and started healing her. Suddenly, Danny stood in front of her, staring at them.
"What do you want, Sabertooth!?" Natsu demanded, glaring at Danny.
Danny didn't reply; he just kneeled down and helped Wendy heal Lucy.
"I'm sorry…" Danny whispered, his face filled with shame.
"Hang in there, Lucy!" Juvia shouted as she towards her friend.
While the two were healing Lucy, Erza glared at Minerva.
"What's with that look?" Minerva said in a calm voice as she landed on the grounded. "I've put on a match to the letter of the rules. Rather, you should be thanking me. I made her second place. That useless trash."
Natsu, who was at his limit, charged at Minerva, intending to hurt her. Suddenly, Sting, Orga and Rufus appeared in front of Minerva. Erza stopped Natsu. Gray was behind them. Ready to fight. The audience was silent, watching the situation.
"OH MY…THIS IS AN EXPLOSIVE SITUATION WITH THE TWO TEAMS!" Chapati exclaimed with shock.
The two teams just stared at each other, waiting for something to happen.
"I don't care if you're the strongest or the top guild in Fiore," Erza said with a calm voice. "But…I will tell you this."
Her expression suddenly darkened with silent anger.
"You've made enemies of the worst guild possible to anger."
Minerva just smirked, accepting the challenge.
"Danny-kun, come," Minerva said as she and the others started walking away.
"But-!" Danny started, looking up.
"I said come," Minerva said, looking at Danny.
Danny gave her a hesitant look before he reluctantly stood up. He gave Lucy a worried look before he turned around and ran towards his teammates.
"Danny-san…" Wendy whispered, looking at his retreating figure.
After a few minutes, Fairy Tail A was inside the medical bay, looking at Lucy's sleeping face. They were still angry at Sabertooth for what they did.
Suddenly, the doors opened and Fairy Tail B entered the room.
"Is Lucy alright?" Juvia exclaimed in a worried voice.
"Lucy!" Mira called.
"You guys…" Gray said.
"We may be from different teams, but we're still from the same guild," Cana explained.
After everyone calmed down a bit, they all stared at Lucy, who suddenly moved.
"Lucy!" Happy exclaimed as Lucy weakly opened her eyes.
"Everyone…sorry…" Lucy said, her eyes tearing a bit. "I…lost again…"
"So? You were awesome!" Gray said, trying to cheer Lucy up. "You were in second! Eight points!"
"Yeah…" Erza said with a gentle smile. "You did well."
"Keys…my keys…" Lucy asked, her voice cracking.
"Here they are," Happy said as he handed to her Lucy's keys.
"Thank goodness," Lucy said as she took the keys and clutched it tightly in her hands. "Thank…you…"
She slowly closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.
"Looks like she fell asleep," Mira said, smiling.
"Those guys makes me angry!" Cana said, glaring.
"Sabertooth…" Gray said.
"I don't like this…" Gajeel said.
"Both A and B teams are here? Good," Makarov said as he entered the room, surprising everyone.
"Master," Cana said as Makarov looked at them.
"I don't know if this is good or bad," Makarov said, sighing. "But I just received orders from the administration that A team and B team are to combine."
"What?" Natsu exclaimed.
"Combine teams?" Laxus asked, hiding his shock.
"But why?" Mira asked, looking confused.
Makarov explained to them that because of Raven Tail's disqualification, there have been an odd number of seven teams. Because of that, the administrator said that both A and B team should combine so problem of the Battle Portion can be solved.
"What about the points?" Carla asked.
"Luckily, the administrator will let us use our highest points," Makarov replied. "Meaning; A team's sixty-one points."
"That's good to hear," Happy said, sighing.
"Now we can make a stronger team," Cana said.
"But, even if we did choose six people, there's only the battle portion left, right?" Gray said.
"No," Porlyusica explained, looking at the teams. "After the break tomorrow, on the last day, there should be a battle where all six team members take part at once. You'd better pick carefully."
"They laughed at our comrades!" Natsu growled. "I'll never forgive them! I'll definitely Tke revenge for Lucy!"
Meanwhile, while the other teams were waiting, Danny was sitting on a corner, his head down, thinking.
Is this what being in a guild means? Danny thought, looking up. I know my teammates aren't always bad, but still…
"Danny-kun," a voice said, surprising him. Danny looked up and saw Minerva smiling sweetly at him.
"Minerva-san?" Danny asked as he stood up. "Is something the matter?"
"I see you really care for that trash of a guild," Minerva said.
"They're…fun people to be with…" Danny explained, looking down.
"But, you must not show mercy," Minerva continued. "Otherwise, you will lose that precious kitty of yours."
Danny quickly looked up when he heard that.
"If you lose, our master will be angry," Minerva said, her smile still there. "And who knows what he will do when you lost. He might hurt that little kitty of yours."
Minerva leaned closer to Danny's frightened expression, her face lacking warmth and kindness.
"If you do not wish her to be harm, fight with all your strength," she said before she walked away from Danny.
"What am I going to do…?" Danny whispered to himself, his body shaking.
"FAIRY TAIL'S NEW TEAM IS COMPLETE!" Chapati announced. "FINALLY, WE'VE REACHED THE FIFTH DAY'S BATTLE EVENT!"
"This will be an interesting event," Yazima commented.
"I look forward to this event!" Rabian shouted. "Thank you very much!"
"THE MATCH-UPS ARE ALREADY ANNOUNCE THIS TIME!" Chapati announced as a screen appeared on the middle of the arena. On the screen, the match-ups are; Blue Pegasus V.S. Quatro Puppy, Mermaid Heel V.S. Lamia Scale, and Sabertooth V.S. Fairy Tail.
"SEEMS LIKE EVERYONE IS LOOKING FORWARD TO THE EXPLOSIVE MATCH BETWEEN FAIRY TAIL AND SABERTOOTH," Chapati commented.
"I was wondering when this was going to happen," Yazima admitted.
"This will be explosive! Thank you very much!" Rabian exclaimed.
"NOW, HERE COMES THE NEW FAIRY TAIL TEAM!" Chapati announced and all the audience quickly became silent.
"Try your best, everyone," Lucy said, smiling slightly.
"I'm counting on you," Elfman said, smirking.
"This is truly the strongest team," Mira said to her sister.
"We'll be cheering for you!" Happy exclaimed, Carla and
"This is an awesome team," Cana said, grinning.
"Juvia can't imagine them losing," Juvia agreed.
"The feelings of our guild have become one," Makarov said as everyone from Fairy Tail smiled with determination. "We've entrusted these feelings to them."
"This is the time to show them," Mavis said with a small smile. "The strength of our bonds."
Suddenly, the audience started screaming and cheering loudly as the new Fairy Tail team appeared.
"THE ARENA IS SHAKING!" Chapati announced as excitement filled the air. "TEAM FAIRY TAIL HAS ENTERED THE STAGE!"
Natsu stood in the middle of the group, his face filled with determination. On his right was Gajeel, wearing a headband, and Laxus, who had his arms crossed. On the left were Erza, her armor shining brightly and her eyes lit with determination. Gray was beside her, his expression calm with his hands in his pockets. Wendy was next to Erza, her expression filled with determination.
All the teams looked at them, either smirking or analyzing them, feeling the power emitting from the new team.
"WHAT A HUGE APPLAUSE!" Chapati exclaimed, his ears almost deaf from the explosive cheers. "IT'S DIFFERENT COMPARE TO THE FIRST DAY'S BOOS! IN JUST FIVE DAYS, THEY'RE RESTORED THEIR FORMER POPULARITY SAVEN YEARS AGO!"
Above the stands, where the directors of the Grand Magic Games sit, Arcadios and Vlad were looking at the new team.
"It appears the Stellar Spirit Mage is in the sick bay," Arcadios commented.
"Perhaps we better not use the old measures," Vlad said, remembering their last failed plan to capture her.
"Indeed," Arcadios said with a smirk. "That was a failed strategy. Next time, we'll deploy a more definite measure."
"Perhaps," Vlad said, turning his attention back to the screen. "But for now, let us enjoy the festivities. The plan goes in motion after the final day."
"Eclipse…" Arcadios commented, his face morphing.
"The world will change," Vlad said, looking at Arcadios, who now has a featureless face and wearing red shades and a black bowler hat.
"There is nothing in this world to stop it," the faceless man said.
"Lord Zeref is waiting," Vlad said, his eyes lit with wicked glee.
Team Fairy Tail and Team Sabertooth stared at each other; Natsu and Gajeel glared at Sting and Rogue, Gray looked at the smirking Rufus, Erza and Minerva stared at each other with calm expressions, Laxus glared at the sneering Orga. Danny just looked down, refusing to look at Wendy.
"I'm all fired up," Natsu said as smoke rise from his body.
Wow! What an explosive turn of events! What will happen to our young Dragon Slayer? Next chapter; Danny V.S. Natsu, a Clash of Beliefs! Also, if you hadn't noticed, Amorpho is in the chapter, the guy pretending to be Arcadios. Well, see you later!