Another four fights are done, meaning day two of this tournament is over. Hope I'm doing a good job with this. Merry Christmas everyone! Reviews and constructive critisicm is welcome. Enjoy!

Chapter 28: Comparison

"Ladies and gentlemen, day two of the Trail Of Magic has finished. Those joining Gajeel, Erika, Laxus and Todoroki are Natsu, Elemental, Zarya and Jellal!"

The crowd burst into cheers.

"Now, Yajima and Jura will talk about how Zarya and Jellal did in their matches and their strengths. Remember folks, no matter how strong someone seems, they do have weaknesses to exploit. Everyone competing, listen carefully. Jura, if you would."

"Thank you Lola." Jura nodded his head. "I'd like to talk about Zarya. Her combination of magic is very unique. Reflection and absorption magic, mixed in with some gravity magic. Zarya is projecting absorption bubbles around herself, absorbing magical attacks and protecting herself. We saw this defend against four of Lyon's spells at once, so we can assume they can soak up a hefty amount of damage at once. And with that, she reflects the magic she absorbed in a concentrated beam of magic, fired from what she calls her "Particle Cannon." She didn't walk into the arena with it, so she could potentially have some re-quip magic as well, but only that weapon stored. Soaking up large amounts of magic to fire back at the target in a beam is very impressive, something we haven't seen before. Next is her gravity magic. As well as firing the beam from her weapon, it looks like an orb of magic can be thrown from it. This magic, when it hit Lyon, causes him to drop to the ground and he was unable to move. Gravity was holding him down. In that position, Zarya, who is incredibly strong, can land punch after punch onto her target."

"But does she have any weaknesses? Lola asked.

"If I'm correct, yes. When Zarya first fired her beam, it was thin and didn't seem too strong. After absorbing magic however, the magic coming from her weapon increased in power. So, if her opponent can avoid filling up her magical supply, maybe the damage wouldn't be too bad and you could overpower her."

"The issue with that is that we don't know when Zarya is able to use that particular form of defense. She seemed to be able to use it at will, which could be devastating." Lola pointed out. "Thank you Jura. Yajima, an explanation on Jellal?"

"Jellal's magic is very complex and actually a mix of magical attacks." Yajima stated. "His main magic is heavenly body magic. This magic cloaks Jellal in a layer of magic and allows him to fly at incredible speeds, as well as increasing his durability and strength. This makes him very difficult to land hits onto. And even then, his increased durability will soften the blows, so you need to land strong, consecutive hits to make any real lasting damage. Heavenly body magic can also be used to fire down a range of attacks, such as Pleiades. Finally Jellal also has a form of elemental magic. He can control air, fire, earth, lightning and water at will, as we saw him use most of that magic against Toph. This of course allows him to use the powerful spell Abyss Break, which he hasn't shown off yet."

"In other words, those two are more then capable to put up some impressive fights when round two of the tournament starts. How do they compare to Natsu and Elemental?" Lola questioned.

"Zarya plays defensively until she is charged up." Jura put a hand on his chin. "So does Elemental. As we saw, he waited for Elfman to attack and throw him off guard. Having two defensive players against each other could just be dragged out. Now if Natsu faces Zarya, his explosive nature could just play into her hands and build up her magic. Natsu will need to carefully choose his timings when he attacks."

"Now having Elemental against Jellal would be something to see. Jellal's heavenly body magic means his melee hits are very destructive indeed. But as we saw, melee hits aren't effective against Elemental. Elfman didn't have any long range, magic attacks. Jellal does. Could that be a way through Elementals incredible defense?" Yajima said thoughtfully. "Now Natsu and Jellal would be a clash between two powerful forces, most likely close range and melee strikes enforced by magic. That could go either way."

"And remember folks, the four we mentioned could go against each other, but they could also go up against any of the four from yesterday. As well as everyone else fighting in the coming days. Out of thirty two competing, eight are through and eight are out, leaving sixteen left to battle it out. Two more days and round one of the Trail Of Magic will be over. A big thank you for Jura for joining use today and providing some insight. Tomorrow, someone new will join us. Day two is over everyone, thank you for coming today!"


"Were you watching?" Makarov asked.

"Of course I was." The familiar voice replied. Makarov opened his eyes to see Fairy Tail's first master, Mavis, floating next to him. "Very interesting to see."

"Any threats so far?"

"Not that I'm aware of." Mavis shook her head. "Although I am wary of Elemental. His attitude isn't friendly, and he seems to what to beat every dragon slayer."

"What about those who haven't competed yet?"

"Ghost. His shimmering outfit is misleading, but he has some dark magic within him. It doesn't seem to be strong currently, but maybe that's because he hasn't activated it yet. Why do you keep asking?"

"This tournament brings together the best of the best, on paper. I saw the beginning of this. While we have strong wizards, and I'm proud of everyone who has made it in, Romeo, Wendy and Lucy could be seen as lucky to get in. They aren't at the same power level as Natsu, Jura, Kagura and Minerva."

"Implying it was sheer luck they got in?" Mavis narrowed her eyes.

"Not at all." Makarov shook his head. "I'm happy they got in, and they have unrealised strength. We saw how Romeo faced that other wizard, and did so well. That fight could've gone either way. I assume Todoroki just had more experience then the boy."

"That's not the point. The best wizards are here. The Grand Magic Games didn't allow that to happen. Now the best of the best are in one place, I'm worried if something bad might happen. A massive attack or something."

"Wouldn't it be risky to launch a full scale attack onto a group of extraordinary wizards?"

"Indeed. But if something could steal their powers, there could be a catastrophe for Fiore."

"Understood." Mavis gave him a small smile. "But after this, we have something planned to stop said catastrophes from occurring."

"We?" Makarov raised an eyebrow.

"The Oracion Seis are in Jellal's care. Tartaros has been imprisoned. Grimoire Heart has been defeated and disbanded. The three big threats are gone. But I've spoken to Yajima about something. Yes he can still see me." She added seeing Makarov's face. "He's working with the new magic council on something."

"The magic council huh... After Tartaros destroyed the members in it, Fiore seems weak. I'm glad Yajima is working to restore it."

"It's also why a new tournament was placed. To keep the crowd from thinking negatively about the situation. It seems to be working."

"Thank you Mavis. And keep an eye out for anything strange."

"Be safe Makarov."

Natsu. Gajeel. Erika. Elemental. Laxus. Zarya. Todoroki. Jellal. So far, they've made it. Who's joining them? Who do you think will join them? Hope you all enjoyed!