This Chapter has been cut in two due to its length.
It would have been over 18,000 words long and, even though I dropped 15k's on you guys before, I don't really want to do that too often.
That is why I will be uploading this Chapter and follow it with the other half shortly afterwards. Expect it within next 2-3 days.
Enjoy!
November 22nd, Crocus, Domus Flau
Gray sighed exasperatedly and slid his fingers on his eyebrows, genuinely annoyed, the dull atmosphere surrounding him bringing out the worst sensation of boredom and irritation.
Him and his team were currently in their designated waiting room, where they were told to await until called upon.
The preliminary round of Grand Magic Games proved to be annoying, even to people with iron patience like Erza. After almost falling off multiple times, ending up in a dead end for a tenth time, going through the trouble of fighting other guilds only to receive worthless pieces of a map, and Lucy's out of the box thinking, they have finally managed to find an exit. Much to their dismay and, truth to be told, disappointment, they were 8th to find their way out, becoming the final participant in the Games.
After a rough night full of challenges they were sent back to their room, where they crashed in their beds and slept through most of the day. After eating and showering, they were escorted to the arena and ordered to wait.
It has been three hours since they arrived.
"Wanna bet that they've just forgotten about us and the Games have started already?" Gray asked Lucy.
"Impossible, we would have heard it." she said, not catching his sarcasm. "Official events almost never start on schedule."
"I know, I'm messing around." he sighed and pulled down his collar, annoyed. "Why the hell do we even have to wear these?!"
Gray, as well as the rest of his friends, was wearing an official outfit representing Fairy Tail, courtesy of Makarov. Each member's design varied from another, but the base was the same – dark blue and white, well fitted and light clothes, that granted them maximum agility, while properly representing the guild with the guildmark in plain sight..
"Stop complaining, Gray." scolded him Erza.
Her outfit consisted of a sleeveless coat with a high collar, that split to her sides just above her bellybutton, showing off her black leggings and tall, dark blue boots. Her arms were dosed with grey gauntlets that reached up to her elbows, fitted over dark blue gloves that reached to her bicep. Her hair was tied in a ponytail with a dark colored ribbon.
"Master Makarov chose these outfits for us. It is a great honor to wear them."
Gray's eyebrow twitched. His outfit was, much to his horror, very uncomfortable. Makarov obtained their measurements three months prior, and while it was not a bad thing, even if weird at the time, Gray has managed to put on some muscle mass during his training, which in result made his uniform too tight in various places, especially the neck area.
He was wearing a coat over a white shirt with a golden zipper, black pants and black boots that reached up to his knee. The shirt was so tight on his it could pop at any minute, and the coat's collar was suffocating him, making it impossible to relax.
"You'd wear a bunny suit if he'd just asked you." he threw back in remark, irritated.
Erza crossed her arms over her chest. "No, he wouldn't, not after the last time." she replied calmly, almost as if she was describing the weather.
"What do you mean 'the last time'?" asked her Wendy.
Erza looked at the girl for a second and then turned to Natsu. "What about you, any problems with your outfit?" she asked him, ignoring the girl on purpose, much to her confusion, who simply received a pat on the shoulder from defeated Lucy.
Natsu, whose outfit was not that much different from Grays, his lack of coat being the only different, shrugged. "No, not really. Just different colors."
Erza smiled. "I know how much you hate new things, so I have asked Master Makarov to not do any drastic changes for you."
"Wait, you knew about these?" asked her Lucy. She was wearing a well fitted, long sleeved dark blue blouse and a knee-high skirt, with a white scarf tied around her waist, her keys strapped to her right hip.
"Yes, I have been informed before we left." nodded the knight.
Gray cursed under his nose and plopped back on his chair.
"I have to say, I don't remember being measured..." wondered Lucy out loud with a frown.
"Oh, I did it when you were sleeping." said nonchalantly Erza. "Same with Wendy."
Lucy blinked slowly. "I am both relieved and slightly scared at the same time." she said with a nervous chuckle. "Is there anything else you did to me when I was sleeping?" she asked jokingly.
Erza frowned. "Of course not, who do you take me for?"
Natsu blinked. "Don't you have that book where two girls are sleeping together and one of them starts to touch the other while she's sleeping?" he asked with childish innocence.
Lucy instinctively pulled her arms up to cover herself, no longer in the mood for jokes. Erza's face changed color to one matching the shade of her hair within a second.
"I-I know nothing about anything of this sort!" she screeched defensively to the distraught blonde and then turned to her boyfriend. "Why would I even possess something this inappropriate?"
Natsu blinked again, confused. "But I've seen you read it before bed-"
His explanation was stopped due to being forced to block an incoming kick that might have decapitated him. Utterly lost, he looked at the knight from behind his guard.
"When the hell did you get so good at reading?!" she asked, utterly émbarrassed.
"What do you mean, you were the one who taught me!" he replied truthfully, utterly lost by her reaction.
"You struggled with a children's book but you managed to understand that one?!"
"You forced me to read a textbook, how am I supposed to know what physics are?!"
As the two continued to argue and fight at the same time, Lucy simply watched.
"Looks like these two have a lot of energy to spare." smiled nervously Wendy, as the two continued to brawl and argue.
"Wow, she's not even denying it at this point." deadpanned Lucy.
Wendy looked at her. "Denying what?" she asked.
Lucy sighed and looked at the little Dragon Slayer. "Levy told me Erza liked to read books specifically targeted at adults. I thought it was a rumor...until now."
Wendy blushed. "O-oh..."
"Yup. Definitely puts her in a different light, if you ask me."
"Look what you made Lucy think of me!" screamed Erza and tried to punch Natsu.
"Maybe you should stop reading porn then, that should fix it!" he roared back and pushed her fist away from him.
Gray leaned forward in his chair with a wide grin on his face. "Finally, something interesting." he said, as the couple connected their fists in an attempt to strike one another.
"Shouldn't you be stopping them?" frowned dangerously Lucy.
"Hell no. After so many years I can finally watch someone put Erza in her place when she starts going berserk. This is textbook entertainment."
Lucy's eyes narrowed. "I'd say incompetence is a more fitting word here." she said in a tone so cold that even Gray could not prevent his shivers.
Lucy relaxed her face. "Why don't we just take it easy for now?" she asked and fearlessly approached the two. "We could be called out any minute now."
Erza's scowl relaxed as she retracted her fist. "Y-yes, you're right. I got carried away." she cleared her throat and readjusted her clothes, Natsu doing the same while muttering something under his nose.
Just how Lucy predicted, ten minutes later someone has finally arrived to pick them up and lead them to the arena. As the group walked down the empty corridors, the crowd was getting louder with each step.
"I'm really nervous..." said Wendy and swallowed hard.
"I have to say, me too." said Lucy and clenched her fists gently.
"There's got to be thousands of people out there." pointed out Gray.
They continued to walk until they were ordered to stay put in front of a massive iron door.
"The door shall open when your guild is called out." said the soldier, who escorted them. "Best of luck." he threw in farewell and left them.
"Well..." began Gray as he trailed the guard with his eyes until he vanished behind the corner "I guess we should get into the mood-"
"Greeting and welcome to the 7th annual Grand Magic Games!" roared an excited and cheerful voice from behind the door, completely silencing Gray. "We apologize for the delays but the Games are now officially on the move! I am your one and only Chapati Lola, speaking to you directly from my trusty booth!"
"Now that's what you call a host." nodded Erza to herself with a small smile.
"Today, as well as for the rest of the Games, I will be honored to share it with the former high ranked member of the Council, Sage Yajima! It is a great honor to have you here on this wonderful day!"
"Wait, former?" questioned Lucy.
"He must have quit when we were absent." stated Gray.
"The pleasure is all mine." said Yajima with his warm, elderly voice. "I am looking forward to the events."
"And look forward to them you definitely should!" said enthusiastically Lola. "However, there is one more person sitting here with us today! Ladies and gentleman, this person doesn't need much introduction! From Blue Pegasus, Miss Jenny Realight!"
Erza could not control the snort that escaped her mouth, which somehow covered the sound of Jenny's voice. She quickly raised her hand to cover her lips, the attention of her team fully on her.
"Forgive me." she chuckled. "I have just imagined Mirajane's face and I lost it."
Gray groaned. "Yeah, this evening is going to suck."
"Of course, I could not forget the official mascot of the Games, who is also our trusty and quick referee! Please welcome Kabo!"
"That's that pumpkin guy." noticed Natsu.
"Without further ado, let us get to the real reason you're all here! The introductions!"
Music was now echoing over the arena, mixed with the crowd's roaring and Lola's attempts at trying to cast over the noise, which proved to be next to impossible.
Natsu sighed through his nose, which didn't pass unnoticed by Erza..
"Nervous?" she asked him.
He shook his head. "Not really. I just don't feel like standing in front of so many people."
The knight frowned gently. "We've talked about this. This is beyond our personal feelings. We're not doing this just for us."
"I know. It still doesn't change my mind."
Erza sighed. "Man up, it's too late to pull out now." she said.
In an attempt to clear his head, even if a little, the girl tried to playfully kick him in the butt. Much to her shock, he caught her leg and pulled it up, effectively tripping the knight, whose butt landed flat on the floor, much to Lucy's horror.
"I know." said shortly the Dragon Slayer, just when the door started to lift itself up, the light blinding them.
Before Erza could express herself, Lola's voice has completely dominated hers, now in its full glory.
"Ladies and gentlemen, for our first introduction!" he roared into his microphone "At 8th place, a major surprise! A guild forgotten by time, once known as Fiore's number 1 – please welcome, Fairy Tail!"
With Erza back on her feet, the group took a deep breath and took the first step on the arena, Gray and Lucy raising their right arms in the air.
The atmosphere in the arena changed drastically. As soon as their name dropped, cheers and whistles changed into silence, followed by immense boos and insults, much to Kabo's shock, who stood in the middle of the arena, lost and unsure what to do.
"What the hell did you come here for?!"
"Murderers! Criminals!"
"Look, it's him! The SS-rate! He's going to cause trouble, mark my word!"
The group continued to make their way to the center, not phased by their greeting.
"Gotta say, it's better than I expected." said sarcastically Gray.
"At least this time they're not accusing us of trying to burn the city down." said Lucy in a similar tone.
"They are." said Natsu and Wendy at the same time, much to the blonde's dismay.
"This doesn't change anything." said shortly Erza, as she walked at the front. "Our goal remains the same. Let this moment be your fuel, not discouragement."
"Right!"
Upon getting closer to the center, they could hear sounds different from boos and insults and upon looking to their right, their faces lit up.
Their entire guild was screaming on top of their lungs from their designated spectators balcony, Elfman and Bickslow each waving a giant flag with Fairy Tail's mark on it.
The group couldn't make much of what they were screaming, as they continued to try and outshout the rest of the crowd, like a growing plant trying to pierce its way through the pavement.
"Get them, you brats! Make us proud!" Makarov's roar was the only one they could pick out, as he used his magic to boost his voice.
"There." smiled Erza, the sight of her friends giving her a new boost of confidence. "That right there is the only support we really need."
"After seven long years of absence, can they once again become the great guild we've remembered them as?" Lola kept his professional approach and skillfully ignored the outraged crowd. "Now, for our second contestant – they are as wild and ferocious as their name! Please give your applause to our 7th place, Quatro Cerberus!"
The door lifted itself and soon five very rough looking men emerged from the darkness, the biggest of them carrying a giant flag with Cerberus' mark on it. They all roared as loud as they could, the crowd joining them in a very loud battle cry.
Erza squinted her eyes and looked at them for longer than she probably should.
"Something wrong?" asked her Lucy and curiously looked at the group as well.
"No, it's nothing." said the knight after a moment. "I thought I'd see someone, but...guess not."
"At 6th place we have the known and loved veterans of the Games! Please welcome Blue Pegasus!" announced Lola.
Blue Pegasus emerged from their designated door to the sound of women screaming on top of their lungs, many of them wearing shirts with faces of the Trimens, who waved the crowd with wide smiles on their faces. Behind them walked a figure clad in an oversized bunny suit, which was bizarre, to say the least.
"At 5th, making their first entry in the Games, the famous all women guild – Mermaid Heel!"
Five women emerged from the darkness, a young woman with dark hair and a sword in her right hand leading them towards the center. Her eyes were sharp and focused. Right behind her was a hooded figure, who, unlike her other three teammates, did not greet the crowd.
"I've never heard of a guild like that." frowned Gray.
"They were very small before we left, but I've heard of them." said Wendy. "The guild was very young in age. Even their Master was not that older than you at the time."
Gray hummed and leaned over to Erza. "Hey, that chick..." he whispered into her ear.
"Yes." nodded the knight. "She will be a problem."
The woman's eyes met Erza's for a split moment, a moment during which Erza felt a very confusing feeling of...nostalgia? It was very hard to describe.
"Something wrong?" asked her Gray.
Erza massaged her forehead. "No." she said shortly, probably rougher than she meant to. "It's nothing."
"Going into the upper half, at 4th place, a guild that needs no introducing! Lamia Scale!"
The crowd has once again gone wild, as Lyon, Jura, Yuka, Toby, and a girl heavily resembling Sherry, who tripped on her way and almost fell on her face, emerged from their exit, smiling gently and waving at the crowd.
"4th place?! When did you lot get so lazy?! It's a disgrace!" an elderly woman with grey hair tied in a bun yelled at them from the balcony, her short hand raised in the air and shaking in anger.
"I screwed up, Obaba." said the young girl and smiled sheepishly while scratching the back of her head. "Sorry!"
"I am confused." admitted bluntly and loudly Gray while looking at her.
Having heared that, Lyon turned around. "Sherria is Sherry's cousin. Normally I would mock you, but even our own members confuse them at times." he explained.
"Huh."
"It pleases me to see you've all made it." said calmly Jura with a smile. "I am looking forward to the competition."
"Likewise." Erza bowed gently with a small smile.
"It brings us pleasure to see you are all well." thrown in Ichiya from the side. "Let us give our strongest perfume in these upcoming days."
"You got it." grinned Gray.
"Going into the top three, a surprise that some would even call an upset! Coming in at 3rd place, Sabertooth!" announced Lola.
Instead of the usual, excited cheering, Sabertooth's team walked out to murmurs and confusion, for the crowd has significantly quieted down, greatly thrown off.
"Wait, Saber is at 3rd?!" asked a shocked spectator.
"Did they use a weaker lineup?" suggested an elderly woman behind him.
"Maybe they slipped in the prelims!"
"Is it them?" Wendy asked Natsu and Lucy, who both nodded.
Sting and Rogue walked at the front, the former smirking confidently. His other teammates were no better, the two males walking behind looked confident, the bigger one roaring on top of his lungs to hype the crowd. Behind them trailed a young girl with short, white hair. She didn't share her team's enthusiasm.
"What's all the fuss about?" asked Gray.
"Sabertooth has always come out on 1st place, both in the prelims and main Games." explained Yuka. "To see them at 3rd must be a shock to the crowd. I'm more concerned about who managed to overthrow them. As cocky as they are, Saber doesn't play around. They always give their all."
"How many monsters are there going to be in these Games?!" yelled outraged Toby.
"Calm down."
"Well, I think we know who one of them might be." muttered Lucy to her team.
"It appears that the crowd is dissatisfied with Sabertooth's performance!" noticed Lola.
"I wouldn't call it as such. Whenever a king is dethroned, there's always a commotion." pointed out wisely Yajima. "Sabertooth themselves do not look to be concerned about the outcome."
"Well put! Perhaps we can start the fire once again by introducing our top 2! At 2nd place, we have ourselves a surprise! They have entered the Games once in the past, but their results were far from memorable. An upset? A comeback? You be the judge! Please give your applause for Raven Tail!"
"There we go." breathed out Lucy nervously and focused her eyes on one of the yet to be opened door, as have their teammates and other participants.
The heavy metal lifted itself off the ground, smoke puffing out of it, like from a dragon's mouth right before it unleashed its flames. Five figures, two of them cloaked, emerged from the smoke and, much to Fairy Tail's horror, they did not resemble the faces that have been engraved in their memories 3 months prior. No, far from that. They were faces, that brought out far more memories, memories that sometimes haunted them in their sleep.
Natsu's fists clenched themselves on their own, as he took a few heavy steps away from his group, subconsciously walking towards the newcomers. Erza managed to grab him by the shoulder, and, although he stopped walking, he angrily knocked her hand off. Wendy gasped and put her hands over her mouth, staring blindly ahead.
Gray, whose reaction was not that different, stared at the five people approaching them, disgust and anger written all over his face.
"What the fuck is this supposed to be?" he snarled under his nose.
It wasn't just him. A commotion started up in Fairy Tail's balcony, as Elfman forcefully pushed his way through to the railing and gripped it so hard it cracked in several spots. Laxus, who was standing right next to him, frowned in confusion and lowered his arms, which were previously crossed over his chest.
"What in hell is he doing here?!" he growled, his sister giving him a confused look. A few feet behind him Evergreen gripped her shoulder so hard her knuckles went white, a single drop of sweat flowing down her face.
Down in the arena, Natsu continued to glare daggers at the newcomers. One of them, a young man with messy, blonde hair that reached to his shoulders, a white, sleeveless vest and blue, baggy pants grinned mockingly at the Dragon Slayer.
"Yo, Dragon Hunter." said Zancrow. "It's been a while."
The former member of Grimoire Heart was now standing right in front of Fairy Tail, Raven Tail's mark shining in the sunlight on his right shoulder, as he stared Natsu down with pure confidence and cockiness.
Natsu and Gray, who has just caught up with his friend, have both taken a step forward, only to be grabbed by the girls, who struggled to keep them back in the line.
Right beside Zancrow stood Rustyrose, whom the boys have not met before, at least not officially. His hair was much messier, no longer kept in a stylish pompadour, the faint signs of a beard dosing his face, his eyes, tired and sunken, still protected by the glasses he's been wearing for years.
The person who managed to get Gray fired up was Erigor, who stood just behind the two, his scythe leaning on his shoulder, as the blade beamed menacingly in the sunlight. Although his eyes did spot Gray, he made nothing of the Maker, shifting them to the side a moment later with a bored expression.
"Gray, calm down! We can't start anything now!" pleaded Lucy, who struggled to keep him in his spot, hanging over his waist, as Wendy tried to secure his right leg. Next to them, Erza tried her best to keep Natsu away.
Although it took him a few more seconds, Gray relaxed and stopped resisting, much to the girl's relief. He took his eyes off Erigor and traced over the other members, especially the cloaked ones.
Natsu has also calmed down and resolved to glaring daggers at the God Slayer.
Using the chance, Wendy leaned over to Lucy. "Who is this person?" she pointed at Erigor.
"We fought him in the past. He was planning on killing Master Makarov, along with other Guild Masters." she said with disgust. "Gray stopped him just before he could do it. Who is this blonde guy?" she asked back.
"We met him on Tenrou Island...He uses God Slaying Magic, magic that is naturally superior to us, Dragon Slayers. Natsu was stronger than him, but he still lost due to differences in their magic. He is dangerous." explained solemnly Wendy.
"That explains the reaction, then." sighed worried Lucy.
"Hey." Gray walked up to Natsu and whispered into his ear. "Wasn't that four eyes the one Freed and the others tied to a rock before our camp on Tenrou?"
"Yeah, he was." he said and locked his eyes on one of the cloaked figures, as they narrowed dangerously. He knew this smell, it reminded him of someone. Someone he'd seen not so long ago...Who was it?
"It appears we have ourselves a commotion in the arena!" noticed Lola from his booth. "Is there bad blood between Fairy Tail and Raven Tail?!"
"Their Guild Masters are related and the guilds are on hostile terms." explained Yajima truthfully. "What I am more concerned, however, is who Raven Tail's team is consisted of." he added with a cold tone.
As the commentators wondered out loud, Erza frowned in the arena. Her eyes were stuck to a giant figure, yet uncloaked, standing just behind Erigor. The figure spotted her and as soon as they turned to the knight, she knew who she was dealing with.
"Is that you...Arya?" she asked.
The figure pulled their hood down, revealing a head far too small in comparison to the rest of its body, as Arya revealed his face, his trademark hat and bandages on his eyes still dosing his face.
"It is indeed I, Titania." he said with his echoing voice. "It appears that us meeting again was written in our destiny. This moment brings out a sensation that is opposite of sadness within my heart."
The redhead merely scowled and looked over the rest of the team. Erigor, the God Slayer, Arya...It wasn't hard to figure out, that the last cloaked person was also someone they had encountered in the past. This was planned out.
Back in the balcony, Makarov looked to his left, a disgusted frown stuck to his face. His son, who met his eyes, merely smiled and bowed mockingly.
"I see you're not holding anything back, Ivan." said quietly the elder.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have just now received an official statement from the Council!" exclaimed Lola, the sound of straightened out papers caught by his microphone. "Team Raven Tail, despite its criminal records, is fully eligible to participate in the Games! They have all served their punishment, or had their charges dropped! Everything is totally legal!"
"Bullshit!" roared Gray and stared at their previous adversaries. "There is no way these guys were let off the hook that easily!" he said and pointed at them with his finger.
Zancrow snickered mockingly at the Maker, which did not help calming his temper down.
"Ivan pulled some shit, didn't he?" Mirajane asked Laxus in the stands.
"Don't ask me." he said, annoyed.
"He did." said Gajeel from behind them, much to their surprise. "Arya aside, since he was released from jail four years ago, the rest has either snitched their way out, or had their past changed. As of today, they're all clean."
"How the hell do you know that?" asked him Mira with a frown.
"That's not important right now." interrupted them Makarov, his eyes piercing Gajeel, who backed down without a word. "Ivan...just what the hell do you want?"
"Well, now that things have been cleared out a little..." chuckled nervously Lola and cleared his throat. "Let us introduce the 1st place! Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome...huh? Um...is this a mistake?"
"No, it most certainly is not." Yajima backed the confused Lola up, although he himself did not sound convinced.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it appears I have made a mistake! The 2nd place does indeed belong to Raven Tail… Raven Tail B!" he announced. "This is incredible, we've never had this happen before! Ladies and gentlemen, at 1st place, Team Raven Tail A!"
"What?!" exclaimed Erza and snapped her head to the only unopened door. Soon enough, much to the shock of her and her entire guild, the familiar faces of Emilia, Albert, Svenar, Ellia, and Leord walked out to the main arena, Albert's arms high in the air, as he roared on top of his lungs, much to the dismay of Ellia and Leord, who have both covered their ears with annoyance written on their faces.
Makarov stood up in his spot and looked down in disbelief. "You'd go this far…?" he asked weakly.
"This has gotten ugly." said Laxus with a gentle growl in his voice. "Your plan may have backfired, old man." he told his grandfather. "This will become a slaughter."
"Talk about unheard of..." said slowly Jura.
"Something tells me they are not interested in just winning." said Lyon, his eyes wandering to Fairy Tail.
On the other side, Sting stared the incoming team down, his expression unreadable.
"Do not be concerned about something as trivial as the results of preliminary round." told him Rogue. "The end results are all that matter."
"I know." replied truthfully Sting.
"You might want to tell that to this guy." said a large man with long, spiky hair and pointed at the stands with his thumb, their Master staring them down like a hawk.
"Do not fear, Orga. His complaints shall lose their impact when we present him with today's flawless performance." said a young man with a feathered hat and a mask. "Today shall be a splendid day. I feel I will get to memorize a lot of exciting things."
"I hope you're right, Rufus." sighed Orga.
Sting's attention shifted to Fairy Tail, which did not pass under Rogue's nose.
"Are you still going on about this?" he sighed tiredly.
The blonde Dragon Slayer closed his eyes gently. "No, not at this moment. Curiosity got the better of me. that's all."
Orga walked up to the Dragon Slayer and rested his arm on his head. "Well, you'll get your chance pretty soon. I wouldn't hold my hopes too high, though."
"I know."
A few meters away from Sabertooth a chubby, dark skinned girl with puffy, black hair poked her dark haired teammate with her elbow. She kept her eyes closed, her mind already focusing on the upcoming events.
"Kagura, that's Erza Scarlet." she said and pointed at the redhead with her finger. Their cloaked teammate, who stood behind them, twitched at the sound of the knight's name.
"I am well aware, Risley." replied Kagura, her eyes still closed. "I could tell when we entered the arena."
"What do you think? About our competition." asked them nervously a short girl with red hair. "Some of these people give me shivers..."
"Do not worry, Beth! If they underestimate us, they will deeply regret it!" said cheerfully Risley and punched her palm.
"Beth is right." said Kagura, much to Risley's shock. "Being cautious in the current state of the event should be a standard, especially with one guild putting out two teams. There are quite a few monsters gathered in this arena at this very moment. Do not lower your guard." she proclaimed and gently shifted her eyes toward Lamia Scale.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Raven Tail A has finally joined up with the other guilds. Their eyes immediately locked with Fairy Tail's, tension rising in the air.
"It appears you have yet to learn your lesson." said Albert. "Picking children over the likes of Laxus..." the giant shook his head as he looked at Wendy.
"You'll get your chance." told him Gray. "Don't you worry about it."
The giant smirked. "I am glad to hear it. It will be a glorious match!" he roared, making even the likes of Emilia annoyed. "Of course, I have a bone to pick with you too, Salamander!" he said and pointed his finger at Natsu, who frowned.
"Who the hell are you?" he asked, much to the giant's shock.
"You impertinent-!"
As Albert started to scream in outrage about disrespect and cockiness, Ellia glared daggers at Lucy, who felt uncomfortable, to say the least.
"What do you want from me?" she asked, genuinely annoyed. "You glare at me whenever you see me...Have we even met before?"
"No, we have not." said shortly the girl and adjusted her scarf, which was once again wrapped around her ridiculous suit. "I'm just happy to see you're in the Games, bimbo. I won't have to break the law to get my hands on you again."
Lucy frowned. "Look, I don't know what your deal is, but if you have something against me, just say it!" she said harshly.
"Oh, I will. When the time is right." said Ellia and walked away, leaving Lucy alone, frustrated and confused.
A few feet away from them, Erza and Emilia's eyes met, neither of them showing any intense emotions. Not that they needed any. Both women have long realised, that their differences are quite likely far beyond the mere power of words. Their blades will speak in their stead.
"Hey, woman."
Zancrow walked up to Emilia seemingly out of nowhere, which forced the woman to break eye contact with Erza.
"What is it?" she asked, her tone far from curious of what he wanted.
"Just so you know, I don't give a shit about any of this." he said and motioned his hand at the arena. "I'm here just to burn some people, some more than the others. Don't expect me to obey you like a good doggie."
Emilia raised an eyebrow. "And why exactly are you telling me this?"
Zancrow blinked, taken back. "Ivan told me-"
"Do I look like Ivan to you?" she asked him sternly. "If you have complaints, tell him yourself. I couldn't care less what you do."
Although annoyed with her attitude, the God Slayer cracked a grin. "Just what I wanted to hear." he said and left her alone.
As the guilds continued to taunt and banter among each other, Kabo cleared his throat and stepped into the center of the arena.
"Now that we have introduced all participating guilds..." he exclaimed, his voice boosted by a microphone built into his mask "Let us get started with the first day of Grand Magic Games!"
The crowd started to cheer loudly, which put an end to any conversation that were still taking place among the guilds, their attention fully on the mascot.
"Today's event is called Hidden!" he exclaimed and motioned his hand upwards, a giant holographic table appearing above him.
The table was showing the city of Crocus, or at least a part of it. The stands, people and anything, that could show any signs of life in the city have vanished, as the cameras patrolled the empty streets.
"The event is simple!" explained Kabo. "Each team shall choose one participant, who will represent their team. Upon being chosen, you shall be scanned by our lacrima trackers. Do not worry, they are harmless!"
"Scanned?" frowned Lyon.
"Indeed!" Kabo pointed his finger at the Maker. "The rules of Hidden are simple! You will compete against one another in the designated area of Crocus! The streets will be filled with holographic images of each participant. Your goal is to find and strike a member of enemy guild! However, you must strike the real one! For each scored hit, you shall receive a point. For each struck hologram you will lose a point!"
"In other words, we have to figure out which enemy is made out of flesh." deduced Rustyrose.
"What a load of shit." scoffed Zancrow.
"Precisely!" nodded Kabo. "The point of Hidden is to showcase your offensive and defensive skills! You must be able to hide just as well as finding others! The person who has the most points at the moment time runs out wins the event!"
"As expected, we're only minutes into the Games, and the stakes are already high!" said Lola. "What a truly amazing event Hidden is!"
"Indeed." nodded Yajima. "Being strong is not enough. In a situation where just one mistake can be fatal it is most important to choose a suitable participant."
"Well, I'm sure my guild will manage to overcome the odds." pointed out Jenny with confidence.
"Now, then! Guilds, choose your representative! You have two minutes!" exclaimed Kabo and snapped his finger, a timer starting at number 120 materializing above him, the numbers already going down.
The guilds gathered around, murmurs filling the arena.
"This event will be all about careful movements and planning." stated Erza. "We have to pick carefully."
Lucy scratched her chin. "We have to assume whether the holograms will do a good job of looking human or not." she said. "We could start out by sending a Dragon Slayer and have them figure the others out by smell and all that..."
"But we have no idea if the holograms will have their smell as well." finished Erza, with Lucy nodding.
"It's a gamble." said the blonde.
"I'm going." stated boldly Gray, much to everyone's surprise.
Erza frowned. "Gray, I am by no means undermining you, but-"
"The other guilds have figured it out as well." he said and pointed with his thumb. "I'm gonna play along and join in on the plan."
"What plan?" asked him Wendy.
Gray grinned. "You'll see when they announce the representatives.
Once two minutes have passed, Kabo clapped his hands and spread his arms above his head, yet another table appearing out of thin air. It contained eight faces of the people taking part in the event.
"Fairy Tail's Gray! Lamia Scale's Lyon! Blue Pegasus' Eve! Sabertooth's Rufus! Raven Tail A's Emilia! Raven Tail B's Rustyrose! Mermaid Heel's Beth! Quatro Cerberus' Nobarly! You have been chosen! Please step forward into the circle!"
Kabo pointed his hand at a giant circle, that has appeared before him. After receiving their last bits of advice, the representatives stepped inside the circle, ready to start the event.
"What do you think his plan is?" Lucy asked Erza.
The redhead shook her head. "I don't know, but it appears he picked something up before deciding to take a part. All we can do is trust him." she said.
"I'm going to make sure you place dead last, Gray." Lyon told him inside of the circle.
"It's gonna be hard, since you won't score even a single point." Gray smirked at his rival, who smirked back.
Soon those inside the circle vanished and found themselves alone in empty streets of Crocus, scattered over the area.
"The time limit is 20 minutes!" Kabo's voice echoed across the city. "Best of luck to you all! Let Hidden begin!"
The sound of a very loud airhorn spread over Crocus, a giant timer appearing above the city for all to see.
Gray took a deep breath and closed his eyes in an attempt to calm his nerves down. The crowd could no longer be heard, silence creeping into his very being. This was good, this was for the best. Any distractions could only throw him off.
Back in the arena, Fairy Tail took residence in their designated team area. Erza walked up to the railing and rested her hands on it, her eyes glued to the lacrima screen levitating above the arena.
"You think he'll be all right?" asked her Lucy, who took a spot right next to the redhead.
"He will." she said confidently. "
"All right!" Gray told himself and took the first step forward.
He had no idea how long exactly he's been walking for, but to him it felt like hours. Each step made the echo bounce off the empty walls and alleys, confusing him. Each sound was met with a reaction that, although not serious, chipped away on his stamina. He felt tired just after a few minutes of being in this place.
All of a sudden, his right ear picked up a strange noise, which gave his body a very small window to jump out of the way of incoming projectiles. Much to his shock, multiple carrots were stuck in the pavement where he stood just a second ago.
"Darn!" cursed Beth from behind Gray. "I missed!" she said and ran back into the alley.
"Hey- wait!" Gray called out after her and ran in her direction. Holy...If even one of those hit me...
Right before he turned the corner, Gray punched the palm of his hand, only to stop dead in his tracks.
The alley was full of holograms, including his own, with Beth nowhere in sight. Cursing under his nose, Gray relaxed his hands and took a deep breath.
Okay. he thought. Let's give it a shot…
Before he could get into his plan he felt piercing pain in his lower back, courtesy of Lyon, who kicked him with his right leg.
"Lyon, you-" gasped Gray, before vanishing in the air.
"You're still too naive, Gray." smirked Lyon.
"Oh, it appears we have ourselves a first scored point!" exclaimed excited Lola. "Lamia Scale's Lyon has landed a successful strike on Fairy Tail's Gray! That means Gray's location will be shuffled at random!"
A loud ping echoed above the city, as Lyon's name jumped all the way to the top, the zero next to his name changed into a one.
Gray fell to his knees in a different part of the town, cursing under his nose.
"He didn't use magic because he knew I'd hear him coming..." he deduced and dusted his clothes off. "And I lost sight of that chick...He wasn't kidding when he said the smallest mistake can be fatal." he moaned at the end and cracked his neck. "But I've got to do this...It's not really my style, but I'll play along. Time to get to work."
On the opposite end of the city, Nobarly encountered Rustyrose, who simply stared the man down in boredom, his hands in his pockets.
"I will give you this one chance to walk away." said Rusty. "Take it."
Nobarly grit his teeth. "Messing around with me...In your dreams, pal!" he exclaimed and jumped upwards to attack. "You're moving and talking...That means you're the real one! Take this!"
Nobarly kicked into Rustyrose's face and, much to his shock, noticed that he felt no impact upon connecting. On the contrary, his leg went right through the man's face, followed by the rest of his body.
"No way...A hologram?!" asked confused Nobarly, as the fake Rustyrose disappeared in thin air. He then looked up at the scoreboard, but to his relief his points have not changed.
"What the hell was that supposed to be?" he scratched his head in confusion and left the area.
One block away, the real Rustyrose adjusted his glasses and sighed tiredly. "To think I'd be forced to play along with this farce..." he scoffed under his breath and walked deeper into the dark alley, not showing any interest taking a part in the event at all.
Back in Gray's previous spot, Beth jumped out of her hiding, which was a wooden box behind a dumpster, and attacked Lyon with her magic.
CARROT RUSH!
Calm and focused, Lyon punched the palm of his hand.
ICE MAKE: SHIELD!
The carrots pierced the shield, but failed to reach Lyon. Disappointed that her sneak attack has failed once again, the girl cursed under her nose and jumped out of the way of Lyon's ice eagle, which broke the wall that was behind her. The girl has once again thrown herself into the crowd of holograms, much to the man's irritation.
"Fast at running, aren't you?" he said.
"Oh, it appears Beth has once again escaped by the skin of her teeth!" noticed Lola. "Lyon could not follow through with more attacks, due to the crowd before him! Reckless attacking would end up badly!"
"It looks like the holograms are there just for show." noticed Lucy. "We could have sent Natsu or Wendy after all."
"No, we couldn't." said Natsu, much to the blonde's surprise. "Gray was the better choice. He made the right call going."
"What do you mean?" asked him Erza, curious. "Do you see something we don't?"
"Yeah." he nodded. "You'll see it pretty soon, too. The other guilds have thought of that, too. Notice which type of magic is dominating among the participants." he said and pointed at the scoreboard with his finger.
As the girls traced their eyes over the board, Erza's widened upon realising. "You mean-"
"Yeah." Natsu cut her short. "And you can already see it in action."
Nobarly, who took the strategy of waiting for his opponents by hiding between holograms, could not help the shivers that took over his body, the temperature in his alley dropping drastically.
Before he could even think of what the hell was going on he felt something heavy hitting his head, a giant snowball knocking him down to the floor and effectively teleporting him someplace else.
Rustyrose, who was trying to stay away from the other participants, could not help but express annoyance at the steam that formed on his glasses.
"What the..." he cursed and took them off, only to then feel something heavy hit his back.
"Y-you dare?!" he yelled at his attacker before vanishing, as Gray dissolved his ice hammer with a smirk on his face.
Beth couldn't stop it even if she wanted to, as steam came out of her nose with each breath, courtesy of Lyon, who smirked and carefully piloted his ice eagles to strike the girl and earn him his second point.
All three ice mages scored their points simultaneously, much to Lola's excitement.
"What an amazing turn of events! At the same time, Gray, Lyon and Eve have all scored their points! We have ourselves a battle, ladies and gentlemen!" he exclaimed.
"Those other two are just copying Eve's strategy." Jenny clicked her tongue in displeasure.
Lyon, Eve and Gray's names have risen to the top. Lyon remained at number one with two points, Eve and Gray right below him respectively with one point each.
"That's it Gray, keep it going!" cheered loudly Lucy.
"Temperature!" deduced impressed Erza. "They can pinpoint who is the real enemy by lowering the temperature in the area, thus making them reveal their location by things as trivial as breathing or wearing thin clothing."
"Even if you sent me or Wendy, those two guys would have been able to find us anyway." Natsu explained to his excited team. "Wendy would freeze like the rest and I would raise the temperature in the street, which, even if didn't pinpoint my location, would still let them know I was there. Gray can fit in with the other two, making them all counter each other. At this point, each of them has only five targets, not seven."
"Now that you mention it, these two have not met one another yet." pondered Lucy and pointed at Gray and Eve with her finger.
"They have, they just didn't notice." pointed out Natsu. "Gray walked past that Pegasus dude at the very beginning, but since they couldn't detect each other, they didn't realise."
"So that's why Lyon got a hit on him. He was one of the two people that could bypass his defenses." said Wendy.
"Yeah. Gray's been using it since the beginning, he simply got unlucky."
"It appears that ice mages have completely dominated this event thus far." noticed Pantherlily from Fairy Tail's stand.
"Yes, but it's not like the other guilds can not catch up." noticed Carla and looked at the scoreboard. There were 12 minutes left. "Plenty of time to make a comeback, and their secret is out in the open by now.
"It appears the event belongs to ice mages, !" said Lola. "What can the other guilds do in this situation?"
"There are more ways to distinguish an original from a copy." said the elder. "Magic power is just as big of a giveaway as cold breath."
"It appears Beth had the same idea! While we were talking, she engaged Raven Tail A's Emilia in battle!"
Beth grunted and jumped high in the air, before throwing a salve of carrots at Emilia. The woman did not even bother to pull her lade out of its sheath and jumped back, dodging and blocking the strikes with her left hand.
"Damn it!" gasped Beth and landed on her feet, ready to retreat. "It's not my day!" she exhaled and just when she was about to run away, she was in for a surprise.
In a matter of a second Emilia closed the distance between them, dashing through the alley at speed so great the younger girl couldn't even react. Emilia's fist found its way into Beth's stomach, making her cough up and disappear in the air as she became Emilia's first point for her team.
"Fast and fierce! Emilia makes quick way of Beth and joins the boys with her first point!" announced excited Lola.
"Ridiculous." scoffed Emilia and jumped at the nearest rooftop, before running away from the alley.
Two blocks away Lyon has once again engaged Gray, this time in one of the biggest streets, both men startled by the sudden meeting.
"Looks like luck isn't on your side today, Gray!" exclaimed Lyon and molded an eagle. "To run into me this often!"
Gray punched his palm and shattered the eagle with lances that grew out of the ground. "Luck? You're the easiest target I could have met!" he said back and launched the weapons at Lyon, who blocked them with a shield.
Both Makers continued to exchange attacks whilst making sure they did not hit any of the holograms nearby.
Lyon clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Looks like you've gotten better at controlling your creations. About time." he praised Gray in his own way and jumped out of the way of his ice hammer.
"You've finally started to use both hands." noticed Gray and lifted Lyon's ice tiger high in the air with a giant spear. "I actually have to put some effort into stopping your attacks now."
"Careful Gray, if you speak just a few decibels louder your shirt will pop."
"I'd rather fight naked than wear this Dracula wannabe coat of yours."
"I always knew you were getting a thrill out of stripping in front of people."
"At least I didn't play with dolls until I was eleven!"
As the two continued to argue and exchange attacks. Nobarly and Beth have sneaked up on Gray and Lyon respectively, both of them too busy to notice.
"This time I wont miss!" said Beth and aimed her arm at Lyon.
"I will get my first points!" Nobarly punched his palm and bent his knees.
In a matter of a second, both Makers stopped exchanging attacks and shifted their right arms to the side. Both Beth and Nobarly started to freeze up from feet to neck on the opposite ends of the street, shocked and confused.
"One second." said Gray and Lyon at the same time and turned around to their failed attackers, before walking up to them and flicking them in the forehead, which made them both disappear.
"What concentration! Lyon and Gray, despite being in a heated duel, have both predicted an enemy sneak attack and scored one point each!" yelled Lola. "We are pushing towards the last five minutes of the event and Lyon is still in the lead, with three points! Gray is just behind him with two! Can he even the score out and land a clean hit on Lyon before time runs out?!"
"It appears we have ourselves a big fight just a street away." noticed Yajime.
Beth and Nobarly, who have decided to engage one another in fight, rather than trying to attack the Makers again, have been interrupted by Eve, who blocked their escape routes with a blizzard.
"There is nowhere to run now." he smiled and send multiple snowballs at Beth, who skillfully dodged them all.
"Does everyone in this event use cold magic?!" she complained and dodged yet another barrage of snowballs. "Leave me alone!"
Eve ducked under a giant carrot that would have seriously hurt him. "You'll have to aim better than that!" he taunted with a smile and motioned his hand, his blizzard skillfully taking Beth in and scoring a hit.
"I did." she smirked before vanishing and much to Eve's surprise he could hear osmeone being teleported behind him as well.
"What an outcome! In her last attempt before being eliminated Beth managed to land a hit on Nobarly, who was about to strike Eve down! Both Eve and Beth score one point each!" announced Lola.
Eve has once again tied Gray, both with two points, while Beth climbed her way just underneath them with one.
"So that's what happened..." sighed Eve and scratched the back of his head. "There's not much time left." he noticed after looking at the timer. "I better go take out those two-"
Before he could even finish forming his thought, the building next to him broke into pieces. The young man could feel something hard pressing against his chin and a second later he found himself flying through the street, before reappearing someplace else, confused and barely conscious.
"Out of the way!" yelled Gray and retracted the leg he kicked Eve with back. His arms were in front of his chest, holding a giant shield that did its best at holding Lyon's giant ice tiger back. The sheer force of this creation managed to push Gray through a building and knock unlucky Even down.
"Oh! Gray has immediately increased his lead over Eve by striking him and scoring a point! He has now tied with Lyon for first place!" exclaimed Lola.
"Nothing but pure luck!" scoffed fuming Jenny.
"There is some truth to it..." admitted nervously Yajima.
"That's it Gray! Just a bit more!" yelled Lucy and Wendy from the stands.
Unlike her teammates, Erza did now show any enthusiasm, as she tapped her index finger against her bicep with a frown glued to her face. She kept looking at both the scoreboard and the timer, the bad feeling in her chest growing with each passing second.
"Just go down already, will you?" growled Lyon and shifted his hands to make his tiger flank Gray, who countered it by locking the tiger in an ice cage.
"What's the matter, getting tired?!" taunted him Gray from top of his cage. "This thing lost all its power!"
A sinister smirk curved Lyon's lips. "Yes, it did."
Gray couldn't help but wince from the piercing, sharp pain that took over his right leg. Upon looking down he noticed a snake, its jaw setting its teeth in his calf.
"What the hell?!" exclaimed Gray.
"I made it when I pushed you through the wall." explained Lyon. "I had it sneak its way around you, since I knew you'd be able to suppress my tiger if given a moment to breathe."
"Damn it!" yelled Gray and vanished after becoming Lyon's fourth point.
At the same time as the battle between two Makers came to a conclusion, Beth and Nobarly, who have met each other once again, have successfully managed to strike one another at the same time, both scoring points.
"Lyon takes the lead! He remains at the top with four points to his name! Beth and Nobarly also score points after a very exciting exchange of attacks! There's only a minute left on the clock, can the others catch up in time?!" exclaimed excited Lola.
"I didn't expect him to be so fast..." whined Beth and massaged her sore head. "I gave a point again...Kagura will give me an earful." she sighed.
"We have not seen much from Emilia, nor have we even seen Rufus once." pointed out Yajima. "Both of them may have something up their sleeve."
"As expected of a former Sage, as observant as they go."
Beth snapped her head up to see where this menacing voice was coming from. Upon spotting its owner she had only but a second to react, as pain struck her whole body and caused her to teleport someplace else.
"This event lacks any shape or form of excitement." proclaimed Rufus from one of the clock towers, freshly after eliminating Beth. "The crowd is here to be entertained, not put to sleep!"
"What is this clown doing?" asked Lyon, who has just spotted Rufus. Not just him. Every participant had their eyes glued to the member of Sabertooth, who waited until the very end of the event to show himself.
"What is this guy doing?" Lucy narrowed her eyes. "Doesn't he realise they can all attack him now?"
Erza's frown deepened. This was it, this was the bad feeling she's had since the last few minutes. Such confidence was never a good sign.
Rufus spread his arms to the sides and then touched his temples with his index and middle fingers.
"Your pulses, your movements, your magic power, your breathing...I have memorized it all upon the introductions. While you wasted your time getting fridndly, my mind was already set on battle!" he proclaimed loudly.
His body started to emit a yellowish aura, wild and ferocious in nature.
MEMORY MAKE: NIGHT OF THE FALLING STARS!
The aura broke into several beams of light that cut through the air at speed so great the other participants didn't even have time to react. Rustyrose was the first to be struck, much to his shock, followed by one more attack on freshly relocated Beth and then Nobarly. Eve was shot down from the air after his attempt to strike Rufus down before he could unleash his attack, and Gray and Lyon's defenses have been pierced through like butter cut by a hot knife.
The participants cried out in pain, as a powerful current of electricity ran through their veins, shocking them and scoring Rufus six points within a single second.
"What a display of power!" roared Lola as he stood up from his spot, amazed beyond belief. "In just a blink of an eye Rufus has taken the lead and stolen Lyon's place at the top! He is now leading with seven points to his name and only 15 seconds left in the event!"
The crowd roared at Rufus' display of power, Sabertooth's name being chanted across the arena like a spell.
"We've been waiting for this!" yelled one of the spectators.
"You had me worried there, Sabertooth!" added another.
Back in Saber's stand his teammates did not show any excitement or happiness. They stared at the screen with frowns.
"Hey..." muttered Orga.
"Yeah." Sting narrowed his eyes.
"What is the meaning of this?" Rufus scowled to himself, his cocky smirk long gone from his face. "I am certain I have fired seven strikes, and yet-"
Sharp pain has taken away his ability to speech, his hat falling off his head onto the ground below. He clutched his stomach in agony and fell off the tower, disappearing in the air before he could hit the ground.
Not just him. Within only split second of time between, all the other participants have felt something powerful hit them so hard they could barely remain conscious. Gray, who was fortunate enough to actually spot something before being relocated, managed to notice two things.
A very dull sound before he was hit, and a small, blinding light in the window of the bell tower, the tallest structure in the area.
The airhorn echoed over the city once again as the timer hit 0's, marking the end of Hidden.
"W-what is the meaning of this?!" Lola yelled out in confusion. "Is there something we have missed?! Was Rufus' strategy deeper than we thought it was?!"
"Focus the cameras on the bell tower." Yajima ordered the camera crew.
Much to the shock of literally everyone watching rhe Games, Emilia emerged from the window of the bell tower and adjusted her glasses, a scoped rifle resting on her right shoulder, smoke coming out of its barrel.
"It's Emilia!" roared Lola. "Raven Tail A's Emilia emerges out of the shadows at the last possible moment and claims the event as her own! With eight points, she is the winner of Hidden!"
Makarov's eyes narrowed. "She is powerful." he declared.
Erza punched the railing of their balcony so hard it cracked. "Of course! It makes perfect sense!" she cursed under her nose.
"A sniper? Are you kidding me?" sweatdropped nervously Orga.
"Man, Rufus is gonna be pissed." chuckled Sting.
"Are you not concerned over the results of this event?" asked him Rogue.
"Hell no. The stronger the enemy, the better."
"Sting can overcome any obstacle!" announced proudly Lector. "This is what it means to be the strongest!"
Back in the arena, Rufus clicked his tongue and dusted his hat off. "How cowardly..."
Gray has finally managed to get back to his feet. No longer able to keep his emotions at bay, he ripped his shirt off and punched the nearest wall, feeling frustrated and humiliated.
"I couldn't do a thing..." he said through his teeth. "Three times in a row…Memory Make..."
He punched the wall one more time with a growl and left for the team stands.
"This event was the perfect way to show these people just how dangerous Emilia is." Ivan smiled under his beard. "Her magic combined with her mastery of arms and her weapon, Nemesis, make her a master of any form of combat, regardless of the distance."
"Especially with the tweaks we've given her over these past few months." added Rorge from the side.
"You're being too modest." praised him Ivan.
"Well, I'm glad at least one of our teams is doing good. B team is turning out to be a waste of our time."
"I am sure they will play their part out correctly. No need to be hostile." said Ivan.
Rorge squinted his eyes. "Weren't you the one who called them cannon fodder? I kept telling you that recruiting them would only put more strain on-"
"This is hardly the place or time to discuss this, wouldn't you agree?" smiled Ivan. His voice, although not raised, was cold and piercing through.
Rorge swallowed some saliva and remained quiet.
"As expected of Emilia!" Albert roared on top of his lungs from his stands. "That's our captain!" he leaned over to make sure the approaching woman could hear him. Although her head was tilted towards the ground, there was a faint shadows of a smile on her face.
"You know no one can hear you, right?" sweatdropped Svenar. "Spare our ears please."
"The brute aside..." sighed Ellia and wiped her aching ear with his finger. "Talk about terrifying. I don't know what they did to her but lately her senses were even sharper than before."
"They didn't do anything." said Leord, which surprised his team. "She did not do what they told her to do and instead trained on her own."
"Talk about shocking..." taunted him Ellia with a smirk. "So you can talk by yourself without Master around, huh?"
"Leave him be, Ellia." told her sternly Svenar. "It's not his fault Master has such a hardon for him." he said and walked up to the redhead, before playfully hanging his arm around his neck "He was the only one who didn't have to master his abilities after the surgery, he was a monster from day one." he grinned and jabbed Leord's chest with his finger, much to the boy's displeasure.
"You sound jealous." Albert said to the girl. "It doesn't suit a lady."
Ellia looked at the giant and, much to his shock, did not reply with a nasty remark. She merely sighed and shrugged. "Well, that's because I am. I had to spend the most time in training, so it's natural I'm pissed. Sorry, tough guy." she said with a smirk and gently punched Leord in the shoulder.
"No problem." he said flatly.
Back in Fairy Tail's stands, Erza and the others watched Gray make his way back, his head held up high but rid of any emotions. He was welcomed by boo's and jeers, but he made nothing of them, marching forward like a steel wall.
"Poor Gray..." Wendy lowered her head sadly. "He must be frustrated..."
"He did good, regardless of the outcome." told her Lucy. "Look." she pointed at the scoreboard.
Raven Tail A – 10
Sabertooth – 8
Lamia Scale – 6
Fairy Tail – 4
Blue Pegasus – 3
Mermaid Heel – 2
Quatro Cerberus – 1
Raven Tail B – 0
"We are only one event into the Games and the competition is already fierce!" said Lola. "A slow start that turned into a fierce war within the streets of Crocus, followed by two major upsets in the last 60 seconds! What an exciting event Hidden was!"
"3rd place?! You had this in the bag, Lyon!" Obaba yelled at the Maker, who has just returned to the rest of his team. "You lost your focus at the end!"
"I'm sorry, everyone." he apologized.
"You kidding me? That was great!" told him Sherria, which seemed to cheer him up instantly.
"The last 60 seconds were almost impossible to predict." told him Jura with a smile. "There is no need to feel bad. Your opponents were remarkable, especially the last two. Take as much from this loss as you can and reflect on it when your time comes again."
"Yes, sir."
Gray, who has also returned to his team, did not say a word, his eyes on the floor. His team didn't say anything either, unsure what to do.
"Graaaaaay!" yelled someone from the crowd.
The Maker shifted his head to the side, only to see Makarov and the rest of the guild screaming something at him.
"Well done my boy!" Makarov roared so hard half of the crowd had to cover their ears to block his enhanced voice.
Gray smirked weakly but didn't respond.
"Sulk after the day is over." told him harshly Natsu, much to everyone's surprise. "You might still get called out to fight."
"Hey- Natsu!" scolded him Lucy. "You can't just say things like that!"
"That was too harsh!" told him Wendy.
"That was the plan." said the Maker ignoring the girls and dusted off his shirt, that was still in his hand. "Sorry, you guys."
"No need to be." smiled Erza. "You did great out there. We are in the upper half, that's as good outcome as any. Besides, you received fewer boo's than we did when we arrived here. I say this was a success."
Gray snorted gently. "Yeah, I guess."
"Raven Tail, despite having two teams did not dominate the event as harshly as one could expect." pointed out Yajima. "This could still be anybody's game, however, the top four was clearly in a different league than the rest."
"Well put, as always! We will be taking a short break now to calm down and make some room for more excitement that is coming right up! We will be back with the Battle section of the day shortly! Please, do not wander off too far!"
A giant timer appeared in the arena once again, this time counting down to the end of the break.
As the crowd started to leave their seats to use their break, so have the team stands. Each team left with a different mood, however, no matter how foul or happy it was, they all had the same goal in mind.
To show their true strength once the 30 minutes were up.
End of Chapter 37. To be continued in Chapter 38: Day One: A Grim Reminder.