"It's not often you call me anywhere." Lucia crossed her arms. Zelos had called her and Mii specifically to an undisclosed location in Fiore. "So you have my curiosity if nothing else."

"Well, I've called you for dates, but you always reject me…" Zelos said with an exaggerated sigh.

"Get to the point." Lucia once again ignored Zelos' advances. Mii just snickered in the background, finding the interaction pretty humorous.

"Right, right. Well, first off…" The magic swordsman dug into his pockets, pulling out a small lacrima to hand to Lucia. "This is my recording of all the events that occurred within the Fiore's Finest tournament. As I'm sure you know we've got a team of beautiful ladies and gross dudes prepared. With the month that remains, some of this is subject to change, but I know adaptation is a part of a Hunter's duty."

"That was fast." Lucia accepted the lacrima, playing the feedback on a tiny screen in front of her. The fights were played in fast motion but the woman seemed to be pleased overall. "As always, your data collecting skills are the most impressive thing about you."

"I take some offense to that! My charming good looks are easily the best part about me." Zelos said, flipping his hair like the diva he was.

"Give Mii a break." Mii rolled her eyes. Why was Zelos the way he was? "So since you're dumping information faster than your time with women, why don't you tell us who's on the team? Lucia's gonna make Mii shift through this footage and I don't feel like it."

"Gladly, Mii-chan." Zelos winked. "We have your favorite Fairy Tail mages, Natsu, Lucy-chan, and Erza-chan, and from the others; Luke, Reve, Kagura, Minerva, and Bacchus. A motely crew that'll be carried by the ladies for sure."

Mii did the mental math and those numbers simply did not add up. "You're missing one."

"Oh, right! The last member is me!" Zelos pointed to himself. This news did catch Mii and Lucy off guard.

"Pardon?" Lucia's blue gaze narrowed. "Don't you have to be a member of a guild to even participate? What guild could you possibly have…"

Zelos then lowered his shirt, showing the Fairy Tail guild mark on his chest. "Everyone's favorite guild of course! Especially Mii-chan's."

"You did WHAT!?" Mii's eyes widened at this news. For some reason she was angry than she was surprise. "What the hell is wrong with you!? It's like you're trying to keep Mii bound to that stupid place!"

Lucia placed her chin in her hand, furrowing her brow at this sudden revelation. "That's an interesting development. I don't exactly recall it being a part of your mission to join them."

"But nobody said I wasn't allowed to." Zelos retorted with a wink. "Besides, I was planning on joining but Mii-chan did first. I didn't want to take the spotlight away from her."

"Tch…" Mii couldn't believe this.

Lucia, on the other hand, was quite pleased by this. "You're an exceptional mole, Zelos. I didn't think you'd be willing to go so far uncover just for our sake. This'll make the competition much eaiser to keep an eye on."

Zelos then held a hand up. "Now hold on, Lucia-chan. I didn't join Fairy Tail for the Hunters' sake. I'm not charitable, even if you asked me. I simply did it because I wanted to give them a helping hand. With the way things were going, they weren't going to even win. I'm a generous man; helping everyone around me!"

"In the end, it still benefits us." Lucia smiled. "So for your work, I have to thank you. They don't suspect a thing either, do they?"

"They're too stuck on Mii to even think about anyone else." Mii rolled her eyes. "Which reminds me. Em is gonna murder you when she sees you with that guild mark."

To that, Zelos waved a hand. "Oh, please. We both know that Em-chan always hated me. She always preferred you anyway. Plus, when I tried to talk to her during Lucy-chan's book award party, she completely ignored me! She was a little under the table by that point, but she knew what she was doing. How painful." The redhead clutched his chest as though Emmeraude actually had wounded him.

"Alvarez and Fiore are nonissues." Lucia's tone dismissed the two they practically forced to compete in the Ishgar's Strongest tournament. "That being said, I am curious. Why Fairy Tail, Zelos? You should know by now that they aren't anything special."

"I'm afraid I'll have to disagree there, Lucia-chan." Zelos began to pace around slowly arms behind his back while he stared up at the starry night sky. "If there's one thing I've learned, it's that Fairy Tail is actually really amazing. There's no other place in the world that could make Mii-chan smile and laugh like that."

Those words threw Mii for a loop. "H-Huh!? What are you talking about!?"

"Fairy Tail has had some ups and downs. They were right in the middle of a war that decided the fate of the entire world, defeated the Black Wizard, Acnologia, and even triumphed over angels and demons alike. Calling them 'nothing special' is a bit rude, even for you, Lucia-chan." As Zelos spoke, he took a glance at the leader of the Wizard Hunters. His words only perplexed the two women.

Eventually, the holder of Excalibur just let out a soft chuckle. "Oh, don't tell me that your crushes on the women there made you get a soft spot for them?"

"Ah, that's not entirely wrong." Zelos shrugged in response. "But that's not the point either. You'll have to forgive me for my words, but I get a little upset when someone calls the guild that meant so much to Mii-chan 'nothing special' when it clearly meant something to her."

"Enough!" Mii shouted angrily, pulling out Purple Pot and pointed the small, but deadly pistol at Zelos. "What the hell is your problem!? Why do you keep bringing it up?! I'm not a member of that guild anymore and I don't want to be! The fact that you're a member now just keeps me tied down to that wretched place!"

"…?" Lucia didn't quite understand. Clearly there was some connection between Mii and Zelos that neither of them were being explicit about.

"Let me die in peace, dammit!" Now Mii's arm shook. "The longer I'm here, I suffer. You know that don't you? I should already be dead!"

"I know that's how you feel." Zelos came to a halt, crossing his arms, staring at Mii's expression. This was a rare moment when he was being serious. "When I fought on Fairy Tail's behalf, I didn't understand at first. I didn't get why you were able to laugh so freely and do things you normally wouldn't while with Pergrande. But then I had their cheers on my side. It was a strange feeling…being invigorated by more than just beautiful women. When that happened, I began to understand. So I owe it to them to do this one solid and make an attempt to bring you back. That sounds fair, right?"

"Grrrrrr…." Mii growled angrily in response.

"Ho?" Lucia quirked a brow. "That's a cute declaration, but I really must ask how you intend to do so. You know she's under our thumb at the moment and we have strict orders along with our contract to keep it that way. Our contract is our bond with our client."

"I know, I know." Zelos' usual smile returned. It seemed that his serious tangent ended and the lackadaisical attitude returned. "But I have a solution for that! Lucia-chan, you remember the deal made to acquire my assistance, don't you?"

Oh, so that was the angle he was going for? Lucia crossed her arms, foot tapping on the ground. Her blue hair wavered in the slight breeze as she recalled the details. "Yes. In exchange for working with someone of your standing, you were granted the use of one Executive Order. An order over the Wizard Hunters that not even I can object to. Depending on the order." There were few exceptions…namely Zelos using said order to try and take one of the women on a date. They wouldn't allow him to make use of such a rare privilege on something so trivial. "In this instance, you're restricted to ordering anything involving us throwing the tournament. Client's orders."

"I'm glad you remember! I hope you don't mind if I used that now. I wouldn't really get too much mileage out of it anyway." Zelos said.

"Very well. What is your Order?" Lucia didn't bother fighting it; it was in their agreement after all.

"I want Mii-chan to leave the Wizard Hunters." Zelos said.

"Huh!?" Mii's eyes widened.

"Oh?" Lucia blinked. "That's a bold order. I'm not saying this to be spiteful, but I'm honestly not so sure I can just let you do that, even if it is an Executive Order. It is a part of our client's request…but I was also the one to agreed to the notion…" This became a perplexing situation. "At the very least, my position as leader doesn't allow me to freely accommodate that request."

"Hey, don't just feed into the idea like that!" Mii huffed.

"Of course I knew that. Your hands are tied, though not in the way I would like," Zelos said. That last remark caused Lucia to groan. "Which is why I have a proposal! A duel! If I can land a single blow, then Mii-chan leaves. If not, then she stays and this order simply goes to waste as a dud."

"You want to duel?" Suddenly Lucia's expression lit up. She reached for the hilt of the legendary blade, preparing to draw it. "I like this idea. I've been itching to crush your blade with my own."

"Ah ah!" Zelos held a hand up. "Sorry Lucia-chan, but we won't be crossing swords today. I intend to duel Mii-chan."

"EH!?" Both Lucia and Mii gasped at the same time.

"Why Mii?!" Mii pointed at herself. "Let the hot woman do it!"

"This is about you, Mii-chan. It's only fair that you fight for yourself." Zelos made a good point. "There's no point in making a deal over you if you aren't the one to participate."

"…He makes a fair point." Lucia stepped back. "So how is this duel going to work?"

"Don't just…!" Mii smacked her face with her palm. She could not believe this.

"Simple." Zelos drew his blade, twirling it around with a wry grin. "We aren't using any magic to attack. Just a simple duel between blades. The first one to land a blow wins. Simple enough, right?"

Mii narrowed her eyes while drawing the Eternal Sword from its sheathe. "This isn't just about Mii, isn't it? You're trying to make a point, aren't you? You're only putting yourself deeper into my shadow like this."

"Nonsense. Because if I win, you won't have that nasty shadow lingering over you." Avoiding what Mii truly meant, Zelos twisted her words into something that far suited his motives. This only made Mii roll her eyes in annoyance.

"Stop acting like you're trying to do something good for me." Mii scoffed while readying herself.

"That sword…" Lucia stared at Zelos' Last Fencer. Compared to the Eternal Sword, the auras the two blades had were strikingly similar. "Why do you…?"

"Let's just say that I've had this blade with me since I was made." Zelos winked. "Now then, our beautiful officiator, would you care to start the match? It won't even last a minute, I promise." As he said that, his golden angel wings sprouted from his back. It wasn't magic, but just a natural part of his body.

"You're right, it won't." Mii huffed. Just as Zelos' wings spread, so did Mii's rainbow wings.

"Be careful…"

"I know, Origin…" Mii responded quietly to the voice that only she could hear.

"Very well." Lucia lifted a hand into the air. "One direct hit. Begin!"

As soon as Lucia gave the signal, both angels were off! They flew forward, swinging their blades downward to clash with one another. The raw power of the two blades caused a shockwave that created a small crater. "Just so we're clear, Mii-chan, I am doing this for your sake!"

"Shut up!" Mii snarled before using her overwhelming physical strength to push Zelos back. He had no choice but to retreat since he literally just remembered that Mii was a monster in terms of power. Mii scoffed and pursued, intending to end this farce quickly. With Zelos flying back, Mii held her blade and delivered a rising upward slash! Zelos was just nimble enough to evade this, but he could feel the air itself being sliced behind him.

"Whoa! That was close!" The magic swordsman landed on the ground, primed for a counter attack! He pushed off, thrusting his blade forward to stab at Mii's shoulder! "Sonic Thrust!" Not a magical technique. All he did was put a bit of force behind the attack. Mii dodged it, but there was a shockwave composed of pressure that exploded from the tip of the sword, uprooting the ground in a straight line for several meters.

Lucia was nearly caught in the crossfire, but she simply stepped back, allowing the dirt and debris to fly past her. "Hm…"

With his Sonic Thrust failing to hit its mark, Zelos resorted to a quick follow up. He took a step forward, swinging his sword horizontally to strike Mii. To his dismay, Mii flipped over his attack, now aiming a helm splitter at the back of his neck! "Whoa!" With desperation fueling him, Zelos rolled to the side, just narrowly avoiding Mii's attack. But she did manage to cut off a few strands of his hair. "My beautiful hair! How could you, Mii-chan!? This is a murder!"

"Shut up." Mii repeated while lunging at Zelos, aiming an downward swing at his shoulder. To her annoyance, Zelos was quick to retreat into the skies. Mii groaned and flew right after him, the two of them flying past each other while swinging their swords. Each clash caused shockwaves in the air. In the night sky, all one could see was a streak of rainbow and golden light bouncing off one another with each collision.

Lucia was watching the fight carefully. There was one thing she picked up within seconds of this duel starting. "Interesting. On the surface it looks like they have two completely different styles of fighting. But upon closer inspection, once you get past Zelos' flashy movements…they swing their sword exactly the same…" This only made the infamous leader of the Wizard Hunters pout. She really wanted to fight. She never thought she was called out here to be some referee!

Zelos and Mii were evenly matched when it came to using a blade. Mii's edge was her superhuman strength that forced Zelos to retreat every time they clashed. It was clear that he was on the back foot. No magic was the best way to go about this, because then it would be a mess! Mii swung the Eternal Sword diagonally, but to her surprise, Zelos was competent enough to parry the blow, forcing her stance to break! "I got you, Mii-chan!" Zelos followed up with a strong vertical slice. But to his surprise, Mii's right boot exploded! The explosive bullets embedded within her heels served to push her back! It wasn't a magical spell to attack, therefore it was valid! "Ah!"

"Not in your life!" Mii shot back before angling herself forward. The bullets within her heels exploded once more, sending her rocketing forward! Mii viciously brought down her blade to cut deep into Zelos' body, but he just managed to block it! There was nothing he could do as she kept riding this momentum, forcing him backwards until he ultimately flew back.

"Waaah!" Zelos cried out before catching himself. "I knew you wouldn't make this easy!" And yet, Zelos was having some fun with this.

Meanwhile, Mii was not. "Is this just some game to you? Actually, never mind, I don't care enough to know!" And one last time, she flew forward, this time spinning around to become a dangerous whirlwind that would slice through anything in its path!

"Guess I have no choice!" Zelos mentally prepared himself. When he was ready he too flew forward, pointing his sword forward with all he could muster. "Super Sonic Thrust!" The two angels flew past each other after delivering their blows. All went silent after that until Zelos and Mii landed on the ground. "Gnk…!" Zelos cringed, noticing the rather deep slash wound on his arm.

Mii landed, sheathing her mythical blade with a confident grin. "Looks like I win. Again."

"Ah!" Lucia shook her head, pointing at Mii's chest. "That is actually not the case."

"Huh?" Mii looked down. As it turns out, Zelos' sword not only cut across her dress, but also sliced off the single strap holding it up. Classic Zelos move. So her chest was exposed and barely covered by her hair. She didn't feel the blade cut into her skin since she didn't feel pain. "…How did…"

"I couldn't let you think you won. Plus I get a little eye candy~" Zelos winked.

"That's flattering but also gross…" Mii rolled her eyes. Zelos was really the one man in the world she couldn't even try to flirt with.

"This is a draw." Lucia stepped forward. "What an intriguing fight."

"So what happens now?" Mii asked. "It was a draw. So does he lose that Executive Order, or…?"

"Hm…" Lucia needed a moment to think about that one. "I'm not sure. I wasn't expecting this outcome…."

Zelos wasn't either, but his quick thinking could save the situation. "All right, since I didn't win, but I didn't lose, let's do this; Mii-chan can stay with you guys, however, you can't kill her."

"No!" Mii objected to that, but black sparks immediately erupted around her body and she covered her left eye. Now she was visibly in pain and nearly fell to a knee. "Ngh…!"

"Mii-chan…?" Zelos blinked. That was new and dangerous too.

"Deal." Lucia shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry, Mii. But it seems like I'll have to axe our idea to end your pitiful existence. I can't go against the Executive Order and it's a fair middle ground that doesn't interfere with the tournament."

"I only agreed to work with you so you could kill me! This is bullshit!" The more Mii objected, the more intense the black sparks became. "Ngggh! I can't…believe this…." Eventually it stopped, and she just stood there angrily.

Zelos felt a little satisfied. "Looks like I win this one after all, huh?" He then used his Healing Stream on his arm to heal the wound. He couldn't return to Fairy Tail with a wound like that. With his work done, he started to make his leave. "Well, I shouldn't stick around here any longer. I do have some lovely ladies waiting for me…"

"Damn you…" Mii snarled. She honestly could not believe that things played out like this. Now what was she going to do!?

"What an interesting turn of events." Lucia walked over to Mii, fixing her dress since she needed some decency. "Even though he's working with us, this was clearly a rogue action. I wonder what he's thinking."

"…If you're gonna touch me at least make it more intimate." Mii grumbled. She was in a pretty bad mood now.

Ignoring this, Lucia glanced back as Zelos left. "Hm. Zelos…I wonder what you're thinking. No matter. We have a tournament to prepare for."

.

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Next Time: One Month.