A few days prior to the meeting of Team Fiore that Hisui wanted to call, Natsu found himself standing outside of Al Dente along with the others. Rowan was flipping the sign over, saying that the restaurant was closed for the time being. "You guys are leaving!?" Happy flailed his arms. "But the fish was so good!"
"You'll be seeing us soon." Rowan said. "As it turns out, we received a request to be the lead chef for the tournament. Al Dente! will be serving the world."
"About time." Blair scoffed.
"That's great news! But…" Natsu turned to Keele. "Does that mean our training is over? I wasn't done yet!"
"Too bad. It's over for now." Keele crossed his arms. "Although I can't say if you've made progress or not yet. I guess we'll see when you start fighting."
"Heh." Natsu's lips curled up into a confident smirk. "Don't worry; I'll knock down everyone in my way! And then you're next! You too, Blair!"
"Not interested." Blair responded immediately.
"Aww, after sharing meals with him for the last few weeks? Are you sure you can deny him so cruelly~!?" Vernal said oh so dramatically. Of course this only annoyed the ravenette. "Regardless! The world will be able to experience Vernal's wonderful menagerie and the delicious food that accompanies it!"
"Vernal, please…" Juliet had a sweat drop on her forehead.
"We'll be seeing you soon." Cloud said, already making his way off.
"Don't lose to anyone." Keele said while waving a hand. For now, Al Dente! was leaving early. Earlier than Natsu would've liked, because he still had a few days left and was pretty bored!
"Ugh! What now." He had all this energy from sparring with Keele daily that he wasn't sure what to deal with. Natsu tapped his foot impatiently before getting an idea. "Oh, I know! Let's go bother Lucy!"
"Oh, great idea!" Happy grinned mischievously. "We haven't had food from her fridge in a long time. I bet she has a lot saved up!" He wouldn't be wrong, but the thought process behind it was.
Laxus and the Raijinshu had put Lucy through the ringer. Luckily for her they decided to let her rest for today. Between the physical training exhaustive magic exercises, she really needed it. Lucy was face down on her bed, practically asleep from all the hard work she'd been through. Of course the sound of someone in her house was enough to wake her right up. "Who's there!?" When Lucy rushed out of her room, it was an all too familiar sight; Natsu and Happy raiding her fridge. "GAAAH!"
"Oh, there you are!" Natsu was scarfing down some of her food. After having the luxury of tasting Al Dente's! food, this just didn't taste as good.
"Natsu!" Lucy groaned. "I thought you were still training at Al Dente!?"
"They left early." Natsu explained. "But I got a lot stronger just by training with Keele. How did your training go?"
Lucy had some flashbacks. "It was rough. Laxus and his crew decided to take me under their wings. I barely had a chance to rest. Buuuut…" The blonde grinned, flexing an arm. "Notice anything?" She was trying to show off her new muscles.
"You gained weight!" Happy blurted out instinctively.
Wrong answer. Lucy nearly violently lunged out to choke the life out of Happy. "YOU STUPID CAT!" That training sure paid off since she reached Happy before he could blink and now he was crying out comically.
Natsu sure noticed. "Whoa, you look like you've gotten a lot faster!"
"Laxus didn't make it easy on me at all…" Lucy sighed while reluctantly letting Happy go. She figured he learned his lesson. "But it was worth it! I really think I've improved thanks to them."
"Oh really? Then why don't we do some training!" Natsu grinned.
This made Lucy sweat. "Well, I'd like to, but I'm pretty tired…"
"Come on, just for a little bit!" Natsu didn't have any other outlets! "Plus there's something I wanna try! After fighting Cynthia and Wendy, I had this idea!"
"I'm not sure I like where this is going." Because whenever Natsu wanted to try something new, it usually ended up with Lucy getting set on fire in some way. But ultimately she conceded. "Fine, what is it?"
"We should have our own unison raid." Natsu said firmly. "We're partners after all, right? So it makes sense we have a killer move that'll take down anyone!"
That was actually a pretty good idea considering it came from Natsu. This caught Lucy's attention for sure. "That's…not bad. We're going to need all of our strength for the trials ahead. Especially when we have to fight Mii again. She won't come quietly."
"I was shocked when Natsu told me, too." Happy added. Natsu having a good idea was a momentous occasion that deserved being taken seriously.
"Let's get to work then!" That put a spring in Lucy's step. They still had time to train and she was extremely motivated.
The day finally came. Team Fiore stood before Queen Hisui in the throne room of the palace. Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Zelos, Reve, Luke, Kagura, Sting, Bacchus, and Minerva all stood in front of Fiore's Queen. "Thank you all for coming out today. I'd like to speak with you all a little about what the tournament is going to have in store. I fear that not all of it will not be good news."
"Considering what we've been through, I think we can take a little bit of bad news, Your Highness." Minerva said.
Hisui nodded slowly. "First off, as you know, this tournament will be hosted in the country of Joya. It is in the center of Ishgar, thus it is easier for everyone to gather there. I've been told that accommodations for our stay are already taken care of, so we needn't worry about that."
"Something tells me that's the only bit of good news we're getting." Kagura crossed her arms.
"…The other is a bit more grave." Hisui took a deep breath. "As you know, the Wizard Hunters and Fairy Tail had a battle not too long ago. They kidnapped myself and Emerald Verde, the current Empress' mother. This information of course was not made public."
"Yeah, we all heard about." As soon as Reve opened his mouth, the gazes of Natsu, Erza, and Lucy cut to him. Reve was relishing in what he was about to say. "No offense Your Highness, but you should have picked White Eclipse for the job. We wouldn't have let you slip right out of fingers like that…or lose to those bounty hunters."
"I knew you'd say something." Erza was trying her best not to get riled up. The Hunters were tougher than expected.
"I simply hope that she won't make the same mistake again." Reve's lips curled into a condescending smirk.
Hisui had a sweat drop, because she hadn't even gotten to the truly bad news yet. "And…in that encounter with the Hunters, they have set some sort of bomb inside of me. If Fiore is unable to obtain first or second, well…"
"That…is quite the blunder…" Luke couldn't exactly defend that one. Fairy Tail was on their own.
"So they're threatening your life? How dare they!" Zelos said, as if he wasn't aware of the entire thing to begin with. "Those who endanger a beautiful woman's life must pay the ultimate price! I, Zelos, will ensure that judgment will fall on the foul villains who dared to lie a hand on your beautiful, royal head, my queen!"
"…He's not wrong, but I truly wish he wouldn't phrase it like that." Minerva pinched the bridge of her nose.
"That ain't wild at all." Bacchus held his arms behind his head. "Pretty dirty if ya ask me. But it'll be pretty fun to see if they're really as strong as they look or not. An opponent that can go toe to toe with Erza? The very thought of it has my soul quiverin'…"
Sting was infuriated at this news. "So those guys think they can do whatever they want, is it!? I'll make sure to give them a taste of hell if they think Fiore's that weak! I know Fairy Tail would crush them on a good day." And he was advocating for Fairy Tail, because he didn't believe the Hunters had them outmatched.
"If I remember correctly, they were using your former comrade against you, is that right?" Kagura turned to the Fairy Tail mages.
"Yeah." Lucy nodded. "They were using Mii against us. I don't know how or why they got to her, or what's going on inside her head. But I know that she's in a deep darkness that we need to pull her out of."
"They're also putting her life on the line if we don't win." Erza stated. "They're screwing with us, but they're going to find out soon that Fairy Tail hits back twice as hard."
"…." Zelos remained quiet. He didn't mention his meeting with Mii and Lucia at all. Fairy Tail didn't know that Zelos bought them some time concerning Mii's life, and as far as he was concerned, they were better off not.
"If you hit hard enough the first time, this would be a nonissue." Reve continued his smug tone. "But don't worry, Your Highness. If I encounter a Wizard Hunter foolish enough to fight me, I'll be sure to put them down swiftly. Unlike Fairy Tail, White Eclipse only needs one chance to deal with a threat."
"Tch…" Natsu was growling angrily. They were seriously going to have to put up with Reve's attitude the whole time, weren't they!?
Luke simply shrugged. He didn't need to say anything since Reve was saying it all. "So our main priority is taking out whatever team the Wizard Hunters are on, right?"
"Yes." Hisui said. "However, Alvarez has likely been put into a similar predicament. I cannot confirm this entirely since our relations have been severely damaged by the incident."
"So we have a fierce competition going on? Ha!" Bacchus laughed, as if the situation was naught but a game to him. But that was all the more reason to take it seriously. "If we're playin' for keeps, you got nothing to worry about. We've been through worse as a country."
"The drunkard is right." Kagura couldn't really believe she was agreeing with him. "Worry not, Queen Hisui. We will ensure that all is well in this tournament."
It was very reassuring to hear that. "I believe in all of you. With the bad news out of the way, I have two more pieces of information. The first is regarding the substitute of your team, should any of you be unable to compete for any reason. An 11th member, so to speak, but only if required."
"Makes sense…" Sting did calm down a bit. "There's going to be a lot going on. Preparing for the case of one of us being out of commission is best, even if it's unlikely."
"So who is this person?" Erza asked and it was funny she did.
Jellal stepped into the throne room on that cue, giving a slight bow. "It will be me. I know I'm unaffiliated with any guild, but I asked the Queen if I could step in if necessary."
"J-Jellal…!" Erza was taken aback. As was Kagura. On the upside, her animosity towards him truly died down since she could stand with being in the same room with him far easier now.
"Jellal Fernandes will act as your 11th member." Hisui said.
"Oh, we have someone reliable after all." Reve remarked again.
"Are you trying to fight!?" Natsu growled. "I'll beat your ass right here!"
"As if you could." Reve ignored Natsu, which in turn only angered him more! "I've already prepared my back to carry you Fairies. The rest of you try to keep up, will you?"
"Ugh…" Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose. "How long do we have to deal with this?"
"From what I've been told, the tournament will last about a week. So please try to get along with each other." Hisui knew that was easier said than done, but she had to at least say it.
"I trust you all won't need my help, but I'll be here." Jellal said firmly. "In the meantime, I'll be serving as the Queen's guard, since she will be accompanying us to Joya."
"I expected as much." Luke shrugged his shoulders. "And what's the other bit of good news?"
"It was initially for Fairy Tail, but it would benefit the rest of you to hear this just in case." Hisui pulled out a letter from Queen Ena. "Ahem…"
"Dear Fairy Tail. I have done some intensive research onto the powers of the Eternal Sword. If you wish to have a chance against the Chosen, you must tear the sword from her grip somehow. The blade has a limitless supply of magic power that is given directly to her by the Celestial Spirit, Origin. If you can keep the sword out of her grip long enough to land a solid blow, you have a chance of victory! From, Queen Ena!"
"Sounds easier said than done, but that's something." Lucy was grateful for this advice. Mii was already a strong opponent and the Eternal Sword made her unstoppable.
"Oh, so she has the blade as well? That's troublesome." Minerva sighed. "I can't say I disliked that woman. But it seems as though she has an inkling for getting into trouble often. I wonder where she picked that up from." Fairy Tail was guilty as charged.
"So we're saving the Queen and Mii?" Bacchus' grin never faded. "I'm game!"
"Cleaning up Fairy Tail's mess has become an annoying second job." Reve shook his head. "It wouldn't be this way if…"
"We get it, you can knock it off now" Lucy was getting annoyed. "It doesn't matter. What matters now is that we don't mess up this time! We have a lot riding on this tournament and we have to win. The Hunters can't get away with what they've done! I won't let them get away with twisting Mii the way they want either I will bring her home…"
"Yeah!" Natsu agreed to that. "We have some unfinished business with her!"
"And she still needs a guild punishment." Erza nodded. "We have plenty in store. We won't lose to anyone."
"And we'll be here to back you up." Sting said confidently. "Just don't try to fall behind us, all right? But don't feel bad, Sabertooth being the strongest guild means it's only natural for us to lead."
"In your dreams!" Luke practically laughed.
Hisui managed a soft smile. The Queen had high hopes for Fiore's Team, they had her trust. "I believe in all of you. I know you won't lose to the Hunters." Hisui then stood up and pumped a fist into the air, breaking her royal character to express her true feelings. "Let us give it everything we have! Fiore will not back down from this challenge! The stakes are high, but our resolve is even stronger! We'll show the world what we really have to offer!" When Hisui was her true self, her speeches were extremely invigorating! For the most part, the more energetic members of the group followed her lead, giving off a resounding 'YEAH!' with the exception of Reve, Kagura, and Minerva. Still, the energy in the room was high all the same. Fiore was ready to fight against whatever the world planned to bring against them.
.
.
Next Time: Trip To Joya.