Team Fiore had their fun in the streets of Joya for a few hours. After those hours passed, it was imperative that they met in the arena within Crown City. It was huge, easily rivaling and perhaps surpassing the Domus Flau in size. Unlike the Domus Flau in Fiore, Crown Stadium had a bit more of a gaudy appearance. It was extremely flashy and could make one sick from how much effort was put into making the stadium look good. Currently, the arena was vacant, it's large size going to waste. Only Team Fiore and Count Waltz stood within the stadium. "This is Crown Stadium. This is where the tournament will be taking place." The young Count explained.
"It's very….bright." Lucy admitted.
"Seems pretty wild to me. I like it!" Bacchus nodded in agreement.
"If I may ask, Count Waltz. What did you need my team here for?" Hisui asked. When she met with Count Waltz, he simply thanked her for coming and asked that she meet him in the stadium.
"A rather simple answer." Adjusting the large crown on his head, Count Waltz took a few steps backwards before holding his arms up. "The tournament is set to begin in two days time, but before that, I wish to give the people a preview of what is to come. That is why I wish to hold a bit of a preliminary battle between Teams Fiore and Joya. An exhibition match, if you will."
"An exhibition match?" Kagura lifted a brow.
"Indeed." Waltz continued. "This is the grandest tournament the world will ever see. As such, I want everyone to see what is in store for them. A clash between the strongest mages Ishgar has to offer. This doesn't happen every day. We must make the most of it, do you not agree?"
"I can't say he's wrong," Luke scratched the back of his head. "Plus I'm a little curious as to what kinda mages Joya has in their pocket." In short, this would be a good chance to see what it was they were up against. Although the Fairy Tail members present, excluding Zelos, recalled the type of mages Count Waltz had under his command.
"None of them wouldn't fare very well against me." Reve added. His remark got him a few glances, but his usual smirk only served to irritate those people as well. His ego was out of control as usual.
"Reve, please, dial it down just a little bit." Hisui spoke with a sweat drop. The last thing she wanted was to appear conceited, but it was a little too late for that.
"That is a tall order." Luke laughed a bit.
"So, what say you?" Waltz asked. "I've already prepared one of our strongest magic users to do battle against Fiore." The Count then snapped his fingers and two people emerged; one, a young male with dark silver hair and blue eyes; his outfit consisted of a blue vest over a white long-sleeve shirt and a stylized cauldron over his right shoulder; his pants were olive green and the outfit was finished off with large brown boots with a unique design. The second was a young girl with long, pale blonde hair in braided pigtails. Her outfit was a blue dress similar to her eyes with matching socks, white sleeves, and white knee high socks. "These are two of the strongest knights in my army; Allegretto and Polka."
Erza remembered Allegretto well. That knight was the one who soundly defeated her in Joya Castle during the International Meeting two years ago. "I see…"
"Oh hey." Allegretto waved to Erza. "I hope you've gotten stronger since last time! It was fun fighting you." His response was so casual.
"H-Hello." Polka gave a slight bow. Her hospitality was pleasant compared to the violent reception received during that same International Meeting. She smiled towards Erza, Lucy, and Natsu. "It's wonderful to see you again. I hope you all are doing well. It appears we will be rivals in this coming competition."
"She's young…" Minerva was the first one to point that out. Polka was very young compared to the rest of them, yet the magic power she could sense was off the charts.
"Indeed." Waltz said with pride. "Polka has the highest magic out of any mage in Joya at a staggering 15 years old."
"WH…!?" Team Fiore was shocked at this.
"She was 13 when we met her?" Lucy whispered to Erza, who could only nod in response.
"In a sense, you could say that she is our strongest mage." Waltz said.
"A kid? Seriously?" Reve rolled his eyes. He was the only one who wasn't so shocked at this. "All the magic power in the world can't help you if you don't have proper experience. I don't know what you guys are so shocked over."
"O-Oh, well…" Polka's expression fell at Reve's words.
"I'll have you know, she trains with the strongest knight in Joya!" Allegretto jumped to Polka's defense. "Combat is our specialty!"
"I doubt it." Reve replied with a scoff.
"You shouldn't underestimate the younger generation." Jellal told Reve. "Mages are getting stronger, you know."
"These kids are more than welcome to come get a lesson in what experience tastes like." Reve immediately replied. "But I'd be wasting my time on a kid when we've got bigger things to deal with."
"I'll fight her!" Natsu lifted his hand up. All eyes turned to him.
"Wait, seriously Natsu-san!?" Sting was upset…because Natsu beat him to it.
"Fighting against Joya's strongest mage? I can't think of a better way to test all that training!" Natsu held a fist in the air.
"Going all out on a kid seems a little much." Lector said worriedly.
"You don't need to worry about me. I'll be just fine. I think this experience will be fun; I don't get the chance to fight people outside the country." Polka's lips curved into a sweet smile. "And after the exhibition, would you care to dine in the palace tonight? An associate of mine and I are going to prepare a large feast."
"She's so sweet…" Erza, Lucy, and Zelos all thought at the same time. But Lucy and Erza ended up glaring at Zelos.
"W-What's with the fierce glare? I haven't done anything~!" Zelos said.
"Yet." Erza and Lucy said in unison.
"Very well then." Waltz held a proper, friendly smile. "It shall be contestant Natsu of Fiore vs Polka of Joya. This fight will be live, so I hope neither of you gets stage fright."
Jellal held a scrutinizing gaze when he looked at Count Waltz. He wasn't sure what was going on, but something about the young ruler was bothering him very much. Regardless, he shook these thoughts off. "There's more to this than meets the eye…"
Team Fiore took their assigned space within the stadium. Considering how large the interior of Crown Stadium was, it was clear that not only could it house a lot of spectators, but it was clearly prepared for the other countries as well. Erza could make out the symbols for the other countries such as Seven, Bosco, Pergrande, and even Alvarez. It was only a matter of time until this grand clash happened and Fiore was at the center of it all. "I'm curious to see what Natsu has been up to."
"Why does he keep fighting kids?" Luke rolled his eyes.
"Cynthia and Wendy are young women, thank you very much." Zelos remarked while flipping his hair.
"Come on, Natsu! You can do it!" Happy cheered.
"…Not exactly a statement that I wanna hear from you." Luke responded with a shrug of his shoulders. Regardless, all eyes were on Natsu and Polka.
A lacrima screen appeared in the sky, likely displaying to Joya and the rest of the continent. "Good evening everyone." Waltz began with a grandiose entrance. "As I'm sure you know, the world's biggest tournament is set to begin in a few days. In order to tide over the excitement, we have an exhibition preliminary against Team Fiore! This is only the beginning of what we have in store. The rules are quite simple: 15 minutes to battle. If neither side falls, it is a draw. Now then…begin!"
Natsu was the first one to make a move. He wasted no time sprinting towards Polka, orange flames igniting around his fist. "Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" Lunging forward, he reared his arm back, swinging downwards at Polka's skull with all his might! Polka was nimble, leaping back just before Natsu's fist could connect with her, thus causing it to crush the ground instead. Grinning, Natsu pursued instantly, using his momentum to throw at kick Polka's chest.
"Hm!" Polka brandished the weapon at her side. To all watching it was a surprise what she pulled out to defend herself: an umbrella. Before anyone could even question her weapon of choice, the umbrella opened just as Natsu's kick struck it. The timing was perfect and Polka parried Natsu's strike, thus throwing him off guard.
"She parried his blow with an umbrella?" Kagura was surprised.
"Nice! Let him have it, Polka!" Allegretto cheered.
"Guh!" Natsu was not expecting a mere umbrella to be his undoing. His stance was broken and he was hastily trying to recover.
Polka wasn't the fastest person, but she was still able to close the distance between her and Natsu easily, swinging her umbrella like a sword. She aimed several strikes at his body, all of which he was narrowly capable of defending against. Just before her final strike, the clouds above created a shadow over her. "Nether Wave!" The final strike came in the form of a downward swing. Natsu was able to jump back to avoid this, but that was his mistake, as the ground suddenly exploded in a cone shape in front of him! Darkness magic overtook Natsu and sent him into the sky.
"Gah!" That hurt a lot! Waltz wasn't joking when he said Polka's magic power was extremely high for such a young age. Still, if Natsu could defeat one of Joya's strongest, then that would show the world that Fiore was far from the bottom! Flipping in the air, the fire dragon held his hands over his head, creating a gigantic fireball overhead. "Dazzling Blaze of the Fire Dragon!" And with only his chant as a warning, he hurled this sphere of flame at his target.
The shadow of the flames took a circle over the girl. Polka responded on a dime, lifting her hand into the air as darkness swirled around her palm, taking the shape of a tiny obsidian sphere. "Shade Comet!" This small sphere was chock full of magic and she threw it to counter the Dazzling Blaze. The two attacks collided but ultimately the Shade Comet was beaten out and swallowed by the flames. "Ah…!" Polka gasped while bringing her parasol out to shield herself from the ensuing explosion. While she was shielded from damage, the explosion still kicked her into the air, where she managed to stick the landing. "Whew…"
As if Natsu would let her rest! The Salamander came barreling through the smoke, trails of flame following behind his arms. "Fire Dragon's Wing Slash!" With great speed, he sprinted past Polka, slashing at her with these 'wings' of flame of his. Natsu finally landed a direct hit against this young titan and the damage looked good on his end. Not finished, he pivoted on his heel, using his momentum to leap backwards, now aiming a spinning kick towards Polka's temple with flames to boost its power. "And Talon!" And just before Natsu could strike the young Joyan, once again, she parried his kick. "Agh!"
"A second time…" Minerva took note of this.
Natsu was wide open. This allowed Polka to get some solid hits in with her parasol, and as Natsu was learning, it was a surprising powerful weapon! The final hit sent Natsu staggering backwards. It wasn't a great distance, but it was enough for Polka, who then stabbed the tip of her parasol into the ground just as the sun shone above her. "Don't blame me for what happens! Disruption Wave!" This attack was extremely similar to the Nether Wave, only it was composed of light magic! And to make matters worse for Natsu, its range was doubled! Even as he tried to escape, a surge of light exploded and threw him backwards.
"That attack was even stronger than the last one…" Hisui remarked. "Did the sun have something to do with it? Her previous attacks…"
"She's utilizing Light and Dark magic, but it's different from how I do it." Luke mentioned.
Hearing Team Fiore speak made Count Waltz chuckle. "What you are seeing is the culmination of Joya's special training. Every knight has specialized in the Echo tactic, and the Day and Night formation. The Echo tactic is stockpiling magic by striking your foe normally, and the more hits that land, the stronger the next spell shall be. As for the day and night formation, their magic spells will differ if they are in the shade or not. Rather clever, don't you think?"
"No way, that's pretty cool…" Bacchus admitted. Changing fighting styles and spells based on the time of day? He could get behind that!
Natsu was recovering from the Disruption Wave. His ears caught onto what Waltz explained and that just made him all the more excited. "This is my first time fighting against someone like this. I'm fired up!" As he exclaimed this, lightning mixed in with his fiery aura. He had no qualms going into his Lightning Flame dual mode. Polka was an opponent deserving of his power and now he was getting an idea of how to fight her.
"Oh!" Polka's eyes widened in awe at Natsu's transformation.
"Watch out, he just got stronger!" Allegretto warned.
"Shush." Waltz demanded. "This is a valuable experience for the girl. She must learn on her own."
"Here I come!" Natsu roared while dashing forward once again, fire and lightning igniting on his fist. He threw a punch that Polka prepared to parry it just as before. Natsu anticipated this and grinned, for his punch was a fake out! Instead, he gripped Pokla's shoulder in a vice. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Gripping Strike!" And from his palm, a potent burst of fire and lightning exploded onto Polka's shoulder, causing the girl to cry out as she was thrown backwards. There was a severe burn mark on her shoulder from the hit.
"Nice, Natsu!" Lucy and Happy cheered.
Natsu wasn't done yet. He planned on finishing this here! His arm reared back, a wildfire of flames and lightning blazing around his arm. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!" With a mighty battle cry, Natsu threw his arm forward, releasing a gigantic torrent of the dual elements right at Polka!
The girl recovered in the nick of time. She held her parasol out to shield her from the infernal torrent, but it also did more than that. She twisted her parasol around, taking control of the flames and lightning and lifted it all into the sky, much to everyone's surprise. Polka then used the sun's rays to convert the fire and lightning into light magic, now taking the shape of a brilliant blade! "Solar Blade!" Polka exclaimed, bringing this large blade down.
"…!" Natsu was not expecting this in the slightest. It all happened so fast that his only options were to block or dodge. It was hard to discern which one he took as the blade came crashing down, creating a small earthquake while nearly tearing the stadium asunder.
"She converted his attack into light?" Sting was watching, although Polka's light based spells did make him a little hungry. Still, he could see how dangerous of a mage she was.
There was a thick, lingering cloud of smoke surrounding the area Polka struck. The girl started to pant before coughing into her hand. It wasn't a pretty sight as she coughed up some blood and felt a little dizzy. "Ugh…"
"Hey, is she okay?" Lucy asked.
Natsu managed to avoid the Solar Blade directly. The aftermath of the attack still caught him, but he was in much better shape than a direct hit. "Ngh…" It would've been very bad for him if he was hit by that Solar Blade. But he did notice that Polka was open and would take this chance. Natsu bent his knees and lunged forward, charging headfirst for Polka as she staggered. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Sword Horn!"
"Ah…Wait, Natsu! I think she's sick…!" Lucy exclaimed suddenly. Polka's condition didn't seem natural at all.
Despite her condition, Polka wasn't backing down. As Natsu approached she bent her knees, using her parasol to ascend into the sky. Since her coughing fit, her actions were a little sluggish, but still fast enough. Just as Natsu came towards her, she jumped into the air! Natsu was able to control his momentum and planned to pursue, but just as his feet left the ground, Polka's attack came into fruition! "Roundel!" As she spun around, multiple comets of light dropped down from the sky, crashing into the ground violently. The numerous explosions consumed Natsu and he had no choice but to defend himself from this powerful onslaught. Polka then landed, panting and heaving heavily as her attacks put an even greater toll on her body. "Ah…ah…ack…"
Natsu emerged, heavily damaged, but still active. The flames around his body grew more intense as the lightning faded, for he was in his Flame Dragon King Mode. He was pulling out all the stops for this one, decisive blow. As far as Natsu was concerned, Polka's recoil could have stemmed from being unable to properly control all her magic. Still, he pulled his arm back, a great quantity of flame gathering around him. "Flame Dragon King's Demolition Fist!"
"…!" Polka's blue eyes widened at the attack coming her way. There was no way she was going to be able to parry that in her condition, so she had to try and block. Her parasol was a very sturdy shield, holding strong against Natsu's punch. This was saying a lot since the air around Natsu sweltered and the ground itself was melting from the heat he let off. "He's so strong…is this what a mage from Fiore is capable of…!?" Polka's stance was weakening. When it was a contest of pure strength, Natsu had her beat and it showed. The fire dragon let out one final cry before overpowering her and sent her crashing into the opposite end of the arena!
"POLKA!" Allegretto shouted.
Polka hit the wall, slumped against it in a KO'ed state. Natsu defeated her. Count Waltz clapped slowly at this result. "Well, well…would you look at that. It seems Team Fiore has mages that can rival even some of our own!"
Allegretto didn't waste any time! He hopped from the stands and rushed to Polka. "Hey, are you okay?! Did you forget to…!?"
Polka winced, staring up at Natsu who stood above her, extending a hand to help her up. "Oh, thank you. You're very kind." Polka took Natsu's hands and stood up, still feeling a little dizzy. "That was a very invigorating experience…"
"You were tough too. Your magic is pretty strong!" Natsu flashed a wide grin. After helping her up, the two held a handshake. If people had been watching, they surely would've been cheering for an exciting event. In fact, if one listened closely, the people watching at home would be both in awe and excited that this was only the beginning of what Ishgar's Strongest had to offer!
"….He had that much trouble with a kid? Ridiculous." Reve shook his head, already exiting the stadium. He couldn't bear to watch Fairy Tail embarrass them anymore.
"Is it bad I was rooting for the cute girl to win?" Zelos asked.
"Yes." Minerva responded on a dime.
"…Something was very wrong about all of that." Jellal remarked. But what was it? He wasn't sure.
The day came to a close after the exhibition match between Fiore and Joya. The reaction within Joya was amazement that there were mages that could match Joya's own. As for those in Crown Palace, things were going just as planned. Count Waltz sat in his throne, approached by Polka and Allegretto, the latter rather upset by the day's events. "You performed well, Polka. For your performance, I will lower the tax on the medicine you sell, and you are now free to take your own."
"Was that really necessary!?" Allegretto snapped at his ruler. "That was dangerous for Polka and you know it! She could've won if…!" His bias and concern was showing.
"Silence." Count Waltz pointed his rapier forward, a thin beam slicing into Allegretto's shoulder to silence him. It didn't cause injury but it did hurt. "Throwing the fight was important to the people and to Team Fiore. Now they are under the belief that they can match our strongest."
"Tch…!" Allegretto grit his teeth, holding onto his shoulder after Waltz attacked him. Yes, that was the punishment for stepping out of line, but he couldn't let Waltz do as he pleased with someone as sick as Polka.
"It's okay." Polka reassured Allegretto. "You don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine during the tournament."
"Those worms truly think they have a chance in this tournament." Standing from his throne, Waltz made his way to the window, a sinister smiling curling onto his lips. "Fiore has no use to me, thus it is best if they are eradicated as soon as possible. The people will enjoy a good show, that I promise. The rest of you better put forth your best effort. I won't allow Joya to become a joke in the eyes of the world." There was an evil glint in Waltz's eyes. It seemed that the young ruler of Ishgar's trade capital had his own agenda…
.
.
Next Time: The Night Before The Tournament.