Author's Note: Right now my internet is down, so I am typing my author notes on a phone. Apologies for typos! Also, this chapter is better if you have read the original Hardwood Heroes story.

Also, I do not own Fairy Tail.

Chapter Nineteen - The Sport of Business

Lucy, Caprico, and Natsu were all three standing inside the brown and chrome elevator in South Gate Arena shooting its way to the upper levels of management along the South Gate Arena stadium. Usually when Lucy found herself riding this machine, she was heading to her father's office.

She was wearing a dark grey suit jacket with a matching skirt, over a pink dress shirt opened at the top button. She clicked one of her black high heals on the elevator floor as the few numbers passed by her view taking them to the top. Caprico stood next to her, wearing his extravagant three-piece black suit with a grey vest and black tie. His eyes were hidden, as usual, by mirror-polished shades, appropriately hiding his emotionless eyes.

Natsu Dragneel, on the other hand, stuck out among the other two rather simply. He was wearing his home red and yellow Magnolia Fairies uniform, jersey, pants, shoes and all. He held a team basketball underneath his arm, and picked his ear with his other hand's pinky.

"Is this place really that tall? I thought we'd be there by now." Natsu groaned impatiently.

"I'm a little thankful for the delay." Lucy sighed deeply as she clutched her black handbag. "I kind of hope the elevator gets stuck..."

"Lady Lucy, relax." Caprico reassured her. "There is no need to be so nervous. The team will be sold if you do not step in that room, so technically we have already lost them. Think of all this as having nothing else to lose."

"The Old Goat's right, Lucy." Natsu put a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder from behind. "Lighten up! You got this!"

"I guess..." Lucy felt a second hand hitting her other shoulder, then raised an eyebrow. "But before I go in there, I just have a few questions...for starters, why is he in here with us?"

She gestured to the fourth person in the elevator standing behind Caprico. It appeared to be the fluffy blue feline mascot for the Magnolia Fairies, Happy the Cat.

Natsu howled, and slapped the silent mascot on the back. "HA! This guy? I invited him, duh! We're gonna be standing outside cheering you on!"

The blue catsuit with a overly large head and comically round eyes held up a white and black sign, reading "Aye Sir!" to state his claim.

"Right, and that brings me to my next point…" Lucy turned around to look at his uniform. "Why are you dressed like that? You look ridiculous, and neither of you will even be allow in the conference hall!"

"Nah, these are the new uni's! They're so awesome!" Natsu flashed the jersey around for all three people to see. "We went ahead and let 'em bury old man Heartflia with the old ones since these just came in. Ain't no way Michelle will want to sell the team now!"

"Yea?" Lucy only imagined brand new uniforms would only help raise a team's market value. "I beg to differ, Natsu..."

"Try focusing on the task at hand, Laaady Lucy." Caprico did not want to sound rude or stern, but he was known to calmly snap from time to time. "Jean Luc is our ally. He'll vote in favor of remaining. Michelle is lost, I would not even waste your time trying to win her over. Therefore, it comes down to Byro and Saaamuel. I believe Byro still holds some form of care for this team. Samuel is our total wild card, and a man made solely on facts and data. If we can crack the two of them like we planned earlier, we can secure our 50/50 tie to force her hand for new negotiations."

"Right." Lucy nodded firmly. "Byro and Samuel...no Michelle..."

The doors slid open, and the four men waited for Miss Lucy Heartfilia to lead the charge as she swallowed her pride, and stepped out into the hallway. Natsu followed, then by Happy, and lastly Caprico.

They made it down to the end of the hallway. Two the right sat Jude Heartfilia's old nostalgic office, while to the left was the wide circular main conference room for the Magnolia Fairies. Lucy froze while she stared at the door, and took several long, deep breaths."

"Okay...here we go...are we too early? I forgot a watch...now I'm regretting not bringing my watch...or my normal purse...this handbag looks too big and gaudy...and now that I think about it why did I not let Cancer style my hair more formally for such a big meeting…?"

Natsu stopped Lucy in her rambling as he grabbed her by the arms, and kissed her passionately on the lips. She dipped down with a weak knee, then leaned away as she tried to collect her breath.

"Wow...thanks for that, Natsu."

"No problem." He beamed with his toothy grin. "Fight like a Fairy in there, Lucy."

She smiled confidently back, and gave him a thumbs-up as she opened the door, and stepped into the newly polished conference room with Caprico flanking her from behind.

"Ah, Caprico, glad you could make it." Said a rather old man with shaggy dark hair sitting on the left side of the circular table. "Byro and I were actually starting to think you weren't going to make it...oh? Who do we have here?"

"Hello, uncle Jean Luc. Long time, no see." Lucy teased her father's former best friend, and walked around to give him a hug.

"Miss Lucy. What an unexpected surprise. I never actually thought I'd see you again after your father's funeral the other day." Jean-Luc was a middle-aged man of average height and build, much like Jude Heartfilia. He held a stern look and stout facial features, with a large purple beard accompanied by a mustache of the same color crowning his face, as well as large curvy eyebrows.

He also sported long purple hair which reached down to his middle-back, so long that it happened to be tied in a loose ponytail at his neck. On the top of his head though, he was completely bald, which he usually covered up with eccentric hats on less formal occasions.

He was the more liberal minded half of the Heartfilia-Neville partnership, opposed to Jude's conservative take on running a company. Today he wore a tan leisure business suit with a white shirt underneath, no tie, and several of the buttons on his shirt were undone showing the upper half of his overly hairy chest.

Lucy still enjoyed his company, though. She always expected that Jean Luc was the reason Jude stayed so grounded apart from hsi busy work schedule. "No, I hope to keep in touch with you as long as possible. I'll still be partnered with the airlines for my new journalism career, too, so we'll run into each other at some point for that as well I suppose."

"This is most unexpected, to say the least." The grey haired tower of a man on the right side of the table stood from his chair, and looked at Caprico. "I never expected you to bring the Heartfilia girl into one of our meetings, Caprico."

Unlike his business counterparts, Byro Cracy was a tall and muscular man with trim white hair on top of his head, which made him look like a great stone statue. The only unique facial features he held were two tufts of hair on both sides of his chin which pointed downwards, which befit his face oddly seeing how he did not have any particular eyebrows.

The former Zentopian Cardinal, and former Arch Bishop of the Kardia Cathedral downtown had seen a prosperous retirement after he left the church, but the good doctrine of Zentopia followed him everywhere thoroughly, including his minor ownership of the Magnolia Fairies.

"Apologies, but I believe you may not remember me, Miss Lucy Heartfilia. I missed my chance to see you at the funeral, a mistake which I deeply regret. I was the priest at Kardia Catherdal back when your father and mother attended Sunday services regularly."

"O-oh, it's quite all right." Lucy timidly accepted his apology and shook his hand as he rounded the table to her side. "There were a whole lot of people at that funeral. I know I missed seeing at least half of them."

Byro nodded. "Your father was a good man. Very hard working. And he loved this city. He was the last remaining thing I respected about this miserable wreck of a franchise."

"Well, seems like he will be one of my opponents, today." She kept that thought in her mind, and took a seat next to Jean Luc. "So, do either of you know where my lovely cousin is, by any cha…?"

The double doors to the conference hall slammed open, revealing a stern looking young blonde woman, wearing a tight green business suit jacket and skirt, pinstriped, with dark hoes running down to her high-healed feet. She wore a white blouse underneath the jacket, and a thin red tie with a matching red rose pinned to her lapel as she walked in with two very cold blue eyes.

Following her was a young man topped with a bald head, and skin that was so pale it almost looked to be powder blue. His eyes were lowered, as if he were measuring something on his open folder. His slick blue suit, red tie, and white dress shirt made him look comfortable in a business meeting as he chased the woman into the room casually to their conference.

"Miss Lobster, I'm not sure you're looking at these figures correctly, the way my research is showing, it looks as if..."

"Just stop, would you, you're too much of a bore for me to keep my ears open." Michelle's golden blonde hair waved about while she rounded the right side of the room, and took a seat at the head chair of the circular table, sitting in front of a bright bay window overlooking the rest of downtown Magnolia.

She undid her suit button, and took her seat quickly. "And can someone remove that Salamander and his stupid cat friend from outside the hall way? If I happen to leave this room and find his smirking grin looking back at me I'll pull all my hair out."

"Ah-hem."

The room fell quiet, and all eyes turned to a calm but fierce Lucy clearing her throat, looking at her relative with wide brown eyes.

"I'd say they're probably here to support the argument for the Fairies to stay in town." Lucy claimed arrogantly. "Sorry, Michelle, or should I call you Imitatia? I invited them. Hope you don't mind."

"Big Sister!?" Her voice still sounded shrewd, but her eyes were open widely now as she collected the angry face of her normally cheery cousin. "What are you doing here?"

Lucy was almost offended that Michelle no longer felt the need to act cheery and ditsy, herself. "I'm only here because of an invite as well. That's a new look for you, Michelle. I've never seen you dressed like a movie villain before. I hope that's not from your new fall line."

Michelle leaned back in her chair, and raised her eyebrow. "I'm sorry, are you here to take my team out from under me? If I remember correctly, you told an entire stadium full of people that you had no desire to own a basketball franchise. More importantly, why the hell do you think it's appropriate for you to be sitting in on this very important meeting?!"

"I invited Laaady Lucy, ma'am." Caprico was still standing with a hand over his heart right behind Lucy. "I forfeit my vote, today, and graciously hand it to her."

"Denied." Michelle argued back. "Or opposed. Or whatever! You can't just go handing people your vote for a critical franchise meeting, you hack of a lawyer. I want her removed from this room immediately…!"

The G.O.A.T. lawyer stopped her there. "Article 1: Section 7 of the new ownership charter for the Magnolia Fairies, dated X770: When transferring voting powers from a majority or minority ownership to another party, all controlling factors must not be signed over until legalized and notarized by a court of law. However, the two employee votes bequeathed to the law and accounting departments of the organization may be exchanged at any time with any other employee of the Magnolia Fairies Franchise, so long as they show relevant proof of employment within the last 365 days."

"She's not an employee, here. You can't just hand her your vote!" Michelle barked. "She's an intern with that news company in Crocus! Unless you're counting that lousy high school blog she spent three nights making her senior year."

"No." Caprico affirmed her, while also pulling out an old pay stub addressed to Lucy from South Gate Arena. "But she is registered and employed with the franchise as a concession stand clerk. Laaady Lucy often finds herself employed for games late in the season when trying to earn her own money."

Michelle looked over at a now cheery Lucy, smiling back at her with two closed eyes, and her hands together on the table.

Then, the fashion icon's eyes started to twitch uncontrollably. "Very well then. This meeting has been called to discuss the relocation of the Magnolia Fairies franchise. Seeing how I have a majority share of this team, we're only doing this to keep our legal friend, here, happy. Therefore, all in favor of relocating the Fairies franchise to Alvarez for the grand total of 100 Billion Jewel say..."

"Hold on!" Lucy blurted out. "This is no way to do parliamentary procedure!"

"We need no parliament." Byro shot back. "Everyone in here knows who the other is voting for, it's no secret anymore. I for one have had it with the lousy athletes and their muck of a fan base running this city into the dirt. Their sins need to be absolved, and this town needs washed from the stench of that rotting franchise."

"Well, I cannot dare speak for sins or any of that nonsense." Replied the very arrogant Samuel, "but the cost for relocating the team to Alvarez is far cheaper than moving it to some other location in Fiore. The business deal arranged by Michelle is quite impressive, not to mention the local community will probably be grateful. The maintenance for South Gate Arena and any future renovations would cost the local taxpayers millions of Jewel now that their beloved Jude has passed away."

Lucy was sad to hear him state it all like that, an emotionless statistic. But it was quite honest. Jude Heartfilia was one of the more revolutionary icons in sports for Fiore, as he was the first team owner to pull funds out from his own pocket to help build the original South Gate Arena in X770. Today, those costs usually go to the tax payers of each city, and with South Gate Arena in semi-need of upcoming renovations, some of the die-hard Fairy fans may not be so upset to see their team leave.

Not so much, though, that it eventually struck Lucy to speak up. "We don't need a new stadium, or renovations! There's no need to fix anything that's looking fine the way it is. Most sports franchises only threaten a city to leave when they're looking to earn money from the city to buy a new stadium. My father corrected that relationship in the 70's."

"You have a point." Samuel licked his finger, and flipped through more of his notes. "The Magnolia Fairies have been managed far differently than any other organization in professional sports. A team with this bad of record over the last 20 years would have folded to another city a decade ago, yet Jude found a way to fund this operation and lead the team to two championship seasons. Perhaps we can wait a few more years and increase our own revenues before marking the price higher for the Alvarez buyer."

Lucy's ignored his compliment as her head was about to explode. "You're missing my point! The fans' love for this team is way beyond money! You can't just go measuring a team leaving a city based on their revenue!"

Samuel stared blankly back at her from beside Byro. "But Dear, that is the whole object of this organization; to earn more revenue. Also, to argue your point, stadiums and franchises very rarely revitalize their surrounding areas economically, or create new jobs. The fans are thankful for some mindless source of entertainment for now, but at the end of the day, a franchise transition overseas may be in the best financial interest for both the team and this city."

Caprico had shifted forward in his seat, but stopped once Lucy slammed her bag on the table, pulled out her red reading glasses, and proceeded to draw out papers from the inside.

"First, don't call me Dear. Second, don't act like your basic interpretation of franchises and stadium funding can even come close to relating to Magnolia's specific interests. In the past two years with the team's recent success, the Magnolia News and Sentinel noted a marked rise in consumer spending at downtown businesses, specifically around South Gate Park and the arena itself. Not to mention millions of jewel being pumped back into the city with raised ticket sales and concession earnings that the Fairies pay the city back with. The Fairies put more money back into their hometown than any other team in the league, which for most is zero Jewels!"

She looked at Samuel with passionate eyes. "My father made his money with Jean Luc and the Airlines, he had no interest in making money with the Fairies like some sweat shop factory. He barely broke even with his practices in this arena, and knew the heart of fans and the team itself would find its own earnings. This organization is far more valuable than the ridiculous price tag you're placing on it. You're throwing away a vital part of this city's economy if you send the Fairies to Alvarez."

"Hmm." Samuel pushed his glasses upward on his nose. "You really are quite the investigative journalist, Miss Lucy. Apologies for my tone. This is all very impressive."

He picked up her notes, and combed through them as his head leaned back on the large red office chair. "Someone else can go, I may be sold by her new-found statistics."

"How ridiculous." Byro scoffed at the young Heartfilia sitting across from him at the table. "That team of ingrates has brought glory to this city, but it has also brought great shame. Your very own beloved point guard was arrested for battery and assault less than three months ago. That whole team is nothing but vagrants, gamblers, alcoholics, and sinners."

"Sir, I'm sorry you have to see things that way." Lucy took her glasses off for Byro. "My father and I were devout church goers when I was growing up. He's put so much money into the Zentopian Archdiocese of Magnolia, you even took this position to honor his loyal contributions."

"What?" Byro's eyes grew wide. "So you are familiar with me!?"

She nodded, hoping that he would forgive her for lying about her ignorance. "You were the priest when I was a little girl, attending Kardia ceremonies every Sunday. My mother died, and father got caught up in his business. We never found time to go once I grew up. But we have faith, and so does this team. The Fairy players all raise money for local charities consistently. That point guard you ridiculed for being a violent gambler? He donates all the money he wins from gambling and playing golf rounds with his teammates to local businesses and non-profits...even though I'm usually the one who recommends he do so."

Lucy leaned back, and sighed with a soft smile. "And like you said, they are capable of bringing glory to this city. Go around the town, ask about the faith and loyalty fans have with respect to the Fairies. This team means more to them than just a sport's spectacle. It's passion, it's heart, it's their history. As a former Zentopian cardinal I know you have respect for storied histories! The sport of basketball was founded here in town. Mavis Vermilion was from Magnolia. We cannot take a part of history from the town where basketball was founded!"

"This is a waste of all our time, but most importantly mine!" Michelle slapped the table. "Caprico, get your loose dog out of the room and let us take this vote more seriously."

"I believe we already are." Jean Luc Neville nodded with a look of approval at Lucy to his right. "I'm actually quite impressed with your work, Miss Lucy. You really do your father proud. I cannot speak for everyone at this table, but I actually vote to keep the team here in town."

"Of course you do." Michelle rolled her eyes as she continued to mock him. "And no one actually found that to be a surprise. You can convert all four of your votes into being against this move, but I still have ruling powers to transfer this team to wherever the hell I'd li..."

Lucy always hated interrupting people, but she found a new joy in doing it when it came to her bitter cousin. "Actually, I could care less about the three of their votes. As far as I'm concerned, the three other men here are all from Magnolia. You're the one I really came to persuade."

Every eye in the room was wide, and now Michelle felt a smirk rolling up her lip. "You must be joking. I know I always act like the little, dimwitted Michelle around you in public, but let us all get one thing straight...I'm in charge here, and I'm the one wanting to take this team over seas. There is no way you're that stupid to believe I'd be the easiest vote to sway."

"Wow." Lucy nodded calmly. "When Caprico told me about your business nickname, I almost didn't believe him. Imitatia...It really suits you now that I see you for my true cousin once and for all."

Lucy stood up from her seat, and leaned forward to project her newly commanding voice. "I'll obviously vote that we remain here with 10% of the voice, and you control 50% to help keep that alive. Jean Luc, Samuel, and Byro can all vote against me for all I care. You and I make 60%, and together we can keep our family name on this franchise."

Michelle rolled her deep, blue eyes. "And why the hell would I want to do that over earning 100 Billion Jewel?"

"Because you have no idea how much money this team is capable of making if Fiore wins the Gold medal in this year's Olympic Games."

All the other men were surprised to hear her make that statement, but Samuel spoke first. "U-hm, pardon me, Miss Heartfilia, but we have no concern with how the country of Fiore does in this year's Games. We're trying to sell an individual franchise in the FBA."

"Oh really?" Lucy snapped back. "You're only getting away with selling the Fairies for such a high price because you're shipping the team to Alvarez, a country where basketball is currently at its highest peak in popularity. If Alvarez happened to lose the gold medal this year, the sport's interest would fall at a rapid rate…On the other hand, Fiore invented basketball, and if we were able to win the gold medal, and bring back the title to our soil..."

"Then the FBA would experience a dramatic increase in revenue and earnings." Jean Luc nodded with approval. "That makes perfect sense when you actually start to think about it. Magnolia is currently the most successful and talented team in the league, and if we send our boys over to Era and they win us a gold medal, we'd actually see even more money coming our way in the long run due to their success and publicity. We could eclipse 100 Billion jewel within a year or two easily."

"Not to mention." Caprico finally found time to add his own opinion. "That rambunctious Point Guard you all haaappen to keep bringing up is the biggest symbol in sports, right now. You currently hold the most marketable face on the planet in your grasp, and yet you sit here and fight to sell the team like clueless children."

"Of course he's the most marketable player, he has the highest contract ever made." Michelle scoffed. "I was the one who talked Uncle Jude into raising his deal a few months back when we negotiated my name on his Will."

"You got Natsu that insane contract!?" Lucy almost fell out of her own seat. "Why did you bother setting that up if you're just going to sell the team?"

"Because." She replied with a sultry, evil voice. "When you cook your holiday turkey, you always want to stuff him fat with the sweetest ingredients...Natsu Dragneel is locked into a 5-year deal that keeps him tethered to this organization, no matter where it gets shipped off to. If the Fairies happen to move over seas, and if the current buyer just so happened to be his billionaire brother looking to reunite with a long-lost sibling..."

"You...you're trying to sell Natsu to him!?" Lucy used all her internal might to keep herself from shouting at her infuriating cousin. "You're selling the Fairies to Zeref Dragneel!?"

Michelle teasingly shrugged. "Is that so ridiculous? He's the world's only Trillionaire, and he wants to spend the rest of his life with Natsu. The least I could do is lock the dimwit into a 5-year deal. I'm sure those two idiots will make peace over the course of half a decade...or the pink-haired fool can throw all that money away and become a free agent."

Imitatia was not finished. "Or, I'm sorry, aren't the two of you young lovers trying to use his money to buy your father's house? It'd be a shame if he chose to throw that all away for some petty brotherly feud..."

Lucy was done. She wanted everything in her veins to give her enough strength to crawl over the table, and tackle her hated cousin out the large bay window. Her eyes began to twitch, her mouth began to foam, her eyes began to flood with tears, but some inner strength, a fire in her belly seemed to ignite just at the last second to make up her desperately imploding mind.

"THEN WE'LL BET ON IT!" Lucy finally shouted, and shook the entire room, almost taking a page from her beloved Natsu's handbook. "If Natsu and Fiore win the Gold medal this summer, Magnolia keeps the Fairies...If we lose, then you can sell the team."

The room was still silent, as all the men surrounding the meeting sat with vacant looks of concern. Michelle, on the other hand, slowly collected her relative's words, and then howled with uncontrollable laughter.

"AHAHA! Oh, dear Lucy, my sweet Big Sister...you always were the naive one! If Fiore somehow manages to win that stupid gold coin, you expect me to walk away from 100 Billion Jewel?"

"No." Lucy pleaded sensibly as she walked around Jean Luc to stare down her cousin at the head of the table face-to-face. "I expect you to keep the team, and make that money all on your own. Like Caprico said, Natsu Dragneel, my boyfriend is the most marketable face in the entire world right now. His agent has been setting up dozens of business deals with him; sports drinks, basketball shoes, cereals, every partnership you can think of...except designer clothing."

Michelle's arrogant smile turned into a serious frown. Lucy only barely held her cousin's curiosity, but now she had the infamous Imitatia's attention.

Lucy continued with her negotiation. "If we win, and Fiore basketball returns to its former glory, you have The Natsu Dragneel as your personal employee in a newly charged FBA. That should be enough to strike a deal with his agent to use him as your star model for a new line of sports wear."

The blonde daughter of Jude Heartfilia held out her hand to shake with her cousin's, and confidently smiled as she tried to land her deal. "I can't promise he'll cooperate willingly, but I'll help loosen his nerves if you agree to keep his favorite team right here where it belongs."

Michelle took a few seconds to blink, then she looked across the room at the ticking clock. Her heart was racing ever since Lucy proposed her new deal, but her mind was only beginning to imagine the new fashion ideas she could put under the name of the red-hot Salamander.

Lady Imitatia rose from her chair, and took Lucy's hand with a forceful grin of her own. "My sweet Big Sister, Lucy...you have a deal."

The doors swung open, revealing a very tired Lucy as the other business figures waited inside the room to discuss the end of the meeting. Lucy let out a deep sigh, until she heard a chorus of voices ringing her way.

"LUCY! What happened in there!?" Levy McGarden yelled at her with bright eyes, while Gajeel stood next to her.

"Hurry and fess up, Blondie, or I'll go in there and wreck that trashy cousin of yours!" He raised his iron fist with a a face full of anger.

"Knock it off, guys." Gray tried to calm them down. "So is everything okay? You look like you just ran a marathon, Lucy."

"OHH PLEASE TELL ME MY BELOVED GRAY IS STAYING PUT IN TOWN! I CANNOT IMAGINE LOSING HIM TO THOSE BANDITS IN ALVAREZ!" Juvia latched onto Lucy's arm, and pleaded with her sworn Love rival.

The a pink haired point guard yelled past his friends. "Guys! Let her through, why don'tcha?!"

The group parted ways, revealing a cheery Nastu standing between a stern Laxus and a concerned Mirajane. Jellal was standing over by the wall with the goofy big-eyed mascot Happy, while Erza stepped forward with a determined attitude seeking new answers.

"Apologies for our rudeness, Lucy." Erza firmly admitted. "But we were all worried about you and the team. What is going to happen to the franchise now?"

It felt as if Lucy took years to concentrate on all her beloved friends. Every second in the world was not enough to collect their admiration and support for her in her time of need. The idea that each and every one of them were waiting out here to wish her luck in the meeting of a lifetime almost brought a new tear to her eye.

Instead, she simply smiled, and gave her pink-haired boyfriend a wink. "Eh, let's just say I learned a thing or two from a hot-headed Salamander."

Lucy Heartfilia gets the job done like a mad businesswoman! Plus she had the support of her friends on the outside. This chapter works waaay better if you've read the first Hardwood Heroes.

Now we're all on the Olympic Road! I have a very busy week (and no internet currently) so things will be very slow on my end. Until next time!