POV Change (Back to 3rd person)
"What are you planning?" Gray asked, ignoring the guild members as they ran out of the guild to stop Laxus.
"I'll take down Evergreen, Bickslow, and Freed first," Alex said, walking to the door. "Then I'll take on Laxus. The battle should end pretty quickly after that." Gray nodded and ran ahead, probably to stop their guildmates from doing something stupid before Alex took care of the Raijinshuu.
Alex walked over to the entryway, ready to leave, when she found she couldn't. Annoyed, she pressed her hand against what seemed to be a barrier.
Alex scowled as the Master ran face-first into it.
"Gramps!" Gray shouted, turning back. He ran over to where the Master was.
"An invisible wall?" Master asked, confused.
"Don't be silly!" Gray said. "There's nothing there!" He started pulling on the Master. "Why aren't you doing anything?" He asked, turning to Alex.
She faced him, a scowl still on her face. "It looks like Freed took extra precautions," She told, him annoyed. She backed away from the barrier and pulled the Master away as well. Freed's runes appeared above them.
"What does it say?" Gray asked, concerned.
"Those older than 80, stone statues, and Alex may not pass," Master said, staring thoughtfully at the runes.
"So Freed's thought ahead, has he?" Alex growled, crossing her arms. "How annoying of him."
"It took a long time to write the runes," Master grumbled. "It is not suited for a sudden battle, but when it comes to setting traps, there's nothing better."
"Can't you break it down, Gramps?" Gray asked.
"The rune's rules are absolute!" Master answered.
Alex leaned against the wall, annoyed. They planned for everything, didn't they? "Levy should be able to disable the runes," She commented, facing Gray. "Evergreen should be a top priority for the moment. She needs to release the girls from her stone."
Gray nodded and took off running. Alex crossed her arms and sat down on a bench, scowling. There wasn't much she could do until the girls were freed, unfortunately. Alex powered down for a moment and looked at to Reedus. He was the only other person to stay in the guildhall besides the Dragon Slayers and Master.
"Who's there?" Master asked, turning towards him. "Reedus."
"I'm scared of Laxus," Reedus admitted. Alex snorted and looked away. Who wasn't?
"Fine, fine," Master responded. "Instead, I'd like you to pay a visit to Porlyusica in then East Forest. She might have have some potion for that'll cure petrification."
"Bad idea," Alex said, shaking her head. "If I know Freed like I think I do, you won't be able to leave Magnolia." She looked at the Master. "It'll be better if he stays here where it's safe."
The Master nodded thoughtfully. "I hadn't considered that," He admitted. "And you're certain once Evergreen is defeated, the girls will be set free?" Alex nodded, and he turned back to Reedus. "Alright, Reedus. Stay here then. There's no need to put yourself in unnecessary danger when you don't have to."
Natsu woke up screaming. Alex raised an eyebrow. "Welcome back," she commented.
"Where's Laxus?" Natsu asked. "And wait, everyone's gone!" He jumped up and ran over to the Master. "Gramps, where did everyone go?"
"Natsu!" the Master said. "The festival has started! Laxus is somewhere in Magnolia! Get out there and beat 'im!"
"Alright!" Natsu shouted and started running for the door. "Just you wait, Laxus!" Alex rolled her eyes as he went face-first into the runes. It was going to take a while.
"What's going on?" Master said, pointing at Natsu. "Natsu! Are you eighty years old? Are you a stone statue? Is your name secretly Alex?" Alex snorted at the last one.
"As if!" Natsu said, still trying to break out of the rune barrier. The letters over the door changed a little. Current Status Report: Jet vs. Droy vs. Alzack
"What's this?" Master asked, confused.
"Why are they fighting each other?" Natsu asked. Winner: Alzack; Jet and Droy: Out of action. "What?"
Alex shook my head and stood up. "This is Laxus's plan," she said, walking over to Natsu and the Master. "Pit Fairy Tail against each other, and only the strongest will be allowed to stay."
Natsu roared in anger. "The hell with this, Laxus!" He shouted.
Alex walked over to the stage and sat down in front of her stone guildmates. There was nothing she could do until the barrier was released. Alex watched the names of each competitor and who won each battle. Soon, there wouldn't be anyone left. She glared at the runes and made a mental note to smack Freed upside the head for this. Natsu was upset because he wasn't going to be able to join the battle.
Master expressed his concerns over their inability to defeat Laxus and the Raijinshuu soon enough to save the girls, but Natsu was confident Laxus wouldn't go that far.
"There's two hours and eighteen minutes left," Happy said. "And forty-two people still fighting."
"Forty-two people?" Master asked, astonished. "More than half are gone after the infighting!"
Gray was fighting Bickslow and Evergreen took down Elfman. "Now, what are we going to do?" Happy was worried about our friends. Natsu was still sure Laxus was bluffing about turning the statues to dust.
"Still think I'm bluffing, Natsu?" Laxus asked, a thought projection appearing. "So why are you still here, Natsu?"
"I can't get out!" Natsu exclaimed.
"Laxus," Master began before Laxus interrupted. Alex stood up to get closer to them.
"You're members..." Laxus grinned. "Well, I guess you call them your children. I bet you can't stand watching your children destroy each other, can you? Natsu, Erza and Alex can't join in...There's no one left who could defeat my Raijinshuu, is there? Gonna give in?" He asked, grinning widely.
"Gray's still out there!" Happy shouted. "He won't lose to the Raijinshuu!"
"What about me!" Natsu asked, annoyed.
"Gray?" Laxus grinned. He chuckled. "I wouldn't put much faith in that brat." Gray was soon knocked out of the battle, leaving twenty-eight people still fighting. Laxus started laughing maniacally. "See, didn't I tell you?" He asked.
"Liar!" Happy yelled. "I'm sure he used some dirty trick!" Natsu just growled in frustration.
"So who will beat the Raijinshuu now?" Laxus asked, walking closer to the Master.
"Gajeel will," Happy said, determined. Alex tilted her head to the side. She had forgotten he was hiding out around the guildhall.
"Too bad," Laxus smiled. "Doesn't seem like he's participatin'. He doesn't give a damn about the guild anyway."
"Well, I'm still here!" Natsu shouted at Laxus.
"If you can't get out, it won't do you any good," Laxus answered, bored.
"Fine, you win," The master said. He turned to Laxus. "I surrender. Now, stop this, Laxus."
Laxus grinned. "Can't do that," he said. "The high and mighty Master of Fairy Tail can't go surrendering at a time like this! But if you insist, then how about you give up your position as Master to me?"
"That's playing dirty, Laxus!" Natsu shouted. "You scared of me or something?"
"You fiend..." The master said. "Was that your goal all along?"
"It's only one and a half hours until the statues crumble," Laxus continued. "If you want to retire, use the guild's loudspeaker and announce it so the whole town can hear. Say, 'I'm giving up my position as Master of Fairy Tail to Laxus!'"
He turned to face Alex, who had been standing behind him. "I'm going to win," He promised. "Whatever you said was going to happen should have happened by now, right?" When she didn't answer and continued to glare at him, he continued. "Don't worry; you'll still have a place at the guild when I take over."
"You're still going to lose," Alex promised. "It's happening later than I wanted, but I will be able to get out of here soon. And when I do, I will end this little game you're playing."
Laxus smirked and turned back to the Master. "Think about it," He encouraged. "Which is more important, your position, or your friends?"
"Hold it, damn it!" Natsu shouted, running towards the thought projection. He jumped at it in an attempt to attack Laxus and went right through it. "If you won't fight me, how are you the strongest?" He asked while upside down against a beam. "How can you be the master?"
The Master looked down. "I don't care about being master," He said. "But, I cannot entrust Fairy Tail to Laxus!" He looked up. "He doesn't understand the weight of the position! He lacks conviction and heart!"
"But at this rate," Happy said, worried, "Lucy and the others will turn to dust. Someone has to defeat Laxus and his gang, or..." The sound of crunching metal stopped whatever he was going to say next.
Alex and the others looked over to where Gajeel was standing up, his mouth full of metal. "Gajeel?" Natsu asked. "That's where you were?"
"Don't eat the dishware!" Happy cried, waving his arms.
"Are you going to go?" The Master asked, hopeful.
Gajeel hopped over the bar with a grin on his face. "I've got a bone to pick with him," He said. He started walking over to the door, ignoring Alex trying to get him to stop. "Leave him to me." He was about to walk outside when he ran into the barrier as well.
Natsu, the Master, and Happy all looked shocked while Alex looked bored and sat down again. "I could have told you that wouldn't work," She muttered. "If Natsu wasn't going to be able to get through, what made you think another Dragon Slayer would?"
"Are you eighty too?" Natsu asked, shocked, ignoring what Alex said.
"I"m not eighty!" Gajeel shouted back. The battle continued until there were only three left. Alex frowned. Because the runes specifically said she couldn't battle, she wasn't even considered a contestant. That left Gajeel, Natsu, and Reedus.
"Why can't you get out, either?" Natsu asked Gajeel, frustrated. "Stop copying me!"
"How should I know?" Gajeel snapped, annoyed.
"Now, I'm hungry, you bastard!" Natsu cried.
Alex growled and stood up, annoyed at their arguing. She walked over to where Erza and the others were and sighed. "Sorry, you ended up turning into a statue, Erza. I was hoping I would be able to stop this before it even began."
Alex watched Natsu and Gajeel argue until Natsu sighed. "Oh, well," He muttered. "Guess I better revive Erza." He whined and started walking over to Alex. "And I thought I could finally show up Erza..."
"Hold it!" The Master cried. "What are you gonna do?"
"Won't she melt if I heat her?" Natsu asked simply. "You know, the stone shell..."
Alex stood up and held her hand up, worried. "You don't want to do that, Natsu," She said concerned. "She'll be mad later."
Natsu shrugged. "She'll be fine," He waved her concern away. "She'll be madder if I don't free her to take care of Laxus."
Alex paused for a second before shrugging and stepping away. "It's your funeral," She muttered.
"Don't!" The Master cried, waving his arms. They had all joined Alex on the stage.
"Erza and the other girls have been turned to stone completely!" Happy cried.
Natsu smiled and kneeled beside Erza. "We won't know until we try, right?"
"Stop it!" The Master commanded. "You want to kill Erza?"
Natsu grinned almost maniacally. "Broil her up nice and toasty!" He cried, his hands covered in flames.
"Are you going to rub her with flames?" The master cried, shocked.
"Hey, buddy," Gajeel warned. "Not so frisky."
Before the flames even reach her, though, the statue started to crack. Natsu cried in shock. He picked her up once his hands were no longer engulfed in flames. "Shoot, she broke!" He cried. "Glue, glue! Happy, get the glue!"
"You idiot!" Gajeel shouted. "You think that'll fix her up?"
Alex grabbed Erza from Natsu when they started talking about using some steel to weld her back together. "Yeah, we're not doing that," She said, glaring at them.
The statue continued to crack. Natsu started bowing to it and apologizing frantically. Alex stood the statue up and stood back so she wouldn't be in the way when the statue exploded. Erza was standing there as if nothing had happened to her.
She looked at us, shocked. "It's hot," She whispered. She glared at Natsu. "Was it you, Natsu?" She demanded. "What were you trying to do?" She demanded, punching him.
"Thank goodness," The Master said. "But how?"
"I don't really know?" Erza said. She put her hand to her face. "Perhaps it's because of my right eye." Alex nodded. It made sense. Her artificial eye would lower the effect of eye magic.
"Erza," Happy started, flying up to her. "Do you know what's going on?"
"Yes," Erza confirmed. "Even though I was turned to stone, I could hear you."
"Go!" the Master called. "It's time for a counter-attack!" They all looked to the runes. Erza was added to the roster of competitors.
"With me restored, the number remaining changed appropriately," Erza commented. "How elaborate."
"Those four are Natsu, Gajeel, Reedus, and Erza, right?" Happy asked.
Alex scowled at the reminder she wasn't even considered a threat at the moment. She didn't get the chance to comment, though, because the number changed from four to five.
Alex grinned. "Looks like he is back in town," She said.
Natsu looked up in shock. "You really think so?" He asked.
"Looks like the real war is about to begin," Erza said, grinning. "This is getting interesting."
"Who are you talking about?" Gajeel asked, confused.
"Another possible candidate for the strongest in Fairy Tail..." Erza responded. "Mystogan!"
Alex looked at Erza. "You should try to find Evergreen," She suggested. "The other girls need to be set free, and she's the only one who can do it." Erza nodded and took off. Alex sighed and sat down. "Now, all we can do is wait," She muttered.
Hey everyone! I'm sorry it took so long! Life got in the way a bit. But don't worry! I'm back and I'll try harder to stick to my regular schedule. I'm sorry if you're not happy with how I'm going about this, but I promise you'll like the ending. Thank you for your patience everybody!