A/N: Boom! A new chapter!

I don't own Fairy Tail!

Please enjoy!

Chapter 7: First Spars

The next morning came much quicker than the new cadets expected, many of them scrambling out of bed to get dressed just in time. Many of them frowned as they looked outside, seeing that it was once again raining, but they also figured that meant that they would be training inside or at least in the enchanted outside field that the magic kept warm and dry. But luck was not on their side, not when Gajeel Redfox was their commanding officer.

"Gihihi."

Gajeel's laughter was the first thing the cadets heard that morning as they lined up in three straight lines of eight in front of him. Like the cadets, rain had already soaked through his clothing as he paced in front of them, calling out names to ensure everyone was there. Once rollcall was finished, he stopped moving and stared at the cadets with a large smirk, Levy and Pantherlily appearing behind him, the small woman carrying an umbrella with her.

"Good morning, rats," he said, enjoying the way many of the cadets twitched in irritation or glared at him for the insult. So many of them already looked washed up and miserable and they hadn't even started, "I will be your commanding officer during your training here in Plumeria. You can call me Colonel Redfox. You deviate from that name, we'll have a two-hour personal training session together, understand?" he said, waiting for the cadets to answer him, but receiving nothing in response, "UNDERSTAND?!"

"Yes sir!"

"Good," he said, laughing to himself as a few of them had jumped in fear, "Now then, two other officers that will be overseeing everything along with me are Majors Redfox and Pantherlily. I expect you to show them the same respect you will be showing me, got it?"

"Yes sir!"

"Good, you lot learn fast. Now then, let's jump right into things. I will be partnering you up today and you will be sparring against that person. We need to see what skills you have as a fighter and a magic user. No weapons are to be used during these sessions. So, let's start things off properly and have our little prince be the first partner."

Gajeel's smile widened as he watched Jun step forward from the crowd, the young man doing his best to not look nervous, especially when several whispering voices aroused upon hearing their prince was among them.

Gajeel noticed a redhead glaring at him, "Don't worry, boy," he said, looking Alexander dead in the eye, "You'll get your turn to throw down in the mud soon enough. You can't be his guard dog today."

Jun looked behind him to see Alexander fuming at Gajeel, his hands clenched tightly. Jun figured something like this would happen within the first week of training and had told Alexander as much. He had known that he would be made an example of, but he had been ready for it. He gave his cousin a pleading look, silently telling him to calm down and that he would be fine. He had been through training sessions with his uncle. How much different could this be?

"Gali! You'll be his opponent!"

At Gajeel's command, Lilou popped out from her spot in front of Quinn, her white hair bright against the black uniform they had to wear. She was one of the few that wore a smile on her face despite the rain and cold and mud.

Jun stared at her in surprise, the fact that she was part of the new cadets never having come up the previous night at the bakery, "It's you."

"It is! And you're the prince then, croissant boy? Seems we both left things out."

"It's not something I wanted to announce."

"Begin!"

Gajeel's voice interrupted them, his loud bark of an order signaling the start of their spar.

Jun planted himself into the mud, his black boots digging into the wet earth as his magic power rose to the surface. The air became electrified, everyone in the area tasting sparks on their tongues. The smell of rain intensified while the wind picked up, causing the long black jacket of Jun's uniform to fly up and flap behind him.

Above anything else, Jun was confident in his magic abilities. It was what he had practiced on the most, especially during those long spans of time that his uncle was gone on missions. Cyrus was the only person who took him seriously during hand to hand combat and sword practice. Anyone else was too afraid to leave a mark on him, fearing they would get reprimanded or worse for injuring the prince. So, during those times, Jun would focus on his magic, learning to expand on his power reserves and conjuring up new weather spells.

Lilou simply smiled despite the growing amount of magical energy and the intensity rising in the weather. Her green eyes then narrowed on Jun and her body tightened as she took off at a sprint straight for him, her own black boots digging into the mud as she ran, the muck splashing up as she ran. Though, she ignored the brown sludge that splattered across her boots and pants, her focus solely on the man in front of her.

Before Jun could make a move, she had twisted herself around his body, using the momentum she had built up to swing herself around his body. During the swing around him, she grabbed his arm, lifting him up and over her body once her boots had planted back onto the ground. His body flew over hers, their eyes connecting as he was flung across the training ground, Lilou's eyes alight with amusement and confidence while Jun's were filled with surprise. He eventually hit the ground and skidded to a stop through the mud, being covered in the muck.

"She threw the prince!" was heard coming from the cadets watching.

Jun sat up from the spot he landed, wiping a hand down across his face to get rid of the mud that had splattered there.

"Looks like you're a chocolate croissant boy now!" Lilou said from across the area, smiling widely at him.

Jun stood up, his gold eyes now narrowing at her, his magical energy rising again. A huge crack of thunder echoed across the sky, causing some of the cadets to jump in fear or surprise, but Lilou just continued standing there as if nothing were happening. Jun had thought the thunder would be enough to throw her off a bit, to at least have her falling in the mud, but she just stood there, waiting for him to do something.

His eyes became a molten gold when lightning flashed across the sky, those brilliant streaks reaching down from the sky like skeletal hands. They hit the training ground in hot bursts, leaving behind steaming mud in their wake.

"That's quite the big attack," Lilou said as she began moving again, weaving around the lightning that the prince called down. It was almost like she was dancing, graceful and feather-like as she twisted around the training area, "But it means nothing if you can't control where it goes."

Jun felt a shout rip out of his throat, annoyed that she was so easily avoiding his attacks. The biggest lightning bolt slammed down, but it was completely off its mark, erupting right next to Gajeel and slinging mud everywhere.

"Oi! Watch where you summon those damn things!"

Jun didn't have time to say anything in reply as Lilou was approaching him quickly. She looked ready to fling him across the training grounds again. He decided to change his approach, summoning up heavy winds to push her back. Though, like with his lightning, there wasn't any control or finesse with his attack. It was simply a roaring wave of wind that he sent towards her, thinking the force of it would be all that was needed to stop her.

Lilou came to a quick stop upon hearing the wind coming her way, grinning widely, "That was a poor choice on your part!" she shouted over the wind, causing Jun to quirk an eyebrow in response. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she focused her own magic and moved into a solid stance, "Redirected Air!" she pushed her arms forward, her magic flowing from them and into the wind coming towards her.

There was a moment where the wind rolled into a large ball, twisting and roaring in between Lilou and Jun before it flipped and turned on the prince. His golden eyes widened as the concentrated air came right at him and smacked into his chest. All the air in his lungs was forced out, the man letting out a choking cough as he slammed back down into the mud. The electrified air died along with the wind and rain as he skidded to a stop, the muck covering him again.

"Ohhh, another helping of chocolate croissant boy!"

Jun laid there in the mud for a long moment just trying to get his breathing back in order. The falling rain helped to clean off his face a bit, but he could feel the sludge covering him all over and all he wanted now was a shower and to reevaluate all the training he had done in his life because it was hard to believe that such a small woman knocked him across the yard twice. Though, he appreciated that she hadn't gone easy on him after finding out who he was. It made him feel oddly normal getting his ass kicked.

That thought made him smile as he heard Gajeel bark out an order to end the spar, naming Lilou as the victor. Jun sat up, mud and water sliding down his face, his molten eyes landing on emerald ones right in front of him. He was surprised to see her pale hand outstretched to him, but he didn't brush it aside. He clasped his own muddy, tanned hand around hers, letting the woman help pull him to his feet.

"You have a lot of power," she said, smacking her hands together to get the mud off them, "But you have no control. You should work on that."

A flush appeared on his cheeks, Jun happy that the rain and mud helped to hide it some, "Yeah, thanks," he said, scratching the back of his head, "Not just for that advice, but for not going easy on me."

"Any time," she said with a smile.

"Alright!" Gajeel shouted, indicating that the pair needed to get back in line, "Next is Areus and Thalrassian!"

Richard and Severen walked forward, both looking annoyed and drenched.

"Gihihi, you both look like wet rats!" Gajeel laughed, causing Richard to cross his arms in irritation while Severen glared hotly at him, "You both can look as pissed off at me as you want. I don't give a fuck. Now get in the middle of the training yard and begin your fight!"

The pair looked out into the training area that had become a mud pit, both making a face at the thought of stepping into it.

"Honestly, what does fighting in the mud prove to you? This is barbaric," Severen said, huffing at the thought of having to step into the muck. She may have signed up to be a soldier, but she sure as hell didn't have to get caked in mud to become one.

"I agree," Richard said, "The rain has already wrecked my hair!"

"If you two don't get your asses out there, I will throw you into the mud myself!"

Severen rolled her eyes, but took a step out into mud pit, doing her best to find the most solid places to walk on. Richard quickly followed suit, knowing the colonel wasn't joking with his threat. The pair faced each other, each taking a moment to decide on how to proceed in their fight.

Richard smiled charmingly at her, figuring that he could flirt his way into a win. He would disarm her with a few sweet words, move in close, and take her out that way. He did his best to push his hair back while throwing his phoenix feather scarf over his shoulder, sending a smoldering stare her way.

Severen only gave him a deadpan stare, not affected by his actions in the slightest. She waited as he approached her, her arms crossed and her hips cocked.

"A hundred jewels says that she knocks him out," Quinn whispered over to Emma.

"We should have some faith in the little guy," Emma answered.

"I don't know," Link said from behind them, "You saw how much of a bitch she was yesterday. I think I'm with Quinn on this one."

Emma nodded her head, "This is true."

The redhead looked over at Quinn, hoping she would be in a better mood that morning. She gave him a quick glare before huffing and looking away from him.

"Oh, come on! You can't still be mad at him!"

"I believe you marvelously screwed up yesterday," Emma said, trying not to laugh at him.

This only had the redhead huffing and looking away just like Quinn.

"Even the rain can't wash away your good looks," Richard said, beginning his onslaught of flattery, "Your beauty knows no bounds. Let me take your hand and guide you into love with me!" he said, dramatically waving his hands in air before he outstretched one to Severen.

The cadets watching practically gagged as a group upon hearing his words.

Severen stared at the hand reaching out to her before looking back up at Richard with a sly smile, "You want my hand?" she asked, her voice thick like honey. Richard nodded at her, which only made her inwardly laugh at him, "Then you may have it."

Richard's green eyes lit up only for a moment as Severen lifted a hand. Though, in lightning fast speed, that hand launched towards him, successfully punching him right in the throat. He let out a choking sound as he dramatically fell to the ground while holding his throat.

Severen rolled her eyes as she looked over at Gajeel, "It appears I have won. Can I get out of the mud now?"

"Back in line," he said as he walked into the mud pit to pull Richard up by his collar. He planted him on his feet and pushed him back towards the cadets that were lined up, "Suck it up, Areus. You'll be dealing with much worse in the future."

Richard made his way back to the cadets, still holding his throat. Once he was neatly back in line, Gajeel called out the next names that were to fight. A few pairs went by without much incident, Gajeel, Levy and Pantherlily taking notes of what they saw.

"King and March, you're up!" Gajeel said as he watched the latest pair walk off the training ground.

A short woman stepped out first, her short brown hair, while usually a spikey mess, was completely stuck to her forehead, face, and neck thanks to the rain. Her green eyes held an indifferent look as she made her way into the middle of the training ground. She waited with her pale hands held behind her back, watching as a rather young man stepped out from the cadets.

While being younger than the woman before him, Celestyn March was a few inches taller than her. His own hair was stuck to him, the sun-bleached curls plastered against his sandy beige skin. His bright, candy apple red eyes shone with mirth, an easy smile on his face as he bounced his way onto the training field. The smile created dimples that gave him a cute, boyish appearance, one that made him look approachable and friendly. Though, the oddest thing about the boy had to be the black tarantula that sat upon his head, its beady black eyes shining and staring right at the woman that was now across from them.

"You may begin!"

At Gajeel's command, Celestyn picked up the spider and sat her down on the ground, her black color easily blending in with the ground as she scurried off behind the woman.

Nia King lifted an eyebrow in question but kept her focus on the boy in front of her. She watched him as he began to move around her, making sure to keep his distance. His smile stayed etched on his face, but Nia saw those red eyes calculating, watching her every move. It was almost like she could feel those candied eyes on the back of her. She felt a chill run up her spine, causing her to glance behind her. She saw nothing, but she was certain something was there.

'Is it Shadow Magic?' she thought, her muscles tensing up in preparation for whatever fight was coming, 'And what was up with the spider?'

"You seem so serious," he said, still moving around Nia in a large circle, "You wouldn't hit a little country boy like me, would you?"

"That's what the training calls for."

Her blunt and monotone answer made Celestyn frown inwardly, making sure to keep the easy smile in place on the outside. Most people would have been affected by his words and boyish appearance, giving him the edge he would need in a physical fight. There was no way he could charge straight at her. He wasn't an idiot, and he knew his physical limitations. His best bet would be to play mind games while keeping an eye on her through himself and his pet.

Petra, as was the name he had given the tarantula, was a few feet behind Nia, keeping watchful eyes on the woman. Though, it was Celestyn watching her through the multiple beady eyes with the help of his magic. It gave him the advantage to see everything that was going on in any situation.

Nia, being tired of waiting for the boy to make a move, began making her way towards him. She quickly closed the gap between them, planting herself firmly in the mud in front of him as she threw an arm to punch him.

Celestyn managed to duck, but barely. He didn't have any fancy moves like he had seen from Lilou earlier, but he knew he had to move around Nia and get away from her. The look in her eyes was enough to tell him that she had more muscle than could be seen. He was certain one good punch could take him out, and that was without whatever magic she used.

He decided then to slip under the arm that had tried to punch him and slide around her. He also figured while he was right behind her, he could at least get in one good hit on her back.

"Exalt Magic," she said as he slipped under her arm, taking a breath to even herself and to ensure she was still, "Ox Body Technique."

Celestyn waited for something to happen when he heard her spell but shrugged as nothing came about. He moved forward with his original plan, swinging an arm down to strike her in the back. Though, when his arm made connection with her body, it was like he hit steel. His arm immediately began throbbing as he looked back at her, seeing that she hadn't moved at all nor had she been affected by his hit in the slightest. His eyes soon widened as he watched her turn on her heel, the boy having no way to defend himself or even how to defend himself.

Nia surged magic power to her palms, deciding to finish him off with the Palm Magic she knew as well. She thrusted her right palm forward first, striking him in the stomach. She watched as the air was knocked out of him but paying it no mind as she went in for the second and final strike. She slammed her left palm into the side of his face, watching as some blood flung out of his mouth and his eyes went white as he blacked out. He landed with a heavy thump in the mud, unmoving and with a bruise already forming on his face. Nia straightened back up after Celestyn went down, her hands behind her back again as she waited for Gajeel to call the fight.

"King, back in line!" he shouted before waving over a pair of medics to carry Celestyn off the field. He quirked an eyebrow as he watched a black tarantula scurry after the medics.

Another two spars passed after Celestyn had been knocked out, the rain having stopped after those fights had ended; but the air was still cold while puddles and mud still filled the training area.

"Alright, next is Cedar!" Gajeel announced.

Emma's blue eyes lit up at finally hearing her name be called. She looked over at Quinn who gave her a grin and fist bump before she made her way onto the training ground. She watched as some of the cadets that hadn't yet fought look at her in worry, feeling uncertain about having to face a woman of her size. She just hoped that whoever was chosen to face her was up to the challenge.

"And Stokes!"

Walker felt surprise shoot through him, not having expected to fight someone he knew already. That, and he felt nervous to begin with, never really having been in a fight like this. And he knew that Emma had some training under her belt. How was he supposed to fair against someone with actual training?

He felt a gentle hand on his arm, looking down to see Quinn squeezing his arm. She looked up at him with eyes that said he could do this before she nudged him forward. He took a deep breath before he began moving forward, knowing that Gajeel wouldn't wait long for him to make an appearance.

"Wonderful! I get to test my skills on someone my size!" Emma said, smiling widely at the blonde across from her.

Walker rolled his shoulders, suddenly feeling too restricted in his black jacket. He decided to rid himself of it for the moment, undoing the buttons and throwing it off to the side. It wasn't like it wasn't already soaked through or that it would have stayed clean if he continued wearing it. The white shirt underneath was sticking to him as well, showing off the well-toned muscles he had gained through all the farm work he had done growing up.

"Oh, getting serious, are we? I shall follow suit!" Emma said, also taking off her jacket and throwing it off to the side. Like Walker, her own white shirt was soaked through, sticking to her and showing off her own well-developed muscles, "Shall we begin then?"

Walker gave her a nod, moving his fists up in anticipation for the fight. She smiled eagerly and took off right for him. He definitely wasn't ready for the force with which she hit him. She slammed an arm across his chest, knocking him off his feet. His back hit the cold ground, sliding across the mud as Emma pressed down on his chest, using his body to send herself into a flip. She solidly landed behind him, twisting back around with another wide smile.

"I hope you can get back up. I would hate for the fight to end early!"

Walker laid in the mud for a few more seconds, thinking about how he had already been knocked flat on his back in the first five seconds of his fight. How did it look to the other cadets? His big, hulking self being thrown down so easily. Would they think he was weak? That he didn't belong here?

"Get up!"

Walker's eyes went wide when he heard Quinn's voice echo across the field. Her words were so clear. There was no judgement or hesitation in them. Just a simple order that told him he could get back up, that he had to get back up. Even if this was just their first spar, Walker wanted to take it seriously, to prove that he did belong here, and he couldn't very well do that on his back.

He lifted himself up, feeling the mud slide down his back as he did so. He turned to face Emma, seeing a look of admiration in her eyes.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

Walker nodded at her again, this time feeling much more ready for her attack. Emma took off again, mud and water splashing upwards with every step she took. She moved in for an attack similar to her first one, but Walker managed to catch her arm this time, using her own momentum against her to swing her around and slam her down onto the ground.

"Wonderful!" she said despite the mud covering her face, "Let's see how you deal with this!"

She rolled hard, catching Walker off guard and bringing him to the ground as well. The pair began wrestling, each trying to gain the advantage over the other. The mud made everything slick, but it allowed Walker to slip out of her grasp and take several large steps away from her. She stood up, both panting and covered in the brown muck, but both also ready for round two.

Walker knew if he wanted to take her down, that he would have to hit her with a heavy tackle; much like many of the large animals on his family's farm when he had to wrangle them in. So, before Emma could make the first move this time, he took off running towards her.

She looked surprised at the blonde taking the lead, but smiled at him nonetheless. She was ready for him to try and fight her with punches, that she was caught off guard when he slung an arm around her middle, full force tackling her to the ground. She felt a whoosh of air escape her lips as she was slammed onto the ground, her back sliding across the mud. Walker didn't let up either as their new struggle began. With every movement Emma knew to make to try and get free of him, Walker was there to block her, holding her down even when she gave him a few good knees to the gut.

She felt her frustration growing, angry that he was constantly getting the better of her, that she finally decided to use her magic.

"Wrath Awakened!"

The shout that came from her was different than all the other ones had been. Anger filled her voice as her smile quickly faded. Her eyes darkened in fury as she glared at the blonde above her. His eyes briefly widened in fear when they locked with her own and she firmly planted her hands on his chest. She let out another one of those angry shouts as she pushed him off her, sending the large man flying across the field.

Walker landed heavily in the mud, but he knew he didn't have time to sit and recover from the throw. With a dizzy head, he stood back on his feet, seeing that Emma was already on hers and charging for him. His eyes then landed on the glinting silver of her dog tags that had been jangled out from under her shirt during one of their struggles. He focused on that necklace as he shouted his next words.

"Heavyweight!"

Emma was pulled down by the now intense weight of her dog tags, her entire front half crashing into the mud again. She fought against the force; her eyes locked on Walker as she tried to push herself back up. Walker was surprised to see her push herself up enough to have her chest hovering right above the ground, though her arms were heavily shaking as she did this.

"That's enough!"

Gajeel's command cut Walker's focus off his spell, releasing the force that was keeping Emma in place. Before Walker could say or do anything else, he was hit full force by Emma. She let out another roaring shout as the pair tumbled across the field, beginning an intense wrestling match where Walker could do nothing but be on the defensive.

"I said that's enough!" Gajeel shouted as he approached the pair, "Dammit, Cedar! Let him go!" He attempted to pull Emma off Walker but was instead smacked in the face by one of her arms. A deadly glare crossed his face as he turned one of his arms into a long, sharp blade and placed it at Emma's throat, "Don't make me repeat myself again, Cadet Cedar."

The tone of Gajeel's voice and the blade at her neck must have snapped something in Emma, the woman finally feeling the anger fade away as she left go of Walker. Her body slumped back away from the blonde, feeling exhausted after using her magic.

"Sorry about that," she said tiredly, looking at Walker.

"It's fine," he answered, looking and feeling just as exhausted as she did.

Gajeel released his own magic as the two stood back up, "Grab your jackets and get back in line."

They both nodded at him, Emma giving him a small salute, before they quickly found their jackets and made their way back to the other cadets.

They stood on either side of Quinn, making her feel awkward by how their spar ended. They didn't seem to be mad at each other, but there seemed to be a tinge of embarrassment about it that it made her feel uneasy. So, she couldn't help but feel relieved when Gajeel called out her name for the next fight.

"Lohr, you're up next!"

Quinn quickly made her way out of the cadets, feeling excited about finally being able to fight.

"Jameson, you'll be up against her!"

All the excitement Quinn had been feeling went right out the window.

'Of all the people to get stuck with, it had to be him,' she thought, 'I'd even take that asshole over Link right now.'

As she thought that, her eyes landed on the other redhead, seeing him giving her one of those smug smirks, no one even noticing what he was doing. She so badly wanted to give him the bird, but it wouldn't look good on her part, so she kept her irritation in check.

"Looks like you have to talk to me now," Link said, giving her one of his own smirks.

'These boys and their stupid smirking faces! I'm going to punch it right off his dumb face!'

"You can't ignore me through the entire fight, Quinn."

"The deal is that we have to fight, not that we have to talk."

"Ah, but you did just speak to me."

Quinn felt her eye twitch in irritation, but that soon turned into confusion as he took his jacket, shirt and tags off, setting them off to the side, "What the hell are you doing?!"

"It's just easier for me to use my magic this way," he said with a shrug, "Rather not ruin things if I can help it."

Quinn noticed two tattoos across his skin. On his left shoulder and upper arm were lizard scales. And over his heart was a magic circle that was broken down into five sections – a black circle in the middle that swirled outward into four colored sections.

"They're cool, right?" he asked when he saw that she was staring at the tattoos, "Got another one on my back too."

While Quinn would normally comment on how cool they looked, she was still irritated with the man, "Hell no," she said with a huff, crossing her arms in front of her.

Link stared at her with his own irritation beginning to grow. He hadn't meant any offense with what happened the previous day. He didn't understand why she couldn't just let it go.

"Let's get this started then," he said. He waited a moment to see if she would attack first, but she simply stood, staring at him. It looked as if she was waiting for him to move first, and if she was giving him the opportunity to do so, he wasn't going to waste it, "Fire Devil!"

The red section of the tattoo over his heart lit up in a blaze while the rest of the tattoo faded. His body immediately began changing, his body shrinking by four inches to start. Dark red, scaly skin began to replace his normal olive tone. His spikey red hair was replaced with a long mane of blazing flames while two black horns jutted out from his forehead in a pointed curve. His face stayed relatively human, but fangs took the place of his teeth. A long, four-foot tail grew from his back while his hands elongated and ended in claws.

Glowing yellow eyes stared down Quinn for a moment before Link took off. His speed increased in this form, making him feel like he would have a definite advantage against the hazel-eyed woman. He almost felt sorry that she let him make the first move.

As he charged right towards her, he failed to notice the silvery magic that coated her hands. Just as he was almost on top of her, mouth opening to let out a breath of fire, Quinn pulled back her right hand and slammed it right in the middle of his face. His head flung backwards with a force that he was not expecting, blood spurting out of his nose.

Once he stumbled back a few steps, a clawed hand flew up to hold his smashed nose, but it felt off. He expected to feel the monster-like face with scales, but instead he felt his normal smooth face.

"What did you do?" he asked, feeling the red scales slowly returning to cover his face again.

"Nullification Magic," she said, lifting a hand covered in the glittering silver swirl of magic. It was her turn to smirk as he cursed in response, Quinn deciding to take the fight into her own hands. She ran at him much like he had previously done to her, pivoting out of the way when a clawed hand came down towards her. She then stretched out a leg to trip him, successfully faltering him. As he stumbled forward, she swung around on one leg, bringing the other one down on his back. He fell into the mud with that hit, Quinn letting another smirk spread across her face.

Link let out a growl as he stood back up, wiping mud off his face. He created two fireballs in his hands, throwing one at the woman facing him. She dodged it like he expected her to, giving him the opening he needed to throw the second one in her path.

Her eyes went wide upon seeing the second fireball coming right at her. She didn't have enough time to dodge this one, so she covered her face with her arms and braced for the fire. As it passed over her, she immediately dropped into the mud and rolled, snuffing out any flames that might have caught on her jacket. It was her turn to wipe mud off her face as she stood back up, turning an irritated stare on Link.

The two then charged each other, beginning a flurry of punches and kicks. Though, while Link's did have strength behind them, Quinn's hits were more precise, the woman aiming for the weak spots of his body. Eventually, the two became stuck in a grapple, pushing against each other's hands.

"I'm stronger than you in this form," Link said, smiling and revealing the rows of fangs, "You're going to lose."

"You think so?" she said, glancing to their hands. It was then that he saw her silvery magic was oozing across his hands and up along his arms, revealing his normal skin instead of the red scales that should have been there. As the metallic swirls of magic moved up his arms, he could feel the strength his Fire Devil form gave him begin to fade little by little.

While he was distracted by what was going on with his hands and arms, Quinn took that moment to release the hand her right one was holding. Before he had time to think on what she was doing or attack her with his now free hand, she smacked him hard across the cheek, causing half of his face to revert back to normal.

"You…you smacked me!" he said, holding his cheek while it throbbed in pain, disbelieving that she actually stooped to such an attack.

Instead of giving him a response, she used his surprise to her advantage, moving in on him quickly while his body still held the effects of her magic. She made a barrage of attacks, punching him hard in several spots along his stomach and chest, leaving behind patches of olive skin with each hit. She then let her magic flow into her elbow as she came up on him and struck him with it right onto the tattoo over his heart. The force of magic she had concentrated there blasted him back, causing him to drop his takeover form completely before he landed in the mud and skidded to a halt.

Gajeel called the fight then, the silvery swirls disappearing from Quinn's hands. She looked across the field at a mud-covered Link, seeing that his nose was a bloody mess and he had a bright red mark across his cheek. She admitted that it felt good to punch him in the face, she wouldn't take back what she had done, but staring at him sitting in the mud like that, well, there was a twinge of guilt that hit her.

'Dammit,' she thought as she made her way back in line, watching as Link picked up his belongings that he took off earlier and walked away with a medic to take care of the bloody nose. She rolled her eyes at herself, knowing she was going to have to do something to make it up to him.

She then felt eyes on her, Quinn glancing behind her to see sapphire eyes watching her. There was no smug smirk on the redhead's face, instead there was a look of interest and mild surprise. The pair stared at each other for a long moment, each seeming like they were trying to figure the other out. Eventually, Quinn decided to give up, sticking her tongue out at him. Not to be outdone, he gave her the bird, relishing in how he was able to do it now when that was all she had wanted to do earlier. She then gave him two in return, but her rude gestures were soon interrupted by a clearing of a throat.

Quinn turned around to see Gajeel staring right at her before he began chewing her out for her distracting behavior. Many of the cadets around her began laughing at her, but she knew, she just knew, that stupid redhead was behind her laughing to himself without anyone noticing, and that was what pissed her off to no end. She was going to reveal him for what he really was, she was going to make sure of that.

A/N: And there we are! I hope you all enjoyed it!

Credits

Nia King – The Imposter

Celestyn March – RedMoonRabbit

This chapter was so much fun to write! I was really nervous when I first started it since it's been so long since I've written some action scenes, but I'm really happy with how everything turned out. I really hope all the characters shown fighting in this chapter turned out the way you all pictured them! I was originally going to write one more scene for this chapter. A nice wholesome scene to end on, but I felt that it didn't fit really well with all the sparring going on this chapter. And so it will be moved to the next chapter!

The cover art has been updated to Link Jameson! Drawn by the awesome XLil MEkoX!

Thank you all for those wonderful reviews! They were super awesome like always and I loved them all! So thanks to Benthino, Origm2012, musicaldreams89, LunaRose2468, XLil MEkoX, Elements08, Grimnack, The Azure GODSPEED, Dreadburner94, Warmachine375, Joshua1277, and RedMoonRabbit for those reviews!

I think that should be it for this time around.

So until next chapter!

Yours Truly,

MyDearWatson