Two days of rest before the final event of Ishgar's Strongest began. Teams were welcome to do whatever they wanted during this time span, so long as it adhered to the initial rules of the tournament. Even though they were currently on break, there was to be no fighting between competitors. But that wouldn't stop the members of Fiore (and their guests) from visiting Joya's pristine water park! Erza stretched her arms over her head and let out a great big sigh. "Despite everything that's happened, Count Waltz did recommend this place…so I'm expecting some great things."
"Are you sure we should be relaxing now of all times…?" Lucy had a bit of a sweat drop. Everyone was clad in swimsuits, but given the mood of the tournament it felt a bit wrong to take things easy, even for a moment.
"I think we should let her have this." Gray told Lucy. "No doubt that she needs this off time the most…" Gray couldn't help but stare at the burn mark on Erza's arm. It filled him with indescribable rage when he recalled how Lucia burned it away from her. There was nothing Gray could do about that situation…but he knew Erza could come back from it. She always did.
"I agree…" Wendy nodded, glancing around the area. This was far bigger than Crocus' own park. It was a bit daunting to tell the truth.
"Oh, Wendy…! Let's go this way…!" Cynthia grabbed Wendy by the hand and started to run off.
"You two, be careful. We're still in unfamiliar territory…!" Carla rolled his eyes. She was in her human form. With her arms crossed, she sauntered behind Wendy and Cynthia. Someone had to keep an eye on those two.
"But if any of those bastards show up while we're trying to have a good time…!" Natsu said while glaring around.
"Natsu! We can't fight them!" Lucy chopped Natsu in the back of the head to calm him down. She understood exactly how he felt, but they couldn't act on those feelings yet. That was for the battlefield.
"Please do not…" Hisui pleaded. She was here to relax as well, since sitting in her room doing nothing would probably just stress her out.
"Fight who?" Not even five minutes into Joya's water park and Lucia was upon them, clad in a two piece white bikini, blue hair tied into a neat bun. "I heard splash fights are all the rage right now? Care to indulge me?"
"Tch…" The happy mood Erza was trying to keep was immediately ruined when Lucia showed her face. But then…
Ren, Eve, and Hibiki all appeared around Lucia, the Trimen sparkling all around her. "Lady Lucia, you are looking radiant today!" Eve said charmingly.
"One of the most beautiful women in Joya, if I must say!" Hibiki added.
Lucia had a sweat drop on her forehead. She intended to mess with Fiore a bit knowing they couldn't do anything, but she was not expecting this. "Er…what's…happening…?"
"If you need some lotion applied, we'd be more than happy to do it for you!" Ren finished their trifecta of compliments and requests off.
"Er…" Lucia's vibe was completely thrown off by the Trimen coming onto her like this. Not that she hadn't been privy to such compliments before, but something about these three men made it more…awkward than usual. "I'm going to have to pass. Thank you very much, though." With that, the leader of the Wizard Hunters practically scurried off as fast as she could.
"Hah! Serves her right!" Natsu grinned smugly.
Jenny was sitting in a nearby chair, lifting her shades up to wink at Erza. "Don't worry. We at Blue Pegasus won't let those jerks ruin your good time. You can leave them to us~" The model said before sitting back. It wasn't going to be very long before her mere presence gathered attention of a lot of fans, male and female alike. She was still one of Sorcerer's Weekly's top models and was known Ishgar over.
"Men!" Ichiya appeared in front of everyone, clad in his swimsuit which was…less than desirable to the eye. "I will not allow anyone to disrupt the parfum of Erza-san's relaxation. Now…" He stepped closer towards Titania, sparkling. "Allow me to give you a relaxing mas-" And before he could finish, Erza instinctively punted the handsomest man in the land away.
"GO AWAY!" She cried out. It happened so fast everyone could only stare at Erza as her leg remained extended.
Minerva stared as Ichiya was sent flying, unable to help the amused snicker that escaped her. "Wow, Erza. You really went for distance there. I'm impressed."
Erza would be lying if she said that didn't make her feel even a little bit better. Although she was going to have to apologize to Ichiya later since she kicked him much harder than she initially intended to. "Agh…"
Tia was adjusting the bottom part of her swimsuit. "The last time I was in a water park, I destroyed the whole thing…" She mumbled.
"Wait, you did?" Ace blinked. This was the first time he was hearing of this story. But now that she said it, he had to hear it. "What happened?!"
"Oh right…you were MIA…" Tia sighed. "Let's just say Natsu and a few others really annoyed me. So I took matters into my own hands."
"And she destroyed everything." Strong said.
"…That explains the bill." Ace rubbed the back of his head. "But as long as you don't destroy this one, we'll be fine! I'll admit, taking a break like this was a bit unexpected, but it's nice to be able to cut back for a bit."
"Totally." Jack said, fully clothed, grinning as he knew someone was going to mention it.
"Dude, why are you…" Strong began.
"No, don't!" Tia tried to stop it, but it was too late.
"Oh, this? Don't you already know?" Jack said with a smug grin. "The reason I stand here, clothed despite everyone else already in their swimsuits…is for one reason and one reason alone. The infamous Pants Off technique!"
"Jack, please…" Tia palmed her forehead in annoyance. Her brother was still insistent on using this technique. "You can literally requip into your swimsuit! Why are you like this?!"
"Now hold on…let's let the man work," Spark said while staring attentively. He had to master the pants off technique.
"As a reminder! This technique involves wearing your swimsuit under your clothes in such a way that you do not have to worry about changing in public!" Jack told the others.
"…" Heartless just stared at Jack, lowered her shades, and sat back in her chair. She was not going to deal with this.
"We know how it works…!" Tia pinched the bridge of her nose. "You know what, I'm not gonna deal with this." She turned and started to walk off as Jack did his thing. Just like before, he was able to change in a completely unnecessary fashion in front of everyone. The amount of skill it took was surprisingly high, but he managed.
"Wow…" Ace found himself applauding. "That was really impressive…I might have to try that out for myself next time."
"Tia would kill you." Daigo said casually.
"Yes, I would!" Tia shouted from a distance. The fact she heard that caused everyone to tense up and shiver from fear.
"She really does hear everything…" Jack muttered.
Lucy was wandering around aimlessly. Joya's water park was huge and there was so much to do. They committed their entire day to relaxing and it was a bit difficult with everything they had in mind. "I wonder if Mii is here…or Brandish or…" She had a bit of a bad thought and instinctively glanced around for Emeraude. She could feel the Empress around somewhere and needed to avoid that…
"Pardon me." Elly called out to Lucy. The other blonde was wearing a black and purple two piece. "Ms. Heartfilia. I'd like a word with you."
"Ga…!" Lucy turned, only to see the other celestial wizard from Pergrande. The one who has Loke's key. "You're…"
"Elly." She gave a curt bow. "I would like to discuss something with you. Would you join me on the lazy river?" She pointed to the area in question.
"Uh…okay…?" This was a bit out of the blue, but Lucy followed Elly to the lazy river. Once having inner tubes to rest on, the two of them floated down the current at a slow, relaxing pace. Lucy lifted her head, staring at Elly curiously. "What did you want to talk about…?"
Elly pulled out her key ring, gesturing to Loke's key. "I wanted to discuss your situation. I know it must be difficult to see a key you once cherished in the possession of someone else."
"Are you planning on giving Loke back to me?" Lucy narrowed her eyes.
"No." Elly shook her head. "We both know that it doesn't work that way. I received this key last month. Lucia sold it to me for a very fair price."
"Gh…" This wasn't as relaxing as Lucy wanted it to be. "Does Pergrande enjoy jerking people around like this? It's been really annoying and…"
"No, I understand how you feel." Elly said while placing the keys away. "I never said I was a fan of what has been done to Fiore. It kills the spirit of competition, but it is not my position to question orders. So I will see to it that we win."
"You're really bad at friendly conversation." Lucy let out a heavy sigh. But what was she expecting from a rivalling country? "Did you want me to float down the lazy river with you so you could antagonize me?"
Elly shook her head. "No…I also wanted to talk. There are so few celestial mages these days…it's almost surreal to see another one. I…also know what it is like to have something you care about ripped away from you. Which is why I came to make a proposal, to motivate you."
"Motivate me? That sounds really condescending." Lucy turned on her side. She was listening.
"Watching you take part in this tournament has taught me a great many things. As a scientist, I always accept an opportunity to test and learn. After today, I will be taking plenty of time to learn and understand what you've shown me." Elly explained. "But to make it far…if you can manage to defeat me, I will give you Loke's key back."
Now that was a proposal Lucy was not expecting. "Huh!? Are you allowed to do that…!?"
"It's my decision." Elly replied, looking up at the ceiling as they drifted down the current. "Besides, this is only under the assumption that you can manage to defeat me. To be truthful, your skill has shown me that you may be one of the best celestial wizards in the world. You've wielded the power of the Celestial Spirit King, that is no small feat. However…as one of Pergrande's mages, I cannot allow you to be the best. I must crush you by my own hand. Do we have an agreement?" She extended her hand outward. "A contract between celestial wizards."
What a strange compliment and statement. Lucy stared at the outstretched hand for a moment before looking to Elly. "How do I know I can trust you? You're the enemy." Pergrande's connection to Fiore's current situation wasn't lost on her. Although they couldn't outright prove anything with the information they had, it was safe to assume that Pergrande was behind this.
"I suppose it's only natural you'd doubt me." Elly didn't move her hand despite this. "I have treated Loke well, if you are worried about that. Besides, this is something I want to do. This has nothing to do with my position. This is strictly between us, you have my word. Watch. Loke." Elly summoned Loke, who was in a bit of an awkward, but desirable spot between them.
"Huh, what?" He looked between Lucy and Elly, grinning his usual grin. "Whoa! Summoned between two beautiful, bikini clad ladies?!"
"Loke…" Lucy was both happy, and deadpanned at the same time. "You're not hurt, are you?"
"Hurt? How could I be hurt!? I'm between the two of you! This feels like heaven!" He was peering over a bit to get a better view of what was in their tops…and that's when Elly force closed his gate.
"See? He's unharmed." Elly said, letting out an exasperated sigh.
"…" All Lucy had to go on was her word….and that. Loke was definitely fine if he was making comments like that to Elly without a care in the world. Ultimately she decided to go for it; something about Elly felt trustworthy, despite them being on opposite sides. Lucy shook Elly's hand and a magic circle appeared between them. "Huh?"
"This is proof of our contract." Elly explained. "In the event that I am defeated, Loke's ownership will return to you."
"You can just…do that?" Lucy was a bit surprised. "Why are you doing this?"
"Like I said. Because I want to." They came to the end of the lazy river and Elly stood up. "I must defeat the only other celestial wizard that poses a threat to my standing. I won't be worthy of my Commandant position if I cannot do such a simple task."
"Simple, huh…" Lucy had a sweat drop. She wasn't sure if Elly was doing this because she was kind, just wanted to prove a point…or both.
"The coming battle will be messy. I wonder if you can last long enough to encounter me…farewell." With that said, Elly waved and started to walk off.
"She's…not a bad person." Lucy came to that conclusion. Despite the tone Elly had when it came to their actual fight, she could tell the other celestial wizard wasn't so bad.
Emeraude was sitting in her own chair, a bit farther away from the others. Brandish was also accompanying her on the prospect of actually getting to relax after putting in more effort than she usually does. "It's a shame the others did not wish to join…but you cannot force someone to relax. That would defeat the purpose."
"Their loss." Brandish said, chewing on some food. She decided to walk off and see what else this place had to offer. "Although…you say that, but relaxation isn't entirely your goal here too, Em."
"You're surprisingly perceptive when you want to be." Emeraude admitted before glancing over her shoulder. "I know this may be a difficult task for you, Jacob, but you're the only one I can ask. I pushed Dimaria too hard yesterday."
Jacob was invisible, using his Stealth to remain out of sight and out of mind. He adjusted his gloves as Emeraude spoke, before pulling out a needle. "I will see this mission done to the best of my ability. They're all in here." With that said, Jacob left.
"This very well may be my last chance to do something about this…" Emeraude muttered. "I have faith in Jacob and his abilities. So I can take the rest of this time to…"
There was a voice coming from the distance. It was Ichiya, now finally descending after Erza punted him away so strongly. "MEEEEEEEEEN!" The handsome man cried, landing in the water next to Emeraude His impact caused a gigantic splash of water that crashed down directly onto the Empress, soaking her completely.
"…Relax..." Emeraude could not hide the irritated look on her face. It probably didn't help that Ichiya was now sitting next to her, sparkling as handsomely as ever as though nothing happened.
"Men."
.
.
Next Time: Relaxation, Part 2
