Fairy Tail: The Final Chapters Chapter 209: Whatever It Takes, a fairy tail fanfic

Pergrande: 135

Active: Keele, Aki, Blair, Mii, Lucia, Shade, Cloud, Elly, X, Rajaron.

Alvarez: 130

Active: Brandish, Jacob, Oriana, Julius, Alice, Ken, G, Zero, Little Queen, Ragen.

Fiore: 120

Active: Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Jellal, Sting, Minerva, Kagura, Luke, Reve, Bacchus.

Seven: 115

Active: Ace, Tia, Jack, Heartless, Joker, Daigo.

Joya: 110

Active: Allegretto, Polka, Rondo, Jazz, Yeager, Marx.

Minstrel: 95

Active: Rob, Raku, Medusa, Byrnhild, Tyson, Amadio, Felix, David.

Bosco: 90

Active: Gaia, Edna, Nasir, Verona, Lore, Magnus, Hiruka, Yakuza.

The audience was in awe as Elly managed to use the Star Dress of the Celestial Spirit King, the same one that Lucy showcased earlier in the tournament. Emeraude was the first one to make a comment, slamming her hands down on the railing in an annoyed fashion. "What do you think you're doing, Heartfilia!? Letting that Pergrande grunt copy you like that!?" It was an oddly passionate outburst, but Emeraude was infuriated for personal reasons concerning that particular Star Dress.

"You heard it from the Empress of Alvarez first!" Chapati shouted. "Elly has managed to make use of the power that Lucy did only days ago, and quite masterfully at that! Is this the power of Pergrande on full display!?"

"That's correct, Chapati." Ashnard said with a confident smirk. "Pergrande boasts the highest caliber mages in the world. Their ability to adapt and surpass those around them is second to none. Pergrande only grows stronger by crushing everyone we come across. Pergrande breeds nothing but excellence."

"I suppose that's one way to put it." Helena remarked while giving Ashnard a side eye. "But I will say, it's quite impressive she was able to use such a powerful technique after only witnessing once…and it didn't even last a few minutes."

"That Celestial Wizard from Fiore ultimately serves as nothing more than a stepping stone to Elly's path to power. A mere blueprint to a greater purpose." Ashnard said confidently. "To think that the Empress of Alvarez would seek rivalry with such a throwaway woman." And that was said intentionally to spite Emeraude, since he was fully aware of the complicated relationship she shared with Lucy.

It wasn't difficult to get under Emeraude's skin. Her brow twitched and she glared directly towards Ashnard. Taking a deep breath, she managed a slight grin in the face of her irritation. "A bold statement, King Ashnard. I despise that woman almost as much as I despise you…but if you're forcing me to pick a side in this encounter; I sincerely hope that the mage from Fiore crushes your little carbon copy. Then I hope someone from Alvarez comes and takes her out as well, that way everyone wins."

"Claiming a wizard from some backwater country can defeat an elite of Ishgar's strongest nation? Perhaps you've taken a blow too many from those wizards to think clearly." Ashnard shrugged. "But I will be eager to see how this turns out. How does she intend to win against a foe far stronger than her?"

"Tch…" Emeraude had more to say, but her words would've been pointless. She…actually had to hope Lucy came out on top so she could continue talking down on Ashnard. "How does Lucy intend to win? That's not the question you should be asking…"

Lucy grit her teeth as she was now staring down Elly in the Celestial King Star Dress. This wasn't an outcome she expected to deal with, yet she was now in the thick of it. She knew exactly what this Star Dress was capable, and if she failed to handle it accordingly, her tournament run ended here. Elly prepared the longsword and slid into a stance. "How do you intend to win? No matter what you attempt…I shall always surpass you." With that said, Elly flew forward at a speed Lucy wasn't prepared for.

"Eek…!" Lucy closed her eyes and crossed her arms, expecting an impact that didn't occur. She blinked once slowly, turning her head only to see that Elly flew past her, cutting down a rock behind Lucy. "Huh..?"

"…It seems I overshot." Elly said while correcting herself. She was unaccustomed to the power but that would be quick to change. "Let me try this once more." This time she got it right, swinging her sword to send a crescent beam of sword magic towards Lucy.

"…!" Lucy didn't have a lot of time to evade this. She crossed her arms as the beam exploded on her, sending her flying backwards with a cry of pain. "Kyaaah!" She tumbled along the ground, only coming to a halt thanks to Virgo's help. "Virgo!"

"I've recovered, Princess!" Virgo said with a firm nod. Just in the nick of time, because Elly was flying back in for another slash. Lucy and Virgo jumped off in opposite directions to avoid this, but the slash Elly aimed left a deep scar in the earth, causing the two of them to sweat from the sheer power. "So powerful…!"

"One…" Lucy said aloud, landing in a crouched position, while pulling out another golden key. "Gate of the archer, I open thee! Sagittarius!" As the cosplaying archer appeared, Lucy donned the matching Star Dress. The two of them then aimed their bows at Elly and let loose a volley of arrows. "Star Shot!" Golden and regular arrows soared towards Elly, who made use of the Celestial Spirit King's power to fly into the air, deftly evading the arrows and the golden explosions that followed her. "She's so agile!"

"Even I cannot land a good shot!" Sagittarius remarked, which was saying a lot since his marksmanship with a bow was second to none.

Elly flew around in the air, narrowing her eyes as she found an opening in the onslaught of arrows. She dove down, pointing her blade forward as she fly past Lucy and Sagittarius in an instant. "Starlight Cataclysm!" There were a few twinkles of light before a blue flash ripped through Lucy and Sagittarius, throwing them in separate directions. Sagittarius was instantly defeated while Lucy was thrown elsewhere, and Elly planned to pursue Lucy to take her down.

"Princess!" Virgo wasn't going to watch as Lucy was attacked. The maid bulked up and stood in Elly's path, holding her off for a few seconds in her muscular form. Virgo held strong for a few seconds before Elly was able to crush her into the ground with so much force, she was forced back into her regular form, and kicked aside. "Ugh…"

"You won't last much longer like this!" Elly warned while flying up into the air, pointing her sword down as a blue light shrouded the tip of the blade. "Star Fall!" A blast of sword magic exploded from the tip of the blade, erupting into multiple streaks of blue light that rained down on Lucy and Virgo.

"VIRGO!" Lucy's eyes went wide, immediately more concerned for her friend's wellbeing than her own. She scrambled to her feet, narrowly ducking the beams of magic that rained down on her. She managed to grab Virgo, but this didn't solve her predicament as beams were still raining down.

"You'd risk yourself to save your spirit, knowing your situation?" Elly asked. "I understand celestial spirits are allies…"

"She's my friend!" "Two…" Lucy exclaimed. "That's all the reason I need!" A golden light wrapped around her once more as she donned Star Dress: Gemini. She still had Luke's magic borrowed, and while she couldn't afford to use as much as she did during her fight with him, she had a plan. "Reflect Ray!" A mirror appeared above her and Virgo, serving as the perfect method of bouncing the mirror to strike back at Elly.

"Ngh…!" Elly didn't have time for a response. She had to deal with the incoming rays bounced back at her. She had to shield herself and take some of the damage she dished out. By the time she lowered her arms, Lucy was already in the air, above her, leg raised high in her Taurus Star Dress. "What!?"

"Taurus Lucy Kick!" Lucy yelled while swinging her leg down, slamming right into Elly's armored shoulder. The force of Lucy's kick sent Elly soaring towards the ground.

"Hmph!" Elly spun around before landing on the ground. As soon as she did, numerous chains wrapped around her from the ground, keeping her locked in place. "What now…!?"

It was Virgo, though wounded, refused to give in yet. "I shall not rest until I do my part to ensure Loke returns to his rightful owner."

When Elly looked up, she could see Lucy coming down for a very powerful punch. The sword in her hands shone brightly. "Meteor Blade!" Not an offensive technique, but one that dispelled magic deemed harmful to the user. As such, Virgo's chains faded with little effort, and she fly towards Virgo in the blink of an eye, slashing at her chest to take her down in a single strike.

Just then, Lucy hit the ground, forming a crater from her impact. "Oh no, Virgo…!"

"You shouldn't be worried about your spirits. They'll recover…but you won't have that time. Why won't you face me head on!?" Elly's purple gaze narrowed in irritation. This wasn't how she envisioned her fight with Lucy going. She figured she was going to win anyway, but why was Lucy avoiding her so much!? Enraged, the Commandant flew at Lucy while swinging her sword, only for it to be blocked by Taurus' sudden appearance. He could still boast high physical strength, even in moments like this.

"Three…!" Lucy used this brief opening to punch Elly in the stomach with incredible force, causing the armor to crack slightly. Elly slid backwards from the impact, but it didn't look like that was enough to put her down. "Even after all this time, she's still kicking…but I just need a little bit more…"

Elly was panting softly, still annoyed that the fight was playing out like this. "If this is the game you wish to play, then I'll cut things short. I'm not interested in a hit in run battle…I declared my superiority and I will obtain it whatever it takes!" Her patience reached its limit and she swung her sword forward multiple times, sending numerous crescent slashes towards Lucy and Taurus.

"Taurus, Gate Close!" Lucy commanded, conserving Taurus' strength for later. In the meantime she had to deal with this fierce onslaught, sweating as her damage from before was piling up. Several slashes landed on her body, but she was able to mitigate the damage by dodging and blocking. It wasn't easy and she felt herself slowing down a little bit. "Just a little longer…we're at four now…!"

"I've had quite enough of you dodging me!" Elly's feet carried her off the ground. In a surprising move, she lunged directly at the dodging Lucy. Lucy did attempt to leap to the side, but she was caught by Elly grabbing onto her arm, promptly slamming her into the ground. Elly then pointed the tip of her sword at Lucy's face and lifted it skyward, summoning a pillar of sword magic onto her foe that exploded into the sky, utterly destroying the ground in a several meter radius. "Star's Pillar!"

"AAAAAAAAAAH!" Lucy's body was tossed into the air, her mouth hung open as she was experience excoriating pain. Her scream fell short as her eyes went pure eye, body slowly falling back towards the ground. "…."

"That looked like a finishing blow! Is this the end for Lucy Heartfilia!" Chapati asked.

"…Don't you dare…" Emeraude narrowed her eyes, an ironclad grip on the railing.

There was nothing but silence as Lucy began to fall towards the ground. "LUCY!"

Sophie's voice in her head snapped Lucy out of her unconscious state. She clenched a hand into a fist, purposefully digging her fingernails into the palm of her hand to jolt herself awake. She then flipped to land on the ground as her body was shrouded in another golden light. "Star Dress Mix: Aquarius + Taurus!"

"What…?! You're still conscious!?" Elly's grip tightened on her sword. She thought for sure that would finish Lucy off.

"N-Not yet…" Lucy panted heavily, pulling her whip forward as water surrounded it. "Blue Earth!" She got some inspiration from Tia with this attack, but hers had a spin on it. She cracked her whip on the ground, first creating a tremor that broke the ground apart, making Elly instinctively fly into the air. But the cracks in the ground erupted in pillars of water, all of which converged on Elly, keeping her trapped in a sphere of water.

"Huh?" Elly attempted to slice through the sphere, but it wasn't working, even for her. "This blade should be able to slice through anything!"

"You don't know it as well as I do!" Lucy declared while throwing her hands down, sending the sphere of water crashing into the ground with a fierce explosion with Elly caught right in the middle. This was using way more magic power than Lucy was intending, but this was better than the alternative.

Elly screamed from the impact of the explosion, but soon recovered with some bruises to her body. It looked like Lucy was actually fighting her now, but it was too late. Lucy was clearly reaching the end of her rope, all Elly had to do now was finish it. "You waited until the wrong moment to fight back! Now I'll finish this!" Shaking off the powerful attack, she lunged forward while raising her sword up high. Lucy couldn't move and this was the chance to finish her off. "Meteor…"

"FIVE!" Lucy shouted. It seemed out of place…but right as she shouted that, Elly stopped right in front of her, her body unable to move.

Elly's eyes went wide as her entire body grew heavy. "W-What's…happening…? My body is…"

"I made it." Lucy said with a confident grin, now able to reveal her plan. "I know how fast this Star Dress burns through magic. I've trained with it for an entire year and I've only been able to sustain it for five minutes at most! Even if I win a fight with it, I feel incredibly drained afterwards, but that's not something you'd know since this is your first time using it!" Lucy drew her fist back, water swirling around it as she aimed a powerful punch to Elly's face, a beam of water surging forward to carry her opponent forward. "Aqua Impact!"

"ACK!" Elly cried out while forced backwards, rolling along the ground until coming to a halt on her knees, sword at her side. "No…this can't be it…I'm…excellent. I'm supposed to be…"

Lucy was slow in approaching, but she had enough energy to finish this off while she could. She was charging one final Aqua Metria, one that would hopefully end this fight. "You may be a researcher, but you rushed this experiment! Aqua Metria!" With that cry, Lucy sent a torrent of water rushing directly towards Elly to end this.

[Flashback.]

A young Elly was sitting outside her home, staring up at the stars. It was her only source of solace in her household…she didn't have favorable living conditions. Her parents were members of the Pergrande military, but they weren't very high in rank. But it provided.

"She's just worthless!" Elly's father said. "A waste of space. What is the point in having a weak child when they can't provide for you?!"

"I understand why now, everyone else looked at us with such disdain when she was born. So weak from the start…I thought my family only birthed excellence. Damn it, why did I have to birth the one exception to that rule!? We beat it into her every day and she still just doesn't learn! She can't grow stronger by sitting and playing with experiments! We made her a Celestial Spirit mage and for what!? If it weren't for that damned spirit…"

Elly could hear all of this going on. It made her frown. She stared at her keyring…she only had one. It was a sliver key, which was hardly anything compared to the golden Zodiac keys. At least that's what her parents kept telling her. Despite that, it made her happy…because she had a friend, someone to rely on. "My family births excellence…am I really so different…?"

At that moment, Zephyr appeared, placing his hat on Elly's head with a friendly smile. "Of course not. You're excellent on your own, you know?"

"….Thanks, but I wonder…" Elly glanced back into the house where her parents were arguing about…her.

Several years later, Elly found herself kneeling before King Ashnard, becoming a newly appointed Commandant. "Elly Grants." Ashnard said her name aloud. "I am impressed by your conduct. You have both strength and smarts…I believe our research department will greatly benefit from your mind. We've been lacking since a certain someone attempted a scheme."

"You honor me with your words, Your Majesty." Elly bowed. "I am not deserving of such kindness."

"I believe that to be on the contrary. You surpassed your parents' position in the army rather easily. There are not many children that can claim to do that. I believe your family motto was correct in the end…they breed nothing but excellence. I trust that excellence will carry you and Pergrande far in the future."

"Yes…I swear it will." Elly gave a firm lastly…a little before the Ishgar's Strongest tournament. Elly had been given Loke's key…or rather, she bought it from Lucia after she picked it up in Fiore. The Lion was summoned and he clearly wasn't happy about being in the hands of someone other than Lucy, but… "So…you are Leo, the Lion…I finally get to meet you at last."

"…" Loke was silent at first. Elly bore a striking resemblance to Lucy at first glance. The only noticeable different when he looked closer was the darker shade of her hair, along with her purple eyes.

"…Is something wrong?" Elly tilted her head.

"You remind me of my previous owner." Loke said.

"I've heard about her…Lucy Heartfilia." Elly said firmly. "No doubt we will be encountering each other in the tournament. I wish to face her. But I do not wish to make her fight her former spirit. That seems quite cruel…I do not enjoy making people suffer."

"…Huh." Loke knew Pergrande wasn't filled with the best people from previous encounters. But Elly seemed different.

"When a Celestial Spirit key is broken, the contract is rendered null." Elly began. "I'm sure such a person had her reasons for breaking your key…and I wish for you to tell me…in due time."

"You're not gonna force me?" Loke asked.

Elly shook her head. "Nonsense. To force you to do something against your will is simply subjugation. I do not treat my spirits like that. We are currently…partners. I would like one day to call you a friend, but I do not see that happening anytime soon unfortunately. I simply ask that you work with me long enough so I can battle Lucy. She is, without a doubt, one of the strongest Celestial Wizards walking right now…and I must defeat her to prove Pergrande is the strongest. Because my family is only excellent and nothing more."

Elly was not a bad person. Loke could sense that. He sighed and extended his hand to her. She seemed lonely… "I'll help you out…but not if you're going to do anything shady. Besides…I can't say no to such a pretty face~"

Elly blinked in surprise, but took Loke's hand in her own to shake it. "I will not let you down. Also, do not flirt with me."

[End Flashback.]

"I WILL NOT FAIL!" Elly suddenly exclaimed, forcing herself to her feet to slice the incoming Aqua Metria in two, droplets of water scattering all around her in a cascade. She was panting heavily, exerting herself beyond her limits.

"W-What…!?" Lucy was certain this was the end. Her eyes went wide from the shock. "H-How are you still…!?"

"Your deduction was nearly perfect, but you forgot to account for one thing! I am the stronger wizard! My magic power exceeds yours!" Elly ran towards Lucy, swinging her blade to send a crescent beam that exploded against Lucy, throwing her backwards against the ground. "I can hold this form longer than you ever could! I will not be defeated! I am Commandant of Pergrande! I am strong! I am excellent! And I will surpass you and all you've accomplished in my family's name!"

"Gh…" Lucy did fail to account for that. She assumed it would eat Elly's magic away faster since this was her first time using it. But as a wizard of Pergrande, Elly was overcoming that shortcoming. This put Lucy in a bind as she slowly stood up, one eye clenched shut as she panted heavily. "I'm not…losing…either!" Lucy allowed a gigantic pool of water to surround her arm, eyes burning with the fiery determination a certain stubborn fire dragon often had in his own. "I'm not going to lose here!" Lucy threw her fist forward just as Elly swung her sword. The two were in a fierce stalemate, both sides attempting to overpower the other.

Elly grit her teeth, holding fast against Lucy's attack. "What purpose are you fighting for…!? Even now, you still intend to try and defeat me!? You have no hope…!"

"Do you know how many times I've heard that!?" Lucy responded with a yell. "All Fairy Tail has ever done is fight foes stronger than us, but we push on despite that, because we can't afford to lose! I can't afford to lose right now either. That Star Dress you've managed to put on…that was the culmination of all my efforts over the past two years! It was my light in the darkness when my back was against the wall. It was proof to me, that I could stand against her no matter what. She's the one who pushed me to become stronger when I thought all hope was lost, because I didn't have a choice, I had to fight her with everything I had or die trying!"

"…." Emeraude was silent, for those words were about her.

"What purpose do I fight for? I fight for my friends, my family…and the promise I made to myself. I promised myself I wouldn't lose to anyone else to show her our fight wasn't in vain, I promised myself that I wouldn't lose to anyone so I could face Mii when the time came…and I promised myself, that no matter what…I wouldn't let Sophie down." The images of her friends at Fairy Tail appeared in her mind, along with her celestial spirits, Emeraude, Mii, and Sophie beside them. Those were the people she fought for. As Lucy spoke, the sword steadily began to break. "You wrong question in the beginning! It was never about how I planned to beat you!"

"W-What!? Then what was the right question!?" Elly asked.

"The question wasn't how I was going to win…the question was…HOW DID YOU PLAN TO BEAT ME!?" Just as Lucy exclaimed this, the sword broke and she was able to punch Elly in the face, using all of her strength and momentum to slam her into the ground. This caused a pillar of water to explode into the air, swirling around violently as it was noticeable to people a few kilometers away.

As that pillar of water died down, it caused a light shower of rain on their ruined battlefield…Elly was on the ground in her normal attire, lying on her back with pure white eyes. "…."

"INCREDBILE! FIORE HAS TAKEN DOWN THE FIRST PERGRANDE MEMBER!" Chapati exclaimed in excitement, causing the crowd to let out a roar. This wasn't a turn of events anyone expected. "There's now only a ten point gap between Fiore and Pergrande! But this is still anyone's game!"

"Well well…" Emeraude wore the biggest grin while staring at Ashnard. "It seems I placed my bet correctly…how foolish of you to think that your soldiers would be able to defeat a cornered Fairy. Tsk tsk."

"Speaking from experience?" Ashnard immediately responded. His composure was calm…but on the inside he was very irritated.

"Oh, lighten up Ashy!" Calium said with a lighthearted chuckle, patting the king on the back specifically to annoy him. "Everyone's got room to grow and improve, even your men. Didn't think you'd be the cream of the crop just like that, did you? Sure Elly is strong and can adapt quickly, but she's still got a long way to go, don't you think?"

"…Pergrande continuously grows." Ashnard said with a slight scoff. One of his finest, publicly losing to Fiore like this? That was a moment that wounded the King's pride in his army.

"Heh…" Emeraude was eating this up. "I know full well defeating a cornered Fairy is an annoyingly arduous task. That's why I had full faith in her to pull the rug out from that smug bastard. I would've been very upset if she disappointed me yet again…now it's promptly time to get rid of her before she becomes even more of a problem." Classic Emeraude. She was only happy Lucy won because it proved her point. Yet those words Lucy spoke did resonate with her in some way, she chose to ignore it.

Emerald nudged her daughter with a knowing smile. "You didn't want to see her lose at all. You're happy she won, aren't you, Em?"

"Mother, please. I'm plotting." Emeraude said with an annoyed eyebrow twitch.

Lucy panted heavily, slumped over, bruised and injured…but she lifted her index finger and thumb pointed high into the sky, proudly displaying to the world the hand symbol of Fairy Tail. "Because when our back is to the way, and our family is in danger…a Fairy Tail mage will do whatever it takes to save them, and we'll take down anyone who stands in our way…"