The crowd rained their jeers down on Kai all the way until he stood but ten feet from Bacchus, who lounged about in a beach pose. He sneered at Kai, who remained stoic.

"So, you're one of them Dragon Slayers, right? Thought I was going to have to wait until I got my fair shot at Sting and Rogue to take on one of you."

"Glad I could accommodate earlier than you'd anticipated."

Bacchus grunted. "Guess it'll be just a little bit of a warmup, then."

"Maybe. Or maybe you'll learn to respect your opponent."

That got Bacchus to sit up, though not necessarily pay any attention to Kai at all. "I saw those three Dragon Slayers earlier. Couldn't even ride a train. Y'all can't even use your own damn two feet and you think you can take me on?"

"This isn't a train. This is a fight."

"One I'm going to win. So, let's put a wager on it, shall we?"

"I don't do bets."

"Not even where they're concerned with Erza?"

The crowd hushed, probably able to hear everything going on in the arena thanks to the multitude of lacrimal around them. Kai remained standing still, despite the huge fire burning inside him begging him to just slug Bacchus across the face.

Instead, Kai removed his sword and slammed it into the ground. Bacchus leered up at Kai.

"Get up."

"I won't until we've got a bet."

"How about I wager my blood for yours?"

"How—?"

Before Bacchus could question what Kai said, a massive glacier appeared in front of him and forced him back, onto his feet. Kai glowered across the way at Bacchus, who howled a mad laugh.

"Alright then! Got my attention now, ice pick."

Kai lowered his stance, one he'd learned himself three months ago. "Come on, then."

The crowd remained hushed, probably disbelieving that Kai was being so bold. No weapon? No other magic? Bacchus couldn't have grinned wider. He had Kai right where he wanted him.

According to Erza, Bacchus specialized in Palm Magic, capable of focusing his magic energy into his palms right at the point of attack. Thus, Bacchus became quite the martial arts master, particularly of the Chop Hanging Palm art, and more lethally, the Drunken Chop Hanging Palm. That gourd at his side was probably filled with some strong stuff.

The drunker he got, the more dangerous, essentially.

Bacchus sprinted toward Kai, then slowed up, lowering his stance without much of a care before he launched two strikes at Kai, both of which Kai not only dodged but managed to knock Bacchus back with an attack of his own.

Bacchus struck with his palm, an attack Kai danced around with grace as if it were nothing. Kai chopped Bacchus's side then used Bacchus's own technique against him, summoning power into his arm and unleashing it, with a spray of icy mist. Bacchus slid back.

"The hell?"

"Come." Kai gestured with his palm.

Bacchus obliged, once more advancing on Kai. The announcer and commentator above went absolutely ballistic that Kai not only stood toe-to-toe with Bacchus, but gracefully maneuvered through his attacks.

The martial arts master unleashed a barrage of blows toward Kai, who dodged through them with trained ease, even at one point taunting Bacchus by closing his eyes and still avoiding the attacks. Bacchus backed away, as did Kai, allowing the dust to settle.

Bacchus shook off some dirt and lowered into a stance. "I'm just glad this isn't going to be a cakewalk like I thought it'd be. You've got some moves. Let me show you some more."

"You finally ready to start trying?"

The Quatro Cerberus wizard answered with attacks, this time with more power behind them and more calculated points of attack. Kai had to block these, injuring his arms with each successive attack he either deflected or had to block. Bacchus gave him little room to make attacks of his own, his arms sometimes moving faster than Kai's eyes could comprehend.

Thankfully, Kai had his instincts that he'd so expertly honed for three months. Kai ducked under one swing and punched Bacchus straight in the gut. He opened his palm and a plume of magic shot out of him, and he pursued. Bacchus tried to hit him twice but Kai dodged, swerving around and kicking Bacchus aside.

"Ice Dragon Talon!"

Kai soared at Bacchus with the talon extended and took a swipe at him, completely freezing the wall even before it could hit Bacchus. Unfortunately, the man dodged to the side just in time. Kai slid to a halt. Bacchus dashed away, back to his gourd.

"Oh no!" Chapati Lola exclaimed. "Bacchus has grabbed his secret weapon, the gourd!"

"Time's up, Dragon boy," Bacchus said. "Think I'm ready for a drink."

"Go for it," Kai said, smiling. He slid his shirt off, feeling the warm Crocus sun streak against his skin, but not warm him in the slightest. Invisible tendrils of magic filtered from him into the sword, which grew just a bit behind Bacchus.

Bacchus downed the gourd in just a few sips, some of it spilling out from the sides of his mouth. Kai could smell the strong alcohol from where he stood. He opened and closed his fists, adjusting his stance. Instinct had to take over from here.

He had to win.

Erza had never actually defeated Bacchus in single combat. Maybe that was because their combat styles clashed. Kai wracked his brain. Of the members of Team Fairy Tail A, only he, Erza, and Natsu stood a chance, and the latter only because of his brute strength. Kai could win on virtue of skill.

Bacchus burped and tossed the gourd aside. Kai focused on him.

Without another word he attacked Kai, moving even faster than before. That made sense. All of his bodily inhibitions were likely off the table. Bacchus was able to temper his strength before. Now that he was drunk, he would only be casting insults and shooting insane amounts of power.

Kai braced himself and darted aside, avoiding the first attack that obliterated part of the wall. Kai summoned his magic but even that was too slow. What?

Bacchus struck Kai in the chest and the boy went flying back, skidding along the ground. As he recovered, Bacchus reappeared, launching four fast palm strikes, and three of them landed, knocking Kai back once more. His shoulders and chest ached just from those attacks.

"Ice Dragon Shield!"

Test his strength. He had to test his strength!'

The shield appeared just as Bacchus emerged, shattering through it and giving Kai a moment to also surge forward, punching Bacchus across the chest. The two exchanged fast blows—Kai's far less effective—and Kai slid back, his face swollen. Bacchus slid next to him. Kai blocked with his leg, something he quickly regretted, and Bacchus swung his arms around, which would've been a smart move if Kai wasn't focused on the rotation of his body.

With his instincts alone Kai dodged the ensuing attack that obliterated some of the ground next to Kai.

"Ice Dragon Gallant Wing!"

Kai quickened his own pace and slammed his wings into Bacchus, sending him into the air and buying Kai enough time to finish charging the sword. Bacchus flipped end over end, wowing the crowd. Kai grunted and managed to keep his feet.

Bacchus landed and propelled right into the next attack. Kai sighed.

"Ice Dragon Glacier!"

Bacchus slammed into the glacier that appeared beneath Kai and sent the boy flying into the air. Bacchus also bounced off of it, darting right toward Kai. Kai spun around, still with his wings for arms, and slammed them both into Bacchus. His own attack struck Kai and his wings shattered. Kai dropped to the ground, bouncing once and then rolling a bit. Bacchus landed.

"Blood for blood, eh?" Bacchus growled.

Kai glanced at his arms. Blood did pour from a few places. Kai punched the ground and got back up. He just needed a little more!

"I didn't hear no bell," Kai said, gesturing at Bacchus.

The crowd hushed again. Bacchus just chuckled but stopped when Kai fell into Bacchus's own pose. Bacchus sprinted.

Kai dodged one, two, almost three attacks. He absorbed that last hit. He dodged one more then took another hit, that one definitely shattering a rib. But he leaned it and managed to strike back at Bacchus, who elbowed Kai hard across the face and sent him spinning.

And that'd been it.

Kai spun around, barely able to hold himself. Bacchus moved to strike once more.

"Frozen Sword Formation!" Kai barely dodged this one. Yes. He'd gotten it right! "Fifth Layer Furious Frost!"

Then, Kai caught Bacchus's fist just as a strong beam of ice hit him straight in the side, sending him flying away.

Kai surged his power, but did not transform. He wouldn't need to. Not for Bacchus Groh.

Bacchus shot out of his little rut.

"Nice trick kid, but that ain't gonna be enough to shut me up!"

Bacchus swung at Kai and missed as Kai punched him hard in the side. Still not quite as strong as Bacchus, but it definitely made an impact. Kai spun and kicked Bacchus away.

"I know your timing, Bacchus!" Kai exclaimed. "Even when you're drunk, your body still has a cadence! Now let's see if you can handle my power!"

"You've been gone seven years kid, you don't even know what power means anymore!"

Said power flared in Kai and his aura burst around him, shooting dazzling bits of ice into the sky, marveling the crowd. Sadly, most of them probably missed Kai land a wicked spin-kick into Bacchus's shoulder. Still, the man smiled through it, letting out a wild howl.

"That's more like it!"

"That's the power of someone who may have missed seven years!" Kai landed and collided fists with Bacchus, a gust of air shooting out from the impact. "And who has a guild who hasn't given up on them!"

The two surged back, neither giving ground. Bacchus jabbed at the air, and little pockets of air blasted at Kai, who summoned his sword and used his strength to swat them aside.

"Ice Dragon Blade!"

Kai swung his sword and the slice of ice slid through the aria almost hitting Bacchus were it not for his drunken dodging. Kai flung the sword aside—he didn't want to kill Bacchus or maim him or anything—and managed to slam his head into Bacchus's, focusing enough magic to buffer himself. The crowd gasped and then roared at the display.

"The hell kinda power you got, then?" Bacchus snarled.

"You know exactly what it is!" Kai roared. "It isn't the power of a dragon!"

Kai dashed at Bacchus, taking a swipe that missed but quickly followed up with a kick that sent Bacchus spiraling.

"It isn't the power of ice!"

Bacchus bounced off the wall. Kai summoned all his strength into his hand, forming an Ice Dragon Talon. The Drunken Falcon closed in on him.

"This is the power of Fairy Tail!"

Bacchus punched at Kai and Kai swung his talon down, ripping through the sky with force that a crater formed beneath he and Bacchus once they collided. A plume of dust and ice shot up all around them, making them completely invisible.

Nobody spoke, not even the announcer…until the smoke cleared, and it was Kai who remained standing, Bacchus's body at Kai's feet.

The crowd, much to his surprise, cheered. Kai swayed but refused to fall down. Though he hadn't used all of his power, he'd put his body on the line for that attack, knowing the only way to take down Bacchus was to hit him where it hurts: his head.

He summoned his sword to his side and then raised it into the air, shooting a ball of ice into the air that exploded in the Fairy Tail guild symbol, then rained down twinkling bits of ice. Blood poured down body.

"The winner is, Kai Hope of Fairy Tail Team A!"

The crowd continued to cheer, none louder than the balcony where First Master Mavis, Makarov, Romeo, Happy, and Pantherlily led in the cheering. Erza also cried out for Kai. His eyes fell upon Sting and Rogue, who couldn't care less. He glanced toward Laxus and Gajeel, who were smiling, but were careful not to show too much emotion.

He slid the sword back into place then knelt down next to Bacchus, who was still conscious.

"A little hurt?" Kai asked.

"That was wild power, my man," Bacchus. "If that's Fairy Tail's power…damn…"

"Another great strength of ours?"

Kai held his hand out and Bacchus stared at it, dumbfounded. But, with another laugh, he reached up and clasped it. Kai yanked Bacchus to his feet and the two supported one another.

"God, you are so drunk," Kai muttered.

"Helps with the pain," Bacchus said, then howled.

Not long after the fight, Kai was admitted to the infirmary. He expected to find Wendy and Carla resting there, but they were there standing by the bed, faces alight.

"Great job, Kai," Wendy said as Gray helped lower Kai onto the bed.

"You saw?"

"We heard," Carla said. "But it's good that we're back in our winning ways again."

"What happened with the rest of the fights?"

"Doesn't matter, you need to rest," Porylusica, who appeared from behind a curtain with a few elixirs, said. "Wendy can heal you, but you've broken several bones. You'll be in here for the rest of the day, and even then, I'm going to advise Makarov withhold you from action from here on out."

Kai sighed. "Actually…I don't think I'll be seeing anymore action."

Gray raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Kai gestured at Wendy. "Look whose back on her feet. She was picked for the team. Makarov and I agreed I was only a temporary fill-in for Wendy." Kai beamed over at the young Dragon Slayer. "I did my part, Wendy. Bring home the gold."

Wendy sucked in a breath, the gravity of the situation dawning on her as she stared at all of Kai's wounds. Before Carla could say anything, though, she just nodded and rested her hands on Kai's chest. He winced from the pain.

A green glow washed over him and warmth spread. His shoulder muscles relaxed. Wendy removed her hands from his chest and Porylusica came in, pouring the elixirs over the places of extensive danger, even rubbing numbing oil over his ribs and legs where he'd apparently broken many bones.

Gray went back up to see what was going on while Wendy and Carla stayed behind to chat with Porylusica. Kai stayed away, listening in on their perspective of the games so far. They also asked him for his thoughts on the other members of the games, where he told them about his dad being in Lamia Scale and how Sabertooth clearly had it out for Fairy Tail.

Later, Wendy and Carla were called away from some lunch. Kai nestled into the bed and Iggy came to visit. He was already feeling remarkably better thanks to the mixture of Wendy's healing magic and Porylusica. He'd had Wendy hold off on using more magic so she could be in tip-top shape.

"So that's all she wrote, huh?" Iggy asked.

Kai shrugged. "Hey, I'm undefeated in fights in the Grand Magic Games. It's a perfect record. I'm getting out while I'm ahead."

"Ahead? Wouldn't say so that early."

Iggy spun around while Kai laughed.

Meredy approached through the doorway, waving at Iggy as she strode toward Kai with Jellal as Mystogan in tow. Kai grinned.

"Nice fight," the two said.

"At least yours ended," Jellal said.

Meredy crossed her arms. "Oh, what? You were going to blow your cover! You need to be more careful."

"Well, it doesn't matter now," Jellal said. "What matters is that I'm here at all."

"And you've got a good cover."

Meredy's expression softened. Jellal sighed. "Not good enough, I'm afraid. Lahar, the Magic Council member who captured me seven years ago, is here. He's worried that your reemergence may have had me come looking for you and Erza."

"So what?"
"Cana is officially replacing me on the team. I'll remain undercover outside of the games, but my focus is going to primarily be on finding this dark magic."

Iggy rested on Kai's feet at the end of the bed. Meredy approached and rested her hands on Kai's shoulder, creating a Sensory link between the two of them.

"Any more leads?" Kai asked.

Though she wasn't healing him, Kai did notice his body getting better. Meredy must've been using her magic to have his body replicate hers in terms of condition, accelerating the healing process quite a bit.

"No noticeable ones. There was a scare earlier, but Natsu dealt with that. It actually sounds like they were after Lucy for some reason."

Kai gripped the side of his bed. That was why the lack of anyone in the infirmary felt off. Lucy was still recovering from her injuries sustained from her fight with Flare.

"What happened?'

"We don't know for certain why they tried to take her."

Meredy stepped aside. Kai opened and closed his fist, then nodded to Meredy. She nodded back at him.

"We're going to speak with Erza next," Jellal said.

Kai looked around. "Where's Ultear?"

Meredy shrugged. "Something about being ashamed of still being seen near Gray."

"It's her business. I'm sure she'll come if you need her."

The two headed off. Kai sighed and Iggy sat up on the foot of the bed, shrugging at him as well.

"Weird."

"Yeah. Wonder why Lucy got targeted. Maybe it was Raven Tail again."

"Think they'll come after you?"

"If they do you better protect me, I'm bedridden right now."

"Yeah, okay. You look fine."

"I feel fine."

"So leave."

"No way, not until the old hag says I can."

Iggy pricked an eyebrow and purred her dissatisfaction. Kai playfully nudged her off the bed.

Night came later on, after Erza reported in that Mirjane won her fight—which quickly turned into a swimsuit competition apparently—and that Lucy was still doing okay. She kissed him goodbye and headed up to get a bite to eat.

He settled into the bed, still, counting the stars outside when he heard a great roar and then a whoosh. He peered out the window.

"The hell?"

Kai swung his legs off the bed and approached it, watching as something streaked out into the city. He grimaced. That smelled like Natsu and Happy, but they wouldn't go out this late, would they? And what for, with such urgency?

He sniffed. Lucy and Wendy were still in building, so it definitely wasn't anything to do with them. He pursed his lips.

"Ah, come on, nobody's around?"

The Thunder Tribe had been placed earlier to protect Lucy, but with everyone coming in and checking in on Kai there'd been no need for them to stand guard. Plus, Kai affirmed them they could go watch Laxus in case he was set to fight.

Kai moved back to his bed, his muscles a bit sore from all the sitting around he'd been doing and from the earlier fight. He picked up his sword for good measure, just to feel a bit more secure, then poked his head down the hallway.

Iggy almost flew right into his face.

"Whoa!" Kai exclaimed.

"Kai…Natsu!"

"Yes, Natsu?"

"He's doing the dumbest thing right now." She stayed floating, but her panicked expression allowed the same feeling to seep into Kai. "Yukino, the Celestial Wizard from Sabertooth, came to us after she'd been excommunicated from her guild. Apparently they stripped her of her rank, her clothes, her dignity, everything! She tried to give Lucy her keys but Lucy wouldn't accept them. Then, Natsu just blasted off after saying something about how a guild should act."

So that was Natsu just a moment ago!

"Does anyone else know?"

"I wanted to tell the others, but it's too close to midnight."

Understanding dawned on Kai. "And I'm not on the team."

Iggy nodded. Kai turned toward the window. "We have to get him back, fast! How're you feeling?"

Sting and Rogue's smug faces flashed in Kai's mind. "Ready."

Iggy grasped his shirt and Kai blasted the window open, allowing Iggy plenty of room for them to blast across the night's sky as well. Kai pointed them in the direction he could follow Natsu's scent, as well as the direction of the building that just had another window and wall blown open.

"Hold on, slow down, where's Happy?"

Iggy slowed up and they flew over the great manor Sabertooth was staying in. Natsu stood in the midst of a massive crowd of wizards, with Sting, Rogue, Orga, Rufus, and some gigantic man immediately surrounding him.

Then, an elegant woman with black hair and a blue dress strode forward, and Happy emerged in her hand.

"No!"

"Iggy, now!"

Iggy quickly aimed them down and blasted. The woman held her hand higher and Happy screamed out. Kai unsheathed his blade.

"Frozen Sword Formation: Frozen First Layer!"

Nobody in the building reacted fast enough to the beam of ice that slammed down in front of the blue-dressed woman and broke her concentration, allowing Iggy to swoop in and snatch Happy, zipping them away.

Kai landed back-to-back with Natsu in the center of room.

The large man strode forward. "Another one?"

"Well, Natsu?" Kai asked.

"They threatened their own guild member and tried to hurt Happy," Natsu said. "Thanks for the save, by the way."

"No problem. You've got to get home soon, by the way."

Natsu slammed his fists together and flames spurt out from them. "Then we better finish up here pretty quick."

Kai lowered into his stance as Sting, Rogue, and the rest of a shocked Sabertooth braced themselves.

"Exactly what I was thinking."