Chapter Thirty Three - The 1st Annual Grand Magic Games: DAY THREE - July 3rd, X773

"Who's going today?" Lucy asked sleepily, as we made our way down to the stadium.

"Juvia is doing the games," Juvia said. "And Onee-sama is doing the battle."

"When will I be participating again?" Lucy asked.

"You'll be doing the battle portion tomorrow, and the big battle on the last day."

Though she looked frightened, she nodded determinedly, and it was probably a good thing that she had a one on one battle first.

We made our way to the field and I was happily surprised when I saw the giant bubble of water.

"We're in luck, today," I told Juvia. "This is your element. Make me proud. Also, know that no matter what you do, I will be proud and watching. Don't turn or get distracted by wanting to look at me. Focus on the game."

She nodded. "Juvia will not let you down."

I knelt and hugged her. "I know, Juvia. Good luck out there, and remember to have fun."

Juvia changed into a one-piece suit (which I turned black with a gold strip down it) and entered the water.

"And who's this little one?" Bob asked Makarov.

"That's Juvia! She just turned six a few months ago," Makarov said. "I know she'll do well."

"Oh?" Goldmine asked. "Why's that?"

"Her older sister is watching, and she wants to impress her."

"Is her sister not participating?" Ooba asked.

"Our guild functions a lot like a family. Juvia was brought to the guild by Elle, and so Juvia looks up to her and calls her Onee-sama."

"Kick their butts, Juvia!" I yelled loudly.

"Elle has been extremely proud of Juvia's progress in magic, because Juvia was born with her magic and had a problem controlling it when she was younger."

The other competitors entered, and Juvia started out almost immediately. "This attack was inspired by Onee-sama and Juvia's family! The Love of Fairy Tail!"

A high-pressured explosion happened under the water, circling a bit like a whirlpool and pulling the contestants in before flinging them out in the opposite direction, using their own inertia and mass to throw them farther.

When the explosion finished, only three were left in the water – Juvia, a female from Phantom Lord, and Levy's tutor on Fairy Tail B, Clarke.

Distantly, as they fought, I started counting in my head.

We'd seen Hidden, Pandemonium, and the Naval Battle, even though they weren't in order. We had a mystery day, and it could also probably be expected that Chariots would take play.

The people who hadn't competed in the morning portion were Laxus, and Cana.

Great. Just…great.

I just really hoped Laxus wouldn't get Chariots.

Juvia threw an attack for the Phantom Lord mage, but it ended up pushing Clarke out of the water instead.

Mato announced the timer and explained the special rule, and Juvia sped up her attacks at the Phantom Lord mage, hoping for them to get last place again, especially after what they did to Levy the previous day.

Nothing Juvia did seem to work on the other mage, so she finally used Water Lock. Even though it was underwater, it cut off her opponent's air supply, and Juvia moved the ball of water outside and dumped her opponent out.

"Fairy Tail A wins, kabo! And because Phantom Lord was kicked out before the last timer ended, they get 0 points, kabo! Fairy Tail B gets 8 points, kabo! Since everyone else got out at the same time, they get 2 points, because they tied for second to last place."

The scoreboard changed to:

Fairy Tail A – 50 points

Fairy Tail B – 34 points

Phantom Lord – 20 points

Quatro Cerberus – 16 points

Lamia Scale – 8 points

Blue Pegasus – 4 points

I winced, feeling a bit bad for Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus.

"And now we'll be taking our break before the battle portion! Kabo!" Mato said.

Juvia joined us and I gave her a huge hug and swung her around. "That was awesome, Juvia! You did amazing!"

Juvia blushed. "Thank you, Onee-sama."

Laxus whistled (damn show off) as he watched the scoreboard. "Can you believe we have 50 straight points? We haven't even finished today yet."

I shook my head and put Juvia down. "It doesn't matter. Right now, we've been getting good match up for morning games, and we've done well in the battles, but we could end up against someone super strong. We need to be careful, and just because we're so far ahead doesn't mean we can let up."

He nodded. "Understood." We started walking away from the field. "You're up today. Are you ready?"

I smirked. "Yeah. Honestly, I hope I get the Phantom mage, honestly. We've already fought Cerberus and the other Fairy Tail team, and Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale haven't been doing too hot. I want to kick Phantom's ass."

"They deserve it," Laxus said.

After a nice lunch (which passed quickly), I pulled off my bracelet, letting my magic free again, and we were back on the field and it was my turn to participate.

Deep breath, Elle. You'll do fine.

"First up, we have Elle from Fairy Tail A vs Sol from Phantom Lord, kabo!" Mato said.

I smiled. I had to give that guy a world of pain. My magic built up eagerly, ready to serve a beat down.

The minute the gong ran off, Sol was off, shouting, "Melodie de la Vigne!"

Two vines wrapped around my legs and began swinging me around, and I was reminded of the fight Lucy had with Flare. I was too shocked to move at first, and it took getting flung into the wall (which hurt) before I acted. "Mars's Explosive Feet!"

Fire surrounded my feet and burnt the vines to ash, and (still using the spell) I hovered in the air above Sol.

"Neptune's Sphere!" I yelled, and it was almost identical to Juvia's Water Lock.

Despite surrounding him with water, nothing seemed to be happening, and I realized why a second too late.

A dummy?

"Platre Sonata!" Sol called, and I was hit with a fist like attack similar to my own.

I fell from the sky, and managed to brace my fall; landing on the ground safely.

"Platre Sonata!" Sol cried again, and the fist came for me again.

"Earth's Green Fist!" I yelled, and the fists clashed until mine overpowered his.

"She beat me? Non, non, non!" Sol cried.

"I will!" I shouted.

"Blinding Light of Venus!" I yelled, and the stadium exploded in light.

Good, it gave me a cover.

I teleported behind him, and kicked him in the nuts. Hard.

The light vanished, and Sol was on the ground, clutching his crotch.

"Why would you do that?" he cried, in an extremely high-pitched voice.

"That was for what you did to Levy!" I said, and stepped on his crotch, putting pressure on it. He let out a high, keening noise. "And this is for being a dick to children."

There was a loud 'ooooooh' as all the men in the stadium winced in sympathy.

"And Elle wins! Kabo!" Mato exclaimed.

I let up my foot and walked over to the others, who were all happy at my win.

"You okay?" Laxus asked.

"I'm a bit scratched up, but I should be fine. I'll definitely be able to participate in the final battle!" I said happily.

He nodded. "Cana, Lucy, one of you take notes of the final scores; I'm taking Elle to the infirmary."

"I want to go with Onee-sama!" Juvia yelled.

"That's why I didn't include you," Laxus said, and we made our way down the hall.

"Onee-sama did awesome!" Juvia said. "Onee-sama, you used a water attack like Juvia's!"

I ruffled her hair. "Yep. Water is not exactly the opposing element for earth, but sometimes earth users can't use it anymore once it becomes mud."

"Really?" Juvia asked. "Juvia did not know that."

Laxus nodded. "No, I've heard of that too. But then again, most water mages can't use mud, either."

Juvia nodded. "Juvia understands. Juvia will learn how to use mud!"

I laughed, and played with her hair some more. "That wasn't what we were saying, Juvia, but go ahead. If you want to, that's fine."

Juvia nodded. "Juvia will!"

"How about we wait 'til the games are over, alright?" Laxus asked.

Juvia nodded. "Yes, Onii-sama."

"Please stop calling me that."

"Tsundere."

"Am not!"

"What's all this shouting about!" a roaring voice asked, and I realized we were right outside the infirmary.

"Sorry, Porlyusica, but I had a bit of a rough battle, and I'd like for you to look me over," I said.

She nodded and stepped away from the doorway. "Then come inside. But BE QUIET."

I couldn't help but notice the way she would avoid looking at Laxus as she bustled around.

She didn't tell him yet, did she?

"I need to get some more things," Porlyusica said. "Don't move."

She left the room and Laxus breathed a little easier. "She hates me," he moaned.

Juvia was confused. "Doesn't Porlyusica-san hate everyone?"

"She likes Elle," Laxus muttered.

I sighed. "She doesn't hate you Laxus."

He opened his mouth to protest, and I took his hands. "Trust me on this. Please."

He looked away. "A…Alright."

"And Juvia, Porlyusica actually likes us a lot!" I said. "Otherwise she wouldn't come out here at all."

"You do have a bit of a point there," Laxus mumbled.

Cana and Lucy came into the room. "Alright, ready for the scores?"

We nodded.

"Fairy Tail A is in the lead with 60 points!" Cana said happily. "Followed by Fairy Tail B with 34. Quatro Cerberus moved up to third place with 26 points. Phantom Lord is at 20, having received none at all today, and Lamia Scale has 18 points. Pegasus is last with 4."

I winced. "Ouch, I feel kind of bad for them."

"Geez, why are they doing such a bad job?" Laxus asked.

"Probably because they're all hosts," I muttered.

Laxus blinked. "Hosts?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it's practically a host club."

"Onee-sama, what's a host?"

"You'll find out when you're a little older, alright sweetie?" I wasn't about to tell Juvia, Lucy or Cana.

Though, with Cana being Cana, it seemed likely enough that she'd find out soon.

Porlyusica came back in and handed me a potion. "Drink this."

I gulped it down. "I don't feel any different. What's it do?"

"Give it a minute," Porlyusica said, and we waited.

Finally, I glowed a nice, solid, forest green color.

"Good," Porlyusica said. "That means you're healthy. We use that potion to check for any internal injuries, and you would glow in those specific places if you did. Also, you'd be glowing anywhere from a yellow to a red color, depending on how serious it is."

I nodded. "Good to know."

She handed me one more potion. "Take this before bed – it should speed up your healing, and help to make sure you aren't sore tomorrow."

I nodded, and requipped it. "Thanks."

The door burst open again, and Levy, Brandish, Freed, Bickslow, Evergreen, Macao, Wakaba, Enno, Layla and Jude burst in.

Jeez, I think I'm just going to call them all something, this is getting annoying.

How about the Gang?

No, that sounds stupid.

Well, it's not like we're going to be saying any of this shit out loud.

While my internal voices argued over nonsensical things, I smiled at the group in the doorway. "Hey guys, how are you?"

"'How are you' she says," Wakaba muttered.

"We're here to see how you are," Macao said.

"No internal injuries," I said. "And I should be good to go in the morning."

I was suddenly tackled by a bunch of children, who were all saying something, though Freed's "Ella-sama I'm so glad you're alright!" was obviously the loudest.

"Guys, I'll be fine!" I said, laughing. "Just calm down."

They eventually let go, though I was scooped up in another hug by Layla, "I was so worried about the fight," she whispered. "I'm glad you're okay."

I sank into the hug, which felt nice and warm. "Thanks."

Jude looked at Lucy. "I'm more wary about you competing tomorrow. Are you sure you're okay about this?"

She nodded. "Yeah, especially since the only teams left for us to fight in a one on one battle is Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale! I'll be fine!"

Jude looked worried, but nodded.

Makarov entered the room. "Good job, everyone!" he said.

"But we didn't win our battle today," Macao said. "Or yesterday, come to think of it."

"You're still in second place," I told them.

"Yeah, but aren't the teams going to be averaged, or something?" Wakaba said.

Makarov shrugged. "They're still a bit iffy in the explanation for that. I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

That night, before bed, the group of us gathered around for some conversation as I gulped down my potion.

"Is it just me, or do the mages seem a bit…" Lucy hesitated.

"Weak?" Freed asked. "I was thinking the same thing."

"That's part of one reason why I asked them to make the games," I said. "I want the competition to drive the other guilds into getting stronger. It'll be really embarrassing to lose to children."

"But couldn't it backfire, Ellie-nee?" Lucy asked.

"That's what the interview with Sorcerer Weekly is for," I said. "In it, we'll explain some of our methods, and we'll also say that we look forward to tougher competition the next year."

"I see," Levy said. She was separated from us, because Porlyusica had to put her leg in a cast, and we didn't want to get hurt in the night (like we had the night before).

"What do you mean 'asked' them to make the games?" Laxus asked.

Oops.

"I mean…that I might have talked to the Royal Family and asked them to make the Games," I said. I shrugged. "Oops."

Laxus gave me a look, collapsed onto the bed, and said, "I'm going to sleep."

The girls giggled, and we all climbed into bed.

"Goodnight, everyone," I said.

"Goodnight!"

Sorry if there's typos, everyone. I'm falling asleep as I post this. I have a job now, so once the GMG arc is over, my updates will probably slow down a bit.