SailorStar9: After getting Chapter 84 out, this is Chapter 85 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?
Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the plot bunny and my OCs.
Chapter 85: Naval Battle
"Day Four of the Grand Magic Games!" Chapati announced. "In a moment, today's competition will begin. The name of the competition is 'Naval Battle'. In other words, a sea battle. Any player who leaves the sphere of water is out. The last person to remain in the sphere is the winner. However, when it gets down to two people left, a special rule will come into effect. That's the five-minute rule. When there are two players left, they've got five minutes. The one person who leaves the sphere during that time will be in last place. All the teams are entering the water. Litana from Lamia Scale. Jenny from Blue Pegasus. From Mermaid Heel, Ditea. Ulyo from Fairy Tail B has also entered the water."
"Sabertooth's Minerva has arrived." Minerva entered the water.
"And Lucy from Fairy Tail A." Chapati continued.
"I can't lose either." Lucy stood firm. "I have to redeem myself after blowing it on the first day."
"Um…" Rocker started. "I'm here too…"
"Sorry everyone." Lucy grinned, after Chapati declared the battle had started. "But right off the bat… Open! Gate of the Water Bearer! Aquarius!"
"They've got a mermaid too?" Ditea chuckled. "The more the merrier."
"Water is my garden!" Aquarius roared, unleashing a water cyclone from her urn.
"Grand Waterfall!" Ulyo unleashed her water attack before she was swept away.
"What kind of fight is this?" Ditea wondered.
"The toughest opponents are taking each other out." Jenny remarked. "In that case, while I've got the chance, I'll start with one!" she sucker-kicked Rocker out of the sphere.
"I've gotta do my best, too." Litana grinned and attacked Ditea with her 'Lightning Shadow Chain', only to have Ditea deflect with her 'Prism Wall'.
"We'll never get anywhere at this rate." Aquarius remarked. "I'm going back for now."
"Why?" Lucy blinked. "In water, you're the one I can count on the most."
"I've got a date." Aquarius informed.
"Your Spirits are still so easy-going." Ulyo joked. "Nothing personal, Lucy. I'm just doing this to keep you from getting killed." Raising a hand above her, she summoned her next attack. "Rising Sea!"
"What the…" Lucy gaped as a water pillar started to firm in the middle of the water sphere, Ditea and Jenny stopping their fist fight as they tried to hold their ground, just as Litana came into the fray.
"Rain clouds?" Litana blinked as the sky darkened before the trio.
"No…" Ditea's eyes widened as snow started to descend. "It's a snow storm! Dammit! Ulyo is completely serious about this!" with a yelp, she was thrown out of the sphere, along with the other girls.
"Now that the sluggers are gone," Ulyo remarked, turning to the last remaining competitor in the water. "How about we get this over with, Minerva?"
"Oh?" Minerva smirked, the timer started ticking.
"Please, don't take me for a fool." Ulyo snorted. "With your magic, you could won this in a flash."
"But that would spoil the fun." Minerva shrugged. "Try to withstand this, Fairy Tail." And released her War God Magic.
"Fool." Ulyo muttered, her transformation talisman shining brightly, the magic surge nullifying Minerva's attacks. "Aeon Mercury Power! Caster Magic: War God Magic." Aeon Mercury looked at the Caster Mage impassively. "It allows you to conjure a wave-like matter that lets you manipulate the space around any object or substance of your choosing; or in this case, the battle area. Not only can you manipulate space as means of defence or offense, you can also teleport people and objects of their choosing. Quite convenient, but as I told Rufus before, it's useless."
"We'll see about that!" Minerva snapped, casting two more magic orbs at the Senshi. "Impossible!" she was taken aback when her spheres were diffused against an invisible wall around Aeon Mercury.
"Hyperspace Area Formation." Aeon Mercury stated. "You see, you aren't the only one who can distort space. Now, let's continue this, shall we? Immortal Magic: God of Water!"
"Immortal Magic?" Minerva was shocked. "That's the same magic that…"
"Exactly." Aeon Mercury whispered behind her, having 'Water Flicker'ed to the Caster Mage's back, her 'Water God: 1000 Point Strike' surrounding Minerva before anyone knew what happened. "You are the arrogant one, Sabertooth. Did you really think there's no one higher than you? You will fall before me, just as Rufus did. Referee," she looked at Mato. "Call it before I freeze her from the inside."
"The referee has stopped it!" Chapati declared, Mato raising his hand to stop the match just as Aeon Mercury kicked Minerva out of the sphere. "The competition is over! The winner is Ulyo! Fairy Tail B really is strong!"
"Lucy!" Natsu and Gray hurried over, as frostbite having started to set in.
"No, I'll give her treatment first." Wendy was immediately in medic mode.
"I'll help you." Chelia offered.
"Winter's Gentle Ending." Aeon Mercury had already melted off the ice around Lucy's legs before Wendy and Chelia could do anything. "What?" she looked at Natsu's furious expression. "I took her out to save her life; or would you rather I let Minerva kill her?"
"Natsu," Erza voiced. "Mercury is right. It's the lesser of two evils."
"What are you staring at?" Aeon Mercury looked at the glaring Minerva. "I acted within the rules of the competition; there weren't any rules that said I couldn't transform. You should be grateful, I let you be in second place. Couldn't say the same from Rufus, though." She added as an afterthought.
"What?" Minerva growled, the rest of the Sabertooth Team were in front of her.
"Guys, cool it." Aeon Mercury restrained the A Team amidst the chants to fight. "I don't care if you're the strongest or number one in Fiore." She addressed the Sabertooth Team. "I'll just tell you one thing. You people…" she let her magic aura flare and pretty much scaring everyone. "Have made an enemy out of the one Guild you don't want to anger. Cross me enough and I'll make what I did to Nalpudding look like a midsummer's night dream."
"You…" Minerva started and went into full rage. "YOU!" she charged at Ulyo who had reversed her transformation and leapt into the air, readying an attack.
Ulyo easily sidestepped the attack, tripping her and causing Minerva to land on her back. You've lost, Minerva. Give it up."
"No, I can't lose!" Minerva screamed in denial. "I can't lose! NOT TO YOU!" she got to her feet and prepared to punch her opponent.
"Ready… set…" Ulyo begun, holding Minerva's wrist in a death grip before Minerva's attack landed. "And destroy! Flash Freeze!" she sent her ice magic into Minerva's limb, instant freezing the appendage from fingertip to elbow. "Take that as your final warning." She cautioned the Sabertooth Team, Orga having retrieved the screaming Minerva. "I held back; that attack could have killed her in seconds."
"Will she be alright?" Cana asked, B Team gathering in the arena.
"Who, Lucy or Minerva?" Ulyo asked.
"Both." Mirajane replied.
"Lucy will be fine; she just suffered from a mild case of frostbite." Ulyo assured. "As for Minerva, she'll live if they manage to amputate her arm fast enough."
"Overkill, much?" Gray gave his life partner a look.
"You can't talk." Ulyo joked.
"So, how is she?" Gajeel asked, both Fairy Tail teams gathered in the infirmary.
"Thanks to Ulyo, her life isn't in danger." Porlyusica assured.
"Those bastards…" Natsu cursed.
"I know what you wanna say." Laxus remarked.
"Lucy…" Happy blinked as the Celestial Mage stirred.
"Everyone, I'm sorry." Lucy muttered.
"Why are you apologizing?" Natsu wondered.
"I blew it again." Lucy sank under the covers.
"What are you talking about?" Ulyo chided. "If anything, I should be the one apologizing; I shouldn't have used such a huge attack on you."
"My keys…" Lucy realized.
"Here they are." Happy presented the pouch to her.
"Thank goodness." Lucy wept.
"Looks like she fell asleep." Mirajane sighed, Ulyo having cast a 'Sleep Lullaby' on Lucy.
"Sabertooth…" Gray growled.
"I don't like them." Gajeel agreed.
"Master." Erza turned to see Makarov enter the room.
"A Team, B Team, you're all here?" Makarov addressed the gathered group. "Good. I'm not sure if this is god news or bad news. The administrators told me that Teams A and B must combine."
"What?" Natsu gasped.
"Teams A and B must unite?" Laxus echoed.
"Why?" Mirajane asked.
"The disqualification of Raven Tail brings the number of teams to seven." Makarov replied. "And having an odd number doesn't work when it comes to matching up for the battle part. Therefore, both our teams must become one and we have to choose the five members again."
"Choose five members?" Erza echoed.
"What about our points?" Ulyo thought to ask.
"Apparently, the lower score will carry over." Makarov replied. "In other words, A Team's 34 points."
"But if that's the administrator's decision, there's nothing we can do about it." Erza relented.
"Well, looking at the bright side, we'll be able to put together an even stronger team." Ulyo reminded.
"But even if we decide on five people here, the remaining events will all just be tag-team battles, right?" Gray pointed out.
"No, I'm sure that between tomorrow's break and the final day, there will be a battle involving all five members." Porlyusica was certain. "So you should choose carefully."
"This is really the strongest team, right?" Mirajane beamed, the new, reorganized Fairy Tail team entering the arena.
"This is an awesome team." Cana agreed.
"I can't even picture these guys failing." Ulyo chuckled, her Guardian Ring having been returned to her.
"Ulyo, you sure you're alright with this?" Levy asked.
"Yeah." Ulyo chuckled. "I would think Gray deserves a crack at Rufus after what happened on the first day."
SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.