Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS! Read at your own risk. There's still original stuff in here, but if you haven't gotten to this point in the anime/manga, then some things may be ruined for you. I advise catching up to the anime/manga if you haven't already (for more reasons than just reading my story)! Thank you and enjoy!

Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon

Chapter 108

Lucy took a deep breath. 'My turn, huh?' She looked over to Raven Tail's section. Flare was staring at her with an eerie smile and crazed, wild eyes while walking forward.

Natsu put a hand on her shoulder. "You've got this, Lucy! Show her how hard you worked and how badass you are!"

"If you win here, we can recover," Erza added.

Gracie flashed a grin with a thumbs up. "Kick her ass 'til she begs for mercy!"

Lucy nodded. "Count on me," she replied with determination. She walked forward towards her position. Her fists were clenched. 'Raven Tail…they said they hurt Wendy as a way of saying hello. Then in the competition, they cared more about interfering with Gray than winning the game. I'm angry…I'm so angry!'

Up in Fairy Tail A Team's section, amidst the cheering spectators and the overexcited air-boxing of Makarov, Mavis stared at Raven Tail. Romeo noticed her odd behavior. "What is it, First Master?"

"I'm wondering what Raven Tail could be after," she replied simply.

"They're trying to make us look like imbeciles!" Makarov growled. "They really know how to get under my skin!"

Mavis was silent for a while before answering. "I truly hope that's all it is."

"Apparently the Masters of these two guilds are father and son, Mr. Yajima," Chapati commented.

"True," Yajima replied, "but if they bear the insignia of different guilds, blood relation means nothing in this moment."

"It's so dramatic! I'm getting chills!" Jenny said excitedly.

Lucy and Flare faced off several feet apart. Standing to the side was the pumpkin-headed mascot for the Games. He raised both of his small arms. "Listen up! This entire area will be your battlefield. Only you two will be in here. The time limit is 30 minutes. During that time, if you knock your opponent out, you win!"

Flare tilted her head far to the side. "Blondie…," she muttered softly. An unsettling playfulness could be sensed in her tone.

Lucy didn't falter. "I won't lose here!"

"Alright! Let the first match begin!" the pumpkin-headed mascot cheered. A gong sounded.

The first match was officially underway.

Lucy whipped out one of her keys. "OPEN! GATE OF THE GOLDEN BULL! TAURUS!"

In a flash of golden light, Taurus appeared, his massive battle axe drawn back. "Mooooore power!" he bellowed as he swung his axe in a crescent low sweep. Flare leapt high and back, avoiding the powerful blow.

"Oh! It's Celestial Spirit Magic!" Chapati cried in excitement. "And one of the 12 Zodiac Gates at that!"

But Lucy wasn't done. In her other hand she waved a second key. "OPEN! GATE OF THE SCORPION! SCORPIO!"

In a second flash of golden light, Scorpio appeared. He posed and brandished his powerful cannon tail. "We are!"

All the Fairy Tail spectators were shocked.

"Two Celestial Spirits at once?!" Bisca gasped.

"Impressive! Since when has she been able to open two gates at once?" Alzack questioned.

"So cool!" Asuka squealed.

Scorpio took aim with his tail and fired a powerful blast of sand at Flare. "SAND BUSTER!"

Flare laughed wildly. Behind her, her crimson red braids unraveled and became laced with red hot flames. Her now flowing, flaming hair moved in front of her and whipped around, smacking away the incoming sand with ease. As she did, clouds of sand spread across the field.

Natsu's jaw dropped. "Her hair grew longer!"

"I'm shocked she can use hair as a shield," Erza noted as she studied the battle.

"Taurus, use Scorpio's sand!" Lucy commanded.

Taurus grinned as he drew back his axe. The floating sand and dust from Scorpio's attack began rapidly gathering into the metal in wispy streams. "ABSORB!"

"Hells yeah! Go Taurus!" Scorpio cheered.

Taurus leapt high into the air, his battle axe raised high over his head as streams of sand danced around. As he descended rapidly towards Flare, he swung his axe down like a guillotine. "SANDSTORM AXE! ALDEBARAN!" As he swung, a waterfall of sand and dirt smashed into the earth. The force of the blast created several powerful tornadoes of sand that tore into the ground. The entire arena was blocked by the sandstorm, though spectators were too busy blocking their eyes from the sand and strong winds to watch anyway.

"The sand is getting in my eyes!" Jenny whined.

Chapati held onto the top of his head as he tried desperately to peer into the arena through the thick sand. "Incredible! Having two gates open simultaneously is an amazing spectacle in and of itself, but to unleash a combination attack, too?!"

"That girl has improved so much you can't even compare her with what she was like seven years ago," Yajima observed.

Pride swelled within Lucy, but she wouldn't allow herself to drop her guard. "Good job, both of you!" Both spirits flashed her a smile before vanishing.

Shooting high into the air was Flare. Even with her reflexes and ability to control her hair at will, she was unable to dodge Lucy's attack completely unscathed. Dirt and small scrapes covered her body. Her eerie smile was replaced with an irritated scowl. "Blondie!" she hissed. Her hair responded to her will. As it raced down towards Lucy, it twisted together and took the form of a large red wolf. "HAIR DOG, WOLF FANG!"

While surprised, Lucy didn't hesitate. She whipped out another key. "OPEN! GATE OF THE CRAB! CANCER!"

In a flash of golden light, Cancer raced forward with his scissors at the ready. With godlike speed and accuracy, Cancer sliced through and destroyed the incoming Hair Dog. The strands of silky red hair floated harmlessly down to the ground.

"Nice, Cancer!" Lucy cheered.

Cancer gave her a nod. "When it comes to haircuts, leave it to me, baby!" he replied before vanishing.

Flare collapsed to her knees, staring in shock at her strands of hair. "M…My hair…" Rage filled Flare. She leapt to her feet and threw her head back. "BLONDIIIIIIIIEEEEE!" Her hair lashed about in a wild rage. A large group of hair then buried into the ground and tore through the earth like a drill. It reappeared below Lucy, wrapping around both of her legs and lifting her into the air.

Lucy gasped at the sudden attack. She hadn't expected an attack from below. 'Oh no! She got me!'

Flare roared as she controlled her hair to swing Lucy's helpless body along the ground. Every now and then she would slam Lucy into the ground with all her might. Flare laughed as she felt control of the battle swing back in her favor. "Yes, that's it! Take that! My red hair does exactly what I want it to!"

Lucy gritted her teeth. She reached for her belt, wrapping her slender fingers around the handle of her whip. With great skill, she unfastened her whip and lashed out with it. Magic power flowed through the whip as it snaked towards Flare and wrapped around her arm. "Now that you mention it, my Fleuve d'Etoile also does what I want it to!"

Flare stared at her arm, stopping her hair and allowing Lucy to regain her footing. "What is this?"

Both girls stared each other down. Flare's hair was still wrapped around both of Lucy's ankles and Lucy's whip was now tightly wound around Flare's forearm. At the exact same time, they willed their attacks to strike. Both girls were lifted higher and higher into the air, spinning as if tied to a wheel.

Flare ground her teeth together. She needed to regroup, but that was impossible while both of them were basically tied together. She ignited her hair, causing flames to travel across every lock of hair. This included the hair that held tightly to Lucy's ankles. The flames quickly burned through the fabric of Lucy's white boots.

Lucy cried in pain. With her concentration broken, her Fleuve d'Etoile unraveled from Flare's arm. Taking advantage of this fact, Flare undid her hair from Lucy's legs. Both girls hit the ground hard.

"Can you believe it?! It's only the first match and it's a battle where the fighters barely have time to breathe!" Chapati shouted. "A showdown between father and son guilds! A battle between two strong women! And neither of them is backing down!"

"It certainly looks like Fairy Tail is a little more dominant, though," Jenny added.

Flare sat up and looked over at Lucy. She was on her knees and glaring back at her. Initially, Flare was astounded. But that astonishment was quickly replaced with a thin smile.

Lucy planted her feet firmly on the ground, but as she began to stand, she winced and fell back to her knees. She looked down at her feet. Her boots had practically disintegrated from the flames. There were small burns covering her skin. "So hot!"

"Can't stand so easily, huh?" Flare taunted. She rose to her feet. "My red hair hurt your legs, didn't it? Now go on. Stand up!"

Lucy pushed herself to her feet, fighting through the pain in her feet. She pulled off her destroyed boots and tossed the smoking garments aside. "Damn, I really liked these boots."

Flare's face fell. 'How? My hair…my burning red hair…that's all the damage it did? Just minor burns?' Fury spread across Flare's face. Throwing her head back, she shrieked at the sky. Her hair responded to her emotions and lashed about before burying deep underground once again.

Lucy stood on guard. "What, you're going for my legs again?" She knew if Flare's hair got hold of her legs again, she wasn't going to get away with just minor burns. She was fortunate her boots took the brunt of the damage, but now she was barefoot, so there was nothing to protect her from taking direct damage this time. She looked around for any sign for where the hair would attack from. 'Strange…I'm not sensing anything. Where could she attack from?'

Lucy peeked over at Flare. Maybe there was a slight tell that she could pick up on. But what she saw was completely unexpected and sent shivers down her spine.

Flare's head was completely tilted to the side. A dark shadow spread across her eyes, but Lucy could just make out her crazed expression. A tiny, malicious smile graced her lips. And her finger was pointing off to her right.

Wary of a trap, Lucy slowly turned her head to see where Flare was pointing. She soon found her eyes land on Fairy Tail's spectator section. Everyone was cheering Lucy on, encouraging her to keep up the pressure and to keep fighting hard. Makarov was shouting at the top of his lungs in spite of everyone trying to calm him down a bit. Normally, such a sight and supportive words would fill Lucy with hope and motivate her.

Instead, what she saw made her heart plummet like a it was made of lead.

Dancing there, unbeknownst to the Fairy Tail spectators, was a snake-like bundle of red hair. And it was awfully close to Asuka's neck.

Lucy knew immediately what was going on. Panic flooded her mind. She forgot everything else and turned to the spectators. "ASUK—!" Before she could finish warning the young girl, a bundle of red hair struck out like a whip and wrapped around Lucy's mouth, completely gagging her. It yanked her forward and slammed her into the ground.

"Don't say anything. That's an order," Flare hissed softly as she released Lucy. She looked down at her with a terrifying smile. "If you disobey me, you know what'll happen, right? Even a blonde bimbo like you can understand that, right?"

Lucy bit her lip, glaring at Flare. 'That's low!'

Makarov narrowed his eyes and grumbled.

"What is it, Master?" Romeo asked, noticing Makarov's sudden change in demeanor.

"It may be my imagination, but…I thought I felt something odd."

"It must be your age," Bisca quipped.

"Shut it!" Makarov barked, making everyone laugh.

Meanwhile, the strands of Flare's hair went unnoticed.

Flare chuckled gently. "No one notices. There's no way they ever will. If I felt like it, I could take out that little brat in an instant!"

Lucy stayed frozen on the ground. 'What kind of monster is she?! How dirty can you get?!'

"Don't say anything. Don't move. Don't use any magic. You know what will happen if you disobey."

And then the assault began. Flare's hair began spinning like a turbine, striking Lucy repeatedly with whip-like strands of red hair with the speed of a machine gun. Lucy didn't dare do anything but curl up in a defensive ball and take the blows. She was too afraid of what would happen to Asuka if she even tried to dodge, let alone fight back. And as Lucy took the attacks, Flare laughed wildly. After several moments of merciless whipping, Flare used her hair to lift up Lucy and slam her into the ground over and over.

"Oh my!" Chapati cried. "What was once a fierce battle has turned into a one-sided beat down in favor of Raven Tail!"

Over in Fairy Tail B Team's section, Ash was practically falling over the railing from shock. "What the hell's happening down there?" she cried.

"Lucy!" Sky breathed.

"I guess she took more burn damage than I thought," Mira said worriedly. "Her legs must be keeping her from reacting properly."

"I'd bet it's backlash from having two gates open at once," Angel offered. "That was impressive, but it probably emptied her tank."

Suddenly, the sound of cracking stone rang out. The girls, Gajeel, and Laxus all looked over at the sound.

The stone railing of the balcony had been completely shattered in one spot where Nikolias's hands had been. Ground up dust leaked from his clenched fists. His lips were curled back in a threatening snarl. "Why that little bitch," he growled.

"Darling, what is it?" Angel asked.

"That red-headed whack-job is cheating," he replied.

""""""Cheating?!"""""" everyone cried.

"What makes you say she's cheatin'?" Gajeel asked.

Nikolias pointed straight over at Fairy Tail A Team's spectator section. "She's planted some of her hair over there behind Asuka. I also heard her whisper to Lucy that if Lucy does anything at all, she'll harm Asuka."

"That's awful!" Sky said with a frown.

"Darling, do something!" Angel begged.

Nikolias closed his eyes. "Believe me I would, but…"

"But what?" Mira asked after Nikolias went silent.

A tiny smile appeared on Nikolias's face. He opened one eye and looked over to Fairy Tail A Team's section. "Someone else has already beaten me to it."

Over in Fairy Tail A Team's section, everyone was looking on with concern.

"Lucy, what's wrong?" Erza shouted.

"The hell happened out there?" Gracie cried. "It seemed like Lucy had complete control of this fight! Why did things go south so quickly?" It was then that Gracie noticed their section was a bit quiet. If anyone would be an uproar over seeing the sudden change in the fight, it would have been… "Hey, where's Natsu?"

Erza took a moment to look away from the fight and raised an eyebrow. "I don't know. How odd. I never noticed him leave."

Down on the field, Flare had released Lucy, allowing her body to roughly tumble across the hard ground. Once she came to a stop, Lucy groaned as she pushed herself onto her elbows. She glanced up at Asuka. Sure enough, the threatening hair was still dancing behind the unsuspecting girl as she eagerly cheered Lucy on.

Flare's expression grew more euphoric, reveling in the pleasure of having complete control and beating Lucy down. She lit her hair on fire and continued whipping Lucy. Each lash now left behind small burns all over Lucy's body. "Take that! And that! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Lucy continued to accept the assault. She shrieked in pain as her beaten body continued to take the abuse. Tears welled up in her eyes. 'Everyone…Wendy…Gray…I'm so sorry. I can't do anything. I'm powerless.' She clenched her fists. 'I don't know what to do. What do I do? Tell me what can I do? Someone…please…'

"LUUUUUCYYYYYYYY!"

A loud, echoing roar ripped through the air, effectively silencing everyone. Even Flare stopped her assault to look towards the source of the sound, and once she did, her eyes widened in shock and her face fell. "What? How?"

Lucy lifted her head, her vision slightly blurry from her tears. But even through the tears, she knew that figure. Her eyes shone. "Na…tsu…"

Standing in Fairy Tail A Team's spectator section, burning hair and ashes falling from his clenched fist, was Natsu. Veins throbbed in his forehead and arms. His teeth were clenched tightly as he glared down at Flare. He leaned forward and bellowed at the top of his lungs, "IT'S OKAY NOW, LUCY! I'M HERE FOR YOU! YOU JUST WORRY ABOUT TAKING HER DOWN! SHOW HER HOW STRONG THE GIRL I LOVE IS!"

A murmur spread through the crowd, some confused at what was happening while others were shocked by what sounded like a confession during the Games.

Lucy wiped her eyes and staggered to her feet. 'Natsu…thank you.' A fire was relit in Lucy's eyes. Now that she didn't have to worry about Asuka or anyone being threatened, she could fight once again. She whipped out yet another key. "GEMINI!" In a flash of golden light, the twins Gemini appeared, dancing about in the air. Lucy swung her arm in front of her. "Do that thing!"

"We haven't practiced enough, though," one of the twins warned.

"We don't know if we can do it or not," the other added.

"It's okay, just turn into me!" Lucy ordered.

The twins nodded and touched hands. ""Roger!"" In a puff of smoke, the twins took the form of Lucy—

—wearing nothing but a bath towel that was wrapped around her breasts and barely covering her below the waist. All the men in the audience began drooling and whistling. Even Natsu's face was flushed as he fought a nosebleed.

"What a nice happening!" Chapati cooed. Yajima nodded in agreement with a smile.

Jenny crossed her arms. "Well, I guess she does have curves in all the right places."

Chapati grabbed the mic excitedly. "There are now two Lucy Heartfilias! And one of them is only wearing a bath towel!"

"Yes, those are the Twins, Gemini, of the 12 Zodiac Celestial Spirits," Yajima clarified.

Lucy's entire face turned red. "What are you dressed like that for?!" she shrieked in embarrassment.

Gemini scratched its head. "It's not our fault," it replied in Lucy's voice. "This is what you were wearing when we copied you."

Lucy facepalmed. "That's right, I had just gotten out of the tub. And don't look!" Lucy's voice went up an octave upon noticing Gemini look down the towel at its breasts.

"I don't get it," Ash asked as she looked down at Lucy and her twin. "If this Gemini spirit can copy someone, why didn't Lucy make it copy Nikolias?"

"Apparently Gemini can only copy someone with roughly the same level of magic power as its owner," Mira replied. "Since Nikolias has no magic, Gemini can't copy him."

Nikolias hummed. "Interesting. What's your plan, Lucy? What will you do with two of you?"

Lucy and Gemini nodded to each other. Standing side by side, they lifted one arm towards each other until their fingers and palms were gently pressed against the other. They closed their eyes and focused their magic.

""Sound out the heavens, open the heavens…""

The two began a unified chant. The wind began to gently lift their hair and brush against their clothing.

""Stars across the universe, show yourselves to me with all your brilliance!""

A golden magic circle appeared beneath the two Lucys, casting bright light all around them.

""Tetrabiblos, I am the ruler of the stars. My aspect is perfection.""

'With the magic power I have at the moment, I can't produce the power that I did then, even with two of me, but I'll show you.'

Flare took a reflexive step back. "Wh…What is this?!"

Lucy and Gemini grasped each other's hand and lifted them above their heads.

""Open thy savage gate!""

The magic power swirling around them intensified.

'This is Fairy Tail!'

The two pivoted gracefully until their backs were pressed against each other. They took each other's other hand, raising them until they were perpendicular with the ground and lowering their already clasped hands to do the same.

""88 stars of the heavens…OPEN!""

Lucy's eyes snapped open. Decorating her irises were golden magic circles with a star in the center. Once Lucy's eyes opened, the entire arena changed. It was as if the entire arena had been transported into another space. Different colored planets filled the sky. Stars and other galaxies littered the new space.

Flare collapsed to the ground as she trembled. "The sky filled with stars?! What is this?!"

Lucy and Gemini released each other, bending backwards as magic power surged forth.

""URANO METRIA!""

From their bodies, stars surged forth, shooting around like missiles. All the stars began to converge upon a stunned Flare and—

Suddenly, it all vanished. The starry space. The light. The magic power. The arena was filled with silence. The audience, who for a brief moment were enthralled with Lucy's magic, was shocked. They could see Flare cowering. They could see Lucy standing tall, arms spread wide after unleashing her attack, though Gemini had disappeared. They murmured to each other, wondering what had just happened.

Lucy's eyes trembled. "It…all disappeared?" she whispered.

Natsu gripped the railing of the spectator section so tightly it threatened to break. "Lucy!"

Flare blinked as she tried to recover from her fear. Once she realized the attack was over, she understood what had happened. She turned to look behind her where her team members were watching. She immediately found Obra. The little creature on his shoulder gave a victory sign with a big grin. A wide, evil smile split her face. 'Obra…it was you, wasn't it?'

Lucy swayed on her feet. All her strength was gone. Her magic had been completely depleted. 'I don't believe it. Why?'

"What happened?" Erza demanded.

"Lucy's magic…it disappeared?" Gracie breathed. "But why? Why so suddenly?"

Chapati was speechless for a moment. "L…Lucy seemed to be casting a major spell, but her magic failed? Mr. Yajima, what do you thi—?" Chapati froze. He had turned to ask Yajima his take on the mysterious events that had just occurred but seeing the old man's face had robbed him of his voice. He had never seen such a dark, angry look on Yajima's face before. He was clearly irritated by something. Even Jenny was slightly afraid of the old council member.

With no strength left, Lucy collapsed to the ground. The moment her body hit the ground the bell rang.

"Oh my! Lucy is down for the count!" Chapati announced. "The match is over! The winner is Raven Tail's Flare Corona!"

The crowd cheered the end of the fight and Raven Tail's victory. Other members of the crowd slung insults at Lucy.

"Lame!"

"The hell was that? A magic misfire?"

"Now Raven Tail has 24 points and Fairy Tail B still has 0!"

Flare rose to her feet and softly chuckled. "I win! That's what you get, blondie! You're pathetic! And ugly! And a loser!" She laughed wildly at her own insults.

Mavis narrowed her eyes. "Raven Tail had help from outside the ring."

Romeo clenched his fists. "Those jerks cheated?!"

Veins pulsed in Makarov's head as he glared at his son across the stadium. "IVAN! ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A MATCH OUTSIDE THE ARENA?!"

Ivan looked over at his father and silently smirked.

Down in the arena, Lucy was covering her eyes with her hand, trying desperately to hide the tears that flowed like rivers from her eyes. Her body rocked with sobs. Between the crowd's jeers and her own frustration, she couldn't keep herself from crying.

Natsu leapt over the railing and landed gracefully on the ground. He calmly approached Lucy. "Don't cry, Lucy," he said gently.

"But…but Natsu, it's…it's so frustrating!" she sobbed.

Natsu smiled down at her. "Let's save the tears for when we win."

Lucy pushed herself to her knees. Her tears were still falling uncontrollably as she tried desperately to wipe them all away. "But Natsu…"

"You were amazing out there and I'm so proud of you. You really gave her hell. And thanks to you, I realized we really can fight in this world." He reached out and took her hand. "Besides, don't you think having zero points makes it more fun? We'll turn it around from this point on."

Lucy looked up at him, her eyes overflowing with tears. Shakily, she nodded her head. "Yeah. I'm fired up!"

Over in Raven Tail's section, all the members were looking down at Flare, most smirking in twisted pleasure at seeing Fairy Tail suffer. Yet none of them were even aware of the shadowy hand that crept up behind them. In less than a second it snapped forward, wrapped around the creature sitting atop Obra's shoulder, and yanked it down into the shadows.

The shadowy hand reappeared above the surface, dragging the small creature with it—right into the vice-like grip of Nikolias.

Nikolias glared coldly at the creature out of the corner of his eye. "Well, what do we have here?"

Everyone in Fairy Tail Team B's section jumped in surprise.

"What is that thing?" Ash asked.

"It's scary," Sky breathed as she hid behind her sister.

"What an off-putting look on its face," Angel shivered.

"Isn't that the animal that Raven Tail has?" Mira questioned. "Nikolias, why is it here?"

Nikolias ignored the questions and comments. His dragon-like eyes were trained fully on the grinning creature he held in his hand.

The creature didn't seem to be distraught at all by its current situation. Instead, it snickered, meeting Nikolias's gaze with its empty eyes.

But in a matter of seconds, its wide grin vanished. A cold sweat ran down its face. Its body began to tremble.

"What's the matter? You suddenly seem afraid," Nikolias's voice was soft and calm as he questioned the creature. "Oh, could it be that you can't drain my magic?"

The creature stiffened at Nikolias's question. It then began to squirm about, trying desperately to break free from its prison. Small grunts escaped its throat. However, beyond its neck and tail, it couldn't move a single muscle under the pressure from Nikolias's grip.

"Drain magic? Whaddya mean?" Gajeel asked.

Again, Nikolias ignored the question. "I know what you did," he spat at the creature. "I've had my eye on Raven Tail from the very beginning. You may have fooled the morons running this tournament, but you can't fool me. I saw what you did. And if they aren't going to punish you for it…" His voice trailed off as his grip somehow tightened further. All sounds from the creature were instantly silenced. It could no longer breathe under the intense pressure on its small body. Its thrashing became even more panicked. Nikolias's eyes flashed with fury.

"…then I will."

With ease, Nikolias crushed the small creature. The sound of small bones breaking struck everyone's ears. Blood oozed from every orifice of the creature and from between Nikolias's fingers. The body of the creature instantly went limp.

Angel gulped. "Darling, did you just…?"

Nikolias released his grip. The corpse of the creature hit the stones with a small thud. Small shadowy hands reached up and slowly dragged the corpse into the shadows. "This creature signed away its life the moment it interfered and drained Lucy's magic."

"True, draining someone's magic is extremely dangerous for the target," Mira said with a nod.

Nikolias glanced down at the arena where Natsu was helping Lucy off the field. "That creature is just fortunate that Lucy doesn't seem too hurt from its actions. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made its death painless."

Over at Raven Tail's section, the moment Nikolias ended the life of the small creature, Obra inexplicably collapsed, like a puppet with its strings suddenly snapped. All the members turned with looks of shock on their faces.

Natsu shuffled through the inner halls of the arena, his arms crossed over his chest. He was heading back to his team's section after walking with Lucy awhile. He couldn't get her words or the look on her face out of his mind.

'I'll be okay, Natsu. Why don't you head back and watch the other battles? I'm going to take a shower.'

She was trying to smile, her eyes puffy from crying and her lips trembling. He wanted desperately to stay with her, to hold her close. But he could tell that she wanted to be alone, that she needed space and time to herself to sort through her frustration. Even though it was killing him, even though he wanted to be there with her to support her, more than anything he wanted to give her what she needed.

The growing roar of the crowd pulled him out of his thoughts. He could see Erza and Gracie looking out at the arena, ready for the next fight.

Erza heard Natsu approaching and turned. "How's Lucy?"

Natsu nodded. "She'll be okay. She said she's going to take a shower."

Gracie sighed. "Poor girl. It really did look like she had that one. She must be majorly bummed."

"Both Lucy and Gray had unfortunate results. I can completely understand their feelings." Erza turned back towards the arena. "We'll give them time. For now, we'll watch the next match."

As if on cue, Chapati's voice boomed over the microphone. "After a thrilling first match, the battle part for the first day of the Grand Magic Games continues with the second match, featuring Ren Akatsuki of Blue Pegasus versus Araña Webb of Mermaid Heel!"

The two fighters were squaring off on the field. Ren smirked. "It certainly seems like you've improved since last year, Araña."

Araña chuckled, brushing aside her large green ringlets. "Are you sure it's okay for a man of Blue Pegasus to attack a woman, Ren?"

"It seems like both opponents are standing their ground," Chapati observed.

"Yes, it certainly should be a good match," Yajima said.

Jenny waved her hand. "Good luck, Ren! You know that Sherry is cheering for you in the stands!"

Catcalls and whistles echoed from the crowd as Jenny revealed the relationship between Ren and Sherry of Lamia Scale. In Lamia Scale's spectator section, Sherry was blushing furiously from the attention.

Even Ren couldn't keep his face from flushing with embarrassment. He whipped around to quip at Jenny, but the moment he turned his back Araña seized the opportunity. A golden magic circle appeared before her, and from the circle several thick strands of webbing shot out, attaching themselves to Ren's body.

"You're wide open, Ren!" Araña taunted.

"Please, Ren, do your best!" Sherry shouted from the stands.

"Sherry!" Ooba Babasaama, the Guild Master of Lamia Scale, scolded while spinning her finger. "You cut that out right now! You don't root for members of enemy teams!"

"They are engaged, though," one of the guild members said, trying to calm down the old Guild Master. However, Ooba didn't appreciate his contribution and caused him to spin in circles with her magic.

Ren shook off the webs and looked over at Lamia Scale's spectator section, his blush intensifying. "Who says we're engaged?! We just happen to be stuck with each other is all!"

"That's terrible!" Sherry cried.

Araña took advantage of Ren's back being turned to shoot more webs at him. However, Ren nimbly dodged the attack.

"It's annoying the way you're always by my side, but…when you're not with me, I can't get into it."

Sherry cupped her face and smiled giddily. "Oh, Ren."

Ren took a breath, ignoring his embarrassment. He struck a pose and waited. "The one thing I can't do is look lame in front of you, Sherry!"

For a few moments, both Ren and Araña stared each other down, neither one moving. However, the stillness was soon broken by Araña once again shooting webs at Ren. The moment he saw the webs approaching, he activated his magic.

"AERIAL PHOSE!"

Ren swung his arms in a circular motion before bringing them forward, summoning a cyclone of wind that spread out around him like a sphere. The intensely concentrated winds easily sliced through the incoming webs, barreling into Araña's defenseless body and lifting her into the air. With a cry, she fell to the ground. The moment her body hit the ground the bell rang.

"The match is over!" Chapati announced. "The winner is Blue Pegasus's Ren Akatsuki! That puts them at 14 points for the first day's competitions and 17 points overall! Mermaid Heel stays at 3 points for the first day's competitions and 5 points overall!"

The entire crowd cheered for Ren's victory.

"He won!" Sherry cried in delight.

Jenny was ecstatic in the announcer booth. "That's our Ren!"

"Man, what a lame fight," Gracie muttered.

Erza elbowed her gently in the ribs. "It unsurprisingly appears that Ren has improved in seven years."

"Really? That was clearly an improvement?" Gracie gasped. She looked over at Blue Pegasus's section. "Bunch of flirts, plus they've got some dude in a full bunny outfit. What a weird guild."

"I will admit the one in the bunny costume has me bothered as well," Erza agreed.

"Now onto our third match of day one!" Chapati called out. "This one features War Cry of Quatro Cerberus versus Orga Nanagear of Sabertooth!"

The two opponents stepped toward the center of the arena from their respective tunnels. The moment Orga's name was called, the crowd went ballistic.

"There he is!"

"It's Orga!"

"Kick his ass, Orga!"

"Listen to the cheers!" Chapati said. "The crowd loves him!"

Sting leaned over the railing to Sabertooth's section. "Oh sweet, it's War Cry! I love this guy's magic."

"It certainly is amusing," Rufus agreed. "I remember it well."

"Not interested," Rogue grumbled. He stole a quick glance at Fairy Tail B Team's section. 'The only one I'm interested in is you, Gajeel.'

"Let the third match begin!" Chapati declared. A gong sounded shortly after.

Neither opponent moved when the gong sounded. Though something was happening. Globular tears were beginning to flood War Cry's eyes. However, instead of streaming down his face, the tears flowed outward as if ignoring gravity. He began to wail loudly.

"There it is! War Cry's Tear Magic!" Chapati announced.

The faces of Fairy Tail A Team fell.

"The hell's he crying for?"

"Tear Magic?"

"I've never heard of such magic."

Gracie, Natsu, and Erza were stunned by what they were seeing.

There were similar reactions in Fairy Tail B Team's section as well.

Nikolias facepalmed. "I can't believe that's a real type of magic."

"Maybe he stubbed his toe," Sky offered innocently.

"It's kinda creepy, not gonna lie," Ash muttered.

"What an awful racket," Angel whined.

War Cry's crying was growing in volume. "The more I cry," he bellowed, "the stronger I get!"

Orga's expression never changed. If anything, he seemed bored. Wordlessly he lifted his arm. In that moment, a massive orb of black lightning appeared around War Cry and swallowed him whole, shocking him mercilessly. Once the electricity vanished, War Cry collapsed to the ground, steam hissing from his burnt body.

One attack. That was all it took to end the fight. The crowd erupted in cheers. Orga turned around and began walking off the field.

"The match is over, literally in a flash!" Chapati cried. "Orga's Black Lightning fried War Cry's tears in an instant! He's strong! Super strong! The winner is Sabertooth's Orga Nanagear! That puts them at a perfect 20 points for the first day's competitions and 28 points overall! Meanwhile, Quatro Cerberus stays at 2 points for the first day and 3 points overall! Too bad!"

"Hey, Orga!" Sting called out to his teammate. "Couldn't you have made it more fun to watch?"

Orga paused and looked at Sting. He pondered his words before turning back around. "Very well. Then I'll sing a song!"

"That's not what I meant!"

Orga looked over at the pumpkin headed mascot. "Mic!" The little mascot obliged, carrying over a microphone.

"What's this? What could Orga Nanagear want to say?" Chapati wondered aloud.

After tapping the microphone to ensure it was working, Orga began bellowing out song lyrics. "THE STRONGEST, THE STRONGEST, NUMBER ONE! WE'RE THE LEADERS, SABERTOOTH!" Over and over, Orga repeated the same toneless lyrics. The crowd ate it up, laughing and dancing along.

Over in Fairy Tail A Team's spectator section, Mavis stared down at Orga. "They really do have raw power and popularity. I can see why they are now considered the strongest guild."

After several minutes of singing, Orga left the field to cheers. Chapati adjusted his microphone. "After that exciting concert and shocking third battle, it's time to announce the final match of the first day."

Yajima scratched his chin. "I believe the last two teams are Fairy Tail B and Lamia Scale, right?"

"Years ago, those two guilds were about equal in terms of talent, so I'm betting this will be an interesting match!" Jenny smiled. "I can't wait to see who will be fighting!"

"Okay then! Time to announce the final fight match up!" Chapati continued. "The first fighter is Jura Neekis of Lamia Scale!"

The entire stadium began to shake from the intense cheering from the fans. It was clear that Jura was quite the popular man.

Entering the field, Jura strode forward with a smile, his arms folded in his sleeves.

"Jura! You better not lose this match!" Ooba threatened.

"Good luck, Jura!" Sheria cheered.

"This match is already won," Yuka smirked.

"It hasn't even started yet!" Toby shouted.

"I know that, dumbass."

Jura waited at the center of the field. "I couldn't have asked for a better matchup. I look forward to seeing who my opponent will be."

"As I'm sure everyone here knows, Jura is one of the Ten Great Wizard Saints," Yajima explained. "I'm sure he'll be a tough opponent for Fairy Tail."

"And now for Jura's opponent!" Chapati began. "From Fairy Tail B Team, the fighter is…

"Nikolias!"

The cheering crowd began to boo loudly.

"How dare they boo my darling!" Angel snapped.

"It's probably more that they're booing Fairy Tail rather than Nikolias specifically," Mira laughed uncomfortably.

"Being matched up against someone like Jura…we sure drew the short straw," Laxus grumbled.

"Is that Cueball really that strong?" Gajeel asked.

Mira nodded. "I'm afraid Erza and I fighting together probably couldn't defeat him."

"He's that strong, huh?" Gajeel mumbled. "Wish I could get a crack at him."

"It's okay," Sky breathed, nodding with confidence. "Nikolias will win."

"Well said, Sky!" Angel chirped.

"Yeah, there's no way Nikolias is losing this fight," Ash agreed. "He trained hard. He's got this."

Mira smiled sweetly at the girls. "Yes. If anyone can make this win possible, it's Nikolias."

From Fairy Tail B Team's tunnel, Nikolias stepped out into the sunlight. His eyes were focused straight ahead on Jura as he strode forward with confidence. He didn't even hear the boos raining down on him. He only had one thought on his mind. 'I will win this fight.'

"There he is!" Meredy squealed. "There's Niky! Finally, I can watch him fight!"

"Nikolias versus Jura, huh?" Ultear thought about the matchup and smiled. "This should be interesting."

Jellal sighed. 'I knew it. They're totally unfocused…'

Once Nikolias was in position, Jura smiled at him. "I must admit, I'm secretly rooting for Fairy Tail, but I'm afraid I can't go easy on you."

Nikolias returned the smile. "I would certainly hope you wouldn't. Oh, but before we begin…" Nikolias paused to bow low to Jura. "Last time we met I wasn't…quite myself. Because of that, I was never able to offer you my thanks. For everything you and your guild did for Fairy Tail while we were away these last seven years, please accept my sincerest gratitude."

Jura closed his eyes and nodded. "Please, think nothing of it. We were glad to aid our allies."

Nikolias straightened up. "Now that that's settled, I'm really looking forward to a good match."

"I as well."

"This is shaping up to be quite an incredible match!" Chapati said excitedly. "One of the Ten Great Wizard Saints matching up against the infamous and mysterious Half-Dragon who suddenly appeared and disappeared seven years ago!"

"I've heard plenty of stories and recollections, but this will be my first time seeing Nikolias fight," Yajima offered. "I'm quite looking forward to seeing his power firsthand."

"I must admit that Nikolias is more handsome than I imagined," Jenny cooed. "I find him really interesting. He would do wonderfully in Blue Pegasus!"

"What did that hussy say?!" Angel shrieked. Ash and Sky had to hold her back to keep her from leaping over the railing.

"Easy, Angel!" Ash warned. "Remember, Nikolias said not to blow your cover!"

"Please don't cause trouble!" Sky begged.

"Now then, let's get this fourth and final match of the first day underway!" Chapati declared. The gong sounded.

THOOM!

THWACK!

In less than a second it happened, faster than anyone could blink or even process what occurred. Nikolias had suddenly shot forward, destroying the ground underfoot and landing a powerful shadow-clad punch to Jura's head. Jura was sent hurtling into the wall of the arena, breaking the stones and creating a massive cloud of dirt. Everyone's jaws were on the floor. Silence swallowed the spectators.

"Wh…WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" Chapati shouted. "I didn't even see him move, but somehow Nikolias closed the gap and landed a hit on Jura in an instant!"

"That was…shocking," Jenny stammered, her eyes wide.

Nikolias lowered his fist. "I'm glad you didn't go down in one hit," he called out.

Pushing himself from the wall, Jura spat out some blood and chuckled. He brushed off stone chips from his clothes. "My, did I really look that weak?"

"Not at all. Sorry, I wasn't trying to insult you."

Jura rubbed his face. "That was an impressive attack. I never even sensed it." A yellow glow shrouded Jura. An intense pressure filled the air. "Underestimating you truly would be foolish!"

Nikolias flashed his fangs with a wide smile and took a battle-ready stance. Shadows surged from his body, rocking the earth and dwarfing the pressure from Jura's magic. "Go on and give me your best shot!"

"INCREDIBLE!" Chapati cried. "The pressure these two are giving off is intense!"

"I have goosebumps!" Jenny exclaimed, rubbing her bare arms.

"This is shaping up to be the best match of the day," Yajima commented.

"Hoh?" Sting hummed with minimal interest. "So this guy's a Shadow Dragon like you, eh, Rogue?"

Rogue narrowed his eyes. "Another Shadow Dragon…"

Jura clapped his hands together. "ROCK AVALANCHE!" Responding to Jura's magic, the stones from the arena wall that had broken off from Jura's impact rose into the air. Jura waved his hand toward Nikolias, pointing at him with two fingers. The rocks obeyed, descending towards Nikolias like a meteor shower.

Nikolias drew back both his fists, cloaking them in shadows. "SHADOW DRAGON BARRAGE!" he roared, unleashing a flurry of blows with his fists that were invisible to the naked eye. Each strike shattered the incoming rocks into tiny harmless pebbles. As the rocks continued to assail him, Nikolias never once slowed down or showed signs of fatigue. Once every rock had been obliterated, he stopped his fists and launched forward. "SHADOW DRAGON…" Nikolias suddenly vanished. The moment he did, sharp blows connected with Jura's body over and over. "…ASSAULT!"

Jura could feel his strong body distorting under the force of Nikolias's strikes. No matter what kind of guard he put up, Nikolias was finding every opening. Unable to see Nikolias to counter, he leapt back to gain some distance and regroup.

At least that was what he was about to do, until Nikolias reappeared in front of him, his leg drawn in like a spring and shrouded in shadows.

"SHADOW DRAGON FIERCE KICK!" Nikolias unleashed a powerful kick to Jura's chest, sending him tumbling backwards.

Jura somehow managed to regain his momentum and slide to a stop. 'I have to try and counter his speed.' He clapped his hands together. "ROCK SHOWER! FRAGMENTS!" Stones rose into the air around Jura before quickly shattering into tiny, pointed shards. Jura waved his hand forward, sending the shards rocketing forward faster than the eye could track.

Nikolias took off running at inhuman speed, outrunning the shards. Even as Jura tried to chase him down with the shards, Nikolias was always easily out in front of them, forcing them to smash into the ground several feet behind him. And as he ran, shadows were collecting in his mouth.

"SHADOW DRAGON ROAR!" Nikolias slid to a stop, simultaneously unleashing a massive pillar of shadows at Jura. The stone fragments immediately disintegrated the moment they made contact with the shadows. Jura was able to dive out of the way at the very last moment. The Roar continued into the wall, barreling through it and out the other side of the stadium easily as if it were paper. The crowd cried out in a panic as they could feel the Roar's power underfoot.

Once he stopped rolling, Jura clapped his hands and slammed them into the ground. "IRON ROCK SPIKES!" Dozens of stalagmites erupted from the ground, trapping Nikolias in a prison of stone. Once Nikolias was trapped, Jura clapped his hands together, sending out large rectangular slabs of stone.

Nikolias quickly called out his black blades from his forearms. He cloaked his scythe-like blades with shadows and crouched down. "SHADOW DRAGON SWORD SWIPE!" He swung his arms rapidly, breaking through the spikes that imprisoned him. However, by the time he broke his prison, Jura's stone slabs collided with the ground where Nikolias stood. Dirt erupted in a massive cloud, blocking everyone's sight of Nikolias.

The crowd cheered, believing Jura had landed the finishing blow. They knew how strong he was. No one could stay standing after being hit by one of Jura's attacks head-on.

As the dirt disappeared, a look of surprise appeared on everyone's faces, including Jura. All they could see were Jura's stone slabs buried into the ground. Nikolias was nowhere to be found.

"Oh my!" Chapati cried. "After an intense exchange of blows, it appears that Nikolias has been buried under rocks!"

Angel clasped her hands tightly but said nothing. 'Come on, darling. There's no way that took you down!'

"Nikolias," Sky breathed.

Ash gulped. "That didn't take him out…right?"

Mira gently put a hand on the twin sisters' shoulders. "Keep having faith in him."

Jura's eyes scanned the area. His awareness was heightened to its maximum. He wasn't sure why, but his instincts were telling him that his attack had missed. 'Did that attack truly land? No, his skills are too sharp for that to have been enough. But then where could he be?'

Suddenly, a shadowy figure appeared behind Jura. It stood slightly taller than him and it was cloaked in billowing, shadowy robes. In its skeletal hands it wielded a massive, horrifying scythe, holding it diagonally in front of Jura's chest. From underneath the shadowy hood of its robe, a skeletal face peeked through, its hollow eyes leaking wispy shadows. From its closed mouth, a slow, ominous, raspy, dry laugh echoed in the air. All the spectators wanted to scream, but fear had them all completely frozen and robbed them of their voices.

"Wh…Wh…What is this terrifying specter that has just appeared?" Chapati shuddered.

Jenny hugged her body as she trembled. "It's terrifying!"

"The very air feels thick with fear," Yajima managed to say. "Even my pulse is racing."

Jura's entire body had immediately tensed up the moment the figure had appeared. Sweat dripped from his bald head. 'What is this feeling? I…I can't move! My chest feels tight, as if this being has an icy grip on my heart.'

"SHADOW DRAGON REAPER'S EMBRACE!"

The loud voice drew everyone's attention upwards. Floating high in the air on black wings was Nikolias. As he hovered, his right fist was drawn back. Shadows were violently gathering around his right arm. He smiled down at Jura, though no one could tell from how high up he was. "Time to finish this!" He flew up higher into the air, redirected his body downwards, and shot like a missile towards Jura. As he descended, he was rapidly picking up speed and the shadows around his arm intensified further, causing it to shake from the power. "SHADOW DRAGON…!"

Jura mustered every ounce of mental fortitude he had to fight through the fear. He managed just enough to focus on his ultimate defense. He placed his sweaty palms together. "ROCK MOUNTAIN!" The earth around Jura shot up, covering him in large, thick boulders several feet deep. The rocky mountain had the appearance of a stone, armored warrior with stony protrusions jutting out. Red light emanated from its eyes as it mimicked Jura's stance.

"That's Jura's ultimate defense!" Sheria cried.

"No one can break that!" Toby shouted.

"You're too loud, dumbass," Yuka chided, unable to tear his eyes away from the intense fight.

"This is awesome!" Natsu shouted.

"I'm amazed with how in control Nikolias has been this entire fight," Erza commented.

"Niky…" Gracie's face was glowing as a massive, bright smile split her face. "Look how much fun he's having!"

"He's got this!" Ash cheered.

"Such intense power! My darling is remarkable!" Angel remarked.

"He is truly incredible," Mira smiled. "To have Jura on the ropes like this and to force out that defensive technique is no easy feat."

Sky took a deep breath, grabbed the railing, and shouted with flushed cheeks, "GO BEAT HIM, BIG BROTHER!"

"…CRUSHING BLOW!" Nikolias roared as he unleashed his attack. His fist collided with the mountain. A massive, concussive blast of shadows and wind burst out from the impact, shooting large hunks of stone out in all directions from the force of the attack. The spectators, the commentators, and all the other participating guild members had to duck below their seats to avoid being crushed by rocks.

Once everything calmed down, everyone cautiously peeked into the arena. Everyone's eyes widened.

There was a massive crater in the earth as if a meteor had crashed in the arena. Jura was on the ground at the center of the crater, lying amidst a pile of rubble. Standing over him was Nikolias, his golden-brown eyes fixed on Jura to make sure he was down.

It took Chapati several moments of stunned silence to go for his microphone. "Th…THE MATCH IS OVER! UNBELIEVABLE! JURA OF THE TEN WIZARD SAINTS IS DOWN! The winner is Fairy Tail B Team's Nikolias! With an unexpected victory, Fairy Tail B Team finds themselves at 11 points for the first day's competitions and 21 points overall! Jura's loss to Nikolias keeps Lamia Scale at 6 points for the first day and 10 points overall!"

Just like when Fairy Tail stole first place in the preliminaries from Sabertooth, the crowd was stunned into silence. They didn't know how to react. They were sure Fairy Tail was weak and would continue losing. Yet Fairy Tail's B Team was winning and showing incredible strength—or at the very least, they could not deny the terrifying power that Nikolias just demonstrated.

While the rest of the crowd was trying to process everything they just saw, Fairy Tail's spectator section was exploding with cheers.

"You see that?" Makarov shouted, pointing to the sky. "That's the power of Fairy Tail! Not even a Wizard Saint can stop us!"

Mavis clapped her hands together, a big smile on her face, the wings in her hair fluttering happily. "An impressive victory!"

Nikolias smirked at Makarov's comment. Silently, as if to further spur on his guildmates, he raised his hand and pointed to the sky with the Fairy Tail hand gesture. The cheers from his friends only grew louder.

Angel, Ash, Sky, and Mira all hugged each other and jumped about while screaming with glee. """"He won! He won! He won!""""

Down in the arena, Jura's eyes fluttered open. He groaned as he rubbed his head. "I see. I lost."

"Yeah, you lost this fight," Nikolias said. He offered his hand to Jura. "But it was one hell of a match. Just like I thought it would be."

Jura smiled as he accepted Nikolias's hand. "Yes. That was a fight I'll never forget." Jura pulled himself to his feet with Nikolias's help. "I see I still have much to learn and improve upon. I hope one day we may spar again."

"Anytime," Nikolias agreed as they shook hands. "I'll take you on whenever you'd like."

Meredy sat back. Her cheeks were flushed. She sighed blissfully. "What a fight! Niky is soooo amazing!"

"I have to say Nikolias's strength is on a whole other level." Ultear put a hand thoughtfully to her chin. "Though something about his strength strikes me as different from Tenrou. I can't quite tell what it is…"

Jellal narrowed his eyes. "He's powerful. There's no denying that. His strength could prove critical to our mission."

"And with this, the first day of the Grand Magic Games comes to a close!" Chapati announced. "What are your thoughts, Mr. Yajima? Sabertooth is unsurprisingly in first place with 20 points on the day and 28 overall, but Fairy Tail B Team is the surprise of the tournament, earning 11 points today for 21 overall and placing them in a shocking third place. The other Fairy Tail team is sticking with the norm in last place."

"One must remember this is only the first day of competition," Yajima replied. "I'm hoping to see more breathtaking moments from the front runners and a comeback from the second Fairy Tail team."

"And don't forget, my guild still has a shot at victory," Jenny added. "I can't wait for day two!"

Chapati nodded. "Mr. Yajima, Miss Jenny, thank you very much for your commentary today."

"Thank you as well."

"I had so much fun! I'll see you all again!"

Sting leaned on his hand, smirking down as he watched Jura and Nikolias exit the arena. "I'll admit, that Nikolias guy has got some interesting power."

"Yes, his strength is worth remembering," Rufus smiled.

"What do you make of him, Rogue?"

Rogue closed his eyes. "I'm not all that interested."

"Really? I would have thought you'd be more interested. He's kind of like you."

"Just because his abilities are similar to mine doesn't make our strength equal. If we were ever to fight, he would see how inferior he is."

In Fairy Tail B Team's tunnel, everyone was there to greet Nikolias as he returned. The girls all tackled him with a hug.

"You were incredible out there!" Mira praised.

"I knew you could do it, darling," Angel purred.

"Me, too," Sky breathed.

"You kicked butt!" Ash cheered.

"Nice fight out there," Gajeel grinned. "We're right on the heels of those Sabertooth bastards!"

Laxus nodded. "We're in prime position, but we can't let up the pressure. We need to keep at it tomorrow."

"Right," Nikolias agreed. "I can go any time, though I'm sure you guys want a go as well."

"You're damn right!" Gajeel said while pumping his fist. "We can't let you hog all the glory."

In Fairy Tail A Team's section, Natsu was practically falling over the rail. "That was so cool!"

"Nikolias fought well. He made quick work of a challenging opponent," Erza said. "Though I must admit, he fought with an intensity that I'm not accustomed to seeing."

Gracie was all smiles. She could feel joy and relief flood her chest. 'Niky…you really worked hard these three months, huh? I can tell because we've fought together for so many years. I don't know what kind of training it was, but you've clearly changed, and I feel like it was for the better.'

Footsteps behind them caught their attention. When they turned, they saw Lucy walking up to them dressed in her street clothes.

A massive smile appeared on Natsu's face. "Lucy!" He ran up to her and took her hands. "Good to see you!"

"Are you alright?" Erza asked.

Lucy nodded as she squeezed Natsu's hands. "Yeah, I'm fine now." She glanced up at the rankings that were displayed on the Lacrima Vision screens. Sadness once again appeared on her face. "We're in last place with zero points, huh?"

"Don't you worry, Lucy!" Natsu assured her. "Tomorrow I'll be in it! And I swear to you I'll turn things around for us!"

Gracie clapped her on the back. "He's right! Today didn't go our way, but we're not out of it yet! We've still got this!"

Lucy smiled at her friends. "Right!"

"It was the end of the first day of the Grand Magic Games. We, Fairy Tail, overall made a terrible showing. But we had no way of knowing that even more terrible events were already in motion. Several days after the end of the Grand Magic Games, I wrote this down. This is for you, my dear friend, Lucy Heartfilia."

-Levy McGarden

With a start, Carla shot up in her sickbed. Wendy was still fast asleep beside her. Sweat clung to her fur. Her eyes were wide with fright as her heart pounded in her chest and ears. 'Wh…What was that just now? A prophecy?'

Current Standings:

Sabertooth-28 pts

Raven Tail-24 pts

Fairy Tail (B Team)-21 pts

Blue Pegasus-17 pts

Lamia Scale-10 pts

Mermaid Heel-5 pts

Quatro Cerberus-3 pts

Fairy Tail (A Team)-0 pts