Chapter 99: Tag
"Is everyone here?" Reve asked, taking metal note of everyone's face in White Eclipse. They all sat around, most devouring their breakfast while the others were finishing up. "Haiiii." The rookies said in unison, but the gunslinger paid absolutely no mind to their usual greeting. Instead, he continued onward with today's briefing as if they didn't exist. "Alright. Second place in the preliminaries. There was no way to combat such an advanced speed mage in a straightforward race like that, so I fault none of us for that. But, now we know that the guild Twilight Zone has a weapon other than their ace and should be taken more seriously. It's a new era of magic after all, so let's not forget that we're no longer that ahead of the curve."
"I wonder what he means by that?" Saraya whispered, leading to the others to simply shrug in equal confusion.
"Today is the first day. We have no idea what the events will be until it's time to do them, so I'm leaving it up to you guys. Who wants to take the first crack at it?"
Immediately Jaxon raised his hand. "I got it. I have to make up for last year's performance anyways. That was an event I should have won but dropped the ball from cockiness. Not this year. This time I'm taking first with no mercy."
Reve nodded with a small grin. "That's perfect. Same goes for the battle portion. Anyone but Adam, he's our redemptive option."
"Redemptive...?" Reiss arched a brow. Kuro then turned to him with a smile and an informative tone. "It's when we drop the ball on a day. We're guaranteed that Adam won't lose a one on one fight, so if we're trailing because of a bad day, we'll use him as a guaranteed ten points and—"
"Kuro." Reve interrupted, reminding Kuro with just his eyes what they talked about last night. Kuro remembered and immediately stopped talking, causing Reiss to turn back to Reve confused and a bit upset. "What was that about?"
"I'll take day one." Waiston said, raising his hand high. "Kuro made a big impression for us last year, so now it's my turn to remind them that we're even better this year. Leave it to me."
Reve once more nodded in approval. At the same time, he finished his breakfast plate, sliding it to the side as he raised the mug of black coffee to his lips to drink from. "Then everything is set. Make sure to do your best out there, Jaxon and Waiston." The two would bump elbows, grinning towards each other. "Until then, take time to relax and warmup, and then lets start our journey to the strongest guild! It's White Eclipse—"
"Wait, wait!" Reiss interjected, standing up with his palms placed on the table surface. "What about us!? You haven't said anything to us, nor given us any advice since we placed in these games. Aren't you going to say anything?"
Everyone turned to Reve, seeing if the leader of White Eclipse would actually break to Reiss's plea. The gunslinger took another sip of his coffee before calmly placing it back down upon the coaster it sat upon. From there he slowly opened his eyes, directing them towards the outspoken rookie himself. "I'll tell you exactly what I told your superiors last night while you were all passed our from a mere preliminary event. You disobeyed me and went behind our backs to sign up for this. You forged not just my signature, but my approval. Your punishment depended on how you did, and if you would have lost, there would have been a severe discipline for you all, and that doesn't include the ones you dragged along with you. They would have simply went home...without their guild marks."
That one struck a cord full of fear, Saraya and the others grabbing ahold of their guild marks as if it could be ripped from their skins; save for Ramman who simply stood in the corner with his arms folded and eyes closed.
"But since you passed, you're free to do as you please. Since you want to make such higher up decisions, you'll be on your own this entire Grand Magic Games. Your own choices which will create your own results. Look closely at the amount of random people you have on your side now, and how you now have to account for their well-being and any injuries they sustain. But most importantly... Just try not to embarrass our name, okay? Or there will be another punishment involved."
"So our punishment is that we're on our own?" Reiss asked. Reve didn't answer the obvious as he began to walk off along with the others. Such minuscule actions really knew how to get under Reiss's skin, causing him to bare his teeth and ball his fists. "That's fine! We'll show you that we can do it! That's been the point the entire time anyways! Just watch us!"
"He better not lose it and become a hothead." Tyson murmured, eating the rest of his breakfast. Nearly everyone agreed, nodding once as they kept eyes to their plates.
Reiss on the other hand turned back to his team with an angered determination. "Alright! Just like we talked about earlier! We need an event team and a battle team! Micaiah! I'm asking as a big favor...can you lead the event team!?" He clapped his hands together in prayer, bowing towards her with a pleading visage. She hesitated, but then nodded in agreement. "Sure..I'll do my best.."
"Alright! That means it's up to you in that portion! We believe in you! That's you, Saraya, Lance..."
"Me.." Evelyn raised her hand, putting a sparkle in his eyes. "Alright!" He shouted. "That just leaves one more."
Finally, she sighed. "Just to move this meeting along, I'll join the event team." Riley's decision caused Reiss to grin as he now stood before Tyson, Ramman, Ilaria and Lluvi.
"Alright then. It's settled. Lets show everyone what we're made of."
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"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Chapati screamed at the top of his lungs with pure elation. As he did? The crowd roared as balloons and confetti fell from the sky, banners unveiling as trumpets sounded to start the grandest festival Fiore had to offer. "My name is Chapati Lola, and welcome to the Grand Magic Games!"
The deafening crowd was met with smiles and joyous greetings, a much needed gathering of the people from the events prior. "Next to me are my two special guests for the day, Jenny Realight of Blue Pegasus, and Lyon Vastia! Lamia Scale who was first out of yesterday's preliminaries!"
That comment caused Lyon to scowl. "What kind of greeting was that!?" But he then cleared his throat as Jenny continued to wave to her admiring fans.
"This year we have plenty of new faces as well as some returning names including our defending champs! But let's not jump ahead of ourselves! First, let me introduce the first team who came in ninth in the preliminary round. It's Black Phoenix!"
As their door opened, ten members walked through. The crowd was in a small frenzy for the group of mages as Asuka who walked out in front began waving with a large smile. "You've already met the preliminary portion of the team win Asuka Ichiro, Chiara Taranto, Ethan Star, Alexander Khan and Diamond Ice, but now, meet the rest of their team as well! Misaki Star, the young and aspiring Celestial Mage!"
Lucy's eyes lit up once she heard that, turning to who was being showcased. She was a slender, brown haired girl — it's length reaching down to her lower back — and lime green eyes. She raised a hand into the air to make it clear who she was with no showmanship at all, keeping her eyes closed and averted as the small group of Black Phoenix fans cheered for her. Asuka pouted, squinting her eyes. "I mean she's okay..."
"Asuka, you can't hold a grudge against your own teammate just because she beat you in a fight." Ethan said with a painfully obvious tone. "Watch me!"
"Next!" Chapati continued. "Black Phoenix's knight in shining armor. She is known for her adept skills in requip magic! It's Esmerelda Higa!" This time it was Erza with the surprise, hearing of someone with the same magic as hers. As she held up her hand with a small smile and wave, her appearance was made. Esmerelda has brown hair just like Misaki's but a bit darker. Yet, at the end of her lengthened locks, they would change from brown to a bluish green and a surprisingly smooth transition. Her eyes heralded that same bluish-green color as well.
Luke began laughing behind the see through gates as he waited White Eclipse's turn to be introduced. "Ha! It's like Fairy Tail is looking into a mirror! That's great!"
"Next up is a bad girl turned good! She is the Black God Slayer, Diana Cloud!"
Luke immediately stopped laughing as a negative aura hit him like a train. He watched with wide eyed and a cold shiver as his own mother walked out with a hand in the air, waving to the masses as if she wasn't an evil person. Everyone turned to him, just as speechless as his grip on the bars that separated him and the outside tightened. "Why...?" He asked himself with no one to give an answer but his mother herself.
"Next is the domineering wild card of Black Phoenix! He is the Acid Dragon—"
"Acid..."
"Dragon...?"
"Leon Shi!"
As Chapati announced his name, Leon waved with both arms and a bright smile. He had black hair that was tied up in a bun, and glowing green eyes to boot.
"And finally! Their final member on the main roster! It's the Ace of Black Phoenix! The Blacksmith...Tristan Gareth!"
Tristan stepped forward, already a familiar face to others from the Tartarus incident. He waved; remaining poised as he did.
"So that's the Ace, huh?" Reve said to himself. "You sure we shouldn't make Sidney participate?" Selene asked. Reve merely shook his head. "I'm not forcing anyone into anything. We're winning regardless."
"Next is White Eclipse B! Congratulations to the only guild to pass the preliminaries with two teams despite the new ten man rule! It shows just how deep this amazing guild runs! The runner ups from last year's games surely looks to make up for falling short, and take it all the way!"
As Reiss and the others stepped forth, their captain waved with a large uneven smile on his face. "I can't believe we're here still..." He said to himself, clamping his shaky hand. Chapati would then go over the introductions for the entire time, and he would do the same for the next four who Fiore were so familiar with — but not before introducing the seventh place team.
"Next up, we have Empyrean Dawn! A brand new guild but it seems they have a handful of capable mages! In fact, here's a little trivia for you! This guild had been entirely funded by our one and only Lucius Kaiser! Council affiliate and Wizard Saint of Fiore!"
He stood up — rose colored hair and eyes dominating his visage as he waved to the citizens below him. He dressed in an all white suit with a red breast plate underneath. The crowd cheered for him, but the mages..
"So there is a new order?" Reve questioned though it was right before him. "I'll look at that later. This Kemuri guy has done a lot with the mages input, huh?"
"The top four have remained the same." Luke reassured. "But from five down, they're all new faces. And I believe Kaiser is the fifth."
"First! Meet Empyrean Dawn's warrior...Marshall Izumi!" Standing tall at almost six and a half feet, the black haired, blue eyed male stood out, arms folded as he looked around whilst receiving a round of applause. "Wait...he looks familiar..." Someone random made clear, causing others to murmur as well.
"Next up!" Chapati went on. "We have a massive man with the power of takeover, Firenze!" The behemoth stood just as Marshall did, pushing his dual colored hair out of the way as the crowd gave another small round of applause. "Did he say Firenze? I've heard that name somewhere before." Another random stated. The one beside him grabbed his chin in ponder, coming up with an answer no one wanted to hear. "The only Firenze I know is the notorious criminal who used to brutalize people. But he's locked up now, I'm sure of it..."
Things became eerily quiet now, and even Kemuri raised a brow at the team being introduced. He then looked over to Lucius Kaiser, who simply kept a small smile as his built together guild stood proudly.
"Next..." Chapati reluctantly continued after all the murmurs and rumors. "Next we have the sisters, Nina and Julia Roulette."
"Now I'm sure of it!" Someone shouted one terror as the blonde and brunette stood side by side. "They're criminals! These are all criminals! Marshall, the unstable! Nina and Julia Roulette, the gambling sisters!"
"Now now. Those nicknames are just so plain." Kaiser said as he stood up from his seat once more. His voice was the last line of defense before everyone rushed out the arena in fear. "It is true that these mages were once criminals, but I've created Empyrean Dawn for one reason and one only. To reform. That's why only five stand before you right now, because I didn't want to overwhelm you all at once. But everyone competing in these games for Empyrean Dawn are no longer criminals, but simply those who wish to walk the straight and narrow once more. So please, take a seat, and welcome them with open arms. Let them know they aren't the animals they once were."
It took a. Few seconds, but the audience calmed down, clapping reluctantly as the last member was introduced. "Finally, there's Hubert Ozwell." The man with glasses from before waved. "I guess I should of expected a subpar introduction after that."
Kemuri looked over, making eye contact with Kaiser who stood with his hands dug in his pockets. "We'll have a talk about this later, Kaiser. Being uninformed isn't how we operate here in Fiore."
Kaiser simply nodded once, keeping the small smile on his face before turning back to the opening ceremony.
Mermaid Heel, Quatro Cerberus and Sabertooth were introduced just as before, with no actual changes to their rosters. Then came Fairy Tail, with the blaring fact that both Laxus and Natsu were still missing from the equation. Though Cynthia Rose was the newest addition to the guild. And after that, White Eclipse with the lack of the light and dark sister, Tayakata and Namiyaka.
"And now...the guild that now holds the record for the fastest time to ever complete the preliminaries with an astounding time of thirty seconds, it's Twilight Zone!" Instantly, everyone cheered their loudest, causing the stadium to vibrate vigorously. "Whoa!" Selene mentioned, looking around. "They really jumped up as fan favorites it seems."
"That's all they wanted, I'm sure." Jaxon added.
"Lets reacquaint ourselves with the five who made a splash in the opening round! It's Evanee Carlisle, Rylo Yutaka, Flynn, Ceaser Romales, and Aubry Carlisle."
Evanee, her sister Aubrey and Rylo were the familiar faces here, yet everyone could tell that the yellow haired, yellow eyed boy was the culprit behind their less than a minute finish. Flynn. He smiled, giving a peace sign with the utmost cockiness as they cheered for him. As for the other guy. The really tall orange haired male had green eyes, though one of them was shielded by a black eyepatch.
"And the other five! Meet the rest of Twilight Zone! The Mask Mage, Kaden Carlisle! The Lightning Devil Slayer, Taranis Abadon! The Fire Mage, Adacore Vendetta! The Second Generation Water Dragon Slayer, Melanie Hasani! And finally, a former member of White Eclipse, the Angel Takeover Mage, Kairi Ayers!"
"Kairi!?" Luke questioned, unaware of where she's been all this time. No one knew instead of a few, those few being Skye and Reve, but there she was, waving to the crowd before turning a smile to her old guild.
"Remember where your allegiance now lies, Kairi. Don't pull any punches against them." Evanee told her without looking her direction. Kairi turned her way, then nodded. "Of course! Twilight Zone all the way!"
"Ladies and Gentlemen...it's time." These words from Chapati caused the audience to all stand at attention. Seconds later, they walked in, and the entire stadium saluted. The silence was the loudest sounds so far as they made their entrance. "Welcome you automatic entries. The Council Team!"
"Hm? Now that's something unexpected." Kaiser admitted without losing that coy smile of his.
"Automatic entry?" Lyon shouted, furious at the reason why tenth place wasn't enough to make it through to opening ceremony. Chapati cleared his throat. "Thanks to their valiant efforts against the demons of Tartarus, Kemuri has granted the council one wish, and this was what they wished for. To compete with the strongest mages in Fiore! Here's your starting five! Crisdelin Shepard, Xaviere, Olivia Vardalen, Exene Benavente, and Captain Correll!"
"At least there's one familiar face over their. Too bad it's the worst one." Lucy sighed. Gray smiled. "It doesn't matter to me who they have. We'll knock them down just like we will everyone else."
"Alright everyone! Without further delay, let's begin the first event of the games! After that will be a brief intermission and then the battle portion! Are you guys ready!?"
As the frenzy of cheers died down, Chapati announced the first event.
"Day one's event is a simple game of Magic Tag! The rules are as followed!
Each competitor will start in a safe zone. There are ten safe zones in all, meaning you can't be tagged when standing in those safe zones. When you are tagged, you will respawn back at a random safe zone to restart. Your objective is to tag as many people as possible before the ten minute timer runs out. The person with the most points, wins ten points for their guild! Guilds, select your competitors and lets get this show on the road!"
"I'll take this one!" Lance shouted, raising his hand high. "You sure?" Micaiah asked. Lance nodded. "Hai. This is good for me, and I want to get the nerves out of the way immediately." I'm going to show everyone what I am made of! Greatness and water! Fifty-fifty! Half and half! Like milk! I'm going to—"
"Alright!" Tyson interrupted, everyone else holding in their laughter at the boy's annoyed visage.
"You're up." Reve said, looking in Jaxon's direction. He gave a thumbs up, grinning as he walked off. "Piece of cake. I'll make sure it's us that leads off with the momentum."
"I'll go." Said Gajeel, giving his usual wicked grin. "I might as well keep up my reputation from last year. I dominated that event, and I'll do this one as well, Gihi!" "Good luck!" Lily and Levy shouted from the stands as he waved them off.
"Alright everyone, it seems we're ready!"
Competitors:
Council: Xaviere
Twilight Zone: Flynn
White Eclipse A: Jaxon
Fairy Tail: Gajeel
Sabertooth: Rufus
Mermaid Heel: Beth Vanderwood
Quatro Cerberus: Semmes
Empyrean Dawn: Ano Lyrai
White Eclipse B: Lance Stygma
Black Phoenix: Alexander Khan
As the stage was set, each competitor appeared in their own safe zone, waiting for the start of the event. Lance bent forward in a readied position, gaining a rare, focused visage. "I'll show everyone. Now it's my time!" He professed. Chapati then shouted. "On your mark! Get set..."
That's when the horn sounded off, and literally everyone took a step out of the safe zone. Not even a second following, a yellow blur went zooming by as seven tags were made — proof shown by the part of the body that's been tagged. That same yellow blur was going for tag number eight and nine, but Rufus from Sabertooth vanished from thin air just before the tag was made, but he didn't get far. In fact, just like the other one who escaped; Xavi of the council, Rufus only had time to jump back into the safe zone.
"Amazing! The speedster of Twilight Zone has just collected seven points within seconds! His reputation is holding up! How will the other mages respond to this!?"
Rufus was wide eyed in surprise, but as Flynn stood before him, Xavi simply grinned. "Oh? So that's how fast you can go, hm?"
Flynn laughed in a bit of a pant.
"Oh no.
I can go much faster!"
