Fairy May Cry - Devil's Retribution

by Iron117Prime

After seven years, Dante and the rest of Fairy Tail have returned from Tenrou Island. So much has changed since their absence; a guild called Sabertooth is now at the top spot, the forces of the Underworld are starting to become more active, and what's this new religious movement called the Order of the Sword? Times might have changed, but the insanity of Fairy Tail has not.

28. Labyrinth Above the Blooming Capital

Hi everyone, welcome back. Here we are, having gotten back from their training, Fairy Tail is ready to head off to the Grand Magic Games, along with keeping their eyes peeled for whatever has Crime Sorciere so concerned. But right before the Games can actually start… we got some reunions we have to go through first.

Things are gonna get emotionally intense here.

Labyrinth Above the Blooming Capital

Their three months of training complete, the members of Fairy Tail have returned to their guildhall. The group consisting of Dante, Natsu, Lucy, Lisanna, Happy, Gray, Erza, Juvia, Wendy, Carla, Modeus, Lady, Trish, Romeo, and Patty had also returned; though many of them had to take a moment to catch their breath after climbing up the hill.

"Are you guys okay?" Patty asked.

"We're fine…" Erza assured. "We've mostly recovered from that whole Second Origin thing… but we're still a little tired."

"Let's hope that whole thing was worth it." Dante said as the group began to stand up.

"No kidding… it felt like my insides were hit by a train back there." Lucy added.

"Home-sweet-home." Natsu said, still laying on the ground.

"Are you guys just gonna lay around all day? Get up!" Macao told them as he, Morrison, Wakaba, Mira, Elfman, Max, Warren, Jet, Droy, Levy, Kyrie, Cana, the Connel family, Nab, Laki, and Vijeeter all gathered in front of them.

"Yeah, stand up! Come on and get up on your feet like a bunch of real men!" Elfman added, though he appeared the most physically changed than the others, the muscles on his upper body were twice as big as before.

"Big brother?!" Lisanna exclaimed in surprise upon seeing his muscles.

"Whoa! What happened to you?!" Natsu also questioned in just as much surprise.

"You really packed on some muscle, huh big guy?" Dante commented with an impressed grin.

"Elfman and I trained with Laxus and the Thunder Legion in the mountains for the past few months." Mira informed.

"I got the muscles every real man dreams of." Elfman grinned, showing off his muscular arms.

"You sure you weren't just injected with testosterone?" Lady questioned in minor annoyance.

"Well, I've hit my own milestone over these past three months." Vijeeter said proudly. "Now I can finally eat fermented soybeans."

"And I'm proud to announce I've overcome my once crippling fear of heights." Warren proclaimed.

"I don't think those things will be very helpful to us." Happy commented.

"My honeygun and I got our sharpshooting skills to an all-time high." Bisca said as she and her husband presented their respective guns with little Asuka sitting on her father's shoulders.

"Bam!" Alzack grinned.

"And I was able to finish reading an entire thirty-volume horror novel series." Nab said proudly, his large gut still preset on his body.

"All you got done was reading?!" Lucy questioned.

"You could have at least read some books on dieting!" Trish added.

"My Sandstorm magic is more powerful than it's ever been!" Max announced. "I bet I can even beat Natsu if we fought again!"

"Oh yeah!?" Natsu was more than ready to accept that challenge, but Erza held him back.

Gray noticed Jet and Droy looking down in the dumps, in contrast to the bright and eager moods of everyone else. "What's gotten you two so down?"

"We spent the last three months basically being punching bags for Gajeel, Lily and Nero." Droy moaned.

"I don't think we learned anything new." Jet whined.

"Man, sucks for you guys." Gray tried to hide his snicker.

"Oh, Kyrie, did you learn anything more about your Arc of Seraph?" Wendy asked eagerly.

"We did." She answered with a nod, looking toward her own hands. "I've learned so much these past three months… my magic is more than just healing; I think I've learned some new attack spells."

"That Arc of Seraph is some really intense stuff." Levy added.

"Unsurprising, it is one of the Lost Magics." Modeus nodded.

Morrison stepped forward with a box in his hands. "Oh Dante, I've got something for ya." He handed the son of Sparda the box. Dante opened it and was surprised at what he saw in it.

It appeared to be a custom-built sawn-off shotgun with the emblem of an A etched onto both sides. Dante took it out to examine it as Morrison explained the weapon

"While you guys spent three months training, I put together that beauty myself. The Coyote-A, a custom-built, double-barreled, sawed off, break-open shotgun. It's obviously best used at close-range… but it can also fire long-ranged wide open shots too. Unlike your pistols, one shot can take down more than one target at once."

Dante got a good hold of the shotgun, spun it in his hands a bit before aiming it a large rock nearby that stuck up four feet from the ground and fired, channeling his own demonic power into it. The result was that the entire rock was completely blown away.

Everyone looked with wide circular eyes and dropped jaws; save for Lady, Erza, and Trish who simply looked impressed.

"The Coyote-A, huh? Nice. It's perfect, Morrison." Dante smirked. "Can't wait to test this bad boy out."

"Welcome back, everyone." They all turned to see the newly christened master of Fairy Tail, Gildarts approach them with the former master Makarov right by his side.

"Oh, hey Gildarts." Natsu smiled.

"I can see you guys put in a lot of effort. I can tell that you've all gotten much stronger." Gildarts grinned.

"With the Grand Magic Games only a couple days away, all we can do now is hope it'll be enough to be victorious." Makarov added.

"Master Gildarts…" Erza approached him as well as Makarov. "We've all trained very hard and we feel we are more than ready for the Games…" A serious look fell on her face, however. "But there is something else that you should know."

---

Once everyone was inside, Gildarts and Makarov both sat at the bar as Erza, Dante, and everyone told them and the rest of the guild about their encounter with Crime Sorciere, as well as the unlocking of their Second Origin, and the mysterious power surrounding the Games that may be connecting to Zeref.

Everyone not part of Dante and Natsu's group was more than a little surprised themselves, while Gildarts and Makarov sat in contemplation.

"Hmmm, this is indeed troubling." Makarov muttered with a serious look on his face.

"Come on! Zeref again?!" Cana complained.

"The Games haven't even started and there's already trouble?" Macao questioned.

"Can't we just go for one week and not worry about the possible end of the world?!" Wakaba also questioned.

"Given my old man founded this guild, I highly doubt it." Dante replied.

"Erza, are you absolutely sure about this?" Gildarts asked Titania specifically. "You trust these guys in Crime Sorciere?"

"I would trust Jellal with my life." Erza responded without a hint of hesitation.

"Alright." Gildarts nodded, accepting Erza's answer.

"Hey, shouldn't we be getting other people in on this?" Levy asked. "Maybe our guild allies like Lamia Scale or Blue Pegasus?"

"Maybe we could talk with Byro and the others, go back to the Order of the Sword?" Kyrie suggested.

"I would advise against that." Modeus shook his head. "It's not that we don't trust them, but we can't run the risk of whoever's involved learning that we're on to them. They could slip away and we may never find them again. We have a much lesser risk if this is kept within the guild."

"He's right." Gildarts agreed. "The more people who know, the greater the risk. So we'll keep this to ourselves for right now."

"Though I may contact Lady Kurenai and even Jura, as the Wizard Saints have been keeping an eye out for Zeref and are aware of Crime Sorciere as well." Makarov added. "Otherwise, nobody else outside Fairy Tail will know."

Everyone present nodded with his or her own serious expression before Gildarts smiled a bit.

"Now enough about all this gloom and doom. Time to announce the six that will be representing our guild in the Grand Magic Games." The fifth master of Fairy Tail began. This already seemed to perk up the mood as everyone in the guildhall looked on with anticipation and even excitement.

Gildarts then made his announcement.

"Dante."

"Was there ever any doubt?" The Son of Sparda smirked.

"Natsu."

"Oh yeah!" The Salamander pumped his fist.

"Gray."

"I'm honored." The Ice-Make wizard humbly accepted.

"Erza."

"I won't let you down." Titania said with a nod.

"Of course, those four were kind of a shoo-in for the team." Mira said.

"Who will get the last two spots?" Lisanna wondered.

"We're gonna need a real man to represent our guild!" Elfman pumped his fist.

"The team's got enough boys in it already!" Patty disagreed. "We need some girl power and Fairy Tail's got plenty of strong women on board!"

"Damn right, kid." Lady smirked as she and Trish exchanged a fist-bump.

'I don't want Gray to go into battle without me! I'm a strong woman of Fairy Tail too!' Juvia thought.

"And the last two are… Lucy and Wendy!" Gildarts announced.

"Huh?!" Both girls were more than a little shocked.

'My darling will be locked in mortal combat without me by his side?!' Juvia thought in comic shock. 'I can't bear to think about it!'

Elfman comically cried for getting passed over. "How humiliating!"

"Seriously? Those two?" Max groaned as he, Warren, Vijeeter and Nab looked rather upset.

"Hey! Don't be mean! Those two are awesome!" Patty exclaimed.

"Yeah! Wendy's been training with Modeus! Ya know, the apprentice of freaking Sparda?!" Romeo added.

"Plus, Lucy's really come on her own!" Lisanna also said.

"She's a lot more dependable than you idiots" Cana snarked to Max, Warren, Vijeeter, and Nab.

"How mean!" All four of them cried out.

"But Gildarts, should you have the strongest fighters on the team?" Wendy asked. "I know I've been training, but there people in the guild a lot stronger than me."

"Same goes for me." Lucy added. "What about Laxus, or Gajeel, or even Nero? Heck, why not put Trish, Modeus, or Lady on the team?"

"We can't have all our heavy hitters out competing in the Games." Gildarts explained. "We still need to keep an eye out for whatever's got Crime Sorciere up at night. Think of everyone else on the guild as a stand-by unit in case a big fight were to break out."

"Given our guild's reputation, the does seem likely." Makarov agreed.

"Yes, that is probably the best idea." Modeus and everyone else seemed to accept.

"This real man is ready to punch whatever apocalypse shows up in the face!" Elfman declared.

Erza put a hand on Lucy's shoulder. "We weren't chosen for our individual strength, but our combined strength as a team. So let's make everyone proud and give it our all."

"You got this, Lucy." Trish told her.

"We didn't spend three months training some newbie. No go out there and kick some ass, kid." Lady added.

Hearing encouragement from those three caused Lucy to smile. "Yeah, you're right guys."

Natsu put a hand on Wendy's head. "Sabertooth's got some Dragon Slayers on their team, I think it's fair we do the same thing! Let's go show em, little sis!"

"Yeah! Let's do our best, big brother!" Wendy smiled as they shared a high-five.

"Alright team, listen up!" Dante stood proudly with a confident grin. "Now's the time we take the title of number one guild back! Sabertooth might hold that title right now, but we're back and better than ever! And if we gotta stop another apocalypse on the way, that'll make us look even more awesome! Let's show the world that Fairy Tail's back!"

"YEAH!" Everyone cheered.

As the whole guild began to celebrate, Cana made her way over to Gildarts and whispered to him. "Hey Dad, you're not gonna tell them about…"

"Sshhh." He quietly interrupted her. "I wanna see the looks on all their faces when the Games start." Both father and daughter chuckled knowingly and mischievously.

---

Crocus, also known as the Flower Blooming Capital, was the capital city of the Fiore Kingdom. It was a massive city, probably the largest in the entire kingdom and incredibly densely populated. But now it was even busier as it was the time of the Grand Magic Games, arguably the busiest time of the year. Competing wizards and curious spectators come from all over. At the heart of the enormous city was the castle where Fiore's royal family resided: Mercurius, the tallest and most recognizable building and landmark in the city. The other most recognizable landmark resided in the west of the city, resting on top of a mountain, was a massive colosseum where the Games would be held: Domus Flau.

The team representing Fairy Tail had shortly arrived in the capital, along with Happy and Carla, and took the time to observe the capital city around them.

"I don't think I've ever been in such a humongous city before in my life." Natsu said.

"Aye." Happy agreed.

"Yeah, me either." Wendy said.

"It certainly puts Edolas' royal capital to shame." Carla added.

"That place was a shithole." Dante commented. "But this…" He grinned. "This place is pretty cool."

"Indeed, this is the first time I've ever been to Crocus as well." Erza said.

"Let's just hope we don't get lost and miss the whole tournament." Gray said.

"Looks like you guys made it."

The eight of them turned around to see Gildarts, Makarov (who had Asuka riding on his shoulders), Lisanna, Trish, Lady, Alzack, Bisca, Levy, Jet, Droy, Romeo, and Patty approach them.

"Hey guys." Dante greeted.

"We got everyone all registered." Gildarts said, doing his best to stifle a chuckle.

"What's gotten him so giggly?" Gray questioned.

"I don't really wanna know." Lucy had a bad feeling about it.

"Hey Gramps, what are you doing here?" Natsu asked Makarov. "Thought you quit being guildmaster."

"Retired, not quit. They're two different things." Makarov corrected somewhat irritably. "And even so, I wouldn't miss out on the chance to see Fairy Tail to reclaim the top spot."

"Thanks for the support." Wendy smiled.

A few of the citizens around began to take notice of the group.

"Hey, it looks like the Fairy Tail guild is here."

"Seriously, those clowns?"

"Well somebody's gotta come in last place this year."

"But didn't those guys stop some kind of giant demon or something a couple months ago?"

"Must have been some kind of mistake. There's no way those losers actually saved the world."

This did not go unnoticed by the guild, and one particular member didn't like it.

"Are those jerks laughing at us?!" Natsu growled.

"Easy…" Erza tried to calm him down.

"Come on, you guys finish in last place every single year!"

"Everyone knows Sabertooth is taking the top spot!"

Natsu growled even more and was about to march their way, but Lisanna quickly grabbed his arm. "Natsu, don't. It's not worth it."

"Eh, let them laugh." Dante shrugged off. "We'll just make them eat their words when we win this whole thing."

"That's the spirit." Gildarts approved.

"But laughing sounds like a good time to me!" Happy said as he began to laugh at Jet and Droy for some reason.

"Hey, you don't have to laugh at us, cat!" They both exclaimed.

"Don't forget why we're here, not just to reclaim our top spot. We also have an important mission before us." Makarov subtly reminded them as he set Asuka down. "The Dark Knight Sparda has protected this world for millennia, both he and our founding master arose from their eternal master to save our lives, so let's do them proud!"

Dante, Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy, and Wendy all nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay, we know the tournament's starting tomorrow, but we don't know exactly what kind of tournament it is." Gildarts revealed.

"What? I thought you guys did this every year." Natsu said to those who weren't frozen on Tenrou Island.

"Yeah, but the Games change every year." Alzack revealed as his little daughter ran to him, asking to be picked up.

"The year my sugar-pistol and I didn't participate, they had a big old target shooting game." Bisca added.

"And the year I decided to sit out, there was a foot race." Jet said.

"I remember reading a magazine about them having a sky-diving battle or something one year." Patty revealed, raising her hand.

"That's right. They take the teams' scores over a bunch of different contests to determine the winner." Droy added as he ate a bucket of turkey legs.

"They like to mix it up." Levy said. "Morrison and I looked through records of the previous games, and there's no real consistency to them."

"It certainly makes thing more interesting." Trish commented.

"And a bit nerve-raking. We got no idea what to prepare for." Lady said.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to play it by ear." Natsu accepted.

"Things are rarely that simple or straight-forward for us anyway, so this is nothing new." Dante said.

"But I'm hoping there's a fight involved!" Natsu added.

"Of course, you'd hope for that." Gray said.

Erza thought back to what Jellal said about this mysterious power surrounding the games. 'The Games themselves are also a mystery. Could this all be somehow connected? Or am I just overthinking it? We don't have a lot of information to go off of here, so I can't say for certain either way.'

"Oh, and here's the rulebook." Gildarts showed the team a large book. "Grabbed a copy during the registration."

"That's a big ass book." Dante said. "Don't know if we're gonna memorize all this by tomorrow."

"Don't you worry, I have my Gale-Force Reading Glasses with me." Levy revealed as she put the magical glasses on, causing Jet and Droy to swoon.

"Levy to the rescue!" Lucy smiled as Levy took the book and skimmed through it with her glasses. Thanks to that, she was able to peruse through the entire book in a matter of seconds.

"Hmmm, okay… to sum it all up… I'd say there are about three major rules." Levy began. "The first one is the master of each guild isn't allowed to participate."

"Sounds fair." Gildarts accepted.

"Yeah, if Gildarts participated, we might not even need a team." Lisanna said.

"Rule number two, a guild can't have anyone that doesn't bare their respective emblem take part on its behalf." Levy continued.

"Kinda took that one as a given." Gray said.

"Finally, every game will remain a mystery until the very moment it is announced and only then will the game's rules be explained in detail." Levy finished.

"That's certainly not very helpful." Erza muttered.

Levy however noticed something else in the rule book. "Oh, this could be important too. All participants must return to their designated inn by twelve o'clock."

"There's a curfew?" Erza asked.

"Is that for the whole time we're here?" Dante also asked.

"No… just for tonight." Levy answered, sounding confused herself.

"A curfew for only one night? That is most peculiar." Carla said.

"So, we gotta be all back at our inn by midnight?" Wendy wondered.

"Or what, we all turn into pumpkins?" Gray questioned skeptically. "That reminds me of the story with the princess in the glass slipper."

"That's not how the story goes!" Patty told him.

Lisanna glanced up to a nearby clock. "It's only a little past one right now, so we got about eleven hours."

"Cool, that's plenty of time!" Natsu grinned. "Since it's everyone's first time in the capital, let's go check it out!"

"That's a great idea!" Lucy smiled as she and Lisanna exchanged smiles and nods and grabbed Natsu by both his arms. "Come on!" She said as they pulled him into the city.

"Wait for me, guys!" Happy flew after them.

"Hold on! Do you even know where we're staying?!" Erza called to them.

"The Honey Bone Inn, right?!" Lucy answered from the distance.

"I'll make sure everyone gets back in time! Promise, Erza!" Lisanna called back as well.

Dante chuckled, shaking his head slightly as he saw Lucy and Lisanna run off with Natsu by the arms. 'That meathead has no idea how lucky he is.'

He turned to Lady. "Well, we do got plenty of time on our hands. Wanna go exploring?"

"You asking me, specifically?"

"Why not? Beats sitting in a hotel the whole time." Dante said, offering his hand. "Shall we go on a tour, milady?"

Lady gave a teasing grin. "Oh, what the hell? Just make sure you don't drink yourself to death before tomorrow." They walked off in a separate direction.

"Come on guys!" Patty ran in front of Wendy and Carla. "I've never been in a city this big before! Let's go see as much of it as we can!"

"Sounds like a lot of fun!" Wendy beamed.

"Let us just be sure we get back to the inn by midnight." Carla remined but she smiled as well.

"Wanna come with us, Romeo?" Wendy offered the young man.

Romeo looked up in surprise with a small blush. "You… want me to come with you?"

"Yeah. It be more fun with all my friends with me." Wendy smiled excitedly with a giggle.

That smile and giggle really pulled at Romeo's heartstrings as the blush overtook his face. "O-okay…" He quickly came up and grabbed Wendy's hand. "Let's go then!" He said somewhat forcefully as he pulled Wendy in one direction.

"Y-Yeah...! O-Okay then…!" Wendy blushed as well, but followed Romeo regardless.

Patty had a knowing smirk on her face. "Bold move. I had no idea Romeo was such a gentleman."

Carla looked less than pleased, however. "That young man better not get any funny ideas." She said as she and Patty followed them, while the rest of the group began to split off in separate directions.

---

Erza arrived the Honey Bone Inn, noting that their room had six beds in it, indicating the team would be sharing a single room. She took the time to get herself cleaned up in a bath, changing into more casual attire of her blouse and dress while also barefoot. She also looked around the room for anything unusual, for something that would stand out as a reason why the team had to be at the room by midnight tonight. After looking under every bed, in every drawer and closet, every nook and cranny, and scanning every inch of the room, she found nothing unusual.

"Hmm, nothing appears to be out of the ordinary here." She said as she sat on a bed and heard a knock on the door. "Come in."

Trish entered the room. "Anything suspicious?"

"Doesn't appear to be. Also, what are you doing here?" Erza asked as Trish opened a window to let some fresh air in. "I thought you'd be off exploring the capital with everyone else."

"Everyone went in separate directions, and I got bored." Trish answered. "Also, I didn't want you to feel lonely." She teased.

Erza chuckled. "That's very kind of you Trish, thank you."

Trish then sat down next to her. "How you feeling?"

"I'm alright, I'd say I'm quite prepared for tomorrow." Erza answered.

"No I mean… with all this. Ya know… the whole thing with… Jellal?" Trish clarified, causing Erza to look away slightly. "If you wanna talk about it, I'm willing to listen. If not, no worries. But you have been kinda spacing out a bit since last we saw him."

"I won't deny it…" Erza acknowledged. "But… I understand the reasoning. He has to do what he has to do."

Trish shook her head with a smile. "You're one patient woman. Probably the most patient on the planet."

"When you grow up with a noisy pair of boys like Natsu and Gray, patience becomes more of a necessity than a virtue." Erza chuckled, causing Trish to laugh as well. "Thank you, Trish. Just for listening."

"No problem, it's what friends do." Trish assured. "Right Er…"

"Erza."

Suddenly, Ichiya somehow appeared right in front of Erza, causing both women to look in comic startle as the pervert eyed the redhead in front of her.

"Your fragrant parfum is as intoxicating as ever." Ichiya came way too close to Erza as he sniffed her. "Sniff, sniff. Sniff, sniff…"

*ZAP!*

Ichiya was shocked by Trish's lightning, revealing his skeleton before Erza slugged him.

*PUNCH!*

"Respect a woman's privacy!" Erza exclaimed as her punch sent the electrocuted Ichiya flying out the window until he vanished into the sky with a sparkle.

Both sighed in relief.

"You're so beautiful when you're angry."

Both were suddenly surrounded by the Trimens.

"We didn't come here to make you feel better." Ren said, playing coy. "So don't get the wrong idea."

"Would you like to freshen up?" Hibiki presented a towel for Erza.

"And who could forget about a lovely blonde like yourself?" Eve said, taking Trish's hand like a gentleman.

*ZAP!*

*PUNCH!*

Just like their troll of a leader; Hibiki, Ren, and Eve had been electrocuted by Trish and slugged by Erza, sending them flying out the window until they vanished into the sky.

---

As the day went on, and more and more guilds arrived in Crocus, the rest of Fairy Tail continued to explore the capital and appeared to be having a good time. Natsu spent the afternoon with Lucy, Lisanna, as well as Happy; even Dante and Lady enjoyed some quality time together as well.

Gray wandered around the capital as well as the sun began to set. Though he wasn't the type to get lonely as he rather enjoyed the peace and quiet. Though he would still get company none-the-less.

"Gray, my darling." He turned around to see none other than Juvia right behind him. She was currently wearing a black and grey version of her original dark blue outfit, but still had a smile on her face.

"Hey, didn't expect to see you. You came all this way by yourself?"

"I'm not the only one, silly." She replied. "The whole guild is here to cheer you on. Not to mention we still have our little 'secret mission'."

"That's true." Gray nodded. "Though for now, I'm just enjoying the peace and quiet… before it all goes to hell. Again."

Juvia actually laughed at that. "Speaking of peace and quiet, how about you and I going out to get a bite to eat somewhere?"

"Yeah sure. I am kinda hungry." Gray accepted.

"Luck for you, I know of a perfect restaurant not far from here." Lyon suddenly appeared behind them, much to their shock.

"Lyon?!" Gray exclaimed.

He already had his arm around Juvia's shoulder and began to lead her away. "It's quiet romantic, actually. Complete with an aquarium filled with beautiful creatures from the sea."

"Oh… yeah…?" Juvia felt comically uncomfortable. "Well… I… uh…"

"Hey man! You can't just go running away with one of your guild members!" Gray exclaimed.

Lyon stopped for a moment. "Rumor has it that you're entering the Grand Magic Games, right?"

"Yeah." Gray confirmed as Juvia stepped away from Lyon.

"It's no use, for Lamia Scale will surely emerge as the victor." The rival Ice-Make wizard declared.

"I thought you guys always came in third place." Gray said, causing Lyon to turn around and literally butt heads against his rival.

"And your guild always comes in last place. But this year will be different for us, because Jura and I will be participating in the Games for the very first time!" Lyon pushed his head further against Gray's. "That means we'll be stronger than ever before!"

Gray pushed back. "Oh yeah? Well, we got two aces in the hole ourselves named Erza and Dante, so don't count us out of the race just yet!"

Lyon made a dramatic pose. "Let's make a friendly wager! If Lamia Scale wins the Grand Magic Games this year, then the beautiful Juvia will become part of our guild!"

"Are you serious?!" Gray exclaimed while Juvia turned pale and panicked. "And, what if we win?"

"If your guild wins, we give her back." Lyon answered.

"She's already part of our guild, you bonehead!" Gray stated.

"This is a gentleman's agreement. So don't forget it, Gray." Lyon told him.

"Oh? Well, if you're such a gentleman, why don't you ask Juvia herself about it." Gray said, causing Juvia to look at him in surprise. "She's not a piece of meat or something you can just bet and trade, she's a person. If she doesn't want to do this stupid bet, she shouldn't have to."

Juvia looked towards Gray with her usual love-struck and happy expression. 'Gray is so considerate of my feelings and opinions."

"Hmm, very well then." Lyon nodded before turning toward the rain woman. "Well Juvia, what do you think?"

Juvia took a breath before answering. "Lyon, I am flattered you think so highly of me, but I decline your offer." She took a step closer to Gray. "It's not that I have anything against your guild, but I've made my choice. I've chosen Fairy Tail and I have no intention of leaving them. I will not participate in this wager."

Gray nodded with approval. "There you have it."

Lyon was surprised at first, but he seemed to smile with acceptance. "Alright, if that's what you wish, I will respect it."

'Wow, he took that a lot better than I thought he would.' Gray thought.

"However…" An ambitious smirk fell on Lyon's face. "Lamia Scale will still emerge as the victor. And if you feel impressed enough to want to join us, I'll make sure the door is open."

'Yep. There it is.' Gray wasn't surprised.

"See you in the games, Gray. Try not to die." Lyon waved off as he walked away, causing Gray to grumble.

"Gray… no offense but… your childhood friend is rather… Hmm, what's the word?" Juvia tried to think of something to say, hoping it wouldn't offend Gray.

"I can think of a whole dictionary of words to describe him, and more than half of them aren't all that nice." He replied.

---

Meanwhile, in a part of the city that was closer to the castle, the group consisting of Romeo, Wendy, Patty, and Carla appeared to be having a good time as well.

"Wendy…" They turned around and were surprised to see a certain Rune Knight approaching them from behind, one that Wendy and Carla both recognized.

"Doranbolt!" Wendy did not expect to see him here.

"I… I'm glad to see you're doing alright." He said a bit nervously and awkwardly.

"Hey, who is this guy?" Patty asked Romeo. "He's dressed like someone from the Council."

"His name's Doranbolt. I've never met him, but I heard he infiltrated our guild seven years ago." He explained.

Doranbolt winced at that, but made no effort to deny it.

"While that is true, he did risk his own life to try and assist us when Grimoire Heart attacked back there." Carla said. "Not to mention he saved more than a few lives during the Infinity Clock crisis."

"I heard about that." Wendy said, looking at the Rune Knight. "You even helped Carla and the others."

"We weren't able to save that girl though." Doranbolt said, looking away.

"But you did save a whole bunch of other people." Wendy told him.

"Yeah… listen, Wendy I… I'm sorry." He told her. "I'm sorry I used you back then… I'm sorry for how that whole mess at Tenrou Island turned out and… I'm sorry for leaving all of you back there. I won't ask for your forgiveness, but I really am sorry. I… I didn't want it all to turn out the way it did."

"I know you didn't." Wendy replied. "I know you were just doing your job back then, but you did try to help us. And you did help us at Fortuna. I didn't get a chance to say it to you back there but thank you. You're not a bad person, Doranbolt. I promise, I don't hold any kind of grudge." She gave an assuring smile.

That smile completely took him off guard. He was expecting her to be angry or have some kind of resentment, but she had none to given. A small smile formed on his face as well.

"Thank you… also, there's something you need to know."

"What is it?" She asked.

"Is it true that Fairy Tail is entering the Grand Magic Games this year?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Romeo asked.

Doranbolt looked around to make sure that nobody would overhear what he was about to say. They seemed to be far enough from any crowds. He kneeled to their level and spoke in a slightly hushed tone.

"Sabertooth is in the Games this year, and I'm sure you already know about a certain someone in that guild that's probably caused you and your friends a lot of trouble."

"You're speaking of Vergil, correct?" Carla assumed.

"Dante's brother?" Patty added.

"Yes…. But there's something else." Doranbolt said. "Vergil's also acting as a spy for the Magic Council."

That took them by surprise.

"What?!" Carla exclaimed.

"A spy… for the Council…?" Wendy questioned. "Why…? How…?"

"The Magic Council was… concerned with how fast Sabertooth came to power so quickly." Doranbolt explained. "They were able to recruit Vergil after he joined them to try and see if that guild is something they should be concerned about."

"But I thought people can't be part of a guild and the Council at the same time!" Romeo said.

"Legally, yes. But this is kept off the record. Technically, I'm leaking the information by telling you this." The Rune Knight said. "I just felt you should know."

"We also heard about what happened to Sheeree seven years ago, how her one-year sentence was to be extended to a life one unless she joined the Council." Carla said with disdain.

"I heard about that too…" Doranbolt said, looking away. "I wasn't part of the Council at the time, I left after Tenrou Island and came back after that whole mess with the Infinity Clock."

"Why would you want to join them again? They sound like a bunch of jerks!" Patty stated.

"I have to agree." Carla nodded. "They claim to be a force representing peace and order, but it seems they're more interested in controlling the world than protecting it."

"And you may be right, and that's why I came back." Doranbolt answered. "I'm going to try and change the Council from within, make it into what it's supposed to be. I know it won't be easy… but I owe it to the people that were hurt by them, even through my hand." He looked toward Wendy specifically. "Wendy, I promise, things will change. And even though I'm a Rune Knight, I'm on your side. I promise."

One look in his eyes told her that he meant every word. Wendy knew Doranbolt wasn't a bad person, and he seemed to have found his own conviction. For that reason, she decided to trust him.

"I believe you." She smiled. "Good luck."

Doranbolt smiled back. "You too." He stood up. "I need to go, be careful."

"We will." Wendy nodded as they saw Doranbolt walk away.

"Are you really sure about this, Wendy?" Romeo asked.

"I'm sure. Like I said, he's not a bad guy. I really think he wants to help, and if he can really change the Council from within, I say he should go for it." The Sky Dragon Slayer said.

"He does seem like a far cry from when we first met him on Tenrou Island. Perhaps he truly means it." Carla added.

"So, Dante's brother is a part of Sabertooth and the Council? Should we be worried about that?" Patty asked.

"Probably. But we'll tell the others about it later. Right now, I wanna have some fun with my friends." Wendy smiled, causing Carla, Patty, and Romeo to perk up.

"Well, since we're so close to palace, let's go take a look." Romeo suggested.

"Yeah! Sounds like fun!" Wendy said as they ran in the direction of Mercurius.

"A real life castle!" Patty beamed.

"Slow down, children." Carla told them as she flew alongside them.

However, they were all completely unaware of somebody that had been tailing them for some time. A lone figure hung in the shadows of a nearby alleyway and observed them with a sinister cackle.

---

Night had fallen over Crocus, yet the city still seemed as busy and lively as ever. In fact, the city seemed even more beautiful, in the fact that flowers could be seen around every corner. Flowers were bought and sold, they decorated the private homes of people who lived in the city, and there were even small gardens in the streets.

Natsu, Lucy, Lisanna, and Happy were all together as the girls had flower-reefs over their heads and Natsu wore a flower necklace, even Happy carried a flower in-between his ear and head.

"This city is absolutely beautiful." Lisanna said.

"Yeah, it's really amazing how many flowers are in this city." Lucy added.

"Well, they don't call Crocus the Flower Blooming Capital for nothing." Happy also said.

"Let's just hoping it's not all flowers." They looked down one intersection to see Dante and Lady joining them. "They're pretty and all, but you can't make a whole lot of tourist-money from stuff like that."

"Oh, hey guys, enjoying yourselves?" Lucy asked.

"City's alright, I guess." Lady shrugged with a smile. "A little too expensive to live in though."

"Well, if we take the number one spot again, that could change." Dante grinned. "We'd be back in business and raking in the green."

"You know Dante, I have to say I'm truly disappointed." Happy said, flying up to him.

"Why's that, furball?"

"It's just, you spent the whole day alone with Lady, in a city that has nothing but beautiful flowers in it, but you haven't even gotten her a single one." Happy shook his head. "Such a shame. It's no wonder you're gonna die single."

"Well, I just happened to know that Lady here ain't a flower girl. Kinda how you didn't even know Carla doesn't like fish, but you still gave her some." Dante cracked. "Even though she ended up throwing it out."

"Huh?!" Happy went stiff. "How did you know that?! That was supposed to be a secret!"

"Dude, everyone in the guild knows. You're not exactly Mr. subtle." Dante said with a chuckle, earning a comical pout from Happy.

"Ya know, it's kinda funny seeing the cat get the rebound on stuff like that for once." Lady said with Lisanna and Lucy next to her.

"Yeah, definitely." Lucy agreed.

"Happy could tone it down a little…" Lisanna also added.

"A fight!"

That got all their attention, especially a certain Dragon Slayer.

"Ah! I guess fights are a part of this festival after all! Let's check it out!" Natsu ran toward a crowd of cheering people nearby.

"With all the different guilds that are here, there was bound to be a couple of scuffles!" Happy was already following.

"Hold on, you guys!" Lucy ran to catch up to them with Lisanna

"Some things never change." Dante shook his head as he and Lady walked in the same direction as well.

As he ran however, Natsu picked up a few odd whiffs in the air. "You smell that?"

"What is it?" Happy asked.

"It smells like there's a dragon around here… no two of them and…" There was one scent that caused Natsu to stop in his tracks, much to Happy's surprise, even as he grabbed his jacket, trying to get a hold of the scar that was hidden underneath and on his chest.

"Natsu…?" The blue Exceed asked with concern as the others were able to catch up with him, only for Natsu to break out in a sprint toward the crowd, much to their surprise, even Dante was caught off guard. Natsu's body language suggested he caught onto something serious… and Dante's gut told him what it was, and it was something Dante didn't like.

'I know that scent! I'll never forget it!' Natsu was already at the crowd, pushing and shoving his way through to get to the center. "Come on… Come on… move!" He continued to make his way through the dense crowd and found his target, who had his back turned toward him.

Even then, Natsu recognized the white swept back hair, as well as the katana strapped to the side. He grabbed onto the individual's shoulder, drawing his attention.

The man slowly turned around, gazing with his icy-cold blue eyes that contradicted the livelihood of his twin brother. But there was a look of surprise deep inside as he turned to face the Dragon Slayer.

"Natsu Dragneel."

The Salamander glared at him, a look of anger and fear in his eyes as he almost bared his teeth. His fists clenched with rage as his body shook. In that instant, he recalled all the battles he had fought against this man, all of them, including being struck down and scared by him in his Devil Trigger form.

The others managed to catch up to Natsu, only to stop themselves as they saw him too. Lisanna and Happy gasped in shock while Lady's eyes widened, even Lucy.

Dante stared at the man, who then made-eye contact with him. He knew they'd cross paths again when they decided to participate in the Games. It was only a matter of time. But even though he knew they would, it was still a surreal experience seeing him again like this.

"Hello, brother."

"Vergil." Dante said in a tone that had all sorts of mixed feelings behind it. On the surface, there was some hostility and anger; but inside, there was curiosity, and even maybe a bit of relief.

Lucy's eyes shook as she saw him again as well. From his perspective, it was seven whole years, and from hers, it may have even been less than a single year; and yet it somehow felt like an eternity for her. Just like Natsu and Dante, seeing Vergil again gave Lucy an instant flashback of all their past encounters as enemies, but also that of their childhood and the fond memories back then. Even now, she hoped they may be able to mend the broken bond between them… and yet, a part of her couldn't help but feel nervous knowing how powerful and dangerous her eldest cousin could be.

However, they weren't the only ones who took notice of them. The two Dragon Slayers and their Exceed companions, who had just dealt with a pair of drunken punks, had their attention caught as well.

"Looky here." Sting observed.

"Is that Natsu Dragneel?" Rogue looked in surprise himself.

"Kitties?!" Happy exclaimed upon seeing Lector and Frosch.

"Get a load of that stupid-looking blue pussy cat." Lector pointed to Happy.

"He's stupid." Frosch also pointed to him.

"Those are Exceeds!" Lisanna stated in surprised.

"More furballs, huh?" Lady noted but kept her eyes on Vergil.

"And it seems he ain't alone either." Sting said to Rogue, taking a look towards the red-clad Devil Hunter. "You're Vergil's kid brother Dante, right? Gotta say, you really do look a lot like him."

"Yeah, and who the hell are you two?" Dante questioned.

"Has this guy seriously never heard of Sting and Rogue before? The Twin Dragons of the Sabertooth guild?" One guy from the surrounding crowd said.

"Besides Vergil, they're the main force behind the strongest guild in Fiore." Another said.

"Twin Dragons… So, you're Sabertooth's Dragon Slayers?" Natsu asked, his attention finally taken from Vergil.

"So, you have heard of us." Rogue noted.

"And we've heard of you." Sting gave Natsu a condescending look. "The so-called Dragon Slayer who couldn't actually slay a dragon. Doesn't sound like much of a Dragon Slayer to me. The sad part is, I actually used to look up to you, and Rogue here was a huge fan of Gajeel's."

"It was more of a curiosity since we were fellow Dragon Slayers." Rogue said.

"Got quite the crowd you fixed yourself with, bro." Dante said to Vergil. "They seem about as arrogant as you."

"It's been seven years since our last encounter and that's the first thing you say to me?" Vergil replied. "But then again, that is from my perspective. From yours, it's probably less than a full year, so I suppose it's not to be unexpected."

"Hey Vergil, I don't get why you made such a fuss over your kid-brother here, he doesn't look that impressive." Sting said, leaning his arm over Vergil's shoulder as he eyed Dante. "I mean, he's supposed to be a Son of Sparda too, right? But he couldn't have slain Acnologia either. If the three of us were there, that would be a different story."

"You'd be singing a different tune if you were actually face-to-face with that monster!" Lisanna told him.

"Yeah, you weren't even there!" Happy added.

"This pussy cat sounds as dumb as he looks." Lector commented.

"Yeah, you're way smarter than him, Lector." Frosch added.

"Curb your arrogance, Sting. It's bound to get you killed one day." Vergil stepped away from him. "How many times must I tell you this? You and Rogue were both children when Acnologia appeared back then, you wouldn't have lasted a second if you were to challenge him then. And even now, you wouldn't survive a battle with the Dragon Butcher."

Sting's smirk vanished. "Hey man, come on! You know how tough we are!"

"So, you should take my word when I say if you were to face Acnologia this moment, you would most certainly die." Vergil eyed Sting as well as Rogue with a serious expression, causing the former to growl.

"And let me guess, you think you can take that freak?" Dante questioned his brother.

"No." Vergil answered immediately. "Acnologia is the strongest living being in Earthland currently, even stronger than the fabled Black Wizard, Zeref. As I am now, I wouldn't stand a chance either."

That actually took Dante, Natsu, and all their friends by surprise, clearly not expecting that.

"You're saying he's stronger than you…?" Natsu voiced in shock.

'Vergil's always been plenty strong… and he's definitely gotten stronger these past seven years…' Lucy thought. 'But even after all that… he thinks Acnologia is even stronger than him…?'

"Currently, yes." Vergil confirmed Natsu's question. "But I don't plan on it staying that way. I will gain the power to surpass him, and he will die by my hand. It may take years, but it will happen."

"Seven years and still the same old tune. You really haven't changed, have you?" Dante didn't even try to hide his disappointment.

"Would you prefer the Dragon Butcher be allowed to roam free?" Vergil replied.

"He won't be roaming free much longer." Sting said before looking at Vergil himself. "Even if you say we're not good enough yet, Rogue and I will get strong enough to bring him down."

"It's only fitting that a dragon be defeated by a Dragon Slayer." Rogue said in agreement.

"It kinda sounds like these guys are more competing with each other than working together." Lisanna whispered to Lady.

"Really makes you wonder what kind of dynamic they have with the rest of their guild." Lady whispered back.

"And what makes you guys so sure?" Natsu questioned to Sting and Rogue. "What makes you think you're so better than the rest of us?"

"Allow me to explain a little something to ya." Lector began to explain to the Fairy Tail members present. "Natsu here, and those other two from your guild are known as First Generation Dragon Slayers, cause they all got their magic power directly from dragons first-hand. Your old buddy Laxus and that guy Cobra from the Oracion Seis got their power from dragon lacrima that were implanted inside their bodies, we call em Second Generation Dragon Slayers. But Sting and Rogue here are way more powerful, cause not only do they got dragon lacrima inside em, they were also raised by actual dragons who taught them how to use their magic. They're Third Generation hybrids."

"Third Generation?" Natsu questioned in surprise.

"Dragon teachers and lacrimas?" Even Dante didn't expect that.

"It is true." Vergil confirmed. "Sting and Rogue were trained by dragons and currently have lacrima inside their respective bodies."

"And you think that makes you guys better than the rest of us?" Lady questioned irritably.

"They don't just think it, there's a huge difference in skill between First and Third Gen Dragon Slayers." Lector said. "And the rest of you non-Dragon Slayer losers couldn't even hold a candle to em if you tried."

"Keep yapping furball, I might just dropkick you to the moon." Lady said irritably.

"Tell, me something, did your dragons disappear in the year X777 too? Same as our dragons?" Natsu asked Sting and Rogue.

"Yeah, you could say that." Sting replied with a grin.

"More to the point, they died." Rogue revealed, causing Natsu to gasp. "The creatures that passed down our Dragon Slayer techniques to us, we eliminated them with our own hands."

"So, you'd say we're true Dragon Slayers, unlike you First Gen weaklings." Sting said.

"You did… what?!" Dante questioned, anger building up in his body.

"Is… Is that true…?" Happy muttered.

"You… you murdered your own teachers…?" Lisanna said with a pale face as even Lucy was shocked.

Lady remained silent, noticing a certain look in each of the eyes of the Twin Dragons, while Natsu gnashed his own teeth so much so, it was a wonder they didn't chip.

"Murdered? You make it sound like a bad thing." Sting gloated. "Sure, they might have taught us how to use our power, but they were dragons and we're Dragon Slayers, it's in our nature. Right, Natsu?" He looked toward the enraged Salamander with a smirk. "What? Was your dragon a wimp or something? Maybe that's why you couldn't kill Acnologia, you didn't want to do it. Maybe I should have killed your dragon too…"

*PUNCH!*

Natsu's fist connected with Sting's face with enough force to send him flying and crashing into a large garden of flowers, smashing the bricks that surrounded it. Fortunately no citizens were harmed, but all of them gasped in shock.

"Sting!" Lector looked in shock while Frosh gasped as even Rogue's eyes widened in surprise. Vergil was not, however.

"Natsu…" Lucy muttered as she, Lisanna, and Happy were taken aback by Natsu's actions, but weren't surprised by it. Dante and Lady remained serious themselves.

"Say that again." Natsu growled, his eyes filled with nothing but rage and hate. "I dare you."

Sting pulled himself up and rubbed his jaw, noticing a trickle of blood down his mouth. He glared back at Natsu. "Oh, you wanna go, huh? Fine, I'm game!"

"No." Vergil stepped in between them before a fight could break out. "We're done here."

"What?!" Sting questioned.

"That jerk just slugged Sting in the face! Let my buddy slug him back!" Lector insisted.

"Sting received what he had deserved, making the mistake of provoking Natsu." Vergil said, earning a glare from the White Dragon Slayer. "If a fight between Dragon Slayers were to break out now, it would cause collateral damage and could be grounds for our disqualification before the Games even begin. We are done here, that's final. Return to the Inn, I will hear no further arguments."

Sting saw the warning look in Vergil's eyes. As arrogant as he was, even he knew better than to question Vergil when he gave that look. So with reluctance, he began to walk away. "Fine. Let's go."

Rogue and Frosh followed him before Lector turned around to the members of the opposing guild. "This isn't over, you Fairy Tail losers!" He said before flying away.

"Natsu… are you okay…?" Lisanna walked up to him cautiously, along with Happy.

It took a moment, but Natsu tried to force himself to calm down. "I'm fine." His tone however said anything but. "Come on." He and everyone else were about to leave, but Lucy quickly ran in the direction of Vergil and the Twin Dragons.

"Lucy…!" Happy tried to stop her.

"Vergil, wait!" She called to him, and while he did stop, Sting stepped in front of her.

"What? You want a piece of us too you blonde bimbo?" He questioned with a glare.

"Enough, Sting." Vergil said, turning around to face her.

"What? She's your ex-girlfriend or something?" He questioned spitefully.

"No, she's my younger cousin. Lucy Heartfilia."

That caused Sting, Rogue, Frosh, and Lector to look in surprise; while also earning looks of surprise from her and the rest of her friends a swell, not the revelation, but for a different reason.

"Your cousin?!" Rogue exclaimed.

"I didn't see that coming." Frosch commented.

"I'll handle this, now go." Vergil ordered.

Though with reluctance, the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth and their Exceed companions left the area to return to their inn. Though Sting cast a suspicious glance in Vergil's direction.

The two cousins stared at each other for a moment, neither of them saying anything until Lucy spoke up. "You… you know… about us?"

"Of course, I know. I've never forgotten it." Vergil revealed. "Though it seems you have, but that is to be expected. We only met once and you were very young."

"Vergil…" Lucy didn't know what to say at first.

"Hold on a second…" Dante stepped up with Natsu right behind him. "You knew? You knew she was our cousin? The entire time?!"

"It seems you have forgotten it as well." Vergil noted.

"That's not the god damn point!" Dante exclaimed in anger. "You knew she was the only surviving member of our family, even when you attacked her?! Attacked all of us?!"

"We only fought in our first encounter because I sought to remove her and your guildmates from the equation because they would get in the way of our battle." Vergil explained. "That was all. Nothing more, nothing less."

"But you were there when you tried to kidnap Lisanna!" Natsu growled.

"That is true." Vergil acknowledged. "But Lisanna Strauss was my only target at the moment in time, and even then she proved to be useless. I had no intention of taking Lucy."

"But she was at Temen-ni-gru…" Dante pointed out.

"That was not my choice. I did not tell her to go there." Vergil said.

"You and I can scrap for hours; we can cut each other to pieces and still walk away!" Dante exclaimed. "But not her! She can't get stabbed and shrug it off like we can!"

"I'm aware." Vergil replied, getting irritated. "But it was still her choice to put herself in those situations, not mine."

To say Dante and Natsu were angry would be an understatement. But before either of them could lash out, Lucy stepped forward.

"Guys, he's right." She said, causing them to look in surprise. "It was my choice to go Temen-ni-gru, not his. He didn't have any control over that." She then turned back to her eldest cousin. "But that's no excuse for hurting my friends, or the other bad stuff you've done."

"So, you wish to settle a score with me?" Vergil asked.

"No, I don't want to fight you Vergil." Lucy began. "Look… I know you want something different with your life, something different than what Dante and I want… and you have a right to live your life the way you want to, but just because we want different things doesn't mean we have to fight each other. Listen, I'm not asking for you to quit Sabertooth and join Fairy Tail, it's your choice what you want to do… but we are family. I don't know what you went through most of your life but…and I know things can't just go back to the way it used to be, but that doesn't mean you have to be alone. Isn't there any kind of chance that maybe we can at least… bury the hatchet and… start over? Maybe… even be a real family again?"

She offered her hand to Vergil with a pleading expression, a genuine wish to start over and begin a new kind of relationship with him, a positive one.

Vergil said nothing at first, glancing to her hand as he seemed to be contemplating her answer. He closed his eyes and gave his response.

"We've both made our choices, your life is yours to live as is mine. And while they may intersect at certain points, the paths we have chosen lead in two different directions. Live your life, Lucy. And I'll live mine."

He turned around and proceeded to walk away, a look of disappointment and grief formed in Lucy's eyes. A part of her had expected Vergil would turn her down, but that didn't mean it hurt any less. She was genuinely hopeful, but that hope was long gone.

"Hey!" Natsu called out to him. "Her dad died, ya know!"

"I'm aware." Vergil acknowledge as he continued to walk away. "Does it really matter, though?"

Natsu was more than ready to run after him and pound his face in, but Dante stopped him. "That's enough, Natsu."

"But…!" He tried to protest.

"Enough!" Dante insisted. "We're done here. Let's just get back to the inn."

Natsu growled, but relented as he turned around to walk away, meeting up with the rest of their friends, leaving Dante and Lucy alone as they saw Vergil walk further and further away.

Dante won't lie and say that he didn't have some kind of hope as well, but it seems that hope was unfounded. He looked toward Lucy and could see that it seemed to hurt her even more. He silently grabbed her shoulder, causing her to look at him with a hurt expression as tears were simmering in her eyes.

"Let's go."

"Yeah…" She rubbed her eyes before they turned around and left; Dante and Lucy walking in one direction, with Vergil in the opposite and away from them.

---

Honeybone Inn

Gray had returned to the inn resided for the Fairy Tail team first, and was later joined by Natsu, Dante, Lucy, Lisanna, Happy, and Lady. Trish remained along with Erza, but upon noticing the expressions on their faces, Erza asked what happened and she got her answer.

"You saw Vergil?!" Erza questioned.

"Aye…" Happy confirmed with reluctance.

"From the sound of it, it doesn't seem like he's changed all that much." Gray said.

Trish took a glance towards Dante and Lucy. With the former, she could tell that he was expecting Vergil to be as difficult as he usually was, but she could see the disappointment in his eyes as well. As for Lucy, she didn't even bother to hide it. Trish and everyone else knew just how hopeful Lucy was to try and make amends with Vergil, so she was probably the most hurt by the disappointment. Trish couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"Those other guys in Sabertooth weren't the friendliest bunch either." Lisanna put in.

Natsu pounded his fist into the floor. "Those bastards…! They killed their own dragons! I swear… if we end up fighting them in the ring… I'm gonna make them wish they never messed with me!"

"Maybe it wasn't so simple." Lady said, catching their attention.

"You're actually defending those assholes?" Dante questioned.

"No, they really were pieces of shit, especially that blonde prick." Lady replied. "But when they said they killed their dragons… there was something else in their eyes. I couldn't quite tell what it was, but it didn't match the words that came from their mouths."

"So, you think there's more to the story?" Lisanna asked.

"Speaking as someone who killed her own father, I'd say so." Lady commented.

"That guy was a monster, he deserved it." Natsu stated.

"Absolutely." Lady confirmed without a hint of regret in her voice. "But… I don't know anything about the dragons those guys talked about, or the circumstances behind it all, so I can't say for certain. Call it a gut feeling."

Erza however took notice that a certain member of their team wasn't present. "Hey, do any of you know where Wendy ran off to?"

That caught their attention. "Last we heard; she, Romeo, and Patty went off with Carla." Lucy answered, beginning to feel concerned as well. "But we haven't heard from them sense."

"Carla's not the type to get lost, so I'm sure they're fine." Happy said.

"But it's close to midnight." Dante stood up, getting serious as he looked at the clock in the room. "That cat's nothing if not punctual, and we know how protective she is about Wendy. You'd think she get her and other kids back by now."

The door opened to the room, revealing Modeus and Elfman as they stepped inside. "Hello all, we brought you some food." Modeus said as he and Elfman brought in bags of food and drinks.

"A real man needs his nourishment." Elfman added.

"Thanks guys." Gray said as they set their groceries down. "We heard the rest of the guild would be here."

"Perfect timing, do you mind doing a small favor for us?" Erza requested.

"What is it?" Modeus asked.

"Well, it's just that Wendy hasn't made it back here for the night as of yet." Erza revealed, catching Modeus' attention.

"What happened?" He asked with concern for his student.

"She, Carla, Romeo, and Patty wondered off somewhere, but we haven't heard back from them." Trish said.

"And those of us competing in the Games are supposed to be here till it turns twelve o'clock." Gray added.

"What happens then?" Modeus asked.

"Don't know. We're all just supposed to be here at Midnight." Dante answered, right as he said that though, the clock rang as both hands struck twelve. "Which is… right now."

"What's gonna happen?" Natsu asked somewhat worriedly.

The bell chime to signal midnight rang throughout the city of Crocus. Every guild participating in the Grand Magic Games had returned to their assigned inns while all the citizens had returned home or went inside themselves.

"Attention all contestants participating in this year's Grand Magic Games… good morning!"

"Outside." Erza stated as everyone ran out to the balcony of their inn and glanced up to something that completely caught them off guard.

"What in the actual hell?!" Dante questioned.

"What is that thing?!" Natsu also questioned.

"Is that some kind of hologram?!" Lucy questioned too.

"It's a great big pumpkin!" Happy stated excitedly.

It was true, being projected over the entire city of Crocus was a massive projection of a short humanoid with a massive pumpkin head that had a wide smile on its face. He wore a red and white striped shirt with black pants and blue shoes, as well as a green cape and witch's hat.

"It is I, the beloved mascot and referee of your favorite time of the year, the great Mato! To narrow down the one hundred thirteen guilds in this year's games to a more manageable eight, let's begin the preliminary round!"

"Seriously?!" Gray questioned.

"Well, this is news!" Erza stated in surprise.

"A preliminary round?" Lisanna questioned. "The others never said anything about that!"

"That's because I don't think there was one." Lady stated with seriousness.

"Levy did say there wasn't any consistency to these games." Trish pointed out.

'A hundred and thirteen guilds? I had no idea that many even existed.' Dante thought. 'And they're gonna cut it all down to eight? How in the hell are they gonna pull that off?'

'It doesn't make sense. Why would they keep this preliminary round a secret until now? Why all these new procedures?' Erza also wondered. 'The excessive number of guilds involved… the mysterious power Jellal talked about… what are the organizers up to?'

The thought projection of Mato danced around in the air as he continued to explain. "Although the number of guilds increase and multiple each year, 'the games have gotten boring now' is all I ever hear! Let's wiggle them all down, I say to you, and give just eight a cheer!'

"Is he seriously rhyming?" Lady muttered in annoyance.

"The rules for this preliminary round are simple!" Mato continued… just as the inn itself began to shake and rise straight up from the ground.

"What the…?!" Gray exclaimed as they all held onto whatever was attached to the building, save for Natsu who was already sick to his stomach.

"The Inn is rising up!" Erza stated as they looked down to see several large machines pushing the building higher up above the city, and it wasn't just this building.

"All the other inns are rising too!" Lisanna pointed out as multiple buildings rose to the point that they were well above the even the castle's tallest point.

"A real man dreams of rising up!" Elfman stated.

"Now, you will all be participating in a race!" Mato announced. "The finish line is at the Domus Flau coliseum! Only the first eight teams to reach it will move on to the Grand Magic Games."

As he announced this, a magical path had appeared at every risen inn throughout the city, including the Honey Bone Inn. They all led straight up to a single point higher in the sky, and their connecting point was a massive globe-like structure hovering above all of Crocus, as well as the aforementioned colosseum, with a massive face built onto its side. From first glance, it appeared the entire globe was a mesh of openings, pathways, buildings, and clockwork all thrown together.

"Look, it's a path!" Gray pointed out.

"I suppose we'll be following it…" Erza reasoned.

"Into whatever that mess is." Dante pointed to the globe.

"You are free to use magic in any way you see fit! There are no restrictions!" Mato continued. "But remember, only the first eight teams to reach the finish line will clear this round! However, all six team members must cross the goal for it to count! One more thing, we are not responsible for any loss of life that may occur in the labyrinth."

"Say what?!" Natsu questioned.

"That thing is supposed to be a maze!?" Trish exclaimed.

"So, without further ado, let the Grand Magic Games preliminary round, Sky-Labyrinth, begin!" Mato finished before his projection vanished.

"If it's a race, then we better get moving!" Gray stated.

"Let's go!" Natsu was about to climb out and start sprinting.

"Wait!" Dante pulled him back. "Wendy's not back yet, remember? All of us gotta cross the goal in order for it to count!"

That caused them all to gasp in shock. "You're right!" Lucy covered her mouth in shock.

"Wendy!" Natsu called out, a comically desperate attempt for her to show up.

"Where is she, though? It's not like her to miss the time for something so important." Erza was also greatly worried for her.

Elfman then stepped forward. "Why wait for a little girl? When you've got a man who's ready to go!" Before any of them could even question his decision, Elfman grabbed all five of them in-between his arms and sides and immediately bolted up the path. "We got a roster change!"

"He's so much stronger now!" Happy exclaimed in surprise.

"What are you doing, Elfman?!" Lisanna called out to her brother.

"He's doing what he has to do." Lady said. "Wendy's MIA so we need a substitute."

"I would have gone, but he beat me to it." Trish commented.

"You all just focus on the race!" Modeus called to the team. "The rest of us will find Wendy, Carla, and the others!"

"Alright, we'll leave it to you!" Erza responded as Elfman put them down and they began their sprint up the path.

It wasn't just them. Every guild participating in the Games, from Lamia Scale to Blue Pegasus to Mermaid Heel and even Sabertooth, all their six-man teams were rushing up the path that would lead straight to the Sky-Labyrinth.

"MANLY!" Elfman shouted at the top of his lungs.

"We're getting close to the entrance!" Gray stated as they neared the opening that would lead them into the massive contraption.

"Our first step to being number one in Fiore! We're taking that title! Right, team Fairy Tail?" Natsu declared.

"Damn right." Dante grinned.

"Oh yeah!" Everyone else said as they entered the labyrinth.

---

Labyrinth was definitely the right word to describe this place. It had pathways and staircases stretching in every direction: up and down, left and right, diagonally and even curving and encircling in the same directions; some pathways were even upside down. The best way to describe this place would be if somebody took all the streets and sidewalks from an entire city, crumbled them up like a ball of paper and let it float magically in the sky. It was so massive that it may as well have been a city in of itself.

Team Fairy Tail looked around the giant structure upon entering to familiarize themselves with the inside.

"Whoever came up with something like this is either very imaginative or very crazy." Dante commented.

"It's like a giant three-dimensional maze." Gray said.

Natsu groaned. "I really suck at stuff like this."

"Don't give up already, we have to finish in the top eight! Otherwise, we can kiss the title of number one in Fiore goodbye." Lucy said.

"Yeah, you're right!" Natsu eagerly pounded his fist into his palm. "We gotta get through this if we wanna kick Sabertooth's ass!"

"Let's make sure we reach the goal before they do." Gray said.

"Real men never settle for anything less than first place!" Elfman stated.

"Got any idea how we're supposed to do that though?" Dante questioned. "With everything so topsy-turvy here, we can't just go straight. We don't even know where the finish line is."

"We know we're supposed to go in the direction of the colosseum, so it's likely this labyrinth is connected to it. And while we were on the ground, the colosseum was to the east. So, it's best we head in that direction." Erza reasoned.

"I've got just the thing to help us out." Lucy brandished one of her silver keys. "Open! Gate of the Compass! Pyxis!"

Lucy had summoned a Celestial Spirit that had the appearance of a large red bird with small wings and a beak, which also appeared to have a large compass attached to its head.

"Pyka!" The spirit chirped like a bird.

"We need your help, Pyxis." Lucy told the spirit. "Can you please show us which way is east?"

"Pyka…" The spirit focused its magic power on its own compass before finding the required direction. "Pyka!" It pointed eastward.

"East is that way!" Lucy proudly declared.

"Yes, I know… because I brought along a regular compass." Erza showed a tiny hand-held compass that would easily lead them in the same direction.

Lucy and Pyxis both sat dejectedly facing a wall. "Thanks for the help anyway, Pyxis…" Lucy muttered.

"Pyka…" It acknowledged before vanishing.

With that all settled, the group ran up a staircase in the eastward direction with Natsu and Dante at the lead.

"Alright east, here we come!" Natsu declared.

"A real man charges straight toward the goal!" Elfman shouted.

"Are even going straight?" Dante questioned as he looked outside. "Cause it kinda feels like we're upside down."

"Yeah, we're gonna have a hard enough time trying to figure out which way is up." Gray commented as the group came to a stop at a platform at the top of the flight of stairs.

"Natsu, you're not feeling sick?" Erza asked.

"Nuh-uh." He seemed just as surprised himself. "You'd think I'd be puking my guts out, but I feel just fine."

Almost on cue, a projection of Mato appeared before them. "Allow me to explain. A special magic was cast on the Sky-Labyrinth, allowing participants with weaknesses, such as fear of heights and motion sickness, to be able to compete on equal terms in the preliminary round." The projection vanished soon after.

"Well, that's convenient." Gray said.

"Guess it's like Wendy's Troia spell." Natsu said.

Lucy looked toward her cousin with a teasing grin. "I seriously doubt the other wizards get motion sickness as easily as Natsu." She snickered.

Dante grinned as well. "Yeah, he vomits as much as he breathes fire. He's a real baby with that kinda thing."

"Hey, I can hear ya, ya know?!" Natsu exclaimed annoyed.

After taking a moment to check her compass again, Erza found the direction they were meant to head toward. "Let's keep heading eastward."

"Right." They all said as they followed the path that led them in the relative direction. After coming to the end of their path, they found a door that seemed to have nothing at the end of it. But for the sake of curiosity, Dante opened it… and did not expect to see what was on the other side.

"What the….?"

Contrary to what he thought, the door led inside a large tunnel that had its path and walls curving up and down along the walls and ceiling like a spiral.

"Whoa… getting dizzy just by looking at it!" Elfman stated.

"Yeah… feel like I'm gonna fall right in…" Lucy was in the same boat.

"It looks like one of those weird illusion paintings or something." Dante said.

"We're wasting time, let's go!" Erza ordered. With no other options, the team ran straight down the winding tunnel.

"Real men don't hesitate! They always keep their eye on the prize!" Elfman said.

"Kay, we get it! You're a real man!" Lucy said, being annoyed. "But how long is this creepy tunnel?!"

"Does it really matter? Our goal is at the end of it!" Natsu sprinted forward, coming to a door that suddenly appeared before him. But when he opened it, he yelled in shock as he was not only back outside, but about to fall. And given there was nothing below him, he would have fallen straight out of the labyrinth that hung hundreds of feet into the air.

"Whoa, gotcha!" Dante was quick to grab Natsu by the collar and keep him from falling.

"Thanks man, that was a close one." Natsu breathed in relief as he was pulled back.

"We could have lost you." Lucy said to him worriedly. "When he was talking about possible loss of life, he wasn't kidding."

Gray got a good look off the edge of the platform they were on and saw the city below. "Watch your step, cause I don't think anybody would survive falling head first into the city from this thing."

"This thing is designed to narrow down over a hundred teams to eight, so I'm not surprised with how it's laid out." Dante said.

"We gotta be careful about choosing our path from now on." Elfman added.

"Guys, we're never gonna reach the goal if we keep looking down! Come on, we need to keep heading eastward!" Natsu kept his eyes focused on their goal.

"Hmm, I think it would be prudent for us to take notes as we move along." Erza proposed.

"On what?" Lucy asked.

"We should write down the path we've taken from our starting point, and the locations we've passed." The redhead explained. "We need to know precisely where we are in order to make progress."

"Good point. Don't wanna keep running around in circles." Dante agreed.

"No joke, guess we better start mapping stuff out." Gray added.

"Come on, that ain't gonna work here." Elfman seemed to disagree.

"How are we supposed to make a map of this topsy-turvy place?" Natsu questioned as well.

"Quit whining and help!" Gray stated. "Can't you just sniff out the goal or something?"

"Don't ya think I've been trying?" Natsu replied.

"The magic they must have cast on the labyrinth must have dulled your sense of smell." Lucy assumed worriedly.

"The conditions are the same for every team, let's keep moving." Erza said.

---

Meanwhile, in the city down below, while most of the populace was watching and cheering for the guilds competing in the preliminary rounds, those not competing from Fairy Tail were still looking for their missing members.

"What?! Romeo, Wendy, Patty, and Carla are missing?!" Macao exclaimed as he and Wakaba had been told everything by Lisanna, Modeus, and Happy.

"Yeah, they vanished before this thing even started!" Happy stated. "We can't find them anywhere!"

"Wasn't Wendy supposed to be competing in this thing?" Wakaba asked. "Have the others been disqualified?"

"No, my brother stepped in as a last-minute replacement." Lisanna answered.

"He and the others should be able to hold their own in there, the rest of us need to focus find Wendy and the others." Modeus said.

At the same time, Lady and Trish had found Warren as well as Max and told them the same thing.

"You gotta be kidding me. The Games haven't even started and there's already trouble?" Max questioned.

"Can't you reach the kids with your telepathy?" Lady asked Warren.

"I got everyone in the guild linked up." Warren answered. "But I can't seem to reach Wendy, Carla or the others. They're either out of range, unconscious… or something's blocking it."

"Tell everyone to comb the whole city!" Trish ordered. "They gotta be here somewhere!"

"This city is huge though, and there's probably hundreds of thousands of people. It'll be like looking for a needle in a haystack." Max said.

"We still gotta find them though. I won't rest till their found." Trish said with determination.

"None of us will." Lady said in the same manner before they split off to look in separate directions

---

Meanwhile, back in the labyrinth, the team was trying their best to map out their current location in the freaky multi-dimensional maze, or rather Lucy was trying her best. But it was a lot harder than she had expected.

"East is that direction." Erza made sure they were still heading in the right direction.

"This maze is harder to map out than I thought." Lucy said as she tried to draw a map.

"Well, what do you expect when everything around you looks the same?" Gray replied.

Natsu stiffened up a bit. "Hey, Dante…?"

"Yeah, I heard it too." The Son of Sparda confirmed, getting serious.

Before anyone could ask what they were talking about, they also began to hear what they were concerned with: the voices of other people coming closer.

"You're the one who told us to go this way you little runt!"

"Don't try to blame this on me!"

"I don't care whose fault it is! All I know is that we've been here before!"

"That's what I'm saying! We're going around in circles!"

"Just shut up and keep moving!"

"I almost forgot…" Elfman said, getting serious like the rest of his team.

"It's been so quiet, it's easy to forget there are other guilds in here." Gray added.

The group then looked upward to a platform above them as the source of the other voices revealed itself: another six-man team from a guild they had the misfortune of knowing: Twilight Ogre, and their team's leader appeared to be Thibault, the same guy who led the ransacking of Fairy Tail the past seven years.

"Man, you gotta be kidding me." Thibault growled as he and his pals saw the Fairy Tail team below them.

"You again?"

"It's the Fairy Tail guild."

"This some kind of joke?"

"Ugh, not those jerks." Natsu groaned in irritation.

"Twilight Ogre." Erza said in the same tone.

"You clowns are in the Games too?" Dante questioned. "Don't you think you'd be better off in a circus traumatizing children?"

"Damn…" Gray smirked at Dante's little roast.

"You got no right to call us clowns." Thibault replied. "You're the guild that always comes in last place."

"Fairy Tail's taking first place this year!" Natsu exclaimed. "Just you watch!"

"Ha!" Thibault laughed as he and his pals drew their weapons. "We'll see about that."

"Whoa! Hold on a sec! You wanna fight us right here?!" Lucy questioned.

"Why not? We can use magic without restriction. I don't blame ya for being scared." One Twilight Ogre goon said.

"Scared is not the word I'd use." Dante cracked. "But if you insist on getting in our way…" He drew Rebellion in one hand, twirling it while holding his newly acquired shotgun, Coyote-A, in the other. "I don't mind beating the shit out of you again."

"Yeah, I'm in too. These guys will never learn." Gray was on-board along with most of his teammates.

"I'm fired up, now." Natsu grinned as Elfman chuckled and cracked his knuckles.

"We're really going through with this…?" Lucy didn't seem as enthusiastic, but Erza was in the same boat as everyone else.

"The fewer the rivals, the better our chances." She grinned as she brandished her own sword.

"Yeah… you gotta good point, Erza…" Lucy said with a wincing smile, knowing she couldn't stop her friends when they were in this mood.

Twilight Ogre was already on the attack.

"You're gonna pay for making us look bad in front of the boss!"

"Let's pulverize em!"

"We're gonna be crying for mercy when we get done with ya!"

"We don't have time to mess with you!" Natsu's fists lit on fire.

"Cause we gotta take down Sabertooth!" Gray prepared an Ice-Make spell.

"To be number one in Fiore!" Elfman flexed his muscles.

"So, get out of our way." Dante grinned.

*SMASH!*

*SLICE!*

*BANG!*

It didn't even take a full second before all of Twilight Ogre was sent falling off the path and likely out of the entire floating labyrinth.

However, before any kind of celebration could be made, the eyes on the face on the outside of the Sky-Labyrinth flashed red multiple times, accompanied by an alarm-like sound. Suddenly, the entire structure began to shift and change, rotating from the inside, much to the surprise of Team Fairy Tail.

"What now?!" Erza questioned.

"Ah man, I don't like this…!" Natsu looked more than a little worried.

"What's going on?!" Lucy exclaimed as she and Gray held onto each other's arms for support.

"The ground's moving!" Gray stated. "No wait…"

"It's the whole god damn maze!" Dante exclaimed as he drove Rebellion into the ground to keep himself from falling. "The thing is rotating like a globe! Everyone, hang on to something!"

"Nobody warned us about this!" Natsu screamed as he and Lucy lost their grip and fell off their respective platforms, looking like they were about to fall out of the labyrinth entirely.

"Quicksilver!" Dante quickly activated his power that slowed all of time around him to a crawl before leaping from his now-vertical platform straight down to his falling friends, grabbing them both in his arms while activating a new style he learned during his three months of training.

"Trickster!" A red magic circle appeared under his feet which gave him a propulsion of energy to shoot himself as well as his friends up to a more stable platform just as his Quicksilver wore off.

"Whoa… thanks Cous." Lucy breathed in relief along with Natsu.

"Look around us!" Dante said as the three of them looked to see multiple people, likely some of the other competing guilds screaming and falling as they were in the same situation, having lost their footing as the labyrinth rotated, sending them all plummeting out of the gargantuan maze.

---

"What in the hell?!" Lady exclaimed as she and Trish saw the rotating labyrinth above them.

"That thing is rotating! So that's how they're narrowing down all that many guilds!" Trish stated.

"A race through a giant maze wasn't enough?!" Lady exclaimed in comical frustration. "Who the hell came up with something this insane?!"

"They weren't joking about loss of life it would seem…" Trish muttered.

---

"Uh oh!" Happy exclaimed as he, Lisanna, and Modeus saw the phenomenon as well. "Guys, look!"

"They're dropping like flies!" She exclaimed.

"But it seems nobody is dying from this…" Modeus saw giant magic circles suddenly appearing to catch all the people who fell out of the labyrinth. "Still doesn't take away from how reckless something like this is!"

"Oh no… if they fall, they'll be disqualified!" Lisanna stated.

"Really?" Happy looked incredibly worried at that. "I hope they're going to be alright up there."

"Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do to help them." Modeus said grimly.

---

Back inside, the labyrinth continued to rotate as Erza, Gray, and Elfman held onto whatever they could to avoid falling.

"It's turning on its Z-axis!" Erza exclaimed.

"You hear that?! We gotta move to the sides, you guys!" Gray said to the rest of the team.

"We're a little busy, right now!" Lucy shouted as she and Natsu clung to Dante, who kept Rebellion wedged into the ground to maintain their foothold.

"Now that's a manly way to stand your ground!" Elfman proclaimed as the rotating labyrinth finally came to a stop.

"Are you guys alright over there?!" Gray questioned.

"We're good!" Dante, Natsu, and Lucy waved back.

"It stopped moving." Erza noted as she was finally able to stand up straight.

"I don't know who came up with this contraption, but they're pretty messed up in the head." Gray said, not making any attempt to hide the contempt in his voice.

"I'm not surprised by the intricacy of the labyrinth." Erza said. "It's designed to narrow down over one hundred teams down to eight."

"It looks like that last move was enough to get rid of a lot of them." Gray noted.

A stack of papers suddenly fell at the feet of Dante, getting his attention as well as that of Natsu and Lucy as he picked it up.

"Hey, whatchya got there?" Natsu asked as the others regrouped with them.

"Looks like a map…" Dante said as he looked through the papers.

"It's not the one I've been writing." Lucy said. "Probably Twilight Ogre's."

"Talk about a lucky break." Gray smiled. "If we combine our notes with there's, then we'll have an even better map of this place."

Suddenly, an idea came to Dante's head. He grinned evilly as his eyes became four-pointed stars. 'Luck, huh? Then let's go ahead and make some more luck.'

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"

They turned around to see Thibault barley holding onto a platform below them.

"Oh, I'm sorry… does this map belong to you?" Dante trolled.

"Yeah! Now give it back!"

"What's the magic word?" Dante sung.

"Huh? Please?" Thibault questioned.

"You also gotta say sorry." Dante told him.

"Sorry?! For what?!"

"For messing with our guild for the past seven years, what else?" The red-clad Devil Hunter grinned in a comically evilly fashion at the goon. "Say you're sorry and be polite about asking for this back."

Seeing no other choice, Thibault grumbled before he put on his groveling face. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry my pals and I messed your guild! Will you please give us our map back?"

"Nope." Dante brandished Coyote-A and fired, obliterating the platform and sending the punk falling out of the labyrinth.

"YOU SON OF A BIIIIIIIIIIITTCH!" Thibault screamed as he fell.

"You did that on purpose, didn't ya?" Gray assumed.

"Not only that, I figured out who we're gonna this thing." Dante said as he held the notes in his hands. "We go around and beat the shit out of the other guilds in here, steal their maps and use them to get to the goal."

"I get it." Erza grinned in the same fashion as Dante. "We gain a clearer path and eliminate all our potential rivals."

"Two birds, one stone." Dante smirked with his eyes being four-pointed stars. Natsu, Erza, Gray, and Elfman all joined him in making the same faces as they cackled menacingly.

"Uh oh… I hate it when they make the scary faces…" Lucy winced in comic fright.

---

Meanwhile, Mato continued to watch everything unfold from afar, standing at the base of the colosseum, Domus Flau.

"The preliminary round is about to take a very serious turn. A vast majority of the teams will soon be eliminated! One right after the other! Oh, this is so exciting! I can barley contain myself!"

---

Back inside the labyrinth, most of Team Fairy Tail was already on the move, attacking all the competing guilds nearby and stealing whatever notes they had.

"It may not be nice, but you know what we gotta do!" Natsu blasted away a whole team with a large fireball.

"We gotta steal everyone else's maps!" Gray blew away a team himself with a wave of icicles.

"Keep it coming people! At least make it a challenge for us!" Dante swung Rebellion with one hand, fired Coyote-A in the other; taking down a whole team and half of another single-handedly. "Beating people up is our specialty!"

"This isn't just a race! It's a battle!" Elfman grabbed and tossed a team with pure strength alone. "And we're fighting a manly map-war like no other!"

"I'll take this." Erza already had a cluster of maps in her hands as she had decimated two teams herself in her Black Wing armor.

"Way to go team! We got six maps!" Natsu gloated as he held several maps in his hands.

"I don't wanna sound stupid, but I got no idea how to read this damn thing." Elfman said, trying to decipher whatever was drawn in the papers he held.

"This kind of thing is Lucy's specialty. Let's ask her." Gray said.

"You heard em, Cous." Dante already handed her a large stack of maps, much to her shock. "We'll do the beating; you do the map-making." He said as Erza destroyed yet another team in her Lightning-Empress armor in the background.

"Wait… we're really doing this…?" She muttered as she held the stack in her arms.

"Hand em over, chumps!" Natsu and Gray already blasted away several teams with their respective fire and ice.

"Give us all of your maps!" Gray grinned.

"I've already got three of them so far!" Elfman gloated as he held up one guy by his neck in his massive hand, while Erza was at his back in her Black Wing armor.

"Not to shabby, but I got seven." She proclaimed.

"I got ten. How's that for ya?" Dante chuckled as eighteen people in total were already falling from the platform he stood on.

"I'm so sorry." Lucy apologized to one poor guy who was already beaten to a pulp.

"No you're not…"

The alarm rang once again, signaling the start of another rotate of the labyrinth and alerting the team.

"It's gonna move again!" Gray stated.

"We're ready this time." Dante stated, driving Rebellion into the ground again to keep himself stable. "Grab a hold of whatever's attached to the ground!"

The labyrinth then began to shift and rotate, eliminating even more guilds from the competition. Though at various parts of the labyrinth, some of the stronger and more competent guilds had already found ways to counter the phenomenon and maintain their position without falling; among them was Vergil and his team in Sabertooth as they continued to watch their competition fall.

The rotating came to a stop and the labyrinth was stable once again. "It stopped." Elfman observed.

"Awesome! Alright team, let's get back to business!" Natsu said eagerly.

---

Meanwhile, back in Crocus, the rest of Fairy Tail continued their search for their missing compatriots, but had so far come up empty handed.

"Still nothing?!" Trish questioned as she and Lady leapt from rooftop-to-rooftop.

"No. You'd think a couple of kids and a flying cat would be pretty easy to spot." Max communicated over Warren's telepathy.

"We looked all over this city but haven't found nor high or hair of them." Warren said.

"Obviously, we haven't looked hard enough!" Lady exclaimed, as it appeared she and Trish were getting impatient, both greatly concerned for the missing kids and Exceed.

---

"Calm down!" Modeus insisted as he, Lisanna, and Happy continued the search as well. "We're all worried, but letting our stress get to us is not going to help them!" Truth be told, Modeus was greatly worried for them as well, especially since Wendy was his student. But, he also knew that panicking wouldn't help, so he did his best to stay calm. "We need to think with a level head. We've searched most of Crocus and even asked around, but we have yet to find them and none of the citizens have seen them either."

Lisanna tried to follow his train of thought. "Okay, so the only places we haven't looked would be Domus Flau and the royal palace."

Happy gasped in realization. "That reminds me!"

"What is it?" Modeus asked.

"Earlier today, Carla mentioned something about going on a site-seeing tour of the city with Wendy, and I'm sure Patty and Romeo would be there with them." Happy said as the trio stopped running and gazed at the royal palace Mercurius in the distance.

"Well in that case, maybe they are at the palace!" Lisanna assumed.

"There is only one way for us to know." Modeus said. "Let's head over there."

---

Back in the Sky-Labyrinth, all of the maps that Team Fairy Tail had acquired had been laid out on the ground for Lucy to try and decipher. "Hmm, I feel like there's no point in trying to head east from the surface of the labyrinth, we're just gonna end up running around in circles because the stupid thing keeps rotating."

"Is that why you decided to bring us to the center of it instead?" Elfman asked.

"Yeah, I thought it was gonna be easy to find east from here, but apparently I was wrong." She replied.

"The center of this crazy piece of garbage… wasn't quite what I had expected it to be." Dante said, gazing upward from their path to see what appeared to be a small town in the middle of a lush green landscape with a clean river running through it.

"Who would have thought we'd find a peaceful landscape in the center of this monstrosity." Erza noted, seemingly oblivious to the fact that whole town was upside down and supposedly hanging from the sky, while the clouds were below the path they were currently on.

"It be more peaceful if it wasn't upside down." Gray commented.

"Since this stupid thing keeps turning, maybe we're the ones who are upside down." Natsu said.

"Does it really matter?" Dante questioned before turning to Erza. "Do we still know which way is east in this shitty excuse of a maze?"

"I'm afraid not." Erza showed her compass to reveal the needle continued to turn around in every direction with no sign of stopping.

"Well, that's just perfect." Elfman groaned. "There's no way of telling which way we're supposed to go!"

"True, but we can't afford to stop moving either." Erza said.

Lucy gave something of a triumphant and eager chuckle, getting her friends' attention. "Yes, I've been waiting for this moment!"

"What's gotten into you?" Natsu questioned.

"I bet this crazy place has got her brain all scrambled." Elfman guessed.

"Nope, my brain is working just fine." Lucy proclaimed proudly.

"You're gonna summon that compass-spirit again, aren't ya?" Dante assumed.

"Damn right, Cous!" Lucy brandished the very same silver key again. "Open! Gate of the Compass! Pyxis!" With a wave of her key, she had summoned the spirit Pyxis again.

"Pyka!"

"The duck thing again?" Elfman questioned.

Suddenly, Pyxis clung to Lucy out of fright for some unknown reason. "Why does it look so scared?" Natsu asked.

"Erza's compass must have traumatized it." Lucy assumed as she patted her spirit in comfort.

"I didn't mean to upset him." Erza said.

"You tend to leave a traumatizing effect on most people. Not that it's a bad thing considering most of those people are bad guys." Dante cracked to Erza.

"Okay pal, don't be scared, this is your time to shine." Lucy tried to encourage Pyxis. "Her compass is totally useless!"

"Pyka?" Pyxis perked up at that.

"Observe." Erza showed her compass as the needle continued to spin.

"See? I told you. We could really use your help right now." Lucy said.

"I apologize for upsetting you, would you please assist us?" Erza politely asked the spirit.

"You are kind of our only hope now, so would you mind?" Dante also asked.

"Pyka!" Pyxis immediately perked up with excitement and joy.

"That's one simple-minded spirit." Gray commented with a grin.

"Yeah, but I bet he's still smarter than Erza." Natsu joked.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Erza bellowed as she gave the pair a death-glare.

"NOTHING! NOTHING AT ALL!" They both exclaimed in fright.

Pyxis immediately got to work, the compass needle on his head spun before it pointed in the desired direction. "Pyka!" The spirit pointed upward slightly toward the upside town that hung above them.

"East is that way!" Lucy pointed in the same direction triumphantly. "Celestial Spirit Magic for the win!"

"One small problem: 'that way' is up!" Gray pointed out.

"You sure he's right about this?" Natsu asked.

"I'm positive." Lucy confirmed. "Trust me, Celestial Spirits are way stronger than regular old compasses."

"Pyka!" Pyxis nodded smugly with crossed arms.

"Any ideas for how we're gonna get up there?" Elfman questioned.

"Wait for it…" Dante told them.

Right on que, the alarm rang again, once again signaling the rotating of the entire Sky-Labyrinth. Even the center of the contraption was not immune to it as the entire landscape began to flip over with the town and valley moving toward the ground and the path they were standing on toward the sky.

"That's one way to get there." Erza noted calmly while everyone panicked.

"We fall?! That is so not cool!" Natsu, Lucy, and Gray all screamed as the entire group fell from the path and down into the river as the Labyrinth finished rotating.

The team quickly pulled themselves out of the lake and straightened themselves out, while Pyxis had already returned to the Spirit World.

"Come on, everyone on their feet." Dante said as they all stood up. "We're not done with this race yet, let's go!"

The group immediately broke out into a run, heading in the direction of East that Lucy and her spirit had revealed to them. After a few minutes of non-stop running, Team Fairy Tail found themselves on a long and winding stone path that only head in one direction with a large ocean just below them.

"How in the heck were they able to squeeze an ocean into this thing!?" Elfman exclaimed.

"Does it really matter?!" Dante replied. "Unless we gotta fight a giant sea monster, keep running!"

"How long is this freaking path?!" Lucy questioned.

"Quit whining and look up!" Gray told them, causing the group to look upward toward the sky… only to see that parts of it were missing in the form of blocks and tiles and reveal more clockwork-like mechanisms underneath.

"The sky above us isn't real! It's been painted on!" Erza stated.

"She's right! Check it out!" Natsu agreed.

"If that's the case, then this must actually lead somewhere!" Lucy said hopefully.

"I bet my sword and guns this is the homestretch right here!" Dante assumed.

"Okay team, it's time for one final sprint!" Natsu decaled.

"Let's go!" They all said as they picked up the pace. Within minutes, they would indeed reach the finish line to the maze, and hopefully make it through the preliminary round.

---

Back in the city, Modeus, Lisanna, and Happy had arrived at their destination, the massive palace that was the home of the royal family. Lisanna and Happy couldn't help but look in awe at the grand architecture of the enormous building.

"So, this is the king of Fiore's castle?" Lisanna asked.

"The Luminaria Palace… Mercurius…" Happy said in awe.

"This is the first time I've ever seen it…!" Lisanna said.

"Yeah, me too…" Happy added.

"We are not here to sight-see, we need to find the others. Now." Modeus got them back on track. Now that they had a possible lead, Modeus was eager to find Wendy, Carla, and the other kids; though he still did his best to remain clam, the idea that they were getting closer was beginning to break that appearance.

However, their way was quickly blocked by a pair of guards who crossed their spears.

"Stop right there!"

"Where do you think you're going? These grounds are closed."

"Forgive us, but our guildmates are missing." Modeus said. "A white female humanoid cat that can fly, and three children; two girls and one boy."

"One of them was supposed to participate in the Grand Magic Games' preliminary round." Lisanna added.

"We've searched all over Crocus, so this is the only place left for us to check." Happy said as well.

This caused the guards to look with concern, innocent people vanishing, especially children, would be enough to make anybody feel a bit anxious for them.

"Hey, let's just let them in." One guard told his friend. "There are kids missing."

"Yeah… you're right." The other one agreed. "Plus, his majesty is looking forward to the games, so we certainly don't want to interfere with that."

The guards cleared the way, allowing them to pass. "Go ahead, but don't go any further than the castle courtyard."

"Thank you." Modeus nodded as the three of them ran on ahead as quickly as possible.

---

"They let you guys in that easily?!" Lady questioned as she and Trish, along with everyone else connected via Warren's Telepathy, got the report from Modeus' group.

"We're in the courtyard now. We'll let you know if we find them." Lisanna replied.

"It's the only place we haven't looked, so they have to be there." Trish said. "Everyone else is already on their way to the palace."

"Including us." Lady stated as she and Trish broke out in a sprint in the direction of Mercurius.

---

Modeus, Lisanna, and Happy arrived at the large hedge maze within the courtyard. "Let's split up from here, we'll cover more ground." Modeus instructed. "Happy, you search from the sky. Let us know the second you find anything."

"You got it." Happy nodded as he flew above the maze.

Lisanna noticed the distressed look in the kind demon's eyes and gently touched his arm. "Hey, we'll find them." She assured.

"I certainly hope so…" Modeus replied as they split up to comb different parts of the maze. 'Wendy… please be okay…'

---

The made it. The six members of Team Fairy Tail had made it to the finishing line. All six of them had stood before a large gate that had the multi-colored neon sign of the word 'GOAL' above it. And the one to greet them was the Games' mascot in the flesh, Mato. He clapped for their performance and arrival.

"Elfman Strauss. Erza Scarlet. Gray Fullbuster. Lucy Heartfilia. Natsu Dragneel. And last but certainly not least… Dante Redgrave."

All six of them couldn't help but smile with pride and joy at their accomplishment as their names were sounded off.

"Wahoo! Congratulations, Team Fairy Tail! You've cleared the preliminary round!" Mato congratulated.

"We did it!" Natsu cheered.

"Why do you sound so surprised? I knew we were gonna make it." Gray said.

"Was there ever any doubt?" Dante said smugly.

"I'm dying to know, did we come in first place?!" Lucy asked excitedly.

"Um…. No." Mato revealed. "More like eighth place. You just barely qualified."

It took a second for that to process for the whole team. Their smiles and feelings of pride and accomplishment all vanished and were replaced with comic shock as their eyes widened and jaws dropped.

"EIGHTH PLACE!?" They all shouted in disbelief.

---

Meanwhile, back in the city, while the rest of Fairy Tail continued to search for their missing comrades, the giant thought projection of Mato reappeared over the city to make an announcement.

"Attention everyone! The eight teams have been determined! The Grand Magic Games preliminary round, Sky-Labyrinth, is over!"

"Did Fairy Tail make the cut?" Lady questioned as she and Trish continued to run toward the palace. "What guilds made it to the tournament?"

"Ooohhh? So you wanna know who's participating in the main events? Well you'll just have to wait to the opening ceremonies to find out!" The projection vanished.

"Are you kidding me?!" Trish exclaimed.

"You god damn pumpkin!" Lady called out in fury with an anger-mark over her head.

---

"Sounds like the preliminary round is over. I hope Natsu and the others made it through." Lisanna said to herself as she continued to search the maze.

"Lisanna! Modeus! I found them!" Happy told them over their telepathic link.

"Where are they?!" Modeus stopped in his tracks at his spot in the maze.

"In the middle of the maze!"

---

"You found them?!" Trish exclaimed, having gotten the news as well. "Are they alright?!"

"I think so." Lisanna radioed back. "They seem unconscious… but please come as soon as possible!"

"We're on our way!" Lady replied.

---

It was true; Lisanna, Modeus, and Happy had indeed found the missing group composing of Wendy, Carla, Romeo, and Patty, all of whom appeared to be unconscious. Currently, Modeus held Wendy in his arms as Lisanna checked over Romeo and Patty while Happy tried to nudge Carla awake.

"Wake up, Carla… It's me, Happy. Ya know, the one you call 'tomcat'?"

"They're don't appear to be hurt… but I can feel Romeo's magic has dropped down to zero. Patty just seems unconscious." Lisanna said worriedly.

"Yeah… same with Carla…" Happy said with distress.

Modeus could indeed feel the same with Wendy, her magic power almost felt completely drained. He searched her over a bit, but found something that made him gasp slightly.

There was a tiny hole in the side of her neck, one that leaked a tiny bit of blood. It wasn't an injury one could get from a knife, and it would heal probably in a matter of minutes. But this kind of mark could only be given by a syringe of some kind. That could only mean one thing.

"They were attacked." Modeus said as his eyes narrowed, getting the attention of Lisanna and Happy. "Somebody ambushed them."

Wendy's eyes slowly began to flicker open, drawing Modeus' attention. But he soon saw fear in her face. "No… please don't hurt me…"

"Wendy, it's alright. It's Modeus, I promise your safe." He assured his student as Lisanna and Happy joined him as well.

Her vision began to clear as she saw them. "Modeus… Lisanna… Happy… what happened…? Where are Carla… Romeo and… Patty…?"

"They're alright, just unconcious." Lisanna assured.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Happy asked.

"I… I can't…" Her memory appeared to be a bit dazed. Modeus held the girl close to give whatever form of comfort he could.

Little did they suspect, they were being watched by the very attackers. Perched at the top of the walls that separated the rest of the palace grounds from the courtyard was a certain lowlife demon that bore the resemblance of a rather hideous human. Perched on his shoulder was a smaller creature that had a short black robe with the Raven Tail emblem on it, as well as an eerie smile on its face.

"Well now, that didn't quite go as expected." Sid said as he held the syringe he used when they attacked Wendy and her friends. "The little Dragon Slayer actually managed to put up a fight… those little senses were enough to see you coming… but not a low-level demon like me." Sid said as he licked the needle of the syringe.

The creature on his shoulder chuckled in agreement alongside him as Sid gazed in the direction of Domus Flau.

"This year's Grand Magic Games will be unlike any other in years past." The low-level, yet dangerous, demon grinned. "Just you wait, Fairy Tail. By the time it's over, your guild's status in this kingdom will be the least of your problems."

Done.

And so the Grand Magic Games have finally begun. Just like in the canon, Elfman has substituted for Wendy and Team Fairy Tail just barley qualified for the tournament. I know some of you were hoping for Lisanna to fill in, but Elfman's role in the canon games was very essential and I enjoyed his time there, and I don't plan to change that. The man deserves his time in the spotlight (and yes, I did that 'man' part on purpose, LOL). But at the same time, as explained by the characters, they can't have all their strongest members out during the games. So everyone else (Lisanna included) will be acting as a stand-by unit, read to jump into action should something come up. Lisanna may not be participating in the Grand Magic Games, but she will have a big role to play in this arc. Trust me.

Dante's also got a new power and weapon to his arsenal: Trickster, which allows him to leap from different angles, and even in mid-air; as well as his trusty shotgun, Coyote-A. You can bet he'll make good use out of both of them.

Wendy and her friends were also still attacked like in the canon, but it seems Sid is back and he has also played a part in it… appearing be in league with Raven Tail.

We also had our long-awaited reunion between the main cast and Vergil, while also meeting Sting and Rogue; and despite Vergil trying to keep their arrogance in check, Sting especially is just as condescending as in the canon (and totally deserving of that punch in the face by Natsu). I had a lot of fun writing that scene; as Dante, Lucy, and Natsu come to see that Vergil really hasn't changed all that much. He seems about as cold as ever. He's known Lucy was his cousin even since the beginning, so you can imagine the hurt and anger they'd all feel about that given what he did despite knowing that. Things are certainly going to be tense between Fairy Tail and Sabertooth, perhaps even more so than in the canon as we come to see more of Vergil with each passing chapter.

Day One of the Grand Magic Games begin next, some things may go like in the canon, but some things won't. Can Fairy Tail regain their prominence as Fiore's Number One guild, while also juggling their secret mission on behest of Crime Sorciere?

Find out next time on Fairy May Cry!