Hi everyone, welcome back! And thus, the Grand Magic Games have officially begun! I'm going to say right now that while there will be some changes during the events of the games, some of the results of the competition will be the same for specific reasons. Simply put, this entire arc has a lot of moving parts to it; from the scoring of the competition to the many characters in this arc, as well as the conspiracy going on that has Crime Sorciere so concerned. I've taken a great amount of time to plan this whole arc, even pitching and sharing ideas with my friend altajir95 who has been a great help throughout my entire series, and I believe I have come up with the best way to handle this enormous arc and I sincerely hope that you all enjoy what I have planned here.

Oh, one last thing. Team Fairy Tail A will not be wearing any team uniforms this time around. I was originally planning on having the uniforms be red and black to match Dante's jacket (there was no way in hell that he'd wear purple LOL), but the uniforms don't really serve that much purpose. Plus, they only wore them on Day 1 and none of the other guilds had them, not even Team Fairy Tail B. It just felt unnecessary.

And they were Makarov's idea anyway, but since Gildarts is the current master here… he doesn't seem like the uniform-type, so I decided to just scrap the whole thing.

Now without further delay, let's get this thing rolling.

Let The Games Begin!

Today was the day. The entirety of Domus Flau colosseum was in an absolute uproar as fireworks and confetti were shot in the air along with balloons. The seats were packed with thousands of spectators who came from all over to witness this action-packed competition. Even a dozen or so cheerleaders danced around a giant torch that was recently lit in the middle of the arena. The most anticipated event of the year was about to finally begin.

"The big day is finally here, folks! The Grand Magic Games will begin shortly! This will certainly be a year to remember!"

The cheers of the spectators could be heard far and wide, even within the building itself as Team Fairy Tail stood ready to step out into the arena.

"Listen to that crowd." Dante observed with a grin. "Just gives you chills, doesn't it?"

"I didn't think there'd be so many people watching." Lucy commented in awe.

"It is the highly most anticipated event of the year, so it is to be expected." Erza said.

"Yeah, the city's full of wizards from all over the country." Gray added. "Of course, folks want to see em in action."

"And I can't wait to beat em all up!" Natsu pounded his fist into his palm with an eager smile. "I'm all fired up! Let's get the ball rolling!"

However, Elfman didn't seem as enthusiastic as everyone else as he sat down. "Hey man, come on." Dante told him. "You think the kid would want you sulking around?"

"She's the one who should be standing here with the rest of you, not me." Elfman said, causing everyone to look down with remorseful expressions.

Just before getting ready for the games, the rest of Team Fairy Tail had been notified what happened to Wendy, Romeo, Patty, and Carla. Needless to say, they were all worried and demanded to know what happened.

"You found them?!" Natsu exclaimed, rushing into the infirmary with the rest of the team right behind him.

Within the infirmary Wendy and Carla were lying unconscious in a single bed while Romeo and Patty each laid in the bed next to them. Modeus, Happy, Lisanna, and even Macao had been watching over them non-stop having brought them to the infirmary.

"What happened to them?" Dante questioned immediately.

"We found them at the palace's gardens." Happy answered.

"Physically most of them were uninjured, though there magic and physical stamina was all but drained away." Modeus informed.

"Most of them?" Erza questioned, not liking the sound of that.

"Look at Wendy right here…" Lisanna gently turned the young Sky Dragon Slayer's head, revealing the tiny hole on her neck, causing Team Fairy Tail to look in shock. "Someone attacked them."

"Who?" Natsu questioned with a growl.

"We don't know, but only Wendy was attacked." Lisanna answered. "Carla, Romeo, and Patty don't have any marks on them at all."

"This is my fault." Macao said, looking down in frustration. "I let my kid out of my sight for two seconds now this…?!"

"There is nothing we can do about it now, don't blame yourself." Modeus told him. Though he also felt the same way, feeling responsible for Wendy.

Wendy's eyes slowly began to flutter, getting their attention as she opened her eyes and awoke. "Natsu…" She looked toward her fellow Dragon Slayer and surrogate brother weakly.

"What happened?" He asked. "Do you know who did this…?"

She tried to recall as best as she could. "It… It's all a blur… I can't really…"

"Don't strain yourself." Modeus assured, kneeling to her level. "It's okay, you're safe now."

"They appear to have Magic Deficiency Syndrome." Everyone looked toward the door to see Porlyusica had just entered the infirmary.

"Porlyusica…!" Lucy acknowledged in surprise.

"Wait, what are you doing here?" Lisanna also asked.

"Something wrong with cheering you on?" Porlyusica replied, causing Lisanna to stiffen up.

"N-No ma'am!"

The old woman gave an assuring smile. "Calm down, I wasn't scolding you child. Don't be so nervous, I'm not going to eat you." She turned back to those who needed her attention. "Makarov contacted me so I came here to see if I can help." She kneeled down and felt Wendy's forehead.

"Thanks for coming all this way." Macao said sincerely. "I know crowds and people aren't your thing."

"Hold on granny, you said they had Magic Deficiency Syndrome, what the heck is that?" Dante questioned.

"Can you also tell us what happened to Wendy?" Erza also asked. "She appears to have been injected with something."

"I doubt it's a poison or anything." Porlyusica replied, taking a look on the mark on Wendy's neck. "Based on first glance, it appears to be an anesthetic. It was meant only to knock her out, not harm her. As for the first question, it's a condition of weakened physical strength brought on by an acute case of magic depletion. All four of them have had nearly all their magic power sucked out. But they'll recover with enough bed rest."

"Wait all four?" Gray questioned. "You're telling us that Patty has magic?"

"It would appear so, though it is mostly dormant… it too can be affected by this special kind of spell." Porlyusica answered.

This caused everyone, particularly Dante and Lucy, to look in surprise. Patty has magical powers? That was certainly unexpected.

"Who did this to them?" Natsu wondered.

"It… It was him…" They all looked to see Patty slowly begin to stir awake with shaky eyes, and she seemed to recall what happened. "That… that man… from the hotel and… theater…"

Flashback

The group consisting of Wendy, Romeo, Patty, and Carla continued to wonder around the palace's gardens until the Sky Dragon Slayer came to a stop, much to her friends' concern.

"Hmm, what is it child?" Carla asked.

"Something wrong?" Romeo also asked.

"We're being watched." Wendy said with a serious expression, causing them to look in surprise. "I can smell someone… Right… There!" She glanced up and behind her to see a small creature with the Raven Tail robe on it. It leapt down to try and attack them, but Wendy waved her hand to send a gust of wind that managed to knock the creature back.

"What is that thing?!" Patty exclaimed.

"I don't know, but…" Wendy was interrupted by a large cloud of smoke that suddenly exploded throughout the small area, causing the four of them to cough and cover their eyes.

"I can't see…" Romeo coughed. "What is this…?"

"Guys, hang on! I'll…" Before Wendy could make a move, a hand was clasped over her mouth before she felt a sharp pain in the side of her neck.

"Hush now, no need to spoil the fun, little Dragon Slayer." Sid cackled evilly as he injected the anesthetic into Wendy's neck, which immediately caused her to black out and fall to the ground, unconscious. "Now, let's get to work, shall we?" Sid said as the same small creature of Raven Tail crawled onto his shoulder.

In a matter of seconds, Romeo, Patty, and Carla all fell to the ground as the smoke began to clear out. Patty remained consciousness for a few seconds, which was enough for her to see who it was that attacked him.

End Flashback

"It was Sid?!" Lucy exclaimed as she and Dante looked in a mixture of surprise and anger.

"Who?" Gray questioned.

"An extremely weak demon." Dante summed up. "We met the guy on our first job with Patty, tried to kill her, but he ran off when his plan failed."

"Perhaps that's how he was able to ambush them." Erza assumed. "Because his power was so weak, he was able to evade Wendy's Dragon Slayer senses… and whatever else was there with him probably distracted her enough."

Natsu growled with anger. "If I see that Sid freak, I'm gonna murder him for what he did to Wendy and Romeo!"

"Get in line." Macao said with a deathly tone and narrowed eyes. That Sid-creep dared to hurt his son like this? He may as well have signed his own death warrant.

"I'm sorry…" Wendy hunched herself into her bed and began to cry. "I… I trained so hard… I've gotten… so much stronger… but I'm still useless…"

"No, you're not." Modeus said immediately as everyone else, even the barley-awake Patty, looked in sympathy. "This was not your fault Wendy, don't even think that. You have gotten stronger. Everyone here knows that."

Despite the assurance from her teacher and father-figure, Wendy couldn't help but continue to cry. "Elfman… please take my place… win for me."

Though surprised at first, Elfman gave an assuring grin. "Sure. You can count on me kid."

"Alright, everyone needs to leave." Porlyusica addressed the group and turned to Modeus directly. "You as well. They need to get proper rest and I promise to take care of all of them."

"I understand." Modeus nodded in acceptance before patting Wendy on the head. "You'll be okay…"

"Let's go." Erza told everyone else. "There's nothing we can do here. We might as well try to focus on the Games."

"You're right. That's the only way we're gonna become number one again." Happy said as everybody left, leaving only the children and Porlyusica.

Wendy continued to cry in her bed, not just for feeling she let everyone down, but because her friends were also in this situation. Carla, Romeo, and Patty… she thought she could help and protect them, but she couldn't. There was nothing more frustrating than that. She looked towards Patty, to see she was coming in-and-out, like she was struggling to keep herself awake.

"I'm sorry… Patty…"

"No need for waterworks, child." Porlyusica said as she began to work with her potions. "You did everything you could to protect your friends, but no matter how strong you get, those with more experience are the most likely to come out on top. It's unfair, but that's just how the world works. And those ridiculous games go on for several days, I'm sure you'll get to participate once you're well. And make no mistake, you will recover now that I'm here, on my honor as a healer."

Wendy couldn't help but look at Porlyusica in awe. Her tone was different, but the way she addressed her in providing comfort and assurance sounded just like the dragon who raised her. This gave her the warm and fuzzy feeling inside that told her everything would be alright, that she and her friends were in good hands.

"Thanks, Grandeeney."

"Do not call me by that name!" The old woman scolded, which only seemed to cause Wendy to giggle. Even Patty, who let herself fall back to sleep, knowing she was in good hands, smiled as well.

Team Fairy Tail had gathered just outside the entrance that would lead them directly into the arena and need only wait for their guild to be announced before they stepped out.

"You think this Sid-creep might be working with one of the other guilds in the game?" Natsu wondered. "Maybe Vergil?"

"No." Dante shook his head. "Vergil might be willing to work with others, but this would be too dirty for him."

"But there is still a possibility that Sid could be involved with one of the other guilds." Lucy added.

"Did he do it to purposely weaken our team though? or did he have his own ulterior motive?" Gray questioned.

"Keep your eyes on the prize for now." Elfman said. "Winning this thing is the best way to get revenge for Wendy and the others."

"We're just moments away from the start of the Grand Magic Games, folks. I'm lead commentator, Chapati Lola." One the commentators in one of the VIP stands began to announce as he sat with two other people. "And I'll be handling the play-by-play, while former Council member Yajima provides commentary. Mr. Yajima, glad to have you with us, sir."

"Glad to be here." Yajima nodded.

"And let's not forget our special guest, the Wizard Saint's own Master of Flames, Bruni!" Chapati introduced the Wizard Saint who sat alongside them.

"Thank you, I'm very excited to see what the Games have in store this year." Bruni said with a nod and smile.

"Now, the time has come to meet our competitors!" Chapati began to introduce the teams. "First up, in eighth place, an old school bunch of wizards from Magnolia! They had luck in the prelims and are now they're roaring to take back first place by force! It's Fairy Tail!"

The six-man group of Team Fairy Tail stepped out into the arena, with Natsu raising his fist up high. However, they were immediately greeted with mixed reception. Only about a third of the audience clapped and cheered at most, while the rest of them shouted boos and even gave thumbs down at their entrance.

"What the hell!?" Natsu was beyond surprised, along with Gray, Lucy, and Elfman; while Erza and Dante remained serious, not really minding it.

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

"I wanna go home now." Lucy muttered.

"Forget them. They're not gonna stop us from tearing this whole tournament up." Dante brushed off.

"Who would have thought they'd make it this far after loosing every year?" Chapati commentated. "Securing a spot in the prelims was no small feat for them."

"I'm not surprised." Bruni said. "Don't forget, these guys were among the Fairy Tail guild's elite force that made them so strong all those years ago, one of whom happens to be a Son of Sparda."

"And they just so happened to be responsible for adverting a world-ending catastrophe during the Fortuna-incident." Yajima added. "While these Games will present a challenge, I have no doubt these kids will put up one heck of a fight. I'm certainly proud of them! Way to go kiddos!" He gave them a thumbs up.

Several people in the audience had confused and surprised reactions from those comments. A Wizard Saint and former member of the Magic Council had just defended Fairy Tail. Many of the people who initially cheered for Fairy Tail in the stands had spoken up in agreement, saying they all heard the story. So Fairy Tail certainly had some support.

"Who was that guy that spoke up?" Dante asked.

"His name is Bruni, he is one of the Ten Wizard Saints." Erza explained. "He carries the title of 'Master of Flames' as his proficiency with fire magic is second to none."

"That sure sounds manly!" Elfman grinned.

"If a Wizard Saint other than Gramps is giving his support, I'd say we did something right." Gray said with a smirk of his own.

Lucy also smiled, but then she noticed an odd expression on Natsu's face as he looked up toward the box where the commentators sat at, where Bruni currently was.

"Natsu? What is it?" Lucy asked.

"Nothing." He brushed off, deciding to focus on the Games for now.

"LET'S GO FAIRY TAIL!"

The Team set their sights on a special place in the stands where their entire guild was currently residing, including Morrison, the now-retired Makarov, and even Gildarts raised his fist up high.

"GIVE EM HELL GUYS!" Gildarts cheered.

This earned a genuine smile from the team.

"The support from everyone else is helpful, but the cheers of our comrades is all the support we truly need." Erza said.

"Fine with me." Dante shrugged, playing coy.

However, Natsu noticed someone in the stands. "Hey Erza, look up there!"

Erza, and everyone else followed his gaze and were startled at who they saw there. Standing within the middle of their group of friends appeared to be the mysterious and robed individual that had always been a secret to the rest of the guild. That is until their trip to the world of Edolas.

"No way… Mystogen!?" Lucy exclaimed.

"How is that even possible?!" Gray questioned.

"It's not… unless…" Erza's eyes widened in shock. "Jellal…"

"Calm down, it's okay." They all heard Warren's Telepathy from their minds, which linked them to the rest of their guildmates. "We met with Jellal yesterday and he told us all the same stuff you told the rest of us."

"We originally wanted him to join up with you guys, given how crazy strong he is, but he said it was too risky." Gildarts communicated.

"And that is for the best." Makarov acknowledged. "But while Jellal is a wanted criminal, Mystogen is still a member of Fairy Tail, and only those within the guild know the whole story about Edolas."

"I see. This way he can get a closer look at what's been going on with the Games without being suspicious." Dante seemed to understand. "That's pretty smart."

"I apologize that I won't be of that much help to you in this tournament." Jellal himself told them. "But there are bigger things going on right now and I can't afford to take too many risks."

"It's fine, don't worry." Erza assured with a smile. "Thank you for having our backs."

"Speaking of which, where are Ultear and the others?" Gray asked.

"They are currently observing the events of the Games from a hidden spot within the city. I can't reveal their location, but should something arise, they are prepared to step in and help." Jellal answered. "I did tell you that Crime Sorciere would have Fairy Tail's back, and I meant it."

Smiles were shared by the team, but there was somebody else that appeared in the stands along with their guildmates and friends that caught them by surprise. Two individuals that they did not expect to appear at all.

"Wait… you guys see them, right?" Elfman questioned.

"Dante…!" Lucy gasped.

"Yeah… I see em." Dante confirmed, his eyes shaking at one individual in particular.

"Hooray! Hooray!" Mavis cheered as she sat on the stone ledge just above the arena. And standing right beside her was none other than Sparda, who simply had a smile as his hands were behind his back. "Fairy Tail is number one! Wahoo!"

Makarov, Gildarts, Lisanna, Lady, Trish, Morrison, Happy, Panther-Lily, Macao, and everyone else in Fairy Tail could only look with dropped jaws and circular eyes. Even Jellal was caught off guard.

"M-Master Mavis… S-Sir Sparda…!" Makarov stuttered. "What in the world are you two doing here?!"

"We're here to offer our support to our guild. I had thought it was obvious." Sparda replied.

"Yeah but… aren't you guys… ya know… dead…?" Gildarts questioned.

"There's no way we were going to miss this." Mavis said. "Don't worry, only those who bare our guild's emblem can see us."

"Though we can permit others outside of Fairy Tail to interact with us as well." Sparda added.

"Guess that explains how I can see you." Morrison commented as he did not have Fairy Tail's emblem anywhere on his person.

"But still… two actual ghosts here…" Gildarts said. "That's… a little weird…"

"What else were we supposed to do?" Mavis shrugged. "It's so boring being stuck on Tenrou Island."

"And this is the first time I've ever seen a tournament like this. I'm quite excited myself." Sparda commented.

"Master…" Modeus bowed. "It is good to see you again."

Sparda gave a sincere smile. "Modeus, there's no need to be so formal to a ghost. Please stand."

"I know… but I am really happy that you are here." Modeus said as he stood up straight with a happy smile of his own.

Kyrie looked at him with such awe, that her whole body was shaking. "Is… is that… really him…?"

"Yep, the Dark Knight Sparda himself." Happy said with a proud smile.

"Oh, that's right, your people worshiped him as a god. So, this must be quite surreal for you." Lady said.

"But don't forget, he's also Dante and even Nero's dad, so that must be pretty weird to think about, huh?" Trish commented, only to gasp in surprise as Kyrie fell backwards into her arms with white circular eyes. "Whoa, gotcha!"

"Looks like it was too much for her." Happy commented.

"That's what we call 'the normal person' reaction." Lady said.

"Yeah, we've gotten way too used to this sort of thing." Trish said with a wincing smile.

Lucy, Gray, and Elfman had stupefied expressions, even Erza was caught off guard by the presence of two ghosts in the stands with their guildmates.

Natsu on the other hand, simply laughed like it was no big deal. "Even Master Mavis and freaking Sparda came to cheer for us? We got this in the bag!"

Dante's expression couldn't be described with mere words. Here he was, staring at the spirit of his long-deceased father. But even then, it looked as if Sparda was alive and well. This gave him all sorts of weird feelings, but among them was happiness and joy. His father came to cheer him and his friends on. Even coming back from the dead to do it. A part of his own inner child couldn't help but smile at that.

He looked toward his father and gave a simple finger-salute, which Sparda returned with a nod of his own.

Lucy couldn't help but smile at her cousin's happiness and the joy he undoubtedly felt inside. She then glanced up to see Sparda himself waving at her. Though surprised at first, she had to remind herself that this wasn't just the Dark Knight or even a founding member of the guild she called home. This was her uncle. With a smile, Lucy waved back.

Chapati then continued to make his announcements for the other guilds that had made it to the tournament.

"Next up, the team that came seventh place in the prelims…. The rowdy party of hellhounds, Quatro Cerberus!"

The six-man team of Quatro Cerberus consisting of Wally Buchanan, Bacchus Groh, Rocky, Nobarly, Jager, and Warcry all stepped out next as Wally carried the flag of their guild emblem on it.

"Let's get wild! Ya with me!?" Rocker cheered as his teammates cheered and roared.

Their guildmaster, Goldmine, sat in the stands alongside the rest of his guild. "I expect a win this year, fellas. Don't disappoint me."

"And coming in sixth is a guild with sparkles that glimmer in the darkness, it's Blue Pegasus!"

Team Blue Pegasus stepped out next. This group was made up of Ichiya, Hibiki, Ren, Eve, Jenny Realight, and an individual wearing a blue bunny suit for some reason, who also carried the Blue Pegasus flag with him.

"Next up, in fifth place, the goddess of love and strength, the sacred destroyer… Lamia Scale!"

Team Lamia Scale stepped forward admits smoke bombs of several different colors. This team consisted of Lyon, Jura, Sho, Yuka, Toby, and a young pink-haired girl named Sherria Blendy. Jura carried the Lamia Scale flag with crossed arms.

"Why'd you only come in fifth place, huh?!" Ooba scolded from the stands, waving her arm. "I thought I told you kids not to hold back!"

"Yeah, sorry about that old hag. I wasn't watching where I was going." Sherria apologized to her guildmaster, only to trip and fall on a small rock in front of her.

"And coming in fourth place, the ravishing ladies that have taken silver every year… the dangerous beauties of the sea… Mermaid Heel!"

With a torrent of water, Team Mermaid Heel stepped into the arena. This team of ladies consisted of Milliana, who carried the Mermaid Heel flag, alongside Lucia, Kagura Mikazuchi, Arana Webb, Beth Vanderwood, and Risley Law. Naturally, these ladies received a much positive praise from all men, and several women, in the stands.

"Do your best, my dears! Because I expect nothing less from my own daughters!" Kurenai cheered for her team, sitting in the stands alongside the other members of her guild.

"Thanks Mama Kurenai!" Milliana waved.

"There's a lot of people here I don't know." Natsu commented. "Like that pink-haired kid in Lyon's guild."

"She looks like a smaller version of that girl Sherry." Gray said, noting her appearance.

"Please try to stay on your feet." Lyon told the girl as he helped her to her feet.

"No promises, Lyon." She replied with an apologetic smile.

"This is Sherria, Sherry's cousin." Yuka introduced.

"Okay, that's cool." Natsu said.

Toby gave a dog-like howl. "And she's crazy strong to boot."

"I need a lot more love if I wanna compete with Sherry." Sherria said humbly.

"I was praising you!" Toby exclaimed.

"Calm down and go chase a ball." Yuka lightly scolded his friend.

Gray gave a wincing smile. "Being love-crazy must run in the family."

"Don't you forget, Gray. We're taking the gold this year." Lyon walked to his rival with a challenging grin. "I'll be sure to make Juvia quite impressed enough to join us."

"That's still up to her, but it doesn't matter because you're gonna loose." Gray accepted his rival's challenge.

Ichiya went right up to Erza. "Maybe if we win, I'll take Erza as my one and only!"

"You'll do no such thing, you troll!" She winced in disgust at the very thought of that. Fortunately, a wall of blocks suddenly appeared to separate him from Erza.

"Geeze, some bozos just can't take a hint. Am I right?" Wally said as he tipped his hat up with a grin.

"Thank you, Wally." Erza nodded as she walked forward to meet up with not just him, but also Sho and Milliana. "I am glad to see you all here."

"Good to see you too, Sis. Really hopping you guys do well in the games here and shut up all those nay-sayers." Sho said.

"But Mama Kurenai expects us to take the title, so I won't be going easy on any of you here." Milliana said.

"That's fair. I don't plan on going easy on any of you either." Erza added. "Let us all do our best." She offered her fist, which the other three joined in for a four-way fist bump.

"Yeah." They said as all four of them shared challenging and anticipating grins with one another.

In the stands with the rest of Fairy Tail, the disguised Jellal looked with mixed feelings at Erza interacting with his old friends. On one hand, he was truly happy to see they were doing so well. But of course, he hadn't forgotten the harm he caused them all. A part of him wanted to reach out to them, if only so he can allow them to exact whatever punishment they felt he deserved… but his mission came first. Perhaps afterward? But for now, he was just glad to see they were doing alright.

"Quick question… who's the rabbit?" Dante wondered aloud, pointing to the bunny in Blue Pegasus.

"No idea." Lucy confessed.

"Excuse me." The pair of cousins turned to see Lucia walking toward them as she addressed the eldest of the two "You are Dante Redgrave, the Son of Sparda, correct?"

"Yep, that's me. And this is my cousin, Lucy." Dante introduced.

"Nice to meet you." She smiled. "I don't think we've met before."

"No, this is our first meeting. My name is Lucia, I'm from Mermaid Heel. I'm also a Devil Hunter."

"Wait, seriously?" Lucy looked in surprise.

"Damn, profession's growing." Dante said. "If you're guild is so strong, I take it you got a high body count with the unholy variety?"

"Oh, most certainly." Lucia said with a smirk. "I'd dare say it has surpassed yours these past seven years."

That only seemed to raise Dante's competitive spirit. "Then I got some steep competition. Looking forward to duking it out, but don't expect me to go easy on you just because you're hot."

"Flirting with the competition? Why am I not surprised?" Lucy questioned irritably with a sweatdrop on her head.

"Hey, it's not my fault their whole guild is full of hot chicks." Dante shrugged.

"I won't go easy on you either, Son of Sparda." Lucia replied as she turned around to return to her team.

"And now to introduce our third place contestant…" Chapati continued to announce. "What a shocker! Swooping in from a midnight query, this dark and gloomy bunch are making their debut in this year's games. Give it up for Raven Tail!"

A dark cloud of black bird feathers were thrown out as Team Raven Tail stepped into the arena. At the lead was the figure clad completely in dark gold armor, including a mask, with a black furred cape while carrying the Raven Tail flag, was the mysterious individual known simply as Alexei. Behind him were his teammates, Flare Corona, Sapphire, Kurohebi, Nullpudding, and Obra, who had a small and familiar creature riding on his shoulder.

"What the heck are they doing here?!" Natsu questioned as he and the rest of teammates looked in either surprise or seriousness. Even Dante had heard the basic gist of Raven Tail seven years ago and knew they were bad news.

"This is bad…" Erza said with weary caution. "Their leader is Makarov's son, Ivan."

"But that would mean…?" Lucy muttered.

"These guys are a dark guild." Dante narrowed his eyes.

Needless to say, everyone in the arena, from those in Fairy Tail, to the other guilds, and even the spectators looked with worry and confusion.

"Why is a dark guild participating?!" Makarov growled.

"Hey, have you officials lost your brains or something?!" Gildarts called out, sounding uncharacteristically serious and angry. "What are these scumbags doing here?!"

"Raven Tail? Why does that sound so much like Fairy Tail?" Kyrie asked. "I've never heard of them until now."

"Well apparently their master is Makarov's estranged son, Ivan." Lady summed up. "As you can see, they don't exactly have a good relationship."

"We heard they were a dark guild, but how come we've never seen them till now?" Trish questioned.

"Didn't you the rest of Crime Sorciere take down other dark guilds these past seven years?" Lisanna asked Jellal.

"Raven Tail was never affiliated with the Baram Alliance." The disguised wizard explained. "And they've harbored no connection to either Zeref or Mundus, so you could say they weren't on our radar."

"Which means, even if they are a dark guild, they're not connected to whatever power it was you were sensing." Modeus deduced.

"That is correct." Jellal confirmed. "But still, this is concerning."

"I'm sensing intense malice from them." Mavis eyed them with caution.

"And it's all aimed directly at Dante and the others." Sparda said seriously.

As everybody else became confused, Chapati took out some paperwork and records to check over and clarify for everyone.

"Well… their records appear to be in order. Their an old guild, official sources state they've been active over seven years. But they were only recently approved for official guild status by the Magic Council."

"Hmm, if they have official status, then they are technically not a dark guild, and are therefore elidable to compete." Yajima said.

"Still… that doesn't mean we won't be keeping an eye on them." Bruni commented with a glare upon the aforementioned team.

Gildarts tisked in annoyance. "Of course, that bastard would find a work around."

"Curse you, Ivan." Makarov growled. "I don't know what you're planning… but whatever it is, I swear I'll stop you!"

Elsewhere in the arena, Ivan Dreyar gazed down at Makarov with a mocking grin. "You really shouldn't get so worked up, old man. It's bad for your health. I want you to live to see your guild fall."

Team Raven Tail approached Team Fairy Tail directly and it became a tense stand off in a matter of seconds.

"Fairy Tail." Alexei spoke up.

"You want something?" Dante questioned.

"I trust your young friends are recovering?" Alexei asked in a seemingly polite tone.

The creature on Obra's shoulder gave a chuckle before its transformed into a tiny Wendy and gave the impression of a scream before falling down.

That really got under their skin, especially Natsu. "You bastards attacked Wendy, Romeo, and the others?! I'm gonna make you regret it!" He looked ready to maul them to pieces right then and there.

"Be careful there, little Salamander." Sapphire teased. "You might bite of more than you can chew."

"Tell me something, Son of Sparda…" Alexei spoke to Dante directly. "Do you regret joining Fairy Tail? If not, you certainly will."

"Hey, I want you to pass on a message from me to your pal, Sid." Dante said, walking right up to Alexei and staring straight into his masked face. "You tell em, that if I see his face again… a bullet is going in-between his eyes. And the same goes for the rest of you if you try any more shit with us."

Alexei gave a chuckle. "The festival's just getting started." He said before he and his team walked away, leaving Team Fairy Tail to glare in their direction, silently vowing vengeance for hurting their young friends. Same for the observing members of the guild, having heard it all as well. Even those who weren't familiar with Raven Tail, such as Lady, Trish, Kyrie, and even Modeus, had every reason to despise and be weary of them.

"Hold on, we still got two more teams who made it through the qualifying round!" Chapati continued to announce.

"Oh yeah, I wonder which of the other two teams made it through." Happy said.

"You can bet on Sabertooth being one of them." Macao replied. "As for the other one…"

"Well, all the other well-known guilds have been announced, so I guess it can be anyone really." Lisanna said.

"So, it's possible one of these teams is tied to Zeref." Gray said, already on-guard.

"Possibly, but we'll just have to see for ourselves." Erza replied.

"Our first-place runner up is…!" However, Chapati, and virtually everyone in the colosseum, all looked in complete and utter shock as to who stepped up next. "Oh wow! What a surprise! This year's competition just got a whole lot more interesting folks!"

A surge of lightning shined through the entrance as next team revealed themselves. And within the middle of that electrical surge was the emblem of Fairy Tail.

The lightning cleared out to reveal the six-person group of Gajeel, Nero, Laxus, Juvia, Mira, and Cana, all with confident smirks on their faces.

"It's Fairy Tail Team B!"

None appeared more surprised than the other Fairy Tail team.

"Big Sis?!" Elfman exclaimed.

"Cana?!" Lucy shouted.

"Juvia?!" Gray exclaimed.

"Gajeel and Laxus?!" Natsu was beyond stupefied.

"Even Nero…?!" Not even Dante could contain his own surprise.

The audience and the rest of the participating guilds were all more than a little shocked themselves.

"Hmm, I certainly didn't expect them to have two teams." Ichiya commented.

"Well, this is a surprise…!" Lucia looked in shock.

"Of course, Erzey's guild would pull something like this." Milliana said with a giggle, not looking the least-bit surprised.

"That's totally a Fairy-Tail thing to do." Sho commented.

"They're dandy in their own right." Wally added.

"Beautiful…" The love-struck Lyon couldn't take his eyes off Juvia for a minute, which only caused Sherria to pout.

"So, she's the one you've been fawning over."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from them." Hibiki said.

"Laxus and Gajeel are joining the party." Alexei observed. "This will certainly be interesting."

"Ya know, I think the newly implemented rules may have left our audience a bit perplexed, Mr. Yajima, Sir Bruni." Chapati commentated. "Care to explain?"

"Sure thing. The committee in charge of the Grand Magic Games permitted each guild to enter two teams, which they felt would make the preliminaries more exciting." Yajima explained.

"And there was no rule that said only one of those teams could pass." Bruni added with a chuckle. "Of course, that old fart would find a way to bend the rules."

Team Fairy Tail A heard a pair of familiar laughs as they glanced to the box in the stands where their guildmates were all up there and could see Gildarts and Makarov both laughing their heads off. Though the later gave a more triumphant laugh, while the former laughed as if he had seen something quite hysterical.

"Hold on… you guys knew?!" Natsu shouted in comic shock to the current and former guildmaster.

"Why didn't you say anything?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"I wanted to see the looks on ya'll's faces! And man were they priceless!" Gildarts laughed as he wiped a tear from his eye. "Even Dante looked like he lost his cool for a second! Totally worth it!"

Even Mavis giggled. "That was a cute face he made." She said to Sparda. "He was all…" She imitated a shocked face with circular eyes and an O for a mouth before continuing her giggling, causing Sparda to shake his head with a chuckle of his own.

"You all like that?!" Makarov shouted and laughed triumphantly while the guildmates behind him all cheered. "This is how the Fairy Tail guild takes care of business baby!"

From her spot, Kurenai happened to hear Makarov's laugh, causing her to shake her head with an amused smile. "Oh Maky… I wish I could say I was surprised."

"I'm not sure the committee thought this new rule through, I mean this is a team-based competition." Chapati said. "Won't having a two-man team from the same guild kinda stack the odds?"

"On paper, yes." Bruni replied. "But I doubt it'll be a problem. Fairy Tail has a tendency to compete with those in its own ranks too. I wouldn't call it in-fighting, but more friendly competition, so I won't expect some kind of alliances in the games or anything."

"Yes, I agree with Bruni. I don't really see much of a problem either." Yajima added, while picking his nose.

"I see… so that's why so many teams entered the tournament." Lucy seemed to understand.

Natsu ran straight up to Team Fairy Tail B. "This is a big load of bullshit!" He shouted, surprising a few of his guildmates in the team, as well as most of the audience. "Being in the same guild don't mean jack! If I fight against any of you, I'm not pulling any punches!" He pointed to them. "As long as we're in this tournament, you're my enemies and I ain't gonna lose to any of you!"

Gajeel got right into Natsu's face. "I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm looking forward to making you eat dirt, Salamander."

Nero stepped up as well. "I won't be holding back against you either. Just because we kicked ass together doesn't mean I'm gonna give you a handicap."

"Gajeel's a lot stronger than he was three months ago." Lily said to Happy.

"Well, Natsu's no cream puff either." The blue Exceed replied.

"Nero has gotten plenty stronger himself." Kyrie said, standing next to Levy. "He and Gajeel have been sparing practically every day since then."

"So I wouldn't expect either of them to go down so easily." Levy added.

"Looks like our other team is packing some serious firepower." Lisanna commented. "Big Sis and Laxus together? I bet even Dante would have some trouble."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Lady said. "Dante and Erza aren't slouches either, and we all know how volatile the fire breathing idiot is."

"If Teams A and B end up fighting each other, it'll definitely be one heck of a brawl." Trish added. "I'd actually pay to see a showdown like that."

"What's the matter? You look terrified." Mira said to her younger brother with a sweetly smile.

"That's because I am!" Elfman made no attempt to hide his fear.

"Lucy, I just want you to know, that even though I still consider you a good friend… I won't be holding back when I kick your ass!" Cana grinned at her former partner from Tenrou Island.

The blonde gave a grin of her own. "I'm way stronger than I was back on Tenrou, so maybe you should be the one who's worried."

"I'm looking forward to clashing swords with you again, Dante." Nero said to his older half-brother. "Don't expect me to pull any punches with you either."

"I'm looking forward to it." Dante smirked. "But…" He happened to glance at Laxus, which only caused Dante's grin to grow. "Looks like we might get our rematch after all." He said almost evilly as a comical dark red aura formed around him.

"Sure seems that way." Laxus said in the same tone as a dark yellow aura formed around him too. "And the old man won't be calling it off, so this time it won't end in a draw."

Both Dante and Laxus snickered as their auras clashed, already creating a great deal of friction, like a powder keg that could light up at any moment, which made several of their respective teammates somewhat nervous.

"I don't think I like the looks of that…" Gray shivered.

"Me neither…" Juvia also shivered.

"You two didn't see it… but the last time those guys fought, they almost tore up the entire East Forest…!" Lucy wined. "I really don't wanna have to pay the bills if they end up trashing the entire city too."

"And last, but certainly not least, is the team that came in first place in the preliminary round!" Chapati continued to announce. This one drew a massive uproar from the audience as well as drew the attention of Fairy Tail and the other competing guilds. "That's right! You know em! You love em! Now get on your feet and scream for the most powerful guild in all of Fiore! The one and only Sabertooth!"

Team Sabertooth stepped out into the arena and were greeted by an uproar from the audience. This team consisted of the Twin Dragons, Sting and Rogue, the former raised both his fists up high as he soaked in all the cheers and praise. The rest of their team consisted of the well-dressed Rufus Lore, the hulking and muscular Orga Nanagear, the beautiful and quiet Yukino Agira…

And the one who stood at the lead of the team was the half-demon swordsman that Fairy Tail knew all too well. The eldest Son of Sparda, Vergil himself. Unlike the others, he did not bask in the praise of the audience but kept a stoic expression as he walked forward.

Both teams of Fairy Tail looked at them with a serious expression, specifically Vergil, for obvious reasons. Vergil was quick to pick up their subtle hostility but simply ignored it. Though he did notice Lucy's complicated expression.

"Can't wait to bring them down." Natsu muttered, glaring at Vergil as well as Sting.

"Why so serious, it's just a game." Sting said mockingly.

Gajeel noticed Rogue was staring at him. "There something you want, pretty boy?"

"No." He shook his head.

Dante made eye-contact with Vergil, neither of them said anything. There wasn't really anything else to say. Though Dante also happened to see the only woman on the team and nudged Lucy slightly to get her attention.

"She look familiar?"

Lucy got a good look at her and instantly recognized the resemblance. "She looks like Sorano… So that must be…"

"Yeah, her sister. Yukino." Dante remembered Sorano talking about her. This was the first time he laid eyes on her. She didn't seem to have the same kind of arrogance that the rest of her guild have. Compared to the rest of Sabertooth, she looked rather humbled at first glance.

"Looks like we know who our biggest competition is." Gray commented.

"Vergil will be the biggest challenge of them all, but I doubt the others are weak as well." Erza added.

"You're the man, Sting!" Lector cheered alongside Frosch in the stands. "The best in the whole wide world!"

"I'm cheering for you too! Isn't that great!" Frosh cheered.

"It appears Sabertooth as an Exceed cheer squad." Lily observed.

"Natsu! Natsu! He's our man! Burning butts across the land!" Happy tried to cheer as loudly for his friend as he could.

While everyone else in the Fairy Tail box eyed Vergil with caution and even distrust, Sparda gazed upon his oldest son with a serious and complicated expression, something Mavis noticed as she silently reached out to grasp his hand and provide some form of comfort.

"All and all, I'd say we have an impressive group of wizards here!" Chapati commentated. "Any comments, Mr. Yajima?"

"Yeah… Mermaid Heel make me long for my youth."

"Um… that's not quite what I meant. What about you, Mr. Bruni? Any comments?" Chapati asked.

"It's quite the lineup of power houses, that's for sure." Bruni said somewhat excitedly. "It makes me wanna jump down there and join in on the action!"

Nero eyed Vergil with a serious and calculation expression. 'So that's Dante's older brother, Vergil. He really does look just like him.' Nero had been told all about Vergil ever since he and Kyrie joined Fairy Tail. He knew all the stuff he did as well as his bullshit quest for power. At the same time, he could practically feel the intense power that emanated from him. Just by looking at him, Nero could tell that Vergil was probably the strongest competitor here.

Vergil felt Nero's gaze and turned to look at him. Though their eye-contact was brief, Nero looked away.

'Hmm, interesting.' Vergil thought to himself.

Elfman looked toward his older sister, who gave an affirmative nod toward him, both thinking the same thing. Elfman nodded back as they walked away from their respective teams.

"Huh… Elfman…?" Lucy looked in confusion.

"Where are you going?" Juvia asked Mira in a similar tone, but she didn't answer.

"Vergil." He heard Mira say his name and saw them approaching him. He decided to step away from his team as well and meet them in the middle of the arena.

"Is there something you need from me?"

"Just so you know, even if you are part of an official guild now… that doesn't mean we've forgotten all you've done." Mira told him.

Vergil gave a small sigh. "I've already spoken with my brother and…"

"That includes Adrian!" Mira interrupted, catching Vergil's attention.

"You are referring to the boy who was possessed by the cursed Wendigo Take Over. His fate was… unfortunate." Vergil admitted.

"Do you have any idea what kind of hell that poor kid went through?!" Elfman questioned. "That bastard Arkham may have been the one who manipulated him, but you used him too!"

"I needed his assistance for my own plan. I told him what I intended, and he agreed. In return, I would end his suffering." Vergil explained. "And I had every intention of fulfilling my end."

"Why didn't you help him though?" Mira questioned. "You're smart. Maybe you could have found a way to…"

"There wasn't one." Vergil replied. "Not with anything I had at my disposal. His curse was bound to his soul, and I could not separate it. There may have been a chance the Yamato could have done so…" Vergil held his katana. "But that would require a level of power and mastery that I did not have at the time. If he had met my father, that would have been a different story. Perhaps he could have separated the Wendigo from the child. But that is no longer possible." He noticed the glares from the pair of siblings. "I know of his fate, and I would assume you two were there in his final moments. At the very least, his suffering came to an end."

Truth be told, Vergil really did have every intent of putting Adrian out of his misery the second Temen-ni-gru had been raised. His suffering with the Wendigo curse was a cruel fate even he wouldn't wish upon anyone.

"Listen, the kid didn't ask me to do this… but let me slug you!" Elfman demanded; his fists clenched. Even if Arkham did manipulate Adrian, and Vergil did intend to end the boy's suffering, Vergil did carry responsibility and neither Elfman nor Mira were about to let it slide.

"Very well." Vergil accepted. He stood still and simply stared at Elfman, waiting for him to strike.

Though somewhat surprised at his acceptance, Elfman growled before he gave a roar and threw his massive fist into Vergil's face.

Everyone in the arena, from the audience, to all the other participating guilds looked in shock as they saw it. Team Sabertooth was certainly caught off-guard. Even Lucy looked in surprise while Dante, Natsu, Gray, Erza, Laxus, Gajeel, Juvia, Cana, and even Nero stared with serious expressions. Same goes for their guildmates in the stands, especially Lisanna, Trish, and Lady. Though Sparda did have a small smile in pride at Vergil's actions. No dodging the blame, but accepting responsibility. That was at least worth recognition.

"Hey, what are you…?!" Sting was about to march over and strike back at Elfman, but Vergil held out his hand to keep Sting from interfering.

Elfman kept a glare as Vergil looked back at him. Though he did allow himself to be struck, there wasn't even a single bruise on his face. "Is there more?"

"No." Elfman shook his head. "That's it."

Vergil then gazed at Mira, wondering if she had anything else to say or do, but she simply shook her head.

"Then this matter is settled." He turned around and walked away to rejoin his team.

"Elfman… let's go." Mira told her brother.

"Yeah." He agreed as they went back to their respective teams. 'I hate to admit it, but that was pretty manly of him.'

'Mira told me what happened to that Adrian-kid…' Lucy though to herself. 'But the fact that Vergil let Elfman hit him like that shows that he at least feels responsible.' A small smile appeared on her face. 'Maybe there's hope for him after all.'

"Well, we've kept everyone waiting long enough!" Chapati began. "It's about time we unveiled the official schedule for this year's tournament!"

Suddenly, three massive stone slabs emerged from the ground that dictated the scoring and schedule for the whole tournament. One dictated the schedule which would show what was to be held over the course of five days. Day 1 read 'hidden' with 'battle' right after it. Days 2 through 4 all had question marks at the start before ending with 'battle', while Day 5 just had question marks, all this indicated that the events other than battles were a complete mystery. The second slab showed the scoring of the events with 1st place having ten points, 2nd place receiving eight points, 3rd place getting six points, 4th place having four points, 5th place receiving three points, 6th place getting two points, 7th place receiving one point, and 8th place getting zero points. The third slab showed the scoring of the battles in which two side would compete against each other: the winner would get ten points, the loser would get zero; and in the event of a draw, both sides will get five points each.

"There's gonna be a lot of action in the next few days." Gray observed as they read the schedule.

"No rest for the wicked." Dante commented.

"Now we're talking." Natsu grinned as his eyes set on the 'battles' written on the slab.

"Each one of the rounds will begin with a contest." Chapati began to explain. "Participants will then be ranked from first to eight place. The teams will be rewarded points based on how they rank in the contests. Additionally, the teams are allowed to select which members they want to compete. After that, we have battles. These bouts should come as quite a treat to all you loyal fans, since it was your suggestions that created these match ups."

"Interesting." Erza noted. "We choose who participates in contests, but now who fights in the battles."

"So then, if you don't watch how magic you use in a contest, you could find yourself thrown in a battle with no time to rest." Lucy figured out.

"The battle rules are simple." Chapati continued. "Each team will square off in one-on-one duels for the duration of thirty minutes for a total of four battles per day. The winner will be given ten points, while the looser will get jack squat. In the case of a draw, both competitors will each receive five points. Ready for action? Let's get things started with the first contest of the Grand Magic Games, one we like to call… Hidden!"

"Hidden? What's that?" A woman from the audience asked.

"How should I know?" A man replied.

"At this time, we'd like each team to select one member to compete." Chapati said. "Once your selections are made, the rules will be explained in their entirety."

"Hidden probably means we gotta get stealthy. And ain't nobody dandier at stealth than me." Wally flicked his hat up this team.

"All yours man!" Bacchus patted his back.

"Go wild!" All of Team Quatro Cerberus cheered.

"The first challenger has stepped forward! Representing Quatro Cerberus, it's the dog with style… Wally Buchanan!"

"The first one should be easy, I'll size up our opponents." Beth volunteered. "Save our heavy hitters for the real challenges."

"If you insist." Lucia seemed in agreement.

"We're counting on you." Kagura said.

"Good luck Beth." Milliana smiled.

"From Mermaid Heel, the adorable Beth Vanderwood!"

"Nullpudding, you go." Alexei instructed.

"I won't let you down, bossman." The deformed purple-skin wizard said.

"From Raven Tail… Nullpudding!"

"I'll take this one!" Eve stepped up, straightening out his tie.

"We're sending you out in style!" Ichiya threw glitter in his direction.

"Show them who's boss, Eve!" Jenny cheered.

"Look out ladies, here comes Eve!" Hibiki and Ren cheered as they and the bunny-suited individual made a dramatic pose.

"Blue Pegasus sends out Eve Tilm! Gotta love those lively cheers!" Chapati announced amidst the cheers from several women in the stands.

"I shall handle this." Rufus stepped forward as he adjusted his hat. "I feel inspired by the bird's lovely songs."

"Keep your eyes on this one folks… from Sabertooth, the ventral who sings to the red moon… Rufus Lore!" His introduction was met with an upstanding ovation from the audience.

"They're going nuts for the pretty boy? I don't get it." Natsu said, sounding very annoyed.

"His guild is the audience favorite, of course he's getting praised." Dante said in the same annoyed tone.

"Whatever the rules, I'm sure the name is a clue." Erza theorized. "I have a feeling that stealth and guile will be essential to win."

"If only Wendy wasn't out of commission, she'd be perfect." Lucy looked down.

"I'll do it guys!" Elfman flexed his muscles. "I can use a warmup anyways! You just sit back and let a real man handle it!"

"It's called 'Hidden', so I don't think sending out a giant is a great idea." Gray stopped him.

"Sounds like in this game, the smaller you are, the better." Sherria assumed. "So that means, it's down to me or Yuka."

"Who are you calling small?" Yuka questioner irritably, despite being the same height as the girl.

"No, we shall take the lead from the start." Lyon volunteered. "Just leave it to me."

"From Lamia Scale… Lyon Vastia!"

"Oh yeah? In that case, I got this one." Gray said eagerly.

"He's your pal, you know how he operates. And you'd probably be the stealthiest one here compared to the rest of us." Dante commented. "Go for it."

"From Fairy Tail Team A… the icy Gray Fullbuster!"

"If Gray is volunteering, then I'll step in too." Juvia offered.

"You're not doing this just to flirt with your boyfriend, are you?" Nero questioned. "Gajeel told me how love-sick you are."

"No, I am taking this tournament seriously." Juvia said with a serious expression. "For the pride of our guild, and the reward Master Gildarts promised us."

"Just don't go screwing it up." Gajeel told her.

"From Fairy Tail Team B… Juvia Lockser!"

All eight wizards stepped forward and met in the center of the arena where the Games' Mascot, Mato, would be meeting them. At the same time, all their teammates were being led out of the arena and to their respective observatory boxes within the stands.

"The competitors have been chosen, and the long wait is finally over! Grab a refreshment and get glued to your seat, cause you're not gonna wanna miss a single nail-biting moment of Hidden!"

Meanwhile, outside the colosseum, the rest of Crime Sorciere observed the games from their vantage point on one of the tallest rooftops in the city of Crocus, all through a crystal ball that was connected with their leader.

"At last, the Games are underway." Ultear said. "With all their spectacle."

"And Jellal is as close as he can get." Meredy added. "Between him and the rest of Fairy Tail, we should be able to find out what's been going on here."

Sheeree noticed the expression on Sorano's face and immediately knew what she was thinking about. "Your sister's down there, and I think it's the first time she's competing in these games."

"It is." Sorano confirmed. "So, I'd be lying to say if I wasn't more than a little concerned."

"I know that feeling." Sheeree looked away with a scowl. "Those bastards in Raven Tail hurt Wendy…! It really makes me wanna go down there and tear them to pieces!"

"There's nothing we can do about either of those situations without getting caught." Ultear told them. "Until an life-or-death emergency breaks out, we remain on standby."

"Yeah… I know." Sheeree accepted. "Looks like it's up to Natsu to avenge our sister."

Meredy giggled. "You barley even know him, and you already consider him your brother just because of how close he is to Wendy? That's so sweet Sheeree."

"What can I say? Anyone who's important to my little sis is important to me too." Sheeree smiled.

Sorano and Ultear both exchanged smiles before they directed their attention toward the games again. 'Yukino… please be safe…' Sorano prayed.

"There are two questions on everyone's mind. First and foremost, just what kind of game will Hidden be, and who would you say is the favorite in this mysterious competition?" Chapati asked his fellow commentators.

"Hmmm, it's safe to assume that Rufus from Sabertooth is the odds-on favorite." Yajima answered. "But Gray from Fairy Tail is a dark horse in the running."

"Being the favorite does not automatically guarantee you victory." Bruni said. "Between not knowing what the event is, and the various magic abilities and tactics of those competing… this could go in any direction. I'm getting chills just thinking about it." He said with excitement. "Man, I really wish I was competing in this thing."

The eight competitors gathered together for the rules to be explained.

"I hope you realize, that even though our souls are connected, I don't intend on losing to you." Juvia said to Gray.

"Yeah, of course not. I wanna win too." He replied.

"My mind is set on winning the competition as well… and fair Juvia's heart." Lyon said, love-struck as usual.

"Creeps-alert!" Juvia comically shivered.

"Somebody's getting a taste of their own medicine." Gray muttered.

"Hey, I got one question…" Wally looked directly at Mato. "What in the heck are you, man?"

"Yeah, I've been wondering about that myself." Gray added.

"Who me? My silly boys, I'm a pumpkin, as you can plainly see…" Mato said, sounding nervous for some reason.

"Sorry… were we not supposed to ask or something?" Gray asked.

"Well, he certainly looks like a pumpkin to me." Juvia observed.

"His mouth ain't moving, so it's definitely a guy in a suit." Wally also said. "But who's inside there?"

"He's always been a part of the games." Eve explained. "So I guess I never really thought about it."

"Yeah, I figured he outta be somebody from the event staff in a costume." Beth added.

Both of them then bowed their heads to Mato. "Good job sir, you've created an excellent character."

"Thank you. But I'm really only doing this because it's so funkin!" Mato exclaimed joyously.

"Those bad puns are gonna get old real quick…" Gray commented.

"Before we start, I got a little problem, see?" Nullpudding stepped forward. "I don't know what exactly this 'Hidden' game is all about, but I think something stinks around here. And that something being these two Fairy twerps competing in this thing. No other guild is gonna get the chance to have two members in each round, so I'd say they got an unfair advantage."

"What?" Gray growled as he and Juvia glared at the Raven Tail member.

"I understand your concerns, but it can't be helped." Mato replied. "We never dreamed that one guild could have two teams make it pass the qualifier. It really is an amazing feat."

"I have no qualms with it." Rufus said. "In fact, I remember something that I once heard. A wise man once told me, two heads aren't necessarily better than one."

"I don't got a problem with it either." Wally shrugged. "It's just more of a challenge, and that's dandy with me."

"I sure ain't gonna raise a fuss over it." Beth also accepted, causing Nullpudding to growl at how little trouble Fairy Tail was getting from their competitors. So much for turning everyone against them.

"Are you giving us advice or something?" Gray asked Rufus. "A couple words of wisdom from the reigning champion."

"All I'm saying is, having a comrade could prove to be a disadvantage. There are a myriad of ways it can be used against you." Rufus explained. "If they were to leak information or be held hostage, your hand would be easily forced. You would be wise to remember that."

"Yeah, sure. I'll write it down later." Gray brushed off. Juvia wasn't the type to be taken hostage, so he wasn't at all worried about that. And he knew she was so head-over-heels for him, she wouldn't even think about leaking any kind of info about him.

"OPEN THE FIELD!" Mato announced.

Suddenly, several dozen small buildings began to magically manifest all across arena and around the eight competitors.

"What the…?" Gray exclaimed as everyone else was either surprised or tried to prepare themselves. It didn't take long for a small city to suddenly form in the arena.

"Did they just grow a whole town down there?!" Dante exclaimed while Lucy's mouth hung open.

"Amazing…!" Erza said in awe.

"That's so cool…" Natsu was in just as much awe as well.

"This game's already crazy!" Elfman exclaimed.

The audience looked in amazement, as did the observatory Fairy Tail members.

"Whoa! They can fit an entire city in the middle of the arena?!" Happy exclaimed.

"And that ain't a magical projection. It looks like the real deal." Gildarts stated.

"I've never seen anything like it before…!" Makarov said.

"A manifestation on such a large scale." Jellal observed. "How much energy does that require?"

"A greater amount than most of our members here can accumulate." Modeus responded. "And that's also taking into account the amount of power they need to maintain it for the duration of this event."

By the time the entire city was fully manifested, Gray had found himself in the middle of an empty street, separated from the other competitors.

"Juvia? Lyon? Wally?" He tried calling out but got no response from anyone. "Where in the heck did everybody go…?"

Juvia, meanwhile, walked down a separate street all by herself as well. "All the others just disappeared… or perhaps we've been scattered."

"Now I see…" Lyon said, walking down an alleyway. "So this is the game, is it?"

"High stakes hide-and-seek." Eve deduced.

"Should I be hiding? Or should I be seeking instead?" Beth wondered aloud.

Wally smirked as he had an idea of what the game was about. "I think I got this."

Nullpudding chuckled with sinister intent as he hid himself in an alleyway.

Rufus maintained a calm and confident disposition, despite the unusual situation.

"Those of you in the stands can catch all the exciting action in crystal clear lacrima-vision!" Chapati announced as several magical screens appeared outside the city for the entire audience to see. The screens showed the locations of all the competitors and what they were doing. "I bet the eight contestants in the arena wished they had that luxury, but that would make it too easy. Speaking of easy, here are the rules of the game. All players are hiding and seeking at the same time!"

"What does that mean?" Natsu asked.

Within the arena, the rules were also being explained to the competitors. "The main objective in Hidden is to locate the other players. Once you've done that, you'll have to land an attack on them. The player that successfully connects their attack, whether or not it does any damage, will then be rewarded one point."

Suddenly, all across the city, hundreds, if not thousands, more magical projections began to manifest throughout the streets.

"Wait… now what's going on?" Gray wondered as the projections took physical form, but he was not prepared for what, or rather who, he saw.

They were projections of all of the eight players. Exact look-alikes of Gray, Lyon, Juvia, Rufus, Wally, Beth, Nullpudding, and Eve appeared throughout the entire fake city. They were in various positions of people just minding their own business, and yet they remained still as statues.

"Ah man! There's hundreds of them!" Gray exclaimed in surprise.

"What's with all the look alikes…?" Lucy wondered.

"They're projections. Probably decoys to make it harder for people to find the real deals." Dante assumed but was surprised to see Natsu looking like he was about to puke. "What's gotten you all green?"

"The thought of that many Grays just really grosses me out, man." Natsu said sickly.

"That's extremely difficult. Even after knowing Gray most of my life, I'd probably have trouble finding the real one." Erza observed.

"If you can't tell the difference, then Gray's gonna be in trouble." Elfman said worriedly.

"I know they're pretty, but those copies aren't just there for show, folks." Chapati continued. "Attack one of your vague competitors by mistake, and it'll cost you one point. Also, whenever your hit by an enemy, you'll be put into a ten-second time-out and forced to start again in another part of the arena. The same is true if you attack one of the copies: one point taken off, time-out, and then it's starting all over again from somewhere else."

"Yep. That'll definitely make things harder for them." Nero observed, standing with his team.

"If Gajeel was down there, he could probably sniff out the real ones from all the fakes, no problem." Cana added.

"You are allowed as many restarts as you need, but the clock is ticking. The game will last for thirty minutes, and of course, whoever has the most points at the end takes first place. It's time to disappear like a black cat in a dark alleyway! Fade into your surroundings and hide in plain sight!" Chapati announced as the main gong was rung to signal the start of the event. "Let's play Hidden!"

"Seeking may be a problem, but when it comes to hiding…" Wally broke his block-shaped body apart thanks to his Polygon magic. "I got that covered." His various block-like body parts broke off in separate directions and began to hide in every nook and cranny that was around him.

"Oh there are so many beautiful Grays to fix my eyes upon!" Juvia said with hearts in her eyes, but quickly smacked her own cheeks with her hands to snap her out of it. "No! Focus on the competition! Don't get distracted!" She chastised herself. "Remember… the reward Gildarts promised all of us. I will have it."

"I can't believe this!" Gray stated as he ran through the street, keeping an eye out for his enemies but also making sure not to touch any of the doubles. "Finding the real people in here is gonna be impossible!"

"You're such a dumbass." He turned around to see Nullpudding has already found him. "You don't have a snowball's chance in hell if it takes you this long to figure out the game."

"You're with Raven Tail!" Gray glared.

"As a matter of fact, I am. The name's Nullpudding."

"Well, it's awful nice of you to come find me like this. Cause that means I don't have to find you!" Gray immediately went on the attack. "Ice Hammer!" He brought down a large ice mallet right onto Nullpudding.

"Whoa!" Droy exclaimed.

"Is there something different about his Maker Magic now?" Jet questioned.

"And that's what training will do for you, guys." Happy smirked.

However, Lisanna gasped in shock. "No… something's not right!"

"Thanks for giving me my first point." Gray smirked, but he was caught off guard by the buzzer which indicated he hit a fake. "What the…?! I clearly just pounded the guy!"

The real Nullpudding gave a chuckle as he appeared from hiding behind his double. "Nice try… but this here is the real thing, see?"

Gray couldn't even offer a response before his body was teleported away and re-appeared in another spot in the arena, leaving him with negative one points.

"I didn't know he'd be that easy to trick…!" Natsu looked in just as much surprise as the rest of the team.

"Neither did I… and that means our team is gonna lose a point…" Lucy muttered dreadfully.

"They can use the copies as decoys… tricky bastard." Dante glared.

"It seems everyone's already blended in with the crowd…" Erza observed.

"How are we supposed to tell who's real and who's not in this thing?!" Natsu exclaimed.

"I'm glad I'm not playing this game… I'd get lost in a crowd really easily." Elfman observed.

"But Gray's smart, he'll learn from what just happened." Dante said. "The game's only just begun… we're not out of this yet."

Once his timeout was over, Gray continued his search for the enemy, this time being more cautious than before, walking slowly to avoid being detected by the competition… while also keeping an eye out for any movement.

"Oh Gray, you make this too easy." Nullpudding tried to attack from behind, his whole body covered in spikes as his fists grew to enormous size. But Gray was quick to throw up an ice-wall and block the attack. This allowed Gray to slip in with the crowd.

'Nice try, but I won't be tricked twice. We don't get penalized if we block the attack.' Gray thought with a smirk as he remained perfectly still, hidden between four decoys. 'Now it's my turn.'

"Alright, nice move I'll give ya that." Nullpudding spoke out, confident Gray could hear him. "But just blocking and hiding ain't gonna win this thing. Unless that's all your dead-bitch teacher taught ya to do."

That took Gray by surprise. 'What…?'

"That hag Ur must have been pretty weak ass if you don't even know how to fight." Nullpudding taunted. "Like her, you're all bark and zero bite."

'Shut up…!' Gray clenched his fists as body shook with rage. He knew exactly what Nullpudding was trying to do. He wanted to rile him up and get him to reveal himself or make a mistake, so he did his best to keep still.

"It's no wonder that bitch bit it the way she did." Nullpudding continued. "Those weaker than us deserve to rot in the ground, and she was the weakest little thing out there. She died because she deserved it."

"Shut your mouth!" Gray exclaimed as he shot an ice-lance attack at Nullpudding, but he was quick to dodge it and allow it to strike one of the decoys. "No! Damn it!" Gray crushed before he was forcibly teleported away.

"Yeah. Suck it, little Fairy." Nullpudding grinned, only to gasp in surprise as he heard a gunshot and felt a projectile strike him in the side, sending him away as well. "What…? Come on man…!"

From an alleyway, Wally had his right-arm and head detached from the rest of his body as the arm had converted into his Polygon rifle, having shot Nullpudding.

"How do you like that, ya ugly prick?" Wally said with a scowl. He would still support his own guild all the way, but nobody disrespects his other friends like that and gets away with it.

"The tension is so thick in this game of Hidden, you could cut it with a knife. Quatro Cerberus' Wally has already taken the lead, while Fairy Tail Team A's Gray has lost two points." Chapati commentated. "Say, on a field full of copies of yourself and your enemies, how would you figure out who was real and who was fake?" He asked his fellow commentators.

"There are a variety of ways to find out which ones are real." Yajima explained. "One might begin by trying to detect an opponent's magic power."

"That's one way, but it can also take too long in a time-based event like this." Bruni said. "One could also find a way to use the environment to their advantage, or how your magic operates. Stuff like this requires 'outside-the-box' type problem solving."

"Sounds like that guy up there knows what he's talking about." Dante said in response to Bruni's statement. "If you don't get penalized for hitting a decoy, you could just attack all of them at once."

"Sadly though, that is not an option." Erza replied. "Analyzing magic power could at least get you in a general direction. But as said, time is against you in this competition so another method would be preferable."

"Keep screwing up and it's gonna cost us the game, Gray!" Natsu exclaimed.

"That purple freak got you two times in a row!" Elfman also exclaimed.

"What's up with Raven Tail anyway?" Lucy muttered as she glanced to the box where Team Raven Tail was also observing the competition, something Flare noticed.

"Ya know, staring isn't very nice Blondie."

"They're the ones that attacked Wendy and for some reason, they're only targeting Gray in this round." Lucy observed.

"My guess, they didn't really care if they win. They just want to make sure that we lose." Dante said, glaring in the direction of Raven Tail.

"I don't care what they want. They won't get away with any of this." Natsu growled.

Sapphire turned in their direction as well. "Don't be so sure, Salamander. I'm looking forward to playing with you."

"Let me teach the pretty blonde some manners too. She looks like she could be fun to toy with." Flare said eagerly.

"Flare, Sapphire, that's enough." Alexei told them.

"Ivan, you scum." Makarov growled from the spectator's box as he and Gildarts glared at the Raven Tail guildmaster.

"I know you can win this, Gray!" Happy cheered.

"Tsk, square one again." Gray muttered in annoyance. However, he quickly noticed the ground in front of him beginning to crack open and realized an attack was incoming.

"Carrot Missile!" Multiple carrots were shot at Gray, but he was quick to react as he limboed underneath the strike, not a single carrot hit him.

"Ah shoot, I totally missed that guy." Beth said, peeking out from the hole. Suddenly, two Polygon rifle-arms appeared in the air above her and shot her several times, causing her to vanish and lose a point.

"I know that move." Gray quickly created a dome of ice around his body as multiple block-projectiles attempted to strike him from all directions. But the dome protected Gray.

"Ha, now that's a dandy way to block." Wally grinned, earning a point for himself, and very impressed with Gray's defense, as he restructured his body just outside the dome, but quickly formed a larger gun by combining both his block-arms. "But let's see it take on some heavy artillery!"

He was suddenly struck from behind by an ice-attack from Lyon. "Nice try, but he's mine." He said to Wally as he disappeared and lost a point while Lyon gained only one.

Gray dispelled the ice-dome to face his rival. "You."

"Let's go, Gray." Lyon was more than ready for a showdown.

However, Juvia leapt from the roof above them. "You can't hide from me, my darling!" However, at the angle she was at, both young men got a good view up her dress.

"Holy crap!" Gray exclaimed, silently wondering if she did that on purpose.

"What a view…!" Lyon was in awe with a blush, leaving him open for Juvia to kick him down upon landing, scoring her a point and causing Lyon to lose his.

"Lucky." Dante muttered, only to get smacked upside the head by Lucy.

"Look, I don't need any help from you! Got it?" Gray told Juvia.

"I'm aware of that." she replied. "I told you before that I won't hold back, in fact I'm determined to beat you. Because of the promise Master Gildarts made."

"So, what did he promise, exactly? Just so I know what I'm getting into, cause I bet it has something to do with me." Gray assumed.

"Oh yes." Juvia confirmed.

Flashback

Just before departing for the Grand Magic Games, the members of Fairy Tail that would make up Team B, consisting of Nero, Gajeel, Cana, Laxus, Mira, and Juvia had been told the situation by Gildarts and Makarov. Panther-Lily was also present.

"Hold on, let me get this straight… you want us to enter the games as a back-up team if Dante and Natsu don't end making it?" Nero questioned.

"More like we want two teams to be in the Games and get us a bigger chance to win the thing." Gildarts clarified.

"Yeah, that sounds like the Fairy Tail way to do things." Cana wasn't the least bit surprised.

"It does give us a better chance." Mira granted.

"Are you kidding?! Why the hell are we the back up?! I ain't settling for anything less!" Gajeel exclaimed.

"Well, I don't have any objection, but getting put on the B-Team is kinda insulting though." Laxus said.

"Then why don't we sweeten the deal?" Makarov offered. "Let's say… the winning team gets to do whatever they want to the losing team for one whole day."

"Yep, anything at all so long as it doesn't involve murder." Gildarts added bluntly with a grin.

"That sounds more like a punishment game for the ones on the bottom." Panther-Lily pointed out.

"Ya think that's punishment? You should see how the old man handled all those marathons." Gildarts laughed.

"Whatever we want, huh?" Laxus immediately thought of having Natsu serve him hand-and-foot.

"Hey, get me some food."

"Right away, Mr. Laxus!"

"One whole day?" Gajeel came up with the idea of having Lucy dance in a bunny suit while he played his guitar.

"Shake it baby!"

"With pleasure!"

"I think I can get behind that." Nero grinned, thinking about using Dante his own personal punching bag.

"I'm gonna pound ya like there's no tomorrow and you can't hit back!"

"Bring on the pain, kid!"

"That could be pretty sweet." Mira smiled; her idea was to have Erza be her personal maid for a day, complete with the outfit.

"Bring me some salt-grilled mackerel, please."

"Of course, ma'am."

"Oh yeah, now you're talking." Cana snickered, thinking of having Wendy dress up in all sorts of cute outfits.

"I'm gonna make you look nice and pretty, get some attention from cute boys. It's time to bring you into womanhood, kiddo."

"Thanks so much, Cana."

"A whole… day…" Juvia was absolutely awestruck at the thought of that. It didn't take a genius to figure out the plan she had for a certain Ice-Make wizard.

"If the master says that I have to do this, then I've got no choice."

Juvia's face turned red with a loving smile.

End Flashback

"Is this some kind of joke?!" Gray exclaimed in comic shock, having been told everything by Juvia. He then spoke out, confident his current guildmaster could hear him. "Hey Gildarts, if you're gonna make crazy rules like that, then you gotta keep it fair! That means they gotta work for us if our team wins this too!"

"That's fair." Gildarts said with a nod. "If Team B loses, they'll be at Team A's beck-and-call for a whole day too."

"Yeah." Natsu grinned. "I know exactly what I want."

"Give me a Happy impression."

"Aye!" Nero, Laxus, and Gajeel all said at the same time in a high-pitched tone.

"Hold on, that's all you want them to do?!" Elfman questioned, somehow understanding Natsu's thoughts and intent.

"You got no imagination, man." Dante shook his head. "I know exactly what I'd do."

Dante already pictured himself being fed and waited on by Mira, Cana, and Juvia, all wearing bathing suits throughout the day.

"Get me the best pizza, beer, and strawberry sundaes you can make."

"Yes sir!" Mira smiled sweetly.

"Our pleasure, Mr. Dante." Juvia replied.

"We're gonna rock your world." Cana added.

Dante was brought out of his fantasy, by a kick to his head from Lucy. "Don't be a pervert!" She scolded.

"I want my wish, so I'm not planning on losing." Juvia readied herself for a fight.

"Bring it on." Gray was more than ready to fight back.

However, with both of them focused on each other, it left them open for Nullpudding to give them a surprise attack from the alleyway across from them. "Two fairies for the price of one!" He struck them both, depriving them each of a point and scoring himself two at once.

"What the hell is this guy's problem?!" Gray questioned. However, he looked up in surprise to see that snow was beginning to fall, something all the other competitors noticed as this was happening all over the town.

"Well, would you look at this? Our city is turning into a winter wonderland!" Chapati announced.

Already, the snow was beginning to blanket the city, courtesy of Eve and his snow magic. "It's a shame there are wizards here who aren't affected by the cold, but most of them are."

"I see…" Ichiya understood. "When people are cold, they start to shiver, and you can see steam from their breath."

"But it doesn't work that way for the copies." Ren grinned.

"Pretty smart strategy." Hibiki added.

"That's our Eve." Jenny smiled.

"Now that is thinking outside the box. Very impressive." Bruni noted with a nod.

"I can see you! Right there!" Eve was already on the move, striking Beth with a wave of his snow magic. He was also able to get Nullpudding and even Wally, scoring three points for himself.

"Eve has just scored a plethora of points!" Chapati commentated. Suddenly, Eve was stuck from behind by several ice-eagle constructs courtesy of Lyon. "And the icy-Lyon enters in with a storm of his creations!"

"Unfortunately for you, I've spent most of my life training in the cold." Lyon told Eve.

"Yeah… I kinda figured that…" He replied with a wince.

From that point forward, as the competing wizards got used to the conditions and rules surrounding Hidden, it turned into an all-out brawl as they struck each other left and right. Every point scored was a point loss. Every time it felt like somebody was about to take the lead, somebody else strikes them and takes it from under their nose, only to be attacked themselves. Among those struggling the most was Gray, who had Nullpudding constantly gunning it for him, and occasionally Juvia; but Gray was able to put up a fight himself and strike Nullpudding back once or twice, but it was still increasingly frustrating. Yet despite that… there was one particular wizard who had yet to make even a single move when the game started.

"We've still yet to see any movement on the board by the top-seated Rufus of the Sabertooth guild." Chapati commented for the audience and participants. "He hasn't lost any points, but he hasn't scored any either."

As it turns out, Rufus was standing at the highest point in the city. From the very top of the building, standing in pure dramatic fashion was the musketeer-dressed man of the most popular guild in the games.

"I find this game dreadfully boring."

"Wait! There he is!" Chapati alerted everyone to his presence, those in Fairy Tail were especially surprised by his location, even Dante was looking a bit nervous.

"I've committed this song to memory…" Rufus said aloud. "The rhythm of their heartbeats, their footsteps, the tone of their magic…"

"That's a pretty conspicuous hiding spot if you ask me." Lucy commented.

"You think that guy actually wants the others to find him for some reason?" Elfman questioned.

"Gray! Above you!" Natsu tried to warn him.

"No… something's not right. Why wait to reveal himself now?" Erza wondered seriously.

Dante's eyes widened as it dawned on him. "He's about to attack everyone at once! I don't know how but…" He happened to glance toward the rest of Sabertooth where his older brother was watching.

Vergil already knew what was coming next. "This match is over."

"It's all there… inside my mind." Rufus placed his fingers on his head. A large red magic circle formed behind him with golden lines of magic curving around him, almost symbolizing the concept of infinity.

"Memory-Make…" The entire sky in the arena suddenly transformed into a night-like setting with a darkened sky and bright stars shining above the city. But as it blanketed the entire area, all the contestants below… Gray, Juvia, Lyon, Nullpudding, Wally, Beth, and Eve were suddenly emanating a faint golden aura while all the copies remained the same.

It didn't take a genius for them to figure out what was going on. Not only had he located each and every one of the real wizards admits a city full of hundreds of copies, but he also had them all targeted.

"…Night of Shooting Stars!"

Rufus shot out from his body multiple beams of golden light that rained down on the city, tracking and homing in on each of his rivals like heat-seeker missiles, and scoring hits on every single one of them, except for Nullpudding who was able to dodge it before leaping up to attack Rufus directly.

"You could really learn a thing or two about hiding!" He threw out his enlarged and spikey fist, but Rufus' body suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke, much to his surprise. "Oh no! A fake?!"

"Not quite." Rufus reappeared in the same spot as Nullpudding flew past him. "You haven't lost a point, that was the memory of my being there." He shot the same kind of spell again, this time hitting Nullpudding and sending him falling back to the city below. "I find that's much more effective than using mere decoys."

The sky turned back to normal, and in that one instant, Rufus had jumped to the top spot of the chart, scoring seven points in total and forcing all his competition to each lose one. This earned a huge applause from the audience.

"And the hits rained down from the heavens! Turning the scoreboard upside down!" Chapati commentated. "This is what you expect from a guy like Rufus! Sabertooth takes the lead!"

While those in Sabertooth looked particularly proud, with Vergil being unsurprised and expectant of such a result, all the other guilds, especially Fairy Tail, were blown out of the water by surprise.

"The organizers really need to work harder." Rufus commented. "These Games aren't the least bit interesting. After all, I was still able to claim victory without even needing to hide. They may have spotted me, but nobody even came close to touching me. The best they could do was merely chase my memory."

"Attaboy Rufus!" Lector cheered. "I can't wait until everybody sees what Sting can do!"

"Yay for Rufus!" Frosch cheered as well.

"Wow… that was unbelievable…!" Panther-Lily stated.

"No kidding…" Happy muttered.

"I think I get why they're the number one guild in Fiore… it really isn't just Vergil." Lisanna commented.

"It wasn't just his magic, but his strategy too." Modeus noted. "He waited till near the end of the event and struck all his competition at once to gain such a high score, taking the lead above everyone else in one fell swoop. That is rather clever."

"Was that Maker Magic?!" Gray questioned. It so different from is own Ice-Make magic.

"He truly is a force to be reckoned with. I'll watch out… but we can still beat them…" Lyon commented.

'He said Memory-Make…' Juvia thought to herself. 'I know Gray and Lyon can each use Ice-Make, and Mammon from Devil Hand had Gold-Make magic… but how can utilize memory as a weapon? That should be impossible…'

"You think you've outsmarted us?!" Gray exclaimed as he leapt up toward Rufus and went on the attack. "This game's called Hidden, so start playing by the rules!"

But Gray didn't get very far as Nullpudding, once again, appeared in front of him and struck Gray with a kick to knock his face into the ground.

"We might not win this, but you won't either." The deformed wizard snickered.

"Damn you…!" Gray growled in frustration.

"That flamboyant asshat was out in the open but the ugly guy passed over him for Gray?" Dante questioned rhetorically. "Yeah, Raven Tail really does want us to lose this."

The final bell rang, signaling the end of Hidden as the magically constructed city began to disappear from the arena, leaving only the competing wizards.

"And with that, the game is over!" Chapati announced. "So let's take a look at the old score board!"

A giant board appeared on a magical screen to show the results. Sabertooth came in 1st place, scoring ten points; Raven Tail was in 2nd with eight points; Lamia Scale took 3rd place and six points; Blue Pegasus came in 4th and got four points; Mermaid Heel took 5th place and had three points; Quatro Cerberus had 6th place and got two points; Team Fairy Tail B had 7th place and got one point, while Team Fairy Tail A had last place and got zero.

"That was absolutely pitiful Lyon!" Ooba exclaimed, spinning one of her fingers. "I'm gonna spin the hell out of you tonight!"

"Eve could have done a whole lot worse, I guess." Ren commented.

"Not too bad." Hibiki added.

"You did the best you could, Beth." Kurenai said from her spot in the stands. "There's still a ways to go in the Games, we're not done yet."

"Just as we expected, Sabertooth claims the top spot!" Chapati commentated.

"Stupendously done!" Yajima congratulated.

"Both Fairy Tail teams gave it their all, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to get them out of last place." Chapati said as Gray and Juvia began to walk away.

"Better luck next time." Yajima said.

"The Games are only beginning; a rough start is not the same as a complete defeat." Bruni commented.

Despite the comment of the Wizard Saint, most of the audience was already beginning to mock Fairy Tail.

"These guys really are the weakest guild in Fiore!"

"They're such losers!"

"Maybe they just got lucky with that Fortuna-mess!"

"Get used to being in dead-last you hazbins!"

Natsu turned to the audience and was about to lash out at them, but Dante grabbed his arm. "Don't."

"Oh come on Dante, you gonna stand for this?!" Natsu questioned.

"They wanna laugh at us, let them. We'll make them eat their chuckles when we win this thing." Dante told him. "Let's stay focused on the competition for now."

This was enough to get Natsu to calm down just a bit, but his anger was still there. Lucy, meanwhile, looked down in the arena to see Gray exiting and couldn't help but feel concerned. One could only imagine how frustrated he must feel right now.

'Raven Tail… Sabertooth…' Gray thought darkly as he entered the exit tunnel, stopped for a brief moment before discarding his jacket… and punched the wall so hard that the bricks broke.

"I will get payback for this! I'll wipe the smug looks from their faces before this tournament is over!"

"Coming up next is the battle part of the contest!" Chapati announced. "One member of each team will participate in a match, but this isn't a tournament-set up."

"Nope. The Game's organizers decide who fights who in these winner-take-all duels." Bruni said. "The only way it can end in a draw is for both competitors to remain standing when time runs out, or they're both knocked unconscious at the same time. This is what I've been waiting for!"

"I'm sure we'll see spectacular displays of magical skills." Yajima said.

"I just received the line-up, so we'll find out how spectacular those will be!" Chapati began to announce the first match-up. "Our very first duel of this year's Grand Magic Games will test the ability of Fairy Tail A's Zodiac Wielder, Lucy Heartfilia against the Crimson Intensity, Raven Tail's Flare Corona!"

"Looks like it's my turn." Lucy stepped forward with a determined expression.

"Too bad for you, Blondie." Flare gave a twisted smile.

Done.

So, we have met all eight teams of the participating guilds in the Grand Magic Games and have had our first event.

I'm sure you noticed that this time around, Jellal is not participating in the Games. He's still disguised as Mystogen, but he's using it as a means to get closer to the city and investigate the mysterious power he's so concerned about, under the guise of a man trying to support his guild. Strategically speaking, that's a wiser option as there is a possibility somebody will recognize him with his magic, which Jura did in the canon, and he almost got exposed. This way it's less risk-free.

Of course, Sparda's ghost is watching the Games alongside Mavis. You can expect quite a bit to happen in this arc with the spirit of the Dark Knight present. We may even get some answers regarding a certain black-haired wizard that everyone in the world is worried about.

And, aside from Wally being here, Hidden pretty much proceeded like in the canon, including Fairy Tail having its rocky start and getting last place. I want Fairy Tail's victory in the Games to feel earned, and taking last place at the start of it is the best way to go about it story-wise. As I said before, a lot of math was involved regarding the points earned by all the participating guilds. Some matches and events will happen like in the canon, others will be different for this story. You'll just have to see how it all goes.

Next chapter will focus on the battles of Day 1, with Lucy's fight against Flare being the first bout as expected. Things won't go exactly like how they did in the canon, here we'll see the results of Lucy's training as a novice Devil Hunter and her improvements with her magic and skills. I'm very excited for the next chapter, and I hope you all enjoyed this one. Until next time.