He didn't go back to his room, he flew to where he smelled the Master, in the bar of the main hotel. So it was close. He landed in front of him, looking troubled. "What is it?"

Ace didn't hesitate to explain what they'd heard, and what he left behind. They were shocked at the news. Laxus and Erza were there as well. "What? This man plans to capture Acnologia?" Makarov asked in shock.

Erza told Ace they wouldn't let anything happen to him, even if everyone found out he wasn't originally human. He really hoped it wasn't spread around. Ace nodded, and Laxus asked what happened to the others. "I left. I don't want to be around Arcadios. He made me uneasy, and I felt violated. I mean, he listened in to something really personal. I… I had only told Sabo and Marco about my dream. And now a stranger knows about it."

"I understand why you left. But do you know if they're alright?" Erza asked. Ace shook his head. He left before he heard this outlandish sounding goal in detail. The plan to that goal was something Ace had no idea about, but didn't want to get caught up in. Ace asked if he could stay with them for awhile.

Makarov agreed, and Ace stayed in the bar while everyone else was asleep. He could hear Sabo and Marco waiting up for him, sounding worried a bit. Ace briefly left the bar, feeling jittery and nervous, and went upstairs to let his best friends know he was alright, and what he'd heard. They were shocked, but in relief he was okay, having been worried about him seemingly missing. They all headed down to the bar. Today was a day full of events. A lot happened, the tone of their break day shifting drastically. The three were in the bar, drinking juice or fizzy drinks. It was only around half an hour later that everyone returned, sans Lucy.

Natsu raged and explained everything bluntly. Lucy was taken into custody of the royal army because she could be an accomplice in this big plan of Arcadios. Ace was very glad he left when he had. They would get Lucy back, he was not greatly worried about it. No way the kingdom would kill an innocent person. Right?

Laxus asked, "So, what's the deal with the grand magic games? If we don't win, we won't get Lucy back or something?" Gray nodded, but said he had doubts about the truth of that part of what they were told. When Natsu ranted about going to break her out, and wouldn't listen to reason, Erza easily tied him to a pole in the room.

"Let me go! I gotta save Lucy right now!"

"You'd be up against an entire country," Carla said in disbelief. Natsu didn't care and continued to shout about being let go to go and save their guild member. Ace wondered if he was at fault, too. Maybe he could have helped Lucy not get taken into custody. But he didn't voice his concern. He didn't want to hear that, to be told he was coward for leaving. Even though he did leave out of fear.

Makarov said their odds of beating he entire royal army were low. Until the Eclipse plan was cancelled, Lucy was held as a hostage. "But I don't think they'd abuse one of their own citizens when she's done nothing worth punishing."

Gajeel leaned against the wall and said, "It still doesn't make sense. They told us their big plan, and then let us go free. Shouldn't that be a government secret? Why would they share it with us in the first place?"

Lilly said they may have set them free so they could testify against Arcadios as witnesses to his treason, since that was what it was seen as by another government official, who ordered the knight and celestial wizards to be taken into custody. Ace really felt he dodged a bullet by ditching when he did. "But why would they leak such important information?"

"Maybe they thought there was no choice anymore, and it couldn't be hidden," Erza hypothesized. Gray said it wouldn't have spread if they'd just been locked up. Though Natsu, Gajeel and Gray were in the new Fairy Tail team, and would participate the next day. They wouldn't do that, it would be too obvious, most likely.

"Why would they make us an enemy? Nobody would want to make a guild their enemy," Juvia asked, now being there, too.

"Even if arresting Lucy seems absurd to us, it isn't that strange giving the way the royal army justify their actions in the name of justice," Erza said.

Makarov looked angry, but not furious. More like a cold, controlled anger. "While one of us is missing, it's no time for a festival. I assume you all feel the same?" Those in the room nodded in affirmation. Forfeiting the competition and losing was reasonable and not a big deal as long as they rescued one of their own in trouble. "I know we usually all go full throttle without a plan, but I don't think that would work this time." He paused. "Still… we're not so cowardly that we'd remain silent about this. Not Fairy Tail!"

Ace nodded, and Sabo and Marco were nervous. About Lucy, but also the plan for the Eclipse. "We'll think of that after we save Lucy," Gray said firmly. "That grand plan doesn't mean shit if we can't save her."

"If we plan to win the grand magic games and win her back legally, then that's great. But we can't trust that as our only option. We'll have a team go to rescue Lucy while we win the games. If one option fails, there's always the other. A secret squad will go after Lucy while we act like everything is normal while doing the games."

It ended up being Natsu, Mira and Wendy, along with Happy and Carla, of course. "But now we're missing one member," Erza said.

"We'll have Ace enter again," Makarov said simply. If it was to get Lucy back, then Ace would do so. But he also worried about being their downfall. They knew what the last competition was ahead of time. It wasn't something Ace would be guaranteed to bomb at.

Ace asked, "Am I really qualified? I got us a zero…"

"That was only on specific circumstances. You beat a god slayer and won a contest of secrecy and deceit. This time, you won't fail like before," Mira said in a stern voice. Like she was almost scolding him while giving a pep-talk.

Ace swallowed. "Okay, I'll do it." He felt he had no choice. A dragon would replace the dragon slayer. And Ace would expose himself as a dragon again if it were all to win to save Lucy. Not win to get their title and rank back, but to try and rescue one of their guild members who was unjustly taken into custody.

With it not being justified, it was more like she was kidnapped. It just didn't seem right. Ace would do what he could to win her back, feeling bad for leaving before things took a turn for the worst.

-x-

Ace was not wearing a tank top and shorts. He was wearing a more fancy shirt (in his opinion). He had shorts, but they weren't baggy and loose shorts, tighter. He also had boots on and a headband. Gajeel said he had to look tough as he roughly shoved this outfit at him. Every other team was the same as before, though Yukino was obviously not there and Minerva still took her place.

The only change to the new Fairy Tail team was replacing Natsu with Ace. "Oh! And another change in the line up! Little Ace is back!" Ace hated that nickname. It felt degrading. The crowd screamed for Ace's return, glad to see him again. He hoped their support wasn't pity support based on his last performance.

He looked unafraid and not nervous. He was determined to succeed. They had the first Master's plan, though. Hopefully she'd be right. Ace had more leniency in his task, though. Hopefully he'd do alright. Mavis was only giving him more chances because of his age most likely. And how pressured he felt. As well as not volunteering to take part in this round, not even in the beginning. He was asked to before. It was never his goal, but now he wouldn't back down.

"Fairy Tail looks different today. More resolved. Even the youngest is looking especially serious." Ouch. He hated this, being looked down on for his age and size. Let's see them think he was small and weak when he goes all out against the enemies. He would pull no punches. He wouldn't be averse to severe injuries, either.

The match was in the whole city. The Fairy Tail team knew just where to go to have their match ups. Ace was up against three at once. Which was daunting, but as long as he wasn't against Minerva, Lyon or Jura, he felt he would do alright. He had to. He was not going to be the little boy who lucked out with his smarts. He'd be a ruthless dragon. Why not play the part if he is one for once?

The teams were all teleported to their starting points. The rules were explained while they waited for the game to begin. "Whenever one member meets another in the field, they must fight, even if they wish to run! Knock out or incapacitate your opponent and you get one point! There is an unknown leader to each group, worth five points!"

Their leader was Laxus. Each team had a chance to win, the most points any given guild could have was 45. Right now, Fairy Tail was one point ahead of Sabertooth. They had to keep that lead, and hopefully score higher. As long as the didn't lose, it really didn't matter how spectacular they did. As long as they didn't lose.

Lucy's freedom was heavy on their shoulders. It was more important than regaining their reputation any day.

"Listen. We have no choice but to win. This is to get Lucy back," Erza said firmly. Ace nodded. They hoped they weren't the deciding factor and Natsu got Lucy back while they were continuing the competition. The last one. After this, Ace could go back home and sleep in his own bed, the smell of home being the most comforting.

"We have another reason to win," Gray said.

"And that's to make up fo the seven years of humiliation of our guild," Laxus said with a grin. Ace was glad none of them gave him a little pep-talk at all. Not wishing him good luck or warning him not to be nervous. He was being treated on equal terms with the strongest of the guild, and there was no greater honor than that.

"Let the grand magic game begin!" they heard, along with the gong, signaling the beginning of the end. There was no time limit this time. While Ace heard the other teams all start moving, the five Fairy Tail members stood still, their eyes closed. While the crowd and commentators were confused, the five of them stayed still. Ready to follow the first Master's plan.

It didn't take long for the other teams to get into fights, earning and losing points with their performances. Still, Fairy Tail didn't move, letting the circumstances match the plans Mavis made, and what she'd predicted. She was very intelligent, and her help should be a great aid to the five in their last chance to win.

Ace heard more fighting from around them, but they all waited for the signal they could hear even from there, Mavis announcing the start of their operation fairy stars. The five snapped their eyes open, and ran in different directions, none of them planning on working together. Being separate would be more risky, but they could get more points that way, spread out.

Ace was in human form as he ran, not planning on bringing a lot of attention to himself yet. The first Master told him to do just that, so he would. He felt relief thinking she knew what she was doing when he did indeed come close to Jura. He smelled him, and turned down an alleyway to avoid him. As long as they didn't come into view of each other, they didn't need to battle.

There was no way he could defeat Jura, let alone land a hit most likely. His magic could trap Ace if he wished, maybe in a stone ball, or pressed to the ground and unable to stand up. He wouldn't be the first to lose from his group, but he was confident that they'd all be fine. Get banged up a bit, but never lose.

"And Ace avoids Jura at the last moment! How did he know?! It would indeed be a bad match up!"

It was again correct when Rufus attacked, using that memory make attack that Ace had avoided in the first contest. At the last moment, he jumped to the side, avoiding the strike altogether. He wouldn't be willingly taking hits, even if they didn't do much damage. He wasn't going to be reckless this time. He tuned out the commentator's echoing voices and only worked on focusing his senses, honing his longest lasting helpful ability. He followed his nose and direction to where he was to meet up with his opponents. Three on one wasn't really fair to him, but he never complained. The first Master had faith in him, and he would follow her lead.

Ace didn't listen as the commentators reacted to Ace finding the group of three from Blue Pegasus. Hibiki, Ren and Eve. He didn't hesitate, and turned into a dragon, shooting at them and grabbing them, ruthlessly throwing them at the buildings. They were down in an instant. He earned three points in a single moment.

Shifting back to human form, he grew wings and flew through alley ways and side streets, following his directions. His next opponent would be someone from Quatro Puppy. He shocked him, too fast, and kicked him straight in the throat, knocking him out. Four points! Now he had to lay low, and he ran down an alleyway, and waited, eyes closed and listening to everything going on around him.

Ace was sweating bullets of raw magic, knowing he was leaving a trail right to himself. He couldn't do anything about that, though. Stress and nervousness produced more than usual. The ground was reacting negatively, and rotting. No more flowers were bloomed. Not here, at least.

He waited in the shadows until he sensed someone coming near. He grew pale. This… wasn't according to Master Mavis's plan! Now all his confidence in her strategy shattered like glass. He felt unsupported, and like he was suddenly forced to walk on a tightrope. He opted to stay silent and still, waiting for Jura to pass.

"I know you're there." Shit!

"Oh! And Ace unfortunately now meets Jura!" Ace took a shuddering breath and steeled his face. Jura was no doubt the one worth five points. If… if Ace managed to beat him, he'd have nabbed nine points, and it would help everyone. He stepped out of the alleyway, just begging for one of his nakama to come and help him with this. He wasn't strong enough to face a wizard saint all alone.

Jura smiled at him, and Ace shifted into a dragon. He could hear his team fighting off others, many of their battles taking a long time. Ace had taken out his four opponents easily just by surprise alone. He appeared to them instantly and unexpectedly. If he was found by them first, they'd have the upperhand. As Jura did now.

Ace transformed into a dragon, but that was a mistake, as he was a bigger target now. Jura's rock power, manipulating the earth, slammed Ace's thick arm down. Ace felt the scales break and his bone snap. He grit his teeth, trying not to scream. At least he wasn't being pitied or let off easy.

It hurt bad. Not nearly as bad as the pain he'd endured before his body was able to change forms, but it still hurt. The bone was badly broken. He changed back to human size and rolled out of under it. Even with a useless and broken arm, he dodged the attacks. He couldn't make one, unable to even get close to him.

To be honest, Ace was now in panic mode. He hurt, and he was fighting Jura all alone. This wasn't part of the plan, and Ace felt lost and scared. All his confidence left before he imagined the fear Lucy could be feeling right now. It was up to him to help save her, to help them win! Four points wasn't enough to secure their spot, and Fairy Tail couldn't lose even one point. They had to win completely.

Ace battled with his broken arm hanging limply. He ignored the pain, and wished he could retreat, but he was required to fight him. He was pummeled by pillars of rock, slamming into his scale covered body. As long as he wasn't crushed, the hits didn't harm him. At that moment, Rufus's memory magic aimed at him, but he rolled over, falling and landing on his arm.

He dodged that easily. The pain in his arm wasn't blinding, he could think straight, even if every little move hurt. He should get it in a brace as quick as possible. Soon, hopefully someone would come and help him.

Jura was giving Ace a beating, and nearly crushed his whole body against a wall, but Ace was nimble, and dodged many of the attacks. But he couldn't get near to try and attack back. Turning into a dragon was useless here because being small was making him a little harder to hit. And he was faster at moving in human form, more used to that than fighting in dragon form, even if he'd practiced it for three months. It was three months versus eight years of being human.

Ace was panting by now. "You sure are a durable young man," Jura praised before nailing Ace in the face. He screamed as his eye was hurt again. It broke the skin around his face, and he didn't realized that part of him was soft and weak. Blood was dripping down onto his left eye, making it hard for him to see out of it before he just gave up on using it, shutting it.

Jura did look a bit regretful, but wasn't letting up. Then, a miracle happened, and his savior appeared. Laxus ran over, and joined the fight while Ace tried to recover. He gasped in air, and the chubby gravity girl was behind him. She tried to attack him, but he swifting kicked her in the neck, gaining a point.

But Sabertooth was beating a ton of people as well. Lamia Scale wasn't doing too bad either. Ace couldn't count on his strength to get them to win. All groups had a chance to win big if they did well in this. If they fought and won against many opponents. Ace was panting and wincing, but still able to fight. Not against Jura, who was fighting Laxus.

It looked bad for Laxus, but he wasn't taking nearly as bad of a beating as Ace, and was actually able to be offensive and land hits on Jura, though they were few and far between. But, another miracle came. Jura messed up, just a small misstep of moving one pillar of rock the wrong way, and Laxus let loose his strongest attack.

Jura was fried, and Laxus won, despite being pretty beaten up now. "Thank you," Ace said.

"No problem. We just got five more points," he said smoothly. Ace ran off, avoiding anyone and everyone before he entered a house and broke off the table legs of a coffee table. He took off his headband and made himself a makeshift splint for the broken arm. Wendy wasn't around right now, but hopefully she'd be back soon and could heal him.

He rummaged through the house, which he felt bad about, and got first aid supplies and did his best to stop the blood flow into his eye. Though the broken skin also accompanied a growing bruise that swelled his eyelid up. He couldn't see out of it clearly anymore. Well, he was fairly used to only having one working eye.

Leaving the house with his injuries treated as best as he could, he hid in wait, focusing on everyone. He didn't know if his team had won any but for Laxus. Did Gray beat Rufus? Did Gajeel beat Rogue? Did Erza defeat Kagura? All of those were predestined battles. But he had no idea if they really happened since Ace's own predictions had veered off path.

Ace listened to the commentators as he heard more bodies falling, losing to others. It was dwindling down quickly. Apparently Fairy Tail was only one point ahead of Sabertooth now. Ace couldn't afford to pass out. He was still able to move, so he wasn't counted defeated. He finally left the alleyway when he heard Shelia run past.

Hiding the rest of the time was shameful. He ran out, but found Gray already in a battle with her and Lyon. Ace would be a burden to him fighting. He was feeling dizzy due to the amount of both blood and magic seeping off of him. His eye wound was still bleeding, and had already soaked through the bandage he put on.

The bone in his arm hadn't broken the skin, so he wasn't bleeding from there, either. Ace watched the fight, and did feel Gray was having trouble. Ace flew forward in his human form with wings, and grabbed Shelia, letting Ace focus solely on Lyon. But Shelia was a sky god slayer, she was unafraid of heights, even if she had no wings.

"Let me go!" she shouted. Ace had her restrained so she wasn't able to move her arms. He had tears from the pain coming from his eyes as he used his badly broken arm to restrain her. He flew higher and higher, and then twisted and threw her down. She screamed before she hit the ground hard, unconscious.

Saber tooth was still very close behind Fairy Tail. Quatro Puppy and Blue Pegasus were out, and Mermaid Heel only had one person left. All that was left were Lyon, the Fairy Tail team and the Sabertooth leader.

Ace stumbled when he landed, and winced at his arm. He'd messed up the brace. He righted it, running away from the scene again. His ears were ringing, and he was beyond stressed by now. He was panting, injured and tired emotionally and magically. He was leaking off so much that it seemed to actually be harming his health. He felt clammy and had chills.

This… this sucked, but he was still going to last through the end.

Soon, though, the place went quiet but for soft crying from a few voices. Everyone was defeated by Fairy Tail. There was one person left, and that was Sting. A laser was let off in the air, a signal to where he was. "I'm right here! Come at me Fairy Tail!" he shouted. He had a smile in his voice. Ace stood up from his spot, and turned. He flew to Sting, but was unable to transform into a dragon without risking messing his broken arm up even more.

If he had to fight Sting, he'd be using his legs. But he found the others in his team making their way there, and Ace landed in a stumble beside Erza. She had a badly injured leg, and as the others, his family and team mates, gathered, he saw they were each badly injured, too. None of them attempted to treat their wounds like Ace had. He still had the splint, but the bandage was long gone and his eye was swollen.

The five gathered, injured and exhausted of magic as well as physical energy. If Sting beat all of them, Sabertooth would pull ahead by one point.

Sting was completely unharmed, and was smirking at them. "What a sight. Those I used to worship seven years ago, all on their last legs." He didn't mean Ace, as he wasn't known until after the time skip.

"Enough chit-chat. This is the final battle," Gajeel said in annoyance.

"We'll take you on one on one, choose who to go first!" Gray exclaimed. Sting cockily told them to come at him all at once. They were all broken and exhausted. They wouldn't last long, according to the white dragon slayer.

Ace said, "Don't think you've won just because we're tired. I don't see any of your teammates up here supporting you." His voice was hard and strong, a compete opposite of his bruised and broken body. He could barely stand, and knew he was out of magic. He was no longer leaking it off, and was just in plain human form. Most of his clothing was ripped up, but so were the others. They were a hot mess, but didn't give up.

"That's exactly why I'll crush you at once! I've been waiting for this moment! I'm going to show Lector just how strong I am!" Sting shouted, eyes wide and wild. The five fairies just stood there, ready to take on whatever he had to give them. They weren't going to give up, even if they were on their deathbeds.

Ace felt the same, he wasn't scared. Yeah, he just wanted the competition to be over, but it wasn't. Laxus said dismissively, "I don't gotta clue about what you're saying, but if you're gonna fight us, get on with it."

"Very well! If you're prepared for the outcome…"

Erza stood taller, even if she was supporting her damaged leg by holding onto a piece of wood she was using as a walking stick. "Then we will fight you, Sting!" The last enemy grinned, and started to unleash his magic, cocky and confident. The five Fairy Tail members didn't move one inch, ready to take on his magic, and return it and defeat him.

When he looked at their unmoving bodies and stern faces, he seemed to lose all confidence, and started to shake. Ace assumed the others all looked very intimidating. All of them scratched up in many places. He started to shake and sweat, scared of them, clearly. Or at least very intimidated.

He attempted to make a step forward, but he couldn't, and fell to his knees. He surrendered to them, and the event was done. They finished with 64 points, and were declared the winners. The moment Ace heard the huge gong ring, truly signaling the end of the event, he got on his knees, and took some deep breaths. The swelling on his eye hadn't gotten any worse, but it hadn't gotten any better.

"We did it," Gray said, a grin in his voice. "I need a drink."

"I need a nap," Ace said. Laxus helped him up, and Gajeel helped support Erza's weight, since her leg was in bad shape, and she had used it even when to walk here, whereas Ace had used his broken arm to fight. Erza asked if he was okay. "We are all pretty beat up. I only broke my arm and got punched in the face."

"You were beaten for a good three minutes by a wizard saint. It's a miracle you aren't more injured than this," Laxus said.

"I've run out of all magic. I couldn't fight Sting if he did attack us. I was just bluffing," Ace admitted, holding his arm int he splint to his chest gently. He didn't let it hang anymore. Gray ripped what was left of his shirt up, and made it into a sling for Ace, who was very grateful. He thanked him, giving him a tired smile.

"You did good, Ace. You got many points," Erza said proudly. Ace was about to say he hid a lot of the time before she cut him off. "Just accept the complement, Ace. You deserve it, no matter your strategies." Ace smiled and nodded, accepting the compliment and not countering it with insecure words.

He did it! He totally helped win the grand magic games! He got some energy back just from the excitement over their win. Still, even after learning he was really this strong, he would go back to doing little jobs in his group with Sabo and Marco. He couldn't wait to go home and put this event behind him, the stress behind him.

Erza turned to the trembling Sting, and asked why he gave up and didn't fight them. He spoke of his belief he could win and see Lector again, but in the end knew he didn't stand a chance. He would have lost. He cried over his missing Exceed, and Ace did wonder where he went. Did he die? And how?

"I'll never see him again," he said in a teary voice. Erza smiled softly and said he could. Milliana, the cat girl that Ace personally found a bit annoying, came over with the sleeping Exceed in her arms. The cat woke, and both he and Sting went running at one another until the hugged tightly, both crying.

Dragon slayers really did love their exceeds. Ace wished he could have one, too.

The five of them all left, not heading to the stadium to receive their announcement of victory, but all were injured and needed treatment. There were already palace workers coming to them, and Ace hid behind Laxus a bit. Erza pat his head and said they were there to treat them. Ace nodded, and took a deep breath.

All the guild members gathered to be treated in the same place. Ace apologized for those that he hurt. "It was a fight. You had to hurt us."

"I just don't like hurting people, or fighting. Everything was kind of scary in a way," he mumbled, face red. Shelia walked to him, and said she forgave him.

"I healed after all! You just made me unconscious, that's the only reason I was beaten! Let me help heal you," she said brightly, and put her hand on his arm. The bone made a disturbing noise and they watched as the bent arm righted itself. Then the healing moved to his face, and the swelling reversed, and he could see again.

Everyone but for Sting was injured in some way, even if it was just some bruises. "It'll still be sore for awhile, but I treated the worst of it," she explained. Then she moved on to help some others while they were being treated by the palace doctors. While Ace was resting, his magic all spent, Milliana came over to him.

She sat next to him, and asked if he was the Ace that visited their guild seven years ago. "Everyone was talking about it, I wasn't there then." Ace nodded. They helped him return to his guild safely and quickly. The others from Mermaid Heel came over, Kagura the most injured, and they congratulated Ace on doing so well.

Ace smiled brightly and thanked them. He assumed he was only being praised unlike the others because, again, he was only eleven, and had been injured and admitted to being scared. He looked pretty feeble right now. But he didn't really care anymore. They could see him as weak if they wanted. He helped Fairy Tail to win the tournament. He didn't need to look strong anymore. It didn't matter.

Someone came up behind Ace, and he knew it was Jura by the smell. "I'm impressed all you got from my beating was a broken arm and scratches and bruising. Anyone else would have been much more injured. I'm not sorry for being rough, because you're strong enough to warrant excessive force." Ace wasn't offended, but was flattered.

"You kind of over did it. I woulda' lost if Laxus hadn't saved me," Ace said with a friendly smile and laugh. Jura smiled and admitted his tactic was a bit rough, considering. But he saw Ace as a threat to their victory, so he tried to take him out. It just hadn't worked.

"You know, I wonder why nobody else raided the homes for first aid treatment. It wasn't against the rules," Beth said. "I didn't even think about it." Ace admitted he'd wrecked a coffee table to make the splint. "Well, it'll be repaired or replaced." The boy nodded, but did feel bad about raiding somebody else's home. He'd left a mess after rummaging around the bathrooms for first aid supplies.

Everyone was treated to some extent if they were badly beaten. Sting was still hugging his returned cat. The other Sabertooth members were there besides Minerva. Ace walked up to Sting, still depleted of energy and all magic powers. The young man looked up at Ace. He reached out his hand. "No more hard feelings?" he asked. Sting looked surprised, but smiled and took his hand.

"I am sorry about how I treated you before. I was foolish and just cruel," Sting said, sounding sincere. "And I'm sorry about what I did to that old man."

"I forgive you. Maybe some day you can go apologize to him instead of me."

"Yeah, I will," Sting said. The cute frog dressed exceed said they thought it was a good idea, too. So cute. Even cuter than Happy was. "You seem really injured, actually."

Ace said he was just depleted of his magic. It all ran out. Erza called him over, and he walked to her, his body feeling heavy. He did feel much better after his arm was mostly healed, and his eye wasn't swollen shut. But he was still very tired, and the biggest reward for all he'd done was to take a long rest after a tasty meal.