A/N: Okay, so I thought about releasing this on July 4, seeing as it's the birthday of my homeland, but I didn't, for two reasons. One, a lot of the people that could or would read this would (or at least should) be spending the day with family, and not being here too much. Not to say that I don't want you guys to read this (or review, for that matter- please, do review), but you know, priorities. Also, the second reason is one that any Fairy tail fan worth their salt should know- and that is that July 7 is the important day for things to happen in Fiore!
Now, it's time to see just what kind of impact Kinana and Gorun will have on the Grand Magic Games, as opposed to Elfman and Jellal (then Cana)! Please enjoy what I have prepared, and be sure to leave a review!
P.S. More TFS references inbound! Their abridged series of DBZ is awesome, and I love using this story to pay them homage!
OP Song: Dragon Ball Heroes (cover by MasakoX and Mark de Groot)
Magic Battle Nexus Arc: Chapter 3
War at the Games
"Well, they said no restrictions…" Natsu grinned.
"Remember, our guild's honor is on the line," Erza said sharply. "Hold nothing back- show them our strength."
They entered the labyrinth to encounter a few familiar- yet unwelcome- faces after only a few minutes of wandering around. It seemed that even Twilight Ogre had decided to enter the games this year. "Hey, it's those Fairy Tail losers!" shouted Teedo, pointing at them with his spiked club. His cohorts all laughed at them, setting their teeth on edge at the sound. "Waste 'em, boys!"
"Let's show them why messing with our guild while we're not around was a bad idea!" Gray shouted, bringing his hands together, the temperature around him lowering instantly. "Ice-make: FLOOR!" He slammed his palms into the ground, and the walkway between them and their enemies quickly froze over in a sheet of slick ice.
The Ogres found themselves struggling not to fall over each other, much less make any headway against their targets. Not that the Fairy Tail team had any intention of letting them get close. To their surprise, Kinana stepped forward, her Kaioken activating again as she said, "Leave this one to me, guys. You got all the payback last time- now it's my turn."
"Ha!" one of the men from the rival guild laughed. "It's the little barmaid!"
"Yeah!" added Teedo. "Where's that loser boy toy of yours? Did he go find himself another squeeze since you's too shy?"
Normally, Kinana was a very kind-hearted, sweet-tempered individual. She was not prone to violence like many of her guild mates, and she certainly didn't think that fists should be used as a primary solution for difficult problems. However, even she had a limit. Teedo had just exceeded that limit.
"That's crossing the line, Teedo," she snapped, the sudden viciousness in her voice and rapid increase in her magic power making the Twilight Ogres stop in place with surprise. "Don't ever mock my Gorun!" She clenched her fists at her side and began to reform certain magic circles in her head while preparing to release more energy.
"What're you gonna do, little girl?" Teedo laughed again, trying to bluff his way through. "Yer team ain't got a chance at this competition. You ain't got near enough magic power to beat me or my boys. You certainly ain't good enough to even keep up with the rest of those losers that you call a guild. Yer just a barmaid."
"Yeah?" she hissed, three red circles appearing above her head and she placed her hands in front of her to form a triangle. "You know what? Forget this competition. Forget magic power! And forget you!" Her aura blazed with ferocity, even as a crystal blue magic circle appeared in front of her. "Shin… KIKOHO!"
Gorun narrowed his eyes as he stared down a group of five wizards, all of them getting ready to attack with their magic. Without looking back at the others, he said, "These guys are mine."
"No way, I didn't train for three months to sit on the sidelines," Gajeel chuckled as he moved forward to get ahead of the other young wizard.
Gorun didn't bother arguing. Instead, he let his actions speak for him in the form of the wizards being sent flying out of the labyrinth, all five of them in different directions. It happened so fast that all Gajeel could do was stare at the boy- who looked as though he had done no more than take a quiet stroll in the forest- as he spared his teammates a glance and said in a tense voice, "I've got some venting to do. Don't get in between me and my prey."
"That coulda been my fight, ya know!" Gajeel said angrily, though he made no move to cross his comrade. Apparently the display of speed and skill that Gorun had just put on was enough to rattle even his nerves of steel.
The boy ignored him, too wrapped up in his thoughts to care. The bastards that hurt Wendy and Carla are probably somewhere in this maze… I need to keep an eye out for strong power levels, plus a magic that can take from others. He ducked a fireball and turned slightly before speeding over and slugging the caster in the gut just hard enough to avoid permanent damage. The wizard let out a strangled groan before falling down into the city below- or at least, he would have, if not for the magic circle that appeared and caught him before he fell too far.
Eyeing the other wizards with contempt, he quickly scanned their power levels to confirm that they were nowhere near strong enough to defeat Wendy and Carla, then muttered, "All right. Which one of you gutter punks is next?"
"Face the pride of Titan's-!" Crack! The man who had been speaking went off to join his comrade.
"He can't take us all at once!" said another, braver than the rest.
"If I had a jewel for every time someone told me that…" Gorun sniffed. He was about to send them after their comrades when he felt a massive spike of energy, followed by the labyrinth shaking enough to make most of the people in it lose their balance.
Was that…?
Kinana sagged to the ground, heaving for breath and shaking like she had just lifted a house over her head. In front of them, an entire section of the maze had been destroyed, and the Twilight Ogres- along with several other wizards from other guilds- had been blasted out of the maze, thereby disqualifying them from the games.
"Holy cow, Kinana!" Lucy exclaimed as she came to sit by the other girl. "That was some serious magic power you released! …Are you okay?"
"I will be…" the girl breathed. "Just… give me a minute. That spell takes a huge amount of energy to fuel it…"
"That was totally awesome!" Natsu laughed. "Now the other guilds know Fairy Tail means business."
"Gotta agree with Natsu this time," Gray nodded, impressed by the amount of power the spell had unleashed. "That was some pretty crazy destructive magic."
"An impressive display," Erza agreed. "However, I would caution restraint in the future. We will not make progress fast enough if you wear yourself ragged."
"I know…" Kinana breathed. "I just… he made me so angry. I couldn't take it."
Erza's gaze softened a bit as she said, "I understand."
Despite numerous obstacles springing up- other guilds trying to knock them off the stage, the maze shifting and rearranging itself every twenty minutes or so- Natsu's team made it to the goal line, where the pumpkin mascot was waiting. "Congratulations!" he said as they approached. "You've made it past the preliminary round! Good job, all of you!"
"Awesome!" Natsu cried as he and Gray fist-bumped. "I knew we could do it! Hey, pumpkin guy- what place did we come in? I bet it was first place!"
"Uh… no," the short mascot deadpanned. "You're actually in dead last."
"Eh?!" Lucy squawked. "Last place?!"
"Good on you for making it to the finish line in time, though!" the host said cheerily. "Now, off you go! We've all got a big day tomorrow!"
The team trudged through the door, which glowed with a silvery light, and found themselves back in their hotel room. "Neat," Erza commented while the others sunk into their beds, glad to be able to rest. "At least we'll be able to get a few hours' rest before the games opening ceremony tomorrow."
"Guys… I'm sorry I cost us time at the beginning," Kinana said sadly. "If I hadn't lost my temper, we might have made better time."
"Naw, don't talk like that," Natsu grinned. "Thanks to your butt-kicking, we probably made it even faster than if we'd brought along someone else."
"Natsu is right, your power definitely helped our team," Erza told the other girl. "You should be proud- after all, we did make to the next round. We're only getting started."
Despite herself, a smile touched Kinana's lips as she looked around at her teammates. "Thanks, you guys," she said. "That means a lot to me."
It seemed as though Lucy wanted to say something, but there was a knock at the door. Gray went to open it, but was stopped by Erza holding him back by the wrist, who said, "Be careful. At this hour, it could very well be Wendy and Carla's attacker."
"I seriously doubt that an attacker would let us know he's there in advance," Gray pointed out. Erza considered the argument, then conceded the point, releasing the ice wizard's wrist so that he could open the door.
They were all a little surprised to see Gorun waiting on the other side, a tired smile on his face. "Hey guys," he said as they let him in. "Just thought I'd stop by and let you know that we moved Wendy and Carla to the same inn that the rest of us are staying at for the night. Master wanted to keep an eye on them personally, and he sent for that healer lady, Porlyusica."
"I thought your senzu bean things healed them up," Natsu frowned.
"They did, but Wendy is still in shock, and Carla is pretty shook up," Gorun shrugged. "Not much I can do about that, and even senzu beans have their limits."
"At least they're safe," Kinana said as she moved to give the young man a hug. "How are you? Looks like you've had a rough night so far."
"Something like that," he nodded as he relaxed in her arms. Looking at the others, he forced himself to smile a little brighter as he added, "Master Makarov said that your team made it past the preliminary round- congrats!"
"Thanks man," Gray said as he gave the other wizard a fist bump. "It was tough, but we got the job done. Not to mention your girlfriend kicks ass."
Gorun raised his eyebrows and looked at the purple-haired mage, who flushed with embarrassment. "I might've, uh… used the Kikoho," she admitted.
Her boyfriend blinked in surprise before asking, "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, just tired," she replied reassuringly. "I got carried away, but thanks to my second origin, I'll be okay."
"Is that why the whole labyrinth shook?" he asked. "We could see it from the streets down below." Kinana nodded silently to show that she understood why he was lying- it wouldn't do to have the second team be a secret and have it be given away now that they had all made it to the next round.
"Indeed it was," Erza nodded, though she missed the look that passed between Gorun and Kinana. "I was certainly surprised- she had mentioned training with you before, but I doubt even my Adamantine Armor could have held up to such a powerful blast of energy."
"That strong?" Gorun seemed especially shocked at how strong Kinana had become.
"I was able to use the Kaioken three times without causing major stress to my body," Kinana told him. "I haven't really tested it yet, but I think five times would be my limit right now."
"Hey, that's no small feat," Gorun reassured her. "Not to mention that you used the Kikoho simultaneously… I'm impressed."
"Thanks," she smiled at him before he nuzzled her cheek.
"Just don't push yourself too hard," he said softly. "I don't want to come and found out one day that you hurt yourself permanently because of the magic I taught you, or worse, that you died from magic power depletion."
"I promise I'll be careful, just like I promised when you first started teaching me," she assured him.
"All I ask," he smiled at her.
"Not that I want to interrupt this lovely exchange…" Gray said sarcastically, causing the young couple to flush with embarrassment. "But we have to be up in time to get to the Coliseum for the opening ceremony."
"Right, sorry!" Gorun said as he and Kinana released each other. "I'll let you all get some sleep. See you all at the games tomorrow."
"See ya, man!" Natsu grinned. "Be sure to cheer us on."
"Of course," he said sincerely as he gave them all a slight bow before giving his girlfriend a goodnight kiss and exiting the room while shutting the door behind him.
The next day, at close to noon, the five wizards representing Fairy Tail in the Games stood inside one of eight entrance halls that led out into the sand pit of the Domus Flau Coliseum. All of them had been given purple-colored outfits by Makarov at breakfast, except for Kinana. Her outfit was being made last-minute because of the fact that she had replaced Wendy only the previous night.
"I dunno how I feel about these," Lucy frowned as she looked down at herself for perhaps the hundredth time since donning the outfit. She was wearing a three-piece outfit that consisted of a revealing top, a small jacket, and a short black skirt. At her waist were her keys and whip, and on her feet were thigh-length boots. "I guess they're not too bad."
"I'd feel better in my own clothing," Natsu grumbled. In all fairness, his clothing was not very different from his usual style- a pair of white pants, sandals, and a trench coat that left his right arm completely bare to show his crimson Fairy Tail emblem.
"I personally find them quite lovely," Erza commented, standing confidently in the new outfit. She wore a purple trench coat, a pair of metal gauntlets, and a pair of high-reaching boots like Lucy. However, unlike her teammate, she did not have pants, which Kinana would have thought to be incredibly embarrassing. Then again, Erza was used to a variety of clothing styles, and a lot of them could be considered incredibly revealing, so it made sense that the wardrobe change wouldn't faze her.
"Yeah guys," Gray added, leaning against the wall, dressed only in the pants and boots that came with his outfit. "They're not so bad- I'm pretty comfortable in mine."
"Say that after you've actually put it on!" Lucy snapped at him. The two things that every uniform had in common was that the color scheme consisted mainly of purple and white, with the exception of Lucy's outfit being lined with golden threads, and that they had a white version of the guild's emblem located on the left breast.
"I think you all look very nice," Kinana said with a bright smile. The expression faded a bit as she added, "I just hope mine fits okay…"
"I'm sure Gorun will be very taken with your outfit when it comes in," Erza grinned lightly.
"Yeah, if these uniforms are any indication," Lucy added, striking a pose. "These things are attention-grabbers if nothing else."
"That's kind of what I'm worried about," Kinana winced. "Gorun doesn't like very flashy clothes, or dresses that reveal… a lot." Case in point, she glanced down at her green dress, which covered most of her body, unlike the outfits a few of Fairy Tail's female population chose to wear on a regular basis.
"Oh," the blonde Celestial Wizard said, eyes slightly widened. "Is something wrong with him?"
"No, he just has a different taste in style that I find a little more endearing than most of the male population," Kinana sighed. "He also doesn't like it because he says it encourages other men to stare."
"Okay, I guess that makes sense," Lucy nodded. Adding a smirk, she added, "Perks of being a free agent, though- no one to tell me how to dress!"
"He doesn't tell me!" Kinana protested. "He's not like that! He just… makes requests, and since I understand that he has a good reason for it, I do my best to accommodate."
"I hope he realizes how lucky he is," Gray said, putting the shirt and overcoat of his outfit on as he spoke. "I don't think I know of any girls that'd just modify their wardrobe just cos their boyfriend asked 'em to."
"I get the feeling Juvia would wear anything for you," Erza teased the young man, causing him to pound his face into the wall.
"Sorry about the wait!" a familiar voice called from further back in the hall. The group turned to see Bisca arriving with a purple clothing article in her hands. "We've just finished the last outfit. Here, Kinana." She handed the item over to the purple-haired girl with a big smile. "We were kinda pressed for time, so we made it pretty similar to what you usually wear, just a different color."
"Thank you, that's actually perfect," Kinana smiled back as she examined the clothing to see that it was indeed very similar to her current wardrobe. "How long do we have?"
"Ceremony starts in twenty minutes, so you still got time to change," Bisca informed them. "We'll all be up in the box seats reserved for competing guilds on the southern end of the stadium."
"Thanks for letting us know," Lucy told the older girl.
"Yer welcome- and good luck!" Bisca said as she waved farewell and headed back through the hallway.
"Ha!" Natsu grinned as he cracked his knuckles. "We don't need good luck. That number one spot is as good as ours!"
"Still, a bit of luck never hurt anybody," Erza muttered. Looking at Kinana, she said, "You'd better go get changed. Twenty minutes will go by faster than you think."
"Y-Yeah!" the girl nodded as she moved to access a nearby door that led to the girls' changing room. "Be right back!"
Twenty minutes later, the team stood just inside the entrance to the arena, their backs straight and their chins up. Natsu was in the middle, to his immediate left was Lucy, and beside her stood Erza. On his right stood Gray, and next to him was Kinana, dressed in her new attire. The biggest difference between it and her green dress besides the color was that it came with leggings since there was a slit on either side of the garment that started at her hips and went down to the hem to allow for greater movement than a closed article.
"Ready, guys?" the dragon slayer asked.
"Ready," the others answered in unison. Together, they walked out onto the field as the announcer called them, ready to display the fierce pride that came from knowing that they were part of Fiore's greatest guild.
Boos and jeers greeted them, stopping them in their tracks just a few meters from the entrance they had walked out of. "What?!" Natsu shouted.
Gray looked around, clearly unsettled by the hostility that they were receiving. "Didn't see that one coming," he muttered.
"Honestly, I'm surprised no one is throwing something at us," Kinana winced. "We told you that we haven't been in the public's good graces for years."
"Let them be," Erza shrugged, her face passive. Apparently the criticism wasn't fazing her. "We'll soon show them what we're made of."
"Er… Guys?" Lucy said as she pointed up into one of the box-seat sections, where their guild was gathered. "Am I the only one seeing that?" The others followed her gaze, and each of them were quite surprised by what they saw.
"Hooray! Hooray!" cried a familiar small girl with blond hair as long as she was tall. "Fairy Tail is the greatest guild of them all!"
"Master Mavis?" Erza voiced, sounding shocked. "She's here?"
"At least the ghost likes us," Gray deadpanned, still more than a little irritated by the rest of the stadium's population.
Natsu saw things differently. "Haha!" he laughed. "If the first master believes in us, we've got this in the bag! It's so awesome that she came all the way out here just to see us!"
"Indeed, let's not let her down," Erza nodded, having regained her composure.
The other eight teams were called out in the order that they had ranked during the preliminary rounds. In seventh had been Quatro Kerberos, an all-male guild that boasted an obnoxious amount of testosterone. As if to contradict them, out came the girls-only guild, Mermaid Heel. In fifth place had been Blue Pegasus, led by Ichiya and his protégés, though the person in the blue rabbit costume was unknown to the Tenrou survivors and Kinana. They didn't have much time to ponder it as the announcer called out the fourth-place team, Lamia Scale. Among them were Lyon, Jura, Toby, Yuka, and a young girl with pink hair that none of them had seen before, yet seemed familiar for some reason.
"Who's she?" Gray asked Kinana as they drew closer.
"No idea," the girl replied. "She might be a new member."
"That's not quite right," Lyon said as he stood about ten feet away from Gray. "This is Sherria, Sherry's younger cousin."
"Oh, makes sense," Fairy Tail's ice wizard nodded. "She use animated magic, too?"
"Now that would spoil the surprise," Lyon smirked. "Say Gray, I thought of a little something to make the Grand Magic Games a bit more interesting… that is, if you're not too scared to take on an extra challenge?"
"I ain't scared of anything, least of all anything you throw at me," Gray chuckled, cracking his knuckles. "What'd you have in mind?"
"A gentleman's wager," Lyon replied airily. "If Lamia Scale wins, then Juvia will join our guild."
"Wha?!" Gray was caught extremely off-guard. "Where'd that come from?"
"I haven't been able to stop thinking about her since the day we met!" Lyon sighed dreamily, sending a shudder through his old comrade. "So how about it? Is it a deal?"
"I'm pretty sure that's up to Juvia," Gray said dryly. "Ask her. Besides, what do I get if you lose?"
"We'll give Juvia back," Lyon replied simply.
"You can't do that! She's already a member of our guild!" Gray shouted, indignant. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered why the announcers were taking so long to announce the last three guilds. It might have had something to do with showboating, but it didn't really matter to him that much.
"Oh? And here I thought you weren't afraid of anything I could throw at you," Lyon said challengingly.
"Oh, I ain't afraid," Gray said tightly. "This is a crap bet- it doesn't matter what you ask for, cos it'll be Fairy Tail that takes home the prize this year."
Before Lyon could retaliate verbally, the announcers had apparently decided to move on. To the shock and horror of everyone in Fairy Tail, the team that had qualified in at third place was none other than Raven Tail, the guild formed and led by Makarov's vengeful son, Ivan.
"What the hell's a dark guild doing here?!" Natsu demanded angrily.
Kinana shared the sentiment, but chose to focus her anger and suspicion on something a little more subtle. I'm not as good as Gorun at sensing power levels, but if anyone was going to try to undermine us by hurting Wendy, it'd be them… Reaching out with her senses, she tried to feel out which one of them could have possibly done the little girl and her exceed partner harm. The results she found were dismaying- all five of the wizards present were powerful, no doubt that any of them were strong enough to hurt her guild mates. Especially that one in the gold armor… She stared at a menacing figure dressed in wicked-looking body armor that hid his face and frame, though his magic power was obvious.
"What're you lookin' at?" sneered a lavender-skinned, squat, spiky man with blond hair.
"Probably jealous of my figure," giggled a red-haired, indecently dressed woman with wild-looking crimson eyes.
"Doubt it," leered the only one in the group that actually looked somewhat normal, save for his pure black irises and wide mouth. Beside him stood a bizarre-looking man with blue striped skin, a fat mouth and beady little eyes, dressed in a black cloak and hat. Perhaps even stranger was the little brown creature that sat on his shoulder with a black cape bearing a red Raven Tail mark. It resembled some kind of mutated cat, and something about it made Kinana shudder when she looked at it.
"Are you saying she's got a better body than me?!" the redhead shrieked in response to her companion.
"Quiet, Flair," hissed the armored man in a gravelly voice. "They don't want any extra grief… After all, their dear little friend is still recovering, isn't she?"
That last comment set everyone's blood to boiling. "It was you!" Natsu snarled. "You attacked Wendy! Good-for-nothing scumbags!"
"I'd be careful with that mouth of yours, boy," the armored man replied smugly. "The fighting isn't until later, and if it isn't sanctioned by the judges, you just might find yourselves thrown out of the games for bad behavior."
Even to Natsu, the message was clear- now that Raven Tail was a legal participant in the games, any move against them outside of the competitions could be used to have them thrown from the event. Ivan's guild had the upper hand- for now.
"You will pay for what you did to our comrades," Erza vowed out loud, and the others nodded their agreement.
"I look forward to seeing you try," the armored man replied with a slight laugh. Helpless to lash out at the evil people, the members of Fairy Tail contented themselves with sending smoldering glares at their enemy guild.
That is, until the announcers took everyone by surprise- including themselves. "This is something I didn't see coming!" Chapati, this year's commentator for the games, cried in shock. Even as they all watched, the tunnel holding the second-place team erupted with lightning that formed into a familiar shape. "We have… Fairy Tail Team B!"
"WHAT?!" Everyone in the guild except for Kinana, the Thunder Legion, and Makarov screamed in shock.
Five Minutes Earlier…
"So what're you gonna do if we win?" Gorun asked Laxus curiously. He was referring to the fact that Master Makarov had promised each member of the second team that they could force the other team to obey any command that they gave for a full twenty-four hours once the games were over, so long as their team made it through the games with a higher score. He did, however, warn them that once the other team was made aware of the ploy, the same conditions applied to them, ergo, if team B lost, they would be at the mercy of team A.
"Eh, there's a few errands I'll have 'em run," Laxus shrugged. "Maybe get a massage out of it."
"Huh, I'd have figured you'd force Natsu to be your punching bag," Gorun muttered.
"Meh, I can do that whenever," Laxus smirked.
"Fair enough, just leave my girlfriend out of whatever it is you have planned," Gorun said firmly.
"Why, you gonna take her for a night on the town?" Gajeel chuckled.
"Not that it's any of your concern, but yeah," Gorun shrugged. "I'll give this competition everything I have, but I see no reason to rub it in her face if our team wins. Besides, she wasn't supposed to originally compete- and Wendy'll be back soon, maybe by tomorrow according to Porlyusica."
"Just so long as you don't pull your punches," Laxus shrugged again.
"I think your idea is sweet, Gorun," Mirajane smiled pleasantly. "Almost makes me feel guilty for what I have in mind."
"…What do you have in mind?" Gorun asked nervously. Something about her kind smile was off, he thought as she giggled to herself.
"Oh, I won't give out all the spoilers, but let's say that Sorcerer Weekly has been bugging me for a modeling gig since we got back," she replied in a sweet tone. "Seven years passed, and I haven't aged a day- they're very excited about it, apparently."
"What's that got to do with the other… team… oh," Gorun paled.
"I've always thought Erza would make a great model," Mira said as she continued to smile easily.
"Just leave Kinana out of it!" Gorun pleaded.
"Relax, like you said, she's only filling in for Wendy, so she's not going to be part of the punishment," Mira assured him. Turning to their last teammate, she asked, "So Juvia, what do you want to do with your day to order the other team around?"
"First I will have my beloved Gray assist me in getting rid of my love rivals," Juvia said while glaring at Gorun. "There are quite a few on the list, so I'll have to settle for a short wedding ceremony at the end of the day."
"Why is she looking at me?!" Gorun asked of no one in particular. He tried to ignore the fact that she also essentially planned to force Gray to marry her, which he doubted the boy would agree to, guild master's orders or no.
"You kind of ruined her plans with Gray for the afternoon yesterday, so I think you've been added to the list of 'love rivals' she has," Gajeel muttered aside to him. "Crazy chick's got rain for brains."
"Aren't you two old friends?" the Saiyan asked mildly. "Also, does she have an actual list? I'm betting yes."
Gajeel gave him a deadpan look before saying in a low tone, "Yeah, we go back, and probably. Not to mention I'd bet you're at the top somewhere with blondie."
"Lucy?" Gorun guessed.
"Yeah, the cheerleader," Gajeel said dismissively.
Gorun was about to ask why he seemed to be avoiding using Lucy's name, but then the announcer was calling for the second-place team. "Showtime," Laxus ordered as they lined up, him on the left flank, Gajeel at the head, and Mirajane between them. On the Iron Dragon Slayer's right stood Juvia, who continued to glare at Gorun as he took his place on the right flank. With a flick of his wrist, Laxus sent out a bolt of lightning that transformed into the guild's emblem just long enough for them to walk out as it faded away.
The Lightning Dragon Slayer was dressed in his usual getup, mostly black with a heavy overcoat that only sat on his shoulders, leaving his arms free underneath. Mirajane was wearing a black dress with white frills, while Juvia wore the same colors, only in a skin-tight, button-up coat that ran past her knees. Gajeel was wearing an all-black outfit, made up of a vest, loose pants, and steel-toed boots. While the vest left his arms bare, his right arm was covered in a sleeve made of black feathers.
Lastly was Gorun, who had refused to abandon his color scheme of dark blue and green despite a wardrobe change. Now he wore a short-sleeved gi that was lined with golden threads and hard leather boots, plus wrappings around his forearms and hands that matched the blue of his outfit. The material was light and comfortable, and allowed for easy movement, which was why he had chosen it- thicker garments and armor didn't interest him.
The crowd did not boo them like they had the first team, instead letting out several collective shouts of surprise and confusion. As the judges explained the rules concerning two teams from the same guild, the team walked out onto the field to stand close to their guild mates. Makarov was laughing heartily, daring anyone to challenge how their guild did things.
"What kinda crap is this?!" Natsu demanded. "I don't care if we are in the same guild! If you're on a different team, you're my opponent!"
"Oh believe me, I'm gonna enjoy making you eat dirt, Salamander," Gajeel grinned in what could be described as an evil manner.
As the others began engaging in banter, Gorun noticed Kinana making a discreet motion towards him, so they moved off to the side to talk. "What's up?" he asked with a grin. "Hope you're not gonna ask me to take it easy on your team- my Saiyan side is getting too hyped up for this competition."
"We know who attacked Wendy and Carla," she told him, causing him to drop his playful grin in a favor of a scowl.
"Who?" he asked quietly.
"You can't attack them yet," Kinana warned him. "They're protected by the rules of the games since they made it in, too."
Gorun's eyes swept the field and immediately locked onto Raven Tail's team. "Them," he snarled, clenching his fists.
Kinana saw him getting ready to move, so she grabbed his wrist and said, "Gorun, we can't. Not right now, anyway. They're considered a legal guild somehow, so if we fight them outside any of the game events, Fairy Tail could face legal repercussions."
His scowl deepened, but he forced himself to take a deep breath and exhale slowly in an attempt to calm his accelerated pulse. It didn't help much, but he turned to her and asked in as calm a manner as he could manage, "What's our game plan?"
"For now, we beat them in every event we can, and we make sure they know not to mess with us again, inside or outside the games," Kinana told him. "As for outside the competition… I'm sure Master has some ideas."
"I know I do," he growled. Glancing at her hand, which was still locked around his wrist, he added, "I won't do anything to break the rules. I promise."
She gazed into his eyes for a moment before nodding solemnly. "All right," she said as she let go. "Be careful. Their power levels were pretty high from what I could tell."
"They're no slouches," Gorun acknowledged. "But I can handle myself okay, too." With that, he engaged instant transmission and found himself suddenly in front of the Raven Tail guild. "Hello there," he said with a sneer that Vegeta would have been proud of.
"The competition has yet to begin, and yet here we find ourselves being treated with hostility," the armored man said while his companions recoiled in shock from his sudden appearance. "Whatever did we do to deserve such scrutiny?"
"Try years of dark guild activity for starters," Gorun snarled. "I know who you are, Raven Tail. I've done my homework."
"So have I," the faceless wizard shot back. "They call you Fairy Tail's strongest these days… Though the fact that the rest of your guild is filled with trash doesn't lend that title much credit."
Gorun had to actively restrain himself from tearing the man limb from limb- his Saiyan instincts were screaming at him to exact vengeance on the guild that had dared to harm his family. So it was with enormous effort that he said, "You know, I don't think I got your name. Care to share?"
"Here I thought you had done your homework," the man replied snidely. "I am Alexi, Gorun of Fairy Tail."
"Hello Alexi, there's a friend I'd like you to meet sometime this week," Gorun pretended to smile pleasantly. "His name is 'the dirt', and I'm sure that your relationship will be intimate." He spat out the last word like it was a curse.
"Threatening me could have grave consequences," Alexi responded, making no effort to hide the emphasis on the word 'grave'.
"Not a threat," Gorun chuckled, this time in genuine amusement. "A promise." Then he was gone as quickly as he had come.
Laxus approached him with a frown. "What was that about?" he asked. Gorun recalled that Raven Tail had been founded, and was still run by, Laxus' father. The fact that his son hadn't followed his old man spoke volumes of where they stood in relation to one another.
"Just a promise to keep," the boy said, his eyes hard. They hurt Fairy Tail… Team A or Team B, we're all the same guild, no matter what Natsu and Gajeel say. We will punish the ravens for this.
His thoughts were interrupted as the announcers finally called in the first-place team, which was, of course, the Sabertooth guild team. In a way, it was thanks to them that Gorun's team had placed second- all he'd had to do was sense for the strongest cluster of power levels and use instant transmission once they had stopped moving around.
He hadn't gotten a good look at them last time, since they were moving through the gate that led them back to the outside, but now they were all showing off for the world to see. There was a beefy man with green hair that nearly put Super Saiyan 3 to shame, a girl clothed in a heavy white cloak with silvery-white hair, and a man dressed like a minstrel, complete with a ridiculous red hat that sported a massive pink feather. The pair leading them were giving off intense magical pressure, and in a way that Gorun immediately recognized.
So that's Sting and Rogue, the twin Dragon Slayers of Sabertooth, he thought grimly. One of them was blond with piercing indigo eyes and a wiry frame that resembled Natsu's build. The other was dressed with a dark brown cloak and had blood-red eyes framed by jet-black hair. Something in his gaze reminded Gorun of Gajeel for some reason. Those two might actually prove to be a handful… Other than perhaps Lyon, and of course, Jura, I'd say there's no one more powerful than them among our rivals right now.
Despite himself, he smiled a bit, his Saiyan blood eager for a real challenge at last.
The announcers went on to explain the general rules for the events that were to come during the week. The teams would accumulate points according to how well they performed in events during the first half of the day, then again based on how they did in direct combat during the second half of each day's events. The first three days would be one-on-one fights, and the fourth would be double battles. Teams could choose which member participated in the first daily event, but not in the battles that took place afterward. What was more, the judges could have any single member compete as many times as they wanted on behalf of their guild's team. This meant that every selection for the first daily competition was a gamble- one could very well end up participating in both events for the day.
"Clever," Gorun muttered. "They give us a chance to choose who competes, but at the same time they can set up all kinds of crowd-favorite match-ups for battle."
"Not to mention they're still keeping us in the dark about what we're actually doing during the first events until after we've picked the member that's competing," Mirajane added. "The only clue we have in advance is the name of the game."
In this case, for the first day, the name of the mystery event was 'Hidden'. "We can assume some kind of stealth factor is involved," Laxus remarked once they had gathered together.
"Not if the event is a search for something," Gorun argued. "Then speed becomes a more important factor. In which case we'd be better off sending in you or me."
"Hey, I've got the nose of a dragon," Gajeel interjected. "If we need to find somethin', I'm your guy."
"Laxus is a dragon slayer, too," Gorun deadpanned. "He can sniff an item out, and faster, since he can transform into lightning."
"Can't do both at the same time," Laxus admitted. "And Gajeel's nose is probably better than mine since it's not a sense I've spent a lot of time developing."
"If they send in the Salamander for a tracking game, we're as good as beat," Gajeel grumbled. "His nose is ridiculously sharp." Glaring at the others, he added, "If anyone tells him I said that-!"
"Not a word," Gorun sniggered. Turning, he said, "Juvia, what do you-? Where is she?" his question stemmed from their teammate's sudden absence.
"I'll give you three guesses, and the last two don't count," Mira told him.
"Oh no."
"What. The. Hell. Was that?!" Gorun demanded angrily as Juvia walked back among them, her expression glum. She had only managed to get seventh place in the event, and that was because Raven Tail's participant, the spiky man, had continuously targeted Gray throughout the event to the end that Fairy Tail's team A had come in dead last.
That wasn't the source of Gorun's anger, though. It was the fact that Juvia had allowed her infatuation with Gray to become an active distraction throughout the event, thereby costing her multiple points when she could have been making a rapid gain on the other guilds. Perhaps it was the fact that Juvia's ability to avoid virtually any attack if she was aware enough had not been used to any effect during the game that had added to Gorun's irritation.
"You got distracted like a little schoolgirl because your crush was on the playing field with you, instead of paying attention to what was important!" he snapped, causing her to look up at him angrily.
"And what if your beloved Kinana had been on the field?" she challenged. "Wouldn't you have done the same thing as me?"
"No," he replied with such conviction that it was like a slap in the face. "Because Kinana and I- not to mention Gray and basically everyone but you- understand one simple fact." He thrust his face invasively close to hers to force her to maintain eye contact as he continued, "Our guild's name is on the line. This is isn't the time for personal feelings, good or bad, to get in the way. Why do you think I haven't blown Raven Tail to kingdom come already?" When Juvia failed to respond, he turned away in disgust and finished with the words, "You were on Tenrou because Master saw your potential to become S-class. Now, more than ever, you need to act like it."
"Okay, I think she gets it," Mirajane said sternly as she noticed the rain woman's eyes welling up with tears. "That's enough, Gorun."
"I was done anyway," he scowled. Looking at the others, he asked, "Anyone else have anything to add?"
Juvia looked hopefully for any show of support from her teammates, but all Laxus did was shrug and turn away. Gajeel also lifted his shoulders slightly, but he didn't stay silent. "Kid's not wrong, Juvia," he said. "I know you could've gotten a better score than that. He might be an ass about how he's saying it, but I can't disagree with him."
Before Juvia could run out in tears, Gorun's voice stopped her in her tracks. "Remember this pain," he told her. When she looked back at him, she saw that he was staring out at the arena, not even looking at her.
"Wh-What?" she sniffed.
"Remember this moment, and the pain that it brought you," Gorun said tightly, clenching his fists. "Use it to become a stronger, better person." Vegeta's words spilled out of his mouth almost of their own accord, but he didn't try to stop them. There was wisdom in them, and he hoped that she would take them to heart. "There's no such thing as a painless lesson, Juvia. They simply don't exist. In order to learn, in order to grow, you must first lose something." Turning around to look at her again, she noted that while his bearing was less hostile, his eyes were no less fierce than before. "Will you learn from this? Will you learn to let go of what is holding you back? Or will you content yourself with remaining where you are, and your life becoming stagnant?"
What happened next did little to boost morale among the members of Fairy Tail. When Lucy lost to Flair, Gorun decided to push aside his anger by helping his wounded guild mate off the field along with Natsu. He knew that one of the Raven Tail wizards had drained her of all energy mid-battle, but he missed which one of them it was specifically. Since he had no proof of the fact either, it would do no good to lash out or accuse them of sabotage- which only made his temper worse.
"Hey man, what're you doing?" the pinkette demanded as Gorun appeared beside them and wordlessly slipped one of Lucy's arms over his shoulders. "We're on different teams!"
"I don't care," Gorun told him flatly. "Kinana and the rest of you have shown me time and time again that if we share this mark…" He jerked his head at his green emblem as he finished, "It makes us family. I won't sit on the sidelines while a member of our family is hurt, got it?"
Natsu gave him a blank stare for a moment, then a huge grin. "You're all right, Gorun," he said cheerily. "You're a Fairy Tail wizard for sure."
"Yeah…" Lucy said tiredly as she gave their new friend a teary-eyed, painful smile. "Thanks, Gorun…"
"Of course," he smiled back, though it was only a small movement of his lips. "Have Kinana get you a senzu bean, stat. If your wounds aren't treated soon, they could get infected, especially all those burns."
"No need," Natsu grinned again. "Gramps said the old lady is sticking around for the games to help us out if we get hurt! She'll have Lucy up and going in no time!"
"If you insist," Gorun said a little doubtfully, then shook himself in annoyance. I'm getting too used to relying on those things, he thought. Not to mention I have a limited supply that I've used quite a bit of in the last few days…
Up above, they could hear Master Yajima, another one of the Games' commentators, saying, "Now here is a real show of sportsmanship- hat's off to this young man for helping out his guild member!"
"I have to agree, despite being on different teams, it's a nice thing for Gorun to do for Miss Heartfelia," Chapati added. "Despite having only one point between the two teams, I gotta hand it to this guild for having a heart." While some in the crowd seemed to sympathize with the announcers, the majority of them were still laughing and taunting Fairy Tail's Celestial Wizard as she made it to the tunnel, where Gray was waiting to help them along.
"I got it from here, man," the boy told Gorun, who stepped away. "You better get back to your place in case they call you up to fight."
"I really hope they do," Gorun said with a cold smile. Then he was gone, teleporting back to where he sensed Laxus' energy.
"I almost feel bad for whoever he ends up fighting," Lucy said softly.
"What if he fights a raven?" Gray asked her.
"Then I'll say that they've earned it," she smiled slightly.
The following two matches were over quickly. Ren of Blue Pegasus fought against a woman from Mermaid Heel that used some kind of web-make magic. His air magic was nowhere near the same level as Wendy, but Gorun had to admit that his power and skill were respectable. He made short work of the woman as soon as he was able to get his head in the game, putting his guild's final score for that day at fourteen points.
The next fight was even shorter, not even lasting half a minute. A man that went by the moniker 'War Cry' from Quatro Cerberus went up against Olga from Sabertooth. Just from the difference in power levels, Gorun knew that there would be no contest between them. Sure enough, Olga blasted War Cry with a ball of black lightning that instantly rendered him a smoking, unconscious mess.
Laxus seemed interested in the magic that the green-haired, heavily muscled Sabertooth wizard used, because Gorun sensed his magic power raise ever so slightly at the sight of the strange-looking energy. The Saiyan had to admit, it was intriguing- the only time he'd ever seen energy blasts colored like that originated from what he had seen of Goku Black in the Time Patrol's history videos, and something about the energy itself seemed reminiscent of the fallen kai in disguise.
Very odd… Gorun thought, eyes narrowing. "That man's energy feels strange." He muttered just loud enough for 'Mystogan' to hear.
Jellal stiffened in surprise before moving closer to his teammate. He was dressed exactly as Mystogan had during his time as a Fairy Tail mage, complete with five bizarre-looking staves slung across his back. Technically he was there as a reserve member, but as had been discussed by him and Makarov, the disguise was for surveillance only.
"What do you mean?" he asked softly, his voice barely audible through the cloth mask that he wore.
"I've… sensed this kind of power before, a long time ago," Gorun half-lied. "It's reminiscent of a twisted god's power."
"A god?" Jellal asked, alarm in his voice. "Are you certain?"
"I wouldn't be saying anything if I wasn't," Gorun muttered. "I don't know if he's connected to Zeref, but the sensation that I'm getting from his power means that he needs watching."
"Understood," Jellal nodded. "I'll do my best to keep an eye on him."
"And I'll-"
"Next up we have Lamia Scale's Jura Neekos versus Son Gorun of Fairy Tail!" Chapati announced, silencing the Saiyan boy mid-sentence. "Looks like today's final battle might be over even faster than the last one!"
The others looked askance at Gorun, who simply frowned at the implied insult- it was clear that the crowd was expecting the Wizard Saint to crush him. "That's it," he growled. "We've had a day full of disappointments, and I won't add to them."
"Be careful," Jellal warned him. "He doesn't hold his title without reason. I know you're strong, but-"
I'll fight smart," Gorun said over his shoulder as he made to walk out the tunnel. "And I'll win."
"I dunno about this…" he heard Mirajane say. "Jura's strong enough that I doubt even Erza and I could beat him in a two-on-one battle."
"Are you kiddin' me?" Gajeel asked in disbelief. "That old baldy?"
"Yeah-huh," the takeover mage nodded nervously.
"Everyone," Gorun said firmly as he turned back to face them from the mouth of the tunnel. "Wendy and Carla… Gray, Lucy… even Juvia. I'm doing this for them. You can count on me." With that, he walked out of the tunnel, his right hand over his head with his pointer finger and thumb raised skyward.
The two combatants met in the middle of the sand arena and quickly sized each other up. Gorun noted quickly that Jura's power had increased since they last met, but not by a significant margin. He's already one of the world's strongest wizards, so I suppose he wouldn't seek to boost his power as much as we did, Gorun thought quickly.
"I'm sorry we had to meet again under these circumstances," Jura said with a polite smile. "Personally, I'd like nothing more than to see Fairy Tail do well in these events. But I have a feeling that the old hag would have a fit if I were to let you win." His smile grew slightly broader and more ominous as he added, "Apologies, but I won't be holding back."
"Who said I wanted you to?" Gorun replied with a smirk of his own, his Saiyan blood burning, waiting only for the moment that the bell would sound, the second that the action could begin. "I've been wanting a good fight for years. Now it seems like I'll finally get it."
Gong! There was the signal that they had both been waiting for, and now they had thirty minutes to determine which of them the stronger warrior was.
"Ten-layer magic circle: KAIOKEN!" Gorun roared, the spell taking effect so fast that most of the people watching didn't even see the magic circles come to life.
Jura saw them only briefly, and his eyes widened in surprise as he felt his younger opponent's magic power increase several times over. "Kaio-what?" he asked no one in particular. Apparently the snarky attitude wasn't just for show- Gorun had the skills and power to back his confidence. Against most opponents, he would be a deadly adversary. Iron Rock Jura was not most opponents.
With a flick of his fingers, he caused the ground in front of him to harden and change, sending pillars of stone rising from beneath the sand to strike at Gorun, who had settled into a fighting stance.
The boy's eyes narrowed behind the raging field of energy before he shot forward, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake as he charged straight at Jura, already knowing how to turn the man's tactic against him. Using his heightened perception, he felt the ground beneath him shift just before a solid column shot him up in the air, albeit a little faster than he had expected. Still, he was up, and his hands were already moving, the magic circle forming in his mind, more of an instinct than a practice now.
"Kamehameha!" he shouted, the energy beam on its way to strike Jura where he stood, an explosion of dust hiding him from view even as Gorun landed atop one of them pillars that had stopped moving.
Off to the side, Natsu and the others were in awe of Gorun's skill. "This fight is gonna be awesome!" Natsu exclaimed happily.
"Why isn't he using that golden takeover form of his?" Erza asked Kinana curiously. "Surely it can't be very draining on him with the second origin unlocked by Urtear."
"It's not," Kinana confirmed. "It's just that if I know Gorun, he's testing Jura, seeing how much power he'll actually need to beat him."
"Toying with a Wizard Saint is never a healthy move," Erza frowned. "We should know, our master still holds that title. Look." As if to prove her point, a massive fist of hardened rock shot out from the cloud of dust, aimed to pulverize Gorun.
"Gorun's got this!" Natsu argued. "Watch!" Sure enough, the Saiyan erupted into motion, whirling his body at the speed of a tornado to hit the fist with a kick that knocked it away from its intended path, shocking most of the crowd. "See?!"
"Yes, I do see," Erza said flatly as the stone fist doubled back on itself at double speed and knocked Gorun into the sand down below.
"Don't count him out of the fight just cos Jura is a Wizard Saint," Kinana said firmly as they watched the boy rise from the ground, apparently unhurt for the most part. "That golden form of his is only the beginning of what he can do."
"You know…" Gorun grinned as he brushed off the rubble from his torn shirt. "After that whole 'second origin unlocking' thing, I wasn't even sure I would need this. But I shoulda known, with you being a wizard saint and all… half-assing this just won't do." The red aura he had summoned faded from his body, puzzling his opponent, and the onlookers. He had barely been keeping up Jura before, why would he stop using that amplification spell now?
Only a handful of people in the Fairy Tail stands waited with baited breath. If he was going to do what they thought he was, he just might have a shot at actually beating Jura.
This time when they felt his magic power being gathered, a golden magic circle appeared underneath his feet, even as the ground around him began to tremble with the pressure he was exerting. "Get ready, Wizard Saint!" he shouted, laughing. "Because I'm not hiding my power this time!"
"That would be a nice change of pace," Jura smirked, though he shifted to a more guarded stance. The child wasn't entirely bluffing, it seemed- the power surging through him was leagues above what he had been channeling so far.
For one, tense moment, the entire stadium was silent as the rumblings in the ground ceased. Then, with a bellow loud enough to wake the dead, Gorun shouted, "Takeover: SAIYAN SOUL!" There was a blinding golden light that erupted from where the boy stood, forever changing the course of his destiny.
When it faded, he stood wrapped in a golden aura that radiated pure power, his now- blond hair standing on end while waving in a wind generated solely from his own body's energy surges. Emerald eyes had replaced the gray ones, and his muscles had become far more defined than before.
"What is this?" Jura couldn't help but ask.
"This?" Gorun laughed, his voice carrying a slightly harsh cast in it. "This is where the games begin, Wizard Saint."
Closing Song: Bye Bye Babylon by Cryoshell
Gorun: I see the cliffhangers you're so loved and hated for have made their return.
Mataras: Yeah, like I was gonna break pattern now.
Gorun: Sadist.
Mataras: Someone still mad that they lost?
Gorun: You made me lose!
Mataras: Of course I did! I could write myself as having mastered Ultra Instinct if I wanted to! You can't beat the author if you're in the story!
Gorun: Yeah, well no one likes a sore winner.
Mataras: Except the winner, who in fact, won. He likes him.
Gorun: That's it! I'm getting Victoria!
Mataras: Ha! Good one! She's not even-! ...Oh crap, he's serious. I uh... Bye, everyone!
Pantherlily: ... I guess it's up to us now, seeing as they've both gone.
Carla: Who is this Victoria person?
Happy: She's the only person that can actually scare Mataras into submission!
Carla: I've not heard of her.
Happy: Aye! That's cos she appears in The Red Swordsman- Shattered Fragment! She's never been over here before!
Pantherlily: I wonder what kind of person she must be, to terrify Mataras like that. I imagine that she'll be quite the terrifying figure.
Carla: I suppose we'll have to wait until next time to find out.
Happy: Aye sir! Next time- Golden Soul versus Stone Will!
Mataras: OW! Not the ear!
Gorun: Hehe, I hope next chapter comes soon.
Next time on Saiyan Tail...
"Do you wish to concede?" Jura asked as he inclined his head in acknowledgement of the compliment. "I have no wish to harm you any more than necessary."
"Hey, I said you were a good shot," Gorun smirked as he rubbed his backside painfully, trying to massage the aching pain away. "I'm better." He pointed upwards, to the area where he had been flying about before Jura had shot him down.
Naturally, everyone's gaze was drawn upward, whereupon a majority of the stadium's jaws dropped. Hovering there were hundreds and hundreds of small magic circles, each one buzzing with energy, and all of them pointed at the Wizard Saint. The man looked back at his opponent, whose aura flared brightly again as he reached upwards with open palms before shouting, "Hellzone Grenade!" His fists clenched tightly, and the magic circles went ballistic, spamming Jura with highly explosive energy blasts with enough force to bring down a castle.