Chapter Nineteen:
"Welcome back to the Grand Magic Games!" Chapati announced. "Before we begin, let's take a look at the scoreboard:
Fairy Tail 51
Sabertooth 38
Phoenix Grave 34
Blue Pegasus 32
Twilight Ogre 21
Lamia Scale at 16
Quatro Cerebus 16
Mermaid Heel 14."
Farrah sighed deeply. Despite having no adults to back them up they had done extremely well in the games. If they could just survive two more days and stay in the front then they would have done their parents proud.
If their parents ever made it back safely that was.
Cato watched as his sister tapped her foot nervously, July and Vance propped on either hip. He hadn't told her about the conversation he and the rest of the Birthday Gang had with Nashi last night. As distressed as Nashi had been it was pretty clear that her confession of that dream was only meant to go to her closest friends. He wasn't going to tell it to anyone else until Nashi said it was okay.
If she made it back.
She seemed very upset when they last talked. Cato wasn't sure what a place between life and death looked like, but it couldn't be pleasant. And then there was the issue of opening a portal big enough and long enough to get the adults out.
Nashi was pretty good with her Styx spell, but that didn't change the fact that it was a complex and difficult spell. And depending on how many enemies she'd have to face she would already be tired and running low on magic energy.
Needless to say, there was a lot at stake.
"And welcome our guest speaker, our mascot, Mato!" Yajima called.
"Hiya, pumpkins!" Mato called. "And let's get to the game, and this is going to be a doozy!"
"That it is," Chapati agreed. "We're calling it fortification!"
"Hm," Farrah pondered. "So something with forts? Protection?"
Roman sighed as he ran to Farrah's side. "Can I PLEASE go in? Please?"
Farrah sighed. "Roman, you got third place last time, that's not-"
"Please?"
Farrah pressed her mouth into a fine line as she thought.
"He's okay to play," Storm assured her.
"Okay," Farrah nodded. "Go on in."
Roman smiled, nodded, and walked into the arena.
"I sure hope he can handle it," Farrah muttered, waiting for the rest of the guilds to pick their participants.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"So...how are you my aunt?" Nashi asked as she and Mavis walked through the woodland area.
"Well, see, I'm basically married to your uncle, Zeref."
"Wait, WHAT!?"
"No one told you that?" Mavis asked, looking a bit disappointed.
"I mean, I knew about Zeref," Nashi said. "And of course I knew about you. But I didn't know you two were a couple."
"I see," Mavis nodded as she and Nashi continued walking. Nashi noticed her silence and grew very uncomfortable.
"I...I'm sorry…"
"It's not your fault," Mavis answered. "Zeref and I made some bad decisions along the way. It's only natural that they'd want to forget about it."
"They don't want to forget about you," Nashi said. "They still told us about both of you. I guess...they just want to make sure we...I don't know...I guess...maybe they didn't know how…"
Nashi rubbed at the back of her neck. "I don't know, it's weird. They made sure we all knew about you, but they really don't talk about it much. They...they don't talk a lot about lots of stuff that happened before we were born."
Nashi sighed and lowered her head. "They didn't even tell me someone tried to kidnap me when I was born."
"Hm," Mavis gave a soft smile. "They're just trying to protect you, I'm sure."
Nashi shrugged. "Maybe? Not sure how keeping secrets is going to keep us safe."
Mavis stopped walking, grabbed her by the wrist, and turned her around to face her. "How old are you Nashi?"
"Twelve."
"Ah," Mavis nodded. "You've gotten to that point in life where childhood begins to fade."
Nashi arched an eyebrow in question.
"The world can be cruel and harsh, and you're starting to get to the age where you're able to recognize that," Mavis explained.
"Hmph," Nashi huffed, crossing her arms and staring down at her feet.
"Young children often only see the good in the world. It's a beautiful and precious view that children have, and it's only natural for parents to want to preserve that as long as possible."
Nashi shrugged. "I guess."
Or maybe, Nashi thought. Maybe they just wanted to protect themselves from what I could become.
"Now that you're starting to make the transition from childhood to adulthood, let me give you some advice," Mavis continued. "In my lifetime I learned that there were no such things as neutral interactions. Every interaction you have with other people is either going to be positive or negative. Do your best to make them all positive."
"And if I don't?" Nashi asked. "If I mess up and hurt someone?"
Mavis sighed. "Unfortunately, at some point, you will."
Nashi gasped, shuddering. Mavis set a hand under her chin and turned her face towards her.
"We've all hurt someone, whether on purpose or by accident. We're human. We're imperfect. We won't always get it right," Mavis said softly. "So do your best. And as far as I can see you've done a good job of that so far."
Nashi gave Mavis a small smile. Though she wasn't fully convinced of Mavis' words, they did make her feel a bit better. Mavis smiled back, then gasped and cried out in pain.
"AUGH!"
"Mavis?" Nashi asked as she caught the petite woman in her arms. "What happened?"
"Ah-I-I don't know…" Mavis grimaced.
Nashi looked around, trying to find the source of Mavis' pain. As she searched, she spotted a tall man with long, gray hair, a long beard, and an eyepatch.
"Who are you?" Nashi asked, standing and putting herself between her and Mavis.
"So, you've heard of the first master, you've even heard of Zeref, but you've never heard of me?" the man asked.
"Pr...Precht…" Mavis stuttered behind Nashi.
"Precht?" Nashi asked, turning to Mavis just in time to see her crumple in pain again. It was then she noticed what looked like a barbed chain made of magic wrapping around her leg.
"After everything I've done for you and this guild, this is how you remember me, Mavis?" Precht asked as he drew closer.
"Precht, I...I…"
Nashi frowned. She had no idea who this Precht guy was, but she was sure she didn't like him. She set a hand over Mavis's leg.
"Atlas!"
A yellow magic circle appeared under Mavis' leg, burning the chain, melting it down to energy that was then absorbed into Nashi's body.
"Iapetus!" Nashi shouted, a giant, burning black scythe materializing in her hand.
"Ah," Precht grinned. "So you want to challenge me?" He held up his hands in a gun like position, a wicked grin on his face.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Roman glanced around at his competitors. Rogue, Ren, Lyon, Kagura, Micah, Dob, and Bacchus. This was going to be tough, but he was determined to do well.
"Alright competitors, get ready to-oh, wait!" Chapati called.
Roman looked up at the press box. What were those crazy hosts up to now?
"Because this is the 25th Anniversary of the games, we have a little surprise in store for you all," Cahapti explained. "So, all the competitors in the arena right now must pick a partner to compete in this game with them. But there's a catch, your competitor must not have competed in any events previously, including the preliminary rounds!"
Roman gasped. So he had to pick someone who hadn't been in any of the games!? That disqualified everyone in the Birthday Gang plus Farrah and Benedict. Layla and Igneel were out too!
He didn't have very many people to choose from.
A screen appeared in front of him, with a countdown for-
TEN SECONDS!
Roman gasped, wracked his brain, and then blurted out:
"Bianca Fullbuster!"
"Huh?" Bianca asked from the dugout.
"You heard the man, get out there!" Koree shouted as she all but shoved Bianca into the arena.
"FERNANDEZ, YOU BETTER NOT LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO MY SISTER!" Storm shouted.
"Oh, shut it!" Bianca snapped back as she ran to Roman's side.
"Uh...thanks for coming…" Roman stuttered.
"Don't mention it," Bianca smiled.
"Alrighty!" Yajima called. "Now that everyone has chosen their partners, let the game begin!"
A massive tower sprouted out of the middle of the arena! It kept growing, and kept growing, and kept growing, and growing, and growing.
"Welcome to the towering fort!" Chapati announced.
"Towering feels like a bit of an understatement!" Roman muttered.
"At the top of this tower is a fort. Everyone must try and climb to the top and claim the fort. The team who is holding the fort at the end of the hour wins. Please note I said CLIMB the tower. To legitimately claim the fort, at least one member from each team must climb the entire tower. So no flying or teleporting!"
"Hm," Bianca pondered as he tapped her chin. "He didn't say one member couldn't fly around and protect the climber, though…"
Roman turned to her, a grin on his face as he caught on to her plan as the countdown began. "Three. Two. ONE! BEGIN!"
"Requip!" Roman shouted, changing into his speed armor as he charged towards the tower. He called forth his bow staff and used it to propel himself onto a platform. He landed with relative ease, then summoned a set of clawed brass knuckles that he used to begin climbing up the wall.
"And there goes Roman Fernandez, taking the lead for Fairy Tail, but Kagura of Mermaid Heel is catching up quickly!"
Kagura began jumping up after Roman, her sword in hand. She raised it to knock the boy off the wall and back to start when a white blur dove in front of her. Bianca, in one of her angel forms, kicked Kagura in the gut. Kagura coughed as she flew backward, barely able to catch herself on a banister.
"HEY! THEY SAID NO FLYING!" Micah Orlando argued.
"Ah, yes," Yajima nodded. "While the rules clearly stated that to claim the fort one of the team members had to climb the tower, there is no rule against the other team member using any trick necessary to help their comrade reach the top."
"Well," Minerva, who had been called to help Rogue smiled. "If that's the case…" she disappeared in a blue glow, only to materialize right next to Roman.
"Sorry, kid," she said as she reached to grab him, only to be quite literally blown away by a blast of Bianca's horn.
"Speed it up a bit pal, they're starting to catch up to you," Bianca muttered to Roman.
"I'm trying," Roman huffed as he picked up the pace and climbed as fast as he could, finally reaching a platform with a spiraling staircase attached. Roman shook out his arms to rid them of any strain as he began to climb. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a flock of ice birds coming his way.
"Requip!" he called, changing into a black robe of chainmail with a matching hat and shield. He held the shield up, the ice birds shattering against it as he kept climbing.
"And Roman Fernandez still has a narrow lead, but Ren of Blue Pegasus is catching up fast," Chapati announced.
Roman continued holding his shield up, blocking more of Lyon's attacks, though he could seem to figure out where Lyon himself was.
FWOOSH!
Using his air magic Ren flew past Roman, nearly knocking him off the staircase.
"And just like that, Blue Pegasus has taken the lead!" Chapati screeched as the crowd cheered.
"Darn it!" Roman shouted. He couldn't lose another round, not after his last performance! He had to redeem himself.
"On it!" Bianca called as she flew past him. "Get your whip ready."
"For what?" Roman asked, then he requipped to whip into his hand as she said.
Bianca flew to the top of the staircase and took a deep breath. Her white robes and hair began to sparkle, slowly changing from white to gold.
"What the-" Chapati sputtered. "Yajima, Mato, have either of you seen a golden angel before?"
"Never," Yajima shook his head as Bianca's entire body began to shimmer and shine. "Most impressive!"
Reaching forward Bianca grabbed onto the end of the railing at the top of the spiral staircase. She spread her wings out and then gave as strong of a flap as she could. She began moving upwards, pulling the staircase with her. Everyone gasped in awe as, after a bit more of straining she sapped the top six or so stairs clean off, just as Ren was stepping onto them.
"Wait, wha-" Ren asked as he noticed the staircase was moving. Bianca gave three spins before tossing the bits of the staircase back to the ground.
"Oh! And just like that, Blue Comes crashing back to the starting line. Literally...can someone go make sure he's okay?" Chapati asked.
Roman gulped as he neared what used to be the top of the staircase. Now how was he supposed to get to the next level of the tower?
Bianca's robes began shining once again, going back to their usual white color. She turned around to Roman and held one arm straight out.
Roman nodded, catching on. He popped his whip, wrapping it around Bianca's wrist and kicking off of the broken staircase. Bianca didn't move as Roman used her for a base and swung to the next platform.
"And Fairy Tail is back in the lead!" Mato shouted. The crowd cheered as Roman grabbed onto a rope ladder and began climbing, Bianca circling him in a protective fashion.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
PEW! PEW! PEW! Magic bullets flew out of Precht's fingers. Nashi swung her scythe around, blocking most of them, though one did manage to stun her shoulder.
"Ouch!" She cried as her shoulder began to burn, the damaging magic stunning it to uselessness. No matter how much Nashi tried to move it she couldn't. Precht ran towards her and jumped, a chain in his hand.
"Rhea!" Nashi shouted, pink flames coating her. The chain still wrapped around her middle, pinning her arms to her torso as Precht jerked her towards him. Once she touched her, though, he recoiled, calling out in pain. Nashi hit the ground, the chain disappearing. She stood back to her feet, crimson flames crackling around her fist.
"Thea's Fury!" she shouted, punching Precht in the gut. He flew backward, fireworks like flames twisting and propelling him backward. The flames exploded, sending him airborne.
"Eos!" Nashi called, summoning her wings. She got ready to fly after Precht but stopped when she noticed sparkling lights beginning to dance above him. She glanced around and saw Mavis holding a fist to the air, a familiar tattoo on her arm.
"Hey, isn't that Aunt Cana-"
Nashi didn't get to finish her question, for at that moment Mavis shouted:
"Fairy Glitter!"
"Yepi!" Nashi shrieked as she was blown backward by the shockwave of the attack.
"Nashi!" Mavis called as she ran to catch the little girl. She slid against the ground, barely making it in time to break Nashi's fall.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, I think so," Nashi answered, rubbing her head.
"Ergh…" Precht groaned. Though burned and stuck in the middle of a massive crater, he pushed himself back to his feet. "After all I did to help that one-eyed brat, I'm not letting you undo it."
"Wait, you're one of the ones who helped Tate?" Nashi asked.
"Precht, why?" Mavis whispered tears in her eyes.
"After everything, I did for that worthless guild and they turn their back on me!" Precht hissed, stalking towards the two females. Mavis stood to her feet, putting herself between Precht and Nashi, the Fairy Glitter mark returning to her arm.
"They've forgotten all about me," Precht shouted. "So why should I help them? Why not return the favor and see to it that they are forgotten as well? Now-GUH"
Precht froze, a purple light surrounding him. His eyes grew wide and Mavis gasped. Nashi peaked out from behind the first master, rolling her eyes at the purple light.
"Oh, great, now what!" she shouted just as another chilling calm voice spoke.
"Do you really think further betrayal will erase the betrayals you committed in the past?"
Precht, despite seemingly being paralyzed, went pale at the sound of the voice.
"We all have sins, but your insistence on refusing to take accountability has proven to be your downfall," the voice continued, growing louder and angrier. "Now, back to the afterlife from which you came, scum!"
The purple light grew brighter and brighter, and brighter, blinding Nashi. She raised her hand, shielding her eyes until the light disappeared. When she looked back Precht was gone. A man with black hair, dressed in black robes with a white shawl stood in his place.
"Who…" Nashi began before Mavis took off running towards there, surprising him by jumping up and wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Zeref!"
Nashi's eyes grew wide. "Oh…"
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Roman huffed as he pulled himself up the last obstacle and stood at the top of the tower. He'd made it, and he was the first. Bianca still flew next to him, turning her head side to side, making sure she kept him safe.
Roman took a step forward, heading towards the fort in the middle of the tower, nothing more than a little stone hut. He suddenly stopped, screeching in pain as he felt something burning at his ankle.
"Roman!?" Bianca gasped, looking down to see that there was a green liquid there, bubbling and burning his skin. Bianca gasped as a white light appeared in her palm.
"Heavenly Kull," she said as she put her hand over his ankle. The acid disappeared, though she couldn't repair the damage that had already been done. A flash of green raced by her face. She turned to find Micah Orlando climbing up.
"Roman, get in the shelter," Bianca said, a sword appearing in her hand.
"And leave you out here with him?" Roman asked, standing up and requipping back into his black armor. "Not a chance."
Micah chuckled as strode towards the two children. "Well, well, well, what have we here?"
Roman and Bianca glanced at each other. Micah was the youngest of the three Orlando brothers, which meant he was probably the most inexperienced. While he wouldn't be as hard to fight off than his brothers, that didn't mean this fight was going to be easy.
"Acid Rain!" Micah shouted.
"Heavenly Judgement!" Bianca shouted, a horn appearing in the hand opposite of the hand of the sword. Bianca blew, a loud blast and a shining light dissolving the acid.
Micah ran to her as she was distracted, acid bubbling in his palm. Roman jumped between them, using his shield to smash Micah's knee. Micah shouted in pain as he crumpled to his knees. Roman then spun and kicked him in the face. Micah fell onto his back. Roman ran to attack him again, but Micah held his hand up, grabbing Roman's face.
Roman shrieked as the acid began burning his skin.
Micah laughed evilly as he stood back up, still holding Roman's burning face. "So you thought you could-AUGH!"
Micah shrieked and let Roman go. A glowing white sword stabbed right through his forearm. Bianca pulled the sword out and swung it at Micah's face. Micah leaned back, barely dodging the blade. He flipped back onto his hands, his feet coming up to kick Bianca in the chin.
Bianca flew into the air, spinning from the impact. The kick stunned her so that she released her angelic form as she began falling back downwards. She wasn't heading towards the top platform, though, she was heading towards the edge, falling straight back down to the bottom of the arena.
"Bianca!" Roman shouted as he ran to the edge. He caught her wrist with one hand, holding onto the edge of the platform with the other.
"Ergh…" Bianca groaned, still dizzy from the kick.
Roman gritted his teeth as he tried pulling her back up. He felt a harsh, numbing impact in his chest. The force caused him to involuntarily let go of the platform. Both he and Bianca began plummeting towards the ground as the crowd screamed.
"Hey, he didn't have to do that, those kids are gonna die!"
"Someone catch them!"
"Boo!"
Roman gritted his teeth, never letting go of Bianca's arms. He requipped his bullwhip into his hand. He popped it towards a banister sticking out of the top platform. It wrapped around it, stopping the fall. The rough stop caused his shoulders to pop. He groaned in pain but didn't let go. He pressed his lips together as he pulled himself with one arm. He then clutched the whip between his knees. Using his free hand and his knees he scooted his way back up the platform.
Finally, he reached the top. He grabbed onto the platform with one hand and tossed Bianca onto it with the other. Once Bianca was safely on the platform he pulled himself up and then crawled over to check on her.
"You okay, Bianca?"
"Ugh," Bianca groaned as she sat up rubbing her head. She had blood coming out of her mouth and her nose.
Roman gasped, anger rising within him. He stood to his feet, turning towards where Micah was opening the fort door to walk inside.
"Requip!" Roman hissed. Over a dozen throwing stars appeared around him. Roman waved his hand. The throwing stars flew in front of Micah, cutting off his access to the door.
"What the-" Micah shouted as the throwing stars flew at him, pinning him to the ground, each of the stars stabbing through either his clothes or skin to keep him in place. Roman threw Bianca over his shoulder, carried her into the fort, and latched the door behind them.
IIIIIIIIIIIIII
"Z...Zeref…?" Nashi asked as she slowly inched her way towards the man.
She'd heard a lot about her uncle. Some said he was a monster. Some said he was a genius. Some said he was misunderstood. Some said he was tragic.
But as she stared at the man before her she saw none of that. He seemed...normal.
Mavis continued giggling as she dangled from where her arms were wrapped around his neck. He smiled as he returned the embrace.
"What are you doing here?" Mavis asked.
"I sensed you were in distress so I came to help," Zeref answered.
"Um?" Nashi whispered.
Zeref set Mavis down as he turned towards Nashi. His eyes grew wide as he slowly approached her. Black eyes penetrated her brown ones. Nashi suddenly couldn't move. She wasn't sure what to feel. Fear? Excitement? Terror?
Zeref reached out, setting his hand on top of her head. He ran a strand of her hair through his fingers, a soft smile on his lips.
"You have his hair," he said softly.
"My dad's?" Nashi asked, shyly tucking her hair behind her ears. "Y...yeah, I know."
Zeref's smile widened slightly but maintained its softness. "You probably have no idea who I am."
"Yes, I do," Nashi answered. "You're my uncle Zeref."
Zeref gasped, eyes growing wide. "Natsu told you about me?"
"Yeah," Nashi nodded.
"What did he say?"
Nashi shrugged. "Not much, actually."
Zeref hung his head. "I see."
"He says he can't remember a lot about you. Said he was really little when you got separated."
"Well," Zeref sighed. "I'm sure the few memories he does have aren't good."
"I'm not sure," Nashi said. "I mean, he named Luna after you."
Zeref gasped, staring wide-eyed at her. "Really?"
"Yeah. Luna's middle name is Darcey, which means 'dark.' And you were known as the dark wizard."
Zeref hung his head, giving her a sad smile. "It's probably a coincidence."
Nashi shook her head. "No, he told me he did it on purpose."
"Really?"
"Yeah, he meant to name her after you."
Zeref's eyes widened even more, looking a bit glassy with tears.
"Why are you so surprised?" Nashi asked. "You're his brother, aren't you?"
Zeref smiled, wiping at his face. "Yes. Yes, I am."
Mavis smiled widely as she walked to his side, intertwining her fingers with his. "Honey, we need to get Nashi to her parents."
"Yes, you're right," Zeref nodded as he held his hand out to Nashi. "Come on, we'll show you the way."
Nashi timidly took his hand and he and Mavis began leading her away.
"How far are we?" Nashi asked.
"Not far, now," Zeref answered as they walked through the tall trees.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"Ugh…" Bianca groaned as she sat up, still rubbing her head.
"Bianca?" Roman asked, kneeling next to her.
"What happened?" Bianca asked.
"Micah kicked her in the head...hard," Roman answered.
"Oh, great," Bianca muttered. "I'll never hear the end of this."
"Are you okay now?"
"Other than my pride, doing great," Bianca smiled sheepishly.
"Good," Roman smiled.
Shlosh!
Bianca and Roman turned and saw bubbling green acid seeping through the cracks of the door.
"Uh-oh, I guess Micah's up," Roman muttered.
The hut began to shake as strong winds blew against it.
Shadows began seeping under the door.
"Uh...looks like Ren and Rogue caught up to us too," Bianca shuddered.
"I don't know if I've got enough weapons to take on all three of them at once," Roman said in a shaky voice.
A white light engulfed Bianca as she changed back to an angel. "Heavenly Judgement!"
A white flash engulfed the room, chasing the acid and shadows away, for now.
Bianca's angel form disappeared and she fell to her knees. "Ugh! I guess I'm still dizzy. That won't hold them off for long."
"Ergh!" Roman gritted his teeth. "What are we going to do now?"
"I'm all for any crazy idea you may have!" Bianca suggested with a shrug.
"How crazy?" Roman asked, a light in his eyes.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"Oof!" Micah grunted as a shadow smacked against him. He stopped stuttering just in time for Ren to hit him with a blast of wind.
"You're both getting on my nerves," Micah hissed.
"Shadow dragon, wing attack!" Rogue shouted, the attack hitting Micah right in the middle of his chest.
"What's the big deal, why are you attacking me instead of trying to get in the fort!"
"Wind chaser!" Ren shouted, knocking Micah onto his back.
"They may not be in our guild but they are only children," Ren said to Micah.
"And we are fathers," Rogue replied. "So why would we let you attack two young children?"
"It's the Grand Magic Games! You win whatever the cost!" Micah insisted.
"There are some lines you shouldn't cross, even while in combat," Ren countered.
Micah gritted his teeth as he squared up to fight.
A bright light shone from the inside of the fort. All three men turned and looked at it as the door flew open.
Bianca and Roman stood in the doorway, hands clasped, magic pulsating around them.
"Requip Magic…" Roman chanted.
"Angelic Soul Magic…" Bianca joined in.
"Unison Raid: HEAVENLY SWORD DANCE!"
A blast of white light and pale, iron swords flew out of the doorway.
"A unison raid?" Rogue asked, in awe.
"OH, C'MON, YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!" Micah shouted.
"Uh-AUGH!" Ren cried as he dodged the attack.
Roman and Bianca tightened their grip on each other's hands as they put everything they could into the attack.
"Holy smokes!" Chapati shouted. "Is that what I think it is!?"
"A unison raid!" Yajima confirmed. "My word!"
"Those little pumpkins got a lot of punch to 'em, huh!?" Mato exclaimed.
All of the kids back in the dugout began cheering.
"WOO-HOO! UNISON RAID TIME!" Koree cheered.
"Well, now we've got competition sis," Persephone smirked.
"Wow," Storm's eyes widened. "My little sister has really gotten strong, haven't they?"
"Well, that and she's got Roman helping her," Cato added, eyes narrowing mischievously. "A lot…"
Storm frowned at Cato. "I don't know what crazy ideas you're implying…"
"Yeah, sure you don't," Cato rolled his eyes.
"You're freaking me out!" Storm whimpered.
Loud shouts erupted from the top of the tower and Rogue and Ren jumped to lower stories of the tower to dodge the unison attack. Micah, unfortunately, took the brunt of the attack, causing him to topple down several stories, about halfway down the tower.
"Wow! That was incredible!" Chapati announced.
"And with only five minutes left in the game, it's unlikely anyone will get back up to the top of the tower to displace Roman and Bianca!"
Roman closed the door back, latching it shut before he fell to the ground, exhausted, but proud.
"Wow, our crazy idea actually worked," Bianca exclaimed from where she was already slumped on the floor.
"Is it bad that I was worried it wouldn't?" Roman asked.
"No, 'cuz I was too," Bianca answered. "Glad it did though because we were about to be goners."
"Heh, I don't know about that," Roman shrugged. "Not when I have an angel on my side."
Bianca's eyes went wide, a blush forming on her face.
Roman frowned, confused by her response before he realized what he said. "No! I didn't mean it like that! I meant, because, y' know, you're magic. Not saying you aren't pretty! Because you are! But, I wasn't trying to-I mean-I didn't mean-"
"I...it's okay. I knew what you meant," Bianca said. "And thank you."
Back in the dugout, Storm's eyes grew wide. "Oh my gosh, Cato, you might be right!"
"I'm always right," Cato shrugged.
Storm put a hand to his head. "Now I'm gonna kill Roman."
"Storm, no!" Cato snapped.
Everyone watched on eagerly as the clock ticked down. The five minutes quickly passed by as everyone scrambled to get back to the top of the tower. Before anyone knew it, though, the time was running out.
"...five, four, three, two, one!" the crowd cheered as the buzzer went off.
"And that's time!" Chapati announced. "Fairy Tail wins, AGAIN!"
The crowd went wild as the rest of the kids in the dugout cheered.
"That's our big brother!" Minette cheered.
"Hey, my sister was up there too," Meeko shouted.
"So, Roman totally carried the fight."
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Wow," Igneel mused as he and Layla watched on. "Am I that annoying when I fight with him?"
"Yeah, now maybe you'll stop," Layla answered.
"Nash, messing with ice breath is too much fun!"
"I heard that space brain!" Meeko shouted.
"And what are you going to do about, you grumpy snowman."
"Oy, vey!" Layla groaned as her face was palmed.
"Well, folks, after that impressive battle I suspect you'll all need to take a breather," Yajima said. "But not too long of one. Remember, this is the 25th anniversary of the Grand Magic Games, so we've mixed things up to keep them interesting."
"Exactly!" Chapati agreed. "When we come back we won't be coming back to our usual battle rounds. We'll be coming back to the final team battle where our guilds take to the streets!"
"WHAT!?" Everyone exclaimed.