Here's the next chapter! Just so you all know, the poll on my profile is still going, so feel free to vote! I'm a little disappointed more people aren't voting for Chelia (the poor girl can't seem to catch a break, especially after losing her magic now)! I hope you all enjoy!
Night had fallen upon the city of Crocus and the stars were shining brightly as a young man was walking through the streets of the now lit capital. He had somewhat shaggy jet black hair, his body wasn't muscular, but it was well-toned and he wore a dark purple T-shirt, black pants, silver braces around his wrists and white shoes.
The young man yawned. "Soooo bored… I know the games are going on, but there should be SOME wizards willing to-Hm?"
He looked over to see a teenage boy sitting on a bunch and walked over to him. The boy was somewhat short, indicating he was in his early teens, had short amethyst hair, was rather skinny and wore forest green long-sleeve shirt, blue jeans and a ruby pendant tied around his neck.
"It's getting late, kid." The young man said. "I'm not going to argue if you want to stay out here, but shouldn't you be back with your family or guild?"
The boy remained quiet for a few seconds. "… I'm not in a guild."
"What do ya know? Neither am I." The young man stated. "I've been in a bunch of different guilds, but none of them fit with me."
"… Why are you talking with me?" The boy asked.
*I shouldn't tell him that I'm just bored. He might get insulted.* The young man thought.
The boy just stood up and walked away.
"Wait!" The young man exclaimed.
"I'm staying with my dad, so don't worry about me." The boy said as he continued to walk away.
"That was awkward…" The young man said to himself.
Now fully dressed, Zale and Bellona were walking through the city streets.
"We must have been in the Realm of the Gods for quite a while if it's night already." Zale said.
"I'm just impressed you managed to learn to use God's Wrath so quickly." Bellona said with the same monotone and expressionless voice and face she always had.
"It's probably too late to ask to join the games." Zale said. "Guess I'm stuck on the sidelines this year. Maybe next year…"
"Wait, is that…" Bellona muttered and looked off to their left.
Zale looked in the same direction to see the young man from earlier still sitting on the bench. If it weren't for the street lights, there was no way he would be able to make him out.
"Is that you, Jayden?" Bellona asked the man.
The young man turned to them and smiled upon seeing Bellona.
"Bellona!" He happily smiled and stood up. "You're not in the games this year?"
"I had more important things to do this year." Bellona answered.
"Am I… going to be a third wheel in this conversation?" Zale asked.
"Why would that be?" Bellona questioned in confusion.
The young man sighed in exasperation. "I'm sorry about Bellona's social stupidity." He stood up and shook hands with Zale. "The name's Jayden Oceari (Age 23)."
"Zale Aeon." Zale said.
"Wait!" Jayden exclaimed. "Zale Aeon? As in Neptune of Fairy Tail?!"
"You-you actually know who I am?!" Zale asked in surprise.
"Don't be so surprised." Jayden said. "You're more popular than you give yourself credit for. Are you here for the games?"
"Yes, but I'm not really IN the games." Zale nervously replied.
"Wow, sounds like the people in your guild that ARE in the games must be really strong!" Jayden said. "I'm sorry to ask you this so suddenly, but would you mind sparring with me? Since neither of us are in the games, that is. My usual sparring is in the games and I've been bored all day."
"Um, I don't know…" Zale responded. "Which guild are you with?"
"Jayden's always switching between guilds." Bellona answered. "Last I heard you were with Sabertooth."
"Yeah, but after a mission or two I saw what they're really like." Jayden said. "Their master was seriously pissed when I quit. There was only one decent person in that guild. If Mermaid Heel accepted men, I'd join in a heartbeat. Although, now that Fairy Tail's back maybe I'll join you!"
"He sounds like a pervert." Zale whispered to Bellona.
"No, it's because his sparring partner is in our guild." Bellona clarified. "She's the most powerful wizard in Mermaid Heel."
GOOOOOOONG! GOOOOOOOONG!
The three mages looked toward the clock tower to see that it was now midnight and a magical projection of a pumpkin-headed man appeared above the city.
"To all of the guilds who have gathered for the Grand Magic Games…" The projection spoke. "Good morning! We will now whittle down the 113 teams competing to eight and to do that, we are going to have a preliminary competition, right now!"
"If there are 113 teams, I'm not surprised they would need to weed out the weaker ones." Zale said. "If each guild is allowed two teams in the games, it seems at least one decided to just stick with a single team."
"This is our chance." Jayden said. "We can spar in the forest outside of town."
Near the flower garden of Mercurius, the boy Jayden had met with earlier was walking through the barely lit roads.
"What was with that guy?" The boy mumbled to himself. "Couldn't he tell I wanted to be left alone? Hm?"
He stopped when he saw Wendy and Carla lying on the ground, noticed they were unconscious and ran over to them.
"Hey! Are you all right?" He asked as he held Wendy's upper body up.
She didn't respond, but he caught her chest expanding, indicating that she was still breathing. He then noticed the Fairy Tail emblem on her right shoulder.
"They're from Fairy Tail…" He said. "Your guild mates are probably looking for you."
Picking up Wendy, he carried her over his back while holding Carla between his left arm and ribs.
Zale, Bellona and Jayden all went out to the forest the former two had just been to until they arrived at a clearing. Above the city was a giant mechanical contraption in the sky that was the sight of the preliminary round of the games.
"This should be far enough." Jayden said as he turned to Zale and took up a fighting stance. "Don't be afraid to hold back."
"I thought this was sparring!" Zale exclaimed in exasperation.
"Bellona, don't tell him about my magic." Jayden requested. "I want him to be surprised."
"Sure." Bellona replied plainly.
"You ready?" Zale asked.
"Whenever you are." Jayden answered.
"Water God…" Zale sucked in air. "BELLOW!"
A powerful blast of black water was shot from Zale's mouth and at Jayden. Jayden took the attack and when it subsided, he had received a fair number of bruises, but he was only sent skidding back a few feet.
"Wow, now I regret asking you not to hold back." Jayden said. "Any other wizard would've been out immediately. Part of that is because Water Magic doesn't do much to me."
*If that's true, is he some sort of Slayer Wizard?* Zale thought.
"My turn." Jayden began inhaling deeply. "Water… Dragon… ROAR!"
Jayden fired a powerful torrent of water from his mouth that was headed right for Zale.
*Just as I thought!* Zale thought. *That's why he didn't eat my magic, but…*
Before the attack could hit Zale, he began sucking in the water from Jayden's breath attack. Once Zale finished eating the water, Jayden suddenly appeared in front of him with his right arm surrounded in water.
"Water Dragon Wave Fist!"
Jayden punched Zale in the chest and the force pushed him back several feet.
*He caught me by surprise.* Zale thought as he clutched his chest. *And he's pretty powerful, considering I still felt his attack. Looks like I've got no choice.*
Zale closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he reopened his eyes, they were glowing white and his body emitted immense magical power.
"This power…!" Jayden gasped.
"God Slayer Secret Art…" Zale surrounded his arms in black water and charged at Jayden. "Furious Knockout Haymaker!"
Zale delivered an incredibly powerful punch to Jayden's gut and sent him flying deep into the forest, knocking down several trees in the process. His eyes returned to normal and he was amazed at the damage he had caused.
"Holy… I knew I got stronger, but this is on a whole other level!" Zale exclaimed.
"You can say that again!"
Zale and Bellona looked in the direction Jayden had flown in to see him bruised and beaten, but still able to stand up.
"I think that's enough sparring for one night." Jayden said as he walked over to the two God Slayers. "We should get some rest so we can cheer on our friends in the morning." He then held out his hand toward Zale. "Let's spar again sometime."
Zale looked at Jayden's hand and then at his smiling face before finally shaking hands with the Dragon Slayer.
"Yeah!" Zale said.
Zale was heading back to the Honey Bone Lodge by himself, clenching his fist in confidence, not only from how much stronger he had become, but also with his new friend in Jayden.
"Zale!"
He looked up to see Lisanna and Happy heading over to him in a hurry.
"Zale, have you seen Wendy and Carla?" Lisanna asked.
"No, they aren't in the games?" Zale inquired.
"They didn't show up, so Elfman went in Wendy's place with the others." Happy answered.
"Excuse me, are you Fairy Tail wizards?" A voice spoke up.
They all turned toward the voice to see a boy carrying an unconscious Wendy and Carla.
"Wendy! Carla!" Happy gasped.
"So you know them." The boy said. "I found them like this in the castle gardens."
Zale took Wendy, carrying her bridal-style, and Lisanna took Carla in her arms.
"We should take them to Porlyusica." Lisanna suggested.
"Right." Zale nodded to Lisanna and turned back to the boy. "Thank you for finding our friends, um…"
The boy started to turn around and walk away.
"At least tell us your name!" Zale shouted.
The boy stopped walking. "Soren… Soren Blake (Age 14)."
Soren continued walking away from the Fairy Tail wizards without saying another word. Without being able to question the boy any further, Zale and Lisanna looked at Wendy and Carla.
"What happened to these two?" Zale wondered. "I can sense very little magic from them."
The following morning, Zale, Lisanna and Happy were in the stadium's infirmary where Wendy and Carla were bedridden and still unconscious while Porlyusica was treating them. Sitting in a chair, Zale was contemplating the boy that had brought back Wendy and Carla, the latter of which Happy was tearing up over.
*I can't quite put my finger on it, but…* Zale thought. *There's something strange about him…*
"WENDY!"
A huge outburst that they recognized all too way caught everyone's attention and they saw Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza and Elfman barge in and walk up to their unconscious friends.
"Are you all right?!" Natsu asked Wendy.
"She has no external injuries, but…" Lisanna responded.
Wendy slowly started to regain consciousness, but her voice was weak.
"N… Mr. Natsu?" Wendy weakly spoke.
"Wendy, what happened?!" Natsu asked.
"I'm sorry." Wendy replied. "I… I don't remember. Ngh!"
A sharp sting caused Wendy to wince in pain.
"She's suffering from hypomagia." Porlyusica stated. "She quickly lost a large amount of magic energy, thus her physical state has been weakened significantly."
"A sudden loss of magic?" Erza gasped.
"But how?" Elfman questioned.
"I don't… remember…" Wendy said. "But I think… there was a black creature… Ngh!"
"Stop pressuring her!" Porlyusica demanded.
"I'm…" Wendy was now shaking and tearing up. "I'm so sorry… everyone. I trained… so hard… and now… I can't be in the games…"
When Zale saw the look on Wendy's face and heard the words she was saying, he recognized them all too well. After she had finished speaking with Elfman, Zale walked over to Wendy and gently petted her head.
"Don't worry about the games right now, Wendy…" Zale told her in a soft voice. "Just relax and leave the rest to your friends, okay?"
Wendy nodded and smiled weakly.
"Now get out! She needs her rest!"
But the moment was quickly ruined when Porylusica threw everyone except for Wendy and Carla out of the room.
A/N: Finished! For those of you who have read my other Fairy Tail story, Phoenix Dawn, Jayden actually makes an appearance in this fic as well! However, the history's going to be a little different than in that story and I wanted to bring in a friendly rival for Zale since he doesn't have one like the other wizards do, aside from maybe Lyon, but he's more of Gray's rival. I also introduced another OC, Soren, who will play a bigger part later in the story. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed! Stay tuned for next time!