Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 48: Festive Times

Finally got my evil eyepatch Matt Hullum.

Man, that guy is one big cock.

########Hunter########

"A little higher! More to the right! Just a bit - perfect!" The patron called out as the banner was connected on the other side of the street. The store owner waved up in thanks, "Appreciate the help, Master Makarov."

"Yeah yeah." Makarov's stretched out legs reverted back to normal. He returned to normal, a wrinkly old man standing only a foot or two off the ground as he tapped his back. He waddled back over and grabbed his grocery bags as the people waved him goodbye. He looked back, "Sorry Mira, you were saying."

"It's nothing Master." The barmaid smiled happily as she walked at a slow pace to keep up with the old man. She gave a warm smile when she saw the odd look he spared her and giggled, "It's nice to see even after all these years you still help prepare for the celebration around town."

"Pfft, that's an understatement." The old man sneered, "I've been helping set up the Harvest Festival in Magnolia since I could waddle on my baby feet. One day I'm an infant, helping carry a candle from one spot to the next. Then one day I'm growing as high as I can to put the decorations over Kardia Cathedral. And even now I'm still putting up banners and setting up shop."

"And technically you're back to waddling again."

"Hey!" He barked and scowled at the young maiden as she playfully stuck out her tongue, "You might have mellowed out but you can still show that sharp tongue every once in awhile."

"Teehee."

Makarov frowned and faced back down the street, grumbling to himself about smart aleck kids as Mirajane continued to giggle. The wizened guild master looked around at the people gathered out in the street to fill the pathways and stores with decorations for the upcoming celebration.

Makarov's eyes wandered to the side and spotted a little boy carrying a box of decorations over to his grandfather. The grey-haired man smiled and patted his grandson on the head as the boy happily smiled at the sign of affection. Makarov's eyes softened with a faint smile...

"Feels like this festival comes sooner and sooner every year."

"Really?" Mira looked up in thought, "I feel like this year was a lot more hectic. We got a lot more members joining, we rebuilt the guild, and we were at war with Phantom. Seems like a slow year to me."

"Well maybe to you, you're young! Your sense of time and urgency is always in flux!" Makarov complained like a crotchety old man before he tiredly looked up at the sky, "To me it feels like these days are getting shorter and these years are going faster. I feel like it was only yesterday you were just a little kid picking fights with Erza and scaring the younglings."

"H-hehe." Mira actually blushed in embarrassment, "It's been a long time since then. Y-you don't have to bring that up, Master-"

"You could act like such a brat when you argued with the others-"

"Master~." Mira pouted as the old man chuckled to himself. Her cheeks puffed out in annoyance at the little jabs he was taking at her. She was young! Still growing as a woman and a person! So she had some quirks - sue her! She wanted to chew his ear off for bringing it up but stopped when she realized he wasn't leading her back to the guild.

In fact he wasn't in front of her anymore.

The white-haired woman looked around for her guild master before looking back the way they came. She saw Makarov standing at the entrance of another street and silently staring out at it. She turned, "Master?"

Makarov looked out at the bustling street as the people happily set up booths for people to visit. It was more and more each year. Some things really do change over the years...and some things...

A fond memory of a little blond boy in a thunderbolt t-shirt pulling him along and begging for cotton candy crossed his mind.

Some things change too quickly.

########Hunter########

"And I'm telling you, if you keep showing your teeth at me like that, I'll knock 'em out!"

"Then go sit somewhere else! I was here first!" Gajeel snarled at Natsu as his fellow Dragon Slayer matched his vicious glare, "You and your chuckle buddies had better pick up your shit and move! Or else I'm gonna start making gaps in your teeth! Starting with you."

"You wanna try?" Natsu challenged the volatile boy with a toothy smirk, "Kicked your ass once. Kick your ass again."

"That was a one and done time, Salamander." Gajeel fumed and tightened his fists, "Every dog has his day, and yours just came at the same time as a billion shooting stars while the worlds aligned and shit. Once in a lifetime. So bring it on, but expect to be crawling your way back with a bent leg if you do."

"Can you two idiots just shut the hell up?" Gray groused from the table while having to listen to the two snap at each other. The Dragon Slayers just ignored him as the Maker Mage's face twisted in irritation. He exhaled sharply and turned away from them, "You two get any louder and I'll freeze you assholes on the spot."

"What was that?!"

"Say that again you stripper!"

"Oh, you two were listening now, huh?"

"Enough! Both of you!" Juvia exclaimed as she stood out of her seat, "Stop trying to pick a fight with Gray-sama! Don't you see your bickering is stopping him from enjoying a lovely lunch alone with Juvia!"

Gray, the Dragon Slayers, and the half a dozen others sitting at the same table as them all looked at the blue-haired newbie in confusion.

"His lovely lunch alone with Julia and a few unwanted stragglers!"

"Oi."

The arguing men separated and Juvia sat back down to revel in her proximity to Gray. Lucy looked between all of them warily after narrowly avoiding another brawl in the middle of the day. She was worried that unlike the usual spats that occur in the guild, a fight between Natsu and Gajeel might actually devolve into a serious fight. And then others would get involved. And after that...

She turned to look at Mahiro as she sat with Koyuki in her lap, "Uh, what do you think would happen if there really was a fight between the members of the guild?"

"Honestly?" The older blonde cupped her chin in thought before bluntly stating, "Magnolia would probably get destroyed in the process."

"Yeah, I know that." Lucy rolled her eyes at the answer. She had been a member of Fairy Tail for a few months and already knew if a fight broke out then the town would probably be razed in the process. That was obvious, "What I mean is...well, if everyone fought, who would win?"

"Hmm, good question." The older woman gave a cheeky smile and looked at the younger blonde, "Interested in starting a fight, Lucy? Think you'll come out on top?"

"Nope. Not even close. A fight ever started, I'd hunker down somewhere outside of the town to avoid a fight."

"Don't sell yourself short, Lucy." Erza complimented the busty girl and stopped eating her cake to join the conversation, "Over your time here at the guild I have seen your talents bloom. What you lack in physical skill, you certainly make for it with tactical thinking and utilization of your spirits. You've proven yourself to be an invaluable member of the team."

"E-Erza." Lucy felt her heart flutter, "You-"

"She'd still lose fighting us though." Naruto quickly interjected.

"Oh no argument there." Erza nodded, "I'm just noting that she'd do better than she thought she would."

Lucy let out a little whimper after her confidence was bolstered and then slammed into the ground like a falling building. She sniffled, "Okay, but seriously who would win a fight?"

Erza crossed her arms, "That depends. If Master were to participate then I'm sure he'd be the winner."

"Sure but let's just say Jii-San wasn't participating." Gray said, "If he wasn't then I'm sure we'd fare pretty well. Although then again...Mahiro, how quickly would you join the fight?"

The older woman chuckled, "Can I even join? Do I still count as a member of Fairy Tail?"

"Of course you do."

"Duh."

"Why even ask?"

"Of course you are, Mama!"

"Aww, you guys are sweet." Mahiro laughed and squeezed her daughter gently before smiling, "Well I'd probably kick a lot of ass. But if I was to get into a fight with Gildarts well...you can imagine the damages."

Naruto shrugged, "Yeah, but then again Gildarts would have to come back for that spectacle to happen."

"Okay, scary thought about Mahiro and Gildarts. Next." Gray quirked an eyebrow, "What about Mystogan?"

Juvia looked around in confusion, "Who might that be?"

"Another S-Class. He comes and goes as he pleases and puts us to sleep when he does." Gray answered, "Never seen him before."

"I have." Naruto pointed out, "Not his face though. Covers it in rags and never even peeks out his eye. But he's definitely strong so he could be in the fight for top spot."

Lucy hesitated, "And what about Luxus?"

"I'd kick his ass!" Natsu proclaimed as the others' faces twisted at the thought of facing their aggressive guildmate in battle. The pink-haired man yelled, "If there was a fight in the guild, I'd finally get the chance to beat Laxus up and prove I'm tougher than him!"

"You go Natsu!" Happy cheered, "Don't think about what several humiliating defeats in a row tells you about your chances! Just run in and see what happens!"

"Yeah!"

Lucy looked skeptical before looking between the senior members, "Hey, wasn't Mira-San an S-Class Mage once? Is there a chance she'd be in a fight like that?"

"Not likely. Not only because Mira hasn't utilized her magic in a very long time, but I doubt she'd be interested in fighting members of the guild solely to figure out who is strongest." Erza noted, "In the years since she's retired she's become something of a pacifist."

"Ah, I see. So then that leaves..."

All eyes on the table turned to the power couple that had yet to put themselves into the running. Not from modesty or forgetfulness. They were simply waiting for the others to acknowledge them in the fight for the strongest. And they knew that because the redhead and the blond were both sitting their in silence; arms crossed before their chests confidently with their noses in the air to an almost smug degree.

Erza opened one eye, "I suppose, hypothetically, if we were to join the fight as well then we'd do our best."

"Yeah, I suppose." Naruto nodded, "And I'd say we would do pretty well."

"Indeed. After all you do have the Kokuryū at your side."

"Yeah but you got your parents' blades, remember? They can cancel magic."

"Right, but you have Armor. I'm sure you can increase your attack and defensive exponentially in the heat of battle."

"Let's not bring up armors. You've got more than I can count for every situation."

"And you have your chakra. Think about all the Wind techniques you could use to get the upper hand."

"Which you would immediately take and use against me, right?"

"Perhaps. Then again, you are tenacious."

"Let's not bring up tenacity. I've seen how stubborn you can be."

"Hehehehe."

"Hahahaha."

What started out as them complimenting each other quickly took a threatening overtone. The two lovers continued to chuckle while a challenging atmosphere settled between them. The others slid away from the couple for safety in case any sparks started to fly.

Now that they thought about it, they had never seen Erza or Naruto face each other in a fight that wasn't just a spar.

Oh that was concerning.

Erza coughed into her hand and dispelled the tension over the table before smiling, "So who's excited for the festival?"

"Me! Me!" Koyuki chirped and got the redhead and her mother to smile, "I wanna see the parade again!"

Lucy perked up, "I've never seen the Fantasia parade. What's it like?"

"Oh it's awesome! There's tons of food and games over the entire city! People from all over Fiore come to see the celebration! And at the end of the day everyone in the guild gets together to preform!"

Juvia's eyes widened as Gajeel's ears perked, "W-we preform?"

"Not just that." Erza smiled, "People also flock to come see the Miss Fairy Tail competition. A few of us enter into a contest."

"A contest? Seriously?" Lucy questioned, "Isn't that kinda classless and tacky and-"

"The winner also gets a prize of 500,000 Jewels."

Lucy jumped out of her seat with sparkling eyes, "Sorry guys I have to go! Something I need to plan for the competition! Bye!"

That cash prize was in the bag.

########Hunter########

"Well, doesn't this look just so pretty." The sultry voice purred as her high-heels clicked against the stone of the street. It stopped as she smiled, "How long's it been since we came home?"

"Six months." The amused voice chuckled as the figure crossed his arms, "I bet everybody missed us."

"Absolutely!"

"They love you!"

"Been waiting for your comeback!"

"Wait till they get a load of you!"

"Aw shucks you guys are making me blush."

"Enough foolish talk." A far sterner and more straightforward voice interrupted their laughter. All three figures looked towards the man leaning against the building in the shadow of the night, "We have everything ready for tomorrow."

"Good. We'll get things started tomorrow when everyone is together and start trimming some of the fat. Make sure you set up the traps around town and then come meet me."

"Laxus."

"Hmm?"

"Are we certain we are going to proceed with the plan? I mean what we have set up is very different than knocking around some people taking badly about the guild-"

"Yes. I'm very fucking aware how different it is." The softer voice quickly silenced itself once interrupted, "But we're going ahead with it anyway. Anymore complaints?"

"Nope."

"All good."

"My apologies."

"Alright then. Let's go make Fairy Tail the best again."

########Hunter########

("Welcome everybody to the event you've all been waiting for! Some of you have come from far and wide! Some have been counting down the seconds since last year! Whatever it might be, we're all excited! And we're ready to get it started!") Max announced in his snazzy suit and threw his hand in the air, ("Let's get the Miss Fairy Tail competition underway!")

"YEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

There was a booming, resounding cheer from all the people that had filled out the guild hall as they celebrated the competition they had so patiently been waiting for finally started. Most of the hall had been cleared out to accommodate for the influx of people. In fact there were only a few tables still along the floor and most had been relegated to stepping stools so people could see the stage better.

The only table not being stepped on was occupied by some of the members that still wanted to watch the show but not get overwhelmed by the mosh pit.

Of course that didn't stop some of them from still losing their minds.

"GOOOOO, NEE-CHAN! GOOOOO, LISANNA!" Elfman declared and caused everyone around him to shy away before his next outburst caused their eardrums to bleed.

"C'MON LUCY! DON'T LOSE TOO BADLY!" Happy cheered, "IF YOU FALL TO YOUR KNEES AND CRY YOU MIGHT GET THE PITY VOTE!"

"SCREW YOU CAT!" A ticked off voice behind the stage yelled.

"Good luck, Onee-chan!" Koyuki called and happily waved her little arms while she was lifted over the crowd with the help of Happy. The little Senju cupped her hands to project her voice over the crowd, "You can do it!"

"Surprised you aren't entered in this thing as well." Naruto looked the blonde at his side over as she gave a content sigh.

"Too old." Mahiro retorted, knowing full well she still looked good and was just using that as an excuse before shaking her head, "Plus I'd rather not deal with the pain in the ass of competing with all the girls desperate for the win."

"She's right." Natsu nodded, "Some people are just in it for the reward. So petty."

There was a manic yell from backstage again.

("Now let's get the show started! We're starting off with our favorite sexy veteran! She's been with the guild longer than anyone, and we're all gonna remember her as the youngest person to die from liver failure solely from alcohol poisoning! The beautiful Card Mage! Cana Alberona!")

"Damn right there better be applause." The drunkard's heels clapped across the stage as she strutted out. The brunette flicked her hair back and smirked as the people lost their minds and called her name. She confidently strolled up to center stage and flicked her hand out as several cards slipped into her fingers, "You all wanna see a magic trick? Fair warning your hearts might stop."

Even more cards came to her hands before she sharply threw them out. The cards sailed through the air for a moment before swerving and turning over the crowd's head. The cards started releasing bursts of colored powder, fire, lightning, and anything else that grabbed the peoples' attention. A veritable light show went off over their heads before it finally died down and Cana stood out proudly on the stage.

And in all the excitement, she had shed her clothes and instead wore a striped bikini that complimented her complexion and figure. The crowd lost their minds, men's cheers and whistles drowning out everything else as Cana playfully winked, "Told you your hearts would stop."

("WHHHOOOAAAAAA! One moment she gives us the flash of the cards and the next she's giving us a much more desired flash! Is this girl a natural born entertainer or what?!") Max announced while the crowd cheered. Cana passed by him to head backstage as he covered the mic and whispered, "Good move. How'd you know they'd love it so much?"

"Sex sells." Cana grinned as she made her way out.

("Alright everybody, ready for the next contestant?") There was a resounding yes as Max grinned, ("Okay! Then our next contestant is cute! She's weird! She's a sparkling drop of rain on a cloudy day! Ladies and gentlemen it's Juvia Lockser!")

The blue-haired newbie stepped out and blushed under the attention she was getting. Makarov clapped atop his seat on the tabletop, "You go kiddo! You got this!"

"I'm pretty sure you aren't supposed to have favorites, Jiji."

"Naruto, they're all my favorites."

"Hello everyone." Juvia greeted and stood up bravely as her arms started to morph into Water. She smiled and started making the waves move to her whim, "Juvia has something to show all of you!"

A violent crash blasted droplets of water across the entire hall and let the crowd marvel at the beautiful sight. The water immediately pulled back into a vortex on the stage before it disappeared completely...

And revealed Juvia in a bikini striking a pose.

The people quickly lost their minds as Juvia beamed a smile and waved into the crowd. In one direction in particular. With her eyes firmly set on one person in wait for their response.

The boys and Mahiro and turned to look at Gray expectantly as he slid further down in his seat. He hid his face, "I'm not here right now. Don't look."

"You're passing up a really big opportunity, my boy."

"Don't patronize me."

("Okay, I think I'm spotting a theme here! Won't that be interesting to see it the other contestants carry that out?") Max smiled, ("And would you look who's up next! Our mascot! Our maiden! The face of Fairy Tail that gets us all the good attention after we wreck up a few towns! Let's hear it for the one! The only! Mirajane Strauss!")

Even after the prior two contestants had exposed their bikini-clad bodies to them, the crowd had given the upcoming girl a much louder response. It was obvious who the fan-favorite was as the entire guild shook from the sound of their clapping alone. The barmaid gave a humble wave and smiled as she took the stage.

"YEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! NEE-CHAAAAAAAAAAN!" Elfman slammed his foot on the table and roared, "YOU GOT THIS IN THE BAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGG!"

"Hello everyone!" Mira's voice carried over the crowd and they all greeted her in return as the kind woman giggled, "Well I'm not sure how I can compete with those two."

"YOU KNOW HOW!"

"YOU GOT THIS MIRA-CHAN!"

"THOSE LAST TWO ARE LIKE HAGGARD OLD WIDOWS COMPARED TO YOUR BEAUTY!"

"MIRA-TAAAAAAAAAAAAANNN!"

"Oh thank you." She just smiled and waved, "Well I have something interesting I've been waiting to show all of you!"

Mira covered her face and several dozen cameras were raised in anticipation to capture her showing.

"Happy!"

She pulled her hands back to show the blue cat head on her shoulders. It smiled and waved to everyone, "Aye!"

"Hey, that's me! Way to go Mirajane!"

Happy was the only voice in a room of dead silence.

She swiped in front of her face against and she looked like Makarov's bony face on her voluptuous body, "It's the Master!"

They immediately purged that sight from their minds.

"And in celebration of his recent joining, everyone give it up for Gajeel!"

The grumpy face of the stud-faced Dragon Slayer appeared on the barmaid's shoulders as some people gagged.

"AHAHAHAHAHA! NICE BOOBS, GAJEEL!"

"I'M GONNA CRUSH YOUR HEAD UNDER MY BOOT, SALAMANDER!"

Mirajane happily changed back to normal and waved everyone off as she stepped backstage. There were a few random claps as people waited for her to leave.

"Damn shame." Makarov shook his head, "And I thought after all the covers she's done she would have known exactly what they demanded."

"Master?"

"Yes Mahiro?"

"Shut up."

"Okay."

("Alrighty then, I'm probably not the only one who didn't expect that to happen.") Max cleared his throat and grimaced after the poor showing of the fan-favorite before his expression brightened, ("Speaking of the unexpected! Here she is everyone! The alpha girl! The top dog! When she comes a stompin', we all go a runnin'! Give it up for the Fairy Queen, Titania herself, Erza Scarlet!")

Without a moment's hesitation, Erza jumped onto the stage and landed in a crouch. Before the crowd could even react, the armored girl's body already started to shine as she used her Requip to change her outfit, "Feast your eyes on this!"

Her armor had disappeared and in its place was a Gothic Lolita fashion. The S-Class with heterochromia had her long red hair tied up in a ponytail with a black ribbon on top. Her boots were complimented with a pair of black knee highs that perfectly complimented her long legs. The black and white clothes fitted her perfectly, showing her curvy figure and lifting up her breasts with the help of the blouse. The redhead smiled and winked to the crowd, "I think this will help do me some good."

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The crowd lost their minds. Flashes of cameras and people were jumping up and down cheering her name. Erza stepped up and gave a flashy bow to the crowd as they ate it up.

Mahiro chuckled, "I'm surprised you're taking it so well."

"Hehehe, it's nothing really." Naruto snickered smugly, "Erza told me she was gonna have to do something grand to get their attention and this was pretty easy to be honest. What does this crowd get? A few pictures and the chance of catcalling my girlfriend? Let them have it. Their fleeting moment. Means nothing to me."

"Naruto?"

"Yeah Jiji?"

"You squeeze any tighter and you're paying for the table."

He looked down and realized his fingers had dug themselves into the tabletop. He slowly pulled them out and realized the perfect imprints he had left before seeing the skeptical looks he was getting. He hung his head in shame, "Dammit."

("Didn't expect that from her, did we? I'm honestly kinda surprised. But I won't complain and I can see from the looks on your faces that you won't either! In fact some of you look a little too excited. We're in a public place here people show some decency. Anyway, onto our next contestant! She's smart! She's cute! Our resident bookworm and the best part of the Shadow Trio by a country mile! Levy McGarden!")

"Might not be flashing any skin but I'll still do my best!" She hyped herself up as she started writing words in the air. The Solid Script created magnificent creations in the air, elegant words and elements coming off them as people cheered in joy, "How's about that!"

("Up next is the sharpest shooter from the West and had to make her way over here to the East just to have some fun again! The dangerous cowgirl! The QuickDraw extraordinaire! Once known as the thug Mulan Rouge, ladies and gentlemen it's Bisca Mulan!")

"Y-you didn't have to bring that last part up." The green-haired shooter pulled down her hat to better hide the flush on her face. Once she had gotten her composure back she stomped her foot on the pedal. Suddenly a dozen clay pigeons and targets sprung up around the guild hall. People looked up in surprise when in an instant they were shot down by Bisca's expert shooting. The shooter fixed her hat and smiled as the crowd applauded, "Thank you kindly."

("Now for lucky number 7! Will she be the Strauss sibling to reach our expectations?! She's the animal kingdom all rolled up in one package! The cool beauty with the fiery soul! Give it up for Lisanna Strauss!")

A spotlight aimed up at the ceiling as they watched a white blur dive through several rings hanging from the rafters. A large creature with magnificent white wings flew above them before Lisanna stopped to reveal she had used Take-Over to changer her arms into wings. She flew towards the stage before her body glowed, spinning through the air before sliding down the curtains. She leapt off them and landed perfectly on the stage to show her body covered in a striped bikini with paws and claws. She smiled while everyone cheered, "Knew you'd like that!"

"She looks like a cat!" Happy called, "That automatically makes her the best!"

"YEEEAHHHHHH!" Elfman roared, "I KNEW YOU'D BE GREAT, LISANNA!"

("Alright everybody! We're almost done with the show and we'll be asking you for your votes! But let's round this baby off! Last but not least! For us Fairies she's the spunky newbie we all know and love! For you visitors she's the rookie making waves with dozens of violent rumors spreading about her! Everyone give it up for Lucy Heartfilia!")

The young blonde walked out and waved to the crowd of people. She chuckled before starting to undo her jacket to reveal her performance outfit.

"TAKE IT OFF!"

"I am taking it off! Geez, impatient." She tossed her jacket aside and grabbed one of her keys. She took a breath before beaming a smile, "And a one! And a two! And a one, two-"

"Done."

"Eh?" Lucy froze after she had been interrupted by a more mature voice. She looked back and saw a beautiful woman strut out to stand in front of her, "W-wait, I haven't done my performance-"

"What is this? Really? Did you think you could throw a competition for Fairy Tail's most beautiful, wonderful member without me? When you think of the woman most embodying the traits of a Fairy, there's only me!" The beautiful bespectacled woman lowered her fan to reveal her face. Her brown hair was tied up in a ponytail out the side of her hair, her glossy lips in a sultry smile as she gently fixed her glasses up her nose. Her green dress was adorned with wings in the back, a skirt around her hips that led into blue stockings and heels. Her breasts were lifted up with her attire to better show the Fairy stamp on her right side of her bust. She laughed and waved her fan up in the air, "The perfect Fairy! Evergreen!"

There were some confused murmurs over the crowd as to what was happening. But the Fairy members only watched in shock upon seeing her return after such a long time.

"H-hey!" Lucy didn't notice Max's surprise and approached the attention hog, "This is still my turn! You have to wait until I-"

"What are we on? A little talent competition?" Evergreen giggled and removed her glasses before turning to the busty blonde, "If it is, let me show you all my professional sculpting talent."

"Lucy, get away from her!"

Lucy had no chance as Evergreen opened her eyes and a pulse of magic shot out from them. The Heartfilia girl was immediately turned into a stone statute and frozen in place.

The crowd gasped in shock before Evergreen smiled, "Will that not be enough? Don't worry!" She swung her fan out, needles of magic flying out from them and tearing through the curtain as it fell, "I made more!"

There were screams of worry and civilians running out of the hall when they saw the other seven contenders turned to rock. All the people escaped as fast as they could as the Fairies stood their ground and glared at the green-clad woman. Makarov stood up on the table and pointed out at her, "Evergreen! Change them back immediately!

"Sorry." She playfully winked and earned the scorn of the guild members watching her, "But if I did that then what would be your motivation for playing?"

"What are you talking about?!"

"GYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" A wicked cackled echoed over the hall as two figures came flying in. One was a tall, spindly man standing atop a pair of totem heads. His face was hidden by a metal visor before he stuck out his tongue to show off the black Fairy tattoo stamped over it, "We're talking about the game of course!"

"Bickslow!"

The other figure had a pair of black, ink-like wings extending from his back that quickly vanished. He landed on the stage and kept one hand on the sword at his side. His bright green hair covered one of his eyes as his perpetual frown looked out over the crowd. He stepped forward, "We're here to fight."

"Freed!"

"If you guys wanna fight then that's totally fine!" Natsu jumped out of his feet and smirked while pounding his fists. Naruto got up beside him, eyes locked on the stone figures as the Dragon Slayer yelled, "Let's get this fight underway!"

"If you guys are gonna keep then stuck like that then just come over here!" Naruto yelled angrily, "I'll kick anyone's ass to get them back!"

"Good to know."

Everyone looked over in shock at the familiar voice. Naruto and Natsu tried to look back before they both felt their heads being palmed. They saw a flash of yellow and a blond man smirk before he lifted them up and slammed them headfirst into the table and then the floor. The figure over them disappeared in a flash of electricity-

"KYAH!"

Happy was knocked back and a little voice screamed before the man appeared on stage. He turned around to reveal Koyuki in his grasp thrashing around in an attempt to escape.

"LAXUS!" Makarov yelled.

"Well, glad to see you guys all come together here today!" The Lightning man smirked, "Makes the message get through a lot easier!"

"Laxus, let her go!" Mahiro screamed as she flared her teeth and clenched her fists, "Let her go right now!"

"Not just yet. Not until we're done playing the game."

"What game are you talking about?!" Gray yelled.

"This guild has become a joke. A laughing stock. You can't go to another town without even the most pathetic people mocking or ridiculing us. We used to be the top! Our name used to mean something! But then we started accepting anybody into our hall. Weaklings! Failures! A playground for raising babies and children! A tourist trap with novelties and paraphernalia! Even the people that attacked and ruined our reputation in that fight with Phantom are now walking in our halls like they belong! It's a disgrace!"

"LAXUS!"

"So I've come up with a plan!" He ignored his grandfather's yell and smirked, "We're holding a game, and Magnolia will be the stage. We need to decide who in this guild is strong and worthy to keep carrying our name! So you're gonna go out there, and you're going to fight us."

"Are you insane?!"

"The time limit is three hours." Evergreen continued, "You have three hours to find us around the town and beat us. If you don't..." Her hand gently ran along Mirajane's stone cheek and caused a few of them to tense in fear, "I don't know what will happen to them.

"Y-you can't be-"

"And don't try any funny business like trying to undo the petrifaction." Laxus warned, "If you try-"

"MAMA!" Koyuki called out while still in Laxus' hold.

"You get the picture."

"YOU BASTARD!" Mahiro's body glowed with her Light and she rushed the stage with her eyes filled with anger at the tall man.

Laxus grinned and snapped his fingers as the whole hall was blinded by a flash of Lightning. Mahiro was still charging towards him as the Raijinshū held onto Laxus. He smirked, Koyuki crying out one more time before he disappeared in a flash and let Mahiro barrel through empty space.

The blinding light disappeared and everyone opened their eyes again. When they did Laxus was gone, the Raijinshū had vanished, and the girl's were still stone. The cocky S-Class Mage's voice rang out through the hall one last time.

"LET THE BATTLE FOR FAIRY TAIL COMMENCE!"

########Omake: And The Winner Is...########

"Alright folks that's the end of the polling!" Max announced as the hall went silent with anticipation, "Gotta say I'm surprised to see how many of you actually cashed your votes. Way to go! But as with many things, there can only be one winner in the bunch. I'll probably come out and say that Gray doesn't have to worry about getting humiliated anymore than he does walking around naked already."

"Who did it?! Which one of you monsters was gonna humiliate Gray-sama by voting for that name?!"

Max waited as some of the other members held Juvia down before continuing, "Now this was close. By the skin of our teeth did we reach one name that was higher than the others. So...allow me to introduce to you...the new name for our new team...ladies and gentlemen..."

"The Fairy Titans!"

The curtains pulled back to reveal the team in question, all of them clapping for the redhead in front with a victorious smile and sparkling eyes. She bowed and nodded her head, waving out to everyone before facing her team, "Well my Titans, looks like we have a name. And as your leader I won't let you down!"

"H-hang on." Lucy stuttered, "I thought we were just choosing a name."

Gray nodded, "Leader might be-"

"As the leader I shall lead us through any trial!" Erza passionately announced, "Your faults will stop at me! Our training will be vigorous! We shall be held at such high standards that no move could be made without everyone judging us and setting the bar as high as possible! There will not be a single moment of sleep while we handle our jobs! We shall be the greatest team Fiore has ever known!"

...

"I regret this." Naruto bemoaned, "We should have just put the names in a hat or something."

########Hunter########

Done

And now the Fairy Titans shall be known to all.

Can I just take a sec and say wow. That was a lot of people putting in their votes. And it was close. Like really, really close. And I love each of you for putting in your choice. The end results were:

Soaring Wings - 15

Fairy Titans - 19

Team Impossible - 17

Team Gray Likes To Eat Poop - 10

Team Demon - 18

Happy and The Happettes - 8

Way more votes for The Poop one than I was expecting. I was honestly waiting for you guys all to troll me and pick the Happy name. To be honest if this wasn't an open poll I probably would have gone with that one just to write about Lucy silently crying and Erza squirming as the boys died inside, their blue cat cheering in victory.

But I'm glad this was a poll. I got a big helping of reviews, and an even bigger reminder of just how many people read and enjoy this story. God I love you brilliant people.

So, the Fighting Festival Arc has begun. The next chapter, there's going to be an omake at the end of it. Not just an omake...something like a mini series. Something important.

Can't wait.

ReadxReview

Thank You and Bye