A rift crackled and popped into reality in the hallways of Domus Flau, drawing the attention of nearby wildlife as a woman stepped out of the violent mass of energy, wearing form-fitting black jacket and pants.

Her blue hair was tied into a tight bun behind her head, and she had a pair of specially made but somewhat bulky glasses resting on her face. It was based on the same tech in the visor of Natsu's armour.

Levy walked up to one of the outer arches on the level she was on, looking out upon the sleeping city. 'It's always darkest before dawn… Alright, let's find that transmitter.'

She backed away from the edge and started walking down the hall as she reached into a pouch on her belt.

The woman glanced around as she pulled out a small, pebble-sized, recording lacrima. 'Hopefully, I'm not far from where I need to go.'

With a press of her thumb, the lacrima projected a small blue light. It formed a detailed building plan for Domus Flau, complete with a small light blinking away that showed her position.

'I'm in the south wing, I need to be in the northeast wing… time for a hike.'

Levy clicked the lacrima once more to shut it off and placed it back into a pouch. She drew the tranq pistol as she thought up the quickest way to reach the target location.

Her boots softly padded on the stone floors as she ran through the hallway, her eyes darting around.

The woman's grip tightened around the weapon in her hands as she heard clanking footsteps coming.

It was a Guard Patrol.

She ducked behind a statue as a pair of guards rounded the corner ahead of her.

A hand went down to a device on her belt as she raised the pistol alongside her head.

'Full plate armour… I don't think I can slip through the gaps either.'

Levy pressed the button on the device, making her temporarily invisible. A meter popped up on the display of her glasses, showing how much charge the device had left in this active cycle.

She did her best to ease her racing heart, by her eyes, she was visible as she was within the special field.

'Only I should have use of this tech… people like Natsu probably wouldn't make use of it, and people like Makarov would use it to perv on us girls…'

Levy's boot squeaked as she edged around the statue, drawing the attention of the guards.

"What was that?"

"Most likely just a mouse, what else squeaks at this time of the night?"

"Your sister's bedsprings last night when I was visiting."

"Oi, piss off, I won't be having any of that."

"That's not what your sister said."

The blunette couldn't help but smirk as she slipped away from the bickering guards, slinking down the hallway as the bar on her glasses depleted and her invisibility ran out.

Once she was certain that she was out of hearing range she broke out in a run, wanting to reach the transmitter as quickly as she can.

The sky lightened as the sun started to peek over the horizon by the time Levy had made it to the broadcast transmission room.

The room had a pair of guards stationed outside it but luckily there was a technician walking toward the room, a clipboard in her hands.

'Must be going to do some final checks.' Levy reached down and activated her device, allowing her to slip in behind the woman completely undetected.

The room contained a large lacrima array that was hooked up to various equipment that allowed from the live recordings that came in from the camera drones to undergo a quick revision before being broadcast across Fiore.

The blunette tailed the technician as she quickly worked out how the machine worked and what she needed to tinker with to allow for the transmission to reach Dragneel's group.

'Hmm…' Levy quickly analysed the technician, sizing her up and measuring the time it would take for the tranquilisers to wear off. 'I'll have an hour.'

She closed the door quietly and turned off her adaptive camouflage unit. Not doing anything to mask her steps so it didn't seem suspicious to the guards.

Levy casually walked through the room, the pistol held firmly in her hand as she got to work.

"Huh?" The technician turned around but was met with a dart hitting her neck, it landed in her jugular and injected the tranquiliser into her bloodstream before she could see who was in the room with her.

The blunette caught the woman and laid her down before she went crashing into something and alert the guards outside.

'Alright.' Levy walk over to the transmission control station and placed her bag down on it. 'Time to get to work.'


GMG Day One

It was a fresh new day in the capital of Fiore. The birds were singing, the flowers were blooming, and Fairy Tail was causing chaos inside the Honey Bone Inn. No surprises there.

"Hey Natsu!" Lisanna rushed through anarchy to reach the man as he sat at the bar, nursing a mug of tea. "I've got the uniform for the Games for you! I hope you like it."

"Oh, thanks Lis." Natsu tore his focus away from the energetic Fairies and looked to the youngest Strauss, she was holding a bundled up piece of clothing in her arms. "What's it like?"

The white-haired maiden flicked the bundle with all the flamboyance of casino showgirl, complete with sparkles, as the garment unfolded before his eyes.

It was a sleek, three-quarter length coat like the one he had been wearing, causing him to smile. "Thanks Lis, you all must have put in a lot of effort to get this done overnight."

"We did, all of us who won't be participating chipped in where we could." Lisanna leaned in and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Big Sis' team have decided to just wear black clothes instead of a uniform, but Erza insisted that you guys needed one to promote comradery."

"That does sound like Erza." Natsu rose up off the barstool he was on and slid his coat off, he hadn't bothered putting a shirt on as he didn't want to damage any of them. Mainly because his Mira had completely revitalised his entire wardrobe out of her own pocket and he didn't need an angry demon-soul user going mad like she did last time.

The thought of an angry, roaring, demonised Mira flashed before his eyes as he set the coat on the bar. He turned back to Lisanna and found that her eyes were glued to his ripped and scarred physique.

Natsu smirked and placed a finger on her chin, he slowly raised her head so she was looking up at him. "What has got you so shocked?"

"Half of it was the scars."

The pinkette chuckled softly and took the coat from her. "I've been in a lot of fights, but this one." He pointed to one that was a few inches up from his navel. "It's worse on my back. It's a bullet wound, I got shot by a large round during a battle I fought in another universe. The scaring around the wound was because we had to cauterise it."

Natsu's mouth thinned into a small smile at the woman's worried look, he cupped a hand to her cheek and ran his thumb along the soft, smooth skin. "It hurt like a motherfucker but we had to do it, otherwise I wouldn't have made it home."

"What happened after?" Lisanna's bright blue eyes gazed into the pinkette's deep, dark green eyes as she placed a hand over the scar.

"I got really angry and turned an entire city into a crater of glass." Natsu casually replied as he swept the coat onto him with a flourish.

The Inn was silent, so silent that you could hear the quiet dripping of water from a tap.

"YOU DID WHAT!?"

"Huh?" Natsu looked around the room as his ears rang from the shouting. "Oh, I was in a universe that was fighting horrific monsters and a city was being overrun, they have evacuated everyone so it was just my counterpart and me, we both completely glassed this massive city by going all out in a single final spell."

The colour drained from all the guild members as they turned ghostly white at the news, the only ones who were unaffected were Natsumi and Happy as they joined the group at the bar.

"N-N-Natsumi? Is this true?" Makarov slowly turned to the princess, his whole body visibly shocked at man's monstrous power.

"Yeah, does Natsu really seem like the kinda guy who would lie about this to your face?"

"What monster of a man have I just sicked on the guilds…" Makarov muttered to himself as he fell back against the bar he had been sitting on.

Natsu shrugged and headed for the door. "I'm going to head over to the arena now, see you all there."


Fairy Tail Team A stood in one of the corridors that lead onto the arena floor, the thunderous cheering and fireworks echoing through down the stone-walled hallways.

"Everyone ready?" Erza looked around at the group, she noticed that they all were nervous, except for Natsu but this didn't surprise her in the least. "Any words of wisdom, Natsu?"

"Not the ones you want to hear. Expect booing and lots of it. They would be surprised at the place we nabbed, but we'll still be booed." The man was sitting on the floor with his back against the cold wall, he had his sword out and was polishing it to a shine. He had no plans on drawing it during the games unless he was absolutely forced to.

"Why will they boo us?" Lucy asked, innocently, she turned from the light at the end of the tunnel to look at the demonic man. "We may have fallen from grace but we are still Fairy Tail."

"It's because we Are Fairy Tail that we'd get booed, Lucy." Natsu's green eyes flicked up to meet the chocolate brown eyes of the busty blonde. He couldn't help but smile as the image of his girlfriend ghosted over her. He missed her so badly that it hurt, and while he did visit during training, they also had a surprise visitor that took up his time, and most of his store of Adamantium.

"Natsu is right, Lucy." Erza sighed and crossed her arms over her purple clothing. She couldn't help but look upset as she gazed out toward the arena. "Our guild got a really bad reputation from these games while we were away. Our name is mud to everyone out there."

"That changes today!" Natsumi punched her fiery fist into her palm as her eyes blazed with confidence. "Today, we show them what Fairy Tail can do!"

Natsu pulled out his mobile lacrima communicator, that morning he had given Mira one so they could communicate between the teams. He quickly typed up a message to send to the white-haired beauty. If the opening event is called Hidden, send in a dragon slayer.

Before the rest of the team could ask him what he was up to, a voice boomed around Domus Flau. "The Big Day Is Finally Here Folks! The Grand Magic Games Will Be Getting Underway Shortly! This, Is Going To Be A Year To Remember!"

"Eyes up, everyone, it's almost time to go." Natsu put the mobile away and sheathed the sword as he stood up, he placed the longsword on his back and engaged the runes to hold it in place. "How was Wendy?"

"She was upset that she couldn't participate, she said she failed us." Gray murmured as he stuck his hands in his pockets. "I wish there was more we could do for her."

"I'm sorry, you guys." Natsu looked over his shoulder at the rest of the team. "I wasn't fast enough to stop that little fucker from draining Wendy."

"It's fine, Natsu. You saved her from something worse that could have happened, and plus if we had gone into the Preliminaries with hearts full of worry for our friend's whereabouts… I believe our performance would have suffered." Erza rested her hand on the man's shoulder, she stood shoulder to shoulder with him with Natsu only just being taller than her. "Any plans on using that sword of yours?"

"Depends, when faced with people I'll keep it sheathed, but if faced with monsters then I'll draw it." Natsu started walking toward the light. "Time to go and show the world who is back in action."

"Hell Yeah!" Natsumi threw a fiery fist into the air with a loud cheer as she and the rest of the team followed the man.

The shouts and yells of the cheering crowd intensified tenfold as the commentator, Chapati Lola announced the introduction to the games and his co-hosts.

"Ladies And Gentlemen! In Eighth Place! The Rowdy Army Of Hellhounds! QUATRO CERBERUS!"

A shout echoed from the entrance that led to the arena. "Let's Get Wild! ARE YOU WITH ME!"

The roaring of the crowd was allowed a few seconds to cheer on the team before the announcer moved onto the next team.

"Coming In Seventh Is A Guild Full Of The Fairer Sex! The Dancers Of The Great Blue Sea! MERMAID HEEL!"

More cheering erupted around the guild, it was accompanied by loud wolf whistles at the all-female team.

"In Sixth Place! With Azure Wings That Glimmer In The Darkness! IT'S BLUE PEGASIS!"

The swooning of the female fans overshadowed the overall cheering, the co-host from Blue Pegasis, Jenny Realight cheered on her team. "Hey, Guys! Do Your Best!"

"Next, In Fifth Place! The Goddess Of Love And Strife, The Sacred Destroyer! LAMIA SCALE!"

"Almost time for us. I wonder who is next?" Lucy asked as she looked around her team.

"Now To Introduce Our Fourth Place Contestant! What A Shocker, Swooping In From A Midnight Dreary, This Dark And Gloomy Bunch Are Making Their Debut In This Year's Games! Give It Up For, RAVEN TAIL!"

Shouts rang out around the arena with many questioning who in their right mind had let a Dark Guild like Raven Tail join the Grand Magic Games. Makarov's booming voice came through clearly over the uproar as he berated the officials.

Chapati Lola and Yajima quickly discussed the background of the guild and how they had recently become a Legal Guild, which allowed them to participate in the tournament.

"Moving On! Taking Our Third Place! It's A Blast From The Past! They've Been In Previous Games But Always Came Last. With Their Key Members Recently Returning From Oblivion!"

"That's our cue. Let's go." Erza commanded as she led the team out onto the arena of Domus Flau.

"It's The One And Only, FAIRY TAIL!"

There was a long pause as the stunned crowd never expected Fairy Tail to reach third place, never before had they even graced sixth place. After a few seconds, the crowd erupted in a sea of uncertain booing but there were some cheers hidden within.

"Told ya there'd be booing." Natsu said as he placed his hands behind his head, looking like he couldn't give a single fuck about what is going on.

Natsumi looked around at the crowded stadium. "I wasn't expecting this much… Ah well, they'll come around. Hey Guys!" She waved to the other guilds with a big goofy grin on her face. "Did ya miss us?"

The teams from Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus gathered around them, Lyon walked over and introduced Chelia to the group. All the teams were curiously watching Natsu as he hung back from a little from the teams and didn't really input much.

"Coming In Second Place! OH WOW! This One Is A Shocker, Ladies And Gentlement. This Competition Got A Whole Lot More Interesting Folks!"

"Gihi."

Fairy Tail Team A snapped around as the crowd gasped, in walked a second Fairy Tail Team. Lucy whipped around and pointed at Natsu, menacingly. "You knew about this, didn't you?!"

"Yup!" Natsu grinned brightly and leaned down to eye level with the blonde. "Makarov told me of the plan, plus Mira came and told me of their success this morning."

"Excuse me, but who might you be? I have no records of you." Hibiki wandered over to the salmon-haired man, curiosity blatantly written all over his face, this same question was going through most of the minds of the people around them. "You have never participated in the games before. Are you new?"

"No, I have been in the guild for a while, but I was instructed by Makarov to keep a low profile, that is why you wouldn't have heard of me before. Names Natsu."

"Like Natsumi? Is there any relation?" Ichiya asked from the ground, his face had carved a path from Natsu to Erza, leading Natsu to realise that the man was sniffing the poor woman again.

The pinkette smiled softly as he helped the man to his stubby feet. "You gotta stop trying to sniff her, next thing you know is she'll punt you to the moon. My name is like Natsumi's because I bear a resemblance to her, but I'm not related."

"Like hers?" Hibiki looked between the scarred man and the woman not far away from him. "Why is that?"

"You see… I don't actually know my real name. Both my parents died before living memory and I have no siblings, so I was just a poor little runt wandering around a small city, knowing nothing but scraps and gutters until I bumped into Makarov who took me in and invited me to join Fairy Tail. The guild gave me a name, well… Natsumi did."

"Oh… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories…" Hibiki and the rest of his team were starting to cry at the man's story. Even Chapati cried as he spoke to the stadium.

"I'm Sorry Folks, You'll Have To Give Me A Moment After Hearing That Sad Story…" A deep breath was heard through the speakers as the announcer calmed himself. "Ladies And Gentlemen, Fairy Tail Is Well Within The Rules As This Year Guilds Can Put In Two Teams This Year."

The crowd roared at the announcement but Natsu ignored them, he sensed someone behind him. He turned his head and saw Kagura silently inspecting the sword on his back. "I think you're… Kagura, right?"

"Hmm?" The swordswoman looked up from the longsword and into his dark green eyes, her voice even and emotionless. "Yes, Kagura Mikazuchi."

The pinkette turned and gave the woman a deep bow. "It's an honour to meet such a renowned and highly skilled master of the sword such as yourself."

Kagura and the rest of Team Mermaid Heel were shocked at the man's sincerity and complete lack of leering, he had complimented her skills and not her looks, the swordswoman recovered almost instantly unlike the rest of her team.

"Thank you." The purple-haired woman remained emotionless as she returned the gesture politely. "I look forward to seeing your skills for myself."

Natsu turned to the stands, he gazed around until he found the rest of the guild and as he thought he would, he saw Mavis and Makarov talking.

"And Last But Certainly Not least! It's The Team That Came In First Place In The Preliminaries! That's Right! You Know Them, You Love them! Now Get On Your Feet And Scream For The Most Powerful Guild In All Of Fiore! The One And Only! SABERTOOTH!"

"Please excuse me, Kagura." The salmon-haired man glanced at her then turned away from the swordswoman, he could feel growing the animosity flooding in from Raven Tail but paid them no attention as he made his way to the other Fairy Tail Team, not caring that a giant stone pillar had appeared in the middle of the teams that dictated the rules.

"What's up, Natsu?" Laxus asked as he sensed the man's approach, he tore his attention from Chapati and turned away from the pillar to look at the demonic man. "Something on your mind?"

"Has Mira relayed my message?"

The white-haired woman smiled at the serious-looking pinkette, she could also feel the ire of Raven Tail. "I have, do you have something else you needed to tell us?"

Natsu kept his voice down so to not be overheard over the loud din of the crowd by any other teams. "Yes. Keep an eye on that purple dude with the massive fucking chin. He'll be exclusively targeting us as a whole, so make sure that either of you." He looked between Gajeel and Laxus. "Whichever of you are going in, to get a good feel on his being. And go in for the strike as often as you can, make them regret targeting us."

"Gihi." Gajeel grinned deviously as he took in the information, he took a deep breath and singled out Nullpudding. "Anything else?"

"The guy with the red coat and hat. That peacock over there." He tilted his head over to Sabertooth. "He'll be on top of a tower casting a spell that will hit everyone at once, you'll feel it coming so make sure to dodge at the very last second to throw him off his game."

"Ladies And Gentlemen! It's Finally Time To Announce The Opening Event! The First Contest Of The Grand Magic Games Is One We Call Hidden! At This Point, We Would Like Each Team To Select One Member Of Their Team To Step Forward, At Which Time We Would Explain The Rules In Their Entirety!"

"Whelp, good luck regardless, and make the guild proud." Natsu waved as he turned and walked back to FT-A, just as Mato appeared in the centre of the arena.

"I'll go." Gray said as he took a step forward but he was stopped by Natsu's hand on his chest. "What gives, man?"

"We're sending in the dragon slayers for this one. Natsumi, it's your time to shine." The man turned to the Fire Dragon Princess and lowered his voice again so they weren't overheard. "Use your instincts and your senses, Rufus McPeacock over there in the flashy red coat and hat will be on a tower, casting a spell. Dodge it at the last second. Aside from that, be careful of Nullpudding, the short purple guy from Raven Tail as he'll be on the hunt for Fairies."

"Anything else?" Natsumi looked up at the man, her face set in stone as she didn't want to let her guild down.

"Stay on the move but don't be erratic unless you absolutely have to, and don't be focused on just one target. Nullpudding will always seem to be able to figure out where you are, so keep on your toes."

"Gotcha, I'll do my best!" The pink-haired woman walked past the man and made her way to the mascot as the contenders from the other teams followed suit.

Standing around Mato, and true to Natsu's word, were Natsumi, Gajeel, Rufus, Nullpudding, Jäger, Beth, Lyon, and Eve. The mascot looked around at the gathered group. "Welcome, Pumpkins, to the opening event for the Grand Magic Games. Hidden!"

Natsu could hear chatter from the crowd and the guild about how he stopped one of the members from stepping out and vetoed the decision so that they could field Natsumi instead. The man just crossed his arms and remained silent and indifferent as he watched the contestants gathered around the pillar.

The sounds faded away, slowly, as he into his own world, only hearing the peaceful sounds of wind blowing over the stadium, the sound of his heart, and his slow, steady breathing that came out in a soothing rhythm. Natsu was in his element in this arena, with the eyes of the nation upon them.

A hand landed on his shoulder, snapping out of the momentary peace and bringing him back to the roaring stadium. He turned around and saw Erza, her other hand gesturing for the team to make their way off the arena. "Sorry, I zoned out."

"It's ok, Natsumi and the others got teleported to their waiting room, so let's head up to the booth and wait there."


The blinding light rapidly faded from Natsumi's eyes as she stood in the streets of Crocus, it was a carbon copy of the city but populated with nothing but doubles of the contestants for as far as the eye can see.

"Well this is shit… How am I meant to find the right one?"

"Contestants! All eight of you have been dropped off in random locations around this simulated city populated with clones of each of you. To score a point, you must land a successful attack on one of your opponents, when you are struck by an opponent then you will lose a point. If you hit a clone by mistake then you'll also lose a point!"

Natsumi looked up at the sky, towards the ethereal voice. "And what if these clones get caught in the crossfire of an attack?"

"Hmm… Good Question. Yajima?" Chapati consulted his co-host.

"If you hit the target you are gunning for with the same attack then we'll allow it. But. If the attack is a large scale spell that covers a large area, and you had cast it in hopes of hitting someone that you didn't know was there, then you'll be deducted points."

"So I have to be as precise as possible…" Natsumi looked around and waited to be unfrozen and the match to begin.

"Alright, if there are no more questions?" Chapati waited a few moments for any questions. "At the sound of the gong, you may begin."

Shortly after the announcement, a gong rang through the simulated city. Sounding the start of the event as the invisible restraints on the contestants vanished in an instant.

"Alright, time to go." Natsumi started mingling with the crowd, she was hoping to avoid detection as she looks for her targets.

She noticed that all the clones didn't have any scent to them, making her realise exactly why Natsu chose to put Dragon Slayers out on the field. She and Gajeel would have an easy time tracking down the other contestants.

Speaking of other contestants, Natsumi's instincts started to scream at her, there was someone coming up behind her, and they were coming fast.

"Natsumi!" A voice shouted from in front of her, there was a Nullpudding there but her senses were telling her that the real one was leaping at her from behind.

It all happened faster than the short man could process. He was inches away from landing a punch to the woman's back but she spun around with all the grace of a ballet dancer. Her flaming fist colliding with his stomach and sending Nullpudding crashing through the nearby building and out to the street on the other side.

The mage from Raven Tail careened through dozens of clones before coming to a stop on the pavement, he groaned as he held his stomach, completely shocked. How did the woman know he was there?

Natsumi climbed through the hole she had made in the building, slowly and menacingly as her eyes never left Nullpudding until he teleported to another location.

"Well shit." Gajeel walked out from the crowd, clapping as he stalked towards the pinkette. "How did you notice him?"

"Instincts, his voice was in front of me but I could feel him behind me so I countered at the last second. Did you catch his scent before he vanished?" Natsumi crossed his arms as Gajeel came to a stop in front of her.

"I did. How do you want to do this?" The man's arms turned to iron as he readied himself for a fight. "I picked up the scent of that little farm girl."

"Hmm… We are technically enemies, so I suggest we part ways here and next time we see each other then it is whoever comes out on top."

"Sounds good with me. Who is your next target?"

Natsumi grinned evilly, it was a look that was very reminiscent of Natsu when he was planning something very dangerous and possibly deadly. "I wanna punch Eve, just for the giggles and to make his fangirls angry."

"I sensed a fight over in that direction." The studded man pointed one of his iron arms down an alleyway. "Temperature dropped too, so you'll either find Lyon or Eve in that direction."

"Thanks for the heads up." The pinkette started to walk in the direction he had indicated but she came to a stop and looked back at her fellow dragon slayer. "Be careful of Rufus, I think he'll be getting into a high position soon to cast some magic."

"I know, you'll be fine as long as you dodge at the last second."

Natsumi grinned at Gajeel then turned and started walking away. "Happy Hunting, Gajeel."

"Likewise." The man turned and walked in the opposite direction. "Your Highness."

The woman sprinted down the alleyway to the source of the cold air. The air was becoming very chilly and her breath had started coming out in puffs of steam.

"ICE MAKE: EAGLES!"

"SNOW CLONE!"

Natsumi dashed out of the maze of alleyways as the two mages cast their spells. Eve had leapt back as the clone he had made soaked up the damage from Lyon's ice eagles.

"WHITE FURY!" Eve blasted a blizzard from his right hand at the ice mage in an attempt to land a hit.

"Yo Eve! How's it hanging?!" The pinkette grinned as she caught the snow mage's attention. The man was still flying through the air but was on a perfect trajectory to land right into Natsumi's waiting fist.

"Oh no…"

The Fire Dragon Princess didn't bother to coat her fist in flames as she socked the lone Trimen squarely in the face.

The force of the punch knocked the mage back towards Lyon, blocking the Ice Mage's view of the fiery Princess.

"ICE MAKE:…!" Lyon waited for Eve to be teleported away so he had a perfect shot at the Fairy. The Snow Mage flashed and vanished, revealing Natsumi who was in mid-air and closing the distance extremely quickly. "FUCK!"

The man was met with a kick to his side as he inadvertently cast the spell, creating a dynamic ice sculpture of a male and female roughly having intercourse.

"Oh my…" Natsumi looked between the ice sculpture and the mage who cast it, who was currently lying in the remains of a food cart. She gave him a teasing smirk as she walked over and bent down over him. "Lyon, you filthy pervert~, I knew you were into stripping but who knew you could do something like this~."

"That wasn't my fault! You caught me off guard while I was casting my spell!" The man shouted and pointed an accusing finger up at the sly and cattish looking pinkette.

"Lyon~." Her eyes twinkled mischievously. "Those are my tits you're pointing at~, if you wanted to see them then all you needed to do is ask~." Natsumi reached for the zipper that held her jacket together and slowly zipped it down, revealing more and more of her soft, tanned breasts.

Lyon's face turned bright pink as he vanished in a flash of white, leaving Natsumi cackling with uncontrollable laughter.

Her instincts flared up again as a tingle ran up her spine, alerting her to danger and causing her to whip a flaming heel around and catch Nullpudding in the side of the head. He was mid-attack once again.

"How?!"

"I'm a dragon slayer, bitch." Natsumi placed her hands on her hips as she scowled at the Raven. "And I am an alert one at that, so keep trying, punk."

The temperature plummeted quickly as the snow started falling over the simulated city, it must have been Eve's doing. But thanks to Natsumi powers, she didn't feel cold even in the slightest.

The pinkette broke out in a full-on sprint, leaving the Raven behind to be teleported somewhere else. "Three points up for me."

She surged through the falling snow as it steamed off her skin, she couldn't give a single shit about subtlety anymore and decided to take a more direct approach.

The air quickly became charged with magic and electricity. Natsumi looked up and saw seven bolts of lightning arcing through the sky, one for each contestant. It was the attack that Natsu had warned her about.

She waited until the spell was close enough to make her hair stand on end and dodged forward in a blast of fire, narrowly avoiding the spell.

"I should take that stuck up bastard down a peg." Natsumi grinned as she spotted Rufus standing high upon a tower.

The Princess broke out in a sprint once more, ploughing headfirst through the snow with her eyes set on bagging the prized peacock of Sabertooth.

She could hear the sounds of a fight ahead of her. It sounded like someone was attacking Jäger.

As she got closer, the snowfall got stronger, it began to turn into a borderline blizzard but this had no impact on the Princess of Fire.

Natsumi just charged headlong into the brewing storm.

Suddenly, pillars of iron erupted from the pavement, sending Jäger flying. The man was accompanied by the semi-girlish scream of Eve as he was unexpectedly flung into the air.

"Don't mind me~ coming through~!" The woman cheered playfully as she barrelled through the battlefield and ran up one of the iron poles that came out of the ground on an angle. "Up we go~!"

Fire exploded from Natsumi's feet as she propelled herself off the tip of the pillar. "Woo Hoo! Hahahaha!"

She soared through the air, jetting towards the tower where Rufus stood in complete shock. Fire raced out of the soles of her feet and propelled her at high speeds, her fanged grin gleaming through the blizzard.

Rufus tried to cast a spell but was caught off guard by the pinkette's surprise attack and how both she and Gajeel had easily evaded his attack just earlier caused him to be a little bit too shaken to focus.

Natsumi tackled the blonde man to the roof of the tower, knocking his hat away as she pinned his hands above his head. "Hiya Ruffles~!" Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she gave him a teasing grin. "What's wrong~? Dragon got your tongue?"

Her big green eyes narrowed at the babbling man as his mouth opened and closed like a gulping fish, she couldn't help but tease the man by putting his wrists into one hand and pushing herself up so she can reach his hat, her breasts were dangling over his face and were threatening to pop out of her half-zipped jacket.

She grabbed the hat and launched into a backflip off the man's body, kicking her leg out in mid-air and smashing it into the face of Nullpudding who had tried to do another sneak attack.

Natsumi landed on the very edge of the tower's roof, Rufus' hat resting upon her head as she taunted the man by bobbing a quick curtsy and flicking the hat back to him before performing another backflip off the roof. Leaving the man to be teleported to another location.

The pinkette landed on her feet flawlessly but slipped flat on her ass due to the snow. "Oww~…"

"Ain't no mistaking which one is you."

Natsumi looked up, one of her eyes was closed and her ass stung a little from the impact with the cold ground. "Oh, hey Gajeel, how many points are you up to?"

"I haven't been counting, though I am wondering if I should add one more to my tally right now." The studded man helped the princess to her feet.

"I just hope that slip doesn't give Eve a point…" The woman dusted the snow off of her backside and had a good stretch to get herself going again. "Do you know how much time has passed?"

"Contestants! We Are Entering The Final Stretch! There Is Only Ten More Minutes Left In The Event! Get Out There And Win Some Points For Your Team!"

"Twenty minutes, that is how much time has passed." Gajeel said as he looked around, searching for his next target. "I've had to fend off Nullpudding a few times now, he doesn't know when to give up."

"I reckon he'd be getting fairly aggravated right about now. So would Rufus after what I just did to him, so expect a lot of attacks directed at us over the next few minutes." Natsumi started jogging away from the black-haired man. "I'm going hunting, see you around!"

As she rounded the corner, a bolt of lightning rained down from the heavens. Natsumi only just managed to dodge the spell, she was lying flat on the snowy ground with a scorch mark only inches from her feet.

The woman couldn't help but burst out in a giggle fit as she rolled around in the snow. "Somebody is pissed off~!"

"Y'all alright down there?" A kind, country-sounding voice spoke from just above the pinkette.

Natsumi blinked the tears away as she looked up at the redheaded farm girl. "Oh, hey. You're Beth right?"

"Yesere, that's me. I'm kinda surprised you didn't attack me. I only just spawned in and I saw you rolling around in the snow. The shot was a little too cheap for me to take."

The Princess slowly rose to her feet and stretched her limbs. "Oh yeah, I really needed that. But yeah, I'm in a really good mood!" She flashed Beth a bright, wide grin that showed off her draconic fangs. "I caught Rufus and had some fun with him, Lyon too. Hey, would you like a free point? I haven't been tagged yet and I wouldn't mind helping a girl out."

Natsumi smiled at the shocked look she had received from the farm girl, she held up her hands to show she won't resist. "Just a piece of advice though, when the air feels charged with electricity, dodge as far as you can when it is at its strongest. Either that or get under cover as soon as possible."

"Thanks for the info, you're mighty kind, you are." Beth couldn't help but return the woman's bright smile, she gently hit Natsumi in her toned stomach. "Thank you!"

With a flash of light, Natsumi appeared somewhere else in the city. "Alright! Let's see if I can find Eve again."

The Princess hummed a melodic tune as she started skipping down the snow-covered street, hoping to come across her next target. "Oh~ Evie~ Come On Out Evie~."

Her bright, playful grin shone through the fierce snowstorm as she bounced along merrily, she saw a shadow launch toward her and she slid down into the splits.

Natsumi encased her fist in fire and launched a brutal uppercut at the target, she got a scream of sheer agony in return as her punch landed against something small, soft, and fleshy.

Nullpudding got launched into the clouds as the princess' Fire Dragon's Iron Fist collided with his testicles so hard that his screams reached an octave that no man had ever reached before.

"Whoops…" The pinkette rose to her feet and scratched the back of her head as she watched the purple man twinkle away in the sky. "I think he'll stop coming after me now… well, at least I hope so."

She shrugged her shoulders and got back to skipping along in the snowy battlefield, humming a melodic tune once more.

"You know… you're being very conspicuous, Natsumi…"

Natsumi whipped around to the source of the sound. It had come from a group of Eves that were roaming as a pack. "Ah, there you are Evie~." She could hear which one had a heartbeat but pretended that she didn't know which is which. "I've been looking for you~."

Eve bided his time, waiting for the woman to come into striking range before he responded. Trying to make it sound like one of the clones talked instead of him. "Looking for me? I'm flattered that you have taken such an interest in me, would you like to come out for a drink later?"

"Meh, I think I'll pass on the drink. But you can give me something else~." Natsumi leapt forward and pinned the snow mage to the snowy ground, she was sitting on his stomach and holding his hands together above his head.

The pinkette giggled playfully as she gave the man a smouldering look, she lowered her head until their faces were only a few inches apart. "Hiya, Snowman. Ready to turn up the heat and get all wet?"

Eve couldn't help but shiver and let out a groan at the beautiful dragon princess' teasing grin and the intensity in her eyes, it took all his willpower to keep it together and not lose himself as her hot, cinnamon-scented breath washed over his face. He tried his best not to let his eyes wander down from her face, along her tanned neck and onto her cleavage, damn... he failed.

"Boop." Natsumi flicked the tip of his nose then leapt to her feet and ran off, giggling like crazy. "Better luck next time~."

As the princess ran around the corner, she was caught off guard by Jäger taking a swing at her. Natsumi bent back as her feet slipped along the snowy pavement, the punch just missing her nose by an inch as it flew right over her head.

"Damn! I missed! That dodge was Wild!"

The pinkette's hands snapped to the belt for her waist cape, she unclipped it and whipped the tongue of the belt back at the man, smacking his ass with it with a solid thwack.

The big, burly man yelped and leapt away from the dragon slayer as she devolved into a fit of giggles. She walked away from him while dangling the belt and cape on an outstretched arm.

There was a flash of light and the cape vanished from her hand, she had requipped it away which left her in her purple jacket and her short, white shorts. The rest of the event passed by quickly for the pinkette, she was enjoying it way too much and had managed to snag a few points off of Rufus and tease the hell out of him in the process.

"Ladies And Gentlemen! Time's Up For The Opening Event Of Day One Of The Grand Magic Games! We'll Get The Contestants Back To The Arena And Tally Up The Scores!"

"Aw! I was having fun~!" Natsumi pouted at the sky, she blinked and found herself back in the centre of the arena with the rest of the mages. While glancing around the stands, she saw that a lot of women were glaring daggers into her.

"NATSUMI!" Someone roared, their voice full of unbridled annoyance.

The pinkette spun around to the section of stands where Fairy Tail occupied where she was met with a comically gigantic fist that was waving at her, menacingly. She waved back at the old man, cheerily. "WHAT'S UP, GRAMPS?"

Makarov grumbled and sighed. "You know what... Don't worry about it…"

Mato appeared among the participants of Hidden. "You Pumpkins can head back to your teams now, thank you for doing your best in our first event."

"And The Tally Is Complete!" Chapati announced as the mages walked off of the field. "In Eighth Place, We Have Jäger From Quatro Cerberus!"

A collective shout roared from both fans and the guild itself. "THAT WAS WILD!"

"Next Up! With Only A Single Point Difference! Nullpudding From Raven Tail!"

Murmurs spread around the stands as people wondered why Nullpudding had focused solely on the two members of Fairy Tail up until Natsumi had uppercut him in the family jewels. Did Raven Tail have some kind of grudge against the guild from before they were legalised…?

"Sounds like people are suspicious." Natsu turned and leant against the stone railing, he looked between the members of his team as Natsumi walked into their booth. "You did well, Natsumi. I kinda feel sorry for the poor little man after what you did to him in that alleyway."

The princess' hips swayed as she walked over to them, her hands raised in defence. "I swear, I didn't actually mean to sock him in the nuts, it just kinda happened. Wrong place at the wrong time, you know?"

"I believe you." Erza smiled, and turned to watch the stone pillar light up with the next team. "Though, Raven Tail may be very upset with you right now."

"Eh, tough titties."

"Coming In Sixth Place! Beth Vanderwood Of Mermaid Heel!"

Cheers and wolf whistles erupted around Domus Flau as people quickly moved past Raven Tail's unusual tactics.

Chapati let the cheers die down before continuing to announce the event's ladder. "The Next Two Winners Finished In A Tie. In Combined Fifth And Forth! Eve Tearm Of Blue Pegasus And Lyon Vastia Of Lamia Scale!"

The crowd exploded with noise once more as they cheered both of the teams on, and swooned over the two members of Sorcerers' Weekly's Most Eligible Batchelor.

"And Next Up, Folks! In A Surprise Comeback From Their Performances In The Previous Games! Taking Both Third And Second, With Only Two Points Difference! Gajeel Redfox From Fairy Tail Team B In Third, And Natsumi Dragneel From Fairy Tail Team A In Second! It Looks Like Fielding Their Dragon Slayers In This Event Paid Off In Spades For The Returning Guild!"

It took a few seconds for it to kick in, but once the fact had settled in that Fairy Tail was back and was as strong as or maybe stronger than they were seven years go. The crowd went ballistic, the once shamed guild was returning to the stage, utilising shock and awe tactics to carve their return in history.

"Truthfully, when I heard that Fairy Tail's Guild Master Makarov, all of the S-Class mages, and all of the A-Class mages that were contending for an S-Class rank, had all vanished without a trace during their trials. I was deeply saddened." Yajima informed the crowd, a happy smile on his face as he spoke about his honest feelings. "During my time on the council, I made sure to maintain a great rapport with all of the Legal Guilds, even ones with a penchant for collateral damage like Fairy Tail. So to see all of those faces that vanished all those years ago come back, bright and healthy, it warms my old heart."

"It Has Certainly Revitalised Their Guild, Yajima, But Will It Be Enough To Dethrone This Powerhouse Of A Guild With Its Claws Firmly Embedded In First. That's Right, Folks! Coming In First Place Is None Other Than, RUFUS LORE From SABERTOOTH!"

The crowd roared with a deafeningly loud chorus of cheers and whoops. Echoing around the stadium and causing all the Dragon Slayers' ears to ring, though they did their best not to show it.

Minutes passed before the crowed finally died down, allowing Chapati to announce what is happening for the rest of the day. "Alright Folks! Now That Everyone Is Warmed Up, It's Time For The Battles! First Up, It's Fairy Verses Pegasus With Lucy Heartfilia Facing Off Against Ren Akatsuki! Can The Celestial Mage Triumph Over The Tsundere Of The Trimens?! After That Battle, We Have Mystogan Verses Araña Webb! Can The Mysterious Fairy Beat The Mermaid Or Will He Be Caught In Her Net? Next Up, We Have The Crowd Favourite, Orga Nanagear Verses War Cry! Can I Get A WILD This Match-Up, Folks? And To Cap Off The Day! We Have Flare Corona Verses The Wizard Saint, Jura Neekis!"

"Good Luck." Erza clapped the busty blonde on the back. "Don't forget that Ren uses Wind Magic."

"Lucy." Natsu looked over his shoulder at the woman as she started to head for the arena. "There is a chance that Ren will lock you in a bubble and slowly reduce the oxygen to make you pass out."

"Don't worry." She smiled as she placed a hand on her key pouch. "I have a plan to get out of that already."


"It's been a long time, Lucy. I'm glad you're in good health." Ren stood opposite Lucy, he placed his hand on his hip as a small smile graced his passive. "We were all worried when you all vanished without a trace, along with an entire island."

"It was… it was a very scary time." Lucy's shoulders slumped as she held her arms in an effort to hold herself together at the memories. "One moment we had just finished defeating Grimoire Heart and had gathered together to recover, and the next… Acnologia arrived and attacked."

"Yeah, Eve told us what had happened, he still has connections in the Magic Council."

"It was a miracle that we survived. We stood there, hand in hand and ready for the end, ready to die with our family." Tears leaked from her eyes as she kept her focus on the man in front of her, she had started to shake now as she held up her marked hand. "But a guardian was watching over us and one of the Three Great Fairy Spells was activated, Fairy Sphere. It protected us from Acnologia but at a cost. Seven years had passed in the blink of an eye and everything had changed in an instant."

"We never gave up looking, Lucy. Fairy Tail and the Trimens scoured the area where Tenrou Island should have been, but for seven years there was nothing, nothing until a few months ago." Ren walked to the shaking woman and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "When we picked up a faint signal, we were all surprised and happy. We made sure that Macao was informed right away and helped them form a search party."

The Wind Mage took a handkerchief from one of his pockets hand handed it to Lucy. "Here, best not take too long before out battle."

Lucy noticed the golden ring on Ren's left hand as she took the cloth from him and dried her eyes with it. "You're married? Aw… I missed the wedding."

"What are you talking about, I'm not married…" He hid his left hand behind his back as he looked away, putting on his tsundere façade.

The blonde giggled and smacked his chest gently. "You could never fool me, Ren. So, who is the lucky girl?"

"N-no one."

She handed the tear-stained cloth back to the man as she turned to look up in the stands with a playful but happy smirk. "I bet I know who it is, you two were getting nice and close when we fought Oracion Seis together. Isn't That Right, Sherry?!"

"How did you…? No, we just resigned to be together." Ren denied vehemently, a blush on his face, but he was smiling as he turned to look up at his wife. "It's good that we didn't get matched up against each other though."

"Speaking about the match, it's time for ours." Lucy backed up a dozen metres and stood at the ready.

"Alright Folks! With Both Contestants Ready, Let The First Battle Of This Year's Grand Magic Games, BEGIN!"

"I'm sorry Lucy, but this is going to be a one-sided fight. I'll let you bring out a spirit of your choice but after that, I won't be holding back."

"A spirit? I can only summon one?" Lucy grinned as her hand snapped to her key pouch. "Who Decided That?"

Ren blinked, weren't celestial mages limited to one Golden Key Spirit at a time? He steeled his nerves and decided against waiting, if the woman was bluffing then she would have to pay for it.

"OPEN: Gate of the Ram and Gate of the Lion!" Shouted Lucy as she drew the two glowing keys from her pouch. Two golden lights flashed in front of her as Aries and Loke passed through their gates.

"Hey, Princess, how's it going?" Loke glanced back at his owner with a grin. "What can we do for you?"

"Miss Lucy, you feel more powerful than last we met. I'm glad."

"Don't get distracted, Lucy." Ren shouted as he gathered magic in his hands. "AERIAL SHOT!"

The ground under the heavily tanned man shattered, sending rocks flying into the air which he shot at the blonde with his air magic.

"Loke! Get in close and do your thing!" Lucy turned and launched into a sprint as the rocks flew past her. "Aries, run with me and create a wool wall!"

Loke took off towards Ren, channelling his Regulus Magic into his fists. "Leave him to me, princess!"

"Damn." Ren fired off blasts of air to force the spirit back and give himself more time to think as a pink wall of fluffy wool slowly formed a wide circle around him.

"Hey, Watch The Suit! And stop trying to turn me into a kite!" Loke took a leaf out of Natsumi's book and kicked off the ground with a Regulus Kick. It launched him forward and helped him power through the strong bursts of wind.

"I'm sorry if it not how you wanted it, Miss Lucy." Aries came to a stop as she closed the circle of wool and turned to the busty blonde.

"No, it's perfect. Thanks Aries, you can head back." Lucy got ready to dive through the wool but stopped herself before committing. "Oh! Before I forget." She turned to the spirit and smiled. "Girls night tonight! Come and join us tonight and we can all have some fun together!"

The ram spirit gasped and bowed quickly then hugged her owner tightly. "Thank you, Miss Lucy! I'll do my best to be on time."

"Come through Virgo's gate since she can pass through whenever she likes." The blonde hugged the spirit back then let go with a smile. "I can't wait for tonight!"

The ground rumbled gently and Virgo popped her head out of the ground between them. "Hello Princess, did you call for me? Is it time for punishment?"

Lucy's eye twitched as she groaned in annoyance at the maid spirit, she slapped a hand her to her head and grumbled quietly. "Virgo, go and talk to Natsu, I'm willing to bet that he'd give you the kind of punishment you are after…"

Virgo flashed gold as she practically teleported up to the stands next to Natsu, leaving Lucy and Aries by the woollen wall.

"Miss Lucy, I would like to fight alongside you for now, if it isn't that much trouble?"

The blonde mage smiled at her spirit. "Alright, let's win this together."

"As much as I like hearing both of your voices! Can you two get in here already!" Loke continued to fight with Ren, the mage doing his best to dodge the spirit's punches and kicks.

A squeak slipped out of Aries' mouth as she almost jumped right out of her skin, she held out her hands and opened a hole in the wall of wool. "We better go help Leo."

"Yeah, you're right." Lucy ran through the opening as she pulled her Fleuve d'étoiles from her belt. She activated the tube which caused celestial matter to flow out and form the extendable whip. "Back-up is here, Loke!"

"What's This, Folks?! It Looks Like Some Kind Of Magic Whip?!" Chapati turned to both of his co-hosts. "What's Your Take On This, Yajima, Jenny?"

"I think Ren still has this in the bag." The model replied, she beamed a smile at the camera that was recording her. "He still has an ace up his sleeve after all, and anyway, what can that Lucy girl do? She is just a celestial mage."

"As for Ms Heartfilia's whip, I believe it's of Celestial origins…" The old man scratched his chin, deep in thought as he watched Lucy latch onto Ren with the whip and pull him towards her. "The properties of the whip remind me of Celestial magic, and I know that the Heartfilia line of female mages were all extremely strong and talented in the Celestial arts."

"Get Over Here!" Lucy shouted as she yanked Ren towards her with the whip, closing the distance at breakneck speeds. She cocked her fist back as she turned off the whip and started unloading a seemingly never-ending series of kicks against the poor man.

"Oh My Kami! Who Knew That This Celestial Mage Could Be Dangerous In Close Quarters?!"

"I've Had Enough Games!" Ren pushed himself away with a blast of air, he swept his arms around as he cast one of his spells. "AERIAL PHOSE!"

"See, I told you Ren wasn't done." Jenny told the other hosts, watching smugly as Lucy was getting shredded by the fierce winds. "And that isn't even his sure-fire win spell either."

The winds quickly turned into a swirling mass of pink wool as Aries dived into the cyclone, using her magic to clog up the spell and prevent further harm to her owner.

The spell dispersed, leaving Lucy standing in tatted clothes next to her spirit. The blonde's eye was twitching, her irritation and displeasure at her state of dress clear as day on her face. "Aries, could you please cover me in wool and help me get changed… I'd rather not flash everyone the second I move."

"OH WOW, Folks! With A Body Like That, Lucy Heartfilia Could Win Fiore's Top Model!"

"Oi, I'm right here, you know?!" Jenny shouted at Chapati as she threw her handbag at him. "She could never beat me!"

Aries encased them both in a cocoon of fluffy pink wool to prevent people from perving on her getting changed. It only took a few moments for the wool to fall away and reveal Lucy once more, wearing celestial clothing that reminded Natsu of the one his Lucy had worn during the seven dragon invasion.

"Thanks, Aries." Lucy gritted her teeth. Why does everything end up with her clothes getting damaged? "You know, for a married man, you waste no time in removing women from their clothes."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

This only caused the blonde's irritation to spike even higher, she closed her eyes and tried to calm down by taking deep, steady breaths. "Loke, run interference."

"Got it!" The lion spirit put himself between his owner and Ren. He adjusted his tie and cuffs as he watched the man carefully. "You have to get through me to get to her."

A dense magical aura erupted from Lucy as she started to develop a golden glow, her breathing falling into a slow, even rhythm.

"REN!" Hibiki's eyes shot wide open as he rushed to the edge of the railing. "REN, LOOK OUT! SHE IS ABOUT TO CAST THE ULTIMATE MAGIC OF THE STARS!"

"WHAT?!" The dark skinned man whipped around to his teammate as the sky became filled the celestial bodies, erupting from the celestial mage's body.

"Folk's I'm Not Sure What I Am Seeing, But It Looks Like Lucy Is No Longer Pulling Her Punches!"

"Survey The Heavens, Open The Heavens…"

The golden glow started to intensify as a large golden magic circle appeared at Lucy's feet.

"All The Stars, Far And Wide…"

Jenny grabbed her microphone roughly as she launched to her feet. "REN, DO SOMETHING!"

"Show Me Thy Appearance…"

Loke stood between Ren and Lucy, determination set firmly on his face. "You shall not pass, I will not let you even place a single finger on the Princess."

"With Such Shine." Her blonde hair whipped around her, as if blown by an intense, invisible storm. "Oh Tetrabiblos…"

"AERIAL SHOT!" Ren shattered the ground and shot the debris at Lucy, hoping to interrupt the incantation.

"Not on my watch." Loke's fists glowed with his celestial magic. "Regulus Gatling Impact!" His fists rocketed forward, punching the stones at a blindingly fast pace and crumbling them to dust.

"DAMN!" The mage charged up another spell but was quickly interrupted by Loke as the spirit flew forward, he had kicked off the ground with another Regulus infused kick.

"I Am The Ruler Of The Stars… Aspect Become Complete…" The light surrounding the woman became so intense that the onlookers had to squint to see what was happening. "Open Thy Malevolent Gate… Oh Eighty Eight Stars Of The Heaven…"

"AERIAL!" In a last-ditch effort, Ren locked the Celestial Mage in an airtight bubble and started to reduce the oxygen in hopes she would faint.

"SHINE!" Lucy's eyes snapped open, focused solely on her attacker. "URANO METRIA!"

The bubble burst the instant the spell was cast, the raw power of her spell destroying it as the celestial bodies raced toward the mage.

Loke took advantage of Ren's shock and kicked him into the sky, making him a perfect target for the spell.

One after another, the celestial bodies smashed into Ren. Knocking the wind out of him and sending him flying through the sky into the next volley of bodies.

The onslaught continued until the spell finally ended, leaving Ren falling from the sky. Lucy looked at the spirit that stood next to her. "Aries, can you catch him with a bunch of wool, please."

The ram spirit hurried to the falling mage and created a thick bed of pink wool here he was about to hit. The man came to a gentle stop, nestled in the fluffy wool. "I'm sorry if you got hurt from the fall, I hope I made it thick enough."

"Oh man…" Lucy doubled over with exhaustion, her hands on her knees. "I should have called Gemini to help cast that."

"Ladies And Gentlemen! Looks Like That's It For The First Battle, The Winner Is Lucy Heartfilia From Fairy Tail Team A! And What A Stunning Way To Kick Off The Battles, That Was A Unbelievable Showcase Of Power, Folks! Who Knew That Celestial Mages Could Do That!"

"Hey Princess, would you like a hand?" Loke walked over to his master and checked if she was alright. "That spell took a lot out of you."

"No, I'm fine." The blonde straightened up once she got her breath back. "Could you help Ren back to Blue Pegasus for me?"

"No problem." The lion spirit walked back to Aries and the woollen bed and helped the dazed mage out of it. "Come on, bud, let's get you back to your friends."

"Miss Lucy, I think I'm going to head home for a nap, sorry."

"That is fine, Aries, thanks for all the help today." Lucy smiled brightly and gave the spirit a hug. "Remember, Girls Night tonight!"

Aries giggled as she started to glow. "I'll be there!"

Lucy let the spirit go and headed for the exit. She let out a yawn and rubbed her eyes as she walked up to the booth her team was in.

"Good job, Luce!" Natsumi cheered as she wrapped her arms around the woman. "It was so damn amazing!"

"Yes, you did perfect, Lucy." Erza smiled and joined in on the hug. "You showed them just what a Celestial mage can really do."

"Thanks, guys, I wasn't sure if I could actually pull it off like that."

"Huh…" Natsu felt a buzz on his arm, he pulled back the sleeve of his coat and checked his P-IVD. "Lucy, I got a message for you from home, you have made a certain blonde woman very proud."

The man smiled as he walked over to the blonde and gave her a gentle pat on the head. "You did really well today. Get some rest, you're worn out."

"Thanks, Natsu, I think I might head back to the Inn now. Anyone coming?"

"I want to assess the competition. So I'm staying here." Erza replied as she let the woman go and walked to the stone railing.

"That sounds like such an Erza thing to do." Natsumi giggled but joined the redhead. "I wanna watch people fight, so I'm staying."

"I don't feel like hanging around, I already have a good idea of how they'll turn out." The pink-haired man shrugged and turned to the door. "So I'll be heading out."

"Oh?" Natsumi spun around to face the man, grinning wildly. "How about a bet?"

"Hmm?" He looked back at the princess. "Alright, Lucy, how much is your rent?"

"80,000 Jewels a month, why?"

"Alright. If Mystogan, Orga, and Jura all win, then I'll give Lucy 480,000 Jewels, which is six months of her rent. If only two of those three wins then I'll give her 320,000 Jewels. And if only one of them wins then I'll give her 160,000."

The rest of FT-A's jaws collectively dropped at the same time at Natsu's bet. Lucy shook herself back to her senses and blinked rapidly. "So wait, if any single one of those mages win. I get my rent paid?"

"Yup, I'll give you the money tonight."

"And what if none of them wins?" Erza watched the man, she was extremely curious about what he would do otherwise, though his generosity didn't surprise her in one bit. It's a trait he shared with Natsumi after all. "What will you do then?"

"Hmm." He scratched his stubble covered chin in thought. "I'll take all the girls in this tournament on a shopping spree, all paid by me."

"Damn, that's ballsy." Gray muttered as he stuck his head out of the booth to count. "Are you including those not participating?"

"Sure, why not. They are all welcome." Natsu shrugged and ran a hand through his hair as he tallied up the number of women. "Even all of Mermaid Heel, though I'm not sure they would jump at the chance right away."

"I'm not sure how much money you have, Natsu, but I doubt even you'd have anything left after that shopping spree." Natsumi smirked at her counterpart. "You must be very confident in your guesses."

"Well, considering I'm paying Lucy almost 500,000 Jewels, you know what, if all three win then I'll give her exactly 500,000 Jewels so she can by something nice too." Natsu chuckled and started walking to the door. "And anyway, that amount of money isn't as much as you think, Natsumi and Lucy, you have to remember that Erza's rent at Fairy Hills is the same as I'll be paying Lucy."

"Oh, right, I forgot she forks out that much." Gray grinned at the redhead. "She uses four out of those five rooms just to store her armour."

"Well, I'm heading out now, let me know how the matches go." Natsu waved over his shoulder at the rest of the team as he left.

"Hey!" Lucy raced after the man. She yawned and felt very ready for a nap. "Wait up, Natsu."

It took a few moments for the woman to catch up to the man, once she did though, she found him face to face with Alexei, standing tall in his golden armour.

"What the fuck do you want, Alexei?" Natsu was seemingly very disinterested in talking with the man, his shoulders were slumped in boredom and his face was the very definition of uninterested. "Seven minutes, seven minutes is all the time I have for you."

"Here I thought Fairy Tail didn't kill people."

"Hmm? What are you on about?" Natsu brushed some imaginary dirt off his shoulder and picked at his nails. "I kill monsters not people."

"Bullshit." Alexei took a step forward. "You have the air of someone who kills with ease, kills people."

"If they impede my goals." Natsu's eyes flashed red for a fraction of a second as his lips thinned, his eyes narrowing. In the blink of an eye, he was in Alexei's face. "Then I will make sure they never get in my way ever again. Ivan."

The armoured man faltered, albeit slightly, how did this man know who he was? His thought projection should still be in the stands, watching the fights. "My name's Alexei, not Ivan. Get it right next time or you'll regret it."

The pinkette's lips split into a small grin, he was no longer hiding his fangs as one glistened in the light. "I don't have time to play games with you. Fuck off and go watch the games, you pitiful coward."

"I'm not scared of you, I don't even sense even the smallest crumb of magic coming from you. Why Makarov chose someone as weak as you to fight is beyond me."

"Heh. I wonder why you don't sense anything coming from me. You look down on everyone so much that you forget to look up." Natsu's small grin grew into a dangerous smirk, he pushed past the armoured man on his way out of Domus Flau.

Lucy hurried after the pinkette quickly so she wouldn't be left with the menacing man from Raven Tail.

The light hung low through the arches, illuminating Natsu as Alexei turned, seething with hatred as he watched the man leave. A long shadow lingered behind the pinkette, a horned, demonic visage with sharp teeth, glowing red eyes and embers on its arms and chest.

It echoed dark, infernal laughter in Alexei's head as the shadow's red eyes pierced his dark soul. Causing the disguised guild master to flinch and pull back slightly, he watched Natsu's head turn, slowly, until a single glowing crimson eye faced him.

Only then did he feel the seemingly immeasurable depths of this man's hidden power. The world around the armoured man started to twist and deform, reality itself warping as this single demonic eye made him cold to the bone, feeling as if he had been frozen to the very core.

He shivered uncontrollably.

Just who is this monster?


That's the first chapter of my GMG, I hope you liked it. I have made changes to the line-ups of the fights and events. For example, I chose to go with the more logical decision of sending in Dragon Slayers for the Hidden event due to their enhanced senses, they would be able to discern people from clones with ease and they would be able to tell when they are being attacked, so Nullpudding wouldn't have been able to get any cheap shots in. That bet that happened at the end was just some random generosity from Natsu, he just felt like giving Lucy a gift so she could save her money for other things that she may need. (Just something that came out in the flow of writing, not much point to it really.)

You may have noticed that one of the match-ups remained the same, War Cry vs Orga, this was necessary as Quatro Cerberus will field Bacchus as a replacement, which leads to a more intense fight with whoever I pair him up with.

I know that the whole point of Fairy Tail losing in the first parts of the Games was to make it an Underdog story, and as much as I love this arc, I didn't enjoy how the characters were undersold, losing to bullshit, and just plain being robbed of certain victory. So this time, they are putting their best foot forward and kicking ass right from the get-go.

Depending on pacing, I'll do my best to cover the arc to the best of my abilities and make things work as well as I can, with as much detail as I can without just turning it into filler. I do have the basics relatively planned out, like the general skeleton of what I want, everything else is generally done in the moment by just going with the flow of things and working with what fits where in the heat of the moment.

Again, I hope you all liked it, I'll be working on the next chapter right away so I can keep the flow going and the ideas forming in my head. Oh, if you have any feedback or things you'd like to see in the games then feel free to leave it in a review or message me directly and I'll see if I can make it work or not.

So that's it for now, I guess I'll see you soon. Bye for now.