A/N: Hello, readers! Did all of you guys disappear since I took forever to update this book? Who knows.
Enjoy!
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: PANDEMONIUM
Natsu and Jiemma soon had a stare off with one another. "Fairy Tail..." Rufus muttered in disbelief.
"Natsu... san?" Sting questioned.
"You came here to pick a fight with Master?" Orga asked.
"That's suicidal!" Lector exclaimed.
"He's asking for a death wish." Ace said.
"Fro thinks so, too..." Frosch added on.
"Are you serious, kid?" Jiemma asked.
"Anybody who doesn't think of their comrades as comrades is on my list!" Natsu claimed.
"Is he talking about Yukino?" Rogue wondered.
"That's got nothin' to do with you! Who would storm in here over something like that?!" Sting asked himself.
"I don't know what you're talking about, but I suppose you've got your reasons." Jiemma said.
"You don't know what I'm talkin' about?!" Natsu exclaimed in anger.
"Dobengal. Deal with him." Jiemma ordered.
"Yes, sir!" Dobengal replied.
"You're avoiding me?" Natsu accused.
"A guild soldier like you needs 100 more years of experience. If you want a shot at the top, you'll have to prove yourself. Show me what you can do." Jiemma said.
"Fight me!" Natsu shouted, charging forward.
"You're not getting near the master!" Dobengal said as him and Natsu began fighting. "I, Dobengal, am not taking part in the Grand Magic Games, but when it comes to skill, I'm just as strong as any of the participants here. I'm gonna show you the power of Sabertooth!"
Dobengal threw some balls as colorful smoke bombs appeared. "A smokescreen, huh?" Natsu said as Dobengal sent rays of light down and Natsu dodges them.
"You don't know who you're messing with. You should withdraw immediately. Get out!" Dobengal informed.
Natsu dodges his attack. "Outta my way!" He ordered, punching Dobengal with a flaming fist and sending him flying past Sting and into a wall. "My beef ain't with you!"
"I don't believe it... Dobengal's down?!"
Frosch screamed in shock. "He's one of the top ten strongest wizards in our guild!" Lector exclaimed.
"Master, let me..." Sting started to say.
"Don't do a thing." Jiemma interrupted as Natsu charged forward with flaming fists. "Kid, there aren't any like you in my guild. Amusing."
Natsu was about to hit Jiemma until a crystalized shield stopped him.
"Lucas... What are you doing?" Jiemma questioned.
"Excuse my rudeness, Master Jiemma. But let me handle this pest." Lucas replied.
"You're from God Pegasus..." Natsu muttered. "What are you doing here?"
"That's none of your damn business. Besides, I used to be a Sabertooth wizard, y'know? Making an enemy of Sabertooth means you're making an enemy of God Pegasus." Lucas paused as he smirked. "And believe me... That's the most idiotic thing you can do."
"Let's dance, Dragneel! Jade Dragon's Diamond Fist!"
Lucas's right fist became crystalized as he punched Natsu, sending him flying back. Natsu tried to punch him with fire but Lucas easily moved out of the way and kneed him in his stomach before dodging his next oncoming attack.
Flames and green energy clashed together. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!" Natsu shouted as a mix of flames and lightning exploded throughout Sabertooth's hotel.
Suddenly, Minerva appeared in front of Lucas and Jiemma, blowing the explosion away. "Minerva!" Jiemma exclaimed.
"My lady!" Lucas said, shocked at Minerva's sudden appearance as were Sting and Rogue.
"Shall we end this evening's entertainment here?" Minerva suggested.
"Huh?"
Minerva turned to Lucas. "Still keeping your word on being Sabertooth's shield, are you?" She questioned.
Lucas chuckled. "Of course. We can't let anything happen to your Father, after all." He replied.
"Father?" Natsu repeated.
"However, this world cares about appearances. Even though this one came here and attacked, if another participant annihilated another one in the Grand Magic Games outside of the arena, it would cause difficulty for all of us." Minerva spoke as Lucas silently agreed with her.
"I'll tell ya one thing... if anybody's gettin' wiped out, it's him!" Natsu exclaimed.
"My father has somewhat warmed to this battle, but cannot back down in front of subordinates. What do you think? Will you allow us to save face?" Minerva questioned as she used her Magic and Happy appeared in her arms, tied up and crying. "If you do, I'll return this kitten to you unharmed."
Happy wailed in tears. "Happy!" Natsu exclaimed.
"I'm sorry, Natsu!" Happy cried out.
"Dammit!" Natsu cursed.
"You've incapacitated several of our people, but we're willing to overlook this incident. In exchange, I'm asking you to behave in a mature fashion." Minerva said, rubbing Happy's head as Natsu gritted his teeth.
Minerva released Happy from his arms, who ran over towards his partner. "Natsu!" He shouted as Natsu embraced him. "I'm sorry! They caught me at the entrance!"
"It's okay, Happy. It's my fault for leaving you behind." Natsu said.
"Natsu!"
Natsu picked Happy up in his arms, facing away from Sabertooth. "Let's go." Natsu said.
"Aye!"
Natsu soon began walking towards the exit. "That kid's got grit." Jiemma commented.
"We'll settle this at the Grand Magic Games. To our hearts' content." Minerva declared. Natsu stopped in his tracks.
"We ain't gonna lose to the likes of you. In fact, you won't be able to keep up with us." Natsu turned around to face them. "If you call yourself a guild, take care of your comrades. That's all I wanted to say."
Natsu soon took his leave as Rogue watched him go. "Comrades... We don't have that kind of bond in our guild." He noted.
"Y-You're that strong, Natsu Dragneel?!" Sting thought.
"Well, what do you know." Lucas thinks to himself. "I suppose you're not all talk... Fairy Tail."
"Hey! I'm gonna compete tomorrow! I can't just let him get away with this carnage!" Orga claimed.
"You mean you're going to unleash the power of Black Lightning, right?" Rufus questioned.
"Certainly, this was rather one-sided carnage, but without something like this, we would've lost our spark." Minerva said. "Anyway, we need someone to replace Yukino. I think I'll get in on the fun."
Lucas's expression suddenly turned into one of pain as his fingertips touched his temple. "Luke? You okay?" Sting asked in concern.
"I'm fine, don't worry. Just another headache." Lucas reassured.
"He seems to be getting more and more of those ever since the beginning of the Games." Sting noted. "I can't help but worry about him."
"What?! Natsu from Fairy Tail stormed into Sabertooth's inn?!" Alyssa exclaimed as Lucas was back in his team's hotel, telling his guildmates about what had occured.
"Is he stupid?!" Fera questioned.
"He was angry about Yukino getting kicked out." Lucas replied.
Hana hummed. "That makes sense. Fairy Tail was always about the power of friendship. Even before their strongest members disappeared." She pointed out.
"By the way, what are you doing here? You usually spend your nights with Sting. It's weird seeing you here." Fera said.
"Wasn't feeling well again. Sting forced me to come back." Lucas responded.
"Are you gonna be able to compete tomorrow?" Olga asked.
Lucas sighed. "Not sure." He answered.
Fera, Hana, Olga, and Alyssa all looked at him with a worried expression.
"Hey, did you hear?"
"About last night, right?!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Apparently, somebody attacked Sabertooth's inn!"
"What kind of fool would pick a fight with Saber?!"
Two of the citizens laughed as Yukino overheard them. "Beats me!"
"Well, brawls happen outside the arena every year, right?"
"This is a festival, so they should take it public!"
The citizens continued to laugh as Yukino looked up at the stadium. "Natsu-sama...?" She wondered.
"A guild that makes its family members cry ain't no guild at all!"
"Don't tell me he did it for..."
At the stadium...
Chapati appeared with a different colored wig. "We're at the halfway point in the Grand Magic Games. The beginning of the third day!" He announced.
"I wonder what kind of passionate dramas we'll see today?" Yajima said.
"Our guest today is Lahar-san, from the Magic Council." Chapati said.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Yajima questioned.
"Thank you for this opportunity." Lahar replied.
"Lahar-san, you're the Captain of the Enforcement and Detention Corps..." Chapati stated.
"Yes." Lahar nodded. "I won't stand for any shenanigans during the tournament."
The audience laughed. "That's the captain for you. He never forgets his duties." Chapati teased.
"I'm going to announce the competition for this, the third day of the Games! The name of the event... is Pandemonium!" Chapati said. "There will be one participant from each guild. Please choose your representative!"
"I'll do it! I gotta continue what I started last night!" Natsu declared.
"You don't get to decide all by yourself!" Gray exclaimed.
"If it's a revenge match, I wanna do it, too!" Lucy claimed.
"No. I'll go." Erza said with her arms crossed. "You going out there may only make things more complicated."
"I agree! Good luck, Erza!" Lucy cheered.
"Fight!" Wendy encouraged.
"Let me do it!" Natsu exclaimed with his fist raised.
"Would you calm down?!" Gray told him.
"I'll participate for B Team." Cana said.
"Wait a second! It's about time that I get to do something!" Gajeel argued.
"Cana, how could you go, when you're a reserve member?" Mira asked.
"What happened to Mystogan?" Laxus questioned.
"Juvia hasn't seen him yet today..." Juvia replied.
"With the guest commentator being a member of the Council, I should be able to participate, right?" Cana asked.
"That's true..." Mira answered.
"If Er-chan is gonna do this, let me go too, Kagura-chan!" Milianna said.
"I'll allow it." Kagura replied.
"I'm not gonna lose, Er-chan!" Millianna declared, rushing by Erza.
"Right!" Erza said.
"From Mermaid Heel, it looks like Millianna is taking the field!" Chapati announced as Millianna appeared on the Lacrima screen.
"That girl!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Millianna..." Natsu trailed off.
"She's the one who was wearing the hood. I didn't know she was in a guild." Gray said.
"Don't cause trouble in front of the Council, Orba." The man in the gold suit said in which Orba nodded.
"I'll be the rep for Blue Pegasus." Hibiki stated as the girls cheered.
Orga clenched his fist. "Like I said last night, I'm participating in this one. I'll use my Black Lightning to blast them all to smithereens." He said.
"Even though we don't know what kind of competition it's going to be?" Minerva asked.
Rufus chuckled. "Do what you want." He said.
"If Natsu Dragneel isn't gonna be in it, I don't care what happens." Sting thought.
"Jura-san is going to do it?" Sherria questioned.
"On Obaba's orders, so we can't do anything about it." Lyon responded.
"My sock..." Toby cried out.
"Just buy a new one!" Yuka exclaimed.
"Count on me." Jura nodded.
"Oh? If Jura and Orga are participating, I will too." Atlas claimed.
"Hey! Don't lose on purpose just because Erza is participating too, alright?!" Nero told him.
Olga realized someone was missing. "Hey, where's Lucas?" She asked.
"Infirmary. Said and I quote, 'I have a killer headache'. He says he'll show up for the battle portion." Fera responded.
"I guess it can't be helped. I haven't taken part in anything yet, so I'll go for A Team." Olga offered.
"All of the participants have been selected!" Chapati announced as the competitors began showing up on the screens. "From Sabertooth, Orga! From Lamia Scale, Jura! From Blue Pegasus, Hibiki! From Raven Tail, Obra! From Mermaid Heel, Millianna! From Quatro Puppy, Novali! From Fairy Tail A, Erza! From Fairy Tail B, Cana! From God Pegasus A, Olga! From God Pegasus B, Atlas! These are our ten competitors!"
A Magic Circle soon appeared in the sky and a castle appeared. "What is that?!" Erza wondered.
"Wow..." Millianna mumbled.
"Begin analysis." Hibiki started using his Archive as the castle suddenly landed.
"Pandemonium, a temple haunted by evil monsters!" Mato said.
"It's huge!" Cana exclaimed.
"Haunted by monsters, he says?" Jura repeated.
"That's the idea-kabo. There are 100 monsters inside this temple. That being said, they're actually magical manifestations that we created, so everyone can relax. There's no danger of you being attacked. The monsters are D, C, B, A, S! Those are the five levels of battle power the monsters are divided into. This is how it breaks down. Incidentally... if you're curious about just how strong the D-class monsters are..." Mato began.
A lacrima showed up as a monster roared, freaking out the audience. "Ones like these and ones even stronger, 100 of them wandering around the temple... That's Pandemonium-kabo!" Mato said.
"Even though he says they're just magical manifestations, if you get attacked by them, you're hurt for real, right?" Drake questioned.
"Will Olga and Atlas be okay?" Lex asked.
"I'd like to think that those two will be alright, but..." Eric trailed off.
"This is extreme. I mean, really extreme!" Izumi exclaimed, Rosaline nodding in agreement.
"I do feel like they're going too far..." Rosaline mumbled.
"Please note that as the class of the monsters goes up, their fighting strength increases exponentially. The S-class monster is so strong that there's no guarantee even one of the 10 Great Wizard Saints can defeat it-kabo." Mato informed, making Jura gulp.
"That's totally reassuring..." Atlas mumbled sarcastically under his breath.
"In order, each of you will choose the number of monsters to battle. It's called your "right to challenge"." Mato continued on.
"Right to challenge?" Erza repeated.
"For example, if you choose three monsters, three of them will appear inside the temple. The person who chooses them enters the temple alone. If the player successfully destroys them, he or she gets three points. The next player then has the right to challenge up to 97 of the remaining monsters. And so on and so on, until there are zero monsters left!" Mato explained. "Alternatively, if everyone runs out of magic power, the game is over at that point."
"It's like a counting game." Millianna said.
"That's right! Assessing the situation when your turn comes around becomes important! However, as I mentioned before, the monsters are ranked. Whether the player uses their right to challenge one or five, the monsters appear randomly." Mato stated.
"In other words, you need a strategy to avoid running into the S-class monster, right?" Hibiki asked.
"If it's random, having a strategy like that won't do you any good." Orga informed.
"Not true. Between probability theory and my Archive, strategy will work to some extent." Hibiki stated.
"Irrespective of the monster's rank, you'll get one point for each monster you destroy. Once you enter the temple, you can't exit until you've succeeded." Mato said.
"What happens if we go down while inside the temple?" Cana questioned.
"The number of point you've earned during your turn stays as is, but the number of destroys you've had that turn goes to zero, and you're out." Mato answered.
"So you can't get too greedy." Rosaline hummed.
"But if you choose one monster, you'll fall behind with the others." Izumi pointed out.
"This is surprisingly difficult." Drake muttered.
"Let's see what happens with Olga and Atlas." Eric pointed out.
"Alright, let's decide on the order. Please draw your lots." Mato said.
"Number nine..." Atlas muttered, looking at his stick.
"Oh? You're towards the end too? I got number eight..." Olga stated.
"With this competition, I thought winning or losing all depended on the luck of the draw..." Erza said.
"Luck of the draw? I don't know about that... More than the order of the battle, pacing yourself and situational judgment are important in this game." Mato stated.
"No." Erza denied. "This isn't a game anymore."
Mato was left in confusion as Erza walked forward towards the castle. "All 100 will be my opponents!" She declared. "I exercise my right to challenge... 100!"
Everyone looked in shock while Natsu, Gray, and Atlas cackled.
"Well, that's Erza for you." Atlas thinks to himself. "If I was her, I would've done the same thing."
In the infirmary...
While the competition was just beginning, Lucas was laying on the bed of God Pegasus's infirmary. His eyes were closed.
"I said I want to learn magic, Father!"
"Enough with this 'magic' talk, Lucas!"
Lucas winced in pain as flashes of images appeared in his brain, hurting his head.
"Mercurius... Nee-chan..."
"Lucas?"
Lucas looked up, seeing Kaiba had entered the room. "Oh, Master..." Lucas muttered.
"Are you feeling alright?" Kaiba asked worriedly.
Lucas sighed. "Not really. Ever since the Games started, I've been getting these odd headaches. Which is strange because I've never had them before. And when we arrived in Crocus, they began." He responded. "I just need to rest here for a while, I'll be okay by the time the battle portion starts."
Kaiba frowned. "Being in Crocus and around the kingdom must be jolting his lost memories." He thinks to himself. He pats Lucas on his arm before taking his leave.
He makes his way towards where Sabertooth was, finally arriving. "Sting." Kaiba called his name, causing the said male and his guildmates to turn around. "Can I have a word with you for a moment? I promise it'll be quick."
Sting takes a glance at his guildmates before following Kaiba so they can talk privately. "What can I do for you, Master Kaiba?" Sting questioned.
"I need you to protect Lucas for me." Kaiba replied, making Sting raise an eyebrow. "You're the only one aside from the former Lunar Fang members in my guild that know about him being the Runaway Prince, and if I ask Hana, Lucas will just get suspicious."
"The Games is the perfect distraction to abduct Lucas when he's in his weak state. I need to take precautions." Kaiba concluded.
"Very well." Sting said. "I'll keep an eye on him."
"Thank you, Sting."
Sting returns to the stands as Kaiba did the same, walking back to where the rest of his guild were watching the Games.
"I won't let the kingdom take Lucas. In God Pegasus, we protect our own no matter their backstory. If we have to go to war with the kingdom for that to happen, then so be it."
A/N: Another chapter is finished!
I added the extra scene with Lucas, so you'll see how he's slowly starting to remember.
Thanks for reading!
~ Kaleb.