One's Road to Remembrance

by Insane Dominator

For 4 years, a lone guy has been suffering from memory-loss, and can only remember his name: Craig Crius. The 4 years have been very unfriendly, and in turn has become rather desolate. With the help of Cana Alberona and from Fairy Tail, Craig will endure horrific hardships, take on dangerous tasks, and unleash power he never knew he had in order to understand who he was. OCxCana.

51. Obstacles

The nighttime crickets once again disappeared, giving headway to the morning sun that pierced through windows and cracked drapes in the inns of Crocus. Of the many inns, some were closer than others, for reasons understandable due to today's certain events to take place. Of said inn complex, inside a single room lied a slumbering Cana, who turned her body beneath the covers towards the sun. Instantly there was a reaction.

"What the-" Cana opened her eyes, hissing at the star that brightened all days. "Aw man." She groaned as she turned over, running her head into her pillow. She did her best to get some rest, but after some time, it was a futile effort. She was fully awake, thanks to her good friend the sun.

She slouched up, still having her bra and cargo pants on. With a disgruntled look, she looked out at the sun. "You suck sometimes, you know that?" She turned around. "And that goes for you, too…" However, when Cana turned towards the other side of the bed, it was nothing more than vacant.

She looked at the spot with mild surprise. "Well this is new? I wonder where…?" It wasn't typical of her "companion" to be so absent-mindedly gone. As far as she knew how the routine went, it'd go something like waking up and yelling, followed by more yelling, even in their time of dining. The only other time he was gone was when he went that day to get some space for reasons unknown. Though curious, she had to at least get ready for the day's start before she could go out to the world as such. She reached for her nearby suitcase and went to change, changing out her cargo pants and lingerie for a fresh pair. Once changed, including a fresh red bra, Cana brushed her hair to make sure that it ran down her back in the small waves that it did, while a little straight over the shoulders. Once dollied up, she thus set her priorities finding a member of the team that was to be competing today.

She looked around her room for starters, heading to bathroom. "Cranky?" She whistled, calling to him like he were some dog. "Cranky~?" She slowly went towards the toilet, seeing that it was also vacant of occupancy. "So no spewing guts out. Alright, guess maybe he's jacking up the dining hall." She remembered that the inn they stayed at had accessible breakfast well until 11 in the morning, plus a pool in the summertime, which happened to be now. She knew Craig would be opposed to the pool given his…disliking of swimming, but he still had to be nearby, right? He usually never ventures far from her without good reason.

She chose to close the door and entered the main hall. "Craig?" She looked around, continuing her way as she was adjusting her white blouse she felt accustomed to wearing, to be conservative since she was going to be more public. She tried adjusting the laces and buttons beneath her bra. "Damn knots. It doesn't feel right like this…" She eventually found her adjustment just as she passed a hallway window. Before she got too far ahead, her body instantly stopped in place. "Hm?" She retraced her steps, her sworn fixture returning towards the window that she recently passed. Looking out at the setting of the rising sun, she saw something amidst in a field of grass just outside the complex. "Is that…?"

Cana found what she was looking for, but her pal was looking different one might say…in terms of style.

Typically speaking, Craig isn't one to sit still very long – at least according to what Fairy Tail took notice of. But today, there was something else off, for it was a calm wave that got over Craig, or so it appeared to be. It was delusional at best to perceive that Craig was actually sitting towards the sun in the open field beyond the pool grounds. He sat cross-legged with his eyes shut, spine straight and arms and hands resting on his thighs.

In and out. In and out. With every inhale, he took in the calm nature energy that entered his brain. His mentality calmed as he envisioned to chi within the clear void that was his mind. All that was there were wavelengths everywhere in his vision. The world was but chi that he saw, chi that he breathed in, and an area around him that he was extorting for his own power.

'I can feel the chi through the air. I can feel it enter my system even now.' He knew that if he was to create that intense technique his teacher imposed to him, he had to start doing what he did, and that was be one with nature. Meditating wasn't used often, but it sure helped in times of peril. Calm is part of a virtue after all.

In and out, for hours on end. Craig breathed, without any need to stop. He didn't feel like it. He was drowning out all distractions, everything was silent. It was all wavelengths now; space that he envisioned within every blood vessel in his body. His body was cool, yet ta the same time he felt nothing.

'I think I'm starting to feel more chi draw in…right…?' He stayed absolutely still, gathering more natural energy that flourished into his system. As every wavelength he saw flowed like water, it was suddenly went from a blue color to a red flash. His eyes opened, the sun resembling a red orb with a black feral slit. For the briefest of moments, it was like a demonic dragon eye glaring at him. It snapped him out o his thoughts, his gasping rattling his breathing.

As he leaned forward, hunching, he stared down at the crossed legs with leg weights on them, eyes wide in shock. 'What was that just now? Was that an eye I saw? Couldn't be…but what is it?'

"Hey, Craig!"

His shocked snapped towards Cana, staring at her direction with surprise written all over him. He watched as Cana approached, looking at him with wonder. "Brownie?"

"So this is where you've been." She looked all around, noticing how one could only hear birds chirp, and the wind barely made any sound. "Not a bad place."

Craig looked back towards the sun in a disgruntled manner. "What do you need now?"

"I was looking for you, you know. Why are you here?"

Craig closed his eyes, relaxing his body. "What did it look like? I was meditating."

Cana raised a brow of suspicion. It almost echoed in disbelief in her ears. "Um, okay…?"

Craig continued to look away from her, keeping his attention on his completely still body. He wasn't at all tired from getting up before the sun; in fact, it was just as he intended. He wanted to get started on the chi drawing with delicate care, and he knew spending the whole morning without food or water and ignoring it would keep him from being distracted. Still, what he saw startled him. 'That thing, for that split second, I could've sworn I saw…'

"So, anyways…" Moving right along, Cana referred to the inn behind with her thumb. "You gonna eat or what? A bog boy like you needs to have his fill before entering today."

Choosing to dismiss his previous worries for the day, Craig stood up. "Sure, I'm starvin'. You up?" He walked passed her, hands in his pockets.

"You bet." She followed right behind. "The master advised we make it there by 9:30."

"Did I ask for the time?"

"If you didn't, you'd show up at the last second…but you're going to do that anyway, right?"

"Damn straight."

Cana sighed at Craig's own deranged empathy. "Seriously, could you care less?"

"Yes."

Cana just sighed as she followed Craig to the mess hall.

---

In confines unknown, the red eye Craig once saw blinked, the slit moving up and down slowly. The creature's throat vibrated with a weak growl as he could've sworn somebody was looking at him in the second's time. "Gnnngh…" Whoever was there was gone now, but he could've sworn that it was a familiar essence. "Tch, brat."

---

"Where the hell is he?" Makarov grumbled.

"Don't ask me, I'd rather not know!" Gajeel retorted.

The master pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing in frustration. "I swear, we get one chance and he goes and just messes it up like this. Do we really have to set Gray in this early?"

Laxus crossed his arms. "No offense old man, but you walked into this predicament on your own."

"Aw man! This sucks!" Natsu fumed. "If we don't get out there soon, I'm gonna burn every competitor until we win hands on!"

"Don't even think about it, Natsu." Erza groaned. "We'll just have to go out there when it comes time. If Craig isn't here, then we'll dispatch a party while Gray steps in and-!"

The sudden BANG that burst through the door was so sudden that everyone went silent as the door itself literally went flying pass Erza, stopping her sentence cold. It clanged hard on the floor of the locker room, everyone looking at it with shock.

"The hell…?" Gajeel trailed off, his attention averting towards the doorway itself. Everyone followed his example and looked on as he and the rest saw who was responsible.

Walking in, a certain someone growled as he casually strolled in. "Damn door." A rather grumpy Craig strolled in, looking chilled.

Natsu's eyes widened in rage. "About time you showed up! Where the hell were you?!"

"Forget the time, why the door?" Gajeel asked.

Craig shrugged. "Meh, wouldn't open."

"It was a door with a knob you know." Laxus pointed out. "Would it kill ya to try it sometime?"

Craig strolled along. "Another long story I prefer to not explain. Just know at times, I never trust the knob." Although in a sense, when Craig thought of it, it may not have been anything more than a regular knob, but it wasn't his fault. In certain places where he's been to, people touched knobs and either got electrocuted, or those tiny picklock holes shot slim darts of poison. Or in some cases, the moment it opens, on the other end were enemies ready to kill. Better them than him.

He crossed his arms and leaned back against the lockers, eyes barely open but averted towards Makarov. Business was business.

Makarov cleared his throat. "Well then, guess we're all accounted for then. Good." He moved right along, hoping to deflect Craig's nature. "Now then, let's make this brief, shall we?"

"About time!" Natsu exclaimed.

Erza gave the master a meaningful stare. "So what's the strategy you have in play then? Do you insist we play where it lies?"

Makarov shook his head. "I'm afraid it doesn't go necessarily like that, Erza." He explained. "Us guild masters were informed that we were to pass on this to them that is to be competing. We are to make sure that we stay alert at all times, because however you see it, these preliminary rounds this year will be very strenuous."

"Define 'strenuous'." Laxus said.

"In other words, once these preliminary rounds end, we'll have a less than wide competition, but the top competitors will be at the finish. If we are to win, we will need to give it our all and surpass even the might of Sabertooth. But no matter what, strive for first. We cannot afford any drawbacks, do you hear me? I'm counting on you as well, Craig. You know what it means to have faith, so even if you don't want to, we understand."

Craig gave Makarov a blunt look. By the way he looked at him, he spoke a grim truth. It made Craig a little offended, but he chose to let it slide. He looked away from Makarov at last, showing hostility. "Whatever." Of course from the tone, there underlying, everyone knew he was in.

Gajeel snickered. "Well thank god we don't have to strap you down then."

"Gajeel, be nice." Erza retorted. She normally didn't speak up on Craig's behalf because of what he went through, but it was because of that she knew it was right to justify.

Laxus sighed. "Well, guess we better start strong then."

"Indeed." Makarov looked towards the clock, seeing the bigger hand closing in on the 12 mark. "It's almost time. Everyone, make it to the tunnel and we'll see you from the cheering stands. Do your best out there."

Natsu pumped a fist. "Got it. We won't let you down."

Makarov nodded. "Then good luck to you all."

---

Among the many that were present within the tunnels, only so few were shaking. Some of the guild members of every other guild were raring to go, and some were getting an adrenaline rush that they couldn't contain themselves. This was one of the many tunnels that had caged bars that barred them from their way into the circle.

Natsu looked all around, noticing the cramped space. Wherever he looked, even if the tunnel was spacious, there wasn't a single team out of place where they were supposed to stand. "Man, just look at all these guys. There's gotta be at least a hundred here!"

"Even more so." Erza said. "We're facing over 118 guilds, last I checked. So multiply the number of participants by 5, we're dealing with almost over 550 competitors in total."

"But you also gotta take into account that 5 represent each guild." Laxus said.

"So that means the number may very well lower after this first round." Gajeel pointed out.

Natsu rammed his fist into his palm, cracking his knuckles. "Well whatever the case, let's get started. It's about time we show Fairy Tail's true colors in the works!"

Erza nodded with enthusiasm. "Yes."

While Fairy Tail was very much ecstatic over its entry, Craig waited in long silence with arms crossed. Since he wasn't so pleased with such company, he kept his jacket on with the brown hood up. It concealed the back of his head well, and though his swords still stuck put some, it was enough to make many unnoticeable, at least until the competition officially began. He wasn't liking how this was all turning inside his gut. He knew he was going to be watched, so he should at least try and keep a low profile, or at the very least do his best to not act so callously. But he knew he was going to slip up soon; it was a personal dare to the word. It was him spelling 'you want me, come and find me'. By no means was this tournament his top priorities, but since he was here he may as well try and do what he does best: Survive.

The gate churned up front, slowly cranking upwards and grasping attention.

"Looks like it's time. Let's get going." Laxus said.

Slowly, everyone followed. Slow and steady, many of the guild members of every other guild proceeded out towards the colosseum, entering broad daylight that shined down on the smooth dirt that was paved for them.

"May all our contestants please enter the stadium!" The voice belonged to the announcer, whose volume managed to work through the cheers of the spectators.

They all walked out, all eight tunnels filing out many guilds that were close to one another. They all entered the stadium, earning major beams of sun and cheering.

"Welco~~me, ladies and gentlemen!" The announcer screamed. Everyone cheered even louder as the entire stadium was filled with the many people that barely fit into the balconies. "I can hear your cheers loud and clear, and I know I would be too if I were you all! Welcome our many of competitors who sought to make it here today for the Fiore Grand Magic Games!"

Gajeel looked around, seeing how the stadium was practically filled to the brim with competitors all around. "Well this is a sight. Didn't expect such a coop to have a flock of pigeons."

"As exaggerated as that is, I do agree. The numbers are well unimaginable." Erza said. "I can hardly see any end to them."

"I wonder where the other guilds are?" Natsu looked around left and right, but saw no sign of his allies of Lamia Scale or Blue Pegasus. It was like they blended in with the crowd.

Craig looked around as well, but retained stationary means. 'This is a grand number indeed. I forgot how many could enter a colosseum like this. So if I remember, this isn't a fight to the death. That's good. But still…' He looked around still, his eyes drawing left right everywhere. 'Can't afford to lose ground. We'll need to work to stay in this.'

"Yay! I see them! I see them!" Little Asuka pointed over Alzack's shoulders, a wide smile on her face.

"Hey, yeah, I see them too!" Romeo exclaimed.

Makarov jumped with a skip in his step over the cemented balcony. "Woohoo! Bring home the million!" Behind him, all of Fairy Tail cheered with excitement. They were very pleased with how they could see their team from where they stood.

"We're all rooting for you!" Laki cheered.

"Oui!"

"Natsu, burn some butts!"

"You got this, guys!" Lisanna supported.

On another section of the bleachers high within the balcony, other competing guilds cheered and rooted for their guilds as well. Among them, there was Lector and Frosch, sitting with Yukino as they watched with the rest of Sabertooth.

"You got this, Sting! You show them who the boss is!"

"Yeah, go Rogue!"

The Exceeds cheered down to Team Sabertooth, who was well into the near middle of the entire crowd. Among Team Sabertooth, the team was comprised of Rufus, Orga, Minerva, Sting, and Rogue. All of them showed different expressions, though Sting smirked along with Minerva, while the others showed little to no emotion. They could feel the stakes were high this year, especially with the number of competitors brought up.

"Looks like we got our work cut out for us." Sting noted.

Rufus pointed a finger to his forehead. "I have no memory of such an ecstatic crowd yet. This is a very riley one indeed."

"Ha, what a joke. We got this." Orga scoffed.

And at the head, Minerva's smirk remained mischievous. "Remember this well to all, this year will be no different than last year. We shall make the heavens tremble, and shake the land beneath us. That is Sabertooth's way, go it?"

Within the crowd itself, Lamia Scale's team was receiving a lot of attention, mainly due to them having a certain wizard by the name Jura present on their team.

"Well now, guess the winner gets the spoils." Lyon chimed. "Isn't that right, Jura?"

Jura chuckled. "Indeed." He smiled.

In the stands, Sherry smiled and waved down to her team. "You all do your best out there! Chelia, go get 'em!"

"Right!" Chelia chimed cheerfully.

"Aroof! This is gonna be awesome!" Tobu angrily shouted.

"Do you have to yell it?" Yuka snorted.

Among the contestants, Quatro Cerberus was also present, and they were making a lot of noise. "WILD~!" They all shrieked. Amongst them was Bacchus, and he looked raring to go.

"Aw, yeah! Time to get my soul all shaken and stirred babe!" He yelled. "This year, the dogs are gonna run wild again!"

Somewhere else amongst the ranks, the Blue Pegasus guild was in it, and within those confines, Ichiya posed with the Trimens, with Jenny waving cheerfully all around, as well as getting many of rival men to stare at her and get distracted. This was easy pickings for them this year. "Men~, let us embrace this year's competition in style. All ready to do so?" Ichiya struck another pose.

"Ready, boss!" The Trimens struck their own glamorous poses.

"Hey, guys! We're gonna do our best today, so I hope you root for us!" Jenny cheered with smiles towards her fans.

Mirajane nervously smiled. "I wonder if she knows how intense the competition will be this year?"

"Yeah, bummer." Macao said out of pity. "It's too bad they gotta learn the hard way."

"Yeah, Fairy Tail's taking back this year's title!" Wakaba pumped a fist.

As the crowd cheered on, there were many competitors that strove for the big leagues, however, around a certain group of individuals, they all had massive cloaks on them, black and tattered. Even with them on, they were still getting quite the stares from rivals. They all felt some very strange vibe off them as one even held the one hourglass scythe, and a pair of monarch wings were folded beneath.

"And you are sure this is foolproof?" The one with the scarf asked.

"Of course." The Shinigami-like cloaked figure said beneath his hood. "These will shroud our Magic Power so long as we wear them. Can't cause a panic this early, can we?"

"So these will hold our magic reserves at stability then. Good. That way no one will have to feel fear." The deep voiced cylindrical cloak said.

The one carrying the scythe looked around, he looked bored, yet at the same time, very eager. "Where is he? Is he here?"

"Easy, brethren. Patience." The Shinigami cloak warned.

The scythe carrier grunted as he restrained himself…for now.

"And now, with the opening ceremonies drawing to a conclusion, let's give a big hand to the staff here to give you all the commentary!" Lola announced. "I'm Lola, and right beside me is none other than Mr. Yajima!"

"Howdie." The small chef greeted.

"We're very pleased to be spectating such a wondrous crowd. It looks very toasty, so let's spice it up with our little referee this year, give it up for Mato!"

Standing in the middle of the entire stadium, on a cylindrical podium, there was a small man with a pumpkin for a head. He smiled as he had a small microphone held up to him, all eyes drawn towards him. "Greetings, pumpkins! Glad you all could be here! It is with my honor that we now start the games!"

The crowd cheered in vivid glee for the ceremony ending. It was obvious they were ready to see action.

"Okay then, I can see you all are very into this, so I rather not wait around and wait for bananas or trash to be heading my way out of boredom. Let's pick things off with the preliminaries, shall we?!" He raised a hand high, and at that instant, a large projection screen appeared over the colosseum. For the moment, it said nothing.

"I wonder what's gonna be the event?" Gray figured.

Juvia stared at Gray from right next to him, wiggling her hips. "Oh darling, you should be the event!"

"Say what? That makes no sense!" He snapped.

Mato raised his arms to both sides. "Now then, will each participating team send 1 member to begin the preliminary round?"

So that's what the teams did. One by one, they sent one individual for every team was to gather around Mato. From the crowd came several figures, including Thibault of Twilight Ogre. From the crowds stepped up a numerous amount of members.

Ren smirked. "Alrighty, you ready Eve?"

Eve adjusted his tie. "You bet." He walked on.

"Good luck, Eve~!" Jenny chimed.

From Mermaid Heel, the head being a woman with a white ribbon on her head frowned as she closed her eyes. "Arana, go."

"Yes, as you wish." Arana walked up, hence by her ace's wishes.

"Meow! Do your best out there!" Millianna cheered.

"You do great out there!" Risley exclaimed.

Bacchus smirked as he looked around. "Well, who's gonna step up and be a man?"

Nobarly looked all around, seeing the many contestants that were stepping up. "Well we better pick fast, because I wanna see us first!"

Yeager stepped up, walking towards Mato, much to Nobarly's shock. "Huh, w-wait-!"

"Yeah, that's my boy!" Bacchus raised his gourd. "Go and stir up some mayhem!"

"WILD~!"

Lyon stepped up for his guild next. "Very well then. Shall I give us a head start? I prefer to stay ahead of Gray's guild, if that's no trouble."

Jura nodded with understanding. "Very well. Do your best to stay on top then."

"Aroof! You go freeze them!" Toby shouted.

Obaba spun her finger around endlessly. "That's right Lyon, go make yourself a representative of the strongest guild to be! No second fiddles this time, you hear me?!"

The cloaked and tattered man who was the messenger stepped up. "Shall I?"

The Shinigami-like figure smirked. "Yes, let's see what you can do. Just remember to stay low…unless if it's a fight." He instructed.

As for Fairy Tail, they had to make their choice. It was their time to shine once again. The one to raise a fist was Natsu. "Okay, how's about I kick things off-!" He rushed ahead towards everyone, but was instantly withdrawn by Erza's gauntlet grabbing him by the scarf.

"Not so fast, Natsu." She warned. "Set this one out."

"Huh?! But why?!" He barked.

Laxus crossed his arms and grunted. "Dunce."

"What'd you say?!"

"This may not even be a fight at all, did you forget that? Or are you just a lava brain?" Gajeel pointed out.

Natsu's teeth gritted. "Why you…?" He heard footsteps from behind, which drew away from him as he looked over his shoulder. "Huh?" To his complete shock, he watched Craig step up, taking charge of the scenario, even without speaking. "Hey! Get back here! We didn't even decide who was going up yet!"

Craig just kept walking, ignoring everything around him.

"Wha…" He whipped towards Erza, seeing the calmness on her face. "Erza! Say something, would ya?!"

Erza opened her eyes, frowning. "I say we let it be. We'll see where Craig's loyalty lies."

Again, Natsu found himself baffled. "You've gotta be joking! He's the least loyal guy out there! For all we know, he may as well blow us off!"

"Be quiet!" Erza snapped.

Natsu withdrew from her sudden outburst.

"Natsu, I understand your wavering, but you of all people should know by now even if he isn't what he seems…we should know from experience even if his ways aren't fully of reason, he knows what loyalty is. He'll do what he can for us, just wait and see."

"But…"

"C'mon, quit your blubbering, would ya?" Gajeel groaned. "Seriously, if you don't like the guy that much, at least don't look the part."

Natsu was a little contorted inside, but he knew well enough when he was beat to the punch. Anxious and raring for fights wherever he goes, he still has some issues regarding how Craig operates. He saw firsthand what death did to Craig, and the many upon thousands of battles he had to partake in to stay alive. Natsu was raised by a dragon and always believed fighting to win, not to survive. Unfortunately once you have a battle to the death, things twist inside your head in ways you can't imagine. Sanity and innocence is a virtue that eventually expires, something he overlooked.

Gildarts smirked as he watched Craig venture ahead for Fairy Tail. "Well now, guess we got our little monster to shine for us."

Cana sat nearby, nodding. "Yeah…" She trailed off, unwilling to finish what she said. She looked solemnly at Craig and not Gildarts. The tension between her and him was still there, but Cana thought deep of Craig's words and looked at him. 'Soon hopefully.'

Once Craig stepped up amongst the 113 representatives, the cloaked man participating took notice of his barely recognizable face. He stared at him, showing no expressions as they were concealed. Even if possible, he could only show a little skepticism.

Mato looked around, seeing the many who came forth. "Alrighty, looks like we have or customers~! Then if you all would, those participating, please look at the screen above!" He gestured upwards, the massive monitor overhead starting to show a map of Crocus.

Eve blinked. "Hang on, is that a map?"

"The preliminary round shall be…" He again raised his hand up, the screen above showing in big, gold letters 'OBSTACLE COURSE'. "An obstacle race course!"

"You heard it, ladies and gentlemen! It's the prelims being an obstacle race throughout Crocus!" Lola reiterated, much to the crowd's awe.

"A foot race, huh?" Makarov questioned.

"So it would seem." Lisanna said.

Jet smirked in somber glee. "Man, if I had known about that, I'd get us first place no problem. Bummer." He whined.

The screen above changed to black, with the layer being crocus being white lines. A red trail started north on the other side of the mountains, around the huge castle, and driving through a few streets straight up to Domus Flau. "This is your map! The competition will be participating in a contest of wits and speed!" Mato cheerfully explained. "Your task is to make sure you reach Domus Flau without straying from the path. As long as you don't go off course, you're still in the game."

"That's right, folks. This game starts with the base being the opposite end of the city. The objective then on is to go down a straight path and curve all the way around Mercurius. Once you make the whole turn, you can be certain that it's just another straight leap back to here. But make no mistake, wizards are required to stay in bounds at all times."

"Mhm. We'll be keeping a close eye on you all." Yajima said.

"However, just because it's a foot race doesn't mean it's not without risks! The competition had set up ditches, land mines, even wandering machinery made by our Rune Knights to pose threats and slow you down."

Mato nodded. "You betcha! You'll have any means of magic allowed, so long as it's not Teleportation. And you are allowed to use flying or magic for aerodynamics. But we'll have boundaries overhead so look out! And also, here's the catch…"

Everyone looked ahead, staying quiet as Mato began to explain further.

"…only the first 8 teams will be coming out of this! The rest of they don't make it are out!"

At that instant, the entire stadium looked shocked. Nobody saw that coming, not ever.

"Say what?!" Lector shouted.

"Only the first 8 representatives will be moving on to the next round?" Yukino gasped

"Damn, looks like they're cutting down the competition quick." Orga said. "Sting better be on top, for all our sakes."

"Not to worry." Minerva chimed. "I'm sure even Sting knows he won't be beaten so easily. Sabertooth shall come forth this time. Just wait and see."

Arana swallowed. 'So is I make it in 9th, then I let Mermaid Heel down.'

'This'll be a great test, no doubt about it.' Lyon thought.

"Wild!" Yeager shouted.

Craig stayed quiet, his glare fixed ahead. "Alright then. Let's rock some boats."

"Alright, go Cranky!" Cana deliberately shouted, holding whiskey in the air. "Go kick some ass!"

"Win this one for the guild!" Makarov announced.

Mato gave another posture. "Okay then, let's get this show started!" As he spoke said words, a light enveloped the feet of the contestants participating. They all looked down, some caught completely by surprise as they were enveloped in the light. Some gasped and panicked, while some were eager.

Craig looked down, his demeanor sulking. "Oh great, not teleporting again." He groaned before the light enveloped him.

In the next instance, everyone was transported to the streets of Crocus. They were all huddled close to one another, all of whom were in front of a big red starting line. Once they gathered where they were, they all saw Domus Flau perched in the distance, much to some of their shock.

A projection screen appeared over them, revealing Mato as he smiled. "Remember guys, you can use any means of magic, so long as Teleportation isn't in play, and there will be a limit to how high you can fly. Stray straight over and consider yourself disqualified. Be set, because there'll be obstacles of course, which includes multi-terrain and machinery. Now, racers, on your marks!"

Everyone got to position, Craig included. He rattled his head in a position of a dinosaur.

"Get set…"

Lyon and Sting smirked, set for first place.

"…GO!" Mato pointed his finger in the air, a speck of magic sprinkling in a small firework.

At that instant, everyone took off. It started out slow, but overtime, the few seconds turned out well as many were getting ahead. Among the swiftest was Sting, making quick work of his energy. He smirked as he bolted into league.

"And we're off!" Lola exclaimed. "It looks like the competition is getting off to a roaring start! Mr. Yajima, your thoughts?!"

Yajima smiled. "Looks like Sting's chipper to go."

Lector waved his arms about. "Aw yeah, that's our boy, Sting!"

"You show 'em!" Frosch cheered.

Sting hurried along, but the competition wasn't too far behind him. He made quick use of his sprint and went several meters on before he slammed his foot into the ground, getting himself to spring ahead. He smirked as he leaped ahead of the competition. 'Alright, looks like I got the lead. I better get some distance before they try field spells to their liking!'

"Gnnngh!" Yeager clutched both fists and reached out. "Not if I have anything to say about it!"

From straight beneath Sting, a vine snared his leg, catching him off guard. The sudden grasp out of the blue made his heart skip beats.

"And look at that folks, Yeager got the advantage on Sting by using his Plant Magic! What a turnaround!" Lola commented.

Yeager gave an angry face as he was catching up, but the rest of the competition was well separating at this point. He was lucky to have leg muscles because he was about to close in on Sting. As he did, he smirked.

"Lucky shot." Sting said. He hunched forward, aiming between his legs. "But I have my own moves as well." He took in a deep breath, taking in some light as well.

"White Dragon's Roar!"

The breath attack he unleashed went between his legs towards the ground. The ground was enveloped in a bright shockwave that blinded everyone behind, as well as obliterated the vine that encompassed his ankle. The explosion pushed many away, some shielding. Yeager was caught off guard by the attack, his body covering up from the sudden shockwave, blocking stray light waves aiming for him.

"Gnnngh!" He hunched low, while many tried to hold their ground.

With his hood still down, Craig hunched over given his dinosaur genes. He slammed foot after foot into the ground, snarling low as he powered ahead of the blinded crowd. The shockwave may have been tough, but not tough enough.

As the light faded, it was a relief to everyone. However, they saw Sting farther ahead, propelling himself ahead using the drawback of the roar's force driving him upside-down ahead. Once far enough, he flipped and continued running.

"Sorry guys, but you know how it is!" He shouted back.

Yeager gritted his teeth. "Alright, it's on!"

Everyone continued the course, some faltered due to the bright light still lingering in their pupils. They all hurried to the best of their abilities. Among those ahead, they comprised of Craig, Lyon, and many other 20 or so mages.

As Lyon went on, he reached his hand down towards the ground. It began to create a cold mist. "I hate to do this so early, but I won't be taking chances!" At his command, the ground froze up in a thin sheet of ice that followed him. Soon enough, said ice field spread, freezing up the ground beneath everyone following.

Many casual guild members were caught off guard, with some eventually slipping and falling. "Woah!" A female guild member fell on her side, with someone following in the process."

"And just like that, Lyon Vastia takes the advantage for his guild!" Lola shouted.

"Using ice to slow down the competition is a very tactful thinking. Well played." Yajima commented.

Foy Lyon, it was a win-win. He smirked as he pressed on, leaving the majority of the competition in the dust, or rather ice. As they were all forced to slow down, some were forced to using some Take Over and flying forms of magic. A girl grew bird wings and soared, while others went for the old take it nice and slow.

And some were going steady and fast.

Cana's eyes raised a brow at what she was seeing. "Well what do you know." What she saw was best described as Craig, but he seemed lethargic as he shifted his feet side to side, like a skater. He stayed focus and reserved as he pivoted and casually passed slipping members. As he bladed ahead, his feet were shifting about to his delight. As one more fell in front of him, he did a pivot, spin, and skipped overhead. It was like he was figure skating.

"Wow! Look at Craig go!" Happy shouted.

"He's moving quite gracefully if I do say so myself." Pantherlily said.

"Well I certainly didn't expect him to have skating prowess, who would've thought?" Carla said.

Gildarts watched as Craig practically pirouette over another fallen body, landing with one leg up and leaning forward. "Huh, didn't know he could do that."

Craig had a focused state as he continued skating. 'All those battles on ice and some on that ice lake paid off. I forgot how dumb luck was on my side when I was 14 and…' He shook himself out of his thoughts, realizing he still had a competition to win. With one last urge, he sped over the ice, moving to a slide over the pavement for a few meters before trekking in large stomps once more.

As other followed along, they too were getting innovative. Arana was using Thread Magic to make webs to hold her footing. Thankfully it worked, but others were using it to their advantage as well. Slowly, the competition that was still able-bodied was getting across.

"Almost there!" A competitor shouted. He hurried over Arana's web she left behind, and he noticed a shadow over his head. "Huh?" He looked up, seeing a black condor flying. His eyes widened as it was twenty feet above and had a menacing shady appeal. "What the-oof!" The web beneath suddenly froze over, cooled down by the ice. His shoes got stuck and he smacked his entire body on the chin.

Not far behind, another contestant slipped, and a few more bumped into the other, crashing and making slip ups. As they did, the bird slowly flapped over their heads, sailing on while the competition was left grounded.

"And it looks like the mind games are over for now!" Lola cheered.

"Maybe, but those still slowed down got a ways to go to reach the top now." Yajima said. "And speaking of which…"

Sting continued on, knowing Lyon was well behind. He maintained a stable lead, pressing harder until he saw something up ahead, catching him in question. "What the…?"

What lied ahead was a huge row of what appeared to be large tank-like blasters. They almost resembled robots, yet they didn't. They had a lot of holes opening in front, like a heavy artillery-laser blaster.

"And here comes the next leg of the race: The Mechanical Vanguard! Generously provided by the Magic Council Research and Development department." Lola added.

"What a sight indeed." Yakima said. "And ladies and gentlemen, these things pack a wallop!"

"Though prototypes at best, the council allowed us to use them as we saw fit for the competition…so long as they stayed at low power. Can't really cause collateral damage now. But be warned, even at low power, their volley of magic blasts are what pushes the forces to the breaking point under heavy fire."

The many canons and lock-on sequences repositioned themselves, all sets of five staying large and mighty, towering and many conjunctions sliding apart and opening, revealing more canons that prodded out of the shoulders. The stationary robot-like machinery began to volley as Sting came forth, their attack officially beginning.

Many upon many volleys were fired in succession, low level magic blasts that sped like gunfire. In a hurry, Sting dodged many heading his way, shifting left and right. The attack went on, assaulting those incoming from behind, primarily the few who were tailing.

"What's this? Machine blockades?" Lyon exclaimed. He looked at the attacks incoming, small sphere after sphere unleashed. 'Their firing mass is massive! I'll have to intercept the ones ahead before they wear down my magic supply.' He made way towards the shooting volley, but for the ones heading directly at him, he reached his arm out, which misted.

"Ice-Make: Dragonfly!"

At his call, he summoned dragonflies made up of ice. He trekked head on, the attack intercepting the volleys. However, that only served to make him stay careful as the many canons and lasers still outnumbered him. He trekked slower, but managed to meet Sting's distance.

"And it looks like Lyon is intercepting using his own magic to fight back! Now he and Sting are once again sharing a spot for first place!" Lola shouted.

"Boy, he sure is rockin' it hard like a pumpkin in a soiled dirt garden." Beth said.

Kagura spectated the lacrima-vision overhead. "True." She suspiciously looked up, her focus on the rate he was going. "But if he keeps that up, he'll consume his own magic. This is a test to show their strategy in dealing with defense."

Gray watched from the sidelines with the rest of Fairy Tail, watching Lyon slowly advance while Sting was bouncing about ahead, making little progress either way. "Man, he's getting nowhere. And those things don't let up one bit. If they can fire that many times, then how in the heck do they get across?"

"I'll say. It's a tough call." Macao evaluated.

The volleys continued on, many of mages running ahead seeing how they were under fire. They all hurried and dodged or countered with magic like Lyon and Sting were doing, however low power blasts still went through some spells. Even defensive spells were broken through, making many fall backwards. The rate they all traveled made it as hard as before. Those who chose the flying route were also under threat. The winged warriors who were animal hybrids or using Air Magic stayed sharp and carried themselves about, dodging all about.

One girl was being targeted by several volleys as she was a transformed hawk. In a panic, she ascended. She flapped on until she hit her head on an invisible forcefield. "Ouch!" She whined. In her whimper, a spherical blast closed in, knocking her out of the sky.

"Even those in the air are having trouble?" Lucy gasped.

"They're not playing around, are they?" Wendy asked.

As many mages tried to find ways around, some stopped dead in place, some enabling their own magic and using Earth and Shadow Magic. Those who could turn to vapor did so, but one slipped into a shadow while several Earth Mages bored holes into the ground, making them go under.

Arana jumped into hole, following. "Not so fast!" She followed inside.

"And it looks like competitors are starting to find ways around. I can see those who have intangibility are making way through." Lola evaluated, seeing a mage turn translucent and phase through struggling opponents. "Looks like things are really going to heat up now!"

As Sting and Lyon were mere meters at the base of one of the ten-foot-tall laserman-like figures, they knew they couldn't let anyone else take the league. As they closed in, the leg canons fired ahead, unleashing beams that caused them both to dodge to the side. Both contestants got their footing, finding themselves at a stalemate.

"Damnit, what a pain." Sting cursed.

Lyon shifted and leaned in various directions, evading close-range blasts. 'These guys, they're not letting up-!'

SWOOSH!

Behind, shimmering sounds were heard, and both Sting and Lyon's ears shimmered as well as they looked over their shoulders. They could've sworn they saw glints of red before everything exploded. Burst after burst erupted the scenery in white, yet through the smoke, a hooded figure sprinted forth, closing in on them.

To everyone's shock, the brown hood and the two red swords in hand were a clear indicator. They all watched as he flawlessly slashed clean through the energy spheres like butter, one right after the other.

"What?" Sting gasped.

Fairy Tail cheered as they saw Craig slicing his way towards first, literally. He cut deeply in each blast like nothing, and at speeds for just two swords.

"Woohoo! Go, Craig!" Happy shouted.

"Show them what you're made of!" Lisanna cheered.

Elfman flexed. "Be a man and rip them up!"

Craig sliced straight into the fray, closing in mere meters away from Lyon and Sting. As he did, time slowed down considerably. 'I have to keep charging ahead.' He sliced again. 'If I use my chi here and now and erase them all, everyone will have an all-clear. I know what I have to do, and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure I reach the finish line!'

Seeing as how Craig was just about to pass them, Lyon and Sting slowly looked back, lasers pointed at them. As Craig slowly passed, their patience ran thin. Simultaneously, mist and light appeared in their hands.

"That's it! Ice-Make: Snow Tiger!"

"White Dragon's Roar!"

"Scissor Runner!"

With the three directly in front of them, the trio unleashed their respective attacks. A white streaming laser broke straight through the hunk of metal. A large icy tiger made of ice pounced onto a robot, completely making it fall over. And as Craig snipped his blades and passed one robot, the legs were completely cut off, leaving it to instead collapse forward. All at once, the three disembodied figures were enveloped in explosive bursts of energy that encompassed the area on a powerful force. Everyone still trying to catch up shrieked as they covered up from the winds generated, rendering them open to attack. As they were all still boiling it down to the stalemate, Craig and the others leaped through the other side of the dissipating burst cloud, giving them a head in the competition.

"And would you look at that, ladies and gentlemen, it looks like we now have a three-way tie!" Lola shouted. "Could it be that these contestants are in the top 3? Who knows?! But look at the damage they caused. 3 of the seven massive machines were taken down just like that!"

The crowd was in awe as they saw the three-way title. Craig followed alongside Lyon and Sting, both making swift work in pacing with what Magic Power was left.

"Lyon's ice and Sting's workmanship with his Dragon Slayer powers were executed well." Yajima commented. "As for that last one, using swords to cleave straight through all that alloy and bolts, it's quite the skill."

Watching, Kagura's attention was kept on Craig. She saw his blades and the way he went through, but in the end, she only kept it at bay rather than let such a thing bother her.

"Wow, so cool!" Beth exclaimed.

"I'll say. But where's Arana?" Millianna worried. "I don't see her."

As the trio was making headway, the ground beneath Craig suddenly felt light. In a stroke of shock, his attention went underneath and faltered backwards, watching as the ground burst right in front of him. He covered up, looking mildly shocked, but at the same time angry as momentum was lost. "Damnit!" He was also caught off guard with a massive piece of metal from one of the machines that exploded behind twirled and landed vertically beside him, sticking out of the ground. "Hell-?!"

From the hole sprung some mages, who followed the head Earth Mage. Those who followed included Arana, alleviating Millianna's worries.

"And it looks like the alternative modes of passage are starting to come around!" Lola shouted.

Gajeel evaluated with crossed arms. "Great, so much for that lead." He huffed.

"Well he isn't too far behind still." Laxus said.

Cana raised her booze bottle. Yelling loudly at the lacrima-vision. "Hey! What was that?! Get your ass in the game, would ya?!"

Craig grunted and crouched. He knew he had to pick up the pace, and that he did. He gritted his teeth and looked at the fresh piece of metal that was the size of a surfboard. He looked at it and back at the competitors running ahead. 'What am I doing? I have to keep moving!' Out of quick thinking, he withdrew his blades back into their sheaths. He reached for the piece of metal with the small faulty wire embedded on its side and tore it from the earth with a gruff, but not without the price of other contestants closing in from behind and above. He yanked it free, managing a trek ahead.

'Alright, I can use this as a shield or a cushion if I have to. Make use of what trash and scrap people throw away, and consider it a treasure! This my slow me down a bit, but I know I'll make up for it eventually! Just bear with me, guys!'

As people were starting to run ahead with the opening through the debris field, the remaining robots were shooting at others, and many mages still in the air were getting desperate. Some reached the altitude limit, which was close to 100 ft. Some even got sneaky and went as far as fly over buildings, but unfortunately when they stayed off the streets, they were suddenly transported in a flash back in the balconies of their teams, much to their shock.

"And another one got antsy and bites the dust!" Mato announced.

"Oh, what?! What was that?!" Natsu exclaimed.

"So it is true." Erza evaluated. "If you stray off the course too long, you're disqualified. And if you're not able-bodied, you're cut from the race. In other words, from my count, it looks like 10 were already eliminated."

"Well that's good for us. Less competition to deal with." Gajeel said.

The robots were all still firing, while the black condor sailed on. It flapped on like nothing was going to happen. As a robot straight beneath looked up, it aimed for it. But something went wrong as static began to enflame a shoulder. Static flared all over quickly, making it jerk left and right like a truly malfunctioning piece of work. The shoulder burst, the many shoulder canons instead puffing out smoke. The equipment inside was reduced to flame, overheating and making it all shut down and hunch over.

While some were confused, some used that to their advantage. It was one less artillery to worry about. With lesser fore power against them, many mages began unleashing spells and more Magic Power that began to repel attacks, while others were launched to clog up the holes of some canons, shutting down more systems in all the robots. The ones available continued running.

"And it looks like that obstacle has been cleared!" Lola shouted. "Quite a few teams didn't make the cut, but worry not, for we still have many more obstacles that lie ahead! Let's get the cameras to what lies in store for those closing on Mercurius! Introducing…the rope bridges!"

There was a massive circumference of what was shown as a valley that was embedded into the ground, going on endlessly like a gorge. The valley surrounded the entire castle, giving many the option of choosing either way to make it to the other end with literally a few ropes and many upon many footholds that were large round pillars, evenly spaced apart. Some pillars were either connected by ropes, or small bridges even, while some were so close that one didn't even need a rope. By now, the first to arrive was Sting and Lyon.

"And as expected, Sabertooth and Blue Pegasus are in the league!"

Sting looked at Lyon, seeing the exasperated look on his face. It made him snicker. "Heh." He went straight for the big bridge that led to a wayward foothold. "See ya at the finish line!" He shouted.

Lector smiled wide as he watched him go. "Yeah, that a boy, Sting! No time for waiting around!"

"Yeah!" Frosch cheered.

Jiemma watched with his guild, his dull glare fixed on the lacrima-vision. From the way his arms were crossed, he wasn't looking too thrilled.

Lyon watched as Sting made quick work of getting over the sturdy bridge. Thankfully it wasn't rickety, making It not-so bouncy for Dragon Slayers. His main opponent was making headway, but Lyon was moderately calm about his circumstances. In fact, he was shown smirking.

"Well now, guess I should start getting a little creative then." He figured. "If I prefer to not be spun by that old hag, I guess I have no choice now. Let's go!" He put his hands together, conjuring up a bit of Magic Power.

"Ice-Make: Water Serpent!"

In a bright flash, the ground beneath Lyon was gushed by a summoned aquatic cold serpent made up of cold ice. Due to the length, it stretched far ahead, arching Lyon over many footholds and bridges like he rode over some rainbow.

Sting looked at Lyon go his eyes wide.

"See you at the finish line!" Lyon shouted, his spell's head reaching the base of a foothold. Once his feet touched the ground, the icy bridge that was the serpent cracked and shattered to sparkling bits, leaving a dazzling sparkling arch that rained ever so softly.

Not far behind, Eve saw the spectacle, sweat-dropping. "Wow, a showoff much?"

"Look who's talking, pretty boy." Arana smirked, running at a similar pace beside him.

He smirked back. "That's a compliment coming from a lady as fine as you."

"Charming your way to first isn't going to work on me, sweetie." She explained. "But it's cute to see you try. Maybe you can try again when the preliminaries are over." She winked.

Eve only ran faster, smirking with growing determination. "Sounds good to me! Hope to don't mind second!" He hurried on with the rest of the first twenty or so individuals. He was able to secure a spot on a bridge rather than take chances with a single rope to squirm on. The only problem was that the bridge was rather crowded, much to his surprise.

Arana saw his predicament and snickered. "Well good luck with that!" She reached the edge of a large foothold, seeing the distance was pretty far. "Let's go!" She put her hands together, creating a magic seal in which threads that were sticky were unleashed. They were shot in a spider web fashion, creating a small but seemingly balanced bridge for Arana to get across.

Nearby, Yeager was catching up, but he was close enough to have seen what Arana was up to. Following example, he did his own thing and created vines on the ground beneath. The vines went straight forward, piercing the foothold on the other side. Once making the bridge, it was time to cross. He hurried along, carrying himself with no delay.

"And here's where mages are starting to get extra creative, ladies and gentlemen!" Lola exclaimed, his supposed combed wig almost getting frizzy from the energy he was feeling. "This is getting super intense, people! It looks like Lyon is in the lead, and Sting of Sabertooth is in a closing second. Meanwhile, it looks like we're getting other competitors to share bridges, and I don't think they like playing second fiddle."

A few mages of other guilds were either balancing on ropes, crossing, jumping, or even using flying magic still to get across. They all sailed over and into the fray, and some were willing to bend their luck on Jager and Arana's innovation at hand. Some were bold as to pile onto Arana and Yeager's webs and vines, only they didn't account the weight limit. The threads and vines stretched down, wobbling even. Some lost balance and fell into the darkness below, and some barely held on before the webs and vines snapped, sending many plummeting down below. In the next instant, they all reappeared in front of their teams in the balconies.

Eve continued to run on. 'Looks like the competition is getting rather risky piggybacking on other magics than their own. That's going to cost them big time. As for me…' He looked ahead, seeing the many still unwilling to share the bridge. Those in front had no idea what was in store for them.

Eve gave a serious face as he reached an arm out. "Alright! Blizzard!" With his magic, a cold atmospheric blizzard surge, though condensed it was. Snow and cold winds rushed from behind him, leaving the competitors up front to be hit and hold onto to rope railing to keep from falling. They all shivered as Eve used this to his advantage and ran ahead.

"And there you have it! Eve of Blue Pegasus is rocketing his way up to the bridge's end with his Snow Magic!"

The crowd around Blue Pegasus cheered in satisfaction, leaving others mildly surprised.

"About time he steps up." Ren teased.

"True, but I think holding out until the right time fits him quite well." Hibiki commented. "The guy's got it going if he keep this up."

Eve kept running up the bridge, bypassing shivering contestants. 'With this, I should be able to slow down my competition, at least for a short while. And with this blizzard, the cold air will give me a tailwind. I should get a nice speed increase for now.' Of course he fell short when the contestants cleared away, giving view to a large metallic piece…walking. "Huh?" He gasped. "Hey, wai-!"

It was too late. Eve miscalculated and crashed face first into the large rectangular robot piece. The bump-in was so hard that it made the person holding it lurch ahead, almost stepping over the edge of the foothold.

As Eve slumped down, the piece of metal turned, revealing a hooded Craig looking down questionable at Eve. "Huh?" In truth, he felt nothing, not even the cold given how the metal absorbed it all. He looked down, looking casually at Eve. "Uh, you okay?" He asked quizzically.

"Ow-Owwww…"

Jenny facepalmed. "Good grief."

"Well he had it going for him while it lasted." Ren said.

Trekking on, Craig shrugged off any needed concerns and went bolting forth. He had the aim of getting to the top 6 for his guild-no, number one. He had to hurry, even with the extra weight gain. He held on tightly towards the rope and hung upside-down, leaving his new shield to face the darkness down below. He crawled swiftly, making headway as others followed right behind.

"Alright, looks like he's still making good timing." Gildarts said, smiling up at the screen. However, his daughter didn't share the same enthusiasm.

"You're joking, right? He's getting slower, look!" She referred to him carrying his shield, which was convenient for his sake, but nobody knew that.

"Yeah, I hate to say it, but I think the extra defense may be a bad move." Mirajane pointed out.

"Guess we better see where this goes." Gray figured.

Juvia stayed right by his side, eyes being big hearts. "I know where I wanna go tonight!"

"This isn't the time!" He snapped.

"At least we're still ahead a little." Bisca figured.

"Yeah. I'm just feeling sorry for those guys back there." Alzack admitted.

As Craig continued, the black condor sailed low to accommodate the competition rules. He craned his head and maintained a slow and steady watch, Craig catching his eyesight. He tilted his head, cawing as he stabilized his trajectory. Meanwhile, beneath him, some mages that were crawling on rope had it snap. The rope swung them in either direction, but some couldn't take it and feel into pitch-black, returning to the stadium in dirt. The bridges had some broken boards, rendering some mages to halt traffic, and some fell straight through. Once again, another 10 or so were knocked off, including Thibault of Twilight Ogre.

Mato watched as some teams and guild despaired, some crying even as they lost in the qualifying rounds. "Boy, what a show we have." He looked back at the lacrima screen, staring at Lyon jumping over the edge and at last making it to the straight stretch. "Who'd to thought."

Obaba twirled her finger at the monitor. "Yeah! Let's go, Lyon! Show them what true power is or I'll spin you!"

"I must say, Lyon doing quite well for himself." Jura admitted. "I never saw him so adept to his element before. Perhaps having him enter this round was a better choice than predicted."

Yukino held a fist to her chest, showing worry. "Come on, Sting. I know you can do this…"

Jiemma glared at the screen, watching as Sting finally cleared the gorge.

Lyon smirked as he continued running. As he went on, however, he lost his frown. "Huh?" In a state of shock, he slowed to a stop, standing before a massive field of dirt. "What's this?"

Before him was more than just dirt, but a long trail of dirt embedded into the pavement. It had a lot of odd dark circles if one looked closely, but the trick was that there were more of them closer to him than there were at the end.

"And now, we've reached the last obstacle! Everyone, give it up for the mine field!" Lola declared. "I should warn you guys that these bombs were not designed to be all that powerful, so instead, they were meant to be on the more flashy side…but it's still awesome to watch!"

As he ran like a dinosaur, taking heavy footsteps, Craig stomped on ahead. 'Damnit. Looks like I'm still behind. Can't dawdle like this, gotta get going!' He sped up a little, barely keeping up with competitors following.

Lyon began his venture, taking his steps very carefully. He had eyes and ears down on the ground, being certain to map out the dark circles that were covering nearly every inch. 'It looks like using pressure won't do any good. And if it looks that way, there's also the fact that my ice may backfire. If I freeze the whole field over, I could risk getting it all to explode together. Got to be careful around-!' He caught cut off from his thoughts when he felt a very uncanny Magic Power. His eyes drew towards the loud caw that came from behind, almost making his heart stop. When he looked up, he saw a black condor. He didn't look too friendly. It was also this reason that he fell short to react when a bright light came from behind.

"I got you!" Out of the blue, Sting jabbed forward, his fist missing Lyon at the last second. His wayward dodging left him to barely grasp how Sting caught up, leaning ahead to gain the lead again.

Lyon looked shocked as Sting was seen in slow motion, smirking at his expense. 'How did he catch up so quickly?'

The crowd once again grew in a powerful cheer for the change of events.

"Looks like Sting's come back with a vengeance!" Lola shouted.

Rogue took notice of Sting's excitement. "Looks like he's really into it. Look at him." He saw the deep intensity in his eyes as he tried to jab at Lyon again, but dodged. "He really doesn't want to lose to him."

"I wouldn't either, I'll say that." Orga admitted. "If that were me, I'd blow it all up."

Minerva had a hand to her hip. "Perhaps, but Sting can be subtle to a degree. We just need him to keep this up without him sustaining collateral damage is all."

"Come on, pal! Fight!" Lector screamed.

"Go, go, go!" Frosch cheered.

Lyon dodged another white jab, making sure to not get touched by the land mines at his feet. He only dodged, making him that much more cautious and slower than intended. Once he dodged another one, he brought an icy fist of his own into play. "So that's your game, is it? Allow me to repay the gratitude!"

"Bring it!"

And so it went, as Sting and Lyon engaged in a heated parry, other competitors were rocketing towards the land mines. Some were out of breath, and thus went for nice and slow. Even Arana went subtle since her webs wouldn't do much help. Yeager nervously crossed, and some were most unfortunate. Some dashed, tripping over land mines that exploded into bright bursts of smoke. It was like a party balloon popping. Some went flying, and some cowered, but nevertheless, they kept on going.

Soon enough, Eve caught on, seeing how he could make it all work. "Okay then…" He pressed his hands together, making frost. "Here I go~!" He reached out, summoning a linear blast of frost and snow that went forward. All the snow began to pile up, making a dense trail fit for him. He jumped on, his footprint embedding into the thick blanket of wintertime beauty. As he ran on, he continued shooting snow to carve a path.

Lola turned towards Yajima. "Yajima, are you seeing this?"

"Yes indeed. Looks like the boy's bringing the best in his magic." He said. "He's making a layer above the ground so deep that the pressure won't be anywhere near the bottom. In other words, he built a trail fit for his body and weight."

Ichiya smiled in pride. "Good show. What a proud member he is out there, brilliant." He sparkled.

Ren smirked. "Looks like he's going to catch up sooner than the others think."

"Yeah, he's closing in on Lamia Scale and Sabertooth already." Jenny pointed out.

As Eve hurried on, the others were getting precautious. Amongst them was Craig, who at last caught up. Compared to him, Lyon and Sting were both over halfway finished. His eyes beneath his hood showed hostility. 'Crap, look at how far they've gotten. Even that guy that bumped into me is catching up to them. How ironic, but this isn't good.' Ahead of him, many land mines detonated, scaring the competitors. 'Guys with Earth Magic may have had an advantage earlier, but that's turned against them. Touch the ground and you're as good as a birthday piñata. Even the most skilled and swiftest can't be too careful around here. As long as you can't fly, you're slowed down. But…' His eyes sharpened. 'That greatest weakness can also be my greatest strength. If there's an up, there's a down. So maybe…' His fixation began to widen, looking around him in shock. He gasped when he saw how many landmines were nearby. When it hit him, he realized what he could do.

He recalled incidents where he was shot out of a cannon, more than once even. He thought about a geyser mountain he once had to sled down. He was going over a gorge, but when he didn't have enough speed on his slate surfboard, a geyser erupted beneath, not only shooting him skyward and over the massive domain, but also…

With the shield in hand, he began to use the tip and stabbed the ground with it. He grinned. "Alright, time to aim for new heights!"

"This is getting seriously intense, folks! Everyone is on edge as Eve of Blue Pegasus is slowly making his way towards first place, but will Lyon and Sting manage to pull themselves together?" Lola announced to where the crowd was getting all riled up. "The explosions keep coming, and many are fallen on their butts. The very few still able to fly can barely keep themselves stable after all the flying. It's looking rough, but who will make it out of the field first?!"

"It's me!" Sting punched again, missing.

"It'll be Lamia!" Lyon jabbed, avoided.

Eve panted as he continued to run on his ever-expanding snow trail. "It's gonna be Pegasus who's taking the goal!" Surprising as it was, Lyon and Sting just realized how fast Eve was progressing. To see the shocks on their faces was worth it for the blonde.

"Yes! Go, Eve!" Ichiya shouted. "Men!"

Bacchus leaned over the balcony. "Hey, what're you doing Yeager?! Pick it up!"

Everyone was making headway, some exploding from the small landmines, yet it was all coming together for Craig. As others were progressing, Craig stuck around the back, looking to be scraping away at the ground with said plate.

"Wait, what the heck?!" Natsu exclaimed. "What is he doing?!"

"Is he even trying to compete now?" Gajeel questioned.

Erza squinted her eyes, trying to get a look at what Craig was doing. "It's strange. Just what is he planning?"

"Well whatever he's doing, he's gathering quite a bit of those landmines out there." Laxus pointed out.

True to what he said, Craig pressed down, using the plate like it was a crowbar and pried the landmine out of the ground, still intact. 'Okay, there's another.' He moved into another spot.

Watching, Fairy Tail looked indefinitely confused, especially Cana. She held the booze bottle in hand, drawing a furrowed brow and giving a glare to "Cranky". 'What is he doing with all those landmines?' She thought. 'If he's trying to dig them up, he'll only be slowed down. Maybe he knows that and is planning to use those things another way, but how? So far he's just gathering a bunch while 3 are already tied for 1st.' Cana's inquiry was not met with an answer. She only watched as Craig was dragging the landmines slowly and carefully to a single spot. "Whatever you're planning, you better hope it works."

"Got any ideas on what he's trying out?" Gray asked.

"No, I'm afraid I have no idea." Juvia apologized.

The group that was the cloaked figures stayed hidden inside their balcony. They all watched with anticipation as they still saw Craig with his hood on. They were very much suspicious of who he was, but as far as what they knew, it could be who they knew it was all along.

Craig lifted his makeshift shield, giving a low pant as he inspected his work. "Well, guess it was a good thing I made use of miscellaneous material after all." He looked down, seeing how in a ditch lied at least 15 bombs. He knew how long it took to dig them all up, and he knew how much ground he still needed to make up for, but by the end it better be the results he wanted. He held up the shield to his front, crouching, taking a step away from the landmines present.

"Alright then." He sighed. "Time to go kaboom." He went running for ahead. He took a big leap and left the ground. "TIME TO GO OUT WITH A BANG!"

The entire landmine was caught off guard when several glints were seen, mere seconds before a voluminous explosion skyrocketed. The earth trembled, and the explosive field expanded out in a powerful light. Sting, Lyon, and Eve all stopped dead in their tracks, turning around at the bright shockwave that rattled almost half of the entire landmine field. They covered up as a shockwave and gust pulsated, running through nearby buildings and shattering windows. The massive eruption caught the contestants and spectators alike in a daze. They all went wide-eyed and had no idea what just happened.

"What was that?! That explosion was way more incredible than it should've been!" Lola gasped.

"My goodness!" Yajima yelped.

As the explosive atmosphere rampaged, everyone still down on the minefield were covered up. Some managed to see something out of the smoke that was skyrocketing. To some, it was a massive shock. Sting and Lyon both looked up at the smoke cloud's bud, seeing a bolt flying with its residue fading around it.

As it came into view for all to see, Lola's eyes widened. "AWESOME!"

Cana jumped out of her seat. "Oh hell! Did he seriously-!"

"YES!" Gildarts cheered.

All those ahead and below watched in awe as Craig emerged out of the smoke clod's top, flying at unimaginable speeds over the entire landmine sequence. As he held onto his plate he had bunker and act as the shield, his hood slipped off, revealing his face for everyone to bear witness to. The look he had was that of a man bent on winning; someone who was closing in with a vulgar passion.

It didn't hit Eve until it flew over his head. "…wait, no way!"

"YES WAY! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, FAIRY TAIL'S CRAIG CRIUS HAS LITERALLY FLUNG HIMSELF INTO THE LEAD!" Lola screamed.

Again, the crowd went completely nuts over the change of events.

"YE~S!" Macao shrieked.

"AYE!" Happy shouted.

"Man, he literally just flew over everyone's heads!" Pantherlily exclaimed. "I knew there was a saying called my way or the highway…but he literally took it the highway!"

Gray pumped a fist. "Now that's how you get a lead!"

"WOAH! WHAT?!" Natsu roared.

Erza nodded. "So that was his plan all along." She smiled up at the screen. "Craig Crius, what an interesting mind you certainly have."

Craig continued flying, using his plate as a board as he sailed far and high. He had a serious look in his eyes and face, one that startled the cloaked figures down in the balconies. They all looked up with shock, many of whom were left petrified.

"Sir, that's…!"

"It's him. No doubt about it."

The scythe carrier went wide-eyed as he saw Craig. He had no words to describe how he felt, or what he felt for that matter.

As Craig flew overhead, Sting almost floored at the realization. "Tch, wait a minute!" He made a mad dash straight ahead, his footing still careful. "I'm not through yet!"

Catching himself in his folly, Lyon kept running. "Right!" He sped on. Not far behind, Eve, implemented his magic, making his snow trail again. All three once again went straight for the exit, while Craig began to land not too far ahead of them.

As Craig began to lose momentum, his eyes narrowed. 'Just one more!' As he felt forward, he held onto the wiring of the shield plate, and thus twisted and flipped his body over. "JUST ONE MORE!"

At the same time Eve, Sting, and Lyon were slowly at the same length he was, his makeshift weapon slammed into the ground - hard! The pulsating energy was echoing like clanking as beneath were a few landmine circles.

BOOM!

Once again, a rather large explosion – though not as grand as before – slingshot Craig on his plate ahead. The momentum worked against Sting, Lyon, and Eve, all of them being blown away by the close-range explosion. Point-blank even! They were separated under shockwaves that flung Craig and his board straight through the last leg of the minefield, the momentum so great that he shredded over Crocus' street all the way straight towards the path leading to Domus Flau.

"UNBELIEVABLE! Craig gave one more burst, and everyone else was left behind in the dust! He cleared that minefield without having laying foot into it!"

Cana raised her glass high. "Aw yeah! That's our badass!"

"Go, Craig!" Droy screamed.

"It's all you!" Jet shrieked.

Craig drifted with his board until he was going slower. Having no choice, Craig took one more leap off the board, leaving it to sit on the hill as he charged like a raptor towards the stadium.

As Craig drove himself him with a fierce fire, the condor-like figure hovered at a low level, yet it still raced slowly behind. Rather it watched everyone down below, seeing the remaining contestants struggle.

The Domus Flay colosseum rattled and shook with power to burn and energy to scream out. Everyone was completely off guard and they couldn't be happier. The cameras all closed in on the tunnel, someone bound to enter eventually.

Lola's eyes beamed wide. "And the winner is…"

A pair of leg weights were seen, as was a very sharp pair of fangs.

"Craig Crius of Fairy Tail!"

The crowd once again screamed in a frenzy so great, that the stadium literally shook from its core. Jet and Droy held each other and cried tears of joy, their prayers answered, as were everyone else's. They had nothing to say, nothing to speak of. Instead, they all just screamed and clapped.

"YE~S! Bring home victory!" Makarov yelled.

"Hooray!" Asuka celebrated.

"That was amazing." Freed gasped.

"Hell yeah! That was freakin awesome!" Bickslow exclaimed.

Evergreen adjusted her glasses, smirking nervously. "Well, if you ask me, he went too far and scared us." She looked impishly away. "But I guess we gotta give credit where credit is due."

Elman raised his arms. "Yeah! Way to be a man!"

Craig walked around in a daze, trying to catch his breath after that long run. He panted, in and out, in and out. For some reason, his mind drew a blank as he breathed. He was so clear that he could only focus on breathing. He labored in his dazed breath, but eventually grasped it when a good minute passed by.

When that time passed, he looked over, seeing Cana. When he saw the look on her face, he saw a smirk. It wasn't coy or diminutive by any means, but she gave him a smirk of approval. His eyes stayed fixated on her, and she took full notice and advantage of it.

In return, Cana flashed him a wink, in which Craig smirked and sneered at the corner of his lip. It made Cana chuckle, but in an amused way. She turned away and went back to her seat with pride in her heart. 'Looks like I was worried over nothing. He really kept me on my toes.' She lowered her bottom and sat back. 'Thank goodness.' She crossed one leg over the other and sighed in full relief.

As Craig stood in the colosseum, the attention directed towards the entrance, where there was another contestant entering the domain.

"And it looks like Sting of Sabertooth had come to a clean second!" Lola examined. "And it looks to be Lyon in third, and Eve in fourth! What a big turnaround!"

Finally passing preliminaries, Sting hunched over, catching his breath as his body was covered in dirt. He breathed in and out, catching his breath, especially after that tricky tactic Craig pulled. He caught his breath, unable to pull it off in his mind.

"Oh man, Sting…" Lector worried.

"Is he okay?" Frosch worries.

Orga shrugged. "The guy looks fine to me."

"A tad disheartening to say the least." Rufus admitted. "Well, at least I know have a new memory in store."

Sting continued to take it easy, ignoring his dirty attire and looked at Craig from the corner of his eye. He watched as Craig had his head down and continued to walk and stretch off his limbs and muscles. The way Sting glared at him, he could feel something inside of him boil. Something about Craig riled him up. Was it because of what Craig pulled? Was it perhaps how he continued to pull fist ones or show them up? He didn't know, and he most certainly didn't care. What mattered was that Craig finally had his full attention, and he was sure to give it his all to show Craig up in his own way.

Lyon dusted his attire off, frowning pitifully. "So that was the handiwork of that new member of Gray's guild. Guess I underestimated our chances here." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "The old hag is going to spin my head off for this."

"Well that was a game-changer." Jura spoke up. "That's the intellect of Craig Crius, I see."

Ichiya struck another pose. "Ah, I smell the parfume of wonder. Sniff, sniff." He sniffed the air. "As I recall, that is Craig Crius, am I right?"

"Man, the guy beat Eve like he was putty." Hibiki said.

"I forgot how cunning he can be at deceit as well." Ren reminded. "Wasn't it that long ago we had to stop Essence."

Jenny crossed her arms beneath her chest, giving a pout. "Yeah. Seriously, doesn't that guy have like no magic in him?" She reminded them.

Hibiki put a hand underneath his chin. "Huh, that's a good point. Still, he's also not human entirely, and he has other attributes like no ethernano. It's strange, but I guess in a case such as this, Fairy Tail may be thinking a step ahead of us."

Kagura glared at Craig, her eyes staying sharp as she took in every feature he had. She especially took notice of his many sheaths. When thinking back to it, Craig didn't use the gold one yet. That's what piqued the swordswoman. 'Craig Crius…'

Millianna pointed over the balcony. "Look! It's Arana!"

True to what she said, Arana panted as she hurried into the colosseum, with Jager not too far behind. Both made it in sequence, earning rounds of applause from the spectators.

"And Arana of Mermaid Heel passes qualifying rounds, as does Yeager of Quatro Cerberus! Good job to the both of you!" Lola commented.

Risley smirked in glee. "Well I'll be. The girl pulled it off."

"We're moving onto the competition!" Beth squealed.

Bacchus raised his gourd, smiling wide. "Alright, that's what I wanna see when I my soul is all shaken and stirred! You're wild, man!"

Goldmine nodded in approval. "Good job out there."

Yeager caught his breath and faced his guild. He flexed and raised his head high. "WILD~!" He roared, earning the same call from his comrades.

As Arana caught her breath, she raised her head up, looking a little mournful. "Boy, what a letdown." Within her own self-pity, she was met with shoes and a figure approaching. She looked up, recognizing it being Eve.

He smiled. "Cheer up. You still made it pass the qualifying rounds, right? I'm sure you did fine out there."

Arana was caught off guard by the cheesy womanizer, but in a sense it made her feel relieved someone cared. Maybe she was putting herself down too early and is already paranoid? No, not likely, but even though it wasn't 1st, she did get her team to the next round, and that was good enough or her. She snickered, which caught Eve by surprise. "You're such a cheeky person."

Her tease made Eve almost flip out in embarrassment. As he caught his breath, he adjusted his shirt collar. "Well, I do aim to please after all." He swayed.

Arana chuckled. This was going to be a fun set of games this year.

Lola looked towards the stadium tunnel, the next contestant to enter. "And here comes 7th place, and qualifier for the Grand Magic Games!"

They all turn their heads, seeing another person run towards the exit. His appearance overall was a surprise, yet Makarov looked the most shocked. His face almost paled.

"No way…"

To Fairy Tail's shock, the competitors and spectators alike saw that it was a snaky man with black lips and black spiky hair. He had a skin-tight black top and green baggy pants. He hissed as he darted into the stadium, all set and looking only a little out of breath,

Lola called it. "For 7th place, it goes to Kurohebi of Raven Tail!"

The crowd went and cheered for the sake of the competition. However, for the case of Fairy Tail, it was a bitter outrage. And that was no exaggeration. When many took a look in the stands, there was Master Ivan, the son of Makarov and the father of Laxus. He had darker skin and black hair that was rather unkempt. He had a gold and purple vest on and smirked with glee as the rest of his guild was comprised of a dark armored man with a huge cape, a tall blue figure with a straight face, a stout man with purple skin and cape, a red-haired girl, and lastly the contestant who participated out of the blue, Kurohebi.

Mirajane looked startled. "Them?"

Makarov had veins growing on his head. "WHAT?! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"

"Master, get a grip!" Lisanna urged as she restrained the fuming master as he threw a tantrum.

Erza felt a chill run up her spine. "This is bad. How did they make it to 7th place? Or rather, how did they get into the competition this year?"

Natsu's eyes widened in realization. "Wait, you mean gramps' son?!"

Laxus crossed his arms and looked along with the rest of the team. He stared at his dad with a disgruntled and unamused expression. "My deadbeat dad. Just great."

Gajeel glared ahead, showing a smirk. "Well this just got interesting. Didn't think they'd go this far."

Lola looked down at his papers in front of him. "Well, according to their records, they've been active for more than seven years, but it wasn't until recently that they've become legalized. So they're in fair gameplay."

Makarov clutched a fist, gritting profusely in vivid anger. "Ivan…" He shuddered.

"But I thought they were a Dark Guild?" Lucy asked. "They legalized just for this occasion?"

"That seems like a low tactic, but if that's what it came down to, I guess we'll have to play it where it lies." Gray said, but even he showed resentment to them appearing.

Ivan looked down at Kurohebi, smirking at the placement. "Well done. Now we'll have a fun time, guaranteed." From his tone, it was well near mischievous.

Kurohebi sneered happily as he looked at Craig, who in turn glanced at him casually. From the conflictions between guilds, Craig didn't seem too concerned, if the sharp eyes meant anything. The snake-like man gave a hiss, but Craig turned away, looking at his guild, seeing Makarov's hatred. He could tell there was a vendetta in the midst of the competition. He knew he had to be careful, and stay on guard…to a greater extent.

Juvia showed worry. "Looks like we'll have to watch our backs now."

"You can say that again." Elfman said.

Lola moved right along. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, let's turn our attention to the last of the…what the?!" He gaped his mouth at the monitor, his eyes wide in deep shock. "I…I don't know what happened but…"

Everyone turned towards the monitor, their attention and shock at full grasp. They couldn't believe what they were witnessing. It left many gasping at the revelation. Littered over the remains of the landmine, there were those who were still progressing, but some were grounded due to injury. Elsewhere on the obstacle course, some had accidents; some slipped and fell down the gorge earlier, and otherwise ropes were broken. It was a hazard field turned warzone.

"I…I…the competition is completely wiped out!" Lola screamed. "It looks like no one was able to fully finish the obstacle course! What could've eliminated so many competitors so quickly?!"

The guilds that were eliminated were tending to the wounded and eliminated competitors. Though some were harmed, some were alright and able-bodied, but they sure didn't like the results. Some reasons were ropes snapping, unable to pass robots and were teleported back to their balconies due to conceding. Some were even bold and cost their teams by going off the grid, and they were guaranteed failures. Everyone looked at the monitor, hoping to find some levity or at least a contestant who was fortunate to still make a run for the landmine. Some were barely getting up apparently, but not good enough.

"Whatever the case, these unfortunate circumstances will have to…wait! Hold on, there's someone already entering the tunnel!" The attention averted towards the tunnel, the final qualifier shown to be entering.

Natsu leaned over the balcony, trying to get a view of who was fortunate. "Huh? Who is it?"

"Whoever they are, they're most fortunate." Erza figured. "The competition is slowed down considerably, but if this one was able to get across, he must have been very lucky." Her eyes narrowed. "Is this a coincidence?"

Craig and the other competitors looked over, seeing their last contestant walk on in. Walking. Just walking, and nothing else. It was like it was no contest to begin with. With every hollow footstep taken, the lively atmosphere darkened to a heart-skipping adrenaline rush. The contestant to make it out in one piece…was wearing a tattered cloak.

"And our final qualifier has just made it under the bell!" Lola cheered. "Everyone, meet qualifier number 8! Meet Navice, of Fallen Prometheus Guild!"

Some contestants nervously clapped, and others kept a straight face as they watched the eerie shrouded contestant walk into the competition like nothing. He made way towards the other competitors, earning an odd look from them. It was hard to look, but he wasn't bothered. He was used to it.

"Say, who is that guy?"

"I don't know, but he looks like he could use a shower."

"He's got a weird vibe, don't you think?"

The spectators were more than a little confused with who they were looking at, but the vibe and bizarre magic he was giving off was more or less an indicator that he had some kind of bone for everyone to pick.

Ichiya sniffed the air, his nose wrinkling. "Men, what a potent parfume. Sniff, sniff…and pungent."

"Yeah, something's up with that guy. How did he get through all those accidents?" Ren asked. "Hibiki?"

Using his Archive Magic, Hibiki was tapping away at his keyboard that floated in front, showing diagrams and monitors. "According to these archives, the Fallen Prometheus was a new guild that's been active only before the tournament started." He pulled up the picture of an insignia, with a Viking helmet at the base with a thunderbolt and hammer crossing behind the curved horns. "We hardly know anything about them. All we really know is their names, but otherwise we're out of the loop."

Jiemma glared down at the bizarre man who entered, his eyes devoid of pupils, he gave a glare that made him feel like the need to intimidate. 'This Magic Power, this fool has it going, but I won't stand for him disowning my guild. Sabertooth will flip his power off like it wasn't even there.'

Navice took a look around himself, seeing the many contestants. His gaze fixed on Craig, the latter showing a sense of wonder. As Craig stared, something clicked in his mind. "Do I…?" He couldn't believe it, but how? "…could it be…who-?!"

"Well, that concludes the preliminary rounds for this year, so now that our eight chosen teams have made it to qualification, let's say we get to some more action!" Lola's voice was able to knock everyone to attention. They all cheered and readied as the next event was to start. "May all the competitors please return to their teams until the events are hereby called!"

"Nice and easy now." Yajima insisted.

The contestants did as told. As many wandered back to their teams, Craig and the hooded cloaked figure stared a little longer until they at last turned away. They veered back to their teams, slowly walking with calm exteriors it seemed. They weren't sound until they at last entered the tunnels, all eight diverging at last.

Within his guild's tunnel. Navice walked passed the Shinigami knight hidden in his armored cloak. Before he got too far, he stopped a foot behind, both unable to look away from their respective directions.

"…you did well. I applaud you." He said. "So, it seems we have found him then."

"So we have, brother." Navice spoke. "Are we to act according to plan?"

The supposed leader kept his wily grin in check. "Patience. We'll have our chance. For now, let's just enjoy the festivities, shall we? A trip such as this one doesn't come too often in our case."

"Absolutely."

Meeting up with his team, Craig had hands in his pockets, his jacket now wrapped around his waist once more. He frowned.

"That was awesome, man!" Natsu cheered. "Way to bust Fairy Tail out of the starting gate!"

"Don't mention it." He shrugged. "It was a good workout." As much as he was pleased with himself, his mind was still stuck on the events that transpired. The shrouded hood of the Fallen Prometheus Mage still was stuck in his mind, 'Prometheus? Where have I heard that before? Where have I seen that face? I know from somewhere, but where…?'

"Now that we have the eight competitors, let's get to scheduling of the Grand Magic Games this year!" Lola shouted.

With the battlefield vacant, a large monitor appeared all over the battlefield, showing the scheduling. There, there were the 8 teams on the left-hand side, with the scheduling of days of how long the competition was to last on the other side.

Lola looked down at the papers before him. "The first round of each event shall be a contest. Those contests allow the teams to elect one member as they did with the preliminary rounds to their content. Those who compete shall be awarded at the end by being ranked 1st to 8th depending on how they did in the contest. 1st place gets 10 points, while 8th gets diddly squat. After those, we have battles. These battles shall pit a one on one competition, but unlike the contests, the fans get to pick who goes into battle."

"I see." Erza stated.

"So if we don't watch ourselves, we'll be jumping the gun straight into battle without rest. What a load of crap." Laxus groaned.

"The battle will be simple. The winner of said battle shall be rewarded 10 points, while the loser walks away with 0. In the event of a draw or time runs out, each team shall be earned 5 points." Lola cleared his throat, a big smile crossing his face. "Now then, since we have those out of the way, time for the first day contest event!"

Mato appeared on the colosseum ground, arms raised. "May the 8 teams select 1 member for this event, please!" He announced.

Lucy gasped. "Wait, aren't they going to explain the event?"

"I think they're trying to keep us on our toes the whole way." Levy figured. "They're most likely trying to see where we can adapt from there."

"No hints? Seriously?" Jet asked.

"That sucks." Droy muttered, having been nibbling on a chicken leg.

Rufus faced his team, taking off his cap and bowing. "If I may?" With his indication, the others watched as he took his time getting towards the colosseum.

Minerva smirked as she watched him go along. "Yes, let's be sure to pick up the pace. Right, Sting?" Her eyes glanced over towards the certain White Dragon Slayer who was sitting down with his Exceed behind. He looked at the colosseum, having a blank expression fixated.

Lector – taking note of his friend's folly – angrily looked at Fairy. "Don't worry about it, Sting! That guy just got lucky that one time! He won't get the drop on us again, because you're gonna show him, right?"

Sting glared ahead, his eyes full of seriousness. "Yeah. Then I'll show Natsu."

Nobarly stepped up for his guild next. "Alright then, time to get wild!" He cheered, with his guild cheering with him as well.

Beth stepped up for her guild. "How's about I get her done?"

Stepping up for Blue Pegasus was Hibiki, surprisingly. "Sorry, guys, but how's about you let me have a shot this time around now?"

"Alright, just get us in 1st." Ren advised.

"Flare, go. Now!" The armored man of Raven Tail ordered.

Flare stepped up, tilting her head a little. "Yes."

Obaba made a spinning motion with her finger. "Toby! Go go out there and give us a win! Now, or I'm spinning you!"

Toby raised his hands, which he clutched tightly. "Aroof! You bet, I'm gonna make you all pay for making us come in second!"

"That's fine and all, but do you have to be angry all the time?" Yuka groaned.

From the cloaked figures, the tall man with the cylindrical cloak head walked up. "It is I who shall scope out the competition." He announced.

"Very well, but just to observe." The Shinigami-like leader advised.

Gajeel turned towards his group. "Well, who's calling the shots this time?"

Natsu's fist enveloped in flames. "Alright, enough messing around! I'm gonna get in there and show them what it means to mess with the best!" Without delay, he jumped over the balcony to meet the ground. Instantly he went dashing for the center.

"Wha-hey! Get back here!" Gajeel shouted. "You moron!"

Erza pinched the bridge of her nose. "Let's just hope his impatience doesn't ruin his performance."

Laxus sighed. "Idiot."

Craig watched with a subtle frown as he watched the competitors make way to the stadium center.

"Team Fairy Tail has chosen Natsu Dragneel as their participant, with the reigning champions Sabertooth's Rufus Lore taking action! And for Team Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus, we have Toby and Hibiki, with Mermaid Heel carrying weight on Beth's little shoulders. Quatro Cerberus' participants is none other than Nobarly, with Raven Tail selecting Flare Corona and the member of Fallen Prometheus being Gates." Lola turned towards his other commentators. "Mr. Yajima, any thoughts?"

"Looks like we got ourselves a very interesting group already picked out." He stated.

With all the competitors gathered around, some being more in front than others, Mato smiled as he looked at the overall 8 chosen. "Is everyone here then? Alright, looks like we're ready to begin the event!" He snapped his fingers, and suddenly the sky above the stadium suddenly materialized a hardened dark ceiling. It was light day turned to night as the stadium lights were on.

Natsu looked up, confused. "What the heck?"

"That's strange. How did they make night appear?" Hibiki asked.

"This isn't nighttime, silly." Mato explained. "This is an artificial dome we created using advanced illusion magic. It's nothing impressive, but it does wonder, don't you think? Now then, everyone get set, because now we're going to be playing a little game I like to call…Dark Jungle!"

---

Here's the prequel of the GMGs! Hope it was interesting enough for you all! Remember how I said I was going to make it all original? Well here it is. I am completely flipping everything around, just to keep you all on your toes. For the most part of the obstacle race, it was inspired by My Hero Academia. I was having trouble thinking of the preliminary rounds, and I figured why not mold something similar like that? For the robots, I tried designs from Bakugan Trap Fortress, if that makes sense to you. Otherwise, I pray you all appreciate the complete originality I am going off of!