At the sound of the cheers, the dark metallic-like dome was looked upon by the many spectators. Some awed at the marvelous first day event, while others didn't look so enthused, more or less confused.
"Dark…Jungle?" Natsu repeated.
"That's right. Dark Jungle is the name of the contest you all will be partaking in today." Mato explained. "This event is a last man standing kind of gig, but there's a twist…" Slowly, the massive dome began to bring down dangling massive hooks held by thick, sturdy chords. They all descended over everyone's heads, their numbers far exceeding the contestants themselves. "You won't be standing per se. More like…hanging around."
Beth looked at the hook above her head. "How cool. So what do we do with them?"
"I don't think these would be good for fishing." Nobarly joked. "If you ask me, these look like they were made to hook us instead of fish."
"Fish don't live in the jungle!" Toby yelled angrily.
Mato sweat dropped. "O…kay. Moving right along." A projection screen appeared over his head, illuminated by the many massive lights in the colosseum. It showed all eight contestants at their points. They saw the simulation carry the eight dangling contestants up higher. "You latch onto one of these hooks, see? Your task is to hang on as long as possible while attempting to knock the other into the net below." The simulation did as he told, showing a random contestant being shot of a hook and falling towards the net below. "Once you are caught by the net, you're out. The point value will be judged based on the order in which you are eliminated. The last one to fall wins, earning 10 points! So if I were you, try not to fall too early, okay?"
"I see. So this is a contest of maneuverability and precision." Jura evaluated.
"Looks like it." Chelia said.
"This will be something." Goldmine said, watching as his guild cheered like hound dogs.
"So then Natsu has to stay on the longest, and if he does that, we get the advantage." Erza surmised.
"Sums it up right." Laxus said.
Gajeel snickered. "Salamander's in for something alright. He'll be getting a boot to the head if he screws this up for us."
Natsu adjusted his scarf, looking ready for battle. "Okay, I'm ready!"
Mato understood. "Very well. Looks like you all are set. Once everyone is set, all the lights will go off. But fret not everyone, for we will layer the field over everyone's heads with night vision, that way everyone will be able to see what our competitors cannot see."
"Wait, what?" Natsu realized the mistake made. "You mean we won't see?!"
"That's right! It's called 'Dark Jungle' for a reason!" Mato chimed.
Hibiki put a hand to his chin. "If that's the case, then things just got much harder for all of us." He looked straight up, snapping his fingers and using Archive Magic. "Maybe if I measure how many of those ropes there are, then maybe I can adjust calculations to where and when to jump."
Beth pumped a fist. "Alright! Let's do this!"
Rufus tipped his hat with a smile. "This shall be a most intriguing. A requiem and a crescendo? Most interesting of mixes."
"You got this, Rufus!" Lector cheered.
"Fro thinks so, too!" Frosch shouted.
Orga smirked. "This will be too easy. I don't think Rufus even has to look to know where they are."
Rogue looked down at the stadium, frowning. "Perhaps. But it'd be more comforting to know that would be my element."
"Don't feel so bad, Rogue. I'm sure we'll pick up the slack if something goes wrong." Lector assured.
"Go, Natsu~!" Happy cheered vigorously from the stands. "Kick them down hard!"
Mato raised his arms with a wide smile. "Contestants, pick a hook and let's crank you up!"
One by one, the contestants picked a dangling hook over their heads. Natsu grabbed onto one with both hands, as did Nobarly and Hibiki, both needing the extra muscle. The hooded cylindrical cloak showed a golden, tainted gauntlet as he raised for the hook. Rufus used but one hand, and Flare had her hands together as she used her hair to get a firm coil around the hook.
"Alright, let's get you up!" At the call, all the chords were returning to the ceiling. The hooks followed, with everyone else carried off the ground. They all raised higher and higher, and a certain Dragon Slayer looked anxious as he was carried up.
"Alright, about ti…i…" As he was lifted higher, something went wrong. His stomach began to churn, and his face began to pale. The crane only went higher as he was barely able to hold on, his grip weakening. "C-crap…no…"
Pantherlily's eyes widened. "What is wrong with Natsu?"
It didn't hit Happy until he saw the look on Natsu's face. "…AH!" He shrieked. "Oh no! His motion sickness!"
Carla facepalmed. "Oh right, I forgot."
Wendy gasped at the realization. "Oh no. Natsu!"
"This has gotten really bad really fast." Lucy grimaced.
"You can say that again." Cana said. "So much for us scoring first this round."
Gray facepalmed as well. "Idiot."
Erza pinched the bridge of her nose, looking rather somber. "Oh right…his motion sickness."
Natsu looked like he was gonna slip, but he looked up, trying his hardest to stay on. "No…not…yet." He mustered his muscle power without his stomach wanting to blow chunks. Once on, he was like a rag over a clothes line. The way he looked made the other Dragon Slayers look relieved.
"I take back what I said." Rogue deadpanned. "I'm actually glad Rufus stepped up."
Lector sighed in relief.
With everyone high up, they all dangled nearly a hundred feet up in the air. Down below them, a very wide net materialized, stretching far beneath them and able to flex it seemed.
"It looks like everyone is set! The game of Dark Jungle is underway, so ladies and gentlemen, get your night vision on, and let's get our first contest of the Grand Magic Games going!" Lola commented with heavy enthusiasm.
"Good luck to you all." Yajima said.
With everything in place, and everyone hanging from large hooks, with many others dangling around them, the game was set up for starting.
Mato raised his hand high. "So, let the contest, Dark Jungle…BEGIN!" At his command, all the lights that were on in the colosseum were turned off, giving darkness the amusement to shroud the competitors above. Down below, a screen of green night vision embodied the balconies and atmosphere.
"Whoa! This is night vision?!" Happy exclaimed.
"Good. We'll be able to see like this." Makarov said.
Gajeel looked up at the sky, showing a frown. "We'll see just how Salamander pulls out like this."
Craig leaned over the balcony, looking up at the night vision screen above him. "Gnnngh…" He grumbled.
"What is it, Craig?" Erza asked.
He leaned back, crossing his arms. "Nothing. It's just that it's a little annoying for me."
Laxus raised a brow. "How so?"
"Well, to tell the truth, I already have night vision." He admitted. "It came with one of the…many transformations, let's put it like that."
Erza's eyes widened. "So you can actually see in the dark?"
"Do a degree, sure." He shrugged. "But this screen is making my own night vision too perceptive. It's all too defined that's it's bugging me. If they didn't have that screen, then I could see just fine."
Gajeel snickered. "Well, aren't you useful." He teased, earning a glare from Craig.
"Very funny." He did his best to look up, but his night vision was so sharp given the screen that he had to only glance up. 'It's ironic. What I can see with this night vision after that mutation of Excalon and Zeldoron…and I think after that cat scratched me back in Zweiland.' For a brief moment, Craig recalled when he was in said place. It was heavily exotic, with rumors of some were-like animal. It was a massive cat-like creature with green eyes and deep claws and protruding teeth. He got away from it, but the scratch was infected. He survived due to past mutations making him immune, and it turned into an asset when the infection spread to his eyes, giving him permanent night vision. Suffice to say thanks to that, he fought the pitch-black cat beast in the dark jungle and came out in the end victorious – minus the gory slash and bitemarks he ascertained.
Back to the action above, the eight competitors dangled from their hooks, which swayed left and right in the dark. When Hibiki looked ahead of him, he could barely see his hand in front of him. He was falling short of victory, but everybody else was no different.
"And it looks like everyone is already confused by the darkness!" Lola shouted. "This game is going to test their ability to tell where and how their perception shall lie!"
Beth dangled using both her arms, looking left and right. "D'oh, I can't see squat!"
Hearing the complaint from nearby, Nobarly turned and saw a silhouette of Beth, no matter how dim. He took the shot with a smirk. "No…" He swung his rope in her direction. "But we can hear you!"
"Huh-?!" Beth fell short of a sentence when a pair of boots hit her abdomen. "Wah!" She lost her grip and went flinging off, wailing as she began descending. She made a stroke of luck when her overalls were snatched by a lower hook, saving her from an early defeat.
Millianna clutched her fists tight. "C'mon, Beth! Hang in there!"
"The poor girl's already at a disadvantage." Risley said. "We're gonna need a lot of luck on our side for this round. And quieter tongue to boot."
Kagura narrowed her eyes, watching carefully for every opponent that swung about.
Nobarly swung about, looking glee. "Ha! Take that little farmgirl! In your-oof!" Before he could finish, a pair of feet stamped on his back, kicking him and his hook in another direction. The pair belonged to none other than Toby, who had the opening.
"Aroof! How's that?!" The dog-man shouted.
"And it looks like the competition is getting some rather cheap shots in." Lola announced. "Using the darkness to their advantage, it looks like the best course of action is hearing."
"And in some cases, sense of smell if one has a strong enough nose." Yajima hinted.
"You hear that, Natsu?! Come on!" Lucy shouted, but high above, all Natsu did was lay like a towel, swaying back and forth weakly on the hook. He looked like he was going to blow chunks. "Natsu!"
"Well this isn't good. He'll be kicked off if he doesn't do anything." Macao said.
"Maybe, but you don't know yet." Romeo said. "Hopefully everyone will turn on each other and forget Natsu?"
"So doing nothing and let chaos tire itself out?" Cana questioned. "That's a pretty big gamble."
"I'll say. The kid's got a point, but I wouldn't put all my eggs in that one basket." Gildarts spoke.
The hooded cylindrical cloak man did nothing as he just swayed about, his body camouflaging perfectly in the darkness. He stayed absolutely quiet as the competition went about around him.
Flare swayed about using only her hair. She had a very psychopath-like smirk as her hands were in front of her buxom, looking more like a doll than anything else.
"Is she dangling with her hair, or am I seeing things?" Gajeel questioned.
"That looks like Hair Magic, or so it would seem." Erza evaluated. "But I wonder how that will be of any use."
Toby swung about, his hook going everywhere. "Now! Who's ready to feel my sting!" He shouted, swinging maliciously about on his hook. "I'll sting you all!"
A snicker was heard from afar, the small voice belonging to a man who was dangling with a hat. "A rather rowdy one, are you?"
Toby turned around. "Who said that?!" He saw that faint silhouette of what looked like Rufus. Upon the look, he immediately took action and swung in for the attack. "You! I'm gonna make you pay for messing with Lamia Scale!" As he swung in, he could see Rufus smirking, making him angrier. "Well, say something!"
In his anger, he used one arm and reached down. His fingernails grew into massive green claws.
"Super Paralysis Claw: Mega Mega Jellyfish!"
He swung on in for Rufus, slashing his nails, but to his great shock, his entire body phased straight through. The 'Rufus' faded, leaving Toby in question. "Wait, did I get him?!"
"Not quite!" Toby's head turned towards the hook that was nearby, revealing the real Rufus as he frowned. The sight made Toby gawk. "Don't worry, that was just an afterimage of myself. What you saw was but a memory of where I was."
"Say what?!"
The audience cheered as they witnessed what Rufus had done. The action made Lola have to commentate. "And would you get a load of that! It looks like we got a small taste of Rufus Lore's Memory-Make Magic!"
"My, what a rare magic to behold indeed." Yajima commented. "Haven't seen a magic like that before. I reckon it's an ancient magic perhaps?"
"Memory-Make?" Gray raised a brow.
"So then it's a type of molding magic?" Juvia insinuated.
Mirajane looked up with wonder, but heard the sound of a grumble from beside her. When she looked, she saw Master Makarov crossing his arms and keeping a watchful eye on the competition. "Master?"
We may have our hands full with this round." He admitted. "I've never seen a magic that's supposedly of memories. Sabertooth is no slouch it seems."
Toby continued to swing along, getting angry as his attack failed. "Aroof! Now you've done it! You've made me mad!" He swung towards the real Rufus, who stayed completely still. "This time, I won't miss!"
Rufus dangled with one arm still, smirking. "Predictable." He watched as his calculations activated. Even in the darkness, he saw the silhouette of Beth swinging in and knocking Toby off course, making him leap and holler in shock. The dog-man yelped as he gripped onto a rope, sliding down it for several feet, stopping mere inches before the hook could poke his posterior. He hugged the rope tight, whimpering.
"And Beth had just made a counter move!" Lola announced.
The country girl smiled. "Alright, I got someone!" She was struck by another force. "Ow!" She went swinging away by a kick from Nobarly. As he gloated, that left him open as a slithery tendril in the form of hair went at him.
"What the-?!" The force of hair smacked him, coiling around his head and mouth, keeping him making a sound. As he struggled, his shock turned towards the red-haired woman nearby. His eyes widened as he watched Flare look at him with wide eyes and a large smile. "Hmphf?!"
Flare's teeth showed, and she snatched Nobarly and flipped him off. He went soaring through the air, screaming until his back struck a rope. The dizzy man was in a daze as he fell, but he managed to get a grip at the last second, sliding down the chord and holding on tight. However, he did not stop as the hook end was just below him, and unlike Toby, Nobarly was most unfortunate.
The hook got his posterior region, making him scream out loud. The many people down beneath cringed and flinched at the sight. Some covered their own butts as a show of worry.
"Oh! That has gotta hurt!" Lola cringed.
Craig kept an eye shut, showing his own uneasiness in a small whistle. "Poor guy."
"Man, what a pain in the butt." Cana joked.
"Yeah…" Lisanna looked up at Natsu. "But someone's still gotta make a move."
"Natsu! Come on!" Happy pleaded.
Natsu groaned as his stomach churned on the swinging rope. His eyes were devoid of pupils as he swung lazily. "Please…make this stop…" He lurched.
Bickslow sweat dropped. "Well, so much for a clean sweep."
"The only sweeping it seems will be for his own puke." Evergreen sniped.
"This is most precarious. If he's just a sitting duck the whole time, then there's a guaranteed target sooner or later." Freed evaluated.
"Natsu! Get your head in the game! We're all rooting for you!" Erza cheered.
Natsu swayed left and right, barely holding down his breakfast…this time. Hell was all he felt, and as much as he hated it, he knew he was going to have to do something about it. "Guuuuugh…" He knew he had to fight, even if it meant getting one guy down. "Just…one…" He tried to steady his breathing, his nose taking in whiffs of the many people dangling and swing around him. Every so often, he got a strong whiff of familiar people.
He sniffed once, taking a sharp breath to hold in barf. 'That's…smell like…' He thought of the few people that could've been possible, but he was terrible with names. He just knew someone was close by. 'Just one…please…' He knew what he had to do, but he knew he wasn't going to like it. 'Ooohhh. Man, I'm gonna blow chunks if I do this…' "But if I can just…get one point…"
To Fairy Tail's shock, they were seeing Natsu trying to move his legs about. He breathed deeply as his lightheadedness did no benefits. But even so, he fought on, just a little.
"What is he doing? Just swinging about?" Macao asked.
"Beats me, but look!" Wakaba pointed up, seeing Natsu sway forward and back, getting farther than closer to a struggling Hibiki. "I think I get it!"
"He's gonna do it!" Wendy exclaimed.
"Well let's hope so at least." Gray groaned.
Natsu did all he could to breathe in and out as he swayed, his stomach ready to blow chunks. 'Just a little further. His smell is closer…' He swung backwards, then forwards again. 'One more…'
Hibiki hung from his hook, feeling some sort of wind. "Huh? Who's there?!"
Natsu swung backwards, getting momentum. Once he got it, his limp body generated a weak flame on his dangling hand. He let stay there as he swung into Hibiki. With his body draped on the hook still, his weak flame made a small light that coursed as a small backhand that flew into Hibiki's face, which was just at the flimsy flaming hand's level.
"What-?!" Hibiki was swung into, the weak smack enough to make him lose his grip. The flame dissipated as he fell, the Blue Pegasus mage's luck all out as there were no hooks at a lower level to hang onto. "Cra~~p!" He screamed, falling to the net below.
"And just like that, the first competitor has been shoved out of the contest!" Lola exclaimed. "Blue Pegasus is out!"
The audience gave a surprised cheer over the revelation. They even watched as Natsu continued to swing back and forth on his hook still, almost completely unconscious.
Happy eyes sparkled. "YES! Natsu~!"
"I don't believe it!" Pantherlily shouted. "He actually pulled it off!"
Gajeel flashed a smirk. "Heh, well, guess Salamander isn't getting a boot to the head after all."
Erza sighed in relief. "He had me worried there. I thought we were going to have to make up for this round."
"Yeah." Craig looked up, frowning. "But we're still not out of the woods yet. Look." Everyone followed his brief gaze, looking towards the battle in the air. He and the others were seeing Natsu's face completely white as he laid on his hook, bits of saliva and foam escaping him.
Laxus rolled his eyes. "Oh boy, guess he's outcold. That one shot did it in."
"Natsu, hang in there! You got this!" Lucy cheered.
Cana sipped from her drink, watching the action unfold. After a long sip, she sighed.
Gildarts smiled up at the battle, grinning. "Well done, Natsu…even if you didn't make it that far with your little handicap."
Natsu dangled lazily, unconscious as the other competitors continued to swing about around him.
Nobarly looked downwards, swearing he thought he saw a fire a few seconds ago. "Wait, was that Fairy Tail…?"
Toby swooped in, angrily catching Nobarly off guard. With a loud shout, he met Nobarly with a slash, stunning and electrocuting him. The Quatro Cerberus' paralyzed and shocked body twitched as he fell from the hook, falling towards the net below.
"Yeah! How's that?!" Toby barked.
"And the next to was Quatro Cerberus!" Lola announced. "Looks like Toby is running a mock up in the Dark Jungle!"
"Yeah! Just like that! Keep it going, now!" Obaba yelled, unknowingly spinning a few mages behind her in the excitement.
Lyon nodded with approval. "As expected. Looks like picking Toby was a fine choice after all."
Meanwhile, Quatro Cerberus completely despaired that they were knocked out. Some gawked, but compared to Blue Pegasus, they had it easy. Blue Pegasus looked like stiff statues, petrified with paling expressions.
"Aroof! Yeah! How do you like that?!" He barked. "Never underestimate the power of Lamia Sca-AH!" From behind, he was attacked by a barrage of what felt like pointed projectiles. A closer examination revealed them to be carrots that forcibly swung Toby away, making him yelp.
"Sorry y'all." Beth apologized, reveling herself.
Able to hang on, Toby turned around. "Oh, you little…" Suddenly, there was another change of events. There was a bright flare that was like a sun almost. The atmosphere was getting warm, much to Toby and Beth's shock.
"Hm? What is that light?" Lola announced. "It looks…bright!"
"And warm." Yajima added.
Above the contestants that were still battling, it was shockingly a beacon of burning ambition. The sight made the other teams feel surprised.
"Is that a sun?!" Lucy shouted.
"That can't be right. I thought it was supposed to be dark?" Wendy figured.
"Is that Natsu?" Levy inquired.
Cana looked suspicious. "…no, it's got to be something else."
"Like what?" Romeo asked.
Craig glanced up once more, his eyes narrow to see the culprit. "Hold it…" From the burning waves of energy, he saw a figure. "I see…"
From down below, Beth and Toby got a good look at who was responsible. The person was none other than Flare, and she was living up to her name. To all their shock, her hair was stretching extra tendrils, which seared with a scarlet-like fire. She smiled wickedly at her prey.
"It looks like Raven Tail has found their advantage folks!" Lola announced. "Flare Corona has ignited the atmosphere like a sun! And now we wait to see what she does with those locks!"
Toby sweat dropped. "Uh…oh."
Beth was without words. She looked up with awe as Flare extended her hair down towards her and Toby.
"I'll make this quick and painless." The girl assured, her burning hair wrapping a single coil around each of the hooks and coils they were on. The fact she also held onto them prevented them from moving. "It'll all be over."
The heat generating from her hair was exponentially growing. With each coil on the two hooks, the metal was absorbing the heat molecules. Rapidly, it was all beginning to become too hot. Degree by degree, and the chords themselves were starting to heat up. Toby and Beth were feeling very warm hands, and still growing.
"Uh-ow! Owowowow!" Toby panicked.
Beth strained as her hands were feeling like they were burning. "Okay, i-it's getting crispy…"
Both competitors were having a hard time hanging on, and it was starting to feel like metal in the sun in the dead heat of summer. It was getting from lukewarm to what felt like a grill. The chords, ropes, and hooks were getting so hot that the heat was starting to burn and blister Toby and Beth's hands. That rendered both completely disposable as they eventually gave into the hot temperature.
"OW~!" Toby finally let go, yelling as he plummeted down below. Following him was Beth, who yelped in pain.
Flare smiled darkly. "Bye-bye."
"And Lamia Scale and Mermaid Heel are out of the contest!" Lola announced. "It looks like Raven Tail is starting to run the show now!"
"Man, tough break." Gray grimaced.
"So then that leaves only a few left, right?" Juvia questioned.
Levy counted her hands. "Let's see, there's Raven Tail, us, Sabertooth…what else was there again?"
Flare's orange eyes glanced down at Natsu, seeing the sickly Dragon Slayer swaying back and forth on the rope and hook. He looked more like a flimsy doll than anything else, and the opportunity couldn't have come at a better time. She took the gamble and slowly snaked a tendril down towards Natsu's side, wiggling a little.
Craig's eyes narrowed. "Crap."
"Natsu! Pull yourself together!" Erza urged.
Gajeel shook his head. "Well this sucks."
The tendril slowly wrapped itself around Natsu's waist, carrying him off his hook and suspended in the air. With him rendered immobile and sickly, Flare smirked and saw that her hour of triumph has come.
"Don't worry, Pinkie. I'll be gentle…" As she finished, there was another – brighter – light that illuminated above her head. "Huh?"
"Guuuh…?" Natsu glanced up, his blurry vision catching rays of the light. "Heaven…?"
Flare's vision was grasping the ideology that was a star, but it wasn't…in a way. The atmosphere was illuminated like the lone north star that was in the night. Upon further inspection, it revealed another human, this one being a familiar masculine.
Tipping his cap with waves of memories behind him, Rufus smirked down at the remaining two contestants. "And to the main characters comes their upmost requiem."
"It's Rufus!" Lector cheered.
"Yeah! Yeah! Go!" Frosch cheered.
With a finger pointed to his forehead, sitting calmly on his hook, Rufus' body unleashed a stronger light.
"Memory-Make: A Night of Falling Stars!"
At his command, two streaming star-like projectiles expelled from his body. The attack went curving down towards Flare and Natsu, both two lost in their own worlds and disorders to realize. Both were painfully struck by each individual comet, causing a tremendous shock to encase both. Flare took the worst of it since she was still conscious, but to Natsu it was like a shock therapy that jolted him awake. The shock was so great that Flare lost her grip, her hair losing coils and falling, along with Natsu.
"Natsu~!" Happy shouted.
Natsu disappeared into the darkness and net down below, caught. Meanwhile, Flare was falling, and she looked up at the frowning Rufus, seeing the distressing expression he had going.
He tilted his cap down in regret. "My sincerest apologies to you, Natsu Dragneel. I did not mean to make use of your handicap. I hope we can reach an understanding."
However, Flare wasn't going down like this. As she fell, she smirked. As she plummeted, her hair shot up, tendril after tendril snaked up towards Rufus. The Memory-Make Mage found his luck taking a sharp turn for the worst when he felt his boot getting a coil.
"Hm?"
Flare smirked as she descended to darkness, with Rufus startled by the upcoming. He yelled out as he was carried down by Flare, he, too, falling to the darkness.
"Say what?! What was that?!" Lector shouted.
Rogue gazed quietly at the darkness. "It appears it was a double suicide."
Minerva crossed her arms. "Perhaps so…" She smirked. "But Rufus did hold up his end of the bargain. He was the last to fall, meaning…"
"It's all over folks! The game is over!" Mato announced. "I hereby announce the conclusion to Dark Jungle!"
The audience cheered as the conclusion was set. Many clapped, while others cheered with extra hype for Sabertooth still managing to hang in there for the possibly last one to fall. The lights turned on for the colosseum floor, revealing all the fallen competitors where the net had vanished. It revealed Hibiki, Nobarly, and everyone else. Natsu was still on the ground, still barely conscious and trying to come around. Flare was frowning and looked over at Rufus, who was seen standing with his hat tipped.
Craig raised a brow and scoffed. "Pompous."
"I'll say." Laxus acknowledged.
Rufus' smirk widened. "And to the victor goes the spoils."
"And it looks like the competitors have finished up. We will now announce that the winner…" Mato paused, allowing everyone to stay on the edge of their seats as they all awaited for was to be named the winner. As many would expect, Rufus stood proudly, but there was a gigantic curveball.
Mato pointed up at the hooks in the sky. "…is Fallen Prometheus' Gates!" At his call, the lights turned on, revealing the black-cloaked cylindrical man hanging by both arms; the only competitor still up.
"WHAT?!" Everyone exclaimed. Practically all personnel were flabbergasted by this revelation. The audience cheered at the silent victory that the unknown guild had ascertained.
"What a turnaround, folks! When it looked like Sabertooth was the last one to fall, it turned out that Fallen Prometheus had the whole competition!" Lola announced. "Even I forgot he was there!"
Yajima nodded. "Yes, I admit I forgot about him as well. Seems his cloak and dark colors shaded him quite well."
Toby looked up angrily. "Hey, no fair! He was wearing all black!"
Rufus frowned. "Seems there has been a margin of error all along. How…underwhelming." He sullied.
Lector gawked at the revelation. "Wait, hold on a sec! That big guy didn't even move! How come he got first when Rufus was the last to fall?"
"Technically, that man is still the last one on the ropes, so it's fair game." Rogue explained. "Though I have to admit, he hid himself rather well."
The cloaked guild looked at their comrade, showing hidden and unemotional shock amongst its peers. "Well, wasn't this an interesting development." The cloaked woman admitted.
"How fortunate indeed." The cloaked scarfed man said. "All we asked him to do was observe. Didn't think the competition could be so warped like this."
The Shinigami attire man nodded. "I must agree. Well done, brother."
From the Fairy Tail guild, many showed consistent surprise, Craig especially. He raised a brow as he looked at the cylindrically cloaked figure. "Hiding in plain sight. Can't say I haven't seen that in a while." He admitted.
"I must say, even I forgot he was present. He must've been waiting the whole thing out from the very beginning." Erza said.
Craig shrugged. "You know what they say; if you leave the bee alone, it'll leave you alone." He turned back towards the man, watching his metallic gauntlets barely shown through his black sleeves. 'Still, what's this strange feeling I have? Where have I seen them before?'
Gates was lifted down from the hooks and ropes, gently placed on the ground in front of everyone. Without a word, he walked back towards his team, leaving everyone startled.
"And with that contest out of the way, let's get back to the scoring!" Lola announced. "And here we are!"
Fallen Prometheus – 10
Sabertooth – 8
Raven Tail – 6
Fairy Tail – 4
Mermaid Heel – 3
Lamia Scale – 2
Quatro Cerberus – 1
Blue Pegasus – 0
"WHAT'S THAT?! 6TH PLACE?! I TOLD YOU ALL 1ST?! WHEN THIS IS ALL OVER, I'M SPINNING EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!" Obaba furiously roared.
"Calm down, Master." Chelia urged, though it did little good.
Laxus looked at the scoreboard, seemingly appeased with the results. "4 points for 4th place, not too shabby I guess."
"At least Salamander can't hold this over our heads for long." Gajeel said. He looked over, seeing a mop of red fly over the balcony. "Huh?"
Natsu groaned as he was still on the ground. His stomach was in dead knots, and he couldn't even speak properly. If he was honest, his guts wanted to jump out of his mouth. The loudmouth Dragon Slayer was like a ragdoll. Though barely conscious, he was able to catch wind of the sound of armor.
"Gooooh…" He looked up dazed, the sun overcasting a familiar person whose smile made his stomach even more queasy. "Erza…"
The knight bent down, getting Natsu up to his knees. "Easy now." She managed to get her hand on his chest, while using her shoulder to drape over his back and wrap around his waist. She grinned at him with sincerity. "We'll get you to the infirmary. Just rest, okay?"
Natsu stomach a belch and nodded weakly. "Yeah…got it." As Erza supported him all the way, Natsu felt limp, but couldn't help it. "Erza…?"
"Yes, what is it Natsu?"
"Thanks."
A tint of pink came across Erza's cheeks. "You're welcome."
"Coming in 4th place out of all the competitors, that's something to be proud of." Juvia said.
"Yeah, I know I'd be as well." Cana spoke. As she watched Natsu and Erza slowly make way for the tunnel, her eyes diverted back towards Craig, watching him watch the scene as well.
Craig and the others allowed passage for Erza to get by towards the tunnel. As they made way for Fairy Tail's infirmary, he crossed his arms and grinned. He thought it was a reasonable place, but he also didn't mind last. At least in his concerns. He's crawled out of jams when he was at the bottom of the barrel before.
Rufus walked back into his tunnel, his frown slowly growing into a smirk. 'So Fallen Prometheus hid in plain sight all along. I knew I counted seven other competitors. Perhaps I just needed to see his move first, but maybe…' He walked into the darkness, a soft snicker coming across him. "This shall be a most interesting comeback we will be making. Although, I do hope that Master Jiemma settles well with all this."
Orga rested his elbow on the balcony. "Great. 2nd place again."
"We'll have to make sure that we keep ourselves in top shape for the battle round then." Rogue commented.
Minerva spectated the competitors walking away, a smirk crossing her lips. "Perhaps so. Still, we won't let this drawback hold us down. Sabertooth will be 1st in the end, and that I shall guarantee."
Lola cleared his throat, readying for the next set of competitions for the day. "Ladies and gentlemen, now that the competition has been settled, it's time that we begin the battle portion of today's Day 1 of the Grand Magic Games!"
"Each team shall have 1 of their own pit against another." Yajima informed. "The matchups shall be based on the audience's choice, so be ready!"
"So if we win our battle, then we'll get 10 points, correct?" Eve asked.
Ichiya nodded. "That's correct, men. There is no room for margin of error." He struck a valiant pose. "SO! We shall hold our ground and prepare ourselves for battle! Are you with me?!"
"Yeah!" The Trimens cheered.
Lola looked down at his papers, seeing the matchups. "Let's see here…our first match starting as of now shall be Raven Tail's Nullpudding..."
The stout pink man stepped up, smirking maliciously. "Got it."
"Against Quatro Cerberus' very own Rocker!"
Rocker from Quatro Cerberus stepped up, fists clutched and ready to roll. "WILD~!" He roared. He stepped up, facing Nullpudding dead in the arena.
"So it looks like Raven Tail's gonna show off its true colors." Makarov said.
"We'll see, but I'm going to guess they'll find some way to mess it up for the other guilds too." Elfman said. "That wouldn't be manly at all, not on my watch."
"That makes both of us." Evergreen said, surprising Elfman.
Rocker raised a fist, gritting his teeth at Nullpudding. "Better watch your back, little man, because I'm gonna pick up for my guild, see?"
Nullpudding just kept his casual half-grin expression. "Heh, well I prefer to not put all my eggs into that one basket. Sorry if you don't come out of this in one piece." The aura around his rather eccentric face widened, his mean look giving him a more dominant stature.
Rocker, however, didn't show any cowardice. "Ha! Well let's see what you got then! Bring it on!"
Mato appeared between the two, set with a smile on his face. "Alrighty! You both have 30 minutes to seal the deal! Now, let the 1st round battle…start!"
Instantly, Rocker went springing into action. His leg began to spin like a drill, increasing his speed.
"Woah! Look at that!" Happy shouted.
"Is that a rotation type of magic?" Carla inquired.
Rocker closed in, readying his swing. "My Drill 'n Rock is just for ya! BAM!" He swung his kick around, but Nullpudding dodged by jumping back. As he landed, he saw that the place where he once stood now had a small dent in it.
"Not too shabby."
"Much oblige!" He sprung for him again, this time his whole right arm spinning. "Drill n' Rock for ya!"
Nullpudding kept the mean look on his face as he leaned left and right, dodging punch after punch. He kept dodging, leaving Rocker to continue his advancement on him.
"It looks like Rocker of Quatro Cerberus is already putting Nullpudding on the defensive! Lola commentated. "His magic is spinning so fast that it looks like drills coming at him! Boy would I not want to be on the receiving end of those punches if I was down there."
"Why do they just keep dodging? They know they'll only run out of time if they keep this up." Yuka said.
Jura's quizzical gaze narrowed. "Perhaps that's what is intended."
Nullpudding veered left and right, effectively evading every strike coming at him. Rocker's patience was wearing thin, and punch after punch only made him all the more agitated. When he found another shot, he took it.
"Now hold still!" He punched straight ahead, only for Nullpudding to jump over and straight above his head. Rocker found his momentum working against him, earning him a kick to the back of the head, sending him to the ground. As Nullpudding descended, he snickered.
Rocker struggled to his feet, trying to find levity. "Cheap shot." He grimaced.
"Heh." Nullpudding lunged for Rocker as his back was facing him, his arm growing and prickling with many large purple needles.
"Needle Blast!"
He punched Rocker in the back, sending a shock through the mage's spine. The intense punch sent him tumbling forward, sliding onto his side. "You let your guard down there." His adversary darkly sneered.
Rocker again struggled to his feet, trying to get up. This time he whipped around fast enough to see Nullpudding coming at him again. Before the needle-like fist made contact, Rocker jumped into the air at the last second, evading the attack that shook the ground beneath.
Above, his two legs began to spin. "Nice try, but no cheap shottin' me twice! Drill 'n Rock for ya!"
Nullpudding smirked as he used his forearm staged with spikes to block. The two back to back kicks struck, making a loud shock echo. The stout man didn't bother changing his expression as Rocker grimaced in his attack being blocked this time.
He landed, staring at Nullpudding with edgy brows. "You little man, you think you got me?"
Nullpudding narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps you should look down."
"Wha…?" Confused, Rocker looked down at his knees and legs. To his shock, his eyes widened when he saw that the pants were all torn up, and his bare knees and shins had cuts in them. His mouth gaped in deep remorse. "Huh?! When did this-?!"
"Uh oh, looks like Rocker just got himself into a heap of trouble!" Lola announced.
Rocker looked up to Nullpudding, his shock getting too great. "When did you get a hit in?"
Nullpudding darkly grinned. "My arms can expand into needles, so if you really want to attack the way you did before, I advise you be more cautious, unless you want skin grafts."
Rocker's teeth gritted. "Nobody tells me how to fight."
"Hey, it's your call. I just don't want your blood literally on my hands."
Rocker sprung ahead, shortening the distance between him and his adversary. "I'll take that into consideration after I beat ya! BAM!" He swung his right leg into massive spins into Nullpudding. As predicted, Nullpudding's other arm enlarged and became needles. He blocked and held his ground as his opponent grimaced in his attack being bounced off.
"Yeow!" Rocker recoiled, his spinning leg getting deeper cuts and blood running. His footing went wayward for a sec, leaving him open for a large fist to hit him square in the abdomen. "Oof!" He was unable to get a good kick in as Nullpudding stayed on the offense. His attacks were devastating as Rocker was pummeled left and right by spiky arms.
"And Rocker is mercilessly beaten by all of Nullpudding's attacks! The tables have completely flipped as Raven Tail is mercilessly taking the battle by storm, raining down attack after attack. Rocker just can't seem to find room! Talk about brutal!"
Yajima frowned.
"Oh man, that Quatro Cerberus guy is getting hammered." Gray commented.
"He's not allowing him to get any shots in. It's like he's wanting to throw the competition back and forth…at the price of blood." Juvia frowned in heavy reluctance.
Makarov glared at the one-sided fight, watching as Raven Tail's victory was unfolding. He didn't look pleased in the slightest with how merciless it was all going. "Ivan." He growled.
Craig watched the fight in disgust, narrowing his vision with hostility. As he watched, his throat vibrated with a growl. He, too, was getting fed up with the one-sided war, and it looked like Nullpudding wasn't even trying. He was toying with his prey, and he most certainly wasn't satisfied with that.
Eventually letting up, Nullpudding stepped away and receded his arms to let Rocker get to his knees, panting as blood seeped everywhere. The mage was panting, trying t catch his breath while Nullpudding was barely breaking much sweat.
"I warned ya, pal. I didn't want to get so rough with you." Of course as crude as Nullpudding was, he did warn him beforehand. Some lessons were best learned the hard way.
Rocker glared up at Nullpudding, his teeth gritting in anger. "This ain't over…not yet…" He struggled to his feet, trying to get on his boots. His shaky disposition was making it easy to tell he was running low on juice, but he wasn't going to settle for seconds.
"You got guts, I like that." Nullpudding's face darkened. "So, just for being sportive this once, I'll let you have at the rest." His arms stretched to both sides, showing his massive needles growing. "If you want to risk blood transfusions afterwards, so be it, but my beef isn't in it right now. Let's see what you got."
Rocker accepted the challenge with clutched fists. Without delay, his arms began to spin fast. "I say WIL~D!" He lunged ahead, his entire lower half a spinning drill that propelled him at such speeds.
Nullpudding brought his fist back. "Yeah, that's the spirits!" He punched ahead, meeting Rocker's own fist.
"And the beef match just keeps on coming!" Lola yelled. "Nullpudding is parrying Rocker's insidious assault one after another! It's cat and mouse, now turned to two beasts with fist fighting for durance! Who will win!"
Rocker screamed loudly as he punched and kicked profusely, with Nullpudding using his arms to absorb and deflect blows. The more punches and kicks that followed, the more blood and skin that scraped, and Rocker was paying the price. Nullpudding bashfully parried without much offense. A few good swings here and there, managing to wobble Rocker, but the attack assault by the other was still going, despite how badly he was scraped.
Craig's eyes narrowed. "That damn idiot. He's using the direct approach too much." He watched as Rocker and Nullpudding parried the other; Rocker desperately dodging at times. "If he can just get around or above, then perhaps."
"But this Quatro Cerberus." Laxus finished. "All they know is going at it full on without using much head. The guy's as good as dead."
Rocker unleashed another spinning kick with as much force as possible, but once again Nullpudding swatted his huge fist, sending Rocker deflecting off into the air with a howl of agony. The man fell to his back, grimacing in his pain.
Nullpudding smirked as he watched his opponent continue to stand. Rocker was barely able to lurch over to spit out blood. His legs wobbled as he tried to muster up the power, but he couldn't move, let alone get anymore power to raise his arms. Blood loss was evident, and his arms and legs felt more numb than ever. He grimaced as he could barely even see straight.
Nullpudding closed his eyes, smirking as he kept one fist still enlarged. "You still don't wanna reconsider surrender?"
Rocker panted profusely, refusing to get anywhere away from the wild fight. He breathed in and out, groaning. "Not…" He coughed red. "Yet…"
Nullpudding sighed in annoyance. "Alright then." He went after his opponent, jumping right for his face with fist reeled back. "Well don't say I didn't warn ya!"
Rocker flinched as the attack closed in. In fact, he was so scared that he fell over onto his bottom. With hands up, he covered up from any potential needles impaling. However, he felt nothing. When he looked back, his gaze was rendered shaken as he saw that the fist was but mere inches from his face. His paled expression was sweating bullets as he saw that Nullpudding deliberately stopped at that point, snickering at his crippled foe.
Rocker was gulping, seeing the dark., merciless look on his opponent's face. He was by no means able to even say anything.
Nullpudding receded his arm, keeping the fist out nevertheless. "Hmph." With that, he walked past the paralyzed Rocker, leaving him stiff in shock, shuddering at the folly committed.
The bell suddenly went off, and the match had ended. "And that's it, folks! Time's up!" Mato crossed his arms, signifying the draw. However, even he knew how the circumstances were.
"The bell has rung, ladies and gentlemen, and that means the 30 minutes are up!" Lola chimed. "That means both Raven Tail and Quatro Cerberus each gain 5 points for today's battle."
"If you ask me, it looked more like a mercy at the end." Yajima said.
Finally unable to hold in anymore of his shock, the blood loss got to Rocker, leaving him to black out. He laid there, while Nullpudding kept on walking with a large smile on his face.
Mato looked worried. "S-somebody get us a stretcher!"
Goldmine frowned as he watched Raven Tail walk away with pride, his disposition frowning. "I'm sorry, Rocker. Looks like we've gone and messed this one up."
"Wow, poor guy." Lisanna mourned.
"But why didn't he finish him off then? He could've just ended the match sooner." Lucy said.
"Because that's just what they wanted." Makarov growled. "They were toying with them the whole time, even when they knew the results. They just wanted to see their opponents cripple rather than relish in what could've been an easy win. That's what Ivan drilled into them."
Nullpudding returned to the armored man's side, having washed his arms along the way. "Well, boss man?"
The armored man nodded. "Yes, very good, Nullpudding. We shall let this be an example to Fairy Tail, just this one time."
Nullpudding snickered.
As Rocker was removed from the battlefield with paramedics tending to him, Lola looked down at his papers once more. "Now, let's get a good look at who's next for the picking! Our next match shall be Blue Pegasus' Eve Tearm…"
Eve adjusted his tie, having a fresh shirt after the long obstacle course. "Okay then!"
"Versus Team Sabertooth's Orga!" At his name called, Orga entered the battlefield, having arms crossed and looking ahead with a deep frown. He gave off an intense vibe, one that rivaled his size equal to that of Laxus. The audience went ballistic as it was one of their favorite who was entering battle.
Eve nervously looked up to him, unnerved. "Well, you sure are full of enthusiasm." He chimed nervously.
Orga glared down, his smirk lifting. "…thanks kid. Just for that. I'll make this as quick and painless as possible."
"Oh, phew." He sighed in relief, but caught onto what was spoken. "Wait, what?"
Back with the Fairy Tail team, Craig and the guys watched as the battle unfolded. As they did, the sound of boots came from behind, guiding their attention elsewhere. To no surprise, they saw that it was an old friend.
"Well look who decided to show up." Laxus said.
"You sure took your sweet time getting here." Gajeel teased.
Returning to their side was Erza, all fixed up and looking ready for anything. "I apologize for the wait. I was a little occupied in finding a means to the infirmary. Natsu was most troublesome indeed." From the tone in her voice, it didn't sound so bleak as intended.
'She just wanted to spend some more time with him alone.' The three thought in unison, but were sure to not have said such a thing.
Erza approached the balcony. "Have I missed anything?"
Craig looked back. "Just Raven Tail against Quatro Cerberus."
Erza looked shocked. "Raven Tail?"
"Yeah. Better be glad you weren't here to see it." Gajeel said.
The next second, they heard a massive shriek and a booming discharge of black lightning. Craig and the others whipped back towards the battle, seeing a discharge of bolts that stunned Eve. The Snow Mage yelled aloud as he fell to the ground, static and unconscious.
"Was that…lightning?" Lucy stammered.
Pantherlily covered his ears. "L-lightning?"
The cloaked figures all looked at the lightning, studying its properties. "…black lightning." The scythe carrier hummed. A smirk was seen underneath his cloak.
The bell went off as Orga turned and walked away. "And that's all there was to it! One-hit KO and the winner is Orga of Sabertooth! Just like that. Their total goes up to 18 points, making 1st place so far!"
As Orga walked off, he looked over his shoulder. "I'm letting you off easy and not fry you."
Eve twitched, unable to move due to the static.
Arana slouched over her team's balcony, looking bored of what happened. "Oh dear, the poor thing."
"He never even stood a chance." Millianna said. "I actually feel sorry for the guy."
Watching from the stands, Gildarts looked intrigued. "Say, the guy's got some serious power."
"Super serious." Romeo swallowed.
With Eve also taken to a nearby infirmary due to unable to move for awhile, Mato rushed up to clear away the mess. "Eheh, sorry about that! Boy, these games really don't back grudges don't they?" He laughed meekly, getting almost no amusement. "Anyways, let's get to the next battle, shall we? It'll be Lamia Scale's Lyon Vastia…"
Upon called, Lyon stood proudly. "Very well then."
"Versus Team Fairy Tail's Erza Scarlet!"
The audience had also gone nuts over the matchup. The opportunity couldn't had come at a better time for either guilds. Two rival guilds that had many thinks alike, yet they only had one thing set in mind – victory.
Obaba laughed loudly as she spun a random member profusely. "HAHA! Let's go, Makarov! You haven't got a chance against Lyon! He's one of my best!"
Makarov clutched a fist. "Oh yeah?! Just try us you old hag!"
"I guess you should get going, Lyon." Chelia insisted.
Lyon turned his back towards her. "So I shall." Without a word, he went down the tunnel, his team members looking at him in silence as he went off in hopes of victory.
Erza closed her eyes, turning away from her own teammates. "Then it's my turn to get going then." Like Lyon, she also went down the tunnel.
"Be sure to win." Laxus said.
"Yeah, and besides we're not settling for any place beneath Sabertooth!" Gajeel warned.
Craig crossed his arms as he watched her walk off. "Stay on your toes."
"Understood."
As the audience cheered, the competition was already getting hyped. They all watched as Lyon and Erza slowly made way for the center of the colosseum. When close enough, both competitors looked straight into the other's eyes, seeing the intense resolve.
"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Erza started the conversation.
"Indeed it has. It's been far too long since I've seen Fairy Tail." He bowed in courtesy. "It's an honor to see you again."
"Likewise. Are you ready?"
Lyon straightened up, smirking. "As ready as I'll ever be. Although really…I was hoping to fight Gray at some point in the competition. But, seeing as how you have a wealthy pool of other competitors on your team, I suppose you will have to do for the time being."
Erza spread her legs apart, a smirk crossing her own face. "Well I'll be sure to meet your expectations."
"As will I."
Gray looked down from stands, crossing his arms. "Been a while since we've seen Lyon. I wonder how much stronger he's gotten since the last time we've met?"
"Come to think of it, don't you both use the same type of Ice Magic?" Lucy inquired.
Gray shrugged. "Yeah, but we both got differences. Mine is more traditional, I guess."
"Oh don't worry, Gray. I know cheering for both sides is hard." Wendy chirped.
"Who said I was cheering for Lyon?! Not in a million years!"
Lucy and everyone laughed.
"Well, in any case, let's just hope Erza pulls it off and get us higher on the board." Lisanna said, steering the conversation in a proper direction.
Juvia nodded. "Yes, for all our sakes, let's do our best to look out for her."
"Erza, good luck!" Mirajane waved happily.
Mato appeared between the two, fixed for being referee again. "Are both competitors set? Like before, you have 30 minutes or it's a draw!" He chopped his hand down. "So then, let the third-round battle…BEGIN!"
The bell rung, signaling the beginning.
Lyon put his hands together, conjuring ice. "Let's not waste a breath, shall we?" He reached out to her, molding ice with one hand. "Ice-Make: Eagle!" Without delay, several eagles made of ice went soaring towards Erza, swift and cool.
The redhead watched as they closed in, in a flash requipping a sleek sword. In a matter of a split second, she passed the icy flock., striking a pose as they were reduced to sparkles behind her. The instance surprised Lyon, making his eyes widen a little.
Her brown eyes opened, her boot leaving the ground as she raced for Lyon. "You'll have to do better than that!"
"Gladly!" Lyon stretched his arms ahead, gathering more power. "Ice-Make: Puffer Fish!" A large puffer fish made up of ice went towards Erza, moving at such velocity that she had to maneuver quickly.
"Requip!"
As Erza closed in, the puffer fish made contact. However, when it looked like it made contact, it was suddenly glinting many white lines, stuck in place. The fish suddenly burst into shards, exploding all over the place and making mist. As the mist dissipated, it revealed Erza, cloaked in her Purgatory Armor with mace in hand.
"And Titania Erza counterstrikes Lyon's attacks with devastating precision!" Lola commented.
"Alright, yeah!" Happy cheered, with Makarov and the others cheering happily.
Erza adjusted her stance, holding her mace back. "Prepare yourself!" She pivoted, swinging her mace horizontally. A massive shockwave went grazing through the atmosphere, picking Lyon off his feet and sliding back several feet to a halt. He caught himself, but just barely.
As he held his ground as the shockwave passed, he smirked.
"Ice-Make: Snow Ape!"
Reaching an arm out, Lyon conjured a large icy ape with qualities of a gorilla. With it in front, Erza sprung forth, getting her mace behind to attack. With a loud shout, she swung it, but this time, the humungous, heavy ape raised both hands in a clap, capturing Erza's spiky mace.
"It caught it?" She gasped. In her shock, the ape raised its arms overhead, summoning force to fling both the mace and Erza high over Lyon's head. With her in midair above, and her weapon twirling out of place, Lyon looked up and readied his other hand.
"Now, Ice-Make: Dragonfly!" He summoned dragonflies made of ice, sending them arching and homing in on Erza.
"Erza, look out!" Lucy warned.
In midair, Erza tucked back, glowing and spinning constantly. As the dragonflies closed in, they were suddenly cloaked in lightning, electrocuted in a vicious discharge of green bolts that flashed in the atmosphere. Everyone looked in shock as Erza was revealed in her Sea Empress Armor, yet had the Lightning Empress spear in her grip.
"But how?!" Lyon gasped.
Erza descended, twirling her spear and creating a magic circle that shot more lightning bolts. The blast was enough to make Lyon realize he needed to move, and thus he dodged out of the way, his Snow Ape instead on course and taking the discharge. Like the dragonflies, it also was blown to bits, shattering to sparkling bits. The residual chunks went flying about, causing Lyon to cover up.
"And Titania once again provides an excellent counter to Lyon's attacks. It's a constant back and forth parry folks, between a man cold as ice, and the fiery fury of Fairy Tail!" Lola yelled.
"Go, Lyon! Push her back already!" Chelia shouted.
"If you ask me, he seems to be on the defensive." Yuka examined.
As Lyon fixed himself, Erza requipped once more, changing to what looked like her Morning Star Armor. "Your skills as a wizard aren't too shabby. But still…" She jumped into the air again, pointing her two swords to the center, where the energy from both gathered into an electrical light hemisphere. "There's still more to a wizard than their magic! Photon Slicer!"
A massive projectile blast of discharged ions went pulsated towards Lyon, who found no room to dodge. As the attack draw in, he put both hands out, conjuring more energy.
"Ice-Make: Shield!"
Similar to Gray, Lyon made a rather thicker layer of ice, taking Erza's attack head-on. A massive burst of light refracted by the ice's properties, making everything go blind for a moment. The whole stadium shimmered as it was like a chandelier that encased Lyon. However, as the attack's impact deflected about, the density was still enough to cause serious cracks within the shield.
"Lyon's once again proven his cunning ingenuity here and now! He made the light from Titania's attack reflect and bounce everywhere else! We can hardly see!" Lola called out.
"My is that bright!" Yajima exclaimed.
The light of Erza's own attack made her eyes squint. She could barely see as well with the ice refracting beams of her own attack about. It was a wondrous trick, and as she descended, that cost her. Within said light, she saw shimmering projectiles aim for her, causing her to cover up as they homed in and struck her. Ice burst against her, pushing her out of the air and screaming as she descended.
The light faded, revealing the dome of thick ice to dissipate and reveal Lyon. He grinned as he knew his attack made contact. "Perfect."
Erza thudded on her back, bits of her skin caught in the frost of a few of Lyon's attack. Her armor requipped, turning to her default Heart Kreuz Armor.
"And Lyon made advantage of that attack and got a clean shot in on Titania!" Lola shouted.
"Erza, get up!" Happy cried out.
"What are you doing sitting around! You can do better!" Cana exclaimed. "Come on, get your ass back up!"
Lyon looked down at Erza, a frown on his face as he inspected her. "Is this the best you can do? I thought Fairy Tail's S-Class had much more to offer than this."
Obaba spun around cheerfully, relishing in the advantage. "YES! JUST LIKE THAT, LYON! KEEP PUSHING HER ONTO THOSE TWINKLE TOES!" She uproariously laughed.
Erza opened an eye, seeing she was on the ground. "So, you refracted my attack's properties." She flipped back up, standing on her feet once more. "You startled me with that move. I'm impressed."
"Look who's talking. I could be telling you to quit running your mouth but…" Lyon flexed his fingers, smirking. "I think I'd rather take my chances with you distracting yourself."
Erza requipped a sword, posing. "I assure you, it won't happen again."
"So be it." Lyon reached out again. "Come!"
Volleys of ice were launched constantly, ranging from lances to eagles to even dragonflies. The various ice combinations were all homing in on Erza. She slashed and parried every bit of ice without delay. She even had to requip a second blade to cut even faster than before. She sliced and blocked as many as possible while others deflected in various spots all over, stick out of the ground or elsewhere. The barrage didn't stop, and Erza was blocking nonstop.
"Man, Lyon isn't letting up, is he?" Gray evaluated.
"He doesn't want Erza to have an opening for an attack." Juvia said.
"What is she even doing down there? Dancing? Where's the brawling?" Cana joked.
"Erza, let's go! Come on!" Millianna cheered. "You can do it!"
As the barrage went on, Kagura watched as Erza was going to work. She had a very calm and serious disposition, just like her. In fact, she didn't look phased at all. Maybe she was caught off guard once or twice, but it didn't matter to her. 'Erza Scarlet…'
Erza continued to parry nonstop, her face full of seriousness. As the minutes went on, with her and Lyon running about, the distance stayed the same, with Lyon continuing to use his magic nonstop. As they moved about, Erza requipped, glowing into her Flight Armor. Her speed raced faster than the projectiles, causing Lyon to slide to a stop. He gritted his teeth, seeing Erza bolt towards him in the blink of an eye. She reappeared in front, shocking Lyon and planting a kick to his chin.
Lyon fell to the ground, groaning. "That's smarts."
"I think I have you figured out." Erza evaluated.
As she was starting to get the upper hand, her team watched from afar. They all heard footsteps coming from behind, causing them to look behind to find that it was a certain teammate who had finished recovery.
"Hey, guys! What did I miss?" Natsu waved.
"Huh, Natsu." Laxus shrugged. "Didn't think you'd pick yourself up that quickly."
"Yeah right, that was like almost an hour ago." Gajeel corrected. "About time you got up ya moron."
Natsu sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry about that, I guess I just dozed off pretty hard. Man that was a good nap!" He laughed.
Craig looked from the wall, glancing back at the brawl. "Well you made it in decent timing. Your little special friend is out there right now." He mused.
Natsu looked at him confused. "Huh? Special friend? What are you on about?" He walked past Craig, seeing what he meant by that. When he saw Erza, his eyes widened. "Wait, Erza's fighting?!"
Back down in the colosseum, Lyon stood back up, facing his sturdy adversary. "You have me figured out, you say?" He repeated.
"Yes. When I think about it, your attacks rely a lot on melee and versatility; however, your defenses aren't as strong if the distance isn't far for your animated ice figures to strike. Meaning, if I simple stay short-ranged, then your attacks won't have that much effect."
Lyon stayed silent for a short while. As a few passive moments went along, he grew a smirk. "I expect nothing less of the finest mages out there."
"So I take it that I am right?"
"To an extent, but that doesn't guarantee victory for you know, does it." He placed both hands in front, conjuring a lot of mist and cold atmospheric conditions. "If you want to cut me, then I suggest that you do it while you still have the chance!"
Erza requipped again, this time her form becoming her Black Wing Armor. "I'll take you up on that armor."
Lyon reached out, creating a large figment of ice. "Ice-Make: Snow Tiger!" At his call, the ice materialized into a large tiger made up of ice. "Ice-Make: Snow Dragon!" And then beneath Lyon materialized an icy, serpentine dragon. It rose higher, lifting him off the ground.
"And it looks like Lyon is making yet another counter move!" Lola shouted. "What could both these competitors doing?!"
"A dragon and tiger?!" Millianna shivered, looking at the tiger's vicious fangs.
"Boy, looks like Lyon isn't holding back as much anymore." Risley evaluated.
"Indeed." Kagura bluntly stated. She was only observing Erza, with Lyon being of little regard to her meaning.
Erza saw the two massive opponents, her frown definite. As they towered over her, she showed nothing less than amusement.
"Is that all?"
Lyon's ears twitched at Erza's call. He couldn't help but feel challenged, and thus answered said call to challenge with upmost readiness.
"Then how about this!" He molded his hands again. "Ice-Make: Ape!"
Right beside the tiger, the icy ape once again returned, standing with the three other figments. They all glared at Erza, looking ready to pounce.
Erza closed her eyes, preparing herself as she held out her other arm. The palm was open, and in it requipped her Flame Empress Sword, much to everyone's surprise.
"Wait, isn't that the sword to her Flame Empress Armor?" Lucy asked.
"Yeah, it is. So why is she using that instead of her Black Wing Sword?" Lisanna asked.
Cana slouched over, giving an inquiry-like expression. "Erza has a lot of Magic Power, but the Black Wing Armor increases her power, right?" She had a pretty good idea with what was going on, but offered no input. Power added to fire could be a real threat.
Gildarts smirked. "Better kick back and watch the fireworks happen."
Once ready, Lyon reached out ahead, his creations all before him. "Go!" They all charged for Erza, roaring out frantically. All Erza did was stay still as her sword was ready to be unleashed.
"And Lyon's counterattack is hitting it home! Will he be able to triumph over the infamous Titania, or suffer a cold counter of his own?!" Lola screamed.
"Come on, Erza! Let's get this over with!" Natsu shouted.
Hearing Natsu's call, Erza's frown turned to a grin. She crouched and pulled her sword to one side. "Yes, Natsu." She murmured.
Lyon raised a brow. "Hm? What is she…?"
The sword ignited in a compressed field of fire. She charged, Erza swung her blade around, creating a dynamic wave of fire. The fire stretched far and wide, enveloping all the creatures in one go. In a matter of seconds, they all were vaporized within the explosion of searing flames. The intense and voluminous erosion stretched out to the stands, instantly making front row spectators sweat. They all were raptured in the heavily heated blast by that solemn swing, all fixated in deep shock.
"Wha…what just happened?!" Lola panicked, him and Yajima both nearly sweating. "I don't believe it! Erza had just single-handedly annihilated all those creatures with just one fell swing! And boy was it a hot one!"
Lyon was at a loss for words as the heated shockwaves raced for him during commentary. To his shock, he covered up, but was still sent flying on his back. They all watched as he tumbled backwards, constantly thudding until he stopped on his stomach. The audience went wild as a wall of fire was seen before him.
"And that one swing was enough to knock Lyon for a loop!"
Lyon struggled to his feet, barely holding himself together. "What…was that?" A shadow vast over him, getting his attention towards the figment above his head. To his disbelief, it was Erza, having jumped over the dissipating fire.
In a look of pure will, Erza glowed, requipping as she descended. "Now! Let's say we end this!"
As he watched her descend, he grew desperate. All he saw was a blue, but in his shock, he reached out and a magic seal formed.
"Ice-Make: Water Serpent!"
An icy slender serpent was summoned, shooting up towards Erza. The creature hissed loudly as it drew close, but upon contact with Erza, it diverted to several streams around her, completely missing her. As the glow faded, it revealed Erza with her Heart Kreuz Armor, but one hand had half the shield of the Adamantine Armor and the other held the massive hammer.
Lyon's eyes bolted wide in horror. "No!"
"Yeah! That's the Erza we know!" Natsu shouted.
"Go, Erza!" Wendy cheered.
Gray smirked at Lyon's shocked expression. "The guy just messed with the wrong kind of person."
As the icy water dissipated, Erza continued descended, yelling out as she swung her hammer down with the one arm. As it descended, Lyon's face paled and he almost blacked out. He was completely paralyzed and unable to respond.
DING!
The went off, and the hammer stopped mere inches away from his head. With the sudden stop, the shock instead made the dust beneath Lyon ripple out, a passing wind leaving the two stiff. "That's it! Time's up, folks!" Mato announced. "This match is a draw!"
The audience was perhaps a little disappointed, but at the same time, they were greatly enriched by the battle and the power difference.
Natsu crossed his arms, giving a pout. "Aw man! We almost had it!"
"I'll say. The chump got lucky, that's all." Gajeel spoke.
Cana slammed her booze bottle to the spot next to her, giving a hiccup. "Well that was a major letdown. Way to keep us guessing there! You really nailed that one!" In her heavy sarcasm, there was also the shouting that slurred.
"Easy now, Cana. Let's take it easy." Mirajane nervously advised.
Lucy smiled. "Yeah. She did a really good job out there."
"Well if you ask me, she should've finished it a long time ago." Gray commented. "Guess Lyon is more slippery than I remember him being."
Gildarts shrugged. "Oh well, guess we'll cut the competition a break this time around. Just this one day at least."
Makarov nodded. "Indeed. This shall be our way of saying that we are just getting warmed up."
Lola cleared his throat once more with a big smile on his face. "And just saved by the bell, Lyon Vastia gets to see another day. Erza Scarlet and Lyon both receive 5 points for their respective teams. Let's give another round of applause, shall we?" Like him, the others cheered and clapped for the two guilds. Although some were more starstruck than anything else.
"Wow, that sure was something." Risley commented.
"Meow! Erzy ruled!" Millianna cheered. "You go!"
Kagura discerned carefully as Erza receded her attack. She saw the many armors that were used, and she stayed cautious, studying her speed, reflexes; indeed she was a most worthy adversary, sharp like her blades. It only intrigued Kagura that much more.
Finally returning to reality, Lyon dusted himself off, clearing his throat. He looked towards Erza, seeing her look at him with hands to her hips.
"You fought admirable. I'm impressed." She complimented.
"…yes, likewise."
Without another word, both sides turned and walked away. As Erza returned to her team, Lyon kept a steady frown as he went along his way. 'If the bell did not toll as intended a second sooner, I would've lost. It looks like Fairy Tail is going to be a tough customer this year.'
"That was sure something, right Frosch?" Lector asked.
"Yeah, it was awesome!"
"Pfft, the chick couldn't last a second against my black lightning." Orga challenged.
Minerva smirked. "Perhaps not, but even so…" She watched as Erza joined up with her friends again, seeing her smile as Natsu exaggerated his shock and awe at her match. "It'll be fun to watch them try. They're much more worthwhile prey after all."
"I CAN'T BELIEVE WE DIDN'T EVEN WIN! I THOUGHT WE HAD IT THERE!" Obaba yelled.
Toby facepalmed. "Shut up, old hag!"
"Well that was a most riveting of battles." Jura commented.
"Yeah, Lyon was great!" Chelia chirped. "If you ask me, those guys got off super easy because it was the first day!" She clutched her fists, smiling vigorously. "But next time will be different, because we'll get ahead of them!"
Natsu leaned over, smiling wide. "Man, you were awesome out there!" He chimed.
Erza smirked. "Well I couldn't afford to lose in front of you, can I?"
Natsu blushed, instantly looking away sheepishly.
"Heh, looks like Salamander's all shy." Gajeel teased.
"No I'm not!" He pouted.
Erza simple smirked at him.
"When you're done over there, the next match is about to go on." Laxus informed.
Craig looked over, agreeing. "Yeah." He studied the competition carefully. True he is not the competitive type, nor did he really care all that much, but he was still in it to win it. There's no turning back; once you start you finish. Simple as that.
"Now, let's see who our next contestants will be!" Lola looked down at the papers, studying the last matchup carefully. "Our last match of the day shall be Mermaid Heel's Risley…"
"Show them what you're made of!" Beth exclaimed.
Risley pumped a fist. "You bet, short stuff."
"Versus Navice of Fallen Prometheus!"
Once again stepping into the arena, the hooded scarfed figment said no words as he went along. Before he got too far, he took one more look up to his team. When he looked at his leader, he saw that it was best – by his smirk – to get it over with. Shrugging, the contestants walked towards the other and stayed silent.
Natsu narrowed his eyes, looking at the cloaked figure. "Huh, hey, I remember that guy!"
"Yeah, he's the last to make it in the race before for some reason." Gajeel said.
Erza nodded. "However his tactics are, we are still dealing with some level of Magic Power. This sensation is most unnerving, so watch his every move. This is our chance to tell what type of power and magic they possess, so stay on your guard everyone."
Everyone did as told and paid attention. Even Gajeel did so. But perhaps the most intrigued was Craig, who said absolutely nothing.
Risley faced her cloaked opponent, smirking. "Don't be so subtle on me. I can be rough if I wanna be."
The man said nothing.
"Not much of a talker? Fine by me."
Mato raised his hand in a chop. "Alrighty! You know the rules! Let the match begin!" With that, the bell went off, signaling the battle's beginning.
Risley stretched her legs out, smirking. "Let's get this starte-!" An invisible force emanated from Navice, shooting a powerful wave of dense energy all about. It wasn't even seen, yet it shot Risley so swift and so far that she went sailing back into the wall. The impact caused the shock to run through her body, making her blackout and fall on her face.
Everyone watched the spectacle with so much shock, even Sabertooth was in complete distraught over what they sw. Minerva looked intrigued at the force implied. No one could say anything as that one blow put Risley down. It was unbelievable at best.
Kagura stared with wide yes, completely startled by the force applied. 'What just happened? Was that just…Magic Power?'
Millianna looked over, petrified. "…Risley…?"
The bell went off, and Navice walked away without a single regard. "A-and the winner is Navice of Fallen Prometheus…" Even Lola was rendered speechless. "Wow, I did not see that coming…"
Yajima was completely off guard as well, unable to even speak.
Sting lost all meaning of a smirk. "What was that?"
"I don't know, but he didn't even have to lift a finger to take her down." Lector said.
"The heck was that?! We didn't even see what happened!" Natsu whined.
"Me neither." Gajeel irritably admitted.
Erza narrowed her vision, her eyes still shaking a little. "Was that…" She looked down. "Was that magic even? Or was that just a small release of his magic that we didn't see? Is it speed perhaps?"
Craig ignored what everyone else said, staring solemnly at the man who didn't bother wasting his breath against his opponent like Orga did. As he looked at him, he could've sworn he felt a familiar sensation with said power. He stared wide-eyed, completely unable to speak as that single invisible pulse was by no means anything more than Magic Power. He glared at the man as he went along, back to the tunnel and towards his comrades.
The scythe-carrying cloak turned as Navice came up. "That sure took long enough."
"My apologies." He said.
"Well, all things considered, he made it quick." The monarch-winged cloaked figure chimed. "A lot quicker than you."
The scythe carrier growled at her.
"You made sure it wasn't much?" Gates asked.
Navice nodded. "Of course. That unleash wasn't even 10%."
The Shinigami cloak smiled, giving his silent approval.
"Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes the matches for Day 1! Now, let's see who ranks where on the board for their ranking!" Lola announced, directing all attention to the board.
Fallen Prometheus – 20
Sabertooth – 18
Raven Tail – 11
Fairy Tail – 9
Lamia Scale – 7
Quatro Cerberus - 6
Mermaid Heel – 3
Blue Pegasus – 0
"And in a surprising twist of events this year, Fallen Prometheus, our newcomers, seized 1st place without even having to try!" Lola added. "What a shocking turn of events!"
"Say what?!" Lector snapped. "How are we not in 1st?!"
"Dumb luck?" Frosch inquired.
"Dumb is right. That last battle was a cheap strike." Orga flexed an arm. "If we get a chance, I'm gonna show them how to really win."
"There's still tomorrow. Keep that in mind." Rogue said quietly.
"He's right." Sting said. "We'll pick up the pace tomorrow. We'll snag that place back ourselves. After all, Sabertooth sinks its fangs into anyone."
Ren sulked miserably. "Well that was a letdown."
Jenny facepalmed. "Man, what a misery."
Hibiki pushed buttons on his archive. "Last place with 0 points is a terrible flaw in our strategy. I'm afraid we'll have to redouble and think this through starting tomorrow."
"Men!" Ichiya posed. "Fret not, gentlemen and lady, for we shall do everything within our power to make sure today's struggles were not in vain. Oh yes, I can smell the parfume of retribution in the air!"
"And that concludes today's event for the Grand Magic Games." Lola said. "We will be seeing you all for Day 2 starting tomorrow, so stay tuned and be sure to stay present for these exciting events."
"Glad to have been here today." Yajima smiled.
As everyone departed, the teams were left to do their own thing. In Craig's case, he looked towards Cana a long ways away. Both shared the same stumped expression that was plastered on their faces. They looked back at Fallen Prometheus, only to realize that once the games were over, they were gone. The uneasy feeling crawling up and down both their spines arose. And for the oddest reason, it felt like it was about to get worse.
Here's the rest of Day 1! I stuffed this into one big chapter – as always. So as you saw, I did originality at its finest, and hinting of where the competition will be drawn towards. If you guys didn't catch the reference to Dark Jungle, it was based off Xiaolin Showdown. I was looking for interesting ways to make all these contests, and I thought watching said show would shed some light on ideas. The reference from the show was the showdown Ropes of Darkness.
Battle wise, I didn't think too hard, but it was really how I could level and match each individual character. Erza against Lyon was the more difficult of the 4 battles because I had to take their strengths into account. Obviously Erza is stronger, but Lyon is also quick-witted. I basically had it like Lyon VS Kagura, only more modernized one might say.
Next chapter may be drawn back for a bit. Reason being is that this week I am going to Florida, so during that time I will be working on sketches and art, and when I get back, I will be getting started on that Bakugan fanfic I have been dying to get going!
Still, let me know what you guys thought and thanks!