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.

53. Taking Out The Trash

"And that's another down!" Natsu towered over a defeated Max, the bruise-faced mage groaning as the pumped Dragon Slayer was having a ball inside the tavern. It was the night of Day 1, and Fairy Tail was celebrating their place in the long run with some old-fashioned guild antics. "Alright, who's next?!"

"Man, those guys sure can be noisy." The bartender sweat dropped. The associate beside him looked equally as unnerved as he saw a few damaged materials around.

"How are we going to fix this?"

Cana hiccupped as her face was red. "Come on, what was that out there, today? When did you guys *hic* get so wimpy all of a sudden?" She slurred at Erza, nearly falling over in her drunken stupor.

"You're one to talk. All you did was hold was hold a bottle in your hand and yelled, boozer!" Gajeel retorted.

"*hic* It's called motivation. What? Want me to degrade you out there sometime?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" He glared.

Cana hiccupped, chuckling at the teasing.

"Will you just shut up already?" Craig groaned. Clearly he wasn't amused with the shouting Cana pulled today, but he seemed more laid-back about it, literally. With his stomach full of honey roasted ham, anyone would be stuffed. "God, you've been a bigger pissant today than before. Seriously, every syllable was just degrading."

Cana squinted a single ye to him, her stupor turned towards him. "Oh~? Is that so?" She leaned in towards him, smirking. "Now how come you always degrade me? Hmmm~?" From her tone, it was more os amused inquiry than anger, but even though Craig was aware of this, he wasn't giving her special treatment.

He crossed his arms and looked away, shaking his head. "Yeah, why bother." He mumbled.

"Cana is right." Erza admitted. "Although there is a kernel of wisdom in her output, I can't deny that today wasn't really our element. I should've been more prepared against Lyon. He was more intelligent than I gave him credit for."

"Yeah, what was that? Was that a dance or a fight?" Gray smirked, sitting at a table with Juvia. "We could've had a higher score if you hadn't been so weary."

Craig raised his chin towards Craig. "Hey pal, you know those things happen, alright? Can't win them all."

"Coming from you." Elfman said. "You got us 1st place in the preliminary. But the actual competition today set a bar focus to jump for."

Craig wasn't appreciating how he was merely standing up for those who tried. He respected that, and he loathed when people degraded him…sometimes. In the past when he was emotionally unbalanced-ish, it'd lower his self-esteem, but now it didn't bother him because he didn't care about others and their expectations. Still, that doesn't mean he won't let others take shit, even if it was joking.

"Oh lighten up, Cranky." Cana cooed. "We're just teasing."

Craig, however, just rolled his eyes and ignored her. He knew that fact, but he didn't like it regardless.

Natsu rammed his fist into his hand, smirking. "Alright, who's ready for another round?"

"Aye!"

"Man, someone's full of energy." Lucy remarked. She and the others were on stools a ways away, staying away from property damage. He was so dead during the games today, that it was almost unbelievable seeing how he recovered so fast.

"Natsu sure looks psyched, doesn't he?" Wendy said.

"A little too psyched for my liking, but then again, I suppose this is him we're speaking about." Carla sighed.

Gajeel snickered not too far away. "Oh yeah, well what he did today proved that fang face over there can trounce him." He sneered. Craig, even though in earshot, ignored Gajeel's comment and continued to sit in the booth across from his roommate.

"Huh?" Of course can't be said about Natsu. "The heck you say?! I was off guard today! Besides, I got us points today, so shut up!"

"Yeah, but you still sucked out there." Gajeel shouted. "I bet I'd last longer than you!"

"Oh yeah? Wanna prove it, metal-breath?! I'll take you on here and now!"

Pantherlily smirked from afar, seeing a great opportunity. "Looks to me that Gajeel will be taking part of the competition then."

"Really?" Levy questioned. "Gajeel, really?"

Looking over his shoulder, the Iron Dragon smirked. "Huh? Hell yeah, I'm gonna own Salamander that way."

Natsu held up a tight fist. "Just try me, punk!"

"Knock it off, would you?" Laxus sighed. "Besides, if you tussle, we'd be paying the bill, and competitors for tomorrow."

"Save that energy for cheering and fighting tomorrow then." Macao advised.

"Yeah, gotta prove to Sabertooth that we're not gonna fall behind very long." Wakaba said.

Erza squinted her brows. "Sabertooth is for certain." She thought back to the earlier events of the battles, mainly with Sabertooth. Their competitor, Orga, his Magic Power was high, but at the same time it piqued her with that other guild, Fallen Prometheus. They didn't do anything and they still beat the competition. 'That guild troubles me. Are they perhaps hiding something other than possible Magic Power…?' She was brought out if her inquiry when a chair flew past her, hitting and breaking against the wall.

"Aw man, I missed!" Natsu grimaced.

"Just try that again, Pinky!" Gray sneered.

"Bring it, ya snowman!" He glared.

Lucy facepalmed. "Aw man…"

"Well there goes our privileges for this tavern." Wendy nervously groaned.

Erza simply looked towards Natsu, smiling at his ever-burning energy.

Craig stayed down, yawning as the nighttime was beckoning sleep. However, it was not so easily responded to. He didn't have luxury to sleep just yet, not with such noise and the smell of alcohol enflaming his nostrils with its harsh aroma.

Cana put a hand to her chin and rested her elbow on the table. "Aw, too tired? Need a nap?" She teased.

A weak smile tugged on his lips before going to a tired frown again. His mind was rather wayward, and no one could blame him per se. Even Cana knew to lighten up, given his history with jokes and the seriousness involved. Still, it wasn't like she didn't care. She was just pushing a few buttons…and she was smart enough not to hit the wrong kinds.

"I'm still amazed at how Craig owned that obstacle course challenge." Warren said.

"Yeah, no kidding. He used that pate like a shield and carried it all the way to the finish. Talk about overachieving." Laki said.

"The guy's already worn himself out battling Gildarts awhile back. How far does he have to take it?"

"Speaking of Gildarts…" Alzack looked around, wondrous of the vacancy of the mentioned. "Where is he?"

"Knowing him, probably off drinking on the streets with other women." Macao laughed.

"Well someone's gonna find him and mistake him for a shag carpet." Wakaba joked. As he joked about and chuckled, he was brushed from the side by a swaying individual who passed him. "Huh? Hey pal, watch it!"

"*hic* My bad." He gurgled. The man stumbled about, finding a familiar face in a booth. He smirked and waddled on over. "Well hey, if it isn't the is herself."

"Huh?" The drunken Cana looked up, seeing a familiar face as of last night. "Hey, I know you."

Craig's eyes widened, his drowsiness shaken completely as he looked up at the familiar drunkard who hit on Cana. Instantly his stomach was backfiring.

The man revealed himself as Bacchus, much to Erza's surprise. "Bacchus?"

"Eh?" He looked over his shoulder, his quizzical stare narrowing on the redhead. "Erza?" He hiccupped. "Well, I'll be damned. Didn't think I'd see you here."

"The same can be said." She retorted in a stern tone.

Stopping the brawl upon Erza speaking, Natsu picked up on a foul scent. "Huh?" He turned away from a shirtless Gray, seeing Erza talking to a stranger. He swiftly headed behind her. "Erza?"

Bacchus turned his head, giving Natsu the quizzical look next. "Huh? Hey, you're that guy from the Dark Jungle…Natsu, right?" He reached out a sloppy hand. "Put it there."

Natsu reached for it, shaking it lightly. He wasn't at all liking this guy, he was getting a bad feeling from just being around him.

"I gotta say, you being in that jungle today made spirits go wild. So Erza." He turned back towards her. "This guy your little playmate?"

Erza nearly floored at Bacchus' testimony. She was caught completely off guard by his declaration that it was making her cheeks red. "E-eh?!"

Bacchus uproariously laughed. "I'm just messin'. Man you're too serious for your own good."

The temperature for Erza dialed down, at least to where she didn't seem too flustered. "A-anyways, Bacchus, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your guild?"

"Maybe, but I thought I'd come in here, try a couple good rinks before getting to a party with the boys. But you know, something just came across me…" He twisted his expression back towards Cana. "Your little friend over here, she's got a good gut if she can handle that much in one sitting."

"You bet! No one can beat Cana at drinking!" Natsu declared. "Right Erza?"

Erza didn't nod, but she did find validness. "Perhaps so."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Macao warned.

"Yeah, her alcohol tolerance is as strong as her daddy!" Wakaba testified.

Bacchus raised a brow. "All the more reason to be fooling." He turned towards Cana, leaning down and smirking. "So little lady…" He slammed a bottle of beer in front of her. "Wanna go a few rounds?"

Craig stayed absolutely quiet the whole time. All he did was just glare at him, watching him carefully. When he saw Bacchus seemingly flirting with Cana, there was a pain in his stomach that he couldn't speak up about. It didn't want to make him throw up, but seeing that smirk on Cana's face as Bacchus offered her it wasn't sitting in his stomach. He hated this feeling, and though he felt it before, as of recently it's been more painful than ever.

The drunk brunette absent-mindedly raised her own glass with a smirk. "Alright, let's get this over with. Been hankering to see what you got since yesterday."

Bacchus raised his own glass. "Same here, hotstuff."

Craig turned his head away, snapping his maw at the air out of disgust.

And so the battle had begun, with Cana and Bacchus having their little drinking contest. Everyone was overwhelmed as Cana and Bacchus were going at it glass after glass. They didn't fail to amaze the others as bottle after bottle was downed, with the liquor, ale, wine, beer, everything was just smelling, and yet no one seemed to mind much. They all stared in disbelief as they continued on.

"Man, Cana's really going at it." Laki said.

Max, having recovered, folded his arms. "Yeah, but that guy's no slouch either."

Natsu turned towards Erza as their competition went on with no end. "Say, Erza?"

"Yes?"

"What did that guy mean by 'playmate'? He meant with tag or hide-an-seek, right?"

Once again, Erza's face turned red with flustered steam fuming.

"Idiot." Gray groaned.

"Huh?" He looked at Gray confusedly then back at Erza, who turned away with embarrassment. The Dragon Slayer wasn't entirely sure, but he shrugged it off and went on his own business.

The battle continued, with Cana's face completely red as she lazily looked at Bacchus as he smirked. The lush smirked, seemingly liking his vulgar drinking style. Sip after sip, their wills and tolerance was siphoned, and even after what felt like minutes on end, there was a certain point where Craig stopped looking from the reflection in the glass window and instead glanced over his shoulder to watch Cana and Bacchus go at it. He still kept his annoyed look on his face, but he still kept his leer set on the brawl.

Finally, after what felt like forever, both Cana and Bacchus were ready to fall over. Both looked at other, with Cana shivering a little.

Bacchus chuckled. "Gotta say, girly, I like your spirits."

"You got a pretty big gut your*hic*self…but I'm not…done…" She swayed and wobbled in her seat, reaching for one more glass. However, everything for her was going black, and she blinked constantly.

"*Hic* W'uh-oh! Looks like someone could use a hand." Bacchus cooed.

Barely finding strength, Cana held onto the table as best as she could. Unfortunately her best wasn't enough. With one more hiccupped, the lush finally had all the barrels possible and fell back. The female warrior of alcohol finally met her match, thudding onto her back with a stupor smile and spirals for eyes. Bacchus took her glass she wasn't able to finish and drank from it, laughing uproariously.

"Looks like I won~!" He chirped.

Craig looked at the fallen Cana, his eyes slightly widened upon seeing her down. His annoyed expression softened to a more curious look, but also of disappointment. He pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head weakly.

The whole guild was completely dumbfounded to say the least. "No way…" They grimaced.

"Cana…lost?!" Lisanna gasped.

"Well this certainly wasn't expected." Kinana frowned.

"Did Cana really just lose a drinking contest?" Lucy gasped. "That's crazy!"

Natsu and Gray were at a complete loss for words as both gaped their mouths. They had nothing to say about Cana's challenger being crowned the king.

Erza sighed. "Bacchus really has gotten stronger it seems."

Romeo overlooked the defeated Cana, seeing the spirals over her eyes. "Hey, is she okay?"

Cana moaned in her unconsciousness. She had a stupid smile on her face as it was beating red. She was so distraught and out of it that Bacchus hovered over her, and she wasn't even able to do anything about it.

He reached down for her bra, which covered her huge, ample cleavage. "*hic* I'll just be taking my prize and-!" Before he even got within an inch of his "trophy", a swift pair of jaws lunged from the side, getting Bacchus to recoil before they snapped in midair. The sharp fangs made a loud sound that surprised the guild watching, and Bacchus nearly fell backwards, but caught himself despite the slight stumble. "Heh?"

Looking down with curiosity, he was looking at Craig, who was hovering over the defeated Cana. He stayed low over her chest and glared up at Bacchus, a low growl escaping his throat. He looked no less than a feral animal ready to pounce. His jaws opened, allowing Bacchus to get a good look at his many rows of teeth.

"Whoa, buddy. Whatcha doing, huh?" He leaned in, giving a darker smirk. "Hey, just saying-!"

Craig violently snapped his jaws close to his face, forcing Bacchus to recoil again. The drunkard looked down with shock as Craig kept his maw closed, but his glare narrowed as he looked at Bacchus with a threatening warning, albeit in silence.

"Whoa, what's your problem?" Bacchus asked. "Fine, have it your way." He slowly backed off, a hiccup escaping his throat again. "Just messing around." He chuckled. "But boy, you sure as hell got a good set of chompers there, huh Craig? I wouldn't be surprised if we end up sharing a couple blows, right?"

Craig didn't reply. He just watched as Bacchus continued to wobble away. He remained covered over Cana as everyone was completely quiet over Craig wanting to bite Bacchus' hand off there.

The drunkard nonchalantly took off out the open door with a hiccup. "Oh well, tell that hot bombshell you're babying that she owes me a beer with her bra! Catch ya later, Fairy Tail!" He waved off, heading off into the streets to get to his guild's dorms and party. The Fairy Tail guild was left in shock while Craig snorted with a frown at the open door.

"Man, the heck was that guy about?" Gray questioned.

"The nerve of that guy." Droy huffed.

"Well he did down more booze than we've seen before." Jet reasoned.

Natsu clenched a fist, which began to flicker in embers. "The hell that jerk was, I'm gonna make him pay." He turned towards Erza, who was sighing in relief that he was gone. "Erza, did you know that guy?"

Erza, hearing Natsu's inquiry, turned towards him. "I'm afraid so. That was an S-Class Mage who's from Quatro Cerberus. His name is Bacchus Groh, who is a master in the original Drunken Chop-Hanging Palm technique."

"Wait…so that guy fights drunk?" Lucy gasped.

"Yes. Although between us, there was never a clear winner in the past."

"So you're saying he's as string as you?" Levy piqued.

"Dream on!" Natsu denied. "I bet that guy can't last two seconds with Erza now!"

"Not even." Max said. "Still, we should be careful…he did a number on Cana tonight. Didn't peg him to go for her-!"

Craig craned up at him, roaring up at the startled Max.

"Okay, sorry! Sorry!" He apologized.

Craig huffed again in annoyance and looked down at Cana. When he looked at her, he could easily see that she was out of it. There wasn't a chance she was going to be getting up anytime soon. He ignored the stares he got from everyone and gently knelt to get her on his back. Gingerly, he arose and looked left and right, looking if anything was out of place. He looked at his table, seeing a few unpaid meals that were eaten earlier. Out of his honesty, he reached into his pocket and laid a good amount of Jewel on the table before adjusting Cana on his back. She stayed snug as Craig remained hunched over like a dinosaur and trudged out of the tavern.

"Uh, Craig?" Mirajane's inquiry was met with Craig completely ignoring her, carrying Cana out of the tavern.

Natsu raised a brow. "Wonder what that was about?"

Gray facepalmed. "Oh geez."

---

The door to the inn opened, and Craig trudged on in. He walked past the couch and lacrima-vision, heading for the nearest bed. Being very careful, Craig turned around and quietly leaned back, allowing Cana to fall onto the soft, fluffy mattress. She laid on the sheets, still unconscious but alive nonetheless. He turned around and took one more look at her, frowning at her ample form.

"Man, just look at you." He muttered weakly. "You're a mess, and a big pain in the butt." He sighed once more, his head and glare turning away as he thought back to Bacchus. He was a man of principle, and even he was never that low in making use of vulnerable. He had morals, and only accidents happen. When he thought of Bacchus reaching for her bra earlier and him snapping out of protective instincts, his stomach churned again.

Unwilling to tolerate the feeling any longer, Craig dismissed it all and moved around Cana, slumping on his stomach and his head facing her. He laid on the very edge of the bed, staying a ways away with his head on the pillow as he frowned. At the same time he drifted to slumber, Cana turned in her sleep, her face facing Craig's. At that moment, an impish grin came across her stupor expression.

---

In an unknown location in Crocus, it was all dark, and many dogs and cats were heard barking in the howling of bustling Crocus. Even at night it was all hysterical with nonstop parties an many men dragging women around and vice versa.

Seeing a classy woman laugh as her man carried her luggage, a dark cloaked figure in the alley huffed and turned away. "What a bother." She sighed.

"Let it go." The scythe-carrier exasperated. "Why do you even bother toying with subjects anyways? They're just ugly rats you need to just kill off."

The cloaked woman with monarch wings didn't show any interest, and she instead stayed quiet and huffed again.

"We understand your plight. However, you must keep your priorities in check." Gates advised. "We must not have our powers seep out as of yet."

"I know." She sighed. "It's just not easy, really. Where's the loyal men who follow the prettiest?"

"Now come on, everyone. Don't be so problematic." Shinigami said, standing in the midst of the group. "Why don't we all just take a moment and take a deep breath, shall we?"

Scythe narrowed his eyes. "Tch, easy for you to say. We found 'him', and here we are just stooping around like scavengers waiting for a fresh meal to die."

"This waiting is rather boring, I admit." Monarch said.

"We need to keep it this way, at least for now." Gates advised. "Our Magic Power cannot be revealed. If we go after him this way, there won't be anything less than carnage and other wizards who'll just get in our way. It's best we leave the commotion to handle itself and wait until the smoke clears."

"Precisely." Shinigami smiled. "Just wait and blend in, alright? That shouldn't be so hard, right? Let's just play these games and have some fun."

The group fell silent as they bide their time nicely, shrouded in the darkness with a certain man in their mindset…

---

The mattress was very soft, so was the pillow. Both materials were the fluffy clouds that Craig slept on the whole night. His overall body was tired, and he wasn't feeling like doing anything. His head faced Cana while he laid on his stomach on a pillow. As he slept, the black that was his empty yet clear mind began to wane again.

His eyes opened up, his shock evident as he was found in the plateau once more, much to his own surprise. He looked around, turning left and right and very slowly stepped around, the fog clearing briefly to the sound if a meek screech. Recognizing it, Craig whipped around to see the mist fade to Batto-Ba, with someone sitting cross-legged on a flat rock beneath.

Seeing the elderly man, Craig just stood there, surprised to be drawn back to the spiritual journey.

"Craig. It's been some time, hasn't it?" Sama said.

Craig gave him a twisted expression. "If you count only a day and a half, then sure." He mused. "By you know something? You think it would really benefit both of us if you, oh…I don't know…give me a freaking heads up!"

The elderly man winked. "Where the fun be in that?"

Craig sulked over and shook his head. "Why do I even bother?"

Sama put his hands on his knees, giving Craig a serious frown. "At any rate, I have summoned you here in search of what you have achieved. Tell me, what is it that you managed?"

Craig raised a brow, folding his arms. "Well, I blew up today. How's that?"

Sama chuckled as his head shook. "Okay, I see how it is." His wyvern snorted, his breath hitching in its own chuckle.

Craig got up and went over towards the nearby pond, being sure to watch his step and stay on track. "Well I tried collecting some chi otherwise. My body feels pretty light that it's like I'm a ghost…again."

"So you're meditating and envisioning a clear mindset?"

"I got that down, at least to what it looks like." He sneered as he bent down, hands holding him up as he bent for the water. He began to drink, taking massive gulp after gulp.

The sensei closed his eyes, his hands holding beneath the sleeves. He nodded in understanding, but at the same time it was bewildering knowing the progress Craig's made in such a short time. Of course Craig added something that even he never saw coming. It threw them all for a loop, even the wyvern, once Craig finished his fill.

"…also, there's something I saw."

"Oh? What might that be?"

"In between the chi rifts…I saw a red eye."

The statement made Sama and Batto-Ba turn towards him, both shocked by the development. Sama slowly got up. "What did you say?" He scrutinized as he drew towards Craig.

Craig looked down, rather confused-like. "I don't think it's supposed to be like that, right? It was a bloody red with a black slit. For a brief moment, I thought it was part of a-!" He stopped dead in sentence when Sama put his hands on his shoulders, giving Craig a glare that scared even the likes of him. He looked at his sensei, very much freaked out.

"Tell me, was this being you saw black?" From the tone of his voice, it was too ominous for Craig's liking.

He caught on, and Craig knew to be careful with how he worded it next. "…more or less."

Sama turned around, pacing back to his wyvern. "That dragon. So he's been watching this whole time?" He muttered.

"Uh, mind filling me in over here?" Craig questioned.

Sama turned towards him, giving him a serious look. "Craig, listen to me. You're progressing rapidly, but I think your deepening of chi was dug you into something that could bring you to Primal Force."

Craig raised a brow, his own spine crawling. "…that dragon? You know something about it, right?"

"I am afraid I don't have much time to explain, so here it is. I think you met Slayos, or what connection was made when you dug into the rift of all chi. That is what's known as a Gemmed-Beast. A Gemmed-Beast is one of the most sacred and ancient entities that were incarcerated when all life on the planet was still evolving."

"So…I met someone who's almost a billion years old?"

"More like his prowess. Chi is essentially what drives them. Before magic was imprinted in Erath Land, when the land was still flaring with so much energy. This was chi itself, or rather pre-history kind of magic. Magic is evolved from chi itself, which is embedded into the Ethernano. These nanos evolved from the once and most powerful adaptation called Primordial Essence. It's basically the compounds that make up the raw concentration of magic now, but essentially it's what you and those trained to master chi are capable of seeing and manipulating."

Craig tried to take in all that was being said. He pondered deeply as he thought of the lightning he manipulated; the Crash Magic he sent back at Gildarts; those chi blades and that attack that obliterated the Tahungadon. It all flowed into his mind like a raging beast, yet he tussled with it like it was nothing. It was making sense, but it was minute after minute that he had to realize it.

"And Craig." Sama continued. "If your body is adapting to so much chi that it's subconscious, and if it enables you to see a Gemmed-Beast…then you're closer to remastering Primal Force."

"Primal Force…" Craig narrowed his eyes, thinking hard of the name.

"It is the final phase of chi. The ultimate form of chi. It is all the chi within your collected atmosphere. It is the necromancer of energy that makes up all living matter and ethernano. It is the most powerful element that also does wonders to the human body…but what worries me at this time is how it looks like Slayos is linked to you still."

Craig raised a brow, looking piqued at his inquiry. "Wait, 'still'?"

"He's a stubborn and modest dragon, but who would've thought he'd still have a liking towards you, even after your memory loss."

Craig didn't say anything, but instead kept pondering about that eye. The more he thought f Slayos, the more he felt confined to the prospect of feeling that power he felt for a split second. It was limitless. It was like all the knowledge and experience he felt and was a quick whiff. But unfortunately even he knew it was best to let nature takes its course.

"Well I guess I can't exactly rush these sorts of things then, huh?"

Sama shook his head. "No, I wouldn't. Just take a nice and steady pace, and just keep an eye out for if you feel that way again. I'm sure Slayos would like to peek about if you dig deep."

Craig shrugged. "Hey, I got wisdom from a god, who was incarcerated in the body of a toy horse. I took advice from a rotting pineapple, and I stopped worldwide catastrophes with the help of robots who risked themselves for all our sakes. I think I know crazy and bold when I see and feel it."

Sama didn't argue with Craig, nor could he. Though he questioned the toy horse and pineapple, he chose to dismiss it and see where Craig went with all this. "Very well. Until next time."

With time up, Sama sat down, closing his eyes and everything turned white around Craig. The fog was rolling back in, and within it, Batto-Ba and Sama alike vanished. Everything for Craig thus went to black, his eyes opening to the real world, where the sun was beginning to break into the room's curtains.

He blinked, his groggy eyes prodding open as he sat up. He stared ahead, facing the counter and the lacrima for a big screen. He stayed silent as Cana was still out like a light beside him, his thoughts drained far from her and adverted to the possibilities of what his sensei said.

He hunched over, taking a long breath as he ran his hands through his skin. "Primal Force…" It sounded powerful, but even he knew such power came with consequences, right? The more he thought of it, the more his head hurt. 'God, why must everything be so rough for me? This is going to take a lot of thinking to understand.'

---

"Welcome everyone, to today being Day 2 of the Grand Magic Games!" Lola announced, his audience giving off massive applause for him. "We were last scene in Day 1 as of yesterday, and boy was that a show, am I right? But now let's get this show on the road once again with the eight teams set and ready to take that 1st place spot!"

"I'm sure we'll be seeing some competition all fired up after yesterday." Yajima smiled.

"That we will, Mr. Yajima. That we will indeed. Now, following with the events of Day 1, we have our eight teams in what shall be them hurdling into the next leg of the race for first place, which is owned currently by the surprising newcomers, Fallen Prometheus. Sabertooth will be sure to not let up this time around, that we can be sure of." Lola looked down at the papers in front of him. "Now, with the openings over with, let's get this train rolling, folks!"

Natsu grimaced as he hunched over the railing. "Ugh, did he have to say train?"

Gajeel turned away, walking down towards the tunnel. "Well it better not be, because I'm not putting us down in the dumps today. We have a score to settle with Sabertooth and that guild on top." He marched on downwards, leaving the others to look on as he made way down towards the dirt.

"Go, Gajeel!" Levy cheered.

Pantherlily nodded at the choice. "This'll be the perfect opportunity to prove Gajeel's strength to the world."

"Well he better not let us down, because there's a lot riding on this for us." Macao responded.

"Well you could support him at least, Dad." Romeo advised.

Rogue frowned as he saw Fairy Tail's pick. "If it's all the same, I would like to partake today."

"You now?" Sting smirked. "That's pretty bold. Wanna show off for us?"

"Don't flatter yourself." Rogue walked off, leaving his guildmates to watch carefully.

"Go, Rogue! Yay!" Frosch cheered.

"Yuka! Better not get a low score or I'll spin ya!" Obaba threatened.

"I'll…do my best." Yuka nervously walked on, leaving snickering guildmates left in the stands.

"Obra, go." Alexei ordered. He watched as the straight-faced blue figure walked ahead of them, the little black animal-like creature popping back into the coat for no one to see.

"Meow! Let me go up this time, okay guys?" Millianna insisted. She cheerfully pranced along towards the arena, meowing all the while.

"Do your best out there, Millianna." Risley cheered.

Kagura showed no emotional worries nor concerns for the matter. "She'll have to keep her guard up this time around."

"Wild!" Semmes of Quatro Cerberus stepped up, fists clutched and howling as his guildmates roared from behind.

From Fallen Prometheus, they all silently looked at one another, daring the other to get going. Surely enough, the one to step up was Monarch, huffing out.

"Fine, guess I'll have to do everything myself." She playfully exasperated as she walked from her group towards the arena.

"Men. This is it, gents. This shall be the comeback we have been looking for!" Ichiya declared, face profusely sparkling. "Now, shall one of us partake in this quest for triumph?"

The Trimens all looked at one another with knowing smiles. However, when it came down to it, they were cut off by a blonde stepping up with a happy smile on her face.

"Sorry boys, but mind if I get some playtime?" The blonde was none other than Jenny, who had a hand to her wide hip. "That is, if no one is against it."

Ren raised a brow. "Are you sure about this, Jenny?"

"Of course I'm sure. I have a feeling we'll get that first place this time. Count on it."

Ichiya nodded. "Very well, then go off and sparkle in triumph!"

All the competitors from the guilds were set in the middle of the arena, where Lola began his evaluation. "And it looks like the guilds have selected their competitors for today's contest. For Fallen Prometheus, we have Monarch. For the top guild having turned underdogs, we have our fellow half of the Twin Dragons, Rogue! For Raven Tail, the mysterious Obra, along with Semmes of Quatro Cerberus. For Fairy Tail, we have Gajeel, another fellow Dragon Slayer! And to accommodate those who are making up for yesterday's turn of events, we have Millianna of Mermaid Heel clawing her way to the top, with Yuka of Lamia Scale. And for Blue Pegasus, we was the lustrous Jenny Realight stepping up!"

The crowd clapped and cheered, and Jenny waved to them with big smiles. The other competitors didn't bother to respond to them.

"So what are your thoughts for this group, Mr. Yajima? I'm sure having Sabertooth and Fairy Tail's two Dragon Slayers in play are going to lead to interesting quarrels, wouldn't you say?" Lola commented.

"Hmmm, well, Rogue is a contender, but I wouldn't count Gajeel out yet. Even if one is a Third Generation and the other is First Generation, I wouldn't count my chickens before they hatch just yet."

"This is going to be very crucial for Gajeel. He'll have to stay on guard the whole way." Erza said.

"Yeah, especially with Raven Tail breathing down our necks." Laxus shot a look at Alexei, but it was hard to tell if he was in fact looking back at him.

Within Fairy Tail's group in the stands, everyone was looking ready for some action. Although some were more pressed about other matters.

"Say, has anybody seen Gildarts?" Romeo asked. "He's been gone since last night."

"Don't worry. Laki found him outside a bar late last night. It looked like he really did a number on himself." Macao didn't necessarily go into depth regarding how Laki described Gildarts. Apparently him swooning with a few women even outside the bar while drunk was rather clumsy thinking. Of course that same bar also had a few good walls broken for reasons unknown.

The master hunched over, eyes shadowed with grimacing features. "We're gonna need a fortune to fix this."

"Speaking of drunk…" Mirajane turned towards Cana, who was laying back in her seat. "How are you feeling, Cana?"

"As well as ever…I guess." She was a little confused on the matter at hand. She couldn't remember all that much, but if Craig being up and about and coming back to the room with breakfast meant anything, it meant something went up.

"Guess she was too drunk to remember the match then, right?" Lisanna whispered to Levy.

"I wouldn't think so. This is Cana. I'm sure she'll remember." She responded. "Eventually."

Cana grumbled in her seat, having her purse and a few flasks of alcohol stashed inside. She grumbled meekly as the events of last night were still lingering about. All she remembered was drinking a lot with Bacchus and everything getting dizzy. When she asked Craig about it, all he said was "Nothing that didn't kill your gut", or something like that. Of course his follow up afterwards was something that really bothered her; more than her libido.

"Well for all our sakes that's over with, but you should watch yourself. I know I sure as hell have been too much."

Craig slouched against the wall of the area where his team lied. He stayed quiet the entire morning, not able to speak a word. With taking care of Cana all morning and making sure she was at least able-bodied, he didn't have the luxury of quelling the art of chi. He had to at least be weary of many benefactors today, that included watching out for the competition today. He paid close attention, watching as Mato made his way into the center.

"Alrighty, let's get this next contest started, shall we?" Mato snapped his fingers, and in a flash the whole arena began to light up. The ground beneath the competitors flashed, and then suddenly all around, massive hills and valleys of what looked like metal and material. It all stockpiled into large bases that littered even the ground, leaving small trails and ground to trek in.

Above everyone's head, a small floating square was present. On top of it was a hook. A stairway arching and turning at one corner of the junkyard lead towards the sky, connecting to the island. They all looked surprised nonetheless, yet Mato didn't give them any levity.

"Let's get the rules established for this game." He said. "The game is called Picket Pocket!"

"Allow us to explain the rules." Lola announced for all to hear. "In this contest, the contestants are to find one item in the yard, specifically a locket. There are eight lockets total, with each guild bearing their own locket with their mark on it. The goal is to find your own locket and carry it all the way to the top of the stairs and place it on the hook. The first team to find their locket and get to the top will earn 10 points."

Mato showed a random locket, which had his pumpkin insignia on it. "Right-O! But be careful, because there can be fakes, so don't mistake your locket for anything that looks like this, okay? Because then you'll be seeing me in your sleep."

"That's gonna give me nightmares." Yuka groaned.

"But what if we find another team's locket then?" Jenny asked.

"Oh! Good question! There's no rules saying you can't try to steal the other's locket. If you find another team's locket, you can try and steal it back, but I wouldn't advise carrying the other team's locket up by mistake, pumpkins" He insinuated with a nervous laughter.

"So if we take another team's locket up by mistake, we'll be scoring for them instead. That means this is a treasure hunt where you need to scavenge and keep away at the same time." Rogue evaluated.

"Exactly! This whole yard is full of worn down parts from scrap metal and engineered throw away. Be careful maneuvering because parts of it can be very heavy."

Gajeel raised a brow at the comment. This piqued him as an Iron Dragon Slayer; of course Jenny also showed a smirk of her own.

Mato raised his hand high. "Now, competitors, take your marks…get set…" He swiped down in a chop. "And search!"

Immediately, the eight competitors diverged, all of them separating into parts unknown in the massive junkyard. The crowd cheered as they witnessed the guilds beginning to look.

"And the contest is underway, ladies and gentlemen!" Lola announced.

Gajeel took off to the nearest mound, his eyes showing hostility. "Alright, gotta find my locket. Now if I were a locket, where would I be buried…?" He stopped in his tracks, looking up at a humungous mound of metal and scrap heaps. The look on his face brightened to a smirk. "Heh."

Millianna bent over, searching through a fellow heap of scrap metal. "Oh shiny locket~, where you~?" She chimed. She scavenged and clawed through the many materials that were blended into the surroundings, trying to find her own locket. "I know you're here somewhere."

In the shadows of a mound, Rogue stayed quiet as he kept a subtle eye out for the locket. He glared left and right, staying sharp for anything small with a chain. When he didn't see any in that category, he moved on.

"C'mon, Rogue! Search harder!" Lector shouted.

"You can do it, Rogue!" Frosch cheered.

The Shadow Dragon Slayer moved on, staying cautious of the other competitors scrounging about. 'I'll have to stay in the game to win this round. I'll need to be sharp and fast about my locket. If I find a fake or another competitor's, the they'll come after me. I'll need to lay low until mine is found.' With that notion, Rogue vanished into shadows, vanishing from the screen itself.

Elsewhere in the arena, Yuka was looking around a mound, when he moved a thin layer of metallic scraps, he found something that looked like a locket. A smile cast upon his face as he picked up the chain. "Aha! Here's one-!"

"WILD~!" Semmes went spinning rapidly like a top, violently twirling into a shocked Yuka.

"What the?!" Before he had the chance, Yuka moved out of the way, the locket spinning right into Semmes' grasps.

Semmes laughed as he found a locket. "Aha~! I found a locket! Thanks for digging this u…" He looked down, seeing the symbol it represented. It was far from what he had in mind, for instead it held a pumpkin head. His face showed gaping shock, while Yuka snickered from behind.

"Ah, even in his blunder, he managed to create a bigger one for his foe." Jura commented.

"That wasn't too bad for Yuka's sake, but he still needs to try a lot harder if he's to get anywhere." Lyon commented.

Monarch was lazily looking about, but she only passed mound after mound. She turned her head beneath her dark hood and cloak, making sure to keep herself and her monarch wings classified. Unlike the other competitors, she was far from into it. She wasn't looking at all interested.

"And our competitors are already ploughing from heap to heap in this competition for today!" Lola commented. "Many are already on the search for others and their lockets. While others are looking to find the right opportunity to pounce and hide."

"Ugh, what a bother. I'm not sullying these fingers in such meaningless garbage." Monarch huffed.

Jenny looked around, giving her hips an extra swing to them. She sassily looked all around, her smirk still fixed on her face as she looked from mound to mound. All the while, she had a smirk as she looked at many scraped machinery pieces, her own shock too good to be true.

"Obra was moving around, shifting as his stubby hands moved meekly through heap and heap. It wasn't helping, but as the unknown mage looked around, he noticed that many others were getting fake lockets found. They all were getting diligently within each mound, while searching for others.

The Raven Tail Mage turned towards Alexei, who nodded at him. With a nod back, Obra turned away and backed into the scrap heap he was looking in. His head tilted down, concealing his eyes. From the coat, the small black animal from before jumped out, snickering before it ran into a heap of its own, diving like a mole.

Millianna was getting frustrated as she was scavenging, but all the light refracted off the many materials, making everything look shiny. "Gnnngh…man, this isn't working like this." She looked higher, staring at a higher point towards the mound. "Maybe I should look higher. Yeah!"

A magic seal appeared before her, aiming at the heap's head.

"Nekosoku Tube!"

A tube of orange went spiraling up towards the massive heap, which began to divide into two. The two tubes acted like rope that wrapped clockwise and counterclockwise. Millianna latched on, making sure to keep her grip as tight as possible. "Meow! Alright, here we go!"

As Yuka was looking around for his locket, he groaned as he was finding very little luck. "No, not there…" He turned towards Millianna, who he noticed was climbing the mound far away. "Hm? What is she doing?"

"And it looks like Millianna just found an advantage-point!" Lola announced.

"Mhm! Looks like she's going to get to higher ground to search for her locket now." Yajima remarked.

"Go, Millianna!" Arana cheered. "You can do it!"

"She's really getting innovative now." Beth remarked.

Millianna continued to ascend, making sure to keep solid ground. However, her foothold was being unfair, and she was by far keeping herself steady. "W-whoa." She wobbled a little from the instability. "Easy now, no need to rush things, right…?"

As she climbed, however, a shadow began to linger near the heap. It was moving rather swiftly like a snake. The shadow was unnoticed by Millianna, who continued to focus on climbing. It was only when the shadow expanded and prolonged into a spear and shot was when the cat-woman realized her trouble. "Huh?!" To her explicit horror, the two tubes were completely severed by the fast-moving projectile. "AH~!" Millianna began falling, her luck unsound by the tubes snapping causing a recoil in the mound.

"Oof!" Millianna thudded on her back, groaning as she fell about twenty feet without much leverage. "Owww…" As she laid barely conscious, the heap above her was starting to wobble. "Huh…?"

CRACK!

The heap began to fall into an avalanche, one that cast a shadow over a shocked Millianna. The feline girl went wide-eyed when she noticed craps coming down onto her. She hurriedly mad a mad dash for safety, while barely escaping the raining doom of dead and broken machinery. She barely made it out and fell on her side, groaning as she was surrounded in scraps.

"That was close! Is she alright?" Beth asked.

"Oww…man, why does this task involve such…!" As she arose, she noticed something shiny and golden beside her, laying on top of a dead box. "Meow?" She closed in, realizing that it was small and had a chain. She picked it up, turning the locket around to reveal Mermaid Heel's insignia in red. Instantly there were sparkles in her eyes.

"Alright!" She squealed in joy, with audience cheering.

"And Millianna has found her guild's locket!" Lola announced. "Now all she's gotta do is race to the stairs and up!"

"No problem! First place, here I co-AH!" Millianna was suddenly pushed from the side by a massive spinning projectile. It went spinning like a top, seizing her locket in the process.

"WILD~!" Semmes shouted as he spun with Mermaid Heel's locket.

"OH! Tough luck. And Semmes of Quatro Cerberus is looking to slow down Millianna's chances!" Lola announced.

Catching her balance, Millianna looked and saw Semmes spinning away. "Hey! No fair! Give that back!" She went chasing him, hurrying with swiftness. "Wait until I get my hands on you!"

Rogue's shadow coursed throughout the area, searching quietly with no one suspecting him. 'Looks like that backfired…'

CHOMP!

"Huh?" Rogue looked down, hearing the insidious crackling and churning of metal. "What in the…?"

Metal after metal pieces that were consisting of iron were being gripped on by harsh hands. Load after load was thrown into the chomping maw of Gajeel, who was eating his fill and continuing his search.

His guild looked shocked, but in a good way. "That a boy, Gajeel! Show them!" Makarov vigorously cheered.

"Is he…eating while searching?" Wendy questioned.

"This is no time for a snack! You're supposed to be looking for the locket, dummy!" Carla scolded.

Pantherlily looked at the screen, his eyes wide with shock. "No, I think he's trying something else. Look!"

Gajeel continued to chow down like there was no tomorrow. He munched and chewed with ease, taking in one piece after another. With each piece meant one less material in the mound. At some point, he pulled out another piece of metal, and as that happened, a locket dislodged itself from the pile, falling to reveal Fallen Prometheus' symbol.

"Aw crap. Wrong pile." He tossed the locket aside and went dashing for another one nearby. Instantly he pounced and went right for the buffet once more.

"And it looks like Gajeel's getting innovative, too!" Lola announced. "It looks like being an Iron Dragon Slayer, Gajeel is making use of his element here. He's eating his way to his locket it seems."

"He's mowing down until nothing's left." Yajima speculated.

"Go, Gajeel!" Levy cheered.

"Aye! You can do it! Eat faster!" Happy shouted.

"Let's just hope for all our sakes that he doesn't get heartburn." Cana joked. "C'mon you lug! Get moving!"

As Gajeel was eating his way, his iron jaws were scraping away piece after piece. Millianna continued chasing Semmes, and Rogue kept silently searching for his locket. Others like Monarch was walking about idly, while Obra was…

"Huh?" Lola leaned in, the screen showing Obra slouched against the pile he was searching in. "Uh, folks…is this naptime?"

"It looks to me that Obra is…sleeping?" Yajima inquired.

"I wonder if he's even trying out there. Well let's see what pops up for him as we see the other competitors!"

As the attention drew away from Obra's costume, the metal underneath shifted, revealing the small black animal from before. In its hand was the Raven Tail locket with the black insignia on it. The cheeky animal stayed behind the costume to conceal it, and stashed it into the costume. The animal then heard the sound of chomping nearby, catching it in a most amusing mood.

The animal turned to see Gajeel nearby, a Fairy Tail member. As he watched him eat, a malicious smirk crossed its face. It snickered, silently withdrawing into the heap once more.

As Millianna chased Semmes some more, she passed Jenny, who was looking mildly amused. She smirked as she watched the catfight and the constant searching. She turned towards a pile, seeing a locket sticking out. Unfortunately it wasn't hers, but a casual Mato locket. Her own frustration began to boil.

"Okay." She huffed. "Time to step up my game." She placed a hand on the side of the machinery pile beside her, and her body began to glow brightly, as did the mounds of dead mechanisms. The machinery was all sparkling and computing, making loud noises to where the attention was drawing towards Jenny.

"What?" Rogue wondered.

"Oh my goodness, ladies and gentlemen, I think we are witnessing Jenny finally making her move!" Lola announced. "It looks like Jenny is using her magic!"

"About time she stopped fooling." Ren smiled.

"Yeah, these chumps didn't realize that Jenny had this contest in the bag all along." Eve said. "Because when there's machinery, there's a need for her Take-Over."

When the glow faded, it revealed some of the machine parts that were within the mound she touched had been copied, but they were all welded and molded into what looked like metallic armor with machinery edged. Wired acted like a brace holding the front and back of her breastplate, and gauntlets with wiring and screen were on it. She also sported a large pair of metallic angel wings that her body absorbed and molded. She smirked, looking rather sexy in her little form change.

The audience went nuts over the popular Jenny Realight taking the stage, while the competing guilds were less than enthusiastic.

"Well isn't that new." Shinigami mused.

"Oh my, looks like Jenny is getting serious out there." Mirajane spoke of her friend/rival pinup model.

"Is that a Take Over?" Lisanna gasped.

"That's manly!" Elfman exclaimed.

"It looks like Jenny's Take Over: Machina Soul Magic has just risen u. This is Jenny's playground, and her rules are as they go now!" Lola exclaimed.

Jenny raised her right gauntlet, in which a holographic screen with a scanner. "Now, let's process what I want to find, shall we?" The brain scanner in the gauntlet's wiring registered to the scanner, and the screen changed to a bright blue, turning everything that wasn't a locket into a faded black. In her monitor, the radar went left and right. As she turned about, she was picking up images of lockets inside the mounds and heaps, and as she turned just enough, the scanner zoomed in a few mounds over, getting a reading her locket.

"Now we're talking." Her metallic wings flapped, and she went sailing off for her locket.

Gajeel continued to chomp, making sure to keep his pace. "Heh?" He felt a shadow over his head, and looked up to find a machine-wearing, flying Jenny sailing overhead. "What the?! When did the little princess learn how to fly?! Crap, I gotta move it!" He instantly resumed his chomping. He continued eating at a rapid degree, putting in piece after piece.

When his hand reached for another metal material, he moved it and saw something golden beneath. He looked at it and saw that it had Fairy Tail's symbol on it. "Alright, about time!" He reached for the locket, but he was cut short when something shifted beneath the metal and scraps on his left. "Huh…?"

Something unknown crawled up with beady eyes, seeing a confused Gajeel in its sights. The small animal suddenly pounced from the small opening, surprising Gajeel as everything then turned to black.

Jenny sailed for her locket in the distance. She hurried over as many were continuing to scavenge. Down below, Yuka had found another locket, but it belonged to Sabertooth, much to his dismay. The model sailed overhead and reached her designated mound, in which the locket was just a weak layer below the top.

"I don't think so." Suddenly a shadow came after her, the head appearing to be Rogue.

"And Rogue is looking to come off as an interception! Here he comes drawn towards the locket!" Lola announced.

"He's moving fast." Orga commented.

"He must be surprised if not desperate, wouldn't you agree?" Rufus inspected.

"Go, Rogue!" Frosch cheered.

Jenny saw the interception incoming, and Rogue was looking rather serious. Jenny knew that if it were a battle, she wouldn't be able to win. However, that didn't mean she wasn't a quick thinker. She knew how to get out of a jam, and it was her best trait.

'If I can just get into arm's reach, I should take the locket away in time!' Rogue closed in, reaching his arm from the shadowy mist in the air. "Gotcha!"

"Not so fast, dragon boy!" Jenny chimed. She pressed a button on her gauntlet, getting a monitor up. "Get a load of this!"

Within arm's length, Rogue was so close, but Jenny's gauntlet showed the monitor to Rogue's face. He looked at the monitor since it had a brighter color, However, what he saw was Jenny on the screen, completely dressed in a light purple bikini was held up her assets and chest very well. She held a pose that was on the beach, a sight that put the brakes on Rogue's advances.

"What the-?!" His thoughts completely distraught by his cheeks showing uneasiness. He completely passed the locket and Jenny, sailing right for the mound nearby. "WAH!" He crashed into the head on the mound, making scraps fall. His face and body was planted in the heap, warped with dizziness.

Lola whistled, as did the whole peanut gallery. "Ho~ly mama! Now that's what I call a distraction!"

"Boy what a lucky young man." Yajima blushed.

"Uh, okay…was that last week's Sorcerer's Weekly by the way? Anyone?"

Natsu nearly floored. "EH?!"

Erza didn't looked fazed. "A last second display of cunning. Not bad."

Cana laughed aloud. "Man, that was just sad!" She uproariously exclaimed.

Craig just raised a brow, but otherwise offered no input. His frown was still there, though.

Sting facepalmed. "Aw crud."

"Hey, that skimpy model just cheated! Right?!" Lector pointed out.

"No, looks fair." Frosch pointed out. "Rogue's okay, right?"

"He won't be if Master Jiemma sees this." Sting groaned.

In a daze, Rogue shook his head, trying to get up. "Oh man, what…what that that?"

"So sorry, but I hope you enjoyed the eye candy." A voice called from behind. Rogue recognized the voice from behind, revealing it to be Jenny as she was in midair, holding her Blue Pegasus locket in her left grip. She smirked down at Rogue, seeing him sit up in shock.

"I didn't mean to get so drastic, but all's fair in love and war. Catcha later!" She flew skywards, disregarding the stairway and seeing the island up at the top. She closed in, smiling wide for everyone as her angelic wings arched her onto the island, sailing over the hook in which she dropped her locket on. It dangled on there, while Jenny floated above with a gracious pose.

"And Jenny Realight has just earned 10 points from today's competition!" Lola announced with glee. "Let's give it up for our Miss Fiore, everybody!"

The crowd went nuts for Jenny as she was the one who snatched first place in the competition. Confetti danced around her as she continued to blow air kisses and waved her arms out to the world.

"Thanks you guys~! Couldn't have done it without your support! You're awesome!" She chimed.

"Man, she's so full of herself." Ren teased.

"I'll say. She really had it tamed pretty well." Hibiki commented. "But still…it's a good think we took her magic into account."

Ichiya struck another pose. "Men. See, gents? We had nothing to worry about. We shall climb our way to the top-no! Thanks to our friend, we shall fly our way! As is the Pegasus way!"

As the audience was still distracted with Jenny getting the glory, the junk pile behind Obra began to stir. As it did, the black animal that was there before popped out again. He snickered and jumped right back into the costume. Instantly, the costume slouched back up, standing with the locket of Raven Tail around its neck. He began to move quietly, yet swiftly.

Unknowingly, this left Gajeel in confines unknown.

"Man, did Rogue really just choke out there or what?" Orga grumbled, looking unimpressed.

"A rather callous display…although Rogue will remember it fully." Rufus teased.

Minerva smirked, narrowing her glare. "Well every man is prey to a woman's delights it seems. Guess our tigers need to be fed some hard lessons." Her eyes narrowed. "Some pray are slippery, I'll say that much."

"This isn't over, not yet at least!" Lector insisted.

"Wil~~d!" Semmes continued to spin, with Millianna growing tired of chasing.

"Hey, stop that, you big jerk!" She panted. "That's my…locket…" She was getting very tired from all the running, but she couldn't give up just yet. She needed to get her team those points. She stopped in her tracks and pointed at the spinning mage.

"That's it! Nekosoku Tube!" She fired another spinning tube, one that went for Semmes' feet. The mage's feet were snared by the coiling tube, causing him to lose his foothold and began to fall over.

"Whoa…whooaa~! Oof!" Semmes fell onto his stomach, sliding on his face head-first into the mound ahead. The crash against a flat metal piece left him dazed, not to mention a few teeth short.

As he laid there, completely incapacitated, the tube around his ankles faded, and Millianna jumped onto his back. "Meow~! I'll take that!" She snatched the locket that Semmes kept from her and jumped off. With the locket in hand, she went towards the stairs on the far end of the yard.

"And Millianna seized back her locket! Now she's just having a small distance away from…wait! Hold your horses!" Lola shouted.

"Now what…?" Millianna faced the stairs, seeing something odd running up them. "Huh? What's that?"

Fairy Tail gasped, as well as leave them scorned as they saw Obra trek onwards, taking step by step up the trail, heading for the island above. Even Millianna was completely shocked by this revelation.

"No way!"

Obra made it to the top, where he stood in front of the pole with the hook. He slowly took the locket holding his guild's symbol off and had it dangle on the hook, sitting right in front of Jenny's. Once again, the audience clapped for the 2nd place winner.

"And Obra of Raven Tail gets his team 8 points. What a surprise there, ladies and gents!" Lola said.

Millianna huffed, having been snatched 2nd place. She had to keep going, however. She powered on, making way up the stairs all the way to the hook, where she put the locket onto the hook, earning herself 6 points for Mermaid Heel. Not far behind, Semmes found his Quatro Cerberus mark, and he made it next to get 4th place.

Rogue hovered over Yuka, who held not one, but two lockets in his left hand. He smirked as they were not just Sabertooth's, but also his own.

"You have something that belongs to me." Rogue warned.

"Is that so?" Yuka chimed, his grip tightening on the lockets. "Well come and get it."

Accepting the challenge, Rogue's eyes narrowed and he dove for Yuka. His body became shadows and darted so fast that it was impossible to catch. Yuka, however, reached out his palm.

"Wave!"

A blue forcefield erupted in front of him, and Rogue ran into it, completely deflecting himself. The shadow that was Rogue grunted as he was blocked off.

"Haha! You see? I am an Anti-Mage. My Wave Magic nullifies any and all magic that connects with it. As long as I use it, you cannot use your so-called Dragon Slayer Magic to harm me."

Rogue's shadow shifted a little in the air. "So it seems." In a different display, he instead descended into the ground, where it became a shadow and out of sight.

Yuka's eyes widened. "What the…where'd he go?!" Yuka turned left and right, looking in all directions in front for any signs of Rogue. However, he was only rendered silent. He wasn't liking the changes being made, but he lost his guard, and that was Rogue's chance.

"Sorry." A voice said behind.

Yuka went stiff moments before a force tugged on his arm, and something dark zoomed passed him with a locket in hand. Looking back at his left arm, he only saw his own locket. He looked back ahead, seeing Rogue make a mad dash for the stairs with Sabertooth's locket.

"And Rogue finally takes back his locket! This is Sabertooth making a close-in for 5th place!" Lola announced.

Yuka grunted and clutched his fists tighter. He mentally cursed himself as he had no choice but to hurry for the stairs. He follow the faster Rogue, who eventually made it all the way up and put his locket on, with Yuka putting his on next.

"And Sabertooth takes 5th, with Lamia Scale seizing 6th place." Lola stated.

Obaba angrily spun her finger outwards, shouting great anger as she randomly spun Sherry. "YUKA! THAT WAS PITIFUL! YOU TOOK TOO LONG!"

"Calm down, old hag!" Toby shouted.

"At least he managed to slow down Sabertooth. That's a good thing, right?" Chelia insisted.

Obaba allowed the information to sink in regarding what Chelia just spoke of. Her demeanor instantly shifted, this time spinning Sherry in the opposite direction. "YUKA! GREAT JOB! WAY TO SLOW DOWN THE UNDERDOGS OUT THERE!"

Yuka sweat dropped at his Master's anger-turned-praise. Rogue, however, humbly frowned in humiliation for himself.

"And with that, we are left just two contestants tying for last place, isn't that right, Mr. Yajima?"

"Fallen Prometheus and Fairy Tail it looks like, yes indeed." Yajima answered. "And…oh, what's this?"

The audience looked up at the screen, some of them showing some shock, while others were more or less confused about the matter. What they saw was more than a little confusing for their liking.

Levy's eyes widened in shock. "No way…"

"Wait…that can't be right!" Gray snapped.

"Oh no." Juvia grimaced.

Craig looked up at the monitor, his eyes showing modest surprise, but only a little as he was seeing Gajeel lying on the ground for some reason, on his side next to his locket. He looked immobile, if not unconscious. Even for him, it seemed unnatural.

"Folks, I'm not sure what happened, but it looks like Gajeel is somehow unable to get up." Lola announced. "What could've caused him to lose his ground so drastically?"

Gajeel was completely out of it. Whatever it was, he couldn't move. All he did was lay on the ground, his boy unable to respond. His face was dark with dread as he recalled some black animal, and that image replayed about twenty times before he realized what happened. Only his mind still couldn't process it.

"Gajeel, what are you doing?! This isn't a dirt nap challenge!" Natsu retorted.

Craig walked up beside him, narrowly inspecting the scene. He tilted his head, showing intense scrutiny. "No, something went wrong." He recalled the events of Fairy Tail's rivalry with Raven Tail, his gaze alerting him towards Obra. He stayed quiet, very quiet.

In the junkyard, the mysterious Monarch nonchalantly stepped in front of her locket, which was sitting at the base of a metallic mound. Without much regard, she daintily picked up the locket with her guild's insignia and looked back at Gajeel not too far away. She only stared for a few moments before she turned and walked away, leaving him to stew in his own defeat by means that didn't bother her.

She made way up the stairs, with everyone watching as she casually walked like it wasn't her business. Without a care, she stood in front of the hook, being the 7th to place the locket on.

"And it looks like we have our contest sorted out, folks! Fallen Prometheus achieves 7th place, giving their guild 1 point!" Lola declared. "And due to Gajeel being the last one to reach the top, his team regrettably earns 0 points."

The audience showed mixed shock, while others showed modest applause for the events that went on. The whole junkyard and the stairway began to vanish, and everyone reappeared down below. They were all gathered about, with Gajeel still at his knees, coughing and barely able to stand.

"Gajeel!" Levy shrieked.

"What was that? How did he just lose steam all of a sudden when he was on a role?" Cana questioned. "Something went wrong…"

Makarov glared at Raven Tail, his eyes turning towards Ivan. His glare was deepening by the second. "Ivan…" He snarled.

The Raven Tail master smirked.

Mato recovered from that display quickly. "Uh, well, that's all over! Now may everyone please look at the scoreboard!"

Fallen Prometheus - 21

Sabertooth– 21

Raven Tail – 19

Quatro Cerberus – 10

Blue Pegasus – 10

Fairy Tail – 9

Lamia Scale – 9

Mermaid Heel – 9

"And it looks like Blue Pegasus has sprung their way to tie with Quatro Cerberus for a tie in 4th place!" Lola announced. "Man, talk about a comeback! And it looks like we have a 3-way tie for last place regarding Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, and Mermaid Heel. Three guilds at the exact same time! What a turn of events for Day 2, folks!"

Yajima nodded. "Mhm, and it looks like Sabertooth has finally caught up with Fallen Prometheus for a tie in 1st place."

"Ha. That's nothing." Orga sneered.

Minerva smirked. "Agreed."

Fairy Tail continued to show resentment over that sabotage, and they were catching on as many were retreating back towards their quadrants in their own tunnels. The only one who was having a hard time was Gajeel.

Craig turned around, going with Laxus. "Come on."

Laxus followed. "Yeah."

The two headed on down towards the arena, where they went in all eyes to walk up towards Gajeel. Both stood over him, as the Iron Dragon Slayer coughed and was catching his breath. "What…happened…?" He muttered. "It feels like…?" He was lifted up from the ground, arms supported by Craig and Laxus alike. "Huh…? You guys…?"

"Save it." Craig said.

"The guy's right. Whatever's happened, keep it until we get you back up." He looked ahead. "We know this got screwed along the way."

Gajeel didn't say anything. He kept his mouth shut as he complied. He knew both were smart enough to realize such a thing, and he could save his strength that way. Everyone watched as both went on, holding him carefully. Step by step, they walked right in.

Obra walked back to Alexei and the guild. He stood in front of them, seeing their malicious smirks. They all agreed with the sabotage.

"Hey, what was that out there?" Sting complained as Rogue came back. "You should've gotten 1st place way before that one chick.

"My apologies." Rogue sulked.

"Don't feel bad. You'll have better luck next time." Frosch patted Rogue's back.

"Now we're tied with that one guild." Orga said. "Heh, they have no idea what we can really do."

Fallen Prometheus showed no real care for Monarch as she returned. All five figures stayed silent as they watched the arena being cleared.

Mato entered the arena, standing right in the center. "Well that was sure an exciting contest, wasn't it, pumpkins?" He chimed. "Well, since that's out of the way, let's say we get to the next leg of Day 2, shall we?"

---

The door to the infirmary opened swiftly, revealing Natsu with Gray, Erza, and everyone else entering. Natsu gasped as he ran swiftly before everyone else. "Hey!"

Craig and Laxus turned towards him, both standing off to the side.

"Not so loud, would you?" Porlyusica scolded. "Someone's still taking some deep breaths."

Natsu ignored the old woman's comments and rushed for Craig and Laxus. "What happened? Where's Gajeel?"

Craig shifted his eyes away. "Why don't you see for yourself."

Natsu and the others looked past the two to get a glimpse at Gajeel. The Iron Dragon Slayer was more or less able-bodied. He was slouched up on his bed with his head hung down. He looked to be grimacing deeply.

"Gajeel." Levy rushed with the others, passing Craig and Laxus to surround the crestfallen guild member. "Are you hurt?"

The Iron Dragon Slayer hesitated to answer, his fists shown to be strangling, much to Levy's horror. "I'm fine." He growled. His tone was deep, but the physical wounds weren't as deep as the mental ones.

"What was that out there?" Droy asked.

"Yeah! You were on fire, and then what happened?" Jet followed.

Gajeel growled, his sense of calm beginning to deter.

"Alright, give the guy his space, would you?" Laxus enforced, his warning clear for the infirmary to hear.

Porlyusica turned towards them all, standing beside Gajeel's bed. "You all shouldn't be in here. We can only carry so many."

"We know." Erza said. "We'll be brief."

Porlyusica turned her head to frown down at Gajeel. She gave his back a very scrutinizing look. "I'm afraid that his body suffered a drawback on Magic Power. In just one go, all his Magic Power was sapped, and his body responded to the recoil. I'm afraid that he'll have to sit it out for the rest of the day."

Gajeel glared down at the ground, his leer heavy. "Damnit."

"What do you think caused this?" Lisanna asked.

"Probably Raven Tail's dirty work." Cana speculated.

"So then they have a mage who can possibly reduce or steal Magic Power from us? This isn't good for us at all, guys." Lucy grimaced.

"And that's it, ladies and gentlemen! Toby is down for the count, leaving Blue Pegasus' Ren to claim victory!" Everyone inside the infirmary turned towards the doors, hearing the announcement loud and clear. They even heard the sound of the audience going nuts that it stretched down the hall.

"Looks like Blue Pegasus stole the show today." Gray remarked.

"Aw man, that's supposed to be our spotlight out there!" Natsu fumed. He shifted towards Gajeel. "Gajeel, what the hell?!"

"Natsu, that's enough." Erza insisted.

"But…"

"It's not his fault, you know that. Besides, it's best that we let the matter pass for now. We were caught by surprise is all, but next time we'll be better prepared."

Natsu's fists clutched as he refused to accept the facts. He couldn't believe that Raven Tail would go this far in showing their hate for Fairy Tail, but when they hurt a friend, it's war.

"Save your frustration for during the games." The voice belonged to Craig, who leaned against the wall on the end of the infirmary. He was far away, but it felt like he was closer than ever. "Unless you'd rather jeopardize your chances of winning."

"Cranky." Cana said.

He got off the wall and took a single step forward. "Look, I know things have been strained with the guilds hunting our heads, but even I'm not that dumb to put myself before the group. Yeah, they pulled a crap move, but you still want to win, right? So watch your backs, that's the moral lesson we learned today."

Nobody said anything, but they didn't argue with the viewpoint Craig had. He was right; making a wrong move could jeopardize them all. Natsu wanted to win so badly, but he also wanted to get revenge. Craig saw that, and even he disapproved revenge, because he's been down that road of vengeance, and it made him a cold hunter. He'd rather not have other hands be sullied in blood of hate.

"And next up, we have Mermaid Heel's Beth, against Raven Tail's Kurohebi!" Lola shouted, the announcement bringing all to realize how much time was spent.

"Looks like the second match has started." Makarov said. "Alright then, everyone, let's not stray from the reason we came here. We have to make our stand and keep ourselves alert at all times. Don't let your guard down, understand?" Everyone nodded in understanding of the master's words, agreeing with him. "Raven Tail has hindered us this time, but of we are to rise to the top, we must counterstrike. We'll show them all what happens when you harm Fairy Tail or stand in our way!"

Erza turned towards the door. "Let's go."

Everyone followed out, with Craig shrugging and being the tail end. As he trekked along, albeit casually, a few chose to stay behind, being Team Shadow Gear and Pantherlily in the infirmary.

Looking up, Gajeel noticed the minimal company. "You guys."

"Don't worry. We'll hang back here with ya." Jet said.

"Yeah, if we're going to keep our guard p, we gotta look out for ya." Droy advised.

Levy smiled. "It's no trouble. Hope you're okay with that."

Gajeel looked at his comrades, who were sticking their guns with him in his pity. He would've liked to be alone, but at the same time, it'd be too lonely. Having friends around was a good thing, and because of that, he smiled. "Thanks."

Pantherlily nodded. "There's a smile we've been looking for."

---

As they made way down the hallway, Cana scooted her way through the few Fairy Tail members that separated her and Craig. Once she slowed down enough to where she was near him, she gave him a sheepish smile.

"What?" He asked.

"Gee, Cranky, didn't peg ya to be a team player there." She teased.

He rolled his eyes away. "Shut up, Brownie. Go get a hangover in the stands or something."

"Well I already had one this morning, so you can cross that off my to do list or the day." The two carried on behind still, but Cana's teasing expression began to waver. She recalled how she awoke to fizzy water beside the nightstand, and Craig didn't at all seem bothered. At least he was genuine. "Cranky…"

"Yeah, what now?"

"Thank you."

"For…?"

"You know, looking after me and all that." She answered.

Craig shrugged. "Don't mention it. Someone's gotta babysit you."

Cana raised a brow. "Babysit? Last I checked, I'm a full-fledged adult."

"Yeah, and you got irresponsible and went tipsy." He scornfully reminded.

"Well that's the point of drinking. You would know!"

"Oh yeah?! Well I know you suck at sufficiency!"

"Not as much as you suck at taking compliments!"

"Oh yeah?! I could take way more compliments sober than you!"

"Like how people say you can be ugly!"

"As much as they compliment that gut of yours!"

As their snarking and bellowing echoed down the hallway, the guild members up ahead kept walking, knowing to stay away from the verbal tussle the two enacted. The sounds of their bickering and snarking was soon to be hollowed by sounds of cheering out in the stadium.

---

Beth had taken blunder after blunder, and Kurohebi of Raven Tail was already on offense. He constantly dodged her carrots and shifted into sand, landing blows on her that wore down the mage. Eventually, however, the battle's progression was nothing more than toying. The Mimic Mage sneered as he swiped his arms, sending Beth flying in a tempest of sand.

"How long has this match been going on for? I can't bare to watch." Millianna worriedly admitted.

Kagura's fixation narrowed on Kurohebi. "Her opponent is just toying with her. Their skill levels are clearly different."

"C'mon, Beth! Try and hang in there!" Arana cheered.

"The match should be over soon, right?" Risley questioned. "If the girl can pull off a tie at least, we'll at least get some points on the board."

Beth landed on her bottom, groaning as she had scratches all over her body. The little cowgirl was out of breath while Kurohebi hovered over her, sneering in delight over her potential victory.

"So, wanna call it quits." He sneered.

Beth was immobile. She didn't find any way to get out of this one, and neither did Fairy Tail, who was being careful in evaluating their opponent.

Nab's fists clutched. "Are they toying with them again?"

"Yeah, and it looks like Raven Tail's going to get another victory this round." Max's insinuation was more likely of yesterday's events, and everyone knew what "victory" meant for those cheaters.

Gray's frustration was ever so growing. "This is just sad. They could've won by now, but this is just as bad as yesterday." Beside him, Juvia showed shock of her own, dismayed by Raven Tail's actions.

Kurohebi raised his arms, ready to strike. "So, you ready?"

Beth was unable to move. She knew in the position she was in, she couldn't dodge the next attack. But in reality, that was what was intended. Her nervous look changed to a grin, where as a shadow appeared over Kurohebi, and it was growing.

Confused, Kurohebi looked at her. "What are you smiling about? Huh…?" Noticing the shadow beneath growing, he looked up, and everything for him went black as a massive pumpkin slammed down onto him. The pumpkin shook the ground, as well as crushed Kurohebi beneath. The man gagged beneath as his eyes were devoid of pupils as the pumpkin's weight suppressed him.

The entire game-changer completely surprised the crowd, but in a good way. They were all startled to say the very least.

"Well…that's one way to get out of a jam." Lola deadpanned. "Uh…the winner is Mermaid Heel!"

The crowd clapped and cheered, while Beth arose to her feet, saved by her own pumpkin.

"Alright, meow! You rock, Beth!" Millianna cheered, flailing her arms madly.

"The girl got put of that one. That was good thinking." Risley complimented. "That outta show those Raven Tail not to met with us girls."

"That was a very efficient way for her to act." Kagura commented. "Although, her reaction time could've been better."

"Yeah!" Macao cheered. "Take that, Raven Tail!"

"Better watch out, because we'll come after you next!" Wakaba shouted.

Raven Tail said nothing for their loss. Instead Alexei stared in grotesque over the blunder. "Next time, it will be different." He sniped. "Watch yourselves then."

"Now that the second battle is over, let's say we move onto the next battle." Lola said, getting the attention of everyone drawn towards the next round. "For our next match, we have Quatro Cerberus' drunken falcon, the hangover king of mayhem himself…Bacchus!"

Bacchus raised his gourd he had in hand, showing a sober smile. "Yeah." He slurred.

"Against Team Fairy Tail…"

"So then it's one of us next then." Erza speculated.

"Looks like it." Laxus said.

Natsu raised a fist, looking pumped. "Hope it's me, because I wanna beat that guy!"

Craig stayed quiet as he glared at Bacchus beside his team. He recalled the events following last night with him going to violate his "old friend". He wasn't going to let it slide, and the more he looked at him, the more his fangs showed. He had to do whatever it took to suppress his growl.

"FI~~GHT! AVENGE ME~!" Cana angrily shouted, with Gray barely holding her back. "Take that bastard into next week!"

"Calm down, Cana." Mirajane nervously smiled.

"Guess she's sober enough to remember yesterday." Juvia said.

"So who'll they pick?" Lucy asked.

Lol finally announced it, just as Fairy Tail was getting anxious. "Behold, this one has a lot of bite in his roar, the one responsible for bringing Fairy Tail to now…Craig Crius!"

The audience cheered at the results, while Fairy Tail was morally shocked with the choice of character enacted.

"Wait, what?!" Happy shrieked.

"It's…Craig's turn?" Lisanna gasped.

Erza turned towards Craig, seeing him standing still, not at all fazed by the call of his name. "Remember, stay on your guard at all times. Bacchus is no slouch. You should watch your back around him."

"…" Craig slowly turned away, marching towards the tunnel. "Yeah." He muttered to himself. He made way down the darkness and towards the battlefield, where he stepped in, walking casually rather than stomp. Slowly, he embarked for the battlefield, with all eyes fixed on him.

Bacchus laid on his side, with his gourd fixed beside him, presumably alcohol. The Drunk Falcon smirked as he watched Craig rather lazily.

"Alright Fairy Tail, let's go!" a spectator shouted. "You need to make up for the last round!"

"I don't know." Another spectator questioned. "His opponent is pretty strong. That's Quatro Cerberus' strongest, isn't he?"

"Looks like it's going to be Bacchus against Craig then, huh?" Lucy speculated.

"You think Craig is going to be okay?" Wendy asked.

"Well it isn't Craig I'm worried about." Gray speculated.

Cana gave the upcoming fight a rather serious expression. She stared with what could be best described as a subtle discern. Of course subtle wouldn't be the word considering it was getting Mirajane's attention.

"Oh, is there something on your mind, Cana?" Mira inquired.

"Huh?" Snapping out of her wonders, she gave Mira a look. "Just thinking, I guess…"

"About what?"

"I…don't know." The lush turned back towards the arena, watching Craig keep a calm vibe. "Guess I should be wondering myself."

"Is this about last night?" Mirajane questioned.

"I guess. I know that guy beat me, but I can't remember after that." She groaned. "Cranky didn't say much; guess I can't blame him."

"Oh really?" Mirajane raised a brow, piqued at Cana's viewpoint. "Well I guess he didn't tell you something important then?"

Down in the arena, the two warriors were glaring at one another, with Bacchus looking rather amused in front of his standing, calm opponent.

"Why the serious face there, pal?" He questioned. "Don't tell me you still got bugs from last night."

Craig raised a brow. "The only bug from last night was you, and it's still crawling."

"That's quite the tongue got there." Bacchus chirped. "I'll try not to make it bleed to bad. Although, where'd the entertainment be in that, huh?"

Craig lowered his back, hunching over to where he looked like a prowling animal.

"Guess you really aren't the type to joke around." Bacchus said, slouching up, but his gourd remained on the ground. "Shame. Alright then, guess I should see if the stories I've heard are true about you."

"As opposed to what you've heard?" Craig questioned.

"Well, I heard you completely shut down a demon that drains Ethernano for one thing, and I heard that you beat that big guy when he was hostage." His eyes gestured towards Laxus far behind. The Lightning Dragon Slayer only stared as the stories went on. "Then I heard you saved an entire country someplace from some dragon. That true?"

Craig's eyes narrowed. "More or less. So you practice Chop Hanging Palm, right?" He brought a foot back. "I'll keep that in mind."

Bacchus smirked. "Alright, let's blow off some steam!"

Mato brought his hand down in a chop. "Alright, competitors, if you're set…let's begin!"

The gong rang, announcing the beginning of the next battle.

Bacchus leaned forward, his palms reached out to either side. "Alright pal, here I come!" Without warning, he sprung right for Craig, moving in the blink of an eye with his palm reached out. Though he didn't move at first, Craig was in fact weary of Bacchus heading his way. He stayed completely still, holding his ground as Bacchus swooped in and yelled as he palmed Craig straight across the cheek with a loud thud.

"Oh no! He's hit!" Happy worried.

"He should've dodged that." Gray growled.

"And Bacchus has dealt the first blow!" Lola commented. "That looked like a powerful attack, but what did it do against…wait, look!"

All eyes turned to get a closer look. They all looked deeper to see Bacchus' curiosity piqued. Craig was still facing away, with Bacchus' palm still pushing against his face. His feet, however, hadn't budged an inch. His eyes and face budged back towards Bacchus, but only by a few short angles. Craig's left arm slowly reached up, his hand grappling Bacchus' wrist.

"Huh?" The Drunk Falcon chimed.

Craig reeled his right fist back. "Nice try…Soaring Pain!" He unleashed a powerful uppercut, one that got Bacchus right in the chin. His jaw cracked as the force sent him falling onto his back, much to everyone's shock.

All of Quatro Cerberus looked ahead with shock, their gawking expressions showing disbelief for Bacchus falling down from one punch. A few other guild members were scrutinizing him, especially Kagura of Mermaid Heel, and Sting with Sabertooth. The White Dragon silently glared at his prey, his eyes discerning his motifs.

"What a turnaround, Craig just downed Bacchus with one uppercut!" Lola announced.

"He took that attack just to draw that boy in." Yajima watched.

"Alright, Craig! Way to beat him up!" Natsu cheered.

"Very interesting. I've seen him use other styles of fighting, but that was rough." Erza said.

Bacchus groaned as he adjusted his jaw. He looked up, seeing Craig towering overhead. He only frowned in seriousness as he waited for Bacchus to stand. The S-Class Mage lazily slouched up, raising a brow.

"Man, that actually hurt." He sneered.

"That's the point of a punch." Craig said.

Bacchus smirked. "Yeah, it is…" He adjusted his stance, ready to attack again. "Alright then, here I come!" He went charging right for Craig, with the latter taking his ground and moving ahead as well. The two warriors met in the middle, where Bacchus' palm collided with the heavy and durable brace around Craig's arm, blocking it entirely.

Their battle had just begun, and Craig stayed weary of Bacchus' thrusts and palm strikes. With every strike Bacchus dished out, Craig only kept reserved, blocking with his arm bracelets. Bacchus swung around at a point, going for a roundhouse kick, in which Craig was forced to back away to evade, allowing Bacchus to advance with a thrust. Craig, however, didn't easily back down, he thrust from the side with his own palm strike, deflecting Bacchus' blow and using his other arm – closer to the face – to elbow Bacchus' cheek, causing minor but still effective damage. With that opening, Craig kicked Bacchus in the bare chest, making him fall back.

Bacchus flipped from his fall, catching himself on his heels. He smirked as he went for offense again, lunging at Craig with his palm stretched out.

"Under Moonlight!"

Taking his guard into precaution, Craig brought his fist back.

"Smash!"

Both the palm and fist collided in the dead center. Both attacks created a turbulence of sand that broke the airspace all around. Everyone watched and shriveled as the sound of bones cracking apart was evident in the air.

"Alright, way to hold him down!" Natsu shouted.

"You go get him!" Lisanna cheered.

"Don't get too carried away out there." Mirajane chimed.

Bacchus' palm kept itself connected with Craig's fist. Both appendages were shaking as either was moving an inch. The Drunken Falcon kept a smirk on his face, while Craig kept a serious frown set. It was clear who was savoring and who was looking bent on fighting.

"Why so serious? You enjoying this?" Bacchus chimed.

"I am. I just don't feel like showing it." Craig countered.

"Oh, is that right?" Bacchus pulled his free palm back, his position to attack now like that of Craig when the match started. "Then how's about this?!" He thrust his palm towards Craig's face, however, what he saw coming next was something more unorthodox than his fighting.

As the fist closed in, Craig opened his mouth, baring all his sharp teeth in full view for Bacchus to see. He opened wide and snapped down on the hand, stopping it cold and making Bacchus flinch.

"YAH!" Bacchus screamed as his hand was pulled away, the palm prodded with small marks that indicated blood. He clutched his hand, the pain evident. "What in the hell? You bit me?!"

Craig hunched over, baring all his fangs and roaring, much to Bacchus' shock.

Sting's eyes narrowed in wonder. 'Did he really just bite that guy?'

"And here I thought we Sabertooth bared our fangs." Minerva remarked, having been piqued by Craig's show of fangs.

Kagura's eyes narrowed at Craig's tactics. She didn't seem to like it all that much.

"And it looks like Bacchus has met his match here, folks. The unorthodox fighting of Craig seems to parry Bacchus' blows. Neither side is giving an inch, yet it looks like Craig truly is one to bite!" Lola shouted.

Bacchus looked up, completely shocked by Craig's teeth. However, his shock slowly turned to a smirk. "Say, you're actually pretty good. Surprised me there with those teeth of yours."

"Thanks." Craig commented. "Guess you're not so bad yourself." As he said that, he raised his forearms and blocked a full-on palm strike. He swiped to opposite sides and forced both him and Bacchus to back off.

"But you know…" Bacchus began to trail, slowly circling with Craig. Both looked at each other like animals, who were circling like sharks to attack. "I'm not a pushover, not a big one of course."

"You can be when you're tipsy." Craig sniped.

"Really?" Bacchus laughed. "Guess you're right! Man you're a funny guy!"

Craig shrugged. "Well it's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt."

As many of the spectators were eying the battle, others were not so lenient on the possibility of Fairy Tail winning. Raven Tail especially. They all looked at Craig, he who earned 1st place in the preliminary rounds, surely someone who didn't mess around. His style and his unknown character let quite the impression, and even now, it didn't look like he was really in it to harm anyone. Judging from his actions, warriors such as Jura and Kagura alike were able to read and tell that he wasn't fully trying. That's what interested them. He looked to be having a good fight, yet what was his deal? Some refused to take chances, including Raven Tail itself.

"Obra." Alexei sniped.

At his call, the odd figment hiding in the cloak approached.

"Let's mess with Fairy Tail once more."

Obra nodded in understanding. From afar, he kept his focus on Craig, who continued to circle Bacchus. As the mage did, he backed off. He was surprised, and not just because his own powers were seemingly blunt.

"What is it, Obra? I said do it!" Alexei turned towards Obra. From the looks of it, it appeared that Obra was somehow unable or is failing to do so. Realizing this, Alexei looked back at Craig, not sensing any Magic Power at all. 'What game is Fairy Tail playing? Who is this man that they now have in their ranks?'

In the stands for Fairy Tail, the guild was being weary of Craig, given his tenacious style. He wasn't going to let the matter pass by, and he never allowed anyone to battle him and not get a few scratches and blood marks. He was brutal that way. Speaking of, with a certain lush, her expression was completely gawking at best.

"What?" She was just filled in on what happened after she lost the match against Bacchus in terms of drinking, thanks to Mirajane's insight. She was shocked to say the very least of Craig's defense.

"Yeah, apparently Craig was ready to kill Bacchus on the spot. We were glad it all simmered down before it got out of hand." She said.

Cana turned back towards the battle, seeing Craig with a hostile expression towards Bacchus. It made sense now, why he looked bitter starting from the beginning. She glared at him, yet at the same time she couldn't help but feel a sense of…guilt? Craig didn't go into detail, but in the end he still helped her when she was vulnerable; keeping her bra from Bacchus, threatening, and carrying her home, not to mention waking her up to water to help her stomach. She was rendered completely silent as she watched what looked like Craig's personal grudge match against the falcon for her dignity.

Bacchus raised a brow at Craig. "You're pretty good, pal. Forgot about those chompers from last night. Guess I shouldn't have took you for granted then, huh?"

"Yeah, guess so." Craig exasperated.

Bacchus began backing out of their little circle, catching Craig by surprise. He retained guard as Bacchus inched towards his bottle, which was still on the ground. He knew something was up.

"I wasn't sure if you and that smoking hot friend of yours before, but now, I think I got your game." He reached for his bottle, screwing off the top.

"What game?" Craig threateningly wondered.

Bacchus sheepishly smirked. "Don't deny it. I'm just playing. Well…was playing. Guess if you're gonna be that defensive about one chick, might as well show some respect, right?" He raised the gourd. "Bottom's up!"

Bacchus began downing the whole bottle, each gulp getting Quatro Cerberus more riled up than ever, with Erza of all people getting threatened as well.

"So he's actually doing it then." She said.

"Doing what? Erza, why is he drinking?" Natsu asked.

"Remember what I told you as of last night, Bacchus is a master of martial arts. He has a tenacity unlike any other in which he congregates his alcohol into his Chop Hanging Palm technique. He's going to unleash his Drunk-Chop Hanging Palm, and that's when he means business."

Natsu's eyes widened and he whipped towards the arena. "You're saying that he's been holding back?"

Watching from another part of the colosseum, Fallen Prometheus was being very observant in Craig's depth. They all were careful when it came to watching every move and the pressure they were feeling. All of it resonated from Bacchus, but they felt latent prowess hiding inside Craig. However, it felt different.

Scythe narrowed his eyes beneath his cloak. "This is a joke, right? Is that guy even trying?"

"Who knows. Maybe he's onto us." Monarch said. "He's not as dumb as he looks, you know."

"Though it may be, he doesn't seem as strong as before." Gates evaluated. "He may not possess the powers of the gods now, but his energy has altered compared to before."

Scythe turned away, showing frustration. "If he really was as strong as before, he'd finish it by now. That punk's just gotten weaker, nothing else."

"Patience." Shinigami insisted. "You can't rush progress."

"But…"

"It's true Craig may not seem all that powerful, and maybe he perceives as inferior…but you know, there's something you can feel if you focus hard enough. He's perhaps stronger than before. We just have to take our chances and observe."

"Agreed." The misfortunate scarf cloak said.

Craig eyed Bacchus while still weary of his surroundings. There was an odd but growing pressure around the drunk mage as he finished off his bottle. The bottle dropped from his hand, and his cheeks were getting red as his posture shakily adjusted.

"*hic* Hit me with your best shot. Shouldn't be too hard to put an old drunk like me into dirt, right?" Bacchus slurred.

Craig's eyes narrowed. He was still weary of Sabertooth, Raven Tail, and especially Fallen Prometheus, but he knew to save his chi for if necessary. It's vital to play with a full deck with certain cards in sequence. He began reaching back. 'Guess I have no choice if he's getting serious then…'

Bacchus rushed ahead, instantly intercepting Craig. "Surprise!" He passed Craig, a flurry of palm strikes in sheer bursts.

"Whoa, you see that?!" Sting leaned over the balcony, eyes wide.

"Indeed. I counted 7 at most." Rogue evaluated.

"That was fast!" Evergreen exclaimed.

Mirajane nodded. "Yeah, but look…"

Bacchus hiccupped as he looked back at Craig, a big smile on his face. "How's that?" His smirk eventually gave into confusion as he felt a breeze down by his hands. "Heh, what the-?!" He looked down, seeing that his hands were cut. "The hell?!"

"Uh oh! Looks like Bacchus is facing a dilemma!" Lola shouted.

Bacchus angrily looked back. "What did you-!" He saw shimmering blades of blood red and dark red. The crisp but shimmering blades caught his eye, forcing him to trail off.

"You know, it's funny." Craig turned around, half-grinning as his teeth bared with two blades in hand. "I was no adept at using my bare fists, too. I still am. But you know something, I like to keep it that way and don't like to break such a code otherwise. But I didn't appreciate your candor, so I'm gonna show my own candor for you." He held up his blades, poised to strike. "So come!"

Bacchus raised a brow. "Wow, offended much?"

Kagura's eyes narrowed as she looked at Craig's swords. 'There's those two blades.' She thought back to when Craig used them against the robots in the preliminary. 'Is he proficient in using just those? He seems to hold a gold sheath. What's that about?'

Shinigami half-grinned. "Hm…"

Cana said nothing as she stared down at Craig. She kept a close eye on him as he began the next round with the wasted fighter. She could be cheering, but she was still preoccupied with Craig reassuring her own dignity and bra. It wasn't a big deal to her, but it was to Craig, at least to how Mirajane described it.

"Alright, man! Bring it *hic*!" Bacchus laughed as he went lunging for Craig, while the latter went speeding for the male lush, with blades crossed like a pair of scissors.

"Scissor Runner!"

At the same time Bacchus palm struck, Craig snipped. Both passed the other. Bacchus went tumbling behind with bloodied arms, bleeding, while the deflected palm strikes got the side of Craig's head, making him dazed and pivot. His eyes shut as he used his blades and anchored his hold. With Craig on a knee and Bacchus slouching up, each lunged and yelled as they battled it out.

Blow after blow was parried. Twin blades of red and sheer palms collided, with Craig holding his own with what looked like ease. He was bent on more than just beating Bacchus, but there was something up with him as well. It wasn't that he wasn't trying, but as a man to man battle, two guys were battling for their own styles; their personalities and morals. They were testing, and evaluating for what the other stood for. With each close-up on Craig, Bacchus could see the past rage and anger he once had, quelled by his drive to live. It intrigued him, so much that he only fought harder to pressure Craig into showing more of his fire.

Craig was never into competitions. Competition meant rivalries, and rivalries lead to grudge matches that could only settle with one side being the victor. The real world works with survival of those who want to live rather than need; those who want to live need to live for another, just as he has. And with each fallen ally, a passing of a moral was drilled into him. It's what made Craig, and one moral he held in check was Cana. He knew to an extent that Cana was hurt from Bacchus beating her, he just knew. It wasn't revenge, but justice.

Craig and Bacchus' heads clashed, their foreheads shoving into the other as one side smirked while another snarled.

"Now this is a true man to man brawl, folks!" Lola yelled. "It looks like these two are showing their guild spirits and brawn alike!"

"Go, Craig, go!" Happy cheered.

"You can do it!" Lisanna cheered.

"Yeah, be a man!" Elfman flexed his arms.

Gray crossed his arms, giving Craig a frown. "For a guy who doesn't use magic, he should be done by now. What gives?"

"I think it has something to do with his morals, Gray." Juvia insisted.

"Huh?"

"I mean, don't get me wrong, Craig is a very formidable person, who can take on and defeat the likes of Gildarts. But all that aside, he doesn't want to kill Bacchus, does he? Besides, you remember how badly he can injure those if he tried. I'm sure he'd rather not feel guilty harming others like this. I guess this is just Craig showing respects."

"You're not wrong." Mirajane frowned, watching Craig parry blows at such a close range. "Craig is very unusual. I'm sure there's something to all this."

As Craig continued to battle against the bare-handed Bacchus, Cana was watching the blood on Bacchus shed. His hands were bleeding, but he was too drunk to seemingly notice. Was this a moral lesson Craig was pouring into Bacchus, or was this retribution. The brunette was carefully watching as Craig slashed and parried without a big fight. In fact, what she noticed from the start was that Craig was mainly on defense while Bacchus went offense. 'Is he trying to tire out Bacchus to where he can get a final attack in?' That was her speculation, but knowing Craig, going bare-handed against Bacchus wouldn't be dumb either…okay, maybe so, but certain ways require a certain level of caution. She remembered the last fist match Craig had, and he ended up with bandages. 'Guess he does learn from mistakes after all.'

Craig and Bacchus clashed once again, a swift blow of a palm against crossed blades, the flat ends holding up the palm. Winds passed Craig, completely missing him.

With the distance close again, Bacchus smirked. "Your little friend over there is looking at you."

Craig's teeth gritted as he held his own. He couldn't sway from the fight. "Yeah, so?"

"She's looking mighty fine, ain't she? And she's got quite the pair. I can see why you kept that hotstuff to yourself. So tell me…" He leaned in, getting into a whisper in Craig's ear. "Did ya rough her up last night?"

Craig's eyes began to dilate in his irritation. His fangs were showing, but more from holding Bacchus than anything else.

"I see. Shame, I wanted to know a little more. Oh well, guess I'll find out once I win." Then Bacchus said something that completely flipped Craig. As the man held his ground, the drunk falcon was whispering in his ear, a sentence that poured deep into a man's offense.

"…because once I win, I'm taking more than just my trophy for a single night. All to myself."

Craig's eyes stayed completely solid. They weren't wide, they weren't narrowed. It was like he was turned to stone. He was unmistakably boiling, and even his mind was racing and processing what Bacchus said he was going to do. Threat or bet, that perversion crossed the line. But all Craig did was stay still as Bacchus backed off, getting a small distance away.

"Haha! What's wrong, looks like you're choking on something over there!" Bacchus shouted.

Craig didn't answer. His eyes had a deep shadow over them. He frowned as his hands remained cool, calm, and very much steady. Yet he chose not advance.

"What's up with Craig?" Natsu questioned. "He's just standing there."

"Do you think he's planning something or what?" Gray questioned the balcony.

"Knowing Craig, who knows." Elfman said.

Cana inspected quietly, staying firm in her stare at Craig.

"I mean it. You're little friend's quite the ripe bombshell." Bacchus said, though low enough to where no one could hear him other than Craig. "She's got it all good, and you're telling me you held her that close and didn't go for it? Man, are you not knowing a good opportunity or too good natured? I'm wondrous."

Bacchus may have said stuff at that point in time, but Craig was processing it nice and slow. Cana flashed in his mind constantly, that sweet girl who he played with, all the way to where they had their bickering and even through it, he still took her genuinely. At least he was straight with how he didn't find her appeasing, but this guy – Bacchus – how could he let Brownie get wasted with someone who played and just not care? The answer: He can't.

Bacchus lunged ahead, palm stuck out. "I'll be sure to keep her in one piece for later on!" He exclaimed.

"Craig!" Bickslow shouted.

"Why is he still not moving?" Freed exclaimed.

Craig stayed absolutely still as Bacchus immediately closed the gap. The palm came forward, Bacchus' huge smirk wide as ever. At the instant when it was so close to him, the shadows over Craig's eyes glistened, revealing sharp blue with feral, animalistic essence.

BLOOSH!

All eyes were rendered petrified in deep shock. Thankfully kids were drawn away by parental discretion at the fiendish sight. They all shriveled and saw red drip down from behind someone, as well as from a blade. Fairy Tail – especially Cana – was completely shocked by the graphic display. Kagura, Sting, even Minerva was rendered startled by the state of Bacchus.

Once the Drunk Falcon, now someone who was targeted by a provoked man. He crossed a line, and with his palm stretched out, he was completely in pain as Craig's blood red sword was sticking out, running so deep that it went from his palm to sticking out of the shoulder. Through bone and all, it skewered Bacchus' arm. The Drunk Falcon's sense of pain – no matter how dull – couldn't tolerate it. Blood seeped from the side of his lip as he shuddered and shakily stared into the animalistic eyes of Craig. He could see the pure bloodlust and fragile mind he deliberately provoked.

"What…"

Craig gave no words, only action. In a violent display, he yanked his sword clean out of Bacchus' entire arm and grasped it. He yanked the unstable S-Class Mage forward and bellowed as he snapped his jaws down on his shoulder, crunching straight through the purple plates and piercing the skin, tissue, and engraving into the bone.

Bacchus screamed as Craig began to violently thrash his head, turning left and right and not giving the poor fool rest. Many were horrified by the jaw strength, some by the drastic change to offense, and some were just speechless as Bacchus was tossed like a ragdoll. Even Fairy Tail was completely at the mercy of their own shock.

"I…I can't believe what I'm seeing here, folks!" Lola stuttered. "I-It looks like Craig Crius suddenly snapped! Bacchus is completely at his mercy and suffered a serious amount of damage!"

Yajima said nothing as he was still in shock.

Craig gave one more yank before letting go. Bacchus fell to the side, completely shocked and unable to move his right arm. It was pierced and bitten into. It was like it was crushed by some rampaging beast, and he couldn't process it. It was just palpitating and unthinkable.

His eyes glanced up, staring at the gaping maw of Craig Crius. He opened his mouth and violently roared into Bacchus' face. The bellow was loud, searing, and so massive that his sharp teeth were so defined that it was like seeing a devil ready to devour him. The terrified man could feel a bloody aura emanate, one so invisible and yet so dense that he couldn't breathe. He only laid there, petrified as Craig's bellow sheered through the ears of fellow Dragon Slayers, making them stare with shock.

His roar ceased, and he leered down at Bacchus. When he realized what he has done, he angrily closed his eyes and turned away. He said no words, instead trudged away, each step being heavy. He couldn't even look at Cana and her bewildered expression as he forward towards the tunnel.

"U-uh…well, it looks like we have our winner, folks." Lola spoke. "Craig Crius of Team Fairy Tail wins, and gets 10 points to boot."

"I don't know what those two whippersnappers were talking about, but it sure looks like it snapped him." Yajima evaluated.

The crowd was still recovering from that gruesome finish of Craig, but nevertheless realized Quatro Cerberus was defeated in that second. They watched as Bacchus was taken away via medics, and left the other guilds with several impressions.

"What was that?!" Toby snapped.

Chelia was still too in shock to even speak. She thought the games were supposed to be fun, clearly she was wrong.

"I've heard about his ferociousness." Jura glared at Craig, watching him walk with a growl. The Wizard Saint felt nothing less than uneasiness when he felt that same aura Bacchus did. It made his fingers twitch. "What experience has he been through?"

Kagura's eyes narrowed deeply. What she saw was pure animal, and yet something else. 'His power just then…even without magic, he crumbled Bacchus' offense without trying.'

"Wait, hold on, was that even magic?!" Millianna gasped.

"No, I didn't sense anything." Beth said.

"That ain't right, then how did he beat Bacchus?" Risley figured.

Alexei huffed from his mask. He snarled maliciously as he eyes Craig. Obra's power didn't work on him, and as such, he was left intrigued. "What kind of a man does Fairy Tail have in their ranks now?"

"Okay, was that just harsh, or is it just me?" Happy asked.

"No, that was definitely brutal alright." Macao said. "I thought he was going easy at first, but it looks like Craig just couldn't hold back in the end."

"What do you think Bacchus said to get him so…maimed?" Lisanna paused, looking to be discerning her own inquiry.

"Knowing Craig, who knows." Macao said.

"Well that happened." Laxus said.

Erza sighed, seeing how the battle wasn't so willing to exact kempt fruit for her liking. "Perhaps this wasn't the best idea. Given his trauma, I should've known Craig wouldn't hold back. But even so…" She thought back to the way he fought against Bacchus, and how it contradicted even the likes of him battling Gildarts. "I'm sure Craig realized that these fights aren't what he's used to."

Cana said absolutely nothing as Craig vanished from the scene. Was she upset? Not exactly, but she was definitely confused. She had no idea what was spoken, but given his emotional setbacks and how he was exceptionally serious and sensitive, she knew it was personal. That only made her eyes narrow. Her arms folded, her fingers gripping tighter than before.

"Man, and here I thought Fairy Tail played nice." Sting smirked.

"A little vulgar, but it appeared that Craig got the job done." Rogue said. "We should be careful as to not provoke people like him, Sting."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Oh big deal. That guy doesn't even know who he's messing with." Lector dismissed. "We're Sabertooth, so let's show them."

"Fro thinks so, too." Frosch chimed.

Orga smirked as he raised a fist. "That guy's on my list now. Thinks he's so badass."

Rufus tipped his hat. "Now come on, Orga. Be careful what you wish for. We still have one more match."

"Indeed." Minerva reminded. Her eyes were fixed on Fallen Prometheus, her smirk forming. "They'll think twice once they face us personally."

However, Fallen Prometheus smirked beneath their cloaks. They all witnessed Craig's fury, and they knew from the menacing aura that he gave off that he had met their expectations. Scythe especially was clutching his staff tight. A wide smirk was beneath him. "Guess I was wrong after all." He murmured beneath his breath.

"Uh, now that that's over with, let's say we move on with our final match for the day!" Lola announced. "It's the big mama battle that'll knock your socks off! That's right, ladies and gents, it's the two teams tied for 1st place! Whoever wins this one shall keep the top!"

The crowd began to cheer, their anticipation beginning to rise for the insinuated fight of the underdogs and the top cats-turned-underdogs.

"For this match, we have Sabertooth's very own Minerva! Against Fallen Prometheus' Shinigami!"

At the call of their names, both contestants were called down to enter the arena. Minerva put a hand to her hip while Fallen Prometheus' supposed leader. Both smirked, though it was hard to tell with the cloak on Shinigami.

"It's those guys." Macao said, his voice showing nervousness.

"Yup, looks like we're not the only ones watching our backs apparently." Wakaba spoke.

"If that guy yesterday was that strong to beat Mermaid Heel, what do you think will happen today with this guy?" Romeo asked.

"You're guess is as good as mine. Both are emanating a massive amount of Magic Power." Carla said.

"Alright, Milady! You go!" Lector cheered.

"Go, go, go!" Frosch happily added.

Sting smirked. "Milady can do this. Once she enters, there'll be no one who'll stop Sabertooth. This battle is as good as ours."

Minerva stood a ways away from her opponent. She could feel a great swell of Magic Power, and she knew her opponent did as well. Although he looked more relaxed given his slouched posture. "So you're the guild, Fallen Prometheus, am I correct? It's a pleasure to meet you."

"It's gracious for someone as noble as you to be speaking to figments as us." Shinigami spoke up.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, but I like that in prey." She teased. Her eyes narrowed, showing deep readiness. "Sabertooth's feast shall be the fallen. Our fangs will pierce straight through you. There is no animal who sits at the food chain's top other than my guild. We won't share 1st place with you."

Shinigami kept half-grinning. "Then I suppose that after the events of yesterday and today, you chose not to hold back?"

"Against your guild, I wouldn't dream of it."

"I see…then shall I return the favor?" His cloak began to wisp about, and beneath there were invisible waves of magical energy. It was so heavy that the pressure was rising, but only a little. It was like Bacchus, only this one was surprisingly making it harder for Minerva to keep her cool. From the look on her face, she showed shock.

'What power.'

"You have 30 minutes!" Mato shouted. "Let the battle begin!"

"Alright, it's on!" Elfman announced.

"It's time we see who's our competition to worry about." Makarov said, glaring ahead at the Magic Power he sensed.

Kagura and everyone else watched carefully as the battle had begun. Jura remained on guard especially given the battles that were waged.

Green spatial energy enveloped Minerva's palms. She raised them, smirking. "This is the ultimate magic that shows my respect to you. This is Territory. All who are within it shall be-"

An invisible force resonated from Shinigami, his cloak shifting as the expelled towards Minerva. Before she even knew it, Minerva was engraved in a deep trail through the ground and crashed into the wall, making the whole stadium tremble as shockwaves and dust expelled everywhere. The invisible force that spread everywhere was so dense that the front row people passed out from deep shock or inferior wills. All of Fairy Tail, Sabertooth, Jura, Kagura, even those not within the stands and outside the colosseum felt a heavy force.

Walking down the hallway slowly, Craig stopped dead in his tracks. He looked over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes at the burst of Magic Power he sensed.

Sabertooth was rendered completely helpless. Sting, Rogue, even Jiemma were petrified. The almighty guild master showed his pupils at the extrasensory of magic, one that made his heart skip a beat. It boiled him, much to his outrage.

The dust cleared, and Shinigami turned away from the deep hole in the wall, where Minerva was seen falling to the ground. She thudded loudly, her entire body paralyzed and unable to move.

"So sorry." Shinigami apologized. "I know I'd go all out…but I hope 15% sufficed."

Everyone hearing him grew absent-minded. Some were paling at the percentage he said, while others were outraged.

'He…only used 12% of his full power on me?!' Minerva was outraged by what happened. The walls were nearly cracked all throughout the stadium. The ground was completely leveled, and the magic she was hit with was raw concentration that paralyzed her. She never felt such grand of a pressure pin her down so quick and so hard.

Shinigami walked from the stunned crowd, leaving Sabertooth in despair. "Perhaps I should've kept it at 10%, but you can never be too sure anymore."

Scythe narrowed his vision, glaring at Shinigami. "That moron. He went overboard again."

"We agreed only 10%. I suppose if this was his intention, we'll have to let it off this one time." Gates spoke.

Raven Tail's Ivan was completely wide-eyed at Shinigami. He stared with deep horror that began to slowly grow. 'That guild…that man…used 15%? What could his full power be?' The nervous look on his face showed ecstasy. He eyed the guild that Shinigami belonged to rather than Fairy Tail. "This…this has gotten much more interesting for us."

"It can't be…" Makarov exasperated.

Gray gaped his mouth. "He wasn't trying against Minerva, and he…"

Sting's fists clutched tighter than before. His surprised anger was directed towards that unimaginable magic energy he sensed just now, and yet it owned Sabertooth's mightiest. It was a large wave, but only slightly as much as that other guy yesterday. The once proud Sabertooth was frowning in shock as their spotlight was taken.

"I-i-it's all over! And not even 10 seconds in! The winner by a landslide if Fallen Prometheus!" Lola announced, the bells and cheers going off simultaneously. "Let's here it for the guild that just marked their upcoming right out of the gate! Fallen Prometheus has earned 10 points, leaving Sabertooth behind with 0!"

"What was that?" Orga gasped, his showed also showed nervousness.

"Milady…has fallen?" Rufus paused.

"Are we in trouble?" Frosch shuddered in fright, having distraught from that Magic Power.

Lector stood beside him, completely petrified. "Oh man…"

Erza narrowed her shaking eyes, her gauntleys clutching her forearms. She also looked unnerved. 'Shinigami…Monarch…Gates…Navice…and that scythe carrier…just what kind of competition are we dealing with here?'

Natsu and Laxus leered down at Shinigami, unable to speak up.

Cana with the rest f the guild was unable to say anything. They all were petrified as their competition has shifted from Craig to the curbstomp.

"Such strength. Have they been training all this time?" Jura questioned in remarkability,

"Now that the battles for Day 2 are officially over, let's get to the scoring, shall we?" Lola announced. A projection of the scores showed, revealing who was in what place.

Fallen Prometheus – 31

Sabertooth - 21

Blue Pegasus - 20

Raven Tail – 19

Fairy Tail – 19

Mermaid Heel – 19

Quatro Cerberus – 10

Lamia Scale – 9

"And it looks like Fallen Prometheus still holds the lead at 31 points!" Lola detailed. "And in 2nd place still is Sabertooth, at 21 points, but in a surprising move, Blue Pegasus has stolen 3rd place right up from everyone's nose! A massive 20 points , putting them above the three guilds tied for 4th place: Raven Tail, Fairy Tail, and Mermaid Heel! And fallen in 7th place, we have 10 points to Quatro Cerberus, with the once 2nd place guild in Fiore still lingering behind with only 9 points."

"Another 3-way tie is pretty impressive if I say." Yajima nodded.

"That it is indeed, Mr. Yajima. Let's see how Day 3 will change things. Will Sabertooth get their spot back from these godly rookies, or will the guilds catch up to them? Let's find out tomorrow!" Lola tuned out, signaling the end of Day 2.

"Alright, we bumped to 3rd place!" Jenny cheered.

Hibiki nodded. "This should help us get an edge when it comes to tomorrow."

"Men. Fret not, for we shall find our ground yet, gents." Ichiya assured. "There is still much work to do!"

"Aye-aye, boss!" The Trimens saluted.

"Ah…ah…last place…" Obaba stared at the board, completely dumbfounded and shaking her old, fragile body at the guild being in last place being her own.

"Uh oh, looks like she's gonna breakdown." Sherry worried.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Chelia asked.

As everyone began to file out, Fairy Tail and Sabertooth were rendered completely distraught at what they sensed. The level of energy they felt was out of this world. It was unmistakably certain that they now had to target the guild that was getting away, although, Cana was turning away, her focus drawn towards a certain someone else.

Craig looked back at the tunnel, continuing his trek with a serious look on his face. He didn't waver as he knew even now he had to fight the way he always has, especially against these new guys.

---

I thought I could get this up around Thanksgiving, but it turns out this took double the days as expected. This took 6 days, and you know what else, this was updated on my birthday, so Happy Birthday to me~! Ironically this is my gift to you guys, so I hope you liked the effort I put into this birthday chapter.

So as always, review, comment, and thanks for liking this story and changes I've made! :)