The Fairy Contender

by Insane Dominator

One day, Nic Pularis is drawn into a sub-dimension, where he encounters Legendary Pokemon. He is entrusted with Plates by Arceus, and send to the land of Fiore, where he encounters Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Erza. He must go through multiple perilous journeys with his Pokemon and Fairy Tail, and triumph and endure hardships to master all eighteen Plates and save the universe. OCxErza.

71. Let the Games Begin

Chapter 71 – Let the Games Begin

The reviews boomed like crazy, which left me pleased. I'll be keeping up the fluff with the two as much as I can! Just so you guys also know, the next few chapters might be a tad on the boring side, especially with how capable Nic is now with his training and powers and all.

And speaking of which, many of you are anxious to see Minerva again, in which I don't blame you. After chapter 43, she's given a better future. Also, this just occurred to me; I can't seem to find any OCxMinerva stories out there. While there are OCxCana stories, my One's Road to Remembrance included, I hardly see any OCxMinerva stuff, what's up with that?

At any rate, I've held you guys off long enough!

FOREWARNING: The next 4 chapters shall be long and detailed. Get the popcorn and snacks ready!

To Recap:

Nic reappears after his three months of training, and he and Greninja, who had just learned Scald in place of Dark Pulse, effortlessly take out everyone possible. Later on, Nic walks off and Erza follows. She finally expresses her love for him and the two finally become official. The team of Natsu, Nic, Erza, Gray, and Wendy are picked, and the group go to Crocus, where they see the sites, though Nic and Erza head up to the inn for some alone time. After Natsu and Lucy are taunted by Sting and Rogue of Sabertooth, they head back to the inn, where Wendy was missing, and just when the clock struck midnight. That moment, the Grand Magic Games preliminaries was revealed – The Sky Labyrinth.

---

Chapter 71 – Let the Games Begin

The group looked in anxiousness as the preliminary round began, and Gray shrugged. "Well since this is a race, let's get moving."

"Now we're talking!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Hold on." Erza said, bringing their hopes to a screeching stop. "The rules state that all five members must reach the goal, that includes Wendy."

Collective shock came from Natsu and Gray, as they knew they were stuck unless Wendy showed up, but no luck as she wasn't even heard from.

"Wendy!" Natsu yelled out. "Come out, come out wherever you are!"

Nic looked back up at the labyrinth. "So this means…"

A loud stomp was heard from behind, and everyone seemed shocked as Elfman stood up with his arms out. "Why wait, when you all have someone who's got the manly spirit ready?" Without a second thought, the tallest and bulkiest of Fairy Tail hauled the four up and started up the stairs. "We've got a roster change!"

"Waaaaah?!" The four exclaimed. Natsu and Gray were under Elfman's right arm, while Nic and Erza were carried under his left.

Lucy looked surprised. "Huh?! Elfman?!"

"Wait, what are you doing?!" Vanessa yelled up.

"What's it look like? He's doing what a man needs to do!" Gray yelled back down. "We can't sit by for Wendy to not show up! "

"You just leave it to me!" Elfman shouted.

Nic looked down at the small figures of those who stayed behind. "Lucy! Happy! Vanessa!"

"Yeah, Nic?" Vanessa called up.

"I need you three to go and find Wendy and Carla. I'm worried they may have ran into trouble."

Lucy called up. "Don't worry, we'll be sure to find her! You guys just get to the finish line!"

"Good luck, guys!" Vanessa called up before turning away. "Lucy, let's go!"

"Aye sir! Kick some butt!" Happy shouted as he flew to find Wendy and the white Exceed, all while Team Fairy Tail began its arduous trial that was the preliminary. Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and Sabertooth ran up the steps just as kick as Fairy Tail was, eventually putting them into the labyrinth that seemingly resembled a city or some altered black and right dimension, where everything was topsy-turvy.

Gray looked around, seeing how there was even sideways stairs. "Geez, this place is freaky. You call this a labyrinth?"

"I really hate stuff like this." Natsu relented. "But if it means getting back to the top, I'll wing it!"

Erza turned towards Nic. "Back when we were on the ground, the colosseum was east of us. I think we should head there."

Nic nodded and looked at where the colosseum was. "Then we should get moving." On that remark, everyone followed Nic up a flight of stairs, where they had begun their venture through the maze. Eventually after so many minutes of running, with Nic leading the charge with Erza close behind, they came to a small stop so as to get the layout on a flat domain.

Erza turned towards Natsu in question. "Natsu, you're not sick?"

"No, not really. You'd think I'd be puking my guts out, but nah." Natsu explained.

A sudden screen appeared in front of the group, where all eyes were set on the pumpkin-headed person that announced the games in the first place. "Allow me to explain. The Sky Labyrinth has been casted with a Magic that makes those that have motion sickness and fear of heights have equal footing, pumpkins!" With that, the screen vanished, having their answers, with quite the peculiar timing to boot.

"Uh…guess it's like Troija Magic." Natsu figured

Nic looked around, seeing as how the surroundings kept him occupied. He crossed his arms as he looked out. He pondered as he considered the labyrinth entirely. "Hmmm…I think we should take notes as we venture deeper. One wrong turn could lead to us falling."

"I see what you mean." Erza agreed, looking in the same direction as him. "We should make it paramount to come up with a map; take note of where we started to where we are, as well as plot along any other essential points and turns."

Gray put an arm behind his head. "Well with how a layout like this is, making a map is easier said than done."

Elfman looked in another direction. "Well a real man's gotta work his way through this stuff, and he's gotta do things he doesn't like."

"Ain't that the truth." Natsu agreed.

Nic glowed, shifting into his Mind Plate Form. With paper provided by Erza that she kept in her Requip space, Nic began to give out lines and dots. He made sure to use the mental memory boost and capacity the Mind Plate provided, and he scrutinized the area and locations all around. But even with the locations and mapping, Nic still had a hard time.

"This is gonna get tedious." He noted. He turned towards the others. "I'll map along the way, let's get moving!"

"Right!" Elfman, Gray, and Natsu all followed Nic and Erza, with the former slowly making lines as they went along.

---

"Wait, you mean Wendy is missing?!" Lisanna shrieked.

"Yeah, and we were lucky Elfman stepped in when he did." Lucy informed. She looked back up at the labyrinth. "But I'm still worried about the others."

"I know." Lisanna agreed, looking up at the labyrinth as well. "I hope they'll be okay." However, she caught onto something and turned back towards Lucy. "Wait, where's Happy and Vanessa?"

"I'm sure they're looking for Wendy and Carla." Lucy said. "Vanessa's using her Magic to pick up on Wendy and Carla's aura trail. If anyone can have that great of a lead, it's her."

Lisanna nodded. "Right, but let's tell the others and find them as soon as we can!"

With that, Lucy and Lisanna trailed back towards the Fairy Tail Mages and rallied the troops to find them.

---

It felt like forever to them, but Nic assured them that they were making progress, although he was still having his worries throughout the maze. After going through several pieces of paper, he had a pretty good idea on where to go, and as Erza pointed out directions to the others, Nic couldn't help but catch something.

"Everyone…" Nic silenced the group as his eyes narrowed. They saw his sunglasses on his V-neck, so they could see his eyes showing seriousness. "Listen…" He had the group remain as silent as they possibly could, and so they all narrowed their eyes, Natsu and Erza especially.

"This is all your fault!"

"Don't blame me! I'm the one drawing the maps, and you're the one pointing out directions Mr. Smart Guy!"

"Well someone's taking the blame, and I sure ain't gonna be that guy! Just keep mapping!"

Elfman looked up and around. "Oh right, there are other guilds here too. Forgot about that."

Natsu and the group shifted their attention towards a staircase that led up to a platform, where notable figures were giving gloom snickers at them. The figures were not so friendly, as they were the same ones they trashed when they got back. Twilight Ogre.

"Hey, what do you know? Fairy Tail again, what a mess." Thibault noted. "What a joke."

"I see you haven't changed." Erza noted with high tension.

Thibault shrugged. "So? That doesn't mean anything when it comes to you and your guild sucking and ending up at the bottom of the barrel. Maybe we should keep it that way."

"Just you watch! Fairy Tail's gonna win it this year!" Natsu exclaimed.

Thibault reached for the huge mace he had strapped behind him. "We'll see about that."

Gray smirked. "I see where this is going." He put his hands together and started making ice. "But we got other plans besides you bozos!"

Natsu flamed up a fist. "Yeah! We gotta kick Sabertooth's butt!"

Elfman cracks his knuckles. "To become number one in all of Fiore!"

Before Thibault and his other members knew it, the three launched a combined and fast assault on them. Natsu, Elfman, and Gray sent Twilight Ogre flying, without much of a fight put up. However, fate had a way of changing things up, and the labyrinth had begun to shake. Natsu and the others began to lose their footing as the labyrinth was shaking and seemed to be altering.

"Crap! What now?!" Gray yelled.

"Seems the floor is moving!" Elfman answered.

Nic looked out, seeing as how everything was beginning to tilt. "No, the labyrinth itself is moving!" He turned his head sharply and saw how Natsu and the others were starting to tilt and slant off. "Hang on!" With a strong jump, he was found having his eyes glow green, and everyone else was as well.

"Telekinesis!"

Everyone suddenly felt weightless as they were floating in the air, as well as Nic. He made sure all five of themselves were levitating close by as the entire labyrinth was shifting.

"Whoa, that was close." Elfman noted. "Thanks Nic, you're a real man!"

Nic glanced at Elfman. "Just looking out for you guys." He looked back down. "Look, I think the labyrinth stopped moving."

Nic slowly sat the guys down on a flat surface. They all felt themselves balanced once more and noticed how they looked down, and they saw how there were green Magic seals all around atop Crocus. A closer view showed that each circle had a fallen team on it, and the numbers were drastic to say the least.

"Man, just who came up with this idea is seriously messed up." Gray said.

"I'm not surprised. It's supposed to narrow 113 guilds down to 8." Erza pointed out. "And that move just shortened those numbers to a brim." She heard paper falling from a flight of stairs on her left, and she turned to see a stack of papers falling from the stairs from one of Twilight Ogre's Mages and it landed right at her feet. She knelt down and scrutinized the contents.

"A map?" Gray asked.

"It appears so." Erza said.

Natsu smiled. "Alright, all we gotta do is combine ours with theirs and we'll have an even better chance!"

Nic looked back at the map and at Erza. Both stared at the other before both smirked suspiciously, coming up with the same plan. Hidden glints were seen in their eyes as they knew how to eliminate the other competition and get ahead in the game.

"Hey, that's our map!" Thibault demanded, barely hanging into a nearby ledge. "Give it back-!"

"You're denied!" Nic appeared in front and stomped down on Thibault's head, causing the recipient to fall and scream in a high pitch as he was eliminated from the Sky Labyrinth. He turned towards everyone else, and smirked as they all had the same mischievous look.

Natsu snickered. "Looks like it's Fairy Tail style!"

As the group treaded on with the combined maps, and with Nic's Mind Plate powers helping him sort out the messes and redirections configured by the labyrinth shifting, they all began to initiate Plan B…stealing maps while emanating competition.

Natsu jumped with flaming fists. "This won't be pretty, but you know what we gotta do!" He shouted as he descended down. He sent a flaming wave that sent guys flying. "We're taking maps!"

"Got that right!" Gray shot ice and froze other guild participants, making them all squeal in agony. "All's fair in love and war!"

Elfman punched and sent guys flying. "This is a manly map war that we cannot lose!" He threw one guy into another. "And we sure is gonna win this thing one way or another!"

Nic was using Confusion that sent a guy into another. He picked up a piece of small debris and his eyes glowed light blue as the piece of debris flashed away, and thus Trick swapped the map that he now had. He looked at the others. "Keep them coming guys!"

"I got six!" Natsu shouted.

"Not bad, but I have eight." Erza informed, clad in her Black Wing Armor.

As Elfman held up an unconscious guy. He had a map in hand, and looked satisfied. "This is getting kind of fun!" His musings were cut short when the labyrinth was beginning to shake, and his eyes widened. "Guys-!"

"Leave it to me!" Nic shouted. "Telekinesis!" Once again, he hauled everyone in the air with the multitude of maps included. As the group was safely suspended, the labyrinth was beginning to alter and rotate again, and many groups fell again.

As soon as the rumbling stopped and the labyrinth was reconfigured, Nic sat everyone down and held up all the maps with his psychic prowess. He had a grin on his face. "I think I'm starting to figure it out."

---

Happy followed Vanessa as she ran through the streets. "Are you sure?" He asked.

Vanessa's long, black hair shifted as she ran. "Yeah, her aura signature is stronger than before. We're getting closer!" She sounded positive as Happy was in no position to say. They turned another street corner, where they stopped and huffed in front of what appeared to be the center of Crocus. Vanessa and Happy both stared up at the humungous castle, startled beyond comprehension.

"Is that…?" Vanessa was cut off by Happy.

The Exceed nodded. "This is it, the castle of Crocus – Mercurius. The castle was enormous and elegantly decorated. It had a number of buildings that were tied into one. The walls primarily had large, rectangular windows. There were a few domes around the place, and massive spires went up, with pillars all around. All in all, it was grand.

"Wendy and Carla are in there." Vanessa pointed out. "We have to find her."

As they walked ahead, the castle guards took notice and they crossed their blades in front if them, keeping them from entering the stairs that lead to the flower gardens.

"Halt! The grounds are closed!" One guard noted.

"We're sorry." Vanessa apologized. "We don't mean trouble. We're looking for our guild mate that was supposed to participate in the games, but she's gone missing." Vanessa informed.

"We've searched all over Crocus, and this is the only place where my friend here has found her trail." Happy explained.

The guards looked at each other in suspicion, but they looked at them and back at the other.

"Let's just let them in." One said. "I mean his majesty is looking forward to the games, so what's the harm?"

"Yeah, I guess so." He turned towards Happy and Vanessa. "Alright, but don't go pass the palace courtyards."

"We won't, thanks you guys." Happy thanked. He and Vanessa bowed to the guards and ran up the steps as quick as their feet can carry them. They found themselves soon running through the garden and hedges, carefully having Vanessa's aura reading capabilities as a guide.

Happy turned towards her. "Well?"

"We're close!" She turned to corner, and they both grew still as they didn't come to Wendy or Carla, but something more disturbing…her purse. It was lying on the ground, a sure sign that something was definitely wrong.

"Happy…" Vanessa muttered.

The Exceed nodded his head. "Yeah. This is Wendy's alright." He looked at Vanessa, both swallowing.

There was a long, brewing silence before Vanessa's eyes widened. She turned her head towards a direction. "Wait…this aura…" She suddenly broke into a determined dash, with Happy following right behind her. Both ran fast and turned the corner of a hedge, and the stopped and gasped.

There they were, Wendy and Carla, both unconscious and sprawled on the grass.

"Wendy!"

"Carla!"

Both went over and picked up the respective person and Exceed. Happy tended to Carla while Vanessa tried to wake Wendy up, but both seemed out cold. Vanessa looked at Wendy more concerned.

"Wendy?! Wendy, are you okay?" She called out.

Wendy stirred as she began to quiver. "N-no…don't come near me…" She looked frightened, and she most certainly looked troubled. No visible pain was shown, but Vanessa's eyes widened.

'I can't sense any Magic from her! Or Carla! What happened…?' She jerked up and felt something off as she whipped her head towards an unfamiliar signature. She looked up a light post, but nothing seemed there, or escaped before her eyes caught it. Vanessa stared up at the spot, and swallowed. 'Whatever's going on, this is very bad.'

---

The group miraculously found themselves running across a path over a large expanse of water, like an ocean, much to their shock. It was hard to describe really, but the environment all around, the blue sky with clouds, was painted on. Despite the fake facts, that meant they were closing in.

Natsu pointed ahead. "Guys, look!"

Everyone's eyes widened as the oceanic rocky path had a stopping point before it trailed up in an unkempt rock path up to where a door was, with the word GOAL in bright colors.

"That's it, that's the goal!" Elfman shouted.

Erza smiled as she picked up her pace. "We're there at last."

"C'mon!" Nic, in his normal self, picked up his speed, and the group followed behind. They all nearly sprinted as they managed to climb the remaining path to where the door was, where the same pumpkin guy was. Everyone stood with grins as the pumpkin guy clapped mildly as he stood in front of the doorway.

"Elfman Strauss. Erza Scarlet. Nic Pularis. Natsu Dragneel. Gray Fullbuster." The mentioned smiled happily as their individual names were announced. "Congratulations! You have all accomplished the Sky Labyrinth! Fairy Tail has cleared the preliminary round!"

Natsu pumped a fist. "Alright, we did it!"

Gray crossed his arms. "I knew we were gonna make it. Nothing was gonna stop us."

Elfman beamed with pride. "Betcha we came in first, right?"

The pumpkin guy's expression never wavered. "Nnnnngh, not quite there, big guy. Actually, more like…8th place."

Everyone's eyes widened as collective exasperation grew on their faces. They barely qualified. They were just left speechless, no words to say.

"…EEEHHHH?!" They exclaimed, which echoed everywhere through the Sky Labyrinth.

---

The city of Crocus was surrounded by mountains, and what made it so beautiful was the sea that resided north of the city. (I changed the geography for the sake of what I have in store. Just bear with me.) While the north had a beautiful sun rays reflecting off the sea waters, to the western crags hosted the Domus Flau, the colosseum where the Grand Magic Games are held.

The crowds roared loudly as the opening ceremonies took place. Thousands of spectators have taken their seats to behold of the action that was to come. Their roaring was so loud that it reached the locker room of where Nic's group was.

"The crowd sure is worked up." Erza commented.

"Well this place has a big number of guild mages and non-magic users. Of course people wanna see them have at it." Gray commented.

"This should be interesting." Nic noted.

"Hmmmm…" Natsu was grumbling as he looked down at his attire, which was basically the same but was purple and edged in white, with the emblem in white on the left pectoral. "Purple is such a lousy color."

Nic's eyes narrowed. "What was that?"

Natsu flinched. "N-nothing!" He then looked away. "But I still don't see how you got to stay in your clothes while we had to change into these things."

"Because Master said my attire is already part purple." Nic explained with a stern exclamation.

Erza looked down at her outfit and took pride. "I think these outfits are cute." She turned her head to see Nic glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "Something wrong?"

"N-no." Nic protested, eyeing her attire. It was basically a cloak over a bikini bottom, with gauntlets added. He even went from top to bottom, seeing her long red hair in a ponytail and cascading his eyes down to her slender legs. "It's just…purple looks good on you."

Erza couldn't help but smile softly at Nic's praise. She liked how he was worried about her appearance, it made her feel happy being around him. "Thanks, I think purple is such a cute color."

"Uh, it's not the color I'm worried about…" Elfman loomed down at the small purple dress he had in his huge hands, which was meant for Wendy. "I doubt I can fit into this thing."

Natsu pointed and laughed in and uproar, to which Nic and Erza's combined leering made him pucker and silence.

Elfman looked down. "I hope she'll be okay."

The mood he created made everyone look down at the ground, despondent from what happened to Wendy and Carla last night.

Nic glanced up at Elfman. "I'm sure. It's times like these that you have to be a real man, as you always say."

"Wendy!" Everyone that made it through Sky Labyrinth ran into the infirmary, where they found Wendy and Carla beside the other and unconscious from the unknown experience they went through. Vanessa and Happy were right beside them.

"What happened?" Nic asked as he was on edge.

"We don't know." Vanessa replied. "Happy and I found them unconscious in the palace gardens."

Wendy's eyes twitched as she began to stir. The action caught everyone's attention as they saw Wendy slowly opening her eyes.

"Wendy?" Natsu asked.

"Nnngh…Natsu?" Wendy turned her head weakly.

"What happened to you and Carla?" Natsu asked with haste.

"I don't know…I can't remember…sorry." Wendy mumbled as her eyes shut again.

"She and Carla both have Magic Deficiency Disease." Everyone turned towards the entrance, where they saw the owner of the voice was Porlyusica, much to their shock.

"Porlyusica. This is a surprise." Erza admitted in shock.

Porlyusica walked right pass her. "I've heard what happened, so I decided to act upon my duty as a healer." She stopped in front of Wendy and placed a hand on her forehead. She seemed a little tranced. "…Magic Deficiency Disease. An illness that happens when all of one's Magic sucked out, draining their physical and mental strength." She put her hand away from Wendy's head. "The last time this happened was the Guild War against Phantom with Makarov."

Elfman looked worried. "How did that happen?"

"Wendy, who did this to you?" Natsu asked, his patience thin.

"Natsu, give Wendy her space." Nic put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back, leaving Wendy room to think, but her head still hurt bad.

Wendy's eyes opened up again. "I don't know…it's like…a weird black animal…" The dark creature lunging to attack flashed in her mind, making her eyes widened and she gasped at the painful memory. Guilty and in shame, she turned her body away and silently sobbed, much to everyone's mourning.

"I'm sorry, I let you guys down." She quietly said. "I…I trained so hard, but now…"

Everyone looked down in silence as she sobbed over her failure.

"Elfman?" Wendy squeaked, catching his attention.

"Hm?" He looked at Wendy with worry and seriousness.

"Please…win this one for me." She pleaded.

Elfman's brows narrowed. "By a man's honor. You can count on me, Wendy."

"This is all very encouraging, but you must leave." Porlyusica informed. "If she's to recover, she needs her rest." Nic and everyone else, including Happy and Vanessa, all exited the room, leaving Wendy to silently weep as Porlyusica headed over and poured an elixir into a flask.

She looked back at Wendy. "No need for waterworks child. These silly games go on for a number of days. Trust me, you'll participate once you recover. On my honor as a healer, I will see to it that you recover."

Wendy looked back and smiled. "…yeah. Thanks Grandeeney."

"I told you to stop calling me that." She barked, much to Wendy's indifference as she fell back asleep, facing Carla.

---

"Is everyone set?" Nic asked, to which they nodded. They all faced the entrance to the colosseum. "The person who attacked Wendy should be in the games, if not anything else."

"That's a safe bet. Keep your guard up." Erza said, standing right beside her lover.

"You think they're trying to get us eliminated before the games start?" Natsu asked.

"Who knows. Let's just be careful." Gray said.

"Keep your eyes on the prize. The only thing we can do right now to avenge Wendy is to win this thing for her." Elfman said, staying focused for her sake.

Nic reached for his V-neck, and then flipped his sunglasses onto his face, not showing his eyes anymore. His sights were set at the end of the tunnel. "Let's go." Everyone then began to slowly walk out of the tunnel and into the light.

Outside in the massive stadium, crowds roared as they were anxious. "Welcome folks! It's time for the beginning of the Grand Magic Games!" An excited voice announced. It belonged to a young man with a toupee and suit. "I'm your lead commentator and play-by-play, Chapati Lola! And joining me is former Council member for commentary is none other than the 8 Island Restaurant owner himself, Yajima! Thank you for joining us!"

Yajima, a little older and a shorter moustache than before, nodded. "It's a pleasure to be here." He announced in the microphone.

Lola turned his head. "And our special guest today and commentator is the current holder of Ms. Fiore, and a member of the Blue Pegasus Guild, Jenny Realight!"

Jenny was about 25. He had long, blonde hair with a red flower on the side. Sje had sparkling light blue eyes and mature lips. Among that was her voluptuous and large curves, including the hip. Her buxom size was grand, just like Erza's, and she had on a light purple dress that hugged her body.

"Hey guys! This is gonna be Blue Pegasus's year!" She cheerfully exclaimed.

"And now to announce the eight teams who have qualified for the Grand Magic Games!" Lola announced. The crowd began roaring once again as the teams all began to exit their tunnels upon their respective place in the preliminary.

"In 8th place, looking to reclaim their former glory from seven long years ago, a wild bunch from Magnolia! Give it up for Fairy Tail!" Of course, as Natsu raised his fists as the others walked out calmly, they were instantly met with not cheering…but jeering. Boos ran out as their faces twisted.

"Wait, what the heck?!" Natsu shouted.

"Geez, what's their problem?" Gray questioned.

"Every year, they've come in last place, so taking a spot in the preliminaries was no easy feat." Lola announced as Jenny waved down at the bunch. "And to make things more interesting, the Tenrou group has finally arrived after traveling through time! Yajima, can you detail what transpired such a thing?"

Yajima leaned into the microphone. "Sorry, but the Council prefers to not speak of that incident." He smiled and gave a thumbs up. "But nice one, Fairy Tail!"

"CHEER UNTIL YOU BURST THE LUNG!" Team Fairy Tail's attention was drawn to the stands in a place for their guild. There, banners were up as all of Fairy Tail was cheering like crazy. Makarov was cheering like crazy on the stone railing.

"Go, Fairy Tail!" They all screamed. Vanessa was present, cheering, as were all six of her Pokémon that were present.

"LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, FAIRY TAIL! WIN, OR I'LL MAKE YOU WIN!" Krokorok yelled.

"Woohoo! Go, Fairy Tail!" Another, more softer, voice yelled. All of Fairy Tail and the team present turned their heads to the side, and all eyes widened.

"Wait, is that…?" Erza started.

"It has to be." Nic finished.

Elfman blinked. "What?"

Cheering them all on was Master Mavis Vermilion, the same one they saw from Cana's fight in the Celestial World. Makarov was shocked beyond words. "Master Mavis?!" He exclaimed.

"I wanted to cheer you on, silly." She replied, turning her head towards them.

"W-well okay, but aren't you know…dead?!" Makarov spatted.

"Don't be such a party pooper. Only those who bear our emblem and Pokémon alike can see me." She tilted her head. "Although, even I don't know why."

"O-okay? But that's not me concern…" Makarov was still rather loss for words.

Natsu laughed. "Man, with Master Mavis cheering us on, we got this in the bag!"

"Now, onto our next team!" Lola announced. "The wildest of hellhounds that managed 7th place, Quatro Cerberus!"

"Wild!" One member shouted, with many others screaming out the same phrase.

"And now, onto 6th place! The female guild that dances among the waters, give it up for Mermaid Heel!"

Five female figures walked out, two of which left Nic and Erza slightly unnerved and their skins prickling with anticipation. As the members passed by, Erza was especially on edge with the purple-haired woman that frowned and had a sword. Her movements her controlled and heavily stern. The second one was the one holding up the banner and had a sly smirk underneath her hood.

Vanessa raised a brow. "An all-female guild? Everyone's full of surprises."

Mawile nodded. "Ain't that the truth."

"And in 5th place, a guild that knows no bounds when it comes to glimmer, give it up for Blue Pegasus!" All the members, Ichiya, the Trimens, and a bunny suit, all posed.

Jenny smiled down. "Do your best guys!"

Lola continued. "In 4th place, we have the underdogs, known as Lamia Scale!" From the tunnel, Lyon, Jura, and two other guys known as Toby that looked like a dog, and Yuka, emerged, along with a young girl with dark pink hair that seemed to be as old as Wendy.

"Is that Jura?!" A spectator exclaimed.

Obaba looked annoyed, "WHY'S YOU ONLY COME IN 4TH PLACE?! I SAID 1ST!" She yelled.

The small pink girl looked back. "Yeah sorry old hag." She apologized. "I wasn't looking where I was going-!" She suddenly tripped. Making her appeal less than what it was.

Natsu tilted his head. "Say, doesn't she look familiar to you?"

"She reminds of that Sherry girl." Gray noted.

Lyon turned towards Gray. "Perhaps you never met Chelia, one of Sherry's cousins."

Gray shrugged. "Guess that answers the resemblance then."

"And she's crazy strong." Toby informed.

Chelia sheepishly rubbed her head. "No offense, but I need more love if I'm to compete with her."

"I was praising you!" Toby shouted.

Lyon then stepped closer to Gray. "Don't forget, Gray. If we win, Juvia joins Lamia Scale."

Gray snickered back. "Funny you should say that, because last I checked I never agreed. But you guys were gonna lose anyway."

In the stands, Juvia had hearts in her eyes. 'Oh my darling, we cannot be apart! Our love shall give you strength!'

"If that's the case, maybe I'll take Miss Erza if we win!" Ichiya announced, sliding right over to the Requip Mage.

"No, you troll!" She exclaimed, slightly frightened by the small man. She suddenly felt a hand grip to her own, the hold firm yet warm. She looked to her side, seeing Nic holding her.

"You stay away from her." Nic said, a fire of dominance on his eyes beneath his sunglasses, but his tone was all that was needed to tell this factor.

"Nic…" Erza felt her heart raced as she blushed.

Ichiya eyed Nic. "Ah, the challenger! Heed my words!" Ichiya struck another pose, pointing at Nic as he had a fiery aura. "By the time these events are over, I shall have My Honey bask in my parfume! May the better man win!"

With that, Ichiya scooted back to his team, leaving Nic and an embarrassed Erza to themselves, their hands tighter than before.

Erza was still red, but had a tick mark. "He should learn a thing called personal space." She growled.

Nic looked at her. "If he wants you, he'll have to go through me."

"And now, onto our 3rd place contestants." Lola announced, getting all the teams on track. "Moving on, we have…oh my, this is a surprise! This team's entering for the first time, snagging 3rd place from a midnight dreary…"

Said them had black feathers down as they cleared from the tunnel, showing a dark being in armor and a thick coat, a large guy with a straight blue face with a small animal on his shoulder, a stout pink man with blonde hair, a psycho-crazy girl with ted hair and dress, and a man with a skin-tight black vest.

"Welcome, Raven Tail!" Lola announced.

Nic's eyes widened just a little. "Raven Tail…"

Erza grew uneasy as her spine crawled. "This is bad. Their leader is Ivan, Master Makarov's son."

Makarov had veins popping out of his head. "Grrrr…! WHAT WERE YOU OFICIALS THINKING! THEY'RE A DARK GUILD! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MINDS?!"

"Master, get a grip!" Lucy shouted as she and Lisanna both restrained Makarov from going wild.

Mavis's eyes grew suspicious. "I sense malevolence from them."

Lola looked down at the papers he had in hand. "Well…records have shown that they have been having activity for more than seven years, but they have recently become official."

"So if the committee sees them as official, they're not labeled as a Dark Guild." Yajima added, but showed slight worry.

"Damn you Ivan!" Makarov held up a fist. "Whatever is happening, I'll put a stop to it!"

In the stands, Ivan was slightly darker in skin compared to Makarov and Laxus. He had unkempt dark hair and beard. His black cloak and gold shoulder armor overshadowed the purple vest and dark blue pants he adorned.

He smirked maliciously at Makarov, cocking a brow. "Just wait old man, I want you to live to see your guild fall."

The armored man leading Raven Tail glared at them all. "Fairy Tail." He announced so that they could hear. "I trust that you got our little 'gift'."

Next to him was a tall person with the big head and long nose with a top hat. The creature on his shoulder snickered as it turned its head to look like that of Wendy. It mimicked a groan and fell over.

Natsu glared viciously at them. "So you guys attacked Wendy." He growled as his teeth gritted. "You're gonna pay."

The armored man was smugly turning away. "The real games begin, so let's enjoy them while we can."

Team Fairy Tail just glared at Raven Tail angrily and remained quiet.

"And now, the last two teams!" Lola announced.

"Two?" Gray asked. He looked in another direction. "Oh, right. There's still two others, and one of them is Sabertooth."

"It's possible one of them is tied to Zeref in a way." Erza said, her eyes narrowing. "So Jellal's suspicions might be right."

"Now for 2nd place…oh my goodness folks! I did not see this one coming!" Lola announced, immense shock as all attention drew towards the tunnel. Static discharged as five members emerged, shocking even the Fairy Tail group.

"Wait…HUH?!" Natsu's eyes widened hugely.

"It's Team Fairy Tail B!" Everyone was left frozen in bewilderment as the second team emerged, comprised of Sophie, Gajeel, Mirajane, Laxus, and one more member thought to have left.

"Big sis?!" Elfman exclaimed.

"Gajeel?!" Natsu shouted.

"Sophie?" Nic questioned.

"Laxus? Just what kind of crap is going on?!" Gray shouted in disbelief.

Natsu looked over and pointed at the fifth member. "Wait hold on, even Mystogan's here?! How's that possible?!"

Erza scrutinized the last member. "It can't be…Jellal?" 'Mystogan' put his finger over his mouth, and Erza grew silent. Nic looked over and remained quiet as well.

Ichiya crossed his arms. "I never expected them to have two teams."

"What the heck?!" A spectator shouted.

"How is this fair?!" Another outraged.

Lola turned towards Yajima. "I do believe our fans haven't been debriefed of the new rules Mr. Yajima, care to elaborate?"

"Yes." He said. "The committee in charge decided that this year they would allow two teams from each guild to participate, which they thought would make the preliminaries more exciting."

Makarov scoffed a triumphant laugh. "You see that?! This is how Fairy Tail makes its comeback!"

"I see, so he decided on a pincer tactic." Nic stated with crossed arms. "Still…"

"We should've known Master would do something like this." Erza sighed.

Jenny looked dissatisfied. "I'm not sure the committee thought this through. I mean, if they had a team-based competition, there wouldn't be anything to stop them from joining up."

"I say that's an advantage they'll have to make the use of." Yajima gave yet another thumbs up. "Nice job, Macky!" Of course Lola and Jenny raised brows at the nickname.

Natsu ran passed his team and stood in front of Team B. He looked pissed. "SCREW ALL OF THIS!" His yelling brought surprise to everyone around. He pointed at Team B. "Being in the same guild means nothing! If you get in my way, you're eating dirt!"

Gajeel smirked as he leered at Natsu. "That's fine by me. I've been meaning to make you eat dirt instead, Salamander." He mocked.

Mira looked up at Elfman with her cheerful smile. "What's the matter Elfman? You looked terrified."

Elfman swallowed as he looked down at Mira. "It's because I am!"

Sophie grinned and managed to chuckle. "I ain't holding back either, but don't think I'll want to remember losing to anyone."

'Mystogan' remained nervous as Nic and Erza quietly approached him, with the redhead more peeved than her lover. "…what are you doing here?" She asked quietly.

"When I stated the situation to your Master, he was a very understanding person." He answered. "He gave my plan his blessing."

"But you said you couldn't get anywhere near the colosseum." Nic reminded 'Mystogan'.

"It was…until I learned of this chance." He responded.

"It's against the rules. You're not a real member." Erza informed, slightly irritated.

Despite the fact, 'Mystogan' remained calm. "As I understand it, Mystogan and I are technically the same."

A sudden arm went around his shoulder. "Don't be so dramatic you two, c'mon. This is a festival, right? We're all friends here." Laxus said in a hinting warning. The three looked at each other and gazes were still, but they knew Laxus was right to just drop it.

"It'll be fine you two, trust me." 'Mystogan' insisted.

"By the way, 'Mystogan', you're normally never this much of a chatterbox." Laxus's glance went to Nic and Erza. "Remember that."

'Mystogan' nodded in understanding.

Mavis looked at Nic, Erza, and Jellal down below, her suspicions rising about. "That man…he's not apart of our guild!"

"Gyyaaahh!" Makarov began showing and pleading rapidly towards Mavis. "I'msorryI'msorryI'msorryyyyyy! Please forgive me!" He begged on his small knees.

"Told you this plan sucked." Wakaba said.

Mavis turned towards the scene yet again. "And yet…I don't sense any malevolence from him; in fact, he has the same heart as Fairy Tail itself."

"It's a long story, but I guess you can say he's technically a member." Happy pointed out.

Lily crossed his arms. "I get it, he's Earth Land's version of Prince Jellal. I thought they seemed alike."

"Is he strong?" Mavis asked.

"O-oh yes! He was actually one of the Ten Wizard Saints not too long ago!" Makarov said.

The top hair on Mavis's head wiggled in delight. "…OK!" Much to the others' shock, she had sparkles in her eyes. "With him on our team, we're sure to win!"

"Should've guessed it." Droy sighed.

"Yeah, who cares about rules when there's victory to worry about." Levy sighed.

Jellal didn't face the two, but whispered as they were looking away over his shoulder. "Did you find anything suspicious?"

"Aside from Raven Tail, we don't have any solid evidence." Erza explained.

"We've sensed the power in previous years, so it can't be them." Jellal informed.

"…we'll let you know if we find anything." Nic said, keeping his tone quiet. He was recalled back to his previous encounters with Jellal, and it's fair to say that he was still slightly on edge with him, but with past experience, he can trust him.

Jellal then walked away, and Erza grabbed Nic's hand and brought him out of his small shock. Jellal looked back as he saw their backs, their hands holding the other. Underneath his mask, he gave a small smile.

"Alright fans! Now the moment we've all been waiting for!" Lola announced. The crowd instantly went nuts as whistling and roaring bellowed. "That's right! You know 'em! You love 'em! Behold…the one any only…SABERTOOTH!"

From the tunnel, Sting exited, along with a calm Rogue. The crowd went nuts over them, and a white-haired girl in a cloak appeared, and a bulky man with black tattoos all over his body, somewhat similar to Laxus's estrange tattoo over his guild mark. The last one was a well-dressed man, who had long blonde hair, though darker than Sophie's. He has a masquerade mask and a fancy red hate with a pink fluff.

Natsu glared at Sting. "Sabertooth."

Sting wagged a finger, smirking. "Well, this should be fun."

Rogue's glare was to Nic and Gajeel, both returning the glare, but Nic's wasn't able to be seen.

"What are you looking at?" Gajeel snarled.

Rogue turned away. "Nic. Gajeel." He muttered.

Sophie looked at Sabertooth just like the rest of them. Fairy Tail was glaring at them all and vice versa, but Sophie's gaze stopped at the dark blonde with the mask. Her eyes widened a little. 'Wait…' As his eyes turned towards her green ones, she began to make a connection. 'Is that…how can this be…?' Sophie just swallowed as her eyes were shaken and fixated on the dark blonde as he tipped his hat with a scoff towards her.

"All in all, we have an impressive lineup, right?" Lola turned towards Yajima. "Any comments, Mr. Yajima?"

"Yeah…Mermaid Hell makes me yearn for my youth." He answered.

"Uh, that's…not what I meant." Lola turned back ahead with a sweatdrop. "Anyways…let's get on with the schedule for the Grand Magic Games!" As he spoke, a large slab of rock emerged in front of all eight teams.

"Well Nic, looks like you were right when things were gonna get interesting." Erza commented.

Lola looked down at the papers he had. "Each first round shall be a contest. The members shall be chosen by their team, and then shall be ranked from 1st to 8th place depending on where they scored in the contest. After that will be battles. These battles will be a treat, since the fans will decide who shall fight who."

"I see." Erza said,

"So if we don't watch ourselves, we'll be sent into a battle with no rest from the contest." Elfman swallowed.

Nic crossed his arms. 'This committee, just what are they doing? They're constantly giving us zero hints. Are they eluding us from something?'

"Battle rules will be simple. The winning team gets 10 pts, while the losing team gets none. In the event if a tie or after time is up, each team will get 5 pts." Lola cleared his throat. "Now, let's get started with the first event of the Grand Magic Games – Hidden! All teams, please pick a member to represent and then the rules shall be explained then and there."

"I'll handle this one!" Yeager of Quatro Cerberus announced; his guild mates cheered for him as he stepped up.

Beth, a country girl of Mermaid Heel, stepped up. "How's about letting little ol' me get us a start?"

"Go." The swordsman stated, and then Beth went off.

"Go, Nullpudding." The armored leader announced for Raven Tail.

Nullpudding, the stout pink man with big arms, looked up. "I won't let you down, boss man."

Eve of the Trimens smiled. "Allow me." He stepped up, and the Blue Pegasus members all posed and danced as he walked ahead.

"Please, allow me to enter." Rufus announced of Sabertooth, momentarily taking off his hat. "I'm feeling inspired by the crescendo of this dawn."

Sophie calmly yet nervously stepped forward. "…I'll go."

"Just don't make us regret it." Gajeel sneered.

Chelia turned towards Yuka. "Well, I guess it's either me or you since we're both little!"

"Don't call me little." Yuka chided.

To their surprise, someone else stepped up, and it wasn't either of them. It was Lyon. "No, I'll start us off right. You leave this to me."

Gray snickered. "Well if that's the case, I'm stepping in." He announced as a representative.

"It looks like the players are set!" Lola announced. "The let's get started with…Hidden!"

---

Ultear had a hand to her hip as she overlooked the whole scene. She and Meredy both stood atop of a statue that was far away from the colosseum, and so they looked through Ultear's crystal ball to see Gray participating.

"Well, seems Nic and friends have finally got the games underway." Ultear smirked. "Too bad, I thought Nic would start things off with a bang."

"Well at least Jellal was able to get in." Meredy sighed. "If he was gonna participate, doesn't that make our talk with that Fairy Tail group rather pointless?"

Ultear snickered. "Well in Jellal's case, it was worth it." She hinted well of how Jellal and Erza's talk went. "Besides, with him close, we can get a better reading of this power."

She and Meredy then looked back into the crystal ball, seeing Gray and Sophie's images.

---

Juvia glared at Sophie and Gray. "That should be me down there with my love! Not her!" She exclaimed in a frantic manner. 'She better not take Gray during the competition!'

"Juvia, calm down!" Vanessa sweatdropped nervously.

The pumpkin guy who announced the Grand Magic Games overnight then appeared. He seemed as happy as ever, or at least that's what his headgear expressed.

"Huh?" Gray turned towards him. "Say, you're that guy from before. Just what are you exactly?"

"U-uh, me…?" He stammered. "U-uh, I'm a pumpkin, silly, pumpkin!" He exclaimed, feigning the question.

"…right, okay." Gray just allowed the matter to slide.

"Before we begin, I'd like to express a problem, see?" Nullpudding expressed. "I don't exactly know what Hidden really is about, and I say these Fairy Tail Mages have an unfair advantage in terms of numbers."

Gray and Sophie glared at Nullpudding. But before they could object, Rufus tipped his hat.

"I see no problem with it." He announced. "In fact, this reminds me of a saying. Two heads aren't necessarily better than one; therefore, in the case of a hostage situation, they'd have no choice but to comply."

"I don't know whether to feel complimented or appalled by your words." Sophie stated blankly at Rufus, her tone solid, which caught Gray's attention.

Rufus looked away. "However you see it makes no appeal to me, but all I'm saying is that having a comrade my only hinder you." He pointed his fingers to his head. "You'd be wise to remember that."

The pumpkin man waved his arms. "Now, let's begin!"

At that cue, large buildings began to materialize all around, shocking the presence of everyone. They all looked around and saw numerous buildings becoming a city that left them all to suddenly diverge. The city kept growing until it made up the whole colosseum.

"A city?!" Natsu exclaimed.

"I definitely didn't expect that to happen." Nic admitted. "Just how can this be possible?"

"Yes, and does it require a lot of Magic Power?" Erza questioned.

Inside the city, Gray found himself alone. "Lyon?! Sophie?!" When he got no answer from his call, he got uneasy. "Geez, just what happened?"

In another part of the city, Sophie looked around, remaining calm. "The others…I can't remember them up and vanishing like that."

Yeager of Quatro Cerberus looked around. "I see, an advanced Hide-and-Seek. I used to play this as a kid." He took a few paces forward. "Is there supposed to be something looking for us?"

"Now, we'll see the action, so sit tight!" Lola announced as huge screens emerged all around the stadium. The monitors showed the individual characters looking around. "Alright, here are the rules of the game folks! The layers are hiding and seeking at the same time!"

"What?" Natsu asked.

Nic's arms crossed. "He means something like a hit and run tactic. I do this kind of training with my Pokémon on occasion for stealth and perception training. This is no different." He informed.

"The objective is to locate the other players." Lola continued. "You must find and attack them. Once the attack makes contact, whether it does damage or not, the recipient gets a negative point, while the sender gets a positive point."

Suddenly, many more players began to materialize. Copies of the other players became present, and all the players looked around in suspicion.

"What's with all the copies? To psych them out?" Elfman asked. To his side, Natsu suddenly puffed his cheeks. "What's wrong with you?"

"…too many Grays." Natsu muffled.

Erza's eyes narrowed. "This is extremely difficult. Even after knowing Gray after all these years, I can't tell them apart."

Nic looked silent, but spoke up as he glared through the monitors. "…I can."

His team towards him with deep shock. Natsu looked shocked the most. "Wait, you can?!"

Nic tuned towards him. "Yeah, it's no different from Staraptor's Double Team. After years of knowing that move and having Staraptor use it, I can tell the difference with no problem." He looked back up at the screen. "But in Gray and Sophie's cases, they need as much perception as they can get."

"I see." Erza turned towards Nic, surprised at his level of perception experience. She knew he trained unlike any other back in his world, and yet perhaps there, Trainers may know the Double Team move and yet still have a hard time knowing the fake from real. Nic's been scrutinizing his Pokémon and characteristics very well, a trait which made her admire him.

"I know they're pretty, but the copies aren't just for show folks!" Lola announced. "Attack a fake even by mistake, and it'll cost you a point."

Juvia was panting like crazy as she had hearts in her eyes. Her hips wiggled profusely. "Oh! There's so many Grays that I just want them all!" She squealed.

"I don't think that many Grays is good for her health." Lucy groaned.

"Let Hidden…BEGIN!" Lola announced.

In the city, Sophie looked around, weary of all of the copies she was around. 'I know that real ones can cast shadows, so all I need to do is-!' Unfortunately Sophie wasn't looking where she was going as the copies of Rufus caught her off guard. She had an impulse run to her head and she turned to face a Rufus, only to fall over through the copy and thud to the ground. A buzzer went off as Sophie got a negative point and vanished, reappearing in another location.

"And from that display, you all learned the hard way. Even if just an accident, Sophie lost a point and must start over after ten seconds." Lola announced.

"Damn klutz." Laxus murmured.

"I don't know; that slip-up seemed provoked." Mira countered.

Elsewhere, Gray was walking and was looking irritated. "Man, just a misstep and everything goes crazy."

"Says you." A voice from behind announced. Gray turned around and the small purple man was present, with his dark grin on his face. "You'd best know the ruled early on and take advantage while you can."

"You, you're from Raven Tail!" Gray stammered in disbelief.

"That's right, the name's Nullpudding." He introduced with his dark grin.

However, Gray took advantage of the situation. He smirked as his hands got coated in ice. "Well it's nice to meet ya, how's about I give you a welcome gift of my own?" His hands began to shine. "Ice-Make: Hammer!" He brought an ice hammer down hard, crushing Nullpudding with immense force, earning cheers from his comrades in the stands.

"Damn! That ain't his normal maker Magic!" Jet exclaimed.

Happy beamed. "Aye! That's what training gets ya!"

"Gotcha!" Gray felt proud, but the buzzer sound and Nullpudding disappearing confused him. "Wait, what…?"

"Sorry, but that didn't work." Nullpudding said, appearing from behind the crushed copy and grinning to mock Gray. Said Ice Mage suddenly found himself vanishing and reappearing in another part of the city, having a negative point.

Gray winced. 'Damn, that was dumb.' He got up and looked around, remaining quiet with a frown. 'I think I get it. If you use your copies to your advantage, you can get in a surprise attack while their guard is down. That's how you play the game.'

"Boy, glad I didn't go." Elfman stated nervously.

Erza turned towards Nic, having a serious gaze. "He got careless, and that left him open, but even the smallest misstep can lead to your revilement."

Nic nodded. "Yeah, Gray and Sophie are gonna have to be a lot more careful now from experience."

Gray looked around the group of copies and looked irritated. "Man, just how am I gonna tell who the real on is?"

"Gray…" A voice called ominously. "Found you!"

Nullpudding's arms enlarged and were lined with sharp needles. He punched Gray hard and made him scream in pain as he teleported to another location.

"What was that?!" Natsu exclaimed.

"How did he find him?!" Erza exclaimed.

Nic's eyes narrowed. "Seems I'm not the only ne with perception."

"And with that, Nullpudding has taken the lead." Lola announced.

On the field again, Gray was walking around. "Man, this game stinks…" He suddenly saw the ground ahead quake, and then a hole suddenly appeared. "Wait, what-?!" He hurried and dodged incoming carrots that were fired like missiles. He was super close to getting hit, but got lucky.

Beth emerged from the hole. "Aw shoot, I missed." She was suddenly driven up from the ground, attacked by a plant that arose by the likes of Yeager.

"Aw heck yeah! I was waiting to do that!" Yeager shouted, but was cut off when a sudden chill cut him down, making him vanished. The source was Lyon as he was behind him.

"As was I." Lyon said. He then stared down at Gray. "Finally, Gray."

"Lyon." Gray announced.

"Memory-Make: Charge Blades!" A third party yelled out, and Lyon suddenly found the ground beneath him breaking apart. He was suddenly struck by a sharp stone coated in lightning. The Ice-Make Mage was send soaring filled with static, teleporting once he hit the ground. Sophie emerged from the alley, looking satisfied.

"Sophie?!" Gray stammered.

"Surprised?" She asked, having her points back to 0. "Still, I'm not one to lose so easily, actually I'm determined to win because of what Master said."

While the others were heading the Crocus, Sophie, Mira, Gajeel, and Laxus were all present. They were announced by Makarov, in privacy, that they shall partake as the B Team for Fairy Tail, although some people thought otherwise.

"Have you lost your marbles?!" Gajeel exclaimed." I want nothing to do with that freak show!"

Laxus shrugged. "Well I got no problem with it, but being put on the B Team is rather insulting you know."

Makarov rubbed his chin. "Hmmm…then how's about I sweeten the deal?" The idea then came. "Yes, that's it! The members of the winning team get to do to whatever they want to the losing team for a whole day!"

Lily crossed his arms. "Sounds like a penalty game."

The four present then began to imagine themselves with Team A: Laxus found himself musing of having Natsu as his personal slave, Gajeel thought using Gray as a footstool or a stand to read his music off of, Mira thought of having Erza as her maid for the day, and Sophie thought of having Nic as her servant for the day, not that the latter is never distasteful of helping a friend out.

"What?!" Gray exclaimed. He turned towards one of the lacrima in the sky so his face was in the monitors. "Hey gramps, you better make it fair so that if we win they have to do what we want!"

"Yes, yes…of course." Makarov nervously stated.

Lucy half-grinned. "Man, that's some deal. Boy I'm not down there…" Lucy suddenly felt a dark aura rise from her right, and she looked to her side and saw Juvia as she glared up at the screen, seeing Gray and Sophie in the same monitor. The look Juvia gave scared Lucy.

"My darling…" She growled as her aura thickened. "I should be the one to be there! I need to be by his side~! I need my wish!" She thought of Gray and her finally confessing and sharing the most passionate kiss ever, and when she snapped at reality again. "I can't have Sophie stealing my beloved, not after that display!" she looked up at Sophie more intensely "…new love rival." She growled like an animal.

Lucy looked away despondently. "Oh geez, there she goes again."

A sudden rush of something grand pounded Sophie and Gray at the same time, the culprit being none other than Nullpudding.

"Two for the price of one!" He shouted, and he watched them both teleport to another location.

When Gray materialized somewhere else, he stood up. "Man, just what is his problem…?" Suddenly snow began to fall down, and Gray was caught shocked. "Snow?"

Jenny smirked. "That's Eve's doing, no doubt."

Snow suddenly began to fall, and Eve smirked as he made it a lot colder than usual. Eve looked around, and snow kept coming down.

"I see." Ichiya's eyes were wide. "When humans are cold, they shiver, and their breaths show steam."

Hibiki smirked. "Pretty sound thinking, wait a go, Eve."

"HRAAH!" Eve swiped his arm, sending a blizzard of white snow that struck the victims comprised of Beth, Yeager, and Nullpudding, scoring Blue Pegasus some points.

"And with that, Eve has scored some serious points for Blue Pegasus!" Lola announced.

On the screens, Sophie was seen taking out two opponents at once with Charge Blades again, and the other participants were scoring hits left and right again. The competition was getting intense.

Sophie closed her eyes as Beth and Eve were present. "Memory-Make: Scorn of the Armored Winds!" Sophie swiped her arm, unleashing mini tornadoes of iron that struck them, earning her team some points. She grinned in satisfaction, but then something was recalled.

"…Rufus?" She looked around, not sensing Rufus nor his Magic. She looked all around, and her shock never stopped mounting as Rufus Lore was perched on a high point, where all could see him. Immediately, Sophie grew unnerved. "Rufus!"

Rufus tipped his hat, smirking down at her.

"Odd, Rufus hasn't scored yet, but he hasn't lost any points either." Lola announced. "Just what is he planning up there?"

"He could've picked a better hiding spot." Happy commented.

Lily grumbled. "No, he seems too relaxed. Something's wrong."

"I have memorized it all; tone, footsteps, moods, all in my memory." He said quietly. "It's a clear picture, inside my mind." He put both hands to his forehead and a red seal and chains of memory wiggled behind him. "Memory-Make…"

All of Fairy Tail's eyes widened, them being the most shocked out of all of the audience.

"No way! Did I just hear that right?!" Natsu exclaimed.

"He can use Memory-Make Magic just like Sophie." Nic murmured. "This is bad."

The sky instantly grew into a night sky, but it wasn't normal. The sky was so pitch black, and no stars were seen. As the layer went around the stadium, the real bodies off all the other contestants glowed. It was like a pinpoint almost.

"Night of Shooting Stars!" Rufus's body shined and light diverged and went at the seven other contestants.

"It's just like Nic's Swift!" Erza exclaimed.

Simultaneously, Gray, Yeager, Beth, Eve, Lyon, and Sophie all screamed as they were hit by the attack, falling to the ground with a thud.

At the last second, Nullpudding pivoted and dodged the attack aimed for him, which left him to jump up at an exposed Rufus. However, Rufus was just smiling. Nullpudding's arms were lengthened and stacked in needles.

"This game is called Hidden for a reason, pal!" He punched through Rufus, literally. Rufus vanished like a ghost and Nullpudding went through. "A…fake?!"

"Not quite!" Rufus materialized back in the same position, frowning as he held his hat in place. "You didn't lose points. That was just the memory of me being there…" His arm flashed a bright light and swiped it up. Nullpudding was attacked as he was hit by the attack as before and screamed as he fell like a star.

Rufus smiled as the sky returned to day. "I find that much more effective than decoys at best."

The crowd went wild, and Sabertooth smirked in satisfaction of their victory in that round. The Exceeds cheered loudly, and Sting scoffed as he saw Rufus claiming victory for them.

Getting back up, Sophie glared at Rufus. "So you can use my Magic the same."

Rufus looked down at Sophie, who was in a street down beneath him. "One could say…" His hat shielded his eyes. "But then again, my memories are far superior."

Sophie was ready as she stood a stance, but then the bell suddenly went off, and her eyes widened in surprise as the city suddenly began to fade away. The monitors all vanished as the players somehow joined up again in the middle of the colosseum.

"And with that, the game is over!" Lola announced. "With Hidden gone, let us see the scoreboard!"

Sabertooth – 10

Raven Tail – 8

Lamia Scale – 6

Blue Pegasus – 4

Mermaid Heel – 3

Quatro Cerberus – 2

Fairy Tail B – 1

Fairy Tail A – 0

Obaba swirled her finger at Lyon. "What's the meaning of 3rd Place?! I should spin you!" She shouted.

"M-Master, calm down!" A guild member insisted.

Ren smirked. "Not bad."

"Eve has indeed given us a valuable start." Ichiya noted, making a stylish pose. "Let us pick up from the ground where he has tread and make it sparkle!"

"Well, this is a little unnerving." Arana of Mermaid Heel admitted.

"Oh come on, Beth did her best." Risely insisted.

"As expected folks, Sabertooth has claimed the top spot!" Lola announced.

"But you gotta give Fairy Tail for trying though." Yajima insisted.

The crowd booed and laughed aloud at Fairy Tail A and B alike. The ridicule fell on Gray and Sophie's shoulders hard, the latter having darker shadows over her eyes as she looked away from the others.

"Ha! I knew Fairy Tail was all talk!" A spectator shouted.

"They never be the best! Sabertooth is gonna sink their fangs into them like they do every year!" Another scoffed.

Natsu had lots of veins over his forehead as Gray passed him. He glared angrily up at the audience. "Shut your mouths or I'll burn your asses!"

"Oh, look, we're so scared." A spectator teased.

"Just keep in your place why don't ya!" Another one shouted.

Erza put a hand on his shoulder. "Let it go." She said to the angered Dragon Slayer. "Just let it be…for now."

"Yeah, let them laugh while they still can, because in the end we'll be laughing at them." Elfman said.

Gray walked pass Nic, dark shadows over his eyes. "Sorry, I let ya down."

Nic turned towards Gray, watching him pass towards the tunnel. He knew words of comfort wasn't gonna be any good. Gray took a pain in his pride, and Nic knew he'd only add insult to injury by commenting if it was okay. He was still bothered by the crowd some, and knowing Erza, she was a little too. If Nic were infuriated, he could've blown them away…or to bits depending on the moves used, but he kept a calm stature as he glared off and watched Sophie on the other end of the colosseum pass her teammates and head into the tunnel.

Inside, shirtless, Gray punched the wall in frustration. Images of Nullpudding and Rufus flooded his mind in anger as he suffered defeat at their hands. 'Those two.' His veins on his forehead twitched. "I will get payback, one way or another."

In Team B's tunnel, Sophie rested her forehead against her hand on the wall, looking down as her nails began to slowly grip into the wall. She thought back to Rufus, and she felt embarrassed and humiliated by the likes of him and his Magic. "Rufus, you won't have the last laugh." She growled.

"And now, onto our next section of Day 1, the battle portion!" Lola announced. "One member of each team will be pit in a match, but this isn't a tournament setup!"

"The organizers will decide who'll be duking it out, am I right?" Jenny asked.

Yakima smiled. "I'm sure they'll display great magical skills."

Lola held up the paper in front of him and read off the first match. "I just received the lineup, so let's see just what kinds of spectacular they'll be!" He took a moment for the crowd to show anticipation. "Okay, our first match shall be…Nic Pularis of Fairy Tail A…"

Nic stepped up, sunglasses on his face. "Very well."

"Versus the crimson terror, Flare Corona of Raven Tail!"

The red-haired woman with the scary look tilted her head with a weird smile. "Luminous." She said eerily.

The white-haired woman of Sabertooth disregarded how her team didn't seem so worried, but her eyes were set on Nic. She caught his image and she swallowed. 'So…that's Nic Pularis.'

"Nic, do your best!" Lucy shouted.

Makarov held up a fist. "I expect a clean win! Show Ivan he's got nothing on us!"

"Nic, good luck!" Vanessa called out to her brother, and her Pokémon cheered right behind her.

Nic looked up at Vanessa with a smile. "I won't let you down." He looked back at Flare. "…I swear."

Erza smiled. "You can do this, Nic." She expressed full confidence in him.

Nic glared at Flare, his sunglasses shielding all from his focused gaze. As Nic heard constant encouragement from his team and guild, he frowned. 'Raven Tail…they've attacked Wendy, and deliberately humiliated Gray in Hidden. I have to get payback, no matter what.' His fists clenched, but not tightly, but determined. "I'll be sure to show Raven Tail not to toy with my comrades."

"Mr. Yajima." Lola began. "I understand that the Masters of Fairy Tail and Raven Tail are father and son, am I correct?"

Yajima nodded. "Yes, coincidentally of course. I sure hope they do not show conflictions within the competition."

Jenny had her elbows on the top, holding up her head as she smiled down at Nic. "Let's hope they also show that cutie down there some comradery."

"HUH?!" The crowd all gaped their mouths as Jenny just called Nic cute aloud in a flirtatious manner, which earned many glares from male spectators. Even Nic was caught surprised as he looked up at the booth and Jenny's bodacious body was leaned against the top and she winked down as him, making him look away back at Flare, very much embarrassed as his cheeks showed hints of pink and groaned just a little.

Mirajane laughed a little. "Oh my goodness. Well I guess you can't blame her."

In the Fairy Tail A balcony, laughing aloud, Natsu pointe down at Nic. "H'oh man! Sucks to be him right now!"

Unlike Natsu, Elfman seemed nervous. "Uh, Natsu…"

"Hm…" Natsu slowly turned his head, and his eyes widened as he saw Erza with her crossed arms her under her ample bust, her eyes closed, and her brows her twitching profusely. She was just as embarrassed as Nic, perhaps even more so. Her cheeks were a bright pink as Jenny flirted aloud with her boyfriend, her lover.

"Grrrrrrr…" She hummed a groan of anger that was directed to Jenny.

"A-anyways folks, let's get back to the first battle!" Lola steered the shock out the window and back to the action at hand.

Mato, the pumpkin-headed guy, raised his arm. "All both competitors ready? You've got 30 minutes to seal the deal, or else it'll be declared a draw!" He announced.

Nic, almost immediately regaining composure like it never happened, focused back on Raven Tail. Flare and Nic glared at the other as they stepped forward.

Mato brought his arm in a chop. "Let the battle…begin!"

Flare's hair suddenly began to wiggle as strands suddenly began to come alive, shocking everyone. The hair raged around as it seemed all but dead.

"What the heck?!" Natsu exclaimed.

"I've never seen that kind of Magic before." Erza admitted.

"Too bad for you, Luminous." She said eerily. "You, shall-!"

A glint was seen, and a shockwave raged through the area. A straight trail of shattered ground was seen as the ground was also partially cracked as it trailed at Flare and went behind her, stopping where Nic suddenly was.

"Extreme Speed!" He announced.

The shock from Extreme Speed finally caught up, and Flare screamed as violent winds exploded from the late tailwind of Nic's attack. Flare trailed and tumbled through the ground, smashing into the wall with dust flying.

All of the audience was dead silent, even the 8 teams in general were of a still silence. Erza's eyes were wide with astonishment as Nic didn't seem fazed as he stood up from his position, and looked at the clearing dust. Flare was lying on the ground beneath a dent in the wall.

'He's gotten that strong.' Erza noted, as the attack struck Flare before she could even blink.

Elfman swallowed. "Whoa, they don't call it Extreme Speed for nothing!"

All of Team Sabertooth was silent, Rogue especially had wide eyes, followed by Sting. 'Nic took her down in one blow…is he really that strong?' Rogue mentally questioned.

Yukino swallowed.

Rufus tipped his cap. "So these tales of the great Luminous aren't just tales after all. As I recall, he has immense power."

The purple-haired woman of Mermaid Heel narrowed her eyes, eyeing Nic as he took a calm yet determined stature. '…Luminous.'

The bell ringed, and Lola leaned into the microphone. "That's it! Nic Pularis of Fairy Tail Team A scored 10 points!"

The crowd was breaking into quite the roar.

"Whoa, that was fast!" A spectator acknowledged.

"And with just one blow?!" A spectator then gasped. "Wait! That's Luminous of Fairy Tail!"

"Well it looks like they can put up a fight after all, with their light in the game after all!" Another yelled.

Vanessa looked down at her brother with a smile. "Wait a go, Nic."

Venusaur looked up to his trainer. "Extreme Speed is the fastest move ever. That was so fast that it took a bit for the shock to catch up."

Magnezone nodded. "Yes…young Nic sure has adapted well to his powers. Looks like that 3 month dimension training helped him greatly."

Nic walked back, but not before looking over his shoulder to see the armored man throw the unconscious Flare over his shoulder. Nic's eyes narrowed as he watched the ominous figure haul his fallen member back into the tunnel.

"You failed me, Flare." He said. "You know what awaits you."

Flare, slowly gaining consciousness, felt a great dread fall over her. "N-no. Please, have mercy Master." She insisted weakly. "I'm sorry."

Her apology fell on deaf ears as the armored man remained quiet, his ominous aura making Flare chill to the bitter core.

Nic saw how scared Flare was, and how the armored man was called Master. His suspicions and slight pity fell on his shoulders, but all he could do was walk back towards the balcony.

Nic soon walked back to his friends, with Erza giving him a generous smile. "You execute that very well." She admitted. Before she could do much of anything afterwards, she suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. She felt her breath hitch again when she was hit with realization that Nic was hugging and holding her from behind, his head resting on her right shoulder.

A smile was on his face. "Thanks, but I couldn't lose with your support ow, could I?"

Erza blushed a little, but she accepted Nic's comment and embrace and pressed her back to him, both smiling.

"Look you guys." Elfman noted.

"The next battle's gonna get rockin." Natsu informed.

Both Nic and Erza watched as Ren from Blue Pegasus and Arana Webb of Mermaid Heel stepped forward, themselves facing off. Nic watched with mild interest as he let go of Erza, much to the latter's hidden dismay, but she knew their romance could wait after the day is over.

They all watched as Ren and Arana battled, neither side giving an inch. The battle itself was giving the crowd great anticipation. Each participant traded blows with the other, using their respective Air and Thread Magic against the other.

"Not bad." Elfman admitted.

"Indeed." Erza agreed.

"Ren has improved over the years." Nic added. "I think he has the advantage, for now at least."

"Flying beats Bug, so this is no different from Types from how Nic and I see it in our eyes." Vanessa said from the stands.

Ren skidded to a stop, as did Arana, both staring at the other with great anticipation. They had expected no less from the other from the previous years.

"You've gotten stronger." Ren admitted.

Arana chuckled. "Flattery will get you nowhere." She shot more threads, to which Ren jumped and dodged.

His feet touched the ground, and a voice called out from Lamia Scale, belonging to Sherry. "Ren, do your best sweetheart!"

Ren blushed and looked up at Sherry. "W-what?!"

"You're open!" Arana shot her threads at the distracted Ren, but Ren caught on at the last second and dodged.

"Keep going Ren, you can do it!" Sherry cheered, much to the tsundere's embarrassment.

"Stop cheering for the enemy!" Obaba shouted at her.

"Bit Master, you know they're engaged." A member pointed shout.

Obaba turned towards him, spinning her finger and making said guild member spin like crazy. "Quiet, or I'll spin you!"

"Bu-u-u-ut I'm already being spu-u-un!" The recipient shouted.

Ren looked back up at Sherry. "We're not engaged! She just won't leave me alone!"

Sherry covered her mouth in deep shock. "You meanie!"

Arana kept the onslaught of threads coming, and Ren relentlessly dodged them. "You're always stuck to my side! It's annoying!" He shouted in between shots. When Arana finally stopped Ren planted his feet and looked away, blushing. "But…it never feels right without you." He admitted.

Sherry blushed and had hands to her cheeks. "That's so sweet of you." She squealed.

Nic and Erza couldn't help but smile at the hidden affection.

Ren looked back at Arana, determined than ever. "With her watching, I cannot fail!"

Arana watched Ren swipe his arms around, but she took no chances as she shot threads at him, but she was a fool to do such a thing.

"Aerial Phose!"

Ren fired a cyclone of air went straight through the threads, proving the testament of 'Flying trumps Bug-Types' ordeal. Arana screamed as she was swirled upwards and crashed down to the ground with a thud, out like a light.

"And the winner of that round is Ren from Blue Pegasus!" Lola announced as the bell went off, earning a roaring crowd and a swooned Sherry.

"Yeah Ren! That's how you do it!" Jenny cheered from the booth, though she was shaking Yajima through her joy.

"You were right, his skills have improved." Erza backed Nic up on his earlier statement. "So these Flying-Types do have an advantage over Bug-Types in Kalos, right?"

"In general, yeah." Nic said, turning towards her. "Though Bug-Types have a number of other weaknesses as well."

Natsu clenched a fist. "Man, he rocked. You think he's stronger than Ichiya?"

"Don't be so foolish." Erza chided Natsu, catching him by surprise. "Despite Ichiya and his personality, he is an extremely capable mage. He's the strongest in all of Blue Pegasus."

"Really?!" Natsu exclaimed. He looked as Ren walked back to his team. "Man, now I really wanna fight him some more."

Erza looked away. "Still, I can't help but be suspicious of who's hiding in that rabbit suit."

Elfman looked shocked. "Uh, yeah! Good, I thought I was the only curious one."

"And now, time for the third match!" Lola yelled. "From Quatro Cerberus, it's Warcry!"

A man wearing a dog pelt emerged from Quatro Cerberus's tunnel, howling as his guild cheered him on.

"Versus Sabertooth's Orga Nanagear!" Instantly, the crowd went wild as Orga emerged. As said, he had the strong built muscle like Elfman with intricate tattoos and a headband that kept his long green hair back.

"Alright Orga!" A spectator screamed.

"Show them why you rock!" Another yelled through the roaring crowd.

"Can you hear that? Orga has lots of support folk!" Lola shouted. "This should be a hoot!"

"Show them how wild you are, Warcry!" Rocker of Quatro Cerberus screamed.

"Aroooooo!" Warcry howled in excitement.

"Hey check it out." Sting commented. "It's Warcry. His Magic's pretty awesome."

"Yes, it's fascinating. I've memorized it." Rufus noted.

Rogue got up from his seat. "I couldn't care less." He commented. He walked away from his seat and into the hallway, having no interest. 'Nic, Gajeel, you two are the only ones I am interested in.'

"Pay attention guys." Nic said. "We'll see how Sabertooth handles a fight."

"Let the battle begin!" Lola shouted, and a gong went off.

Orga and Warcry both glared down the other, but Orga was caught ogg guard when Warcry began to have watery eyes.

"W-what the…?" Orga muttered.

"Wahahahhhhhhhh!" Huge tears were on Warcry's face as he cried out.

"There it is folks! Warcry's Tear Magic!" Lola shouted.

"Tear Magic?" Nic asked, completely caught surprised by the bawling Mage.

"He's bawling, bad!" Natsu screamed.

"Yes, he is." Erza said, caught just as surprised as everyone else.

"That is so not manly." Elfman said. "What Magic lets a man shed tears?"

Mawile sweatdropped. "…I remember knowing Fake Tears awhile back…" She lowered her head. "But this is just sad."

Vanessa nervously smiled down at Mawile. "Uh, c'mon Mawile, it's not that bad."

"With my Magic…" Warcry sniffled. "The more tears I shed…THE STRONGER I BECOME!"

Orga's eyes narrowed as he raised his arm.

"LET'S GO-!"

Warcry was suddenly blasted by black lightning that boomed through the stadium. Electricity discharged as Nic's team was left with shocked expressions just like with Nic against Flare. All of Fairy Tail and Quatro Cerberus watched as Warcry and his tears were fried, and the man fell to the ground in black static, unconscious.

"Lightning, huh?" Laxus wondered.

Lily covered his ears as his body shook. "H-he used…l-lightning?!"

"Just one blow…" Braixen said, feeling her fur stand on end.

The bell then went off, signaling Sabertooth's win. "And with that obe-hit KO like Nic Pularis, Sabertooth has earned 10 points, bringing their total to 20 pts!"

Orga began walking away, but Sting called down to him. "Why the rush big guy? Couldn't you have made it look more entertaining?"

Orga looked back up at Sting, glaring at him. Orga then surprisingly turned and began walking back where he came from.

"Okay fine I'll sing a song."

"That's not what I meant you meathead!" Sting barked out.

"Give me the mic!" Orga was given the mic and tested it. He then began to sing…rather terribly. The crowd was going nuts over his singing, but Natsu was covering his ears, and Elfman looked in pain, and Nic and Erza both sweatdropped and groaned in dismay; the redhead's bangs covering her eyes, while her lover had sunglasses shielding his dismay.

"I prefer Nic's heavy metal over this!" Elfman exclaimed, much to Nic and Erza nodding in agreement.

"That Orga…he's strong." Mavis admitted.

Romeo swallowed. "Yeah, he's crazy strong."

After Orga finally finished his song, he went back into the tunnel with everyone cheering for his song. "And with that, it's time for our last matchup for the day!" Lola announced. "There's only two teams left: Lamia Scale, and Fairy Tail B!"

Jenny gave a thumbs up. "Do your best, guys!"

"From Fairy Tail B, we have the mysterious Mystogan, against the Iron Rock Wizard Saint, Jura Neekis!" Lola announced.

The crowd instantly went nuts. They all screamed their lungs out at Jura emerged, support on his side.

'Jellal's fighting?' Erza questioned. 'And against Jura of all people.'

Nic put his hands into his pockets as he watched the competitors step forward.

"Good luck, Jura!" Chelia cheered.

"This match is ours." Yuka stated.

Laxus crossed his arms. "Well it seems luck isn't on your side today."

"Give him a break. He's just a bald priest. Is he really that tough?" Gajeel sneered.

"Yeah." Mira rubbed the back of her head nervously. "I'm not sure Erza and I together can beat him."

Gajeel turned towards 'Mystogan'. "Whatever. Luminous's team is ahead of us, so you better get us even."

Jellal nodded. "Understood." He adjusted his hood and began to walk. As he walked, he pondered back to Wendy and Carla, and how Sophie and Gray were very much down. If he was to bring them dignity again, he would have to make sure to win, for their sake.

Jellal stepped out, meeting Jura in the center. Both competitors were on opposite sides and glared.

Jura spoke. "Personally, I'd like to see Fairy Tail to do well." He admitted. "But the old hag would throw a massive fit."

A wind blew pass them both, anticipation filling the air.

"My sincere apologies, but I'm not holding back."

"Nor shall I." Jellal said. The grip on the stave in his hand tightened, and his eyes showed determination. 'I never wanted to compete on these terms…but if it means giving my friends hope for victory, I'll gladly help. For Fairy Tail!'

Looking in the crystal ball, Ultear and Meredy both nearly fell over. "Say what?! Jellal's fighting next?!" Ultear exclaimed.

"You think he'll be alright? He won't blow his cover, right?" Meredy asked, instantly worried.

Ultear calmed down a little. "No, he's too smart to let that happen…" She crossed her arms as her eyes turned blank. "Unless he starts going overboard."

The gong went off, and Jellal undid the straps that held his staves in place. The staves floated as he rushed after Jura. 'I won't get a chance like this again. I have to defeat Jura!' His feet left and hit the ground fast, much to Nic's own surprise. Jura made a motion with his fingers and cylindrical columns shot up in a straight line, eventually reaching Jellal and shooting him in the air.

"Whoa!" Natsu exclaimed.

Jura lifted his fingers up, and pillars arose from the ground and actually curved from behind Jellal. Jellal acrobatically dodged and had the pillars all clash into each other. Using the momentum, he landed and ran along a pillar, while using his speed to dodge more curving pillars. He used the staves and had them directed towards Jura. As Jellal jumped off and planted his feet into a horizontal pillar, the staves punctured the ground around Jura.

Jellal made hand signs. "Five Layered Magic Circle: Scared Song!" Many layers of Magic circles emerged above Jura, all stacked and a pillar of energy struck the ground and Jura, making the earth rumble.

"He was able to copy Mystogan's Magic. Nic." Laxus said, impressed.

"Jura!" Chelia exclaimed as a grand dust cloud emerged from where Jura was.

Lyon crossed his arms. "I don't mean to belittle Fairy Tail or Juvia's guild, but they wouldn't have a prayer against Jura."

As Jellal was on the pillar, his eyes widened when a massive gauntlet of hardened rock went shooting after him, and Jura smirked, looking unharmed.

Jellal made another hand sign. "Three Layered Magic Circle: Mirror Water!" A Magic seal appeared in front of him, and the massive fist collided with it. The fist swerved and was sent back at Jura, only the Wizard Saint scoffed as he made a Magic seal of his own, to which made the rock swerve yet again back at Jellal.

"He deflected it too?!" Elfman exclaimed.

Jellal was hit and the pillar smashed. He was sent flying and landed on his back, with the crowd roaring for Jura.

"And that's why Jura rocks as one of the Ten Wizard Saints!" Lola announced.

Jellal got back up with a stumble in a step and pondered. "I should've known I wouldn't beat him using someone else's Magic…" His eyes narrowed as he had to take the initiative. He got to all fours as he made a Magic shift in pressure, growing. "Meteor!" Jellal was in a glory light and he sped past Jura, faster than what the eye could trace. Jura turned in shock as Jellal flew right past him.

"But that's-!" Jura was left speechless.

Nic's eyes were wide in shock. "I forgot how fast his Meteor was." 'That's as fast as my Extreme Speed, faster than what Jet could do.'

Jellal flew on the wall and curbed towards Jura. The Wizard Faint put up a wall, but Jellal swerved around and struck Jura, making him falter as Jellal zoomed away in a curb. Jura regained footing and motioned his fingers ahead, shattering the rock wall and sending the pieces at Jellal. He jumped and dodged every piece of rock, flashes faster than most eyes could trace. He shot straight up, evading more shooting rocks controlled by Jura's Magic.

"…Gotcha!" Jura motioned his fingers down, and a rock from above struck Jellal, stopping him. Jura smirked, but his eyes widened when he saw golden Magic circles drawn in the sky, much to Jellal's delight.

"It's the other way around." Jellal said as he straightened out and planted his feet to the ground.

"Where did those come from?!" Natsu shouted.

"He must have been drawing those as he was dodging Jura's attacks." Erza explained.

Jellal glared at Jura. "May the seven stars bring judgment upon you!" The Magic circles all flashed. "Grand Chariot!" The Magic circles then unleashed strong beams of light that went shooting down after Jura, shooting with great force.

Jura felt the pressure and palmed his hands together. "Rock Mountain!" The ground shook as a heavily armed human-like shield emerged behind him, looking to have Eastern armor with a helmet and a frown, complete with red eyes.

The two attacks collided, and dust and gale violently spread across the arena. The spectators, judges, and Nic's group all were gaping and shock as the force nearly blew them away. The immense pressure that scary, and the dust cleared and the rumbling ceased, with Jura seen unfazed and unharmed.

'I see. I know who you are now…Jellal.' Jura thought with a smirk. 'I was suspicious of your guild for quite some time. I never suspected you to be aligned with Fairy Tail. Perhaps I should've gone with my intuition, especially with how Luminous threatened the Council.'

Jellal grew tiresome as he knew Jura was a formidable adversary, but the battle was getting nowhere. 'This is getting us nowhere. I have to win, for everyone!' He closed his eyes as he crouched. 'Forgive me Ultear, but I'll have to use it.'

Jellal took a stance, with an arm pointed up and another one down.

Ultear gaped her mouth, recognizing the stance all too well. "Is he insane?!"

"He's going to use it!" Meredy exclaimed.

Ultear held up a fist and a tick mark grew on her head. Her teeth grit pretty bad. "Jellal, I knew this was a bad idea!"

Meredy turned towards Ultear. "What do we do?"

Ultear, in her frantic anger, sprouted a devious plan. She turned towards Meredy, the pink-haired woman quickly getting nervous.

The sky began to swirl with dark clouds, and Jellal was giving off an immense Magic Power escalation. Natsu and Elfman both gaped in horror, and Nic and Erza were left speechless.

Vanessa's eyes widened. "What is this?!"

Sliggoo began to shiver as she thought she was gonna pass out. "I don't know!" She screamed as she looked at the dark cyclone over the arena.

"True Heavenly Body Magic: Sema!"

Jura's eyes widened in horror. "What?! No! This spell…" He readied to brace for the attack, and Jellal was at his peak…

Jellal's face suddenly grew read, and his eyes widened when his tongue suddenly began to burn. Jura looked suspicious as the dark cyclone dissipated, and Nic and everyone looked with curiosity as Jellal was holding his own throat.

"M-my mouth!" He wheezed out. "It's on fire!"

Fra away, peppers were shoved down Meredy's mouth, with Ultear smirking maliciously. "There you go, have some more!" She scowled as she shoved the hot peppers down her adoptive daughter's throat.

Mystogan got to a knee, much to everyone's confusion. "I don't know what's going on, but Mystigan is in agony folks!"

"Now how about this?" Ultear began tickling Meredy, making the girl laugh as she was tickled all over. At the same time, Jellal was spatting out laughter, kicking and laughing to no end, confusing even the likes of Jura.

Jellal soon reached his breaking point and reached up, twitching as he was all worn out from laughter. He fell over, passed out from laughter. Jura slid over with immense disbelief.

"HUH?!"

"Uh…uhhh…" Nic and Erza were both completely white with big eyes in unison, gawking at Jellal's mishap. The whole stadium deadpanned in disbelief.

"Uhh…w-well, I have no idea, but whatever was funny put Mystogan out of commission!" Lola announced. The bell rung, signaling Jura's win.

Jura twitched in disbelief. "U-Uhhh…"

"You've done good!" Obaba shouted.

"W-what just happened…?" Jura asked, still in shock and twitching.

"What was that?!" A spectator shouted in disbelief.

"At least now we know who the better team is!" Another one spatted out, though dismayed.

"With Day 1 over, let's check the scoreboard!" Lola announced.

1st Place: Sabertooth - 20

2nd Place: Lamia Scale - 16

3rd Place: Blue Pegasus - 14

4th Place: Fairy Tail A - 10

5th Place: Raven Tail - 8

6th Place: Mermaid Heel - 3

7th Place: Quatro Cerberus - 2

8th Place: Fairy Tail B – 1

Makarov still couldn't get over that display. "W-well…at least Nic's team showed Raven Tail." He said through his profuse shaking.

"My, Fairy Tail has actually done a pretty decent job, for the A team that is." Yajima acknowledged. "Let's see what the B team has in store for us."

Jenny winked down at the arena. "The A team wasn't so bad, especially with Luminous shining bright like the hunk he is."

Once again, this made Erza have shadows over her eyes as a red aura encased her body, her arms shaking as a low growl emit from her. Nic stood with hands in his pockets right beside her, having nothing to say.

"As expected, Sabertooth is in 1st place, with Lamia Scale in 2nd!" Lola announced. "What a day, and I'd like to give thanks to Yajima and Jenny for participating!"

"It was our pleasure." Yajima insisted.

Jenny perked a confident smile. "Just wait, Blue Pegasus is gonna pick up its pace!"

"See you all tomorrow for day two folks!" Lola announced.

Jellal slumped forward as he felt disappointment over his humiliating display. The jeering and laughing he got certainly was insult to injury.

Erza sighed. "Well that happened."

"What just happened?" Natsu asked.

"My guess…Meredy." Erza answered, knowing Meredy's Sensory Link. She grabbed Nic's hand and turned. "Come on, let's go meet up with the others."

"Uh, right." Nic followed Erza, with Natsu and Elfman in tow as they went away from the balcony.

Far away, Ultear smirked. "Sorry Jellal, but we couldn't risk our cover being blown." She turned towards the twitching Meredy that was sprawled and passed out. "No hard feelings."

As Jellal walked pass Team B, they didn't seem pleased.

"What an embarrassment." Laxus scolded.

"That was just sad!" Gajeel exclaimed.

"You did your best." Mira reassured.

Jellal kept his hooded head down. "I have nothing to say of what happened." He groaned.

Vanessa sighed as she sat back beside Venusaur. "Phew. That was nerve-racking." She looked up at the scoreboard. "But we still have a ways to go."

Unbeknownst to them, a knight-like man was smirking as he eyed Lucy amongst the guild members, taking note of her presence all too well.

---

Carla's eyes shot open with a gasp, feeling the air coming back to her. She was hit with a wave of dread as her eyes were filled with immense fear.

'What…what was that?' She stared at the bedsheets, mortified by what she saw. '…I don't know what that was, a prophecy maybe…but I fear something drastic is gonna happen.'

---

There's your cliffhanger folks! Just as I said, this chapter covers all of Day 1, and next chapter will be Day 2, but not the night of which. I'll make the chapter work in the best way that I can, this was nearly 16.5K in total, just so you know.

Something crossed my mind as I was writing this chapter. Remember how I said there's low numbers of OCxCana and hardly any OCxMinerva stories? Well I was discussing with a few people about how there are no OCxJenny stories as well. What's up with that? I know those three in particular aren't too popular, but even minor characters can shine with an OC to love them, right?

Anyways, stay tuned in for another chapter in perhaps a week's time!

Please Favorite, Follow, & Review this story and/or chapter if you guys loved the action, plot twists, and NicxErza moments.

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Next Time: All Bets Are Off