Who Needs a Princess, When You Can Have a Queen?

Celestia193's Author's Note: Alright, so, in this chapter, canon…fuck most of canon, Laxus isn't the only one who ends up on the ground. But anyway, here come the bulk of the boss fights, which were extremely frustrating to write. And be proud of the Uchiha boys, because they're fighting some of Fairy Tail's finest. Now, please enjoy, because Sasuke's power starts growing rapidly, and after this chapter, he's just going to get stronger. We'll give you all a serving of dragons soon enough.

Silver's Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. This was by far the hardest chapter I ever had to write. It wouldn't have been possible without having a coauthor. (Well at least for me anyway, lol). I hope you all enjoy it and sad to say, but someone had to lose. So yeah. On the bright side though, we do have some powerups for you.

Chapter 22

"Ice-Make: Lance!" Gray was shooting off spears of ice as he and Juvia ran, trying to stay ahead of the lightning-cloaked Pegasus. Similarly, Juvia was throwing discs of water at Sasuke, trying to blast him away from the two of them.

The water discs were actually perfect for what he had in mind, Sasuke thinks to himself as he continues to dodge the attacks. "Chidori Senbon!" He conjures thousands of tiny chidoris shaped like needles. The biggest advantage of changing the shape of the Chidori into this was speed. They were small and fast. They were also still lightning and he knew very well what happened when lightning combined with water (or melted ice that became water)!

Meeting in mid-air, the lightning needles and the flying discs of water collide, producing a shower of electrified rain, and hail as the ice spears shattered. And next, a giant ice hammer came crashing down from the sky as the electrified water swirls uncontrollably across the ground.

"If you yield, I'll stop!" Though for now, he sends more needles into the air towards them. "Hold on Itachi!" He'd be there soon. Sasuke had no idea what that Dragon Slayer was planning to do!

"No way!" The air grows cold with Gray's power, an unhappy grimace on his face. Shards of ice fly through the air, meeting the needles halfway.

"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire!" He'd had enough of this. Sasuke forms a giant fireball that takes the shape of a dragon head and directs it at the pair of Fairies. He could at least take out Juvia with this. The force of the fire should prove overwhelming even for someone so skilled at water magic.

Juvia opened her mouth to scream, but Gray was faster, his ice magic erupting quickly, taking the brunt of the fiery blast, before shattering in an explosive inferno. Juvia's cry for Gray echoes through the evening air, and when the fire begins to die, the water wizard lies on the ground, lightly burned, but spared most of the possible injuries, thanks to her water body, and the diffusion of the explosion.

Gray, however, still stands, arms crossed in front of him, ice magic still pouring from his pores. He didn't have very much left in him, he'd burned through most of his magic during his fight with Rufus, and only managed to absorb so much after his and Juvia's fight with Lyon and Chelia. That did not mean, however, that he was going to give up now. "You know, the plan may be wrecked, but at least we've still got a couple of trump cards for taking you two down." The air around his hands glows, shining brightly as he produces a long sword made entirely of ice.

"I hope your trump card isn't a sword." He forms the Chidori Sharp Spear, using it as a makeshift sword. "Because you aren't the only one who knows that trick."

"Nope…" Gray grins tiredly. "Not this one, anyway." He raises the sword, pointing it directly at his opponent. "I'm just here buying time for Erza. She needs to treat her wounds."

"How kind of you, but you should be more worried about yourself." He extends the sword five meters at Gray, hoping to hit his shoulder and to pin him to something.

Tired or not, Gray wasn't just going to roll over and take that hit. No, he steps back, letting the lightning blade glance off the edge of his ice sword, chipping it. Then, he takes a step forward, before breaking into a run. If he could, he would freeze Sasuke just like he did Rufus. "Don't underestimate me!" He slashes the sword between the two of them, stepping forward into the cut.

Sasuke matches Gray blow for blow. The guy was good with a sword, he'd give him that. Though he was more banged up than Sasuke. Eventually, that'd probably tilt the scales in his favor. Though he still had Erza lurking around somewhere to contend with and Itachi still needed his help! He couldn't wait that long. So he slams more force into his thrusts.

The ice blade chips and cracks with every exchange, Gray resolutely doing his best to push Sasuke back. He was exhausted, to be honest, and he could really go for a few glasses of alcohol, and then a very long nap. Nut…judging by the pained yelps and ground-shaking impacts coming form Gajeel's location, Gray was pretty sure that no matter what happened to him, this was going to be over soon. So, he locks the lightning and ice blades together, feeling the stinging pain of the lightning being transmitted through the ice. "Erza…said that you promised to help her test out one of her armors, right? The Nakagami?"

How the fuck did the Ice Stripper know about that?! "She told you that?" What else did she tell Gray?! Never mind. He was going to take out the ice wizard and help his brother. "You can explain later!" He slams his sword at him faster and faster, if Erza was going to be dawning an armor soon, he had to be ready.

Gray smirks painfully as the ice sword is smacked out of his hands. Whatever is left of it, anyway. "You really…shouldn't have agreed to that." His body was going numb from the voltage. It was like being hit by Laxus. "Nakagami…is one of her strongest…battle armors." He'd gotten the download only a few hours ago, before this battle royale started. And he could go down, knowing that he'd bought Erza all the time she needed.

"I guess we're about to find out how accurate that statement is." He didn't want Erza fighting when she was injured, but she was going to do it anyway. "This isn't your battle anymore. I don't want this to be to the death. You're not Minerva."

Gray lets out a single wry laugh. "Yeah, not like that Saber bitch…" Then he stumbles, crumpling to the ground, his magic and stamina both finally exhausted.

He winces, but Gray would be alright in the end. "Alright, Erza." Sasuke knew that she was nearby. Gray had been entirely too cocky about her new armor. "You ready?"

"I am." Her wounds all bandaged, and the bleeding stopped, Erza looks down at Sasuke, grimacing slightly at the sight of her defeated teammates. "…They did their best, it is all we could ask of them." And she would make sure that their efforts were not in vain. "It is time…to show me just how much you've grown, Sasuke."

There were a lot more fun ways he would have preferred demonstrating that. "Alright. Show me what you've got." He doubted the only thing that armor was going to do was flash cleavage.

Erza sighs, smiling a little, though only for a moment. "Very well. Fight hard." Magic power erupts around her, putting cracks into the roof of the building beneath her. It was time for her to release her Second Origin. Her hair flies into the air as her body glows brightly, and she races down from the roof, landing deftly on the cobblestones before him, clad head to toe in a revealing white, teal, and red cloth armor, further shielded by molded plates of enchanted gold. This was one of her strongest armors, and it was finally coming out for a test run.

Why did she have to be so stubborn? "I will." Never mind. Erza wasn't the only one who could be stubborn and she was no longer the only combatant on the field who could use Requip Magic. "Lighting Blade!" Sasuke summons a sword that he had nicknamed the Lighting Blade because, as far as he could tell, it was virtually indestructible. It had even survived his lightning strikes.

"I see, so you've mastered how to requip." Erza smiles at the sight of the shining blade. "Then shall we put your blade to the test?" She raises her halberd to the sky, the ribbon wrapped around her fluttering as she moved. "I have been looking forward to this for some time."

"Yes, we shall." He didn't understand the ribbon thing for the life of him, but Sasuke understood a challenge to battle when he saw one. "Just remember our bet." And with that, he lunges at her...swift as the lightning his blade was named after.

Oh, she would certainly remember their bet, particularly as she twirls the halberd, switching hands to control it from the left, bringing it up to meet Sasuke's blade halfway. The clash of blades rings loudly through the plaza, and the shockwave produced by the connection surprises even Erza a little. "Impressive." Thus, she forces the blunt end of her halberd forward, aiming precisely for Sasuke's hip.

Sasuke manages to dodge as he thrusts his sword more to block hers. "Thank you." He couldn't requip armor, but he had never needed it. Still, the magic was rather useful.

Now, it was time to see just what the man was made of. Erza presses forward, using the strength she'd built up over many years of wielding weapons that were as tall as she was. She forces him back, pressing her uninjured foot into the ground, her left providing balance as her right provided the strength.

He slammed into her with the full force of his weight and strength. This would be much easier, if he could knock her on that adorable ass of hers and maybe, she'd actually be smart and stay down. It wasn't likely because this was Erza, but Sasuke could dream.

But, turning his power against him, Erza steps to the side, driving the end of her halberd into the dirt. Using the weapon as leverage, she lifts herself from the ground and drives her good leg into his back, letting the momentum carry him away.

"Damn it!" Sasuke goes flying back and lands on the ground. "You're sneaky, but that's not going to be enough." If he could survive Bob's 'Glomps of Love' as a child, he could survive her kicks.

"You must learn to expect the unexpected." This time, it is Erza that makes the first move, springing at him, brandishing her halberd with the practiced ease of a master swordswoman. Of course, even as she thrusts the halberd at his abdomen, she retains perfect control, able to pull back at any moment to avoid striking a fatal blow.

"So should you!" He smirks at her as he activates his Chidori Current. Radiating the lightning along his body as he dodges the attack.

As the lightning arcs in all directions, Erza halts her assault for a moment, driving her right foot to the ground, and pivoting, twirling her halberd in a circle as all of the lightning around them vanishes. "An admirable attempt." But her blade could cut through magic, the elements, even through space itself. The fundamental laws of magic could be bent to her will. "But fruitless."

His eyes narrow. "I wouldn't get so cocky." Alright. So elemental attacks wouldn't work on that armor. He'd just have to do it the old fashioned way. With that thought in mind, he charges at her, swinging his sword almost faster than the eye could see.

Erza dodges the flurry of strikes, save for one that merely clips a lock of her hair. "You're quite fast, that's good." Well, until she twirls her halberd up, catching his sword with the flat of her blade and forcing it above his head, and by default, above hers.

"So are you." Well a ninja must expect the unexpected. So he brings his foot up and kicks her just below her rib cage. "But that's not enough." After all, one didn't hit a man below the belt, but one also didn't hit a woman in her stomach.

The kick winds her, but Erza merely slides back a few feet, digging her armored boots into the ground, even as her left foot twinges at the pressure. "Nicely done." But this battle was far from over, and Erza had a bet to win, the games to finish, and a guild mate to save.


Further down the battlefield, it was attacks from the shadows, poles of dark, solid iron erupting from nowhere, all aimed straight for the nimble little Pegasus. He wasn't gonna kill the guy, he wasn't gonna hold back like Salamander. After all, with the old man's grandson out, there was no room for taking chances. It was a hell of a good thing that he'd sucked this power outta Rogue, otherwise those eyes and those pepper bombs would have been a big problem.

Itachi deftly dodges them. "You might be a dragon slayer, but you remind me of an elephant in some ways." Large and more than willing to throw his weight around. Usually the stampede (brute force) technique was all he would need, but Itachi had two very important advantages. He was more agile, and his style of magic was different than what Gajeel was used to.

That and clones were helpful. They would distract that nose of his. The pepper bombs weren't working on this one as well as they had the other, likely because he was intangible, melted halfway and sometimes fully into the shadows. It seemed that doing so helped to protect his senses from Itachi's attacks. Itachi just needed one opening. Just one look and he could take down this Dragon Slayer with a genjutsu. It was making him look directly in Itachi's eyes that was going to be the hard part, because he needed to drag Gajeel out of the shadows first.

Which was going to be a lot easier said than done as Gajeel pops out of the shadows, his body coated head to toe in iron, and cloaked in shadows, something like glowing metal contacts obscuring his eyes. And in a flash, perhaps a flash of darkness, he smirks, driving a heavy punch straight into Itachi's stomach. "Dragons are a whole lot bigger than elephants."

Itachi goes flying from the force of the punch as he struggles to get up, the Uchiha had only three thoughts on his mind as he grits through the pain. He wonders if the 'Dragon' had broken or ruptured anything, if Sasuke was okay, and...dragon slayers were the most arrogant, annoying species on the planet. Though he supposed technically, they were still human. But at times, they differed enough in terms of personality and abilities, that he was more than willing to give them their own classification.

Sasuke's eyes widen in horror as he sees his brother get hit by Iron Mouth. "Well you know what they say." And something inside him snapped. " The bigger they are, the harder they fall." He feels his eye bleed as he forms a ghostly ribcage made out of his chakra. It was a Susanoo, a partial one anyway. He'd only just unlocked his Mangekyo, and it was not a power that revealed all of its secrets instantly.

He'd only heard about it from Itachi and Shisui before. He'd never actually seen one, but Sasuke was too engaged to do more than note his newfound ability in the back of his head. He feels one of his eyes bleed as he wraps the black flames of the Amaterasu around his 'ribcage armor' so to speak and slams into the Dragon Slayer at full speed.

Gajeel grunts, taking the brunt of the attack with long iron poles for arms. "Jeez, annoying little brat!" He raises one of said arms up, grimacing at the feeling of the blazing fire that was slowly trying to break through his iron armor. Just what the hell was that stuff, anyway? Oh well, when in doubt, smack it until it stops. "Quit interferin'!" He slams his iron pole arm down on top of Sasuke's defense, cracking the ghostly purple…thing.

"This is a team match, idiot." That only further served to enrage Sasuke further. "Not a one on one." He could feel the blood dripping down his cheek as he adds more flames and further reinforces the rib cage, adding more chakra to it and trying to make it more complete. He did manage to add a head, but it was far from complete.

Itachi watches in shock as Sasuke manifests an increasingly more formed Susano'o. It was rudimentary to be sure, but it seemed to largely be serving its purpose. He gingerly touches his stomach as he tries to get up. Did he have internal organ damage? He wasn't sure.

"Sasuke, be careful!" Gajeel was still in that strange form and Sasuke was using brand new abilities that he had no experience with. He had to get up and get up now, injuries be damned. So he slowly rises to his feet and trains his eyes on Gajeel. He just needed an opening for his genjutsu.

That wasn't going to happen, though, as Erza places herself between Itachi and the other fight. "It seems that Sasuke has chosen to switch partners with you." After all, if their fight was going nowhere, then it stood to reason that Sasuke would choose another opponent, one whom his abilities would be more effective against. "A wise decision, on Sasuke's part."

"Not particularly." Itachi chances another glance at his brother. "He put himself in harm's way to assist me, but he's always been adorably foolish." The elder Uchiha Brother eyes her warily. "Though it seems I will be dancing with you instead of Gajeel for the rest of this competition. I must say that is an improvement. You have far better breath."

His Sharingan illusions wouldn't work on her and elemental attacks were ineffective. Well they wouldn't work as long as her eye was open. "I do apologize in advance as this may make for some awkward family dinners in the future." He summons his crows and has them rush at her while hurling a pepper bomb at her. If he could get her to shut her eyes, he might have a chance.

Well, on the bright side, it seemed as though they had the approval of Sasuke's older brother. On the other hand, Erza was not particularly pleased about being assaulted with a bomb that stung her nose and throat. Only when it came to resisting Evergreen's petrification and Midnight's illusion magic, had she been so thankful for having a false eye.

She coughs as she twirls her halberd through the air, dealing with the crowd as they swarm her. "Excellent diversionary tactic." However, she could still sense Itachi moving about behind the swarm of crows. Obviously looking for some kind of opening.

Her magical eye hadn't shut. "Sharingan is still useless." He'd just have to rely on less savory tactics. This was more Sasuke's style than his, but it could work. He rushes at her, launching a flurry of kicks and punches.

Erza catches the first strike on an armored gauntlet, letting it slide down towards the thick plate ringing her forearm. Several more of the strikes simply glance off her armor, or miss altogether as she dances through the onslaught. Then, taking hold of her halberd with both hands, she brings it back, swinging in reverse as she twists her body, slamming the shaft directly into the side of Itachi's ribcage.

Itachi screams as he feels something break. Likely a rib. "Damn it!" He struggles to rise to his feet. He'd fought with worse before, but the Iron Dragon Slayer had already hit that spot only moments before. It was not an easy blow to take.

"Will you yield!?" Erza didn't like hearing one of her allies in such pain, but it was unfortunately necessary. Twirling it around again, she directs the blade at his throat.

"No." It was foolish, but he couldn't allow Sasuke to continue fighting against Gajeel and Erza alone. "Not quite." So he breathes a fireball at her. Her armor was very comprehensive, but her face was exposed. She'd have to jump back to avoid the flames. Well at least that was his reasoning.

Instead, Erza swipes her halberd right through the flames, dispersing them as the fire swirls away. "I see. So be it, then." She had one more trick up her sleeve, and if pushed, she would use it.


"When did you become such a scaredy cat?" Taunting should draw the bastard out. "Lurking in the shadows. Too afraid to throw a hit or take a punch."

"You're really askin' for a poundin', ain'tcha?" The shadows waver a little, and from them emerges the metal-skinned dragon slayer, cloaked head to toe in wispy shadows. "Brat."

More like the reverse. "That's better." Sasuke sends a Chidori Sharp Spear at the dragon slayer.

The shadowy dragon slayer dodges the lightning, letting it just barely clip his shoulder and glance off, leaving an unpleasant tingle behind. "Well, you've got guts, kid, I'll give you that." Then, he returns the favor by turning his arm into a giant, vibrating spiked sword that spun like the teeth of a chainsaw. "Let's see just how much."

Sasuke barely resists the impulse to ask what the fuck that monstrosity was. "Thanks. I'll try not to spill yours on the ground." His guts that was. Sasuke redirects his Spear back at the dragon slayer. He was going to take him out and then help Itachi. One way or another.

Gajeel bashes the lightning blade to the side with his chainsaw of an Iron Dragon Sword, not at all appreciating being treated like a lightning rod. Been there, done that, and he didn't really want to re-enact it. Course, he wasn't gonna kill the kid. Nah, he knew to smack him with the flat of the blade. Still, it was funny to see the panic in the Pegasus' eyes when he swiped the sword across his field of vision, his arm humming with the speed of the turning metal teeth.

Sasuke's Susano'o manages to do it's job and protects him. "I've had enough of this." What he was about to do was reckless, but he was going to attempt it anyway. He 'sculpts' an arm for his new attack and thrusts it at the other Dragon Slayer as if it were punching him. He needed a knock out and he needed it fast. Itachi was barely on his feet as it was!

Gajeel takes the brunt of the blow, flying head over heels, before plunging his iron sword of an arm into the cobblestones of the plaza, ripping the ground apart as he slows himself down. "Gonna have to do better than that!" The most obvious damage was his metal skin cracking from the force of the impact. But apart from his skin, the dragon slayer seemed no worse for wear. Well, apart from the injuries sustained earlier in his battle with Rogue.

Thrusting his free hand forward, Gajeel's other arm takes the form of a sharpened spear, aiming it directly at Sasuke. "Hope you know how to dance, kid." He launches a barrage of sharp arrow-shaped spear heads from the end of his arm, reloading as quickly as he discharged.

"Don't have to." His Susano'o would block those. "Amaterasu!" He unleashes another series of black flashes at the Dragon Slayer. He didn't seem to care for those too much.

Cursing loudly, Gajeel waves the iron appendages playing host to the black flames. "Damn it! What the fucking hell is this shit!?" They were as hot as Salamander's! And they just didn't wanna leave!

"Amaterasu. The flames are said to burn hotter than the flames of Hell itself." Sasuke smirks as he watches Gajeel. "They also can't be extinguished for seven days time, unless the caster decides to put them out." That should de-claw the dragon.

"Well, fuck that shit!" Gajeel's arms grow into iron poles, and he drives them and the flames into the ground, leaving a rather large amount of iron behind as he detaches himself and leaves two twenty foot poles sticking up from the stones. The black flames continued to burn their way up the poles, and…that was WAY too close. But he'd probably have burns for weeks, thanks to that stunt.

"You're really annoying." Sasuke's eyes narrow as he aims his spear at the Dragon Slayer again and directs more flames towards him.

Gajeel puts up a wall of iron poles between him and that fire, having learned his lesson the first time regarding NOT touching that. Yeah, not fun. But that didn't mean that he couldn't make his own fun. Racing out from behind his barricade, Gajeel glares at the sight of the purple-clad wizard, gathering power in his mouth as he pours everything he'd got into this next attack. "Iron Shadow Dragon ROAR!" And from his mouth erupts a giant beam of yellow and black light, tearing a path straight towards Sasuke.

Sasuke gets hit by an overwhelming force of chakra. It knocks him down with enough force that he couldn't rise to his feet again even with the Susano'o, but speaking of his Susano'o, he smirks as he has the spectral arm throw another punch. those poles were not going to stop his Susano'o or his Amaterasu. He might not be able to move, but he was going to take this damn dragon slayer down.

It was the punch that smashed into Gajeel as the Iron Dragon Slayer wobbled around, his metal skin gone, along with the magic power he'd needed to retain it. And… "Son of a bitch…" That hurt, dammit. Gajeel goes flying through the air, smashing into a building fifty feet away, and bringing the stones down on top of him. And moments later, there was no sign that he was getting back up.

Everything was spinning even though he was laying on the ground, but Sasuke loses consciousness with a smirk on his face. At least, he had knocked the Dragon Slayer out first. His only regret was that he couldn't help Itachi.


Erza's eyes flick to Sasuke for a moment, worried that he and Gajeel might have overdone it. Well, there was no question that they'd overdone it, Gajeel's attack had flattened several buildings. Buildings that would later be repaired through magic, of course. But still, the two of them could have KILLED each other! "Reckless fools…" Though she had a problem of her own to deal with, namely, the last opponent that remained before her. A quietly panting, bleeding, stubbornly standing opponent who clearly needed a doctor even more than she did.

His eyes widen when he sees Sasuke was not getting back up. It was potentially a choice between Sasuke and the games. "I yield. You win." Fairy Tail could have their victory. Itachi was not going to be an only child he thinks to himself as he runs over to the unconscious Uchiha and checks for a pulse.

Limping slightly, Erza follows closely behind, the sounds of fireworks already starting to go off in the sky to celebrate Fairy Tail's victory. She could see Laxus, Gray, and Juvia stirring, and she was sure that Gajeel would be fine. Their dragon slayers had a habit of being impossible to kill, after all. But Sasuke…he'd taken that blow rather hard, even if she could clearly see the tiny movements of his chest expanding. "He's alive." That was good. "…What matters is that he is alive." Wounds could heal, given time. "And that now…we have a chance to appeal to the king."

"..." Itachi would have let out a stream of profanities, if he had the energy. "What do you need to discuss with the king that is so important?" That it still registered on her mind when Sasuke was laying there presumably more dead than not?!

Never mind. It didn't matter. "I NEED A MEDIC!" Badly. His brother was still breathing and that was nothing short of a miracle, but for how long?

"Porlyusica is coming." It was part of the plan, after all. Erza sits by Sasuke's side, her armor disappearing as she reaches for his hand. "Sasuke is strong, he'll make it through this." Of that, she was sure. "But he is not the only one in danger. There are many lives that now hang in the balance."

"If he's lucky." If he wasn't lucky, he'd kill the Iron Dragon Slayer himself. "They will need more than just her. Fairy Tail was badly injured, but there are other guilds to consider as well." The only movement from Sasuke was the shallow rise and fall of his chest.

Erza nods. "The royal healers will likely be joining us shortly, and I would not be surprised if Chelia has recovered enough to join in the healing as well." Healing was simply a lost art in their world, and only a select few could using healing magic of any kind. The rest were simple skilled doctors.

"Good." His eyes scan anxiously, waiting for one of the healers to arrive.

First on the scene is a familiar face. "Calm down, boy." An elderly woman with long pink hair tied up in a bun approaches the three of them, a frown etched onto her face. "Worrying isn't going to help."

Itachi wasn't particularly thrilled about being called boy. Though her point was valid. "I leave him in your capable hands then." Itachi moves a few feet away from his brother to give the woman room to treat him.

Kneeling next to Sasuke, Porlyusica's eyes trail over him, taking in his condition. "Well, he's a reckless fool." She touches his face, tilting it this way and that, before listening to the rhythm of his breath, and the rate of his pulse. "Honestly…worried over nothing. He's simply used too much magic, and exhausted himself fighting three difficult opponents too quickly." And then there was that purple skeletal form… "And that new magic of his likely didn't help either. Rest is what he needs. And lots of it." Still, she takes a vial of blue liquid from within her robes, opening his mouth and tilting his chin back, before carefully pouring the mixture down his throat. "This should help speed the healing."

Erza nods gratefully. "Thank you, Miss Porlyusica." She knew that Sasuke was stronger than that. It would take far more than just a few difficult battles to kill someone so…stubborn.

"Oh thank goodness." Itachi sighs in relief at hearing his brother would be alright.

"You, on the other hand." The old healer pokes Itachi in the ribs. "Are going to require help from Wendy or Chelia."

Itachi had anticipated that. "Yes, of course." He sighs as he looks over at Erza. "Watch over him, if you can. I know you have injuries of your own that need tending."

"I will be fine." Erza's injuries, while serious, paled in comparison to Itachi's. "Though I am sorry for breaking your ribs."

"I'm not particularly pleased about that, but it is the nature of the competition." He was feeling far less forgiving towards a certain Dragon Slayer though. "I shall see you later then." Itachi strides towards the medics that were making their way onto the field. Only the fact he was wincing and clutching his broken ribs truly gave away his condition.

Erza nods, stretching out her damaged foot as she remains by Sasuke's side. Her injuries could wait a while, at least until all of her teammates had been looked at. For now, she was content to stay by Sasuke's side until he awoke. After all… She smiles softly. "We still have the terms of a bet to settle." And it was something that she was looking forward to greatly.