Chapter 5: The Drinking Game
"Hm?" He stirred awake, slowly rising up only to be met with a fist to the top of his head. Not really phased by the blow, Arcturus looked up to his now seated position to spot a comically seething Takeru. "The hell is wrong with you!? Didn't you always tell me to never let your guard down? Then how did you do such a thing, allowing Jellal to blow himself up against ya like that!? Huh!?"
Arc simply stared, now remembering all that happened as he rubbed the back of his head. "Oh yeah, I lost..." That's when Selene interjected. "No, it was a draw. We still got the point, but so did they."
"That doesn't make me feel any better." He said, rising back to his feet slowly, pushing past his aching muscles and joints that popped. "My bad, Takeru. I slipped, but that doesn't mean you can too."
"I know that, idiot." Tak said, turning away from him with crossed arms. "...It's good that Jellal isn't suicidal. All that talk you two were doing during the fight really had us worried that one of you would actually try a crazy stunt —"
"— A CRAZY STUNT LIKE THAT!" Erza yelled at the top of her lungs, being held back by some of Fairy Tail's side members as she slung a right fist to the back of Jellal's head, reaching for more. Jellal, now hiding behind Shadow Gear's Droy, began waving in surrender, a knot visible on the back of his head. "I-it's okay! I reduced the self-destruction spell knowingly! I wasn't going to kill mys—" Smack! Erza quickly freed herself of Max and Warren's grasp and slammed a right fist to his nose before grabbed again. "You want to die so badly!?" She yelled, "I'll help you this time!"
"Is anyone going to help us!? Warren yelled, feet dragging into the dirt. The main cast of guild members all then looked away, even Laxus and Mira who faked a separate conversation off to the side. Not even Gildarts would get involved physically, laughing at the situation. "Well, you can't blame her." Was all he could muster, causing Jellal to slump over in defeat. "But let's get back to focusing...ON MY PRECIOUS DAUGHTER CANA! LETS GO CANA! DADDY'S WATCHING! DO YOUR BEST!"
"Sh-shut up! Ya shitty old man!" She retorted, loudly, causing a comical hurt from a frozen in place Gildarts. Turning back to her opponent however, after sighing to relieve herself of any distraction, she slowly bent her knees, placing a hand on her deck of cards as Jack remained up right, flask still dangling from his hand.
"Well, it's about time, right? It's too bad we can't solve this in a drinking game, huh Cana?" He shrugged cockily. "Well, a fight or drinking, I'd win either way, since I already proved the latter."
Though she was kind of annoyed at Jack's bragging from their only encounter — her losing in a drinking game to one Jack Royal — the apparently unnerved Cana removed herself from her cautious stance as her features took on a blank one once she asked. "That reminds me." She said, pointing towards him nonchalantly. "Give back the panties you stole from me. They're not a prize for winning, ya weirdo."
Red faced, veins popping from his forehead. Magic aura rising to the heavens...Gildarts shouted at the top of his lungs after gathering such news. "YOU TOOK WHAT FROM HER!? I'LL CRUSH YOU INTO PIECES YOU RUNT!"
This time, the entire guild had to hold one of their own down from jumping onto the battlefield as Jack leaned past Cana to wave innocently towards Gildarts. "Hey hey now! A win always comes with a prize, and since Bacchus took your top before, I took the next best thing. It's not like I'm doing anything weird with them. They're just a momento to remind me of that victory. And once I win her again..." He winked. Then turned back to Gildarts once more. "Don't worry old man! If you can get past Sidney, I'll take you on no problem! I got a move waiting for you anyways, so once I beat Cana—"
A loud, raw thud was heard. Raw was the keyword, for the sound of bone on bone contact was cringing, causing everyone to buckle as eyes zipped towards the battlefield. Jack's entire head was snapped back, eyes glazed over as his view was now the sky above him. On the other side, Cana was holding her follow through — a right uppercut — brown hair hovering over her eyes, hiding her visage with a shadow as she then spoke in the most bold, hostile tone.
"Stupid. Don't speak about your next fight...when your actual opponent is still standing before you!" The bone rattling punch shocked everyone, including Jack himself as Cana's motions from the uppercut mimicked the one who annoyed her most, Gildarts. But...that was nowhere near enough to hold White Eclipse's heavy drinker down. His eyes regaining their earthen color, Jack clenched his teeth as he regained his wherewithal, jutting his momentum onward with his own right fist swinging forward — a powerful, straight punch aimed for Cana's own chin. The female as able to raise both of her arms after the shock of Jack still perfectly fine quickly wearing off, allowing her to cushion the powerful punch. Cana slid back from impact, but besides the new soreness in her own forearms, she was perfectly fine. Shaking off the rattling sting from her forearms, Cana quickly reached for and pulled out three cards from her deck, slinging them Jack's way. Surrounding Royal — "Thunder Bolt's Fate!" — a plethora of connecting lightning would emerge, attempting to strike Jack down where he stood.
Unsuccessful. Jack quickly countered with a simple right stomp, using his primary magic, Earth manipulation to create a dome just over his frame. The lightning struck only the molded rock, and dispersed into nothing; Jack's earth formation reclining back to its natural state as well. Only, once it did, the male brunette was no longer there. "Oh no! Your old tricks won't work, because I've already seen them!" Cana shouted, referring to a previous time watching Jack in action. Withdrawing another card, Cana slammed it against the ground just below her feet. Simultaneously to her own actions, the ground beneath her would split open and Jack would leap from underground. Yet, before he could attempt any type of offense, an explosion from Cana's card appeared, blowing Jack away from his target violently.
Arms up, and teeth clenched, Jack went sliding back as his heels dug into the ground to stop momentum. Not too affected by the explosion, yet more irritated at the comments as if he was only a monkey with a few memorable tricks. That teeth clenching scowl vanished, whipping to a malicious smirk as he slammed both hands on the ground. From his feet two pillars of earth would rise, then bend, and finally descend towards Cana at a breakneck pace. She leapt away from the first, leaping over and on top of the second as she was now in a dead sprint towards Jack with two more cards in her hands.
"Cana is on her game!" Lucy said, impressed by her movements. Gray nodded. "Ever since Jack disregarded her, talking past her to Gildarts, it's like a switch within her flipped. Good, if that's the motivation she needed...then ride it home, Cana!"
As Gray turned the rest of his analysis into an exclamation for the drunk of Fairy Tail, Cana leapt towards Jack with her dominate arm reared back. "Wind Edge!"
At the sound of her speak, Jack's demeanor switched back to a mischievous one. The second Cana's attack was summoned, Jack resorted to his secondary magic, cards as well. Grabbing two of his own and mimicking her own spell with a simple toss. "Wind Edge!" Two tunnels of wind magic collided with each other, creating a powerful stalemate.
"Oh? I thought he abandoned the cards." Bacchus said as he raised his gourd to his lips, laughing subtly. "That's a surprise to me. I figured he'd focus on Earth manipulation and that other magic instead."
"Other magic?" Chelia questioned, causing Sting and some of Sabertooth to look over as well in curiosity. "Oh yeah.." The Drunken Falcon said as he ominously lowered his gourd once more. "You guys weren't with us during the war. It was me, Cana and Jack, and let's just say, Jack has a wild ace up his sleeve. I'm not gonna ruin it for you all, but if Cana can take him to the distance, he may use it."
"Now I'm really curious." Sting said, turning back to the colliding winds.
"I'll just tell ya this. If you think I'm wild when drunk. Just sit tight, because you've seen nothing from this guy!"
"Tch! A stalemate!" She sneered, trying to focus through the two thick wind tunnels. Suddenly, thanks to the distracting winds, Cana was caught off guard as a large rock wall erected from behind. She turned instinctively, leaving her wide open as another rock pillar appeared through the colliding winds, slamming directly into her and sandwiching her against the newly formed wall. Rock on rock impact with Cana smushed in between, everything crumbled once collision was made. The winds also subsided. "Cana!" Gildarts shouted in worry, the rest of Fairy Tail grimacing as if they felt the blow she just took as well.
"Two rocks slamming into each other. Know what hurts worse than that?" Jack asked the brunette buried underneath the heavy rubble. He would then extend his right hand, a brownish aura coveting as the rubble began to quake. "Ask anyone, and they'll answer the same. They'd rather be hit with one large rock, than a bunch of smaller ones. Magnitude."
The declaration of his spell caused the uproar of rubble to fully begin. Following, the rubble would spread apart, revealing a struggling Cana underneath. The rubble would then begin to float around her, giving her no easy exit as it surrounded her.
"Huh?" The bruised brunette of Fairy Tail looked around, noticing the now spinning mini-boulders zooming around her as if she had her own gravitational pull. "Crush her!" He yelled to them as if they could hear. Squeezing his right hand into a fist however, they obeyed his command, expanding and then all colliding into each other while focusing on a single point... Cana Alberona.
"Look out! Cana!" A mixture of these yells of concern came from her guild mates, so she abided by their warnings with a counter attack just before succession. Grabbing a hand full of cards, in almost desperate fashion, Cana slung them all around. The crazy amount of cards each stuck to an incoming rock of their own, exploding on impact. The result? A way out. Through the smoke she created, Cana dashed out of harm's way of the remaining earth that threatened her well-being. Not only did she evade the incoming attack, but her underestimated speed propelled the brunette right in front of White Eclipse's own.
"Hu—" He didn't even have time to question, an elbow from Gildarts' only daughter slamming directly into the bridge of Jack Royal's nose, snapping his head back.
"Direct hit!" Gildarts shouted. "Not done yet!" Cana added as she drew another card from her deck, slapping it against Jack's chest with her right palm. "Prayer's Fountain!" Upon exclamation, the card she stamped on Royal expelled a powerful jet of water that sent him flying into the air.
"Oh, he's in trouble." Heather remarked calmly, watching her guild mate soar into the sky.
"Finish him!" Natsu and the others shouted from the other side.
"Alright!" With three cards now lying in her hands, shouting as she reared back and then launched them Jack's way, they began to catch a dark red fire. "Sun's Strength! Bring it on home!"
"Open your eyes Jack!" Jaxon yelled.
"Right now!" Reve added.
With the Prayer's Fountain dispersing, Jack struggled, but slowly opened his eyes just as commanded — only for the three cards to collide against him simultaneously for a fiery explosion.
"Shit!" The gunslinger cursed as Jack descended to the ground slowly, unmoving. As he fell, Cana placed a hand on her deck, hesitating as she began thinking. "Should I attack again, or is he actually out cold? If I let him awaken, he'll—"
His eyes flashed open...her's flashed wider. The grin on White Eclipse's faces matched the opposite spectrum of the potential despair in Fairy Tail's. Jack Royal was awake, and before hitting the ground, he flipped, landing on his feet in a crouch before standing tall once more. Battered, bruised, and thirsty...
"Dammit!" She cursed, clenching her deck of cards harder. "I should have finished him! Why did I hesitate against our biggest opponent!?"
Just as everyone suspected... "Alright. I'm getting bored of this, and you're not conceding, so..." He grabbed the flask from his hip, and the second he did, Bacchus face lit up in excitement.
"Hey hey, here it comes!" He shouted, standing to his feet. Almost linked to one another, as Bacchus calmed down a bit, he and Jack both spoke ominously; Bacchus explaining what was going on, while Jack gave Cana an entirely different lecture.
"Do you know what separates us, Cana? Why you'll never defeat me or Bacchus in drinking?" He asked, unclipping the flask from his holster. On it, a White Eclipse insignia was seen, but this wasn't new to her at all.
"Tch! I don't care about that right now!" She stammered back, causing Jack to grin. "Yes you do." He replied stale like, causing her to sneer. "It eats inside you, but it's not your fault. It's not your fault because...you drink to rid enjoy yourself. Me, and Bacchus. We drink to better ourselves."
It was Bacchus' turn; everyone watching from the sidelines facing him as he held up his own gourd. "What you're about to witness, is White Eclipse's — not strongest mage, but strongest form. When I drink, I become incredibly fast, more powerful, and WILDER than ever! The Drunken Falcon is what you know me by because of this." Cue the sudden shift to darkened features. "But when Jack Royal is drunk, and I mean really drunk, with that liquor he holds in that flask, he becomes a whole different monster; an entirely different being. He's no longer the man you see before him. I don't even know if he's human..."
From there, Jack continued on. "That's why you'll never outdrink us, but...what separates me from Bacchus... Is that the Drunken Falcon knows he a limit, where as the simple drunk, is too drunk to realize when he's past that limit!"
"Just shut up already!" Cana shouted, but she quickly became on guard as Jack raised the flask to his lips, swallowing the contents inside with just a few gulps. Those gulps were all he needed however, for everyone could see the changes with each swallow — something only Cana, White Eclipse, and Bacchus have seen before. His first gulp turned his entire face red, cheeks burning from the mysterious alcohol. From there, it almost seemed like he was struggling to down the rest, even though he drunk it all within seconds. The second gulp caused his body temperature to visibly drop. His skin becoming pale, his eyes lowering as if he was about to pass out. "Is he okay!?" Lucy shouted in question, but no one answered. Her worry continued. "He really doesn't look well! He's forcing himself to drink whatever that is, and it's not healthy!"
"You're right on both accounts, Lucy." Makarov stated. "He is forcing himself to drink it...because magic has a bitter taste."
"Magic? He's drinking magic?"
"Hai." Natsu nodded. "I can smell it from here. It's feint, but it really stinks! I bet it tastes horrible!"
"It's alcohol, perfectly brewed with Eclipse Magic to amplify its effects while also becoming a base for some sort of enigmatic ability, I'm sure. As for the unhealthy part..." Makarov sighed, turning his visage towards Cana. "It's not Jack that's in trouble here..."
"Cana..." The blonde whimpered as Jack took his final gulp. As he wiped his mouth from, his earthen colored eyes shut completely; the brunette wobbling in place.
"Oi, Cana! Attack him now!" Gray yelled, causing Cana to let out a slight chuckle, symbolizing how useless that would be. "Its too late for that."
"Huh?" Gray arched a brow as the others looked on, but finally, the transformation was complete. Bacchus rose once more, gourd high into the air. "Ladies and Gentlemen! If I remember correctly..."
As Jack raised his head once more, his entire face became pitch black, along with the rest of his frame except his attire.
"What you're witnessing here..."
"First, his left eye opened, sending chills down everyone's spine as they were no longer brownish green, bud pure, bright white — the entire eye.
"Wh...What's happening!?" Rogue asked, shocked beyond belief just like everyone else. The right eye would then follow — the entirety glowing just like his left; like moonlight in a crystal clear night sky.
Finally, Bacchus finished his boasting as Jack Royal showed a smile, pure white, from his tongue to his teeth and even inside of his mouth, giving off the shape of a crescent moon. "Meet Jack Royal's greatest form, Eclipsed Out!"
"So he's pitch black with white eyes and mouth." Minerva said, downplaying with a shrug as she looked on. "What's so special about that? What can he do now that he's drunk out of his mind?"
Bacchus simply smiled as Cana slowly withdrew another card from her deck. "What can he do? The answer is simple, Minerva. Everything."
Minerva raised a brow at the response, but the action was now back to Cana as she tossed three explosive cards zoomed towards Jack. Without saying a word, raising his right hand, Jack held out an open palm, and from that palm, a familiar net shaped magic spell was formed, catching Natsu and Gildarts's eyes as Cana's cards were sliced into pieces — the net still rushing towards Cana.
"He sliced my cards?" She asked herself, only to hear her father in the background. "CANA! GET OUT THE WAY!"
His warning saved her, Cana desperately diving out the way as the net of Crash Magic flew away harmlessly towards a rock formation, slicing that into pieces as well.
"WHAAT!? CRASH MAGIC!? H-HOW!?" Natsu shouted, asking what everyone wanted to know. "He doesn't know Crash Magic, does he?" Gajeel asked. Makarov answered, putting two and two together. "Jack Royal may not know Crash Magic, but I have a feeling that this enigma before us, knows a lot more than just that."
Cana struggled to her feet, grimacing from the self inflicted fall she had to take just to avoid the Crash Magic seconds ago. "Dammit...! Even though I'm aware of Eclipsed Out, it doesn't mean I'm gonna be aware of what spell he uses! He doesn't even know what spell he uses! But there's one flaw here where I can take advantage...But at the same time, it's risky, so I can't rely on it."
A handful of cards in her grasp, Cana flung them forward, but, they stopped in place the second she released them. With Jack's right hand still extended, a visible purple aura was spotted around Cana in a small radius. Suddenly, Cana and her cards fell to the ground violently, smashing into the earth thanks to an immense pressure pushing her down.
"Gravity too!?" Juvia asked as Cana struggled to fight back, trying her hardest to push out of the gravitational hold.
"I'm starting to understand." Laxus said, catching their attention. "When the old man said that he was drinking Eclipse Magic, the mixture of alcohol has blocked his senses; senses that are the foundation of using magic."
"So you're saying..." Mirajane started. "...That Jack is so intoxicated, that it's not the fact that he knows different magics..."
Laxus then finished with a nod. "It's the fact that he's so drunk, that he legitimately doesn't know what magic is his, so he's using them all."
"It's like a drunk not knowing which drink is his once he puts it down." Elfman added. "It doesn't stop him from drinking. He does the manly drunken thing and drinks whatever he picks up. Tch, Cana really is in a bind then! Come on, Cana!"
"If I could move I would...!" She uttered under the heavy pressure, her fingers clawing into the ground as she futilely attempted to rise. Suddenly, the gravity stopped. "Huh?" She questioned, feeling relief, but only for a split second as inhaling could be heard from Jack.
"IS HE!?" Natsu shouted. "NO WAY!?" Gajeel added, Laxus tsking as Wendy shouted. "Cana-san! Watch out!" Jack lurched his head forward, opening his mouth and firing a powerful torrent of flames.
"That's Natsu-san's attack!" Sting shouted. "What a freak." Eve of the Trimen added.
"Cana!" Gildarts yelled again in warning, but it was too late. She was smothered in flames, trapped in the eye of the roar as it traveled out of harm's way until it no longer existed.
"That could be it..."
"NOT YET!" From the flames she shouted, once again dashing right through them, charred skin and all.
Jack was unable to express any emotions in his state, but from Cana's sheer tenacity, the drunken one seemed unable to move for a second. That was when she pulled out her trump card. "Card...Dimension!" She shouted, and every eye in Fairy Tail lit up in anxiousness and hope as Cana pressed the card to Jack's body. A moment's pause, the card then began to glow and following right behind so...Jack disappeared — the card itself floating back to the ground.
Takeru looked on in shock. "Where'd he go...? I've never seen him use this spell before?" Selene then clenched her jaw as Cana confidently wobbled over. "Jack didn't disappear on his own... Cana has a spell, that absolutely traps people in her cards." At that moment, she picked up the card, holding it high into the air as a crescendo of cheers were about to erupt from her guild's side. "Jack...is stuck in that card."
"Well well." She boasted, barely standing herself. "It seems that's a win for Fairy Tail."
"Is it?" Calium asked genuinely, Makarov returning with a shrug. "He's conscious in there, but he can't be released, so he'd just be wasting time to not give up."
"But...Jack won't give up in that form. He can't even speak. He can barely feel." Reve noted. Sidney then raised his hand. "I'll make the call. Walk him over here and hand us the card. Then, it'll be your win."
"Sidney!?" Luke exclaimed, confused.
"Make sure you walk, however. It's only a fair trade to your tactic."
"Tch. No problem!" Cana replied as she began walking towards Sidney and the others, limping.
"Sidney! What're you doing!? We could have waited!" Selene shouted. "Wait for what?" He asked in return. "Do you not remember Jack's only weakness when he's drunk?" Selene stopped, blinking a few times before slowly nodding in remembrance. Sidney then turned back to the incoming Cana, about halfway to her destination. "If Jack is truly done here, then there's nothing we can do but grab the momentum back next fight. But if he's the Jack Royal I know..."
Right on cue. Before Cana could make it to White Eclipse side fully, the card she trapped Jack in began to shine brightly. "Wh...what!? How!?" She stammered, but as she dropped the card, it ripped open in a flash. With that flash disappearing, Jack rose once more, slowly standing up straight as best as his drunken waver could, smiling, if you would call it that, towards his opponent.
"HE BROKE OUT!" A chorus of both sides rang, one side joyous, the other in disbelief, but both sides in harmony.
"Hey! You don't have much time!" Sidney yelled, catching everyone's ear.
"That's right...!" Cana said, throwing off her jacket after showing realization. "I still have the trump card, and it should be ending soon! But still, he can defeat me in one blow if he uses the right spell, so I CAN'T WAIT FOR THAT! EVEN IF IT ARRIVES WITHIN THE NEXT FIVE SECONDS! YOU'RE GOING DOWN NOW!"
The out of his mind Jack Royal was in the midst of raising his right hand for another game of Magic roulette until he was halted still by Cana's glowing forearm. The markings on her arm began to glow that familiar golden shine, and once at its peak, she raised her arm to the sky.
"GO! CANA!" Erza shouted, Natsu and the others cheering right behind her. That's when she grinned as the blinding light surrounded Jack. "Don't worry, ill dull it down to where you're only outta commission. I'm no killer. Gather, O river of light guided by the fairies...!"
"She's really going for it!" Kuro shouted.
"She's pretty close to us too!" Waiston added, shielding his eyes from the bright view. "Come on Jack...one more drunken miracle. Just one!"
Now, extending her arm forward, using her left to hold it stable, she shouted. "This is the end! Fairy Glitter!"
A ring of light surrounded Jack Royal, and suddenly, the impending blinding explosion occurred, consuming not only Jack, but the entire area around them, just short of White Eclipse's sidelines. The brightness alone was devastating, not to mention the cataclysmic damage done by one of Fairy Tail's three great magics. The smoke was clearing, and Cana could be seen huffing, panting, obviously both out of magic and strength. The smoke was clearing, but for some reason, the brightness wasn't.
"That's it, right?" Lucy asked. "Cana, you can drop the spell now before you..." Her words trailed off. She was the last to realize it, but Fairy Tail was now awe struck, despair reaching their stomachs from what they saw...
The smoke was clearing, but the brightness wasn't... the brightness, that belonged to —
"H...h...How?" Fairy Tail's guild master stammered. Even Calium himself was in awe. "I knew that Eclipsed Out gave Jack an unlimited subconscious of magic, but I never thought he'd be able to pull off..."
"That's that spell that Lucy used..." Minerva said, a cold shiver sent down her spine at the thought as she finished her sentence. "...To capture and defeat Acnologia..."
"Fairy Cirlce... by himself..." Lucy shakily spoke, trembling in fear as Fairy Glitter did nothing but fail in wake of its defensive counterpart. It was unmistakably Fairy Circle. The insignia and everything was glowing brightly as if Jack was a member of the guild himself, and as he then released the spell from its shape, he stood before Cana, towering over her as she fell to her knees, trembling, shaking.
"I...How could you do that? Even in that ridiculous form of yours...you can perform Fairy Circle?" Unwillingly, she bowed her head, hands to the ground to help her knees with the support, whimpering in disbelief. "I have nothing left..! Just finish me!" She shouted, tears welling up in her eyes.
Jack would happily oblige, raising his right hand to finish her off.
"It's over!" Reve shouted as the ground began to shake from the incoming spell. The ground began to break apart as Jack readied the final blow. His smile grew wider, into a much larger crescent moon as his palm began to glow and finally...
Something clicked. Jack was now staring into space, and seconds later, color came back to his skin, and his pure white eyes and smile turned back to their normal color as the drunkard of White Eclipse fell forward, hitting the ground face first.
"And there's the only weakness it holds." Bacchus spoke ominously. "For everyone knows, it's only a matter of time...until someone who is completely wasted, passes out from too much alcohol..."
Makarov didn't know what to call, but as he looked up, Calium sadly raised his right hand. "Jack Royal is unconscious, meaning he is unable to fight. Your winner...is Cana Alberona."
"She...DID IIIIIIT!" Natsu shouted as the rest of Fairy Tail celebrated their victory. Cana on the other hand, kept her head down, even as she stood up to walk away. "The trump card. He passed out that time during the war too. I knew it was coming, but..." She opened and then clenched her trembling hand, biting down on her lower lip in anger and sadness. "This was no victory. Surviving doesn't count...and this was my last chance for that!"
"OOOOOOIIIIIIII!" He shouted, hands cupped around his mouth likena megaphone. "If you're thinking, I didn't win, I just survived, then stop right now! If you're that down about it, then beat your next opponent next round, but you fought your hardest! That's when surviving is acceptable! You survived, and because of that, you won! Cana Alberona! Lift your head and raise your hand high! You made me, and your guild proud!"
Quietly she choked up, clenching her teeth as she did what she was told by her father. "Sh-shitty dad! Making me cry in front of everyone! I'll definitely have a clear victory next round! I promise!" With the Fairy Tail signed held high, they cheered for her once more as she shouted to the sky. On the other side however...
"With Jack down we not only gave up another point, but we took a heavy blow to our roster too." Reve explained, tapping his foot, annoyed. Heather then came in. "If you're deciding if we should make the first move, it's a bit too late." The Dragon Slayer then pointed towards Fairy Tail's side.
Reve showed a bit of surprise, brows raised as he watched the male make his way to the battlefield's center.
"GRAY-SAMA! DO YOUR BEST! JUVIA IS ROOTING FOR YOU!"
The flame haired male from White Eclipse lit up. It was time, hearing that Gray Fullbuster was on his way.
"Kuro." Reve called out, stopping him in his tracks. He turned around, curious as to what his S class had to say; expecting some form of advice that he didn't really need, given the nature of what was about to come. What he got was nothing of the sort though. Just a serious Reve Volver, the simplicity ironically fueling Kuro for the incoming fight. "We're only up one against a guild full of miracles. Remember what I told you. If miracles truly existed...Mary would be alive right now."
"Dark!" Jaxon spoke, surprised.
"Reve, what the hell?" Selene asked, shocked as well. But Kuro seemed to be the only one who was unfazed, nodding once wit determination. "Right. There's no such thing as miracles, just your fullest potential. Thanks, Reve."
Everyone else, confused; Kuro, ready to go as he rotated his arms once arriving before Gray himself.
"It's time." Gray said, discarding his jacket and shirt, signifying that he was going all out from the beginning.
"Hai." Kuro agreed, buttoning up his fitted jacket to no longer expose his torso. Sliding into his maker's stance, flames erupted around Kuro's hands. The same happened with Gray, except with his patented ice.
"Two students of the greatest ice and fire make mages ever. How funny they've walked nearly the exact same path, yet their elements are the exact opposite. We're in for a treat here."
"These are the grounds where I prove that Fire-Make is superior! Just like I did during the Grand Magic Games!" Kuro exclaimed, smirking after his comment. Gray scowled, but then grinned himself. "That's wrong, because thanks to the teachings of Ur, I never lose to the same opponent twice. You got your one against me already, so don't ever forget it Kuro, because it will never happen again!"
"THEN...
Both: BRING IT ON!"