Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters. This fic is rated M for a reason, expect lemons later on.
"Speech"
"Thoughts"
Gray couldn't believe his luck; from all the possible routes he could have picked he ended encountering the one mage he wished to fight.
However, Loke didn't share his enthusiasm "What's the plan?"
Without turning to his partner, Gray spoke "Just stand back and let me do the fighting Loke. I can handle flame breath over there."
Hearing his statement made the pink head smile: "Is that so? Then bring it on! Ice cube!"
"Ice make: Lance!"
With a simple fire dragon's roar Natsu melted the ice attack and forced Gray and Loke to jump out of the way. Acting fast, Gray created his Ice hammer and tried to hit Natsu, but the slayer punched the ice into bits and pieces with a flaming fist.
"Tch, don't have anything new? Snow perv."
"How bout this: Ice make: Cannon!"
Natsu's eyes widened as the ice projectile came his way, countering with another roar he didn't see Gray approaching and hitting him with his seven slice dance, effectively ending the match.
"You...beat me?" Natsu said in disbelief as Gray's form loomed over him. Accepting the outcome, Natsu bowed down to Gray "I admit defeat."
"And?"
"And that you are better than me in every way." Natsu answered quickly in fear, making Gray smirk.
"Well done Gray" Everyone turned to see Master Makarov as he joined them "In fact, I am so impressed with your performance that I promote you to S class here and now."
"Really? Thank you master! I won't let you down." Gray suddenly heard a soft voice calling out to him.
"Gray-kuuun!"
"Cana!" the ice mage cached the brown haired beauty on his arms.
"You did it! I always knew you were the best!"
"Was there a doubt?" agreeing with him he added "Now that I won, don't I deserve a reward?"
"Of course! I'll give you anything you desire." Cana offered with a sensual look. "Any Thing…"
Appearing to think for a moment, Gray said: "I can think of a thing or two."
Instead of waiting, Cana kissed him while he explored her voluptuous body with his hands. Hearing her moan Gray felt bolder and massaged her left breast while his other hand caressed her rear, after playing with the left one for a while he moved his attention to her right boob and then to the next one…
"Wait." Feeling this breast a bit bigger, Gray opened his eyes to find that girl he saved at Trinity Wraith. He was about to speak when both girls gave him a sultry smile and reached down to massage his member.
"Oh god! This…this is… a dream, isn't it?"
"What gave it away" Cana and Ultear said at the same time.
Opening his eyes Gray confirmed his suspicions, he was in the room he and Loke shared. Indeed it was a dream (a really good one), a shame it had to end.
"Hey, I'm heading out for breakfast" Gray heard Loke say to him.
"Ok, I'll go there in a bit"
"Before you do, take care of that" Loke pointed out to him "the girls might not mind your undressing habits, but they will about 'that' "
Looking down Gray turned several tones of red by the erection he had, a good thing a sheet covered his lower body.
"An extra cold shower is in place"
As fate would have it, the ice mage was not the only one with a situation like this. Onboard a flying base, Ultear awoke to find her bed (and panties) a bit damp after a very detailed dream.
"Here they come" Erza pointed to the distance where a boat was barely visible. "You know the drill."
"I'll go ahead then." Gildarts said as he took his leave. "Try not to be too severe with your candidate, Erza"
"If they're really qualified then they won't have any trouble passing me" The red head offered at the retreating form of the ace of fairy tail. Gildarts merely waved while Natsu and Mira keep their eyes on the boat.
"What's on your mind, Natsu?" Mira asked after seeing the serious look on the slayer's eyes. Natsu was sitting on a cliff looking at the sea.
"Huh? It's nothing " Natsu replied, still thinking about what Gildarts told him before. Mira then proceeded to hug him from behind, resting her chin over his head, but more importantly, pressing her well proportioned chest to the back of Natsu's head.
"M-Mira?" Natsu had the decency of blushing as he felt her firm and rather large bust pressing the back of his head.
"C'mon, we're almost like family, you can tell me?"
Realizing she wanted an answer one way or another he relented "Just wondering who I'm going to test. And If I'll do it fine."
"You will. I believe in you" Mira reassure him "And if by any chance you face Elfman or my little sister…you have my permission to hurt them."
Natsu and Erza shuddered at the sweet and cold tone Mira used just now. Clearing her throat Erza spoke: "A-anyway, let's head out to our spots."
"Right." Natsu headed out while he felt Lisanna coming closer and closer to the island. Even if it was necessary for the exam, the slayer was still reluctant to face his girlfriend if it came to be.
"God, it's too hot…" Lucy, as well as most onboard suffered by the heat emanating from the sun "I feel like I'm gonna melt like a Popsicle and Happy's gonna eat me."
"Sounds awful" Happy replied.
"I wouldn't mind licking that Popsicle" Loke said, making Lucy jump a bit due to his close proximity "Lucy-hime"
"That's gross; you do know that's sweat coming out of Lucy, right?"
"Sigh…you sure know how to break the mood "Loke retired back to his spot while Lucy was blushing furiously by what the spirit said to her.
"Aren't you hot in that outfit?" Lisanna, sporting a two piece bikini, asked a fully dressed Juvia.
"Juvia does not feel hot, but rather right now…Gray's naked body is what's hot!" If Gray saw a heart eyed Juvia fawning over him he didn't seem to notice.
Retaking his seat, Loke shook his head "Seriously, you get embarrassed by this morning 'incident', but then you come out here like that."
"Says the guy who wanted to 'lick' a certain Popsicle" Gray countered; if he had paid more attention he would have noticed another pair of eyes over him. Cana was glad something always seemed to cover Gray's 'parts' when he was naked, but a small part of her was curious to take a peek.
"Seriously, how are they talking as friends even when they will soon fight each other?" Evergreen asked as she fanned herself to keep the heat at bay, but her question was left unanswered by her manly partner.
"Hey! Is that the island?" Angel asked as she pointed towards it. She wasn't the only one mesmerized by the huge tree holding another island on top of it, for first timers in the trials the island was a sight of awe.
"In ancient times, that island was said to have a fairy living in it."Makarov said as the participants gathered to hear him. "And it is Fairy tail's first master, Mavis Vermillion resting place."
"Hey, what's with the clothes?" Gray asked referring to Makarov's attire.
"Because it's hot."
"Should someone like you even be saying anything?" Lucy asked to a still naked Gray.
"Now I will announce the preliminary examination."
"Preliminary examination?"
"Usually every year it is split into different levels." Mest answered Wendy's question as Makarov continued:
"You can see smoke rising at the bay of the island. Go there first. There, there are eight paths, and each path can only be taken by one group." Extending a panel, Makarov added "And the pathways look something like this:"
The panel indeed showed the eight paths, numbered from one to eight, and in the middle of four of them the pictures of Gildarts, Erza, Natsu and Mira were sketched, the remaining four paths merged into a 'fight' area with only one path emerging from it.
"Only those that can reach the end will pass the preliminary exam." seeing their confused expressions Makarov elaborated "paths marked as 'fight' will have two teams fighting each other, and the team that wins will be able to continue. Of course, the paths guarded by an s-class mage are the hardest. In them, you must defeat the mage guarding it."
"Path 5… that's the one I want to take!" Gray and Gajeel thought after looking at the sketch of Natsu guarding said path.
"The point of this preliminary exam is about strength and luck!"
Hearing that last word lit up Lucy's chances: "If it's about luck, then we can pass this Cana".
The card user nodded "It's also about strength, and I sure do hope we don't get to face Erza…or dad."
"Theoretically, at most only six teams can pass" Evergreen stated.
"I-impossible! There's no way to pass Gildarts or Erza!" Elfman added.
"Our best chances are to take a path that involves fighting another team, or the one Natsu guards" Freed thought as he examined the layout. He knew the slayer was not a weakling, but he had confidence he and Bickslow could take him out together.
Looking at the panel once more, Levy got her own conclusion: "or only two teams might pass."
"Sounds interesting" Gajeel replied as he rested his hand over her head.
"Now, begin!" Makarov announced "The examination has started!"
"Huh? Were still in the ocean!"
"So?" A grinning Makarov replied to them.
"So that's how it's going to be!" Everyone grabbed their bags and tried to jump to the ocean, only to come across an invisible barrier.
"A field spell!" Cana said as she recognized the magic "Damn you Freed!"
"It will dissipate in five minutes!" Freed informed them as he and Bickslow headed towards the island.
"Hey, old man! Is that fair?" Gray asked.
"Well, it's not a race…but the sooner you get to shore you will be able to pick your path before others do."
"Maybe Levy can …"
"I can rewrite it." Levy completed Lucy's phrase "But only for Gajeel and me! Sorry Lu-chan!"
"I've been with Freed a long time" waving a pen with ease, Evergreen rewrote the field spell "I can easily bypass this. Let's go Elfman!"
"Ohhhhh Manly!"
"Damn it! How much time is left?" Angel asked, to which Juvia answered four minutes remained. Once the five minutes had passed, everyone immediately jumped into the ocean, everyone but Lisanna and Angel.
"Angel, grab on!" using her takeover, Lisanna extended her dragon wings and dragged Angel towards the island.
"Nicely thinking! We can still catch fourth place" The celestial spirit said.
"Yeah, but we could get there sooner if you weren't so heavy, Angel." Lisanna replied, making Angel blush in anger.
"What are you talking about? I'm not fat!'
"If you say so." Lisanna smirked.
Once Lisanna and Angel left, only four teams remained.
"Good luck, Gray" Cana said, making the ice maker smile "You'll need it! Let's go Lucy!"
"Right!"
But, for their bad luck they were left behind when Gray, Juvia and Mest took the lead; Gray and Loke skated over a pathway made of ice while Juvia and Pantherlily swim at great speed. Mest and Wendy vanished before either girl realized it.
"What did you say again? About luck?" a depressed Cana asked to her partner.
"The last shall be first." Lucy tried as a comeback, but they knew their chances were slim.
Reaching the shore Lisanna returned to normal to conserve magic power. The moment they touched solid ground they felt the magic emanating from the island.
"Incredible…" Angel mused "This place…I can feel the magic pouring out of it. It's amazing"
"It is. This is also my first time here." Lisanna said as she looked at the routes available. Frowning she realized four of them were already taken. "Four teams already got here first!"
'What!" Angel watched the four sealed routes "But only three teams headed out before us! Anyway, let's forget about it. We need to pick a route before the others catch up with us."
"Mmmm, which one should be best?"
Using her sensing ability Angel scanned the four remaining routes: "I can feel two magic sources emanating from path C and H. I wonder if Natsu-kun is behind one of them."
Lisanna ignored the 'kun' suffix attached at the end of Natsu's name and looked at a closed path; she could feel Natsu behind that route but someone else had already taken it. It was for the best, she really didn't want to fight her boyfriend. "Let's take this path."
"Path C, huh. You think Natsu is behind that one?"
"Maybe. However, Natsu and I made a promise to fight without holding back if we did face each other, so don't expect any special threatment if that comes to pass."
"There goes our easy way…" Angel said after hearing this revelation "ok, let's go then."
"Right!"
Both girls then crossed the threshold of the C path wondering who awaited them beyond that point.
"If it's you who I must defeat, so be it!" Mest exclaimed as he and Wendy stood face to face with their opponent.
Gildarts watched his opponent with a mixture of curiosity and doubt; he was curious about the way this man acted, a bit weird for his taste, not to mention he barely recall ever meeting him at the guild, and doubt since the magic level Mest had was below standards.
"Just you wait Mystogan, I shall make you proud of being my master!" With that said Mest went on the offensive and attacked Gildarts despite Wendy's words to be cautious.
"Is that so?" Gildarts smirked as Mest charged at him. Remembering to control his strength to a level where he wouldn't kill Mest by accident, Gildarts parried the first punch and retaliated with one of his own. It was all over; the moment fist met face Mest was knocked out cold and sent flying much to Wendy's horror.
"That was…weak" Gildarts thought, he was sure he had contained himself enough but not enough for Mest apparently. Shifting from Mest to Wendy, Gildarts saw that the young girl was terrified by the power he had but she still managed to stand her ground.
"You don't have to fight me."
Instead of having the desired effect, the shy girl said "G-gomenasai, but I-I promised Mest-san I would help him, and I will."
Smiling at her bravery, Gildarts was unable to say no to her: "Ok, then come at me."
Making sure to take it much easier on her he was surprised by the girl's strength. Their fight was longer and more entertaining for Gildarts, but in the end he still defeated her. Once he made sure both Wendy and Mest were ok, Gildarts took his leave.
"To think; little Wendy was more qualified than Mest…" If it was his choice, Wendy passed for loyalty to her teammate. But the exam was for Mest, not for her.
"This is so unmanly" Elfman and Evergreen faced not once, but two powerful mages; Freed and Bickslow, Evergreen's teammates.
"It's not Natsu, but it's easier nonetheless" Freed said, knowing full well the techniques of his teammate.
"Don't forget, the same applies to you Freed." Evergreen countered, but the field spell user was unfazed.
"Knowing my techniques is one thing, but defeating them is another"
Evergreen silently cursed, Freed's words were true. She might know how to bypass a simple barrier but she was still ways ahead of dealing with his more complex spells.
"Besides, Freed's only weakness is nowhere around" Bickslow added.
"There's no hot girls around!"
"Freed's afraid of big melons!'
"Evergreen doesn't count!"
"She's too old for his taste!"
"She's an old hag!"
Hearing the dolls made Freed blush in embarrassment "Damn it Bickslow! Why did you tell them that?"
"It wasn't me, it was my babies. And even so, there's no harm since they don't have hot girls with them. Not like they can summon a bunch of bikini clad girls from cards or anything!"
While the thunder god team argued, they neglected to sense the impending danger of an enraged Evergreen at being called old hag. Elfman didn't interfere when Evergreen pummeled her two teammates, not because he was afraid but because it was unmanly to get in the way of an enraged woman.
"It's manly to cower in situations like this."
Juvia gingerly stood up after a particularly strong attack, the water mage evaluated her opponent while Pantherlily kept Erza entertained.
"Has she always been this strong" Juvia watched as the now large Lily was pushed back by Erza. Both Juvia and Lily stood side by side as Erza, clad in her sea empress armor, faced them.
"What's wrong Juvia? You cannot become S class with that strength."
"Juvia…Juvia will defeat you! Water slicer!"
Erza's sea empress armor nullified any water attack she might receive, not that she might get hit by Juvia anytime soon. While Erza dodged Pantherlily tried to side blind her but the armor clad mage easily repelled the combined attacks, Pantherlily returned to his shorter form while Juvia received a blow by Erza's water blade.
"If this is your best then I'm disappointed; you seemed stronger before, but if you can't do more then I shall end it here."
Seeing Erza was ready to finish them off, Lily had no choice but to do what Gajeel advised him to do: "Forgive me for this lie… Juvia! Gray once told me he would never consider dating a girl that wasn't able to pass this exam!"
"What!" Juvia's eyes widened after the revelation. In an instant Juvia was back on her feet and seemingly recovered from all damage. "Juvia will not lose! Water slicer!"
Erza was dumbstruck by Juvia's renowned vigor; while her armor nullified water attacks she was still pushed back by the endless barrage coming from the blue clad girl. Seeing her water slicer was not having much luck, Juvia charged a torrent of water and sent it straight at Erza, the armored mage didn't expect the water to be boiling as she was forced to a wall.
"Water Jigsaw!"
Erza grunted as she was pushed deeper into the wall by Juvia's attack, gathering her strength she was able to repel Juvia and gain some distance from the dangerous water mage. Juvia for her part was ready for more.
"You really surprise me Juvia, and here I thought you were beaten."
"Juvia will not lose! Not when Gray is the prize."
Erza was lost about that comment but ignored it. Once again both girls resumed their fight while Lily watched on. "My apologies Juvia, it's all up to you now."
"Something tells me we took the wrong path" Angel said as she and Lisanna exited the tunnel and reached an open area "The magic source I feel seems…darker, not what Natsu's magic is like."
Lisanna knew they wouldn't find Natsu trough here, the bond allowed her to feel his presence and it was far away from this part. "Angel, get ready. I think I know who's up this path."
Nodding, Angel reached for her keys as they kept walking down the path. Each step they took made them feel uneasy by the dark aura. When they reached a clearing they found their opponent.
"I should have guessed" Lisanna said "The only person I know with this kind of magic is you, Mira-nee."
"Of course it's me. After all, C stands for Cister" Both Lisanna and Angel sweatdropped but refrained to correct her "Lisanna, it seems your luck just ran out. Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're my sister."
The sight of a Satan soul Mira made Angel cringe, but Lisanna was excited; a trait she got from her boyfriend "I'd say the same to you, Mira-nee. I love you, but I'll still beat you."
The last team to arrive was Lucy and Cana, as both girls expected there was only one path available. After some words from Lucy, Cana got her spirits a bit up.
"It's a lot brighter here than I thought." Lucy marveled at the illumination.
"They're spiritual light insects, although they only come out in the summer, their bodies glow."
"Oh! That voice is…"
Both Lucy and Cana followed the voice until they reached an open area underground, looking at the banner their suspicion was confirmed:
"Fight!"
Involuntarily, Levy took a step back while Gajeel was smiling like a kid on Christmas. "We took the best path after all."
"Are you crazy?" An incredulous Levy asked "You, of all people, should know of what he's capable of!"
Ignoring her warnings, the Iron slayer replied "last time he was lucky, but now I'll be the one that will emerge victorious"
Standing before them, Natsu replied to Gajeel: "You wish! Let's see if you've gotten better. Gajeel."
"Bring it: Salamander!" Gajeel exclaimed as he charged at Natsu.
"I'm all fired up, let's go Gajeel!"
Levy watched in amazement as both dragon slayers collided to start their fight.
"As I thought; Lucy-hime and Cana-chan!" Loke said as he eyed the bikini clad girls "I'm weak for gorgeous girls, but I'm afraid it ends here for you. Don't take it personal Lucy."
Lucy and Cana's eyes widened; for the stellar mage to face her strongest spirit was a new challenge, and for Cana she wasn't expecting to face her crush so soon.
Gray smirked seeing the shocked expression of Cana "What was that about good luck, Cana?"
A.N.
Not much to say, the latest chapters follow the manga more closely but with key changes to make it more interesting. I still haven't decided who should I pair with Gray (Ultear, Cana or Juvia) what is your opinion about this? And while we're at it: What do you think about Angel?
Once again, thanks for the reviews. Next chapter will focus on the rematch between Natsu and Gajeel, and between Lisanna and Mirajane. It will also decide who passes to the next round: either Gray or Cana.
Until next time.
Demonwithasoul