Thanks for the alerts, guys.
I wasn't expecting even this much attention, given how this pair isn't really popular, and your reviews and alerts mean the world for me. My motivation to keep going.
"So that's the story." Gray said, leaning back. He had just finished recounting Lyon's and his conversation the previous evening to Natsu and Lucy. Erza stood with the group, eyes closed and nodding.
"Wow," Lucy said, completely dumbfounded, "Still so hard to swallow the fact that seven years really have passed."
"What are we waiting for? Let's get going!" Natsu exclaimed to the group, "Sounds like a nice trip, meeting some old baddies!"
A loud yell suddenly rent the air in the guild, interrupting everyone's conversations. Heads turned curiously towards the bar.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT, ROMEO! I'VE SAID IT SO MANY TIMES I'M STARTING TO LOSE HAIR!" Macao yelled at his son, who responded with equal gusto.
"YOU'RE NOT THE MASTER ANYMORE, DAD! GRAMPS IS BACK! HE'LL DECIDE IF FAIRY TAIL PARTICIPATES OR NOT!" Romeo roared right back.
"Hold on, what's this about?" Mirajane asked curiously.
"Kid's in his rebellious stage," Gajeel remarked, munching on a bar of iron.
Makarov sat cross-legged on the bar table, eyes closed, scratching his chin. "The Grand Magic Games, huh?"
"Did you just say 'Games,' Master?" Erza asked, highly intrigued. There wasn't any competition that escaped her knowledge.
"Wait, a competition?" Gajeel said eagerly, rising up from his seat next to Levy, who looked less than happy at the interruption.
"Hold on, it really isn't something to get excited over." Alzack said warningly.
"We've gone through hell in the past because of it." Bisca said, looking at Romeo reproachfully.
"But it's different now! With Gildarts, Laxus and the others here, we've got our best shot in years!" Romeo said to Alzack and Bisca angrily.
"Will someone cut the crap and tell us what this 'Grand Magic Games' is?" Laxus said irritably, with his arms folded and his famous scowl on his face. Gildarts chuckled from right next to him.
"It's a festival in which all of the magical guilds in Fiore come together and compete in different events. Basically it tests every guild's strengths and sees which is the strongest." Wakaba explained.
"Sounds AWESOME!" Natsu said eagerly. "AYE!" Happy said in agreement, sitting with Charle and Pantherlily.
"When is it?" Gray asked.
"Three months," Romeo said, whipping around to answer questions excitedly, thrilled at the interest. He turned to Makarov, and decided to use his trump card. "And the winner gets thirty million jewel!"
Makarov's eyes lit up instantly. He jumped into a standing position and pointed upward. "WE ARE ONE HUNDRED PERCENT GOING!"
The guild instantly reacted, half of it cheering jovially while the other half groaned in resignation.
"Alright, brats! Get yourselves revved up for training! We've all got a lot of ground to cover, to make up for our seven years of missed time! Get to work!" Makarov exclaimed.
Once again, loud cheers filled the guild.
Gray smiled as he watched his comrades discuss training plans with each other animatedly. Lucy had gone off to join Levy, Lisanna, and Juvia. Natsu went absolutely ballistic, breathing fire everywhere, throwing Macao and Wakaba into fits of panic, and Erza had disappeared from sight entirely. Deciding he needed some fresh air, he exited the guild hall and stood out in the front, staring off into the wooden clearing.
'A national magic competition, huh?' Gray thought. He could not deny his excitement at showcasing his abilities in magic to the rest of the country in an arena. But there was the issue of training and magic power again. Gray understood that he was clearly lacking in strength compared to his rivals. Lyon had certainly surpassed him in the seven years. And although Gray would never admit it out loud, there was no denying that Natsu's newfound acquisition of Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic placed him at a level higher than his own.
Gray looked up at the sky and closed his eyes. He remembered his plans with Erza to set out with Natsu and Lucy to find Ultear. The sudden revelation of the Grand Magic Games changed everything. He wanted to compete in this competition as a Fairy Tail mage but he also wanted to meet Ultear again. Both tasks seemed to demand a lot of time and effort, and only three months stood between him and the Grand Magic Games.
"Thinking hard, huh?" Erza appeared right next to Gray, breaking him out of his thoughts.
"Yeah. It's just…I've got a tough decision to make." Gray said, frustrated.
"I know how you feel. I want to see Jellal again, but I also want to train to compete in this tournament." Erza said. The two were quiet for a while.
Gray realized that if he wanted to stay relevant not only in the Grand Magic Games, but in Fairy Tail as well, he would have to progress at a huge rate in improving his magical abilities and getting stronger. That obviously called for some serious, intense training. Which had to start as soon as possible.
Gray also recalled his fight with Ultear. She was definitely more skilled and powerful than him in Creation Magic, but also possessed an extremely powerful Lost Magic ability in the Arc of Time. She could have easily killed him had she wanted to.
He realized that if he were to somehow find Ultear, he would really serve no good to her. She did not know that he was alive, or if he could be trusted. She may still regard him as a threat. And even if she didn't, even if she was somehow welcoming of him, there wasn't anything he could do to help her escape her current predicament. He wasn't strong enough to protect her, given how she was more powerful than him as it was. He wouldn't be able to do much impact to her status as a high-level fugitive, given Fairy Tail's weak standing in the eyes of the Council. Both of those problems would only be fixed with one answer, and that was to train to compete in the Grand Magic Games. If he trained to become strong, he would be powerful enough to protect Ultear. And if Fairy Tail made a good showing and represented itself well at Grand Magic Games, perhaps the Council would develop good faith and trust in Fairy Tail, enough for the guild to make an appeal on her behalf.
"Gray! Erza!" Lucy's voice rang out to them. The two turned, and saw her running out to join them. "So how about looking for Jellal and Ultear? Let's get going?"
The three were silent for a moment. Gray and Erza exchanged looks.
"I…I don't think so, Lucy. We'll have to go at a later time. Probably after the tournament." Erza said, finally. Gray wondered if she had the same reasoning he did.
"Why?" Lucy asked disbelievingly. "The last that we've heard, they were in the Worth Woodsea, we don't know where they will be three months from now!"
Gray thought that was a valid point, but decided to leave the discussion to Erza. To his dismay, however, Erza stared at him pointedly.
"We have to think of Fairy Tail first, Lucy. We owe our comrades, and they need us right now more than ever." Gray said after a minute.
Lucy looked at both of them, and saw the reluctance in their expressions. She smiled softly. "It's alright to say that you care, you know. You should-"
"Hey, Frosty!" Natsu bellowed, running over to them. Gray mentally thanked Natsu for sparing him and Erza of whatever sentimentality Lucy had in store for them.
"What's up, Fire Clown?" Gray responded.
"I need a training partner for the tournament. So pack your stuff, you and I are going camping for three months to train!" Natsu said eagerly to Gray.
"No can do, at this point. What about Happy or Gajeel?" He offered.
"Happy wants to hang out with Charle, and she and Wendy aren't interested in the competition. Why the hell would I want to go with metal-head? Besides, he bragged about going off with Lily on a 'secret mission' or something." Natsu said. "So how about it?"
Gray looked back at Natsu. "I can't. I'm planning to undergo some intense training myself."
Natsu was confused. "That's what I'm doing, too."
"Right, but I'll be training to increase my magical power more so than my physical abilities. I doubt the conditions be suitable for you." Gray said.
"Oh, you'll be heading up north, then? Isvan? When are you leaving?" Natsu asked. Gray was surprised Natsu was able to deduce that.
"Yeah, Isvan." Gray responded, though he had one specific location in mind. "Probably tomorrow."
"Alright then, good luck." Natsu said, turning around and walking off. "Make sure your pants don't freeze off there."
"Well…I'll be off training with Levy at the beach. You guys take care of yourselves!" Lucy said, following Natsu to the guild. Gray and Erza smiled in farewell.
"You won't be going alone, right? Do you have a training partner in mind?" Erza asked.
"Nah, not really. Going alone might be for the best." Gray said.
"It never is, Gray. You need someone there to motivate you, to correct you, to keep you going for those times when you doubt yourself." Erza scolded him.
"Who are you going with, then? Where do you plan on going, anyway?" Gray countered.
"I've decided to tag along with Natsu. Someone's got to keep him in check." Erza said. "Well, I'll see you in three months then, Gray." She headed down the roads, presumably to Fairy Hills.
Gray frowned as he headed back to the guild hall. He did not like the idea of separating from his comrades, especially right after they had not seen them for seven years. But, it was best for Fairy Tail at the moment.
He entered the guild hall, and found it much emptier than when he had left it. People had already set out on their training missions. He sat on a nearby bench and looked at the remaining members, trying to figure which would be suitable as a training companion. His eyes suddenly fell on Juvia, who was talking to Lisanna near the request board. He made his way over to her.
The next afternoon saw Gray and Juvia hobbling off the train station at a town a few miles south of the land of Isvan.
"Juvia wonders when Gray-sama will tell her where they are headed." Juvia asked nervously.
"Juvia, we talked about this. I told you I can't disclose that information until we're out of earshot." Gray said. If there was any word as to the location of Ur's place of residence there would be all sorts of nutjobs from the Magic Council who would try to make a museum out of her house, which was the last place Gray had good memories of before Fairy Tail.
Gray found himself wondering why he had picked Juvia to accompany him yet again, before quickly dispelling that thought, remembering her capabilities.
Juvia was certainly sharp when she wanted to be, making her an intelligent partner who would be able to spot his weaknesses. She would also be completely unaffected by the cold climate in Isvan, given that her Water Magic enabled her to maintain her body temperature and prevent hypothermia. Lastly, she was quite a formidable mage, as she was amongst the guild's strongest non S-Class mages along with himself, Natsu, Freed, Gajeel, and Elfman.
The two were quiet as they trekked up the mountain. Waves upon waves of nostalgia came over Gray with every step they took. At last, Ur's house finally came to view.
"Gray-sama?" Juvia asked as they walked, her blue eyes on the wooden house before them.
"Oh, right, sorry for not telling you on the way up. This is my master Ur's house. Lyon and I trained with her here, when we were little." Gray explained.
"And why couldn't you tell Juvia of this place before?" She asked.
"Didn't want to risk anyone else finding out about it." He said nonchalantly, as went up to the door.
He turned the knob and pushed it open, and certainly did not expect what he saw in the living room of the house.
"What's wrong, Gray-sama?" Juvia asked, instantly on enemy alert, her eyes serious. She came up behind him and peeked over his shoulder and gasped.
Sitting upon the red rug were two women, a younger-looking one with pink hair, and the older one with raven-colored hair. In between them lay a photo album, and right next to the older woman stood an lit lantern.
"Ul…Ultear." Gray mumbled in disbelief.
A warm look quickly covered Ultear's initially shocked face as she heard him call out her name. Her eyes glistened with relief and joy in the light the lantern gave off.
"Hello, Gray Fullbuster." Ultear said softly, smiling.