Natsu's excitement over the tournament was so intense he was practically trembling as they drew straws to pick opponents.
The battles for the first match were to be Natsu vs. Sting, Laxus vs. Gajeel, Wendy vs. Cobra, and Zeref vs. Rogue.
Rogue's pale complexion turned even paler when he drew the straw for Zeref. He looked around at the other dragon slayers. "Did you guys hear what he said about the dragons who tried to kill him? He sent out a death wave. I better sit this one out."
Zeref gave him an exasperated look. "My death wave only activates if my life is truly in peril or I lose control of my emotions. It doesn't go off when I am bit by a mosquito."
Rogue nodded, seeming to ignore the insult. "Then I shall launch no attack that is greater in strength than a mosquito," he said with complete seriousness.
Zeref rolled his eyes and looked at the Queen. "He does have a point. Why are you even having me participate in this? These children are nowhere near my skill-level and people could be needlessly harmed."
The Queen blew steam out through her nostrils. "I'm only asking you because I prefer an even number of participants— you don't need to go full-out. Besides, if these children watch you, perhaps they will learn something."
Zeref glanced at Natsu who was hopping around Laxus, throwing fake jabs. "Doubtful," he muttered.
The group relocated to an open field not far from the base camp so that the participants would have plenty of room to move. The "arena" wasn't as elaborate as the one at which the Grand Magic Tournament had been held, but it would do. Many of the dragons had been interested in the tournament as well, so they had formed a circle around the clearing.
The dragon slayers were talking to a brown dragon whose skin looked moist, similar to that of a salamander's. He was going to be the tournament officiant. Lucy decided to take a seat on a large rock while her friends were getting instructions.
From the other side of the field, Happy saw her and waved. He started flying towards her and immediately stopped. His ears lowered and he flew back to his original seat. Lucy wondered why he had had the sudden change of heart.
"May I sit here?"
She didn't need to turn to see that it was Zeref.
"Don't you want to listen to the instructions?' she asked.
He lifted his toga and sat next to her. "Not really. I'm not interested in winning this silly tournament. If they need me, they can call to me."
The group that was huddled around the official broke up and Natsu and Sting stepped into the center of the arena. They were both grinning like they had just won a cruise.
"Begin!" shouted the dragon officiant.
Natsu and Sting began to fight. As expected, Natsu was the better fighter but Sting's white dragon roar was beautiful. In the end, Natsu was able to finish him off with a simple uppercut. The blow sent Sting to the ground. Wendy ran over to him to heal him and he was up a few minutes later.
Natsu dusted Sting's back off. "No hard feelings?" he asked, offering his hand.
"Nah," said Sting. He rubbed his ribs. No doubt they were tender after receiving a couple blows to the chest. "I'll catch up to you one of these days though."
Natsu looked over at Lucy but quickly looked away. He went to stand next to Happy, Carla, and Wendy.
"It looks like Natsu hasn't forgiven you yet," said Zeref.
She gritted her teeth. "I don't need the commentary, okay?"
"Fine, I'll drop it."
Up next were Gajeel and Laxus. This battle was over even quicker than the last. Laxus dominated most of the fight although Gajeel did make effective use of his Iron Dragon Scales. His defensive capability was his best asset—still it didn't save him from a quick defeat.
Laxus helped Gajeel up and they shuffled off the field.
The third battle was Zeref and Rogue. Rogue was sweating profusely and looking around nervously. When the officiant called for the battle to begin, he just stood perfectly still in a defensive stance.
"Aren't you going to make a move?" asked Zeref.
Rogue didn't say anything and continued to stare at his opponent with wide eyes.
Zeref made an exasperated sigh and walked up to him. He tapped him on the arm and Rogue fell to the ground dramatically.
"Ouch, I'm down," he said as he grabbed his arm.
"I tapped your other arm."
Rogue shook his head. "No, I'm quite certain it was this arm, you win. I concede."
"Idiot, where's your pride," shouted Sting. "Do it for Sabertooth!"
The other dragon slayers began chanting his name. "Rogue, Rogue, Rogue!" There were shouts of encouragement and everyone stood.
Rogue's hand slowly reached towards his left shoulder and he touched the symbol that was hidden there. He closed his hand in a fist.
"You promise you won't kill me?" he asked Zeref.
"Yes. I won't kill you."
"Alright, I'll do it for Sabertooth."
Rogue stood up and launched his Shadow Dragon's Roar which Zeref dodge easily. The ensuing battle was actually amazing to watch. At first, a bystander may even think that Zeref and Rogue were evenly matched but after a couple minutes, Lucy realized that Zeref was allowing Rogue to showcase his talents. He would lead an attack against the Shadow Dragon Slayer, but only one that was possible to block or dodge. He allowed Rogue the opportunity to land a few good blows. It was only with a trained eye that one could see that Rogue wasn't doing any actual damage.
Some of the audience began to roar with approval after Rogue landed a series of particularly good blows. Lucy couldn't help but cheer when Rogue released his Shadow Drive.
Zeref glanced her direction and frowned. He turned his attention back towards Rogue who was charging him. With the ease of a man reaching for a carton of milk, Zeref punched him in the face hard enough that his feet left the ground. Rogue instantly fell down, unconscious.
"What the hell?" shouted Sting. He ran to his friend's side.
"Sorry," said Zeref. "I forgot to hold back on that one." He walked off the field and took his seat next to Lucy.
After some shaking and the use of some strong smelling salts, Rogue came back to consciousness. He looked up at his friend. "I did it," he said with a smile. "I fought Zeref."
Sting smiled back at him. "You sure did buddy. That was one hell of a fight."
Lucy's stomach was in knots. The last fight was the one she was the most worried about—Cobra vs. Wendy. Unlike the other dragon slayers, she didn't trust Cobra to show good sportsmanship. Also, Wendy was nearly 10 years his junior—the match had the potential to be a bloodbath.
She looked across the arena. Natsu's arms were crossed and he concerned as well.
"Are you okay?"
Lucy shook her head and looked at Zeref. "Sorry, I'm just worried about Wendy."
"Ah, yes it does look like this match up may be a bit lop-sided. But, I don't think you need to worry. If things get out of hand, I'm sure someone will step in. I'll do it myself if need be."
She nodded. "Thanks. I'm sure you're right—but I can't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen."
Wendy and Cobra stepped into the ring. Their body language told it all—Wendy's hands were balled into nervous fists and Cobra stood with his weight on one leg, looking bored.
"Begin!" shouted the officiant.
Wendy immediately launched her Sky Dragon's Roar. The powerful gust hit Cobra and sent him flying back. His body toppled as it hit the ground and he landed on his face.
The other dragon slayers and Exceeds cheered for Wendy and the little girl beamed. Lucy was still too nervous to enjoy the small victory. It wasn't over yet.
Cobra got up slowly and Lucy noticed that his eyes had turned red. The rest of the crowd must have noticed also because the cheers tapered off.
"So you think you're brave like Natsu, eh? Well bravery isn't going to help you today." Cobra wiped some dust off his chin. He was listening to Wendy's thoughts. Sometimes words could be even more dangerous than fists.
Wendy clapped her hands together and gave her opponent a defiant glare. "I won't give up. No matter what, I'm going to do my best."
Cobra pulled back his arm and swung it forward. "Poison Dragon Scales!" he shouted as a wave of glowing red scales flew towards Wendy. Wendy held up her arms to block the attack but several of the scales struck her and she shuddered, obviously hurt.
She lifted her arms above her head. "Secret Dragon Slayer Technique—Sky Drill!" she shouted. Wind began to swirl around her. The wind blew faster and faster until it was so thick, it had effectively formed a barrier around her. Suddenly the small tornado broke free and flew towards Cobra.
The poison dragon slayer leapt to the side and dodged the attack. "You're attacks are useless against me," he taunted. "I can hear your thoughts."
Wendy lifted her chin. "Then you already know that I took that chance to heal myself against your last attack. You're poison won't work on me."
Lucy's heart pounded. The little dragon slayer was putting up a good fight. It was easy to forget that the quiet and polite little girl had tough streak.
Cobra laughed. "Don't feel confident yet—I was just getting warmed up." He brought his arms down in a sweeping motion. "Poison Dragon's Fang Thrust!" A mass of poison in the shape of a snake's mouth flew towards Wendy and hit her. The little girl fell to the ground. Before she could get back up and heal herself, Cobra unleashed another attack.
"Poison Dragon's Roar!" He brought his hands up to his mouth as if he were playing a trumpet and blew a stream of poisonous magic that hit Wendy full-on. Her small frame skidded across the arena's ground twenty feet before coming to a stop.
Wendy coughed and a splatter of blood came out of her mouth.
"That's enough!" shouted Natsu. "End the fight!" He, Gajeel and Laxus were all standing up, ready to run over to their small friend.
"Poison Dragon's Twin Fang!" Cobra shouted. He crossed his arms in front of him and two waves of poisonous mist flew towards Wendy.
The other dragon slayers ran towards Wendy but they were too far away to stop of wave of magic. Zeref and Lucy were closer. Zeref help up his arm and a fireball the size of a small meteor came screaming across the arena. The heat from the blast disintegrated the poisonous attack but it didn't stop there. The fireball kept flying, forcing several of the dragons to take flight and raced off into the forest. An effective "hole" had been formed by the fireball's path, clearing out trees and anything else that might be in its path.
Everyone stopped and stared at the spectacle. After several moments there was a loud bang and a puff of smoke appeared below one of the mountains near the dragon's base camp. The fireball must have struck stone. Lucy wondered how far into the mountain side it had continued.
Cobra was standing in the arena in a stupor. The fireball had missed him by no more than a couple feet. Wendy was nowhere to be seen.
Zeref stood up and looked around. "Where did the girl go?" he asked.
"Where did the girl go, he says." Horologium came puttering along. Inside his glass enclosure was the unconscious Wendy.
Zeref relaxed visibly. "That was quick, I didn't even hear you cast an incantation," he said as he turned towards where Lucy had been standing.
But Lucy was already halfway across the field. She marched up to Cobra and slapped him across the face, hard. His head jerked and he glared at her angrily.
"How dare you!" she shouted. "You had already won the fight. Why would you keep trying to hurt Wendy?"
Cobra's fists were balled up and it looked like he might hit her. Suddenly, Natsu jumped in between the two of them and punched him in the face. Cobra fell down and held his cheek.
"Get the hell away from me, all of you!" he shouted.
There were more angry glares but eventually Lucy and Natsu went back to their respective places on the sidelines. Zeref was holding Wendy in his lap and casting his healing spell. He spoke to Lucy as she approached.
"She'll be okay. You can relax."
Lucy looked at him. For some reason, tears were threatening to make an appearance. She had been deathly scared when she saw the poison flying towards Wendy.
"Yeah—and thanks by the way. I'm not sure Holorogium could have blocked Cobra's poison." She looked over at the path that the fireball had left. "You, uh, certainly stepped in."
The brown dragon who was officiating the fight called Natsu, Laxus, Zeref and Cobra back into the ring. It was time for round number two. He explained a few things to the remaining contestants and then Natsu and Laxus went back to the sidelines.
Zeref and Cobra stayed in the center of the field. They were going to fight. Zeref stared at his opponent and Cobra shifted uncomfortably. Lucy wondered what was going through Zeref's mind. Perhaps he was toying with the poison dragon slayer.
"Begin!" shouted the official.
Lucy watched nervously. There was no doubt that Zeref would win, the question was, how would he do it? For the most part, he had allowed Rogue the chance to fight and with the exception of the last blow, showed a certain level of restraint. Although Zeref wasn't friends with Wendy, she had a feeling that he might be less willing to show that restraint to Cobra.
"Wait!" shouted Cobra. He turned to the dragon. "I give up. There's no way I can beat him and I don't want to fight." He walked towards Wendy who was sitting next to Lucy on the sidelines.
"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I took things too far." He glanced at Lucy. "And I'm not just saying this because the demon over there scares the shit out of me. I really am sorry." He didn't wait for a response—he just kept walking until he found a place on the sideline that was sufficiently far enough away from the other humans.
"I believe him," said Wendy.
Lucy nodded. "Yeah, maybe."
Zeref came back to sit with them. Wendy smiled up at him. It looked like the black mage might have found a fan.
Up next was Laxus and Natsu. This would definitely be an interesting match. Laxus had always been the dominant fighter. It had taken two dragon slayers, Natsu and Gajeel, to beat Laxus in a fight years ago and they had only managed to do so by the skin of their teeth. Since then Natsu had gone through a lot of training. If he played his cards right, he might actually have a chance against his boyhood idol.
Both men had smiles that were slightly maniacal and their canines had lengthened. They were clearly looking forward to the fight.
The brown dragon yelled for the fight to start and the two dragon slayers immediately exchanged blows to the face. Both punches landed and they each took a step back, shaken by the impact.
"Lightning Blast!" Laxus held his hands out in front and sent a bolt of lightning towards Natsu.
Natsu dodged the attack and countered. "Fire Dragon's Claw!" His feet ignited and he launched a roundhouse kick. Laxus held up his arms and blocked the kick. He took advantage of Natsu's temporary lack of stability and drove an elbow into his ribs.
The blow connected and Natsu fell to the ground but was quick to recover. He spun his legs around, popping back up. "Fire Dragon's Horn Sword!" His body was instantly engulfed in flames and he charged towards Laxus, head-butting him.
Laxus's head jerked back and his face was covered in blood. He was clearly surprised—perhaps he was realizing for the first time how much Natsu had grown in the last couple years.
The fight continued. For the most part, the two opponents were evenly matched. One would begin to edge out a slight advantage, only to spur on the other's competitive side and force them to fight harder. Both contestants were giving it their all. After several minutes, they were both covered in blood and beginning to look slightly swollen.
Lucy glanced over at Zeref. He was quietly observing the fight, but didn't seem particularly vested in the outcome.
Both fighters were exhausted now and the end of the fight was approaching—neither of them would be able to stand much longer.
Laxus dodged one of Natsu's attacks and backed up, getting ready to launch something big. He brought his hands in front of him like he was holding an invisible ball and began to shake. Whatever he was doing was taking great energy.
A sphere of light began to form. He raised his arms and the ball flew into the air where it continued to grow. When it looked like it could grow no more, he pulled his arms towards himself and shouted, "Thunder Palace!"
Thousands of sparks of lightning spread across the entire battlefield. Several of the dragon's took flight, startled by the wide range of attack. Natsu was in the center of the attack. His back was arched and he screamed in pain.
Lucy stood up, concerned. She wanted to run onto the field but an arm was blocking her path. She looked over at Zeref.
"He'll be okay. I'm sure Natsu doesn't want you getting electrocuted on his account," he said.
She looked back out towards the field. The streams of lightning were dissipating but Natsu remained standing—tendrils of smoke rising up from his body.
Laxus's jaw literally dropped when he saw that Natsu wasn't down but he quickly recovered. "You must be feeling pretty good about yourself, eh? Well you may still be standing but you're probably on the last of your energy reserves. This next blow is going to knock you down for sure."
Natsu smiled, showing teeth that were speckled with ash. "Dragon Slayer's Secret Art—Crimson Lotus!" he shouted. He swiped his arm and a crimson blade of flames rushed towards Laxus, hitting him in the chest. Laxus flew back and hit the ground. Upon impact, the blade of flames exploded into a fiery explosion so large that Lucy had to shield her eyes with her arms.
When the flames cleared, Laxus was still on the ground, unmoving. Natsu had won.
The crowd erupted in cheers and Natsu stood, swaying slightly. It looked like he wanted to take a seat but he didn't dare leave any doubt that he had just beat the great, Laxus Dreyer.
Wendy ran over to Laxus and began using her healing magic. Her magic didn't work as quickly as Zeref's but he would be feeling better shortly. Lucy started to walk towards Natsu to congratulate him on his victory.
Zeref walked past her. "He hasn't won just yet," he said. "Remember, this is a tournament. Now Natsu has to fight me."
Her heart sank. Zeref didn't even have a scratch on him and Natsu was barely standing. Also, Natsu didn't stand a chance against Zeref, why did they have to go through this? Things could get ugly between the two brothers.
Suddenly the Queen, who had been sitting on the sidelines with the other dragon's, flapped her wings. The other dragon's instantly fell silent and the humans followed suite.
"This will conclude the tournament. There is no need for the final fight," she declared. "Natsu and Zeref, I would like to speak to you two privately for a minute."
Zeref turned towards Lucy and shrugged. "I guess I won't have the pleasure of beating Natsu's ass for a second time. I'll come find you when we're done."
She nodded. She would wait for both men to finish their conversations with the Queen. Maybe Natsu would be willing to finally talk to her.
Bigdream3r: Thank you all for the reviews. Sunny ver2.0, I love the compliment! There are definitely times where I don't feel my stories are good so these reviews really boost my confidence.