AN: thank you Goku275 for your review. This upcoming chapter will conclude the GMG, but not the story arc. I suppose most of you reading this are hoping for Fairy Tail to rise up from their defeat, and I can confirm that they will in the second half of this arc. Until then, though, you all will have to suffer through another chapter of failure. Enjoy (I guess)!
"And now, to announce the rules for the 'Battle Royale' event! As the name suggests, the eight competitors will be fighting each other all at once."
Droy half-listened as Chapati spoke. His mind was stuck on the events of the previous day, when Guild Master Natsu told them all the bad news.
"When a mage is defeated, the person who delivered the finishing blow will receive 5 points. The event will not end until a single mage remains."
Nothing Droy did here would matter. The Grand Magic Games were lost. The guild hall was lost. Levy and the others were lost.
"So now, without further ado, let the final round of the Grand Magic Games begin!"
Within seconds, fighting broke out. The Orochi's Fin mage attacked Lyon, who was representing Lamia Scale. Bacchus of Quattro Cerberus went after the Titan Nose mage. Ichiya (the short weirdo from Blue Pegasus) began making strange poses, and Thibault (according to rumors, the top mage of Twilight Ogre) just stood back, watching events unfold.
Surprisingly, Sting, the Sabertooth brat who insulted Fairy Tail after the "Labyrinth" event, walked up to Droy and started talking.
"So, finally realized how hopeless your guild is?"
"Huh?" went Droy, confused by the arrogant kid's words.
"Please, I can see it in your eyes," said Sting, smirking. "You've already given up. Why don't you spare us both the time and give up now? Otherwise I'll have to rough you up like my guildmates did to your loser friends."
"How dare you!" shouted Droy, a flame of rage lit within him. Nobody insulted his nakama. The Plant Mage pulled several seeds from his pocket and threw them onto the ground between himself and the Sabertooth mage.
"Knuckle Plant!"
"Mwahaha," cackled the Orochi's Fin mage. "By defeating you here, in front of this crowd, I will prove the superiority of my guild over your Lame-ia Scale."
"Tch." Lyon clicked his teeth, frustrated at the current situation. Not only did the mage before him utilize Fire Magic, he had trained specifically to counter Ice Magic. He could create incredible hot flames that melted Lyon's Ice-Makes in mere moments.
"Ice-Make: Dragonfly!"
Hoping to strike his opponent before he could react, Lyon launched a swarm of icy insects. Sadly, the Fire Mage melted them all with a single large flame.
"My flames are so much more powerful than your puny sculpture!" boasted the Orochi's Fin mage. "You might as well give up now!"
Lyon's opponent emphasized his words with a blast of fire. The Ice Mage tried to dodge but got struck in the shoulder.
"Aaah!" screamed Lyon, the flame burning through several layers of skin. He used his magic to encase the wound in a thin layer of ice, reducing the pain somewhat.
"This guy's magic is crazy strong," thought Lyon, grimacing. "I can't beat his strength. I can't beat his speed. How am I supposed to win?"
Then, a thought occurred to the Ice Mage, and his frown turned upside down.
"Hey, how much energy does it take to make those flames?" questioned Lyon. His opponent looked confused, so he continued talking. "I suppose the real question is 'how long can you keep making those flames before you exhaust yourself?' That much heat must take a lot of Magic Power to create."
"I don't know what you're talking about," denied the Fire Mage, his body tensing up at the inquiry. However, the sudden shift in his demeanor, combined with the lack of annoying taunts, make it clear that Lyon had hit the nail on the head.
"I see," said Lyon, his voice gaining the confidence that his opponent's voice had lost. "So all I have do to win is outlast you. In that case, Ice-Make: Dragonfly!"
The Fire Mage melted the insects again. However, the tide of the battle had clearly shifted. After all, making tiny bugs takes a lot less Magic Power than creating a huge, scorching hot flame to melt them all at once.
The only reason the Fire Mage didn't surrender then and there was because he wanted to at least weaken Lyon as much as possible. If Orochi's Fin wasn't going to win, then neither was Lamia Scale.
"And with that, Bacchus has gotten the first victory of this round! Titan Nose is out of the running, while Quattro Cerberus has risen to fourth place!"
As Chapati spoke, Ichiya noticed Bacchus looking at him. The Quattro Cerberus mage walked over, wearing a cocky grin.
"Ah, you are a fan of mine," said Ichiya to Bacchus. "I do have a handsome perfume, after all."
"Bwhahahahahahaha!"
Bacchus burst out into laughter, busting a gut at Ichiya's absurd suggestion.
"As if, you weirdo," spoke Bacchus, still chuckling a bit. "You look like the weakest person here, so I'm gonna beat you and get my guild some easy points. First place may be out of the question, but I can still show everyone how tough Quattro Cerberus is."
As soon as he finished speaking, Bacchus shot at Ichiya like a rocket. Bacchus launched a barrage of magically enhanced palm strikes at his bizarre opponent's body. However, Ichiya blocked the attacks by taking a number of strange poses.
Then, Ichiya counterattacked with a punch to Bacchus's face, yelling "man" as he did so. Bacchus, to his surprise, was knocked back a few feet.
"Heh, I guess I underestimated you," said Bacchus, grinning as he opened his gourd of alcohol. Instead of easy points, it looked like he would be able to fight an exciting battle with a strong opponent.
"But now," continued Bacchus. "It's time I get wild!"
With a swig of his drink, the Quattro Cerberus mage restarted his assault on the Blue Pegasus mage. This time, the exchange ended with Ichiya being knocked back.
"I suppose I should respond by getting serious myself," spoke Ichiya as he pulled a bottle from his pocket. "Prepare for the handsome might of my power perfume!"
The weirdo uncorked his bottle and inhale the magical perfume's scent. Ichiya's body grew more muscular as he began his counterattack.
"Sparkle to Infinity!" yelled Ichiya, punching Bacchus. The Quattro Cerberus mage crossed his arms to block the attack, but he was still pushed back a few feet. The Blue Pegasus mage followed up with several more punches to his opponent's arms.
"Gah! My arms!" exclaimed Bacchus after the final attack of Ichiya's barrage made a snapping sound. Though he had protected his torso and head, the price was high.
"Do you surrender?" asked Ichiya, his body returning to normal (normal for Ichiya, anyway). He doubted that his opponent could continue now.
"Can't really use my Chop Hanging Palm style with broken arms," replied Bacchus, resigned but satisfied by the thrill of battle. "Not really anything I can do other than sur–"
Wham!
"You shouldn't drop your guard in a battle royale," mocked Thibault. The Twilight Ogre mage had been watching the fights, waiting for a moment to swoop in and defeat two foes at once. With Bacchus helpless and Ichiya's perfume having worn off, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to act.
"It was a bit underhanded, but Thibault has claimed the second victory of this round!" announce Chapati. "Twilight Ogre now has 7 points, putting them ahead of Fairy Tail!"
"To club an opponent from behind, one that had already fought another person and lost," spoke Ichiya in a more serious tone than usual. "You and your nasty perfume are going down."
Indeed, despite having his win stolen, the Blue Pegasus mage was angrier about his opponent's cowardly behavior. Ichiya charged at Thibault, punching him in the face before he could react with his club.
Luckily, compared to Ichiya, the Twilight Ogre mage was as weak as he was cowardly. The one punch was all it took.
"Wow! Two knockouts at once!" exclaimed Chapati. "Orochi's Fin and Twilight Ogre have been eliminated by Lyon and Ichiya respectively! Only half the competitors remain."
"The true battle is about to begin," commented Yajima.
Lyon and Ichiya turned towards Sting and Droy. However, to their surprise, the two mages were just standing there. Sting was grinning cruelly, while Droy appeared frozen mid-motion.
"It's called a Stigma," explained Sting arrogantly. "It takes away my opponent's movement. After all, if I beat this loser, then Sabertooth's victory would be assured and you two wouldn't fight nearly as hard."
What Sting said was true. Sabertooth had 38 points, while Blue Pegasus had 33 points and Lamia Scale had 31 point. The 5 points from defeating Droy would make it so that, at most, Blue Pegasus could hope to tie with Sabertooth.
"You better take this guy since you have less points," said Sting, gesturing from Lyon to Droy. "Then, the both of you can take me on at once."
The Lamia Scale mage slowly walked over to Droy, giving a "sorry" as he knocked out the Plant mage as gently as possible. It was not pleasant, but Lyon considered it more important to support his guild than support his own pride. He wasn't happy, though.
"You'll regret your decision," said Lyon, a cold rage filling his body. "I'll wipe that smug expression off of your face, you brat!"
"I will do the same!" interjected a posing Ichiya. "I'll teach you a lesson that will clear away your nasty perfume and replace it with a more handsome one!"
"Puh-lease, there's no way you weaklings can defeat me," taunted Sting. "You both got beaten up fighting other weaklings, while my battle wasn't even a warm-up!"
The cocky mage was right. He was the least tired of the three. Moreover, he knew what magics they used, while neither Lyon nor Ichiya knew what Sting's magic was.
Ichiya made the first move, charging at Sting. While running, he drew back a fist to punch the blonde brat. However, Sting responded with an attack of his own.
"White Dragon's Iron Fist," spoke Sting as his strike blew away Ichiya.
The entire crowd gasped at this, shocked to discover that the Sabertooth mage was a dragon slayer. Lyon was similarly surprised, though he shook it off quickly and joined the battle.
"Ice-Made: Eagle!" exclaimed Lyon, shooting several frozen birds at the newly unveiled dragon slayer.
"White Dragon's Roar!" responded Sting confidently, annihilating the sculpted birds. "If this is the best you two can do, then letting you beat that Fairy Tail loser was a waste of time."
This angered Lyon and Ichiya, who hated that a punk kid was insulting their friends. The two locked eyes for several seconds, then nodded. An alliance was formed to defeat Sting.
"Armpit Perfume!"
"Ice-Make: Snow Tiger!"
Knowing that dragon slayers have heightened senses, Ichiya uncorked a bottle of his worst-smelling perfume and threw it at the Sabertooth mage. Meanwhile, before Sting even started gagging, Lyon produced a powerful dynamic Ice-Make to tear him apart while he was distracted by the stench.
Sadly, they overestimated their condition and underestimated their opponent.
"White Drive," spoke Sting, having seen them exchange glances and realized they were planning something. A bright light cloaked his body, greatly increasing his abilities. He dashed past the perfume while holding his breath, punched apart the snow tiger sculpture with a White Dragon's Iron Fist, and continued towards Ichiya.
"You just throw something disgusting at me, so I'll take you down first," said Sting in a slightly annoyed tone. "White Dragon's Roar!"
The point-blank spell blasted Ichiya backwards until he slammed into an arena wall. His body then collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
"Now you," Sting said as he turned towards Lyon. "Holy Ray."
"Ice-Make: Shield!" shouted Lyon desperately. The dragon slayer's attack collided with the Ice Mage's defense, which began to crack. Seeing this, Lyon pushed more Magic Power into his shield, allowing him to weather the assault.
Unfortunately, with how much energy he expended earlier, this maneuver made him slump to the ground, exhausted.
Seeing that his foe was beaten, Sting sauntered over, dismissing his White Drive. After arriving before Lyon, Sting pulled back his fist and declared five words to everybody before delivering a final White Dragon's Iron Fist:
"Sabertooth is the strongest guild!"
"Unbelievable," mumbled Macao.
"Yet another dragon slayer," muttered Wakaba.
The rest of Fairy Tail was murmuring similar sentiments, baffled as they watched the battle royale. Droy had lost, Fairy Tail dropped into last place, and it turned out that Sabertooth had not one, but two dragon slayers.
As Sting toyed with and defeated Ichiya and Lyon, confirming Sabertooth's victory, Natsu spoke what everybody was thinking.
"It was bad enough to lose the Tenrou group," he said angrily, muttering yet still audible to his guildmates. "It was bad enough to have the guild fall into ruin and lose our guild hall. But for those assholes, who beat up our nakama and mocked us, to replace Fairy Tail as the strongest guild in Fiore… it's an insult to everything our guild stands for!"
"Um, Natsu," Millianna tried to interject.
"I've faced horrible monsters and overcame insane obstacles completing S-Class Jobs…" ranted Natsu, his rage building. "Yet still this happens. We're practically broke! We have no guild hall! Our reputation has gone from being the greatest to being a joke!"
"Natsu," repeated Millianna, a bit nervously.
"Fairy Tail has nothing! We tried our hardest, and we still failed due to so much bad luck that it's like the universe itself was working against us! Can't anything good happen to us!?"
"SOMETHING GREAT JUST DID HAPPEN!" Millianna yelled at the top of her lungs, realizing nothing quieter would get through to her husband. "MY WATER BROKE!"
"Huh?" went Natsu, instantly snapped out of his tirade. "What!?"
"What!?" echoed the rest of Fairy Tail, equally shocked.
GMG Day 5 Final Score:
1st Place: Sabertooth, 48 points
2nd Place: Lamia Scale, 36 points
3rd Place: Blue Pegasus, 33 points
4th Place: Quattro Cerberus, 18 points
5th Place: Orochi's Fin, 15 points
6th Place: Titan Nose, 11 points
7th Place: Twilight Ogre, 7 points
8th Place: Fairy Tail, 3 points
Omake
"White Dragon's Iron Fist!" shouted Sting, punching a criminal mage unconscious. "I think that's the last of them, Rogue."
"I agree," replied the Shadow Dragon Slayer.
"You're so awesome, Sting!" praised Lector.
"Rogue too!" added Frosch.
The two boys and their Exceed partners had met on their way to Magnolia Town. Sting had been hoping to meet his idol, Natsu Dragneel, and join Fairy Tail. Rogue had similar intentions regarding Gajeel, causing the two to become quick friends. They had stopped in Crocus for a bit when the group noticed some mages trying to rob a store.
"Indeed, you two are rather impressive," spoke a man in the store's entrance.
The boys and Exceeds turned towards the man, curious who he was.
"I am Jiemma, Guild Master of Sabertooth," spoke the man, seeing their questioning expressions. "We are a new guild stationed in Crocus, and we are looking for powerful members. Seeing what quick work you made of these robbers, I would like you two to join."
"Eh, pass," responded Sting immediately. "We're planning to join Fairy Tail and become stronger alongside our idols: Natsu Dragneel and Gajeel Redfox."
"Oh, Fairy Tail?" replied Jiemma with fake confusion. "But haven't you heard the news?"
"What news?" asked Rogue, apprehension creeping into his voice.
"Fairy Tail's strongest members were annihilated by Acnologia, a powerful black dragon, during their S-Class Trial on a remote island," spoke Jiemma calmly. "All that remains of that guild is weaklings."
"No way!" rejected Sting. "Natsu would never die, especially not against a dragon. He's a dragon slayer, for crying out loud!"
"Neither would Gajeel!" added Rogue.
"You are right, but for the wrong reasons," Jiemma told Sting. "Natsu was too cowardly to take the S-Class Trial, so he avoided the fate of his guildmates."
Then, Jiemma turned towards Rogue.
"Gajeel on the other hand, did die. The worst part is that he fought alongside another dragon slayer, a girl named Wendy Marvell, and still lost to a dragon. I suppose that Fairy Tail must have been weaklings even before Acnologia's actions."
"No way," repeated Sting, more quietly this time. It felt like this Guild Master had just shattered his entire world view in a single conversation, and he knew Rogue felt the same way.
"I understand that this must be hard to accept," said Jiemma with false kindness. "I will give you some time to confirm my words and consider my offer. You can find Sabertooth's guild hall is that way, just outside of town."
Jiemma pointed to his right as he spoke, then departed in that same direction. After he turned away from the boys and Exceeds, a cruel grin made its way onto his face.
It must have been the universe's way of rewarding his power, that he would come across so many powerful mages so quickly. First Orga, then Rufus, and now these two. Combined with his daughter, it suggested great things about Sabertooth's future.
The next day, Sting, Lector, Rogue, and Frosch joined Sabertooth.
AN: Fairy Tail has come in last place, just like canon. As a little tidbit, Fairy Tail being focused on less in this chapter and the previous one is somewhat intentional, a reflection of their fading from prominence in-universe. But, on the bright side, Natsu and Millianna's child is about to be born. The baby's name and gender will be revealed next chapter.
The Omake explains why Sting called Natsu a coward at the bar after the second event, and why him and Rogue think poorly of Fairy Tail.
That's all I have to say for now. Goodbye!