AN: Thanks AliceCullen3 and Goku275.
The Grand Magic Games resumed shortly after Princess Hisui's speech.
Chapati announced that Team Fairy Tail A had won the battle. Apparently, Kama had chosen to concede the match.
The next two battles were Ichiya and a disguised mage (revealed to be the Exceed Nichiya) of Blue Pegasus versus Bacchus & Rocker of Quattro Puppy, and Kagura and Flare of Mermaid Heel versus Lyon and Yuka of Lamia Scale. Despite Nichiya falling easily, Ichiya won a decisive victory for Blue Pegasus. On the other hand, the battle between Mermaid Heel and Lamia Scale went on for ten minutes without a winner, resulting in a draw.
This left only one fight remaining. Fairy Tail B versus Raven Tail. Natsu and Laxus versus Alexei and Obra. And it would be a match to remember.
Alexei punched Laxus to the ground. Nearby, Obra held Natsu in a chokehold/bearhug hybrid (using his legs for the bearhug portion) while draining the dragon of his Magic Power.
"What's the meaning of this?" asked Laxus as he and Natsu watched the fight play out next to them.
"It's one type of Illusion Magic," answered Alexei. "The crowd cannot see or hear us, only this illusory battle. I could explain it in more detail, but I doubt your companion has the intelligence or patience to understand."
"I'm definitely feeling less patient now," grumbled Natsu with a scowl. The others ignored him.
"I was hoping to negotiate with you," continued Alexei. "Offer to display any outcome you wanted, but I suppose a tag battle makes that impossible. Instead, I'll give you two options. Either assist me in taking out your 'teammate' or be crushed by all of Raven Tail alongside that lizard."
As Alexei spoke, Nullpudding, Kurohebi, and Bluenote walked up to his and Obra's side.
"No matter how powerful you are, the two of you'll never defeat all of Raven Tail at once," Alexei taunted as he began to remove his mask. "And one more thing—" the mask came off, revealing Ivan Dreyar "—I think you know how powerful I am, don't you? Idiot son of mine!"
"Yeah, I figured this would happen," stated Laxus calmly. "Dad, you asshole."
"Makarov will die without ever telling, but you're different," said Ivan. "Why don't you tell me now? Tell me where Lumen Histoire is!"
Natsu, having deemed Raven Tail a nonthreat, had decided to humor the Raven and let him talk before delivering a massive, vengeful ass-kicking for everything Raven Tail had done so far. However, Ivan's mention of the Fairy Heart made the dragon freeze.
"How do you know about that!?" demanded Natsu, surprising both Dreyars. "When Gramps showed it to me, he said only Fairy Tail's guild masters know about it!"
"So Makarov's finally gone senile," jeered Ivan. He turned to Obra and Bluenote. "Initiate Plan Delta. Obra, I leave interrogating the lizard to you."
"Hey!" shouted Natsu. "Stop calling me a liz— huh?"
The dragon felt a light weight on his body as the ground below him turned into a crater. He prepared to jump out of the crater, only to be stopped when Obra jumped onto him and the earth under them gave way.
The two of them fell down the newly-made hole, landing in a minecart. Before Natsu could get out, Obra flipped a switch and sent them both careening down the tracks that the minecart was on.
"Fuck *urp* you!" yelled Natsu as his motion sickness rendered him helpless. Obra simply chuckled at the dragon, waiting until they reached their destination before doing anything else.
Lucy's feelings about Mercurius were mixed. On one hand, the royal doctors were able to treat the damage caused by Neppa's acid.
Her injuries, which had been comparable to second or third degree burns, were now only first degree. Some splotchy scars would cover the area around her left shoulder, but that was nothing considering the rapid recovery time and lack of permanent damage.
On the other hand, the Cherry Blossom Holy Knight Squadron had confiscated her and Yukino's Celestial Spirit Gate Keys and locked the two of them in a cell.
"I apologize for this treatment," spoke the knight standing guard over them. "We didn't believe that Fairy Tail would accept the Eclipse Project if we asked nicely."
"Of course we wouldn't!" yelled Yukino. If she hadn't just reunited with her sister, whom she was separated from due to Zeref cultists, she may have accepted the Eclipse Project. However, without that weighing on her, the flaws in that plan were much clearer.
"Even if your plan works, people will still die!" continued Yukino. "Zeref's existence has shaped the course of history. Children like Blaze and Iggy are alive because he and his cults accidentally caused their parents to meet… advances in magic and medicine have been made in response to Zeref, saving countless lives… killing him means killing all those people too!"
"…You're right," admitted the knight with a sigh. "But, as long as Zeref is alive, all of humanity is at risk. Even if all of us are wiped from existence, the world will be saved."
Lucy sighed. "I just wanted to compete in the Grand Magic Games, and now I'm dealing with a plot to travel back in time and kill the world's most infamous mage when he was a child! Why does my life always have to be so crazy!?"
"Shut up!" yelled Ivan, firing a torrent of shikigami at his son, who blocked the attack with one arm.
After Natsu and Obra left, Laxus revealed that Makarov knew everything about Raven Tail and had chosen not to act, still caring about Ivan. The Raven was not taking it well.
"I've lived in the shadows for years, all of it preparing for this day!" ranted Ivan. "It was all so I could get my hands on Lumen Histoire! 'Done no evil for seven years'? Over course not! There's no way the fools you left behind would know where Lumen Histoire is!
"I searched inside the guild! All through Magnolia! On Sirius Island! Every place with the slightest connection to the guild! And I never found it! Where is Lumen Histoire!? Where is it!? Tell me now Laxus! YOU'RE MY SON, RIGHT!?
"Bluenote, now! Crush him! Now is the time to release the power of the guild created to fight Fairy Tail!"
"Guess I'm pretty lucky for this opportunity," said Laxus as he activated the Dragon Force. Turning into lightning, he escaped Ivan's barrage and shot at Bluenote. The former Dark Mage was biggest threat, so Laxus intended to finish him off before he could cast a single spell. "Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Roaring Thunder!"
A fist imbued with lightning slammed into Bluenote's face, its electricity tearing through his body. The Raven was blasted into the stadium wall, losing consciousness upon impact.
"That was for Yukino," stated Laxus.
For some reason, Nullpudding thought it would be smart to attack the guy who just defeated one of Raven Tail's strongest members in a single hit. "Needle Blast!"
Laxus leaned back, avoid Nullpudding's spike-covered arm as it swung by.
"This is for Gray," spoke Laxus, punching Nullpudding into the ground.
"No!" whispered Ivan, fear creeping into his voice.
Kurohebi, using his Mimic to copy the magic Sandstorm, gathered sand to strike Laxus. Apparently, he was just as foolish as Nullpudding.
"I don't… get you," Laxus told Kurohebi. Nobody in Fairy Tail had been wronged by him, though this didn't stop the dragon slayer from sending Kurohebi flying.
"M-my elite squad!" stammered Ivan.
"I don't know what you're after, and I don't care," Laxus said angrily. "But I am going to get payback for the friends you hurt!"
"W-wait! I am your father! We're family! You'd raise your fist against your own father!?"
"My family is Fairy Tail!" shouted Laxus, delivering an electrical punch to Ivan. "And I will crush my family's enemies!"
As Raven Tail's guild master was knocked out, his illusion fell. The audience saw the truth, as did the authorities. Suffice to say, neither Bluenote nor anyone else in Raven Tail would be talking about probation for the foreseeable future.
Results
1st: Fairy Tail B, 47 points.
2nd: Fairy Tail A, 44 points.
3rd: Blue Pegasus, 40 points.
4th: Mermaid Heel, 36 points.
5th: Garou Knights, 33 points.
5th: Lamia Scale, 33 points.
7th: Quattro Puppy, 15 points.
Disqualified: Raven Tail.
The first thing Natsu did after the minecart stopped was sigh in relief. The second thing he did was deliver a Fire Dragon's Iron Fist to Obra, knocking the Raven several feet back and onto the ground.
"That's for shoving me onto a minecart!" shouted the dragon at Obra's prone body. The Raven did not respond. "Hey, did I knock you out?"
Natsu walked up to Obra's body and poked it, only to get no reaction. At least, no reaction from the body.
"Kee hee hee," laughed the tiny creature that had been on Obra's neck. Current, it was crouched on some—
"Are those dragon bones!?" exclaimed Natsu. The creature nodded gleefully, which only made the dragon agitated. "Why did you bring me here!?"
"Because I told my familiar to," spoke a voice that gave Natsu chills. "Hello again, little brother."
"Zeref," said Natsu tensely, turning around to face the Black Mage.
"In the Thought Projection," replied Zeref calmly.
"What do you want?" questioned Natsu.
"I've been keeping an eye on you," started Zeref. "And, though I cannot see or hear her, I believe that Mavis has told you about our shared past."
"Wait! Did you seriously drag me here to talk about your love life?" accused Natsu.
The Black Mage ignored his younger brother and continued talking. "Knowing you two, her stories have given you the impression that I can be talked out of unleashing death and destruction upon the world, like what has been done with the people in Crime Sorcière. However, that is wrong. I have resolved to exterminate every worthless human who walks this world, and you must resolve yourself to kill me if you want to stop that from happening."
Zeref's words made Natsu's blood run cold. It was clear that this was no bluff.
"…If you're so resolved, then why are you telling me this?" asked Natsu, trying to avoid sounding intimidated. Zeref frowned but still answered his younger brother's question.
"Consider it a bit of lingering affection," said Zeref. "I've given you the opportunity to stop me because, in the highly unlikely event that I'm mistaken, you and the rest of her guild stand the best chance of proving me wrong.
"And one more thing. The fact that you're so young despite us being brothers… it's because of a creation of mine… the Eclipse Gate."
With that, Zeref's thought projection vanished, leaving Natsu alone. (Zeref's familiar had scurried off during the conversation.)
Not long after, the figure (cloaked as usual) walked through the tunnels underneath the Domus Flau, following the directions their companion gave them. Soon, they heard a familiar voice.
"…really are dragon bones!" shouted Natsu, unaware of their presence. "What are they doing here!? *sigh* Well, at least they're all too old to be Igneel's."
The dragon gave a nod, then froze as he caught a whiff of the figure's scent. His head snapped in their direction, sporting a mixture of confusion and suspicious. He raised a flaming fist, preparing for a fight.
"Why do you smell like that?" demanded Natsu angrily. "Why do you smell like my daughter?"
The figure pulled down the hood of their cloak, revealing the face of a girl with Natsu's pink hair and Millianna's dark brown eyes.
"Because I am your daughter," answered Blaze. "Well, your daughter from seven years into a terrible future that we came back to prevent. I've got a lot to tell you, Dad."
"Huh?" went the dragon, uncomprehending. Countless questions raced through his mind. "HUH!?"
Omake
"You're kidding…"
"Is this a joke?"
"They're getting beaten?"
The members of Fairy Tail watched in astonishment as Natsu and Laxus, two of their strongest members, were overwhelmed by Alexei and Obra of Raven Tail.
Makarov was so shocked that he contacted Bisca, the Thunder God Tribe, and Lisanna, all of whom confirmed that Ivan and the remaining three members of Team Raven did not appear to be doing anything.
"I can't believe it!" shouted Makarov.
At that moment, Natsu attempted to punch Obra, only to miss and hit the ground. The floor collapse under the two of them, causing them to fall onto a minecart. Obra then flipped a switch, and the minecart started taking away him and a now-motion sick Natsu away.
"Wow!" exclaimed Chapati. "Obra sacrificed himself to eliminate Natsu by moving them both out of bounds!"
"…that I can believe," sighed Makarov as him and the rest of Fairy Tail cringed at Natsu being once again defeated by his motion sickness.
AN: Raven Tail is down and the figure's identity has been revealed. It was Future Blaze, who dropped her verbal tic as a result of the terrible events she lived through. By the way, the events that led Future Blaze here and her companion's identity will be revealed next chapter.
That is all. Bye!