Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS! Read at your own risk. There's still original stuff in here, but if you haven't gotten to this point in the anime/manga, then some things may be ruined for you. I advise catching up to the anime/manga if you haven't already (for more reasons than just reading my story)! Thank you and enjoy!

Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon

Chapter 107

"There he is!" Meredy squealed in delight. She leaned in closely and peered into Ultear's crystal ball. "It's Niky!"

She, Ultear, and Jellal stood atop one of the massive statues outside of the arena. Through Ultear's magic, they could watch the Grand Magic Games closely even from their safe distance. This way they could be searching for the source of the strange magic alongside Fairy Tail. It was the best option for them considering their circumstances. Of course, the moment Meredy saw Nikolias standing at the forefront of Fairy Tail's B Team, she couldn't suppress her joy.

Meredy clapped her hands together and sighed. "It's been so long since I've seen him! He's just as handsome as I remember!"

"I'm amazed Nikolias's team managed to beat Sabertooth," Ultear marveled. "That's truly an impressive feat."

"Keep focused," Jellal sighed. "We've asked for a very big favor from Erza and the others. We have to do our due diligence and watch out for any signs of strange magic."

"The Games haven't even started yet," Meredy pouted. "I'll pay attention when it counts."

Jellal nodded. "Good to hear."

Meredy beamed. "And when we solve the mystery, I'll make sure to finally meet Niky in person!"

Jellal sweatdropped. 'Will she actually be able to stay focused?'


"Okay, everyone, you've waited long enough! The time has now come to announce the program for the Grand Magic Games!"

The ground within the arena began to shake violently. The dirt was pushed aside as a large stone slab rose from the ground. Thick black writing was printed on one side, outlining the program for the Grand Magic Games.

Chapati began reading from his notes. "Starting with last night's competition, points have already been divided among the teams, based on their ranking in the elimination round. Points were awarded as follows: 10 points for first place, 8 points for second, 6 points for third, 4 points for fourth, 3 points for fifth, 2 points for sixth, 1 point for seventh, and 0 points for eighth.

"Now here's the format for the Grand Magic Games going forward. The Games take place over seven days, though the tournament lasts five days. The first four days of the Games will have a Competition section and a Battle Section. For the Competition Section, each team can select one member to participate. Points are awarded in the same fashion as they were for the elimination round. As for the Battle Section, fan votes will be taken into consideration when the sponsors make the pairings."

Gray clicked his tongue. "So they can decide on match-ups however they damn please, huh?"

"So, if you're unlucky, you could exhaust your magic during the Competition, then be forced into a Battle right after," Lucy analyzed.

"The rules for the Battle Section are simple," Chapati continued. "One member from two teams face off against each other, with the winning team receiving 10 points and the losing team receiving 0 points. In the case of a draw, both teams are awarded 5 points.

"And now, the Competition Section for the first day! The Grand Magic Games' opening game! Let's begin 'Hidden'!"

In a flash, all of the words printed on the slab outlining the rules of the Games vanished and were replaced with the word "Hidden" in large black print.

"For this game, each team selects one person to compete. The rules of the game will be explained after all selected players are on the field."

One of the Quatro Cerberus players pumped his fists and faced his teammates. "Leave this one to me!"

The leader nodded. "Never forget! Your soul is always…"

"""""WILD FOUR!"""""

The whole team performed their cheer as their selected member stepped forward.

"The first participant is Quatro Cerberus's Yeager!" Chapati announced.

For Mermaid Heel, the young girl pointed to herself. "Let me check out the first one!"

"You have permission," the black-haired leader agreed.

The girl smiled happily as she skipped forward.

"From Mermaid Heel, Beth Vanderwood!"

The mysterious leader of Raven Tail growled, "Nullpudding, you go."

The small purple man grinned wide and crept towards the center. "Sure thing."

"From Raven Tail, Nullpudding!"

Eve adjusted his tie. "I'll do this one."

Ichiya posed while pointing at the boy. "Eve is our first person, men!"

""Eve is our first person!"" Hibiki and Ren parroted as they, with the bunny man, mimicked Ichiya's pose.

"From Blue Pegasus, Eve Tilm!"

The blonde-haired man dressed for the theater adjusted his feathered hat. "I'll do this game. The singing of the birds is pleasant today."

Sting nodded. "Right. Take care of this."

Chapati grabbed the mic excitedly. "While they may have placed a surprising second in the elimination round, all eyes are still on Sabertooth! For this first game, they go with the minstrel who sings to the red moon! Rufus Lore is here!"

The crowd erupted in cheers. Many women screamed with joy and swooned as they watched Rufus step forward.

Natsu huffed. "The hell are they making such a fuss for? Damn idiots!"

Erza put a hand to her chin. "I don't know what the rules of the game are, but the name of the game is 'Hidden', so that might mean hiding is necessary."

"If only Wendy were here. She's little, so this would be perfect for her," Lucy sighed.

Gracie nodded. "I think it's a safe assumption for us to have, but it's hard to craft a strategy of who should participate with so little to go on. It could be that we have to hide, but it could also mean we have to find something hidden."

As Fairy Tail A Team tried to decide their participant, Lamia Scale was selecting their member.

"Being small may be an advantage, so either Yuka or I should go," Sheria offered.

"Don't call me small," Yuka grumbled.

Lyon smirked. "No. I'll go and take off like a rocket form the start."

Everyone sighed as Lyon walked off. They knew once he had made up his mind there was no changing it.

"From Lamia Scale, Lyon Vastia!"

Gray grinned. "Lyon's going, huh? In that case, I'll be in it."

"From Fairy Tail A Team, Gray Fullbuster!"

Gracie palmed her forehead. "Oh, for the love of…we didn't decide that yet!"

"I'm sure Gray can handle it, Gracie," Erza assured.

Gracie stomped her feet. "If you hadn't been so antsy to have this little dick measuring contest, I could have come up with a plan!" She pointed at Gray. "That being said, I have the utmost faith in you! You better not lose now!"

Gray nodded confidently and walked forward.

Hearts appeared in Juvia's eyes. "If Gray-sama is going to be in it, then so is Juvia!"

"Really?" Nikolias asked. "I mean, this game is called 'Hidden'. As a Shadow Dragon, that's kind of my strength."

Juvia threw herself at Nikolias, tears in her eyes. "Oh please, Nikolias! Don't take this chance away from Juvia!"

Nikolias looked into her pleading eyes and sighed. "Fine, fine. If you want to participate that badly, I won't stand in your way."

Juvia leapt back, ecstatic. "Oh, thank you! Juvia knew you would support her love!"

He chuckled. "Just go do your best, okay?"

"Oi," Gajeel growled. "If you lose on purpose, there will be hell to pay!"

Juvia nodded emphatically before running forward.

"From the surprising first place finishers, Fairy Tail B Team, Juvia Lockser! With that, all the participating players from the eight teams have been decided!" Chapati declared. With this announcement, all remaining team members made their way towards their designated sections, except for Fairy Tail A Team.

"Aw man," Ash groaned as she leaned on the railing of Fairy Tail B Team's spectator section. "I was really hoping to see Nikolias participate in this one."

"Mm," Sky agreed with a nod. "I was hoping for that too. What about you, Angel?" She turned to the hooded girl beside her. From beneath the hood, she could see Angel's eyes fixed on the arena below, but she seemed oddly distracted. "Angel?"

Angel blinked and looked over. "Oh, sorry. What was that you were saying?"

"Are you okay?" Sky asked.

Angel waved her hand dismissively. "What are you talking about? I'm fine, fine!"

"Were you looking at something just now?" Ash asked. "You seemed distracted."

"Did I? Oh, I was, umm…just looking at my darling, of course!" She clapped her hands together. "Oh, how I wish I could watch him battle and make the competition eat his dust!"

Ash and Sky nodded their agreement, but they also couldn't shake the feeling that Angel wasn't telling them everything.

The eight participating members stood in the center of the arena before the massive stone slab. On the slab, each of their names and associated guilds were displayed below the game's name in the order they were announced.

"We're about ready to begin!" Chapati announced. "But what kind of competition is 'Hidden'? Mr. Yajima, is there a player we should pay close attention to especially?"

Yajima nodded. "Rufus of Sabertooth is definitely the crowd favorite, but I'll be watching Gray from Fairy Tail A Team closely."

Chapati nodded. "And what about you, Ms. Jenny?"

Jenny smiled sweetly. "Why, our darling Eve of course. He's quite strong."

Down on the field, Juvia turned to Gray. "Gray-sama, Juvia is sorry, but she has no intention of losing this competition."

Gray smiled. "Of course not. Hit me with everything you've got!"

Lyon nodded. "I'll be giving you everything I have as well, for my darling Juvia's sake!"

Juvia squirmed uncomfortably. Gray sighed. "Don't pay attention to him. His idiocy is probably contagious."

Suddenly, there was a cloud of smoke that appeared before the stone slab. Once the smoke cleared, the pumpkin-headed mascot appeared. "Hello, participants for Hidden! Now, let's begin—"

"Hold on one moment," Nullpudding interrupted. "This game, Hidden, that will begin any second. I may not know what it entails, or any of the competitions for that matter, but it seems clear to me that the two fairies have an advantage."

Gray glared at Nullpudding. "What was that?"

"It can't be helped," the pumpkin-headed mascot said with a shrug. "It's simply amazing that two teams from the same guild made it this far."

"It's fine with me. My memory is singing," Rufus said. "It's not necessarily the case that two of them would lead to an advantage." He looked over at Juvia. "Besides, I long to see the skill of the team that placed first in the elimination round."

Juvia sweatdropped. 'Though Nikolias was the reason for that, not Juvia…' She chose to keep that thoughts to herself, however.

Yeager punched his palm. "It doesn't matter to me, either!"

"I'm fine with it, too!" Beth said happily.

Nullpudding clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"You're quite confident," Gray said, looking over at Rufus. "Does that come with the territory of being on top?"

Rufus shook his head and held out his hands, a confident, calm smile gracing his charming features. "Not at all. It's simply possible that your fellow guild member will become your weakness instead of your strength. For example, she could be taken hostage, threatened, or she could leak information. There are many more possible unfavorable outcomes that could be created, but I think you understand." He pointed to his head with two fingers. "Keep that in mind."

"Yeah sure, I'll keep that in mind," Gray said dismissively.

The pumpkin-headed figure clapped his hands. "Alright, now that that's out of the way…FIELD OPEN!" He pointed to the sky. A veil of pixelated light surrounded the entire area. Suddenly, several buildings of varying sizes, wide cobblestone streets, tight dark alleys, and several open plazas appeared all around the center of the arena.

Through some strange magic, an entire town had appeared. All the eight participants had been dispersed randomly throughout the town without them even noticing.

From outside the magical "town", screens sparked to life in front of all the audience members, announcers, and teams. Each screen showed one of the participants. "Please enjoy the action from inside the town through our Lacrima Vision!" Chapati said excitedly, his eyes glued to the screens to start shout casting.

Gray looked around but couldn't see Juvia or Lyon anywhere. "What the hell happened? Where did everyone go?"

In her own section, Juvia walked the streets cautiously. "Everyone disappeared."

Lyon sighed as he walked down the alley in which he had suddenly appeared. "I see. So that's what this is about."

"We're playing hide and seek, huh?" Eve grinned.

Beth hummed as she looked around her area. "Where do I hide?"

"What a weird way to play hide and seek," Yeager barked. "Who the hell is the seeker supposed to be if we're all hiding?"

"None of the eight participants know what the others are doing." Chapati began his explanation of Hidden. "The rules are simple. Every participant is both a hider and a seeker. The goal is to find each other in this town! You can use any kind of magic and deliver a single blow! The magic doesn't even have to do damage. The attacker will get one point and the one struck will lose one point! Now there is one twist…"

On cue, hundreds of magical figures began appearing. Each figure was of one of the participating members. There were so many illusions that they flooded the streets. The eight real participants were completely emersed in the crowd.

Gray looked around in disbelief. Looking at copies of himself was especially unnerving. "What the hell is going on here?!"

From outside the town, Fairy Tail A Team looked on in shock as well.

"There are so many copies!" Lucy breathed.

Natsu hunched over. "Ugh…so many Grays. So gross."

"This is certainly a pain. Even we'll probably lose track of the real Gray," Erza said.

Gracie analyzed the screens. "At least they seem to be stationary. If they were all moving around, it would be difficult to truly tell real from fake."

Chapati continued with his explanation of the rules of Hidden. "These are magical copies of everyone. If you accidentally attack a copy, you will lose one point! Now, let 'Hidden' begin!"

A gong sounded, alerting the start of the game. The crowd roared in excitement.

"This isn't hide and seek!" Yeager cried, studying the copies around him. "It's about figuring out the real enemy!"

While others were looking around and trying to strategize, Juvia was in heaven. "So many Gray-samas!" she swooned. She lunged at one of them. "With all these Gray-samas, Juvia should be able to help herself to one!" She wrapped her arms around one of the Gray copies, sighing with pleasure at getting to embrace her love.

Suddenly, a blaring buzzer sounded. Juvia vanished from her position and reappeared a few seconds later, on the ground in another location. On the Lacrima Vision screens, a "-1" appeared above Juvia.

"Oh my! Juvia attacked a copy and lost one point!" Chapati shouted. "Just to clarify, the player who is attacked or attacks a copy restarts ten seconds later in a different area. As long as it's within the 30-minute time limit, a player can restart any number of times."

In Fairy Tail B Team's section, Gajeel was grinding his teeth in annoyance. "That fuckin' moron!"

"This might be trouble for Juvia," Mira giggled.

"Damn, I would have been great at this game," Nikolias sighed. "I could easily hunt down everyone in no time."

"You would have done marvelously, darling!" Angel agreed cheerily as she hugged his arm.

Nikolias sweatdropped as he looked at her. "You know you're not supposed to be over here, right? You're supposed to be in our spectator section. Actually, when the hell did you even get over here?"

"Oh, what's the harm?" Angel answered dismissively, ignoring Nikolias's second question.

"You're being a bad influence on Sky and Ash!" He pointed accusingly at her. True enough, Sky and Ash were standing next to her to watch. They had followed Angel over to the B Team's section. "You three should really be following the rules."

"But I want to watch with you," Sky pouted, giving Nikolias a puppy dog look. "I can't?"

Nikolias groaned as he palmed his face. "Fine, have it your way."

Angel silently winked at Sky and flashed her a thumbs up. 'Nice one, Sky!'

Sky returned the gesture, a twinkle in her eye.

Mira giggled. 'My, Sky really does have Nikolias wrapped around her finger, doesn't she?'

"And now, to win the game!" Chapati shouted. "The team that has the most points at the end of the 30-minute time limit will place first. Points will be awarded for every ranking!"

Gray ran through the crowd of fakes. "Damn it! Finding in this game is harder than hiding!"

"Oh, I don't know about that."

A sinister voice caused Gray to freeze. He turned around. Standing there was Nullpudding.

Nullpudding sneered at Gray. "You really should try to grasp the rules faster."

"Who the hell are you?" Gray growled. He knew nothing about this man, other than that he was from Raven Tail, but he felt on edge.

"Nullpudding from Raven Tail," Nullpudding replied with the same wide grin.

"I didn't think you'd be the first one to come at me." Gray slammed his fist against his palm. His Ice Make magic erupted from his palm as he pulled his hand away. A large hammer of ice was now gripped tightly in his hand. "But at least I don't have to look for you now! ICE HAMMER!" He swung his hammer down, striking Nullpudding full force. The ground shattered beneath the force of his attack. He grinned with confidence. He could feel just how much stronger his Maker Magic had become since going through Second Origin. "And now for a point."

However, instead of the satisfaction of receiving a point, Gray was met with a blaring buzzer, indicating he had in fact lost a point.

Gray was shocked. Lying before him was Nullpudding. So how had he lost a point? "What?! But…the attack hit him head-on!"

A laugh echoed out as Nullpudding stepped out from the crowd. "Too bad. That was just a copy," he purred tauntingly.

"But…how did you do that?" Gray demanded. Before he could get an answer, he vanished and reappeared on the ground in another location ten seconds later.

Gracie clenched her fists as she watched on. "He hid behind a copy."

"So Gray lost a point because he attacked a copy?" Lucy asked for clarification.

A "-1" appeared on the Lacrima Vision screen. Gracie nodded. "Yep, that's a point lost for Gray."

Gray slammed his fist on the ground. "Damn it…I see. He used his copy carefully to approach the me. Not a bad strategy, but if the enemy figures it out they can counter. So that's what 'Hidden' is all about." He pushed himself off the ground. "Getting down on myself won't help. I better start looking around."

Natsu scratched his head vigorously. "How the hell is he supposed to find anyone?"

"I'm not sure," Lucy replied worriedly. "Everyone is blending in so well."

"If Gray acts too carelessly, the enemy will know exactly where he is," Erza added. "What will you do, Gray?"

Gracie's eyes were fixed on Gray. "He can do it. He just needs to keep a level head and think. I know he's got this."

Gray continued to wander around, but all he could see were the same faces everywhere. He had no idea if any of them were real. "Damn it. How am I supposed to figure this out?"

"Oh, Gray…I found you!"

Gray recognized the taunting voice. It was Nullpudding. Somehow, he had located him again. Before he could even turn around, he felt a sharp force slam into his back, sending him flying forward.

"Gray!" Natsu roared.

"But how did he know?" Erza cried incredulously.

A "-2" appeared on the Lacrima Vision screens for Gray. Not long into the game, Gray was already down 2 points.

Gray pushed himself to his hands and knees and glared behind him. Nullpudding stood there, his entire body and hair covered in spikes sprouting from his skin, with an evil grin. "That bastard. He went after me again!" And once again, he vanished.

The Lacrima Vision for Nullpudding showed "+1". He sneered. "You're such an easy mark!"

"With that attack from Nullpudding, he stands in first place with 1 point!" Chapati cried. "Gray also falls to last with -2 points! On a field with yourself and an army of enemies, what should you do to find the real opponents?"

Yajima nodded. "There are various ways. For example, you could look for your opponent's magic."

Jenny giggled as she watched the Lacrima Vision with Eve displayed. "Oh, I think Eve has a better method than that."

Gracie crossed her arms. "I don't know…I guess looking for your opponent's magic can help you get an idea of where to go, but unless it's right in front of you it's hard to pinpoint."

"The hell are you doing, Gray?" Natsu bellowed, even though there was no way for Gray to hear him. "How could you let him get you twice?"

Lucy glared up at Raven Tail. She couldn't quite place it, but something felt off. The way that Nullpudding was maneuvering and acting seemed strange.

The red-haired girl noticed Lucy's gaze and returned the glare with a cold look. "What are you looking at, blondie?"

Lucy clenched her fists. "First you go after Wendy and now this. You just want to crush us completely, don't you?"

"Blondie," the red-haired girl hissed.

"Enough, Flare!" Raven Tail's leader barked. The red-haired girl flinched and returned her gaze to the screens.

Once he reappeared, Gray pushed himself up and brushed himself off. "Shit. Back to square one again." He started moving through the crowd of copies, his guard heightened for any signs of attack as he scanned the area.

What he did not predict, however, was that the ground in front of him would burst open and orange projectiles would rocket towards him. Fortunately, he was able to dodge to his left at the last moment, narrowly avoiding damage.

From inside of the hole, Beth popped her head out. She blinked in surprise. "Huh? My Carrot Missiles missed?" However, her surprise would continue to grow as a green spiked plant erupted from beneath her. The attack shot her high into the air before she disappeared.

Yeager laughed from behind Gray. It was his surprise attack that had launched Beth and had scored him a point. "I saw you use your magic!" But the next thing he knew, a cold blade of ice was slamming into his face. He crashed into a building before disappearing, along with his first and only point.

The attack that had struck Yeager was Lyon's. He stood with a smirk. "And I saw your magic."

Gray turned to him. "Lyon…"

"I finally found you, Gray," he replied.

"Gray-samaaaaaa!"

Both Gray and Lyon looked up upon hearing the voice. Leaping down from the building was Juvia.

"Juvia?"

"Panties?!"

Gray's face stiffened, while Lyon's face turned bright red from catching a glimpse of Juvia's underwear. Due to Lyon's distracted state, Juvia was able to land a sharp kick to the top of his head, scoring her a point and erasing the point Lyon had just acquired. Lyon vanished, still muttering about panties. Juvia's points had returned to a neutral "0".

Gray scratched his head. "You know, I really don't need you helping me out."

Juvia nodded, a serious look on her face. "Juvia knows. Juvia's going to beat you, Gray-sama! It's what Juvia promised Master!"

Gray raised an eyebrow. "You promised something to Gramps?"

"Yes." She suddenly began to squirm. She cupped her reddened face. "Master said that the winning team gets to do what they want with the losing team for a whole day! He called it a punishment game for the losing team, which means Gray-sama will surely ask for a kiss!"

"Quit screwin' around!" Gray shouted. He looked towards the sky. "Gramps! You didn't tell us anything about this, damn it! That damn rule better apply to us, too!"

The rest of Fairy Tail A Team turned towards Makarov as well, looking for an explanation.

Makarov coughed and stroked his moustache. "Yes, well…of course it does!"

Natsu smirked. "That could be fun! I'll totally make Gajeel and Laxus imitate Happy!"

"That's what you'd want?" Lucy sweatdropped, though she was relieved to hear it was a tame request.

Gracie chuckled evilly. "A punishment game, eh? What evi—I mean funny things could I do to Niky? Maybe I'll have him run around Magnolia buck naked! I wonder how many girls would faint. Heh heh heh!"

"The hell is wrong with you?" Nikolias spat at Gracie, having overheard her evil plans.

Angel sighed and blushed, her hand cupping her face. "Personally, I would have my darling take me on a romantic date!"

"I already told you, you're not in the damn game," Nikolias snapped, rapping her on the top of her head with his knuckle. She whimpered as she rubbed her head.

Juvia reclaimed her serious look and took a battle-ready stance. "So that is why Juvia will not lose!"

Gray took his stance as well. "Well at least you're going to take this seriously, even if the motivation is insane."

"Two fairies for the price of one!"

Before either Juvia or Gray could react, with surprising speed, Nullpudding leapt at them out of nowhere and swung his spiked fists. An uppercut landed on Juvia's chin and a left hook caught Gray square in the chest. Both went flying in opposite directions.

"He's after Gray again!" Lucy cried.

"That bastard," Erza growled.

Gray groaned as he pushed himself up in his new location. "Damn it! What the hell is with that guy?" Suddenly, he felt something cold brush his cheek. Reflexively, he touched the spot and was surprised to see a droplet of water on his finger. When he looked up, his confusion only grew. "Is this…snow?"

Indeed, all across the arena, gentle snow had begun to fall. Dark clouds had blanketed the sunny sky.

Chapati gripped the microphone in excitement. "Oh my! What in the world is this? It started to snow in the town!"

Jenny smiled knowingly. "Eve's made his move."

And sure enough, kneeling nearby was Eve. His hand was pressed to the ground as his magic went to work creating a mild snowfall. He grinned. "I admit, I miscalculated by not realizing there are some wizards here who can stand the cold."

Gracie nodded knowingly. "I see. His pickup lines may be cringey, but that's actually a pretty impressive strategy."

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked.

Gracie looked over at him. "In cold weather, most people shiver, and everyone's breath can be seen. But copies aren't living things. They won't react to the cold, and they probably aren't breathing. So the cold will make it simple for him to find the real things in the sea of copies."

"That certainly is a sound strategy," Erza nodded.

With the temperature in the arena dropped to sufficient levels, Eve went to work. He swung his arms, summoning frigid icy winds that struck Beth, Yeager, and Nullpudding, earning him a quick three points. Girls in the stands all cheered and screamed his name.

Eve had very little time to celebrate his quick success. Sensing something behind him, he tried to leap away. Two ice birds smashed into the ground near him, but a third ice bird found its target. It collided with Eve's back.

The ice birds belonged to Lyon. His resistance to the cold had given him a chance to sneak up on Eve and launch a surprise attack. "Sorry, but the cold won't help you against me."

"I figured as much," Eve chuckled before vanishing. Once he did, the snow vanished and the sunshine returned.

The crowd roared with excitement as the competition began ramping up. Competitors were finding each other with more frequency, so points were changing hands often. The only one who remained unseen was Sabertooth's Rufus. He had yet to make an appearance or a move.

Gray was the only one struggling. And the reason for that was…

"I found you!"

Gray managed to leap away right before Nullpudding's spiked fist could land a blow. "Would you fuck off?! Why the hell are you only targeting me?!"

Nullpudding said nothing. He only laughed.

"Things are certainly getting very exciting out there," Chapati said, "though Sabertooth's Rufus has yet to make a move. He hasn't attacked or been attacked yet. I wonder…" Chapati stopped midsentence as he noticed something on one of the screens. "What is this?!"

Standing atop one of the chimneys of one of the buildings was Rufus. People were shocked. He was making no effort to conceal his presence. He simply smiled with his arms folded behind his back. "I remember it. Everyone's heartbeat, footsteps, the quality of their magic."

"Damn it Gray, look up!" Natsu shouted at the screen.

"What's he doing up there?" Lucy wondered.

"What could he be planning?" Gracie contemplated. "The point of the game is to hide among the copies and strike inconspicuously. Yet this guy…"

Rufus lifted his hands, pointing to his head with two fingers on each hand. A large red magic circle appeared behind him. Spirals of yellow magical light twirled around him like helixes. "MEMORY MAKE!"

Suddenly, the light in the sunny sky vanished, replaced by a starry night sky. The entire arena was blanketed in darkness. Each competitor, however, found themselves wrapped in a thin veil of light. It was as if they had become luminescent. They all froze, their attention fixed on Rufus, waiting to see what move he would make.

Rufus thrust his arms out. "NIGHT OF FALLING STARS!" The light converged around him, making him shine like the sun. Thin beams then shot out of the light and fell in the form of arcing stars. Each star of light sought out the illuminated competitors as if they were homing beacons. Once struck, each competitor felt magic power shoot through their bodies like electricity.

The only one who managed to dodge at the last second was Nullpudding. He pivoted and leapt high into the air, racing towards Rufus with a wide grin. "You stick out like a sore thumb!"

But Rufus seemed unfazed by this. He didn't look at Nullpudding. He didn't even move.

Nullpudding reached Rufus's height. He threw out a punch. But right before it landed, Rufus disappeared in a puff of smoke. Nullpudding blinked in surprise. "What the hell? Was that a copy?"

"Oh relax." Rufus's calm voice preceded his reappearance on the chimney stack. He smiled down at Nullpudding's falling figure. "You won't lose any points. All that you struck was the memory of me being there." With a simple wave of the hand, one of Rufus's Falling Stars struck the now defenseless Nullpudding. "I have no need for decoys."

The night sky vanished, returning the sky to the cloudless, sunny sky it had once been. The crowd roared for their clear favorite. With effortless skill, he had managed to score 7 unanswered points.

"INCREDIBLE!" Chapati cried. "Everyone's been wiped out! In an instant, Rufus has rocketed all the way to first place! That's Rufus! That's the power of Sabertooth!"

Rufus held his arms out. "Spectators! This competition isn't interesting. I didn't even need to hide, after all. If they find me, their attacks miss because they only target the memory of me that stays behind."

Lucy gulped. "I guess I can see why they're considered the strongest guild in Fiore."

"No kidding," Gracie agreed. "There were no dirty tricks there. Just pure skill and crazy ass magic."

Gray pushed himself up and looked up at Rufus from his new location. "Molding Magic, huh?" Gray pushed off the ground, making a rush for Rufus. "Bastard! At least obey the rules of 'Hidden'! Take this seriously!"

But before he could even get close, a figure appeared in front of him. And he was getting sick of looking at the smug grin.

Nullpudding snickered as he spun in the air, landing a kick to Gray's head that pushed him forcibly into the cobblestone road.

"Not again!" Gray coughed.

"That creep. Instead of going for the opponent right in front of him, an opponent who isn't even hiding, he just keeps going for Gray!" Lucy cried, nervously wringing her hands.

"He truly seems to only be interested in targeting us," Erza observed with narrowed eyes.

Gracie's body trembled in annoyance. "That freaking piece of grape colored shit!"

And then, a bell rang. The screens all vanished. The entire town vanished without a trace.

"TIME'S UP!" Chapati announced. A giant screen appeared, displaying the standings for Hidden. "Here are the rankings! In first place, earning 10 points, is Sabertooth! In second place, earning 8 points, is Raven Tail! In third place, earning 6 points, is Lamia Scale! In fourth place, earning 4 points, is Blue Pegasus! In fifth place, earning 3 points, is Mermaid Heel! In sixth place, earning 2 points, is Quatro Cerberus! In seventh place, earning 1 point, is Fairy Tail B Team! And in eighth place, earning no points, is Fairy Tail A Team! As expected, Sabertooth took first place and pushes themselves to first place overall! And the surprise of the elimination round, Fairy Tail B Team, placed seventh, knocking them down to third overall! Could they have been a fluke?"

"It was a brilliant competition," Yajima complimented. "Both Fairy Tail teams also put up a good fight, but I would expect better from them next time."

The crowd laughed and jeered at the downtrodden Fairy Tail members as they returned to their teams.

"I knew Fairy Tail was gonna suck!"

"Once in last, always in last!"

"You guys are through!"

"You used up all your luck in the elimination round!"

Natsu spun around and faced the crowd. Thick veins throbbed in his forehead. "Bastards! What the hell do you think is so funny?!"

Erza put a hand on Natsu's shoulder. "Enough, Natsu. If they want to laugh, let them laugh."

Gray quietly walked by everyone. "Sorry." He didn't stop walking. He didn't even make eye contact. But he felt he had to say it. He had let the team down.

"It's okay!" Lucy said brightly, trying to alleviate some of the guilt she felt Gray was wearing. "We're only getting started!"

Gracie put herself in Gray's way. "Don't let it get you so down," she said gently. "You gave it your all. We'll get another shot at 'em."

Gray walked around Gracie. "Sure."

Gracie turned and looked at Gray's back with concern. "Even if the results weren't what we wanted, we're still proud of you."

Gray entered the tunnel leading out of the arena. His fists were clenched as scenes from Hidden ran through his mind. Each scene was of Nullpudding's grinning, condescending face and Rufus's gentle, arrogant smile. 'Raven Tail…and the Molding Magic mage of Sabertooth.' He punched the wall, busting a hole in the thick stone. Frustration flooded his body and his face twitched with anger. "I swear I'll get both of you back!"

Over at Fairy Tail B Team's section, Juvia stood apologetically in front of everyone, her head bowed. "Juvia is sorry she let you all down."

"Damn right!" Gajeel spat. "You clearly let your guard down around Gray!"

"Easy, Gajeel," Nikolias said. "I truly believe Juvia fought hard."

Sky nodded. "I agree. Good fight, Juvia."

"Plus, you didn't place last! That's something!" Angel added.

"But what was with that purple guy?" Ash asked. "I know he wasn't going after Juvia, but it irks me that he was only attacking Gray."

Nikolias narrowed his eyes. "I'm concerned about that as well." He looked over at Raven Tail, his golden-brown eyes flaring with anger. "We'll have to keep our eyes on Raven Tail."

"Now that Hidden has concluded," Chapati continued, "it's time for the Battle part! A member from each team will fight in a single match. And remember, this part isn't a tournament."

"And it's the sponsors that determine the pairings, right?" Jenny asked.

"I just hope the match-ups are interesting!" Yajima said.

Chapati picked up a piece of paper. "Here are the list of matches for the first day! Our first match for day one is…Fairy Tail A Team's Lucy Heartfilia versus Raven Tail's Flare Corona!"

Current Standings:

Sabertooth-18 pts

Raven Tail-14 pts

Fairy Tail (B Team)-11 pts

Lamia Scale-10 pts

Blue Pegasus-7 pts

Mermaid Heel-5 pts

Quatro Cerberus-3 pts

Fairy Tail (A Team)-0 pts