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 110
With the arena now cleared from the Chariot competition, things were getting underway for the Battle part. The crowd was roaring with eager anticipation. After the battles they witnessed yesterday, no one could blame them for getting their hopes up today.
"Sorry!" Lucy called out to her teammates as she rejoined her team's section. "Did the match start yet?"
"It's about to," Gracie replied. "How's Natsu?"
"He's resting, but he'll be okay," Lucy smiled sweetly.
"Now, let's get our first match underway!" Chapati shouted. He looked down at his sheet of notes. "Our first two fighters will be Black Snake from the new frontrunner, Raven Tail, versus Toby Horhorta from Lamia Scale! This will be a showdown between snake and dog! Which will come out victorious?"
The two fighters stepped forward to the center of the arena. Black Snake still wore a plastered smile and his unblinking eyes stared right at Toby. Toby, however, was oblivious as he pumped his fists to the crowd and howled.
"I hope to see a fair fight," Yajima said. After seeing Raven Tail cheat yesterday in the fight against Lucy, he was hoping for nothing but clean matches.
"Toby is way dog! Cooool!" Jason shrieked.
"I also want to make sure I mention that today, Mato, our official mascot and judge, has the day off, so I will be filling in as judge today as well," Chapati added.
"So, Lyon's guild starts off the first match, huh?" Gray said.
"And their opponent is Raven Tail," Erza added.
Lucy glanced over at Raven Tail's section. There, she saw Flare looking over at her. Her eyes were wild, and her condescending smile still adorned her face. However, something was very different. Flare was covered in cuts and bruises. Normally, one would just pass it off as injuries from yesterday's battle, but two things struck Lucy as odd. First, none of Lucy's attacks had caused injuries such as those. Second, she should have been healed directly after the match. So why was she so hurt?
"Blondie," Flare rasped.
"Flare." Raven Tail's leader spat out her name like she was nothing but garbage. "Don't you ever disgrace us like you did yesterday again. Your victory was not your own. I'm also sure your actions had something to do with Obra's death. Don't forget that."
"But Blondie was glaring at me." Flare pointed over at Fairy Tail as she defended herself.
The leader spun on his heel and roughly grabbed Flare by the jaw, lifting her off the ground. "Do you wish to be struck again?"
Tears stung Flare's eyes as she stared at the leader's masked face in terror. "I'm…sorry. Please…forgive me." Her body shook and her voice was barely audible as she begged for forgiveness. She didn't want to endure any more pain by the leader's hand.
Lucy lowered her gaze in sorrow. Even though what Flare had done yesterday was despicable and the way she acted was deplorable, seeing someone be treated that way, especially by their own guild, was too painful to watch.
Suddenly, the gong sounded. The first match had officially begun.
Toby howled. His fingernails extended into long, sharp, green claws about a foot in length. "SUPER PARALYSIS CLAW MEGA MEGA JELLYFISH!" He lunged at Black Snake, swiping at him with his claws. Black Snake dodged every strike, but Toby was fast and kept up the pressure. Each time Black Snake evaded him he swung his claws again right where Black Snake was within a fraction of a second. Unfortunately for Toby, Black Snake seemed to be just a bit faster with inhuman reflexes.
After avoiding Toby's claws for several moments, Black Snake leapt back and slid to a stop. With plenty of distance between them, he suddenly vanished, leaving behind just a small vortex of sand.
Toby blinked in surprise. "He disappeared?!"
"Fool! That's Mimic Magic!" Jura roared from their team's section.
Jura's warning came too late. A sudden burst of sand shot up, striking Toby directly. "SAND REBELLION!" came a raspy, ominous voice. The sand recollected in one spot and reformed Black Snake's body. He laughed as he looked over his shoulder.
In Fairy Tail's spectator section, everyone was surprised, but none more so than Max. "That's my magic!" he gasped.
"He must be able to mimic the properties of anyone's magic!" Laki deduced.
"Mimic, huh? That's quite an unusual magic," Mavis said with a smile. She always enjoyed learning about strange, new, or rare magics.
Toby leapt to his feet and howled. "You're strong!"
Black Snake turned to face him. "You're pretty tough yourself," he hissed. Even his voice made him seem like a snake.
"Black Snake's a cool name!"
"It's not my real name, though."
Toby got unreasonably angry. "WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S NOT YOUR REAL NAME?!"
"Why are you angry by that?"
"YOU!" Toby roared as he lunged forward and continued to attack. "If I win, you're going to tell me your real name!"
Black Snake continued to effortlessly dodge every single one of Toby's slashes. "That's fine, but what if I win?"
"I'll tell you a secret about myself!" Toby offered.
Black Snake's eyes flashed. "That sounds interesting!"
"Oh my," Chapati blinked. "It would appear that they've made quite the strange bet."
"I'm not particularly interested in either piece of information, though," Yajima chuckled.
Jason couldn't contain his excitement. "A bet in the middle of a battle! SO COOOOOL!"
Bacchus smirked as he watched the battle. "A bet, huh? I like the sound of that."
The battle continued much in the same way for a while; Toby swinging furiously and howling his frustrations while Black Snake did nothing but dodge. The crowd ate it up, cheering at the spectacle. However, Toby's strategy could only last so long. His movements were getting slower from fatigue. This allowed Black Snake to break through Toby's all-offensive-and-no-defensive guard and land a devastating, sandy blast point-blank into Toby's torso. The dog man fell to the ground, exhausted and covered in wounds. Black Snake stood with an amused, thin smile before him.
"Toby's down, and he's not getting back up!" Chapati announced. "The match is over! The winner is Raven Tail's Black Snake! This brings them up to an impressive 42 points! Lamia Scale stays at 14 points!" The crowd roared as the frontrunner Raven Tail only further increased their lead with another impressive showing. Black Snake alone had earned his team 18 points in a single day.
"He's strong," Erza said.
"Yeah. And I honestly don't think he was trying all that hard," Gray grumbled.
"Even without using dirty tricks, they have amazingly strong people on their team," Lucy noted.
"I've gotta agree. As much as I hate their guts, that was some neat magic. Wish the dude would blink, though," Gracie said while scratching her head.
Black Snake looked down at Toby. "So, what's your secret?"
Large tears welled up in Toby's eyes as he lay on the ground. He felt incredibly frustrated, not only at losing, but for failing to land a single hit. However, he was a dog man of his word, so he sniffed while he offered his most personal secret. "My…socks. I can't find one of them. I've been looking for it for three months, but I just can't find it for some reason. I couldn't bring myself to tell anyone."
Everyone in Lamia Scale was speechless. They couldn't believe the words they were hearing.
Black Snake looked at Toby's feet. One foot was covered with a dirty white sock, but the other foot was bare. He then looked back at Toby's chest. Hanging there was a sock tied to a string. Without a word, he tapped his chest twice.
Toby noticed Black Snake's gesture. Looking at his chest, his eyes widened in disbelief. He shot up into a sitting position, holding his sock in his hands. "So, it was here this whole time? I'm so relieved! At long last I've found it! Thank you! You're a nice guy!"
"Mr. Yajima, what do you make of this development?"
"No comment."
"COOL!"
The three announcers clearly had very different feelings towards the exchange in the arena.
Erza wiped a tear from her eye. "Good for you, dog man!"
"Damn it, why is this such a touching moment?!" Gray asked in bewilderment.
"I have nothing to say," Lucy muttered.
Nikolias smacked his forehead. "Is this meant to be stand-up comedy or a fight?"
Sky quietly clapped her hands. "I'm happy for him."
"Sometimes you're a bit too nice, Sky," Ash sighed. "Whichever way you look at it, that was weird."
Black Snake walked up to Toby and offered his hand. Toby was shocked at first, but slowly reached out his hand…
Suddenly, Black Snake lashed out and snatched away Toby's newly found sock. With wide eyes and a vicious smirk, he tore it apart. Devastation tore through Toby, his crying intensifying as he watched the threads of his precious sock flutter to the ground.
"Oh my! What appeared to be a congratulatory handshake took a cruel turn!" Chapati cried.
Raven Tail cackled and pointed mockingly at Toby's misery.
Gray had to hold back Erza, who was ready to leap down and tear Black Snake apart.
Gracie glared at Black Snake. "The fuck was that?"
"How awful," Lucy whispered.
"That was cold blooded," Ash spat.
Sky began to cry. "Oh no…Poor dog man."
Nikolias's gaze turned cold. "Raven Tail…" he hissed. "You dared to make Sky cry!"
"Darling, I don't think you need to get that worked up over that," Angel said.
"What a vile sense of humor," Mira scolded. "Raven Tail continues to let their true nature shine."
Black Snake turned and walked away with a wide smile. "It's in my nature to want to destroy precious things."
Chapati cleared his throat. "Well, as cruel as that was, let's continue on with the second match of the day! The first fighter is Bacchus from Quatro Cerberus!"
Bacchus leapt down to the arena. In his hand was a gourd full of booze. He gave a half-hearted cheer. The crowd still erupted in excitement.
"His opponent is going to be from Fairy Tail A Team!" Chapati continued.
"Someone from our team?" Erza hummed.
"What do we do if they announce Natsu as our fighter?" Lucy asked in a panic.
"I'll just march down there and slap him awake," Gray shrugged.
"You'll do no such thing!"
Gracie growled, staring at Bacchus with anger. "Bacchus…the doucheshnozzle who's on par with you, Erza?"
"HEY YOU GUYS!"
Gracie, Erza, Lucy, and Gray turned towards the voice. Standing over in the B Team section was Cana, flailing her arms in a huff and shouting at the top of her lungs. Nikolias had a tight hold on her waist to keep her from falling over the railing. She was wearing a red bikini top, since her preferred blue one had been taken from her last night.
"I don't care which one of you does it, but somebody avenge me!" she cried.
"Take it easy, Cana," Mira laughed nervously.
"If Gray-sama fights, he'll win with ease," Juvia said assuredly.
Over in the king's balcony, the king looked down at Bacchus with a grin. He had been waiting anxiously to see Bacchus fight this year after witnessing several brilliant performances over the years. Beside him stood the Captain of the Guard. "I trust you set up this fight as I asked?"
The knight nodded with a smile. "Of course, Your Majesty."
The king laughed with the glee of a child. "Oh, I cannot wait to see Bacchus fight Erza! This is definitely going to be one of the greatest matches in this tournament's history!"
The knight's smile vanished. "…Did you say Erza?"
"Hmm? Yes, I did."
The knight gulped. "But…that's not who I paired him up with…"
The king audibly gasped. "You didn't?! Then who did you match him up with?"
"You see…"
Chapati continued with his announcement. "And now, Bacchus's opponent in this match will be…Gracie Amier!"
Gracie's eyes widened. She pointed to herself. "Wait me? I'm up?" A massive grin split her face. "Aw, hells yeah!"
The king, meanwhile, was fuming, stamping his feet and flailing his arms like a toddler who got the wrong toy as a present. "I wanted to see Bacchus versus Erza!"
The knight bowed his head. "I'm terribly sorry. I made a mistake."
"This can't possibly be a good fight!" the king bellowed. "Bacchus will annihilate this no-name nobody!"
"You may be right, Your Majesty." The knight could only hope that Gracie put on at least a half decent show.
Erza put a hand on Gracie's shoulder. "Best of luck. Make us proud."
Gracie winked. "Leave it to me! I'll win this for sure, avenge Cana, and give that guy a solid kick in the ass!" She leapt down from the section and landed gracefully in the arena. She strode toward Bacchus with a confident smile. Many in the crowd were shouting out encouragement, which only fueled her drive further. However, her smile was soon replaced by an annoyed frown. Bacchus was lying on the ground, looking at her with a bored smile. "The hell are you lying down for?"
Bacchus raised his eyebrow. "Oh, you're that firecracker from yesterday. Don't mind me. Just trying to psyche myself up."
Gracie put her hands on her hips. "What, you saying I'm not enough of a challenge for you to get you excited? I've gotta say, that stings a bit."
"Don't take it personally." He gently shook his gourd. "Hey, I know. What do you say we make a bet like those last guys did?"
"A bet, huh? What exactly did you have in mind?"
Bacchus grinned wide. "You're quite the sexy firecracker, you know? If I win, you'll be all mine."
Gracie stood frozen for a moment. She hadn't expected that to be what Bacchus proposed. She quickly recovered, however, and cracked her knuckles. A tick mark appeared on her forehead as she shot Bacchus an irritated smile. "Hoh? You think you can handle me, you disgusting, horny dog? Alright then, you're on. And if I win, I'll kick you as hard as I can in the nuts!"
Bacchus laughed. "Then we have a deal, firecracker!"
"I can't believe Gracie accepted a deal like that," Mira said worriedly.
"That guy is absolute scum," Cana spat.
"If she loses, who knows what that guy will do to her!" Ash cried.
Sky trembled. "I'm scared…"
"Darling, what do you think Gracie's chances are? Can she wi—?" Angel turned towards Nikolias as she posed her question. She lost her voice once she saw him, though.
His entire body was tense and thick veins throbbed in his neck and forehead. His elongated fangs were clenched. His dragon-like eyes were fixated on Bacchus. It was clear he wanted to kill him. Gracie may have been pissed, but he was infuriated. "If he even tries anything funny, I'll castrate him."
Bacchus got to his feet. "My soul is quivering now."
Gracie shot him a thumbs down. "Oh, I can't wait to make you eat that overconfidence of yours!"
The match between Gracie and Bacchus was shaping up to be more intense than originally expected.
With a big yawn, Natsu sat up, stretching his arms over his head. After just a short rest, he had completely recovered from his spell of motion sickness. "Man, that was a great sleep!" The infirmary was quiet. No one was there. Natsu looked around in confusion. Not only was Porlyusica not there, but Wendy and Carla were gone as well. "Huh, where'd everyone go? Well, I guess Wendy woke up, so that's good."
Suddenly, a strange scent tickled Natsu's nose. It was a scent he didn't recognize. His instincts screamed at him, and he shot out of bed while grabbing his scarf. Something was off. He wasted no time bolting for the door to follow the scent. Every so often, as he ran through the hallways, he would stop when the scent would turn. But the scent was getting stronger. He was getting closer. And as he got closer, there was another scent getting stronger as well.
It was Wendy, Carla, and Porlyusica. Whoever's scent he was following, Wendy, Carla, and Porlyusica were with them, and he had a bad feeling they weren't following by choice.
As he turned one final corner, he came to a stone bridge that curved around the top of the arena from one pillar of Domus Flau to another. He could hear the roars of the crowd from below as they watched the Games. But his eyes were focused solely on the middle of the bridge.
Standing there were four men dressed in red. Their faces were completely covered by masks. One of the taller ones was carrying a still unconscious Wendy over his shoulder, the shortest one had a knocked-out Carla in his arms, and the largest had slung an unconscious Porlyusica over his shoulder. Natsu clenched his fists. "There you are!"
The four men jumped and turned at hearing Natsu behind them. They quickly turned back around and took off running even faster.
"Fairy Tail?!"
"How did he find us already?"
"Wait, wasn't he fast asleep not too long ago?"
Natsu burst forward. "Bastards! Where the hell do you think you're going with Wendy, Carla, and Granny?!"
"He's gaining on us!"
"How's he so freakin' fast?!"
"I don't get it! He was moving like a slug during the Chariot competition!"
The one who wasn't carrying anyone slid to a stop and brandished two pistols. "Leave him to me! I know how to deal with wizards!" However, before he could even prepare himself to shoot, Natsu was already upon him, slamming a fist right into his face. The man went down instantly.
"Get out of my way!" Natsu roared. "Now get back here!"
The kidnappers could feel Natsu gaining on them with every footfall.
"What kind of monster is he?!"
"He's terrifying! He's gonna catch us any second now!"
"We've got no choice! If we wanna live, we've gotta ditch two of them!"
"What are you, stupid?! Our orders were to get the girl in the infirmary!"
Natsu's eyes widened at hearing this. 'Get the girl in the infirmary? What does that mean?'
"Exactly! And guess what?! A cat and an old hag don't count as 'girls'!"
"Then why did we grab them in the first place?!"
Suddenly, the three kidnappers felt a presence behind them. Natsu had caught up in an instant. His face bore a dark, furious expression. "Who gave you the order?" he growled. He didn't even give them a chance to answer. With a swing of his flame-enshrouded fist, he sent the three men flying. They instantly lost their grips on Wendy, Carla, and Porlyusica, but Natsu was able to catch the three before they hit the stone bridge. He gently laid them down. It didn't take long for Porlyusica to regain consciousness, and she was quickly by Wendy and Carla's sides to make sure they were uninjured.
Upon hearing the commotion, guards from the kingdom had rushed over. Natsu explained everything and the four kidnappers were tied up. The guards began interrogating immediately as Natsu listened in.
"We just took the job!"
"From somebody in Raven Tail!"
"We were told to get the girl who was in the infirmary!"
The guard nodded as the four spilled their secrets. "Good work. We'll take care of the—." As the guard turned towards Natsu, he froze. Embers were dancing around Natsu.
"Raven Tail," he hissed. "Them again, huh?"
Not long after the guards took the kidnappers away, Wendy and Carla woke up. Natsu was thrilled to see Wendy open her eyes and stand under her own power, but no one was more relieved than Carla.
"How do you feel?" Carla asked worriedly.
Wendy smiled and pumped her small fists. "Yes, I feel fine! Thank you so much, Grandeeney!"
Porlyusica sighed. "I told you already not to call me that."
Wendy giggled. "Right."
Natsu ran over to the edge of the bridge. "Well, you woke up just in time! Look, Gracie's up! Now we can all watch her kick some ass!"
"It sounds like yet another strange bet has been placed," Chapati laughed nervously.
"I can't say I approve of the stakes," Yajima sighed.
"COOOOOOL!" Jason shrieked.
"Now then, let's begin the second match!" The gong sounded, signaling the beginning of the fight.
Gracie clapped her hands together. "Come forth, katanas!" In Gracie's hands appeared her red and black katanas. She shot forward. "Guess these babies' maiden voyage is going to be beating the crap outta you!"
Bacchus placed his gourd down. "Entertain me, firecracker," he chuckled as he ran to meet Gracie. With incredible dexterity and speed, he swung his palm at Gracie. Gracie instantly moved to block his strike with the flat of her blade. With her other katana she lashed out with a horizontal slash. Bacchus used his other palm to intercept the blade. "Hoh? Not too bad, firecracker."
Gracie spun away, bringing her blades up high before immediately bringing them down in a swift diagonal cut. "Stop calling me that, damn it!"
Bacchus used one palm to deflect the blades' path before striking upwards at Gracie's jaw with the other palm. Gracie bent backwards out of the way, performing a back handspring to regain some distance. "What else would I call a hot, fiery babe like you?"
"Call me by my name!" she shouted while stomping her foot.
"Oh my! This is turning out to be quite the intense match!" Chapati cried. "Each fighter is exchanging and blocking strikes with such incredible speed and precision!"
"Bacchus's skills have been well known for quite some time, but I must say I'm impressed with the skills Gracie has demonstrated that have allowed her to keep pace with him," Yajima nodded.
"Both of them are SO COOOOOOL!" Jason shouted.
"Gracie's doing really well!" Lucy sighed with relief.
"I can see how he'd fight you to a draw, though, Erza," Gray commented.
Erza shook her head. "The real challenge has yet to come."
Gracie twirled her katanas before bursting forward with even more speed. "Let's see you handle this!" With even more speed than before, Gracie swung her katanas in front of her. To the untrained eye, they would appear like desperate, wild slashes. However, each strike was carefully calculated and performed with the utmost skill of a master swordswoman.
Even with Gracie's powerful, swift, and planned strikes, Bacchus had no trouble dodging and blocking each strike. He was still smiling, and he wasn't even breaking a sweat. After watching Gracie closely for a while, in one fluid motion, he spun on his heel to put himself behind her and lashed out with an elbow.
Gracie reacted quickly to his movement and brought her katanas behind her in an x-shaped cross to block the strike. She then launched herself into the air with an effortless jump, spinning in the air to put herself on Bacchus's other side. The moment her feet touched the ground, she pushed off and lunged with both katanas pointed forward.
Bacchus ducked low underneath the lunge. With Gracie's momentum carrying her forward, he was in prime position to land a blow. He swiftly struck upward with his open palm towards Gracie's exposed jaw.
But Gracie had planned for Bacchus to attack in such a manner. She knew he would take advantage of a lunge such as this to get underneath her and strike where it would be impossible for her to block or evade. And because she had predicted it, her body had already begun shifting before Bacchus even began his strike. She spun to the right, feeling the force from Bacchus's palm pass by her face. As she spun, she swung her blades horizontally at Bacchus's back.
However, Bacchus was able to bend his body in an almost inhuman way to duck underneath Gracie's strike. He then stood on his hands and spun like a top, lashing out with a series of powerful kicks.
Gracie blocked every single kick with her katanas, though she could feel the strength behind each blow vibrate through her arms. The rapid series of kicks was also keeping her from landing a counter, so she leapt back to reassess the situation.
Bacchus stopped spinning. He pushed himself into the air with his hands and turned to land on his feet. All the while, he was smirking at Gracie with the same expression.
Gracie ground her teeth. 'Damn it. As much as I hate this guy, he really is strong.'
"The epic exchange of blows continues with neither side landing a blow!" Chapati declared. "What an evenly matched fight!"
"Gracie's attacks aren't landing!" Lucy cried. "Is it because of that guy's weird movements?"
"Bacchus's magic is surprisingly orthodox," Erza explained. "His magic converges into his palms. However, the secret to his strength is his mastery of a martial art that allows him to maximize his magic. It's a style known as Cleaving Hook Palm, which allows him to deliver skillful palm strikes."
"I can't believe it," Angel breathed. "How can Gracie not land a hit? Look how fast she's attacking!"
Nikolias narrowed his eyes. "They appear to be near equals in terms of speed and dexterity. They can both react quickly to attacks. Still," he smiled, "Gracie has the upper hand."
"How can you tell?" Mira asked. To her, neither side appeared to have an advantage.
Nikolias chuckled. "I've fought by Gracie's side for a long time. Trust me, she's got this."
Gracie took a deep breath. "I have to say, for all the shit I talk about you in my head, you're impressively strong."
Bacchus laughed wildly. "And you're even more of a firecracker than I had initially thought! Not many people can keep pace with my attacks."
Gracie smiled as she bent down low. "Let me ask you something. Have you had enough fun? Is it alright with you if I win now?"
Bacchus widened one eye as his amusement grew. "By all means, beat me if you can!"
"As you wish," she breathed. She crossed her arms in front of her, pointing her blades behind her. "Just don't cry to me later." She once again shot forward.
Bacchus stood at the ready. "My soul is quivering! Wild…!"
"""""FOUR!""""" his teammates roared behind him.
Gracie pushed off the ground, flying towards Bacchus. "You're done!"
Bacchus smirked. He could already tell from their exchange of blows that Gracie was no novice. So even though it appeared like she had put herself in an incredibly vulnerable position by allowing her body to leave the ground, preventing her from using her agile footwork to evade or provide any power in a block, he knew she had a plan.
Gracie drew closer. As she did, she brought her katanas even further back to draw in more strength.
Bacchus took a defensive stance.
With a battle cry, Gracie unleashed a powerful cross slash in front of her with her blades.
Bacchus used his palms to upset the path and strength of the attack, sending them upwards. What surprised him was what came next. Gracie's foot connected with the underside of his jaw, sending him into the air. He landed roughly on his back with a cough.
The crowd roared with excitement.
"Wow! The first blow is finally landed, and it goes to Fairy Tail! Bacchus is on his back!" Chapati cried.
"An impressive attack," Yajima nodded.
"TOO COOOOOOL!" Jason shrieked.
"She did it!" Angel clapped. "She landed the first hit!"
"That's it! Kick his ass, Gracie!" Cana roared.
"How'd she do that?" Ash gasped.
Nikolias grinned. "She predicted his move. She knew he would deflect that type of strike upwards, since it contained too much power to simply block. So, she used the momentum from his deflection to spin her entire body to land a circle kick. Nicely done, Gracie!"
Gray pumped his fist. "Nice! She can win this!"
Erza looked less certain. "It was an impressive attack for sure, but it's not over yet."
"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.
Erza watched as Bacchus got back to his feet. "Bacchus's mastery of Cleaving Hook Palm makes him strong, but what makes him truly fearsome is when he improved on that martial art, creating what is known as Drunken Cleaving Hook Palm. After all, it's impossible to predict the attacks of a drunken hawk."
Gray sweatdropped. "You mean he's drunk right now?"
Erza shook her head. "No. That's what makes this a challenge." She pointed to the gourd by Bacchus. "The real problem is that Gracie is matching him step for step, but he hasn't had a single drop of booze yet."
Gray grit his teeth as the weight behind Erza's words sunk in. "So then you're saying, after all we just saw, this guy isn't even trying yet?"
Bacchus rubbed his jaw with a grin. "Whew, nice kick! I felt that one!"
Gracie pointed her katana at Bacchus. "Stop smiling! I'm trying to knock the confidence out of you!"
Bacchus laughed. "Amazing! Tell me, firecracker, are you a woman of your word?"
"Huh? Whaddya mean?"
"I mean you're going to keep your promise when I win, right?"
"If you're asking if I'm a liar or if I'm someone who backs out on promises, then no, I'm not."
"Perfect. Welp, guess I better step it up then." Bacchus bent down and scooped up his gourd. He popped off the cork with his thumb. He brought the gourd to his lips and began guzzling down his booze.
Gracie raised an eyebrow. "The hell are you doing? You drinking in the middle of a fight?"
Bacchus lowered his empty gourd and released a satisfied sigh. He laughed as he took his stance.
"Oh no! He drank booze!" Gray cried.
"Be on your guard, Gracie!" Erza warned.
"He's serious now!" Lucy shouted.
"There it is! Bacchus has finally hit the bottle!" Chapati cried in excitement. "This battle will take yet another thrilling turn!"
"Drunken Cleaving Hook Palm, huh?" Yajima hummed.
"This will be my first time ever seeing it! Cool!" Jason exclaimed.
Bacchus leaned forward. "Come and get me," he taunted. "You should easily be able to take down a drunk like me."
Gracie narrowed her eyes and readied her katanas. "What, you think I'm stupid? Like I'd fall for an obvious taunt."
Bacchus laughed. "Have it your way!" He burst forward, spinning with his palms at the ready.
Gracie put up her katanas to block the strikes. Suddenly—
THWACK!
Bacchus's palm connected squarely with Gracie's solar plexus. Gracie felt all the air leave her lungs as she went careening backwards. With a cry of pain, she hit the ground and tumbled across the arena.
"Gracie!" Angel cried.
"What happened?" Sky breathed.
"I don't know," Ash muttered. "He wasn't able to land a hit like that before."
"Drunken Bacchus's movements are as powerful as they are unpredictable," Mira said. "Now that he drank, he's stronger."
"That's not good," Nikolias said. "One of Gracie's greatest strengths is her ability to read her opponent. If she can no longer predict his movements, then she lost a big advantage."
Gracie slowly pushed herself to her hands and knees as she desperately tried to catch her breath. Her hands were trembling. Her eyes were wide from shock. 'Wh…What just happened? I could've sworn I read his movements perfectly. So then how? How did he get past my defense?' With a grunt, she pushed herself to her feet and tried to take a stance, though she was still feeling the effects from Bacchus's palm strike. "Damn it. Lucky shot," she rasped.
Bacchus hiccupped. His cheeks were flushed. "Lucky shot, huh? Then let's try again and see if you still think so." Once again, Bacchus shot forward.
Gracie watched Bacchus like a hawk, analyzing the position of his body, the way he moved, everything. She prepared her katanas to defend.
THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK!
Not only did Bacchus once again bypass Gracie's defenses, but he also managed to land seven consecutive blows all over Gracie's body instantaneously.
Gracie fell to her knee, coughing. Blood splattered the dirt. Her entire body hurt. Each one of Bacchus's seven strikes had landed a clean hit. She couldn't block any of them. "Shit…He got through again."
Bacchus looked over his shoulder and smiled wide. "How was that? Still lucky?"
"That did a lot of damage," Lucy said worriedly.
Erza gripped her arms tightly. "Seven hits in one instant. Incredible."
"C'mon, Gracie. You can find a way to win!" Gray encouraged.
Bacchus teetered about and turned around. "So? Had enough yet?"
Gracie had a death grip on her katanas. "Oh, bite me," she grunted, once again forcing herself to stand upright. She turned to look at him, blood running from multiple cuts all over her body. "It's not over yet!"
"What incredible resolve in the face of Bacchus's power!" Chapati cried. "Gracie refuses to give up the fight!"
Gracie allowed her katanas to disappear in a flash of light. "We'll try something a bit different. Come forth, halberd!" In a flash of light her halberd was in her hands. After spinning it over her head, she rocketed forward. 'Going on the defensive doesn't work. Let's see if being more offensive will do the trick!'
Bacchus chuckled. Without a word, he took his stance. And right as Gracie was swinging her halberd down…
CRACK!
Bacchus's palm struck Gracie underneath her chin. Her body was sent awkwardly into the air. Before she began falling, Bacchus leapt up and struck her in the stomach, forcing her to crash into the ground. Her body bounced and Bacchus effortlessly kicked her away.
Gray was practically falling over the railing. "Gracie!"
Lucy covered her mouth with her hands. "I don't know how much more she can take."
"She needs to find some way to land a hit. Though it's easier said than done," Erza said.
Gracie rolled along the ground and came to a stop on her side. She fought desperately against the pain surging through her body. With every ounce of strength she had left, she rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself slowly up. Blood ran from her nose and mouth. 'It hurts. Everything hurts. Damn it, it hurts really bad! But I can't give up! I need to win this!' With a hiss, Gracie pushed herself back onto her feet.
Bacchus whistled. "You just won't stay down, huh firecracker?"
Gracie was breathing heavily. Her clothes were torn. Her ponytail was starting to become undone, and her disheveled blonde hair was sticking to her face and neck. One eye was closed from the blood dripping from her forehead. Her halberd's blade was resting on the ground. She was barely able to stand from all the wounds covering her body. Still, she gave a tired, bloody smile and flipped him off. "That all you got? That's not enough to take me down, pal."
"AMAZING! Even after taking all those direct hits, Gracie keeps getting back up!" Chapati cried.
"Impressive," Yajima nodded.
"Cool! Cool! Cool! Cool! COOOOOOOOOL!" Jason was practically falling over himself.
Bacchus laughed. "You're really interesting, firecracker! My soul is quivering!"
Nikolias watched anxiously. 'C'mon, Gracie. You're a master strategist. Pull something off to help you win against all the odds. If anyone can do it, it's you.'
In a flash of light, Gracie's halberd disappeared. She took a deep, shaky breath. 'Guess I've gotta try it. I haven't had time to even come close to mastering it…but I think it's my only shot.' She wiped the blood from her eye so she could have her full vision. And then she held her hands out to the side.
"Let the horn sound that echoes in the heavens!" A swirling mist of golden light suddenly appeared and danced around her. "Sing the hymn for the warrior who sheds their blood and shatters their bones for the fight!" The mist moved behind her and began to spread outward. Her clothes and hair whipped about wildly.
Everyone watched with bated breath for what would come next.
"Nikolias, what's Gracie doing?" Mira asked.
Nikolias shook his head, stunned, unable to tear his eyes away from his partner. "I've…never seen this."
Lucy, Gray, and Erza had a different reaction.
"That's…!" Lucy began.
"No way! She's going to use that?" Gray cried. "Has she lost her mind?!"
"She must feel like she has no other choice," Erza sighed. "I just hope she thought it through."
Bacchus teetered where he stood as he stared at Gracie. "Hoh? A bit of a light show?"
Gracie ignored him as she continued. "Open the path, for I have proven my strength! COME FORTH! VALKYRIE'S REQUIEM!"
She clapped her hands together with enough force to echo in the arena. The light behind her intensified until it was shining like the sun, blinding everyone. Once the light disappeared, there was shocked silence.
"Wh…WHAT IS THAT?!" Chapati shouted, gripping the microphone tightly.
Filling the sky like a swarm of locusts was an assortment of hundreds of weapons. Swords, axes, pikes, maces, bows, shields; every weapon imaginable could be seen hovering above the arena. Gracie stood there with a smile, her katanas, halberd, and broad sword slowly circling around her. She seemed even more unsteady on her feet. "Whaddya think of my collection?" she panted.
"What, feel like trying to impress me?" Bacchus teased.
"Screw you," Gracie huffed. "I don't appreciate your sarcasm."
"I'm just looking forward to what you plan to do. My soul is quivering with anticipation."
Gracie reached out and took hold of her broad sword. "Well, I'd hate to keep you waiting!" With more power than should have been possible with her injuries, Gracie charged forward, a fierce cry erupting from her throat, her broad sword drawn back. As she charged, her katanas and halberd traveled with her, continuing to circle alongside her.
Bacchus took his stance. "New trick, same strategy, eh?"
Gracie pushed off the ground and swung her sword horizontally at Bacchus. With the same uncanny movements, he ducked under her swing and struck her in the ribs with his palm in one fluid motion, sending her body upwards.
THWACK!
Steel met bone. Bacchus was sent tumbling away in an awkward roll. Dazed, he shook his head and spat out blood. A wide grin split his face, showing all his teeth. "Interesting. Interesting, firecracker! My soul is quivering!"
Panting while trying desperately not to favor her right side where Bacchus's strike connected with her ribs, Gracie stood triumphantly, her broad sword in her right hand and her halberd in her left.
The audience was still trying to process what they had just seen. When Bacchus's strike landed, Gracie had somehow managed to use that force and the momentum of her own attack to turn her body, grabbed hold of her halberd, and used the blind spot she had created to swing her halberd violently at Bacchus, managing to land a fierce blow to the side of his head. It was as if she had predicted and accepted that she was going to take damage. It was a dangerous gamble but having so many weapons readily at her disposal made it possible to land the counterattack.
Gracie released her halberd and broad sword and they returned to orbiting around her. Wincing, she held up her hand. "Scimitar!" Upon command, the scimitar floating in the air instantaneously appeared in her hand. The second her fingers wrapped around the hilt, she took off for Bacchus yet again.
Bacchus was still feeling the effects of taking the flat of Gracie's halberd blade to the head but managed to stand nonetheless on shaky knees. With a laugh, he pushed off to meet Gracie.
Gracie crossed her scimitar over her body in preparation for her attack, but right as the two were about to launch their attacks…
"Shield!" In her other hand appeared a massive, thick metal shield. It caught Bacchus's palm strike, which otherwise would have connected with her left ribs. Her swing continued uninterrupted. Bacchus managed to duck under the swing and kick Gracie back. She slid to a stop and released her scimitar and shield. They vanished and reappeared back in the sky.
And so, it continued, much in the same fashion. Both fighters met in the middle to exchange blows. Gracie continued alternating between her wide assortment of weapons to counter Bacchus's strikes, occasionally connecting with one of her weapons. Bacchus used all his energy to evade Gracie's ever-changing styles and attacks while striking out with his own. Every once in a while, one of his palm strikes would slam into Gracie's body, but every time it did, she found a way to counter, and he would walk away with damage.
"It's a frenzy!" Chapati cried. "It's become more a clash of wills than a battle! But who will come out victorious? Just who will win this fight?!"
The crowd was roaring. The arena was shaking. The heavyweight fight had everyone entranced.
After several minutes, Gracie and Bacchus stopped. They stared each other down, both breathing heavily. Both of them had wounds that ached. Both of them were exhausted and sore. But both stayed on their feet.
"Oi, firecracker…your name…was Gracie, right?"
"That's right…'Bout time…you said it."
Bacchus laughed heartily. He thrust his arms into the air. "It's so wild! I haven't felt this excited in a long time!"
Gracie pushed the hair out of her face. "Yeah, I'll admit it. I've had to really give this my all. I guess it has been pretty fun."
"You know…"
"…what?"
"You really are…"
"…uh huh?"
"…a sexy firecracker." Suddenly, Bacchus's balance carried him backwards. With a mighty thud, he collapsed on the ground unconscious, a massive and wild smile on his face.
Staggering on her feet, all of Gracie's weapons vanished. Her breathing was ragged and blood flew into the air as she coughed. Nevertheless, she thrust her bloody, bruised fists into the air, and she screamed. She screamed out her victory.
The crowd erupted in cheers, shouting out Gracie's name and Fairy Tail.
Chapati was speechless for a while until he finally found his voice. "DOWN! BACCHUS IS DOWN! The winner is Fairy Tail A Team's Gracie Amier! What a spectacular victory Gracie has pulled off against a very formidable opponent! Fairy Tail A Team gets 10 points! They now have 12 points! Does Gracie's fierce victory cry foretell Fairy Tail's comeback story?!"
Gracie closed her eyes, basking in the pride of delivering victory for her friends and the congratulatory cheers from the crowd. And then, after using everything she had and then some, she collapsed to the ground, taking deep, gasping breaths. She couldn't move a single muscle anymore. "I won…I did it…I so…rock."
"She did it! She actually did it!" Lucy exclaimed while leaping in the air.
Gray let out a heavy sigh. "Geez. Leave it to Gracie to win while worrying the hell out of us."
"Valkyrie's Requiem," Erza muttered softly. "I'm beyond impressed that she fought that long while using that much magic when she's not used to it yet. And she still managed victory in an unfavorable matchup."
Sky beamed. "Go, Gracie!"
"Aw, hell yeah! What a fight!" Ash exclaimed.
Nikolias staggered on his feet slightly. He hadn't realized how tense his entire body was while watching that fight, so he was surprised when he relaxed and his knees almost gave out. With a relieved, warm smile, he muttered softly, "You sure do rock, partner."
"Listen to that cheering!" Natsu exclaimed.
"Gracie did it! She was amazing!" Wendy cheered. She turned to Porlyusica. The elderly woman bore a concerned expression. "What's wrong?"
Porlyusica shook her head. "I can't stop thinking about those scoundrels from before."
Natsu's beaming smile vanished in an instant as he recalled the men from before. "They were after the girl who was in the infirmary. Those Raven Tail bastards…"
Wendy blinked. "Wait, what did you say?"
"Upon interrogation, our kidnappers revealed they were hired to capture the girl who was in the infirmary," Porlyusica explained.
"They said it just like that? The girl who was in the infirmary?"
Natsu nodded. "Yeah, that's right."
Wendy tilted her head. "But that's the past tense. If they were after us, wouldn't they have been told to get the girl who is in the infirmary?"
Natsu crossed his arms and hummed. "I don't get what you mean."
Porylusica gave a small gasp. "I see. There was one other girl who was in the infirmary, but then had left." She turned to Natsu. "She came to make sure you were alright after your competition."
Natsu's chest tightened. "You mean…they were after Lucy?" His fists clenched. His eyes sparked with rage. Flames burst from his body. "I'll burn them to ashes if they so much as try!"
"I understand how you feel, but you need to calm down," Porlyusica warned. She wiped the sweat from her forehead that had immediately gathered from the intense heat of Natsu's flames.
"I don't care if their Master is Gramp's son and Laxus's dad. I've had enough of these dirty tricks. If he and his guild keep up this shit and try to hurt Lucy or anyone else, I'll show them no mercy!"
In the dark passageways of the arena, in a quiet hall far from the action and fanfare of the Games, the Captain of the Guard met with the guard who led the arrest of Wendy, Carla, and Porlyusica's kidnappers. The guard stood at attention.
"Our apologies sir. The plan failed."
The Captain rubbed the bridge of his nose in slight annoyance. "Fool. You had the wrong target from the start. I told you what she looked like, did I not?"
"I'm sorry."
"Forget it. We move to Plan B. Where are the actual perpetrators?"
"We arrested them and hauled them off to prison."
"Was their cover blown?"
"No, sir. The Fairy Tail members present believe the client was Raven Tail."
"We need to keep using the discord between Fairy Tail and Raven Tail exactly like this." A sinister grin spread across the Captain's face. "And while they're feuding, we'll grab a Celestial Spirit Wizard for the Eclipse Project."
"Damn, that hurts," Gracie hissed. She was lying in an infirmary bed in the medical wing of Domus Flau. When she was carried in, Porlyusica performed a quick diagnostic and determined she had several broken ribs and a lot of deep bruising all over her body. Bandages were wrapped tightly around her torso, head, jaw, arms, and legs, and a gauze pad was taped to her chin as a way to keep her from moving or talking too much and aggravating her injuries.
Standing around her were her teammates as well as Nikolias, Ash, Sky, and Angel. Even Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen had come. They all looked at her with pride and joy after her victory…or almost everyone.
"The hell were you thinking out there?" Nikolias sighed. "Of all the strategies you could have come up with, you chose the suicidal route? I mean, you willingly took damage."
"Not much I could do," Gracie rasped. "I couldn't read his movements or predict his strikes. It was the only way to get any hits in." She slightly turned her head and gave him a sad smile. "You mad?"
Nikolias shook his head but returned the smile. "No, not mad. I was just worried about you. Watching you take a beating like that was difficult. But I always believed you would find a way to win. Nice going."
Joy spread across Gracie's face at Nikolias's praise, and her face flushed. "Thanks, Niky."
Erza nodded. "We're extremely proud of you. You showed unyielding tenacity in that arena and showed everyone what Fairy Tail is made of. We'll definitely follow the lead of your hard-fought victory."
Natsu pumped his fist. "Your fight was epic! I had shivers watching it!"
"I have to admit I was worried when you used Valkyrie's Requiem, considering you could barely use it in training," Lucy said. "Yet you used it like you've had it mastered your whole life. I was really impressed!"
"Stop it," Gracie giggled lightly. "You're making me blush."
Gray crossed his arms and grinned. "Honestly, I think she was just letting her stubbornness show."
Gracie pouted. "Don't be mean. Don't you have any kind words to say to a girl on her death bed?"
"Talk about being overdramatic," Gray chuckled.
"Who's being dramatic?!" Gracie spat but immediately winced from moving her jaw too much.
"Gracie was amazing," Sky breathed, nodding her head with absolute confidence.
"I must agree. I don't know many people who could take that much of a thrashing and still come out victorious," Angel added.
"I think you were badass!" Ash exclaimed with a massive grin.
"It really was amazing! I was so excited watching you!" Wendy gushed.
Gracie turned to the young girl. "Thanks. So unfortunately, they won't let me out of bed to keep going right now."
"Of course I'm not letting you out of bed!" Porlyusica snapped. "You can't even lift a finger!"
Gracie ignored her and kept going. "So Wendy, I'm counting on you to fill in for me and keep the ass-kicking coming. Think you're game?"
Wendy nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, I am!"
Porlyusica sighed. "The next match is about to begin. You should all be going. One of the keys to victory is observing your enemy."
"And don't worry about her safety," Bickslow grinned. "The Thunder Legion will stay and protect her."
"My runes will prevent outsiders from entering," Freed said.
"Nothing will happen to her on our watch," Evergreen added.
Nikolias nodded. "You're absolutely right. And thanks, you three." He looked to Gracie. "Sorry. I really do want to stay with you while you're hurt, but…"
"C'mon, Niky. I know Mira's fight is next. And I know there's no way you'd ever miss watching her," Gracie said. "Promise to cheer her on extra loud for me, okay?"
"Count on it," Nikolias said. Sky, Ash, and Angel nodded as well.
Everyone started heading for the door to go watch the next match. The only one to stay behind, other than the Thunder Legion, was Gray.
Gracie looked at him. "You should be going, too," she said softly.
Gray stared at her silently. After several moments, he looked away in embarrassment and scratched the back of his head. "Just get better quickly, okay? It's not the same watching without you."
Gracie smiled fondly. "Right. I'll do that."
Gray gave a wave before leaving the room and catching up with the others.
Nikolias looked over at Natsu. Natsu's face was scrunched up as he walked and he seemed irritated. "So, what's going on? You seem like you're in a bad mood all of a sudden."
Natsu crossed his arms behind his head. "I can't stop thinking about Raven Tail. Those bastards play dirty right out in the open and get away with it. They even tried targeting Lucy this time."
"Wait, what?!" Lucy cried, suddenly stopping in her tracks. "They were after me? Why?"
Natsu pumped his fist. "Don't worry. I'll protect you no matter what!"
Erza put a hand to her chin. "Targeting you could be for no other reason than to take us out one by one. Since you were presumably going to be isolated when checking on Natsu, they may have figured you were the easiest to target next."
"But Wendy and Carla were also in there. And Raven Tail was the reason for that, right?" Angel asked. "So even if they figured Natsu would be unaware of anything in his condition, wouldn't they have known Lucy wouldn't be completely alone in the medical wing?"
"Maybe they figured Wendy and Carla would be asleep?" Ash offered.
Carla crossed her arms. "Honestly, I have my doubts about what we were told."
Wendy tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
"We're assuming Raven Tail used a guild of bandits to kidnap Lucy, but Natsu's interference and pursuit ruined their objective, causing their scheme to fail."
"Makes sense, doesn't it?" Gray said. "They went after you and Wendy, so why wouldn't they also be the ones to go after Lucy?"
"What would they have done to Lucy?" Sky shivered.
"Don't go there, Sky!" Lucy wailed.
"Actually, you may have a point," Nikolias said. "If their goal is to take out Fairy Tail members with targeted strikes, why switch things up and resort to kidnapping?"
Carla nodded. "Exactly. Their method of capture concerns me as well. The member that attacked me and Wendy has the power to reduce his opponent's magic power to zero temporarily. That wizard has magic perfect for kidnapping, so why wasn't he part of the operation?"
"Wait, they had two with that ability?" Nikolias questioned.
Carla blinked. "Huh? Two?"
"Well, I killed the little animal that interfered with Lucy's match yesterday, the one who cancelled out her magic, and I heard it was the same animal that attacked you guys and put you in the infirmary. So is there another member who can drain magic?"
Wendy turned to him, shocked. "You did that?"
Carla put a paw to her forehead. "If his tool was killed yesterday, then maybe that's why they couldn't use that wizard in the operation today. Maybe he needed that animal to make his magic effective. I suppose that would provide a reason for the change in tactics."
"I think you're overthinking it a bit, Carla," Wendy said gently.
Lucy nodded. "I know well that results matter more to them than means. Kidnapping must have been the next best thing if they lost the ability to drain magic."
"Either way, if we're being targeted outside the arena as well, we mustn't let our guards down and try not to be alone at any time," Erza said.
Carla lowered her gaze. 'Honestly, what really bothers me is why Lucy was the target. Was it really just a coincidence?' Memories of her vision flashed in her mind. 'Or was there more to it?'
"It's time for the third match of the second day of the Grand Magic Games! The crowd is still buzzing after the fight between Bacchus of Quatro Cerberus and Gracie of Fairy Tail A Team. And now, for the next match, it will be Mirajane Strauss from Fairy Tail B Team versus Blue Pegasus's reserve member, Jenny Rearlight!"
Down in the arena, Mira and Jenny stood across from each other, Mira with a gentle smile and Jenny with an air of confidence.
Levy sighed. "A showdown between models, huh?"
Cana leaned forward on her knees. After Gracie's fight, she had joined the rest of the guild in the spectator section. "Jenny's really popular. I'm pretty sure I heard seven years ago she was voted "Number One Wizard I Want to Be My Girlfriend" in Sorcerer's Weekly's polling."
"I think I read in that article that she really looked up to Sister as a role model and wanted to be like her," Lisanna said.
"But Mira was asleep for seven years, so Jenny's now older," Romeo mentioned.
"Didn't Mira have a resurgence in her popularity after doing that shoot with Nikolias?" Laki asked.
Lisanna nodded. "Yeah, she did. Though Jenny might still have a slight edge on her since Sister missed so many years."
"Honestly, a fight between models? Those responsible for choosing the matches have questionable motives if you ask me."
Everyone turned to see Carla walking over along the railing of their section. Happy was ecstatic to see her.
"Have you recovered?" Panther Lily asked.
"Yes, I have. Wendy is all better now, too. I was told that everyone except the participants have to stay in these seats, so I came over."
Happy leapt for her with tears in his eyes. "I was so worried about you!"
Carla evaded his hug, letting him crash into the stone. "Never mind that. The match is about to start." She turned to face the arena, trying desperately to clear her worried mind. 'There's no sense thinking about that dream now. Right now, I need to focus on cheering on my guild!'
Over in Fairy Tail B Team's section, Nikolias's gaze was trained on Mira. A giddy grin split his face. "I can't wait to see Mira show how much stronger she's gotten!"
Laxus sighed. "About that…"
Nikolias turned to him. "What? What is it?"
"When you all were checking on Gracie, they invoked a special rule," Juvia explained. She looked away awkwardly. "Apparently, since both Mira and Jenny are former pinup models…" She stopped and pointed down at the arena. "Well, see for yourself."
Nikolias raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What the hell do you m—?" He turned back to the arena and froze. His expression was blank.
Down in the arena, his girlfriend was sitting on the ground with her legs spread behind her, wearing an orange bikini with white patterns, her arm underneath her breasts suggestively. "Like this?" she asked sweetly.
Across from her, Jenny was kneeling on the ground, wearing a blue bikini with white patterns, holding up her long blonde hair with her slender arms. "How about this?" she breathed seductively.
Every man in the stadium roared with applause, looking at the closeups of the two gorgeous women on the Lacrima Vision screens, hearts in their eyes.
""What the hell is going on here?!"" Natsu and Gray cried.
Wendy was trembling. "Mira…"
"I…have no words…," Lucy stuttered.
Using their Transformation magic, both Mira and Jenny magically changed into different swimsuits. Mira's was a pale blue. She got on all fours, ran her fingers through her silky white locks, and looked over her shoulder. "Or this?"
Jenny was now wearing a magenta suit with black tiger stripes. She sat down and gently pulled on her top. "Hiii~!"
"What are they doing down there?" Ash snapped.
"Honestly, listen to those men," Angel sighed exasperatedly.
Sky looked over to Nikolias. He had not moved a muscle since seeing Mira in her first swimsuit. She tugged on his sleeve. "Are you okay?"
A small amount of blood slipped out of his nose. "Damn, she's sexy," he muttered.
"Darling!" Angel wailed. "Don't be like all those horndogs in the audience!"
He wiped his nose with his arm. "Good point." Shadows whipped around his body as he smiled maliciously. He cracked his knuckles. "They are horndogs, eyeing Mira like that. I should rid them of their vision, shouldn't I?"
"That might be taking it a bit too far," Ash laughed dryly.
Down in the arena, Jenny giggled. "As expected, you're pretty impressive."
Mira smiled shyly. "I have to admit, it's a bit embarrassing doing this in front of everyone."
"I'm honestly surprised you agreed to do a pinup model showdown."
"Well, I'm not really fond of slugfests. If we can resolve this peacefully, then it's all the better, isn't it?"
"Two former pinup models! Two mages capable of Transformation Magic! This is certainly a dream battle come true!" Chapati cried into the mic. His voice sounded slightly higher than before. "For this match, Mr. Yajima, Jason, and I will be judges! Who will come out on top?"
"They're both coooool beauties!" Jason shouted.
"Now, what could the next swimsuit be?"
"Hold it right there." A woman's voice echoed out through the arena. Posing in the arena were Araña, a slim Risley, and Beth from Mermaid Heel. All three were wearing swimsuits.
Risley winked. "It won't do to let these little girls get all the attention!"
"When it comes to strength and beauty, Mermaid Heel is number one!" Araña purred.
"Do I have to be out here, though?" Beth asked timidly.
"What an unforeseen happening!" Chapati declared. "Mermaid Heel has crashed the battle!"
"Now wait here!" Another woman's voice called out over the roar of the male audience. Posing together and holding each other close were the pink-haired sisters, Sherry and Sheria, also wearing swimsuits. Sherry giggled. "You people simply don't have enough love! If you think you can please the crowd just posing in swimsuits, you're sorely mistaken! It's all about love! Without love…"
"…you can't beat us!" Sheria finished.
"And now it's Sherry and Sheria of Lamia Scale who have joined the party!" Chapati announced.
Over in Fairy Tail's spectator section, Levy sighed. "I really am in awe of all of them."
Suddenly, Mavis appeared beside her with a childish smile. "This is no time to just sit back and be impressed!"
Levy gulped. "Wait, you're not suggesting…"
"You want us to go out there, too?" Lisanna asked incredulously.
"I don't even have a swimsuit," Cana said, oblivious to the pointed stares she was receiving for her ironic statement.
"No need to worry!" Mavis answered sweetly. "I anticipated something like this might happen, so I came prepared with enough swimsuits for everybody!" With a wave of her hands, swimsuits of all colors, styles, and sizes began appearing.
Steam erupted from Makarov's nostrils. "You think of everything, First Master! Your keen insight dwarfs our imaginations!"
"I think she was just ready for fun," Romeo said.
While the girls in the spectator section started selecting their swimsuits, some begrudgingly so, Mavis flew over to Fairy Tail A Team's section. She smiled at Lucy, Erza, and Wendy. "You three can't sit back and watch either! We should all join in!"
"But why?" Lucy wailed.
Erza smiled. "When others from the cheering section take the field, doing nothing is not an option!"
"It's not?" Wendy whimpered.
As the girls chose their suits, Mavis continued her journey to Fairy Tail B Team's section. "You girls too!" She giggled. "Though one of you came prepared, I see."
Juvia had already donned a swimsuit. Apparently, she had been wearing it under her outfit. She stood proudly. "Swimsuits look best on Juvia, a mage who manipulates water!"
Gajeel huffed. "You actually going out there?"
Juvia pumped her fists. "A woman in love has to do battle at a time like this." She looked over at Gray. 'With Gracie's unfortunate injuries, the rivals for Gray-sama's love have decreased! Juvia has to take advantage of this chance to catch Gray-sama's eye!'
"Enough with that already," Laxus grumbled.
Mavis turned her attention to Angel, Ash, and Sky. "What are you three waiting for? You'll join in too, won't you?"
"Of course I will join!" Angel declared. "My darling will not be able to resist me in a swimsuit, I'm sure of it!" She began to pull off her cloak, but she was quickly stopped by Nikolias. "Darling! Why are you stopping me?"
"First of all, I've seen you in more revealing clothing than a swimsuit," Nikolias sighed. "And second, how can you have already forgotten? You're under cover, remember? Stay here and stay hidden like you promised. I don't want anything to happen to you."
Angel blushed from Nikolias's direct and honest statement. Her entire body was hot. She lowered her red face. "R…Right. Silly me. Sorry, darling."
He smiled. "It's nothing to apologize for. You always get a bit overexcited and carried away. I'm used to it."
"Come on, girls!" Mavis cheered, trying to push swimsuits on Ash and Sky.
Ash timidly reached for one. "Seriously? This is so embarrassing. Do we really have to?"
Sky began to tremble violently. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the thin fabric of the swimsuits before her. She gripped the hem of her baggy shirt and tugged it down. "I…I…"
Ash looked sadly at her sister. "Sky…"
Nikolias pulled Sky into a hug, blocking her sight of the swimsuits. "It's okay," he assured her softly. "You're alright. You don't have to wear it and go out there if you don't want to."
Massive tears spilled from her eyes. She took hold of Nikolias as if he were a safety blanket and cried quietly into his chest.
Nikolias calmly patted her back. "It's okay. You're safe." He looked up at Mavis. "Sorry…let's see, I think I heard everyone call you First Master. I'm going to have to ask you to let Sky off the hook for this one."
"I'll pass too," Ash said, putting a hand on her sister's shoulder. "I should stay with Sky until she calms down."
"You just don't want to wear the swimsuit," Angel teased.
Ash flinched but said nothing.
Mavis pouted, but she nodded nonetheless. "Well, I suppose I understand." She smiled sweetly at Nikolias. "You really are quite kind and protective." She flew away to join the show with her own swimsuit.
And a show it was. The arena was filled with almost every female contestant and spectator from the participating guilds. Everyone was posing in swimsuits as the crowd lost their minds.
Mira giggled. "I think things have gotten a bit out of hand…"
"Well, it's not so bad as a fun little stunt," Jenny replied.
"It's turned into chaos out there! Though the crowd is eating it up, so we'll go with it!" Chapati didn't bother including his own excitement with the crowd's.
Yajima nodded. "Not to mention the riot we would incite if we were to stop things now." Even he wouldn't let on how much he was enjoying the turn of events.
"This is great! So cooooool!" Jason roared. "That settles it! The next Sorcerer's Weekly cover story will be a wizard swimsuit competition!"
"However, we can't forget that this is a competition between Mirajane and Jenny," Chapati reminded everyone. "Currently, we have Mirajane with 8 points and Jenny with 9! Let's keep things going with a school swimsuit for the next theme!"
Magically, everyone had transformed into wearing a navy-blue school swimsuit.
"Next is bikinis with knee high socks!"
Magically, everyone was wearing bikinis with socks that went up to the middle of their thighs.
"Now girls with glasses!"
Magically, everyone was wearing glasses with their swimsuits.
"Cat ears!"
Magically, everyone had donned cat ears and cat tails, with their swimsuits being decorated with animal prints.
"Bondage!"
Magically, everyone was wearing dominatrix-style swimsuits. Some even had whips and other toys.
With each new category, the crowd became more raucous. A lot was being revealed about the men in the audience.
Macao gulped. His eyes were glued to the outfits. "We're traveling further and further into fetish territory."
"Yeah…not that I mind," Wakaba muttered, his cigar almost falling out of his mouth.
"And now for our final theme!" Chapati was practically falling out of the booth. Steam was coming out of his nostrils. "Wedding dress! Prepare a partner, then get into bridal gear!"
All the women in the arena magically changed into their wedding dresses, then went off to find their partner for this next round.
Jet and Droy were fighting over Levy and who would be her groom. However, Levy's eyes were focused on Gajeel, who was lying on the ground in a tuxedo with his back to the events.
"You're not with a partner?" Panther Lily asked as he held Asuka's hand.
"This is stupid. I'm just gonna take a nap," he grumbled.
Levy sighed disappointedly, which did not go unnoticed by Jet and Droy. Both men were crushed spiritually.
Lyon scooped up Juvia in his arms. "Juvia! I'm the only one for you!"
"Lyon! But Juvia is…" Juvia tried to protest, but she was too embarrassed at her current situation to find the words.
Suddenly, Gray came flying across the arena and landed a kick to Lyon's face. Juvia flew into the air from the sudden blow and landed in Gray's arms. "It's no fun letting a guildmate get snatched by a jerk from another guild."
Juvia squealed and threw her arms around Gray, knocking him to the ground. "Juvia is so happy!"
Gray looked away in embarrassment. "Don't read too much into it…"
Almost everyone was paired up with someone. Everyone was smiling happily. For all the ridiculousness of this battle, they found this theme rather fun.
Lucy, who was watching all the exchanges, smiled. "Everyone really does seem to be enjoying this."
"Lucy!" Natsu called out to her as he ran over in his white suit and tie. "Wow, you look amazing!"
Lucy blushed. "Thanks, Natsu. You look great, too."
The two stood looking at each other, blushing. Suddenly, neither of them could find any words. It was strange. They never had trouble talking to each other before but seeing each other dressed in such a fashion stole their voices. All they could do was gaze into each other's eyes.
Mira strolled over to her team's section in her white dress and looked up with a flushed face. "I'm sorry, but would you mind joining me, Nikolias?" she called up bashfully.
Nikolias nodded. He gently handed Sky, who was still clutching onto him, over to Ash. He leapt down and landed gracefully beside her. He smiled and offered his hand, which Mira took. Suddenly, Nikolias was magically wearing a black suit, black shirt, black tie, and black slacks. "Nothing would make me happier." He leaned in and whispered in her ear. "You look absolutely beautiful in that dress."
Mira's face became even redder. "I'm glad you think so." She clutched her bouquet tighter. 'Maybe one day…'
Jenny, who had pulled Hibiki over for her partner, pouted slightly at seeing the way Mira was acting with Nikolias. She sighed. "Well, you were at hand. I guess you'll do, Hibiki."
"That's actually a turn on," Hibiki replied, oblivious to Jenny's slightly disappointed tone.
Nikolias offered his arm to Mira. "Well, shall we go win this thing?"
Mira nodded and took his arm. "Let's!"
The two slowly strode towards the center of the arena in perfect sync. It honestly looked like it was their wedding day.
"This takes me back," Nikolias sighed nostalgically. "It's been centuries since I've worn something like this."
"Right, when you married Michelle," Mira recalled.
"Yeah. It was a lot of fun." He looked over at Mira. "So much so that I hope to get married again someday."
Mira's entire body stiffened up. Her whole face went red up to her ears. Her heartbeat started pounding in her chest like a base drum. Slowly, she turned her head to meet Nikolias's fond gaze. "S…Someday, huh?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Someday." He looked forward. "When the moment feels right."
Mira looked forward as well. Her head was swimming. She could barely think straight. "I hope…that moment comes soon."
"Me too."
Suddenly, a bell rang out, signaling the end of the event. "The wedding showdown is over!" Chapati declared. "Let's get back to the swimsuit competition!"
"I think it's about time for me to make an appearance!" An old woman's voice echoed out over the arena. Everyone looked up to see Ooba Babasaama standing on top of one of the statues on the outside of the arena, moving her bony finger in circles. "I, Lamia Scale's Ooba Babasaama, am going to show you what a woman's charm is!" She leapt down towards the arena, her red cloak billowing around her like a parasol. Once she landed, she discarded the cloak to reveal her red one-piece swimsuit. She twirled her hips in circles and gently bit down on a couple bony fingers.
Her intention was to show her charm and appeal. However, all she ended up doing was killing the mood.
Everything went silent. Everyone's faces fell. They all wanted to look away, but just as if they were witnessing a horrifying crash, they couldn't look away. And yet the more they looked, the more the display was burned into their brains. All in the arena, minus Mira and Jenny, whose battle this was, started returning to their sections.
"With that single strike, the excitement in the arena vanished." Never before had Chapati's voice contained no emotion. "Not only that, but the interlopers suddenly lost interest and are returning to their seats."
Even Jason seemed completely deflated. "Cool down…"
Once the arena had completely emptied of guests, Mira and Jenny returned to their original attire. Jenny put a hand confidently to her hip. "I guess playtime is over, huh?"
Mira put a hand to her hot face. Even after what just happened with Ooba Babasaama, she couldn't calm herself down. She was replaying what Nikolias said and the look on his face in her mind on repeat. "I'm a little disappointed. That was really fun!"
Chapati shook his head and regained his vigor as he grabbed the microphone. "This match has certainly gone on longer than anticipated! With both Mirajane and Jenny at a deadlock of 30 points from the various outfits, we'll have this be the final outfit!"
A twinkle appeared in Jenny's eye and the corners of her lips curled ever so slightly in a conniving grin. 'Here it is! I have to apologize, Mira. No matter what the theme ends up being, I have a trick that guarantees my victory!' She held out her hand. "Say, Mira. This is the last one, yes?"
"Correct. I won't lose!" Mira said with absolute confidence.
"Then why don't we go with the flow of the previous matches and make a bet?"
"Oh, that's a good idea! What will the stakes be?"
Jenny blushed slightly. She couldn't believe she was actually going to say this out loud in front of the crowd and her guildmates. Still, even though she had just decided on it a few minutes ago, this was what she wanted more than anything. She didn't understand it too well herself. 'This wasn't part of my original plan…Well, the heart wants what the heart wants, I suppose.' She pointed at Mira and made her declaration.
"The person who loses has to appear nude in Sorcerer's Weekly," she took a breath to steel her resolve, "and if I win, Nikolias will join Blue Pegasus!"
"…huh?" Mira was understandably confused. She figured she must have heard that last part wrong.
"I said, if I win, you'll pose nude in Sorcerer's Weekly and Nikolias will leave Fairy Tail to join Blue Pegasus." She glanced up at him. "I've taken quite an interest in him. He's strong and unbelievably attractive. Plus, he looked so dashing in his wedding attire." She looked back at Mira, a hand against her chest. "He has completely stolen my heart!"
The crowd erupted in surprise. Even Chapati couldn't hide his shock. "What an incredible wager to be placed! Has Jenny, the beloved former pinup model, just declared her love to someone from another guild? How will Mirajane react?!"
Angel ground her teeth as she leaned on the railing. "That hussy is at it again!"
"Like Mira would take a bet like that, though," Ash said.
Sky latched back onto Nikolias. "Please don't leave!"
Nikolias kept his eyes focused on the two in the arena. He didn't say anything.
The girls were confused. They figured he would at least get angry. "Darling, you're not mad?" Angel asked.
"No, I'm not mad," Nikolias answered. "There's nothing to be mad about. Because Mira won't lose."
Jenny took a deep breath. Saying all that out loud was somehow even more embarrassing than she had thought. "Well, what do you say?"
Mira smiled. "Sure."
Even more astonishment washed through the crowd, though none were more flabbergasted than Fairy Tail. Forget the threat of public nudity. Was Mira really okay with potentially losing Nikolias to another guild?
"Mira…," Wendy said with slight fear in her voice.
"No way Nikolias leaves!" Natsu roared.
"I can't believe she would agree to that!" Lucy cried.
Erza nodded. "It's an odd wager. But Mira wouldn't accept unless she was sure she would win. Besides," she paused to look over at Fairy Tail B Team's section, "Nikolias is clearly fine with it as well, because he has absolute faith in her."
Mira held up a finger. "Now, your stakes are quite high, I must say. You know Nikolias and I are dating, yet you would so boldly confess your feelings for him and try to get him to join your guild so you can steal him away. So, to make things fair…let's see. How about the loser has to be nude the entire day of the shoot? Oh, and no hiding at home. You have to be out and about."
Angel groaned. "That may be humiliating, but those terms aren't fair at all!"
"Seriously, she could have gotten a lot more," Ash sighed. "What is she thinking down there?"
"She doesn't care about what she's getting in return," Nikolias replied.
"What do you mean?" Gajeel asked.
"You mean you guys don't notice it? The way she's standing, the tone of her voice, that decorative smile on her face. She's lost all interest in making a bet. All she's thinking about is winning handily," Nikolias grinned, "because she's incredibly pissed off."
Chapati was sweating profusely. "WHAT AN UNBELIEVABLE WAGER! Mira has upped the ante by declaring the loser will be nude not only for the shoot, but for an entire day in public!"
Jenny was shocked by Mira's words, but she maintained her confident air. 'I can't believe she agreed to the bet. Normally I'd be a bit worried, since I'm not sure which one of us has more fans out of the people in the stands, but the key is the three judges. I coincidentally asked Chapati and Mr. Yajima about their type of women during the dinner party last night, and they prefer younger women. Mira hasn't aged for seven years, which means she's young. As for Jason, he will assuredly choose Mira for his magazines. After all, she's a beautiful model who hasn't aged in seven years who would also be nude! There's nothing to think about. They'll all want to see the younger Mira nude in the magazine, thus voting for me.'
Chapati gulped. "Th…The final theme is…battle gear!"
A bright light engulfed Jenny as she began her transformation. 'Sorry, Mira. Whatever the theme is, I'll win, just as planned. And I'll be taking your boyfriend for myself as an added bonus.' When the light disappeared, Jenny was wearing a dark magenta colored set of armor that encased her arms up to her shoulders and legs up to her mid thighs. Underneath she wore a navy-blue and white battle suit that covered her torso and legs but revealed her toned stomach. A navy-blue ruffled headband sat atop her head and attached to conical ear protectors. She held out her arms. "This is my battle form!"
"Then I'll change into mine," Mira smiled as a purplish-red aura surrounded her. Her hair and dress whipped about wildly. "We went with the flow of the previous matches and made a bet, so maybe it'll be okay to keep going with the flow of the battles and end with a little fight?" The aura expanded and completely hid Mira within for just a moment. And when it vanished…
"…huh?" Jenny blinked, confusion evident in her expression and tone.
Mira had taken her battle form, but it was something Jenny had never seen before. In fact, even Mira's guildmates were stunned. None of them had ever seen this form before.
Mira was dressed in a pure white kimono with long billowing sleeves. Her bare feet just poked out underneath the fabric. Her fair skin was so pale it was almost as white as snow. Her pure white hair had gone completely black and flowed gently in the cold wind that had suddenly surrounded her, though her trademark short front ponytail remained. Her sapphire blue eyes were now an icy blue. Her lips turned up in a menacing grin.
"What form is that?" Lucy gasped.
"I have no idea," Erza said with a shake of her head. "I've never seen it before. I thought for sure she would take her Sitri form, which I believe is her strongest Satan Soul."
The frigid air in the arena spread to the audience as well, causing everyone to shiver.
"Wh-wh-wh-what is th-th-th-this form Mirajane has taken?" Chapati managed to utter through clattering teeth. "W-w-w-we can f-f-f-feel the freezing aura f-f-f-from here!"
Yajima's entire frail body shivered violently, preventing him from speaking.
Jason shuddered while hugging his body, frozen mucus hanging from his pointed nose. "Literally COOOOOOOOOOOOOL!"
"I never knew she had something like this," Laxus said.
Angel, Ash, and Sky all hugged each other to keep each other warm. Ash ignited her hair to help provide more warmth, but even that did little to combat the intense cold.
"So cold," Sky whimpered.
"Darling, what is that?" Angel asked.
Nikolias, unfazed by the cold, smiled wide. He looked upon Mira with pride as he answered Angel's question.
"Satan Soul: Snow Maiden."
THREE MONTHS AGO
After leaving Angel, Ash, and Sky back at the training field at Shile's mountain range, Nikolias flew Mira past the tall mountains further and further north. They flew for several miles, and as they did the environment began to change drastically. Snow and ice coated the ground and trees. A gentle snow fluttered down from the gray clouds. Animals with white and gray fur took cover as they sensed Nikolias soaring above.
"It's not much further," Nikolias promised. "Sorry, I keep taking you to such freezing places."
Mira shook her head, her arms wrapped around Nikolias's neck. She was wearing a heavy coat that she brought with her for her training. "Don't apologize. Like I told you back at the guild when you mentioned it, this is what I want to do. If anything, I should apologize for making you take time from your training to bring me back and forth."
"Now that's nothing to apologize for. I'm happy to help you get stronger. And it's only a few miles. I can cover that distance in no time."
She smiled sweetly. "It sounds like everything is fine, then!"
He returned the warm smile. "Yeah, I guess it is."
After a couple minutes more of flying, they came upon a large mound of snow. Nikolias angled himself to land in front of it. It didn't seem like it was natural, especially since it was hollowed out. Not enough light was able to enter the hollow, so they couldn't see what it was like inside.
Nikolias put Mira down and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Kiyu! Kiyu, are you there?" There was no response from inside. "Kiyu, it's Nikolias! If you're there, please come out!"
"Nikolias? Is it really?" A tiny, gentle voice echoed out from the snow hollow.
Nikolias's face lit up. "Yes! Kiyu, it really is me!"
"You're not a figment of my imagination?"
"Nope, I'm as real as it gets."
"You're not lying?"
"Really, would I lie to my friend?"
A girl suddenly appeared from the snow hollow. Her skin was pale, and her white robes practically blended in with the snow. Her long, glacier blue hair went down her back with bangs framing her youthful face. She covered her pale lips with her hand, her dainty fingers unable to suppress her gasp. Her lavender eyes shone as small ice cubes rolled down her cheeks. She ran forward and threw herself at Nikolias. "Nikolias! It really is you! Oh, how I've missed you!"
Nikolias braced his legs to keep himself from falling over. He embraced Kiyu's thin frame and gently stroked her hair. "I've missed you too. It's so good to see you again after all this time."
Kiyu looked up at him, the ice cubes falling from her eyes growing in size. "Where did you go? Why haven't you come to see me in so long?" She looked away sadly. "I was so lonely. You were the only one who ever came to talk to me or spend any time with me. And then you just suddenly disappeared."
Nikolias looked down at her apologetically. "I know. I know you were lonely. I'm sorry for vanishing on you like that. I promise to explain everything to you, but it's a bit too long of a story to tell now."
Kiyu nuzzled her face against Nikolias's chest. "I forgive you. But just this once, okay?"
"Just as sweet as ever. You really haven't changed in all these hundreds of years."
"Neither have you. You even look almost the same as the last time I saw you."
"So have you been well?" She gave a small nod into his chest. "Have you been taking care of yourself?" Another small nod. "Have you been eating right?" A small flinch. Nikolias narrowed his eyes. "Kiyu. What have you been eating?"
"There are some tasty berries and vegetation growing nearby," Kiyu said in a quiet voice, almost as if she didn't want Nikolias to hear.
He sighed. "Kiyu, you need to eat more than that. How have you not withered away into nothing? Can't you at least hunt some meat?"
Kiyu looked up at him desperately. "But, but, but! If I did that, I would be hurting the animals!"
Nikolias groaned and shook his head. "Honestly, what am I going to do with you? You've always been kind-hearted, but you need to think about your health as well." He pointed to himself. "At least take a little bit of my life force."
Kiyu shook her head vigorously. "I can't!"
"You've taken it before when we were kids. You can do it again."
Kiyu's pale cheeks flushed. She placed a finger against her lips. "You're sure you don't mind?" she asked timidly, seeking absolute assurance.
"I don't mind at all."
She blinked a few times, looking around anxiously, before settling her gaze back on Nikolias. "Then…thank you for the meal." She lifted herself up onto her tiptoes and sealed her lips against Nikolias's lips. She held there for several seconds before pulling away, a small trail of saliva glistening between them. She wiped her mouth with her sleeve shyly.
"You sure that's enough? You barely took any."
"Yes, it's plenty. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Now please promise me that you won't go that long without taking some life force and eating some meat. You need proper nutrition."
She bowed her head. "I promise." She then glanced over and looked at Mira. She hadn't noticed her standing there this whole time. She had been too focused on seeing her best friend again for the first time in centuries. "Oh, who is this with you?"
"It's nice to meet you," Mira said with a warm smile. "My name is Mira."
"Mira?" Kiyu repeated.
"Yes!"
"Are you a friend of Nikolias?"
"Yes, we're very close friends."
"Mira is here because she has a favor to ask of you," Nikolias explained.
Kiyu tilted her head cutely to the side and blinked. "A favor? From me?"
Mira bowed her head. "Yes. I would like very much for you to teach me about Snow Maidens."
"Teach you about Snow Maidens? Why?"
"Learning more about them will help me get stronger."
"Huh?" Kiyu looked over at Nikolias. "I don't get it."
"Mira possesses something called Take Over Magic. She can use the abilities and take the appearance of creatures she takes over. However, she needs to know about them really well in order to do so," Nikolias explained. "Her brand is Satan Soul."
"I still don't get it. I've never heard of magic before. And what does that have to do with knowing more about Snow Maidens?"
"Sorry, I'll try to explain better. I'm not going to go into magic right now, because frankly even I don't understand it too well. It's pretty new to me, too. But I can explain Mira's reason for asking to learn about Snow Maidens."
"Yes, please do. I'd like to understand."
"See, a few days ago, Mira and I took a trip to an inn that was being terrorized by a Snow Maiden. We hunted it down, but right before I killed it, Mira asked me to wait. She wanted to try using Take Over on the Snow Maiden." He released a heavy sigh as he recalled the events. "It was really touch and go for a while, and Mira was really weak afterwards, but she managed to do it. She managed to take over the Snow Maiden. However, for her to use the Snow Maiden's abilities, she has to know more about it. Otherwise, she won't be able to control it."
Kiyu looked at Mira in wonder. "Wow. I still don't really get it, but you sound amazing!"
Mira giggled. "Why thank you."
"So Kiyu, will you help her out? Will you teach her about Snow Maidens and show her the ropes?" Nikolias asked.
Kiyu beamed. She gracefully folded her hands in front of her. "For my very dear friend, of course! I would be happy to help!"
PRESENT DAY
Mira put a robed hand to her mouth. "I accepted your bet. Now I want you to accept my power."
Jenny trembled violently, though whether it was from the cold or her fear it was impossible to tell. "Wh…what?"
Mira's icy blue eyes flashed in irritation. "Okay?"
Jenny took an instinctive step back. "W…wait! Please wait a moment! We can talk this out, right?"
Mira threw out her hands, revealing her long, delicate fingers and dagger-like fingernails. She spread her fingers wide. "Sorry, but I'm a little too annoyed to hold myself back! ARCTIC GALE!" An intense blast of icy wind shot out from behind her and struck Jenny full force. In a matter of seconds, Jenny had been almost completely encased in ice, leaving only her neck and head exposed.
"What a change!" Chapati cried. "In the end, we get treated to a fight!"
"Well, that is how the rule is supposed to go," Yajima said.
"The winner is Fairy Tail B Team's Mirajane Strauss! Fairy Tail B Team receives 10 points! That gives them a whopping 32 points!"
Mira lifted her hands in the air victoriously, the arctic winds still dancing around her. The crowd roared with excitement.
"That was awesome!" Natsu exclaimed. "Just like the old Mira!"
"I thought this was supposed to be a pinup model battle, though," Gray said.
"It was a pinup model battle," Erza grinned. "There wasn't any rule against punching, though. And besides, once Jenny made that bet, Mira wasn't going to hold anything back."
In a flash of light, Mira's Snow Maiden form vanished, as did the cold winds. She placed a hand against her chest and took a deep, calming breath. She had definitely let her frustrations out on Jenny. She turned to the girl and smiled sweetly. "I look forward to seeing you in your birthday suit, Jenny. I'll make it a point to spend the day with you on the day of the shoot!"
Tears streamed down Jenny's face. "Noooooooo!"
Fairy Tail B Team made their way down to their tunnel to greet their teammate. Mira walked over to them.
"That was damn impressive," Gajeel stated.
"Yeah, Mira is definitely someone you don't want to piss off, and that girl went and did it," Laxus sighed.
"Mira is so cool!" Sky breathed.
Angel sighed in relief. "And now there is no threat of that hussy taking my darling."
Ash clapped Nikolias on the back. "You kidding? I wasn't worried for a second!"
Nikolias gazed into Mira's eyes. He gave her a broad smile. "Way to kick ass out there."
Mira tilted her head and smiled sweetly. "Thank you." Her cheeks flushed slightly. She cupped her face with a dainty hand. "Though I feel like I wore a lot of immodest outfits."
Nikolias pulled her in and embraced her. He whispered in her ear, "Yeah, you sure did. Though I thoroughly enjoyed every second of you."
Mira's entire face went red. A mischievous smile spread across her face. She whispered in his ear, "Then should I give you a private show later?"
"Alright, that's enough of that!" Angel pouted.
Laxus smirked. "With this win, we're now back in second place. If Sabertooth loses, we'll stay 4 points up on them. Then it's just Raven Tail in our way."
"I must say that Mirajane is something else."
"I agree, but does she have to cling to Niky like that?!"
Jellal, Ultear, and Meredy watched the entirety of Mira's fight. The girls were impressed with her strength, but Jellal remained silent. In fact, he may not even have been paying all that close attention.
Ultear noticed his daze and questioned him. "Jellal, is something wrong?"
Jellal folded his fingers. "The second day is almost over. So then why haven't we sensed that strange, ominous magic?" His grip tightened. "What could it mean?"
"Captain Arcadios!"
The Captain of the Guard walked the dark, quiet halls of the palace, but once he heard his name he paused. He turned to see a small elderly man with a sour expression walking up behind him. "Defense Minister Darton. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Don't bother with pleasantries," the old man snapped. "What do you think you're doing?"
Arcadios raised an eyebrow. "Doing about what?"
"Stop feigning ignorance!" Darton bellowed. "Why are you trying to get a hold of a Celestial Spirit Wizard now?! Don't you think that's premature?!"
Darton was aware of Arcadios's stunt in trying and failing to kidnap Lucy. Once he had heard of the actions the Captain had taken, he had to investigate. And what better way to get answers than to ask the man himself?
Arcadios smirked. "I want to make a trial run as soon as possible."
"Like I said, it's still too early! It's not even ready yet!"
"Please keep your voice down, Defense Minister. Besides, there's nothing to be so concerned about. It is indeed complete."
Darton was shocked. "What…did you say? But how…is that possible?"
"Saying it wasn't ready was a lie of convenience, in order to come up with a budget. Now all we need is a Celestial Spirit Wizard and Eclipse will have reached the practical stage."
"I don't believe it. You're telling me it's been completed in a mere seven years?!"
"The project will now proceed to phase 4, plan B. This time, we will absolutely acquire a Celestial Spirit Wizard." Arcadios turned and continued walking. He needed to return to the king's side, and the king was still watching the battles. "It's common knowledge that you oppose the Eclipse Project. However, we can't be stopped now after coming this far."
"Are you a devil?!" Darton roared.
Arcadios chuckled dryly. "For the sake of king and country, a man very well may become a devil or a god. Weighed against Eclipse, the gateway that will change the world, the life of one girl is exceedingly cheap."
"Alright, everyone! The second day of the Grand Magic Games reaches its final match!" Chapati picked up his notes and announced the final match of the day. "This match will be Kagura Mikazuchi from Mermaid Heel versus Sabertooth's Yukino Agria! It's yet another battle of beauties!"
Sabertooth stood at the entrance to their tunnel.
Orga crossed his arms. "Thanks to a certain somebody, we didn't get any points in the competition part."
"Heh?" Sting spat.
"No. Master Sting was just unlucky. If we'd known the competition was going to be on top of a moving vehicle, we could have prepared," Yukino replied monotonously.
"Never mind about that," Sting said. "You know what it means to be a member of this team, don't you, Yukino?"
Yukino strode confidently forward towards the center of the arena. "It means fighting in the name of Sabertooth without sullying it and winning without question."
Over at Mermaid Heel's tunnel, the team was sending off Kagura with a different aura.
"Good luck, Kagura!" a robed girl with a concealed face cheered.
"Win for me, won'tcha?" Beth said.
"Sucks that she has to go against Sabertooth, though," Risley grumbled.
"Kagura is stronger than that girl!" Araña scolded.
Kagura started towards the center of the arena. "Never fear. I saw the path. The destination of my sword."
Yajima sighed in disappointment. "I suppose we're done with the pinup model battles."
"Well, depending on individual tastes, I wouldn't say it's out of the question," Chapati offered.
"No way! We couldn't ask these two cool ladies to do that!" Jason refused.
"Sabertooth," Gray muttered. "They're the last match, huh?"
"We must watch closely," Erza ordered. "This is the guild we're working so hard to overcome."
Kagura and Yukino faced off in the center of the arena. Both of their cold glares were fixed on the other.
"Everyone here is aware of how strong Kagura is," Chapati began. "She's Mermaid Heel's strongest wizard as well as Sorcerer's Weekly's top pick for female wizard! Against her is Yukino, who's making her debut in this fight! Still, she's a member of the strongest guild, Sabertooth, so it's fair to expect her to be pretty strong! Now, let the match begin!"
The gong sounded. However, neither girl made a move. Instead, Yukino began with a slight bow of her head.
"I look forward to doing battle with you."
Kagura was surprised by her action but replied in kind. "As do I."
"Before we begin our match, shall we make a bet too?"
"Sorry, but I'm not interested."
"Is it because you're afraid of losing?"
"Fear? No, I don't possess such an emotion. My reasoning is simple. I believe that when one makes a wager, it must be followed through, so I'd like to abstain from any thoughtless diversions."
"Very well. Then let's make a serious bet. We'll bet our lives."
Natsu gulped. "Their lives?"
"Things are getting vicious down there," Gray said sternly.
"Who makes a bet like that?" Lucy gasped.
"That's our Yukino! That's why she's part of Sabertooth!" Lecter cheered as he boxed the air.
"Good luck, Yukino!" Frosch cried.
"Now that makes things interesting," Sting smirked.
"Well, that's kinda dark," Gajeel grumbled.
"Why would she bet such a thing?" Mira wondered.
Nikolias studied both fighters, but he sensed something was off to his right. He turned to see Angel looking oddly distant. Her amethyst eyes were trembling, and she was gripping the railing so tight that her knuckles were white. "Angel? Everything okay?"
Angel blinked and looked at him. She still seemed incredibly tense and distracted. "Hm? Oh, sorry darling. I must have spaced out for a second there."
"What were you looking at down there? It seems to have you freaked out."
She waved her hands in front of her. "Nothing!" She returned her attention to the competitors. "Nothing at all. Just surprised by their bet."
Ash tapped Nikolias's shoulder and whispered in his ear. "She was kinda like that a bit yesterday, too. You think she's sick or maybe tired?"
Nikolias hummed. Suddenly he was less interested in watching Sabertooth and the insane bet made by their member and more concerned about Angel. "Maybe. At least, I hope that's all it is."
"Does that Yukino chick have all her marbles?" the hooded Mermaid Heel member asked nervously.
"Her opponent is Kagura, the strongest wizard of Mermaid Heel, and she made a bet like that?" Risley sighed. "That girl's got confidence to spare, I'll give her that."
Kagura closed her eyes. "If you are sincerely prepared to do this, then accepting would be the proper thing to do. Fine then." She opened her eyes. "Come and get me."
The crowd was all muttering to themselves in shock at this high-stakes wager. Before now, all the bets were more light-hearted and fun, but hearing them agree to put their lives on the line for a battle in the Games seemed a bit much.
"Things have taken a serious turn," Chapati said. "Just what exactly is going on here?"
"This kind of bet is not cool!" Jason cried.
The king smiled. "I do believe I've set up a good match here. This should be a lively battle!"
Yukino was the first to move. She slowly drew out a golden key. "It's your bad luck to be standing before a member of Sabertooth."
Wendy gasped. "Lucy, is that…?"
"That girl is a Celestial Spirit Wizard?" Lucy couldn't believe her eyes. The girl was holding one of the twelve Zodiac keys.
Arcadios leaned forward. He never saw this development coming. 'There's another Celestial Spirit Wizard?'
Kagura hummed with slight interest. "I recognize that. That's one of those 12 Zodiac Gate keys, correct?"
Yukino held the key out to the side, and it began glowing brightly. "GATE OF THE FISH, I OPEN THEE. PISCES!" As she raised the key above her head, a magic circle appeared. Appearing in a flash were two massive, eel-like fish, one black with a white underbelly and one white with a black underbelly. They swam through the air as if it were water. As they twisted their massive bodies about, they both angled their heads to slam into Kagura.
At the last possible moment, Kagura jumped surprisingly high, avoiding both fish as they slammed into the ground. Pisces recovered quickly and rushed into the air to chase after Kagura. However, Kagura managed to move out of the way and push off of the eel-like bodies to evade the attacks. Although she was in mid-air, all of her movements appeared effortless.
"Incredible!" Natsu exclaimed.
"She's dodging those attacks with just the slightest movements," Gray analyzed.
Lucy was more impressed with the Celestial Spirit. She had never seen one quite like that before.
Kagura landed gracefully on the ground, barely disturbing the dirt, before leaping high once again to dodge the black fish's attempt to bite her. Once she was at the peak of her jump, she flipped to evade the white fish's next attack as it attempted to bash into her, landed on its body, and began running along it's body towards the ground. As the black fish turned and went in for another attack, she jumped off of the white fish to dodge.
"Incredible! Kagura is deftly dodging all Pisces's fierce attacks!" Chapati shouted.
"Quite impressive."
"COOOOOOL!"
"If you're so good at dodging," Yukino reached down and pulled out a second golden key, "then all I need to do is ground you. GATE OF THE SCALES, I OPEN THEE. LIBRA!" With a wave of her hand, a magic circle appeared, and in a flash of light a tan-skinned woman appeared. She wore a green and gold bikini top and a billowing, long loincloth. Her face below the bridge of her nose was covered by a cloth bearing the zodiac symbol for 'Libra'. Her black hair was tied up to look like horns on the top of her head. Her forearms and calves were completely covered in red bangles. Attached to her fingers by cords were two golden scales.
Lucy was shocked. "She's going to open two gates at once?!"
"Libra, alter the target's gravity," Yukino ordered.
"As you wish," Libra replied. She began waving her scales around as if sculpting an invisible force.
Suddenly, the atmosphere around Kagura changed. It felt like her body was being pressed down upon by an incredibly powerful force. She knew immediately that the gravity around her had intensified.
"Gravity manipulation!" Beth cried, stunned.
"That Libra uses the same magic as me?!" Risley, too, was surprised by this.
"So she made Kagura heavier?" Araña asked in annoyance.
With Kagura's gravity now much greater, Yukino used the opening she created to her advantage. "Go, Pisces." The two fish shot into the air, angled their bodies downward, and shot like meteors towards Kagura. Their heads bore into the ground where Kagura stood.
However, it was Libra who noticed something was off. She looked into the sky and her eyes widened. "No, that's…!"
Yukino followed Libra's gaze and her eyes widened as well. "How?"
Soaring high in the air after evading the attack was Kagura. She still seemed like she was barely putting in any effort.
Lecter's jaw dropped. "How did she blow off Libra's gravity power?!"
"She's amazing!" Natsu exclaimed.
"She's an incredible jumper," Gray noted.
Erza shook her head. "No, it's not quite that."
Yukino recovered from her shock and made her next order. "Libra. Make the target's gravity go sideways."
"As you wish." With a tug on her cords, the scales danced about.
A powerful force slammed into Kagura's front. She was sent crashing into the face of one of the arena's statues. The force pushed her deep and kept her pinned flatly against the stone.
"Oh my! That had to have hurt!" Chapati announced. "It appears Kagura was only able to escape the Celestial Spirit's gravity altering for a short time! She's completely pinned to the statue! What a pinch!"
"Now, Pisces!" Yukino ordered.
The two fish shot out of the ground and rushed towards Kagura. Right before the two fish could reach her, however, Kagura's eye twitched. And right as it did, the two fish stopped moving forward. Instead, it almost seemed like they were being pulled down towards the ground. They were trying desperately to fight against it but to no avail.
"What happened?" Gray asked. "Did the Saber girl run out of magic?"
"It's not that," Erza said. "Take a look in the arena."
Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Wendy did as she said. And when they did, they couldn't hide their shock.
Libra was squatting down low, but it was clear she was being pressed down upon. A heavy sweat clung to her tan skin as she tried to resist. 'I can't move!'
Yukino sighed. "I see. It makes sense now."
Risley cackled. "That's right! Where do you think I learned my gravity-altering magic? Kagura was the one who taught me! You better not underestimate her! Now finish 'em!"
The gravity pushing down on Pisces intensified and slammed them into the ground, right on top of Libra. With Libra now hindered, the gravity pinning Kagura down had vanished. She pushed herself from the stone statue and leapt down.
"It's amazing! Kagura is undaunted by facing two Celestial Spirits! Wouldn't you agree, Mr. Yajima?" Chapati asked his partner.
"Experience and grit. She certainly possesses impressive fortitude."
"I'm so excited to see a showdown like this right before my eyes! Cool! COOOOOL!" Jason shrieked.
With both her spirits unable to continue, Yukino gave her order. "Pisces, Libra, go back." The two spirits obeyed and vanished in particles of light.
Kagura landed gracefully on the ground. The two stared each other down.
"This is getting monotonous," Orga yawned.
"Hey, she's just getting started!" Lecter assured. "Right, Sting?"
"That's right," Sting agreed. "Yukino's going to bring out her real power now."
Yukino narrowed her eyes. "I'm surprised. You're going to make me open the 13th Gate?"
Kagura showed minimal surprise at Yukino's statement.
Lucy's surprise was much greater. "Did she say 13th Gate?!"
"What's the matter, Lucy?" Wendy asked.
"There are 12 Zodiac Gates and 12 Zodiac keys. But I have heard rumors of a 13th key and an unknown Celestial Spirit that far surpasses the other twelve. I never believed it was true, though."
Yukino reached down and pulled out a golden key. However, wrapped around this one was something black. "Opening the 13th Gate…I suppose that means you've run out of luck." The black object wrapped around the key began emitting a sinister purple glow. As she held it out to the side, a purple mist began appearing in the arena.
"Luck?" Kagura repeated. "I haven't relied on luck since the moment I was born." She reached for the sword at her side and unfastened it. This sword had cloth wrapped tightly around where the blade could be drawn from the scabbard. Still, Kagura put a hand on the hilt of her sword as if she were about to draw it and charged forward. "Everything has come about through the choices I have made. That's what's leading me to the future."
Yukino held the key in front of her. "GATE OF THE SERPENT BEARER, I OPEN THEE. OPHIUCHUS!"
A massive purple and black magic circle appeared overhead. The mist became a thick, dense haze that covered not only the arena, but the entire city. And suddenly appearing from that haze was a massive black snake. Its armor-like scales tore through the earth as it coiled its body about, protecting Yukino and blocking Kagura's advance and retreat. Its purple eyes glared down at Kagura.
"That thing is humongous!" Natsu cried.
"Serpent Bearer?! That thing is a serpent!" Gray shouted.
"So this is Ophiuchus?" Lucy gasped.
Arcadios grinned. 'The 13th Gate. How outstanding!'
A bead of sweat rolled down Darton's wrinkled face. 'This does not bode well. Not only are there two Celestial Spirit Wizards, but they both own the 12 Zodiac Gates.'
Kagura did not appear at all intimidated by the massive serpent. She held her sheathed sword at the ready. She held her stance and waited. Ophiuchus lashed out at Kagura with its mouth wide open. Kagura closed her eyes. "Blade of Resentment, Archenemy." Her eyes snapped open. And in one simple motion, Kagura's stance shifted, and Ophiuchus's attack missed. "Style of the Unsheathed Sword." She then took off for Yukino.
A sound like a shell cracking echoed out. Soon after, Ophiuchus's massive body was split cleanly into strips. The haze vanished as Ophiuchus disappeared.
The crowd was stunned. Kagura didn't even unsheathe her sword, yet she was able to cut the huge serpent cleanly with minimal effort.
However, none were more stunned than Yukino. Her most powerful spirit had been dispatched effortlessly. 'I don't believe it…'
Sting's mouth hung open. "Is she for real?"
"Whoa! How the hell did she do that?" Ash asked.
Erza's eyes were wide. "Unsheathed sword style?"
The hooded figure from Mermaid Heel smiled. "Yeah, you don't want Kagura to ever unsheathe her sword.
Kagura closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye. "You made a cheap bet." With a simple swing of her sheathed sword, she knocked Yukino onto her back. "Sometimes, mermaids devour tigers."
Yukino lay on the ground, stunned. She didn't understand it. She had been defeated. How? She was a member of Sabertooth, the strongest guild in Fiore. How could she have lost?
It took Chapati a moment to recover from his own surprise to make the call. "Th…The match is over! The winner is Mermaid Heel's Kagura Mikazuchi!" The crowd roared in applause for a stunning match and Kagura's victory. "It's unbelievable, but Sabertooth received 0 points on the second day of the Games!"
"Things are certainly getting interesting," Yajima nodded.
"Kagura is just too cool!" Jason shrieked.
Kagura paid the attention no mind as she strode out of the arena.
"Was the Saber woman weak? Or was the Mermaid woman strong?" Gray pondered aloud.
"Certainly the latter," Erza said with certainty. 'To think someone like her existed.'
"What a crazy match," Ash sighed.
"Both fought well," Sky nodded.
"Those spirits Yukino used were impressive, but I'm more blown away by Kagura's strength. She would be a tough fight. I wonder why she wouldn't draw her sword, though." Nikolias offered his thoughts on the match. He then peeked over at Angel, who hadn't said a word. Her body was trembling even more than before. 'Seriously, what is up with her?'
Sting clenched his fist. His jaw tightened as his teeth ground together. However, there was no anger in his expression as he looked down at Yukino. The only thing reflected in his normally calm and cool gaze was something akin to fear.
Yukino's eyes filled with tears as she stared up at the blue sky. Slowly, she opened her mouth. "I…lost. Sabertooth lost."
Before entering her team's tunnel, Kagura paused but did not turn around. "Your life. That was the wager, yes? Well now your life belongs to me. Do you understand?"
"Y…Yes. As you say."
Upon hearing her answer, Kagura continued into her team's tunnel where she was greeted with excitement and cheers from her teammates.
"With the conclusion of that battle, the second day of the Grand Magic Games reaches its end!" Chapati announced. "Let's review where our teams stand! Raven Tail gained another 18 points today, giving them first place with 42 points! Earning 11 points today was Fairy Tail B Team, pushing them into second place with 32 points! Sabertooth gained 0 points today, which drops them into third place with 28 points! Mermaid Heel earned 16 points today, rocketing them up from seventh place to fourth place with 21 points! Blue Pegasus earned only three points today, so they have fallen to fifth place with 20 points! Lamia Scale earned 4 points today to fall to sixth place with 14 points! Quatro Cerberus earned 10 points today, but they stay in seventh place with 13 points! Finally, in last place is Fairy Tail A Team, but they made up some ground by earning their first 12 points of the Games!"
The king smiled. "Those were all some fine magic battles! I wonder what we'll see tomorrow!"
Arcadios left to walk the halls. He couldn't hide his joy no matter how hard he tried to suppress it. 'Another Celestial Spirit Wizard. This must be destiny! Now the project is even more certain to succeed!'
Darton noticed Arcadios's departure. Once he saw Yukino fight, he knew what Arcadios must be thinking. 'This can't go on. I have to do something quickly.'
Jellal narrowed his eyes as he peered into Ultear's ball. 'That's it. The second day has ended, and we still have yet to sense the magic power that we've perceived every year. What could that mean?'
