A/N: I'm gonna be honest, I was going to skip Laxus's match because my lazy ass didn't want to write his whole talk with Ivan.

But I was actually given an idea to do... So I'm going to be writing it.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: LAXUS VS. ALEXEI

"And now, I'll announce the current standings of the third day of the Grand Magic Games! As before, Raven Tail is in first place!" Chapati announced.

"The time has come at last... Move out, people." Alexei ordered.

"Still in second place, Lamia Scale! In third place, one rank down, Sabertooth! In fourth place, Mermaid Heel! And tied for fourth, moving up two ranks, the Fairy Tail A team!" Chapati continued.

"Alright!" Natsu cheered.

"We're gonna move up even more ranks!" Lucy claimed.

"Aye, sir!" Happy said.

"In sixth place, the Fairy Tail B team!"

"We ain't gonna lose either!" Gajeel informed.

"And you can see the last place teams for yourself." Chapati finished as Blue Pegasus was seventh and Quatro Puppy was eighth.

"I guess when you're in seventh place, you don't even get a name check..." Hibiki stated.

"Humiliating parfum!" Ichiya exclaimed with tears running down his face.

"If Quatro Puppy's gonna be our name, I'm glad he didn't say it!" Rocker said.

"Alright, the battle part of the third day of the Grand Magic Games is about to begin!" Chapati announced.

"I'm looking forward to the battle part!" Yajima said.

"Indeed." Lahar agreed.

"In the first match, it's Millianna of Mermaid Heel... vs. Semmes of Quatro Puppy!" Chapati said.

"Our souls are always Wild..." Rocker began.

"...Four!"

"Let the match begin!" Chapati said as the gong rang out.

Millianna removed her cape as she got into a fighting stance. "Victory goes to the swiftest! Wild Spin!" Semmes shouted as he began spinning around the arena.

"Oh, my! It's a body attack, using his giant body to spin around!" Chapati stated as Millianna landed on the ground.

"I'll use magic to slow him down! Cat Binding Tube!" Millianna called out, a pink-colored Magic Circle appeared from her hand as an orange tube came out. However, her attack deflected as Millianna ended up getting thrown in the air. "It bounced right off!"

"Millianna!" Arana, Beth, and Risley exclaimed in unison.

"Attaboy!" War Cry cheered.

"Our souls are always Wild..." Rocker started to say.

"...Four!"

"Keep it up and you'll win!" Goldmine encouraged.

"I'm not done yet!" Millianna claimed.

"Wild..." Semmes began spinning once more.

"Kitten Blast!" Millianna shouted, but her attack was deflected again.

"That spurred my spinning on even more! Now take this!" Semmes said, attacking Millianna and sending her in the air.

"Beat her with one shot!" War Cry cheered.

"Our souls are always Wild..."

"...Four!"

"I hope Millianna's okay..." Happy stated.

"She's taken a lot of damage." Natsu pointed out.

"Erza..." Lucy glanced over at Erza.

"She's fine. Millianna would never lose over a few bruises like this." Erza claimed.

"Millianna!" Risley shouted out.

"Hang in there!" Beth said.

Kagura had her eyes closed. "There's someone Millianna needs to defeat." She stated, opening her eyes. "Until she brings him down, she won't lose."

"If I can't beat a guy like this, I better pack it in... There'd be no point in joining Mermaid Heel!" Millianna exclaimed.

Semmes charged forward. "Time to end this!" He declared, his body began to spin again. "Wild Spin, twice as fast!"

"Uh-oh! Is this gonna decide the match?!" Chapati questioned.

"Cat Binding Tube!" Millianna called out again. This time, it wrapped around Semmes.

"I'll tear this junk right off!" He said.

"I'm not letting go, no matter what!" Millianna declared as she held on.

Semmes was soon shown on the ground, knocked out. "W-W-Wild..." He stuttered before Millianna sat on him.

All of the Quatro Puppy members were pale. "That ain't wild at all!" Rocker claimed.

"Feelin' spiffy!" Millianna said.

"Semmes is down for the count! The winner is Millianna!" Chapati announced.

Millianna was waving. "Master! Kagura-chan! Risley-chan! I won!" She shouted.

"Now that was an interesting battle!" Yajima commented.

"And she used various kinds of magic. I learned something." Lahar added.

"You've improved, Millianna." Erza said.

"Even though getting bound by that tube wouldn't draw a score on that magic-measuring device from before..." Lucy pointed out.

"Bound...?" Wendy quoted.

"It was rough for me when I went up against her a long time ago, too." Natsu commented.

As Siegrain watched Millianna embrace her victory, he had recalled a memory.

A young Siegrain got thrown harshly onto the cold ground. The guard that had thrown him closed the cell. Once his footsteps walked away, his friends rushed over to see if he was okay.

"Siegrain! Are you okay?" A young Millianna sobbed out.

She couldn't stop crying since Siegrain had left — he took the punishment for her after all.

"Stop crying, Anna... I'm fine." Siegrain mumbled, trying to reassure her as he sat up, wincing in pain as he did so.

A young Simon smacked the back of Siegrain's head. "Simon! What was that for?!" He exclaimed, rubbing his head.

"Stop trying to hide your pain from us, Siegrain. It doesn't ease our worries about you." Simon told him.

"Really... I don't mind being whipped... or being tortured. As long as you guys are fine, I am too. So please let me deal with my good-for-nothing twin my own way."

Siegrain came back to reality as he smiled. "Anna... You're no longer that little girl who constantly cried about my well being, are you? You're definitely a lot stronger now." He noted.

"Next, the second match for the battle part! From Sabertooth, the minstrel who sings to the red moon... Rufus Lore!" Chapati said as Rufus's face appeared on screen and the audience screamed in excitement.

"Versus Holy Night Eve of Blue Pegasus... Eve Tearm!" Chapati finished as Eve showed up on the Lacrima Vision as well.

"Eve-kun, the parfum of victory!" Ichiya exclaimed as he sparkled.

"Do your best!" Ren encouraged.

"Fight, Eve!" Hibiki cheered.

"These two clashed during the competition of the first day, and now they'll collide in battle on the third day!" Chapati said as the gong rang out, signaling the start of the match.

"Snow Magic: White Fury!" Eve called out, making the first move as snow appeared from his hand. However, it went right through Rufus.

"That's your memory of where I was standing." Rufus claimed, appearing behind him.

"I already experienced your skill during 'Hidden'." Eve rushed forward. "And I remember it well!"

"You remember it, eh?" Rufus quoted, his face soon changed to Ichiya in a bathtub. "Eh?"

This caused Eve to stop in his tracks. "S-Sensei! What are you doing here?!" He asked as Rufus appeared behind him.

"That's your memory." Rufus said before striking Eve's back, sending him to the ground.

Ichiya looked shocked. "Eve's got a memory like that?!" Ren exclaimed.

"What are you doing, Senpai?!" Hibiki asked.

"I don't remember that parfum! Men!" Ichiya denied.

The sky soon became dark again as a red-colored Magic Circle appeared behind Rufus. "A star falls on the night!" He shouted as the light directly attacked Eve.

"A direct hit on Eve!" Chapati said. However, it ended up being a snow clone of Eve, who appeared behind Rufus. "Or so we thought, but it was just a copy made of snow!"

"A brilliant parfum!" Ichiya said.

"That's the way, Eve!" Ren encouraged.

"Keep it up!" Hibiki cheered.

"Eve-kun was originally a member of the Council, wasn't he?" Yajima asked Lahar.

"That's right. He was a Rune Knight of the Enforcement and Detention Corps like the rest of us. Yes, even back then, he was a shining light, but after entering a guild, his magic has become even more polished." Lahar replied.

Eve extended his hand out as a blue-colored Magic Circle appeared in front of him. "White Blizzard!" He shouted.

"You waste your time." Rufus told him.

"I don't think so. I'm using White Blizzard to search for the location of your real body! Over there! White Fang!" Eve called out, extending his other arm out as Rufus had jumped up before landing on the ground.

"I remember that magic." Rufus stated as he pressed his fingers to his temple. "Memory Make."

A red-colored Magic Circle appeared again. "There it is..." Gray said.

"What kind of Molding Magic is that?!" Lyon wondered out loud.

"Magic that gives form to memories?" Ultear questioned as her and Meredy were watching from the orb. "That's..."

"...an ancient spell." Siegrain finished. "Or in other words, Ancient Magic. How interesting. I didn't think Sabertooth would have a wizard like him. This guy must read books a lot to have magic like that."

The arena started to turn orange. "Oh, boy! W-What is...?" Chapati asked.

"It's getting kind of hot out here..." Yajima commented.

"I'm sensing the rise of a tremendous magic power..." Lahar said.

Lava rocks soon erupted from underneath the ground. "Karma of the Burning Land!" Rufus finished his spell, pressing his palm to the ground as it attacked Eve, sending him into the air. He soon appeared on the ground with burns on his arms and his clothing tattered.

"The match is over!" Chapati announced as the audience cheered. "Eve fought a good fight, but he fell short of Rufus! The winner is Rufus of Sabertooth! He really is strong!"

Gray clenched his fist. "Memory Molding... It's my job to beat him." He thinks to himself.

"How could Eve lose like that? Crap..." Ren said. "Still, he really did do his best..."

"Meister... We've really fallen hard in the rankings..." Hibiki informed.

"Like a flower's parfum, be at ease, men. We still have a secret weapon." Ichiya claimed.

"Moving right along, let's begin the third match-kabo!" Mato said.

"From the Fairy Tail B team, Laxus Dreyar!" Chapati shouted as the crowd cheered. "Versus Alexei of Raven Tail!"

"It's Laxus!" Natsu exclaimed.

"His opponent is from Ivan's guild..." Erza muttered.

"Good luck, Laxus!" Mira cheered.

"I'm sure you got nothin' to worry about." Gajeel said.

"We're talking about Laxus here..." Cana grinned.

"But... Juvia's got a bad feeling about this..." Juvia said.

Siegrain narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He knew just who to contact.

'Valeria-san, I have a favor to ask of you.'

From the Mermaid Heel stands, Valeria heard a familiar voice spoke in her head.

'To what do I owe the pleasure, Siegrain?' She questioned.

'I'm sure you've known by now that Raven Tail has been causing problems for Fairy Tail since day one of the Games.' Siegrain replied.

'Indeed. That Obra guy on their team drained that Celestial Wizard of her power, correct? What do you need?'

'I have a feeling they're going to try something similar with Laxus, with him being Makarov's grandson and all. Your Vain Magic is the only way to counter whatever plan Ivan has.' Siegrain explained. 'I feel guilty with the way Lucy's match ended, I'm not letting it happen again.'

'Your intuition is often correct. Alright. I'll interfere if anything seems off.'

'Thanks for this, Valeria-san. I appreciate it.'

Siegrain cuts off communication with Valeria as he saw Laxus and Alexei staring each other down.

"You're not having your way this time, Ivan. I'll make sure of it." He thought.

"There's been bad blood between father and son guilds since day one, right, Yajima-san?" Chapati asked as Yajima only nodded in reply before turning to Lahar.

"Lahar-kun, you brought along people from the Corps, right?" He whispered.

"Keep a close eye on Raven Tail. If there's any skulduggery, stop the match immediately." Yajima said.

"Right." Lahar nodded.

"Warren..." Makarov said sternly.

"Roger!" Warren said, pressing his finger to his temple.

'This is HQ! Bisca, can you hear me?' Warren spoke telepathically.

"What do you mean "HQ", Warren?" Bisca replied as she was on top of one of the statues, her sniper pointed at Ivan. "No movement from Master Ivan. Go ahead."

"Roger!" Warren said. "Team Raijinshuu plus Lisanna... How 'bout you?"

"This is Raijinshuu plus Lisanna. Currently, there are no conspicuous movements from Raven Tail." Lisanna replied, lowering her binoculars. "I'm not gonna let you do any funny business like that first day, Crow-chan!"

"Just try to tarnish Laxus's valor. The Raijinshuu won't guarantee your lives." Freed claimed.

"Ever says she wants to go back by Elfman... Please grant her permission." Bickslow said.

"I said no such thing!" Evergreen exclaimed.

"Ivan..." Makarov mumbled. "I won't let you pull any more cowardly stunts."

Mavis giggled, getting Makarov's attention. "Is something wrong, First Master?" He asked.

"No, nothing. Doing everything in your power to protect your comrades... And just a little bit of enjoying the circumstances..." Mavis gave a close-eyed smile. "It's splendid. The ultimate form of my aspirations is right before my eyes. Don't forget this, Third Master. Um... Or is it sixth?"

"I appreciate the kind words. And it's actually the seventh..." Makarov replied.

"Sixth is right!"

"Get a grip!"

"Both of you, step forward!"

Both Laxus and Alexei did so, with Laxus having a calm look on his face. "Let the match begin!" Chapati said as the gong rang out.

"So you're in my old man's guild? Who the hell are you, anyway..." Laxus's eyes widened as Alexei charged forward, sending Laxus flying in the air.

Natsu widened his eyes, along with Lucy, Erza, and Gray. The Raijinshuu Tribe were also in shock along with the rest of Fairy Tail as Laxus skidded on the ground.

"This guy..." Laxus thinks to himself as Alexei sent a kick to his face before blasting him with magic.

"How...?" Mira asked.

"You gotta be kiddin' me!" Gajeel exclaimed.

"He's getting his ass kicked?" Cana questioned as Alexei kept attacking Laxus.

"I don't believe it... Laxus?!" Lucy said in disbelief.

"W-What's going on?" Wendy asked.

"Who the hell is that masked freak?!" Gray exclaimed in anger.

"No way! Laxus...?!" Natsu said.

Alexei sent a punch upward towards Laxus's jaw. "My goodness... Alexei keeps pouring it on! Laxus can't even lift a finger!" Chapati said as Laxus crashed to the ground.

Laxus looks at his defeated form as he stood back up. "What the hell is this?" He asked.

"A kind of Hallucination Magic. Everyone around us is talking about this right now. They can't see our true bodies. They can't hear us either. What they see are phantoms fighting." Alexei replied. "It looks real, doesn't it? Not one person realizes it's an illusion. The crowd is watching images of the mighty Laxus as helpless as a baby."

"Why is Laxus on the ropes like this?!" Makarov wondered out loud.

"Bisca!" Warren exclaimed.

"Ivan isn't doing anything!" Bisca replied.

'Raijinshuu plus Lisanna!' Warren said as Lisanna was looking into the binoculars.

"I don't think they're doing anything crooked over here either!" Lisanna answered.

"This is unbelievable! Laxus! It's time to get serious!" Freed said.

"Dammit..." Bickslow cursed.

Laxus then got punched again. "Laxus! What's wrong?!" Evergreen wondered.

Alexei pointed a finger. "It seems that even your guild idolizes you. I wonder how your compatriots feel while watching this..." He said.

"Laxus!" Natsu shouted.

"Hey, come on... I've got no idea what this is about." Laxus stated.

"About?" Alexei repeated.

"What's the point of winning an illusory battle?" Laxus asked.

"Exactly. Our goal isn't "victory". This hallucination is just camouflage." Alexei replied, getting Laxus's attention. "An illusion is an illusion. The end result can be altered as we like."

"End result, you say?" Laxus quoted.

"Laxus!"

Laxus's eyes flickered over towards Team A. "Go, Laxus!" Natsu cheered.

"Hang in there!" Lucy added.

Laxus swung his fist at Alexei, sending him flying into a wall. "Oh, my! Laxus has begun to counterattack!" Chapati announced as Laxus punched Alexei repeatedly with his Magic.

"Go! Do your best!" Happy cheered.

"That's how you do it! Go, Laxus!" Makarov encouraged.

"Alright! Go!" Freed cheered.

"Easy win!" Bickslow said.

Laxus sent another punch at Alexei. "I figured he'd be okay." Gajeel commented.

"Yeah..." Juvia agreed.

Laxus sends another blast of lightning towards Alexei from his mouth, attacking him directly.

"Yeah!" Warren cheered.

"Yes! That ought settle it!" Makarov said. "It looks like we were worried for nothing. Warren!"

"Right!" Warren said, pressing his finger to his temple once more. 'Good job, Bisca.'

"Thanks." Bisca responded.

'Raijinshuu plus Lisanna...'

"In the end, they didn't do anything, huh?" Lisanna questioned.

"I was a fool for worrying about Laxus even for a moment!" Freed stated.

However, Alexei was still standing before he blasted Laxus with his magic once more and sending him crashing into the arena wall, shocking Fairy Tail.

"Uh-oh! The tables are turned again! Is this the end of Laxus's counterattack?!" Chapati wondered.

"Laxus!" Natsu said.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Gray questioned as Alexei picked Laxus up by his collar and punched him again, sending him to the ground.

"Is this the "end result" you were talkin' about?" Laxus questioned, still in the illusion.

"Depending on your negotiations with us, it's possible that we would even let you win this." Alexei responded.

"We've got nothing to talk about. The illusions don't mean a damn thing. I'm gonna finish this by taking out your real self right here and now." Laxus declared, covering himself in lightning.

"That's impossible!" Flare claimed as the rest of the Raven Tail members appeared behind Alexei.

"Reality is harsh." Nalpudding commented.

"Not even you can defeat Raven Tail's elite all at the same time. And there's one more thing." Alexei claimed as he raced his arms, taking off his mask to reveal Ivan. "You know how strong I am, don't you... my foolish son?"

"I figured as much... useless old man!" Laxus insulted.

"Makarov would die before he coughed it up. But you're different. Would you tell us? The location of Lumen Histoire!" Ivan said.

"What are you talking about?" Laxus questioned.

"You don't have to play dumb."

"Huh?"

"I'm sure Makarov has told you." Ivan claimed.

"Actually, I don't know." Laxus said.

"No. You must know." Ivan argued.

"Well, even if I did, I wouldn't tell you." Laxus fired back.

"Come, come... You're in a hopeless situation, but I'm willing to let you win. Although if you don't accept the condition... it's not going to end with just your illusory self being beaten." Ivan stated.

"Jeez, you're a real pain in the ass. I can understand why Gramps washed his hands of you." Laxus raised his hand up. "Bring it on. See, the master's enemies are my enemies!"

"Apparently, you need to be taught a lesson... about the power of Raven Tail, the anti-Fairy Tail guild!" Ivan declared, his eyes glowing red and having a dark aura around him as his guild members were the same.

Back in the Mermaid Heel stands, Valeria hummed to herself. "Now, let's see what you're hiding. Shall we, Ivan?" She thought.

She discreetly slammed her staff on the ground as it glowed, immediately dispelling the illusion and revealing Laxus covered in lightning, as well as Ivan and all of his guild members.

The Thoughtforms disappeared as well.

Laxus had a look of confusion plastered on his face as Ivan shouts, "What?!"

Not a moment after, all of Raven Tail felt their magic powers draining away. Ivan tried to use his Magic but failed as Fairy Tail could only look in shock.

"Who dares interrupt?!" Ivan exclaimed.

"I do!" Valeria shouted. "My Magic is called Vain causing all Mages struck by my power by my staff will be drained away, unable to use their powers."

"You know, I always believed in karma. What you do will come back to you."

Siegrain appeared in the arena as Ivan growled. "Celestial Judge Siegrain! I should've known you were behind this!" He declared.

"Who now?" Orga mumbled from the Sabertooth stands.

"Siegrain Fernandes, otherwise known as 'Celestial Judge.' Ranked 6th in the Ten Wizard Saints, just under Iron Rock Jura. Also a Magic Council member." Rufus explained.

"So he's the guy that people fawn over?" Lector asked. "He doesn't look like much. I bet Sting-kun could handle him."

"He would make a good opponent, but I'd lose in an instant." Sting replied blankly.

Orga turned to him in shock. "You're actually admitting that?!" He questioned in surprise.

Sting flicked his gaze to look at Orga. "He has a high count of eradicating Dark Guilds across Fiore. He's someone who you shouldn't piss off. Even I know that." He replied.

"Sucks, doesn't it? Getting a taste of your own medicine. Think of this as payback for what you did to Lucy." Siegrain grinned.

'Siegrain, I cannot thank you enough.' Siegrain heard Makarov's voice.

'I've been telling you, Makarov. As long as I have my seat on the Council, Fairy Tail can depend on me when you need it. Besides, you're thanking the wrong person. Valeria-san did the work.' Siegrain told him before walking up to Laxus.

"Laxus, sorry for interrupting your battle." He apologized.

Laxus sighed. "It's fine. I understand. Fairy Tail still gets the points." He said.

"Correct. I suspected your father was up to something, and while I should ask what happened in the illusion, something tells me I shouldn't." Siegrain stated.

He pats Laxus on the shoulder and walked out of the arena.

'Lucy.'

Lucy yelped as a voice appeared in her head.

'Don't fret. It's me, Siegrain. Erza's unofficial brother-in-law. I just wanted to apologize to you for not being able to do anything about your match against Flare on day one. If there's anything I can do. Let me know.' Siegrain said.

Lucy widened her eyes. 'Actually, Siegrain-san. There's one thing. Can you make sure that Flare girl gets a lesser sentence? I feel bad for her.' She stated.

'Considering she was beaten by Ivan, I can only assume she was forced to follow his orders. I'll see what I can do.' Siegrain promised.

'Thank you.' Lucy thanked him as the communication cuts off.

"Siegrain spoke to you, didn't he?" Erza asked.

"Huh? How did you—"

"He has a habit of scaring people when he uses his Telepathy if they don't expect it." Erza interrupted. "What did he need?"

"He was just apologizing for not stepping in during my match against Flare on the first day." Lucy answered before looking at Erza. "Also, he introduced himself as your unofficial brother-in-law."

Natsu and Gray snickered as Erza had an irritated look on her face. "I keep telling him to stop calling himself that." She mumbled as Lucy and Wendy smiled sheepishly.

As Raven Tail members were arrested on the spot by the Rune Knights — Obra deflating while being picked up — Kagura turned to look at Valeria.

"How did you know it was an illusion, Master Valeria?" She questioned.

"A connection of mine had a suspicion Ivan was up to something. The rest was just gut instinct." Valeria replied, winking as she did so. "And that Makarov now owes me a favor for stopping his disgraced son from taking things too far."

A/N: I am well aware that Sting was super cocky during the GMG Arc. But I think even he would recognize that someone is far more powerful than him. Still, writing that scene made me laugh a bit.

And now you know why Siegrain calls Erza "Sister". (As if it wasn't obvious).

I'm still trying to figure out where to place the scene where Siegrain forgives Jellal for everything. I was thinking at the end of the Eclipse Arc, but now I'm thinking I should do it after their run-in with Doranbolt and Lahar, before the start of the fourth day.

Thanks for reading!

~ Kaleb.