Mira's POV:

Aisha had been very quiet today, I don't think she was happy with being left during the preliminary round. Though it did make sense to keep her abilities under wraps, she was extremely strong and we had to use that mystery to our strength when the call came for her to go out into the Arena. We weren't doing well in the rankings at all, Team B were second bottom and Team A were rock bottom. We needed some points and Aisha could be the person to get us those points.

The arena was so loud, I guess that was the Sabertooth effect. One of their members, Orga. He was preparing to fight in the Arena against someone from Quatro Cerberus, not that it would be much of a challenge. I just hope we can get the same support when we fight one of these other guilds.

I glanced over at Aisha and she was quietly watching the Arena. She's barely spoken since yesterday and I'm starting to think something could've happened to her. She was dressed in black as per our team colors but it was her own personal twist. Her long dark hair was braided tight and tied up above her head, her smooth dark skin and the golden tattoos that adorned it shone in the sun. She wore black bandages around her chest, the rest of her body is covered in by a pair of baggy black silk pants. She was wearing a light pair of sandals, since her fighting style required complex movements so if she wore anything heavy or restrictive could be detrimental.

Aisha clearly noticed me staring and looked up at me with her trademark smirk.

"What are you thinking about Mira? How good I look in black?"

I couldn't help but flash a playful smile, I looked into her deep brown eyes. Trying to read something from them about how she was feeling but alas I had no luck.

"I'm just wondering if you're ok? You've been very quiet today"

I sat down next to Aisha and looked over at her, I hadn't seen her tattoos on her chest until today. They were all written in a script that I couldn't read, I assume that's the language of her country. Though just slightly out of my view I could see the fairy tail symbol on the back of her neck.

"I'm ok, I just feel impatient. I'm ready to fight, I just wish I fought in the preliminary rounds."

"You know why the master did that though don't you?"

Aisha sighed and rolled her eyes, I have been around her enough for the last few months to know what that meant.

"I do, I'm just pumped up and ready to show the guild gratitude for taking me in."

Aisha smiled at me, and before I could respond to her we heard the crowd cheer. We both stood up in unison and looked into the battleground. To see Orga standing over the Quatro member, Aisha rolled her eyes.

"Who would have foreseen that outcome"

"Well maybe the next fight won't be so clear, it could be closer."

I smiled back at Aisha as the arena floor was being cleared, as the announcer prepared to announce the next match.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I hope you'll do me the honour in congratulating Orga and Sabertooth on a well fought match. It is now time for our second match. The match will take place right now between Aisha Alyamani from Fairy Tail Team B and Jura Neekis from Lamia Scale."

I audibly gasped as the result was read out, this was horrible luck. I looked over at Aisha and didn't see a hint of fear in her eyes. Aisha seemed amused, whilst we were on our training mission Aisha had read a lot about other guilds in Fiore and took particular interest in Lamia Scale. She knows what she is getting into. I just hope her confidence isn't misplaced.

"That is a tough break, I don't know if me and Erza combined could defeat Jura"

"That'll just make it even better when I beat him"

Laxus turned around and looked at us, clearly being amused by Aisha's confidence.

"I guess luck isn't on your side, Jura is a Wizard Saint don't be so cocky."

"He's just a big bald priest, can he really be that strong?"

Gajeel said whilst rolling his eyes.

"He is that strong, he is one of the strongest wizards on the continent"

"Well I'm not from this continent"

As Aisha finished her sentence she walked away and down the tunnel to face Jura.

Aisha's POV:

I am going to have to be careful here, Jura is someone I've heard of. He is a very powerful mage who specializes in earth magic, though I might've gotten lucky with this arena. The terrain will benefit me massively.

I walked out to the arena to the deafening cheers for Jura, I walked out and went to the centre to meet him. He walked slowly, the crowd lapping up every single step. I got down to my knees as he approached. I said a silent prayer to Mai-at, to protect me in the upcoming battle. I will not let the veil slip, but I will not lose.

I reached my hand down and gathered some of the sand in my palm, unable to stop a smirk forming on my face. This is absolutely perfect, this Fiorian mage won't know what hit him. I couldn't have asked for better circumstances.

I stood up and stretched my arms, the last thing I wanted to do was have my speed impacted. Jura was older, I doubt he was ever as quick as me so I have to use that to my advantage. He had finally reached the centre of the arena.

"We haven't met before, I know Fairy Tail well so you must be a new recruit."

"I am, I have only been a member for a few months but I will do anything to prove my worth to the guild and pay back the trust they have put into me"

Jura smiled, he was extremely tall and wide. He looked very strong. His body was covered by robes but I can tell he is powerful, I can feel the power emanating from him.

"I want Fairy Tail to do well in these games, but unfortunately the old hag would lose it if I were to let you win.

"My sincere apologies but I won't be holding back."

"I wouldn't want you to, I want to see what this country has to offer. I will pay back the trust the guild has put in me."

I walked towards Jura as he took his stance and began to rain down great earth pillars, as the pillars came crashing down on top of me I used my agility to dodge them. Avoiding using magical power until absolutely necessary. My greatest strength here is my mystery and I don't want to use my powers until I have to.

As one stone pillar crashed down next to me, I ran towards Jura. Dodging pillar after pillar, Jura jumped back a few steps as I threw a punch towards him. He summoned a great sand worm that now stood in between me and him.

The worm lunged at me but I side stepped it and finally used my magic, I cast sand tsunami. A great wave of sand arose from the western side of the arena and crashed into the worm, I stood still despite the wave engulfing me. Turning my body into sand, I made my way underneath the arena as the wave crashed into the eastern side of the arena with a thunderous bang. The crowd was loud in their astonishment.

"Why would she do that, has she taken herself out!"

As the crowd cried out some of them cheered as they thought Jura had won by proxy, I lurked underneath the sand for a few moments. Before a giant pillar crashed next to me.

He knows I'm underneath so I better make this quick, I came out from behind him and fashioned myself a curved sand blade. I lunged at him and whilst he managed to move out of the way, I still caught him on his arm, his blood dripped onto the sand as I smirked.

"You're vulnerable, I'll make this quick to avoid the embarrassment"

Jura stood silent as he turned the sand in the arena hard, this would make things significantly more difficult. I won't be able to move freely underneath the arena now, I need to stop playing and finish this before more of my secrets are peeled away.

Giant stone walls were formed around me, making escape harder. He hadn't summoned a wall to separate us. Jura summoned a great stone rock and launched it towards me from the front, I knew dodging would be hard so I cast a giant sand spear and smashed the rock before impact. It did send me back to the wall and just before I gathered my bearings he launched an avalanche of smaller rocks to me.

I used my sand form to dodge them, closing the distance between us and before he could notice I swept him from his feet and sent him flying into the arena's walls. I summoned two great sand tsunamis from each direction and before they could hit he had surrounded himself in a great set of rock armour making my attack ineffective.

Before he could summon another attack it was time for me to use my secondary ability, I used a great sand hammer to crash into the floor of the arena forcing it back to its original sand state. I used another gust of sand to drag the armour and Jura to the centre of the arena, I used the sand to create a giant sinkhole which encased him underneath the arena.

The crowd were stood up but in total silence, the arena thundered with a slow pulse. My sinkhole was my strongest ability, it uses vampiric energy to take the magical power from his target and give it to me. If he is down there too long it'll drain his power, but the longer he is there the more power he loses and the more power I gain.

I didn't expect this to hold him for very long so I prepared, I summoned great sand beasts which were several metres tall. If he is to escape he'll have to deal with them. I also summoned a great sand boulder which would sit atop the armour and be much harder to lift.

Whilst I was casting I noticed that a great blue pillar of light was forming above me, then it stuck.

With a thunderous bang I just managed to get underground as the pillar hit, I felt myself shake as it struck. That move would've beat me, I need to finish him now. I felt the sand rise up and Jura was back on the surface, he had already destroyed the sand beasts with the blast.

He forced me from underground and at the last second I managed to fly towards him and hit him with a vicious strike with a sand first connecting directly to his jaw. Jura went flying and fell onto his back.

The crowd erupted as Jura finally got back onto his feet, he still wasn't beat and before I was about to use my most powerful technique I heard a bell. The match was over, it was a draw as the time had expired. I heard an audible groan from the crowd. They loved this match but it had ended anticlimactically.

I took a moment to catch my breath as I walked towards Jura with a hand extended, he reached out and shook it.

"You are very powerful Aisha Alyamani, I'm sure I will be facing you again."

"Likewise Jura, I thought you had me with that blast."

I said with a smile, I didn't like losing and I hated draws almost as much but with the circumstances a draw isn't the worst result we could've hoped for.

"I'll have to deal with the hag when I get back, which might be worse than the sinkhole you had me trapped in. You did sap a great deal of my power there, it'll take a few hours for me to get back to normal".

"If the match was just a little longer I think we would have a different result."

Jura smirked and looked at me directly into my eyes.

"The result could've gone either way, but next time let's fight as allies not as enemies."

"I cannot promise that, there is still time left. Enjoy your day Jura."

I walked away from the wizard saint and used my sand to travel back up to the Team B box.

Mira's POV

I cannot believe what I've just seen, Aisha went toe to toe with one of the strongest mages in the country and looked exactly the same as she did before the fight. I looked over at her and she wasn't out of breath nor covered in bruises, she was completely unscathed.

"That was very impressive Aisha, you almost beat Iron Rock Jura."

"Almost being the operative word, I should've been more aggressive. I was too passive in the fight, if I went straight in with my powers I would have beaten him."

Aisha wasn't happy with her performance, she was frowning. It was incredible, for almost anyone coming out with a draw with Jura would be a fantastic result. But for her it wasn't just how powerful was she, when we sparred in the mountains she was strong and quick but she very rarely used her magic. I cannot help but feel she was more powerful than she was saying.

"I could've beaten him if I had gotten the chance."

"Maybe so Laxus, but it was my match and I got my tactics wrong. You'll be fighting soon so just make sure you don't make the same mistake as I did."

Aisha was substantially less confident as she usually was, you can tell from her body language. She carries herself with a swagger, but now she is acting almost sheepish. She was really beating herself up about this result, I'll speak with her later on tonight to check up on her. I was worried, I didn't know much about her, but I can tell when someone is hurting.