Chapter 83

Cruelty

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Magic"

Flashback you

Location / Date / Time Skip

Wendy panted in exhaustion as Chelia stood in place. "You're not giving up, are you?" The twin tail girl asked. "I was hoping we could play more... but I don't mind if you quit, you know."

Wendy stumbled forward a bit and looked at her opponent. "I can't!" She declared. "Everyone else has worked so hard to get to this point... The fact that I'm still standing means that I'm willing to do the same for my guild! I don't need your pity, so come and get me until I fall to the ground!"

Chelia stood shocked at the declaration before smirking. "Well, if that's what you really want, then I guess it's time for my big attack!" Black spirals of wind surrounded her open pals before she spun around. "God Slayer Secret Art!"

"Don't do it!"

"Have you gone mad!?"

"Are you trying to kill the poor girl!?"

Ignoring the protests of her guild, Chelia raised her hands to the sky as black feathers gathered around her wrists. "Heavenly Gathering of Clouds!" A black spiral of feathers shot forward at Wendy, who blocked with her arms as the spell went high, missing its target.

"Did she dodge it?" Romeo asked.

"No, it missed her." Makarov replied.

"Wendy can help heal wounds and recover stamina, but she can't self heal." Carla mumbled. "It seems like Chelia can do the opposite."

"Does that mean... She helped her opponent and that's what messed her up?" Romeo mumbled in shock.

"That means her attack was thrown off course because of the extra power..." Lyon realized. "She made it miss."

"What a great tactic." Chelia cheered before blocking a forearm smash from Wendy, her wounds quickly healing. "You're awesome!"

Wendy jumped and tried to kick the other girl only for her to do the same, creating an explosion of air. The two landed on the ground and charged again, each trading blows with each other. The gong rang out as the both landed one final punch to each others faces, making them stumble back.

"Time's up!" Chapati declared as the crowd cheered. "That's five points to each team!"

Jura smiled as he looked at Wendy, remembering the timid girl he first meet during the Nirvana incident. 'She certainly has grown...'

Wendy collapsed to her knees as Chelia looked up. "You're not too hurt are you?" She asked before walking over, offering her a hand up. "That was fun." Her hand started glowing and Wendy's wounds started to vanish.

"That feels good..." Wendy sighed. "This seems weird, but I had fun too."

"Hey, this might seem weird, but do you think you and I could be friends?" Chelia asked, shocking Wendy as the twin tailed girl offered a hand. "What do you say, Wendy?"

Wendy smiled and took the hand, standing up as the crowd cheered.

Up on the statue, Jellal gasped in shock as he turned from the fight. "The magic power... it's still here..." He mumbled. "That mean's Chelia isn't the source of it."

"If it's not her, then who is it?" Ultear asked.

Day 3 Results

Sabertooth - 34p

Mermaid Heel - 32p

Lamia Scale - 31p

Fairy Tail B - 30p

Fairy Tail A - 27p

Blue Pegasus - 18p

Quattro Puppy - 14p

Raven Tail - Disqualified

Night

Crocus Streets

"So Gramps... What is the Lumen Histoire?" Laxus asked as he sat next his grandpa.

"You heard that name from Ivan?" Makarov asked, earning a nod from the larger man. "I don't believe that little brat..."

"He said something about it being Fairy Tail's 'darkness'." The blonde added.

"It is not darkness." Both looked up to see Mavis across from them. "Lumen Histoire, the myth of light. It is the light of our guild."

"First master, you mustn't." Makarov started, only for the girl to raise her hand.

"I know." She replied. "It is knowledge restricted only to the guild master. Can you accept that, Laxus?"

"If it's not anything weird, then I won't go prying." The blonde replied, earning a nod from Mavis. "But how'd my old man get his hands on this knowledge?"

"I assume from the second master, Precht." Mavis confessed. "I never considered the idea that the second master would fall into darkness. My thoughtless choice in masters was the source of the leak."

"No, it's not your fault, First Master." Makarov said, only for tears to start forming in the spirits eyes. "Laxus! Comfort her now!"

Honeybone Inn

The entire guild was partying over the victories of the day. "I'm amazed at how quickly you're recovering, Erza!" Lucy told the redhead.

"Only because we have Porlyusica and Wendy here." She chuckled back.

"And yet Elfman can't seem to recover at all." Mirajane chuckled.

"Elfman won his match, but I couldn't give us a win." Wendy mumbled in disappointment.

"What are you talking about? You did wonderfully." Carla replied, as others nodded and gave Wendy a blush.

"Barrel Surfing!" Natsu suddenly slid forward on a sign, forcing everyone out of the way as he crashed into Gajeel, making him laugh. Gray then jumped on the board and surfed, making everyone laugh as well. Singing and dancing echoed through out the hall for the entire night.

Crocus Garden

Sting stood out on a balcony and stared up at the moon. "Sting, aren't you sleepy?" Lector asked as the cat walked up from behind.

"I feel like I'm gonna battle Natsu tomorrow." He said, staring up at the heavenly body. "I've been waiting for that fight for seven years."

"And you're gonna win, Sting!" The cat declared.

Day 4

Domus Flau

A giant orb of water stood at the center of the colosseum, confusing the crowd. "Allow me to explain the rules of the game today." Chapati declared. "The game today is something we call a Naval Battle. Each team chooses one member and then the battle begins. If you leave the battle area, you are out. The one left in at the end is the winner, and we split the points from that.

"But there is a twist: when only two wizards are left in the water, the five minute rule goes into effect. When only two contestants are left, the first person eliminated in those five minutes gets ranked last. And it looks like the chosen members are diving in right now!"

Chelia was the first to dive in, followed by Jenny and Risely. Juvia was the next to jump into the orb, followed by Minerva, Lucy, and Rocker. "Let this watery war begin!"

The gong rang out and instantly Lucy reached for her keys. "Sorry everyone, but I'm here to win! Open, Gate of the Water Bearer - Aquarius!" The mermaid appeared and raised her jug, intent on knocking all the others out at once.

"I won't let you! Water Cyclone!" Juvia countered and unleashed a matching storm of water that hit Aquarius', creating a blast wave that flung the others around.

"We're actually even?" The spirit asked surprise.

"This is the perfect time to single one out!" Jenny swam and kicked Rocker right out of the orb, much to his guilds disappointment. Chelia swam over and tried to knock out Risely, only for the gravity mage to swim out of the way.

"Well, this isn't going to end well, so I'm going to return now." The mermaid declared.

"What!? You can't do that!" Lucy shouted. "You're the best in water, I have to depend on you!"

"I have a date." The spirit declared before vanishing.

"You're wide open!" Juvia declared before swiping at the blonde, sending her to the edge of the water.

"Aries! Virgo!" Lucy shouted before the two female spirits appeared, saving their summoner with cotton and their bodies. "Phew, that was too close."

The crowd cheered as the battle raged on, with many of the men drooling over the swimsuits. "I'll take them all out at once!" Juvia declared. "No one can win in the water against me! This is the spell I learned after my Second Origin! Wings of Love!" A spiral of water with glowing hearts ripped through the water, knocking out Jenny, Risely and Chelia.

Minerva chuckled as she waved her arms, vanishing from the field. Aries and Virgo held onto Lucy as hard as they could before the spell finally ended. "Incredible!" Chapati shouted. "Juvia has thrown out three opponents at once! Her strength in the water is unrivaled!"

'Did you see that, my darling?' Juvia turned to see Gray's face, only to suddenly find herself outside the water.

"What just happened? All of a suddenly, Juvia found herself outside!" Chapati declared in confusion. "Still, she manages to rank third so she earns six points for her team."

"Did anyone see her get hit?" Laki asked the others on her team.

"I didn't." Gajeel replied, getting similar responses from the others. "So how did she get knocked out?"

"Only two are left in the Naval Battle." Chapati declared. "Who will be the victor in our five minute rule: the vicious Sabertooth or the whimsical Fairy Tail? Let the five minute rule begin!"

A timer started and Minerva chuckled. "With my magic, I could throw you out of the water with so much as a thought." She declared. "But that wouldn't be very fun for me. So let's see how long you last Fairy Tail." She waved her hand and a strange orb appeared next to Lucy, only to suddenly explode, blasting Lucy.

"Heat in the water!?" Erza asked in surprise.

Another blast hit the blonde as she reached for her keys, only to find nothing. "What the-? My keys!" Minerva chuckled as she giggled the lot in front of her before another blast of heat sent her her towards the edge. Lucy managed to slow herself down enough before another sent back towards Minerva, who kicked her again.

"This isn't a fight, it's beating." Carla growled.

Minerva raised her hand and prepared another blast, intent on taking Lucy out. "I can't lose..." The blonde declared, confusing the opponent. "If I lose, I won't be able to face everyone. So beat me as much as you want, but I won't give up!"

Minerva suddenly canceled her spell as the timer reached zero, only to suddenly create a massive explosion of energy at her, shocking everyone in the blonde's guild. "You lot have your heads in the clouds!" Minerva shouted. "Do you think we have any kind of heart at all? We are the greatest guild in the world, we are Sabertooth!"

Blast after blast peppered Lucy as she flew towards the edge, only to suddenly vanish. She appeared in front of Minerva, who immediately kicked her in the back. "She did that on purpose!?" Laki asked in shock.

"That girl is just trying to torture Lucy." Gajeel growled.

"The match is already over..." Laxus growled as Sabertooth laughed at the Fairy Tail teams.

"Stop the match! This is just cruel!" Arcadios shouted. "She's going to kill her! Stop it!"

"The referee has called for a stoppage!" Chapati shouted as Minerva hung Lucy out of the orb by her face. "Lucy hasn't moved for a while... Is she okay?"

"Get the medics!" Arcadios shouted as the doctors ran out onto the field. Laki and Natsu jumped over the railing and raced to her as Sting laughed.

Sabertooth: 34p - 44p

Fairy Tail B: 30p - 36p

Mermaid Heel: 32p - 35p

Lamia Scale: 31p - 35p

Fairy Tail A: 27p - 35p

Blue Pegasus: 18p - 20p

Quattro Puppy: 14p - 15p

Minerva let the battered girl fall to ground as Natsu and Laki slid forward, catching her before she hit the ground. "What the hell is wrong with you!?" Natsu shouted at the spatial mage.

Wendy raced forward and slid next to the blonde. "I'll help out!" Chelia shouted before both Sky Slayers triggered their healing magic.

Erza glared at Minerva as she left the water orb. "What's with that look?" She teased. "I simply took advantage of the rules. You should be grateful to me for letting her keep second place. I guess she didn't understand. Stupid girl."

Natsu charged the girl only for both Erza to block his path, and Sting, Orga, and Rufus to protect Minerva. The entire arena held their breath as the two girls glared at each other. "It seems like both teams are ready to throw punches at any moment!" Chapati declared.

"I don't care if you're the strongest or number 1 in Fiore." Erza said to the four. "I will only say one thing: You have made enemies of the worst guild to anger." Sting merely chuckled at the threat before the games medics carried Lucy away.

Medical Ward

Fairy Tail A stood in silence as Lucy rested on the bed, still unconscious from the beating. Team B suddenly burst through the door, just as concerned for their guildmate as anyone else. "Is Lucy okay?" Juvia asked.

"Thanks to Wendy and Chelia, the threat to her life is over." Porlyusica declared, making the new arrivals sigh in relief.

"The bastards..." Natsu growled out, earning a nod from Laxus of all people.

Lucy groaned as she woke up, catching everyone's attention. "Everyone, I'm sorry... I lost again..."

"Don't talk like that!" Gray demanded. "You got second place. That's eight points for us."

"You did great." Erza added.

"My keys..." Lucy whispered.

"They're here." Happy offered the pouch and the blonde took it, hugging them to her chest.

"Seems like she's fallen asleep." Mira said with a smile.

"I don't like that guild." Gajeel mumbled, earning a nod from everyone.

"So both teams are here." Makarov declared as he walked into the ward. "Perfect timing. I don't know if this is good news or bad news, but after the disqualification of Raven Tail, the Games organizers have an odd number of teams to work into battles. Therefore we have been ordered to combine both teams into one."

His words shocked everyone in the room. "What about the points?" Carla asked.

"They're allowing us the lower 35 points of Team A." Makarov declared.

"We can't help it if that's what the administration has declared..." Erza mumbled.

"Well another way to look at this is to create an even stronger team now." Cana added.

"I'll get revenge for Lucy!" Natsu growled out. "I won't forgive them for what they did!"

"The two Fairy Tail teams have finished reorganizing?" Chapati declared, exciting the crowd. "Finally, we'll be able to enter the battle portion of today's event: The Tag Team Battles!"

The battle line up was announced and everyone's eyes were glued to the last on the list: Sabertooth vs Fairy Tail. "Alright folks, let's see the new Team Fairy Tail!" The entire crowd cheered as Natsu, Laki, Gray, Erza and Laxus walked out to a roar of cheers. "This is the complete opposite of the boos from the first day! They have recovered their former popularity in just four short days!"

Up in the stands, Darton stared at the team that just walked out. "The Celestial Wizard is not with them..."

"The girl is resting in the medical ward." Arcadios said as he walked up from behind. "We are going to succeed this time, and the Eclipse Project will work. But for now, let's enjoy the festival shall we?"

"The Eclipse..." Darton mumbled.

"Zeref has been waiting for some time, hasn't he?" Arcadios asked as he walked away, Fairy Tail and Sabertooth glaring at each other.

Darton was left alone as he walked towards a mural. "The Grand Magic Games... once went by another name... The Dragon King Festival.

The Tag Team battles started off when Ichiya and the idiot in the rabbit suit were instantly bested by Bacchus and Rocker, finally giving Quattro Puppy their first battle win.

"Well folks, its time for our next battle! Lyon and Yuka from Blue Pegasus vs Millianna and Kagura from Mermaid Heel!" The crowd cheered as the four competitors walked onto the field. The battle gong rang out and Millianna threw her cloak off before firing a restraint tube at the two.

The men jumped out of the way before she charged the two, Kagura standing by to assist if needed. Millianna swung her tube and swatted at the two before Lyon put his hands together. "Ice-Make Eagles!" The frozen birds flew out of his palm and went straight at Kagura, only for the whip to shatter them.

Yuka growled and fired bullets of his wave magic at her, forcing the cat girl to dodge. She jumped into the air and fired a spiral at him, only to jump through it and start punching his face repeatedly. She flipped off him and pulled her gloves off, revealing sharp nails that she then scratched their faces.

The men growled in annoyance before she unleashed another tube at them, only for Yuka to block it. A swarm of them soon flew at the two and after dodging as may as they could, they were soon bound and hanging in the air. Lyon smirked before his hand started glowing, a small ice mouse appearing under her feet. The cat instincts took over and she started chasing it, freeing the boys.

Lyon then unleashed a blizzard from his palms and Millianna was shaking from the cold, letting Lyon and Yuka charge forward, unleashing spells at close range. They blasted her back before Kagura caught her. "It seems I am need after all." She declared before charging a ice tiger made by Lyon.

Kagura sliced the creature and charged at Yuka, batting him around before knocking him out with a swing to the back of the head. She turned and jumped over an ice spell before she swung her sheathed blade, knocking him back. He quickly stood back up and summoned three frozen constructs that charged her.

She jumped into the air and stared at the trio of creatures before her Gravity Magic sent them into the air. She then jumped and took out all three at once before diving at Lyon. The bell rang out just as her sword was inches from his face, ending the battle. "Time is up! This match is a draw!" Mato shouted as the two wizards landed.

Kagura walked back to Millianna, who hung her head in shame. "You did better than I thought." She declared. "And there is always room to improve. Just know that if this was a real fight, you would be dead."

"And it looks like the crowd is still hyped for our main event. The battle between the strongest guild seven years ago and the current strongest guild of the current day! Natsu and Laki from Fairy Tail vs Sting and Rouge from Sabertooth!" The four Dragon Slayers walked on to the field and glared at each other before the bell rang out.

And here we go! The big fight of the whole tournament has finally arrived, and I cannot wait to get it done! Big shout out to one review who suggested swapping out Gajeel for Laki. I'd tell you the name of that reviewer, but for the life of me, I cannot remember it. Hope you can forgive me, and see you all next time for the fight of the life.

Beta read by General Feng Xiang