"You're sure it was them?" Hisui turned to Kemuri, who nodded. She was observing the Grand Magic Games, but simply from afar. She was far too busy to actually watch in person, since her father was already doing that under the guise of Mato.
"That's right, your highness." Kemuri replied. "Cosmic Star's activity since day 1 has been a little suspicious, but we don't have the evidence to pin them down. At least...not yet."
"But what if they emerge victorious? The integrity of the Grand Magic Games would..." Hisui trailed off.
"Don't worry." Kemuri chuckled in response. "I said we don't have anything yet. I didn't say we were empty handed. Just allow the proceedings to continue as normal. After that? Siegrain will handle the rest."
"Very well." Hisui nodded, trusting in Kemuri for the time being. "So then...who do you think will win?"
"Cosmic Star will probably win." Despite what he just said, Kemuri's opinion wasn't swayed. "I never said they weren't strong, because they're pretty dominate. Potentially cheating has just put them over the edge a little bit."
Hisui was silent for a moment. "Why would they cheat...for what reason..."
.
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Makarov circled the team that would represent Fairy Tail in the final day, Natsu, Gajeel, Erza, Laxus, and Juvia. His upcoming speech was mainly for them, but it would also serve as a reminder to the other mages. "You all are a part of the number one guild in Fiore, do not forget that. No matter the challenge, I trust you brats will always rise above it, and come out on top.'
"Heh, don't worry about it, old man," Laxus said as a smirk appeared on his face. "I think you should be more worried about the other guilds out there. They're your enemies, they're Fairy Tail's enemies, and Fairy Tail is my family; and it's my job to crush my families enemies."
"I was gonna say the same thing, Laxus," Natsu said with a cocky grin towards the lightning dragon slayer.
"Juvia wishes Gray-sama was on this team instead…" Juvia mumbled to herself, but she then stood upright. "But, even so, Juvia will do the best for Fairy Tail!"
"Gieheh, finally, I get to tear someone apart…" Gajeel grinned, pounding his fist together. "I'm ready."
"Then let's go," Erza said with a nod.
"Good luck, you guys!" Cynthia said while waving to the departing team. "Win it!"
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"Are you all ready?" Sidney asked as he observed White Eclipse's final team: Reve, Luke, Takeru, Kuro, and Waiston.
"Ready as I'll ever be!" Luke nodded, a grin forming on his face. "I got a buncha sleep last night, so I'm ready to rock and roll!"
"I had my early bowl of noodles for breakfast! I'm all set!" Kuro grinned from ear to ear, patting his stomach after.
"Ready," Takeru replied, short and simply.
"Same," Reve and Waiston nodded in unison.
"Good, now remember the strategy," Sidney replied.
"Not a problem…" Reve nodded once again, though this one was a more serious nod.
"Good luck," Calium said while giving a confident smile to his brats.
"Don't lose, Copy Kitty," Heather smirked slightly at the name.
"Keh, don't worry, I'll be fine." Luke replied.
"Knock 'em dead, Tak!" Selene said with cheerfulness, hoping the best for the shadow dragon slayer.
"Aye, I got it, don't worry," Takeru smirked slightly, turning around in preparation to leave with the others.
"You ready? Let's go," Reve gave a slight wave to the rest of White Eclipse as he and the rest of the team left.
"Get 'em, cowboy," Taya said while crossing her arms, smiling faintly.
"Good luck, Nii-san!" Skye waved while shouting to Reve.
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"You brats have come pretty far these last few days, and I can trust you all will come out on top in the end, yeah?" Caelestis asked the Twilight Zone Team.
"Don't worry about us, old man," Flynn said with a smirk, jogging in place from his own impatience and excitement.
"I swear we had this conversation already…" Caelestis sighed, but he shook his head after. "Ev, are you ready?"
"I'm ready," Evanee said while nodding.
"Good! So get out there and bring Fiore into the Twilight Zone!" Caelestis said with a grin.
"Evanee-chawn, good luck!" Tsami yelled.
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"Plot all you wish…" Magnus said as he sat on a balcony, already knowing what the other guilds had planned. "It won't matter…because in the end, the Stars will rise up, and defeat you all…" But it was a real shame, because at this rate...who wanted to win? Cosmic Star certainly didn't. Karma was the only one who craved victory so much to force them to cheat.
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Gaia was taking a moment to stroll through the quiet streets of Crocus at night. The events of the last few days were far from what she wanted, but she had no right to simply give up and turn back now. There was no clean path for her. "Hah..." She sighed, taking a seat on a bench. What a rough few days this had been...
"What's the matter, Gaia-san?" Sting approached her, sensing her distress. "That was a pretty heavy sigh. Shouldn't you be getting ready for tomorrow?"
"Sting?" Gaia blinked. "I should be asking the same thing of you. Your guild is in a terrible position. Most people would pull out by now."
To that, Sting gave a half smile. "Yeah, I admit...it hasn't been our year. A real fall from grace." It was a bit painful, but at the same time... "But we're not gonna give up. It's not impossible for us to win. Not impossible for us to turn things around and show everyone what Sabertooth is made of!"
To that, Gaia laughed a little. "Hah, you sure have some enthusiasm. I respect it."
"What about you, Gaia-san? Do you want to win?" Sting asked.
To that question, the brunette blinked and looked up at Sting. "Eh?"
"The way your guild master speaks to do...are you okay with that? Why do you let it happen?" Sting asked seriously.
"Well...we owe him. All of us." Gaia admitted. "Nobody in Cosmic Star would be here today if not for him. So that sense of obligation..."
"That doesn't excuse the way he treats you!" Sting shouted, causing Gaia to blink. "He's just abusing and bullying all of you because of that. He reminds me of Sabertooth's old guild master. He was a terrible man. He instilled a terrible upbringing to the Lady, and he made sure the rest of us fell in line too. When we made a mistake, he punished us for it. I'll never forget what he made Yukino do either. How he attacked my friend Lector after we lost to Natsu-san and Gajeel-san...the rage from his leadership was too much and I attacked him..."
"..." Gaia listened to Sting's story curiously. "And what became of Sabertooth after?"
"We lost the Games that year. But I felt good about it. I learned a lot from Fairy Tail, and since then. we've been doing everything we can to run our guild differently." Sting let out a sigh, and then extended his hand to Gaia's. "I can tell by your expression that you have doubts. Do you really want to win the way Karma has been telling you to win? Or do you guys wanna win the way you want to?"
"..." Gaia said nothing but just stared up at Sting. "...Weisslogia would be pretty proud of you right now."
.
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The last day of the Grand Magic Games begun; the Grand Magic Game. The battlefield? The entire city of Crocus. Above the city, the scoreboard was displayed, along with the participates from each respective team:
Cosmic Star: 64 (Daryan, Shadowlore, Gaia, Magnus, Yakuza)
White Eclipse: 56 (Reve, Luke, Takeru, Waiston, Kuro.)
Fairy Tail: 51 (Laxus, Erza, Juvia, Natsu, Gajeel)
Twilight Zone: 42 (Evanee, Flynn, Rylo, Alexander, Taranis.)
Quatro Cerberus: 22 (Bacchus, Kuro, Blues, Rocker, Yeager)
Mermaid Heel: 16 (Kagura, Melody, Milliana, Beth, Arana)
Lamia Scale: 8 (Jura, Lyon, Yuka, Chelia, Toby)
Sabertooth: 8 (Sting, Rogue, Yukino, Orga Rufus)
From the announcer's section of the city, a place where they could watch without being potentially in danger, along with the audience of course. "Hello everyone, and welcome to the final day of the Grand Magic Games; the Grand Magic Game-kabo!" Mato exclaimed. "With us today, our special guest is none other than the Councilman himself, Siegrain!"
"Hello, everyone," Siegrain said while giving a wave. "I'm here today to see just how the Grand Magic Games will end today, and of course, I will be giving commentary." As Siegrain spoke, the eight guilds entered the city from different areas.
"The rules are simple, this is a battle royal, meaning it will end once there is only one person left standing, but that does not make that guild the winner-kabo! There are leaders of each team, and knocking them out results in five points, while the other members are worth one. There is a total of 45 points in this…so…BEGIN!"
And with that, it started; the beginning of the end of the Grand Magic Games. Everyone who was in a team split up, barring the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth, and the Dragon God Duo of Quatro Cerberus. Mavis watched carefully, so far pleased that everyone was heading in the direction she told them too. "Perfect…" Mavis said with a grin.
"What about White Eclipse, I know they'll be after them…" Lucy started.
"They won't touch us," Makarov replied. "If anything, they'll try to save us for last."
"That's exactly what I was thinking," Mavis replied. "Going right into the heart of the city is too risky, especially with members such as Takeru, Rogue, and Shadowlore around. So, I told them to take the sides, and make their way to the middle from there."
"Not a bad plan, Mavis…" Sidney said while looking right at the spirit; he couldn't see her, but he knew she was there.
"G-Gah!" Mavis fell over, but quickly got back up. "I knew you could see me…!"
"I could back then, and I can now, really," Sidney replied.
"This will be an interesting end, won't it…?" Caelestis said to himself.
"Heh…Cosmic Star's plan is flawless; you should all give up now…" Karma said with an old, cocky grin on his face.
Luke darted down a street, keeping his eyes peeled for any potential threats. As the cost seemed clear, a spiraling wave of fire came in his direction, nearly OHKO'ing the copy mage, but he noticed the attack at the last possible second, rolling off to the side as the flames scorched the street, dying off after. "W-What the hell!?"
"Ah…I missed…" Magnus shrugged, his high and mighty know-it-all attitude clearly showing.
"Magnus…" Luke glared towards the mage, lighting his fist in flames and lightning. "I've been waiting for this for a while now…"
"I know you have…it's a shame I'll have to tear that little chance you think you have away from you…" Magnus smirked slightly, jumping off the building he was standing on, now a few feet away from Luke. "But, if you think you have any chance against me, Copy Cat, feel free to try me."
.
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Mermaid Heel split up, all the females heading in their own direction, aside from Beth and Arana, who were carefully walking through an alleyway, hoping they could get the jump on someone. However, from the top of a nearby building, Reve was lying on his stomach, a sniper rifle in his hands as he took aim at the two females. "Bang." Reve smirked, clicking the trigger, and a magical bullet flew out, striking Arana first, a head shot, causing the mage to collapse, and White Eclipse's score to 57, and X'ing out Arana's image.
"W-What!?" Beth's let out a squeal of surprise, quickly covering her mouth, but it was too late, as Reve already had his sights on her, and bang, a headshot to her too; not enough power to kill either mage of course, but strong enough to knock them out, now raising White Eclipse's score to 58.
Kagura glanced up at the screen, her expression slightly darkening as White Eclipse's score went up as her team mates went down. "The sniper…"
"Just as we discussed…" Sidney said, obviously pleased with the way things were going so far.
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Blues and Kuro quickly made their way through the city, making a quick stop at a nearby fountain to drink from it. "Ah…this water isn't half bad, ya know?" Blues said with a grin.
"Could be a little cleaner though…" Kuro replied.
"Oi." Sting said, getting the attention of the two slayers.
"Ah…Sting and Rogue…" Blues smirked slightly, standing in an upright position, next to his partner, a few feet away from the Twin Dragons. "Yesterday was kinda messed up, eh?"
"You could say that again," Sting replied as he nodded, sliding into an offensive stance along with Rogue right off the bat. "You know why we're here?"
"Of course," Kuro said while he and Blues slid into offensive stances as well, their minds linked to one another it seemed. "To have that fight we were robbed of yesterday. Be careful, though. Water is dangerous, especially when you come across us…"
"The only thing you have to worry about…" Rogue started, actually breaking the silence he was usually known for. "Is the power of Sabertooth…we will restore its former glory…"
"Is that so?" Blues' smirk turned into a grin as he beckoned the Twin Dragon slayers to come forward. "Then how about you show us if you're wild enough to do it?!"
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Natsu made a sprint in the direction Mavis instructed him to go, the right area of the city. After turning a corner, he met face to face with the one he had been hoping to meet; Daryan. "Found you…!" Just as Natsu turned the corner, Gajeel did as well from the opposite side, appearing on the other side of Daryan.
"Got'cha, skeleton man…" Gajeel said with a smirk.
"They found him that quickly?" Mavis blinked a few times. "I don't trust that…"
"Oh?" Daryan looked back and forth between Natsu and Gajeel, a smirk forming on his lips. "Who would've thought I get to face those two…" He said to himself.
"I'm gonna make you take back what you said about dragons the other day!" Natsu said as flames erupted from his body.
"Is that so?" Daryan then turned to look at Gajeel. "And what are you here for?"
"To break every bone in your body for talking shit about Fairy Tail, of course," Gajeel replied as he cracked his knuckles. "Gihehe…
"He's mine!" Natsu and Gajeel shouted in unison as they rushed the dragon slayer.
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"Oi, oi! I found one!" Flynn shouted over to Alexande,r and the war god mage appeared next to Flynn. Where were the two? In front of Bar Sun; and who was there? None other than Bacchus.
"The drunk?" Alexander asked while raising a brow.
"That's Drunken Falcon to ya," Bacchus replied, a large grin on his face as he entered his signature fighting stance, his arms spread out. "So, you two think you're wild enough to take me on?"
"Wild?" Alexander blinked a few times.
"I'll show ya wild!" Flynn grinned, entering a running position to start things off. "I hope you can keep up, otherwise you're gonna have a bad time!"
.
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Evanee jogged in the southern area of the city, using her nose to pinpoint Gaia's location, since Gaia was her target. As she jogged, she noticed the scent was getting stronger, meaning she was close. At a crossroads, she looked around, sniffing the air. "She's close…" Evanee turned, and that's when she caught another scent, a completely unfamiliar one…she turned, only to meet with an electric fist that collided with her jawline, sending Evanee sliding back a foot, rubbing her jaw after. She looked up with an irritated expression her face as she faced none other than Fairy Tail's Laxus Dreyar. "You're not who I'm after…" Evanee said in a low tone towards the second generation slayer.
"That's too bad," Laxus said as sparks began to dance around his body. "Because you're exactly who I'm after."
From the alley nearby, Gaia watched with a snicker as Evanee and Laxus were about to throw down. "Silly Ev…walking right into the trap…"
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.
"Perfect…" Mavis said, only feeling slightly worried about Natsu and Gajeel vs. Daryan. "I don't trust Daryan since he was found a little earlier than I thought…but Laxus is in the perfect position right now!"
"Why do you say that?" Mirajane asked while looking over towards the first master.
"Evanee is the biggest threat to everyone right now, but if Laxus takes her out, we won't have to worry!" Mavis replied.
"That doesn't…sound right…" Cynthia said as she tapped her chin.
"Something wrong…?" Mavis asked, looking over to face Cynthia.
"It's just…when I fought Alex…she used earth dragon slayer magic…and she said that Gaia taught her…" Cynthia explained.
"Wait, what?!" Mavis's eyes widened at Cynthia's explanation. Considering the circumstances around Cynthia's fight, it completely slipped her mind that Alex did admit to that. But with this in mind. Everyone forgot, since the battle was so intense.
"She's not a dragon slayer…but she knows the moves…" Cynthia continued. She felt stupid for not realizing it sooner.
"She's a dragon…!" Mavis squealed; a large flaw now in her plan with her miscalculations, her eyes starting to water. "N-No! My plan wasn't good!"
"No! Don't cry, First Master!" Makarov began to flail around, unsure how to react this time around.
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Karma merely watched as the Grand Magic Game begun, a smirk on his old face as everything fell into place just as he and Magnus planned the night before. "Excellent…everything is falling perfectly into place…it's time to begin…"