Fairy May Cry - Devil's Retribution

by Iron117Prime

After seven years, Dante and the rest of Fairy Tail have returned from Tenrou Island. So much has changed since their absence; a guild called Sabertooth is now at the top spot, the forces of the Underworld are starting to become more active, and what's this new religious movement called the Order of the Sword? Times might have changed, but the insanity of Fairy Tail has not.

32. The Will of a Man

Hi everyone, welcome back. I'm so glad that you all enjoyed my original chapter that depicted the origins of Zeref, and everything connected to Sparda and Mundus. But now we're back to the action of the tournament, as well as what's going on behind the scenes. With that being said, let's get started.

The Will of a Man

"It's Day Two of the Grand Magic Games and the stands are exploding with excitement!" Chapati, who had a different hair style today for some reason, announced from inside the VIP box along with his fellow commentators. It was true, the audience was cheering and roaring in jubilation as the second day of this tournament was already starting. "Joining me today once again is Mr. Yajima, and our special guest, Sorcerer Weekly's Jason!"

"So cool!" Jason exclaimed.

Outside the colosseum and through the streets of the city of Crocus was a long train of massive and slow-moving chariot-carts. They moved at a snail's pace as countless people watched from the sidewalks in the city like they were watching a parade.

"Let's get back to the action, already in progress, as our wizards take on the Chariots!" Chapati announced. "The point of this game is to reach the final goal back at the colosseum without falling off. Simple, right? Wrong! The Chariots are constantly in motion! And though it's at a snail's pace, one false move could cost you! Which team will survive this rough and tumble sight-seeing tour of Crocus and be the first to cross the finish line!? For those of you with us at Domus Flau, we'll be showing the race in crystal-clear Lacrima vision!"

"Cool!" Jason shouted.

It was true. Everyone at the colosseum, including all the competing guilds and observing members of Fairy Tail could see everything going on in the event from magical screens that hovered in the center of the arena.

"You've seen a lot in your days." Chapati said to Yajima. "But would you have ever predicted anything remotely like this?"

"Well…" Yajima couldn't quite find the words to describe what he was seeing.

"Okay… who in the hell thought it was a good idea to let him of all people compete in this?!" Dante questioned.

"Yeah, you'd think the name 'Chariots' would be a big clue, even for Natsu." Lucy added.

"If it was any one of us, we'd at least have a fighting chance." Gray face palmed.

"He was absolutely insistent on participating." Erza said, though the tone in her voice indicated that she felt exactly the same way everyone else did.

"Maybe he thought he'd get to fight chariots or something." Elfman assumed.

"What's so sad, is that I can actually imagine him thinking something like that." Dante commented.

Everyone in the colosseum was treated to the embarrassing sight of the motion sick Natsu, trying his best to push on through the race, across the Chariots. His face was purple and his whole world was spinning. But it wasn't just him. Gajeel and Sting, also competing for Fairy Tail B and Sabertooth respectively, were in the exact same state that he was in. Their faces purple, their worlds spinning, and their lunch coming up from their stomachs. The second they both found out Natsu was participating, they didn't hesitate to jump in themselves.

"Uh oh… I think nothing's wrong with Fairy Tail A's Natsu, but he can barely put one foot in front of the other!" Chapati announced. "But that's not all. A mere few feet away is Fairy Tail B's Gajeel and Sabertooth's Sting, who seem to be in the same boat. I can't imagine what could be causing them to slow down like this."

"I could be wrong, but I'd say they share a common weakness for moving vehicles." Yajima responded.

"That's it… the world's against us!" Jet sulked as Droy groaned while eating a sandwich next to him.

Gajeel groaned, both from his condition and confusion over what was going on. "Why am I sick…?! No… this is Salamander's stupid weakness! So… why do I… wanna throw up…?!"

"What's wrong with Natsu and Gajeel?" Kyrie asked.

"Natsu gets motion sick really easily." Lisanna said with a wince. "He's had that problem ever since he was little."

"But Gajeel's never had that problem." Panther-Lily stated.

"Even the Sabertooth guy's ill." Levy added.

"They're both stealing Natsu's shtick." Happy cried for some reason.

"It's because they're all Dragon Slayers." Sparda spoke up, getting their attention. "As many of you know, being a Dragon Slayer grants one heightened senses: scent, hearing, touch, etc. But as a result, those heightened senses can overload their human semi-circular canals, creating a sense of vertigo when placed on a moving vehicle."

"So, it's not just a thing Natsu has?" Gildarts asked in curiosity. "All Dragon Slayers go through that kind of thing?"

"That is correct." Sparda confirmed. "Gajeel may be something of a 'late bloomer' so-to-speak which is why he hasn't had this problem till now."

"Wouldn't that mean that Wendy would also have that issue?" Modeus asked.

"Unfortunately…" Sparda looked down in sympathy. "That poor girl."

In another part of the stands, Bruni happened to watch the event as well. He saw Natsu's circumstance and winced empathetically at the situation he was in.

'I got the same kind of problem too with vehicles. I feel your pain, Natsu.'

While everyone else in the Fairy Tail stands, Mystogen was also with them. But rather than pay attention on the event itself, his mind was focusing more on what he and the rest of his guild learned from Erza the night before.

---

Flashback

"…And that's the whole story." Erza explained to the five-person guild of Crime Sorciere what she and her friends had learned from Sparda. She told them everything: the story of the gods, the origin of Mundus, the kind of life that Sparda had led along with Zeref and what led to him being cursed.

"Erza… are you certain of this…?" Jellal asked.

"I am." She confirmed.

To say they were blown out of the water was an understatement. It was one thing to learn about the existence of actual gods. But the life and tragedy of Zeref was something else. All this time, every single one of them thought Zeref was the evilest wizard the world has ever known. So much suffering was caused in his name. Jellal, Sorano, Erza, and all their friends were kidnapped and enslaved, forced to build a horrific tower by a cult using his name. Ultear and Meredy served the guild that worshiped Zeref in the same way the cult did, believing he was the key to their happiness in the Grand Magic World. Sheeree was the only one there who wasn't directly impacted by Zeref's legend, but it was still shocking to learn that all the pain her surrogate family endured was all based on a lie.

"I… I can't believe this…" Sorano struggled. "You mean… the Tower of Heaven… what we went through…. all of it…" She shivered as she once again imagined the horrific treatment, she and everyone else went through, with Jellal putting a sympathetic hand on her shoulder as he knew exactly what she was going through.

"Based on what happened after Tenrou Island… we suspected that Zeref and Mundus were actually enemies but…" Ultear began.

"Nobody deserved to go through something like that!" Meredy stated. "Something so horrible…!"

"Zeref is every bit the victim that we are…" Sheeree added. "The one really responsible for all of this is Mundus. We're all just his pawns."

As Crime Sorciere took the moment to properly process all of this, Erza too remembered her past in the Tower of Heaven. She too blamed Zeref for what had happened including her own suffering and enslavement, that of her friends, and Jellal's brainwashing. But now she knew the truth. Zeref was indeed a victim himself: the real mastermind was the so-called Demon Emperor, the fallen god, Mundus.

"I understand all of this is… a lot to process." Erza told them. "I just felt you should know."

"Thank you, Erza." Jellal nodded. "This helps piece together the mystery a great deal."

"But it still doesn't quite explain what's been going on these past few years during the Games, or why we sense Zeref's power." Sorano said.

"It could be one of his projects that Mundus had him work on." Ultear suggested. "From what we've heard, the Revive System was only one such project."

"Do you think it could be one of his artificial demons? An Etherious? Like Deliora?" Meredy asked.

"Possibly, but we need to know for certain. It could be dangerous." Ultear answered.

"Whatever the case, we'll continue as we have." Jellal instructed. "I'll stay close with Fairy Tail under the guise of Mystogen, the rest of you will watch from a distance."

Sheeree looked away, appearing deep in thought. "Something on your mind, Sheeree?" Sorano asked.

"I was just thinking…." Sheeree began. "Zeref… he's an enemy of Mundus, right? And Erza, you said he was really a good guy in the past, right?"

"Yes." She nodded.

"So… technically… wouldn't that mean that Zeref is on our side?" Sheeree wondered, getting their attention. "If we find him… maybe we can find way to work together? Maybe even a way to destroy Mundus and even lift his curse."

"You have a good heart Sheeree, but I doubt it's that simple." Ultear told her. "Zeref has been alive for over four centuries, far longer than any normal human should ever life. Not to mention all the trauma he's endured throughout that life."

"Yes, there is a possibility that he may not be in the right mindset because of that." Jellal agreed. "After all, he and Sparda did create the Etherious as a safety net for that very reason."

"So… what do we do then if we find him?" Sheeree asked.

Nobody appeared to have a solid answer to that question. At least until Erza spoke up.

"I believe we should hope for the best but be prepared for the worst." Titania explained. "If we cross paths with Zeref, we should make the offer to help him, perhaps even work alongside him to stop Mundus. And if he agrees to it, then great. But at the same time, we should also consider his mental state as you've suggested and be prepared for a fight if the worst comes to pass. This is a matter that we should approach cautiously."

"I agree." Jellal nodded. "For now, we should remain focused on the Games and finding out what's been going on. Erza, thank you for this information. But you should meet back up with your friends soon. I'll be at the colosseum again tomorrow and the rest of my team will remain on standby."

"I understand." Erza turned around and prepared to leave, though she paid one final glance at all of them. "Are… are all of you, alright? I know this is a lot to process…."

"That's putting it mildly." Meredy commented.

"We'll be fine, Erza. Just… need to sleep it off. We still got a job to do." Sorano assured. "Good luck, tomorrow."

"You as well." Erza then left. However, despite what she said, Sorano and the rest of her friends barely got any real sleep that night.

End Flashback

---

"Now let's take a look at the group leading the pack!" Chapati announced as he shifted focus from the three nauseous Dragon Slayers to the rest of the competitors. "This race is as neck-and-neck as it gets, folks! Rocking first place is the lovely Devil Hunter of Mermaid Heel, Lucia! But Kurohebi from Raven Tail is right behind her! Followed closely by Blue Pegasus' Ichiya, and Lamia Scale's Yuka! And coming in from behind him is Quatro Cerberus' Bacchus!"

"Man, that guy's loud…" The man from Quatro Cerberus gave a hiccup as he continued to run, though he seemed incredibly tried, not from the race, but more likely from the resulting hangover from last night's drinking contest against Dante and Cana. "…Can't you let a man work off last night's booze in peace…?"

Ichiya ran as fast as he could, but he seemed very short of breath. "Feel the burn!"

"I'm surprised someone with your body figure can keep this up for so long!" Yuka commented to the man.

"I'll have you know that I'm in every man's tip top shape!" Ichiya exclaimed.

At the head of the pack, Lucia had Kurohebi right at her tail. "You're pretty fast, my dear." He told her in a hiss fit for a snake. "But it'll take more than speed to beat me!"

"Then it's good that speed isn't my only talent." Lucia threw a kick toward him to try and push him back, but Kurohebi ducked underneath the strike and tried to lunge at her with his hands. She slowed her pace a bit, only slightly, just enough for him to miss his mark before she grabbed his arm with both her hands, kicked off the Chariot to leap into the air before spinning in the air while airborne and threw him back down to the Chariot hard. While airborne, Lucia collided her feet with just enough force to push her on ahead. She landed with a roll on the Chariot ahead of her and was already back on her feet and sprinted on even further.

"Look at that, folks! Lucia just pushed back her only tail and gave herself an even greater lead all at the same time!" Chapati commentated.

"She was able to kick her own feet with enough force to push her forward while airborne, all without harming herself." Yajima added. "That takes quite the feat of strength."

"She is super cool!" Jason pumped his fists rapidly like a fanboy.

"No way am I getting left in the dust! Wave Boost!" He threw his hands back to shoot a wave of his own nullification magic at Ichiya, all while providing him an extra boost of speed to rocket himself further ahead. "Good luck using any magic, while using my shockwave, pal!"

However, it seemed Ichiya was prepared. "A magic neutralizing wave, huh? In that case…!" He reached into his jacket and pulled out to vials of his parfum and plugged them directly into his nose. "Feet-Foot Parfum: Zero Dance Inhalation!" The second Ichiya inhaled this particular potion, his own speed increased substantially. He was even able to push past Yuka's wave and move on ahead, much to Yuka's shock.

"Wow… they're really going all out, aren't they? Gets my soul all stirred up, ya know?" Bacchus muttered with a tired smile. "Guess I might as well put a little effort into this race, too!" He lifted his right foot and stomped it hard onto the Chariot that he was on.

With just his strength alone, Bacchus split that Chariot clean in half, sending a shockwave forward that derailed and knocked over most of the Chariots up ahead, sending Yuka and Ichiya flying. Though Lucia and Kurohebi were at a far enough distance not to be affected, but they still glanced behind to see what had just happened.

"I don't believe it! Bacchus just demolished the Chariots with brute force!" Chapati commentated.

"Amazing…! He's even stronger than before…!" Erza looked in surprise.

"This guy's definitely no push over." Dante noted seriously.

"Catch ya later, losers!" Bacchus was already way ahead of Yuka and Ichiya, picking up his own speed without any kind of enhancement spells whatsoever, running with his own physical strength and nothing more. "Better not fall off before the finish!"

"That was a dirty trick…!" Ichiya commented, though he seemed more surprised by Bacchus' display of strength.

"You said it." Yuka agreed.

With a laugh, Bacchus rocketed past the shocked Kurohebi and was almost catching up with Lucia just as they entered Domus Flau and were nearing the finish line.

"Sorry sweetheart, but I ain't losing this!" Bacchus threw a powerful punch at Lucia with the same kind of strength he used to demolish the Chariots…

Only for her to catch his fist in the palm of her hand, even as a shockwave blew past them, she was largely unaffected.

Bacchus, Erza, and even Dante in particular looked in surprise, as did most of the audience and commentators.

"I don't plan on losing either." Lucia said before delivering a kick right to his face to send him crashing back into the Chariot behind her, allowing Lucia a chance to push forward and cross the finish line.

"We have a winner! Lucia of Mermaid Heel has claimed first place, scoring ten points!" Chapati announced as the white-clad Devil Hunter raised her fist in victory.

"Yay! Go Lucia!" Milliana waved and cheered with most of her team.

"That's my girl." Kurenai smiled and nodded with approval.

Everyone in Fairy Tail and Quatro Cerberus looked in surprise. Not only did Lucia managed to claim first place, but she even managed to push back Bacchus' own unnatural strength.

"Who is that woman…?" Makarov questioned. "I didn't know Lady Kurenai had someone like her in their guild."

"She's certainly something else." Gildarts added.

"Erza compared herself to Bacchus, but that Lucia-lady was able push him back?!" Lucy questioned.

"And it looked like she wasn't even trying." Gray added.

"She is a Devil Hunter." Dante pointed out. "I got a feeling she's got a whole lot more up her sleeve."

Despite getting pushed back, Bacchus was still able to get back on his feet and cross the finish line right after.

"So close, but no cigar for Bacchus! Quatro Cerberus has come in second, scoring eight points for this event." Chapati commentated.

"You crazy strong, lady." Bacchus told Lucia. "What you're secret? You lift weights in your spare time or something?"

"No." She replied as she gave him a serious expression. "I'm just stronger than you. Nothing more."

Rather than feel insulted, Bacchus chuckled with a grin. "I like ya, lady. You remind me of another redhead that can give me a wild time. Here's hoping we duke it out in a battle round."

One-by-one, the other competitors continued to cross the finish line.

"In third place, scoring six points, is Kurohebi!" Chapati continued to announce. "Yuka takes fourth, and Ichiya comes in fifth! That just leaves a three-way battle for last place."

Meanwhile, Natsu, Gajeel, and Sting continued their painful struggle, trying to push past their respective motion sickness to inch ever closer to the finish line. But it was easier said than done.

"This is embarrassing…!" Gajeel struggled to keep his lunch down. "I used to be able to ride on vehicles just fine…!"

"Hey… that just means you finally become one…!" Sting groaned as he couldn't help but turn around to mock his fellow Dragon Slayer. "You're the real deal now…! A card-carrying Dragon Slayer…!" He said while holding back a vomit. "I guess congrats are in order… welcome…. Newbie…!"

"Newbie?!" In a state of embarrassment and anger, Gajeel pushed Natsu by his side and sent him into Sting, causing all three of them to swing their stomachs even more. "What the…!? Where'd all my strength go…!?"

The audience couldn't help but laugh at the predicament of all three of them, much to the embarrassment and annoyance of both Fairy Tail and Sabertooth.

"This is unbelievable…!" Trish rubbed her hand down her face.

"Remind me to kick Natsu's ass when this is all over." Lady groaned.

"Hey come on, he's trying his best…" Lisanna tried to defend him, but she did agree that this was a bit of a stupid move on Natsu's part. He of all people should know that him and transportations don't mix.

"Okay… people think puking in slow-motion is entertaining?" Orga didn't quite understand what the audience found so funny.

"It is a form of disgusting bodily humor." Rufus explained.

"I didn't know other Dragon Slayers had the same weakness as you and Sting." Yukino said to Rogue.

"Neither did I." He replied. 'I'm sure glad it's not me out there.'

"Talk about a textbook case of rotten luck." Lector commented. "This game is all about Sting's one and only weakness, so those other guilds have no clue how easy they got off."

"Yeah! Sting would rock their face!" Frosch agreed.

Vergil gave a subtle sigh. 'That overconfident imbecile. He should have known better, but he couldn't resist trying to show up Natsu.' He shook his head with disappointment written all over him.

"Does it affect you to, Laxus?" Mira asked with curiosity.

"Just don't let Natsu or Dante know. I'll never live it down." He responded.

"Probably shouldn't have said that if I were you." Nero told him.

Despite his stomach practically turning inside-out, Natsu pushed himself even further with a yell. "Gotta keep moving! I'm not gonna lose like this!" And it wasn't just him. Gajeel was doing the exact same thing, practically neck-and-neck with Natsu as they both pushed as hard as they could.

"Talk about uncool. Anyone can see you got no strength left. You're just making fools of yourselves." Sting said. But despite that, neither Natsu nor Gajeel were deterred and kept pushing. "Fine, whatever." Sting spat, ready to throw in the towel. "I didn't need this win, so I'll just let you guys have it. Sabertooth's just gonna keep raking up the points after this. In the end, one measly little point isn't gonna change the outcome."

"One point is nothing to scoff at, kid! Don't ya forget that!" Gajeel shot back with a grin, much to Sting's surprise.

The White Dragon Slayer of Sabertooth couldn't help but look confused, even as Natsu and Gajeel practically crawled their way further, screaming and yelling with all their willpower to fight back against the motion sickness and still keep going. Why were they so hellbent on finishing this? They already lost any chance of gaining any real momentum as first through fifth place was already taken. What was the point of continuing when there was only a bare minimum prize left?

"I don't get it. Can you explain something to me?" He got their attention. "Why did you even bother entering the tournament? Seriously. I mean, you're nothing like the Fairy Tail I knew growing up. You're obsessed with tough you are and what the rest of the world thinks of you! What happened to the Fairy Tail of my childhood? The guild that did whatever the hell it wanted? Whenever it wanted? They never cared what anybody else said or thought of them?!"

Everyone in the colosseum was listening to this. The audience, the other participating guilds, and even those in the observing Fairy Tail, particularly those that aged these past seven years: Macao, Wakaba, Alzack, Bisca, Asuka, Warren, Max, Reedus, Laki, Jet, Droy, Vijteer, Nab, even Morrison.

"The reason we're here… is for our friends!" Natsu revealed, much to Sting's surprise, and even more so the aforementioned guild members. "The ones who waited for us…! For all the years we were gone…!" Their hearts stopped as they continued to listen, tears already welling up in their eyes. "Who fought through the pain… And the heartache…! They were humiliated… But even so… They stayed strong! And they kept our guild together! We're doing this for all of them! And we're gonna make sure that everyone here knows… THE FAIRY TAIL GUILD NEVER GAVE UP! NOT FOR A SECOND! SO, THERE'S NO WAY I'M GONNA GIVE UP NOW!"

That did it. That brought all of them to tears. They sobbed their eyes out as they held each other close, Alzack and Bisca holding their daughter close especially.

Gajeel smirked alongside Natsu. Though he wouldn't admit it, he felt exactly the same way he did.

Sting looked in complete and utter shock, almost as if Natsu had suddenly grown a second head. He was doing this for his friends? Was he being serious about this?

Even as Natsu and Gajeel pushed themselves further, all their friends and allies looked on with smirks and smiles. Those in the competing guilds, particularly Lyon, Jura, Sho, Milliana, Wally, Ichiya, and the Trimens, Kurenai, and even Bruni, all looked with impressed smiles, admiring Natsu's loyalty and commitment to his guild.

Those within the Fairy Tail guild were emotionally moved as well, aside from the ones that waited. Modeus, Freed, Bickslow, Evergreen, Lady, Trish, Gildarts, and Panther-Lily were unsurprised but smiled with pride at their comrade's resolve. Even Jellal couldn't help but smile himself. Makarov, Levy, Kyrie, and especially Lisanna and Happy were all moved to tears themselves, with Lisanna holding onto Happy's paw as they shared tearful smiles.

Team Fairy Tail Team B looked in just as much pride. Nero, Mira, Laxus, Juvia, and Cana, all of them felt a strong sense of pride, even if they were competing against each other in this tournament, they were still friends and they would always be proud.

As for his own team of Fairy Tail A… Elfman had a manly grin with a single tear in his eye, Erza herself was also moved to tears. Gray had a genuine smile on his face. Lucy smiled emotionally, even as she felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look towards Dante as he had a simple yet happy smile as well, causing her to smile even more as she placed her hand on his.

With all his strength and will-power, Natsu was able to finally crawl past the finish line, earning a standing ovation from the audience.

"He did it!" Chapati exclaimed. "Fairy Tail A's Natsu claims sixth place and scores two points!"

Natsu collapsed on the ground. "About time we got some points on the board…!"

Right behind him, Gajeel crossed the line and collapsed right next to his fellow Salamander. "Gajeel from Fairy Tail B takes seventh place and scores one point!" Chapati announced.

The audience was nothing short of shocked, but also moved, at the sheer dedication and heart over what they had just witnessed.

"Now those boys have some moxie."

"Yeah, that was awesome!"

"Well, they're gutsy, I'll give me that!"

"Two of their guys yesterday did pretty well during the fights, so maybe we underestimated them."

"Not to mention all that stuff we heard about them saving the world."

"They're from Fairy Tail, right? Maybe their guild's not so bad after all."

"Got me right in the feels, man."

"Ya know, I just might start rooting for them now."

The entire audience cheered and clapped for Natsu and Gajeel, having been won over by their spirit and heart.

In the stand along with the crying and proud members of Fairy Tail, Mavis too smiled proudly. That boy represented everything she loved in Fairy Tail and humanity in general. She reached out to grab a hold of her adoptive father's hand and smiled up toward him as he smiled himself as well.

'Igneel… Zeref… I'm sure you're both watching. You must be very proud. Natsu Dragneel, fists of fire and a heart of gold. After all the suffering and pain that we've endured, it is nice to know that something amazing still came from it.' The Dark Knight thought with pride.

Natsu tried to push himself up, but he felt his hand slip and was about to collapse on the ground… only to find himself caught in the warm embrace of both Lisanna and Lucy. He looked to see their teary smiles, earning a smile from himself as well.

Gajeel also tried to stand, but he looked in surprise to see a hand extended toward him, the hand belonging to a smiling Levy. He gave a weak grin as he accepted her hand, allowing her to help him stand on his feet.

From the Sabertooth box, Vergil gazed down at Natsu. 'He's a fool… but he's not a hypocrite. Even with the whole world against him, he holds true to his convictions and won't abandon them for the easy route. That alone is worthy of respect. Which is more than I can say for another certain Dragon Slayer I know.'

"Crowd favorite Sting forfeited the match, so Sabertooth gets zero points." Chapati announced.

---

Sting walked through the halls of the arena, making his way back to the box where his team was at. Though he stopped for a brief moment to process what Natsu said.

"You're doing this for your friends…" He glared with a dark expression in his eyes. "That's a load of crap, and you know it."

---

The scoreboard was shown to reveal the current placing for the teams. In first place was Raven Tail with twenty-four points. Second place was Sabertooth with twenty points. Third place was Blue Pegasus with seventeen points. Fourth place was Lamia Scale with fifteen points. Fifth place was Mermaid Heel with thirteen points. Sixth place was Quatro Cerberus with ten points. Seventh Fairy Tail B with seven points. Eighth place was Fairy Tail A with only two points.

"And Raven Tail has dethroned Sabertooth, taking first place in this exciting tournament!" Chapati announced. "And the other guilds are catching up, so it's still anyone's game, folks!"

"Cool!" Jason cheered.

"Wait, we're not first?! How did we fall behind?!" Lector questioned.

"Sting was feeling pukey and didn't finish." Frosch answered.

---

Natsu and Gajeel were both brought to the infirmary, their faces purple as they fought off the fatigue and motion sickness, they got from that intense Chariot Race.

"Oh… my stomach wants to jump right out of my body…" Natsu groaned as he, Gajeel, and Wendy all rested in their respective beds.

"They'll be okay, right?" Lisanna hoped as she, Levy, and Lucy had brought them in.

"Why wouldn't they, it's just motion sickness." Porlyusica replied. "Stop worrying and let them get some rest."

"I still can't believe Gajeel gets motion sick too. I thought that was Natsu's thing." Romeo said as he and Patty appeared fully recovered along with Carla.

"And poor Wendy's going to go through the same thing too." Patty said sympathetically.

Levy smiled. "I'm glad you kids are back on your feet again."

"Yeah, we feel a ton better!" Patty beamed. "Thanks again, Miss Porlyusica!"

"Don't thank me, I was just doing my job." The old healer said.

"But what about Wendy?" Lucy asked.

"She'll be fine in about an hour." Porlyusica assured.

"Oh, don't think we forgot about you, Carla." Lisanna said with a smile to the white Exceed that sat at Wendy's bedside. "We're glad to see you've recovered. And you know Happy will be smiling at that." She teased.

"Please do not tease me with that tomcat." Carla commented.

"That's enough, all of you need to go." Porlyusica said to everyone. "You two, as well." She spoke to Romeo and Patty. "You're healed up, so I'm sure everyone else will want to know you're all okay."

"Yeah, but what about…?" Romeo looked towards Wendy with worry.

"Do not worry, I literally just said she'll be fine." Porlyusica reminded.

"And I'll be at Wendy's side the entire time, so there's nothing to fret over, boy." Carla said in a tone that made Romeo uncomfortable.

"Guess she doesn't like the idea of a boy being interested in Wendy, huh?" Lucy whispered to Levy, Lisanna, and Patty all flour girls sharing gossiping grins.

"It's weird that she acts like a mom even though she's actually younger than Wendy." Levy added.

"Yeah, she's the same age as Happy and we all know much of a kid he is." Lisanna said.

"Well to be fair, it is a bit too early for Carla to be getting any grand-kitties." Patty giggled, earning some giggles from the other girls.

"I can hear every word you're saying!" Carla exclaimed in a comically angry expression.

With that, the girls and Romeo prepared to leave the infirmary. "We'll be heading out. Thanks again for everything." Lisanna waved to Porlyusica as they left.

Once they left and were out of earshot, Porlyusica turned to Carla. "You're not going to tell them what you saw?"

"I just don't think it would do any good." Carla said seriously, referring to her recent premonition. "They'd never believe me. Not about a future like that anyway."

"I won't argue with your decision, but you should know that secrets don't always stay buried." The old healer told her. "I just hope for your sake that when they find out, and they most likely will, it's not in the worst possible way."

"Even I don't believe it! It couldn't have been a premonition, it… it was just a nightmare. Nothing more." Carla tried to say.

"Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?"

---

"And now, for what you've all been waiting for… the battle portions!" Chapati announced to the audience, who cheered loudly, waiting with anticipation to see the fights begin. Already the two competitors for the first match were in the arena. "Today's match pits Kurohebi, the dark python of our first-place guild, Raven Tail, against Lamia Scale's own Toby Horhota!"

Toby gave a dog-like howl as he faced off with his opponent.

"It's serpent versus hound! Which one will end up top dog?!" Chapati got the audience amped up even more.

"I expect to see a clean fight out there, understand?" Yajima said sternly, mostly to the Raven Tail member.

"Toby is so ferocious! Bad dog!" Jason said excitedly.

"Hey guys, we're back!" Romeo and Patty had met up with the rest of their friends with Lisanna and Levy right behind them.

"Romeo! Patty!" Happy smiled.

"Good to see you two rugrats back up." Gildarts smiled as well. "Enjoy your beauty sleep?"

"We're fine, thanks." Patty said.

Suddenly, Romeo was pulled into a hug by Macao. "My boy…! I'm so happy you're okay…!" The dad comically cried.

"I'm okay, Dad. Don't worry." Romeo assured.

"Yay! Big Brother Romeo's okay!" Asuka cheered in his mother's arms.

"And Wendy, how is she doing?" Modeus asked.

"Porlyusica said she'll be fine. Carla's awake and she's watching over her." Patty answered, much to Modeus' relief.

"Natsu and Gajeel should be fine too." Lisanna added.

At the same time, Lucy had arrived to meet the rest of her teammates. "Hey everyone! Did I miss anything?"

"They've been taking their sweet time." Elfman replied.

"It's just about to start." Gray said. "That dog-dude is gonna be going in for Lyon's guild."

"It's the Raven Tail wizard you should watch." Erza said seriously.

"Yeah, you know he won't play fair." Lucy said in an equally serious tone.

"I'm actually curious to see what this guy can do." Dante eyed Kurohebi cautiously. "We've already seen what three of these Raven Tail chumps are capable of. If we end up fighting them, and I mean an actual life-or-death fight, it would help if we at least know what kind of cards they're playing."

"I doubt Ivan would be so reckless as to reveal what his followers are capable of so casually." Erza replied. "But you do have a point. Having even a basic understanding of our enemies' capabilities is better than having no knowledge at all."

Lucy couldn't help but glance in the direction where the Raven Tail team was currently at. Her eyes happened to set on Flare, who noticed her staring at her as well.

"Yeah… I see you to, Blondie…" Flare grinned maniacally. However, Lucy gasped once she saw all the bruises across Flare's face.

'She's covered in bruises…!'

"Flare." Alexi got her attention. "I won't tolerate any more embarrassment. You do realize who you owe your victory to, don't you?"

"Y-Yes sir!" Flare stuttered as she pointed in Lucy's direction. "But that scary blonde won't stop staring at me!"

Alexi grabbed her by the face and leaned in threateningly close. "Are you asking for another beating?"

She was already brought to tears at the mere thought of that. "No sir! Not again! Please no! I'll be a good girl!"

Lucy couldn't help but look with sympathy as she saw this exchange. Even if Flare played dirty during their match, she also recalled how Flare curled up and cried near the end, begging her to stop and even willing to throw the match. Lucy couldn't help but wonder if that was the kind of treatment that Flare would typically receive in that guild.

Dante had noticed it as well. His fists clenched as he glared in Raven Tail's direction. First they attack his friends, and they abuse their own members. But from the story he heard about why Ivan was expelled from Fairy Tail, he had a feeling that a scumbag like him would definitely treat his subordinates in such a horrid manner. Oh, what he wouldn't give to rip them a new one.

The gong rang, and the first battle of Day Two had begun.

"Ultra-Paralysis Claw: Mega-Mega Jellyfish!" Toby was on the attack first, his claws grown much longer and glowed green as he went to slash at Kurohebi, who proved quick and nimble enough to dodge each slice without getting so much as a scratch, leaping all around and above Toby with the fluent motions akin to a real snake. After dodging another strike and leaping back to gain some distance, it was Kurohebi's turn to attack. His whole body turned into sand and disappeared in the ground.

"He just vanished!" Toby looked in shock.

"You fool!" Jura warned his teammate. "He's using Mimic Magic!"

"Sand Rebellion!" A torrent of sand shot up from the ground to send Toby spiraling through the air. Kurohebi regained his physical form with a chuckle.

"That freak stole my spell!" Max exclaimed.

"Mimic Magic? Like Wendy's friend from your guild?" Romeo asked Mystogen.

"No. Sheeree's Magical Drain allows her to use different types of magic simultaneously while Mimic Magic only permits the user to use one type at a time, though they can change their types between attacks if need be." Jellal explained.

"I think I've heard of that too." Laki added. "The copied magics themselves can be stronger than that of the original user if the wizard in question has stronger magical power."

"Mimic Magic. I haven't seen that in a while." Mavis observed.

"It certainly presents a bit of a wild card." Sparda added.

"Come on dog-guy! Tear him up!" Gildarts called out to Toby.

"Obliterate that Raven Tail scumbag, and I'll pay your weight in gold!" Makarov added.

Toby gave a howl as he was already back on his feet. "You're stronger than I thought you were!" He told his opponent.

"You're not so bad yourself." Kurohebi complemented.

"Your name's pretty cool too. What does Kurohebi mean anyway?" Toby asked.

"It translates to Black Snake, but it's just my wizard's name."

"You mean you lied to me?!" Toby exclaimed in anger.

"What are you talking about?" Kurohebi looked confused as Toby went on the attack again, slashing at him with his claws, but Kurohebi was still able to dodge it with minimal effort.

"Alright! Then if I beat you, you gotta tell me what your real name is! Deal?!"

"I'm fine with that, but what if I win?" Kurohebi asked as he continued to dodge.

"Then I'll tell you my super-special secret that nobody knows!" Toby said as he continued to slash at him.

"Sounds intriguing, it's a deal!" Kurohebi hissed as his eyes widened with a sadist's excitement.

"Our competitors seem to have struck a friendly wager." Chapati commentated.

"I wouldn't consider their secrets' surprise." Yajima said.

"Cool!" Jason cheered.

Bacchus looked with interest as he watched the fight. "A little gambling, this could make things interesting."

"Nails!" Toby slashed at Kurohebi again, but he dodged it. "Nails!" He went for an upper vertical slash from below, but Kurohebi still dodged that. "Nails!" A diagonal slash from above, which to was also dodged. "Fangs! Psyche! Nails!" Toby tried to get him to trip up, but when it looked like he landed a successful hit, Kurohebi's body dissipated in pink smoke.

"He vanished again?!"

"Toby! Behind you!" Sho warned, but it was too late.

"Smoke Crush!" Kurohebi's mouth opened up as he sent multiple smoke-fists Toby's way to pound him all over his body. Before he had a chance to recover, Kurohebi attacked again. "Purple Rain!" With a wave of his hands, multiple purple fireballs struck Toby in the same manner with enough force to knock him to the ground.

"He copied both our magics too?!" Macao exclaimed.

"No one likes a copycat!" Wakaba scowled.

That was it. Toby was down and it looked like he wasn't going to get back up and continue.

"The dust has settled, and we can clearly see Toby on the ground!" Chapati announced. "That's it folks! Kurohebi slides away with a win for Raven Tail!"

Lamia Scale looked in frustration and disappointment at this defeat, while most of Raven Tail was smug about their own victory.

'Kurohebi spent the last seven years studying everyone in Fairy Tail, well those that weren't on Tenrou Island anyway. He's learned all their magics and improved his own to the point where he's long since surpassed them all.' Ivan thought. 'My hope was that he could even surpass Scarlet.' He glanced toward Fairy Tail A, toward Titania herself as well as Lucy. 'But given how the Heartfilia girl somehow improved in such a short time, I can't say for certain whether or not my mage has indeed surpassed Titania. So, we'll just have to be cautious from that point forward.'

"Very impressive. He was able to copy Max's, Macao's and Wakaba's spells." Erza noted.

"No doubt, and I got a feeling he's got a whole lot more up his sleeve." Gray added.

"Not only will those guys cheat to win, they have some real power on their team." Lucy said seriously.

"Yeah, I don't think we can afford to underestimate them." Dante noted as well.

"Look at the scoreboard and you can see Raven Tail fiercely climbing to the top, now with thirty-four points!" Chapati announced.

"And Lamia Scale at fifteen." Yajima added.

"Cool!" Jason pumped his fists rapidly.

Toby continued to lay on the ground as he sobbed at his defeat with Kurohebi looking down toward him.

"Now, you owe me a secret."

"It's… my sock…It just disappeared man…" Toby cried, referring to the fact that his right foot only had the one sock while he was barefoot with his left. "It's been driving me crazy cause I feel it's right under my nose!" He continued to cry, despite the fact that he was in fact wearing his left shock like a necklace and somehow didn't notice. "But I can't seem to find it anywhere! I'm so ashamed! I've been keeping it to myself for months, now!"

Kurohebi only gave him a blank look, while the rest of Lamia Scale comically shook and winced in embarrassment and confusion, their mouths hanging open.

As Toby continued to cry, he saw Kurohebi pointing to his own chest. That caused Toby to look at his own and see where his so-called missing sock has been this whole time.

This time, Toby cried tears of joy as he finally found his beloved sock. "Has it really been right here all along?!" The entire audience was nothing short of dumbfounded. What in the world were they seeing?! "I don't know how to thank you! I'm just so happy to see it again!"

"Have you ever seen anything like this before?" Chapati asked Yajima.

"Thankfully, no."

"Such emotion! What an ending!" Jason exclaimed.

"What a good boy… I'm so happy for him…" Erza was somehow shedding tears of joy at what she saw.

"This is way too stupid to cry about!" Gray exclaimed.

"Uh… wha…?" Lucy stuttered as hers and Elfman's jaws hung open.

"How in… what the… I… but that… how…?" Dante was just as dumbfounded as everyone else.

"Okay. How can anybody be that stupid?" Nero questioned.

"For real…" Cana winced.

"I… don't have anything to say about that…" Juvia commented.

Laxus noticed Mira was crying in joy much like Erza. "You can't seriously be crying at that, can you?"

"Sorry, but it's just too sweet!" Mira smiled while Laxus sighed in annoyance.

Lamia Scale's master Ooba groaned in irritation at Toby's stupidity. "I'll spin you."

In a surprise, Kurohebi offered his hand to teary-eyed Toby. "What is this?" Chapati wondered aloud. "After fighting fang and claw, are these two gonna shake hands?"

When Toby slowly reached out, Kurohebi swiped the sock from his opponent and… with a smile no-less… ripped it to pieces right in front of him.

"Guess not." Chapati observed as Toby cried even more at his beloved sock being torn apart. "In a surprise insult to injury, Kurohebi rips up a prized possession!"

The rest of Team Lamia Scale glared hard at such a display, as did both teams of Fairy Tail, with Gray struggling to hold back the enraged Erza. Most of Raven Tail laughed themselves.

"You should never have told me much that stinky rag meant to you. Dumb move." Kurohebi gloated as he walked away.

"You there! Spin for me!" Ooba waved her finger to spin around a random guild member out of frustration.

"Why me?!"

Sparda, Mavis, Makarov, and Gildarts all glared at the Raven Tail member at that display of cruelty while the rest of their friends and comrades were less than pleased themselves.

"Why in the world would he do that?!" Kyrie questioned. "He already won, that was just cruel!"

"That dog may have been an idiot, but he didn't deserve that." Lady said.

"Sadistic little asshole." Trish growled.

"Once again, Raven Tail has shown their true colors." Freed commented.

"Those punks weren't above attacking kids, so I'm not all that surprised." Bickslow stated.

"The very idea that their master is related to either Laxus or Makarov is sickening." Evergreen added.

"That poor guy was already beaten, but that was just mean." Happy said as well.

"We'll make sure they get their comeuppance. Count on it." Lisanna said seriously.

"Let's move on to Round Two of today's head-to-head battles…!" Chapati announced. As he did, Arcadios from the private box where King Toma was currently in, glanced back towards a soldier and gave a subtle nod, leading the soldier to turn around and get done what he needed to get done.

Modeus' eyes widened. He couldn't explain it, but he had the sneaking suspicion that something was off. Call it instinct or whatever, but he couldn't just ignore this feeling. He turned around and prepared to leave the box.

"Hmm, something up?" Morrison asked.

"I have to check on something." Modeus answered as he left.

"… First, from Quatro Cerberus, it's the god of wine, Bacchus! Fighting an opponent from Team Fairy Tail A!" Chapati announced.

"So it's one of us." Erza noted.

"Given what we seen this guy can do, we'd have the better shot if it was either you or me." Dante said to Erza.

"But what if they call out Natsu's name?" Lucy asked worriedly.

"Then we wake him up." Gray stated.

"I've heard stories about this guy. He's supposed to be as strong as Erza, isn't he?" Elfman wondered.

"Fight!" Cana shouted from her team's box as Nero tried to hold her back. "Someone avenge me! I don't care who it is!"

"Jeeze, what's your deal?!" Nero exclaimed as he continued to hold her back.

"She's throwing a hissy fit cause the guy down there drank her under the table." Laxus said.

"Oh my, relax Cana." Mira eased.

"Dante and Erza would be the best options, but I am sure Gray can get the job done." Juvia said.

From Sabertooth's box, while most of the guild didn't seem to be interested, save for Yukino who looked with mere curiosity, Vergil watched with interest.

'This would be an interesting match.' Vergil thought to himself, remembering King Toma's request to Arcadios the previous night. 'I may get to see just how much Titania has improved and Bacchus would indeed be the best opponent for her.'

"Very nice. You've done precisely as I've requested." King Toma nodded with approval to Arcadios.

"Yes, your majesty."

"Such an exquisite pairing. Bacchus' wild spirit against the graceful power of Erza Scarlet." However, the King of Fiore noticed a look of surprise on Arcadios' face. "Is there a problem?"

"Forgive me, your highness… but did you say… Erza?" Arcadios asked with a wince. "I'm sorry… but I arranged for a different fighter…"

"Elfman Strauss!" Chapati revealed, much to the absolute shock of both Fairy Tail Teams, as well as all their guildmates, particularly Lisanna and Evergreen.

"Me?!" None were more surprised than Elfman.

"What?!" Vergil actually stood up in genuine surprise.

"That's not her!" King Toma exclaimed.

"It's Elfman's turn…?" Mira looked rather worried.

"Is he even ready…?" Lisanna was also just as worried.

"Well, we're screwed." Happy, Lady, Macao, Wakaba, and Patty all said simultaneously.

"Hey! Don't be mean to him!" Lisanna exclaimed.

"You've got this one!" Erza tried to encourage Elfman as best as he could. "Believe in your heart that you can win, and victory will be all yours."

"Eh, yeah." Elfman winced, looking nervous.

"If you can't, just run out the clock and settle with a draw." Dante told him, causing Lucy to look at him in shock. "What? I'm being realistic!"

"Way to support your team, Dante." She said disappointingly.

"You incompetent fool!" Toma ranted, jumping into the air as multiple anime anger marks appeared above his head. "I wanted to see Bacchus do battle with Erza!"

"My deepest apologies, my lord!" Arcadios bowed his head.

"This will not be a match, but a slaughter! Bacchus will make easy work of this novice!" Toma scolded his knight.

"Yes… indeed he will…" Arcadios winced.

'He arranged for Elfman Strauss? Why would he think that…? Wait a moment…' Vergil recalled the words King Toma spoke the previous night.

"How about that Fairy Tail member… The one that can transform. What was the name again? El.. E…"

'I didn't say anything at the time because I assumed it was obvious. Bacchus is the strongest member of the Quatro Cerberus team while Erza is that of Fairy Tail A, second only to Dante. Did he really mistake that for…?' Vergil pinched the bridge between his eyes in annoyance.

"What's with you? You look upset." Orga noticed.

"Nothing… other than the fact that I have severely overestimated the intelligence of a certain individual." Vergil muttered.

From his spot, Arcadios felt a jab at his already diminishing ego from the king's scolding. 'Why do I feel as though I've been insulted?'

Elfman had already made it into the arena to face Bacchus, who was casually lying on the ground with his gourd in hand, looking with an amused smirk.

"You can do it, Fairy Tail!" A guy from the stands cheered.

"Really? Cause I'm not so sure." A woman next to him said.

"Hey, what do you say we make our own bet, like those last guys did?" Bacchus offered.

"What?"

"Your sisters are a couple of smoking-hot little numbers." Bacchus said, earning a scowl from Elfman.

"What are you getting at?"

"Come on man, I know you can't be that dense." Bacchus flashed a grin. "If I win the match, they keep me company tonight… both at the same time."

Elfman growled; his teeth clenched so hard he might chip a tooth.

This earned a glare from everyone in Fairy Tail, from both teams and the observing guildmates.

"Scumbag." Cana glared as Mira narrowed her eyes.

Lisanna shivered from her spot as Trish put a protective hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Both of them!?" Happy questioned in disgust. "That is seriously messed up!"

"What a pervert!" Patty exclaimed.

"If he actually tries that, I will pound him into the ground." Gildarts stated.

"Not if I fill him full of holes first." Lady glared

Lucy clenched her fists as well. The idea of Lisanna being put through something like that really made her blood boil. She was really hoping Natsu somehow heard that, just so she can watch him beat the crap out of this guy.

Even Wally had to wince at that. "Come on Bacchus man, that is so not cool." Despite being part of the same guild, Wally wouldn't approve the slightest over something like that.

Bacchus put his gourd down, not even taking a sip as he sat up. "Now it's your turn." He said to Elfman. "If you win…"

"Listen, bub." Elfman scowled. "A real man doesn't tolerate that kind of disrespect! So, get ready to get schooled!" He was more than ready to fight.

"So, I reckon this means you accept this little wager, do ya?" Bacchus asked with interest. "So excited, I got the shakes."

---

Natsu's eyes began to open slowly. "Oh man… why do I feel like I need to punch someone…?" He wondered aloud, having gotten over his state of nausea. He took a moment to observe his surroundings. He was in the infirmary, with Gajeel in the bed next to him. But nobody else was there.

"What the… where is everyone…?" Natsu took a few whiffs of the air before a serious look formed on his face. "Hey, wakey-wakey, Metalhead!" He got up off his bed and kicked Gajeel out of his to wake him up.

"Ugh! What the hell was that for!?" Gajeel exclaimed. "Can't a guy get some peace and quiet?!"

"Shut up for two seconds and take a whiff, would ya?!" Natsu told him.

The Iron Dragon Slayer smelled the air and he realized what Natsu was talking about. He picked up Wendy's scent, that of her cat as well as the old hag. But there were four other scents he didn't recognize.

"Somebody else was here."

"Yeah, let's go." Natsu, after collecting his scarf, ran out of the infirmary with Gajeel right behind him. They both ran down the hallways, following the scents of their friends and the unknown individuals. They all seemed to be together for some reason, but that put them both on edge. Taking a moment to stop around the corner and sniff again to try and pinpoint their location, they realized they were getting closer.

"This way." Gajeel directed Natsu around the corner.

Both Dragon Slayers slid to a stop, coming outside to the top of the colosseum's circular roof. That's where they saw four masked men clad in red, carrying the unconscious Wendy, Carla, and Porlyusica.

"Hey! You!" Natsu called out to them.

"Ah crap! It's those guys from Fairy Tail! We must have woken them up!"

"Get back here you clowns so that I can kill you!" Gajeel shouted as he and Natsu ran after the kidnappers, who bolted as fast as they could

"Run!"

"Hurry!"

"You're not taking them anywhere!" Natsu exclaimed as the Dragon Slayers sprinted ever closer to the fleeing kidnappers.

"Those guys are crazy fast!"

"What?! After that last race, I didn't think they could run at all!"

One of the goons stopped and drew a pair of pistols. "I got this! Let's see em out run bullets!" He fired his guns at the Dragon Slayers, but Gajeel sprinted on ahead and took the bullets to his face. But the goon looked in shock to see Gajeel actually catch the bullets in his mouth and chew them up. "What the..?! How…!?"

Gajeel's fist connected to his mask, breaking it clean in half. "Iron Dragon Slayer, dumbass! I eat stuff like that for breakfast!" With that punch, he pounded the kidnapper into the ground as Natsu sprinted on ahead to catch up with the remaining three.

"Let go of my little sister and friends right now!" Natsu yelled furiously to them.

"These guys are insane!" They were panicking even further now.

"We gotta get the lead out!"

"What do we do?!"

"We gotta dump these other two!"

"You idiots! We were supposed to grab the girl in the infirmary!"

That got Natsu and Gajeel's attention.

"But this old broad and the cat ain't girls!"

"Then why did we grab them?!"

"Well, they're all technically female!"

"They ain't no girls though!"

"We're almost at the door!" One exclaimed as they were getting closer to the inside of the colosseum. "We'll lose em inside! We can still…!"

*SWIPE!*

A black blur swiped them off their feet and sent them flying up into the air, causing them to lose their grip over their unconscious captives. That very same blur was none other than Modeus, who now carried Porlyusica, Wendy, and Carla together safely in his arms as he slid on his feet toward Natsu, who leapt over him to land in front of the entrance and cut off their exit before they hit the ground.

"What another one?!"

Modeus glared at the kidnappers. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Hey Modeus, these chumps were hired for this gig!" Gajeel told him as he held the goon he had beaten in the ground with one hand.

"Is that so?" His glare intensified on the three goons.

Natsu growled at them as well. "Who hired you to do this?!"

All three kidnappers screamed. "WE'RE DOOMED!"

*BOOM!*

---

Meanwhile, the match between Elfman and Bacchus couldn't even be called that. The muscle-bound wizard was already on his knees in exhaustion, covered in bruises, while Bacchus was completely unscathed.

"I've seen plenty of one-sided matches in my day, but this is just embarrassing." Chapati commentated. "Did Elfman come to lose?"

Elfman glared at his opponent who smirked mockingly at him. "I'm gonna have a wild time tonight, oh yeah!"

"No, this is horrible!" Lucy exclaimed.

"This guy is way more on your level, Erza." Gray told her.

"Yes, and unfortunately, he's just getting started." Erza said while Dante continued to watch the match with a serious expression.

"Come on Elfman, get up…!" Lisanna said worriedly.

"Don't worry. Your brother never fails to come through in a pinch." Evergreen assured her.

"Yeah… I know but…" Lisanna wanted to have faith in her older brother, but that didn't make her any less worried.

"Wahoo! Get em big guy!" Happy cheered.

"Knock that jerk into next week!" Patty cheered as well.

Elfman got back up and charged at Bacchus. "Let's see em take a man from the skies! Take-Over: Beast Soul: Hawk-Man!" In a flash, Elfman's body had transformed. His body was now that of a humanoid hawk, covered in dark brown feathers with massive wings coming from his massive arms and enormous talons at his feet. He even had a curved beak at his mouth. The flying Elfman took to the skies and shot down at him with intense speeds, lashing his talons out at him, but Bacchus dodged his strikes with ease.

"So, the guy can fly now?" Nero asked in surprise.

"It's a take-over similar to Lisanna's Harpy Form." Mira explained. "It lets him fly while also increasing his speed and giving him extra strength in his lower body."

"But he still hasn't landed a single attack, yet!" Juvia noted.

Using a speed boost from his massive wings, Elfman closed the distance between him and Bacchus, trying to go in for a kick with his talons, but Bacchus limboed underneath the slice before moving in to deliver a palm-strike to his jaw and knock Elfman off-balance. Bacchus tried to strike again, but Elfman flew to the air to get some distance.

"Manly hurricane!" Elfman named that move himself as he flapped his wings to send a powerful gust of wind straight toward Bacchus.

"So, you think you're safe in the air pal?" Bacchus grinned before he jumped clear over Elfman's attack, much to his surprise. Bacchus then appeared over Elfman and delivered a kick to his right shoulder with enough force that it caused Elfman to slam hard on the ground while Bacchus landed more gracefully.

"Man's strong and quick." Dante noted as he saw Bacchus fight. "He's no pushover."

Elfman's Hawk-Man transformation had worn off, but as he pulled himself up, he discovered his right arm had been dislocated from Bacchus' strike.

"That looked it hurt." Bacchus told him. "Ready to throw in the towel?"

"Like hell!" Elfman grabbed his loose arm by the shoulder and popped it back into his socket, causing him to yell in pain, earning a worried wince and gasp from the audience.

"Elfman just reconnected his whole arm after it was dislocated!" Chapati exclaimed. "Now that's hardcore!"

"So hardcore and so cool!" Jason cheered.

"But is it enough to be Bacchus? I guess we'll just have to find out." Yajima said.

"Your gutsy man, I'll give you that." Bacchus told him.

"Beast Soul: Werebear!" Elfman transformed into a massive twelve-foot-tall humanoid bear-like beast before rushing Bacchus to ram him with his shoulder. However, rather than dodge, Bacchus stood his ground and caught Elfman's charge with both his hands. He slid back a bit, but dug his feet in to halt the push before going on the offensive.

Bacchus delivered multiple palm-strikes to Elfman's side, maneuvering around him to strike both his elbows at Elfman's back to knock him down. "What are we boys?"

"WILD!" Most of Team Quatro Cerberus cheered. All except Wally.

'I'd love for my team to win, but it's still hard to route against Fairy Tail. Especially with that sick bet Bacchus made.' Wally thought. 'If he does try to go through with it, I'll put him in his place. You gotta show women respect.'

"Elfman can't overpower him with brute strength, and he can't even land a single hit in with a speed boost either." Gray said. "Hate to say it, but I don't think he has a snowball's chance in hell."

"Just what is this guy doing anyway? I haven't seen a fighting style like that." Dante said.

"It's part of an extremely rigorous technique, one that focuses magic and physical strength into his palms." Erza explained. "He's very methodical. He uses this power in conjunction with a specific style of marital art he's mastered called Chop Hanging Palm. This particular style specializes in devastating palm-strikes, all delivered from that unique stance he's taking!"

Elfman, still in his Werebear form, charged forward on all fours, but Bacchus swerved out of the way to deliver a palm-strike to the side of his face, leaving him open for another uppercut palm strike to knock Elfman backwards, exposing his underbelly where Bacchus delivered three palm-strikes with enough force to tip him over on his back.

"I see what you mean…" Gray said.

"But Bacchus has taken this all a step further." Erza continued. "He's modified it to create his own method of fighting, one that he calls Drunken Chop Hanging Palm."

"He's drunk?!" Lucy questioned in surprise.

"That explains what happened at the bar last night." Dante recalled. "Let me guess, getting hammered makes him numb to pain or something?"

"Exactly." Erza confirmed. "But it's not just that. While he's drunk, his moves are more erratic and unpredictable. But that's not the issue Elfman's facing now. The problem is that he hasn't even had a drop to drink yet."

"He's sober!?" Lucy exclaimed in disbelief.

"Which means he's not even trying." Gray's eyes narrowed.

"Damn it…" Dante muttered. "If it were Erza, we'd at least have a chance. He might give me some trouble, but I could beat him. Elfman though…" He winced, not needing to finish his own sentence.

"A rare technique." Yajima commentated. "The Chop Hanging Palm is quite obscure."

"And now all our fans watching can say that they've seen it with their very own eyes! What a great moment in the history of cool!" Jason was still a fanboy as usual.

"So, he's a drunken martial artist?" Kyrie asked.

"I've actually heard of stuff like that." Lady said. "It's weird but it's a real thing."

"Lisanna… I… I don't wanna say it but…" Trish tried to tell her.

"Don't." Lisanna shook her head. "He can do this! I know he can!"

"That's right! Elfman can pull this off! I don't doubt it for a second!" Evergreen stated.

Despite that, Bacchus still had Elfman at the ropes. One more devastating palm-strike still sent the Werebear Elfman crashing into the colosseum's wall. "What are we boys?" Bacchus called to his guildmates again.

"WILD!"

"Elfman! Get up!" Cana shouted to him.

"Bacchus relies on liquor to keep his moves erratic and super powerful." Mira said.

"But he hasn't even picked up his bottle yet! It's just sitting there!" Nero pointed to the gourde that sat in the middle of the arena, completely untouched.

Elfman's Werebear transformation had finally worn off, he laid beaten on the ground, barely able to move. Despite his willpower and inner voice shouting at him to get back up and keep standing, his body protested immensely with the pain he was currently in.

"Whoa! His Take-Over has worn off!" Chapati commentated. "Looks like he's back to being just a beast of a man!"

"Both those Take-Overs looked incredibly powerful." Yajima added. "It must have cost him a tremendous amount of magic power. Not a good combination with all the damage he's taken."

"What an awesome fight!" Jason cheered.

"Oh man… I can't wait…" Bacchus licked his lips with a sick grin, earning another growl from Elfman. But he seemed unable to pick himself up at the moment.

"Is that it?" Chapati wondered. "Is Elfman down for the count?"

Vergil sat down in his seat, not taking any interest in this fight at all. This was the obvious outcome. But that didn't make it any less disappointing.

Elfman glanced towards his own team, all of them looking with concern before turning his gaze on the observing guild members, particularly Evergreen and Lisanna, the later watching with determination while the former was incredibly worried. He then gazed towards Fairy Tail B, toward Mira, who also looked with worry. But, he then noticed Laxus' gaze, which caused him to remember something that happened during their training.

---

Flashback

During their three-month training period, at a time when Elfman's muscles were their previous size… he had fallen on the ground, lingering electricity over his body along with several bruises, as Laxus stood over him.

Laxus gave a sigh. "Think maybe you wanna switch up? We've been at this for hours and you still haven't even touched me."

"No… I can keep going…!" Elfman pushed himself up and tried to punch Laxus, only for him to vanish in a flash of lightning and re-appear behind Laxus to knock him down again with a single punch.

"You can't touch me. I'm just that faster." Laxus told him. "Look man, you can't expect to win every single fight just by being stubborn. Natsu might be stubborn, but he's at least willing to learn as he fights. You're basically just ramming yourself against a wall hoping it'll break down. And maybe sometimes you can break through that wall, but other times you'll end up breaking yourself before you get through."

Elfman hated to admit it, but he knew Laxus was right. He can't expect to win if he keeps fighting the same way. Damn it! This was so frustrating! He knew how much stronger Mira was and Lisanna was getting plenty strong herself. He was proud of his sisters, he always would be, but that also meant he was frustrated at the thought of being unable to keep up with either of them. But he had to think of something! Some way to break through the wall…!

His eyes widened as if he was struck with an epiphany. 'Break through the wall… That's it!'

"You're right, Laxus." Elfman said as he tried pushing himself up. "I can't keep trying to break through the wall every single time I'm in a fight. So instead…" A grin formed on his face. "…I'm gonna have the wall try and break through me!"

Laxus gave a blank expression in response. "Did I hit your head to hard or something? Cause I got no idea what you mean."

"Look, what I'm saying is I gotta switch things up!" Elfman explained. "Fighting a bad guy isn't like fighting a wall because a wall doesn't hit back, right? So instead, I gotta make myself into a wall! Have them break themselves trying to get through me! I can't touch you, but I bet if I ground myself hard, you'll wear yourself out and keel over before I do!"

"Oh… I get it." Laxus understood. "You wanna improve your defense. That makes more sense."

"Damn right it does." Elfman grinned as he crossed his arms in front of him. "So come on! Hit me! Let's see if I can outlast you, buddy!"

A grin formed on Laxus' face as well as he channeled more lightning around his body. "Alright, I can get behind that. Better brace yourself."

End Flashback

---

Elfman was able to push himself up to face Bacchus once more. "I don't believe it, folks! Even after not landing a single blow and getting the tar beaten out of him, Elfman refuses to stay down!" Chapati commentated.

"Boy has spirit, I'll give him that." Yajima complemented.

"Spirit is always so cool!" Jason exclaimed.

"Oops, sorry folks, but I forgot to mention something earlier." Chapati said to the audience. "Mato, beloved mascot and referee of the Grand Magic Games, could not attend today's event. So, I will be serving as Day 2's honorary referee."

"Oh?" Yajima was only moderately surprised.

Jason spun around in over excitement. "Cool! Plot-twists are totally unstoppable today!"

"Couldn't make it?" Gildarts questioned in confusion. "Couldn't they just get some other chump in a suit?"

"It's not a suit, he's a real-life talking pumpkin!" Happy proclaimed.

"Of course he is, Happy." Gildarts said sarcastically with a smile.

Bacchus looked amused at Elfman as he continued to stand despite all the punishment. "You keep getting back up. All that howling about being a man. ain't just for show, huh?"

"Listen up you dog… I never told you what I wanted…!" Elfman stated.

"Oh?"

"Our bet. What I want you to do if I win." Elfman told him.

"This is gonna be the only time this comes up, so go ahead. Tell me what happens if you win." Bacchus said with a chuckle.

Elfman grinned. "I want you, and the rest of your guild-bros, to go by the name Quatro Puppy!"

Bacchus held back a laugh as that was actually a pretty hilarious joke.

"What?!" Most of Team Quatro Cerberus looked in shock, while Wally actually laughed himself.

"That's actually a good one…"

"That's cute, but is the guy really gonna go for it?" Nero asked Mira.

"It is pretty silly." She granted.

"It's hilarious." Cana chuckled. "And I think it suits them way better."

"Okay, okay, you got yourself a deal." Bacchus said as he finally picked up his bottle. "Last call." He practically inhaled all the liquor inside, much to the shock of Lisanna and Evergreen.

"Oh boy…" Dante winced.

"He's guzzling now!" Gray exclaimed.

"That's right, so he's serious." Erza stated.

"No way!" Lucy looked especially worried.

"Here we go! It's happening folks! Bacchus downed some fighting fuel!" Chapati commentated.

"Drunken-style, huh?" Yajima noted.

"Wow, I wanna try some too! Cool!" Jason said excitedly.

Bacchus was already drunk, his body wobbling as he took his titular stance. "Hit me with your best shot… Should be easy to knock down a wobbly old drunk like me, right…?"

"Take Over: Beast Soul…!"

"It's pointless!" Bacchus was already on him, striking Elfman all over his body as he transformed. He moved so fast that it was almost impossible to track his movements.

"So many hits!" Evergreen exclaimed.

"And they all happened at once!" Lisanna added.

"I couldn't even see him!" Patty stated.

"Oh wow! It's almost like he turned himself into a gigantic blur!" Happy exclaimed.

'That was at least seven strikes all at once. And they packed twice the amount of force as before.' Dante noted, his eyes slightly wavering with concern for his teammate.

"That's unreal…!" Cana couldn't believe it.

"All those hits must have caused quite a bit of damage." Juvia said with worry.

"Yes, but look…!" Mira directed their attention to something that took her whole team by surprise.

Bacchus laughed with a hiccup. "Feel that?" He looked in shock as he felt a stinging pain in his arms. He looked down to see some of the armor around his hands had broken off, and there was some rough bruises and a bit of bleeding as well. "What in the hell…?! He got me…?!"

"Uh oh! Bacchus may have double vision, but he didn't see that one coming!" Chapati commented.

"Bacchus got hit!?" Wally looked in surprise. "But the big guy couldn't even touch him from before, unless…!" His eyes widened as he saw what Elfman had transformed into.

He was about as big as his Werebear transformation, only he took a form akin to a humanoid reptile, almost like a cross between an alligator and a lizard. He was covered in thick green scales with black spikes all over his arms, spine, and tail.

"…Lizardman!" Elfman stood his ground as his own scales had barely received any damage from Bacchus attack. "I can't hit you but go ahead and hit me all you want!"

'His own version of armor…?' Erza looked in shock along with the rest of her team.

"Hold on, that's crazy!" Gray exclaimed.

"I see what he's doing." Dante understood. "Rope-a-dope. He knows he can't touch Bacchus, so he's gonna armor up and try and wear him down."

The audience all gasped and looked with genuine concern. Some of them may even be scared for Elfman's sake.

"I don't know if that strategy's gonna work." Wakaba said.

"No, but it might be his only strategy at this point." Lady replied.

"He turned himself into a scaly punching bag!" Happy looked with worry.

"He's making a big gamble, and there's nothing we can do. Just sit back and watch it happen." Macao said.

Lisanna's hands shook as she was incredibly nervous. 'Come on Big Brother… I know you can do this…! Stay strong…!'

"Alright, bring it on!" Elfman challenged Bacchus. "Go nuts and hit me with everything you got! I'm gonna see you rip those puny little arms of yours to shreds!"

The drunken Bacchus looked eager and excited at the challenge. "Man, this guy's wild!"

"I sure hope Elfman knows what he's doing…" Mira voiced her worries.

"He's armored up?" Nero questioned. "Is that really gonna hold up though?"

"Don't underestimate the man, kid." Laxus told him, speaking from his time training Elfman. "That right there is his strongest Take Over for defense. Even I had to put a little effort to try and break through it."

"But it's still reckless." Juvia said. "I know that thick and scaly lizard skin and all those spikes would be tough for a barehanded fighter to get through, but still… Bacchus is much stronger than your everyday opponent."

Elfman and Bacchus stared each other down, both grinning wildly at one another, and neither have made a move yet.

"What, are you scared?!" Elfman challenged.

Bacchus laughed. "I like your style, man! You know how to get my blood pumping!" He exclaimed as he charged forward with a yell.

Elfman crossed his arms and stood his ground as Bacchus' onslaught had begun. Bacchus spun around rapidly like a top, moving up, around, and all over Elfman's scaly body as he stood still, kept his arms crossed in front of him and tanked every hit. Even though he had his own armored-lizard skin, Elfman felt every single blow. But he also knew Bacchus felt it too; all those spikes and his thick and rough skin were doing a number on him as more and more pieces of Bacchus' armor broke off and blood was spilled everywhere. But neither side deterred. Everyone from the audience, to both Fairy Tail and Quatro Cerberus continued to watch this grueling onslaught as even Sparda and Mavis couldn't take their eyes off it. Those that were most worried included his team, both his sisters, and especially…

"Be a man…" Evergreen clenched her shaky fist, her eyes not taken off the battle.

And it wasn't just them. Vergil had even stood up, his interest peaked as he had seen what was going on. To take your enemies hits and let them wear themselves down was an effective strategy, but that all depended on how strong your own endurance was. Though credit where it was due: Elfman refused to back down, but rather than just try and keep hitting him and not land a single blow each time, he changed his strategy for the only option that could give him any chance at victory. But a chance wasn't the same as a guarantee.

Despite that, neither Elfman nor Bacchus backed down as the later continued to pound on him. Both felt a great deal of pain throughout this ordeal and yet… despite that… they both grinned. It almost seemed like the two were having fun.

"And the blows come raining down!" Chapati announced as Bacchus showed no signs of stopping, while Elfman continued to stand his ground. "This is more than just a simple fight, but an ultimate showdown of wills! The unstoppable force against the immovable object! Will Bacchus wear himself out?! Or will the barrage prove too much for Elfman! It's too close! I just can't call it! Who will be left standing!"

Eventually, it all came to a stop; Elfman's transformation had worn off and Bacchus had to stop attacking. Both fell on their knees in exhaustion. Elfman was on his hands and knees, covered in bruises and blood, he honestly felt like his bones, particularly those in his arms, felt like crushed gravel. Bacchus' arms looked really torn up; deep cuts and gashes were all over his arms as blood dripped and fell to the ground. Both struggled to so much as even breathe, and it looked like even the tiniest nudge could knock either of them down for the count.

The commentators couldn't even find the words as they waited at the edge of their seats for one of them to stand back up and claim victory. Jason in particular pumped his fists as tears of excitement poured from his eyes like waterfalls. The audience looked with gasps and emotions as well.

All of Fairy Tail, especially Dante, Erza, Gray, Lucy, Mira, Lisanna, and Evergreen looked the most worried for Elfman. It honestly felt like trying to balance an anvil on a micro-thin wire, where it could easily tip either way.

"You're name's…. Elfman….?" Bacchus breathed, Elfman himself unable to even voice a response. Bacchus gave a faint chuckle as he barely stood up, everyone in Fairy Tail looking almost devastated at their apparent defeat. Mira, Evergreen, and Lisanna were brought to tears.

However…

"I gotta tell ya pal…. You…" Bacchus fell flat on his back. Unable to continue. "…Are a real man."

That was it. Bacchus was defeated, and the match was now over with Team Fairy Tail A's victory.

"And Bacchus is down! The Winner is Elfman! From this victory, Team Fairy Tail A scores ten points, which brings their total into the double-digits with twelve!" Chapati announced as the audience was in an uproar and the whole of Fairy Tail cheered at their victory. Cana and Mira cheered loudly, Nero pumped his fist with a wide grin, while Juvia and Laxus simply smiled. Dante and Gray shared a high-five while Lucy cheered and Erza smiled with a nod. Evergreen and Lisanna shared a hug of their own, with Happy joining in as all their guildmates cheered and roared, with Gildarts raising his fist up high.

"Ah man!" Most of Team Quatro Cerberus sulked in defeat.

All except Wally, who tipped his hat in acknowledgement. "What a dandy way to lose."

Vergil simply closed his eyes and gave a single nod. 'Impressive.'

He won. He had actually won! Elfman almost couldn't believe it, but he did! He got his team back up in the running and gave them the momentum they needed to stay in the game. He raised both his fists into the air and shouted as loud as he could.

"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAA!"

His roar could be heard all throughout the stadium and earned an even bigger applause and ovation from the audience.

"Is this manly roar the sound of Fairy Tail's resurrection?!" Chapati questioned excitedly, standing up from his seat, as did Jason, who pumped his fists up and down rapidly with pure joy and excitement. Yajima had a proud smile and gave a thumbs up of approval. "What an upset! Elfman beats the odds and snatches victory from the jaws of defeat!"

---

"Ho, ha, ha! Yeah! Ya guys hear that?!" Natsu cheered as he, Gajeel, Wendy, Modeus, Carla, and Porlyusica all saw Elfman's victory as well.

"It's amazing! Yay Elfman!" Wendy beamed.

"Well done, indeed." Modeus smiled.

"Yeah, not bad." Gajeel grinned.

"Now child, shouldn't you get back in bed?" Carla asked Wendy, the young Dragon Slayer however was full of energy and had no need for further rest.

"I'm fine, and it's all thanks to Grandeeney." She said, turning to Porlyusica.

"Didn't I tell you not to call me by that name?" The old healer responded.

"Yeah, Grandeeney is supposed to be her mom, but you look more like a grandma." Gajeel told her before snapping his fingers. "Hey, how about we call you 'Grannydeeney' instead?"

Natsu laughed. "Oh yeah, that's sticking! Grannydeeney, that's a good one!" He chuckled as even Wendy giggled slightly.

Porlyusica gave an irritated sigh before getting back to the main point. "Now about these hooligans…"

"Right." Modeus got serious along with everyone else as they recalled what the kidnappers told them after they were captured.

---

Flashback

"We were just doing a job! That's all!" One of the goons said as he and his pals were all beaten senseless and tied together.

"Yeah! From somebody in Raven Tail! We were supposed to bring em the girl that was in the infirmary!"

"Sure you were." A royal soldier said sarcastically before turning back to the Fairy Tail members. "They can tell us all about it at headquarters."

End Flashback

---

Natsu's fists clenched in anger. "Raven Tail's gonna pay!"

"'Who was there'. Past tense…" Wendy recalled. "That seems weird."

"Meaning somebody else was in the infirmary at the time. Patty was the only other girl…" Modeus remembered. "But I can't think of any reason why Raven Tail would target her, other than a potential hostage."

"There were three others." Porlyusica pointed out. "The ones who brought Natsu and Gajeel in. Lisanna, Levy, and…"

Everyone's eyes widened as they realized who the kidnappers real target was.

"Lucy!?" Carla exclaimed in shock. Once again, she thought back to her premonition. As much as she wanted to deny it as a bad dream, the fact that Lucy was the intended target was too much of a coincidence.

---

"I'm afraid the operation was a failure." The very same soldiers who apprehended the kidnappers reported to Arcadios within the deep and dark halls of Mercurius.

"You idiot!" Arcadios scolded. "Did you not tell them what their target looks like?! How else could they have taken the wrong girl?!"

"My apologies, sir." The soldier had no excuse to give.

"No matter, we still have a Plan B to fall back on." Arcadios said. "What has become of the kidnappers?"

"We've taken them all into custody, sir." The soldier reported.

"Ignorant to the truth, I hope." Arcadios assumed.

"Yes, sir." The soldier saluted. "They still believe they were hired by the Raven Tail guild."

"Luckily we can use the rivalry between Fairy Tail and Raven Tail to our advantage." Arcadios said with a ambitious grin. "And when the opportunity arises, we will have a Celestial Wizard in our possession, to use in the Eclipse Project."

---

"What's wrong?" Porlyusica asked Natsu. "Why that ghastly expression?"

"Raven Tail's dirty tricks are really pissing me off!" The Salamander growled.

"It wasn't them." Gajeel said, much to their surprise.

"What? How do you know?" Natsu questioned.

"It ain't their style." Gajeel explained. "Back when I was with Phantom Lord, I remember Jose talking with Ivan about trying to bring down Fairy Tail. I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to what they said, but I could at least tell what kind of person Ivan is. And this just doesn't fit his memo."

While there was truth in what he said as Gajeel knew Phantom Lord and Raven Tail had dealings with one another, this also came from the fact that Gajeel was also currently acting as a double-agent for Makarov against Raven Tail, something he couldn't tell anybody else in Fairy Tail. In fact, it was that connection between Phantom Lord and Raven Tail that allowed Gajeel to infiltrate them so easily.

"I'll have to agree with Gajeel." Modeus began. "Their first act against us was to have Sid discreetly attack Wendy and the others before the Games even began. Then during Lucy's match, Flare quietly tried to take Asuka hostage. Both attempts were done subtly, and carefully. But this? An open kidnapping in broad daylight? Even if they hired another party to do their dirty work, it's still far too blunt for them."

"Yes, those thugs didn't even offer much resistance in their 'confession'." Carla remembered as well.

"But if it wasn't Raven Tail, then who was it?" Wendy asked.

"Maybe it's whatever's got Jellal and his pals so spooked." Natsu wondered seriously. "The thing that's connected to Zeref."

"If that's the case though, I suspect that this situation is far more dire than we have anticipated." Porlyusica said.

"Yeah… And I got a sinking feeling it's all gonna blow up in our faces sooner or later." Gajeel stated.

Done.

And it appears that Fairy Tail has finally gained its momentum to keep going in the games. You've noticed that I really didn't change much from the canon here, other than giving Elfman a few original Beast Souls (Hawk-Man and Werebear. He still has his Wereleopard mode, but he just didn't use it here). I didn't really see a reason to change it as Elfman's fight against Bacchus was honestly one of my favorite fights in this arc, in the whole series even. I'm a huge fan of the underdog stories, and Elfman actually earned his victory: he didn't win through any 'friendship is magic' Deus Ex Machina stuff, he won it through tactical thinking and sheer willpower, which is what made this fight stand out in the canon compared to most others.

We also have Fairy Tail getting suspicious of what's going on behind the scenes. Since Gajeel infiltrated Raven Tail, he himself can confirm that they weren't responsible for the botched attempted kidnapping of Lucy. I also plan on expanding a bit more on that as we really didn't see much of Gajeel spying on Ivan for Makarov.

Speaking of Raven Tail, I expanded a bit with Kurohebi's arsenal using Mimic Magic. Here, he's copied the magical abilities of everyone in Fairy Tail (those not on Tenrou Island when it vanished for seven years) and has proven to be pretty good with them. Ivan's attempt at this was to create someone with a wide varied arsenal like Erza, but Ivan is being cautious not to underestimate Titania as he's seen how much Lucy's improved despite missing seven years with everyone else. But that doesn't mean Kurohebi isn't dangerous.

Things are getting interesting as we go into the last two battles of Day Two for the Grand Magic Games, and they are going to be plenty of fun! Until then, stay safe and stay healthy out there.

Happy Halloween!