Chapter 39

Stumbling

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Magic"

Flashback you

Location / Date / Time Skip

Crime Sorcière stared up at the coliseum from on top a statue in the city. "At last the games are underway." Ultear said with a hand on her hip.

"Let us hope that Fairy Tail doesn't get themselves too deep with this mysterious power." Jellal added.

"Are you still upset that you don't get to impress Erza?" Suishou asked.

Domus Flau

The contestants for Hidden stepped forward and looked at the pumpkin headed mascot from before, Mato. "Just to be clear, I don't intend to go easy on you." Juvia told her crush.

"Of course not." Gray replied. "I plan on winning too."

"As do I, not to mention the fair Juvia's heart." Lyon added, scaring the water mage.

"Before we start, I got a little problem." Nalpudding spoke to the pumpkin. "I don't know what kind of game this is gonna be, but something here stinks. And that something being the two Fairy twerps competing in this thing. No other guild is gonna get the chance to have two members in each round, so they have an unfair advantage."

Gray and Juvia glared at him before the mascot spoke up. "I can see your concern, but we never anticipated one guild could have two teams pass the qualifier."

"I have no qualms with it." Rufus declared. "Besides, there's a saying that two heads aren't always better than one. There are many ways this situation can be used against you. So I'd best remember that if I were you." The others agreed and Nalpudding growled in anger.

The entire arena started glowing before the nonparticipants were forced to their stands. The fighting members watched as an entire city rose up, separating them all. Gray found himself alone as he wondered around the marker. "For those of you in the arena, you can catch it all in crystal clear Lacrima vision." Chapati declared.

"Here are the rules: All eight players are hiding and seeking at the same time. The main objective is to locate your opponent and hit them with an attack. Whoever connects their attack gains a point and the attacked loses a point. At the end of thirty minutes, the points will be distributed based on how many hits."

The city started glowing again before thousands of clones appeared, all wearing the faces of the competitors. "Just to make things more interesting, we're also putting in these copies. If you hit one of your fake competitors by mistake, it'll cost you one point. It's time for the game of Hidden to begin!"

Juvia practically fell over at the sheer number of Gray's around her before hugging the closest one. A buzzer went off before she was zapped and transported to another part of the city. "You'll also be put into a ten second time out of you hit a copy. Same thing will happen if an opponent hits you."

"I can't believe this!" Gray complained as he ran through the city. "Finding the real people in here is gonna be impossible."

"Dimwit." The Ice-Mage turned around to see Nalpudding standing there. "If it takes you this long to figure out this game, you don't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning."

"Thanks for making things easier for me!" Gray smirked before jumping and slamming his hands together in the maker stance. "Ice-Make: Hammer!" He slammed the frozen tool down not on Nalpudding, but directly behind the short man. "And that's my point."

A ding went off as Gray landed. "Next time, make sure we can't see that the lips aren't moving." He chuckled before Nalpudding was transported away. 'Still, that wasn't a bad idea.' He thought before running through the city. 'Using your copies to get close ti your opponent and then strike back. This is as much a game of strategy as it is of speed.'

A spiked fist crashed into him from behind, sending him into the ground. Gray managed to turn and see Nalpudding behind him, an angry smirk on his face. As Gray was teleported away, his saw his points reset to zero. "Why is he only coming after me?"

Outside the game, Natsu growled in anger at his rival. "Keep screwing up and we'll lose!"

Lucy turned and glared up at the Raven Tail view box, catching the red heads attention. "You shouldn't be staring like that, blondie." The girl said before a greenish hand grabbed her shoulder. "I'll be fine."

Gray walked through the false street, keeping an eye out for the real short man. The ground in front of him cracked open and a dozen giant carrots shot at him. Beth popped her head out of the hole and sighed in disappointment. "Aw shoot. I totally missed that guy."

A giant cactus popped out of the hole and launched her into the air. "Finally!" Yeager cheered from behind. "I was getting sick of just sneaking around."

A blast of ice hit him in the back, taking the point away as Lyon came into view. "As was I."

Before the two could square off, Juvia had jumped off the nearby building. Both males looked up and caught a flash of her underwear. But while Gray managed to move out of the way, Lyon was hit with a dropkick to the face. "Worth it..." He mumbled before vanishing.

"Look, I don't need any help from you." Gray told her.

"I'm aware of that." She replied. "As a matter of fact, I'm determined to beat you. Because of the promise master made."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Gray asked in confusion.

5 Days Ago

Fairy Tail Guildhall

"Are you kidding me!?" Gajeel shouted at the master. "I don't want anything to do with big freak show!"

"I don't have any objections, but the B Team thing is kinda insulting." Laxus added.

"I would rather be the substitute member on the main team then work with this jackass." Nicholas said, pointing to Laxus.

"And if I sweeten the deal?" Makarov asked. "The members of the winning team will get to do whatever they want to the losing team for one day."

"Whatever we want?" Laxus and Gajeel repeated in surprise.

"An-anything?" Juvia repeated with a blush on her face as her mind wonder off.

Present

"Is this a joke!?" Gray shouted before turning to a camera. "Gramps, if you're gonna enforce crazy rules like that, then you better be fair! That means this applies if we win too!"

"I want my wish, so I'm not planning on losing." Juvia declared before dropping into a fighting stance.

"Two Fairies for the price of one!" Nalpudding charged the duo and took them with spiked fists.

Gray appeared in a new spot and pushed himself against a wall. "What the hell is wrong with this guy!?"

Snow started falling from the sky before Eve took out three wizards in one move. An ice eagle hit him from behind, scoring Lyon a point. Battles waged through the city before the announcer mentioned the lack of movement of Rufus.

"I find this game dreadfully boring." The masked man declared from atop a building. "I've committed this scene to memory. The footsteps, the heartbeats, the feel of their magic... It's all there, inside my mind." He placed his fingers on his temple and the sky turned to darkness. "Memory Make: Night of Shooting Stars!"

The wizards began glowing before bolts of magic shot at them. Only Nalpudding was able to dodge the attack before charging the mage. He swung his fist and went through a mist before getting blasted himself. "That was merely a memory. I have no need for clones."

The sky returned to normal as the crowd cheered in excitement. "The organizers really need to work harder. After all, I was able to claim victory without even hiding. They may have spotted me, but no one can come close to touch me. The best they could do would chase my memory."

Gray looked up at the masked man and charged the masked man, only for Nalpudding to kick him down. The timer went off and the game ended. "Both Fairy Tail teams gave it their all, but they weren't enough to take out the top spot of Sabertooth!" Chapati declared as the scoreboard popped up.

1st Sabertooth - 10p

2nd Raven Tail - 8p

3rd Lamia Scale - 6p

4th Blue Pegasus - 4p

5th Mermaid Heel - 3p

6th Quatro Cerberus - 2p

7th Fairy Tail B - 1p

8th Fairy Tail A - 0p

The crowd began jeering the duo as they walked out of the field. Gray walked through the tunnel and punched the stone wall in anger, breaking chunks. "Raven Tail... That maker mage... I'll be getting payback for this."

"Coming up next is the battle portion!" Chapati announced, making the crowd cheer. "This is the set of it, but every day the fighters and teams facing change. The very first match of this year's Grand Magic Games will be Fairy Tail Team A's Lucy Heartfilia against Raven Tail's Flare Corona!"

The crowd cheered even louder as Makarov stared down Ivan. "Things are heating up in the stands as well. Is it true those two guildmasters are father and son?" Chapati asked Yajima.

"Yes." The chef nodded. "But I think the fact that they bear different emblems speaks volumes to their relationship."

Mato walked out onto the field as did the two women. "This entire arena will be your battlefield, ladies. You have a thirty minute time limit. If you can knock out your opponent or make them forfeit, you win. I want a good, clean fight. Now let's rumble!"

A gong rang out and the crowd cheered as Lucy quickly pulled out a key. "Open, Gate of the Golden Bull - Taurus!" The spirit appeared and swung his axe, forcing Flare to dodge. Lucy wasted no time and pulled out s second key. "Open, Gate of the Scorpion - Scorpio!"

"Wicked!" The spirit cried out before his tail cannon leaned forward. "Sand Buster!" A typhoon of sand shot forward, only for Flare to untie her hair. It launched forward and ignited, forcing the sand back.

"Did she just block that attack with her hair?" Elfman asked in confusion.

"Taurus, Scorpio!"

The spirits nodded before Taurus raised his axe and the sand started swirling into it. "Sandstorm Axe Aldebaran!" The cow jumped up and slammed his blade down, creating a massive sandstorm.

Flare was knocked into the sky before her hair started banding together. "Hair Shower - Wolf Fang!" A snarling wolf took form and bit down on the axe. With pure strength, it lifted Taurus up before slamming him into Scorpio, sending both crashing into the arena wall.

The beast then turned to Lucy, who quickly pulled out another key. "Open, Gate of the Giant Crab - Cancer!" The stylist spirit appeared and with blinding speed, literally cut the beast down to size.

"No, my hair!" Flare shouted in anger. The crimson locks then shot up from the ground and dragged the two over the ground before they crashed into each other. "Die!" Cancer returned to the spirit world as Lucy was spun around the arena.

Lucy quickly unfurled her whip and grabbed the other girl's wrist, sending both flying into the air. The pair crashed to ground as the crowd cheered. Flare smirked wickedly as Lucy winced in pain. She looked down at her feet and found her boots were scorched fabric.

"Having a hard time getting up?" Flare teased, only for her smirk to fade when Lucy tossed her boots to the side. 'My scorching red hair barely even hurt her...' The long locks suddenly launched into the ground.

Lucy quickly looked around for the hair, trying to keep her feet safe. Flare chuckled as she pointed to the stands, making Lucy follow her finger. Her eyes went wide when she saw a hair snaking next to Asuka. More hair wrapped around the blonde before tossing her to the ground. "Be quite... if you want the girl to live..."

Lucy pushed herself up and stared up at Flare. "Try calling out to your friends again and I'll break her neck. So be a good little bimbo and take your punishment with a smile."

The crowd cheered, unaware of the serious stakes this fight just gain. High above the masses, a guard walked over to an armored man watching the fight. "Sir, I wasn't aware you were watching from up here."

"It's starting to ripen..." The fully armored man mumbled, confusing the guard. "With any luck, we can move ahead of schedule. Are you watching, Zeref? It won't be long now."

The blonde was dragged along the ground by her hair before she was slammed into the arena wall. The crowd winced in shock at the brutality shown to them before Lucy was let go. She glanced over to the side and saw Asuka cheering for her, unaware of the threat wiggling next to her.

Flare's hair caught fire and whipped Lucy all over before she pushed herself up. "That's enough... I surren-" Two strands shot forward and wrapped around Lucy's mouth, muzzling her.

"I'm pretty sure I said no talking. Did you forget the rules?" Flare teased before her hair lifted Lucy off the ground by her wrists and ankles. "You can't surrender during the warm up. I have so many fun things planned for you. Now be a good girl and take your punishment, okay?

"No talking, but you are allowed to scream!" Flare chuckled as the crowd whispered in fear of what they were seeing. "Now let's see... I could have you strip for everyone. Then again, I'm feeling artistic today. And your body would be the perfect canvas..." Lucy felt an intense heat next to her and found the hair had taken the Raven Tail emblem's shape.

"I think I'll brand it with the Raven Tail emblem... Think of it as a souvenir you'll have for the rest of your life! The question is where? Oh, I know!"

The hair hung over the blonde's hand, directly over her pink mark. "No, please! Anywhere but there!"

"I told you to be quite!" Another strand of hair wrapped Lucy's neck and tightened around it.

Her team looked on from the stands and growled in anger. "My man sense is going off..." Elfman mumbled.

Erza looked around and noticed that Natsu was missing. "Where'd Natsu go?"

The Dragon Slayer ran through the crowds, his head replaying the same sound he heard. He reached the rest of his guild and pulled on the hair next to Asuka before burning it to ash. "You're in the clear, Lucy!"

Lucy smiled before pulling her hand down to her key pouch. "Gemini!" The twins appeared behind her and head butted Flare, forcing her to drop Lucy. "We're doing the big one!"

"But we haven't practiced enough." Gemi told her.

"We're not sure we can do it." Mimi added.

"Don't worry, just transform into me." Lucy said, only to regret it when they turned into Lucy clad only in a tower. "Why are you dressed like that!?"

"It's not our fault." The clone replied. "This is what you were wearing the last time we copied you." The entire crowd started ogling her as Flare glared at the two blondes.

They gripped each other's hands and the two started glowing. "Oh, stars far and wide that embodied the heavens. I call on thy radiance and form. Reveal thyself. I am Tetrabiblos, ruler of the stars above." The arena started glowing as Flare began crawling away in a panic. "I ask that you lend your power to me. Open the raging tumultuous gates! With all 88 heavenly bodies shining! Urano Metria!"

Beams of light took to the sky and flew at a terrified Flare. Suddenly, the light died out and the entire arena was confused as to what happened. Lucy was alone, wobbling back and forth as Flare lowered her shaking arms. "Someone... countered the spell..."

Flare quickly turned to her team and found the imp giving her a thumbs up. Lucy fell over and crashed to the ground as the announcer spoke up. "She's down! The winner is Raven Tail's Flare Corona!" Flare stood up and laughed at the downed blonde, much to Fairy Tail's disbelief.

"I suspect they had outside assistance." Mavis said, angering the guild.

Makarov glared at his son in the stands. "What's your plan? Are you trying to start an off field fight!?"

"I told you I'd win." Flare declared. "You never stood a chance! How does it feel to be such a loser!?" The crowd started booing the ending of the fight and some even threw garbage at Flare. She turned to the crowd in anger before another member shook his head and she walked into the stands.

Lucy cried on the sand as Natsu walked over to her. "No crying..." He told her as tears fell from her eyes. "We'll pay them back a hundred times over. Now get up and show them that Fairy Tail never crumbles."

He offered a hand and Lucy pushed herself up, taking the hand. Even through her tears, she tried to smile. "I'm fired up now."

I'm sorry Lucy but if you send your spirits away after one attack, you deserve to lose. That is just the stupidest thing you could do, which is why I didn't do it. Also made the ending of the games more like a wrestling match with a super heel turn, when the fans throw trash at them.

Didn't want my guy in every event so here we are. See ya next month for the next chapter.

Beta read by General Feng Xiang