Here is the twenty-sixth chapter of this story released when I wanted it to be in keeping with my self-imposed upload requirements for this series. So, as was pointed out at least 6 times to me, and I'll address again in a response to a guest review, I managed to have the most spectacular timing with the last chapter's release right before the revelation of Noelle's new contract (for lack of a better term) that the Black Clover manga revealed the same week as last chapter's upload. I assure you that this is purely coincidental but the timing couldn't have been better so I'm not complaining at all. As I have now read that chapter, I will say that it does change one thing from my last chapter and that is Noelle's Dragon Slayer Valkyrie Armor form that I want to give her as it seems that she now has a canon Dragon Form to go along with Mermaid Form and as such that is what I'll be using for her Dragon Slayer Form as it is canon and, should I many years down the road, ever reach that point in the manga when the eventual sequel shifts back to the Black Clover universe, Noelle will already be prepared and that little bit will naturally be changed to fit with this story and could even be used to shift her to a 7th Generation Dragon Slayer kinda like how Rogue and Sting are 3rd Generation despite being trained like Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy were. Anyway, that is all the administrative stuff I have for you so it's time to shift to the tag battles and the first one of those battles features the Black Bulls so it's going to be good. There were no questions that required answering but there are two guest reviews that requires a response which I will do now. Do keep the reviews coming as I enjoy hearing from those who enjoy my work.
To Flamefox (guest), I assure you that any similarities to chapter 359, which hadn't come out when I wrote or published the last chapter, is purely coincidental. I didn't even realize it until you and five others brought up that it seemed similar so a fortuitous break I say. Do keep reading and enjoying my work.
To Anonymous (guest), you make a good point so I will consider it though I guess a lot comes down to your definition of what 'plant' would be. The word plant may seem small but in nature plants, at least to me, is the common term for plantae, one of the 5 (or 6 depending on where you learned it) kingdoms in biology so it's a massively encompassing term that is not as much as nature would be as that would include animals, fungi, bacteria, and what not, while it is more that forest which seems limited to trees and other plants in a forest. So, theoretically, a Plant God Slayer would be able to consume anything within the plantae kingdom as that is what their element would be. Just some thoughts on the meaning of the word, I'll think on if I want to change it or not.
That is it for the pre-chapter note so it is time to end it so that y'all can sit back and enjoy the twenty-sixth chapter in Black Bull Banishment.
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to these two great animes.
Chapter 26: Battling Ichiyas
"Welcome back folks, the break is over and now it is almost time to begin the battle round of day four." Chapati said excitedly as the crowd cheered at his words.
As the primary commentator spoke, the Black Bull team just stood on the arena floor with almost all of the other teams as they awaited the battles to begin already knowing who'd be in them though not who in Blue Pegasus they'd be facing. Normally they wouldn't be out here, however after the Naval Battle there had been a special announcement due to the number of Guilds remaining following Raven Tail's disqualification.
That announcement was the consolidation of the two Fairy Tail teams into one with the lesser point value as their new team points. As such, they were now awaiting the formal introduction of the new Team Fairy Tail comprised of members from both of their teams.
"Which means that in just a matter of moments we'll learn who made the cut for Team Fairy Tail following the combination of their two teams to cut the field down to 6 teams and thus keep the battles simple." Chapati continued as they all waited. "Mr. Yajima, you're an old friend of their Guild Master and have a long, rich, history with Fairy Tail so any predictions on who made the team?"
"There are several who could make it from the two teams that made it into the Grand Magic Games" Yajima said. "But I'd rather let us all be surprised by it instead of predicting who made it so I have no comment on their team."
"Keeping it a mystery I see, that's going to have us on the edges of our seats." Chapati said. "And sticking with us for the battle round is the noted thespian, Fiore famous director, and founder of the wildly popular Scheherazade theater."
"Thank you very much for this opportunity, the Naval Battle was something else and I hope that the excitement continues in the battles." Lavian said. "The stage is set for some great battles and what a way to get the audience excited than by the hype for the cast of the new Team Fairy Tail."
"That may be but this is really combat in real teams, not stage combat." Yajima said. "We aren't in a theater today."
"True but choreography is translatable into many different aspects of entertainment." Lavian said. "And what is a colosseum if not a different kind of theater. Besides, I can draw inspiration from all this just as I did from that Naval Battle, especially with how it ended."
"Alright, let's get down to business to announce the lineups for today's battles." Chapati said interrupting the brief chat between Yajima and the day's special guest commentator. "So if you would all turn to the nearest lacrima screen. We start with an unexpected bottom verses top as our last place Guild, Blue Pegasus, goes up against the current chart toppers in the Games, the Black Bulls."
"So who do you think we'll face." Asta said with a grin as he looked at their opponents for the coming battle. "From Blue Pegasus that is."
"I don't know, probably ones who've not gone yet as no one has repeated in the battles though it is a fan vote apparently so who knows." Noelle said as she looked to the team, which was their normal lineup so their reserve, Jenny, who'd fought in the second battle wasn't present though it was clear that Eve was still injured from his battle with Rufus the day before as he was covered in bandages. "That means it's going to be between that troll Ichiya, Hibiki, and whoever's in that bunny suit. Harder to predict than our team as their reserve hasn't been used but I'm leaning towards the troll at least."
"Yeah I'm still confused about that person in the bunny suit." Asta said. "I wonder who it is and why he is wearing that suit."
"Probably someone strong." Finral said. "Why hide otherwise if not to preserve that person's identity and then reveal it at the most opportune time."
"I don't know, I'm not sensing strong power from it." Luck mused as he got a read on the rabbit while Chapati announced that the second matchup was between Mermaid Heel and Blue Pegasus. "Kinda similar power to those flying cat things really."
"Come to think of it, that ki doesn't feel human though it is male." Asta said as Luck's word struck him. "That is odd."
"Just leave it, it's almost time to learn who's on the new Team Fairy Tail." Noelle said. "It…"
"And to culminate the day, in what would have been the highlight but for the Black Bull's shocking winning streak in the events in this year's Grand Magic Games having taken 3 of the 4 events and propelling themselves to first place, it's Sabertooth against the new Fairy Tail team." Chapati said interrupting Noelle as the crowd roared and the Black Bulls noted that unlike the other Guilds, Sabertooth only had 4 out given that their reserve, who was filling in for Yukino after Yukino had been expelled from the Guild for losing her battle with Kagura, was currently in the infirmary set up for Sabertooth following her loss to Noelle. "And now, give a big welcome to the new, Team Fairy Tail!"
"So predictions." Magna said with a grin as they all turned to the entrance where Fairy Tail would walk in while the stadium roared and the hype for who would be on the team. "My money's on that lightning guy we saw the other day, Nero did say he's an S-Class Mage in their Guild so he's got power. We saw that when he took down Raven Tail by himself."
"That also applies to the lovely ladies Erza and Mira minus the taking down Raven Tail." Finral said. "After Pandemonium the former is a given, the latter doesn't seem to fight much so I don't know."
"I doubt she or her brother made it, he was pretty beat up when he beat me so I think he's still recovering." Luck said as none of them realized that a simple glance at Fairy Tail's box would reveal that Mira, along with her teammates Juvia and Cana were there indicating that none of them had made the final team so they kept analyzing the members of both Fairy Tail teams without noticing the clear clues as to who was on it. "Which means that the others are probably those First Generation Dragon Slayers they have."
"The men for sure, Wendy's talented but if they're going for combat experience and power she's not the best." Noelle said. "Though that Juvia girl's got some serious power so she might be on the team as well."
"I faced her and that Gray dude, I beat both of them but I had the advantage of my Anti-Magic so either are a possibility and I got a strong sense of determination from both of them." Asta said as the ki of the 5 came nearer though he'd not yet determined who was who in Fairy Tail. "But doesn't matter, they're almost here. Let's see who made the cut."
The others nodded as the crowd's roar built up and as those in Fairy Tail watching commented on the team that had been chosen because to them, for the Grand Magic Games, this was the best team that they had and gave them a really good shot at winning it. Then, it boiled over as Chapati introduced the new Team Fairy Tail and the Black Bulls watched as Laxus Dreyar, Gajeel Redfox, Natsu Dragneel, Erza Scarlet, and Gray Fullbuster walked out in a line in that order from left to right all wearing what had to be their normal clothes rather than the outfits they'd worn before and with serious looks on their faces.
Asta grinned, all of them had strong determination to win in their ki, this was a formidable team indeed and the only team who could challenge the Black Bulls now, as far as he was concerned. This was certainly going to be fun when the day was over and they got ready for whatever the final day held for them.
It wasn't just the Black Bulls who were grinning or at least looking at Fairy Tail with determination in their eyes, all the Guilds were doing so. It was a big entrance and a strong statement from the Guild that had gone from number 1 to a laughingstock after its strongest members vanished for 7 years before they suddenly returned having not aged a day and proceeded to restore their reputation despite a day 1 setback to become a crowd favorite and a solid second place in the standings. Even the commentators noticed that and mentioned how excited the crowd was for the final match.
There was no question that that would be the match of the day seeing as it pit the current number 1 Guild against the old number 1 and both had a pair of Dragon Slayers on their teams who were trained by actual dragons. It was as if the stars had aligned for an epic showdown between some of the strongest men in all of Fiore but first they had to get there first.
It also didn't hurt that in addition to the rivalries between the Dragon Slayers, Gray had a desire to avenge his humiliation at Rufus's hands as he saw what Rufus did in Hidden as supremely arrogant, Laxus knew that Olga used Lightning God Slayer Magic and wished to face him, and Erza wanted to make Minerva pay for her attempt on Lucy earlier though she wasn't here. The entire Fairy Tail team had targets on Sabertooth so it was clear that even after the battle there would be a clash between the Guilds while others had their own reasons to go after Fairy Tail.
Naturally the Black Bulls were on Fairy Tail's radar as well, especially if they won their tag battle with Blue Pegasus as that would guarantee them first place going into the final day, but all that would come. The first thing was beating Sabertooth today and effectively ending their chance at taking the top spot, depending on how the points were allocated in the final event which likely was designed to allow for any Guild to win the Games.
Regardless, a win in their battle would really show that Fairy Tail was not only back but able to stand up to the best in Sabertooth who had replaced them at the top while they were away. It would also ensure that it was a two horse race going into the final day of the Games only not with the Guild that many had expected but rather a new and legit claimant to the top spot. Fairy Tail were ready for all of that as the first match was about to begin.
"Alright, now that that drama and hype is over, which has ensured that we all can't wait for the final battle, it's time to begin the battles." Chapati said. "So would all but the 4 combatants leave the battlefield so that the tag battles can start."
"Win this you two." Magna said with a grin as the other Guilds but Blue Pegasus, who also gathered up with each other, turned and left the battlefield. "Show them what the Black Bulls are made of."
"Yeah we really need a win after two losses and a tie because a cute kitten was too stubborn to give up." Finral said. "It will make sure that we lead going into the final day of the Games."
"Which means they'll all be after us so plenty of fun fighting." Luck added with a smile. "I can't wait for that."
"Don't worry guys, we got this" Asta said with a grin of his own. "Blue Pegasus's got nothing on us."
"Yeah, we won't lose." Noelle said with a flick of one of her pigtails her expression its usual coolly arrogant one but this time it was because she knew that she was going to win this because she was fighting with Asta by her side and not because of her social status. "I am royalty after all."
The others just grinned and smiled at that before they left. At the same time the Trimens of Blue Pegasus left the battlefield leaving it as Ichiya and the blue rabbit so the four faced off for a moment as the crowd cheered at the revelation of the fighters. Noelle maintained her usual calm self on the outside but on the inside she was a mess that she'd been holding together until it came to the moment they knew who they were facing and it was just the four of them.
Part of it was fighting with Asta but that was so normal now that it was more a reflex than anything else. It was the other, much larger part, that had her on unease because it was the very recent and slight drastic change her magic had gone through.
She wasn't feeling any stronger but she did feel different since then and the whole becoming a Dragon Slayer was a lot to take in. The biggest thing was that, as her grimoire had said, her senses were a lot sharper and it made her head spin a little as the smell coming from everything was a lot more intense, as was her hearing which almost disoriented her but she powered through it.
Noelle had replenished her mana thanks to Charmy's food, which had smelt and tasted better than usual likely due to the changes in her sense, but she was still not quite there with figuring out all the changes her magic had undergone and now she had to battle. This was going to be tough but luckily she had Asta so she knew they'd be fine. He was their strongest fighter so there was no way that they'd lose with him.
"Folks, the field has been cleared of everyone but our combatants, so are you ready?" Chapati said and the crowd roared in response to that. "As you can see, our first match pits Ichiya and Rabbit of Blue Pegasus against Asta and Noelle of the current standing leaders, the Black Bulls."
"This will be good for sure." Yajima said. "The Black Bulls may have won 3 events, with the winners of Hidden and Naval Battle present in their team now, but they'd not yet won a battle thus preventing them from really running away with the Games so let's see how they fair when it is a tag battle."
"It will be a spectacular show." Lavian said as they approached each other. "I can't wait to watch it."
"Noelle, your parfum is as always delectable." Ichiya said suddenly a lot closer than Noelle would have liked and standing as straight and tall as he could, which wasn't that tall, and being oddly formal as he and the Rabbit faced Noelle and Asta. "I've only had the joy of smelling it a few times but that refreshing scent of the salt water mixed with extremely good taste is intoxicating. Not as good as Erza's parfum but close."
"You really creep me out." Noelle said with a shiver. "If I wasn't about to be allowed to blast you with water I already would have."
"Fear not, I smell the scent of love in your parfum as well and who it's directed at." Ichiya said as he and Rabbit held out their hands to shake with Asta and Noelle, the latter of which went bright red and instantly denied being in love with anyone and certainly not some short, musclebound, gray haired commoner that was currently standing next to her. "And it is not me so as a lover myself I will not interfere. That said, the scent of the sea is now much stronger on you, in a good way of course. That Naval Battle must had really boosted your affinity for Water Magic."
"Being in my element helped." Noelle said as she calmed herself down and they shook. "But I don't need to be in water to win this."
"Um why am I shaking hands with a dude in a bunny suit?" Asta asked having completely missed what Ichiya was saying thanks to the bunny, who he was now shaking hands with before doing the same with Ichiya and Noelle shook the bunny's hand while Chapati commented on how nice it was to see such civility at the start. "And why does the troll sound like a fancier version of that line faced guy with the portals. This is the first time I've heard him speak long enough to notice."
"I don't know Asta." Noelle said unsure what Asta was getting at as Ichiya and Rabbit backed up and turned to face them while Noelle pulled out her wand to be ready as she tried to breathe through her mouth as Ichiya's smell was really lingering for her. "But that's not important right now seeing as we need to win and I have no idea what's going to happen when I use my magic. Still dealing with what happened earlier over here and Ichiya's aroma is really strong to me right now."
"No worries, Noelle." Asta said with a grin. "I got this. I'll handle the troll; you deal with the Rabbit, whoever he is."
"Excellent set up Asta, I thank you." Ichiya called out as he gestured an arm to Rabbit. "For now it is at long last time for my compatriot to share his handsome face with the world. I cannot think of a better moment than now for such a reveal."
"Oh cool, we're going to see who's in the bunny suit after all." Asta said as the bunny bowed his head. "I wonder who, or what, it is because it's not human."
As Asta finished speaking the bunny lifted his hands up to his head and began to remove the head of the costume. There was a lot of suspense in the stadium as even the fellow members of Blue Pegasus's team didn't know who the person was in the costume, though Hibiki and Jenny were too busy making out with each other to notice. Only Ichiya and Bob, Blue Pegasus's Guild Master, knew the truth of who was in the bunny suit. Until now that is.
"You no longer need to obscure yourself and hid your beauty from the world." Ichiya said as the head came off. "Unmask yourself so that they may all gaze upon your glory and bask in it just as I do."
The rabbit did so and finished removing the head to reveal, well, a golden furred, feline face that other than the fur, whiskers, ears, and short orange hair under a tall red hat, was identical to that if Ichiya's. This got a collective 'what?' from the crowd and Guilds present while the commentators gaped and Asta and Noelle just stared in shock at what had to be an exceed version of Ichiya though that made no sense to them at all.
To add to it the cat leapt out of the suit, showing that it was only slightly shorter than Ichiya which caused Noelle more questions regarding the suit and how it could operate it, and revealed that the exceed Ichiya wore a fancy lavender suit, white shirt, and red tie with stylish dark brown shoes that had a polished gold buckle on it. The exceed even had a long tail ending in a lion-like clump at the end that matched the hair on its head.
"Ready?" Both Ichiya and the exceed, who those who'd been to Edolas, or in Panther's Lily's case was from there, knew as Nichiya, one of the high ranking exceeds there before Mystogan sent them away when he removed all magic from Edolas, and the mirror of Ichiya in that world, said in unison as they stood next to each other in the same pose showing that Nichiya was about a head shorter than Ichiya though still above average height for an exceed. "Double stud muffin attack!"
Clearly this was a planned reveal meant to impress but no one actually thought Ichiya was handsome other than himself and the Trimens and when you added an exceed version of him the 'attack' had the opposite effect of being a stud muffin attack but rather was repulsive to most, which made it a lot more effective actually. It was a shock to say the least and Noelle was now shaking a little at what she was seeing.
She could barely handle Ichiya, they'd had the misfortune of running into him a few times over the last two years as they familiarized themselves with Fiore as they'd run across Blue Pegasus so they had to deal with him. Every time they had met him he'd been a creepy little troll to the girls of the Black Bulls, he even went as far as to remember all their scents, and now there was a second one of him. It was hard to take in.
"We have a sensual…" Ichiya began.
"Yet deadly…" Nichiya added.
"Parfum." The pair said together as if they were twins which in a sense they kinda where just not the traditional kind.
They clearly thought that they were gorgeous and that what they were doing was working. However, everyone else reached with a mix of disgust, horror, or in Erza's case an overload of fear and sickness that she fainted and had to be caught by Gajeel though given how she was the primary source of Ichiya's attention, and that Nichiya had shown her just as much the one time their paths had crossed right after the Edolas return, it was an understandable reaction from her.
"What the hell is that?" Asta asked, not revolted just weirded out as while he'd seen the exceeds this was his first close encounter with one and it wasn't exactly the best one to see. "I knew it wasn't human, the ki was all off, is it one of those cat-things? It kinda feels like that but it's not cute like the ones Fairy Tail and Sabertooth have."
"They're called exceeds Dorksta, don't be rude about them." Noelle said as she was still trying to recover from this. "But I do have to ask, is he a member of your Guild? I know that Sabertooth and Fairy Tail have exceeds but they're the partners of Dragon Slayers if I recall, this one clearly isn't."
"Behold my regal beaty of the sea." Ichiya said as he pointed to Nichiya who meowed and took off his jacket and shirt as he turned to show the Blue Pegasus Guild Mark stamped on his back which seemed to be the location all exceeds in Wizard Guilds chose for their Guild Marks. "Our Guild Master made him a member right away after I brought his handsome mug back to Blue Pegasus."
"How'd you do that?" Asta asked as Bob confirmed in the Blue Pegasus box that he'd made Nichiya a member right away.
"I'm glad you asked, for it is a great tale." Ichiya said clearly thrilled to tell the story. "It was destiny I tell you, a fate that the stars themselves dictated."
"Yes, it had to be that for how else but for destiny." Nichiya added. "It dictated our fate one sunny afternoon."
"I had found the intoxicating parfum…" Ichiya began.
Asta listened intently to the story of Ichiya venturing into a forest for a new parfum while Noelle just stared at the whole thing in a mix of shock and horror at what she was hearing. It wasn't exactly necessary and way over the top and dramatic as Ichiya told his tale of going deeper into the forest until he could go no further for the ravages of hunger and thirst had taken him but fortune was on his side as he'd stumbled upon the exceeds of Edolas's home within the forest.
It was there that Ichiya found the handsome cat, who was called Nichiya it seemed, who in turn found the handsome man Ichiya, their words no one else's, and brought him water in an extremely homoerotic, romantic way that if it wasn't so disturbing coming from these two it would actually be a sweet tale. Alas it was not and seemed to be what triggered this strange bromance between the two as they became close friends, to no one's surprise, while Ichiya recovered in the forest with Nichiya. That was their tale but unfortunately for them, as it ended the gong went off to officially start the battle.
"I don't care about your creepy origins!" Noelle yelled as she thrust her wand out at Nichiya and blasted a jet of water at him using her raw mana rather than a spell as she didn't have time to cast one. "If you're like that troll then get away you creep!"
All Nichiya managed to get out was a startled meow and a hiss at being hit by the water before he was blasted back with such force that he slammed into the wall of the arena with a boom that kicked up smoke while still being blasted by the water through contact with the wall. The whole crowd stared in shock at that as Noelle panted, she may have gone a little overboard there and used more magic than she'd intended, but it was for a good reason.
Finally, as there were questions if the cat could actually fight and Ichiya claimed that he could as they were one and the same so they shared the same combat skills the smoke cleared to reveal Nichiya imbedded into the wall with his limbs slayed and eyes white as water dripped down around him. He was out of commission from the blow which really showed how strong her magic was as she'd knocked Nichiya out in one blow and without the need for a spell.
"What a tragedy!" Ichiya wailed now sweating profusely as the water and dust fell but Nichiya remained embedded in the wall while the commentators noted that the start had been impressive and that it was now a dramatic two on one as Ichiya reached out his hand to the unconscious Nichiya he was facing. "Nichiya, my good friend, I am sorry for I have failed you by dragging you into this battle when I should have known that you are a lover and not a fighter. Fear not for I shall avenge you now for it is my fault that you put your handsome face in harm's way. I must make up for letting you fall. Power Parfum!"
Ichiya roared with emotions as suddenly he began to glow as he turned back to them and literally bulked up as he faced them. Asta was amazed but not put off as Ichiya grew to be taller than Yami and even broader than that Elfman guy who beat Luck as his jacket, he didn't wear a shirt for some reason, was ripped from his body, same with his shoes and lower half of his pants leaving him in only a pair of improvised shorts with his Guild Mark visible on his left shoulder.
His muscles were rippling and for some reason glistening as he stood over them ready to fight and avenge his friend. Asta though just grinned as his grimoire floated up next to him where it opened to the right page while Noelle looked disgusted.
"Smile Smash!" Ichiya roared as he cocked his fist back taking the fight to the Black Bulls who'd not moved at all so he had to do that. "This is for you, my most beautiful friend, Nichiya!"
"Get back Noelle." Asta said as the handle of his Demon-Slayer sword appeared and he grabbed it. "I'll handle him. This battle is ours."
"Sure." Noelle said as she leapt back and Asta slid to the side to fully put himself in the way as Ichiya reached him with a bellow and punched. "Beat him Asta."
Asta didn't stop grinning despite the incoming punch as he pulled out his sword and swung it to get it right in the way of Ichiya's fist as he punched at Asta. The result was a colossal boom as Ichiya's fist slammed into the flat of Asta's sword followed by the sickening crack of Ichiya's hand, wrist, and lower arm breaking as his fist crumpled against the sword not moving or even denting it one bit.
The crowd gasped, the crack had been so loud that many heard it, as Asta just held it and then roared back as he pushed through the hit and blasted Ichiya back. The punch had been magically enhanced and so the flat of Demon-Slayer's blade had rebounded it at twice the power, and therefore Asta was able to push through the blow and use the force to throw Ichiya's body back hard and fast with the force of his own punch. To add to it all, the force broke the rest of Ichiya's arm up to his shoulder though he didn't yell in pain, he couldn't as he was out cold from the pain and shockwave.
All anyone could do was watch in shock as Ichiya was blasted back and through the air to crash into the wall while still in his muscle form, and slam into it right where Nichiya had hit it. There was another boom that kicked up even more dust. Finally though it cleared to reveal Ichiya in the same pose as Nichiya was behind him while the crater in the wall was now significantly larger.
That lasted for only a few more seconds though before Ichiya fell out of the wall leaving an Ichiya shaped imprint in the deeply cratered and cracked wall to land flat on his chest on the ground leaving an even more flattened Nichiya in the wall behind him. That also didn't last long as Nichiya finally fell out of the wall and landed on Ichiya's back.
"And that is it folks!" Chapati said as the crowd recovered from the shock of what they'd seen and let out a cheer as the gong sounded to declare the match over. "Two devastating attacks have sent Blue Pegasus's combatants one after another into the wall and now they are down and out. The winner is the Black Bulls! That gives them the full 10 points, and folks with that blow from Asta, the Black Bulls have ensured that they will end the day in first place thus leading as when we go into the final event. From the start they've been shocking us and with their first battle victory they move ever closer to the upset of the century in this year's Grand Magic Games!"
"Alright, we won!" Asta said with a grin as he hefted his sword onto his shoulder grinning broadly and the Black Bulls cheered or smiled at that while Blue Pegasus looked at the results in utter shock. "I knew we would."
"Yes, we did well." Noelle said coming up next to him with a small smile on her face at their victory. "We needed a win in the battles and that was a decisive one."
"Couldn't have done it without you Noelle." Asta said turning to her still grinning. "Thanks."
"Well, yes, I know." Noelle said going bright red at the praise and turning away. "You helped as well Asta so it was a team effort."
"That was one quick and impressive match." Chapati said as the crowd cheered and the medical team came out to take care of Blue Pegasus, who now ensured they'd be in last going into the final day with that loss. "Wouldn't you say?"
"It said a lot about the Black Bulls." Yajima said. "We've seen them do well so far in the events but not the battles as they lost the first two and drew yesterday. That, however, really showed it. Fitting that it was the two who won their events via combat, they really earned their ranking going into the final day."
"It was an impressive victory." Lavian said. "But I'm more intrigued by the romance going on, it's clear that…"
"No it's not and if you say another word I'll blast you like I did the cat!" Noelle yelled turning at the commentary and looking up at Lavian her wand pointed right at him.
"Oh my, this is most intriguing." Lavian said not at all afraid of what he was seeing. "Now if there was another girl, well that would make this tale perfect for the stage."
"Relax Noelle." Asta said, his voice calming her down before she could attack the commentators, which might be bad even if, in her mind, Lavian deserved it. "We won and that's what matters. We should get off the battlefield though, next match will start soon and I for one want to watch it."
"Yeah, you're right." Noelle said as Chapati announced that Lamia Scale would be represented by Lyon and Yuka and Mermaid Heel by Kagura and Millianna in the first example of a Guild having a member selected twice, in this case both of Mermaid Heel's combatants. "Let's relax and enjoy the other battles as I'm sure that there is a lot that we can learn from them."
Asta just grinned at that as they headed off the battlefield while the next combatants walked onto it. They'd won a battle and it was time to relax, celebrate it, and perhaps, as Noelle said, learn a thing or two from the remaining battles of the day.
"Woah." Gray said his eyes wide as the match ended with a quick and brutal Black Bull victory. "That was something else and the sound Ichiya's fist made hitting that sword was something else. I've taken it's blunt edge but that was a lot worse."
"Yes, to think that he'd beat Ichiya, who is Blue Pegasus's strongest wizard, so easily." Erza said her hand on her chin as she looked down at Asta as he hefted his sword onto his shoulder. "Just one blow that reflected all the power of the attack and used it to blast Ichiya away while causing a serious but not fatal injury in the process. That sword is something else, I must have one and I must face him to see who is stronger."
"Aren't you stronger Erza?" Natsu asked. "You showed it in that awesome 100 on 1 victory yesterday. No one else here could do that."
"I did well, yes, but from what I've seen I believe that Asta could have accomplished that as well." Erza said surprising the others. "At least he could do so with those swords of his. I dare say he may have managed it faster than me if the swords work as I believe they do."
"Are you serious?" Gajeel asked as the others stared in shock at what Erza was saying. "That little runt is that strong?"
"I am, that is how good I believe he is and I'd rather assume he's stronger than he is as that is the safest bet." Erza said as they listened to the commentary and watched the exchange between Asta and Noelle after she threatened Lavian which given what he said wasn't unreasonable. "He's shown that time and time again in the games. First with how he masterfully won in Hidden, even landing a blow on Rufus at the end after deflecting that attack of his, and now against Ichiya. We cannot underestimate him."
"Or the Black Bulls in general." Laxus said seriously. "They came to Fiore while we were on Tenrou Island and became a solid but middle tier Guild. Then they made the Games, their first, and proceeded to show us their true strength. They deserve their ranking after what we've seen and that makes them the ones who we must beat in the final event. Sabertooth will be a threat but we cannot ignore the Black Bulls."
"Agreed." Erza said as Asta and Noelle left the battlefield and the next match was announced. "And don't forget that Noelle Silva is now the Sea Dragon Slayer, which happened after she beat Minerva, not before. I do not understand how that is possible, their magic is different to any I've seen before, but she's got a lot of it and now has Dragon Slayer Magic."
"You mentioned when gramps chose the team." Laxus said. "Sixth Generation, that's something I never expected as I hadn't even heard of third before today. Gramps seems to understand it though, he was serious and shocked when we told him. It was as if it was something he didn't expect could happen."
"Yes, best to be ready." Erza said. "Even with their current ranking I doubt we've seen all the tricks that they have and they've still not used their reserve so we must prepare for anything from them."
"We will be but now it's Lyon verses Kagura." Gray said. "This will be good."
The others nodded as they set themselves to watch the next match. They'd seen an impressive one before that made it clear who the top combatants for the Black Bulls were and that they were the Guild to chase but that would come in time, first there was one more match before theirs and they'd watch it intently.
As this was happening, Natsu looked to the box that had Sabertooth and growled as he locked eyes with Sting and Rogue who were in turn looking at Fairy Tail. He'd disliked that Guild from the moment they treated Yukino so badly and then Minerva had almost made Lucy suffer, something that really riled him up because Lucy was special to him, but for Noelle's intervention.
Even though Lucy had been fine and only had minor injuries in the end, the attempt alone couldn't stand and he'd make Sabertooth pay, he just hoped he'd be the one to do so when they faced Sabertooth as the combatants hadn't been announced. They would momentarily and it would be what everyone wanted to see so Natsu would get that chance. First though, Lamia Scale and Mermaid Heel were going to duke it out as the second tag battle of the 4th day began.
I think that's a good place to end this chapter. I was going to include the next tag battle but I felt that this chapter was already long enough and if I broke it up I could allow for a more in depth focus on it from the Black Bulls' perspective so that they can truly learn from it while also ensuring that I don't overwork myself and get a chapter out this well. That and Asta and Noelle deserved their moment as they cruised to an easy win over Blue Pegasus and ensured that the Black Bulls will lead going into the final day. Course that means that they'll be a target so plenty of fun to look forward to coming up as we near the end of the 4th day of the Grand Magic Games. The only other thing to mention is that the comment Asta made about Ichiya sounding like Valtos is one of my VA references as they share an English VA. That is all that I have for y'all so I will leave this chapter off here. If you liked this please favorite, follow, leave a review, or let me know in a PM and I will try to answer any questions posed in reviews and PMs as best I can. Until next time.
Stringdog