Hi everyone, welcome back! The Grand Magic Games have begun, with the events of Hidden being handled pretty much like the canon. Now we're onto Day 1's battles and we'll be covering all four battles in this one chapter. Things are going to play out a bit differently here and I hope you enjoy it. Now with that being said, let's get started.

The Dance of Fairies, Ravens, and Devils

While all the festivities and noise were taking place at the arena, all was quiet in the palace of Mercurius, save for the occasional guard who patrolled the hallways. Within one of those halls was a heavily armored man, carrying the appearance of a veteran soldier with spikey black hair connecting to a short beard on his chin.

"Did you watch the Games, sir?" A guard asked the armored man.

"Yes, this Hidden event seemed rather one-sided." The man replied.

"Perhaps the battle portion will prove more entertaining." The guard said, prompting the armored man to quicken his pace through the halls.

"I think I'll go watch that in person." The man chuckled slightly. "If this keeps up, this year's harvest might surpass expectations."


Back at the Colosseum, Lucy had stepped out onto the field to face her enemy, Flare Corona of Raven Tail. This would be the first battle of the Grand Magic Games and Lucy had no intention of losing. The crowd was already in an uproar, ready for the battle to begin.

"Come on! Knock Miss Creepy Eyes into next week!" Natsu hollered.

"If you win, it'll keep us in the running!" Erza exclaimed.

"Yeah! Knock her lights out!" Elfman shouted.

"They made the mistake of screwing with us! Time for some pay back, right Lucy?!" Dante called out to his cousin.

That really got Lucy's attention and focus. She already knew, but being reminded of it again only strengthened her resolve to win and avenge her friends.

'Raven Tail…! They worked with Sid to hurt Wendy, Carla, Patty, and Romeo… just to get our attention! And in the last game, they focused more on stopping Gray than winning!' She clenched her fists tightly. 'I'll make sure they answer for what they've done!'

"That look in Lucy's eyes…" Lisanna observed with the rest of her guildmates in the stands. "She's taking this very seriously."

"Given that her opponent is from Raven Tail, I'm not surprised." Lily commented.

"Now she's got a fire lit inside her." Happy added.

"I want carnage out there Lucy! You hear?!" Makarov shouted.

"Damn right! Show them no mercy!" Macao shouted, given his son was hurt by Raven Tail, he was just as eager for revenge himself.

"Don't worry Gramps, our girl's got this." Lady said.

"Yeah, we really put her through the wringer these past three months. She's got plenty of tricks up her sleeve." Trish added.

Modeus himself gazed into the arena with an expression that mirrored Lucy's. He was never one to hold a grudge, but given what Raven Tail did to Wendy and her friends, he'd be lying if he said he didn't feel any kind of resentment towards them at all. There's also what happened to Gray in the previous round, so he was also concerned for Lucy and would keep his eyes on this Flare for any dirty tricks she may employ.

Gildarts looked with a serious expression at the battle that would soon begin, he glanced in the direction of Sparda and Mavis and noticed they mirrored his expression as well.

"I'm guessing you two are thinking the same thing I am?"

"Yes, what exactly is it that Raven Tail is trying to achieve?" Mavis wondered.

"With all due respect, it's obvious they're trying to humiliate us!" Makarov growled, looking like he was about to pop a vessel.

"I don't know… Ivan's a creep but I don't think this is all just something petty." Gildarts shook his head.

Sparda appeared to be in silent agreement as he observed Ivan in the stands. 'Ivan Dreyar, Yuri and Rita's grandson. Just what are you up to?'

Of course, the tension between the two opposing guilds was noticed by the audience and commentators as well. The intense stare down between Makarov and Gildarts against Ivan, as well as the rest of Fairy Tail and Team Raven Tail.

"Things are heating up in the stands down there!" Chapati commentated. "Is it true that those two guildmasters are actually father and son?"

"Yes." Yajima confirmed. "But I think the fact they each bare different guild emblems speak volumes about their relationship."

"There's also the names to be taken into account. Fairy Tail and Raven Tail." Bruni began. "The last part at the end gives the impression of both guilds being connected to each other; but while the first part of 'fairy' expresses the idea of wonder and adventure, the 'raven' is sometimes a symbol to embody darkness or even death. One could say that Raven Tail is a darker reflection of Fairy Tail."

"Oooh, ominous. I just got chills." Chapati commented.

"Guess Fairy Tail's got their own personal rival, huh?" Sting commented, sitting by his team.

"But you can take on both Fairy Tail and Raven Tail singlehandedly, right Sting?" Lector said to his Dragon Slayer companion.

"Damn right." Sting grinned.

"I wonder which one is going to win." Frosch said, while Rogue didn't seem the least bit interested. However, his eyes did set on Vergil, who had stood up and gazed at the field with a curious expression.

'That's right. That girl down there is his maternal cousin, so it would be natural that he'd be curious.' Rogue thought to himself.

It seemed impossible to read what Vergil was thinking or feeling right now, but one thing was certain. He would be paying very close attention to this particular battle.

Mato walked out onto the field and stood in-between Lucy and Flare as the Games' mascot and referee explained the rules of the battle to the two competitors.

"Alright ladies, this entire arena will be your battlefield." Mato told them. "This is strictly a one-on-one battle, no outside interference. You have a thirty-minute time-limit."

"Good." Flare said, creaking her head as she eyed Lucy in sadistic fashion. "Plenty of time."

"I'm not losing to you!" Lucy glared with determination.

"If you can knock out your opponent or make them forfeit within the time-limit, you win!" Mato continued. "If both competitors are still standing when time's up, it'll be declared a draw! And I'm sure this doesn't need to be said, but while you are free to utilize your magic and skills in any way you see fit, you are absolutely forbidden from killing your opponent. Doing so will automatically have your guild disqualified from the games. Do you find this acceptable, ladies?"

"Fine with me." Lucy accepted.

"Yeah, I'm cool with it." Flare said. "I'd rather have fun with my little 'friend' here anyway."

"Good, now… Let's rumble!"

The gong rang and the fight had begun.

Lucy immediately went on the attack and drew one of her Golden Keys. "Open! Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!" Upon summoning Taurus, the humanoid cow swinging his axe at Flare, but she leapt into the air to swiftly dodge it with a chuckle.

"And Lucy Heartfilia opens with a Celestial Spirit right out of the gate!" Chapati announced, but Lucy wasn't done yet as she drew a second key.

"Open! Gate of the Scorpion! Scorpio!" A second Celestial Spirit, Scorpio, was summoned onto the field as well.

"Wicked! Now it's a party!"

"Two Celestial Spirits at once?!" Bisca exclaimed in surprise.

"That's amazing! She's gotten way stronger out of nowhere!" Alzack was just as stunned as his wife.

"Get her, spirit guys!" Asuka cheered.

"Sand Buster!" Scorpio shot a torrent of sand straight at Flare from his tail. But Flare seemed ready for it as she gave a maniacal laugh, while her elongated hair caught on fire and shot straight at the sand to block and intercept it.

"She uses fire?!" Natsu questioned.

"Did she just block that attack with her hair?!" Elfman also questioned while Dante and Erza kept their eyes focused on the fight.

"Alright guys, just like we practiced! Let's do it!" Lucy commanded her spirits.

"Yes ma'am!" Both said as Taurus swung his axe upward as Scorpio directed a stream of sand at the axe, bending and twisting it, combining both their abilities for a single attack.

"Sandstorm Axe!" The combined attack was brought down on Flare, who looked a tad worried. When it struck, a massive sandstorm erupted across the field, forcing the audience to shield themselves.

"What an attack, folks!" Chapati commentated. "Not only did she summon two spirits, but she combined their powers! This girl has some skills!"

"You can say that again!" Yajima added.

"But Flare isn't done yet, take a look." Bruni pointed out.

It was true, Flare's hair had extended in front of her while also lighting on fire to shield her from the attack. "Too bad, Blondie! But it's gonna take more than that to defeat me!"

However, while Flare seemed focused only on the two spirits and their combined attack, she failed to notice Lucy circling around to come up behind her.

'That's right, stay focused on what's in front of you. You're about to learn that I'm no slouch either!'

Lucy drew her magical whip, the Fleuve d'etoiles, and snapped it at Flare from behind, which ensnared around her waist, much to Flare's shock before Lucy pulled back on the whip and pulled the surprised Flare right toward her where Lucy dealt a kick to Flare's side before punching across the cheek to send her crashing to the ground.

"What the…?!" Flare questioned, shocked over what just happened. And she wasn't the only one…

The rest of Team Raven Tail looked just as shocked as their teammate, while Dante and Natsu from their spots in the stands, along with Trish, Lady, and even Lisanna all smirked.

"What's wrong? You look surprised." Lucy taunted as she withdrew Scorpio and Taurus, sending them back to the Spirit World to conserve energy.

"Y-you… hit me…?" Flare questioned. "You hit me?! You're a Celestial Wizard! Your type doesn't fight! You just send spirits to do all your fighting for you!"

"Some might, but I don't." Lucy shook her head as she snapped her Fleuve again, while pulling out the Morning Star in her free hand. "Cause I'm not just a Celestial Wizard, I'm a Devil Hunter!" She flailed the Morning Star at Flare, striking her in the head and knocking her back down again.

"Hold on, did I hear right?!" Sting exclaimed. "Did that bimbo say she was a Devil Hunter?!"

"You heard correctly." Rogue confirmed.

"She's pretty good, isn't she." Frosch said.

"Eh, nowhere near as good as Sting though. He'd have the match over already if he was down there." Lector brushed off.

"She's a Celestial Wizard like you, Yukino. That's pretty cool, isn't it?" Frosh said to the only female member of Team Sabertooth.

"Yes, it's quite interesting." She replied as Yukino continued to watch the battle, Vergil himself not taking his eyes off it for a second.

"Is Lucy fighting hand-to-hand?" Levy questioned from the Fairy Tail stands as many of them looked in surprise.

"She's wielding both those whips like a master." Jet stated in surprise.

"How in the heck is she doing so well?" Droy also questioned.

"That's what happens when you got a couple of veteran Devil Hunters training you." Lady said with pride.

"Those three months have certainly paid off." Trish added with just as much pride in her voice.

"She was also able to summon two Celestial Spirits at once and still have energy to spare." Lisanna said before turning back to Mystogen. "Your Second Origin gift really helped. Thanks a ton."

"Of course." Jellal nodded.

Lucy snapped her Fleuve whip toward Flare, who rolled to the side as she got serious and sent several strands of her hair at Lucy, who retaliated with a raise of her hand holding the Morning Star and brought it down on the hair, knocking it to the ground and allowing Lucy to get in close and slam her arm into Flare's neck, knocking the wind out of her and sending her crashing to the ground.

Flare growled as she tried to go on the attack again. "I'm gonna kill her! Hair Shower: Wolf Fang!" Flare's hair grew extensively and took the shape of a giant-wolf like creature which shot directly at Lucy to rip her apart. Fortunately, Lucy rolled out of the way just as the hair-wolf pounced to the ground. She quickly got up and shot the Fleuve whip to ensnare the hair-wolf around its neck, where she used her leg wrap around the whip and push to the ground to further pin it down while drawing another key from her free hand.

"Open! Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!" With a wave of her key, Lucy had summoned her maid spirit.

"What are my orders today, princess?" Virgo asked humbly.

"Take that hair monster and bury it as deep as you can, keep as much of that woman's hair trapped as possible!" Lucy ordered.

"As you wish." Virgo sped toward the struggling hair-wolf and jumped into the air over the beast. "Spica Hole!" With a thrust from her hands, the entire ground around the hair-wolf caved in as Virgo's magical power forced it deep into the ground just as Lucy withdrew the Fleuve whip.

"What…?" Flare tried to pull her hair back, but some force was preventing her from doing so, keeping her trapped in that spot. "I… I can't pull back my hair…!"

Suddenly, the Morning Star whip was entangled around the area of her hair just above her head as Lucy came in to drive her elbow into the side of Flare's face before delivering a palm-strike to her stomach just as Lucy pulled back on the Morning Star, causing it to slice and sever a huge portion of Flare's hair, leaving just barely enough to extend to her ears, much to Flare's horror.

"N-No… my hair… she… she cut it…!"

"Thanks Virgo." Lucy smiled.

"Always happy to help, princess." Virgo bowed before she withdrew back to the Spirit World.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Flare screamed as her hair suddenly grew out, quickly regrowing as large as it was before it dug underground and quickly came up to ensnare Lucy at both her ankles, and then begun to spin Lucy around while also dragging her across the ground.

"Her hair just grew back!" Elfman exclaimed. "But Lucy cut it!"

Dante gave an annoyed tisk. "Of course it would grow back. Her magic is her hair."

"The fight's not over yet though." Erza said.

"Come on Lucy! Kick her ass!" Natsu called out.

Flare slammed Lucy onto the ground with a chuckle. "You got a few lucky shots in, but your spirits and shabby punches got nothing on my hair! Cut it as much as you want, it'll always grow right back! You call yourself a Devil Hunter? Those are the moves of an amateur…!"

Suddenly, Flare's ankles were entangled by the Morning Star as the Fleuve also extended to wrap around Flare's upper body, binding both her arms and hair to her person and causing her to fall over.

"What's that about being an amateur?" Lucy grinned, despite still being pinned with her feet, her arms were still free as she wielded both whips. "Go ahead and try and set fire, but my Fleuve d'etoiles is protected with magic, and you can't burn that!"

"Then I'll just have to burn you!" Flare lit her whole hair on fire and sent it right to Lucy, burning at her feet. Though her boots did protect her for the most part, she winced as she still felt the heat. But, she pushed through the pain as she stood up, even with her ankles bound, she jumped into the air as she pulled back on both her whips, pulling Flare toward her as Lucy slammed her head into Flare's for a headbutt, which forced Flare to let her go as she fell back to the ground once again and Lucy landed on her feet.

"Whoa! What a match!" Chapati commentated as the audience cheered. "Nobody could have expected the guild that comes in dead last to put up such a fight!"

"Lucy's not just grown stronger magic-wise; she's proving to be a tactical thinker as well." Yajima added. "She even says she's a Devil Hunter."

"Well, their guild already has a handful of those guys in it, not to mention a Son of Sparda." Bruni commented. "So it's only natural she'd pick up a few of their tricks."

"Neither of these ladies may be willing to back down from this father-son guild battle, but it seems Lucy has the advantage here folks!" Chapati announced. "She may very well just win this whole thing!"

Despite still being down, Flare chuckled as she saw some smoke coming from Lucy's feet. "Awe, having a hard time standing? Is it cause my beautiful red hair burned your little tootsies?"

"I don't know… what do you think?" Lucy kept her smirk up as she threw away her boots, revealing there was little-to-no damage to her bare feet, at most it looked like a minor sunburn. "You call that heat? Your fire's got nothing on Natsu's. Is that really the best you got?"

A look of shock and even fear formed in Flare's eyes. 'I don't believe it… my scorching red hair… barely even hurt her…? Damn you, Blondie!'

"Lucy's really tearing it up out there! She's amazing!" Kyrie smiled.

"She's barely had to summon any spirits and she's got her opponent on the defensive for the most part. Quite impressive." Lily observed.

"It's like she's a completely different person than before." Max said.

"But why doesn't she break out some of her more powerful spirits like Loke?" Warren asked.

"Because she's pacing herself." Sparda answered, catching everyone's attention. "She showed she was capable of summoning two spirits at once, but quickly withdrew them once they served their purpose, same with Virgo, using her summoning with a mix of hand-to-hand combat. The first part was shock-and-awe for her opponents, but she can't bring out her strongest attacks just in case her enemy has her own secret weapon. Isn't that right?" He looked towards Lady and Trish.

"Got that right. She's thinking ahead, conserving her energy while also showing what she can do." Lady said.

"And that's not even the best part." Trish added. "While training, even before the whole Second Origin thing, Lucy discovered she had two trump cards that could guarantee a win. But she won't use them, cause she doesn't want to reveal her little secrets to the other competitors in case she has to fight again."

"She's keeping her cards close to her chest. Not bad." Gildarts smirked while crossing his arms with pride.

"Go Lucy! We know you can do it!" Happy cheered.

Makarov himself couldn't help but chuckle, both with pride for Lucy's growth and performance, but also mockingly toward his son's guild. "What do you think of that, Ivan?'

"How in the hell is that bitch able to put up a fight?! She's a damn Celestial Wizard!" Nullpudding questioned.

"Flare actually got her hair cut." Kurohebi chuckled. "That's a first for her."

"She might actually lose this… and I get the feeling the blonde down there isn't even using her biggest guns." Sapphire said.

"This isn't right…" Alexei said in a low grow. "Even if they've trained every day since they got back, there is no way they were able to make up for the seven years they've lost." He clenched his armored fists on the stone railing. "The information we have is outdated!"

"Way to go, Lucy!" Natsu pumped his fist.

"Yeah! Keep fighting like a real man!" Elfman exclaimed.

"Don't let your guard down though!" Erza advised.

Dante smirked at his cousin's performance; glad she had come so far in such a short time. Lady and Trish's training with her really paid off. He then happened to glance towards Team Sabertooth to see what his brother thought of all this.

Vergil hadn't lost track of the battle down there. He could tell Lucy was handling herself well, keeping pace with the enemy and utilizing all her assets in the best way possible while also keeping her most powerful ones a secret for the time being. He felt the gaze of someone else and followed that feeling to see Dante smirking in his direction. The two Sons of Sparda made eye-contact for a brief moment before Vergil resumed his watching of Lucy's battle, his lips curving up only slightly for the tiniest of smiles.

Flare yelled in fury, standing up straight with her magical hair waving out in all directions in a crazed fashion. She shot it directly into the ground and Lucy readied herself for the attack she thought was coming. But as she looked around, using all her senses, she felt nothing, which only confused her.

'What's going on? I can't sense its movements at all this time. Where's it going to pop up?'

She heard Flare's faint cackle and saw her point in a certain direction… the direction of Lucy's cheering guildmates. Why would Flare want her to look over there?

"What's going on?" Natsu wondered as he and the rest of Fairy Tail Team A had a bad feeling about this.

As Lucy focused more in the direction of the guild members not participating, her pupils shrunk as she saw a tiny strand of Flare's hair creeping up next to the tiny and oblivious Asuka.

"Asuka! L…!" Lucy's warning was silenced as Flare's hair shot at her face, wrapping around her mouth before pulling her down and slamming her to the ground.

"Aw come on! You could have dodged that!" Nab exclaimed.

"You gotta move quickly! As if you're dancing!" Vjteer added.

"Maybe her legs took more damage than we thought, and we just can't tell." Max said with worry.

"Ssshh." Flare hushed as Lucy pushed herself up. "Be quiet, if you want the girl to live. Call to your friends up there, and I'll snap her neck. So be a good little bimbo and take your punishment with a smile…"

*PIERCE!*

Flare gasped as she felt a strand of her hair being cut, the one she sent in Fairy Tail's direction. "What…?"

She and Lucy both looked in that direction in surprise to see Modeus holding a surprised Asuka in one arm, and Hunter's Moon in the other hand, which he had used to sever that strand of Flare's hair, which also drew the attention of the rest of their friends.

"No…! How… How could he… have…?"

"Modeus…" Lucy smiled with relief.

Most people wouldn't notice something so small and subtle as Flare's attempt at taking Asuka hostage using the tiniest strand of her hair she could. But Modeus, a master swordsman trained by the Dark Knight himself, wasn't 'most people'. Picking up on subtle uses of magic like that was child's play for somebody like him.

"I've had enough of Raven Tail endangering children." Modeus said with a glare as he handed Asuka back to her parents, who took her with worry and concern, while everyone else in Fairy Tail, especially Makarov and even the disguised Jellal, looked down at Flare with a combined glare that sent a chill down her spine.

"B-But I… my hair should have…"

"Open! Gate of the Giant Crab! Cancer!" With a wave of her key, Lucy summoned Cancer to the field.

"You called, baby?" Cancer brandished his scissors.

"Cut that bitch's hair! Every inch of it!" Lucy ordered angrily. "Make her bald!"

"You got it." Cancer charged forward as Flare tried to attack him with her hair, but that proved to be a mistake as he easily sliced through all her attacks, severing every strand of her hair as he got up close and personal. With only a few slices, Flare's entire hair was gone, leaving nothing but a bald head, much to her horror. She didn't have time to act on it though as Lucy came up with a punch to the face to knock her down.

"Look at that folks! Lucy strikes again!" Chapati announced.

"I don't know why, but I got the feeling that Flare might have made Lucy mad." Yajima added. "You can feel the tension in the air."

"And Hell hath no fury like a woman who's pissed off." Bruni said.

"I think you mean 'woman scorned'." Chapati corrected.

"Same difference. Bottom line: don't make a woman mad." Bruni relied.

Cancer soon noticed Flare's hair was already starting to regrow. "Hey Lucy, that chick's hair is starting to grow back."

"Yeah, that's her magic." Lucy confirmed. "Your job is to keep cutting it, keep her from using it. While I lay the smack down on her!"

"With pleasure!" Cancer went on the attack again, severing Flare's hair before she even had a chance to use it again.

"No! Not again!" Flare screamed, which left her open for Lucy to drive her right foot into Flare's stomach.

"That was for Asuka!" Lucy exclaimed. She didn't even give Flare a chance to recover as Lucy attacked again, kicking her in the jaw to send her rolling to the ground. "That was for Gray and Juvia!"

Flare, albeit shakily, tried to pick herself up. Her hair was already starting to grow back, only for Cancer to rush in and slice it up again, leaving her bald and defenseless once more as Lucy ran up, lifted her right leg, and brought it down onto Flare's right shoulder, almost dislocating her whole arm and causing Flare to scream in pain.

"That was for Wendy!" Lucy stated before punching Flare across the face again. "For Carla!" Another punch in the jaw to knock out a tooth. "For Patty!" Yet another punch to the face. "For Romeo!" Lucy then proceeded to punch Flare multiple times all across her body. "This is what you get for disrespecting Fairy Tail!" With a final uppercut to the jaw, Flare was sent flying up and crashing down to the ground.

The audience cheered loudly, as did all her guildmates, at such a spectacle.

"Look at that! Who knew Fairy Tail's resident Zodiac wielder could be so ruthless!" Chapati commentated.

"It looks like this battle's just about over." Yajima said. "Lucy's still standing, Flare is down, and time's just about up."

"She'll need to pull off something miraculous if Raven Tail is gonna win this round." Bruni added.

"That's our Lucy." Dante grinned with a nod.

"Looks like we're gonna win this one!" Natsu said eagerly.

"Heck yeah! Fairy Tail for the win, baby!" Elfman shared a high-five with Natsu.

However, Erza kept her eyes focused on the scowling members of Raven Tail, her instincts telling her they were about to pull something at any moment.

Flare just barely lifted her head and gasped in fear as she saw the glaring Lucy. As Lucy slowly made her way toward her, Flare tried to crawl backwards, only to bump into Cancer, who had his scissors at the ready.

"The second she moves her hair, cut it." Lucy told him as she moved forward.

"No lock is moving on my watch, baby." Cancer confirmed.

As Flare saw the approaching Lucy, her fists clenched and ready to continue to beatdown, her vision began to change. Being pounded on like this, beaten senseless and unable to defend herself… it was just like all the other times she lost a fight. All the other times that he struck her with his fists.

'Useless bitch! Why can't you do anything right!'

'You're supposed to be part of my elite! Act like it!'

'You don't wanna be hurt? Then don't loose!'

Tears of fear were welling up in her eyes, and just as Lucy got close to her, Flare put herself in a fetal position, covering her face with her arms and hands.

"No! Please! Stop! Don't hurt me! I'll do anything! Just don't hurt me! Please! Y-You win! You win!"

Lucy stopped in her tracks and looked in surprise as she heard that. Was Flare really willing to give up? The way her body shook, and even the tears that fell to the ground, all of that told Lucy that this woman was terrified, but she doubted it was just because of her. Though she did have all of this coming, Lucy wasn't going to beat down someone on the ground like this.

"Surrender." She told her firmly, causing Flare to look up slightly. "This fight's over, I won't hurt you anymore. So, surrender. Now."

Surrender? Give up? But if she did… that would mean Ivan would beat her all over again. But maybe… if she used this to run away from Raven Tail…? To escape…? Maybe this was it. She could run away after this and not have to worry about him hurting her anymore.

"Okay… Okay… I surren…"

Suddenly, Lucy keeled over. She fell to the ground on her hands and knees just as Cancer vanished without warning. Lucy then hacked out some blood on the ground.

"Lucy!" Natsu exclaimed as he and his teammates saw her keel over on the ground, much to her surprise.

"What happened?!" Elfman exclaimed.

"Her magic power just dropped to zero!" Erza reported, sensing Lucy's magic power vanishing.

"But she didn't even use all that much!" Natsu added.

"That's because it wasn't her." Dante said with a growl, glaring in the direction of Team Raven Tail where they saw the snickering creature on Obra's shoulder. Natsu, Elfman, and Erza glared in the direction of their rival guild as well, knowing what exactly happened.

The audience looked in confusion, and some even concern over what they had just seen.

"Um… could somebody tell me what just happened?" Chapati asked, looking in confusion.

"Somehow Lucy's magical power and stamina dropped down so suddenly, she's no longer able to stand on her own two feet." Yajima answered.

"So, what happens now?" Chapati asked. "Both combatants are unable to compete, so it seems like this match is a draw…"

"No, it's not." Bruni said with an annoyed and disappointed sigh. "Flare is still conscious, and her level of magic power hasn't dropped all that much. I don't know what exactly happened to Lucy, but it seems she cannot compete."

However, Bruni happened to notice the dark glare on Yajima's face, the one that was sent in the direction of Raven Tail. They both knew what really happened, but unless they had concrete evidence to prove it, Raven Tail could not be disqualified, as tempting as it was to do so.

"Well, if that's the case… then is battle is over folks." Chapati announced. "The Winner is Flare Corona. With this victory, Raven Tail has scored ten points, bringing their total for Day One up to eighteen, while Team Fairy Tail A is left with zero."

Flare should feel happy at this. She won, and even though she knew Obra stepped in to give her this victory, it was still a victory. So why wasn't she feeling triumphant as she thought she would? She looked towards her guildmates… and even though she couldn't see past Alexei's face, she could feel his eyes baring down on her. Now she knew why she wasn't happy. She knew what was coming next, and she couldn't run away or flee as she hoped she would.

Many people in the audience had mixed reactions to the end result of the match. There were cheers, but there were also some people who felt concerned over what they had just seen.

"That's it? It's over?"

"That's kind of a letdown."

"That girl looked like she was on fire. She might have won that."

"Why did she just fall over? Is she okay?"

"I thought I saw her puke up blood!"

"Did something happen?"

Some of the other competing guilds looked less than pleased with the results themselves; particularly Blue Pegasus, Quatro Cerberus, Lamia Scale, and even Mermaid Heel.

"How deplorable." Jura scowled in disapproval. "It's not cheating if no one catches you in the act. That's how dark guilds choose to operate."

"What a crappy way to lose." Eve said.

"She knows they cheated, so she shouldn't beat herself up. Still…They won." Hibiki commented.

"Ivan Dreyar…" Kurenai muttered, glaring at the aforementioned master in the stands. "You can't stay in the shadows forever. But when you step into the light… I promise you will get the punishment you deserve."

"Well what do you expect would happen from somebody the suckiest guild in Fiore." Sting said in condescending fashion. "Right Ver…"

"Not a word."

Sting looked towards Vergil in confusion. "Huh? What are you talking about…?"

"Not. A. Word." The eldest Son of Sparda craned his head slowly, revealing a dark look in his eye which caused Sting to back off, his hands raised defensively.

'Raven Tail.' Vergil looked towards the aforementioned guild. 'They are unworthy of the power they have. If it were up to me, I would destroy their whole guild.'

Of course, none were more upset at the results than Fairy Tail. Team A scowled of course, especially Dante and Natsu. Team B was also rather angry, particularly Laxus, Nero, and even Gajeel.

"Crazy hair must have cheated!" Happy exclaimed.

"I don't think she had any kind of spell that could just take down Lucy like that. Otherwise, she would have used it before." Lily said.

"She more than likely had outside assistance." Mavis commented.

"Probably the same one who attacked Wendy and the others before the Games started." Lisanna assumed.

"Lucy had it in the bag, she would have won if it weren't for that." Trish scowled.

"Give me a reason why I don't go up there and kill them all myself." Lady glared, already having her pistols loaded.

"You know why." Gildarts said in a disappointed tone. "We don't have proof and it could get us disqualified. But make no mistake, they will get what they deserve."

"Raven Tail may have won this round, but it's far from over." Modeus vowed.

"What's your plan, Ivan?!" Makarov shouted to his son in the stands. "Are you trying to start a war?! Are you!?"


However, there was somebody else watching the games. The same armored man from the palace had observed the entire fight in person with great interest.

"Sir Arcadios." A royal soldier approached his superior. "I didn't know you were watching form here."

"It's bearing fruit." The man named Arcadios said.

"Excuse me?"

"With any luck, it will be ripe soon. Wouldn't it be nice if we could move ahead of schedule?" Arcadios wondered with an ambitious look in his eyes. "Are you watching, Zeref? It won't be long now."


Makarov's eyes widened slightly.

"You sensed it too, it would seem." The disguised Jellal said as he approached him.

"Yes, an odd magical presence I've never felt before." Makarov replied.

"I have. It's the same power we've sensed in the past Games." Jellal said. "But it disappeared as quickly as it came."

"But now we know it's here." Makarov said. "All we need to do is track it down."

"Thank you for a splendid magic battle!" Mato declared the end of the event. "Please return to the stands so that we may get the next battle underway!"

Flare had already left the arena, but Lucy remained where she was, crying. Tears of frustration flowed down her face. She was so close! So close! She knows deep down that Raven Tail cheated, but that didn't make it any less frustrating.

"There's no need for that."

Sparda's spirit had approached her as he gazed down with a look of concern.

"I-I can't help it…!" Lucy sobbed. "It's just not fair…! I… I trained so hard… I-I wanted to make everyone proud… but I… I brought shame to the guild… I brought shame to you…"

"No, you didn't. Don't even think that." He told his niece. "You were amazing out there. You didn't even need to use your strongest assets and you still would have claimed victory. The fault lies with those cowards, not with you. You've proven that seven year time gap means absolutely nothing. Your mother, your father, your aunt, they would all be so proud of you… every bit as proud as I am."

She looked up with her teary-eyed face to see his smile. "Uncle… Sparda…"

"You brought pride and honor to both your family and the guild. Wouldn't you two agree?" He looked slightly past Lucy to see that Dante and Natsu had also walked onto the field.

"Couldn't have put it any better myself, old man." Dante grinned. "Dry those tears, cous. We still got four days, that's plenty of time."

"Time for an epic comeback." Natsu also grinned as he offered his hand to Lucy, and she slowly reached out to take it. "Zero points? Sounds good to me."

"Yeah…" Lucy tried to put on the best smile she could as the last of her tears went dry. "I'm fired up now…!"


After escorting Lucy back inside, Dante and Natsu met back up with Elfman and Erza in their reserved box.

"Is Lucy doing alright?" Erza asked.

"Still a bit upset but she'll be fine." Dante replied. "She's just getting cleaned up."

"Did we miss anything?" Natsu asked.

"The second battle just started." Elfman answered. "They got one of those pretty boys from Blue Pegasus fighting a chick from Mermaid Heel."

They turned their attention to the fight that was taking place right now. Currently, Ren from Blue Pegasus was squaring off against Arana from Mermaid Heel, and neither combatant was willing to back down.

"It's only Day One of the Grand Magic Games, and this second match of the battle round already has us on the edge of our seats!" Chapati announced. "Ren Akatsuki versus Arana Webb! Will the playboy get tangled up?!"

"You're stronger than last year, but you're still not gonna beat me." Ren grinned.

Arana laughed in response. "I thought a Pegasus-man would object to attacking a lady, I guess I was wrong."

"These two are tough! Just look at that determination!" Chapati commentated.

Yajima nodded eagerly. "This should be a great match!"

"Both are skilled in their respective magics, so it could go either way." Bruni was rather excited himself.

"Stay on your feet, Arana!" Kurenai cheered. "You can do this!"

"Go Ren! Win this one for Blue Pegasus!" Jenny cheered as well.

Arana attacked first, striking with several strands of magic webbing as Ren braced himself, but was caught in her strands and rendered partially immobile.

"Don't let her get you, Ren!" Sherry called out to him from the stands where the observing Blue Pegasus members were. "Go out there and kick her butt!"

"What do you think you're doing?!" Oba scolded. "The last thing we need is one of our own rooting for the enemy!"

"Jeez, give the kid a break, old hag. They are engaged, after all." One member said to their guild master.

"Shut ya trap! Ya want me to spin ya?!" She exclaimed, spinning her finger around and causing that same member to spin around in dizzy circles.

"You already are!" He replied as she kept spinning him.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Ren exclaimed as he broke free of Arana's webbing and turned toward the Lamia Scale box. "We are not engaged! I just can't get rid of her! Get it straight!"

"You're so mean!" Sherry comically cried.

Arana shot more webbing at Ren, but he proved quick enough to avoid all of it with such grace and agility, flipping and bouncing from his hands, never staying still, but there were more than a few close calls.

"You're always stuck to my side… it's annoying…!" Ren stated before stopping when Arana's attacks halted. He looked away slightly with a small blush. "That said… whenever your not around, I just don't feel like myself."

Sherry couldn't help but smile dreamily at him. "That's so sweet of you."

"Why do chicks always seem to fall for the bad boy jerk types?" Yuka questioned.

"I don't know." Tobi barked. "Man I wish I was a bad boy."

"Ah don't be jealous." Sho teased.

"Yeah, I'm sure you two will find love someday. Eventually." Sherria also teased.

"Hey!" They both exclaimed in looks of comic anger.

"As long as she's watching, I can't go making a fool of myself." Ren said before facing off against Arana. "I refuse to lose!"

Both took combative stances and stared each other down. They then attacked, Arana shot the largest steam of webbing she could, but Ren had a more powerful attack primed and ready.

"Aerial Phose!" Ren created a large sphere that acted as a vacuum, pulling in Arana's attack as well as Arana herself. The second she got sucked into it, the sphere sucked up all her oxygen in an instant before exploding. She fell down in an instant, her body in a state of shock from the sudden lack of oxygen and no longer able to compete.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the round as the audience cheered loudly.

"Way to go, baby!" Sherry swooned.

"And the winner is Ren Akatsuki of Blue Pegasus!" Chapati announced. "Their guild has formed an impressive fourteen points on Day One, while Mermaid Heel only has three points."

"Not a good start for Lady Kurenai's team it would seem." Yajima said.

"Don't forget, Mermaid Heel has two top tier fighters on their team, so don't count them out yet." Bruni nodded.

Arana pulled herself up but looked down in defeat. "Que cosa… forgive me Mama Kurenai… I shouldn't have let my guard down."

"Don't feel too bad, Arana. We'll make an epic comeback starting tomorrow!" The Mermaid Heel guildmaster assured from her seat in the stands.

"Yay!" Jenny cheered as she and the rest of Team Blue Pegasus shared a high-five.

"Knew Ren had it in the bag." Hibiki said.

"Indeed. His perfume is most excellent." Ichiya added.

"Wow, his skills have improved a lot these past seven years." Erza observed with the rest of her team.

Elfman noticed a look of disappointment on Dante's face. "What's eating you up?"

"I was rooting for the hot spider chick, but the pretty boy won fair and square." Dante said with a slight sulk.

"You don't think this guy's stronger than Ichiya, do you?" Natsu wondered.

"Natsu, don't be ridiculous." Erza replied. "Ichiya is an incredibly powerful wizard. Despite his insufferable personality, he is without a doubt the strongest wizard in Blue Pegasus."

"Whoa… I had no idea." Natsu looked more than a bit surprised. "Ichiya's that strong… Now all I can think about is fighting him!" He said with an eager grin.

"Eh, I can't take that guy seriously." Dante brushed off. "What I'm wondering is… who the hell is in that blue bunny suit?"

"Yes, I'm rather suspicious myself." Erza agreed.

"So, you guys think it's weird too. That's good to know." Elfman said. "I didn't wanna be rude, but ever since I first saw him, I've been cracking up."

"It's time for the third match-up of Day One!" Chapati announced, drawing everyone's attention as the next two competitors stepped up. The first one was a growling man wearing jeans and what appeared to be the pelt of a dog over his upper body. "Quatro Cerberus' Warcry… Versus Sabertooth's Orga Nanagear!"

The aforementioned Orga stepped out, revealing himself to be a large and muscular man with tattoos on his arms and spikey green hair. The second he appeared, he was greeted with loud cheers and applauses from the audience.

"Just listen to the crowd!" Chapati said excitedly. "He's incredibly popular!"

"You're ready for this, I know you can do it Warcry!" Rocker shouted from his team's box. "Show this dude what it means to be one of the wild bunch!"

"Avenge me in dandy style, Warcry!" Wally called to him, as Warcry himself gave a howl.

"Check it out, it's Warcry. This'll be good." Sting observed with his team. "Have you guys seen his magic before, it's pretty entertaining."

"Yes, I find it fascinating." Rufus replied. "In fact, I've memorized it."

"I couldn't care less." Rogue said, not moving from his seat. After all, there was only one wizard who truly interests him has ever been Gajeel. Though he was also curious about Dante, given he was Vergil's brother.

Likewise, Vergil himself had no interest in this battle either, so he remained in his own seat.

"So tell me Lector, who do you think is gonna win?" Frosch asked his fellow Exceed.

"I think we both know that Orga's got it in the bag." Lector replied.

"Oh, he must have rigged the fight, huh?" Frosch replied.

"Look, Sting is the best wizard we got, right next to Vergil." Lector said. "But all our other members are really strong. Jeez Frosch, if you don't even know that much, you must be even dumber than I thought you were."

"I might be dumb, but I'm cute!" Frosch smiled.

"So, we got somebody from Vergil's guild. Let's see what he can do." Dante said as he and the rest of Team Fairy Tail A observed from their box with serious and curious expressions.

"I'm curious to see how Sabertooth does in a one-on-one battle." Lily commented.

"Well, if this guy's as strong as he looks, this fight's gonna be over super quick." Happy replied.

"Match Three begins… Now!" Chapati announced as the gong rang.

Warcry growled as he stared down the silent Orga. Tears soon formed in Warcry's eyes, much to Orga's confusion before Warcry water flowed out of his eyes like waterfalls.

"There he goes! That's Warcry's signature Tear Magic!" Chapati revealed.

"Can't say I've heard of it, but the name sure is fitting." Yajima commented.

"So that's why he's called Warcry. I get it." Bruni said.

"He's balling!" Natsu looked in comic surprise with the rest of his team.

"Yes, he certainly is…" Erza said.

"That is so not manly…!" Elfman cringed.

"His magic… is literally crying…?! That's… just lame…" Dante commented.

Warcry bawled as much as possible, shedding countless tears as they fell off his face and began to condense in mid-air to form some kind of floating bubbles of tear-water.

"With my magic… the more tears I shed… the stronger I become!" Warcry revealed.

Orga simply extended his hand forward.

"Let's go…!"

Suddenly, before Warcry could even attack, he was stuck down in a sphere of black and yellow lightning. The lightning was so powerful that it took Warcry down in a single shot.

Dante, Natsu, Erza, and Elfman looked in absolute shock at that; as did Team Quatro Cerberus as their eyes shot out from their faces. Laxus also happened to look with a serious expression. Sting smirked unsurprising at the results as the two Exceeds of Sabertooth shared a high-five.

"He used… Lightning?!" Lily covered his ears, his lightning-phobia kicking in.

"It took… one blow….!" Happy's eyes where plain white circles he was in such shock.

"He's got lightning magic?!" Trish exclaimed in shock.

"Why is it black though?" Lady asked.

"Wait… black lightning…?" Lisanna wondered before gasping slightly as she remembered the events of Tenrou Island, specifically a certain dark wizard with black fire. 'Why does that… remind me so much… of him…?'

Sparda and Mavis shared serious expressions with one another, as they were both very familiar with that type of magic.

"And the third match is over in a literal flash!" Chapati announced. "Orga's black lightning scorched Warcry's tears for the win!"

The audience was already in an uproar.

"No way, it's already over?!"

"Whoa! Orga beat him that quick?!"

"Yeah! That guy's a monster!"

"And with that one-hit KO, the winner is Sabertooth's Orga Nanagear!" Chapati announced. "His team has dominated today's events! They've scored a total of twenty points! Meanwhile, Quatro Cerberus only has two points. What a cry in shame."

"Was the crying pun really necessary?" Bruni asked.

Orga was about to walk out of the arena when he heard Sting call to him. "What's the rush, Orga? Couldn't you have made it a little more entertaining?"

He stopped for a brief moment, looking up at Sting before turning around and walking back. "Fine, I'll do a little rap."

"That ain't' what I meant, you big meathead!" Sting called out.

"You told him to provide 'entertainment'." Vergil reminded. "This is on you."

"Give me the mic!" Orga demanded of Mato, who ran up and hastily handed it to him.

"I don't know what's going on out there, but it looks like Orga's about to make a speech." Chapati commented.

"This should be interesting." Bruni observed.

Orga poked at the microphone to test it before starting his rap. "You other guilds think that you ain't cool! But we're so strong, we're gonna make you drool! There ain't no stopping the Sabertooth guild!"

The audience either cheered or laughed at Orga's performance while Team Fairy Tail A cringed with Natsu plugging his ears, Elfman's jaw dropping, Erza sulking, and even Dante looking with a stupefied expression.

"Holy crap… that guy sings worse than you." Cana said to Gajeel.

"Shut up! My music's an artform!" He replied in comic anger.

"Crappy music aside, that guy's strong." Nero commented.

"Yes, Sabertooth certainly has an impressive roster of wizard in its ranks." Mira said seriously. "It's not just Vergil we need to watch out for."

"One of us is up next, so get ready." Laxus said to the whole team.

"And we'll be going up against Lamia Scale, and they're no pushovers either." Cana said.

"Day One's matches are about to come to a close, but we still got one more battle!" Chapati announced.

"Fairy Tail Team B and Lamia Scale are all that's left, so by process of elimination it will be between those two." Yajima said.

"Seven years ago, these two were neck-and-neck, and they were close allies as well. So, this will certainly prove to be an interesting matchup." Bruni was already quite excited.

"Okay folks, are you ready?!" Chapati began as the audience was getting hyped as well. "The final match of the first day is going to be… Fairy Tail B's Nero versus Lamia Scale's Jura Neekis!"

The audience was thrown into a massive uproar, mostly at the mention of the Wizard Saint that was competing. Apparently, he had quite the fanbase.

"I can't wait!"

"Way to go Jura!"

"Hooray! He's the only reason I came to watch the games!"

"I never would have expected him to fight on the very first day!"

"Nero and Jura right off the bat?!" Erza questioned.

"Our rookie against their veteran…" Dante was just as surprised. "Why do I have a feeling this was set up on purpose?"

"Come on, you guys are worried over nothing." Natsu brushed off. "Nero's plenty strong, he and I took down Sanctus, remember?"

"Yeah, but now he's got a one-on-one match against a freaking Wizard Saint!" Elfman stated.

"Nero is a more recent addition to Fairy Tail, isn't that right?" Chapati asked.

"That is correct." Yajima confirmed. "He used to be a member of the Order of the Sword, but he defected to Fairy Tail after discovering the corruption of the Order's leadership."

"From what I heard, he helped take down said leadership." Bruni added. "That kid saved a whole lot of lives. And the fact that we don't know anything else about him makes him quite a wild card. But I know Jura and he won't go down so easily."

The Wizard Saint was already on the field and was greeted with applause and praise by the audience.

"Good luck out there, Jura!" Sheria waved.

"This match is as good as ours." Yuka said confidentially.

"It ain't even started yet, Yuka!" Toby yelled angrily.

"Chill out man, there's no reason to get ticked off!" Yuka replied.


Nero was also making his way to the arena, standing just outside the opening as the rest of his team were seeing him off.

"Guess I'm up." He was about to walk out.

"Hey Nero, watch yourself." Cana told him. "Jura's one of the Ten Wizard Saints. He was a juggernaut seven years ago, so he's definitely gotten stronger now."

"He won't be easy to beat, so be careful." Mira said. "I doubt even Erza and I can beat him in a two-on-one battle."

"I'll be fine." Nero said. "Wish me luck." He then proceeded to walk out; though Mira and Cana couldn't help but look concerned.

"There isn't anything we can do about it now." Laxus told his teammates. "Just sit back and watch it happen."

"I'm not worried." Gajeel smirked with confidence. "That kid and I have been duking it out these past three months, and he's got more than a few tricks that should throw Baldy out there off guard."

As Nero walked toward the opening, he thought about all those who were hurt in these games. Wendy, Carla, Romeo, and Patty who were attacked by Raven Tail before the tournament even started; Juvia and Gray who were beaten back and humiliated so badly in Hidden, and even Lucy who was unjustly robbed of her victory by Raven Tail once more. A part of Nero wished he was up against Raven Tail, just so he can beat them to a bloody pulp for their shitty behavior. One thing was certain though. He was competing here in the Games, and he swore he would give his all for the Fairy Tail guild that was his and Kyrie's new home. He would find a way to win this for them, even if he had to fight someone as strong as a Wizard Saint.


Nero stepped onto the field and met Jura in the center of the arena.

"Personally, I would love to see Fairy Tail do well in this competition, but I'm afraid the old hag would throw a fit if I were to let you win." Jura said. "My sincere apologies young man, but I won't be holding back."

"Good. It won't feel like a real win for me if you did." Nero replied. "And I am going to win this."

Jura chuckled. "I like your spirit."

"Ugh, looks like we gotta watch Fairy Tail bite it again." Sting said in annoyance.

"Those guys suck so much, they're gonna lose twice in a row." Lector added.

"That's stupid." Frosch also said.

However, Sting had noticed Vergil had stood up from his seat and looked toward the battle that was about to take place. "Again? Seriously, why are you always paying attention to those losers?" Sting questioned. "I get the blonde was your cousin, but why are you damn interested?"

Vergil said nothing as he looked down toward Nero with a curious gaze. His attention was also drawn to Nero's right arm, which seemed covered by his jacket sleeve and a glove, while his left hand seemed normal and uncovered.

"So, you're just gonna ignore me now?" Sting asked irritably before looking away. "Fine, have it your way."

"Hey Lector, doesn't that guy down there look kinda like Vergil to you?" Frosch asked.

"Huh, what are you talking about?" Lector got a good look himself. "Actually… he does kinda look like Vergil."

Sting heard that as well and used his own Dragon Slayer senses to try and find out what they were talking about. His eyes widened in surprise to find out that not only did this Nero look like Vergil, he even smelled like him as well.

"The hell…?" He gazed back at Vergil and suddenly realized why he was so interested. Vergil must have picked up on that as well and is probably wondering what the deal is too.

In the Fairy Tail box, Kyrie looked more than a little nervous for her lover's sake. She could tell just by looking at his opponent that this would not be an easy match.

"Is this Jura-person really that strong?" She asked.

"Yeah, he holds the same title as former master Makarov." Droy answered.

"Gramps may have been stronger seven years ago, but I think Jura down there's probably just as strong now." Jet added.

That only caused Kyrie to look even more concerned as she held her gold seraphic necklace tightly.

"I wouldn't count Nero out just yet." Lily said in assurance towards Kyrie. "Gajeel and I have been training hard with him these past three months, so he's a great deal stronger than when he was when he and Natsu beat Sanctus."

"Plus, we both know how creative of a fighter he is." Levy added. "Nero's got plenty of tricks up his sleeve. So, let's cheer for him as loudly as we can, alright?" She said with a smile.

That caused Kyrie to smile back. Her faith in Nero was unshakeable and she would support him in this battle with all her might "Right."

Lisanna happened to glance towards Sparda who had what appeared to be a complicated expression on his face.

"Um… S-Sir Sparda…" She wanted to explain it as best she could to him. "You should know… something about Nero… You see… he's… well…"

"I already know." Sparda revealed, causing Lisanna and everyone else around him to look in shock. "Nero was conceived artificially from the extraction of my own genetic material from my corpse."

A few guild members backed away slightly from Mavis as they felt an aura of rage surround her body. The thought of Sparda's body being desecrated in such a manner greatly infuriated her.

"And such an act is deplorable in every sense of the word, sir." Makarov said. "You and First Master have every reason to feel enraged by that. But Nero is…"

"I wasn't finished." Sparda gently raised his hand, silencing any protest as he continued to speak. "Despite his origins, Nero has proven to be a strong, caring, and noble individual. I understand it's under the most unusual of circumstances… but that young man down there is my son. Artificially bred or not, he's a living being and has every right to choose what path he wishes, and he chose to be a part of Fairy Tail." A smile formed on his face. "While I hold the people in contempt who sought to use him for their own despicable ends, I hold no hard feelings towards Nero… or those closest to him." He turned in Kyrie's direction with a smile. "He has my full support, I promise."

Kyrie still couldn't quite get over the fact that the man before her was the spirit of the figure that she and the Order worshiped throughout her entire life. But the fact that he said he held no grudge or awkward feelings towards Nero and was so quick and willing to accept him warmed her heart greatly. She saw the face of not a god or legendary hero, but the face of a kind man and a father. It may take a while to move past her initial beliefs, but she would try. She smiled back at him.

"So, let's cheer my boy on, shall we?" Sparda said to the rest of his guild, who all smirked or smiled in agreement as they turned back to the main event.

"Go Nero! Win this for Fairy Tail!" Happy cheered.

"Hooray for Nero!" Even Mavis cheered with a smile.

"Come on kid! Show Potato-head down there whose boss!" Gildarts shouted.

Jura slightly twitched, having heard Gildarts' remark toward him but kept his eyes focused on Nero, who in turn focused his eyes on him. Both combatants staring the other down, waiting for the fourth and final match of Day One to begin.

"Fairy Tail's newest member and wild card going up head-to-head with Lamia Scale's Iron Rock!" Chapati announced. "Will the new blood claim victory, or will the seasoned veteran come out on top? Let's get this ball rolling… Now!"

The gong rang, and the final match had begun.

Nero immediately broke out into a run straight to Jura and drew Blue Rose, firing at the elder wizard. However, Jura waved his fingers to create a stone wall to block the bullets. Nero then drew Red Queen in his free arm, revving up the sword like a motorcycle, and sliced his way through the stone barrier to get to Jura.

But Jura had erected an earth pillar from underneath Nero to catapult him into the sky. While airborne however, Nero angled his body and resumed his fire with Blue Rose onto the Wizard Saint, but he was quick to raise more rock walls to block the bullets before creating several more pillars from the ground and sent them in Nero's airborne direction as he began to fall. But Nero was able to angle himself just right that as a pillar came toward his right, he kicked off it with both his feet to send him toward another one, rolling and recovering quickly while running on the curving pillar and keeping his Blue Rose trained on Jura and resumed his fire, but Jura still managed to block it with the same defensive spell.

"You're quick on your feet, I see. Let's see how quick." Jura said before using his magic to raise several smaller walls and pillars on the one that Nero ran on, but Nero was quick to slice through all of them with Red Queen. But as the smaller attacks increased in numbers, Nero found it difficult to counter all of them before he was overwhelmed and pushed off the pillar and sent to the ground.

"Come on! You can do better than that, Nero!" Natsu called to him.

"Nero may be handy with his gun, but he's always been more of a close ranged fighter." Dante observed.

"And Jura is capable of long-ranged attacks with his own Earth Magic serving as a near impenetrable defense." Erza answered. "I hate to admit it, but the odds aren't in Nero's favor."

"Come on kid! Fight like a real man!" Elfman told him.

"Don't be so quick to count him out." Dante said with a grin. "I got a feeling my little bro down there has a few tricks up his sleeve."

Nero was quick to pull himself up and saw that Jura was on the attack once more. "Iron Rock Fist!" Jura sent a massive arm made of solid rock, with the detailed image of an armored gauntlet straight for Nero. The fist itself was bigger than Nero's whole body.

'There's no way I can take him down at a distance like this.' Nero thought to himself as the stone fist came closer, a smirk formed on his face. 'But I think I know how to close the gap.'

"Come on Nero! Move out of the way!" Cana warned.

Rather than dodge however, Nero remained standing as he quipped himself with a certain Devil Arm.

"Gilgamesh!" Nero's arms and legs were covered in shiny metallic gauntlets and grieves, along with back armor and a mouth-plate. Just before the rock fist made contact, Nero threw a punch with his right armored arm. Once his metallic fist touched, not only did it shatter Jura's entire rock fist, it even sent a tremor through the elongated extension, slicing and tearing it apart, causing it to crumble, much to Jura's shock.

"No freaking way!" Yuka exclaimed as Toby's jaw dropped.

"Did he just shatter Jura's attack?!" Sho was in shock.

"Impossible…!" Even Lyon was caught off guard.

"Oh no… Jura!" Sherria was greatly worried for her teammate.

Nero then ran to try and close the gap. "My turn!" Even as Jura erected several rock walls for defense and shot out more large earth-pillars for offense, Nero made short with all of them. His gauntlets extended a pair of small drills, adding to his punching power as he broke and shattered through all of Jura's attacks and defenses, coming ever closer.

"That's nuts. The kid's carving through Jura's attacks like butter." Laxus observed.

"Very impressive." Mira smiled.

"Damn right." Gajeel smirked. "That Gilgamesh weapon of his was strong enough to shatter my iron scales with a single punch." That caught his team by surprise. "So, it can handle more than a few rocks."

"Nero may not be as experienced as Dante, but he's creative and versatile in his own way." Lily commented. "He won't be going down without a fight."

"That's so cool…!" Happy looked in awe at Nero's performance.

Kyrie gently clasped her hands together as she continued to watch the battle unfold. She had seen Nero training with Gajeel and Lily the past three months and knew what he was capable of, but she could tell his opponent was strong. But there wasn't anything more she can do, other than have faith in him.

As Nero got closer, Jura catapulted him into the sky again with another rock-pillar and shot that very same pillar at him while airborne, but Nero was ready for even this. He not only dug his Gilgamesh gauntlets into the pillar, but even activated the saws at the hells, allowing him to carve through and ride down the pillar, quickly closing the gap between him and the shocked Jura.

Nero was already on him in an instant and threw out a punch to Jura's chest, stopping less than an inch. But the force of the thrust was enough to pound into Jura's chest, causing him to gasp as he was sent skidding back on his feet quite a bit.

"Unbelievable!" Chapati exclaimed in surprise. "Nero has just forced Jura back!"

"That weapon Nero is wielding appears to be quite effective against Jura's own magic." Yajima commented. "Perhaps we've underestimated this young man."

"Yeah… It's rare for the big guy to get pushed back like that." Bruni was surprised to see his fellow Wizard Saint get knocked back. But a teasing smirk fell on his face. "Getting soft in your old age, Jura? You can do better than that."

"Jura! What is wrong with you!?" Oba spun her finger, causing an unfortunate guildmate next to her to spin up and down in a circle. "Show that upstart whose boss or I'll spin you!"

Though surprised at first, Jura grinned at his young adversary. "You surprise me, Nero. I guess I took you too lightly. Rest assured though, that won't happen again." Jura's entire body began to glow a yellowish green as the area around him began to shake, almost like a small earthquake had hit the arena.

"Uh oh… Potato-head's getting serious." Gildarts said with a wince.

"Nero's weapon may have been effective before, but Jura still trumps him in experience and has plenty of power to spare." Makarov added. "This fight's far from over."

Despite the ground shaking and the intense aura emanating from his opponent, Nero stood his ground, reading himself and Gilgamesh for the next assault, which came in that one instant.

Suddenly, the ground around Jura broke apart; creating multiple large rocks that hovered around Jura before he thrusted his fingers to send them flying at Nero with the speed and force of a machine gun. Nero tried punching and kicking rapidly to obliterate all the rocks that Jura sent his way, and he seemed to be holding his own well, even though he couldn't get in close now.

"Nero! Look around you!" Cana called to him.

He gasped in shock to see that an even greater number of rocks had completely encircled him from all directions, the frontal attack was only a distraction and he focused too much on what was in front of him and not all around him.

"Crap!" Nero cursed, and he couldn't avoid the next attack.

"Supreme King Rock Crush!" Jura clapped his hands together, causing all the rocks around Nero to shoot at him simultaneously, entombing Nero in a pile of stone. A wave of magical energy shot out from Jura along the ground, causing a pair of transparent magical hands to form around the stone pile before they clapped onto it, causing it to explode in a flurry of magic.

"You fought well, Nero." The Wizard Saint said with approval, letting his guard down. "I commend you for that."

Suddenly, a pair of rockets shot out of the dust pile and right at Jura, exploding around him and forcing him back. He and the rest of the audience gasped in surprise to see the dust cloud clearing, with Nero was still standing, albeit covered in dirt and brusies, and wielding a demonic-looking rocket launcher before it shined and converted into a metal briefcase with the emblem of a demonic skull on it.

"Pandora!" Nero transformed the briefcase into a giant tri-blade shuriken with spade tips. "Grief!" Nero threw the shuriken straight at Jura, who tried to raise a giant rock wall to defend himself, but the shuriken shattered through it and returned to Nero before it transformed again. This time, it took the form of a vehicle-like device with a pilot's seat, thrusters on the back, and multiple rocket barrels all around the pilot's seat. "Argument!" Over a dozen rockets were all shot out at the same time and spread out around Jura before converging on him like homing missiles.

"Rock Mountain!" Jura clapped his hands together, creating a massive rock formation to emerge from the ground under and beneath him, taking the shape of a humanoid clad in Eastern armor and stone protrusions jutting out. The defensive spell was enough to protect against Nero's attack. But the aftershock of the attack was enough to send a strong gale that spread out over the entire arena, much to the shock of the audience, the commentators, Lamia Scale, and several of Fairy Tail, with Natsu, Happy, and Elfman's jaws hanging open; though Dante, Gajeel, Lily, Gildarts, and even Sparda all smirked. Even Kyrie looked in amazement and awe.

Even Jura himself looked quite impressed. 'Just as I suspected, those are Devil Arms you are wielding, aren't they? I know the Order of the Sword had been collecting them, so it would seem that you and Fairy Tail had helped yourself to a few of them. Unsurprising. You are indeed a skilled warrior, Nero. Fairy Tail truly has gained a prominent new member.'

Of course, Jura wasn't the only one who thought that. Vergil knew instantly that Nero was wielding Devil Arms, and he seemed to have a good handle on the two he had been using so far. It was enough to catch Jura by surprise. However, many of his techniques were still amateurish compared to the Wizard Saint and even himself. But it wasn't just the Devil Arms… there was something else about Nero that seemed incredibly familiar. Something that reminded him of Dante and even himself.

The dust cleared and Nero had already closed the gap between him and Jura once again, using the smoke as cover. He swung Red Queen at him, but Jura was able to catch the blade, much to Nero's shock, even as both the Wizard Saint's arms were coated in stone which took the shape of gauntlets akin to his Iron Rock Fist attack.

"You believe I only specialize at defense and long-ranged attacks, hmm?" Jura said with a grin before Jura brought his free armored fist down on Nero to pummel him into the ground. "If you desire for a close combat fight, then I can oblige you." He threw down his other fist, but Nero rolled out of the way in time and quickly stood up.

Nero swung Red Queen again, which Jura blocked with his gauntlets, even as Nero reved his sword to try and cut through them, he was also quick deal a kick to Jura's head. But the large man wasn't that bothered by it before striking Nero across the face to knock him back and then sent flying up with an uppercut before landing on the ground. Nero recovered quickly again and thrusted Red Queen, which Jura blocked with a chop of his right gauntlet and sent a palm-strike with his left into Nero's chest, causing him to gasp with air before he fell to his knees.

"Looks like Jura's getting his second wind!" Toby said with a howl.

"Are you really that surprised?" Lyon replied with a smile. "He's not only the most powerful wizard in our guild, but I personally believe that Jura is the strongest wizard in all of Fiore."

"This isn't good. Looks like Nero might not last much longer." Cana said with a wince.

"Jura's a master of close-ranged combat as well, and it seems he has Nero beat in that regard." Mira said seriously.

"Come on! Get back on your feet, kid! I know you can do better than that!" Gajeel hollered.

Nero was sent back once again by a punch from Jura, one that had him rolling across the ground. The young Devil Hunter appeared out of breath as he tried to push himself up.

"Looks like Nero's in trouble folks." Chapati said. "He may have caught Jura by surprise at the start of this match, but it seems the Wizard Saint has caught on to his tricks."

"When it comes to experience, Jura clearly has the edge. So that's not surprising." Yajima commented.

"And experience trumps natural talent every time." Bruni nodded.

'Damn it… this guy's no pushover.' Nero thought. 'I think he might even be stronger than Byro. Do I really have a chance against this walking tank?'

"Don't give up, Nero!"

He gasped, hearing that familiar voice as he turned toward the box where his guildmates were at.

"You can do this! I know you can!" Kyrie shouted as loud as she could. "Win this! Go Nero!"

"Kyrie…" He muttered before giving a hallow chuckle. 'Yeah… why the hell am I doubting myself? That ain't me.' His right arm began to glow an ominous blue underneath his sleeve and glove. 'I ain't giving up. Not a chance.'

Jura already loomed over him and threw out his armored right fist for what he thought would be the final strike…

Only for a flash of blue light to erupt in-between them. The shine dimmed down slightly to reveal a shocked look on Jura's face.

Nero had caught Jura's rock-gauntlet. But it wasn't that he caught it that took the Wizard Saint by surprise. It was that Nero's Devil Bringer arm was now clearly visible for all to see, causing everyone in the audience, commentators, and competing guilds to look in shock.

Even Vergil's eyes widened in surprise as soon as he saw that. "What…?"

A faint blue aura formed around Nero's body as his eyes began to glow red slightly. Nero then clenched his Devil Bringer, crushing Jura's rock gauntlet right before Nero pulled his demonic fist back and shot it forward, creating a large spectral fist that was as big as Jura's whole body. The attack struck the surprised Wizard Saint and sent him flying all the way to the wall with a crash.

All of Lamia Scale looked with wide eyes and dropped jaws. Most of Fairy Tail, even Team A and the observing members had similar expressions, as did most of Team B as well, save for Gajeel who simply grinned. Kyrie smiled almost emotionally.

Jura pulled himself from the wall and felt his shoulder, a serious look forming on his face. 'I see… he's not just using Devil Arms. This young man… has demonic power flowing through his veins.'

"Are you shitting me!?" Sting exclaimed in shock. "How in the hell does this guy have demonic power?!"

"That's crazy!" Lector also exclaimed.

"His arm is glowing blue!" Frosch added.

Even Rogue stood up in surprise as he looked at the glowing Devil Bringer that was Nero's right arm. 'Demonic power…'

'This boy… the power he wields… it's not just from any ordinary demon.' Vergil thought seriously. 'It's the same power that flows through my veins, through my brother's veins.' He glanced towards Dante before setting his sights on the observing members of Fairy Tail, specifically the ghostly form of his father that he could clearly see standing beside them all. 'The power of Sparda.'

Nero hadn't equipped his Devil Trigger yet, but he looked ready to do so at any time as his demonic aura shinned brighter and he walked closer towards Jura.

"Let's end this." He then shot at Jura at twice his normal speed, readying another strike with his Devil Bringer just as Jura was preparing an attack of his own…

Suddenly, the bell rang. Two dings sounded throughout the arena.

"And time is up folks!" Chapati revealed, just as Nero and Jura were less than an inch from one another, both their attacks ready to be unleashed in a mere millisecond. But the moment the bell rang, they halted their attacks. Nero's aura vanished and he fell on his knees a brief moment to catch his breath while Jura remained standing.

"I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it with my own eyes…" Chapati said in awe. "Nero has fought Jura to a draw!"

"I bet nobody saw that one coming. I know I certainly didn't." Yajima said.

"That was one hell of a fight!" Bruni stood up in excitement. "Probably the best one all day! Talk about ending today with a bang!"

The audience was more than a little shocked themselves.

"A draw!?"

"This guy tied with Jura?!"

"No way!"

"Isn't this guy from Fairy Tail though?!"

"How does somebody from the guild that always comes in last place fight toe-to-toe with a Wizard Saint!?"

"Did Fairy Tail actually get stronger this year?!"

"Both Nero and Jura are still standing!" Chapati announced. "As a result, both combatants are each rewarded with five points! Team Lamia Scale now has a total of eleven points, while Fairy Tail B has six!"

"I don't believe it… Jura tied!" Yuka was just as shocked as his guildmates.

"Who the heck is that guy?!" Toby howled.

"He's gotta be pretty strong…" Sherria said in awe.

"I think that guy was using demonic power…" Sho said.

"Once again, Fairy Tail never ceases to surprise us." Lyon said seriously. "We'll just have to be on our guard as the tournament goes on."

Nero struggled to pull himself up, but looked to see a hand extended toward him. The hand came from the smiling Jura.

"Well done, Nero."

The young Devil Hunter smiled back as he accepted the gesture, grabbing Jura's hand as the Wizard Saint pulled him up. "You too."

"You wield demonic power." Jura observed, causing Nero's smile to fade as his eyes narrowed. "Don't worry, I won't ask about it. It's clear though you got a good handle on it. Fairy Tail is truly lucky to have such a strong and creative fighter in its ranks." A grin fell on Jura's face. "Here's hoping for a rematch. One that won't end in a draw."

Nero mirrored Jura's grin with one of his own. "Bet on it." They shook hands in mutual respect as the audience began to cheer.

"Holy crap…!" Elfman muttered.

"That was awesome!" Natsu grinned.

"Hell, yeah it was." Dante agreed.

"Nero was able hold his own against Jura." Erza observed with a smile. "His wide variety of Devil Arms and abilities as well as his own creative thinking kept Jura from predicting his next move. It's clear that Nero has grown stronger as well."

"You can say that again."

The group turned around to see Lucy joining them.

"Oh, hey Lucy. You feeling better?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah, I'm just fine. Thanks." She assured.

"You saw the fight?" Dante asked.

"On my way back. Nero really did well." Lucy nodded. "We may be on opposite teams, but I'm still proud of him."

"We all are. He's one of our comrades after all." Erza said with approval and pride.


Nero had exited the arena and entered the tunnels where he saw the rest of his team waiting for him.

"Hot damn Nero… talk about an epic showdown." Cana grinned.

"You were amazing out there!" Mira smiled. "Well done!"

"Not bad, kid." Laxus nodded.

"Thanks guys…" Nero muttered. "Really hoping I could pull of a win though."

"Five points ain't nothing to scoff at buddy." Gajeel told him. "You got ahead of Salamander and Dante's team, so we're that much closer to our little 'reward'." He chuckled, earning a chuckle from Nero as well.

"Yeah…"

"Nero!" He looked in surprise to see Kyrie running down the hallway straight to him. Team B cleared the way just as she leapt at him and wrapped her arms around his body. "You were amazing!" She said with tears of joy in her eyes and a happy smile. "I don't care if it was just a draw, you were incredible! I'm so proud of you!"

With a heartfelt smile, Nero hugged his girlfriend back. "Thanks, Kyrie."

Cana and Mira all smiled as did even Gajeel and Laxus at the scene before them. However, another figure appeared before them, causing the four to look in surprise… and especially for Nero as he saw a certain someone gazing at him with a proud smile of his own.

"You gave me chills." Sparda said.

That was all he said. That was all he needed to say. Nero just got a compliment from Sparda. Even though it was short, only about four words, it was a surreal feeling for the young Devil Hunter. One he didn't quite know how to process… but somewhere in there… there was a bit of happiness.

"What? You got a cold or something? I thought you were a ghost." Nero said in a semi-joking fashion as he tried to act cool, walking away with his girlfriend and teammates right behind him.

"You've done the guild proud, Nero." Sparda said, causing Nero to stop briefly. "The entire guild."

Nero still kept his back turned, but a tiny smile formed on his face. "Thanks… old man." He waved back as he and his friends walked away, leaving a proud Sparda behind.


"And with that, Day One of the Grand Magic Games has come to an end folks, and what an exciting start it has been!" Chapati announced.

"Between the events of Hidden and these amazing battles, it's clear that everyone gave it their all today." Yajima said with a smile.

"But the action is only just beginning." Bruni grinned. "Four days left; what events will we be seeing? Who will fight who? I can't wait for tomorrow! It's gonna be a blast!"

"The final score for Day One has Sabertooth in first place with twenty points." Chapati began. "Raven Tail has taken second place with eighteen points. Blue Pegasus took third with fourteen points. Lamia Scale is in fourth place with eleven points. Fairy Tail Team B has managed to score a total of six points to claim fifth place. Mermaid Heel has taken seventh place with a total of three points. Quatro Cerberus is currently in seventh place with only two points. Meanwhile Fairy Tail Team A is left in dead last with jack squat."

"Our team's in last place…" Lucy looked down in shame.

"Don't look so glum, Cous." Dante assured as he patted her back. "We're not done yet. We'll climb back to the top in no time."

"I'll be competing in tomorrow's event, and I'll turn things around for us! You'll see!" Natsu declared.


Meanwhile, Arcadios had watched all the battles from his spot within the arena. His ambitious grin had never once left his face.

"It's finally baring fruit."


In the infirmary, Carla woke up with a gasp. Her face was about as pale as a ghost, even with her white fur. The look on her face suggested she had awoken from a terrible nightmare.

'What was that…? Some kind of premonition?'


"The first day of the Grand Magic Games had mixed feelings for the Fairy Tail guild. We certainly got off to a rocky start. Little did we know there was something terrible going on behind the scenes. I'm writing to you know that the Grand Magic Games are over. They ended a few days ago. To my dear friend Lucy Heartfelia, from Levy McGarden."


Done.

And so, Day One of the Grand Magic Games have come to an end. Here is the total placing for the tournament…

*First Place – Sabertooth – 20 points

*Second Place – Raven Tail – 18 points

*Third Place – Blue Pegasus – 14 points

*Fourth Place - Lamia Scale - 11 Points

*Fifth Place – Fairy Tail B – 6 points

*Sixth Place – Mermaid Heel – 3 points

*Seventh Place – Quatro Cerberus – 2 points

*Eighth Place – Fairy Tail A – 0 points.

The two middle battles pretty much ended the same as the canon; but the real takeaways were Lucy's fight against Flare and Nero's battle against Jura. I had a ton of fun writing both of them.

Lucy's really come to show her growth as a fighter, not just relying solely on her Celestial Spirits but even fighting alongside them and thinking tactically while also showcasing some hand-to-hand combat and even mastery of her dual whips. She was able to put Flare on the ropes without even busting out her two secret weapons. One of which I can confirm is using Gemini to copy herself and perform the Urano Meteria like what we saw in the canon episode. As for the second one, it's an original idea I came up with, that you'll have to see later on. No spoilers. ;)

Flare once again tried to use Asuka as a hostage, but Modeus was able to save her. You can't pull one over on the Dark Knight's student.

But of course, Raven Tail had to cheat in order to claim victory (even though Flare was going to surrender). I know that may be disappointing, but it's totally something Raven Tail would do. Don't worry, those assholes will get what's coming to them.

Then there was Nero's fight against Jura. He was certainly able to catch the Wizard Saint off guard with the use of his Devil Arms as well as his own demonic abilities. The fact that Nero was an unknown to Jura worked to the young Devil Hunter's advantage and it kept Jura on his toes. I didn't want Nero to win this given he was up against one of the best members of Lamia Scale and one of the Ten Wizard Saints, but I didn't want him to lose this either. So, a draw seemed the best way to go about it, and it was one that was well earned. Props and respect for the youngest Son of Sparda, who himself is incredibly proud of Nero.

And it seems Vergil has noticed the connection between Nero and Sparda as well.

(Yes, Vergil can see Sparda's ghost but is choosing not to interact with him. You'll learn more as the story goes on).

The next chapter isn't going to go straight to Day Two of the Grand Magic Games, however. It'll take place in-between the two days as members of Fairy Tail (especially Dante) have a chat with Sparda bout a great number of questions they need answers for, many of which relate to a certain Black Wizard (hint, hint).

I also got a few other surprises for that particular chapter.

It may seem like a filler, but the information that is about to be discussed here is very important and it's best to have a chapter devoted to it. Trust me, you'll find it to be very insightful.

Until then, stay safe and stay healthy out there. Love you guys.