A/N: I will be reopening the SYOC submission once I hit the Tartaros + Alvarez Empire arcs for Twilight Phoenix and for the people who have Tartaros and Alvarez OC's.

I'm doing this so people who are reading this will have a chance to submit an OC if they want, as for Tartaros and Alvarez OC's. I don't want to steal any of the main battles in the actual anime, and this is the best way to do it. So, make sure you keep a look out for that!

Enjoy!

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: DAY 2: CHARIOT

In a random bar in Crocus...

The Twilight Phoenix guild members and representatives were gathered in a bar, mourning over their loss on the first day of the Games.

"Zack was right. We shouldn't have participated this year." Ajar mumbled.

"It was a real dumb move. We're just going to make a fool out of ourselves again." Atugia agreed.

Akame clicked his tongue, not liking the mood. "That's it! Zack, Zeke, Hana, Jude! I'm participating in whatever competition is set for tomorrow!" He declared.

"Akame..." Julian muttered.

"It's only day one of the Games. There's seven days in total. We still have a chance!" Akame said.

"Akame is right." Zack agreed. "I know I was against the idea at first, but we can't back out now."

Akame slammed his fists together while grinning. "Hell yeah! We're gonna show all those hotshot guilds we can kick some major ass! Especially those damn Sabertooth bastards!" He exclaimed.

"Damn straight." Zack agreed.

Akame then looked around the bar, seeing someone was missing. "By the way, has anyone seen Dusk?" He questioned.

"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen him." Loji replied.

"I'm not surprised with the way he lost in the competition." Ajar stated.

"He probably doesn't want to be seen right now." Riku claimed.

Akame sighed before heading out of the bar in search for Dusk.

"There you are. I've been looking for you."

Dusk turned around and spotted Akame walking towards him. "Still depressed about what happened?" He asked.

"I completely blew the competition. Out of everyone that was participating, I was the only one who could absorb Rufus's magic." Dusk mumbled. "And he was still able to land a hit on me. How pathetic..."

Akame chuckled. "Well, today's defeat is tomorrow's victory." He said. "Dusk, we're gonna kick ass tomorrow. We'll show everyone... that the underdogs are taking the crown!"

Akame raised his fist up to Dusk, who smiled. "Yeah!" Dusk agreed, doing his and Akame's signature handshake.

"And now, what you've all been waiting for, the second day of the Grand Magic Games has begun!" Chapati announced the next day. "Our guest on this second day is reowned reporter for the Weekly Sorcerer, Jason-san!"

"Cool!" Jason exclaimed.

"Okay, the competition part has already begun! And its name is... Chariot!"

"This competition takes place on top of a line of vehicles, with the idea being reach to the goal without falling off! As the vehicles are always moving, just one moment of carelessness could lead to a misstep! The vehicles will wend their way around the sightseeing spots of Crocus, but which team will arrive at Domus Flau?! Everyone in the stadium, you can watch the race here on Lacrima Vision!" Chapati said.

"Cool!" Jason shouted.

"At any rate, Yajima-san, who could have predicted this turn of events?!" Chapati asked as Yajima only hummed.

"Why did Natsu sign up for this?!" Gray questioned.

"You'd think he would've been able to tell what kind of event it was from the name, "Chariot"!" Lucy replied.

"Once he made up his mind to do it, he doesn't listen." Erza claimed.

"He probably thought he'd be fighting the chariots themselves..." Elfman commented.

"Oh, my! Way in the rear is a groggy-looking Natsu from Fairy Tail A!" Chapati said.

"This isn't gonna work..." Jet muttered.

"And that's not all! Right in front of him is Gajeel from Fairy Tail B, Akame from Twilight Phoenix A, and even Sting from Sabertooth, all moving like molasses!" Chapati stated.

"An idiot. He's an idiot..." Julian scoffed, watching the screen.

"'We're gonna show those hotshot guilds we can kick some major ass', he said." Zack mocked before he shouts angrily. "What do you call this, you blood sucking freak?!"

"W-What's wrong with me?!" Gajeel asked himself.

"What's going on here, Yajima-san?" Chapati questioned.

"I suppose the four of them have something in common." Yajima responded.

"Motion sickness... That's the Salamander's thing..." Gajeel groaned.

"What's going on?! Why is Gajeel like that?!" Lily asked.

"Don't swipe Natsu's character!" Happy cried out.

"And a member of Saber and Twilight Phoenix, too..." Levy added on as both Sting and Akame looked sick to their stomaches.

"This doesn't look good... I never thought the invincible Sting-kun's one weakness would be revealed..." Lector said with his arms crossed.

"Fro thinks so, too!" Frosch agreed.

"At least we were smart enough to choose Loji, otherwise Dusk would've been in the same boat as Akame." Atlas stated as he turned to the Star Dragon Slayer, only to find out he was trying not to puke.

"How could you be sick by just watching?!" Atlas and Nero exclaimed.

"Mate bond... I can feel what Akame feels. It's... not great." Dusk mumbled.

"Alright, let's check in with the leaders of the pack! It's a fierce dead heat at the front! In the lead is Blacksnake of Raven Tail! Ichiya of Blue Pegasus is on his heels, followed by Yuka of Lamia Scale, Risley from Mermaid Heel, and Loji from Twilight Phoenix B!" Chapati announced.

"Men!" Ichiya commented.

"I'm surprised you can keep up with that body type!" Yuka said to Risley.

"Never underestimate a chubby girl!" Risley claimed.

"Some distance behind them is Bacchus from the reserve squad of Quatro Cerberus!" Chapati said.

"I'm pooped... Haven't thrown off the effects of last night's booze yet..." Bacchus stated.

"Wave Boost!" Yuka uses his wave boost to go faster. "You can't use magic while you're in my shockwave!"

"Never underestimate a chubby girl!" Risley repeated, moving to the side of the chariot.

"There it is! Risley's gravity-altering! She avoided the surge by running on the side of the vehicle!" Chapati exclaimed. Ichiya puts perfume bottles in his nose as he passes Yuka.

"I suppose I should make up for that sorry excuse of a performance Akame is making." Loji mumbled. "Power Pulse Magic: Volt Pulse!" He shouted, shooting out a short but strong beam of electricity from his hand, knocking down Yuka and Ichiya.

"Everybody's trying their best... My soul is quivering... Maybe I'll try a little harder, too!" Bacchus stomps on the chariot with his foot, causing Ichiya, Yuka, Risley, and Loji to fly in the air.

"W-What's this?! Bacchus used his power to destroy the vehicles!" Chapati announced.

"He's more powerful than the last time I came across him..." Ezekiel mumbled.

"What's with that guy?!" Hana questioned.

Bacchus rushed past Ichiya, Yuka, Risley and Loji. "See you later! If you fall, you're out!" He called out.

"What is that?!" Ichiya asked.

"That's playing dirty..." Yuka muttered.

"He's underestimating a chubby girl..." Risley said as her appearance changed.

"You're not chubby!" Chapati exclaimed.

"Gravity altering is cool!" Jason shouted.

Bacchus eventually sped past Blacksnake and got first place. Blacksnake got second followed by Risley, Yuka, Ichiya, and Loji. "All that's left are these four, battling it out at the bottom ranks!" Chapati said as the screen showed the four Dragon Slayers.

Natsu tries not to hurl, Gajeel covers his mouth, and Akame was trying not to puke his guts out right on the chariot. "Damn... should've drank a blood bag before the competition if I knew it was going to be like this..." Akame voiced out, groaning.

"I-I don't believe this... I never had any problem with transportation before..." Gajeel mumbled.

"Well... I've finally gotten used to it." Sting stated as Gajeel looked at him in confusion.

"Congratulations to the..." Sting paused as he he almost hurled. "...real Dragon Slayer... Newbie..."

"Why, you...!" Gajeel exclaimed as the Dragon Slayers rammed into each other. "Can't muster any power..."

The audience starts laughing. "Natsu!" Jet shouted.

"Gajeel!" Droy added on.

"Akame!" Ajar exclaimed.

"Is this what he meant by making it fun?" Orga asked.

"He's not trying to be funny, right, Rogue?" Rufus questioned.

"Dragon Slayers get motion sick on vehicles... it seems..." Rogue replied. "I thought it was just Sting and me..."

"Maybe Julian-sama, too?" Hana glanced over towards Julian.

"Don't tell anybody. I'll never hear the end of it from Akame." Julian answered.

"I probably wouldn't have admitted that if I were you." Zack told him.

Natsu tried to go forward. "Move... forward!" Natsu exclaimed as him, Gajeel, and Akame tried to push forward. Sting stayed behind the three.

"Lame... You're totally serious even though you can't draw on any power..." Sting commented as the three continued onwards.

"Go ahead. I'll give this match to you. After this one, we're gonna keep winning anyway. We're not gonna miss one or two points." Sting informed.

"Don't cry about that one point later, kid!" Gajeel claimed as him, Natsu, and Akame continued going forward.

"Would you answer me one thing?" Natsu, Gajeel, and Akame looked at him. "Why did you decide to participate in the tournament? I wouldn't believe you were the same Fairy Tail from back in the day. Are you worried about the strength of your guild? About your public image? The Fairy Tail that I know were more like... They did everything at their own pace... They didn't give a damn about what people thought of them." Sting turned to Akame. "And don't get me started on your guild, Blood Dragon. You're just as worse as Fairy Tail. You entered the Games last year only to make complete and utter fools out of yourselves."

"Damn you!" Ajar shouted as Riku held him back.

Akame chuckled. "You still don't get it, do you?" He asked, looking back at Sting who looked at him in confusion. "Who gives a crap if we're a new guild? All of us... are a lot stronger than we were last year. We learned from our mistakes and fixed them. We're gonna show you and the rest of the guilds participating... that a new guild can strive to the top spot if they work for it! If we have a one-on-one match, I'm coming for your head, Eucliffe! That's not a threat, it's a promise!"

"Akame!" The Twilight Phoenix members cried out.

Natsu spoke up next. "For... their friends..." He began, making Sting get taken aback. "Seven years... All that time... they were waitin' for us... No matter how painful it was... No matter how sad... Even if people made fun of 'em... they held on... They held on... They protected the guild... for their friends... And now we're gonna show everyone... the proof that Fairy Tail's been walking on all this time! So keep on goin'!"

"Natsu..." The Fairy Tail members had tears coming out of their eyes. Natsu and Akame kept on going until they crossed the finish line.

"Goal! Akame of Twilight Phoenix A, 3 points for being in seventh place!" Chapati shouted as Akame landed on the ground.

"Oh, thank heavens that torture is over..." Akame groaned.

"Right behind him is Natsu of Fairy Tail A, 2 points for being in eighth place." Chapati continued as Natsu dropped on the ground next to Akame.

"I got our first points!" Natsu cheered.

"Gajeel of Fairy Tail B, 1 point for ninth place!"

Gajeel collapsed on the other side of Akame.

"They're tenacious, I'll give 'em that!"

"Yeah. Wow..."

"Who are those guys?!"

"Fairy Tail, huh? I kinda liked that..."

"Twilight Phoenix, too. Their resolve is kinda nice."

"I'm a little touched..."

"I think I might cheer the both of them on..."

The audience began clapping.

"Good going, Fairy Tail!"

"You rock, Twilight Phoenix!"

"I'm gonna be rooting for you guys from now on!"

From both Twilight Phoenix and Fairy Tail stands, the two guilds were getting emotional. "We have fans!" Riku sobbed out.

"It's all thanks to Akame's speech." Atugia wiped a tear.

"Who knew that guy could actually make a heartfelt speech to make all of us cry. Natsu, too." Ajar pointed out.

"And Sabertooth's Sting gets 0 points for dropping out!"

"For their friends? What nonsense..." Sting muttered before thinking back to Akame's words.

"If we have a one-on-one match, I'm coming for your head, Eucliffe! That's not a threat, it's a promise!"

Sting snorted. "You can try, Blood Dragon. You'll just end up with the same result. Falling straight to the bottom. Where you and the rest of your newbie guild belong." He mumbled to himself.

Dusk, who overheard Sting when he was heading to the infirmary to give Akame some blood, chuckled under his breath. "I don't know about that. Whenever Akame has a set goal in mind, he does whatever he can to achieve it." He then grinned. "Besides, he hasn't even shown his true power yet."

"Alright, now Raven Tail is in first place!" Chapati announced.

"Cool!" Jason exclaimed.

"Sabertooth has dropped to second place!" Chapati informed.

"Sabertooth is in second?!" Lector questioned.

"I think it's Sting's fault..." Frosch replied.

In Twilight Phoenix's infirmary...

Dusk entered the infirmary, seeing Akame hunched over and grabbing onto his head. "Man, you look like shit." Dusk commented.

"Shut up... Christ, that was the worse experience ever. Never again." Akame groaned weakly.

"Got a snack for you." Dusk said, throwing the blood bag on the bed. Akame took it gratefully.

"You are an angel."

Dusk smiled as he watched Akame sink his canine teeth into the bag, his tanned skin coming back. Akame finished the blood as he let out a relieved sigh. "Better?" Dusk questioned as Akame hummed.

"We should head back to our teams. The battle portion will begin shortly." Akame informed Dusk nodded in agreement.

"About what you said to Sting..." Dusk began as Akame turned his head to look at him. "Did you mean it?"

Akame grinned. "Of course. You know I'm a man of my word, Dusk." He answered as Dusk smiled.

"Yeah."

"Okay, now on to the much-anticipated battle part! In the first match is Blacksnake of Raven Tail, a new guild that's currently the front runner, versus Lamia Scale's Toby Horhorta!" Chapati said as Toby howled.

"It's a confrontation between snake and dog! Which will win?!"

"I hope we see a fair fight." Yajima commented.

"Toby is way dog! Cool!" Jason exclaimed.

"Has the match started?!" Akame asked, rushing to his teammates.

"Akame-sama, you're okay." Hana replied.

Akame laughed. "Of course I am. Dusk stopped by the infirmary to give me some blood. I feel good as new." He sent a thumbs up.

"Although your performance was totally lame." Zack teased.

"Shut up! I got us points, didn't I?" Akame shot back.

"Anyway, that dog-like guy from Lamia Scale is fighting. His opponent is from Raven." Ezekiel informed as Zack clenched his fist.

At the sound of the gong, the match soon started. "Super Paralysis Claw Mega Mega Jellyfish!" Toby tried to swipe at Blacksnake but he dodges. Blacksnake soon disappears.

"He disappeared!" Toby exclaimed.

"Fool! It's Mimic Magic!" Jura warned.

Blacksnake then attacks Toby. "Sand Rebellion!" Toby goes flying as the sand attacks him. Then, Blacksnake appears again.

"That's my magic!" Max said.

"So he can mimic the properties of anyone's magic!" Laki stated.

"Mimic... That's unusual magic." Mavis commented.

"Do your best, dog-like person!" Romero cheered.

"Bust up Ivan's guild... dog-like person!" Master Makarov encouraged.

Toby howled. "You're strong." He said.

"You're tough, too." Blacksnake stated.

"Blacksnake's a cool name!" Toby said.

"It's not my real name..." Blacksnake told him.

"It's not your real name?!" Toby exclaimed in anger.

"That ticks you off?" Blacksnake questioned.

"You! If I win, you're tellin' me your real name!" Toby informed as he tried to attack Blacksnake with his claws, but Blacksnake dodged.

"That's fine, but what if I win?" Blacksnake asked.

"I'll tell you a secret about myself!" Toby replied.

"That sounds interesting." Blacksnake said.

"Apparently, they've made a weird bet." Chapati commented.

"I'm not interested in learning either one, though..." Yajima said.

"Cool!" Jason exclaimed.

"A bet? I like the sound of that..." Bacchus said to himself.

Toby keeps trying to attack Blacksnake, but Blacksnake keeps dodging his attacks. "Why, you! C'mere! Fangface!" Toby insulted.

Elfman grinned. "A Man!" He simply said.

A/N: Another chapter is completed!

Thanks for reading!

~ Kaleb.