A/N: Hello, readers! Another chapter is here!

Enjoy!

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: EZEKIEL VS. BACCHUS

Toby was eventually on the ground, defeated. "Toby's down! And he's not getting back up! The match is over!" Chapati announced as Sherria sighed while Jura placed a hand on his forehead. "The winner is Blacksnake of Raven Tail!"

The audience soon cheered. "He's strong..." Erza commented.

"Yeah. And I don't think he was really trying hard." Gray agreed.

"Even without the dirty tricks, they've got strong people on their team." Lucy stated.

"This brings Raven Tail up to 36 points. And Lamia Scale has..." Chapati began.

"...20 points." Yajima finished.

"Cool!" Jason exclaimed.

Toby was on the ground, sobbing. "So, what's your secret?" Blacksnake asked.

"My socks... I can't find one of them... Even though I've been searching for it for the past three months, I can't find it for some reason... I... I couldn't bring myself to tell anyone..." Toby replied as Lamia Scale sweat dropped.

Toby stops crying when he noticed Blacksnake pointing to his chest. Toby finally sees his missing sock hanging from his neck. "It was right here all this time?!" He exclaimed as the audience went pale. "You're a nice guy. I found it at last!"

"Yajima-san, what do you think...?" Chapati asked.

"No comment." Yajima answered.

"Cool! Cool!" Jason shouted.

"Good for you, dog-like guy!" Erza teared up.

"Unbelievably, I'm a little touched by this!" Gray exclaimed.

"Um..." Lucy was lost for words.

"Spin!" Obaba said.

Blacksnake then held out his hand to Toby. "Oh, my! The two congratulate each other on a good fight and shake hands..." Chapati said.

Right when Toby reaches for his hand, Blacksnake grabs his sock and tears it to pieces. "Or rather, they don't!" Chapati corrected himself. Lamia Scale stood there looking furious, Gray was trying to hold back Erza, and Raven Tail was laughing.

"It's my nature to want to destroy something precious." Blacksnake informed, walking away from Toby.

"You won't get away with this! I'll spin you!" Obaba began spinning a random guild member.

"Me again?!"

"Okay, let's get back on track with today's second match!" Chapati continued. "From Quatro Cerberus, Bacchus! Versus an opponent from Twilight Phoenix A..."

"Us?" Julian questioned.

"I can take that guy, no problem." Akame said with confidence.

"Don't be ridiculous you just got done with the competition." Zack reminded him.

"There he is! I don't care if they're from another guild, but they better avenge me!" Cana shouted from where she was with Fairy Tail B. Gajeel was trying to hold her back.

"Bacchus... He's a powerful opponent indeed." Loji commented.

"Ezekiel Scarlet!" Chapati finally announced who Bacchus' opponent was.

"Scarlet?!" Fairy Tail exclaimed in shock.

"Erza, is that..." Lucy trailed off.

Erza nodded. "Yes, Zeke's my twin brother." She revealed.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm Erza's brother. Cool it with the surprised reactions." Ezekiel muttered, making Akame and Zack chuckle in amusement.

"Make us proud, Ezekiel-san!" Julian called out as Ezekiel went to meet Bacchus in the arena.

Bacchus and Ezekiel were staring at each other as the crowd cheered for Ezekiel.

"Good luck, Twilight Phoenix!"

"But if his opponent is Bacchus..."

"Hey, how about you and me make a bet like those last guys did? You have some fine ladies in your guild... Specifically that light purple-haired woman on your second team and your sister from Fairy Tail." Bacchus said.

"What do you wanna say?" Ezekiel asked.

"It's an old story. If I win, they're mine. Both of them, at the same time..." Bacchus responded, making the red-haired man clench his teeth in anger.

"Why, you...! You better kick his ass, Zeke! You hear me? You're not laying your filthy hands on my sister, you son of a bitch!" Dusk cursed as Atlas and Nero tried to held him back from beating up Bacchus himself.

"D-Dusk, calm down!" Atlas told him.

Dusk wasn't the only one filled with rage. "You dare touch Dawn and you're dead, bastard!" Riku shouted as Ajar held the silver-haired man back.

"You're disgusting!" Atugia exclaimed. "Men like him absolutely disgust me!"

"Why would he want Erza-sama?" Hana questioned.

"He's trying to get a rise out of Zeke. Erza is one of the few people important to him." Akame answered.

"If you win... Let's see..." Bacchus paused.

Ezekiel chuckled, clenching his katana tightly. "For acting like a bunch of hound dogs... You really have no honor, do you? I'm gonna tear you apart!" He declared.

"Then we have a deal? My soul is quivering." Bacchus said.

The match soon began as Ezekiel found himself on the ground, his katana supporting him as he panted. "Oh my! This is unquestionably a one-sided match! Ezekiel can't land a blow!" Chapati announced as the male breathed heavily and looked at Bacchus who was staring him down.

"Beautiful female and sister all to myself... Nice..." Bacchus commented.

"H-Hey, is that...?" Lucy noticed.

"I can see how he'd fight you to a draw, Erza." Gray stated.

"No, what's really hard to deal with is coming up." Erza informed. "Zeke... Will you be okay?"

"If he doesn't hurry this fight up, I'll go down there and kick Bacchus's ass myself." Akame claimed.

"Zeke will be fine. Have faith in him." Zack told him.

"For once, I agree with Zack." Julian agreed.

"Go, Ezekiel!" Aly cheered from the Twilight Phoenix stands.

"Get him good!" Bruno added on.

"Requip!" Ezekiel shouted, his body being covered in a golden aura as he appeared to wear red armor with a cape and a helmet. He also had a spear and a shield. "Ares Armor!"

He charged forward at Bacchus and tried to struck him with his spear, but Bacchus easily dodged his attacks. "He has the same magic as you, Erza!" Elfman pointed out.

"No, not quite." Erza denied, making Lucy, Elfman, and Gray turn to her. "While it's true he's a Requip Mage, it's completely different from mine. His is called The Olympian."

"So that means it gives him the armors of Greek Gods." Gray said as Erza nodded in confirmation.

Bacchus ended up sending multiple slaps with his palm and elbowed him in the back, sending Ezekiel to the ground.

"Wild..." Bacchus began.

"...Four!" His guildmates finished.

"Even at that speed, Ezekiel's attacks aren't landing at all!" Gray pointed out.

"Maybe it's because of that guy's weird movements..." Lucy guessed.

"His magic is actually pretty orthodox. It's a type where magic converges into the palms of his hands." Erza explained. "But the secret of his strength is mastery of a martial art that allows him to maximize that magic. The style of martial art is called Cleaving Hook Palm and that characteristic stance is used to deliver skillful palm strikes."

Ezekiel tried to attack Bacchus again but ended up getting hit once more. "Palm strikes..." Gray mumbled.

"What was even more fearsome is when he improved on that martial art, devising Drunken Cleaving Hook Palm." Erza continued as Ezekiel got slammed to the arena wall.

"Drunken..." Lucy trailed off.

"You mean he's drunk?" Gray questioned.

"That's right. It's impossible to predict the attacks of a drunken hawk. On top of that, his destructive force has been beefed up, making him a shoo-in to win. Even so, that's not the problem. He hasn't had even one drop of booze yet." Erza replied as Bacchus smirked.

"Cleaving Hook Palm... That's an unusual style of martial art." Yajima commented.

"Actually, I've never seen it myself. Cool!" Jason exclaimed.

Bacchus used his palm as he got pushed back. "Wild..." Bacchus started to say.

"...Four!" His guildmates finished once more.

"Stand up, Ezekiel!" Loji called out to him.

"The movements of drunken Bacchus are as powerful as they are unpredictable." Atlas commented.

"Huh?" Dawn said in confusion. "But he hasn't had anything to drink yet, right?"

"Then..."

"He isn't trying hard at all."

Ezekiel was on the ground as his Ares Armor soon disappeared in a golden glow. "Oh, my! Ezekiel's armor has come undone!" Chapati announced.

"Not only has he consumed a lot of magic power, but it also goes to show how powerful that attack was." Yajima stated.

"Cleaving Hook Palm is cool!" Jason added on.

"Where's your talk about honor now?" Bacchus taunted. "You will keep your promise, right?"

Ezekiel glanced up at him. "Can Ezekiel rise again?!" Chapati asked.

"I forgot one important thing. Today, the Grand Magic Games official mascot-slash-judge, Mato-kun, has the day off, so I'm filling in as the judge, too." Chapati added as Jason was spinning around.

"Two roles! Cool! Two roles, cool!" Jason exclaimed.

"The day off?!" Wakaba repeated.

"Why? All he needs to take a break is change his innards." Macao stated.

"You shouldn't say "innards"!" Happy told him.

Ezekiel soon stood back up. "So you are standing up? I guess all that talk about honor wasn't for nothing." Bacchus said.

"Come to think of it, I didn't decide yet." Ezekiel spoke.

"Huh?"

"The bet... What happens if I win..." Ezekiel elaborated.

"Well, there's no chance of that, so go ahead, whatever you want." Bacchus said.

"If I win, the name of your guild is "Quatro Puppy" for the duration of the Games." Ezekiel informed.

The members of Quatro Cerberus had a look of shock while Twilight Phoenix were snickering. "'Puppy'? As in little dog?" Dusk asked.

"'Four Puppies'?" Dawn questioned.

"I like that! Make 'em say it, Ezekiel!" Atlas grinned.

"Okay, okay. That does it." Bacchus said as he picked up his bottle that was in the arena, getting Akame and Zack's attention.

"Bottom's up..." Bacchus said as he began drinking the bottle. "I think I'll wind this up."

"He drank booze!" Gray exclaimed.

"It's coming... Zeke!" Erza said.

"Now he's serious!" Lucy shouted.

"Uh-oh! Bacchus has hit the bottle at last!" Chapati announced.

"Drunken Cleaving Hook Palm..." Yajima said.

"This is the first time I've seen it before my very eyes! Cool!" Jason shouted.

Bacchus got into a fighting stance. "Come and get me." He challenged. "You should easily be able to beat a drunk like me."

"Requip!" Ezekiel called out, changing into another set of armor.

"It's no use!" Bacchus exclaimed as he charged forward, slapping him multiple times.

"Ezekiel!" Ajar shouted in worry.

"That's Drunken Cleaving Hook Palm!" Atugia exclaimed.

"I-I don't know what happened because I couldn't see it!" Bruno stuttered.

"Seven blows in that one instant!" Erza thought to herself.

"I-Incredible..." Loji muttered.

"That just did a lot of damage, didn't it?" Dawn asked.

"Yes. But..." Dusk paused as Bacchus looked back.

"How was that?" He questioned before his armor around his arms cracked. His hands were also covered in injuries. "What the hell is this?! My hands..."

"Uh-oh! What's this?! Damage to Bacchus!" Chapati said.

"What is that?" Bacchus wondered as he looked over at Ezekiel, who had gold and white armor and a large lance that was all white.

"Zeus Armor!" Ezekiel finished.

Akame grinned. "One of Zeke's most strongest armors, and one of my favorites if I do say so myself." He said.

"End of the line for you, puppy. This is my most powerful armor not to mention the fastest." Ezekiel claimed.

"I think the other guy's in big trouble." Wakaba commented.

"What does he mean to do?" Happy wondered.

"Don't take your eyes off of them. Watch his battle to the end." Macao informed.

Ezekiel side glanced to see Fairy Tail was watching him intensely - Both of their representative teams and those not competing. "Well, it seems I got the attention of my sister's guild. I guess I should give them a good show." He commented.

"Wild..." Bacchus mumbled.

"What's wrong?!" Ezekiel taunted.

"You're an interesting guy! My soul is quivering!" Bacchus exclaimed.

Bacchus charged forward as Ezekiel easily dodged his attack. He spun his lance around in his hand as a magenta-colored Magic Circle appeared, striking Bacchus with lightning. He continued to block Bacchus's attempts to struck him.

"Raging Bolt!" Ezekiel called out, firing gold lightning at Bacchus and making an explosion. He soon landed on the ground.

Bacchus panted as he kneeled down on the ground while Ezekiel's armor glowed as he changed into his normal attire, no longer having any magic power left. Bacchus was gasping for breath as Ezekiel was also panting.

"Your name... is Ezekiel?" Bacchus questioned. Ezekiel didn't reply as Bacchus laughed.

"Wild..." Bacchus raised his fists up.

"...Four!" His guildmates replied.

"No..." Jim muttered to himself.

"Bacchus is the one who got back up!" Chapati exclaimed.

"You know... you're..." Bacchus started to say as he fell to the ground. "...one hell of a wizard."

"D...? Down! Bacchus is down! The winner is Ezekiel Scarlet!" Chapati announced as the audience cheered. "Twilight Phoenix A gets 10 points! This gives them a total of 13 points!"

"P... Puppy?!" All of Quatro Cerberus members turned pale white.

Ezekiel chuckled to himself before he began to fall forward. However, Erza caught him before he collapsed to the ground. "What's up... Nee-chan?" Ezekiel said weakly.

"You're pretty amazing, Zeke." Erza said.

Ezekiel closed his eyes. "Well, I'm related to you after all. Being strong is in our blood y'know?" He stated, making Erza smile as she hugged him tightly.

Twilight Phoenix infirmary...

Ezekiel groaned in pain while Erza was right next to him. With her were Gray, Lucy, and Elfman. His team suddenly barged in. "Holy shit, Zeke!" Akame exclaimed. "You were awesome, man!"

"You totally kicked ass." Julian agreed. "I can almost taste our victory."

"Oi! There's competitors in this room, dumbass! Don't go saying crap like that!" Zack shouted, pointing over at Fairy Tail A.

"Hehe, my bad." Julian apologized sheepishly.

"No need to apologize." Erza reassured.

"We'll leave you guys be. We just wanted to check on Zeke and congratulate him on his win. The next battle will be starting soon." Akame said as him, Zack, Julian, and Hana left the infirmary room.

"You found yourself an interesting guild, Zeke." Erza told her brother.

"Interesting is not how I would describe them. They're... really rowdy." Ezekiel said.

"So, like Fairy Tail then?" Lucy asked.

"I guess, yeah. We kinda took your reputation of pissing off the Magic Council over the course of seven years. That's mostly Akame's fault though." Ezekiel responded. "A Dragon Slayer with anger issues is never a good mix."

"Sounds like him and Natsu would get along very well." Gray commented.

Gray, Lucy, and Elfman soon left, which Ezekiel was grateful for. Now, he could talk to Erza about something more serious. "I encountered Jellal. After his battle with Jura." Ezekiel spoke, making Erza widen her eyes.

"Zeke..."

"I'm not angry, Nee-chan." Ezekiel interrupted. "I know why he's posing as Mystogan. I offered to help him."

"Why?" Erza asked.

"My guildmate, Zack. He's Zeref's son." Ezekiel replied, surprising his sister. "If what Jellal says is true and Zeref really is lurking around, I have to make sure Zack is safe. Even if he is counted as one of the strongest wizards in Twilight Phoenix."

"Very well. I'm supposed to be meeting him later tonight to report our findings." Erza said.

"We should head back to the arena. I wanna see who's battling next." Ezekiel informed as Erza nodded in agreement, the two siblings heading out of the infirmary.

A/N: Just a short snippet of Twilight Phoenix and Fairy Tail bonding, as well as Ezekiel and Erza bonding after seven years (even more than that if you count the times Erza thought he was dead).

Thanks for reading!

~ Kaleb.