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

Enjoy!

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: JULIAN VS. GRAY

"Oh, my! Fairy Tail's Gray and Twilight Phoenix's Julian are going to duel in the library!" Chapati announced as Gray and Julian were shown on the Lacrima-Vision.

"Did you calculate this too, Number One?" Romeo asked, turning towards the founding master.

"No. Gray was supposed to meet up with Rufus." Mavis replied, shocking everyone.

"Twilight Phoenix must have a strategist to counter with yours, then." Makarov hummed.

Twilight Phoenix was watching screen as well. "Gray is one of Fairy Tail's strongest members. He shouldn't be taken lightly." Atugia commented.

"Is Julian-sama gonna be okay?" Hana questioned.

Ajar chuckled. "I think he's got this covered." He replied.

The night before...

"You want me to go against Gray?" Julian asked as Team Twilight Phoenix was still at the bar.

"Yes. I assume he'll be going after Rufus due to what happened during the competition on the first day." Nero explained. "Loji will intercept Rufus and defeat him before he reaches the library, where you'll meet him. Can do you do it?"

Julian takes a deep breath and looks at Nero, nodding in reply. "Leave this to me, Nero-san. I promise I'll take Gray out."

Gray puts his fist in his palm. "Here I go!" He declared as frost appeared in his hands. "Ice-Make: Freeze Lancer!" He called out.

Julian jumps in the air, nearly avoiding Gray's attack. "You're not getting away! Ice Impact!" Gray shouted as Julian avoided his attack once more, landing back on the ground.

"Are you actually gonna fight or are you just gonna dodge the whole time?" Gray questioned.

"If it's a fight you want, then so be it." Julian answered. "Frost Dragon's Roar!"

"Ice-Make: Shield!" Gray tried to protect himself from the attack but his ice shield was destroyed by Julian's breath attack, making him collapse to the ground.

Juvia looked over to see that Gray was struggling to get up. "Gray-sama!" She exclaimed.

"Oh, my! Julian has Gray on the ropes with a fierce attack!" Chapati announced.

"So you're a Dragon Slayer... I gathered that on the third day." Gray breathed out. "You were taught by a dragon like Natsu and the others, huh?"

Julian chuckled. "Oh, you're sorely mistaken. I'm a Second Generation Dragon Slayer. I had a Dragon Lacrima implanted in me. Much like the Laxus on your team." He explained.

Gray slowly got up. "Gray has managed to get up!" Chapati announced.

"You can still move? Well, I didn't think this was going to be that easy." Julian stated, sending a wave of frost at Gray and sending him to the ground once more.

"Oh, my! W-Will Gray be able to get up again after that fierce attack?!" Chapati wondered.

"Gray-sama! If I could, I would rush to your side... but Juvia believes in Gray-sama! So I'll follow Number One's plan." Juvia said to herself, watching the screen.

Gray tried to attack him but Julian sent his breath attack at him again, sending him crashing into a bookcase and causing an explosion, getting Juvia's attention. "Gray-sama is over there..." She muttered to herself before shaking her head and continuing on her way.

"This is a one-sided fight so far. Will Julian win?" Chapati questioned.

"Of course he will." Aly replied, crossing his arms against his chest.

"Something wrong, Atugia?" Ajar asked, seeing the distressed look on Atugia's face.

"Sorry, it's nothing." Atugia waved his concern off. "I'm just wondering if things are going well for Akame and the others."

"We keep walking and walking, but there's no exit!" Lucy complained.

"Didn't we pass by here before?" Lily questioned as Natsu, Akame, Dusk, and Zack were sniffing around.

"Well, Natsu?" Mira asked.

"No good. Nobody's gotten out of here in a long time." Natsu replied.

"I can't smell an exit either." Akame added. "Dusk?"

"I'm drawing a blank as well." Dusk responded.

"That spells trouble for us." Mira stated.

"Come to think of it, Dragon Slayers have a strong sense of smell, right?"

"But human odors don't hang around for long." Zack explained.

Lucy soon realized someone was missing from the group. "Huh? Where's Happy?"

Happy soon appeared with a skull on his head as Lucy screeched. "What are you doing?" She exclaimed as Natsu was holding a skull in his hand.

"Look at the skulls lying over here." He commented.

"Don't pick it up!" Lucy scolded.

"What's with you?" Natsu asked.

"Well, this is the capital of death... I guess I could say." Lily stated.

"Princess Hisui said this is the final freedom, where all criminals end up." Carla said.

"And looking at these remains, it seems like no one had succeeded in getting out of here." Jim added.

"This is freedom? Not despair?" Lily questioned.

"She said we wouldn't get outta here, but gimme a friggin' break." Natsu pounded his fists together. "Just for that, we're definitely gonna get out. I'm fired up!"

"That's right! If she thinks we'll give up, she's sorely mistaken!" Lucy agreed.

"If we split up, I'm sure we'll find a clue to an exit." Wendy added.

"You're all so strong." Yukino commented.

"I think 'stubborn' is the word you're looking for." Akame told her as Dusk hummed in agreement.

"Let's hang in there! Every pinch has some kind of way out." Lucy said.

Everyone soon regrouped. "Um... Everyone..." Yukino began.

"No matter how many rocks I destroy, there are more rocks!" Natsu complained.

"I guess there are pinches that have no way out..." Lucy muttered.

"Even though we split up, we didn't find anything." Wendy added.

"'Hell' is the right word for this place." Lily commented.

"I bet that princess is watching us struggle and laughing." Carla said.

Happy turned around. "She's watching?" He questioned.

"Nice hobby she has..." Mira said.

"Hobby?!"

"Happy?" Natsu asked.

"I thought of a good idea!" Happy exclaimed.

"What's your idea?" Lily questioned.

"I'm not sure I wanna know..." Chii mumbled.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Carla added.

"Yeah..." Lily agreed.

"You said somebody's watching us and that it's a nice hobby, right?" Happy asked.

"Yeah, yeah." Natsu and Lucy nodded their heads in sync.

"I bet the kingdom's soldiers have us under surveillance." Happy said.

"You mean they're guarding us?" Natsu questioned.

"I see..." Lucy muttered.

"True, it seems like they'd do that." Mira added.

"Right? So let's get the guards' attention and lure them here." Happy said.

"Then we hit 'em!" Natsu exclaimed.

"No! As soon as the guards come here, we brillantly escape!" Everyone looked to see what he had drawn on the ground. "Well?"

"I understand what you're saying, but this drawing is..." Dusk started to say.

"Scary, isn't it?" Wendy finished.

Happy had a gloomy expression. "Lure them here, you say?" Carla quoted.

"We don't know where they are or if they're watching us, so how do we get their attention?" Lily asked.

"I've got it!" Natsu exclaimed.

"That's my Natsu!" Happy cheered.

"Strip!" Natsu and Happy ordered Lucy, pointing at her.

"Excuse me?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"After all, the soldiers are all men!" Happy informed as pictures of Lucy and Mira in bikinis were in Natsu's hands.

"Like this!"

"D-Daring!" Yukino stuttered as her face was bright red, backing away a bit.

"It was only for work! And we don't get that much attention..." Lucy informed.

"Isn't this really old?"

"A Weekly Sorcerer from about seven years ago, right?"

"Seven years ago?"

"You probably don't know about it, Yukino-san." Wendy informed.

"This makes me feel nostalgic." Mira claimed.

Akame glanced over at Zack as he gave him a smug look. Zack sent him a look that screamed, 'don't you even dare'. Akame just raised his hands in defense.

"Why do you have that in the first place?" Lucy asked.

"It was lying over there." Natsu answered, pointing to some remains.

"There's a journal. 'It's been three years since I was shut up in here. As I wait for the end, these cheesecake photos soothe my mind. Mira-tan is cute. Losing consciousness as Mira-tan gazes at me from the page... Together with Mira-tan...'" Lily reads as he pales. Everyone else did as well.

"I'm suddenly starting to get scared." Carla commented.

"The guy never mentioned Lucy." Natsu realized.

"What do I care?! I shouldn't even make a comment!" Lucy scolded.

"Then let's do this thing! I call it 'Appeal to Men's Instincts! Operation: Cheesecake Escape'!" Happy declared.

"I'm fired up! Let's go, Lucy!" Natsu said.

"I'm gonna do it?!"

Mira posed in a red bikini. "I'll support you!" She cheered.

"You're too into it!" Lucy commented. "And where am I gonna get a swimsuit?!"

"Is Fairy Tail always like this?" Zack asked.

"There's one on the ground over there."

"No, not always." Wendy responded.

"I hate this in more ways than one!"

Lucy was finally in a bikini. "Jeez! If I'm gonna do this, I'm going all out!" She claimed.

"But of course!" Natsu said.

"They may be able to hear you too, so let's include a commentary!" Happy suggested.

"Entry number one! Lucy Heartfilia!"

"Meow! If you don't let us out of here, I'm gonna punish you!" Lucy said.

Lily held up a 4. "I don't know what she means!"

Happy was holding up an 8. "Erotic!"

Carla held up a 9. "Well, not bad..."

"What is this?" Lucy questioned.

"Entry number two! Mirajane Strauss!"

"You want to see me go all out? Then come and get me, but be prepared to die." Mira threatened.

"That's not what we're supposed to be doing here!" Lucy complained.

"Um... After going this far, it's hard for me to say this..." Wendy started to say.

"...but if no one is actually watching, then isn't this meaningless?" Yukino finished.

"They do make a valid point." Akame agreed.

"I feel like we're wasting our time." Dusk added.

"It's better than doing nothing!" Happy claimed.

"Better?" Carla quoted.

"Yeah! I'm sure they'll be right out! Don't sell Fairy Tail short!" Natsu said before addressing Lucy, "So I'm countin' on you!"

"You're putting it all on me?!" Lucy exclaimed as Yukino smiled a bit.

"You know, you should smile a lot more, Yukino." Akame pointed out.

"Huh? I was smiling?" Yukino questioned, not realizing she was as Natsu and Lucy continued to bicker.

Another explosion went off as Gray rolled on the ground. "Oh, dear! An awesome follow-up attack! Is Gray helpless to do anything but lick the floor?!" Chapati announced as the audience cheered.

Julian chuckled as he was sitting on the railing before finally hopping back down on the ground. "I will admit, I underestimated you just a tiny bit. I didn't think you would hang on for this long. Guess you aren't one the strongest wizards in Fairy Tail for nothin'." He said.

"Hey, Gray!" Natsu's voice was soon heard. "Quit dilly-dallying and take this kid out!"

"Shut up! That's just what I'm about to do!" Gray exclaimed, getting into a fighting stance.

Ice soon appeared from the ground as Julian dodged it in time. "Oh, my! Has Gray Fullbuster started to counterattack at last?!" Chapati wondered, making Juvia smile.

Julian landed back on the ground, still having a calm look on his face. Gray ended up removing his shirt. "He took it off! He took it off! He took it off!" Chapati exclaimed as the women in the audience went wild.

Juvia was covering her eyes. "Gray-sama!" She squealed.

"He took off his shirt." Mavis said.

"He did." Makarov stated.

"Yeah! That means he's in serious mode!" Warren claimed.

"Everything you've taken up to now, dish it out to him, Gray!" Max cheered.

"Finally getting serious, huh? In that case..." Julian trailed off as his eyes glowed. "Freeze!"

Gray was suddenly frozen in place, not being able to move. "What the hell?!" He asked himself.

"Frost Dragon's Glare is a magic used for freezing anything in place. A trick I learned glaring at my missed targets. Which means... You're mine!" Julian declared. "Frost Dragon's Forbidden Art!"

"Yes!" Hana cheered.

"Strike him now, Julian!" Atugia shouted.

"Sub-Zero Storm!" Julian finished chanting his spell as Gray was turned into cold stone. The stone then shattered as Gray collapsed in defeat, shocking Fairy Tail and making the audience cheer.

"He won!" Ajar cheered.

"Julian did it! Twilight Phoenix won! Gray lost!" Chapati announced as the audience cheered once more.

"I quit!" Lucy whined as her and Happy paled.

"Just showing them was a waste of time." Mira stated, transforming back into her normal outfit.

"Nobody's come..." Natsu muttered.

"That operation failed." Carla commented.

"They showed off for nothing." Lily stated.

"I somehow saw this coming." Jim added.

"And I was so sure it would work..." Happy said.

"I guess that means they're not monitoring us." Dusk informed.

"Then maybe we should look for another means..." Zack suggested.

"That's all we can do."

The group began to walk away. "I'm tired from thrusting my chest out." Lucy complained.

Everyone was unaware of the single-eyed flower that sprouted, watching them.

A/N: Another chapter is finished!

Thanks for reading!

~ Kaleb.