A/N: Episode 163.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX: SATSUKI VS. JENNY

Fairy Tail A were currently walking in the tunnel hallways back to their balcony after Aira was checked after his fight with Bacchus. "Still, those Raven Tail jerks play dirty right out in the open..." Natsu was saying.

"I wonder if their intention is to take us out one by one." Erza said. Carla stops in her tracks.

"I've still got my doubts about what happened." She informed.

"What is it, Carla?" Wendy asked.

"I already heard the basics..." Erza added.

"We assume Raven Tail used a guild of bandits in an attempt to kidnap Lucy. But thanks to them screwing up the objective and Natsu's pursuit, the scheme failed twice over." Carla explained.

"Doesn't that make sense?" Gray questioned.

"Although we don't know what they were planning to do with her..." Erza added.

"Don't even go there!" Lucy exclaimed.

"The issue is the method of capture. One of the members of Raven Tail that attacked us has the power to reduce his opponent's magic power to zero for a moment." Carla said.

"Right... Master suspects that he's the one who canceled out Lucy's magic on the first day." Erza said.

"They've got a wizard whose magic would be perfect for a kidnapping, so why wasn't he part of the operation?" Carla wondered.

"Well, probably because the rules of the battle part, which require all participants to stay close to the arena." Aira stated.

"That's because nobody knows who's going to be chosen for battle 'til just before." Gray added.

"You're overthinking it, Carla." Wendy stated.

"Yeah." Lucy nodded in agreement. "I know very well that results matter much more to them than means."

"Well, either way, if we're being targeted outside of the arena, we mustn't let our guards down, and try not to be alone at any time." Erza said.

Carla recalls the vision she had. "What really bothers me is the question of why they were after Lucy..." She thinks to herself.

"It's the third match of the second day of the Grand Magic Games! Satsuki Fujitora from Fairy Tail B versus Blue Pegasus reserve member Jenny Rearlight!" Chapati announced as Gray joined the rest of the non-participating Fairy Tail members in the stands.

"Have you recovered?" Lily asked, noticing Carla joining him, Boris, Cain, and Happy.

"Carla!" Happy waved his arms in excitement.

"Wendy's okay now, too. I was told that everyone but the participants have to stay in these seats." Carla said.

Happy jumped in the air. "I was so worried about you!" He exclaimed as Carla moved out of the way, causing Happy to fall behind her.

"Never mind that. The match has already started, right?" Carla asked. "There's no sense being hung up on my dream now. I've got to cheer our guild on!"

"Satsuki! Do your best! Uh..." Carla stopped her cheering when she saw what was happening in the arena. "What is this?!"

"They're..." Happy muttered. Lily nodded his head as Makarov had heart eyes.

"Master, calm down." Romeo said, not amused.

"Like this?" Satsuki questioned as she posed in a bikini. The men in the audience had heart eyes.

"How's this?" Jenny asked, also in a bikini and posing.

"What the hell's goin' on here?!" Aira and Natsu said in unison.

"Satsuki-san..." Wendy mumbled.

"What do you know... I never expected this from Satsuki." Boris claimed as Cain nodded in agreement.

"This is despicable." Carla commented.

"Like so?" Satsuki questioned, this time in a different bikini.

"Hi..." Jenny said as she was in a pink leopard bikini and the crowd went wild.

"They do this kind of thing in the battle part too?" Wendy asked Lucy.

"I imagine this involves a special rule... Or at least, I hope so..." Lucy responded.

"Who would've figured we'd have to dip into our reserves on the second day..." Hibiki commented.

"Couldn't be helped. Not with Ichiya-san like that..." Ren said.

"A competition that relied on physcial strength must've been really tough on him." Eve added.

"I didn't think you'd agree to do a pinup idol showdown." Jenny confessed.

"This ain't usually my kind of thing, so don't get used to it." Satsuki claimed.

"I'm Chapati Rola, a judge along with Yajima-san, and reporter Jason of the Weekly Sorcerer!" Chapati announced.

"It's a big responsibility!" Yajima claimed.

"Both of them are cool beauties!" Jason exclaimed.

"What's the next swimsuit going to be..." Chapati trailed off.

"Hold it!"

A sudden shout got everyone's attention. "It won't do to let these little girls get all the attention! When it comes to strength as well as beauty..." Risley started to say.

"...Mermaid Heel is number one!"

"Why do I have to be out here?" Beth asked.

"This is an unforseen happening! Mermaid Heel has crashed the battle! And I'm happy that Risley is slender for the moment!" Chapati said.

"Stop right there!"

Another voice soon joined in. "You people don't have enough love! If you think you can please the crowd just by posing in swimsuits, you're gravely mistaken!" Sherry and Sherria soon joined the field. "It's all about love! Without love..."

"...You can't beat us!" Sherria finished.

"And now Sherry and Sherria from Lamia Scale have joined the party!" Chapati said.

"You three can't just sit back and watch either! Let's all join in!" Mavis told Lucy, Wendy, and Erza.

"Why?!" Lucy questioned.

"When other people from the cheering section take the field, doing nothing is not an option!" Erza claimed as both Lucy and Wendy looked at her in disbelief.

"Swimsuits look best on Juvia, the water-manipulating wizard!" Juvia exclaimed.

"What, you're going out there too?" Gajeel asked.

"A woman in love has to battle at a time like this." Juvia replied.

Laxus sighed. "I'm sick of hearin' about it..." He said.

Soon enough, every woman was on the field participating. "I think this has gotten out of hand..." Satsuki stated.

"Well, it's not so bad as a fun little stunt..." Jenny claimed.

"It's chaos here! And yet, the crowd is eating it up, so we'll go with it!" Chapati said.

"Not to mention we'd have a riot on our hands if we put a stop to the fun now!" Yajima added.

"This is great! So cool!" Jason exclaimed. "It's settled! The next Weekly Sorcerer cover story will be a wizard swimsuit competition!"

"Still and all, this match is just between Satsuki and Jenny!" Chapati reminded.

"In that case, there's no point in us being out here!" Levy informed.

"Oh, the main thing is that we have fun!" Mavis said.

"How is it that a ghost like you gets such a kick out of this?" Cana asked.

"I bet anything her personality has an effect on the mood of our guild!" Lucy responded.

Erza looked up and saw Evergreen. "What, you're here too?" She asked.

"I won't let your people hog the spotlight." Evergreen stated.

"The next theme is school swimsuits!"

"Why are we suddenly in weird fetish swimwear?" Levy questioned.

"You don't really look that out of place in one, Wendy." Lisanna said.

"That doesn't make me happy!" Wendy exclaimed.

"Next up is bikinis and thigh-high socks!"

"For some reason, this feels even more embarrassing than the swimsuit alone..." Lucy said.

"Moving on to girls in glasses!"

"This isn't any change for me..." Laki stated.

"Cat ears!"

"Is there any point for me to wear them?" Carla asked.

"Bondage!"

"This is also a form of love!" Sherry exclaimed.

"You're too into it!" Sherria told her cousin.

"Well, Erza? Are you about ready to admit defeat?" Evergreen asked.

"Did you say something?" Erza questioned.

"I lose..." Evergreen bowed.

"The next theme is 'wedding dress'! Prepare a partner, then get into bridal gear!"

"Keep in mind, this is a one time thing, Poseidon." Satsuki said as her arm was wrapped around Aira's bicep.

"I would rather drink acid than marry you." Aira scoffed.

"Well, you were at hand..." Jenny told Hibiki.

"That's actually even more of a turn-on..." Hibiki said.

Droy punched Jet's face. "I'm Levy's groom!" He protested. "She already rejected you!"

Jet punched him back. "It's the same with you!" He argued.

The two of them looked at Levy, who was looking at Gajeel. "You're not paired up with anyone?" Lily asked, pairing up with Asuka.

"This is ridiculous. I'm better off just taking a nap." Gajeel replied, making Levy sigh. Jet and Droy both paled.

"I'm the groom for you, right, Carla?" Happy asked.

"Well, since we are both Exceeds..." Carla replied.

Lyon carried Juvia bridal style. "Juvia! I'm the only one for you..." He claimed.

"Lyon-sama! But Juvia is..." Juvia began to protest but was interrupted by Gray kicking Lyon aside and catching Juvia.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia exclaimed.

"It's no fun letting a teammate get snatched by a jerk from another guild." Gray stated.

"Juvia is so happy!" Juvia cheered, tackling Gray down.

"Our love is steadfast!" Sherry said to Ren.

"Don't be so clingy! You'll make me fall in love with you even more..." Ren told her.

"Who should I...?" Lucy looked around before she got picked up by Loke. "Loke!"

"Let's take this opportunity and really get married!" Loke stated.

The bell soon rang. "The wedding showdown is over! Let's go back to the swimsuit showdown!" Chapati announced.

"I think it's about time for me to put in an appearance!"

"That's..."

"Lamia Scale's Oba Babasama is going to show you what a woman's charm is!" Oba said, flying down into the arena as she appeared in a swimsuit. Everyone turned a pale white and was left traumatized.

"With that single strike, the excitement in this arena went down the drain. The interlopers suddenly lost interest and are returning to their seats." Chapati said.

"Cool down..." Jason muttered.

Satsuki and Jenny were back in their usual attire. "It looks like playtime is over, huh?" Jenny asked.

"It seems so." Satsuki hummed as her and Jenny were both tied with 30 points.

"This match has gone on much longer than planned, so the next outfit will be the last!"

"Here it is!" Jenny had sparkles in her eyes. "With apologises to Satsuki, no matter what the theme is, I've got a trick that guarantees my victory!"

"Satsuki, this'll be the last one." Jenny informed.

"Yep. And I ain't gonna lose!" Satsuki claimed.

"Why don't we go with the flow of the previous matches and make a bet?" Jenny suggested.

"Why not?" Satsuki said.

Jenny pointed at Satsuki. "How about the person who loses has to appear nude in Weekly Sorcerer?!" She replied.

"For a second, I thought it wouldn't be so bad if she lost..." Macao confessed.

"I'm sorry. Me too..." Wakaba admitted.

Satsuki smirked. "You've got yourself a deal, Blondie." She accepted.

"O-O-Oh my goodness! An unbelievable wager has just been made!"

Jenny grinned to herself. "She fell for it. I coincidentally asked the three judges about their type of women during last night's dinner party, and it seems their preference is for younger women! Satsuki hasn't aged for seven years. Which means she's young! And Jason, I'm sure you'll choose Satsuki to sell more magazines. After all, a young woman comes back after seven years without aging and she's nude! There's nothing to even think about." She thought.

"T-The final theme... is battle gear!"

Jenny got covered in a golden aura. "I'm sorry, Satsuki. Whatever the theme, I'll win. Just as I planned..." She thinks to herself before transforming. "This is my battle form."

"I see... I guess I should end this with a bang." Satsuki began to get covered in a golden magical aura. "I accepted you little bet and your model showdown. So be a good girl and accept my power, yeah?"

"Huh?"

"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art!" Satsuki called out. Her hands and legs began to get covered with rock like skin as she charged forward. "Earth's Wrath: Rock Slide!"

Satsuki rapidly delivers several punches and kicks at Jenny, causing her battle armor to crack before she finally collapsed to the ground.

"A complete change! In the end, we got a physical fight!" Chapati stated.

"Well, that is the original rule..." Yajima reminded him.

"Cool! Cool! Cool!" Jason exclaimed.

Satsuki raised her fist in the air. "The winner... is Satsuki!" Chapati announced.

Satsuki breathes heavily before she turned around. "A word of advice, Blondie. Don't underestimate your opponent. I'm looking forward to seeing you pose in your birthday suit." She said.

"No!" Jenny cried out, hugging herself.

"Fairy Tail B receives ten points!" Chapati said.

Gajeel grins proudly at his best friend. "That's Satsuki for ya. She doesn't take shit from no one." He stated.

"Congratulations, Satsuki-san." Juvia congratulated her as Satsuki had entered the tunnels where her team was.

"I never want to go through that again." Satsuki said, turning to see a grinning Gajeel. "Don't you even think about saying somethin'!"

"So now we have 12 points, the same as Natsu's team." Laxus pointed out.

Satsuki noticed Jellal being off. "What's wrong, Mystogan?" She asked.

"Nothing..." Jellal answered.

"Isn't he supposed to be the silent type?" Gajeel reminded.

"That's true..."

"Even though the second day is about to be over... What does this mean?" Jellal wondered.

Somewhere else...

"Captain Arcadios!" A voice called out. A man clad in armor turned around. His red cape whipped around him. A short man was the person who had called out to him.

"Well, well, Defense Minister Darton..." Arcadios said.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Darton questioned.

"Doing about what?"

"Don't feign ignorance! Why are you trying to get a hold of a Celestial Spirit Wizard now?! Don't you think it's premature?" Darton asked.

"I want to make a trial run as soon as possible." Arcadios claimed.

"It's still too early! It isn't ready yet!" Darton argued.

"Defense Minister, please keep your voice down. Besides, it is indeed complete." Arcadios said.

Darton widened his eyes in shock. "What?!"

"Saying it wasn't ready was a lie of convenience, in order to come up with a budget. Now all we need is a Celestial Spirit Wizard and Eclipse will have reached the practical stage." Arcadios explained.

"I don't believe it... You're telling me it's been completed in merely seven years?!"

"The project shall now proceed to phase 4, plan B. This time we will absolutely aquire a Celestial Spirit Wizard." Arcadios said as Darton was shaking in terror. "It's already common knowledge that you're opposed to the Eclipse Project."

Arcadios turned around and walked away. "However, we can't be stopped now after coming this far." He claimed.

"Are you a devil?!" Darton asked.

"For the sake of king and country, a man may even become devil or god. Weighed against Eclipse, the gateway that will change the world, the life of one girl is exceedingly cheap." Arcadios responded.

"Alright, the second day of the Grand Magic Games reaches its final match at last! Kagura Mikazuchi from Mermaid Heel versus Sabertooth's Yukino Agria!" Chapati announced.

Frosch turned to Lector. "Which do you think is going to win?" He asked.

"Yukino-san, of course! How is it you don't even know that, Frosch?!" Lector replied in irritation.

"Fro thinks so, too!"

"Thanks to somebody, we couldn't get any points in the competition part." Arlo said, glancing at Sting.

"Tch!"

"No. Sting-sama was just unlucky. If we'd known the competition was going to be on top of a moving vehicle..." Yukino trailed off.

"Never mind about that. You do know what it means to be a member of this team, don't you?" Sting questioned.

"Sabertooth... It means fighting in that name without sullying it and winning without question." Yukino replied.

"Good luck, Kagura-chan!"

"Win it for me!" Beth said.

"Still, her opponent's from Sabertooth..." Risley stated.

"Kagura is stronger than her!" Arana claimed.

"Never fear." Kagura walks out into the arena. "I saw the path... The destination of my sword..."

Kagura and Yukino entered the arena. Yukino's white cape blew in the wind, as did Kagura's hair. The two of them stared at each other.

"Sabertooth..." Aira muttered.

"Watch closely. This is the guild we have to overcome." Erza told Wendy.

"Right!" Wendy agreed.

"All of you already know how strong Kagura is. She's Mermaid Heel's strongest wizard as well as the Weekly Sorcerer's top pick for female wizard!" Chapati said. "Against her is Yukino, who's making her debut today. Still, she's a member of the strongest guild, Sabertooth, so we can expect her to be pretty strong!"

The gong was soon hit, signaling for the match to start. "Alright, let the match begin!"

"I look forward to doing battle with you." Yukino said. Kagura hesitates for a second.

"As do I."

"Before we begin, shall we make a bet too?"

"Sorry, but I'm not interested."

"Is it because you're afraid of losing?" Yukino challenged.

"I don't possess that kind of emotion. However, I believe that when one makes a wager, it must be followed through. So I'd like to abstain from any thoughtless diversions." Kagura responded.

"In that case, let's make a serious bet. Let's bet our lives." Yukino said confidently.

Her statement left Fairy Tail in shock while Sting smirked to himself with his arms crossed.

A/N: Another chapter is finished!

Thanks for reading!

~ Kaleb.