A/N : Hey ! Finally I've decided I'll post until chapter 10. I want you guys to have minimum content to start with before delaying the next chapters.

Enjoy !

Arriving at our respective inns, we both paled. Lucy and Amy were standing outside the doors, arms crossed and faces set in stern glares. This was not a good sign.

"What the hell was all that chaos over there?" Lucy shouted, pointing an accusing finger towards Sabertooth's residence.

Natsu flinched slightly, muttering, "I just said hi."

Lucy sighed deeply, knowing full well that Natsu's idea of a greeting often involved fire.

I took a moment to breathe, thinking I was in the clear. But my hopes were dashed when Amy grabbed me by the ear and dragged me inside. "Ow! Amy!" I whined, her glare shutting me up instantly.

"Don't even start, Kalen," she snapped, furious.

Natsu didn't fare any better. Lucy grabbed him by the scarf and yanked him towards the room.

"Let's go have a little chat with Erza," Amy growled.

"NO, PLEASE, NOT ERZA!" Natsu and I cried out in unison.

Sat on the bed, I lowered my head, feeling Erza's intense gaze burn into me.

"What were you two thinking?" she scolded. "We could've been kicked out of the games!"

"They started it!" Natsu whined, but Gray immediately cut in. "You're a complete idiot, Flame Brain!"

"Yeah, Gray, tell him. I'm so tired of explaining everything," Lucy sighed, but quickly flinched when Gray grabbed Natsu by the collar, yelling, "If you're gonna fight, at least let me know so I can join!"

I couldn't help but chuckle at Gray's outburst before catching Amy's intense stare.

"And you, Kalen," Erza said, making me straighten up, "you threatened another mage? With a blade to his throat?"

"For the record, my weapons aren't effective against humans," I sheepishly explained. "They look sharp, but without magic, they couldn't cut butter."

Erza sighed deeply. "That's not the point. That's not something you should do. And following Natsu in his stupid plans is even worse. However... It was nice of you to think about Yukino." She finally smiled. "Amy, please take Kalen back to his team."

Amy nodded curtly and led me outside.

"Well, that wasn't so bad," I said, barely getting the words out before Amy slammed me against the wall, her finger pointed at my nose.

"Listen to me, Kalen Ryker," she whispered, her voice trembling with anger, her eyes watery. "If you ever, EVER, put yourself in avoidable, stupid danger again, I swear I'll kill you myself."

I was speechless, her grip was stronger than I expected, and she had total control over me at that moment. "Huh, yeah... Sorry?"

She released me, her voice dropping to a low whisper. "I'm serious. If I ever come close to losing you, I'll never forgive myself," she said before turning and heading towards the exit, leaving me standing in the middle of the corridor, my mouth hanging open in confusion.

She remained completely silent until we arrived back at the inn. She simply nodded at me and started to walk away.

"Amy," I called out, her back still to me. "I'm sorry if I scared you. That wasn't my intention. But... I'm happy you feel this way about me. And you should know I feel the same about you. So, what you said earlier, take it to heart yourself as well." I added, my voice as serious as I could make it.

She paused for a moment, her shoulders tensing, but then she continued walking without a word.

"Today's event will be Pandemonium!" yelled the announcer.

"I need to go!" I growled. "I need to win against those bastards."

"Sorry, Kal', but this one's for me," said Cana, stepping forward.

Laxus placed a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll have your moment."

Erza was picked for Fairy Tail A. Once the rules were explained, Erza stepped forward, being the first to engage.

"So I just need to bet a number of monsters and defeat them, right?" she asked.

"Exactly!" beamed the pumpkin-headed man.

She smiled. "Then it's easy. I'm betting 100 monsters!" She announced, insinuating she would take the entire event on her own. The faces around us were priceless—mouths open, eyes wide, everyone taking in what the Fairy Tail mage had just announced. However, Natsu, Gray, and I were laughing so hard we could've died. Laxus and Mira simply chuckled.

"My name is Erza Scarlett, and I'm betting 100 monsters!" she repeated before stepping into the upside-down castle.

From there, what unfolded was a moment I will never forget. The scene under our eyes was simply astonishing. Erza was flying around the castle, cutting through the monsters as if they were nothing. Swapping armors and weapons in a blink, instantly reacting to any movements. She purely was incredible. She climbed the castle, giving back double of every hit she received, and after a moment everyone wished had lasted longer, she arrived at the top with only four monsters remaining.

I couldn't even hear the crowd, my eyes glued to the screens, watching Erza—my friend—literally demolish a national game event meant to be cleared by no less than eight people. From beginning to end, her performance could be considered a piece of art, bringing tears to everyone around. I couldn't hold back, hugging Mira tightly as Erza finally climbed to the top, fighting against the S-class monster.

And once again, she showed everyone what a Fairy Tail mage is, making the S-class monster look like a random D-class. Crushing him down, the castle disappeared, bringing Erza back to the center, her sword pointed to the sky.

The crowd roared like it never had before, screaming their lungs out for the mage who single-handedly defeated 100 monsters.

We all rushed over, taking Erza in our arms

"Hey guys, relax. I'm sorry it took longer than I expected," she said with a smile, making the others sweatdrop and laugh nervously.

"W-well, I guess we'll find something else for you guys," stammered the pumpkin-headed announcer, looking slightly nervous. Suddenly, a strange machine emerged from the ground.

"This is a magic measurement artifact. You can hit it as hard as you want, and it will display a number representing your magical power! Please continue in the order assigned at the beginning."

"Well, at least she'll be placed third," I muttered, eyeing the scoreboard with the insane scores from Orga and Jura.

"Don't underestimate her," grinned Laxus.

"Okay, let's do this!" said Cana, stripping down to her underwear to reveal a glowing mark on her right arm.

"Could that be..." gasped Makarov.

Cana aimed her arm forward. "In the name of the eternal fairies, grant me the strength of the stars! Let the light of the heavens rain down and obliterate all before me! Fairy Glitter!"

At her words, a circle of light descended from the sky, surrounding the artifact before creating a massive explosion that shook the entire arena. When the shockwave passed, the ground was shrouded in dust.

As the cloud settled, my jaw dropped.

"Huh... She destroyed the artifact, the score stopping at 9999..." said the announcer, disbelief evident in his voice.

Cana struck a triumphant pose. "Nobody can stop us. Try as hard as you want, Fairy Tail will remain on top!" she yelled, the crowd going wild once again for our guild.

After a few more fights, it was Fairy Tail B against Raven Tail. And Laxus was called.

"Laxus!" I yelled, gritting my teeth. "You better give them what they deserve."

He simply smiled. "Listen," he added, pointing towards the announcer booth.

"Wait a minute... This is incredible! Apparently, Fairy Tail B is using the replacement joker! Quick reminder, every team has one, and it can only be used during fights! So Laxus will not be participating!"

"What are you planning over there..." muttered Makarov.

"No, you didn't..." gasped Amy.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Alexei's new match, KALEN RYKER!" The announcer's voice boomed through the speakers.

My eyes widened before I rushed back to Laxus. "You swapped?" I yelled.

He came closer, his eyes full of determination. "You've been gripping that barrier so hard for the last few days I don't even want to go near the edge. You know what they've done. It's in your hands, Kalen," he said confidently.

My gaze landed on Mira, Gajeel, and Cana, who were all smiling encouragingly.

"Show them what it means to harm Fairy Tail," smirked Mira.

"Geehee," laughed Gajeel.

I breathed out, my heart pounding. I'd been waiting for this moment for days. I wasn't going to retreat now. I took my first steps toward the center of the arena.

"I'm sorry, Amy..." I thought, remembering her words, knowing this wouldn't be an easy match. But as I glanced up, I was met with determined eyes. I couldn't hear what she was saying, but I could read her lips. "Give them hell," she mouthed.

"Please step closer and start the fight!" boomed the announcer.

With no hesitation, I raised my hand to head level, the sun reflecting off my ring. "Activate, Ray," I whispered, summoning my thin blade. But before I could even blink, Alexei's fist connected with my jaw, sending me flying. And that's how my fight went for the next five minutes—blow after blow, leaving me reeling.

"Come on, Kalen, move it!" I heard Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel yelling at me from the sidelines.

But I wasn't in pain. I couldn't feel anything, because Alexei's punches weren't landing as they should. Turning towards him, I spat, "What's your new plan, you bastard?"

"I'm already pissed enough that Laxus isn't actually fighting. I'll get no information from someone like you."

"You want information? About what?" I raised an eyebrow, still watching the fake match taking place in front of us, looking at my own illusion getting beaten up.

"I don't need to tell you. I just need to demolish you so hard that Makarov won't have a choice," he sneered, leaping towards me again. I swiftly dodged, taking a few steps back.

"Flare Slash!" I yelled, striking my katana down and sending out a burst of light, which Alexei easily countered.

"You really think this will be enough? Don't forget, nobody can see you here. The only thing they can see right now is how humiliated you are under my strength."

"Dammit," I spat, lunging forward with multiple blows, each one canceled immediately before he sent me flying with a powerful sidekick. As I skidded to a stop, I tried to think of a solution to erase this illusion. But as I did, all the other members of Raven Tail appeared out of nowhere.

"This isn't fun anymore, Kalen from Fairy Tail. Let's end this now," Alexei taunted.

Before I could react, they all attacked at once. I was overwhelmed, their combined assault leaving me no room to counter. Alexei's punches came in a flurry, each one more brutal than the last. My vision blurred as I struggled to stay on my feet, but the onslaught was relentless.

I gasped for air, my body aching from the assault. My katana fell from my grip, clattering uselessly to the ground. Desperation clawed at my mind as I tried to summon my magic again, but Alexei's attacks left me no time to focus.

"You can't even stand up to me," he sneered, delivering a powerful kick that sent me sprawling.

Pain radiated through my body as I laid on the ground, struggling to get up. My blade was in Alexei's hands, and he looked at it with a smirk. "Nice little butter knife you have here," he taunted.

"Radiant Burst," I whispered, creating a glowing aura around my katana before it exploded into multiple bursts of intense light, blinding the Raven Tail members. I rushed towards them, recovering Ray from them. "Sunflare Strike!" I yelled, slamming my katana into the ground, releasing a wave of solar energy that forced them to take a few steps back.

"I would be way better with Nyx right now," I thought, gritting my teeth and still panting. "Think, Kalen, think!"

But Flare recovered quickly, sending a swirl of burning hair towards me. "Solar Shield!" I chanted, pointing my katana forward and raising a circular shield in front of me.

My gaze shot up, looking at the sky behind the purple veil of the illusion. I had no idea how to get out of this. Suddenly, my eyes widened when they met the bright sun shining above the arena. It finally struck me. "How did I miss that?" I thought, before leaping away from the Raven Tail team.

"Don't try running away, you won't last any longer, kid," taunted Alexei, slowly walking towards me.

I stood still, raising my katana to eye level with my right hand. Closing my eyes, I slowly passed my fingers across the blade with my left hand, from hilt to tip, a slight glow filling the blade. I concentrated as much power as I could into it, making it glow brighter every second.

Finally, I opened my eyes. "Activate, Ray. Rising Sun!" I yelled. A golden glowing aura appeared, swirling around me, creating a powerful vortex of energy rising straight to the sky, demolishing with ease the illusion veil as it made contact with it, finally breaking us out of it.

Again, I could hear the crowd, as everyone gasped at the sight. "W-What is going on? It seems all this was .. an illusion ?! The real fight is right here! But wait... The entire Raven Tail guild is there as well!" yelled the announcer.

"Raven Tail!" roared Makarov, his anger palpable.

"We have to stop the ma—" But the announcer was cut off, his eyes meeting mine, clearly asking for them to stay out of all this.

"Kalen..." gasped Amy. "What's all this about?" she added, taking in my strange appearance.

"What's that magic?" Laxus narrowed his eyes.

"His power has... increased ?," announced Erza, her eyes wide in shock.

"Yeah, even I can feel it," added Gray, earning a nod from Natsu.

I took a few steps forward, lowering my blade. My entire body was now slightly altered with small golden patterns, my T-shirt covered with intricate designs, and my katana had new visual modifications.

"I don't know how it took me so long to understand," I finally spat. "But this isn't a good time for you guys."

"You really think this changes anything? Who cares if we can't continue the games, our only goal now is demolishing you!" roared Alexei. "Obra, release the power of Raven Tail!" he ordered the blue-masked mage.

But before he could, I was already next to him, filled with solar energy. "Dawn's Detonation," I said bluntly, slashing through him and marking him with a strike of burning light.

As I skidded to a stop, the mark detonated, sending Obra flying. "That's for Wendy, you bastard," I called, looking over my shoulder. Wendy was watching, tears forming in her eyes.

Flare came at me, using her burning hair once again. I dodged them all, then saw Nalpudding rushing over, laughing. "Needle Blast!"

I dodged a few, before roaring, "That's for Gray and me! Morning Blaze!" I danced around him, slashing through his body, each strike creating arcs of solar magic. With a final powerful strike, I sent him rolling on the ground. Gray watched in awe. "Kalen, Mavis..."

Before I could react, Flare grabbed my arm with her hair. "Not gonna let you go this time," she smirked.

My eyes locked with hers. With a simple gesture, I used my blade to cut off the hair tangling me, then slammed it into the ground. "Solar Pulse!" I roared, sending a pulse of energy through the ground that erupted at Flare's feet, making her scream in pain. "That one's for Lucy," I spat. Our celestial mage was also watching, her hand covering her mouth.

The last member came out of the ground behind me. "Sand Copy," he smirked. I turned halfway, "Blazing Edge!" I enhanced the burning of my blade, then sent a powerful strike into his ribs, sending him crashing into Nalpudding.

"It-It can't be!" yelled Alexei, dropping his mask, revealing his face to the entire arena. Ivan, standing there in front of me.

"Listen to me carefully," I said, walking towards him, my eyes shining with a faint golden glow. "If I'm here, it's to make you pay for everything you did to my friends. You hurt them. You humiliated them. And count on me, you're gonna feel worse in a few seconds!" I yelled, before leaping forward. "Morning Blaze!" I swiftly danced around him, slashing through his armor. "Flare Slash!" I yelled, taking a few steps back, sending an arc of powerful solar magic. "Dawn's Detonation!" I lunged forward, striking and marking him with a slash of light, detonating once I stopped.

"And this is for Fairy Tail! Solar Pulse!" I roared, slamming my katana into the ground, sending another pulse of energy through the earth. The force of the attack slightly cracked the ground as it made its way to Ivan, before erupting at his contact, sending him flying against a wall.

The crowd was completely silent before the announcer boomed, "IT'S OVER! KALEN RYKER HAS WON THE MATCH, AGAINST THE ENTIRE RAVEN TAIL TEAM!"

I looked up to the sky, my magic fading away, and my blade disappearing. I felt so much better. I managed a faint smile before collapsing to the ground, exhausted.

When I woke up, I was in the infirmary. I struggled to open my eyes. "Is this a habit for Fairy Tail, ending up here after every fight?" I thought out loud, surprised to hear a few giggles in response.

As I turned my head, I was met with Lucy, Gray, Amy, and Wendy, who was sitting on Amy's knees.

"Look who just woke up. Isn't it our sun nuclear bomb," smirked Gray, getting up and ruffling my hair.

"Oi, snowflake. Relax, I'm not a kid anymore," I pouted, still grimacing from the aches in my body. I took a few seconds to assess my condition, realizing I was covered in bandages.

"Hey, thanks for what you did out there. Fighting for us, we really appreciated it, you know. I mean, for us in particular," Gray added, his usual smirk softened by genuine gratitude, Lucy also approaching. "True stuff Kalen, I really appreciated what you did.

"You would have all done the same" I simply answered, my eyes catching Wendy running towards me, taking me in a tight but soft embrace, as she was aware of my condition.

"Thanks, Kalen. You promised me, and you didn't give up." She said slowly, as I returned the hug.

But then, Amy came over, and my body straightened. Maybe my current condition wasn't so bad, looking at what she could do to me. "I-I'm sorry Amy, I know we sai-"

She leaned in, dropping a tender kiss on my forehead before brushing a few strands of hair from my eyes. Her eyes were glowing with happiness and pride. "You did great out there. You really are my little sun and moon," she added softly, her voice filled with affection.

They decided to leave, letting me rest. I snuggled up, maybe enjoying Amy's words a bit more than my own victory, as I slowly drifted back to sleep.

A/N : And done ! Sorry for all the Laxus lovers out there, but Kalen has taken his revenge. Next chapter we'll be diving in the final day of our GMG !

Until then, see ya !

.Ney.