Chapter 194

Let the Games Begin!

NO POV

The next day, at the Domus Flau Collesium, excited cheers filled the air, coming from the gathering crowds that filled the place from top to bottom. Fireworks popped and flashed high in the air, and the atmosphere was contagious.

Then, the excited voice of a male announcer was heard echoing throughout the area.

"Ladies and Gentleman! You've been waiting, and now the big day is finally here! The Grand Magic Games will begin shortly, along with the Crocus Fighters Tournament! I guarantee that this year will be a year to remember!"

Natsu and his team stood inside a tunnel leading to the arena's grounds. They all sported new clothes similar to their usual attire, primarily purple with white Fairy Tail emblems. However, Gray was wearing nothing but a pair of pants, leaving his upper body exposed thanks to his stripping habit.

"Listen to that crowd," murmured Erza.

"I know. I honestly didn't think there'd be so many people watching," said Lucy.

"Well, the city's full of wizards from all over the country, plus some ordinary people," pointed out Gray. "So, there shouldn't be any surprise. All of these folks want to see the action."

Natsu, however, was frowning as he inspected his new clothes. "Man, I don't like these purple things," he huffed. "I'd rather wear my normal clothes than this."

"You'll just have to deal with it, so quit your complaining," said Lucy. "Our Master specifically told us that we have to wear matching color outfits."

"I'm quite fond of these," smiled Erza as she posed. "I think they're adorable."

"And they're skin tight and comfy," added Gray. "You won't' hear me complaining."

"That's because you're already half-naked!" Lucy snapped shrilly.

Gray, realizing this, quickly put his clothes and coat back on.

"I'm just glad I could get an outfit before we got here," said Elfman. "There was no way I'd be able to fit inside that dinky little dress." He then frowned guiltily. "Besides, Wendy's the one who should be competing, not me. Or at least Willy should have taken my place. I sure hope that kid's okay."

Everyone looked across to Elfman and remembered. Then Erza spoke kindly to the middle Strauss sibling.

"There's no reason to worry about Wendy, Elfman. She's in good hands. Besides, if it weren't for you, we never would have made it this far."

"That's right. So, please don't feel bad about it. Despite everything that's happened, we need you on our team," concurred Lucy. "After all, Wendy chose you to take her place, and a real man never goes back on his word, right?"

Elfman was still a bit guilty, but he felt better.

"Speaking of Wendy, do you think the person who attacked her is taking part in the games, too?" asked Natsu as he refocused his attention toward the tunnel's opening.

"I'd say that's a possibility," said Lucy.

"It makes you wonder if whoever did it wanted to weaken our team or for some other reason," Gray spoke grimly.

"For now, let's keep our eyes on the prize and fight," grunted Elfman. "We have to win this thing to get revenge for Wendy."

Then, the announcer's voice spoke out again.

"We're just moments away from the Grand Magic Games, folks! I'm your lead commentator, Chapati Lola, and I'll be giving you the play-by-play while a former Magic Council member, Yajima, will provide commentary! It's good to have you, Mr. Yajima!"

"It's an honor to be here," answered Yajima's voice.

"And our special guest for our first day of the games," continued Chapati. "From Blue Pegasus, and holding the title "Ms. Fiore," Jenny Realight!"

A woman's voice now spoke out. "Blue Pegasus will win this year!" she spoke with bright enthusiasm.

"All right, let's do this!" Natsu spoke, determination etched on his face.

The team lined up side-by-side and started walking towards the entrance.

Chapati resumed speaking. "Now, with that out of the way, the time has come to meet our competitors! First up in eighth place: an old-school bunch of wild wizards from Magnolia! They had luck in the prelims, and now they're raring to reclaim their former glory! It's Fairy Tail!"

As soon as Chapati screamed their name, Natsu and his team entered the arena. But instead of cheering upon their arrival, the crowd erupted in a chorus of boos and jeers. The team couldn't help but be surprised.

"Despite coming in last from the past years before, Fairy Tail's managed to barely clear the prelims and secure a spot in the top eight, which seems nothing short of a miracle," Chapati continued. "Will the Tenrou Team's sensational return help Fairy Tail become Fiore's greatest guild?!"

"I'm proud of them," Yajima said with a smile in his voice. "Way to go, kiddos! Congratulations on making it this far! Now get out there and show them what you can do!"

The Fairy Tail team also found that amongst the crowd, the other guild members, along with Sieri and Lapis, cheered for them too. They could even hear Makarov screaming at the top of his lungs, making them feel better. But then, the five noticed that someone else had joined the group as well — someone they didn't expect to see, and the others were surprised as well.

It was the first guild master, Mavis, the specter they saw back on Tenrou Island.

"Master Mavis?! What are you doing here?!" exclaimed Makarov. "And... aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"I came to cheer you on, silly. I mean, why else would I be here?" grinned Mavis. "Besides, there's no need to worry. Only those who have our guild's emblem can see me. And, it's been pretty boring back on Tenrou Island, so there was no way I was going to miss this."

Lapis, on the other hand, was puzzled. "Mama, what are you guys talking about?" she wondered to Sieri. "I don't see anyone."

"I don't know, sweetie," Sieri replied. "Most likely, it's a guild thing."

"Next up, we have the team that came in seventh place in the prelims!" resumed Chapati. "The rowdy army of hellhounds, Quarto Cerebus!"

Another group of five entered the arena as the crowd cheered, a group of rough-looking scoundrels, each wearing dog-like spiked collars, led by a guy wearing a black leather jacket and blonde hair with two long spikey tufts jutting from the sides.

"Have you ever seen any of those Quatro Cerebus guys before?" Lucy asked Erza.

"No, but I know that their guild master is Goldmine," replied Erza. "Their guild is not only pretty well known, but also their members are men."

"And coming in sixth place is a guild filled to the brim of the fairer sex! The dancers of the great blue sea, Mermaid Heel!"

The following five were all female, led by a woman wearing a white long-sleeved blazer and black tights and having long straight black hair. There was a roar of cheers in the crowd, but they mainly came from the men.

"Well, what do you know, an all-female guild," Lucy spoke in amazement. "Guess there are guilds of all types, no matter the gender."

"In fifth place, with azure wings that glimmer in the darkness, it's Blue Pegasus!"

Most of this next group that came out were all familiar faces. The first four were Ichiya, Ren, Hibiki, and Eve, but the fifth was a new face which was someone in a blue bunny suit. The crowd cheered once again, most of the cheers coming from the women. Gray and Elfman were more perplexed, especially with the blue bunny.

"Who's the guy in the fur?!" Elfman wondered incredulously. "Or a better question would be, is there even a person inside?!"

"Your guess is as good as mine, buddy," said Gray.

"Next up, in fourth place, the goddess of love and strife, the sacred destroyer, Lamia Scale!"

Once again, the members of the Fairy Tail team recognized a few familiar faces from the other team that came out. Two of them were Lyon and Jura, but the other three were a male with bushy brows known as Yuka, another with dog-like features known as Toby, and the third member was a girl who looked vaguely similar to Sherry, only a bit smaller. Then, as the girl waved to the audience, she stumbled on her feet and fell face-first.

"Any idea who that is?" Natsu inquired Gray.

"Don't know, but she looks like a smaller version of Sherry," said Gray.

"This is Shelia; she's one of Sherry's cousins," said Toby. "And she's crazy strong to boot!"

"Thanks, Toby, but I'm gonna need a lot more love if I want to compete with Sherry," Shelia answered.

Gray then rolled his eyes. "Guess being love crazy runs in the family," he chuckled.

Then, Lyon came up to the ice wizard. "Make sure you don't forget our promise, Gray," he said. "If we win, Juvia becomes a member of Lamia Scale."

Gray then smirked with confidence. "I don't remember agreeing to that," he said. "But either way, you're still going to lose."

Ichiya then quickly appeared next to Erza, having heard the two. "In that case, if we win, I'll take Ms. Erza as my one and only," he said suavely, winking at the redhead.

Erza cringed in disgust. "You'll do no such thing, you troll!" she snapped indignantly.

The Trimens jumped in, too. Ren wrapped his arm around Lucy, Eve went over to Elfman, and Hibiki went over to Mermaid Heel.

"And I'll take you, I guess," Ren told Lucy, pretending not to show interest. "Not that I'm into you or anything."

"And I'll take Wendy," Eve teased Elfman. "Even though she's sprouted quite a bit... in an unpleasant way."

Elfman clicked his tongue. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up," he huffed.

"Hey, Boss! If we lose, I want Mermaid Heel to take me!" Hibiki spoke eagerly.

"Well, it's good to know that they haven't changed over the past years," sighed Lucy. "Although I don't know if that's a good thing."

Chapati's voice then interrupted them. "Now to introduce our third place contestants!" He seemed to gasp in surprise. "What a shocker! Sweeping in from a midnight dreary, this dark and gloomy bunch are making their debut in this year's games! Let's hear it from Raven Tail!"

Upon his announcement, five more people entered the arena, all looking as mean as they were creepy. On the team were the girl with red hair in braids, the short purple-skinned male, the snake-eyes man in black, and the tall, blue-skinned male with the top hat. The last member was a masked person wearing gold armor with a long black cape bearing the guild's symbol.

Upon seeing them, all of the members of Fairy Tail were shocked.

"What the heck are they doing here?!" demanded Natsu.

"This can't be good," Erza spoke warily. "Their master is Ivan, our master's son."

"But then, that means...," Lucy spoke before trailing off.

Makarov in the audience suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs, his face going red with anger.

"Why the hell is a dark guild participating?! Have you officials lost your minds, or were you all always this incompetent to begin with?!"

He was so livid that Macao, Wakaba, and Lisanna had to hold him back to calm him down. The crowd was also unnerved at this murmuring and wondered if Raven Tail being here was allowed.

Chapati then spoke, having heard Makarov's outburst. "Well, their records appear to be in order," he said. "According to official records and sources, Raven Tail's an old guild that's been active for seven years. However, they recently got approved by the Magic Council regarding their official guild status."

"Hmm. If Raven Tail has official status, they're technically not a dark guild," said Yajima. "Therefore, they are eligible to compete."

Makarov growled crossly. "Curse you, Ivan!" he seethed. "I don't know how you did it, but whatever you're planning, I swear we'll stop you!"

The armored knight then spoke to Natsu's group. "Fairy Tail. I trust your friends are recovering?" he said in a raspy metallic voice. "It seems our way of hello was too much for them."

Then, the creature from the other night popped out from his shoulder. It transformed its head into a certain bluenette's face and pretended to faint. That alone made the team realize that they were responsible for what had happened to Wendy and Carla, which made them glare at them in anger, vowing revenge.

However, their thoughts were interrupted by Chapati again. "Hold on a second, folks! We still have two more teams who made it through the qualifying round! Our first place runner-up is...!"

An explosion of lightning erupted from the tunnel forming a Fairy Tail emblem, and Chapati gasped again. This time he was even more surprised.

"Holy Cow! Things just got a whole lot more interesting, folks! It's Fairy Tail Team B!"

Laxus, Gajeel, Juvia, Mirajane, and a masked figure emerged from the lightning. Everyone couldn't help but feel even more shocked, mostly notably Natsu's team. At the same time, Pantherlily suddenly appeared with the Fairy Tail group.

"You got to be kidding me! So Laxus, Mira, Juvia, and Gajeel are all in one team?!" Lucy exclaimed. "How the hell is that fair?!"

"And how the heck is Mystogan here?!" Natsu also cried. "Can someone give me some answers here?!"

But Erza recognized Mystogan's true identity. "Wait, is that Jellal...?" she murmured.

Some other teams were just as surprised, while others expected this development. However, some were indignant.

"Hey! How come they got two teams?!" demanded the leader of Quatro Cerebus. "That's way too wild!"

Most of the audience agreed with him.

"Well, some of our newly implemented rules have perplexed some people, Mr. Yajima," Chapati said. "Would you care to explain?"

"The committee in charge of the games permitted each guild to enter two teams, which they felt would make things more exciting," explained Yajima.

"If that's the case, then I don't think they thought that rule through. Seems a bit unfair if you ask me," said Jenny. "This is a team-based battle, and having two teams from the same guild stacks the odds. If there's an event that has each team choose someone to compete in, the two Fairy Tail teams could team up."

"It does give them an advantage," said Yajima. "But I don't think it'll be a problem. It's their reward for having both teams out of one hundred to make it. And I say, way to go, Macky."

Makarov then laughed triumphantly. "How do you like that?! That's how the Fairy Tail guild takes care of business, baby!"

"So that's why so many teams entered," murmured Lucy. "That way, they would have more of a chance."

Suddenly, Natsu stomped over to Team B and let out a roar, his voice echoing throughout the arena.

"THIS IS A BIG LOAD OF CRAP!"

The members of Team B were surprised, along with everyone else in the crowd.

"Being on the same guild doesn't mean jack!" Natsu continued while pointing squarely at Gajeel. "If I'm fighting against any of you, I ain't pulling my punches, got it?! So as long as we're in this tournament, you guys are my enemies!"

Gajeel approached with a sly grin. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Mr. Barely-Come-In-Eighth-Place. I'm looking forward to making you kiss the ground."

Mirajane then came up to Elfman, who wore a look of dread. "What's the matter, little bro?" she asked. "You're looking a bit terrified."

"That's because I am!" Elfman moaned. "You didn't tell me you were competing in the games too, Sis!"

"Well, we had to keep it a secret," smiled Mira. "Let's just both do our best, okay?"

Then, Mira heard a voice from Fairy Tail's group in the crowd.

"Hey, Mira! Elfman! Make sure you two give it everything you got! Knock them dead!"

The two Strauss siblings looked up, and they saw Sieri waving wildly in the audience along with Lapis. Mira waved at them back while smiling, much to Elfman's surprise.

"Hold on a minute! Don't tell me you knew about Sieri, too!" he exclaimed.

"Yep. We met a couple of days ago when we got to Crocus," explained Mira. "And boy, I was happy to see her again. But I didn't expect her, of all people, to have a daughter. She's so adorable."

Elfman sighed. "Good grief, Sis. Is there anything you don't know?" Then he smiled lightly. "But, I guess I should be used to it by now. Just make sure to take it easy on me if we fight, okay?"

"Sure thing," said Mira. "But just to let you know, Evergreen won't be around to save you this time."

Elfman's face went red. "H-Hey! Don't you dare bring that up again!" he huffily grunted. "Sieri's already teasing me about it!"

Then, Elfman noticed something as he looked back towards Makarov and the others. Amongst the crowd, he saw that someone else wasn't there with them, making him wonder where that person could be. But before he could ask Mira, the crowd suddenly erupted with wild cheers making the entire arena shake slightly while Chapati spoke.

"That's right, folks! Last but certainly not least, the team who made it first in the preliminaries! You know them! You love them! Get on your feet and scream for the most powerful guild in all of Fiore! The one and only, SABERTOOTH!"

The members of Sabertooth then came out. First, Sting led the pack waving to his fans, then Rogue, Orga wearing his championship belt, a young man wearing formal clothing and a red feathered hat, and a young girl with short sky blue hair wearing a white cloak covering most of her form.

All eyes from the different teams were now on them as they joined them, most notably the teams of Fairy Tail A and B. Natsu and Gajeel were especially glaring towards Sting and Rogue.

"I'd say we've got an impressive group of wizards here!" Chapati said. "Mr. Yajima, any comments about the lineup?"

"Well, the ladies of Mermaid Heel make me pine for my youth," Yajima replied.

"That's not quite... what I meant, but moving on!" Chapati spoke. "It's time to unveil the event schedule for the Grand Magic Games and the Crocus Fighters Tournament!"

From the middle of the arena, a giant slab of stone erupted from the ground showing a list from today's date to the seventh. Each day from one through four had a mystery event, followed by battles, but in the case of day 4, it showed that the battle was a tag battle. As for days five through seven, they didn't show anything. They also had scheduled fights from the first through the fourth days, four on day one, two on days two and three, and one on day four.

"First, the contests will have rankings from first to eighth, and how that team ranks in a contest is based on how many points they earn from winning," continued Chapati. "Additionally, the teams can select which members they want to compete in the contests. After that, we have battles in which the matchups have been chosen based on fan surveys. "

"So, the people decide who gets to fight?" wondered Mira.

"That could be trouble depending on who fights," said Lucy. "If you don't watch how much magic you use in a contest, you could wear yourself out for the battle with no time to rest."

"The battle rules are simple," resumed Chapati. "Each team will fight as shown here. The winning team will earn ten points, and the losing team will get none! In the event of a draw, each team will get five points! But before we get to the contest, I believe it's time to get started on something I'm sure you're all looking forward to, the preliminary round of the Crocus Fighters Tournament! But to explain it in further detail, let's hand things off to our mascot, Mato!"

The slab sank slowly back into the ground, and the pumpkin-headed figure from the other night appeared. Only this time, he wasn't a projection and was a lot smaller.

"What the-! He's so freaking tiny!" Natsu burst out while pointing.

"Thank you very much, Chapati!" Mato spoke out. "Now, listen up, everybody! For those who are new, allow me to explain the preliminaries! First and foremost, you can only have one wizard represent your whole guild to participate. Secondly, and more specifically, no guild masters or wizard saints are allowed. That way, there can be some type of order and fairness. What's more, this round has a whooping number of two hundred wizards participating!"

"Two hundred?!" exclaimed Elfman.

"And I thought the number of guilds participating in the games was huge," said Erza.

"That's right! And just like with the Sky Labyrinth, only eight participants will get the chance to advance to the next round!" Mato spoke brightly. "Here are the rules! Those participating will be in a battle royale that will last for an hour! Each time you knock someone out, you'll gain one point. The goal is to knock out as many of your enemies as possible while gaining points. The first eight wizards with the most points will move on to the next round! Now, can we have all participants in the arena, please?"

From the tunnels in the arena, numerous wizards made their way towards the center of the arena joining the teams.

"Whoa. Look at all of these wizards!" exclaimed Lucy. "Guess they weren't kidding when they said two hundred!"

"Man! I'm so jealous! I wanna compete, too!" complained Natsu.

Yuka then started walking away from Lamia Scale's Team. "I'll be off then," he told them. "This should be pretty easy for me to handle."

"Good luck to you, Yuka," said Jura. "Make sure you do your best."

"Wait, is he even allowed to compete for this thing?" wondered Gray. "He's already competing in the games, isn't he?"

"There's nothing in the rules that says he couldn't," replied Lyon. "As long as we have one representing our guild, it's fine."

"If that's how it is, then I wanna compete too!" barked Natsu.

"Hey, wait! Why should you get to compete?!" objected Elfman. "If anything, a real man like me should be the one competing!"

"Screw that! I should be the one competing!" Gajeel also objected. "I'm stronger than both of you clowns, and I could win that tournament with my eyes closed!"

"Sorry to break it to you, boys, but it's a little late for that," said Mato. "Besides, you already have a representative for your guild."

Both teams from Fairy Tail all looked across to Mato in surprise. "Wait, we do?" they spoke in confusion.

At that moment, a roar came from inside the tunnel, making everyone jump from surprise or startlement, causing everyone to look in that direction. Inside the tunnel, a pair of gleaming yellow eyes shone in the darkness, glaring. Then, a giant creature emerged from the tunnel.

It looked reptilian, had a long body, a pair of wings in the middle of its back, and had a bearded chin. It also appeared to be made entirely out of water.

Everyone inside the Domus Flau had wide eyes and slacked jaws, either wholly shocked or frozen with fear.

"What the hell is that?!" exclaimed Lyon.

"It can't be!" cried Lucy. "It's a dragon!"

"No, hold on a minute," Natsu spoke, surprisingly calm. "It may look like a dragon, but it's not."

"For once, Salamander's got it right," said Gajeel. "Besides, that thing's made of water, and I doubt that Juvia's doing it."

"What in the world is a dragon doing here?!" exclaimed Jenny shrilly. "Someone call the army!"

"Oh, calm down. There's no reason to worry," said Yajima. "That's not a real dragon. It appears that someone's about to put on a show for us using their magic."

The water dragon took a great leap, flapping its wings, and took flight. It soared over the audience, bending and twisting elegantly as it zoomed across the air. Everyone's fear and anxiety slowly became wonder and amazement.

As they watched the dragon shoot past them while watching with the other Fairy Tail members, Sieri couldn't help but laugh. "Good grief. Never would have guessed that he would do something like this."

"Hold on, do you know who's doing that?" Macao asked.

"Of course, I do!" replied Sieri. "I mean, it's pretty obvious."

Lisanna realized it too. "No way. Can it be...?"

Mira was surprised, but a smile worked its way to her lips. "Well, this certainly wasn't something I expected from him," she spoke with a chuckle.

"Hold on, does that mean you who it is, Mira?" asked Natsu.

"Come on, Natsu. It's pretty obvious," said Elfman, smiling from cheek to cheek. "There's only one guy I know that can use water magic like that, and he's one of the manliest men we know."

The dragon then shot downward towards the arena and hit the ground head first, making a massive geyser of water erupt from where it hit. As the water dispersed, a boy now stood in the arena, crouched before standing up.

He wore a pair of black tabi boots, new shorts, short fingerless gloves with clover logos on top, a hooded sleeveless shirt bearing the same symbol on the front, and bands on his biceps. He still had the same short brown hair, but he now had a tied-up bang on the side of his right.

The boy looked up at the staring competitors and the teams and flashed a smile while giving a two-finger salute.

"Hey, guys. Mind if I join this party?"

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As always, thank you for reading! And I'll see you next chapter!

Dragomaster, signing off!