Chapter 196

Ravens of Misfortune

After leaving the arena, I flew over to the other Fairy Tail members in the balcony box to watch the matches with them while waiting for the results of the preliminaries. As soon as I touched down on the floor, I was greeted by Sieri and Lisanna first.

"Willy, are you okay?" asked Lisanna. "We saw everything that happened on lacrima vision."

"Don't worry, I'm fine," I told her. "But I'd be lying if I didn't say that guy caught me by surprise. I don't know what would have happened if the round hadn't ended."

"Well, what matters is that you made it through, and I got to say, you were awesome, kiddo!" Sieri spoke with a smile while patting my back. "Didn't doubt you would win for a second!"

"So, what was up with that clown guy, anyway?" wondered Macao. "For some reason, he seemed to have it out for you."

"Yeah, I know," I said while folding my arms. "Whoever that guy was, he had every opportunity to go after the other competitors or stay hidden to protect his points, but he came after me for some reason. He even went as far as to goad me to fight him by mentioning Wendy and Carla."

"Ivan," growled Makarov. "I don't know what you're playing at, but I swear you won't get away with this!"

I then came over to the balcony's railing to get a good view of the arena. It was then that I happened to see a familiar face sitting on the railing's edge. It was Mavis, the First Master of Fairy Tail, and the ghost that I saw on Tenrou Island.

"Hello, Willy Falconer," the little girl greeted. "It's been a while, and you did a great job in the preliminaries."

"M-Master Mavis!" I gasped. "What are you doing here, or how are you here?"

"Long story short, she left Tenrou Island to come to watch the games with us and cheer us on," explained Happy. "And also, we're the only ones that can see her since we're members of Fairy Tail."

Then, I felt a couple of tugs on my shirt, causing me to look down, only to see Asuka and Lapis looking at me pleadingly.

"Hey, Willy. Why can't we see Master Mavis?" asked Asuka.

"We want to see her, too," Lapis added.

I apologetically smiled as I bent down to them and held my hand, showing my guild mark. "I'm sorry, girls, but you won't be able to see Mavis unless you have this mark," I said. "But maybe if you ask your parents, you can join our guild someday, and then you'll be able to see her too."

Both of the little girl's eyes twinkled with excitement. "Really?" they both asked eagerly.

I answered them with a nod. "You never know," I said. "After all, both your parents are strong and capable wizards, so I wouldn't be surprised if you followed their footsteps. But make sure if that's what you two truly want to do and get approval from the Master and your parents, okay?"

Both Asuka and Lapis smiled with admiration. "Okay!" they both said.

I patted them on their heads. Then, Chapati's voice caught my attention.

"All right, folks! With that out of the way, are you ready for more action? Because it's time to get things started with the first contest of the Grand Magic Games, the one we call Hidden! At this time, we would like each team to select one member to compete! Once you make selections, we will explain the rules in their entirety!

I then turned my attention back toward the arena as one member from each team stepped forward to participate. A lacrima screen appeared not long after showing all the participants taking part in the game, and Chapati announced the participants' names while their images popped up.

The first image that came up was one of a large shirtless man.

"We have our eight challengers!" announced Chapati. "First, representing Quarto Cereberus is Yeager!"

Next, the screen showed an image of a young girl with red hair in pigtails with overalls.

"From Mermaid Heel, the adorable Beth Vanderwood!"

After that, the screen showed a stout, purple-skinned man who had a nasty sneer on his face.

"From Raven Tail, Nalpudding!"

A blond young man got shown next, and I heard numerous girls squealing in the crowd.

"And with those lively cheers, Blue Pegasus sends out Eve Tilm!"

The fifth competitor revealed was someone I saw over with the Sabertooth team, the male with fancy clothes with the red hat, of which the audience cheered loudly and wildly.

"For the fifth competitor, and you better keep an eye on this one, folks, from Sabertooth and known as the minstrel who sings to the red moon, it's Rufus Lore!"

A male with sky blue hair appeared next, which gave me vibes of Gray for some unknown reason.

"From Lamia Scale, Lyon Bastia!"

Then, Gray's image appeared on the screen, and everyone in our balcony box cheered wildly for him.

"From Fairy Tail Team A, the icy Gray Fullbuster!"

Finally, Juvia's face appeared, and we all cheered for her, too.

"And from Fairy Tail Team B, Juvia Lockser!" finished Chapati. "Now that we have our competitors get your refreshments and stay glued to your seats because you're not going to want to miss a moment of this game! However, there are two questions on everyone's minds! First and foremost, what kind of game will Hidden be? And who would you think is the favorite for this competition?"

"It's safe to assume that Rufus of Sabertooth is the odds on favorite," Yajima spoke. "But I think Gray from Fairy is a dark horse in the running, so I'm keeping an eye on him."

"And what about you, Miss Jenny?" Chapati asked. "Do you have any favorites?"

"You need to ask? I'll be rooting for Eve, of course," Jenny replied. "He's got this in the bag."

Mato then stepped into the arena again, and the city field opened once again at his command. I watched as buildings rapidly came into existence, soon overtaking the entire area. In addition, various lacrima vision screens appeared all over the arena, each showing a shot of a competitor, while a leaderboard display showed the players' names. Now, I realize that I was inside of there before, but seeing this from where I stood was nothing short of surprising.

"Those of you in the stands will be able to catch the action through the lacrima-trons. I bet the contestants wish they had that luxury, but that would make it too easy," Chapati spoke with a slight ribbing manner. "Speaking of easy, here are the rules; this is similar to a game of hide-and-seek, only the players are the hiders and the seekers! The main objective is to find the other players and land an attack on them! The player that successfully lands an attack, inflicting damage or not, will get awarded one point while the player who gets hit loses one point!"

It was then that several figures began to materialize around the competitors through the lacrima-trons. In seconds, hundreds of duplicates of the eight players filled the screens, which surprised me with how numerous they were.

"What the - ?!" I heard Max exclaim. "What's with the copies?!"

"There's hundreds of them!" I heard Laki gasp. "It's like they multiplied like a bunch of bunnies!"

"To all the players, these are copies of you all!" continued Chapati. "However, be careful! If you end up touching even one of them by mistake, you'll lose one point! It's time to vanish in the shadows like a black cat in the night while being as silent as a lamb! Let's! Play! Hidden!"

The sound of a gong came signaling the start of the game as the crowds cheered. I kept my eyes focused on the screens as the competitors got going, seemingly unsure how to begin. However, I saw on another screen that Juvia was beside herself with glee as she gazed particularly at the Gray copies.

"So many lovely Grays to feast my eyes on!" she squealed. "But I don't just have to look! Surely, I can touch just one!"

She then happily wrapped her arms around one of the copies lovingly, and immediately a buzzer sounded as Juvia disappeared. In addition, her score now showed: Negative One.

"And with that bear hug, Juvia from Fairy Tail B loses one point!" Chapati announced. "She will be put under a ten-second timeout and then restart in another part of the arena! The same is also true if you get hit by another competitor! You can have as many restarts as you want, but the clock is ticking! You only have thirty minutes, and whoever has the most points at the end will take first place!"

It wasn't too long before Juvia reappeared in the arena, her cheeks pink with embarrassment and now being more careful.

I then focused on another screen, which showed Gray running through the streets, searching around, only to have Nullpudding creep up behind him. The Ice Mage then whipped around, and when he saw him, he scowled in anger, but he also smirked with confidence.

"Well, it's nice of you to come and find me because that means I don't have to find you!" Gray snarled as he slapped his fist into his palm. "ICE MAKE: HAMMER!"

He conjured a massive ice hammer from his hands and slammed it right on top of Nullpudding, planting him into the ground. But then, the buzzer sounded again, and another Nullpudding stepped out from behind the first.

"Sorry, but I'm the real thing, see?" Nullpudding sniggered.

Gray's score now also showed a negative one as he disappeared for ten seconds and was teleported to another area.

"Aw, man! You got to be kidding!" exclaimed Jet. "How did Gray end up hitting the clone?!"

"Did that guy cheat somehow?" Droy wondered. "I mean, he was right there in front of him!"

"He didn't. He used the copy of himself to his advantage," I said with a frown. "He used it to get close to Gray, and when he attacked, revealing himself, he caught him by surprise by tricking him into attacking the clone. That's how you play the game and why it's so aptly named. I hate to admit it, but that was smart. I would have done the same if I was in a game like this."

Everything was now silent, the screens showing nothing but the numerous copies, while the competitors blended in with the crowd. I couldn't even tell which one was which, wondering if I could find out through my Aqua Sense.

Then, suddenly, Nullpudding's spikes extended as he pounced and landed a punch smack on Gray's back, making his score drop to negative two, while Nullpudding's increased to one allowing him to take the lead. As Gray was teleported away for another ten-second reprieve, Nullpudding cackled in delight.

"This game's starting to get fun!" he crowed.

I began to feel something was up because this was the second time Gray got reset by this guy. There were many other opponents he could have gone for but instead went for him. I wondered the purpose of it all and if he got ordered to do so by Ivan.

Gray soon reappeared and searched around again, but the ground behind him exploded, and an array of carrots shot out at him before he could react. The Ice Mage narrowly dodged as Beth popped up from her hole. Not long after that, a giant cactus shot out from the hole sending Beth flying into the air as she disappeared. The attack came from Yeager, now tied for Nullpudding for first place. Yeager then focused his attention on Gray, but an ice attack struck him from behind, making him disappear as his score dropped to zero.

Lyon then stepped out, revealing himself to Gray, but Juvia came jumping down from above, flashing her panties at the same time. As Lyon and Gray's eyes popped out, Juvia gave Lyon a powerful dropkick, knocking him flat on his back and getting herself back in the running while Lyon was back at zero and stuck in a ten-second reprieve.

"I didn't need your help, you know!" Gray protested.

"I'm aware of that," replied Juvia. "But I'm still determined to beat you because of the promise Master made."

Gray scowled. "And let me guess, that promise has something to do with me," he huffed.

Juvia answered with a nod. "He said that the winning team gets to do whatever they want to the losing team for a whole day," she explained.

The girl then began to blush, lost in her imagination, while Gray was angry, appearing to be looking through the screen.

"You got to be kidding me!" he snarled crossly. "Hey, Gramps! If you're gonna be making promises like that, they got to be fair! That means that promise better apply if our team wins, too!"

Makarov appeared to be nervous as I looked across at him frowning.

"Master, forgive me for saying this, but you're a real crook," I said flatly.

Makarov guiltily cringed. "Aw, come on, Willy. Don't you think "crook" is a strong word?" he pouted.

Then, a pair of screams returned my attention to the screens, and I saw that Nullpudding had once again attacked Gray and Juvia, raising his score by two points, making both mages disappear for ten seconds.

Next, it began to snow, the city becoming a winter wonderland caused by Eve's magic. Thanks to the copies being unaffected by the cold, his magic allowed him to find Beth, Yeager, and Nullpudding as he blasted all three of them with a flurry of snow, knocking them out. However, this exposed him to Lyon, who attacked him with an array of eagles made of ice, knocking him out.

The whole city had now erupted into chaos, the wizards inside attacking one after other. However, out of all the other competitors, Nullpudding kept coming after Gray, who was trying his best to avoid him. It was then that I realized that there was a competitor who hadn't gained or lost any points and had yet to make an appearance.

That competitor was Rufus from Sabertooth.

At first, I wondered where he was, but then a lacrima-tron showed the man in question standing at the very top of a building right in plain view, much to my surprise. Rufus then held two fingers to his head as he began activating his magic. After that, the entire city grew dark as night, and all the players started to radiate in a strange gold glow, while Rufus gave an even stronger light, smirking as he threw out his arms elegantly.

"MEMORY MAKE: NIGHT OF SHOOTING STARS."

Multiple golden streams of magic shot out from his aura shooting all over the city and striking every competitor. But Nullpudding managed to dodge and shot towards Rufus attempting to land a hit, only for Rufus to disappear briefly before reappearing and blasting Nullpudding too, making his score shoot up to the top spot as the competitors disappeared.

"And just like that, Rufus turns the scoreboard upside down with a single attack!" Chapati yelled with excitement. "Just what you would expect from a guy from Sabertooth!"

"What kind of magic did he just use?!" I couldn't help but exclaim with shock. "He was able to find and blast away everyone with ease!"

"No idea," I heard Pantherlily speak. "But it shows he's quite powerful, and their title for number one guild in Fiore isn't just for show."

Now angry at Rufus, Gray recovered and jumped straight toward him, wanting payback, only for Nullpudding to get in the way and take him down with a downwards kick, making Gray disappear for another ten seconds, making me a bit mad. He had every opportunity to attack Rufus but chose to ignore him for Gray again.

Then, there was a ding-ding sound as Chapati's voice rang out at that moment while the town slowly disappeared.

"And with that, the game is over, so let's look at the old scoreboard!"

The scoreboard showed the scores:

Sabertooth: 10

Raven Tail: 8

Lamia Scale: 6

Blue Pegasus: 4

Mermaid Heel: 3

Quatro Cerebus: 2

Fairy Tail B: 1

Fairy Tail A: 0

"Just as we expected, Sabertooth claims the top spot!" Chapati continued. "Both Fairy Tail teams did their best, but it wasn't enough to get them out of last place."

"Better luck next time," Yajima also said.

The crowd began to laugh and jeer at the two Fairy Tail teams, and while I was upset, there was nothing I could do about it. I also had a feeling that Gray was likely the most upset of us all, considering he got bullied into losing.

"Stay strong, you guys," I silently said to myself. "This isn't over yet. It's only the first round, so hang in there. We'll get our chance."

"Coming up next is the battle part of the contest!" Chapati said. "One team member will participate in a match but will not be a tournament set up!"

"It's the game's organizers who'll decide who'll be fighting, right?" asked Jenny.

"That's right, and I'm sure they'll set up some interesting matches," Yajima spoke, sounding eager.

"I've just received the lineups, so we'll find out how spectacular they will be!" said Chapati. "For our first match of the Grand Magic Games will pit Lucy Heartfilia from Fairy Tail A against Flare Corona from Raven Tail! At this time, can we have all the other teams and teammates leave the arena?"

All eight teams then left the arena except for Lucy and a young woman with red hair wearing a red dress that had an unhinged look in her eyes. On the other hand, Lucy refused to stand down as she gave the woman an angry and determined glare that would make anyone look away, which impressed me a bit.

"Wow, check out the look Lucy's giving," I commented. "She looks about ready to kill someone."

"It's because she's up against one of Ivan's rats!" Makarov snarled while shadow punching. "Listen, Lucy! I want carnage out there, you hear?! So make sure to tear her to shreds!"

"I still can't help but wonder what Raven Tail's trying to achieve by doing this," Mavis spoke thoughtfully with a frown. "Could it honestly be something as petty as to humiliate us?"

"With all due respect, Master, that is what they're doing!" growled Makarov. "And they're doing a good job of it, too!"

I couldn't help but have the same question while also feeling worried about Lucy, but I didn't say anything as Mato stepped onto the field once more.

"Now, listen up, ladies! This entire arena is your battlefield, and this is a one-on-one match, so I want a good clean fight!" the pumpkin-headed mascot said. "You also have a thirty-minute time limit, so if you can knock out your opponent or make them give up within that time, you win and earn ten points for your team! Now, let the first match begin!"

At the sound of the gong, Lucy was quick to go on the attack whipping out a key.

"OPEN! GATE OF THE GOLDEN BULL! TAURUS!"

In a flash of light, the very bull spirit appeared and swung at Flare with its ax while she jumped out of the way to dodge. But Lucy wasn't done yet as she took out another key.

"OPEN! GATE OF THE SCORPION! SCORPIO!"

At her command, another spirit appeared: a young tan-skinned man with a long metallic scorpion-like tail.

"No way! Two Celestial Spirits at once?!" exclaimed Bisca. "That's amazing!"

"No kidding!" agreed Alzack. "She's gotten way stronger than before!"

I couldn't help but be impressed, too, remembering that Lucy couldn't do this before, which made me happy that her training and the Second Origin were paying off.

Scorpio aimed his tail at Flare and fired a torrent of sand at her, but Flare's hair suddenly grew out while flaring with flames blocking the attack.

But Lucy was ready with another attack. "Taurus! Scorpio! It's time you two kick things up a notch!" she called.

Scorpio then unleashed another Sand Buster, but this time, he shot it at Taurus's ax, which absorbed and wrapped the power and sand around it. Taurus then jumped into the air and swung it, unleashing a new move.

"SANDSTORM AXE ALDEBARAN!"

Several sand tornados erupted from the smash, causing the wind to blow around the arena, forcing me to shield my eyes.

"What an incredible attack!" I heard Chapati shout. "Summoning two spirits was impressive enough, but having them combine their attacks was skillful!"

"You can say that again," agreed Yajima. "She wasn't nearly this strong seven years ago. What an improvement!"

As I rubbed the sand out of my eyes while turning back to the arena, I saw that Flare got sent flying upward from the assault but countered by making her hair grow and morph into a snarling wolf.

"HAIR SHOWER! WOLF FANG!"

But Lucy was quick to counter as well, as she whipped out another key, summoning another spirit.

"OPEN! GATE OF THE GIANT CRAB! CANCER!"

Immediately, as quickly as he appeared, Cancer was able to cut through Flare's attack in seconds using his scissors. But this made Flare livid as she let out a screech of rage. She made her hair go underground and eventually appear below Lucy's feet, entangled them, and started pulling her around while dragging her along before slamming her to the ground.

Lucy then took out her whip, its cord shining with a strange blue matter, and launched it at Flare, wrapping it around her hand. The two then started pulling at each other, the momentum of their bindings launching them into the air and making them spin until the force separated and sent them both tumbling to the ground.

"Whoa, Mama! What a match!" Chapati shouted again. "These ladies in this match are giving us an adrenaline-fueled battle with neither one backing down in this father-son guild battle!"

"Both ladies may be down, but they're far from out," added Jenny. "And as surprising it is to admit, Fairy Tail might have a slight advantage to win here."

Both girls appeared to be unharmed, but I noticed that Lucy's boots were soldering, likely due to Flare's hair burning them. However, the blonde got back up as she took them off, much to Flare's bewilderment, making her even angrier as her hair grew wilder and made several tendrils go underground.

Lucy glanced around on guard and looking for any signs of an attack. Then, she appeared to look towards the crowd in our direction and stopped. She was about to shout something when one of Flare's hair tendrils shot up, wrapping her by the neck and hurling her to the ground. Then, like a starving predator pouncing on its prey, Flare began repeatedly whipping at Lucy with her hair, enjoying herself, and cruelly cackled while Lucy laid there and took it.

Seeing this made me worry. "What's going on here?" I thought. "Lucy was doing well against this girl, but she's not even fighting back now. Did the strain of summoning multiple spirits at once drain her magic quicker than expected? Or is it something else?"

I quickly glanced towards Raven Tail's box where Nullpudding and the others were standing and grew more suspicious, beginning to believe that they were up to something again like with Gray.

At this point, Flare had her hair hold Lucy up by her limbs and neck, getting ready to torture her some more as she struggled feebly.

I then closed my eyes using my Aqua Sense, focusing on only both Lucy and Flare. In my mind, I could see both their magic signatures and the water in their bodies by blue silhouettes. Lucy's body was like any other body, but thanks to her hair being in several tendrils, Flare's was all over the place, the tendrils going through several different directions. Then, I saw one that went away from the battle in another way. At first, I wondered where it went, but as I followed it, I was quick to realize that it was heading in one particular direction. Ours.

Immediately, my eyes snapped open as I turned around and saw something that made my heart stop. From behind Lapis and Asuka, a tendril of Flare's hair was poking out of a crack, wiggling just behind the two, ready to pounce.

"ASUKA! LAPIS! GET DOWN!" I yelled.

But as I quickly shielded them from the tendril, Natsu came bursting in, startling everyone, quickly grabbing the tendril of hair and incinerating it with his magic.

"I heard her loud and clear!" Natsu roared. "Lucy was trying to protect Asuka and Lapis!"

As confirmation, while everyone else was surprised and confused, I saw Flare pull out one of her tendrils from the ground back at the arena.

Natsu then turned back to the arena, yelling again. "NOW, LUCY! YOU'RE IN THE CLEAR!"

Lucy struggled with her binds, managed to grab one of her keys, and summoned a spirit.

"OPEN! GATE OF THE TWINS! GEMINI!"

Two pairs of small blue creatures came shooting out from nowhere, one smacking Flare right on the cheek with a headbutt and the other cutting through the bindings setting Lucy free. Then, in a puff of smoke, the two twins transformed into a copy of Lucy wearing nothing but a towel, making all the males in the crowd go nuts. But despite being embarrassed, Lucy appeared to suck it up as she and the copy held each other's hands as they began reciting a spell.

"OH, STARS FAR AND WIDE THAT EMBODY THE HEAVENS. BY THY RADIANCE, REVEAL THY FORM TO ME. I IMPLORE YOU, OH TETRABILOS, RULER OF STARS, LET YOUR UNRESTRAINED RAGE FLOW."

A magic circle appeared below them as numerous planets appeared dancing around the arena, while Flare was frozen, petrified with fear.

"WITH THE EIGHTY-EIGHT HEAVENLY BODIES, SHINING! URANO METRIA!"

Their bodies exploded with golden radiance as the planets shot and went straight toward Flare. But just when I thought that Lucy had won this match, the golden radiance disappeared. Not only that but only Lucy and Flare remained in the arena, Gemini having vanished.

There was a stunned and tense silence. Then, finally, Lucy wobbled and fell to the ground, not moving.

I closed my eyes using my Aqua Sense again to try and find out what had happened. It was then that I saw that while Flare still showed a blue silhouette in my mind, Lucy didn't, meaning that she didn't have any magic power at all.

"Well, I was expecting something way more bombastic, but it looks like her spell was a dud," Chapati commented. "However, Lucy is down for the count, which means that the winner of this match is Raven Tail's Flare Corona!"

Realizing what had happened, I looked over at the Raven Tail members in their box, now seething with anger as I balled my hands.

"Those lousy scumbags! Just before Lucy's spell hit, they canceled out Lucy's magic, just like what happened to Wendy and Carla!"

And out of impulse, I jumped off the balcony and spread my wings, gliding towards the arena floor. As I touched down, I ran toward Lucy until I was right at her side. She was weak due to her lack of magic, but she also saw that she had broken down in tears.

I could hear the crowd jeering and laughing at her, making me angrier at Raven Tail.

Then, Natsu approached. At first, I expected him to be just as angry, but he was calm and smiling kindly.

"Hey, now. No crying, Luce," he spoke gently.

"I can't help it," sobbed Lucy as I helped her sit up. "It's just not fair!"

"No, it isn't; that's why we'll pay them back a hundred times over," said Natsu. "You were amazing. Thanks to you showing that the seven-year gap meant nothing, we still got a fighting chance!" He then held out his hand to her. "Zero points? Sounds good to me. It's our chance to make a comeback."

Lucy was still sobbing, but she took hold of Natsu's hand while holding her head up high. "Yeah. I'm all fired up now," she answered back.

I couldn't help but smile a bit at this. "Once again, Natsu's optimism shows no bounds," I thought. "It amazes me how he can be so positive even with these circumstances."

Natsu and I then helped Lucy out of the arena, but as we did, I couldn't help but look back towards Flare, who was also walking away.

"Natsu's also was right about one thing; this wasn't over. Not by a long shot."

After that ordeal, Natsu took Lucy to Porlyusica to heal up while I headed back to the others to watch the other matches. The second match was between Ren Akatsuki from Blue Pegasus and Araña Webb from Mermaid Heel. The battle was pretty interesting to watch, Ren using Air Magic and Araña her Thread Magic, but in the end, Ren came out on top earning ten points for Blue Pegasus.

The next match was soon underway.

"Now, it's time for the third match of Day One!" announced Chapati. "This match will feature Quarto Cerebus' Warcry and Sabertooth's and our Crocus Battle Fighter's Champion, Orga Nanagear!"

The crowd went wild with cheers as the two wizards made their way to the field, and Orga held up his belt proudly as he flexed his muscles with his other arm. I kept my eyes fixed solely on him, believing this to be a perfect opportunity.

"I may have been able to catch a glimpse of his strength the other day, but now I have the chance to see what this guy can do. So let me see what you got, Orga."

And with a bang of the gong, the third match began. But my hopes for a fight were quick to take an unexpected turn when Warcry started bawling, his eyes gushing out with tears.

"And there it is! Warcry's signature Tear Magic!" exclaimed Chapati.

"That's certainly an interesting magic," commented Yajima. "Can't say that I've ever heard of it, though."

"Wait... he uses his magic by crying?" I asked incredulously. "What kind of magic is that?"

Then Warcry charged, raring to fight, but as quickly as he took a step, Orga raised one hand and unleashed a powerful blast of black-yellow lightning in the form of a sphere. Dazed while fried to a crisp, Warcry fell to the ground unconscious and in a smoking heap.

"And the third match is over in a literal flash!" Chapati spoke. "The winner of this match is Sabertooth's Orga Nanagear earning ten more points for his team, bringing their score up to twenty!"

The crowd erupted in cheers as Orga posed again while holding up his belt.

"Even I have to agree that was pretty impressive," I thought. "Sure, Warcry was weaker, but I guess he isn't just carrying that championship belt around for bragging rights."

Orga then turned away and appeared to be leaving, but then he walked back to the center of the arena and held out a hand beckoning at Mato. The pumpkin mascot then rushed over, carrying a mike, and gave it to him. I wondered what he was doing, but Orga did something I did not expect.

He started singing. He screeched and ranted into the mike, his voice making me cover my ears. The audience appeared to be enjoying it, but I thought that he was an even worse version of Gajeel when it came to music.

After a few minutes of that torture, Orga soon left, and the three commentators resumed speaking.

"Day One's matches for the games may be ending for the day, but we still have one more match!" said Chapati.

"Considering that Fairy Tail B and Lamia Scale are the only ones left, it's safe to say that they're the final matchup," said Yajima.

"These two guilds used to be equally skilled, so this should be a fun match," Jenny spoke eagerly. "I can't wait to see who comes out on top!"

"All right, folks!" Chapati went on announcing. "The final match of Day One will be Fairy Tail's Mystogan versus Lamia Scale's Jura Nekis!"

The whole place then exploded in cheers, the stands slightly rumbling from them, and as Jura stepped out into the arena, they cheered even louder.

"Whoa. I had no idea Jura was so popular," commented Levy.

"Well, considering that he is one of the Ten Wizard Saints, it's no surprise," said Jet. "He's as strong as Master Makarov."

"That is true, but if you think about the seven-year gap, Jura is likely stronger than Makarov," said a voice.

Everyone looked back, and Tu Chi came walking in.

"M-Master Tu Chi!" I exclaimed. "What are you doing here?! Where have you been?!"

"And what do you mean Jura's stronger than me?" demanded Makarov. "I'm just as strong as him, if not more!"

"Let's just say that I had to take care of some business," the old woman replied. "Once I've finished, I came here. So, how have things been going so far?"

There was a brief and uncomfortable silence until I spoke up.

"Let's just say that things have been unfair for us lately," I replied. "Which reminds me. Master Tu Chi, will it be alright if I spoke to you privately?"

Tu Chi obliged, and she and I left the balcony box and went a few feet down the hall. Then, I explained everything that had happened.

"I see," frowned Tu Chi. "So, that's what's happened."

"Yeah. It still gets me angry just thinking about it," I growled while punching my fist into my palm. "If I hadn't detected Flare and Natsu hadn't shown up, Lapis and Asuka would have gotten hurt. They also pulled a fast one by canceling Lucy's magic and costing her the match. I'm worried that something like that will happen again to me if I pass the preliminaries. So, if you don't mind..."

"Say no more," Tu Chi interrupted gently with a smile. "I can stay and watch the children and Sieri while keeping an eye out for trouble."

I smiled with relief as I bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Master. I appreciate it," I spoke gratefully.

"It's no problem, Willy, but there's no need, nor is it necessary to call me Master anymore," said Tu Chi. "You have already gone far beyond being a student. You're now my equal. So you can call me by my first name."

"Oh, okay, Mas- I mean Tu Chi," I replied awkwardly.

Suddenly, there was a deep rumbling as I sensed a strange and tremendous pressure coming from outside, making a chill run through my spine. Feeling worried, Tu Chi and I rushed back to the balcony box and looked over at the arena.

Jellal was radiating a strange gold aura while in a stance while Jura appeared worried as he stood before him. The sky had also grown dark, now filled with strange purple clouds forming a cyclone.

"What the heck is going on here?!" I cried.

"This isn't good," Tu Chi spoke grimly. "That boy's planning to use one of his most powerful spells, and if he does that, there'll be trouble! And not just for him!"

Then, just when Jellal was about to finish casting the spell, he seemed to freeze up. At the same time, the clouds that formed in the sky disappeared, and the rumbling stopped. First, there was silence. Then, Jellal clasped his hands over her mouth, appearing in agony as he fell to his knees. After that, he began rolling on the ground, hysterically laughing while holding his hips.

"D-Do I even want to know what's happening here?" I wondered in bafflement.

Tu Chi then spoke quietly to me so only I could hear her. "If I had to make a guess, I'd say Meldy's Sensory Link is at work."

"Sensory Link?" I repeated. "And do you mean that pink-haired girl from Jellal's group?"

"Yes, that spell gives her the power to connect her senses with a target," explained Tu Chi. "And whatever she experiences and feels, her target does too. So it would appear that Ultear and Meldy noticed Jellal's little stunt and are taking their time punishing him."

Jellal laughed hysterically until finally, unable to handle the torture, fell flat on the ground in defeat.

There was a long silence as everyone stared speechlessly. Even Jura was utterly bewildered.

At last, Chapati broke the silence. "Well, I don't know what was so funny, but Mystogan is down for the count!" he said. "And Jura Nekis gets the win and the last laugh which gives them ten points!"

Jellal limped slowly out of the arena as everyone cheered for Jura, his shoulders slumped with shame. I then looked at the scoreboard, and its sight made me cringe a bit as it showed an update:

Sabertooth: 20

Raven Tail: 18

Lamia Scale: 16

Blue Pegasus: 14

Mermaid Heel: 3

Quatro Cerebus: 2

Fairy Tail B: 1

Fairy Tail A: 0

At this point, everyone in the Fairy Tail group was depressed, embarrassed, and ready to give up, which made me feel bad for them.

"It's been an exciting Day One with this year's talent off the charts," said Chapati. "As we expected, Sabertooh's is in First Place while both Fairy Tail teams are dead last."

"Yes, but it's only the first day," said Yajima. "I'm hoping that we'll see some dramatic comebacks in the days ahead."

"Yeah, Blue Pegasus still has a chance to win," added Jenny. "I can't wait to see what happens on Day Two."

"That's a ditto for me," said Chapati. "But it's not over yet! Day One of the games may be over, but we're just getting started! It's now time for the results of the preliminary round of the Crocus Fighters Tournament!"

I then paid close attention as I came to the balcony's edge. "See, guys? We ain't licked yet!" I said, hoping to encourage some hope. "Sure, we've had bad luck, but we still got the Crocus Fighters Tournament!"

"That is assuming that you've made it," Droy spoke miserably. "And at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't."

"Come on, you guys. Don't give up now," encouraged Lisanna. "Willy's right. It's only the first day, so we got to be positive."

"Yeah, so don't worry. Willy's got this," said Sieri with confidence. "I know he does, so have a bit more faith."

The other Fairy Tail members were still unsure.

The scoreboard on the screen then changed, showing eight blank squares.

"Now, I've just received the results and will announce the eight competitors that have accumulated the most points and will be advancing to the first round!" Chapati spoke. "The eight competitors that made the quarter-finals will be these lucky few!"

The eight squares then showed mugshots of eight people, and among them, I saw my face in the bottom four.

I couldn't help but let out a loud whoop as I fist-pumped. "All right!" I roared with enthusiasm. "I made it!"

"Haha! I told you, you would!" Sieri spoke with pride as she gave me a pat on the back. "Didn't have any doubt!"

"Way to go, Willy!" Lisanna said happily. "Congratulations!"

The other Fairy Tail members cheered for me too.

"Wow! We've got ourselves an impressive lineup of wizards here!" commented Chapati. "Now, we'll decide the matchups by a random shuffle!"

The images on the lacrima-tron flipped facedown, stacked on top of each other, and shuffled around like cards. Then, they spread out in a row of eight while a tournament tree appeared from above them.

"Now, Ladies and Gentleman, it's time to reveal the big matchups!" Chapati boomed. "For the first match: it's Willy Falconer from Fairy Tail versus Mattan Ginger from Twilight Orge!"

The first two cards on the left flipped over, revealing my face and the face of a young girl with short pink hair hidden by a blue hat with cat ears.

"In the second match: it'll be Bora from Gramlush versus Fuzen from Raven Tail!" continued Chapati.

The third and fourth cards flipped, revealing a male with short purple hair and someone that made me scowl, the man with the clown mask that attacked me in the prelims.

"So, he made it as well," I thought. "And his name is Fuzen, huh? I'll make sure to remember that."

"For match three: Yuka Suzuki from Lamia Scale versus Chrisack from Dullahan Head!"

The following two cards then flipped, revealing the man that spoke to Lyon before and another ale that was bald with a bushy green ponytail and a beard.

"And finally, for match four: Baccus from Quarto Cerberus versus Li-Chung from the Silver Wolves!"

The last two cards then showed a male with slick black hair in a bun tied by a cloth, and the other also had black hair but was tied in a long braid.

"Now that we've got the matches set up, it's time we get this party started!" Chapati said. "Will Willy Falconer and Mattan Ginger report to the arena, please?"

"Well, guess that means I'm off," I said to everyone. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck, Willy!" said Lisanna. "You can win this!"

"We're counting on you, Willy!" Makarov encouraged. "Don't let us down, you hear?!"

I answered with a thumbs up as I left the balcony box and started making my way toward the arena entrance.

Willy advances to the next round! But will he be able to succeed with his match where Lucy and Jellal failed?

If you liked what you read, if you're new, follow, fav, and review!

And as always, thank you for watching, and I'll see you in the next chapter!

Dragomaster, signing off!