"It appears I may have underestimated you, Elfman." Erza said to Elfman with a proud smile as the giant man laid in a hospital bed, the rest of Fairy Tail Team A standing in the room with them along with Porlyusica, Lisanna and the Thunder God Tribe.

"How do you feel?" Lisanna asked in slight concern of her older brother, raising an eyebrow as Elfman just gave her a strained grin.

"D-Did you forget, Lisanna? I-I'm a real man! This is notHING!" Everyone jumped as Porlyusica simply pressed a finger to his chest, making him yelp in pain as she frowned.

"Your ribs are barely holding together and you have more broken & fractures bones than you have whole ones. You are forbidden from joining the games from now on."

"R-Right. Looks like…you get to fight, Wendy." He said to the bluenette who, while a little nervous, gave him a determined smile & nod.

"Don't worry! Wendy is more than strong enough to cover you!" Natsu agreed with a grin, Wendy blushing slightly at the praise as Elfman gave a chuckle before wincing as he aggravated a few ribs.

"Okay, the next match is starting. You idiots better go watch it."

"Oh right! Creed's fighting next! Come on, Lucy!"

"W-Wait up! I'll come visit later, Elfman!" Lucy said with a bow before quickly rushing after Natsu, Wendy, Happy and Carla, to which the man just smiled as he watched them leave.

"I really want to stay, bu-!"

"You go ahead, Lisanna. We, the Thunder God Tribe, will look after him." Evergreen interrupted her with a soft smile, the girl looking at the trio before smiling in thanks as she stood up.

"Let's go, captain. I'm sure you wouldn't want to miss Creed's match, right?" Gray said with an amused smirk as he followed Lisanna out of the room, Erza simply frowning in confusion at the phrase as she followed after them.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I've already put up a runic field around the room that forbids anyone not of Fairy Tail to enter, so you can sleep peacefully, Elfman."

"We'll be outside, making sure no one can interrupt you two lovebirds~" Bickslow said with a teasing grin & a waggle of his eyebrows as he & Freed walked out of the room, both Evergreen & Elfman a bright red before Bickslow rushed out with a cackle as Evergreen sent a weak explosion at him.

"I swear! I just want to strangle that idiot!"

"Wouldn't that…piss off Laxus?" Elfman asked, to which Evergreen growled before huffing as she plopped down on the seat next to his bed.

"No funny business or else, I'm kicking you out with them. The musclehead needs his rest." Porlyusica said with a frown as she was rummaging through her bag, though she had an amused smirk as she saw the two looking away from each other while as red as a tomato.

'I suppose teasing Maka's kids is a good pasttime until the end of the Grand Magic Games.'

"Ooh, do we have a banger for everyone today?! We left this match for last seeing as these two mages are both S-Class mages of their respective guilds! On the left, we have the powerful beauty of Mermaid Heel who is also their ace! Known throughout all of Fiore for her strength, she cuts down evildoers with one swing of her blade and bring them to their knees with her Gravity Magic! Give it up for the 'White Ribbon'… Kagura!" The crowd roared as a beautiful black-haired woman walked out onto the battlefield, her posture confident yet composed & her eyes as she carried a nodachi sheathed in a white & gold scabbard.

"And on the right, he needs no introduction! Rising to the top ranks of his guild within less than a year, shattering the previous record by Erza Scarlet, he made a name for himself by felling an Ancient Wyvern on his first mission! After that, he went on a spree of jobs and the name Creed became common throughout Fiore! Put your hands together for the Scarlet Dragon…Eric Creed!"

'I swear when I find the guy who made that Ancient Wyvern rumour, I'm skinning him alive.' Eric thought in his mind as he walked out towards where his opponent was waiting, putting a confident grin on his face & pushing his murderous thoughts to the back of his mind as he waved at the cheering crowd.

"So, you both know the rules. No killing, no maiming and the first to make their opponent submit or knock them unconscious will be the winner."

"I look forward to our battle as a fellow Gravity mage." Kagura said with a slight bow as she settled in a fighting stance, Eric watching as her right hand was rested on the hilt of her blade before smiling as he nodded.

"The same to you." He answered as he slowly settled into his fighting stance, his hands being coated in an azure aura & his body in a scarlet aura just as a lilac aura covered Kagura's body.

"Let's get this fight going, ladies & gentlemen! Let the match…begin!"

"Red." As soon as the match began, Kagura held her sheathed blade in front of her just as Eric appeared & attacked with a heavy chop, a loud boom echoing from their clash before he leapt backwards.

"Blue." Eric chanted as all ten of his fingers were coated in an azure aura before he flicked them towards the ground around Kagura, who frowned as she spun while reverting the gravity around her in all directions.

It was not a moment too soon as an azure orb was launched from each of Eric's fingers, her eyes widening as the ten spheres pulled each other closer while trying to pull her towards them.

"Heaven." Kagura chanted as she reverted her own gravity, sending herself flying upwards while barely dodging the red sphere that Eric launched in secret, the dragon slayer clicking his tongue before cancelling his spells before the two orbs could clash.

Slowly disabling her reverted gravity & falling back to the ground with grace, Kagura watched as Eric did the same, the two fighters simply looking at each other as the crowd around them cheered.

"I didn't even get a chance to speak! This battle, just like the ones before it, is amazing and something tells me that we're just getting started!"

"What is your magic?" Eric was surprised to hear Kagura being the first to speak in their battle, but he was also confused at her question as he answered.

"Gravity Magic. Why?" He asked, watching as the woman raised an eyebrow at him.

"If you do not wish to tell me, I understand, but there is no need to lie."

"Uh, I'm not. I use Gravity Magic." Eric answered and this time, he watched as Kagura looked at him with a frown before shaking her head.

"I have trained myself in Gravity Magic for over five years to such an extent that I can sense any shifts in gravity around me. What you were doing was not shifting gravity and I could sense it in your first attack."

"…So, this isn't gravity magic?" Eric asked, frowning as Kagura shook her head before looking down at his hands.

"Not at all. Gravity Magic allows you to increase or decrease gravity by using yourself or a point around you as the epicentre and at its highest level, create black holes. However, your ability to make these effects into mobile spheres that move independently from you is what bewilders & fascinates me."

"Well, I have been told I'm quite the fascinating guy." Eric agreed with a nod, Kagura rolling her eyes before the dragon slayer quickly tilted his body to the right just as a large crack appeared in the ground besides him.

Looking at how the edges were a bit too clean, he could only smirk in amusement at Kagura, to which the female Gravity user simply raised an eyebrow.

"You were open."

"I was indeed. However, I guess I should stop playing around." With that said, scarlet flames covered his hands as he crouched low to the ground like a beast before he launched himself forward.

"Claws." Flipping forward through the air and over another invisible slash, Eric raised his hands above his head before bringing them down with a double claw attack, Kagura frowning as she inverted her gravity to the air behind her & pulled herself out of the way.

Twin pillars of scarlet flames exploded from Eric's hands the moment they impacted the ground, the dragon slayer not caring for the destruction as he grinned before his eyes turned into a blazing crimson.

In an instant, the world around Eric faded away as his entire focus was on Kagura & her blade, the scarlet flames from his hands expanding to cover the entirety of his body along with a blood red aura.

"Scarlet. Talon." The next moment, the ground under him was reduced to nothing but molten lava as the mage vanished frm view, Kagura quickly spinning around & sending out an air slash just as Eric appeared & kicked it away.

"Almighty Push." With a simple kick, Kagura gritted her teeth as a cone of air pressure pushed her back, though not before she thrust her sheathed blade at Eric.

"Earth." She chanted and Eric grunted as he was slammed back first into the ground, spittle flying out of his mouth with a silent gasp before he growled as he flipped over to a four-legged stance.

Launching himself after the flying Kagura, the gravity witch frowned as she flipped through the with a graceful spin while sending out a flurry of slashes with her landing.

However, it was not enough as Eric ducked & dodged the attacks with a simple yet beautiful agile display, skidding across his knees under a slash from Kagura before leaping to his feet & spinning around.

"Universal Pull/ Heaven." Eric & Kagura chanted respectively as they unleashed their spells, Kagura reverting the gravity around her nodachi & keeping it from flying away just as Eric tried to pull it from her back.

Both fighters frowned as they increased the pull only for Eric to curse as Kagura abruptly reverted her attack & used the pull to boost her speed, quickly cancelling his spell & creating a Red in front of him.

"Slashing Form." Eric blinked as he watched his Red being cut right through before looking down at his chest, only given a moment to look at the shallow cut on his chest before the world finally went into motion as he was sent crashing into the ground.

'Hmm, it appears that his 'gravity' distorts the air itself to either attract or repel and it seems that he can apply these effects to his body as well. Perhaps a variation of Gravity Magic.' Kagura thought with a frown as she watched the dragon slayer lying on the ground, not surprised to see the mage still conscious.

However, she was a bit surprised to see only a shallow cut on his chest considering she had to put more force than needed into her strike to actually cut through the red orb he launched at her.

'Damn, she actually cut through Red like it was nothing. Then again, maybe using Almighty Push to send myself backwards would have been a better idea.' Eric thought as he stared up at the sky, the crowd's cheers dull to his ears as he sighed before feeling at his chest.

"Can you still go?" Eric turned as he heard Mako speak, smiling & nodding before groaning as he pushed himself to sat upright and rolled his neck.

"Are you perhaps holding back, Eric Creed?" Kagura's words drew Eric out of his internal pondering, the dragon slayer looking at the gravity witch before sighing as he stood up.

"Not precisely. It's more like I'm sparing some energy for the other events."

"Hmm, that is quite the folly, if I must say so myself. Taking your opponent too lightly can lead to you losing. Like so." One moment, Eric was looking at Kagura lowering herself into a slashing stance.

The next, she vanished & appeared right by his side, jets of flames shooting out from his feet & sending him rocketing upwards just as she slashed at where his chest was supposed to be.

"Very well. I shall attack at full power then." As soon as Eric said that, the atmosphere went cold as Eric's flames disappeared, Kagura looking up just in time to catch sight of a dozen large blue orbs rocketing towards her in a circle formation.

"Heaven." Quickly reverting her own gravity to the right, Kagura sent herself flying out of reach just as the orbs smashed into the ground.

Quickly turning back to where Eric was supposed to be, she frowned as she saw no one before her eyes widened slightly as she felt a force growing near behind her, turning her head slightly just as a monstrous sphere of red energy slammed into her.

Eric didn't stop as he watched Kagura being pushed away by Red before pulling the ten Blues closer, smirking as the ten spheres connected with the red & combined to form a sphere of chaotic violet energy.

"Gravito Secret Arts: Hollow Flash." With a single chant, Kagura was obscured by the chaotic energy as it exploded with a brilliant violet blast, Eric waiting patiently for the attack to end as an azure glow covered his body to keep him from being sucked into the attack.

However, his eyes widened and he had to give an impressed whistle as the hollow flash was cut down the middle, the energy dispersing to reveal Kagura standing in the middle of it with her blade now fully unsheathed.

Despite the cuts that littered her body and the dark bruise forming on her back, Eric had to admit the woman had some endurance as she barely stumbled while turning around to face him.

For the first time since the battle began, Kagura had a serious yet wary look in her eyes as she dropped her nodachi's scabbard to the ground, Eric grinning as he lowered him into a stance while the nail on his right hand's thumb grew out.

*DDDDUUUUMM* *DDDUUUUMMMM* *DDDDUUUUMMM*

However, it appears that their battle was cut short as a loud gong rang out three times in the battle, Eric unable to hide his disappointment while the crowd groaned as Mako appeared in between the two fighters.

"What a great battle, folks! Unfortunately, it appears that this battle is going to have to be cut short as the ending gong echoes through the Domus Flau, ending it in a draw! With that said, both teams walk away with five points each as well as pride in their mages for taking the win."

"Next time we battle, let us go all-out from the start." Eric looked at Kagura as she spoke, watching as the woman's scabbard flew up to her hand before grinning as he nodded.

"Oh, we are definitely going to finish this fight." Eric agreed with a grin, Kagura giving a small smirk & a slight bow before turning to walk back to Mermaid Heel's booth, Eric's grin widening as he turned to walk back to his team's booth with a pep in his step.

'Man, it appears that everyone got a buff in this world. Oh, this is going to be awesome.'

"So, you're not going to take part in the celebrations tonight?" Flare asked as she & Eric floated in the sky above their inn, thankful for the fact that Eric's gravity bubbles can keep out the cold and for his dragon slayer body that exuded a constant soothing heat.

"No, I just wanted to have a peaceful night, alone with my girlfriend."

"Hmm, this isn't to do with how your Gravity Magic is not Gravity Magic?" Flare asked with a raised eyebrow, smirking as Eric simply looked back at the sky.

"…It might."

"You know the guys don't care whether or not you actually have Gravity Magic, right?"

"It's more of a problem I have with myself." Eric answered with a sigh, Flare simply humming as she laid on his chest before looking up to see him continuing to look up at the sky.

"So…can I ask you that thing that Veronica asked me about?"

"Oh right, you said she told you something." Eric spoke as he sat upright, Flare not even phased anymore at sitting on his lap as she sighed while wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Well, Veronica wanted to see in the days before you all arrived and…she made me, or should I say us, an offer."

"Oh, what's that?" He asked before his eyes widened as Flare smiled.

"How would you feel about us being not only nobles, but acquiring a seat on the King's council of confidants?"

A/N: Cliffhanger for the ending!

And yes, Eric didn't win because the Ace is supposed to be the strongest mage of the guild and how would it look if I gave some a boost and not others? That is why Kagura also got a slight buff, just as strong as her canon counterpart with a bit of Fujitora thrown in there.

Next chapter, we continue the GMG and a really fun fight...I think. It's been a while since I read this arc from start to finish.

Also, for those that read this but not Unholy Wolf, a new message for you guys that I just copied from there:

Like I said on my Pat-reon, I've gotten lazy with my usual upload schedule so I decided that perhaps a more rushed schedule would help me work better for the next month.

If it works, then it will my upload schedule for the foreseeable future, but if it doesn't, I'll just switch back to how I usually upload. Uploading everything at once just made my head spin so I decided to try this method out. Let me know if it's better or worse.

As for those wondering what the schedule will be like, it will be uploads on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday to test it out.

And now, like always, you can go to my Pat-reon-.-com-/-KingCrimsonNova to read ahead on this as well as many other stories(Not many. Just three at the moment). If you want to, you are free to, but if you don't want, all's good as I will still be uploading here. This is just me trying to get some extra cash.

As always, read, enjoy, review and until next week...

Ba-Bye~!