Mavis: Previously on Challenge Island, we caught the contestants sharing their fears, and we used that as part of the challenge. Don't judge us. It can be good to face your fears. Each of our contestants had their own challenge and attempted to beat their fears. Some were embarrassed, but they pulled it off. Others weren't so lucky, such as Lisanna. She didn't do her challenge, and she got voted out for that. Who will be the next voted out? What other truths are we going to learn? Find out right here on Challenge Island.

After the last challenge, people were glad for a chance to just relax. As for Mira, she was a little upset that bother siblings were already gone.

"Mira, are you okay?" Jellal asked. "Missing your siblings? You three did seem close."

"Thank you, Jellal. I'm doing okay, but I do miss them. As much as I want them here, all I can do is keep going for them." Mirajane claimed. That was good to hear. "By the way, how are things with you and Erza? I've seen how you look at her."

"Let's keep that down. I doubt Minerva would like hearing about it." Jellal said, but Minerva already overheard them.

Confessional (Minerva): Clearly, there's some interactions between a couple of our members and the other team. If the teams merge, that is going to be a problem. I need to find a way to put my foot down.

Meanwhile, something was going on with the Falcons. Lucy and Gray were talking to each other, and they seemed to be getting along rather well. Natsu could see that and it was bugging him.

"Hey, Juvia." Natsu said. "Does it look like Gray and Lucy are getting along a little too well?" Juvia took a look at them and didn't like it.

"Of course not because she should know better." Juvia said with a look in her eyes that was scaring Natsu.

...

Levy

Meanwhile, Levy was exploring around the island. Wanting to take advantage of what nature had to offer, she picked some berries for her own delight. As she was picking those berries, Gajeel came over to her.

"Hey." Gajeel greeted.

"Hey. You want some blueberries?" Levy said.

"No thanks. I just want to say...thanks." Gajeel said with Levy a little surprised he would say that. "What you said during the fear challenge actually helped me. If others heard you, they would have thought you were saying those so my team wouldn't win, but that wasn't the feeling I was getting from you. You were actually trying to make me feel better about myself."

"Oh... I was glad to help." Levy said. "I could tell you were having a really hard time with it. You certainly did better than me."

"Well, I did it for myself, and I feel good about it." Gajeel said. "Can I ask you something? Why do you seem focused on helping me? We're not even on the same team. If your team finds out, you might be a target and get eliminated."

"Maybe, but it's only a game. I'm trying not to take it so personally." Levy claimed. Gajeel was getting a little impressed with Levy. She's smart, kind, and stronger than she appears to be. There's clearly more to her than he thought.

"Attention, campers! Meet me at the Elimination Ceremony in five minutes so that you learn about your next challenge!" Mavis announced.

"Well... I guess I'll see you out there." Gajeel said as he went on ahead. As for Levy, she had some thinking of her own to do.

Confessional (Levy): That was surprising. Gajeel acted pretty nice. Why am I so focused on helping him and not in the game? I don't usually fall for the bad boy type. Wait! Who said anything about falling for him?!

...

The Elimination Ceremony

"Morning, campers!" Mavis said. "Now, I know you had a rough time with the last challenge, but I promise you that this one is going to be simple. This challenge will consist of two parts as well. Here is how the first part works. We have a total of six metal balls hidden around the camp."

"We have to search for them again? Not exactly original." Sting complained.

"Just listen." Mavis said. "There are six in total, but each team only has to find three. When your team finds three, you are to head up to the cliff. The same cliff where we had our first challenge. That is where we have the second part of the challenge. You have exactly one hour to find those three balls."

"And what happens when we do find them? Does the team that finish first get some sort of advantage?" Erza questioned.

"Nope. This challenge is rather simple just like I said." Mavis said. "However, it would do you good to find those three metal balls before time is up because you're going to need them. Now, your one hour starts...now!" When she said that, all of them scattered and went in search of the metal balls they need.

...

Lucy

Lucy searched around for where one of the metal balls could be. She looked down, she looked under, she looked around anywhere that she could. She kept on searching until she looked up at one of the cabins and could see one sitting on the roof.

"Jackpot!" Lucy said. She hurried over to get it, but she couldn't quite reach it.

"Lucy!" Gray called as he came over to her. "Any luck?"

"Yeah. There's one right up there, but I just can't seem to reach it." Lucy said as she showed Gray.

"I'll give you a boost." Gray said as he cuffed his hands.

"Well... Okay, but you better not look up my skirt." Lucy warned. Gray didn't even think about that, but now his face was starting to turn red. Regardless, Lucy stepped on to his hands and he gave her the boost she needed. She could just barely reach and was able to grab it. "Got it!" She called and came down.

"That's one for us. Nice going." Gray said. "You know, you really are something great." Now Lucy was starting to blush from him saying that, but then she realized something. Juvia likes him and she wants to be friends with Juvia. The thing is that she and Gray have been getting rather close themselves lately.

"Thanks, but I'm nothing all that special." Lucy said. "If you want something special, you should go look at Juvia." Lucy said, but Gray thought that was strange of her to say.

Confessional (Lucy): What am I doing? Gray and I have been getting close lately, but Juvia really likes him. It could break her heart since she's already head over heels for him. I can't do that to her, but...I feel like I got a good thing with Gray. I've got to be careful because the last thing I want is to hurt anyone.

...

Erza

Erza searched around for a metal ball herself. She looked around until she found one hidden behind a bush. She grabbed it and hurried to meet with the others, but then someone held out their leg and tripped her.

"What the...?" Erza said.

"Sorry, Erza." Jellal said as he showed himself.

"Jellal? You?" Erza questioned as she didn't think he would do something like that.

"I'm sorry, but I have to show my team that I'm on their side for the time being." Jellal said as he took the metal ball that Erza had for himself. "I'll make it up to you later." He said as he took off with the goods.

"Hey! Get back here with that!" Erza called and chased after him in hopes to get it back

Confessional (Erza): What was that? Jellal helped me before, but now he's trying to sabotage me? He said he's trying to show his team he's still on his side. Are they going to vote him out because of me? Oh no.

Confessional (Jellal): I didn't like what I did to Erza, but I've got to keep a low profile about how I really feel about her. Minerva might use it against me. From what I've seen, she's not someone you want to cross.

...

The Challenge

"You have only five minutes left! Remember to go to the top of the cliff whether you have them all or not!" Mavis called. Both teams moved fast to try and find what they need. Both teams looked around and were able to find the location of the remaining metal balls. They were able to find all three for each team and were on their way up the cliff for the next part. "Nicely done. It looks like you managed to find all six, and both teams have three each. Now, let's move to the second part of the challenge."

"So, how come we had to come all the way up here with these things. They're a little heavier than they look." Sting said as he could feel the weight of holding just one.

"Don't tell me we're going to be cliff diving again." Levy said as she didn't want to go through that again.

"Nope. You'll be on solid ground the whole time." Mavis said. "The only thing that's going off the cliff will be those metal balls. Just take a look down there." They all took a look down below and saw that there was a giant target hanging over the water. The target was numbered going inward from one to ten. "The second challenge is rather simple. All of you have to do is throw those metal balls down at the target below. Each part of the target from one to ten just like in archery. Whichever area the ball lands in, your team will get that many points. The team with the highest points will be the one that wins."

"That's it? Piece of cake." Natsu said.

"No joke. At least we can see what we're aiming for this time." Gray said. "I thought this challenge was going to be harder than this."

"Actually, it might not be as easy as you think." Levy said. "If we take into account the weight of these metal balls, plus the momentum generated by gravity, the amount of force we would have to throw to get those, and the diameter of each target zone; it's going to be difficult to hit the higher value zones."

"So what? All we have to do is make sure we get a higher score than the other team. It doesn't matter if the point value is big or small." Gray said as he acted like it was nothing.

"Well, let's see if you are right." Mavis said. "Tenacious Tigers, how about you kick us off? You just need one person to throw one of those three metal balls down, but you can't use the same person twice. That means three people from each team have to throw. Depending on how strong they are to be able to throw one of those could effect how many points you get."

"If strength is really necessary to get a good score, you're up, Laxus. You're clearly our strongest. Throw one down." Minerva said like she was in charge.

"Fine, but don't be so bossy." Laxus said as he didn't like being bossed around. He took one of the metal balls and walked right over to the cliff. He gave the metal ball a toss and had it drop all the way down. The ball dropped down and plummeted right through the target like it was made of paper and hit the seventh zone.

"And Laxus scores a total of seven points for the Tenacious Tigers. Not a bad start." Mavis said.

"Wait. Laxus only got a seven when he's that strong? Do you think he was even trying?" Levy said.

"Seven? Laxus, you could have done better than that." Minerva said as she wasn't pleased. She thought Laxus could do better than that.

"Chill, Minerva. It's still a good score and it's only the beginning." Laxus said. "Who died and made you queen?" Minerva isn't pleased with how things are going. She's going to have to step up her game and show them who is in charge.

"Fierce Falcons, you're up next. Who's going?" Mavis questioned.

"I'll do it. This is probably one of the easiest challenges." Gray said as he had no problem with it. He took one of the metal balls and threw it as best as he could. The ball plummeted straight down and went right through the target, but the point value was less than satisfying. "What?! Only three?!"

"Looks like it. That means the Tenacious Tigers currently have seven points while the Fierce Falcons only have three." Mavis said.

"Damn." Gray said as he came back to the team. "I thought this would be easy, but this is a bad start for us."

"Don't worry about it, Gray." Lucy said as she patted his back. "We still got two more throws. If we do this right, we can still win this." Gray appreciated that, but Juvia was getting annoyed and got right between them.

"Hey! You two seem really close! What exactly do you talk about?!" Juvia said as she literally and figuratively wants to get between those two while she still has a chance.

"How about not invading people's personal space." Gray said with him getting annoyed. "Lucy earlier was saying how great you were, but that's just her opinion."

"Wait. She was?" Juvia questioned with Lucy confirming that she was.

Confessional (Juvia): Now I feel bad. Lucy was trying to bring me and Gray closer together, but here I am accusing her. I guess I do have a bad habit of letting my emotions get the better of me.

"I've got the next one." Jellal said. He went up next and was trying to run some calculations in his head. "Got it!" He threw the metal ball again. It went straight down and landed in the seven zone again.

"Jellal gets another seven for the Tenacious Tigers. Brining their total to fourteen." Mavis said.

"Nice shot, Jellal." Rogue said.

"I think this one is ours." Sting said as he was confident they had this.

"Who is up this time? Who think they can make it into a high number zone?" Erza said as they need to get some points. They were trying to figure that out. As Natsu thought it over, he spotted Gray and Lucy talking to each other again, and it annoyed him.

"Give me that!" Natsu said as he took another ball and channeled his anger into it. He threw the ball as hard as he could. It plummeted straight down until it hit the target and did get a good value.

"That's eight points!" Mavis announced.

"Wow. That was awesome, Natsu!" Lucy said.

"Just luck." Gray said.

"Jealous?" Natsu teased. Gray was just upset Natsu did better, but now those two are getting annoyed with each other.

"Okay. The score is now fourteen to eleven with both teams having only one ball left." Mavis announced. "Let's see who can win this."

"Gajeel, you've got some strength in you. Get an eight or higher and there is no way they can pass us." Minerva said.

"Got it." Gajeel said. He grabbed the last ball and got ready to throw it. He was about to give it a toss until he caught sight of Levy looking at him for a second and it had some effect. The ball dropped down, but it didn't hit where Tenacious Tigers wanted. It only landed in the third zone.

"Three. That means their final score is seventeen." Mavis said.

"What?!" They all said as they couldn't believe Gajeel messed that up. Gajeel almost couldn't believe it himself.

"Not exactly a good finish, but if the Falcons get a five or less, they will lose." Mavis said. "Which means, it all comes down to just one more toss. Falcons, who is going to throw?"

"I've got this one." Erza said as she was going to finish it. She took the metal ball and threw it as hard as she could. The final ball plummeted down and Erza's toss was just strong enough with it going right through the seventh zone.

"That's it! Erza scores a seven, making their final score eighteen and makes them the winner!" Mavis announced with the Falcons cheering on their win. "Tigers, I'll see you tonight at Elimination Ceremony to vote someone out." The Tigers were bummed that they lost, but Levy was curious about something with Gajeel. She would like to know more.

...

Gajeel

Until the Elimination Ceremony starts, the Tenacious Tigers need to think about who they're going to vote out. Gajeel was trying to figure that out as he sat on the docks.

"Hey." Levy said as she came over. "Is it okay if we talk?" Levy questioned.

"Sure." Gajeel said with Levy sitting next to him. "Something up?"

"I... I wanted to talk to you about that last throw. I thought you would have done better than that." Levy said.

"It's weird... I was all set to go, but when you looked at me, I felt...nervous for a second." Gajeel said with Levy surprised he would say that. "I don't know why I did. It was like...when I saw you looking at me, something just froze. I never get like that?"

"Never? Not even you hugging Jennifer Lopez?" Levy teased.

"Oh! You just had to go there!" Gajeel said with the two of them having a laugh. "I don't get it myself, but I'm not going to get voted out. Being here isn't as bad as I thought."

"I'm starting to think I was wrong about you. For someone that once went to juvie, you aren't as bad as I thought." Levy said. "What did happen? Why did you end up in juvie?" Gajeel wasn't exactly one to talk about something personal, but Levy didn't seem like a bad person.

"A buddy of mine needed help." Gajeel said. "He got into trouble with a police officer, but the cop was being a little too rough on him. My buddy didn't even do anything too bad. I tried to explain it to the cop, but he just wouldn't listen. Then...things got physical where I actually punched the cop."

"Oh my gosh!" Levy said as she couldn't believe it.

"Yeah. That's the thing about rotten cops." Gajeel said. "They know how to work the system to their advantage. I got locked up and that guy claimed he was just doing his job. I was the one obstructing justice. If you can't trust a cop, who can you trust?" Levy was amazed. No wonder Gajeel had an attitude. She actually appreciated Gajeel opening up like that as she placed her hand over his.

"Thanks for telling me that." Levy said. Gajeel was actually glad he got to talk to someone. However, someone else was listening. Minerva overheard them and knew what she had to do.

...

The Tenacious Tigers

Gajeel and Levy were walking together back to the camp, but the Tigers were having some sort of meeting without Gajeel. When Minerva saw them, she put her plan into action.

"There! See?! They're together even right now!" Minerva said.

"What's going on?" Gajeel said.

"What's going on is that I'm exposing a possible traitor." Minerva said. "I saw you two talking and getting personal. Gajeel, you even admitted to Levy why you were in juvie instead of your own team."

"You were eavesdropping on us?!" Gajeel said as he got mad at her.

"Don't act so innocent." Minerva said. "I think these two have been conspiring with each other, probably to make it to the final two. Gajeel has probably been helping the opposing team. In fact, I'm willing to bet that Gajeel threw the challenge just to help Levy and her team win." The team gasped at that accusation.

"What? Gajeel wouldn't do that. You didn't, right?" Levy questioned.

"No way! She's making this sound worse than it really is!" Gajeel said.

"You're just upset that you've been caught." Minerva said. "Enjoy the boat ride back to prison." Minerva has made her move, and it could be bad for both of them. The team have some thinking to do.

Confessional (Minerva): Perfect. I didn't even know there was some bonding going on between Gajeel and Levy, but I think I hit at the right time. If I can take out the little alliances before the merge, my chances of winning are improving, and the pawns are being moved just where the queen wants them.

...

The Elimination Ceremony

"Welcome back to the Elimination Ceremony, Tenacious Tigers." Mavis said as it began. "There are seven of you now, but that number is about to drop to six. Each of you have casted your vote for who you would like eliminated. Let's get down to it. The following are safe. Laxus, Sting, Jellal, Rogue, and Mirajane. None of you have any votes for you." They were all safe, but that just left Gajeel and Minerva. Minerva used a private conversation to ruin a possible alliance, and Gajeel blew the last challenge and is being accused of being a traitor. "Gajeel and Minerva, it's down to just the two of you."

"Oh please. Skip the dramatics and get right to it. We all know who it is." Minerva said.

"No need to rush. People enjoy the tension." Mavis said. "I'm sorry about that, Gajeel. However, she is right. The one who is safe is...Minerva."

"Seriously?!" Gajeel said as he couldn't believe he was actually voted out just when he was starting to like this. All went just as Minerva wanted. "Fine. Whatever." Gajeel just sucked it up and went to the boat. As he was boarding, he looked back and spotted Levy was there and was seeing him off. She gave him a wave farewell with Gajeel waving back. It seems that iron-hearted Gajeel had a soft side to him. Too bad when it seemed like they were just getting along, but now it's time for Gajeel to go.

"That's another one down, but who will be next? The challenge might have been simple this time, but it won't be so simple next time." Mavis claimed. "See what's going to happen next time on Challenge Island."