Mavis: Last time on Challenge Island, our contestants dealt with a water challenge and had "fun" time out in the water. During the challenge, tensions grew in rivalries and relationships. Minerva's dastardly game playing was dirty, got the view of many, but effective. It ended up getting the Tenacious Tigers the win, Loke voted off, and a very angry Erza. Who else has their eyes on who? We'll find out in the next fun challenge of Challenge Island.
Another day, another morning in Tenrou Island. Lucy was the first of her team to wake up. She stepped out in the cabin and stretched out her arms to welcome the day.
"Morning, Lucy!" Natsu said as he came out.
"Good morning." Lucy said.
"You ready for whatever our next challenge is? I know we're going to win it this time." Natsu said. Lucy felt like she was. Natsu has been good to her. He's been giving her some strength and courage to get through the challenges.
"Hey, Lucy." Gray greeted when he came out. "You doing okay, today?"
"Uh... Yeah." Lucy said. Gray's been great to her too. He's been supportive and helpful when she needed it. Those things are really the problem.
Confessional (Lucy): I don't know what to do. Natsu is great and have been helping me out, but Gray has been supportive and understanding. I'm starting to really like both of them. I can't like both of them, but I don't know what I'm going to do.
As Lucy was trying to ponder on what she's going to do about her relationship problems, Minerva stepped out.
"Dibs on the bathroom!" Minerva called walking like she owned the place.
...
The Bathroom
There was a line forming outside the communal bathroom. All of the girls were outside and were trying to hold it in. The thing was that all of the guys were coming and needed to use the bathroom themselves.
"What's the hold up?" Jellal questioned.
"Minerva's hogging the bathroom." Levy said.
"She said she needs some privacy." Mirajane said.
"How long is the queen going to take?" Erza complained.
"Looks like it might be a while." Natsu said. "Come on, guys. Let's just go use the other bathroom." All of the guys had no problem with that as they all started to leave.
"Wait. What other bathroom?" Lucy questioned.
"They're called trees." Natsu said.
"Eew!" Lucy said. Regardless, all of the guys just went into the woods to use the bathroom.
"Attention, campers!" Mavis announced. "Meet me at the site for the Elimination Ceremony in ten minutes for your next challenge!"
"Doesn't she know that beauty takes time, even for the likes of me!" Minerva called and made Erza even more annoyed.
Confessional (Erza): Who does Minerva think she is? She messed up Levy and Gajeel when things were starting between them, humiliates me in front of everyone, and now she's acting like the queen bee of this place. She is working on my last nerve.
...
The Challenge
"Glad to see you all made it." Mavis said. "Today's challenge is going to be fun. You're going hunting!"
"Great. Finally, something that is fun." Laxus said.
"We're going to kill cute animals?!" Mirajane said as she sounded strongly against it.
"Of course not. Let me explain." Mavis claimed. "You will be using paintball guns, not actual guns. You also wont be hunting animals, but each other instead. Each team will have three hunters. Their job is to hunt down members of the other team and shoot them with paint. Don't worry. Even if you get shot, you won't be eliminated."
"So, how do we win this challenge?" Rogue questioned.
"You'll be on the hunt for three hours." Mavis said. "After that, we will measure how much paint is on each team. Whoever has the least amount of paint on them wins."
"We've got this." Sting whispered to his team. "The Falcons have more members than us, so we have a better chance."
"Don't jinx it." Rogue said.
"Now, the hunters for the Fierce Falcons will be Natsu, Lucy, and Erza." Mavis said. "The hunters for the Tenacious Tigers are Mirajane, Jellal, and Rogue. The rest of you are the prey, so you need to avoid being shot with paint. You'll find protective gear, and get yourselves ready." Sounds like hunting season is now open. Natsu certainly seemed excited.
"What are you smiling about?" Sting questioned as Natsu was grinning right at him.
"Nothing...fresh meat." Natsu said. He might he a little too into this hunting challenge.
"I take back what I said about this being fun." Laxus said with annoyance.
...
The Falcons
"Now I know how a deer feels during deer season." Levy said. The "prey" were given some time to hide. They all wore protective gear for the paintballs, but are left defenseless.
"I think we should split-up. We're too big of a target like this." Lyon said.
"Good idea. Gray, you and I should head west." Juvia said.
"No thanks. I'm going on my own." Gray said as he took off on his own.
"But what if Lucy finds him?!" Juvia said with fear.
"Lucy is on our team." Levy said. "Are you still worried about those two? Juvia, Lucy wants to be your friend, and knows how you feel. She's not going to do anything." Juvia wants to believe that, but her imagination can't help it. Lyon noticed it himself.
Confessional (Lyon): I feel bad for Juvia. It's obvious she's interested in Gray, but Gray isn't showing much interest in her. Instead of leading her on, he should just lay his foot down about how he feels.
...
The Hunters
"Oh yeah!" Natsu cheered. "This is going to be fun." He was pumped to go, but Lucy didn't look that excited.
"I don't know about this." Lucy said.
"You realize this is just pretend hunting, right? No one is actually going to get hurt." Erza said. "Say that we hit...Minerva..."
"Minerva! Now I'm getting interested." Lucy said.
"Good. The hunt is on!" Natsu cheered. "I'm going to get the biggest beast!" Letting out a battle cry, he ran right into the woods, but the girls thought he was getting too committed to this hunting challenge, but it looks like they can start now. Natsu was so excited for this. He dived right into the woods and was acting like he was a real hunter trying to find the best deer to shoot. "The hunter knows that he has to stalk his prey. Wait for the right moment to strike. Just need to find the right prize." He kept his eyes open for any sign of prey. It wasn't long until he found the biggest prize: Laxus. "Perfect."
"This is so stupid." Laxus said with annoyance.
"The hunter watches... Aims..." Natsu narrated as he got himself ready to shoot, but he stepped on a twig as he positioned himself and alerted Laxus. Natsu acted fast and took the shot but missed. When Laxus saw that, he took off. "It's on, Laxus!" He shouted and chased after him as this hunter wasn't going to let his prize catch escape.
...
The Tigers
"Are you sure we shouldn't split apart?" Rogue questioned.
"No. With more people around, we'll have more eyes and ears." Jellal said as the Tigers took a different approach to this challenge. "Plus, we'll be able to get much more paint on someone if we all shoot together."
"Good idea. The more paint on the opposing team, the better our chances are that we win." Mirajane said.
"There you are." All of them looked and spotted Minerva.
"Minerva? What is it?" Rogue said.
"I was waiting for the rest of you to show up." Minerva said. "I figure that if I just simply stick with the three of you, I won't get any paint on me. You three can simply protect me."
"Uh... Is that really allowed?" Mirajane questioned.
"We can only hit those who weren't made hunters, Minerva." Jellal explained. "Any paint on the hunters won't count."
"Another point. If you all get paint instead of me, it won't matter how much paint we get on us." Minerva said. The others could see the logic in her reasoning, but it still sounded like it was against the rules.
"Look, Minerva, we're not going to cheat." Rogue said. "Go wherever you like, but we're not going to be your shields."
"I would rethink that if I were you." Minerva said as she gave them a good glare that scared them a little. They might have to do what Minerva said in this. She's really starting to put her foot down.
...
Natsu
Natsu continued on hunting down Laxus. He kept shooting paintballs at Laxus, and all Laxus did was just keep running to avoid getting shot. Laxus kept on running until he hurried up the cliff and made it to the end of the line. There was nowhere for him to go now.
"I've got you now." Natsu said like he's gone crazy. He took aim at Laxus, but then nothing was coming out. It looks as if he already went through all of his ammo. "What?! I used up all my ammo already?!" That's what happens when you shoot paintballs like a crazy person. However, now that he had no ammo, Laxus could fight back as he looked plenty mad. "Uh... The hunter isn't afraid because this prey isn't hostile." He tried to remain calm, but Laxus walked right over and was mad. "It's only part of the natural cycle for the hunted to be hunted. It's just... Just..." Laxus towered right over Natsu and looked really mad with Natsu getting nervous. "Dude, come on. You can't be that mad." Apparently, he is that mad. Mad enough that he actually threw Natsu off the cliff knowing it wouldn't kill him. Once Laxus saw Natsu hit the water, he took off himself. "He threw me off a cliff?! Really?!"
...
Lucy
Lucy searched around for someone from the other team, but she wasn't all that interested in hunting. Not knowing what to do, she just kept looking around until she saw someone from the other team. Lucy just kept walking around the woods until she heard someone moving around in the bushes.
"I've got you!" Lucy said with her taking aim and about to shoot.
"Whoa! Lucy, it's just me!" Gray said as he revealed himself.
"Oh! Gray! I thought you were someone from the other team." Lucy said. "I haven't had much luck finding anyone."
"Don't worry about it." Gray said. "This challenge seems rather dumb to begin with. If you want, I could stick around with you and help you out."
"You would? But you're being hunted yourself?" Lucy said.
"Maybe, but I'll have you to protect me." Gray said with Lucy blushing a little. This also means the two of them would be alone in the woods together.
"Wait. What about Juvia and the others? Where are they?" Lucy questioned.
"I don't know, but I'm sure they're okay. Come on. Let's just keep moving." Gray said. He grabbed her by the hand and the two started walking together. Lucy was really starting to blush now, but she remembered Loke's advice. She can't let anything too serious to happen until she knows what to do.
...
Erza
"Where are you, Minerva?" Erza said as she roamed around the woods for a while and was hoping to find Minerva.
Confessional (Erza): I have a chance to shoot Minerva. I am not going to let that opportunity pass.
Erza kept looking around for where Minerva might be. She's aiming to get some payback. Then, she noticed Minerva traveling with her fellow hunters.
"Still no sign of anything." Jellal said.
"They have to be somewhere. For your sakes, you better hope the other team hasn't done any better." Minerva claimed. Erza has her chance, but she has to get a way in. Time for this hunter to set an ambush.
...
Lucy and Gray
Lucy and Gray stuck together in the woods themselves. It was just the two of them and no one else was around, and they were actually enjoying it.
"Hang on. I'm going to find some water." Lucy said.
"I think I saw a stream that way." Gray said as he pointed the way. Lucy went to where he pointed and found the stream. She helped herself to some water until she spotted Natsu in there.
"Natsu?" Lucy said as finding him like this was weird.
"Hey, Lucy." Natsu said as he climbed out of the water.
"What are you doing?" Lucy questioned.
"I was chasing Laxus until he threw me off a cliff." Natsu said.
"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?!" Lucy said.
"I'm fine. The water actually provides good cover because the prey will need water." Natsu said as he was still on the hunt.
"Wow. You're really into this hunting, aren't you?" Lucy questioned.
"Yeah. It makes me think about some good times with my old man." Natsu said. "My dad and I did some hunting together. It was actually a lot of fun."
"You and your dad are close? Must be nice." Lucy said. She can't even remember the last good memory she had with her father.
"Sorry. I know it must be hard since your father is controlling." Natsu said. "Lucy, even if you don't win this game, you should stand up to him. Tell him you want to live the life you want, not what he wants. I'm sure your mother would want that." That does sound like something Lucy's mother would want, and she appreciated Natsu saying that. Natsu is giving her courage. The two of them would have talked more about that, but Natsu spotted Sting further down the stream. "Fresh meat. Oh, but I'm out of ammo."
"Here. Just take mine." Lucy said as she offered it to him.
"Thanks!" Natsu said as he took it and chased after Sting.
"Hey. Is everything okay?" Gray asked when he came over to her.
"Yeah... Sort of." Lucy said. Another nice talk with Natsu while she was having a good time being with Gray. What is Lucy going to do?
...
Juvia
Juvia was out on her own in the woods. She just kept roaming around and couldn't find anything that might help her. She kept searching around until she heard a rustling coming from the bushes and thought it was someone on the other team.
"It's just me, Juvia." Lyon said.
"Oh. Hi, Lyon." Juvia said. "Have you seen Gray around? I'm a little worried about him being out there on his own."
"No, I haven't." Lyon said. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that. Why do you like Gray so much? You appeared to have been smitten with him since you first got here."
"Call me a romantic or whatever, but I say it was love at first sight." Juvia said with her blushing.
"But you barely know Gray." Lyon said. "At the very least, don't you think you should at least get to know him and see if you two even have anything in common. It's one thing if you think he's cute, but you are getting way to ahead of yourself. That's why seeing him with Lucy is bothering you. For you all know, there's nothing going on between them. Have you seen them do anything together."
"Well... No... Lucy even tried a couple times to help me." Juvia admitted. "I honestly don't know what to think." Juvia's emotions and imagination are running wild. She clearly likes Gray, but she's so emotional about it. "This is just so frustrating!" She was so frustrated with the whole thing that she kicked a rock. In a stroke of misfortune, the rock ended up knocking a hornet's nest off a tree and got an entire swarm angry. "Oops! AAAAWWWWW!"
"Wait! Don't run!" Lyon called as he chased after her, but the swarm chased after them. They both ran as fast as they could from the swarm, but Juvia suddenly stopped when she reached the edge of a cliff.
"End of the line." Juvia said, but Lyon didn't stop. He wasn't watching where he was going and ended up going over the edge and smashed against some rocks on the way down. "Lyon!"
...
The Tenacious Tigers
"We've been at this for a while. We're almost out of time." Mirajane said.
"Maybe we should go separate ways. We've got to try and get someone." Rogue said.
"Wait. Then, who is going to protect me?" Minerva said. Apparently, no one is. Erza acted like a real hunter as she waited for the right moment, took aim, and fired. The paintball hit Minerva right in the back. "Who did that?!" Erza didn't stop there as she fired a few more shots and they all hit. "Come out!"
"Gladly!" Erza said as she came out.
"Erza!" Jellal said.
"I've been waiting all day to do that. Worth it." Erza said.
"You!" Minerva called as she was most angry. "What are you all waiting for?! Shoot her!"
"We can't. Erza is a hunter. We're not going to get anything from that." Mirajane said.
"Well, I got what I came for." Erza said, walking away like she was the victor, but Minerva wasn't going to let Erza get the better of her like that.
"Give me that!" Minerva said as she yanked Rogue's gun out of his hands and shot paint right at Erza, disregarding the game and just getting payback.
"It's like that, is it?!" Erza said and returned fire. The two of them kept on shooting paint at each other.
"Should we stop this?" Jellal questioned.
"I'm not sure." Rogue said as the three of them didn't know what to do. The two of them kept shooting at each other until they ran out of paintballs. Minerva didn't let that stop her. She actually tackled Erza and the two of them started to actually fight each other. This is getting ugly.
...
Sting
As for Sting, he was just relaxing against a tree. The game had to be close to being over, so he just needed to keep a low profile until it was. However, Natsu was right over him and he didn't suspect a thing. Natsu wasn't going to let this prey getaway.
"I've got you now." Natsu said as he aimed and had a clear shot. Suddenly, the sound of an airhorn went off.
"Attention! Game over! Come back to the camp!" Mavis called.
"What?!" Natsu shouted, but lost his balance and fell out of the tree and near Sting.
"Natsu?" Sting said.
"I was so close." Natsu moaned.
"Nice try, pinky. You almost had me." Sting said. Not the hunting story Natsu wants to tell his future children.
...
The Camp
"Well, this challenge didn't go the way I expected." Mavis said. The two teams came back to the camp, but Mavis didn't seem pleased. "I thought there would be more paint splatter, but it looks like we ended up getting a rumble." She implied to how roughed up Erza and Minerva looked after their fight.
"So, who won?" Gray questioned.
"And where are Juvia and Lyon?" Lucy questioned.
"I'll get to that." Mavis said. "Erza and Minerva are the only ones with paint all over them, but Minerva is the only one here that counts since Erza was a hunter. That would mean the winners are the Fierce Falcons." The falcons cheered as they managed to pull off a win in the end with the Tenacious Tigers upset they lost. "However, there will be no Elimination Ceremony tonight."
"Really? Why?" Sting questioned.
"That's why." Mavis said. All of them looked and saw Juvia wheeling in Lyon with him covered in bandages and in need of a wheelchair.
"Oh my gosh! Lyon!" Levy said.
"What happened?" Gray said.
"Lyon had a...bad fall." Juvia said.
"Don't worry. I'll be okay." Lyon said.
"True, but we have to put Lyon's safety first." Mavis said. "That is why we have to pull Lyon out for medical reasons. He's in no shape to continue. Which means, even though the Fierce Falcons won, Lyon is leaving the game." That was a bummer, but it was also understandable. Even though the Falcons won, they're the ones losing a team member.
...
The Docks
Since Lyon was leaving for medical reasons, his team helped him out and made sure he got on the boat.
"Bye, Lyon." Levy said.
"Take care." Lucy said.
"Sorry you have to leave the game like this." Gray said.
"I appreciate all of your wishes and concerns, but I'll be okay. Good luck to all of you." Lyon said. "Erza, could you be a dear and help Juvia get me in the boat?" Erza was glad to do so. The two of them worked together and managed to get him in the boat. "Thank you. Juvia, are you going to be okay?"
"I will be." Juvia said.
"For whatever it's worth, I do hope the best for you and Gray. I just don't think he gets as emotional as you, but I'm sure he'll see you're a good person." Lyon claimed.
"Thank you. Take care, Lyon." Juvia said as she appreciated him saying that. With that, Lyon was off and hoped the best for his team.
"Well, that's sadly another competitor that had to leave." Mavis announced. "We are now down to twelve. Will the next one to leave be voted out or taken out? Will Erza and Minerva ever get along? Will these relationship issues be resolved? Maybe, but find out on Challenge Island!"