A/N: Hello, readers! Welcome to another chapter!
Enjoy!
CHAPTER TWENTY: KAGURA VS. YUKINO
"Your lives...? Hey..." Natsu muttered.
"This is getting vicious." Gray commented.
"Even though that's not something you bet on..." Lucy mumbled.
"So if one of them loses, they also lose their life, right?" Kida questioned.
"Damn... Never thought someone from Sabertooth would pull something like that." Sebastian admitted.
"That's our Yukino-kun! That's why she's part of Sabertooth!" Lector informed.
"Good luck, Yukino!" Frosch cheered.
"This is getting interesting." Sting commented.
"Does that Yukino chick have all her marbles?"
"Kagura-san..." Beth mumbled.
"Even though her opponent is Kagura, the strongest wizard of Mermaid Heel, it seems she's got confidence to spare." Risley said.
"If you are sincerely prepared to do this, then accepting it is the proper thing to do." Kagura claimed with her eyes shut before she opened them back up. "Fine. Come and get me."
"Seriously?!"
"They bet their lives, so whoever loses dies, right?!"
"Can they do that?!"
"Well, things have taken a serious turn. Just what's going on here?!" Chapati questioned.
Jason stood up from his seat. "This is not cool!" He exclaimed.
Yukino began pulling out a gold gate key. "It's bad luck to be standing before a member of Sabertooth." She stated.
"Lucy-san, is that..." Wendy started to say.
"That girl is a Celestial Spirit Wizard?!" Lucy exclaimed in surprise.
The gate key soon began to glow. "Huh... A golden key. One of those 12 Zodiac Gate things?" Kagura asked.
"Gate of the Fish, I open thee." Yukino began.
"Gate of the Fish! I like the sound of that!" Happy said.
"What kind of Celestial Spirit is it?" Wendy asked.
"I don't know..." Lucy answered with honesty. "I don't think it was in the Celestial Spirit World when we visited."
"Going by the usual pattern, it's probably something like this." Erza said as a half-fish, half-man appeared.
"That's kind of unsettling..." Wendy mumbled.
"But there are ones like the Gemini twins too, so my guess is that it'll be like this." Gray stated as two pairs of people in fish costumes appeared.
"I have a feeling you've hit the mark..." Lucy said.
"Happy will be so pleased!" Natsu exclaimed as a random thing appeared next to him.
"That's not even a fish..." Wendy informed.
"Wendy, don't waste your time contradicting that guy. His stupidity will rub off." Gray stated.
"Pisces!" Yukino shouted, holding the gate key above her head and a light green Magic Circle appeared. A door chime was heard as two large fish appeared in the arena.
"They are fish!" Happy waved his arms in excitement.
Pisces headed straight for Kagura in which she easily dodged out of the way. Beth closed her eyes.
"Don't worry!"
"Take a good look. See?" Risley added.
Kagura continued dodging Pisces attacks. "Wow!" Natsu exclaimed.
"She's dodging their attacks with just the slightest movements." Gray pointed out.
"There are all kinds, huh?" Wendy asked.
"Pisces..." Lucy muttered.
Kagura lands on the ground before jumping up again and running on Pisces. "Huh. She's not bad." Sting said.
"What? She's no great shakes. All she's doing is dodging." Lector stated.
"Fro thinks so, too." Frosch agreed.
"Just wait and see. It's not wise to underestimate Mermaid Heel's strongest wizard." Risley said.
"Whoa! She's deftly dodging Pisces' fierce attacks!" Chapati exclaimed.
"Impressive." Yajima commented.
"Cool!" Jason shouted.
"Why is she escaping the fish? All she has to do is eat it..." Happy said. "What a waste."
Yukino held another gold key in her hand. "If you're so good at dodging, then all I need to do is ground you." She said.
"Two gates open at the same time?!" Lucy questioned in shock.
"Glittering gold!" Frosch exclaimed.
"That's right! That's one of the 12 Zodiac Gates, too!" Lector shouted.
"Gate of the Scales, I open thee." Yukino swipes the gold key in front of her as another door chime was heard. "Libra!"
The men in the audience had heart eyes at the celestial spirit's appearance. "A-Another stunningly beautiful Celestial Spirit!" Chapati shouted with hearts in his eyes.
"She's a sight for sore eyes!" Yajima said.
"Gate of the Scales! Cool!" Jason exclaimed.
"Libra, alter the target's gravity." Yukino ordered.
"As you wish!" Libra said as Kagura was grounded and Pisces surrounded her.
"That's gravity manipulation!" Beth exclaimed.
"That Libra character can use the same magic as me?!" Risley questioned.
"So she made Kagura heavier?" Arana asked.
"Pisces..." Yukino said as the two fish headed for Kagura, who was seen in the air.
"She blew off Libra's gravity power?!" Lector exclaimed in shock.
"How?" Frosch asked.
"That girl's awesome!" Natsu shouted.
"Her jumping ability is remarkable." Gray complimented.
"No, that's..." Erza trailed off.
"Libra... Make the target's gravity go sideways." Yukino said.
"As you wish." Libra responded as Kagura was slammed into one of the statues.
"Ouch! She was only able to escape the Celestial Spirit's gravity altering for a short time! Kagura is pinned to the statue! What a pinch!" Chapati announced.
"Gravity is cool!" Jason exclaimed.
"Pisces!" Yukino said as Pisces flew into the air.
"This is what I'm talkin' about! The highlight of two gates open at once!" Lector cheered, waving his arms rapidly.
"Highlight!" Frosch repeated.
"I guess it's all over... Or I wish it would be..." Sting said.
Pisces charged at Kagura, however, Pisces stopped in mid-air before dropping to the ground. "The fish stopped!" Natsu exclaimed.
"What the...?" Gray said. "Is she out of magic?"
"That's not it. Look at that." Erza replied, causing her teammates to look down to find Libra was being pinned to the ground by gravity as well as Pisces.
"I can't move!" Libra informed.
"I see..." Yukino said.
"Don't tell me she can use gravity magic too?!" Lector exclaimed.
"How?" Frosch questioned.
"Kagura's the one who taught me gravity-altering magic. Better not underestimate Kagura-chan!" Risley declared.
"That's right!"
"That's our..."
"...Kagura-san!"
"Now, finish 'em all at once!"
Kagura soon flew down from the statue. "Oh, my! Kagura is undaunted by two Celestial Spirits! This is amazing, isn't it, Yajima-san?" Chapati asked.
"Experience and grit... She certainly does have fortitude." Yajima responded.
"I'm so excited about getting to see a showdown like this right before my eyes! Cool! Cool!" Jason exclaimed.
Pisces was on top of Libra. "Heavy..." Libra muttered.
"Pisces, Libra, go back." Yukino ordered as the two Celestial Spirits went back to the Celestial Spirit world.
Kagura soon landed on the ground as her and Yukino stared at one another. "Yeesh. This is gettin' monotonous." Orga commented with his arms crossed.
"Yukino..." Frosch mumbled.
"She's fine! The fight is just startin'! Right, Sting-kun?!" Lector asked.
"That's right. Yukino's gonna bring out her real power now." Sting answered.
"You're going to make me open... the 13th Gate?" Yukino questioned as Kagura was shocked by this.
"The 13th Gate?!" Lucy repeated in shock. "Is that what she just said?!"
"What's wrong, Lucy-san?" Wendy turned to look at her.
"There are 12 Zodiac Gates and hence 12 keys... But I've heard rumors of a 13th key... and an unknown Celestial Spirit that's superior to the other 12!" Lucy explained.
Yukino pulled out a gold key that had a black swirl wrapped around it. "Opening the 13th Gate... That means you're out of luck." She said as the key started to glow a dark purple and it turned dark.
"Luck, huh? I haven't relied on luck since the moment I was born." Kagura claimed before rushing forward. "Everything has come about through choices that I've made!"
"Gate of the Snake Bearer, I open thee!" Yukino shouted.
"That's what's leading me to the future!" Kagura said.
Yukino held the key up into the air. "Ophiuchus!" She called out. A dark purple Magic Circle appeared above her and the sound of a door chimed once more. A large snake soon appeared in the arena, leaving the audience in shock.
"What is this?! I didn't know a Celestial Spirit like this existed!" Happy exclaimed.
"It's humongous!" Natsu shouted.
"Serpent Bearer?! The thing itself is a serpent!" Gray added.
"This is... Ophiuchus?!" Lucy said.
Ophiuchus headed towards Kagura, who clenched her sword. "Blade of Resentment, Archenemy." Kagura said, making Erza widen her eyes. "Style of the Unsheathed Sword."
Kagura easily defeated Ophiuchus as the sky went back to normal. "Is she for real?!" Sting exclaimed in shock.
"Unsheathed..." Erza mumbled.
"You really wouldn't want Kagura-chan to unsheathe her sword."
Kagura was soon in front of Yukino. "I don't believe it!" Yukino said.
"You made a cheap bet." Kagura claimed as Sabertooth stared in shock. Yukino was on the ground, defeated. "Sometimes, mermaids eat tigers."
Everyone continued to stare in shock as it fell silent in the arena. "T-T-The match is over! The winner is Kagura Mikazuchi of Mermaid Heel!" Chapati announced as the audience cheered.
"I knew Kagura-chan could do it!"
"Yeah!" Beth cheered.
"Told you not to underestimate Kagura!" Risley claimed.
"That Celestial Spirit Wizard is powerful in her own right, but Kagura is just too tough." Arana commented.
"It's unbelievable, but Sabertooth got zero points on the second day!" Chapati said.
"This is getting interesting." Yajima commented.
"Cool! Kagura-chan is cool!" Jason exclaimed.
"Was the Saber woman weak? Or was the Mermaid woman strong?" Gray asked.
"The latter..." Erza responded. "I didn't know somebody like her existed..."
"I-I lost... Sabertooth lost..." Yukino sobbed.
"Yukino..." Frosch muttered. Sting clenched his fist in anger, breaking part of the railing.
"Sting-kun..." Lector said.
"Your life... Your life belongs to me. Understand?" Kagura asked.
"Yes. As you say..." Yukino replied.
"And thus ends the second day of the Grand Magic Games! Raven Tail gained ten points today, giving them first place with 36 points! Sabertooth gained zero points today, but their 20 points from yesterday keeps them in second place! Lamia Scale is tied in second with 25 points!" Chapati announced.
"And Mermaid Heel is moving up. They gained ten points, putting them in fourth place with 19 points."
"In fifth place, one rank down, is Blue Pegasus with 17 points! Cool!"
"And in sixth place, one rank down for them, Quatro Puppy!"
"S-Seriously?!" Rocker exclaimed as him and the rest of Quatro Puppy had pale looks. Rocker turned to glance at Bacchus. "Um... Our guild name has become Quatro Puppy..."
"Can't help it. A promise was made between two men." Bacchus stated before he laughed. "Alright! I'm gonna drink again tonight! Wild..."
"...Four..." Rocker finished, tears streaming down his face.
"In seventh and eighth place, are Black Sun A Team and Black Sun B Team!"
"Bottom ranked, but it can't be helped." Sebastian sighed.
"We just have to keep working harder!" Aster exclaimed.
"And getting ten points each, but still tied in last place, are Fairy Tail A Team and Fairy Tail B Team, both with 12 points! What kind of battles are in store for us tomorrow, the third day of the tournament?!" Chapati finished.
The second day of the Grand Magic Games ended. Five more days until that fateful day...
At Bar Sun...
Sebastian was currently at Bar Sun with the Fairy Tail members. With him was Orion. "I've actually been wondering... You said you have similar Magic to Natsu... What is your element exactly?" Lucy asked Sebastian, who was sitting across from them.
"I'm the Hellfire Dragon Slayer." Sebastian replied.
"Hellfire?" Natsu quoted.
"Atlas Flame was an old friend of Igneel. He was a great father to me too... Until he disappeared on the morning of July 7th, X777." Sebastian said.
"Just like with Grandeeney..." Wendy muttered.
"Igneel and Metalicana, too..." Lucy added.
"Did you ever try looking for him?" Natsu asked.
Sebastian snorted. "Of course I did. Searched for the bastard constantly. People either gave me weird looks or laughed at me when I asked whenever they've seen a fire dragon." He replied.
Natsu could sympathize with that. It was the same when he was searching for Igneel.
"Anyhow, did those Twilight Orge assholes ever leave you guys alone?" Sebastian questioned.
"How do you know about that?" Lucy questioned.
Sebastian grinned. "Who do you think was paying them for the past seven years when your members couldn't?" He asked.
"The anonymous person Macao was talking about was you?" Gray questioned, making Sebastian nod.
"But why would you do something like that for us, Sebastian-san?" Wendy asked.
"I wanted to help Natsu's guild out." Sebastian responded, catching Natsu by surprise. "Don't worry, I'm not expecting anything in return. Neither is Master Souta. No one in Black Sun knew I was doing it with the exception of Raden."
"It's getting pretty late. We better start heading back to our inn, Seb." Orion informed, getting up from his spot.
"Oh, that's true." Sebastian agreed as he got up from his seat as well. He then turned around. "I hope we get to fight alongside each other during the tournament, cousin. Preferably against the White Dragon and Shadow Dragon. I think we'd be a pretty splendid team."
"Agreed. I'm interested to see your power." Natsu agreed.
Sebastian and Orion were about to leave Bar Sun when they bumped into Lyon and Sherria.
"Hey! You guys got a visitor." Orion stated, getting their attention. "They're in here."
Afterwards, Sebastian and Orion soon left just as Lyon and Sherria entered Bar Sun. "Paying for Fairy Tail's debts... Sounds just like something you would do." Orion sighed as they walked back to their inn.
Sebastian moved his hands behind his head. "I wanted to help out. No one deserves to be taken advantage of just because they no longer had their strongest members." He claimed.
"Got that right." Orion agreed. "The Master wants to have a meeting with us."
"What for?"
"Probably about tomorrow's competition." Orion answered.
"Well then, we shouldn't keep him waiting." Sebastian hummed.
Sabertooth's inn...
This is Crocus Garden, the inn where Sabertooth is staying.
All of Sabertooth's members were standing in front of a tall, elderly man. The man had long light hair which was tidily gathered on the back of his head and tied in a braid, which reached down below his middle back, and is secured near its end in a large tuft; the thick beard and mustache covering his lower face, linked to his hair by the Master's sideburns, are untamed, with several spiky strands jutting outwards from the latter one. He had marked facial features and a long, massive and mildly rounded nose. His sunken eyes, topped by light and bushy eyebrows, were very distinctive, being almost completely white, as if they lacked pupils, and has a black underlining around his lower eyelid; something which gives him an otherworldly look. A small, dark Sabertooth guild mark was located in the center of his forehead.
"It's so pitiful that I can't even cry, you scum. Remember why we're the top wizard guild. Don't look at insects around you. Don't talk to them. Just crush them. Our eyes are on something far greater. Making the heavens roar. Setting the land aflame. Silencing the seas. That's Sabertooth."
This man is Sabertooth's master, Jiemma.
"Sting..." Jiemma called Sting forward.
"Yes?" Sting stepped forward when his name was called.
"I'll give you just one more chance. Don't you ever make such a pathetic scene again." Jiemma told him.
Sting bowed as his eyes were closed. "Thank you. I swear that I'll measure up to your exceptions." He promised.
"Yukino..." Jiemma called her next.
"Yes." Yukino spoke as she stepped forward while Sting walked back in line.
"You have no excuse. You do know that?" Jiemma asked her, holding a vine of grapes.
"Yes." Yukino bowed her head before continuing. "I lost to another member of another guild. I brought shame to Sabertooth."
Jiemma threw the vine of grapes at her head in anger, letting the purple juice stain her light blue hair. "That's not what I'm talking about! You wagered your life and lost, and not only that, the enemy took pity on you! On Sabertooth!" He exclaimed.
"Yes. I will submit to any punishment." Yukino stated.
"Then throw away everything." Jiemma demanded.
Yukino bowed. "Yes. I will do exactly as you say." She complied.
And so ended the second day of the Grand Magic Games. Somehow, Fairy Tail emerged as a contender, even while staying in last place, but on the underside of the spectacular festival, something most of them never dreamed of was slowly set into motion.
A/N: Another chapter is finished!
Thanks for reading!
~ Kaleb.