"WHOA!" Cynthia, who wore a black and red two piece, stared around Ryuzetsu land, her eyes sparkling in pure amazement. The water park looked like the best thing she ever laid eyes on. "This place…it's so cool!"
"Oh, right, we've never taken you here…" Erza said with a soft chuckle at Cynthia's excitement. "This is where most of the guilds decided to take a load off and have some fun the Games before last."
"Why didn't we take a load off during the last Games!?" Cynthia asked while crossing her arms. "That was a very stressful time and I could've used some rest and relaxation!"
"I think it was still undergoing reparations…" Erza responded while crossing her arms. "Natsu was the one who ruined it…"
"It wasn't my fault!" Natsu shouted from a distance.
"I can show you around!" Wendy said while approaching Cynthia.
"Please do!" Cynthia nodded, and just like that the two little girls were off.
"Would you mind keeping an eye on Jack for me?" Tia, who was still fully clothed, asked.
"It won't be an issue, just leave him to us," Gray nodded to Tia. "But wait…why aren't you in a bathing suit or something?"
"Yeah…" Lucy asked with a slightly concerned visage. "This wasn't the kind of place made for someone to just go walking around fully clothed you know. Have a little fun!"
Tia scoffed, her arms crossed as she looked away rather stubbornly. "I'll pass, thank you. This place radiates the same upbeat energy that you have at Fairy Tail tenfold, and to be honest I can hardly stand that."
"Ouch…" Lucy said with a nervous smile, rubbing her arm. "It wouldn't hurt to change though, would it? You're gonna start sweating before too long."
"I'll be fine. Your concern for me over such a trivial matter is duly noted…" Tia said as she began to walk if. "If you need me, I'll be sitting down as far away from the crowd as possible."
"I know Master wanted us to bring them along and keep a watchful eye over the Ex Dealer members but look at it this way…At least we know we won't have to keep an eye on her…?" Lucy said to Gray and Erza with a small laugh.
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Spade paced back in forth in front of Laxu, Makarov, and Mavis (whom he couldn't see for obvious reasons), all of which seemed to be both curious and annoyed slightly by his pacing. "If something's on your mind, you should just say it…" Makarov said with his arms crossed.
"Or at least take it somewhere else so we don't have to hear it…" Laxus added onto his grandfather's statement.
"I know you've pulled us along here so you can keep an eye on us, but I think you should be keeping an eye on Diamond…" Spade said with a nod.
"Why? Is she gonna pull somethin'?" Laxus asked.
"Well…not intentionally…" Spade continued while looking around for the ice spirit. "You see, considering the type of person she is, it's highly recommended that you don't let her near any pool where there are people. Because if you do…" And before Spade could finish, a sharp sound occurred not too far away.
Diamond laid back in a pool, completely freezing the water over and the people within it. "Ah…now this…this is relaxing…" And she didn't even seem to notice.
"That happens…" Spade said while dropping his head, blue lines comically appearing over his head.
"You can't just go freezing people!" Makarov shouted towards Diamond with a distraught expression. But of course, Diamond was too chill to hear him. "Ah…"
"I got it…" Spade said while rushing over to thaw the poor innocents that Diamond accidentally froze.
"Watching you all keep them in check is somewhat amusing…" Mavis said with a small giggle. "These are the kind of people they really are."
"Ah…" Makarov let out a sigh, a soft smile appearing on his lips. "They just needed a little guidance. Their minds were in the wrong place, but their hearts knew what they needed to do. We'll continue to watch them until they finally decide what it is they want to do."
"I wouldn't expect anything less of you, Sixth," Mavis said with a smile. The spirit then hopped up and began stretching. "Now, I think you two know what time it is!"
"Not again…" Laxus sighed while standing up. Even though he didn't want to, he couldn't deny Mavis. Not just because she was the First Master, but because she'd end up crying and causing a scene somehow if he did.
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"Gray-sama, look!" Juvia somehow managed to drag Gray to the couple's water slide. "We never got to ride it last time!"
"Eh…" Gray stared at the water slid rather skeptically. "I think I'll pass this time…" He eventually said while shaking his head. "Last time didn't end so well…"
"But…" Juvia started, a frown appearing on her cute little face.
"Don't worry, Juvia!" Lyon swept in out of nowhere, scooping Juvia into his arms with an overly handsome expression. "I'll take the ride down with you, since Gray here doesn't know what he's missing out on."
"Piss off!" Gray exclaimed, flying in to kick Lyon away, putting Juvia in his arms. "Her going alone is better than her going with you!" He then set Juvia down and dusted his hands off.
"Eh…" Juvia could only blink. They were fighting over her…again. She never really knew how to feel about this situation, since she did get Gray's attention but she had Lyon's attention as well.
"Don't be that guy!" Lyon went to tackle Gray, but he failed to notice what was behind the fellow stripper. Lyon tackled Gray right into the water slide, and once again, the two were holding each other as they slid down, screaming at each other.
"Forbidden love…!" Juvia's eyes widened and she placed a hand over her mouth, a slight tint of red appearing as she began to think things she shouldn't have been.
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Erza sat within a floating ring, a completely relaxed expression on her face. "Ah…This is the life…" She mumbled to herself, almost dozing off.
"Erza…" A muffled, but familiar voice called out to her.
"Huh?" Erza turned slowly, only to see a masked Jellal. He was posing as Msytogan again. "Jellal?!" She nearly shouted, but she managed to turn the shout into a whisper. "What are you doing here…!?"
"I'm undercover…" Jellal replied. "Besides, I never got to congratulate you all for a job well done against Dealer."
"Oh?" Erza merely smiled before thwacking Jellal on the head. "You idiot! Why did you decide to come to a public outing?!"
"Ouch…!" Jellal held his head with a groan. "You're not the only ones in need of some rest…"
"You're hopeless…" Erza said while shaking her head, a soft smile on her lips. "Where are Ultear and Meredy…I assume they're with you."
"Ah, yes…" Jellal nodded. "They're posing as members from Cosmic Star for the time being.
"Wait…" Erza blinked a few times at the mention of Cosmic Star. "You mean they're here…?"
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"Ooooh yeaaaaaah…" Shadowlore said while sinking into a pool, a completely content expression on his face. "This right here? This is what dreams are made of." Yet he wasn't referring to the body of water, he was referring to all the hot girls in two piece suits walking around.
"You can say that again!" Daryan nodded, fist bumping Shadowlore with a sly smirk on his face.
"You two are hopeless…" Alex said with a face palm. She was probably one of the few females within the water park to actually wear a one piece.
"I thought you came to the water park to have fun…?" Meredy asked while sitting at the edge of a pool.
"Hey, flirting starts with fun!" Daryan said with a firm nod.
"And flirting can lead to…" Shadowlore began, but he was cut off by Ultear forcing her magical orb into his face, causing him to collapse back into the water.
"Don't you say another word…" Ultear scoffed as her sphere then began to float around her.
"I was just gonna say dating…" Shadowlore groaned while lying in the water. "You women are so confusing sometimes…how are we supposed to understand your species…?"
"Females are a mysterious kind…" Daryan said with a shrug, but his comment only earned him a kick to the back from Meredy which pushed him into the water. "…Mysterious indeed…"
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"Alright, listen up, chumps!" Jack, who was still fully clothed, said while standing in front of Natsu, Elfman, Freed, and Bickslow. "I'm about to show you something you can never hope to accomplish!"
"Is that why you dragged us around to this spot?" Freed asked with clear disinterest.
"We can at least hear him out…It wouldn't be Manly if we ignored him!" Elfman said with a nod.
"Glad you see it my way," Jack nodded before turning around. "This is a secret art that very few have ever tried…it's the changing technique called "Pants off!""
"Sounds like Gray every five minutes…" Bickslow said with a chuckle. (Five minutes! Five minutes!)
"It goes like this…" Jack began. "You wear your swim suit under your underwear, and then you began to slowly change from the inside out. If you do it correctly, you won't have to worry about changing in public!"
"That sounds like it has a serious downside to it…" Natsu was actually interested in this for some reason.
"That's right," As Jack began to explain the horrific side effect; a comical dark aura began to appear around him. "If you do it incorrectly, your pants will rip, and you will expose yourself to everyone!"
"That sounds like a Manly challenge!" Elfman was totally in on this…even though he was already in his bathing suit; the thought is what excited him.
"Now, watch and learn!" Jack grinned as the screen then turned black for a second. A ripping sound could be heard; the screen then went into full view and Jack was standing in his swim trunks, a cocky grin on his face. "And done."
"Whoa…" The males all actually stared at Jack in amazement.
"How did you…and the thing…" Freed asked.
"That was probably the most impressive thing I've ever seen a dude ever do…" Bickslow admitted.
"I know, I'm pretty cool," And their amazement only fueled the flame that was Jack's ego. "No need to say it twice."
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Tia sat within some shade, reclusive and secluded as ever. She placed a hand on her cheek, letting out an irritated sigh as she felt herself beginning to sweat. "It's hot here…I can't believe this…"
"Tia, there you are…" Lucy said while walking over to Tia, taking a seat next to her. "I've been looking everywhere for you! Are you sure you don't want to be out there having fun? Even Jack and the others are enjoying themselves!" Lucy the pointed over to where Strong was, but he ended up cannon balling into the pool Wendy, Cynthia, and Chelia were in and the three girls were all blown away. A comical sweat drop appeared on Lucy's forehead at the sight before she turned back to Tia. "Aheh…"
"…Did you not hear me before…" Tia said with a sigh at the stunt Strong pulled. "I said I'd rather not. Besides, I'm busy trying to cool myself off…It's hot in here…"
"Well, duh!" Lucy sighed. "You're fully clothed! I told you this was going to happen…Here, I have an extra bathing suit on me…"
"Why on Earthland do you have an extra bathing suit on you?" Tia immediately asked as Lucy pulled out a navy blue two piece.
"She's prone to clothing malfunctions…!" Happy chimed in out of the blue. "It happens a lot!"
"ShUT UP YOU STUPID CAT!" Lucy shouted before punting Happy away with a Lucy Kick. The poor cat never saw it coming. "AHEM…" Lucy regained her composure before turning back to Tia, handing her the suit. "Anyway…go get changed."
"I don't suppose you're giving me a choice in this matter…" Tia took the suit with a sight. After a short timeskip later she was standing in the two-piece, an embarrassed blush spread upon her face. Tia did have a nice body, however, but she was the only one unaware of this. Or perhaps, she just didn't think so highly of herself. "Ugh…this is so embarrassing…I can't believe you talked me into this…" She shifted around a bit awkwardly.
"You look great!" Lucy clapped her hands together, now grabbing Tia by the wrist. "Now, just follow me…!"
"How did I get reduced to this…" Tia sighed as she began to get dragged around by Lucy.
"You need to learn to cut loose and have some fun!" Lucy demanded. "I can feel all the stress in your body and I'm just holding your wrist!"
"Well I…" Tia started, but Lucy wasn't having any of it.
"Nope! You're having fun. That's final," Lucy cut Tia off; it was about time someone pulled her out of the slumps.
"Thanks…I don't know what I'd ever do without you…" Tia rolled her eyes as she spoke in a sarcastic tone of voice.
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"Ah…So this is what this place is like…" Sting said while wadding around in the water. He was impressed. "This certainly beats Sabertooth's pool…"
"What are you doing here, Sting…?" Levy curiously floated over to Sting.
"Hm…?" Sting looked over to Levy, giving a slight wave. "Oh! I'm just here while Sabertooth's pool is remodeled! You see…Rogue kinda…"
"Sabertooth has a pool?" Levy seemed interested in this.
"Yeah!" Sting had a rather proud smile on his face. "We're the only guild with a pool, and it's pretty sweet!"
"Uh…." Levy just had a nervous smile. It was clear that Sting didn't know Fairy Tail had a pool as well, and because she was so nice she decided to not crush that look off Sting's face.
"Gihehe…You've got a pool, huh?" And here came someone who would be more than happy to slap Sting with reality. Gajeel arrived on the scene with his arms crossed, a sly grin on his face.
"Gajeel, don't do it…!" Levy tried shush Gajeel, but it was too late.
"Fairy Tail's got a pool too, ya know. We've had one way longer than Sabertooth," And there it was, the truth right from Gajeel's mouth. The color in Sting's face began to drain away as reality set in.
"You…do…?" The poor White dragon sounded crushed.
"My work here's done…" Gajeel dusted his hands off and swam away, pretty content with crushing Sting's hopes and dreams for a moment.
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"Hmmm…" Happy stared at the fish tank. He was staring hard at the fish, licking his lips as hunger began to arise. "Fiiiiish…."
"Oh no…" Carla said while dragging Happy away from the tank. "Don't you remember what happened last time!?"
"I'd rather not be subject to such torment again…" Lily said while rubbing his temples.
"It won't happen again!" Happy seemed rather confident with this statement. "You see, last time I didn't know that the fish would try to eat us! But now I do know, and the first thing you have to do is get the jump on it!"
"You sound like a predator stalking its prey's every movement…" Lily commented. He could see the ravenous look in Happy's eyes; it was a little unsettling if he were to be honest.
"No, we're not doing this again." Carla made the executive decision. She began to drag Happy away from the fish tank despite his efforts. "Once in a lifetime was more than enough for an experience like that."
"B-But…!" Happy tired his hardest to claw his way to the fish tank, but Carla just wasn't having any of it. "The beautiful fish! Come baaaaaack!" Happy cried out as comical tears began to run down his cheeks.
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Asuka managed to wander off from her parents somehow; but not too far, just to the White Eclipse group that was a few feet away. "You know, Mama and Papa are the best guns mages ever!" Asuka told Reve. The White Eclipse group just watched as Reve got into an argument with a child.
"It's nice to think that, huh?" Reve said with his patented cocky grin. "One day, when you're older, you'll understand who's really at the top of the food chain."
"Reve…you're arguing with a little kid…" Aira pointed out.
"I bet she doesn't even know what 4 + 4 is…" Cygnus said with a silent chuckle.
"I'm no dummy! It's 8!" Asuka huffed, then pointed her toy gun at Cygnus and fired out a pellet, striking the gravity god in the head. "Ha!"
"Ouch…" Cygnus rubbed his forehead, not expecting that to sting as much as it did.
"She got you there, Cyg!" Luke said while letting out a laugh.
"Bang, bang!" Asuka sniped Luke, catching him off guard to the point where he staggered back and landed in a pool of water. "Haha! I got you both! I win!" And with that the little girl skipped back off to her parents, feeling quite happy about herself.
"Did I just get sniped by a 5 year old…?" Luke questioned, shaking the water out of his face.
"Not so funny, is it!?" Cygnus asked.
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Tia had the luxury of relaxing with Lucy, Mira, Lisanna, Juvia, and Kinana. Though she was a fair distance away from everyone else, she did dip her legs into the water, quietly letting out a content sigh. "Ah…"
"Finally relaxing, are we?" Mirajane caught Tia's sigh, unable to help but grin slightly.
"Oh…" Tia looked away, a slight cough escaping from her. "The water is…nice…that's all…"
"You've been so tense. Why are you being so stubborn about relaxing every now and then?" Mirajane asked Tia while carefully observing her. She noticed that the bluenette would tense up upon hearing the word relax. "See? Every time I mention it you stiffen up."
"Well…" Tia sheepishly rubbed her arm. She felt out of her element. "In Dealer…even when Ace was there…I hardly got the time to relax. I mean…we'd sneak off every now and then to have some fun, but that was it…" She couldn't believe this; she was actually opening up to them.
"Oh, I get it…" Kinana mumbled quietly.
"Get what…?" Tia said in a slightly irritated tone towards the waitress.
"Well…first off, you were in Dealer, so I doubt relaxing was a thing there…and second off…relaxing means putting your guard down, and when your guard is down bad things happen, right…?"
"…" Tia nodded slowly, a soft sigh escaping as she stared into the water. "When my guard was down, that's when Ace just left…I didn't know why back then, but I just wanted to lash out at him. I didn't know he was trying to save us. And the second time I dropped my guard slightly…" Tia then looked over to Lisanna. "You were almost killed…I deeply apologize for putting your life in danger like that…"
"Don't worry about it," Lisanna replied with a soft smile. "Ace told me all about you, you know? He never stopped, actually…"
"He did…?" Tia was almost happy to hear that, but… "I see…he's not here anymore, though…"
"Tia-san shouldn't look so sad!" Juvia exclaimed. "Because Ace-san will always be in your heart, right? That's how Juvia feels about Gray-sama when he's not around!"
"Same for my parents…" Lucy added on, placing a hand on her chest. "I know they can't be with me physically anymore…but emotionally, I know they're there."
"And don't think you're alone!" Mirajane continued. "I know it's not easy getting over the death of someone close to you…but I do know that with help, it'll be easier to bear. You have us to help!"
"I…" Tia could hardly form words.
"Not just us!" Lucy pointed to the other guild mates of Fairy Tail, and the Ex-Dealer members. "Jack, Heartless, Daigo, Diamond, Spade, Spark, and even Strong! We're all right beside you. Because we're friends, right?"
"Friends…?" There was that word again. Maybe…just maybe, Tia was beginning to understand what a friend really was. "Well…I wouldn't say friends…perhaps acquaintances whom I've grown closer to with this conversation."
"Whaaatever floats your boat!" Lucy said with a small laugh.
"What? Was that not good enough for you?" Tia questioned before feeling a splash of water on her. She looked around, but didn't see anyone. "…?"
"Teehee…" Playful Mavis being playful; the First Master gave Tia a splash to try and get her into the swing of having fun.
"You guys look like you've seen a ghost…" Tia said while glancing at the female's reactions. Then, without warning, she splashed everyone, giggling to herself.
"Hey!" Lucy shook her head, giving Tia a playful glare.
"I didn't do anything…" Tia feigned innocence. She tried the innocent look but it really just wasn't working out well for her.
"Ladies!" Daryan called out to the group of ladies, sliding along with Shadowlore. "I hope we're not interrupting anything?"
"You kinda are…so beat it." Tia scoffed.
"Whoa!" Daryan couldn't help but notice how Tia looked in a two piece. "Man, you look good, you know that?"
"Real good," Shadowlore added on.
"E-Eh…!?" Tia glared at the two males with the embarrassed blush on her cheeks returning.
"Not used to compliments, I take it?" Kinana asked.
"That's perfectly normal! But from these two, I don't think that's something you'd want too often…" Lucy said while giving the Cosmic Star mages the side glance.
"H-Hey! We take offense to that!" Shadowlore said with a scoff. "Who do you take us for, anyway?!"
"How'd you guys manage to get Tia in there?" Natsu just butted in, completely ignoring the Cosmic Star mages. "I thought she enjoyed sweating over there in the shade somehow…"
"See! Even Natsu noticed you weren't having fun!" Lisanna said to Tia with a sly snicker.
"Was I really that obvious?" Tia groaned, a slight tick mark appearing on her head. She was getting annoyed now that she was being the center of attention for a different reason.
"You looked pretty glum!" Natsu replied with a shrug. "I saw you just bat away a few people who wanted that seat, too…But hey."
"I think she's getting annoyed…" Mavis quietly whispered, but it didn't look like anyone heard her.
"I think that's enough about me…" Tia said calmly, attempting to relax.
"Ah, just have some fun!" Natsu then splashed Tia as a way to get her to enjoy herself…but Natsu didn't know when to take the hint and just ended up annoying her even more.
"…We were so close…" Lucy dropped her head. She could tell by Tia's expression what was going to happen next wasn't pretty.
"…" The water all around the park just began to converge around Tia, leaving some people floundering around a bit in confusion. "You want to have some fun…?" Before anyone knew it, the water converged around Tia's lower body, forming a cyclone.
"Now, Tia, let's be calm…!" Cynthia shouted from afar while flailing her arms around.
It was too late for that. Tia already let loose, sending the water back outwards in a counterclockwise motion, catching everyone inside the park within its current. Moments later, the tide died down and everyone was lying washed up, scattered along the park. "Ha…" Tia actually enjoyed that. She placed her hands on her hips, internally smiling to herself. "Now that…was fun…" Little did she know that she was actually standing topless due to the force of the current removing her badly put up top half.
"We didn't even do anything…!" Cygnus groaned with swirls in his eyes.
"Women…" Shadowlore responded to Cygnus.
"That was close…" Jellal mumbled, his mask somehow not coming off within that vicious torrent. "Erza, are you alright…?"
"Never bettterrr…." The dizzy Titania responded.
"Ugh…Tia…?" Lucy groaned. She was dizzy, but she managed to point over at Tia's chest.
"…Wha…" She then looked down, immediately covering herself, her face beat red. "K-Kyaaaa! D-Don't look!"
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Jack: Alright, you twerps! It's time for a lesson!
Cynthia: Twerps? We're like, the same age...
Romeo: I dunno what he wants, but I doubt it's good...
Next Time: Jack's Training!