Chapter 07: The Evening Before the Battle

Crocus – Domus Flau Arena

Jellal, who had watched Natsu defeat Raven Tail and saw the matchups. "Fairy Tail vs Guardians…I wonder if Erza will have the strength to take on her friends…" Jellal thought. Suddenly, he felt a surge of magic power. "This magic power…it's heading for the exit." Jellal looked at the exit and saw someone in a dark cloak heading to the exit.

Jellal made it to the lobby where he saw the person still walking at a comfortable pace. "There you are!" Jellal made a run towards the person but was cut off by Doranbolt. "Where'd he come from?"

"Going somewhere?" Doranbolt asked.

"No, not now!" Jellal saw the person exit the lobby.

"Tell me who you are?" Doranbolt demanded.

"I can knock him out in one hit…but then my cover would be blown." Jellal thought.

"Doranbolt, what's all the commotion?" Lahar approached the two with other guards.

"You're not fooling me. I know you're not Mystogan. So, who are you?" Doranbolt demanded as he reached out and removed Jellal's mask revealing his face.

"Jellal?!" Lahar exclaimed.

Mermaid Heel passed through and Kagura saw Jellal. She then got sick and covered her mouth as she felt she was going to puke.

"Hey, what's wrong, Kagura?" Milianna asked with worry. She then saw Jellal. "Jellal…" Milianna growled.

Suddenly, a smoke bomb engulfed the entire lobby, catching everyone off guard.

"Gah!"

"Argh!"

"Uf!"

Multiple grunts were heard before the smoke cleared and Jellal was gone and all of the Magic Council soldiers, minus Lahar and Doranbolt were knocked out.

"He's gone…" Doranbolt said. "And he didn't use magic to escape so I can't track him."

Lahar checked on the soldiers and saw a Batarang near one of them. "They were knocked out by these. Jellal wouldn't use them. Someone is helping him."

"Damn it, he's gone." Milianna cursed.

"Don't worry…he'll get what's coming." Kagura steadied herself up. "And so will whoever helped him."

Crocus – Rooftops

"Geez, you got too careless!" Ultear scolded.

"Good thing you were saved by tall, dark and handsome." Meredy commented.

"I'm in your debt, Batman." Jellal thanked Batman.

"If you're tracking someone, make sure you're out of everyone's sight." Batman lectured.

"I almost had them." Jellal looked down.

"Good thing, I was following you too." Batman showed a tablet. "I've placed a tracker on that person, Alfred will keep monitoring."

"How are you able to be 2 moves ahead?" Jellal was surprised.

"5 moves ahead. And I improvise." Batman answered. His computer on his gauntlet went off.

"Sir, I have some news to tell you about our mysterious individual." Alfred spoke.

"That was fast. I thought it would take a least a day." Batman said.

"I thought so too, but the magic power they have…it's in our database. It's the same as Master Dragneel's." Alfred said.

"The same as Natsu's…" Ultear repeated.

Crocus – Honey Bone Inn

"Alright, Fairy Tail, today we celebrate our success! Let's drink until we can't drink no more!" Makarov cheered and so did the rest of Fairy Tail.

"Today was a good day for us, we managed to finally get to 1st place." Erza smiled.

"And we're gonna stay that way because there's no way we're losing to the Guardians." Cana smirked.

"You got that right." Gray thought of Kuroko. "I want payback against that Kuroko guy."

"My darling will definitely get his revenge." Juvia supported Gray.

"You know there are other members they could send out." Laxus pointed out.

"Doesn't matter, so long as I face Salamander, I'm good to go for tomorrow." Gajeel smirked.

"You think Lucy might be in the battles too?" Wendy asked.

"Hard to say, she did already fight on Day 1." Levy admitted.

"Bet you want revenge for losing to her, Cana?" Wakaba asked.

"No, Lucy's too strong. If we fought again, I would lose." Cana said. "I can't believe how's strong she's gotten. She's definitely surpassed me."

"Natsu, too. He took on all of Raven Tail and came out on top despite their cheating." Romeo said.

"Romeo, you know Natsu is our enemy, right?" Macao said.

"I know that but…I still admire him." Romeo admitted.

"It's alright that you feel that way, Romeo. I, myself, am proud of the man that Natsu has grown to be. Going from a reckless child to a responsible young man, perhaps it was for the best that he stayed with the Guardians." Makarov said.

Crocus – Guardians Penthouse

Natsu was out on the balcony of the penthouse staring out at the city. The light from the moon really showed the beauty of the capital.

"Natsu, it's time for dinner." Lucy approached him. Natsu didn't say anything confusing Lucy. "Natsu?" Lucy joined him.

"Tomorrow we're facing our friends." Natsu spoke. "I knew we would have to face them eventually but now that it's here…"

"Are you having doubts?" Lucy asked.

"No, I'm all in. I'm always down for a brawl." Natsu smiled. "What about you?"

"It was a bit of a struggle when I faced Cana." Lucy admitted. "But I know if I didn't go all out, I would not only upset myself, but Cana and Fairy Tail as well. Tomorrow, I'll fight with all I've got, no matter what." Lucy got a fired-up look.

"Anyone ever tell you you look sexy when you're pumped for a fight?" Natsu flirted.

"Anyone ever tell you you look cute when you get cheesy?" Lucy flirted back.

"I told you not to call me cute!" Natsu exclaimed, making Lucy giggle. "Oh, that's it!" Natsu made Lucy yelp as he picked her up and spun her around before they both fell to the ground.

Both Natsu and Lucy laughed as they both wrestled with each other before Natsu pinned Lucy to the ground. "Ha, I win!" Natsu declared as he gave his goofy smile. He then felt something soft on his cheek and opened his eyes when he saw Lucy kissing it. "Lucy?"

"Thank you…" Lucy thanked.

"For what?" Natsu was confused.

"I wouldn't be who I am today if I never met you. Every day with you has been an amazing adventure." Lucy said.

"Yeah…it has…I'm really glad I met you too." Natsu gave a gentle smile. He then gently puts his hands on her cheeks.

"Natsu…" Lucy uttered as she put her hands on his cheeks.

"Lucy…" Natsu uttered. The both pulled each other closer before their lips met.

From the distance, Yuya and Happy smiled as he leaned on the door with his arms crossed. "Good for them." Yuya smiled.

"It took them long enough." Happy said.

"Surprised you didn't go and ruin the moment." Yuya said.

"I'll let them have this one." Happy smiled. "I'm glad for you two."

Yuya looked at his Duel Disk and the pictures of him and his wives. "Sorry, I'm taking so long, but I'm trying to get back to you. Hold on a while longer."

Guardians Penthouse – Naruto's Room

Naruto was meditating on the floor, being completely still. Eventually, orange circles appeared around his eyes. "5 minutes…That as fast as I can enter Sage Mode."

He looked at his nightstand where a picture of Jiraiya was placed with a few candles. "Hope I'm doing you proud, Pervy Sage."

"You are…"

Naruto turned to his door to see Leafa standing there with cup ramen. "You missed dinner."

"Oh, sorry. Guess I'm just too excited for tomorrow." Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

"You don't even know if you're competing." Leafa said.

"I have a good feeling about this one. This is Fairy Tail and they have a lot of strong wizards. I'll need to face stronger opponents if I want to be stronger." Naruto clenched his fist.

"You know strength isn't all you need to fulfill Master Jiraiya's dream. You could brush up on your communication skills." Leafa said.

"What's wrong with the way I speak?" Naruto asked.

"You need to respect people with authority and not be casual with them. Also, you can't be too nice because you'll have others walk all over you." Leafa advised. "And you need to work on being a graceful loser."

"Graceful loser?" Naruto questioned.

"Naruto, whenever you lose, you push everyone away and spent more time alone. If you want to be Hokage, if you want to create peace, you have to have some humility, accept others help or ideas, or let them take charge and you support. Otherwise, you'll end up like Nagato and you know that's not what he wants." Leafa answered.

"Okay…I'll try to work on it." Naruto gave in.

"Come here." Leafa pulled Naruto into a kiss and he kissed her back.

Guardians Penthouse – Entertainment Area

Issei and Irina were watching a romantic movie on the giant screen with popcorn between them. "Saito really surprised me when he proposed to Tiffania, yesterday." Irina said.

"He was planning to do it for a while now. He just wanted to know if she felt the same as him about their relationship." Issei said.

"You knew?" Irina asked.

"I told him to go for it." Issei said. "After what happened with me and Rias, I didn't want him to stay stuck with someone like Louise. I wanted him to be with someone who he feels happy with and not by magic or manipulation."

"But you want to be a Harem King." Irina pointed out.

"Yeah, but out of love, not lust." Issei answered. "Irina, the thing about men, we're easily enchanted by the beauty of the female body. And unfortunately for us, we learn the hard way that the beauty doesn't match the love that the woman can give. Rias manipulated me in order to save herself. Did she eventually fall in love with me? Yes, but she betrayed my trust. And it's gonna take her a long time to earn it back. Besides, right now, there's only one woman I want to be with." Issei held Irina's hand.

"You're the only man I want to be with, Issei." Irina smiled warmly at Issei.

The two of them leaned closer and they shared a kiss just as the couple in the movie shared theirs.

Guardians Penthouse – Tennis Courts

"Ready?" Tezuka readied his serve.

"Ready!" Tails shouted.

"Give us your best, King of Seigaku!" Knuckles prepared himself.

"Serve already!" Sonic got impatient.

Tezuka served the ball and Sonic received it, aiming for the corner but it curved back towards Tezuka. "Oh, come on! Tezuka Zone is cheating!" Sonic complained as Tezuka returned the ball.

"Let's try this!" Tails swung the ball back but the ball returned to Tezuka.

"The Tezuka Zone is a fearsome obstacle, but I will overcome all obstacles with my power!" Knuckles readied his swing as he waited for Tezuka to return it. However, Tezuka lobbed it into the air.

"Oh no!" Knuckles was forced to cancel his swing and jump in the air and smash the ball normally. Tezuka then returned in the middle making Sonic and Tails collide into each other.

"You three are strong individually, but your teamwork can still improve. Remember, you're there to cover each other's weaknesses, whether you want to admit you have them or not." Tezuka lectured. "Let's go again!" Tezuka readied his serve.

"They're really going at it." Artemis said.

"Well, Tezuka got a sneak peak of the lineup and one of the team battles is going to be a Triple Team Battle." Minako watched. "He wants the boys to be ready if they're chosen."

"You think they'll be okay. Sonic doesn't seem like a team player." Artemis saw Sonic intercept a ball for Tails.

"We'll just have to wait and see." Minako answered.

Crocus – Honey Bone Inn

"Alright, listen up brats!" Makarov got Fairy Tail's attention. "Here was what our matchup will be with the Guardians!"

"Wonder what kind of lineup it'll be?" Alzack wondered.

"And how many of us are going to compete." Bisca added.

"For the total number of members that are allowed to participate in this round is eight! Three Solo Battles, a Tag Team Battle and a Triple Team Battle!" Makarov revealed.

"A Triple Team Battle…" Erza said. "So, it's 3 on 3."

"Master Mavis and I have formed the lineup that will take them down. We will do what we have done today, we will win all five of the battles and continue growing our lead!" Makarov shouted.

"Yeah!" Everyone cheered.

"Starting off our road to victory in the first Solo Battle will be Laxus!" Makarov pointed to his grandson. "The first victory is very important Laxus, we'll be counting on you."

"I won't let you down." Laxus said.

"Laxus will definitely win and the Thunder Legion will support him." Freed gave his support.

"Yeah, nobody can beat Laxus one on one!" Bickslow added.

"Hell would have to freeze over for Laxus to lose." Evergreen declared.

"For the Tag Team Battle, we'll put our other Dragon Slayers out, Gajeel and Wendy!" Makarov revealed.

"What? Me?" Wendy was surprised.

"You better have a good explanation, old man." Gajeel was a bit irked as he wanted to face Natsu.

"There's a member of the Guardians who wields the power of a dragon, and he's very effective in team battles. If they put him in, we need someone with the power to slay Dragons. Show them why Fairy Tail has the strongest Dragon Slayers!" Makarov declared.

"Y-Yes…" Wendy stuttered.

"Hmph, well if it's a dragon that's fine." Gajeel gave in.

"For the second Solo Battle, we believe that Lucy will take that spot. After much deliberation the one who will face her will be…Juvia Lockser!" Makarov announced.

"Me?" Juvia's eyes widened.

"Hey, you got this." Gray smiled, which made Juvia swoon.

"I'll beat that blonde bimbo for you, my darling!" Juvia gushed.

"For the Triple Battle, we'll send our Triple Threat! Erza Scarlet! Mirajane Strauss! And Gray Fullbuster!" Makarov announced.

"That's almost all of our S-Class Mages in the roster." Max said.

"Well, those Guardians aren't pushovers." Warren pointed out.

"And for the last solo battle…" Makarov was about to announce when the door to the Honey Bone Inn opened.

"If you don't mind, Master. I'll take that spot."

Everyone gasped as they saw who entered the Honey Bone Inn.

"You…" Makarov gave a wide smile. Victory was assured for Fairy Tail as well as the 3,000,000 Jewel prize.

Crocus – Guardian Penthouse

"Everyone, gather around!" Natsu shouted and all the Guardians gathered together. "Tomorrow will be a tough fight for us. Fairy Tail is hungry for regaining their title as Number One Guild in the world. But our goal isn't conceited like theirs. We're here to show the Kingdom that the Guardians are a group the people can trust with their lives. We'll defeat Fairy Tail and then the last guild in the final day!"

"Yes sir!" Everyone replied.

"These are the members who will face Fairy Tail. First is me! Next is Lucy Heartfilia." Natsu announced.

"Of course, they would be in it." Kirito said.

"Kirito, shh…" Asuna hushed him.

"The other members will be…Naruto Uzumaki. Issei Hyoudou. Irina Shidou. Knuckles the Echidna. Miles Tails Prower. And finally…Sonic the Hedgehog." Natsu announced the final members.

Crocus – Domus Flau

The Domus Flau was packed with more people than ever. Most of the seats were filled and others were watching in the lobby.

Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, and Quatro Cerberus were in the viewing booths hoping to see the first match of the Semifinals underway.

"Welcome back to Day 4 of the Grand Magic Games!" Chapati announced. "Today is the penultimate day where we will see which two guilds will move on to the final day! My name is Chapati and joined her with Mr. Yajima."

"Chapati, I was so looking forward to this day, I couldn't sleep a wink last night." Yajima was really looking forward to today.

"Same as me, Yajima and today's special guest judge is a person of royalty, the daughter of the King of Crocus, Princess Hisui E. Fiore." Chapati announced.

Hisui was a beautiful young woman with jade hair and green eyes. She wore a beautiful white dress and waved to the crowd and everyone cheered.

"People of Fiore, this year's Grand Magic Games has been the best that we have ever had. I want to congratulate all the guilds that have participated this year. I truly enjoyed watching every minute. Thank you." Hisui led the applause and everyone cheered.

"Very kind words of you, your Majesty." Chapati bowed and so did Yajima. "Now, let us bring out the two teams facing in the first match! They started out as the worst guild this year but with the return of the Tenrou Island wizards, they are almost back to reclaiming their former glory! Will they win today? Ladies and Gentlemen, Team Fairy Tail!"

Fairy Tail entered the arena and unlike before where everyone booed them, they were now being cheered on.

"They're finally rooting for us." Mirajane smiled.

"Of course, we have earned their respect back." Erza agreed.

"You two shouldn't be relaxed." Laxus scolded them. "These battles are gonna be the toughest we'll ever face."

"Laxus is correct. Even if the other team is our friends, we cannot hold back against them. In fact, going all out is the best kind of respect we can give them! So, rise, my children! Show them why Fairy Tail is the best guild in all of Fiore!" Makarov rallied the guild.

"Yeah!" All of Fairy Tail cheered.

"Fairy Tail is pumped up. More victories will increase their lead." Chapati announced.

"Good luck, Fairy Tail! Show them what you can do!" Yajima cheered.

"I'm looking forward to what they can do today." Hisui smiled.

"Team Guardians, please enter the arena!" Chapati announced and the Guardians entered the arena. The crowd cheered for them.

"Natsu…" Happy pointed to the Fairy Tail side.

"That's…" Lucy gasped.

"Gildarts…" Natsu narrowed his eyes. Gildarts was with Fairy Tail, meaning he was in the games. Fairy Tail's strongest wizard.

"Captain…" Yuya spoke to Natsu.

"Everyone…" Natsu called for everyone to huddle. They all came together in a big circle.

"Team Fairy Tail is strong. Like us, they have a strong bond with each other. But don't get scared just because they have five S-Class Wizards, they're people like you and me. Whether you're fighting today, or just watching on the sidelines, we have to stand united as one." Natsu gave his speech.

"Let's hold nothing back! Give everything you have and show the world the power of the Guardians!" Natsu shouted.

"Yeah!" Everyone joined Natsu.

"Both teams, send forth the members competing!" Chapati announced.

Team Fairy Tail sent Gildarts, Laxus, Erza, Mirajane, Gray, Juvia, Gajeel and Wendy.

Team Guardians sent Natsu, Lucy, Naruto, Issei, Irina, Sonic, Tails and Knuckles.

The Grand Magic Games Semifinals were about to begin.

Lucy: We're finally facing Team Fairy Tail and their lineup is strong.

Happy: The first person their sending out is Laxus. He's too strong that Natsu barely defeated him last time with Gajeel's help.

Natsu: They're not messing around, but neither are we. They may have the grandson of the Guild Master, but we have the son of the Hokage. Start us off strong, Naruto!

Natsu, Lucy and Happy: Next Time! Naruto vs Laxus!

Natsu: Lead us forward, Lord Hokage.