A/N: It's finally Samuel's turn!
Enjoy!
CHAPTER ELEVEN: SAMUEL VS. LYON
Fairy Tail A plus Lisanna and the Raijinshuu were currently in the infirmary as Elfman was wrapped in bandages. "It seems I slightly underrated you, Elfman. When it comes to tenacity and being able to take punishment, you may just be number one in our guild. We'll definitely follow the lead of your hard-won victory." Erza praised.
"I never thought I'd hear Erza dish out praise like that." Lucy commented.
"She wouldn't if he hadn't earned it." Gray said.
"You totally gave me the shivers, Elfman!" Natsu added as he grinned.
"Cut it out. You guys sound like you're payin' tribute to a dead man." Elfman said as Lisanna pressed a cloth to his face. "Ow..."
"Well, stubbornness always has been your saving grace." Lisanna commented.
"That's kind of a sad saving grace..." Natsu claimed.
"You're not too different!" Elfman said.
"But it really was amazing, Elfman-san!" Wendy complimented.
"It's pathetic, but I can't do anything laid up like this, so the rest is up to you, Wendy." Elfman told the young girl.
"Right!" Wendy said.
"Well, the next match has already begun. Get going." Porlyusica informed. "One of the keys to victory is observing the enemy."
"Got it, Granny. See ya later." Natsu said.
"Still, those Raven Tail jerks play dirty right out in the open..." Natsu was saying as Fairy Tail A plus Lisanna walked through the corridor.
"I wonder if their intention is to take us out one by one." Erza said. Carla stops in her tracks.
"I've still got my doubts about what happened." She informed.
"What is it, Carla?" Wendy asked.
"I already heard the basics..." Erza added.
"We assume Raven Tail used a guild of bandits in an attempt to kidnap Lucy. But thanks to them screwing up the objective and Natsu's pursuit, the scheme failed twice over." Carla explained.
"Doesn't that make sense?" Lisanna questioned.
"Although we don't know what they were planning to do with her..." Erza added.
"Don't even go there!" Lucy exclaimed.
"The issue is the method of capture. One of the members of Raven Tail that attacked us has the power to reduce his opponent's magic power to zero for a moment." Carla said.
"Right... Master suspects that he's the one who canceled out Lucy's Magic on the first day." Erza said.
"They've got a wizard whose Magic would be perfect for a kidnapping, so why wasn't he part of the operation?" Carla wondered.
"Well, probably because the rules of the battle part, which require all participants to stay close to the arena." Gray responded.
"That's because nobody knows who's going to be chosen for battle 'til just before, right?" Lisanna asked.
"You're overthinking it, Carla." Wendy stated.
"Yeah." Lucy nodded in agreement. "I know very well that results matter much more to them than means."
"Well, either way, if we're being targeted outside of the arena, we mustn't let our guards down, and try not to be alone at any time." Erza said.
Carla recalls the vision she had. "What really bothers me is the question of why they were after Lucy..." She thinks to herself.
"It's the third match of the second day of the Grand Magic Games! Samuel Fullbuster from Fairy Tail B versus Lamia Scale's Lyon Vastia!" Chapati announced.
"I'm back." Lisanna said.
"Welcome back." Cana greeted. "How is Elfman doing?"
"He's all beat up, but no worries." Lisanna replied.
"So it's a showdown between two Ice Mages, huh?" Levy questioned.
"Have you recovered?" Lily asked as Carla walked up to join him and Happy.
"Carla!"
"Wendy's okay now, too. I was told that everyone but the participants have to stay in these seats." Carla replied.
Happy leaped into the air. "I was so worried about you!" He exclaimed as Carla moved out of the way.
"Never mind that. The match has already started, right?" Carla questioned. "There's no sense being hung up on my dream now. I've got to cheer our guild on!"
"Samuel! Do your best!" Carla cheered.
"So it's teacher versus student. I knew this day would come eventually. But have you got what it takes?" Lyon asked.
Samuel had his eyes closed as he had a calm look on his face. "It's true I owe a lot to you, Lyon-nii. But I'm not going to hold back." He opened his eyes that were filled with determination, placing his fists together as frost came from them. "I'll surpass you here and now!"
Lyon smiled to himself, thinking back to the time he wanted to surpass Ur. "I'm feeling a little nostalgic." He thought, placing his fists together as well and calling out, "Ice-Make: Snow Tiger!"
Samuel pulled his fists back. "Ice-Make: Snow Dragon!" He shouted.
The two ice-like animals crashed together and exploded into icicles, causing an explosion. "So Sam does Dynamic Ice-Make, huh?" Gray spoke, watching the battle carefully.
"I guess it's to be expected. Lyon did teach him after all." Lucy said.
"Your attacks are getting predictable, Lyon-nii." Samuel said.
"Is that so?" Lyon questioned. "Bet you saw this one coming, too! Ice-Make: Eagle!"
Ice-like eagles aimed straight for Samuel, causing an explosion. When the dust cleared, it showed a knocked out Samuel on the ground. "W-Well, I guess the winner of this match is Lamia Scale's—" Chapati started to say.
Lyon was on high alert.
"Ice-Make: Death Scythe!" Samuel cuts off Chapati's sentence, creating a giant scythe made out of ice as he jumped into the air, swinging it towards Lyon who blocked it with an ice shield and causing it to shatter. The knocked-out Samuel shattered into ice, revealing that it was only a clone.
"Amazing! He's mastered both Dynamic and Static Ice-Make!" Gray spoke in awe.
Samuel placed his fists together, activating his Magic once more. "Ice Geyser!" He called out, slamming his hands down and freezing the ground in front of him, creating a tower of ice spikes that headed for Lyon, who easily dodged all of them.
"As much as I hate to admit it, this guy is amazing... For a Fairy." Orga commented from the Sabertooth stands.
"Yeah." Sting smiled slightly, which didn't go unnoticed by Rogue.
"If he's this strong, what's he doing in a guild like Fairy Tail? He should be in Sabertooth!" Lector claimed.
"Fro thinks so, too!"
"I've been wondering the exact same thing, Lector." Sting thought, his attention returning to his boyfriend's battle.
Samuel breathes heavily, trying to catch his breath. "Once again, I'm reminded at how awesome Lyon-nii is." He noted. "It's one of the reasons why I wanted him to teach me. I'm going to defeat him here!"
Just as Samuel was about to call out another spell, the gong rang, signaling the end of the match. "The 30 minutes are up! It's a draw! Both teams receive five points!" Chapati announced.
The audience cheered as Lyon chuckled. "You've gotten a lot stronger since I last saw you, Sam." He complimented.
"Thanks, Lyon-nii. But it seems I still got a long way to go before I can surpass you." Samuel said.
Lyon smiled. "I'd like for you to challenge me again. Except maybe when we're not battling for our guilds."
"Sounds good."
Lyon gives Samuel a hug in which Samuel returns. Gray scowls before crossing his arms. "Looks like someone's looking a little green." Natsu teased.
"I'm not jealous if that's what you're implying." Gray denied.
"Sure you're not." Natsu replied, not believing him as Lucy chuckled.
Samuel soon left the arena, meeting up with Laxus, Gajeel, Juvia, and Jellal. "Sorry for not being able to get the full 10 points." He apologized.
"What are you apologizin' for? We got points, that's all that matters. Besides, you were going against someone you admire." Gajeel replied.
"Have you always been that strong, Samuel-kun?" Juvia asked.
"The day I surpass Lyon-nii is the day where I become strong. Until then, I got work to do." Samuel responded, smiling sheepishly.
"So now we have 12 points, the same as Natsu's team." Laxus pointed out.
Samuel noticed Jellal being off. "What's wrong, Mystogan-san?" He questioned.
"Nothing..." Jellal answered.
"Isn't he supposed to be the silent type?" Gajeel reminded.
"Oh, right..."
"Even though the second day is about to be over... What does this mean?" Jellal wondered.
Somewhere else...
"Captain Arcadios!" A voice called out. A man clad in armor turned around. His red cape whipped around him. A short man was the person who had called out to him.
"Well, well, Defense Minister Darton..." Arcadios said.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Darton questioned.
"Doing about what?"
"Don't feign ignorance! Why are you trying to get a hold of a Celestial Spirit Wizard now?! Don't you think it's premature?" Darton asked.
"I want to make a trial run as soon as possible." Arcadios claimed.
"It's still too early! It isn't ready yet!" Darton argued.
"Defense Minister, please keep your voice down. Besides, it is indeed complete." Arcadios said.
Darton widened his eyes in shock. "What?!"
"Saying it wasn't ready was a lie of convenience, in order to come up with a budget. Now all we need is a Celestial Spirit Wizard and Eclipse will have reached the practical stage." Arcadios explained.
"I don't believe it... You're telling me it's been completed in merely seven years?!"
"The project shall now proceed to phase 4, plan B. This time we will absolutely aquire a Celestial Spirit Wizard." Arcadios said as Darton was shaking in terror. "It's already common knowledge that you're opposed to the Eclipse Project."
Arcadios turned around and walked away. "However, we can't be stopped now after coming this far." He claimed.
"Are you a devil?!" Darton asked.
"For the sake of king and country, a man may even become devil or god. Weighed against Eclipse, the gateway that will change the world, the life of one girl is exceedingly cheap." Arcadios responded.
"Alright, the second day of the Grand Magic Games reaches its final match at last! Kagura Mikazuchi from Mermaid Heel versus Sabertooth's Yukino Agria!" Chapati announced.
Frosch turned to Lector. "Which do you think is going to win?" He asked.
"Yukino-san, of course! How is it you don't even know that, Frosch?!" Lector replied in irritation.
"Fro thinks so, too!"
"Thanks to somebody, we couldn't get any points in the competition part." Orga said, referring to Sting.
"Tch!"
"No. Sting-sama was just unlucky. If we'd known the competition was going to be on top of a moving vehicle..." Yukino trailed off.
"Never mind about that. You do know what it means to be a member of this team, don't you?" Sting questioned.
"Sabertooth... It means fighting in that name without sullying it and winning without question." Yukino replied.
"Good luck, Kagura-chan!"
"Win it for me!" Beth said.
"Still, her opponent's from Sabertooth..." Risley stated.
"Kagura is stronger than her!" Arana claimed.
"Never fear." Kagura walks out into the arena. "I saw the path... The destination of my sword..."
Kagura and Yukino entered the arena. Yukino's white cape blew in the wind, as did Kagura's hair. The two of them stared at each other.
"Sabertooth..." Gray muttered.
"Watch closely. This is the guild we have to overcome." Erza told Wendy.
"Right!" Wendy agreed.
"All of you already know how strong Kagura is. She's Mermaid Heel's strongest wizard as well as the Weekly Sorcerer's top pick for female wizard!" Chapati said. "Against her is Yukino, who's making her debut today. Still, she's a member of the strongest guild, Sabertooth, so we can expect her to be pretty strong!"
The gong was soon hit, signaling for the match to start. "Alright, let the match begin!"
"I look forward to doing battle with you." Yukino said. Kagura hesitates for a second.
"As do I."
"Before we begin, shall we make a bet too?"
"Sorry, but I'm not interested."
"Is it because you're afraid of losing?" Yukino challenged.
"I don't possess that kind of emotion. However, I believe that when one makes a wager, it must be followed through. So I'd like to abstain from any thoughtless diversions." Kagura responded.
"In that case, let's make a serious bet. Let's bet our lives." Yukino said confidently.
Her statement left Fairy Tail in shock while Sting smirked to himself with his arms crossed.
A/N: The first update of the new year! Happy 2024, everyone!
Thanks for reading!
~ Kaleb.