A/N: Hello, readers! Welcome to another chapter!
Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail, I only own my OC's.
CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE: SKY LABYRINTH
Natsu and the others arrive back at the Fairy Tail guild after their training, completely exhausted. "We're here!"
"Why are all of you so exhausted?!" Macao asked. The rest of the guild was outside, looking at the team.
"Get a hold of yourselves! That's what a Man is!" Elfman shouted proudly. Natsu is shocked at how Elfman had bulked up, leading everyone into a conversation about how they have improved, some of them being extremely useless.
Suddenly, Master Makarov appears and commends them for their hard work and tells them to come inside.
Inside...
"All right... I'm going to announce the five members who will participate in the Grand Magic Games as our representatives." Everyone waited patiently for the Master to reveal his choices. "Natsu!"
"Yeah!"
"Aira!"
He smirks to himself as if he already knew he was gonna get chosen. "Naturally."
"Erza!"
"Leave it to me." Erza responded.
"Well, of course those three would be chosen." Mira commented.
"Two left." Lisanna added.
"Being chosen like that is a Man!"
"The remaining two..." Master Makarov started to say. "...are Lucy and Wendy!" The two girls are shocked that they were selected.
"I can't do this! You could choose Laxus or Gajeel instead!" Wendy pleaded.
"Well, after all, they haven't come back yet!" Makarov said.
Erza placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Master based his decision on teamwork more than individual power. And since we were chosen, let's do our utmost."
"Yeah. You're right." Lucy agreed.
"To make a serious grab for the win, I really wanted to have Gildarts or Laxus, I thought..." Makarov said.
"But you're sayin' it!" Natsu and Aira exclaimed in unison.
"Everyone! These Grand Magic Games are the perfect chance for Fairy Tail to regain its reputation! We'll beat Sabertooth, the strongest guild in Fiore, and Fairy Tail will become the number one guild in Fiore!" Erza declared, making everyone cheer.
"I'm fired up!" Natsu exclaimed.
Crocus, the Capital of Fiore...
The guilds head to Crocus, the capital of Fiore, where the Grand Magic Games are being held. Upon arriving, Natsu and the rest lie on the ground in the streets, still feeling exhausted from their Second Origin being opened. Aira feels normal, taunting the others who had their Second Origin opened.
"We still don't feel well...?!" Wendy asked.
"Did it really work? The opening of the Second Origin?" Aira asked out of curiosity.
"I do feel that my magic power's been increased, even though I still have a little pain in the joints." Lucy said.
"Yes. You people are so pathetic." Erza scolded.
"How is it you're totally fine, Erza?!" Lucy wondered.
"I bet she had her Second Origin all along." Aira guessed.
"I buy that." Lucy agreed.
"At any rate, I've never been to a city this huge before." Natsu claimed.
"Me either!"
"It's bigger than Edolas's castle town."
"So you finally made it..." Master Makarov and the rest of the guild appear. "I took care of all the entry paperwork." He assured while laughing. "You better show me the power of Fairy Tail!"
"Hey! Fairy Tail, he says!"
"Those chumps?!"
"The perennial last place losers?!" The nearby townspeople overhear and instantly start badmouthing them.
"Who just laughed?!" Natsu questioned.
"Stifle it." Erza ordered.
"I'm sure you'll be in last place again this year, too!"
"And Sabertooth is sure to win it."
Natsu growls and wants to attack them.
"Anybody that wants to laugh, let 'em." Master Makarov said.
Happy laughs while looking at Jet and Droy, which irks them.
"Listen! I've got 30 million jewel..." Master Makarov clears his throat. "I mean, do your best to aim for the number one guild in Fiore! The way things are now, we can't face the first master, who saved our lives!" The rest nod their heads in agreement. "Well, the competition begins tomorrow, but unfortunately, I have no idea what it is!"
"Fairy Tail's been in this a number of years, though, right?" Natsu asked.
"The competition changes every year." Alzack replied while picking up Asuka.
"For instance, one year we weren't in it, they had a shooting contest..." Bisca said.
"The year I wasn't in it, they had a race..." Jet added.
"The team with the greatest cumulative points over a number of events is the winner..." Droy stated.
"I looked at the past records, but it seems there's no consistency with the events." Levy informed.
"Well, we'll just have to play it by ear." Natsu said. "I hope it's a battle, though!"
Erza thinks back to what Jellal said about a dark force emanating from the arena every year.
After Master Makarov tries to get Erza to read the entire rulebook for the Games overnight, Levy takes out her Gale-Force Reading Glasses and skims the text. She explains that there are three main rules: the guild master can't join, those without the guild emblem can't join, and rules of the event won't be revealed until the main day.
Levy then reads a warning that says that the members must be back by their inn by midnight, Aira thinking that it is similar to the story of Cinderella whilst the others wonder why such a rule is necessary.
Natsu, Lucy, and Happy then run off to tour the city, thinking that they had plenty of time until midnight. Erza asks if they know where they are staying, to which Lucy replies that she does know and that its "Honey Bone Inn".
Erza tells them to be back by midnight and wonders again why the rule exists, becoming suspicious and heading straight to the inn to check things out. Arriving and checking the rooms, she wonders if they are supposed to sleep in the same room, as well as why six beds are prepared. She inspects the inn and relaxes in her own way, wary of every inch of the building.
Meanwhile...
Natsu, Happy, and Lucy are enjoying themselves while Wendy and Carla are sightseeing as well.
Aira and Cain walk around the city to explore when someone called out to them. "Poseidon! Cain!"
The two turned to see Satsuki with Boris at her side. "Satsuki? What are you doing here?" Aira asked.
"Hah? Is it a crime to cheer you guys on in the Games?" Satsuki countered.
"N-Not at all." Aira blushed a little before clearing his throat. "Would you and Boris like to accompany Cain and I?"
"Hmm... I suppose it wouldn't hurt."
Back at the Honey Bone Inn, Erza, in her night clothes, is resting on her bed as she thinks about her re-encounter with Jellal; that is, until Ichiya suddenly shows up. He compliments her perfume and starts sniffing the air until Erza angrily punches him out, scolding him for entering uninvited. The Trimens then show up, surrounding her and flirting with her, until she punches them out too.
Meanwhile...
Around the city, Raven Tail, Quatro Cerberus and Mermaid Heel also show up, walking around.
Night falls in Crocus and Wendy and Carla head to Mercurius to tour around. Behind them, a little black creature watches from afar.
Aira, Satsuki, Cain, and Boris continued walking around the city, when Aira stops suddenly. "Poseidon?" Satsuki questioned.
"Do you smell that?" Aira asked.
Satsuki takes a sniff of the air before widening her eyes. "You don't think..."
"Yeah."
Aira takes off in the direction that the scent was coming from. They finally stopped seeing two unfamiliar people, along with Natsu, Lucy, and Happy.
"Why am I not surprised he ran into trouble..." Aira mumbled.
"You know, I used to look up to you. Incidentally, this guy was into Gajeel-san."
Aira snorts, getting Sting and Rogue's attention. "Now Gajeel, I can understand. But flame brain here is no role model." He spoke up.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Natsu asked in anger. "And why are you with Satsuki? You two on a date or somethin'?"
"That's not what it is!" Aira and Satsuki shouted in unison.
"Satsuki Fujitora..." Rogue mumbled, getting the woman's attention.
"What are you mumbling my name for, emo? You tryin' to start somethin'?" Satsuki questioned before facing him as she blinked. "Huh... Have we met before?"
"...No." Rogue replied after a moment.
"If it isn't Airavata Mizuki. The Dragon of the Sea himself." Sting spoke up before turning to Rogue. "It's a shame Arlo didn't come with us."
"You both are Dragon Slayers, correct?" Aira questioned, getting back on topic.
"Maybe you oughta call us true Dragon Slayers... We would've beaten Acnologia." Sting claimed.
"That's easy for you two to say when you've never even laid eyes on Acnologia!" Lucy argued.
"That's right!"
"You don't seem too bright, cat."
"Lector is smart, right?"
"It doesn't matter if we've seen it or not." Rogue said.
"The point here is the difference in our aptitude as Dragon Slayers." Sting added.
"I'll explain. Natsu-kun and the rest learned Dragon Slaying Magic from dragons. They're the so-called First Generation. Your Laxus-kun and Oracion Seis's Cobra-kun are known as the Second Generation. They can use Dragon Slaying Magic through a Dragon Lacrima embedded in their body. As for Sting-kun, Rogue-kun, and Arlo-kun, like you they were raised by Dragons, but also have a Dragon Lacrima implanted in their body... the hybrid Third Generation!" Lector explained.
"Third Generation?!" Natsu quoted.
"In other words, they're the strongest Dragon Slayers!" Lector claimed.
Aira suddenly gasped, recalling a distant memory from his time with Kaito.
"This is called a Water Dragon Slayer Lacrima. I found it at the edge of the forest. It's supposed to give you Dragon Force and the power to heal yourself and others. I am giving it to you."
"That's what that was?" Aira muttered to himself, looking at Sting and Rogue. "Hey... Just out of curiosity, your Lacrima gives you the power to activate Dragon Force by will, correct?"
"How do you know that?" Lucy asked.
"I didn't know there was a fancy term for it until now, but I guess I'm apart of this hybrid Third Generation that they're talking about." Aira replied, causing Sting and Rogue's eyes to widen.
"That's true. You had Dragon Force when we battled during the war with Phantom Lord." Satsuki recalled, uaware that Rogue clenched his jaw at the mention of said incident.
"And again during the Nirvana incident." Cain added.
"Did your dragons disappear in the year 777, too?!" Natsu questioned.
"Well, in a manner of speaking..." Sting started to say.
"I'll give it to you straight." Rogue finished as him and Sting both had dark looks.
"The dragons who taught us Dragon Slayer Magic were slain by our own hand, so we could become true Dragon Slayers..."
"You killed dragons?!" Lucy asked in complete shock.
"Humans killed dragons...?" Happy questioned.
"You murdered your own parents?!" Natsu and Aira spoke in unison, both of them enraged at the very idea.
Back at the inn...
Erza was playing cards, wondering where the rest were. "They're late..."
Later...
"You guys... Where the hell were you all this time?!"
"I was with Satsuki, Cain, and Boris until I ran into Natsu, Lucy, and Happy." Aira explained.
"We got into a weird tangle with some people... or maybe we started it..." Lucy said.
Natsu and Happy remember the harsh comments they received as they screamed in anger. "I'm not gonna let 'em get away with it!"
Aira thought back to his conversation with Satsuki, before he had returned to the inn.
"That Rogue guy... Did you know him?"
Satsuki hummed. "He certainly seemed familiar. If I ever encountered him, it would've been while I was in Phantom Lord."
"Perhaps ask Gajeel about it?" Aira suggested.
Satsuki snorts. "I would, but I highly doubt Gajeel would remember anyone named Rogue."
Erza notices that Wendy is not back yet and they all realize this too, Lucy wondering what the young girl could possibly be up to so late at night, imagining her and Carla as night-time delinquents.
Gray and Lisanna suddenly come in, bringing some snacks. "Hey! We brought treats!"
"Tomorrow's the big day!"
"Gray! Lisanna!"
"Are you guys gonna watch the Grand Magic Games, too?!" Natsu asked.
"Yeah. To be honest, I wanted to be in it myself, but there's always next time!" Gray responded.
"Good timing. Can I ask you a favor?" Erza asked Lisanna as she sets down the snacks on a nearby table.
"What is it?"
"Actually, Wendy hasn't come back to the inn yet." Erza said.
"And we're apparently not supposed to do anything until after midnight." Aira added.
"Is something going to happen at midnight?" Lisanna questioned.
"I don't really know, but there's a rule that says we have to be here by midnight." He answered. At that moment, the clock struck midnight. "And as I say that, I notice it is midnight now..."
"What's gonna happen?!"
Suddenly, a large hologram of Mato appears and makes an announcement to the 113 teams participating in the Grand Magic Games for the start of an elimination round. All the guilds' teams are shocked that the elimination round will narrow down 113 teams to eight.
Before he explains the rules, the city's inns start rising from the ground and Mato explains that this will be a form of race.
Paths form in front of each inn's window as a way of entering and Mato states that there are no restrictions and the first eight teams to reach Domus Flau will enter the Grand Magic Games and they will not be responsible for any lives lost.
Natsu, Lucy, Erza, and Aira watch in amazement as the Sky Labyrinth is formed in the sky. A huge, spherical Labyrinth appears behind Mato.
"Sky Labyrinth... begin!"
"If this is a race, we better hurry up." Aira informed.
"Yeah!" Natsu agreed, ready to participate in the race.
"Wait!" Erza halted, getting everyone's attention.
"What?!" Natsu asked in annoyance.
"He said all five members of the team have to reach the goal together. Wendy isn't back yet." Erza reminded them.
"Oh, that's right!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Wendy!" Natsu called out, hoping she would hear him and arrive.
"Then what are we gonna do?!"
Gray stepped forward. "Even with Wendy gone, you have another member here." Soon, they all started running up the labyrinth.
"Guess we got no choice. I don't think we have time to wait for Wendy!"
"We're counting on you, Gray!" Natsu told him.
Erza orders Happy, Cain, and Lisanna from afar to search for Wendy and Carla. Lisanna agrees as Happy and Cain wished them good luck.
All of the teams head confidently towards the Labyrinth to begin the race.
"There's the entrance to the labyrinth!"
"Nope! There's the entrance to being number one in Fiore!" Natsu spoke with confidence. "Let's go, Team Fairy Tail!"
"Yeah!"
Once they enter the Sky Labyrinth, they look around their surroundings. "So it's a three-dimensional maze in here..."
"I'm not good with stuff like this!"
"Get it together! If we're not one of the first eight teams to arrive, forget about number one in Fiore because we'll be cut!" Lucy said.
"Yeah, right? We gotta get through here an' beat those Sabertooth bastards to a pulp!" Natsu exclaimed.
"Let's get to the goal before they do!" Aira added.
"We gotta finish the elimination in first place." Gray informed.
"Basically, we should head east. The arena is in that direction." Erza stated.
"In that case, count on me! Open! Gate of the Compass! Pyxis!" Lucy summoned her Celestial Spirit for help. "Please, Pyxis! Tell us which way is east!" The compass on top of its head points to east. "That way is east!"
"Sorry, Lucy. I brought along a compass." Erza shows them her little compass.
Lucy and Pyxis sulk in the corner in disappointment. "Pyxis... Good job." He disappears in sadness.
As they head east, Natsu wonders why he is not feeling sick at all. A screen appears with Mato on it, explaining that the place is treated with Magic so that people with motion sickness or fear of heights could compete fairly.
"Maybe that means Natsu isn't the only wizard with motion sickness!" Lucy whispers to Aira.
"Y-Yeah! Totally!" Aira laughs nervously.
"Anyway, let's keep going east!" Erza ordered.
Team Fairy Tail opens a door, which leads to a long corridor looking like an optical illusion. Lucy wonders how far it goes, and Natsu races ahead to open a door, which leads to a dead end and Natsu almost falls. Gray catches him and tells him to watch where he is going. Erza thinks that it would be a good idea to map the maze as they go.
Outside...
Romeo and Nab are shocked to find out that Wendy and Carla are missing. When Romeo asks what happened to Natsu and the others, Lisanna says that Gray suddenly filled in for her, and a frustrated Romeo wishes he could've been there so that he could have joined Natsu and the others instead of Gray.
Lisanna instructs them to split up and, through Warren's telepathy, stay connected to find out if somebody finds Wendy and Carla.
Back at the Labyrinth...
Team Fairy Tail is working to make a map for themselves. Suddenly, Natsu and Erza hear a group of people arguing, and soon they find out that they belong to Team Twilight Ogre.
Their opponents see them and insult them for showing up.
Thibault says that since Magic is allowed, fighting can take place and the two teams get ready to duel.
"We got our eyes on..." Natsu lit his hand on fire.
"...overthrowing Sabertooth!" Water engulfed Aira's hand.
"That and bein' number one in Fiore!" Gray added, placing his fists together.
"You're in our way!" Natsu, Aira, and Gray easily defeat Team Twilight Ogre.
Suddenly, the Labyrinth starts rotating, which surprises everyone participating. Natsu, Lucy, and some other Mages fall down as the rotation of the Labyrinth takes place.
Outside...
Lisanna, Cain and Happy notice people falling out of the maze, and hope that Natsu and the others will be okay.
Back at the Labyrinth...
Gray catches Natsu while Aira catches Lucy. One of the defeated members of Twilight Ogre drops a piece of paper he was holding.
"What is this? A map?!" Lucy wondered.
"Looks like it..." Erza studies the map and the contents on it.
"That's a stroke of luck!" Aira said. "If we combine it with our notes, it'll be an even more accurate map!"
Erza evilly smirks to herself.
"Hey! That's..." Thibault hangs onto the ledge as he pleads for his map back.
"It's yours?" Erza questioned.
"G-Give it back!"
Erza kicks him out of the labyrinth. "I refuse."
"You are disqualified."
"I see..." Erza, Natsu, Aira, and Gray realize how the game works. "I'm starting to get an idea of how this elimination round works..."
"Everyone, your eyes are scary!" Lucy stands far away from them, disturbed by their behavior.
Outside...
Mato watches the Mages falling out of the Labyrinth and says that the competition has finally revved up to high gear and it is going to be even crazier from now on.
Back at the maze...
Team Fairy Tail fights other teams to get their own maps.
"Then there's only one thing to do!" Natsu fights the other Mages for their maps. He easily burns them away and steals them.
"Steal maps from the other teams!" Aira finished, using his water to drown the other Mages.
"This is more of a battle than a race!" Gray fights the rest of the Mages off one by one, stealing their maps.
"If it's a battle, that's right up our alley!"
"I'm taking this!" Erza punishes the other Mages and steals their maps while the Mages see this as pleasure.
"By all means!"
"Okay, this makes the sixth one!" Natsu stands on top of the defeated Mages and looks through his stolen maps.
"I have no idea how to read this map!" Aira looks at the map in his hands.
"Lucy's good at stuff like that." Gray informed.
"Then let's bring all the maps together and have Lucy decipher 'em!" Natsu exclaimed.
Erza hands her all the maps while the guys have more fun beating the other Mages. "Me?" Lucy questioned.
"If you would."
"Sure." Lucy starts to skim through the maps.
Lucy is up for the challenge and they continue fighting, until the maze starts rotating again, but this time the Fairy Tail Mages are prepared for it.
Outside...
Max meets up with Warren and Alzack, and Warren asks Max if he has found anything. Max says no, since it is pretty late and they have no clue where they should look.
In another part of the city, Lisanna asks Warren if they have found them yet.
Warren states that they have searched most of Crocus but their efforts were unsuccessful, but then Happy suddenly remembers that Wendy and Carla were supposed to go sightseeing.
Lisanna deduces that they must have gone to the palace, and so the two head to it.
Meanwhile...
Lucy lays out all of the maps and says that since the maze has rotated a lot, heading east would be a waste of time. Erza says that her compass is also confused, since the needle does not point toward any direction and is spinning instead.
Lucy says that this is the moment she was waiting for, and she summons Pyxis again. She tries to encourage it to show east as Erza apologizes to him.
"It's got a weak mind, huh?" Aira said.
"Can you blame it, goin' up against Erza?" Natsu added.
"Did you say something?!" Erza questioned, staring at them with a deadly look.
"Nope! Not a word!" The two Dragon Slayers replied, deciding to keep their mouths shut.
After she convinces it, Pyxis complies and points to the direction east. The maze spins yet again and all of them fall towards the upside down city.
As they lie around, Erza scolds them, saying that the race is still on, so they should hurry.
As they follow a path, the city turns into an ocean and they notice that the sky is cracked to reveal a wall. They realize that they are nearing the end of the path which is the goal.
Elsewhere...
Happy, Cain and Lisanna reach the palace, Mercurius.
They approach the guards, who block the exit and ask what they want at the palace so late at night. They explain that they are looking for someone who was supposed to enter the elimination round, and the guards let them in because the King is looking forward to the Grand Magic Games.
At another part of the city, Warren is shocked that the guards let them in.
At the palace gardens, Lisanna thinks that they should split up and Happy agrees. Warren, along with Max and Alzack, hurries over to the palace.
At the Labyrinth...
Mato applauds Team Fairy Tail for being able to reach the goal.
"Gray Fullbuster!"
"Erza Scarlet!"
"Airavata Mizuki!"
"Lucy Heartfilia!"
"Natsu Dragneel..."
"Congratulations! You passed the elimination round!"
"Well, of course. It went smooth as silk." Aira said.
"Are we in first place?!" Lucy questioned.
"No. Eighth." Mato replied with no enthusiasm in his tone. "You barely made it."
The group is shocked by this news. "What?!"
At the Gardens...
Lisanna, Cain and Happy are in the middle of searching until a hologram of Mato appears, informing the city that the elimination round is over and the eight teams are chosen and will be announced in the opening ceremony.
While searching, Lisanna finds Happy staring at something. She gets closer and finds out that it is Wendy's bag.
As they rush off to find them, a small creature is on a lamppost, staring at them and smirking. They then say to Warren via telepathy that they have found Wendy and Carla unconscious.
Lisanna notices that even though they look uninjured, she can't feel any Magic Power coming from them. Wendy then wakes up and Happy asks her what happened. After a few efforts, she finally gets up, although her vision is still blurry, and asks what happened to her, but Lisanna and Happy reply that they don't know.
The elimination round of the Grand Magic Games... Gray stepped up in place of Wendy. Natsu and the rest barely managed to make it through the round. And... the Grand Magic Games proper are about to begin at last.
What will become of Team Natsu's battle to dethrone Sabertooth and become Fiore's number one guild?
A/N: For those of you wondering who Arlo is, he's another Dragon Slayer in Sabertooth who idolized Aira. As for his element... That will be revealed as well!
Thanks for reading!
~ Kaleb.