A/N: A small note to the Guests who review this story and review back to the beginning of the book - I wrote the original version of this book in 2018-ish and I revamped it in 2019. Most of the things in the beginning won't make sense because I was 15 in 2018 and 16 in 2019 where my writing style was bad. I'm 22 years old now and I've gotten better at writing since then (or so I like to think).

Just a small thing to keep in mind before you review this story.

Episode 161.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR: DAY 2, CHARIOT

Bar Sun...

"Pathetic! Fairy Tail used to be on top! What the hell happened?! Every last one of them..." Cana muttered.

"Big words from somebody who was too busy pubhopping to cheer her teammates on." Elfman stated.

"I was watching you! Even all the pubs have Lacrima Vision." Cana defended.

"Well, let's raise a mug to our crushing defeat!" Makarov said.

"Oh, Master!" Levy said.

"What a disaster of a day..." Erza commented.

"I know... We'd all better get our act together from tomorrow." Satsuki agreed.

"I'm up tomorrow! And I'll turn things around for us, you'll see!" Natsu claimed.

"Do it to it, Natsu!" Happy cheered.

This grabs Gajeel's attention. "If the Salamander's gonna be in the game, maybe I'll join in, too..." He said.

"I'd say it's high time you showed 'em the results of your training." Lily stated.

"Huh? Lu-chan and Gray aren't here?" Levy realized.

"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen 'em..." Jet said.

"I'm not surprised, the way they lost..." Macao said.

"They probably don't wanna be seen right now." Wakaba added.

Romeo stood up. "I don't know about that. Both of them were cool in my eyes." He stated.

"Gray-sama..." Juvia thinks to herself as her imagination went wild. "What'll I do if that happens?!"

"It's not happening..." Gray commented.

"As always, you've got a fertile imagination." Lucy added. "And this time, it was long!"

"Lu-chan, are you okay?" Levy asked.

"I'm totally fine. In fact, this has pumped me up even more!" Lucy responded, giving Levy a thumbs up.

Gray walks up to Lisanna. "Where are Wendy and Carla?" He questioned.

"Looks like they're still under the weather... Porlyusica-san is with them." Lisanna replied.

Makarov soon hopped up onto the table. "Alright! We're all here, yeah?" He raised his mug of booze in the air. "Listen up, brats! Today's defeat is the seed for tomorrow's victory! Let's rise up! 'Cause we don't know the meaning of the words 'give up'! Aim for number one in Fiore!"

"Yeah!"

"Is that really the guild that was shut out today?"

"You tell me..." The bartender replied.

"Who's next?! Come on, let's cheer up with a little throwdown!" Natsu declared as Max was on the ground.

"Yeah, Natsu!" Macao cheered.

"You're a wimp, Max!" Wakaba insulted.

"How'd he get this strong in just three months?!" Warren asked.

"Where does that leave us?"

"Looks like fun. I'll take you up on that." Gajeel said.

Laxus turned to look at him. "Don't. Once you and Natsu get started, it's not gonna be a game." He reminded.

Gajeel begins patting Laxus's hair. "Hey, your head's really gotten rounder, Laxus!"

"Stop it, Gajeel!" Levy told him, grabbing him by his waist.

Freed stood up. "B-Bastard! How dare you do that to Laxus?! Right now, our pride is being trampled! Laxus's Raijinshuu, assemble!" He shouted as he saw Evergreen and Bickslow on the ground.

"I can't..." Evergreen muttered.

Cana laughed. "Pathetic..." She claimed as someone walked up to her.

"You're a strong drinker, huh, doll?"

"Huh?"

The man places a glass down on the table. "Why don't we see who's stronger?" He suggested.

Cana stood up. "I don't know who you are, but you're challenging me to a drinking match?" She asked.

"Hey! I don't know who you are, but don't do it!" Macao warned.

"Don't let her looks fool you, that woman's a monster!" Wakaba added.

Some time later, Cana was passed out on the ground.

"I don't believe it!"

"Is this for real?!" Jet exclaimed.

"Someone drank Cana under the table?!" Laki questioned in disbelief.

"This is the first time I've seen Cana flat on the floor like that!" Warren claimed.

The man soon removed Cana's top. "I'm takin' this as a trophy." He said.

"What the hell are you doin'?!" Macao asked.

"Gildarts will murder you!" Wakaba said.

"Give it back!"

"You mess with our guild..."

The man soon knocked down both Macao and Wakaba. "What is that guy?!" Warren asked.

"Dad!" Romeo shouted out.

"Bacchus?" Erza questioned.

Bacchus leaped back up from the ground. "Yo! If it ain't Erza!" He hiccuped.

"You reek." Erza said.

"You're a fine babe as always."

"It's been a long time."

"You know him?!" Lucy asked, walking up to the two.

"I hear you were gone for seven years?" Bacchus questioned.

"True enough..." Erza replied. "It seems you're not participating in the Grand Magic Games..."

Bacchus laughed. "Well, I thought I'd leave it to the young'uns this time, but after watching War Cry's pitiful match, my man's soul couldn't stay silent! So under the reserve member provision, I joined the team." He said. "My soul is trembling with excitement."

"If we get to clash tomorrow or after, I'd like to settle things from that one time. My soul is always... Wild..."

"...Four..." Erza finished with no emotion.

"I was hopin' for a little more than that, Erza!" Bacchus said as he laughed and left Bar Sun.

"What's his deal?!" Lucy wondered.

"He's an S-Class wizard from Quatro Cerberus. We used to run into each other a lot while out on jobs. I know his strength very well. The Drunk Falcon... Drunken Bursting Palm Bacchus. We've fought several times, but never to a decisive conclusion." Erza explained.

"He's as strong as you, Erza?!" Lucy questioned.

"What, that was a long time ago!" Natsu argued as him and Aira clashed heads. "There's no way he could beat Erza now!"

"You don't even know that Erza's gonna fight!" Aira claimed.

"I could take him on, too..."

In the infirmary, Porlyusica sat across from Carla. "What did you see?" She asked.

"Like always, it was just fragments, but I saw..." Carla touched her head with her paw. "A white knight... A giant magic circle..."

"Anything else?" Porlyusica questioned.

"A sight that I couldn't believe..." Carla answered.

"What was it?"

"Mercurius collapsing... while someone was singing inside... It was Lucy..."

The Next Day...

"And now, what you've all been waiting for, the second day of the Grand Magic Games has begun!" Chapati announced. "Our guest on this second day is reowned reporter for the Weekly Sorcerer, Jason-san!"

"Cool!" Jason exclaimed.

"Okay, the competition part has already begun! And its name is... Chariot!" Chapati continued. "The competition takes place on top of a line of vehicles, with the idea being able to reach the goal without falling off! As the vehicles are always moving, just one moment of carelessness could lead to a misstep! The vehicles will wend their way around the sightseeing spots of Crocus, but which team will arrive here at Domus Flau?! Everyone in the stadium, you can watch the race here on Lacrima Vision!"

"Cool!"

"At any rate, Yajima-san, who could have predicted this turn of events?!" Chapati said.

"Why did Natsu sign up for this?!" Aira exclaimed.

"You'd think he would've been able to tell what kind of event it was from the name, 'Chariot'!" Lucy said.

"Once he made up his mind to do it, he doesn't listen." Erza claimed.

"He probably thought he'd be fighting the chariots themselves..." Gray added.

"Still, I'm glad it's not me out there. My secret is still safe." Aira thought, mentally sighing in relief.

"Oh, my! Way in the rear is a groggy-looking Natsu from Fairy Tail A!" Chapati announced as Natsu was trying not to throw up.

"This isn't gonna work..." Jet muttered.

"And that's not all! Right in front of him is Gajeel from Fairy Tail B and even Sting from Sabertooth, all moving like molasses!"

"W-What's wrong with me?!" Gajeel questioned.

"What's going on here, Yajima-san?" Chapati asked.

"I suppose the three of them have something in common." Yajima answered.

"Motion sickness... That's the Salamander's thing..." Gajeel said.

"What's going on?! Why is Gajeel like that?!" Lily asked.

"Don't swipe Natsu's character!" Happy exclaimed.

"And a member of Saber, too..." Levy added as Sting was trying not to puke.

"This doesn't look good... I never thought the invincible Sting-kun's one weakness would be revealed..." Lector said with his arms crossed.

"Fro thinks so, too!" Frosch agreed.

"Alright! Let's check in with the leaders of the pack! It's a fierce dead heat at the front! In the lead is Blacksnake of Raven Tail! Ichiya of Blue Pegasus is on his heels, followed by Yuka of Lamia Scale and Risley from Mermaid Heel!" Chapati announced.

"Men!" Ichiya commented.

"I'm surprised you can keep up with that body type!" Yuka said to Risley.

"Never underestimate a chubby girl!" Risley claimed.

"Some distance between them is Bacchus from the reserve squad of Quatro Cerberus!" Chapati said.

"I'm pooped... Haven't thrown off the effects of last night's booze yet..." Bacchus stated.

"Wave Boost!" Yuka uses his wave boost to go faster. "You can't use magic while you're in my shockwave!"

"Never underestimate a chubby girl!" Risley repeated, moving to the side of the chariot.

"There it is! Risley's gravity-altering! She avoided the surge by running to the side of the vehicle!" Chapati exclaimed.

"A magic-negating wave... In that case..." Ichiya puts perfume bottles in his nose. "Fleet-footed parfum! Zero distance inhalation!"

Ichiya speeds past Yuka.

"Everybody's trying their best... My soul is quivering... Maybe I'll try a little harder, too!" Bacchus stomps on the chariot with his foot, causing Ichiya, Yuka, and Risley to fly in the air.

"W-What's this?! Bacchus used his power to destroy the vehicles!" Chapati announced.

"He's more powerful than he was seven years ago..." Erza claimed.

"What's with this guy?!" Gray wondered.

Bacchus rushed past Ichiya, Yuka, and Risley. "See you later! If you fall, you're out!" He called out.

"What is that?!" Ichiya asked.

"That's playing dirty..." Yuka muttered.

"He's underestimating a chubby girl..." Risley said as she appeared to be skinnier.

"You're not chubby!" Chapati exclaimed.

"Gravity altering is cool!" Jason shouted.

Bacchus eventually sped past Blacksnake and got first place.

"And just like that, he crossed the goal line first!" Chapati announced.

"It's quivering!" Bacchus exclaimed.

"Quatro Cerberus wins 10 points!" Chapati said.

"Cerberus had a man like this...?!" Makarov questioned in shock.

Goldmine holds up a peace sign. "Wild..."

"...Four!"

"In second place, Blacksnake of Raven Tail! In third, Risley! In fourth, Yuka! In fifth, Ichiya!" Chapati continued.

"All that's left is these three, battling it out at the bottom ranks!" Chapati finished as the screen showed the three Dragon Slayers.

Natsu tries not to hurl and Gajeel covers his mouth. "I-I don't believe this... I never had a problem with transportation before..." Gajeel muttered.

"Well... I've finally gotten used to it." Sting stated as Gajeel looked at him in confusion.

"Congratulations to the..." Sting paused as he almost hurled. "...real Dragon Slayer... Newbie..."

"Why, you...!" Gajeel exclaimed as the Dragon Slayers rammed into each other. "Can't muster any power..."

The audience starts laughing. "Natsu!" Jet shouted.

"Gajeel!" Droy added.

"Is this what he meant by making it fun? How totally lame." Arlo commented.

"He's not trying to be funny, right, Rogue?" Rufus questioned.

"Dragon Slayers get motion sick on vehicles... it seems..." Rogue replied. "I thought it was just Sting, Arlo, and I..."

"Maybe Laxus, too...?" Satsuki wondered, looking at the blonde as she leaned on the ledge of the balcony.

"Don't tell anybody." Laxus admitted.

"I think it's obvious by this point." Juvia commented.

Natsu tried to go forward. "Move... forward!" He exclaimed as him and Gajeel tried to push forward. Sting stayed behind the two.

"Lame... You're totally serious even though you can't draw on any power..." He commented as the two continued going forward.

"Go ahead. I'll give this match to you. After this one, we're gonna keep winning anyway. We're not gonna miss one or two points." Sting informed.

"Don't cry about that one point later, kid!" Gajeel claimed as him and Natsu continued onwards.

"Would you answer me one thing?" Natsu and Gajeel looked back at Sting. "Why did you decide to participate in the tournament? I wouldn't believe you were the same Fairy Tail from back in the day. Are you worried about the strength of your guild? About your public image? The Fairy Tail that I know were more like... They did everything at their own pace... They didn't give a damn about what people thought of them."

"For... their friends..." Natsu replied, making Sting get taken aback. "Seven years... All that time... they were waitin' for us... No matter how painful it was... No matter how sad... Even if people made fun of 'em... they held on... They held on... They protected the guild... for their friends... And now we're gonna show everyone... the proof that Fairy Tail's been walking on all this time! So keep on goin'!"

"Natsu..." The Fairy Tail members had tears coming out of their eyes as Natsu kept on going until he crossed the finish line.

"Goal! Natsu of Fairy Tail A, 2 points for being in sixth place!" Chapati announced.

"I got our first points!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Gajeel of Fairy Tail B, 1 point for seventh place!" Chapati continued as Gajeel collapsed on the ground beside Natsu.

"They're tenacious, I'll give 'em that!"

"Yeah. Wow..."

"Who are those guys?"

"Fairy Tail, huh? I kinda liked that..."

"I'm a little touched..."

"I think I might cheer them on..."

The audience started to clap.

"Good going, Fairy Tail!"

"I'm gonna be rooting for you guys from now on!"

From the Fairy Tail stands, everyone was getting emotional and crying. "And Sabertooth's Sting gets 0 points for dropping out!" Chapati said.

Sting had a scowl on his face. "For their friends? What nonsense..." He muttered to himself.

"Alright, now Raven Tail is in first place!" Chapati announced.

"Cool!" Jason exclaimed.

"Sabertooth has dropped to second place!" Chapati informed.

"Sabertooth is in second?!" Lector questioned.

"I think it's Sting's fault..." Frosch replied.

Natsu was laying in bed as he groaned. "Is Natsu okay?" Lucy asked.

"There's nothing to worry about with him. He just has motion sickness." Porlyusica replied.

"What about Wendy?"

"She's recovered a lot."

Carla was staring at Lucy. "Are you back to normal, Carla?" Lucy questioned.

"Yes..." Carla responded.

"Well, thank goodness for that!" Lucy heads towards the door. "Everyone's waiting, so I'll be going."

Porlyusica turned to look at Carla. "You don't intend to say anything?" She questioned.

"What good would telling her about that future do? There's no way she would believe me." Carla answered.

"When you don't believe it yourself, certainly other people wouldn't believe it."

"That's right! I don't believe that stuff! It was just a dream!" Carla claimed. "It was a dream... Not a premonition!"

"Okay, now onto the much-anticipated battle part! In the first match is Blacksnake of Raven Tail, a new guild that's currently the front runner, versus Lamia Scale's Toby Horhorta!" Chapati said as Toby howled.

"It's a confrontation between snake and dog! Which will win?!"

"I hope we see a fair fight." Yajima commented.

"Toby is way dog! Cool!" Jason exclaimed.

"Has the match started?!" Lucy asked, rushing up to her teammates.

"It's just about to." Aira replied.

"Looks like Lyon and that dog-like guy are gonna be in it." Gray informed.

"His opponent is from Raven." Erza added.

"Raven?" Lucy quoted, glancing at Raven Tail's balcony to see Flare covered in bruises.

"B-Blondie..."

Lucy gasped. "She's covered in bruises!" She noticed.

"Flare... Don't ever disgrace us like that again. Who do you think you owe your victory to?"

Flare pointed over towards Fairy Tail A's balcony. "But Blondie was glaring at me..."

The golden-armored male grabbed onto her face. "Would you like to be struck again?" He threatened.

"I-I'm sorry. Please forgive me..." Flare apologized as Lucy looked down in worry.

At the sound of the gong, the match soon started. "Super Paralysis Claw Mega Mega Jellyfish!" Toby tried to swipe at Blacksnake but he dodges. Blacksnake soon disappears.

"He disappeared!" Toby exclaimed.

"Fool! It's Mimic Magic!" Jura warned.

Blacksnake then attacks Toby. "Sand Rebellion!" Toby goes flying as sand attacks him. Then, Blacksnake appears again.

"That's my magic!" Max exclaimed.

"So he can mimic the properties of anyone's magic!" Laki stated.

"Mimic... That's unusual magic." Mavis commented.

"Do your best, dog-like person!" Romeo cheered.

"Bust up Ivan's guild... dog-like person!" Makarov encouraged.

Toby howled. "You're strong." He said.

"You're tough, too." Blacksnake stated.

"Blacksnake's a cool name!" Toby said.

"It's not my real name..." Blacksnake told him.

"It's not your real name?!" Toby exclaimed in anger.

"That ticks you off?" Blacksnake questioned.

"You! If I win, you're tellin' me your real name!" Toby informed as he tried to attack Blacksnake with his claws, but Blacksnake dodged.

"That's fine, but what if I win?" Blacksnake asked.

"I'll tell you a secret about myself!" Toby replied.

"That sounds interesting." Blacksnake said.

"Apparently, they've made a weird bet." Chapati commented.

"I'm not interested in learning either one, though..." Yajima said.

"Cool!" Jason exclaimed.

"A bet? I like the sound of that..." Bacchus said to himself.

Toby keeps trying to attack Blacksnake, but Blacksnake keeps dodging his attacks. "Why, you! C'mere! Fangface!" Toby insulted.

A/N: Another chapter is done!

Thanks for reading!

~ Kaleb.