A/N: Episode 166.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE: DAY 3, PANDEMONIUM

"Fairy Tail..." Rufus mumbled under his breath.

"Natsu...san?" Sting questioned.

"You came here to pick a fight with Master?" Arlo asked.

"That's suicidal!" Lector whispered.

"It's like he's asking for a death wish." Videel muttered.

"Fro thinks so, too..." Frosch agreed.

"Are you serious, kid?" Jiemma questioned.

"Anybody who doesn't think of their comrades as comrades is on my list!" Natsu declared.

"Is he talking about Yukino?" Rogue wondered.

"That's got nothin' to do with you! Who would storm in here over something like that?!" Sting thinks to himself.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I suppose you've got your reasons." Jiemma claimed.

"You don't know what I'm talkin' about?!" Natsu repeated.

"Dobengal. Deal with him." Jiemma ordered as a ninja-looking guy appeared next to him.

"Yes, sir!"

"You're avoiding me?" Natsu accused.

"A guild soldier like you needs 100 more years of experience. If you want a shot at the top, you'll have to prove yourself. Show me what you can do." Jiemma said.

Natsu charged forward. "Fight me!"

"You're not getting near the master!" Dobengal said. He reached out to kick Natsu, but he moved out of the way just in time. Dobengal easily landed on the ground.

"I, Dobengal, am not taking part in the Grand Magic Games," He disappeared and reappeared behind Natsu. "but when it comes to skill, I'm just as strong as any of the participants here. I'm gonna show you the power of Sabertooth!"

Dobengal threw red, blue, and green balls at Natsu. "A smokescreen, huh?" He questioned as Dobengal threw down rays of light, with Natsu dodging them all. Dobengal moved behind Natsu.

"You don't know who you're messing with. You should withdrawl immediately. Get out!" Dobengal ordered as Natsu dodged his attack.

"Outta my way!" Natsu shouted, punching him with a firey fist. "My beef ain't with you!"

Dobengal crashed into the wall behind Sting, shocking him. Dobengal then crashed back on the ground, defeated.

"I don't believe it..."

"Dobengal's down?!"

Frosch let out a noise of surprise. "He's one of the top ten strongest wizards in our guild!" Lector exclaimed.

"He took Dobengal out like it was nothing!" Videel added.

Sting stepped forward. "Master, let me..." He started to say as Jiemma held him back with one arm.

"Don't do a thing." Jiemma cuts him off as Natsu charged forward with a flaming fist. "Kid, there aren't any like you in my guild. Amusing."

Natsu sends a flaming punch at Jiemma, who blocks it with his arm. "Is that all... you've got?!" Jiemma challenged, sending Natsu back, who sends a punch to his stomach.

Sting, Rogue, and Arlo stared in shock as Natsu sends another punch to Jiemma's face before punching him repeatedly with his flames. Lightning soon combined with his flames.

"Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!" He called out, causing an explosion of lightning to appear outside of the inn.

Most of the dust cleared to reveal Minerva holding up two force-like shields. "Minerva!" Jiemma said.

"My lady!" Sting exclaimed.

The force-like shields soon disappeared around Minerva's hands. "Shall we end this evening's entertainment here?" She questioned.

"Huh?"

"Minerva, I didn't ask you to step in..." Jiemma told her.

"Of course, if this had continued, you would have won, Father." Minerva claimed.

"Father?" Natsu quoted.

"However, the world cares about appearances. Even though this one came here and attacked you, if the master of Sabertooth annihilated a participant in the Grand Magic Games, it would cause difficulty for all of us." Minerva said.

"I'll tell ya one thing... if anybody's gettin' wiped out, it's him!" Natsu informed.

"My father has somewhat warmed to this battle, but cannot back down in front of his subordinates. What do you think? Will you allow us to save face?" Minerva questioned as a multi-colored orb appeared and Happy appeared tied up in her arms. "If you do, I'll return this kitten to you unharmed."

"Happy!" Natsu shouted.

"I'm sorry, Natsu!" Happy cried out.

"Dammit!" Natsu cursed.

"You've incapacitated several of our people, but we're willing to overlook this incident. In exchange, I'm asking you to behave in a mature fashion." Minerva said, rubbing Happy's head.

Natsu grits his teeth before lowering his head in surrender. Minerva soon releases Happy from her grip who runs towards Natsu. "Natsu!" He cried out, running into his arms. "I'm sorry! They caught me at the entrance!"

"It's okay, Happy. It's my fault for leaving you behind." Natsu said.

Happy looks up at him. "Natsu!"

Natsu carries him in his arms. "Let's go." He said.

"Aye!" Happy agreed as Natsu began to leave.

"That kid's got grit." Jiemma commented.

"We'll settle this at the Grand Magic Games. To our hearts' content." Minerva informed, causing Natsu to stop in his tracks.

"We ain't gonna lose to the likes of you. In fact, you won't be able to keep up with us." Natsu claimed, turning around to face them. "If you call yourselves a guild, take care of your comrades. That's all I wanted to say."

Natsu continued leaving the inn as Rogue watched him go before glancing down. "Comrades... We don't have that kind of bond in our guild." He thought.

Sting was gritting his teeth. "Y-You're that strong, Natsu Dragneel?!" He thinks to himself in shock.

"Sting, Rogue, Rufus! I'm gonna compete tomorrow! I just can't let him get away with this carnage!" Arlo exclaimed.

"Certainly, this was rather one-sided carnage, but without something like this, we would've lost our spark." Minerva agreed. "Anyway, we need someone to replace Yukino. I think I'll get in on the fun."

Honey Bone...

"Huh? You fought Sabertooth?!" Lucy exclaimed in shock.

"Actually, I wanted to mix it up with 'em even more... Too bad it ended right as I was gettin' fired up." Natsu said.

Happy had tears streaming down his face. "I'm sorry, Natsu! It's my fault, for getting caught!"

"What are you talking about?! We're lucky it ended the way it did!" Carla said.

"That's right! If one of their team members had been injured, we might've been disqualified!" Wendy added.

Natsu stood up. "Come to think of it, that Minerva chick was sayin' something like that."

"You are incredibly stupid!" Aira pointed his index finger at him angrily. "Use your head a little!"

"Exactly!" Lucy agreed. "Pour it on, Aira! Read him the riot act!"

Aira grabbed onto Natsu's shirt. "If you were gonna take the fight to them, you should've invited me! It's not fair, you getting to have all the fun!" He claimed.

"You're missing the point!" Lucy scolded.

"Anyway, I'm not lettin' those jerks off the hook. A comrade's someone who's got your back and you got theirs..." Natsu said.

"Being strict is one thing, but humiliating a girl and kicking her out, that's as low as you can go!" Carla stated.

"Indeed. It is inhumane." Cain agreed.

"That Yukino girl, even after being abused like that, she came to see me..." Lucy said.

"I wonder where she is now..." Wendy added. "I'm worried."

"She did say she has nowhere to go..." Happy informed.

Natsu then recalled Yukino crying as his fist was engulfed in flames. "Dammit! I'm still seething! I think I'll go back there an' fight some more!" He exclaimed.

"Alright! Count me in!" Aira agreed.

"You can't do that!" Lucy argued.

"Can't you just settle it at the tournament?!" Wendy suggested.

"Although now that you've riled up Sabertooth, from tomorrow on, they'll probably go even harder on us in the matches!" Carla claimed.

Erza stepped onto the balcony. "It doesn't matter which guild they're in, all wizards have their own feelings." She thinks to herself, recalling Millianna's dark look. A pillow suddenly hits the back of her head, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Aira catches a pillow in his hand. "Move it!" He said.

"Let us go!" Natsu exclaimed.

Lucy and Wendy were blocking the door, keeping the two Dragon Slayers from leaving. "Stop it, I said!" Lucy shouted, throwing another pillow at them.

Erza steps back into the room. "Listen, you two..." Her sentence was cut off as the pillow hit her face, causing them to stop and look at her.

"Would you cut it out?!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Hey, did you hear?"

"About last night, right?!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Apparently, somebody attacked Sabertooth's inn!"

"What kind of fool would pick a fight with Saber?!"

The two townspeople laughed as Yukino walked by them, suitcase in hand.

"Beats me!"

"Well, brawls happen outside of the arena every year, right?"

"This is a festival, so they should take it public!"

Yukino looked up at Domus Flau. "Natsu-sama...?" She wondered, thinking back to Natsu's words the previous night.

"A guild that makes its family members cry ain't no guild at all!"

"Don't tell me he did it for..."

Domus Flau...

Chapati had on a different colored wig. "We're at the halfway point in the Grand Magic Games. The beginning of the third day!" He announced.

"I wonder what kind of passionate dramas we'll see today?" Yajima said.

"Our guest today is Lahar-san, from the Magic Council." Chapati said.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" Yajima questioned.

"Thank you for this opportunity." Lahar replied.

"Lahar-san, you're the Captain of the Enforcement and Detention Corps..." Chapati trailed off.

"Yes." Lahar nodded. "I won't stand for any shenanigans during the tournament."

This caused the audience to laugh. "That's the captain for you. He never forgets his duties." Chapati teased.

Doranbolt was walking towards the stadium. "Damn you, Lahar... Why'd you make me come here?" He complained to himself.

"A guest of the Grand Magic Games?!" Doranbolt said. "You?!"

"I have no reason to decline. Come with me, Doranbolt." Lahar offered.

"No, I..." Doranbolt was about to decline.

"You want to see Fairy Tail alive and well, don't you? Don't you wonder about them?" Lahar questioned.

"How could I not? Still, the way I am now..." Doranbolt trailed off.

"Are you still hung up on what happened seven years ago? About what you perceive of as abandoning Fairy Tail?" Lahar asked. "They're looking forward. The only one who's dragged down by the past is you."

Doranbolt got pulled out of the memory as he spotted Wendy and Romeo running with Happy and Carla right behind them.

"Oh, no! The match is starting!" Wendy exclaimed.

"It's your fault! You just had to get a fish-kebab from that food stand!" Carla scolded Happy.

"It smelled so good, I couldn't help myself!" Happy claimed.

"Whatever, let's just hurry!" Romeo exclaimed.

"I'm going to announce the competition for this, the third day of the Games! The name of the event... is Pandemonium!" Chapati announced.

"What does 'pandemonium' mean?" Romeo questioned.

"It's an abode of demons. Like a building where lots of demons lurk..." Carla explained.

"I wonder if they're doing a haunted house..." Makarov wondered as Asuka was on his shoulders. "They're walking down a dark path and suddenly... something like this jumps out!"

This freaks out Romeo, Happy, and Carla. "I don't think I like 'pandemonium'..." Happy claimed.

Mavis had tears falling out of her eyes. "I-I'm scared, too!" She said, shocking Romeo, Happy, and Carla.

"Even though you're a ghost yourself?!" Romeo exclaimed.

"There will be one participant from each guild. Please choose your representative!" Chapati announced.

"I'll do it! I gotta continue what I started last night!" Natsu declared.

"You don't get to decide all by yourself!" Aira exclaimed.

"If it's a revenge match, I wanna do it, too!" Lucy claimed.

"No. I'll go." Erza said with her arms crossed. "You going out there may only make things more complicated."

"I agree! Good luck, Erza!" Lucy cheered.

"Fight!" Wendy encouraged.

"Let me do it!" Natsu exclaimed with his fist raised.

"Would you calm down?!" Aira told him.

"I'll participate for B Team." Cana offered.

"Wait a second! It's about time that I get to do something!" Gajeel complained.

"Cana, how could you go, when you're a reserve member?" Satsuki questioned.

"What happened to Mystogan?" Laxus asked.

"Juvia hasn't seen him yet today..." Juvia responded.

Cana leans forward towards Satsuki. "With the guest commentator being a member of the Council, I should be able to participate, right?" She whispered.

"That's true." Satsuki agreed.

"If Er-chan is gonna do this, let me go too, Kagura-chan!" Millianna said.

"I'll allow it." Kagura replied.

"I'm not gonna lose, Er-chan!" Millianna declared, rushing by Erza.

"Right!" Erza said.

"I hate Jellal, too... He used us... and murdered Simon. I'll never forgive him... I'll never forgive him!"

Erza thought back to Millianna's words before she slapped her cheeks. "I have to focus!" She told herself.

"From Mermaid Heel, it looks like Millianna is taking the field!" Chapati announced as Millianna appeared on the Lacrima screen.

"That girl!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Millianna..." Natsu trailed off.

"She's the one who was wearing the hood. I didn't know she was in a guild." Aira commented.

"Don't cause trouble in front of the Council, Orba." Alexei said in which Orba nodded.

"I'll be the rep for Pegasus." Hibiki stated as the girls cheered.

Arlo clenched his fist. "Like I said last night, I'm participating in this one. I'll use my sand to blow them all away." He said.

"Even though we don't know what kind of competition it's going to be?" Minerva asked as Rufus chuckled.

"Do what you want. If Natsu Dragneel isn't gonna be in it, I don't care what happens." Sting thought.

"Jura-san is going to do it?" Sherria questioned.

"On Obaba's orders, so we can't do anything about it." Lyon responded.

"My sock..." Toby cried out.

"Just buy a new one!" Yuka told him.

"Count on me." Jura nodded.

"All of the participants have been selected!" Chapati announced as the competitors began showing up on the screens.

"From Sabertooth, Arlo! From Lamia Scale, Jura! From Blue Pegasus, Hibiki! From Raven Tail, Obra! From Mermaid Heel, Millianna! From Quatro Puppy, Novali! From Fairy Tail A, Erza! From Fairy Tail B, Cana! These are our eight competitors!"

A dark purple Magic Circle appeared in the sky and a large castle appeared. "What is that?" Erza wondered.

"Wow..." Millianna mumbled.

"Begin analysis." Hibiki started using his Archive as the castle suddenly landed.

"Pandemonium, a temple haunted by evil monsters!" Mato said.

"It's huge!" Cana exclaimed.

"Haunted by monsters, he says?" Jura repeated.

"That's the idea-kabo. There are 100 monsters inside this temple. That being said, they're actually magical manifestations that we created, so everyone can relax. There's no danger of you being attacked. The monsters are D, C, B, A, S! Those are the five levels of battle power the monsters are divided into. This is how it breaks down. Incidentally... if you're curious about just how strong the D-class monsters are..." Mato began.

The Lacrima screen showed up as a monster roared, freaking out the audience. "Ones like these and ones even stronger, 100 of them wandering around the temple... That's Pandemonium-kabo!" Mato said.

"Even though he says they're just magical manifestations, if you get attacked by them, you're hurt for real, right?" Happy asked.

"Will Erza and Cana be okay?" Carla wondered.

"I'd like to think that those two will be alright, but..." Romeo trailed off with uncertainty laced in his voice.

"This is a really extravagant competition, don't you think?" Mavis questioned.

"Though it feels like they may be going a little too far..." Makarov responded.

"Please note that as the class of monsters goes up, their fighting strength increases exponentially. The S-class monster is so strong, that there's no guarantee even one of the 10 Great Wizard Saints can defeat it-kabo." Mato informed, making Jura gulp. "In order, each of you will choose the number of monsters to battle. It's called your 'right to challenge'."

"Right to challenge?" Erza repeated.

"For example, if you choose three monsters, three of them will appear inside the temple. The person who choses them enters the temple alone. If the player successfully destroys them, he or she gets three points. The next player then has the right to challenge up to 97 of the remaining monsters. And so on and so on, until there are zero monsters left!" Mato explained. "Alternatively, if everyone runs out of magic power, the game is over at that point."

"It's like a counting game." Millianna commented.

"That's right! Assessing the situation when your turn comes around becomes important! However, as I mentioned before, the monsters are ranked. Whether the player uses their right to challenge one or five, the monsters appear randomly." Mato stated.

"In other words, you need a strategy to avoid running into the S-class monster, right?" Hibiki asked.

"If it's random, having a strategy like that won't do you any good." Arlo informed.

"Not true. Between probability theory and my Archive, strategy will work to some extent." Hibiki stated.

"Irrespective of the monster's ranks, you'll get one point for each monster you destroy. Once you enter the temple, you can't exit until you've succeeded." Mato said.

"What happens if we go down while inside the temple?" Cana questioned.

"The number of point you've earned during your turn stays as is, but the number of destroys you've had that turn goes to zero, and you're out." Mato answered.

"Then it's bad if you get too greedy." Makarov stated.

"But if you only go with one monster per turn, you'll fall behind the others." Cain pointed out.

"And you also have to consider how much magic you'll recover before it's your next turn." Boris added.

"This is surprisingly difficult, huh?" Romeo commented.

"Well, let's see what happens..." Mavis said. "...with the two from our guild."

"Alright, let's decide on the order. Please draw your lots." Mato said as Erza drew her stick, showing the number one.

"Number one!" Erza exclaimed, looking at her stick.

"You're lucky! It'll go back around to being your turn the most." Cana pointed out, holding up her own stick. "I got number eight..."

"With this competition, I thought winning or losing all depended on the luck of the draw..." Erza said.

"Luck of the draw? I don't know about that... More than the order of the battle, pacing yourself and situational judgement are important in this game." Mato stated.

"No." Erza denied. "This isn't a game anymore."

"Huh?"

Erza walked forward towards the castle. "All 100 will be my opponents!" She declared. "I exercise my right to challenge... 100!"

Everyone looked in shock while Natsu and Aira just laughed.

A/N: A much longer chapter for you all this time.

Thanks for reading!

~ Kaleb.