Hi everyone, thanks again for your patience. Here we now kick off the Grand Magic Games arc and boy howdy, this is gonna be a long ass arc! Seriously, the anime had over 50 episodes dedicated to it! I'll try to combine some of them and shorten it, but I'll also be adding new elements to the story to fit with the DMC side of things, so it may be just as long as the anime. We'll see as we write.
I got comments from some of you about my choice to put Natsu in a threesome with Lisanna and Lucy, and we didn't appear to see much of that in the previous arc. I would have thought the fight against Sanctus would be a major one. But, the main focus of that arc was on the familial bond between Dante and Lucy. Now that it has been established, I will focus a bit on Natsu and Lucy here. I hope that clears things up.
With that being said, let's get started.
The Grand Magic Games
Lady and Trish spared outside the guildhall as the later clashed the Devil Sword Sparda with the former's arm-blade before throwing outward to knock Trish back, who shot a bolt of lightning from her hand, which Lady met with rapid-fire bullets from her pistols. Both attacks met, creating a small explosion in-between them. The smoke cleared as both combatants smirked at one another.
"Glad to see you guys are having fun." They heard Lucy's voice as they saw the blonde arrive on the scene with Lisanna, Wendy, and Carla, and Kyrie right behind them.
However, Kyrie's attire was completely different than they last saw her. She wore a long-sleeved beige sweater, a white skirt that stretched just below her knees, covering dark leggings and beige-colored heels. Her hair was also all out, as she continued wear the Seraph-necklace Nero had given.
"And I see your mission was also a success." Trish noted, looking at Kyrie's new attire.
"When we heard nearly all of Kyrie's old clothes were something fancy from the Order of the Sword, we decided to take her out for something more casual." Lisanna explained.
"I really appreciate you doing this." Kyrie said, shifting somewhat nervously. "I never really wore clothes like these before."
"The fact that the Order only provided you with regal-like clothing does seem to fit in with initial status as a cult." Carla commented.
"But you look really pretty, Kyrie." Wendy smiled to her.
"No joke, even in casual stuff, you rock it." Lucy smirked. "Nero's lucky to have a girl like you."
Kyrie's cheeks turned pink but maintained her smile. "Well, thanks again. This means a lot."
"It would seem you've integrated yourself into Fairy Tail quite well. I'm happy for you." Erza had arrived as well, carrying a cart of boxes behind her.
"What's in the boxes, Erza?" Lisanna asked.
"Fifty strawberry cakes." The redhead answered.
"Fifty?!" Kyrie and Wendy both exclaimed in surprise.
"I was pleasantly surprised to see the local bakery was still in business these past seven years." Erza said. "I always buy a cake for each new member we recruit, sort of my own personal tradition."
"Wait… but isn't just Nero and I?" Kyrie asked in confusion. "I don't remember fourty eight other people joining the guild."
"Two are for you and Nero, the rest are for me." Erza answered simply, causing Kyrie's eyes to comically bulge out and her jaw to drop.
"How the hell can she eat almost fifty cakes and still be rocking a body like that?" Lady whispered to Trish.
"Guess she burns out more calories than we think." Trish assumed.
"Her appetite is worse than a certain firebreather we know." Lady said, right as a fireball was blasted out of the roof of the guildhall behind them. "Speaking of which…"
As per usual, the guildhall was in a ruckus as nearly all the guys inside were in a brawl. Dante, Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, Elfman, and Bickslow were among those going at it while the rest of the guild just hung back as this was normal for them. Even Nero was in the brawl as a cartoonish dust cloud had formed with multiple heads, fists, and feet popping up and down.
"Oh boy, here we go again." Lucy rubbed one hand down her face in mental exhaustion.
"They're fighting each other?!" Kyrie questioned in shock.
"Yep, but this is normal for them." Trish said.
"What happened this time?" Carla asked Happy, who happened to be standing next to her.
"Natsu got all up in Gray's face about how he took down Sanctus, Gray said he could have beaten him, and one thing led to another." Happy explained. "Next thing we know, the whole guild is at it."
"Even Nero got swept up in it." Lisanna observed smiling slightly. "He's already fitting in quite well."
"Shouldn't we do something, though?" Kyrie asked nervously.
"I wouldn't worry." Wendy assured. "They may fight, but I'm fairly certain they would never seriously hurt each other."
"Yep, just the knuckleheads go at it." Lady added.
"But maybe it is time for a break." Erza walked toward them in a friendly fashion. "Now, now, boys, that's quite enough. Nero, I've picked out a special treat just for you…" She put a hand on his shoulder. However, he was still caught up in all the action…
"Oh, you want some too, huh?" Nero immediately slugged Erza across the face.
The second that happened, everything in the guildhall came to a halt, including the scuffle. Lucy, Lisanna, Wendy, Happy, and Carla comically screamed as even Trish and Lady winced.
"Oh boy…" Dante backed up along with everyone else.
"He's so dead…" Natsu winced.
"Nice knowing you, Nero…" Gray muttered.
"What?" Nero questioned, but he glanced at Erza and gasped upon seeing a look of pure rage on her face. Her red hair wavering, her pupils shrunk and burning with anger as she glared at the young man.
"New or not, you need to be taught a lesson in restraint, Nero!"
He couldn't quite explain it. But looking at Erza like this filled Nero with a comic terror that he never felt before. He was already sweating bullets as her shadow loomed over him.
"Um… sorry…?"
*SMASH!*
Nero's entire upper half had been smashed into the ground, his legs twitching as smoke came out as Erza walked away with a huff.
"Nero!" Kyrie exclaimed in comic panic.
"Kyrie, take this to heart." Lucy told her. "Never make Erza mad."
"Aye, it may be the last thing you do." Happy added.
Back outside, Nero sat on a log with Kyrie next to him as he held an ice-pack over his head. "Could have warned me they had a gorilla in their guild." Nero muttered
"You did punch her in the face, Nero." Kyrie told him.
"Hey, everyone was punching each other." Nero replied. "I just… went with the flow."
"Not with Erza, man." Gray said, shaking his head. "You don't ever hit Erza unless you got a death wish."
"Yeah, well I'll kick her butt one day!" Natsu declared.
"I seriously doubt that, man." Dante said, standing next to him.
"I took down Sanctus for crying out load!" Natsu exclaimed. "If I can handle that creep, I can sure as hell take down Erza!"
"We took him down, remember?!" Nero reminded. "I was there, too!"
"What do you know?" Max walked up with Warren, Nab, and Vijeeter right behind him. "It's been seven whole years, and Natsu hasn't changed one bit. Still a brat."
"What are you, surprised? He's been that way practically his entire life." Happy said.
"Yeah, still a punch-happy idiot." Lady commented.
"Are you trying to say you've changed?" Natsu questioned Max irritably. "I mean, obviously besides getting older and stuff."
"Yeah. I've gotten older on the outside, but I still feel pretty young on the inside." Max said.
"So, what you're trying to tell us, is that you're basically an immature old fart?" Gray cracked.
"I don't see you being that much stronger, man." Dante added in a joking sense as well. "I heard you got your ass handed to you by that fake Dragon Slayer from the Neo Oracion Seis."
"If you want me to show you my new skills, you're on!" Max declared, already set for a fight, which Natsu was eager to accept.
"Ha! Bring it, you dusty old geezer! Let's throw down right here!" The Salamander was already pumped.
"Thought you'd never ask!" Max accepted.
"Hey, wait! You two are going to fight right now?!" Lucy questioned.
"Ah let em go at it, Lucy." Trish brushed off.
"Yeah, you should know it's practically impossible to stop Natsu when he wants a fight." Lisanna added.
"Well, this should be fun." Dante stepped back and crossed his arms with anticipation. "Let's see a show."
"Yeah! Now I got a fire in my belly!" Natsu grinned before charging at Max with flaming fists, throwing a slug toward Max, which he ducked to avoid before kicking Natsu in the side and followed through with a blast of sand magic to push him back.
To say Natsu was surprised was an understatement. "What? Are you kidding me?"
"Did you seriously think that we just sat around and did nothing the whole-time you guys were gone?" Max asked rhetorically. "We've all been working on our fighting chops."
"I don't believe it…!" Wendy looked in surprise, along with Lucy and Lisanna.
"Natsu is getting schooled by Max?" The blonde questioned.
"I know it's been seven years but still…" Lisanna muttered.
"Huh, this might actually be interesting." Dante kept watching.
"It's actually kinda fun to see flame-for-brain get knocked down a peg." Lady commented with a smirk.
"Well, it ain't over yet, pal!" Natsu leapt at Max again, throwing a series of punches and kicks, which Max seemed to avoid with ease.
"Sand Rebellion!" Max threw out his hand to blast Natsu with a large column of sand, engulfing him completely.
Nero couldn't help but look in surprise as Kyrie sat with him. 'I saw what Natsu could do with my own eyes. I get he might be holding back cause it's sparing and not a real fight but… I kinda expected more.' The young Devil Hunter thought to himself.
"Now you're just pissing me off!" Natsu unleashed a wave of fire to blow away the sand and went on the attack once more. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"
"Sand Wall!" Max raised a wall of flowing sand to block Natsu's attack, something that frustrated Natsu even further as he could barely push back. "I'm a whole lot stronger than I used to be!" Natsu roared in response, looking like he's getting serious.
"Max is beating Natsu… That's so crazy…" Vijeeter looked in surprise along with his friends.
"I know… I never thought I'd see the day…' Warren added.
"Maybe this means that we can beat him too!" Nab hopped.
Natsu tried to push further into Max's Sand Wall as much as he could, and while it appeared he was making headway, it seemed like he wasn't about to break it. "Come on Natsu, is that all you got?" Max taunted. "Either that Sanctus-guy you fought was a total chump, or Nero over there did all the work."
That was the last straw. Suddenly, Natsu's entire body surged with fire as well as lightning, catching everyone's attention, especially Dante and Nero, before Natsu let loose a point-blank breath attack of fire and lightning to completely obliterate Max's Sand Wall. The blast shot right past Max himself, missing by an inch as the attack obliterated the section of the forest behind him.
Warren, Nab, and Vijeeter's jaw dropped while Lucy, Lisanna, Kyrie, Wendy, Carla, Gray, Lady, and Trish were more than shocked themselves, almost being rendered speechless as even Dante had a serious expression.
"Oh… wow…" Happy looked in awe.
"Yep, there it is." Nero said.
Max looked more than a little nervous as some hairs fell from his head.
"Aw man… I thought that would be like a hundred times stronger." Natsu complained.
"Natsu… since when could you use lightning again?" Lisanna asked, still not over her surprise.
"I busted it out when Nero and I took on Sanctus. Guess my body's more used to it now." Natsu replied.
Max held up his hand in defeat. "Welp… that's it for me."
"Aw man, you giving up already?" Dante teased. "What happened to the tough-guy act?"
"It just vanished cause I don't have a death wish." Max replied
"Which one of you is next in line!?" Natsu eagerly challenged Nab, Warren, and Vijeeter, causing them to back away in comic fear.
"Nope!" Nab shook his head.
"I'm good! Thanks though!" Warren said.
"Yeah! You win!" Vijeeter also said.
Natsu laughed eagerly, only to suddenly fall to his hands and knees as all his energy appeared to be spent, evident by seeming to be out of breath.
"Looks like you're still not completely used to it, huh firebreather?" Gray taunted
"Yeah, you should probably practice a bit more before pulling it out in a real fight." Happy added.
"I never knew you were such a good fighter, Max." Wendy told him.
"You had some good techniques. You're quite impressive." Kyrie added.
"Thanks…" Max rubbed the back of his head. "But obviously, I still have a long way to go."
"Wait, hold on a second." Lady stepped up. "Has everyone in the guild gotten stronger these past seven years?"
"Yeah, like Max said, we've been training." Warren added.
"Then why did this guild's status drop so low?" Lady questioned. "I get it's top players vanished, but come on!"
"I have to agree." Carla said. "Even if the status of the guild fall, there's no reason to let Twilight Ogre bully you for so long."
"Who?" Nero asked.
"A guild of pushovers that harassed Fairy Tail the entire time we've been gone." Trish summed up. "But we put them in their place right when we came back. But why didn't you guys do it? Why put up with that crap?" She asked the older guildmates.
"It's a little bit more complicated than that." Vijeeter said.
"It was more of a problem with cash flow." Warren added.
"You don't expect us to settle our debts with brute force, do you?" Nab questioned.
"That's pretty much how Fairy Tail roles." Dante replied. "Someone messes with us, we mess with them back. Eye-for-an-eye and all that, right?"
"Still though, Max wasn't the only one." Gray told the whole group. "Nearly every fight we had against the Order of the Sword and the Neo Oracion Seis was way too close for comfort."
"He's not wrong." Dante said. "Even power houses like myself and Erza had to pull out the stops just to clinch a victory."
"I wonder if anyone knows a way to give our magic power a super-fast boost…" Happy wondered.
The group consisting of Dante, Natsu, Happy, Gray, Trish, Lucy, Lisanna, Lady, Wendy, and Carla stood right outside the door of Porlyusica's home. The elderly woman stared at the group for a moment before slamming the door in their faces.
"Scram!"
"Glad to see she's as warm and cozy as we remember." Dante muttered.
"Sorry to bother you, ma'am!" Lucy called out. "But we were wondering if you had any potions that could help us!"
"Like maybe something that can make us a million times stronger?" Natsu hoped.
"There's probably no way it be that easy." Gray said.
"She doesn't seem like the type to have any steroids or anything on her." Lady said.
Trish noticed a confused and uncertain look on Wendy's face. "Hey, you okay kiddo?" Wendy didn't respond as she only shook her head.
The door opened and Porlyusica stepped outside with a broom in her hand, and an angry glare. "You know I hate people, so get lost! Shoo! Shoo!" She waved her broom menacingly, causing the group to turn around and run away.
"Really sorry to make you upset!" Lisanna cried out as they ran.
"We've gone up against demons and psychopaths, but we're running from an old hag with a broom stick?" Dante questioned.
"If you wanna turn back and fight her, it's your funeral!" Happy said to him.
"Why does she hate us?!" Natsu questioned.
"Is it cause she and Gramps used to date?!" Gray questioned.
"Wait, seriously?" Lady looked in surprise. "So, she's Laxus' grandmother?!"
"We were never a couple, you fools!" Porlyusica exclaimed to them.
Wendy stopped for a moment, turning toward Porlyusica with a slight gasp. The two exchanged eye-contact for a moment, a complicated expression was present in Porlyusica's eyes before Wendy turned back around to catch up with her friends.
Fairy Tail guildhall.
While Dante, Natsu, and the others were out, the rest of the guild, including Patty and even Morrison, had all gathered inside the guildhall as Makarov had an important announcement to make. However, Modeus glanced in surprise as he saw a certain man enter the building.
"Laxus, what are you doing here?"
"Gildarts asked me to come." Laxus answered. "Didn't say why, said it was a surprise."
"I see." Modeus nodded in acceptance.
"Ahem!" Everyone directed their attention to the bar as Makarov stood on top of it with Gildarts on his right and Macao on his left. "The time has come, kids. I've done all I can in service to this guild, allow me to introduce Fairy Tail's next master."
That caught many of them by surprise. "He's stepping down, after we just joined up?" Kyrie asked in a mixture of surprise and remorse.
"The guy is supposed to be pushing eighty or something, right?" Nero said, standing next to her. "Seems like he's due for a rest."
"But before I make that announcement, I want to take this moment to acknowledge the man who stepped up and did his best to keep Fairy Tail alive." Makarov gestured to the man on his left. "Macao Conbolt. Though it wasn't official, I would like to change that now. You are the fourth master of the Fairy Tail guild."
Everyone clapped their hands in support, causing Macao to smile as he rubbed the back of his head. "Aw, thanks guys. Wish I could have done better though."
"You did fine, man." Wakaba told him as they continued to clap.
"Indeed. Thank you for keeping our home alive the entire time you've been gone." Erza acknowledged with a smile.
"You were a great guildmaster, Dad!" Romeo told him as well as the applause died down.
"Now then, allow us to present to all of you the fifth guildmaster of Fairy Tail… Gildarts Clive!" He gestured to the man on his right, who stepped forward. This was met by an even bigger round of applause from everyone present.
"My old man's the master now, huh?" Cana smirked as she took up a mug of beer. "Yeah, I'll drink to that." Though inwardly she was beyond proud.
"Congratulations Gildarts." Modeus nodded.
"We got ourselves a real man for a master!" Elfman declared.
The applause died down as the newly appointed master of Fairy Tail spoke. "Okay… yeah, I'm the guildmaster now." He said somewhat awkwardly. "Sorry, but I'm not a big speech kinda guy." He said in a joking sense, causing several people to laugh before he continued. "Now then, as your new boss, I got two important things I'd like to get done. First up, I hereby reinstate Laxus Dreyar as a member of Fairy Tail!"
That caught Laxus by surprise. So that was the reason Gildarts wanted him to come. Though he appeared to be calm on the surface, his pupils shook as he could barely contain his own emotion. He was really getting a second chance; he almost couldn't believe it.
"No way…"
"Reinstate?" Nero questioned. "Did he get kicked out or something?" He asked Juvia, who happened to be nearby with Gajeel.
"It's quite a long story." Juvia said.
"Basically, the guy got a little power hungry and almost blew up the whole town, so yeah." Gajeel summed up.
"Wait, seriously?!" Nero questioned in comic surprise.
Of course, none were more overjoyed than his old teammates as they gathered around him celebratory.
"Welcome back to the fold, old buddy!" Bickslow congratulated.
"This is wonderful!" Evergreen hugged Laxus' arm. "The Thunder Legion is back!"
"Yeah, that's true… I guess…" Laxus said, still not quite over this surprise.
Freed comically cried tears of joy. "Thank you, Gildarts! This is a blessed day!"
"Welcome back, Laxus!" Mira already had the guild stamp in her hand. "Where would you like your emblem this time around? Same spot or someplace different?"
"Whoa… slow down there…" Laxus wasn't quite ready for all the attention just yet.
'Man's got some nerve for a first order…' Makarov thought with a grumble, but was inwardly glad to have his grandson back in the guild.
Gildarts took a glance toward Cana and smiled. 'I may not have been there for you before, but that changes now. I promised I'd be a good father to you, and I have every intention of keeping that promise.'
Almost as if she were reading her dad's mind, Cana turned around with a blush and a smile. "You deadbeat dad…" She muttered to herself, trying to keep her emotions in check.
"Now, onto the next order of business…" Gildarts began. "Getting Fairy Tail back to the number one spot. I know we literally just prevented the end of the world, so people are starting to look at us with a better outlook. But we're still not at the top yet. Time to fix that."
"Yeah! Let's do it!" Elfman exclaimed. "Time to man up and be number one again!"
"Hey Gildarts…" Warren said before coughing to correct himself. "Sorry, Master…"
"Come on, just call me Gildarts." The newly appointed fifth master assured. "Just because I'm in charge now doesn't mean you gotta treat me any different."
"Alright, in that case, you're outta your mind Gildarts." Warren told him. "Us beating Fiore's number one guild?"
"It's gonna take a miracle to make something like that happen." Max seemed in agreement.
"I thought Fairy Tail pulls off miracles all the time!" Patty said. "I mean, all these people who were supposed to be dead came back, didn't they?" She gestured to Erza and those from the Tenrou Team currently inside.
"Yes Patty, you are correct." Erza said in agreement. "Our guild has managed to accomplish the impossible before, so this should be nothing new. We should rise to the challenge."
"That's a pretty tall order." Warren said.
"Yeah, things are different these days." Max added.
"Sabertooth would be tough to beat." Alzack said. "Especially considering we know who their top guy is. And the number two guild, Mermaid Heel, is led by the top Wizard Saint."
"Not to mention that even the Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale guilds have gotten way more powerful these past seven years." Bisca said as she held Asuka in her arms.
"All of them are super awesome!" The little girl chimed in.
"They're not wrong about that." Morrison said as he lit a cigarette. "Aside from Vergil, some of the other wizards in Sabertooth are tough customers in their own right. Two of them are even Dragon Slayers."
Nobody in the guild expected that.
"Dragon Slayers?!" Juvia questioned.
"Are you shitting me?!" Gajeel exclaimed.
"This guild has Dragon Slayers in its ranks, along with a Son of Sparda…?" Lily noted, standing by Gajeel's side.
"What do you know about these two, Morrison?" Modeus asked.
"Not much." The broker replied. "All the info on Sabertooth's members is pretty inclusive. I only heard about the Dragon Slayers because they're so famous. Apparently, their master likes to keep his cards close to his chest."
"A viable strategy." Makarov nodded in acknowledgement.
"We do have Nero in our ranks now, as well as our major players back in action." Vijeeter said.
"Nero's one thing, but the fact of the matter is that you guys are still seven years behind everyone else. Even Dante's fallen behind." Laki reminded.
Levi silently admitted that was true as she hung her head down slightly. "Don't worry, Levy. You'll always be number one in our book." Her teammates, Jet and Droy, said at the same time.
"Fairy Tail's popularity did rise after that mess with the Neo Oracion Seis and the Infinity Clock…" Nero said. "Maybe we could do something like that?"
"From what we've heard, this guild has saved the world dozens of times." Kyrie added.
"It's not like we can just call up an apocalypse like ordering a pizza." Macao said. "That aside, seven years is a substantial training gap."
"Whether you're talking about individual strength or even the guild's overall power, we still have a long way to go." Wakaba agreed.
"Welp, no time like the present." Gildarts said, rolling his shoulder. "We'll get some hard core training done, take on bigger and badder jobs, and we'll steadily climb back up."
Romeo quickly climbed up and stood on top of a table. "I've waited for you guys for seven whole years! I'm sick and tired of just waiting for something to happen!"
"Romeo…" Macao tried to ease his son.
"There's totally a way for us to be number one again! You all know what it is!" Romeo said.
Though those of the Tenrou Team, as well as Nero, Kyrie, and Patty looked in confusion, the rest of the guild were shocked as they knew exactly what he was implying.
"What?!" Warren exclaimed.
"No way kid…!" Nab stated.
"Come on!" Max was also in disagreement.
"No!" Macao stood from his stool at the bar to address his son. "Didn't I tell you we would never take part in that thing again?!"
"And what is this 'thing' you guys are talking about, huh?" Gildarts asked.
Meanwhile, back in the East Forest, Dante and Natsu's group had managed to get some distance from Porlyusica's home and took a moment to catch their breath in a small clearing.
"Okay, why is it that we don't hesitate to jump at blood thirsty demons and world conquering psychopaths, but we run from an old lady with a broom stick?" Lady questioned irritably.
"Well, I'd have a guilty conscious if I went and offed an old lady who wasn't evil." Dante said. "But that's just me."
"Whose brilliant idea was it to go to visit Porlyusica in the first place?" Lucy asked, slumping over a tree root.
"Yours genius." Happy told her.
"And she's usually so sweet and charming." Gray said sarcastically.
"Had a feeling we wouldn't get some magical deus ex machina crap to make up for our seven-year cat-nap." Trish said.
"It was at least worth a try…" Lisanna muttered while Natsu simply groaned.
"I've always heard she's never fond of people, but I never expected all that." Carla commented.
"Can't say I blame her." Dante said. "A lot of humans can be real assholes."
"Well apparently she's not too keen on cats either." Happy put in.
"You walk and talk like a person, plus you use magic, so I'd say you're more like a human than an actual cat, furball." Lady told him.
However, the group turned to Wendy when they heard her sniffle lightly and were stunned to see some tears in her eyes.
"W-Wendy, you okay?" Dante asked, picking himself up.
"Did that old lady scare you?" Gray also asked with concern.
"Hey, it's gonna be okay." Lucy tried to ease the younger girl.
"That witch made Wendy cry?!" Natsu questioned with anger. "I'm gonna burn her alive!"
"That might be a bit overkill Natsu…" Lisanna winced.
Wendy shook her head, placing her hands over her eyes as she continued to sob. "It's not like that… she's just so familiar…!"
"What?" Natsu questioned.
"Have you two met before?" Carla asked.
"She was at my old man's cremation." Dante pointed out.
"I don't really know how to explain it, exactly." Wendy continued, trying to rub the tears from her eyes, but they just kept coming. "It sounds strange… but it's the truth! Her voice… and her scent… they're so much like Grandeeney's!"
Nobody expected that. All their eyes, even Dante's, went circular at that revelation.
"Your dragon?!" The Son of Sparda questioned as the group stood up. "Are you serious right now?!"
"Are you trying to tell us that she's Grandeeney?!" Gray also questioned.
"How can a regular person have the same voice and scent as a dragon?" Lucy wondered.
"Can a dragon somehow turn into a human?" Lady asked, looking toward Trish. "Demons can do the same thing."
"Dragons and demons are two completely different creatures." She replied. "But I can't say I know much about dragons, so I'm drawing a blank here."
"What do you think, Carla?" Happy asked his fellow Exceed.
"I haven't the foggiest." Carla responded.
"Wendy, what exactly are you talking about?" Natsu asked seriously. "What do you mean she smells like your dragon?"
"Guys, guys… give her some space." Lisanna quickly told everyone, standing in front of Wendy, and gesturing toward the younger girl and reminding them of how emotional she was. This caused them all to ease up a bit before Lisanna kneeled closer to Wendy's level. "Take your time, Wendy… But please try to explain it to us as best you can."
After taking a few moments to calm down a bit, Wendy spoke. "I… I really don't know… but she's so familiar…! It's confusing…! She sounds and smells exactly like my mother…! The Sky Dragon Grandeeney…!"
"I say we go back there and make the hag give us some answers." Natsu was ready to storm off back to Porlyusica's place, but Dante grabbed Natsu by the arm.
"Whoa there, hotshot. Before you go burning down that old lady's home, let's think about this for a minute." Dante said. "Grandeeney and Porlyusica can't be the same person, it doesn't make any sense."
"Yeah, he's right." Gray agreed. "One is a human and the other a dragon, and dragons are supposed to be extremely powerful. But Porlyusica isn't that strong magic-wise."
"Not to mention that your dragons and Gajeel's vanished without a trace fourteen years ago." Lucy added. "All on the exact same day: July seventh, on the year X777."
"Porlyusica looked like she was in her seventies or even eighties, even Gramps knew her when she was part of Fairy Tail." Lady said. "Both of them would have been around at the same time, wouldn't they?"
"Unless dragons can take human forms." Trish began to think. "Maybe she disguised herself as a human while with the guild, but when she left, she found Wendy as a dragon and raised her."
"Natsu, can a dragon take a human form?" Lisanna asked. "Did Igneel ever do anything like that?"
"No." Natsu shook his head. "He was always a dragon when I was around, and he never said anything about turning into a human. If dragons can do it, it's news to me."
"Even if Grandeeney and Porlyusica are the same, it doesn't answer the question of why she even left Wendy in the first place." Carla said. "In addition, their personalities must be taken into account as well."
"What do you mean?" Happy asked.
"Wendy's always described Grandeeney as a kind and loving mother." Carla explained. "While this Porlyusica is rather anti-social and even outright hostile toward visitors."
"Yeah, those two seem like total opposites." Dante said.
Lisanna's eyes widened with a gasp as if she had been struck by an epiphany. "Opposite…?" She kneeled back down to Wendy's level. "Wendy, are you absolutely sure that Porlyusica smells exactly like Grandeeney? Like a one hundred percent match?"
"Y-Yes… I am…" Wendy confirmed as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes yet again. "I… I would never mistake her scent…"
"Could it be…?" Lisanna muttered.
"Could what be?" Gray asked. "You got a theory, Lisanna?"
"I think so…" Lisanna stood back up. "I don't really know how, but it would make sense. I think Porlyusica is the Edolas version of Grandeeney!"
If they weren't hit by a bombshell before, they were now. None of them were prepared for that revelation.
"She's from Edolas?!" Carla questioned.
"Like a human version of a dragon?!" Happy also questioned.
"It's the only explanation I can think of." Lisanna began. "Natsu, didn't everyone we meet in Edolas smell exactly like the people we knew here in Earthland? Like everyone from both versions of Fairy Tail!"
"Yeah, you're right." Natsu began to follow her logic. "Everyone smelled the same, even the two Lucys. Heck, those some guys we met from the Order of the Sword smelt just like those tools we fought in Edolas way back when."
"We know that everyone from Earthland has a counterpart in Edolas." Dante also followed along. "Even that whack job Faust was Gramps' evil twin. I didn't have a double because my dad wasn't from Earthland, he was from the Underworld which isn't connected to Edolas."
"We also saw the Edolas version of your mother there." Trish reminded.
"Yeah, I remember that." Dante looked away with a mixed expression.
"But what about Nelo Angelo? Wasn't he a demon?" Happy asked.
"Nelo Angelo was sent by Mundus to try and conquer Edolas for him, he wasn't born in Edolas like everyone else there." Carla reminded.
"But dragons are creatures that are born in Earthland. So it would make sense that they would have counterparts too, wouldn't it?" Lisanna continued.
"Yeah… that does make sense." Lady seemed to agree. "And everyone we met there had a personality that was a complete one-eighty from the people here."
"Which explains Porlyusica's poor attitude." Gray followed. "It really is the opposite of how Wendy would describe Grandeeney."
"Figured you'd catch onto something like that, Lisanna." Dante told her. "You lived in Edolas yourself for two whole years."
"Exactly." Lisanna confirmed. "I don't exactly have proof, but it would make sense."
Wendy took the moment to process everything she just heard. What everyone was saying did make sense, she did remember going to Edolas as well, remembering how the people there carried the opposite personality traits of the people that she knew in her home world. It would indeed explain why she smells and sounds exactly like her adoptive mother and yet she's not the same person.
"It would seem you're a much more clever bunch than I first thought."
The group looked in surprise to see none other than Porlyusica herself enter the scene, walking past the trees behind her.
"It is as you suspect, I am indeed the Edolas version of the Sky Dragon, Grandeeney." Porlyusica confirmed.
"Why wait to tell us all this?" Lucy asked.
"It wasn't like it was a big secret or anything." Porlyusica answered. "I simply had no reason to tell you, nothing to gain from it. You never asked so I never brought it up."
"But if you're really from Edolas, how did you end up in our world?" Lady asked.
"As you've been to Edolas, you must have already known about how magic there is finite." Porlyusica explained. "Long before Faust apparently descended into madness as you described, he had experimented with Anima to absorb only bits and pieces of magic from Earthland. I happened to stumble onto one by complete accident. I was disoriented when I arrived, but Makarov came to my aid. The peacefulness and beauty I discovered here quickly endeared me to Earthland. So even though I had several opportunities to return to Edolas, I had made the decision to call your world my new home."
"Sounds familiar." Trish said, glancing at Dante, who knew exactly what she was talking about. "Did Makarov know you were from Edolas?"
"He knew, but he chose to keep it a secret." Porlyusica confirmed. "If only because I didn't want to be pestered by anyone about it."
"What about my old man?" Dante asked. "You said you knew him, and he was close with the dragons. I heard he even knew Grandeeney, did he know about you?"
"He did." Porlyusica confirmed again. "Sparda could sense the similarities between myself and the Sky Dragon so I explained the situation to him and he chose to accept it."
"Hey, if you're the human version of Grandeeney, does this mean that Igneel and Metalicana have human counterparts from Edolas too? Maybe they crossed over just like you did!" Natsu asked eagerly.
"I have no idea; I've never met them." Porlyusica said. "Although I did speak with the Sky Dragon." That got Wendy's attention. "Though we didn't meet face-to-face, it was more mysterious. She spoke directly into my mind by way of telepathy."
"When did she speak with you?" Wendy asked hopefully. "Can you talk to her now? Do you know where she is?"
"No, I'm afraid I do not." Porlyusica shook her head. "And I cannot contact her, it seems that only she has that ability to speak to me and I never heard anything from her since that one moment." Wendy looked down dejectedly, causing everyone to look toward Wendy with sympathy. "You originally came here seeking out a means to gain power. I may be able to help Wendy out in that regard, but only her." She took out a series of notes and handed it to the young girl. "The Sky Dragon dictated this book of spells to me. It contains among other things, Sky Dragon Secret Art: Milky Way, and even other offensive techniques. I know you've been training with Sparda's former apprentice, Wendy. Combine that training with some of these spells and you'll undoubtedly grow stronger."
With somewhat shaky hands, Wendy took the notes in her hands. "I don't know to say… Grandeeney really did this…?"
"She asked me to give it to you if we were to ever cross paths." Porlyusica told her as she turned around to walk away. "Those are powerful techniques, even with your training you should still exercise great caution."
"Huh, guess she's not a cranky old hag after all." Dante said with a slight smirk.
"Yeah, she's got a real soft spot underneath all those wrinkles." Natsu added with a grin, causing most of the group to laugh.
Wendy ran up a bit before bowing her head, tears of joy flowing down her eyes. "Thank you so much, Miss Porlyusica! Miss Grandeeney!" Though she knew she wasn't the same person as her adoptive mother, meeting and getting to know her like this was like finding a long-lost family member she never even knew she had, and it made her so happy.
As she walked away, a small smile formed on Porlyusica's face. It would seem that the sentiment was mutual.
Fairy Tail guildhall
"We're gonna do it, this time! You're not the master anymore, Dad!" Romeo argued with his father.
"Well neither are you, you little rugrat!" Macao argued back. "I absolutely forbid it! We're never gonna get involved in that thin again! You hear me?!"
Just as they continued to argue, Dante and Natsu's group had walked into the guildhall. "Sup guys, what we miss?" Dante asked.
"Well apparently your pal Gildarts over there is the new master." Nero gestured to the guy who sat on the bar with a mug of beer in his hand.
"Whoa, seriously!?" Natsu exclaimed as the others were taken by surprise at this revelation.
"Didn't see that coming." Gray said
"The master really retired?" Lucy asked.
"Gildarts is in charge, now?!" Happy questioned in shock.
"That's amazing! Congratulations, Gildarts!" Lisanna waved to him.
"Thanks, I promise to do my best!" He waved back.
"So, what's going on over here?" Lady questioned, referring to the father-son argument currently unfolding in front of them.
"You don't make the rules anymore! So just get over it!" Romeo said to his dad. "It's up to Gildarts now!"
"I'm expressing myself as a member of the guild!" Macao argued back.
"So, what's that all about?" Trish asked.
"Seems like typical teenage rebellion to me." Carla replied.
Macao turned to his fellow guildmembers, mostly those that weren't on Tenrou Island the last seven years. "Those of you with me, say 'aye'!"
"Aye!" Wakaba, Max, Warren, Nab, Vijeeter, Alzack, and Bisca raised their hands, even Asuka did just to be part of it.
"I don't ever wanna go through that crap again." Alzack winced.
"That has got to be the embarrassing thing in the world." Bisca agreed.
"But we got the Tenrou Team back, plus Nero and Kyrie!" Romeo argued. "Natsu, Dante, Erza, even Laxus is back in the guild! There's no way we're gonna loose with them on our side!"
"Haven't you been paying attention?" Warren reminded. "They all missed out on seven years of training."
Once again, Levy looked down with a wince. "You're awesome, Levy! Don't listen to those jerks!" Droy tried to assure her.
"Okay, you guys wanna explain to us what the hell you're talking about?" Dante asked, stepping forward.
"I know what they're talking about." Morrison said, leaning against the wall. "While you guys all missed out, an annual tournament was set up to determine the top guild in Fiore."
That got everyone's attention.
"A tournament, huh?" Dante's eyebrow raised with interest.
"Oooh." Happy hopped in the air with the same anticipation, one shared by Natsu even.
"Sounds like a whole lot of fun to me." The Salamander grinned.
"Guilds from all over the country compete in a series of magic events." Morrison continued. "They call it the Grand Magic Games."
"Oh, yeah! I've heard about it!" Patty popped up. "I've seen several of those matches growing up! They all look super fun!"
"To the audience maybe, but not to us!" Wakaba said.
"Haven't we heard of that before?" Nero asked Kyrie, the term sounding familiar to him.
"We've seen some advertisements for it in Fortuna's newspapers, but we haven't seen the actual event." She answered. "But it's supposed to be one of the most celebrated annual events in this country."
"Now you caught our interest." Lady looked intrigued.
"Sounds like a lot of fun!" Lucy also looked excited, along with Wendy.
"Yeah, I'd love to play some games!" The Sky Dragon Slayer chimed.
"So, it's kinda like a magic festival?" Gray asked, looking interested himself.
"I understand." Erza said. "Sabertooth is known as the top guild in Fiore these days because they won the last go-around, correct?"
"They've won pretty much every year." Morrison said. "They got quite the winning streak and reputation because of it."
"Maybe it's time for a change then." Lisanna said, with a smirk identical to Natsu's. "With everyone back, maybe we'll be the ones taking the gold this year!"
"Exactly!" Romeo pointed upward in dramatic fashion. "If we beat them this year, we'll be number one again!"
"A quick way to get to the top spot again and get a chance to beat up some guys? I say we go for it!" Dante was already on-board.
"Ah yeah! Now you're speaking my language, buddy!" Natsu smirked, sharing a fist-bump with the red-clad Devil Hunter.
"That would be nice…" Makarov said, appearing to consider it himself. "But the final say must fall to the current master of our guild." He looked toward his successor. "So, what do you say Master Gildarts?"
"You even need to ask?" Gildarts said, standing up. "We're in!"
"Oh, and I should also mention that the winner also gets thirty-million jewel in prize money." Morrison put in.
"Oh yeah, we're definitely in now." Dante grinned.
"Seriously?!" Macao still appeared against the idea.
"But master… it's still gonna be really hard…!" Droy complained to Gildarts with the rest of his friends.
"There are tons of powerful guilds that compete each year!" Warren added. "Not to mention freaking Vergil, the ace in Sabertooth, and there's no way they're not gonna compete!"
"And we've come in dead last every single time we've entered." Jet put in.
"That is just pitiful." Elfman scolded.
"Since when did this guild become full of pussies?" Lady questioned. "Just a short while ago we stopped the end of the world, a tournament sounds like nothing compared to that."
"I believe we should attend as well." Modeus spoke up. "If we don't push ourselves and remain in complacency, we'll never become stronger."
"Damn right!" Gildarts grinned. "I already told you our first order of business was to get this guild back to the top. If this tournament is how we do it, then we're doing it. In fact…" he smirked evilly. "I'm ordering it."
"You're not serious…!" Macao complained.
"You're already abusing your power!?" Wakaba also complained.
"Oh, hell yeah! As the fifth master of Fairy Tail, I hereby declare we're entering the Grand Magic Games! Non-negotiable!" Gildarts raised his fist, followed by everyone from the Tenrou Team.
"YEAH!" They all cheered.
"Well, guess we know what we're gonna be doing next." Nero smiled as he stood up, going along with it as well.
"Who knows? This might actually be fun." Kyrie smiled as she stood up as well.
Natsu stepped up on a table with a flaming fist. "Sabertooth thinks they're hot stuff? We'll just see about that!"
"So, when's this thing kicking off anyway?" Dante asked Morrison.
"Three months from now." The broker answered.
"That's plenty of time. We'll spend these next three months grinding down and training our asses off." Dante punched his fist into his palm with excitement. "My blood's already starting to boil."
"Let's go!" Gray was onboard too.
"Yeah, and if all of us start working together as a guild…" Lucy began.
"There'll be no stopping us." Erza finished with a smirk of her own.
"We'll show the world that Fairy Tail is back!" Lisanna declared.
"We fought giant monsters, dark guilds, and saved the world dozens of times. This shouldn't be all that hard." Trish said.
"So, let's bring it on and beat all those other guilds to a pulp." Lady stated.
"We have seven years' worth of experience to catch up on in three months. Sounds impossible…" Modeus said before smiling. "But if memory serves, we've done the impossible before."
"I better start studying these spells Grandeeney wanted me to learn, huh?" Wendy excitedly took out her new list of spells that Porlyusica had given her.
"It's about time we get a chance to cut loose!" Happy was dancing with anticipation.
"It seems like this guild is always looking to party." Carla smiled.
"FIGHT PARTY!" Elfman shouted at the top of his lungs. "THIS IS GONNA BE SO FREAKING MANLY!"
"Well, you all heard my dad." Cana was also on-board. "Let's go for the gold!"
"That's my girl! Aiming for the top!" Gildarts raised his fist with a grin.
"I'll be cheering for all you guys! I know you'll beat those jerks in Sabertooth!" Patty cheered.
Even Laxus, the Thunder Legion, Gajeel, Panther-Lily, Mira, and Juvia seemed to be in agreement as they all smiled, chuckled, or smirked with eagerness, ready to throw down in the Grand Magic Games.
However, not everyone was as enthusiastic as those not in the Tenrou Team began to sulk in what they thought would be an inevitable path to defeat.
"This is gonna suck." Droy whined.
"Please tell me you're joking." Jet also whined.
"Come on, guys!" Levy tried to encourage them. "Where's your team spirit?"
"Um… this is really not a good idea." Alzack tried to tell everyone.
"I don't think you guys understand." Bisca agreed. "The Games aren't your typical kind of fighting tournament."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Natsu asked.
"It's absolute hell." Warren told him.
"Not the first time I've been through that." Dante still wouldn't back down. He drew Rebellion and held it up high. "Fairy Tail will be number one again! Whose with me?!"
"YEAH!"
Done.
I know this chapter seems rather short, but it does only cover one episode and it establishes what needs to be established. Fairy Tail is entering the Grand Magic Games, but before that, they got three months to train like hell and be ready.
And before many of you ask, yes I am aware of the infamous scene in the Celestial Spirit Realm where one day there is three months in Earthland and I agree it is really stupid. Seems like a bad way to introduce the concept of a Second Origin to everyone so I'm changing things up this time. Here, everyone will be getting their full three months of training and have their Second Origins unlocked when they meet Crime Sorciere. This way, it feels less like a deus ex machina when Fairy Tail gains their victories in the games and bridges the gap between them and everyone else, most notably Sabertooth.
Oh, and Gildarts is going to stay as the fifth Guildmaster here instead of just going off on his own again. Seemed like the right thing to do given he wants to be a better father to Cana. And while Makarov is now officially retired, it doesn't mean he's out of the game. He's still gonna be at the Grand Magic Games to support his guild.
I also know that some of the spells Porlyusica had given Wendy are those that she's already using now at this point in my story, but I've got a few original spells planned. Add these techniques with training from Modeus and she'll be even stronger than before. :)
As for the Games themselves… some of the battles will remain the same, some of them will be different. You'll just have to see how things go as we get there. One thing I will say is that the Games will have six man teams instead of five.
And so, let the longest arc of this story begin! I look forward to writing the rest of this and showing the surprises I have in store for all of you.
Until then, stay safe and stay healthy out there. Love you. Peace out.