The sun rose over Crocus, bathing the flower-adorned capital in a warm, golden hue. The third day of the Grand Magic Games had ended in chaos and triumph, with the disqualification of Raven Tail and the overwhelming dominance of Fairy Tail. The organizers, sensing the need for a reset and perhaps a chance for the city's structural integrity to recover, had declared the following day a rest day.
For twenty-four hours, the hostilities of the arena were replaced by the jubilation of a festival. The streets were lined with stalls selling kebabs, magical trinkets, and souvenir lacrimas. Laughter echoed from the taverns, and for a brief moment, the guilds were just people enjoying the peace.
Blake spent the day with his family. He took Alphonse and Celeste to the carnival, winning them an obscene amount of stuffed animals, much to the annoyance of the stall owners. Mirajane and Cana walked arm-in-arm, enjoying the rare downtime, while Erza dragged Jellal to sample every cake shop within a five-mile radius.
But beneath the festivities, a shift was occurring.
The Grand Magic Games committee had held an emergency meeting. With the expulsion of Raven Tail, the tournament bracket was uneven. Seven teams made for awkward matchups. To resolve this, they requested that Fairy Tail, currently occupying two spots with Team A and Team B, be merged.
And Mavis accepted the request.
When the sun dawned on Day Four, the Domus Flau was packed to capacity. The air was electric.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" Chapati Lola's voice boomed, shaking the dust from the rafters. "After a day of rest, we return to the violence! But first, an announcement! Due to the disqualification of Raven Tail, the Fairy Tail guild has combined its teams into a single unit! They will retain the higher of their two scores, but they are now one entity!"
The gate to the Fairy Tail waiting room opened. Smoke billowed out.
Five silhouettes walked through the mist.
"Presenting the New Team Fairy Tail!"
First came Erza Scarlet, the Queen of Fairies, her eyes sharp as steel.
Next was Mirajane Strauss, the She-Devil, smiling sweetly while radiating terrifying power.
Then, the Twin Dragons of Fairy Tail: Natsu Dragneel and Gajeel Redfox, grinning like predators let out of a cage.
And finally, standing at the center, looking more confident than she ever had in her life, was Lucy Heartfilia.
The crowd roared. It was a lineup of absolute monsters.
In the stands, Blake sat with the rest of the guild—Gray, Juvia, Laxus, Elfman, and the others who had been cycled out.
"Go get 'em!" Gray shouted, leaning over the rail. "Don't embarrass us!"
"Juvia wishes she was in the team!" Juvia cried into a handkerchief. "But Lucy-san will do Juvia proud!"
---
"Today's first event requires breath control, agility, and combat prowess!" Mato announced. "The event is... Naval Battle!"
A massive spell was cast over the center of the arena. A colossal sphere of water, easily fifty meters in diameter, manifested in mid-air. It defied gravity, a shimmering globe of blue suspended above the sand.
"The rules are simple! All participants enter the water sphere. If you fall out, you are eliminated! The last one remaining wins! However, when the number of participants drops to two, a 5-minute timer starts. If the person who falls out last does so within that timer, they get second place. It's a battle of endurance! Let's meet the swimmers!"
The participants stepped onto the floating platforms.
From Sabertooth: The cruel lady, Minerva Orland.
From Lamia Scale: The Sky God Slayer, Sherria Blendy.
From Blue Pegasus: The beauty, Jenny Realight.
From Mermaid Heel: The gravity user, Risley Law.
From New Dawn: Sho, the master of Card Magic (and survivor of the Tower of Heaven).
And from Fairy Tail: Lucy Heartfilia.
"Lucy?" Sting watched from the Sabertooth balcony. "Without the water mage Juvia? Big mistake. Minerva will eat her alive."
"BEGIN!"
The mages dove into the sphere.
Immediately, the dynamics of battle changed. Movement was sluggish. Casting spells required holding one's breath or using silent incantations.
Sho of New Dawn was the first to act. He didn't swim; he used his cards to create platforms, kicking off them to dart around like a torpedo.
Jenny tried to use her transformation magic to become a mermaid, but Risley used her Gravity Change to distort the water pressure, sending Jenny spinning out of the side.
"Jenny is out!"
Then, Minerva moved.
She didn't swim. She didn't look like she was struggling. She simply floated in the center, a sadistic smirk on her face.
"Territory."
Her War God magic warped the space inside the water.
Risley suddenly found herself teleported from the center of the sphere to the very edge. Minerva flicked a finger. A shockwave of heat slammed into Risley, blasting her out.
"Risley is out!"
Now, only four remained: Lucy, Minerva, Sherria, and Sho.
Sherria tried to blast Minerva with black wind, but water dampened the effect. Minerva simply warped behind her and kicked her in the back. Sherria tumbled, barely catching herself on the surface tension of the sphere.
Minerva turned her eyes to Lucy.
In the original timeline, this was where Minerva tortured Lucy. She stole her keys. She beat her until she couldn't move. She humiliated her.
Minerva's eyes gleamed with that same malice now. She saw the blonde Celestial Mage as a plaything.
"You," Minerva's voice projected magically into the water. "The weak link of the 'Dream Team'. Let's see how long you can hold your breath while I break your bones."
Minerva raised her hand. Green energy swirled.
"Niel Wielgion."
A massive explosion of thermal magic detonated inside the water, creating a boiling vortex aimed straight at Lucy.
In the stands, Natsu gripped the railing. "LUCY!"
Blake didn't move. He just watched, a faint smile on his lips. "Watch closely, Natsu. She's not the girl you had to save from Phantom Lord anymore."
Inside the sphere, Lucy watched the attack coming. She didn't panic. She didn't scramble for a key.
She closed her eyes.
She reached deep into her magical container—the Second Origin she had unlocked, the training she had endured with the spirits.
"Star Dress..."
A blinding golden light erupted from inside the water sphere, illuminating the entire stadium. The water didn't boil away; it began to swirl around Lucy, responding to her call.
"...AQUARIUS FORM!"
When the light faded, the crowd gasped.
Lucy's appearance had changed. Her hair was swept up in a high ponytail. She wore a bikini top with a jagged, wave-like design and a long, flowing skirt with a slit up the side. The symbol of the Water Bearer glowed on her collarbone.
But the most shocking change was the aura.
The water wasn't crushing her anymore. It was embracing her.
Minerva's explosion hit Lucy—and dissipated. The water around Lucy formed a protective barrier, neutralizing the heat instantly.
Lucy opened her eyes. They were glowing a deep, oceanic blue.
"Weak link?" Lucy's voice echoed through the sphere, amplified by the water itself. "I am a mage of Fairy Tail. And you are standing in my element."
Minerva scowled. "A costume change? Don't make me laugh!"
She fired a barrage of spatial bubbles.
Lucy swept her hand. The water obeyed.
"Aqua Barrier!"
A wall of high-pressure water blocked the attacks.
Then, Lucy reached for a key on her hip.
"Open! Gate of the Water Bearer! AQUARIUS!"
A massive magic circle appeared inside the sphere. The water churned violently.
Rising from the circle was the mermaid herself, Aquarius. She looked furious, as usual, but for once, her urn wasn't aimed at Lucy. It was aimed at Minerva.
"Che," Aquarius clicked her tongue. "Took you long enough to call me, you brat. I was getting bored."
"Sorry, Aquarius," Lucy smiled, floating beside her spirit. "Ready to wash the trash away?"
Aquarius grinned—a terrifying sight. "With pleasure. I have a date with Scorpio later, so let's make this quick."
Sho saw the writing on the wall. "Nope! I'm out!"
He used a card to teleport himself out of the sphere before he got crushed.
"Sho forfeits!"
Now it was Lucy vs. Minerva and Sherria.
"Don't ignore me!" Sherria shouted, gathering a massive amount of black sky magic. "Sky God's Boreas!"
Lucy didn't even look. She and Aquarius moved in perfect unison.
"Star Dress: Aqua Metria!" Lucy chanted.
"Giant Wave!" Aquarius shouted.
The two spells combined. The entire sphere of water began to rotate. It turned into a centrifuge, a washing machine of doom.
Sherria shrieked as she was caught in the current. She spun around three times and was ejected from the sphere at high velocity, landing safely in Chelia's arms in the stands.
"Sherria is out!"
Minerva was struggling. Her Territory magic allowed her to teleport, but the water was moving too fast. Every time she materialized, she was smashed by a wave of pressurized water.
"Insolent!" Minerva screamed, her composure cracking. "I am the daughter of Jiemma! I am—"
"You're drowning," Lucy said coldly.
Lucy raised both hands. Aquarius mirrored her.
The water in the sphere stopped spinning and condensed. It formed a massive, liquid fist around Minerva.
"Urano Metria... Aquatic Version."
It wasn't the full celestial spell, but a variation Lucy had developed using the Star Dress.
The water shone like starlight.
"...Aqua Starfall!"
BOOM.
The water exploded outward, not breaking the sphere, but channeling all the kinetic energy into the target.
Minerva screamed as she was blasted downward. She crashed through the bottom of the water sphere, plummeting fifty feet to the arena floor.
She hit the sand with a wet thud, coughing up water, her dress tattered, her arrogance washed away.
Lucy remained in the sphere alone.
The timer hadn't even started because she had knocked everyone out so quickly.
"WINNER: LUCY HEARTFILIA!"
The water sphere gently lowered Lucy to the ground. As her feet touched the sand, the water vanished into mist. Aquarius scoffed, "Don't call me for a while," and vanished, though she gave Lucy a subtle thumbs-up before disappearing.
The Star Dress faded. Lucy stood there, dry and panting slightly, looking down at the defeated Minerva.
Minerva glared up at her, trembling with rage and humiliation. "You... you..."
"It was a good match," Lucy said, offering no hand, just respect for the combat. She turned and walked back to her team.
The Fairy Tail balcony exploded.
"LUCY!!!!" Natsu jumped over the railing, sliding down the wall to tackle-hug her. "YOU WERE AWESOME!"
"Get off her, Flame Brain, you're heavy!" Gray yelled, though he was grinning.
"That was magnificent, Lucy," Erza nodded, her arms crossed with pride. "You controlled the battlefield perfectly."
In the stands, Blake leaned back, satisfied.
"See?" he told Alphonse. "Auntie Lucy is scary when she gets wet."
"Scary," Alphonse agreed, clapping his hands.
---
The scoreboard has been updated.
Fairy Tail: 10 Points.
Sabertooth took 0 points for the Naval Battle because Minerva fell out last but didn't survive the 5-minute rule mechanic due to being KO'd.
The humiliation for Sabertooth was compounding. Jiemma was likely destroying furniture in the viewing box.
"And now!" Chapati Lola announced, trying to keep the momentum going. "We move to the afternoon battles! The format has changed to Tag Team Battles!"
The screen shuffled the names.
The crowd held its breath.
The names locked in.
TEAM FAIRY TAIL: NATSU DRAGNEEL & GAJEEL REDFOX
VS
TEAM SABERTOOTH: STING EUCLIFFE & ROGUE CHENEY
The stadium shook. This was it. The battle of the generations. The Dragon Slayers vs. the Dragon Slayers.
Sting stood up in the Sabertooth booth. His eyes were wild.
"Finally," Sting whispered. "I can prove it. I can prove that the old generation is obsolete."
Rogue stood silently, his shadow stretching unnaturally long.
Down in the arena, Natsu cracked his knuckles. Fire erupted around his fists.
Gajeel transformed his arm into an iron club.
"Hey, Salamander," Gajeel grinned savagely. "Don't get in my way."
"Shut up, Iron Head," Natsu smirked. "Just try to keep up."
They walked out into the sunlight.
Opposite them, Sting and Rogue emerged.
"We've admired you for a long time," Sting shouted across the arena, activating his White Drive. A holy white aura enveloped him.
Rogue activated his Shadow Drive, becoming a wraith of darkness.
"But today," Sting pointed a finger at Natsu. "We surpass you."
Natsu didn't power up. He didn't yell.
He just stood there, looking bored.
"Surpass?" Natsu scratched his ear. "You guys talk a lot. Are we gonna fight or what?"
"BEGIN!"
Sting and Rogue vanished. They were fast—faster than they had been in the Chariot race.
White Dragon's Roar!
Shadow Dragon's Slash!
lasers of light and blades of shadow converged on the Fairy Tail duo.
BOOM.
Dust covered the arena.
"Did they get them?!" Chapati screamed.
The dust cleared.
Natsu caught Sting's punch with his bare hand.
Gajeel caught Rogue's sword-shadow with his iron teeth.
Natsu yawned.
"Is that it?" Natsu asked. "I thought you said you killed dragons?"
Sting's eyes widened. "What?"
"I said," Natsu squeezed Sting's fist, the heat beginning to melt the ground beneath them. "If you killed a dragon with this level of power... that dragon must have been asleep."
Gajeel crunched down, shattering the shadow blade. "Gihi. Weak."
For the next ten minutes, it wasn't a fight. It was a lesson.
Sting and Rogue threw everything they had. They used Unison Raids. They entered Dragon Force instantly—something the world thought was impossible to do at will.
"Dragon Force!" Sting screamed, his skin turning white and scaled. "Now do you see?! This is the power of the Third Generation!"
They attacked again. The power was immense. The stadium walls cracked.
But when the smoke cleared... Natsu and Gajeel were still standing. They had a few scratches, but they were smiling.
"Not bad," Gajeel admitted. "For a couple of fakes."
"Hey, Gajeel," Natsu said, pushing Gajeel into a minecart that happened to be in the arena debris.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Gajeel yelled as Natsu rolled him away.
"I want to take them both," Natsu grinned. "You sit this one out."
"YOU BASTARD!" Gajeel rolled away, cursing.
Natsu turned to the two Dragon Force users. One against two.
"Come on," Natsu beckoned. "Show me the power that's supposed to surpass me."
What followed was legendary. Natsu Dragneel, without even entering Dragon Force, dismantled the two Sabertooth aces. He understood their timing. He overpowered their roars. He broke through their combination attacks with sheer combat intuition and brute force.
"Fire Dragon's..."
Natsu caught them both by their heads. He slammed them together.
"...BRILLIANT FLAME!"
A massive explosion of fire engulfed the arena.
When the flames died down, Sting and Rogue lay on the ground, reverted to their normal forms, defeated.
Natsu stood over them, unmoving.
"You're not weak," Natsu said quietly. "But you don't know why you fight. You fight for a score. We fight for our guild."
"WINNERS: NATSU DRAGNEEL & GAJEEL REDFOX (FAIRY TAIL)!"
The crowd was deafening.
Sabertooth had been utterly dismantled.
Blake stood up in the stands, holding Celeste high.
"Day Four goes to the Fairies," Blake declared.
As the sun set on the fourth day, the hierarchy of Fiore had been shattered. Sabertooth was broken. Fairy Tail was supreme.
But in the shadows of the capital, the final gears of the Eclipse Plan were turning. The princess was ready to open the gate.