Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Crocus.
July 3, x791.
{"And that's the end of another exciting event in the Grand Magic Games!"} Loli shouted with a smile. {"Seeing just how powerful this year's contestants can be when they go all out was sure exciting, wasn't it?"}
*Cheer~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!*
{"That's right, Loli."} Yajima replied with a nod. {"It was quite the sight to see. It just makes me look forward more and more to what's coming next."}
{"So cool~~~~~!"} Jason shouted in response. {"I wanna interview all of them."} He then turned to Loli and Yajima with excitement shining in his eyes. {"Do you think I could put together a press conference for all the participating wizards?"}
With Jason's question, all of the wizards who have been interviewed by him in the past winced. Meanwhile, the other reporters in the audience had their eyes light up in anticipation. Being able to ask all the wizards participating in the Grand Magic Games some questions would certainly make quite a bit of news for the next few issues of whatever publication they worked for.
{"Um... I think you'll have to take that up with them."} Loli said, not really sure how to answer Jason's question. "Uh... Anyway, let's take a look at the scoreboard. I'm sure there should be a few changes after the end of that event."}
With that, all the Lacrima-Vision screens in the Domus Flau changed to show the overall scoreboard.
{Grand Magic Games Overall Scoreboard
Rank Team Score
Fairy Tail A 45 Pts. Fairy Tail C 36 Pts. Mermaid Heel 31 Pts. Fairy Tail B 30 Pts. Quatro Cerberus 19 Pts. Sabertooth 15 Pts. Blue Pegasus 12 Pts. Lamia Scale 5 Pts.}
{"Hmm... It seems there were no changes in placement after the last event."} Yajima pointed out after seeing the scoreboard. {"Instead, with the overwhelming showing of the top four teams, they've only widened the gap between themselves and the rest of the teams. But there are still two Battle Rounds and another event. Maybe things could get turned around before the last day."}
{"I suppose only time will tell."} Loli said as he was handed the envelope with the day's matchups for the Battle Round. {"But there's no better time to find out than now. I've just received the matchups for today's battles. So, why don't we get right into it?"
As he spoke, Loli opened the envelope, noticing the anticipation in both Yajima's and Jason's eyes as he did so. Then, he looked down to read the first pair of names on the card.
{"Okay, let's see..."} Loli said as he read over the card. {"The first match of the day will be between...Jura Neekis of Lamia Scale and Sorano Agria of Blue Pegasus."}
*Cheer~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!*
While the crowd went wild, Jura, as calmly as ever, stood up with a peaceful expression on his face. Then, he took a step forward, stepping atop the separating wall, before hopping into the arena.
Sorano, on the other hand, leapt straight from her seat into the arena. Then, once the two combatants made it to the center, the signal was given for the battle to begin.
And to no one's surprise, Jura, one of the Ten Wizard Saints, came out victorious. Though, Sorano did not make it easy for him, showing that even though she was not one of the Ten Wizard Saints, she was strong enough to eventually be counted among their numbers.
While Jura's [Earth Magic] was powerful, and its defense was among the strongest on the continent, Sorano was consistently able to break through it with the help of her [Angel Magic]. On top of that, just as she had back when she first faced Elicia, she showed a mastery of martial arts that made Jura take the fight seriously no matter the range at which the two fought.
The next match was between Gajeel Redfox of Fairy Tail B and Rangiku Matsumoto of Mermaid Heel. And boy was it an explosive match.
Almost as soon as the match started, Rangiku released Haineko, her blade breaking down into a cloud of dust. At the same time, Gajeel, smiled savagely as he was covered in his [iron Dragon Scales]. And from there, the match was a game of cat and mouse, with Gajeel trying to get close enough to land a finishing blow and Rangiku trying to keep her distance long enough for Haineko to eat through the [Iron Dragon's Scales].
Unfortunately for Rangiku, the scales of an iron dragon were much stronger than she expected. And during a moment of inattention, she was struck on the right leg by one of Gajeel's [Iron Dragon Clubs]. As a result, she was slowed down enough that Gajeel was able to close in and end the match. Though, he was quite annoyed that he was unable to use his [Iron Dragon's Roar] throughout the match because of the swirling dust that Rangiku controlled, fearing that it would end up in his mouth when he opened it.
The third match was a bit out of the ordinary, as it featured a wizard who had also competed in the earlier game. However, Loli assured that it was because the game was not nearly as taxing as the others, thanks to being substituted by the Magic Power Finder event.
So, Orga Nanagear of Sabertooth was set to face off against Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail C. Unfortunately, this match was not nearly as close as the previous two. Instead, Erza [Requipped] into her [Black Wing Armor] and blitzed Orga before he could even cast a single spell. She then struck him with the flat of her blade, sending him flying before he was imbedded into the arena's separating wall.
And the last battle of the day was also one without much suspense. It was between Ur Milkovich of Fairy Tail A and Might Guy of Quatro Cerberus.
Unfortunately for Guy, despite how strong he was, especially with the ability to open the [Eight Inner Gates], Ur was just out of his league. Not to say that Ur even gave him a chance to open even the first [Inner Gate]. Because as soon as the match started, Ur froze the entire arena and everything in it. And that, naturally, included Guy.
So, before ten seconds even passed, Ur was declared the winner. She then unfroze the arena and made her way back to her seat. At the same time, the Grand Magic Games staff, wearing heavy Winter clothing, came out to help Guy to the infirmary to make sure he was not too badly affected by the sudden drop in temperature.
{"And that will end the day's proceedings."} Loli said, a smile audible in his tone. {"We're drawing close to the end of yet another Grand Magic Games, aren't we?"}
{"We are."} Yajima replied. {"And although it's always sad to know that a good thing will come to an end, I'm still looking forward to seeing how things will turn out in the end."}
{"The feeling is mutual."} Loli said. He then turned to Jason, who was still snapping pictures of everything he could see. {"And we'd like to thank you for being here with us today, Jason. Any parting words for the audience?"}
{"So cool! So cool! So cool~~~~~!"} Jason replied excitedly.
{"Truly profound words of wisdom."} Loli said, clearly tired of Jason's limited vocabulary by this point. {"Well then, let's take one last look at the scoreboard before we sign off for the day."}
{Grand Magic Games Overall Scoreboard
Rank Team Score
Fairy Tail A 55 Pts. Fairy Tail C 46 Pts. Fairy Tail B 40 Pts. Mermaid Heel 31 Pts. Quatro Cerberus 19 Pts. Sabertooth 15 Pts. Lamia Scale 15 Pts. Blue Pegasus 12 Pts.}
With that, another day of the Grand Magic Games ended, and everyone headed out of the Domus Flau. This time, however, Mavis did not require everyone to return to the hotel first. Instead, she let them loose at the Domus Flau's entrance. However, there were a few people who did not go out to have fun.
First among them was Alfonzo, who still had work to do on the device that would get Future lucy and Future Rogue back to where they belonged. Next were Irene and Mavis, who decided they would relax at the hotel and share a bottle of wine. And finally, Brandish, who also decided to return to the hotel. Though, her reason for doing so was not quite as innocent as the others.
"How am I supposed to help him relax if Ai is always with him?" Brandish asked herself while monitoring the office where Alfonzo and Ai were working with her [Magic Power Detection]. "I mean, sure. I may not mind watching. But am I okay with being watched?"
["You probably are."] Hecatoncheires replied from Brandish's inner world. ["But even more important than that, maybe you should… Oh, I don't' know… Try telling him how you feel first! Or do you intend to be a harlot to the very end? It's bad enough how you dress. At least have some decency in this regard, please?"]
Unfortunately, as loudly as Hecatoncheires was shouting at her, Brandish was too lost in her own thoughts to even notice. Though, her [Soul Armament Spirit] was correct. Through all her thoughts of moving forward, she had forgotten something so simple.
Meanwhile, in the owner's office, Alfonzo, while working with Ai, could not help but smile awkwardly.
"Is she just gonna keep watching me like that?" Alfonzo asked while performing some calculations. "I mean, seriously, if she's got something to say, she can just say it, right?"
"That's not always as easy as you make it out to be, Master Alfonzo." Ai replied while performing several calculations of her own using the [Archive Magic] she learned from Alfonzo. "Not everyone is so outspoken as you and many of the others in Fairy Tail."
"*Sigh* I guess you're right." Alfonzo replied while shaking his head. "I've been around them so long, I forgot that most people's brains have some kind of filter."
Ai could only giggle lightly in response.
"As for Miss Brandish, I know you're waiting for her to tell you how she feels herself, but perhaps you should take the initiative in this case." Ai said in a considerate tone. "Based on her upbringing in the Alvarez Empire, I doubt she has the same sensibilities as the rest of us from Ishgar."
"You know, I really don't think where she was raised as anything to do with it." Alfonzo said with a smile. "It's more like who she was raised by. And with people like Irene, the old man Irene talked about, August, and the other Spriggans bringing her up, it's no wonder she's lacking in common sense."
"I don't' think Lady Irene would take too kindly to that." Ai said, sounding a bit scared to have been witness to a statement like that. "And Heine and Juliet will more than likely be even more angered by such an assessment."
"Yeah, I'm sure you're right." Alfonzo replied with a shrug. "But that doesn't change the fact that it's true. Besides, I'm stronger than all three of them. So, I won't get my ass kicked for saying it."
"For now." Ai muttered to herself.
Alfonzo only shot Ai a quick glance when he heard that.
"Anyway, let's keep working." Alfonzo said. "If possible, I wanna have the device's hardware done by the morning of the fifth. Then, we'll spend all day experimenting on Future Lucy's and Future Rogue's temporal wavelengths to make sure we end up in the right place when we finally use the thing."
"Yes, Master Alfonzo." Ai replied, her tone turning serious as she redoubled her focus on the task at hand.
Like that, the rest of the day passed uneventfully. And soon, the calendar flipped to the next day.
July 4, x791.
{"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back."} Loli said over the broadcast system. {"Today is the last day of solo events in the Grand Magic Games. And after today, the only thing left will be the Grand Magic Game that will decide who will be this year's winners."}
*Cheer~~~~~~~!*
{"But I'm sure talk of an event that won't happen for two days can wait for two days."} Loli continued cheerfully. {"Instead, why don't we throw things to Mato to get the day's game started."}
{"That's probably one of the smartest things I've ever heard you say."} Yajima said, a hint of mischief seeping into his tone.
While all the Lacrima-Vision screens turned on to reveal Mato's image, Loli could only roll his eyes at Yajima's jab. Even so, it did not seem to bother him all that much.
{"Okay, okay, alright, alright!"} Mato said while waving his arms up and down like he was trying to hype up the crowd. {"is everyone ready? If so, let me hear you say, 'Ho~~~~~~~~~~!'"}
"Ho~~~~~~~~~~!" The crowd shouted in response.
{"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!"} Mato continued, his energy reaching a whole new level. {"Then, without further ado, today's game is…."}
Trailing off to build suspense, Mato's image switched to reveal the name of the game as soon as he finished his sentence.
{"Naval Battle."}
And just like that, the teams began to discuss who would be their representatives for this game.
"Well, only two of us can go, right?" Marin asked while looking at Sun. "And to be honest, I think this one is right up Sun's alley."
"Can't argue with that. *Yawn~~~*" Alfonzo replied while yawning heavily.
"Seriously, Kid, it wouldn't' kill you to get a good night's sleep, would it?" Ur asked, a bit of chiding in her tone.
"Don't worry about it." Alfonzo said, waving off Ur's concerns dismissively. "Since I don't have to participate in an event, at worst, I'll have to participate in the Battle Round. And if I go all-out from the beginning, I have nothing to worry about."
"Ooh! Juvia's going to play this game." Elicia said, interrupting Ur's lecture while pointing down at the arena. She then turned to Sun. "I agree with Marin and Fonzie, this game seems perfect for you. I can't think of anyone better to join a game called Naval Battle, after all."
Nodding in response, Sun smiled as she stood up from her seat.
"Hey, aren't you going to wait for my opinion?" Ur asked, looking a bit offended that Sun was ready to jump into the game even though she hadn't said anything.
"You were gonna say the same as the rest of us, anyway." Elicia said while rolling her eyes. "Besides, you're not even the leader of the team, Fonzie is. And he already said something."
Elicia's rebuttal actually brought Ur up short for words.
"Sorry, sometimes I forget that I'm not the guild master anymore." Ur replied while smiling sheepishly and rubbing the back of her head. "I mean, don't' get me wrong, I don't regret giving that spot to Mavis. But you get used to it, you know?"
Sun only turned around to hug Ur in response. She then hugged the rest of the team, giving Alfonzo a kiss on the cheek, as well. Then, she, too, jumped into the arena.
Meanwhile, the other teams made their decisions, as well. Mirajane from Fairy Tail B, Kagura of Mermaid Heel, Minerva of Sabertooth, Lyon of Lamia Scale, Jenny of Blue Pegasus, and Ikkaku of Quatro Cerberus eventually joined Sun and Juvia in the arena, with Lyon immediately sprinting over to Juvia and trying to convince her to leave Gray and give him a chance while she thoroughly ignored his attempts.
{"Now that all the players have been chosen, I'll explain the rules of the game."} Mato said, drawing attention to the Lacrima-Vision screens.