Fairy Tail: Metal and Threads

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Crocus. 

July 6, x790. 

"Get ready, Rufus." Minerva said, sounding a little absent minded as she issued orders for her team. "As soon as the event starts, I want you to use it immediately." 

"Understood, Princess." Rufus replied while raising his hands and placing his index and middle fingers against his temples. 

*Buzz~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!* 

Not even a second later, the sound of the buzzer that signified the beginning of the Grand Magic Game rang out over the recreation of Shirotsume Town. Meanwhile, Rufus had used his [Memory-Make Magic to remember the positions of everyone in the event grounds. 

"[Memory-Make: A Night of Falling Stars]." Rufus chanted as his magic power swelled. 

In the next instant, Rufus was engulfed by a pillar of white light, which was created with [Lightning Magic]. Then, when the pillar reached its zenith, it split into seven beams of light, each aimed at one of the competing teams. 

*Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!* 

In response, most of the other teams were able to avoid the incoming attack with little issue. However, Twilight Ogre was not so lucky or skilled as the others. As a result, their whole team was struck by Rufus' spell, falling unconscious. Then, after only a moment, they were all engulfed in particles of light before being transported from the Shirotsume recreation into the Domus Flau's medical wing to receive medical attention. 

Team Fairy Tail reacted differently, as well. Instead of moving to avoid the incoming beam of [Lightning Magic], Alfonzo raised a barrier that sent the beam back from whence it came. 

"Watch out!" Orga shouted as he stepped in front of Rufus. He then opened his mouth wide and inhaled. 

*Slurp~~~~~~~~~~!* 

With that, Rufus' spell was nullified by Orga, who, as a Lightning God Slayer Wizard, was able to consume the [Lightning Magic], giving himself a little boost in the process of keeping his team safe. 

"Damn! Look at dude go!" An amused voice, amplified by magic power, sounded over the entirety of the Shirotsume recreation. "I bet he could suck a softball through a straw!" 

When everyone heard that, the remaining contestants all fell silent for a short time. However, those who were more easily amused could not help snorting out a peel of short laughter. As for the crowd outside of the arena... 

"Hahahahahahaha!" 

Those who understood the joke burst into raucous, uproarious laughter. At the same time, all the other Slayer-type wizards in the audience felt a bit of secondhand embarrassment on Orga's behalf. And Alfonzo, the one who made that joke, was lucky that he did not see either Wendy, a Sky Dragon Slayer, or Sherria of Lamia Scale, a Sky god Slayer, after making that joke. Because the cute pouts they put on would have almost made his heart stop. 

Meanwhile, back in the arena... 

"Damn that guy!" Orga shouted angrily. "I'll make that guy pay for insulting me again." 

"No, we'll follow the plan." Minerva replied sharply. "We're here to win. Not to settle personal grudges. You can think about that after we've gained victory. Do I make myself clear?" 

"Yes, Princess." Orga replied, shaking slightly in fear from Minerva's intensity. 

"Good." Minerva replied. "Then, I want each of you to split into teams of two and start taking down the other wizards. Now, go!" 

With that, Sting and Rogue left the central plaza in one direction while Rufus and Orga left in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, Minerva fell into contemplation while watching her team mates leave. 

'I truly hope we can come out on top in this event.' Minerva thought to herself. 'Otherwise, I don't know what father will do. But I've seen enough... had enough of his abuse. And I won't stand for it any more should it come to that. I just wish there was a way to stop it without betraying the guild...' 

Meanwhile, like the members of Team Sabertooth, the other guild teams had also split up and started moving around the town to find opponents. And the first to find an opponent was naturally the fastest of all the contestants who were on the move, Yoruichi. And she made her way to find the only person who could match her in terms of speed, Alfonzo. 

"I didn't expect you to just be standing here and waiting for someone to show up." Yoruichi said as she landed on the roof of the Everlue Mansion recreation. "I thought you would be out there terrorizing the members of Sabertooth." 

"Nah, that's too easy." Alfonzo replied casually while shrugging his shoulders. "I decided I'd let the girls have some fun. I'm only going to act when attacked in this event." 

"I see... Well then, I guess I'll be..." Yoruichi started to say. Yet, before she could finish, someone else appeared next to her on the roof. "*Sigh* We're going to be the first ones to fight you." 

Yoruichi then turned her head to look at the person who landed next to her. 

"Bumble Bee, what are you doing here?" Yoruichi asked in an exasperated tone. "We were all supposed to go in different directions, remember?" 

"I know, Lady Yoruichi." Sui-Feng, the newest arrival, replied while glaring at Alfonzo. "But when I noticed you come this way, I knew you would need help. Though it pains me to admit it, no one taking part in this year's Grand magic Games is a match for him alone." 

"Oh, it looks like someone has grown up a little, huh?" Alfonzo asked with a smirk on his face. "Well, I guess that re-education did wonders for you, didn't it?" 

The sound of Sui-Feng gritting her teeth was audible to everyone in the Domus Flau thanks to the broadcast through the lacrima-Vision screens. 

"We can talk about you not following orders later, Bumble Bee." Yoruichi said, holding back the urge to sigh. "For now, you're right. We'll do our best to take him down quickly before going to get more points." 

"Understood, Lady Yoruichi." Sui-Feng replied. 

In the next instant, both Yoruichi and Sui-Feng flared their magic power. Then, each of their arms and backs were covered in an element, lightning for Yoruichi and wind for Sui-Feng. 

"[Shunko]." The two Mermaid heel wizards chanted in unison. 

At the same time, Alfonzo smiled in anticipation. 

"This is the kind of challenge I've been looking forward to ever since the GMG started." Alfonzo said as he dropped down into a fighting stance while creating a pair of non-conductive Eskrima sticks in his hands. 

Alfonzo then raised his weapons, one to the right side of his head while the other was held out to block in front of his chest. 

*Bang!* *Bang!* 

As soon as Alfonz's weapons were in position, Yoruichi's foot struck the Eskrima stick in front of his chest while Sui-Feng's shin slammed into the one guarding his head. 

"Now this is what the fuck I'm talking about." Alfonzo said with a grin on his face. "[Electromagnetism Magic: Lightning Enhancement]." 

With his chant, Alfonzo was cloaked in violet electricity. Then, he used the added strength his spell gave him to push away his two assailants. After that, he vanished from where he stood and reappeared in front of Sui-Feng with the Eskrima stick in his right hand drawn back to strike. 

Meanwhile, in another corner of the town, Toby and Yuka of Lamia Scale ran into their first opponent in this event. 

"Damn... we ran into one of those monsters from Fairy Tail." Yuka muttered with a slight scowl on his face. 

"Calling me a monster isn't very nice, you know." Marin, the one who Toby and Yuka encountered said with a smile while she tapped the multicolored bracelets on her wrists. She then continued once the bracelets turned into a pair of double-edged kodachi and she gripped the hilts firmly in her hands. "Especially when you run into someone as cute as me. You don't have a girlfriend, do you, Yuka?" 

"That's none of your business." Yuka replied in an annoyed tone. "Come on, Toby, let's get her. We need the points. We don't wanna end up in seventh place at the end of this year's Grand Magic Games, do we?" 

"Right." Toby replied as he extended his fingernails, which were glinting with an ominous purple color while dripping a suspicious liquid of the same color. 

Yet another confrontation was starting in another part of the town. In this area, a tall, bald man with a mustache and a goatee stood off against a man wielding a large sword with a revolver's chamber embedded into the base of the blade and a small boy with pitch black skin, glowing yellow eyes, and wearing a pointed wizard's hat. 

"It looks like the two of you will be my opponents." Jura, the ace of Lamia Scale and a member of the Ten Wizard Saints, said in a peaceful tone while looking at the two wizards from Final Fantasy standing in front of him. "I've been able to see how powerful the two of you are throughout the tournament. But now, I'm looking forward to seeing just how powerful you are for myself." 

"And you'll get the chance to do so." Squall, Final Fantasy's ace said as he raised his gunblade to face Jura. "Vivi, cover me from a distance. And make sure to watch out for his [Earth Magic]. Fromw what we've been able to see, it's rather powerful." 

"I-I understand." Vivi replied in a somewhat nervous tone. 

Despite the nervousness Vivi was clearly feeling, his years of experience as a wizard did not slow down his movements. Instead, it pushed him forward as he flared his magic power and raised his staff to cast the first spell of this confrontation. 

In yet another part of the town, an unlikely duo was moving together. These two were women from Blue Pegasus, Sorano and Karen. And like they always did when they were together, they were constantly bickering while they moved. 

"Even if you're an S-Class wizard, you better not slow me down, got it?" Karen said in an unfriendly tone. 

"*Sigh* You know that won't happen, Karen,." Sorano replied with a smile. "Or did you forget, even with your [Ring Magic], I'm still stronger than you." 

"Whatever." Karen replied. "Just don't---" 

Before Karen could finish, she snapped her head in a certain direction. Then, she smiled dotingly. 

"She's close." Karen whispered, barely loud enough for Sorano, who was right next to her to hear. 

"*Sigh* You're not gonna throw the fight just because it's her, are you?" Sorano asked in an exasperated toen. 

"Of course not." Karen scoffed. "If I did, she would hate me. Though, that might make her punish me even harder than usual." 

"Yeah, because Elicia punishes you all the time, right?" Sorano shot back sarcastically. 

Sorano's response caused Karen to snap her head in her guild mate's direction with a scowl on her face. Meanwhile, the space not too far in front of the two wavered for a moment before revealing Elicia, who was smiling wryly at Karen's ability to detect her despite being cloaked in her [Camouflage magic]. 

"Honestly, I'd like to know just how you saw through my stealth, Karen." Elicia said while scratching her right cheek with her index finger. 

"What good pet can't find their master?" Karen asked with her eyes lighting up as she laid her eyes on Elicia. 

"You know, although it makes me feel sorry for the Celestial Spirits, sometimes I wish I never helped them get free from you.' Elicia said in an awkward tone. "Because if I didn't, I wouldn't have to deal with this crap." 

"But I am quite glad about it, my dear Elicia." Karen said in a fond tone. "Because if you didn't, I would have never opened my eyes to such a wonderful feeling." 

"[Angel Magic: Hammer Angel]." Sorano chanted, interrupting the conversation that was clearly getting more and more awkward for Elicia. 

*Boom!* 

In the next instant, a large, muscular angel wielding a large hammer materialized above Elicia before bringing its hammer down to strike her on the head. The impact was so powerful that a dust cloud was kicked up when the hammer struck the ground. 

"What are you doing, Bitch?" Karen shouted angrily after seeing Sorano's sneak attack. 

"What I'm supposed to be doing, Karen." Sorano shot back. "You can flirt with your master all you want after we're finished here. But for now, fight." 

That snapped Karen back to the here and now. Meanwhile, the dust from the [Hammer Angel's] attack started to settle. However, when it did, Elicia was nowhere to be seen. Though, from the way the angel was wrapped up in threads, it was clear that Elicia had not been idle. 

"Good." Elicia said with a smile as she appeared sitting on the angel's shoulder while swinging her legs in a carefree manner. "I think it's about time to get things started. Don't you?" 

In response, Karen and Sorano both flared their magic power while their expressions turned serious. It was clear that the two women who both had a past with Elicia were ready to show her that they had both grown over the years. 

And just like that, the first four battles in the last event of the Grand Magic Games started.