Control

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The pounding of one's heart could be heard all the way down the corridor. The five selected Fairy Tail members walked down the stone floor into the sunlight of the open arena. Their hearts were as hard as steel and their eyes held glares as cold as ice. Natsu's absence was a shock to the entire crowd as well as the other teams. Most of them saw this as a good chance to beat Fairy Tail.

However, Sabertooth knew better.

They knew that with Natsu's replacement, even they would have a tough time winning. Sting stared at their group with what could only be described as regret. Fairy Tail could only glare at the male after hearing what he had said to Rin the day before. Although she was the most angered by the situation, Rin was the only one in the group that held their composure.

"He's mine. Don't forget it," she told her teammates. They nodded and somewhat backed off.

"Alright! The Grand Magic Games has reached its climax at last! I'll announce the current standings." As Chapati talked, the sound drowned out of both Rin's and Sting's ears as they locked eyes. The scenery around them faded and left them alone in a dark abyss.

The blonde male mouthed an apology toward the girl but she remained indifferent. She didn't answer or ignore. I'm gonna make him hurt in more ways than one.

"And for this final battle, the battlefield is the entire city of Crocus-kabo!" Team Fairy Tail stood by the statue of a lion and circled around Erza so she could give a final speech before the game began.

"Listen. We have no choice but to win to get Lucy back."

"We also have to win for the guys that waited for us for seven years." Laxus glanced down at the brunette female who stared coldly at the ground.

"We've selected Rin as our leader of the group. If worst comes to worst, you let loose and win the games for us." Rin stared at the redhead blankly.

"I doubt that'll be necessary. You guys are stronger than any of the opponents out there. When I finish with the targets Mavis gave me, I'll add support to your battles."

"Everyone, follow the plan."

"Roger that," Rin said as she stepped toward the group. The timer for the start of the game was seconds from ringing. Fairy Tail lined up side by side and took a collective deep breath. Their eyes fell shut and all their nervousness washed away. Saving Lucy was their top priority, but winning for the guild's pride set them in gear.

A large explosion sounded from the arena followed by gongs, signaling that the game had commenced.

It had been a few minutes since the game started, but Fairy Tail still remained glued in their spots. There was a serene aura surrounding them as they collected their thoughts. What people didn't know, except maybe a few Sabertooth members that were familiar with the feeling, was that Rin was spreading her magic over the entire city.

Other teams began finding themselves in battles and began racking up points while Fairy Tail remained at their starting point. Sting ran around in search of easy targets and even ended up stealing points from Bacchus of Quatro Puppy. He had flown down from the sky and landed a powerful punch to the man's back, knocking him unconscious against the cobblestone ground. His expression was eerily serious, the complete opposite of what it had been in the days before.

With his victory, he earned Sabertooth five points which brought them to first place. He would fight and do anything to win if it meant getting Lector back. However, he chose to retreat when Kagura made a showing. This left him to find a hiding spot to camp in until it was time to truly fight.

"Their movements, predictions, and results, locations... It's all gone according to my calculations." After hearing Mavis's voice in their heads, Fairy Tail opened their eyes one by one: Gajeel, Rin, Gray, Laxus and finally Erza. "Lead your comrades to victory... That's my war. Begin Operation: Fairy Star!"