Ever After

Grand Magic Games: Day 4 (Part 3)

*YOUR POV*

I walked back to the balcony where my new team was waiting, taking my place right next to Erza. I wrapped an arm around her waist as I came up behind her. She jumped slightly, preparing to draw a sword, but relaxed back into me once she realized who it was. "Hey, where were you? That was a long bathroom break." I smiled.

"Yeah, I... I met up with Ashley." I quickly filled my wife in on what had happened. She sighed.

"This corruption sounds familiar, but I can't quite place why. I'll have to think on it. Anyway, you missed the first match!" I swore under my breath.

"I really wanted to see it! Who won?"

"Well, for a while, Kagura didn't fight. It was just Lyon and Yuka against Milliana, until they knocked her out. Then Kagura stepped in and easily took down Yuka. She was a few more seconds from finishing Lyon as well, but time ran out, so it was a draw."

"I wish I could've seen it. Anyway, who's next? It should be..." I paused, thinking over which two guilds hadn't fought yet. "Our guild, and... Sabertooth." I hissed the word, pulling Erza closer. I couldn't shake the feeling of her head on my shoulder, trembling in my arms, her tears soaking my shirt. I clenched my fists, hoping I'd be called so I could make Sabertooth pay for Lucy, Happy, my wife, and even Yukino. They needed to be knocked down a peg. Cheering erupted from the arena and I looked down. Unfortunately, I was not fighting the other guild, but Natsu and Gajeel were. I smiled, but that happy expression quickly faded when I saw their opponents. Sting and Rogue, the notoriously strongest pair in all of Fiore. I knew Natsu and Gajeel were dragon slayers, and worked incredibly well together, but I couldn't get rid of the unsettling feeling in my gut, that something strange would occur. I sighed and turned my focus back to the battlefield.

The pumpkin-headed announcer ran to the exit. "Let the match begin!" he shouted before rapidly exiting, guessing correctly that the two teams would hold nothing back. Sting and Rogue ran towards our guild members, likely assuming the fight would be easy, but were slammed into by Natsu and Gajeel, who sent them flying across the arena. Natsu went after Sting, while Gajeel focused his efforts on Rogue. Sting then cast a spell that shot a white-hot laser at Natsu and Gajeel, who both dodged. While Gajeel was moving, Rogue came up behind him, casting a Shadow Dragon spell, but Gajeel deflected simply by making his arm metal and pushing against Rogue, sending him back across the arena. Natsu flew into Rogue, shoving him back into Sting, and using fire to propel them both back. They stood, staring at Natsu and Gajeel, then began emanating energy, Sting with white and Rogue with black. I felt myself grow nervous; I could tell that the Sabertooth mages were getting serious now. The four mages stood, staring each other down, until Sting launched himself at Natsu, slamming into him with a white-hot fist. Natsu deflected, but Sting began pummeling him at lightning speed, Rogue doing exactly the same thing to Gajeel. As I watched the Sabertooth wizards mercilessly attack my guild mates, perfectly in sync, I prayed for Natsu and Gajeel to at least not suffer the same fate as Lucy.

I watched as Sting hit Natsu, a magic circle appearing on the fire mage's stomach, rendering Natsu immobile. I bit my lip, glancing at Gajeel just in time to see him catch Rogue in midair. I smiled, but then saw Sting charge at Natsu, who simply raised a flaming fist to punch him back. I glanced at his stomach, which was now smoking, and realized he'd burned off the sigil. I grinned in pride, trusting my guild to make a comeback. Natsu and Gajeel launched attack after attack, until Sting gained his footing and began casting a spell with the potential to obliterate the entire arena. I braced for the impact, but it never came. I glanced back at the battlefield and saw Natsu... Who had stopped the attack with one hand. He wasted no time in throwing Sting across the arena as Gajeel did the same to Rogue. The Sabertooth wizards lay on the ground, momentarily motionless, before standing. Sting began emanating white energy as Rogue let off black, just like before. Eventually they stopped, and Sting stepped forward, his face covered in white scales. He had activated the Dragon Force by sheer willpower. I felt myself grow nervous for my guild once more. Sting blasted them into the ground, creating a massive chasm below the arena that they continued fighting in, while we watched on Lacrima-Vision. Sting kept deflecting each attack Natsu and Gajeel threw at him until they were on the ground, motionless. I gripped the balcony. "No!" I cried. "Natsu, Gajeel, get up!" Shouts of agreement came from the balcony, including Levy and Happy. Just as the announcer was going to declare Saberttoth the winner, Natsu and Gajeel got back up, causing loud cheers to erupt from the crowd. But almost immediately, they began arguing, ending in Gajeel going on an unwanted minecart ride. I couldn't help but giggle, even as Natsu faced off with the two strongest Sabertooth mages. Sting and Rogue reactivated Dragon Force, charging at Natsu, but he brushed off each attack as if it were only a tickle. Sting and Rogue then joined hands, casting a unison spell. It flew straight at Natsu, and he made no move to dodge. I froze, realizing he planned to take it, but a brilliant plume of flame erupted from him, hitting the unison attack head on and blowing a hole in the side of the mountain. Dust flew everywhere, but eventually it cleared. Stretched out on the ground were Sting and Rogue, unmoving. And standing in the midst of it all, triumphant, was Natsu Dragneel himself.