The whole arena was confused upon seeing the participating members of Raven Tail scattered across the arena. Each members looked like they have been beaten badly by a very powerful magic.
And that really is what happened. The confusing battle of Laxus and Alexei was actually just an illusion created by the Raven Tail guild master Ivan Dreyar, who for some reason is one of the beaten people on the arena. The surrounding council guards did not hesitate to arrest the said guild master for disobeying the strict rules of the prestigious games. Soon came the announcement for the disqualification of Raven Tail and their right to participate in the annual Grand Magic Games was revoked for the next few years.
Of course, most of the spectators are delighted by the decision of the administration because they were not exactly a fan of the former dark guild and their refusal to display sportsmanship. However, one mage in particular was very frustrated of the current developments. That person is no other than Natsu Dragneel.
"You selfish bastard, Laxus! You hogged all the fun in beating the shit out of them!"
While the other Fairy Tail members just laughed it off, this sudden outburst of his inspired both Gray and Gajeel, the two other fight-obsessed mages, to do the same. Of course their anger is somewhat justified for them because they just can't accept that someone else has all the fun in beating Raven Tail by himself.
However, right beside Natsu, Juvia was giggling happily. It wasn't only because their team once again scored high, but for some other reasons. "Fufufu."
"Hey, what are you laughing at, Juvia?"
"You know what this means, right, Natsu-kun?"
Natsu stopped for a moment, trying to guess what Juvia was laughing at. Sure, she has any reason to be joyful about the outcome of the games, But for some reason, her laughter was not about his antics. It was a sly one like she just won a bet...
"No, you don't!" he exclaimed.
"Juvia beat a Raven Tail member during the first game, right? Now that Raven Tail is out of the games, our bet is now over with Juvia having a score of one while you have zero!" Juvia then smiled proudly on her victory.
"Aah! You're right! I'm so gonna punch Laxus when he gets here!"
Mira noticed that Natsu and Juvia shared a somewhat inside conversation. Although she kinda likes the development between them, she was curious of what they were talking about. That is why she snuck up to the two opposite element mages and clung to each other's shoulders, surprising both of them.
"Eh, you two are sharing jokes to yourself, huh? Let me join too!"
And just as what Mira expected, both Natsu and Juvia immediately turned their gazes away from each other with a flushed cheeks. For her, teasing potential couples are very fun to do.
"N-Nothing, Mira-san. We just had a bet on who had more wins against Raven Tail members." Juvia bashfully explained.
"Judging from what I've heard, it seems that Natsu lost that bet. Am I right?"
With that, Natsu just faced down in embarrassment knowing that the bet was his idea in the first place. He will not say any more words because he knows how bad Mira can get when it comes to teasing.
"Yes, I lost."
However, Mira has a different teasing in mind. It is something that was not really meant for Natsu knowing how dense he is. Mira already have some suspicions about the two of them due to their sudden closeness.
"Hey, don't worry, Natsu. I'm sure you already won something from Juvia." she said close to Natsu's ear while winking to Juvia.
"What was tha-"
But before he could ask what was that all about, Mira already left them and went to their guildmates like nothing happened. She wasn't really a fan of forcing them to confess on the spot. Rather, she wants to tease them little by little in proportional to how she sees the couple's relationship have been progressing.
...
Both Natsu and Juvia were somewhat bored upon leaving the arena. Sure, they have tons of fun watching the fights of Erza and Wendy. However, it was a different experience altogether of they were the ones who fought. Yes, during the three straight months of practically living together with Natsu, Juvia has acquired some of Natsu's love for battle and the excitement it brings.
While the three of them sat on a bench at a park, Juvia decided to break the silence.
"So Natsu, about the bet-"
"Huh? What bet? We haven't really decided about betting, you know?" Natsu decided to act ignorant about it but to no avail.
"I decided that I want to spar with you tonight using your original magic." she demanded.
"Hey, it's not fair- Oh," he then paused, thinking about her demand which is kinda on his favor instead of hers. "Oh that's great, Juvia! I was actually planning on asking you that later!"
It works for both of them because they both have been itching for a good fight this whole day. It doesn't help that they didn't got the chance to fight all out ever since they left the beach and went here for the games. Natsu's fight with Jura is a close call but they both haven't managed to reach their full strength before their fight was halted. Juvia is having it much worse because she haven't got to "fight" at all since the "Hidden" event wasn't really all about the fighting.
"Oh, before you have your steamy session, it's probably for the best if we get Wendy to watch you guys just in case you go overboard." Happy suggested, knowing how bad these two can get after their sparring. It's for the best if they have a healer around.
Natsu just nodded, also thinking that it is a good idea. Juvia, however, somehow got her focus on the steamy session part that she went speechless and with a flushed cheeks. Thanks to her target of affection being as dense as a rock, she is safe for now.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go to Wendy now!" said Natsu as he began running towards the bar where the guild members are gathered.
This snapped Juvia out of her trance and just went along with Natsu who is practically dragging her along while holding her hand.
Moments like this are what made her fall for Natsu because everything feels so natural to them. She wasn't really expecting to fall in love with him because if she's really being honest, her first impression of Natsu was actually about him being a stupid man-child. Now, he is her target of affection and a very trusted friend.
That's why she decided not to do her creepy and forceful display of affection to him, thinking that just being herself will do just fine. However, she is actually worried that she might end up taking him for granted because it seemed that everything is working too well for her.
Unbeknownst to her, Natsu was also thinking of the same thing. He didn't really took much effort to make Juvia happy, yet somehow, he can easily tell that she's been happy. She's also way too kind than others are to him, in which it made him worry that he might get too used to it to a point where he would take her for granted.
Because they are both fast runners, their train of thoughts are immediately stopped when they arrived at the bar. They then looked for Wendy who's currently alone at a table for some reason. Due to their excitement for the upcoming fight of theirs, they almost forgot that Wendy did lost her match today, hence the somewhat gloomy expression on her face right now.
"Yo, Wendy!" Natsu greeted her.
"Oh, hello Natsu-san, Juvia-san, and Happy."
Upon receiving her greeting, they sat on the table with her. They just can't stand watching her being alone on a table just because she's the only one here who doesn't drink alcohol. It also doesn't help that Carla is nowhere in sight.
"Uh Wendy, can we ask you a favor for something?" Natsu asked as he urged Wendy to come closer to her to whisper his favor.
"Sure, what is it?" she replied while moving close to him.
"Juvia and I planned to have a sparring match outside of the city tonight. I'm asking if you and Happy could watch over us in case we go overboard Also, can you please keep this a secret to everyone. It was already bad enough that I stormed the Sabertooth inn last night." Natsu whispered with an excited look on his face.
"Eh? I mean, sure. I'll only tell Carla about it." she then stood up with also a somewhat excited expression then rushed towards the bathroom where Carla is probably in right now.
While waiting, Juvia ordered a lot of food at the bar, with more than half of it are for Natsu only. They plan to eat first before they go and fight to their heart's content. Normally, it is a terrible idea to have one's stomach full before engaging in any sort of combat. However, they just seem to have gotten used to it because of the very huge amount of energy they spend during fighting.
When both Wendy and Carla arrive back to them, they were surprised on the amount of food on their table. Well, they were aware of how much Natsu eats but the food currently in front of the table are way past their expectations.
"Um, Juvia-san, what's with the food?" Wendy asked.
"As thanks for helping us, we decided to treat you for dinner. As for the amount of food here, Juvia is confident that we can finish them all in one sitting." she replied then continued eating in a much more civilized manner than the man beside her.
"Thank you for the food." the two said as they sat down and joined the three.
The However, only the people who really know Natsu would know what would happen next if they saw him eating this much. This time, it was Erza who saw him. With that, she approached the group who were preoccupied with the huge meal in front of them.
"So Natsu, don't tell me that you going to the Sabertooth inn again." Erza inquired.
Upon hearing her, Natsu panicked a bit. He wasn't sure if what they were about to do is something that she allows.
"Ah not this time, me and Juvia are having a sparring match later tonight because we're bored that we didn't get to fight- You didn't hear that."
Carla facepalms upon hearing his slip of the tongue while the rest looked a bit panicked. However, their face relaxed when they saw Erza who's also relaxing her face. At least now they know that they are on the clear.
"Don't worry, that much is allowed. However, I will be watching the two of you so that you won't get overboard. We can't really afford to have you injured for tomorrow."
...
The group finally arrived at a clearing far from the main gate of the Crocus. While the rest kept their distance due to Happy's advice, Natsu and Juvia too their stances, preparing for the upcoming fight.
"Remember Natsu-kun, you only get to use your Fire Dragon Slayer magic." she reminded her opponent.
"Well, not that it matters much to me since it's my strongest magic. Bring it on, Juvia!"
At their signal, Natsu powered up by lighting his hands into his blood red flames while Juvia made the first move by launching a few but strong blasts made of water. He successfully deflected all of the attacks, only to find out that Juvia was already in front of him and is preparing for a punch of pressurized water.
When Juvia launched her attack, it didn't managed to connect as Natsu immediately used his Flame Body to avoid the physical attack. He then materialized back to his normal body to launch a counterattack. However, Juvia also did the same by using her Water Body, only this time, she moved away to gain some distance.
Aside from Happy, everyone else who were watching are amazed of the speed of their fight. Everything was happening so fast that for an untrained eye, they would only see strong splashes of fire and water along with the slight tremors after every impact. There were no announcement of their attack names, just a straight up battle of people who meant business.
"So this is their current power, huh? It's better than I expected." Carla commented.
"Yeah right, Natsu-san and Juvia-san are awesome!" Wendy added who is enjoying the battle in front of her. It was actually kind of rare to see her being engrossed in a fight. That is because she is aware that the fight she is currently watching is a friendly one.
"I must say, even if they didn't join us in unlocking our second origin, they're doing very well." Erza also commented.
"Well, you guys need to brace yourselves when they get serious." Happy casually said while still munching on a fish.
"Wait, they're not even serious yet?" thought the other three who were watching the fight. Erza was already amazed upon seeing Natsu fight to a tie with Jura using only his non-primary magic. However, this red flames of his felt already stronger than all of those. And with that somehow, Juvia is still keeping up with him like they were just playing around.
Natsu paused for a bit while staring at Juvia from a distance. "What if we kick things up a bit higher, don't you agree?"
"Couldn't have worded it better, Natsu-kun!"
In an instant, Natsu found himself surrounded in a suffocating mist. Fully knowing that Juvia is currently one with the mist, he heightened his senses, trying to predict where would she be attacking from.
However, instead of launching one Water Ray one at a time, she fired them all around Natsu. Each of them were able to create huge craters if they were to hit the ground. He was left with no choice but to block and deflect some of it while taking the hit for the others. It doesn't really help that the attacks he evaporated are now thickening the mist that is trying to suffocate him.
"Haa!"
To escape Juvia's mist trap, Natsu exploded his flaming aura. The huge burst of flames blasted Juvia as she was forced to drop out of her mist form and was knocked back to several meters away.
The two paused for a bit while staring at each other, taking whatever time they have to rest up after the intense burst of magic power they released.
That didn't last long as Natsu already launched himself, taking the lead in the offensive this time. He delivered multiple punches and kicks, each with enough power to demolish a building with a single hit. Juvia was also attacking with her hands and feet cloaked in pressurized water and ice, delivering the same destructive power as that of his.
Erza immediately noticed Juvia's usage of ice and wondered how did she mastered another element in just three months. To know more about it, she turned towards Happy for some explanations.
"Happy, how is Juvia able to use ice here?"
"Eh? It's simple. Due to her mastery of Water magic, she can now effectively switch between its three states. That is the reason why she can control ice, along with the liquid and gaseous water." Happy explained.
That made Erza realize how much effort they have exerted to achieve the power they have right now. Sure, there's a shortcut towards power by the help of Ultear unlocking their second origin. However, the overall fighting ability the two demonstrated that is achieved through sheer training and battle experience really is unrivaled.
She is certain that if Natsu and Juvia were there during the unlocking of their second origin, these two will definitely become a monster in power, though she doubt that they were willing to take the shortcut.
Back to the two fighters, the area around them should have turned into something similar to that of a volcano crater. Surprisingly, the damage was kept to a minimum. Still, this didn't stop them from fighting with devastating attacks as they took off to the sky, gaining more freedom to launch their more powerful attacks that would seriously damage their surroundings if they were to stay grounded.
Now that they were airborne, the spectators cannot clearly see what is happening anymore as all they see is practically a red thunderstorm, only having fire instead of lightning. However, they can still feel the intensity of the battle as every strike sends out a loud sound similar to a thunder.
Both Wendy and Carla started to become afraid of the terrifying sight above them as they went to Erza's back. Erza noticed this and although as much as she enjoy watching the fight, it has to end.
"You two, stop your fight right this instant!" she shouted, making sure that it is loud enough to reach the two mages above.
Natsu and Juvia heard her as they stopped charging their attacks and just let them dissipate into thin air. Deactivating their elemental body, they slowly descend back to the ground. They then excitedly went towards their spectators while a satisfied smile on their faces.
"I'll heal you both, Natsu-san and Juvia-san!" Wendy rushed in to heal their surprisingly minor injuries.
"Oh, thanks Wendy!". They then turned towards everyone. "So, how was our performance?"
"How? I thought you were going to destroy the whole city!" Carla complained.
"Eh, but we didn't really destroy anything." Natsu replied, looking around just to make sure that they really didn't destroy anything significant.
"I must say, your performances surpasses any expectations I had for the both of you. Although there's one thing I noticed. Natsu, I thought you were only going to use your regular Fire Dragon Slayer magic. What was that red flame all about?" Erza asked.
Natsu was confused for a second before understanding what her question was all about.
"Ah, well, it happened while I was experimenting with the Fire God Slayer magic. I thought that I could recreate the black flames if I try hard enough to concentrate my regular flames. After I successfully recreated the black flames, I still practiced the red flames because they were kinda stronger than my regular flames. Before I know it, I got too used to the more concentrated red flames and just became my default flames for my Fire Dragon Slayer magic."
Wendy carefully listened to Natsu's not-so-sure explanation, hoping to do the same with her own Dragon Slayer magic. After all, most of her fighting style is based on his own.
"Impressive. Maybe I should start training with you guys to catch up." Erza stated which caught all of them in surprise.
"I want to join too!" Wendy added.
Erza is considered to be one of the most powerful mage of the guild and they are aware of how they're outclassed. However, hearing the woman herself saying that she is inferior to them felt very confusing.
"Did I hear you right? We're stronger than you?" Natsu asked.
"In raw power, yes, I'm sure of it. Though the only method of testing real fighting capability is through a fight."
"That's just making me want to fight you right now just to confirm it!"
"Well, you may confirm it after the games. I promise." Erza replied, knowing that he would pester her until she gives in and schedule up a fight.
However, instead of being annoyed, Erza was actually delighted of their improvements. She is well aware that it's only a matter of time before Natsu surpasses her. It was also expected for his training partner Juvia. During their fight at the S class trials, Juvia shown her her great potential in both magic strength and fighting discipline.
"Well, that's great and all but please do something with your clothes." Carla interjected.
Juvia and Natsu both looked at their ruined outfits. Natsu only has his tattered pants and his undamaged scarf while Juvia's remaining clothes were a sports bra and cycling shorts under her tattered skirt.
"Oh well, Juvia guessed it would be weird going back to the inn like this."
"I got it covered, Juvia." replied Erza.
She then requipped her folded white sleeveless blouse and blue skirt to her hands. She handed them to Juvia for her to wear temporarily until they arrive back to the inn. Natsu and Happy already knew what to do as they turned away from Juvia who is about to change her clothes.
"Juvia thanks you for these."
"No problem. How about you Natsu, you also want a change of clothes? I still have your supposed uniform for the Grand Magic Games, you know?"
He was about to accept the offer. However, Gajeel's purple outfit flashes through his mind and by judging how ridiculous and uncomfortable it looked, he assumed that his was not too different.
"Nah, I'm good." Natsu immediately replied.
Satisfied with the fight, all six of them decided to go back to the inn. Although they have already quenched their thirst for battle today, both Natsu and Juvia were still hoping that they get to fight tomorrow.
...
A/N: This is just my opinion but I think the combination of sports bra and cycling shorts looks both sexy and badass.