Earth Land, Ishgar, kingdom of Fiore, Crocus.
July 4, x791.
{"Okay, now it's time to get into the nitty gritty of the event."} Mato said as his image appeared on the Lacrima-Vision screens. {"Like I said, this game is called, 'Naval Battle.' And as the name suggests, it will take place in water."}
*Cheer~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!*
Knowing what that meant, most of the males in the audience began to cheer loudly. Even Lyon, who was participating in this event, could not help looking at Juvia with a hungry gaze.
Juvia, on the other hand, after seeing Lyon's gaze, quickly hid behind Sun, not even daring to poke her head out. Meanwhile, Erza had to physically hold Gray back from attacking Lyon with some kind of ice construct. Because if he was allowed to do what he was thinking, there was a good chance that he would be disqualified.
{"And the game will happen right… here."} Mato said as all his images around the Domus Flau pointed to the very center of the arena.
With Mato's declaration, the floor of the arena raised slightly. Then, the two sides peeled backwards, revealing a magic item hidden below the ground. A moment later, the magic item began to light up. Then, it began attracting the moisture in the air towards a point about a hundred fifty feet off the ground, slowly forming a water sphere at the point of convergence.
Seeing the spectacle on display, the crowd was suitably in awe. Meanwhile, Mato continued his explanation.
{"The game will take place in the orb of water that is forming."} Mato said, his images all pointing towards the center of the arena. {"And the point of the game will be to be the last one remaining in the sphere. What that means is, once the sphere has completed its formation, you will all be sent inside. Then, you will fight amongst yourselves to push the other contestants out. Simple right?"}
Mato received nods of understanding from all the competitors.
{"And the order you are forced out of the sphere will determine the number of points your team will receive towards the overall score."} Mato said after receiving the nods from the players. {"But wait! Ther's a catch."}
"Of course, there is." Minerva said as she crossed her arms under her breasts and glared at Mato in the screen directly in front of her.
{"If the game gets to a point where there are only two contestants left in the sphere, a special five-minute timer will start."} Mato continued, completely unbothered by Minerva's glare. {"And should someone be knocked out during those five minutes, the remaining wizard will be declared the winner, while the one knocked out will not receive second place, but last."}
*Gasp!*
Mato's final rule caused the entire stadium to gasp in disbelief. And that did not just include the spectators. Even the wizards participating in the event were taken aback by the twist presented before them.
Because now, they would have to consider even more closely if they were trying to be one of the final two competitors in the event. Because coming in second could be much worse than coming in third in this case.
"Hey, what happens if the two left standing last to the end of the five minutes?" Sun asked while raising her hand like a student.
This time, it was Mato's turn to be caught off guard. To be honest, he had never thought someone would ask that question. But he knew he could not remain silent for long.
{"*cough* Well… If both participants in that situation last more than five minutes, then…"} Mato said, struggling to come up with a reasonable outcome. {"Um… The rules will return to normal. So, the contestant to lose, should the last two last more than five minutes, will receive the normal score for a second place finish."}
Hearing that, Sun nodded in understanding. Though, she had no intention of letting things get to that point.
{"Are there any more questions?"} Mato asked. However, after the players for this game stayed silent for a few seconds, his smile returned. Then, somehow, all of his images on the Lacrima-Vision screens pointed towards the entrance to the arena and he continued.
{"Well then, while the stage for the game is being completed, please head inside and change into something you wouldn't mind getting wet in."} Mato said, a happy, yet lecherous, smile spreading across his face.
"Phrasing!" Alfonzo, Cana, and Rika simultaneously shouted in amused tones from the audience, causing the rest of their guild mates to roll their eyes at their antics.
{"By the time you're all done changing, I'm sure the stage will be ready."} Mato continued without paying any mind to hecklers.
Hearing that, Jenny smiled brightly. Then, she shot a challenging look at Mirajane before striding towards the waiting room.
Knowing what Jenny's gaze meant, Mirajane shook her head before also heading towards the waiting room alongside Sun and Juvia.
Naturally, the other contestants also made their way into the waiting room, as well. And to no one's surprise, when they arrived, it had been separated into two sections, one for men and one for women to change.
"So, what kind of swimsuit did you pack just in case you ended up in a water event?" Sun asked curiously as she went to the locker with her things inside. "I picked something that Fonzie said he would like."
"Juvia picked something that will blow Gray's socks off!" Juvia said energetically as she pulled a sling swimsuit out of her locker that barely covered anything at all."
"Um… I don't think Gray would like to see you in that." Mirajane pointed out as she pulled out a white and red bikini with white ruffles accenting it. "Not with so many other men being able to see it, anyway."
Immediately, Juvia's hands, which were about to start taking off her clothes, came to a stop. She then widened her eyes in horror.
"No! Juvia does not want any other man to see her skin!" Juvia lamented loudly. "What should I do?"
Almost immediately after Juvia's outburst, the sound of a male groaning from the other side of the room could be heard.
"Sounds like Lyon really wanted to see you in that swimsuit." Mirajane said playfully.
"Juvia does not care." Juvia replied bluntly while searching through the rest of her outfits. "His opinion does not matter to Juvia. Only Gray's opinion matters."
*Shatter!*
*Thud!*
This time, the sound of something metaphysical breaking could be heard as the sound of Lyon falling to his knees echoed through the waiting room.
"Good thing Lici told all of us to bring one of these with us." Sun said as she pulled out a cute, frilly one-piece, blue and white swimsuit out of her belongings. "She thought you would get too excited if a water game ever came up and you were chosen to participate."
Hearing that, Juvia finally perked up. She then bolted over to Sun and took the swimsuit from her hands before looking the whole thing over.
"It's perfect." Juvia said with stars in her eyes. "Juvia will thank Lici after she takes first place."
"That's quite the bold declaration." Minerva said, having already changed into a dark blue cheongsam-style one-piece swimsuit. "You shouldn't boast too loudly. Otherwise, you might embarrass yourself."
"Juvia is the master of [Water magic]." Juvia said proudly. "There is no way she could lose. Especially not with Gray watching her."
*Satter!*
Once again, the sound of a heart breaking could be heard throughout the waiting room. But everyone ignored it.
"Stop talking." Jenny, having also changed, now wearing a yellow bikini, said. "Even if I don't' win, I'm definitely going to be the one to get the most attention from the crowd."
All the other ladies, other than Sun, rolled their eyes in response. As for Sun, she just smiled cheerfully as she always does.
Feeling like she had won after not hearing a response, Jenny turned around and headed towards the waiting room's entrance. However, she did not leave the room, intending to enter the arena last.
Meanwhile, the rest of the contestants changed into their swimsuits and headed out, not caring about the order in which they entered the arena.
However, just as expected, all the female contestants received warm welcomes when they entered the arena. And to Jenny's absolute annoyance, the cheers Mirajane received were louder than hers.
{"Now that you're all changed, please make your way into the sphere."} Mato said enthusiastically.
The sphere that was just forming when the players all made their way into the waiting room was now completed. And to everyone's surprise, it was about three hundred feet in diameter, more than large enough for everyone to move around during the game.
Following Mato's instructions, everyone dove into the sphere. Then, they all spread out, taking up locations that gave them as much time as possible to react to any attack that would happen right when the game started.
On a side note, due to the magic item maintaining the sphere, none of the players would have to worry about suffocating or drowning while in the water sphere. Though, no one could explain why that was possible. Instead, if they really wanted to know, they could ask Alfonzo, the one who built it. But anyone who knew him would never do so. His lectures had received a bit of notoriety, after all.
{"Now that everyone is in position, let the game begin!"} Mato shouted, giving the signal to start the game.
Immediately, several of the wizards in the water sphere took action simultaneously. Mirajane used her [Satan Soul] thanks to its ability to use [Water Magic]. Meanwhile, Jenny used her own [Take Over] to equip herself with her vulcan cannons, gatling gun, and Christina's thrusters.
As for Minerva, she set up her [Territory] while Kagura held her sword in front of her. Lyon, on the other hand, made his casting gesture, intending to freeze all the water in the sphere at once. Ikkaku was not idle either, as he released the seal on Hōzukimaru, increasing his strength several times over.
The one everyone, other than Mirajane was most wary of, however, was Juvia. Because as soon as the game started, she began spinning in place, turning her [Water Body] into a violently spinniing whirlpool.
As for Sun, she went mostly unnoticed. Unfortunately, that was a huge mistake. Because while everyone was preparing their spells for combat, she was taking a deep breath.
"[Voice magic: Howling Voice]." Sun chanted with a scream as soon as her lungs were full.
In the next instant, a powerful shockwave spread through the entire spere with Sun's open mouth as the starting point. And before even a second passed, everyone, without exception was holding their ears in pain. Some of them, namely, Lyon, Ikkaku, Jenny, and Juvia, even losing consciousness immediately.
And this was a really unfortunate event for Juvia. Because of her [Water Body], the soundwaves making up Sun's spell hit her even harder than the others. Even if she had enough magic power to fend off an attack like that one under normal circumstances. The fact that she was in the water worked against her this time.
After that, Sun quickly transformed back into her mermaid form. Then, at speeds that not even Juvia could reach under water, she swam around, pushing Juvia, Jenny, Lyon, and Ikkaku out of the sphere in that order, as she just moved from closest opponent to closest opponent.
Sun then took another deep breath and released another [Howling Voice]. And this time, she managed to knock out the other three contestants, as well. Then, instead of swimming to knock out the others, she swam to the middle of the sphere and [Requipped] Kanade into her hands.
"[Sword/Water Compound Magic: Secret Form: Tidal Wave]." Sun chanted as she spun in place, drawing her sword with such force that a current was created sending all three of the other ladies out of the sphere simultaneously.
Meanwhile, neither the crowd nor the commentators had the time to get excited over the beginning of the game. Because in less than fifteen seconds, Sun was the only one remaining in the water sphere.
On a side note, Gozaburo did start cheering for Sun when she drew Kanade to perform [Tidal Wave]. However, before he could get too carried away, because let's be hhonest… of course, he was going to, Ren punched him in the back of his head and knocked him out.
{"Uh… I'm not sure what to say."} Loli said in a dumbfounded tone as Sun's fish tail transformed back into her legs. {"But… I think, wow, just about covers it."}
{"Yeah… That sounds good to me."} Yajima replied, his tone equally as dumbfounded as Loli's.
{"Then, I guess that makes Sun of Fairy Tail Team A the winner of the naval Battle."} Loli said, his tone still just as dumbfounded as before. {'as for the others, I think it looks like we've got another three-way tie for second place. Meanwhile, fifth place goes to Ikkaku of Quatro Cerberus, Lyon of Lamia Scale will take sixth, Jenny of Blue Pegasus will take seventh, and Juvia of Fairy Tail Team C will take last."}
{"Then, let's take a look at the scoreboard to see how the outcome of this game has changed the placements, why don't we?"} Yajima, his wits returning to him, asked as the lacrima-Vision screens changed to show the scoreboard.
{Grand Magic Games Overall Scoreboard
Rank Team Score
Fairy Tail A 65 Pts. Fairy Tail B 48 Pts. Fairy Tail C 46 Pts. Mermaid Heel 39 Pts. Sabertooth 23 Pts. Quatro Cerberus 22 Pts. Lamia Scale 17 Pts. Blue Pegasus 11 Pts.}
{"Well, there were a few changes, indeed."} Loli said after Yajima read out the scores and ranks of the teams. {"But the front runners still have a pretty sizable lead over the others. Though, I'm not sure if anyone will be able to catch up to Fairy Tail Team A. They've been a dominant force ever since the Grand Magic Games started this year."}
{"Once again, only time will tell, Loli."} Yajima said in a wise tone. {We still have the day's Battle Round and the Grand Magic Game in two days. Anything can still happen."}
"You're right, Yajima."} Loli said as he was handed the envelope for the day's battles. {Now, why don't we get to the Battle Round, since I've just been handed the matchups?"}
*Cheer~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!*