Demon and Lion Quarrel[]
"Alright, gonna fight Lucy. Gonna be...fightin' someone I like." Amon said to himself, in a changing room alone, stretching his legs and arms "So, how 'bout we call it quits?".
"How about you man up? I mean, there's no way you can lose to her." Gram said to Amon, pushing him to fight.
"Ugh..." Amon groaned, rubbing his forehead in aggravation "I don't want to fight Lucy though..." Amon sat down on the seat, pondering what to do "I should just quit...".
"Quit?" Lucy peeked from the corner of the door, staring at Amon with a less than pleased look in her eyes "Are you going to drop out of the fight?".
"...Hi." Amon said, awkwardly stuck in a staring contest with Lucy "How long...?".
"Just now. Heard you said "quit", though you referred to our fight." Lucy entered the room "I peeked because I was afraid you were changing. Don't wanna look like a pervert.".
"Funnily, I don't think anyone is using this place..." Amon looked around the place, as it was barren of any signs of previous life in here prior to him coming in.
"So...you gonna drop out of the fight? Which begins in 30 minutes, just to note." Lucy asked Amon, having an unusually intimdating look, despite simply being expressionless, and staring intently at Amon.
"...Yes." Amon admitted, averting his eyes, avoiding any kind of eye contact with Lucy.
"Why?" Lucy crossed her arms, asking Amon.
"Well, the probability of no ill-effect occuring on the battlefield is rather low when you look back at previous battles that have occured in his-...".
"You're afraid to hurt me, aren't you?".
"Yes. I am..." Amon admitted instantly, being quite intimidated by Lucy.
"Hmph!" Lucy puffed her cheeks in irritation, stomping her foot on the ground "You still think I'm just a frail little rabbit after one year? After last time?".
"..." Amon rubbed the back of his head, trying to think of an appropriate response "I'd...imagine not." He knew very well what she referred to. Back when Mira defended Lucy from Thanatos, and beaten her badly, while Lucy was against a wall and terrified.
"I'll be waiting in thirty minutes. Well, 25 now." Lucy said, leaving the room.
"Bet you feel dumb now." Gram said, chuckling, thoroughly amused.
Lucadra sat next to Amon, dressing up in an attire that is very much a copy of his own, black jacket, white shirt, grey pants and black shoes, resting her head on her hand "Y'saw 'er face back then, right? Poor thing was ballin' her eyes out when the other gal stopped breathing.".
"..." Amon stayed silent, grabbing the bandages next to him, beginning to cover his face.
"Oh, ya gonna go with it?" Lucadra sounded quite surprised "Even if you hurt her?".
"...I'll just...not...punch her. There's a ring out, right? I'll grab her, and teleport her outta the ring. Bam, no one gets hurt." Amon said.
"That's a coward's strategy." Kagami appeared on a mirror at the edge of the room "You are a sham. Calling yourself a demon. She's more of a fighter than if you're strategy is as something as silly as that.".
"Okay, first off, you barely pop." Amon noted, standing up, and looking at the clock, seeing he had 10 minutes left "Fuck does time fly so fast...?" Amon said, as if time didn't matter with how fast it moved "Second, that's the best, and I'm goin' with it!".
"I'm sure it'll end up without shit hittin' the fan with your relationship." Lucadra sarcastically said, a smug grin on her face "Good luck.".
Both Amon and Lucy exited onto the arena, standing a fair distance infront of each other, surrounded by a cheering crowd, excited for the upcoming battle. "I wonder if they look forward to seeing me get the shit kicked outta me." Amon thought to himself, seeing how many signs were visible saying "Go, Blondie!", or "Win, Lucy!", though some seemed to only be hoping their mothers would see them on the monitors of their television.
"And here have the final event of the day, a fight between a dark mage from Malice Striker, the Mad Dog, Amon, and between the lovable Fairy Remnant Mage, Lucy Heartfillia." Astrada said, announcing to the audience. "Oh, and today we have a special guest. The hard-working and talented lady, Nanika Samonaito." Astrada introduced Nanika, the lady from yesterday with the reddish hair and glasses, sitting diligently next to her, as the monitors focused on her.
"Hello." Nanika said, as everyone went silent, as if expecting her to say more "...That's all. Do you want a joke? Okay then. What do you call a fat man?" Silence was still present, as people were almost on the edge of their seats "...A morbidly obese man who should probably get checked in the hospital.".
"Okay! Moving on!" Astrada quickly changed the subject before the situation got worse. "Let's have a good battle, shall we? Winner recieves 5 points for their team! Begin!" The cheering return as everyone anxiously awaited the fight.
"Let's see how Amon does against our favourite lil' blondie who isn't Aph." Lamia said, carefully observing. "He doesn't want to fight after all.".
"Think Lucy can win?" Gajeel asked his teammates.
"Lucy can do it, I'm sure! Maybe...?" Levy wasn't so certain in the end, considering she's seen what Amon is capable of "I don't know if one year worth of training can really make that big of a difference.".
"You guys are too negative!" Mira said, appearing miffed with Gajeel and Levy's doubt in Lucy "You just watch! Lucy will win and then we'll all go have cake!" Mira cheerfully exclaimed "Even if the cake here isn't all that hot..." She mumbled under her breath.
"Right!" Lucy pulled out a key from her bag on her belt.
"Get ready!" Amon quickly got ready to teleport the moment Lucy made her move.
"Open! Gate of the Lion! Leo!" Lucy twisted the key in mid-air, as a golden light bursted out of thin air, summoning Loke into the human realm from his world.
"Ready!" Loke declared, remaining a foot infront of Lucy.
"Celestial Cross...!" Lucy began chanting, as her magical aura flared up, and so did Loke's.
"Eh...?" Amon was taken aback, he never saw this spell before. He was caught off guard, one could say.
Loke and Lucy's magic aura began synchronizing, as Loke's solid form began vanishing, turning to raw magic power and entering Lucy's body "Fuse!" A large burst of power erupted, blinding the audience and Amon, but it cleared as quickly as it appeared. And in place of Lucy, stood an amaglamtion of Lucy and Leo the Lion together. Lucy stood, wearing Leo's dark suit, unbuttoned, with a blue shirt underneath, a red tie, in addition to loose black pants, held by a white belt, as well as dark shoes. Her hair was stylized like two ears, becoming notably spikey. And as a cherry on top, she wore clear glasses, very much resembling Loke's, as well as rings adorned on her fingers. "Lion Mode!" Lucy exclaimed.
"...Well, that's a neat look." Amon was further surprised by the fusion.
"Hmph." Lucy charged forth towards Amon, as he braced himself for her attack. Lucy leaped forth, both legs together, pulling back, and kicking the air with both feet at Amon, who blocked with his arm, the clash sending a gust of wind around them.
"Now! Ring o-...!".
"Lion Brilliance!" Lucy gritted her teeth, as a bright light brightened the arena, blinding the entire audience, Amon especially, who was right infront of Lucy, distracting him from his original plan. Lucy landed down infront of Amon, quickly standing up, cocking her arm back, as a golden light coated her fist "Beast King Fist!" Lucy declared, delivering a harsh punch to Amon.
And yet he punched back, while covering his eyes with his other hand, striking Lucy's fist, as a shockwave of light and wind burst from the impact, denting the earth the two stood upon, much to Lucy's shock. "I probably should've told you but..." Amon lowered his hand covering his eyes "I only have one good eye." Amon said, as their fists remained butted.
"Well? No ring out?" Gram sarcastically asked Amon.
"Okay, ow, ow...My knuckles actually hurt!" Amon teleported a fair distance away from Lucy. shaking his hand, rubbing his knuckles "I did not expect any of this.".
"Why didn't you teleport me?" Lucy asked Amon, adjusting her glasses after they had slipped a bit "You could've easily done that, right?".
"...Shit. She's got me." Amon coughed, before speaking again "Because that's too easy." Amon took a stance, clenching both hands to fists, and placing them before him, much like a boxer would "That'll be unfair.".
"Heh." Lucy stomped her foot, as light illuminated from her being "Don't hold back now." Lucy bent her legs, her feet smashing the ground, as she charged forth, tearing the earth, leaving a beam of lightning behind her. "Beast King Fist!" Lucy's fist began illuminating with the golden light of Regulus, shaping itself into a lion's head, bearing its fangs, and its mane being flame-like in appearance.
"Too fast...!" Amon coated his arms in Black Blood, stomping his leg forth in the ground, performing a full right hook with his fist "Black Arms!" At the moment of being half-way through his punch, Lucy was already right infront of his face, with her right fist nearing his face "Black Dart!".
The two connected their fists into each others faces. Amon struck Lucy in her cheek, and so did Lucy, causing both of their heads to look the other way from the sheer force of their punches. There was dead silence from the audience, all who looked in awe at the two combatants standing firmly with a fist in their faces.
"Oh, wow, Amon actually hit her. That's new." Lamia noted "Wonder if this gives him a better change at winning.".
"I wonder if his teeth are still there." Nanaya sarcastically said, wiping her gun, cleaning it.
The two removed their fists from each other's face, standing firmly up, and looking at each other. Amon spat out a tooth, holding it in his hand "Huh..." He stared intently on this one lone tooth in his hand "That's...new.".
"Haha, sorry..." Lucy apologized, rubbing the back of her head.
"Are you two really doing this now?" Loke asked Lucy, talking to ther through an internal space they both share.
"Ah! Right, we should continue our fight, Amon. Don't wanna stall." Lucy said to Amon.
"Hold on." Amon put the tooth in his pocket, and then looked at Lucy's cheek "What about you? No broken teeth?".
"Nah, I'm good." Lucy replied, smiling to show him her teeth are intact.
"Okay. So, on three?".
"They're being awfully casual about this..." Sirius said, finding it rather odd for someone such as Lucy and a criminal like Amon to be chatting so casually in the middle of a battle "What do you think, my Queen?" Sirius turned to Hisui, who was covering her mouth with her hand, and staring at the battle as if carefully analyzing it "...My Queen?".
"Three!" Lucy shouted, as she and Amon immediately continued their battle, beginning to send a barrage of fists from both parties, clashing fists, each time the two fists connecting, sending a small shockwave that further tore the earth they stood on "I'm trying to hit his face and body, but he keeps blocking...He's actually not bad at reading my movement." Lucy thought to herself, rather calmly, the power boost granted by fusing with Leo more than giving her the right to do so.
"That's because you're holding back! Strike harder and faster, Lucy! You can win!" Loke encouraged Lucy, shouting to her.
"Shitshitshitshitshitshit." Amon, however, was panicking "She is faster than I thought!".
"Calm down! You'll slip!" Gram shouted at Amon, trying to keep him focused.
"Shouting won't keep me ca-...!" Amon's mind went blank once he saw Lucy's fist inches away from his face "Oh." The fist connected, striking Amon in the nose, causing him to back up, rubbing his nose in pain "Oh...goddammit, ow!".
"Ah! I'm sorry! I didn't mean t-...!".
"No, no! It's alright! This is a fight!" Amon said, rubbing his nose "Why the hell does getting hit in my house hurt more? Seriously, I just lost a tooth." Amon said, annoyed by the sheer pain "It's like stubbing my pinky toe on the table leg.".
"Oh, that's just the worst." Lucy said, agreeing with Amon.
"Right?!" Amon exclaimed "Let's just, oww...okay, no more holding back. You could've broken my skull. Seriously.".
"Sorry, haha." Lucy apologized once more.
"Okay, okay. One more go. No dilly dally!" Amon said, as the Black Blood covers his arms once more.
"Eh...gimme a minute." Lucy said, beginning to gather energy from the surrounding.
"Hm?" Amon and the audience watched in intrigue as golden energy surrounded Lucy's entire body, being absorbed into her flesh.
"King...Roar." Suddenly, Lucy's body began shifting, becoming larger and more animalistic. Her size grew, even becoming taller than Amon, as golden fur surrounded every inch of her body, tearing her clothes apart. Lucy grew a large golden mane, her legs became elonagted like an animal's, as well as her nails becoming claws, her teeth fangs, and her black pupils became slitted, keeping her brown eye colour, as well as growing a tail. She essentially became a humanoid lion, a werelion, possessing an obvious female body, remaining somewhat slender, despite the size change.
"...Oh." That was the only thing that escaped Amon's mouth, staring at what Lucy has become, as the audience was in utter shock and awe as well.
"What?! Since when can Lucy do that?!" Levy was also shocked.
"The hell?! Did she just turn to a giant cat?!" Gajeel as well.
"Oh dear, she knows Amon could be stronger..." Mira sighed "She's so stubborn...going all out like that. I just hope she doesn't break him...too much.".
"Eh?" Both Levy and Gajeel couldn't help but feel concerned about what Mira said.
"I'm sorry for what will happen in the next...three or so minutes." Lucy said, her voice becoming gargly and deep.
"Oh, no, it's cool. It's uhhh...yeah...".
"Good." Lucy raised her arm upwards, and then lowered her arm down, as if trying to smash Amon. Amon used both arms to block Lucy's attack, managing to block, but his legs became buried in the ground "Hmph!" Lucy pulled her arm back, kicking Amon, the sheer force of her leg sending Amon flying, crashing against a wall.
"Shi-...!" Amon quickly stood back up, but before he could focus on Lucy, she was right behind him "...!".
"Sorry." Lucy illuminated her hand in golden light, keeping an open palm "Regulus Claws!" Lucy struck Amon's back, a blast of five sharp arrows of Regulus light shooting forth and once agian sending him flying, tumbling on the ground, as he quickly regained his footing, managing to avoid severe damage by hardening Black Blood on his back like an armor.
"Guh...! Fuck it!" Amon turned around, clashing his fist with Lucy's, who appeared behind him once more, not holding back this time. The impact of their feasts reaching the barriers, with wind blowing through them and reaching the audience.
"And there goes the nice guy." Lamia said, taking a sip from her coffee mug.
"Aaaah!!!" Amon shouted, clenching his other hand into a fist, preparing to strike Lucy, who roared like an actual lion, as the two locked into a clash of fists once more. The rapid clashing of fists causing a succession of shockwaves to burst, shaking the arena more and more each time. "Black Arms!" Amon prepared an attack, cocking both arms back.
"Beast King...!" Lucy did as well, raising her arm up high.
"Colostethus!" Amon thrusted both arms forth, having the hands meet up together, as they headed towards Lucy's body.
"Fist!" Lucy swiped her arm downwards towards Amon, supposedly aiming for his head, as the Regulus light formed into a lion's head once more, a loud roar deafening the audience.
The two attacks clashed, resulting in an explosion, primarily triggered by Lucy's Beast King Fist, being utilized with even more power than before. The explosion's light blinded the audience, and became visible from almost all over the city, its bright light catching the attention of hundreds of citizens.
"D-...Do we have a winner?!" Astrada looked around, but only saw smoke "Who is it?! Who's our winner?!".
"I bet it's the turtle." Nanika casually said.
"What...?" Nanika's nonsense was quickly ignored when the dust subsided, revealing the two combatants still standing.
"Gah..." Amon's shirt and jacket were tattered badly, standing in a deep crater with Lucy.
"Blergh..." Lucy rubbed her shoulder in pain "So...?".
"..." Amon looked away, avoiding eye contact with Lucy for a moment, before looking back "I give up. You win.".
"Awww..." Lucy seemed disappointed "That doesn't feel like a real victory.".
"Yeah, I'm five words away from a rest in a bed, and I think it'd be nice." Amon said to Lucy "But hey, you earned it.".
"And our winner is Lucy Heartfillia! The Gold Lion!" Astrada announced, followed by an applaude from the audience, cheering for Lucy.
"She won!" Levy and Gajeel were both surprised by the end result, even after what they had watched.
"I knew the secret training with me would pay off~." Mira said, utterly delighted "Let's reward Lucy with a celebratory party!".
"Whew...I can turn back to normal then. Thanks for the help, Loke." Lucy said, beginning to turn back to normal.
"Wait, Lucy, don't!" Loke warned her however.
"Ah!" Amon quickly grabbed Lucy, teleporting her back into her team's area "Don't just do that! Be careful!".
"Hm?" Lucy was confused as to why Amon seemed angry "Hey, why is it so cold...?".
"Lucy!" Mira quickly covered Lucy with a blanket, covering her naked body, due to her clothing ripping apart because of the transformation "It's a good thing Amon got you here...I would die if all those people saw you naked!".
"Eh?! I was naked?!" Lucy was shocked, covering herself even further with the blanket "Ah, thanks, Amon...".
"Right..." Amon said "Well, I'm off. Great fight, Lucy!" Amon waved goodbye, teleporting away.
"You did great, Lucy." Mira complimented Lucy.
"I wonder how being a cat feels like..." Gajeel pondered to himself.
"That was a lion though..." But Levy was just astounded by his still remaining idiocy.
Amon returned to his team's quarters, expecting to see everyone. Amon coughed, clearing his throat "So, that was fun, right?".
"Eh, I've seen better." Lamia said, brushing off Amon's loss as nothing of importance "If you feel bad about givin' up, it's no biggy. Still, what, day one?".
"You should've crushed her." Juvia, however, was still as cold and harsh as usual.
"We should get ready for the events of tomorrow. The day's over for now." Nanaya said, stretching her arms "Quite honestly, I'd like to go see if I can get anything for Ricky for when we get home.".
"I can get behind that." Amon said, scratching his cheek, noticing his bandages were a bit too loose.
"Ah, if possible, could we perhaps also visit a cafe? I am dying for a good drink." Kiryu said, rubbing his chin "I've heard there is some quality beverages in Carex.".
"Gramps has the right idea. Right, as team leader, I say ya'll get a break." Lamia said, walking towards her grandfather.
"When did we agree you're the one in charge?" Juvia asked Lamia, sounding somewhat miffed.
"Since I got here and said, oh look who's the boss. This gal!" Lamia replied "But seriously though, I need me some caffeine.".
"So, started thinking of excuses." Gram said to Amon.
"Why?".
"Students." Gram simply said, much to Amon's chagrin, he knew he'll need to do a lengthy and well thought out story to convince them.
Second Day - Melody and Blood[]
"Ladies and gentleman! Thank you for coming for the exciting second day of the Grand Magic Games!" Astrada declared, as the crowd cheered in response, excited "For today, we have a special event planned at the half-way point! So look forward to it. But for now, let's begin!".
After that rousing announcement, three, long, drawn out hours were spent on the first event of the day. A game of chess. Six contestants, and three overall games at once. The first two went down rather quick, Chiron against a member of Grey Skull, with Chiron's victory, and Aoba against a cloaked figure from the mysterious Death's Deal, with the former's victory.
And finally, Kiryu himself, against Levy. The last game going on, and due to a lack of a time limit for each turn, each one took their time in deciding their moves, much to everyone else's boredome.
"Ah, here we go." Levy said "You made one flaw..." Despite Levy's next actions, no one paid attention, or had the neccesary motivation to do so. The event was simply to boring, but before anyone knew, Levy had won. "And with that, it's my win!".
Kiryu rubbed his chin, looking at the chess board before him "Oh dear, hahaha! It seems I have indeed lost!" Kiryu chuckled "Well, we did say we'd have a game of chess. I suppose I'm getting too old for these complicated mind games.".
"Nah, you were close to winning! We can play more later, and I can even give you some tips." Levy said to Kiryu.
"Oh, advice? I guess the younger generation can teach the old one still." Kiryu said, agreeing to Levy's offer.
"Huh? Oh? We're done?!" Astrada snapped back into existence after her daydream involving slaying dragons and saving princesses "Everyone, everyone, wake up! It's over, it's over! Yeesh with ya'll." Astrada said, as the audience slowly came back into reality, cheering that the event finally ended.
"Goddammit, this is even more boring than my class..." Sol said, rubbing his eyes.
"You need to appreciate these kinds of games. Not everything can be solved by hitting it." Hemera said, resting her head on her hand "Then again, half of everyone else fell asleep.".
"Eh?" Sol looked around him, seeing that everyone indeed fell asleep "Oh goddammit, really?".
"Right, right. Now for things to be hopefully less boring!" Astrada looked at an envelope, reading it "Ah, yes! The second event is known simply as...The Non-Magic Applied Skill of the Intended Individual what the hell kind of name is this?!" Astrada bursted out mid-sentence about the ridiculous name of the event "Essentially, it's a talent show! No magic is allowed, simply your own raw skill! Employment of magic will be detected via the latest magic sensors created by the scientists of our beautiful world and will be disqualified!".
A stage was constructed in a matter of seconds, using the employment of several earth and wood-based mages, creating the structure quickly. It was a round stage, for the performer to stand in the middle and be seen by all angles by the crowd.
"Oh, shit, talent show." Lamia said, turning her to her group "Who 'ere has a good talent? That doesn't involve magic." Lamia asked everyone.
"Hmm...I have none I can think of." Kiryu replied.
"I can crush the hopes and dreams of anyone by merely telling them the harsh cold truth of their puny existence in the face of the world and my own presence." Juvia replied, casually with a stoic expression, as everyone simply ignored her soon after.
"Oh, I have something." Nanaya raised her hand "I mean, I have no magic anyway, so they can't prove me wrong.".
"Oh? I guess that sett-...".
"No." Amon said, cutting off Lamia "We'll uhh...we'll let Juvia go on! C'mon, it'll be great!".
"...? I don't think that can be considered a likeable talent." Lamia said "We'll just let her get on.".
"Yes, love, it'll be fun." Nana said to Amon "Chin up, I'll win this." Despite saying that, Nanaya knew why Amon wasn't so pleased with the idea of her being the one to perform.
A few minutes passed, as the event officially began, the first one to go on being Tatari, getting on stage, saluting the crowd "Heya! For my trick, I'll use my tail!" Tatari said, sitting down, as she slowly rose up, her tails lifting her body up "Ta-dah!" She slowly removed one of her tails, leaving only one to carry her entire body weight.
The crowd, however, wasn't half as impressed, some people found it fascinating that there was a girl with feline features, but not enough to focus on her act.
"Oh goddammit, this is gonna cost us..." Aoba said, concerned as she watched from her team's quarters.
"Nonsense! Tatari hasn't finished her act yet." Geten pointed out, giddily watching.
"Aaaaand..." Tatari lowered her tail, thus lowering herself as well "Spring~!" With one boost from her tail springing up, Tatari sent herself rocketing up high. The crowd watched in awe as Tatari nearly reached the edge of the barrier, soon beginning to fall back down "Wee~!" Tatari shouted in excitement, as she was about to hit the stage.
"She'll crash!" Aoba shouted in fear.
"No! She won't!".
Tatari spun around in the air, before taking a sitting position mid-fall, and as she landed on the stage, crashed back down on her rear, appearing fine. The crowd was quiet in awe of her act. And as a final bonus, she lifted herself up again with her tail "Ta-dah!".
"...She'll give me a heart attack one day, I swear..." Aoba sighed in relief.
"Hahaha." Geten chuckled "I've known Tatari longer than I knew you, I can assure you, she might look like a clutz, but she won't do something as stupid as hurt herself just for some money.".
"...Still.".
"Lady just fell on her ass and was just fine..." Lamia said, commenting on Tatari's act "I like 'er already.".
"Right." Amon said, sitting down, trying to face the other way from the event.
"You seem rather down, Ira, is there a particular reason?" Kiryu confronted Amon about his behaviour, asking him.
"I'm fine. Just...fine." Amon crossed his arms.
"Oh, Nana's comin' on." Lamia said, as Kiryu and Juvia came closer next to her, watching from the team's quarters' window, seeing the event at full glory.
Nanaya walked on stage, wearing a black strapless dress, nearly reaching to her feet, as well as white high heels. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, as she held a violin case. She walked up to the middle of the stage, crouching down, and opening the case, pulling out the violin, simple in design like any other. Nanaya closed her eyes, her concentration reaching its peak as she placed her violin in the appropriate position around her shoulder. With strong, sharp movements of the hand a vibrant melody was formed. The tempo was rapid, certainly something that one wouldn't expect initially from a violin. But the allure of the tune was very great. It captivated the hearts of her audience, the passion within the music bringing them to life.
Even Lamia, Juvia and Kiryu were admiring the melody, a smile appearing on their faces, while Amon remained seated. He covered his ears, as if trying to block out the melody.
"You can still hear it." Gram said, pointing out how inefficient Amon's strategy is.
"Shut up..." Amon replied, but he could still hear Nana playing the violin.
"You remember what I said about pain?" Lucadra said to Amon, catching his attention, lying down on her back, as an adult "You can let it change you for the better, the worse, or let it hurt you. Your choice. But, if you want to keep that scar fresher than a newborn baby's blood, feel free. I'm not your boss.".
"..." Before Amon had known it, he stopped covering his ears, letting Nana's melody enter his ears, clearly listening to them "It hurts to admit it...".
"You still like her music, don'tcha?" Lucadra teased Amon, grinning at him, as he simply nodded in reply. The music was simply...soothing, calming and beautiful to him. It brought back memories.
As Nanaya finished performing, she took a bow to the audience, each time turning to face a different direction, making sure to meet face to face with all of them, including the Queen herself. The audience soon applauded to Nanaya, clapping and cheering to her, as she left the stage.
"Hmph." Hisui herself gave a round of applause, clapping her hands "That was rather splendid, don't you think so, Sirius?".
"I must admit, for a wanted criminal...she has talent." Sirius reluctantly admitted.
"Maybe I should get you into music lessons. Who knows, you might play the piano well." Hisui said, presumably trying to be humorous.
"...I don't have a knack for instruments though." And Sirius himself wasn't much of a clown.
Nanaya soon returned to her team's quarters, back in her normal attire, complete with her trench coat "Man, it's been years since I last played the violin. Last time was for Ricky's tenth birthday." Nanaya said, stretching her arms "So, how're things?".
"That was a rather spectacular melody." Kiryu said to Nanaya, praising her talent "These old ears of mine have not heard a good song in ages.".
"It was passable." Juvia, however, wasn't going to be honest about her opinion.
"We'll get that money in our hands in no time like this. It'll be a hoot!" Lamia said, rubbing her hands evily.
While Lamia was indulging in her potentially dangerous train of thought, Nanaya walked over to Amon "So, how was it?" Nanaya asked Amon, a smirk emerging on her face.
"It was okay." Amon said, avoiding eye contact with Nanaya.
"Juuuust okay?" She was enjoying bugging Amon about the matter.
"Yes." Amon replied "Now please, stop getting so close..." Amon was beginning to feel out of his comfort zone.
Nanaya giggled, amused by Amon's reactions, sitting down next to him, despite his previous protest "You know, it's the same violin from years ago." Nanaya said to Amon.
"That's great." Amon coldly replied, his dislike for Nanaya was pretty much clear. He didn't try to hide it. "I also kept the bullet hole on my back all these years.".
Nanaya frowned, realizing she wasn't getting any progress with him. She shrugged "Ah well, I tried." Nanaya rested on her back "Wake me up when something interesting happens.".
Almost an hour passed, and almost everyone displayed their own talent. Almost. Those of Death's Deal seemed to have a knack for standing around and calling forth flocks of birds. The others displayed a medium set of skills. Liliana attempted juggling, but no one believed her "air juggling" to be a legit talent. Meanwhile, Gajeel did terribly in his attempt at a musical number, more than likely causing the deafening of over half the crowd. Not like the others did any better.
"Well, that was a great display of skills!" Astrada announced "If I had a fellow announcer with me right now, I'd ask for their opinion, but I have none! Because only my opinion matters right now!" Astrada stroked her ego a bit further, before moving on "Anyhow!" Astrada took a pose "Due to the sheer boredome you've all underwent, we will move on right away! To the battle!" The crowd immediately cheered, excited for something that was actually...eventful.
"Oh, fight already?" Mira was taken aback by the announcement "Seems like they're really pushing this year as more action packed compared to previous years.".
"It's not bad, in hindsight. Keeps an adrenaline rush for the crowd, and makes them want more. If anything, right now, the events are like a bonus." Gajeel said, adding his view on the matter.
"Let's see who fights! Maybe we'll get to win some extra points, since Gajeel lost miserably in the talent show!" Levy said, much to Gajeel's chagrin.
"For this day, our battle for today is...!" A large monitor appeared in few for the entire audience, as two names appeared on it "Ah! An interesting match-up for today! The illusive Kaige, who hasn't appeared at all this entire time, gaining zero points thus far!" Astrada announced, as everyone remembered the mysterious contestant "And once more, the universally hated Amon!".
"Hm?!" Amon immediately rose up from his seat "Again?!".
"I thought this was randomized...guess they're not so original." Lamia sarcastically said "Ah well! Since it's some nobody you don't know, you can easily beat the shit outta 'em." Lamia was very optimistic about the oncoming battle.
"Again?" Hisui was also rather stunned "Not so random is it..." She sounded almost disappointed.
"Oh dear..." Krampus said, standing up "Excuse me, my Queen, but I need to go now.".
"Go? Where to?" Hisui asked Krampus.
"Isn't it obvious?" Krampus walked to the edge of the VIP area "It's my turn to fight.".
"...You're Kaige?" Hisui was leginimately stunned by this revelation.
"I'm sorry for lying." Krampus stood atop the balcony with one foot, leaning forward, crouching down "Shield yourself." As Krampus said that, Sirius quickly got infront of Hisui, creating a wall of blades infront of them to protect her, as Krampus shot forth from the balcony, all the way to the battlefield, passing through the outside of the barrier with each, crashing into the battle ground, leaving a cloud of dust behind.
"W-...What is this?! Has one of the competitors already gotten into the ring so early?!" Astrada tried to see who was in the cloud of dust, as it cleared.
Krampus dusted off his suit, adjusting his tie "Alright, I'm ready." Krampus said, smiling slyly, having a calm expression.