A/N: And here it is! Chapter 16!

Still don't own Fairy Tail.

I hope you enjoy the chapter and that you have a happy holiday!

Chapter 16: Strength of Heart and Strength of Fists

July 22nd, X793 - Midday

As the sun began to rise higher in the sky over the twin towns, more and more of the population began to crowd into the arena as the time to begin the second day of the Summer Fighting Festival drew closer and closer. Excitement and anticipation both hung heavily in the air as both towns eagerly awaited the results of the fights.

"All right folks!" Ronald shouted into the microphone from his position in the announcer's box, "It's time to begin the second day of the Summer Fighting Festival of X793!" he announced, eliciting a roar of applause from the crowd, "But first! Our special guest for today is Father Lamar Addison! The local Bishop of Apricot Town's Zentopia Cathedral!"

"Thank you ever so much for having me here today," Father Lamar said gingerly, "I am looking forward to everyone putting on a splendid show today and I do hope that everyone who participates today will try their hardest."

"Yes, it wouldn't do if not everyone put in their greatest effort," Cassius added with a sigh.

"It is ever so good to see you agree with me, Brother Cassius," Father Lamar giggled as Cassius let out another sigh.

"Well then folks! It's time to announce the contestants of our first fight of the day!" Ronald announced as a roar of applause erupted from the stands, "Our first contestant from Ursine Rampart is making her first return to the Festivals today! That's right! It's the former S-Class of Ursine Rampart! The Take-Over Mage, Sahaj Leone!" he shouted as Sahaj made her way into the arena, walking at a slow pace while holding an arm up.

"It will be interesting to see how much of her strength she has gotten back since her return," Cassius said with a smirk, "Before her incident, she would've been competing in the S-Class Clash this festival, but Master Boris revoked her position since her future as a mage is rather questionable."

"Oh Brother Cassius, there is no need to drudge up such painful memories for the girl," Lamar added, scolding Cassius, "Although I am ever so worried about her health. It wasn't that long ago that she was able to accept missions again."

"Now then!" Ronald began, "Her opponent from Kitsune's Garden is the young fisherman, Reno Sakura! He's fairly new to the guild, having only participated in the Spring Fighting Festival earlier this year and no other Festival before that one," he announced as Reno walked into the arena as well.

"Hmph. Young and inexperienced. It would be very shocking if he managed to pull out a win here," Cassius stated coldly.

"Dear Brother Cassius, have some more faith in your old guild," Lamar said as he scolded Cassius once again, "I do so ever hope that Reno tries his utmost hardest today."

"R-Really?" Sahaj gawked as she made it to the center of the arena, "A f-fucking kid is my opponent? I'm n-normally in a b-bad mood, but now I'm pissed."

Reno looked at Sahaj with an uncomfortable expression, seeing all of the scars across her body and how fresh they were, "Well, I'm not too excited about having to fight an injured woman."

"And now you're just trying to piss me off," Sahaj growled, "I don't want any pity! Especially the pity of some f-fucking Kitsune's Garden brat!"

"Ooh! Looks like Sahaj is ready and raring to go!" Ronald shouted over the mic, "So let's get this match started shall we! Summer Festival Match… Ready! Set! Go!"

As soon as the match began, Sahaj took off running towards Reno, stumbling for a bit as she got started, her legs still being unresponsive since her incident, which was made apparent to all in the crowd as she tripped and began to fall, the woman sliding across the dirt as Reno could only look with a shocked expression that was mixed with guilt at the thought of having to fight such an injured woman.

"Artur…" Lila said softly, catching the attention of the tall man next to her, "Is she going to be alright? Or is it too soon for her to be fighting?"

Artur stood there for a moment, starting down at Sahaj before letting out a sigh, "It was her call and she doesn't want any pity. If she gets worse it was her call."

"So she's still an idiot after all this," Lila sighed.

"Are you sure you're fit to fight?" Reno asked, a look of concern still on his face as he looked down at Sahaj.

"I said… I don't want… any of your fucking pity!" Sahaj screamed as she pulled herself to her feet and pulled a fist back, "Plant Soul: Thorn Regalia!" she shouted as she threw her fist forward, several thorny vines shooting out towards Reno, the boy quickly scrambling out of the way before more thorns were sent out towards him.

"Fisherman: Water Net!" he shouted as a net of water formed in front of him, tangling up the thorns in it as he ran around it, "Water Hook!" he shouted as a line of water with a hook shot out from the palm of his hand, the hook swinging down towards Sahaj as the woman wore a malicious smile on her face.

"Plant Soul: Oaken Armor!" she announced as her skin quickly turned into a hard layer of oak bark just before the hook sank into her arm, Sahaj grabbing the line with her free arm and giving it a strong tug, yanking Reno into the air as Sahaj ran towards the flying boy, giving him a solid punch as he fell right in front of her, sending him flying across the arena before he hit the ground and began to skid across it.

"Reno!" Kiyoko shouted as she watched the young boy come to a stop.

"This is hardly a fair match-up at all," the younger girl heard Grace mutter next to her.

"Then why is this a fight?" Kiyoko asked.

"Because it was random selection," Grace huffed, "Strong, weak, it doesn't matter here. It is possible for any mage to fight another from the rival guild in the arena. If it wasn't the Summer Fighting Festival it would even be possible for Reno to be fighting Cole or Aodh right now. If it was winter… it'd even be possible for Reno to be in a tag team against Cole and Boris."

"So you're saying if it was any other season, it could be much worse for Reno," Kiyoko huffed.

"For the most part, but the odds of such a fight happening are low," Grace stated as they saw Reno pull himself back up onto his feet, blood trickling out of his mouth and the back of his shirt stained with blood.

"You're still… really tough, aren't you?" Reno said between breaths, seeing that the wound from the Water Hook earlier on Sahaj's left arm had healed due to her Oaken Armor.

"Just n-now figuring that out? Fucking idiot," Sahaj growled before she took off towards Reno again, the young boy taking off to run around her as Sahaj turned to intercept, the woman quickly closing in on him.

"Bait" she heard Reno whisper as the boy in front of her disappeared, Sahaj quickly turning her head back to see that Reno never left the spot he was in and was now holding a spear of water in his hand.

"You're still too close," Sahaj grinned as thorns suddenly shot out of her back, catching Reno by surprise as the thorns wrapped around him, the boy trying to fend them off with his water spear, but the thorns quickly seized his arms and pulled them apart as they began to wrap around his body as well, "You done?" she asked as the thorns started to tightly squeeze him.

"… I give," Reno muttered as the thorns quickly dropped him, the boy bleeding badly all over.

"And there you have it folks! The winner of this match is Sahaj Leone, earning Ursine Rampart one point!" Ronald announced as the Apricot Town side of the arena burst into applause.

"It is good to see dear Sahaj in good shape, but I am still worried about poor Reno. I do hope he is alright," Father Lamar said in a concerned tone.

"If he is a mage, then he will recover," Cassius huffed, "But it was a splendid performance from Mage Sahaj this battle," he said while Reno and Sahaj were escorted out of the arena.

. : + : .

"All right folks!" Ronald said over the mic, "We have a very exciting match for you this round! Our first contestant from Ursine Rampart is the Fierce Cub of the West! That's right! The overly temperamental, rampaging Artur Heidrich!" he shouted as Artur casually walked into the arena, an agitated look on his face as the crowd let out a roar of applause.

"I really hate that nickname," Artur growled as he clenched his fists in his pockets.

"Such a strong young man," Father Lamar said with a giggle, "It's always a pleasure to watch him fight and he's only grown more and more impressive with each passing year. Wouldn't you agree, Brother Cassius?"

"He has a strong left hook," Cassius muttered as he rubbed his cheekbone with his right thumb.

"And for his opponent from Kitsune's Garden, she's another recent addition to the guild, but you've seen her compete for the past two Fighting Festivals! That's right! It's the Kitsune's resident Memory Mage, Undine Angelus!" Ronald announced as Undine walked into the arena with a confident look on her face and a gladius hanging from her left hip.

"Such a confident young woman," said Father Lamar, "I had heard of her before she joined the guild, she was such a restless girl, always moving about and making a name for herself."

"Yes," Cassius said with a grin on his face, as if he had a pleasant thought, "Although such confidence could lead her to becoming headstrong if she's not careful."

"I suppose now is a good time for me to get an idea of how strong Master Boris is," Undine stated with a serious look on her face, but it quickly changed to shock as Artur suddenly started laughing.

"Hahahaha! Comparing me to the Old Man! You're joking right?" Artur asked as he continued his laughter.

"You're his only blood relative in these towns. You're the only logical choice," she answered as she regained her composure.

"If that's what you think, you're an idiot," Artur stated suddenly, an agitated look now on his face.

"Wha-?"

"The Old Man… I'm nowhere near as strong as him. I can tear trees out of the ground with one hand, so what?" he continued as he took off his tinted glasses, "You want to know what sets the two of us apart?"

"Your magic? Your experience?" Undine asked, a puzzled look on her face.

"No. The Old Man, my grandfather, he is capable of protecting us. All of us. The entire guild," Artur stated as he stared down Undine and held out his left fist towards her before slamming it against his chest, "And he does it not because he's strong or to keep us loyal! He does it because he cares for us! He has strength of heart and strength of fists! A true Heidrich!" he shouted before he let his fist fall back to his side, "Me though… All I can do is punch things… I can't protect a damn thing!"

"Artur…" Norah whispered as she and Lila looked down at the man in the arena before glancing over at Boris, who was looking down at his grandson with a solemn gaze.

"But that's why I won't lose to you or anyone! Because I have things I want to protect! And to do that I need to grow stronger!"

"That's admirable and all," Undine said as she let out a sigh, "But I have my own ambitions. And to fulfill them I can't afford to lose because I must grow stronger. So, sorry about this, it's nothing personal. But there can only be one winner here and that winner is going to be me."

"Ooh! It's already extremely tense down there in the arena!" Ronald shouted as the audience got all riled up, "So let's get this started shall we! Summer Festival Match! Ready! Set! Go!"

As soon as Ronald gave the word, Undine jumped back away from Artur as she held out her hands, magic energy becoming visible around them as an image of a landscape started to flicker in and out around her, "Arc of Memory: Kurenai Massacre," she said as the landscape quickly spread across the entire arena, transforming the dirt terrain into one of burning ash and bodies.

From the inside, all Artur could see was this landscape. It was as if he had been transferred into a completely different place. All around him was the flat plains of a distant land, scarred by battle as the ash filled the air, turning the skies gray as the wind carried the scent of burning corpses. But far in front of Artur was Undine and another figure that wasn't there before. A woman, dressed in an Encan garb and carrying a katana in her hand, while her other hand was cloaked in flame.

From the outside though, everyone could see into this memory. To them it was as if the land in front of them had been transformed, but for those that knew Undine's magic, they knew that the landscape and the person inside had been given shape by Undine's magic.

"Who would've guessed that Undine-san had an Encan memory at her disposal," Misaki muttered as she examined the spell with her Archive Magic, "And one with an ancient warlord at that."

"It really is a highly interesting magic," Tove said from beside Misaki, "To be able to give shape to entire memories like this… It really is no wonder that it takes a large amount of magic power."

"Yeah. Too bad it doesn't act like a trap though. If the battlefield was bigger, Artur-san could just stroll on out of there."

"But so could the memory," Tove added.

"True," Misaki mumbled as she turned her focus back to the battle.

"Heh… You're fighting style has always pissed me off," Artur stated as he pulled his left fist back and held his right arm in front of him, "If you wanna fight, then come fight me!" he roared as he took off running towards Undine and the female warrior.

"Sorry, but it doesn't work like that," Undine said as the female warrior took off towards Artur at a much faster speed, her katana already beginning to move towards him as she swung it horizontally, Artur having to slide under it and past the warrior. But he was too slow as the warrior was quickly turning around and bringing her sword down on him, impaling his shoulder and pinning him to the ground.

"You fell for it!" Artur screamed as he reached up with his uninjured arm and grabbed the woman's kimono, using it to pull her down to the ground before he let go and slammed his elbow on the back of her head, "Now let's take care of this," Artur grunted as he pulled the katana out of his shoulder, his wound quickly closing up due to his Regenerator Magic before he bent the katana with his hands and tossed it behind him as the female warrior stood back up, flames beginning to dance around her, "Now that's more like it!" Artur said happily, although he was quickly silenced as the warrior had closed the distance between them with incredible speed, a fist covered in flames connecting with his stomach before an explosion sent him flying back, but before he even hit the ground, the woman had already managed to get behind him as another explosion sent him flying high into the air, where he was met with a third explosion as the woman threw a large ball of fire towards him, this explosion being much large than the last two.

"Artur!" Lila screamed from her spot in the stands.

"R-Relax," she heard Sahaj say from behind her, "The guy's b-been through much worse than that sh-shitty little fireball."

"B-but… He just… He could be hurt… And all that… fire," Lila stammered.

"He's j-just getting st-started," Sahaj said, a devious smirk on her face as she pointed down to where Artur had landed on the ground, the smoke clearing to reveal Artur standing back up as several burns were healing across his body, his shirt having been completely burned away as even his pants and shoes were badly damaged.

"That hurt like hell," Artur growled, "And you even destroyed my glasses… I was pissed off before, but now I'm absolutely furious!" he roared as he slammed his fists against the ground, sending several boulders up into the air.

"Tch… I knew he was hard to take down, but this is a bit ridiculous… I only have so much magic left," Undine muttered as she sent the warrior to fly in after Artur, who had jumped into the air and had grabbed one of the boulders.

"Get out of my way," he shouted as he threw the boulder towards the warrior, the warrior easily destroying the boulder as Artur landed on the ground and began to run towards Undine, the warrior quickly taking off after Artur, "I said to stay out of my way!" he roared as he shattered the ground below him again, the boulders blocking the warrior's path as Artur jumped and grabbed another boulder, but this time throwing it towards Undine, who quickly ran out of the way as the boulder flew past her.

"Dammit," Undine mumbled, "Just go down already!" she shouted as the warrior tackled Artur, her grip burning him as they hit the ground, although Artur was quick to headbutt the warrior, causing her to let go as he turned the situation around and grabbed onto her, rolling over before standing up, the warrior still in his hands as he began to spin around and threw her towards Undine, but missing his target as the warrior flew past Undine and hit the wall of the arena as the memory began to fade away, leaving the two of them back in the Twin Town Stadium.

Artur stood there with an exhausted look on his face as he panted heavily, blood trickling down all over his body before he started to walk towards an equally exhausted Undine, who had run out of magic, "I think we both know how it'll go from here," Artur said as he continued to walk towards Undine, "You know… If your magic didn't run out so quickly, you probably would've won."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better," Undine asked as she drew her gladius, "I'm still not giving up."

"You would've lost all my respect if you did," Artur said with a smirk as he stopped in front of her, Undine attempting to stab him, but Artur quickly grabbed and began to squeeze her sword arm, causing her to drop her blade before Artur pulled back his head, "Goodnight," he said before he slammed his forehead into Undine's, sending her down to the ground and knocking her unconscious.

"And there it is folks! The winner of this match is Artur Heidrich! This earns Ursine Rampart another point and puts them in the lead!" Ronald shouted over the mic as the Apricot Town side burst into applause once again.

"A splendid display from both mages," said Father Lamar, "Both of them tried so very hard, but in the end there could only be one winner."

"Yes, a lesson that should not be forgotten by anyone," Cassius added, "It was a clash of both their wills, but the one named the winner is the stronger will in the end, and today, that was Mage Artur's will."

"We'll begin the next fight as soon as the holes in the arena are repaired!" Ronald said as Artur walked out of the arena while the unconscious Undine was carried out.

. : + : .

"All right folks! It's time for the final match of today!" Ronald announced after the repairs on the arena were finished, "Our first contestant is a notorious young man who was born and raised in Apricot Town! He's one of our local perverted deviants, that's right! It's Issac Kamin!" he shouted as Issac ran into the arena, an excited grin on his face.

"All you ladies in the crowd look wonderful as always!" Issac shouted as he waved to the crowd.

"An excitable young man, certainly," said Father Lamar, "But I worry for him."

"May he be blinded for his perverse and indecent ways," Cassius said as he gave a small prayer, causing laughter to rise among the crowd.

"And for his opponent, we have a student of the Kitsune's Garden's current Guild Master! That's right! It's a battle of Take-Over Mages! His opponent is Ruby Animalia! The student of Mitsuko Akagitsune who is known as the Blood Red Animal!" Ronald announced as Ruby hopped into the arena, waving to the crowd with a smile on her face.

"Go Ru-chan!" Mitsuko cheered from the stands.

"Yeah! Kick that pervert's ass, Ruby!" Leah shouted after Mitsuko's cheer.

"It will be entertaining to see how Mage Ruby compares to Master Akagitsune," said Cassius, "She is no S-Class, but she has been with Master Akagitsune for a long time from what I understand."

"Yes, they were often seen with each other for the past several years," Father Lamar added, "They were on the same team with Leah Storm from what I remember."

"Now how about we get this fight started!" Ronald announced, "Summer Festival Match! Ready! Set! Go!"

As soon as Ronald started the match, both mages began to quickly move, Issac away from Ruby and Ruby running towards Issac.

"Avian Soul: White Wings!" Issac shouted as a pair of white wings appeared on his back, allowing him to take to the skies as Ruby closed in on him.

"Canid Soul: Red Fox!" Ruby announced as her signature red fox ears and tail appeared on her, Ruby using her now enhanced abilities to leap into the air towards Issac, the girl swiping her hand at him in order to scratch at him with her new claws.

"Careful now cutie!" Issac laughed as he flew out of her reach, Ruby landing back on the ground, "You could hurt someone with those claws and fangs of yours!"

Ruby looked back up at Issac with a determined stare, "That's the point though! So get down here!"

Issac sighed at Ruby's insistence on fighting, although a mischievous smile quickly appeared on his face as he had an idea, "If you insist!" he said before he began to fly straight towards Ruby, "Flying Face Smash!" he yelled as he ran straight into Ruby's chest, face first, before the two of them landed on the ground, both of them sliding for a bit.

Ruby laid there for a moment, a bit dumbfounded at the name of his attack, although any thoughts she had were quickly cut short as she felt a hand groping her chest.

"So soft," she heard Issac mumble as he began rubbing his face against her chest as well.

"Y-y-y-y-you pervert!" Ruby screeched as she quickly threw the older man off of her, Ruby not giving Issac any time to scramble away from her as she got up and quickly stomped her foot down on Issac's head, smashing his face into the dirt. The audience could only cringe at what happened next, although none of them would say that Issac didn't deserve it as Ruby continued to beat on Issac.

"I thought this was a fight! Not a torture session!" Issac screamed as Ruby pulled back on his arms, her foot firmly placed on his back after she had scratched up his face, Issac now being covered with blood.

"You brought it on yourself by making me mad!" Ruby shouted as she continued to pull on his arms.

"All right! All right! I give! Just don't pull my arms out of their sockets!" Issac pleaded, Ruby letting up for a moment until Issac made a terrible mistake, "There are so many boobs I still need to fondle!"

At this, a loud pop could be heard throughout the arena as Ruby pulled his arms out of place before harshly dropping him, the girl having a stone cold expression on her face as she looked down at the unconscious Issac before walking off.

"A-and there we have it folks! The winner is the Blood Red Animal! Ruby Animalia! Who has clearly earned her name today!" Ronald announced.

"Oh my... I do hope that he is alright. That looked quite painful," Father Lamar said in a concerned tone.

"He has brought it on himself," Cassius sighed, "It was only a matter of time before his bad karma caught up with him."

"Anyways, that earns Kitsune's Garden one point!" Ronald stated, "Tying things up before we enter into the second half of day two of the Summer Fighting Festival!"

A/N: And there it is! Chapter 16!

Artur vs. Undine was a fight selected by GhostOfOnyx, the other two fights came from the poll. Ruby was tied for the most voted Kitsune Mage while Issac was the second most voted Ursine Mage. Reno was the fourth most voted Kitsune Mage while Sahaj was tied for the fourth most voted for Ursine Mage.

Anyways, so the current score is four to four. It's all tied up right now!

Onto the reviews!

Origm2012- Yeah, most of the mages tend to fall into two groups regarding the rivalry. There are those that take it very seriously, like Saya, and then there are those that don't really partake in the rivalry, like Reno. Course then you have those that are respectful, like Junge, and then the pranksters… So it often depends on who is in the scenes for the rivalry to appear apparent or not. But yeah, who knew? Panty colors have hidden meanings, or so says some odd sources… But yeah, the mere mention of Kurayami, or Medrod, whichever you want to call him, can cause a pretty drastic shift in Misaki's personality, and for good reason too, but you'll just have to wait to learn more. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

WaterDragonMaverick- Mitsuko honestly does need someone like Monty around to help her get through her rough spots, but yeah, Kurayami and this circus are both definitely important for the future, but you'll have to wait to find out more about them. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

SaiyaStyles- Well I hope you enjoyed seeing some more spells this chapter and thanks for sending over those villains!

StattStatt- Yeah, Victor stepped on a landmine when he called Norah short, but yeah, that particular newspaper should probably be kept far away from Artur, if only for the coffee's sake. But yeah, I enjoy the pervert trio's dynamics as well. They just work so well together really, at Xander's expense usually, but still. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

MyDearWatson- Yeah, honestly I don't think Shadin could handle many other people as roommates, Reno might've worked, but these three worked better. But yep! Norah got her revenge! And well, poor Victor was just too excited at the prospect of pancakes with fruit in them. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Gashadokuro Amanojaku- Yeah, be wary of Norah at all times if you've dared to call her short recently. But yep, Shadin was lucky enough to have some easy to convince roommates. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Princessatj- Yeah, it was time for some slow-paced stuff that'd let you all get to know the characters some more, course I couldn't help but throw a bit of foreshadowing in there. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

bored kid 48- Well, it doesn't really take much to anger Artur, but that particular newspaper is especially good at making him mad… But yeah, there's a handful of other former circus/performance troupe members, course you'll have to wait to find out who they all are.

ThePrinceOfLight- Yeah, Artur's pretty much just waiting to find a good article about himself, or at least one that he thinks is good. But yeah, Victor's love of sweets was his downfall last chapter, poor guy. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

lex1016- More villains for the story is definitely a good thing, I still need some more of those guys really. But anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Grimnack- Well, you'll have the chance to pick out a fight for each of the festivals after this one, although the hinted one-on-one Guild Master battle is a Spring Festival thing. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Pokemon Ranger-Trainer- I'm happy to hear you say that! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

potentialauthor18- Yeah, keep an eye out for all things Medrod/Kurayami no Okami, but yeah, the Pervert Trio had a more serious moment last chapter, but it was a good opportunity to reveal a bit of backstory. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

FrozenBlast13- That was just character talk regarding the panties, I don't exactly have much of a panty fetish myself, I agree more with Issac's side of things really. After all, boobs are where it's at. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Sakura-Fiction- Yep! Nothing like a little Pervert 101! The course is taught by Professor Yoshi Mort and is a requirement to earn your Pervert Bachelor's Degree! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

I probably would've had this chapter up a few days earlier, but then I saw Star Wars! Which was amazing by the way! I really do like the new character, Rey, as well as Poe Dameron! Of course I am just a huge Star Wars nerd to begin with, but still! It did sort of put me in a big sci-fi mood and it's hard to write fantasy when sci-fi is in your head, course there were other reasons, but that's a spoiler for the movie! Nobody write any spoilers in the reviews! Otherwise I'll have to ask you to remove it… and that's no fun.

Anyways, I'll try to have the next one up as soon as possible! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please remember to leave a review!

I hope you have a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays or what have you!

Your host,

Dreadburner94.