Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail

"I understand," said Makarov. "I will inform everyone that the first round of the tournament will be held in Akane Beach when I reveal the bracket this evening."

"Am I going to be competing this year Master?" asked Erza, the communication lacrima they were using allowing them to speak as if they were face to face.

"No," stated Makarov. "However your skills as a teacher will be put on display."

"Lucy will be fighting? I will resume her training posthaste."

"There is no rush, enjoy your well-earned holiday while you can," said Makarov. "I will see you and your party soon." The communication between the two of them was cut off and Makarov allowed a tired sigh to escape his lips. Rubbing at his temple he wondered about the best way to proceed. The fact that they would now be having the first round of the tournament at Akane Beach would be welcome news to everyone but he would have to ensure that only those participating went. He wouldn't allow the guild to fund everyone going to the resort town, even for only a day trip. Anybody else who wished to go would do so out of their own pocket.

When the heads of the guilds met once more he would be sure to tell them of the situation that Voluptuous Vixens was in regarding their financial situation. It wasn't uncommon for smaller guilds to go bust, good magicians being forced to travel to new facilities because not enough missions were being filtered through to them. Unlike most times this happened however, were the guild hall in Akane Beach to go broke it would cause dozens of children to be forced out of home and on to the street.

He would do his best to prevent that from happening.

Makarov stood atop the second floor of the new facility, construction only having recently reached completion. The mere fact that Fairy Tail had had to be reconstructed had taken a giant portion of funding to build from the ground up. With the new facilities that the guild now had at its disposal however it was a welcome change, even if the way it had come about had been quite infuriating. Still, Gajeel had been working on the orders of Jose and as such couldn't be held completely at fault.

Now though as he sat amongst those whose home he had destroyed, Gajeel paid no attention to the stares being sent in his direction. "Do you believe it was wise to allow him to join Fairy Tail?" asked Ul as she looked down at the ground floor, Makarov jumping up to stand on the railing she was leaning against.

"We all make mistakes, amending them will be difficult but not impossible for Gajeel," said Makarov. "He is here for a reason and until he gets what he is after I doubt he will leave on his own accord."

"At least Juvia is doing her best to mingle," said Ul. Makarov allowed his gaze to shift from the Dragon Slayer to the other former member of Phantom Lord who had joined their ranks. Unlike Gajeel who seemed to relish in the fact that he was sitting in isolation, Juvia had taken up a role of a waitress. With both bartenders currently on vacation, Macao had taken it upon himself to man the bar and ensure that Cana didn't drink the guild dry. Juvia had put up her hand and was more than glad to take on the hospitality role, delivering drinks left, right and centre with a smile on her face.

"She's adapted well," said Laxus, the other 'S' ranked wizard who stood on the second story and walked up to overlook the ground floor alongside Ul and Makarov. "You've put her in the tournament however, haven't you old man?"

"I have," said Makarov. "I trust her to not go overboard against fellow guild members."

"The same cannot be said for Gajeel then," said Ul, sharp eyes focusing on the black haired man sitting in the corner of the guild chewing on an iron bolt like a toothpick. "If there was one correct decision you made in regards to him is preventing him from fighting."

"Everyone deserves a second chance," said Makarov as they watched Gajeel get up from his seat and make his way over to the job board. Taking a job off the board, Gajeel then took it to Macao who as a senior member of the guild was able to approve that the new member of the guild could partake in this quest. Were it anything that Macao believed was too much for the Dragon Slayer to handle on his own he would have consulted Makarov on the matter. Since Gajeel was now heading towards the exit with the mission report in hand those watching from above could only believe that the assignment was low in difficulty.

A more worrying sight however was that once Gajeel had left the building, Team Shadow Gear stood up from their table, albeit it looked as if Levy was uncertain about whatever it was they had planned. "Should we stop them?" asked Laxus having been able to see the way that Jet and Droy had been looking at Gajeel. It was pretty obvious to what they were planning.

"They need to get it out of their system," said Ul stretching her arms above her head, several pops ringing out as joints extended. "They're not the only ones though. After everything that happened with Phantom, the guild members are all itching to show off their strength in the tournament."

"You'll be sure not to go too hard on them Laxus?" Makarov asked of his grandson.

"I make no such promises," said Laxus, several volts of electricity dancing off of his skin as he wondered whether or not any of the other competitors would be able to compete on his level.

...

"Your movements need to be like the wind!" shouted Erza as she threw another stone at Lucy, the pile next to her seemingly endless as the scarlet haired warrior continued to 'train' her protégé. Lucy for her part was doing her best to jump from side to side, avoiding immense pain knowing full well that one of the rocks colliding with her had the strength behind it to shatter her bones. "Your body needs to be one with the ground. Your weapons must have fire in their soul."

"Why are you being so philosophical?" asked Lucy, receiving no answer as she barely avoided an immense amount of pain by dropping to her knees, the stone that would have cracked against her head causing her hair to sway as if it had been caught in a gale.

"Is Erza always this strict?" asked Erin, the member of Voluptuous Vixens having been instructed by her guild master to socialize with the Fairy Tail mages and take some well-deserved time off before the tournament. The black haired mage had no idea what she would be up against in the competition she had been entered in to but if it would help the children her guild supported she was more than ready to give it her all.

Right now though she was more than comfortable watching Lucy get tortured.

"Erza has taken Lucy under her wing," explained Mirajane as she took a sip from her drink, Lisanna mirroring her actions from nearby. "Due to…unfortunate circumstances, Erza lost somebody close to us, someone who tried to fight her frequently regardless of their difference in strength. Erza believes that had she taken the time back then to fight and train that person, things could have been different."

"We'll never know," said Lisanna, turning her gaze to the side hating the fact that such dreary thoughts had come up in an otherwise wonderful vacation. Erin could immediately see that this wasn't a topic she should pry into and wisely chose not to pry any further. Instead she pondered on just how she could improve on her own ability, if she was placed against Lucy in the opening round, she couldn't tell just who would win.

"Mages of Fairy Tail!" shouted Makarov, his voice reverberating over the guild and silencing all ongoing conversations. "Less than a week from today, the Harvest Festival will swing into action, and with it, Fairy Tail will host the Miss Fairy Tail Contest and the Second Annual Battle of Fairy Tail!"

Makarov's announcements were met with thunderous applause, the only person who didn't seem to understand why such a tournament was only having its second year of fighting was Romeo. Macao, sensing that his boy was questioning what was going on leant down next to his son and whispered into his ear that he would explain everything when he was older. Romeo, while desperately wanting to know just what was going on, knew better than to pressure his Dad for information.

"All female members of the guild are more than welcome to attempt to become this years 'Miss Fairy Tail,'" continued Makarov once most of the applause had died down. "Like with every year, the winner of the contest will receive five hundred thousand jewels to be spent as they see fit. Keeping with that amount, the winner of the Battle of Fairy Tail will also receive five hundred thousand jewels, but as we all know, if the winner of the event is the randomly selected 'S' class mage, the money will go towards the funding of the guild."

Gajeel rose an eyebrow from where he was sitting, the Iron Dragon Slayer having returned from his mission which hadn't been hindered by the ambush he had breezed past. The attacks Jet and Droy had unleashed on him had been painful, nothing like what he had suffered at the hands of Mirajane, the demonic mage having been deserving of her 'S' class ranking. If the takeover mage was the standard of the 'S' class mages Fairy Tail had at their disposal, then Jose was more of a fool than Gajeel had imagined for believing the peons of Phantom Lord had a chance against them. The iron eating wizard had thought himself top of the world, barely anything had managed to scratch him up to that point in his career. The other members of Phantom Lord had praised him for his strength, yet when put up against Mirajane and even Elfman who wasn't even classified at the higher rank of mage, he was little in comparison.

A smile formed across his lips as he hoped that he was allowed to participate in this tournament so that he could see just where he sat in the greater scheme of things.

"As with last year the tournament will be broken into two parts after the original eight rounds where sixteen fighters will give it their all," said Makarov. "Those who win their first round will proceed through in the knockout competition until a champion is crowned. Those who lose in the first round will have to fight to ensure they are not the ultimate loser. While the person who wins the tournament walks away with the cash and an automatic entry into the coming 'S' ranked trial, the mage who loses every round will find themselves having to suffer through the punishment."

Makarov's ominous words hung in the air, all those recalling how Levy had lost thoroughly the previous year. Before they could recall the punishment the guild master continued.

"Before I announce the draw, I must inform all of you that this year, the first round of the tournament will be held at Akane Beach. The guild will be paying for the train fare for all those competing in the first round where fifteen of you will be fighting amongst one another," Makarov paused for a moment to let his words sink in. "You heard me, only fifteen among you will be fighting this year with the sixteenth member going towards a member of Voluptuous Vixens, the local guild at Akane Beach. Perhaps this will set a trend where Fairy Tail allows members of guilds far and wide to compete with the best we have to offer!"

There was a positive murmur amongst the crowd, a few of the members mildly intimidated by the fact that they could potentially be fighting against somebody who they knew nothing about. The fact that the master thought this could potentially bring in people from other guilds in the long haul meant that there would be fewer selections of Fairy Tail guild members to choose from in years to come. Depending on how strong members of opposing guilds were, this was hard to determine whether it was a good or bad thing for the guild.

"I know some of you may be opposed to this idea," said Makarov sensing the conflicting thoughts of those who worked under his rule. "The Battle of Fairy Tail is still young however and has much room to grow, who are we to stagnate it's potential. A decade from now, when a member of Fairy Tail wins the tournament, would you rather watch them fight a battle they'd won a dozen times before or fight against members who offer a fresh challenge and a new fight with every round?"

The murmur amongst the mages began once more, this time in a more positive light. Before it could get too far into discussion, Makarov continued. "Without further ado, I would like to announce the schedule for this year's competition. The first round will consist of Lucy versus Juvia!"

"Juvia will be fighting Lucy?" said Juvia, the water based mage immediately wondering what the best course of action would be in her fight to come. A quick look around her peers immediately made her realize that being the newest recruit of the guild she would receive no public support.

"The second round will consist of Macao versus Reedus!"

"You can win this Dad," said Romeo supportively as Macao and his opponent shared an optimistic look amongst one another.

"Third round will pit Bisca vs Cana!" The two female members of the guild eyed one another off, neither particularly happy that both members of the battle preferred to fight at long range.

"Fourth round will have Levy vs the 'S' class fighter!" Levy practically sank her face into her palms, shaking her head from side to side cursing her luck for having drawn the worst possible outcome. The fact that she wouldn't know just which of the 'S' class mages she would be fighting until she made it to Akane Beach was infuriating in its own right. The thought that no matter which 'S' class mage she was fighting was going to be out of her league regardless was frustrating to say the least. Was this a test to see how much she had improved since the previous year? Regardless, she knew she was going to give it her all.

"Fifth round consists of Gray vs Bickslow!" The ice based mage smiled at his opponent, Bickslow sticking out his tongue in compensation. The member of the Thunder God Tribe more than happy to be selected for the tournament but silently wondering if his 'babies' were ready for what lay ahead of them.

"Sixth round has Warren vs Erin of Voluptuous Vixens!" By far Warren received the biggest applause amongst his fellow guild members, all of them showing their support towards their peer as opposed to a member of an opposing guild. How well his magical ability would help him in the fight to come was yet to be seen.

"Seventh round pits brother against sister, Elfman vs Lisanna!" While Elfman was the only member of the Strauss family there at the time, he couldn't help but wonder just what the battle against his sister would be like.

"Finally, the eight round will have Jet vs Max!" shouted Makarov, the two members of Fairy Tail sharing an acknowledging glance amongst one another before they focused their attention towards the leader of the guild. "The draw has been set, for the competitors let it be known that you have less than a week to prepare yourself for the challenge that lies ahead. I wish all of you luck and hope that you display all that Fairy Tail has to offer!"

For all those who had succumbed to the idea that they would be pitted against the guild mates in less than a week, sleep was hard to come by that night as they plotted strategy after strategy. One thing though was for certain.

There would be blood.

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