Hot and Cold

The Fiery Competitions

~*****~

"You better not lose, snowflake! Ya hear me, pal!?" Natsu shouts. "We're better than Gajeel's team and those Saber jerks and Raven, uhh..."

"YOUGOTTA HIDE AND SEEK LIKE A REAL MAN!" Elfman roars.

I sigh. "Goodness, besides these two morons, I feel like an absolute genius, even with the reading disability." I mention to Lucy.

"And I feel like a god besides you." Lucy drones.

I begin to sulk. "You don't have to be so rude," I mention dryly.

"OPEN THE FIELD!" I give a sharp yelp as a literal town is constructed in the arena.

"That's so cool~" Natsu commented.

"This game's already crazy!" Elfman added.

"Those of you in the stadium can catch all the exciting action in crystal-clear lacrima vision!" The commentator announced. "I bet the eight contestants in the arena with they had that luxury. But that would make it too easy! Speaking of easy, here are the rules of the game! All the players are hiding and seeking at the same time!"

"What does that mean?" Natsu asks.

"The main objective in Hidden is to locate the other players. Once you've done that, you'll have to land an attack on them! The player that successfully connects their attack, whether or not it does any damage, will then be awarded one point." The commentator explains. Several images of the other contestants appear.

"What's with all the look alikes?" Lucy asks.

"Why are you getting all pukey?" I whine as Natsu suddenly keels onto my back.

"The thought of that many Gray's just really grosses me out, man." Natsu complains.

I hum delicately. "This probably would've been a great game for Natsu, Gajeel, and I. With our sense of smell, it would be easy to pick out the real one out of so many clones." I mention.

"I know they're pretty, but those copies aren't just for show, folks! Attack one of your fake competitors by mistake, and it'll cost you one point! It's time to disappear like a black cat in a dark alleyway! Fade into your surroundings and hide in plain sight! Let's play Hidden!" The commentator began the game with a ring of a gong.

Juvia started things strong and gave a wide hug to one of the fake Gray's. I just shook my head at her. Gray lost the second point, but this Nalpudding guy was strange. He was certainly smarter than he appeared. The game continued, and I couldn't help but notice that Nalpudding was going after Gray like he had a personal vendetta. The match ultimately ended with us at eighth place. Rufus Lore from Sabertooth took a strong lead at the end, and took the entire match.

"And with that! The game is over!" The commentator shouted. "So, let's take a look at the ol' scoreboard!"

I palmed at my face in embarrassment. "God, we're totally not proving we're the top dogs, are we?" I comment dryly.

"Just as we expected, Sabertooth claims the top spot!" The commentator announces.

"Stupendously done!" Yajima cheers.

"Both Fairy Tail teams gave it their all, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough to get them out of last place." The commentator mentioned.

"Better luck next time!" Yajima chirped.

There's a wild uproar of boos raining down on us. "YOU BETTER STOP LAUGHIN' AT US RIGHT NOW, OR ELSE!" Natsu roared.

"Gray," I hum delicately as I palm at his shoulder. "Don't feel like you let us down." I explain softly as I lead him away. "That jerk from Raven Tail was going after you, I have no doubt in my mind that they're up to something."