The rest of the day was a bore. Sawyer crushed Ichiya, Dobengal beat Millianna, Juvia beat Yuka, and Dren (the purple-haired man who Natsu disliked) destroyed Jager with one blow. Eventually, they all went home but the guild felt empty, Lisanna and Elfman were by Mira's side. The doctors claimed that her internal organs were damaged and that she was lucky to be alive. Kinana still hadn't woken up and as far as anyone knew, Yukino was doing no better.

Lucy and Levy left the guild to figure it all out.

"Every time I try to rationalize it, I get confused again," Levy sighed.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked as they walked down the quiet town streets.

"Dragon's teeth. Their attacks have to have some coordination, they haven't hurt anyone in the other guilds, just Sabertooth and Fairy Tail."

"All to get back at the dragon slayers," Lucy bit.

"But why not attack Crime Sociere who is a huge ally? It just seems random. It would make sense if they were targeting Fairy Tail members-"

"But then there's Yukino," Lucy interjected.

"Exactly, Kinana, Yukino, and now Mira... where are the connections? I get that Kinana and Erik are close... but I never took Mira to be close to any particular dragon slayer... and Frexis definitely attacked her as he did for a reason."

"What they've done is despicable," Lucy gritted, "but we can't prove anything. So far they've been either too careful or have worked within the rules."

"The most dangerous enemy is that who can outsmart you," Levy quoted.

"Is that Madness in Mialate?" Lucy asked.

"Yep, my favorite line from the entire play," Levy grinned.

"Course, I love when the heroine gives the mournful speech to the crowd." She cleared her throat, "We have lost much, but that which we have gained knows no bounds!"

Levy laughed at Lucy's tone and Lucy giggled. There was a loud crack that echoed through the night.

"What was that?" Levy asked quickly

"I'm not sure," Lucy said cautiously.

"Let's head back."

"Good idea..."

Natsu had awoken to a headache and a bad feeling in his gut so he had trudged downstairs to the guild which, as always, was having a party - even if it was rather empty. He hadn't been in the mood for a party; he couldn't get Dren's face out of his mind... so he walked out and went into the alley.

"Couldn't sleep Salamander?" Gajeel asked - he was already in the alley.

"Hey Gajeel," Natsu said sitting down on the cobblestone.

"I know the feeling, I woke up with this bad gut feeling and haven't been able to settle," Gajeel said popping a nail into his mouth and chewing on it. There was a crash inside the bar and a loud swear from Gildarts.

"They're having fun," Natsu grinned.

"I'm surprised you're not joining them," Gajeel chuckled.

"Not in the mood," Natsu growled, "I can't get that purple-haired guy out of my mind. I don't know what it is but-"

"You want to punch him in his face, break his nose, and then make him grovel at your feet... yeah I know that feeling too," Gajeel hissed.

Natsu looked up at Gajeel, "Yeah... I wanna turn em' to ash."

There was silence, "does it scare ya Salamander? Knowing how easily we could lose control?" Gajeel asked suddenly.

"A little," Natsu agreed "But at the same time it feels right. I remember... I remember E.N.D and what it felt like to share the same body with two things... it's not like that now... If I do lose control, it's gonna be because the voice in here," he pointed to his head, "and the voice in here," he put a hand on his chest, "are saying the same thing."

Gajeel chuckled, "You can say the smartest things sometimes Natsu, makes me doubt how big an idiot you are."

"Say that again and I'll smack ya!" Natsu yelled.

They stayed in the alley a while until there was a loud crack. The boys jumped to their feet and ran to the main road. They looked down the street where two figures stood. Dren and the orange-haired man... Liesy.

"You," Gajeel growled.

Liesy gave a single nod.

"What do you want?" Natsu growled.

"We were just wondering if you had seen someone," Dren, the purple-haired fifth-generation dragon slayer, said slyly.

"Who?"

"Two girls a short one with blue hair and a medium-sized one with blonde hair and big brown eyes... you haven't seen em' have you?" Dren asked again looking Natsu dead in the eye.

A snarl escaped Natsu.

"Why do you ask?" Gajeel hissed.

"We had been looking for them everywhere, of course, we were wondering if you had seen them" Liesy grinned staring at Gajeel.

"What do you want with them?" Natsu growled.

"Nothing, nothing, when we did finally run into them we simply introduced ourselves," Dren answered.

"What do you mean?" Gajeel demanded.

"It's a pity, it was a lovely chat we had," Liesy grinned, "It really is a shame you two haven't seen them though... I do hope they're alright."

"What did you do?" Natsu demanded.

Both men shrugged, it was Dren who answered, "As I said, we just introduced ourselves, they raved about you two don't you know. They just seem so certain in your abilities... it's sad really."

"What the hell did you do?" Gajeel growled.

"It was nice to talk with you, see you in the games tomorrow," Liesy grinned. The two men shimmered and disappeared with a loud crack.

"Lucy," Natsu gritted.

"And Levy... we gotta find them Salamander," Gajeel gritted.

"Come on," Natsu growled taking off down the street.

"Hey!" Happy yelled over the guild's party, "Has anyone seen Natsu?"

"I thought he went to sleep," Gray said freezing with his fight against Lyon.

"Well he's not there," Happy yawned.

"I can't find Gajeel either," Pantherlily pondered.

"Maybe they went with Levy and Lucy?" Erza offered.

"Lucy and Levy went out?" Acnologia asked suddenly alert.

"Yeah maybe an hour ago," Jet shrugged.

Acnologia got to his feet and left the guild.

"Where the hell are you going!?" Bickslow asked.

Acnologia didn't answer.

"Well off we go, another stroll through the town at an untimely hour," Macao sighed.

Happy and Pantherlily soared above the group. Acnologia couldn't smell anyone... but that's what concerned him.

"LUCY!" Happy cried diving into another street.

"What!?" Acnologia called.

"They need help!" Pantherlily yelled back. The two exceeds carried the unconscious girls back to the others.

"Are they alright?" Droy asked.

"They've suffered internal bleeding and both have been hit hard in the head," Acnologia said checking them over, Wendy would be able to reassess them when they got back to the guildhall.

"We'll get them to Porlyusica," Happy said picking Lucy up again.

"Hurry," Jet pressed looking at Levy with concern.

"We will," Pantherlily nodded taking off with Levy in his paws.

"If the girls are here... then where are the-" Romeo began.

There was an explosion in the town center.

"Natsu," Gray hissed.

"The town has already begun evacuation for the final game... so no one should get hurt," Ur informed Acnologia trying to remain calm.

"Still," Acnologia growled taking off towards the explosion.

Fairy Tail emerged out of the street looked at the scene before them.

Gajeel and Natsu were full out dual-element dragon force. They're opponents were Liesy and Dren. Dren had cream-colored scales covering his body while Liesy's purple scales covered only his face and arms. Natsu roared sending electrified fire strait towards Dren. Dren jumped into the air and roared sending an orange beam that radiated heat towards Natsu. Natsu took the blast and there was an explosion that sent smoke billowing through the streets. Natsu emerged seemingly unscathed and hit Dren out of the air. Dren landed on his back, Natsu came down with a fiery explosion.

Gajeel and Liesy exchange physical blows silently their eyes never faltering from one another. Liesy's purple hand glowed and he knocked Gajeel back with his palm, Gajeel snarled and let out a shadow iron dragon roar that hit Liesy full force. When the roar died away Liesy lunged forward.

"Mineral Dragon crushing fang!" Liesy yelled jumping into the air and bringing his two arms down on Gajeel's left shoulder. Gajeel's knees buckled and he collapsed under the blow.

Gajeel growled and used Iron Dragon Sword; he flipped around and hit Liesy over the head with the said weapon. Liesy flew a few feet away and Gajeel got to his feet.

"We have to stop them!" Ur ordered.

"Hold on, we can't just rush into this," Acnologia hissed.

"Why not?" Lyon asked.

"We'll be getting between a feud of four dragons... they're instincts have taken over and they can't recognize anyone from the challenger. We have to wait for a breaking point," Acnologia gritted as the two pairs clashed once more.

"They're gonna rip each other apart!" Jet gaped.

The four growled like animals and continued to fight oblivious to the spectators.

"What's going on!?" Sting cried running up, he froze when he saw the scene.

"Did Lucy and Levy get to the guild safely?" Acnologia asked.

"... uh... oh yeah," Sting nodded distractedly.

"Good," Erza breathed.

The four dragon slayers backed away from each other assessing one another, that was the breaking point Acnologia needed. "Backup," he growled. The guild did so. Acnologia transformed and sat atop a building, he growled and roared into the night frightening the dragon slayers who knew the roar of an alpha.

Gajeel and Natsu looked shocked for a second and slowly their eyes reverted from their previously reptilian slits back to the eyes Acnologia knew well. Dren and Liesy reverted too, unlike the other two they smiled.

"Give me a reason that I shouldn't kill you all!" Acnologia roared bring his head down to look at the dragon slayers.

"Uncle?" Natsu asked looking confused. Then he swayed dangerously and stumbled backward holding his head.

"Salamand-" Gajeel began to call, but his knees gave out from under him and he collapsed.

"What the hell?" Natsu asked as he pushed himself against the wall.

"Aww," Liesy teased, "only a few minutes in their dragon mindset and they're already acting like hatchlings fresh from the shell."

"What the hell did you say!" Sting roared from the sideline.

"STING" Acnologia threatened.

Gajeel groaned and pushed himself back up, "Levy," he breathed. He looked at Dren and his pupils narrowed again.

Acnologia shifted into his human form and landed in front of Gajeel whose aura had begun to change again.

"This is not the way, if you lose it here you'll only hurt those around you, this is not the way!" Acnologia growled.

Gajeel snarled once but relaxed and went limp in Acnologia's arms.

"Sting!" Acnologia called. Sting ran up and took Gajeel from him. Natsu was still panting, but from the angered look in his eyes, Acnologia could guess, he remembered everything.

"Natsu, we're going home," Acnologia ordered. The Fire Dragon Slayer nodded but sent his previous opponent one more hateful glare before following Sting and Gajeel

"Go back to the nest you little hatchling!" Dren jeered.

"Dren!" Liesy barked, "That is enough."

"Oh you're so serious," Dren sighed and he began to walk away.

"Don't you know better than to turn your back on an alpha!" Acnologia growled turning to the two who froze and looked back. "An alpha may take a cold shoulder as a challenge, at best it is a show of complete insubordination and disrespect," Acnologia continued as his guild made their leave. The dragon slayers knew better than to stick around and watch whatever was about to happen.

"Alpha, we meant no disrespect," Dren smiled as he turned a bowed, "we simply meant to take our leave from your territory."

"Besides, we are members of an enemy nest; you should take our leave as a complement of your power," Liesy said coldly.

"Typically, I would pay it no mind," Acnologia bit. He clenched his fists as he tried to contain yourself, "but, my responsibility as Alpha is to avenge my fallen nestmates."

"We didn't harm your hatchlings any more than they harmed us," Dren shrugged.

This made Acnologia break into a fit of deep laughter, dangerous laughter. Both dragon slayers felt the hairs on their backs of their necks rise.

"If you think my nest stops at the drakes and dragonelle you're wrong," Acnologia laughed eyeing them with a predator-like hunger, "My nest is much more than that, and while I am not alpha to all of my nestmates, they are still my comrades. Even if I wasn't an alpha, it would be my duty to avenge them."

"Then why haven't you?" Liesy teased.

Acnologia smiled, "Because... I can't now."

Both dragon slayers smiled.

"You still fear our Alpha," Dren supposed.

"You abide with man's stupid laws," Liesy laughed.

Acnologia chuckled in response, "oh no, I don't kill you know because pride is very important to me. And to kill you here would be a bad reflection of my guild. That must make me sound like some egotistical maniac, but the idea of Fairy Tail being dragged through the mud because of me is just sickening."

"Beware the pride that all Alpha's share," Dren recited under his breath, "for it is both an alpha's undoing, and a drake's doom."

"Wise words, did he teach you that?" Acnologia asked, his laugh had a tone of hatred.

Neither answered,

"Make no mistake," Acnologia smiled, "You've made enemies, powerful enemies and once these games are over you better watch those backs of yours because I can't reign in everyone once they're done."

"And you? Will you hunt us down as well?" Dren asked.

"Yes, but you shouldn't watch your backs," Acnologia growled rushing forward surprising both with his speed. He looked them boldly in the eyes, "I won't kill like a coward, when I come for you, you'll know because I'll let you get one last good look at me before I rip out your throats."

Every word he said he meant and the two challengers knew it.