At first... Dren thought he was seeing things, he was too busy watching the fire dragon beneath him tremble in pain. Natsu lay on his back his eyes closed waiting for death to come. Out of the corner of his eyes, he swore that he saw fire, he looked to late.

Natsu's fist slammed into his face. Dren went flying too shocked to teleport. He caught himself and quickly got to his feet only to find that Natsu was already standing. His clothes were singed and ripped at the edges, his pink hair was a mess that lay over his eyes... but his eyes were the most terrifying thing Dren had ever seen. They were green, he noticed, not black as he had first thought, but a deep dark green that made his slit pupils stand out. He began to walk forward, silently, smoke pouring off of him as the heat around him increased. His dragon scale scarf waved in the wind untouched by the battle. Suddenly, the fire was everywhere.

Dren couldn't even raise his hands to defend himself it came so fast. He was incaged in a sphere of fire. He gritted his teeth as the top layer of his skin was incinerated and immediately summoned the power from the heat dragon he had slain. The fire's intensity died away and he leaped from the sphere facing the Fire Dragon Slayer who was still walking towards him. Lightning flashed around the dragon slayer as Natsu came ever closer.

"You really don't know how to stay down," Dren laughed looking at Natsu, "I'll give you that."

Natsu didn't answer, instead, he burst into flames the electricity around them going haywire and spreading out around him. Dren could see Natsu's gleaming eyes as he walked through the fire.

"I told you you idiot, flame attacks don't work on me!" Dren laughed.

"Good thing," Natsu smiled  making a fist with his hand, "that I don't use normal flames."

The flames danced at his words and grew in intensity making the figure in them seem intimidating. Dren quickly swallowed his fear and smiled, "What? This is your last hurrah before you curl up and die?"

"Oh no," Natsu laughed, he looked at Dren and his fist burst into flame and melded with the flames around him, "It's just that I'm fired up."

Frexis was too caught up in his inner struggle to recognize danger. He met Laxus' eyes as the lightning mage looked up at him and saw something in those eyes spark. Then he heard the sound of electricity, he looked to his left and saw Laxus' left hand dancing with small electric bolts, then Laxus rolled over throwing Frexis off him. He jumped to his feet and kicked Frexis across his face sending Frexis into the nearest building.

"How..." Frexis began to question. He stopped himself and snarled instead his eyes turning to slits once more, "Just die!"

Frexis disappeared in a flash, he reappeared next to Laxus but found that Laxus' eyes were already on him... Frexis also realized that his eyes had changed... they were more stunning grey, there was an energy behind them that Frexis couldn't place. Laxus threw a hook punch and caught Frexis in the jawline before the energy dragon slayer could do much else. Frexis looked up in horror.

"You knew... you knew where I'd appear," Frexis shivered.

"You don't teleport," Laxus answered coolly lightning sparking around him, white streaks of lightning were in the mix of yellow making a stunning light scene that was both beautiful and terrifying. "You just move fast and you use that light to blind your opponents... that means I can still sense where you'll show up."

"It doesn't matter, you're still no match for one of Tyregenium's children," Frexis hissed his fists glowing. He lunged at Laxus and was blocked calmly. Laxus looked at him with eyes that showed hatred and anger but also displayed his collective calmness at the situation.

"You're now facing Acnologia's nest... we do not lose," Laxus answered grabbing Frexis' sleeve and kneeing him in the stomach.

Rogue looked at the silver-haired woman who was concentrating on her work and his gaze sharpened. Suddenly he slipped into his shadow. Synal was taken by surprise and went to grab him. He slipped away from her grasp. Synal growled and immediately Rogue was immersed in darkness again.

"Your tricks won't work on me Shadow Dragon!" Synal yelled, "Show yourself and I'll show you mercy!"

Rogue didn't answer but instead raced towards Synal. Synal went to grab him but found that her hands could no longer feel the shadow. Rogue's fist materialized and hit her in the nose breaking it and sending blood running down her face.

Synal growled and floating off a bit holding her nose. She looked around and found Rogue standing on the ground despite the darkness around him. Shadows poured off of him and a breeze blew despite Synal's magic. Rogue's blood-red eyes stared at Synal with the gaze of an angered dragon. Synal had seen it before... but never in a dragon slayer.

"You can not defeat m-" she began. Suddenly Rogue was on top of her grabbing her face and slamming her into the ground.

"Do not tell me what I can and can not do," Rogue hissed.

Wendy was no longer afraid. No matter how many times Tirania grabbed her she would simply knock her aside.

Tirania gave a roar of anger and lunged for the girl. Wendy allowed her to approach, then a whirlwind whipped up, poison raced around with the wind making Tirania weaken. Still, the dragon slayer pushed forward until she broke threw the wall of wind and descended on Wendy. She grabbed Wendy's face between her fingers and poured all her powers into the girl.

"You... will... fear... me," Tirania hissed.

"I do not," Wendy answered gazing up at Tirania. She punched the Harbinger Dragon Slayer in the gut, Tirania recoiled and backed away. Wendy proceeded to punch her in the face, the solar plexus, the shoulders, the head, anywhere she could before delivering a poison-laced Sky Dragon Talon. Tirania flew into a building, feeling the poison seep into her system. She was bruised from Wendy's fast attacks and looked up as the Sky Maiden approached. The sixteen-year-olds eyes were no longer the brown eyes of a child, there were the sharp brown eyes of a dragon and they eyed Tirania with a loathing that no one would have thought the young girl was capable of feeling.

"Please... please don't kill me," Tirania shivered, raising a hand.

Wendy showed no emotion as she walked forward, "Fight me as you are... fight me and prove to me that you deserve mercy for you have shown me and my brothers that you are capable of none yourself."

Gajeel threw his first punch at Liesy's jaw, shattering it into pieces. Liesy howled in pain but was quickly shut up by Gajeel drawing his feet in and pushing them up into Liesy's chest, forcing the mineral dragon off of him. Gajeel's scales emerged again and the bleeding from his stomach slowed.

Liesy tried to say something but quickly shut up when his jaw caused him pain.

"You talked too much, now let's see how you fight when you can't use that tongue of yours," Gajeel growled standing tall.

Liesy covered his legs and face with blue scales that were as hard as diamond but as he watched the iron scales cover Gajeel's body he felt weak and exposed. He made two mineral swords in his hands and prepared for a fight. Shadows poured off of Gajeel as he walked forward, his red eyes gleaming with want of vengeance.

"This is for Levy, you bastard," Gajeel spat lunging forward.

Liesy slashed out with his swords, Gajeel caught one with a claw and the other passed through his torso without harming Gajeel who had gone shadow mode in that area. Gajeel shattered the blade by crushing it with his metal claw. He reached out and grabbed Liesy's claw and ducked under the man's next blow relocating to his backside, his arm still in hand. He put a claw on Liesy's neck and pulled on his arm with all his might pulling backward and snapping multiple bones. Liesy howled in pain again.

Erik's eye opened slowly and his face curled into a smile.

"That's a dumb expression to make when you're minutes from death... at least you'll be smiling when you tell the devil you did your best... you did your best," Quill smiled.

"You have no idea," Erik wheezed.

The poison came in a forceful cloud that had so much power in it that it threw Quill off of Erik. Quill shook his head trying to refocus and realized that Erik was standing over him, one purple eye gleaming in the storm of poison. His scales resurfaced and shone even though the sun was blocked out by Quill's cloud of sickness.

"So... you still have some fight in you," Quill laughed jumping to his feet, moments later he was sent flying by a kick.

"Dragon's lungs to breathe poison... Dragon scales to clothe in poison... dragon's fangs to hold venom... and dragon's soul to roar... that is what it means to be a poison dragon slayer," Erik smiled walking up to Quill.

"You think your inspirational speeches are going to frighten me?" Quill laughed.

"I can hear the tremble in your voice, I hear the shock in your heart... maybe you've blocked your soul from me... but there's plenty more I can do to know that you are terrified!" Erik laughed as two balls of poison formed in his hand.

Sting's body became a beacon of pure light blinding Treena whose claws flew up to her eyes. At that moment Sting threw her off him, flipped over, and sent her flying with a punch. She looked up in surprise as the light died away, snarled, and then snapped her fingers. The pain in Sting's wounds increased but it only seemed to fuel Sting's anger. White fire erupted around them, burning in the courtyard devouring all it could and at its center stood Sting who was panting. He looked up with the blue eyes that had terrified Treena before.

"You asked me to cure you," Sting growled walking forward the white fire growing in size, "I think instead, I'm going to purify you off the face of this planet!"

"Die." Treena willed raising her hands. The pain was unimportant to Sting now... he saw Yukino, Natsu, Uncle, Rogue, everyone who had been there in his life, and suddenly he felt no pain at all, only burning anger. With his blood boiling in rage, he lunged for her.

The lacrima screens were of no help. There were blinding flashes of light, powerful attacks that took up the entire screen. Screams and roars were heard but no one could see what was happening. Acnologia woke up with a start much to the relief of everyone.

"What did you do... I think they're winning," Romeo laughed looking to Acnologia and pointing at the screens.

"I may have just opened the largest can worms I have ever dealt with," Acnologia answered slowly.

"We're not out of trouble yet... those guys have proven that-" Evergreen began.

"Oh..." Acnologia laughed grimly, "There is no hope for them now."

"What are you talking about?" Ur asked.

"The challengers were expecting untrained, human dragon slayers," Acnologia answered.

"And what are our dragon slayers?" Makarov asked.

"Anything, old friends, we are anything but human," Acnologia answered his tone cold and his eyes blazing with cold fury.

Natsu could feel the fires around him, he controlled every bit of lightning that ran rampant. he heard Dren's beating heart and could see the terror in his eyes as he attacked. He felt the fires dance on his scales like clothing and when he roared the lightning fire was large and more powerful then it had ever been. He could make out every flame, every lightning strike in his roar... and he knew... he knew at the root of his being... this is what it was like to be a dragon.

Laxus' mind was moving faster than lightning itself. Everything seemed slow to him, and he attacked Frexis with terrifying speed. He knew exactly how many volts of lightning each lightning bolt around him carried, he knew where the best locations to be grounded were and where the best places to strike would be. He didn't fear anymore, he was angry and that anger made the lightning around him dance faster like it was an extension of himself. This was what a dragon must feel like, he realized.

Rogue could see clearly even though it was dark as pitch. He could meld with every shadow without thinking. He could see the different levels of darkness, he could move faster than ever before, he heard the wind in the murky darkness and at the center of it all was Synal who was constantly attacked from all directions. Rogue knew that this was the power that could only belong to a dragon.

Wendy knew her opponent's pattern of breath, she knew the air patterns around her, she knew where each strain of wind she summoned came from and where it had been going. She knew every smell and could see every breath of wind as clear as day. The wind moved with her, like grand wings that were many times larger than her, when she breathed she knew that those breaths were controlled. She knew this was what it was to be a true dragon.

Gajeel could feel every scale covering his body. He knew how hard he had to punch and how fast he had to retreat. He had full control about where he became shadow and where he became scale. All of Liesy's attacks were deflected and Gajeel attacked more ferociously with every passing second. He knew the weaknesses of Liesy's body, he saw the panic in his eyes. He knew that this was the strength his father had possessed, this was power that had only ever been held in the claws of dragons.

Erik heard everything. The heartbeats of every person in the stadium, Fairy Tail's cheers, his sibling's trials, his Uncle's prayers. He heard it all but he paid it no mind for he was focused on the man in front of him who reeked of fear. The poison around him was his breath and he could control it as subconsciously as he controlled breathing. His scales repelled the sickness around him and he felt as though his lungs had grown scales for they were no long afflicted by Quill's power. Erik looked with his one good eye and grinned a fanged grin. The sacred torch of the dragon's power had been passed to him.

Sting saw everything very clearly. There was no shadow for him, no darkness, no fussy areas, every spot of the battlefield stuck out to him. Every wound on Treena's body, every hint of fear etched into her eyes as she lunged for him. He knew that he had full control of himself. The white fire protected him like a sheet of armor, his attacks were full of hope and conviction. He knew this power like he knew himself, he knew his enemy like he knew his hand, he knew this fight like a dragon knows its meal. This was a Dragon's rage.

At first... the dusty lacrimas displayed nothing... then one by one they came back online. The contestants of the games had watched it all not even bothering to fight among themselves.

The first lacrima to clear was Erik's. He stood triumphant over the body of Quill who still twitched as the poison destroyed him.

The next was Natsu's. Dren lay a charred crisp many feet away and Natsu stood with the Fairy Tail symbol on his hand declaring his victory. He then let out a roar worthy of Acnologia.

Tirania, in a last desperate attempt, had tried to stab Wendy with a knife hidden in her dress. Wendy had deflected the attack and Tirania had accidentally taken her own life. Wendy shivered as she looked down at the body but as soon as the guilt had come it passed she looked down at her opponent and something built up in her chest. She opened her mouth and let out her first true roar just as the lacrima screen on her came back.

Laxus looked at the unconscious body of Frexis and looked to the lacrima on the floor. "Anyone else?" he asked smiling with his fangs as the lightning died away.

Gajeel looked down at Liesy who was bleeding out in front of him.

"Was it worth it?" Gajeel asked, "Ticking off Fairy Tail? Was it worth it?"

Liesy looked up at Gajeel, and as best he could with his broken jaw he formed one word, "Yes."

With that Liesy died and the lacrima screen depicting Gajeel turned on. Gajeel looked up at the sky and smiled before letting out a Gihee, "You see that old man!?" he yelled at the sky, "I'm a real dragon slayer!"

The next screen to come on was Stings. Sting panted as he stepped over Treena's body, he planted his feet and bellowed a challenge in draconian to the sky. The best translation found was this, 'If any others dare try to engage us, come! Come and know fear! Come!' And Sting roared it to the world.

Rogue looked back at the unconscious Synal and let a wry smile light up his face. The lacrima screen refocused and showed Rogue clear as day. He slowly raised the Fairy Tail symbol up. "Fairy Tail will always emerge victorious!" He yelled with a smile on his face.

Back at the stands Acnologia's eyes filled with tears and a single one fell. The rest he wiped away quickly before looking back at his children who were all grown up... Even Wendy was roaring like a full-fledged dragonelle.

"You damn kids," he gritted smiling, "Why'd you have to grow up so fast?"

The Grand Magic Games ended but no winner was declared. Shortly after their victory, the dragon slayers collapsed in pain and exhaustion. Instead of claiming points, the contestants from the other teams assisted them back to their guild where they received treatment. The two survivors of Dragon's teeth, Synal and Frexis were also sent to be treated... they were not arrested for they had broken no laws, however, the guilds watched them constantly ready to inform Fairy Tail the moment they stirred.

The Fairy Tail dragon slayers had made a statement that day... a statement to all those who looked to fight Fairy Tail. There was power in Fairy Tail's ranks, the dragon slayers were not to be trifled with. All enemies, but one, were deterred. One who had watched the entire game from the stands. The only one to laugh when Acnologia fell asleep in the middle of the match - Tyregenium, in a new human body watched it all and grinned. The seven he had lost could be replaced... but Acnologia had indeed opened a can of worms, and it would be Tyregenium who would make him see it.

"The battle goes to you my apprentice," Tyregenium smiled as he walked out of the arena, "But the war had already been won."