CONTROL - Ver. 2

IX

"Welcome to the second day of the Grand Magic Games!" Chapati's excited voice riled up the crowds as per usual. The roar of the crowd was quieter than usual thanks to the commentary booth; something that Rin was thankful for. "Our guest for today is the Wizard Saint Rin from Fairy Tail."

The brunette stared blankly into the field, silently regretting agreeing to commentate for the second day. She had unknowingly benched herself from the fun of the festival. But then again, she did put on quite the show the day before.

"Thank you for having me," she mumbled into the microphone.

"The Grand Magic Games second-day competition portion: Chariot!" The woman's stomach churned. "This competition consists of reaching the goal without falling off from the interconnected chariots. The chariots underfoot are constantly in motion, so even a moment of carelessness will prove to be your undoing.

"They pass through the major sightseeing locales of crocus. Which team will be the first to arrive at the goal here at Domus Flau?!" Rin mirrored the faces of her guild, knowing damn well that a mistake had been made when selecting the competitors for this competition. "At any rate, Yajima-san... With this kind of competition, who is being anticipated?"

"Anyone that isn't a part of Fairy Tail or Sabertooth," Rin cut in. "Exhibit A." Her hands motioned to the screens in front of them which viewed the mages competing for last place.

"Trailing at the back, far, far from the lead, Fairy Tail A's Natsu is in a groggy state! And right next to him, Fairy Tail B's Gajeel and even Sabertooth's Sting are in the same condition! What in the world is going on here?"

"The three of them have something in common," Yajima commented.

"Yeah," she agreed, her face landing in her palm, "they're Dragon Slayers. Their―our powers create a lack of equilibrium on vehicles of any type, draining us of any power output."

"You experience this as well, Rin-san?" The brunette looked away with a flushed face.

"No comment."

"Well then, let's take a look at the group in the lead... It's a dead heat here!" While the rest of the commentators focused their attention on the leading teams, Rin kept watching the trio of Dragon Slayers struggling to crawl forward. Not only did she want to watch her friends cross the finish line, but she wanted to see how Sting was doing as well. After last night, she felt a fluttering in her stomach at the thought of him.

Rin scowled in disgust although small enough so the others didn't notice. How dare she grow feelings for that dimwit after one date.

Guild after guild crossed the finish line with Quatro Cerberus' Bacchus taking first place. Meanwhile, the final three still remained at the back of the chariot train. "The remaining three are pathetically battling it out for last place..." The group of men began bickering, Gajeel attempting a swing at Sting but simply knocking Natsu into the blonde instead.

After being hit, Sting chose to stand still and watch as the other two slowly inched forward. Rin cocked a brow, not taking him as the type to give up in something like this. Especially with how excited he was to beat Natsu.

"I'm going forward!" The shouts of the Fire Dragon Slayer could be heard from the booth, his powerful exclamation silencing the crowd as well as the celebration of the other guilds.

"Fine," Sting huffed, "I'll give it to you... This victory. We'll continue to win after this. Just one or two measly points we can do without." A noticeable frown fell on Rin's lips. She didn't like how cocky he was even in a situation like this where he was losing. She was raised differently; to not give up no matter what. To fight for her cause even when she was down. To succeed against all odds.