The Celestial Sky

Sparring

Michelle had gotten her guild mark at the back of her left hand, in white. She wanted to try out for the Grand Magic Games as well, saying that she wanted to be of aid to Lucy. Lucy was a little surprised to learn that Michelle learnt magic after the Lobster Plantation was attacked.

To evaluate their current magic power, Jura had set up a battle between the three of them and three of their most elite members, sans Jura, of course, Lucy didn't know if she could even land a hit on that guy.

"First up, Chelia and Wendy will spar. Please give it your all," Jura said. After they had been given the whole year to train, it was time to battle and finally find out how much they had grown. Lucy had finally learnt to use all her Star Dresses without the need of outside assistance, and cast Gottfried. She hadn't mastered the spell yet, but casting it was a great start. Wendy and Chelia both stepped up to the battlefield. "Good luck!" They said to each other in unison, sparking laughter from both themselves and the crowd that had gathered around them. "Are you ready?" Wendy asked once the laughter had began to die down. "Mhm!" Chelia nodded. The two of them got into their fighting stance.

"Arms, Armour, Vernier, enchant!" Wendy yelled. Chelia watched the girl in amazement. "Sky Dragon Whirlwind!" Wendy jumped up in the air before waving her arms, sending three whirlwinds towards the pinkette. Chelia was caught of guard and was easily swept away by the attack. Chelia gathered the wind around her trying to convert it to her own magic, before sending it back at Wendy. "Sky God Boreas!" Chelia shouted as a powerful stream of black wind was sent towards Wendy, blowing her away.  Wendy took some time to regain her composure before concentrating her magic. "Sky Dragon Scales!" Wendy shouted as a barrier formed around her, blocking the wind. The wind began to die down, letting Wendy land on the ground safely. "Wow! You can actually block it! In that case..." Chelia ran towards Wendy, gathering wind in both of her hands. "Sky God Dance!" She shouted, sending Wendy flying up into the sky. Chelia jumped up, chasing after Wendy. Wendy spun around in a circle to gain momentum, before yelling, "Sky Dragon Typhoon!" A large tornado sent Chelia crashing back into the ground. Chelia used the air around her to cushion her fall, as Wendy slowly descended from the sky.

"Sky Dragon..."

"And Sky God..."

The two girls gathered the surrounding wind into their mouths, preparing for their respective breath attacks.

"ROAR!!!"

"HOWL!!!"

The resulting explosion of air made all of the spectators' clothes and hair fly wildly with the wind. Lucy pulled down her skirt with her hands instinctively.

Chelia and Wendy both emerged from the wind storm unscathed.

Wendy wanted to end this now, taking in a few deep breaths. She opened her mouth widely, beginning to suck in the air from all around. "Oh! Let's eat together! This will be a blast!" Chelia began eating the air around her too. "My, I've never seen Chelia gorge on air in the middle of a battle. Young Wendy must be quite the formidable opponent," Jura commented. "I myself have underestimated her greatly. She most definitely has grown since I had last saw her." Lucy realised that Jura had never personally seen them in battle before. She was certain that he had heard stories that they were strong from the other members, but Lucy was sure that the contrast between the them of seven years ago and the them of now would shock him.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art!" Wendy yelled, a blue magical circle appearing below her. A fast moving wind barrier started to form around the two girls, trapping them both inside. "What are you doing now? Are you trying to trap me? But you're in here too!" Chelia looked around to find a way out.

"Shattering Light: Sky Drill!" Wendy spun her arms in her circle, making the barrier crash into Chelia and sending her flying away. Chelia landed on the ground with a thud. Wendy closed her eyes took in deep breaths. She hadn't mastered the strongest Shattering Light spell yet, but she had done it. She had won. Wendy wondered if she should use the last remaining bits of her magic to heal the girl.