<div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/3yvPjN0.jpg)<br/></div><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;">Ralena Tharin</span><br/><strong>Location:</strong>Guild hall<br/><strong>With:</strong>Everybody<br/><hr/><br/><div align="center"><em>24 hours later</em></div><br/>Ralena's heart was pounding, her warrior's spirit was just about as intense as it had ever been before in her life, and a broad grin covered her face as she stepped into the guild hall bright and early in the morning the following day. Today was going to be the beginning of the FAIRY CHAMPION tournament, and she'd finally have the opportunity to pound some life into that miserable, brooding guy that was always hanging out near the back of the room and never talked to anybody. It wasn't hard to figure out that Gregory was the Shadow Crow that Luca had been able to overcome during their previous adventure, and Ralena was quite eager to try her own luck against him. In a funny way, it was her chance to test her strength against Luca's without the two of them ever needing to even fight. Besides, Ralena needed to beat this guy if she wanted the opportunity to get a decisive fight against her rival, Alice.<br/><br/>While the middle of the guild hall typically consisted of huge rows of tables for the guild members to hang around and sit at while they enjoyed one another's company, overnight all the tables had been pushed aside to make room for a huge fighting ring that rose about four feet off the ground, and was held up by magically imbued supports that wouldn't give way under the strain of combat. Right in the middle of the ring was the guild master, who spoke in a lively, excited voice once he had the room's attention.<strong>"Members of Fairy Tail, the final CHAMPION RUNNER has arrived, now the tournament can begin!"</strong><br/><br/>At the guildmaster's words, Ralena's eyes went somewhat blank. "Wh-whuh? I was last? How does that even happen!? Isn't Lyuk a runner, how did even THAT dope beat me here!?" She shook her head, realizing that her words were drawing her quite a bit of attention. "I mean... erm... heh... Nothing! Carry on."<br/><br/>With that, a series of irritated glares and rolling eyes would shift from Ralena back towards the arena, where Gregory was already starting to step into the ring. While he did, the guildmaster continued his speech.<strong>"Now! For the first match of the FAIRY CHAMPION tournament! A newcomer, a shadow among shadows, a mystery even among his former allies, GREGORY VON HELTHESBERG!!!"</strong>Gregory unsheathed his sword, making a casual motion with it towards the crowd as a series of shadows erupted from underneath his feet and spread out to every corner of the arena, the crowd erupted into cheers in response.<strong>"Versus! The light in the darkness, the ambitious fist, Fairy Tail's endless ball of energy, RALENA THARIN!"</strong><br/><br/>Upon hearing her name called, Ralena bounced off of her feet, jumping smoothly into the ring as she pumped her fist forward. "Gotta start with the best first, right!?" Gregory scoffed at her excitement, rolling his eyes as he shifted his downward facing sword towards her.<strong>"Hmph... Just shut up, this is a battle, not a performance."</strong>Ralena's excitement didn't fade a single bit, as she turned her attention towards Gregory and started bouncing softly on the balls of her feet. "Ya know, I always found that down in the dumps attitude of yours real obnoxious. I think I'm gonna beat a little bit of life into you!" Gregory shook his head, gripping his sword more firmly as he lifted it towards her.<strong>"You stand no chance of winning. I no longer fear the darkness!"</strong>To Luca, that would mean something. If he looked back at their fight, it wasn't until the lights went out that Gregory caved into his fear and his inner demon took control.<br/><br/>To Ralena, however, it was merely a taunt opportunity as she lifted her arms and started to swing them up and down a little in a casual fighting stance. "Good, that just means we're on even footing, 'cuz I'm not scared of the dark either!" As she finished her statement, she jerked her arms out to either side, and blue light engulfed them for about half a second, light that would quickly be replaced by a pair of azure metal gauntlets that most Fairy Tail members would be familiar with. With her signature weapons now in place, she returned to her loose, bouncing stance as she waited for the bell to ring. The Guildmaster stepped out of the arena, and he spoke in a commanding voice.<strong>"ROUND ONE OF THE FAIRY CHAMPION TOURNAMENT... BEGIN!"</strong>