It's true that the winner could decide their spoils. But one rule that hadn't been mentioned was that once there was only one hider left, they were allowed to sneak up on the seeker and subdue them~ And poor Lucy had no idea~

Natsu had to give props to Justyne for thinking of the tree. That kind of vertical thinking was a good thing to have even if the execution had not been the best.

To help Nev out, he would sometimes make one of those flickering moving flames fly by in front of Herb, distracting him away from Nev's hiding place. Eventually though he couldn't find another opening to send that flaming little creation without blowing his cover.