"Oh‑oh‑oh!"
"Sounds fun!"
" The Grand Magic Games!"
The Tenrou team lit up at Romeo's explanation. If they won that festival, Fairy Tail would instantly reclaim the title of Fiore's strongest guild.
"But we already agreed not to enter!" Macao protested.
"That was before Brother Su Yan, Uncle Gildarts, Brother Laxus, and Sister Erza came back," Romeo argued. "With them, we can win!"
Cana raised a hand. "Er… Gildarts left yesterday."
On their first night home Cana had revealed she was his daughter; Gildarts, elated, had nonetheless departed to retry a century quest—the one place he'd ever failed.
"That drops our odds," Gray muttered. "The Games aren't won by one wizard alone. Even Laxus has a seven‑year gap to close."
Macao lifted his arm. "Anyone who doesn't want to compete, hands up!"
Every member of the seven‑year "left‑behind" group raised both hands.
"It was torture last time," Bisca moaned.
"Pure hell," Alzack agreed.
Makarov stroked his beard. "With our current strength, victory is… unlikely."
"Exactly!" Macao said.
Romeo blurted, "First prize is thirty‑million‑jewel!"
"We're in!" Makarov declared before anyone else could speak. Guild coffers were empty; he'd been poring over red‑ink ledgers all week.
"But Master," Max objected, "Saber Tooth, Lamia Scale, and Blue Pegasus are monsters now. Last festival we finished dead last."
Makarov pumped a fist. "Then we'll just smash them!"
Natsu's flames flared. "I'm fired up!"
Su Yan smiled. "We have three months till the Games. Plenty of time to train. Let's make Fairy Tail number one again!"
"OOOOOH!" the Tenrou team roared.
Happy fluttered around Carla. "A festival, Carla!"
Carla crossed her arms. "This guild turns everything into a festival."
The left‑behind group gulped. "Are we seriously doing this…?"
Makarov, drunk on the thought of prize money, slammed his mug down. "Decision made! Goal: thirty million—no, goal: Fiore's top guild! Fairy Tail enters the Grand Magic Games!"
Training camp — Hargeon coast
Day 1 looked suspiciously like a beach holiday.
Carla scolded, "You're here to train, not play!"—even as she donned a snorkel. Happy floated by with a swim ring.
Droy muttered, "Pot, meet kettle."
Erza beamed in a scarlet swimsuit. "Rest, nutrition, sleep—those are part of training!"
Jet face‑palmed. "Where's the actual training part?"
"Beat us first," Su Yan said, pointing at himself, Erza, and Laxus.
Jet and Droy puffed up—then were flattened in seconds by Natsu and Gray, who'd already started a "who‑can‑swim‑fastest / build‑bigger‑sand‑castle / eat‑more‑fish" contest.
By sunset, however, real work began. Everyone split into pairs or small teams, pushing magic reserves and refining combat skills. Su Yan focused on controlling the surge of strength he'd gained after dumping points into Armament and Conqueror's Haki.
Only perfect mastery will let me crush Acnologia next time, he thought.
System: add 100 points to Conqueror's Haki.
[Ding! Allocation successful]
Special Physique → 70 %
Warm power coursed through him; his aura thickened, stretching over the dark sea like silent lightning.
Back at the guild, Macao gathered quills and parchment. "Entry forms, travel fees, equipment… Thirty million jewel, here we come!"
Wakaba lit his pipe. "Think the kids can really do it?"
Macao smiled. "They're Fairy Tail. When they say they'll be number one—just watch."
And so, with three months to train, Fairy Tail set its sights on the Grand Magic Games—determined to leap from last place straight back to the top of Fiore.