Day Two.
"The second day's competition of the Grand Magic Games—Chariot. Contestants must stay on the moving chariots and reach the finish line without falling off," the live commentator Chapati began explaining the day's event.
Beside him were co-commentator Yajima and the special guest for the second day, Jason, a journalist from Weekly Sorcerer.
"But this isn't just a simple footrace, is it?" Yajima remarked.
"COOL! COOL!!" Jason, unchanged even after seven years, once again got inexplicably excited by himself.
"The chariots beneath the contestants are constantly moving. A single misstep could result in a fall and elimination! The race will pass through the scenic tourist spots of Crocus, and the first team to reach the final destination—Dome Flaus—will be declared the winner!"
Chapati continued his enthusiastic explanation.
"We will be broadcasting the race in real-time using lacrima vision for all our viewers!"
While Chapati passionately narrated the event, the members of Fairy Tail, watching from the audience as the lacrima vision displayed the race, had already fallen into a state of shock and disbelief.
Noel, holding his forehead, watched the three figures struggling at the back of the race, barely moving forward at a snail's pace.
He muttered under his breath, "I can understand why Natsu is sick from the moving chariots… but can someone tell me why Gajeel is the same?!"
"Ara~ Ara~ This is quite troublesome, isn't it?" Mirajane chuckled, covering her cheek with one hand.
Despite her words, there wasn't a single trace of concern on her face.
"Wait a minute—isn't that Sabertooth contestant also a Dragon Slayer? Could it be…? Getting motion sickness isn't just Natsu's problem, but something that all Dragon Slayers…?"
As Noel spoke, a realization seemed to hit him.
He turned his head and glanced at Laxus before saying, "Oh right, if I remember correctly, Laxus, back then you also—"
"Shut up, Noel!" Laxus, flustered and irritated, quickly covered Noel's mouth before he could finish his sentence, making sure the words never saw the light of day.
Switching back to the competition—currently in the lead is Kurohebi from Raven Tail, followed by Ichiya from Blue Pegasus, Yuka from Lamia Scale, Risley from Mermaid Heel, Bacchus from Quatro Cerberus, and then Sabertooth Sting, Natsu, and Gajeel were struggling at the very back.
But as expected, a contest between wizards was never going to be a simple footrace.
After a brief period of running, the competitors finally lost their patience and started using their magic.
Yuka's "Wave Hurricane," Risley's "Gravity Shift," and Ichiya's "Speed Fragrance" were all activated, each attempting to enhance their own speed while simultaneously hindering their opponents.
"Ohhh, you guys are really giving it your all. Even my soul is trembling with excitement."
Still suffering from a hangover, Bacchus staggered behind the group before suddenly stopping.
Then, with a sudden lift of his leg, he grinned and roared, "Alright then, guess I'll put in a little effort too—HERE I GO!!"
BOOM!
Bacchus stomped down hard on the chariot beneath him.
The incredible force sent multiple connected chariots flipping over, causing the competitors running on them—Ichiya and the others—to be thrown into the air, crashing down in utter disarray.
"T-This... THIS IS INSANE!! BACCHUS JUST DESTROYED THE CHARIOTS WITH RAW STRENGTH!!" Chapati shouted in shock.
Noel, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, murmured, "That guy's strength... He's definitely stronger than he was seven years ago."
Taking advantage of the chaos, Bacchus surged forward at an incredible pace, swiftly overtaking the former leader, Kurohebi, and crossing the finish line first.
"And just like that, Bacchus reaches the finish line in one go! Quatro Cerberus takes 10 points!! Coming in second is Kurohebi from Raven Tail, followed by Risley in third, Yuka in fourth, and Ichiya in fifth... Now, the only ones left are the hopeless trio still fighting for last place..."
The entire audience watched as the three struggling competitors barely made their way toward the finish line.
Considering that these were the same contestants who had shone so brightly yesterday—members of Fairy Tail and the current No.1 guild, Sabertooth—it was difficult to put their feelings into words.
"Laxus was like that too, huh?" Mirajane asked.
Laxus' mouth twitched as he turned away, avoiding Noel's amused gaze, and let out a small grunt. "You guys better keep this a secret."
"I think it's already pretty obvious..." Juvia muttered in exasperation.
"Uuuooohhh…." Natsu, drenched in sweat, forced himself forward, shouting at the top of his lungs, "MOVE… FORWARD!!"
At the very back, Sting glanced at the struggling Natsu and Gajeel, who were barely able to push themselves forward, and muttered in confusion, "You guys seriously suck... If you can't even move properly, why are you pushing yourselves so hard?"
"Mo…ve… forward…" Natsu and Gajeel ignored Sting's comment, solely focused on advancing…
"Alright, alright…" Sting sighed, looking at the two struggling figures.
"I'll let you guys have this match. After this, we'll rack up way more points. A measly 1 or 2 points doesn't mean anything to us!"
"Hope you don't end up crying over this 1 point later, kid…" Gajeel, also drenched in sweat, sneered.
"Can I… ask you something?" Sting forced out the question that had been lingering in his mind.
"Why did you guys even join this tournament? The Fairy Tail I knew would've never cared about something like this… Things like a guild's ranking, what society thinks of you… The Fairy Tail I know is more independent, more free-spirited… You guys never used to care about anyone's opinions."
"It's for our comrades." Natsu, now completely unable to stand and crawling on the ground, gritted his teeth.
"For seven years… they waited for us to return. No matter how hard it was, how painful, how humiliating—even when they were bullied, they endured it all to protect the guild until today. For them, I'm going to make sure you all see what we're made of!!"
As Natsu spoke, the members of Fairy Tail, who had endured those nightmarish seven years, as well as the Tenrou Team, felt their eyes welling up with tears.
But despite the emotion, smiles of pride and relief spread across their faces.
Natsu lifted his head, shouting with everything he had left:
"FAIRY TAIL HAS NEVER STOPPED MOVING FORWARD!!!!!! THAT'S WHY I'LL KEEP GOING!!!"
"Natsu…" A soft smile formed at the corner of Noel's lips as he whispered, "You really do have this burning spirit that ignites everyone around you… That passion—like a roaring flame. It's truly remarkable."
"AND HE CROSSES THE FINISH LINE!!!"
"FAIRY TAIL A—NATSU TAKES 6TH PLACE, EARNING 2 POINTS!!!"
"FAIRY TAIL B—GAJEEL TAKES 7TH PLACE, EARNING 1 POINT!!!"
"SABERTOOTH'S STING FORFEITS—0 POINTS!!"
"That unwavering determination… Look at them."
"Yeah… That's amazing."
"Fairy Tail… seems like a pretty great guild."
"I'm actually moved."
"I… I want to cheer for them! FAIRY TAIL!!"
From the stands, the crowd erupted into cheers, clapping and shouting for Natsu and Gajeel.
The thunderous applause was the greatest reward for the two who had never wavered and never gave up.
Grand Magic Games - Overall Rankings:
1st Place: Fairy Tail A - 22P
2nd Place: Sabertooth - 18P
3rd Place: Blue Pegasus - 17P
4th Place: Fairy Tail B - 13P
5th Place: Quatro Cerberus - 11P
6th Place: Lamia Scale - 10P
7th Place: Mermaid Heel - 9P
8th Place: Raven Tail - 8P
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