"Wait, did I hear that right? It's actually Fairy Tail?"
"A newly founded guild with the same name? They not only got through the brutal preliminaries but took second place?!"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! There's no way Fairy Tail could rank ahead of Sabertooth!"
Unlike the enthusiastic cheers and excited screams that had greeted the previous teams, the entire audience erupted into chaotic noise.
Though there weren't the jeers and boos of the original story, the vast majority of spectators wore expressions of deep disbelief and unconcealed shock.
Seven years wasn't a particularly long time, but it was long enough to change the public's perception of a guild—especially when Fairy Tail had been placing last year after year.
Moreover, even during its peak seven years ago, Fairy Tail's reputation in the magical world hadn't exactly been stellar.
Of course, there were still a few spectators who expressed approval for this result. They were people who had received help from Fairy Tail in the past and truly understood the guild. But their voices were barely a whisper in the midst of tens of thousands.
"Dammit! This isn't how I imagined it at all! Where's the support?!" Future Natsu, walking at the front of Team A, took in the audience's reactions and clicked his tongue in annoyance. "We're second place! Second place!"
"Ahaha, you sure have a high opinion of yourself..." Future Lucy said with an awkward laugh.
While Lucy had been out with Éclair yesterday, she had been inside the card and had already seen the guild's reputation firsthand. So this reception was actually pretty good.
If they had placed eighth instead of second, she really didn't want to imagine how that would have looked.
"It doesn't matter whether we get cheers or not," Erza said, arms crossed, the Fairy Tail guild flag resting on her shoulder. She glanced at Future Natsu and spoke earnestly. "We're not here for something so superficial..."
They were here for the comrades who had struggled and endured cold stares for seven long years!
"But—!" Future Natsu understood the logic perfectly well, but he still looked dejected.
Just then, powerful cheers rang out from a nearby VIP stand, cutting through the noisy chaos like a beam of light.
There stood Makarov, hands on his hips, proudly waving a Fairy Tail flag. Alongside him were Éclair, Momon, and all the other comrades, shouting at the top of their lungs, giving Team A overwhelming support.
To avoid exposure, those with counterparts had one member outside and the other inside Chase's cards.
Even so, Future Natsu and the others could clearly hear the overlapping voices.
Future Warren had used Telepathy Magic to connect everyone's voices, creating a unique "internal communication" channel just for Fairy Tail. Combined with Chase having opened full perception for the cards, both inside and outside, members from both worlds felt a strong sense of participation.
It was worth noting that Gildarts hadn't come to Crocus with the main group. He had stayed behind to guard the guild in Magnolia. Aside from his general dislike of crowded places, the more important reason was Makarov's traumatic memory of his terrible sense of direction.
If they had brought him along, next year's Grand Magic Games might have seen Crocus develop its very own "Gildarts Mode."
In terms of getting lost, Chase was far more reassuring to Makarov than Gildarts.
"Go, go! Fairy Tail~!" x2
Two crisp voices suddenly rang out.
"Wait—those two are—" Gray on the field narrowed his eyes.
Following his gaze, they saw the two First Masters, Mavis, who had been missing for days. As ghosts, they sat brazenly on the edge of the stands, their bare feet dangling and swinging back and forth, perfectly expressing their excitement and joy.
"F-First Master?!" Both Makarovs nearly jumped out of their skin.
Future Macao and the others also wore expressions of shock.
"We're here to cheer for the guild~" Mavis said, smiling at everyone.
"Don't worry about our spirit forms. No one without a guild emblem can sense our presence~" Future Mavis added, flashing a sweet smile.
"That's the problem?! Where have you two been these past few days?!" Makarov stammered.
"Chatting with me from this world! I'm really happy—I got to hear so many wonderful stories!"
"Hehe, the Fairy Tail from another world is so interesting too~"
Watching the two First Masters glow with excitement, Makarov and Future Makarov (inside the card) twitched violently at the corners of their mouths.
You two may be happy, but we almost had to commit seppuku over this!
Just as they were about to vent their frustration, the announcer Chapati's amplified, excited voice rang out first.
"Surely none of you guessed that Fairy Tail would take second place in the preliminaries, right? But! But that's not even the most shocking news today!"
"When I got the guild list, even Mr. Yajima and I were stunned!"
Dun dun, dun dun dun.
Almost simultaneously, from the dimly lit arena entrance tunnel, a stirring BGM echoed, growing louder.
"That's right—the first-place team hasn't been revealed yet!"
"Forget about Fairy Tail, that perennial last-place guild—what other guild in Fiore could overpower Sabertooth and Lamia Scale?!"
"Did the organizers prepare this BGM? It's amazing! I feel like my body's on fire!!"
The audience's attention was instantly hooked.
Even the mages from other guilds already standing in the arena held their breath, fixated on the dark exit.
Erza stood with her arms crossed, a faint, knowing smile tugging at her lips. What an idiot—even his entrance has to be this dramatic.
"Wait—no way?" Gray finally caught on.
"Wow... this music is incredible. I can feel endless power surging through my body. And this intense heat—" Future Lucy was still puzzled by the phenomenon. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Future Natsu completely engulfed in flames. "So it was you, you idiot!!"
In the midst of her startled retreat, the soaring BGM had already filled the entire arena.
Some spectators who couldn't control their emotions began letting out deafening cheers—even though they had no idea which guild was in first place.
Influenced by them, more and more people raised their arms and cheered, using it as an outlet for the surging passion in their veins.
"And now! With the greatest passion, let's welcome the number one team of this Grand Magic Games preliminaries!"
Chapati, ever the master of timing, seized the moment when the arena's atmosphere was at its peak and shouted:
"They are—"
"Fairy Tail's Team B!!"
"OOOOOH—HUH?!!!" xN
***
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