Crackling lightning surged, and a dazzling golden light outlined the Fairy Tail emblem. After a dark golden storm swept across the entire arena, Team B, led by Chase, made their dazzling entrance.
Unlike Team A, they didn't wear matching uniforms—each wore their own clothes.
"Haha! Now that's what I call a proper cheer!"
With his deep blue cloak billowing, Chase laughed heartily as he tucked the magic speaker he had been carrying on his shoulder back into his cards.
"Oh my, everyone's just so enthusiastic~" Mira, standing beside him in a black dress, giggled behind her hand.
Compared to them, the solitary Future Gajeel shrank his neck, feeling a bit stage fright and deeply uncomfortable. Even Future Laxus silently turned his head away, thinking this entrance might have been a little too flashy.
"What?! The first-place team we've been wary of all this time is our own guild?"
"Laxus, Mira, and even Chase—this is way too unfair!!"
On Team A's side, aside from Erza who already knew, the other four were predictably stunned, their eyes wide and frozen in place.
If even they reacted this way, the other guilds' members were even more shocked.
"Just as I thought. Mr. Chase is competing too," Future Jura said, his gaze heavy. His hand, hidden within his sleeve, slowly clenched into a fist.
"Juvia..."
Future Lyon gazed at Juvia longingly. Beside him, Future Sherria puffed out her cheeks in jealousy.
"MAN! As expected of Fairy Tail—both teams made it through the preliminaries!" Future Ichiya exclaimed.
"So, Ichiya-senpai—that man with the strange starfish-shaped hair must be the S-Class Card Mage the old hag mentioned, right?"
Eve, Hibiki, and Ren all swallowed nervously. "Th-That magic power is terrifying..."
Ivan, the master of Raven Tail disguised as a contestant, also focused his attention on Chase—an unfamiliar Fairy Tail mage he had never seen before.
Did the sudden loss of contact with Obra have anything to do with this man?
Over at Sabertooth's camp, Future Sting and the others hung their heads like beaten dogs, feeling a deep sense of defeat. Both of Fairy Tail's teams had placed ahead of them!
"Hey! What's the meaning of this?! How does Fairy Tail have two teams?"
A Mermaid Heel mage looked toward the commentary booth, voicing the question on every spectator's mind.
Future Yajima took the microphone and briefly explained this year's rule change. Only then did everyone learn that each guild could send up to two teams.
"Wahaha! See that?! First and second place in the preliminaries—that's our Fairy Tail!!"
In the VIP seats, Makarov planted his hands on his hips, letting out an extremely smug Third Master laugh.
Inside the card held by Éclair, Lucy shouted loudly: "This is too much! You secretly formed Team B behind our backs!"
"Aye~ And they said it was a decision based on teamwork!"
Happy, for once, stood on the same side as Lucy (even though the stupid cat hadn't even made it as a substitute).
"Our opponents are from our own guild's Team B?! Ooh! I'm fired up!" Natsu shouted excitedly.
"Shouldn't the normal reaction be that this is a huge advantage for us?!"
Lucy couldn't believe his bravery and resolve. "And are you sure you've seen who's on the other team?!"
Regardless, since it was a rule allowed by the Grand Magic Games, the other guilds had no choice but to accept the reality of facing two Fairy Tail teams.
The audience, now somewhat calmer, broke into heated arguments—some criticizing the music magic from earlier, some looking forward to Fairy Tail's performance, and others questioning whether the "weakest" guild had used underhanded means to win the top two spots.
As for the latter claim, King Toma—waiting backstage to appear as the Pumpkin Head referee—gave it his wholehearted support.
After the competitors had exchanged greetings, Chapati began introducing the rules of this year's Grand Magic Games.
Including rest days, the tournament would last six days. Each day consisted of two parts: a competitive event and battle rounds.
For the competitive event, each team would send one member to participate, with the specific content only revealed on the day.
For the battle rounds, the matchups would be decided by audience votes and organizer arrangements, including but not limited to singles, tag battles, and more.
The tournament used a points system. In the competitive events, points awarded from first to eighth were 10, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1, and 0 respectively. In battle rounds, the winner got 10 points, the loser 0, and a draw gave both 5 points.
The team with the highest cumulative points on the final day would be this year's champion!
"Without further ado, let's reveal today's competitive event—'Hidden'!"
As Chapati's voice fell, a massive stone slab slowly rose from the arena floor. At the top of the slab were engraved two large characters: "Hidden." There was nothing else.
"Because it's 'Hidden,' the detailed rules won't be introduced until the match officially begins," Chapati teased, building suspense. "For now, each team should send out one contestant!"
His mysterious tone immediately put the competitors on guard.
Fairy Tail Team B.
"It sounds right up my alley. How about I go first and have some fun?" Chase said, smiling at his four teammates.
The first match's outcome was crucial. He felt he needed to give the doubters a little taste of shock.
"It's reassuring, but 'Hidden' doesn't really seem to suit Chase, does it?" Mira said with a wink, indirectly giving her approval.
Future Laxus and Future Gajeel, who weren't used to the lively atmosphere, immediately raised their hands in agreement.
Future Juvia, on the other hand, desperately wanted to go (since Team A had sent Gray), but she stood there fidgeting, unsure how to speak up.
"If we take the lead here, we'll be one big step closer to that punishment the Master mentioned~" Chase's voice was full of temptation.
Knowing the content of "Hidden," he was well aware that sending her—someone who had zero resistance to Gray—would be almost equivalent to throwing the match!
Hearing this, Future Juvia's expression instantly changed. She grabbed Chase's hand with extreme solemnity: "Mr. Chase, I entrust GrayJu to you!"
"Who's GrayJu?" Future Laxus looked at Mira in confusion.
"I believe it's the name of Juvia's imagined first child with Gray," Mira said, tilting her head thoughtfully.
"Uh..."
Though he had no idea how the conversation had jumped to this topic, Future Laxus somehow felt that Juvia was quite impressive. In a certain sense.
"Don't spread rumors about me in public, damn it!" Gray's angry face suddenly squeezed in from between them.
"Wahhh... J-Juvia said it herself though..." Mira covered her face and sobbed softly.
"Oh? You dare make my girlfriend cry?"
Chase stood in front of Mira, cracking his neck joints with a loud pop. "Looks like we'll have to have a proper chat on the battlefield, Gray."
"I—"
Gray was about to curse out this pair of scoundrels, but the moment he met Chase's gaze, something made him change his tune: "I didn't mean it. Sumimasen, hontou ni sumimasen!"
Mira once again performed her lightning-fast face-changing trick, her face blooming into a radiant smile: "Well then, I forgive you~"
***
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