Kira didn't bother checking with Freed. Why would he? If Freed knew anything, he wouldn't be sitting around twiddling his thumbs.
So, Kira headed over to Bickslow, who was prepping for his match against Natsu tomorrow. And by "prepping," he meant stuffing his face and chugging drinks to build up stamina.
When Kira asked about Laxus' whereabouts, Bickslow just shrugged. "No clue." Kira blinked, confused. "What, did he ditch his own crew? Did the loss hit him so hard he ran off to some secret corner to cry it out?"
"Pfft, no way!" Bickslow laughed. "Laxus isn't some kid throwing a tantrum!"
He and Laxus were about the same age, a good four or five years older than Natsu and the younger crowd, so he had a bit more perspective. The Thunder God Tribe might call themselves Laxus' "followers," but really, they were just a task squad with a fancy name. Only someone as dramatic as Freed or as standoffish as Evergreen would lean into the "follower" shtick. For Bickslow, it was more about the fun of tagging along.
"Though, I think I saw him head out yesterday," Bickslow added. "Probably off on a job or something."
Kira frowned. "A job? Now? I know the tournament's not his thing anymore, but to not care at all?"
"Who knows?" Bickslow shrugged again.
Originally, during the Harvest Festival, Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe were supposed to stage a rebellion, aiming to seize control of the guild. He'd even gone so far as to hold guild members and Magnolia's innocent civilians hostage—downright ruthless. But thanks to Kira' Magic Tournament, Laxus' coup plans fell apart before they could even start. Worse yet, he didn't even make it past the prelims, failing to crack the top sixteen.
Sure, everyone in the guild knew the rankings were skewed, but outsiders didn't. Out of Fairy Tail's five S-Class wizards, Laxus was the only one who didn't advance. To the uninformed, it might look like he didn't live up to his reputation.
For someone as proud as Laxus, bombing the prelims was a massive blow to his ego. After taking hit after hit, who knew what he might do next?
"I just hope he doesn't do anything too reckless…" Kira sighed, heading over to Makarov to share his concerns. "He's not a bad guy at heart, right?"
After hearing Kira out, Makarov's face turned serious. "Kira, you absolutely cannot tell anyone about this!"
Kira nodded quietly, thinking, So even the Guild Master's worried about Laxus going rogue? Without the original plot playing out, can Laxus realize his mistakes and turn things around?
"Actually," Makarov continued, "I sent Laxus on a mission."
Kira: "?!?!"
Makarov smirked at Kira' shocked expression, clearly pleased. Bet you didn't see that coming! Thought you had me all figured out, huh?
"You heard me right," Makarov said. "I sent him out. It's a sensitive matter, so I didn't tell anyone else."
"Wait… hold on…" Kira stammered, caught off guard. "You're saying you sent Laxus out?"
"Exactly," Makarov confirmed with a nod.
Kira still couldn't wrap his head around it. "You can fool me all you want—I'll laugh it off. But when you're back home, sitting alone in an empty house, don't cry on your couch about it…"
Makarov: "…"
Since when did you get so quick with the comebacks?
Clearing his throat, Makarov leaned in and lowered his voice. "Here's the deal: according to the Magic Council, the dark guilds have been stirring lately. So, I sent Laxus to investigate."
Kira' eyes widened, disbelief written all over his face. "What? He's out there alone spying on dark guilds? Laxus is doing something that… dangerous?"
Is this really the same Laxus?
"To keep the dark guilds from noticing, I spread the tournament out over six days and invited reporters to hype it up," Makarov explained. "It draws the magic world's attention here, giving Laxus cover to move in secret."
It clicked for Kira, and a mix of shock and excitement hit him. "So, Laxus failing the prelims was…"
"Exactly," Makarov said, stroking his mustache with a sly grin, every bit the cunning strategist. "It was all an act. With how well Laxus knows Freed's magic, you think he'd fall for his rune traps so easily? Even Freed doesn't know the truth."
Kira glanced at the brooding Freed nearby and nodded. Yeah, if Freed was in on it, his acting would've been way too convincing. He'd be gunning for my 'Fairy Tail's Best Drama King' title!
"But how did you convince him?" Kira asked, still puzzled. If Makarov was telling the truth, why would Laxus agree? He'd been dead-set on settling things with Kira at the Harvest Festival tournament.
Makarov chuckled. "Well…"
Three days ago, at Makarov's house.
"What?! You want me to skip the tournament and go snoop around for some dark guild we don't even know the location of?" Laxus shouted at Makarov. "No way! Why should I do something like that?"
"Laxus, calm down," Makarov said. "Listen, these dark guilds are a serious problem. If they fully organize, it'll be a disaster for the magic world. You're the best person for this job—no one else can handle it."
Laxus scoffed. "And why should I care? You know how long I've been waiting for this! The first Fairy Tail Magic Tournament is my chance to settle things with Kira once and for all!"
Makarov fell silent for a moment before speaking. "Laxus, this tournament is Kira' creation. Are you really okay with that?"
"What's that supposed to mean, old man?"
"You want to beat him for real, don't you? Then why play by his rules?" Makarov's voice took on a tempting edge, like a devil whispering in his ear. "Think about it. Do you really want to take part in his little game?"
Laxus stared at his grandfather, as if seeing him for the first time. "What are you getting at? Of course I—"
"Under his rules, you'll be like a kid playing a game, fighting his hand-picked opponents, happily chasing the wins he sets up for you, until maybe you get to face him on the final day."
Makarov's tone sharpened. "You're Laxus! Since when do you need someone else to hand you a chance to fight?"
Laxus went quiet, his grandfather's words—so unlike him—striking a chord. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. "But… if I just leave, doesn't that mean I'm admitting defeat?"
"Defeat?" Makarov laughed as if it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard. "Why would you think that?"
"Everyone knows, aside from me, the strongest wizard in Fairy Tail is Kira! While they're all scrabbling for some meaningless 'Fairy Tail's Strongest' title, you'll be out there working for the stability of the magic world. Isn't that a thousand times more noble?"
Seeing Laxus waver, Makarov pressed on. "Open your mind! Picture this: they're waving their little 'trophy' in your face, bragging, and you just say,
'What, that thing? You're fighting over that? I'm way past that. You wanna know where I've been? While you were playing games, I took down a dark guild that had the old man and the Magic Council sweating!'
Now tell me, doesn't that make you look like the bigger man?"
Laxus' eyes lit up, a cold smirk spreading across his face. "That does sound pretty good. Alright, I'm in."
Makarov nodded, satisfied.
Laxus' grin faded as he gave his grandfather a complicated look. "Old man, don't pick up any more tricks from Kira. Your acting's way too obvious."
"…"
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