"No! We already agreed long ago that we wouldn't participate in that!" Macao shouted emotionally upon hearing his son's words.
"What's this Grand Magic Games you're talking about, Fourth Generation?" Makarov asked curiously.
Macao retorted sheepishly, "Don't call me that, Fifth Generation~"
Just earlier, Macao had officially returned the position of Guild Master to Makarov, thus completing the hasty leadership transition in an incredibly simple manner...
"We're participating! We're participating! We're participating!" Romeo stubbornly insisted, refusing to back down.
"We're not! We're not! We're not!" Macao shot back with equal determination.
Romeo said angrily, "Dad isn't the Guild Master anymore! You don't get to decide whether we participate or not!"
Macao remained firm, stating, "I'm formally objecting to participating in this festival as a guild member!"
As father and son were locked in their heated argument, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy suddenly entered the guild.
"We're back!"
Natsu greeted everyone with energetic cheerfulness as soon as he entered, then looked curiously at the arguing pair and asked.
"What are they fighting about?"
Lucy, utterly exhausted, slumped into a chair.
Almost instantly, the ever-inquisitive Mirajane and Cana appeared right beside her.
"So? How did it go taking your boyfriend to officially meet your father?"
Lucy's face immediately turned bright red as she frantically waved her hands in denial, "What are you talking about?! My father was sick, so I went to visit him! Natsu and Happy just happened to come find me for a job, so we went together!"
Although Jude's heart illness had miraculously disappeared the moment he saw Lucy, he had actually ended up looking at Natsu with the highly critical eyes of a father evaluating a prospective son-in-law...
"Ohhh~"
Mirajane and Cana drew out the syllable with highly suggestive tones, their faces clearly showing they didn't believe her at all.
Lucy quickly changed the subject, turning her attention back to the arguing pair and asking, "So what's going on? Why are they arguing?"
Carla shrugged helplessly, complaining about the childish level of the argument, "It's basically just a father-son squabble."
...
Macao then raised his hand high and shouted excitedly, "Alright, everyone who absolutely doesn't want to participate, raise your hands!"
The next moment, everyone except the Tenrou Island Mages and Romeo raised their hands, their faces full of deep resistance.
Alzack reluctantly raised his hand and muttered quietly, "Please, just spare us from this one thing."
Bisca similarly lacked confidence, saying, "We'd just be completely making fools of ourselves if we went..."
Even their adorable little daughter, Asuka, had a highly serious expression as she earnestly raised her tiny hand.
Full of confidence, Romeo argued, "But this time, we have the Tenrou Island Mages with us!"
"With Ankh-nii and Laxus-nii here, Fairy Tail can definitely make it to the end!"
Max said worriedly, "But... the Grand Magic Games is a team competition. Compared to them, we all still have an insurmountable seven-year gap..."
Jet and Droy immediately crowded around Levy, eagerly comforting her.
"It's okay, Levy! Staying like this is just fine too!"
Levy looked utterly helpless.
She wanted to become stronger too, but Max was completely right—after losing seven years, she, who was already physically weak, found it even harder to properly keep up with everyone.
Natsu furrowed his brow and interrupted, "So, what are you all talking about? What's this Grand Magic Games thing?"
Ankh explained, "It's a large-scale combat festival held in the royal capital during the seven years we were gone."
"Magic Guilds from all over Fiore gather to battle each other and officially compete for the title of Fiore's strongest guild."
"I've checked the past records. That Sabertooth guild proved their strength to the nation through this highly publicized and prestigious festival, becoming Fiore's strongest guild in just a few short years."
"Oh ho!" Natsu punched his palm eagerly, grinning widely. "Sounds pretty interesting!"
Gray nodded, his eyes shining with clear anticipation. "It does sound like quite the festival."
Happy cheered excitedly, "A festival, Carla!"
Carla sighed and facepalmed. "Isn't every day like a festival with this guild...?"
Erza rested her chin on her hand, smiling confidently. "I see. As long as we actively participate in this festival and defeat Sabertooth, we can undeniably prove that we are Fiore's strongest guild!"
Makarov hesitated, deep in thought. "But... with everyone's current strength, can we really win...?"
Macao immediately chimed in, "Exactly, exactly! It would be far too embarrassing!"
Seeing Makarov's lingering hesitation, Ankh quietly added exactly what Makarov most wanted to hear:
"The first prize for the Grand Magic Games is 30 million J."
Makarov fell silent.
Makarov had a great idea.
Makarov declared firmly.
"We are participating!!"
The old guild members immediately broke into lamentations, with Macao completely covering his face in despair.
Jet said anxiously, "Even Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale will be participating!"
"Our opponents aren't just Sabertooth!" Droy said dejectedly. "And in previous years, our actual results have always been at the absolute bottom, for multiple consecutive tournaments..."
Makarov became filled with intense fighting spirit, waving his fist energetically:
"Those small guilds?! We can take them down in no time!"
"Sabertooth, huh? I'm fired up!" Natsu exclaimed, hot flames burning on his fist, his expression highly excited.
Ankh asked Romeo, "How much time until the Grand Magic Games actually begins?"
Romeo immediately replied, "Three months!"
After thinking for a moment, Ankh firmly nodded. "Three months is enough!"
"In these three months, each of us must strictly undergo special training to make up for the seven-year gap we've fallen behind, then shine brightly at the Grand Magic Games!"
Making up for seven years of others' efforts in just three months sounded unbelievable, but for Fairy Tail's younger generation, it genuinely wasn't an impossible task.
In daily life, everyone rarely engaged in truly dedicated training, as their strength naturally grew through mission work.
However, three months of completely uninterrupted special training without external distractions would prove incredibly effective.
Moreover, each of them possessed top-tier talent for their generation.
Even after three months of intensive training, Natsu and the others probably couldn't completely compare to their "seven-years-naturally-developed" selves.
But... when compared to the other Mages of the current era, their progress could only be accurately described as miraculous.
Bisca still felt somewhat worried and sighed. "Are you really going to participate? This is completely different from the fun festival you imagined."
Warren nodded with deep emotion. "It's pure hell..."
"Even if it's hell, I'll violently punch a crack right through it!"
Ankh laughed with highly confident flamboyance.
Seeing the intensely hopeful gazes of Natsu and the others, he raised his arm and shouted.
"Together, everyone! Let's completely conquer the Grand Magic Games!"
"Yeah!!"
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