"Have you heard? The disappeared members of Fairy Tail have returned! They're participating in the Grand Magic Games, and Natsu is back too!"
In the outskirts, standing before the smoking ruins of a destroyed Dark Guild, two young men stood side by side.
One golden-haired youth wearing neat, white attire held a newspaper, his eyes shining with excitement as he spoke.
The other dark-haired, gloomy youth remained expressionless.
"I don't care about these things."
"Well... I suppose your idol is Gajeel, after all." The golden-haired youth chuckled, brimming with self-confidence.
"But they've returned too late."
"The new generation of Dragon Slayer Mages—that's us—are the strongest generation!"
...
Fairy Tail's participation in the Grand Magic Games unexpectedly garnered massive attention throughout Fiore.
The miraculous return of the missing Tenrou Island group and their upcoming appearance in the Grand Magic Games reignited hope among citizens who had been disappointed with Fairy Tail in recent years.
However, most rival participants adopted a mocking attitude, firmly believing that Fairy Tail—this washed-up guild—could never turn things around.
Various reporters tried to interview the Tenrou Island group, but none succeeded.
Many media outlets began sarcastically criticizing Fairy Tail for overestimating themselves, but soon these distorted opinions were suppressed by the royal capital.
Some veteran guilds familiar with Fairy Tail's former strength never let their guard down.
Apart from the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth, who had expressed eagerness at the news, familiar guilds like Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, and Quatro Cerberus all prepared seriously and vigilantly.
Including Raven Tail, hidden deep in the shadows and recently cleansed of its dark status...
Of course, these external rumors hadn't reached the ears of the Fairy Tail members yet.
Because to participate in the Grand Magic Games, they had already begun three grueling months of special training!
The warm, pleasant seaside resort served as Ankh and the others' primary training location.
Happy and Carla, wearing adorable little swimsuits, said with great enthusiasm:
"Don't forget our mission! We are here for training, not for fun!"
Droy, patting his massive belly, said helplessly, "Your outfits aren't convincing at all..."
Erza nestled in a pool float, drifting leisurely in the sea, and remarked contentedly:
"Training should balance work and rest. Train hard when it's time to train, play hard when it's time to play!"
Jet and Droy exchanged a glance, their unease about participating in the Grand Magic Games resurfacing.
Fearing they might succumb to leisurely temptations, Jet pointed at himself and declared proudly:
"But this is a great opportunity to improve our strength! In three months, you should at least become stronger than us—"
"The sea!!"
Two beast-like roars erupted from behind as Natsu and Gray, wearing swim trunks with gleaming eyes, charged wildly toward the ocean.
In the chaotic process, they sent Jet and Droy—the two weakest fighters—flying through the air...
"Let's have a swimming race!"
"Let's see who can build the best sandcastle!"
"Let's compete to see who tans faster!"
After playing with intensity for what felt like ages, Natsu finally stretched his sun-darkened body, rubbing his head while yawning:
"Alright, time to head back and sleep..."
Jet sighed helplessly. "So they ended up indulging in leisure after all..."
Droy felt their dream of reclaiming Fiore's top ranking growing increasingly distant.
Juvia was staring dreamily at Gray's exposed bare skin.
Levy, Wendy, and Lucy were playing volleyball on the beach.
Erza lay under a beach umbrella while Ankh comfortably applied sunscreen to her fair back.
On this first day of training camp, no one seemed particularly serious—everyone appeared determined to simply play first.
Originally... that's exactly what they had thought.
But the moment they remembered their comrades training elsewhere might already be undergoing rigorous special training, their leisurely activities began feeling unsettled.
During lunch break, the now-rested group gathered and decided to begin their rigorous training ahead of schedule in the afternoon.
Lucy sipped her chilled juice and asked curiously, "Speaking of which, we're the only ones at this beach training camp. Where did everyone else go?"
Levy counted on her fingers while pondering:
"Mirajane's family went to the mountains to hone their combat skills and help Elfman search for beasts to use with his Take Over magic."
"Gildarts took Cana—apparently because her physical condition cannot properly handle Crash Magic yet, so they're doing targeted training."
"Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe went straight to practice against Dark Guilds. Such a practical approach..."
Wendy counted and asked in confusion, "What about Gajeel-san and Panther Lily?"
Levy puffed her cheeks and grumbled, "They said they're doing secret training. I wanted to join them, but they refused..."
Wendy widened her innocent eyes and leaned in, giggling as she repeated.
"Join them?"
Lucy covered her mouth while teasing, "Ara ara, Levy-chan, is there something romantic going on~?"
Happy raised a paw with a sly grin, making a clicking sound.
"Something's brewing~"
"It's... it's not what you think!"
Natsu lay cluelessly on the sand, muttering to himself, "Everyone's probably just playing around too..."
"Wait, that can't be right!"
Suddenly seized by urgency, Natsu's eyes widened as he flipped over and sat up, locking gazes with an equally anxious Gray right beside him.
No more playing! Time to train!!
That afternoon, something amazing happened that left Jet and Droy astonished—the same people who'd been playing around all morning now seemed like completely different individuals.
Juvia stood gracefully upon the ocean's surface, surrounded by massive water spheres, silently vowing.
"Juvia must develop greater power to control water!"
Wendy was breathing in the atmosphere, continuously unleashing Dragon Slayer Secret Arts, striving to master Sky Dragon's Roar with greater ease.
Meanwhile, Lucy trained hard with Capricorn, strengthening her overall mastery of Dual Celestial Spirit Gate Opening and Celestial Spirit Magic history.
Erza closed her eyes as she sliced through the rolling ocean waves, her sword intent growing increasingly sharp.
Levy absorbed vast amounts of magical knowledge from books, studying the valuable information accumulated over the past seven years.
Natsu dove deep underwater, breaking through high water pressure currents while spewing hot flames, determined to master Dragon Force.
Gray found Ur, who had also come to the seaside training camp to relax before the Eastern Council officially "opened for business," and knelt before her.
"Master!" Gray bowed his head, his eyes filled with anxiety and unease as he pleaded with Ur.
"I want to learn your Black Ice magic!"
Ur, who had originally intended to slack off, "..."
Watching the relaxed atmosphere suddenly turn urgent, Jet and Droy began to feel uncomfortable about being idle.
But they soon noticed Ankh lounging idly on a beach chair.
"Ankh? Aren't you gonna do some special training?" Jet asked curiously.
Wearing cool sunglasses, Ankh looked unfazed as he leisurely replied.
"For me, recovering from my severe injuries is the best training."
Jet and Droy fell silent again.
Well... he definitely had a point.
If he dared to take on the Black Dragon alone, why would he fear the Grand Magic Games?
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