"And now, the moment everyone has been waiting for! The brand-new Fairy Tail team is about to make its entrance!"
Chapati worked hard to build up the atmosphere.
The mages from every guild looked solemnly toward the five-person team reappearing from the contestants' tunnel.
Amid cheers that seemed to swallow the entire arena, Fairy Tail had taken only four days to reclaim the reputation they once had.
After reorganizing both teams into one, the new Fairy Tail lineup was as follows:
First came Natsu and Gajeel, a pair who had gradually earned the new nickname of the "Twin Dragons" during these past few days of the Grand Magic Games.
They drew an especially large amount of attention from the audience.
Then came Laxus and Erza as the team's pillars, along with Gray, who had mastered the power of black ice and whose strength was now in no way inferior to Natsu in Dragon Force.
As for Ankh, because he had been suspended from competing, he had already blended into the support group's spectator stand.
Mirajane, meanwhile, felt that if she had to fight in front of outsiders, her battle power might not necessarily exceed Natsu and Gray when those two were fired up, so she voluntarily chose to give up her place.
…
The main reason was that Ankh was not on the field anymore, so she had no real motivation.
Even so, this team could still swap in Juvia, Cana, Wendy, and the others as reserves at any time.
This was the true complete form of Fairy Tail, a guild packed with powerful backup fighters!
Sting had just received news from the medical team that no one knew how long Minerva would remain unconscious.
His expression was extremely dark as he gripped the railing tightly, staring word by word toward Fairy Tail's side while muttering under his breath.
"Fairy Tail… I'll make you pay for this!"
After the complete Fairy Tail team finished showing themselves, the Grand Magic Games finally entered its final battle stage.
The fourth day's battle stage, as the last fight before the decisive fifth day, was naturally very different from the previous three days.
The single battles had been changed into tag battles.
Not only did this test a mage's individual strength, but it also placed greater importance on cooperation between teammates…
At least, that was how it worked for normal mages.
Ankh leaned over the railing of the support group's stand and smiled with interest. "So this is what watching from this angle feels like. It's actually pretty fun."
"I'm really sorry for troubling everyone, though. You all still have to protect me…"
Lucy scratched her head in embarrassment.
Her hand was holding Future Lucy's, who stood beside her like a twin flower.
Makarov laughed carelessly. "What's there to worry about? We're all staying together. I refuse to believe the kingdom can still pull off a kidnapping now!"
In truth, Arcadios, who was currently hiding backstage, was indeed suffering a terrible headache.
The Celestial Spirit Mages who were crucial to the opening and closing of the Eclipse Gate had both been found during this year's Grand Magic Games.
But…
One of them had been expelled by Sabertooth and seemed to have been taken away by someone, her whereabouts now unknown.
The other spent all day staying with those Fairy Tail people, guarded so tightly that there was practically no gap at all!
"Troublesome…"
Arcadios looked at the two teams now beginning to enter the arena and sighed quietly with a deep frown.
But very soon, his gaze firmed once more.
Tonight!
They could not possibly stay together even while sleeping tonight, could they?
On top of that, he could report to the princess and ask her to bring out that mysterious unit…
By night, troublesome men like Makarov, Ankh, and Laxus definitely would not be at Lucy's side.
Erza would be a bit difficult to deal with, but even she would surely struggle against many opponents at once.
This should be secure enough…
While Arcadios was harboring his own plans, the first match had already begun in the arena.
The ever-present eighth—or seventh—place team of this year's Grand Magic Games, Quatro Puppy!
Versus Blue Pegasus, whose battle record had been average, but whose popularity remained extremely high!
Quatro Puppy chose to send out Bacchus, who had finally returned after recovering from the injuries Cana had given him, as well as Rocker…
Who was that again?
Oh, right.
The guy who placed dead last after being instantly eliminated by Aquarius during Naval Battle.
The other side's style, however, was somewhat strange.
The much-anticipated Lord Ichiya was covered in sparkling light, even striking a rather embarrassing pose with his hand.
Standing beside him was a mysterious person wearing a rabbit mascot suit.
"Hm?"
Ankh, who was watching the show, paused and asked in confusion, "Aside from Ichiya, does Blue Pegasus have another weirdo like that?"
Makarov said thoughtfully, "They've hidden him from the beginning of the tournament until now. He must be Blue Pegasus's secret weapon."
What none of them knew was that even the members of Blue Pegasus were curious about the true identity of this rabbit mascot.
The secret weapon guarded even from them was finally about to reveal himself!
Soon, everyone present had their questions answered.
Facing Bacchus going all out and Rocker providing support, Ichiya confidently charged forward with his partner.
Then, with great solemnity, his partner revealed his true face.
For a moment, the entire arena erupted in uproar.
On Fairy Tail's spectator stand, every member's eyes widened instantly.
On Blue Pegasus's side, the jaws of the handsome men nearly dropped to the ground.
Behind the rabbit costume was a handsome face identical to Ichiya's.
Only, because of the cat body and yellow fur, this "handsome cat" somehow looked even more flamboyant than Ichiya himself!
"Nichiya?!"
Happy clutched his head and shouted in shock.
Carla covered her eyes as if the sight physically hurt her, while Lily stared at those two world-shaking faces in disbelief and could not help sighing.
"To think there is a face exactly like Nichiya's. The world is truly mysterious…"
This yellow cat, who looked exactly like Ichiya, was none other than Nichiya, the Exceed commander Fairy Tail had previously encountered in Edolas.
Ichiya and Nichiya wiggled their hips, proudly introducing in their double magnetic voices how he and his beloved partner had met.
To summarize it simply…
It was the nauseating story of two flamboyant men becoming soulmates.
As for Nichiya, Jenny in the stands looked extremely confused and said, "But Nichiya is a cat, isn't he? Can he even fight?"
Ichiya brushed his hair back and smiled with radiant confidence.
"Men~ Since he is another me, his strength is naturally beyond question!"
Before his words had even finished, Bacchus, whose eyes had been assaulted for far too long, finally could not take it anymore.
He charged forward and sent Nichiya flying with a single chopping palm strike.
Nichiya flew like a yellow lump of crap kicked away by a passerby, then landed on the ground with a splat.
Ichiya looked expectantly at Nichiya lying on the ground.
Nichiya gazed back at his beloved partner with deep affection.
The next second, white smoke drifted from Nichiya's mouth, and he fainted on the spot.
Then…
Ichiya froze.
Ichiya began to sweat.
Ichiya broke down!
As if tragic music had begun flowing through the air, Ichiya dropped to his knees, lifted Nichiya in his arms, and cried out to the heavens in sorrow.
"PARTNEEERRRR!!"
"He has no fighting ability at all!"
The entire arena seemed to shout that furious retort in perfect unison.