"The third match of the battle segment on the second day of the Grand Magic Games!" Chapati Lola's voice boomed.
"From Fairy Tail Team A... Laxus Dreyar! VS Blue Pegasus substitute contestant... Jenny Realight!"
"Nani?!?"
The members of Fairy Tail, Raizel included, were all stunned, their jaws hitting the floor.
"What's going on?!"
"Is Jenny going to get struck dead by a single bolt of lightning today?!?"
Faced with the guild's frantic questions, Laxus expressed that he wanted to know too.
Even he was utterly flabbergasted.
No matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn't figure out which bastard came up with this matchup.
Just a tiny bit of electricity leaking from his fingertips would be more than this opponent could handle.
He was seriously afraid that using just a fraction too much magical power would accidentally kill her!
Jenny Realight of Blue Pegasus, age 18, was a top gravure model for Sorcerer Weekly magazine.
She had long, wavy golden hair and an alluring figure. As a woman, or rather as a gravure model, she was considered top-tier.
But as a Mage... her combat skills were severely lacking.
Jenny greatly admired Mira.
Mira only occasionally appeared on the covers of Sorcerer Weekly, yet just through those rare appearances, she had earned the title of Fiore's number one gravure girl.
After becoming famous, Jenny wanted to compete with Mira for the throne, but Mira had withdrawn from the competition.
Since last year, aside from interviews, Mira hadn't appeared in the magazine at all.
Chapati Lola finally cleared things up for the bewildered audience: "This match was not assigned by the official organizers! It was chosen by overwhelming fan vote!"
Mira and Levy, who had gone to secretly gather gossip, rushed back to the stands.
They didn't expect the answer to be this simple. "We already know the reason!"
Levy grinned, her left thumb and index finger framing her chin, her right hand planted on her hip.
"Then tell us already!"
Seeing how eager the members were, Levy stopped keeping them in suspense. "It's because fans of Laxus and Jenny got into a massive fight. The argument kept escalating, and they ended up voting fiercely, forcing this result."
"Haaaaa???" Even Laxus couldn't stay calm hearing this. "What was the reason for the fight?"
"It seems it was about the content in Sorcerer Weekly! Laxus once ranked first in the 'Most Desirable Male Mage to Date' poll, and Jenny also once ranked first in the 'Most Desirable Female Mage to Date' poll. The argument was basically a turf war over who is the strongest, most beautiful, or most handsome blonde Mage!"
Laxus could only shake his head helplessly and march down the passageway.
This 'Most Desirable Male Mage' title wasn't really a big deal.
Others in the guild had held it before—Raizel and Loke, for instance.
Another familiar face who had won it was Jellal. Based on the rankings over several issues, Raizel understood the pattern: the magazine played the field evenly to boost sales.
This round you're in front, next round I'll be in front.
"Gold content? Maybe just a little bit."
"I don't really understand."
"I don't get it, but I'm impressed."
The guild members all expressed that they'd learned something new today about toxic fandoms.
"The title should be mine!" Mavis stood up with her hands on her hips, pouting angrily.
"Even ghosts are competing?!?"
"Your golden hair isn't legitimate golden hair anyway, the color isn't pure," Raizel pointed out calmly. He figured every world had its obsessed fanbases.
"Are these fans looking down on me?!" Lucy brushed her tied hair with the back of her hand, indicating she wanted to join the golden hair competition too.
"Lucy..." The group turned to examine her. "Let's just forget about Lucy."
"..."
"She has both strength and beauty. What do you have?"
Lucy felt like her heart had been pierced by a barrage of arrows!
Of course, they were just joking—Lucy was beautiful after all.
On the other side of the arena, Jenny was also stunned.
She had long heard of Laxus's terrifying reputation and could only pray he knew how to be gentle with women.
This match was full of gunpowder, with fan slogans shouting loud enough to shake the heavens.
Except for the isolated areas where competing teams sat, the entire stadium had become a golden ocean because both support colors were gold.
Male fans cheered for Jenny; female fans screamed for Laxus.
Raizel observed the crowd—'it seemed Jenny had more fans, but that might just be because the Grand Magic Games attracted a massive male demographic.'
"Interesting. What will he do?" Raizel was very curious about Laxus's approach.
Jenny had already arrived at the center of the venue, basking in the audience's enthusiastic cheers.
Laxus arrived late, his heavy coat draped over his shoulders.
This was Jenny's first time seeing Laxus in person.
She had only read about him in Sorcerer Weekly or glanced at him from the Blue Pegasus stands from afar, as he always leaned against the wall hiding in the shadows.
She liked watching handsome men, but...
'He seems... ruggedly handsome...' Jenny's eyes lit up as she looked at the expressionless Laxus.
He was typically unphotogenic—seeing him in person, he was far more striking. Laxus was completely different from the flashy pretty boys of Blue Pegasus.
With thick eyebrows, sharp eyes, and the lightning scar slashing across his face, he was fiercely imposing.
Not to mention tall and powerfully built.
is aura was different—commanding respect without even trying.
And his behavior wasn't frivolous; he radiated the quiet, dangerous steadiness of a veteran fighter.
"No good, the more I look, the more I like him..." Jenny quickly covered her blushing cheeks and shook her head, murmuring softly to herself.
Laxus frowned, wondering if he had heard wrong.
Jenny's words were very soft, but he was a Dragon Slayer. His hearing was terrifyingly sharp.
He just stared at her, thoroughly weirded out.
Chapati Lola commentated: "Both sides have been confronting each other for a long time! No trash talk! No moves made either!"
He wasn't afraid of dead air, the deafening cheers hadn't died down yet.
"How about... you make the first move?" Laxus didn't want to waste time.
He figured he'd let Jenny blast him with a few random spells to gauge her strength before figuring out how to knock her out safely.
After all, he had zero idea what her capabilities were.
"This... doesn't seem appropriate, does it?" Jenny said hesitantly, wringing her hands.
"Don't worry. Go ahead," Laxus nodded.
Jenny lowered her head, lost in thought for a moment before her eyes grew resolute.
She knew she stood no chance of winning a straight fight, but her competitive spirit wouldn't allow her to surrender without trying.
"Take Over: Machine Soul!"
A golden magic circle snapped to life beneath her feet. In an instant, a flash of blinding light erupted.
A fierce, mechanical wind surged within the circle, lifting her pink dress and whipping her golden hair around her.
Unfortunately for the male fans, the transformation was completely obscured by the blinding golden aura.
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