"You've got to be kidding... The Twin Dragons of Sabertooth... were sent flying with one punch..."
"I remember him! He's Natsu from Fairy Tail!"
"Fairy Tail? Isn't that the bottom-ranked guild in Fiore?"
Natsu's single punch sent Sting and Rogue flying, causing waves of exclamations among the spectators.
Since the Grand Magic Games began, Sabertooth had been regarded as the undisputed strongest guild in the hearts of Fiore's people.
However, that was largely due to the event's massive popularity.
Guilds like Lamia Scale had never taken the Grand Magic Games seriously in previous years, with Jura, the fifth-ranked of the Ten Wizard Saints, never making an appearance.
Thus, in this environment of nationwide adoration, the Twin Dragons might have let the hype get to their heads a bit.
Lector trembled, glancing at Sting, who had fallen to the ground nearby.
Rage surged in Sting's eyes.
He let out a fierce shout, gathering his strength, and charged at Natsu once more.
A blinding white light flared. Unhurried, Natsu closed his eyes and sidestepped.
Sting's punch met empty air. Natsu swung his arm, delivering an uppercut to Sting's upper arm.
A numbing sensation shot through Sting's limb.
Sting gritted his teeth and prepared to retreat, but Natsu grabbed him by the collar and slammed him to the ground with a shoulder throw.
Thud!
The pavement tiles shattered under the impact of Sting's back, forcing a pained grunt from him.
"Sting!" Lector cried out.
Seeing his partner taken down, Rogue transformed into a shadowy streak, darting toward Natsu's feet.
"Shadow Dragon's Slash!"
Rogue emerged from the shadows and slashed toward Natsu's back.
However, a brilliant golden light flashed from the side, dispersing the shadows in Rogue's hands.
"What?"
Rogue's mind went blank for a moment before Natsu turned around and swept him off his feet, sending him stumbling back several steps.
Lucy, holding the Leo key, stood beside Natsu with her hands on her hips. "With me here, don't even think about a sneak attack!"
Loke flexed his wrists, the Regulus Light on his fists growing brighter as he stared down Rogue.
"The Twin Dragons are at a disadvantage..."
"I thought Fairy Tail was supposed to be the weakest..."
The crowd gathering to watch the fight grew larger. Lucy leaned close to Natsu's ear.
"This is getting out of hand. We should leave now. If we delay everyone from participating in the Grand Magic Games, it'll be a disaster."
"You're right!" Natsu jolted in realization. He grabbed Lucy's hand and dashed through the crowd, shouting, "Let's go, Happy! The meeting time is almost up!"
"Aye! Natsu, wait for me!"
Before leaving, Happy stuck out his tongue at Lector and Frosch, making Lector stomp his feet in frustration.
Frosch, however, paid no mind and instead looked worriedly at Rogue.
"Rogue... are you okay?"
Rogue lowered his arms, which had been crossed in a defensive stance, and smiled slightly. "I'm fine, I'm not hurt."
If one ignored Rogue's trembling arms, his words would have been convincing...
Lector stood beside Sting, who was lying on the ground. "Don't feel bad, Sting. You didn't even use your White Drive mode or Dragon Force. If you fought again, you'd win."
"I'm fine, Lector."
Sting lay flat on his back, looking just like the mercenaries he had defeated earlier.
However, his face was filled with a delighted smile, startling Lector.
"As expected of Natsu-san. Even after losing seven years, he still has this level of strength..."
Sting sprang to his feet in one fluid motion, his eyes burning with fighting spirit and a confident smile playing on his lips.
"At the Grand Magic Games! I will defeat him at the Grand Magic Games! And then I'll tell Natsu-san that I've surpassed him!"
Seeing Sting remained as sunny and confident as ever, Lector cheered in agreement.
"That's right! Sting is the strongest Dragon Slayer Mage!"
The boy and cat encouraged each other, unfazed by the fact that they had been knocked down twice in quick succession.
Rogue lowered his head thoughtfully, staring at his trembling arms.
If Gajeel possessed combat power roughly equivalent to Natsu, he would be a formidable opponent.
Thump—
Just as Rogue was lost in thought, someone bumped hard into his shoulder.
A sturdy young man dressed entirely in black shoved past Rogue and continued walking forward.
Rogue staggered but steadied himself, staring in disbelief at the person who had brushed him off with such disregard.
"Gajeel?"
When the commotion ended earlier, Ankh, seeing that Natsu hadn't been at a disadvantage, planned to return to the inn.
But Gajeel had taken a detour and headed straight toward Sting and Rogue to pick a fight.
Sting widened his eyes and asked, "Gajeel? The Iron Dragon who fought alongside Natsu seven years ago?"
"Tch... Who fought alongside that guy, bastard." Gajeel turned his head and shot a fierce glare at Sting.
He noticed Rogue's unusual expression and said, "What's with that look? Want to fight?"
Compared to Natsu, Gajeel was clearly more like a thug...
Rogue suppressed his complicated emotions, took a deep breath, and said.
"We'll meet at the Grand Magic Games. I'll defeat you then!"
Gajeel snorted and said, "You should be grateful that the one who heard those words tonight was the Salamander."
Sting, annoyed by the provocation, retorted, "What's there to be grateful about? Would we be afraid if it were you instead?"
Gajeel ignored his taunt, looking at the two with pitying eyes.
"If it were a certain guy sleeping at the inn who heard you dare to insult Ankh..."
Gajeel chuckled, then turned and left, waving his hand as he threw out one last sentence.
"You'd die."
After Gajeel left, the atmosphere turned cold, and the surrounding crowd fell silent.
No one expected a bottom-ranked guild to have so many formidable members.
Sting clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. "What's with the boasting! When the festival begins, I'll make him pay!"
"Let's go. Time to return to the inn." Rogue remained silent for a moment before turning to leave, with Sting following behind.
...
At the inn, Laxus, who had taken a nap and was feeling refreshed, sat by the balcony.
Hearing the door open behind him, he asked, "Back already?"
Ankh and Mirajane entered the room, followed by Gajeel who had jogged to catch up.
Juvia had returned earlier and was lounging at the table.
Ankh glanced at the clock and thought to himself:
'The time is almost here.'