Today was the day; the strongest countries in all of Ishgar gathered today for the grand event of Ishgar's Strongest. It felt as though a lot of events over the past few years had been leading up to this: a grand showdown unlike anything the world had ever seen before. Crown Stadium was filled with so many people who just had to witness this event in person. Considering the taxes in Joya, one can imagine how much a single ticket costed, but that was neither here nor there. Right now…
"Hello citizens of Joya!" It was everyone's favorite announcer who managed to book the job for this tournament as its MC; Chapati Lola! You simply couldn't have a tournament without him. "The time has finally come for Ishgar's Strongest! I am one of your hosts, Chapati Lola!"
Team Fiore was a little surprised to hear their usual host making his way onto the grand stage. Hisui prepared team uniforms for each member, each outfit generally consistent with the character's usual attire. As it stood right now, they were waiting in one of the hallways for their name to be called to step out into the stadium. A lacrima screen showed everything they needed to see outside. "I can't believe Chapati's all the way out here…" Lucy said with a small sweat drop. She could only imagine how much money he was making off of this chance of the lifetime.
"And I am the second host, Joya's crown glory, Count Waltz." Waltz said, taking a seat next to Chapati. The commentator's booth was filled with very special guests this time around. "I need no introduction, and before the 8 competing countries are introduced, I would like to introduce the special guests we've invited for Ishgar's Strongest. The five strongest wizards in the world."
"The five strongest? How did he manage that…" Hisui wondered aloud.
"We'll start in ascending order. The fifth strongest mage in the world – Empress Song!" Count Waltz said.
Empress Song was a beautiful young woman who donned Japanese attire. Her black hair was tied in a traditional style and there was a beauty mark just under her right eye. There wasn't a soul alive who hadn't heard the name Empress Song; if you didn't know of her, and then it was likely you were a fool who lived under a rock. "It is a pleasure to be here for such a prestigious event. I am very curious to watch the strongest countries in Ishgar claw for the top spot."
"A beautiful, yet powerful woman. I would not wish to be on the wrong side of her ire." Waltz said before introducing the next person. "Now, for the fourth strongest wizard in the world: Lady Ice, the Queen of Iceberg!"
Ice was a tall woman with dark blue hair and eyes. The cold of her country did not bother her. Ice donned regal attire of shirt and pants, tailored with the symbol of the country Iceberg. "Thank you for having me. Even though I don't care much for my standing in this ranking, I couldn't very well pass up this chance. My country may not be participating in this tournament, but it will not stop me from attending." Needless to say, she gave off a chill on multiple levels. There was her icy glare that froze the hearts of many, quite literally, and her natural body temperature was extremely low due to her cold affinity.
"And onto the third strongest mage among us…." Count Waltz continued. "The King of Pergrande himself! King Ashnard!"
Emmeraude was present in the stands. Even as Empress, she could not help the scowl that crossed her lips. "…Tch."
"Now, dear…" Emerald tried to ease her daughter. But in truth, she was a little anxious as well; it had been over 20 years since she and Ashnard had even been in the same space…and that time back then was far from pleasant as well.
Just by glancing at them, it would be hard to tell that she and Ashnard were related by blood. Ashnard had long red hair that reached down to his shoulders and red eyes that completed his stern expression. The armor he donned was supported by his muscular build. Ashnard was red, and Emmeraude was green. The physical difference between them was staggering. "It is an honor for Joya to have me here." Ashnard said. As soon as those words left his lips, anyone that knew of his relation to Emmeraude could see it. They both had a similar ego. "Pergrande will be taking this chance to display to the world why we are the strongest country to grace it. I will not be commentating much, for I'd much rather spend my time watching with my family, I do hope you understand."
Emmeraude furrowed her brows. On the outside she looked calm, but on the inside she absolutely could not wait to crush Ashnard under her heel. "Your challenge has been accepted, Ashnard."
"Of course those are the words of the King of Pergrande." Count Waltz did not bat an eye. Pergrande and Joya had very close relations after all. "And for the second strongest mage in the world. May I introduce the beautiful Helena Tiberius, the Queen of Valeria!"
Helena made her appearance during Fiore's Finest, but she did not stay for very long. The Empress of the sky kingdom was still a tad surprised to be invited to such an event. "I have only been in this time for roughly 2 years, and I'm not so sure what qualifies me for such a role. Regardless, I take great pride in my strength and role as Empress. I am curious to see how such an event will pan out."
"Such a weirdo." That came from Calium, who needed no introduction. In fact, he wasn't going to let Count Waltz even give him one, since he already began talking. "And I'm Calium. By process of elimination, you can tell that I've been named the strongest mage in the world. I was formerly the guild master of a guild in Fiore called White Eclipse. Some of those members are taking part in this tournament, so depending on their training; you have a lot to look forward here. And unlike the others, I would've come even if I wasn't invited."
"What an…irritating man." Waltz did not keep his filter on for that. "Now then, with those introductions out of the way, it's high time we introduce the 8 countries that will be fighting for the title of Ishgar's strongest country. We will start, of course, with Joya." Waltz then snapped his fingers, commanding the 10 fighters he handpicked to walk into the large stadium.
Allegretto and Polka were of course two of the fighters on Team Joya. The others were hardly familiar faces; the third was Tuba, the older, somewhat heavyset solider with an eyepatch over his left eye; the fourth was a younger male, shorter than the rest in terms of stature. He had on a green hat and his eyes were brown, this was Beat; the fifth was a tall male with black hair tied back in a ponytail. On his back was a massive board sword – this was Jazz, the strongest knight in all of Joya; the sixth was a young woman with pink hair, clad in light armor and two dual blades sheathed at her hip. This was Rondo, another one of Joya's strongest knights. The rest of Joya's team were familiar faces: Yeager, Yumia, Yukia, and Marx of the Wizard Hunters!
"…The Wizard Hunters…are on Joya's team?" Erza was completely befuddled by this. She knew they were taking part in the event, but this didn't seem right. "Does that mean Joya was the one who…?"
"We'll kick their ass no matter what team they're on!" Natsu stated confidently.
"Next," Waltz went on. "We have Team Fiore…the most troublesome country one could ever see." The Count was not letting their issues go under the radar.
"No time to think about it. We have to go." Sting said while taking a deep breath.
Team Fiore stepped into the stadium. Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Zelos, Minerva, Kagura, Bacchus, Sting, Luke, and Reve appeared before the people. Even outside of their country, Fiore did have some fans despite their reputation for being a problem country. "This is a lot of people…" Kagura remarked quietly."
"Oh ho ho! A pleasure to see you all again." Yeager bowed to Team Fiore.
"Chapati, take it away." Waltz handed the introductions to the MC now. He was growing tired of talking.
"Of course!" Chapati was more than prepared to do this. "Next on the list of teams to be introduced…the Pergrande Kingdom!"
Pergrande's team of 10 largely consisted of familiar faces: Mii, Lucia, Shade, Zell (one of the 13 Commandants), Blair, Keele, Rajaron, and the other 3 were unfamiliar faces. There was one male who stood next to Keele, his silver spiky hair and grin vaguely reminiscent of the hybrid takeover; this was Aki Makato, Keele's brother. The other was a young woman with blonde hair and purple eyes, donning the same attire as Zell, the gray haired commandant. This was Elly, another member of Pergrande's 13. The last was a masked man donning dragoon armor. There wasn't much known about this soldier other than his name: Xillia.
"What the…?" Bacchus pointed to Pergrande's team; more specifically, Lucia and Shade. "Ain't they Wizard Hunters too?"
"The Wizard Hunters are on two separate teams?" Minerva lifted a brow. She knew they'd be combating the Hunters, but she did not imagine like this.
"KEELE!?" Natsu's eyes widened in pure shock. "You're here too!?"
"Of course." Keele responded with a slight laugh. "Guess we'll be seeing if your training was all for nothing or not, huh!?"
"But how…?" Lucy was just as confused as the others. Mages of Al Dente! taking part on Pergrande's Team!? Along the Wizard Hunters no less!? What was going on here!?
"Don't think too much of it." Yeager said while adjusting his tie. "This is something of a friendly competition between our faction."
"A competition to see which of us can win, of course." Lucia responded after her brother's statement.
Erza had a slight sweat drop at this revelation. Fiore already came into this knowing that Alvarez and the Wizard Hunters would be their worst foes. Never did they imagine that the Wizard Hunters would split into two teams like this. This wasn't good because now they had two teams that would absolutely impede their progress. "How did you…"
Before Erza could get her question out, Mii interrupted. "Sssssh. We're still in the introductory phase." In other words, they weren't going to be answering the question yet, if at all.
"Next up!" Chapati continued with the introductions. "The fourth country taking place: Seven!"
The members of Seven's team were all familiar faces: Acid Ace, Red Joker, Heartless, Tia, Jack, Diamond Ice, Spade Magnus, Club Strong, Daigo, and surprisingly, Spade's younger brother, Spark. "This is a loooot of people…" Diamond said while glancing around.
"I hope you don't get stage fright." Jack scoffed. "We're here to win."
"Hellloooo Joya! We're gonna take this tournament by storm!" Ace proclaimed loudly to everyone. It was a little embarrassing for Tia that her fiancée was this rowdy in a public setting, which is precisely why she hid her face out.
"Ugh, calm down, would you?" Tia groaned.
Heartless was looking around rather curiously. This was the first time she'd been in front of so many people, for a sport no less. "I understand how Diamond feels. This is a lot to take in, but I'll be fine." As her pink eyes wandered about, they met with Lucia's, who instinctively glared at her. "…?"
"Demon…" Lucia's hand reached for the hilt of her sword. Lucia already made a point about her holy sword, Excalibur, being the blade of demon's bane, and how it was her duty to slay the darkness. But this reaction was more instinctual, primal…personal. Even the calm and composed leader of the Hunters could not suppress this urge to lash out. She was about to attack, but Yeager stopped her simply by placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't do it…." Yukia pointed her fingers together.
"…" Lucia relented and took a calm breath. "….Yeah."
Daigo noticed Lucia's malicious intent and was prepared to strike. But the situation was thankfully defused before it spiraled into chaos. "…That woman…"
"Onto the fifth team! Hailing from the country of Bosco!" Chapati yelled.
Team Bosco largely consisted of Cosmic Star members: Gaia, Alex, Daryan, Yakuza, Hiruka, Lore, and Magnus. Two others were faces that only Fiore would recognize: Nasir and Edna, the wind and crystal dragons from the Isle of the Dragons! Lastly, there was a woman dressed in a nurse's outfit, having red and black hair split down the middle. Daryan tried to wave at Kagura but she purposely turned away.
"H-Huh? You two?" Natsu pointed at Nasir and Edna.
"What are you doing so far from the Isle?" Kagura asked.
"Queen Edna wished to have an eye on this event." Nasir explained. "She wanted us to confirm the identity of this Rajaron…" Nasir's eyes and Rajaron's own made eye contact. Without a doubt, this was indeed the long lost heir of the Isle. But did Rajaron recognize him? That was hard to discern since he had been missing for over 300 years.
"It was such a drag…" Edna yawned, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"But they contacted me." Gaia explained. "So I decided to allow them passage as temporary Cosmic Star members. It will help us win, too. We now have three dragons on our side."
"And this one?" Luke pointed to the unnamed woman.
"Oh! Hello!" The woman ran up to Natsu, Lucy, and Erza. "It's been so long, Fairy Tail! I hope you haven't forgotten me~"
"…That voice sounds familiar…" Natsu was trying to rack his brain for an answer.
"Oh, that's right, you don't know what I look like. It's me, Verona!" The woman clasped her hands together.
"HUH!?" Natsu, Lucy, and Erza's eyes went wide.
"Verona Partheon? Huh…she's even more beautiful than I thought." Zelos slicked his hair back.
"Back during the war with Alvarez, I was severed from Cynthia's body. I wandered around until I found myself in Bosco." Verona explained. "It's so nice having my own body back!"
"Still weirded out by the fact you were rooming in my sister's head…" Alex rolled her eyes.
"The sixth team! This is quite a surprise, all things considered! But it is the Alvarez Kingdom!" Chapati said. That name caused the audience to murmur amongst themselves.
"Alvarez?"
"Didn't they start a war a year ago?"
"They were allowed here?"
It fell to the Empress of Alvarez to answer that question. Emmeraude was so fast not a single person noticed she had grabbed Chapati's mic to explain. "Ah yes, I understand some of you are very confused about Alvarez's entry into the tournament. I am its new Empress, Emmeraude Verde. Unlike the previous Emperor, it is my sincere hope that war never happens again. As a goodwill towards Alvarez and Ishgar, we've been invited to partake in this tournament. This will be a wonderful chance for us to renew relations between our continents." And just as quickly as she appeared in the commentator's booth, she left. "Thank you, Dimaria."
"Mhm." Dimaria was the reason Emmeraude was able to appear to and fro so fast. No one was none the wiser to the time stop that had occurred.
"Wow, Em handled that pretty well." Mii shrugged her shoulders.
After their Empress handled the confusion, team Alvarez stepped into the arena. Alvarez's team consisted of Julius, Alice, Little Queen, Ken, Brandish, Jacob, Ragen, and three more faces that had yet to make their appearance. The first was a beautiful woman dressed in a crimson kimono; her long black hair was tied into two long pig tails and her red eye screamed a hint of insanity; this was another member of the Spriggan 12, Oriana. The next was the tallest one all; a man with short, messy blond hair and a muscular build. His expression was apathetic, yet not devoid of emotion. The Spriggan of Love: G. Last but not least, there was man dressed in a red shirt and pants; causal attire, but his expression hinted at pure malice. One could sense the bloodlust coming off of him. This was Zero, another member of the new Spriggan 12. As soon as Alvarez stepped into the arena, they made it a point to make their magical presence known.
"What the hell…?" Daryan took a step back out of caution. "These guys feel way more dangerous than the others…"
"That girl…" Heartless' attention went to Little Queen. "Could it be…?"
"No way…" Spade stared at Little Queen. "Midi's former ruler…our Little Queen is in Alvarez?!"
Little Queen caught the stares, narrowing her eyes at Heartless. But it was odd…she felt a strange pain in her chest. It was fleeting, but it was there nonetheless. "…"
"It is her." Joker responded.
"Brandish is here too?" Lucy had a sweat drop. Then again, Emmeraude did tell them that they somehow traumatized Dimaria to the point of not wanting to fight ever again. "This isn't even all of the 12, but their magic power…"
"It's hardly anything to be afraid of." Reve rolled his eyes. He was the only one not initially intimidated by Alvarez, but that was largely due to his own ego being higher than their magic power. "If these are the chumps that pushed you around before, then they're nothing to me."
"Could your head be inflated with anymore hot air?" Minerva snapped.
"Alvarez is here to ensure victory and nothing else." Julius stated for his team. "You have no chance."
"A bold statement!" Chapati said. "Now, onto the seventh team! The country of Minstrel!"
"Wow, Minstrel is actually here?" Mii crossed her arms.
"Uh, what's that mean?" Sting scratched his head.
"Oh, right." Mii rolled her eyes. "I forget Fiore lives under a rock. Fiiiiine. I don't mind explaining to you. Minstrel is in a constant power struggle as every important guild is vying for dominance. The fact that they managed to get a team together consisting of several different mages is nothing short of a miracle in and of itself."
Speaking of Team Minstrel, they were coming out of another tunnel right now. Anyone who knew of Minstrel's struggle knew that the variety of mages they had was a thin alliance at best. The first to step out was a man with dark hair and black eyes, donning a black coat while smoking a cigar. This man was Rob Martell, a member of the Royal Viper in Minstrel. Alongside him were his two siblings: Raku Martell, a somewhat shorter male than rob with similar features, but his black hair was messy as opposed to Rob's, and Renae Martell, a beautiful woman with long black hair tied back in a ponytail, yellow eyes, and a curvaceous body. "Hmph…quite a crowd." Rob said, exhaling a puff from his cigar.
"Wow, the Martells are here!?" A few members of the audience were in awe.
Alongside the Martells was a man with short brown hair and an eyepatch over his left eye. His attire was a fancy dress suit and there was a blade attached to his waist. This was Asbel, another member of Royal Viper and Rob's best friend. "Look at that crowd, they're excited all right."
There were two more woman on Minstrel's team. The first was Byrnhild Renouf, the Silver Valkryie and an S class member Harpy's Nest. Her hair was pale blonde and her eyes were red, and she too had a blade attached to her waist. The second member of Harpy's Nest was Medusa Floros, a brunette dressed in business woman attire. She was beautiful, but one had to be weary of the snake's bite. She was also an S class of Harpy's Nest within Minstrel.
Zelos was hardly able to contain himself. All these beautiful women! "They're so…"
Lucy had to step in and pinch his ear. Mira wasn't here but someone had to. "Keep it in your pants."
Next were the two members of the Red Falcon guild: Amadio Zeki. His appearance was a mystery, for he covered his face with a mask. The other, however…you couldn't miss him if you tried. He was a gigantic man with a fine leather breastplate and a red fur-line cape. This was David Struan and he was far from a man to be messed with. "If the young ruler didn't demand it, I wouldn't be here with him." David grunted.
Who was this man that David spoke of? One of the last two members who had yet to be given proper introduction; Chimera Kingdom. The first of the two was a young man with spiky orange hair and blue eyes. The young successor to the guild itself: Felix Lander…and last but not least, the SS class, or 'prince' of Chimera Kingdom: Tyson Brock. Tyson was a large, muscular man with brown hair that was shoulder length, and also had an eye patch on his left eye. Anyone who knew Minstrel that this team was powerful…but the difference between them also put them on thin ice.
"That is…quite a team." Lucia brushed her hair behind her ears." The least threatening at the end of the day. They won't last the whole week."
"And last but not least…" This last announcement had everyone on edge. Just who was the last time to participate in the tournament? Chapati intentionally held the pause before. "Midi!"
"…Midi!?" Little Queen's eyes widened. "I brought that country to ruin! How can it…!?" Not exactly the thing to gloat in a public setting, but that wasn't the point, because the people who emerged from the final tunnel…had most everyone in shock.
Team Midi consisted of: Makarov Dreyar, Ajeel Lamur, Orga Nanagear, Rahkied Dragneel, Elieen Belserion, August, Bradman, Jigan King, and God Serena. This team was the walking dead, for all these people had passed onto the afterlife! "W-What the…" Even Chapati was in shock.
"What the hell is this!?" Luke shouted in surprise.
"I knew it…!" Natsu grit his teeth. That scent he caught the previous night was Makarov's!
"Orga!?" Sting and Minerva exclaimed in unison.
"King!?" Strong's jaw dropped. "I thought we got rid of you!?"
"HO HO HO!" King's annoying laughter echoed through Crown Stadium. "True greatness never dies!"
"Elieen…!" Emmeraude placed her hands on the railing, her lips curving into a frown. This didn't make sense; she had Elieen's body in a stasis tube back in Alvarez, so how…?!
"God Serena has descended once again from the afterlife! A true god never dies!" God Serena said while striking several poses.
Brandish had a slight sweat drop. All these familiar faces who died in the war… "This cannot be…"
"This only means one thing." Jacob said while adjusting his glove.
"KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" That heinous laugh. Everyone knew it by now. Prometheus and Pandora floated above the stadium, drawing all eyes to them. "Midi may be a ruined country, but that doesn't stop me from taking over as the king of a desolate land!" Prometheus proclaimed. The magic power he obtained from Fairy Heart was noticeable and just as strong as ever. "And that desolate land will march forward with undead soldiers!"
"So he was the one who brought them back…" Jack groaned.
"That is correct." Pandora nodded. Despite having her Pandora Calamity attire on, she did not dip back into the insanity like before. "Prometheus, the King of Midi, and I, its queen, have entered our own team into this tournament. Prometheus wishes to have some fun, you see."
"You can't be serious…! Using our dead friends and family like this?!" This made Sting extremely angry.
"The dead return to the land of the living when they have unfinished business." Prometheus cackled. "Their attachments to the world easily allow me to string them along as I please! So, Ishgar, who will reign supreme!? The land of the living, or the soldiers from the underworld!?" After he asked this, his heinous laugh echoed throughout Crown City, and the entire continent due to it being live casted everywhere. Ishgar's Strongest had officially begun, but not in the way anyone thought…
.
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Next Time: Rocky Start.