Chapter 176

Aiming for the Top

A week's passed since that day I came back to the guild.

Aside from the punishment I was given, things have gotten a bit better for me. Granted, it was still embarrassing having to go around Magnolia with Natsu and Elfman's handiwork on my face, but I eventually grew used to it and paid it no mind. During that time, I spent it recovering in the tavern and at home. While I was at the tavern, Mira and the others took the time to give me what transpired when I was under Silver Beard's spell.

From what I could gather, Silver Beard double-crossed Brain and killed him out of spite and forced me to fight the others. Then after Gildarts and I fought, and I fell unconscious, the Infinity Castle broke apart, and the pieces of the Infinity Clock were scattered throughout the world. Because of that, the Legion Platoon set off on a journey to collect all of the scattered pieces so that they could seal them away, but they all told the guild to wish me well and that they were sorry should I ever woke up.

The other members of the Oracion Seis were rounded up along with any other followers that took part and taken into custody by the Magic Council with a few exceptions. Aside from Brain, who was now dead, the only person who remained at large was Satoshi, which made me feel uneasy. It made me wonder whether he planned to come back or was still stalking me without me even realizing it. However, Makarov and Macao saw to it that they would look into his whereabouts. Until then, they told me to make sure that I was on guard and always had a buddy with me whenever I was alone.

It was a peaceful day, and everyone was over at the tavern helping out with the yard work or lazing around enjoying the tranquility. I was helping Elfman and Mira get some eggs from the chickens and carry them inside. As we headed back inside, we saw Natsu and some of the others who were also outside. Natsu sweeping the leaves away from the road while Happy was snoozing away on a tree stump. Lucy was fixing up Wendy's hair while Carla watched on curiously.

"They seem to be enjoying themselves," I said. "Then again, it is a pretty nice day out today."

"I have to agree," said Mira. "It's not every day things have been quiet and peaceful like this."

"Yup!" concurred Elfman. "A manly and peaceful day!"

"Well, it may be like this for now, but give it a few minutes, and things will end up chaotic soon enough," I said. "We are a guild that loves to make a racket."

"Come on, Willy. We ain't that bad," said Elfman. "At least give us some credit."

But at that moment, Natsu took notice of Happy sleeping and started yelling in complaint, which prompted Happy to start yelling.

"You see? Told you," I chuckled.

"Now, Willy, to be fair, it's still peaceful around here," said Mira. "Besides, the more two people argue, the closer they are."

"I guess so," I said with a shrug.

The three of us went back inside the tavern where the other guild members were lounging around. As soon as we found a place to put the eggs, I planned on taking it easy while having a drink of water. But as I sat down at a table, Lisanna and Cana came up to me.

"Hey, Willy," she greeted.

"Hi, Lisanna. Cana," I greeted back. "Good to see you guys."

"So, how you feeling?" asked Cana. "You're looking better."

"Well, I wouldn't say that," I said. "I'm still recovering a bit, and I'm still waiting for Porlyusica to finish the antidote. I sure wish that she would hurry, though." I then looked over at Lisanna. "Hey. Lisanna, I don't know if I said this to you already, but I'm really sorry for what happened before."

"Hey, now. There's no need to apologize, Willy," said Lisanna with a smile. "I know you didn't mean to do what you did, and everyone else has already forgiven you."

"Not to mention you got quite the punishment for it," sniggered Cana. "I swear, just remembering cracks me up."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. No need to rub it in, Cana," I sighed. "I had to put up with it for a whole week, you know. You wouldn't believe how many people were staring at me. Some of them couldn't stop laughing. Even the landlady thought I'd gone crazy."

"I'm amazed that you put up with it," said Lisanna. "If it were me, I would have died from embarrassment."

Then, a loud explosion came from outside, which caused the building to tremble and shake. Immediately, I shot up to my feet and put my fists up, my body tensed up and ready to fight, believing that there was an enemy.

"Willy! What's the matter?!" exclaimed Lisanna in surprise.

"There's no reason to get jumpy," said Cana. "From the sound of it, I'd say it's just Natsu picking a fight with someone."

Sure enough, I heard Happy yell out. "Come on, Natsu! Teach 'em a lesson!"

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I quickly calmed down. "O-Oh. Yeah. Sorry," I stammered, trying to play it off. "I was just a bit startled, is all."

Then, another tremendous explosion shook the tavern causing me to grow tense again. Although I knew the reason the explosion occurred, for some reason, I couldn't relax. My heart couldn't stop beating, and my hands were shaking.

At that moment, Max, Warren, Vijeeter, and Nab came walking in, looking exhausted as well as unnerved.

"What was going on out there, guys?" wondered Alzack. "You guys look like you've been through the wringer."

"Oh, nothing much. Max decided to try and pick a fight with Natsu," explained Warren. "But as usual, Natsu was able to win by whipping out a crazy power-up."

"Yeah. That was when I decided to call it quits," said Max. "I really thought I could win, too, given that Natsu and the others were trapped on Tenrou Island for seven years. Then again, I should have known better than to pick a fight with Natsu of all people. That guy's still strong."

"So, where are Natsu and the others now?" I asked.

"I think they went over to Porlyusica's place," said Max. "Something about finding a way to give their magic power a boost."

Makarov came walking into the room from the back.

"Can I have everyone's attention, please?" he boomed. "I have an announcement to make."

Everyone inside the tavern gathered around, wondering what Makarov had to say as he stood on top of the bar's counter.

"Now, as you're all well aware, I've done everything I can in service of this guild, but now the time has come for me to retire," he said. "Therefore, it's time for a new guild master to take my place."

Everyone in the room was surprised.

"No way. You're really stepping down?" asked Cana. "But then, who's going to take your place?"

Macao then proudly stepped forward while fixing the collar of his coat. "Hold on a minute. I'm not fully prepared for this," he said importantly. "But, I am honored and will do my best."

"It obviously ain't you, ya dimwitt!" Wakaba snapped.

"I have already selected my replacement," said Makarov. "So, without further ado, allow me to introduce you to him, the fifth master of Fairy Tail, Gildarts Clive!"

But as he turned to his side, expecting the man in question to be there, he was surprised to see that Mira stood there instead, who smiled innocently.

"Um, Mira? Where's Gildarts?" I asked as I came up to her. "Should he be here?"

Mira then held up a sealed envelope. "I don't know, but he left us this note," she said.

Makarov took the envelope and read the note inside, his eyes went wide, and his jaw dropped.

"What's the matter, Master?" asked Lisanna. "What does it say?"

Makarov could only stay wide-eyed and jaw-slacked. Feeling curious as to what it was about, I took the note and started reading it aloud.

"To Makarov and all of my Fairy Tail family. I'm sorry, but being master of the guild ain't my style."

Everyone couldn't help but laugh.

"But since I have the rare opportunity to be in charge, there are two things I'd like to do," I continued to read. "First, I herby reinstate Laxus as a member of Fairy Tail."

Laxus was speechless, while Bixlow, Fried, and Evergreen were overjoyed.

"All right, Laxus! Welcome back to the guild, buddy!" Bixlow spoke happily.

"This is wonderful!" Evergreen cried while joyfully hugging Laxus by the arm. "Now, the Thunder Legion is back in action!"

Fried's eyes were overflowing with tears as he smiled from ear to ear. "Thank you, Gildarts!" he wept happily. "What a kindhearted soul you are!"

"He's got some nerve!" Makarov scowled crossly. But he couldn't help but smile a bit too. "But that is to be the Master's wish, then so be it."

I then continued reading the note. "And second, I hereby appoint Makarov Dreyar as Fairy Tail's sixth master."

"Me as master again?!" Makarov squawked indignantly. "But I just retired!"

Everyone couldn't help but laugh again.

"It looks like everything's back to normal again," said Alzack.

"Works for me," smiled Bisca. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"With those two things in mind, it's time for me to hit the road again, and I'll be gone for a while," I resumed reading. "But don't worry. I'll come back whenever I'm in the mood." Then I found another sealed envelope behind the note that had; "To Cana" on it. "Hey, Cana. I think there's something for you," I said while handing out the note to her.

Cana took the envelope opening it, and inside was a card that had a small picture of Gildarts on it as I continued reading.

"To my dear Cana, I'm sure that you think I'm acting a bit selfish, and I'm sorry for that. But if you ever want to see me or if you need me, use the card to get in touch; I'll come running as fast as I can."

There was the sound of ripping paper, and I looked up to see that Cana had torn the card in half.

"Cana!" Erza spoke with surprise. "Why did you-"

"No thanks!" scoffed Cana huffily. "I told you I was fine with the way things were, ya deadbeat dad!"

I glanced back at the note. "Fairy Tail will always be my true home, and that will never change. And I believe that with all my heart, by the time I get back, our guild will become the number one in all of Fiore. However, getting us there ain't gonna be my job. It's up to you guys to make it happen. That will be my final task for you, Makarov. I'm counting on you to bring Fairy Tail back to its full glory. Take care, everyone."

"What does that fool mean, my "final task"?!" Makarov barked crossly. "After the stunt he pulled, I won't let anyone be master now! I'm going to keep being Master 'til the day I die! Now, someone pour me a drink!"

"Right away, Master," laughed Mira as she came over to the bar to pour him some beer.

"Well, he'll be in a rotten mood for a while," chuckled Macao. "But at least everything's settled now."

"Yeah! What a man!" said Elfman with gusto.

"Wow, Elfman. Who would have guessed you'd say that?" sighed Max with a smile. "Don't you ever get tired of saying that?"

"Well, he wouldn't be himself either way," I said, also smiling. "Besides, he isn't wrong. Gildarts is pretty manly."

"More like insane and out of his mind," said Warren. "I mean, us as Fiore's number one guild?"

"Yeah, that's asking way too much," agreed Max. "I mean, it's gonna take a miracle to make something like that happen."

"Come on. I don't think it's impossible," said Erza. "Besides, we should rise to the challenge."

"Well, that's a pretty tall order," Max spoke while frowning. "Especially since things are so different these days."

"The other guilds have gotten stronger over the years, including Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale," said Alzack. "And then there's the matter of Sabertooth."

"Sabertooth?" I repeated. "I don't think I've ever heard of that name before. Is that a new guild?"

Romeo then appeared. "Yeah. The sword fanged tigers. They're a guild that's surpassed even Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale and became the strongest guild around."

"Yeah. And the scary thing is, nobody had even heard of them seven years ago," said Alzack. "But then, they got a new master along with five powerful wizards joined, and that was all she wrote."

"That's surprising," said Lisanna with wonder. "Who would have thought that five members and a new master would make that much a difference?"

"Yup. And it's not just them," said Bisca. "Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale have also gotten stronger over the seven years, and they're pretty high up, too."

"And while we're better off now that we've got some of our key players back," said Laki. "But unfortunately, you guys are seven years behind us."

"That's a big training gap if I ever heard it," sighed Wakaba. "Whether you're talking about individual strength or the guild's overall power, we still have a long way to go."

"Well, they seem to be negative," I thought. "And here I thought I was the gloomy one. I know why they went through a lot through the past years, but still..."

"I see your point," Erza frowned thoughtfully. "Seems it'll take a good amount of time and training to reclaim our standing."

Then, Romeo stood on top of a table. "Listen, Erza! I've waited seven years for you and the others to come back!" he spoke with conviction. "I'm sick and tired of waiting for something to happen, so I know of a way for us to be number one again!" He looked at his father and the other members. "And you all know what it is!"

Macao, along with the other sub-members, tensed up, realizing what Romeo was talking about.

"No way, Romeo!" said Macao firmly. "Didn't I tell you that we would never part in that thing again?"

"And what might this "thing" be, Fourth Master?" asked Makarov.

Macao cringed. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me that, Sixth Master," he countered.

"Come on, Dad! We're gonna do it this time!" argued Romeo. "You're not even the master anymore, so you don't get to make the decisions! It's up to Makarov!"

"Neither do you, ya little rugrat! I absolutely forbid it!" Macao argued back. "Besides, I'm expressing myself as a member of this guild! We're never gonna get involved with that again, ya hear?!"

"We are!"

"We're not!"

"We are!"

"We're not!"

I was surprised to see two arguing with each other like children but more puzzled about what Romeo was talking about. But then, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Wendy, Carla, and Happy returned.

"Hey, everyone, we're back!" said Natsu.

"Welcome back, Natsu," said Lisanna.

"So, how did it go?" asked Max. "Did you guys find anything worthwhile?"

"Wendy did, at least," said Lucy. "But, it's kind of a long story."

Then, they took notice of Macao and Romeo arguing.

"What's going with those two?" asked Gray.

"Seems like a regular family argument to me," said Carla. "Probably from teenage rebellion."

"Well, we were just talking about how we're going to get back to being number one in guild strength, and Romeo was telling us a way to do that," I explained. "But then Macao and the other members got defensive, and now things are like this."

"I'm telling you we're not going to do it!" Macao insisted crossly. "Those of you with me, say aye!"

Everyone, excluding those who were on Tenrou Island, rose their hands and said aye. However, Romeo still wouldn't give in.

"But we have the Tenrou Team with us this time!" he said defiantly. "Natsu, Erza, Willy, Mira, and all those guys! With them on our side, there's no way we can lose!"

"Romeo, haven't you been paying attention?" said Warren. "They've missed out on seven years of training!"

"Yeah, and I don't want to go through that again," Alzack spoke, scratching his cheek sheepishly. "It's the most embarrassing thing in the world."

"Well, what exactly are you guys talking about?" asked Natsu. "What do you mean by doing or not doing?"

"While you guys were stuck on Tenrou Island, a yearly tournament started to determine Fiore's strongest guild," explained Romeo. "Guilds from all over the country face off against each other in magic events. These events are known as The Grand Magic Games."

Natsu's face lit up with excitement. "Sounds like a whole lotta fun to me!" he spoke eagerly.

"Yeah! I'd love to play some games!" said Wendy.

"So it's like a magic festival," said Gray.

"I think I'm starting to understand a bit," said Erza. "Sabertooth is considered to be number one because they won the games before, correct?"

"That's right," said Romeo. "But if we beat them and win the games this year, we'll be number one instead!"

"That would be nice," Makarov hummed thoughtfully. "But I'm not even sure if we can win due to our current state."

"My point exactly!" said Macao.

"Did I forget to mention that if we win, the guild will get prize money?" added Romeo. "About thirty million jewel's worth?"

This made Makarov change his mind immediately. "We're in!" he said with brimming confidence.

"Seriously?!" Macao and the other members cried in shock.

"Well, that certainly made him change his tune," I said to myself. "Then again, that amount of jewel will make anyone want to compete."

"But Master, it's completely pointless!" said Droy. "Especially since we're going to be up against some serious competition like Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale!"

"Not to mention Sabertooth, too!" added Warren.

"And don't forget that we've been competing every year and have ended up last each time," said Jet bitterly.

"Well, this year, we'll just have to beat every last one of those guilds to a pulp!" Makarov barked as he shadowboxed in determination.

Natsu's fist ignited with excitement as he planted one foot on the table. "So, Sabertooth thinks they're hot stuff, huh?" he grinned. "We'll see about that! I'm all fired up now!"

I couldn't help but feel interested in this as well. "So when are these Grand Magic Games supposed to go down?" I asked Romeo.

"It kicks off in three months," said Romeo. "And it takes place in the city of Crocus."

"That's more than enough time!" said Natsu. "But we'll have to start training ASAP! We'll win these games and put Fairy Tail back on top, and no one's gonna get in our way!"

"Yeah! And if all of us work together as a guild, there'll be no stopping us!" said Lucy with enthusiasm.

"That means I'd better get started studying these new spells," Wendy spoke, holding up a booklet. "

"All right! Fight party!" roared Elfman with gusto. "This is gonna be so freaking manly!"

"It looks like Gildarts might get his wish, after all," said Cana. "We could be the top dogs in Fairy Tail even sooner than we expected."

"I still think this is a bad idea," warned Jet. "This is gonna suck."

"Come on, you guys. Where's your team spirit?" said Levy. "Keep talking like that, and we'll never win."

"Well, you can hardly blame us," said Bisca. "I don't think you guys understand that the games aren't your typical fighting tournament."

"It's absolute hell!" concurred Warren. "But I guess there's no sense in talking them out of it, so we might as well go for it, no matter how bad it'll be."

"Now that the final decision's been made, there's no time for all the moaning and groaning!" said Makarov. "Let's get to work and win that thirty million jewel and the title of Fiore's number one guild! Fairy Tail is entering the Grand Magic Games and aiming for the top!"

"YEAH!" Everyone in the guild screamed out.

A little later that evening, I was walking home with Lucy, the two of us feeling excited about our participation in the games.

"I can't wait to get started training!" said Lucy eagerly. "Just you watch, Willy! I'm gonna get so strong that I'll be as strong as Natsu, maybe even Erza!"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Well, if you do, try not to be as destructive as they are," I jokingly warned. "After all, Fairy Tail already has a bad reputation as it is. We don't want to make things worse."

"Hey, you know that won't happen!" Lucy pouted a bit. "Anyway, our group is planning to go on a training camp somewhere. What do you plan to do, Willy?"

"Well, I'm still waiting for Porlyusica to make the antidote for me," I said. "So, I should be feeling better soon. I am worried that I might get rusty since I haven't been able to use my magic in a while. Hopefully, after she's done making it, I'll be able to do some training myself. Then again, I haven't gotten restamped yet, so I'm not even sure if I should count as a participant."

"Come on, Willy. I'm sure that you'll be allowed to compete," said Lucy. "Until then, I hope you feel better soon."

I gave the blonde a small smile. "Thanks, Lucy. Hopefully, I'll be back to my old self a-"

I then stopped midsentence as we came close to a bridge by the canal, seeing something from the corner of my eye. In the shadows underneath the arch of the bridge, a person was standing there staring straight at us with glowing green eyes. They had long hair, were bare-chested, had tattered black pants, and had black cracks all over his body.

It was a person that looked just like me.

Upon seeing them, my blood ran cold with fright as my heart began to pound. My vision became tunneled as my eyes never left the doppelganger under the bridge. Then, an eerie snarl crossed their face barring their fangs as their chest split open, revealing an eye that glowed brightly as if they were readying an attack.

"Lucy! Get down!" I yelled as I immediately tackled her to the ground.

"Hey! Willy! What's the big idea?!" demanded Lucy crossly.

"There's an enemy under the bridge!" I told her urgently. "Hurry and summon one of your spirits! I won't be able to put up much of a fight in my current condition!"

Lucy then glanced over my shoulder. "What are you talking about? I don't see anyone!" she said with a confused scowl.

I then looked back, and to my surprise, there was no one there. I stood back up, rubbing my eyes, and squinted, making sure I wasn't seeing things.

"What's gotten into you, Willy?" wondered Lucy.

"I... I... I thought... but I," I stammered, trying to come up with a response. "It's... It's nothing. Sorry. I thought I saw something, but I guess I overreacted."

"Maybe you should go home and get some rest," said Lucy. "You might not be getting enough sleep."

"Y-Yeah. Maybe," I said. "Let's go home."

The two of us then continued walking towards the apartments. But as we did, I couldn't help but look back, wondering if what I saw was real or my imagination.

I let out a wince of pain as I felt the shackles biting into my wrists, my ankles, and my neck. I could feel pain throughout my body as I struggled to move.

Then, as I looked up, I saw a familiar white lab coat billowing in front of me, followed by the sound of creepy laughter. Immediately, fear seized my heart knowing who the voice belonged to, and sure enough, Satoshi turned around, a dark smile upon his face as he stared at me, towering over me as he seemingly grew in size.

"Hello, my little subject," Satoshi purred. "Are you ready for the experiment? I wonder what fruitful results you will present me with today~?"

Then, someone else stepped out of the darkness, and to my shock, it was the berserk version of me that I saw from the bridge earlier.

Satoshi then flashed a toothy and twisted smile. "Now then, let the next experiment commence!" he said with a mad giggle.

The evil me's eyes glowed, and his third eye opened in the chest of his chest as it roared like a mad animal, pouncing straight towards me.

"No! Stay away from me!" I yelled as I desperately tried to get free. "Leave me alone!"

But the last thing I saw was the berserk me swipe his claws straight at me with the intent to kill.

"NO!"

I shot up from my bed, my body covered in a cold sweat and breathing heavily from stress. After taking a few seconds to calm, I clenched my fists in frustration.

"Damn it all. Not again. How many times have I had that nightmare?"

I got up from my bed, walked over to the window, and carefully slid it up, believing that I needed some fresh air. It was still dark out, leading me to assume that it was the middle of the night. I should have tried to go back to sleep, but no thanks to that nightmare, I felt wide awake as I stared up at the night sky.

"Looks like I'm in for another long night."

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