Several days later and Fairy Tail was still buzzing about the results of the S class examination. Mii sat on the second floor, relaxing on a fancy chair while letting out a content sigh. "You know, I could get used to this. The luxurious life."

"You know you'll have to bear some responsibility now too, right?" Laxus lifted a brow.

"Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh….." An exasperated sigh escaped the female. "I'll think about it. You three are already plenty responsible without me…so I shouldn't have to try too much. Just think of me as backup."

"…So let's be honest for a minute." Lisanna leaned into Natsu while listening to Mii upstairs. "You guys threw the fight so she'd win, right?"

"Why would I do that!?" Natsu asked, somewhat offended that Lisanna would even ask that. "I was fighting as hard I as could, as usual. She's just….stronger than I thought."

"No kidding…" Gray admittedly bitterly. "That one attack made the rest of us just drop. I think she's been holding out on us…"

"A beautiful rose has thorns." Zelos remarked.

"Just how strong is she?" Lucy peered up at Mii from below. Clearly Mii hadn't told them everything there is about her…but what could they do? Nobody wanted to pry in case it was sensitive and they made her mad again…wait…when did they make her mad? Now Lucy was furrowing her brows as something didn't seem quite right. "…Did we make her mad…?"

Natsu gave Lucy a confused look. "Huh…? …I dunno. Did we? She doesn't seem like the type to be mad so easily."

"Okay you all." Makarov clapped his hands together once to capture everyone's attention. "The time for rest and relaxation is over. I believe it's now time for us to prepare for the Grand Magic Games." That comment got the guild riled up. A small grin crossed the old man's lips.

"We're definitely going to win this time!" Cynthia pumped a fist into the air. "Hopefully we won't have to deal with any cheating. I really can't defend Sis' guild for all that…ahaha…"

Erza appeared with a whiteboard at the ready. "We will be attempting to use an A and B team again. This time we will go under the assumptions that both sides will be able to make it through. We don't know what kind of events are in store for the preliminary round, so it's impertinent that we are prepared for all scenarios."

"You should be on a team, Mii!" Levy suggested.

But to that comment, Mii just waved her hand dismissively. "Nah…I'm not about that tournament life. I mean…I know I'd put in so much work with my strength and anyone who doesn't have a contingency for my inability to feel pain naturally would have a hard time…but I really can't be bothered. I'm still terribly exhausted from that free for all."

There was a pause at Mii's excuse for not wanting to take part in the battle. No one was going to force her, but… "I should've known she'd be no help…" Cana said with a heavy sigh.

"I mean, I can cheer you guys on with my magic…" Mii trailed off.

"That's cheating." Mira said while waving her finger in a disapproving manner. "That's what we're trying to avoid, Mii."

Mavis floated over to Mii, offering a soft smile. "Your strength would be a great asset in helping us achieve victory." Everyone knew how much Mavis enjoyed winning, so it was no surprise she was attempting to strike a bargain with Mii. "Would you mind being a replacement? In the event that something happens to one of the others."

Mii stared at Mavis for a long time. That face…how could anyone say no to it? Mii let out a heavy sigh and conceded. "Fine…I'll be a backup. But considering what you guys can do, I won't be needed."

"Your cooperation is all that's needed!" Mavis nodded several times with a content grin on her face. Mission accomplished.

"That worked surprisingly well…" Erza was surprised at Mii's compliance. "Anyway…onto our team composition. For our A Team, we will have me, Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Gajeel."

"And for the B team…" Laxus spoke up. "It will be me, Mira, Wendy, Cynthia, and Juvia."

"NOO! Why can't Juvia be on the same team as Gray-sama!?" Juiva wept comically.

"W-We'll make some adjustments depending on the competition." Mavis said to console Juvia.

"Wendy and I are on a team!? Yeah!" Cynthia and Wendy high fived each other.

"Yes. Last time we were unable to make use of your coordination and biorhythm." Mavis said with a smile. "After everything that's occurred, your teamwork will be vital."

"We won't let you down, First…!" Wendy said with a fist bump of determination.

"Don't get carried away you too." Carla lightly chided the pair.

"I hope you all will be ready. We don't have much time." Laxus stated.

"Only two weeks right? That's more than enough time!" Natsu had that grin of his. "We'll take the win this time!"

"Ah, such beautiful fighting spirit." Zelos mused. "I can't wait to see everyone fight with such vigor! Surely it'll be a feast for the eyes."

"Does he have to be here?" Gray groaned while pointing at Zelos.

"Do you have to be shirtless…and have no pants? And you people come at ME for having no tact." Zelos pointed at Gray and let out a melancholy sigh.

"Wha…!?" Lo and behold, Gray somehow was missing both his shirt and pants, standing around in the guild in his boxers! "C-Crap?! Again!?"

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Currently, Fiore's strongest guild was White Eclipse, the winners of the previous Grand Magic Games. After having a taste of victory once, it was certain the guild would do their hardest to ensure they would bring home the gold trophy a second time. Because of this, everyone was gathered in the main hall as Reve, Sidney, Calium, and Mary spoke to the others. "All right…" Reve began. "Last year…the Games were rough. We had a group of cheaters that attempted to pull the Games in their favor, but we came through and ended up on top as expected. All it did was slow us down a little."

"It was actually a breeze." Luke remarked.

"I heard White Eclipse had a tough climb…" Tyson said while stroking his chin. "But I didn't realize it was so easy for them."

"Anything's easy for the world's strongest guild." Cygnus stated, cockily.

"But we're not letting it get that close again." Reve continued with a grin on his face. "Things have changed since then. We have more members as well, which is why we're going with a B team this year. Last time we were unable to get our B team through the preliminary round…but that's going to change."

Mary then held up a letter addressed to White Eclipse directly from the Palace itself. "This is a letter from the Palace. Since White Eclipse won the previous team, their team of 5 is automatically in the Games."

"Wow. That's one hell of a perk." Waiston remarked.

"The A team will be me, Luke, Cygnus, Aira, and Kuro." Reve said. "A team full of veterans. As for the B team…"

"It's going to be the rookies." Calium grinned. This caught the newer recruits of White Eclipse off guard. "Micaiah, Reiss, Tyson, Ramman, and Saraya. This will be your time to show us what you can do."

"W-What?!" Micaiah's yellow eyes widened. "U-Us? Are you sure about this?"

"Even if you don't make it, we'll have our A team to fall on." Sidney explained. "Just because you assisted in the downfall of Tartarus doesn't mean much if you can't back it up later."

"Precisely." Zalen added to his brother's statement, adjusting his glasses. "This is the perfect chance to build our foundation." Of course, a building pun had to be implemented in that somehow.

"I'm so happy for you, Micaiah-chan! You get to debut as a mage!" Vanya somehow managed to hug Micaiah.

"I have to be on a team with this guy!?" Tyson and Reiss pointed at each other.

"It'll be fine. You got the strongest rookie on your side." Ramman responded with a cocky smirk. But that comment got both Tyson and Reiss after him.

"Strongest rookie!? You!? Don't make me laugh!" Reiss said, laughing.

"YOU TRYNA SQAURE UP!?" Ramman puffed his chest out. The two rookies stared each other down, comical sparks of lightning sparking between their eyes.

"Sigh…" Saraya exhaled heavily at the boys and their antics.

"Ara…" Evelyn placed her hand on her cheek, sighing softly. "I'm sure you'll all do just fine."

"Oh yeah, by the way…" Mary clapped her hands loudly to catch everyone's attention. "Rookies. We're starting up the boot camp again. There are two weeks until the Games start. We're not wasting any more time. Get outside. Right now."

"Oh, I'll be taking Micaiah." Luke interjected. "She's my responsibility after all."

"C-Can I come with you, then?" Vanya asked. "Even if I'm not competing..."

"Sure thing!" Luke said with a grin. He wouldn't pass up the chance to train someone else either.

"Tyson's with me." Zalen said. With that, everyone dispersed to do their own training before the Games began soon.

"Shape up, Reiss, Ramman, and Saraya." Cygnus approached the three of them with a grin. "You'll be training with me."

"O-Oh...!" Saraya had a nervous smile. That felt like a lot of pressure, so suddenly!

"Bring it on!" Ramman and Reiss said at the same time.

There were a few who were upset they were not on the roster; Kanade for example. "I wanted to punch some people…" Kanade huffed.

Adam patted Kanade on the head with somewhat of a smile. "Don't worry. If they need a backup, I'm sure you'll be their first choice. In the meantime, we still have some training to do."

Kanade pouted for a few moments before just giving a nod. "Yeah, we do. We'll show them what I can do!" The female grinned, slamming one hand into an open palm.

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Around Fiore, there were many other guilds preparing to enter the Grand Magic Games as well. It wasn't just going to be limited to the popular ones. Emeraude received a list of the guilds that were signing up for the Games. Her finger ran down along the paper, counting the number of guilds that planned on participating. "Huh. Looks like we've got quite the gathering for this little event…I'm looking forward to watching them weed each other out in this competition. Competition always does bring out the worst and best in people after all…"

With a smile, she waltzed to the balcony of Mercurius castle and cleared her throat. It was then that a lacrima screen appeared across Fiore, displaying Emeraude's imagine on it. She greeted the country with a smile. "Hello, Fiore! This is your Queen speaking. I'm sure I do not need to remind you, but the Grand Magic Games will be underway in the coming weeks. I am looking forward to seeing what Fiore has in store this time around. You'll do your best not to disappoint, isn't that right?" She flashed a playful smile to the people, before the screen cut off. She just wanted to do a little something to build excitement.

Once the screen cut off, she stared out at the city of Crocus. "This will be a wonderful chance to see who the strongest in this country really is. And there is no doubt in my mind that the one who took Lambda from me will show up. She was from a guild..." It was at this moment that a scowl formed on her lips. That was all Emeraude could remember. A blonde woman who barged in on her and stole Lambda... "If I'm lucky, maybe I can find Protos Heis, too. My dear daughter, Sophie. I need you now, more than ever..."

And so the days and weeks passed. All guilds got in their last minute training for the Grand Magic Games. And before they knew it, the two week waiting period was now over. Nearly every guild was en route to Fiore's capital city: Crocus. The Grand Magic Games were almost underway…

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Next Time: The Preliminaries.