The Grand Magic Games are held once a year.
Seeking to fill in the blank of the last seven years, Natsu and the rest of the Tenrou group
began a three-month-long training camp.
And so...
Their three-month training camp over,
Natsu and the others returned to the guild.
We're here!
Why are all of you so exhausted?!
Get a hold of yourselves!
That's what a Man is!
Crocus, the Blooming Capital!
Elfman! You sure bulked up!
Mira-nee and I secluded ourselves in the mountains and trained there.
Muscles are a Man's romantic adventure!
In these last three months, I became able to eat natto, my former most-hated food!
I conquered my fear of heights!
I don't think that'll really come in handy...
Our firing accuracy has got even better.
Yep.
I finished reading a 30-volume horror novel series.
Just reading?!
First, you need to work on keeping that stomach in!
My Sandstorm has become more powerful yet.
If we fight once more, I'll beat even Natsu!
What?!
Good job, everyone!
Gramps!
It looks like you've all done your best to prepare for the Grand Magic Games.
That's not precisely the case...
For now, gather inside the guild.
Alright...
I'm going to announce the five members
who will participate in the Grand Magic Games as our representatives.
Natsu!
Yeah!
Gray!
Naturally.
Erza!
Leave it to me.
Well, of course those three would be chosen.
Two left.
Being chosen like that is a Man!
Juvia is going to be separated from Gray... No!
The remaining two...
...are Lucy and Wendy!
Dang!
So this is how it shakes out...
Juvia and Gray-sama will be apart...
It's unthinkable!
I can't do this! You could choose Laxus or Gajeel instead!
Well, after all, they haven't come back yet!
Master based his decision on teamwork more than individual power.
And since we were chosen, let's do our utmost.
Yeah. You're right.
Yes! I have to do my best!
To make a serious grab for the win,
I really wanted to have Gildarts or Laxus, I thought...
But you're sayin' it!
Everyone!
These Grand Magic Games are the perfect chance for Fairy Tail to regain its reputation!
We'll beat Sabertooth, the strongest guild in Fiore,
and Fairy Tail will become the number one guild in Fiore!
I'm fired up!
And so...
This is Crocus, the blooming capital of the kingdom of Fiore.
The Grand Magic Games, the annual wizards' festival, is held here.
The city teems with wizards and spectators from all over Fiore.
In the center of the city is the king of Fiore's castle,
the Flower Light Palace, Mercurius.
The arena of the Grand Magic Games, Domus Flau, is in the western mountains.
And...
...here we are, in the middle of the city...
We still don't feel well...?!
Did it really work?!
The magic to unleash Second Origin...
I do feel that my magic power's increased,
even though I still have a little pain in the joints.
Yeesh.
You people are pathetic.
How is it you're totally fine, Erza?!
I bet she had her Second Origin all along.
I buy that.
At any rate, I've never been to a city this huge before.
Me neither!
It's bigger than Edolas's castle town.
So you finally made it...
Master!
I took care of all the entry paperwork.
You better show me the power of Fairy Tail!
Hey! Fairy Tail, he says!
Those chumps?!
The perennial last place losers?!
Who just laughed?!
Stifle it.
I'm sure you'll be in last place again this year, too!
And Sabertooth is sure to win it.
Anybody that wants to laugh, let 'em.
Then I won't hold back...
Don't look at us and laugh!
Listen! I've got 30 million jewel...
I mean, do your best to aim for the number one guild in Fiore!
The way things are now, we can't face the first master, who saved our lives!
Well, the competition begins tomorrow,
but unfortunately, I have no idea what it is!
Fairy Tail's been in this a number of years, though, right?
The competition changes every year.
Pick me up!
For instance, one year we weren't in it, they had a shooting contest...
The year I wasn't in it, they had a race...
The team with the greatest cumulative points over a number of events is the winner...
I looked at the past records,
but it seems there's no consistency with the events.
Well, then we'll just play it by ear.
I hope it's a battle, though!
Every year, when the Games are held, we sense a strange magical force.
A mysterious force... and mysterious contests...
Erza!
Read the official rulebook by tomorrow.
Read this...?
Leave it to me! I've got Windreading Glasses!
You're always prepared, Levy-chan!
To put it in a nutshell,
I'd say there are three important things.
The first is that a guild master can't participate.
Well, that makes sense.
Anyone who doesn't have the guild emblem
is counted as a spectator and may not participate.
That's a pretty obvious one, too.
And to maintain secrecy, the rules for each event
won't be revealed until right before the event starts.
Not much info of use there.
There is a warning at the end.
It says that all the participants have to be back at their designated inn by midnight.
Midnight?
When?
It must mean tonight, right?
Back by midnight...
It's like that story, the princess with the glass slippers.
How can Gray-sama be saying romantic things when Juvia isn't around?!
Oh, my prince!
If it's midnight, we still got plenty of time!
It's not every day you get a chance to visit a town this big! Let's go exploring!
Aye, sir!
Let's go!
Hey! Do you even know the inn we're staying at?!
Honeybone, right?!
Just make sure you're back by midnight! Got it?!
Aye!
Midnight... at the designated inn...
And this is that designated inn, Honeybone.
For some reason, six beds have been prepared...
So we're all supposed to sleep in the same room?
Doesn't look like there's anything suspicious here, but still...
Gray-sama!
Juvia! What are you doing here?!
It's not only Juvia!
Everyone in the guild came to cheer you on.
Jeez. Those guys have too much free time...
Um... Would you like to have dinner together?
Now that you mention it, I am hungry.
In that case, I know a good restaurant in town.
Lyon!
It's combined with the aquarium. A really fashionable restaurant.
Huh? Wait... What is this?
Hey! Don't just walk off with one of my members!
I hear you're going to be in the Grand Magic Games, Gray.
My guild, Lamia Scale, is going to win, though.
I hear you guys come in second every year.
And you guys are in last place every year.
Until last year, we've always been in second place,
but that was without Jura-san or me participating.
You understand what I'm getting at, don't you?
Are you forgetting?
We got this monster named Erza on our side!
Let's make a wager.
When Lamia Scale achieves victory,
Juvia will join our guild!
What the hell is that?!
And if we win...?
I'll return Juvia to your guild.
She's ours to begin with!
This is a gentleman's agreement. Don't forget it, Gray.
Gimme a break! That's no kind of bet!
Are you afraid of losing?
What's that?!
Gray-sama!
Do you want Juvia?! Or Lyon-sama?! Please make up your mind!
You're not following the conversation, are you?
You're always right.
That's not true.
In my own clumsy way, I live my life to the fullest.
That's all...
Erza...
Men! You have the same beguiling parfum as always.
How dare you enter someone's room uninvited?!
Men!
You're beautiful when you're angry.
We didn't come here especially to cheer you up, though.
Have a hot washcloth.
That goes the same for you!
Forever Trimens!
Carla, look at that!
Wow!
This says it's the Flower Light Palace, Mercurius.
I wonder what the king is like...
I wonder if he has a mustache...
I bet he does.
They've got flowers everywhere in this town.
No wonder it's called the "blooming capital".
A fight!
You can't have a festival without a fight! Where is it?!
This is what I'd expect with all the guilds of Fiore gathering here.
Natsu, wait!
This smell...
What's wrong?
It smells similar to a dragon...
Don't tell me...
Move it! Move it! Move it!
Anybody else?
These guys are beneath us, literally, oh yeah!
Fro thinks so, too.
What the...?!
You!
Natsu Dragneel!
Cats?!
What's up with this stupid-looking cat?
Stupid!
They talk!
Do I have to say something here...?
Who the hell are you guys?
Hey, haven't you heard of Sabertooth's Twin Dragons, Sting and Rogue?!
They're the cornerstone of Fiore's strongest guild!
Then these two are...
...Sabertooth, huh?
Rumor has it you're gonna be in the Grand Magic Games. Is that true?
You know about me?
Acnologia...
You're the Dragon Slayer who couldn't slay a dragon, right?
Are you sure you should keep calling yourself a Dragon Slayer?
You know, I used to look up to you.
Incidentally, this guy was into Gajeel-san.
I was just interested as a fellow Dragon Slayer.
Dragon Slayer?!
Both of you?!
Maybe you oughta call us true Dragon Slayers...
We would've beaten Acnologia.
That's easy for you two to say when you've never even laid eyes on Acnologia!
That's right!
You don't seem too bright, cat.
Lecter is smart, right?
It doesn't matter if we've seen it or not.
The point here is the difference in our aptitude as Dragon Slayers.
I'll explain.
Natsu-kun and the rest learned Dragon Slaying Magic from dragons.
They're the so-called First Generation.
Your Laxus-kun and Oracion Seis's Cobra-kun
are known as the Second Generation.
They can use Dragon Slaying Magic through a Dragon Lacrima embedded in their body.
As for Sting-kun and Rogue-kun,
like you, they were raised by Dragons,
but also have a Dragon Lacrima implanted in their body... the hybrid Third Generation!
Third Generation?!
In other words, they're the strongest Dragon Slayers!
Strongest Dragon Slayers, you say?
There's a world of difference in ability between the First Generation and Third Generation.
It's not even worth talking about.
Did your dragons disappear in the year 777, too?!
Well, in a manner of speaking...
I'll give it to you straight.
The dragons who taught us Dragon Slayer Magic
were slain by our own hand,
so we could become true Dragon Slayers...
You killed dragons?!
Humans killed dragons...?
You murdered your own parents?!
They're late...
You guys...
Where the hell were you all this time?!
I had dinner that was no fun at all...
We got into a weird tangle with some people... or maybe we started it...
Well, if we get the chance to fight each other during the Games,
I'll show you the power that can slay a real dragon!
Let's go. I'm not interested in the older generation.
Both the outdated Dragon Slayer and his cat companion are lame-o's!
Fro thinks so, too!
I'm not gonna let 'em get away with it!
By the way, Wendy's not back yet?
Come to think of it...
She's late...
I'm sure she's with Carla, so I doubt she's lost...
It's almost midnight...
That little girl is out this late...
Staying out late... Bad company... Juvenile delinquency!
This town is mine!
What should we do?!
Do all fiction writers have this kind of imagination?
Hey! We brought treats!
Tomorrow's the big day!
Elfman! Lisanna!
Are you guys gonna watch the Grand Magic Games, too?!
Yeah.
To be honest, I wanted to be in it myself and show off for Lisanna and Nee-chan,
but giving up is also a Man!
Good timing. Can I ask you a favor?
What is it?
Actually, Wendy hasn't come back to the inn yet.
And we're apparently not supposed to do anything until after midnight.
Is something going to happen at midnight?
I don't really know, but there's a rule that says we have to be here by midnight.
And as I say that, I notice it is midnight now...
What's gonna happen?!
Everyone in the guilds who have gathered together for the Grand Magic Games...
Good morning!
Outside?!
What the hell is that?! It's huge!
A three-dimensional image!
A pumpkin!
Beginning now, we're going to take the 113 participating teams
and have an elimination round to pare them down to eight!
Elimination round?!
We didn't hear about this!
Was there an elimination round last time?
No.
What does this mean?
So midnight is the time the elimination round starts?
And it'll suddenly narrow down 113 guilds to eight?
113...
Huh? That's more than the number of guilds in Fiore...
They couldn't have notified everyone beforehand about an elimination round?
Peculiar behavior...
Too many guilds...
Mysterious magic power...
Is the sponsor the one we should be suspicious of?
Every year, the number of participating guilds increases
and it was pointed out that the events were getting stale.
This year, there will be only eight teams competing in the official games.
The elimination rules are simple!
What the...?!
What is this?!
The inn is transforming!
Look! It's the same with the other inns!
Transforming is a Man's romantic fantasy!
All of you are going to race each other.
The goal is the Games arena, Domus Flau.
The first eight teams to arrive there will go on.
Paths!
We have to take the path?
You're free to use your magic.
There are no restrictions.
But remember, only the first eight teams to get to the goal will survive this round.
However, all five members must arrive together or it doesn't count!
And one more thing!
We take no responsibility for any lives lost in the labyrinth.
Labyrinth?!
The Grand Magic Games elimination round!
Sky Labyrinth... begin!
Oh, man! What the hell is that?!
A giant labyrinth in the sky?
It looks like that's the venue for the elimination round.
I suck at mazes!
Like he said, the first eight teams to get to the goal will make it past this round.
So it's a competition!
But I guess all five members of the team have to get to the goal together.
Crap! Wendy's not here!
Next time: Sky Labyrinth!
Hey, how about if I fill in for Wendy...?
Elfman says he'll join the team!
Figures...