Ambition

"Hey kid, aren't you going too far? I'm your examiner, you think I'd agree to let you find someone for me? Are you dreaming?"

Gildarts wiped his face, sweeping away all the little Eleven trying to pluck his eyelashes. These little Eleven were always looking for an opening, and their blatant attempts to take advantage were commonplace; Gildarts was already numb to it.

Even so, Gildarts didn't back down and restore Eleven to his original state. It seemed Eleven was determined to see who could disgust the other first.

Eleven seemed completely oblivious to what Gildarts was saying, letting loose entirely, swinging on the swings, climbing around, and talking to himself.

"It would be so much better if I helped you find someone, and we could finish the assessment quickly without having to suffer here anymore. To be honest, Gildarts, you smell really bad. It's kind of disgusting to have you hanging around me like this. Please go back and take a proper shower, okay?"

Then you fucking get out of here!

I'm really #￥...￥#

Just as Gildarts was about to unleash a string of profanities, he suddenly raised an eyebrow and looked at a bush in the distance. With a few rustling sounds, two large heads peeked out from the bush.

The newcomers were none other than Macao and Wakaba. They were stunned when they saw Gildarts standing in the middle of the open space, covered in tiny Eleven!

What's going on? How did I end up crashing right into Gildarts' face?

"Eleven, how did you lead the way? You bastard..."

Just as Macao was about to turn around and question him, he saw the little Eleven on his shoulder suddenly jump to the ground, then run back to Gildarts' side in a flash, even high-fiving and cheering with the little Eleven at Gildarts' feet, like a triumphant hero.

☆(ノﾟДﾟ)(ﾟДﾟ)ノye~

They're like a bunch of crazy kids.

Macao:(;￣д￣)

Wakaba:ﾍ(;´Д`ﾍ)

I never expected you Eleven, to be a traitor! You actually got tamed by Gildarts!

Is she really that happy clinging to Gildarts? That blissful expression of someone clinging to a leg is truly enviable!

Macao and his friends now consider Eleven shameless. They never expected that this kid would resort to sabotaging others just because he had no hope of winning himself. He's utterly shameless!

Gildarts was also quite bewildered when the two people suddenly appeared; he never expected that the story of waiting for the rabbit to run into the tree stump would actually come true.

Gildarts glanced at the little Eleven perched on his nose and frowned, asking, "Eleven, what are you up to? Do you really want to disqualify everyone from the assessment?"

Little Eleven looked back and saw Gildarts's eyes had turned into two big, crossed pupils as he looked at him. He couldn't help but chuckle, "Haha, there's nothing wrong with that! I said I'd help you find someone. It's better if this assessment ends sooner rather than later!"

Gildarts shook his head noncommittally, sending Eleven flying from his nose. Although he still didn't understand what Eleven was up to, he was determined to take advantage of the opportunity.

Macao and Wakaba were tricked by Eleven, so they have no one to blame but themselves. According to the rules of the assessment, Gildarts should now start collecting their magic crystals and no longer need to go easy on them.

Macao and Wakaba knew they couldn't escape, so they stopped running and began to gather their magic power, sending out ripples of magic in all directions. Although they knew they couldn't defeat Gildarts, they figured Gildarts wouldn't be too serious, and a full-force attack might offer a sliver of hope.

"Purple Rain!"

"Smoke Attack!"

Gildarts remained calm as he watched the two magical attacks hurtling towards him. However, just as he was about to retaliate, a dark shadow flashed past, obscuring his vision.

Upon closer inspection, he realized it was actually a little Eleven, grabbing one of his eyelashes and waving it in front of his face. "Hey, Gildarts, watch your hands, don't destroy my magic crystal!"

Gildarts was so harassed by Eleven that he stumbled and almost got hit in the face by magic, which made him lose his composure.

"You little brat, don't get in my way!"

Behind a giant rock near the battlefield, a golden figure lurked and observed furtively. On his shoulder stood a tiny person, no bigger than a fingernail, constantly urging him on.

The newcomer was Laxus. Unable to bear watching Eleven being carried off by the eagle, he had been tricked by Eleven and was now secretly observing the battle between Gildarts and Macao.

Standing on Laxus's shoulders, Little Eleven kept shouting things like "Don't be a coward, go for it, go all out, risk your life!" Basically, he was telling Laxus to hurry up and get himself killed, because now was a great opportunity to gang up on Gildarts!

Finally, Laxus couldn't stand Eleven's incessant chatter any longer and flicked Eleven away.

"Shut up! It's none of your business what I do."

After saying that, Laxus ignored Eleven dazed and lying on the ground and turned his attention back to the battlefield.

Laxus had absolutely no intention of ambushing Gildarts; there was no need. Since Macao and Wakaba were already there and he had seen the glittering magic crystals on them, he could simply steal the crystals from them without having to confront Gildarts head-on.

As for what Eleven is planning, who cares about Laxus!

However, just as Laxus was poised to pounce like a hound, Eleven's shrill voice came from behind him again.

"You idiot, you don't actually think I'd let Macao and Wakaba steal my magic crystal, do you?"

Laxus was stunned by those words, turning around to look blankly at Eleven, who was brushing the dust off himself. Laxus instantly believed Eleven's words, because only this explanation made sense—why was Eleven clearly had nothing, still acting so arrogantly?

Although this guy was still small, he was no longer the silly guy he used to be. His eyes were full of confidence and a hint of mockery as he looked at Laxus.

Clearly, Gildarts' magic cannot sever intelligence, and Eleven will not actually become a fool just because he has been shrunk; he still has his own set of plans.

Looking at Eleven's expression, Laxus felt a vein bulge on his forehead. Suppressing the urge to stomp him to death, he gritted his teeth and asked, "So where did you hide the real magic crystal?"

"Hehe, of course I can't tell you! I need to wait for an opportunity, a chance for us to work together to take down Gildarts. After that, we can discuss where the magic crystal is."