Night fell over Magnolia, where a grand gathering was being held that evening. People from all over town had come to join in, turning the square into a sea of joy. Voices filled the air, and laughter rose and fell.
The jubilant crowd wore brightly colored clothes, their faces alight with excitement and anticipation. They greeted one another, exchanged smiles, and eagerly discussed the coming event. A unique atmosphere filled the square, harmonious and vibrant, showing visitors from out of town that this was a close-knit, friendly community.
Soothing music drifted through the air. Vendors sold balloons, snacks, and toys, while children ran around playing. Laughter and cheerful commotion filled every corner.
A whistle sounded, and the gathering officially began.
"Natsu, are you ready? Let's begin," Zorn said to Natsu, who stood beside him, still looking a little excited.
"Yeah!" Natsu nodded in confirmation.
"Fairy Tail!" Natsu suddenly breathed fire into the sky. It burst in midair, forming the words "Fairy Tail." At the sound, a volley of fireworks exploded overhead.
"Seven-colored road, rainbow bridge!" Zorn followed by casting his magic.
A seven-colored road stretched all the way to the street on the other side of town. Every color was bright and vivid, from lively red to soft purple, from brilliant orange to deep blue. They blended together in perfect harmony, forming a magnificent picture. Countless points of light seemed to shimmer across its surface, like stars that had fallen to earth. The lights gathered into streams, like the Milky Way cascading down from the heavens, connecting the road to the hearts of the spectators.
At the end of the street, a huge rainbow arched through the air from the far end of the rainbow road, its vivid colors shining brilliantly. Light fell upon the arch of the rainbow bridge, and its colorful radiance danced through the air like flowing musical notes.
The spectators in town cheered and applauded at the beautiful sight, while the children asked their parents to lift them up so they could try to touch the drifting, colorful starlight.
The parade procession also moved along the rainbow road.
On the first float, the guild's female members wore sparkling dance dresses and danced with enthusiasm, swiftly changing their steps. Every now and then, they waved to the spectators on either side, responding to their cheers.
On the second float was Erza, wearing Heaven's Wheel Armor made from colorful feathers. She stood in a huge candy dish with countless feathers floating behind her. Then she waved her hand, sending them flying toward the crowd. In the light of the rainbow bridge, the feathers turned into candies of all shapes and fell into the spectators' hands.
The third float was decorated like a jungle. Wakaba and Macao used Smoke Magic and flames respectively to create all kinds of animals, making them perform funny movements that had the spectators below roaring with laughter.
On the fourth float, Cana and Levy wore cute little animal mascot costumes. Sitting atop a giant swan's head, they scattered flowers all around, while other guild members performed difficult acrobatics around the swan.
On the fifth float, Gray wore a little suit and waved to the crowd from the shoulder of a gigantic Waver Autobot. Zorn had, of course, told him about this armor. Every now and then, it transformed back into a car, drawing gasps from the children below.
On the sixth and final float, Natsu and Zorn stood on the giant master's shoulders and formed a ball of light, working together to perform a trick with two dragons playing with a pearl. At the end, it exploded in the sky, leaving the words "Happy Harvest Festival" to conclude the performance. Finally, everyone raised their hands in the classic gesture, bringing the whole ceremony to a close.
The day after the festival, shops around town were already selling models of the previous day's Autobot. They had even used their imaginations to come up with several other types of transforming models. When Zorn saw this the next morning, he could not help but exclaim, "Impressive."
Three months after the harvest festival, the year officially became X778. Zorn's Admiral strength had officially reached 70%. His Haki, Physical Arts, and magic power had all increased considerably, and his swordsmanship had reached great mastery.
"Natsu, Gray, Cana, what kind of poses are those? Haha, you look like wooden dolls." When Macao and the others saw the three of them inch into the guild in strange poses, they immediately started teasing them.
"You don't understand. This is a new training method. It's weighted equipment Zorn gave us. I'll definitely get used to it," Natsu replied first, growing more breathless as he spoke.
"Zorn, what's this?" the master asked, turning to Zorn, who was sitting nearby looking at a job listing. He had watched the three slowly lower themselves onto stools and struggle to eat with spoons.
"Master, this is to train their bodies. Natsu and Gray can already sense Armament Haki a little, but they want to master it faster, so I prepared this weighted equipment for him and Gray. As for Cana, she's already completely mastered the beginner stage. She's preparing for the next stage now and is getting used to it." Zorn explained everything to the master in detail.
"Oh, I see. Good, good. So Cana is learning Physical Arts entirely from you now?" The master suddenly thought of something and asked Zorn to confirm it.
"Yes. Cana is very talented in Physical Arts and Haki, and her fine control over magic power is quite good too. So I'm planning to teach her all the Physical Arts I've mastered, along with everything I know about them. That's why I'd also like to take her on this job." Hearing Zorn's final words, the master rested his chin on his hand and fell into thought.
"All right, you can. I fully acknowledge your strength now. Once you finish this job, Gildarts wrote to say he'll be back sometime this year. We can hold the S-Class Exam then." After thinking it over for a moment, the master agreed and also told Zorn when the S-Class Exam would be held.
"Gildarts?" Hearing the name, Zorn instinctively glanced at Cana, who was still struggling to eat, then looked away.
That night, on the way back to the dorms...
"Natsu, Gray, tomorrow, go to the East Forest in that weighted equipment and train against the magic beasts there. You can only use Physical Arts," Zorn said to the two beside him, who were struggling to move their feet.
"Zorn, are you going tomorrow? Hah, hah, hah..." Natsu asked, still panting.
"I've been assigned a job, so I'll need to spend the next three days getting ready. Train hard at the guild, and no fighting. I specifically asked Erza to keep an eye on you." Zorn ended his reply with Erza because he knew Natsu and Gray were naturally at odds and would start fighting at the slightest disagreement. So that afternoon, he had sought Erza out and told her he would bring her some tasty local specialties in exchange for watching Natsu and Gray.
"Ah, okay. I'll train hard, and I won't fight with Underwear Man." Natsu nodded seriously.
"I won't fight with a little brat either," Gray shot back, unwilling to back down after hearing Natsu call him Underwear Man.
"Bastard, what did you say?"
"Huh... what?"
Zorn glanced at the two behind him, who had started arguing again over a disagreement, but ignored them. He turned to Cana beside him. "Cana, I'd like to take you along on this job. Do you want to come?"
Cana thought for a moment before replying, "Sure. I've been wanting to see how strong I am right now, too."
"All right. We leave in three days. You can spend that time preparing some daily necessities and medicine. You can leave the weighted equipment off for now, too, and spend these three days getting used to your own strength." Zorn went over the details of the job carefully.
"You two, hurry up and catch up!" After he finished, Zorn turned and shouted to Natsu and Gray, who were already arguing with their heads pressed together.