Special Competition

"Yo, Natsu, you're fired up, huh? Too bad you're only a substitute."

"Natsu's right. We have to win the first match and show them what we're made of!"

"Fairy Tail will win!"

"..."

Following Natsu's lead, the guild members all chimed in. Some were brimming with fighting spirit, while others kept their tone light, unwilling to put pressure on the competitors.

Guild Master Makarov sat on the railing of the stands, his expression stern. "Let's wait for the rules to be announced. We have two teams—we're bound to get good results."

Natsu clenched his fists, looking excited and full of fighting spirit. "Damn it, I really want to compete. Too bad I wasn't picked."

As he spoke, he looked toward Lu Li, who stood at the front. "Big Brother Lu is so strong. Once the Grand Magic Games are over, I'm definitely challenging you again."

Lu Li, having been called out, turned back to glance at Natsu and smiled. "Then you'd better get stronger. I'll be waiting."

Since the Explorers had all been inserted into this world midway through, they each came with preset backgrounds.

When they had been competing in the preliminary rounds at the outpost, the Grand Magic Games here had also been in its preliminary stage. According to their settings, the guild had already decided who would compete before the preliminaries began.

Naturally, the method used to choose the competitors was Fairy Tail's usual chaotic style. In the setting, they had fought a free-for-all before determining the strongest lineup.

Natsu's combat performance was heavily affected by his emotions. He was good at fighting outsiders but unreliable in internal matches, so he had failed to make the cut.

Among Lu Li's group of five, the only native of this world was the Fairy Queen, Erza. Meanwhile, the native