"Hello, everyone. I'm Yajima." The little old man smiled and waved.
"I'm Jenny. Please treat me kindly." The blonde woman's lively expression drew wave after wave of cheers from the crowd below.
"Without further ado! Please welcome the top eight teams, entering in order!"
The central passage of the arena slowly opened.
"In eighth place, the Four-Headed Hound Guild!"
Rough roars rang out as five contestants strode into the arena. Bacchus, leading the way, tipped his head back and drank, earning bursts of applause.
"In seventh place, once the kingdom's number one, returning after seven years in hiding—Fairy Tail Team A!"
Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy, and Wendy entered with their heads held high, dressed in purple guild uniforms.
What greeted them was not cheering, but boos that blotted out the sky.
"So it's that bunch of dead-last losers!"
"They didn't make it past the preliminaries for seven years. This year was pure dumb luck!"
"A washed-up trash guild doesn't deserve to stand here!"
The jeers pressed down on the five of them like a tsunami.
Lucy broke out in a nervous sweat, while Wendy timidly hid beside Erza.
"Don't be afraid." Erza's back was straight, her gaze resolute.
"Hold your heads high. We are Fairy Tail. We have nothing to feel guilty about."
Natsu grinned, his fighting spirit surging.
"They're just boos. Once I beat everyone, all they'll have left are screams."
In the cheering stands, Makarov's beard trembled with rage, his heart full of resentment.
"Those blind fools!"
A gentle voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.
Makarov turned his head and saw Mavis, blonde and barefoot, sitting on the railing with a soft smile.
"First Master?!" He was instantly shocked and nearly sprang to his feet.
"With the tournament this lively, of course I had to come cheer everyone