I sat on the guild's second-floor balcony, Irene settled comfortably beside me, both of us watching the bustling streets below. Paper lanterns swayed gently in the autumn breeze, and the cheerful sounds of vendors hawking their wares drifted up to us.
"The town looks beautiful today," Irene murmured, her fingers tracing the rim of her tea cup. "Though you have that look in your eyes again."
I couldn't help but grin. She knew me too well. "What look?"
"The one that says you're planning something." She raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile playing at her lips. "Something big."
"Guilty as charged." I leaned back in my chair, feeling quite pleased with myself. "I've got an event planned for today. Something... exciting."
Irene set down her tea cup with a gentle clink. "And what exactly are you scheming now?"
I met her curious gaze, my grin widening. "A battle royale."
Her eyes widened slightly. "A what now?"
"You heard me right," I said, practically bouncing in my seat with anticipation. "Everyone against everyone, last one standing wins. No teams, no alliances—just pure, chaotic competition."
Irene's laughter rang out like bells as it drifted across the balcony. Her eyes sparkled with pure fondness as she gazed at me.
Without a word, she scooted closer and tucked her head against my chest. Her hand drifted down to rest on the small bump beneath her dress, fingers tracing gentle circles.
My arm found its way around her shoulders, and for a moment everything was quiet except for the sounds drifting up from the street below.
Then I looked down at the guild hall's main floor. Members chatted over their drinks, completely clueless about what was coming.
My grin stretched wider.
"Well then," I said, and even I could hear the slightly crazy edge creeping into my voice. "Let the festival begin!"
=====
Aiden's voice echoed through the guildhall, cutting through every conversation like a blade. Then it rolled beyond the walls, spreading across all of Magnolia with magical amplification.
"ATTENTION FAIRY TAIL!" The words rang out clear and strong. "THE ROYAL RUMBLE BEGINS NOW!"
Down in the main hall, conversations died mid-sentence. Gray's ice sculpture dropped from his hand with a crash. Lyon looked up from his book with wide eyes. Cana paused with her tankard halfway to his lips.
"LAST ONE STANDING WINS!" Aiden continued, his grin so wide it hurt. "EVERYTHING YOU DESTROY WILL BE RESTORED WHEN THE EVENT ENDS—BUILDINGS, STREETS, EVERYTHING! TAKE ENOUGH DAMAGE AND YOU'LL BE TRANSPORTED OUT AND HEALED!"
Irene rolled her eyes next to him. "You're absolutely insane," she muttered, but Aiden caught the excited gleam in her eyes.
"THE CIVILIANS ARE SAFE AND WATCHING FROM THE BARRIERS!" His voice boomed again. "NOW FOR THE PRIZE—THE LAST ONE STANDING GETS A PERSONAL GIFT FROM ME!"
That did it. The entire guild exploded into excited chatter.
"Did he just say what I think he said?" Gray asked, already stripping off his shirt.
"A gift from Aiden?" Ultear's eyes lit up with interest. "Now that's worth fighting for."
"YEAH!" Natsu's voice roared from somewhere in the crowd. "I'm all fired up!"
Cana set down her drink with a heavy thud. "Well now, this sounds entertaining."
Even Ur looked intrigued, ice magic already swirling around her fingers.
Aiden leaned over the balcony railing, watching the chaos build below. "THE ARENA IS ALL OF MAGNOLIA!" he shouted. "GO WILD!"
The guild doors burst open as members poured out into the streets. He could see civilians cheering from behind magical barriers that sparkled like glass, keeping them safe from the coming storm.
"You realize," Irene said, still tucked against his side, "that you've just turned our peaceful town into a battlefield?"
"The best kind of battlefield," Aiden replied, watching as Natsu immediately launched himself at Gray. "Don't worry, nobody gets hurt and everyone has fun."
Below them, magical energy began crackling through the air as Fairy Tail's strongest prepared for war.
=====
The silence lasted exactly three heartbeats.
Then Natsu's roar shattered the air. "I'M ALL FIRED UP!"
Fire erupted from his fists as he launched himself straight at Gray, who was already stripping off his shirt with practiced ease.
"Ice Make: Shield!" Gray's barrier formed just in time to catch the flames, creating an explosion of steam that billowed across the guild hall's entrance.
"THAT'S NOT MANLY!" Elfman bellowed, charging through the steam cloud with his Machoke right beside him. The fighting-type Pokemon's muscles bulged as it threw a devastating punch at the nearest target—which happened to be Lyon.
"Ice Make: Eagle!" Lyon countered, his creation swooping down to intercept the attack while he rolled to safety. "Gray's not the only ice mage here!"
Above the chaos, Laxus stood on the guild's roof, electricity crackling around his body. His Pichu perched on his shoulder, tiny sparks dancing between its red cheek pouches.
"Pathetic," Laxus muttered, then raised his hand skyward. "Lightning Dragon's Roar!"
The bolt split the air, forcing everyone to scatter as it scorched the cobblestones where they'd been standing.
"Show off," Cana grumbled, pulling out a handful of cards. "Lightning Magic Card: Thunder Emperor!"
Her spell met Laxus's lightning in midair, the collision sending both mages skidding backward.
On the other side of the square, Erza had already requipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor, dozens of swords floating around her like a deadly constellation. Her Lucario stayed close, studying her movements with intense focus.
"Force Palm!" Erza commanded as her Lucario moved, striking at Jet as the speed mage tried to blitz past them.
Jet stumbled, caught off-guard by the fighting-type move. "Fast little guy—whoa!"
He barely dodged as Erza's swords came whistling through the air where his head had been.
"In battle, awareness is everything," Erza said calmly, already tracking her next targets.
Meanwhile, Ultear moved like liquid shadow through the battlefield, her Arc of Time magic aging the ground beneath her opponents' feet, making them stumble as solid stone crumbled to dust. She kept glancing toward the guild hall's upper floors, where she could see Aiden watching with that infuriating smile.
He planned this, she thought, dodging a blast of sand magic from Levy. That gift better be worth it.
"Cleffa, use Metronome!" Levy called out to her small Pokemon.
The star-shaped creature wiggled its tiny arms, and suddenly the air around Levy shimmered with protective light.
"Lucky!" Levy grinned as the barrier deflected Wakaba's smoke attack.
From her position near the fountain, Ur watched the chaos with tactical eyes. Her Lapras floated serenely in the water beside her, seemingly unbothered by the explosions echoing around them.
"Ice Make: Geyser," she murmured, and suddenly the fountain erupted upward, sending several combatants flying.
Gray spun mid-air, using his momentum to launch another attack. "Ice Make: Hammer!"
The massive ice construct crashed down toward Natsu, who grinned wildly.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Steam exploded outward again as fire met ice, and through the white cloud, Happy came zooming out with his usual cheerful expression.
"This is exciting!" the blue Exceed chirped, then paused as he noticed everyone staring at him. "Wait, am I supposed to be fighting too?"
"EVERYONE fights!" Elfman declared, lunging for the flying cat. "Even flying cats need to be MANLY!"
Happy dodged with a panicked "Aye!" and zipped toward the safety of the rooftops.
The civilians pressed against the magical barriers, cheering and shouting encouragement. Some had even started placing bets.
"Fifty jewel on Erza!"
"No way, Laxus is gonna dominate!"
"Did you see what Ur just did? I'm changing my bet!"
Up on the balcony, Aiden leaned forward with obvious delight, his arm still around Irene's shoulders. "Now this is what I call entertainment."
"You're terrible," Irene said, but her eyes sparkled with amusement as she watched Lyon and Gray's rivalry intensify, both ice mages trying to outdo each other while completely ignoring the other combatants around them.
"Ice Make: Wolf Pack!" Lyon shouted.
"Ice Make: Ice Geyser!" Gray countered immediately.
The two attacks collided and shattered, sending ice shards flying in all directions. Natsu took advantage of the distraction, flames wreathing his entire body.
"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"
But before he could strike, a card came spinning through the air, trailing magical energy.
"Gravity Magic Card!" Cana called out, and suddenly Natsu found himself slammed face-first into the cobblestones.
"Hey! That's not fair!" he protested, his voice muffled by stone.
"Everything's fair in a royal rumble!" Cana laughed, then yelped as Elfman's Machoke came charging at her with a Dynamic Punch ready.
The battle was spreading across Magnolia now, with mages leaping between rooftops, crashing through market stalls (which immediately repaired themselves), and turning the peaceful town into a magical war zone.
And from his perch above it all, Aiden's grin grew even wider. This was exactly what he'd wanted—pure, chaotic, beautiful competition.
The festival had truly begun.
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