The curtains were drawn, and the entire Guild went dark.
A spotlight shone on the stage, and just as everyone thought Mirajane was about to sing, they saw Gajeel sitting on the stage in a white suit, holding a guitar.
"Eh?!!"
"Gajeel?!!"
Everyone in the Guild was astonished. They hadn't expected Gajeel to sing.
Gajeel began to play the guitar and sing.
"There aren't many Guilds willing to hire me. Even though I was an enemy yesterday, I want to dedicate this song to Fairy Tail as a friend. This is my composition, 'Best Friend.' First, for everyone…"
"…"
Everyone in the Guild was dumbfounded.
Mirajane said, "Even though his guitar playing is terrible, the lyrics aren't bad."
Takeshi, with a pained expression, commented, "He sang very well. Next time, don't let him sing again."
"Haha!"
Hearing Takeshi's comment, Mirajane couldn't help but laugh.
Not only Takeshi, but others also couldn't stand it. All sorts of things were thrown onto the stage, trying to get Gajeel off, and before anyone knew it, it had escalated into a massive brawl.
"COOL!"
Soon after, the Fairy Tail special edition was released. Besides a few normal pages, everything else was a mess.
—
In a tavern in a remote village.
"Hahahaha! Look at this! They are so dumb. I really don't understand how these guys managed to grow so strong."
"The Guild even has a swimming pool. What were they thinking?"
"Look at this guy! He looks so weak."
"If it weren't for a super monster named Takeshi from Fairy Tail, this Guild would probably be a second-rate Guild."
"Second-rate? More like third-rate."
"Hahahahaha!"
Just then, a figure appeared behind the three.
Thinking someone was looking for trouble, the three turned around and were startled.
"He… he is Laxus from Fairy Tail."
"How can he be in a tavern in such a small village?!"
"Ap-apologies."
The three immediately scrambled away.
Although they could mock Fairy Tail behind its back, they only dared to do so from a distance. There were many famous Mages in Fairy Tail, and Laxus was one of them.
Laxus glanced at the Fairy Tail special edition on the ground. "There's a limit to how foolish you can be, old man."
Suddenly—
"Eek! Haha! As expected of a celebrity, just a glare scares people away. So cool! Makarov's grandson or something? What should I call someone like you? Riding on your father's coattails?"
A man with an afro, a mouth full of gold teeth, and resembling a monkey, mocked Laxus.
Laxus stared at the man with an expressionless face.
"Oh, so scary."
The tavern owner, trembling, advised, "Zatô… don't cause trouble…"
Zatô was a member of a nearby Dark Guild, and the other party was the famous Laxus of Fairy Tail. If they fought here, his small tavern would be ruined.
"What kind of trouble can I cause with such a useless Guild? In this useless Guild, besides that guy named Takeshi, everyone else is trash." Zatô mocked with disdain.
Takeshi's power was undeniable. The live broadcast clearly showed his strength, and even Wizard Saints were no match for him. Naturally, no one dared to underestimate Takeshi.
As for the others, most of them were not taken seriously.
"Zatô? Never heard of him."
"That's right. We just quietly do some work in the shadows. We can't compare to those who make fools of themselves in magazines."
Crack! Crack!
Golden lightning sparked around Laxus's head, and his eyes became sharp. He was clearly angry.
Laxus said, "If you really want to die that badly, how about I help you?"
The owner quickly tried to dissuade him. "This… guest... It's better not to fight. Zatô is…"
"Go outside."
Laxus didn't want to involve innocent people.
"Yah! Only one of us is going outside."
Boom!
Laxus's body crashed through the tavern wall and landed on the street.
"Ahhhhh!"
Everyone in the tavern screamed and fled upon seeing the Mages fighting, to avoid being caught in the crossfire. For ordinary people like them, getting accidentally involved could be fatal.
"Hahahaha! So weak. Shall we go hunt some little fairies tomorrow?" Zatô laughed triumphantly.
Just then, a blinding light appeared beneath him.
Crack!
Golden lightning erupted from the ground, sending Zatô flying into the sky.
"Ahhhhh!"
Bang!
Zató, completely scorched, fell to the floor and passed out.
"Lightning…"
"From the ground?!"
"You're kidding, right?!"
"That Crazy Monkey Zatô, was defeated so easily?!!"
"Who exactly is that man?"
Everyone was very surprised and discussed amongst themselves.
"Utterly boring. Since when has my Guild been looked down upon like this? Old man…"
Laxus, however, felt no joy in winning. Instantly defeating a mere minion was as easy as eating and drinking for him. His face was twisted in fury, enraged that his Guild was now being underestimated by a minion.
—
Fairy Tail.
After the reporter's interview ended, Fairy Tail returned to being its usual lively self.
"Is there any quest that one person can complete?"
Lucy was searching the request board for a quest she could do.
"What? You're not teaming up with Natsu anymore?" Mirajane asked curiously.
Lucy explained, "Natsu said he needs to train, but if I don't go to work, I won't be able to pay this month's rent."
Mirajane encouraged Lucy, "Then look carefully. There are many quests on the request board, there's definitely one suitable for you."
"'Monster Hunting' I can't do. 'Deep Sea Treasure Hunt' is difficult for me alone. Hmm? 'Magic Class for Children: Teacher Wanted'?! This one I can do."
Lucy immediately wanted to tear off this request, but a hand was faster and tore it off.
"Wait, I saw that first!"
"Whoever's faster gets it, right?"
"But can you do this kind of work?!"
"I'll do whatever work I want. Are you looking for a fight?"
"Damn it! So unfair!"
Lucy stomped her foot in anger, watching Gajeel's retreating back.
Gajeel, holding the request, came to Takeshi and said, "I want to do this quest."
Takeshi picked it up, glanced at it, and quipped, "You'll scare the children with that appearance."
Because of issues with the Magic Council, Makarov had been busy recently, so he temporarily let Takeshi act as Guild Master to manage the Guild.
"Shut up."
"Alright, go to work."
Just as Gajeel was about to leave the Guild, he bumped into someone.
Gajeel said, "Sorry." and then prepared to leave.
"Hey! You bump into someone and just say sorry, and that's it?"
"You want to…"
Crack!
A golden lightning bolt struck Gajeel.
"Waaahhh!" Gajeel screamed and was sent flying backward.
"Laxus!"
Everyone in the Guild was startled by Laxus's actions.
Crack!
Another golden lightning bolt shot towards the fallen Gajeel.
Snap!
A figure appeared in front of Gajeel and casually swatted away the lightning.
Boom!
The lightning struck a nearby table, shattering it.
Takeshi looked at Laxus and coldly asked, "What are you doing, Laxus?"