A week quietly passed, and Magnolia Town welcomed its annual Harvest Festival, a celebration held to commemorate a bountiful harvest.
At this time, Fairy Tail was filled with many town residents, all of whom had come to watch the Miss Fairy Tail event hosted by Fairy Tail.
"Citizens of Magnolia, and friends from nearby towns!"
"What? Friends who came all the way from the Land of the Dead to watch this competition? Please return to your graves after the show."
"Hahahaha!"
Everyone was amused by Max's humor.
"Thank you for waiting! Our lovely fairies are about to present a beautiful feast!"
"The Miss Fairy Tail Pageant now begins—!"
"I, Max Alors, the Sand Mage, will be your host for this selection."
Gray complained, "Isn't that guy a convenience store clerk? He's really busy."
"Serving as judges for this selection are Master Makarov, Guild Master of Fairy Tail! And the nationally renowned Mage, Master Takeshi!"
Takeshi and Makarov stood up and waved to the crowd behind them.
"Ohhhhh!"
Many people cheered when they saw Takeshi, his popularity was incredibly high now.
Gray grumbled, "How did Takeshi become a judge?"
"Contestant No. 1, an exotic beauty with an otherworldly appetite! Cana Alberona!"
Cana stepped onto the stage, causing many to shout and cheer.
"Next up is the magic talent show!"
Cana waved her hand, scattering a pile of cards. The cards spun around her, and after they dissipated, Cana was in a sexy swimsuit.
The cheers from below grew even louder.
"Contestant No. 2, a new member, but S-class in strength, a water-sprite-like woman, Juvia Lockser!"
After Juvia came on stage, her body transformed into water, creating a giant wave, and then she too changed into a swimsuit.
Lucy, watching backstage, was furious. "Another one selling her body."
"Contestant No. 3, a tiny fairy, charming and intelligent, Levy McGarden!"
Levy performed her Solid Script magic, which was very cute.
"Contestant No. 4, the sexy sharpshooter from the west, Bisca Mulan!"
Bisca showcased her unerring marksmanship.
"Contestant No. 5, possessing the title of the strongest female mage in Fairy Tail, a Mage combining strength and beauty, the Fairy Queen, Erza Scarlet!"
"She's here!"
"Erza!"
"So cool!"
Lucy peeked from backstage, exclaiming, "Her popularity is so high."
Erza already had a certain level of fame, and her previous battle with Phantom Lord had elevated that fame to another level. She was currently the most popular female Mage.
"Let me show you my treasured requip."
Erza activated her Requip magic. In a flash of light, her armor peeled away, revealing her faintly visible body, leaving much to the imagination.
Finally, Erza appeared in a Gothic Lolita outfit, causing everyone in the Guild to drop their jaws.
"Gothic Lolita style?!"
Lucy immediately felt immense pressure backstage.
"Contestant No. 6, the Guild's poster girl! Her beauty captivates the entire continent! Mirajane Strauss!"
"I've been looking forward to this!"
"A contender for the championship!"
"It's her in person! She's even cuter than in the magazines!"
Mirajane's appearance on stage immediately drew incredibly enthusiastic cheers. Compared to others, Mirajane's popularity was quite high, like an idol.
"I'm best at Transformation Magic, so I'll perform Transformation Magic."
With that, Mirajane used Transformation Magic, and in the next instant, a figure in pure white stood on the stage.
"This is Takeshi in his Black-winged Demon form."
"This is Takeshi in his Sword God form."
"This is Takeshi in his Flame Emperor form."
"This is Takeshi in his Tyrant form."
"This is Takeshi in his Whitebeard form."
After transforming five times in a row, Mirajane returned to her original appearance.
The entire Guild fell silent for a moment, but then erupted into enthusiastic cheers.
"Amazing!"
"Is that what Whitebeard looks like? It's my first time seeing him in person."
"And the others, it's my first time seeing them too."
"So, those famous figures, were all Takeshi?!"
Lucy was completely dumbfounded. If there was a way to report, she would desperately want to report now.
Although Mirajane didn't sell her body or create a contrasting moe, transforming into Takeshi was just too unfair. Wasn't that just riding on his popularity?
Each of Takeshi's transformations was incredibly famous, especially the final Whitebeard transformation, which was currently the most popular.
She felt the prize money slipping further and further away.
Takeshi hadn't expected Mirajane to transform into several of his forms, but it was quite imposing.
"Contestant No. 7, the Guild's super rookie! Is that brilliance the guidance of a Celestial Spirit? Lucy!"
Lucy walked onto the stage. "I'm going to do a cheerleading dance with my Celestial Spirits."
Even though her hopes of winning the championship were slim, she still had to try her best.
Suddenly, a woman appeared behind Lucy. "Contestant No. 8, the fairy is me, the beauty is me, yes, everything is me. The outcome is decided, the champion is me, Evergreen. Alright, this boring competition ends here."
"Evergreen!"
"When did she get back?!"
The Guild members immediately recognized the woman on stage as Evergreen, a member of the Thunder God Tribe.
Lucy shouted, "Don't mess things up! My livelihood depends on this!"
Evergreen lifted her glasses, and Lucy instantly turned to stone.
"Wh... what's going on?!"
"Stone?"
"Talent show?!"
The citizens were all a bit confused at this point, until Macao reminded them, "Danger! Citizens, get out of here quickly!"
It was then that everyone realized this wasn't a part of the talent show, and they all scattered and fled.
Takeshi remembered something at this moment, his expression changed, and he stomped his foot, rushing towards the stage.
Crack!
A golden lightning bolt descended from the sky towards Takeshi.
Takeshi halted his steps.
Boom!
The golden lightning struck in front of Takeshi, and Laxus's figure appeared.
"Yo! Takeshi, we meet again."
"Laxus, what are you doing? Are you trying to ruin the festival?!"
Makarov saw Laxus and angrily strode towards him.
"A festival wouldn't be complete without some entertainment, right?"
Laxus ignited the stage curtain, revealing the backstage scene. All the girls participating in the Miss Fairy Tail contest had turned into stone statues.
"What!"
"Everyone in the dressing room turned to stone?!"
"Sister!"
"Even Erza!"
Takeshi's pupils constricted, and he looked at Evergreen with a cold gaze. "Evergreen, if you don't want to die, immediately, right now, restore them to normal."