"..."
The tournament officials were left completely speechless by Finn's answer. They wanted to argue, but logic completely failed them. Heavenly Blue had secured a flawless victory in Hidden, completely dominated the Chariot race, and won both of their one-on-one battles.
They were sitting at an untouchable 40 points.
Even if Finn forfeited the final battle of the day, handing a random team 10 free points, it wouldn't even make a dent in Heavenly Blue's colossal lead. It truly was just a handicap.
Yet, the organizers—and the audience listening closely—desperately wanted Heavenly Blue to stay. Without Finn and his team, the remainder of the day's matches would feel entirely bland and hollow.
W-What should we say to make him stay? the head organizer panicked.
But before anyone could formulate a proper plea—
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"
"Hmm?"
Every eye in the corridor and the surrounding stands snapped toward the Fairy Tail A dugout. Natsu Dragneel was hanging over the railing, his face contorted in absolute fury.
"ARE YOU RUNNING AWAY AFTER YOU WIN?! HOW IS THAT EVEN ALLOWED?!" Natsu roared, pointing an accusing finger at Finn.
"Natsu!" Erza frowned, stepping forward to stop him, but the Fire Dragon Slayer had already exploded.
"YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST WIN AND LEAVE?! DO YOU THINK YOU'RE ALL-POWERFUL?! FAIRY TAIL IS STILL RIGHT HERE! WE'RE GOING TO FIGHT YOU AND TAKE FIRST PLACE!"
"..."
The entire stadium fell into a stunned daze. They stared at Natsu in sheer disbelief. Even Jiemma of Sabertooth was wary of Heavenly Blue. In fact, Jiemma had been secretly thrilled by Finn's proposal to leave; it meant a free chance for Sabertooth to scoop up uncontested points. Yet here was Natsu, brazenly provoking the number one of the tournament.
Natsu didn't care about the politics. He was just furious. He wanted to beat the absolute pulp out of the guild that had humiliated Lucy and Gray. Seeing them act so arrogantly, attempting to walk out after effortlessly crushing Jellal, boiled his blood.
He wouldn't let Finn go!
Finn stopped walking. He slowly turned his masked face toward the Fairy Tail dugout, tilting his head slightly.
"Who exactly was it that dragged your team to the absolute bottom of the scoreboard today?" Finn asked, his voice calm, echoing perfectly through the quiet stadium.
The blistering tension Natsu had just built up popped like a soap bubble.
"...."
The crowd blinked. Then, the brutal reality of Finn's words set in.
"Wait... wasn't he the one who came in dead last in the Chariot race?"
"It's honestly amazing he isn't dying of embarrassment right now."
"Is screaming at the number one team his way of distracting everyone from his own pathetic performance?"
If Natsu had secured a middle-of-the-pack finish, his outburst might have been somewhat tolerable. But he had literally placed last, vomiting helplessly on the tracks. How did he possibly have the nerve to provoke the undisputed leader of the tournament?
"...."
Even Natsu wasn't dense enough to miss the mocking whispers erupting across the stadium. His face burned a violent shade of red.
"SHUT UP!" Natsu yelled at the audience, lacking the wit to say anything else.
"Hahaha, look at him! He's embarrassed!" a spectator jeered.
"What are you barking at us for?! You should be grateful we aren't demanding refunds after watching that lame performance!"
"Why don't you attack us, you bastard?! Get your whole team disqualified just like Raven Tail!"
The crowd didn't hold back, ruthlessly taunting the Fire Dragon Slayer. Truthfully, many of them were jealous. Natsu had been given the rare opportunity to compete on the grandest stage in Fiore, and he had completely wasted it.
Finn watched the scene unfold with mild amusement. It's a good opportunity for him to learn a lesson, Finn thought. If he doesn't learn how to control that temper, his stupidity is going to ruin him.
Then again, he is the younger brother of Zeref, the Emperor of Alvarez, Finn mused internally. I suppose it is going to be fine. With the nepotism, everything was as good as alright.
"Natsu, stop it!" Gray yelled, grabbing his shoulder.
"Don't let them taunt you!" Lucy pleaded.
"You idiot! What are you shouting for?!" Elfman groaned.
The rest of Fairy Tail desperately tried to pull Natsu back. They knew exactly what the crowd was doing: baiting Natsu into launching an attack into the stands so Fairy Tail would be disqualified.
"ATTACK US, COWARD!" "ARE YOU AFRAID?!" "WHAT A JOKE!"
The relentless mocking pushed Natsu over the edge. Fire ignited around his fists, his face twisting into a furious snarl as he prepared to launch himself into the stands to beat the spectators to a pulp.
"YOU BAS—"
SMACK!
"...."
The sharp, incredibly loud sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed through the stadium, instantly plunging the arena back into absolute silence.
"Eh?"
Natsu stood completely frozen, a massive red handprint blooming across his cheek. The fire around his fists instantly sputtered out.
"Have you calmed down?" Erza asked coldly, her hand still raised from the brutal slap.
"Y-Yeah..." Natsu whimpered, lowering his head in absolute shame. What the hell was I doing? he asked himself, deeply regretting pushing Erza to the point where she had to strike him in public.
"Good. Stay calm," Erza ordered, her voice cutting through the quiet arena. "If you want to erase this embarrassment, you don't do it by fighting the audience. You do it on the stage, in your upcoming matches. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am."
With a single, perfectly executed slap, Erza had completely defused the volatile situation and silenced the mocking crowd.
Hmm...
Finn crossed his arms, genuinely impressed. She is awesome, he sighed inwardly, thinking of one of the most famous heroines on the story was different.
"Are you still leaving?" Erza asked, turning her sharp gaze toward Finn and his team.
"Well..." Finn glanced around, feeling the electric anticipation rolling off the audience. He looked back at Erza, a subtle smirk forming beneath his mask. "I have a feeling something interesting might happen after all. I suppose we can stay for the finale."
"Thank you." Erza nodded respectfully.
Hearing Finn's confirmation, the crowd instantly erupted into a deafening roar of excitement!
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH!!!"
The audience was ecstatic. They were absolutely certain that the organizers were going to rig the final matchup to give them the spectacle they had been waiting for.
And Finn knew it too. Day Two was far from over, and an incredibly entertaining battle was definitely on the horizon.