Chapter 7: Survival Game
"He barely spoke to you. And you know exactly why he was glaring at you. Did you forget how badly you beat him during the assessment?" Makarov remembered when Laxus took the S-rank assessment, full of confidence. He had either challenged Dino Maxim directly or hadn't taken him seriously at all. The result was that Laxus got thrashed by Dino with almost no resistance.
Dino said with dissatisfaction, "Hey! You're the one who asked me to teach him a lesson, to knock him down a few pegs and show him he's not invincible. Why are you acting like this is my fault now?"
Makarov immediately pretended to be confused. "Is that so? I don't remember. My memory isn't what it used to be at my age. You're the only S-rank mage in the guild right now. Why don't you help me out with this?"
"I'm taking a month off after this."
"Deal!" Makarov reached out and shook Dino's hand, looking like he'd just made some shady bargain.
On the day of the assessment, everyone who participated took a boat to a remote uninhabited island. This was Makarov's decision after witnessing the duel between Dino and Gildarts. Whenever Dino fought seriously, they needed to stay as far from civilization as possible.
"Ugh!" Natsu lay draped over the side of the boat, vomiting continuously and looking completely drained.
"Are you okay, Natsu?" Happy said to his partner.
"How pathetic! A mage who gets seasick! Cana, you picked the wrong partner." Taking the opportunity, Gray mocked Natsu without mercy.
Dino said, "Dragon Slayers have trouble with any kind of transportation. You really don't know that?"
On the ship, Makarov began explaining the rules of this S-rank assessment. "This assessment is very simple. It's a survival game!"
"Survival game?" Many people looked at Makarov with confusion, including Dino, because Makarov hadn't told him what the rules would be.
"That's right! A survival game. You have one hour to get to the island. During that hour, you can set traps, attack each other, and eliminate your competition. After one hour, Dino will land on the island and start hunting you down. You can choose to hide or fight. As long as you don't leave the island, you're free to do whatever you want."
"The last one standing becomes the guild's newest S-rank mage!"
Gray looked at Makarov. "President, you seem to have left something out. What if we defeat Dino?" Erza and Mirajane also looked at Makarov, clearly thinking the same thing.
Makarov heard Gray's words and grinned broadly. "If you can pull that off, all three of you can be promoted to S-rank mages."
"Really?!" Everyone's eyes widened at Makarov's declaration. Three S-rank mages at once? There were only three in the entire guild right now.
"Get ready! Start!"
"I'm going first!"
"Ice-Make: Floor!" Gray created an ice surface on the sea and immediately slid toward the island.
"Requip: Black Wing Armor!" Erza's body glowed with golden light. When it faded, she wore black armor with demon-like wings on her back. The wings flapped as she soared after Gray.
"Don't think you're getting away, Erza!"
"Take Over: Satan Soul!" Mirajane quickly transformed into her Satan Soul form and flew toward the island.
"Sis, wait for me!" Elfman jumped into the water from the boat and swam hard after Mirajane.
Natsu and Cana brought up the rear.
After everyone left, the four people remaining on the boat started playing cards.
Dino said to Makarov, "President, your rule is completely unfair to me. Aren't you basically telling them to gang up on me?"
"True! They probably can't decide a winner in just one hour, but if they fight with everything they have, they'll burn through most of their magic power. Then when Dino lands, they'll be at a serious disadvantage. That won't benefit anyone. But if they try to team up, they have to worry about getting backstabbed by their so-called allies. The president has actually created quite the dilemma for everyone." Levy thought for a moment before speaking. She'd come to watch the assessment and could use her Letter Magic to provide emergency healing if needed.
"Mira has always seen Erza as her rival. I doubt they'll team up." Lisanna looked worried as both her sister and brother had entered the assessment.
Happy flew in midair. "Natsu's always seen Gray and Erza as his rivals!"
Makarov laughed heartily. "Exactly! That's what makes this interesting! When faced with overwhelming power, will they choose to unite or fight alone? Will they hide or betray each other? S-rank mages need more than just strength. They need strong hearts and sharper minds."
"But President, aren't you worried that Erza and the others might actually team up and defeat Dino?" Levy asked curiously.
"What are you talking about, kid?"
Dino looked thoughtful. "I'm trying to figure out the gentlest way to take them all down."
"You cocky brat. Honestly, I'd love to see them wipe that smirk off your face."
Between playing cards and chatting, an hour passed in the blink of an eye. There was no commotion from the island. Clearly the participants hadn't started fighting yet, though whether they'd formed alliances or were simply biding their time remained unclear.
"Time's up, and it doesn't look like anyone's fought yet. You'd think it'd be easier for them to eliminate each other first! Well then, let me send them a little greeting."
Dino stood up, walked near the bow of the ship, and squatted down. He crossed his forearms in front of him with both hands in fists, and pale white spherical halos formed around them. Anyone familiar with the Tremor-Tremor Fruit would recognize this as the stance used to unleash devastating shockwaves.