"Laxus, Gajeel, Mirajane, Juvia, Elfman?!" Lucy stared, eyes wide.
"Takeshi, you already knew, didn't you?" Gray asked Takeshi.
He remembered him saying in the lounge that they'd know soon.
Takeshi grinned and nodded. "Yep. The old man heard second place still gets 10 million, so he had Laxus lead a B-team."
Gray rubbed his forehead. "Figures it was the geezer's idea. But can Mira even fight?"
Takeshi calmly said, "Mira's magic is back."
Ever since Lisanna returned, the knot in Mirajane's heart had untied, though her power hadn't returned right away.
But the Tenrou Island incident terrified her. Powerless, she could only watch as the guild faced disaster. So after coming back she sought Takeshi for magic-rehab. Using a bit of illusion and mana pressure, Takeshi rekindled her magic source.
"Mira's magic is restored? That's fantastic!" Erza was both stunned and delighted.
Once sworn rivals, like Gray and Natsu, she'd sorely missed a worthy opponent when Mirajane lost her power.
[Next, the second team—the strongest, undefeated, absolute champions of every Grand Magic Games!]
[They are Sabertooth!!!]
The five Sabertooth members stepped out.
Boom!!!
The arena erupted in its loudest cheers yet.
"Huh? Sabertooth's only second?"
"Yeah. What a shock. Then who's first?"
The crowd cheered yet were taken aback—everyone had assumed Sabertooth would be number one.
[Last to enter—a team both surprising and expected. The prelim leaders—are they proclaiming a king's return?!]
[The top prelim team—Team Fairy Tail A!!!]
Takeshi led his group onto the field.
"Gahahaha!"
"See that! This is Fairy Tail! Hahaha!"
Makarov spread his arms, laughing arrogantly as the guild roared.
Takeshi's many talents landing them first in prelims came as no surprise.
"Uh... I'm feeling a bit guilty." Lucy blushed.
In the prelims Takeshi had transformed into Gojo, used Six Eyes to scout, and had Blue clear the way, then teleported them to the finish and straight back to the hotel—all in under five minutes. She'd barely blinked before becoming first in prelims.
"Why does only Fairy Tail have two teams?"
"What's going on?"
Spectators were puzzled.
[Well... per this year's rule change, each guild may enter two teams, so Fairy Tail's two squads are perfectly valid.]
"So that's Takeshi."
Everyone focused on him.
Few present were ordinary, and none had forgotten Fairy Tail.
Takeshi's fame predated them all—one of the rare mages with a recorded victory over a Wizard Saint, footage of which had spread far and wide. Even now, no one dared overlook him.
[Yajima-san, when it comes to the finals, can teammates really fight each other?]
Yajima said, "Since the tournament allows two teams, that shouldn't be an issue."
Natsu pointed at Gajeel and Laxus. "Same guild or not, we'll give it everything. We won't hold back."
Gajeel grinned. "Perfect. Last time we never finished, now we'll settle it."
"A real man goes all out!" Elfman shouted.
"Don't you dare lose!"
"Let's start at full throttle! I'll open!" Lyon spoke up.
Seeing Lyon, Gray stepped forward too. "If Lyon's going, then I..."
Just then a voice rang out.
"I'll go."
"Takeshi?!"
Everyone froze, turning to stare.
Takeshi, who'd entered last against Phantom Lord, was volunteering first.
"Fairy Tail's been quiet too long, it's time we reminded everyone who we are." Takeshi stepped forward as he spoke.
Now that Fairy Tail had returned, claiming the top spot was the first order of business.
"We're doomed!"
Elfman's jaw dropped the moment he saw Takeshi enter.
Having fought on Tenrou Island, he knew exactly what kind of monstrous freak Takeshi was. Give the others seven more years or seventy and he'd still be a super-monster.
Gajeel patted Elfman's shoulder. "I'm rooting for you, man."
Even as the words left his mouth, Gajeel couldn't hold back a laugh.
Facing that monster Takeshi? What a joke.
Sherria looked at Yuka and the others. "Is that guy really so strong? Why does everyone go pale the second he shows up?"
Yuka said, "He's gone way past 'strong or not'."
Toby nodded. "Oh yeah. He's a genuine monster."
"He can't be stronger than Jura-sama, right?"
"Well… seven years ago he beat Jose, who was seventh of the Ten Wizard Saints. Back then Jura was tenth, and he's gotten a lot stronger since. Takeshi probably couldn't take him now, right?" Uncertainty flickered across Yuka's face.
Over the past seven years, Jura's magic power had soared, rocketing him from tenth to fifth among the Ten Wizard Saints.
Jura said, "We'll only know who's stronger once we fight, but seven years ago I definitely wasn't Takeshi-sama's equal. If we clash again, I'd like to settle the score properly."
A gleam lit Jura's eyes. Watching Takeshi battle Oración Seis seven years ago had taught him what "there's always someone better" truly meant. From that day on, he stopped resting on the hollow title of one of the Ten Wizard Saints, training relentlessly until he reached his current level.
"Will the contestants for the 'Hidden' event please step forward." The pumpkin-headed announcer called out.
[It's finally starting! I wonder what kind of match 'Hidden' will be? Yajima-san, who do you think will shine?]
[Most likely Takeshi.]
[Takeshi is indeed a powerhouse. I was the commentator for his fight in Onibus seven years ago, and he left a deep impression. But let's hope he doesn't destroy the arena this time.]
"Takeshi? Who's that?"
"No idea. Never heard of him."
"He was in Fairy Tail seven years ago, but that's ancient history now. The strongest guild today is Sabertooth."
"You don't know Takeshi? He's a super-ace. Sabertooth's strong, sure, but there's no way they can beat him"
The crowd buzzed. Older spectators who'd seen Takeshi fight Jose considered him supreme, but most believed Sabertooth now reigned.
"If I may interrupt, none of us even know what event we're competing in today. Every contest has been kept secret. Whatever it is, doesn't Fairy Tail have a huge advantage with two entrants?" Nullpudding raised the point.
"Having two teams from one guild does make things unpredictable but Fairy Tail hasn't broken any rules. Fielding two teams merely proves their strength."
Takeshi turned a smiling gaze on Nullpudding. "Raven Tail, huh? I'll be sure to play with you later."
"Hmph! If you want to play, bring it on." Nullpudding shot back, not backing down an inch.
"Open the field!"
At once the arena floor shifted, and in the blink of an eye an entire town materialized.
"What is that?"
"A city?!"
"It's huge!"
"Unbelievable!"
The sight stunned everyone—magic had conjured up a whole town.
Simultaneously, every contestant was transported to a different spot inside the town.
Ivan glanced around. "Everyone vanished. Are we playing hide-and-seek?"
"Uwah, where should I hide?" Beth panicked.
"Hide-and-seek? That's weird, who's the seeker?"
[Spectators, you can watch everything inside the city through the Holo-Screens in front of you. All eight contestants are unaware of one another's locations.]
[The rules of 'Hidden' are simple. Each contestant is both hider and seeker. Find someone else in the city and land one hit on them. Any magic may be used, whether you injure them doesn't matter. Whoever strikes first earns one point.]
Suddenly—
Figures flickered across the town, and in moments perfect duplicates of every contestant appeared.
"What's going on?!"
"So many Takeshis… creepy!"
[These are your copies. Strike the wrong one and you lose a point. The more you destroy, the more you lose.]
[Now—fade into silence! Vanish like black cats beneath the night!]
[Hidden—begin!!!]
Clang!
With the gong's crash, the match officially started.
Once they understood the rules, many contestants began to move, stealthily observing while erasing their own presence, blending into the crowds.
Surveying the scene, Takeshi chuckled. "I'm no good at hiding but I'm pretty great at finding people."
Full Body Take Over: Gojo Satoru!
Takeshi's form shifted. Moments later, a white-haired, strikingly handsome Gojo-version of Takeshi stood in the town.
[Huh?! Contestant Takeshi has chosen to transform. Remember, his magic is Take Over, so he changes appearance when he uses it. Now his original form is fully exposed!]
"Doesn't that put Takeshi at a disadvantage?" Lucy blinked, puzzled by Takeshi's choice.
Erza smiled. "True, this event is a bit rough for Take-Over mages, but did you forget how broken this particular transformation is?"
Lucy froze, then realization dawned.
"Exactly."
Takeshi's transformation was absurdly overpowered—perfect for this game.