Fairy Tail: Lost One

The stadium housing the Grand Magic Games was packed to absolute capacity. Banners fluttered in the warm morning air as thousands of spectators from every corner of Fiore squeezed into the stone bleachers, their collective chatter echoing across the massive arena floor.

"So who do you think takes it all this year?" a fan asked, leaning over the stone railing while waving a painted flag.

"Isn’t it obvious?" his friend scoffed. "Sabertooth’s going to sweep again. They’ve been number one for years."

"I don’t know, man... haven’t you heard?" the first guy countered. "All those heavy hitters from Fairy Tail who vanished seven years ago are back. They might actually stand a chance."

"Whatever. Sabertooth is still taking the crown."

"Are you sure about that?" an older man sitting nearby interrupted, raising an eyebrow. "You’re forgetting Fairy Tail has Rudra on their side."

The friend blinked, confused. "The who?"

"Rudra, the White-Haired Swordsman!" the older man replied, incredulous. "The guy who single-handedly saved the entire capital a few months back!"

"Wait, but he’s not even participating," another spectator piped up from the row behind them.

"What?! What do you mean he’s not participating?!"

"I checked Fairy Tail’s official roster posted outside the gates," the spectator explained, shaking his head. "His name isn’t on it."

Before the conversation could spiral any further, a booming voice amplified by lacrima speakers resonated throughout the entire stadium, instantly drowning out the roar of the crowd.

"Welcome, people of Fiore, to the long-awaited Grand Magic Games!"

High above the arena floor in the official broadcast booth stood Chapati Lola, a short, round commentator sporting a sharp mustache and an absurdly large, dome-shaped toupee that wobbled slightly with every gesture.

"I’m your official play-by-play commentator, Chapati Lola!" he announced dramatically into the broadcast lacrima. "And joining me today as our guest commentator is a man who needs no introduction—former Magic Council member, Yajima-san!"

Sitting beside him was Yajima, a tiny, elderly man with a bald head, thick white eyebrows, and a calm, genial expression that contrasted sharply with Chapati’s bombastic energy. He gave a simple, polite nod to the roaring crowd.

"And finally," Chapati continued, gesturing grandly to his left, "our special guest for today’s opening day—the reigning Miss Fiore herself, Jenny Realight of Blue Pegasus!"

Jenny sat poised at the desk, radiating charm. Dressed in an elegant outfit that highlighted her stunning visual appeal, the blue-eyed blonde waved gracefully toward the cheering fans, flashing a picture-perfect smile before raising both hands in a cute pose. "Blue Pegasus is definitely taking the gold this year!"

Chapati Lola nodded, chuckling into his microphone. "A bold claim! But now, folks, it is time to meet our competitors! Coming in eighth place—a bunch of wild wizards from Magnolia! They’ve scraped through the preliminaries and are looking to take back their former glory by force! Give it up for... Fairy Tail!"

Natsu strode out onto the arena floor, his fist raised high alongside Erza, Gray, Lucy, and Elfman, all radiating confidence. But instead of cheers, a deafening wave of boos exploded from the stone bleachers.

Natsu stumbled mid-step, his jaw dropping in shock. "What the hell?!"

Gray winced, rubbing the back of his neck. "Damn... I definitely didn’t see that coming."

"I want to go home already," Lucy whimpered, burying her face in her hands as insult after insult rained down from the crowd.

"Who would’ve thought they’d even make it this far after losing consistently for seven straight years?" Chapati continued over the noise. "Just securing a spot in the top eight is no small feat for them!"

Yajima leaned toward his mic, a warm smile on his face. "I’m proud of them. Way to go, kiddos. Now get out there and show everyone what Fairy Tail is really made of!"

Suddenly, a pocket of loud, energetic cheering cut through the stadium’s boos. Natsu and the team turned their heads toward the Fairy Tail balcony, where the rest of their guildmates were jumping up and down, screaming their support.

"Isn’t that... who I think it is?" Gray asked, squinting up at the stands.

Erza’s eyes widened. "Yeah. It is."

Floating right beside Master Makarov was a small, translucent girl with long blonde hair, wing-like appendages, and barefoot charm.

"Go get ’em, everyone! Do your best!" Mavis Vermillion cheered, waving her arms enthusiastically.

The guild members sitting around Makarov froze, staring at her in absolute shock.

"M-Master Mavis?!" Makarov stammered, his eyes bulging. "What are you doing here?!"

Mavis tilted her head, giggling playfully. "What do you think, silly? I came here to cheer you guys on!"

"I can see that!" Makarov hissed, sweating profusely. "But aren’t you... dead?!"

"Oh, don’t worry about minor details like that!" Mavis dismissed with a light puff of her cheeks. "Nobody outside our guild can see or hear me anyway. Besides, I was getting so bored staying all by myself on Tenrou Island."

The balcony went dead silent for a beat. Down on the field, Natsu threw his head back and burst into a loud, booming laugh, his earlier annoyance vanishing completely.

"Awesome! Even Master Mavis came out to back us up!" Natsu grinned, slamming his fists together. "We’ve definitely got this in the bag!"

Gray snorted, rolling his shoulders. "Yeah, at least the ghost like us."

Above them, Chapati Lola’s voice boomed across the arena once more. "Next up, coming in seventh place in the preliminary round—the wild army of hellhounds, Quatro Cerberus!"

The gates swung open, and the members of Quatro Cerberus stormed onto the dirt floor, thrusting their fists into the air. "Let’s get wild!" their leader roared, drawing a round of scattered cheers from the crowd.

"And coming in sixth place," Chapati continued enthusiastically, "the guild brimming with the fairer sex—Mermaid Heel!"

The crowd’s roar shifted in pitch as the all-female guild glided into the arena, led by the quiet, sharp-eyed swordswoman Kagura Mikazuchi walking dead center.

Happy’s jaw dropped, his wings fluttering rapidly. "I didn’t know there was a whole guild filled with pretty ladies!"

All around him, the men in the bleachers—and half of Fairy Tail’s own sidelines—instantly developed heart-shaped eyes as they ogled the striking mages.

"In fifth place, shining bright from the glimmer of darkness—Blue Pegasus!"

As Hibiki, Eve, Ren, and Ichiya made their flamboyant entrance, posing for the cameras, Jenny leaned into her broadcast microphone and waved frantically. "Hey, guys! Do your absolute best out there!"

"Next up, in fourth place—the goddesses of love and stride, the sacred destroyers! Lamia Scale!"

The stone gates parted to reveal Lyon Vastia, Sherria Blendy, and the colossal, solemn figure of Jura Neekis, one of the Ten Wizard Saints. As the crowd cheered, Lyon nodded in greeting toward the other guilds, but Jura stayed standing near the edge of their formation, his sharp gaze scanning the entire stadium floor in obvious confusion.

Lyon glanced sideways at him, raising an eyebrow. "Who are you looking for, Jura?"

Jura stroked his beard thoughtfully, his deep voice carrying slightly across the open field. "It’s just... I do not see Rudra-dono anywhere on the field. It is rather strange."

Not far off, Kagura’s ears twitched at the mention of the name. She caught Jura’s words clearly, her own eyes narrowing slightly in silent agreement. It was strange. But keeping her composure, she kept her sword drawn at her hip, deciding to remain silent for now.

Chapati Lola’s voice boomed across the stadium once more, though a hint of genuine shock broke through his professional announcer persona. "Now to introduce our third-place contestant... Wait, what a shocker!".

He leaned closer to his list, squinting at the parchment. "Swooping in from the midnight hours, this dark and gloomy bunch is making their official debut in this year’s games! Give it up for... Raven Tail!"

The gates rattled open as five dark figures stepped onto the dirt arena floor, radiating a cold, oppressive aura.

"What the hell are they doing here?!" Natsu shouted, his hands instantly igniting with flames.

Erza’s eyes hardened as she adjusted her grip. "This is bad. Their leader is Master Makarov’s disgraced son, Ivan Dreyar."

Up in the Fairy Tail balcony, a loud CRASH echoed as Makarov slammed his fists against the stone railing, his face contorting in fury. "Have the officials completely lost their minds?!" he bellowed, his voice echoing over the stands. "How could they possibly approve of this?!"

"Master, please! Calm down!" Macao urged, grabbing Makarov’s arm. "You’re making a scene in front of the whole stadium!"

Floating just beside them, Mavis Vermillion’s playful demeanor vanished. Her large eyes narrowed as she stared down at the dark team. "I’m sensing intense malice coming from every single one of them..."

Down in the audience, whispers began to ripple through the crowd of spectators.

"Wait... isn’t Raven Tail a dark guild?" one fan whispered nervously.

"I don’t know, man. I’ve never even heard of them before today," another replied.

Chapati Lola cleared his throat, leaning into the broadcast lacrima. "Well, folks, their records appear to be completely in order! They’re an established guild that official sources say has been active for over seven years, and they were recently granted full official guild status by the Magic Council!" Chapati turned toward his guest commentator. "Yajima-san, any thoughts?"

Yajima stroked his white beard, his voice calm yet serious. "Hmm. If they hold official recognition from the Council, then technically they are no longer classified as a dark guild. Therefore, they are entirely eligible to compete."

Up in the owner’s box on the opposite side of the stadium, Ivan Dreyar watched the chaotic reaction with a cold, mocking gaze. He swigged from a goblet, a malicious smirk pulling at his lips. "You really shouldn’t get so worked up, old man," he murmured to himself, his voice dripping with venom. "It’s not good for your health. I need you alive long enough to watch your precious Fairy Tail crumble."

Back down on the arena floor, the tension between Fairy Tail and Raven Tail was thick enough to cut with a blade. Both teams stood locked in a silent standoff until a towering figure clad head-to-toe in black armor—Obra—stepped forward from Raven Tail’s line.

"Fairy Tail," Obra rasped, his voice echoing unnaturally from behind his helm. "I trust your little friend is recovering nicely?"

Before anyone could reply, the bizarre, imp-like creature perched on Obra’s shoulder suddenly distorted its face, mimicking Wendy’s terrified expression. It clutched its head, let out a dramatic, pathetic whimpering sound, and flopped backward onto the armor, openly mocking the Sky Slayer’s brutal attack.

Natsu’s jaw clenched so hard his teeth ground together. "You bastards..." he roared, vein pulsing on his forehead as fire roared around his arms. "You’re the ones who attacked Wendy! I’m gonna make you pay for that!"

Gray, Erza, and Lucy glared at the dark mages with lethal, silent fury, their body language taut and ready for a fight.

Obra merely chuckled, the imp settling back onto his shoulder with a nasty grin. "Save your energy, Dragon Slayer. The festival has only just begun."

Before the tension could escalate into an all-out brawl, Chapati Lola’s amplified voice blared through the speakers once more, cutting through the heavy air. "Hold on, folks! Don’t get too ahead of yourselves—we still have two more teams to announce!"

The crowd murmured in confusion, wondering who could possibly be left.

"This next team is probably connected to Zeref’s magic," Gray muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowed as he kept his stance tense.

Erza placed a stern hand on his shoulder. "Don’t jump the gun, Gray. Let’s see who they are before coming to any hasty conclusions."

Gray took a steadying breath and nodded. "Right."

"Oh, what a surprise! A truly shocking turn of events!" Lola shouted, his voice echoing with genuine disbelief. "The guild that secured second place... is the guild we love, we adore, we worship! Give it up, folks, for Sabertooth!"

A stunned silence fell over the entire stadium.

The crowd sat in mute shock, unable to comprehend how the reigning champions of Fiore had ended up in second place. Even up in the commentary booth, Chapati and Jenny stared down at their parchment in sheer disbelief.

The gates parted, and the members of Sabertooth—Sting, Rogue, Rufus, Orga, and Yukino—strode onto the arena floor, their expressions dark, tight, and completely unreadable.

Natsu threw his head back and let out a loud, mocking laugh. "Heh! You guys were talking so much trash outside about being ’Third Generation Dragon Slayers’ and being number one! What happened now, huh?!"

Sting stopped mid-stride, his eyes casting a menacing shadow over his face. "If you don’t want your teeth knocked down your throat, Natsu," he hissed in a dark, venomous voice, "I suggest you shut your mouth."

Natsu only laughed harder, thoroughly enjoying the moment.

A massive buzz swept through the bleachers as spectators began whispering frantically. If Sabertooth was second, then who in Fiore could have possibly taken first place in the preliminaries?

"Wow, folks! It’s one surprise right after another today!" Lola’s voice boomed over the rising murmurs. "The team that swept the preliminary round and locked in first place is from the exact same wild bunch out of Magnolia... Give it up for Fairy Tail Team B!"

The entire stadium exploded into a uproar. Outraged shouts of "Cheating!" and "That’s unfair!" began to rise from the crowd—until a sharp yell rang out from the front row.

"It’s him! It’s the White-Haired Swordsman!"

Every head in the arena snapped toward the tunnel entrance.

Stepping smoothly out into the sunlight was Rudra, walking alongside Laxus, Mirajane, Gajeel, and Juvia.

Natsu’s jaw dropped as he turned toward them. "Wait, what the hell is—"

Before Natsu could finish his sentence, the stadium erupted into a deafening roar. Thousands of fans from the capital leapt to their feet, their voices merging into a thunderous, rhythmic chant that shook the very foundation of the arena:

"RU-DRA! RU-DRA! RU-DRA!"

The sheer volume stunned everyone—the commentators, the competing guilds, and even the visitors from outside the capital who had no idea what was happening. Chapati Lola pressed his hands over his headset, completely unable to make himself heard over the wall of sound.

Rudra sighed softly. Slipping his right hand out of his jacket pocket, he raised it casually into the air.

As the chanting reached a crescendo, he slowly closed his hand into a tight fist.

Instantly, as if a master switch had been flipped, every bit of noise vanished. The entire stadium went dead silent, thousands of cheering fans freezing in their tracks.

Rudra lowered his arm, his voice calm, clear, and perfectly audible across the quieted arena. "Keep it down, everyone. The commentator is trying to speak. If you keep screaming like that, how are the games supposed to continue?"

Not a single soul in the audience dared to utter a word.

Nodding in satisfaction, Rudra turned his gaze toward the broadcast booth and offered a polite gesture. "You can continue now, sir."

Chapati Lola blinked, staring back at Rudra in absolute awe before glancing out at the dead-silent crowd of thousands. Swallowing hard, he leaned back into his lacrima microphone. "To think a single man could make the audience go this wild..."

"Well, what can I say?" Yajima replied with a gentle chuckle. "The people here in Crocus adore Rudra from Fairy Tail. I’d say the audience’s reaction was quite normal."

Lola turned to his left. "And what about you, Jenny? What do you think?"

"It was very interesting," Jenny murmured, leaning her chin on her hand as her bright eyes locked onto Rudra down in the arena.

Lola cleared his throat, nodding quickly. "Anyway, folks! Allow me to explain how this isn’t cheating and why Fairy Tail is allowed a second team—"

"We don’t care!" a voice shouted from the upper stands, instantly echoed by dozens more.

"Yeah, as long as Rudra’s participating, that’s all that matters! Just get on with it!"

Lola froze, coughing awkwardly into his fist as he rolled up his explanation parchment. "Well... moving right along, then!"

Down on the arena floor, Erza walked up to Rudra, crossing her arms. "So... is this the reason you told me to calm down back at the beach when the master announced the teams?"

Rudra glanced over, giving a casual shrug. "Pretty much."

"I don’t care if we’re from the same guild!" Natsu yelled from a few feet away, slamming his flaming fists together as he glared at Team B. "If we have to go against each other, I’m taking you down!"

Gajeel smirked, cracking his knuckles with a metallic ring. "Heh. Give it your best shot, Salamander."

Ignoring the commotion, Rudra scanned the surrounding teams. His gaze brushed past Jura, who offered a respectful nod. Rudra returned the gesture with a subtle tilt of his head before his eyes landed on Kagura.

The swordswoman was staring right at him, her dark eyes wide and dazed. Catching her look, Rudra offered a soft smile and gave her a sharp, playful wink.

Kagura’s breath hitched. A sudden, vivid blush flushed across her cheeks, and she instantly snapped her head away, crossing her arms tightly to hide her sudden fluster.

"Do you know her?"

Rudra felt a cool, dangerous aura brush against his side. He turned to find Mirajane standing right beside him, a sweet, radiant smile plastered on her face—though her blue eyes held a sharp, inquiring glint.

"You could say that," Rudra replied smoothly, not missing a beat.

His relaxed demeanor shifted, however, as his gaze finally drifted across the dirt path to lock onto the five members of Raven Tail.

Erza noticed the change instantly. Following his icy gaze, her voice dropped to a low whisper. "Those are the ones who attacked Wendy."

"I know," Rudra said flatly. His eyes narrowed, a quiet, suffocating pressure settling over the air around him for a split second before he drew it back in.

Above them, Chapati Lola’s voice echoed across the massive colosseum, shattering the final moments of stillness. "Well then, folks... let the Grand Magic Games begin!"