The port city of Hargeon baked under the intense heat of the sumr sun.
The salty sea breeze offered little relief as the Fairy Tail guild's private ship cut through the choppy waves of the ocean, leaving the mainland far behind.
One week of frantic preparation was over.
The S-Class Promotion Trial was officially underway.
Down on the main deck, the tension was thick enough to cut with a sword.
The eight candidates and their chosen partners claid their own corners of the ship, eyeing each other with a mix of friendly rivalry and intense focus.
Natsu hung halfway over the wooden railing, his face a sickly shade of green as the motion of the ship ravaged his stomach.
"I hate boats... why couldn't we just fly there..."
"Hold on, Natsu," Happy said, patting his friend's back. "We're almost there. Just don't throw up on my shoes."
A few feet away, Cana sat on a wooden crate, obsessively shuffling her deck of magic cards.
Lucy sat next to her, looking out at the horizon with a determined expression.
"Don't worry, Cana," Lucy said, bumping her shoulder. "We trained hard all week. We're going to get you that S-Class rank."
"We have to," Cana muttered, her grip on the cards tightening. "This is my last try. If I fail this year, I'm quitting the guild."
On the other side of the deck, Gray sat cross-legged, going over strategy with his partner.
Loke had forced his own celestial gate open the day before, demanding to help Gray pass the trial.
Juvia glared at them from across the deck, hiding behind a mast.
She had tead up with Lisanna, who had happily rejoined the guild after the Edolas incident, but Juvia's eyes were fixed entirely on Loke with a burning, comical jealousy.
Gajeel leaned against the cabin wall, chewing on a piece of scrap iron he brought for the trip.
Levy stood next to him, tracing magical script words in the air with her finger to practice her casting speed.
Freed and Bickslow sat quietly near the bow, while Elfman flexed his muscles to impress a very unimpressed Evergreen.
And tucked away near the rear of the ship, st Gryder wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead.
He stayed close to Wendy and Carla, keeping his head down.
Every ti he felt the urge to look up at the upper deck, a cold shiver ran down his spine.
Up on the captain's balcony, the four S-Class examiners looked down at the candidates.
Gildarts leaned heavily against the wooden railing, laughing as Natsu retched over the side.
"Look at him. The kid can fight a dragon, but a small wave puts him in the dirt. I really hope he picks my route."
"Don't be too hard on him," Mirajane smiled, holding a tray of iced drinks.
She wore a dark, elegant swimsuit under a sheer white cover-up. "He has a lot of spirit. Though I admit, I'm hoping I don't run into Elfman. I don't want to hurt my own brother."
"If he wants the rank, he has to prove he can handle it," Erza said. She wore a simple, functional bikini with her usual strict posture, her arms crossed over her chest.
"I won't show any rcy to whoever walks into my path. They need to understand the weight of the title."
Ace stood next to Erza, holding a cold glass of iced tea.
He wore his usual dark coat, unbothered by the stifling sumr heat.
He took a sip of his drink, his eyes scanning the candidates below. He caught st glancing up, and Ace offered a slow, deliberate smirk.
st imdiately looked away, pulling his collar in a sudden panic.
"You're scaring him," Gildarts chuckled, noticing the exchange.
"Just keeping him on his toes," Ace replied, resting his forearms on the railing. "The competition is fierce this year. Four paths lead to us, and the rest lead to candidate battles. The odds of a clean sweep are low."
"It depends on who they run into," Makarov said, walking out onto the balcony with his hands clasped behind his back.
The old Master looked out at the ocean, his eyes narrowing against the glare of the sun.
"And it looks like we've arrived."
The ocean currents shifted violently. The water turned a deep, dark blue, and the air grew thick and heavy.
The playful sumr breeze died out, replaced by a dense, ancient magical pressure that made it hard to breathe.
The mist parted, revealing Tenrou Island.
It was a staggering sight.
The island was lush and wild, covered in dense, untad jungle.
But what dominated the landscape was the colossal Tenrou Tree growing right out of the center.
Its roots wrapped around the entire island, and its massive, glowing canopy stretched high into the clouds, casting a wide, protective shadow over the land.
The chatter on the lower deck vanished.
The candidates stared at the holy ground, feeling the sheer weight of the magic radiating from the soil.
Makarov leaped over the railing, landing softly on the railing of the main deck below. He faced the candidates, his expression turning deadly serious.
"Listen well, brats!" Makarov's voice echoed over the sound of the crashing waves. "We have reached Tenrou Island! The first trial will comnce shortly. I will explain the rules once, so pay attention."
Makarov pointed toward the sandy shore, where a massive rock wall stood.
Eight dark tunnels were carved into the stone, each marked with a different rune.
"There are eight routes leading onto the island," Makarov explained. "Only one team can enter a route. Once a route is chosen, it is sealed off."
Natsu wiped his mouth, his eyes burning with renewed fire. "So what's inside the tunnels?!"
"Battles," Makarov answered bluntly. "Four of those routes will lead directly to an S-Class mage. If you pick one of those paths, you must fight Erza, Mirajane, Gildarts, or Ace. If you defeat them, or at least prove your worth to them, you pass."
A heavy gulp echoed through the crowd.
Fighting an S-Class mage was basically a death sentence.
"The other four routes intersect with each other," Makarov continued. "If you pick one of those, you will run into another candidate team. You must fight them. The winning team passes, and the losing team is eliminated."
"So only six teams can pass the first trial," Freed calculated, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Correct," Makarov nodded. "It requires luck, strength, and strategy. Now, the eight routes are waiting for you on the beach."
Gray cracked his knuckles, getting into a runner's stance. "Alright, Master. So when do we dock and pick our routes?"
Makarov smirked, a mischievous glint in his old eyes.
"We don't dock," Makarov said. "The trial starts... right now!"
The words barely left his mouth before chaos erupted.
"Happy, let's go!" Natsu yelled, jumping off the side of the boat.
Happy sprouted his wings, catching Natsu in mid-air and flying straight toward the island.
"No fair! They can fly!" Elfman shouted.
Freed wasted no ti.
He unsheathed his rapier and slashed the air at incredible speed. A glowing purple barrier of runes materialized around the entire deck of the ship.
"Jutsu Shiki!" Freed declared.
He and Bickslow leaped over the side of the ship, using Bickslow's floating totems to carry them over the water.
"No one can step out of these runes for five minutes! We'll be taking the first route!"
"Damn it, Freed!" Gray yelled, punching the invisible barrier. It didn't budge. "You set a trap!"
"Evergreen! Do it!" Elfman roared.
Evergreen smirked, wrapping her arms around Elfman. "Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!"
Golden wings sprouted from her back, and she easily bypassed the barrier by flying straight up and over it, carrying Elfman toward the beach.
Levy frantically pulled out her magical pen, dropping to her knees to rewrite the runes locking them on the boat.
"Give a second, Gajeel! I can rewrite the rules of his barrier!"
st grabbed Wendy's hand. "Hold on tight."
With a flash of spatial distortion, st and Wendy vanished from the deck, teleporting instantly to the sandy shores of the island.
"They're getting away!" Cana cursed, pacing the deck.
Up on the balcony, Ace watched the frantic race with a smirk.
Erza and Mirajane had already vanished, heading to their designated posts inside the island.
Gildarts gave a lazy wave before jumping into the ocean and surfing on a piece of wreckage he blasted off the hull.
"I'll see you on the island, Master," Ace said, turning away from the railing.
He didn't bother flying or teleporting.
He just jumped straight down toward the water. Before his boots hit the surface, he swiped his hand across his D-Tector.
"talGarurumon!"
A massive, sleek, cybernetic wolf materialized beneath him in a flash of blue data.
Ace landed smoothly on its armored back.
The tallic beast let out a low, synthesized growl before firing the heavy thrusters built into its tallic joints.
They launched across the ocean surface like a missile, leaving a massive wake of water behind them as they shot past Freed and Natsu, heading straight into the dark jungle of Tenrou Island to wait for their challengers.
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