290 The x784 S-Class Promotion Exam Begins

Earth Land, Ishgar, Era.

December 15, x784.

"According to the last reports Doranbolt sent, Those Fairy Tail ruffians will be leaving for Tenrou Island for their yearly S-Class Promotion Exam this morning." Org muttered to himself while reading over the reports he received from Doranbolt over the past two weeks. "Hopefully he'll find something that will allow us to legally disband that guild of unprosecuted criminals."

After voicing his thoughts on the matter, Org placed the reports on the desk in his office. Then, he picked up a recording lacrima that was laying on the desk before playing its contents.

As it turned out, this lacrima was a copy of the one Alfonzo gave Lahar. And after hearing its contents, Org could not help but bristle with anger.

"How dare he even consider having us, the Magic Council, prosecuted for doing what was necessary to protect the peace of the continent." Org growled angrily. "Even if some ruffians from that guild of misfits were almost caught in the blast, they should be happy to sacrifice themselves for the prosperity of the continent. Actually, it's too bad none of them died in the blast, especially that boy, Alfonzo Marcus. If he had, all those patents he created would have become the property of the Magic Council, where they truly belong."

Truth be told, Org had always been discontent with the fact that such magical inventions were not the property of the Magic Council. Because to him, only a group as prestigious as the Magic Council deserved the credit for items such as those that Alfonzo had created.

Unfortunately, when he and the Council tried to strong arm him into letting them buy the patents all those years ago, Alfonzo was not deterred in the slightest. In fact, if he remembered correctly, Org could recall a hint of disdain in Alfonzo's expression when they tried.

Unfortunately, Org did remember incorrectly. When Alfonzo saw the tactics the Magic Council tried to get him to give up the rights to his patents, Alfonzo did not feel any disdain for them, as he knew how ruling bodies acted for their own interest. But he was furious. Just the thought of someone trying to take credit for his hard work made him consider planning a few assassinations, before eventually talking himself out of that idea.

*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*

"Come in." Org said, after hearing the knock on his office door.

"Yes, sir." A clerk answered from the other side of the door. Then, he pushed it open and approached Org's desk before setting down a document as he continued. "Sir, we just received a new report from Doranbolt."

Hearing the clerk's reason for coming to his office, Org's eyes widened slightly. Then, he put on a pair of Gale Force Reading Glasses and picked up the document before reading it quickly.

"I see." Org replied with a nod. "So, they've finally left. Good. Listen up."

"Yes, sir." The Clerk replied.

"Tell Lahar and his unit to set out for Tenrou Island." Org ordered. "Doranbolt is currently alone on that island with the ruffians from Fairy Tail. I want them to be ready to extract him should anything go wrong on that island."

"Understood, sir." The clerk replied before making his way out of the office.

"Hmph!" Org snorted after the clerk closed the door to his office. "Although we can't do anything to them for now, I doubt they'll be able to to continue to operate after most of their strongest members are taken out by Grimoire Heart."

As it turns out, the agents from the Magic Council had somehow found out that Grimoire Heart, a member of the Balam Alliance, which was made up of three of the strongest Dark Guilds in Ishgar, the Oración Seis, which was defeated recently, Grimoire Heart, and Tartaros, would be attacking Fairy Tail during their S-Class Promotion Exam.

"And once both sides are exhausted from the battle, our forces will be there to clean up the survivors." Org said while chuckling happily. "Oh, it will be such a shame that one of Fiore's strongest guilds was damaged so badly, but the forces from the magic Council will definitely get revenge for you. Ahahahahahaha!"

Not long after Org gave his order, Lahar, leading the members of the Fourth Custody Enforcement Unit, left the port in Era aboard the Magic Council's naval fleet and headed towards Tenrou Island. However, they were kept in the dark about the suspected attack from Grimoire Heart, and ordered only to act if Doranbolt's life was being threatened.

Earth land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Open Seas

About an hour after setting off, Alfonzo, Elicia, Makarov, and the sixteen wizards participating in the S-Class Promotion Exam were enjoying the voyage to Tenrou Island.

Standing in front of the ships steering wheel, Alfonzo was currently wearing a white fedora with a black band, a white, unbuttoned, sleeveless, button-down shirt, a black under shirt, white shorts,, and a pair of white, canvas boat shoes while steering the ship relaxedly.

Unlike Alfonzo, all the participants were wearing their normal battle attire. Even though the temperature in this part of the sea was quite hot. But considering the fact that they would more than likely be engaging in battle as soon as they arrived on the island, it was necessary.

And that's why they were all glaring at Elicia, who was currently relaxing on a deck chair while wearing a pink and baby blue bikini with a pair of sunglasses on her face and a cold drink in her hand, with envy.

"Can't you take this seriously?" Evergreen asked in a discontent tone. "As an examiner, shouldn't you be setting an example for the rest of us?"

Although her words sounded quite righteous, anyone who knew her, knew that Evergreen was simply jealous of how carefree Elicia was at the moment.

Lowering her sunglasses, Elicia smiled at Evergreen.

"You're welcome to join me, you know." Elicia said. "I mean, the exam hasn't started yet. So, you're free to relax as much as you want. And considering your battle attire, you'd probably be find going in in a swimsuit even if the exam started while you were sun bathing."

In fact, Elicia, who made all of Evergreen's clothing, was right. Evergreen's battle attire did not have much in the way of armor or protection due to her [Fairy Magic], as her [Fairy Dust] needed to be able to seep through her clothing. So, even if she went into the exam in just a swimsuit, she would not be inconvenienced in the slightest.

Hearing Elicia's comment, Evergreen completely froze. She hadn't even thought about it from that angle. And now, because she knew how close they were to Tenrou Island, she was kicking herself mentally because there was not enough time to change and make sun bathing worth the effort.

"They really look like they're having fun." Makarov said from next to Alfonzo as he looked down at the rest of the wizards from his guild.

"Yeah, but it's too bad that fun will end in about twenty minutes." Alfonzo said with a smile. "Well, it will end earlier than that for them. But we'll be at our destination in twenty minutes."

"Thanks for letting me know, Alfonzo." Makarov said before jumping down from the wheel house to the ship's deck. "Alright, listen up, you brats!"

Immediately upon hearing Makarov's voice, all the chatter on the deck stopped and the sixteen participants gathered around Makarov.

"We're almost at the island." Makarov continued when he saw that he had all the participants' undivided attention. "So, let me give you a rundown of this year's rules."

With that, Makarov started his explanation. And the rules for the S-Class exam were quite similar to those of the canon. The main difference being just how many S-Class wizards would be participating.

So, like the canon version of events, the participants would have to rush towards a certain mountain wall with six caves. Two of those caves would lead to battles against another team of wizards, the winner moving on to the next round of the exam. Three caves would lead to fights against S-Class wizards, who would evaluate the challenger's performance and decide if the team passed the round or not. And the last tunnel would be a free pass for the lucky team that chose it.

What made that part of the exam different, however, was the fact that the participants would have to dodge attacks while on their way to the caves. Though these attacks would not be strong enough to eliminate the participants, the damage taken from the attacks would add up and put them at a disadvantage when their fights in the cave started.

"I'll explain the rules for the second part of the exam once the first part of the exam has concluded." Makarov said, wrapping up his explanation of the first part of the exam. "Are there any questions?"

In response to Makarov's question, the sixteen wizards exchanged glances before shaking their heads. At the same time, the ships speed was reduced before it eventually drifted to a stop shortly after Makarov's explanation ended.

*Splash!*

"I see." Makarov said with a satisfied nod as Alfonzo turned off the ships engine and the sound of the anchor falling into the sea could be heard. "Well then, if that's the case. The first part of this year's S-Class Promotion Exam begins… Now!"

Hearing that, everyone looked at Makarov blankly until they heard Alfonzo's voice from above.

"Lici, I'm gonna go take my position for the first exam." Alfonzo said as he flew towards Tenrou Island. "Can you bring the ship to the dock after everyone gets to the island?"

"Okay~~~!" Elicia replied energetically while waving at Alfonzo. "Have fun~~~!"

"Oh, don't worry, I will." Alfonzo replied with a sadistic smile on his face.

Hearing Alfonzo and Elicia's conversation and seeing the expression on Alfonzo's face before he disappeared in a burst of speed, all the participants felt a certain level of psychological pressure. Then, they finally realized that getting from the ship to the island was part of the first part of the exam.

"Bickslow!" Fried shouted as he leapt overboard.

"On it." Bickslow replied as he and his dolls followed Fried.

A moment later, both Fried and Bickslow were flying towards the island atop Bickslow's dolls. At the same time, Fried had been slashing his sword at the air between himself and the ship.

"Damn it, they're getting ahead, come on Pipsqueak, we gotta--- Urgh!" Gajeel began shouting before he was hit by a wave of motion sickness.

Looking in a certain direction, Gajeel saw Wendy looking at him with an apologetic expression.

"Sorry, Gajeel, but we're competitors now." Wendy said as Mest grabbed her by the shoulder and used his [Teleportation Magic] to leave the ship.

"Let's go, Ever." Elfman said, carrying Evergreen on his back.

"Don't call me Ever!" Evergreen shouted as Elfman leapt overboard.

*Bang!*

Unfortunately, just as Elfman jumped past the ship's railing, he ran into an invisible wall and fell back on to the deck.

"Damn it, Fried set up an [Enchantment]." Evergreen said.

"Don't worry, it will disappear after half an hour." Fried shouted with a smile as he and Bickslow got further and further from the ship.

"Ugh… A half an hour, that's too long." Levy said while struggling to support Gajeel on er shoulder.

A moment later, she moved to the ships railing and pulled a Light Pen out from the small bag she wore on her hip. Then, she started writing some magic characters in the air.

After a few moments, she put her Light Pen away.

"There, all done." Levy said as she pulled Gajeel overboard.

*Splash!*

"Ah! I'm alive again!" Gajeel shouted happily as eh resurfaced.

"Yeah that's great, now hurry up and get us to the island." Levy barked as she held on to Gajeel.

Hearing Levy, Gajeel immediately started swimming to the island with Levy on his back.

"See ya later, losers!" Gajeel shouted while swimming at top speed.

"What are we waiting for?" Gray asked as he picked up Meredy. "Levy opened the way for us, so let's go!"

*Bang!*

With that said, Gray jumped towards the sea. Before he could get off the ship, however, he, like Elfman ran into an invisible wall.

"The hell?" Gray exclaimed in confusion. "Didn't she break the [Enchantment]?"

"I only made a path through it for me and Gajeel." Levy replied with a smile from Gajeel's back. "The rest of you will have to wait the full half hour. You should take the time to relax some more. Spend some time sun bathing, or something."

"Hahahaha!" Gajeel laughed happily at hearing Levy tease the rest of the group.

"Oh, now that you mention it, I can do that, too." Evergreen said, reaching between her breasts and pulling a Light Pen of her own from her cleavage. "Elfman, bring me closer to the [Enchantment]."

"Do you know [Word Magic], too, Ever?" Elfman asked curiously.

"Didn't I just tell you not to call me Ever?" Evergreen asked in annoyance. Then, she took a deep breath to push down that annoyance. "I'm not as good as Fried or Levy, but when you spend as much time as I do around someone who specializes in it, you pick up a thing or two."

Then, after about five minutes, Evergreen put her light pen back between her breasts as she patted Elfman on the back of his head.

"Get going!" Evergreen shouted.

Without hesitation, Elfman leapt from the ship and passed through the [Enchantment] without issue. Then, before he hit the water, a pair of [Fairy Wings] sprouted from Evergreen's back and she carried him towards the shore.

*Knock!* *Knock!*

"Yup, Evergreen closed the path just like Levy did." Cana said in a stern tone.

"Then, I guess that means the rest of us can only weight." Marin said with a shrug. "Hey, Lici, are there any more cold drinks left?"

"Sure." Elicia said with a smile while patting the cooler next to her deck chair.

"How can you be so relaxed?" Meredy asked curiously. Though, she was not particularly stressed, either.

"Oh, because after the [Enchantment is lifted, me and Marin will be the next ones to reach the island." Sun said with a smile as she looked through the drinks in the cooler.

Hearing that, Elicia, Cana, and Marin all nodded in agreement with Sun's claim while the rest of them thought she was just boasting. Especially Juvia.

"Hmph!" Juvia snorted disdainfully. "No one is better than Juvia in the water."

"We'll just have to see about that." Sun said, not losing her smile.

Then, until just before the [Enchantment] was lifted, everyone followed Levy's advice and relaxed as much as they could. But as the time to disembark approached, the tension returned.

"Well, I'll see you all on the island." Sun said while carrying Marin in a princess carry.

A moment later, just as the [Enchantment] disappeared, Sun leapt into the sea, her legs transforming into a pink fish tail as soon as she was submerged in the water. Then, she shot off like a bullet towards the shore.

"Juvia won't lose!" Juvia shouted as she and Lisanna followed closely.

While Juvia could turn her body into water, thus allowing her to move at incredible speeds, Lisanna, like Sun, transformed her legs into a fish tail, though hers was purple, thanks to her [Take Over Magic].

"Say, can Sun use [Take Over Magic], too?" Lucy asked as she pulled out one of her Celestial Spirit Keys.

"You won't need that." Cana said, putting her hand on Lucy's. "And no, it was definitely Marin's [Transformation Magic] that changed Sun's legs."

Although Cana said that, she knew she was lying. The fact that Sun was a mermaid was still a secret to the majority of the guild, after all.

"Oh, I see." Lucy replied with a nod. "But why shouldn't I summon one of my spirits? It will help us get ashore quicker."

"Because we're gonna follow them." Cana said, pointing at Gray and Meredy. "The second round can't start until all the teams finish their fights in the cave, anyway. So, there's no need to rush."

Looking in Gray and Meredy's direction, Lucy watched as Gray jumped overboard while making his casting gesture.

"[Ice-Make: Floor]." Gray chanted,

A moment later, Gray's hands came in contact with the water before freezing a path all the way to the island shore. However, Sun, Juvia, and Lisanna were all able to out swim the speed of the water freezing.

Then, just like that, Gray, Meredy, Cana, and Lucy ran across the ice to reach the island.

Watching the last of the S-Class candidates leave, Elicia turned towards the ships wheelhouse.

"Well, I guess we should get going, too." Elicia said with a smile. "The guild master should be at the camp to meet everyone after they finish the first part of the exam, after all."

"Indeed, let's go." Makarov said with a nod of agreement.