Ur's Announcement

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.

December 8, x787.

"Sorry for the wait." Ur, followed by all of Fairy Tail's S-Class wizards, said while walking onto the stage on the guild hall's first floor. "We were discussing some changes to this year's S-Class exam. Unfortunately, it took a bit longer than expected."

While the A-Class and lower wizards of the guild rolled their eyes at the term, "a bit," The S-Class wizards, other than Gildarts, who smiled awkwardly at Ur's choice of words, rolled their eyes at the term, "we." When, in fact, Ur made all the decisions about the changes to the S-Class exams format on her own. Everyone else was just forced to wait until she finished thinking. She had not even informed the S-Classes of the decisions she had made before telling everyone to follow her onto the stage.

"But before I start talking about the changes, I have an announcement to make." Ur said after glancing over everyone's expressions.

That statement caused everyone in the guild hall to look at her curiously. Meanwhile, she could not help but notice that Irene, and the two girls accompanying her, two girls she did not recognize, were glaring at her with discontent.

'Maybe it wasn't the best idea to keep Irene waiting like that.' Ur thought to herself while not letting that thought show on her face. 'I mean, she's definitely the strongest member of the guild. And even though I don't' think she'll betray after what Alfonzo did for her, being on her good side might be in my best interest… For my mental health, that is.'

By now, Irene had explained to everyone in the guild… Everyone that she thought mattered enough to know… about her past as the Queen of Dragnof, a long ruined and forgotten country on Ishgar, all the way to the present. Which meant, they all knew she was quite old, extremely strong, and could be as cruel as any dark wizard.

"Irene and Brandish, whose experience and strength make it unnecessary to be tested, will be promoted to S-Class without needing to take the exam." Ur said calmly, deciding not to think of what Irene might do to get her back for being made to wait for so long.

Naturally, that caused everyone who was unaware of just how strong Irene and Brandish were to begin whispering discontentedly. Those who did know, on the other hand, wiped a bead of sweat from their foreheads in relief. Relief that they would not have to face either of the two in the promotion exam. However, because she did not want this announcement of the S-Class candidates to take any longer than it already had, Ur silenced the crowd by letting her magic power pressure wash over the entire first floor of the guild hall.

"As for this year's S-Class candidates, they will be Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Masa, Wendy Marvell, Rika Minami, Alzack Connell, Lucy Heartfilia, and Gajeel Redfox." Ur continued once the guild hall fell silent. "And this year, the exam will consist of a single elimination tournament, with the winner gaining the chance to fight one of the S-Class wizards in the guild. And during that fight, the S-Class wizards and I will evaluate the champion of the tournament and decide if they are ready to be in the ranks of the S-Class. But you should keep in mind, the winner of the tournament does not have to win against the S-Class wizard they chose to fight to be promoted. However, that would add points to their final overall score. But instead of victory, you must remember, we are looking for the qualities that would qualify them as an S-Class wizard."

Hearing Ur's explanation, the guild hall once again was covered in the sound of murmuring wizards. Meanwhile, the eight participants exchanged glances, sizing up their possible opponents. However, a few moments later, the atmosphere was broken when someone asked a question.

"Wait a minute!" Lisanna asked in a slightly confused tone. "Does that mean that only one person can become an S-Class wizard this year?"

Lisanna's question caused everyone to turn their heads towards the stage, bringing all the murmuring to an end.

"*Sigh* Unfortunately, that is the case." Ur replied while shaking her head lightly. "At the rate we were going, all most all the wizards in the guild would have ended up at S-Class over the next ten years or so. And although that sounds nice, it would have been too much."

Hearing that, everyone stopped to think for a moment. Then, they nodded their heads in understanding.

"We're still gonna get [Soul Armament Embryos] as candidates for S-Class though, right?" Rika asked expectantly.

"Unfortunately, that practice will have to come to an end, as well." Ur replied solemnly.

"That's not fair." Edward muttered discontentedly. "I've been looking forward to getting one of those ever since I first heard about them."

"Yeah, having one would have been nice." Alphonse added while patting Edward on the shoulder consolingly. "But if those are the new rules, there's nothing we can do about it, Brother."

"But won't that make it unfair for the rest of us?" Rika asked once again. "I mean, Wendy, Lucy, and Gajeel already have [Soul Armaments]. They know their names, too."

"I've taken that into consideration, as well." Ur said with a smile. "Not that getting a [Soul Armament Embryo] would have made a difference if you got one now… But from this year forward, the use of [Soul Armaments] during the promotion exam will be forbidden. Or rather, [Soul Armament Releases] will be forbidden. However, using them in their base forms will be fine. Especially since everyone who has received one,has spent countless hours honing their use of the weapon their [Soul Armament] shifted into."

Although most of the candidates were still discontent, for different reasons, Edward, Alphonse, and Rika discontent at the fact that they would not be getting a [Soul Armament Embryo before the exam, and Lucy, Gajeel, and Wendy's discontent stemming from the fact that they could not use their [Soul Armament] to its fullest during the exam, they accepted the changes. Mostly because there was nothing they could do about it.

Meanwhile, Massa seemed to be completely unbothered about the new rules from beginning to end, causing Alfonzo and Elicia to have their usual internal reaction to Masa being Masa. Alzack, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief. He did not want to have to plan around Lucy, Gajeel, and Wendy's [Soul Armaments] when he was training for the exam. Because despite having trained for as long and as hard as anyone taking the exam, he was under no illusion that he could come out on top against the spike in power a released [Soul Armament] could provide to his competitors.

"Now, you all have one week to train for the exam." Ur said, bringing her announcement to an end. "Then, on the morning of the fifteenth, at 10 a.m., we will set off for Tenrou Island from the port in Hargeon. And if you are late, you will be disqualified immediately. Now, dismissed."

With that, Ur turned around and walked towards the backstage area. And while all her changes to the format of the S-Class exam managed to make most of the guild forget about how late she was for the appointed time, she could still feel Irene glaring a hole into her back.

'Seriously, I don't even know why she's so mad.' Ur thought to herself as she increased the pace of her steps. 'I mean, she was half an hour late to begin with. So, she didn't even have to wait that long. And who are those two girls she brought with her? I know she said that she would be having her subordinates from Alvarez join her, but they don't even feel human. Just what are they? *Sigh* I guess I'll have to ask her about them later.'

Meanwhile, all the S-Class wizards on the stage, except for Gildarts, who followed Ur into the backstage area, watched the reactions of the other wizards to Ur's announcement. And when they did, they could not help but notice a few of their interactions.

"Come with me, my foolish disciples." Izumi Curtis, Edward and Alphonse's master, said in a commanding tone. "WE need to have you two properly trained for the exam. I won't have you embarrassing me while you're on Tenrou Island."

"Yes, teacher." Edward and Alphonse said in determined tones as they walked towards Izumi, who was making her way towards the elevator at the back of the guild hall.

At the same time, they noticed Gozaburo staring… NO, glaring at Masa.

"So, you finally did it, huh?" Gozaburo asked with his eyes narrowed. "You finally became an S-Class candidate before me."

"No, Boss, that was not my---" Masa said, trying to defend himself.

"Well, since you're a candidate, you'd better win and become an S-Class!" Gozaburo shouted, not letting Masa finish. "The Seto Group's reputation is at stake here, ya see?"

Naturally, Masa, as well as Ren, was taken aback by Gozaburo's declaration. However, that surprise did not last for long.

"Yes, Boss!" Masa replied in a determined tone. "I won't let you or the Seto Group down."

"Good." Gozaburo replied with a nod while crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"*Sigh* This should have happened a long time ago." Ren said in an exasperated tone while smiling at Masa. Then, she turned a sharp glare towards her husband. "And if it weren't for a certain someone's petty jealousy, the Seto Group would have had an S-Class wizard at least a decade ago."

In response, Gozaburo only looked way from Ren's glare. It was clear to see he was uncomfortable with Masa having the chance to surpass him in rank. However, he was not so far gone that he could not tell what this would do for the Seto Group's reputation. Still, he would have preferred it was he who was the candidate.

At this point, the S-Class wizards started getting off stage and walking towards the people they most commonly associated with in the guild.

"Stop thinking like that." Ren said, as if she could read Gozaburo's mind. "Masa's a much better candidate than you are. His skillset is much more varied than yours. And this might be news for you, but not every problem can be solved by just punching it."

"I know that…" Gozaburo grumbled while still not making eye contact with Ren.

"Masa~!" A voice sounded out, drawing the three's attention.

Turning their heads in the direction of the voice, Gozaburo's eyes lit up when he caught sight of its owner.

"Oh, my precious Sun." Gozaburo said with a doting smile on his face. "come give Daddy a hug."

Ignoring her father completely, Sun, the owner of the voice, rushed right past Gozaburo, leaving him frozen with his arms wide open, and stopped in front of Masa with an excited smile on her face.

"Congratulations, Masa!" Sun said excitedly. "I knew you would be S-Class someday. Do your best in the exam, I'm rooting for you."

"Yes, Miss Sun." Masa said while bowing elegantly. "I'll do my best to bring glory to the Seto Group."

Hearing that, Ren and Sun smiled happily. Meanwhile, Gozaburo seemed as if he would crumble into dust at any moment from being ignored by his daughter. However, he kept his temper in check, trying his best to not lash out at Masa for taking his Sun's attention.

Masa, on the other hand, could feel his back being drenched in cold sweat because of the anger he could feel rolling off Gozaburo in waves.

At the same time, Alfonzo, Elicia, Cana, and Laki, who had trained with him for as long as they knew him, gathered around Alzack to congratulate him. Bisca, Kohta, and Rika were nearby, as well. And it did not take long for Shizuka to approach the group happily, too.

"Congratulations, Rika!" Shizuka shouted as she bounced over to Rika, causing her breasts to bounce with every one of her movements.

"I like Pandas." Kohta said with a perverted grin on his face while a trickle of blood leaked from his left nostril as his eyes followed the bouncing of Shizuka's breasts. And that trickle turned into a stream when he saw Shizuka and Rika's breasts change shape under pressure after Shizuka pulled Rika into a hug.

*Smack!*

"Ow!" Kohta said after being slapped back to his senses.

A moment later, Kohta turned his head to see who had hit him. And when he caught sight of the culprit, Alfonzo, who was smiling at him with the friendliest smile he had ever seen, he could not help but freeze in place.

"Oh, uh… Alfonzo… Hey…" Kohta muttered. "It's really great that Alzack is a candidate for the exam this year, huh?"

"It sure is." Alfonzo replied, his friendly smile widening as he slung an arm over Kohta's shoulder. "He's worked hard for years. So, he deserves it."

In response, Kohta nodded his head furiously. However, he could not help but feel terrified by Alfonzo's smile.

"But… You didn't forget that Shizuka is one of my fiancées, right?" Alfonzo asked while tightening his arm around Kohta's neck and shoulders. "I mean, I know she's gorgeous, but that doesn't mean you should stare at her like that, right?"

In response, Kohta did the best he could to shake his head while his air flow and the blood flow to his brain was slowly being cut off.

"Good." Alfonzo replied with a nod. "I was just making sure. I know you would never do anything like that. I mean, you're a good guy, after all."

As he spoke, Alfonzo loosened his hold on Kohta, who greedily drew in oxygen. Then, Alfonzo turned his head as he noticed the Seto family and Masa approaching.

"Hey, Masa, congratulations on becoming a candidate." Alfonzo said with an S-Class smile.

"Thank you, Master Alfonzo." Masa said, once again bowing his head elegantly. "I'll do my best to pass this exam and become an S-Class wizard."

"I have no doubt about that." Alfonzo replied with a smile while releasing Kohta, who quickly distanced himself from him.

"That's not why we came over here, though." Ren said with a smile. "We have good news for you, actually."

"Really?" Alfonzo asked, having an idea what that news could be.

"That's right." Ren replied with a nod. "Earlier today, we got news that all the signal receivers for the lPhones have been placed throughout Ishgar's territorial waters."

Hearing that, Alfonzo's smile widened once again. However, the friendly smile he was wearing while dealing with Kohta was replaced by a blood thirsty one. Something that no one present missed.

"That's good." Alfonzo replied in a dark tone. "Really good. Now, I'll be able to move on to the next step of my plan."

Naturally, Alfonzo's dark tone surprised everyone. However, there was one person in the group, Elicia, who wore a similar smile to Alfonzo's, that no one noticed. Because she knew that the two of them would be going on a little trip, to finish something that started three years ago, sometime in the near future.