Chapter 399: Run Your Own Race!
"Happy, just for today, we're enemies! I'm not gonna hold back!" Natsu declared with a massive grin.
"I know, but..." Happy started seriously, before his face instantly dropped into a deeply gloomy scowl. "That new rule totally sucks!"
"So gloomy..." Lucy muttered, sweating slightly as she watched the depressed Exceed.
"Wait a minute," Lucy realized, turning to Noah. "Can't you use teleportation, Noah? Why did the Master only ban Flying Magic and not teleportation?"
"That's because I've never actually used it for this race," Noah replied with a smile. "Since I've never used teleportation to cheat in the endurance run, the Master didn't see a reason to specifically ban it."
"He doesn't just hold back on teleportation; he avoids using any speed-enhancing magic or turning his body into light to get ahead, too," Ultear chimed in from the side.
"Right, and it's not just him. Laxus isn't using his lightning form to travel either," Sorano added, glancing at the Lightning Dragon Slayer standing nearby.
"That's because the person I want to beat the most is Noah, but I also know I can't outrun him if we go all out," Laxus explained with a casual smirk. "Besides, for me, this event is just about participating, so running normally is perfectly fine."
"Exactly. My thoughts are pretty much the same as Laxus's," Noah agreed, smiling at the group. "The point is participating. It's nice for the entire guild to engage in an event together."
If he actually went all out, it would ruin the fun and kill the sense of participation for everyone else. That wouldn't be good for him or the rest of the guild.
Lucy nodded in understanding.
"Alright! The race is about to start! Everyone, line up at the starting line!" Jason announced through the loudspeakers.
The wizards of Fairy Tail quickly crowded behind the designated line in the park.
"Levy, make sure you watch my start!" Jet boasted, striking a dramatic sprinter's pose and flashing a confident smile over his shoulder.
"I don't have time to look," Levy replied, immediately turning her head the other way.
"He just wants you to see how cool he looks!" Lucy giggled, nudging her best friend.
"Lu-chan, you probably don't know this yet, but it's physically impossible to actually see his start," Levy explained with a dry, helpless smile.
Lucy looked confused but didn't have time to ask for clarification, as the race was literally seconds away from starting.
"Ready—GO!" Makarov's voice boomed over the crowd.
BOOM!
The instant the command left Makarov's lips, a deafening sonic boom shattered the air at the starting line, immediately kicking up a massive, blinding dust storm. The sheer force of the gale whipped through the crowd, sending several Fairy Tail members flying into the air and knocking others flat on their backs.
"I'm off! Top speed!" Jet's voice echoed from a ridiculous distance away; he had already cleared a massive chunk of the track.
"Sprinting at absolute maximum power right out of the gate! It's Jet again this year!" Jason screamed enthusiastically into his microphone.
Back at the starting line, the dust finally settled, revealing a chaotic pile of groaning wizards scattered across the ground. Only Noah's immediate vicinity remained untouched; he had casually deployed a faint magical barrier to shield Ultear, Laxus, and the others from the blast.
"See? Told you that you wouldn't be able to see him," Levy said, pushing herself off the dirt and offering Lucy a weary smile.
"I definitely get it now," Lucy groaned in total agreement from where she was planted on the ground.
Watching Jet's rapidly disappearing form, Noah could only shake his head. With moves like that, the guy was practically guaranteeing he would stay single forever.
BOOM!
Suddenly, another massive explosion echoed nearby. The crowd froze and whipped their heads toward the sound.
Natsu was already tearing down the street. He had his arms thrust out behind him, blasting massive pillars of fire from his palms to propel himself forward like a human rocket.
"Ha!" Natsu cheered.
"Are you kidding me?!" Several guildmates gaped in disbelief.
"Check it out! My secret weapon! The Fire Dragon's Iron Fist Thrusters!" Natsu's smug voice trailed behind him.
That finally snapped Gray and the others out of their stupor. They frantically scrambled to their feet and bolted after him.
"Jet, Natsu, you bastards!" The crowd roared as they gave chase.
Erza and Mirajane had already reacted at the very beginning, running side-by-side just a few paces behind Natsu.
"Let's get going too," Noah said to Ultear, Sorano, and Laxus.
"Right!" they agreed, breaking into a steady jog behind the main pack.
"Lucy, Levy, we're going on ahead!" Wendy called out as she, Meredy, Yukino, and Carla sprinted past them.
"Just for today, everyone is a rival! Don't worry about them!" Carla instructed as she ran alongside Wendy.
"Oh no!"
"We're dead last!"
Lucy and Levy finally realized that while everyone else had scrambled away, they were still standing squarely on the starting line.
"Now then... who is going to suffer the Punishment Game? I absolutely cannot wait~" Makarov hummed from the sidelines, cupping his cheeks as a terrifyingly sadistic grin stretched across his face.
Terrified out of their minds, Lucy and Levy shrieked and sprinted down the road as fast as their legs could carry them. There was no way they were going to be the victims of the Punishment Game!
"Wooooo!"
The guild was running with everything they had. Jet remained the absolute fastest, taking a commanding lead, followed by Natsu. Behind them was a massive, chaotic swarm of Fairy Tail members. Noah and his group were comfortably in the middle, with Wendy's squad trailing slightly behind them. Happy was puffing along further back, and Lucy and Levy were rapidly closing the gap from the rear.
"Sorry Happy!"
"Going on ahead!"
Lucy and Levy easily blew past the exhausted Exceed, catching up to the main group.
"Happy simply hasn't done enough physical training. He relies far too heavily on his Wing Magic," Carla noted, glancing back at the panting blue cat.
"Haha!" Wendy couldn't help but laugh softly. Carla definitely did a lot more stamina training than Happy, which gave her the right to brag.
"The leading pack, spearheaded by Jet, is absolutely dominating! Close behind is Natsu, and his Fire Dragon's Iron Fist Thrusters idea is just too cool! Further back, we have an all-out brawl led by Erza, Mirajane, and Gajeel! Who will break through the chaos?!" Jason's commentary continued to blast through the streets.
Crowds of Magnolia citizens lined the sidewalks, excitedly watching the live broadcast on massive Lacrima screens and listening to Jason's enthusiastic play-by-play.
"Jet really is the fastest!"
"He's way too fast! The cameras can't even catch him!"
"Yeah, he's completely out of the frame."
"I wonder who's gonna win this time?"
The crowd buzzed with excitement. Jet, who was miles ahead of the pack, wasn't even visible on the screens because the tracking Lacrima couldn't keep up with his speed.
By this point, the rest of the Fairy Tail crew had charged out of Magnolia's city limits and hit the rugged dirt trails of the wilderness.
This was where the real race began. Everyone started unleashing their unique magic to secure an advantage.
"Pict Magic!" Reedus shouted, rapidly sketching a sinkhole onto his own exposed stomach.
Instantly, a massive, identical sinkhole materialized directly in the path ahead, swallowing up a dozen running guildmates.
"Easy as pie! Have a nice trip, everyone!" Reedus laughed, casually jogging forward while continuously painting traps.
THWACK!
Someone sprinted up from behind and kicked Reedus right into one of his own pitfalls.
"Who told you to take your sweet time drawing pictures?!" the guildmate laughed, continuing his sprint.
"Ice-Make: Floor!" Gray roared, slamming both palms onto the dirt. A thick, perfectly smooth sheet of ice exploded outward, freezing the entire path ahead.
The wizards running in front of Gray immediately lost their footing and violently wiped out on the slick surface. Gray, however, fluidly transitioned into a skating stance, effortlessly gliding past his groaning victims. As an Ice-Make wizard, he was a master at maneuvering on ice.
"Don't blame me for your lack of balance!" Gray taunted as he sped past them.
"You bastard, Gray!" the fallen mages cursed angrily.
"Not bad at all," Noah commented. He and his group easily hopped onto the frozen path behind Gray, mimicking his skating technique to conserve a massive amount of stamina.
"Beast Arm: Iron Bull!" Elfman bellowed, climbing out of the pile of fallen wizards. His right arm expanded and morphed into a massive, muscular beast limb. Enraged, he threw a devastating punch straight at the gliding Ice wizard.
Unable to dodge on the ice, Gray took the punch head-on and was sent rocketing backward across the slick surface.
Noah and the others casually stepped aside, watching Gray slide helplessly past them until he crashed off the edge of the ice sheet.
"Gray-sama!" Juvia cried out, watching her beloved slide away.
"How lame!" Lyon scoffed, shaking his head at his rival's pathetic display.
"Gray's training is still lacking," Ur sighed, disappointed by her student's lack of awareness.
Eventually, Happy made it to the edge of the frozen path. He hopped onto his belly and slid across the ice, slowly passing the bruised wizards still struggling to stand up.
"So tired... I can't believe my stamina is this garbage!" Wakaba wheezed, barely maintaining a slow jog.
"Pathetic! You should really quit smoking!" Macao mocked from beside him.
"Wait, what is this?! A Jutsu Shiki?!" Evergreen gasped.
She, Bisca, Max, Simon, and Kagura had been running in a pack when Evergreen suddenly triggered a glowing rune on the ground. Instantly, a solid, magical barrier sprang up, trapping all five of them inside.
"Freed?!"
"You set traps on the course?!"
"Exactly," Freed confirmed, stepping out from behind a nearby tree with a smug smile.
"Are you planning on leaving us trapped here?! Even if everything but flying is allowed, this is going way too far!" Evergreen yelled furiously.
"I never said I wouldn't let you out," Freed chuckled. With a snap of his fingers, a massive stack of thick books materialized inside the barrier.
"What is this? 'The Magic Four-Wheeler License Exam Study Guide'?" Max asked, picking up a heavy tome.
"And this is... 'Level Three Elemental Magic Exam Questions'?" Bisca read the cover of another book in dismay.
Simon and Kagura picked up books of their own, realizing they were all massive academic test preps.
"Freed, what the hell are you doing?!" Evergreen demanded.
"If you wish to leave this Jutsu Shiki, you must complete every single problem in those books—and you must answer all of them correctly," Freed explained calmly.
"WHAT?!"
"If this race is truly a test of both intellect and stamina, then providing a little mental exercise is perfectly fitting. If you want to be angry, be angry at your own clumsiness for stepping into the trap." With that parting remark, Freed turned and jogged away.
"Wait! Freed!" Evergreen panicked, her eyes wide with horror.
"You say it's our fault..." Max grumbled.
"...but you were the one who triggered the trap..." Bisca pointed out, glaring at Evergreen.
"...we just got caught in the crossfire," Simon sighed.
"We don't have a choice! We just have to answer the questions!" Evergreen shrieked, desperately grabbing a workbook and furiously scribbling down answers. Simon, Kagura, Bisca, and Max quickly did the same. None of them wanted to be stuck there long enough to come in last place and suffer the Master's Punishment Game.
"Oh, there's a rune trap here... and another one here. Freed really laid down a massive minefield," Noah observed as he jogged, effortlessly side-stepping the invisible magical triggers hidden in the dirt. "He's definitely improved. His setup speed for these arrays has gotten much faster."
"Of course! He trains incredibly hard!" Laxus boasted proudly, running right beside Noah. The Lightning Dragon Slayer was precisely mirroring every single one of Noah's footsteps to completely avoid the traps.
"Why the hell are you following me?! Run ahead yourself!" Noah grumbled, thoroughly annoyed by the freeloader.
"Following you saves a ton of energy. I don't have to waste focus scanning for traps myself. Isn't this so much easier?" Laxus flashed a brilliantly cocky grin. While he frequently hung out with the Thunder Legion and knew a fair bit about runic magic himself, why waste the mental effort when he could just use Noah as a meat shield?
"Besides, you've got a whole parade of people trailing you. Why aren't you yelling at them?" Laxus pointed a thumb over his shoulder.
Noah glanced back. Running in a neat single-file line directly behind him and Laxus were Ultear, Sorano, Wendy, Meredy, Yukino, Carla, Lisanna, Cana, and a huge swarm of other guildmates. They were all exclusively using Noah's cleared path. Seeing him look back, the group flashed him bright, innocent smiles, and a few even waved cheerfully.
"No, them following me is perfectly fine. You following me is the problem," Noah retorted, turning his glare back to Laxus.
"Don't be stingy. You can't shake me anyway, so we might as well run together," Laxus laughed.
Noah could only roll his eyes. It was true—unless he actually started using his real power, he couldn't physically shake Laxus. Aside from himself, Gildarts, Ur, and Makarov, Laxus was the strongest mage in the guild, and his lightning-enhanced physical speed was virtually unmatched. Since Noah was only treating this race as a casual jog with friends to embody the spirit of participation, he had no reason to go all out.
Since he couldn't get rid of him, Noah decided to completely ignore the smug bastard.
Seeing Noah fall silent in defeat, Laxus's grin widened into a victorious smirk. Getting under Noah's skin was a glorious victory in its own right. Fueled by his petty triumph, Laxus jogged alongside Noah with even more energetic spring in his step.
~~~
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