"I keep telling you, I'm fine..."
Ankh wore an expression of utter resignation.
His arms were draped over the shoulders of two very beautiful, very determined women.
Mirajane and Erza supported him on either side as if he were a porcelain doll that might shatter at any moment.
"Easy now, step up," Mirajane cooed.
The two women "worked together" to help Ankh into the main guild hall.
After finally depositing him into a chair at their usual table, Mirajane smiled sweetly and said.
"Since we don't know if Ankh has any hidden internal injuries or magical backlash, it's better to be cautious."
Slumping into the chair, Ankh sighed helplessly.
He ran a hand through his hair. "I've said it already—all I needed was a good night's sleep. I feel great. In fact, I could probably wrestle a Wyvern right now."
Erza shook her head seriously, immediately dismissing the idea.
She crossed her arms, her armor clanking. "Nonsense. Even the Master might not survive a direct hit from the Etherion. We should keep observing you for at least a week."
Ankh fell silent.
He couldn't very well say: Your reasoning is correct—I actually did get blown to bits by the Etherion... But guess what? Hey! I died, my Life God powers activated, and then I came back to life better than ever!
'Never mind,' Ankh thought.
He'd explain such an unbelievable thing to them slowly, later.
Or never.
Besides, these past few days of "recovery" had been surprisingly comfortable for Ankh.
During the day, Natsu, Gray, and others would put on little performances or bring him snacks.
At night, Erza and Mirajane took turns watching over him, ensuring his pillows were fluffed.
It almost made Ankh believe he was truly paralyzed!
'If this heavenly lifestyle continued much longer,' Ankh mused, 'I'm afraid my limbs would start to become useless from lack of use...'
Just as Mirajane was massaging his shoulders, lulling him into sleepiness again, Makarov's grating voice rang out from the stage.
"Hey! Listen up, brats!" Makarov stood on the table, clearing his throat.
"Ankh, Erza, Natsu, Gray, and Lucy... you returned in such a hurry last time due to the medical emergency that I forgot to introduce everyone properly."
He gestured to the side.
"This is our new member, Juvia Lockser. She's quite adorable, isn't she! Treat her well!"
Following Makarov's introduction, Juvia stepped out from behind him.
She gracefully lifted her skirt and bowed, smiling politely.
"Pleased to meet you all! Juvia is happy to be here!"
[Juvia Version 2.0]
Ankh looked with surprise at Juvia's completely new appearance.
She had abandoned her previously gloomy, heavy blue coat and hat style, replacing it with a sunny, cute, and slightly revealing Fairy Tail vibe.
Her long wavy hair had been cut into a short, layered bob that framed her face perfectly, making her look like the girl next door—truly resembling a rain woman after the clouds had finally cleared.
Ankh nodded toward her as a form of greeting.
"Welcome, Juvia."
"Thank you, Ankh-san!" Juvia beamed.
Meanwhile, Gray leaned against the table beside Ankh.
He looked at the water mage and speak with a helpless, yet not entirely displeased smile, "I never thought she'd actually join!"
Erza looked at the new Juvia and nodded approvingly. "You fought bravely at the Tower. Thank you for your help before."
Juvia quickly waved her hands, poking her fingers together sheepishly as she whispered.
"Not at all... Juvia didn't really help much... Juvia got eaten by an owl..."
'Well, that's true...' Ankh thought.
During the battle at the Tower of Heaven, Juvia's Magic Power had been exploited by Fukuro, resulting in Lucy getting beaten to a pulp by Juvia's own spells.
If Lucy hadn't summoned Aquarius to control the situation the two of them probably would have been done for.
However, the always broad-minded Lucy didn't hold it against Juvia.
Instead, she stood up and greeted Juvia enthusiastically.
"Welcome to the team, Juvia!" Lucy cheered.
The guild's recruitment had long been saturated with weirdos, so Lucy was actually quite happy to see a newcomer with less seniority than herself.
Maybe she wouldn't be the rookie anymore!
'Though,' Lucy noted while sweating, 'this newcomer was clearly much stronger than me...'
And why was Juvia making that expression toward Lucy?
Lucy's plump cheeks were suddenly assaulted by a dark, menacing aura emanating from Juvia.
The water mage stared at Lucy with dead eyes, muttering under her breath.
"Love rival... love rival... die... but Lucy-san helped me... but she touched Gray-sama... die..."
Lucy broke out in a cold sweat.
"B-but I'm really not your love rival, Juvia! I swear!" Lucy cried out.
Ankh rested his head on his arms, watching the scene with amusement.
"When a woman falls in love, Lucy," Ankh teased, "she probably feels this way about every member of the opposite sex around her crush."
Natsu sat beside Ankh, contentedly eating a chicken leg he stole from Ankh's plate.
He asked curiously, chewing loudly, "Is that so? Girls are weird."
Happy held a large raw fish in both paws.
He shook his head sagely while chewing. "Aye~ Natsu, love is too complicated for a simpleton like you."
"What do you mean by that, Happy?! Are you looking down on me?"
"I'm just telling the truth. You love fire more than people."
The two childish fools started arguing again.
"Hey!" Makarov shouted, interrupting the bickering.
He cleared his throat again. "Quiet down! There's one more newcomer."
The guild hall went silent.
"Aren't you gonna come out?" Makarov called toward the shadows.
As Makarov's call faded, a dark figure leaped out from behind the bar.
THUD.
He landed heavily, standing tall and straight before everyone.
He wore a dark tunic, studded gloves, and had long, wild black hair.
When they saw this person's face, the members of the Strongest Team immediately became restless.
The atmosphere shifted from warm to hostile in a heartbeat.
Natsu stopped bickering with Happy.
Gray assumed a combat stance, ice forming on the floor.
Even Erza's eyes flashed with vigilance, her hand drifting to her sword.
"YOU!" Natsu roared, glaring furiously at the black-shirted man. "Gajeel! What the hell are you doing here?!"
It was Gajeel Redfox, the Iron Dragon Slayer of Phantom Lord.
Gray's expression turned icy. "How dare you come here after attacking the guild! Do you have a death wish?"
"Tch." Gajeel crossed his arms, chewing on a metal spoon. "Relax, ice-princess."
"Stop!"
Juvia quickly stepped between the impulsive boys and Gajeel.
She anxiously explained, "He... he was introduced by Juvia! After Phantom Lord disbanded, Gajeel had no work... he was living in a scrap yard! Please give him a chance!"
Erza's gaze was sharp, assessing the threat.
But she didn't rush to speak. Instead, she turned her attention to the person who had suffered the most at Gajeel's hands.
Levy timidly hid behind a table with her teammates, Jet and Droy.
She looked at Gajeel, flinching slightly. But seeing everyone waiting for her reaction, she forced a brave smile.
"It's... it's fine," Levy squeaked. "I don't mind anymore... really."
Of course, that was a lie.
Everyone knew it.
Though Levy had an open and cheerful personality, forgiveness still required time to verify.
After all, anyone ambushed with iron fists in the middle of the night would be left with psychological scars.
Makarov stood before the tense Natsu and others, spreading his arms.
"It's alright," the Master said firmly. "As the saying goes, yesterday's enemy is today's friend. Fairy Tail is a place for second chances. If he betrays us, I will deal with him personally."
Ankh watched Gajeel, who stood there looking completely out of place and defensive.
He suddenly recalled what the Master had once told him in confidence.
The current Gajeel resembled Ankh when he first joined the guild...
A stray dog with sharp teeth, looking for a pack.
But looking at it now, Gajeel's situation is much more difficult than he was back then.
Seeing everyone's resistance, Ankh decided to break the stalemate.
"Forget it," Ankh said, his voice calm but authoritative. "Let's give this guy a chance."
Hearing Ankh say this, Gray and Erza had no choice but to temporarily suppress their emotions.
If Ankh and the Master vouched for him, they would tolerate it.
Only Natsu remained childishly confrontational.
"I don't care!" Natsu shouted, pointing a finger at Gajeel. "I don't want to work with someone like him! He smells like rust!"
Gajeel sneered, his expression dark.
He leaned down until his forehead pressed against Natsu's.
"I just want work, salamander," Gajeel growled. "I never expected to end up in the most irritating guild in Fiore. Your voice makes my ears bleed."
"What did you say?!"
"You heard me!"
Natsu and Gajeel pressed their foreheads together harder, growling threats at each other.
The two savage, powerful Dragon Slayer Mages had already begun their rivalry.
'Though... they were supposed to be dragons...' Ankh thought, sipping his drink.
'To outsiders, the two of them looked more like huskies snarling at each other over a bone.'
When two dogs fight, one must be the fool.
In this case, both were fools.
If Igneel and Metalicana saw this, they'd probably smack these two rebellious sons upside the head.
Watching the two confront each other, Ankh quietly leaned over to Erza.
"You know the Master," Ankh whispered. "Guiding and helping lost kids is what he considers his mission. Gajeel is just another lost kid."
Erza nodded slowly, her eyes slightly lowered as she watched Levy. "I trust your and the Master's judgment, Brotehr. But in the beginning, we'll need to keep a close eye on him. If he steps out of line..."
"I know," Ankh smiled, patting her hand. "But I have complete confidence in Makarov's persuasive abilities."
'Dealing with one little steel-spiked troublemaker would be child's play for the old man,' Ankh thought.
Meanwhile, with Gajeel and Juvia's addition, the Fairy Tail guild was now reaching its peak.
It had gained important pieces of the puzzle.
In Fairy Tail's strongest generation, everyone in the this group had the potential to reach S-class strength, and soon they would all be gathered!