Huffing, Natsu was sweating. "Can't...believe...?"

Max smirked, holding his hand toward Natsu. "The past 7 years means a lot to us; we've tried very hard to grow up."

"Natsu..." Wendy started.

"Lost to Max?" Lucy finished.

"C'mon, Natsu! You're better than this!" Sora shouted.

Nodding, he sprinted after Max. Attack after attack, Max simply dodged Natsu. After sending yet another attack, Natsu didn't react fast enough.

Max smirked. "Sand Rebellion." This sent Natsu in the air from sand. As Sora laughed at him, he glared at her making her laugh even more.

"Sorry Big Bro, but that doesn't scare me!"

Pouting, he looked away. Spreading his limbs apart, he shouted, "Catch the fire!"

As everyone coughed out sand, Lucy, Wendy, and Carla shouted for him not to while Happy and Sora cheered for him to do it.

As Natsu ran towards Max, they both shouted, "Fire Dragon's...Iron Fist/Sand Wall!"

While Natsu looked serious, Max's brows furrowed, smiling through the pain. "I'm not the man you knew 7 years ago."

"Unbelievable! Max is-" Bijiter started.

"Overpowering Natsu?" Warren finished.

"Then maybe we can also beat him..." Nab said.

"Fat chance!" Sora shouted.

Backing away, Natsu put his right leg outward, crouching down. "Mode Lightening Fire Dragon!" Shocking everyone, he was encased in fire and lightening. As sparks flew, he said, "Lightening Fire Dragon's..."

As he was preparing his attack, Max started pouring sweat. "W-what is it..."

"Roarrr!" Unleashing lightening, damage done all around. As the dust cleared, Max stumbled. "Dang! It's not as powerful as it was."

"What d'ya mean 'it's not as powerful as it was'?!" Sora shook his shoulders. Looking emotionless at her, he merely shrugged his shoulders. "Eeehhh?!"

Lucy sweat dropped. "W-when did you steal this?!"

Getting out of Sora's clutches, he huffed. "Just now."

"Terrific...!" Wendy said.

Still trembling, Max put his hand up. "I...give up...You win...I'm gonna be killed by that powerful attack."

Turning towards Warren, Nab, and Bijiter, he smirked. "Who's the next one?"

They all screamed. "Yaaa!/He's too powerful!/Just like a monster!"

Laughing manically, he started to sweat and fell down with Sora laughing at him. Lucy sighed. "But it really costs too much magic power to use this."

"Natsu...you'd better not fight with this in a real combat." Happy said.

"Man...wouldn't I like to try that move..."

"Sora, I don't think-"

Crouching down beside Natsu, Sora poked him. "Hey~ Natsu. Can ya teach me that move?"

"Sure."

"Yay!"

While Max was getting his breath back, Wendy clapped her hands together. "Well, Max is marvelous too."

He scratched the back of his neck. "You are flattering me, Wendy."

Carla put her paws on her hips. "You are strong enough to fight with the Orge's. Why didn't you beat them and shut them up?"

"I want to know too." Sora appeared behind Wendy.

"Well, you are right."

"But we owed them much money." Warren said.

"It can't be solved by violence." Nab said.

"So, you should've beat 'em. They deserved it!" Sora crossed her arms over her chest.

"Sora..." Sighing, Lucy closed her eyes. "But it seems that Master has shown enough violence..."

"...That's true..." Max looked away.

Sitting on a rock, Gray said, "We are facing a really serious problem."

"Gray!"

"Apart from those monster-like powerful guys like Gildarts, Laxus, we are too weak in this world, now."

Lucy crossed her arms over her chest. "You're right...Even that Natsu got a hard victory in fighting with Max."

"Excuse me." Wendy said. "Were you really just flattering Max?!"

"Is there any shortcut to raise our magic power?" Happy pondered.

"Hmm...should be a way...?" Sora tilted her head, mimicking Happy's pose.

Time skip~~~~~~

In the forest, Lucy, Wendy, Happy, Carla, Gray, Natsu, and Sora visited Porlyusica. They explained their situation to her.

"So, we need your help." Gray said.

Turning around, she slammed her door in their faces. "Go home!" Silence ensued.

"Porlyusica, do you have any drugs?" Lucy laughed nervously.

"Something ably to 100 times our power instantly!" Natsu and Sora said.

"Well, that's too greedy..." Gray looked down, chuckling.

However, Happy noticed Wendy was quiet. "What's up, Wendy?"

"Nothing."

After a few minutes, Porlyusica opened her door. As they got excited, she started to sweep them away much like you do with pests. "I hate humans! Get out of here! Now!"

As they ran away, she held her broom.

"Sorry for disturbing you!" Lucy shouted.

"What does she think she is, that Old Woman!" Natsu said.

"Well, that was anti-climatic." Sora said.

"Ex of our Master." Gray said, earning himself an apple hitting behind his head.

"That's wrong, you fool!"

As Wendy glanced at the scaling woman, she turned away from her glaring face.

Meanwhile~~~~

Inside the Guild, everyone crowded around Makarov, who was standing on a table.

"...My point is that I've decide to retire. And now I'd like to introduce the next Master to you all."

"Are you serious?" Cana asked.

"Wait for a second. I'm not ready for-" Makao was interrupted by Wakaba.

"It's not you."

"Gildarts Clive!" However, Mira was the one behind Makarov. Smiling brightly, she waved. While everyone was shocked, his entire face was pulled out. "Where's Gildarts?!"

"He left a letter here." Mira handed him the letter.

"Wha?!" Opening the letter, he couldn't believe what he was reading. " 'To Master and all friends here...to be the Master...sorry to say I'm not suitable'." It showed Gildarts smirking, waving with sparkles around him. Everyone laughed, aside from Makarov. " 'Well, anyway. Selected as the 5th Master, I'd like to do two things for you: 1st is...to acknowledge Laxus as a member of Fairy Tail'."

Shocked, Laxus had no words. Meanwhile, his friends smiled, happy for him.

"How dare you?!" Makarov was fuming with anger.

Laxus looked down. "Gildarts..."

Bigslow shouted, "Great, Laxus!"

Evergreen attached herself. "Now then, we are Thunder God Tribe again!"

He looked away from embarrassment, blushing. "I will...emm..."

Freed cried tears of joy. "Gildarts, you are truly a good guy...!"

"Uh...I will submit to the 5th Master..." Makarov was trembling while Lisanna giggled. " 'Second is...to nominate Makarov Dreyar to be the 6th Master of Fairy Tail.' Me again?!" Everyone laughed.

"Well, everything returns to the way it was..." Alzack said.

"It's good, isn't it?" Bisca held her daughter in her arms.

Asuka pointed towards Makarov. "That Beard Grandfather is very powerful!"

" 'I'll travel around for some time, and will come back someday. Take care, all of you. And Cana, sorry to leave you again'." Mira handed her a wrapped card. Opening it, it revealed to be a card which held a picture of Gildarts on it. " 'You can always pray to the card when you miss me. And your feeling will reach to my card so that I will fly to you'." However, Cana ripped it up as she smirked. "I don't need it!"

"Cana!" Erza said.

"I told you that I like the life I have."

" 'Fairy Tail is my home. I will be back. Until the day I'm home, I hope that Fairy Tail would be the no.1 Guild of Fiore again. But it's not my duty to do so, but yours. Master, this is you last job: to lead Fairy Tail to be the no.1 Guild of Fiore!'" Right as Makarov was trembling with anger, he couldn't contain it no longer. "My last job? How dare you?! Ok, then I will never retire again! I'll be the Master for a lifetime! Wine! I need Wine!"

"Yes yes..." Mira sighed.

"Ah ya ya. He's gettin' sulky."

"Well...that's alright."

"You are a true man!" Elfman said.

"You never learn how to use this phrase correctly..." Lucy sighed.

" 'P.S. I will never tell anybody about the underground...I keep my promise.' " As Makarov chugged down wine, he furrowed his brows. "Surely you won't, Jerk!"

"Gildarts said to be no.1 of Fiore..." Warren said.

"It's really too greedy, Don't you think so?" Max asked.

"I think being positive is great." Erza said.

"It might be possible, 7 years ago. Now, everything has changed." Max continued.

"Besides, Sabertooth-" Alzack started.

"Lamia and Tenma have both grown to mighty Guilds, so much stronger than 7 years ago." Bisca finished.

"Large Guilds!" Asuka said.

"And look at us; although our core members have come back..." Bijiter said.

"Tenrou Team has made no progress since 7 years ago..." Laki patted his back.

"Don't worry. I will protect Levi!" Droy and Jet said while Levi sweat dropped.

"We have no way to fill up the vacant 7 years." Bijiter said.

"It's really difficult to be the no.1 of Fiore, in terms of either individual magic or the sum power of the Guild..." Laki said.

"You get the point...It will take some time to regain what we had before..." Erza said.

However, Romeo jumped on top of a table. "But we can't and don't want to afford 7 years as 'some time'."

"Romeo!" Makao called.

"Erza, there's only one way for us to become no.1 in short time!" While others were confused, the ones who've been in Fairy Tail for 7 years panicked.

"No way! We have decided never to participate that, haven't we!" Makao's sweat poured down his face.

"What are you talking about, 4th Master?" Makarov asked.

"Would you please stop calling me that, 6th Master?"

In the forest~~~~

After they ran a long way from Porlyusica, they all panted.

"Ah...who proposed to go to Porlyusica's?"

"Lucy..." Happy said.

"She...is really...a horrible Old Woman..." Gray said.

"I've heard about her hatred of people, but her attitude still shocked me." Carla scratched her head.

"Well, I'm a cat, not human." Happy said.

"Oh sure...rub it in our faces, would ya?" Sora waved him dismissively.

"What's the matter, Wendy? She scared you?" Gray asked, noticing her silence. As everyone turned towards her, they saw her crying.

"Hey...are you ok?!" Lucy asked.

"Oh, that vicious Old Woman dare! How dare she make Wendy cry!" Natsu said.

"Why I oughta-" Sora was interrupted by Wendy.

As she covered her eyes, she shook her head. "I-it's not because of her...I feel so yearning..." This interested everyone.

"Have you ever met her before?" Carla asked, holding her paw out.

"No...it's the first time meeting her, but...it's just so familiar..."

"What d'ya mean?" Sora sat beside her.

"Her voice...her flavor...all same with Grandeeney.