December 8, X784
From the bar, Meliodas watched as the guild hall was filled to the brim with people standing in front of the main stage. Meliodas took one last gulp from his mug of ale before hopping off the barstool and walked over to the large, rowdy crowd.
"What's all the commotion about?" Lily asked.
"Heh, beats me." Gajeel responded.
"Apparently the master has a very important announcement to make." Wendy added in. Around them, the guild grew louder with more guild members commenting on the situation as they joined in the ground. Meliodas looked around and saw Natsu at one corner of the crowd fidgeting in place and twitching as he looked around anxiously.
"Natsu calm down!" Happy exclaimed.
"Yeah! This tension is MANly!" Elfman interjected. Carla gave him a perplexed look in response.
"That made no sense…" Carla commented.
The curtains on the stage opened up, revealing Makarov standing between both Erza and Mirajane. The crowd grew even more restless as they cheered excitedly.
"Yeah finally!"
"It's about time! Hurry up and announce it!"
"As part of Fairy Tail's long standing custom…I WILL ANNOUNCE THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE S-CLASS PROMOTION TRIAL!" Makarov shouted enthusiastically causing the crowd to break their silence and cheer.
"I'm all fired up!" Natsu shouted.
"This year, the venue for the trial will be at Fairy Tail's Holy Ground, Tenrou Island!" Makarov declared. "I have seen the strength, heart, and soul of each of you this past year and now I am proud to announce the nine participants this year!" Makarov continued.
"Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Juvia Lockser, Elfman Strauss, Cana Alberona, Freed Justine, Levy McGarden, Mest Gryder, and Meliodas! You all have exactly one week to prepare!"
"Woah this roster looks intense!" One of the guild members in the crowd yelled out.
"Hey hold on, didn't Meliodas defeat Laxus already?" Another one of the guild members commented.
"I heard Meliodas was a candidate for one of the Ten Wizard Saints." A guild member said.
The crowd continued their conversation, growing louder and louder. Makarov cleared his throat loudly again, prompting the guild to quiet down before he continued talking.
"Since there are some newbies here, Erza and Mira will explain the rules." Makarov gestured towards them and nodded at Mira.
"Within this week you have to prepare, you each must select a partner." Mirajane said.
"There are two rules to follow when selecting your partner. The first is they must be a member of Fairy Tail. Second, they cannot already be an S-Class mage." Erza continued.
"The details of the exam will be revealed after your arrival to Tenrou Island. But this time, Erza will attempt to block you all from proceeding." Makarov said.
"I will also be participating this time." Mirajane added in with a friendly smile and a wave, much to the shock of other mages in the guild.
"So no one can become S Class unless they beat Erza and Mira?!" Lucy exclaimed as several other members voiced their complaints. Meliodas thought about having to fight either one of them. He was familiar with Erza's magic and her swordplay, having sparred with her between missions frequently but he had not fought Mirajane at all or seen her magic for that matter. All he had heard about her was her previous nickname as "The Demon."
"That's enough whining. This is the path that all the S rank mages have to take." Gildarts added in as he approached the stage from the side.
"Woah Gildarts is participating too?! I wanna fight him!" Natsu shouted excitedly.
"The chosen eight will take their partners with them and assemble at Hargeon Port in the morning in exactly one week. That is all!" Makarov finished.
The crowd dispersed from the area, continuing their chatter about the trials and who would win while Meliodas sat back down on the bar. He ordered a drink from Mirajane and gulped it down as he watched the other guild members scramble around.
"Ahh that hit the spot!" Meliodas said, feeling refreshed. "Another one please!"
"You seem pretty relaxed about this. Have you thought about who your partner will be yet?" Mirajane asked.
"Hmm…" Meliodas pondered. "Haven't thought about it all that much."
"Well with your strength, I think finding someone willing to partner with shouldn't be a problem. People are already assuming you're going to win this one." Mirajane said as she refilled Meliodas's mug.
"Well I think they're overlooking some aspects of this trial. I think there may be more than power that's required to get through this." Meliodas commented before gulping down another mug of ale.
"Anyway, I think I should find a partner for this." Meliodas said as he placed the mug on the table. "Thanks for the drinks Mira!"
"Anytime Meliodas!" Mirajane said with a friendly smile. Meliodas got up from his seat and walked towards the main dining area. He scanned the tables looking for people as a potential partner. 'Hmm...Wendy's not here. That's a shame. Her enchantments were pretty useful.' Melidoas thought, remembering when Wendy had healed his injuries back in Edolas in addition to powering him up greatly against Dorma Anim. He continued scanning the room until he saw Lily approaching him.
"Yo Lily!" Meliodas greeted.
"Meliodas, did you find a partner yet?" Lily asked. Meliodas shook his head.
"I was originally looking for Wendy but she's not here so I guess someone else already got her as a partner." Meliodas replied.
"I see. I could be your partner if you would like. Although with your strength, I don't know how helpful I could be." Lily commented. Meliodas bent over and patted Lily on the head, much to the black cat's surprise.
"Sure, the more the merrier!" Meliodas said with a large grin.
"What?! You can't take Lily!" Gajeel shouted from across the hall as he walked towards Meliodas and Lily.
"Well maybe you should have gotten selected." Meliodas said teasingly with a cheeky grin as Gajeel got closer.
"H-Hey there are reasons I can't tell you as to why I can't join in on this! I've done some good for this guild!" Gajeel retorted, somewhat flustered as Lily snickered.
"Meliodas, if you don't mind, would you care for a sparring match?" Lily asked.
"I don't mind. Let's take it outside." Meliodas said.
"I learned a lot after that fight with Musica, and I'll show you just how much I've improved!" Lily said confidently.