About an hour after Calvin's departure from Magnolia, a small black dot appeared on the horizon of Fiore's capital, Crocus, speeding towards the city.
Of course, it was Calvin's Red-Eyes Flying Dragon, carrying the Fairy Tail team on its back.
As the Red-Eyes Flying Dragon's figure became more evident, it swooped over Crocus. Just as it was about to cause alarm among the citizens below, a vortex appeared at the centre of its body, and with a swoosh, the entire dragon was sucked into it, transforming back into a card that Calvin deftly caught.
"The weather is perfect! It's like it's welcoming Fairy Tail," Calvin said with a cheerful smile.
"Bastard!! How could you just drop us like that!!" A furious voice came from not far away. Calvin turned to see Lucy, tears streaming down her face, yelling at him.
"Ahhh! I don't want to die! Someone save me!!" Her high-pitched scream echoed, but no matter how loudly she yelled, it didn't stop her fall.
"Do you really need to be so scared? Lucy, you're such a wimp," Natsu's lazy, disdainful voice came beside her. She turned to see Happy holding onto Natsu's back, wings spread.
Although they were still falling at the same speed, everyone knew Happy could safely carry Natsu down.
"Weren't you holding onto me just now? Damn you, Happy!"
Lucy looked up and saw the other flying cat, Charle, tightly holding Wendy, slowly descending. Lucy knew well that these winged cats couldn't support two people.
No help from them.
Lucy's angry expression turned pitiful as she looked at Calvin, fear evident in her eyes, triggering a man's protective instincts.
"Relax, I wouldn't let you all fall to your deaths. Look, Gray and Erza are calm," Calvin said nonchalantly.
"Don't compare me to those monsters! I'm a normal person!!" Lucy screamed.
Just then, black wings sprouted from Calvin's back, spanning ten meters. The massive wings caught the air, slowing his descent rapidly, and he vanished from Lucy's sight in the blink of an eye.
"Calvin, you bastard!!" Lucy cursed again, feeling faint as the ground approached rapidly.
Just before hitting the ground, Lucy felt a firm grip catching her, causing her head to ache from the impact. Regaining her senses, she realised she was safely on the ground, held by Erza.
Calvin had caught Erza and Gray, while Erza caught Lucy, landing effortlessly.
Erza released Lucy, smiling gently. "It's okay now."
Seeing Erza's smiling face and remembering the terrifying fall, Lucy's legs went weak, and she collapsed.
"Couldn't we have landed more gently?!"
"Hey, Calvin, you made her cry," Gray said, nudging Lucy with his elbow.
"How was I supposed to know Lucy was still such a scaredy-cat? She's been through much scarier battles," Calvin said, scratching his cheek awkwardly.
"Well, the capital is truly impressive, more awe-inspiring than Edolas' capital," Calvin said, changing the topic and looking around in admiration.
"You're finally here! We've been waiting for you," Makarov said, appearing with a group, including Alzack and Bisca's daughter Asuka, on his shoulder, smiling cheerfully.
He then had Levy explain the competition rules to Calvin's group and emphasised they must return to the inn by midnight. After that, he told them they were free to explore but asked Calvin to stay behind.
"Come on, the other team is waiting for you," Makarov said, nodding.
"I could just call them at midnight. Why the rush?" Calvin said.
"Laxus and the others are worried. I haven't told them who the last participant is, only that someone will participate as Mystogan. Hurry up, they're at the inn," Makarov said helplessly.
"I have a feeling they're waiting to give me a hard time..." Calvin sighed, heading towards the inn under Makarov's amused gaze.
As he walked, he soon arrived at the inn. Before he even entered, he sensed two familiar magical presences.
Inside a room in the inn, the atmosphere was tense.
Three people—Laxus, Gajeel, and Mira—sat or stood impatiently, waiting for someone to arrive.
Suddenly, Gajeel sniffed the air and said, "Strange, I smell Calvin. Is he the last participant?"
This caught the other two's attention.
"He must have passed by. Calvin is on the other team. I still think my guess is right; the old man plans to have Jellal pose as Mystogan since they look the same," Laxus said.
"Calvin is also a possibility. Don't forget his summons," Mira speculated.
Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Gajeel said, "It's Calvin."
Mira sceptically opened the door, and sure enough, Calvin stood outside.
"Is it really you?" Mira asked in disbelief.
"Aren't you two dating? How come even you didn't know?" Gajeel asked, exasperated.
Both Mira and Calvin blushed at that, while Laxus laughed unabashedly.
"So, as Mira guessed, the one posing as Mystogan will be your summon, right?" Gajeel said, annoyed. "How arrogant. Do you think a summon has the strength to match us?"
Calvin hugged Mira lightly, making her blush even more, then calmly said, "Honestly, my Summoning Cards have been completely revamped. Don't judge them by how they performed against the Seven Sins."
"You're even more arrogant than before," Gajeel grumbled.
"Can you guarantee your summon won't hold us back?" Laxus challenged, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course. Don't you trust me?" Calvin chuckled, not backing down.
"Then show us!"
Calvin smiled slightly and pulled a card from his belt. Mira peeked at it and saw a man illustrated on the card, someone she hadn't seen before.
Calvin gently tossed the card, and a crack appeared in the air, as if space were splitting open. From the dark void stepped out a handsome, tall man with brown hair and a white outfit. His brown eyes and hair matched, and he exuded confidence with a faint smile.
"Quite the flashy entrance, but he looks decent," Laxus commented nonchalantly.
"Of course, he does. He's my latest summon, stronger than my previous Red-Eyes Black Dragon," Calvin said confidently.
The three were surprised. Besides the Blue-Eyes White Dragon Calvin used against Acnologia seven years ago, the Red-Eyes Black Dragon was the strongest.
Mira noticed Calvin specified his previous Red-Eyes Black Dragon, implying the current one was even more vital.
"So your goal is to test your new summon, huh? You're quite the opportunist," Laxus scoffed, clearly annoyed.