09x285 - The 7th Guild Master

[bunniefuu]

[LUCY] It's been a busy five

days since Fairy Tail's rebirth.

It feels so good to be back

in my old place again!

I can't believe the

landlady had it open.

I could've moved into

the dorm with the girls,

or some other place, I guess.

Though...

I know I would've missed

the comforts of home,

and this amazing tub.

[LUCY] Things are actually

kinda starting to feel normal.

It's crazy to think

how much damage

the battle with Tartaros did.

The town was nearly destroyed.

But since the guild

was founded here

and has such a long

history with Magnolia,

everyone's welcomed us

back with open arms.

Just thinking about it

gives me the warm fuzzies.

[gasps]

[LUCY]

Just what I needed.

[giggles]

[BOTH]

Yo.

Are you serious right now?!

I'm serious about scarfin'...

I realize it's been a while,

but I need privacy!

Gotcha!

[gasps]

[screams]

[NATSU] You're gonna

have to train harder

to get a hit on me, ya know?

Let go!

Listen up.

We got a job!

Really? Uh! Hey!

[gasps]

[LUCY screams]

Not the job I hoped for.

Aw, stop your gripin'.

Since we're a guild again,

we need a guild hall.

Therefore, we're all

rebuilding that

and our teamwork skills.

I'd like for Master

Makarov to notice both

once he finally returns.

Me, too. But is he

really coming back?

I'd bet my last jewel on it.

We'll wait, but Al and I

can track him if need be.

A bounty could work.

He's not a criminal!

And that's so cheap!

Wanna help?

How 'bout handin'

me those nails?

Of course! Here ya go, dear!

And now they'll rust.

[JET]

You hear about them?

They've been shacked

up this last year.

Well, what I heard is

they actually tied the knot.

And their union bore fruit!

I know, but what's even

more shocking to me

is that Lucy is his mistress!

No way!

And that fling with Erza.

Would you stop with all

those crazy stories?!

Besides, I'd describe it less

of a "shacking up" situation

and more of a "haunting."

[MACAO]

Okay...

[JUVIA gigggles]

How 'bout a cold one on me?

Thanks, Lisanna.

[LISANNA]

You guys thirsty?

Hooray!

Oh, yeah! Thank you!

[LISANNA]

Here!

A thirst-quenching

liquid for me?

You know how to

sling some drinks!

Thank you!

It's because Mira and

I spent the last year

working at a

restaurant together!

Oh, please tell me that

Elfman worked there, too!

Manly meat!

He went away for training.

Didn't say what is was.

Just that it'd make

him a "real man."

'Zat so? I'll have to

test that out later.

I can show you right now

if you think you're

ready, pinky.

Not a great idea.

[NATSU chuckles]

Hey, Levy. What are you

working on over there?

Ugh. Filling out

lots of paperwork.

We can't just say we're a guild.

There's actually quite a bit

of documentation involved.

Without approval

from the council,

we'd be considered a dark guild.

That's true. And it's another

reason why we joined them.

We could learn the process

and make a couple of

friends on the inside.

Good strategy.

And once this stuff is done,

we'll be able to tell the world

Fairy Tail is officially back!

Thanks so much for

making this happen!

You're just the best!

[PANTHERLILY]

Now don't cry.

Okay. What am I gonna put

down for this last part?

That is a tough one.

Why's it hard?

Because we all need

to make a decision

about who our seventh

guild master will be.

You're right. Wow.

That is tough.

Is it though?

I have the experience!

Nobody wants that, Dad!

Let ol' Gildarts

have another sh*t?

We need a real master,

not some deadbeat dad

who comes and goes

whenever the hell he pleases!

It's a temporary measure

until our sixth master returns.

So anybody should suffice.

Well, almost anybody.

Maybe.

But I'm not sure we're even

the same guild we used to be.

[FAIRY TAIL yelling]

[yells]

[CANA] But we do need someone to

keep those knuckleheads in line

so crap like this

doesn't happen.

Oh, my.

[chuckles]

Pretty manly, man.

Be careful, okay?

Looks like they

both got stronger.

That's right, Al.

So you'd better do something

about that pot-belly.

[ALZACK gasps]

Daddy's gettin' flabby!

[ALZACK]

You think so?

[ALZACK groans]

Alrighty then!

[gasps]

[GRAY yells]

Not my darling!

You're a real man.

Get offa me!

Owie!

Ya want some, too?

Hey now!

Jeez, guys.

You want some yummy raw fish?

I'm good.

Yeah! It's brawlin' time!

Let's wreck shop!

Sounds like a good idea to me!

I'm lusting for a good rumble!

I can't say it's

that surprising.

No it ain't. Warms my heart.

[ALZACK grunts]

Loke! I didn't summon you!

You're under arrest. All o' ya!

Oh, yeah!

One, two, pow! Kabam!

Crap, that stings.

You stupid jerks.

[MIRAJANE]

I'm happy for you, Elfman.

You felt so bad about

blowing up the guild hall,

but everyone knew it

really wasn't your fault.

You couldn't fix it.

So you had to get

stronger instead.

--[WENDY screams]

--[LUCY] Oh, no, Mira!

See what you've done?!

[bang]

[gasps]

Get back to work.

[FAIRY TAIL gasping]

[FAIRY TAIL]

Yes, ma'am.

[BOTH whimper]

[chuckles]

Well, that makes things

so much easier.

Our seventh guild master

will be... Erza Scarlet!

[FAIRY TAIL cheering]

Wait! Slow down, please!

Naming me as guild master?

I'm flattered, you guys, but--

[MEST] You are the most

suited for the task.

Whoa! It's that guy!

Yeah, uh. That guy.

He seems familiar.

He does. I know he was

in the guild, but still...

Something's different.

And I can't remember his name...

[MEST] I've been waiting

for this moment.

I knew it would come and

we'd be together again.

Master Makarov is in trouble,

and you're the only

ones who can help him.

At least, I hope that's true.

[ERZA] I had no idea all of

this was under the guild hall.

[MEST] Yes. That's completely

by design, of course.

Tell me Doran--or, Mest, rather.

Mest is my real identity.

Your memory is

likely still hazy.

That would be my fault.

Why didn't you let anybody

else come with us?

Definitely ruffled

Natsu's feathers.

[MEST] This is a sacred and

restricted place we've come to.

In fact, only guild masters

are supposed to know about it.

These are strange times.

That's the only reason I'm here.

[ERZA]

What is that?

[MEST] Fairy Tail's ultimate

secret, the Lumen Histoire.

[ERZA]

Master Mavis?

[NATSU]

Cut it out!

--[GRAY] Stop pushing, ya dope!

--[LUCY] Watch the hands!

[NATSU yells]

[ALL groaning]

Hey there.

What are you doing?

Seriously?

I literally said "only guild

masters were allowed."

It's very important that

we maintain its sanctity.

[NATSU] Whatever, we're

part of the guild, too!

[GRAY]

What is this anyway?

[WENDY] That's our

first master, isn't it?

[NATSU]

She's butt naked!

[LUCY] Yeah, so give her

some privacy, you creep!

Is that the first

master's body in there?

Is she still alive?

I don't understand this.

Why is she kept

inside that crystal?

What's going on here,

Mest? Explain.

I can't claim that I

understand it, either.

All I can say is

that it's something

extraordinarily important.

[NATSU] Aw, forget

about her right now!

Where is Gramps?!

"Forget about her"?

[BOTH gasp]

That's weird. It's like...

I can see something

What is this?

You're seeing my memories.

Beginning ten years ago.

You want me to

infiltrate the council?

[MAKAROV] Yes. Because

you're the only one who can.

[MEST] So, what do

you want me to steal?

I'm not asking you

to steal something.

You'll be gathering their intel

on the western continent

and passing it to me.

[MEST] Yeah, that sounds

a lot like stealing.

Forget about covering up for

any of our prior "incidents."

Understood?

All I want is

everything they have

regarding the western

continent and nothing else.

May I ask why?

It's better that you

don't know the specifics.

But trust me, it's for

the safety of our family.

I won't fail you, I promise!

Here's an idea!

Oh, yeah! I'll erase

my own memory!

[MAKAROV]

That won't be necessary!

[MEST]

Since there's no real diplomacy

between the two continents,

I haven't been able to dig

up much info so far.

[MAKAROV]

I see.

But everyone here

has been very eager

to share their opinions

on Fairy Tail.

They hate us.

Yep. No surprise there.

Have you considered

reining in Natsu a bit?

Natsu's fine just

the way he is.

Are you sure?

[MAKAROV]

He's not the only reckless one.

After all, you volunteered

to erase your memory

to go undercover.

Yes, I did.

But you can lift and reinstate

the spell whenever you need to,

so I'll be fine.

You're certainly clever, Mest.

No doubt.

Thank you.

But while I'm still undercover I

need you to call me "Doranbolt."

[LAHAR]

Doranbolt,

there's someone here to see you.

[MEST]

A visitor?

Hello, sir.

May I ask what business

the master of Fairy Tail

has with me?

And by the way, did you visit

me last month as well?

[MAKAROV]

Ugh, this is such a pain.

[LAHAR]

Hey, Doranbolt. Makarov is here.

I wonder why Fairy Tail's

master would wana see me...

He visits quite often.

This gives me an idea.

Well, what is it?

I could use my memory

control magic to go undercover

inside that notorious

guild of troublemakers.

Okay.

[MEST] We'd surely get some

actionable intel that way.

We could, hopefully.

The first step is

planting a memory.

I can fool Makarov into thinking

that I'm a member of the guild.

I'll say my name is Mest.

That's a strange code name.

Oh, yeah! That's it!

I wanna know all of

Fairy Tail's dirty secrets!

Please stop.

And I'm guessing that was

how you wormed your way

into the S-Class trial

on Tenrou Island,

before you ditched us there.

[GRAY, NATSU]

Not cool.

I'm deeply sorry about all that.

[ERZA]

Then what?

As you know,

seven years passed by.

It's been quite a while.

I'm so relieved to see you.

You're alive. Everybody's okay.

I must apologize;

I had no idea the mission

would last so long.

It's okay. I knew

the risks going in.

Look, Mest, it's all over now.

Come back to the guild.

You have a home with us.

[MEST]

Not yet.

After all these years,

I can't give up. I'm close.

The intel we've been looking

for is within reach.

[MAKAROV]

Huh?

[MEST]

But then, one year ago,

after the final battle

with Tartaros...

[MAKAROV]

Fairy Tail will not rebuild.

I'm disbanding it.

[MEST]

Huh?

[MAKAROV] Based on the

information you obtained

and my own personal

investigation,

I've come to realize this is

the only way we can survive.

It's to protect my children.

So all the work we've

done convinced you

to break up the guild?

It doesn't make any sense!

[MAKAROV] Whether you

agree with me or not,

the Alvarez Empire on

the western continent

is just too dangerous.

They pose a mortal

thr*at to us all.

Why are you so afraid of them?

The only noteworthy

thing they've ever done

is stage a failed invasion

of Ishgar over a decade ago!

Do you happen to know the

motive behind that invasion?

No.

[MAKAROV] They were after

the Lumen Histoire.

They traveled halfway

across Earthland

to obtain our most

sacred treasure.

I assume you don't

know how that ended.

The invasion didn't fail.

It was abandoned after the

council flexed its muscles

in the form of a

terrifying w*apon.

[MEST]

The Etherion.

We just learned about the

magic-nullifying system, FACE.

This, too, was a major part

of the council's arsenal.

Alvarez simply could not

afford the risk involved.

However, those council

members have been wiped out,

and both the Etherion Cannon

and the FACE system

have been destroyed.

So what does that all mean?

It means Ishgar has lost every

tool we had to deter Alvarez.

[MAKAROV]

Mm-hm.

There's no doubt in my mind

they will inv*de again.

[MEST]

I still don't understand

why we would have to

break up the guild.

Someone hits us, we hit back.

That's the Fairy

Tail way, right?

[MAKAROV] The only viable

option we have now

is to disband the guild.

Why?

[MAKAROV] Including Fairy Tail,

the continent of Ishgar is home

to wizard guilds,

give or take.

However, at its peak,

the western continent

had around .

That's counting official,

legal guilds and dark guilds.

But the Alvarez Magic Empire

was able to unite

all of those disparate

groups under one banner.

And now they possess a

m*llitary power without equal.

We'd have no chance

of stopping them.

[gasps]

Although it's true

that our ragtag guild

has bested many powerful

enemies over the years,

this is quite different.

No one we've faced has been

even close to this level.

Master! What can we do?

[MAKAROV]

I'm going to the Alvarez Empire

to negotiate with them.

If I can't dissuade

them from invading,

I'll buy us some extra time

by threatening to activate

the Lumen Histoire.

They understand its power.

[MEST]

Are you serious?

Admittedly,

my chances are slim,

but they'd be better if you

could rebuild the Magic Council.

Wait! There has to

be some other way!

[MAKAROV] I fear that if

something were to happen to me

while Fairy Tail still existed,

my children would

be the next targets.

I cannot put them in harm's way!

I've no choice!

I'm willing to forfeit

our standing.

Throw away our glory.

If that can guarantee the safety

of our family, so be it!

[MEST] Master, please

think this through.

Because trying to hold back

an entire nation by yourself...

This is a su1c1de mission!

I'm carrying the lives of

my children on my shoulders!

And that is what it

means to be a parent.

[NATSU]

Okay!

So Gramps went over to deal

with this empire or whatever

and he never came back?

He wanted to protect us.

Disbanding the guild was

the only way he could.

One whole year... and

not a word from him.

Nothing.

[HAPPY]

Why didn't you try to stop him?

You do know Master Makarov

is impossibly hard-headed.

What could Mest have done?

Do you think he's okay?

I don't know what to think.

Hopefully, he's still

in negotiations.

But they could have

imprisoned him. Or worse.

[ERZA]

My heart tells me he's alive!

So what'd you do?

I started following

Mokarov's plan.

And I got to work on re-forming

the Magic Council.

With some help from Warrod,

I assembled a new council.

This one including the Wizard

Saints as core members.

We'd talked about this

back at Lamia Scale.

I knew the council had

been looking for him,

but Lyon just said

they were concerned.

[MEST] Warrod does know

how grave the situation is,

but I'm not so sure

about the others.

Regardless, the entire

council agrees

that Alvarez poses a

thr*at to all of us.

They were able to establish

a line of defense,

and it seems to have deterred

any invasion or att*ck so far.

That tells me Gramps managed

to buy us some time,

just like he said.

Ya know? So why the hell

isn't he back yet?

[MEST]

I can't say for sure.

Word travels slowly. He may not

know the new council exists.

Or perhaps they're

keeping him there.

You realize we gotta

go save him. Don't ya?

I know.

I did as he said up till now

and got the council

back and running.

But I'm in Fairy Tail,

so it's time I start to

break the rules a little.

[HAPPY] Now that we have

the guild back together,

no one's gonna stand in our way.

Am I right?

We'll bring him back home!

Hold on!

Remember what Master told him,

this is an unbeatable enemy.

We can't act on impulse.

Erza.

We've gotten way stronger

over the last year!

Do you really believe that

these jerks can b*at us?

Master risked his life

and legacy to save ours.

He sacrificed everything.

We must honor his gift.

[ERZA] We'll do that by

rebuilding the guild hall,

taking jobs again, and restoring

Fairy Tail to its former glory.

We're finally reunited.

We need to enjoy this moment

of happiness together.

As the new master, these

are my top priorities.

We're not going?

Really? Come on!

[ERZA]

However,

my feelings as a fellow member

of the guild are different.

We have no other choice

but to bring Makarov home,

and quickly.

Which means... only those in

this room will join the mission.

A small team works best.

We'll infiltrate Alvarez,

rescue our master,

and make our escape.

This will not be

an all-out w*r.

Hear me? We need focus.

That means we won't be starting

any unnecessary fights.

Am I clear?

Yeah, sure.

Let's do it, you guys!

Gramps is counting on us!

Ha. b*at us to the punch.

What are you talking about?

They're gonna go with a

small team invasion strategy?

Alrighty then.

So we'll have to give a

different approach a try.

Hey, Cana.

Do you happen to know

where Gray wandered off to?

I drank that cool drink

right up! And it was good!

How could you do such a thing?!

Are you in there?!

Answer me, Gray!

[MIRAJANE]

If you're looking for Gray,

I saw him following Erza

and Mest a while ago.

I think he was with

Natsu and Lucy.

[JUVIA]

What?

Did you say Lucy, too?

[GRAY]

My, where could everybody be?

[LUCY] Who cares? All that

matters is you're here.

[LUCY, GRAY gasp]

[GRAY]

Lucy.

[LUCY]

Gray.

[GRAY]

Oh!

[groans]

That kinda hurt.

Hey there. You wanna

take a little tipple?

I'm gonna put the

B Team back together.

The B Team?

Like our team from

the Grand Magic Games?

We're gonna look for

ol' blond lightning, too.

[JUVIA]

Hm?

Wait, lightning? Where?

What are you talking about?

Gajeel, do you know

where Laxus is?

[chuckles]

[LUCY] Master Makarov is being

held inside the Alvarez Empire,

and it's up to us to

get him outta there.

We're gonna need a

foolproof plan to save him.

So it's off to the

western continent

where the mysterious

empire is headquartered.

But first, we'll need to make a

little stop on Caracol Island.

Instead of getting our

second wind, though,

we run into an

expl*sive situation!

Next Time: "Law of Space."

He who controls space,

controls our progress.