Fairy Tail: Strongest Creature

"Wait, we can go to the second floor now?!"

Lucy sounded surprised. Back then, when they went on the Galuna Island mission—an S-class job—they hadn't even been allowed upstairs. Instead, they'd been punished. Now, it seemed anyone could simply stroll up to the second floor.

"You can even take S-rank jobs!" Happy said, delighted.

Natsu's body stiffened. He remembered how much trouble he went through before, stealing an S-class mission just so he could see what the second floor was like. Now they'd opened it to everyone, just like that. He felt a bit…resentful.

At that moment, Master Makarov's voice rang out: "You're back, brats."

They turned to see Makarov approaching with someone in tow.

"This is Juvia, our newest member," Makarov announced proudly. He loved welcoming cute girls into the guild, and Juvia was no exception.

"Haha!! You actually joined!" Gray said with a smile, recognizing Juvia.

Erza chimed in, "Juvia, thanks for your help at Akane Beach."

"Huh? You all already know each other?" Makarov had been planning to show off this new recruit, but it turned out she was already acquainted with several guildmates.

"It's all thanks to everyone," Juvia said, bowing slightly. "Juvia will do her best!"

Makarov then whispered, "I suppose you know she was with the Phantom Lord…"

"We do," Erza replied. When they'd been at the casino, Juvia had revealed her identity. Though surprising at first, the Phantom Lord was disbanded, and Juvia herself had caused Fairy Tail little real harm. Plus, she'd helped at the Tower of Heaven. No one was particularly bothered.

"Very good, very good," Makarov said. "Get along with her. And there's someone else who's joining. Hey, you, come say hello."

"Someone else?" Lucy echoed.

A figure stood, turning around.

"Who…?"

"Gajeel?! It's you!" Natsu yelled, recognizing the newcomer with shock.

During the Phantom Lord incident, Su Yan had once knocked Gajeel flying with a single punch. Gajeel also fought Natsu, and though he put up a fight, he ended up losing after Su Yan had injured him first.

"Gajeel? The one who destroyed our Fairy Tail guild?!" Lucy gasped, covering her mouth.

Gray's face darkened. "Master, what's going on here?!"

Erza, equally serious, said, "Juvia is another matter, but this is the guy who wrecked our entire guild."

Both Gray and Erza had grown up in Fairy Tail. They were deeply attached to it, so Gajeel was far from welcome.

"Humph," Gajeel snorted, looking away.

Makarov held up his hands. "Now, now. He acted under Jose's orders. As they say, yesterday's enemy is today's friend."

"That's a load of crap!" Natsu barked. "How can we work with someone like that?"

"Don't worry," Gajeel retorted, shooting Natsu a glare. "I'm not trying to get all friendly with you, either. Just wanted a job; turns out the most popular guild is Fairy Tail. Annoys me to think about it."

"What did you say?!"

Juvia hurried to Gray's side, trying to calm him. "I'm sorry! I recommended him. Gajeel was quite lonely, and Juvia worried about him."

Makarov added, "It's the older generation's job to help young folks who've lost their way. He's not bad at heart. The environment at Phantom Lord twisted him."

Turning to Su Yan, Makarov asked, "What do you think of this kid?"

All eyes shifted to Su Yan. Though not officially second in command, most of the guild viewed Su Yan as the strongest mage after Makarov—some even saw him as the likely future master of Fairy Tail. Gajeel also looked over, silently wary. He had personally fought Su Yan before, and Su Yan's defense and strength made his own Iron Dragon Slayer Magic look like a joke.

Su Yan frowned slightly. "If the Master has allowed it, then so be it. The past is over. From now on, you're no longer Gajeel of Phantom Lord. You're Gajeel of Fairy Tail. As long as you don't betray us, you're one of us."

"But if you do betray us…" Su Yan's eyes hardened, "…I'll be the one to end you."

Everyone noticed the subtle tension in Gajeel's face. Still, after his experiences, Gajeel wasn't the same as before.

Erza spoke up, "If this is the Master's and Su Yan's judgment, I won't argue. But we should keep an eye on him for a while."

Makarov nodded, sighing. "All right, all right."