Fairy Tail Stands.
"Huh, they sent Lucy."
"For Sea Battle, I thought it'd be Laxus—zapping everyone else into submission or something."
"That would've been way too brutal for the opponents."
"I'm actually curious how strong that Lucy is, since she's an S-Class mage now!"
"Do your best, Lucy-nee~"
The guildmates chattered away, their atmosphere perfectly relaxed.
With Chase leading four S-Class mages, this was truly the strongest team imaginable. Losing was simply unthinkable!
"There seem to be some powerful mages among the opponents too. Lucy should be fine, right?"
Future Mavis sat on the railing, looking up at Lucy inside the massive water sphere suspended above the arena.
With Future Lucy as a living example right in front of her, she couldn't help feeling a bit worried.
"Mhm! She might not be the strongest, but she's the bravest Celestial Spirit Mage I've ever met~"
Beside her, Mavis swung her bare little feet cheerfully, her lively eyes filled with trust.
When faced with the Black Dragon Acnologia's terrifying pressure, which Celestial Spirit Mage wouldn't have crumbled to the ground in fear? Yet Lucy had kicked it right in the heart!
"Now I'm really looking forward to it." Future Mavis broke into a smile.
Behind them, Éclair looked excited. "Finally—it's Lucy's time to shine!"
Momon, meanwhile, was chattering nonstop to Future Happy and the others about Lucy's glorious achievements, occasionally mixing in some jabs like "loudmouth" for good measure—keeping it objective and comprehensive.
"The other me—the S-Class me's battle!"
Inside the cards, Future Lucy watched the arena intently through shared perception, afraid to miss a single detail.
If she could learn something from her stronger self, then surpassing those two idiots Natsu and Gray would no longer be a dream. Maybe she could even pass this year's S-Class trial!
Whether she'd actually succeed was uncertain, but for a guild newbie of seven-and-a-half—almost eight—years, it was certainly an ambitious goal.
Fairy Tail Competitor Area.
Chase and the other three who had withdrawn from the arena stood together with Natsu, Gray, and the other substitutes.
Mirajane gazed at the six competitors warily eyeing each other inside the water sphere. "Even though they're underwater, it looks like they can breathe and talk normally."
"Probably some special magic mechanism built into it," Chase said.
The Fiore Kingdom truly had deep pockets—whether it was the aerial maze in the preliminaries or Pandemonium, every event was a massive production.
"Dammit! Why didn't Lucy pick me?! If she'd chosen me, I could've evaporated this little water ball in an instant!" Natsu's irritated voice rang out.
Taking advantage of the break to change into swimsuits, Lucy—with a reminder from Chase—had summoned Gemini to copy Gray and Juvia.
The combination of Ice and Water Magic plus Aquarius would absolutely maximize the terrain advantage!
"No kidding—because I'm stronger than you, obviously!" Gray sneered without mercy.
"What did you say, you bastard?! You're stronger than me?!" Hot-headed Natsu immediately went for him.
Daily forehead-to-forehead contact between best bros (1/1)
"Natsu! Lucy's clearly thought this through more comprehensively."
Erza stepped in to stop them. "And Gray—right now, what matters most is cheering Lucy on!"
The two who had been about to throw down instantly slung their arms around each other's shoulders, transforming into Happy Numbers Two and Three.
"Minerva..."
Wendy leaned against the railing, her attention fixed entirely on the cold-faced Future Minerva, a complex look in her eyes.
Meanwhile, inside the massive water sphere.
Wearing a sexy swimsuit, Lucy scanned her opponents and pulled out a Celestial Spirit Key from the belt at her waist.
"Open! Gate of Gemini!"
A golden magic circle spun, and the Future World's Gemini appeared.
Following Lucy's instructions, Gemini waved their little hands and transformed into a cloud of white smoke—taking on Gray's appearance.
"Oh my! Lucy has broken the standoff first, summoning Gemini, who can copy other mages!" Chapati shouted excitedly.
"I see. Using Gray's Ice-Make Magic is indeed very suited for Sea Battle."
Yajima nodded, expressing his approval while explaining Gemini's abilities to the audience. "She's clearly put some thought into her strategy~"
Even Future Minerva, who remained expressionless, was momentarily caught off guard. The other competitors were also surprised—they hadn't expected this kind of tactic.
Gray's Ice-Make Magic had already left a deep impression on them during the first day's events!
"That's right! Gemini—follow the battle plan we discussed. Use Ice-Make Magic to freeze everyone else's areas—"
Halfway through her sentence, Lucy's voice died in her throat as if she'd seen something unbearable. Her mouth twitched involuntarily.
Following her gaze, a pair of black boxer shorts drifted past in the water.
Then came a smooth, firm pair of buttocks.
"Wearing clothes underwater is so uncomfortable. This feels much better."
Gemini Gray sighed in relief, his hairy legs gently swaying to keep balance—and appeared on the big screen in all his visually devastating naked glory!
Lucy's plan was sound, but she'd forgotten one thing: Gemini didn't just copy the target's magic, combat experience, and memories.
They also copied personality and behavior patterns...
In an instant—including competitors and guild members alike—the entire arena fell into dead silence.
"P-PERVERT!!"
"Shameless bastard!"
"I never expected THAT guy from Fairy Tail to be like this!"
Female spectators covered their children's eyes, unleashing waves of disgusted condemnation.
Most male spectators silently shed tears of envy and jealousy.
Future Mavis, Future Lucy, Future Levy, and the others who had been so full of anticipation all froze on the spot.
So... this was S-Class Lucy's fighting style...?
Gray, who had been smugly showing off to Natsu just moments ago, was struck by lightning and turned to stone on the spot.
THAT PERVERT ON STAGE IS NOT ME!!!
"As expected of Gemini—completely flawless." Erza watched the big screen with perfect composure, delivering her serious critique.
"Oh my, Chase—did you already know this was going to happen?" Mirajane nudged his arm with a laugh.
"Can't blame me for this. Copying Gray was Lucy's own choice." Chase chuckled along.
"Um... is it too late for Juvia to learn Celestial Spirit Magic?" Juvia was practically vibrating with excitement.
Even Master Makarov couldn't hold it together. He smacked his forehead in anguish. "That idiot—the guild's hard-earned reputation is going down the drain!"
Whether he meant Lucy or Gray was anyone's guess.
"Wild! Why didn't I think of this strategy?!"
Inside the water sphere, seeing the other competitors' stunned expressions, Rokka of Quartet Cerberus—the only male in this event—seemed to have a revelation. He decisively and resolutely yanked off his red shorts.
If sacrificing his dignity could give his last-place guild an advantage, then...
He would go all the way!
And just like that, the number of perverts on stage doubled.
"WILD!!" The master of Quartet Cerberus and Future Bacchus were deeply moved, shouting in unison.
Lucy hastily defended herself: "That's NOT the kind of strategy I had in mind!!"
The verbal abuse from the crowd grew even louder.
"Ahem—despite this unexpected turn of events, please don't worry. All sensitive areas have been pixelated."
Chapati said with utmost seriousness. "Now then—the competition continues!"
"Censoring is NOT the issue here!!" Lucy shouted in exasperation.
Figuring she'd already summoned Gemini and couldn't waste the magic power, she went all in. "Gemini—attack!"
"Understood."
Gemini Gray clapped his fists together, intense cold radiating outward. "Ice-Make: Lance!"
SHING SHING SHING!
Using the water as a medium, several icy arrows shot forward at high speed, targeting all five competitors!
***
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