Soft white light filtered slowly through Ren's eyelids, bringing with it the faint scent of herbal medicines mixed with the smell of clean linen and the slight musk of the guild's old wood. The air in the Fairy Tail infirmary was cool, almost cold, contrasting with the heat that still burned in every muscle of his body. Faint footsteps echoed from the corridor outside—perhaps Mirabel changing a patient's bandages, or the suppressed laughter of Macao trying not to be a nuisance. The soft rhythmic chime of a medical lacrima device hummed in the background.
Ren blinked slowly, his pitch-black eyes—marked by the small mole under the left—still blurry. "...Hngh..." he groaned hoarsely, his voice sounding like sandpaper rubbing together. His nine-year-old body felt heavy, as if every bone and sinew had just been trampled by a giant. The bruises on his back, the ache in his arms from stretching Bungee Gum to its limit, and the throb in his right fist—all of it reminded him of one thing: that final strike. The one punch that had managed to touch Gildarts Clive's face.
"Ah... I'm alive, I guess," he whispered softly, his lips curling into a thin smile despite the pain.
"Just woke up?"
A voice greeted him from the neighboring bed, flat but laced with subtle mockery. Ren tilted his head slowly; his neck muscles protested. There sat Laxus Dreyar, leaning against the wooden wall, one leg stretched casually over the white blanket, his left hand resting on his knee. His usually spiked blonde hair was a mess, a few strands stuck to his forehead by dried sweat. Thin bandages wrapped around his arms and chest—souvenirs from the single blow of Gildarts that had dismantled his defenses in an instant. His expression was neutral, but a small smirk played at the corner of his mouth.
Ren stared at him for a few seconds, his mind still sluggish from the sedative.
"...Oh. It's the loser," he said flatly.
Laxus raised an eyebrow. "Hah?"
Ren closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and opened them again with a weak grin. "You're still alive. I thought you'd been reduced to ash."
Silence fell. The air between the two beds was tense, but not with the tension of enemies. Then—
"Ha!" Laxus let out a short laugh, harsh but genuine. He shook his head, his blonde hair swaying. "Says the brat who passed out?"
Ren's grin widened, even though his body screamed in protest. "At least I landed a punch. You? You were just floor decoration."
Laxus snorted loudly, his sharp brown eyes narrowing. "That was just a fluke. You're lucky Gildarts was taking it easy."
Ren turned his head sharply, eyes glinting with challenge. "Oh? So my punch to Gildarts was an illusion too? Or are you just jealous because my fist hit harder than your lightning—which only made him tilt his head?"
Laxus scowled, tiny sparks of electricity beginning to crackle at his fingertips. "Don't get a big head. It was just one punch."
"One more than you did," Ren countered casually, his voice steady even as his chest rose and fell more rapidly.
The atmosphere shifted instantly. Small bolts of lightning flickered around Laxus, causing his blanket to lift slightly. Ren began to sit up slowly, despite his spine protesting with sharp stabs of pain. Their gazes locked—pitch black versus sharp amber—like two storms ready to collide in the Magnolia sky.
"Repeat that," Laxus said quietly, his voice low and dangerous.
Ren smirked wide. "You. Lost. Without. Touching. Him."
CRACK!
A small burst of electricity exploded in the air between them, causing the medicine rack on the wall to rattle.
"You bastard—"
"Why?" Ren cut him off quickly, his voice cold yet mocking. "Because it's a fact?"
"Fact my ass!" Laxus barked, but there was a hint of a laugh behind the anger.
"At least my head didn't get pounded into the dirt in one second."
"YOU PASSED OUT TOO!!"
"After I hit him!"
"ONCE!!"
"Enough to show the difference in class!"
"SHUT UP!!"
A few moments later, both were panting in their respective beds, exhausted not from physical combat, but from their characteristic explosive bickering. Ren's breath hitched, hand clutching his aching chest. Laxus covered his face with his palm, his shoulders heaving.
"...Still hurts," Laxus muttered finally, his voice tired but satisfied.
"Yeah," Ren replied flatly, a faint smile appearing.
Silence. For the first time since they had regained consciousness, there was no more mockery. No burning anger. Just a comfortable silence, filled by the afternoon breeze from the half-open window. The scent of flowers from the guild's backyard drifted in, mingling with the calming smell of medicine.
Ren stared at the worn wooden ceiling, his eyes narrowing as he recalled the fight. "...He's a monster."
Laxus didn't answer immediately. But after a few seconds, he nodded slowly. "Yeah."
A short answer. But a heavy one. Like acknowledging an unreachable mountain.
Ren raised his right hand slowly, looking at his palm which was still reddened and trembling slightly. He could still feel the impact. Gildarts' skin, hard as steel. The Crush Magic that had nearly obliterated the entire momentum of his Bungee Gum and Texture Surprise in a heartbeat.
"My attack... it was almost destroyed," he whispered. "If I had been a split second late... my fist would have vanished before it even touched him."
Laxus stared ahead, his eyes serious, small sparks of lightning still occasionally crackling in his hair. "He wasn't even serious. I could feel it. One hit from him... and I couldn't even stand."
Ren let out a hoarse but sincere laugh. "...That's what makes it so annoying."
Silence again. But this time, it wasn't empty. It was a silence filled with thoughts, with plans beginning to form in the heads of two boys who were far too talented for their age.
"Oi." Laxus broke the silence first.
Ren glanced over. "What?"
Laxus looked straight ahead, his gaze as sharp as a lightning bolt ready to strike the heavens. "Next time... I'm going first."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "...Meaning?"
"I'm going to beat him." No hesitation. No doubt. Just pure, burning conviction in Laxus Dreyar's eyes. "I'll be the first one to take Gildarts down. I'll leave him black and blue."
Ren went silent for a moment. Then a thin smile appeared on his lips. He sat up a bit straighter, ignoring his body's protests. His eyes burned like a small, unquenchable fire.
"If you can... I'll be there first. I don't like waiting in the back."
Laxus smirked wide, his teeth glinting. "...Heh. Brave talk for a rubber brat."
Ren shrugged casually. "I don't like being beneath anyone. Especially not someone who just likes to nag."
"Good," Laxus replied, his voice full of spirit. "Because neither do I."
They stared at each other. No more mockery. No more anger. Just the same pure, sharp, and unwavering resolve. Two boys who used to taunt each other in the guild's backyard now shared the same flame.
Laxus reached his hand out into the middle of the room. "Don't you dare lose before we get there."
Ren stared at the hand for a few seconds—the hand that used to be full of aggressive lightning, now open as a sign of camaraderie. He gripped it firmly. The handshake was brief but solid. A small vibration of Ethernano met—rubbery resilience and striking lightning—like an unspoken vow.
"Don't count on it," Ren replied, his voice steady.
Outside the room, the sounds of the guild were still audible through the wooden walls—Macao's booming laughter, the clouds of Wakaba's pipe smoke, the cheers of other members still celebrating Ren's "legendary punch." Life in Fairy Tail went on, full of color and warm chaos.
In the quiet infirmary, two young figures leaned back into their beds. Ren closed his eyes, his mind already drifting toward the future: ways to combine Texture Surprise with an even faster Momentum Punch, and new strategies to bypass Crush Magic. Laxus also closed his eyes, tiny sparks of lightning still appearing at the tips of his hair, but his face was calm. For the first time, he felt he had someone to chase—and someone to overtake.
The Magnolia sky outside the window slowly turned a golden orange as evening fell, its light shining on the two boys who had just made a promise. A simple promise. But a promise that would shake the future of Fairy Tail.
Because from that day on, they were no longer just ordinary guild members. They were challengers. And they had only one goal:
To become strong enough... to take down the legend named Gildarts Clive.