Outside the Fairy Tail guild hall, on the open clearing, two roaring pillars of flame churned the air, their heat waves giving the illusion of being in the middle of summer. Natsu and Future Natsu stood facing each other from a distance, their identical upward-glancing eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit. As their magic power surged, the temperature around the mountainside rose sharply.
"So how exactly did things suddenly turn out like this?" Future Lucy sighed helplessly.
They had been having so much fun playing the mirror game just moments ago, and now, in the blink of an eye, those two idiots had run outside to pick a fight.
"It seems Natsu's butt-sticking-out angle was different from Natsu's, and then they inexplicably started arguing, neither willing to back down," Future Lisanna explained.
"That's... such an oddly specific reason. But honestly, it does sound like something those two idiots would do..."
More than the cause of the incident, Future Lucy was more worried about her own safety right now. "If they start fighting, they're not going to flatten this whole mountain, are they?"
"That won't do, me. We're both S-Class mages now. If we don't even have the courage to watch, Chase will make fun of us!" The other Lucy stood with one hand on her hip, looking brave and fearless.
Having just passed the exam and become an S-Class mage, she seemed significantly more confident.
After all, she had already fought head-on with Natsu and Gray—even if that was Gemini transformed into her.
"Huh? The me over there is actually that unafraid—" Future Lucy was about to admire the other's courage, but her words died in her throat as her eyes went wide. "Wait! Hold on!"
"S-Class? Me?!!!"
Her sharp, shrill voice instantly drew the attention of everyone nearby.
Chase's group was relatively composed, merely clenching their fists in mild frustration. But Future Elfman and the others over there were far more dramatic—their eyeballs practically popped out of their sockets, their jaws dropping to the ground in shock.
"What?! Lucy? An S-Class mage?!!!" xN
Even Future Makarov was taken aback, staring at his counterpart in utter disbelief. "Wait, wait—that's got to be a joke, right?"
"Well, a lot happened along the way, but Lucy did earn her S-Class rank through her own strength and wits," Makarov replied, then asked curiously, "What, did she not pass the exam on this side?"
"Cana was the first to pass, but then Grimoire Heart attacked, so the results were nullified."
Future Makarov still hadn't fully recovered from the shock.
His counterpart had said "strength and wits." In other words, the Lucy over there was stronger than Natsu, Gray, Freed, and the others?
With that thought, he looked at the betting pool in front of him and felt a pang of regret. He had been too hasty—he shouldn't have bet so much on Natsu!
Following the grand old tradition of Fairy Tail, the moment the two Natsus declared their duel, an exciting betting pool had already been set up. Naturally, both old masters had firmly backed their own guild's kid.
"Haha! I've decided—once this match is over, we should have Lucy and Lucy fight each other too!" Chase said, never one to miss out on the fun.
He had placed a bet as well.
"Aye! I agree!" Happy was the first to raise his hand in support.
Immediately after, Gildarts, Cana, Future Macao, and others raised their hands one after another.
"Don't go making weird decisions like that on your own!" x2
For once, both Lucys were in perfect agreement.
Fighting herself—that sounded absolutely idiotic!
"Lucy... S-Class... No way..."
On the field, Future Natsu stood frozen as if struck by lightning, the flames around him rapidly extinguishing.
Both Lucys shouted in unison: "Does me becoming an S-Class really shock you that much?!" x2
"Haha! Lucy's always been amazing. And next year's S-Class is definitely going to be me!"
Natsu, however, took it in stride, a bright grin spreading across his face as he looked at his counterpart. "If it's 'me' over there, I'm sure you can understand that, right?"
His words unintentionally charmed both Lucys, making them a little flustered.
"You do have a point."
Future Natsu reignited his fighting spirit. "And besides, I'm not going to lose to myself either!"
BOOM!
Fists clashed, erupting in flames, followed by crackling golden arcs of lightning that burst forth, amplifying that terrifying aura to its peak. There was no need to hold back against oneself, so right from the start, he unleashed his current strongest form—Lightning Fire Dragon Mode!
"This magic power... Laxus's lightning?"
An intense pressure washed over him, and Natsu detected the Dragon Slayer magic signature of Laxus in his opponent.
Future Natsu, bathed in lightning and flames, boasted with confidence: "That's right! I worked really hard to master this, you know!"
"Ahaha! So I really am strong, huh. Well then, I'll use—"
Natsu took a deep breath. "Destruction Fire Dragon Mode!"
BOOM!
The flames around him visibly deepened to an even fiercer red, and the raw destructive energy radiating from him made the ground tremble. Now it was Future Natsu's turn to be stunned: "A dragon's presence completely different from Igneel's?!"
Two magical powers, four different attributes, clashed violently in the narrow clearing. Even before the actual fight began, the rampaging aura was already making it hard for everyone to breathe.
Lucy, who had just boasted about bravely watching the fight, couldn't even last three seconds. She immediately turned and hid securely behind Chase.
When Future Lucy, who had been hoping for "S-Class Lady" protection, snapped back to her senses, there was no one left beside her.
"So fast! The fastest S-Class in retreat speed!"
She scrambled after Lucy and ducked behind Chase as well, not forgetting to complain.
Influenced by her counterpart, she couldn't help but feel that this guy she had just met was actually pretty reliable.
The others instinctively stepped back as well.
However, the expected explosive roar of flames that would blow the mountaintop apart never came.
"Hey, me over there—I just got a super awesome idea~" Future Natsu's eyes lit up with a sly grin.
"Hehe, looks like we're thinking the same thing."
Natsu returned an equally cunning smile.
"I'm fired up!" x2
After exchanging glances, the two who had been at each other's throats just moments ago instantly switched targets. In perfect sync, they clenched their fists and charged straight toward a corner of the crowd.
"With someone as strong as me by my side, we can definitely take down that bastard Erza!!!" x2
THUD. THUD.
Quick as lightning, alongside their passionate war cries, came two crisp, dull thuds.
"You two are impossible. Well then, let's get started," Erza said seriously.
She was still troubled by the fact that "there was no Chase in this future."
"Not a bad spirit. Let me see just how much mettle the you from over there has, Natsu," Future Erza said, cracking her knuckles.
"Aye~ It's already over~"
"Aye~ No mettle at all~"
The two Happies declared the result, pointing at the fallen Natsus, from whose mouths tiny soul-people were drifting out.
Both Lucys shouted in double tsukkomi: "What the hell were you two idiots even fired up about?! Erza is also two people, you know!!!"
***
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