After returning to the Fairy Tail guild, Lucky stepped through the entrance with Erza by his side. The guild hall was its usual lively self, bustling with chatter, laughter, and clinking mugs. As his eyes scanned the hall, he saw Master Makarov speaking with a few guild members near the mission board. Nearby, Cana and Gray sat at their usual table.
Lucky made his way over with Erza. Cana gave a small wave, raising her bottle lazily. "Yo, Lucky."
"Hey," he greeted, then glanced at Gray. "We're supposed to go on a mission with Laxus."
Cana sighed, waving dismissively. "You're outta luck. Laxus left earlier this morning. Didn't even say goodbye."
Lucky groaned. "That guy really didn't keep his words."
Suddenly, Gray stared at him with an intensity that made Lucky raise a brow.
"Fight me," Gray said flatly.
Lucky blinked. "What?"
"I want to fight you," Gray repeated, standing up and stepping onto the table with a serious expression. "Right here, right now."
Lucky tilted his head. "Why? What gives?"
"I need to prove something to myself," Gray said. "And to...."
Before Lucky could hear what he said fully, Makarov appeared out of nowhere. "Alright, alright! Let's take this outside. Can't have the guild destroyed again."
Cheers erupted in the guild. Everyone loved a good sparring match. The crowd flooded outside, forming a circle around the makeshift battlefield. Makarov smirked as he began organizing bets.
"Place your wagers! Who'll win, Lucky or Gray?!"
Most of the members quickly placed their bets on Lucky. His powerful summons had left an impression.
Standing across from Gray, Lucky called out, "Summon or no summon?"
Gray narrowed his eyes. "Give it your all."
Lucky smiled. "Alright then."
Without hesitation, he summoned the Iron Golem and the Golden Eagle, climbing onto the eagle's back. As it ascended into the air, Lucky looked down confidently.
"Come on, Gray."
Gray "..."
Makarov "..."
Erza "..."
Cana "... it feels kinda mean"
And the crowd fell silent.
Gray's mouth hung open. "This is unfair! You're flying!"
Lucky grinned. "I gave you the difficulty option. You should've taken it."
Gray was speechless.
After a moment of stunned silence, Lucky gently floated down and dispelled the summons.
"Alright, no summons. I'll use only my magic."
After that he nods at me and the people who bet on me were sad because Lucky was known for his summoning magic and they realized he recently learned Solid Script Magic. Then on the side, Cana said, "Lucky will lose," which made Makarov—who was counting the bets—nod and state, "Lucky can summon strong monsters, but his actual magic is quite low compared to Gray." This made Erza shake her head and say firmly, "Lucky's magic is very strong."
Disappointed murmurs rippled through the crowd. Makarov scratched his head. "Well, there goes most of the bets."
Cana frowned. "Lucky's strongest with his summons. His direct magic is still kinda weak compared to Gray."
Erza folded her arms. "You're wrong. Lucky's magic is strong."
Back on the field, Gray created several ice arrows and fired them in a flurry. Lucky quickly scrawled the word FIRE into the air. A blazing burst of flame clashed with the ice, melting it, but only partially.
"Tch. Not fast enough," Lucky muttered and cast FIRE again to clear the rest.
The crowd cheered for Gray, noting how Lucky needed two spells to counter one of Gray's.
"Gray's got this!"
"He's pushing Lucky back!"
Only Cana and Erza started cheering for Lucky.
"Why are you cheering for him?" Erza asked.
Cana shrugged. "He's using the similar card magic I use. It's fun to watch."
Lucky was sweating now. He was burning through mana quickly. His physical strength wasn't special either—more like a kid from his old world, not the magically enhanced strength of Fairy Tail Mages.
He had to finish this fast.
He gritted his teeth. Time to gamble.
"Lucky Hit: Activate," he whispered.
He channeled 2,000 mana into the next word. The multiplier flashed in his mind: x6.
It wasn't massive, but it was enough.
He wrote AIR into the sky. Six glowing words launched toward Gray, slicing through the air like blades. The sheer force of the spell created a shockwave.
Gray formed a massive ice sledgehammer and slammed it into the magic to defend after all for Fairy tail Members the best defence is offence, but the six AIR words collided with it in a storm of magical force. Dust and wind blew across the battlefield, sending spectators stumbling and hair flying.
Only one person among the crowd—Makarov—narrowed his eyes.
'No... that level of output shouldn't be possible with the amount of magic in his body,' he thought, hands tightening on his cane. 'That wasn't just raw power... he used something else. But I won't pry. Everyone has their secrets.'
When the dust cleared, Gray was on the ground—lying in a small crater, curled up in a familiar defeated pose.
"Yamcha style," Lucky whispered.
Gasps and laughter spread through the guild.
Lucky rushed over, finding Gray conscious but slightly battered.
From his inventory, a card appeared in his hand.
——————
Tier: 3
——————
Type: Item (Consumable - Potion)
——————
Use: 1
——————
Description: A crimson potion glowing with life essence. Restores 50% HP and boosts natural healing by 25% for 10 minutes.
Delay: 1 second.
——————
Without hesitation, he crushed the card. A glowing bottle of crimson liquid appeared. He helped Gray sit up and gently held the potion to his lips.
Gray coughed, then drank. His eyes widened as the healing began.
"That stuff's amazing," someone said.
"How much for one?!"
Lucky shook his head. "That was my last one."
Gray stood up slowly, rolling his shoulders. "Thanks. That was a good ."
Lucky smiled. "You almost had me."
They clasped hands in mutual respect. The crowd cheered wildly.
Makarov laughed heartily, finishing the betting. "Alright! Back to the guild, you lot!"
Erza approached as the crowd dispersed. "You really surprised them."
Lucky rubbed his head. "I needed to win with out my summons. Plus, I've been practicing."
Gray grinned. "Next time, I won't go easy."
"Neither will I," Lucky replied.
With mutual smiles, they walked back to the guild, their bonds strengthened slightly through battle.