On a luxurious cruise ship, a banquet was underway. Lucy, dressed in a formal red evening gown, had been separated into a private room.
"Just endure a little longer… joining Fairy Tail is worth it. Stay calm, stay calm."
A small voice in Lucy's head urged her on. But she immediately second-guessed herself: "But would Fairy Tail really accept someone like… that?" She shook her head and refocused her thoughts. "Forget it. Let's see how things go first. Stay sharp, and don't fall for any weird magic like at the park earlier today."
While Lucy was lost in thought, the fake Fire Dragon, the purple-haired man, pushed open the door, carrying two glasses and a bottle of juice, his self-satisfied grin intact.
Though smiling, his gaze raked over Lucy from head to toe, as he internally mused: "Huh, definitely a top-tier beauty… maybe a mage? I'll need to be careful."
"You're Lucy, right? Such a pretty name. I'm Bora," he said.
"Thank you," Lucy replied, forcing a polite tone despite her disgust.
"Let's have a drink together, consider it getting acquainted," Bora added. He snapped his fingers. Instantly, the juice floated in the air, infused with magic—and using a ring, he cast a sleep spell on the suspended liquid.
"Slap!"
Lucy's senses sharpened. She immediately leapt to her feet and swatted the floating drink aside. Her face was serious.
"What do you think you're doing? That juice is enchanted with sleep magic, isn't it?"
Bora smirked, surprised. "Well, well… you know quite a lot. I didn't expect you to notice."
"Slap! Slap!"
Bora's magic failed, and with his scheme exposed, he no longer bothered hiding his arrogance. He snapped his fingers again.
"Minions, come out!"
The previously laughing and carefree girls on the deck suddenly collapsed, unconscious, and were carried off by a group of thugs.
"You… how dare you! You scum!" Lucy shouted, her fury flaring as she faced Bora.
Meanwhile, on the observation deck…
"Impersonating a Fairy Tail mage… unforgivable."
Natsu gripped the railing, eyes locked on the cruise ship cutting across the sea. He had just overheard some girls talking—they mentioned the Fire Dragon of Fairy Tail hosting a banquet aboard this very ship.
"Happy, let's go!"
"Eh~"
Happy and Natsu sprinted upward, launching themselves onto the ship. A key fell into the water in a graceful parabola.
"Bang! Crack!"
Natsu punched through the ceiling in a flashy display—but only seconds in, he groaned, clutching his stomach. "Ugh… so gross… I feel like I'm gonna—" and bent over to vomit.
Lucy, momentarily excited, was stunned by Natsu's dramatic flop.
"Lucy, what are you doing here?" Happy hovered, wings flapping, clearly shocked.
After eating at the restaurant, they had assumed Lucy had gone straight to join the guild she dreamed of. Now, unexpectedly, she was here.
"Don't ask… I was tricked. They said if I came here, I could join Fairy Tail… wait, why do you have wings?" Lucy's tone shifted to shock as she noticed Happy.
"Later," Happy said. "We'll explain everything. First, let's go." He curled his tail around Lucy and lifted her into the sky.
"Hey, hey, Natsu, what do we do?"
"I can't carry two people, but don't worry, Natsu."
Bora, seeing them escape and fearing a complaint to the council, quickly unleashed his fire magic to pursue them.
"Flame Magic—Whip of Fire!"
Several purple flame whips lashed toward Happy and Lucy from multiple angles. With a sharp turn, Happy dodged them effortlessly.
"Damn… that cat is agile," Bora muttered.
"You dare impersonate a Fairy Tail mage and commit such acts?" Natsu blocked a strike with his arm, glaring furiously at Bora. Bora and his minions looked up, distracted, unaware that Lucy and Happy had already vanished.
Meanwhile…
A golden light enveloped Kael, Lucy, and Happy, suspending them in midair. Reflected light concealed their forms.
"Yo, Happy, long time no see. Still the same size, huh?" Kael's golden Fairy Tail emblem-marked hand gently patted Happy's soft head.
"Kael! I missed you so much! Why did it take you so long to come back?" Happy's eyes filled with tears of joy as she leapt into Kael's arms, nuzzling her head against him in happiness.
Kael didn't mind. "Still as emotional as ever. See? I'm back. There, there… don't want anyone laughing at you."
"You… you're Kael, the young mage who became one of the Saint Tens in your youth! I'm Lucy… I've always wanted to join Fairy Tail."
Lucy's shock silenced her, hand over her mouth. She hadn't expected to meet the legendary mage who had shaken the entire continent—without even having officially joined Fairy Tail yet.
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she respectfully stammered out her long-held wish.
Kael chuckled. "Haha, too formal. Just call me Kael. And this… should be yours, right? Your Star Key, Star Spirit Mage Lucy."
Kael modestly scratched his head and, using Holy Light Magic, handed Lucy the recovered Star Key.
"My Star Key! Amazing, amazing!" Lucy squealed, pressing it to her face with delight.
"Star Spirit Mage?" Happy, perched on Kael's shoulder, tilted his head in confusion.
"A mage who uses a special contract key to summon otherworldly Star Spirits in battle. That's a Star Spirit Mage," Kael explained.
"Powerful?"
"Yes."
"Lucy, try it! And for now, let's just guide that ship back to shore," Kael said, glancing below where Natsu, still groggy from motion sickness, struggled to fight off Bora's minions.
Kael conjured a water sphere and moved it in front of Lucy.
"All right, let's see what I've got!" Lucy prepared eagerly, hoping to impress a Saint Ten and secure her place in Fairy Tail. She didn't yet know that destiny would ensure she would join Fairy Tail under a fated guide, no matter what.
"Open… Aquarius Gate!"
Lucy inserted the Waterbearer Key into the sphere, and a glowing blue magic circle appeared. A long-haired mermaid with a commanding presence emerged.
"Aquaria, use your power to push the ship to shore!"
"Grr~ Lucy, lose your key again and you'll regret it!"
Lucy yelped as Aquaria flaunted her arrogance. Undeterred, Aquaria unleashed a torrent of water, lifting the ship's waves and propelling it toward the shore. After finishing, she flicked her head and vanished.
"Boss, look behind you!" a subordinate shouted, pointing at the massive wave, but it was too late—a giant surge capsized the ship, rolling it toward land.
"Impressive," Kael remarked.
"Right?"
"Lucy, good job. Let's eat. I grabbed some street snacks along the way—candied chestnuts. Delicious," Kael conjured a table and chairs with Holy Light Magic, and they began eating.
"By the way, Kael… why not help Natsu directly?" Lucy asked.
"Just testing. I want to see if Natsu has slacked off in the past two years," Kael replied with a grin.
Lucy laughed, relieved to see Kael's casual demeanor, and joined him in eating. If she knew Kael was secretly a 'wife-fearing' type, she would have laughed even harder.
Meanwhile, the girls from the ship had been magically relocated safely into the city. Realizing they were unharmed, they screamed in surprise and scattered, unconcerned about the events on the shore.