Soon, Lucy and her family arrived as well, and they all talked well into the evening. Only Ultear and Ur were missing.
'I'll search for them tomorrow,' Shun decided, before announcing, "I'll head home for today."
'Need to feed Mavis,' he remembered.
The Heartfilia family rose and bowed deeply in thanks.
Shun insisted it wasn't necessary, but they didn't lift their heads until he finally made a quick exit, leaving the Strauss siblings puzzled by the sudden formality.
Sorano and Yukino, still trailing him like ducklings, followed Shun all the way back.
When they arrived, a fairy greeted them at the door. "Welcome."
"Take a seat on the sofa," Shun said. "I'll make a quick snack, then let's watch something." With that, he introduced the two girls to a whole new world of entertainment.
—
The next morning, Shun set out early to find Ultear and Ur and make sure they were alright.
He learned that Ultear had, under Hades' orders, infiltrated the Magic Council.
Shun had no intention of interfering in the natural flow of events, unless a certain giant black dragon was involved.
"Hello, Miss Ultear," Shun greeted when he saw her after so long.
"Huh? You still remember me?" she replied, her tone nearly as dramatic as Sorano's.
"I was on a ten-year quest, one no one had completed in a decade," Shun offered as an excuse.
"You mean the one you finished in three days, then told the locals not to report it to the guild yet?" As a Council member, Ultear was well-informed. She might have even investigated herself.
"Sigh, you got me. I was exploring new lands. If you're upset, I'll grant you one wish," Shun said, playing the genie.
Ultear's expression turned serious, her voice cold. "Then find Brain for me."
The playful mood vanished.
"Do you want revenge?" Shun asked what was already clear.
Ultear stayed silent.
"Alright, I'll find him today. Bring Ur along, she deserves justice too."
Shun agreed, though he didn't plan to let them kill Brain. That man had handed Shun his one and only loss, back when he faced Zero. It was time to return the favor.
'Besides,' he thought, 'Brain isn't worth dirtying their hands. I'll handle it myself when the time comes.'
—
Shun began his search right away, though he had no real leads.
He visited a dark guild that dealt in information, the kind that tracked Wizard Saints, guild masters, or Magic Council fugitives.
The guild operated in plain sight, hidden inside an ordinary tavern.
Shun approached the owner. "Umbra net," he said, the password he'd gotten out of some low-level thugs.
He felt his face warm slightly. Such childish spy stuff is kinda embarrassing.
The owner nodded and motioned toward a back door.
Inside, a deep voice asked, "What do you want to know?"
"A man wanted by the Council—goes by the name Brain."
To Shun's relief, the middle-aged information broker responded, "Last seen around here," pointing to a spot in central Ishgar, near a village called Morioh.
"Thanks. How much?" Both were all business.
After receiving payment, the broker asked, "What did this guy do to catch the attention of Fairy Tail's youngest S-Class?"
Shun didn't answer, simply turning to leave.
Normally, the broker didn't deal with light guild mages, but Shun was different.
Lately, the man had become… preoccupied with SHFC.
He watched Shun go, his own voice deepening nervously as he sighed.
—
"Miss Ur, long time no see," Shun said when he met up with Ultear and Ur.
"Hello…" Ur replied softly. Lately, she'd been avoiding him because of the strange feelings she'd started having, but today she couldn't avoid him, it was time for revenge!
"Don't look so tense," Shun said, and before she could react, he hugged her.
Both women froze in surprise.
"It's alright… after today, things will be better. You'll have more time with your daughter," Shun comforted Ur, this time without any hidden agenda.
"Let's go." He teleported them ahead, then followed.
They reappeared high in the air, standing steadily thanks to Paw Shoes—Shun's original magic that let users walk on air through subtle repulsion.
"He's in there?" Ultear eyed a cave below.
It was near where Nirvana had been in the original timeline.
"Yes," Shun confirmed. "You two take Brain. If Zero shows up, I'll step in."
Neither objected. Ur didn't know Zero's strength, but Ultear did—he was still out of their league.
"Yes!" they said in unison, charging toward the cave.
"Ice Make: Rose Garden!" Ur summoned her signature purplish ice roses beautiful, but sharp with thorns.
"Intruders?" Brain reacted instantly. "Dark Rondo!"
Their spells clashed, but Ultear melted Ur's ice with her Arc of Time just before impact, letting the water slip past the dark energy, then turned the melted ice's time back mid-air back into ice roses.
The seamless teamwork caught Brain completely off guard. He took the full hit, collapsing badly injured.
What was that?! Shun was genuinely impressed.
"This bastard caused all our suffering!" Ultear and Ur began kicking the unconscious Brain fiercely.
He looked broken, and Shun didn't blame him—that coordination was terrifying.
Soon, a strong magic presence began swelling from Brain's body.
"Fall back. Time to switch," Shun warned.
"I am Zero, who will reduce everything to nothingness!"
Zero made his dramatic entrance, but upon seeing Shun, he broke into hysterical laughter.
"You brat! I've waited for this! I'll—"
To Shun's amusement, Zero suddenly attacked mid-sentence.
Is he seriously copying my move from back then? Was he that impressed?
Shun let Zero's punch connect with his head, appearing to take full damage as Zero pressed the assault.
"Shun!" both women cried out, worried—they'd never seen him hurt before.
But Zero grew uneasy. His fists weren't landing cleanly each impact met something dark and solid, like a shield.
"What is this?!" Abandoning physical attacks, Zero charged his magic. "Genesis Zero!"
Countless soul-seeking phantoms materialized, aimed at total annihilation.
'Terrifying magic. Not sure how Natsu survived this in the original.' Shun thought with a sigh
"Doesn't matter if it never hits," Shun murmured.
Repelling the air, he moved almost instantly, appearing behind Zero.
He fell into a familiar punching stance one that would make any witness of Marineford war shout: Whitebeard!
It was the tremor attack of the Gura Gura no Mi, a power whose name reminded Shun of his favorite singer from his past life. He'd saved it for a special occasion like erasing his first and only loss in this world.
Zero, still casting forward, sensed death approaching from behind but couldn't turn in time.
"Goodbye, Zero. As your name wished, I'll erase you into nothingness."
Shun's punch released a shockwave coated in advanced Armament Haki internal destruction. Zero wouldn't survive. In this world, bodies weren't as resilient as in the world where Akainu had endured a similar blow.
"Shun…" Ultear and Ur descended, staring at the devastation—the cave and a large portion of the mountain behind it were simply gone.
They felt foolish for ever worrying about him.
Without a word, Shun hugged them one after the other, holding Ur just a little tighter this time yes, now he had an ulterior motive.
"Come on, let's go back to Magnolia. Stay at my place tonight to celebrate erasing our bad history behind."
He grinned, and the three headed home.