"Something good?"
Lucy blinked, a hint of anticipation in her eyes.
If those words had come from Chase instead of the Dark Magician Girl, she might have been more skeptical. Not because she didn't trust him but the memory of that ridiculous pink dumbbell he had tricked her into last time was still fresh. That same dumbbell was currently in Natsu's hands, as he toyed with it absentmindedly.
Come to think of it, ever since then with the incidents on Karuna Island and the fight with Phantom Lord she hadn't done any real, focused training.
While Lucy was lost in thought, Chase reached into the void and drew out a blank card.
"Inside is a training plan compiled by the Dark Magician Girl, along with several books on summoning magic. You can draw out the contents by channeling your magic power into the card."
Truthfully, based on what Chase knew from the original timeline, Lucy having inherited all of Layla's Celestial Spirit Keys possessed incredible potential as a Celestial Spirit Mage.
From wielding the Star Dress that harnessed the power of the constellations, to opening multiple gates at once, to mastering the ancient Stellar Spirit Star Map magic, and even summoning the Celestial Spirit King her future abilities could far surpass those of most other Celestial Spirit mages.
The main reason she so often ended up on the losing side was simply that she was constantly compared to overpowered "cheaters" like Natsu and Gray.
That's why the Dark Magician Girl's training plan, based on Chase's guidance, was aimed entirely at drawing out Lucy's latent potential.
"Ah! I almost forgot about this!"
Lucy beamed, holding out her hands to carefully receive the card from Chase. "Brother Chase, please thank the Dark Magician Girl for me!"
There was no need for excessive politeness between guildmates, so she accepted the gift wholeheartedly.
After all, this Phantom Lord incident had only deepened her bonds with everyone in the guild. Her desire to become stronger strong enough to protect them had never been clearer, even if she was still the weakest one at present.
"Training plan? Lucy, lemme see!"
Natsu's eyes lit up, and he lunged forward, trying to snatch the card from her hands.
"No! It's a customized plan a customized plan!" Lucy quickly clutched the card to her chest, as though protecting a priceless treasure. If anything happened to the detailed notes the Dark Magician Girl had worked so hard to put together, she would… well… she'd have no choice but to commit seppuku to atone!
"Natsu, don't get so worked up. I've got something for you and Happy too."
Chase raised a finger and smiled mysteriously.
He had originally planned to bring it up tomorrow, but since fate had conveniently brought Natsu and Happy here tonight, he might as well start testing their fusion right away.
"Wait we get something too?"
Happy's eyes widened in surprise, drool already forming. "If it's a card that summons an endless supply of fish, I promise I'll never sharpen my claws on your pillars again… I'll only do it at Lucy's house!"
Lucy: Why am I the one getting blamed here?!
"It's definitely card-related," Chase said with a grin, "but not something that ridiculous."
As he spoke, Chase pinched his fingers together and revealed a magic card, its surface shimmering faintly.
"This is my new magic card Fusion. It can merge two separate entities into one."
He grinned. "So… do you two want to give it a try?"
According to the mechanics of Yu-Gi-Oh, fused monsters usually ended up with either much higher stats than their original forms…
Or with extremely powerful skill effects.
Either way, the result almost always meant becoming stronger!
The only thing Chase wasn't sure about was what form the fusion would take here in the real magical world.
Would it turn into a three-headed beast like the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon? Or would it create a completely new entity, the way Dark Magician combined with Buster Blader became the Dark Paladin?
Was the result based on the properties of the two fused materials… or was it completely random?
The Fusion Magic Card's information panel didn't explain any of that. The only way to find out was to test it.
"Ooooh! Fusion magic? That sounds amazing!"
Natsu's eyes instantly lit up, always eager for something new.
"Love~! If Natsu and I fuse, we'll no, we'll definitely become the strongest in Fairy Tail!" Happy declared, punching the air.
Neither of them gave the slightest thought to the potential risks or side effects. They weren't the kind to worry about details if it sounded fun, they were in.
Standing nearby, Lucy couldn't help grumbling, "Isn't 'fusion magic' supposed to mean synchronized magic between wizards?"
"Also, that word 'combination'… it sounds weird. People could take it the wrong way."
She covered her mouth, squinting at Natsu and Happy with a mischievous, knowing look.
"If there are no objections, let's start."
The moment Chase finished speaking, he channeled magic into the Fusion card. A glowing magic circle spread out beneath Natsu and Happy, marking them as the chosen fusion materials.
Immediately, a swirling vortex appeared, its pull irresistible. Natsu and Happy both practically vibrating with excitement were drawn into it, their bodies vanishing into a burst of blinding light.
A strange, powerful aura began to build, filling the cramped space of Lucy's rental house.
The light was so intense that Lucy had to throw her hands up to shield her eyes.
When she finally lowered them, the sight before her made her freeze in place.
Standing there was… a man with dark blue skin. His face still resembled Natsu's, but the "droopy eyes" Gray so often teased him about were gone, replaced by bright, round pupils that gleamed with a strange intelligence.
On his head sat a large mask shaped like a harpy's face. From beneath it spilled short, cherry-colored hair streaked with a distinctive blue fringe.
A long, blue cat's tail swayed lazily behind him, impossible to miss.
When Chase saw the completed fusion "Nahabi," as he decided to call it the first thought that came to mind was that it looked exactly like Natsu wearing a Happy costume.
Kind of like that time in the original story when Erza ended up wearing a matching outfit with Frosch.
"Hahaha! This is such a weird feeling! My vision's so much wider all of a sudden! And whoa I've got a tail!"
Nahabi turned in circles, examining himself from every angle. His voice carried an odd mix of Natsu's and Happy's tones, blended into something entirely new.
One thing was certain he had completely inherited Natsu's carefree personality and impulsive temper.
"Pfft ! They actually merged?!"
Lucy choked, spraying the tea in her mouth everywhere.
Once she recovered, curiosity got the better of her and she hurried forward, her eyes wide. "Hey… are you Natsu? Or Happy?"
"Hmm… now that's a tough one," Nahabi said, rubbing his chin as he thought it over.
After a few seconds, his face lit up with pride and he clapped his fists together.
"That's it! I am the mighty Fire Dragon Cat master of the flames of a dragon and the claws of a cat!"
....
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