Early morning, by the lake on the outskirts of Magnolia.
Lucy stretched, taking a deep breath of the fresh air.
The lake shimmered under the morning light, and a gentle breeze brought a hint of coolness.
She turned to look at Natsu beside her, who was squatting by the shore, staring intently at the water as if he was about to jump in at any second.
"Natsu, fishing requires patience," Lucy said helplessly. "Staring like that, you'll scare all the fish away."
"Huh? Isn't fishing just about catching fish?" Natsu scratched his head impatiently. "It's faster to just jump in and grab them!"
"No!" Lucy grabbed him by the collar. "Fishing is about enjoying the process, not about who catches the most!"
"Tch..." Natsu pouted but still sat down obediently.
Not far away, Gray was leisurely organizing his fishing gear, while Erza had already set up three fishing rods, looking determined to win.
"Gray, are you sure this will work?" Lucy whispered.
Gray smirked: "Don't worry, I have a secret weapon."
"Secret weapon?" Lucy tilted her head in confusion.
Gray smiled mysteriously, pulling out a box of sparkling bait from his bag: "Special Ice Crystal bait. The fish will freeze the moment they bite, absolutely no escape."
Lucy: "...Isn't that cheating?"
"Fishing never said you couldn't use magic," Gray retorted righteously.
On the other side, Erza's fishing rod suddenly shook violently.
"It's on the hook!" She yanked the rod —
"Splash!"
A large fish, at least half a meter long, burst out of the water, arcing gracefully through the air, and then... "Thwack!" it landed squarely on Natsu's face.
Natsu: "..."
Erza: "...Sorry, my hand slipped."
Natsu tore the fish off his face, gritting his teeth: "Erza! You did that on purpose, didn't you?!"
Erza's expression remained unchanged: "Accidents happen when fishing."
Gray's shoulders shook as he tried to suppress his laughter.
Lucy rubbed her forehead: "...Can this competition even proceed normally?"
Ten minutes later, Natsu completely lost his patience.
"This lousy fishing rod is useless!" He threw the rod aside, rolled up his sleeves, "Watch me!"
"Hey! Natsu! What are you doing?!" Lucy cried out in alarm.
"Fire Dragon's — Fishing Secret Technique!"
"Boom!"
Natsu punched the lake surface, and flames instantly evaporated a huge puddle, sending a dozen fish flying into the air, which then splattered onto the shore.
Everyone: "..."
Gray's mouth twitched: "What kind of fishing is that?!"
Natsu proudly folded his arms: "How about that? I won!"
Erza silently drew her sword.
"Natsu Dragneel!!!"
"Wait! Erza! The rules didn't say we couldn't use fire!" Natsu shouted as he ran.
"The rules also didn't say I couldn't cut you!" Erza chased after him, radiating killing intent.
Lucy looked at the fish flopping on the ground, sighing: "...Well, our lunch is sorted."
Amidst the chaos of Natsu and Erza's chase, Gray secretly activated his magic.
"Ice Make: Trap."
Icy blue mist suddenly rose, and the lake surface instantly froze into a thin layer of ice. Below the ice, a huge swirling vortex formed, trapping the fish in the icy hole, unable to move.
"Hehe, now they're all mine," Gray said triumphantly, reeling in his line, ready to scoop up the fish.
However, as soon as he reached the edge of the ice —
"Crack!"
The ice suddenly cracked, Gray's foot slipped, and with a "Splash!" he fell into his own trap.
Lucy: "...Gray?!"
A few bubbles rose to the surface of the lake, and then Gray's head emerged, still biting a desperately struggling fish.
Lucy: "..."
Gray expressionlessly spat out the fish: "...Plan changed."
"Aye~! You guys are too weak!" Happy flew over, flapping his wings, a small net in his claws. "Watch me!"
He swooped down, skimming over the lake surface, and instantly, a few lively fish were in his net.
"Haha! Now that's skill!" Happy circled in the air, pleased with himself.
Natsu looked up and shouted: "Happy! Catch some for me too!"
"Aye! Natsu, jump in and catch them yourself!" Happy made a face.
Natsu: "...You rascal!"
Gray climbed out of the water, soaked to the bone, gritting his teeth: "Happy, get down here."
"No way!" Happy flew even higher. "Gray is so scary~"
Lucy watched her boisterous teammates, shaking her head helplessly: "...Are we here to fish or to demolish the lake?"
Half an hour later, Erza finally stopped chasing Natsu and returned to her fishing spot.
"The farce is over," she said coldly. "It's time to show some real skill."
Everyone gathered around curiously.
They watched as Erza pulled out a — giant harpoon from her bag.
Lucy was stunned: "...Wait, Erza, is that fishing?"
Erza raised an eyebrow: "Efficiency first."
With that, she forcefully threw the harpoon into the lake —
"Boom!!!"
The lake water exploded in a five-meter-high splash, and a dozen fish were stunned and floated to the surface.
Gray: "..."
Natsu: "...You can do that?"
Lucy: "...I give up complaining."
Happy: "Aye! Erza is the strongest!"
At noon, everyone sat by the shore, grilling fish.
Natsu was in charge of lighting the fire (by breathing fire), Gray was in charge of freezing drinks (with magic), and Erza was in charge of... making sure no one secretly ate anything.
Lucy looked at the charred fish skin, hesitating: "Natsu, isn't your fire a bit too strong?"
"Grilled fish tastes best like this!" Natsu confidently handed her a charcoal-like fish.
Lucy: "...Are you sure this is edible?"
The black smoke emanating from the grilled fish and its pale eyes proved that it definitely tasted as bad as it looked.
Lucy hesitantly took the grilled fish but couldn't bring herself to put it in her mouth.
Gray silently pushed his iced sashimi towards her: "Try this?"
Erza took a skewer of grilled fish from Natsu, cut it open, and it was still raw inside.
Everyone: "..."
Lucy raised her hand and sincerely asked, "Why didn't we call Yuumi on this trip? At least she learned to cook from Mira!"
Happy wrinkled his tiny eyebrows, "Yuumi was taken shopping by Millianna."
Lucy: "I wish I had gone shopping too."
"..."
Ultimately, everyone unanimously decided — to send Happy to town to buy bento boxes.
On the way back, everyone argued incessantly.
"I caught the most!" Natsu shouted.
"But it was all violent fishing, so it doesn't count," Gray retorted.
"My fish was the biggest," Erza calmly concluded.
Happy: "Aye! My fishing skills are the best!"
Lucy sighed: "...We didn't even get to eat any."
Under the setting sun, the Fairy Tail fishing team noisily made their way home, and the lake returned to its calm state.
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