{Port Town of Hargeon}
The train screeched to a stop, steam hissing from the brakes. Passengers shuffled off one after another until a tall girl with long, spiky black hair that reached her waist stood up from her seat. She wore a black gi, fingerless gloves, and combat boots with leather straps. A wooden staff was strapped to her back.
Sitting across from her was a pink-haired young man, fast asleep, with a small flying blue cat beside him.
"We've reached Hargeon, Natsu! Get up! Get up!" the cat shouted, flapping his wings. He turned toward the girl with exasperation. "Kari! A little help here!"
Kari sighed. "I skipped training with Master Roshi for this…" she muttered, standing up. She poked Natsu's cheek with her staff. "Oi, wake up already."
Natsu groaned but didn't move. Kari grabbed his scarf and began dragging him down the aisle, ignoring the stares of other passengers.
"Happy, where are we again?" she asked the blue cat.
"We're in Hargeon," Happy replied.
Kari let go of Natsu, letting him fall face-first onto the concrete platform.
"Never again… I'm never riding a train again…" Natsu groaned, clutching his stomach.
"Natsu," Kari started, folding her arms, "you still haven't told me why you dragged me here."
"Me and Happy are tracking down this guy called Salamander! I heard he's super strong!" Natsu grinned.
"Aye! If our info's right, he should be in this town," Happy added.
Kari frowned. "Seriously? I could be training right now. For all we know, this guy's not even that strong."
"Of course you'd say that!" Happy huffed. "Didn't you fight the Demon King Piccolo? He was almost as strong as Gildarts, and you still beat him!"
"Yeah, you might be stronger than Erza!" Natsu said excitedly.
Kari's face went pale. "Let's not go that far. She's terrifying."
"Well, anyway, let's go!" Happy cheered.
Natsu's face suddenly turned green. "G-Gimme a minute first…"
Both Kari and Happy sweatdropped.
{Elsewhere…}
A blonde girl named Lucy Heartfilia stepped into a small magic shop.
"What? There's only one magic store in this town?" she groaned, leaning on the counter.
"Yes," the shopkeeper explained. "Hargeon runs on fishing, not magic. Barely a tenth of the people here use it, so we sell mostly to traveling wizards."
Lucy sighed. "So this trip's a total bust, huh?"
"Now, now, don't say that!" the man said cheerfully, holding up a gadget. "How about this ColorS Magic? You can change your clothes' color to match your mood! Like this!" His green shirt instantly turned purple.
"I already have that one," Lucy said flatly. "I'm looking for powerful Gate Keys."
"Ah, Celestial Gates? Those are rare…"
Lucy's eyes caught a silver key on display. "This one! The White Puppy—Nikora, right?" she asked, smiling.
"That one's not very powerful…" the owner said, sweatdropping.
"So what? I've been looking for it! How much?"
"20,000 Jewel."
Lucy's expression darkened. "I'm sorry, how much did you say?" she asked sweetly.
"20,000."
They stared each other down. Lucy leaned forward with a fake smile. "Come on, you kind, handsome old man…" she cooed, winking.
Moments later, Lucy stormed out of the shop. "He only knocked off 1,000 Jewel!? So my looks are worth that little!?" she fumed.
She stopped when she heard squeals echoing down the street. A crowd of girls had gathered.
"They say a famous wizard's here!"
"It's Salamander-sama!"
Lucy blinked. "Salamander?" she murmured, following the crowd.
{Back with Natsu and Kari…}
"Ugh, I really shouldn't have taken that train…" Natsu groaned.
"I offered to fly us on Nimbus," Kari teased.
"Don't remind me…"
"I'm starving," Natsu complained.
"Now you've got me thinking about food," Kari grumbled as her stomach growled. "You two seriously think this 'Salamander' might be Igneel?"
"Yeah!" Happy nodded. "Who else could it be? A fire dragon's gotta be him!"
The trio stopped when they saw a crowd gathered ahead.
"Salamander-sama! You're so wonderful! Burn me!" girls screamed.
The three exchanged looks.
"Salamander!" they shouted in unison, dashing forward.
In the center of the crowd stood a smug man with deep blue hair, two rings on his hand, and flames dancing at his fingertips.
"Lovely," he said, flashing a charming grin. The crowd of girls swooned.
Lucy's heart fluttered. Why is my heart beating so fast?
"Captivated, aren't you?" Salamander smirked, his gaze landing on Lucy. Her cheeks flushed bright red.
But the moment Natsu and Kari burst through the crowd, the spell shattered.
"Igneel!" Natsu shouted, grinning.
The hearts in Lucy's eyes broke instantly.
Kari frowned. "Who the hell are you supposed to be?"
"If I said Salamander, would that ring a bell?" he said coolly.
Natsu and Kari turned around, unimpressed.
"What the hell!? They just ignored me!?" Salamander fumed.
The girls glared at the two. "How rude! Salamander-sama's amazing!"
"What's wrong with you people?" Natsu muttered.
"Now, now," Salamander said smoothly, "no harm done. Let's leave it at that."
The crowd instantly swooned again. Lucy's eyes narrowed.
Salamander offered an autograph. "For you?"
Natsu shook his head. "No thanks."
Kari stared blankly. "Do I look like your type?"
Salamander twitched. "Anyway, I've got business at the next port. But come to my party tonight!" he declared, vanishing in a swirl of purple flame.
Kari folded her arms. "I don't get what the fuss is about."
"Who was that guy?" Natsu asked.
Lucy approached them, smiling. "Hi! I'm Lucy! Nice to meet you!"
{Later… inside a restaurant.}
Natsu devoured plate after plate of meat while Kari had built a mountain of ramen bowls. Lucy sat across from them, looking traumatized.
"So, Natsu, Kari, and Happy, right?" Lucy asked.
"That's us," Kari said, wiping her mouth. "Sorry about the mess. We didn't eat on the train."
A splatter of food hit Lucy's face. "...There goes the 1,000 Jewel I saved with my looks…" she muttered.
Kari reached over and wiped her forehead. "Sorry about that."
"It's fine," Lucy said with a nervous laugh. "Anyway, I wanted to thank you both. That Salamander guy was using a Charm Spell—a type of hypnosis magic that makes people fall for you. It's been banned for years."
"So that creep went that far just to be popular?" Kari asked.
"That's right. Thanks to you two, the charm broke. So lunch is my treat."
Kari smiled. "I see. Thanks."
Lucy beamed. "It may not look like it, but I'm a wizard too! I haven't joined a guild yet, but—"
Natsu and Kari exchanged a look.
"Think she knows we're already in one?" Kari whispered.
"Probably not. The jackets hide our marks," Natsu replied.
Lucy kept rambling. "I'm totally going to join Fairy Tail! They're the coolest guild around!"
"You sure talk a lot," Happy said flatly.
Lucy tilted her head. "Oh yeah, you guys were looking for someone?"
"Aye! Igneel!" Happy chirped.
"We heard about a Salamander here," Natsu said. "Guess it wasn't him."
"He didn't look like a dragon," Happy added.
"They're fire dragons," Kari said matter-of-factly.
Lucy blinked. "What kind of human looks like a fire dragon?"
All three of them stared.
"He's not human," Kari said. "Igneel's an actual dragon."
Lucy's jaw dropped. "A… real dragon!?"
"I only met him once," Kari said softly. "That's how I met Natsu. I was maybe five or six back then."
"Something like that wouldn't just show up in town!" Lucy protested.
Kari groaned, slamming her forehead on the table. "Are you just realizing that now!?"
"I should've ignored you two! I could've been training with Master Roshi!" she whined.
Lucy sighed. "Unbelievable…"
The waitress approached, horrified by the pile of dishes. "Here's your bill, miss."
Lucy read it. "20,000 Jewel!?"
"We accept Zeni too," the waitress added quickly.
"I-I don't have that kind of money!!" Lucy panicked.
Kari tossed her a small pouch. "Is 30,000 Zeni enough?"
The waitress blushed. "Th-that'll do!"
Later that day…
Lucy lounged on a bench, flipping through a Weekly Sorcerer magazine as ships pulled into the harbor.
"Fairy Tail causes chaos again…? They wiped out the Devon thieves and seven houses…" she read aloud. "Man, they go overboard."
She turned the page.
"Eighth Anniversary of the Demon King Piccolo's Defeat."
There was a photo of a young girl—no older than nine—in an orange gi, being lifted into the air by a cheering crowd.
"…She looks just like Kari," Lucy whispered.
Flipping the page, her eyes widened at a swimsuit spread of Mirajane. "Ooh! A photo shoot of Mira! How do you even join Fairy Tail, anyway? They're the coolest!"
"So you want to join Fairy Tail?"
Lucy jumped. "S-Salamander!?"
The blue-haired wizard emerged from a bush, smirking.
"I wanted to invite you personally to my party."
Lucy glared. "Your charm magic won't work on me, jerk! It fails when people know it's being used!"
He sighed. "As I thought. You're a wizard too. No matter—just come to the party."
"No way! Not to some creep like you!" Lucy barked.
"You wanted to join Fairy Tail, didn't you?" he said smoothly. "Haven't you heard of Fairy Tail's Salamander?"
Lucy gasped. "You're from Fairy Tail!?"
"That's right," he lied. "I'm even friends with the Great SaiyaWoman. I could put in a word with the Guild Master for you."
Lucy's eyes sparkled. "Really!?"
He smiled. "We'll meet again at the party, then." He blasted off in a swirl of fire.
Lucy blinked, then scowled. "He totally used a fake charm spell…"