"Seriously, why am I participating in such a dangerous operation? Why is it still just the few of us? And why is he sleeping so soundly?" Lucy sat in the car, complaining loudly as she pointed a finger at the napping Chen Fan.
"Hey, Lucy, you're over-analyzing things again," Happy chimed in with a retort. "What does us being here have to do with whether Chen Fan is sleeping or not?"
"I think it's a hassle too, so stop complaining," Gray added, unable to resist joining in the grumbling.
"Sigh..." The group let out a collective, dejected breath.
Seeing their lack of energy, Erza spoke up. "These are the members the Master chose himself. Stop complaining. Shouldn't we live up to his expectations?"
The group fell silent. Natsu was essentially out of the equation, currently half-dead from severe motion sickness. After a moment, Lucy thought of something and asked, "But if we're going into battle, don't we have Juvia and Gajeel?"
"They both have other jobs to attend to, so they couldn't make it," Happy explained.
"Isn't this better?" Erza continued. "We're all original members and understand each other well. This is our first time conducting a joint operation with other guilds. Ensuring the coordination within our own guild doesn't fail is the top priority."
"Uh... I hate to say this," Lucy muttered, "but since when have we ever coordinated? We never have a plan; we just fight our own battles. Plus, one of us doesn't even join the fight most of the time."
"Ah! Is that so?" Erza replied, completely oblivious. "I never noticed. It seems our coordination has already transcended the boundaries of a mere plan."
Liar! That's a total lie! Lucy and Gray screamed internally.
Suddenly, Happy, who was keeping watch from the car window, shouted, "I see it! It's the meeting point!"
The others looked out to see a castle-like villa appearing before them. Erza reached over and patted Chen Fan's cheek. "Wake up. We're here."
Chen Fan rubbed his bleary eyes and looked around. "Oh, we've arrived?"
Thud!
Erza kicked him right in the rear, sending him tumbling out of the car. "We're here, so get out. Don't dawdle and block the door." With that, she marched toward the villa. Chen Fan rubbed his backside and quickly scurried after her.
They pushed open the doors and stepped inside. "What a gaudy place," Lucy remarked, taking in the interior decor.
"This is the villa of Master Bob, the leader of Blue Pegasus," Erza explained.
Hearing the name "Bob," the groggy Chen Fan shuddered violently, suddenly wide awake. He was deathly afraid of that flamboyant, eccentric man; even hearing the name was enough to give him nightmares.
"Oh, it's that guy," Gray sighed, sounding a bit traumatized himself. His voice trembled slightly. "I'm... not really used to him."
"Come now, don't say that," Erza cautioned. "Even if he is like that, he is a powerhouse that even our Master finds troublesome."
Suddenly, several voices rang out in unison. "Welcome, members of Fairy Tail. We have been expecting you."
"We are..."
"The members chosen..."
"By Blue Pegasus."
"The Trimens!!" The three men spoke one after another before finishing together.
"Hibiki of the Hundred Night..."
"Eve of the Holy Night..."
"Ren of the Empty Night..." The trio introduced themselves with an air of sickeningly sweet narcissism.
"The Blue Pegasus Trimens! They're so handsome!" Lucy's old fangirl habits kicked in immediately. "And that guy Hibiki is Hibiki Lateshe's always at the top of the 'Mages I want as a Boyfriend' rankings in the weekly magazines!"
"Ah! Crap, I forgot my clothes again," Gray shouted from the side, already shirtless. Natsu, meanwhile, was still over in the corner, vomiting.
Lucy took one look at them and sighed. "This side is a complete disaster." She turned her gaze to their last remaining 'sane' combatant, Chen Fan. However, because he had just woken up, his hair was a bird's nest,
his clothes were the same old dirty set, and his eyes were staring blankly ahead. He didn't look like a doctor at all; he looked like a psychiatric patient who had just escaped from the Third Hospital.
Lucy facepalmed in silence. Our last bit of combat strength is a wash, too.
While Lucy was appraising her own teammates, the men from Blue Pegasus had already rushed to Erza's side, showering her with attention. Lucy was also invited over. Watching this, Chen Fan felt a surge of rage. You dare flirt with my woman? Do you have a death wish?
He raised his foot and slammed it down.
BOOM!
A massive crater appeared in the floor, kicking up a cloud of dust. Everyone jumped, thinking they were under attack. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was just Chen Fan's footwork and immediately understood what was happening.
Erza let out a low huff and whispered, "Jealous brat!" A faint blush touched her cheeks. The Blue Pegasus trio was too focused on Chen Fan to notice, but Lucy, sitting right next to her, saw it clearly.
Gray, Natsu, and Happy thought to themselves that the handsome guys from Blue Pegasus were in for it now. Of all people to provoke, they had to pick Chen Fan. They crossed their arms, preparing to watch the show.
From within the dust cloud, Chen Fan's lazy voice drifted out. "Ah... man, what a crappy villa. The floor collapses the moment you step on it. Good thing I've trained, otherwise I'd have ended up with an anal fissure."
He stomped a few more times for good measure, adding several more pits to the floor. A few pebbles were 'accidentally' kicked toward the Blue Pegasus trio, landing right at their feet. The three jumped back in alarm, creating some distance between themselves and Erza.
"What did you say?! You did that on purpose, didn't you? Are you trying to start a fight?" Hibiki shouted at Chen Fan. The other two dropped into combat stances.
"Nonsense," Chen Fan said, flipping his hair. "Would a civilized man like me ever engage in something as crude as fighting? Unlike you uncultured, thuggish types who only know how to deceive girls."
"You're literally describing yourself," Lucy muttered weakly.
Suddenly, from the top of the stairs, a voice that was cloyingly sweet spoke up. "You boys, that's quite enough."
"What is with that sugary voice?" Lucy said, rubbing her arms as if to ward off chills.
"Master Ichiya."
"Ichiya..." Erza repeated, her voice trembling slightly.
Chen Fan lunged to Erza's side, staring warily at Ichiya, terrified that the man might get close to her.
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