The Magic Merchant in Fairy Tail

After his defeat years ago, Laxus harbored a relentless desire to defeat Kira. However, Kira consistently refused to fight him, deeming it pointless. As Kira's abilities grew, earning him an S-class title in just two years, the gap between the two widened further.

Laxus, seeing Kira as an obstacle to becoming the guild's strongest and its future leader, occasionally challenged him. But once Laxus reached S-rank, Kira completely stopped entertaining his challenges.

"Fighting the same person over and over gets boring," Kira would say.

Frustrated, Laxus watched as Kira withdrew from guild rivalries and focused on opening his magic shop. This enraged Laxus. Everyone else is striving for strength, and you're sitting behind a counter?

Feeling betrayed by Kira's departure from active guild life, Laxus gave up trying to reconnect. The two rarely interacted anymore, and their relationship remained tense and unresolved.

"Speaking of Mistgun," Kira mused, shifting topics as guild chatter filled the hall, "there's a reason he keeps his face hidden. It's way too easy to misunderstand when people see it."

Natsu's ears perked up immediately. "You've seen his face, Kira?"

"Of course," Kira replied.

"What does he look like? Why all the secrecy?" Happy asked, buzzing with curiosity.

"That's private," Kira said with a shrug. "All I'll say is that he looks identical to someone very famous. You'd be shocked if you saw him. But trust me, you don't want to dig into this mystery—" Kira smirked, "—even if it's a guild mission."

"You're making us more curious!" Natsu grumbled, but quickly shifted gears. "Forget it! Hey, Kira! Fight me!"

"Not today." Kira yawned lazily. "I'm tired. You win this time."

"What?!" Natsu protested. "That's not fair! Fine, Laxus! Fight me instead!"

"No way," Laxus scoffed from the second floor. "If you can't even beat Erza, you've got no chance against me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Erza asked, narrowing her eyes ominously. The air around her seemed to grow heavy with her intimidation.

Natsu retreated nervously. "Erza, calm down!"

"Come down here and fight me, you coward!" Natsu yelled, turning his attention back to Laxus.

Laxus leaned over the railing, sneering. "Come up here, shrimp!"

It was like watching two schoolchildren quarrel.

"Fine! Wait there!" Natsu rushed toward the staircase but was stopped mid-step by Markov's giant hand.

"Natsu! You're not ready to go up to the second floor yet!" Markov declared, pinning him to the floor.

Laxus smirked. "Hah! You got scolded!"

"Rrrgh…" Natsu growled, his frustration muffled as Markov held him down with ease.

Turning to Laxus, Markov added sternly, "And you need to behave, too."

But Laxus ignored him, his voice booming with arrogance. "I'm the strongest in Fairy Tail! Stronger than Erza, Mistgun, Kira, or even Gildarts!"

Suddenly, a bright holographic projection lit up the guild hall, pulling everyone's attention.

"What's that?"

Kira stood near the bar, holding a palm-sized image magic crystal. It projected a series of moving images onto the wall.

Laxus' boastful grin froze as the footage began to play.

A much younger Laxus, maybe ten years old, stood before a slightly older Kira. "I heard Grandpa say you're some kind of genius," the boy Laxus said. "Come fight me! I'll show you who's the most talented wizard in Fairy Tail!"

The scene shifted. Laxus lay sprawled on the ground, his face swollen and bruised. "H-how is this possible?! I… I actually lost!"

The crystal projection transitioned through a montage of Laxus being defeated by Kira at different ages, in different outfits, on different occasions. Each time, the young Laxus cried, "How is this possible?! I actually lost!"

The compilation grew increasingly absurd, with one defeat after another. The refrain echoed in comedic rhythm:

Bang!

"How is this possible?!"

Boom!

"I actually lost?!"

Crash!

"How is this possible?!"

The entire guild stared in stunned silence for a few seconds. Then the room erupted in laughter.

"Hahaha! Laxus looks so pathetic!"

"This is priceless!"

"Strongest? Yeah, right!"

Even Natsu, who moments ago had been fuming with frustration, was rolling on the floor, laughing so hard that tears streamed down his face.

Kira casually pocketed the magic crystal, smirking. "Yeah, yeah. Old footage like this is gold. Truly, these image magic crystals are a revolutionary invention. Don't you agree, President?"

Markov wiped tears of laughter from his eyes. "Haha! I haven't seen Laxus like that in years!"

Meanwhile, Laxus sat motionless, his face beet red and fists trembling. Veins bulged across his forehead as fury overtook him.

"YOU BASTARD!"

Laxus exploded with rage, summoning a massive bolt of golden lightning. It crackled through the air, striking Kira faster than anyone could react.

Except Kira, who had anticipated it.

With a loud CRACK, the lightning dissipated harmlessly as Kira raised a shimmering, rubbery shield.

"Heh," Kira said, grinning smugly. "I knew you'd try something, Laxus. Good thing I'm quick with my hands. This rubber shield was specially designed to counter lightning mages like you!"

Laxus seethed, his thunderous magic crackling dangerously around him. The guild was deathly quiet now, the humor of the situation eclipsed by Laxus' growing fury.

Markov sighed and stepped forward, raising his hand. "Laxus, that's enough."

Laxus glared at his grandfather but reluctantly backed down.

As the tension subsided, Kira chuckled and leaned casually against the bar. "Relax, Laxus. It's just a little friendly banter. But if you're serious about being the strongest, maybe focus less on posturing and more on real progress."

Laxus shot him a glare before storming off, muttering curses under his breath.

The guild slowly returned to its usual lively chaos, though Kira couldn't help but notice the lingering storm clouds in Laxus' expression.

"He still has a long way to go," Kira muttered to himself. But deep down, he hoped Laxus would one day live up to his potential.

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