Gajeel didn't resist. The punch sent him skidding across the ground for several dozen meters until he crashed into and shattered a large boulder, finally coming to a stop.
As the dust settled, Gajeel slumped against the broken remains of the boulder, his body scorched black and visibly injured.
"Hey, hey, Laxus, this is just between us, isn't it? Did you really have to hit so hard?" Sarusuke, the brown-haired man wearing a hat, said with a tone of reluctant disapproval.
Sarusuke, along with Droy and Levy, made up the "Shadow Gear" team.
They had originally planned to beat Gajeel up today—to get back at him for what happened during the Phantom Lord battle, where Gajeel had brutally attacked the three of them.
Since Gajeel was now part of Fairy Tail, they saw this as an opportunity to settle old scores—and then move forward as trusted comrades.
That's why Sarusuke and Droy decided to give Gajeel a good thrashing—not out of hatred, but to clear the air. After all, once the fight was over, they could start fresh as guildmates.
Gajeel understood this unspoken rule and chose not to retaliate.
But Laxus showing up and unleashing such a powerful magic attack on Gajeel was completely unexpected.
They only wanted to vent their frustrations—they weren't trying to kill him.
"Huh?" Laxus turned to glare at the trio. His magical energy surged violently around him, exuding the terrifying pressure of a powerful mage, causing the three to tremble involuntarily.
"L-Laxus..." Levy mustered the courage to speak up. "There's no need for that. This is our issue—it has nothing to do with you. Don't attack Gajeel."
*Crackle*
A flicker of lightning danced across Laxus' body, startling Levy enough to hide behind a tree.
"Don't take your anger out on them," Gajeel forced himself to stand, though his body wavered. "If you've got something to say, come at me."
"Gajeel, you idiot! Don't say things like that right now!" Sarusuke panicked.
Laxus was not someone you provoked lightly!
"Letting someone like *you* into the guild was Gramps' idea, wasn't it?" Laxus sneered, clearly displeased. "Being so forgiving of former enemies just makes us look weak!"
"Weak enough that even the lowest scum think they can challenge Fairy Tail's authority!"
"Fairy Tail needs a—"
"Save your grand speech, Laxus. There's no one here who wants to hear it."
A voice cut through Laxus' tirade.
A blue cat with wings descended slowly, landing in front of Laxus.
"...," Laxus glanced down at Jehfrit [in Happy's body].
"Jehfrit, what nonsense are you up to now?" Laxus instantly recognized that Jehfrit's soul was inhabiting Happy's body.
He could recognize Jehfrit even if he were turned into a rock.
"Oh, just having some fun," Jehfrit replied casually.
"You always enjoy these noisy, chaotic scenes, but you never contribute anything meaningful to the guild," Laxus grumbled, clearly annoyed.
"What's wrong with being noisy?" Jehfrit countered. "Everyone gathers together, laughing and enjoying themselves without caring about strength or personality differences. It's about mutual acceptance and inclusiveness. Isn't that great? Besides, chaos highlights everyone's individuality, and individuality makes things more interesting."
"Laxus, if everyone were as obsessed with power and ambition as you, this wouldn't be Fairy Tail—it'd be some dark magic cult or a dark guild."
"What did you say?!" Laxus roared, his body crackling with intense electricity.
"This is Happy's body—he can't handle your lightning," Jehfrit calmly pointed out.
"I don't care about that," Laxus reined in his lightning slightly. "Neither can you."
"Maybe not," Jehfrit shrugged.
With a final snort, Laxus turned and walked away.
"Laxus, next time you're free, come fishing with me!" Jehfrit called after him.
Laxus ignored him.
"Are you... Jehfrit?" Levy finally asked once Laxus was gone.
"That's right, Levy. We've run into trouble, so hurry back to the guild with me—we'll explain everything on the way!" Jehfrit urged.
"Okay!"
"Please take Gajeel to get treated. I'll go back to the guild with Jehfrit," Levy instructed her teammates.
"Got it!"
On the way, Jehfrit explained the situation in detail.
Levy furrowed her brow deeply.
When they arrived at the guild, she wasted no time and immediately began analyzing the problem.
Word spread quickly, and people started returning to the guild one by one.
"How much longer?!" Lucy [in Natsu's body] was on the verge of breaking down.
"Two minutes," Cana answered.
"This is bad!"
Everyone grew increasingly anxious.
Time seemed to drag on forever.
"Thirty seconds left!" Cana announced.
"I'll give it a shot!" Levy declared, looking every bit the gambler.
"Lok Vah Koor"
*Shimmer*
The request paper glowed with a dazzling seven-colored light.
"It worked!" Everyone cheered.
The colorful glow receded.
"I'm back!" Natsu roared, spewing flames into the sky.
"Me too!" Gray instinctively stripped off his shirt within seconds.
"Thank goodness!" Lucy and Juvia sighed in relief.
"But wait… something feels off!"
Suddenly, someone noticed something was wrong.
"Is that my body?!"
"Ah, my soul's been swapped again!"
"What's going on?!"
While Natsu and the others returned to normal, and Levy remained unchanged, *everyone else* had their souls swapped again!
"Nice figure!" Cana tossed aside her beer barrel and struck various poses.
"The master's body… the sheer amount of magical power is terrifying…" Makarov clutched his chest, utterly shocked.
"This is bad! Really bad!" Levy paled.
But none of what happened next concerned Jehfrit.
He slept soundly.
---
[Jehfrit's Diary:]
[
**Day N+1:**
Yesterday's exchange magic was pretty amusing, though I fell asleep shortly after switching bodies. From what I heard later, they kept swapping multiple times before Master finally remembered—destroying the medium (the request paper) would undo the magic. So, everyone worried for nothing.
Come to think of it, did Master really "just" remember that? ]
---
Jehfrit arrived at the riverside carrying bags of gear.
The sunlight was perfect.
Natsu and Happy weren't there again.
Guess it's just me today.
Hmph! Fine! If they're not coming, I'll enjoy all the luck myself! Until I'll be tired of winning.
Today, I caught a big one!
*Snap*
The sound of a branch breaking echoed from behind him.
"Laxus, are you here to fish? Stay far away—I'm not sharing my luck with you," Jehfrit said without turning around.
"Not interested," Laxus replied curtly.
Jehfrit glanced back. Laxus stood leaning against a tree, arms crossed.
"Thunder God Tribe's back?" Jehfrit asked.
"You knew," Laxus responded, unsurprised.
"Though you refuse to admit it, I think I understand you better than you think," Jehfrit said confidently.
"Do you really disagree with my views, Jehfrit?" Laxus asked seriously.
"What if I said I agreed?"
"You'd become an S-Class mage in the new guild."
"And if I disagreed?"
"There'd be no place for you."
"Hahaha." Jehfrit laughed, tossing aside his fishing rod and turning to face Laxus. "Laxus, are you picking a fight with me?"
"I've been waiting for this!" Laxus' eyes burned with the thrill of battle.