Chapter 22: Farewells

Ultear eyed the sketches, her brow furrowed. "So, I just babysit these delinquents?" she asked, gesturing at the drawings of Natsu and his future crew. "Fairy Tail, huh?"

After saving Ultear's mom and destroying Deliora, Leo stuck around to figure out the next move. With the Tower of Heaven a goner and Ur back from the dead, he'd already messed with two major arcs for Erza and Gray. No epic battles meant weaker characters, and Leo needed Ultear to nudge things in the right direction. Strength training for everyone!

"Yeah," Leo groaned, rubbing his temples, "they're a handful. But trust me, they're crucial for this world's future." Unlike other shows where the hero swoops in and saves the day solo, Natsu wasn't the big cheese. Heck, some might be surprised to learn Lucy actually held the title of MC. So, Leo needed to make sure everyone was good to go.

Ur, Ultear's mom, wasn't sold. "This plan doesn't sit right with me," she said. "Ultear joining a dark guild?" For the Tenrou Island arc to happen, Ultear needed to join Grimoire Heart, that villainous bunch. It was where she'd fight Gray and finally ditch the bad-guy label.

"Hey, it's not all bad," Leo countered. "Hades would've trained her something fierce, even forbidden spells. She'd get strong under him." Without Leo's meddling, Hades would've found Ultear and unleashed a magic power-up, forbidden spells and all.

"Mom, I'll be okay," Ultear assured her, placing a hand on Ur's arm. She turned to Leo, a smile gracing her lips. "Besides, I can tell you're sincere, Mr. Leo. Strong, yes, but also thoughtful."

"Exactly!" Leo ruffled Ultear's hair. "This world might be facing a big, bad threat from beyond, so I need some heavy hitters on standby. Get even stronger, and maybe you'll surpass the Ultear I saw before."

Ultear beamed and gave him a firm nod.

"I'll keep an eye on Gray and Lyon," Ur volunteered, "stepping in only if their growth stagnates." Since Leo hadn't assigned her a specific task, she opted for covert observation of Fairy Tail.

Plans solidified, it was time for action. But Leo had one last thing to say. "Listen, this plan isn't flawless. If things go south, use your best judgment, alright?" He shrugged. "Even with glimpses of the future, I can't be sure of everything."

Ur and Ultear exchanged a look, then nodded in agreement. Farewells exchanged, Leo departed their chamber, gazing at the persistent V-shaped sky. Days had passed, yet the distortion remained. "Let's hope it doesn't cause unintended consequences," he muttered, shaking his head. That One-Punch Man move might have been a bit much.

Just a few meters away, Leo felt a small body collide with him from behind. "Ultear?" he guessed, turning with a smile. He knelt after a moment, gently wiping away her tears.

"Th-thank you..." Ultear choked out, tears welling up again. "Thank you for clearing the darkness from my future."

"Hey, it wasn't that big a deal," Leo reassured her. "A little intel, and you saved your own mom. You deserve the credit."

Once she calmed down, Ultear looked at him, her cheeks flushed. "Will we see each other again?"

"Honestly, I can't say for sure," Leo admitted. "But with all the meddling I did, there's a good chance our paths will cross again."

Well, he would come to this world and if he deemed right, he would just one punch Acnologia from the surface of the earth.

Ultear tilted her head. "Speaking of the future, you mentioned something about me having an incredible booty later on, right?"

Leo's eyes widened. "Ack! Where'd you hear that?!"

"You mumble in your monologue a lot," Ultear teased, her voice like a playful jab. "Thought a little kid like me wouldn't notice?"

Leo groaned, burying his face in his hand.

Ultear giggled. "Well, I wouldn't mind getting a figure like that for you, and then..." Her cheeks burned even brighter.

"Whoa there, hold on a minute, missy!" Leo cut her off, flustered. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, alright? Seriously, are kids supposed to mature this fast?!" He felt like a creep, even though he knew it wasn't intentional.

Looking back, the trip wasn't all bad. Sure, he'd messed with the timeline, but there was a silver lining.

[Ability: One Punch Man Lv. 4

You will become One Punch Man with strength proportional to the level.

Duration: 10 seconds

Cooldown: 20 days from the time of activation.

Demerit: Ultimate hair loss for the duration.]

Yup, that V-shaped sky stunt launched him three whole levels. The power boost was nice, with a longer duration too.

Leo nodded and started walking, waving goodbye to Ultear. But after a few steps, he realized something and sheepishly turned back.

"Uh, Ultear? Do you by any chance have a map, or...?" He sheepishly admitted his terrible sense of direction.

---

"LEO~!" A sweet, innocent voice called out as he entered the boisterous Fairy Tail guild. Before he could react, a powerful force slammed into him like a human torpedo.

"Ugh!" Leo yelped, propelled into a nearby wall. Dust swirled around him before clearing to reveal a beaming, red-haired Erza.

"Erza?" he wheezed, blinking away the stars. "What was that?!"

"See! See!" Erza exclaimed, pointing triumphantly at her eye. "It's new!"

Leo took a closer look. Her artificial eye looked incredibly lifelike. More importantly, she radiated a strength far exceeding before.

Makarov approached, chuckling. "Erza's a natural powerhouse. Even with minimal training, her raw strength alone could rival some B-ranked mages now."

Leo chuckled nervously. "Really? Haha..." Maybe his concerns about her growth were unfounded. He also noticed the Fairy Tail emblem emblazoned on her arm, signifying her official guild membership.

Makarov's expression turned serious. He gestured towards the window, where the strange, straight-line cloud hung in the sky as if someone just pierced the skies. "Do you happen to know anything about that?"

Leo swallowed, forcing a nonchalant shrug. "Nope. No idea."

---

Leo sat in his hotel room reading a manga. Despite it being a comedy, his face was filled with concern.

"Weird, this manga is so popular in present Japan, but it never existed in my previous life…"

Leo noticed that many mainstream manga in his current world didn't exist in his previous life.

[This might be the paradox effect since some fictional worlds exist in your current world.]

"Oh hey, Ms. System." Leo greeted the blue screen in front of him, "Where were you for the past few days?"

[Negotiating with the Fairy Tail world since you altered almost two arcs from the anime.]

"…" Leo could only scratch his head. He hadn't intended to mess with Ultear and others, but he couldn't just ignore her altogether. It was better to involve her than to discard her and fear the unknown variable she would have caused later.

"So, how did the negotiations go? You didn't compromise with the rewards, right?"

[Negative. Instead, the world seemed quite happy that the fate of Ultear and Ur seemed to benefit more.]

"Now that's a relief."

It meant his decision to involve Ultear in his plans was right.

Just then, a knock came at his door, and without waiting for an answer, Erza burst in. She was in pajamas, looking quite sleepy, but when she saw Leo, her eyes widened.

"Surprised to see me without my arm?" Leo didn't have his left artificial arm or his right eye, so he thought Erza must be surprised to see him like this.

"No, your body." Erza rubbed her sleepy eyes, "You have abs…"

Leo realized he was also shirtless. But before he could say anything more, Erza just made her way to his bed and lay beside him.

"Still the nightmares...?" Leo asked while caressing her hair. He didn't want Erza to become too attached to him, but he couldn't simply ignore her well-being.

"Uh-hm." Erza shook her head, "Just lonely and missing you."

"Oh." Leo had no answer. Erza then closed her eyes while Leo continued to read the manga.

Or at least that's what Leo thought would be a peaceful night.

"Is it me…" Erza raised her head, "Or has Leo lost his hair?"

It was then that he realized his hair loss debuff from his One Punch Man ability. Yup, he needed to get out of this world.

===

Well, I wanted to make it more exciting there wasnt much he could do in this initial stage.

Erza is a must so who else I should add from FT?

If you would like to read in advance or support me, visit:

www.patr eon.com/J_Titan