Hughes Fished Up the Entire Ishgar Continent

The great lake behind the guild was unusually lively. Dozens of people surrounded the lakeshore, rubbing their hands in anticipation.

"First things first, no using magic!"

"We know, we know. Whoever wins gets to be the guild's fishing king, right?"

"I'm all fired up..."

A certain redhead who had been woken by the noise looked around in confusion. What were these people doing?

Just then, the fishing rod in his hand shook, and Gildarts instantly forgot his question.

He had a fish on the hook! Who had time to think about anything else?

Sharp-eyed Hughes noticed Gildarts's rod and hurried over with a landing net. "Gildarts, I'll help you!"

His words were like a stick plunged into a hornet's nest. A crowd immediately gathered around.

"I'll help too, Gildarts!"

"Me too!"

Thanks to everyone's combined efforts, the hooked fish made it safely back into the lake. Just before it disappeared, it even made a point of spitting water at Gildarts.

Gildarts stared at the rod with its broken line, and something hardened... his fists.

"What are those guys doing?! I fished all morning before I finally caught one!"

Faced with Gildarts's furious question, no one dared answer. They all looked around, and some even guiltily pursed their lips and whistled.

As the awkward silence lingered, someone suddenly cried out in surprise, "Look, Wakaba's rod moved!"

"Ah! Wakaba, I'll help you!"

The crowd surged into action again, swarming around Wakaba.

"Bastards, get away from me! I'm the man who's going to be the fishing king!" Like a war god possessed, Wakaba kicked the people closing in on him away one by one.

Hughes, Gildarts, and Macao exchanged looks and nodded in silent understanding. Gildarts and Hughes grabbed Wakaba, one by the arms and the other by the legs, and dragged him away while Macao went to break the line.

"Wait, Gildarts, Hughes was the one who broke your line! I didn't do anything!"

Hughes kept a straight face as he immediately shot back, "You bastard, Wakaba, you're still trying to drive a wedge between us? How could someone as smart as Gildarts fall for that?"

Hughes picked up a piece of clothing someone had dropped on the ground and promptly stuffed it into Wakaba's mouth. The bastard was still trying to cause trouble!

Hughes turned back and looked earnestly at Gildarts. "Gildarts, you're so smart, you wouldn't fall for that, would you?"

"Of course not, Hughes. You're the person I trust most!"

Hughes: ...Crap, looks like I'll have to watch out for Gildarts.

Meanwhile, Macao, who had taken Wakaba's rod, was seriously reeling in the fish, a smile of impending victory plastered across his face.

"Idiots, they're all idiots. As long as I reel this fish in, I win! The rules never said I couldn't use someone else's rod!"

"Thief-hahahahaha!"

Unnoticed by anyone, Erza looked tense. She had a fish on her line too, and it was a big one, circling endlessly in the water.

Before anyone realized it, the fish had dragged her line over toward Macao...

"Hey! Hey! Hey, Erza, move your line! They'll get tangled, and both our fish will get away!"

Macao's fears came true. Before long, their lines tangled together, the tension vanished, and both bent rods slowly straightened.

Clearly, both fish had escaped~

"Ah! Ah! I was one step away from being the fishing king!"

Anyway, when Hughes returned, he saw Macao crying like his newborn child.

To keep the same thing from happening to him, Hughes hurriedly called everyone together. "At this rate, none of us will catch a single fish. Let's compete a different way: whoever catches the biggest fish wins. From now on, no one's allowed to interfere with anyone else!"

With Wakaba and Gildarts as examples, Hughes's proposal was immediately approved. Even Gildarts perked up and declared with high spirits that he was certain to claim the title of the guild's fishing king.

In response to Gildarts's declaration, Hughes, who had thoroughly studied Eighteen Fishing Techniques for Subduing Fish, thought Gildarts wasn't worth a damn, though he could have a share of the fish soup.

With that, peace and quiet returned to the lakeshore for a good while...

"Are the fish dead? Why haven't they come yet? I put the biggest earthworm on my hook!"

Hughes cast Natsu a disdainful glance. With so little patience, he wanted to be the fishing king?

"Ah, Natsu, your rod moved!"

Hughes: *...*

Wondering if he had heard things, Hughes hurriedly looked again. Damn it, that bastard Natsu's rod really was moving.

Hughes: ...°(°ˊДˋ°)°...

"Natsu, where did you dig up that big earthworm?" Hughes asked without shame.

"Never mind, I don't want it anymore..."

Natsu lifted a carp two fingers wide out of the water, and Hughes immediately turned back around to wait for a fish to bite in peace.

Even Happy wouldn't care for a fish that small, much less Hughes, the future fishing king.

He was a novice angler blessed by destiny. Catching a big fish would be a breeze~

The sky gradually darkened... no, it had been dark for a long time already. Not many people were left on the lakeshore. Most had given up, leaving only Hughes, Natsu, Mira, Gray, Macao, Erza, and Gildarts still competing.

Oh, and a sleeping blue cat.

Lisanna had already been scolded by Mira when she arrived, then dragged home by Elfman.

Mira was now sitting beside Hughes, a fishing rod in her hand. She had originally come to drag Hughes home too, but Hughes, who still had nothing to show for his efforts, had firmly refused.

Even Natsu had caught six little fish. If Hughes couldn't catch a single one, wouldn't he be laughed at?

"Damn it, I'm a novice blessed by destiny! Why hasn't that big fish followed its destiny yet?!"

"Ah, a fish!" Mira, sitting beside Hughes, cried out.

Fishing was this easy? All she had to do was put down the rod and a fish took the bait.

In the blink of an eye, Hughes saw Mira holding a fish half a meter long~

"Wow, Mira, your fish is the biggest one so far!" Gray exclaimed. Before that, Macao had been in the lead.

Holding the fish, Mira looked puzzled. "Isn't fishing easy? Why haven't you been able to catch anything?"

Everyone smiled awkwardly and said nothing, while Hughes was so angry he nearly snapped his rod.

"Huh, Mira, your rod moved again?"

Mira had just put away the half-meter fish when, before long, she had another fish a meter long in her hands.

Hughes snapped his rod, picked up his empty bucket, and stood. "That's it, that's it. Someone's cheating, so what's the point?!"

"Hey, Hughes, don't go! Your rod moved!"

"Gildarts, stop trying to fool me. I've already given up on the title of the guild's fishing king!"

"Hughes, it really is moving, look!" Mira held the broken rod up in front of him. The line was taut, and the rod was bent.

Hughes's eyes flew wide, and he took it with a broad smile. Judging by the pull, the fish was clearly no small one.

First, he would use Reach Back from Eighteen Fishing Techniques for Subduing Fish, slowly reeling in the line to ease the tension. Then he would use Old Man Pedals a Bicycle to play and land the fish, exhausting its stamina. Finally, he would use Open the Heavenly Gate with One Cast to finish it off.

But after Hughes had made his detailed plan, he found that the fish had suddenly stopped moving...

"Is it stuck?" Gildarts asked in confusion. "Then try pulling harder!"

Hughes nodded. He had been thinking the same thing. He put strength into his arms.

Thud! A damp stone covered in moss landed on the ground...

Hughes: (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻

"Calm down, Hughes, calm down!!" A group of people hurriedly grabbed Hughes, who had nearly jumped into the lake.

"Let go of me! This lake started it!"

"Bad news, Master! Hughes burned the lake behind the guild dry~~"

"What??"