Mirajane covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. "What boundless energy you have," she remarked, adding playfully, "This must be the seventeenth time in just these past couple of days."
Gildarts' tone was exasperated as he replied, "That little brat… Seriously, where on earth did you find that old man? Is he setting up a daycare or something?! And besides… he's far too familiar!"
He should never have returned. Not only had he failed to meet Cana, but now this pink-haired little pest was clinging to him, talk about a recipe for tears.
On the other side, Natsu rubbed his head and exclaimed, "Damn it!!" before demanding, "Gildarts, how did you even discover me? You really are the strongest guy in the Guild."
"Just you wait!" he vowed. "I'll beat you sooner or later!"
Leaning on his chin in a languid manner, Gildarts retorted, "How did I find you? Because you're such an idiot. And besides…" He paused before adding with a smirking glimmer in his eye, "The strongest in our Guild isn't even me. It's a guy called Gaal. From now on, you go challenge him.
If you beat him, you won't just be the strongest in the Guild, you'll be the strongest in the entire Kingdom, the mightiest across the whole Continent!"
Natsu's eyes bugged out with stars as he cried, "Really? Stronger than you, Gildarts? Awesome!
Where is Gaal? I want to challenge him!"
Gildarts' lips twitched into a strained smile. "Where? I'm itching to know myself! That bastard… where did he sneak off with my Cana?"
Before Gildarts could answer Natsu's barrage of questions, a voice came from the entrance of the Guild, "Gildarts. It's not right to fool children. You claim you're the strongest, yet you're lying when you tell him I'm the best."
Natsu turned to see Gaal entering with a carefree smile.
Glancing between Gaal and Gildarts, he scratched his head and said, "That doesn't seem right at all. Gildarts, you're just trying to deceive me!"
Ignoring Natsu's protest, Gildarts immediately rushed over to Gaal, grabbing the collar of his jacket and shaking him furiously. "Damn it! You bastard, finally back! Where's my Cana? Tell me, where is Cana?!"
"Calm down," Gaal sighed wearily. "Let's sit down first and talk it over."
Gildarts, gritting his teeth, dragged Gaal over to the bar.
Gaal sat on a stool while Natsu watched him with wide-eyed curiosity.
Gaal smiled and asked, "New around here?"
Startled at first, Natsu's expression quickly brightened as he replied, "Yeah! My name is Natsu, Natsu Dragneel."
Gaal's eyes glittered with a golden light as he looked at this future protagonist, his gaze piercing both body and soul.
He saw within Natsu the embodiment of a fearsome dragon's might and murmured, "Impressive… truly extraordinary."
Gaal's mysterious remark made the concealed Igneel within Natsu grow somber.
Igneel wondered if Gaal had really sensed his presence, and he hadn't expected that Natsu, having stepped through the Eclipse Gate just moments ago, would encounter someone so perceptive.
Feeling slightly uncomfortable, Natsu scratched his head and scanned the room for any sign of danger before asking, "Gildarts said you were the strongest. Is that really true?"
Gaal's gaze softened as he shook his head and explained, "Of course not. If you want a challenge, you'll have to face Gildarts instead."
At these words, Gildarts' scalp prickled as he quickly grabbed Gaal's shoulder. "Hey, don't change the subject! Cana…!"
Boom!
The stool Gaal was seated on shattered into pieces.
Gaal stared in disbelief as a trickle of "blood" appeared at the corner of his mouth, only for him to quickly lick it away with a grin as he muttered, "Such potent magic! Such incredible… Gildarts… I'm no match for you…"
Stunned, Gildarts stared at his own hand.
Then, as Natsu's astonished "Awesome!" rang out, Gildarts jerked into action; he grabbed hold of Gaal's collar and hoisted him up, roaring, "Hey! Are you really putting on a show? That's just ketchup, isn't it? It must be ketchup! Now spit it out!"
With a weak expression, Gaal murmured, "I admit it… You are the strongest in Fairy Tail."
Gildarts' lips twitched in anger. "What nonsense are you spouting?! I mean…"
A determined voice from Natsu broke in, "Ha ha ha! Gildarts, you truly are the strongest! The fire dragon's-"
Thunk!
There was a dull thud as a shooting star streaked across the sky.
Rumbling noises followed as the roof of the Guild burst open.
Gildarts' face darkened, his veins bulging as he seethed, "Now that pesky brat's finally gone.
You…"
Gaal looked at him from his stool with a puzzled expression that belied any sign of weakness, "What's wrong?"
Gildarts glowered, "You're ruthless. Where is Cana?"
Only then did Gaal's eyes light up in understanding, "Oh- Don't worry about it. Cana is fine. She's with the Heartfilia Family."
At the mention of the Heartfilia Family, Gildarts furrowed his brow. "The Heartfilia Family? Have you been studying Magic Deficiency Syndrome?"
Gaal looked surprised. "You're keeping tabs on that?"
Gildarts shook his head. "No, not exactly. Someone from the Heartfilia Family sought me out a while back, asking if I could cure Magic Deficiency Syndrome. Since I know nothing about it, I turned them down. Magic Deficiency Syndrome isn't exactly a death sentence, is it? So, you've discovered a cure?"
Gaal nodded. "More or less. It's just that without some reserves, it'll be hard to sustain."
"And what about Master Makarov?" Gildarts snapped, his voice taut.
Before anyone could answer, Mirajane from behind the bar interjected cheerfully, "The Guild Master took most of Gildarts' money, He went to the Magic Council to pay a fine."
Gaal's eyebrows rose in surprise, "You still have some money left?"
Fuming, Gildarts roared, "What kind of joke is this?! Kid, who do you take me for?! After all, I'm the strongest S-Class Mage in the Guild! Isn't it only natural to have a little cash?"
Mirajane added slyly, "It was earned by selling your Magic Potions."
Gaal nodded in knowing agreement. "I see. I knew it…"
Suddenly, Ultear approached and called out, "Gaal, come over here."
Without another word, she turned and walked toward the back of the Guild.
Gildarts smirked conspiratorially and quipped, "You little rascal… got something going on?"
Gaal shot him a sidelong glance and replied, "Clearly, yes.
It's something serious."
With that, he rose and left.
Later, at the rear of the Guild by the lakeside, Ultear greeted Gaal, "That new kid in the Guild… something's off about him. The Time Magic within him is overwhelmingly potent, and it clashes terribly with this world."
Had it been a few years from now, Ultear might never have noticed.
But now, with Natsu having just traversed the Eclipse Gate, the residual Time Magic coursing through him is glaringly out of place.
There's an unmistakable sense of discord about the kid that Ultear can't quite put her finger on.
Thus, she sought out someone like Gaal, someone proficient with Time Magic, to discuss this matter or at least sound the alarm in advance.
Gaal listened carefully as Ultear finished, nodding calmly, "No need to worry.
I've got a rough idea of what's going on.
Besides, I've already deduced who caused that surge of Time Magic back not too long ago."
Ultear frowned. "Really?"
Gaal nodded again. "Really."
Relieved, Ultear exhaled, "That's good to hear."
Her earlier anxiety, when Master Makarov had brought the kid back without anyone noticing anything amiss, was finally alleviated by Gaal's confident report.
After a few reassuring words, Gaal immediately activated his teleportation magic and returned underground beneath the Guild.
Over the course of more than a year, the cavern beneath the Guild had been filled by an enormous Magic Crystal.
Now, aside from a reserve portion, the amassed Magic Power was all being funneled back into the Guild and the town.
Following the radiant pillar of the giant Magic Crystal, Gaal descended to its base.
Placing his hand upon the glowing column, he began to dismantle the formation from below, extracting numerous Magic Crystals saturated with Light Magic.
Once he had gathered enough, he painstakingly restored the barrier with a fresh formation.
He planned to return with these Magic Crystals later, once the Heartfilia Family had reimbursed him.
After counting, Gaal confirmed that he had exactly fifteen thousand charged Magic Crystals, more than enough for Layla.
Stowing them safely into his personal space, he then swiftly reappeared back in the Guild.
At that very moment inside the Guild, Natsu, recently sent flying by Gildarts, had already returned, undeterred and brimming with fighting spirit.
However, he wisely refrained from pestering Gildarts further.
After all, getting beaten is never any fun, and a spared beating is always a blessing.
Spotting Gaal, Natsu's eyes lit up, and he dashed over in jubilation, "Gaal! Gaal! Gildarts says you have a Dragonite?! Is Dragonite a kind of Dragon? Can I have a look?"
Gaal's lips twitched in irritation as he cast a venomous glance at Gildarts.
That traitor, never letting go of his spiteful schemes!
Gildarts, for his part, could only return a sly, scheming smile as if challenging Gaal to see what he would do.
Gaal then turned to Natsu and explained evenly, "Dragonite is indeed a Dragon. But it isn't a Gigantic Dragon, it's a Pokémon with a Dragon typing."
With that, Gaal reached for the PokéBall at his waist.
He released the Dragonite, which landed on the ground and let out a hearty "Awooo~."
Natsu's eyes widened in astonishment, "Whoa-! It's so small…"
But suddenly, several hash marks appeared above the Dragonite's head, its veins bulging as it fixed Natsu with a dangerous glare.
"Small? You have no idea how gigantamaxed I can get! You clueless fool!"
Even as Natsu marveled at Dragonite's somber expression, he couldn't help but lean in, sniffing it from every angle: "Still, the dragon's aura is undeniable, even if it's a bit muted… It pales in comparison to Igneel."
Thwack!
"Ah! That hurts! It actually hit me!"
Thwack!
"Such insolence! Fire Dragon's…"
"Awooo (Fire Punch)~!"
"!!!"
"What is this fire? It tastes so good! Dragonite, give me some more!"
Then came the rapid crackle and thump of combat as the scene erupted into chaotic clashes.