Raizel woke up a little after seven when the morning air was crisp and quiet.
He tiptoed to the guest room and cracked the door open.
Natsu had long since kicked his blanket onto the floor.
The boy was sleeping in a starfish position, limbs sprawled everywhere, snoring loudly enough to rattle the window.
Even when Raizel opened the door wider, Natsu didn't stir.
With a Dragon Slayer's constitution, Raizel wasn't worried about him catching a cold.
Raizel smiled faintly and gently closed the door.
He went to wash up.
Just as he finished drying his face—Click.
The front door unlocked.
Ultear, Erza, Kagura, and Wendy filed in.
Their arms were full of takeout containers. The delicious aroma of hot food instantly filled the living room.
"Oh? I was just about to make breakfast. Looks like I don't have to," Raizel said, a towel draped over his shoulders.
He was pleasantly surprised.
One benefit of living in the forest was the peace and quiet. The downside was that there were no morning markets nearby; if you wanted a fancy breakfast, you had to walk.
"We've been eating plain sandwiches every day lately," Ultear explained, setting the bags on the dining table.
"We wanted a change, so we got up early to head into town."
She began opening the containers and steam rose into the air.
Beef Noodles.
Raizel's nose wasn't sharp enough to identify it until the lid was popped, but in the other room, a dormant volcano erupted.
Sniff.
Natsu, deep in a coma-like sleep, twitched.
The scent of savory beef broth drifted under the door, grabbed him by the nose, and yanked him awake.
BANG!
The bedroom door flew open.
Natsu, eyes still squeezed shut, sleepwalked into the living room, guided purely by the smell of meat.
"Bathroom first!" Raizel grabbed him by the collar and turn him toward the sink before he could dive into the food.
Raizel's dining table was long and spacious, easily seating everyone.
Wendy and Natsu sat on either side of Raizel, while the girls sat across from them.
The atmosphere was peaceful.
Everyone ate elegantly, enjoying the morning conversation.
Except for Natsu.
Slurp. Gulp. Clang.
It was a massacre.
Natsu didn't eat the noodles; he inhaled them. In three massive bites, the extra-large portion Raizel had assigned him—knowing the boy's dragon metabolism—was gone.
Natsu slammed the empty bowl down.
"I'm full! I'm fired up!"
He punched his fist into his palm.
Flames threatened to spark, but he held them back.
Raizel had warned him last night: No magic in the house, or you sleep in the tree.
"..."
Ultear, Erza, and Kagura froze mid-bite with noodles dangling from their mouths.
They stared at Natsu in total bewilderment.
'What is there to be fired up about after breakfast? And did he even chew?!'
Raizel sighed, seeing Natsu fidgeting in his chair, watching the others eat with intense, restless energy.
"Go wander outside," Raizel suggested, pointing to the door. "Your nose will lead you back anyway."
"Oh! Yeah!"
Natsu hopped down from his chair and dashed out the open door like a rocket.
Raizel finished his meal second.
He watched Wendy struggling with her chopsticks. She eventually gave up and used a fork to twirl the noodles, eating slowly and happily.
After cleaning up, Raizel noticed Natsu wasn't in the yard.
He wasn't worried; the dangerous Forest Vulcans had been driven out of this area years ago. Unless Natsu ran miles away, he was safe.
Raizel led the girls to his usual training spot by the lake.
When they arrived, they froze.
Natsu was there, sitting cross-legged on a rock, vibrating with anticipation.
But he wasn't alone.
There was a crowd.
Wakaba, Macao, Gray, Reedus, Nab... and even Master Makarov.
It wasn't even 9:00 AM yet.
For these lazy guild members to be awake and all the way out in the East Forest was nothing short of a miracle.
"Oh! Raizel's here! It's starting!" Wakaba called out, puffing on his pipe.
'They came to watch?' Raizel thought, confused. 'Why walk all this way for a one-sided beatdown?'
"Master." Raizel greeted the old man.
"What is going on here?" Raizel asked, scratching his head.
"I brought them here for a field trip," Makarov said, squinting at Wakaba and Macao. "I wanted them to see the gap in power. Maybe it will motivate certain slackers to work harder."
"Hey! Don't be so obvious! We can hear you, Master!" Wakaba shouted, acting hurt.
"Oh! Raizel! Let's settle this!"
Natsu jumped down from the rock. He didn't care about the audience.
All he saw was the opponent.
"I'll be the referee," Makarov said, hopping onto a high boulder and raising his hand.
"Alright! We're counting on you, Gramps!" Natsu slammed his fists together.
Ultear, Erza, and Wendy moved back to give them space and the air suddenly grew tense.
Raizel and Natsu stood ten meters apart.
The morning breeze rustled the leaves.
"Raizel vs. Natsu... BEGIN!"
Makarov swung his hand down.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Natsu didn't hesitate.
He wreathed his right fist in swirling flames, stomped the ground, and launched himself at Raizel like a cannonball.
Raizel watched him come.
"Take Over: Gankoomon."
A reddish-gold aura exploded around Raizel. He didn't transform fully; he just donned the spirit of the Martial Artist. (Hinukamuy)
"Too straightforward, Natsu."
Raizel took a single, lazy sidestep.
Whoosh.
Natsu flew right past him, striking nothing but air. If Raizel had wanted to, a simple chop to the neck would have ended it there.
"Whoa! Cool flames! I want to eat them!"
Natsu skidded to a stop and spun around.
He wasn't discouraged; he was staring at the Fire God Might (Hinukamuy) aura manifesting behind Raizel with hungry eyes.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Natsu charged again.
Same move. Same speed.
"Didn't I say it was too straightforward?" Raizel sidestepped again.
"Fire Dragon's Claw!"
Natsu reacted on instinct.
Mid-charge, he twisted his body. He planted a hand on the ground and swung a flaming kick at Raizel's head.
'Not bad,' Raizel thought. 'His instincts are quite sharp.'
"But still too slow."
Raizel ducked under the kick.
He didn't use magic. He simply planted his feet, rotated his hips, and delivered a clean, fundamental punch to Natsu's gut.
BAM.
Natsu's reaction was incredible.
In a split second, he raised his knee to guard his stomach and crossed his arms to protect his chest.
It didn't matter.
The force launched him backward. He flew dozens of meters, crashing through a bush and slamming into a tree trunk.
Crash.
"Heh..." Natsu stood up, shaking off the debris.
Thanks to his block and his sturdy Dragon Slayer body, he was still standing.
"Fire Dragon's..." Natsu took a deep breath.
His cheeks puffed out as magic gathered in his lungs as he recognized the gap in close combat, so he chose range attack.
"...ROAR!!"
A torrent of fire erupted from his mouth, spiraling toward Raizel.
Raizel didn't dodge.
He stood his ground, expanded his chest, and let the fire hit him.
He had always wanted to mimic Gankoomon's legendary toughness—blocking attacks with nothing but his pecs.
BOOM.
The fire engulfed him.
"Direct hit!" Natsu cheered, clenching his fist.
The flames cleared.
Raizel stood there, completely unharmed. He casually brushed a speck of soot off his chest.
"NANI?!!" Natsu's eyes popped out.
"Idiot," Gray scoffed from the sidelines, arms crossed. "Raizel has been toying with you the whole time."
Gray knew this feeling well.
Raizel wasn't the type to knock you out instantly. He was the type to let you attack until you realized just how hopeless it was.
Raizel raised a hand and curled his finger.
Come on.
"Damn it!"
Provoked, Natsu roared.
"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack! Sword Horn! Brilliant Flame!"
Natsu became a blur of motion.
He unleashed every technique in his arsenal. He punched, kicked, headbutted, and blasted fire.
But it was like fighting a ghost.
He couldn't touch him. He couldn't even graze the hem of Raizel's cloak.
Minutes passed. Natsu's movements slowed. His magic was nearly depleted.
He stood panting, hands on his knees as sweat pouring down his face.
"Natsu. It's over."
Hearing Raizel's calm voice, Natsu struggled to lift his head.
Raizel raised his fist.
The Fire God Might flared, creating the image of a massive, mountain-sized fist descending from the sky.
'What... what is that giant fist?!' That was Natsu's last thought.
POW.
A single, controlled strike to the top of the head as Natsu's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed face-first into the dirt.