"Cana, where's Zorn? I haven't seen him since we left Magnolia, and we're almost at our destination. I haven't caught a glimpse of him the whole way." Natsu carried a large travel bag on his back and looked around, trying to find Zorn.
Hearing that, Gray also turned and looked around, hoping to spot Zorn.
"Zorn is probably watching from somewhere. Let's finish the mission first and find the client to learn more about the situation." Cana also looked up briefly, seeming to notice something, but proceeded according to the way Zorn had handled missions before.
"Perfect. We can see how well our training paid off," Natsu and Gray said confidently.
At the mission site, inside a small villa on a farm.
The farm owner looked at the young children before him, the corner of his eye twitching. "Are you the mages carrying out this mission?" he asked, sounding a little uncertain. Did I post the wrong mission? No, that can't be right. I clearly asked them to eliminate the animals coming down from the mountain and causing trouble, and find out what was behind it.
The farm owner lowered his head to check the mission request in his hand. It was indeed correct; he could still recognize the large characters on the page.
He looked up again at the confident girl and two boys standing before him, still deeply doubtful of their abilities.
Watching the farm owner's rather obvious actions, Cana knew that the client still didn't believe in them. Without a word, she raised her foot, gathered her strength, and stomped down. When she lifted it again, a clearly defined footprint-shaped crater had appeared in the ground.
On the villa's roof, Zorn was using Light Magic to refract light and conceal himself. He nodded. It seemed Cana had learned well from her battle with Laxus, and her control over her strength had improved another notch. She truly was a genius.
Seeing this, the farm owner's attitude immediately changed. He hurriedly invited the three inside and gave Cana more detailed information about the mission.
"You mean that recently, different animals have been coming down the mountain to eat your crops, and it's been happening more and more often, with the animals growing stronger too?" Cana pondered for a moment after hearing him out, then looked up at the farm owner. "Something powerful has probably appeared in the mountain and forced the animals toward the outskirts."
"That's probably it. Experienced hunters have said the same thing. We really couldn't solve this ourselves, so we put in a mission request," the farm owner said somewhat helplessly.
"All right, we understand. Let's go, Natsu, Gray... your clothes." Cana nodded, thinking they probably only needed to deal with that thing to complete the mission. She turned to call Natsu and Gray, only to see Gray standing with his hands on his hips in nothing but his underwear again. She reminded him helplessly.
"Huh? When did that happen?" Gray looked shocked. He had no idea when he had taken his clothes off.
After hearing the details through Observation Haki, Zorn looked up toward the mountain. "I'd better scout ahead first, in case there's another unusual situation like last time." With that, he rose into the air. After a flash, he was nowhere to be seen in the sunlight.
On the mountain, Cana's group did indeed encounter some animals that would never normally appear in the area. Now, several Demon Wolves had surrounded them, growling low as they circled, leaving trails of drool on the ground.
"Leave these to us," Natsu said confidently, knocking his fists together.
"Yeah, no problem." Cold air rose from Gray's hands, and he looked eager to have a go as well.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" Both of Natsu's fists blazed with searing flames. He sent the charging Demon Wolves flying with one punch each. Not to be outdone, Gray clenched one fist with his other hand beneath it as cold spread between his hands. "Ice-Make Battle Axe!" An ice axe appeared, and Gray swung it with great force.
The two worked together to clear the way ahead, and thanks to their cooperation, all three safely reached the inner reaches of the mountain.
"This is..." Cana and the others stared at the giant snake before them. Coiled in loops, it stood three stories high, its head resting on the ground and its eyes closed. The skeletons of various animals lay scattered around it. For a moment, they were too shocked to speak.
Zorn was hovering high in the air, looking at the scene. Glancing at the enormous cave behind the snake, he had already guessed that it had probably crawled out of the cave, found plenty of food here, and stayed.
As though it had sensed something, the giant snake slowly opened its eyes. Its blood-red vertical pupils fixed on the three before it, and it let out a furious roar at them.
"Natsu, Gray, get ready," Cana warned solemnly. She circulated magic power through her body and took out several cards she had prepared beforehand. She activated them, and after a flash of light, Cana, Natsu, and Gray were all clad in armor. Zorn had specifically asked Erza to prepare it before they set out. Cana also wore an armored gauntlet on her hand.
"Scatter!" Cana suddenly shouted. The moment Natsu and Gray heard her, they leaped away, and Cana scattered with them. By the time the three landed some distance away, the giant snake's tail had lashed the place where they had stood, leaving whip marks across the ground.
The three exchanged glances and nodded. Gray struck first. "Ice-Make: Ice Geyser!" He struck the ground with both hands, and a blue magic circle appeared beneath the giant snake. Countless ice spikes instantly erupted from the ground like an underground spring and froze around it. The spell was probably not yet as powerful as it would be later; it froze only the part of the giant snake close to the ground, but it still restricted its movement somewhat.
The moment Gray released his magic, Natsu and Cana charged.
"Fire Dragon's Claw!" Natsu wrapped flames around his foot to boost his explosive power, then leaped into a somersault kick. A layer of black substance covered his foot as he smashed it into the giant snake's head.
The giant snake's skull visibly caved in, and it rolled violently across the ground, its body uncoiling.
Cana seized the opportunity. Gathering strength throughout her body, she concentrated Armament Haki, Tekkai, and magic power at a single point on her fist, then punched the snake in its vital spot.
The giant snake, still rolling, jerked to a halt and was smashed into the ground. Dust flew everywhere, the earth caved in, and half its body went limp. The light in its once-scarlet eyes slowly faded and vanished.
Cana was breathing a little heavily, but she couldn't keep the smile off her face. Natsu and Gray exchanged a glance and burst out laughing.
"Clap, clap, clap. Not bad, not bad." Applause sounded in the air as Zorn slowly descended. They really had done well, working together seamlessly and striking decisively.
"The only thing left to deal with now is the cave behind it." Having acknowledged the three youngsters' strength, Zorn turned toward the enormous cave. If they didn't deal with it, there was no telling what might come out later.
The three youngsters were troubled too, with no good ideas. Looking at the three still pondering, Zorn said directly, "I'll do it."
"Heavenly Sword of Clouds!" Light gathered in Zorn's hand, forming a Light Sword. After gathering power, he casually swung it, sending a huge crescent-shaped blast of light surging forward. He followed with several more equally enormous slashes.
Rumble, rumble!
The cave collapsed under the slashes. Standing behind Zorn, the three youngsters revised their impression of his strength once again, gazing at his back with admiration in their eyes.
Zorn turned around and saw their three burning, admiring gazes. It suddenly occurred to him that he seemed to have set a bad example.
"Ahem." Zorn covered his mouth and coughed lightly a few times to conceal his guilty conscience. Looking at the three of them, he told them earnestly, "That was a bad example, just this once. When you go on missions in the future, make sure you control your power. Don't cause widespread destruction and losses, but first, make sure you're safe."
"Well, you did a good job on this mission. Split the reward among the three of you. Rest for a few days after we get back, then we'll focus on training. Understood?" Seeing their half-comprehending looks, Zorn said no more. There was still plenty of time to teach them, anyway.
"Yeah!" Natsu and Gray leaped up excitedly. The reward for this mission was considerable, and each of them would get a large sum. Hearing that there would be more training afterward, they looked forward to that too, because they could grow stronger. After this mission, they had found that Zorn's training really was good.
"Gray, your clothes..." Cana reminded Gray, who was still celebrating, his clothes having disappeared somewhere again.
"Huh? When did that happen?" Gray's excitement instantly vanished, leaving him bewildered.
"All right, the mission's over. Let's head back." Zorn walked in front while Natsu and the others discussed what food to bring Happy, what to give Lisanna to thank her for looking after Happy, and how to treat themselves.
Listening to them, Zorn reflected that children were so easily made happy. That was nice, really nice. After reflecting for a while, he turned his thoughts to how to arrange their training from here on.
Since the last match, the number of people who wanted to learn Haki had suddenly increased. He also had to make arrangements according to each person's characteristics, and he still hadn't settled on them. He needed to work on Laxus's Observation Haki too. He pictured Laxus standing with his arms folded in battle, lightning striking wherever he thought of. It would certainly be a spectacular sight.
"Well, I should think about the present. I'm getting ahead of myself, getting ahead of myself." Zorn shook his head, shaking away the fanciful thought, and focused again on arranging the training.
Behind him, Cana gazed at Zorn's figure in a daze, not knowing what she was thinking...