In a dense forest on the mountain behind the guild, sunlight filtered through the thick canopy and fell upon a wide clearing. Zorn was wholly absorbed in his Weight Training, wearing weights on both arms, both legs, and his waist as he darted from side to side, dodging the leaves drifting down from the trees.
Time slipped quietly by. Zorn was soaked from head to toe, but he didn't let up in the slightest, carrying out every movement with meticulous care.
"Hey, Gray, how do you think he can tell exactly where every leaf is going to fall?" Natsu whispered to Gray, holding a hand to the side of his mouth.
"How should I know? We've watched him for ages, and I haven't seen him use any magic power... Shh." Gray frowned and pushed Natsu away, then raised a hand to signal for silence, telling Natsu not to speak. Natsu turned to answer.
"Whoosh!"
"What are you two doing here? Did you see anything?" Zorn pressed one hand on each of their heads and rubbed vigorously.
"That was fast! When did he..." Gray and Natsu both looked surprised, but when they thought of Brother Zorn's freakish speed, they quickly got over it. They pulled themselves together and turned to ask him a question.
"Brother Zorn, can you teach us that ability you use to predict things without looking? We want to learn. Can we?" Natsu and Gray asked hopefully at the same time.
"Sure, but I have one condition. If you agree to it, I'll teach you." Zorn held up one finger in front of them. The two exchanged puzzled looks, unable to figure out what he meant. But Brother Zorn was usually gentle with everyone at the guild, so his condition probably wouldn't be too unreasonable.
"What condition? We'll agree to it."
"All you have to do is stick it out as a couple of gay bros for a day—pah, pah, pah, good friends. You have to hold each other's hands tight all day. Just one hand each, of course. If you can do that, I'll teach you. How about it?" Zorn said with a smile, bringing their hands together.
Natsu and Gray stared at their tightly clasped hands, their faces scrunching up. They both instinctively wanted to pull away, but then they remembered Zorn's marvelous Physical Arts and his ability that gave off no magic power fluctuations. It was so tempting that they gritted their teeth and put up with it.
"That's the way. Get used to it. A day will go by in no time, haha. Let's head back to the guild. It's almost lunchtime, too. I'll treat you to grilled meat, cooked by yours truly. How about it?" Zorn patted the two kids on the head and, after a few words of reassurance, made his suggestion.
"I want five big plates of beef!" Natsu was the first to raise his hand and answer.
"I want five big plates of lamb!" Not to be outdone, Gray raised his hand and answered too.
"All right, all right, but no wasting food. Let's head back now. We still need to get things ready."
Erza walked into the lively guild, where the noise was deafening. She soon spotted Natsu and Gray lying on the floor, both clutching their bellies and burping, yet still holding hands. She turned to Zorn, who was still grilling meat for Cana and Levy, and asked, "What's wrong with those two? They're acting so strangely."
"Those two? Maybe they were trying to wear me out at first, but then they started competing to see who could eat more. And that's how they ended up," Zorn replied evenly as he used tongs to put meat into the two girls' bowls.
"What a pair of idiots!"
"By the way, Erza, have you eaten? Come have some," Zorn said, looking at Erza's clenched fists.
"I have, but a little more wouldn't hurt." Erza sat down beside Cana, picked up a skewer, and started eating.
"Perfect. You eat with Cana and Levy. I'm going to have a chat with the master." Zorn casually wiped his mouth, got up, and headed for the bar.
"Grandpa Makarov, there's something I'd like to discuss with you. I've written down some information about another kind of power. It's a form of training unique to the place I came from." With that, Zorn handed the papers on Haki to Makarov, who was still drinking.
"Hmm, Armament Haki, Observation Haki. This is..." After reading the names aloud, the master looked at Zorn in puzzlement.
"It's a latent power all humans possess, an innate ability. Presence, killing intent, fighting spirit... When you control these feelings that the eyes can't see, willpower can become a weapon. This powerful force is called Haki. Most people never become aware of it and may never be able to use it in their entire lives."
"Armament Haki can improve a person's defense and attack power, while Observation Haki can enhance their ability to see and hear. Although it's difficult for people to bring out either of these abilities, I still want to teach and guide everyone in the guild as best I can, so they can discover this power," Zorn explained to Master Makarov.
"Is that so? I've never heard of any of this. The place you came from... I won't pry into that. Is this why you're so good at Physical Arts?" As Makarov spoke, he seemed to think of something. Could it be that place? The parallel world, Edolas?
"Then give it a try. Start by choosing a few people who are willing to learn." Makarov nodded.
"All right, Master."
Zorn still didn't know that the master had taken him for someone from the parallel world of Edolas. That also served to partly cover up the abilities he knew, since this world didn't know much about the other one.
A few days later, early in the morning...
"Thud, thud, thud." Heavy footsteps suddenly sounded at the guild entrance. The master stopped drinking and turned toward the door.
"Laxus, you're back! You look full of energy. Were you hurt on the job?" the master asked with a laugh.
"Hmph, of course not. Old man, I heard the new guy even knocked you back a few steps when you tested him. Sounds like he's pretty strong. How about I see what he's really made of?" Laxus grew more excited as he spoke, clenching his fists while little arcs of electricity flickered over him.
"You're getting more and more out of line, Laxus." The master's face darkened when he heard that, and his magic power began to surge. The air grew a little heavy.
"Stay out of it, old man. He's on Back Mountain, right? I can already sense him. I'm going to meet him." With that, Laxus immediately turned into lightning and sped straight toward Back Mountain.
Meanwhile, on Back Mountain...
"Natsu, you need to calm your mind... Otherwise, you won't be able to sense it..." Zorn said, seeing that Natsu's eyes were closed but he was still fidgeting.
"Hey, how am I supposed to calm my mind? As soon as I close my eyes, my thoughts wander. It's so hard, Brother Zorn." Even after Zorn's reminder, Natsu still wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to do.
Suddenly, a dazzling bolt of lightning tore across the sky, followed by a figure crackling with electricity who landed in a clearing on Back Mountain.
"Looks like you're the new guy at the guild. Your magic power is the strongest here."
Zorn looked at the cocky teenager before him, who had the same golden hair as him and a lightning-shaped scar on his face. He wore a fur coat over his shoulders and carried a magical music device, a Sound Pod. Isn't this Laxus, one of the leading figures?
"Hello, I'm Zorn. I use Holy Light Magic, and I'm also pretty good at Physical Arts. Nice to meet you." Zorn held out his hand with a warm smile.
"Oh, Holy Light Magic, and you're pretty good at Physical Arts? You're confident, kid. I'm Laxus Dreyar." Laxus wore a cocky smile as he reached out and shook Zorn's hand.
Natsu, Gray, and the others watched the ground crack slightly from the two shaking hands and swallowed.
Zorn looked at Laxus, who was more real than he had been in the anime. And right now, Laxus really did look a bit like a delinquent.
"Let's have a match, Laxus. I also heard the master mention that he has a very strong grandson, so please show me what you can do." Zorn decided it would be better to bring it up first.
"Sure, then let's set a time," Laxus replied, letting go of his hand.