Training

That morning, Feng Lan was chatting with Lisanna in the guild.

"Brother Feng Lan! Let's duel!" Natsu somehow appeared behind Feng Lan. "Dragon Sword Horn of the Fire Dragon!"

Feng Lan had just picked up his glass to take a drink when Natsu's headbutt knocked it over, splashing Feng Lan all over.

Feng Lan turned to Natsu and "smiled." "Do you fucking want to go flying?"

Seeing Feng Lan get angry, Natsu immediately caved and put on an innocent face. "Uh, well... no. Could I ask you to spar with me?"

Seeing Natsu's expression, Feng Lan could not hold back his laughter. "Pfft! Fine. We'll go to the back mountain later. I'll train you today." With that, he picked up a bottle of wine and headed outside.

"Awesome!" Natsu immediately followed after him without a care in the world.

Lisanna glanced at Mira. Seeing Mira give a slight nod, she followed as well. "Wait for me! Lisanna wants to come too!"

Magnolia, eastern outskirts.

"Alright, here it is." Feng Lan stopped by a riverbank.

"Brother Feng Lan, what are we training today?" Natsu stopped alongside Feng Lan.

"Hmm... I originally planned to help you train stacking magic attributes." Feng Lan walked over to a large boulder. "But considering your level of magic, that will have to wait for now. First, we'll train your fundamentals."

Natsu asked impatiently, "Then when do we start?"

"Don't rush. We'll begin right away... Oh, right, Lisanna, are you watching or joining us?" Feng Lan turned and asked Lisanna.

"I want to train too!" Lisanna clenched her fists.

Feng Lan touched the large boulder. "You two, hit this rock. You can use magic."

Natsu jumped up. "Easy! Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!"

Lisanna also used magic to attack the boulder. "Animal Take Over—Rabbit!"

"Bang!" Two collisions rang out, yet the boulder did not move an inch. Instead, Natsu and Lisanna rolled on the ground in pain.

Feng Lan covered his face and shook his head helplessly. "That's all you've got?"

Natsu was unwilling to accept that. "Then you do it!"

Feng Lan smiled. Without even using magic, he clenched his right fist and struck the boulder. In the next second, cracks appeared across it before it shattered into stone fragments. "Was that hard?"

"Alright, today's training is mainly to improve your strength, precision, and lung capacity."

Lisanna tilted her head. "Why? Aren't we training magic?"

Feng Lan nodded and explained to them with a smile, "Mm, we won't be training magic today. After all, I can teach Natsu some Dragon Slayer Magic, but there's nothing I can do about Lisanna's Take Over Magic."

"So we might as well train stamina, which is useful for everyone, right?" Natsu said with his arms crossed. "Let's start already!"

"Hmph, pretty sharp, huh? Then let's begin!" Feng Lan said, patting Natsu's head.

"Come on, tie these to your wrists, ankles, and waists." Feng Lan found ten medium-sized stones and gave five each to Natsu and Lisanna, though Natsu's were generally larger than Lisanna's.

"I've tied them on. What's next?" Natsu asked Feng Lan after fastening them.

"Next... into the river! Each of you has to catch ten fish." Feng Lan pointed at the nearby river. "Also, no magic!"

"Ehh~ But I can't move like this at all." Lisanna's face turned red as she failed to take even a single step.

"I'm fired up..." Natsu's face was red too as he struggled to march in place.

Feng Lan scratched his head. "Making you wear this much weight right from the start does seem a little too harsh... Alright, this should work." He then removed the stones from Natsu and Lisanna's waists, replaced all the stones on their hands and feet with smaller ones, and tightly tied them to their arms and legs.

"But it's still so hard..." Lisanna still had trouble moving.

In comparison, Natsu found it much easier. Gritting his teeth, he could move on land without much trouble. "I'm good! Can we get in the water now?"

"Alright, put these on." Feng Lan formed two bubbles in his palm and placed them over Natsu and Lisanna's heads. "These can provide you with oxygen while you dive, but every ten minutes, the bubbles will burst for three minutes. For Natsu, it'll be three or five minutes at random, since a Dragon Slayer Mage's lungs are more developed than ordinary people's."

Feng Lan then made another four bubbles and wrapped them around the stones on Lisanna's hands and feet, making her feel much lighter at once. "Lisanna, they can't get any lighter. Any lighter and there won't be any effect."

"Mm! This is enough already. Thank you, Brother Feng Lan!" Lisanna tried taking a few steps. Once she felt she could move, she jumped into the water with Natsu.

"Natsu really is lucky, having a girl with him... Back then, I only had Slokard chasing after me and beating me up." Feng Lan smiled. "Natsu... when will you be able to slay dragons like me?"

Feng Lan shook his head. "Honestly, I'm thinking too far ahead." He then jumped in as well.

At this moment, Natsu and Lisanna were searching for fish with blank looks on their faces. "Hehe..." Seeing how adorable they looked, Feng Lan could not help laughing. (A Water Dragon could breathe and speak underwater, and all bodily functions were enhanced in water or rain. Their swimming speed was incredibly fast.)

"Water Make—Swimming Fish." Feng Lan waved both hands, and twenty fish appeared in the water, swimming toward Natsu and Lisanna.

Because they were not used to moving underwater while carrying weights, they failed to catch a single fish during the first three times the bubbles burst—the first three rounds—and nearly suffocated holding their breath. But after Natsu gradually adapted, he easily caught all ten fish within three rounds.

Then, with Natsu's guidance and cooperation, Lisanna also caught all her fish within two rounds.

But just as Natsu and Lisanna high-fived in celebration, Feng Lan smiled slightly. "Hey, Natsu, Lisanna, don't celebrate too early! The final boss is coming~"

"Water Make—White Shark!" A massive shark appeared underwater, staring fixedly at Natsu and Lisanna.

"You can use magic this time! Just defeat it!" Feng Lan shouted at Natsu and Lisanna.

The two looked at each other and nodded.

"Animal Take Over—Mermaid!" Lisanna transformed into a mermaid and swam quickly through the water, disrupting the White Shark's senses. As the shark chased Lisanna, Natsu waited for an opening nearby.

"Dragon Fang of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu seized the chance and rushed forward to attack the shark. But underwater, the power of his flames was greatly reduced. Not only did he fail to injure the shark, but he was sent flying by a sweep of its tail.

The shark then charged straight at Natsu.

"Natsu! Watch out!" Lisanna cried worriedly. Even Feng Lan was about to dispel his magic. "Heh heh, come on, Stinky Fish!" Golden flames erupted all over Natsu's body, and faint dragon scales appeared on his face.

Feng Lan froze on the spot as Natsu shouted, "Dragon Slayer Secret Art—Crimson Lotus Phoenix Sword!" Natsu instantly shot toward the shark like a fiery phoenix, ramming it more than ten meters into the air above the water before it exploded.

Lisanna hurriedly swam ashore to check on Natsu. After standing there in a daze for a while, Feng Lan followed her. But as soon as he arrived, he saw Natsu and Lisanna grinning proudly at him. "We cleared it!"

Feng Lan smiled in relief. "Mm, that was great! Let's head back!"

"Mm, I'm starving." Natsu said with his hands in his pockets.

"I can't walk anymore! Natsu, carry me!" Lisanna plopped down on the ground and said willfully.

"Huh? Wouldn't it be better to have Brother Feng Lan carry you?" Natsu said, looking at Feng Lan beside him.

"No! Isn't Lisanna your future bride? Carry her yourself!" Feng Lan turned his head away.

"Mm, that's right! Natsu is so mean~" Lisanna said sulkily.

"How did I become the mean one!?" Natsu said helplessly. "Fine, I'll carry you!" With that, Natsu lifted Lisanna onto his back.

On the way back, Feng Lan looked at Natsu in shock and disbelief. Was that the prelude to Dragon Force just now? Isn't that way too early!? Hehe, it looks like you might surpass me, Natsu... Feng Lan thought.

When the three returned to Magnolia, an alarm suddenly sounded. "Magnolia has entered Kildarts Mode. All residents, please quickly proceed to your designated locations! I repeat..."

Feng Lan stood at the entrance of the guild with a blank look on his face. "What... is going on?"