Detention Room Check-In

Early in the morning, Natsu watched Feng Lan arrive at the training grounds and urged him, "Bro, hurry up and teach me some magic. Don't be so lazy every day!"

Feng Lan yawned and said listlessly, "Seriously, what a pain every single day. What, you finished fusing your magic power and have too much energy now?"

Natsu clenched his fists. "Don't even get me started. Three weeks, over twenty days! I haven't used magic even once. It's driving me crazy! (I couldn't mobilize it while fusing my magic power.)"

Feng Lan shook his head speechlessly. "All right, all right. Show me what your magic power fusion looks like first."

Grinning, Natsu ran to an open area. "Bro, watch closely! Dragon's Roar!"

Natsu spewed earthy-red, powder-like Dragon's Breath from his mouth. It was scorching hot, and the powder was surrounded by bright red sparks. (I'm not very good at describing it.)

The Dragon's Breath shot forward at incredible speed and struck a huge boulder. At first, nothing happened. Instead, it seemed as though Natsu's attack had adhered to the boulder's surface.

Just as Feng Lan was puzzled, the dust clinging to the boulder exploded. The earlier dust exploded continuously while more dust kept replenishing it. Not only was the boulder blasted to pieces, but the ground was also gouged into a massive crater.

Feng Lan hurriedly stopped Natsu. "STOP! Stop right now!"

Natsu immediately ceased his attack, but even then, the explosions did not stop. They continued for dozens of seconds before finally dying down. "Bro, what's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Looking at the crater and the flames on the ground, Feng Lan clutched his head and shouted, "It's huge—the problem is way too huge! Can't you hold back a little!? If we burn down the mountain, the Guild Master will kick both of us out!"

Natsu scratched his head awkwardly. "Hehe, forget that for now. Bro, what do you think of this attribute?"

Feng Lan steadied his emotions, casually waved a hand, and summoned rain to extinguish the flames. "Hmm... not bad! I thought water and fire would combine into a gentler attribute, but I didn't expect it to become even more violent."

Natsu said smugly, "Of course! I'm not a gentle person!"

Feng Lan spread his hands. "Does that really have much to do with a mage's personality?"

Natsu thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Yeah. After all, one of your attributes is water and the other is mist—both gentler than the last—yet you're like you were molded out of cement, so..."

"Huh? What did you say?" Feng Lan 'gently' 'patted' Natsu on the head and gave him a 'kind' smile.

Natsu swallowed the rest of his words, cold sweat covering his forehead. After holding it in for a while, he said, "So powerful, gentle, and dependable..."

Feng Lan knocked Natsu on the head. "You're quick on the uptake, kid... Oh, right. Did you name this attribute?"

Natsu smiled. "Of course! I named it... Ember Dragon Mode!" (Don't worry about common sense or academic knowledge. I just named it by feel.)

Feng Lan considered it after hearing the name. "Ember Dragon... not bad! You've got some of my old flair, kid. Pretty damn pretentious!" (According to the original story, Feng Lan should be called the Water-Fire Dragon? He named himself the Storm Dragon, while Natsu should be called the Water-Fire Dragon, but he named himself the Ember Dragon.)

Natsu rubbed the tip of his nose and said proudly, "Heh heh, I even came up with a few basic moves!"

Feng Lan smiled approvingly. "Oh? Hurry up and show me!"

Natsu walked over to the crater he had just blasted open. "Then keep your eyes peeled!"

Natsu coated his right hand in a layer of powder and slammed it heavily into the ground. "Ember Dragon's Charging Fist!" Natsu's fist struck the ground at blinding speed, triggering a massive explosion that blasted out another huge crater.

"Ember Dragon's Shattering Fang!" Natsu formed his right hand into a claw, each fingertip coated in a large amount of powder. When he struck the ground, five deep trenches exploded forward.

"Ember Dragon's Hook Claw!" This time, Natsu coated his feet in powder, though not evenly. Sixty percent was concentrated around his ankles to accelerate him, then he detonated the remaining forty percent, releasing an explosive wave carrying scorching heat that felled a whole swath of trees ahead of him.

"Ember Dragon's Wing Strike!" Natsu forcefully swung both hands, flinging out a large cloud of powder. He stepped back, and then, accompanied by the sound of his teeth clacking together, all the powder exploded at once.

"Ember Dragon's Falling Star!" Natsu leaped high into the air, coating his feet in powder as thrusters and gathering a huge amount of powder above his head. Like a rocket, he pierced through and shattered every target in his path.

"Lastly, Ember Dragon's Exploding Scales!" Flames burned in Natsu's left hand while a huge amount of powder gathered in his right. The flames and powder merged, and Natsu hurled them forward with all his strength, creating a straight chain of explosions.

Although Natsu had consumed a considerable amount of magic power, he did not seem very tired. That was also thanks to Feng Lan's training, which had strengthened Natsu's stamina and mental fortitude.

Natsu excitedly came before Feng Lan, who fondly patted him on the head.

But at that moment, several people arrived beside them.

"Old man—Guild Master!?" Feng Lan and Natsu cried out. "And Gray and Elfman too. Why are you here?"

Makarov did not answer them. He merely turned to look at the horrific, utterly devastated, unbearable sight before him, and his blood pressure instantly shot through the roof...

Makarov roared at Feng Lan and Natsu, "The two of you can stop training for now! Go back immediately and report to the Detention Room!"

Looking at the scene, Elfman asked Feng Lan, "Brother Feng Lan, don't you think you went a little overboard?"

Feng Lan shrugged innocently. "I didn't do anything. Natsu did all of it."

Hearing Feng Lan's words, Gray looked at the utterly catastrophic scene and could not help feeling a sense of crisis. Damn it, it feels like Natsu has surpassed me by so much...

That evening, Feng Lan and Natsu finally managed to get out of the Detention Room. The moment they emerged, the guild members immediately mocked and teased them. Of course, people like Laxus had begun to feel tense. No one knew what kind of destructive power it took for the Guild Master to lock exam candidates in the Detention Room...

(This chapter mainly introduced Natsu's Ember Dragon Mode, so it was a bit filler. The next chapter will be the S-Class Exam. Natsu's Ember Dragon Mode obviously uses explosions as its main means of attack. Also, Feng Lan's Storm Dragon Mode is not very offensive and leans more toward support. The ending also hints that most of the major characters, including Gray, will see their strength soar with the protagonist's help.)