Beachside Relaxation

Laxus dragged Feng Lan over to the beach volleyball court and said to Macao and Wakaba, "Come on, aren't you guys good at this? The two of us will play against you."

Macao looked at the eager Laxus and Feng Lan, then exchanged a glance with Wakaba. "Bring it on, then. Let us uncles put out some of that young fire of yours."

With that, he grabbed a volleyball from a basket nearby and stepped onto the court.

Wendy and Lisanna sat on the beach, digging for little crabs with toy shovels.

"Lisanna, what are my brother and the others playing?" Wendy asked curiously as she watched Feng Lan brimming with fighting spirit.

"That's beach volleyball~ But I don't really know the rules either..." Lisanna said, sitting beside Wendy and holding a small bottle full of crabs.

"Lisanna! Wendy!" Levy called out to them from a distance. "Come over here, there's free juice~"

Under a nearby beach umbrella, Mira and Erza were also enjoying a rare moment of peace. One ate cake while feeling the sea breeze, while the other drank a cold beverage and read a novel. Yet their gazes still clashed from time to time.

Hmph, why does this flat-chested woman keep looking at me? Is she trying to steal my cake? Erza thought.

Why does this Iron Plate Woman keep glaring at me... Could she be trying to steal my novel? Mira thought.

"Hmph!" Mira and Erza couldn't stand the sight of each other. They snorted and turned their heads away.

Cana drank her juice and looked at the two of them speechlessly. "You two are together every day like you're in some palace drama..."

In an empty grove, Gray was flipping through a magic book, drenched in sweat.

"Ice God's Roar!" Following the steps in the book, Gray exhaled a stream of black icy breath. "No... it's way too far off."

"Ahhh, this is so hard!" Gray collapsed onto the ground and shouted in despair.

Inside the infirmary

Natsu's head was wrapped in bandages like a mummy's. Sitting by the window, he muttered, "Mmph mmph, mmph mmph mmph, mmph..."

Freed and Elfman exchanged confused looks. "Natsu, what are you saying?"

Natsu looked awkwardly at Freed and Elfman. "Mmph..."

Freed and Elfman looked at each other again and shrugged. "We'll be going, then. If you need anything, call us... Well, you can't call us either. Bye."

With that, they left the infirmary, leaving Natsu alone in the empty room. "Mmph, mmph mmph..."

"Achoo! Who's thinking about me... Laxus! Opportunity!" Feng Lan sneezed, then shouted at Laxus.

"Oh! We've won... huh!?" Laxus leaped up with all his strength and struck the winning shot, only to watch Macao return it with a ball of magic.

Feng Lan shouted, "Hey! Isn't that against the rules!?"

Macao shrugged, looking sly. "Don't talk nonsense. The rules never said magic wasn't allowed."

Feng Lan and Laxus looked at each other and grinned. "One! Two!"

Feng Lan tossed the ball high into the air. "Water Dragon's Iron Fist!"

"Holy—!" Macao blocked it with magic, but the impact sent him flying as well.

Laxus sprang into the air. "Lightning Dragon's Jaw!" With one heavy blow, he sent Wakaba flying.

Macao and Wakaba clutched their butts as they shakily got back to their feet. "Ow~ My butt... You two little mages have no sense of fair play!"

Laxus retorted indignantly, "You two sly old foxes started it first!"

"Brother! Time to eat!" Just as the tension between the two sides was reaching a peak, Wendy called out from afar for Feng Lan and the others to come eat.

The moment the hungry group heard it was time to eat, they hurried over.

"Wow, barbecue for lunch!?" Feng Lan looked at Freed and the others grilling skewers.

Freed nodded. "Yeah, we've already grilled some. If you're hungry, go eat first... Though some people have already started..."

Feng Lan turned his head and saw Natsu and Gray each holding a bunch of skewers and wolfing them down. Mira and Erza were competing over who could eat more, while Lisanna and the others had been pitifully left off to the side, completely unable to fight for any.

Seeing this, Feng Lan hurried forward to grab some. "Hey, leave some for the rest of us!"

Before long, Feng Lan had fought miserably to secure more than ten skewers, only to immediately feed them to Wendy and Lisanna. Although the two girls gave him a few skewers in return, it was nowhere near enough. He was still hungry.

At that moment, Laxus sat down beside Feng Lan with a bunch of freshly grilled skewers. "Want some?"

Feng Lan looked at Laxus in confusion. "Where did you get so many?"

Laxus pointed at Freed, who was grilling skewers. "Freed grilled them. Where else would they come from?"

Feng Lan turned to look at the few people on his own team and sighed in disappointment. "Sigh~ Give me a few, then..."

Gildarts walked over and asked, "Um... Laxus, did I snore last night?"

Laxus's face darkened. "No, that was clearly me letting off lightning..."

Gildarts said awkwardly, "Hehe, sorry about that. Tonight, I'll set up some soundproofing and try not to disturb your sleep... Uh, right, are you going diving this afternoon? Everyone's going."

Laxus nodded. "Sure. There's nothing else to do anyway. Feng Lan, are you going?"

Feng Lan thought for a moment. "Sure, even though it's pretty boring..."

Gildarts asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Feng Lan? You don't seem very excited about coming to the beach..."

Feng Lan shrugged. "Isn't that obvious? I lived in this kind of environment for years before..."

Laxus asked curiously, "Feng Lan, does that mean you're really good at swimming?"

Feng Lan nodded. "Yeah. I swim about as fast as Slokard, and I can breathe underwater too, so I don't need to come up for air."

Gildarts stared at Feng Lan in shock. "Seriously!? You can breathe underwater? Is that another exclusive ability of Dragon Slayer Mages?"

Feng Lan shook his head. "No. Only Water Dragons can do that. The others can hold their breath longer because their lungs are stronger, but they can't breathe underwater."

Laxus thought for a moment before asking, "Does that mean you're invincible underwater?"

Feng Lan rubbed his nose. "More or less. Anyway, I can control basically all the water in the sea, as long as I have enough magic power..."

Gildarts and Laxus looked at Feng Lan with mischievous grins. Seeing their expressions, Feng Lan immediately understood.

Gildarts and Laxus said to Feng Lan, "Then this afternoon..."

Feng Lan gave them an I get it~ look. "Want to make things exciting?"

Makarov stood by the sea and shouted to everyone, "Kids! Anyone who wants to go diving, gather over here!"

Feng Lan, Laxus, and Gildarts exchanged grins. "The plan begins. Pleasure working with you!"