"Huh? Decided what?" Wakaba asked in confusion from beside him.
"I'm going to confess to Airo!"
"What?!" Macao's words stunned Wakaba. "Give it up. Do you have any idea how many people like her?"
"Just you wait and see."
"All right."
Meanwhile, Xi Feng had barely sat down when Mirajane's voice reached his ears.
"Xi Feng, I accepted a job today. Come with me, Lisanna, and Elfman."
Oh, no! The moment Xi Feng heard Mirajane's voice, he knew trouble was coming. He glanced at Erza beside him. Sure enough, she marched over, glaring angrily at Mira.
"Let's go."
Mirajane seemed not to notice Erza at all. She grabbed Xi Feng's hand and pulled him toward the guild's exit.
"Mirajane!"
After being ignored again and again, Erza finally erupted.
"Oh? Erza, when did you get here? I didn't even notice you." Mirajane acted as though she had only just spotted Erza, her eyes full of mischief.
"You..." Erza knew perfectly well that Mirajane was teasing her, but she still felt an inexplicable anger welling up inside.
"Well, I'm off to do a job with Xi Feng now. Bye!" Mirajane continued pulling Xi Feng outside.
"Xi Feng won't go with you!" Seeing Mirajane dragging him away, Erza grabbed his arm and shouted at her.
"That's not for you to decide."
"He definitely won't!"
"Xi Feng!" "Xi Feng!"
Mirajane and Erza both turned to look at Xi Feng, who was caught between them.
"Well..." Faced with their expectant gazes, Xi Feng had no idea how to answer. An awkward silence settled over them.
"Serves that brat Xi Feng right."
Macao, who was drinking nearby, seemed quite pleased to see Xi Feng caught in such a dilemma.
"Judging by your tone, I still think you sound jealous." Wakaba showed no consideration for their friendship as he continued ribbing Macao.
"Mind your own business!"
Meanwhile, Lisanna, Kinana, Wendy, and Elfman exchanged glances and sighed helplessly.
"Xi Feng..."
Just as Xi Feng struggled to decide what to do, a quiet voice rang out.
Xi Feng and the others looked over and saw a blond boy wearing headphones.
"Hm? What is it, Laxus?" Although Xi Feng wondered why Laxus was looking for him, at least this gave him a way out.
"I'll be waiting on the hill behind the guild..." Laxus said flatly, then turned and left.
"Uh..." Watching Laxus walk away left Xi Feng somewhat speechless, but at least he had escaped his predicament. He immediately told the two girls, "Erza, Mirajane, Laxus needs me for something, so I'll be going."
Xi Feng quickly freed himself from the girls and ran straight out of the guild. "..." Erza and Mirajane froze as they watched him flee, but when their eyes met, they both snorted and turned away.
"Hm? Where's Laxus?" When Xi Feng reached the hill behind the guild, all he could see were trees, flowers, and grass.
Crackle...
Then Xi Feng heard a harsh, violent crackling. He turned and saw Laxus charging at him, his right hand wreathed in raging lightning.
"What the hell..." Laxus's sudden attack earned a curse from Xi Feng, who reacted swiftly and dodged.
Boom! With Xi Feng out of the way, Laxus's fist struck the ground and left an enormous crater.
"What are you doing?!" Looking at the crater, Xi Feng patted his chest and glared angrily at Laxus.
"I heard you wiped out a dark guild all by yourself," Laxus said calmly, standing up and brushing the dust off his clothes.
"And?"
"If you could take out an entire guild alone, you must be pretty strong. Fight me."
"Sure." Xi Feng nodded. He needed someone to spar with now, too. Gray often challenged him, but those fights were always one-sided beatdowns. Now that Laxus had come to him, why turn him down?
Yet the instant Xi Feng agreed, sparks flashed across Laxus's body. He suddenly turned into a bolt of lightning and appeared in front of Xi Feng.
Xi Feng was a little startled by Laxus's sudden appearance, but he was ready. Magic power burst from his body as he retreated at a speed no slower than Laxus's. With a flick of his right hand, the Blade of Gale appeared in his grasp.
"Whirlwind Slash!"
Xi Feng swung his blade, sending a small tornado sweeping toward Laxus.
Laxus seemed to think nothing of the tornado. Without dodging, he continued charging at Xi Feng, raising his lightning-covered fist and smashing it into the whirlwind.
Crackle, crackle!
The friction between his fist and the tornado produced a piercing noise. With a deafening boom, Laxus punched straight through the tornado and charged at Xi Feng. He raised his right fist, crackling with lightning, and roared as he brought it down on Xi Feng right in front of him.
"Thunder Fist!"
Seeing this, Xi Feng drew back his blade and threw a left-handed punch packed with powerful magic.
Boom! A thunderous explosion rang out, and the violent magic power devastated their surroundings. After a brief deadlock, the two resumed their fierce clash, blue and golden light intertwining.
"Getting shocked really feels awful."
Xi Feng shook his hand. His arm was tingling and numb, but Laxus was not much better off, with small cuts scattered across his body.
Then Laxus unleashed a powerful surge of magic and cupped both hands in front of his mouth, facing Xi Feng.
At the sight, Xi Feng realized he had almost forgotten that Laxus could use Dragon Slayer Magic. A moment later, a raging breath of lightning swept toward him.
"Lightning Dragon's Roar!"
"Wind Barrier!"
Xi Feng calmly swept his hand forward, and a wall of swirling wind appeared before him.
Boom! The dragon's breath collided with the wind wall in an explosion, engulfing Xi Feng's position in thick black smoke.
"..."
Laxus frowned at the spot where Xi Feng stood, his thoughts unreadable.
"Forward Slash!"
Just then, Xi Feng burst out of the black smoke like a gust of wind and rushed toward Laxus. Laxus reacted immediately, throwing a punch at Xi Feng in front of him. But at that very moment, Xi Feng vanished, and his voice rang out behind Laxus.
"You lost, Laxus."
At some point, Xi Feng had appeared behind Laxus, pressing the back of his blade against his neck.
"Hmph." Laxus snorted, silently accepting his defeat. Then he told Xi Feng, "I'll beat you next time!"
"Is that so? I look forward to it." Xi Feng put away the Blade of Gale and answered with a smile.
(Please support this story with flowers and favorites. If anything is lacking, please let me know.)
Chapter 12: Happy and Carla (Please support with flowers and favorites)
"Everyone, look! An egg! I found a huge egg!"
One morning, Natsu ran in shouting, carrying an enormous egg in his arms.
"Where did you find it?" Makarov asked gently, looking at the egg in Natsu's arms.
"In the woods. I found it on my way here," Natsu said excitedly, looking utterly thrilled.
"You're so excited this time, Natsu. Are you going to share it with us to eat?" Gray teased from his seat nearby.
"No way! This is a dragon egg! You can't eat it!" Gray's words put Natsu on guard, and he hurriedly shielded the egg.
"Hold on, Natsu. How do you know it's a dragon egg?" Xi Feng, who had been watching the fun, finally spoke up. Now that Natsu had found it, he wondered whether Wendy would find Carla. After all, he had already brought Wendy to Fairy Tail.
"Look, Xi Feng! Don't those strange markings on the egg look like dragon claws?" Talking about the egg got Natsu excited all over again. He kept pointing at its markings as he said, "I've decided! I'm going to hatch this dragon!"
"In that case, you must take good care of this egg. It'll also teach you how a new life is born," Makarov said.
"Xi Feng! Xi Feng!" Just then, the anxious voices of Wendy and the other two girls rang out. He looked over to see Wendy, Kinana, and Erza entering with an egg of their own.
At the sight, Xi Feng spat out his drink. He had only just been wondering whether Wendy would find Carla, and now she already had. The plot really was a powerful force.
"Um... what's wrong, everyone?" Having just entered, the three girls froze in mild surprise when they saw everyone staring at them.
"You found a dragon egg, too!" Natsu walked over, his face full of excitement.
"A dragon egg?" Natsu's words made the three girls look at him in confusion, then down at the egg they were holding.
"Natsu found an egg exactly like yours, too. Whether it's a dragon egg is still anyone's guess," Xi Feng explained as he walked over to the girls.
"It's definitely a dragon egg!" Unhappy with Xi Feng's words, Natsu shouted straight at him.
"The same kind of egg?" Hearing Xi Feng's explanation, the three girls looked behind Natsu. Sure enough, there was an egg just like the one they were holding.
Before you continue