Chapter 23: Chapter 23: The Dragon Egg
"Hey, do you think they might have a thing for you? Fighting over you out of jealousy?" Cana teased suddenly.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Alex waved his hands dismissively.
"They're just kids. What do they know?"
Cana sighed. "Why do you always act so mature?"
Just then, the guild doors opened, and Alex turned to see a figure with yellow hair, wearing a yellow T-shirt, walk in.
"Laxus, you're back," Alex greeted.
Laxus nodded and walked over to Makarov, handing in his completed mission before heading to the mission board.
Seeing this, Alex pulled Laxus over. "Come on, at least take a break. You're going to wear yourself out with all these missions."
"Have a drink with me," Alex insisted.
"I don't drink with people who like milk," Laxus refused, but seeing Alex thrust a cup into his hand, he reluctantly shook his head.
"Hey, did you know that Natsu found a dragon egg yesterday?" Alex mentioned, knowing Laxus might be interested since he was a Dragon Slayer.
"A dragon egg? There's no way such a thing exists," Laxus replied, taking a sip of his drink.
"It's true. The egg is huge and has all these strange patterns on it," Alex insisted.
"It might just be some other magical beast's egg. A dragon egg is too unlikely," Laxus shook his head.
"Yeah, maybe. Cheers!" Alex didn't argue. The point was to get Laxus talking. Remembering Makarov's request to engage with Laxus more, Alex knew he was probably the only one in the guild who could talk with Laxus like this.
The two continued drinking and chatting as time passed.
By noon, Erza and Mirajane had arrived at the guild. Fortunately, they only exchanged a few heated words before parting ways, much to Alex's relief.
Thinking back, Alex wondered if there was any truth to Cana's earlier comment. The way Erza and Mirajane had reacted upon first meeting seemed a bit off. But shaking his head, he dismissed the thought. After all, they were just kids—what could they understand?
"Who stole my egg!!" Natsu suddenly burst into the guild, shouting in panic.
"The egg is missing?" Gray asked.
"I didn't take it," Cana shook her head, then added, "By the way, Gray, your clothes!"
Gray looked shocked. "When did that happen?"
Mirajane couldn't help but tease, "Maybe you ate it, Natsu?"
"No way!" Natsu immediately denied, then turned to Alex. "Alex, did you take it? I remember you saying you wanted to eat that egg."
"I'm not that bored. It wasn't me."
"Laxus, was it you?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Laxus scoffed, turning away.
"My egg~~" Natsu sat on the ground, dejected, muttering to himself.
Erza turned to Mirajane. "Mira, just hand it over."
"Huh? Are you accusing me?" Mirajane slammed her hand on the table, facing off with Erza.
"Isn't it obvious?" The two locked heads again, sparks flying.
"Man, the next generation is a mess. I can't imagine what this guild will be like in a few years," Wakaba commented, flicking his cigarette ash.
Makarov, sipping his drink, said nonchalantly, "Their rivalry is because they acknowledge each other's strength."
Smiling, Makarov added, "They all understand each other well, so there's nothing to worry about."
"True enough. Cheers, Master," Macao raised his glass.
"And it keeps things lively."
"Where's my egg?" Natsu still sat on the ground, moping.
"Speaking of which, I remember Elfman saying he wanted that egg," Kana recalled.
"Elfman?" Lisanna exclaimed in surprise.
Just then, Elfman walked in, carrying the egg with blue patterns.
Natsu jumped up. "It was you, Elfman!!"
Elfman quickly explained, "It's not what you think, Natsu. Last night was really cold, and you just left the egg lying there while you slept. I was worried it might get cold, so I took it to keep it warm. Here, I'm giving it back now."
Natsu looked sheepish. "Sorry, Elfman. I shouldn't have accused you."
"No problem," Elfman smiled.
At that moment, the egg began to move, cracks appearing on its surface, drawing everyone's attention in the guild.
"Laxus, let's go see," Alex said, putting down his glass of milk.
"Seriously, you guys are so easily entertained," Laxus sighed but put down his drink and followed Alex into the crowd.
"Hey, Erza, let's put our grudges aside for now and check it out," Mirajane suggested. She and Erza had been wrestling, but the commotion around Natsu's egg piqued Mirajane's curiosity. She wanted to see if it was really a dragon.
"Sounds good. Let's do that," Erza agreed. They reached a consensus and headed towards the crowd.
"Oh, something's coming out," someone exclaimed. The cracks on the eggshell grew larger, and under everyone's expectant gazes, the shell finally shattered.
A blue light emanated from within.
"It's coming! What could it be?" As the light faded, a blue, winged cat appeared before everyone's eyes.
"A cat???"
Everyone was baffled. The cat flapped its tiny wings, flew around the guild members, and finally landed on Natsu's head.
"Happy!" the blue cat exclaimed, instantly stirring the guild into a frenzy.
"So cute!!"
The guild members, men included, were all smitten, their eyes sparkling as they looked at the tiny cat.
Lisanna, observing the joyful atmosphere, turned to Natsu and said, "Natsu, just a moment ago, everyone in the guild was fighting. But now, look how happy they are."
"It's like a bluebird of happiness."
"Happiness, huh? Then let's call it Happy!" Natsu declared, hugging the blue cat.
"Happy!" The blue cat clearly liked its new name.
Nearby, Reedus was inspired by the scene. "Why not draw it as a dragon?" He sketched a scene where Natsu was riding a dragon, encapsulating everyone's excitement on paper.
---
In the year X780, Magnolia, at the Fairy Tail guild.
The guild was as lively as ever.
In X778, the 17-year-old Laxus had passed the Fairy Tail S-Class Mage exam, becoming the third S-Class Mage of Fairy Tail.
The guild also welcomed many new members.
Even young mages like Natsu started taking on simple missions.
"Everyone seems quite active lately," Alex remarked, sitting at the bar and observing the busy guild members.
Especially Erza and Mirajane, who were hardly seen around the guild anymore.
"Not everyone is a slacker like you," Makarov responded grumpily.
"How am I a slacker?" Alex protested. "I've been working too!"
Makarov shook his head. "If you're not a slacker, then what are you? How long have you been resting?"
"Only two months," Alex replied, pouting.
Makarov was speechless and buried his face in his drink.
Then he looked up and said, "You know the S-Class Mage exam is coming up soon, right?"
"Oh, it's that time already? Time flies," Alex realized. No wonder Erza and Mirajane were so busy.
"This year, I plan to have you and Laxus as the examiners," Makarov announced, surprising Alex. Typically, Gildarts was the one who judged the S-Class Mage exams due to his extensive experience.
But now, Makarov wanted Alex and Laxus to take on this role?
Alex choked on his milk, coughing violently.
Looking at Makarov, Alex said, "You're kidding, right? We can't do that."
Makarov smiled. "No, I think you can. It's decided." Makarov left no room for argument.
Alex muttered, "It's probably because Gildarts isn't around."
"Thud!" Makarov's cane struck Alex's head. "What are you mumbling about? I'm just giving you something to do since you've been idle for so long."
"Yes, yes, whatever you say. I guess I'm just destined to work hard," Alex sighed.
A few days later, the Fairy Tail members gathered excitedly in the hall, eagerly eyeing the stage covered by a large red curtain.
"It's finally time," Wakaba said excitedly.
"Yeah, I wonder who will be selected this year. I bet it'll be me," Macao said, rubbing his hands together, full of energy.
"Haha, that's a joke. Anyone but you. I'm more likely," Wakaba countered, not wanting to let Macao have the spotlight.
"What are you talking about? I'm clearly better than you," Macao retorted.
As they argued, the large red curtain began to rise.
On the stage stood three figures.
"Hey, Alex and Laxus are up there. Does that mean…?" Someone noticed the two S-Class Mages on stage and started speculating.
"Wow, could it be that Alex and Laxus are the examiners this year? In previous years, there was only one S-Class Mage," the crowd buzzed with discussions.
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