Chương 444: Fishing with the Guys
Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
November, x785.
Around two weeks have passed since Magnolia's Harvest festival. And in that time, not much of note has taken place. But there were a few things. First, Shizuka, after talking to Ultear, asked Alfonzo to help her fly. And when he looked at her quizzically, she mentioned Ultear's claws that turned into wings.
Understanding that Shizuka was asking for a [Soul Armament], Alfonzo had to turn her down… for now at least. Though, when he saw the tears welling up in Shizuka's eyes, he almost gave in on impulse.
Luckily, Riot and Bedlam were there to shout at him before he made a decision he could not take back. Not that he believed that Shizuka would immediately run away from the guild after getting her [Soul Armament Embryo]. However, he and Ur agreed that only S-Class candidates would be eligible for [Soul Armaments] not that long ago.
Though, because Shizuka was a noncombatant, things would be different for her. Still, being part of the guild for less than a month was not enough for her to have earned a [Soul Armament for herself.
Another thing worthy of mention for the last two weeks was the fact that Elicia was hospitalized ever since the Battle of Fairy Tail tournament ended. The burns she received from Cana's [Super Nova] spell were much more severe than she, Alfonzo, or Cana realized at the time. So, to Elicia's dismay, she had to be taken to see Porlyusica for treatment. And just as she feared, Elicia was both reprimanded and hit with the dreaded broom on more than one occasion.
The last thing to take note of was the fact that Laxus seems to have fallen in love. Though, if one were to ask him about it, he would deny it with everything he had. However, he was caught staring at a certain pink-haired, bespectacled beauty on more than a few occasions.
And today, Alfonzo was determined to get to the bottom of it.
Currently, Alfonzo, Laxus, Alzack, Gray, Elfman, Natsu, and Gajeel were sitting on the shore of Alfonzo's artificial island in the middle of Lake Sciliora. And they were all holding fishing poles in their hands.
"Man, when was the last time I just sat down and relaxed like this?" Alfonzo asked as he cast his line into the lake.
"Yeah, even when we're not on quests, it feels like it's been at least five years since we just hung out like this." Alzack said as he took a swig from a bottle of ale.
"Even so, it always seems like we just hang out like this at your house, Alfonzo." Gray said as he reclined in the chair he was sitting in.
"It would be a lot more relaxing if we weren't hanging out with a streaker, though." Natsu pointed out.
"Damn it…" Gray said as he looked down at himself and realized his clothes were scattered all around his chair.
"I still wanna know how someone can take off their clothes without even noticing." Gajeel said in an annoyed tone. "I mean, seriously, I didn't come here to see a half-naked guy. I'm just here to fish."
"Yeah, if he wanted to see someone half naked, he would have gone to hang out with Levy to fulfill his hopes and dreams." Alfonzo said.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Gajeel asked while his face reddened.
"Aww, that's so cute." Natsu said in a mocking tone. "Gajee is blushing."
*Bang!*
*Splash!*
"Who the hell do you think you're calling Gajee?" Gajeel shouted angrily as he punched Natsu hard enough to send him flying into the lake.
Surfacing quickly, Natsu looked at Gajeel angrily.
"What the hell was that for, Metal Head?" Natsu asked just as angrily.
"It was to teach you a lesson about not saying whatever you want." Gajeel replied with a victorious smile on his face.
"Yeah, well it sounds like you're saying you wanna fight to me." Natsu said as he swam towards the artificial shore.
"Any time, Salamander." Gajeel said with a challenging smile.
"*Sigh* I don't' even know why you invited those two morons." Laxus said while watching Natsu and Gajeel out of the corner of his eye. "I mean, this was supposed to be a time to relax. And I don't think either of those guys know anything about that."
In response, Alzack and Gray nodded in agreement.
"Well, I didn't wanna hear them wine about being left out." Alfonzo said with a shrug. "I mean, Natsu bitched at me for almost a month because he wasn't part of the bridal party, remember?"
"Yeah, and that sulky look Gajeel gave you was kinda disgusting, too." Alzack said as he chuckled at the memory.
"I didn't sulk!" Gajeel shouted.
"Oh, I think I got a big one!" Elfman shouted, breaking the conversation as he stood up and started pulling on his fishing rod. "I'm gonna real it in like a real man!"
Naturally, that shout brought an end to the ongoing conversation. Also, it drew everyone's attention to Elfman, who seemed to be struggling with whatever his hook was caught on.
"So, how much you wanna bet it's just a piece of trash someone dumped into the lake?" Laxus asked with a smirk.
"Yeah, I bet it is." Gray replied.
"No way, I bet it's a giant fish." Natsu said as he climbed out of the water with sparkling eyes.
"Even if it is, it's not like you'll get any." Gajeel said, pouring cold water on Natsu's enthusiasm.
"No way… Elfman would share, right?" Natsu asked, not sounding so excited anymore.
While the others continued to discuss what it was that Elfman had hooked, Alfonzo simply smiled. With his [Magic Power Detection], he had already noticed that Elfman had actually hooked a really big fish. However, because of the way Elfman was handling his rod, he doubted that the line would last long enough for him to reel it in.
And just as Alfonzo thought, Elfman's line broke. As a result, he lost both his hook and the fish. Though, the hook was still lodged into the fish's mouth.
"Too bad." Natsu said as he watched Elfman pull back the broken line. "I bet that fish would have been really tasty."
"Not that you would have had any claim to it." Gray replied.
"Anyway, why don't we make this more interesting?" Alfonzo asked while watching Elfman put a new hook on the end of his line.
"Interesting? What do you have in mind?" Laxus asked with curiosity in his tone.
Not only Laxus, but the other guys also looked at Alfonzo with interested gazes.
"How 'bout this?" Alfonzo said as he shook his fishing rod. "Whenever someone catches a fish, they can ask a question. And everyone else has to answer, regardless of how embarrassed they are to do so."
"Oh, that means we can get embarrassing stories about everyone whenever we catch a fish, huh?" Gajeel said with a grin. "Ther's nothing like having blackmail material, right?"
"Dude, I don't' think it's that serious." Alzack said, looking at Gajeel skeptically.
"Of course it's not." Gajeel replied. "I'm just having a little fun."
"Yeah, let's ignore the former member of a villain guild." Alfonzo said casually as he looked at everyone else. "So, what do you guys think?"
"I'm in." Laxus said. "It's not like I have anything to be embarrassed about."
And with that, Alfonzo's plan got underway. On top of that, the other young men also agreed to play this little game of his. And with the flames of determination burning in their eyes, the entire group put all their focus on fishing.
Eventually, after about twenty minutes, Natsu was the first one to hook a fish.
"Oh, I got one!" Natsu shouted as he stood from his chair. "And it feels like a big one."
To no one's surprise, Natsu handled his fishing rod much more skillfully than Elfman had earlier. He spent a lot of time fishing for his and Happy's meals, after all.
"By the way, where are Happy and Lily?" Alzack asked curiously. "I mean, I didn't expect you two to leave them behind."
"Well, when Alfonzo told me we would be fishing, I knew I couldn't bring Happy." Natsu said as he reeled in his catch. "Otherwise, he would have claimed every fish we caught belonged to him."
IN response, all the other young men nodded their heads. They had seen Happy act like that in the past, after all.
"And what about you, Gajeel?" Alzack asked, turning his attention to Gajeel as he did so.
"Lily wasn't interested." Gajeel said casually. "Even though the thought of having Alfonzo cook what he managed to catch was tempting, he wanted to spar with Erza. Something about improving his swordsmanship."
"Well, that's' a pretty good reason to not go fishing in my opinion." Laxus said. "I mean, getting stronger is always a good goal."
"As long as you balance it out with relaxation, anyway." Alfonzo added with a shrug. "If not, you end up like the little dictator Laxus was in the past."
Hearing that, the other guys, minus Natsu, who was struggling with his catch, nodded their heads.
"Are you ever gonna let that go?" Laxus asked in an annoyed tone.
"Nope." Alfonzo replied with a smile. "Gotta make sure you never forget. Otherwise, you might relapse."
While the others laughed at Laxus' misfortune, Laxus grumbled under his breath.
*Splash!*
"Ha! I got it!" Natsu shouted as the sound of a fish breaking the water's surface could be heard.
Looking in the direction of Natsu's fishing rod, everyone noticed that a smaller than average fish was hanging from the hook.
"Hmph! All that effort for such a small fish." Gajeel said while snorting in disdain. "Nice job, Salamander."
"You don't' know what you're talking about." Alfonzo said, amazed at Natsu's luck. "Those little fishes make some of the best dishes I've ever tasted."
"Really?" Natsu asked, the disappointed gaze he showed at the size of the fish disappearing in an instant after hearing Alfonzo's statement. "Can you cook it for me?"
"Sure." Alfonzo replied with a smile. "Just put it in the box next to your chair, that will keep it fresh."
Following Alfonzo's instructions, Natsu happily stored his fish away. Then, he quickly got back to fishing again.
"So, what kind of question are you gonna ask everyone, Natsu?" Alzack asked curiously.
Hearing that, Natsu scratched his head in confusion.
"Uh… I don't know." Natsu replied. "What do you guys think?"
"Well, there are a lot of questions you could ask." Alfonzo replied with a smile. "Like… Who everyone has a crush on. Or when everyone had their first kiss. Or what was the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to them, etc."
While everyone found Alfonzo's line of questions embarrassing, they were all looking forward to the answers the others would give.
"Oh, okay…" Natsu said while continuing to scratch his head. "Then, what was the most damage you ever caused on a quest?"
Naturally, everyone gave their answers, not finding the topic particularly embarrassing. To no one's surprise, Alfonzo's answer was negligible, bringing down the Tower of Heaven being the feat that caused the most damage on any of his quests. Though, they also forgot that he was not on a quest when he did that. Meanwhile, everyone gritted their teeth when Gajeel mentioned destroying the old Fairy Tail guild hall.
After everyone gave their answers, Alfonzo was the next one to catch a fish. However, he would admit to cheating had anyone noticed what he did. Since he used his [Metal Magic] to control the hook in the fish's mouth to make catching it easier. But since he was on a mission to uncover the truth of Laxus' supposed crush, he was okay with playing outside the rules.
Then again, no one said that using magic was forbidden. Still, he knew they would be unhappy if they found out.
"Alright, since you proposed this little game, what's your question?" Laxus asked, unbothered by what Alfonzo could possibly ask.
Like Laxus, everyone else, other than Natsu, focused their attention on Alfonzo, who was smiling brightly.
"Oh, the first one is a simple one." Alfonzo said happily. "Who was your first crush?"
Immediately, the group fell silent.
"Crush, what do you mean?" Natsu asked in a confused tone.
"Who was the first girl you liked, Stupid." Gray replied while rolling his eyes.
"Huh? Elicia, I guess." Natsu said while scratching his head. "She was nice to me when I first met her. She didn't fight with me back then, though."
"Something tells me he doesn't get it." Gajeel said.
"I think you're right." Alfonzo said with a sigh. Then, he looked at Natsu. "It's a girl you like more than other girls, Natsu. Like, do you like Lisanna the same way you like everyone else?"
In response, Natsu blushed fiercely, causing the others to grin at him.
"Oh, I get it…" Natsu muttered. "Then, I guess it's Lisanna."
In response, all the others' grins widened.
"Well, for me it was---" Alzack, with his face even redder than Natsu's began to say.
"Bisca." X 5
Alzack was taken aback when he heard Alfonzo, Laxus, Gray, Elfman, and Gajeel speak in unison. However, he shook his head a moment later.
"No, that's not it." Alzack said with an embarrassed expression. "Although I really like Bisca now, Laki was actually my first crush. But between her being so weird and the fact that I noticed she like Alfonzo, I gave up."
This time, everyone was completely surprised. But no one would go as far as to say that Laki was a bad choice for a first crush. Other than her weird speech pattern and personality that was hard to read, there was nothing wrong with her. She was quite cute, after all.
"It was Juvia for me." Gajeel said without blushing at all. "I mean, she was the first person I ever let call me by a nickname. But she was too concerned with the rain that used to always follow her around to let me get too close."
"You should have tried harder!" Alfonzo and Gray shouted in unison.
"If you had pressed on, she might not always be trying to steal one of my girlfriends!" Alfonzo shouted.
"If you had stolen her heart, she wouldn't always be stalking me!" Gray shouted at the same time."
"Nothing I can do about it now." Gajeel said with a grin. "Besides, if you just accepted her, she wouldn't stalk you anymore, Frosty."
Gray only hung his head in response.
"And what about you, Gray?" Alfonzo asked. "Who was the first girl to ever catch your eye?"
"*Sigh* It was Master." Gray replied.
"Oh, I guess after seeing her half-naked so often it was natural, huh?" Laxus asked with a grin.
"No, that wasn't it." Gray muttered. "Though, it didn't hurt, either."
All the guys who were aware of the matters between men and women laughed.
"He admitted it just like a real man." Elfman said loudly.
"But she was the one who gave me a home after I lost mine to Deliora." Gray continued, ignoring the laughter and Elfman's shouting.
"Yeah, that makes sense." Alzack replied. Then, in a mischievous tone, he continued. "IF Master Makarov had been a hot chick and not an old man, I probably would have had a crush on him, too."
Once again, the whole group started to laugh.
"And what about you, Elfman?" Alfonzo asked curiously.
"Actually, it was Elicia." Elfman said while scratching his head. "The way she tried to make me, and my sisters, feel welcome is what did it. But by then, she was already your girlfriend, Alfonzo. So, I just kept it to myself."
"Well, that's better than picking a fight over her like Bickslow used to." Alfonzo said with a smile. "Still, I can see you have good taste in women. You even managed to bag Evergreen, mellowing her out in the process."
"Yeah, I honestly never saw that coming." Laxus said. "I mean, she was so… narcissistic."
"She still is." Elfman said while chuckling embarrassedly. "But… I really like her confidence. Besides, I never expected to end up with her, either. I mean, she was actually the one who asked me out."
Hearing that, everyone looked at Elfman with shock in their eyes.
"Well… damn…" Alfonzo replied. "I guess all that real man shit did it for someone, huh?"
Nodding in response to Alfonzo's utterance, everyone eventually turned their heads towards Laxus.
"So, who was your first crush, Laxus?" Gajeel asked, hoping to get something he could tease Laxus with.
"This was your real goal for suggesting this little game, wasn't it." Laxus asked while glaring at Alfonzo. "You just wanted to know if the rumors were true, right?"
Alfonzo only smiled brightly in reply.
"*Sigh* I'm actually surprised myself." Laxus said while shaking his head. "In fact, it only happened recently. It's one of the new girls Alfonzo and Elicia brought back after that emergency quest."
Hearing that, everyone leaned a little closer to Laxus. Meanwhile, Natsu continued to focus on fishing, hoping to get more food that Alfonzo would cook for him.
"It's Saya." Laxus said. "Even though she's six or seven years younger than me, I can't help it. Her intelligence is really attractive."
'Ha! It's verified.' Alfonzo shouted while internally fist pumping. 'Now, how can I get them together, I wonder.'
At the same time, everyone could understand where Laxus was coming from. Although none of the women in the guild were dumb, they used their intelligence to improve their battle prowess before anything else. With Levy and Saya being the exceptions. However, unlike Levy, who was quite slender, Saya also had a bombastic figure. So, the others were able to figure out Laxus' type, so to speak.
'He like's smart girls with curvy bodies.' Alfonzo, Alzack, Gray, Elfman, and Gajeel thought simultaneously.
With that, the group continued to chat, fish, and laugh until the sun went down. And with each fish that was caught, everyone would be forced to answer a question from the one who caught the fish. Overall, the guys had a pretty good day while strengthening their bonds as guild mates.
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