However, Makarov's thoughts hadn't even taken shape when the clanging sounds behind him—and the raucous chatter of a bunch of kids—snapped him back to reality. He sighed.
"Better sleep," he muttered.
Makarov turned toward the bar, dodging flying chairs as he made his way, and sat down on a stool.
"Lisanna, get me a beer."
"Yeah!" Lisanna replied with a nod.
Turning to fetch the beer, Cana, who was also at the bar with her chin resting on her hand, said, "Guild Master, weren't you saying he'd be back soon? Then why isn't Gaal back yet?"
Makarov shot an exasperated look and grumbled, "Who the hell knows where he's off playing now? Not a bit considerate of an old man like me. Hurry up and come back with the kids!"
After taking the beer cup from Lisanna, Makarov downed it in one gulp and let out a long sigh: "As expected, nothing beats enjoying an ice-cold beer in a warm, cozy house."
No sooner had he finished speaking than he felt the surrounding air chill, and he shivered.
Suddenly, Gaal's voice rang in Makarov's ear: "No… Snowy days go perfectly with hotpot."
Makarov's eyes widened as he turned his head: "Gaal?!"
There, dressed in a dark purple robe, Gaal had suddenly appeared on a stool at the bar.
The biting chill that Makarov had felt was emanating from him.
"Not much has changed, old man," Gaal greeted with a smile and a wave of his hand.
Behind the bar, Lisanna exclaimed happily, "Gaal, big brother!"
Cana scoffed and raised her hand, "Oh, you're back!"
At that moment, everyone in the hall took notice of Gaal's sudden arrival.
"Hey! Isn't that Gaal?!"
"Hahahaha, that kid—he's finally back!"
"Unbelievable! I'm so jealous; he's been out playing for months!"
"If you had Gaal's talent, you could go out too!"
"Gaal, big brother!"
"Gaal, brother! Look what I managed to capture!"
Gaal turned around, smiling as he greeted everyone, and called out to Gray, "Gray, move all the tables in the hall to the window side and line them up side by side."
Gray scratched his head in confusion but replied immediately, "No problem! Leave it to me!"
Then, along with Lyon, Elfman, Simon, and Sho, the group of boys rushed into the hall and pushed the long tables and chairs toward the floor-to-ceiling windows by the main door.
Many of the card tables were pulled out, too.
Over at Macao, an annoyed shout came as he tugged at Gray's ear, "Damn it! That was my perfect hand!"
Wakaba let out a long sigh and quickly added, "Oh, come on, Gaal made them do it. Enough, I'm out of the game now."
He spread his cards out in defeat, a relieved smile crossing his face.
At the bar, Gaal scanned the room and asked, "Where is everyone else?"
"Gildarts went on a mission. Laxus hasn't shown up in a while. Ur said the weather was nice and went out to train, and Ultear followed, while Meredy also ran off. Erza saw that and went outside to train too—saying it would help strengthen her resolve."
Lisanna grinned as she raised her hand, "And then Mira wasn't about to be outdone—she dashed off to train as well."
Gaal looked curious and inquired, "So if Ur is out, why haven't Gray and Lyon left? Is the master training outside while his two apprentices are just fooling around here?"
Cana smiled and explained, "It's all because of Erza and Mirajane. Ever since that incident, Laxus has rarely shown up at the guild and has been training on his own in the forest. Gray once thought he was up to it and ended up getting a lesson from Mirajane. After training for a while, he felt confident again and wanted to challenge her once more—but Mirajane was on a mission, so Gray ran into Erza instead and got schooled yet again."
Gaal, slightly astonished, asked, "Erza has grown up that fast?"
It wasn't surprising that Mirajane could defeat Gray. Thanks to my intervention, having received the power of Satan Soul four years earlier than in the original timeline, Mirajane's ability to absorb magic isn't something Gray can easily amaze right now.
However, Erza started learning magic much later than Gray. Even though I supplied her with some equipment, her growth has been remarkably swift.
Cana nodded as if it were obvious and continued, "It wasn't an overwhelming beatdown or anything. The fight lasted quite a while, but in the end, Erza persevered while Gray passed out. It's only natural—Erza is the most diligent when it comes to training. Not even Laxus, as dedicated as he is since that incident, can match her tenacity. Plus, with Grandpa Rob guiding her, her progress has been phenomenal."
Gaal nodded, "I see."
With her own efforts combined with guidance from a mage of Makarov's era—even if Grandpa Rob's magic power is long drained and can't be used at will—his decades of combat experience are still invaluable in training Erza.
Watching the group of guys moving tables, Cana said, "So now Gray avoids both Mirajane and Erza. After all, being beaten by a girl and having it spread around is just too embarrassing. And as for Lyon, he hasn't beaten Gray even once. They originally planned to train together in the guild, but somewhere along the line, they ended up bickering again."
There was a note of helplessness in Cana's tone.
Gaal gave her a sideways glance, and Cana, wary, looked at him and clutched her chest, "What are you looking at me for?!"
"Nothing," Gaal replied with a click of his tongue. "I just feel like you've started acting like a big kid. You're not much older than them, are you?"
Cana snorted and sighed, "I got stuck with Gildarts for a father and a gaggle of noisy kids. You can't help but grow up."
Gaal gave her a thumbs up. "Good job, by the way. But tell me—what's going on with Mirajane and Erza? Why are they so competitive?"
Lisanna raised her hand and grinned, "Because minors aren't allowed to drink. Even though Mira secretly had a few drinks, once Erza caught her, a few words were exchanged. Embarrassed, Mira ended up getting into a fight with Erza. And, well…"
Resting his chin on his hand, Gaal said, "Clearly, Mirajane won, right?"
Lisanna's eyes widened. "Eh! Gaal, how did you know? I was hoping you'd guess!"
Gaal smiled helplessly while Cana face-palmed. "Isn't it obvious? In the guild, aside from Laxus, there's hardly anyone who can beat Mirajane. Then again, that might not always be the case. Laxus never fought Mirajane, so maybe Mirajane did win—especially with that powerful Take Over Magic."
Lisanna nodded proudly, "Mira is the best! After that fight, it wasn't long before Erza came back to challenge her. At first, Mira didn't think much of it, but Erza improved so fast that during their rematch, Mira injured her arm. Ever since then, they've been secretly trying to outdo each other."
Gaal mused, "I see…"
Suddenly, Lisanna remembered something and said, "Oh, Gaal, your hidden Dratini has been found!"
Surprised, Gaal asked, "Found? Has a contract been signed?"
Lisanna nodded, "Yeah. It's been signed—by Erza herself."
Intrigued, Gaal inquired, "Where did Erza discover it?"
Lisanna explained, "Right in the lake behind the guild. Gaal, you're something—who would have thought a Dratini was hiding there!"
Gaal rubbed his nose and chuckled helplessly.
Lisanna continued, "Earlier, when Gray and Lyon were fighting by the lake, they lost control. Many Pokémon in the lake didn't manage to escape and ended up frozen in place. Erza stepped in to stop them and then helped rescue all those trapped Pokémon. Dratini was rescued by Erza back then, and it wasn't until after the contract was signed that we knew the Pokémon was a Dratini."
Gaal clicked his tongue. Erza's luck—or rather, her determination—had saved Dratini. But will the Fairy Queen turn into… the Dragon Queen?
For a moment, Gaal couldn't help but imagine Erza activating Fusion Magic to merge with a Dragonite.
Hmm… she'd definitely sport Dragonite's wings on her back.
But what about the tail? A corpulent tail might hinder her movements, although a hefty tail can still pack a painful hit.
Shaking his head to dismiss the thought, Gaal then turned to Makarov.
"By the way, Guild Master, how have things been with Laxus lately? Have you made everything clear with him?"