Chapter 13: Alex vs Natsu

Alex glanced at Makarov's serious and stern expression, feeling a bit guilty. He approached with a sheepish smile, saying, "Master, it's been so long! You have no idea how much I've missed you, hehe."

"Oh my, has it really been that long? I feel like you've become even more charming, old man!" Alex rested his chin on his hand, giving Makarov a puzzled look.

This unexpected approach completely disarmed Makarov, who had been ready to scold Alex.

But Makarov still tried to maintain his serious demeanor and said, "You rascal, I thought you got dazzled by the outside world and forgot about us."

"And you remembered someone was waiting for you to come back," Makarov added, somewhat gruffly.

Hearing this, Alex felt warmly reassured. It was a great feeling to know someone cared about him.

"Hahaha..." The guild members couldn't hold back their laughter at Alex's unusually humble appearance. In unison, they exclaimed, "Welcome back!!"

Feeling relieved, Alex said, "Master, of course I remembered. And I brought gifts for everyone." With that, Alex placed his bulging backpack on the ground, clearly stuffed with many items.

"Master, this one is specially for you. It's the most famous pin-up show from the kingdom, and I went through a lot to find it," Alex rummaged through his backpack and finally pulled out a photo album, handing it to Makarov.

"Eh, well, since you put so much thought into it, I'll accept. But remember, it's for your sincere attitude, not because of this pin-up show," Makarov coughed a few times, trying to sound serious.

Alex suppressed his laughter and nodded earnestly.

Makarov nodded back and quickly stashed the photo album away.

Seeing the Guild Master's temper soften, Alex pulled out a sword from his backpack and said, "Erza, this is for you—a legendary sword. I believe you can wield it well."

Erza was taken aback. "Is there something for me too?" She looked somewhat stunned.

"Of course! Not just for you, everyone gets something," Alex said with a smile. The crowd erupted into cheers upon hearing this.

"In that case, I'll accept it. Thank you," Erza said as she took the sword.

"Gray, this is for you—a necklace. Now you'll have something to wear after taking off your clothes," Alex teased.

"But I don't take off my clothes all the time!" Gray protested, feeling embarrassed.

Cana chimed in, "Gray, where are your clothes?"

"Huh... when did that happen?" Gray looked down at himself, eyes wide.

Alex handed Gray the necklace and explained, "This necklace has special effects that enhance the stability of your Ice make magic. It's perfect for you."

Gray was delighted to receive the necklace, thinking it made him look quite handsome, at least in his own eyes.

"Wakaba, here's some royal tobacco for you."

"Reedus, this is a paintbrush for you."

"Macao..."

...

Soon, everything from the backpack was distributed. Alex clapped his hands, satisfied that everyone had been taken care of. However, there was one newcomer who hadn't received anything yet.

It was the young boy with cherry blossom-colored hair standing in front of Alex.

He wasn't here for gifts though.

"Hey, you're Alex, right? I heard you're really strong. I want to challenge you!" The boy with cherry blossom-colored hair declared loudly in front of Alex.

Alex smiled and replied, "Well, if you want to challenge me, at least tell me your name first."

"Is there such a rule? Whatever, I'm Natsu Dragneel."

Their conversation caught the attention of everyone present.

Gray looked disdainful. "Huh? Am I hearing right? Even I can't beat Alex, and this guy with the droopy eyes dares to challenge him?"

"What did you say? Bastard with droopy eyes! Didn't I beat you until you couldn't get up last time?" Natsu sneered, looking down on Gray.

"Say that again? Stinky flame, I'll beat you till you cry," Gray retorted, not backing down.

"You perverted freak, do you want to fight?" Natsu's eyes sparked with electricity.

"Bring it on, you damn flame!"

"Boom!" Two loud crashes rang out simultaneously. Both Gray and Natsu ended up lying on the ground, nursing bumps on their heads, eyes spinning.

There was smoke coming from the bumps on their heads.

Erza crossed her arms, looking stern. "I've said it before—everyone here is family. No fighting inside the guild."

"But... damn it, Erza. I'll defeat you one day," Natsu muttered intermittently.

"Yeah, I'll beat you someday!" Gray echoed, surprisingly in agreement on this matter despite their usual animosity.

"Huh? What are you guys saying?" Erza glared fiercely at the two, eyes gleaming with menace.

"Nothing... nothing!" The two hastily agreed, trembling in the face of Erza's authority.

Alex sweated profusely, feeling that after the last incident, Erza seemed to have developed in a strange direction.

...

"Hey Alex, let's have a match." Alex couldn't believe it—Natsu, who had just been knocked out, was now standing as if nothing had happened.

"Are you really okay?" Alex pointed to the still-swollen bump on Natsu's head, expressing some concern.

"Don't worry, I'm a Fire Dragon Slayer after all," Natsu replied proudly.

"Yeah, Natsu is a Fire Dragon Slayer, and Alex uses fire magic. Maybe Alex is at a disadvantage against Natsu?" Macao suddenly interjected.

Gray, sitting shirtless nearby, scoffed, "Natsu won't last long enough for Alex to even start using magic." No one understood Alex's strength better than Gray.

While guild members might think Alex had slightly above-average strength, Gray had seen Alex's monstrous physique—a humanoid disaster.

"Alright, since you say so, let's go outside and settle this. I want to see how strong you really are," Alex said, walking towards the guild doors with Natsu.

"Let's go, let's go! We want to see too!" The guild members poured out eagerly, wanting to witness who was stronger: the Fire Dragon Slayer or the user of fire magic.

Erza stood next to the Guild Master. "Master, is this really okay?...Master?" Turning her head, she realized Makarov had already taken the lead to watch the fight. Erza sighed, "They really are a handful. Oh well, I might as well go watch too."

With everyone gathered outside the guild hall, Alex faced off against Natsu.

Alex was familiar with this place; after all, the last time he fought here was when Gray challenged him.

"Alex, here I come!" Natsu shouted, flames erupting all over his body.

"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" Natsu's right fist wrapped in flames, hurtling straight towards Alex.

"A Dragon Slayer, huh? It's my first time encountering one," Alex said with a hint of anticipation. As Natsu's fist drew nearer, Alex gently extended his palm.

"Boom!" An explosion rang out, kicking up dust that obscured everyone's view.

"What's happening? Did he get him?" Wakaba wondered aloud.

"Natsu's magic really packs a punch," Macao marveled.

As the smoke cleared, Alex stood unharmed in the same spot, calmly catching Natsu's fist in his hand. Feeling the heat from Natsu's attack, Alex wasn't particularly impressed.

"Is that all you've got? Or maybe Natsu just isn't strong enough yet," Alex said, not believing that a Dragon Slayer, known for devouring the attributes they wield to boost their own magic, could be so weak.

"Can Dragon Slayer magic consume its own flames? Can a dragon really swallow the sun?" These were questions, but Alex wasn't about to experiment here, especially with so many people around. If he accidentally set fire to the guild, Makarov would tear him apart.

Wide-eyed, Natsu stared at Alex, seemingly unable to believe what had just happened. He even puffed up his cheeks, flames flickering at the corners of his mouth.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" With a roar of anger, a fiery magic circle appeared in front of Natsu. The flames in his mouth were eager to burst out.

Seeing this, Alex immediately covered Natsu's mouth with his hand, using immense strength to prevent Natsu from opening it.

"Mmm... mm... mm..." Natsu struggled as if trying to sneeze but being forcibly interrupted, a rather uncomfortable sensation.

Alex couldn't help but chuckle at Natsu's piglet-like appearance and then threw him into the distance with a swift motion.

With tremendous force, Natsu crashed through a tree and landed hard on the grass.

Feeling a surge of battle spirit, Alex shook his neck, producing cracking sounds. He extended his hand towards Natsu, beckoning him, "Come on, Natsu, let's have a couple more rounds."

But after a while with no response, Makarov approached Natsu and checked on him. After a moment, Makarov stood up and declared, "Alex wins this match. Natsu is unconscious."

The crowd gasped in surprise.

"Was it that easy? Last time Alex fought Gray, they exchanged a few moves. Now, Natsu didn't even take a step?" Macao recalled the fight between Gray and Alex.

In Makarov's memory, it was the only instance where he saw Alex engage seriously in combat, although they often playfully fought in the guild. But everyone knew those were not serious fights.

"Huh, he didn't even use magic. Come to think of it, none of us have really seen Alex's magic, just heard him call himself a Fire Mage," Wakaba shook his head.

"Gray, Gildarts, and Master have seen it," Cana added thoughtfully.