Chapter 6: Seaquake

"It's a real guild emblem!"

Happy stretched out his little paw and touched Nate's hand, exclaiming in surprise, "But we've never seen you before."

"I just joined the guild last night, so of course you haven't seen me yet."

"Oh, a newcomer."

Natsu believed it instantly and eagerly asked, "Do you know where Igneel is?"

"I do."

"Please tell me, I'm begging you!"

With a thud, Natsu dropped to his knees in a perfect dogeza pose.

"... Let's eat first."

Nate's eye twitched—this guy really didn't care about his pride.

The meal was very enjoyable. Since it wasn't his money, Nate didn't hold back and ordered several popular dishes. During their casual chat, the three of them—Nate, Natsu, and Happy—became quite familiar with each other.

Half an hour later, after Nate had eaten his fill, they left the restaurant.

"Thanks for the meal, Natsu."

"No problem, Nate. I'm stuffed too."

Natsu patted his belly, then asked as they walked, "So, can you tell me where Igneel is now?"

Nate thought for a moment. He didn't want to reveal the truth directly since he couldn't explain where his information came from, but he could take a roundabout approach. After all, it would be rude not to tell Natsu anything after such a generous meal.

"You're talking about Igneel, the real dragon—the Fire Dragon, right?"

"That's right!"

"I know where you can find him."

"Where?" Natsu asked eagerly.

Nate's ring flashed briefly, and a semi-transparent forum interface appeared in front of the two of them.

"The Internet."

"Huh?"

Natsu curiously stared at the forum page. "What kind of magic is this?"

"It's magic I created. You can ask questions in the forum, and people from all over will kindly answer."

Nate was planning to create a new account and tell Natsu the truth when he asked. He'd pretend to be some secretive figure from the magic world.

"Really?" Natsu was a bit skeptical. "How do I ask a question?"

"When you get back to the guild, just ask Mirajane for a ring."

Nate explained how to access the Internet and demonstrated some of its basic functions in person. When Natsu saw the *Fairy Tail Bonds of Love* chat group, he was amazed.

"Wow, this magic is awesome! You can chat over such long distances?"

Before they knew it, they had reached a high wall. The cool night breeze blew in from the sea, bringing a refreshing feeling.

"Look over there."

Just then, Happy noticed a cruise ship gradually leaving the harbor.

"That 'Fire Dragon' said earlier in the day that he was going to host a party on the ship. That's the one."

The moment Natsu saw the ship, he forgot all about the chat and covered his mouth as he prepared to vomit.

Nate quickly stepped back to avoid getting hit.

"Fire Dragon?"

Following Happy's gaze, Nate saw the luxurious cruise ship.

"Aye~ We came here to find Igneel, but that 'Fire Dragon' is a fake, using charm magic to trick people."

"Fire Dragon" was Natsu's nickname.

"He's pretending to be someone from the guild. Natsu, he's impersonating you," Nate said, shaking his head. If he remembered correctly, Lucy had also been tricked onto the ship.

"Huh? Really? Ah! Right, that guy's pretending to be me!"

Natsu finally calmed down from his nausea and realized what was going on. He was instantly furious.

"I thought he was pretending to be Igneel! How dare he use Fairy Tail's name to trick people!"

How could a human even impersonate a dragon?

Nate sighed inwardly. No wonder Natsu was the protagonist of a shonen manga—he was a bit slow on the uptake.

"I'll bring him back."

As a fellow guild member, Nate couldn't just stand by and do nothing. He clenched his right fist, which became enveloped in a layer of pale white light. The next moment, he slammed his fist into the air.

"Seaquake!"

Boom!!

The air cracked like a spider web, shattering as if it couldn't withstand the pressure. Natsu and Happy were both shocked. They watched as, in the distance, a massive wave, stretching thousands of meters wide, rose from the far edge of the sea and surged toward the port.

As the wave approached, it grew taller and taller.

"Whoa!" Happy screamed. "A tsunami's coming!"

Before the tsunami hit, strong winds reached them first. Happy was blown away by the wind but quickly grabbed onto Natsu's scarf for dear life.

"Natsu! Nate! Help me!" the little blue cat shouted for help.

Natsu shielded himself from the wind with his hand, exclaiming in awe, "Nate, your magic is so powerful!"

The luxury cruise ship, caught by the giant wave, was forced back to the shore. With a loud crash, the ship smashed into the breakwater, splitting in two.

Meanwhile, in the shadows, Makarov rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

"This is overkill!"

"I knew this would happen! He nearly flooded the entire city!"

Despite his headache, Makarov, as one of the Ten Wizard Saints, had to admit it: Nate's Tremor Magic was incredibly strong! It was only because Nate's magic power wasn't that high yet. If he had Saint-level magic, the destruction caused by that punch would be unimaginable...

...

By the shore, a group of men, injured from the broken cruise ship, staggered ashore.

Bora leaned against the breakwater, glaring angrily at the scene ahead.

A blonde woman in a maroon evening dress also climbed out of the wreckage.

"Celestial Spirit mage, did you do this? What did you do?"

Just moments ago, on the ship, Bora had tried to use hypnotic magic on her, but she'd seen right through it. She had even tried to summon a Celestial Spirit to fight back. Then, out of nowhere, the tsunami appeared.

It had to be her doing!

"Ouch..."

Lucy rubbed the bruise on her forehead, completely clueless about what had just happened. Why had there been a sudden tsunami?

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out.

"Lucy, what are you doing on this ship?"

"Happy?!"

Lucy looked up and saw the blue, winged cat flying in the air, and her face lit up with joy. Then she saw Natsu standing on the breakwater, along with a handsome man she didn't recognize.

Nate, holding a magic book in one hand, pointed at Bora below them.

"Is this the guy you call the 'Fire Dragon'?"

Bora looked up and noticed the two of them, scoffing, "That's right. I'm the 'Fire Dragon' of Fairy Tail, so mind your own business—"

"If you're the Fire Dragon, then who am I?"

Natsu's expression darkened as he revealed the guild emblem on his right shoulder. "I'm Natsu of Fairy Tail! Let's take a good look at your face!"

"W-what?"

Bora's eyes widened in shock. His lackeys, seeing the guild emblem, turned pale.

"N-no, boss! It's the real deal!"

"I think I've heard of him... pink hair, a checkered scarf like dragon scales..."

"It's the real 'Fire Dragon'!"

The lackeys were terrified and already looking for an escape route.

Hearing Natsu's identity, Lucy covered her mouth in shock.

"Natsu... is from Fairy Tail?"

"Aye~"

Happy landed on her shoulder and proudly announced, "And by the way, Nate is also from Fairy Tail. That tsunami just now? That was Nate's doing."

Nate? Who?

Lucy was momentarily confused, but then she noticed the handsome, dark-haired guy standing next to Natsu. Was it him?

Nate, noticing her surprised gaze, smiled back at her.

Suddenly, he remembered the additional reward for his mission—a Zodiac Key. It didn't seem useful to him. How much would it sell for if he offered it to Lucy?

After all, she was from a wealthy family, so he shouldn't be shy about asking! If he asked for too little, wouldn't that be an insult to the Heartfilia family?