Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Akane Beach.
March 2, x786.
About an hour after the sun set, Alfonzo was currently outside of the villa in Akane Beach. More specifically, he was standing on the driveway with Riot and Bedlam covering his hands in their unsealed state. And the reason for that was simple, he was creating the materials necessary to build the motorcycle he spent most of the afternoon designing.
'I can't believe the only stationery shop in Akane Beach was in the resort.' Alfonzo thought to himself while creating the parts needed for the motorcycle's engine. 'I mean, don't the people living here write at any other time than when they go to the resort?'
["Yeah, that seems kinda weird, doesn't it?"] Bedlam asked rhetorically. ["Maybe it's just a ploy to get people to spend more money at the resort? I mean, as long as most people are there, they'll explore and more than likely spend a little."]
'When you put it that way, it makes a lot more sense.' Alfonzo replied internally. 'Still, it's fucking stupid.'
What actually bothered Alfonzo the most about having to go to the resort was the fact that he ended up getting sucked into the atmosphere while he was there. As it turned out, the stationery shop was located right outside the casino. And in the end, he played a round of roulette before he bought what he needed.
["Quit your bitchin'."] Riot said in an irritated tone. ["Even if you did end up gambling unintentionally, you ended up winning 1.5 billion jewels. So, is there really any reason to complain?"]
Just as Riot said, despite the fact that Alfonzo had no intension of gambling when he arrived at the resort, he bet correctly on a single roulette spin. And his bet was similar to Ultear's when they came here for the "vacation" that was ruined by the Tower of Heaven incident. So, after betting a million jewels on a single number, 0001, he ended up receiving a 1,500 times payout.
'Well, if I look on the bright side, I have more than enough money on hand to buy that rechargeable lacrima I ordered.' Alfonzo replied internally after he and Bedlam fell silent for a few moments.
*Vroom!*
Before the conversation could continue any further, however, the loud sound of an engine echoed through the night.
"Hmm? That sounds like Lucy's truck." Alfonzo said as he finished creating the last of the components for the engine. "But why is it here?"
["She probably came to visit you."] Bedlam replied. ["I bet a lot of the girls were disappointed that you didn't go back with Tear and Juvia, you know."]
Nodding in understanding, Alfonzo turned towards the villa's gates.
"Well, I better go open the gate." Alfonzo said as he started walking down the driveway. "Right now, only Tear, Juvia, and I can open it."
With that, Alfonzo continued to walk in silence. Meanwhile, just as Alfonzo thought, Lucy's 1500, with Lucy in the driver's seat, Marin in the passenger seat, Sun, Winry, and Edward in the back seat, and Alphonse resting in the flat bed, had just pulled up in front of the villa's gate.
"We're finally here." Lucy said as she looked at the gate.
"Yeah, that was a long drive." Winry said, sounding a bit sleepy.
"It would have been even longer if we had come here by train." Marin said while smiling wryly.
"On top of that, we would have had to walk from the station." Lucy said, glad she learned how to drive last year.
"I don't think we would have had to walk, actually." Sun said while looking up at the vehicle's ceiling. "I could have just called the people at my mansion to pick us up."
Immediately, Marin and Lucy's eyes lit up in realization. Meanwhile, Winry looked at Sun in surprise. However, after a moment of contemplation, she remembered that Sun was the heiress of the Seto Group. And when she did, Sun's statement did not sound so surprising anymore.
"Hey, Al, are you okay back there?" Edward, who was not paying any attention to the conversation going on in the truck's cab, asked in concern while looking back at the cab's back window.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Alphonse replied. "In fact, riding like this was much nicer than the ride we took that one time with Col. Mustang."
"Yeah, it was probably more comfortable for everyone inside, too." Edward replied with a smile.
"Anyway, let's go inside." Lucy said as she reached up to press the device used to open the gate at Alfonzo and Elicia's old mansion. However, when she did not feel the device, she was looking for her expression fell.
"Lucy, what's wrong?" Marin asked in a curious and concerned tone.
"I don't know what happened, but the device to open the gate is missing." Lucy said in a slightly panicked tone.
"Fonzie gave you a device for the gate at the villa?" Marin asked in an astonished tone. "I guess he does like you more than the rest of us. He didn't give me one. Then again, you're the only one of us he tried to pursue."
Hearing Marin's reply, Lucy froze. Then, she slowly lowered her head with an embarrassed flush on her face.
"Oh, that's right." Lucy muttered. "I forgot, I don't have one for here, either."
With that, the 1500's cab fell into silence.
"Lucy, you're so cute." Marin said with a giggle, breaking the awkward atmosphere and causing Lucy's blush to increase.
"Although Lucy is cute when she blushes, how are we gonna get in?" Winry asked with a smile. "I'm sure he won't hear us if we knock on the gate."
"Yeah, and jumping the gate is out of the question, too." Marin said with a smile. Though, she was also trying to stifle laughter as well."
"Why?" Edward asked curiously. "I mean, that seems like a pretty good idea to me."
"Well, if this place is anything like Alfonzo and Elicia's old mansion, the one Ur lives in now, then that's a really bad idea." Sun said with a smile while also trying to stifle her laughter.
"Yeah, we don't want anyone to end up like Gildarts or Gozaburo." Marin added.
As soon as Marin's words left her mouth, she could no longer hold back her laughter, as she remembered the sight of Gildarts and Gozaburo being flung over a hundred fifty feet away on the day she joined Fairy Tail.
While Sun smiled wryly, sure she could guess what Marin was laughing at, Winry, Lucy, Edward, and Alphonse looked at her curiously. Then, while Marin continued to laugh, Sun explained the barrier that was set up around the old mansion.
"Seriously?" Edward, who had started laughing uproariously by the time Sun was done with her story, said through his laughter. "I kinda wish I had been around to see that."
"You lived in that mansion for a while, too, didn't you, Lucy?" Winry asked while giggling. "How did you not know about that?"
"Well, I didn't live in that mansion for long before Alfonzo built the new one." Lucy replied with a smile. "But I did know about the security system. I just didn't know all the details, nor had I seen it in action. I mean, when I joined Fairy Tail, Gildarts had left on a quest for over three years. Plus, Gozaburo had mellowed out significantly, too."
Before the conversation could continue, however, the gates slowly opened. Though, the people in the cab were too busy laughing at Marin and Sun's story to notice. Luckily, there was one other person present who did notice.
"Hey, the gate is opening." Alphonse said from the flat bed.
Immediately, though the laughter did not stop, Marin, Sun, Winry, Lucy, and Edward all turned their attention to the gate. And when they did, they were just in time to see Alfonzo's figure appear after the gates swung inward.
"Fonzie!/Alfonzo!" Marin, Sun, and Lucy shouted happily in unison.
Then, Marin and Sun flung their doors open and jumped out of the 1500. And after pushing the doors closed again, they flung themselves at Alfonzo, who was looking at the truck with his arms crossed and a smile on his face.
"Hey, you two." Alfonzo said as he opened his arms. "I missed you."
In the next instant, Marin and Sun both slammed into Alfonzo's chest before he wrapped his arms around them in a tight hug.
"I missed you, too." Marin said as she snuggled into Alfonzo's embrace.
"Yeah, we all did." Sun added as she did the same. "We were all really sad that you didn't come back with Tear and Juvia."
"Yeah, sorry about that." Alfonzo replied with a frown. "But that damned Magic Council called me. And I didn't wanna do the trip from Magnolia to Akane Beach two more times in such a brief period. So, I decided to just stay here."
Marin and Sun nodded in understanding.
"Anyway, let's head inside." Alfonzo added with a smile. "This is no place to talk. Besides, I'm sure you're all tired. It's, like, an eight hour drive from Magnolia to here. So, I'm sure all six of you would like to get some rest."
"Yeah," Marin replied with a nod.
"We're hungry, too." Sun added while looking at Alfonzo with upturned eyes.
Smiling wryly, Alfonzo knew Sun wanted him to cook. And since he hadn't seen Marin, Sun, and Lucy in two months, he was happy to do so. Plus, since he could feel Winry, Edward, and Alphonse, as well, he would welcome his guests properly, too."
So, Alfonzo walked Marin and Sun to the side of the gate, making room for Lucy's 1500. Then, once the truck was inside the gate, he had everyone get out of the truck to register with the security system. After that, with Lucy driving her truck, they all headed towards the house. When they arrived near the house, however, everyone noticed all the materials lying on the drive way. On top of that, they all noticed the state of Alfonzo's arms, which were still coated in Riot and Bedlam, as well.
"Alfonzo, what's wrong with your arms?" Winry asked in a concerned tone. "Is that some kind of Automail? Did you lose them in another accident?"
"Huh?" Alfonzo exclaimed in confusion. Then, he looked down and remembered that Riot and Bedlam were still partially unsealed. "Oh, I forgot about them."
A moment later, Winry, Edward, and Alphonse looked on in disbelief as Riot and Bedlam peeled away from Alfonzo's arms before taking the shape of a pair of tonfa.
"What the hell was that?" Edward asked as he dashed forward to get a closer look at Riot and Bedlam. "Even if you use [Metal Magic], that should be scientifically impossible. And just what are these things made of?"
As he spoke, Edward reached out to touch Bedlam. However, before his fingers could reach its surface, a spark of violet electricity stopped him in his tracks.
"The hell?" Edward asked as he quickly pulled his hand back.
"Well, remember when I told you about my research into the soul?" Alfonzo asked as he placed Riot and Bedlam in the strap on his lower back. "These are the results of my research."
"Yeah, I have one, too." Sun said as she patted the shirasaya, Kanade, that she carries with her everywhere she goes.
"So do I." Marin said as she [Transformed] the multicolored bracelets she always wore into a pair of double-edged kodachi.
"Me, too." Lucy added as she reached down under her skirt and pulled a midnight purple and midnight blue whip with a white, four-pointed star at its tip from around her right thigh.
As soon as Lucy revealed her [Soul Armament], however, the atmosphere around Alfonzo, Marin, and Sun changed. Then, before anyone could speak, Alfonzo vanished from where he stood in a burst of speed. Then, when he reappeared, Lucy had been swept off her feet and was being held in a princess carry while Alfonzo spun her around.
"Congratulations, Lucy." Alfonzo said happily. "You finally unlocked the first part of the seal."
"Yeah, why didn't you tell us?" Marin asked with happiness radiating from her eyes. "We would have congratulated you, too."
"Yeah, why didn't you tell us, Lucy?" Sun asked, as well. "And what's your [Soul Armament's] name?"
"Her name is Zodiac." Lucy replied while smiling brightly from Alfonzo's arms. "And the reason I didn't tell you is because it only happened today."
'Lucy looks so happy in Alfonzo's arms.' Winry thought with a smile. Then, she looked at Edward before shaking her head. 'Nah, Ed is too short, my legs would almost be touching the ground if he held me like that.'
Although Edward was incapable of reading minds or hearing thoughts like Cobra of the Oración Seis, he felt himself growing irritated. Though, he had no idea why.
"Then, not even ten minutes later, Marin knocked on my door and asked me to come with them to Akane Beach." Lucy continued, completely unaware of Winry's thoughts and Edward's feelings. "So, I decided not to say anything until we met Alfonzo."
While Alfonzo, Marin, and Sun nodded in understanding, Winry, Edward, and Alphonse were still confused.
"That still doesn't tell us what they are." Edward said.
"We can talk about that while we eat." Alfonzo replied. "That's not a conversation you have out in the driveway, you know."
In response, Winry, Edward, and Alphonse nodded in understanding.
"That sounds great." Alphonse said while radiating excitement from his whole metallic body. "I've been missing the taste of your cooking."
Hearing that, Winry and Edward smiled. Ever since Alfonzo modified Alphonse's armor, he has been much more cheerful. Especially when it came to meal time. Although he still had to hide away his face before shoveling his food into his open face plate, the lonely feeling he gave off whenever it was time to eat was completely gone.
"But I'm actually curious to know what all these materials are for." Alphonse continued while pointing at a particular set of materials. "If I had to guess, it looks like you were going to build a magic vehicle. Since those look like the parts for an engine. But they're so small…"
"That's what she said.' Alfonzo said casually.
"… that I'm not sure." Alphonse continued while casually ignoring Alfonzo's comment.
"Yeah, now that you mention it." Edward said while also taking a look at the parts on the driveway.
"Oh, it's a magic vehicle engine, alright." Alfonzo replied with a smile. "But this one is much smaller than any engine I've ever built before."
"Oh, is it for one of those two-wheelers that have been getting popular recently?" Winry asked with her eyes sparkling.
"That's right." Alfonzo replied with a nod.
"When it's done, do you mind if I take it for a spin?" Winry asked excitedly.
Immediately, Alfonzo and Sun's faces paled. They had both just remembered when Winry drove them back from the mine in Resenbool
"Absolutely not!" Alfonzo shouted.
"No way!" Sun shouted at the same time.
While Marin, Lucy, Edward, and Alphonse were thoroughly confused by Alfonzo and Sun's explosive denials, Winry pouted. However, she did not stop pestering Alfonzo about it as he made a shed to store the materials before the group made their way into the house. But when Alfonzo served everyone dinner, she forgot all about it… For a while, at least.