Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
October 15, x784.
Just before the clock struck midnight, Laxus, who had been transported to one of the beds in the guild's infirmary after his match with Alfonzo and spending some time at Porlyusica's house to have his injuries stabilized, slowly opened his eyes.
"After training my [Dragon Slayer Magic] for the last few years, I still lost, huh?" Laxus said after blankly staring at the ceiling for a few moments. Then, he tried to sit up from his laying position.
Instead of raising his body, however, he sharply sucked in a breath of air as his body protested against the action.
"God damn it." Laxus groaned as the pain of his failed attempt to sit up hit him. "Damn that Alfonzo, did he have to go so hard?"
"Yeah, I kinda did." Alfonzo's voice replied from Laxus' right. "Your body was even more durable for some reason after I knocked you into the air."
Reflexively, Laxus tried to snap his head in the direction Alfonzo's voice came from. However, pain once again shot through his entire body. A few moments later, after the pain receded somewhat, Laxus slowly turned his head to the right.
At the end of his line of sight, Laxus saw Alfonzo also laid up in one of the infirmary beds.
"What do you mean you had to beat me up like that?" Laxus asked. "And why the hell are you in here, too?"
"*Sigh* To answer your second question first…" Alfonzo said, sounding rather frustrated as he started his explanation. "… I over did it with my [Lightning Enhancement]. So, I tore a lot of muscles. And although I could move if I really needed to, the girls made me rest here until I could move without making things worse."
"Damn, and I thought I was willing to do anything to win." Laxus muttered, looking at Alfonzo with a new level of respect as he did so. "So, that's how you were fast enough to cut that bolt of lightning, huh?"
"Hell yeah!" Alfonzo exclaimed happily before wincing in pain. "That was pretty fucking bad ass, wasn't it?"
"Yeah.. I guess…" Laxus replied, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "But it would have been even more bad ass if you didn't end up in a sick bed after doing it."
"Fuck off…" Alfonzo grunted with a little pout on his face. "You didn't have to kill my vibe like that."
"I kinda did." Laxus replied, the smile finally making its way onto his face.
"God, you're such a dick." Alfonzo said, a smile making its way onto his face as well.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Laxus replied. "Anyway, why did you have to beat me up so bad? I'm sure you could have taken me out without breaking so many bones."
"Why don't you tell me?" Alfonzo said, staring at Laxus curiously. "What was up with those yellow scales that showed up all over your body while I was air juggling you? And while they were there, you swoll up, too."
'I already know it was your bullshit ability to naturally use [Dragon Force].' Alfonzo thought to himself while waiting for Laxus to answer his question. "But in the base series, it was never explained why you could do that, though. Maybe it would have been explained in the "100 Years Quest" sequel that was supposed to come out a few months after I died in my past life.'
"Oh, now that you mention it." Laxus said, a contemplative look on his face. "The memories from the lacrima told me it was called [Dragon Force]. But I've never used it before. Well consciously, I guess. I've never had to. But I guess I activated it subconsciously when I was getting the shit kicked outta me."
"So, I helped you tap into another aspect of your power, huh?" Alfonzo asked with a cheeky smile on his face. "You don't have to thank me, I'm happy to help a guild mate improve their strength."
"Now who's the dick?" Laxus asked with a frown.
Like that, a few moments passed in silence before that silence was broken when both young men started to chuckle.
"So, did things go the way you wanted with this tournament idea of yours?" Alfonzo asked after his chuckling died down.
"Other than getting my ass kicked in front of the whole town, yeah." Laxus replied. "From what I could tell, everyone who lost, including me, had a fire lit under them."
"You think Fried and Bickslow felt the same?" Alfonzo asked curiously. "I mean, other than me, Lici, Erza, and Mirajane, they're the only ones who did not lose a fight in the tournament."
"Oh, you don't have to worry about them." Laxus said casually. "As far as combat as a duo goes, you and Elicia have always been their targets."
"Hmm…" Alfonzo simply hummed in response.
Once again, the room fell silent after that exchange. Once again it was broken not long after it began, though. This time, by Laxus.
"*Sigh* I really hate to say this but…" Laxus said, his voice growing quieter with every word. "Thanks for talking some sense into me that day. I had forgotten what it meant to be a part of a guild. I stopped seeing those I didn't recognize as my teammates as comrades… family. Instead, I saw them as parts of a machine. Parts that could be replaced to make the machine harder, better, faster, stronger."
'Damn… Now I'm gonna have Daft Punk and Kanye West in my head for weeks.' Alfonzo thought to himself with a smile.
"At least you learned your lesson." Alfonzo replied. "Honestly, I feel like you were on your way to doing something stupid and getting yourself kicked out of the guild. You probably would have dragged Fried, Bickslow, and Evergreen along with you, too."
"*Sigh* The worst part is, I can't even make an argument to the contrary." Laxus said, turning his head to look up at the ceiling again. "But seriously, thanks, Alfonzo."
"Hey, cut that shit out." Alfonzo replied with a chuckle. "We're basically family in all but blood at this point. Don't thank me for taking you off a self-destructive path. But if you insist on thanking me, buy me a couple drinks and we can call it even."
"I guess I could manage that." Laxus replied.
"Maybe think about joining the rest of us for training, too." Alfonzo continued. "No matter how many time I've fought you and won, you still push me to improve. The fact that you outclass me in speed is the prime example. Because of you, my reflexes have grown much more than they would have without you pushing me."
"You don't have to worry about that." Laxus said, a battle hungry smile making its way onto his face. "I still have every intention of kicking your ass nineteen times, or until I have a winning record. Whichever one comes first."
"Oh, you've been keeping count?" Alfonzo replied with another cheeky smile. "I've won so many times, I didn't realize that I had beaten you eighteen times already."
"Uh huh, sure." Laxus drawled. "If you weren't keeping count, how did you know you beat me eighteen times."
"*Sigh* For someone I know is intelligent, you can be really dumb sometimes." Alfonzo replied with an eye roll.
"What?" Laxus snarled.
"You said you needed to beat me nineteen times to get a winning record against me, right?" Alfonzo replied. "And since you've never beaten me, and we had that one draw, that means I've beaten your ass eighteen times. Come on, man, use do the math."
To Alfonzo's surprise, Laxus face actually reddened at his reply. Something Alfonzo had never seen in the, almost, thirteen and a half years he had known Laxus.
"*Cough* Ugh… Anyway…" Laxus said, trying to change the subject despite the pain his fake cough brought with it. "What time is it? Is the Fantasia Parade still going on?"
Smiling in response, Alfonzo glanced at the wall above the door to the infirmary where a clock hung. The hands on the clock indicated that it was about 12:15 a.m.
"It should probably be over by now." Alfonzo said. "It's past midnight already."
"After midnight, huh?" Laxus said, a contemplative expression making its way onto his face again. "The first round of the tournament started at about 2 p.m. and took around two hours, and there semi-finals took about an hour. Then, the finals went on for about forty minutes. Plus, there were two half hour breaks between rounds. Meaning, the tournament took about four hours and forty minutes."
"Yeah, Gramps gave his final speech at about 7 p.m." Alfonzo added.
"That means I was out for about five and a half hours, or so." Laxus said.
"Sounds about right." Alfonzo replied with a nod.
"*Sigh* I don't think I've ever been this beat up." Laxus muttered. "Hear anything about how long I'll be laid up?"
"Nope." Alfonzo replied. "You weren't immediately brought here after the fight. You spent some time at Porlyusica's house first."
"I'm glad I was out cold for that." Laxus muttered. "I can only imagine the lecture I would have had to listen to otherwise."
"Yeah, it would have probably been a hell of a lecture if what I had to listen to was any indication." Alfonzo replied in a downcast tone.
"Huh?" Laxus exclaimed in confusion, wincing in pain once again as he tried to turn his head towards Alfonzo too quickly.
"Yeah, she was with them when you were brought back." Alfonzo said, slumping his shoulders as he spoke. "I think she took out all her frustration from having to be around all those people on me. She even beat my ass with her broom. And somehow, she didn't cause any additional damage while making it hurt like a bitch."
Hearing that, Laxus' eyes widened to a comical degree while he stared at Alfonzo in disbelief. Then, after a few seconds, he broke out into loud, uncontrolled laughter that even the pain from his injuries could not stop.
*Bang!*
"Laxus, you're awake!" Fried shouted as he slammed the door open and rushed to Laxus' bedside after hearing his laughter from the hall way.
"I guess that means the parade is over." Alfonzo said blankly.
"Ah, damn…" Laxus groaned after the pain subsided. "All that pain was worth it. My only regret is I was unconscious and couldn't see you get your ass kicked."
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Alfonzo grumbled while looking away.
"Laxus, how are you feeling?' Fried asked, concern for Laxus well-being written all over his face.
"Oh, hey, Fried." Laxus said, having not noticed Fried's entry while he was laughing. "I'll live. But since you're here, I guess that means the parade is over, right?"
"Indeed." Fried replied. "And like every year, it was a great success."
"*Sigh* That's good." Laxus said in a relieved tone. "I was afraid the tournament might steal away the Fantasia Parade's thunder."
'That's right, I almost forgot how much Laxus loved the Fantasia Parade.' Alfonzo mused while listening to the conversation between Laxus and Fried. 'NO matter how much he seemed to despise the members of the guild, Laxus never missed it in all these years.'
"By the way, where are Bickslow and Evergreen?" Laxus asked, surprised that Fried came to see him alone.
"We're right here." Bickslow replied as he and Evergreen entered the infirmary. "Fried just took off like one of those new Huracáns Alfonzo's company started producing."
"Speaking of those cars." Evergreen said, turning away from Laxus and glaring at Alfonzo. Then, she spoke in a commanding tone. "Make one for me. Such a beautiful vehicle is perfect for someone as beautiful as me."
"Sure." Alfonzo replied with a big smile.
Alfonzo's quick acceptance of Evergreen's command caught everyone in the room off-guard, making them think that Alfonzo's [Lightning Enhancement] had damaged his brain. His next words, however, put that notion to rest quickly.
"That will be 250,224,740 Jewels. (1 Jewel = 0.01 USD) Alfonzo said, his smile widening after seeing the astonished expressions on the Thunder God Tribe's faces.
"Are you serious?" Evergreen shrieked as she lunged at Alfonzo, thinking he was mocking her. Then, she grabbed him by the front of his patient gown as she continued. "There's no way it costs that much! Why don't you just rob me? You'd save both of us a lot of time and effort."
"*Sigh* Calm down, Ever." Laxus said while shaking his head slowly. "He's not overcharging you. IN fact, he even cut off more than fifteen million from the original price."
Immediately, Evergreen froze with her eyes and mouth wide open. Then, she released Alfonzo and stumbled back a few steps before flopping down on Laxus bed after bumping into it.
"Son of a…" Laxus groaned after the bed jerked.
"Ah! Sorry, Laxus." Evergreen said in a panic after Laxus groan brought her back to her senses.
"*Sigh* It's alright." Laxus said in a weary tone.
"Wow! It sure is lively in here." Elicia said as she walked through the infirmary door, closely followed by the rest of their group of friends, Makarov, Ur, Ren, Gozaburo, Masa, and Chico. "Look, Fried, Bickslow, and Ever beat us here."
"Don't call me Ever!" Evergreen shouted.
"That's because they couldn't be bothered to change clothes." Cana pointed out. "See, they're still wearing their parade costumes."
With that pointed out, Alfonzo and Laxus also noticed that the Thunder God Tribe weren't wearing their casual clothes like the rest of their visitors.
"Anyway, how was the parade?" Alfonzo asked with a smile as Elicia sat on his bed and gave him a hug and a kiss.
With that, everyone started talking about the parade and what stood out to them. Then, after about an hour of conversation, everyone, including Alfonzo, left the infirmary, to Laxus displeasure. Unfortunately, he was still too injured to be moving. So, he would have to spend his time in the infirmary until Porlyusica cleared him to go home.