Sunlight poured down, illuminating the wide training ground.
Eight-year-old Alan stood firmly in the center of the yard, gripping Gram tightly in both hands as the spear shaft gleamed with a cold light. Beside him, seven-year-old Laxus stood tall with a small, upright frame, his eyes burning with fighting spirit and determination.
Opposite them stood Makarov. Though short in stature, his presence towered like a mountain over the training ground.
Makarov's gaze was calm and profound as he looked at the two children before him. There was not a trace of condescension in his eyes, but rather complete approval and expectation. "Alan, remember this: even though you can now control Gram, you must never be content with the status quo or stagnate. Your potential is infinitely vast, and your future is immeasurable. But the prerequisite is that you must calm your mind and maintain a cool head to think calmly at any time and place. As for you, Laxus, you were born with a vast amount of magic power far exceeding ordinary people. Precisely because of that, you need to temper yourself constantly to harness this surging power within you. Well then, children, show me the fruits of your hard training over this period!" He raised his hand slightly, gesturing for Alan and Laxus to attack him.
Alan took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and felt the power of Gram flow through his body. He could sense this power perfectly merging with his physique, as if it were a part of himself. Gram's magic power surged in his blood vessels; he could feel every single magic particle resonating with his cells, and every breath he took brought him into a tighter connection with this power.
Then, Alan opened his eyes, a steady light flashing within them. He gripped Gram tightly, feeling the perfect fit between the Chrome Digizoid and his palms. He lowered his body slightly, then sprang forward like a spring, charging straight toward Makarov.
Laxus followed closely in Alan's footsteps, rushing toward Makarov as well. His fists condensed with magic power. Even though he was younger than Alan, a resolute gleam shone in his eyes, and his momentum was not the least bit inferior.
Alan launched the first attack. Gram in his hand traced a silver arc through the air, flashing with a chilling glint as it thrust toward Makarov. But Makarov remained unhurried; the moment Alan approached, he flicked his body and easily dodged aside. Seeing this, Laxus—who was behind Alan—switched directions, put force into his legs, leaped into the air, and threw a punch at Makarov ahead. At this moment, his fist was wrapped in a massive amount of magic power, emitting a dazzling radiance in midair.
No sooner had Makarov steadied himself than he saw Laxus's onslaught, yet his expression did not change. He reached out with his right hand, grabbed Laxus's wrist, pivoted his body slightly, and smoothly pulled Laxus down from the air before hurling him backward.
Laxus's body traced an uncontrolled arc through the air before landing heavily on the ground behind, kicking up a ring of dust. Seizing this gap, Alan bypassed Makarov's side to launch another strike. Gram thrust straight toward Makarov's flank. Makarov sidestepped to evade it once more, while simultaneously reaching out with a punch aimed at the shaft of Gram. Alan felt a tremendous force transmit through the weapon, and Gram almost slipped from his grip. His arms trembled slightly from bearing the immense impact, but he gritted his teeth and steadied the weapon in his hands.
Just at that moment, Laxus—who had just been brought down to the ground by Makarov—swiftly dashed behind Makarov and smashed a punch laden with powerful magic power toward him. It was as if Makarov had eyes in the back of his head; his body lifted into the air, causing Laxus's attack to hit nothing as his magic power struck empty air.
Makarov smiled as he landed slowly, signaling the two of them to pause. Then, with a grin, he said to them, "Your coordination is quite good." A hint of praise laced his voice. He knew these two children possessed boundless potential, and he looked forward to seeing them both surpass their limits.
Breathing slightly heavily, Alan and Laxus exchanged a smile. They knew this was only the beginning and that they still had a long way to go, but they also knew that as long as they kept working hard, nothing was impossible.
At that moment, Makarov looked at Laxus with a solemn expression and slowly spoke: "Laxus, I have good news for you. Your father should be back in a few days. He has already found the Lightning Dragon Slayer Lacrima, which can suppress the massive magic power within your body. Once Porlyusica checks your body and gives the green light, we will implant it into you. That way, not only will it help you freely control the unruly and massive magic power inside you, but it will also grant you the formidable power contained within the Lightning Dragon. But before that, I must make something clear to you: once you possess this power, you must never use it to attack any member of our guild. Because our original intention is for you to protect every family member in the guild, rather than becoming a lethal weapon that harms them. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Hearing these words, Laxus straightened his chest without hesitation and responded loudly, "Naturally! Grandpa, you can rest easy. I know the responsibility and mission this power carries, and besides, I intend to take the guild master's throne in the future!" Standing beside him, Alan quickly chimed in, "Grandpa, you can rest assured. I promise you, I won't let Laxus do anything like that."
Makarov nodded with gratification. "You are both good children. The future of Fairy Tail depends on you."
At the edge of the training ground, a figure slowly approached—none other than Porlyusica, wearing an impatient expression.
Before she even drew near, Porlyusica shouted loudly, "Hey! Makarov, have you finished talking yet? These two kids still need to rush over for their medicinal bath!" A trace of clear dissatisfaction laced her tone.
Hearing this, Makarov wore a sheepish smile and hurriedly replied, "Oh my, oh my, I'm already finished. I was just talking to Laxus about the Lightning Dragon Slayer Lacrima a moment ago." As he spoke, he scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Upon hearing this, Porlyusica crossed her arms over her chest, knitted her brows tightly, fixed a sharp gaze on Makarov, and interrogated him: "Did you really decide to implant the Dragon Slayer Lacrima into Laxus? With his current physical conditioning, he might not be able to endure it."
Laxus immediately shouted out, "Granny, you can rest easy! I'll definitely be fine. I don't want to fall too far behind Brother Alan!" His voice was loud, firm, and filled with fighting spirit.
Porlyusica glanced at Laxus, let out a soft sigh, and shook her head helplessly. "Fine, fine, have it your way. The medicinal bath is already brewed for you two, so hurry over and soak in it."
Granted permission, Alan and Laxus felt as if they had received a pardon. Like two startled rabbits, they scurried away swiftly and stealthily, because they both clearly sensed that Porlyusica was in a bad mood right then, and if they dawdled any longer, they might invite a tongue-lashing.
Seeing this, Makarov also gave a dry cough and then fled the training ground with greased lightning speed. After all, he had no desire to stay there and become the target of Porlyusica's venting fury.