"Lightning Dragon's Breaking Fist!"
Laxus slightly retracted his right fist and began to charge up electrical current. As tiny arcs of electricity flickered and danced across his knuckles, a formidable surge of power gradually concentrated.
Not far away, however, Alan looked at Laxus with complete ease in his Gallantmon state, as if he cared nothing at all for the impending attack.
The next moment, Laxus let out a loud shout and violently threw his right fist forward. A thick bolt of lightning roared like a wild dragon, hurtling straight toward Alan. Yet, in the face of such a fierce offensive, Alan simply stood in place without moving an inch, letting the Lightning Dragon's Breaking Fist strike his body with full force.
With a muffled thud, the lightning instantly exploded, but Alan remained completely unscathed—he didn't even sway.
"That tickles, Laxus. With only this level of strength, how do you expect to go out on a journey with me?" Alan said with a slight upward curve of his lips, his tone carrying a trace of mockery.
Laxus, already somewhat irritated that his attack had produced no effect at all, felt the anger in his heart flare up even higher upon hearing Alan's words. He clenched his teeth tightly and swiftly swept his hands into empty space before his chest.
In an instant, countless streams of magic power surged madly like a tide into the gap between his hands. Under his control, they intertwined and condensed into a massive energy sphere. At the same time, dazzling flashes of lightning leaped and sparked continuously around the sphere with crackling noises, making the entire training ground feel as though it were being bombarded by thunder from the heavens.
Immediately afterward, Laxus raised this ball of lightning, which contained terrifying power, high above his head with both hands, and then hurled it fiercely with all his might toward Alan's position. At the same time, he shouted loudly at the top of his lungs, "Take a look at this move, Big Brother! Lightning Dragon's Halberd!"
Accompanied by Laxus's angry roar, the ball of lightning streaked across the sky like a shooting star, slamming toward Alan at astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, it collided explosively with Alan, triggering a violent blast that shook the entire training ground.
For a moment, flames soared into the sky, dust and smoke billowed, and a powerful shockwave swept outward in all directions.
Laxus's vision was completely blocked by the thick smoke generated by the explosion, making it impossible to see the situation ahead. Even so, the expression on his face remained extremely solemn, because he knew very well that this devastatingly powerful Lightning Dragon's Halberd likely wouldn't inflict much damage on the immensely strong Alan.
Sure enough, Alan merely flicked the cloak behind him. Laxus felt as if a gentle breeze had swept past. Under this seemingly casual motion, the blazing flames and billowing smoke that had just been produced by the fierce explosion were instantly extinguished, as if pinched out by an invisible giant hand, vanishing without a trace in a single moment.
Laxus stared wide-eyed at the unscathed Alan before him, filled with reluctance and vexation. He clicked his tongue harshly, letting out a dissatisfied "tch," and then shouted loudly to Alan, "I quit! Big Brother, Gallantmon's Chrome Digizoid is just too cheating!" With that, he shook his head helplessly.
Hearing Laxus admit defeat, Alan wore a confident smile. He lightly raised his right hand, and in the blink of an eye, he released his Take Over state as Gallantmon. Returning to his original appearance, Alan walked toward Laxus, and seeing the obvious unwillingness on the other's face, he couldn't help bursting into hearty laughter.
"Ha-ha, Laxus! You can't blame Gallantmon for being strong. You have to know that defeating an opponent relies on more than just equipment and skills—what's even more important is the improvement of one's own strength. Therefore, you still need to work constantly hard to acquire greater power and figure out even more formidable techniques! Alright, today's training ends here, and it's about time we head back to rest." While laughing and patting Laxus on the shoulder, Alan turned and walked toward the exit of the training ground.
This place was a dedicated training ground located deep within a lush forest, carefully constructed with the personal help of Makarov. Here, Laxus—who had successfully had the Lightning Dragon Slayer Lacrima implanted in his body two and a half years ago—and Alan carried out their mandatory daily training routine day after day: a one-on-one duel!
Ever since Laxus successfully had the Lightning Dragon Slayer Lacrima implanted within him, the results of Alan's routine training had begun to improve at an astonishing speed. This not only made his own growth in strength increasingly exaggerated, but also enabled him to control more of Gallantmon's power with greater ease.
Thus, after two and a half years of persevering, arduous training, Alan finally made an important decision: to temporarily leave the guild and go out into the world to temper himself and accumulate real combat experience. After all, the world where Fairy Tail resided was by no means as peaceful and ripple-free as those relaxed, cheerful slice-of-life stories; on the contrary, it was filled with countless unknown dangers and challenges.
All along, the Balam Alliance and the Alvarez Empire had never ceased their covetous gaze toward the Ishgar Continent. They were lurking in the shadows at all times, searching for any opportunity to crush the Ishgar Continent in a single blow. What was even worse was that terrifying Black Dragon always hung high above everyone's heads like an inescapable shadow, threatening the safety of every single person's life at every moment.
When Laxus learned that Alan intended to go out on a journey, he immediately became restless. Growing up with Alan since childhood, he knew very well that if he didn't embark on this journey alongside Alan, the gap in strength between the two of them would inevitably grow wider and wider by the time Alan returned. Such a situation was definitely not something Laxus was willing to see, nor could he tolerate it happening no matter what. Therefore, without any hesitation, he expressed to Alan his strong desire to accompany him.
Alan had no objections whatsoever to Laxus's wish to come along, provided he obtained Makarov's permission—after all, the stronger Laxus was, the greater help he would be to Alan.
When the two of them returned to Porlyusica's house in the woods, Makarov happened to be there as well. Therefore, Alan brought up his idea of going out to travel and train to the two elders, and Laxus chimed in from the side, saying he wanted to go too.
The elders' very first reaction was naturally to refuse. They both felt that Alan and Laxus were still far too young; the thought of going out on a journey at an age when many people couldn't even take care of themselves was something they had never considered. Furthermore, they worried that Alan and Laxus would easily be deceived once they went outside, and most importantly, they feared that the two boys might encounter danger along the way with no one around to help them.
Alan decided to argue his case with reason. First regarding the issue of being too young and looking too inexperienced: Alan was currently ten and a half years old, standing 1.75 meters tall and weighing 57 kilograms. Although he looked slightly slender, if people ignored his face, strangers would only take him for a healthy adult. As for the problem with his face, that was easily handled as well; over the years, Alan had learned some other magic, such as Transformation Magic that could be applied directly to the face, which was similar to Makarov's Giantization Magic in that it could alter the shape of certain parts of the body.
Right before the eyes of the two elders, the shape of Alan's face shifted, transforming from a ten-year-old into the appearance of a twenty-year-old. Seeing Alan's change, Makarov pinched his nose and, with some reluctance, approved Alan's solution.
Subsequently, addressing the elders' concern regarding their lack of life experience, Alan said to them, "Grandma, Grandpa, if we don't go out and experience the world, our worldly wisdom will never grow. Although we truly are still young right now, please trust me—I will take good care of Laxus, and besides, I have reasons that compel me to go."
The two elders exchanged glances, fell silent for a moment, and then nodded to each other, considering it an acceptance of Alan's argument.
As for the issue of strength, it was relatively simple for Alan. He simply performed the Take Over into Gallantmon once more right in front of the two of them. Feeling the oppressive might emanating from Gallantmon, the two elders had no further objections.
Having obtained the consent of the two elders, not only Laxus, but even Alan wore an expression of surprise.
Alan had been terrified that Porlyusica would refuse. If Porlyusica had stubbornly disagreed no matter what, Alan still would have respected her wishes—after all, a grandmother's words had to be obeyed no matter what! He just hadn't expected things to progress so smoothly in the end.
Porlyusica saw the trace of surprise on Alan's face and said to him, "I've watched you grow up from a baby, and ever since you became sensible, everything you've done has been the result of careful thought. So since you want to go out and train, you must have your own reasons. As for what those reasons are, I won't ask—when you want to talk about them, you'll naturally tell me. But Grandma still has to tell you both this: the outside society is not like the guild; some people out there have rather filthy and evil minds. Therefore, you must never act impulsively. Think things through more, and if you encounter problems you can't solve, come back. Your Grandpa Makarov and I will help you."
As Porlyusica spoke, her eyes grew red. Makarov, standing beside her, was in no better shape, and Laxus was already weeping tears down his face. He had thought going out to train would be simple, but hearing Porlyusica put it this way made him realize how much the two elders cared for him and had his best interests at heart. Alan also had tears welling in his eyes as he stepped forward to embrace Porlyusica, and Laxus hurried over to hug them as well.