After a brutal beating...
Gajeel lay on the arena floor, clothes disheveled, staring at the ceiling of Fairy Tail's guild hall with a face that had completely given up on life.
He, Gajeel, of the Phantom Lord Guild, who considered himself the strongest mage after Jose Porla left, had just been gang-beaten by a pervert from Fairy Tail using a bunch of magical animals...
If word got out, how could he ever show his face in the magical world of the Ishgar continent again?!
"It's over."
Lyon dispelled his magic, looked at the downed Gajeel, and casually straightened his clothes, preparing to leave the stage.
"Hey, you bastard…"
Just as Lyon turned to leave, Gajeel sat up on the platform with great effort.
"Huh? You talking to me?"
Lyon blinked, turned back with the "Kuroko's Basketball" between his legs, and asked Gajeel.
"You're pretty strong, huh? Where do you rank in this guild?"
Gajeel asked, staring at Lyon.
"Heh…"
Lyon gave a knowing smile. He had seen this expression far too many times.
Because Fairy Tail's reputation had grown so much, strong mages from other countries often came to challenge them. Usually, guys like Natsu, Lyon, and Gray handled them.
It was rare for S-Class mages to step in, after all, given that Fairy Tail now had an average strength rivaling the Ten Wizard Saints, most challengers simply weren't worth the effort.
And those challengers, like Gajeel, always asked the same thing after getting defeated,
"Where do you rank in Fairy Tail?"
But Lyon knew, they didn't care about his rank. What they really wanted to know was,
"If I joined Fairy Tail, where would I rank?"
Gajeel was no different. He wanted to know where his strength would place him inside Fairy Tail.
"Hehe~"
In response, Lyon held up two fingers toward Gajeel.
"Second?!"
"No, wait... Twelfth?"
Gajeel was stunned. If Lyon was the second strongest, then his loss wasn't so shameful. But on second thought… no way. Lyon definitely wasn't second!
There were still at least two other Wizard Saints in Fairy Tail, not to mention Evan's entire freakishly powerful family. So maybe... Lyon ranked twelfth?
That was hard to accept, but not unbearable.
"Nope."
"I'm saying I'm still fighting for a spot in the top twenty of Fairy Tail!"
"Just watch! One day I'll be one of the top twenty!"
Lyon stood proudly on the platform, shouting his declaration to all Fairy Tail mages present.
"That's the spirit, Lyon!"
"Good attitude!"
"Top twenty? That's tough! But keep working hard, you'll get there!"
The guild mages surrounding the platform paused, then started showering Lyon with praise, as if he had just declared something tremendously noble and difficult.
"So… you're not even top twenty in this guild?!"
Gajeel was dumbfounded. He stared at Lyon with wide eyes. He couldn't believe this perverted-looking white-haired brat couldn't even make it into Fairy Tail's top twenty.
To Gajeel, Lyon's power would've made him an S-Class mage instantly in Phantom Lord!
"Now do you understand the difference in strength, Gajeel?"
"This is Fairy Tail's true power."
"To be honest, we never considered the Phantom Lord a threat."
"If we really wanted to take you down, we'd just send a single active S-Class mage. That alone would wipe out your entire guild."
"And don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about your guild after Jose got captured. I mean at its peak, with Jose still leading."
Evan looked at the stunned Gajeel on the arena and spoke softly.
"Are you saying even Jose couldn't break into Fairy Tail's top ten?"
Gajeel turned to Evan in disbelief.
"Haha, of course."
Evan chuckled. It might sound arrogant, but it was the truth. Even someone like Jose, with strength bordering on Wizard Saint level, wouldn't crack Fairy Tail's top ten, because the top ten of Fairy Tail were monsters.
Gulp…
Gajeel swallowed hard. The more Evan spoke, the more shaken he became by Fairy Tail's sheer power.
"So this is the number one mage guild in Fiore…"
"There's always someone stronger… Always another sky…"
Gajeel gave a bitter smile. He had truly felt the gap in strength.
"So... do you want to be that powerful too?"
Just then, Evan's voice sounded by Gajeel's ear like a devil's whisper. Gajeel's eyes widened.
Yes, deep down he knew, he couldn't trust Evan. Trusting Evan always came with a price.
But his hunger for power... his desire to grow strong... pushed him to believe.
"I... I could really become that powerful?"
Gajeel looked at Evan, eyes full of longing.
"Of course, if you're willing."
Evan smiled and held out his hand.
"Evan! I want to learn magic!"
Gajeel immediately dropped to his knees with a loud thud, reaching out and shouting at Evan.
"Well then… if you insist, I guess I can't refuse."
Evan smiled again. In his heart, he knew, Gajeel had taken the bait.
Meanwhile, in the mountains behind Fairy Tail Guild…
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Amid gusts of wind, a few figures were being relentlessly "trained."
"So, is this really helping?"
Gajeel, who was now soaring through the air generating howling wind, looked at Evan in confusion.
"Of course! Gajeel, you have to trust me. I would never lie to you~"
Evan replied with a warm, innocent smile.
"Is that so?"
"If you say you never lie, then I feel a lot better…"
Gajeel sighed in relief.
Just as he relaxed, his body suddenly flew into the sky, tracing a glowing pattern, the Fairy Tail emblem, before crashing back down to the earth.
"Evan! My control over Gajeel just improved again!"
This was the 300th time Erza had used her magnetic powers to launch Gajeel into the sky. And this time, she had successfully made him trace Fairy Tail's logo in midair. It was proof her control over magnetism had improved once again.
"Great job, Erza! That's my little sister!"
Evan gave her a big thumbs up as she gleefully manipulated Gajeel like a flying sword, painting glowing trails in the sky.
Yes, those howling winds weren't from Gajeel powering up.
They were from him being flung through the sky by Erza…
"..."
Gajeel said nothing. But in his heart, he definitely felt... tricked.
"Natsu! Turn up the heat!"
Elsewhere, a massive BBQ grill made from thick trees stood over a fire. A giant wild boar, easily over ten meters long, was roasting on a spit. Below it, Natsu was constantly blasting fire into the air.
Yes, now that Evan had Natsu, he basically had a fully-automated stove.
"OHHH!"
Sweating profusely, Natsu continued breathing fire, pushing his magical power to the limit.
"Wendy! Keep the wind rotating, don't stop, or the meat will burn!"
After ordering Natsu to keep firing, Evan turned to Wendy.
"Is that so?"
"So you won't lie to me? Then I can rest easy…"
Gajeel let out a breath of relief after hearing Evan's words.
But in that very moment of relaxation, his body suddenly shot into the sky, carving the Fairy Tail emblem in the air before crashing back down.
"Big Bro Evan, my control over Gajeel just got even better!"
This was the 300th time Erza had manipulated Gajeel into the air, and now she finally managed to outline the Fairy Tail symbol perfectly. It marked a new level in her mastery of magnetic control, she had grown even stronger.
"Well done, Erza! You really are my little sister!"
Evan gave her a thumbs-up, watching as she effortlessly piloted Gajeel through the sky like a flying sword, painting a vivid, glowing scene.
Yes, those whistling wind sounds from Gajeel weren't from training… They were from Erza hurling him through the air.
"…"
Gajeel fell into a silent daze. He had a sinking feeling that he'd been completely tricked.
"Natsu, keep the fire going!"
Elsewhere, a few thick trees had been fashioned into a massive barbecue rack. On top of it was a wild boar over ten meters long. Beneath it, Natsu was blasting fire into the air nonstop.
Yes, thanks to Natsu, Evan now had a fully automatic stove.
"Ohhh!"
Sweating profusely, Natsu breathed fire with all his might, burning through his magical energy.
"Wendy, keep the wind spinning! Don't stop! Make sure the pork doesn't get burned!"
After urging Natsu, Evan turned to Wendy.
At that moment, Wendy's face was red with effort. She was manipulating the air to rotate the massive boar evenly, ensuring the meat would be crispy on the outside and juicy inside, without being scorched by Natsu's flames.
This was Evan's "Four-in-One Slayer Training Method", casually training four Dragon Slayer mages at once...
Iron Dragon Gajeel was Erza's training sword.
Natsu and Wendy were her kitchen assistants.
As Erza focused on training, Gajeel, Natsu, and Wendy all played their roles diligently...
Cough cough, to be fair, Evan was actually helping Natsu refine his flame control. As for Wendy, rotating a boar that was dozens of meters long and weighed several tons, that was already the upper limit of her magical power.
As for Gajeel, his body was constantly being stimulated with Erza's electromagnetic force, actively drawing out his latent potential!
Unfortunately, since this was a different world, Evan couldn't confirm whether Gajeel could eventually learn rotational magnetic fields. But if he could... just how terrifying would a "crazy" Gajeel become?
"Aren't you going over there, Laxus?"
Not far away, behind a large tree, Laxus watched Evan's chaotic four-in-one training method with a twitching eyelid.
Standing behind him was his loyal follower, Freed, leader of the Thunder God Tribe, who asked the question.
"No... I'm not going."
Laxus stared at Gajeel, Natsu, and Wendy, all hoodwinked and now being used as Erza's personal training dummies, and decided not to walk into that trap. Even if he did go, he'd probably just end up sparring against Erza and getting beaten.
"Oh."
Freed didn't press further. He followed Laxus as they disappeared into the forest.
"They should be arriving soon, right?"
Evan had clearly noticed Laxus's presence. Just as Laxus thought, Evan originally intended for him to help Erza train. But since Erza hadn't fully mastered her flying-sword Gajeel, it wasn't time for live combat yet.
As for Evan, he was waiting. Waiting for someone he hadn't seen in a very long time…
Jingle jingle…
With the sound of bells coming from the forest, Evan turned into a streak of black light and vanished.
The others didn't react, Evan disappearing mysteriously like that was normal for them.
Deep in the forest...
A beautiful woman with flowing golden hair, wearing a cloak, walked quietly through the trees.
Moments later, a black flash of light appeared before her, Evan had arrived.
"Yo, long time no see, Miss Anna~"
Evan smiled as he greeted her.
"Evan?! You sneaky devil, always popping out of nowhere…"
Anna instinctively took a defensive stance but relaxed when she saw it was him.
"How have you been, Anna?"
Evan waved casually.
"I've been okay…"
"You said besides Natsu, you found two more children?"
Anna furrowed her brow. Honestly, she felt helpless when it came to Evan. She really didn't want him involved in the children's education, but somehow they all ended up drawn to Fairy Tail anyway.
"Hahaha, of course!"
"The two new ones are Wendy and Gajeel."
Evan laughed as he proudly introduced his "new recruits."
"Sigh…"
Anna sighed helplessly.
"You didn't mess them up, did you?"
She looked at Evan warily.
"Rest assured, not at all~"
Evan gave a big smile.
"Coming from you, that's not reassuring at all."
"Fine, just let me see them!"
Anna started walking toward the rumbling sounds ahead.
"Oh, by the way, I've already found the fourth kid too. Just one more, and all five are accounted for!"
"What do you think about letting Fairy Tail raise them all?"
Evan followed behind her with a grin.
"..."
Anna didn't reply. She simply turned her head and stared at Evan with fierce phoenix eyes.
"Haha…"
Evan didn't explain. He just smiled knowingly.
"Let me check on Gajeel first."
After a moment, Anna turned and headed toward the direction of the noise.
Evan didn't say anything. He was confident in his training method. Under his guidance, Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy were already far stronger than in the original timeline.
Of course, Evan meant normal strength. If the three of them suddenly started blaring BGM, shouting "We're Fairy Tail mages!" and entering their plot-armor "one-punch mode," well... then Evan had nothing more to say.
Rustle rustle...
Anna frowned. As she got closer to seeing Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy again, she felt both excited and nervous. But then she remembered how Evan trained Natsu and... her blood pressure rose.
"Hehe…"
Still, she chuckled. As brutal as Evan's methods might be, surely nothing could top what he did to Natsu...
Honestly, it was a miracle Natsu survived his childhood at all.
BOOM!
Finally, with a gust of wind, Anna emerged from the trees and came face-to-face with Gajeel, Natsu, and Wendy.
And what she saw was,
BOOM!!
Gajeel, flying like a sword through the air under Erza's control.
Natsu, blasting flames nonstop like a stove under a giant roasting boar.
Wendy, face flushed, spinning the beast like a fan.
And Erza, training with fierce focus.
"..."
Anna was silent. So this is what it had come to? Her precious children… reduced to tools under Evan's hand?
"So, what do you think, Anna~?"
"This time I didn't put them through hellish training. I just let them do what they're best at~"
"Don't you think my education methods have improved a lot?"
As Anna stood in stunned silence, Evan approached her, smiling. This wasn't ordinary, force-fed education. This was personalized training, tailor-made for each child.
Yes, Evan had reached the peak of educational mastery, "teaching according to one's aptitude."
So Gajeel became a flying sword,
Natsu a stove,
Wendy a fan.
"I'm leaving."
After a moment of quiet, Anna turned and walked away at high speed.
"Anna! What do you think? I bet there's no one else in the entire magic world with training methods like mine! Leave the kids with us, and I promise they'll all have a happy childhood!"
Evan chased after her, asking again and again.
After all, Anna was the guardian of the five children, Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy, Sting, and Rogue. He technically needed her permission. And Gajeel and Wendy? That was... "unavoidable force majeure." He didn't not ask…
"Hehe…"
"Zeref, I'm sorry. My descendants... my dear Heartfilia family… We spent four hundred years preparing, and we may have failed!"
"Acnologia… might no longer be stoppable~"
Anna looked to the sky, tears forming. Suddenly, all her family's efforts seemed pointless.
They had struggled for four hundred years to deliver these five children to Evan… only to see them turned into goofballs?! No way. Absolutely not.
"I won't allow it!"
She turned to glare at Evan with tearful fury.
"At the very least, those two children, I refuse to let you have them!"
"Three of the five are already ruined. Those two are our last hope!"
Anna spun around and ran off, not wanting to speak with Evan anymore.
"Eh?! But Anna, Fairy Tail is their hope!"
Evan chased after her.
"No chance..."
But Anna was having none of it. She stormed ahead without even glancing back.