That evening, Rhodes gathered a small group of people at the guild with an unusually heavy expression: Mira, Laxus, Gajeel, and Juvia.
He spoke gravely.
"There's a very important and urgent mission. Come with me."
Gajeel frowned. "Now?"
"Yes." Rhodes glanced at Levy, who was sitting not far away. "Am I interrupting your date?"
"No such thing!" Gajeel barked instantly. But after a second, he muttered, "It's just… this lineup feels kinda exaggerated."
Three S-class mages, plus him and the hopeless Rain Woman, this was basically the guild's strongest strike force.
If a mission needed this team… then the situation had to be catastrophic.
Rhodes simply said, "We're leaving immediately. I'll explain the details on the way."
Juvia raised her hand timidly.
"Can Juvia go say goodbye to Gray-sama…?"
Gray had arranged to fight Natsu in the suburbs today.
Rhodes shook his head.
"No. We need to keep this secret from them."
Juvia's shoulders slumped with disappointment, but she obeyed. Rules were rules.
And if even that request was denied, the rest certainly had nothing to add.
Levy and Lily rushed over, worried, but Rhodes only repeated, "Urgent mission. Don't ask too much."
They had no choice but to watch in concern as Gajeel left with the others.
Once they were outside, the five rented a speedboat and headed straight down the canal toward Crocus, the Royal Capital.
The boatman steered in front. Behind him, the five sat in the enclosed cabin.
Rhodes, Mira, and Juvia were used to every kind of transportation and felt nothing at all.
Laxus sat with arms folded, eyes shut, leaning against the wall.His face looked… a little pale, if one bothered to look closely.
But everyone's attention was focused on Gajeel.
Because the moment he stepped onto the boat, he behaved… wrong.
As soon as the engine started, cold sweat broke out all over his forehead. His mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"Mr. Gajeel?" Juvia asked anxiously, still using honorifics even for guildmates. "Are you feeling unwell?"
"I...I feel...so sick..." Gajeel pressed a hand to his mouth, fighting the urge to lean out the window and vomit. "Ugh..."
Mira blinked.
"Could it be… seasickness?"
"I...I've never been seasick in my life!" Gajeel wheezed, face turning an alarming shade of green. "I...I'm not that idiot Fire Dragon!"
"This is interesting," Rhodes said, far too delighted.
"I didn't see you get seasick on the way to Tenrou Island or on the way back. Hmm?"
He stroked his chin theatrically.
"Could it be training with Natsu too often? Can motion sickness be contagious?"
"Ah!" Juvia gasped, hands flying to her cheeks. "Then isn't Gray-sama in danger?!"
"No, no." Mira tried to calm her. "Gray's habit of taking off his clothes never infected Natsu, right?"
Rhodes had no idea what logic his wife was using, but Juvia didn't question it at all.
In fact, she was now imagining Gray-sama fighting intensely and dramatically stripping mid-battle.
She was thoroughly distracted.
Gajeel could barely keep his eyes open.
Juvia was in her own fantasy world.
Laxus sat silently, acting like the entire world was beneath him.Mira, already sensing Rhode's "serious mission" was suspicious, kept quiet out of trust.
And so… a very strange scene unfolded.
Even though Rhodes had solemnly declared an urgent and important mission,no one asked what the mission actually was.
Not even once.
This silence, ironically, made Rhodes feel more and more awkward.
He sat there waiting for anyone to give him an opening.
He looked left, looked right…
Then he noticed something.
"Laxus?"
"Hmm?" Laxus made a short nasal sound as he reluctantly cracked an eye open.
Rhodes tilted his head.
"How come your forehead is sweating too?"
"…"
Laxus immediately shut his eyes again, pretending to be a corpse.
Mira leaned closer. "Oh? Really! Laxus, you're seasick too?"
Juvia snapped back from her Gray fantasy in shock.
"Mr. Laxus as well…?"
Laxus didn't move. With absolute dignity, he murmured,
"Don't tell anyone."
That tone was the exact same tone a dying warrior would use to entrust his will.
But it was just seasickness.
Mira blinked, genuinely confused.
"Since when? Even I didn't know."
Of course she didn't.
Laxus would rather die than let anyone know he had a weakness.His pride depended on it.
Rhodes glanced between the two groaning Dragon Slayers.
"Now I don't just want to tell people, I want to study this. What's going on with you Dragon Slayer Mages?"
Three Dragon Slayers: Natsu, Gajeel, Laxus.
Three motion-sick idiots: Natsu, Gajeel, Laxus.
It didn't take a genius to draw a line.
Mira hummed thoughtfully.
"But Wendy never gets sick."
"Probably because of Troia," Rhodes said. "Or maybe her power just hasn't reached the threshold yet."
Gajeel mustered enough strength to be offended."Forget the little girl! How could I be worse than that Fire Dragon?! Sky Magic must be special!"
Mira shook her head.
"Natsu has been motion sick since he was a child. He wasn't stronger than you back then."
"So the reason isn't strength," Rhodes said. "There must be another mechanism at play."
Juvia, confused, asked, "But doesn't Mr. Rhodes also use Dragon Slayer Magic?"
Rhodse waved lazily.
"Mine's Take Over. Fake Dragon Slayer Magic. Cosmetic dragon parts only."
The couple were casually theorizing as if they were discussing dinner plans.
Laxus, completely fed up, finally spoke up.
"The first time I got seasick was after I learned to transform my body with Dragon Slayer power. When the scales appeared."
"That's useful data." Rhodes nodded like a researcher. "Full transformation threshold."
Gajeel groaned from the corner.
"I only got this sick today… but I did activate my Second Origin recently…"
"Exactly." Rhodes tapped his chin.
"Dragon Slayer Magic transforms your organs. Once the transformation crosses a certain limit, your inner ear basically becomes… well… a dragon's. And dragons have no resistance to motion."
Mira added cheerfully:
"Meaning Natsu was probably motion sick even before he learned Dragon Slayer Magic. It just made it worse."
Rhodes nodded with a sage-like expression.
"Very plausible."
Gajeel opened his mouth to argue, but another wave of nausea hit him and he slumped over instead.
After the fun round of teasing, Rhodes suddenly clapped his hands.
"Oh, right, if you guys really can't handle it, we can switch transportation. Like my Void Crab. Natsu loves it."
Silence.
Then;
Laxus and Gajeel both turned their heads toward him at the exact same speed.
Their eyes burned with the fury of betrayed warriors.
Through clenched teeth, in perfect unison:
"WHY—DIDN'T—YOU—SAY—SO—SOONER?!"