"I'm back!"
Every time Natsu returns from a trip, the guild's door gets an undeserved kick.
Laki, who was nearby, complained, "It's really hard to fix the door if you break it, Natsu!"
Natsu seemed quite irritated, "Where's Rhode? Get out here now!"
"Stop shouting, Rhode's either in the backyard, the library, or with Sister Mira. Go find him yourself," Laki felt that Natsu alone was noisier than half the guild combined.
Natsu tossed his backpack aside and rushed towards the backyard in a whirlwind, as he'd already caught a whiff of the scent.
Hapi picked up the backpack and flew over to the counter, submitting the mission form along the way.
Mira inquired, "What's up with Natsu? He seems like he's out to trouble Rhode. Did the mission not go well?"
"Aye! Because of Rhode's forester job suggestion, the client was quite troublesome. Originally, it was supposed to be a fifteen-day job, but then suddenly extended to twenty days, and even after twenty days, they still wanted more time.
Though they pay by the day, sometimes it's this, sometimes it's that, can't do this, can't do that..."
"Oh dear, oh dear..." Mira sympathized with their ordeal; mages occasionally encounter such clients.
They often add requirements during the mission, and as long as it's not too excessive, mages usually don't refuse.
The type of request Natsu encountered, extending the timeline and adding pay, was actually not bad, and the other requests were barely within a forester's duties.
That's why Natsu held back and didn't cause trouble.
In fact, if you tally it up, Natsu's caused countless mischief, but never hit a client, not even Elfman could match him in this regard.
But being bossed around for so long is surely frustrating, so on the way back, apart from the times he was carsick, Natsu kept thinking about having a fight with Rhode.
"Take this, Rhode, Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
"Natsu, what's gotten into you all of a sudden?"
Rhode was practicing short-distance sprints in the backyard when suddenly Natsu jumped in wanting to fight, and started off with a 'move.'
If he hadn't dodged quickly, his handsome face would once again need Mira's help with some ointment.
"Anyway, let's fight first, talk later!"
"Fine, let's fight."
Rhode hadn't had a serious fight with Natsu for a while, and there was nothing wrong with a good brawl.
Boom!
Their fists collided, sparks flying everywhere.
Natsu's fist was still on fire, while Rhode's was covered with stone armor before they clashed.
Although he typically favored the Shadow Wolf form, its fur was weaker than fire, so Stone Beetle was more suitable.
He'd become quite adept with both partial and full-body Receiving of wild creatures, and the partial Stone Beetle reception seemed like an Earth Magic of the same type as Natsu's.
If he'd shouted 'Earth Dragon's Rock Fist' just now, people might have believed it.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Their fists, elbows, and legs continuously clashed as they engaged in intense combat.
Each of Natsu's moves carried flames, while every hit from Rhode birthed stone armor at the corresponding spot.
This way of using Receiving Magic was conducive to prolonged battles and looked far cooler with effects.
More importantly, being able to fight like this indicated a high level of mastery over Receiving Magic.
He had to thank Mira for her meticulous guidance and Elfman for his tireless sparring.
If there's a drawback to fighting this way, it's that it heavily tests Rhode's reaction speed.
At first, it was alright, but as Natsu grew more serious, it became increasingly difficult to keep up.
Natsu wasn't an opponent that could be defeated with a few partial receptions.
"Full-body Receive: Ancient Stone Beetle!"
"Fire Dragon's Shattered Fang!"
The flames clawed at Rhode's shoulder like a giant dragon's talon. Rhode raised a hand to block it, leaving three charred marks on his forearm.
He kneed towards Natsu's abdomen, but Natsu propped up with both hands, bouncing back a short distance: "When did you get so tough?"
Rhode bumped his fists, bluffing, "Get hit enough times and you'll toughen up. Let me punch you a hundred times, and you'll toughen up too."
"Stop lying, Fire Dragon's Wing Strike!"
Flames swept down like giant dragon wings, and Rhode quickly sank into the ground as if walking on water.
When Natsu landed, Rhode grabbed his ankle, dragging him into the earth with only his head remaining visible.
Rhode jumped up to the surface, looking distressed at his pile of wooden training equipment, "You idiot! Are you trying to burn the guild down?"
"Shut up; it's not actually burning down!" Natsu's body shook in the earth, and he suddenly burst out.
His feet were jetting flames, and he charged at Rhode like Astro Boy with one hand in the air: "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Rhode took the punch head-on, the massive force pushing him back, crashing through the wall while his arm and chest were singed black by the flames.
Great, another mess made; Natsu was truly hazardous.
"Receive: Crimson Marked Tree Monster!"
Rhode's form grew to three meters tall, with his entire body wrapped in vines, turning him into a tree-like figure. A bright red orb glowed on his chest, surrounded by green leaf patterns.
It was Natsu's first time seeing Rhode in this form, and his jaw dropped, "What is that?!"
"Eat this slap first!" Rhode's giant hand swung down, its five red fingers seemingly burning with flames.
"Wow~ ah!" Natsu raised his arms to block, but was slapped into the ground.
"One more!" Rhode swept his other hand horizontally, slamming into Natsu's chest.
"Whoa!" Natsu was flung away, crashing through the guild's wall and wrecking the bulletin board.
The request forms on the board fluttered like snowflakes, and Natsu tumbled onto Nabu, turning into a ball of chaos.
"Natsu!?" Hapi was shocked that Natsu had been pummeled by Rhode.
"Oh dear~" Mira expressed concern, "You two, don't lose the request forms, okay?"
Nabu lay there on his back, "The request forms are the priority?"
"Ouch, that flame! What was that?!" Natsu sprang up with a shout, rushing back through the hole he made, widening it a bit more.
"Rhode!!!"
This time, Natsu was alight with flames all over his body, clearly more serious than before.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist! Hooked Claw! Sword Horn!"
He unleashed Dragon Slayer Magic move after move, while Rhode simply kept slapping back.
From the feedback on his palm, Rhode sensed Natsu's attacks growing heavier, unsure if the kid was holding back or getting stronger the more they fought.
After exchanging several more moves, Natsu suddenly spotted an opportunity, lunging with his mouth wide open to bite Rhode's flame-wrapped right hand.
"I'm gonna eat you up!"
Natsu's words came out garbled as though he intended to devour the flames on Rhode's hand.
"So gross!" Rhode shook his arm, "Let go!"
"Won't!" Natsu dangled in mid-air, swinging with Rhode's arm as if he were being whipped like a ragdoll.
"Release!"
"Won't let go!"