Two years passed in Crocus; we turn our attention to Mercurius where Natsu can be found at the training ground while doing push ups with his class as they are all just doing their work out while being top naked and sweaty.
"one more set, people! Go on!" the training instructor exclaimed as he watches some of the trainees fainted from being tired, but a few kept on going.
Natsu kept on pushing up his body on the floor while he was sweating furiously. The salmon haired teen now looks a bit more built as his muscle tone started to form up.
In a few more minutes, the training stopped as all the rookies stopped their training and then got up to their feet; all except for Natsu who continues to do his push up while not stopping.
"Cadet Dragneel, the training is over!" the instructor called out to the young man. "get up and get rested for the day!"
"I can still go on!" Natsu exclaimed as he grunts while doing his push up. "don't stop me!"
"Cadet Dragneel! I order you to stop!" the instructor yelled and was about to go to Natsu and stop him forcibly from over exhausting himself but Arcadios and Bash came into the scene.
"leave him be." Said Arcadios as he crossed his arms and smirks a bit. "He wants to get stronger for the sake of the kingdom. Best to leave him be."
"b-but captain!" the instructor replied with a surprised face.
"it's fine." Bash stated in while casually smoking his cigar. "you and the rest of the cadets can go on and take a break for the day. Me and Arcadios will be watching over the kid."
The instructor wanted to say something in return but just held it in and then nodded before giving the orders for the rest of the cadets to go and take a rest for the day.
Now the only ones remaining in the training field is Natsu, Bash, and Arcadios.
"how much push ups do you plan to do?" Bash asked while blowing out smoke from the side of his lips. "you can't possibly be thinking of just doing it the entire day, do you?"
"if I can do it all day, I'll do it all day till I can't do it anymore!" Natsu exclaimed as he keeps on doing the push up while drops of his sweat fell to the ground below him.
"I admire the boy's tenacity, but I can't help but feel amused at his stupidity." Said Arcadios while shaking his head. "doing push ups will help him get stronger is one thing, but it won't help him accelerate and graduate the class."
Natsu keeps on doing push up while Arcadios and Bash watch over him.
Nearly 5 hours passed as the afternoon came.
We now find Natsu still on the training ground as he just laid on the ground that is wet because of his sweat. The young salmon haired man gasping his breath while looking extremely tired.
"I thought you said you could do it all day?" said Bash while sitting on a bench nearby with Arcadios. Both adult having small smirks in seeing the young man already tired from doing the many push ups. "you got tired?"
"s-shut up!" Natsu exclaimed as he tried his best to calm his breathing. "i-I'm just! Taking a quick! Break! That's it! Old man!"
"you say that you are taking a break, but we can already see that you're completely spent." Said Arcadios while chuckling. "just call it a day."
"no! i-I can still!" Natsu exclaimed as he tried getting up, but he soon just fell on the ground. "s-so tired!"
"just call it a day, kid." Said Bash as he went near Natsu and threw a towel for him. "you ain't going to get stronger in just a day by doing push up or anything repeatedly." The cowboy sucks in some smoke before blowing it out to the side. "get yourself cleaned up. You got some other plans for the day."
"what other plans?" said Natsu as he slowly gets up while holding the towel to his sweaty chest.
After 2 hours, Natsu is now walking in Crocus with Bash and Arcadios as the three are just walking down the street while passing by horse carriages and people nearby.
"hey, Bash. Where are we going?" Natsu asked the cowboy.
"a bar." Bash replied
"Why we need to go to a bar for?" Natsu asked again.
"Just wait and see." Arcadios told the young man.
Natsu looks at the two adults before he shrugs and just followed them to a nearby bar called Rock N Road.
The three entered and find the place filled with people drinking alcoholic beverages and meals that are perfect partners for the drinks.
Bash and Arcadios went in while Natsu looks at the place side to side in seeing how he sees many are the kingdom's guards and a few who are normal people.
"hey, kid. Come on." Bash called out as he and Arcadios are standing by the stairs near the bar's end. "we're going up"
Natsu looks at the adults before he quickly went and followed them.
The group of three arrived on the second floor of the bar where there are more people eating and drinking but the numbers were more less than the one at the first floor.
"there's our table." Said Bash as he and Arcadios went to one table for three people.
Natsu looks at them before he went and followed.
The three sat down by the table as a waiter came to them.
"what'll it be?" the waiter asked while having his arms crossed.
"Two beers for me and Arcadios here. Whatever juice you have in store for the kid." Said Bash while holding up two fingers before pointing a finger at Natsu. "also; give us some of today's special and the biggest and juiciest steak that you got."
"gotcha." Said the waiter before he went and left the three to themselves.
"if we were going to have lunch, we could've just gone to the castle's cafeteria, couldn't we?" said Natsu to Bash as he placed his hands on the table. "what's the fuss of going to a bar of all places?"
"Who the hell celebrates their birthday by eating at a cafeteria?" said Bash to Natsu who looks confused.
"Birthday? What's that?" Natsu asked.
"it's a type of event that families do in celebrating someone's day of birth." Arcadios explained while having his hands folded on the table. "they always celebrate it because they're thankful for the person's special day."
"oh…" said Natsu with an understanding nod before he turns to look at Bash. "whose birthday is it today?"
"yours, kid." Bash replied as he went and ruffled Natsu's hair.
"mine?" Natsu asked as Bash nodded.
"considering that you were raised in the wild and you don't know what birthday is. Just means that you probably don't even know the day of your birth, right?" said Bash while adjusting his hat. "Therefore, me and Arcadios decided to make the day you came to Crocus as your birthday on your papers."
"which is today." Arcadios added in while nodding.
"today is my birthday?" Natsu asked as Bash nodded.
"you better remember it." Bash stated. "anyone who doesn't remember their own birthday just means that they aren't glad that they were born into this world. No one should be thinking of that."
"Especially a boy of your age." Arcadios added in.
Natsu looks at the two adults while blinking his eyes a few times; he didn't know why but he couldn't help but feel a bit happy to know about birthday.
"oh, here they are!" said Bash as the waiter came back with the drinks and the meals. "we were waiting on ya!"
The Waiter sets down the drinks and the meals as everything was like a feast prepared before them.
"Help yourself to the meal." Said Arcadios to Natsu while holding up his beer. "today, it's on us."
Natsu looks at Arcadios before Bash who nods then took a chug of his beer. The young salmon haired boy looks at the two then grins before nodding himself.
In a second, Natsu started to bite down into the steak that came presented on the table as he took big bites from it.
Soon enough, the day became night as the sun was out and the moon with the night sky filled with stars came to replace it.
We turn our attention to the Rock N Road bar where Bash, Arcadios, and Natsu came out. the young man looking extremely satisfied while the two adults look drained emotionally than physically.
"That was great!" Natsu exclaimed with a grin. "I can't wait for my next birthday to come!"
"Remind me to not take this kid to the bar ever again." Said Bash to Arcadios who nodded in agreement as both had misjudged how much Natsu would eat because the young man had completely taken out the entire stock of food that the bar could serve up and both had to pay a million valis to pay it all which basically drained them to their emergency savings.
After celebrating Natsu's birthday at the bar; the group split as Arcadios left to go back to Mercurius while Bash with the birthday boy went home for the day.
The two arrived at the candy store that is closed for the day as Natsu and Bash went right in when they arrived to the front door.
They got to the second floor as Natsu laid on the spare bed while still looking satisfied from the feast while Bash went to a closet that he opened and fumbles some things inside.
"That bar served up some great steak!" said Natsu with a happy grin. "I got to go and get that tomorrow!"
"don't even try, kid." Said Bash with a slightly annoyed face. "you went and made the place go run out of business. Leave the place be so that they can restock. god damnit." The cowboy went and fumbled the content of his closet before he takes out a wooden box. "there it is."
"hmm?" Natsu looks at what Bash has in hand as the cowboy went and sat down on his bed. "what's that?"
"your present." Said Bash as he went and signals Natsu to sit down beside him on the bed. "anyone who has a birthday, will always get a present in any form. I got yours right here."
"what is it?" Natsu asked while sitting down beside Bash who handed the wooden box to the salmon haired boy's lap.
"open it and see." Bash replied as Natsu checks how to open the box before finding out that it has a lid.
Natsu picked and pulled the lid open as he opened the wooden box to find a pair of crimson red revolver magic guns stored inside.
"what're these?" Natsu asked as he picked one of the revolvers out to check it. "what are they for?"
"Magic revolver guns." Bash replied in explaining the present he'd given to the boy. "you'll get some standard issued magic weapons from the superiors but since you are in the Captain Ranked Training Cadets. That rule bends a bit for you." The cowboy then held the other revolver into his grasp as he spins it around by the trigger hole and then held it near his face. "I'm giving you these as keepsake when you graduate and become a captain ranked magic knight of Crocus. They're magic guns and that means they don't need real bullets to be used. Just use your magic and they're good to be used."
"I see." Said Natsu in checking the guns out before he looks at Bash. "but why give me these ones? Don't they have other types that the superiors can give?"
"those types ain't good." Bash stated in reply. "they're crappy and break easily. But these ones?" the cowboy went and tapped one of the revolvers he is holding to the one that Natsu is holding. "They'll only break when you break. That's why I am giving them to you. To keep a watchful eye on you once you set off on your first mission."
Natsu looks at Bash before to the two revolvers that he now holds in his hands.
"what're their names?" Natsu asked while checking the weapons in his grasps.
"you decide on them." Bash replied. "they're your weapons, not mine."
Natsu looks at Bash for a moment before to his weapons as he looks at them for a moment before he nodded with a grin.
"this one is Revol!" said Natsu while holding up his right hand that holds one of the revolver and then did the same with the left hand. "and this one is Ver!"
"Revol…ver?" Bash muttered out in seeing how Natsu named them. "you just take a few words from Revolver, huh?" the cowboy soon sighs while shaking his head. "well, they're your weapons and not mine. the name is a bit good though." He then looks at the young salmon haired boy. "take care of those two, kid. They are your partners from now on after all."
"you got it!" said Natsu with a grin while spinning the two weapons in his grasps and then did a pose with them. "I can already feel myself getting stronger with them! With this, I can get closer to finding Igneel!"
"knew you would say that." Said Bash as he got off the bed and then went to a table that has a black belt with two gun-holsters attached to it. The cowboy grabbed and then threw the item towards Natsu who caught it even with Revol and Ver in his grasps. "use that. Make sure that you always keep them in place so that they don't get scratched or anything."
"gotcha." Natsu replied with a nod as he placed Revol and Ver into the gun-holsters before he equipped the belt on and sees how it fits. "how do I look?"
"like a kid planning to be a cowboy." Said Bash with a smile while adjusting his hat. "tomorrow, I'll teach you how to shoot those bad boys real good. That way, I don't need to worry about you doing some crazy stunts."
"what?" Natsu asked while holding his two guns before he pulled the triggers and both fired flaming shots that made holes on the wooden floor.
"HEY! LISTEN TO ME BEFORE YOU USE THEM!" Bash shouted out in rage as his house's floor has two holes that are burned.
This is the beginning of Natsu's journey as it is in the prologue that is going to reach the next part very soon.
That's a wrap!
Bye bye