PART ONE. Realization

October 1st, The Eastern Forest

Day 1

"So… why exactly are we out here, Gramps?"

It was early the next day. So early that the sun hadn't even begun to rise above the mountains far to the east. The inky black curtain of the midnight sky, dotted with glimmering white and blue stars, was currently clashing with the pink and pale orange morning light. Very soon, daylight would come out to play, and it would be glorious.

The day prior, after Makarov had queried his offer to Natsu, the young man didn't even hesitate for a second before accepting. The old guildmaster was of course pleased with this, and managed to stave off the ensuing barrage of questions of when they'd begin sparring. Naturally, this alone had helped pinpoint what exactly Makarov needed to make clear to Natsu before they officially got started with the program.

The sparring would come later. Makarov had already enlisted Laxus for that side of things. First, however, they would need to establish the essentials: Natsu needed to find out what sort of man he wanted to become, and more importantly… how he'd get there.

And so, Makarov decided to send Natsu home for the rest of the day, telling him that they would be getting up early and meeting in the Eastern Forest, just outside of Natsu's home. From there, he would outline how he planned to help Natsu.

Now, as they both stood opposite of one another in a small clandestine clearing about half a kilometer away from Natsu's home, Makarov decided to breathe in the fresh morning air scented with dew and took a seat on the arched stone towards the middle of the clearing. Once he was comfortable, he withdrew his smoking pipe and tobacco pouch from the pocket of his orange jacket and got busy.

Natsu, not even peeved that his question had been swiftly dodged, had also taken a seat on the slightly damp green grass just below the stone. He was wearing his usual get-up; the puffy white trousers and sandals, but now with the shearling coat he seemed to sport these days. It suited him, though Makarov certainly wouldn't put the young man in any sort of high-end establishment.

But that sort of thing didn't matter at the moment. Right now, they needed to get down to business.

"This place is beautiful, isn't it?" Makarov asked though the downward tone of his voice made it out to be more of a statement of fact. "Have you ever been out this far from Magnolia, Natsu? On this side of the town, I mean."

"I've gone a lot further than this place."

"So you've never been here before, then? In this exact clearing?"

Natsu looked rather uncertain. Not that he seemed insecure, but rather that he just didn't think this line of questioning particularly mattered. "Well, no. Not in this place. But I know there's a ravine just a few kilometers northeast. Happy and I used to play hide-and-seek there with Lisanna."

The ravine was of no consequence to Makarov. But the point was still there. "Natsu, much like this clearing, which was recently undiscovered by you-there are many parts within your mind that you've yet to discover. Many things that you didn't know about yourself, which are laying dormant, waiting to be found."

Now the young man gave him a confused glance. "Umm… okay." He said, unsure of what to reply with. "What do you mean?"

"The human mind is much like a map. There are different continents and regions-parts of the brain in this instance have stark differences. Size, climate, population, natural resources, the list goes on. The point is, is that most people barely if ever decide to fully explore what is out there. They instead keep themselves regulated to a very small portion of that map. Their hometown, or the place they grew up. This makes them stay comfortable with where they are, and they never get to experience what goes on in the outside world. This is not necessarily a bad thing, just that it greatly limits their growth, and their options for what they want to do with their lives."

"Okay… so what's this got to do with my mind, then?"

Makarov gave a sharp smile. "Everything, quite honestly. When we arrive at the human part of this analogy, people often become too comfortable with who they are. Never once do they experience personal growth, nor do they seek to change themselves, even if their lives are horrible, or if they're not quite getting the results they want. Take a look at yourself. You've stayed the same person for about nineteen years, and you've done precious little to change who you are. You might as well be some country bumpkin who's lived in a small village his whole life. You are perfectly comfortable with where you are, and even the results you've gotten in your life thus far."

The young man's expression had morphed into a deep frown. "But I'm not comfortable with where I am. That's why I'm here, right? That's what I told you with this whole Jellal thing."

"Ah," Makarov grinned. He was presented with yet another opportunity to poke the young man's ego. Good. "But you are comfortable. You, Natsu Dragneel, have everything you want in life. You're perfectly happy, so happy that you're fine with allowing yourself to get steamrolled in your battles, or to be known as the "stupid" member of your team. You simply love being the village idiot, don't you?"

Natsu had soon folded his arms but didn't lose his nerve. Good. Natsu seemed to have gotten better at controlling his emotions. He'd need that.

His words, however, still affected the young man. Those onyx eyes had twitched irritably and narrowed. "No. Why would I?"

It was then that Makarov bellowed out a harsh laugh, letting a lungful of tobacco smoke escape from his parted lips. Very deliberately, he leaned forward.

"Because Natsu… if you genuinely weren't comfortable with all of those things, and with the results you've gotten in your life thus far… you would've done something about it earlier, and certainly far before you ever set foot in that Tower."

The single, efficient answer had floored the Dragon Slayer into silence. Very quickly, Natsu broke his gaze away and stared into the grass. Was Gramps doing this just to irritate him? Probably. He was succeeding, and even worse, it was a genuine point.

Makarov continued. "Think of all the times you've attempted to challenge Gildarts, Laxus, and even Erza to various duels. For the last decade alone that you've been in this guild, you've made zero progress towards beating any of them." The old guildmaster knew that an argument could be made for a pitched battle against Erza. It was likely that Natsu outmatched her by now. However, he'd keep that to himself. The point needed to be hammered home. "If you genuinely were uncomfortable with laying beaten, broken, and humiliated after challenging any of them for the first time, you would've worked and trained like an animal to eventually close the gap in power between yourself and them. You would have smartened up, carried yourself differently, and thought more strategically, perhaps you might've even learned other forms of magic to compliment your Fire Dragon Slaying Magic. And you know what would have happened?"

Natsu looked up at him then, still listening attentively.

"You would have succeeded. There's no doubt in my mind that you could have potentially even gotten close to Gildarts' level by now. You just weren't serious about it."

The young man opened his mouth to protest, but no reply came. He just stayed silent and accepted the verbal lashing.

"All those times you claimed, promised even, that you would beat Laxus, or Gildarts, or Erza the next time you challenged them… and every single time you failed to deliver," Makarov said plainly, relighting the bowl of his pipe. "Is that what you want to be known for? Is that the example you want to set for your future children? Is that the type of man you want to be for the rest of your life?"

No. The answer was instantaneous within Natsu's mind. "No," he said firmly, with conviction.

Makarov smirked. "So… what are you going to do about it, hmmm? What sort of man do you want to be? What is the life that you want to live?"

And… that was where his mind left him.

Nothing came to Natsu then. Nothing. Not a single thought entered his head. He just sat there, looking down at the grass as the sun finally climbed over the mountains in the east, with daylight grazing the right side of his face.

I… don't know.

What else could he do but voice that same line? "I don't know." He said coldly.

Inside he was angry. How in the hell was this all supposed to help him get stronger? To amp his magical power? What was this supposed to be, some sort of self-improvement nonsense that the old man was pushing on him? What a bloody laugh!

And yet, Makarov was right. If he, Natsu Dragneel had taken his training more seriously, had taken himself more seriously… perhaps he would be just as powerful as Gildarts by now. He might even be S-Class. Hell, perhaps he'd even have eaten Jellal for breakfast instead of almost getting killed by the blue-haired prick.

The cold silence that had been set between them was broken by Makarov, who, after having relit his pipe twice more, let out a satisfied gust of smoke. "Face it, kid. In some alternate universe, there's another version of you who's already at Gildart's level of strength. Same age, same history, same look as you. But that Natsu decided to get his act together earlier on. Maybe it was after his first defeat, maybe it was after his twentieth, doesn't matter. He didn't make the cut by complete accident, or by waiting around with his thumb up his ass. He figured out who he wanted to be, where he wanted to go, what he wanted to do, and got right to work."

Finally, Natsu leveled his gaze with Makarov's. "So… that's what I've got to do then? Figure out who I want to be in life?"

"Beats letting life take you for a ride." The old man quipped. "Life'll take you for all you've got, kid… but only if you let it. Instead, if you squeeze what you want out of life, and work-and I mean really work… you'll get it. Nothing simpler. Do you understand, Natsu?"

"Yeah," The young man said firmly, sitting up a little straighter than before. "I do."

"Good." Makarov was pleased. It seemed that now, Natsu's mind was open, malleable, and willing to change after he'd had the truth dumped on him. That would go a long way, certainly. "Well, my morning tirade aside… let's move on to today's docket."

The old man sat forward, slipping his hand into his lower coat pocket and withdrawing a small, folded sheet of crisp paper that he'd written on the night prior. He held it in his right hand as he continued. "The point of our little meeting today, Natsu, is to establish what exactly you and I will be doing to facilitate your personal growth. From there, we will work towards changing your life, ideally, for the better." Makarov said. "My role between the two of us is that of the Mentor. I am not a teacher who sits you down and teaches you a particular subject for several hours on end, nor am I a coach who will teach you the mechanics of what it means to be an SS-Class Wizard. That is something you'll, hopefully, figure out on your own. My purpose here is to ask you bold, profound questions, and your responsibility, as the Mentee, or Student, is to find the answers to those questions and rapidly implement them into your life. This is basic cause and effect, and this is how change happens. Are you following along?"

"I think so…" Natsu said, scratching his head. He was privately satisfied that the old man wouldn't sit him down and teach him how to read and write like Erza had when they were kids. That method of teaching felt stifling to him. "What do you mean about you not being a coach or something like that?"

"A Coach and a Mentor play two different roles. A Coach focuses more on the mechanics of a profession, the tactics, and the basic know-how-you would learn from a coach how to professionally speak with clients in person after answering their job requests." Makarov elaborated. "A Mentor, on the other hand, is more of a trusted advisor who offers guidance, and as I've already mentioned, asks incredibly profound questions of his or her students. Say you decide that you want to become a Wizard Saint, or that you'd like to get into politics, I will ask you pointed questions, guide you in the right direction, and from there, you will facilitate your own learning."

The title of Wizard Saint looked rather attractive to Natsu-but the thought of getting into politics didn't seem all that appealing. That aside, he understood what the old man was saying. He nodded along to show that he was listening closely.

The guildmaster continued. "Moreover, just as I was accountable to Gildarts, I will be called to account concerning my investment in you. Be assured that I will be committed to achieving the best possible outcomes for you during our time together. Therefore, our relationship from this point on must be based on trust, honesty, and profoundly confronting questions. If I say something you don't agree with, simply tell me you don't agree, if you do not. If two people agree all the time then one of them is redundant. Get the picture?"

"Yeah, Gramps."

"Excellent." Makarov refilled the bowl of his pipe, satisfied. He flicked the folded sheet of paper over to Natsu, who caught easily with his left hand. "Take a gander at that and tell me what you think."

Natsu only raised an eyebrow in response but unfolded the sheet in a matter of seconds. When he saw what was written on it, he frowned.

There was a list of questions on the paper. Natsu decided to read them out in his head;

This is the most hyper-competent, ideal version of Natsu…

1) What would he do with his time today? What things would he do?

2) What advantages would he create for himself?

3) What things are you afraid of doing right now? What things have you been putting off, that he would do even though he is just as scared as you are?

4) What baggage would he cut out of his life to make room for new opportunities, relationships, or growth?

5) What habits does he have?

6) How would he track and measure his progress and success?

7) How would he use his Guild, and his teammates more effectively?

8) What beliefs would he focus on this week?

9) What would he not tolerate about your current life? What key objectives is he obsessed with achieving? Why?

10) What sorts of problems does Future Natsu have that you don't? Why are these problems important to him?

11) What did Future Natsu change about himself to become the most powerful, competent, and intelligent version of himself?

12) How does Future Natsu dress? How does he carry himself? What do others think of him when they see him walking through the streets?

13) What sort of skillsets has Future Natsu developed along the way to perfecting himself? Has he learned other branches of magic? Which ones? And why?

14) How does Future Natsu use the resources at his disposal to improve both his life and the lives of those around him?

15) What sort of man IS Future Natsu? How does he act and think? How sharp is his mind?

16) What sort of hardships has Future Natsu gone through to become who he is?

17) What objectives do you have? What do you need to do to improve?

18) What weaknesses do you have? How did Future Natsu overcome them? What did he do?

What the… Natsu gulped as he read over the questions again. What in the hell was he supposed to make with all of this?

"It's a list of questions," he muttered.

"I said to tell me what you think of it, not what it is, kid." Makarov snorted as he relit his pipe for the fourth time that morning. "Go on! Go on!"

Natsu scratched the back of his head. The old man had asked him to be honest, right? Might as well go with that, then. "Well… I'm still not sure how this is going to help me."

Makarov sucked in yet another lungful of smoke. "Questions… are extraordinary. For the simple reason that the human mind has an insatiable curiosity. And if we ask it the right questions, it'll deliberately go search out the answers. Answers that, once applied, could make a drastic impact on our lives." He said as he tapped his temples with the stem of his pipe. "You told me that you'd like to grow stronger. Well, I'm showing you how. The reason you weren't strong enough to take down Councilman Fernandez is that you weren't as prepared as he was didn't put in the same work that he did, you weren't as driven as he was. You weren't the version of yourself that was more powerful than him from the get-go. Plain and simple. These questions I have given you, will help you figure out how you can become that ideal version of yourself, the Natsu Dragneel who is an SS-Class Wizard, a total monster on par with even Gildarts."

"But can't you just show me what you did for Gildarts?"

"Doesn't work that way, kid." Makarov said sternly. "What worked for him won't necessarily work for you. Your answers to these questions will without a doubt be different to Gildarts. I can offer you guidance-but figuring out what sort of man you are at your absolute best? That's on you."

Natsu Dragneel broke his gaze away and continued staring at the grass, the sheet of questions resting gently on his knee.

Makarov felt he should throw the young man a bone. "Think on this next statement, Natsu… 'Outstanding results comes from thinking and acting differently.'"

Outstanding results comes from thinking and acting differently… The Dragon Slayer did a double take.

Alright… thinking and acting differently? Compared to what? How he'd been doing everything in his whole life up until this point? That was what made the most sense, at least. How strange… the statement immediately clicked in his mind, and yet, Natsu had no earthly clue on how to implement it. At least, not yet.

The Dragon Slayer calmly looked down at the sheet once more and scrolled through the questions before him.

What would the most hyper-competent, best possible version of himself do today?

And, just as quickly, he was surprised when it finally came to him.

He'd train early in the morning, for about three hours. First his Magic, then his body. After that, he'd go to the guild, eat breakfast, and hit the library to see what other types of magic he should learn.

Natsu went wide-eyed as he poured over the answer. Across from him, Makarov had grinned knowingly.

"Figured it out, hmmm?" The old man chuckled.

"Yeah," Natsu couldn't help but share the guildmaster's elation. He smiled. "I think I did."

"I'd say it's almost like magic, but that would be quite the cliche," Makarov said. "However, this is just the first step in your education. Within the next few weeks, and months, I'd like you to frequently ask yourself all of these questions. Find out the answers and put them into effect. Application may seem a little scary at times, however, keep in mind that the version of you who is on the same level as Gildarts was also scared-and that version of Natsu did it anyway despite his fear. Understand?"

"I do." The young man nodded.

"Wonderful. Now, would you kindly read out that last question at the bottom of the list, Natsu?"

The Dragon Slayer did so, "What weaknesses do you have? How did Future Natsu overcome them? What did he do?"

It was fairly obvious, at least to him, what this question was aimed at. His motion sickness. Of course!

His motion sickness was absolutely a hazard. He didn't know much about how it worked, except that it simply messed with his draconic senses. It was a critical weakness, frailty if anything, something that even his worst enemies knew about. If he and his team ended up in a situation like that of the Tower ever again, the knowledge that someone could shut him off like a light switch just by placing him on a moving railcar was simply unbearable. No, Natsu wouldn't let that happen again.

He'd spent the majority of his life avoiding moving vehicles, often preferring to walk, or even to use his flames to propel him in the air. At the very least, he wasn't affected when Happy carried him. But still, it wasn't something to rely on.

So how could he apply this statement? How could acting, or even thinking differently, help him get rid of his motion sickness? Or at least mitigate it so that he could still fight at capacity while it affected him?

Future Natsu would've gotten better at enduring his motion sickness and would have adapted to the point that he could barely feel it if he got into a boat, or onto a moving train.

So that would mean he'd have to…

Oh no… Natsu paled at the thought.

It seemed like Makarov could read his thoughts, "Aha!" he snapped his fingers. "You're onto something, aren't you? Well, don't leave an old man hanging! What is it?"

Deciding to follow through with his mentor's request for honesty, Natsu glanced up at him. "I was thinking about how to get rid of my motion sickness… the idea I came up with was to adapt to it. But to do that, I'd have to…"

"...Get used to it the old-fashioned way."

"Yeah."

A wicked grin soon adorned the older man's face. There was something… sinister about it that made Natsu's blood run cold.

"Oh, I believe there's something we can do about that…" Makarov said, clearly amused. "Just one thing…"

Natsu gulped and leaned forward.

"What do you think of boats?"