The banquet ended, and what remained was nothing but chores.
The trash from the celebration needed cleaning.
The guild hall, now in chaos, had to be restored.
Compensation had to be arranged for the damage to houses and public property caused during the brawl.
And then there was the matter of finding lodging for the Fairy Tail members from the other world.
Stacks upon stacks of thick documents piled up on the desk, making Makarov's head throb. He couldn't help but envy Papé, who was hiding away in the library in peace.
But problems don't solve themselves—someone had to take care of them. And unfortunately, Makarov couldn't just "get rid of the people who caused them.
For handling the Edolas Fairy Tail members, Makarov decided on a one-on-one responsibility system:
Each member of Earth Land's Fairy Tail would look after their counterpart from Edolas, helping them adapt to life here, guiding them through the customs of Earth Land, and making sure they felt the full warmth of Fairy Tail.
If someone didn't have a direct counterpart, then another member would be assigned.
This approach turned out to be very effective.
Among them, Mirajane and her counterpart were practically model partners. Their personalities were already similar, and with Lisanna acting as a bridge, communication between them was far smoother than with other pairs.
Of course, not everyone got along so well—for instance, the Juvias.
Just like in the original story, Juvia had already fallen deeply—almost obsessively—in love with Gray. So when Edolas Juvia made complaints about her own Gray, Earth Land Juvia instinctively projected that criticism onto her Gray. That… inevitably led to fights.
On the streets—
"Hello, I'm Natsu Dragnee (Natsu Doragioon)."
The timid, pink-haired boy with goggles hanging on his forehead extended his hand to the other pink-haired boy in greeting.
"Oh, hey. I'm Natsu Dragneel."
Without hesitation, Natsu grabbed Doragioon's hand—then forced the handshake into an arm-wrestling match. Excited as ever, he didn't control his strength, and poor Doragioon's face instantly turned beet-red in pain.
Luckily, Natsu wasn't completely brainless. Noticing something was wrong, he quickly let go and bowed in apology.
"Sorry! Sorry about that!"
"N-no, it's fine! I know you didn't mean it."
Dorragion's eyes were wet with tears from the pain, but he still waved his hands hurriedly to dismiss it.
Natsu's face lit up with joy. He smacked Doragioon on the back with full force.
"You're a good guy!"
"Ughhh!!"
"Cough—cough—!" Doragioon nearly spat blood from the impact.
"Sorry, sorry!" Natsu apologized again.
"Natsu, you're always so reckless." Happy floated nearby like a little adult, patting Natsu's shoulder in exasperation.
"Happy?!" Natsu pouted.
"It's fine," Doragioon said weakly, watching the duo's antics. He had countless thoughts in his heart, but in the end, all that came out were two words:
"…It's fine."
"Right! As an apology, let me treat you to a meal!" Natsu suddenly suggested.
"Food? Sure!" Doragioon agreed without thinking. No matter what, it had to be better than enduring Natsu's… hospitality any longer.
Little did he know, he'd soon regret his decision bitterly.
Without giving him a chance to reconsider, Natsu dragged Doragioon out of Magnolia and into the eastern forest.
At first, Doragioon stayed calm. But as the path grew wilder, the cries of beasts echoing around them, his nerves unraveled. His whole body tensed like a startled rabbit.
He'd done his homework. He'd asked Papé about Earth Land's dangers.
He knew that, unlike the monsters of Edolas—large but relatively harmless—the beasts here were true magical creatures. They had magic power, could use spells, and were far more dangerous.
"U-um… what exactly are we doing out here?" Doragioon asked nervously.
"Hunting, of course! Wild boars out here are the best—tender meat." Natsu said matter-of-factly.
"Aye!" Happy chimed in, drooling. "Almost as good as fish! Natsu makes the best roast boar!"
"GRRRRAAAAHHH!!"
A deafening roar shook the trees and sent flocks of birds flying. Doragioon's legs locked. He couldn't move. His only thought was—
They're trying to kill me.
In his imagination, two monstrous shadows closed in—one breathing fire, eyes glowing red, the other baring sharp teeth.
Just as he was about to protest, Natsu's eyes lit up. He turned toward the roar's direction, burning with excitement.
"Stay here and find a hiding spot. I'll be back with Happy real quick."
"Let's go, Happy!"
With that, Natsu leapt into the air, Happy spreading his wings to carry him toward the sound.
"W-wait!! Don't leave me here!!" Doragioon cried, like a helpless bride abandoned at the altar. But Natsu and Happy were already gone, too far to hear him.
And then—
ROAR!!!
SCREEEEECH!!!
The forest filled with an endless chorus of beastly cries, making Doragioon's face go pale as ice. His heart sank like a stone.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!!"
A column of fire erupted into the sky, propelling Natsu forward as he slammed his blazing fist into the head of a mountain-sized wild boar.
The beast collapsed with a ground-shaking crash, eyes rolling back, blood seeping from its seven orifices.
"Nice one, Natsu!" Happy cheered from above.
"Of course! Let's head back," Natsu said proudly, grabbing one of the boar's massive tusks in one hand while waving to Happy with the other.
Happy circled the carcass, drool dripping from his mouth, eyes dazed with hunger.
"Whoa… with a beast this big, I wonder how many days we can eat…"
"If it's just me, maybe two or three days," Natsu said seriously, thinking it over.
"And with me?" Happy asked.
"Still a day or two, I guess," Natsu said, considering his partner's size and appetite.
"And if we add Edolas Natsu?" Happy sighed, shaking his head. "It wouldn't last a day. That wouldn't look very hospitable, would it?"
Natsu's eyes widened in realization. "Happy, you're a genius! You're right—we'll need more. I've got to take care of him properly!"
Without even noticing, Natsu had equated Doragioon's appetite with his own. Two bottomless pits plus one small but relentless eater—one boar really wouldn't cut it.
"Let's go hunt more! The Master said we had to take good care of them!"
"Aye!!"
The duo set off again. The roars in the forest grew even louder, soon joined by deafening explosions that shattered the tranquility. Flames blazed into the sky.
By the time night fell, heavy clouds had blotted out the sunset. Rain began to fall in a thin drizzle, chilling the air.
"This should be enough, right?" Natsu wiped sweat from his brow, panting as he looked around proudly. Over a dozen massive boars, each five to six meters tall, lay collapsed around him.
"Happy! Go bring Edolas Natsu over! We're starting the barbecue!" Natsu grinned, hauling one carcass toward his secret base.
"Okay!" Happy nodded, taking off into the sky. From above, he scanned the forest, searching for Doragioon's figure.
At first, Happy was cheerful, excited about the feast to come. But as he searched and searched, his smile slowly disappeared. A bad feeling welled up inside him.
From the air, all he saw were trees… and the occasional beast.
But no Doragioon.
Happy's chest tightened. He cried out desperately:
"Edolas Natsu!!!"
"Edolas Natsu! Where are you?! Dinner's ready!"
But no answer came.
And so, a grim reality set in—
They'd lost Doragioon.