"Never heard of that name before."
The Mountain Sub-Dragon felt it had answered this question many times, but seeing Gajeel's anxious look, it patiently answered once more.
Do dragons in this world all like to abandon their young?
Gajeel clenched his fists, and like Natsu, he had been disappointed many times over the past seven years.
But this time was different; he finally met a real dragon.
Although there's still no news about Medalikana, it's a kind of solace. At least there are still dragons in this world.
Wendy usually found Gajeel to be fierce and a bit scary, but seeing him like this, she mustered her courage to comfort him:
"Mr. Gajeel, I'm also searching for Grandeeney, who taught me magic, and Mr. Natsu is looking for Igneru. Although there's no progress yet, they must still be around, and Medalikana too. So, so please don't be sad."
"Who would be sad about such a thing, that reckless guy even if... " Gajeel instinctively retorted but couldn't say anything too harsh.
He adjusted his emotions and made a gesture to challenge Rhode: "Come on."
Rhode asked, "What for?"
"Didn't you say you wanted a fight? Come on." Gajeel thought Rhode wanted him as a sparring partner, and seeing a dragon was the reward.
Rhode pointed at the Mountain Sub-Dragon: "I meant you fight him."
Gajeel didn't understand: "What do you mean?"
"Aren't you a Dragon Slayer Mage? Sparring with a dragon occasionally should improve you, right?" Rhode said, "Don't worry, this one has the strongest defense, go all out."
The Mountain Sub-Dragon glanced at Rhode, was I called out just to babysit this kid? Such things are troublesome, right?
Alright, I'll do it.
Gajeel felt a bit uncomfortable with this straightforward kindness, and stiffly asked: "Why help me?"
The small black cat, Li Li, smiled. Indeed, his partner had this awkward personality, quite amusing.
"Consider it a thank you for saving Mira and Elfman," Rhode said with a smile, "although I didn't like you before, now it's so-so. Feel free to come to me for anything in the future."
Mira hugged Rhode's arm, smiling happily.
Lisana was also happy for her sister.
Only Gajeel became more awkward. He turned his head unnaturally and, feeling it wasn't enough, simply turned around and left.
"I don't need your liking. I'm just finding a place to work. If the guild ends ambiguously like that, it'd be embarrassing, so I just helped out casually."
Carla and those familiar with Carla could translate for him:
'I don't do such things for thanks from anyone. As a guild member, it's rightful to do so. Saying it like that makes me seem like an outsider helping, which is unpleasant.'
"Haha." Mira unintentionally laughed out loud, discovering Gajeel's cute side.
Gajeel's face was a bit flushed, luckily his back was turned to the others, so he chose to quicken his pace.
But just then, a dragon's tail swung over, directly smacking Gajeel to the ground.
Clearly, the Mountain Sub-Dragon could understand Gajeel's meaning—it also possessed a bit of a stubborn personality.
Having mentally prepared to babysit, how could it allow a rebellious child to run off by himself?
With tremendous force, this iron lump left a human-shaped pit on the ground.
Gajeel was evidently unharmed, and jumped out of the pit, angrily pointing at the Mountain Sub-Dragon: "Bastard! You want... waaah!"
The dragon's tail swung over again, this time a sweeping attack.
Gajeel was a little more prepared, trying to grab the tail to halt the attack, but was knocked flying once again.
The Mountain Sub-Dragon's mouth curled into a smile, this hard dragon child was amusing.
When Gajeel climbed to his feet again, the sight was greeted by the other's 'mocking' smile.
His anger flared up instantly: "You asked for it, don't blame me for being impolite! Iron Dragon Sword!"
Clank!
The jagged Iron Dragon Sword struck the Mountain Sub-Dragon's wing, sparking a scattering of sparks.
The Mountain Sub-Dragon showed no sign of pain, and merely swung its tail, once more sending Gajeel flying.
Black iron scales emerged on Gajeel's body, indicating no pain, confidently charging forward.
The Mountain Sub-Dragon showed an interested expression.
Thus, Gajeel was beaten even worse.
One move after another, Gajeel was repeatedly sent flying, and each time furiously charged back, only to be sent flying again.
In this regard, he shared the same temper as Natsu.
Li Li watched Gajeel's 'tough guy' actions with admiration; such style suited his tastes.
Wendy couldn't bear to keep watching.
She didn't understand why Mr. Natsu and Mr. Gajeel communicated with dragons in this way, when the dragons Brother Rhode summoned were easy to communicate with.
Mira shared the sentiment.
"Are you tired? Do you want to rest a bit?"
Of course, this was directed at Rhode.
Wearing the Crown of Insight, Rhode nonchalantly waved: "It's fine, the Mountain Sub-Dragon is mindful."
Unlike the free-spirited Purgatory Sub-Dragon, the Mountain Sub-Dragon always paid close attention to Rhode's state, and would leave on its own when the time was right.
This time was no exception.
The Mountain Sub-Dragon flapped its wings, sending Gajeel flying into a head-over-heels fall, then took a full hit from his Dragon Slayer Secret Art.
He nodded gently: "Not bad, practice this move more, see you next time."
"Don't run!" Gajeel gasped, not seriously injured but covered in myriad minor injuries and battered iron scales. Just standing felt shaky and unstable.
The Mountain Sub-Dragon ignored this mouthy dragon child and instead glanced at Wendy a few times, bending down to ask: "Want to spar with me or with the Cloud Realm?"
"Huh? I... I can do either."
"Alright." The Mountain Sub-Dragon felt a bit regretful, such a cute dragon child wasn't compatible with its attributes, "See you next time."
Before its figure faded away, Rhode received a look of praise: "Progressing quickly, keep it up."
Next, Rhode needed a few minutes to rest, while Gajeel was already lying on the ground.
Kind-hearted Wendy ran over to help heal Gajeel.
Lisana still hadn't caught up with what had happened: "When you talk about training, is it really fighting dragons every day?"
"Of course not," Mira laughed, "just occasionally."
Primarily, when Rhode summons a dragon, engaging in full combat afterwards limits his magic power's duration.
So summoning dragons is mainly for Natsu and Wendy as teachers or sparring partners, considered a special welfare for Dragon Slayer Mages.
Mira also occasionally tried, daring to use powerful moves she wouldn't use on Rhode, as she could freely use them on the dragon.
It's a pity that even for her, facing these legendary creatures, she hasn't produced any impressive achievements.