The Cure to His Motion Sickness
By Rei-chu Asakura
Chapter 2: Studying the Tips
"Okay, Natsu, pay attention to these things. You have to follow these so your motion sickness attacks could be lessened," Lucy warned, swinging Reedus' magic pen towards Natsu like a strict teacher's stick. He nodded, wearing an exaggeratedly serious face. "Happy, take note of these as well. You're the one he is with most of the time," she told the blue cat who aye'd cheerfully in response.
"Alright, first!" She drew three plates in the air. The first one was overflowing with some sort of food. The second one was empty, while the third one was filled just right. "Do not eat too much before riding a vehicle." She crossed out the first plate. "Do not ride with your stomach empty, either." She crossed out the second one, then encircled the third plate. "Eat just the right amount." She smiled. "Same goes for drinks, don't get yourself bloated, got it?"
"Aye!" Happy replied without looking at her. He was busy writing down some sort of notes - or doodles - on a piece of paper.
"I have a question," Natsu entered.
"Yes, Natsu?" she welcomed, glad that her student was being attentive.
"What kind of food is that?" He pointed to her drawing. "It looks horrible." His face twitched with disgust.
"Natsu!~" She was about to roll the master plan she was holding so she could hit him on the head with it, but then decided otherwise. She sighed and just ignored the silly question. "Alright, next one. It's still about food." She took a few seconds to think before her hand moved.
She drew something like a chicken thigh that was dripping with oil. The dripping was even animated, thanks to Reedus' magic pen. She decided to write the word 'oily' beside it so her idiotic student won't mistake it as 'do not eat chicken'. Afterwards, she explained, "Avoid eating oily or greasy food before taking a ride." She crossed out the drawing and the word she wrote. "Those kinds of food can contribute to the bad feeling in your stomach during the ride."
"Ah! My stomach becomes slippery because of the oil, right?" Natsu enthusiastically guessed. He even raised a waving hand like an excited pre-school toddler.
"Yeah, something like that, ehehe." Lucy just rode along.
"So even the food in your stomach is travelling and they get motion sickness when it's slippery, too?" Happy wondered, making Natsu think with him. They both cupped their chin with two fingers and gazed at the ceiling, trying to imagine the scenario.
Lucy stared at them in disbelief. They really tend to focus on the insignificant details!
"Next one," she disturbed the two, making them look back to her. "Sleeping is an option." She just read it from her master plan, thinking it would be easier not to illustrate it.
"Yeah, I do that!" Natsu agreed confidently, raising his hand again.
"You actually lose consciousness. You don't sleep at will," Lucy muttered on the side, smiling sarcastically.
"Sometimes Erza makes you sleep too!" Happy added cheerfully.
Remembering how Erza knocks him out as the train starts made Natsu grimace, on the other hand. He crossed his arms and looked away, muttering something incoherent.
Lucy couldn't help but smile at the opposing expressions of the two before she continued. "Next one." She sought the paper for the fourth entry on the list. "Choose the seat with the least motion," she read, and then faced them to explain, "It means, find the least shaky spot, like the center of gravity."
"Center of gra...vy?" Natsu asked with his tongue sticking out. The word 'delicious' was visible on his face.
"Dimwit!" a male voice entered. They turned to the source and saw Gray, who was shockingly fully clothed, walking towards them. "The center of gravity, it's where the weight of the whole thing is considered to be concentrated." He went to the table beside Natsu's and said, "This looks interesting. I guess I'll join you guys."
"I guess I could use some help in explaining," Lucy replied, smiling and sweatdropping.
"Hey, this doesn't concern you, Mr. Smarty Ice Pants!" Natsu slammed the table as he stood up, his irritated face propelling against Gray's.
"Well, I don't want you to slack off in a vehicle when I end up going on a mission with you!" Gray did the same actions, ripping his own clothes off in the process. The only things covering his skin now were his boxers, his sword necklace and his bracelet - now that's the Gray we know.
"Why you... Let's settle this here and now, Frozen Pole!" Natsu ignited his fists.
"I'm ready anytime, Burnt Barbecue!" Gray did his ice make stance, cold smoke coming out of his hands.
"Stop it, you two!" Lucy appeared between them, pushing their faces away from each other. For a moment, she felt like a high school teacher trying to stop two yankees from brawling. "We still have a lot to discuss."
The two complied, not wanting to involve the more delicate one in between them. They both looked away, crossed their arms on their chest and sat down with a grunt.
'They mirror each other completely; how come they don't get along?' Lucy wondered incredulously before she went on with the tips. "About that seat with the least motion, most of the time, it's the area close to the front or the driver. It is where the engine and other heavy components are anyway, so the center of weight is there, too." She glanced at Natsu to see if he was listening and good enough, he was. "On the contrary, the rear end gets the most motion, especially in the case of a train." She took a couple of seconds to think of an example. "You see, when a train makes a sharp turn, the last cart has the highest risk of getting derailed, right?"
"That's a good way to put it for a dumb student, Lucy," Gray remarked, smirking.
"Don't be so full of yourself, Ice Pack! I understood it clearly!" Natsu asserted.
"Really? For a Hot Sauce like you, that's an achievement then!" Gray mocked.
Lucy just sighed as she watched the two bicker some more. How she wished she had a loud bell so she can end the boxing round even before it starts. Happy, acting as the announcer, was not of any help either.
A few minutes later, when the atmosphere miraculously calmed down on its own -after the two had planted punches on each other's faces, that is- Lucy had the chance to continue. "Okay, for the next one..." Her students' attention shifted onto her, finally, as they found their glaring competition to be pointless.
She drew an oval shape with big frills sticking out from the smaller ends. She smiled at her drawing before saying, "Try eating some candy."
"Candy?" her students repeated and she responded with a nod.
"According to my findings, some people find eating candy helpful in soothing themselves during a ride," Lucy explained. She suddenly saw a hand raised, so she instinctively pointed at it and said, "Yes?"
"If candy is not available, can we eat cake instead?" It turned out to be Erza, asking such a question with a very serious tone and expression as if world peace would depend on her answer.
Lucy figured that it was probably the sweetness of most candies that led the armored wizard to compare it with cakes. "Uh, I guess for Erza, cake can be a substitute," she replied, a bit nervous. "But for Natsu, it's a no," she stated firmly, glancing at the fire mage as she did.
"How come Erza gets to eat them and I don't?" Natsu asked. He wasn't really into cakes, but it bothers him that he's restricted to not eating cakes during a ride.
"Because Erza doesn't have motion sickness and you do," Lucy answered matter-of-factly. "Besides, you throw up everything in your stomach during the ride. What's the point of adding more?"
"Damn motion sickness." Natsu pouted in defeat.
"Okay, next one," Lucy immediately said, before another quarrel between the two boys could start. "Do not read while riding a vehicle."
"Lucy, you do that sometimes!" Natsu complained once again, standing up and pointing an accusing finger at her.
"Natsu, who has motion sickness in here again?" Lucy asked, her sarcastic smile twitching in irritation.
"Uhh... Me?" He grinned sheepishly, shrinking back in his seat.
"But you know, even people without inherent motion sickness can feel sick when reading during a ride," a girl's voice stated. They looked behind them to see Levy coming over, smiling warmly at Lucy. "It happens to me sometimes," she admitted shyly.
"Reading while riding a vehicle will ruin your eyesight, too," a deeper voice added. They saw Gajeel, coming to their area as well. "You'll end up four-eyed if you continue that, shorty," he said, turning to Levy, who smiled sheepishly in response.
"Something's going on between them~" Happy purred on the side, stifling his mischievous giggle.
"Don't jump into conclusions, neko-chan!" Lucy scolded comically. She then noticed that she now has six students in front of her. They all sat on their desired places, eagerly waiting for her next tip. She felt a bit awkward. "Er, next one... Avoid strong odors."
Another male voice butted in, "But strong odors are manly!" They all saw Elfman flexing his biceps on his way to their group. "How can a man avoid that?" he followed.
"Well..." Lucy rushed her brain for a good answer, but to no avail. She found the question weird, but she didn't know how to counter it. Droplets of panic were starting to come out of her pores.
Good thing Mira came along and explained, "What Lucy meant was strong odors - either too smelly or too fragrant." She even showed the appropriate facial expressions for the smelly and fragrant. With that simple explanation, she won the crowd easily.
"As expected of Neechan!" Elfman remarked, proud of his sister as always.
'This is getting crazier,' Lucy though as she watched the Strauss siblings occupy some seats in her 'class'. She just smiled halfheartedly at the premonition she was having. "Next one..." She glanced at everyone before continuing, "Keep your gaze on the horizon or on a fixed spot." She was expecting that someone else would butt in, but silence occurred instead. Sensing the need for further explanation, she pulled Natsu to stand up and borrowed his right hand. She used the pen to draw a circle on the back of his hand and shade it completely.
"What is that for?" Natsu claimed his hand a bit too late. There was already a big mark on it.
"It's for the demo," she simply replied. "Walk back and forth here, but keep your eyes locked at this big dot on your hand." He shrugged and obeyed, doing what he was told in front of the class. After completing a lap, she ordered, "Now run, but keep looking at the dot." He nodded and ran back and forth.
"Okay, now stop," she commanded and he halted right away. "Now lets do the second trial." She held his shoulders and turned him to face his 'classmates'. "Do the same on this aisle but this time, glance at the faces of your classmates as you go."
He nodded obediently, curious of the results. He walked along the aisle at first, and then run on his second lap. All the while, he was glancing at his friends' faces. Some were smiling and some were looking curious as well. When he finished the run, he blinked a few times before he faced Lucy.
"Did you feel the difference?" the blonde asked, smiling knowingly. The more-intelligent members of the class smiled, too. Looks like they got the idea.
"Hmm, the first one was ok, I was focusing not on running but on the dot," Natsu relayed. "The second one... it made me a bit dizzy. I had to worry about bumping into any of them or tripping on their feet as I took note of their facial expressions at the same time."
Lucy nodded in approval. "The same happens when you do that while riding a vehicle." Natsu stared at her in awe, waiting for the rest of the explanation. "When you keep your focus on one stationary object - may it be the moon outside the window or anything inside like the shoe of your non-moving seatmate - you tend to forget the fact that you are in a moving vehicle. It's like mind over matter. When you don't think you're in a vehicle, you won't be bothered by the little movements you can sense, as long as the ride is not bumpy that is. As a result, you won't feel sick." She grinned at the amazed Natsu. "Or at least, you won't feel sick until you realize again that you're in a vehicle." She grinned sheepishly.
"Amazing~" Natsu muttered, still awe-struck.
"Sometimes, you won't even feel the movement of the vehicle at all, when you stare at the horizon or the sky," Levy added, earning an enthusiastic nod from the blonde teacher.
"Let's try that next time, Happy." Natsu grinned at his partner.
"Aye sir!" The cat smiled. "But I didn't expect that Lucy could think of something like that," he stated cheerfully, exuding pure honesty.
Lucy smiled sarcastically at his comment and mumbled, "How can you say mean stuff with a cheerful expression?~"
"What's the second trial in the context of riding a vehicle?" Gajeel asked. His tone was trying to hide the fact that he was intrested.
"Yeah, Lucy. Explain that, too," the pink-haired lad who was still standing beside the teacher seconded, shifting his weight onto one foot as he folded his arms on his chest. He seemed serious about learning this; the blonde mage couldn't help but smile.
"When you're riding a vehicle and you keep looking at different things, whether inside or outside, you will feel somewhat dizzy just like earlier," Lucy started. "Physically, you are moving your head around, which is one cause. Second, you're looking at a lot of things in a short period of time. Your eyes are going to be stressed, which can cause dizziness and headache as well. Third, you said you also got worried about tripping and bumping into those you pass by. Seeing the different things outside of the vehicle gives you this 'we-might-bump-into-them' idea, and having such worries during the ride will only add up to the stress you feel. All those things will just worsen your built-in motion sickness."
"Oohhh..." her students mumbled and a short commotion started. Some were nodding, convinced with her explanation. Others were explaining some things to their seatmate. The rest looked totally amazed.
"So," Natsu spoke when silence came back. He was dramatically turning his head to look at Lucy as he continued, "I should focus my eyes on just one-" His movement and words were interrupted when a female voice exclaimed in an irritated tone, "That's right, Natsu! Focus your eyes on just one!"
They all looked at the source of the voice and found Lisanna, who seemed to be in a bad mood. She stomped her way to her sister, and Cana, who followed behind her, took the honor of explaining things to them. "We went on a mission together," she said before taking a gulp from her bottled sake. "And our client wanted to get even with the mage girl who dumped him. He wanted to show that he's popular with other mage girls so he asked us to find him at least 10 hot mage chics to flirt with-"
"Even though he said he still loves that girl who dumped him!" Lisanna entered, face creased with annoyance.
"Tsk, what a playboy," Levy remarked, surprising the black-haired dragon slayer beside her.
"Well, my father's one, so..." Cana shrugged before taking another gulp of her drink.
Lucy sweatdropped. 'I knew it, someone else would enter the class! Who could be the next ones?~' Though, she couldn't help but pity the love conflict of that client. Being a writer and a wide reader, she knew about those cases of intentional jealousy, and most of the time, the parties involved just get hurt.
"So what's going on here?" Cana asked casually.
"Lucy's giving us a class on how to avoid motion sickness!" Happy replied enthusiastically, while Mira offered a seat to the brunette. The two newly arrived ones ended up joining her class as well.
The blonde girl's thoughts, on the other hand, were interrupted when the chuckling Natsu turned to her. "For a moment there, I thought someone was going to attack me." When their eyes met, he smiled. "Shall we continue, Lucy-sensei?"
She nodded, smiling, and he went back to his seat. When everyone has gotten over the previous tip and the client's issue, she went on with the next one on her list which was, "Open a window, or a vent, or any source of fresh air if possible."
As she continued explaining, who do you think interrupted the discussion next? :p
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Rei-chu: Yay, finished with the chappy! ^o^ It showcased the idiotic side of some characters, I hope it didn't bother you ^_^; By the way, I learned those tips from Puerto Princesa Airport. I guess a delayed flight has its advantage after all xp The others, I got from a website called MedicineNet... So credit goes to them! :D but it was Lucy who came up with the weird explanations so don't blame the sources for the weirdness XD Anyway, how do you find this chapter? Which of the tips do you find agreeable based on experience? :p Perhaps, you can add some more tips so readers who experience motion sickness can learn about it. ^-^ Who's the best 'interrupter'- err, student for you? XD I hope you tell me what you think :D Thank you for reading this! I hope you enjoyed it. ^_^
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As for the review replies,
lululuLuNa 3 – Thank you, you're the first ever reviewer! ^o^ and the longest one so far, too :p and thank you for loving it ^_^ Hehe, there was one time in the anime that I saw Happy fighting with a fish as weapon, that's why, hehehe :p thank you for telling me the parts you like! And for liking them! ^.^ Ehehehe, yeah, maybe it would be more Natsuish if he followed her, hm? But I had to do it that way so there would be the 'he misses her' factor ^_^ so he became a bit respectful of her private matters in that part #_# but thank you for accepting it as it is ehehehe ^_^ and yeah, party for NaLu! \(^o^)/ Haha XD Thanks for sharing your motion sickness tips! ^o^ 'Sleeping' is mentioned in this chapter, yay! Ohh, smelling mint or eucalyptus scent like efficascent oil, that's right! I know someone who did that before. :D No, don't worry, I enjoooy long reviews :D Oh sharks! I forgot the cherry on top of this update! XD The kissing would have to wait, though, ehehe :p but speaking of a NaLu kissing scene poster, if there would ever be one, please tell me where to buy it!~~ kyaaaa!~ *coughs* I mean, I hope you like this chapter as well ^.^
Yayme – Thank you! ^o^ I hope you find this chapter nice too =)
89niners-best-team-ever – Yay, thank you for liking the plot! ^o^ Ehehe, he's a bit too childish here, isn't he ^_^ but Natsu's cute/silly side is just so irresistable~~ *drools* I mean, thank you for understanding the comedic purpose ^_^ and yes, I also think he grew up a bit in the latest episodes :p but all of Natsu's sides are adorable anyway so kyaaaaa—I mean, yay! XP
LiLyRoSe98 – yes, Lucy's so kind, ne? ^o^ I mean, even in the real series :D both of Lucy and Natsu are kind! That's why I hope they lllllllike each other~~~ XD Thank you for reviewing, adding this to your favorites and subscribing! Hope you like this update too ^.^
Ambitious Rookie – Yay, thank you thank you! ^_^ *serves you the second chapter on a tray* I hope you like this too~ :3 yup yup! I also imagine Natsu that way on a train, hahaha! XD don't worry, it will happen XD Thank you! ^^
xBluieLovex – Thank you! ^o^ I hope you find this update interesting too ^_^ thanks for adding this fic to your favorites as well =)
lord287 – Thank you! ^o^ yay, I'm glad it stirred your curiosity ^.^ but I hope you'll find the outcome good, ehehe ^_^ thanks for subscribing too! :D
NewMusic098 – Natsu speaking:Yep, Lucy is weird! XD || Rei-chu: weeeee! I'm glad you found her sweet ^.^ I hope Natsu does too XD Here's the second chapter, tada! :D hope you like it~ :3 thanks for adding this to your favorites and alert list! And for the review, of course! :D
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And to those who added this fic to their favorites: Chiharu Himeji, Crystilia, Sara16pokemon, Whatsayoya, Monkey-D-Luffy31 - Thank you! ^o^ being favorite'd means a lot =3 weeeee! I hope you can also tell me what you think of the story~ ;)
To those who subscribed/alert'd: Chiharu Himeji, Quill of Molliemon, Starry5447, Samantha Fleur, Badger Face, Sara16pokemon, Elemental Dragon Slayer, Sappfire, Schneewind, Neliayui, Alinekiryuu, Minallys - Surprise! An update! XD Thank you for clicking that alert option! ^o^ *brings Loke in front because he wants to say something*
Loke: What do you think of the story? Would you mind telling me? *winks then flashes his killer smile*
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Note: If you are reading this line, it means you're about to submit a review, ne? Or about to add this to your favorites or alerts :p So, yay! \(^o^)/ Thank you in advance! :D