Lightning Round, a Pokémon + Fairy Tail Crossover fanfic

Hello, everybody! Hope the long wait without stories from me wasn't too bad! Fortunately, I've got just the thing with "Lightning Round". When I first thought of this story, I imagines plenty of possibilities concerning Ash's background in my fanfic world, as to how he developed lightning style chakra similar to that of Killer Bee and the fourth Raikage. The latter of the two will be shown in a few flashbacks where Ash is perfecting his techniques after the Fourth Great Ninja War. There's also the concern of Ash's relationship with Laxus, and how I've portrayed that with Mirajane as the Pokémon trainer's future wife.

I'll say this: I respect Mirajane X Laxus. A lot of people like it, and I can see why. However, the lack of hints or otherwise is something I don't working out for the couple in the future, and therefore I decided to bail on it. Plus, I feel like it'd be funny that the man Mirajane ends up with turns out to be someone she's met fairly recently, much to the shock of most of the men in Fairy Tail. Not to mention, I've fallen in love with the crossover pairing ever since I was so excited to write about it in "Resolve". Speaking of which, this story takes place after "Resolve", but before "Mistletoe".

But Ash's relationship with the lightning dragon slayer isn't derived from Mirajane. The story will reveal more about his motivation to challenge him, but for now, let's get this story underway. And one more thing, I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS FROM FAIRY TAIL OR POKÉMON!

Get ready, 'cause here comes "Lightning Round"!

LIGHTNING ROUND

"WE'RE BACK!" a loud voice boomed once the large doors to the Fairy Tail guild hall opened, revealing a usually pumped up Natsu Dragneel, alongside his regular partners, Happy and Lucy Heartfilia. However, they were also accompanied by Ash Ketchum and Pikachu, as the former adorned his usual short-sleeved blue jacket, black pants, red sneakers, and trademark cap, while the latter was perched upon his left shoulder. As they all took their steps into the building, trotting over the wooden floors, many members greeted them with cries of hello and waves, glad to see them all back.

"Yo, Natsu!" another voice called out, catching his attention as he looked over to see Macao Conbolt sitting at one of the many tables in the area, "How'd your job go?" he asked curiously, having his arms placed on the tabletop.

"Great!" the fire dragon slayer responded with a wide grin, putting his hands at his hips, "We wouldn't've got it done if it weren't fer Ash's little buddy," he mentioned, causing the Pokémon trainer to perk up out of surprise, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly with his right hand.

"Well, Noibat's the one who found the thing you were lookin' for," he noted modestly as a small blush tinted his cheeks, "If you wanna thank anyone, it's him," he told his Omni Force teammate, who chuckled in response.

"And with that…" he continued, reaching into his hiking backpack by using his right hand, pulling out a wad of cash from it, "we got fifty thousand jewel worth a reward!" he declared proudly while his tongue flared around. Suddenly though, a pair of fingers plucked over half of the bills in the spiky haired wizard's extremity, catching his attention as he glanced to the side to see his celestial mage partner flipping through the money she had taken.

"And sixty percent of that goes to me," she proclaimed with a sly grin.

"What?!" her partner exclaimed angrily, "No fair, Lucy!" he shouted as he glared at her, "We oughta' split the damn thing!" he demanded, waving his arms around comically out of frustration.

"Don't forget that I've got rent to pay!" the blonde haired wizard reprimanded as she pointed at him sternly, making him flinch in surprise, "Besides," she continued, placing her hands on her hips while raising an eyebrow towards him, "aren't you just gonna spend your share on food again?" she guessed.

"Uh…" Natsu tried to say, letting a drop of sweat roll down from the side of his head as he looked off to the side, causing his teammate to sigh deeply out of exasperation.

"That's Natsu for ya…" the exceed muttered with a nervous grin.

"Pika, pika…" the Mouse Pokémon concurred while he chuckled.

"Ah, who cares what I'm usin' my cut for?" the fire dragon slayer questioned sarcastically, rolling his eyes before turning around to face his Omni Force teammate, "C'mon, Ash," he beckoned to him, "Whaddaya say to me treatin' ya to some grub?" he suggested with a wide grin. The raven haired boy was about to mention that he wasn't all that hungry, but then took notice of a familiar figure at the bar counter, being his crush, Mirajane Strauss. His face flushed just a little upon noticing her, shaking his head to recompose himself.

"Uh, s-sure…" he stammered in reply, nervously letting a little laugh escape from his lips, while his partner glanced at him suspiciously.

"Awesome!" the spiky haired wizard exclaimed, turning around and trotting over towards the bar counter, "Hey, Mira!" he called out, catching the maiden's attention as she looked to see him approaching, "Can ya get us four meals?" he asked in a polite tone.

"Of course!" she responded with a nod, giggling a little, "You can leave it to me!" she added, heading off to ready something for them. In the meantime, Ash just watched her go, appearing to be locked in a trance with her until he felt the Electric type's right paw tap the back of his head.

"Pika, pi pika," he advised sternly to his trainer as he glanced over at him.

"Heh…" he chuckled, "Sorry 'bout that…" he apologized, walking over to the bar counter where Natsu and Happy were.

"Thanks fer the grub!" the fire dragon slayer said in gratitude before grabbing a meaty drumstick off of his plate, taking a massive bite out of it. On his plate, as well as his teammate's, there were portions of rice and mashed potatoes with gravy. Ash's also included a side of green beans, which he gobbled down right away in order to eat the tastier food. Meanwhile, the blue furred exceed was nibbling on the head of a fish and the Mouse Pokémon was chowing on bits of brown food in a white bowl. The white haired beauty watched on with a bright smile as she got a wooden tray ready, setting a few bottles and mugs upon it before heading off to attend to the other guild members. The raven haired boy saw her pass by, blushing slightly while he stopped eating for a moment.

"Y'all right there?" the spiky haired wizard beside him at the bar counter asked, causing him to perk up with widened eyes, having his face flush a bright red.

"Y-Yeah…" he stuttered, scratching his left cheek with his index finger.

"Pika…" Pikachu sighed out of exasperation, rolling his eyes before he went back to nibbling on his food.

"So," the Fairy Tail member beside the Pokémon trainer began while chowing down his rice, "whatcha' plannin' to do after this?" he asked, gobbling his meal aggressively.

"I guess I'm gonna head back home," his comrade responded after he swallowed the food in his mouth, "You did say that I didn't need to come along…" he added with a nervous grin.

"But ya did!" Natsu pointed out, wiping his lips free of residue as a toothy grin came across his lips, "And ya really helped us out in the end!" he mentioned, placing his right hand on his companion's left shoulder, making him smile brightly before he relinquished his extremity.

"I bet the only reason Ash wanted to come along was the chance to see Mira again…" the exceed teased, covering his mouth with his left paw to try and prevent himself from laughing out loud. The Pokémon trainer just blushed madly, and was about to retort until something smacked the anthropomorphic feline on the back of the head. "OW!" he exclaimed, having tears form in his eyes while he rubbed his hurting noggin. The hit turned out to come from his fellow exceed, Carla, who had a rather upset look on her face as she placed her paws at her hips.

"I doubt he'd come for such a selfish reason," she told him with a blank expression on her face while he looked back at her. However, she then took notice of the nervous grimace apparent on the raven haired boy's face, much to her surprise. "At least… not initially, right?" she inquired to him, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah…" he replied, glancing away for a moment out of embarrassment, noticing his crush chatting with Macao and Wakaba Mine, "But now that the job's all over with," he continued, seeing her bright smile, "well…" he tried to say, somewhat ashamed to do so.

"What was your job, by the way?" a voice chimed in, catching his attention as he looked to see Wendy Marvell standing beside him, having a small grin across her lips.

"Oh, hey Wendy!" her fellow dragon slayer greeted upon noticing her presence, while his voice was muffled by all the food he was chowing down, "Did ya just get back from a job?" he guessed, swallowing his meal completely.

"Mm-hmm," the pigtailed girl responded with a simple nod, "Carla and I went outta town to take care of some bandits," she mentioned, reminiscing the event of defeating such thieves.

"It a was rather easy task for just ten thousand jewel," the white furred cat added, placing her paws at her hips.

"Pika, pika!" Pikachu squeaked with a smile, going back to nibbling on his food as she grinned at him.

"Nice!" Natsu complimented before chugging down a glass of water, "Ah…" he sighed out of relief after finishing it, setting the cup on the countertop, "Me, Ash, an' Lucy were on a treasure hunt down in some caves in the south," he told them.

"It was supposed to be pretty hard with all the paths you could take," Happy pointed out as he halted eating his fish for a moment, "but thanks to Ash's new buddy, we found it without a problem!" he said.

"The reward coulda' been more though…" the fire mage grumbled, putting his right hand against his cheek out of frustration, "Fifty thousand doesn't seem worth the hunt…" he added in an upset tone.

"Well, you didn't exactly help out all that much!" a voice chimed in angrily, catching his attention as he saw the celestial wizard standing beside him, having her hands at her hips.

"I drove off the bats, didn't I?" he questioned to her, raising an eyebrow.

"After you startled them!" she pointed out angrily, turning her attention back onto the Pokémon trainer after she let out a heavy sigh, "Anyways, Ash," she began to him, "I really wanna thank you for helping us on the job today," she told him out of gratitude, "We couldn't have done it without you," she mentioned, smiling brightly at him.

"Yeah, no problem," he responded with a grin, "I just love helping my friends is all," he pointed out, chuckling a little, as did the others.

"So, are you heading back home soon?" Wendy inquired to the raven haired boy, catching his attention.

"I guess so…" he answered, scratching at his right cheek with his index finger, "Still got two more badges to get back home," he added, adjusting his cap.

"Well, be sure to eat plenty before you go!" a familiar voice advised, making him perk up and turn to see Mirajane walk back over to the bar counter, smiling brightly at him while she giggled. His face flushed a bright red as he blinked, glancing away for a second.

"Y-Yeah…" he concurred with a stutter, tipping his cap over his eyes.

"Pika…" his partner sighed out of exasperation. As the evening hours began to roll in, the Pokémon trainer finished the food on his plate, thanking his crush for the meal before he and the others went over to occupy an empty table. The guild hall wasn't as crowded at the time, with most of the prominent wizards all out, which Ash took notice of.

"Is everybody out on jobs?" he inquired with a raised eyebrow, looking all around to see the few members inside besides the ones at the table.

"Looks like it…" Lucy answered as she glanced over, too, "Gray, Erza, Juvia, Gajeel, Levy, Cana…" she listed off, "Even Elfman and Lisanna are out," she added, folding her arms across her chest.

"Not a lotta jobs left on the request board either…" Natsu mentioned, seeing the wooden board with just a slim number of fliers upon it, "Pretty much everything's been taken…" he noted, having a bored expression on his face.

"Why would you even take one this late?" his Omni Force teammate questioned with a chuckle, just as the doors to the hall opened. He glanced over upon hearing them, widening his eyes to see the members of the Thunder Legion walk inside, being Evergreen, Bickslow, Freed Justine, and their leader, Laxus Dreyar.

"It's Laxus…" Wendy pointed out with a surprised expression on her face, while the others were mildly astonished to see him and his comrades there. However, Ash's countenance showed his trembling eyes upon viewing the lightning dragon slayer walk over to the request board, closing his hands into fists while he bit his bottom lip.

"Wonder what he's doin' here…" the spiky haired wizard muttered out of boredom, placing his right hand against his cheek as he looked at him. He and his teammates were looking over the board, searching for a specific request. The masked wizard then took notice of a flier, tearing it down.

"'Nother one for ya, Laxus," he said, catching the blonde haired mage's attention as he glanced at him.

"Another one! Another one!" his wooden dolls chanted, floating above him while his leader took the piece of paper.

"Same kind of job as last time?" the glasses wearing woman inquired, folding her arms underneath her well-developed chest.

"Yeah," the lightning dragon slayer answered as he looked back at the paper again, seeing the image of large thunderclouds along with '800,000 J' written on the bottom, "Jeez…" he groaned, "All these lookalike requests are getting really bothersome…" he grumbled.

"At least we get a decent reward out of it," his green haired teammate mentioned as the others from afar listened in.

"It's starting to get a little late…" Evergreen pointed out as she glanced over towards the windows of the guild, seeing the orange light pouring through them, indicating that the sun was setting, "Let's hold off on doing this till tomorrow," she suggested, placing her right hand at her hips.

"Sounds good!" Bickslow agreed enthusiastically as his tongue stuck out, revealing his black guild mark on it, "We'll all get plenty o' rest fer tomorrow!" he added, "Right, babies?!" he questioned to the wooden dolls hovering above him.

"Right! Right!" they chanted simultaneously in agreement, swaying around.

"I'm gonna just train tonight," Laxus told his comrades, folding his arms over his chest.

"Then we'll join you," Freed declared with a nod, "It's only fair that we all get stronger together," he noted cleverly.

"Hey, Laxus!" a voice called out, catching the attentions of all the Thunder Legion members as they looked to see Natsu standing up from his seat at the table, "What kinda job you got there?" he asked out of curiosity. The lightning dragon slayer just rolled his eyes, exasperated with the fire wizard's nosiness.

"What's it to you?" he questioned back sarcastically, walking off towards the doors of the guild.

"Tch…" the pink haired teen scoffed, crossing his arms in frustration. All of a sudden though, Ash stood up, turning around to see the S-class mage about to exit the building.

"Hey!" he yelled, causing him to stop, turning his head to look over at him, along with the others. The guild members at the table were quite surprised that the Pokémon trainer was calling out for the blonde haired man, including his teammates and the others in the building. A moment of silence passed by as they stared at each other, with the younger of the two having his fists tremble while he gritted his teeth.

"Whaddaya want, kid?" the older one asked, having a blank expression on his face.

"Will you…" the raven haired boy started to say, gulping down his pride before extending his right fist out, "Will you let me fight you?" he asked him as politely as he could. The others were quite appalled by the sudden declaration of a challenge offered to the S-class wizard, with some of them having widened eyes of disbelief on their faces. Having overheard the conversation, Mirajane glanced out towards them, developing a worried look as the silence continued. Laxus just blinked, turning back to the doors.

"Sorry," he apologized, much to the surprise of the Omni Force member, "but I ain't gettin' riled up over nothing," he stated, walking off through the entryway. Befuddled for the moment, Ash's eyes then widened out of realization as he put his arm down.

"Hey, hold on!" he cried out, about to go after him until he suddenly felt a hand grasp his right wrist, enticing him to turn around and see that the fire dragon slayer had grabbed him, having a serious stare towards his comrade. Reluctantly, he sat back down with a disappointed look on his face, clenching his fists upon the tabletop.

"Pika pi…" his partner uttered out of concern while the others had worried expressions on their faces as well. In the meantime, the members of the Thunder Legion prepared to head out after their leader, but not before taking a few quick glances towards the Pokémon trainer.

"What the heck was that about?" Bickslow questioned in confusion.

"Beats me…" Evergreen answered while looking up at the ceiling, "Isn't he the one who gave Laxus lightning during that whole dragon affair in Crocus?" she asked the green haired man beside her.

"Yes…" he replied, looking back over at the individual once more, seeing his upset expression.

'This isn't the first time he's called Laxus out,' he noted to himself, 'It's just the first time he's actually said something…' he added inwardly, just as he and his teammates exited from the edifice. From afar at a corner table, the guildmaster, Makarov Dreyar had seen everything, watching on as the rest of the scene continued.

"Why'd you do that?" Wendy asked the raven haired boy out of shock, "Did you really wanna fight Laxus?" she questioned on. The only response she received from him though was an ashamed glance off to the side. Everyone at the table, except for Pikachu, was still surprised from what he had just done.

"Man…" Wakaba uttered as he removed his cigar from his mouth to blow out a puff of smoke, "Normally it's Natsu pickin' fights with everyone here…" he noted in remembrance.

"But I never imagined that kid would try to start something," Macao admitted, glancing over at him, "Especially with someone like Laxus…" he added. Their words made Ash tense up a little, causing his expression to darken slightly.

"You wouldn't challenge someone like Laxus without a good reason," Carla pointed out, "would you?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow while his frown became more apparent to the rest of the group.

"Pika…" the Mouse Pokémon squeaked in worry for his trainer.

"Hm…" Happy uttered in thought, having his little arms crossed as he tried to think of the reason as to why the raven haired boy was so bent on challenging the lightning dragon slayer to a fight, "Oh!" he exclaimed, suddenly realizing something as he caught the attentions of those at the table with him.

"What's the matter, Happy?" his friend asked, folding his arms behind his head while he blinked at him.

"Duh!" the exceed responded, bonking himself on the head with his right paw, "It's so obvious!" he pointed, looking towards Ash.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked, chiming in with a raised eyebrow.

"Hee hee…" the anthropomorphic cat chuckled cheekily as he placed his paws at his hips, "Ash wants to fight Laxus to win Mirajane!" he told both her and the Pokémon trainer, gesturing towards the latter of the two. They blinked in astonishment for a moment, believing that they had misheard him.

"WHAT?!" they exclaimed simultaneously, with the Omni Force member blushing madly as his eyes trembled. Meanwhile, the maiden being discussed overheard the shout as she set down her wooden tray on the bar counter, glancing over to see what was going on.

"Think so, huh?" Natsu guessed, leaning forward as he placed his arms against the table, "But why?" he questioned, catching the blue furred animal's attention.

"It's like that story!" he replied with a grin.

"Story?" the celestial mage uttered out of confusion, tilting her head.

"Pika pika…" Pikachu answered with a shrug of his shoulders and a shake of his head.

"You know," Happy pointed out to them, "the one with the dragon, the knight, and the princess!" he listed off, "Ash is like the knight who's gonna slay Laxus the dragon," he explained with a confident expression on his face, "and then he'll get a big smooch from Mira the princess as thanks!" he added as the images of such scenes appeared in his head while the raven haired boy's face flushed even redder.

"Pika pi, pika!" the Mouse Pokémon claimed to the cat, sweating madly.

"N-Now, hold on!" the blonde haired girl stammered in plea, holding her hands out in a placating manner while the Pokémon trainer just tipped his cap over his eyes out of embarrassment, "He'd never wanna fight Laxus for something as selfish as that!" she yelled, causing the exceed to cringe in realization, stepping back slightly.

"Not like he'd win anyway," the fire dragon slayer chimed in, making Ash perk up as he closed his right hand into a fist, developing an angered expression on his face, "Laxus is just too tough fer practically everybody here…" he mentioned with a bored look in his eyes while his teammate stood up from his seat.

"QUIT TELLIN' ME WHAT I ALREADY KNOW!" he demanded, slamming his fist against the table as electricity sparked upon it, causing a sound of thunder to crack while the wood splintered. His uncharacteristically enraged action caught everyone's attention, especially those of the white haired beauty and the pigtailed girl, surprised to see the fury in his eyes. The spiky haired wizard was equally as stunned, but then stood up, staring down his comrade seriously while the exceeds, the Electric type, the sky dragon slayer, and the celestial mage all watched on worriedly.

"Why do you wanna fight 'im so badly, dude?" he questioned to him, making him blink in realization as he remembered the first time he met the S-class mage.

"He practically decked you that one time…" he recalled, clenching his fist even more tightly, "I just… hated how he made my teammate look so stupid back then…" he confessed, causing Natsu to blink in surprise while the others listened on, astonished by their conversation.

"There's more to it than that," the blonde haired girl mentioned, "isn't there?" she guessed, making the raven haired boy grimace as he bit his bottom lip.

"I like how yer bein' the tough guy to stand up to 'im," the fire mage admitted to him, placing his right hand on his left shoulder, "but this is Laxus we're talkin' 'bout," he pointed out, "No way you're gonna beat him…" he noted while the Pokémon trainer trembled angrily.

"Who cares if I beat him?!" he shouted, causing the dragon slayer to step back out of surprise while the others were shocked, "I just wanna prove-!" He stopped himself the moment he realized that he was scaring everyone around him, making him develop a frown of shame. "I wanna prove…" he tried to say, but couldn't as he gritted his teeth.

"Prove what?" Lucy asked, chiming back into the conversation.

"Ah, forget it!" Ash exclaimed, racing off towards the doors of the guild hall.

"Pika pi!" his partner cried out.

"Ash, wait a sec!" Happy yelled, but to no avail as the Pokémon trainer left the building.

"Hold on, I'll-!"

"I'll go after him," Mirajane stated, interrupting Natsu's declaration as she made her way to the doors, "Lucy, handle my shift while I'm out, okay?" she told her, much to her surprise as she blinked.

"M-Me?!" she questioned out of shock, pointing at herself. The Satan Soul user then exited as well, leaving the Fairy Tail members to go back to their previous activities while still appalled by the situation.

"Pika…" Pikachu uttered in worry, staring out towards the doors where his trainer had left through, knowing that he truly desired to fight against the lightning dragon slayer for reasons other than impressing others. A serious countenance spread across his face as he jumped down from the table, dashing towards the entrance.

"Pikachu?!" the celestial mage exclaimed out of surprise, seeing him about to leave the building as well. Wendy and Carla also took notice of his departure, glancing at each other for a moment.

"Come on, Carla," the sky dragon slayer beckoned, racing off, "Let's go after him!" she declared.

"Right!" her exceed agreed, following her out.

Rushing through the city streets, Ash ran along, looking around desperately for a certain place. He then came across a small parkland area that included a performance stage and a few trees. Sliding down the hill that led to it, his feet touched the grassy ground just as a small gust of wind breezed by, causing him to flinch as he grabbed his cap, keeping it on upright.

'This is the place…' he inwardly remembered, taking a few steps out towards one of the trees in the vicinity. As he got closer to it, a few memories began flashing through his mind, one of which was when he had seen his crush on stage, about to perform for the crowd before her until she broke the news that her throat wasn't feeling well, much to their disappointment. However, another vivid reminiscence entered his head, just as he stopped in front of the sapling.

FLASHBACK

"Master!" Freed cried out, "Hasn't his expulsion from the guild lasted long enough?" he questioned rhetorically as an angered expression was on his face, while the revelation took the Pokémon trainer by surprise, "Take him back!" he demanded to him. However, Makarov just watched his grandson continue to trot off, about to leave the park without another word. The raven haired boy was just stunned, already having witnessed the lightning dragon slayer knock Natsu out cold practically, and now he learned that he wasn't even a part of the guild.

"Pika?" his partner questioned to him, noticing that his expression was becoming a little frustrated. His fists trembled while he gritted his teeth, glancing back at his fallen teammate before turning towards the blonde haired man.

"Hey!" he yelled out to him, much to the shock of the others as they looked over at him with widened eyes, while Laxus actually stopped, turning his head to glance back at the Team Omniverse member. A moment of silence for what seemed like an eternity passed by as they stared at each other. Ash was desperately willing himself to try and say something else, but he felt intimidated by the S-class wizard's presence, trembling ever so slightly.

"Ash…" Wendy uttered out of concern, wondering what he was attempting to do upon his call to the lightning dragon slayer. However, as another moment of silence passed on, the older of the two turned around and walked off, leaving the park. The Pokémon trainer blinked in surprise before letting a deep sigh escape his lips, while the others just glanced at him.

"Pika pi…" Pikachu squeaked, showing off a worried expression as his owner developed an ashamed look on his own face, turning around and walking off in the opposite direction with him. From afar, Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna had witnessed the entire scene, with the former of the three siblings having the most concerned countenance for the Team Omniverse member who was departing as well, wondering what he had been trying to do.

"Ash…" she said, placing her left hand over her heart in a worried matter, hoping that he was okay.

END FLASHBACK

Staring out at that same tree where he had first seen Laxus, the raven haired boy closed his right hand into a fist, while his angered frown deepened. Yellow electricity suddenly began enveloping his entire body as he gritted his teeth.

'You may have survived the Great Ninja War,' a deep, male voice echoed inside of his head while he prepped himself by getting into a ready stance, 'but with your strength now, you'll never survive in any world!' it declared. Out of pure fury, the Pokémon trainer leapt towards the tree while yelling in rage. He punched it with his right fist, causing a sound of thunder to crack while the bark was breaking apart. Yet as he continued his attack, less and less of the tree was splitting. Once he jumped away, he widened his eyes to see that the indentation he made in the bark wasn't all that big, making him clench both of his fists angrily.

"AGH!" he screamed, dropping to his knees while his electrical cloak dissipated into thin air, "Damn it… Damn it!" he cursed, trembling as he slammed his right fist against the ground in frustration, "Why does everyone think I'm so weak?!" he asked loudly while his fingers began digging into the ground. Tears were forming in his eyes as his teeth were gritted together.

"You wanna tell me about it?" a familiar voice suddenly asked, enticing him to perk up, turning around to see his crush standing behind him, having just a small smile on her face as she held her hands together in front of herself.

"M-Mira…" he stammered, quickly using his left arm to wipe the tears from his eyes away as he blushed out of being in such an embarrassing state, "I-I'm sorry…" he apologized with a stutter, standing up from the ground, "I never meant to-"

"It's okay," the white haired beauty interjected in reassurance, walking up to him and placing her left hand on his right shoulder out of sympathy, "Anyone could have a breakdown like that after a while…" she mentioned while looking around the park. However, she saw the Omni Force member turn his head away in an ashamed manner, making her frown as she realized that her words weren't helping him. "This was where you first met Laxus, right?" she inquired, glancing over towards the tree that the Pokémon trainer had attacked. He merely nodded in response, looking down for a moment before turning back to face her.

"Mira?" he uttered, catching her attention as she perked up, "Why was Laxus expelled from the guild back then?" he asked while his hands opened back up. She blinked out of surprise at the question, having not expected him to say something like that. Reluctantly, she glanced off to the side for a moment, remembering all the events that conspired before the one that the raven haired boy had brought up.

"It's a long story…" she told him as she looked up at the sky, seeing that the stars were beginning to show, "but I guess I can tell you about it…" she confessed while he was slightly concerned, knowing that what he was about to hear wasn't easy for her to talk about.

Rushing through the woods with her exceed, Wendy looked around desperately for her friend's Pokémon. With the night sky beginning to loom over them, it was difficult to spot even the trees as only the stars and the moon provided any signs of luminosity. The dragon slayer then halted herself, glancing back and forth to see if she could spot Pikachu.

"Any sign of him?" Carla asked as she stopped beside her.

"Huh…" she sighed in a defeated manner, shaking her head, "Nope…" she told the white furred cat as an upset look graced her face, "I can't even sniff him out," she mentioned, "let alone see him…" she added, slouching down, "I wish Natsu were here…" she groaned.

"Don't worry yourself, child," the anthropomorphic cat advised reassuringly, trotting forward, "Pikachu couldn't have gone far," she noted to her, catching her attention, "After all," she continued, "the only way he'll be able to go back home is by going back to the-" Without warning, a crack of thunder sounded off, along with a large, yellow bolt of lightning. "EEP!" the feline yelped, jumping in surprise as she turned around to see the sudden burst of luminosity disappear while she and pigtailed girl blinked.

"Could that be him?" the latter of the two asked, narrowing her eyes in a serious manner.

"I suppose…" her exceed concurred, "Or it could be Laxus…" she pointed out as a drop of sweat rolled down from the side of her head.

"Come on!" Wendy beckoned, racing off towards where the lightning bolt had struck. In a small clearing within the woodland area, the members of the Thunder Legion were gathered, with their leader's body sparking with electricity as he reeled back his right fist, encasing it in luminosity.

"Lightning Dragon…" he began, leaping towards a tree, "…IRON FIST!" he exclaimed, striking it ferociously. In a mere matter of seconds, the tree split in half with the sound of thunder to follow as both halves fell to the ground. However, the dragon slayer just looked at his work with dissatisfaction in his eyes, glancing back at the hand he had used to do it while his cloak disappeared.

"Why do you think he challenged Laxus the way he did?" the voice of his green haired comrade asked, catching his attention as he turned to see his teammates conversing.

"Who knows why…" Bickslow muttered as a response, crossing his arms, "He's not like Natsu; that's for sure," he mentioned with a toothy grin.

"Not like Natsu… Not like Natsu…" his wooden dolls floating above him repeated while shaking around.

"Still…" Evergreen began as she placed her left hand onto her chin, "it seems weird that he would outright challenge Laxus of all people…" she confessed, trying to think of the reason why the Pokémon trainer did what he had done earlier in the evening, "Wait a sec…" she began to realize as her eyes widened, "Doesn't that kid have a giant crush on Mirajane?" she questioned, making the males of the group all perk up out of surprise.

"That's why he wants to fight Laxus?" the masked one inquired, arching an eyebrow, "Man, talk about selfish…" he noted as he chuckled, "There are other ways to impress a girl," he pointed out while he folded his arms behind his head.

"Huh…" the S-class wizard sighed, getting the attentions of his teammates as they looked over at him in surprise, "That's not why the kid wants to fight me…" he told them as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Then why?" Freed questioned as he raised an eyebrow, "He must realize that you're much stronger than he is," he mentioned to him.

"Yeah…" he responded, glancing off to the side in thought. Meanwhile, Wendy and Carla arrived at the clearing, hiding themselves behind a tree the moment they saw the members of the Thunder Legion.

"So it was Laxus…" the latter of the two noted, peeking out from the sapling as she narrowed her eyes onto the blonde haired man.

"I wonder what they're talking about…" the pigtailed girl pondered while she blinked.

"Don't you and that kid both use electricity?" the glasses wearing woman guessed as she adjusted her specs, "Maybe he just wants to get a taste of how powerful yours is compared to his…" she suggested, glancing up at the night sky.

"That doesn't seem like a logical reason," her green haired comrade pointed out, folding his arms over his chest, "The way he challenged Laxus…" he started to realize, turning to face him, "He was definitely looking to fight you for real," he noted to him with a nod.

"So why didn't ya accept it?" Bickslow asked the group leader, who let out another sigh.

"It's not like I don't wanna fight the kid…" he admitted to them, looking away once again, "I just don't wanna risk hurting him too bad," he stated, placing his hands in his pockets, "You know how those Omni Force guys are short a member, right?" he inquired, glancing back at his teammates, who all nodded in response. All of a sudden, they heard the sound of rustling bushes near them, causing them to all perk up in surprise.

"Eep!" Wendy yelped quietly with a bright red face, "Carla, stay still!" she exclaimed to her exceed in a whisper.

"I am!" she claimed in response as a tint of pink appeared on her cheeks, "And I don't think that was either of us…" she pointed out while the swooshing sound in the forest continued. The lightning dragon slayer then took notice of a shaking bush, clenching his right fist as it became encased in electricity.

"Found it," he uttered, reeling his arm back. He then threw it out, launching a bolt of lightning towards the shrubbery. However, another lightning bolt shot right out of it, countering the blonde haired man's before both dissipated into thin air, with only sparks of electricity to follow.

"The hell?!" the masked man yelled out of disbelief as a drop of sweat rolled his head. The others were quite stunned as well, unable to fathom how their leader's lightning was cancelled out by another bolt. Freed then drew his sword, aiming it at the bush.

"Show yourself at once, you fiend!" he demanded as an angered expression appeared on his face, "Who are you?!" he asked as the shrubbery rustled even more wildly before a figure jumped out of it. The Thunder Legion members all got into battle stances, prepared to attack whatever it was that leapt towards them. However, they all widened their eyes in surprise to see that it was Pikachu, who landed on his feet before them.

"Pika?" he squeaked in question with a tilt of his head. Everyone besides Laxus deadpanned at the sight of him, shocked that he apparently was the one who attacked.

"You've gotta be kiddin' me…" Bickslow muttered as he slouched his shoulders, "That little guy stopped Laxus' lightning?!" he exclaimed out of disbelief.

"Stopped Laxus! Stopped Laxus!" the wooden dolls above him chanted.

"Incredible…" the green haired man uttered as he viewed the Mouse Pokémon, "Even though that lightning bolt of yours wasn't all that powerful…" he began to realize while his team leader walked up to the Electric type, squatting down to reach his eye level.

"Well, we found him…" Carla whispered from behind the tree she and her friend were.

"Yeah…" the latter of the two noted as she peeked out to see them, "but how come he's all the way out here?" she asked with a raised eyebrow, "I thought he'd be looking for Ash…" she mentioned in a confused tone.

"Good point, child…" her exceed agreed, glancing back at the scene while she blinked, "You don't think…?" she started to question, causing the sky dragon slayer to look at her in surprise.

"All right, little guy," the blonde haired man began to Pikachu as he stared at him blankly, "did yer master tell ya to come after me?" he inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Pika pi!" he responded in claim, shaking his head.

"Okay…" Laxus uttered, crossing his arms, "Is he still hung up about fighting me?" he guessed.

"Pika," the Mouse Pokémon replied as he nodded. The other members of the Thunder Legion watched on with surprised expressions, as the most shocked one came from Freed.

'That's definitely Laxus for you…' he noted to himself, 'Since he can't understand what that little one is saying, he's asking only yes or no questions…' he inwardly realized, 'But it's not going to get him very far…' he mentioned through thought. The Electric type placed his paws at his hips as tried to ponder a solution to the communication barrier between him and the man before him. He suddenly remembered something, perking up before he started to make his cheeks spark.

"Huh?" the S-class mage said in confusion, arching an eyebrow while the creature before him continued to have his cheeks spark, "What the heck are you-?" He stopped his question as he widened his eyes out of surprise, gasping a little.

"What's wrong, Laxus?" Evergreen asked as she adjusted her glasses.

"Wait a sec…" Bickslow began to realize, pointing towards them, "Is he understanding what that little guy's sayin'?" he inquired, scratching his head out of complete befuddlement. His green haired teammate then took a look towards Pikachu, noticing the sparks of electricity emerging from his cheeks.

"I think he's talking with him by using his electricity…" he explained to his comrades, much to their surprise as they were aback by it.

"Wh-What?!" the lone woman stuttered out of shock, "How is that even possible?!" she asked hysterically.

"Possible! Possible!" the wooden dolls chanted, much to her annoyance as a drop of sweat rolled down the side of her head while she grimaced.

"It's probably because Laxus is a lightning mage," Freed responded, turning back to his team leader, "Since those two both use electricity," he continued, catching their attentions, "he can understand those sparks coming out of that little one's cheeks…" he mentioned cleverly.

"I guess so…" the dragon slayer answered, still befuddled before looking back at the Mouse Pokémon, "Anyways," he kept going, "you know why your buddy's wantin' to fight me?" he asked him.

"Pika, pika pi, chu pika," he explained in reply as his cheeks kept sparking. The blonde haired man was slightly surprised as he blinked, but disregarded it for the moment while he regained his composure.

"Look," he began to the Electric type, "I get that your master wants to get stronger for his team," he continued as he glanced off to the side, "but I don't wanna-"

"Pika pika!" he interjected angrily while his cheeks sparked wildly, much to the wizard's surprise as he looked back at him, "Chu, pika pi!" he exclaimed to him. A moment of silence passed by as he let the information sink in.

"So that's how it is, huh?" he guessed, standing upright.

"Laxus?" his green haired teammate uttered out of confusion, sheathing his sword away.

"Heh," the Thunder Legion leader chuckled as he cracked a grin, "Guess it can't be helped…" he muttered, looking down at Pikachu, "Tell your trainer I'll fight 'im tomorrow once my job's done," he said, much to the surprise of both Wendy and Carla as they gasped slightly.

"Pika!" the Mouse Pokémon exclaimed delightedly as he jumped for joy.

"You're actually gonna fight the kid now?!" the masked man questioned out of astonishment, "Wh-Why?!" he stammered hysterically.

"Why?! Why?!" his dolls repeated loudly.

"'Cause there's somethin' about him that I haven't seen in a while," the lightning dragon slayer responded, folding his arms over his chest, "Have him head out to the training grounds by noon," he said to the Electric type, "I'll be there," he promised.

"Pika pi," he responded with a nod and bow.

"How's he going to be able to tell him that though?" the glasses wearing woman questioned as she adjusted her specs.

"Ah, it's fine," her leader reassured, "You get all that, Wendy?" he asked, making the pigtailed gasp loudly in astonishment.

"Wendy?" the Thunder Legion members questioned out of surprise.

"Laxus is a dragon slayer…" Carla muttered as she narrowed her eyes, "I should've known he'd find us…" she admitted, walking out with her friend from behind the tree.

"Um… hi…" the latter of the two greeted with a nervous wave of her right hand. The blonde haired man just let off a small grin before turning his attention back to the Mouse Pokémon.

"Make sure you let him know that I'm not holdin' back," he told him, "If he's serious about fighting me," he kept going, "then he better be ready," he stated seriously.

"Pika," Pikachu replied as he just nodded, understanding the situation while the wind rushed by, breezing through the clearing.

"…And after all that, the master ended up expelling him," Mirajane finished as she and Ash were sitting upon the hill overlooking the park. The latter of the two had his eyes tremble slightly after hearing the story. He had learned that practically everyone in Fairy Tail had a troubled past before joining, but he never realized how awful things were between some of the guild members, especially the S-class wizard he was trying to fight.

"Man…" he uttered in disbelief, looking back up at the night sky, "I never knew Laxus was so…" he tried to say, but bit his bottom lip as he couldn't.

"I know," his crush responded to his surprise, also glancing upwards, "Still, he's a part of the guild now," she mentioned. However, she then noticed the somber expression on the raven haired boy's face, making her develop a worried look upon hers. "I doubt Laxus wouldn't fight you without a good reason," she told him, "Maybe he just doesn't want you to get hurt…" she suggested as a drop of sweat rolled down the side of her head.

"Yeah, probably…" he agreed, folding his arms over his chest, "But I don't care about that!" he declared, much to her surprise as she blinked.

"What do you mean?" she asked, arching an eyebrow out of confusion.

"Everyone thinks I'm in over my head for wanting to fight Laxus…" he explained in reply, looking away, "It's not like I wanna prove I'm stronger than him…" he pointed out. The white haired beauty was evidently concerned for him, placing her left hand onto his right shoulder, catching his attention as he turned to face her.

"But you sound like you really wanna show everyone something," she mentioned to him as he widened his eyes out of surprise.

"Well, yeah…" he replied in agreement, blushing slightly, looking back up at the sky, "I remember Gingka saying that he wanted to get stronger not just to protect his friends," he started to explain, "but also to fight with them…" he told her as he closed his hands into clenched fists, "That's what I wanna do," he stated, turning back to face her, "I wanna be strong enough to fight alongside everyone in the Omni Force and Fairy Tail," he declared. The take over wizard was admittedly shocked by what he had said, but then smiled brightly, wrapping her arms around him, pulling him into an unexpected hug, making him blush profusely.

"I think that's the sweetest thing I've ever heard you say, Ash," she noted while a small tint of pink graced her cheeks, "You'd always put your friends before yourself," she pointed out, "even when you don't know them that well," she added with a little giggle, causing his face to become even redder.

"Uh… y-yeah…" he stammered as she relinquished her arms from him, "I-I mean… not like I don't… know you well…" he mentioned, chuckling nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. His crush just giggled again, standing up from her seat on the grass.

"How 'bout we head back to the guild?" she suggested, holding her right hand out to him. A moment of silence passed by as the Pokémon trainer thought about what she had told him about the lightning dragon slayer, while also reminiscing over events he had encountered him. He then turned back towards the white haired beauty, letting a grin come across his lips.

"Sure," he replied with a nod, taking her extremity with his left, allowing her to pull him up from the ground. For a second, they looked into each others' eyes, with the raven haired boy gasping in surprise, taking his hand away. "S-Sorry!" he stuttered in apology while blushing again. However, she giggled once more, catching his attention as he smiled. They then both walked off, leaving the parkland area to be illuminated by the moonlit and starry sky.

Back at the guild hall, things had definitely changed in the wake of what had conspired earlier. Now donning an apron around her waist, Lucy was carrying a tray with four mugs of beer upon it. However, unlike her friend, she had a rather nervous expression on her face as she trotted towards the tables, with the wooden tray wobbling in her hands.

"Hey, Lucy!" Macao called out from one of the tables, where he and Wakaba were sitting, catching her attention, "Can ya get us another round over here?" he asked.

"S-Sure!" she stammered in response as a blush came across her cheeks. As she turned to head towards them, she suddenly felt herself stumble back a little due the weight of the drinks on the tray she was holding. "Uh oh…" she uttered in realization while she could feel herself falling backwards, "AH!" she yelped, hitting the floor as beer spilled all over her, "Ugh…" she groaned in pain and disgust, looking to see the mugs and tray she had dropped.

"Jeez, Lucy…" Natsu muttered from afar, getting her attention as she glanced back to see him and Happy standing by the bar counter, "How hard can it be to carry drinks?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow, causing her to puff her cheeks angrily.

"I dunno…" his exceed responded with a shrug, "Maybe Lucy's just not coordinated as well…" he suggested, causing the celestial mage's ire to rise as an ominous aura wafted off from her.

"QUIT BEIN' JERKS AND GET ME A TOWEL!" she angrily demanded, catching their attentions as they both shivered in fright, realizing what they had just said offended her. A moment later, the blonde haired girl was back on her feet, rubbing her hair dry with a white cloth. "Huh…" she sighed deeply, having rid herself of all the liquid upon her person, "Mirajane makes it look so easy…" she pointed out, slouching down.

"Shouldn't be that hard though …" the fire dragon slayer noted, catching her attention as she turned to see him with the wooden tray in his hands, "Haven't ya done somethin' like this before?" he inquired while he tilted his head. Without warning, the platter he was holding smacked him right in the face as his teammate slammed it against him.

"You're such an idiot!" she yelled as he let out a pained groan before falling to the floor, "Anyways," she continued, folding her arms under her chest, "I wonder if Mira found Ash yet…" she said out of thought.

"Maybe they're out watching the stars together!" the anthropomorphic feline suggested heartily as he placed his paws onto his cheeks, "And then they'll probably kiss, get married, and-!"

"T M I, CAT!" Lucy suddenly interjected as she waved her arms around comically while a blush came across her cheeks, "Although…" she began, putting her right hand upon her chin, "Ash and Mira together might make a good item…" she admitted sheepishly.

"We should totally set them up on a date sometime!" Happy recommended excitedly as his eyes sparkled.

"Uh, let's not get ahead of ourselves…" the celestial mage advised in a placating manner, "I'd rather see how go naturally for them…" she confessed, letting a little grin come across her lips. Just then, the guild doors opened, catching her attention, along with those of the exceed and the spiky haired wizard. They looked to see the two they were talking about enter the building, with the raven haired boy having a somber expression on his face while his hands were placed in his pockets.

"Hey, Ash…" Natsu greeted, taking notice of his teammate's look as he and his crush trotted over to him, "Everything go okay?" he questioned to him out of concern.

"Yeah, sorta…" the Pokémon trainer replied, scratching at his right cheek sheepishly as he glanced off to the side. The white haired beauty then placed her left hand onto his right shoulder, catching his attention.

"So, what are you planning to do now?" she asked him.

"I dunno…" he answered honestly, folding his arms across his chest, "Guess I'll just head back home since there's nothing else to do…" he told them with a heavy sigh, making those around him all develop worried expressions on their faces, especially the take over wizard's. Suddenly, Lucy perked up as she realized something, arching an eyebrow.

"Uh… where's Pikachu?" she asked, chiming into the conversation as she looked around the guild hall. Both the raven haired boy and the Satan Soul user blinked in surprise, also glancing over the area.

"What do you mean?" the former of the two questioned, developing a look of concern on his face.

"We thought he ran out after you once ya left…" Happy replied, scratching the back of his head in confusion, making them gasp in astonishment.

"Well… we didn't see him!" the Pokémon trainer noted, grimacing as he couldn't find his partner.

"I think Wendy and Carla went after 'im…" the spiky haired wizard noted while he stood back up, crossing his arms over his chest as he caught their attentions, "Knowing her, she'll get him back," he reassured with a grin. The others gave off relieved smiles just a second later, realizing that they should've been more optimistic about the current situation. Just then, the doors opened, causing them to all perk up, turning to see the three in question standing at the entryway.

"Pika pi!" the Mouse Pokémon squeaked happily, running up to his owner, jumping up onto his right shoulder as he smiled.

"There you are!" he said, scratching the Electric type's chin with his left index finger.

"Cha~!" he cooed in delight, making his trainer chuckle. The pigtailed girl and her exceed then trotted up to them, catching their attentions.

"Where'd you go, by the way?" Ash asked his partner while he raised an eyebrow towards him.

"He was in the forest outside of town," the sky dragon slayer answered, jumping into the conversation as the others listened to her, "And Laxus was out there…" she added, making them all widen their eyes in surprise, while also catching the attention of a certain figure by the bar counter.

"He was looking for Laxus?" the raven haired boy inquired out of disbelief, glancing back at the Mouse Pokémon.

"There's more to it," the white furred cat pointed out, "Once he found Laxus," she continued, "he convinced him to have a fight with you tomorrow," she told him, causing both him and the others to all gasp in surprise.

"Really?!" Happy exclaimed out of shock.

"No way…" Natsu uttered in disbelief, blinking rapidly. However, his Omni Force teammate couldn't contain his excitement as a wide grin spread across his face.

"ALL RIGHT!" he yelled excitedly, stretching his arms out as far as he could to their respective sides.

"So Ash is gonna fight Laxus…" Lucy noted with a nervous chuckle before turning back to face Wendy and Carla, "Did he say when and where they'd fight?" she asked them, getting a nod in reply from the former.

"He said he'd be at the training ground by noon tomorrow," she explained.

"Though he didn't specify where this training ground was…" the exceed muttered, placing her paws at her hips.

"I know where," a gruff voice chimed in, catching everyone's attention as they all turned to see Makarov standing by them.

"Master?" Mirajane uttered in confusion, tilting her head to the side while he approached them, putting his focus onto the Pokémon trainer.

"Young man," he began, making him blink in surprise, developing a serious expression in his eyes, "I'll take you and the others to where you'll fight Laxus," he stated, "However," he continued, "I want to be sure that you're serious about doing this," he told him in a resolute tone.

"Definitely," he answered with a nod. His partner mimicked the action of his trainer, while the others watched on, glad for the Omni Force member, but concerned that he was putting himself into a tough position. Mirajane especially felt that way as she had her hands clasped together, trembling worriedly while she hoped for the best.

The next day, the Fairy Tail guildmaster led Ash, Pikachu Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Mirajane, Happy, and Carla out to a clearing on the outskirts of Magnolia. The raven haired boy then took into account that it was actually the site of the former guild hall he had once seen when he first came to the universe. The building itself was no longer present though, as it had been taken down months ago.

"Sure brings back old memories, doesn't it?" the blue furred cat inquired as he looked around the area.

"Yeah," his spiky haired friend agreed, having his hands at his hips. He then took notice of his Omni Force teammate seating himself down on the ground, while his partner Pokémon hopped off of his shoulder. He closed his eyes as he patiently waited for his opponent, reminiscing in the meantime.

FLASHBACK

"Hah… hah…" the Pokémon trainer breathed heavily as he was on his hands and knees upon the barren ground, while the Electric stood beside him, having a worried expression upon his face.

"Pika pi…" he squeaked out of concern, noticing all the scrapes upon his body, including the damage to his clothes.

"Stand up!" a deep, male voice demanded, catching his attention as he turned to see the one-armed Raikage, Ay before them, showing off an angered look, "You may have survived the Great Ninja War," he began, "but with your strength now, you'll never survive in any world!" he declared to the Team Omniverse member, who dug his fingers into the ground out of pure frustration, gritting his teeth.

"Pika!" Pikachu suddenly cried out, standing before his master and catching the attention of the Cloud Village's leader, "Pika pi…" he started to plea as tears were forming in his eyes, "Pi, chu, pika-!"

"Pikachu, don't…" Ash uttered in interjection, catching his attention as he turned to face him with tear-filled eyes, seeing that he was struggling to get back on his feet, "I… asked for this…" he noted to him while he managed to get his right knee off from the ground, placing his arm upon it, "I'm never gonna… get better if I just pretend the war never happened!" he stated, getting onto both of his feet as he still breathed heavily, while the man before them watched on, "Besides…" he kept going, starting to stand up tall, "I never would've discovered my Lightning Style chakra if it weren't for him…" he mentioned, clenching his fists tightly before getting into a battle, "I'll keep going until I get stronger!" he declared, having his yellow lightning cloak appear over his body.

"Well said," Ay responded, sparking in his own cloak of electrical energy, preparing himself for the fight to ensue as he cocked his right fist back.

END FLASHBACK

A small sigh escaped the raven haired boy's lips, opening his eyes to look on ahead at the clearing that was going to be the battlefield.

"Pika pi?" his partner questioned, catching his attention as he glanced back at him. He smiled, using his left hand to rub the top of the Electric type's head. "Cha~!" he cooed in delight. Meanwhile, the others from afar looked on worriedly at the Pokémon trainer.

"Are you sure we should let him go through with this?" Lucy asked her guild mates out of concern, "I know he's adamant and all, but still…" she muttered while she narrowed her eyes a little onto the Omni Force member.

"It's his call, Lucy," Natsu pointed out, folding his arms over his chest as she looked over at him, "Who are we to stand his way?" he questioned back.

"You can't say you're not the least bit worried though…" his comrade noted, making him grimace a little as a drop of sweat rolled down from the side of his head.

"I'm kinda scared, too…" Wendy confessed, clasping her hands together before her chest nervously, "I know Ash doesn't give up that easily to anyone, but…" she tried to say, but found that she wasn't able to as the mere thought of her friend fighting his foe frightened her.

"I don't agree with this either…" Carla concurred, placing her paws at her hips before she looked over to the white haired beauty, "Mirajane," she began, catching her attention, "did you at least try to convince him not to fight Laxus last night?" she questioned to her.

"Um… not really…" she admitted in reply, glancing away out of embarrassment as she rubbed her left arm with her right hand.

"What?!" the celestial wizard exclaimed in shock, "Mira, why would you let him go through with this?!" she asked hysterically, gesturing towards him.

"Because it's what he wants to do," she stated as a response with a serious expression on her face, "Besides," she kept going, "he told me he doesn't wanna prove to anyone how strong he is…" she told them, much to their surprise.

"Why'd he only tell you?" the fire dragon slayer asked, blinking out of confusion.

"Duh!" his exceed chimed in, "It's because he luuvvs her~…" he purred teasingly with his paws on his cheeks. However, his comment earned him a smack on the back of his head from his fellow anthropomorphic cat. "OW!" he yelped in pain, having tears appear in his eyes while his crush scoffed, turning away. Makarov just looked on at the raven haired boy, seeing him staring out into the distance, still waiting for his opponent.

"Pika…" Pikachu muttered as he felt the wind rush by his ears. They suddenly perked up, causing him to stand and look to see something approaching the clearing. "Pika, pika pi!" he cried out, catching everyone's attention while he gestured towards where he was looking, enticing them to all glance over as well. They saw that it was the Thunder Legion, with Laxus leading the way as he had his arms crossed. He took notice of his grandfather, causing him to widen his eyes slightly out of surprise.

'So the old man's here, too, huh?' he inwardly inquired before looking back at his future foe, seeing him stand up from the ground. He took a deep breath of air, while his partner dashed off, jumping onto the pigtailed girl's right shoulder, making her smile.

"He looks quite prepared…" Freed noted as he saw the serious look in the Pokémon trainer's eyes.

"But he's gonna get his ass handed to 'im," Bickslow pointed out bluntly, folding his arms across his chest.

"Well, you never know…" Evergreen chimed in, catching their attentions, "If he's that motivated to even challenge Laxus," she continued, "he must be sure of his own strength," she explained.

"Sure! Sure!" the wooden dolls floating above the masked man chanted in agreement, making her groan while a drop of sweat rolled down the side of her head.

"At any rate," the green haired man began, "Laxus is fighting him," he stated, seeing his group leader walk over to the Omni Force member, stopping before him.

"Kid," he started to say, making him perk up and look at his face, "no holds barred here, all right?" he recommended, "I ain't goin' easy on you…" he declared. The raven haired boy just closed his hands into fists, letting them tremble for a moment as he bit his bottom lip. However, he swallowed his pride, glancing at him seriously.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he responded, making the blonde haired man unfold his arms. Moments later, the two future fighters stood at a considerable distance from each other while the rest of the group looked on from afar, with Pikachu being held in the arms of the sky dragon slayer.

"Master," she began to Makarov, getting his attention, "are you sure we should let them do this?" she questioned worriedly, "I know it's Ash's decision and all, but-"

"It's what he wants, Wendy," he interrupted, glancing over at her as she widened her eyes out of surprise, "We'll see how it goes," he mentioned, turning back towards the two competitors, "Gentleman," he started to say to them, making them both perk up, "this battle of yours will go until we consider that one of you is unable to continue," he explained, "In addition," he kept going, "I'll intervene if I feel that one of you is severely injured from the fight," he told them.

"Don't," Ash suddenly chimed in, much to the surprise of both the Dreyars and the other guild members, "This fight's going until one of us can't stand up anymore!" he declared, pinching the brim of his cap with his right thumb, index finger, and middle finger.

"Hmph," the lightning dragon slayer scoffed, letting his fur-trimmed, black coat drop to the ground, "If that's how you want it," he began to say, getting himself into a battle ready stance, "then that's the kinda fight I'll give ya," he stated, grinning.

"Thanks," his opponent responded, readying his feet into a lunging position. Both of them had yellow electricity spark all around their bodies while everyone watched on, as the wind breezed through the area. Mirajane's lips quivered slightly out of concern, hoping that her friends wouldn't be seriously hurt from the bout. Sliding his fingers across the brim of his cap, a cloak of electricity suddenly appeared over his form before he dashed out at his foe in an instant, much to his shock as his eyes widened. He attempted to strike him with a quick punch from his right fist, but he stood his ground, immediately crossing his left arm over his chest to block it. Sparks of electricity crackled throughout the area as everyone flinched at the sight, seeing that the blonde haired had successfully stopped his enemy's attack, about to unleash his own while his right fist became immersed in luminosity. As he took notice, the Omni Force member instantly vanished, making his foe gasp out of shock, along with causing the audience to widen their eyes.

"Whoa!" Natsu exclaimed, blinking rapidly, "Where'd he go?!" he questioned in confusion. All of a sudden, the Pokémon trainer reappeared and struck his opponent at the left leg with his own, causing him to grimace a little as he clenched his teeth. Before he could even counterattack though, the raven haired boy disappeared again, landing another strike on the back of his enemy's neck by using his left arm, making him stumble forward a little.

"No way…" Wendy uttered out of disbelief, seeing Ash hit Laxus over and over again before he could even attempt to counterattack.

"I never knew Ash was so fast…." Carla mentioned as she blinked in surprise.

"Neither did I…" Lucy concurred, turning to the take over wizard standing beside her, "Mira, did you know about that?" she asked her, causing her to perk up and look at her.

"No, why?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow toward her while Happy sheepishly placed his paws on his cheeks again.

"Because he l-" Before he could say another word though, he noticed two hard glares upon him from both his crush and the Electric type, practically daring him to finish his sentence as a bunch of sweat dripped down from his body. "N-Never mind…" he stammered, rubbing the back of his head while he chuckled nervously. The Omni Force member then appeared right before his foe, cloaking his right fist in an immense amount of electricity.

"Lightning Style…" he started to say, cocking his arm back, "…THUNDER PUNCH!" he exclaimed, throwing it out to strike him at his chest, causing a sound of thunder to echo and crackle throughout the area. However, he widened his eyes to see that the blonde haired man had crossed his arms over his chest, blocking the punch as he stared out at his enemy, who grimaced nervously. He unfolded his arms, causing him to be sent flying back in a yell before he managed to land on the ground on his feet, sliding back along the grassland. Once he came to a stop, he looked up and gasped to see his opponent about to come down on him as his right fist was cloaked in electricity as well.

"Lightning Dragon…" he began, swinging his arm back while the Pokémon trainer readied himself, "IRON FIST!" he cried out just as his foe leapt away, making him strike nothing but the ground, causing it to shatter. However, the force of the attack blew by the raven haired boy, making him tumble across the ground once he struck it, being veiled by a cloud of dust and dirt in the meantime.

"Hey!" Natsu suddenly yelled angrily as a tick mark appeared upon his forehead, catching everyone's attention, "The iron fist's my shtick, copycat!" he argued in frustration, growling all the while. All the Thunder Legion members just let drops of sweat roll down their heads at the remark.

"Oh, grow up, will ya?" Laxus muttered to himself. All of a sudden though, his enemy dashed out from the cloud of dust, attempting to strike him again. Reacting quickly, the dragon slayer crossed his arms over his face, blocking the attack as more electricity crackled around them.

"Dang…" Bickslow uttered in surprise, "The kid's puttin' up a good fight…" he pointed out to his comrades.

"He certainly is," Freed agreed, narrowing his eyes onto Ash.

'He's much faster than Laxus…' he noted to himself while sparks of electricity continued to fly between the two fighters, 'But in terms of strength…' he continued as he crossed his arms over his chest, 'he's definitely outmatched by him,' he inwardly stated, just as the Pokémon trainer readied his left palm, cloaking it in luminosity.

"Shock Palm!" he cried out, about to strike him directly on the head. However, his foe instantly unfolded his arms, blowing him away once again in a yelp. While he was in midair gritting his teeth, the Omni Force member opened his left eye and gasped to see the dragon slayer about to hit him with a punch from his right fist, causing him to cringe in fright. Before he could even do anything, he was struck, screaming in pain while he landed on the ground hard, tumbling along it before coming to a stop, lying on his stomach. "Ergh!" he groaned out of agony, grabbing his torso as he tried to get back on his feet.

"Ash!" Wendy exclaimed in immediate concern while the others grimaced at the sight.

"Oh man…" the pink haired wizard uttered out of disbelief, "That doesn't look good at all…" he noted, evidently concerned as he clenched his teeth together.

"His physique is smaller compared to Laxus," Makarov pointed out, catching the attentions of the other spectators, "An attack like that might've fractured something…" he added, making everyone gasp in surprise.

"No way…" Lucy said in disbelief, clenching her left fist over her chest. Mirajane also had a concerned expression upon her face, hopeful for an outcome that wouldn't be too serious. Meanwhile, the raven haired boy managed to stand back up while grimacing, seeing that his opponent was right before him, still having a composed look in his eyes.

"Gr…" he growled, removing his hand from his aching torso, letting his electrical cloak continue to spark wildly, "This battle's… only begun!" he declared, dashing out at the blond haired man in an instant once more, causing him to gasp in surprise. He re-readied himself however, matching his foe blow for blow while they continued to race at each other with lightning speeds.

"So fast…" Evergreen commented as she blinked out of astonishment, "And it looks like the kid's a bit faster than Laxus…" she mentioned, folding her arms under her chest while the lightning dragon slayer attempted to punch the Omni Force member once again, only to see him disappear as he struck nothing but the ground.

"Being small does have its advantages…" Freed added, seeing the Pokémon trainer reappear and kick his enemy at his left hip by using his right foot, causing him to slide back for a moment.

"Hm…" Makarov uttered, narrowing his eyes onto the battle. His grandson was hit two more times by his foe's punches, still getting pushed back only slightly. Ash was about to attack once more until he felt a singe of pain in his torso, making him grimace as he grabbed at it. The moment allowed his opponent to ready his hands, locking them together as he sped right up to him, causing him to gasp out of surprise while he saw him swing his extremities back over his head, crackling with electricity.

"Lightning Dragon…" he began, throwing his arms down just as his foe crossed his arms over his face, "JAW!" he exclaimed as his hands connected with the raven haired boy's wrists, making electricity surge and crackle all around them. After a few moments, the cap wearing kid was blown away from the force of the attack, sliding across the dirt as his teeth were clenched together.

"AGH!" he cried out in pain, unfolding his arms as his hands twitched uncontrollably.

"Ash!" Lucy screamed, seeing that he was in obvious agony, turning towards the guildmaster, "Master, call it off!" she demanded angrily.

"That last attack must've broken his hands!" Carla pointed out, "Don't you think that's enough of reason to stop this match?!" she questioned loudly. Everyone else cringed at the sight while the Pokémon trainer had heard their pleas, still grimacing in the meantime. He then looked down at his twitching hands, feeling them start to swell up.

"Pika…" his partner uttered out of concern as he began reminiscing over a similar event that his master had experienced.

FLASHBACK

Ay looked around the barren landscape of earth columns, searching for his pupil. Meanwhile, Pikachu was watching on from afar, taking notice of the Raikage walking across the area. Suddenly, his pointy ears twitched, causing him to perk up and see his owner leaping from pillar to pillar, sparking in his cloak of lighting. He hadn't yet caught the attention of his teacher, making him grin as he prepped himself to attack, squatting down on the side of the towering column he was upon. Jumping right off of it, he flipped himself over, sticking out his right foot so that it was aimed for his foe.

"DROP KICK!" he exclaimed before striking the leader of the Cloud Village directly on the head, making a sound of thunder echo throughout the area. He grinned delightedly, thinking he had landed a painful hit. However, he gasped to see the man grab his leg, not even turning his head.

"You call that a Drop Kick?!" he yelled angrily, making his student cringe in fright before he threw him down onto the ground in a yelp, causing a flurry of dust to build up upon impact.

"Pika!" the Electric type cried out, immediately rushing over out of concern to his trainer. As the dirt cleared away, he was lying on his stomach, having blood drip out from his nose and mouth as he was grimacing in agony.

"Ergh…" he groaned, trying to push himself off of the ground, only to fall flat on his face again.

"Pathetic…" Ay uttered, letting go of the raven haired boy's leg as the Mouse Pokémon approached, "I heard a rumor that you used your chakra to repair your broken bones," he mentioned while Pikachu looked at Ash with tear-filled eyes, "Guess it was just a rumor after all…" he said mockingly, walking off past the two. The Electric type cheeks began to spark as he growled angrily, about to turn around and attack the Raikage himself. However, he then heard the sound of electricity crackle, making him perk up as he noticed his trainer pushing himself up from the ground, letting the drops of blood fall onto the ground. His teacher stopped for a moment, turning around to see him standing on his feet, breathing heavily before he wiped the red substance away from his nose and lips with his right hand.

"Pika…" his partner uttered as tears streaked down his cheeks, completely stunned as to how dedicated he was to training, getting into a firm battle stance as he glared at his opponent. He just gave off a serious stare back to him, readying himself as well.

END FLASHBACK

The Omni Force member inhaled and exhaled air slowly, still sparking in his cloak of lightning while he grimaced in pain. He glanced out at his foe, seeing his serious stare towards him. Gritting his teeth angrily, his lightning cloaked sparked even more loudly and ferociously.

"RRRAAAHHH!" he roared into the air as the luminosity enveloping him brightened. Everyone was blinded by the light, covering their eyes with their arms, all except for Laxus, who just watched on. He widened his out of shock however, as he noticed his opponent close his hands into fists, despite the fact that they were broken just a moment earlier.

"The hell…?!" he uttered in disbelief. Before he could even say anything else, the raven haired boy dashed out at him, holding his right arm out.

"LARIAT!" he exclaimed, striking him as his appendage was wrapped around his enemy's torso, making him grimace until he was sent sliding back a few yards.

"Whoa…" Wendy said in shock as her eyes trembled, "Did he… heal himself?" she inquired, quite surprised.

"I think he did…" Carla answered, just as stunned, "But that's impossible!" she noted.

"Maybe not…" Freed chimed in, catching all of their attentions, seeing him placing his right hand on his chin, "Perhaps he channels that energy through his bones in order to repair fractures…" he suggested, narrowing his eyes onto the one in particular.

"Looks it uses up a lotta his power..." Bickslow mentioned, pointing towards Ash, who was breathing rather heavily while his cloak of lightning appeared to have shrunk.

"It definitely seem as if he needs put in all his effort in order to repair his bones," the green haired wizard agreed, folding his arms across his chest.

"Yeah…" Natsu concurred, "Normally, he uses Pikachu to charge himself up…" he added, closing his eyes in thought.

"But he's not using Pikachu now!" Lucy pointed out in a panicked tone, "If he's already so worn out now, what's gonna happen next?!" she asked, turning towards the white haired beauty, "Mira, don't you want him to-?!" She halted her question as she saw the quivering lips of the take over wizard, who had her hands clasped together tightly.

"It's what he wanted, Lucy," she stated to her, causing her to blink in surprise, "And I'm not going to stop him now…" she said, developing a recomposed, serious expression, "I believe in him," she declared, catching the attentions of everyone else as they looked over at her. Meanwhile, the one in question kept inhaling and exhaling air, seeing that his foe still had the same serious stare towards him. Feeling reminded of his former teacher from noticing it, the Pokémon trainer immediately clasped his hands together in the form of a tiger seal, letting the remainder of his electricity spark all over his body.

"Lightning Style…" he began as his body surged with energy, "Mega Discharge!" he yelled, releasing bolts of lightning from his body that were heading towards his opponent.

"Uh, isn't that a bad idea?" Happy inquired, raising an eyebrow worriedly.

"Laxus can absorb electricity!" Evergreen exclaimed as she adjusted her glasses, "Did the kid forget that?!" she screamed sarcastically as the bolts struck the lightning dragon slayer, but didn't appear to affect him while he stood his ground. A few more seconds passed by before the raven haired boy stopped, with only a small cloak of energy shrouding his body. He breathed heavily while he placed his hands on his knees, opening his left eye to see the sparking electricity building around his foe.

"I said it before, and I'll say it again," he stated to him as he reeled his head back, gathering the electricity around him into his mouth, "I'm not goin' easy on ya!" he declared fiercely, closing his hands into fists, "Lightning Dragon…" he began, letting his chest puff out while his enemy got up into a ready stance, "…ROOOAAARRR!" he bellowed, firing a gigantic beam of sparking energy from his mouth, heading straight for Ash. He remained where he was however, sticking his hands out.

"What the heck is he doing?!" the celestial wizard cried out before the attack connected with his palms, causing him to slide back for a moment until he found his footing, clenching his teeth tightly while he blocked the beam.

"Whoa…" Natsu uttered out of surprise with widened eyes, seeing his Omni Force teammate take the beam head on before it ended up dispersing into thin air. The blonde haired man was beyond shocked, and even more so as he saw his foe's lightning cloak expand while he let out a yell into the sky.

"Yikes!" Bickslow yelped in disbelief.

"Yikes! Yikes!" his dolls chanted as they shook around over his head.

"So he can absorb electricity just like Laxus can…" Freed noted, suddenly widening his eyes in realization, "He baited him into using that spell…" he mentioned, developing a grin on his face.

"'Baited'?" the woman beside him uttered out of confusion, "What do you mean?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Like Natsu would his roar spell after absorbing fire," the green haired man started to explain, "Laxus used his after getting that electricity," he said, "But that's just what Ash wanted…" he added, narrowing his eyes onto the individual in particular, "By using Laxus' lightning, he able to recharge his lightning cloak," he pointed out to his teammates.

"Man, talk about a surprise…" the masked man of the group muttered, "I never thought he'd last even a full minute against Laxus!" he confessed as a drop of sweat rolled down the side of his head.

"I'll admit, I'm impressed," Evergreen stated, "He's even more feisty than Natsu!" she mentioned, smiling.

"But a lot smarter," her sword carrying teammate mentioned.

"Go, Ash!" Happy cheered excitedly, jumping up and down.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu cried out in support.

"Not bad, kid," the lightning dragon slayer admitted to his enemy as they stared at each other, "You're faster than me, you can heal yourself, and you can use my lightning to your advantage…" he listed off, chuckling a little, "Got any other tricks up your sleeve?" he questioned to him. He blinked out of surprise for a moment, but then let a smirk grace his lips.

"Yeah, I've got one more…" he told him, clapping his hands together, "And I was savin' it just for now!" he added as the electricity sparked around him, "Bulk… UP!" he exclaimed as his energy cloak shrunk again, but appeared to cause his body to expand, much to the surprise of everyone else. He grew at least a foot in height while his arms and legs extended a little, as he got into a ready position, prepared to show the others his strength.

Standing firm with a now composed expression on his face, Ash removed his short-sleeved jacket, tossing it aside along with his cap.

"Whoa!" Lucy exclaimed out of surprise as she and the others viewed the Pokémon trainer in his brand new state, "He got taller!" she noted, still a little shocked.

"But he didn't exactly 'bulk up'…" the fire dragon slayer mentioned bluntly, earning himself a smack on the back of the head from the celestial wizard.

"What did he do though?" Wendy asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"I think that technique was meant to energize his muscles," her exceed replied, catching her attention, "the same way he used that energy to heal his bones…" she added in explanation.

"In doing so," Freed continued, placing his hand upon his chin as he pondered the thought, "he can expand his body to whatever size he's limited to," he realized.

"He sure is somethin' else!" Bickslow confessed with an excited smile, "I've barely seen Laxus get so surprised," he pointed out.

"Barely! Barely!" his wooden dolls chanted loudly over his head.

"But the battle's not over just yet…" Evergreen noted, adjusting her glasses with her right hand, "Laxus hasn't given the kid a taste of his real power…" she mentioned, narrowing her eyes onto the boy in particular. He was staring his opponent down without so much as a grimace upon his face, even though his body still appeared to be badly bruised. Taking a deep breath of air, he prepared himself, ready to lunge out at the S-class wizard at any moment. Meanwhile, Mirajane still had her hands clasped together in front of chest, biting her bottom lip nervously.

"Everything all right?" Makarov asked, chiming in as he caught her attention.

"I don't know, Master…" she responded honestly, "I'm worried that one of those two is gonna end up really hurt after this…" she admitted, glancing over towards them, "And I really don't wanna see that happen…" she added, turning away.

"It'll be all right," the guildmaster reassured, crossing his arms over his chest, "Whatever result comes of this fight," he kept going, seeing his grandson prepare to attack, "those two will definitely learn something from it," he told her, causing her to blink in surprise before she pulled off a bright smile. At that moment, the two fighters jumped towards each other, sparking in their cloaks of electricity as they intersected their respective right arms, gritting their teeth while neither of them backed down.

'Wait a sec…' the lightning dragon slayer inwardly started to realize, seeing that not only had his foe blocked his attack, but had done so at the exact same moment he launched it.

"He's slower…" the green haired man noted, narrowing his eyes in thought, "Did he sacrifice his speed in order to match up with Laxus' strength?" he guessed, blinking out of surprise. The two then leapt away from each other, landing on the ground before they charged forward, letting out loud battle cries. They started exchanging blows, having sparks of electricity fly all over the place as their fists and feet connected from each attack.

"Amazing…!" Carla uttered in disbelief while her eyes trembled.

"Go, Ash!" Happy cheered loudly, hopping up and down again.

"Pika, pika pi!" Pikachu yelled from the arms of the pigtailed girl, wishing the best for his trainer while he continued to match his enemy blow for blow. Laxus then locked both of his hands together, throwing them back over his head as they sparked in electricity.

"Lightning Dragon…" he began while his foe crossed his arms over his head like he did before, "JAW!" he exclaimed, throwing his extremities down, having them strike the raven haired boy's appendages, causing electricity to surge throughout the area. However, unlike before, his opponent stood his ground, glaring up at him. "Wh-What?!" he stammered in surprise. Suddenly, he was kneed right in the torso by him, being sent careening back as he tumbled across the ground. Coming to a stop seconds later, he looked out to see the Pokémon trainer having his fists immersed in energy. "Whaddaya know…" he muttered, letting a smirk come across his lips while his own extremities became cloaked in lightning. He and his enemy raced out at each other, launching punch after punch while sounds of thunder echoed.

"Oh man…" Natsu uttered out of complete shock, widening his eyes as his guild mate and his Omni Force teammate were still evenly matched, "This is awesome!" he shouted, closing his hands into fists in excitement, "I've never seen Ash this strong before!" he mentioned, letting a huge grin come onto his face.

"Neither have I…" Lucy concurred, having her eyes tremble in disbelief before she glanced over at Mirajane.

'Did he really become THIS strong for the Omni Force?' she questioned to herself, turning back to see the battle continuing. The two fighters jumped back, encasing their respective right fists in large amounts of electricity before charging towards each other once again.

"Lightning Dragon…" the blonde haired man began, reeling his arm back.

"Lightning Style…" the raven haired boy started to say, readying his extremity.

"IRON FIST!" his foe yelled, throwing his fist out.

"THUNDER PUNCH!" the Pokémon trainer bellowed, swinging his arm forward. Their fists connected, causing a gigantic surge of electricity to flow all throughout the area. Everyone flinched as the intense burst of wind blew past them upon the collision. Both Ash and Laxus gritted their teeth while they tried to push each other back, only to create an explosion of dust that enveloped them. Moments passed as the group from afar coughed from the dirt that was sent flying, waiting for it to clear.

"What happened?" Wendy asked worriedly, holding the Mouse Pokémon even more closer to herself. The dust began to settle, allowing for her and the others to look and gasp to see the two fighters still standing. The lightning dragon slayer was now in a somewhat fatigued state as he breathed in and out slowly, having a few scrapes across his hands and face. On the other hand, his opponent was inhaling and exhaling rapidly, having his hands on his knees while sweat dripped down from his face. His body was badly bruised and scraped, along with the fact that it had shrunk back to its previous state.

"So that technique was just temporary…" Evergreen noted, while the others were just stunned by the development, all except for Makarov.

"Is that it, kid?" the S-class wizard asked his foe, who still had small sparks of electricity emerging from his body. He clenched his teeth together, removing his hands from his knees as he closed them into fists, standing up firm despite his heavy breathing.

"Not… yet…" he muttered in between breaths of air, getting into a ready stance. His enemy did the same, staring seriously at him.

"Then I'll end this with one of my best attacks!" he declared, letting his electrical cloak envelop his form.

"Same!" the Omni Force member shouted as his own cloak of electricity encased him. Looking out at his opponent, he reminisced on a moment where he went through almost the exact same situation.

FLASHBACK

"So you say you've mastered that technique?" Ay questioned incredulously, narrowing his eyes onto his pupil.

"W-Well, I dunno…" he stammered in response, rubbing the back of his head nervously, "I wanted to make sure by asking you…" he told him, gulping a little. The Raikage just stared at him for a moment before closing his eyes.

"Show me," he said, causing him and the Electric type on his shoulder to blink in surprise.

"Uh… okay…" he replied, letting Pikachu jump off of him onto the ground as he got into a ready stance. His lightning cloak then started to envelop his form, sparking wildly. The leader of the Cloud Village became covered by his own aura of lightning, prepared to face his student. They lunged out at each other while Pikachu covered his eyes, fearful of what the outcome would be.

"Lightning Strait!" they exclaimed simultaneously as they crossed paths, practically zooming right through each other before landing down on the ground. Just a second later, Ash's lightning cloak dissipated into thin air while he fell onto his left knee.

"Pika!" the Mouse Pokémon squeaked in worry, rushing over to him immediately. Meanwhile, Ay appeared to be unharmed by the attack, but wasn't appearing to move at all as his body remained frozen in the state it was in when he attacked. His eyes trembled in disbelief as he managed to glance back and see the Pokémon trainer breathing heavily. He then found himself able to move again, allowing him to walk over to his pupil.

"Damn it!" he cursed, striking the ground with his right fist, "Even in the start of a fight, the second I use that technique," he began, "I lose all my chakra!" he yelled, clenching his teeth together in frustration.

"Pika…" the Electric type said, trying to reassured him.

"Boy," the Raikage uttered, catching their attentions as they instantly perked up, with the raven haired boy standing on his feet and turning around to face him, "that Lightning Strait is far from what I expected," he told him, "It's an attack that's meant to cripple your opponent completely," he mentioned while his student gave off an ashamed expression, looking down. His teacher started to walk past him, but then suddenly placed his brawny right hand onto the boy's head, making his eyes widen in shock. "You did good," he said to him before he paced onward, leaving the Team Omniverse member to stay where he was.

"Pi?" Pikachu questioned, blinking in confusion at his stunned trainer. Tears were flowing down from as he was crying, glad that he finally earned the approval from his master, sniffling a little.

END FLASHBACK

A sigh escaped the lips of the Omni Force member before he raced out towards his foe, letting out a loud battle cry while he ran as fast as he could.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Arts!" Laxus declared, charging his right fist with electricity before dashing forward as well. Everyone watched on with widened eyes, anticipating this to be the last move from each of them.

"LIGHTNING STRAIT!" Ash exclaimed, immersing himself in lightning before taking a great leap at his foe.

"ROARING THUNDER!" he bellowed, throwing his arm out at him. They crossed paths, making a sound of booming thunder echo before they passed, with the Pokémon trainer landing on the ground beyond the blonde haired man, having his lightning cloak dissipate into thin air. Everyone gasped at the sight except for Makarov, who merely unfolded his arms, letting them go back to their respective sides.

"It's over," he stated. Meanwhile, his grandson had his eyes tremble in shock, as he appeared frozen in the same position he attempted to strike his opponent with.

'He dodged it…' he inwardly realized as a few drops of sweat rolled down the side of his head, dripping down onto the ground, 'And he paralyzed me…!' he added through thought, glancing back at his enemy, seeing him start to fall backwards, 'If he didn't fight me alone, I could've been the one to lose…' he noted to himself before he heard a thud, being the raven haired boy as he was lying on his backside, breathing heavily out of fatigue.

"Ash!" Wendy cried out, rushing out to him along with Pikachu and Mirajane. As they ran over, the S-class wizard found himself able to move again, flexing his fingers before standing upright, turning around to see the two girls and the Mouse Pokémon tending to the Omni Force member while Natsu, Lucy, and the exceeds went over to them.

"Laxus won!" Bickslow exclaimed excitedly, having his tongue flail around wildly.

"We shouldn't have had any doubt that he would…" Evergreen mentioned, folding her arms under her chest.

"Yeah…" Freed concurred, looking towards his team leader, seeing that he was still staring at his defeated opponent.

"Ash, are you okay?!" the sky dragon slayer asked worriedly as she knelt down next to him, holding her hands out to him, "H-Hold on, I'll-!"

"I'm… okay, Wendy…" he reassured in between breaths, interrupting her sentence as she looked at him, seeing a small grin across his lips, "And… I'm sorry I got myself into this…" he apologized to everyone around him.

"Pika…" his partner uttered in concern, letting his ears flop down.

"You don't have to apologize, Ash," the take over wizard chimed in, squatting down, "That was an amazing battle," she mentioned, smiling at him brightly with everyone else.

"Yeah, totally!" the fire mage agreed, "I never thought in a million years you'd be the guy to give Laxus a good fight!" he told him, making him blink in surprise. He then pulled off a huge smile, shutting his eyes.

"Thanks…" he uttered in gratitude before his head rolled over to the side. The others were a little stunned at first, but then saw him breathe slowly, realizing that had just fallen asleep. Meanwhile, the S-class wizard watched on as his grandfather approached him.

"Laxus," he said, catching his attention as he looked over at him, "I hope you've learned that you shouldn't underestimate any opponent like you did back then…" he explained, much to his surprise as he blinked, "That boy has proven he's more than strong enough to fight against anyone in the guild," he mentioned, "And he's proven that he'll never give in unless he falls first," he added, making the blonde haired man gasp a little. He recomposed himself though, walking out towards his former foe and the others.

"Fast asleep…" Happy pointed out bluntly as he watched the Pokémon trainer continue his snoozing.

"I can't say it's unexpected…" Carla chimed in, placing her paws at her hips, "He just went through a tough bout…" she noted, chuckling a little.

"Hey," the lightning dragon slayer said, getting their attentions as they turned to see him standing there, going over to pick him up.

"Laxus?" Lucy uttered in confusion with a blink, "What are you doing?" she asked while he slung the Omni Force member over his left shoulder.

"Takin' him back to the guild," he responded, "It's the least I can do after giving me such a good fight," he noted, causing her and the others to all smile in agreement, "Yo, Natsu," he began to the spiky haired wizard, "can ya grab our stuff for us?" he asked.

"Do I look like a freakin' pack mule, you jerk?!" he responded angrily in question while a tick mark appeared on his forehead.

"I've got it," Mirajane chimed in, smiling as she was holding Ash's jacket and cap in her arms. The members of the Thunder Legion then walked over, with Freed holding his team leader's fur-trimmed coat. Together, they all started walking back to the guild, with Pikachu hopping onto the blonde haired man's shoulder, catching him by surprise, but making him smile.

An hour passed after the battle, as Ash was resting in a bed in the guild's infirmary room, where his partner and his crush were, waiting for him to get back up. A few bandages were upon his face and arms while he snoozed silently against the plush surface of the divan he lied in.

"I never thought he'd manage to do what he did…" the take over wizard confessed as she looked back at him with a warm smile while sitting on a chair, "You were probably pretty surprised, too, weren't you?" she inquired to the Electric type, getting his attention.

"Pika pi…" he muttered in response, rolling his eyes out of exasperation while she giggled.

"He definitely doesn't know how to give up," she mentioned cheekily, reminiscing over a few events, "When we were trapped in the Crocus dungeons, when we fought against the Rogue of the future and all those dragons," she listed off as examples, "and when we were up against Jiemma with Gingka and Erza…" she finished, looking back at the raven haired boy.

"Chu, pika pi," Pikachu agreed with a nod, smiling happily.

"I guess it's no surprise that I know he loves me, huh?" the maiden inquired cleverly, causing the Mouse Pokémon to perk up in surprise.

"Pi…" he groaned, remembering how much of a fool his trainer usually acted like when it came to being around his crush. She however, just giggled, blushing slightly as she glanced back at the boy.

"He's so dedicated to being there for his teammates," she pointed out, placing her left hand upon his right cheek, "whether they're from the Omni Force or Fairy Tail," she added, tilting her head to the side, "I guess that's why…" The next few words that came out of her mouth caused the Electric type's eyes to widen out of shock.

"P-Pika?" he questioned with a stutter, shaking his head out of disbelief. He then saw her plant a small kiss onto his owner's forehead, smiling brightly at him before standing up from her seat.

"I'm gonna get something for him to snack on when he wakes up," she stated, walking off out of the room.

"Pi ka…" Pikachu uttered in surprise upon having heard her confession. His ears suddenly perked up upon catching the sound of his trainer stirring, seeing him sit up and open his eyes.

"Pikachu?" he said, blinking out of confusion.

"Pika pi!" his partner squeaked in joy, jumping into his arms, making him laugh happily as he held him close.

"Sorry if I scared ya, buddy…" he apologized, petting him on the head with his left hand.

"Pika…" he reassured, shaking his head, "Pi, pika pi," he pointed out with a smile.

"Thanks, Pikachu," Ash said out of gratitude, hugging him again, "Ya know," he continued, "I'm really glad we got to meet Natsu and the others," he told him, making him raise an eyebrow in confusion, "Otherwise, I never would've wanted to get stronger…" he confessed as the Mouse Pokémon smiled in agreement.

"Well, what a surprise," a familiar voice chimed in, catching their attentions as they turned to the doorway, seeing Mirajane standing there, holding a plate of apple slices in her hands, "I turn my back for a few seconds, and you're up again!" she noted, giggling cheekily.

"Hey, Mira," Ash greeted, smiling brightly at her. Suddenly, he saw Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Happy, and Carla all rush in with his crush.

"How ya doin', tough guy?" the former of the group asked, chuckling as he and the others went over to him. As they all chatted together over what had conspired a few hours earlier, Laxus stood at the doorway with his friends from the Thunder Legion, grinning at the Pokémon trainer.

'You're definitely something else, kid,' he admitted to himself, 'One day, I'm sure you'll be a part of this guild…' he inwardly noted, crossing his arms over his chest.

FIVE YEARS LATER

Wearing a larger version of his grandfather's fur-trimmed coat, the lightning dragon slayer walked through the halls of the guild, taking a deep breath of air before he entered one of the rooms, being the building infirmary. There, he saw the take over wizard lying in a bed with her raven haired husband and his partner Pokémon sitting beside her, all looking at something in the former's arms, which was wrapped in a bright pink blanket. The blonde haired man then fake coughed, catching their attentions as they glanced over to see him there.

"So, the delivery turned out fine?" he inquired, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Thank goodness it did…" Ash muttered with a sigh of relief, removing his red cap from his head, placing it onto the plush surface of the bed as he wore a long-sleeved blue jacket with a black guild mark located at the right pectoral of it, while his wife let out a small giggle.

"I can't believe my water broke while I was on the job…" she admitted with a shake of her head and a sigh as she was wearing just a white shirt over her upper body while the sheets covered everything else, "But I'm glad it turned out okay…" she noted, smiling at what was in her arms.

"Pika," Pikachu agreed, nodding. The blonde haired wizard then walked over to the group, looking to see what was in the maiden's arms, being a small baby girl with little strands of white hair sticking out from her head.

"What's her name?" he asked as he leaned over to get a closer look at the infant.

"It's Leslie Ketchum," the mother of the child answered, "Me and Ash thought of it right on the spot," she mentioned, giggling happily as a light blush came across her cheeks.

"Heh, yeah," her husband concurred while he grinned, "Oh, uh, Laxus," he started to say to the lightning dragon slayer, "I was thinkin'…" he continued, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "would you wanna be-?"

"I'll pass," he suddenly interrupted before the raven haired man could finish his question, "I've already got the guildmaster job keepin' my hands full," he pointed out to him, "Besides," he kept going, "a certain redhead's already an Omni Force kid's godmother…" he mentioned, causing him to blink in surprise before pulling off a chuckle.

"Well, could you at least help us come up with a middle name?" Mirajane asked, tilting her head to the side as she caught their attentions.

"A middle name, huh?" Laxus inquired, glancing up at the ceiling in thought before pulling a smile across his lips, "How about… Rita?" he suggested, making the others widen their eyes in surprise.

"Where'd that name come from?" the take over wizard questioned, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"My great grandmother," the blonde haired man answered, unfolding his arms, "I think it'll suit a girl like her…" he noted, while the infant's eyes began to stir.

"Pika?" the Electric type uttered out of befuddlement, moving onto the bed to get a closer look at her. She then started to cry a little, getting her mother's attention as she looked back at her, smiling warmly.

"Leslie Rita Ketchum…" she uttered while the baby was still bawling, "Don't cry…" she advised softly. Humming quietly, she attempted to calm her newborn daughter, while also making the others smile. In just a moment, her crying stopped, allowing her father to gently rub her head.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail, Leslie," he greeted as a small tear flowed down from his right eye, thankful that his child had entered the world.

END

And there you have it! Bet some of you guys weren't expecting Ash to lose here. Sure, he's a main member of the Omni Force, but he can't be all powerful. However, I see this battle as an opportunity for him to learn and grow. After all, if Ash always won his fights like in Pokémon battles, he'd never learn from the experience.

On the other hand, I hope you enjoyed the little future nod to Leslie Ketchum at the end. I feel like she'd turn out great with parents like Ash and Mira, and friends such as Laxus. Say what you'd like, I think it'd be fun to ponder.

In the meantime, we've got another scenario story courtesy of SpiritReaper42! He's finally back with the writing groove with a few new stories, including a couple of scenarios provided by me! Anyways, this time around, we're gonna see another battle against his OC, Spirit Reaper! Enjoy!

SCENARIO

Spirit Reaper: *appears out of nowhere* Hello, everyone.

Ash: Whoa!

Pikachu: Pika!

Mirajane: Oh, Spirit Reaper! It's nice to see you again!

Laxus: Spirit Reaper? Who is this guy?

Ash: A friend of ours that we met in the last story… But… why are you here now?

Spirit Reaper: Just coming over while Akasha and Davey were busy in a battle.

Mirajane: Those other two, huh? *smiles* They must be locked in quite a battle.

Spirit Reaper: Exactly. But seeing them battle makes me want to battle. Just like how I battled Raiden and the Green Ranger.

Ash: Raiden and the Green Ranger?!

Pikachu: Pika…

Laxus: Okay, I'm completely lost on what's going on. *turns to Spirit Reaper* But I'm guessin' you're here lookin' for a fight.

Spirit Reaper: True, but that's not the only reason I'm here...

Ash: *raises eyebrow* Huh? What do you mean?

Spirit Reaper: After that last battle, I'm here to make another challenge.

Mirajane: Wait, do you mean you're here to-?!

Spirit Reaper: That's right. I challenge you, Ash and Laxus to face me in a battle. *summons scythe and spins it*

Pikachu: Pika pi?!

Ash: Y-You wanna fight us?! Wh-Why?!

Spirit Reaper: I'm waiting...

Ash: *grimaces nervously* Ergh…

Laxus: *drops fur-trimmed coat* Not like he's givin' us much of a choice. Come on, kid. Let's take him.

Ash: *widens eyes out of surprise, but then nods, twisting his cap backwards* Right! *gets into battle stance*

Spirit Reaper: *smirks and starts swinging his scythe* Good answer. Hope you two have what it takes to beat me.

Laxus: Hmph. *takes battle stance*

Spirit Reaper: *takes off trench coat and summons magic* Ready?

Laxus: Would ya quit yappin' and just fight us already?

Spirit Reaper: Funny I should be telling you the same thing... *spins and swings scythe* Death Slash!

Laxus: *gets in front of Ash, reeling his right fist back as its encased in electricity* Lightning Dragon Iron Fist! *punches slash into thin air*

Spirit Reaper: *jumps at them and hits them both with a spin kick*

Ash: Agh! *tumbles across ground before getting back up*

Laxus: Ergh… *stays on his feet* Try this on for size! *races out at Spirit Reaper, appearing to be immersed by lightning*

Ash: *lunges forward as lightning cloak appears over his form* Gotcha'!

Spirit Reaper: Whoa! *dodges from Laxus but was caught by Ash*

Ash: *wraps right arm around him* LARIAT! *hurls him to the ground*

Spirit Reaper: *falls to the ground but gets back up fast*

Ash: And… *dashes right up to him* Thunder Punch! *strikes him with his right fist encased in electricity*

Spirit Reaper: GAH! *grabs Ash and throws him at Laxus*

Ash: Whoa!

Laxus: *catches him* You all right?

Spirit Reaper: Take this! *uses his magic to stop them from moving*

Laxus: Ah! What the…?

Ash: Just like the last battle…

Spirit Reaper: *sends them away with a swift wave*

Laxus: Agh! *tries to regain his footing, only to find that he still can't move* Dammit…

Spirit Reaper: *spins scythe and throws it at them*

Ash: Uh oh!

Pikachu: Pika! *suddenly jumps out, using Iron Tail to deflect the scythe away*

Spirit Reaper: *gasps seeing Pikachu hitting the scythe away but catches it* Nice move. But I can do better. Burning wind! *sends six flaming tornadoes at them*

Ash: Then let's try this! *puts hands together in a tiger seal* Lightning Style: Discharge! *discharges multiple bolts of electricity from his body*

Laxus: Nice idea. *puffs out chest* Lightning Dragon… ROAR! *fires beam of electrical energy from his mouth*

Pikachu: Pika… CHU! *unleashes Thunderbolt*

Spirit Reaper: Agh! *tries to stay up but the electricity was too much for him to handle*

Laxus: And now to finish it! *reels right arm back* Lightning Dragon-!

Spirit Reaper: Forget that! *turns into a shadow and starts moving*

Laxus: What the-?!

Ash: It's like before!

Pikachu: Pika…

Spirit Reaper: *appears with ten clones*

Ash: He sure knows how to make things interesting…

Laxus: No kidding…

Pikachu: Pika pi! *lets cheeks spark wildly*

Spirit Reaper clones: *fight Ash, Laxus and Pikachu*

Pikachu: Chu, pika! *strikes one down with an Iron Tail, making it disappear*

Spirit Reaper: *watches the clones disappear after they were hit and teleports to Ash hitting him with an uppercut*

Ash: Guh! *falls down*

Laxus: Ash!

Pikachu: Pika! *jumps up, forming an Electro Ball on his tail* Chu… PIKA! *launches Electro Ball*

Spirit Reaper: *hits the Electro Ball away with the scythe* Is that all? *suddenly gets hit by both Ash and Laxus*

Laxus: *slamming him with his hands together* Lightning Dragon Jaw!

Ash: *knocking him down with his right foot* Drop Kick!

Spirit Reaper: *tries to fight back but feels paralyzed* Oh no...

Ash: Thunder Punch! *strikes him with his right fist*

Spirit Reaper: *falls down hard trying to get up*

Laxus: Nice shot! *lunges towards Spirit Reaper* Now let's finish this!

Ash: Right! *dashes with him*

Pikachu: Pika! *follows behind*

Spirit Reaper: *teleports away from them*

Ash: Huh?!

Laxus: Sneaky little guy… All right, where are ya?!

Pikachu: *ears suddenly perks up as he turns and spots Spirit Reaper, pointing at him* Pika pika!

Spirit Reaper: *grabs a box and opens them putting on the harmony rings* Generosity! Honesty! Laughter! Kindness! Loyalty! And Magic!

Laxus: What the heck's he doin'?

Ash: *grimaces in realization* I know…

Spirit Reaper: Get ready for the magic of friendship! *unleashes his full Equestrian magic form*

Laxus: …What?

Ash: Be careful! He's more powerful than ya think!

Spirit Reaper: *stops time and damages Laxus with his scythe*

Laxus: GAH! *tumbles across the ground*

Ash: Laxus! Darn it… *clasps hands together in a tiger seal* I gotta-!

Spirit Reaper: *fires a magic blast at Ash*

Pikachu: Pika!

Ash: *falls down* Ergh…

Pikachu: Pika… *dashes out at Spirit Reaper angrily*

Spirit Reaper: *dodges and grabs Pikachu by the tail and throws him away*

Pikachu: Pika!

Laxus: *catches him* I gotcha'.

Ash: *gets up* Ergh…

Spirit Reaper: I'll admit you guys are really good... *looks up with glowing eyes* But I think it's over now... *flies straight up and lunges at them*

Laxus: Now what? *lets go of Pikachu*

Ash: Uh oh… *gets into battle stance* Get ready, you guys!

Laxus: Got it!

Pikachu: Pika! *cheeks spark wildly*

Spirit Reaper: SONIC DEATHBOOM! *fires the ultimate attack*

Ash: Lightning Style: Mega Discharge! *unleashes several streaks of lightning from his body*

Pikachu: Pika… CHU! *launches Thunderbolt*

Laxus: Lightning Dragon… *forms a rod of lightning upon his hands in the shape of a trident* HEAVENLY HALBERD! *throws lightning*

Spirit Reaper: Not again! *takes cover*

-The Sonic Deathboom explodes after being countered again-

Mirajane: *from afar* You guys! *runs over to the cloud of dust that followed*

-The dust disappears, revealing the unconscious Ash, Laxus, and Spirit Reaper, but Pikachu is still standing tall-

Pikachu: Pi? *looks around* Pika…

Spirit Reaper: *regains consciousness and sits up* So I lost to Pikachu? *shrugs* I lost to a normal human in hockey. I can take it.

Pikachu: Pika pi.

Mirajane: *picks him up* Nice job, Pikachu!

Pikachu: *rubs back of his head sheepishly* Pika…

Spirit Reaper: *heals Ash and Laxus with his magic*

Ash: *sits up* What happened…? *rubs back of his head*

Laxus: *stands* Seems like we won in the end…

Mirajane: Thanks for healing them.

Pikachu: Pika, pika!

Spirit Reaper: *stands up and heals himself* Well, you know, sometimes a reaper must be the reaper.

Laxus: Heh. *picks up fur-trimmed coat* That was somethin' else…

Ash: *twists cap back around* Definitely! Thanks for the battle!

Spirit Reaper: Thank you for accepting my challenge, but I must go. Busy schedule ahead.

Mirajane: Well, take care of yourself!

Pikachu: *waves* Pika!

Spirit Reaper: Best of luck everybody! I hope we meet again! *teleports*

END SCENARIO

And there you have it! With "Lightning Round" officially completed, we're moving onto the 20th story I've ever created on this website: "Visitors"! Like I've said time and time again, Fairy Tail has become one of favorite anime series to watch, and the manga makes things even more entertaining. Things may not be looking so good for some members, but don't worry. I have a general idea of how things'll turn out in the end for the series, and I can't wait to see it.

In the meantime, "Visitors" is about to begin! Hope you're all excited to see the hilarity and action that brought Natsu Dragneel onto the Omni Force, which was known as Team Omniverse back then. All main members one through nine will be present at some point in the story, and there will be multiple pairings such as: Ash X Mirajane, Korra X Gray X Juvia, Ben X Cana, Gingka X Erza, Natsu X Lucy, and plenty more! Hope you all enjoy it once the spring comes around! Also, be sure to leave questions for the Q&As that'll be included in the chapters of "Visitors"! Me and the characters will really appreciate them!

See you guys next time!

QUOTE:

I promise we'll beat those Tartaros jerks for you guys!

~Ash Ketchum,

To Laxus in Fairy Versus the Underworld