Hey, everybody! Hope you're all enjoying the holiday season, 'cause here comes another chapter of "Resolve"! Now we're finally getting into the good stuff, with our female leads of Erza and Mirajane finally getting introduced! And of course, that'll lead to the hilarity of both Ash X Mira and Gingka X Erza! Before we begin however, I'd to make one thing perfectly clear: For those of you leaving questions, please try to keep them as appropriate as possible. I know this story is T-rated, but still.

Without further ado and delay, here's the second chapter of "Resolve"!

RESOLVE

Birds chirped in the skies of Earthland as the morning had come to Magnolia. The summer weather had been especially kind to the citizens as they traveled about within the town streets, visiting merchants or just wandering around. Everything was rather quiet however, since the events of the Grand Magic Games had ended over a few months prior. Still, that didn't stray away from the fact that the people were appreciative of their hometown guild, which was practically a landmark with its enormous hall structure. There, just outside of its large doors, a frantic and sweating Natsu Dragneel was pacing back and forth, having an unusually distressed expression on his face as he kept walking. Witnessing his anxiety continue to mold him were his friends, being Lucy Heartfilia, Happy, Gray Fullbuster, Wendy Marvell, Carla, Juvia Lockser, Gajeel Redfox, and Lily, as they were all in front of the doors to the castle-like edifice.

"How long has he been like this?" the celestial mage asked out of worry, placing her right hand against her cheek as her friend was still grimacing.

"Ever since Gingka hung up on him…" the blue furred cat responded, glancing over at the fire dragon slayer with a concerned expression, "I tried to get 'im to relax," he mentioned, "but he was so freaked out!" he exclaimed, outstretching his paws.

"I dunno if I can blame him…" the blonde haired girl admitted, looking his way, seeing that he had his arms crossed as he was trying to think.

"Is Natsu going to be all right?" the water mage questioned, holding her hands out in front of herself.

"Who knows?" her beloved responded sarcastically, folding his arms behind head, "Way I see it," he began to admit, "he's just getting worked up over nothing…" he stated with a bored look in his eyes.

"Ain't that the truth…" the iron dragon slayer muttered in agreement as he had his arms crossed, "Salamander's been like this fer an hour…" he pointed out. Having heard and seen enough, Lucy stepped forward, developing a serious expression on her face.

"Hey, Natsu!" she cried out, catching the attention of the spiky haired wizard as he looked over to see her approach, unfolding his arms, "Why are you acting so stressed?" she asked, raising an eyebrow while she placed her hands at her hips, "I mean, it's too bad Gingka and Ash can't go on that mission, but-"

"No, it's totally bad!" the fire mage interjected with a scared look, "The second Erza finds out they can't come," he started to say in panic, "she's gonna kill me!" he exclaimed out of fright.

"Wait…" his comrade began to realize after a blink, "you didn't tell her?!" she questioned loudly in shock.

"How could I, Luce?!" he asked back in reply, "She'd get so mad that I'd… eh…" he tried to say, but couldn't as he was shuddering and sweating from the fear he felt for what he would have to face from his fellow guild mate.

"Honestly…" the female exceed sighed out of exasperation, placing her right paw upon her head, "Erza should understand that they have lives outside of their work as Omni Force members," she explained, catching the attentions of the teammates from afar.

"And they're probably tired from the battles they've had in all those universes…" the sky dragon slayer suggested, making her spiky haired companion raise an eyebrow in thought.

"Didn't sound that way to me when I talked to Gingka yesterday…" he commented, recalling the conversation in his mind.

"Maybe he and Ash had something else goin' on?" Happy guessed as he trotted over with both Gray and Juvia, getting their attentions.

"That's quite possible…" the latter of the two with him concurred, nodding while the rest of the group went up to them as well.

"Gingka is a strong warrior," the black furred cat mentioned, "I bet someone else on the Omni Force needed his help before Natsu called," he inquired.

"But what about the kid?" his jet black haired friend questioned, "I doubt he'd wanna miss out on a mission with the barmaid…" he pointed out, chuckling a little.

"Oh, come on, Gajeel…" Wendy pleaded, holding her hands out to him in a placating manner, "You can't tease him just because he really likes Mirajane…" she noted with a drop of sweat rolling her head.

"Like is an understatement," her exceed retorted cheekily with a grin, placing her paws at her hips as she glanced up at the sky.

"He luuuvvvs her~," the blue furred cat purred teasingly, having his paws in front of his mouth, causing the both of them to sigh out of exasperation.

"If neither of 'em show up, I'm doomed…" the fire mage muttered as he nervously had his teeth clenched.

"Come on, Natsu…" Lucy begged, trying to reassure him.

"You're getting way too worked up over this," Gray mentioned to him, chiming in as he had subconsciously taken his orange shirt off, revealing his bare upper body, much to the delight of the blue haired beauty beside him while hearts appeared in her eyes.

"'Scuse me?!" the spiky haired wizard responded, turning to face the ice user with an annoyed look in his eyes, "You'd feel the same way, too, ya big perv!" he yelled, causing him to develop a tick mark upon his forehead.

"Would not, flame brain!" he shouted back, "I'd be man enough to tell Erza straight up that they're not coming!" he declared, getting right into the face of the dragon slayer.

"Then why don't ya do it for me, ice prick?!" he suggested angrily in reply as a fiery aura shrouded his body.

"It's your problem, matchstick!" the onyx haired teen answered, having a cold energy waft around his own form, still glaring down his comrade. The others with them just watched them blankly, with Juvia developing an excited look in her eyes to see her beloved about to go off into action.

"Huh…" the celestial mage sighed, placing her right hand on her head, "Once those two start, they never stop, do they?" she questioned rhetorically.

"It's kinda like they're brothers in a way," the pigtailed girl beside her chimed in, "Though, I wish they'd stop getting into fights, too…" she admitted with an embarrassed blush across her cheeks. All of a sudden, before the two Fairy Tail members could break out into a brawl, a green portal appeared just beside them, catching their attentions as they turned to see it along with the rest of the others present. An excited smile of both happiness and relief appeared on Natsu's face while the rest of his guild mates eyed the strange rift. A figure then leapt out of it, landing on the ground with his sneakered feet, skidding to a stop. The sky dragon slayer's eyes lit up as she saw that it was Ash, dressed in his day clothes with Pikachu perched upon his left shoulder.

"Fairy Tail…" he began, closing his right hand into a fist before raising it into the air, "…Ash Ketchum has arrived!" he declared loudly.

"Pika!" the Mouse Pokémon exclaimed, mimicking his trainer's action. At the same time, Gingka also emerged from the portal, having seen his teammate's excited reaction.

"You're sure pumped up about this," he mentioned to him with a chuckle.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked rhetorically in response, "We're helpin' out our friends again!" he pointed out with a huge smile. The two of them, along with the Electric type looked out at the guild members standing before them, seeing the grins on their faces.

"Yo, Natsu," the beyblader began, pulling out his MPG, pressing its center icon and making the vortex vanish in a flash of light, "been a while," he noted as he smirked, causing the fire mage to blink in surprise. However, a grin spread across his lips, as he was excited and relieved to see his friends.

EPISODE I PART II

"WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YA CALL BACK?!" the fire dragon slayer's booming voice echoed angrily, causing everyone around him to flinch and cover their ears.

"Hey, sorry…" the shaggy haired teen responded in apology while he and the others put their hands down, "Ya know," he continued, "you didn't exactly give us enough info about the job…" he pointed out, making him cringe.

"Well, that ain't my fault!" he replied with a small blush apparent on his cheeks, "All Erza told me was she needed you two to help her an' Mira on a S-class job…" he explained, rubbing the back of his head while he glanced away.

"Speaking of whom…" Gingka began, catching his attention, "any idea where Erza is?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"She's still packing up for the trip, I think," Lucy answered, chiming in on the conversation, "Knowing her, she's probably takin' everything…" she noted with a drop of sweat rolling down the left side of her head.

"I'll bet…" the beyblader agreed, recalling the fact that the requip user usually carried an immense amount of luggage with her on jobs, cringing at the thought.

"So how come ya didn't wanna get here right away?" Natsu asked, crossing his arms as he looked at his teammate.

"I've been through a lot lately, dude," he responded, "And I was hopin' to get a break from it all this week…" he added, glancing off to the side.

"See, Natsu?" the celestial wizard questioned, catching his attention, "Gingka's got his own problems aside from yours!" she pointed out to him in an upset tone.

"Hey, don't go blamin' me!" he claimed in plea to her, holding his hands out to her in a placating manner, "Erza's the one who's got the problem!" he noted with his tongue flaring wildly, "She just needed me to call 'em!" he mentioned.

"Still worried about Erza, huh?" the shaggy haired teen guessed, folding his arms behind his head.

"Yeah…" Gray replied, "Matchstick just doesn't know when to stop being scared of her…" he commented, causing the fire mage to perk up as a tick mark developed upon his forehead.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" he screamed, stomping towards his comrade angrily, "YOU'D BE JUST AS SCARED AS ME, ICE PRINCE!" he yelled, causing him to show off an angered expression in his eyes.

"AS IF!" he claimed in reply, "I'M LESS SCARED THAN YOU ARE, YA MORON!" he shouted out of rage. The two began bickering once again, getting into each other's faces while the others watched on with blank expressions on their own, seeing the respective auras wafting off of them.

"Oh boy…" the blonde haired girl sighed as she tilted her head. Meanwhile, the exceeds and the other Fairy Tail members were gathered around Ash and Pikachu, both of whom had huge smiles on their faces.

"…And that's how it is," the Pokémon trainer finished telling them.

"Wow!" Wendy exclaimed, clasping her hands together excitedly, "So you've got five badges now!" she noted with a happy expression.

"Yep!" the raven haired boy responded, "We've still got a ways to go…" he admitted, "but we'll definitely get there!" he declared with a pump of his right fist.

"Pika!" the Mouse Pokémon agreed, gesturing the same way his trainer was.

"Both of ya look you've grown a bit since the games…" Gajeel commented, having his arms crossed.

"Thanks!" Ash replied with a grin, "Wendy," he began to the sky dragon slayer, catching her attention, "you look like you've grown a lot, too!" he noted, smiling brightly. She blinked for a moment in surprise before letting out a small sigh.

"Nope…" she answered, "I'm still the same size as ever…" she noted with a forced grin as a few drops of sweat rolling down her head. The Omni Force member tilted his head in confusion, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you look stronger to me," he stated, grinning widely while the Electric type had jumped off of his shoulder. The pigtailed girl's eyes widened in realization as to what he had meant to say, unable to contain her own happy smile as a small blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Yeah!" she concurred, giggling a little. Her cat watched on at the scene with a grin gracing her lips, knowing that the Pokémon trainer was always thoughtful.

'Ash is like an older brother to Wendy with that kindness of his,' she noted to herself, 'He's always been so considerate of her feelings ever since they met…' she added through thought, placing her paws at her hips.

"Pika?" a voice chirped, catching her attention as she turned her head to see Pikachu standing beside her, extending his right arm out to her, "Pi chu!" he greeted happily.

"Nice to see you as well!" Carla responded, taking his paw with her own and shaking it gently, pleased by his gentlemanly introduction.

"Hey, Pikachu!" Happy cried out, going over to the two with Lily, starting up another conversation while the humans continued their chat from beside them.

"So, kid," the iron dragon slayer began, putting his left arm against the raven haired boy's shoulder, catching his attention as he was leaning on it, "you psyched fer the mission?" he inquired to him with a cheeky grin.

"Y-Yeah…" he replied with a stutter as a blush came across his cheeks, "Though, I'm a little nervous…" he confessed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Nervous?" Juvia questioned as she blinked, "Why would that be?" she asked, tilting her head out of confusion.

"I know," Wendy answered, chiming into the conversation, catching their attentions, "It's because Mira's on the mission, too, right?" she guessed, making the Pokémon trainer blink in surprise as he glanced away shamefully, with his face turning a bright crimson.

"What's the matter, man?" Gajeel questioned, placing his hand atop the Omni Force member's head, pushing his cap down over his eyes, "Last time I saw ya at that big banquet, you were dancin' with the barmaid…" he mentioned, seeing that his flushed face had not yet passed.

"W-Well…" he began to say with a stammer as his lips trembled, "It's… j-just been a while, y-you know…" he pointed out, fidgeting nervously with his fingers. The sky dragon slayer just giggled, getting his attention again.

"Don't worry, Ash," she reassured, "Mira's probably just as excited to see you!" she noted with a smile, causing him to blink in surprise before pulling one off as well.

'And Wendy's just as supportive to him…' the white furred cat thought to herself, proud of her friend while the conversation between the other two exceeds and Pikachu was ongoing beside her.

"Pika!" the Mouse Pokémon exclaimed to the two male, anthropomorphic creatures, who glanced at each other blankly after listening to him.

"I… have no idea what he said…" Lily admitted bluntly after a moment, letting a drop of sweat roll down his head.

"Aye…" Happy concurred, also confused as he tilted his head.

"So… where's Mirajane now?" the raven haired boy asked, relinquishing himself from Gajeel and readjusting his cap, "She inside?" he questioned, pointing towards the guild hall.

"Nope," the iron dragon slayer responded, crossing his arms as he glanced back towards the arguing mages closer to the gateway.

"Mira had to get ready for the job overnight," the pigtailed girl mentioned, "so she's probably still packing up her things," she explained to him.

"Oh…" Ash realized with a hint of disappointment in his voice, glancing back over at the enraged wizards with the others.

"Oh my…" the water mage commented, placing her hands over her mouth while a small blush tinted her cheeks.

"Those two are such animals…" Carla noted out of exasperation, sighing deeply as they all walked over to them.

"ICE PERV!" Natsu yelled at his comrade with his angered expression.

"FLAME BRAIN!" Gray retorted, having his rage reach its peak as he and the spiky haired wizard were about to actually brawl while the others watched on, knowing they had little to no power in trying to stop them. They snarled at each other as they reeled their respective right fists back, prepared to attack.

"ENOUGH!" a booming voice echoed in demand, causing the two of them to pale in fright and immediately themselves upon recognizing who it was. They and the others then turned towards the entrance, seeing Erza Scarlet standing, wearing her signature Heart Kreuz armor upon her upon her upper body while her blue skirt and black boots showed on the lower half. Behind her was a humungous stack of baggage upon a large, wooden cart, much to the shock of both the Pokémon trainer, his partner, and beyblader.

"Whoa!" the former of the three gasped out of surprise.

"Pika…!" Pikachu uttered out of amazement, almost forgetting how strong the S-class wizard really was. However, Gingka was more exasperated by her arrival than stunned, crossing his arms as he stared out towards her blankly.

'She's bringing THAT much luggage?' he asked himself, raising an eyebrow, 'Yeah, this'll be fun…' he sarcastically said through his thoughts, sighing deeply.

"Natsu, Gray," the requip mage began as she approached her fellow guild mates, who cringed out of fright.

"Y-Yeah, Erza?" the fire dragon slayer questioned with a stammer as his lips quivered. Without warning, both he and the ice wizard each felt an armored fist of hers connect with the tops of their heads, making large red bumps swell up upon them as they fell down to the ground flat on their faces.

"Quit fighting!" she ordered angrily, placing her hands at her hips, "You two need to understand to be a bit more courteous around our guests!" she pointed out.

"A-Aye…" they weakly responded with stutters, practically knocked out by the attacks on their respective craniums.

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to just shout at them…" the shaggy haired teen mentioned, catching her attention as she looked over at him.

"That is true…" she admitted in reply with a sheepish blush, glancing back at the two boys she had just taken care of as they were slowly getting back to their feet, "But these two are impossible…" she noted, having a frustrated expression on her face.

"P-Point taken…" the beyblader agreed in a stammer, scratching his right cheek out of being in an embarrassed and nervous state.

"You all set for the mission, Erza?" Wendy asked with a smile as Natsu and Gray stood up, rubbing their heads out of agony.

"Of course," the scarlet haired wizard answered, nodding, "And I'm glad to see that both you and Ash arrived, Gingka," she added, glancing over at the two, "I was afraid neither of you would be able to come…" she confessed to him, tilting her head.

"Yeah…" he responded, remembering how his girlfriend had convinced him to go just last night, "So, uh…" he began, coughing to recompose himself, "what's this S-class mission all about?" he asked her curiously.

"I'll be going over the details once Mira arrives," she responded, folding her arms over her armored chest, "But I hope you packed up for at least a few days," she mentioned, "because that's how long this job's going to take," she told them.

"Whoa, really?" the raven haired boy questioned, almost in a state of disbelief as he blinked.

'So this is gonna take some time, huh?' the shaggy haired teen guessed inwardly, 'Oh well…' he said through his thoughts, 'Might as well make the best of it…' he told himself.

"Sorry I'm late!" a familiar, feminine voice cried out in apology, causing the Pokémon trainer to instantly perk up and turn to see Mirajane rushing towards them, wearing a black dress that had a white ribbon tied up before her cleavage and a gray cloth wrapped around her waist. She was carrying a large knapsack as she sported armbands near her shoulders, each with a white ribbon tied upon them.

"Mira!" Ash exclaimed delightedly, racing over to greet her. His partner dashed after him, while the rest of the group stayed behind and watched on, having grins on their faces.

"And he said he was nervous…" Gajeel commented, "Heh," he chuckled, crossing his arms.

"He must've been quite excited to know that Mirajane would be accompanying us, right?" Erza guessed to the beyblader.

"Huh…" he laughed in reply, glancing over at the two, "You don't know the half of it…" he noted with a smirk.

"Hey, you two!" the white haired beauty greeted with a bright smile as they all came to a stop just before each other, "It's been too long!" she noted to them.

"Yeah, it sure has…" the raven haired boy agreed, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"Pika, pika pi," Pikachu concurred, nodding as he had his arms folded across his chest while he stood up.

"So, how's everything been?" the Satan Soul user asked curiously, tilting her head to the side.

"Great!" Ash replied with a wide grin, "And I'm really excited about this mission we're goin' on!" he added, causing her to giggle. The others were smiling at their interaction as well, but then went back to conversing about the mission, leaving them to chat on their own.

'Boy,' the Pokémon trainer began to himself, 'Mira looks as beautiful as ever,' he commented inwardly while letting a small blush appear on his cheeks as she was talking, 'Her bright smile, her lovely white hair…' he listed off in thought while his eyes traveled downward, 'Her b-' His thoughts instantly halted the moment he realized he was accidentally looking at her cleavage, making his face flush completely. On impulse, he turned his head away, much to her confusion as she noticed.

"What's the matter?" she asked, befuddled as she blinked.

"N-Nothing…" the raven haired boy claimed with a stutter, still blushing as he tipped his cap down over his eyes. However, he then took notice of the Mouse Pokémon beside him, having an upset expression on his face, causing him to cringe in realization.

"Pika…" he growled angrily as his tail began glowing a silvery white. In just a moment, a loud yelp caught the attentions of the group as they looked and gasped to see Ash getting smacked to the ground by his Electric type's lightning bolt-shaped appendage, much to their shock as they saw the stone walkway break from it.

"Oh my…" Mirajane uttered with her right hand over her mouth. The Pokémon trainer lied upon the ground with steam emerging from his head, completely knocked out as his mouth was agape. Pikachu just had his arms crossed as he turned away, looking very upset.

"Pi… ka!" he angrily squeaked at his trainer.

"S-Sorry…" he stuttered in apology, while the others from afar were just left stunned by what had just conspired between the two.

"What the heck was that about?" Natsu asked, scratching the back of his head in confusion as he raised an eyebrow. Gingka just sighed deeply, remembering how such an incident had happened multiple times before.

'Should've seen that coming…' he noted to himself, letting a drop of sweat roll down the side of his head.

'Boys will be boys…' Carla inwardly said, sighing. A little while later, the raven haired boy had an ice pack pressed against the back of his head as he was grimacing in pain, gathered with everyone else outside.

"So what's this S-class job you got, Erza?" the fire dragon slayer questioned curiously, crossing his arms.

"Knowing how you've got Mira with ya," Gray mentioned while his jeans had somehow vanished, leaving only his boxers showing, "along with Gingka and Ash," he continued, "it's gotta be pretty important," he noted.

"Indeed," the requip mage responded, "Also… your pants," she pointed out bluntly, gesticulating at his boxers, causing him to look down and gasp in fright.

"CRAP!" he exclaimed, scrambling to find his jeans while the conversation continued amongst the others.

"Gingka, Ash," the scarlet haired wizard began, getting their attentions, "you remember the city of Crocus, don't you?" she questioned to them.

"Where both the Grand Magic Games and that Eclipse incident were, right?" the beyblader guessed in response, receiving a simple nod from his ally, "So that's where we're goin'…" he realized, placing his hands at his hips.

"Exactly," Erza responded, "According to the clients of this job and others," she started to say, "ever since the city has recovered, there have multiple wakes of destruction across its outskirts," she explained, much to their surprise as their eyes widened, "With that…" she kept going, "some of the clients believe that it's a raging beast that's bound to attack the city itself," she told them.

"Wait a sec," the Pokémon trainer chimed in, catching her attention, "How come it's an S-class mission then?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's because the beast's destroyed so much," the white haired beauty answered, "Large craters, torn down woods, anything you could think of…" she listed off, making him gulp in fright.

"Our job is to track this creature down and subdue it by any means necessary," the requip user stated to the two Omni Force members. They glanced at each other for a moment, letting the sweat that became apparent on their heads roll down their respective faces.

'This sounds really serious…' the shaggy haired teen of the two noted inwardly, 'Guess we oughta' be, too," he added, recomposing himself.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" the spiky haired wizard's voice suddenly yelled, making everyone flinch, "Yer takin' 'em on a monster hunt without me?!" he questioned angrily, stomping right up to Erza.

"He kinda has a point…" the beyblader noted, catching their attentions, "His nose is good for tracking stuff…" he pointed out, gesturing to his own.

"Yes," the scarlet haired wizard agreed, making Natsu grin excitedly, "but his attitude's a different story…" he mentioned, causing him to grimace in realization.

"Aw, to hell with attitude!" he shouted back at her while she cocked her right fist back, "Just let me-! GUH!" he yelped in pain, getting struck right in the torso by her punch, falling over onto the ground in a heap, much to the shock of those around him.

"Did you really have to do that?" Gingka asked sarcastically with a blank look on his face.

"He wouldn't have shut up about it if I hadn't," the requip mage retorted in response, "Besides," she kept going, "I assumed that Ash's Pokémon would be excellent trackers," she noted, causing him and Pikachu to perk up in surprise, "So," she continued, catching the beyblader's attention, along with those of her teammates, "are you ready for the mission?" she questioned, folding her arms over her chest.

"Totally!" the Pokémon trainer exclaimed in reply, closing his hands into fists excitedly, "We wouldn't have come if we weren't!" he pointed out, smiling widely. Mirajane just giggled at him while the two redheads grinned, prepped as well.

"Then we'll head out," Erza declared. As they were getting set to leave, Natsu sat up from the ground, rubbing the back of his head out of agony.

"Ugh…" he groaned groggily.

"Boy, matchstick," Gray began as he walked over to him, getting his attention as he growled, turning to face him, "ya sure know how make Erza mad…" he noted with a smirk.

"Gray, Natsu," the one known as Titania began to say, interrupting the dragon slayer's attempt at a retort to his rival, "while we're gone, why don't you take a page out of Ash and Gingka's book," she continued to suggest, "and try to start acting more like them as friends?" she recommended with a stern glare, "Got it?" she questioned menacingly.

"Y-YES, MA'AM!" they both stammered loudly in reply, sweating madly.

"Good," she responded, walking off along with her teammates for the mission, leaving them and the others behind.

"So…" the ice wizard started to say, catching the fire mage's attention as he stood up, "we gotta act more like Ash and Gingka…" he pointed out, crossing his arms over his well-toned chest.

"Aye," he answered, putting his hand at his chin in thought as they saw them depart through the gateway, with the requip user grabbing her cart piled up with luggage.

"I wonder what they're thinking…" Wendy commented about the two rambunctious teens from afar in a quiet tone.

"Nothing good, I bet…" Lucy responded with a heavy sigh, having her head tilt to the right.

X

A while passed as the group of four, plus Pikachu, had headed off into the downtown area, stopping at a small, one-story building that appeared to contain about a dozen different types of car-like vehicles.

'We're driving there?' the shaggy haired teen questioned inwardly, raising an eyebrow.

"Wait here," the scarlet haired wizard advised, walking into the edifice. A few moments passed by as the beyblader, the Pokémon trainer, and the Satan Soul user awaited her return, with the former of the three glancing inside to her chatting with the shopkeeper, discussing what magic-mobile would suit her and her friends.

"Ah…" Mirajane suddenly yawned, catching the attentions of the boys and the Electric type as they looked over at her.

"You all right, Mira?" Ash asked her out of concern.

"Just a little tired is all…" she replied, rubbing her right eye, "My brother and sister had me spend all night packing for the trip," she mentioned, letting out another yawn.

"I guess that just means they wanna make sure you're safe…" the raven haired boy inquired, placing his hands at his hips while his crush smiled back at him.

"At least you're not takin' as much as Erza…" Gingka quipped, folding his arms behind his head. The other two laughed at his comment, while he just glanced back at the requip user, seeing that her talk with the shopkeeper was almost done.

"Hey, Mira," the Pokémon trainer started to say, catching his and the white haired beauty's attentions, "has Laxus been around the guild lately?" he asked her curiously, also making his partner perk up out of surprise.

"He's been around more than ever," she responded with a grin, "Nowadays, it's like he lives there," she noted, giggling a little in remembrance.

"Heh," the Omni Force member chuckled, "I wish I could've seen him before we went off," he confessed, rubbing the back of his head with his right hand. The shaggy haired teen was albeit surprised by his teammate's desire, wondering what exactly was on his mind.

"We're ready," a feminine voice chimed in, enticing him to turn and see the armored mage standing beside him at the entrance, "Let's pick out a car," she advised, heading back into the rental shop.

"Uh, yeah," the beyblader replied, following her inside with the others as they grabbed their bags. Moments later, they were gathered around a wooden carriage-like vehicle, which had a steering wheel and an onyx leather bench at the front rather than a driver's seat. Gingka noticed that the undercarriage of the car appeared to have the engine, with a wire that appeared to extend from it up to the front.

"So, where's our luggage going?" Ash asked, tilting his head and raising an eyebrow out of confusion.

'You mean HER luggage…' his comrade corrected inwardly, letting a drop of sweat roll down the side of his head.

"Since it'll be just the four of us," Erza began to reply, "I suppose we can fit our bags onto the roof and strap them down…" she suggested, placing her right hand onto her chin, "Gingka," she began to the beyblader, getting his attention, "would you mind sitting up front with me?" she asked in a polite tone, much to his surprise.

"Uh, sure," he responded with a simple nod, making her grin.

"Ash, Mira," she started to say to her other two teammates, "you'll be sitting in the carriage then, all right?" she told them, raising an eyebrow. The raven haired boy blushed out of surprise, but the white haired beauty beside him just giggled.

"Of course!" she answered with her bright smile.

"Y-Yeah…" the Pokémon trainer concurred with a crimson face, scratching at his right cheek.

"Pika…" his partner sighed, jumping down from his shoulder. Moments later, the whole group was helping to set the scarlet haired wizard's luggage upon the roof of the magic-mobile, while the bags of the others were already within the carriage.

"Ergh…!" the shaggy haired teen grunted as he shoved one of the suitcases up onto vehicle, breathing out a sigh of relief, "So, Erza," he began, catching the attention of the requip user as he took hold of another bag, "I'm guessing were not gonna be gettin' to Crocus till nightfall…" he inquired to her, gritting his teeth as he pushed the bag up rigorously.

"I believe so," she replied, folding her arms across her armored chest as she glanced off to the side, "With the luggage we're carrying along with ourselves," she continued, "we'll likely make it in time to check in at a hotel for the evening," she told him.

"Guess so…" Gingka agreed, managing to get the bag up onto the roof, "Phew…" he breathed, placing his hands on his knees out of relief.

"Egh!" Mirajane grunted as she was struggling to get the last suitcase up, being on the tips of her toes while she attempted to do so. Ash had finished placing a few bags onto the vehicle when he noticed his crush still having trouble, immediately rushing over to assist her.

"Here, Mira!" he offered, taking hold of the bag, much to her surprise as she looked over at him, "I got it," he said confidently, relinquishing it from her grip as she blinked, hearing him grunt while he now held it.

"Are… you sure, Ash?" she asked worriedly, noticing his reddening face from the strain of holding the heavy suitcase for just a few seconds.

"N-No worries!" he stammered with a grunt, pushing it up to the roof as best he could. However, his effort was less successful as he barely managed to reach the height the white haired beauty had obtained earlier.

"Pika…" Pikachu sighed upon noticing. He then dashed over to his trainer, climbing up his pant leg up to his belt, unlatching one of his Poké Balls from his belt. He dropped to the ground with it while the raven haired boy was still struggling to get the bag up.

"P-Pikachu…?" he uttered, grunting still as he clenched his teeth together. His partner then enlarged the spherical container by pressing its center button. It then opened up, with the light emerging from it forming right behind the Omni Force member, much to his surprise. "WAH!" he yelped, falling backwards while accidentally flinging the suitcase up into the air. The luminosity then dissipated to reveal his Dragon Pokémon, Goodra, who caught the bag in his arms while his master fell onto his slimy body.

"Goo?" he questioned in a deep voice, blinking in confusion as he held the suitcase.

"Oh, who's this?" Mirajane asked with a bright smile, walking up to the Dragon type. The Pokémon trainer instantly recomposed himself, standing up straight before brushing his back free of slime.

"Uh, this is Goodra," he introduced in reply, gesturing towards the large, pudgy creature, "He's been one of my strongest Pokémon since I met him," he mentioned with a smile towards him.

"Duuraa…" he responded, letting a sheepish blush come across his cheeks from his master's flattery.

"Well, it's nice to meet you!" the white haired beauty greeted, tilting her head to the side. Goodra then put the last suitcase atop the stack of Erza's luggage on the magic-mobile's roof, much to the embarrassment of Ash as he failed to do so himself.

"Pika pi…" Pikachu reprimanded in a quiet tone that his owner didn't hear, crossing his small arms while he sighed. The requip mage strapped the bags down soon afterwards, while the raven haired boy returned the Dragon Pokémon to his Poké Ball. He, the Satan Soul user, and the Electric type boarded the inner carriage, seating themselves on the leather cushions inside. Meanwhile, the scarlet haired wizard and the beyblader were at the outer part of the vehicle, both sitting on the bench as the former had a black, metal gauntlet upon her right wrist. The latter noticed her reach for the wire, attaching it to the gauntlet before she put her hands back on the steering wheel.

"That's the S.E. Plug, right?" her ally guessed, catching her attention as she turned to face him.

"Yes, that's right," she answered with a mere nod, "It'll take up a considerable amount of my magic before we arrive," she began to note, "but I'll be able to refresh myself with some rest before he head out on the mission in the morning," she reassured as the engine started to rev.

"What's the pay for this job, by the way?" Gingka questioned, raising an eyebrow out of curiosity. His teammate beside him chuckled heartily at what he was asking, much to his confusion as he blinked.

"Fifty million jewels," she replied, causing his eyes to instantly widen.

"F-FIFTY MILLION?!" he exclaimed out of utter shock, catching the attentions of those within the carriage as they perked up.

"It shouldn't be much of a surprise," Erza pointed out, "considering that even the kingdom's been asking for help to stop this… monster," she mentioned, adjusting the throttle to make the vehicle begin moving.

"Yeah, but still…" the shaggy haired teen tried to say, still in absolute disbelief.

'Boy, this is serious!' he realized inwardly, 'No wonder Erza wanted help…' he noted to himself, 'She must really wanna get that beast taken down before it causes real trouble…' he thought, looking back at her as they were beginning to head out of Magnolia through its entrance.

X

"Ah…" Mirajane yawned again as her eyes became just a little droopy, getting the attentions of the ones who were beside her inside the carriage.

"You okay, Mira?" Ash asked out of concern while his partner was sitting on his lap.

"Pika pi?" he also questioned, worried for her.

"I'm just tired is all…" she responded, "I'll have enough rest while we're at the hotel for the night," she pointed out in a reassuring tone, smiling at them with a little giggle, making the Pokémon trainer blush instantaneously. Meanwhile, the magic-mobile had taken the team along a dirt road across the countryside, with the two redheads sitting on the bench, looking at the terrain that lied ahead, as it was fairly smooth.

"So tell me, Gingka," Erza began to request, catching the beyblader's attention as his hair swayed in the wind, "how's your journey been?" she asked while they continued down the path.

"Not too bad," he replied, rubbing the back of his head while she turned to look at him, "Ever since that dragon incident," he started to say, "I haven't done all that much…" he confessed, chuckling a little, enticing the requip user to let a grin grace her lips, "The only thing I've really done since then was that battle I had just the other day…" he mentioned, causing her to blink in surprise.

"You mean a Pokémon battle, correct?" she inquired cleverly, receiving a simple nod from her ally, "I bet whoever it is must've been quite formidable to manage to wear you down," she noted to him.

"Heh," he chuckled in response, "You've got no idea…" he said, glancing off into the distance. He then looked back at the girl next to him, seeing her long, scarlet hair dancing in the wind. In a strange way, she did remind him of Skyla with that, making his face flush just slightly. "So, uh…" he began as he scratched his right cheek sheepishly, getting her attention, "what's been goin' on here since then?" he questioned to her. She appeared to turn away for a moment before responding, much to his confusion.

"We… had a strange incident involving Lucy's Celestial Spirits," she said, making him raise an eyebrow, "Apparently, they were rebelling in order to gain freedom from the celestial world," she explained as they passed by a small farm, "Luckily, thanks to us and your teammate, Sunset Shimmer," she continued, much to his surprise, "we were able to seal their gates, and prevent them from attaining costly freedom," she finished.

"Costly… freedom?" the shaggy haired teen questioned, tilting his head.

"If they were to complete the ritual in order to free themselves," Erza began in reply, "they'd only stay alive for exactly twelve days…" she told him.

"Whoa…" he uttered in reply, a little stunned.

"I must say though," the requip mage started to state, "Sunset is quite powerful with her Equestrian magic," she complimented, "She and Natsu really pulled things together in the end," she added, glancing up at the sky.

"Well, how 'bout that…" Gingka muttered, crossing his arms as he let off a little smile, "Guess Ben's idea for a replacement worked out after all…" he commented, causing the girl beside him to laugh as she continued to drive. Inside the carriage, Ash looked on at the two of them through the window, seeing that they were having no trouble conversing as he smiled.

'I thought Gingka'd be more on edge about the job since both Erza and Mira are with us…' he noted to himself, 'but I'm glad he's getting along with it,' he confessed inwardly. All of a sudden, he felt something fall onto his left shoulder, enticing him to glance over and pale out of surprise. The Satan Soul user was sleeping soundly against him, making him blush instantaneously as his eyes trembled. He shook his head to recompose himself, still having a red face as he nervously looked at her.

"M-Mira?" he questioned quietly with a stutter, trying to awake her politely. Unfortunately, her eyelids were still shut while a strand of her hair fell over her face, which he took notice of. He sighed in realization, smiling warmly at her sleeping form.

'She did say she spent all night packing up for this…' he remembered, 'And I bet Elfman and Lisanna are a little worried about her being out for a few days…' he noted to himself, developing a serious expression, 'I promise I'll keep her safe!' he inwardly declared with a clenched left fist, nodding while he used his right hand to brush the strand of her hair back into place. By accident though, he then glanced down at the white haired beauty's cleavage, causing his face to flush again as he immediately turned away.

"Pika," a voice uttered, catching his attention as he looked over to see his partner with crossed arms and an upset expression on his face, "Chu…" he growled, having his tail glow a silvery white, much to the fright of his trainer.

"AH!" he cried out in pain just a second later, surprising both the beyblader and the scarlet haired wizard as they instantly perked up and looked back through the window.

"What happened?" the latter of the two questioned.

"Ash, you oka-? Oh…" the shaggy haired teen muttered in realization, interjecting his own sentence as he saw the distinct red mark upon his teammate's face. Mirajane then awoke with a start, sitting up straight before turning to see the boy beside her, cringing in pain.

"Ash, are you all right?" she asked, noticing the marking that was on him.

"N-No worries…" he stammered in reply, still grimacing, "Sorry for wakin' ya…" he apologized.

"Huh?" his crush uttered in confusion, tilting her head. Meanwhile, the Mouse Pokémon's tail lost its glow, with him having a frustrated expression on his face.

"Pika…" he sighed deeply out of exasperation.

X

A few more hours passed by as the sun began to set while the group's vehicle was making its way towards the Fiore capital in the distance. Gingka noticed as they were closing in on the city, that it appeared to have significantly recovered from the events that had conspired in the wake of the Grand Magic Games. Once they arrived in town, a few pedestrians glanced over and cried out to the one known as Titania, complimenting her for her efforts in the events that occurred months prior. The boy beside her saw that she was blushing slightly from the flattery of the people, but remained in a more composed state. She was able to park the magic-mobile in a small lot just near the city's rim, allowing for her friends to disembark while she undid the S.E. Plug, disconnecting the wire from the gauntlet before removing it from her wrist.

"You all right?" the beyblader questioned as he offered a hand to her, which she took with a grin, letting him get her down from the seat easily as her feet touched the ground.

"I used up a little more magic than expected…" she confessed in response, "but I'll be fine," she reassured with a nod, "That reminds me," she began as Ash and Mirajane approached, "I haven't gotten the chance to thank the both of you for helping load up our things earlier," she noted, causing the shaggy haired teen to blink out of surprise.

"Oh, no, it's fine…" he replied with a drop of sweat rolling down his head, holding his hands out to her in a placating manner.

"Nonsense," she insisted, suddenly grabbing the back of his head along with that of the Pokémon trainer's, much to their surprise, "You two deserved to be praised for your work," she stated, slamming the both of them into her breastplate.

"OW!" the raven haired boy exclaimed in pain, already feeling hurt from his partner's Iron Tail that hit him earlier.

"Ergh…" Gingka grunted as he winced, having experienced Erza's affectionate gesture before.

'Same Erza as ever…' he muttered to himself, grimacing still. After she let them go, the two boys, along with the white haired beauty, grabbed their things from the magic-mobile, leaving the requip user's luggage behind to pick up later.

"Pika…!" Pikachu uttered out of amazement, perched upon his trainer's right shoulder as he witnessed the massiveness of the Fiore capital. The group then headed down the city streets, as people waved to the two S-class wizards and greeted them with praise.

"Man…" Ash said in disbelief, "You girls sure got a lotta people liking you from the games…" he noted, somewhat uncomfortable from the homecoming-like feel the citizens were giving off.

"Don't worry about it, Ash," the Satan Soul user reassured, placing her right hand onto his left shoulder, catching his attention as he turned to face her, "I bet they appreciate us for saving them, too," she mentioned, making his eyes widen out of realization, "And you were there, weren't you?" she questioned rhetorically with a wink, causing his face to flush instantaneously once more.

"Y-Y-Yeah…" he stammered in response, glancing away as he rubbed the back of his head nervously, obviously embarrassed.

"Pi…" the Electric type sighed out of exasperation again.

"Here we are," the scarlet haired wizard stated, stopping before a building as she got the attentions of the others, having them stop as well, turning to see the somewhat tall edifice that stood before them. Attached to it was a small sign that had a bee with a skull for a head, around plenty of red flowers. Above it were the letters that spelled, 'HONEYBONE'.

"So this is the place you stayed at for the games?" Gingka questioned, crossing his arms.

"The Honey Bone Inn, yes," Erza responded to him, placing her hands at her hips, "It brings back a lot of memories of the preliminaries and the rest of the games…" she mentioned, reminiscing over the events she had experienced back then.

"It'll definitely be nostalgic to stay here," Mirajane noted with a bright smile, making her nod in agreement. In just a matter of moments, they entered the building, seeing the simple lounge room that lay before them. There was a leather couch near a small fireplace, while there was a front desk on the other side, where a brown, pompadour haired man was chatting with a male guest. Gingka then noticed the appearance of the latter person seemed familiar, having a slim, yet muscular, toned body, being of average height with spiky blond hair, which was kept in strands jutting outwards in every direction, and a smaller, frontal cowlick of hair partially hanging over his forehead. He had slanted, slit-pupiled, dark blue eyes; above the right one was a thin, diagonal scar. His left ear was adorned with an earring which, in itself, is attached to by a prominent metal pendant that is crystalline in shape. On top of that, a white guild mark was located on his left shoulder.

"Well, what a surprise…" the requip mage commented as she saw him as well, "I never thought we'd run into each other again," she noted, folding her arms across her armored chest.

"Yeah…" the beyblader agreed, also taking into account that there was an exceed with him, being a red furred cat with a pink face, paws, and belly, wearing a sleeveless, blue vest. He turned his head upon hearing something, taking notice of the group that had just arrived, smiling.

"Thanks fer lettin' us crash here for the day," Sting said out of gratitude to the man at the counter.

"Oh, it's my pleasure, mister Eucliffe," he responded, waving his right hand in front of his face out of being flattered, "And I'm glad your mission went well," he added, making the white dragon slayer grin widely.

"Hey, Sting!" the anthropomorphic animal cried out, catching the attentions of both his friend and the other man, "Look who's here!" he exclaimed, pointing at the Fairy Tail mages and their Omni Force allies, making him gasp in surprise before letting a smile grace his lips.

"Well, well!" he repeated as he walked up to them, holding out his right hand to the one known as Titania, "Nice to see ya!" he greeted as she took his extremity and shook it firmly, "How've ya been?" he asked her.

"We've been fine, thanks," she answered, "Our guild's been through just a bit of trouble since our last encounter," she mentioned, letting go of his hand, "That reminds me…" she continued, "congratulations on officially becoming guildmaster of Sabertooth," she complimented with a nod.

"Ah, it's no big deal," he replied, crossing his arms, "I'm still on jobs as usual," he pointed out, rolling his eyes, "So what brings Fairy Tail back to the Flower Bloomin' Capital of Fiore?" he questioned, "And is Natsu with ya?" he asked on.

"No, it's just us," Mirajane responded with a tilt of her head, "We're all here for a job we're getting done tomorrow," she explained to him as he blinked in surprise.

"And we've brought Gingka and Ash here along to help with it," Erza added, gesturing towards the two Omni Force members.

"Hey," the beyblader greeted with a wave while the Pokémon trainer just smiled, with his partner jumping down from his shoulder, walking over to the exceed.

"Pika pi?" he questioned in introduction, holding his right arm out to him.

"Uh… nice to see ya, too…" he replied, unsure of what exactly the Electric type had said, but shrugged it off as he shook his hand.

"Pika!" he exclaimed happily, tilting his head to the side.

"What's the job you guys are on, anyway?" the white dragon slayer asked curiously, glancing over at the shaggy haired teen.

"We're kinda out on a monster hunt," he responded in somewhat of a joking manner as he grinned.

"Indeed," Erza added, catching Sting's attention, "I'm sure you've heard about the attacks around the outskirts of the city, right?" she guessed with her hands at her hips, making him gasp in surprise.

"Yeah, I've heard…" he replied, "Our guild got the request just a while ago, in fact…" he mentioned, much to the surprise of everyone except his exceed, "Problem is, we've been dealing with our own stuff since the games ended…" he pointed out, keeping his arms folded across his chest as he glanced away.

"You mean finding Minerva and your former guildmaster, correct?" the requip mage inquired, much to the confusion of both Omni Force members while they blinked.

"Exactly," Lector answered with a nod, "Sabertooth's got jobs for us to take," he started to say, "but we can't spread ourselves too thin since we've gotta find those two…" he explained with crossed arms.

"Pika…" Pikachu said out of sympathy.

"Well, we wish you the best of luck with that," the scarlet haired wizard stated with a bow.

"Same to you guys," the white dragon slayer responded, placing his hands at his hips, "I know you and Mirajane can totally handle whatever that monster is…" he began, glancing over at Gingka and Ash as he walked up to them, "but you've got it way in the bag with these guys here," he said, gesturing towards, much to the former's surprise as he raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" he asked, befuddled by his comment.

"You're the one who helped Natsu beat that future Rogue, ain'tcha'?" the blonde haired teen questioned back to him rhetorically, causing him to widen his eyes in realization before pulling off a grin, "Well, I'm off," he declared, walking past them, "C'mon, Lector," he beckoned to his exceed.

"C-Coming!" he stammered in response, "You guys have a good mission!" he yelled out to the group before exiting with his friend.

"Pika pi!" the Electric type exclaimed in farewell, waving to the anthropomorphic cat.

'Boy, that was interesting…' the beyblader noted to himself, looking over at his Omni Force teammate, who was grinning brightly, 'I wonder if Sting would ever wanna be a part of the Omni Force…' he thought, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Miss Titania…" a voice chimed in, catching his and the others' attentions, turning to see the pompadour haired man dressed in a fancy suit right behind them, "welcome back to the Honey Bone Inn," he greeted with a bow, "As the owner of this establishment, I'll be happy to escort you and your friends to your room now," he stated, gesturing for them to follow him as he headed towards the staircase. After glancing at each other for a moment, the group went along, heading up to their room. Moments later, a door was slowly swung open, revealing the room to the S-class mages and their allies, with the latter group gasping in surprise at what was inside. There were two queen beds with a dresser in between them, a larger one on the other side, a balcony, and a door that appeared to be heading into a closet.

"J-Just two beds?" the Pokémon trainer stuttered in question, blushing slightly.

"Pika pi…" his partner sighed again from his master's feet, dashing over to the other door in the room, where the pompadour haired man followed him.

"Your little friend is quite perceptive," he commented, putting his hand onto the door handle before swinging it open.

"Pika…" the Electric type uttered, flattered by the man's compliment as he rubbed the back of his head out of embarrassment. The group then went over to see that the door led to another section of the room, similar to the one they had just gone through.

"This looks very nice," Erza commented upon seeing the room, "Mira and I'll stay on this side," she told her teammates.

"Then we'll stay on the other side, I guess…" Ash assumed, laughing nervously while Pikachu rolled his eyes at him.

"So is this the bathroom, right?" Gingka inquired, looking around to see a toilet and sink counter within the small area between the two bedrooms.

"Precisely," the innkeeper responded with a simple nod.

"Well, in that case," the raven haired boy began as he walked further inside the bathroom, catching the attentions of the others, "it's time to clean up for-! AH!" he yelped in pain, interjecting his own sentence as he smacked into the wall face first.

"Oh my…" the Satan Soul user uttered out of concern, placing both of her hands over her mouth.

"Pika?" Pikachu questioned, tilting his head out of confusion.

'Wait a sec…' the shaggy haired teen inwardly began to realize, narrowing his eyes as he saw that there was no bath or shower within the room.

"Agh…" the Pokémon trainer groaned, putting his hand on his face in agony, "How come there's no shower in here?" he asked, glancing over at the owner with a raised eyebrow.

"For the guests that don't have either a bath or shower," he started to reply, "we have a small bathhouse just below the lounge," he told them.

"A b-bathhouse?" Gingka stuttered in surprise, with his cheeks turning a bright red, along with his friend's out of shock.

"Yes, of course," the hotel owner responded, having a big smile still plastered on his face, "Our springs should be able to relax your bodies before you set out on your job on the outskirts tomorrow," he reassured.

"Uh… yeah…" the beyblader replied nervously, looking off to the side as he scratched his right cheek.

"If you're concerned about the bath itself," the brown, pompadour haired man began to say, getting his attention, "I should let you know that it's separated by gender for most of the time," he noted with a grin.

"It is?" Ash questioned as he chimed into the conversation, adjusting his cap as his cheeks went back to normal.

"Well, that's good to hear," the shaggy haired teen said, looking back at Erza and Mirajane, who both had mere grins upon their faces, much to his surprise as he blinked.

'Guess they knew about that little fact beforehand…' he inquired to himself, letting a smile come across his face, 'Maybe I overreacted a little back there…' he confessed inwardly, 'Still…' he continued, crossing his arms, 'I wish Erza would've gotten us a better room with a shower or something…' he admitted through thought, glancing at her skeptically, 'Did she really not have the money?' he asked, raising an eyebrow towards her.

X

A while later, as the group had settled into their room, they went back to the magic-mobile to gather the scarlet haired wizard's bags to take to the inn as the starts in the sky began to shine. Having gotten everything into her room with the help of both girls, the two Omni Force members earned themselves a slamming into the requip user's breastplate, making them both wince in pain. As the raven haired boy felt dizzy from the pain his head had been through all day, he and his teammate got themselves ready to head down to the bathhouse, removing their clothes with just towels covering their forms. Moments later, the two of them and the Mouse Pokémon were inside the men's side of the bath, where about a dozen males were, washing themselves for the evening.

"Ah…" Ash uttered in relief as he sunk his body into the warm water of the spring.

"Pika…" Pikachu sighed in the same manner, letting his ears flop down. The other men in the pool were quite confused as to the creature's presence, glancing at each other.

"Hey," one began, catching his and his trainer's attention, "should that thing be in here?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow out of concern at the former of the two.

"Oh, don't worry!" the raven haired boy reassured in reply, "He'll be fine," he noted, outstretching his arms onto the rim of the pool, "right, buddy?" he inquired to his partner.

"Pika!" he responded with a nod. Meanwhile, Gingka was seated upon a stool just beside the spring, washing his body with a soapy washcloth, wringing it out after a bit in order to remove any excess water.

"Hm…" he began to ponder as he narrowed his eyes at the wall before him, while the males beside him continued to wash themselves down.

'I sure wish I didn't have to wash myself in front of all these guys…' he grumbled to himself, 'Still…' he continued, 'I guess it can't be helped with what we've got for a room,' he noted inwardly, 'And we can't go a few days without a bath…' he added through thought.

"Are you serious?!" one man cried out in disbelief to another, catching the attention of the beyblader as he looked over at them, "Erza Scarlet and Mirajane Strauss are here?!" he asked, widening his eyes in shock.

"Mm-hmm," another responded with a nod, "Saw 'em walkin' down towards the women's side just a few minutes ago," he mentioned, pointing towards the curtain that served as the exit for the patrons.

"We're on a mission with them, ya know!" Ash chimed in, getting their attentions along with his teammate as they looked over at him.

"For real?" one of the men asked, arching an eyebrow out of suspicion, "What are you supposed to be? Their butlers?" he questioned on, crossing his arms.

"Actually," the shaggy haired teen began, bringing the attention over to him, "we're working with them on this job," he stated, much to their surprise as they gasped slightly.

"Well, ain't that somethin'…" a man commented, "You two must sure be strong to be workin' 'longside babes like those…" he mentioned, causing both of the Omni Force members to have drops of sweat roll down their heads while their faces flushed.

'Come to think of it…' the beyblader began inwardly as he placed his right hand onto his chin, 'I never really asked Erza why she wanted me and Ash for the job…' he noted to himself.

"So, what kinda mission you on with those girls?" one of the other men from earlier questioned, breaking Gingka's train of thought as he looked over at him.

"We're supposed to be huntin' down a monster that's just outside the city," the Pokémon trainer explained in reply, causing the men to all gasp in surprise.

"You mean THAT monster?!" one guessed out of shock, "Oh man…" he muttered in disbelief, shaking slightly.

"What's the matter?" the shaggy haired teen asked as he rubbed the back of his neck with his soapy washcloth.

"The beast that's been hangin' 'round the outskirts of Crocus hasn't been seen by anybody," a man told him in response, causing him to widen his eyes slightly, "Not even a glimpse of it…" he added, "All we know is that it's left quite the wake of destruction…" he mentioned.

"We've heard…" the beyblader pointed out, setting his washcloth down for a moment to think. The raven haired boy and his partner were equally surprised, paying attention still as they blinked.

'So this thing's been pretty hard to find, huh?' he noted inwardly, 'Even Sting sounded just a bit nervous about it earlier…' he added to himself. Suddenly, a dinging noise went off through what sounded like a speaker, getting his and the others' attentions.

"Attention, ladies and gentlemen," a male voice began through the system, "our bathhouse's famous Mixed Hour is now underway!" he declared, causing the Omni Force members to tilt their heads out of confusion.

"ALL RIGHT!" one of the men with suddenly exclaimed loudly, standing up from his stool, "It's time to have some fun!" he stated excitedly.

"Yeah!" another man agreed, getting out of the pool. Without any warning, everyone except for the two boys and the Electric type began getting up and heading for the exit, with only a few grabbing their towels on the way out.

"Whoa!" Ash exclaimed in surprise as every man aside from him, Pikachu, and Gingka had left the men's side of the bathhouse, "What was… that all about?" he asked, raising his right eyebrow.

"Pika pi…" his partner Pokémon responded in confusion, tilting his head.

"I've got no idea either…" the beyblader added, placing his hands on his bare knees in thought, pondering the announcement that just occurred.

'That was really weird…' he admitted to himself, 'All those guys got so excited when they heard that speaker… lacrima thing go off,' he noted, placing a hand upon his chin as steam continued to accumulate around the formerly crowded hot spring.

"KYAAAAHHHHH!" a voice shrieked, catching his and his friends' attentions as they instantly jerked their heads up in surprise.

"What the hell?" Gingka uttered, arching his left eyebrow as he placed his hands on his knees.

"It sounded like that came from the women's side…" Ash pointed out, curiously going further into the water, heading for the stonewall as his shoulders began to sink into the warm liquid of the pool.

"Pika pika!" Pikachu yelled, beckoning his trainer to halt, causing him to immediately stop and turn around.

"Uh, right…" he realized with a blush across his cheeks, "Can't go off and find out like that…" he noted jokingly, rubbing the back of his wet head sheepishly while chuckling. The Electric type, however, gave him a rather serious glare in retribution, as he was almost about to commit a very disgraceful act.

"Heh," his friend uttered in amusement, crossing his arms over his wet, well-toned chest.

'Still, that was pretty weird…' he confessed to himself. Suddenly, more screams and shrieks emerged through the walls, getting his attention, along with the other two persons in the hot spring. 'What the heck's going on over there?' he asked inwardly, 'Those screams don't sound good…' he noted, narrowing his eyes in thought. Just then, his eyes jerked open in shock as he recalled something. 'Th-That announcement said now was the bathhouse's… m-mixed hour…' he remembered, with his thoughts stammering, 'But that's gotta mean…!' he began to realize, reminiscing the events that happened before he had gone down to the bathhouse with his teammates.

*FLASHBACK*

"A b-bathhouse?" Gingka stuttered in surprise, with his cheeks turning a bright red, along with his friend's out of shock.

"Yes, of course," the hotel owner responded, having a big smile still plastered on his face, "Our springs should be able to relax your bodies before you set out on your job on the outskirts tomorrow," he reassured.

"Uh… yeah…" the beyblader replied nervously, looking off to the side as he scratched his right cheek.

"If you're concerned about the bath itself," the brown, pompadour haired man began to say, getting his attention, "I should let you know that it's separated by gender for most of the time," he noted with a grin.

"It is?" Ash questioned as he chimed into the conversation, adjusting his cap.

"Well, that's good to hear," the shaggy haired teen said, looking back at Erza and Mirajane, who both had mere grins upon their faces, much to his surprise as he blinked.

'Guess they knew about that little fact beforehand…' he inquired to himself, letting a smile come across his face, 'Maybe I overreacted a little back there…' he confessed inwardly, 'Still…' he continued, crossing his arms, 'I wish Erza would've gotten us a better room with a shower or something…' he admitted through thought, glancing at her skeptically, 'Did she really not have the money?' he asked, raising an eyebrow.

*END FLASHBACK*

'Most?!' the beyblader exclaimed inwardly in realization after recalling the memory, 'That means this… 'mixed hour' is…!' he began to realize, blushing madly while his heart began to beat wildly.

"Hey, Gingka," Ash called out, catching his attention as he looked over to see him float back towards the rim of the pool, being right beside his Pokémon, "you hear that?" he asked, gesturing towards the stonewall of the area. His friend blinked in surprise before narrowing his eyes toward the wall, trying to concentrate his hearing. After taking a listen, he jerked back upon his stool in shock, causing it to wobble slightly for a moment. "Doesn't it sound like there're men in there?" his comrade questioned, having a look of concern upon his face.

'That pretty much answers that,' the beyblader muttered to himself in realization, 'The baths are mixed now; on either side!' he noted, looking down while still blushing.

"Hold on…" the Pokémon trainer began to realize, with his face starting to turn a bright red, "B-By m-m-mixed hour," he continued while beginning to tremble and stammer, pointing at the wall while looking at his friend, "do th-they mean the baths a-are f-f-for-?!"

"Both genders, yeah," Gingka interrupted in response, causing him to blink rapidly in shock before his entire body became a bright red. Meanwhile, his partner paid no heed to the revelation, sinking down into the water, with only his ears, eyes, and nose out of it.

"Huah…" his owner uttered out of astonishment, about to fall over into the water. However, he shook his head, managing to regain himself while he still had a blush upon his cheeks. "So… does that mean we can go into the women's bath?" he inquired, causing the beyblader and the Mouse Pokémon to widen their eyes in surprise.

"Pika…" the latter of the two uttered angrily in reply, having his lightning bolt tail emerge from the water, glowing a silvery white as he threatened to strike his trainer, making him cringe in fright.

"I wasn't gonna! I wasn't gonna!" he claimed repeatedly in a pleading tone, bowing to the Electric type, who rolled his eyes.

"Don't even think about it," Gingka advised, rubbing his left arm with the washcloth in his right hand.

"I just said I wouldn't!" his friend shouted while he remained at shoulder depth in the pool, seeing the beyblader begin to wash down his other arm, "Anyways," he started to say, "I wonder how Erza and Mira are dealing with this… "mixed hour"…" he pondered, with his face still being a bright red.

"Who knows?" the spiky, red haired boy sitting on the stool questioned rhetorically in response, wringing the washcloth out before scrubbing it down with more soap, "I just hope none of those guys bother 'em…" he mentioned, using the cloth to wash his legs.

"Heh, yeah," the raven-haired boy agreed with a laugh, "Knowing Erza, she'd probably wipe the floor with all of 'em," he noted in consideration.

"Pika pika," his Pokémon concurred with a nod.

"Yeah…" Gingka uttered, looking away in thought.

'Why don't I hear anything else besides those weirdos?' he asked himself, raising an eyebrow in confusion, 'Maybe Erza and Mira already left the bath…' he noted inwardly, placing his hand on his chin.

"Well," Ash began to say as he folded his arms behind his head, feeling relaxed in the pool as he caught his attention, "at least we got the bath to ourselves now," he pointed out, grinning widely. His friend chuckled at the remark, forgetting about his previous reflection.

'I guess I'm just overreacting about all this crap again…' he suggested to himself, 'I mean, it's not like Erza would-'

"Pika?" Pikachu suddenly said as his ears twitched, interrupting the beyblader's thought as he looked over, seeing the Mouse Pokémon turning his head towards the curtains to the entrance of the hot spring.

"What's the matter, buddy?" his trainer asked, taking notice to the Electric type's twitching, pointy ears.

"Pika pi, pika chu…" he responded, gesturing towards the entrance with his right paw. Gingka gasped quietly in surprise, and then closed his eyes, concentrating his ears once again to try and hear whatever it was his friend's partner had detected.

'If Pikachu's hearing what I think he is…' he began to himself, "then we've got a-' He suddenly stopped his thought as his eyes widened, having caught the sound of footsteps approaching the area.

"S-Someone's… coming…" he stammered, trembling a little while he caught the attentions of both his friend and the Mouse Pokémon as they turned their heads to see him.

"Who, Gingka?" Ash asked, arching his right eyebrow in confusion as he saw his teammate's reaction.

"Uh… probably some more guys…" the beyblader inquired in an unsure reply, "I guess the bath's not gonna be kept to ourselves anymore…" he added with a nervous grin, while the Pokémon trainer frowned for a moment in disappointment.

"Ah, well," he sighed, continuing to relax himself in the pool, putting his arms up against the rim of it, "at least we're having a good time," he pointed out, chuckling slightly, making his friend do the same, along with his Pokémon. Unbeknownst to them for the moment, the curtains to their side of the hot spring flapped open, as two figures with bare, wet feet walked inside.

"Well, this is a surprise," a familiar female voice uttered, getting Gingka's attention as his eyes widened in surprise. Ash and Pikachu glanced over to see where the sound came from along with their friend. Their mouths then gaped open in surprise while their eyes just blanked out upon what they saw. At the entrance, both Erza and Mirajane stood, wearing nothing but white towels to cover the assets of their voluptuous bodies.

"We didn't expect to see you two still here," the latter of the two girls admitted as her hair was shining from the water upon it, while she smiled with a little giggle. The Pokémon trainer just blushed profoundly, with his whole face turning a bright red. His comrade out of the water had a blush across his cheeks as well, staring ahead with a blank look upon his face at the two S-class mages.

'Crap!' he screamed inwardly as his body began to sweat nervously.

END

Uh oh. Looks like Gingka and Ash just got themselves into a rather… unique situation. Sorry to leave you guys on a cliffhanger like this; I promise, the next chapter's gonna be even more comedic! But of course, if you guys have any questions for the characters, feel free to leave some! They'll all get answered in the Q&A that appears following each episode, which includes right now, in fact!

Q&A

Ivan Vladimir-Anderson: Question for everybody: What would happen if you guys fought Thanos, Galactus, and Ultron? What will be your reaction?

Gingka: Up against guys like those… They'd definitely be tough to beat…

Ash: I'm not sure I even wanna think about fighting them… I've heard things from Ben and the others…

Pikachu: *shudders* Pika…

Dietrich Günther-Kennedy: Question for Gingka: Did Ben really meet Saitama and Genos back in their universe?

Gingka: *blinks in confusion* Sorry, who?

NegaiFreak: I got this one. So this takes place after "Resolve" and "Friendship Games: The Omni Force Crossover", but yeah, the Omni Force gets to meet both Saitama and Genos in their universe. I'm not giving away anything else about it right now, but I'll say that One Punch Man is probably one of the greatest animes I've ever seen.

Bernard Madej Bulinski: Question for Ash: Jako ojciec, czy zawsze trenować swoją córke Leslie jako trener pokemon?

Ash: *tilts head* Huh?

Aleks James Peterson: Hey, Ash, let me help you with that. He said "As a father, did you always train your daughter, Leslie as a pokemon trainer?"

Ash: Wait, father? What?

NegaiFreak: Lemme' take this one again. Ahem. In the future, Ash does inspire Leslie to become a trainer, but she's usually a free spirit who roams around the world on her own. Though, she can't help but love coming home to her parents.

Ash: Seriously, what are you talking about?

Pikachu: *shrugs* Pika pi…

SkullCrusher550: Question for Negaifreak: I have a question for you: do you wear glasses and do you take selfies using your phone?

NegaiFreak: No to both of those. I'm not really a selfie person, and I don't need glasses.

Madison Johnson Smith: Question for Erza: Hey, Erza, how did you manage to control you requip magic?

Erza: It's a very… difficult story to tell… Back when I was imprisoned and enslaved as a child, I started a revolt and… *trembles slightly as she bites her lip*

Mirajane: Erza…

Gingka: Hey, you don't have to keep going if you don't want to.

Erza: No, I will. After someone close to me made sacrificed his life for my own, that's when I first received my magic. Since then, I've been to control it fairly well, having my own special form of requip known as the Knight.

Pikachu: Pika chu…

Aslaug Jensen Evenstad VII: Question for Mirajane: Hva vil skje hvis den mektigste blir invadert hele Multiverse, vil du være klar?

Mirajane: Hm? *tilts head in confusion*

Dietrich Günther-Kennedy: Let me translate it for you. She said: "What would happen if the most powerful being invades the whole multiverse? Will you be ready?

Mirajane: Oh, of course! If we're put up against Acnologia, Zeref, or anyone who stands against us, we'll do our best to defeat them!

Ash: Right on!

Pikachu: Pika!

Guest: Ash and Gingka, have you seen the one minute melee between Sora and Link? And also, have you meet Sora?

Gingka: Just saw it. That was pretty cool.

Ash: No kidding… We've never met Sora, but I'm sure he'd make a great member for the Omni Force! That Link guy would be awesome, too!

Pikachu: Pika pi!

SpiritReaper42: First question: Gingka, do you use that sword? You know, the one you took from Sasuke.

Gingka: Yeah, I do. It's the only way I can channel the wind style techniques I developed back in Naruto's universe. *pulls it out* I even had it recolored and decorated with this Pegasus symbol to make it mine.

Erza: *crosses arms and smirks* Impressive.

SpiritReaper42: Second question: Ash, have you ever battled Red? Or have you even heard of him?

Ash: I've never even of a guy named Red… let alone battle him… Is he really strong?

Pikachu: Pika pi chu?

SpiritReaper42: Third question: Mirajane, what's up with your brother talking about being a man? *tries using Elfman's voice* A man ain't afraid of spiders; spiders are afraid of a man! I'm not afraid, 'cause I'm a man! Now that is what I call a man! Ash, if you're gonna come over to kiss my sister, you gotta be a man!

Ash: *blushes madly at the last part of the question*

Mirajane: Oh my… That ego of my brother's comes from wanting to protect both me and my sister. I'd say it's his way of growing up when we first thought that Lisanna had… you know…

Pikachu: Pika… *jumps onto her shoulder, giving her a reassuring expression* Pi!

Mirajane: *smiles* Thanks, Pikachu. I've always wanted to protect my brother and sister; same as how they've wanted to protect me…

-Everyone else smiles in agreement-

Mirajane: But… what's with that last part of the question?

Ash: *instantaneously blushes, waving hands around comically* I-It's nothing! Nothing!

Pikachu: *sighs* Pika…

SpiritReaper42: Fourth question: Pikachu, is your Electro Ball really that powerful when you and Ash battled Giovanni back in Unova? Is that a way to say that it might look like Goku's spirit bomb? Electro spirit ball? Or spirit electro bomb?

Pikachu: Pi… Chu pika pi?

Ash: I think that was only a one-time thing, since he absorbed Thundurus' electricity back then. But it sure was awesome, wasn't it, buddy?

Pikachu: Pika!

SpiritReaper42: Fifth question: Erza, do you happen to be the only person to stop both Natsu and Gray from fighting?

Erza: Of course not.

Gingka: *rolls eyes* Oh, goodie…

Erza: *shoots a glare towards Gingka before recomposing herself* Ahem. Mira and Lucy have stopped Natsu and Gray before as well. Though normally these days, I'm the one to stop them.

Sixth question: All, who would you rather fight? Slenderman, , or Jeff the killer?

Gingka: Weird choice of fighters, but all right… I'd go up against Slenderman.

Erza: I agree. Though it would be interesting to challenge that Jeff the Killer character…

Mirajane: Any one of them is okay with me!

Ash: Same here!

Pikachu: *sighs* Pika pi…

Gingka: Guess that brings an end to this Q&A.

Erza: *smiles* We hope you all enjoyed it.

END Q&A

Hope you guys liked that! Now, it's time to head back into the scenario story provided by SpiritReaper42! Make sure you guys check out his stories! He's going to be having a few coming soon, hopefully!

SCENARIO

Spirit Reaper: *swings and spins his scythe*

Erza: Be careful, Mira… This boy is no ordinary opponent…

Mirajane: Right. We've never really teamed up before… So this is a great chance to show off Fairy Tail's strength!

Erza: Indeed! *lunges forward* Prepare yourself, Spirit Reaper! Moon Flash! *attempts to slash him in a cross pattern*

Spirit Reaper: *teleports to avoid Erza's attack then appears behind her*

Erza: *gasps* What?!

Spirit Reaper: *swings his scythe at her*

Mirajane: *flies in and stops the scythe by crossing her arms, blocking it* Nice try! *tries to slash at him with her gauntlet claws*

Spirit Reaper: *dodges Mira's attack and pulls her with his scythe around her waist*

Mirajane: Ergh!

Ash: Oh no, Mira!

Gingka: Wait a sec…

-Erza suddenly requips into her Flight armor, grabbing Mira and getting away-

Mirajane: Thank you, Erza.

Erza: Don't mention it. *lets her go* Now… *lunges forward again at a blinding speed with twin blades in her hands* Sonic Claw!

Spirit Reaper: *dodges with a front flip and rolls to his feet* Not bad. But that was only playtime.

Ash: Whoa… He dodged Erza, even with her speed!

Pikachu: Pika…

Gingka: Hm…

Erza: Stay on the offensive, Mira. *requips into Flame Empress armor* He won't be able to counter our attacks for long.

Mirajane: Right! *gets into a battle ready stance*

Spirit Reaper: *spins his scythe and throws it at both Erza and Mira*

Erza: Watch out! *both she and Mira jump to dodge it*

Mirajane: Looks like you missed.

Spirit Reaper: *smirks and lets out the blue aura on his hand* Did I?

-the scythe starts spinning back to both Mira and Erza-

Erza & Mirajane: What?! *both dodge again*

Ash & Gingka: Huh?

Spirit Reaper: As long as I'm a reaper, my scythe is connected to my power and my magic, since I'm an alicorn from Equestria. *moves his hand to aim at Erza and Mira for the scythe to go after them*

Erza: Ergh… *jumps out toward the scythe* Like a warrior should fear that! *clashes her blade with the scythe, sending it careening back*

Spirit Reaper: *somersaults away and catches his scythe like nothing*

Erza: Now, Mira!

Mirajane: Right! *lunges forward with her, prepared to strike*

Spirit Reaper: *spins his scythe as blue fire goes around it* Burning Wind! *sends a flaming tornado at Erza and throws the flaming scythe at Mira*

Mirajane: *avoids the scythe* That's going to be a big problem…

Erza: *sees the fiery tornado coming* It won't work. My armor can absorb-

Spirit Reaper: *teleports to Erza and swings a hard kick at her gut*

Erza: GAH! Teleporting again, I see… *attempts to slash at him*

Spirit Reaper: *blocks her sword and gives her an uppercut and another kick*

Erza: Guh… *falls down to the ground in a heap, requipping back into her Heart Kreuz armor*

Gingka: Erza!

Ash: Oh man…

Mirajane: Hold on, Erza! I'll-!

Spirit Reaper: *catches the scythe and punches Mira in the stomach*

Mirajane: Ergh!

Ash: Mira!

Spirit Reaper: *teleports and grabs her legs and spins fast keeping a hold of her*

Pikachu: Pika pi!

Spirit Reaper: *throws Mira away making her crash into Erza*

Ash: No! *covers eyes and grimaces as dust and dirt race by his eyes*

Gingka: Erza…

Spirit Reaper: Hmph, is that all you got? I was expecting better... *lets his scythe disappear and starts walk away, only to receive a painful kick to his back*

Mirajane: *transformed into her Satan Soul Halphas form* We're not done just yet, Spirit Reaper.

Erza: *gets up and requips into her Purgatory armor* We've barely just begun…

Spirit Reaper: *falls onto the ground, but jumps back to his feet* I'll take that as a no...

Ash: Awesome!

Erza: You can't expect the both of us to fall down that easily. We're S-class wizards of Fairy Tail after all.

Spirit Reaper: So, you were toying with me as well? *smirks as his scythe appears again* Never saw that one coming. But now the real battle begins!

Mirajane: Indeed! *gets into a battle ready stance with Erza*

Spirit Reaper: *takes off one bracelet from each wrist and lets his flames power him up* Let's go!

END SCENARIO

That was great! Now, the next chapter should definitely be around in a few days worth of time, but as for now, keep on having a great holiday, and I'll see you guys soon! Also, a sneak peek of "Visitors", the other Fairy Tail based crossover story, will come after the end of the fourth chapter of "Resolve". So please be patient in waiting for that. With that said, I'll see ya! And Merry Christmas!

QUOTE:

M-M-May I h-have this… d-dance, M-Mirajane?

~Ash Ketchum,

To Mirajane in The Magic Ball