A Fairy's Heart Chapter 24: Adventures in Team CardHeart
So far, I've only got a few reviews from the last chapter. I guess I might be losing my touch, but I still don't want to give up.
Reviews:
Harbinger of Shadows: Thank you, I will keep this up.
J-man 12: I want to continue with this. Just please be patient.
Insane Dominator: That's the whole reason behind Tundrake's personality. The Diamond and Pearl series was actually the first part of the series I watched each and every week, when I could. I actually referenced that back in the Author's Notes at the end of Chapter 12, I believe. I apologize about the grammar. English was never my best subject.
To Recap: While the Guild Hall is being repaired, Abra decides to live with Lucy. After checking in at the Guild Hall, Abra and the rest of Team Natsu decide to check on Lucy, knowing that their battle with Phantom Lord put her through a lot. After seeing that she was nowhere to be seen with a note saying she was going back home, Abra and Mimikyu take off after Lucy using Emerald, revealing that she's taking the lengths she's taking because she still feels the effects of Angel and Racer's attack on her and Archie's town. After Rick suddenly shows up, telling her that as a Trainer, she'll never be alone again, she and Mimikyu arrive to Lucy's family's estate only to catch her on an emotional rant, demanding that her father stays away from Fairy Tail.
The days after Lucy's little stunt were peaceful enough to say the least. No one was getting into trouble since everyone else's main concern was the Guild Hall. At this moment, Team CardHeart were sitting at the makeshift bar, just minding their own business. Rick was busying brushing Sorano's fur, while Cana was busying working on her Magic Deck, checking to make sure she had the right cards.
"So, why do you brush her fur?" Cana asked.
"I dunno." Rick finished brushing and he motioned Sorano away and he pulled out a Heal Ball, releasing Tundrake for brushing. "I guess you could say it's the Coordinator in me. Always making sure my Pokemon look their best."
"Coordinator?" Cana tilted her head.
"Yeah, a Pokemon Coordinator." Rick let on. "I guess the best way to summarize them would be that they complete in special contests that consist of two separate rounds; an appeal round, of which you have to show off your Pokemon and their moves, and then a tournament-style battle round if you make it past the first stage. I know that a few Contests require the use of two Pokemon instead of one."
"It sounds like the second stage is easy." Cana stated.
"You'd think so." Rick shook his head. "Unlike the battles you've had, with a Contest Battle you still have to show off your Pokemon. And on top of that, if you win in the Battle Round, you get rewarded with a Ribbon. And if I remember correctly, you need five Ribbon to complete in the Grand Festival."
"The Grand Festival?" Archie repeated.
"Yeah." Rick said. "It's a huge Contest tournament, consisting of a preliminary round coupled with a Performance Round. After that, it's a Double Performance tournament."
"So what would happen if you were win this?" Abra asked.
"Well, the winner of the Grand Festival is given the title of 'Top Coordinator' and a nice gold trophy." Rick said. "Although, I personally never won, and I never really cared."
Cana's eyebrows perked up. You'd think that winning such a title would be a huge honor, but here's Rick, talking about it like it's no big deal! "Really now?" She asked. "I would've thought you'd like that."
"Well, being honest, performing in Contests was never really a dream of mine." Rick admitted, finished brushing Tundrake. "I just liked to perform and have fun. If I were to win, then that's great. If I lost to someone better, then oh well." He called out Skyfall and began brushing her back. "And completing in something like the Grand Festival was just a fringe benefit. I didn't really care when I'd lose. All I care about was having fun, and I did. Every single time."
"Well, that's noble of ya" Cana mused. She took a drink from her mug before realizing it was empty. "Hey, Mira! Can I get a refill?"
"Cana, you should really pay your tab before it gets too high." Mira said, taking out a book. Her eyes slightly widened. "Oh, dear."
"What 'oh, dear'?" Rick asked. He peaked over Mira's shoulder and he saw the price. "You owe 120,000 Jewel?"
Cana slightly sobered at the revealment. "You're kidding!"
"I'm afraid not." Mira turned the book over, making Cana pale slightly. "But thankfully, Fairy Tail's starting to take job requests again."
"Wow, really?" Rick asked in shock.
"Yep!" Mira cheerfully said. "And I found a job for Cana that can help her and then some." Mira gave Cana a sheet of paper. The Card Mage took the paper and opened it. It was a wanted poster, but the picture seemed off. All Cana could see from the picture was a face, but the left eye was closed and scarred vertically.
WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
'SHARP CLAW' ZORO
REWARD: 320,000 JEWEL
"320 thousand, huh?" Cana questioned. "Sounds like a challenge to me." She looked over to Stevie. "So, hows about we get going?"
"Yeah!" Stevie cheered. The Evolution Pokemon abruptly stopped. "By the way, where's the job taking us?"
"Hm?" Cana took a quick look at the location. "It says that it's the town of Phlox."
"Phlox?" Rick asked. "Isn't that near the snowy region of Fiore?"
"Yep." Cana sighed. She grabbed her bag as Stevie climbed up to Cana's shoulder. "Well, I'm off." She waved off her other teammates as she left.
"Well, I think I better take a job while I'm at it." Rick got up and stretched. "Rent's coming up soon, plus I think I better get back on collecting the Plates." Rick checked over the request board. "Hmm…aha! This one!" Rick tore off the job request from Acacia. Apparently, they've been having weird electrical disturbances and freak lightning storms. The pay was a smooth 100 thousand, and it seemed worth checking out. "I take this one."
"Sure." Mira chimed. "Take care now."
"Yep." Rick said. He returned Sorano and Tundrake and as he left, so did Abra, leaving Archie confused.
"Hey, Abra!" Archie yelled out. "Where're you going?"
"Just down the street." Abra chimed. "See ya." She broke into a dash heading down the road, leaving Archie confused.
"Well, now what to do?" Archie asked himself as Skyfall landed on his head. A small silence rolled by as he looked up at Skyfall. "Wanna get some food?"
"I could eat." Skyfall smiled.
Abra kept on running down the streets of Magnolia, her heart beating fast from the exertion. She wasn't sure why, but it helped to clear her head. She eventually stopped to catch her breath, hunched over, hands on her knees. She noticed a gray light appearing near the ground, revealing Mimikyu, for some reason or another, holding a bottle of water up for Abra.
"Thank you." Abra gasped as she grasped the bottle. She could already feel better as the water entered her system. She drank what she could and she stopped to breathe. As she was about to cap the bottle, she heard a sound coming from the nearby alley. "You heard that?"
"Yeah." Mimikyu got into a more defensive posture as the pair walked into the alleyway. They noticed an older man rummaging in the dumpster with a small dog and a shopping cart next to him. The man's clothes looked awful and ragged, and he smelled like he obviously hadn't bathed in a while. The small dog's coat looked shaggy enough, almost completely hiding the grayish spots around its neck. Two other men, looking more like street punks if anything, were standing dangerously close to him.
"Please. I beg you. Leave me alone." The old man pleaded.
"Aw, ya hear that?" One punk said. "He thinks if he thanks nicely, we'll stop." The other punk pushed the cart over, spilling its contents, including what looked like a beige-ish colored slab, which caught Mimikyu's eye.
Abra could sense the power emanating too. It felt honestly staggering, enough to make Abra unnerved just by being near it. 'Is that what I think it is?'
"Oh, what do we have here?" The second punk caught the slab in his view. As he was about to reach for it, Abra decided to intervene.
"Hey!" Abra yelled, catching everyone's attention. "Leave that man alone."
Both punks looked at each other before they scoffed, leaving smirks on their faces. "Just how exactly can you stop us, blondie?" Punk #1 asked, pulling out a switchblade, as did Punk #2.
As they stepped closer, Abra dropped Mimikyu and she put her hands together, creating a magenta seal. She pulled her hands apart, revealing a magenta staff, oddly enough decorated at the end with a music note. "Magenta Rhythm!" Before the two punks could even breathe, Abra lunged at the pair, swinging the staff with enough force to create a small shockwave. The two punks were sent flying out of alley and into the air.
Rick was about to board when he noticed a small glint in the air. "What was that?" Nothing immediate happened afterwards. "Probably nothing." Rick boarded the train and found his seat.
As the dust from the Magenta Rhythm settled, Abra let out a small sigh, kinda allowing her Magic to cool down. The Wisp Mage felt a light hit on her shin, revealing Mimikyu hitting Abra with her tail.
"Sorry about that." Abra said, picking Mimikyu back up. "I probably should've given some kinda heads up."
"You could've sicked me on them." Mimikyu argued. She could picture the looks on their faces when she lunged at them instead of Abra, snickering at their terrified looks.
Abra looked her eyes at her Pokemon. "Let's save this little discussion for later." She focused her attention on the older man. "Are you okay, sir?"
"I'm-" The older man was cut off by a harsh coughing fit. "I'm fine." He focused his attention on his overturned cart.
"Here, let me help." Abra set Mimikyu down as she focused on putting the man's items back in the cart. As she reached for the slab, the dog lunged forward, landing on the slab. Abra barely managed to miss the fangs.
"Jethro!" The older man harshly said, making the dog recoil. "This lady's trying to help us. Leave her be."
The dog looked like it was about to say something, but it kept to himself. He slid the slab back into the cart, not keeping his eye off of Abra. The Wisp Mage couldn't help but look at the poor dog. "So what breed is he?"
"I think he's a spitz." The man said, "I'm sorry, I don't believe I've introduced myself. My name's Everett." He reached out his hand. "And who would you be?"
"Abra." Abra said, shaking Everett's hand. "Abra Psiber."
"Psiber…" Everett seemed to mull over the surname. "And your friend?"
"My...friend?" Abra asked. She wasn't liking where this was going.
"My hearing isn't that far gone, ya know." Everett said, not buying Abra's approach for a second.
"Well…" Abra wasn't sure how this would play out, but hell, what was the worst that could happen? She stepped to the side, revealing Mimikyu on the ground. "OKay, Mimikyu. Show's over."
"Already?" Mimikyu asked. She got back on whatever feet she had, brushing the dirt off her cloak. "Do I have anything else on me?"
Jethro approached Mimikyu, taking in her unusual scent. He sniffed for a moment before taking a moment to get a good look at her.
"I want to take a moment to thank you for stepping in when you did." Everett said. "I was honestly impressed with your Magic. Not a kind of Magic you see everyday, ya know?"
"Wait." Abra said, slightly shocked. "You know about my Magic?"
"Oh, yes." Everett smiled. "I believe it's called Wisp Magic. People used to be able to use it in the past, but eventually it died out. I honestly never thought I'd get the chance to see it up close." He began another coughing fit, this one sounding a lot worse than the last one.
"Are you okay, sir?" Abra asked.
"Ah, probably not." Everett said, "Being homeless, you tend to pick up anything you can."
"Uh…" Abra really didn't want to answer that kind of question. She didn't want to be rude.
"Actually, I hate to be a burden, young Abra, but I'd like to ask you for a favor." Everett said.
"Oh, Okay." Abra said, still reeling.
"If you can, I'd like you to watch over Jethro." Everett motioned over to the animal in question. "I'd like to get this whole cough checked out at the hospital, and they don't allow animals on the premises unless they're service animals."
"Yeah, I guess I could." Abra said.
"Thank you." Everett bent down to Jethro's eye level. "Jethro, I want you to be a good boy for Abra. Okay?" Jethro whined, his ears drooping. "Please, promise me you'll be good." He stroked Jethro's ear, making him smile. He jumped up into the old man's arms and nuzzled him. Everett chuckled and he gave Jethro a good pat on the head. "I can't thank you enough for doing this." He walked out of the alley, leaving Abra alone with Mimikyu and Jethro.
"Bye." Abra waved as Everett turned the corner. She walked over to the cart, and she dug around until she found the slab. She managed to slid it out and onto the ground, as heavy as it was. "So, what to do with this?"
"You think it's a Plate?" Mimikyu asked.
"Should we give it to Rick?" Abra asked.
"Can't, he just left for his job a little bit ago." Mimikyu said. "Actually, why didn't he sense it if it was this close to Fairy Tail?"
"I dunno." Abra said. "Maybe because he knew, but didn't want to steal it from him?"
"Or maybe its signal was cloaked." Mimikyu figured. "It's just a guess, but what if the Pokemon guarding the Plate has the power to disguise the signal, so that it can't be stolen?"
"Who knows." Abra said, "But in that case, what kind of Plate is it?"
"The Stone Plate."
Abra looked at Mimikyu, but that voice didn't come from her. Slowly letting the information sink in did Abra turn around, seeing Jethro holding the Stone Plate under his right paw. She blinked for a moment before letting out a scream, ringing out for a good distance.
The camera showed a close up look at Abra with an angry look on her face, and her eyes are glowing red. She gave a soft smile, the eyes stopped glowing and the camera panned eastward to show Strawberry Street, most noticeable, Lucy's and Abra's apartment.
The eerie music plays as we see a scary drawn face. The camera pans outward, revealing it to be Mimikyu. The Ghost and Fairy waves as the camera pans upwards to a bathroom with Mimikyu's cloak hanging over the curtain rod, her wooden tail leaning on the side, as the music turns to a more relaxing tone.
After taking a good minute to recollect herself, Abra, Mimikyu, and Jethro walked out of the alleyway. At this point, Abra wasn't sure what to think at this point. She inadvertently found a Plate Pokemon (she just made up the term), and she had no way of getting it to Rick. She wasn't even sure how she was going to get the Plate from the Rock-type...whatever it was.
Abra made it to her and Lucy's apartment, digging the key out of her pocket. "Now, Jethro." She said. "First things first, we should probably get you something to eat. That sound okay?"
"Sure." The sound of Jethro's stomach growling cemented the want.
Abra opened the door as Mimikyu raced inside. "Lucy, we're back!"
Jethro took a moment to take in his new surroundings. It looks nice enough with all the floorspace, not to mention the big couch and… The Rock-type Pokemon sniffed the air and something was peculiar. "Hey...do you have a cat?"
"Not to my immediate knowledge." Abra wasn't sure why Jethro was smelling a cat. Hmm... Maybe there was someone had a cat nearby. "Well, how about we get something to eat?" Abra sat her purse down in the master bed, only for it for oddly slide off. The Wisp Mage caught the bag and, upon closer inspection, noticed the lump in the bed...and the scarf mildly hiding within the sheets. Abra quickly yanked the blankets off, only to reveal Natsu and Happy was there, Natsu snoring like an Exploud, completely dead to the world.
"So, the rumors were true." Abra sighed. She looked down at Mimikyu. "I thought Lucy was pulling my leg...but I was wrong."
"Wrong about what?" Jethro asked.
"Well…"
It was only about a day after the Phantom Lord Guild brawl. Tensions were high at that juncture, so Abra asked Lucy if she and Mimikyu could move in with her.
"Thanks again for letting us stay here, Lucy." Abra had a nice smile on her face.
"Yeah, you're the greatest!" Mimikyu cheered.
"Trust me, it's no trouble." Lucy said. "Plus, from what I hear, the rent at the girls' dorm is a hundred thousand Jewel a month. The rent at my place is only 70,000 Jewel a month."
Abra whistled at the difference. It was nice since she's still only learning the ins and outs of her Wisp Magic, so she probably wouldn't be able to handle the big jobs on the Request Board. Maybe something small in town might be best for her. "Nice. So that means...I'd need to chip in at least 35 thousand a month."
"Yeah, well until we start getting job requests again, your first job might have to wait." Lucy sighed, pushing the door open. "It's a bummer that we can't take jobs right now, but I'm sure the landlady might be generous with us."
"I'm not sure I like the word 'maybe' in that sentence." Mimikyu worriedly said.
"I don't see why you're complaining." Abra looked down at the Disguise Pokemon she had in her arms.
Abra and Lucy walked inside, which allowed Abra and Mimikyu to survey their new living arrangement. "Wow, nice hardwood flooring." Abra let Mimikyu go to scout out the apartment, as she bent down to rub the flooring. "Ohh, nice." She was pulled from her amazement when Mimikyu came scurrying out of the master bedroom in slight fear, hiding behind her Trainer. "What happened to you? You look like you saw a ghost."
"There's something in the back room." Mimikyu pointed a claw towards the master bedroom.
"Oh, that better not be who I think it is." Lucy stomped into the back room, but not before turning back around. "You might want to step outside." Her tone of voice wasn't making it sound like a request, so Abra and Mimikyu stepped back outside, kinda leaning on the wall outside.
"So, what exactly did you see?" Abra asked, cocking an eyebrow at Mimikyu.
"Well…" Mimikyu droned on, only for them to flinch at what seemed at be crashing sounds coming from the apartment. "I think you're about to find out…"
"Huh?"
"GET OUT OF HERE!" Lucy screamed, and what followed was Natsu and Happy getting thrown, or rather kicked into the nearest canal. The Celestial Mage was slightly shaking in what Abra could best describe as the worst rage she's seen.
"I know that Lucy told me to keep an eye open for when they show up, but I didn't think it was that bad." Abra sighed. She even remembered that the last time the Fire Dragon Slayer was here, he came in through the windows, not to mention Gray came in through the chimney. "Well, now how exactly are we getting them out."
"I got it." Mimikyu groaned. She hopped onto the bed and crawled up onto Natsu's rising chest, ignoring his loud snoring. After a moment or two, Mimikyu revealed her claws, glowing black. "Shadow Claw!" With two rakes across Natsu's face, the Dragon Slayer shot up in pain.
"OW! THAT HURTS!" Natsu punched at Mimikyu, causing her to fly across the bed and onto the floor.
"Why are you here?" Abra asked, which managed to grab Natsu's attention.
"Oh, Abra." Natsu said. "When did you get here?"
"I live here, remember?" Abra sniped, but she focused her attention to her Mimikyu. "You okay?"
"I've felt worse." Mimikyu groaned. As Mimikyu got back up, she felt something slump down and hit her side. Out of sheer curiosity, the Disguise Pokemon felt her side, only to feel something huge. Without saying a word, much less any possible warning, Mimikyu bared her claws, probably readying X-Scissor.
The only thing heard for the next five minutes were the horrified screams of Natsu and Happy.
The eerie music plays as we see a scary drawn face. The camera pans outward, revealing it to be Mimikyu. The Ghost and Fairy waves as the camera pans upwards to a bathroom with Mimikyu's cloak hanging over the curtain rod, her wooden tail leaning on the side, as the music turns to a more relaxing tone.
As the music plays, Rick and Swampy are looking out at the setting sun. They notice they're being watched, and Rick turns the camera away to the right, revealing Rick's amethyst necklace and Swampy's Poke Ball on a table, both of which glisten in the light.
As the train raced along its tracks, Rick couldn't help but stare out the window. Granted he could see the background raced away as fast as the train was, but there was this feeling he couldn't help but shake.
"Hey, you okay?" Rick peered away from the window, noticing Swampy's worried expression. "You've been acting weird all day, and frankly it's concerning."
"Honestly…" Rick started. He took a deep breath before his continuance. "I feel like there's something I just can't shake, you know?"
"What, like a cold?" Swampy asked.
"No, more like a sense of dread." Rick warily said, almost like he was about to say too much. "How long has it been since I got my last Plate?"
Swampy pieced the puzzled together. "You're worried about Arceus, aren't you?"
"Yeah, but there's something else that has me concerned." Rick said, obviously more worried than concerned. "Who has the power to do something like that to Arceus, to an actual god, mind you? And what if whoever did this comes after me, or after everyone else?
Swampy sighed. "I don't know." The Mud Fish starter looked back up to his Trainer with a comforting smile. "But we will cross that bridge when we get there. There's no sense of worrying yourself over something that hasn't happened yet. And besides, Cana has Stevie and Abra has Mimikyu. Not to mention that if push comes to shove, the others would protect Archie if need be. You can't keep worrying over the 'what ifs' in life. And chances are the other Plate Pokemon won't let anything happen either, right?"
"Yeah." Rick lied back in his seat, taking deep breaths."You're right. We'll deal with it when it happens, right?"
"Yeah." Swampy got comfy in his spot next to Rick. "When it happens."
"Hmm…" Cana squinted, getting a better look at the bounty poster in her hands, as her train raced towards its destination of Phlox. The more the Card Mage stared at it, the more the picture stood out to her. "I don't get it."
"Get what?" Stevie asked, the Evolution Pokemon resting next to her Trainer.
"This picture." Cana showed Stevie the picture of 'Sharp Claw' Zoro, "Call me crazy, but I don't think this guy's human, if you catch my drift."
"How so?" Stevie asked.
"Well, for starters, the nose doesn't look human." Cana pointed at the tiny dot on the face, revealing a tiny ovalish nose.
"Wow. I didn't see that there." Stevie remarked. "Hey, is that a third eye on his forehead?"
"Doubtful." Cana said, "They would've shown more of it. My guess is that it's some sort of marking or jewel. Plus, this request isn't giving any details about him. No reason, no description, just saying that he's wanted with a 320 thousand Jewel bounty."
"Oh." Stevie said. She really didn't think Cana was much of an observer. The past week or so didn't show much of Cana's personality, except her Trainer's horrible drinking ability and usual place at a betting table. This was a whole other side of Cana, and to be honest, she wanted to see this side more often.
Stevie and Cana heard the screeching of the train's braking system, and the PA letting the passengers know that the train's reaching its destination and to grab their personal items. Cana got her coat on as Stevie hopped up onto Cana's shoulder as the pair disembarked.
The town of Phlox was, true to Rick's words, closer to the snowy region of Fiore, so there was a considerable amount of snow everywhere, with icicle hanging from the edges. But there was still a considerable amount of tourism, as Cana saw a few shops that screamed 'tourist trap'.
"So, where exactly sent the request?" Stevie asked.
Cana took out the request, "Apparently the mayor did."
"Yet, he gave no reason?" Stevie asked. "That seems a little odd."
"That's being generous, if you ask me." Cana stated. They reached a huge building in the center of town. The roof was plastered with white snow, but the building itself was a nice blue. "Well, looks like we made it." Cana made her way inside, with the first thing she was exposed to was a welcoming wave of heat. Compared to the below freezing temperatures outside, this felt heavenly.
Cana made her way up to the front desk, where a woman was sitting. She looked up and saw what looked like a small dog on a woman's shoulder. "I'm terribly sorry, but we don't allow pets in here." She said rudely.
"She's with me." Cana said, "I'm Cana Alberona from Fairy Tail. I'm here for the job." Cana pulled out her job request.
"Oh, I see." The woman put her finger to her ear. "Sir, there's a woman from Fairy Tail here. About the job request." She paused as she heard a voice from the other end. "The mayor's office is through those doors." She referred to the double doors to her right.
"Yeah, thanks." Cana walked to the doors, but not before Stevie got the chance to stuck her tongue out at the receptionist. "I couldn't have said it better myself."
Cana opened the double doors, as the mayor got up. He seemed to be a rather well dressed fellow, wearing a fancy dress shirt with yellow accents running down the sleeves, with black dress pants. His brown hair was slicked back and well combed, not even a single strand was out of place. Body-wise, he was a little on the short side, and thin.
"Ah, you must be the mage from Fairy Tail." The mayor got up and reached out. "You may call me Storm."
"Uh, right." Cana shook the man's hand. "My name is Cana, and this is Stevie. So, what's this job about anyway?"
"Well, you see." The mayor sat back down at his desk, his face dead serious. "This all started about a month ago. Suddenly, we've been plagued by a thief, someone who will take just about anything their hands on; food, jewelry, you name it."
"Uh-huh." Cana surmised. "And, this thief has a bounty of 320 thousand. I don't seem to understand that. Why some petty thief have such a bounty?"
"Oh." Storm dreadfully said. "I see that you didn't have the correct poster."
"Correct poster?" Cana questioned. "Was there an increase?"
"Yes, but that's not the important part." Storm reached into his desk drawer and pulled out another wanted poster, but this one came with a red 'S' stamp on the top right corner.
S-CLASS
WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
'SHARP CLAW' ZORO
REWARD: 60 MILLION JEWEL
"An S-Class job?!" Cana exclaimed. "Why exactly does a petty thief have that high of a bounty?"
"That's because he's extremely dangerous, and I wasn't aware of how monstrous his power was when I sent the request you have." Storm admitted. "Before you, 11 other Mages came in to deal with him." A silent chill swept into the room, making Cana and Stevie unnerved. "But he killed them. Every last one."
If Cana wasn't sober now, that tidbit would've done the trick. She wasn't even aware of that fact, and it actually made some sense as to why they updated this 'Zoro' as an S-Class threat. She wasn't sure about something though, and she felt like she had to get to the bottom of this. One way or another.
"Given the reality of the problem, I can understand if you wish to leave." Storm said, his arms resting on the desk.
'I may not be S-Class like Erza or even that pig Laxus, but I can't leave knowing that there's someone here that causing pain for everyone else.' Cana's resolve was firm as of that instant, which Stevie was made aware of.
Stevie was shocked that Cana was about to take a job that killed 11 other people before her. 'This doesn't make sense. He wouldn't do this...would he?' She looked at Cana, who was oblivious to her Eevee's concern. 'No. No, this can't be right. I know that much at least.'
So, first things first before I get into this, I am REALLY sorry for the long ass wait! This is, sadly, my first update for A Fairy's Heart for 2019, and I just realized this now!
The main reason for this was that I get the feeling I was trying too much to make each chapter long, yet not overly long (if that makes any sense), usually having the most recent chapter running anywhere from 7 to 10 thousand words, and this chapter is probably pushing close to 3 or 4 thousand (counting the reviews, the recap, and the eyecatchers, yet excluding the author's note here), which was probably the same amount as some of my earlier chapters, like the Day of Disaster arc. The most reasonable response to having such a short chapter (in comparison to what I had for the last two chapters of the Phantom Lord arc) would most likely stem from the fact that this is 100% original content, which isn't something I'm very good at in terms of making a plot, coming up with original names, Magics, town names, backstories, etc.
Plus, I was also taking the time to fill in the major plot points in A Fairy's Heart, making some new story original arcs, coming up with new Plate Pokemon, their personalities, and even figuring out how I'm going to fit in some original ideas into some of Fairy Tail's arcs, such as the Oracion Seis arc.
If anything, what I think I'll do is do a couple more filler chapters for Rick and Cana's respective jobs, while I wrap up Abra's filler adventure and then try and give Archie some time in the spotlight after these jobs have wrapped up. These chapter are going to be relatively shorter than what you saw in the Phantom Lord arc, but trust me, once I get back on track with The Battle of Fairy Tail arc, the chapters should be much longer and a bit more detailed.
Also, I did (somewhat) introduce two new Plate Pokemon in this Chapter, and I'm pretty sure you should figure out which Pokemon they are. I even threw in some references to One Piece if you want to try and find them. There should be at least five separate references, but I can't really remember.
Also, before I forget, I do want to get the answer to why Rick didn't sense the Stone Plate since it was in Magnolia. The simple answer to that is that Rick isn't going to be perfect when it comes down to collecting the Plates. Plus if Rick were to meet the Plate Pokemon, there would be a pretty big chance that they would want to have Rick as their Trainer, which kinda defeats the purpose of having Cana and Abra being given Stevie and Mimikyu, respectively, much less there being Team CardHeart.
Please try and bear with me, and I'll try to get some more chapters pumped out. I do apologized if I missed anything.
-William Sloan