Chapter 30 – The Eyes of Satan
Well, I was quite disappointed with the lack of Reviews for last chapter. I was expecting a whole lot more, but I guess I should just keep on going. Still, I implore you to leave Reviews, I could really use them as evidence to show that you enjoy and support this story.
Nothing else vital to say, so on with the program!
To Reap:
Nic and Natsu quarrel against Zero and Jellal steps in and gives them strength and comradery. Natsu enters Dragon Force and Nic enters his White Kyurem Legendary Force, defeating Zero with no problem and stopping Nirvana once and for all. The Rune Knights surrounded the group not long afterwards and they took Richard, and the group fought for Jellal's freedom, but Erza told them to stop, though Nic lashed out. With Jellal gone, Erza cries, and though Nic obtained the Mind Plate, he too cried, feeling upset about Erza. The next day, everyone learns the secret of Cait Shelter and Roubaul and the guild bid farewell as they all depart for the afterlife, leaving Wendy in tears and for Erza to comfort her. Seeing how Erza cared very deeply for Jellal, probably more than him, Nic was left heartbroken.
Chapter 30 – The Eyes of Satan
Roughly two weeks have passed by after the whole Nirvana incident. Everyone from the Allied Forces returned home and Fairy Tail went back to being its usual self. A lot of events transpired within those two weeks; and one of them included the return of Fairy Tail's Ace named Gildarts. Erza recovered quickly from losing Jellal, though someone took the matter more personal than it should've been.
The sky was partly cloudy and Fairy Tail was being as rowdy as a Tauros with Anger Point. Nothing serious was going down, the usual went on, which consisted of Lucy complaining of being broke, Cana drinking, and Natsu and Gray starting brawls, but this time around, someone wasn't there to stop it, so Erza halted them.
"You looking to pick a fight stripper?!" Natsu glared with an orange aura at Gray, who had a blue aura in return. Both sides were glaring face-to-face.
"Are you seriously wanting to go up against me flame brain?!" Gray scowled.
"That's enough!" Erza got between them and pushed her arms out, cracking their necks. Both of them fell back and were out briefly. Erza looked down and sighed. "Honestly, can you two ever learn to get along?"
"That's Natsu and Gray for ya!" Happy said.
"Say, Erza hasn't changed much." Gildarts said, looking from a stool from the bar. In case if you were wondering, Gildarts was a tall, muscular man with shoulder-length orange hair that was slicked back. His body had lost an arm and leg as of recently, so instead he had wooden prosthetics. He had a long, black, high-collared, tattered cloak with shoulder plates. He had a waist guard around his simple belt as well. He had loose dark pants that tucked into his simple boots. He chuckled as he saw Gray and Natsu groan on the floor.
Makarov was sitting on the bar table and took a breath after drinking from a mug. "Much time has passed Gildarts; you'd be surprised of what you missed."
Gildarts turned towards Makarov. "I don't doubt you there old man. Everyone's all grown up. This will take some getting used to." He looked around and saw the happy smiles on everyone's faces.
Team Natsu settled down and gathered at a table, where Wendy joined in as well. "So guys, do you think that we'll be going on another job?" The Sky Dragon Slayer asked.
Lucy sweatdropped with a nervous smile. "Let's try and take it easy Wendy."
"We all know you're excited joining Fairy Tail, but don't forget that we just got back from one yesterday." Gray reminded her.
Out of the entire group, Erza was the only one standing up. She was actually turning her head left and right, as if looking anxiously for something. She had her eyes narrowed as she couldn't find what she was looking for. She looked back at the group sitting down. "Have any of you seen Nic around?"
Lucy and everyone turned towards Erza. "Erza, you've been asking that same question every other day." Lucy said.
"I don't know what's up with the guy." Natsu said with crossed arms. "For some reason, he's been acting really weird."
"Yeah. Ever since we've came back from stopping Nirvana and the Oracion Seis, Nic's been more…distant." Gray added.
"Aye. We only get glimpses of him before he takes off again. He's almost never around anymore." Happy followed up.
Fortunately for Team Natsu, Cana was right next to them and was chugging down another barrel of booze. If anyone knows what Nic's up to, it's her.
Cana was chugging down her usual booze when Erza came up to her. "Cana." She asked, getting the brunette's attention. "Have you seen Nic around lately?" She couldn't help but sound slightly anxious.
Cana looked at Erza, seeing the slight plead in her eyes. The brunette let a displeasing hum escape as she looked down blankly at the tabletop. "Sorry Erza, but Nic's out on another job." She then glanced back towards Erza. "He's been on jobs left and right, so he and I converse briefly."
"I see." Erza's voice had some signs of disappointment in them. "Have you seen Sophie as well? You and Sophie are close friends of Nic's, so it's natural to belief that you two have an insight as to his condition."
"You make it sound like he's dying Erza, chillax." Cana casually asked, to which the redhead gave a dark glare, to which Cana groaned in defeat. "But since you asked, Sophie's on her own job and will be back tomorrow, maybe you can ask her then if Nic's isn't around by that time. The guy has his own problems too you know."
Erza thanked Cana and then turned back towards the group, having a small frown on her face. She hasn't seen much of Nic ever since they came back, and she was getting concerned.
Lupinus Town
A small group of raiders was bothering the townsfolk as of recently, and some of them possessed Magic, which called for this job to be B - Class at the very least. The raiders normally hid in the alleys and stole from people when they venture too close, hence the events that lead to this point of time.
A Brine attack was seen launched from the alleyway, flooding out several members from the gang. They all gushed out onto the streets and whoever was able to move made a run for it. A couple of members were out just like that and the rest that escaped made a break for the south down a slant into town.
"You're not getting away that easily!" A figure with sunglasses on his face, the sunlight bouncing off and he was dashing out of the alleyway and used his amazing speed to catch up quickly. The figure was identified to be Nic in his Splash Plate Form, and the job he took was to deal with these raiders.
The guys were trying to get away, but Nic was clearly too fast and they saw him leap over their heads and fired a Bubble attack right in front of the group of eight. The group was stopped from advancing as Nic landed behind them and he clenched his own fists briefly, making them crack just like that.
"Now." Nic lowly said. "Are you going to surrender?"
One of the raiders looked at Nic and he grunted. "Yeah right, you've just messed with the wrong guys buddy!" The raider made a red Magic seal and a stream of fire went burrowing at Nic, who didn't even flinch.
"Pitiful." Nic shook his head. "Those flames are weak judging by the loose pressure."
As the fire continued down its path at Nic, multiple compressed stars of water shot from out of nowhere and practically sliced through the fire with ease, dispelling it.
"Gah! What the?!" The one who shot the Fire Magic exclaimed.
"Where did that come from?!" Another member exclaimed. The group was in a little panic as they were clearly out maneuvered. They remained still as they heard the sound of feet hitting the ground behind them, making them all turn around and yelp.
"This can be difficult if they keep resisting, right Nic?" Greninja said towards Nic, who was on the other end of the group. The two had the raiders cornered on both ends.
"I suppose so." Nic casually implied. He had hands in his pockets as he looked at the shaking group. "Now, this is your last warning. Give up, or we'll have to suppress you with more drastic measures."
A fellow raider had a sword in his hand and he was shaken up too, but still showed resistance. Yeah, not the best course of action. He held up the sword. "As if! Back off pal!" He scowled with clear signs of being a coward. As he brought the blade back and was about to run up to Nic foolishly, a Water Shuriken from Greninja completely bisected the sword, cutting it down, as well as getting a few strands of hair from the man's head. The raiders all froze at this swift counterattack.
"We don't bluff. That was your last warning." Greninja informed them.
Nic then began to crack his knuckles and grinned as he shifted into the Meadow Plate. "Alright Greninja, let's rough them up."
The two then jumped into the air and was over the raiders' heads. Nic looked down and fired a Razor Leaf attack in conjunction of Greninja's Water Shuriken, making falling compressed stars of water and green-glowing leaves rain down on the group. The terrified group wailed and some peed their pants as the attacks came down on them. They wailed again as they were hit and their weapons were destroyed and they ended up being swallowed in a burst of energy, sending dust flying.
Greninja and Nic landed side-by-side as the smoke cleared, revealing the unconscious group of raiders and their groaning of agony. They were all a wreck and Nic and Greninja didn't even try.
"Honestly, they call themselves raiders?" Nic asked Greninja with crossed arms.
"Nothing can be said about their actions." Greninja reasoned. "It's best that they learn the hard way."
"Very well, let's just wrap things up here." Nic said. He transformed himself into the Mind Plate and he used Telekinesis to lift the unconscious ones and he transferred them towards the remaining few that were knocked out earlier. Greninja and Nic waited until the Rune Knights came and arrested the raiders and took them away. Nic briefly met the client and was given his payment as promised, after which Nic and Greninja left.
It was now a moonless night and Nic and Greninja were traveling by tree as they always do. They were expected to reach Magnolia by tomorrow close to noon at the pace they were going. They were going to stop ahead soon enough and rest up for the rest of the trip back.
As Nic had his sunglasses on his V-neck and dashing through the trees, Greninja was right by his side and looked at Nic. "So how much longer until we stop."
Nic kept leaping and looked forward. "Half hour, maybe an hour. Depends on how much further we can see."
Greninja kept his glancing back and forth between Nic and forward as they continued to proceed. Greninja was silent for a bit until five minutes or so rolled by. He looked back at Nic and kept his gaze on him. "Nic." The great Luminous of Fairy Tail looked briefly at his froggy pal. Greninja paused before shifting his glance towards the ground below. "Let's call it quits for the night."
With that being said, Nic blinked and he looked at the ground and he proceeded another two feet before stopping on a strong tree branch. The duo took a moment and recharged their lungs with oxygen before descending to the ground below and landed on their feet.
Nic turned towards Greninja with a blank look. "We should start recuperating for the next job request. When we get back we'll try and take an A–Class job, possibly a monster-slaying mission." He explained. He slowly crouched down and he sat cross-legged and he bent forward to stretch his spine.
Greninja remained quiet as he saw Nic stretch his legs and spine and he finally decided to speak up. "You know, you've been going on mission endlessly. It wouldn't hurt to take an easy job or take some time up to regain some strength."
Nic opened his eyes and took in a good long breath. "I know, but I'm S-Class now, that means there's a whole new level of expectations to be made." He then laid on his back with his arms being a headrest for him as he gazed up at the midnight blue sky. "Besides, I don't mind the extra work, the distance helps keep my speed in top form."
"Yeah, you haven't taken a train once." Greninja noted. He then looked up and out at the sky as well, leaning back and used his arms for support behind him. "Speaking of jobs, you've got plenty of money now, so why bother going on jobs when you're practically rich?"
Nic hummed as he gazed up at the sky, trying to find a believable answer. "I don't see why not. I could share my winnings with Cana to pay her tab you know?" He informed the Water and Dark-Type.
Greninja tilted his head down towards Nic. "Nic, that's basically what you've been doing, and any excess cash left over would be directed to your account." He deadpanned.
Nic grinned. "Well, Cana is my closest friend along with Sophie. I wouldn't mind lending a helping hand every now and again."
Greninja turned his head back up towards the sky and got quiet briefly. He then looked forward at a tree. Now was the time for Greninja to get to his point."…that's kind of ironic Nic, considering you're hardly ever around the guild anymore."
Nic's grin dimmed slightly as he turned his head up towards Greninja. "Yeah well, being a Fairy Tail Mage doesn't mean I can stay idle in a solemn place for too long."
"Yeah, true, but you seem to have a reason in doing so."
Nic lost his grin, having a feeling where this was going. He just awaited as Greninja turned to look towards him and continued. "Tell me, does it have to do with the whole Nirvana incident?"
Nic blinked as he could've sworn he felt his breathing increase at Greninja catching on. "Well, I wouldn't say that, but after what happened, I figured that I should get stronger so I can handle battles for myself." He lied.
Greninja didn't buy it. "That answer doesn't suffice me Nic." Greninja stated somewhat coldly, his body fully turning towards Nic. "Me and the other Pokémon caught on fairly quickly, and we deduced that you've been slipping in and out of the guild and saying high to Cana and Sophie if they're around."
Nic sat back up and he stared at Greninja, his best buddy explaining their scenario. "You're just popping in and out, not even saying but a few words to others. Furthermore, it seems you're doing so on purpose."
Nic nearly jerked back with a gasp of shock, but kept sitting down. "How'd you figure that out?" He stated calmly.
His buddy's eyelids lowered, giving a 'really?' look. "The second you got home you took a job, you practically missed the annual Blossom-Viewing Festival, and you only showed up and won that Twenty-Four Hour Endurance Road Race because it was mandatory." He listed.
Nic looked away. "Yeah well, Jet wasn't too bad for his High-Speed Magic."
"Nic, your normal speed is comparable to Natsu's Fire Dragon's Iron Fist Booster, you practically used Quick Attack to match Jet's speed, and then when you used Extreme Speed…"
"I was faster than what Jet could ever be." Nic finished. He sighed. "Yeah, no one saw that coming."
"Now you're pretty much the fastest in Fairy Ta-!" Greninja jerked his head and he shook violently, realizing that Nic was trying to dodge the statement. "That's not the point! The point is, that you only showed up for that and nothing else. And we can guess what it is."
Nic remained silent, he should've known. His Pokémon knew him all too well. Their minds were practically one in the same. Still, Nic gave it another go at evading the statement as he turned back towards Greninja. "Is that so? I also heard that this Gildarts guy came by and…"
"It's about Erza, isn't it?" Greninja intervened.
There was a tension in the air as Nic remained silent with slightly wide eyes. Greninja had a very serious look plastered on his face as he awaited for how Nic would respond to this predicament.
All Nic could do was keep silent for a few moments before he looked down at the ground. "What about her?"
"Don't beat around the bush Nic, we know you better than anyone." Greninja reasoned harshly. "You're one of the most courageous, not to mention atrocious, people we've ever known. And when we got back from Nirvana, you couldn't even so much as look at Erza."
Nic's lower and upper jaws clenched as Greninja was pointing oit his flaw in the past two weeks. Greninja continued. "You've been on nine jobs in the past two weeks and you were in and out of the guild just like that. And to make matters all the more unbearable, you only went in when Erza wasn't around. You're practically avoiding her."
"So what if I am? I just need some alone time." Nic explained.
"Alone for what? Wallowing in self-pity?"
Nic turned towards Greninja sharply with a glare. "No."
"Then what? How long are you going to be avoiding her Nic? What did she ever do to deserve unjustified neglecting? Don't you wanna see her again?"
"Of course I do!"
"Then why are you avoiding her?!" Greninja's had a cold and loud tone that gave even more tension, the two starting to argue. "She's recovered and is happy with her comrades, while you are always away and haven't even spoken a single word to her!"
"There's nothing to say to her! What is there to say to her? How do I say it to her?" Nic barked back with clenched fists. "I don't even understand it myself!"
"Nic!" Greninja exclaimed. "If you don't understand, then why not ask for help?!"
"This is nobody's problem but mine! It hurts okay?!" Nic roared with sharp eyes at Greninja. Greninja fell silent with shocked eyes, seeing the anger and frustration in Nic's words. Nic was breathing in and out as he exasperated so harshly. Nic was left quiet, allowing only his breathing to catch up as the air was as still as a Nosepass.
A still tension was brought back down as Greninja and Nic's eyes both softened. "What hurts?" Greninja asked in a quiet voice.
In defeat, Nic looked down at the ground and he shut his eyes and he bit his own lip. His fists were still clenched. "…my heart." He answered lowly.
Greninja ease his tense self and narrowed his eyes with some signs of sadness brewing about. "How does it hurt?"
Nic turned towards Greninja with a look that seemed desperate for pity. Just the mere sight of his sad face could probably put a frown on anybody's face.
"Ever since I saw Erza comfort Wendy and her loss of Jellal, I couldn't help but blame myself. I saw the sheer sadness she was in when she was crying. She clearly cares about Jellal deeply and all I could do was just watch as she cried. I've never felt so horrible in my life. She loved him, and I saw that with my Mind Plate. I just felt empty all this time. These past two weeks, I was hurt. When I think of Erza, a part of me is happy, but another part of me is crushing me up from the inside. I can't even look at her, for if I did, I'd feel even more turmoil in my head, but…" He cascaded a glance down back towards the ground. "It's mostly hurting in my heart. When I think of her and Jellal, a wave of pain and sadness washes over me. As time goes by, it just makes me feel even more self-pity."
Nic continued to look at the ground as Greninja fell completely quiet in realization of Nic's reasons. Now it all made sense. Even Greninja felt sorry for Nic, for he was suffering a broken heart, and a pretty bad one as well.
Greninja's somber expression tried to pull off an empathetic grin. "You love her, don't you?"
All Nic could do was just keep silent as he took a moment to gather up his memories and look back at how Erza meant so much to him, she was very dear to him, and though he hated to admit it, Greninja was right. Nic loves Erza.
Nic looked down even more coldly and he slowly took a seat on a log behind him, burying his face into his hands. "It's so stupid. Why did this have to happen to me of all people? I'm on a life-or-death mission for the sake of all of the universe and I had to go and fall in love."
Greninja sat right beside Nic wand still gazed at his troubled pal. "Maybe it's not a bad thing. Experiencing new stuff is never all that easy. Once we care for someone, it's hard to accept their feelings if they don't return them. I'm no expert on love, but learning from what I've heard and seen in these three years, I can tell the human heart has its ups and downs."
Nic looked up at the sky above, seeing the night clouds scrolling up. He stared at the sky, as if lost in this abyss and can't seem to climb out, just hopelessly gazing up towards the light that may never be reached. This light being Erza.
"Sometimes I ask myself 'Did she really care about me? Was I just a cover-up for her first love?' I highly doubt she even thought about conversing with me after our return." He looked down at Greninja, seeing frustration. "Well I got news, I'm nobody's Plan B nor failsafe. Either you choose me, or I just disappear."
After a few minutes of silence, Greninja gave a sympathetic grin and put a hand on Nic's shoulder. "Tell me, did you feel a connection with her?"
Nic looked back at Greninja with surprise. "Yeah?"
"Did you make her happy this whole time?'
"…I guess."
"Did she cry for you?"
Nic blinked in remembrance. Erza did cry for both him and Jellal. After some hesitation to speak, his gaze lowered. "Y-Yes."
"And why do you think she did that? Why did you give your life for her on several occasions?" Greninja persuaded. Nic remained silent as he was lost in Greninja's words. "You know why? Because you both care for the other. It doesn't have to be a loving care, but a genuine care. Like I said, I don't know much about this stuff, but I can say that I know you, and I think you should consider Erza's feelings as genuine as they can get."
Nic kept quiet for a few brief moments and then pulled off a slight grin. His buddy sure had a way with words like he did.
Greninja looked back up at the sky. "And let me tell you this, you have our support. We'll walk with you no matter where you go. If Erza is that important to you, we'll be there to push you back in her direction."
Greninja's dedication made Nic grin even more, his worries going away. "Thanks Greninja, I needed a good counseling." He then got up and looked at the sky again with a grin still on his face. "Maybe if Erza's around when we get back, maybe I'll say hi. I wonder if she's okay?"
Meanwhile, in another dimension…
Peering down the visual hole and unable to do anything but watch coldly, Giratina kept a devilish and stern glare set on Nic. If you could actually see the dimension where Giratina and his comrades were, if you were looking up, you'd be looking at the unflattering angle his face was in, his face angled down slightly, but his eyes that were of nothing but pure bloody murder. If you looked at him, you would be looking into the pure eyes of not just any Ghost-Type, nor any demon, but the foulest among anything you've ever read. You could've been given a glance by Satan himself.
Hoopa was rather anxious. "Gah! This is taking forever!" He complained. "Are we able to get him or not?!"
"Silence Hoopa." Mewtwo savagely and quietly said, making the small space-twister shut his mouth. "We shall kill him yet. We shall do so before the eighteenth Plate is unlocked. His soul and existence shall burn before that. We shall see to that."
"That is a must." Darkrai said, his body almost matching the pitch black space they were concealed in. "His nightmares shall come to life, after meeting a certain someone." He turned towards the gigantic Giratina. "Giratina."
The huge and hazardous creature turned his serpentine body towards Darkrai as Darkrai himself asked him something. "Is he there?"
"…" The bloodthirsty Ghost and Dragon-Type stared coldly, his red glare making Darkrai stay still. Fter a brief moment of death-like silence, Giratina peered down towards the hole again. "Yes." He answered in his deep and menacing voice. "He shall let Nic Pularis know that we won't allow Arceus to survive. Neither will he…"
With Nic and Greninja
It was as if the wind had become hollow, like an ominous feeling that told them to watch out. Leaves blew and bushes rustled, to which this feeling was caught on by Nic and Greninja both.
"Hm?" Nic narrowed his eyes. He got up and he slowly took a few steps forward. He felt this wind giving his spine the chill that could even kill goosebumps. This was no ordinary feeling, this was unique. The leaves and bushes stopped rusting and they were left completely still, and the wind was blowing right by them like a ghostly blow.
"What is it?" Greninja wondered with suspicion.
"Something's wrong." Nic said as he looked up at the sky. The clouds that were moving had stopped in place and they looked far darker than usual. "Something is very wrong."
Greninja got up and he was just as uneasy as Nic. The two then walked and were back-to-back, seeing where this feeling was coming from. They weren't sure, but this felt as though Hell wasn't waiting for them any longer sort of speak.
They both looked up and saw more clouds coming and converging over their heads, as if focused only on them. They were getting ever more anxious as this feeling of evil and vile grew and this hollow and lifeless wind subsided, only to be replaced by a still and dreadful air that was actually making it hard for the two to breathe for some reason.
It was as if the air was suffocating them and their breathing and heart rate intensified. Now this was very wrong. If this feeling was this powerful, just how much more power was to come their way?
Due to the still and death-like air, you could only hear a heartbeat and Nic looked around unsettled as to the cause. The trees and leaves were as though they were frozen, afraid that if they moved, even an inch, they would die.
"Can you feel it?" Nic asked.
"Yeah." Greninja answered, his spine violently shaking.
"It's getting stronger-!" Suddenly, he fell silent as he heard shadows moving in from in front of them. The two turned upfront to see that there was an actual haze of pure shadow coming towards them, hearing the 'whoosh' sound it made as it traveled passed the trees.
The hazy shadow converged in front of them, fifteen feet to be more exact. Nic felt his body shaking for some reason, as he had never felt this freaked out in a long time. The Dread Plate itself couldn't suppress such evil.
"What is this?" Nic was unable to comprehend the shadows converging. They all converged to make a human-size cocoon of sorts. This was very peculiar as the shadowy cocoon thickened. Greninja and Nic were ready to strike if that thing exploded, but it didn't as it slowly dissolved, giving them a frightening image that made them show horror in the eyes and gasped.
They saw a man, but was he really a man? He had pale skin and feral, evil, and hollow vermilion eyes. Blood red sideburns with his hair being like a black mane. Pitch black suit with a cloudy yet spiky collar. Golden claws were on his rib cage and over his coat. He had black gloves with purple rings. Purple and red horizontal lines were on the sides of his pitch black pants. The part that freaked them out the most was that he had a purple tail with vertical lines comprised of red and black rings, and on the bulb end were two golden spikes on each side.
The man stare coldly at Nic and Nic only. For some reason, Nic felt as if he had become hollow himself. His entire being felt as though it was like a demon was actually in front of them, but this was way different compared to The Nightmare, Lullaby, and those cursed guys from Tartaros. This was far more corrosive as the man was giving off a dark purple aura and the area around him wilted, as though he was killing off any life that was standing in his way.
"Who are you?" Nic demanded, though still felt exceedingly uneasy. His ninja pal was just as uneasy as he was.
The man said nothing as he still gave Nic a feral stare, his vermilion slits showing him an empty shell. "Nic Pularis." The man said in a low monotone voice. "What a pleasant surprise. It was about time we come face-to-face."
"What?" Nic was surprised that this man knew who he was. Who was he to begin with? Nic only clenched his fists and readied a defensive assault. "I'll ask again, who are you?"
The man said nothing for he only stared coldly at Nic. He then closed his eyes and let lose a hardy chuckle. This chuckle was not only annoying, but it gave goosebumps as well. The man then opened his vermilion eyes back up at Nic. "Who I am doesn't matter, and for you to know is purposeless." He answered. The dark purple aura around him thickened as he practically had a misty cloak around him, making the air die.
"I am what you may call someone who will be your end, but that'll be all. There is no need for anymore hiding Nic Pularis. I have found you at long last, now I can do what I was meant for…killing you."
Nic jerked back in surprise that he was going to kill, and by the tone, he was dead serious (pun intended). Nic's anxiety was beginning to swell as Greninja also felt this way.
"Why just Nic? Why only him?" Greninja asked with hesitation.
The fiend turned his head towards Greninja, giving him a cod stare as well. "That question is of no meaning. His life being suffocated by darkness is all that is required for you to know."
'I don't like the look of this guy. I've heard of Mirajane using Satan Soul and Erza being scary before…but this guy, he's the embodiment of something far worse than anything anyone can imagine.' Nic pondered as the man's aura kept crawling around his body, the leaves close by dying. 'Furthermore, whatever Magic he's using, it's even fouler than Zero and Jose. It's like hatred itself.'
A few brief moments passed by and Nic was on edge. Out of all of the opponents he's ever fought, this one was different, but he can't seem to understand why.
The man then turned his head away, as if taunting Nic. "How pitiful." He turned into shadows with bits of purple and vanished, startling Nic and Greninja. The man reappeared right behind them, his body sideways. Nic and Greninja were both too in shock and paralyzed from the dreadful proximity. "Why don't you just accept death now so this won't be a hassle?"
Nic and Greninja both turned around, only for the man to be gone, which startled them. "Do you not see that you are just avoiding the inevitable?" The man asked from another spot, the grass dying there as well. "The universe and Arceus were bound to become unstable eventually." He said, reappearing in another spot.
"Wait…" Nic's eyes shot wide with deep, deep shock. "You know about Arceus?!"
The man chuckled. "One could say that, but those factors are for if you can put the pieces of the puzzle together; that is, if you last long enough."
Nic grunted with gritting teeth. "Fine, I guess I have no choice. I'll have to beat what you know out of you! Quick Attack!" Nic was outlined in blue and he dashed at the man in the blink of an eye. The man didn't even flinch as Nic was zooming in towards him. Nic went and had a direct hit, only he found himself right behind the man and went wide-eyed. "What?!" He turned around and saw that the man didn't even had a scratch.
Nic went right through him.
Nic turned around towards him. "A Thought Projection? Illusion Magic?"
The man with his dark purple aura turned his head around slowly. "I thought you would be smarter than that Nic Pularis, or did you forget that Normal-Type moves don't affect Ghost-Types?"
Nic was in a horrific shock, and his eyes showed it. "What?! Impossible! How do you know about them?!"
The man turned his head back towards the front. "Your time in Fiore obviously clogged up your knowledge. Surely you also know that Ghost-Type moves don't affect Normal-Types, like the one you are right now."
Nic narrowed his eyes and he grunted as he leaped over the man's head and was right by Greninja's side. Nic transformed into the Dread Plate and he and Greninja were side-by-side, doing a double Dark Pulse. The man stood his ground and looked slightly wide-eyed at Nic and Greninja both gathering power for a double Dark Pulse.
"You should also know that Ghost-Types…are weak to Dark-Types!" Nic exclaimed.
"Dark Pulse!" Both comrades shot their Dark Pulse attacks in unison. The two attacks combined as they trailed towards the unknown assailant, sending dust flying as it shot at him. A brief explosion of black and purple engulfed the area in front of Nic and Greninja, both of them were on their guard, thinking that he wasn't done yet.
"Impressive." The man said, reappearing from a moving shadow in midair above. "Looks like you're not as dull as I give you credit for Nic Pularis, and your accomplice there is rather strong. If that did hit me, that would have been super effective."
Nic and Greninja looked up in surprise that the man dodged it at the last second. "He's fast." Greninja stated. "And how it that he has Ghost-Type characteristics?"
Nic narrowed his eyes. "I don't know." Nic was contemplating as he was staring at the pale man with demon vermilion eyes. 'Whatever he is, he is beyond strong. Just how is it that he knows about Pokémon in the first place? More importantly, how is it that he's part Ghost-Type?' Nic then went wide-eyed and his breath hitched as he came to an assumption. "Could it be…he has the Ghost-Type Plate?"
The man raised a brow as his purple aura still cloaked him from above. "Hmph, how pitiable. Like I need any use for such a thing." He said.
"What?! You mean you don't have the Plate for Ghost-Types?!" Nic exclaimed.
"That is correct. I got my powers from another source, the same source that wanted Arceus dead in the first place, but it seems that they've taken quite an awareness of your Plate gathering Nic Pularis, or should I say the great Luminous of Fairy Tail."
Nic grunted as he clenched his fists. "Dammit, just when things weren't bad enough." He then shifted into the Mind Plate and took a stance. "Greninja, back me up! I'll keep him still while you strike him with a Dark Pulse!" Greninja nodded in understanding.
Nic looked back up and his eyes glowed light blue. "Psychic!" Nic focused his mental prowess on the man, yet the man was still cross-armed and scowled in the air, unaffected by Psychic. Nic's eyes widened. "Impossible! How did Psychic not affect you?!"
"Did I forget to mention something?" The man said, having some black rings with purple outlining of his own. "I also have Dark-Type characteristics." The man then shot his right arm forward, unleashing a pressurized and powerful Dark Pulse drilling through the air and coming at Greninja, who was unleashing his own Dark Pulse. The two Dark Pulse collided in midair, sending a shockwave of purple about, and sure enough Greninja's Dark Pulse was giving out, much to his shock.
"Greninja!" Nic shouted. The Dark Pulse was being shoved back until it finally exploded in midair, which send the Water and Dark-Type flipping backwards and skidding on his feet, leaving a dust trail.
"Dammit, that was powerful." Greninja grunted. "Just what kind of power is that?"
Nic leaped by Greninja's side. "I don't know, but he said the same ones who want Arceus and me dead were the ones who gave him both of those attributes. We've gotta be careful, he's a Ghost and Dark-Type." Nic then shifted himself into his Toxic Plate.
"Oh? Are you aware that Poison isn't that effective on me?" The man scowled from above.
"Who said Type mattered in this case? Now Greninja!"
Greninja quickly puffed his cheeks. "Smokescreen!" Greninja blew out thick, black smoke to cover themselves up, so as the man doesn't see them.
The man narrowed his eyes. "Interesting. Trying to launch a surprise assault I see." He then saw a stream of thick, purple liquid shoot at him from within the Smokescreen. The man brought his arm on the other side of his body. "Trying to distract me and use Toxic, good, but not good enough! Ominous Wind!" He moved his arm in an arc, unleashing a violent purple wind that completely rid of the incoming Toxic and also blew away all of the Smokescreen, leaving Nic and Greninja to cover themselves up from Ominous Wind.
When the wind stopped, the two looked back up at the assailant. "He…he blew away my Smokescreen!" Greninja exclaimed.
"You should've seen that coming. Now for some scurrying around." The assailant but his hands together and a black and purple ball. "Shadow Ball!" He threw the ball down towards Nic and Greninja and the two zoomed away towards different directions, avoiding the heavily explosive Shadow Ball that shook the ground upon missing.
'So much power!' Nic thought as he skid to a halt on the assailants left side down below while Greninja took the right. The duo then launched more attacks at an upward angle. "Sludge Bomb!"
"Water Shuriken!"
A forceful brown glob of sludge and multiple compressed stars of water shot at the assailant, and he took notice of how fast they were coming in. In a blink of an eye, he turned into a shadow and dispersed, leaving the attacks to smash into the other in midair, creating a light purple and blue explosion.
"He's even faster than Greninja's Water Shuriken?" Nic muttered under his breath in disbelief.
"Boo." Nic suddenly gasped as he felt pure hell from behind, his goosebumps screaming for him to move. He quickly pivoted to see the assailant reappearing from his shadow form behind, with his arms covered in black shadows with purple outlining. "Perish Nic Pularis, Shadow Claw!"
Nic had to avoid looking into the eyes so he wouldn't be caught up in paranoid fright. The assailant relentlessly slashed away while Nic took evasive actions and dodged every Shadow Claw that was meant to rake him. All of the slashes were diagonal, so Nic could read them easily. He then pivoted when there was an opening and he brought his left leg up and struck the assailant in the abdomen, making him wince for a split second. Nic then kicked in a round-house form, forcing the assailant behind him, where he pivoted and thrusted forward with Poison Jab. The assailant turned into shadows at the last second and Nic grunted, but then grinned.
As Nic stood affirm, he and Greninja grinned. "Now I get it." Ni called out to the still air that had dead plants all around them. "You rely on your Pokémon powers, leaving your physical body incapable of hand-to hand combat, something I have an advantage in; what's more, is that since it didn't faze through you, it means it counts as physical, yet not a Normal-Type move."
He and Greninja then heard a loud laughter in the air, making them frown and keep their guards up as they looked around. "Impressive. You're much more gifted than I had expected…but still." His voice bellowed in the air. He reappeared ten feet in front of them, making them turn his way. "You'll still die."
Nic took a fighting stance and shifted into the Zap Plate, electricity starting to charge up in him. The assailant merely grinned as Nic held out his arms. "Thunderbolt!" His body sparked and he unleashed a yellow bolt of electricity at the assailant. The man grinned as he simply extended out his arm and then suddenly, a small spacial portal appeared, taking and swallowing the attack.
Greninja and Nic then went very wide-eyed. "What?!" Nic bellowed. The man then tilted his wrist slightly upwards, and the two saw that there was an even larger portal right over their heads. Nic and Greninja both gasped and the assailant brought down his arm and the Thunderbolt Nic shot downwards. Nic saw the Thunderbolt coming from the portal and he shoved Greninja out of the way so he didn't get blasted. The frog was shoved and he crouched when he landed, and he gasped as Nic grunted harshly as he was being hit with his own attack.
"Nic!" Greninja shouted, seeing his pal get swallowed up in lightning. When the Thunderbolt finished, Nic was sizzling, but was still fine since that move wasn't very effective. Nic's upper body drooped as he grunted.
The assailant shrugged. "Are you surprised? I can bend space, meaning I can send attacks back at you at will." Nic looked back up at the man with a frown on his face, and he saw the assailant smirk. "…and that's not all…"
Suddenly, Nic and Greninja felt their goosebumps die as the air was even more follow as a harsh wind blew, the clouds above started to circle. They then saw the teeth he had in his mouth undergo changes. Nic and Greninja nearly paled when they saw the white teeth turn blood red and become pure canines. The other change was the eyes. The vermilion feral eyes thinned and the white part of the eyes turned completely black, pitch black.
Nic and Greninja were something they haven't been in a long while – terrified. This man's face, it just had blood red fangs, and his eyes were begging for someone to get slaughtered right before him. They paled even more when he gave a full smirk, showing every detail of his monstrosity of a face and eyes that could be your worst nightmare.
Nic and Greninja knew this guy definitely wasn't human nor demon, those eyes that resembled Satan himself shot through their bodies, making their blood pulsate and their heartbeats race faster than Rapidash on a track.
Suddenly, the smirking man emanated a gruesome Ominous Wind without waving his arms. The Ominous Wind pulsed throughout the entire area, obliterating trees and shrubs. Nic and Greninja gasped as they fell onto the forest floor. The debris flying everywhere like a hurricane. Everything but them was completely gone, leaving a large clearing with cut grass.
Nic and Greninja were in horror that this man did all of this damage, a large area gone just by an Ominous Wind, was caused by just him looking at them.
"Oh my god…" Greninja murmured.
"I know." Nic said, turning towards his pale pal. "If we don't do something…we will die." They both then looked at the man again with the blood red teeth. "…he's worse than a nightmare, he's worse than becoming one…he just may be the Underworld's very own nightmare."
"…I never finished." The gruesome assailant said, startling Nic and Greninja. He extended out an arm and then his eyes glowed light blue. "I also…can do this!"
Suddenly, Nic was outlined in light blue and he could feel his body getting lighter and lighter and he found himself being manipulated and he was slowly risen up into the air, much to both him and Greninja's shock.
When he was high enough, the assailant kept that monstrous smirk and he then brought his hand down, making Nic yelp as he was hurling into the ground, shaking the earth. Nic gagged as the air was knocked out of him and the assailant brought him back up again without a beat of rest and then threw him down again.
This time, Greninja was able to get under and he leaped up and he caught Nic as he was being shot down with tremendous force. It took everything Greninja had in his leg muscles to keep Nic from not crushing him.
The assailant saw the struggle and he gave Greninja relief as he dragged Nic back up into the air, the latter wincing as he was unable to move, not even a finger.
"N-No way." Nic muttered. "He can use…Psychic-Type moves as well?"
"I'm full of surprises." The assailant remarked. "Now let's get this over with." He then kept his arm extended, but he clutched his fist, making the Psychic suffocate Nic. Nic's body tightened in midair as he was feeling his body being crushed, making him yelp in pain. Nic was unable to move as he was yelping like crazy.
"Yes, that's it. Scream until death claims you." The assailant said. "That shall be the start of a new era…"
"Smokescreen!" Greninja let loose a thick blanket of smoke yet again, obscuring the assailant's vision temporarily. This bought some time for Nic to react as the Psychic's intensity loosened due to the assailant's concentration weakened.
Nic glowed in midair as he was affected by Psychic. Nic had shifted into the Dread Plate, to which nullified Psychic and he started descending. As he started falling, Nic could still feel the intense evil swelling about within the assailant, even within the Smokescreen. As a precaution, Nic vanished with the use of Feint Attack.
"No use." The assailant announced as he widened his eyes and yet another shockwave of Ominous Wind wailed within the vicinity, the attack repeating what had happened before, but now the clearing was deprived of living grass. The man noticed neither Nic nor Greninja were around and then he felt their presence. "Futile."
Nic reappeared behind to deliver his Feint Attack, but the death-like man didn't even need to turn around as he caught Nic's right leg swinging at him, startling the Plate wielder immensely. He also sensed Greninja coming from above, said using Bounce. The monstrosity made no haste as he whipped his arm and hurled Nic upwards right into an incoming Greninja. Greninja saw Nic coming and he loosened his body so as not to hurt Nic with Bounce. Both Trainer and Pokémon collided in midair, hearing a couple of Nic's bones crack in the process.
"Dragon Breath." A round of rings engulfed the man as he then shot Nic and Greninja with a blue beam straight up.
The duo went wide-eyed as they saw a Dragon-Type move heading their way. "D-Dragon-Type now?! What is going on-?!" The two were swallowed up by Dragon Breath, ending up yelping as they were enveloped in a blue explosion.
When the explosion was subsiding, they were seen descending and scratched up fairly bad. Fortunately they weren't paralyzed. Greninja and Nic both managed to straighten out before landing and they both winced when they landed. Nic looked to see that the man was still glaring coldly, but his smirk was gone.
The assailant then vanished instantly in a light purple hole, leaving the two baffled as he disappeared again. They turned in all directions.
"Can you sense him?" Greninja asked.
Nic narrowed his eyes. "No. I-!"
A light purple hole opened up over his head and the assailant erupted from above stomping on Nic's back and sending the latter into the earth with a fairly sizeable crater. Nic gagged and yelped as pain erupted in his backbones.
"Nic!" Greninja yelled, seeing his buddy underneath the dreaded feet of the monster. The man reached down and pulled Nic up from underneath him, clenching his head entirely. "Release him!" The Water and Dark-Type demanded. Greninja unleashed Water Shuriken at the assailant, but the assailant didn't even budge. The Water Shuriken clashed into his back, but he only turned his head back at Greninja.
"Was that suppose to get my attention?" He mocked. "Water-Type moves don't have much effect on Dragon-Types. Stay out of my way." He turned back towards Nic, who was still stuck in the man's solemn clutches.
"First Ghost…th-then Dark…Psy-Psychic…and now Dragon." Nic struggled to say as he felt his head being clutched by a solemn grip. "Four Types. Answer me this time? How?!"
The man narrowed his eyes as he then whipped his arm upwards, sending Nic spiraling into the air. As Nic was unable to react, the maniac cloaked the bottom of himself in shadow and soared up at Nic, extending his left arm to use Dragon Claw, his arm engulfed in a light blue claw-shaped energy.
He shot like an arrow upwards, almost mere feet away from Nic when he'd finally straightened out. Nic saw that the assailant was gonna pierce him like a spear to a target. He had no way to stop it except for one move.
"Sucker Punch!" Nic made a desperate attempt at stopping the attack, to which both attacks were actually on par in terms of speed. Sucker Punch would've scored a hit if they had less proximity, but Dragon Claw was to close, so Nic had to use it for defense. When both attacks cancelled out surprisingly, Nic grabbed the assailant's cold arm. "Foul Play!"
Nic spun in the air with the assailant attached and he then turned him around and threw him to the ground. The assailant descended rather forcefully and grunted. As he fell, a grin was plastered on his face. Before he could descend any further, he flipped himself so he was facing Nic as he fell, still having a grin on his face.
"Miracle Eye." His evil and vermilion feral eyes then flashed purple, and a shockwave of purple went around the area around Nic as he was descending. The man then kept his grin as he then turned back down towards the ground. "And now…" A large hole appeared in the ground, a special hole that he was falling into. "Legendary Arts -..."
Nic's eyes were shaking as he saw the man enter the hole and the hole vanished. "Legendary Arts?!" Nic bellowed. "Oh no, this is very bad-!"
"…Hyperspace Hole!" A hole appeared above Nic and he didn't even have time to look as the assailant dived down on him, coated his shadowy energy that made him even more terrifying as he collided his entire hollow and shadowy being above Nic, making the latter yell as an erupting of darkness swallowed him upon impact. The earth was shaking and Nic was in a horrific yet dazzling display of hyperspace energy bombarding him upon one punch.
Greninja was in shock as his buddy was swallowed up just as he was leaping upwards to save him. He was horrified as he heard Nic screaming. He wasn't realizing his body was still jumping upwards to reach out towards Nic.
When the chaos ceased, it was revealed that Nic was falling head first downwards, very badly damaged. He couldn't even grunt his agonizing pain. 'C-Curse him!' Fortunately as he fell, Greninja snapped out of his shock and grabbed him. Greninja leaped away from the clearing as he use Smokescreen to cover up their retreat.
The menace was floating above in the air, sensing where Nic was taken to. The Smokescreen cleared out and the man had an amused grin. "Hmph, interesting. Though he can't hide from me, it'll be fun to see him squirm some more." The man with blood red teeth turned into shadows and disappeared.
Greninja was leaping endlessly with a hurt Nic on his shoulder, the Water and Dark-Type jumping with some signs of struggle with Nic's weight. When the frog had reached a lengthy distance from the disastrous clearing, he got back down from the trees and he aided Nic in trying to stand.
"Can you stand?" Greninja asked his pal as he was getting off his shoulder. Nic couldn't feel much of anything after that attack. The only feeling he had was dread and his insides and muscles cramping. To make matters all the more terrifying, he was severely bruised.
"I-I need to rest." Nic weakly said. "Who knows how long we have until he finds us." Greninja then set Nic down and the Plate wielder leaned against a tree for support. His breathing was harsh as he was shaking.
"That last attack, did he just say what I think he said?" Greninja mentioned worriedly.
Nic was still too exhausted to move much, but since Greninja was on that topic, he shifted his focus there as well. He glanced over at Greninja. "There's no mistaking it. That was a Legendary Arts. I was lucky to have come out conscious." He continued breathing heavily as he looked back down and was trying to put the pieces together.
"Ghost…Dark…Psychic…Dragon…Arceus…Legendary Arts…" Nic heaved in between breaths. His eyes narrowed. "I think I get it for…the most part."
"Enlighten me, you don't think…"
Nic turned towards Greninja. "There's no mistaking it buddy, that man was influenced by Legendary Pokémon who want Arceus dead."
"Clever." The same demonic monotone voice echoed, making Nic wide-eyed. Underneath him, he saw his shadow blacken and he knew what was coming next. He attempted to lean back and lung backwards, but the Shadow Sneak attack came after him in an angle, thus hitting Nic in the abdomen. Nic flew backwards, landing with a thud.
Before Greninja could turn back towards Nic, he too was struck from a Shadow Sneak from below, making him wince as he was send soaring into the air and backflip and land on his feet right by Nic's side, who was slowly getting to a knee.
The assailant reappeared from within the shadows of the darkness he was waiting in. His upper body was sticking out from the shadows and he glared with the same eyes at them. "You caught on fast. Here's a bonus, not only do gain all of their Types, but I can use all of the moves from every single one of their movesets."
Nic grunted with distressing eyes, as to where Greninja jerked in shock. The assailant pulled off a menacing smirk. "Four Types and several movesets? That must mean there's more than one conspiring!" Greninja accused.
"Yes, they all want Arceus dead so that they shall create a new universe born from darkness." The assailant remarked as he fully emerged. He then had Shadow Ball beginning to emerge from his right hand. "And to make things even more hopeless as they are now…" He turned into a shadow and emerged behind Nic, who was even more wide-eyed. "It was I…who tainted Arceus." He whispered harshly.
Something in Nic went lose, a nerve was struck as he suddenly looked sharp-eyed and slightly feral. As the assailant was unleashing a Shadow Ball forward, Nic's pain was ceased for a moment as he was filled with anger. He turned around as the Shadow Ball was coming at him from close range and he swatted it away, the attack deflected and knocked down a tree upon impact.
"Murderer!" Nic yelled, unleashing a Night Slash in a quick motion that made the assailant cover up, his arms taking the full force. This made the assailant skid back several feet as Nic then stepped forward and lunged head-on into the man. He had several more Night Slash attacks aimed at him. "You did this! You nearly killed him!" He bellowed as he repeatedly slashed at the assailant with his Night Slash, to which the menace covered up and stepped back as Nic kept pushing forward.
Nic stopped Night Slash and grabbed his adversary's arm and threw him overhead, allowing Greninja an opening to shoot Dark Pulse and the attack pulsated towards the enemy. While in midair, the enemy straightened out and he grinned.
"Yes, that's it. The angrier you get, the more it fuels me." He growled. He then put his hands together and between was a light blue sphere of energy. "Aura Sphere!" The Aura Sphere then went shooting forth and the Dark Pulse didn't stand a chance. The Aura Sphere drilled straight through and Greninja gasped as the attack that was aimed for him never misses. Realizing it was a Fighting-Type move, things were looking grim.
"Greninja!" Nic shouted just before Greninja was hit with Aura Sphere, making the Water and Dark-Type scream as he went soaring backwards, smashing down a row of tree trunks and finishing with a harsh skid.
Dust flew everywhere as Nic watched grimly as he could barely see Greninja struggle to move as he was hit with Dragon Breath suddenly. Nic wanted to move, yet his body had trouble reacting. He managed to lean left, but his right leg wasn't so lucky. He yelped harshly as he tumbled about and rolled and landed on his side. He opened his eyes with a huge struggle as his leg was very badly wounded.
"When I say I was gonna kill you, I meant it." The man said, levitating in front of Nic with shadows and purple around him. "If either Arceus or the Plates are gone, the universe shall collapse. It's already fairly unstable with the cosmic turmoil."
"I won't…I won't…give up." Nic muttered as he was getting back up. The man shook his head and he disappeared and reappeared on Nic's right.
"Feint Attack." He drove a knee into Nic's right side and send him skidding and tumbling slightly. Nic managed to stop and was on a knee, huffing and puffing.
'He's catching me off guard so easily.' Nic thought. 'I need to think faster!'
"There's no peace where you're going Nic Pularis!" The assailant shouted, his blood red fangs protruding as he readied an Aura Sphere. Nic was ready to counter with a Sucker Punch, and Nic himself lunged forward, though he winced and he was slow due to the leg injury. He punched, but the assailant caught it with one hand, with the other one holding Aura Sphere.
"Gah! Sucker Punch always goes first! How did you catch it?!" Nic exclaimed.
The menace's eyes narrowed. "The darkness and shadows of foul human nature are my power. Aura Sphere!" He drove his right palm with the Aura Sphere towards Nic.
"…oh no" Those were Nic's last words before he met an agonizing Aura Sphere right into the abdomen. He screamed in intense pain. There was a light blue light and everything just went blue.
A hideous explosion of light blue swallowed the area in front of the assailant, his smirking expression never left his face as the earth shook.
Greninja made it back to his feet when he saw a very battered Nic send hurling his way, smashing into him and sending Greninja into another tree. Greninja gagged harshly as he fell and was leaning against the tree, Nic being several feet in from of him and barely conscious.
"N-Nic." Greninja muttered.
The man reappeared in front of Nic and he proceeded to pick him up so as to finish him, but Greninja went wide-eyed and he lunged at the assailant. "You leave him alone!" He bellowed with sharper Water Shuriken thanks to the blue aura he was giving off. Torrent had activated, making Water Shuriken slightly more powerful. In a flash, Greninja launched them.
The larger and sharper Water Shuriken flung at the assailant, who turned to see the attack and he was hit. The attack bashed repeatedly into him, making the man get caught off guard and stumble back from that fast and powerful repeating blow.
Greninja followed it up again, but the man wasn't a pushover. "Barrier!" A blue rectangular screen appeared in front of the man, increasing his Defense and making Water Shuriken hit with less power. "You annoying frog. I'll take you down so as I can kill him without interference."
"Water Shuriken!"
"You annoying frog! Psycho Cut!" The man moved his right arm in an arc, unleashing a pink crescent-like blade. The attack ruthlessly blasted through the Water Shuriken, but exploded when the last shuriken hit just before it could reach Greninja. When the smoke cleared, the man was gone and Greninja was left to determine where he was, only…it was too late.
"Phantom Force!" The man came from a light purple hole from above and struck Greninja as he was turning his head around. Greninja went wide-eyed as he was struck sharply in the back and started falling forward.
'Sorry Nic, forgive me.' Greninja thought as he was losing consciousness as he fell forward.
The man showed no mercy as he shot at Greninja as he was falling forward. "Aura Sphere!" The attack shot at Greninja's back once more, even though the latter was pretty much down. There was a blue explosion that engulfed the area, making the earth shake.
Nic watched with horrific eyes as he couldn't even move. He was living a nightmare as he saw Greninja get taken down right before his eyes mercilessly. He saw his pal lying in a crater, his body bruised to a deadly degree, his body sizzling from the intensity of the assaults. Greninja was down and unable to keep going.
"You savage demon." Nic muttered under his growling. "You've nearly destroyed everything. Arceus, the universe, me, and now Greninja." You could really hear the anguish and frustration in his tone. "You're gonna pay, ya hear me?!"
The man reappeared in a blink of an eye in front of Nic. "Oh, but I already have young Nic Pularis." He brutally kicked Nic in the face and made him fly back and onto the ground. He landed with a thud and gagged. The man then went over and he picked Nic up by the throat and held him in the air.
Nic was barely conscious and he had no capability of moving. The assailant made his clutch even tighter, making Nic choke and something he never liked arose.
Nic coughed up blood and it spattered slightly along the dead grass.
Nic was wincing and his vision was getting blurry. "B…blood…"
The man used his free left arm and made Dragon Claw, the claw part sharp enough that it'll slice Nic. "This is the power you have now?...Pitiful."
As he was jabbing his Dragon Claw into Nic's abdomen, something from a nearby tree struck the Dragon Claw and the man was forced to use Dragon Claw to intercept the Magic blast of energy.
"Who did that?!" The man demanded.
"Your power is beyond measurement, but exuberance out of death is not humane." The deep yet calm voice announced, the owner of the voice.
"That voice…" Nic muttered. "Wait…!" He went wide-eyed as he remembered who that voice belonged to. It sounded similar, yet it wasn't. Nic's blurry gaze went upwards and he saw a certain someone who was a mystery.
"It's been awhile Nic Pularis." He said, floating thanks to his Air Magic.
"Nice of you stop by…Mystogan." Nic muttered before the assailant tossed Nic towards a tree and he crashed with a thud, making him gag some more and he wasn't able to move.
Mystogan was in the air and looking down at the assailant, who turned to see him. "Nic Pularis shall not be fallen by darkness like you have. You'd best be learning your place."
The assailant grinned and chuckled. He suddenly vanished, surprising Mystogan. "Watch your mouth." The man said, reappearing behind him and delivered a punch into Mystogan's back, sending him falling downwards and crashing into the earth with dust flying.
Mystogan slowly got up as the assailant kept a grin and turned into shadows and disappeared and reappeared in front of Mystogan. "My adversary is Nic, not you. Learn your place or you'll perish with him." He extended an arm and unleashed Dark Pulse at him.
Mystogan tried countering using one of his Magic Staves to shoot a Magic Beam, but even that was starting to give out. He grunted endlessly as Dark Pulse and this uncanny power was too strong. Seeing as how his blast was failing, he quickly tried to make an alternative.
"Three Layered Magic Circle: Mirror Water!" Mystogan ceased the blast and made three Magic circles in hopes to reflect the attack, unfortunately it didn't work as what the enemy was using was not Magic.
Mystogan went wide-eyed as he was hit full on, his spell failing. He was engulfed in a black and purple explosion that send him skidding back several feet on his back. Near the skid, he slipped back to his feet and he leaped into the air and he brought forth his Magic Staves to surround the enemy. When they were encircling him. Mystogan did another spell.
"Five Layered Magic Circle: Sacred Song!" The blast of Magic was shooting up from the upmost Magic Circle and got more powerful as it shot downwards.
"Please." The assailant snapped his fingers and a spacial hole appeared above him, just as the whole Magic blast was coming down. Mystogan was shocked as the assailant had nullified his Magic spell. He snapped his fingers with the blood red smirk and a spacial hole appeared above Mystogan. He went wide-eyed as he then grunted harshly as he was hit full on with his attack. The attack made an explosion and dust flew about immensely. The assailant paid no heed as he saw Mystogan still standing, though with some scratches and shaken up slightly.
"So, you use the same powers as Nic does." Mystogan stated. "That would explain why my Three Layered Magic Circle didn't affect you."
The man chuckled. "Indeed, though since you are in my way, I guess you'll-!" Suddenly, he felt something from behind and his body was wrapped in vines. "Grrr. This is…"
Mystogan and the assailant turned to see that Nic was standing, but barely. He was in his Meadow Plate and he'd struck the assailant with a Leech Seed. Right now, Nic's sunglasses on his V-neck were glowing and his body shined, revealing him using Synthesis.
"Thanks for buying me some time Mystogan." Nic thanked.
Mystogan nodded and the assailant turned and he clenched his fists. "You tricked me! Die!" He slashed at Mystogan with a Shadow Claw and he leaped away, but he wasn't that lucky.
The Shadow Claw raked his mask and head gear, tearing it off. When it came off, Mystogan grunted and took a greater distance. His face was uncovered, making Nic go wide-eyed.
"…no way." Nic muttered with shaken eyes. "I can't be…you're under the mask…" Nic was speechless as he'd recognized the face.
Jellal.
"Nic, I'm sorry you have to see me like this." Mystogan said, unleashing a magic blast from one of his staves that the menace dodged.
Nic snapped out of it and he grunted, with what strength he had, he lowered his head. "Horn Leech!" Horns made of green energy formed on his head and shot beams at the assailant. The attack went in fast and the menace grunted at he was hit. He also felt extra energy being absorbed thanks to Leech Seed. Green orbs came from the impact and went back to Nic, but he didn't let up.
"Giga Drain!" Nic summoned forth green beams from his arms that went over and wrapped around the enemy, sapping away more energy. The assailant grunted as he did not expect Nic to make a comeback as he was regaining energy.
"Now take this!" Nic then made a glowing green sphere in front of him. "Leaf Storm!" A massive rage of green leaves swarmed about, swallowing the enemy. The assailant went wide-eyed as Nic was putting everything he had into these attacks. When the Leaf Storm reached him, there was a green explosion and the earth shook.
Nic shook immensely, as he used up so much energy and gained back only enough for those attacks. Mystogan was a safe distance as he saw Nic putting everything into those three attack.
When everything cleared out in a few moments, the assailant was still there, but since he was caught off guard and those attacks weren't very effective, he didn't feel too much pain. The Leech Seed even rotted away due to how corrosive he was.
He smirked. "It seems I've underestimated you somewhat. You managed to catch me off guard and sap energy. That last one hurt somewhat I admit…" He then loosened his smirk. "Very well." He started floating back up into the air.
The two watched as he was up in the air. "I'll see to this as a reconnaissance to the extent of your powers. I shall spare you this once, but only this once." His eyes narrowed as the shadows were engulfing him. "Be thankful you had backup, because anyone who gets in my way next time shall perish with you. You've been warned. The next time I see you…will be the last of anything you'll ever see." His voice on the last part echoed as he turned entirely into thick shadow like his entrance and then he began to vanish into thin air, the eerie dread and horror was taken with him.
When the shadows of him were gone, the tension in the air subsided and the night sky returned to normal, with the cool night breeze brewing about.
Nic looked at the airspace his adversary left and narrowed his eyes. "Something wasn't right…he was so…evil, so…vile…it's like I fought Satan…and yet, why did he feel so…familiar?" He muttered.
"Nic." Mystogan said. Nic looked back down at Mystogan, and Nic still felt scratched up, and his breathing was still heavy as he had little energy, but could stand for a little.
Nic looked at Mystogan, who was similar to Jellal. "We need to talk."
I've been doing long chapters for so long, I'm having a hard time compressing words for fight scenes. I was trying to make a nice and dreadful fight, but I had a really hard time, so sorry if the fight sucked. Also, sorry this was over 12K. I'm trying to get back to the 10-12K range, but it's tough.
Please Favorite, Follow, & Review this story and/or chapter if you guys are entertained with the twists and plot that is being made and are enjoying the action.
Next Time: 'Edolas'cence