Chapter 32 – Nebulus
Hello loyal and faithful readers! Okay, nothing important to say except hope you guys find this chapter entertaining!
To Recap:
Mystogan explained that he was from Edolas, a counterpart world, where he is the counterpart of Earthland's Jellal. He warns Nic of an upcoming Anima that'll suck up Fairy Tail and use it to power Edolas. Nic was left to recover and Dialga and Palkia tell him that his Plates are to be on reboot and he can't use them for a whole twenty-four hours. He and Sophie meet up and the two evade the Anima just in time, but looked and saw that all of Magnolia was sucked up. Nic, Sophie, Garchomp, and Gajeel all get send to Edolas to save everyone and Nic, Garchomp, and Sophie encounter a man named Sugarboy, and Erza Knightwalker, Eartland Erza's counterpart. Nic only had his expert combat skills and reflexes, and he was holding up very well, until Knightwalker threatened to break his phone, which was something she would soon regret.
Chapter 32 – Nebulus
In the cosmos somewhere, Arceus was sitting down on some space stardust like a pillow and was bathed in a bright light as he was feeling apart of his strength return.
Arceus let a relieving sigh out as he felt the energy Nic gather ease his tainted pain. "Nic has my gratitude. He's unlocked several Plates and I feel a lot of fresh energy flooding away the taint in my body."
Arceus's pale body had some color come back, but not much. He couldn't stand as of yet, but hopefully the next time Nic has more Plates upon being called for reboot.
As Arceus was recovering some strength, Dialga and Palkia both looked up at their creator, feeling satisfied that they chose the right guy for the job.
"Dialga, tell me." Palkia asked. Dialga turned towards Palkia in question and curiosity. "Tell me, is it okay to have Nic Pularis on reboot. What if he gets into trouble?"
Dialga too felt uneasy about this situation. Palkia wasn't wrong, but there was no need to get too caught up in a panic. Nothing too terrible would happen, right? I mean, twenty-four hours isn't that long to some people, and too Dialga that's basically all the time in the world…or in this case universe.
"I wouldn't imagine." Dialga said. "Remember, even when he's on reboot, Nic Pularis can unlock new Plates and utilize them. They wouldn't be affected by the reboot because they weren't present during that period."
"I see." Palkia then looked back up at Arceus with a straight face. "Though I can't help but wonder if what you said about unlocking Plates is certain, but let's just hope Nic Pularis also isn't caught up in melee…"
Meanwhile, in Edolas…
You would think that Nic's casual self was tolerable, but nobody had any idea as to the unholy thing Knightwalker had done. When someone threatens a precious memento from Nic's past, something given to him by his grandparents, you'd best pray you come out with your own life intact.
Nic's horror-filled eyes were starting to glitch as he was on brink of going feral. The ominous feeling in the air was starting to crawl upon everyone's skin, as Sugarboy and Sophie both stopped their little battle and froze.
"Hmm? Strange, now what is this feeling?" Sugarboy questioned. "It's like the air dropped and died, being replaced with a foul feeling of sorts."
Sophie turned back to where Nic was and saw Garchomp backing up. Seeing Garchomp, the feral and vicious battle-crazed behemoth on Nic's team, back up meant something really bad was coming.
"Strange. Uh…I don't recall the air being this sickening. And why is Garchomp…?" Sophie was filled with questions, but nothing else could be said.
Garchomp backed up in front of Sophie and he turned is eyes down towards her, and Sophie saw…fear?
"If you want to live blondie, do as I say and get back." Garchomp warned, putting his arm in front of her and blocking her off.
"Wait, just what is going on?" She questioned. "What about Nic?"
"Trust me, he's the least of your worries, you'd be worried if Knightwalker will survive."
This made Sophie peek from behind Garchomp so she could understand what was happening.
Yeah, big mistake.
A lone wind blew as Nic was as silent as a grave, and his sunglasses shielded his feral and dark expression. A dark shadow was over his eyes and he was starting to twitch. Veins starting popping out all over his body and he opened his mouth, his canines super sharp, and emanating a low growl.
Knightwalker was left in confusion and a tint of dread. But she had a reputation. "Humph, you'd think this feeling will stop me?" Her spear changed again into its Default Form and she aimed it at him. "You think you're so scary? Well you're not. Now die!"
Knightwalker lunged at Nic, but the latter refused to move as he was hitching his growls into snarls and then with whatever strain of logic he had left, he slowly reached up and slowly took his sunglasses off and gently put them on the ground.
As Knightwalker was getting closer, Nic feral gaze turned his gaze that was shadowed towards her. Knightwalker was only focused on killing him and didn't look into the face of Death.
"I'll cut your limbs and crush your precious memories right before you!"
…and that was all the time she had before her neck was suddenly clutched out of the blue.
Nic gripped her neck and let loose a feral yelp as he drove Knightwalker into the ground onto her back, breaking the ground and her spear flew out of her hands, a distance away.
Sugarboy was left surprised as it happened so fast. "My word! What happened?!"
Knightwalker only saw a blur and heard a loud feral animal before she was yanked up back to her feet and felt an earth-shaking punch right into her cheek, making an air shockwave ripple and saliva and hints of blood splashed lightly from her mouth as she flew back and did a skidding thud and tumbled backwards and landed onto her back with a huge fountain of dust surging about.
Knightwalker only had little time to look as she struggled to stand. "What just…happened…!" Knightwalker froze in shock and a loud gasped escaped her mouth as she recoiled suddenly, much to her surprise. "Wh-What the hell is that thing?!"
She was looking into the bloodshot eyes of Nic. His eyes were blood red from pure anger and his eyes were as feral as a monster that was left to rot all its life. Veins popped out everywhere and Nic was snarling and focused on Knightwalker, and the dark shadow over his eyes gave him an even more monstrous appeal.
Sophie gasped and covered her mouth as she was seeing the full force of Nic's wrath. 'Oh god, what is Nic?'
"YOU SICK WITCH!" Nic bellowed, making Knightwalker jerk in surprise. "YOU NEVER, EVER, THREATEN MY PRECIOUS BELONGINGS!" Nic then made a mad dash towards Knightwalker, of whom tried to subdue Nic by trying to run right passed him to retrieve her spear. Knightwalker ran towards the ominous vile that was Nic and jumped up and tried getting over him, but Nic grabbed her left leg as she was jumping over him and he hurled Knightwalker into the earth in front of him, making earth and dirt fly as she felt her upper body crack from that slam.
Knightwalker gagged before Nic drove a power-packed fist straight down into her gut, making her body react and she coughed up a bit more blood, not to mention that she was screaming in agony. There was only a split second gap when Nic reeled his fist back and then drove a right hook into Erza's cheek again, sending her flying and tumbling towards Nic's left.
Knightwalker tumbled a few times before straightening to her feet, finishing the skid. Her face and upper body was savagely bruised and her mouth had blood on the sides. She made a break for the Ten Commandments and she somersaulted forwards and retrieved it from the ground as Nic was just glaring vicious at her. He then turned and he sped at a disastrous speed towards Knightwalker.
Knightwalker turned back and she thrust the spear forwards. "Die monster!" The Ten Commandments went at Nic, but when the four sharp ends reached Nic, he yelled and he grabbed the bottom two blade ends, disregarding how sharp they were.
Nic easily gripped the two spear ends and Knightwalker was left horrified that Nic stopped her attack with his bare hands. "I'LL TEAR YOU APART!" Nic grunted and gave a snarling yelp as he pried off the two ends he was gripping, shattering them and throwing them aside and leaving Knightwalker to reel back, unable to take in what just happened. Nic rushed in passed the remaining part of her spear and drove a knee into her gut, making her gag. The next thing anyone saw was Nic getting behind her and gripping her left arm and holding it out and Knightwalker tripped towards her left and was left unbalanced as Nic left her dangling by her left arm. He then brought his left foot up and he let out a feral snarl as he mercilessly stomped onto her left shoulder plate, completely fracturing it, and her arm was completely dislocated.
Knightwalker let loose an agonizing scream as her left arm was dislocated and her plate was damaged. Nic then pivoted and threw Knightwalker over his head and into the ground while still holding onto her left arm.
Sophie paled completely. She was too scared to move, she couldn't even look away from the mauling before her. This is what Garchomp meant. "…mommy, I'm scarred for life." She squealed. "A-a-a-a-at least I-I don't h-have to w-w-worry about soiling myself."
Nic yanked Knightwalker towards him and let go of her left arm as he stomped on her abdomen again, making her gag a bit more saliva and blood. Nic then grabbed her left leg with his left arm and tossed her as though she was a ragged doll.
As Knightwalker was left twitching and struggling to get up, Sugarboy tried to fend off against Nic. "Alright you scalawag, time to taste steel!" Even though he said it with confidence, he was internally horrified.
Nic started to emit a royal blue aura as he was snarling, his bloodshot eyes staring coldly at Sugarboy, paralyzing him. "I WILL TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB! I SWEAR!" The ground began to quake and everyone was panicking as stones were defying gravity and now Nic was glowing royal blue with a tint of coral red. Nic let loose one last loud, and this time draconic, roar that make the ground shake even more.
A bright flash appeared, startling everyone as Nic was engulfed in a bright Nic. When the light faded, the quaking ceased, but the catastrophic chill in the air still gave them goosebumps still. They all gasped when they saw Nic.
Nic sported royal blue running shoes with coral red laces, but the tips of the shoes were adorned with three coral red nails, similar to a dragon's claw. The pants themselves were very loose and baggy and royal blue, but the whole thing had huge shin guards that were black with rows of coral red spikes going down the entire thing. His T-shirt had tattered ends with no sleeves, and was coral red. The sleeveless coat had the same design with flames flickering up to the back of the thighs, but the flames were coral red and the coat was royal blue, with the shoulders having black plates with coral red spikes going back. The most distinct feature was the pair of royal blue draconic wings with coral red membrane. The wings were very scaly and rugged and if spread out was twice the length of Nic.
Nic let loose a massive dragon-like roar that made shockwaves throughout the air, making everyone's hair fly. Sugarboy was shaking terribly, and he looked into Nic's feral bloody gaze with the shadow over his eyes. Sugarboy tried to pull up his Rosa Espada and he gave everything he had into lunging at Nic without looking into his eyes, but the air was still making his skin scream.
Nic wasted no time in attacking with his hands emanating light blue claw-shaped energy and he let loose a feral yell as he spread his wings and lunged at mach speed at Sugarboy. "DRAGON CLAW!" Nic's Dragon Claw attack brutally and effortlessly slashed and shattered Rosa Espada, making Sugarboy scream in terror.
"Impossible! It liquefies and cuts anythi-!" He was cut off when Nic used his left Dragon Claw and slashed Sugarboy, sending him into a crater right in front of Knightwalker, making dust fly. Nic didn't even remotely let up as he opened his mouth and a multicolored energy began charging. "DRAGON PULSE!" Nic unleashed a beam of multicolored dragon-shaped energy at the two Edolas adversaries, swallowing them in a big multicolored explosion and everyone heard their loud and agonizing screams of pain.
The smoke cleared, revealing Sugarboy and Knightwalker both twitching and the two were barely able to move. "S-S-Sugarboy, run!" Knightwalker muttered. "We n-need to run away. Let's-!"
She was cut off when Nic came crashing down, stomping onto her back when she was already on the ground, making an even larger crater. She gagged again and Sugarboy crawled away as Nic was brutally picking Erza up with one hand and smashing her repeatedly into the earth, bones being cracked with every single strike.
Sophie felt like she could cry, but she was too scared to even do that. "Okay…I understand what you mean earlier." Sophie squealed behind Garchomp. "Curse my good memory. Even with my Memory-Make, I'll be too scarred for life to forget."
Sugarboy finally retrieved the damaged Ten Commandments and he looked back at Knightwalker, nothing but a gruesome pulp.
Nic's gaze took note of Sugarboy and the latter could've sworn his soul had just left his body, for he knew he was a goner. Nic grabbed Erza by the head and did a full spin and threw with tremendous force right into Sugarboy. The two smashed into the other, Knightwalker and Sugarboy screaming alike. They both had hit a nearby piece of rock and smashed it. The two laid there in debris and rubble, unable to move.
Fortunately for them the legion was starting to come around and got spooked by Nic and his terrifying feeling he was emanating. The beast grabbed Sugarboy first by the teeth and picked him up by his cape and threw him onto its back, and then grabbed Knightwalker by the scarf and tossed her onto its back as well. The legion was flapping its wings and started taking flight when Nic rammed its side with Dragon Rush, making a big explosion and the legion roared in searing pain. The beast's priority was to get back home, but Nic was just about done.
"DON'T EVER THREATEN MY BELONGINGS AGAIN!" Nic shouted viciously and then fired one last Dragon Pulse attack that went at the wobbly legion and scored a huge hit on its right wing, making it scream and shake the air as its wing was feeling wrecked.
Knightwalker and Sugarboy were both wide-eyed and each had bits of blood everywhere, mainly Knightwalker. She never experienced something so painful, so terrifying, so feral in her entire life. She was left immobile and speechless as the damaged Edolas team disappeared into the sky.
Nic let loose a huge roar that shook the ground and then Garchomp and Sophie remained still. With Knightwalker and Sugarboy severely hurt, and their lesson was learned, Nic started breathing heavily and he started to calm down.
The tension and ominous feeling in the air was starting to settle, and the atmosphere was starting to decrease to what it was before. The goosebumps and menacing feeling all about were starting to die off, and Nic was keeping his breathing steady.
Garchomp turned towards Sophie. "See, Knightwalker was super lucky she survived. This is a warning to Edolas that we're not fooling around."
Sophie kept quiet as Nic starting to ease, his teeth looking normal again, and his bloodshot eyes were becoming a light pink. It would be awhile before they return to being white, but were still perfectly fine. His eyes eased and the shadow over his eyes vanished, meaning he was feeling much better.
He turned towards Garchomp and Sophie, still laced in his new Plate. He stared at them and Garchomp slowly approached. Garchomp stopped in front of Nic and bend down. Nic gave a soft grin and pet his head.
"I'll be okay buddy." Nic assured. Garchomp was feeling mild now that the battling was out of his system and he nudged Nic and the Trainer smiled.
Sophie, on the other hand, was still recovering from that gruesome display of Nic's demonic wrath. 'Okay, I'd best prefer to be scolded by Erza.'
Nic turned towards Sophie and she jerked. "I apologize that you had to witness that." Nic said.
"I-It's okay, I understand." Sophie said, though she didn't mean it. She never saw Nic that angry before, and she wasn't entirely sure what caused it.
Nic pet Garchomp some more and he reverted back to his normal self. He then looked at his arms and legs. "I guess in that mayhem, my power pulsating through my veins caused me to unlock the Draco Plate." Nic said.
"Meaning you can use Dragon-Type moves." Garchomp said, to which Nic nodded.
"Since I just unlocked it that means it's the only Plate in my arsenal until morning." Nic walked over and he picked up his sunglasses, untouched from the onslaught of brutality and he put them on and turned back towards the team. "Alright guys, let's find shelter. When we see a town up ahead, we'll be traveling on foot to avoid suspicion."
Nobody argued since Nic was pretty good with these scenarios and the two got on Garchomp. Sophie then turned towards Nic. "Nic?"
"Yeah?"
"What was that? Was that your anger?"
Nic looked down and he narrowed his eyes. He paused and avoided looking at Sophie. "…I don't like to talk about it right now."
Sophie said nothing as she saw the hurt on Nic's sunglasses-covered face. This matter seemed fairly personal, and she felt she shouldn't press the matter. Garchomp then took off at high speed, back on track to where they would find a potential town.
Royal City
In an outside hallway with columns that had no windows, there were three people present.
One was Hughes, Captain of the Third Magic War Division. He was a young man with arrow-like eyebrows with messy purple hair with a thick lock of white on his right side. His long bangs obscured his forehead and had on a white uniform with a long white coat with gold trims and metal shoulder guards over his white pants. His shirt was dark green with olive green crosses.
Another man was Byro, Chief of Staff of Edolas's Royal Army. He was a short and elderly man with a strangely shaped nose and wide eyes. Aside from his horn-shaped eyebrows and tufts of hair on the sides of his face, he was bald. His face had a few liver spots as well. His attire was of a cape with a wide, adorned collar with ornaments in front. Underneath was a dark robe with light edges.
And the last man, or cat, was Panther Lily, Captain of the First Magic War Division. He had the head of a black panther, but the muscular physique of a man. He had a white muzzle, small red eyes, and a large scar going over his left eye. He had battle armor with a long cape around his body and adorned a helmet.
The three were walking down the open hall and Hughes was more than excited about the giant lacrima that the King had 'found'. "Oh man, can you believe how awesome this lacrima is? It's like, super-mega awesome!" He shouted. "It's the coolest thing I've ever seen!"
"That would be enough Hughes." Panther Lily argues in distaste of Hughes hyperactive self. "You need to learn to calm down."
His grumpy disposition didn't faze Hughes all that much. "Bah quit your worrying, you should learn to lighten up!"
Panther Lily grumbled in distaste as they continued heading down the hall. Byro just found this amusing as he chuckled evilly. "Well now, I see Hughes is far more loose than you'll ever be Panther Lily, though I'm sure an Exceed like you can sympathize with our joy, right?" He asked curiously/
The Exceed right down at Byro. "I assure you, my loyalty is to the King after I was exiled." He then faced forward. "And for the record Byro, your laughter is insidious and obnoxious."
Byro snickered and he lowered his head slightly in pondering. "Whatever you say, but that lacrima is our top priority." He then stopped, making Hughes and Panther Lily stopped and turn around at the elder. "Speaking about priorities, I wonder when Miss Erza will wipe out that Fairy Tail Guild?"
"Ah quit worrying old man, you'll get even more wrinkles that way." Hughes said. "Besides, I'm sure that Erza and Sugarboy should be here anytime now."
As if on cue, they heard footsteps and they turned from direction they came from. Hughes smiled. "See, what'd I tell-!"
Hughes, Panther Lily, and Byro all went wide-eyed and stared in horror as they were seeing both Knightwalker and Sugarboy severely battered and scraped and partly bloodied, Knightwalker especially. They used the other as support as they were barely able to stand by themselves. Sugarboy's armor was fractured and parts were chipped off. Knightwalker's left arm was dangling since it was dislocated and her shoulder blade severely fractured. Her entire body was scraped and her face was scratched and her mouth had blood on the sides. Her Ten Commandments was seen laced to her back, but they saw that half of the Default Form was destroyed.
"Erza! Sugarboy! What happened to you two?!" Panther Lily shouted in shock, unable to comprehend that Erza and Sugarboy both never looked so messed up in their lives.
Erza could barely speak. "I faced Hell, it was a bloody nightmare." She exaggerated.
Sugarboy was able to tell more of it. "Yeah, apparently there were two people from Earthland. One boy, and a girl, and the boy seemed to have a dragon at his disposal."
Everyone gasped with shock when they heard Sugarboy mention this. "A dragon, for reals?!" Hughes shouted. Knightwalker and Sugarboy nodded ad they winced, starting to feel uneasy.
Knightwalker looked at them again. "They were from Earthland's Fairy Tail, and the one I fought was named Nic Pularis." She was starting to shake and nearly lost her balance at the remembrance of his heinous face and his deadly attacks, nearly killing her. "He's the one who did this."
Byro was slightly uneasy, but pulled a chuckle. "Well now, fill us in on the details with his majesty when we get you to first aid right away."
With that, Panther Lily and Hughes both took Sugarboy and Knightwalker away towards a nearby place to recover and get their wounds treated.
'I've never seen Erza so devastated. This Nic Pularis was that terrifying?' Panther Lily thought. 'Perhaps we should warn his majesty and watch out, for he may have come for the lacrima.'
"Nic Pularis…" Knightwalker muttered. "…a nightmare…I'll remember this…he'll pay…" It was only moments later that she lost consciousness.
Louen
The rocky town known as Louen was the town that Gajeel ended up in. He was draped in a cloak and looked out from the alleyway.
"Now what? Where the hell am I suppose to go from here?" He muttered. "I guess there's no point hanging around. Better start asking."
Gajeel unhood himself and he walked out of the alleyway in an attempt ask people. He made it out onto the streets and he turned his head and looked at various people. He picked the closest individual and turned towards him.
"Yo, mind if I ask ya something?" He asked. The man gave a twisted look of animosity and he walked away. "Get back here!" The man kept walking away to avoid Gajeel. Gajeel turned towards another person, but he too walked away and avoided, and the process repeated and walking towards them only made it worse.
He grew a tick mark with a raised brow. "Man, the people in Edolas make the jerks I put up with at home look like a bunch of angels." He then looked over and saw three guys huddled together and eyeing him and chuckling.
He then grinned. "One thing's the same no matter where you go, there's always clowns that can help you." Gajeel then went up to the three and the three gave him looks of animosity.
"You looking to start something pal?" The one with a magenta jacket asked.
"Step off ya horsefly!" The short one with an afro said, earning a laugh from his group.
Gajeel's eyes narrowed as he glared at them. "You've got a lot to learn about insults pal."
They weren't even moved by his rough voice. "We haven't got time for a lecture." The leader said.
"Yeah, like horsefly house maggots!" The short one said, earning another laugh from his group.
"That's not funny." Gajeel growled, making the group stop laughing immediately and Gajeel headbutted the leader in the face, making him fall to the ground.
"That's it! You want a piece of me?!" The two lackeys shouted in unison, doing a double punch to Gajeel's forehead, but Gajeel didn't move as he merely grinned as his skin was rough like iron. The two guys' hands were swollen and they reeled back, allowing Gajeel to punch them down to the ground.
As the leader was getting up, Gajeel grabbed him by the jacket with one hand. "Listen! A giant lacrima should've popped up around here somewhere, and you're gonna tell me where it is." He threatened.
"I-I don't know where it is!" The leader shook his head and shouted, afraid.
"Oh really, maybe I need to jog your memory." Gajeel said, reeling his head back.
The leader paled. "Gah! I swear! We don't know where it is! Right fellas?!" His lackeys nodded in unison.
Gajeel sighed and let go. "Fine, I'll ask someone else. You're off the hook, now go scram."
The three gave a relieving group sigh and looked confused. "What's with you Gajeel? How'd you get so strong?" The leader asked.
The short one crossed his arms. "Yeah, I didn't know you'd be the kind of guy picking fights."
Gajeel turned back towards the group. 'They must be talking about that counterpart thing Luminous and Mystogan were talking about.'
Gajeel then narrowed his eyes. "Tell me, what does the Gajeel here do for a living?" The three were once again confused. "I'm not him, we just look alike okay?"
"You joking? You look exactly like him." The leader said.
"Just answer the question or it's knuckle sandwiches for you all." He threatened.
"He's one of them journalists and has a reputation of being nosy." The leader said. "That guy's been making articles talking smack about the king."
"Nobody can stand him." The short one said.
"That would explain why nobody would give me the time of day here." Gajeel then turned away and started walking, leaving the group puzzled and they walked off too. "This Gajeel's a journalist huh? Better get the scoop on him." With that, he walked back into the alleyway to avoid detection and suspicion.
Later…
Nic and Sophie had just entered the town of Louen, where it had a rocky exterior. Nic recalled Garchomp before they got close, so no suspicion would rise. Nic and Sophie were currently making way through the alleyways so as to avoid the public.
"So all we need to do is find a map for me to memorize and then we'll be heading to the Royal City in no time." Sophie summarized as they silently made way through the alley.
"Right, but our profiles must be kept at a minimum. It's likely Knightwalker has informed people about us and the threat we pose."
"More like the threat you pose." Sophie muttered.
"Pardon?"
"Uh, nothing!" She objected, trying to cover herself up to avoid Nic's fury. Nic crept about until they were at the corner of the alleyway and they looked out.
Nic's eyes under his sunglasses narrowed. "So I take it that we'll be finding a map either by paper, and asking directions may prove to be unlikely given we never know what our counterparts can do."
"What do you mean?" Sophie asked.
"Don't tell me you forgot, because it's very hard for you to forget things Sophie. Listen, in this scenario we may never know if our counterparts are good or bad. If they have a bad reputation or have caused destruction like Knightwalker, it's likely the public will turn us in."
"So you're saying…"
"He's saying that in order to get around, you need a man from the inside." A voice said from behind. Nic and Sophie turned around and were shocked to see a cloaked figure with a rough voice walk up to them.
Nic suddenly recalled this voice and he eased himself. He grinned as he saw the hood come off, revealing Gajeel.
"Gajeel, it's you!" Sophie said.
"Yeah, it's me blondie. 'Bout time you two showed up, I was beginning to wonder if you were taking a break and having a tea party." Gajeel joked.
Nic narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't say tea party Gajeel. There's something we need to mention to you."
"Same here. Apparently I got intel on someone." He said. This made Nic and Sophie go silent as Gajeel had the whole floor to himself. "I don't know about your guys' counterparts, but I was told that the Gajeel here is a journalist that talks smack about the King."
His explanation earned a gasp from Nic and Sophie. Nic stepped forward. "You're serious?! Tell me, where can we find him?"
Gajeel turned away with a grin. "Relax pal, bet he's somewhere in that Royal City. And I managed to find a map too." He pulled out a scrap of paper and revealed it to be town labels. "It's not much, but it's what I could've managed without being spotted."
"Sophie, you're getting all of this?" Nic asked, having Sophie take a really good look at the water, the town labels, and the Royal City location.
"And…memorized!" Sophie said with satisfaction. She perked up and was feeling confident. "Alright, now that we know where that city is, we can go and take back our friends with Gajeel!"
Gajeel crossed his arms. "Easy there, this place ain't no picnic. Remember, we can't go running off. Like that Mystogan weirdo said, we have to plan if we're to get those bunch of morons back."
"I don't doubt you there." Nic said, putting his hands into his pockets. "And I'm sure getting to the Royal City on foot is of best transportation. We'll have to continue by the sky until night falls."
With that arranged, the trio tried to maneuver their way through town, silent as a Ghost-Type. The trio made it out of Luen with ease. When they were a safe enough distance, Nic turned towards his team and Gajeel and Sophie nodded.
Nic pulled out a poke ball. "Alright, come on out!" Nic threw his poke ball into the air, revealing Charizard.
Charizard stretched out his wings and roared.
Gajeel stepped forward. "Say, I remember him. That lizard that could breathe fire like Salamander and transform."
"That is correct." Nic said, walking towards Charizard.
Charizard had Nic and Sophie to both get onto his back and he looked forward. "Two people on my back? This'll be fun; I've been wondering how much more weight I could bear when flying about." The Fire and Flying-Type announced. Due to constant training back in Kalos, he could handle carrying Gajeel with his bare arms, and that's precisely what he did.
"Alright everybody, time to catch some air." Charizard added, the Flying-Type ascending slowly, with Sophie grabbing onto Nic as she doesn't fall.
Charizard took note as he turned his head back, but he shook his head as he remembered where Nic stood, feeling uncomfortable about Erza still. 'I can't be thinking about that. What matters is that we stay by Nic's side to the death.' He then gave a confident roar and Charizard flew in the sky at high speed, with him carrying the three.
Before they knew it, it dusk was upon them, and the sky was beautiful with glowing planets and stars, giving it a more cosmic feel. Sophie looked up in amazement, surprised and took it all in, memorizing every bit.
Eventually, Charizard caught a glimpse of some super large city ahead, and his eyes narrowed. Charizard then curved downwards and eventually reached the ground.
"What's the matter? Hungry?" Sophie asked.
Charizard shook his head as Staraptor pointed it out far up ahead. "No, look." Nic and everyone else blinked and were surprised they've made it that far already.
"Hey look, is that…?" Sophie started.
"Yeah, it's that big city where our guild is." Gajeel said.
"This is as far as we can go." Charizard warned. "Any further and the possibility of aerial surveillance would've spot us, and I doubt they want to see barbequed soldiers in the morning." Charizard said.
"We'll travel in low, thanks Charizard. Return." Nic then returned his Charizard until later. The trio then turned back towards the Royal City that was barely in their eyesight.
"So how long you give it?" Gajeel asked.
"It looks to be an hour, those two sure know when to stop, but I guess better safe than sorry." Sophie said.
"Agreed. We need to head inside the city and find shelter." Nic said. "We'll strategize tomorrow." The trio then made way into the Royal City, with as much stealth that they could afford. It wasn't really all that hard to get in, there weren't any drawbridges or outposts of that sorts, but big openings that had guards posted.
The trio managed to bypass the outposts by keeping in the shadows, which enabled them easy access into the city. They paced themselves so as to keep their profiles low and to avoid guards that could have been around the Royal City on the interior.
In general, the Royal City looked like a festive kind of place where the city itself had banners and seemed more lively than ever. Even at dusk, party town was still going on, which was what provided the perfect distraction so they had time to snatch some food from a market, in which Sophie went in and they were very well hidden within the vicinity of an alleyway.
The group ate at dusk, conversing. "Now that we're in the Royal City, we should be able to detect our friends and be able to stop this mad King of sorts." Nic said.
"Right, and since you took down Knightwalker and Sugarboy, that'll weaken their forces." Sophie added.
Gajeel turned towards the two with his face stuffed with iron he scrounged for. "Knightwalker? Sugarboy? Take it they're what held you up?"
"Indeed." Nic said. "To be more accurate, it's Erza Knightwalker, Earthland Erza's counterpart. We don't know who Sugarboy is exactly, so he's in the dark. At any rate, Erza is a killer here, disbanding Dark Guilds and killing off Fairy Tail members."
"Man, I don't know who's worse." Gajeel said.
"My powers will be back up in the morning, so I'll use the Mind Plate to give you the details then." Nic said.
Sophie's face paled. "Trust me Gajeel, you might want to brace yourself for what you are about to see in the morning."
Gajeel raised a brow in confusion, but didn't bother to wonder until later. The group eventually found secluded shelter and fell into slumber.
From atop a roof, two shadowy figures were looking down on the three and looked down at Nic and the one with a hood grin.
"Heh, didn't expect to see him here of all places." The male with a hood said.
"Hey look, it's-." The blonde one said, pointing at Sophie, but was cut off.
The man turned towards the blonde. "Remember, we can't draw attention to ourselves. We'll have to talk about this with Gajeel."
"Got it, only I got a question."
"What?"
"What are we talking about?"
The one with the hood groaned and turned. "Come on."
The next morning…
When dawn arose, everyone was starting to get up, including the three that were asleep. Gajeel, Sophie, and Nic had awoken and they were starting to get up.
Nic turned towards Gajeel and Sophie. "Okay, now we can formulate a strategy…" He was cut off when his body was shining a multitude of colors, making Gajeel and Sophie step back.
Nic was feeling his body vibrate as he felt a strong magnitude coming from the Plates within him, meaning they were reactivating. "My powers are back." He said as the light faded.
"Alright, now that we're all not helpless, can you explain the details as you said before?" Gajeel said, reminding Nic to inform him of the battle.
"Very well." Nic then glowed, shifting into the Mind Plate. He then proceeded in front of Gajeel and he closed his eyes. Nic then recalled the battle, and his own blinding rage regrettably, and he tapped Gajeel's head with two fingertips. Gajeel remained still as Nic was sharing his memories with him through mental images, as though seeing a movie.
Gajeel went wide-eyed as he was frozen, taking in the entire battle and he witnessed Nic's rage, which made him quiver entirely.
Sophie look down and shook her head. "I warned him, didn't listen."
Gajeel saw Knightwalker screaming in terror and freight as Nic demolished her. After the entire recap of the 'movie', Nic retracted his two fingertips and Gajeel was left standing there with hints of fear in his shaken eyes.
After composing himself for a few minutes and calming down, Gajeel spoke. "Man…I didn't see that coming." Gajeel muttered. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."
"Now that we're scarred for life, let's find a plan." Sophie noted.
"Yeah." Gajeel said, finally composed. "And I think I know what our first move is." The two listened carefully as Gajeel continued. "Remember that other me I mentioned yesterday? Perhaps he has some insight since he talks smack about the King."
"So you're saying we should snoop around town and find this Gajeel, am I right?" Nic asked. "If so, we should at least listen about for what others say about that giant lacrima."
With that mentioned, the group took off and went about town to find answers. They went on about an hour with no evidence nor information that could benefit them in any way. They eventually came across a local pub and went inside.
"Did you hear? They're extract power from the lacrima around tomorrow." A person said, catching the trio's attention. The group made way towards the bar, where they sat down and remained still as they overheard conversations.
"It honestly freaks me out. Where'd they harvest that power from to begin with?" "Hope they know what they're doing." "Careful, sounds like you're questioning the King." "Wh-what? No, no, I'm loyal!" "Relax, everything will work out just fine."
The three arose with enough information and wanted to speak to them. Gajeel took the lead, but another man with glasses, a nice blue suit with a matching hat was right next to the group, not taking notice of them.
"Interesting conversation." Gajeel and the man said in unison. "You three care to tell me in detail?" Gajeel and the man realized the similarity in their voices and they turned towards the other in shock. "Huh?"
Nic and Sophie went wide-eyed as they realized the identity of the man. "It can't be." Nic muttered.
"Gajeel?" Sophie wondered. "Two Gajeels?"
"Whoa now, this is a surprise." The Edolas Gajeel said.
The confused group made way to a circle table in the corner of the pub and Edolas Gajeel was full of questions, to which the three calmly answered and told their side of the story. It was a grueling half hour, but the three remained composed the entire way.
Edolas Gajeel then stood in front of the group. "So to summarize, you were sent to this world by a man named Mystogan, defeated Erza Knightwalker, and now you're on your way to use your Dragon Slayer Magic to turn the lacrima back into your friends?"
"That could summarize our lives." Gajeel said. "Getting used to this place ain't no easy picnic. I'll tell ya that."
"Mhm." Edolas Gajeel jotted down even more notes and looked at the group. "This has got to be the most bizarre story of my career."
"Hello? How often do you meet yourself in a bar?" Gajeel sarcastically said.
Nic and Sophie both held their mouths shut as the two Gajeel spoke.
"Looks like you've a name for yourself as a muckraker."
Edolas Gajeel sat down on a nearby seat. "Indeed. Investigative reporting is my calling in life." He said. "Seeking truth and giving it out to the public."
"The truth isn't easy to swallow, bet you got some haters." Gajeel smirked and pointed at himself. "In fact, there were a couple of bozos who thought I was you."
Edolas Gajeel grinned. "While I thank you for taking care of them, I apologize for the matter." He then looked forward and frowned. "Truth be known, my articles have caused countless problems across Edolas. As long as I can put pen to pad, I'll write the truth."
The group in general was silent as the two Gajeel looked forward towards the public.
Gajeel then spoke. "You know when I heard about this place, I thought it'd be completely different from my world."
The two Gajeel then stared at the other and stood up and smiled, putting an arm around the shoulder's shoulder. "But me and you are almost exactly alike!" They said in unison.
The four then walked out, and Nic was seeing this matter to be amusing, the two Gajeel getting along very well. The two Gajeel had arms around their shoulders as they had smiles as they walked through the streets.
Gajeel spoke again. "You not only don't take crap and fight the man, but you dress good and write fancy words like I do if I cared!"
"And your unkempt wild looks reflect my soul! We have so much in common Mister Me; of course, I'm also skilled in playing instruments and singing."
"Ohh me too! We're a musical genius!" The two then turned towards the other and forearm bumped the other with smiles on their faces.
Nic grinned with crossed arms. "Glad to know we're against a common enemy. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance Edolas Gajeel." Nic said. "I'm Nic Pularis."
"And I'm Sophie Lednick." Sophie said.
Edolas Gajeel turned towards them. "The pleasure is all mine."
"Now that we're here, we'd best understand where our friends are." Nic said. He turned to look around a corner and saw guards posted towards the middle of the Royal City.
"Apparently this guy here is right." Gajeel said. "Honestly we're not sure if our other pals have escaped along with us, to be honest they're a bunch of morons, but they got it where it counts when causing trouble." Gajeel and everyone turned towards Edolas Gajeel. "When they do…"
Edoas Gajeel turned away. "Yes, I'll let you know the moment they strike. I've got contacts everywhere. The King can't scratch his own nose without me knowing about it, so keeping tabs will be easy…in fact, I got two contact present."
"Oh really?" Sophie wondered.
"Indeed. They're my best resource of intel. Though it hasn't been long, we three work pretty well in getting dirt about the King." Edolas Gajeel then looked at an alleyway and gave a hand gesture. "And I'm sure you would want to meet them."
Nic and everyone else proceeded into the alleyway and they saw a shadowy figure making way towards them. When the figure was close, everyone saw she was in the shadows.
"It's okay, I'm sure you'd like to meet them." Edolas Gajeel assured.
"…Okay, but who was I meeting again?" The female voice asked.
"Huh?" Sophie went wide-eyed, as did Nic, as they had heard the voice, which was all too familiar. "I-It can't be…" Sophie was at a loss for words as she recognized that voice.
From the shadows emerged a blonde girl with multiple bangs. Two short bangs, one that barely covered her right eye, and the other going over her left one. She had two longs bangs that crossed over her chest. The rest of her hair went down towards her upper waist in a silky smooth fashion. Green eyes pink lipstick was on her face. She had on a black tank top with a long skirt going down, the skirt being black with light brown trimmings. She also had a sash over her waist that was light brown as well. Under her skirt were black stockings and she had on sandals.
"Well now, didn't see this coming that's for sure." Gajeel said.
"I'm quite surprised as well. I didn't see this coming either." The blonde said. She extended out her hand to greet Sophie. "Hi, I'm Sophie Mentalli."
"Uh…pleasure. I'm Sophie Lednick." Sophie responded slowly, shaking her counterpart's hand.
"Can she help us?" Nic asked.
"And how, she's one of the best contacts I have. Despite her…issue." Edolas Gajeel informed.
"Issue?" Sophie asked.
Edolas Sophie blinked and she smiled. "Oh don't worry about what he said, I'm sure I can scoop up-!" Suddenly, Edolas Sophie gasped and had her hands covering her mouth when she looked at Sophie. "Oh my god, it's me!" She eagerly held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Sophie Mentalli!"
Everyone sweatdropped except Edolas Gajeel. "Yeah, that issue. She has short-term memory loss."
Sophie was shaking and twitching as she was in comical revelation. "My worst fears have been confirmed." She dropped her head and sulked.
Nic snickered and he walked towards Edolas Sophie. "Don't worry about Sophie, she's just shocked because she has a great memory. So anyways, you can help us?"
Edolas Sophie nodded. "Yeah, we can jot notes and keep in the shadows. Not once have we've been caught."
Nic raised a brow. "We?"
They all then fell silent as they heard footsteps emerge from the shadows behind Edolas Sophie. Nic looked over and saw the figure come into view.
"You know it's impolite to stare." The voice said. Once again, everyone gasped in deep, deep shock as they recognized the voice. Nic especially went wide-eyed.
"I-I know that voice…it can't be…" Nic muttered.
"Yes, and it sure has been a long time, hasn't it?" The similar voice said. From the shadows stepped out a young man with short, slanted spiked hair that was black. He had on a sky blue T-shirt with a hood over his head. The hooded black coat had sky blue edges, two strings so that the hood was adjustable, and the coat itself was long-sleeved with sky blue on the edges as well. The coat reached down to his shins, where the shin and ankles alike were adorned some material that made it look like a cross between shin guards and leg weights. He had on black shoes and blue baggy pants that connected to the shirt by a black sash.
The most noticeable feature Nic picked out was that even under the hood, he could still see sunglasses.
The hooded person smirked and turned his head up towards the group. "It's been how long again?"
Nic was left startled for a few moments, but then he too smirked. "Almost three years." He said. "I honestly didn't expect to see you again."
"The same on my end as well." The hooded figure said, pulling up his hood and revealing himself, shocking Sophie and Gajeel.
It was Nic's counterpart.
"I see that these past few years have been treating you quite well." Nic's counterpart said.
"Yeah, the same for you too, but then again, you are me after all." Nic said.
Nic's counterpart chuckled. "You got a point." He then frowned and looked serious, much like Nic. "But catching up will have to wait. We have a mission to stop the King once and for all."
Edolas Gajeel then turned towards everyone. "Ah yes, my second contact. Everyone, meet Nic Nebulus."
"So the whole gang is here huh?" Gajeel said.
"Yeah, but we have to think as of now. Time is of the essence." Nic said.
Nebulus nodded. "Agreed. Gajeel shall continue getting dirt while Sophie and I fill you in on details."
Edolas Gajeel then turned away. "I see you got the gist of things Nic. I'll leave you too it. Until then other me and everyone."
Gajeel glanced back at his counterpart. "Don't keep us waiting." With that, Edolas Gajeel left.
Nebulus turned away and started walking away. "You guys better follow me." Everyone then proceeded to follow Nebulus into the alleyway.
"Wait…who are you again?" Edolas Sophie asked.
"I'm so doomed." Sophie sulked.
Later…
In a secluded residence within the Royal City, the two Nics and Sophies were left to discuss the matter at hand.
"We should nourish ourselves before heading out to the middle of the city." Nebulus said.
"Why there?' Sophie asked.
"Because that's where they're holding a special speech in preparations for extracting power from the lacrima." Nebulus answered.
Sophie gasped in shock, as to where Nic narrowed his gaze.
"At any rate, the King himself is to make a speech." Edolas Sophie said. "We should also eavesdrop while we still have the element of surprise."
"Agreed, so when should we depart?" Nic asked.
"Depart for what?" Edolas Sophie asked, making Sophie facepalm.
"An hour at least." Nebulus answered. "There's a food market in the southwest of here."
"I'll get food." Sophie answered immediately. 'Oh god if my Edolas version did this job, we'd be starving!' Without a word, Sophie bolted out the door.
Edolas Sophie turned back towards the group. "Why is she in a hurry?"
"Can't say for certain." Nic said. Nic and his counterpart were then left to turn towards the other, both cross-armed.
"I can't believe you've changed Nic." Nic said to Nebulus.
"I can say you haven't changed much, but you seem more serious than from what I remember." Nebulus responded.
"Still, the last time we met was in the Mirror World."
"Yeah, still couldn't believe Reflection Cave held that universal secret from us. Heck, I still remember our near bloody confrontation."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Nic reasoned. "But still, you've changed."
As a fifteen-year-old Nic was venturing through Reflection Cave, he was looking at the wall and saw his own reflection. He looked into the crystal mirror and looked at himself and his attire.
"It hasn't been too long…and yet, I feel so different." Nic said. He looked to see that his body looked in great condition, and his face was plastered with a straight face.
Outside the cave, it was storming like crazy, so waterfalls of water were seen all about the place, and you could've heard thunder booming.
"I still wonder how Vanessa is doing? Wherever she is, she's in better hands now…"
Just then, a huge bolt of lightning surged and hit a breach in Reflection Cave's roofing, making a fraction of the roofing crack and some rocks were falling. Nic turned around to look and saw the rocks and the cave shaking slightly and he abruptly tripped and fell backwards with a yelp and he actually started to fall through the mirror.
Nic landed with a harsh thud and he found himself in some other place, but the rain stopped.
He got up and rubbed his head. "My aching…" He then noticed that the rain wasn't continuing and the ceiling wasn't cracked. "Where am I?"
Nic looked about as he found the nearest exit. He went wide-eyed when he saw that the sky wasn't blue, but…green? Everything else seemed similar, yet it wasn't.
Nic walked about as he was completely confused. "Just what is going on here? Where am I?" He wondered. He then stopped and held his chin. "Wait, I've heard tales of some alternate universe in Reflection Cave, but I didn't expect it to be real. This is just as discomforting as that time Frogadier as a Froakie used his sticky frubbles on a Furfrou and it had to be trimmed. We were lucky it didn't have to be shaved entirely." He sweatdropped at that memory back in Lumiose City.
Suddenly, he heard some clashing in the thick trees towards his right and heard yelling. "Come on! I've raised you better than that! You cruddy trash!"
Nic was slightly confused. "Wait, what?" He made a break into the woods with stealth so that he wouldn't be detected. He looked about when he reached a clearing and he went wide-eyed and his eyes were also shaken. "No way…I-it can't be…"
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kick you in the face!" The figure shouted at his Charmeleon, who was on the ground and tired from hitting a fellow tree. The figure had sunglasses, short slanted black hair, jeans, a white T-shirt, boots, and he had a small gray jacket with brown sleeves.
"…me?" Nic saw that it was a look alike of himself. Just what was going on?
"You have three seconds to stand! One…Two…" Nic Nebulus was prepared to kick his tired Charmeleon, when Nic Pularis's impulses got the best of him.
"STOP!" Nic ordered, making Nebulus freeze in his tracks, saving Charmeleon.
Nebulus turned around and he looked to see where the voice came from. "Who the hell said tha-!" He went wide-eyed as he saw Nic Pularis emerge from the tree line into the clearing. "Impossible?! A-An imposter?!"
Nic crossed his arms. "Just what the hell were you about to do to that defenseless Charmeleon?" Nic demanded.
Nebulus snickered. "That's none of your business." Nebulus then walked towards Nic and he glared coldly through his sunglasses and vice versa. "And just who are you fooling with that fake version of me?"
"Funny, I didn't recall myself being that blind." Nic said. "I am Nic Pularis."
Nebulus sneered. "Ask me if I care. I'm Nic Nebulus, and I'm surprised that you care so much about weaklings. If so, then you're just a coward."
Nic raised a brow. "Oh really, then how come I'm not running for the hills yet?"
A tick mark rose on Nebulus's face and he snarled. "Are you mocking me?" He then had veins popping out, meaning his temper was easily provoked unlike Nic's. "In case if you haven't noticed me, I won't tolerate weaklings. I have standards."
Nic narrowed his eyes. "You've got a lot to learn about empathy pal."
"What was that?!" Nebulus shouted. "Fine! You've asked for it! I challenge you!"
Nic blinked. "A battle?" He grinned at the thought. "Funny, never would've expected that I'd be going up against myself of all people."
"After I win, then we'll see whose left crying." Nebulus then turned away and he ran back several feet, battle distance. "We'll use four Pokémon each."
"That's the same amount I have." Nic said. "If I had to guess, I'd say we'd also have the same kind of Pokémon as well."
"Perhaps, but this will show whose better than who. Now let's go!"
Nic turned towards Nebulus, both grinning. The two recalled that battle all too well. They remembered it as heated as an Inferno attack.
"I still remember that battle to this day." Nebulus said. "I was such a jerk, I was too blind and dull. Thankfully you beat the sense into me."
Nic looked down at the ground and reminisced in that day. "Yeah, the aftermath of that battle was…eventful." He worded the last word son that it didn't sound too drastic.
Nebulus nodded. "I still couldn't believe we were on par until my Frogadier fell to yours, but it was all my fault for being too pushy…"
After Nebulus's Frogadier was defeated, with Nic's Frogadier panting ever so heavily and unable to move from extreme exhaustion, Nebulus was left fixated as his eyes were shaken.
"It can't be…I…I lost?" He muttered in disbelief. "I lost…to the other me?!" He was clenching his fists as he was popping out veins. He got to his knees and gritted his teeth with a shaken body. "DAMMIT! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!" He pounded the ground in frustration.
Nic walked up and crouched own towards his Frogadier. "You okay Frogadier?" His buddy nodded, but still couldn't move as he felt ready to collapse. Nic picked up Frogadier and he carried him over towards a nearby tree and set him down to rest. "Now you just rest while I talk some sense into myself."
Nic then proceeded forwards as the other Nic was frustrated and he looked down at the defeated Frogadier. "Hey, are you alright?" Nic asked.
Frogadier was shocked that Nic was in front of him, and yet he wasn't being a punk or told him to train twelve hours straight, this Nic was being as gentle as gentle could get.
"Here, let me help you." Nic picked up Frogadier's counterpart and he placed him right by the same tree that his Frogadier was at. Nic then walked away towards Nebulus, who was still clenching the grass.
Both Frogadier looked at the other, with the counterpart confused. "(W-Why?)" He muttered exhaustingly. "(Why did he reach out to me?)"
Frogadier turned his head towards his counterpart and grinned softly. "(That's Nic for you. He won't stand for abuse and will fight to the bitter end to free others of corrupted lives.)" Frogadier turned his head and looked up with a smile. "(He's had an interesting life, especially now that he was freed from his shackles and goes about happily..)"
Frogadier's counterpart then grinned and looked at the ground. "(I wish I was as lucky as you. Someone who truly cares and doesn't take advantage of others.)"
Nebulus was still heavily frustrated. "I NEVER LOSE!"
Nic looked down at his counterpart, pitying himself. "…that's pathetic. To think that you're my counterpart." He scowled.
Nebulus stopped and looked back up with veins in anger at Nic. "Shut up! You don't understand a thing!" Nebulus rose to his feet with clenched fists. "I won't be weak! I won't face the weakness, rather I'll kill it!" Nebulus then angrily went to punch Nic, but Nic saw that coming a mile away and sidestepped and gave a right hook to the face, sending Nebulus's sunglasses flying.
Nebulus stumbled back, but rebounded by lunging forward with even more rage and he tried punching Nic, but Nic barely caught the punch and he was skidding back from the sheer force. He was still struggling as he saw the rage within Nebulus.
"Nic…your rage isn't power!" Nic hesitated as he was holding up the clenched punch. "If this is what drives you, then I'll stop you!" He then ceased the clenching and ducked and rammed an elbow into Nebulus's abdomen and then scored an uppercut, making Nebulus stumbled back, but Nebulus yelled viciously as his eyes became very angry.
Nic gasped as he saw this, and the air was becoming silent and foul. "His anger, it's spiked just like mine that day!"
Nebulus then lunged at Nic. "DIE WEAKLING!" Nic did a whole three-sixty and kicked Nebulus across the face, making him fall into the dirt on his side.
Nebulus slowly got up, feeling every spot where Nic dealt severe blows. "How?" He growled. "How are you so damn strong?!"
Nic narrowed his eyes as he took his sunglasses off and set them aside. "I train with my Pokémon, meaning I spar with them every single day. When they grow, I grow. We bond and learn to connect with one another on the battlefield." Nic said. "You have to look in their perspective."
"The hell with them! I won't be weak! I won't be a helpless puppy like my sister!" Nebulus shouted.
Nic then grew silent as he heard of what his counterpart said. "…what did you just say?"
Nebulus growled before cracking his knuckles and continuing. "I was raised just fine. My parents loved me and they raised a winner! Vanessa was a mere accident, unwanted, pathetic, she was just trash. She was given little food, and nothing but the clothes on her back as mom and dad constantly pummeled her. I refuse to end up like her! I REFUSE TO BE WEAK AND HELPLESS!"
Suddenly, the air became even more foul, as Nic himself had veins popping out. "You…you sick bastard."
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" Nebulus shouted before feeling an odd feeling as his feral eyes got a glimpse of Nic and his body shaking, a shadow going over his eyes and his eyes being fuse with blood red.
"You-sick-BASTARD!" Nic bellowed like a feral animal. "SHE IS YOUR SISTER! YOUR SISTER! AND YOU DIDN'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT HER SAFETY!"
"I DON'T CARE WHO IT IS! I WON'T BE WEAK! I'LL GUT YOU ALIVE TO PROVE MY POINT!"
"SHE LIVES A BLOODY HELL! SHE'S FAMILY!"
"SO WHAT?! THAT'S WHAT SHE GETS FOR BEING AN ACCIDENT!"
"YOU'RE HER ONLY FAMILY!" Nic bellowed, making nearby Staravia flee.
Nic's Frogadier went wide-eyed. "(Oh dear god, there's going to be blood.)"
"SHE NEEDED TO LEARN ABOUT BEING TOUGH!" Nebulus shouted.
The two Nic's yelled and roared at each other as they both charged for the other, baring their fangs.
Just then, the door went open as Sophie returned with a huge amount of food. She had bags of meat, salads, and some odor-eating lacrima that was super expensive.
"Well, that was the last of the money. We should be wise and find a way to get back to Earthland after we save our friends." She said.
The two Nics shook their heads and looked at Sophie. "Oh, uh, thanks Sophie." Nic said.
Nebulus turned back towards Nic. "Still, if it wasn't for you, I'm not sure if my sister would've been alive right now."
Nic then frowned. "So how is she?"
Nebulus then looked up at the ceiling. "After we've settled things, I rushed home and called the police. I turned my parents in and my sister was given custody to a safer family. Super friendly." He added, but then frowned. "However, I now live my days to repent for simply watching my sister suffer. I now atone by living on and being a role model for her. Until the day I die, and beyond death, I shall be her family, no matter how far away. I know she's in great hands."
Nic smiled and nodded. "Vanessa is doing well…but I haven't seen or heard from her since I've left to go on a journey, but I know she'll be fine. Though I also have to ask how got here Nic?"
Nebulus looked down at the ground, his face all puzzled. "Not sure, I just woke up one day and then I eventually bumped into Gajeel and Sophie."
'Could it be that when I went to Earthland, Nic went to Edolas as a balance?' Nic wondered. 'Or what exactly happened?'
The two were left in silence as they didn't know what else to say, then Nebulus got an idea. "Say, why don't we let our Pokémon say hi?"
Nic grinned. "Agreed. Though I'm not sure their personalities will be the same."
"Why not? Your personality and mine are alike, so why doubt your own team?"
Nic grinned and chuckled. "I suppose you got me there."
"Come on out guys!" Both Nic's shouted in unison, all of their Pokémon popping out. They all turned towards their counterpart and looked puzzled, but expected this because they can see and hear everything in their poke balls.
The Greninja duo looked at each other. "It's been awhile." Nic's said.
Nebulus's Greninja nodded. "Indeed. You look as bright as rain."
"The same to you. I'm glad we could converse once more. Nebulus treating you well?"
Nebulus's Greninja nodded. "He's become a good person."
Kecleon tilted her head and she looked at her counterpart. "Hello me."
Nebulus's Kecleon was stiff and very proper. "I must say, it's nice to be acquainted with myself at long last. I am hoping that Nic's past ambitions didn't obscure your perspective on me. I for one am hoping we are on good terms." She said with an intelligent voice.
Kecleon tilted her head again and smiled. "I can share my steak with you any day."
Nebulus's Kecleon chuckled. "Of course that's a yes."
The two Arbok stared at each other, with Nic's talking first. "Hmph, didn't exccccpect to ssssee myssself for the firssst time." He scowled.
"He have a lot of talking sssincccce we didn't battle, and I for one don't wanna be sssnobish to myself." Nebulus's Arbok scowled back.
"…You're right." The two Arbok shared a chuckle.
Both Charizard looked at the other. Nic's spoke. "Hm, you seem more confident."
Nebulus's Charizard nodded. "Yeah, it was thanks to that battle. After Nic reformed, we all began trusting him and my confidence boosted." Charizard said.
Nic's Staraptor looked at her counterpart and smiled. "It's nice to see we're on better terms than before."
Nebulus's Staraptor nodded. "Yeah, same here."
The two Garchomp, however, just stared at the other coldly, seeing each other for the first time. They both bared their claws slowly, and they were mirroring the other's movements. After awhile, they fin bumped the other, seeing as they were both alright with the other.
The group then settled down for lunch and were fueling up to investigate the lacrima later on.
A few hours later…
The group of Nic, other Nic, the two Sophies, and Gajeel, all went into town hidden, with Gajeel and Nebulus pulling up their hoods. They noticed that a large sum of people were gathered about in a solemn spot. "That's weird. Is that where you said the lacrima would be?" Gajeel asked.
Nebulus nodded under his hood. "Yeah, and a speech of sorts as well. Careful, guards are posted all about, so we need to look from secluded spots."
Nebulus then led the group to a corner where there were minimal people and they all peered from an alleyway, seeing the festivities and confetti.
Sophie and Nic went wide-eyed and gasped. Gajeel himself was left in awe and shock. "No way." Sophie muttered.
What they saw was a humungous lacrima that was tied up in rope and surrounded by numerous guards. Everyone was cheering at the source of power they would have to last a long time.
"There's no mistaking it, that must be our friends." Nic said. He looked at the lacrima as a whole and gritted his teeth. He then noticed something. "Wait…Nic isn't that…?"
Nebulus nodded, seeing the similar thing Nic saw. "Yeah, I see it too. There's a-!"
They all fell quiet when they saw an elderly man rise up a super large podium with the Edolas mark draped on the front. The man had long, wavy, grayish-white hair that reached down to his shoulders, and a big beard that reached down to his upper chest with a similar mustache. He had a rectangular face with prominent cheekbones and a flat nose and wrinkled eyes. He had a brown coat with buckled belts that covered the lower part of each sleeve over a darker vest. He had light baggy pants in simple boots. He also had a light brown mantle that covered his shoulders with fur-line edging. His headgear was that of a mitre, getting larger upon the top and had white lower edges with a semicircular front part that was brown as well with the Edolas symbol on it.
He held up a scepter and everyone cheered, making the hidden group narrow in the eyes.
"Is that who I think it is?" Nic asked.
Nebulus nodded. "Yeah, it's King Faust. Sophie and I have been keeping a watchful eye on him."
They then fell silent for the duration as Faust made a speech.
"Children of Edolas, it brings joy to my heart to tell you that our Anima Program has produced enough Magic for a decade." He proclaimed. "Let us rejoice, sing, and dance. Let us make merry for the prosperity that we shall uphold with this power!"
The crowd cheered ever so louder as Faust made his proclamation, making the hidden group narrow their eyes even more.
"The power within this lacrima belongs to all loyal subjects. Today we hold our future in our hands to ensure joy! Therefore we must swear to protect this lacrima with our very lives!" He then paused as his power-crazed eyes gazed down at the oblivious public.
"Let me make a pledge! " He then pierced the lacrima with his scepter, making a slight crack in it. "I will bring you more power!"
Then the smallest hints of the lacrima pieces from the crack fell to the ground. As the pieces laid there on the ground, Nic and Sophie's eyes were shaken his anger. That lacrima didn't belong to them, it belonged to Earthland. Their friends, their family was in there, and the King just took a very small chunk off.
Nic had to suppress himself, but his body was shaking and he was growling. "…those monsters."
Sophie was feeling the same, but not as lethal as Nic is. "They're all gonna pay."
Nebulus gritted his teeth. "Faust has gone far enough. Nobody harms innocent lives. We'll get them out and stop him. That is a promise." He too shook like Nic, and they were growling at the King for harming their friends in the lacrima.
"Those dummies. They fell for his rouse hook, line, and sinker." Gajeel swore under his breath.
The group then turned away from the cheering group and made way towards their secluded hideout so as not to bear anymore of this torment as the King laughed.
At dusk…
In the same secluded location, the two Sophie were left sulking about, still remembering the harm the King did.
"Man, this sucks." Sophie said, looking at the ground.
Edolas Sophie also felt terrible. "Yeah, even though I can't remember who he was, I still feel terrible."
Sophie looked up at her counterpart and grinned. "Even with short-term memory, you still got a heart like me."
The two Nics were cross-armed and looked out at the city, their sunglasses covering their unsatisfied expressions.
Nic turned towards Nebulus. "So how long must we wait?" He asked coldly.
"Tomorrow is when they start the extraction." Nebulus explained. "And I'm aware you told me that Earthland Gajeel can free them." They looked over at Gajeel, who was leaning against a wall.
"Yeah." Nic then turned and looked at everyone and back at Nebulus. "I would assume you knew what I saw earlier as well, yes?"
Nebulus nodded. "Yeah, that lacrima…it wasn't whole."
"Huh?" Gajeel asked.
Sophie then got up. "You're right. I remembered that the lacrima had a piece that looked as though it was cut off."
"Then that means that the lacrima that we saw…" Gajeel started.
"Is only a mere fraction of the main lacrima." Nic and Nebulus said in unison.
Gajeel grunted and looked away. "Great, now what?"
Nic and Nebulus both turned towards the other and they looked at the other while pondering.
"Nic." Nebulus said. "Gajeel is the key, and we have to find the main lacrima."
"Yeah, and Edolas Gajeel said he'd keep tabs with us, so we should hear from him soon." Edolas Sophie said. Nic then looked out at the scenery again. He kept quiet as he was left pondering.
"Nic?" Sophie asked.
Nic then turned back towards the rest. "Okay guys, I have a plan…"
Surprised? I figured since Nic's counterpart changed, I figured their Pokémon may act similar. You could assume their personalities were different before Nic's counterpart changed, so after he changed, his team had become much like the actual Nic's. Although Kecleon would be the exception.
Hope this chapter was interesting with Knightwalker and Sugarboy thrashed. If you had noticed, then you've probably figured that this a different turn I took rather than following the anime with Natsu and co.
The Draco Plate will be of importance later on in this Arc, primarily at the end in the big battle.
I didn't necessarily get to where I wanted this chapter, so I'll try and pace myself much quicker next time.
Please Favorite, Follow, & Review this story and/or chapter if you guys are satisfied with the plot twists and the upcoming action and the flashbacks that transpired.
Reviews would very much be appreciated!
Next Time: Knightwalker's Light