Chapter 63 – Dark Waters
Hi guys! I'm still trying to update once a week since I alternate back to EDventures in Kalos and then here, with One's Road to Remembrance partially at night. After this update, expect another one next weekend at the very least.
Guest: The GMG Arc will be the final arc of the story, that's how I intend it. And then the sequel will come around, but I won't do the Eclipse Arc; instead I chose an alternative with this arc.
Here's the second chapter of the Celestial Siege Arc! Enjoy!
To Recap:
Nic and his group began their pursuit towards Lysandre, but as they traveled, they were relentlessly pursued by Canes – Gate of the Hunting Dogs. After escape, Lupus revealed that he was once the alpha, but quit due to Lysandre's cruelty. Back on Earth Land, Erza and Vanessa talked, and Erza revealed that she just wanted to protect Nic and not see him get hurt. Vanessa respected that, but pointed out that Nic could make his own decisions, leaving Erza to think of an apology as they get to the Infinity Clock. Meanwhile, Nic and his group is ambushed once more by Canes, and briefly confront their new alpha, Sirius – Gate of the Great Dog. They escape again, but not without Pavo getting injured saving Nic. After recovery, they made way to the sea, where Volans unveiled a hidden ship. They were met with Cetus – Gate of the Sea Monster briefly, much to Volans's reluctance, and they got away and sailed off to sea.
Chapter 63 – Dark Waters
In the slow moving waters of the Celestial World. The ship was steered by Volans and his eyes were set only at the never-ending waters ahead. An indefinite time had passed on; it felt like forever, but it was only a few hours.
With the time to recover, Nic and everyone else got some rest and had some food the ship's cargo had held. Some meat and a few rations, nothing spoiled, but enough to sustain themselves for a small period of time.
Pavo bit down and chewed off a small piece of meat off of a bone, and the smile he had was quite contradictory to the grim view the crew had.
"My, someone's got an appetite." Cana remarked as she sat in a chair on the deck, opposite of Pavo. "And it seems you recovered well."
Pavo swallowed and huffed. "Ahh. Ah, Cana. Yeah, I feel much better now! That was a nice nap!"
Corvus bit into a piece of meat he had in hand and turned towards them. "Mm, we haven't slept like that in awhile. We could hardly sleep, but now we're at sea, we have less worry." He noted with a stuffed face.
Sophie put her arms behind her head and leaned back. "Well let's be glad we've been safe for a short time at least." Her attention turned towards Volans. "What's our trajectory?"
"Still north." Volans rotated the steering wheel just a little.
Lupus looked more relaxed as he laid down like a dog. "Oh be easy you guys, if anything would come up you'd know I would hear it. We're clear."
Pavo and Corvus happily arose from their seats with huge smiles on their faces. Mugs were raised high to commend a celebration.
"And we're on our way fellas!" Corvus shouted happily.
"In the name of comradery, we stand tall!" Pavo declared.
Pavo, Corvus, even Lupus was cheering. After so long of running, they got a short break out at sea. Their spirits seemed up, and Cana and Sophie both had elbows on the small circular table they shared.
"Reminds you of a specific bunch?" Sophie chuckled at how their party manner was similar to Fairy Tail, save the destruction that revolves around the guild.
Cana sighed with a smile. "Yeah you can say that again." As they all were busy laughing and amusing themselves, the Card Mage noticed that Nic was elsewhere. Her body propped up from the table and she turned towards the end of the deck, where Nic looked out with earbuds in his ears. And of course Greninja was right by his side.
Cana was aware that Nic wasn't the full-scale party kind of guy, but she could tell that Nic was acting up. She knew the reason must have been Erza. She got up from her chair and walked across the deck towards Nic.
Nic was looking out at the sea, some level of agitation brewing. So many thoughts ran through him as the heavy metal filled his ears. The metal was working out the filtering for him, but still, he seemed upset, though you couldn't tell with his sunglasses on his face rather than the V-neck.
'…Lysandre invading, the Infinity Clock back on Earth Land, and…Er-"
He felt a sudden tap on his shoulder and was brought out of his discomforted contemplation. He and Greninja both turned around and saw Cana standing there.
"Cana." Nic pulled his earbuds out and stashed them away.
"Still not the party goer I see." She amused. "You know it wouldn't hurt to loosen up a bit. Pavo and everyone seem content. Why not have another piece of meat?"
"I'm okay, really." He turned back ahead, Greninja doing the same. "I'm not very hungry."
Sophie walked up to Cana's side and both looked at each other in discomfort. They knew he was lying, they were smarter than that. Even without those sunglasses on his face, they could see that he was still brimming with uncertainty. Their eyes cascaded towards Greninja, who stayed silent; knowing the ninja frog, he must know the exact reason, and knew that only a certain someone could fix it.
Sophie cleared her throat. "So, how are you and…?" Leading on, she saw Nic's ear twitch and he looked like he was gonna reach for his earbuds to drown them all out.
Cana quickly caught Nic's discomfort. "You know you can't hide from it. Greninja knows that too."
"And you know that this matter is Nic's." Greninja rebuffed.
Nic crossed his arms instead and his coat flapped gently as the chilly, foul breeze passed by. He didn't seem happy in the slightest, and all he did was mutter one simple word that everyone got. "…Erza."
"I knew it. You're still upset that she didn't let you help. Is that it?" Sophie asked. "Please, try and understand."
"Understand what? That she actually doubted me, or she tried to subdue me through violence?" His tone was thick, filled with hostility. Lupus's hearing caught on and he stopped celebrating. Thus a chain of reactions occurred, and the party stopped. Pavo and Corvus grew quiet as they heard Nic's distasteful tone.
His fists clenched tightly on the ledge. "I don't know what is going on anymore. The Infinity Clock and this situation are two things, but with my powers on reboot, that left Erza to have the right to keep me from helping? I guess I feel…betrayed."
Everyone's faces saddened.
"We were looking happy, satisfied, and then Nirvana happened, and Jellal. Things were starting to pick back up again in Kalos, I was able to trust her…then this happened." Intensity was all around him. "It's like the tides turned; I pushed her away and now, she pushed me away." Unlike Erza, but also after talking to Greninja awhile back, he was more open about the situation than Erza, and since it was with Cana and Sophie, he could make an exception.
Sophie looked down at Nic's feet. "No one's to blame Nic. We're all worried about your well-being."
Cana crossed her arms. "She just took it more personally. She cares deeply about you, you know that."
"I know, but-" He was cut off by Greninja.
"I don't have a place to say in this, but I stand to believe that despite what happened, you have every right to be upset, but don't be mad because she wants you safe. She's having just as hard as a time with this as you do. The universe isn't holding up and pressure is all on you."
Nic huffed as he had his arms on the ledge and rested his head. He rotated his head a little and looked away. A short silence went by before he spoke.
"…you're right. I guess…I guess she's worried about me as I am about her. She's just trying to protect me."
"So, are you still mad at her?" Pavo asked.
Nic stood straight up and looked back at everyone. He took off his sunglasses and put them on his V-neck. He shook his head. "No, I guess not…at least, for now."
They could tell he was just as confused and questionable as the others. Even he didn't know how to answer it. They all considered that he had resentment still tucked away, and Sophie looked away.
"I know that feeling." She started. Everyone turned towards her as she sat down on a barrel. "I get the position you're in Nic." A sad smile crept onto her face when she pictured her mother and father, both mature faces turning away. "I was completely lost when my parents got divorced. I was beginning to question why they separated in the first place? I was feeling a lot of things; I was sad; I was angry; and I felt heartbroken." She looked up at the dark sky as a sickening breeze shifted her long, blonde hair.
"Was their love real? In truth…it wasn't. Love is deep; something that keeps people together forever. The only reason my parents got back together was because they couldn't be apart, but I knew the real reason was all finances." She turned towards Nic. "But what you and Erza have, is something my parents never had felt. I see it in those eyes, you want to be with her. You want to know if she truly loves you back."
Sophie's words hit it home. The first time he felt open was to Greninja, and now it was Sophie because she had common ground. Nic did love Erza, just like he does with all of his Pokémon; in truth, he needs all six, his sister, and Erza. With Vanessa included, but Nic had faith in her from the day he left home, faith that would be unmatched. That level of faith went to his Pokémon, and if he's to have faith in Erza, he'll have to have faith that she can trust him again.
Nic softly smiled. "Thanks Sophie."
Sophie smiled wide. "Well I did promise that I'd help you see that you get together, right? To see for myself the kind of true and devoted couple my family never was."
Pavo streamed tears as he spun in place. "OH, HOORAY!" His spinning escalated to one foot. "To see love and friendship in our darkest days! A light that will always shine!"
Corvus sniffled. "That was beautiful."
Cana smirked as she put her hands on their shoulders. "Alright you big softies, we'll reassure loverboy's reality once we finish up our business in this world." She looked ahead. "We still got a job to do."
Greninja nodded. "Apologies and reconcile will be for later. Onwards towards freedom!"
"YEAH!" Everyone boisterously cheered in agreement with Greninja and they pressed on with their route. The only one who remained silent was Volans, who only half-grinned at their cheerful demeanor. He found it contagious actually. He briefly smiled, but lost it after almost two seconds.
A chilly wind blew past him, and an image of Cetus from before they left flashed in his eyes. His grip tightened at the prospect of what Nic felt before he was just cheered up. Keeping a steady eyesight, he pressed onwards.
Behind them, some ways away, a long back fin arced out of the water and crept back into the sea.
Lupus was up on the mast, being a lookout while everyone else was remaining idle on the deck. Nic had his heavy metal at a low volume as he was sleeping soundly. Pavo and everyone felt relieved now that Nic was getting more sleep after his worries were lifted of Erza. They knew when he will get home, he'll make things right with her, but it wasn't in their place to say or think for him. Whatever will happen, they'll help him.
Behind Nic was Greninja. The two were sleeping back to back and getting some rest. Being the most fit of everyone, they exert more energy. They and the other Pokémon get plenty of sleep after being tuckered out by training.
"How does Nic sleep listening to metal?" Sophie asked.
Cana crossed her arms. "Beats me. Guess he has hardcore dreams."
Lupus howled high into the sky, and Nic and Greninja both woke up. Nic immediately pulled the earbuds out of his ears and stood up. With everybody up, Lupus dropped down from the mast and onto the deck, where he turned towards the bow.
"We're approaching the Red Sea." He said. "Everyone be careful."
Pavo paled. "Gyah! Y-you mean that sea?!"
Volans nodded. "Yes, and we're about to hit its waters." He pointed ahead. "Look out ahead and you'll see what I mean."
Everyone turned their heads towards the bow, looking out at the water they were sailing on, only for it to slowly fade to a blood red as they sailed on in. It was the most disturbing sea they've ever seen. The water they passed by was a dark blue, then it began to slowly erode into red as they kept their course.
"The Red Sea? You weren't kidding." Cana said. As she looked deeper into the water, a chill crawled all over her spine.
Sophie looked back at Pavo and the others. "So this is why it was called the Red Sea?" Immediately she regretted asking as the Celestial Spirits looked as though they were gonna throw up. Corvus paled and shivered, as Pavo tried to provide friction on the arms and keeping warm. Lupus's tail sat on the deck and Volans growled mournfully.
"Sophie…" Nic quietly said, looking at the dark waters they were floating. "I don't think it's just water…"
Sophie looked down at the Red Sea again and was starting to get the idea. When she realized it, her eyes widened and she covered her mouth in horror.
"It's also blood." Greninja concluded.
Pavo crossed his arms and swallowed. "Yes, I'm afraid that you are right. It was all Lysandre's doing."
Lupus stepped right by his side. "This part of the sea was originally named the Starry Sea, or Sea of the Stars. The water would glisten with beautiful neon stardust particles in the depths." His head lowered. "And then Lysandre began the genocide, and the Spirits living in these waters…"
"That's enough Lupus, we'll be slowed down." Volans stated sternly, but everyone could hear the quickened pace of his voice. Apparently he was just as appalled as everyone else. "If we hurry on our course, we can make it out of this sector in a few hours."
They all nodded in understanding and all got away from the bow and gunwale.
As the ship sailed, behind it was a long back fin that slowly arced back into the bloody water, and a green tailfin followed.
A half hour rolled by, and nothing seemed off. Cana was staring out at the Red Sea ahead, and she was caught staring off by Pavo.
"Why so glum, chum?" He asked with crossed arms. "Is it the sea?"
Cana looked down. "No…it's just." She turned back towards Pavo, discomfort in her eyes. "Before we came here, we had S-Class Trials for my guild."
"S-Class? Sounds hard."
"Yeah, and while we were passing the first part I didn't get along well with one of Lucy's Spirits." She remembered Aquarius from before and the remembrance of the mermaid made her grow a visible tick mark that made Pavo uneasy. "She was a real pushover, and a devil of a sea beast."
"Uhh…"
Cana crossed her arms and looked away, a pout across her face. "I still can't believe that I'm sticking my neck out for her. She better owe me."
Pavo raised a brow, confused as to what Cana was implying. He just stared at her, that was all he could do. Seeing the pout and distaste on her face…made him laugh out loud. His mouth was big and his laugh was boisterous and hectic, which was what caused Cana to nearly fall over.
"Why are you laughing?" She shouted in offense.
Pavo wiped the tear from his eyes and smiled at Cana, calming down the laughter he had buildup. "Nothing." He said in between his chuckle. "It's just…I never seen you so worked up over a Spirit!" He nearly fell over as he went back to laughing, his leg kicking the air. "You might get along in the end. Who knows!"
"Eh…" Cana was just left white as Pavo was left to calm his laughter. She was more than confused, but when she tried to think it through, I guess it was silly. From her last encounter with Aquarius, they seemed alike, yet nasty. In a way, it was ridiculous for Cana to be devilish to her when she's been all battered and chained for these years.
Feeling kind of bad about it wasn't making it any better, but a chuckle did escape as she considered the irony. "Guess pity shouldn't be brought on. She'll be fine once we free her and the other Zodiacs."
Underneath the ship, the red water was dark and deep, and underneath the boat something very long swam steadily.
"Hm?" Greninja turned his head, his blank eyes turning focused again as he felt something off. Following behind was Nic, who sensed something strange as he felt something below. The two remained absolutely still, and what they felt was like an instant shut down on fun time.
Everyone on board felt a bizarre feeling from right underneath their feet. It was severely discomforting, but the feeling drifted outwards. Still, what they felt was something to be aware of.
"Rocks?" Corvus wondered.
Pavo took up a weary dancer's stance. "It's too deep for there to be any rocks." His eyes shifted left and right, and they narrowed. "Boys, I think we got company."
Volans pointed ahead. "Off starboard!"
The crew ran towards the right side of the boat, where they looked out to see something. A large, scaly back fin that arced with the long body, barely prodding over the water. Nic climbed the mast fast while Greninja jumped up to the top without hardly any trouble. The two reached the top of the mast, where they got a greater view of something long swimming into the dark red waters.
"Did you see that?" Greninja asked.
Nic's eyes sharpened. "Yeah, it's very long…" They narrowed. "And it spells trouble."
"What was that?" Sophie questioned. "Was that…?"
Corvus paled and squealed. "YEEEEK! Oh no! It's…her!"
Lupus and Pavo tuned towards Corvus with shock. They looked startled to say the least. They were not prepared for something like this. They had little time to consider any action before they felt a slight bump under the ship. It was so big that the whole ship rocked back and forth, throwing everyone off balance.
The boat rocking was leaving everyone startled, as they didn't see where it would be. Sophie turned her body and her eyes widened at she pointed right behind them, on the left side of the boat. "Guys-!"
A giant splash erupted and a green tailfin arose from the red water. They all turned around and looked severely surprised as the tail splashed back into the water, but the red mist created from the giant splash let out a shrill cry.
The mist cleared out, showing a long and tall green serpent. Its whole body was green, and the backside of it had tattered light green membrane for the long fins they saw before. It had fins on either side of its face, and dark whiskers, similar to a Gyarados. It had a large mouth, but no visible teeth; instead having sharp green protrusions jutting outwards. The lower jaw had a shorter fin on either side, and the head, which was connected to the whole slithery and slimy body, had a large fin atop. What disturbed them was that as it screeched out, its dull yellow eyes showed no mercy.
Nic looked startled as the ship was slowly rocking back and forth from the small waves the sea serpent gave off. "What…what the hell…?"
Volans stepped forward with an intimidating glare. He swiped his arm as the serpent hollered out to them and slowly advanced towards them, slowly opening its mouth.
"Is that the 'she' you guys were panicking about?!" Cana exclaimed with a deep shiver up her spine.
"It's Hydrus – Gate of the Sea Serpent!" Corvus shouted.
Nic looked down at the crew. "Everyone look alive!"
Hydrus began her assault on them. She opened her mouth and lunged at the deck. Everyone below jumped out of the way to avoid her unkempt mouth that chomped down. She slowly retracted and sneered loudly at the crew.
"Greninja, Water Shuriken!" Nic shouted. Greninja made several compressed stars of water with perfect balance atop the mast and shot them at Hydrus. The attack shredded into her face, causing small blue explosions that made her shrill and jerk backwards.
Hydrus looked up to see where the attack came from, only she was met with another Water Shuriken exploding in her face, causing her to open her mouth wide and cry out in annoyance.
Nic looked back down at the crew. "We'll divert her attention! You guys try and find a weak point!"
"Right!" Everyone below immediately rushed ahead towards the side of the ship, while Hydrus screeched at Nic and Greninja, only to get hit by yet another Water Shuriken, this one exploding right on her slimy chin, making her cry in agitation.
Cana flashed her card. "How about a little electricity for ya! Summoned Lightning!" Cana shot three cards at the sea serpent, which turned into green lightning bolts. The bolts closed in, but Hydrus jerked her huge, long body left, watching the bolts miss.
"So she's fast too." Cana cursed under her breath.
"Sonic Howl!" Lupus opened his mouth and glowed midnight blue, shooting out midnight blue soundwaves at Hydrus, making direct contact and shoving her back only a few feet, but as Lupus kept up the Sonic Howl, Hydrus only sneered and growled in agitation, meaning she wasn't wearing down in the slightest.
"Try this!" Pavo leaped up at Hydrus with determination. He brought a leg back as he closed the distance to her. With his cape spread open and elbow wings out, his jump escalated to where he was right above her.
"Descending Peck Memoir!" He had a foot pointed down at Hydrus and shot down like a rocket. Hydrus screeched as he fell and her long tail and tailfin rose up from down below. Hydrus cried out viciously as she slammed her tail into Pavo, breaking through his assault and smacking him hard into the lower mast pillar.
Volans grunted. "Our attacks aren't affecting her. She's strong."
Hydrus cried down at them and snapped her jaws at them again. Everyone jumped out of the way to avoid getting bit or eaten by her, and they all scrambled about as the boat rocked back and forth from the waves created from Hydrus's weight. Her tail waved wildly as she shrilled more cries as they saw how disoriented they were. As Sophie was closest, she brought her tail down onto her.
Sophie pointed a finger at her forehead and managed to conduct a chain of memories, despite the rocking boat messing up her concentration. "Memory-Make: Bryon Lightning Impact!" She unleashed a light green beam engulfed in lightning at the incoming tail. The attack crashed against the tail, making an electrifying explosion up close and everyone covered up and looked away as electricity flourished briefly.
Hydrus shrilled a violent cry as her tail was repulsed. She wailed and screeched violently and turned back towards the ship, only to be met by another spell by Sophie.
"Take this you sick sea-dweller! Memory-Make: Mirrors of Cold Retribution!" The blonde shot dark beams from ice mirrors that formed all around her at the giant serpent before her. The attack was evaded when Hydrus dodged backwards and screeched down at Sophie.
Corvus spread his legs apart and brought his arms and wings back. "Daze Wing!" He flapped his wings and unleashed a black wind at the giant monster. The attack engulfed the serpent, and she screeched in bitter annoyance. The sea creature cried out at them again before she plunged back into the red waters, creating a big splash.
Cana and everyone else hurried over towards the ledge while Nic and Greninja kept an overhead view of the area for any sign of her. The two knew that she wasn't gonna be taking this lightly. Wherever she was, she was waiting for them to drop their guard.
"Where do you think she went?" Pavo asked, disregarding the bump on his head.
"I doubt she would've ran away." Volans stated. "Hydrus never lets her prey get away, not without a fight that is…"
Behind them, in Nic and Greninja's view, they saw a giant tailfin slowly rise out of the water. "Guys, on starboard!" Nic's shout made them turn around, where they saw the massive tail slam down onto the deck. The board cracked and everyone flew in various directions, hitting either the cabin wall or another part of the deck.
On port, a giant splash erupted, and Hydrus arose from below once again, looking madder than ever. Her mouth was open and she lunged out at Volans, who was already on a knee from the sudden attack from before.
Volans spread his wings and took flight into the sky, dodging Hydrus's jaws. He looked down at her as she retracted back, and he grunted. "She's as crafty as she is strong."
"Nic, let's go!" Greninja insisted.
Nic nodded. "Right! Bounce!"
Down below, Hydrus eyed everyone as the boat rocked back and forth. As they all wobbled back to their feet, Hydrus closed in on Pavo. The peacock man looked scared as Hydrus's mouth opened and she rushed at him.
From above, Nic and Greninja fell down onto Hydrus's head when she lunged for Pavo, hitting her square in the head. Bounce's force was so strong that it smacked her right into the deck, and Nic fell down at that same time with an axe kick that hurt just as much.
Everyone looked on as Hydrus was enveloped in yellow sparks all over her body, meaning that Bounce's paralysis effect kicked in. Greninja and Nic were momentarily relieved, but it didn't last that long when Hydrus's eyes opened back up.
To everyone's horror, Hydrus retracted and cried out, flailing as Nic and Greninja were holding on for dear life in her head fin.
"Nic! Greninja! Hang on, and don't let go!" Lupus shouted. The crew watched as Hydrus started up waves and swayed violently all around with Nic and Greninja on her head. She raised her head high and violently nodded, hoping to lose them.
Nic turned towards Greninja as both were trying to keep a good grip. "Greninja, Dark Pulse!"
Hydrus continued to fling her head all around, and to her fortune Greninja let go and jumped onto the net that led to the mast, but then was caught getting hit near the neck line by a jumbled dark ring band with purple outlines. The attack created a dark explosion, and Hydrus wailed in pain.
Nic held onto her head fin as tightly as he could. "Try…this!" Yanking her head fin, he steered her into the side of the ship, making her hit the side of her head. She retracted and shook her head after the bump, but Nic steered her with full force again and bashed her right into the ship.
Hydrus screeched in annoyance and pain, and then yellow sparks engulfed her body, making her twitch again. With the opportunity at hand, Nic steered her head fin forward and smacked her right into the side of the ship once more, making the ship sway all about.
"Nic! You fool! Hang on!" Sophie shouted.
Exasperating, Hydrus angrily screeched out and she turned her body back into the bloody sea, hauling Nic right in as well. Both plunged right into the Red Sea.
"NIC!" Cana and everyone rushed on over towards the gunwale, where their eyes were wide and looked with worry as they didn't see air bubbles rising to the surface. "Nic!"
"Oh no!" Pavo screamed. "What are we gonna do?! Without his powers, Nic can't fight underwater!"
Greninja clenched his fists. "Nic's too stubborn to be defeated like this. Don't underestimate him…besides, he can hold his breath for a long time."
In the dark red depths, Hydrus screeched and swayed her head as her extremely long, green body swam right underneath the ship. The bloody water was cold and stinging to Nic's skin, and he couldn't describe this horrible feeling as he was clinging and holding his breath through the red darkness.
He gritted his teeth in frustration. 'Damnit. All I can do is hold on. I can't last that long down here!' He jerked with his brutal strength and steered Hydrus all around in the red water. The sea serpent grew agitated with all the steering Nic was doing and violently swayed her head in all directions, hoping to shake him off.
It wasn't working as his grip was tough, but she knew that all she had to do was stay underwater. She knew species like Nic was incapable of breathing, so at some point he'll have to let go, and that's when she'll go in for the kill.
Nic was clinging on as Hydrus serpentine through the water probably thirty feet below the ship. His grip was loosening as time accumulated. He wasn't sure how long he was doing this for, but it was well over a minute now and his head was beginning to feel light.
He had no choice. He had to take a gamble. He finally let go and Hydrus swam on ahead. He felt motionless and suspended, as though he was in space…only he wasn't. He had to be sure this would work, if not, then more oxygen will be lost.
Hydrus turned around and sneered at Nic. Her eyes saw the ferocity of a warrior, and she disliked it. She cried out as her jutted mouth opened up and she swam at Nic, and Nic braced himself as her mouth opened and he saw her gums and green protrusions of teeth close in, and then everything went dark.
"That's it, I'm going down there!" Volans protested.
"Are you serious, Volans?!" Corvus exclaimed. "Your gills can't take in that kind of blood! You'll suffocate!"
Volans angrily turned towards Corvus. "And lose one of our kin?! I refuse to take those chances!" He flapped his wings and looked down at the red water, and took in a deep breath. Afterwards, he began to dive downwards into the bloody water, but when he got halfway, a giant splash erupted on starboard.
Stopping his descent, Volans and everyone turned around to find Hydrus flailing with anger. Everyone ran to the other side of the ship while Volans circled around. "Nic!" Everyone reached the ledge and Volans circled fully to see something holding the mouth of the serpent open.
It was Nic. Drenched and covered in bloody water, he had his feet and hands on the roof and bottom of the mouth, his raw strength keeping the mouth open wide and Hydrus flailed in agitation. She tried snapping her jaws to crush Nic, but the man was using his strong arms and legs to keep the jaws apart.
"Nic's still hanging on!" Sophie exclaimed.
Mentally, Nic was relieved that his plan worked. He got the timing right and kept the jaws open, making Hydrus flail violently and led him above water. With the plan accomplished, he was able to take in oxygen again.
Hydrus grew tired of Nic. Seeing as how things weren't gonna work well with him, she chose to rid of him. She opened her mouth some, loosening up her assault on Nic, and swung her head at the ship. Nic lost his grip and shot back to the ship, falling back onto the deck.
Greninja jumped and caught him before he could hit the deck. Landing on a knee with Nic, he was only relieved a small bit before a giant projectile went slamming down onto them. Greninja tapped the deck and backed away when Hydrus slammed her tail down, cracking the area where they once were.
When Greninja landed, Nic coughed up a little water and panted. Cana rushed on over and looked surprised yet relieved at the same time. "The hell was that for?! Did Natsu rub off on ya or what?!"
"Nic, are you alright?" Pavo asked.
Nic sat back up and got to his feet, still aware of Hydrus still in pursuit. Wiping the bloody water from his mouth, he half-grinned. "I'm fine. But because of that…I was able to find her weakness."
Volans descended and folded up his wings. "Her weakness?"
Hydrus screeched out at them and lunged past them, which was what surprised them. They didn't get it until she dove into the water on the other side of the ship, and them arose back up on port.
Greninja got the idea. "She's constricting the boat! She's trying to break it apart!"
Hydrus screeched at them from eye level from the ledge, cracking the gunwale and the ship bobbed a bit more.
"Water Shuriken!" Nic commanded. Greninja made more compressed stars of water and flung them. The spinning stars went exploding at Hydrus's lower jaw. The sea serpent howled in annoyance and her tail arose on port. Greninja turned around, and together with Volans, blocked the huge tail with their forearms. Their arms were holding up as best as they could, and the tail's weight was extremely heavy, but nothing they would be subjected to.
Nic turned ahead to see Hydrus attacking once more, her large mouth aimed at him. She went in sideways and tried to bite down from the sides. Nic shoved both his arms out on either side and caught the pair of jaws on either end, avoiding the sharp, green protrusions jutting out that were mere inched from his limbs and neck.
"Nic!" Sophie shouted.
Nic was in a struggle, but with his physical training he's done through the years, he could hold this off well enough, but because of earlier, he was more than a little exhausted. Looking back at everyone, he grunted and told them three words.
"Guys, the mouth!"
Lupus, startled, processed the information. "The…mouth?"
Cana's eyes widened. "Gah! I think that's her weak point!"
"Yeah, the gums look vulnerable! If we can send a full-scale assault down there, we should win!" Corvus exclaimed.
Cana swiped her arm. "Lupus, Pavo, Corvus, get her off the ship! Volans, cause as much damage to her tail as you can!" She turned towards Nic. "Nic, try and keep her head in place!"
Immediately, everyone went in for the attack. Volans was still feeling suppressed, as was Greninja, but Volans brought back a palm and deep blue water swirled in front. "Abyss Palm!" He thrusted his palm forward, colliding with the tail and letting loose an immense shockwave of deep blue water was erupted outwards. The tailfin membrane was pierced, and Hydrus screeched in pain, but couldn't move due to Nic holding her down.
"Sonic Slash!" Lupus's claws were coated in midnight blue and he slashed down on the long body constricting the ship. The harsh raking motion was so sharp that it left a large gash, leaving Hydrus to screech more in Nic's face.
Corvus dug his talons into another part of Hydrus's body. The sharp talons made her cry louder, and it seemed as though she was beginning to loosen up her hold.
Pavo put the two peacocks on his shoulders onto his feet, and he lunged to another part of the long body. "Peacock's Awakening!" His cape unfolded and he let loose a massive barrage of kicks on the section he took. The sharp beak strikes were like individual bullets that finally made the long body retreat. They saw the slimy yet scaly body uncoil around the ship and everyone turned their attention up front.
Nic turned back as Hydrus was struggling from the pain. "Guys! Now!"
Cana swiped and sent flaming cards at Hydrus. "Sun's Strength!"
Sophie made a quick chain of memories. "Memory-Make: Baryon Lightning Impact!"
"Dark Pulse!" Greninja shot his Dark Pulse with deadly accuracy.
"Sonic Howl!" Lupus unleashed midnight blue soundwaves.
Corvus crossed his wings and flapped them, sending a black twister at Hydrus. "Night Storm!"
All of the attacks closed in, and once they were close enough Nic let his grip go and jumped out of the way. Hydrus was met with several attacks at once that struck her entire face and her huge mouth. The sea serpent was met with a massive explosion to her face and everyone covered up.
Through the smoke, Hydrus was seen flailing violently as her mouth was sparking and set aflame. She screeched all around, and Volans spread his wings and took flight. Once he reached a high enough point, he shot down in a slant at her enflamed face. He brought his hands close and a sphere of dark blue appeared, and it was shining with brilliance.
"GRAH!" He shot the Water Pulse-like attack right into Hydrus's open mouth, and the beast cried violently as the attack's force made her mouth shut and she fell head first back into the red water.
Everyone watched her body arched on down and her tattered tail was the last thing seen before she submerged completely.
Volans landed on the deck and folded his wings. His eyes slowly opened. "And now…Tsunami Implosion!"
Everyone saw the sea flash briefly beneath, and a ripple bellowed through the area. A giant geyser arose from where Hydrus sank, and it reached great heights and sprinkled like rain down the area she sank in. With that attack doing what had to be done, they had won the battle.
Everyone on the ship panted as the area beside them sprinkled with bloody water. Nic panted with narrow eyes and remained quiet. It wasn't a pretty thing that had to happen, but it happened nonetheless.
Volans closed his eyes. "This is what happens to those who cross the line."
Sophie got to a knee. "Ahhhh, that was a killer. She was so not friendly."
Cana put her hands on her knees and huffed. "Well, it's over now." She looked around the ship, seeing the serious damages taken. "How's the ship looking?"
Pavo and everyone looked around, seeing as how a large fraction of the deck as cracked, the boarding was nearly destroyed, the port was damaged, but everything else seemed alright. But the damage the ship had taken was still rather hefty.
Corvus turned towards the crew. "This isn't good. We need to make repairs fast."
Lupus looked up and he began climbing the mast again. He climbed up to the top to scout for any sign of stop, since they had to check the hull and underside of the ship.
His howling from above got everyone's attention, and they all looked up to see Lupus howling northwest.
Corvus and everyone went to the damaged gunwale on port, and they squinted to get a better view. The crow-man pointed ahead. "Land-ho!"
In the far distance was a small island. It seemed far, but they could reach it.
"An island!" Cana said in surprise.
"That's a good idea. We can rest up and make repairs once we reach shores." Nic said.
Pavo got a whiff and recoiled. "Bleh! Nic you smell like blood and fish!"
Nic's eye twitched. "I'm well aware of that, Pavo. Thank you very much."
"That aside…" Greninja steered the conversation to the right course. "We'll make any necessary changes we need. We'll get Nic all washed up if possible, and tend to any injuries possible too."
Volans stepped towards the steering wheel and grabbed it. "Everyone, set a course for the island!" He steered the ship, and the whole mode of transportation began onwards towards the island, with Lupus howling.
Dead grass was the setting, with a dead forest not too far away. Instead of a slanted rocky shore from before, the island had no shore, but was flat land altogether, so once they set off on the island, they met dead grass.
A fire was made and everyone was gathered around it. Lucky for them, Sophie had some bandages on hand, and much to Nic's annoyance, he was treated for his few injuries accumulated. He was currently topless, showing his very toned and fairly muscular physique as Sophie was getting the bloody and fishy smell off in the dead grass.
"So where was that sea serpent ranked in Lysandre's arsenal?" Greninja asked, rather sullen by how the Spirits were all against them.
Volans sat on his knees as the fire warmed him up. "…Hydrus was a subordinate of Cetus. I would imagine that he ordered her to attack us."
Nic crossed his arms. "So what you're saying is that it works like Canes and Sirius? Or perhaps she was a weaker subordinate?"
"I'm afraid it's the latter." Pavo sighed. "If memory serves me right, Lysandre has six top subordinates, or the big six that call the shots."
"Any information on them will very much benefit us in the future." Cana insisted. "If you guys have anything that you know about them, we can use that right about now."
Volans grumbled while he remained silent and stoic as ever.
"I got more wood guys!" Corvus arrived from the thick, dead forest with a huge pile of dead wood. He huffed as he set the wood down near the fire.
Lupus was seen jumping of the ship and walking away from the repairs that he tried to do. He was no shipwright, but the cracked places and damaged boarding was intact to say the least.
With everyone gathered around the fire, two figures were seen in the dead, spiky shrubs to the forest. Their figures were silhouettes and their eyes glowed.
Corvus looked at the group as the ire felt nice. "Well, how do we put this? Hm…?"
"Lysandre's top subordinates are those who are at his side." Lupus stated. "You already met Sirius, he's one of those six." He turned towards Volans. "Cetus too."
Volans remained silent, but Cana, Nic, and Greninja just stared at him.
"I'm not sure if things changed, but I at least remember the names of the other four. Right next to Cetus and Sirius, there's Vul, Apus, Aquila, and Camelo. All six are extremely strong, and their powers and Magic is never to be messed around with."
"I see." Nic stared at Volans, but even he grew weary with him. "And that's all you guys know?" He sounded conspicuous, but Volans just closed his eyes.
"For them…yes." Corvus said.
Immediately, Volans stood up. "No, Corvus." He said. "They're apart of this, they may know as well."
"Volans." Corvus said.
Volans was only quiet, and then Cana spoke up.
"Volans, what do you know about Cetus? You looked hesitant in your fight against him, and what was all that you said back there?" Cana's analysis was getting to everyone. "It was as though you talked on a personal level; he also said he knew all your tricks and techniques, even the same Magic."
Sophie came closer, handing Nic's coat and shirt to him, but looking at Cana. "Cana, I think you need to slow down."
There was a very uneasy silence and friction that came about. There was a hard look in everyone's eyes. One of resolute and serious. The fire flickered and showed the burning intensity in Volans's eyes.
Volans closed his eyes and bowed his head. "I apologize for not telling you of Cetus. He is…a very rough and incorrigible individual, and furthermore…my disciple."
Surprise was in Nic's eyes, as were Greninja, Cana, and Sophie. All four were very startled, and they could only say so much.
"So…you were…?" Sophie couldn't finish, but Cana did.
"His master?"
Much to his disgrace, Volans nodded. "…yes. He was my student. I met Cetus a long time ago, and he was feared." He remembered looking down at the disgrace Cetus was before he met him, all tattered and rugged. "When I came across him, I took him in. He was looking much happier, and I thus began to teach him by Deep-Sea Magic, all of my techniques…he was like family to me." His fists clenched tighter than before, and everyone could feel the pressure he was giving off. "I taught him everything about honor. About pride. And to stand up for what you believe in…but I was too blind to see that all he ever believed in was power."
He stared right into their eyes, his look of fierce shame sinking their hearts. "Lysandre soon arrived, and when it came to the choice, Cetus couldn't refuse. He was like a son to me…and then he stabbed me in the back just to show he has greater power than what I ever had. To surpass me, and to have all respect and fear him. That was his real motive." His head lowered and his eyes shut. "He believed that I grew soft, that I became a coward to greater power."
He shuddered. "There were no words to describe how I had felt…the moment he betrayed me, when he left…that was the one time I shed tears." Out of warning, he punched the ground while on a knee, the sudden punch shaking the ground and making Corvus flinch. "It was like I lost everything…my disciple threw away all of what I taught him, just so he'll never be looked down on again." He sat back down on his knees slowly, taking a deep breath. "All I have now…is my pride."
A long silence went about. They had no idea on what to say. It was pure betrayal for power, and the temperature all around diminished. They never heard Volans so broken. All this time, he was so stoic, like how Erza was before the Tower of Heaven.
Nic looked down at the flickering flames that brightened the shadow over his eyes. "You're wrong, Volans."
"What?!" Volans exclaimed, offended by Nic. "How am I wrong! HE BETRAYED EVERYTHING I TAUGHT HIM-"
"Quiet!" Nic's bellow was enough to silence Volans, and the Spirit grunted and backed off with hostility in his eyes. He was honorable to allow Nic the right to say what was on his mind.
"You didn't let me finish. You were wrong about what you have. Cetus made his own choice, and none of that was your fault. It was his twisted ambition for superiority and surpassing you. If anyone's a coward, it would be him, because he turned his back on you when all you did was support and took him in."
Feeling Nic's enlightenment, Volans sat back down and began to listen deeper into what Nic had to say.
"You were just doing what you thought was the right thing, and there's nothing shameful of that. You were good to him, and you taught him everything you knew. He threw away honor and pride because he was afraid; unlike you, he never had the guts to stand up in what you taught him. He embraced dark power rather than defy it like you have. His heart was weak to begin with."
Nic's eyes cascaded around the area. "You think you just have pride and honor? You think you lost the only family you had? Look around you."
Volans's eyes widened a little as he looked at the expectant yet grinning faces of everyone present. They all had individual beliefs, and each one may not have the strict beliefs he had…yet through it all they all stayed together, thick and thin.
"Family in some technical definition may be by blood, but I believe that family is those who would be by your side to the end of time." He looked at Greninja, who looked back at him. "Those who have your back, and those who support each other. To grow up together. To believe in the other. To beside the other, through better or worse."
Cana smiled. "Couldn't have said it better myself, Nic." She looked at Volans. "Fairy Tail is more than a guild, it's like a family of its own kind. We look after each other, just like what you, Lupus, and Corvus have been doing."
Pavo stood with pride. "Whether we all believe it or not, in the end, we may be from different worlds, but we're like brothers and sisters the other never had." He raised a hand high. "I say we're a family altogether! Just like Fairy Tail!"
Lupus's tail wagged as he grinned. "Hmph. You all maybe sappy, too sappy. Especially Corvus…"
"Hey!"
"But like my former pack, it's like I have my own new pack now." Lupus smiled. "I still can't believe I've grown to like you guys."
Sophie chuckled. "Now you see? We're all family, whether you don't see it yet or you do."
Volans closed his eyes after taking it all in, and that's when a smile took on his face. He may still have a ways to go, but through the past few years, he's gotten to know the other Spirits well, with Nic's little group included. They stood by his side, so it was only fair that he stands by theirs all the way to victory.
"HOORAH!" Pavo shouted, and everyone cheered, save a smiling Nic, Greninja, and Volans.
Inside the bushes watching one of the figures grew annoyed. "All this mushy talk is making me feel warm. I can't stand it."
"Me neither, but let's wait it out just a little longer." The other insisted. "You know how we work."
A short reprieve was all they needed. Nic sat up, with his coat and shirt on, and turned towards the ship. "Okay, I think that should do it."
Sophie sat up. "I got my fill of rest, let's set sail again."
Pavo jumped back up and huffed. "Ahhh, I say so too. We can't waste our time being party-poopers. We gotta get that key."
Cana turned towards Volans. "So what key are we looking for exactly? I wouldn't imagine it's a key to the world or anything like that, right?"
"Correct, Miss Cana." Volans stated. "What we are after is known as the Andromeda Key."
"Andromeda Key?"
Lupus nodded. "Yeah, the Andromeda Key was made by Andromeda…of course Lysandre already took care of her." Lupus caught himself off track and looked back up at them. "But what she made was a special key, the Andromeda Key. The key has many purposes. It unlocks not only the chains and anything binding the Zodiacs and the King, but it's also the key to the roof to Andromeda Tower, where it's a passageway towards Lysandre."
"In short, it possesses the needs we must ascertain to get to Lysandre and free the Spirits." Pavo added.
Volans thus added on. "However, we must reach the Andromeda Key through one of the most lethal and heavily guarded fortresses in the Spirit World: Comet Descent, or the Keeper of Hell as they now call it. It was once a prison for malevolent Spirits, now a guarded armory and storage for Lysandre and his pets."
"It would make sense." Greninja noted. "To have the Andromeda Key guarded from all enemies at all costs would forewarn such a catch."
"It sounds risky, extremely risky, but we must risk whatever necessary to get that key." Corvus said, swallowing a lump right afterwards out of nervousness.
As they talked, dead shrubs nearby shook, and something was seemingly making way towards them. But much to everyone's surprise, Nic and Greninja's eyes narrowed.
"Alright, with that settled, let's go get that key!" Cana exclaimed, and everyone began to make way towards the ship, yet the only ones not moving were Nic and Greninja. The two were as still as rocks, and their gazes were both set behind their shoulders and looking back at the dead grass behind them.
It was a bad feeling, yet they knew all too well. When it came close, Greninja swiped his arm and threw a Water Shuriken without warning. The sudden attack made everyone turn around and see a blue explosion erupt, and they all heard a scaly and rough screech.
They all saw something fly back and tumble to a skid, stopping soon on a knee. Reappearing, it looked like a humanoid alien-chameleon hybrid of sorts. The whole body was light purple, and it had dark purple spots all around like camo. It had sharp claws and a long tail. The upper jaw upwards towards the pointed top was completely dark purple, and it had huge red eyes and a black line going from the tip down towards the forehead, where a vertical light green eye was.
The creature hissed as he grew startled. "Grah! Clever little act! I can't believe you saw that coming!"
Cana looked surprised. "What just happened?! A chameleon man out of nowhere?"
Lupus snarled at the chameleon. "Even my hearing didn't pick him up. He was so quiet."
The chameleon man stood up and sneered. "Tch, guess the jig is up. Call me Chamaeleon – Gate of the Chameleon."
Volans fists clenched. "So we were watched this whole time, and they were waiting until our backs were turned."
Chamaeleon sneered once more. "We were getting impatient. Lacerta, let's go!" On que, they all heard several trees fell and make the ground quake. They all heard grunts and a few more trees fell and then a scaly figure walked out of the forest, clutching the dead bark and breaking it with no trouble.
Before them was a tall lizard-man. He was a few feet taller than Chamaeleon, and far more hulking and muscular. His head was that of a lizard, with thick orange scales all over and going over the shoulders onto the back. The same colored scales were at the feet, tail end, and claws and forearms. The rest of the body had blue scales. His black eyes were looking right at Nic and Greninja.
"About time!" Lacerta announced. The lizard hunched as he advanced towards Chamaeleon's side. As he opened his mouth, his forked tongue slithered and moved all about. "Time to claw apart some heads."
Chamaeleon sneered. "Behold, Lacerta – Gate of the Lizard!"
Nic's Fists clenched. "More of Lysandre's underlings."
"They don't seem as dangerous, but we gotta be extremely careful. Chamaeleon can turn invisible, and his accomplice looks like he's raw strength." Greninja observed. His glance shifted over towards Nic. "What's the strategy…?"
"No room to make one!" Chamaeleon rushed at them, and as he advanced, he became invisible as before. He and Lacerta both rushed at them, and Nic and Greninja both jumped to opposite directions to dodge a claw and a punch to the ground, the latter making the ground shake.
Nic tumble rolled and found his feet under him. "Everyone get to the ship! We'll hold them off while you guys hurry out to sea!"
"We'll catch up! Just go!" Greninja exclaimed. The ninja frog jerked left to avoid a clawed punch from Lacerta, and then jumped a backflip to avoid his tail swing.
Volans nodded in understanding and looked down at everyone else. "We can't waste time worrying. Nic and Greninja can take care of this. Let's go!" Everyone reluctantly followed him aboard the ship, where they hoped for the best with Nic and Greninja against their reptilian foes.
Chamaeleon swatted her tail, but to his surprise Nic grabbed the tail as it swung at his right. When he clenched harder, Chamaeleon stopped being invisible.
"H-how are you seeing me?!" He shouted. "Let go-!" He was thrown overhead by Nic and slammed against the ground. As Chamaeleon was gagging from the attack, Nic assaulted him with a strong kick, hitting the Spirit's abdomen.
Chamaeleon grunted as Nic took up a fighting stance. "I deal with someone similar to you every single day, and because of her, I can read your movements as clear as day."
Chamaeleon sneered and jabbed his claws at Nic, but every stabbing blow as dodged as Nic went left then right and back, dodging the sharp claws.
Meanwhile, Lacerta slammed his tail and Greninja caught it. He skidded back from the intense force, but kept his grip and yanked as hard as possible, making Lacerta lose footing and Greninja used all his might to slam him into the dead earth, making the Spirit gag and the ground shake.
While in midair from the force of the throw downwards, Greninja used the opportunity to strike fast. "Water Shuriken!" He threw compressed stars of water and they all exploded upon hitting Lacerta. Smoke arose and Greninja landed on the ground. He looked ahead, and through the smoke cloud a scaly orange head went to punch.
Greninja's eyes opened up and he dodged it with no problem. A slashing claw motion was made and the frog ducked. He quickly initiated a handstand and spun, kicking Lacerta away a few feet and getting back to his feet.
Looking at Lacerta, Greninja saw no visible injuries. "His scales and body give him a lot of durability."
Nic looked back as he dodged another claw jab from Chamaeleon and saw Greninja going head-to-head, but Lacerta had bulky scales that made it look hard for a lone man to break through. Looking back at Chamaeleon, he blocked a tail swing and skidded back a few feet. When he uncovered, he looked fine.
Nic reached for his pocket and pulled out a Poke Ball. "I'll fight fire with fire." He held the Poke Ball out to Chamaeleon. "Time for what you would consider an invisibility fight!" He threw the Poke Ball up. "Go, Kecleon!"
The Poke Ball popped open, and out came the Color Swap Pokémon. Kecleon tilted her head upon coming out. "Fellow camouflage reptile, prepare for pain." She warned in her creepy monotone voice, tilted her head right back up.
"What? Another chameleon?" Chamaeleon smirked. "Tch, this'll be a hoot."
Nic swiped his arm forward. "Kecleon, go!" Immediately, Kecleon advanced onto Chamaeleon, her body turning invisible, all except the red stripe. Chamaeleon rushed in as well, turning fully invisible.
"You're no chameleon if you can't change your colors fully! I'll have your head!" The invisible Chamaeleon jabbed forward with his sharp claws, but like Nic, all of his strikes were unable to make contact as Kecleon bobbed and weaved in swift movements. He didn't expect her to be fast, even when visible.
"I am a Kecleon." She corrected, not even remotely taking offense.
Chamaeleon jabbed forward once more, but he was shocked when Kecleon grabbed his wrist. He was unable to escape as Kecleon was still mostly invisible, but one of her claws glowed and elongated. It was so fast he only saw a flash. Her Slash scored a clean and decisive blow and Chamaeleon skidded back with a gash across his abdomen.
Chamaeleon grew startled as he reappeared. "How can you tell where I am?"
Kecleon became visible again and tilted her head. "I am in the same boat. I change color, though mine are true, yours are ugly."
Chamaeleon understood. He was still startled at how Kecleon got her point across, but he got the message anyway. She could turn invisible as well, meaning it was an eye for an eye fight.
Meanwhile, Nic and Greninja ducked and slipped past Lacerta as he tried grabbing them. They both jumped and midair kicked him in the back with battlecries. The muscular lizard fell forward with a thud, and his tail followed, though Nic grabbed the tail and then yanked with all his might. His strength was enough to haul Lacerta overhead and in midair.
"Dark Pulse!" Nic's command was heard, and Greninja shot the Dark-Type move with great force. Lacerta was caught in a big explosion of darkness in the air, and as it settled, he crashed back down into the ground with thunderous force.
The dust cleared, and Lacerta stood back up, his forked tongue slithering out. He sneered violently as he swatted his tail with the force of a wrecking ball, and Nic and Greninja both covered up their right sides and got slammed by the tail. Both flew left and skidded to a stop. They uncovered and saw Lacerta in front of them, where he began to punch forward.
"Hold still you weaklings!" He exclaimed as his punch rushed to Nic's face. At the last second, Nic intercepted with a hand, catching the fist, but barely. He grunted as this guy's strength was brutal, and Nic was struggling as he held his ground with hand-to-hand combat.
As Nic was occupied, Greninja readied to attack, but Lacerta used his spare arm to punch him, and thus Greninja blocked the blow as well. Both Trainer and Pokémon were caught in the same standstill as Lacerta loomed with suppressing force.
Meanwhile, Kecleon continuously somersaulted backwards as she dodged Chamaeleon's invisible claws. The Spirit grew frustrated as Kecleon was relentless in her dodging and nimble reflexes she got from her trainer.
The Color Swap Pokémon soon jumped and spin kicked the chameleon's face, making him stumble back. When she landed, she wasted no time going in for the attack. "Slash!" Her claws glowed and elongated, and she appeared in front of the startled bigger Spirit and slashed diagonally downwards, making Chamaeleon yell and skid on his back.
He sat up and growled at Kecleon. "Lucky lizard." He then turned invisible once more, and everything grew silent again.
Kecleon tilted her head once again, and waited for her opponent. She heard something slimy from her right and she leaned forward to dodge a long, slimy tongue. She turned her body and felt a strong breeze, and that's when she was met with an invisible claw to the face. She shot back in a harsh skid, leaving a trail in the ground as she dug one of her claws into it.
She looked back up, hardly looking injured and sped forward, turning invisible once more. She saw an open mouth and a long tongue shooting at her again. She shifted left and the tongue missed. She sped on in and followed the tongue. "Thief!" She continuously front flipped ahead and brought both claws down clasped together and slammed them down on Chamaeleon's head.
The attack sent a ripple all around and the shock from the attack made Chamaeleon turn visible again. He looked in shock and was unable to recover as Kecleon midair kicked him, sending him and his long, slimy tongue into some dirt.
Kecleon turned visible once more and tilted her head. "Your tongue is long…and slimy."
Chamaeleon arose, having recovered and sneered. "I'm through playing around!" He turned invisible again, and without much of a single sound lunged at Kecleon, who in turn turned mostly invisible again and let out a battlecry.
With Nic, he and Greninja both glanced at the other and back at Lacerta. They both crouched and let momentum takes its role. They slipped right underneath and between Lacerta's legs and the hulking lizard fell forward, leaving him to get kicked from behind again and slam into the ground.
"We can't waste time here! They're slowing us down-!" Nic was met with Lacerta's sudden tail, the attack hitting him hard in the abdomen and shooting him back. Greninja looked back with shock, but then saw Nic straighten out and jump off the trunk, and on a knee he landed.
Greninja turned forward, only to get a vicious punch from Lacerta, making a ripple upon contact. Greninja shot back from the attack, skidding back, but his eyes opened and he got his hands underneath and flipped into the air, twisting and turning his body and landing beside Nic in a pose.
"He's got durability. We have to make a weak point through those scales." Greninja stood and made Water Shuriken in his hands.
"Alright, I'll get his attention and you create a gash big enough for a strong blow! Go!" Nic and Greninja both rushed at Lacerta.
His tongue flicked at them. "Fall scum! Lysandre needs nothing to stand in his way!"
With Kecleon, in the space between nothing and a red stripe, there were flashes from claws and Slash parrying the other, with Kecleon's blows deflecting and making more damage, but she was soon hit on the side by a tail. She shot to her left, but that didn't stop her as she used the skid she was in and ran in a long, speedy arc around the invisible Chamaeleon.
As she ran around the invisible Spirit that she could easily detect due to having the same kind of capabilities. The invisible Color Swap Pokémon opened her mouth. "Screech!" As she ran circles around him, red shockwaves went from her mouth rippling out and Chamaeleon covered his ears in pain.
"GAH! What is this?!" He exclaimed, his body's visibility was flickering on and off, and he couldn't stop covering his ears from the pain.
"The sound of defeat!" Kecleon shouted as her Screech ended. "Shadow Sneak!"
Chamaeleon's eyes widened as he was still invisible, yet the shadow he still emitted darkened. 'No! I can still emit a-!' The shadow reached out at him, and stretched upwards and struck his abdomen full force, making him gag and turn visible again. Shadow Sneak went upwards still, and he soared upwards until at a high enough point.
Kecleon jumped into the air with her legs and was found atop of Chamaeleon when her red stripe was seen, and she turned fully visible. "I know the secret art of stealth! We don't disappear, we camouflage, and the shadow stays!"
Chamaeleon's eyes widened even more. "Damn you!"
"The dark side shall return to the earth it came from! Thief!" She spun vertically a multitude of times and let out a battlecry as she brought down an axe kick square on Chamaeleon. The very impact let loose a large ripple through the dark air, and Kecleon followed through with her attack, shooting Chamaeleon into the dead grass, making the ground shudder and break.
As rock and earth flew about, Kecleon spun and straightened out in the air, landing on a knee looking away. Her eyes were closed, but the second the dust cleared, revealing the defeated Chamaeleon, Kecleon's eyes opened.
She stood back up, and then her head tilted in a direction. "You have poor taste in colors."
Lacerta roared out as Greninja zigzagged all around, unable to catch him. He felt several blows all around his body by Nic, who palmed struck, punched, and elbow struck wherever he could. It reminded him of when he fought Gajeel a long time ago. It was hard, literally, he had to continuously pound away at his scales to make a weak point, which was what he was doing right now.
"HRAH!" In front of Lacerta, Nic punched with excessive force, making a pounding noise and Lacerta stepped back from the strong blow. He looked down at Nic, but in a flash Greninja appeared from nowhere and slashed at His abdomen with a close-range Water Shuriken, making a blue burst of energy.
"Grah! Pesky frog and human!" He swung his tail at them, but they just jumped and dodged.
In midair, Greninja back flipped and made more compressed stars of water. "Water Shuriken!" He shot them at Lacerta, and the lizard covered up and took the blow to the arms. He felt a sharp sting as the compressed attack was actually painful to an extent.
Nic landed and extended his arm out. "Greninja, Smokescreen!"
Greninja landed and made several ninja signs and blew a thick, black smoke cloud at Lacerta. The Spirit's eyes widened and was engulfed in the attack. He began to cough as Smokescreen made it impossible for him to see.
"Where did…they go?" He was unable to detect them and began coughing. It took a few short seconds before he was struck out of the blue by a palm strike to the abdomen, where he had already taken some damage. He stumbled backwards and grunted.
He punched forward, but when he did nothing was there. Confused and open, he heard something above, and looking up, he was hit in the chest by a descending Greninja's Bounce, the attack's impact shot the Spirit to the ground, where he gagged and screamed in pain.
The smoke cleared, and Nic and Greninja were seen beside the other and Greninja put his arms together. "Ready?"
"Let's go!" Nic ran ahead as Lacerta was getting up, and with his fists clenched he held one out as he let out a battlecry.
"Dark Pulse!" Greninja let loose his Dark Pulse attack at Lacerta, where the beam began to catch up to Nic. Nic's right fist was held out as the Dark Pulse was rushing right beside him. The two were so close and then Nic's arm was enveloped in the Dark Pulse. Black with purple outlining coated the forearm and fist as he rushed up at Lacerta.
Lacerta roared out as he ran at Nic with a scaly fist of his own. Both warriors roared as they closed in, and as Lacerta punched, Nic did as well.
Nic's was the fastest, a sit was unfortunate for Lacerta. And it was square in his abdomen again. His mouth gaped and his eyes were devoid of pupils as Nic screamed and used all the strength he had in continuing the punch. He followed through and the Dark Pulse enveloping his arm disappeared as he had a finished punch pose. Lacerta shot back like a rocket from the attack's intense force, and the lizard screamed and smashed into the earth. The whole area shook violently as dust blew about everywhere.
From the ship, everyone's eyes were wide from the battle. They were astonished by Kecleon's display, and now Nic and Greninja's combined assault. These guys were full of surprises.
The dust settled, and Nic was panting from the battle damage he took. He huffed in and out as his right arm had a few scratches and bruises from pounding away, but he powered through and saw Lacerta unconscious and embedded in a crater in the ground.
"That should do it." Nic muttered.
"YYEEEAAHHH! NIC! WAIT A GO!" Corvus screamed in joy.
Pavo clapped. "Great show! Hoorah!"
Cana smirked. "Wait a kick ass!"
Volans nodded. "You are indeed worthy if such praise. You and your Pokémon have done something we never would've foreseen."
Nic smiled. Despite feeling some damage all around and the aching parts he had, he had worse. For a physical display without powers, he held up well. He looked left and right, where Greninja and Kecleon gathered around him.
"Looks like we took care of them." Greninja said.
"And it was getting intense too." Kecleon stated.
Nic slowly stood back up. "I know, they were tough adversaries." He smiled. "But I knew we could hold our own." He reached and petted Kecleon's head. "Well done, both of you."
Greninja and Kecleon smiled happily at their Trainer, and then they heard Cana whistling out to them.
"Hey, c'mon! Hurry up!" She shouted, the ship already fifty feet out in the red water.
"Hurry up, slowpokes!" Sophie called out.
Nic returned his Kecleon and put her away inside his pockets. He turned towards Greninja and the Ninja Pokémon grabbed hold of Nic and crouched. He leaped into the air and jumped far overhead, ascending with his great leg prowess. He and Nic descended downwards onto the repaired ship, landing on a knee.
Everyone smiled at them as they both stood back up and Nic looked back ahead. "Sorry or the wait, I hope it wasn't too long."
Cana slapped him on the back. "Nah, you and that Kecleon of yours gave us one hell pf a show. Now let's get this party ship moving people!"
"YEAH!" Everyone cheered in agreement and the ship began to pick up speed. "Next stop: The Keeper of Hell!"
Little did they know, Lysandre sat on his thrown…his dark and bloody-monster look and vermilion eyes piercing into the devastated that would so much as peep at him. His blood red fangs were shown.
The six before him bowed before him as he stood up from his thrown, placing the Spooky Plate in his stead. "Well know, seems we'll have company sooner than what we'd imagined."
I was gonna have this uploaded sooner, but college comes first. Sorry for the wait, but I sure hope it was worth reading.
On Wikipedia, it said Hydrus was the lesser water snake constellation, but I chose to rename it sea serpent instead as a better fit.
I was starting to get foggy around the last bit, so I began to use my trick to every fight scene. I began listening to Ill Nino songs and heavy metal. The music helps me generate better fight scenes. Anyways, let me know if this was satisfying, as well as Kecleon's little invisibility fight.
Please Favorite, Follow, & Review this story and/or chapter if you guys are enjoying The Fairy Contender!
Next Time: Luminous Falls