Chapter 67 – To the Top
Insane Dominator here, and trying to pick up the pacing with my stories! I'm doing my best as always guys, so here's another chapter of the ever-suspenseful Celestial Siege Arc!
Fami: I'm happy to know that you are always loving the story, and I'm glad you wait anxiously for every chapter, but I have other stories and fans who followed those stories. If I slow my pace down to focus on one story, the other stories won't keep up. EDventures in Kalos needs just as much attention as this one does, and said story is nearing its end, so things are picking up. But I'll try the best that I can.
Hope this one gets long reviews! You know I love those!
To Recap:
The crew mourned deeply for the loss of Pavo, but they had to move on for all of their sakes. They soon reached Andromeda Tower, and they charged on in. In no time, Cetus was pit against Volans; Sirius was challenged by Lupus for the right of the pack; Aquila was confronted by Corvus. All three crew members gave their all, and through the memory of each other and Pavo, new power was made and Cetus, Sirius, and Aquila were all defeated.
Chapter 67 – To the Top
"Hurry up!" Nic ushered everyone as fast as he and Greninja could speed up the staircase, where they stopped at the doorway. Cana and Sophie caught up, though the two were more than a little exhausted from the running and escalating.
"A little breather would be nice." Sophie huffed.
"Suck it up. We gotta get to the top. Now come on!" Cana made way and she stood in front of the doorway, she presented the large key and the tip touched the door. Simultaneously, the key and the door shined a rainbow light. Cana gave a serious face as she kept her hold on the key.
Moments later, the doorway opened up, and everyone ran inside. It looked like a forest almost, with withered tall trees, and a rocky ground, bringing back the memories of them running through the dead forest back in the beginning.
"Déjà vu." Sophie muttered.
"No kidding. It's like the forest we ran through from before shrunk and fit itself into here." Cana looked around, seeing the familiarity of the place. Her eyes went upwards, seeing the staircase on the other end of the floor.
Nic stepped forward. "I see the stairs!"
"We should get there as fast as we can!" Greninja said. With a nod from Nic, the two ran up and jumped, clutching onto the branches. When they planted their feet on them, they turned around, and Greninja's serious eyes were looking at the girls. "Follow us!"
Nic and Greninja leapt from branch to branch, and kept their pace so that Cana and Sophie would have no trouble in following. They were making a quick distance naturally, and as they traveled, a Magic presence was easily sensed; a malevolent one.
"Someone's here." Greninja noted.
Nic kept his focus ahead. "I know."
The two girls underneath were moving as fast as they could, but they couldn't help but feel a great sense of shriveling energy. It was moving fast, and it was practically all over the place. Cana wasn't having much luck, and her eyes widened when a force from behind tried to pierce her. The brunette pivoted and dodged the piercing shadow that fell a tree in front, forcing her to get out of the way.
"Cana!" Sophie shouted. "Wait, I remember this sly tactic!"
"Well look at what the cat dragged in." The voice belonged to the creature casually walking out from the shadows – literally. In the darkness of the tree shadows, a familiar figure had a smirk and relaxed his body on the side of a rotten tree. "I knew I smelled a sweet aroma. Surprised?"
"You're Vul, that fox guy." Cana remembered full well of that scornful remembrance, how the fox appeared from the shadows and attacked her in the prison, along with the other subordinates. Her glare hardened. "So you use Shadow Magic."
"A sly Magic for a sly fox. Put two-and-two together and it's what makes this all work out in the end." His claws swiped the tree he no longer leaned on, trailing shadows as it followed through and toppled the tree over completely.
Nic and Greninja above grew weary, and they knew this was going to get ugly. "Greninja, Dark Pulse!" Greninja did as told and he jumped into the air. He put his hands together and spun until he ceased, firing at a critical point. Dark Pulse raced down after Vul, but the Spirit scoffed as he slammed his arm against the ground and he merged with the shadow beneath him, disappearing completely before Dark Pulse to apply damage.
Greninja landed on the tree branch again softly, and the two remained still and waited. Nothing seemed to be happening at first, but Nic's second-nature reflexes made him lean away and dodge Vul as he came up from the trunk, his claws cloaked in darkness.
"Damn you!" Vul shouted, but got no more room as Nic grabbed him by the wrist and threw him to the ground. Vul hit the hard surface with a thud, and the fox had no room when Cana flashed some cards with her free hand.
"Icicle!" She threw the cards, and giant icicles crashed, but Volans dodged, though he found himself trapped around ice.
Cana turned towards everyone. "This ice isn't gonna hold him for long!" She threw the key at Sophie, whom caught it. "Hurry and get moving! Don't worry, I'll handle this!"
There wasn't any point on fighting it. Nic and Sophie looked down at the other with hidden worry, but they knew better than to protest. Nic and the remaining group looked on as Cana faced Vul, whom sprung up from the shadows beneath to attack Cana.
"Be careful! Come on Greninja!" Nic turned his back and took a slight pause. 'Cana, be safe.' Personally, Nic didn't wanna lose anymore lives. And he didn't wanna lose his first friend when he joined Fairy Tail. He had to have faith that she and the others would make it out alright.
With no sense of lagging, Nic paced himself through the trees, with Greninja by his side, and Sophie, holding the Andromeda Key, followed, leaving Cana all by herself to tango with the fox.
Cana flashed more of her cards. "Well it looks like it's just you and me, you sly devil." Her cards shined a bright light.
Vul scoffed at her, a dark smirk across his crazed face. "You wanna bet? I can put you in your place in no time."
"How's about proving it!" She threw her cards at Vul, which turned to flames. "Sun's Strength!" The cards closed in, and an explosion erupted, destroying and falling a few trees around.
Cana took a quick notice and knew that Vul was more cunning. She stepped back to avoid any possible attack from below since he always tried that, but when she did, nothing happened. She was caught confused at first. 'That's weird. Did I actually hit him?'
"Boo."
Cana tensed up as the voice was right in her ear. She turned to her right, and Vul slammed a shadow cloaked kick right to her face, shooting her back into a tumble. Though it pained a little, she jerked back up and skidded to a stop.
"I didn't even hear that coming." She remarked, seeing Vul's tail wag. She began muttering to herself. "He's so silent and sly. He just follows me around, like a shadow."
"You done yammering?! Then get ready to be schooled!" Vul crouched and dove into the shadows beneath, merging and silently heading towards Cana.
Cana pulled out another card. "I haven't run out of smarts yet! Thunderbolt's Fate!" Her card hit the ground, and bolts of lightning traveled all over the ground, even electrifying the trees. Static charged everywhere, and Cana's eye caught the sound of Vul cringing at ten o' clock position.
"There you are!" She got cards while the ground was still sparking, and that led to a clear shot at a bulging shadow with explosive cards. Smoke and explosives rattled the area close to Cana, and Vul was seen flying back from the explosion, grunting as he dug his claws into the earth to avoid getting blown away.
"Now you're just asking for it! Vul slammed his claw on the ground, and Cana covered up as the shadows beneath shot solidified black shards. Cana felt her dress get torn a little, and the upward black rain made her unable to act. Each shard was like a sting.
Soon enough the attack stopped, and Can uncovered, only to get a kick cloaked in shadows that shot her away into a tree. Vul landed as he saw Cana grunt in shock and pain from Vul and his sly tactics.
"There's plenty more from where that came from."
Up ahead, Nic, Greninja, and Sophie climbed the spiral stairs, and that led them to the next section of the doors. Sophie advanced. "Ready?"
Nic turned towards her. "We might as well be. Everyone's counting on us."
Sophie turned towards the doorway. "Then off we go!" She tapped the key's end into the doorway, and she stepped back as the Andromeda Key and the door both glowed a bright light. Sophie gave an expectant look as she watched the door open from the middle, and inside, they found the place unlike the others.
"What kind of place is this…?" Sophie couldn't help but seem curious. She stepped foot into a rather dark level, with a brighter upper lighting as it got darker below, which was where her an Nic and Greninja were located. All around were huge, white blocks that stood up unevenly. All around, she and the others saw huge, rectangular white blocks and smaller blocks of white. It wasn't like a maze, but it was unorthodox to say the least.
"Who designed this place?" Sophie questioned. "It's like every level is suited for someone."
"That must be the case." Nic looked around. "Speaking of which, of the six subordinates, only two remain for us. There's no doubt in my mind we're close to one."
"I don't doubt you." Sophie walked onwards with Nic and Greninja on the flat, white blocks. "My memory remembers that there are two left; the one that has sunglasses like you but has a coat of rainbow feathers, and the giraffe. Either one will be on either floor."
"So no matter how we look at it, we're bound to fight someone." Nic said. He turned forward as his eyes cascaded up to the white, spiral staircase ahead and going around the sides. "Then we should hurry and prepare for the worst."
They all made way, but Greninja's sensory caught note of a great swell of energy erupting from seemingly nowhere. Greninja turned and shot Water Shuriken, shredding and nullifying the wave of rainbow feathers.
As the explosion settled, Sophie recognized the memorized Magic. "Rainbow feathers, then…" She turned up to a high white block, where the man with the sunglasses and rainbow feather coat over him chuckled and looked down at Sophie.
"So, it was you." Nic said, readying himself.
"Luminous, you and your friends sure left quite a name for yourselves through the Celestial Spirit World. You think that will last long, once I send you all to paradise?" The Spirit asked with crossed arms.
Nic grew curious while still stern. "Paradise?"
"That's right. I am Apus – Gate of Paradise." He jumped down, planting his feet thirty feet in front of them. "Some call me the Exotic Bird, some call me an Extraordinary Bird…" His devious smirk expanded. "But I fancy myself as the Bird of Paradise, because I put people there."
"And by Paradise, you mean Hell." Nic corrected.
"You can say that, but it makes no difference now, does it." Apus certainly looked exotic with the bling on him, but it only made him flashy. "Sorry, but your road ends here. Can't let Lysandre down, otherwise we all lose our head."
"Really? Because it seems like you already lost everything to him." Sophie countered.
"Care to prove me wrong?" Apus waved his arm, and rainbow feathers materialized and tunneled after the group. The mass of rainbow feathers closed in quickly, and Sophie stepped up.
"Memory-Make: Pyro Saucer!" A chain of memories was made, and saucers made of pure flame went shooting at the huge wave before them. Both feathers and flame cancelled the other out, and Sophie kept a stone-cold gaze on an evilly-smirking Apus.
"So blondie, you think flames can douse paradise?" Apus challenged.
Sophie spread her feet apart, and handed the Andromeda Key over to Nic. "Nic, I'll handle Apus. You and Greninja get moving; we've got to settle the score of memories and paradise now, don't we." Of course Sophie wanted to get the score settled from the Keeper of Hell, in which Apus easily overwhelmed her. She wanted to even things out, and to buy time for Nic.
Nic nodded in understanding. "Alright Sophie, just be careful now. Greninja!"
"Got it!" Greninja made ninja hand signs. "Smokescreen!" He exerted a large amount of smoke, and the thick cloud engulfed the whole area.
Apus frowned and grunted. "How annoying." He waved his arm and huge coat, sending a sparkling, rainbow wave that dispersed all of the smoke. However it was too late as Nic and Greninja were already gone, and Apus turned to look up, seeing the two already climbing the spiral stairs.
"Hey, your attention is on me!" Sophie put her finger to her forehead, and memories began to chain themselves around her. "Memory-Make: Stone Lightning!"
Above, lightning flashed, and Apus jerked backwards to dodge. He jumped with great might, his coat flailing as he evaded the lightning bolts that layered the spots they struck with stone. Apus planted his feet on a white block above, glowering doesn't at Sophie.
"You know for a Bird of Paradise, you don't look anything like one." Sophie backlashed.
"That's saying something, but alas I don't care." Apus's tone was dark as his sunglasses had Sophie's reflection. "I'm making you all see a living paradise before venturing to hell! Shining Flock!" With a wave of his arm, he fired a funnel of rainbow feathers, much more intense than before as it made the ground shake.
Sophie jumped and dodged the funnel, jumping onto a white block and saw the funnel leave a deep indent in another white block. Sophie looked at the block and cringed with wide eyes, seeing how powerful that one blow was.
She turned towards Apus, who just seemed amused. "So, is that the best that you have to offer me?"
She clenched her fists. She pointed at her own forehead and another chain of memories was made. "Memory-Make: Charge Blades!"
The ground beneath Apus shook, and he looked down to find the white block cracking. With no time or movements wasted, he jumped up again and watched as yellow stones prodded out from below, exploding in yellow and static beneath.
"Very interesting." While in midair, he reached out to her with both arms. "Paradise Falls!"
Sophie looked up, and she screamed in pain as she was immediately pelted by a great expanse of rainbow feathers that was like a waterfall, but of feathers. The force was so strong that it was able to crack the white block she was on.
She grunted as the attack settled down, and slowly got to her knees. She looked back at a deviously smirking Apus.
"So, let's see how long you can live without paradise for."
Nic and Greninja both finally made it to the last doorway. Once they stepped up, they would be at the highest floor of Andromeda Tower. Everyone down beneath him was fighting hard while he had the key on him. He had to make it onwards, and onwards he'll go.
Turning towards Greninja, both gave an expected nod and turned back towards the doorway. "This is it, on to the last floor."
"Let's do this." Greninja said, ready for whatever was ahead.
Nic took the Andromeda Key and inserted the tip onto the doorway. The rainbow color came and went, and the door opened up for the two. When it opened, Nic and Greninja entered in, seeing that before them was nothing but as grassy field and white walls. That was all.
They slowly proceeded in, being aware of their surroundings. "So, from what Sophie said, the giraffe Spirit is said to be here, right?" Greninja asked.
"Right, only where is he?" Nic looked around, but saw no trace of the giraffe. His and Greninja's eyes widened when they sensed something, and high above, stuck to the ceiling, was the giraffe.
Their eyes were wide as they saw that his hooves were embedded into the ceiling. The whole giraffe lunged down and landed in front of them. He stood up and looked down at Nic and Greninja, seeing the serious look in their eyes.
"So, I am left facing off against Lysandre's worst foe, Luminous." He said. "Quite the shock. I am Camelo – Gate of the Giraffe."
Nic and Greninja said nothing.
"Quite the terrifying presence you both give, but rest assure, I am not afraid. Lysandre made sure all of us six were equipped with no fear and strived to kill anyone who stood in our way."
"I wouldn't think otherwise." Nic pointed out.
Camelo chuckled coldly. "You took the words right out of my mouth. Now…" He leaned back, and planted his hands on the ground as he kicked his legs up and out at Nic and Greninja. "Razor Leg!" His kicks let loose air pressure current-like crescents shooting at Nic.
Nic's hands glowed and the fingers elongated to make Slash, and Greninja crossed his arms with two Water Shuriken in hand. Both swiped their arms and the crescents made a clash sound. Seconds later, the wall behind them had great and deep cuts in them.
Camelo got back to his feet. "So you think you can deflect my Sharp Magic now, right. I can sharpen any part of my body and use it as a weapon, such as my hooves, and can sharpen the pressure thrown at ya."
"I see, so matter what way we see it, every strike you make would be enough to cut steel." Nic figured.
Camelo smirked. "Something like that. Now, bring it on!"
"Greninja, let's go!" Nic and Greninja ran forward, both picking their feet off the ground in fast sprints. Their legs left and touched the ground quickly and swiftly. Their speed made Camelo falter but for a little bit, but he was able to bounce back and intercept Nic's sheathed Cut with his sharpened hooves, slightly longer so as to resemble daggers.
Greninja jumped overhead as Nic and Camelo were parrying the other's blows, and he jumped down onto Camelo. "Bounce!" He soared down, but Camelo's gaze turned upwards, noticing Greninja's descent.
While he intercepted Nic's Cut, he kicked one of his legs up backwards. "Razor Leg!" A crescent went escalating up from behind, and Greninja was forced to take action. He stopped his Bounce and barreled rolled in the air, out of the crescent's range and landed on the ground while the crescent left a mark on the veiling, nearly cutting it open.
Both Nic and Camelo parried some more, yet Nic couldn't seem to advance as Camelo's sharp strikes were on par, keeping the two from advancing onto the other.
"This is getting annoying quick." Camelo suddenly disappeared, much to Nic's surprise.
'He's fast!' His attention went up, were zip lines were seen until Camelo was present right over their heads.
"Razor Leg!"
Camelo kicked downwards, a crescent went shooting down at Nic and Greninja. Greninja spread his feet apart and swiped his arms, firing his Water Shuriken attack. The sharp attacks both met, and Water Shuriken spliced the Razor Leg in two, right down the middle, saving himself and Nic as the attack eft gashes in the ground on their sides.
Camelo was still in midair when he stabbed his hooves into the ceiling, keeping him up as he was before. He smirked down at them, impressed.
"Not too shabby. Shrill Cutter!"
Instead of a single kick, he lashed his legs a multitude of times, sending smaller crescents in a familiar fashion to an Air Cutter that rained down onto them. Nic glowed and shifted into his Iron Plate Form. His hands and fingers glowed and shined a metallic light.
"Metal Claw!"
Nic deflected all of the sharp attacks with his hardened, metallic claws, making sharp swiped every second as to make the attack deflect to either side, shredding up the flooring and walls on his sides. After a full minute of kicking and slashing, the attacks finally stopped, and the dust cleared to show Nic huffing a little, as it took a great deal of focus to keep an eye on every single shot.
Camelo dropped to the floor. "You're quite the powerhouse, Luminous. As expected." He smirked once more. "Now let's see you and your friend stop this!" To their slight confusion they saw Camelo on his side, held up by a hoof. The two saw the giraffe swing his head around like a wrecking ball, and the winds picked up, as did his speed.
Having a bad feeling, Nic put up a shield of a shiny silver net. "King's Shield!"
The winds picked up as Camelo spun around faster, and then he jumped up, and stopped in midair. "Skyscraper Slice!" A ripple of sharp energy rippled and expanded outwards, but avoided Nic and Greninja as they hid behind King's Shield. Elsewhere, the walls all around the tower were hit.
Outside, the sharp wave continued out, and Camelo smirked. Despite not hitting his target, the entire upper half of the level they were on completely shifted, the cut marks on the wall making the roof fall out of place.
The shield lifted, and Nic and Greninja looked around with wide eyes.
"He sliced through the walls." Nic turned all around. "And shifted the rooftop."
Camelo chuckled lowly. "So tell me, are you ready for more?"
Cana felt the ground shaking and looked up. "What was that?"
Vul chuckled. "Oh my, it seems Camelo is getting a little carried away. If he's not careful, he may split apart the tower."
Cana turned her focus back to the battle ahead of her. With a battlecry, she fired her cards at Vul again, but Vul passed the cards in the blink of an eye, shadows encasing his claws. The cards exploded behind him, slicing in two in the process.
"So fast." Cana said in shock.
Vul smirked maliciously at her and closed the distance quickly. The brunette saw him close in, but she readied her attack. When Vul was but a few feet in front of her, he suddenly disappeared into the shadows once more.
"Are you kidding me?!" She shouted. She looked around. "Where'd that guy go?" She was trying to sense his Magic, but he was shifting all over the place, and it only made it that much harder for her.
"Hey, what's that?"
Cana heard his voice, and she turned to her right to ready for his appearance, but he wasn't there. To her bewilderment, she was kicked from behind, and screamed as she tumbled into a dead tree.
Vul laughed out loud as he pointed at her, seeing her fall over. "Ow man, you fell for that old trick?! What a riot!"
Cana grew impatient with what Vul had done. "You're such a stereotype. Trickery, sneakiness, and deceit; just like a fox."
Vul shrugged. "Guilty is charged, but hey, can you blame me? Just try and outfox me." He dove back into the shadows, adding fuel to Cana's agitation. The brunette looked around to get an understanding as to where Vul was at, but alas no luck was on her side.
"Man this sucks. He's like a ghost." An idea arose. "Hey, wait a minute…" She quickly and quietly pulled out some cards. "Maybe I can use that to my advantage." Holding up her card high, and another one low.
"Time to flush you out! Sun's Strength!" Her card in her hand flicked up, and a fireball exploded overhead with cindering intensity. The bright flames made a lot of shadows all around, cascading from behind her, and the dead trees. "Prayer's Fountain!" And using her second card, she created beams of water that swamped the ground, flooding over the shadows and knocking down a few trees in the process.
Not too far from Cana, a splash was heard, and Vul erupted from the flooding water. He wailed about. "Hey, I hate water!"
Cana turned and put the tip of her card into the water. "Then you're really gonna hate this! Summoned Lightning!"
Electricity traveled through the water, electrifying Vul and making him yelp in pain. Static bloomed through his body as the water evaporated. Mist went through the area, but simmered down as it revealed Vul and Cana, the former panting and on his knees.
Cana smirked. "I knew that would trip you up."
Vul snarled at her, his fangs bared. "How?"
"Too easy." She thus gave an explanation. "I used Sun's Strength to generate enough shadow so as to smoke you out. With that out of the way, that left to get rid of those shadows with Prayer's Fountain. Of course with no shadows and the distance away, that just left me to get a good hit in once you've resurfaced."
Vul shook in anger. "Damn you." He stood up and as his body tensed, so did a shadowy aura that thickened around his body. "You can't outfox a fox by snuffing it out of its hiding hole. That just makes it angry and vengeful."
Cana got a little spooked by the sudden Magic power increase. "This power…"
"For the record, we're only doing our job." The voice sounded like Vul, and when Cana turned around, she saw another Vul, and it looked at her with a smirk.
"What?!" She turned back and forth at the two. "You're kidding, right?"
"Nope." Cana's attention went to behind, seeing yet another Vul leaning against a tree. "You like our little trick?"
"No illusions, thought the thought is tempting regardless." The second Vul stated.
They all began to close in on her.
The first Vul pressed his foot against the ground, catching Cana's attention. "You like my Shadow Clone technique? It's great for an ambush." He bared his claws. "Anything to say before you're dead meat?"
Cana reached for her cards, but a shadow lunged out from Vul swiping his claws, and the card flung out of her hand. Cana quickly found herself cornered.
"This is very bad."
The fangs and claws on the clones and real Vul were cloaked and had spheres of dark shadows in front. "Exodus Bomber!"
The shadows in front of the claws and mouth shot at Cana, like several shadow energy bombs that shot in rapid fire. Cana screamed as she was swallowed on an explosion, was seen flying up from the attack. A clone looked up and gave Cana no chance as he extended his arm up and shot rapid fire shadow bombs. Cana found herself pounded left and right by the attack.
The smoke in the air lifted, and Cana fell to the ground with a thud. Her dress was all torn to shreds, but still was good enough to stay on her. She winced as her body felt so much pain. It was a struggle that she couldn't seem to overcome.
Vul's Shadow Clones remained put, and the original slowly crept forward, his fangs baring as Cana finally got to her knees. "Now, you see that a fox can't be outdone? I'm as sly as they come."
As he crept forward, Cana wobbled to her feet, but managed. Then Vul went too far.
"Time for you to wind up dead like your friend. Good riddance to that freak."
Cana's eyes widened as Vul had reminded her of the painful memory that made her sad. The memory of her dear friend Pavo dying and left her and the crew crying. The remembrance of him and his posing was like a shot to the heart, which made her recall how she couldn't save anyone on Tenrou Island against Bluenote.
Cana hurriedly put her right arm forward, and used it as a shield. Vul sank his fangs into the forearm, making Cana wince in pain.
'Pavo…everyone…' Cana shut her eyes as the pain was increasing. 'I can't…let them down…'
Cana felt the pain slowly stop, and she figured she was dead, but when she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a yellow and white space. Her mind was baffled as she failed to comprehend the situation.
"Wait, wasn't I attacked just a second ago? Where am I?" The brunette looked around, and found endless space all around and going on to no end. "Is this…a dream?"
"No silly, this is your subconscious." The unfamiliar voice came from behind her. The brunette turned around to see a blonde girl standing just a few feet away from her. To say Cana was surprised would be an understatement. To know someone you never knew was in your mind. "Relax, I mean no harm." Cana seemed to have relaxed, but it didn't seem to ease her curiosity. The girl smiled. "My, such a hard worker you are."
"Who are you?" Cana asked, her patience wearing thin.
"Who? Me?" The girl asked. "I'm Mavis Vermilion. Fairy Tail's first master."
Cana's eyes widened. "What? Mavis…Vermilion?" The remembrance of that name caught her nearly falling over. "No way! What is this? A ghost?!"
Mavis chuckled. "Something like that."
"Well what are you doing here?"
Mavis was quite at first, but spoke up. "That's a good question. Why are you near the brink of giving up?" Cana jerked back at how Mavis knew such a claim. "Fairy Tail members never give up, and I sense a great deal of resolve. Even now, you can feel it too, the great deal of power coursing through you, calling to avenge your fallen friend, right?" Mavis saw Cana swallow, and that was all she needed. "This strong feeling of revelation and resolve, it reminds you of when I gave you Fairy Glitter back on Tenrou Island?"
Cana remembered when she was back on Tenrou Island, when it was a rainy night and she found Mavis's grave on her own, abandoning Lucy to become S-Class. She bitterly looked down, and the remembrance of her plea to save her friends and being given Fairy Glitter was of no avail against Bluenote.
Her mind then flashed to her friend Pavo. The memory of him was enough to make her shed a few tears. She didn't have the power to save him, as he sacrificed himself. He gave up everything so that the others could save the world. His resolve was clear, and now that resolve was entrusted to Cana.
Cana felt her fists clench at how she shouldn't let her dead peacock-dressed friend down. If she was to save the Celestial World, she needed to show no reluctance.
"Cana." She looked at Mavis, whom stepped forward with a circle of light in her palms. "You have an incredible amount of concentration and Magic Power. I know your friend would be proud to know you're still carrying his resolve."
The light floated to Cana's right arm, embedding into her forearm. Everything was then beginning to fade.
"Remember the resolve, and use this power from now on, to protect the thoughts of those closest to you."
Cana opened her eyes again, and she snapped back to reality, and her arm was glowing a golden light. The light shined brightly, and Vul's eyes squinted. He let go and recoiled back, covering up.
"Gah! What the heck is that?!" Looking back, he saw that the pure light was making the Shadow Clones behind him vanish completely. "My Shadow Clones!" He looked back, and saw Cana standing up with a fierce glare aimed at him.
Her right arm was giving off a red glowing insignia. Her confidence was high, and she looked more than ready. 'Thank you, Mavis, for letting me harness this power.' The brunette held up her forearm with a smirk. "Alright, pal! You're about to pay for insulting my late friend!"
Vul felt an incredible power surging before him. Cana's hair was going crazy. "What's going on?!"
Cana was enveloped in golden energy that beamed upwards as she held her forearm up as well. "Now! Gather, O' river of light guided by fairies!"
The tattoo gave off a brighter gold glow than before, and Vul watched the energy race up to the ceiling. The ceiling miraculously turned into space, and a mystical ring of golden light descended down fast onto Vul. He had no chance of escaping as the pure attack was closing in as Cana aimed her arm at him.
"Shine! In order to perish the fangs of evil!" The ring crashed down onto Vul, and the Spirit screamed as she felt his cold heart being vanished by the light. "Fairy Glitter!"
Cana let out a scream as the ring ruptured the whole ground. She was giving off a great swell of power, and the more she focused, the more she pictured Pavo with his huge, happy grin.
"I WON'T LET HIM DOWN! FOR PAVO!" She screamed, strengthening her resolve and intensifying her focus.
Vul screamed violently as the golden light blinded him, and the entire floor was ruptured by a golden explosion that rippled out of the walls and outside. The entire tower shook as Cana let loose all of her resolve and devotion to her late friend.
As she huffed, her arm sizzling gold, she looked and saw the entire area before her was nothing but crumbled remained. All of the trees on the floor were destroyed, and lying the center was a petrified and paled Vul, barely alive and unable to use any Magic for the rest of eternity.
The brunette smirked as she fell to her knees. "How's that for outfoxing you?"
Sophie jumped and dodged another funnel of rainbow feathers that cracked yet another white block. She landed in a skid and looked back at Apus, but to her shock he was not present. Her eyes widened when she caught a glimpse of a rainbow mass zooming behind her. The rainbow mass turned into a smirking Apus, who appeared and turned back into a mass of rainbow feathers that zoomed off as Sophie turned around.
Sophie was at a loss for words. She couldn't seem to track him with his high level of speed. The next thing she saw, a spiral of rainbow feathers surrounded her. Atop of the spiral, the rainbow mass turned into Apus once more.
"Surprise! Paradise Falls!"
Sophie looked up, and was able to be quick on her feet to dodge a massive downpour of rainbow feathers that would've otherwise made her feel immense back sores.
With some space at last, she saw Apus high above. "There you are!"
"Just because you think you can see me, doesn't mean you can come close to hurting me, blondie." Apus was floating above, and had both arms extended out to Sophie. "How's about handling this. Shining Flock!"
The attack went spinning after Sophie, but as it traveled towards her, she merely stood still. "I got it all memorized from before. Now…" Her eyes widened. "Forget!"
The raging funnel stopped, and Apus was caught off guard by the sudden dispel. "What?!"
"Memory-Make: Mirrors of Cold Retribution!" She made mirrors of ice that were aimed at Apus, and she let loose dark green beams that exploded upon impact with Apus. The explosion engulfed the sky, and Apus scooted back from the explosion, looking annoyed at Sophie.
"Now you're really pushing my buttons." He scowled.
"The feeling is mutual." Sophie countered, straightening up some. "You really think you're so full of yourself. Do you really think that you're extraordinary? That such a paradise befalls people like you?"
Apus kept his wickedly toothed smirk. "Well if you wanna get technical, we're Spirits. But you have a point. I crave to see people go to paradise; a nice place for them to cry and shrivel. A place where wrecked souls squander for violence and failed retribution." He chuckled at the prospect. "Now isn't that such a paradise?"
Sophie kept a cold stare. "Paradise for you."
"Oh?" Apus seemed amused.
"You wanna see people rot in hell, yet you say that's paradise. Paradise is for all who wanna be happy, not those who seek paradise for their own personal gain!" Sophie argued. "You're nothing extraordinary! Just back those words up!"
Underneath his sunglasses, Apus's eyes narrowed. "Making fun of my status? Such a heart-breaker. Fine, I'll show you what no mercy stands for." He turned his body and shot down towards Sophie with a fist reeled back. He punched, but Sophie barely dodged, yet that didn't save her from the shockwaves emitted as the strong winds made her hair go nuts and she tumbled to a knee.
Apus lunged at her at high speed, and Sophie was met with Apus passing her, swamping her with rainbow feathers that followed Apus like Erza's Blumenblatt.
Apus smirked. "Tailwind Dance!" He finally said, calling his attack name as Sophie fell to the ground once more. He chuckled as he turned around towards her. Seeing her sprawled on her back was something he found amusing still. "Blondie, are you really that persistent? You're just pestering me."
Sophie swayed her body as she stumbled up to her feet, feeling more than a little exhausted. She coughed as she hunched over, and groaned as her limbs and body in general was sore and scratched up. Still, she found no reason to back down as turned around towards Apus.
"I'm not done." She groaned. "I will never be done, not until Lysandre and you are finished." She took a breather as she panted some more. "You guys caused so much suffering. It's time someone stood up to you all."
"You talk big." Apus raised both of his arms up. "Let's see you back those words up as before." He swiped his arms in opposite arcs. "Shining Flock – Flood!" This time, two funnels, larger than before, went spiraling off after Sophie, attempting to hit her from both sides.
Sophie pointed a finger to her forehead. "Memorized. Now…" She extended her arm out. "Memory-Make: Jagged Barrier!" Sophie spread her arms out, and two stone walls rose up and protruded thick ice. The two walls blocked the funnels, but as the funnels kept pushing, the walls cracked. Soon enough the attacked ceased, which was the same time the walls cracked and gave in.
When it all settled, the residue feathers fluttered down and a mass of feathers passed Sophie, making her move out of the way. She saw the stream of feathers and saw how Apus was basically turning himself into an intangible mass that flew circles around her. The rainbow mass dove at Sophie, but she dodged again and the mass arched up.
"Alright, now I got you." She took aim and a chain of memories went around her. A multitude of translucent black swords with purple wavy blades emerged and began to spin rapidly, glowing bright purple.
"Memory-Make: Spectral Saber Flash!"
The many swords converged their tips to a single point, and the swords went shooting at the exact same time, streaming black and bright purple, looking similar to Giga Impact. The fast moving attack shot through the air at incredible speeds, landing its mark on the mass of rainbow feathers. A bright purple flash erupted, shaking the air.
Sophie looked on as the through the flash, the swords diverged and vanished. Apus was seen falling head first and smashed into a white block, bouncing off and hitting another, and then a few more before thudding on his back, making a crater on the white floor.
His body shuddered at the pain. "But…how?"
Sophie looked down from the high-elevated block. "That Memory-Make in particular can hit tangible and intangible matter. You may become feathers, but that attack shut you down."
Her explanation seemed to have fallen on deaf ears, or seemed like it. Apus chuckled low, and it grew, catching Sophie in surprise. The chuckle grew into an insidious laughter, and she watched as Apus arose to his feet, his body giving a low rainbow aura.
"Quite the crafty woman you are. Your Memory-Make is nothing short of a surprise every step of the way." His face darkened considerably. "But you know…Paradise doesn't fall on those who never satisfies others. I'll have to give you a demo of what I mean by that." In a bright rainbow flash, he vanishes, yet no trace of him showed until he reappeared in a swift flash in front of Sophie. His smirk turned more devilish and he saw the startled look on Sophie's face. "Like right now!"
He swatted his arm up, and Sophie found herself spinning in a twister of rainbow feathers, making the Memory-Make Mage scream as she was left adrift in the open air and open as Apus extended out and blasted her with a torrent of rainbow feathers. The girl could only yell in pain as she was blasted to the wall, continuously assaulted by a relentless torrent of feathers.
'I can't move! He's pinning me down!' Her frustration wasn't helping as she felt her body falling onto a white block, thudding and making her cough.
Apus had both arms out, and his smirk only made his demeanor stable as his magic bloomed about the entire level. The entire room was a huge whirlwind of rainbow feathers; a tempest of raging magic was made Sophie unable to find her feet as she was just blown back down.
"What sad excuse of a human you are." Apus laughed. "Now to put you out of your misery!" He brought his arms forward, and energy began to swell, making a huge bow made of rainbow.
As Sophie struggled to her feet, she felt the sheer level of Magic Apus was putting into the attack. 'That power, he really is gonna…'
"So much for paradise, for you that is! Extraordinary Spirits and humans alike deserve paradise! Your little friend that died for you…he was never as extraordinary as me!"
Sophie felt a bomb go off in the pit of her gut. Something in her completely snapped. She didn't know what was happening, it was as if every bit of memory of the peacock-dresser was resurfacing in a flood. Her find was just giving a multitude of images, good and bad, of Pavo.
Her eyes just didn't seem to brighten up as dark shadows overshadowed them. As she began to remember every single thing about Pavo, from start to finish, her lips couldn't help but quiver. Her Memory-Make made her remember the joyful first time they met, and how they met up once more during Lucy's peculiar quest for the Infinity Clock, then came the revelation of him being a Spirit, and soon coming to the thrilling adventure that ended with Pavo's sacrifice back at the Keeper of Hell.
Unconsciously, Sophie stood up with no problem, and her body was shuddering at the tumultuous memories. "You're gonna regret that."
While readying, Apus frowned as he saw her eyes overshadowed and her body shuddering. A power shift loomed in the atmosphere. He was getting something off, and when Sophie looked dead at him, that's when he got a little spooked.
Sophie was mad.
Her eyes showed a lot of pain, but with it a lot of resolution and vengeance. The matter was more personal when Pavo was foretold, now she was gonna make Apus regret saying those very words.
"You have no room to talk of him." She growled, her blonde hair still shifting in the tempest of rainbow feathers. "He was a great person. Someone who was smiling through the dark time you guys brought upon this world, and he had to bear with the pain."
Apus felt another shift of power, and saw a large scale of memory chains beginning to surround Sophie, which caused him to lose focus of his spell and made it disperse. "What's going on?"
Sophie let out a battlecry as the more she remembered the late Spirit, the faster the memory chains swirled around her, creating a twister that escalated upwards and the tempest all around her was being blocked out like a shield.
Apus covered up as he felt strong winds rising from Sophie, yet through it his heavy coat didn't fall off. "What kind of power is this?"
"This is the power of memories! Memories of what made me get this far!" Sophie extended her arms forward, and the violent twister attacked Apus. She made him get smashed by the raging memory twister of pure memories; memories of all the pain and anguish she had endured throughout her time in Fairy Tail. She let it all out, letting loose a scream as she pivoted and the tornado of raw memory shot Apus skyward.
"Memoir Hysteria!"
The raging memory chains in the tornado faded away, and Apus screamed as he smashed into one of the tall white blocks, breaking off a large upper part and fell over, smashing into cracked bits. The dust cleared, and through it, Apus grunted in pain. His coat and body had taken a lot of damage, and just from the power of her pure memories.
"You're wearing out my patience." He grunted, standing up from the dust as his tempest stopped. "How are you able to deal so much damage in one blow?!"
Sophie clenched her fists as she stared out at Apus, her eyes showing resolve. "You wouldn't understand the pain my crew endured. We all started off happily, full of turbulence and crazy hysteria that would've made anyone go crazy…" Her body emitted a strong glow., signifying her Magic Power. "And then we felt all sorts of emotions as the journey went on. And our hearts broke apart when Lysandre took our dear friend away. It's the memories of all sense of emotions; joy, sorrow, anger, happiness, bliss. Everything that makes a person grow." She swiped her arms and a chain of memories began to form around her. "But you don't feel anything but greed! You'll never win if you never pen your heart to a whole new experience!"
Apus denied all that she said, and swiped his arm. "Dream on, pest! Shining Flock – Flood!" He reached out, sending two huge funnels at Sophie. The Memory-Make Mage extended her arms forward.
"Memory-Make: Piercing Frigid Darkness!" She swiped her arms and let out a battlecry as a dark arrow with ice around it was launched at such an exhilarating speed. A bright flash erupted in between, making both Magic users grunt.
Apus lunged through the blinding flash, attempting to take control quickly. As he went after Sophie with rainbow feathers following behind. "Tailwind Dance!"
"Memorized that, now…forget!" Sophie's eyes widened, and the mass behind Apus vanished, making him lose balance. Sophie let out a battlecry as she pivoted and a memory chain erupted from her again. She swiped her arm up, making the whole attack spiral towards Apus.
"Memoir Hysteria!"
The whole emotional tornado twisted and shot Apus high into the air. He covered up as he felt light, and found himself in the air. Despite the few injuries his body had, he was still able to get around, the tornado of raw memories seemed to have taken a massive toll, and Sophie panted as she dropped to a knee.
Apus smirked. 'The more feelings and the harder she remembers, the stronger her attacks get, but it doesn't look like she can use it much. This is my chance.' Taking a gander, he swiped his arms and his coat flailed. A massive rainbow energy surged and shaped into a large bow in front of him. "Now this time, you're going down!"
Sophie looked up, seeing the shining attack in front of her. 'This is bad. Those memories, the remembrance is taking a toll. I'm not sure if I can…' As she was starting to get doubts, her mind caught another image of her crew, and the smiles they had. 'Everyone!' She couldn't give up, not while they were still fighting with their very lives on the line. She had to risk her life to avenge Pavo, and that meant she had to take everything she knew about him, and throw it at Apus.
"This is it for you! Rain-Bow!"
Apus shot the huge bow at Sophie downwards, the force strong enough to make violent winds, ones that made nearby white blocks crack and partially shatter. As the dreadful attack zoomed in closer to Sophie, the more anticipation and determination wet through her veins.
She put her hands forward, letting out a cry as her hair shifted. A chain of memories appeared behind her, and they flashed. In front of Sophie was spring-colored energy, seemingly flaming and spiraling. It gave off a very sparkling neon light. To Apus's shock, the energy took the shape of a bird – a peacock. Its tail and wings were spread out and it gave out a large call.
"This is for Pavo! For all of the memories we've shared together!" She pushed forward, sending the sparkling spring-neon shining peacock energy at a remarkable speed. "Memory-Make: Peacock Bravery Soar!"
The energy called out once more, responding to Sophie's recollection of Pavo, amplifying its shine and power. Apus covered up as the neon-spring light shined brighter, and the Rain-Bow collided in the middle, meeting the attack with even strength. Sophie let out one last cry.
"FOR PAVO! AND FOR MY CREW!"
The peacock obliterated the bow, continuing to shoot after Apus. As the light closed in, Apus could feel the immense power coming from the attack and closing on. "No! Impossible! I'm extraordinary! I create paradise! I can't lose it! I am paradise itself!" He screamed in hysteria as the attacked finally met contact, and he was caught in an explosion that beamed upwards, erupting shining, neo-spring sparkles and lights that sent shockwaves that shattered almost every white block, all but the one Sophie stood on. The attack rampaged and the walls nearly shattered.
The light faded, and Sophie fell to her knees in exhaustion. She panted, but the serious and expectant look never left her eyes and face as she saw Apus lying in a large, white crater, sunglasses broken, rainbow coat tattered and destroyed, and body nearly shredded up and damaged to the point of possible demise.
Sophie huffed once more as she had claimed victory, managing to stand up with a wobble in her ankles. "You should know…that peacocks…are far more elegant…and extraordinary…than you." She chided with a victorious smirk.
Nic was in his Toxic Plate Form, jumping down onto Camelo. "Cross Poison!" He crossed his arms and a purple, venomous X appeared before him. The attack met Camelo's thick, round nose. The force was strong enough to make a poisonous explosion erupt in front of the giraffe's face, but it wasn't enough to deter him when he was found not moved.
Nic landed and skidded back, regaining distance as Camelo looked out at him, seemingly unaffected, or heavily built to say the least. "Having a big nose has its perks. Being round and thick, it's like a battering ram. Still think you can get by me now when I have sharp and sturdy defenses?"
His taunt, however, did little as Nic only kept a solid facial expression on his opponent. "Are you through?" He glowed, shifting into his Flame Plate Form. "I don't have time to hear your taunts, we're here to put an end to Lysandre, so either you surrender or you fall trying."
Camelo scoffed at Nic's demeanor, having a goal to reach. While he did have a few words in mind for him, he was best to leave them be. Nic was giving off some sort of strong willed vibe, one that was clear to tell that he was true to form and the only well to settle was by tactical force. "Very well, try and hit me with your best shot."
'I gotta go long-range to see how versatile he can be.' With an action in mind, Nic took in a deep breath and exhaled an attack. "Flame Burst!" While he fired the fireball, Greninja provided an assist with Water Shuriken. Both attacks went blasting off to attack Camelo, but it wasn't successful as the giraffe brought his hoof to the floor and brought his legs across in a roundhouse kick, blocking out the attacks that made an explosion, causing the giraffe to skid back with a grunt.
Camelo's eyes widened as Nic lunged through the dispersing explosion, having Fire Punch coated and punched forward. Camelo jabbed forward with his sharp hooves, but Nic was smart and reflexive enough to effortlessly shift right.
He jumped up, and did a Fire Punch in the form of a back fist. Camelo leaned away to avoid getting hit, but didn't account for Nic to add a Blaze Kick as he was following through. He was kicked on the side of the neck, feeling pain surge in flames and the giraffe skidded to his side on all fours.
"You'll pay for that one." He swore. "How's about something long-range receiving on your guy's end?" While still on all fours, he arched his neck upwards, the bristles looking sharer than razorblades themselves.
Getting cautious, Greninja got close to Nic, and Nic glowed and shifted into his Iron Plate Form. He watched as the bristles on Camelo's back and shot up in thousands of numbers, arching downwards onto the two. "Bristle Shower!"
"King's Shield!" Nic made a silver net shield and brought it up overhead. The whole attack was like arrow-like raindrops that were relentlessly showering down on the two, but King's Shield protected them all. 'He's got us pinned down. We can't attack with these bristles coming down on us.' True to what he thought, the bristles didn't cease, and that left them to block while Camelo swung his neck around like a wrecking ball, unaffected by his own attack.
Camelo swung his neck into Nic and Greninja just as the bristles and King's Shield faded, hurling the two alike into the nearby debris. Camelo chuckled maliciously as his attack strategy worked, however, he frowned once the dust settled, and Nic and Greninja were seen back up on their feet already, albeit having just a few scratches.
"You think that you took an opportunity like that and achieved victory? You're nothing short of an arrogant animal." Nic chided, his voice stern and threatening.
Camelo looked a little dismayed. "You seem to be needing glasses rather than sunglasses. You're the short ones!"
"Listen to yourself. You're just worried about taking us down, when you don't get the big picture. I have a crew, and we're gonna win our battles and get to the roof, and I'll be more than obliged to back those words up." Nic then voiced to Greninja. "Greninja, Smokescreen!"
Greninja huffed out a thick, black cloud of smoke, which scattered across the area. Camelo covered up as he was unable to see. He looked through the smoke with squinted vision, and caught slight of a glint, and his offenses kicked in.
"Metal Claw!"
"Razor Leg!"
Both attacks met at the same time, and the whole Smokescreen swirled and vanished, revealing Nic posing right behind Camelo, grunting as his fingers twitched at the slight shock from Camelo's leg kicking up to defend.
The giraffe looked back at him. "The fact is that my attacks can cut through steel. Unless you're stronger than that, then you won't have much of a fight against my Sharp Magic."
Nic pivoted and turned back towards Camelo. "Then it's time to take an unsubtle course of action then." He closed his eyes and shifted into his Fist Plate. "Bulk Up!" Immediately, he was outlined in a red aura as his arms and muscles seemed to have intensified in density.
"I see, going forward this time. Let's do it! Nose Shot!" He sprung his neck forward, lunging his head and nose at the speed of a bullet.
Nic jumped up and brought his arms around, his body now coated in a blue outline rather than red. "Superpower!" He drove a hardened fist forward, colliding with the nose. The collision made a shockwave that made the ground beneath make a crater. It was easily decided when Nic followed through with his punch after the intense struggle, and Camelo shot back and slammed into the wall, making dust and chunks fly about.
Nic landed and looked as the dust settled, seeing Camelo grunt and giving a wild look as he got to all fours. "So resilient! But I do admit you had me there. Now try this!" He began to twist his neck like a corkscrew, and Nic and Greninja grew weary as his neck was fully coiled.
"Spinning Slay!"
Camelo's whole body began to spin rapidly, save the head. He charged at the two as the ground and air was being sliced up from his hooves. In a hurry, Nic stepped to the side and crossed his arms and they glowed, making Cross Chop. Greninja made a huge Water Shuriken and stepped to the side. They both used their attacks as the hooves grazed them, blocking them as the attacked followed through. Nic and Greninja skidded back and Camelo followed through and skidded to a stop, turning around to face them.
"Clever, but now try a second one!" Once again, Camelo put his neck in a corkscrew, and his body began to spin and slice up the air and ground as he traveled towards the duo.
Nic brought a leg back and shifted once more, this time into his Draco Plate Form. The sudden shift was enough to catch Camelo off guard, especially when Nic made his arms get coated in Dragon Claw, and multicolored energy surged in his mouth.
"Dragon Claw! Dragon Pulse!"
Nic spun his body, and the Dragon Pulse followed his Dragon Claw. The attack combo made a spiraling Dragon Pulse spiral and quake the ground, shooting Camelo up to the ceiling, the very same tactical move he used against Lysandre on Tenrou Island. The giraffe yelled as he slammed into the ceiling, making dust and debris fall.
Greninja looked up, eyes narrowed. "He's not gonna quite."
Nic felt it as well. "Yeah, he's got a lot of energy." His eyes widened. "Incoming!"
Through the dust above them, the giraffe fell straight down onto them, hooves sharpened like daggers. He slammed his hooves down and met Nic's Dragon Claw and Greninja's Water Shuriken attacks. The stalemate easily broke, and all three skidded away from the other.
"Very perceptive of you both." Camelo crossed his arms and hooves. "You both are very skilled, but no matter!" With no more words to say, the giraffe lunged ahead, and his dagger-like hooves jabbed forward and slashed in relentless fashion. Staying on their feet, Nic and Greninja parried them with their Dragon Claw and Water Shuriken. Both were starting to feel their feet losing ground as Camelo didn't stop, and his attacks, according to their perception, were very sharp and deadly; no single swipe was wasted.
Eventually Greninja found the opening and sidestepped. He grabbed Camelo's wrist and mustered up all of his strength and pivoted. He slammed Camelo overhead into the earth behind, making the ground shake.
Camelo gagged as the recoil and shock made him numb for a few seconds. 'Such physical strength.'
Nic glowed and shifted once more into his Earth Plate Form. He crouched and went diving in with arms clasped and spinning. "Drill Run!" With his aim set on Camelo, he drilled right on in, hitting Camelo and sending the giraffe slamming against the ground with a loud thud.
Nic landed right beside Greninja as they regrouped. "You're outmatched, Camelo."
"Like you're one to talk!" The giraffe raised a hoof and kicked viciously at them. "Shrill Cutter!" He fired a vicious display of cutting blades like Air Cutter. In response, Greninja got in front and swiped his arms viciously yet perceptively at the same time.
"Water Shuriken!"
Many compressed stars of water and sharp air blades collided in midair. Both attacks didn't seem to stop until Camelo ceased and appeared in front of Nic and Greninja. The giraffe smirked as they saw they hardened yet astonished looks they had. He began an arduous display of kicks once more, accompanied by jabs and slices, forcing Nic and Greninja to dodged and reel away.
"You should know better than to defy Lysandre." Camelo taunted as Nic and Greninja continued dodging. "A small rebellious group like yourselves are nothing to the one singular power that the man holds! A mere word of defiance can only result in one's death!"
His eyes never swayed from looking at them. "Just like the same fate as Pavo!"
Nic and Greninja's eyes widened as they remembered images on Pavo as he was smiling and spinning. That was more than enough for them both to remember the pain they felt when he died.
Both trainer and Pokémon stopped in place. They had shadows over their eyes as they remembered the go-happy peacock-dresser. Nic felt a strong swell of energy and it loomed beneath, bellowing out in green lights that raced through the cracks of the flooring.
Camelo ceased his advancing and looked around. "Huh? What the hell?" He felt a massive energy coming from underneath, and it seemed extraordinary. He looked back at Nic, seeing an angry and hazardous gaze upon him. 'What is this power? Did he start gaining prowess just by having the mention of his dead ally fall upon his ears? It's stupid!'
He looked with a glare. "It's the end of the line for you!" When he only saw Nic, something felt off. Greninja wasn't around. Camelo was caught off guard at first, but then he was pounded and slammed to the earth by a foot pressing against his head. Camelo felt everything go hazy as Greninja jumped off him, as the giraffe was engulfed in static as paralysis from Bounce kicked in.
Greninja looked back at the giraffe. "You're gonna pay for saying such malarkey. Making fun of our friend, that's crossing any and all boundaries."
Nic clenched his fists tighter, the green beams in the earth fluctuating from his emotions. "We won't let this world suffer. You're all are going to pay harshly for your crimes."
"Such big words." Camelo pushed up, but found it to be a struggle as yellow static made him cringe and fall to the ground again. "What's this?! I-I can't move!"
Nic began to glow a bright green and Greninja jumped right beside his trainer to avoid the upcoming blow. Nic exerted much force as he let out a battlecry. Another image of his crew, and of Pavo, was seen, and he let out a louder battlecry as he brightened.
"Legendary Arts – Land's Wrath!"
Nic pressed his feet and hands on the ground, and the green beams all around multiplied. The beams erupted as the ground beneath cracked some more, and then it completely broke apart. Camelo's eyes widened at the shattered earth raced after him, and with his paralysis, he cried out violently as he was engulfed in the immense wave of green beams and shattered earth.
Land's Wrath ruptured the entire tower, including the multitude of other floors beneath. The attack soon settled down, and the green beams faded way. The dust began to settle, showing Nic panting as he was now in his normal self. The dust clearing up also showed the large chunks of destroyed rock that were scattered all over the area. Among them was Camelo. The giraffe Spirit was devoid of pupils as he laid on flat rock.
"We told you. You were gonna pay dearly." Nic said, slightly fatigued, but didn't falter as he stood back up, showing no more signs of wearing down. He looked back at Greninja and smiled.
"Nic! Greninja!"
They both turned around, facing with surprise on their faces as the remaining crew had finally arrived. Volans, Lupus, Corvus, Cana, and Sophie were all present, and the presence of Canes was a heavy shock to say the least.
"Everyone!" Greninja exclaimed. The crew finally caught up to one another and looked pleasantly surprised.
"We've felt a tremendous shake. Was that you?" Corvus looked over Nic's shoulder, shocked to find Camelo defeated among the debris. "Oh man! You took him down! Way down!"
Nic ignored the crow-man's comment and spectated the few injuries everyone had. "Are you guys alright?" When his eyes glanced at Canes, the hunting dogs showed no snarling or growling, which made Nic weary.
"Nic, hold on." Lupus intervened. "It's alright, I won them back. I'm the Alpha once more. They won't cause anymore trouble."
While he was still suspicious about Canes, he was lightening up as the hunting dogs still didn't attack. The Beta was still, as was the rest. With calm washing over, he turned his attention towards Volans.
"It would seem that we have defeated Lysandre's six subordinates." He said. "However, the real fight looks as though it's about to begin."
"You can say that again." Cana remarked. "These guys were wearing us down. That was just a taste of what Lysandre will dish out at us."
"Well we can't wait any longer." Sophie remarked, powering through her injuries. Suddenly, the entire tower began to shake, making the ground rupture and quake with great magnitude. Sophie nearly lost her footing. "What's happening?"
"Andromeda Tower had taken too much damage in the fighting! It's about to collapse on us!" Volans shouted.
Corvus panicked. "GAH! Hurry! To the stairway!"
"Everyone follow me, hurry!" Nic led everyone past the rubble and debris, jumping over the rock all over the place. Some rocks shifted, but not so much that it made the crew and Canes take any detours. The tower was shown to be falling debris outside, dust falling and the bottom was beginning to break apart, as were the other floors.
The crew made it to the staircase, but found that due to Camelo's attack, it was too far apart and destroyed. Volans wasted no time in pressing his hands on the ground. A water current sprouted up and traveled up towards the stairs and up to the door. Everyone got on, surprisingly not falling through the current, and all of them rode it on their feet like an elevator up to the upper half of the stairs. Once everyone was present, Volans looked back and saw the ground cracking, nearly caving in on itself.
"Hurry!" He insisted.
Nic proceeded and hurriedly inserted the Andromeda Key he still had on hand. The door still responded to the shining key, and the door opened up for them, showing a dark sky as before. "Come on!" Nic and everyone ran up, and despite the quaking, he and the crew, and Canes, all made it up.
Now on the very top, Nic felt a sudden pulse coming from inside. "What?" As he and the others ran towards the path connected to the middle of the rooftop that went about on a large, ever-expansive ocean of pitch-black darkness from before, he felt the Plates vibrating rather harshly. 'A…Plate? But why didn't I sense it before?'
"Everyone, jump on!" Volans and everyone, and Nic despite him being caught off guard by the sudden sensory of a Plate, made it onto the path that sloped and served up. Canes followed up to as the tower in whole cracked and crumbled downwards, and they all looked down with shock and horror as the extremely tall tower finally fell, debris and all.
Cana looked in shock. "That was way too close."
"Yeah, good thing we've made it." Lupus stated. He looked at the pack that was behind him, all huddled in because of the close space. Glad to see them all alright, Lupus howled up, and Canes howled up as well.
Nic looked ahead at the path as it seemed to swerve on forever and upwards. "Something is definitely up there…and it's more than just Lysandre."
Greninja stepped by his side. "He's probably got the Zodiacs up here as well."
Nic nodded. 'And maybe…' Shaking the uneasy thought out of his head, he continued his walk. "It's time, the real battle begins!"
"Let's go kick his ass! For the Celestial Spirit World!" Corvus screamed.
Everyone ran ahead along the path, the darkness looming on either side. They all were seen following Nic and Greninja once more as the Andromeda Key was strapped to Nic's back. All seven, many more when including the hunting dogs, seemed to be running ahead with serious glares in their eyes as they were ready to save the world.
Here's a Happy Mother's Day update! Sorry for the wait guys, I was gonna update earlier, but my pacing lacked and I saw the new Avenger's movie. At any rate, hope this chapter sufficed well enough. According to my word count, Nic and Cana's fight were over 2K, while Sophie's was over 3K. Speaking of Sophie, she got a lot of credit this chapter, plus it's been over a year since she's been added to the story. Comments about Sophie would make the Memory-Make Mage happy!
If you guys listen to music while reading my fight scenes, last chapter with Volans VS Cetus, I used the Dragon Slayer theme, starting from when Volans began tearing up. The other two fights, I listened to actual heavy metal music I like.
The next chapter will be the last chapter of the Celestial Siege Arc, so be ready for an explosive finish just like any other arc! Big conclusions shall be drawn!
Please Favorite, Follow, & Review this story and/or chapter if you guys are loving the action, plot, and the emotional combat scenes.
Next Time: For My Friend