The Fairy Contender

by Insane Dominator

One day, Nic Pularis is drawn into a sub-dimension, where he encounters Legendary Pokemon. He is entrusted with Plates by Arceus, and send to the land of Fiore, where he encounters Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Erza. He must go through multiple perilous journeys with his Pokemon and Fairy Tail, and triumph and endure hardships to master all eighteen Plates and save the universe. OCxErza.

69. The One I Love

Chapter 69 – The One I Love

Now that the Celestial Siege Arc was a success, it's time for the final arc of the story, the GMG Arc! This story is reaching the end, and I'm still shocked that I actually pulled the previous arc off; time sure does fly when your imagination puts itself into words.

Guest: I'm going for the usual cannon pairings.

Doodledoo2431: I wouldn't go that far. I'd prefer to not think about her nor the correlation of Pokémon at all.

Burstroc: A little, though I'm more on the patient side. I'm occupying myself with Y; plus, I have developed an immense level of patience when it comes to Pokémon since 3rd Grade, so I can wait for as long as necessary.

There shall be immense levels of NicxErza in this chapter, with OVA 4 involved. Now, on with the great level of romance!

To Recap:

Gearing up for the final brawl for the Celestial Spirit World, the crew made it to Lysandre, and their epic battle went underway. While they were able to get a few good hits in, the crew was overpowered and Lysandre was close to ending Nic's life, until Pavo's spirit gave Nic the motivation needed to invoke Legendary Force – Groudon. It all seemed even until Lysandre pushed his powers to the extreme, yet Nic was able to push into Primal Reversion and become Primal Groudon. Nic used Precipice Blades, and not only drove Lysandre out of the Celestial Spirit World and freed the Spirits, but the attack crossed over into Earth Land and destroyed the Infinity Clock and Castle. With the Zodiacs and King free, and with Lysandre out of their world, the crew rejoiced in victory, before having to say goodbye and having Nic, Greninja, Cana, and Sophie transported back to Earth Land. After a week, the Council is in an uproar of everything, Gildarts witnesses Lumen Histoire and is dubbed Fairy Tail's next Master, and two figures named Sting and Rogue thought they could beat Natsu and Nic.

---

Chapter 69 – The One I Love

Two blurs were seen parrying the other's blows. One let loose a barrage of attacks involving a multitude of arm jabs and swipes, while another parried with no room for mistakes with its tail. Beads of sweat ran down their bodies as they were locked in combat, not taking the eyes off of each other.

In lightning-fast motions, Nic and Arbok were trying to get direct hits in; wherever they had an opening the other left, the other took it, only to have their second nature reflexes make them dodge and attack, only for the other's reflexes to kick in and dodged.

Nic punched, but Arbok swatted the punch with his tail and pivoted, using the back edge of his hood to hit Nic, only for him to duck quickly before having to barrel-roll to avoid the tail coming around. When his feet landed, he leaned left and evaded Arbok's fangs.

This endless barrage of punches, kicks, tail swings, pivots, and blocks were all a part of their gruesome reflexive training. They've been at it for over four hours, the minute that Nic got up.

"Glare!" Arbok's pattern shined a red glow, but Nic pivoted around to avoid Glare and balled his hand and swung in the back of Arbok's head, only for Arbok to duck and arch his tail end around to jab Nic without so much as looking.

Nic caught the tail end without looking, and spun out when Arbok's back edge of his hood swung towards him, and barely evaded the fangs as Arbok Followed through.

Nic let out and backflipped out of range. He and Arbok panted las the two had been going on for no rest, just how they rolled. Still though, enough was enough, a sit was ten in the morning, and the two had finally caught up on the extensive training for their reflexes to sustain.

"I think…that should it." Nic said as he caught his breath.

Arbok lowered his head as he panted towards the ground. "Agreed. Reflexxxessss are…at optimal." The Cobra Pokemon continued panting for a bit, but looked up at Nic once he got enough breath in himself. "Ssssso, everyone shall engage in individual combat training today?"

"As I would intend." Nic told the cobra. His sunglasses didn't show the weariness he had, but the two shared the same level of heartbeat and exhaustion. "Come on, let's get some omelets."

"Assss you wish." Arbok turned with Nic, but the two stopped when they saw someone slowly walk through the clearing, more like two individuals,

To their surprise, it was Erza, followed by Kinana, both having fresh water bottles and towels.

"We thought you'd be here." Erza's smile was warm, and she seemed content seeing how hard Nic has been working. He was also shirtless and coatless as well, but she paid little heed. She handed Nic a fresh towel. "Here you go."

Nic accepted the towel with a soft smile in return. "Thank you." He applied the towel to his face, soaking up the copious of sweat. Erza handed a second towel to Arbok, who accepted it with his tail, nodding in respect.

"Thank you, Erzzzza-sssssama." Arbok said, before applying the towel to his scaly head.

"I've got fresh water, here for you guys!" Kinana had a while carton of water bottles, but just a half dozen. She set the carton down, and with the towels behind their heads, hanging, they both grabbed a water bottle each.

The two drank up an entire bottle each, their thirst surprising Erza and Kinana both.

"Thank you both." Nic huffed.

"Towels and water were a bit much, so I had Kinana help bring them." Erza explained. "You can use it."

"By the way, what brought you two out here?" Nic questioned. "It's not like you to assist me after I finish my morning training."

Erza got to the point, having her real reason for coming to him. "Makarov has an important announcement to make in an hour. Be fed and refreshed by then, okay?" She sounded more concerned for his well-being. One of the many reasons Erza deeply admires about Nic was his straight-forward dedication, training before the sun comes up right to when it sets. Seeing how he worked that hard made her smile, as she saw that he got physically stronger to protect and look after everyone and himself.

Nic sat the empty bottle back in the carton and carried the carton. "Alright." He looked towards his family member. "Arbok, we're going."

"Very well." Arbok slithered on and followed Nic as he, Erza, and Kinana all ventured back to the Guild Hall. They trekked through the woods for quite some time, the shade cooling off their bodies. Arbok couldn't help but notice how Kinana was staring at him in a peculiar manner.

"What are you sssstaring at?" He snobbishly sneered.

Kinana looked away. "Oh, n-nothing. Just a passing thought."

"Keep your thoughtsss in sssspace rather than to my facccce why don't ya." Arbok thus turned his attention forward, following Nic.

Kinana, however, couldn't help but get a strange ideal. Whenever she looked at Arbok, she got these weird images of him and another snake clashing. It looked purple with a milky smooth underside, and Arbok seemed to have dealt the finishing blow. 'This is weird. Why is this snake so familiar? It's like I know him…yet, I don't'

The group trudged on ahead towards the Guild Hall as the leaves shook calmly through the soft breeze.

---

The guild members stood inside, and the only ones not present were the remaining members of Team Natsu (minus Erza, who was present). The air was calm, but there was a hidden level of assertiveness to it. Among the crowd, Vanessa yawned out.

Cana raised a brow. "Somebody's a sleepy head." She teased. "Did you sleep in, again?"

Vanessa looked away, a slight red as she was embarrassed. "…no." She lied.

"What are you talking about? You were out like a light before I yelled you awake." Sophie argued, much to Vanessa's chagrin. She then faced Cana. "You won't believe this. She was a mess. She was sprawled all over the bed like she was some sort of slob!" She laughed.

"Shut up!" Vanessa barked angrily. "If your memory serves you right, you know I love my sleep!"

Sophie crossed her arms. "And yet waking up at nine or ten is healthy?" That was the ticket as Vanessa just sulked in defeat over her favorite thing/habit. The girls just laughed it off until Master Makarov stood up on the bar and looked at all of the faces of the present guild members.

He cleared his throat, and his calm yet quiet voice cascaded around the tavern-like domain. "Listen up kids, I have been a very proud Master, but now it is time for me to introduce the next Fairy Tail Master."

Cana looked a little despondent. "You're really stepping down?"

Macao adjusted his collar. "I'm honored. I shall do my best as I have over the years."

"It's not you, stupid." Wakaba chided.

"With no further delay, allow me to introduce Fairy Tail's Fifth Master." He gestured to his right. "Gildarts Clive."

Although instead of Gildarts, it was actually Mirajane Strauss he gestured to, much to his own surprise. The rest of the guild left confused, while Mira played along and gave a cheeky smile and giggle.

Nic turned towards Erza, both looking at each other with confusion before looking back at Mira.

"Where the hell is that guy?" Makarov asked Mira.

Mira handed Makarov a small letter, still smiling. "I'm not sure, but he did leave a note." She handed Makarov the letter, to which he opened up the second he got it. The face he made was priceless as he looked like he had just gotten a stack of papers from the Council.

To Makarov and Fairy Tail,

Sorry for not being here, but being Master ain't the gig I can live by. No hard feelings.

"WHAT?!" Makarov shouted, much to everyone's amusement.

But, since I have a rare opportunity at hand, I might as get two things done with. The first, I hereby reinstate Laxus Dreyer as a member of Fairy Tail.

Laxus, surprisingly present after a long time, stood with his Thunder God Tribe in shock and disbelief. His eyes looked like revelation had just happened. "No way."

"Awesome! Glad to be back in the saddle ol' buddy!" Bickslow cheered.

Evergreen hugged Laxus by the arm. "The Thunder God Tribe is back in business!"

Freed stood with pride, tears rolling down his face. "This is a historic day. Bless that man."

Secondly, I hereby state Makarov Dreyer as Fairy Tail's Sixth Master.

"I JUST RETIRED!" Makarov shouted in utter despair, much to everyone's amusement yet again.

"Well, guess full circle came and went." Alzack said aloud.

It's time I hit the road again, but don't worry, I'll come around when I can. Nic, best of luck getting that last Plate. I'll be looking up every night in hopes you make the stars shine and vanquish Lysandre. Makarov, I'm counting on you to bring Fairy Tail back up to the top; I know you guys can do it, because we never go down without a fight. As for the rest of you, see ya around.

Gildarts

Mira walked up to Cana, presenting a small envelope. "Oh, and Cana, Gildarts wanted you to have something. Here."

Cana accepted the envelope and stared at it. She was getting a small idea what was inside, but didn't take chances as she opened it and there was a small tarot card with Gildarts's face. She only stared as there was another note attached to it. A small sentimental wave came around the guild.

Cana,

To you, I might be rather selfish, and I don't blame you. You might be right after all, and I still can't find it in my own heart to forgive myself for not realizing you were my daughter. Still, in the end, you're the most important thing to me. If you ever need your old man, just use this card to get in touch. Whether I'm overseas or in the mountains, I'll race to your side.

If Cana were honest with herself, she wanted to tear the card, and she was close to doing so before she remembered the small talk with Nic and Sophie back in the Celestial Spirit World. She didn't need him, but tossing him away when he's trying so hard would be the biggest insult she could ever make. She remembered how Nic was fiercely abused for the sake of his sister, and recalling how he told her what was said on the ship. With that in mind, she would be hurting Gildarts, Nic, and Sophie alike. A small grin came across her face as she instead stashed her new card away safely.

"Cana?" Nic asked.

The brunette turned with a smirk and thumbs up. "He's my old man, it's the least I can do."

Nic nodded in agreement.

"THAT DOES IT! AFTER WHAT HE DID, I'M STICKING TO THIS JOB UNTIL I DIE!" Makarov exclaimed, and once again, the whole guild went in an uproar of laughter at his chagrin. He just grumbled and crossed his arms. 'Gildarts, you better keep your mouth shut about what you saw.'

---

A short while came and went, and everyone was still settling down from the announcement.

"Does Gildarts really think we can beat Fiore's number one guild?" Max wondered.

"Not to be rude to the old guy, but that's a really tall order." Warren added.

Erza, however, didn't see it as a big issue. "I think we should rise to the challenge. Climbing back up to the top isn't impossible."

"Quite the tall order you've established." Alzack said. "Sabertooth is pretty darn strong. It's take a miracle to take them down."

Nic eyes narrowed underneath his sunglasses as he leaned against a window. 'Sabertooth…Sabertooth…where have I heard that guild before…?' He was left to ponder, but despite how keen he was, he only heard it that one night was when…

'Wait!' His eyes widened as he looked back at everyone else. 'Sabertooth, that same guild Minerva was in! The one her father ran, that guild?!' Nic's arms in his pockets tensed up as he looked distressed, but his façade was easy to fool anyone. 'So, Minerva has gotten stronger. I hope she's alright. I shouldn't say anything about this…at least not of yet.'

He remained silent as Romeo got up on the table. "I'm sick of waiting! It's been seven years! We know a way to beat them, and you all know what it is!"

Macao got up from his chair and looked at his son with defiance. "No! I told you a thousand time that we're never entering that thing again!"

Max nodded. "I hear ya."

Nab sulked. "It was so embarrassing."

"I never want to go through that hell again." Jet groaned.

"You're not the Master anymore, dad! You don't have to say otherwise!"

"I'm speaking as a member of Fairy Tail! You know as well as I do that we're no match for that thing!"

Makarov decided to intervene the two. "Excuse me, but what is this 'thing' you both are squabbling about?"

"What's all the fuss?" A shirtless Gray asked as he entered the guild, along with Team Natsu that went to see Porlyusica. Wendy was seen with papers in hand, but no one said anything.

"Some sort of fight?" Natsu wondered.

"Dad, we have the Tenrou Team with us, and our ace, Nic!" Romeo argued. "With him, we're shoe-ins for victory!"

"Not to be getting involved and all, but just what exactly are you guys talking about?" Sophie questioned.

Romeo turned towards the blonde. "While you guys were traveling through time, a big tournament started to determine Fiore's number one guild! It's called, The Grand Magic Games!"

Vanessa's raised her brow. "Games?"

"Guilds from all over Fiore enter this tournament." Romeo explained. "If we win, we'll be number one!"

Vanessa looked piqued. "Huh. It sounds like the equivalent of the Pokémon League in other regions back in me and Nic's world. Kalos wasn't like that, but I watched such a thing on TV, like Kanto, Johto, even Sinnoh. Sounds rough."

Natsu clenched a fist. "Well I say it sounds fun!"

"I'd love to play some games!" Wendy shouted.

"I understand." Erza said. "Sabertooth is number one because they won last year's games."

"But if we win, we'll be back on top." Nic added. A smile crept onto his face. "Sounds entertaining."

Makarov looked piqued as he put a hand to his chin. "That sounds nice, but I'm not sure we can win with our current level." He said otherwise.

"That's what I'm saying!" Macao exclaimed.

"But the winning guild also gets 30 Million Jewel!" Romeo added.

Immediately, Makarov did a complete 180, and he had a fiery passion on his ace. "We're in!"

"What?!" Macao shouted.

Droy didn't seem too confident. "But Master, it's gonna be hard!"

"Even Sabertooth is gonna enter!" Warren added. "Along with other guilds!"

Makarov punched the air in vigor. "Then we'll just have to beat those other guilds and rise to the top!"

Natsu cracked his knuckles. "Now we're talking! I'm all fired up now! That first place circle has our names written all over it!"

"Well I believe that we can pull it off." Nic said. He turned his attention towards Erza. "After all, we never go down without fighting, right?"

Erza smiled at him softly.

"So, when does this thing start anyway?" Lucy asked.

"In three months." Romeo said.

"Awesome! That's plenty of time for us to train! We'll be back up to 110 percent before you know it!" Natsu's words of encouragement gave Team Tenrou smiles and confidence to be ready for what was to come.

"Natsu, you know this isn't a free-for-all brawl, right?" Bisca asked.

"What?" Natsu asked, disappointed.

"It's more than that." Alzack stated. "I hope you guys know what you're getting into."

Makarov stood up on his stool, arms crossed. "Listen up, the decision is final! We're entering the Grand Magic Games and claiming victory!"

"Yeah!" Everyone shouted.

---

It was then settled. Everyone had begun preparations for their training. It was gonna be rough, but that's how Fairy Tail likes it. They all had decided to make it so that they went to individual terrain to train; Laxus led his team to the mountains, the same with Cana's group of the Strauss siblings, and everyone else went their own way in groups.

As for Nic's group, comprised of Team Natsu, Juvia. Team Shadow Gear, Sophie, and his sister; the large group made their training camp located where it was best suited – the beach!

All of the girls were fit into their swimwear, and Nic in his black swim trunks. Sophie had her dark blue bikini, and Vanessa's was teal.

"Wow, such nice air today." Lucy sighed, taking in a deep breath.

"It's so peaceful." Wendy agreed. "The sun is so bright."

Nic had his sunglasses on as he turned out to the water. "This seems like a fitting spot for us. I haven't done beach-terrain training since Route 8. This should bring back some nostalgia."

"Listen, we're here to train!" Carla enforced.

"Let's get to it!" Happy agreed.

"I'm not sure you both can say." Droy argued, seeing the two Exceeds in their swimwear.

"Don't worry about it." Erza said. She stood in front of everyone, hands to her hips. "Listen up, everyone! We are here as a means of training camp! For the next three months, this shall be our training camp! We are to ascertain as much rigorous stamina and power as we can accumulate within that time range to make up for the seven years that Dialga was transported us through!" A smile then crept onto her face. "However, just for today, we can all take it easy and get into the swing of things tomorrow!"

"Yeah!" Natsu and Gray shouted, as did everyone, although Nic…wasn't as lenient. While the thought of relaxation seemed rather appealing, he hated not getting exercise. His body has gotten so adapted to the physical demand. Still he did decide to take it easy, just for a few hours, but then get to work.

As the others were relaxing and doing their own thing, Nic decided to lie down for a few hours before starting his bone-crushing exercise. With just his black swim trunks, sunglasses, and earbuds to listen to his metal; his entire, condensed, toned upper body showed. While it did woo the women around, it also scared them a little because of the huge scar that took up a large part of his right abdominal region.

Sophie was lying on her back, while Vanessa was close by with her Pokémon out and basking in the sun. Venusaur especially seemed happy as he took in a lot of sun.

"This is nice, right Vanessa?" Sophie didn't get a response, so she turned her head. "Vanessa?"

Vanessa was in her own little world. She was loafing atop of Venusaur, using the large petals spread out as shade, almost like a tropical umbrella. She sipped her lemonade glass, of which she made all by herself.

"Geez." Sophie sighed, but squinted as her eyes glanced off towards the lemonade. "Uh…do you know where the rest is?" She felt parched, but her thirst was delayed when she saw Erza with a lot of baggage and a beach towel, heading towards Nic. "Well, well, what do we have here…?"

Nic heard some shifting and opened one of his eyes. He unhooked one of his earbuds from his ears, and his eyes opened up fully to see Erza setting up her own little camp, full of fruit and tanning lotion and sunscreen.

"Hope you don't mind." Erza apologized as she slowly laid on her stomach and rested her head on her hands.

Nic closed his eyes with a grin. "It's fine."

"Thank you." Erza remained silent as she sunbathed. She looked so peaceful, and she was giving off a happy vibe, to which Nic felt. It was hard to explain, but he could tell that Erza deliberately wanted to be close to him, though he didn't see it as a big issue. In fact, he actually enjoyed her company.

A short while passed before Erza asked a question. "Nic?"

"Hm?" He turned his head.

"Can you lotion my back for me?"

Nic's eyes widened as he felt a small pink flush his cheeks. "W-wait, are you sure?!" He stammered.

Erza looked so calm and relaxed. "I'm sure. I trust you."

Nic took the words to heart. She was true, as she really does trust him, and he sees that. He shook off his worries, though he never did such a thing before, so he was actually slightly nervous. He looked around for the lotion, and his eyes glanced behind. On his other side, a bottle of fresh lotion sat there, much to his shock and confusion. His sunglasses looked up, and noticed a short distance away was Sophie, waving all carefree at Nic.

He quickly put the pieces together and squinted at the Memory-Make Mage before slowly reaching over and grabbed the cool bottle. He squeezed out some onto his hands and sat on his knees as he was beside Erza.

Gently, yet tenderly, he applied the white, cool cream onto her smooth back. Her skin was so soft, and smooth. He spread his hands out and slowly traced his hands back and forth on her mid-back region. He went side to side and then up and down, running all over her back and pressed down just a little harder, of course this earned a moan from Erza. Nic was caught off guard, but rather seized it as a good sign.

As a bonus, he applied slightly more pressure, turning his lotion rubbing into a massage. He pressed down and his thumbs pressed into her lower back, making a big smile and soft moan come from her. He slowed down and was a little unsure as to how to proceed when he finally reached the lower back, just before where her big behind was.

His face grew a slight pink, but then his eyes raced back to Erza's face, seeing how relaxed she was. 'Come on Nic, pull yourself together.' He used both hands and got the sides of her lower back without touching the bikini bottom, applying a decent amount of pressure before retreating back up to her upper back, which another obstacle laid. Her bikini top.

"Here, let me." Erza brought her hands behind her back and reached for the laces. She was successful and the laces slumped to her sides.

Nic remained as calm and quiet as he could. He remained as gentle as he could, while unsure if he was still violating her. The fact that she trusted him didn't mean that he was still unsure himself; but if she was okay with him so far, then why should he be worried now? With that in mind. He applied pressure to her upper back, getting his thumbs into the muscles behind the shoulder blades.

Erza moaned a giggle as she never felt so good before. She was never this bold before, but it paid off. She felt Nic's hands run up and down her back, a pleasurable touch to say the least, and feeling his strong yet careful touch was a sign he was being tender. She liked it; and when Nic applied pressure and made a massage out of it and got her muscles, it was like heaven.

"That should do it." Nic retreated his hands and sat back in slight exhaustion. He couldn't believe that he actually did that. When he looked behind, Sophie had a big grin with thumbs up. Nic groaned at her as he wasn't amused, but was glad that she was around when she was.

"Thanks, Nic." Erza said.

Nic smiled. "You're welcome…" He trailed off when the air suddenly felt a little chilly. Erza noticed this as well. Everything seemed to have dropped a few degrees, and Nic looked out ahead. "Why did it suddenly-!"

He then realized the ocean was frozen, and Gray was the culprit. His surprises mounted then flames were seen in the distance, and the ice cracked and shattered. Large chunks suddenly flew high into the air, much to everyone's shock.

Vanessa's eyes widened and her lemonade glass dropped. "You've gotta be kidding me!"

Venusaur shook his head. "Oh dear, those two…"

Sliggoo looked troubled. "Uh…falling ice, getting closer!"

"We're gonna get crushed!" Levy screamed out in the water.

"Those two-!" Erza got up and rushed after the beach, but seemed to have forgotten something.

"Huh?" Nic looked down, and noticed that as Erza ran ahead, she had left her bikini top behind, meaning…

"Erza! You forgot…" He trailed off as she was soon out of earshot, and his face turned red at the prospect. "Oh geez…"

Erza stood there, a face full of determination and huge juggs exposed. The last part meant nothing to her as she eyed the ice. "Their impulses are aggravating!" Her eyes shut. "Requip!"

Now focusing at hand, Nic rushed to her side and glowed as well. He was shown in his Flame Plate Form, while Erza had requipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor.

"Are you ready, Nic?" She called out.

"Training starts now!" Nic hollered out. "Our first task is to keep the beach safe!" He took in a deep breath, and then he exhaled. "Flamethrower!" His blast of fire spewed from his mouth, and his head went from left to right. Melting fractions of the ice and making rain drizzle down.

"Blumenblatt!" Erza used her Magic and sent a great multitude of swords ahead, slicing and breaking through the falling ice.

Vanessa got up and looked ready as teal aura coated her hands. "Then I guess it's my turn! Emanation Beam!" She fired a teal beam of aura, breaking through the ice with no trouble.

"Razor Leaf!" Venusaur added in with his added, his Razor Leaf spinning in and slicing up ice chunks.

Sliggoo made a round of loops around her body and shut her mouth. "Dragon Breath!" She fired a blue beam, destroying ice high above.

Magnezone's body was surrounded in light blue sparks and his magnets glowed light blue. "Magnet Bomb!" He fired many light blue orbs that destroyed more ice.

Krokorok was seen in the action as well, jumping and using his trademark Crunch that snapped a thick chunk into small bits. "Let me tell you something, giant chunks of ice of impending doom! KROKOROK DOES THE SMASHING AROUND HERE!" He jumped off an ice chunk and attacked with Shadow Claw.

Braixen aimed her wand ahead. "Fire Spin!" Her attack was a spiral of fire that melted more ice.

"Memory-Make: Pyro Saucer!" Sophie made a chain of memories and several saucers made of fire attacked the ice.

Jet, Droy, Juvia, and everyone were working hard, though Lucy and Levy, plus Carla and Happy, just stood off as their Magic wasn't all that beneficial; still, the group and Vanessa's Pokémon worked hard and fast, which paid off when constant Magic blasts and moves were applied, leaving once huge ice chunk left.

"I got it!" Nic took in a deep breath. "Inferno!" He opened his mouth, and the ground shook as Erza covered up as Nic let loose a large and mighty blue flame-like beam that soared upwards. The small ice chunks left in the air completely melted, and the attack pierced the huge ice chunk. The whole ice chunk shattered and turned into drizzling sparkles that rained down on the smiling Fairy Tail group, all proud that they accomplished the obstacle.

After everything was sorted out, Natsu and everyone walked back onto the beach, with Nic and Erza back in their attire beforehand. "That was awesome, of course I could've handled that last bit myself ya know!" Natsu cheerfully stated.

"That was exciting!" Wendy cheered.

"Well this is a nice warmup for the first day." Gray said, still completely naked.

"Gray, you're completely indecent!" Carla chastised. "Are you a barbarian?"

Juvia blushed as she squeezed a beach ball. "My darling looks so hot!"

Sophie and Vanessa both facepalmed and shook their heads, groaning.

Lucy looked despondently while Levy looked with big eyes of revelation. Both examined the remaining ice chunks that they all seemed to have missed…which left the huts and little shops on the beach in complete ruin.

"More importantly…" Lucy's sweatdropped and her eyes twitched. "We're in big trouble when the bill comes our way."

"This was bound to happen." Levy reasoned.

The rest of the day, with them already on their feet, the members all trained. Gray trained in the ocean, along with Juvia and Sophie, Natsu ran with tires strapped to him, Lucy, still trying to ease her discomfort, helped Levy with deciphering Grandeeney's letters Wendy had; Erza was on a cliff, slashing her swords and cutting through crashing waves.

Vanessa practiced hard with her Aura Magic against her Magnezone. At the same time, Magnezone was training hard with Vanessa and using his battle experience to intercept her aura.

Elsewhere, Nic was facing Kecleon in their trademark strength and speedy reflexes training. Nic was trying out his new Spooky Plate Form, where the coat was a dark purple color, with a shadow gray lining the edges and Fairy Tail mark and ring on the back as well. The belt was black, and the buckle had a Dusk Ball symbol on it. His shirt was pitch black, as were his shoes, yet the laces and pants were a shadow gray.

Nic and Kecleon jabbed at the other, but the other dodged and used openings to attack, only for the other to find an opening, yet their reflexes made them untouchable. Kecleon pivoted and skidded back she got ground back. She turned invisible, exclude the red zigzag, and lunged ahead and axe kicked, but as she was swinging down, she sensed something beneath and barrel-rolled right to evade a Shadow Sneak. Her feet landed and she flipped again, evading a Shadow Ball.

Nic was still working on the properties of his form, and he tried fazing into shadows, something like Lysandre did. However, he only disappeared for a few seconds and reappeared only a few feet away from where he was previously. He intercepted Kecleon's now visible kick thanks to his reflexes, but seemed out of it.

"How does he do it?" Nic questioned. "I gotta get better concentration!" He huffed and relaxed. He turned into shadows, and he found himself weightless and zooming as a shadow. 'I think I'm getting there!'

"Be one with the shadow, Nic!" Kecleon exclaimed, then tilted her head. Moments passed before she detected him with no worries and Nic turned visible again, attacking with full force in return.

---

Day turned to night, and the boys were seen in robes as they walked through the inn's hallway. After that intense training they all underwent, they were starving. They worked up an appetite.

"Man, what a day!" Natsu sighed. "I'm up for some grub!"

"Save some for the rest of us, will ya?" Gray asked.

Jet noticed something off. "Hold up, where's Nic?"

"Uh, I think he stayed out late to train. You know how he can be. He can go all day and possibly night." Droy pointed out. "I'd imagined he'll need a lot of food and water, right guys?"

"Let's just worry about filling up ourselves." Gray said.

The guys opened the sliding door, big smiles in hopes of a feast. Everything they'd ever wished for…was gone. They all paled and gave off ghastly expressions as their mouths hung open, gawking at the horrid site that was most disturbing. The girls were in the room, clad in their robes as well, but on the floor were empty booze bottles.

"WHAT?!" They four screamed. "WHO LET THE GIRLS HAVE ALCOHOL?!"

Erza angrily held up a booze bottle. "Where is my booze?! There's not enough booze!"

Wendy was passed out on the ground, her eyes spinning. "My whole world is dizzy~."

Juvia sniffled. "Wendy *sniffle* hang in there!"

Lucy erotically held up a cup. "Hey, does anyone care to have a drink?"

Sophie was swaying her head left and right, soon rocking back and forth. "I'm loving this song! It rocks my world!" It was unfathomable because there was absolutely no music playing, so she must've been imagining a rock n' roll concert.

Vanessa was, not surprisingly, breaking stuff. She slammed booze bottles to the walls and soon began to resort to throwing nearby books and hit the walls. "I won't read! And I hate these bottle colors! I hate society, and I want to throw it!" She made as much sense as Krokorok would.

Levy laughed. "This is too fun!"

The boys shuddered in despair. All of their hopes and dreams went down the drain.

"T-the food…" Droy muttered.

"Forget the food, just what happened here?" Natsu muttered.

Gray pointed at them. "Alright, who gave them all alco-!" He was smacked on the side of the head by a thrown booze bottle, catered by Erza.

Erza's drunken anger gave off a fiery vibe. "Natsu. Gray. Get me more booze! And after that…get me more!" She exclaimed.

Gray rubbed the side of his head. "Well, at least she's better than Nic when he's-!" He never had a chance when another booze bottle hit his head, knocking him over. This one came from Vanessa.

"You are unable to battle, and I win the experience!" She spatted out. She then faced the wall, pointing at it. "I challenge you next, as I hate you!"

Juvia latched onto Erza. "No hurting my beloved!" She whined.

"Let go, you scoundrel!" Erza tried pushing her off.

"Don't change the song! I'M LOVING IT!" Sophie's hair flew around as she headbanged like a metalhead, something similar to what people did that listened to Nic's music.

Carla rose on Happy as he cried tears down his face. "Now listen fool, you are a horse! Got that?!"

"But, I'm a cat." Happy whined.

"Even Carla…" Natsu got a weird feeling and looked ahead. On all fours, Lucy stared intensely at him, her eyes glistening. "LUCY?!"

Her vision was all blurry, but she could barely make out Natsu. She got up and clasped her hands with a drunk smile. "Aw~, two Natsus!" She chimed happily.

Levy nearly fell over her. "*hic* Come on, Lucy! That ain't right!" She thus turned into laughter some more, leaving Natsu to stare with utter disbelief.

"What the heck is going on?" Natsu muttered.

Down the hallway, turning the corner, Nic walked in a robe just like the others. After an immense training day, he was exhausted. He had just gotten out of the shower and stretched. He walked down the hallway rather slowly as he pondered.

"I managed to get the hand of my Spooky Plate properties." He quietly told himself. "And with my combat training going strong, I should add the Spooky Pate's properties to make my style more versatile."

His musings were short-lived however, as he noticed the open door and looked inside. The room was like a zoo. His eyes widened with horror as he saw Happy whimpering as Carla used him as a 'donkey', to her recent declaration that is; Wendy was out like a light, Juvia was cuddling Gray, almost practically drowning him; Natsu was, angrily, petting Lucy's chin as she meowed like a cat; Sophie was headbanging for no reason, Vanessa was throwing the old Pularis tantrum and throwing random projectiles at the damaged wall, Levy was hiccupping, and Erza was standing atop of Jet and Droy with swords, looking challenged.

"Show yourselves, cowards!" The redhead hollered.

"We're under you." Jet wheezed.

"And dying." Droy added.

Nic could only stare in disbelief, "What in the world?" He sniffed the air, taking in the smell and the labels of the glass bottles still intact. "…booze? Alcohol?!" His head whipped towards Vanessa, as she was growling at the wall.

The younger Pularis sibling pointed at it viciously. "You are strong, that gives me a reason to want to throw more pointless junk at you!" She spited.

Nic shook his head in disappointment. "Vanessa Pularis." He muttered his sister's name. "We're gonna have a serious talk in the morning."

A sudden sword was requipped on the other side of the room, and Erza swung the sword, pointing the tip at a faraway Nic, although Nic calmly looked over. He saw how Erza's face was red, and looked mad. "Scoundrel, who are you! Answer…me…"

She stared off in silence at Nic, looking rather discerningly at him as she requipped her sword away. Nic remained still and looking alarmed as Erza's eyes narrowed as she actually was able to recognize Nic, despite how dizzy her senses and vision was. She lifted herself off of Jet and Droy, relieving them of agony. Erza stumbled towards Nic. "Nic…Pularis…"

"Erza?" Nic found himself unnerved as he stepped back as a drunken Erza advanced. There was a good chance she might attack, but what would he do? He found himself against a wall, and Erza stared at his face, just less than a foot away. To Nic's surprise, Erza's hostile expression turned drunkenly happy, and her face seemed to have softened into a kind-hearted level.

"Oh, Nic." Without warning, Erza fell forward and wrapped her arms around Nic's neck. Nic was caught baffled as Erza then hiccupped. He was left stiff as Erza's drunken hug made her snuggle up to him some more. "You're so sweet to me."

"E-Erza, calm down!" Nic insisted, but it was no use as Erza made Nic trip, and he fell down onto his back. He grunted as he slowly got up, and his eyes widened once more as slender arms draped themselves around his neck again, with Erza popping over his shoulder with soft eyes and hiccupped.

"Carry me, you caring fool!" She demanded.

As awkward as it was, Nic latched Erza onto his back and he piggy-backed her. With his strength, it was too easy, and in his mind he knew what was for the best. 'If I get Erza to a bed, perhaps she'll fall asleep and wake up sober soon.' With a goal set, he carried the redhead onwards away from the scene.

"Way to be a hero, Nic!" Jet wheezed out.

"We're saved!" Droy insisted, but was hit by a flying book that made him fall over.

It came from none other than Vanessa. "Who dares challenge me?! I'll throw the book at you, and make you read the words, AND THEN LIKE THEM!"

"Mommy!" Jet and Droy screamed.

---

Opening a door and closing it upon entering, Nic made it onwards and reached the bed. "Just a little further."

"No!" Erza bounced and jumped over Nic, the sudden shift of balance forcing Nic to fall down before he could reach the bed and drop Erza off. He fell with a thud and grunted as he fell on his side this time. He could only lay there as Erza crawled over and hiccupped.

"You are not going anywhere, Nic *hic*!" She stated firmly. She crawled on top and straddled him. The position made Nic blush a bright red as he found Erza's huge cleavage exposed by a great margin, but the real worry was the drunken Erza moving her hands up and down his abs and chest, and looked hazily at him.

"E-Erza, wait-!"

He was caught shocked as he suddenly felt a strong hug from the drunken girl. Her red head was pressing against his right cheek, and her arms were around his neck, her huge chest against his toned one. He heard Erza quietly. Her body was shaking, he could feel it. She wasn't like she was mere moments ago. She seemed…scared.

She began to speak. "I can't…*hic* I can't lose you." She sounded so sad. "There were so many time I thought you'd die. If you died…" She sniffled, followed by a hiccup. "I don't know what I would do!"

"Erza." Nic muttered. He never heard Erza say these things. Sure he made her worry, but she never expressed it this way. It just shows how much she desperately cares for him.

She got up and looked down at Nic, her drunken eyes misting up. "You're a dedicated worker. You're so kind-hearted and looking out for your friends. *hic* Your heart is of no bounds. *hic* I was glad I got to have spent so much time with you, and I'm glad you came into my life." She smiled drunkenly. "You've been burdened terribly, with this mission to save us. *hic* I just…I just can't stand seeing you get hurt anymore!"

"Erza…"

"You nearly died too many times! You made my heart pull, and I can't take that anymore! I just…*sniffle* I just, wanna protect you too!" She bent down and hugged Nic deeply. "I wanna be by your side! You can't *hic* take this pain all by yourself, it's unbearable! Why must you be burdened like this?!"

Nic felt the small tears that touched his neck. His heart began to hurt as he heard Erza speak from her drunken heart. He didn't really have anything to back her up, or what to say against. She was right when he was tired of this as well. He just wants this to be all over, and get the Plates and Arceus back life.

"Please, just promise me, that when this will be over, you'll let me protect you, rather than have yourself protect me all the time." She slowly retracted, and her hands held Nic's cheeks. She leaned in. "Please."

Nic didn't really know what to say. He was stuck. She was drunk, but her words came from her heart. All he could do was softly smile. "…I…" He thought about it, but he really didn't want to make promises. He couldn't say I promise, but rather something else came to mind. "We'll beside the other, when this is all over. I want us to protect each other, but for now…" His smile softened even more. "Please, bear with me."

He was responded by Erza hiccupping and his eyes widened. His heart nearly stopped when he felt something warm and soft press against his forehead. Realization came and went as Erza was drunkenly yet softly kissed his forehead.

She parted and rested her head against his chest. It felt so strong, yet tender. "Nic, I really lo…" She never got to finish as sleep took her.

"Erza?" No response came and he looked up at her. "Erza?" She was soundly asleep. Despite her soon-to-be sober state, she looked so peaceful with her face red and softly smiling as she held onto Nic in a loose embrace.

Not wanting to fight it, Nic accepted the embrace and decided to not fight it. His head lowered to the floor as sleep overcame him with a smile as well. "I feel the same way…Erza."

---

Vanessa's head throbbed. "Does your arms hurt too?"

"Not as much as my head. I don't recall anything." Sophie pouted. "Memory-Make my butt. I got the biggest headache in the world right now! I'm getting in those hot springs!"

"You and me both." Vanessa looked away, pondering. "Still, why were Jet and Droy so scared? It's like they'd seen ghosts."

"I'm not sure." Sophie slid open the door. "Come on, let's get towels and…and…" he never finished as she and Vanessa both stared ahead, startled as they saw something that made them put hands over their mouths.

There they were, Nic and Erza, the latter atop of her lover. Though on the floor, they were embracing the other with smiles on their sleeping faces.

"Aw~~~~!" The two cooed. "So adorable~~!"

Erza stirred in her sleep, and the two immediately silenced. Vanessa ushered her and Sophie out of the room, but not before Sophie retrieved what she came for. With towels, they both exited the room and silently slid the door shut behind.

As they walked down the hall, Sophie turned towards Vanessa with a smirk. "Your brother's quite a keeper for sure."

"Let's just keep this to ourselves." Vanessa assured, much to Sophie's agreement by nodding.

---

Erza moaned as she stirred awake. "Mmmm." Her eyes opened, and she felt her head hurt. "Why does my head hurt? And why do I feel-!" She gasped as she felt arms wrapped around her robbed waist. She turned her head, and her face turned a very deep shade of red when she saw how she was atop of Nic. "N-Nic?!" She grew suddenly stiff, but then relaxed when she saw the smile on his face, and found his embrace actually comforting.

"Nic." She softly said. She didn't remember anything from what she said, but she could tell it made Nic happy, and that was enough for her. She squeezed her way out of Nic's hold and stood up, watching him sleep on the floor soundly and saw him use his arm as a pillow. With herself satisfied, she retreated and ventured out to the hot springs, draped in a towel.

"Hey, Erza!" Lucy shouted up to the redhead, who was descending downwards.

"You're just in time. Vanessa was just telling us more about how she fought a Gym Leader named Grant." Levy said.

Erza put the towel aside and her naked yet busty form entered the warming hot springs, clearing her headache. "Sorry."

"Why the wait anyway? What took you so long?" Juvia wondered, huddling behind a rock due to being shy.

Erza recalled waking up in Nic's warm embrace and red grew on her face. "Just had to clean up some matters." She lied, and Sophie and Vanessa kept their giggles low.

Erza entered the hot springs, and then all of their attention drew to Vanessa. "So, anyways, after Grant's Tyrunt took down my Ivysaur, I resorted to using Sandile…"

---

"I'm all fired up now! I feel like a new Dragon Slyer!" Natsu shouted in readiness for day two.

Gray stretched his arms. "Yeah, but we can't get lazy. We gotta get our butts in high gear."

"Still." Natsu whispered into Gray's ear. "How come Erza was so mean to us, yet Nic didn't get the beating?"

"Love does that to a woman when drunk, I think." Gray figured.

Erza turned towards them. "Did you say something?"

"Nothing!" Both stammered in fear.

"I feel like my Magic Power's increased already." Wendy cheerfully said.

Vanessa smiled at the group. "We've had our fun yesterday, but now we get serious."

"We have three months to go. We can't hold back for even a second." Nic said.

Lucy sat back in the sand. "Three months didn't seem like a lot, but this seems easy now that we got the hang of it." She looked ahead and clenched a fist. "Alright to wo-ahh!"

She was suddenly sent flying and fell on her face in the sand. Something came up underneath like Dig. She pushed up and the sand fell from her face. She looked behind, and her eyes widened, as did everyone else's.

It was Virgo.

"Virgo!" Lucy exclaimed, overjoyed.

"Hello, Princess." Virgo's maiden's outfit was fully restored, and she looked healthier than she did from before.

"Hey, it's Virgo!" Happy exclaimed. "It's been a long time!"

"Well I can't say that I'm surprised with her casual entrance." Carla noted.

Lucy stood up, baffled as she grabbed Virgo's hands and smiled. "Oh Virgo, I missed you all so much!"

"We missed you too, Princess." Virgo stated. Her attention drew towards Nic, whom actually had Greninja out to start the morning regiment. "Nic Pularis. Greninja, Sophie. This matter is important."

The three mentioned drew some attention, and everyone gathered around closely.

"It's the matter of the crew. They wish to see you." Virgo explained.

Nic and Greninja turned towards the other, and back at Virgo. Without hesitation, along with Sophie, all three nodded.

Natsu intervened. "Now hang on just a minute, we wanna see what's up too!"

"After what happened last time, I think going as a group is better suited." Gray insisted.

Virgo bowed. "Very well then. Let us meet with the King at once!" A great Magic seal enveloped everyone beneath their feet, and the seal glowed brightly.

In a flash, they were all gone, all except Jet and Droy, whom was left in confusion.

---

In a flash, the group found themselves in Celestial attire, and Lucy and Natsu found themselves in the same clothes as when they were fighting the Oracion Seis long ago. Nic was in his usual attire, as well as Greninja, since the former had the Plates' powers making him immune to the world, and the latter was immune because he was a Pokémon.

"Where are we?" Levy wondered.

"The Celestial Spirit World." Sophie said, only it was more sparkly than before. "You guys clean up fast." There were lively planets floating in space, and while there were no stars anywhere, sparkles and stardust were everywhere.

"Well just this sector at least." Virgo stated. "By the way, you all look fitting." They all looked at the other's attire; while Lucy and Natsu had the attire from the Oracion Seis incident, Levy had clothes from the Tower of Heaven Lucy wore, and Wendy was in nice pink dress. Sophie's outfit was recognizable, yet Vanessa's, Gray's, and Erza's attire was all new.

"Nic Pularis, Greninja, and Sophie. I bid you all welcome." A loud voice called out. Everyone's attention drew upwards, where they saw a recognizable person, whom was very huge as was his moustache.

"Stache Face?!" Lucy exclaimed. "You're okay!"

Everyone remembered full well of Nic's flashback and how they remembered his size was huge, so they knew what they were dealing with.

"Indeed." The King smiled down. "Nic Pularis and friends…" His cape waved. "Welcome to my world!"

Suddenly, the 12 Zodiacs appeared with big smiles on their faces, all happily present, and the biggest surprise was the three recognizable Spirits and human as well.

Said brunette held up a booze bottle. "Let's party!" The Spirits cheered.

"Cana?!" Sophie exclaimed, seeing her in her dress from before. "When did you-?!"

Cana wiped her mouth of booze. "Virgo came out of nowhere and dragged me here. Gotta say, they sure know how to make wine." She turned towards the crew with smiles. "Hey guys!"

Volans nodded with a smile. "Miss Cana, it's good to see you again."

"Hey, hope you're rested well guys, because it's time to celebrate our victory!" Corvus shouted.

Lupus howled up to the sky, and Canes behind him howled up as well in declaration.

Nic smiled as he, Greninja, and Sophie all reunited with the crew, the 7 back together. "It's great to see you guys again." Nic said sincerely. "So, you guys are all recovered?"

"You got that right!" Lupus stated. "We're rested, and we even used the energy to repair this bit of our world, though just this much at least."

Taurus gave a thumbs up. "Miss Lu~~cy! It's great to see you and your rockin body back in action after such a long time!"

Cancer snipped his scissors. "I've been dying to style and cut, baby!"

"La~dy Lucy, we apologize for how Lysandre had kept us as such." He bowed. "But let me say that because of these seven, we are reunited. So, as such, this celebration is for the mentioned and their heroic deed."

Greninja smiled happily. "Well we can't be anymore appreciative of you guys."

Lucy and a few others went up to Volans, Lupus, and Corvus. Lucy smiled up to them. "You three, thanks so much for helping out. I'm Lucy!"

"The name's Natsu!" Natsu greeted.

"Aye!" Happy exclaimed.

"Gotta say man, Nic and his Celestial Crew rocked!" Scorpio admitted.

Aquarius smiled. "Perhaps, but this is a one-time thing, so live it while you can."

"Piri~piri!" Gemini exclaimed.

"You know Lucy, I've been waiting for a hug after the trauma that's been endured. A woman in my arms would be a nice medicine." Loke insisted as he spread his arms out.

Lucy sighed with a smile. "Oh, you."

"Tonight, we shall make merry, as we celebrate Lysandre's retreat and the liberation of the Celestial World with the help of Nic, Greninja, Cana, Sophie, Volans, Lupus, and Corvus! Let us party!" The Celestial King shouted.

"YEAH!" Everyone exclaimed in celebration.

The Zodiacs and the crew rejoiced as food was everywhere, and Natsu was stuffing his face. Loke was catching up with Gray about the S-Class trials, and the Spirits were getting to know the humans. Volans was very respectful, and Corvus gave off quite a show with his Black Wing Magic.

Cana sat at a table, with Aquarius on the other end. Both looked the opposite direction, yet they glanced at the other.

"So…"

"So…"

Aquarius turned towards Cana, guilt. She slumped forward on the table, looking down at the white cloth the table had. "Listen…you know I still hate all women, right?"

"Yeah, I remember crystal clear." Cana noted, holding up a wine glass. She turned ahead and swished it around. "You and I also didn't see eye to eye from before." She chuckled in amusement. "But now that I think about it…first impressions are overrated." She leaned back some more. "You know, when I think about it, despite being a seabeast, Cetus and Hydrus beat you by a mile." She smirked. "You're alright."

Aquarius snickered with a grin as she leaned back as well. "The feeling is mutual, but try not to push your luck with me."

"Gotcha covered." Cana sipped from her glass, and soon enough Juvia entered the conversation.

The party escalated some more, with more games and Lucy and the others getting acquainted with Pisces and Libra. The Spirits and humans told many stories, of which Nic and his crew shared; all were fascinated by the tales and arduous trials the crew had to go through. Food and happiness arose, and laughter filled the air.

Erza looked over at Nic, who was lightly laughing as Corvus greatly exaggerated a tale and played along. The longer she looked, the more sincere her smile got.

After the festivities, everyone gathered around the King as he stood affirm. "Now, since we have all celebrated…it's time for us to give something in return."

"Return?" Cana asked.

Capricorn bowed. "Lady Cana, you and your friends have made the most important history in the Celestial World. Books upon books will detail of you and your crew."

"That is why we have come up with this. Follow me." Everyone thus followed the King. It was a short walk down a clean path, and they all traveled to where it was black rock beneath, which Nic recognized.

'This land…' He looked ahead, and they all saw a statue, a huge one. Everyone's eyes widened as they looked up at the enormous monument.

"Oh wow!" Wendy marveled.

Covus's eyes sparkled. "AWESOME! I FEEL LIKE A GOD!"

"How humble." Lupus added.

"And right where Nic finished Lysandre too." Sophie added with a smile.

Standing in front was a large statue. It had eight figures, and all of them were of the Celestial Crew, and the late Pavo, who had a pose. All eight members stood proudly as they shared the same statue, with fighting vigor in their expressions. Cana had cards, Sophie had a finger to her head, Corvus had a pose with one wing in front, Lupus was in a crouching position, snarling, Volans was seen in a fighting stance, Greninja was seen with a shuriken in hand, and Nic was seen standing proudly in front of all of them.

"It's beautiful." Greninja said, mournfully smiling when looking at Pavo's part of the monument.

"It is." Nic added. He looked down at the inscription in the center and read it aloud.

THE 8 WHO HAVE DEDICATED THEIR HEARTS AND VALOR TO ASSURING SAFETY,

THE 8 WHO TRUMP THE 7 STARS THEMSELVES WITH THEIR BONDS,

THE 8 WHO HAVE SAVED THE WORLD FROM THE DARKNESS OF LYSANDRE,

THE CELESTIAL CREW

"The Celestial Crew, adds a nice ring to it." Lupus said, Canes barking in agreement behind.

"Well I like it." Cana said.

"I'm sure grateful to you all. And in Pavo's stead, we thank you." Volans bowed to the Zodiacs and the King.

"No, no, Volans." The King said. "You bow to no one." Instead, the King himself bowed to a knee, and all 12 Zodiacs got to a knee if possible, and one by one all bowed in respect to the crew.

The crew itself smiled with ride and honor as they felt overjoyed.

Later, at the entrance, they all began to say their farewells. Aquarius, Cana, and Juvia all shook hands with smiles on their faces, and the Zodiacs that belonged to Lucy couldn't wait to be by her side again.

"We're still a little banged up sweetheart. We still need to repair the entire world, and that'll take some time." Loke apologized.

Sagittarius saluted. "But rest assure, we shall be at your call and we shall resume our repairs!"

Lucy smiled. "Thank you all."

Volans looked at the crew, his eyes misting a little. "It would seem, that this is farewell."

Nic nodded in sadness. "It would seem, but I do hope we meet up again," He extended his hand out. "I'm gonna miss you, old friend-!" Nic was brought into a group hug so suddenly by everyone, as smiles of sadness filled their faces, yet through it, they made the best of it.

"You guys rock." Cana admitted. "I wish we could meet more often."

Corvus seemed sad, but stayed strong with a thumbs up. "Don't worry, we'll be thinking of you guys all the time."

"With my memories, that won't be a problem…take care, guys." Sophie said.

Nic and Greninja both looked at everyone present. Greninja spoke. "Volans, Lupus, Corvus, this was fun. I'm looking forward to us meeting again, someday."

"Once our world is fixed right up, and Lysandre is finished, then we can probably throw another celebration!" Lupus suggested. "But even so…" He slowly reached his arm out, and the crew did a fist bump in a circle. "No matter what happens, we'll always be there in spirit."

"Right!" The humans of the Celestial Crew and Greninja both then stepped back, and with proud smiled, they were bid farewell by the Spirits.

"And so, until we meet again." The King whipped his cape, and in a flash, everyone was engulfed in a bright light.

---

The group found itself on the beach again, and yet when they came back, they noticed something wrong. Nic and everyone grew confused as the beach was empty, and the atmosphere wasn't as lively as they remembered.

"Wait, hold up." Cana said, having been transported with the group and not back to the Strauss family. "Ain't it supposed to be nightfall?"

"A day must be really short there." Happy figured.

"Actually…" Everyone turned around to see Virgo had transported to their world as well. "There has been changes. While time was warped in the Celestial World, so that it moves slightly faster than the human world by Lysandre's tyranny, it's now back to normal."

"Wait, so…?" Sophie's inquiry sounded suspicious, and not in a good way.

"The real time sequence was restored, so one day in our world…is three months in yours."

Virgo's statement of fact left a breeze to have a wrapper pass the group. She then vanished away, and Nic, Greninja, Gray, Natsu, and Erza all had dark shadows over their eyes and stared at the waves ahead, soon falling over onto their faces in despair.

Wendy dropped to her knees. "No way…"

Vanessa sulked as her gaze looked at the ground. "Why us?"

Lucy's body shuddered as she turned her head up and looked to the sky. "WHY CAN'T WE GO BACK IN TIME?!"

"Guys!" Jet and Droy caught up to them. Both looked excited. "I hope you've been training hard, because there's only five days left until the Grand Magic Games!" Jet reminded them.

"Shut up!" Lucy shouted, making them stumble back.

Sophie sighed right by Cana's side, shadows over her eyes. "Do we ever have good luck?"

"No." Cana stated.

Later, with everyone out of their clothes, and Nic in his swim trunks and gray V-neck with sunglasses over his face, and Erza with her black bikini but having a light purple attire it, and so on, they all despaired.

"First Dialga, now this?" Vanessa sighed.

"This sucks." Natsu groaned.

Happy sniffled. "How am I supposed to catch up to Lily now?"

Wendy and Carla looked shocked, the latter more so. "I didn't know you cared!"

Erza had a red aura as she held up a fist and her teeth grip. "It's not over! We have five days left to train! Prepare yourselves, you may not live!"

Gray was caught off guard. "I didn't live so as to die from a workout!"

Natsu stood up with a fiery aura. "I'm ready when you are!"

Nic had a purple aura while Greninja had a dark blue aura, both giving off their determination, but showed less excitement and more calm. "If we're gonna push ourselves, we'll have to take this our way."

Greninja cracked his knuckles. "You all in?"

"That's the spirit!" Erza exclaimed. "Now, everyone start with running…" Before she could get started however, she felt something land on her head. She remained stiff and awkwardly looked up as a feather dropped. It turned out a small pigeon landed on her head.

"A bird?" Lucy asked, seeing the bird on Erza's head.

"And is that a note?" Vanessa wondered.

"Let's see." Happy saw the small piece of paper attached to the leg and unrolled it.

"A love letter perhaps?" Lucy questioned.

"You could've given it to me directly, darling." Juvia said, enamored by Gray to no end.

"Oh sure, like I wrote it." Gray backlashed.

"Okay, here's what it says." Happy began to read the letter. "Hey Fairy Tail, meet us at the broken suspension bridge on the western hill." He turned to look at everyone else. "That's all it says."

"Sounds like a trap." Vanessa said, uneasy.

"By that tone, it seems like a challenge." Sophie thought.

Nic crossed his arms to ponder. "Well regardless, we can't take any chances, but we can't ignore this call."

"So you're saying we go despite it looking like a trap?!" Lucy stammered.

"We'll just have to wait and see." Erza said, ignoring the pigeon still perched on her head, but it flew away once the group began to move. They all ventured with caution, with everyone following Nic, Greninja, and Erza's lead. The three did as the note said and led the group west, where instead of sandy beaches it turned to grass and forest.

The group advanced no further as they were at the broken bridge that had a river running through the ravine. Natsu looked unsatisfied. "Cowards must have duped us!"

Lucy, on the other hand, seemed satisfied. "Well now that we're not in danger, let's…"

However, her hopes were dashed when rumbling was heard, and Greninja's blank stare remained unchanged as he and everyone saw the broken bridge fix itself. The boards and rope all connected once more, and the bridge looked good as new.

"Wait, what just happened?" Gray asked.

"I don't remember a bridge being able to fix itself out of thin air." Sophie said.

"Well, I guess we're gonna have to cross it." Vanessa suggested.

"I still say this is a trap." Levy said, unsure.

Natsu showed excitement as he punched his own fist again. "Well they're on the other side, so let's get crossing!"

"Good luck!" Gray slapped Natsu's back and shoved him forward, forcing him to trip forward but used the rope to stay up. Natsu growled back at Gray, but then his face paled and grimaced as the bridge moved up and down. Gray raised a row. "Seriously?"

Natsu covered his mouth. "Just watch me!" Though slow, Natsu powered through and ran, nearly falling over. With one big leap, he hit solid land on the other side and smiled back at everyone.

"Huh, I thought it'd break once someone stepped on it." Lucy figured.

"Everyone thought that." Cana noted.

"You used me as a guinea pig?!" Natsu exclaimed on the other side, but his rambling of frustration was ignored as Erza turned to face the group.

"Now that it's safe, let's get moving. On the double!" Erza ordered. Everyone then crossed the bridge and made it to another section in the forest. They continued to venture on ahead, but Erza, Nic, and Greninja all stopped dead in their tracks and glared ahead as three cloaked figures were seen in the distance.

"Someone's there." Lucy informed.

"Keep your guard up!" Juvia said.

The three figures slowly proceeded ahead, walking towards the group silently. Natsu's nose twitched as he picked up a rather peculiar scent. His eyes widened. "That smell…"

The cloaked figures stopped in front of the group. "You have arrived." The middle on said. His voice was so familiar that Erza had recognized it. They all proceeded to taking off their hoods. "Thank you."

Erza and Nic's eyes widened with shock. Before them was an older Meredy, Ultear…and Jellal. Immediately, Nic grew a sense of uneasiness when the corner of his eye caught Erza in a state of shock.

"It's been a long time, old friends." Jellal said with a grin. "I assume word of my prison break has gotten to you?"

"Yes." Bic said, slightly cautious.

Jellal looked away. "Please know, it was never my intention."

Ultear smiled. "Meredy and I never really gave him much of a choice."

Meredy turned towards Ultear. "That was all you! Don't bring me into this."

Juvia and Vanessa's eyes were wide with sheer shock. The two girls were in disbelief. "Meredy."

Meredy turned forward and smiled and waved at the two girls. "Long time no see, Juvia, Vanessa!"

Both girls smiled happily at Meredy. 'She's grown into a beautiful and happy young woman.' Juvia thought, proud of her, as was Vanessa.

"So, Jellal broke out of prison?" Lucy questioned.

"And with Grimoire Heart." Natsu growled, his eyes narrowed.

Gray stepped forward. "Chill out, they're not our enemies anymore." He turned towards Ultear. "Isn't that right?"

"Yes." She assured. "The crimes I've committed cannot be erased, so, as a small compensation to those atrocities that's I've committed, I've dedicated myself to saving people. Until the day that I die."

"You risked a lot to save Jellal." Sophie said.

Ultear's gaze went to Jellal. "Because Jellal is one of those acts I've committed."

"You don't owe me anything, Ultear. You and I were in the darkness all this time. It's in the past now." Jellal assured.

"So Jellal…has your memory returned?"

"Every bit of it." He said, looking down at the ground. "Including my sins."

Erza's eyes widened as she gasped. Nic remained silent.

"For six whole years, I have been holding the weight of guilt over my shoulders…Erza, I'm terribly ashamed and sorry for the pain I've caused you." He said.

"I was the one responsible for the Tower of Heaven incident." Ultear admitted and looked towards Jellal. "I'm accountable for everything, so no anguish should be put on him. Besides, I think he's been through more than enough."

Jellal looked at his feet. "I could either spend the rest of my life in prison, or lose my life and be rid of it all; however it ends, my penance would've been paid."

Erza remained silent.

"But now you have a chance to find a positive purpose in your life." Wendy countered.

Jellal looked at her. "Wendy, I'm sorry, but the Jellal you knew, he's not me." He apologized.

Wendy smiled. "Oh it's fine, we cleared that up a long time ago." She assured.

"I've found a purpose, but I can't say it's all that positive." Jellal answered her question.

Ultear turned around. She undid her cloak briefly and showed everyone her exposed back. The scar she had was giant, just as bad as Nic's. Over it was an emblem with a hat. "The three of us have constituted a guild of our own. It's an independent; neither official or aligned with anyone. It's named Crime Sorciere, or Witch's Crime."

"An independent guild?" Levy questioned.

"So, you're not related to anyone?" Vanessa asked.

Jet seemed piqued. "Crime Sorciere, I think I've heard of that name…yeah, now it's coming back. You guys took down a bunch of Dark Guilds over the years."

"Unfortunately, our true goal is still out there." Ultear said.

"Zeref." Jellal clarified, earning surprised gasps from everyone, recalling how Zeref was on the same island and how his Magic was absorbed by Lysandre. The thought made Nic's eyes narrow beneath his sunglasses. "Dark Guilds, and any evil force; we'll purge until there's none left to destroy the lives of innocence."

Lucy smiled. "That's such a great cause!"

Gray followed Lucy's example. "With all the good you've done, I'm surprised the Council didn't acknowledge you."

Jellal smiled. "Well I am a convict after all."

Meredy sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "And Ultear and I used to be in Grimoire Heart."

Erza's gaze grew suspicious.

"We're far more useful as we are now anyway." Jellal assured.

"At any rate, now that we all caught up, there's an important matter we need to discuss." Ultear got back on track. "Is it true you all are entering the Grand Magic Games this year?"

"Yes." Nic said.

"We can't get anywhere near the colosseum, so you can, there's something we need you all to do."

"I see now!" Natsu guessed. "You want someone's autograph!"

Ultear's eyebrows twitched. "I'll pretend you didn't say that."

Jellal corrected Natsu. "Every year, there's an ominous Magic power in the games. We want you to help find the source."

The air grew very serious and ominous.

Sophie looked surprised. "Are you sure? Guilds all over Fiore have strange Magic at their disposal."

"This Magic we feel isn't like those, because we feel Zeref's Magic involved." Jellal explained.

"Zeref, are you sure?" Erza asked.

"We believe our prior involvement has given us the ability to trace him. This power we feel, it's evil."

"Now you see why ascertaining the truth behind this power is important?" Ultear asked. "Tracking them with your help with help locate it."

Meredy smiled. "Discretion is important, so we can't have anyone know."

Nic crossed his arms. "Sounds risky, but we'll accept."

"Thanks." Ultear said.

Natsu turned towards him. "You sure man?"

"We can't take any gambles. Guilds all over Fiore will be around this power. Who knows what effect will happen with the close proximity."

"Did we mention we'll be paying you guys?" Ultear added with a sly smirk.

"RENT/FOOD MONEY!" Lucy, Happy, and Natsu shouted.

Ultear chuckled. "Oh no, nothing so material." She held up an orb. "I've had years to experiment and enhance my Arc of Time and can use it to increase your abilities. A power-up as one would say, though it's a bit farfetched. In reality, a Mage has his or her own container that determines how much Magic they can hold, but recent research has told that there's a second container. They believe to have called it, the Second Origin." She paused to let everyone have the information sink in. "Not only can I force your containers to grow, but also access your Second Origin; to put it in simple terms, you'll be able to increase the power of your spells."

Everyone cheered in delight over the opportunity at hand. Smiles went around as Gray and Ultear talked, Juvia and Vanessa happily talked to Meredy, but Jellal just stood there, glancing at Erza at the corner of his eye. The redhead returned the gaze.

Nearby, Nic was unable to be read since he had sunglasses on. Greninja stayed by his side, the frog being weary of how silent his trainer was acting.

---

Natsu's entire body screamed in pain as he felt his spine break, and his senses were dulling. His body laid on the ground and he wrestled with thin air as red marks were all over his body. He screamed in agony as the pain increased and his limbs twitched violently. Everyone watched in discomfort as Natsu was getting the power-up by Ultear, and undergoing it was gruesome as he thought he was bleeding on the inside. He clenched his teeth as he tried enduring so much. "GAAAHHH!" Still, he yelled out in pain.

"I know it's tough, but you have a ways to go, Natsu." Ultear said.

"GAAAHHH!" Natsu's only reply was yelling as he crawled on the ground.

"I hope this isn't some kind of sick joke." Lucy hoped. The sunset was at her back as the group was in front of the hut and on the beach.

"Just what exactly is he feeling?" Gray wondered.

"Want a Sensory Link and see?" Meredy suggested.

"Are you nuts?!" Gray stammered.

"I'm so proud of her. She's even developed a sense of humor!" Juvia said.

Vanessa smiled. "She sure did well these last seven years." She turned towards Sophie. "So anyways, who is this Jellal person?"

"Well…" Sophie began to explain in detail, with as much detail and experience she was given and told from Nic.

"Speaking of which…" Carla turned towards Happy. "Do you know where Nic went?"

Happy turned towards her. "Well since Nic can't use Magic, the Second Origin thing won't work. I think he went tree jumping instead."

"Too bad Nic can't go through this." Cana said. "Man is he gonna be behind." She noticed something as Natsu yelled and twitched. "Say, where is Erza?"

"I think she and Jellal went to talk alone." Lucy explained.

Vanessa and Sophie looked at the forest, slight worry at the three away. 'I'm not sure if that's such a good idea.'

---

Perched high on a cliff, watching the sunset and the sea and its waves, Erza's hair shifted in the winds. Jellal sat down on a rock right beside her. They were there for maybe an hour, maybe more, but the only sound that came and went were crashing waves and shifting winds.

Finally, Erza spoke. "So, you remember everything?"

"I do." Jellal said.

"Does include…Simon?" Erza asked in a hardened tone.

Jellal looked at the rock at his foot, remaining silent for a bit. "…he died by my hand."

"And of Nirvana?"

"Everything." He explained. "I remember it as being in a fog of amnesia, with little to understand. It's a strange feeling. Like I witnessed a past life rather than experience."

"Is it fair to say you're back to who you were as a child?"

Jellal had shadows over his eyes. "Perhaps, but even so…" He clasped his fingers tighter. "Given what I've done to you, I won't blame you if you keep away." He looked up at the sun as it set further. "And if try to avenge Simon, don't hesitate."

Erza looked ahead. "Do you really believe Simon would want you to travel as a meaningless shell?" She turned back towards him, her tone and voice raised. "What about your guild, and all of the good you've done?"

"Don't get me wrong, Erza, but I don't think it's that simple for my atonement." Jellal explained looking back down. "I did create Crime Sorciere in hopes of bringing peace to mind, but the things I've done in the Tower of Heaven can't be made up that easily." His eyes closed. "I ask myself what point am I making. What am I really doing? Am I escaping my fate? I've hurt and let too many people suffer from my wrong doings. I don't know, maybe it's best that I did die-!"

Jellal felt a hard smack across his cheek. His pity fogged him up from seeing Erza appear in front and slapped him out of his little world. His cheek stung from the pin of her slap, but he didn't move.

"What is with all of this talk of a coward?!" Erza barked.

"I'm not strong like you, Erza." Jellal countered.

Erza swiped her arm. "I'm not strong either, no one truly is! It's…" An image of Nic flashed in her mind. "You need to find the strength to live on!" However, Jellal didn't respond.

"What happened to you?!" She angrily exclaimed to him. "I don't see the old Jellal before me! He'd never quit so easily!"

Jellal's eyes narrowed. "Maybe he's gone!"

Erza's eyes grew angry. She pulled Jellal up by the collar. "Snap out of it! Dammit!"

Jellal lost his footing, and the two slipped, with Erza falling forwards. Jellal and Erza tumbled backwards and rolled down a hill.

---

Meanwhile, at the same time, Nic was jumping and leaping from branch to branch, not losing momentum as he was zooming and leaping with grace of a ninja. Speaking of which, Greninja followed behind, his blank eyes not showing any signs of worry, despite how he had a very bad feeling. Still, he knew of Nic's nature. Part of the reason he was out here was so that he got some exercise, and another part was because he wanted to destress himself of Erza and Jellal.

Greninja took a big leap and caught up to Nic, looking towards him and seeing how his sunglasses were still on, but he could see the uneasiness as clear as day. A façade of resolution that wasn't fooled by. "Nic…"

"Hm?" Nic looked at Greninja as he leaped off a branch and landed on another. He was getting the idea, and he looked ahead.

"I'm okay, really." He said, but he was lying. He frowned.

Greninja continued jumping with Nic until their pacing slowed drastically. "Don't tell me, I know."

Nic and Greninja stopped when they reached the end of the forest, overlooking a field of plants as the sun set in front. With the sun setting, Nic put away his sunglasses onto his V-neck. He looked over at Greninja.

"Even after everything, I still felt peculiar, like my heart tugged when Erza was in shock over Jellal." He confessed, standing still and resting his hand against the trunk. His eyes softened. "Don't get me wrong, with Jellal's new goal, I can respect that, yet when I think of him and Erza…"

"You hurt. No one blames you." Greninja looked ahead. "It's clear that you love her…but you're not sure she's over Jellal."

"…" Nic looked down. He felt unsatisfied knowing that, but his mind made him recall all of the fun they had yesterday, or technically three months ago. Erza trusted him, and in turn, he trusted her. They embraced, and she cried a little while drunk for his safety. She truly did care, and Nic saw that. He smiled as he recounted how Erza was pretty adorable at her display of affection while being drunk, and recalled how she almost said she…

They heard bodies roll, and Nic was bought of his musings and free of doubtfulness when his eyes widened to the sight of Erza and Jellal tumbling down the hill, plants expelling glistening pollen.

Erza and Jellal found themselves at the bottom of the hill, pollen slowly raining down brightly. Jellal found himself atop of a shocked Erza.

The scenario left all faces shocked, a watchful and hidden Nic and Greninja as well. Nic's eyes were filled with shock as he saw Erza and Jellal's face close. He kept his mouth shut as he watched with uncertainty.

Jellal looked down at Erza, seemingly calm, smiling for the first time since seeing her again. "You always were right, weren't you."

"No, that's not true." Erza said. She could feel her own heart race. "I just get clumsy without the others beside me."

"Erza…" Jellal replied softly.

Erza was feeling so many things at once that swamped her head. She couldn't speak, nor could she move her hands as Jellal put his to her cheeks. When Erza looked at his eyes, they were filled with guilt, but warmness as well. She was brought back to how she and Jellal met in the Tower of Heaven, how they first fell for the other.

Without realizing it, her lips parted as she and Jellal began to slowly close in on the other, a kiss to be made reality.

In the trees, Nic's heart was sinking like a rock, but his blank face didn't show anything. His head was feeling like a tempest as he could do nothing but watch as Erza and Jellal's proximity was closing. The closer they got, the more saddened he got. He frowned as images of Erza flooded his mind; how they first met, how they interacted lightly, how they went on their first mission together, how he saved her life – on several occasions; then to how they accidentally kissed on their first date. Just the remembrance of that kiss, despite being accidental, made him remember how soft and how Erza tasted like strawberries.

Looking at the scene before him, he saw Jellal was closer than what he could ever be to really kissing her. After everything that he and Erza went through, and how they had just reconciled, and how they shared a tender moment, he felt so shattered again.

He just watched in emptiness while Greninja gave a blank stare, remaining silent at his trainer and how it looked like Erza chose her childhood love over Nic.

Erza continued to look into Jellal's eyes as the images of their past proceeded to the recent Tower of Heaven incident, how Jellal murdered Simon, and how Nic unshackled Jellal from the darkness he was put through.

As their kiss got closer to being a reality, Erza's mind then began to flood with new images, ones that made her heart pulse faster than the previous ones. They were all of Nic. All of his attributes; his strong will, his calmness, his sense of justice, his stubborn rebelliousness, his eternal dedication and loyalty to his Pokémon, looking out for everyone he can, his warm and inviting vibe he had when around her. Images then went to their first encounter, to the events of Phantom Lord, to their first mission together, to where she was happy to see him alive, then seemingly sacrificed himself in the Tower of Heaven, how she was crying tears of joy upon his return, to their first date, to Edolas, to their nights and battles fought in Kalos, to Tenrou, to how she cared for him and tried protecting him, to her being alone with him, to their fight, and finally to their warm hug after reconciling.

But through all of those emotional memories, after looking back after what the two have been through, the one thought she remembered out of almost all of them…was his smile and eyes. Seeing Nic smile, always made her smile.

'Erza.' She could hear Nic's voice, and actually see his face as his sunglasses off and she saw his warm eyes that had seen the evils of the world, yet didn't break.

Knowing she was thinking of nothing but Nic, even though she and Jellal were so close to the other, she knew she found the one she wanted to be with. Surprisingly, the two backed away at the last second.

Nic's eyes widened as he saw the two back away.

"I'm sorry." Erza said, looking away.

"No." Jellal she, looking away in shame. "I can't…I have a fiancée."

Erza faced Jellal again, her face a small red as she was left shock. "Eeehhh?!" Her eyes were wider than ever, and the surprise made her body jerk away more. She grew flustered. "Er, no! I apologize, er, I didn't want to make it think…"

"N-no, I'm the one who should…sorry." Jellal bowed.

Erza turned her head away. "Well a fiancée. That's a surprise." Her eyes closed as her blush faded as she frowned.

Jellal noticed how she showed discomfort. "What's wrong?" He asked, confused.

Her head lowered. "Nic." She said, looking at Jellal.

Once again, Nic felt his heart pulse in shock from the trees.

Jellal didn't show much surprise, rather he smiled softly. "You love him, don't you?" He sounded as though he knew, and there was a small tint of pain detected knowing this.

There was an uneasy silence between the two as the sun fully set, giving way the night sky, but no stars. She didn't know how to put it, as she never faced the question in person; yet she knew she couldn't hide from it, especially from Jellal due to their history. It was time to come clean.

"Yes, I love him." She admitted, place a hand over her own heart. "I don't know how, but he and I made a connection. He can be a little overzealous when pushing himself, but I also love him because of that. Despite his demeanor, he's kind, caring, strong, selfless…yet he can be shy and sensitive at times as well." She smiled as her hand over her heart balled. "Whenever I'm down, he's always there to pick me up. I never wanted to take a chance at love after the Tower of Heaven, but Nic…he made me give love a second chance; he picked me up from my past and brought me to my feet. He's never failed to put his well-being before my safety." She looked down.

"I love him, and even if we never say it to one another, even if we get separated and never see the other again, my feelings for him will never change." She frowned as she brought her hands to her knees and balled them tight. "I've been selfish, and I have messed up more than enough times and left him doubting my loyalty and trust to him. I left him hurt after Nirvana, and then I drove him away when his powers wouldn't work…" She looked in pain. "And this is one last strike I will never make. I could never live with myself knowing that I broke his heart so many times. It's clear that I don't deem myself worthy of his forgiveness." She faced Jellal again. "But I won't walk down that path. I want to be by his side, and even though he may push me away, I'll stay. Wherever he goes, I shall follow. Without him, I don't know what would become of me."

With her opposite hand this time, she placed it over her heart. "He's saved my life; a debt I can never repay. All I want is to protect him in return. I want to be by his side and protect each other, if it means showing him how much my love for him is true."

There was a very long silence over her speech and proclamation. Erza's words were so strong and resolute, it was clear she meant every word she laid bare. She was much different from the Erza Jellal knew as a child, something he had to put behind him.

He smirked. "You've grown, I'm proud that you've overcome your past and looked to the future." He said in a solid and understanding tone. "I wouldn't have expected anything less from you." His smile never left his face.

"What about you? Don't you love your fiancée?" Erza asked softly.

Jellal looked down, still smiling. "Yes."

"Then you know what you have to do, you have to live, for hers and your sake. That's your purpose."

"Yes, I can do that." Jellal and Erza then remained there in that spot or a few minutes before they got up and headed back to the beach.

Meanwhile, Nic was standing speechless on the tree branch, unable to move. His eyes practically mist at Erza and her beautiful speech. Everything she told, was what he thought she forgot when that close to Jellal. He soon recounted the entire speech endlessly, and seeing her face of resolution, his face grew a soft smile of happiness. He was free from worry now. It was clear she made her decision, and he was more than happy that she made it that way.

Though Nic was happy that Erza loved him back, he couldn't help but feel guilty. He half-grinned when he saw the hidden pain Jellal had, yet took solace knowing Erza moved on to Nic himself. He had to ask if this was fair to Jellal, if he was robbing him of happiness and his first love.

Given their history, it was a conflicting feeling. If he was in Jellal's shoes, he'd be upset…after all, seeing someone you love with someone else is a pain that will take time to heal. Nic accepted what Jellal was possibly thinking, and he turned away back to the forest, his soft smile returning as he thought of Erza's words. "Greninja."

Greninja nodded, saying nothing more as he followed Nic as they leaped from branch to branch through the dark forest.

---

Erza underwent the same effects as everyone else from Ultear's Magic. While everyone inside riled in agony and cringing, Erza only suffered mild discomfort, much to Ultear's surprise. Erza talked with Crime Sorciere since she was the only able-bodied one possible, and after restating the agreement, Crime Sorciere took off.

"Bye!" Meredy shouted,

Ultear put her hood up. "Give the others our regards. As for Gray, take care of him for me." Turned away, walking off.

Jellal smiled as he put his hood up. "Be sure to tell Nic before it's too late." He turned away, smiling. "Until we meet again." He then walked off with his guild, leaving Erza to see them off. A breeze shifted her hair as she turned towards the moon and smiled up. She was gonna tell him. The next time she meets Nic, she'll tell him everything, and hopefully he'll reciprocate after everything that's happened. She then turned and headed back to the hut.

When she was gone, Nic and Greninja emerged from the trees, and walked along the sandy shores. They stopped at the shoreline and heard the calm swaying of the waves against the beach. The water barely touched their feet, but this wasn't anything they wouldn't worry about.

"So, you ready?" Nic asked.

Greninja nodded. "If we're to get stronger, we're to find solace. All the way."

Nic glowed and shifted into his Splash Plate Form. He turned back towards the hut one more time and smiled softly. 'Erza, please wait for me.' He turned ahead. "Let's go." He then dove into the water, and Greninja followed. The two disappeared into the sea, swimming into the far open water, away from everyone.

The two swam out for what seemed to be a long time. However long, they heard nothing but water. Soon reaching a point, Nic closed his eyes.

'Dialga. Palkia. Please answer my call.' Nic thought.

---

In space, far within the confines of the unknown, Dialga and Palkia were watching Arceus as his aura was still weak, but seemed stable as he sat on stardust. The rulers and almighty masters of Time and Space stared up at Arceus as they were receiving Nic's message.

Their eyes widened, and they looked around. Palkia was able to speak first. "Nic Pularis? Are you using the Plates to contact us?" He asked.

"Yes, I apologize for the inconvenience." Nic's telepathy told.

"You're fine, young one." Dialga said. "And to have such an achievement with seventeen Plates. One more to unlock, and Arceus shall be restored."

"That's why I need your help." Nic implored. "I can't beat Lysandre as I am now. If I'm to enhance my Plates and my abilities, I need more time. Dialga, Palkia, can you do that?"

The two looked at the other and then back up in the space above. They seemed confused as their auras of blue and pink still had their bodies outlined as their tails also swayed.

"Just what exactly are you asking?" Dialga questioned.

"I'm saying my Pokémon and I need a training dimension of sorts, where the time span is ninety days to this one night."

The Legendaries' eyes widen at Nic's request.

"What?!" Dialga roared, making ripples in the stardust. "Are you asking for the ridiculous?!"

"That's very risky!" Palkia exclaimed, roaring out. "If we did such a thing, you might be trapped. After the ninety day's mark. The dimension would vanish, with you in it! Are you sure this is the best suggestion?"

Dialga turned towards Palkia. "I would think we would have to look in his point of view if we're to get his logic." He looked down. "I admit that it sounds foolish, but he is right. The time sequence can't be altered from our world and Earth Land, and I can't send him back in time three months to the past with all of the dark energy looming, he might end up somewhere lost in time for all we know."

Palkia looked down as well, contemplative. "You have a point. If we give out a small fraction of our power, this shouldn't be too much of a hindrance." He looked up to Arceus. "Arceus corresponds with the Plates as before, so the time sequence should remain the same, regardless if one day or three months."

"Now that we think about it, this may be the chance to add fuel to Arceus." Dialga said, looking on the positive. "If so, the ninety days of training and honing the Plates will allow Nic Pularis to send more accumulative power."

"So will you comply?" Nic asked.

The two Legendary Pokémon turned towards the other and nodded. They then looked up to the space above.

"Very well, you shall have your wish." Dialga announced.

"But be warned." Palkia stated. "Ninety days shall be your limit in that makeshift dimension. Every property after that shall disappear. You must call upon us prior so we can get you out."

"This is our limit to our power we use to help you. Train hard, young one, and don't make us regret this!" Dialga roared up, his blue diamond shining. Palkia roared up as well, his pearls shining a bright pink.

---

In the water, up in front of Nic, a spatial tear was seen, and particles of an array of elements were seen flushing in and out. Nic could feel the interstellar energy flourishing, and the energy signature was indeed of Dialga and Palkia. The dimensional rift was about five feet, but that was more than enough for Nic and Greninja to pass through.

The two passed through, and as surprising as it was, the water didn't flood in like they had thought. The energy blocked the water like some invisible shield as they passed through. The two found themselves falling, but caught themselves on some grass.

They looked up and took in their surroundings. The temporary dimension created had a normal forest with trees of various sizes, a large expanse of water, mountains, and what seemed to be a volcano on the far end. The sky was of wavy spatial energy, and high above was a huge clock.

TIME REMAINING: 90 DAYS

Nic looked around at the far scenery, and saw waterfalls and rivers as well. Ragged crags were seen in the mountains, and they were more than ready.

No longer wasting time, Nic reached into his pockets. "Come on out!" He called forth all of his Pokémon. Right beside Greninja, Charizard roared, Kecleon tilted her head, Staraptor spread her wings out, Garchomp bared his claws, and Arbok hissed.

With all six Pokémon out, and looking excited and expectant about these next ninety days/one night, Nic took in a deep breath and stand affirm, shifting into himself.

"Now listen up, by the time the ninety days are up, it shall be sunrise in Earth Land. We have that amount of time to train and give 200 percent! Don't you dare slack!"

Charizard grinned. "Like hell we ever slack. We always go that extra mile."

"I'm ready when you are!" Staraptor enforced.

Kecleon tilted her head. "Let us feel the burn, and then enforce the burn."

Arbok hissed. "Let'sssss get ssstarted."

"Let's get pounding away! No mercy!" Garchomp roared.

Greninja nodded. "All set!"

"Then…" Nic pivoted, pointing at a hundred-foot tall tree that started a colossal forest of tall trees. "Everyone start climbing and jumping until you reach the end! On the double!"

"I like a bigger number than double!" Kecleon shouted, rushing ahead with the others as they headed towards the tall trees.

With that, with determination and with all seven smiling, loving the burning exercise to come, their training had begun.

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There was A LOT to take in, but I hope the wait was worth it. I'm sure many of you are banging your heads against the wall knowing what will come next after what went down this chapter. I know you guys desperately want to see Nic and Erza official, but just hold out just a tiny bit longer; but even so, how was this chapter in detail and plot? Did you guys find Nic and Erza's moments touching? Did you like anything else? I like to hear your detailed comments and what you guys thought.

Next chapter will be the 1 night/3 month timeskip, just to save time. Hang in there!

Please Favorite, Follow, & Review this story and/or chapter if you guys are loving NicxErza, their lovey moments, and OVA 4, and the Pokémon that appeared!

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Next Time: Nic & Erza