Pokemon: Clover

by The 3rd dragneel

In the world of Black Clover, magic and Pokemon live in harmony. The story of a magicless boy and his Scorbunny as they work to become the next Wizard King and Pokemon Master. How will they handle a world that looks down on them? Up to generation 8. Asta x Harem. Slightly smarter Asta.

8. Chapter 8: Showdown at Saussy Village!

I choose you, 3rd Dragneel!

*Pops out of a pokeball.*

What the? Oh… right. I have to come back for another chapter of Pokemon Clover… Which hasn't been updated in almost a year… wonderful.

In all seriousness, it's great to come back and write for this story again since it has been one I had fun writing so far, even though most of it is a retelling of the original story. Trust me, the original content I have planned for this story is gonna be fun, especially with certain changes I will make for some characters.

But that's for another time. ONTO THE REVIEWS!

MaMcMu: Jangomo-o would be a fitting choice for Asta… but there's an even better one.

Sesshoru: Hmmm… not a bad choice for Grey. Gotta think about it. Hope you like some of the other things set up for this story.

Fiction Realm: HAHAHAHA! Yeah. Solid is SCREWED.

Drake D Hero: I try my best to write, despite being full time.

Omni warrior: Who knows who Froakie will bond with.

Omniverse Nexus: Thank you!

BanRedfox: When Feebas evolves later on… it will be awesome.

RXWriter: Thanks for understanding the theme behind Noelle and Feebas.

Kenrio: Noelle, Mimosa and a few others.

Acw28: Thanks man! I'm glad you appreciate this story since I didn't think it would get this popular. As for some of your options, a few will go to other characters, but I appreciate the thought.

Last time: Asta and Noelle were given their first mission by captain Yami: to stop a pack of flame boars from attacking Saussy Village. Magna and his Pokemon went with them to ensure they would succeed and he even captured a wild Fletchling. However, their moment of calm was interrupted by a wild Froakie, who accused them of being trespassers. Before they could continue, an explosion erupted from Saussy Village, forcing the Magic Knights to investigate, unaware that Froakie would also go in that direction.

Will Asta and the others be able to protect the village? And why does Froakie care about Saussy Village? Let's find out…

"Why should I care about anyone? They always get in the way…"

That is the ideology that Froakie followed to heart. He just never really understood WHY anyone would waste time caring for another person.

Maybe it was because they were too weak to fend for themselves.

Maybe it was because they were just bored with their own miserable lives.

Or maybe… they just wanted something new.

Regardless, Froakie didn't need anyone to keep him entertained or happy.

"(Hey, jump in! The water's fine)!" A female Froakie called out, with two other male Froakies with her. A few feet away from her was a large, clear pond, with multiple creatures and Pokemon coming out to enjoy the water.

All except one specific Froakie, who was lazily napping on a tree branch, not a care in the world.

"(You can't stay up there forever)." The female Froakie told him with a frown, only for him to turn his back on her.

"(I don't like the noise. You go swim)." The lazy Froakie answered while scratching his ass.

"(Come on. He's just a lazy mon. Let him fall on his head for all I care)." One older Froakie told the female with a disgusted tone as he and another Froakie went to the pond. The female Froakie looked at the lazy Pokemon one last time before she made her way to the pond.

'(Finally. Some peace and quiet).' Was what the lazy Froakie was thinking as he let out a yawn. It bothered him how much the other Froakies tried to get him to join whatever stupid adventure they made up. They may all be the same species of Pokemon, but they were NOTHING alike.

*Snap*

A twig loudly snapped nearby, making the lazy Froakie groaned in annoyance as he slightly opened one eye just slightly, seeing a large shadow from behind a bush. '(Just go away)...'

*Rustle*

Hearing the bushes rustle even more, the lazy Froakie clicked his tongue before he started to get up. "(Last chance. You leave or you get splashed)." The Froakie warned in a serious tone, only for the bushes to rustle even more. "(Don't say I didn't warn ya. WATER PULSE)!" Jumping off the branch, Froakie created a sphere of water before tossing it to the bushes.

*SPLASH*

"YYYYYYYYAAAAAWWWWWW!" A voice unfamiliar to the Froakie rang in the air as the 'intruder' landed on their back, seemingly dropping whatever they were carrying. Landing behind the bushes, Froakie was about to launch another Water Pulse when he identified who it was that was stalking him.

"(A human)?" Froakie asked himself before he noticed the person move again, making him tense up.

"Owww… that stings." Sitting up while rubbing the back of his head was an old human man with strange clothes and a backpack on the ground. Opening his eyes, the old man noticed who was staring at him. "A Pokemon? Wait… a Froakie. I thought I recognized that body shape."

"(Why are you spying on me)?" Froakie questioned as he prepared another Water Pulse. "(And don't you lie)."

"Woah there! I come in peace!" The old man responded while raising his arms in surrender. "I wasn't trying to catch you. Honest." He reached into his pocket, making Froakie tense up as he pulled his arm back, Water Pulse at the ready.

But what the old man took out… was a small water canister.

"I'm just thirsty. It's been a hot day." The old man said before he began drinking from the canister, letting out a satisfied sigh. "Ahhh. Refreshing. I was actually on my way back to my village when I realized I was out of water. So I started to look around for any rivers or ponds nearby so I can refill it."

'(Oh… so he wanted water, huh)?' Froakie thought, though he was thoroughly scanning the old man to find any sign of a lie, but he found none. Maybe he was a bit too fast to accuse the human of doing something shady. With a sigh, Froakie deactivated his Water Pulse.

"Thank you. As much as I wouldn't mind getting splashed with water, getting hit by a Water Pulse isn't what I had in mind." The old man laughed in amusement while Froakie rolled his eyes, hopping back to his spot on the tree. Noticing the large pond and abundance of wildlife, the old man looked up at the Froakie that attacked him. "Aren't you going to jump in with your friends? Seems like a waste not to swim in this weather."

"(You do you, human. You do you)." Froakie lazily answered while waving a hand. Humming to himself, the old man went over to the pond, ignoring the Froakies looking at him as he refilled his canister.

'It's strange to see a water type that doesn't want to swim.' The old man thought before an idea popped in his head. Quietly, the old man began to sneak towards the lazy Froakie.

And without warning… the old man threw the water from his canister at the Froakie, causing him to wake up in shock.

"(WHAT THE)?!" The lazy Froakie shouted as he looked around, only to see the old man grinning at him. "(Why)?!"

"Glad to see you're awake, Froakie." The old man cheekily said before he gestured to the pond. "Now do you feel like coming in for a swim? I bet all your friends would want you to join."

The lazy Froakie's response was creating two Water Pulses, an angry expression plastered on his face.

"... Oh shit." Was all the old man could say as Froakie began throwing Water Pulse after Water Pulse.

Despite all the anger Froakie felt towards this old man… he couldn't deny that he was actually having some fun for once in a long time…

'Present time'

"HURRY YOUR ASSES UP!" Magna shouted as he continued to run through the forest as fast as he could. He, Asta and Noelle continued to run as fast as they could towards Saussy Village After seeing the smoke coming from said village, they decided to leave all the defeated flame boars and Bouffalant in order to see what was going on.

"(Why would the village be smoking? Is it a wildfire or something)?" Piplup asked while being carried by Noelle.

"(If there was, we'd be smelling the smoke by now)." Scorbunny told his fellow Pokemon while hopping next to Asta.

"You're acting more reckless than usual. Is Saussy Village that important to you?" Noelle couldn't help but ask Magna.

"If it wasn't for old man Seihi, then I wouldn't be the man I am today." Magna answered with a growl. "Rayaka Village, the place I grew up in, isn't too far from Saussy Village. Back then, I was a punk who got into trouble all the time."

'Was/(Was)?' Asta, Noelle and their Pokemon thought in unison with a mild sweatdrop.

"Ever since I got my Grimoire and caught Carkol as a Rolycoly, I got high on power and thought I was the toughest bastard around. I came to Saussy, thinking I could take over…" Magna began to recall his past.

'Saussy Village, a few years ago'

*BOOM*

"HELL YEAH!" Flying through the small village while riding his broom was none other than Magna Swing, who held a fireball in one hand while driving the Crazy Cyclone with the other. "You want some too?! HERE!" He tossed a fireball at the running villagers, who dodged in a panic. 'This is awesome! No one's gonna stop me!'

"HEY!" Magna looked over his shoulder and noticed Seihi running towards him with an angry expression."What do you think you're doing to my village, you damn brat?!"

"What, looking for a beating, old timer?" Magna mockingly asked as he lifted another fireball. "Alright. Bring it!"

"I won't be the one who gets a beating!" Seihi told Magna as he dodged fireball after fireball, taking out his gray Grimoire. "Go!" A circle of swords appeared around him before he launched them towards Magna, forcing him to dodge. However, no matter how fast he was, Magna was unable to prevent another set of magic swords from pinning him against a wall. "We aren't done yet."

Much to Magna's shock, Seihi used one of his swords to lower his pants, revealing his boxers to everyone. "Wait, wait, wait!"

*SMACK*SMACK*SMACK*

All Magna could do was scream as one of Seihi's swords began smacking his rear like a parent scolding their child. "What the hell, man?!" Magna shouted with an embarrassed blush.

"It's only right you get a spanking for all the trouble you caused." Seihi responded with a cheeky grin as everyone began to laugh.

"Screw… YOU!" Moving his pants, Magna was able to make one of his Pokeballs fall out. "Rolycoly, kick this guy's ass!"

The Pokeball opened up, revealing the first form of the Carkoal line, Rolycoly.

"(COME ON, HUMAN)!" Rolycoly shouted at Seihi before he began spinning at high speed, flying towards him.

"Hmmm… Nosepass." Seihi took out a Pokeball and threw it in the air, allowing it to open up.

Just as Rolycoly was about to hit Seihi… a large figure landed between them, much to the smaller Rock Pokemon's shock.

"(Behave)." The new Pokemon known as Nosepass told Rolycoly before he suddenly fell on top of Rolycoly, much to the horror of the smaller Pokemon.

'Flashback end'

"After that, me and Rolycoly kept trying to beat those two, but they always found a way to win. Eventually, Seihi convinced me to be a Magic Knight and if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have met Captain Yami." Magna finished recalling his past with Seihi before he gritted his teeth. "Which is why we gotta help him out!" With that, he began to pick up the pace, with Asta and Noelle following suit.

Eventually, the group was able to make it out of the forest and into a large opening, where they were able to see something they never expected.

"(What the heck)?" Was what Scorbunny asked as he and the others saw what looked like a large mist cloud surrounding where Saussy Village should be.

"That's some weird weather they have around here." Asta muttered.

"(I don't think this is natural)." Piplup mused, feeling something off about the mist.

"It's not the weather, idiot. That's magic." Noelle told Asta with a frown.

"Come on." Magna simply told them. The group made their way past the bridge, stopping just in front of the mist.

"Trying to make it through that is the same as walking in blind." Noelle informed the group, which was true.

"And we can't send in Rookidee or Fletchling since they don't have any spells that can get through." Magna growled in annoyance as he walked up to the mist. "A spell this powerful couldn't have come from any villager and it sure as hell ain't Seihi. Couple that with the explosion and we got ourselves a big problem. Asta, use your sword and cut through this mist!"

"Right!" Asta stepped forward… before he realized how dumb Magna's request was. "Awww, you're just being silly, Magna. No one can cut through mist with a sword."

"I'll give you silly, ya little punk!" Magna shouted as he glared at Asta. "That sword of yours can cut through magic, so it should work here too!"

"(Is he always this dumb)?" Pipulp whispered to Scorbunny in mild concern.

"(Ummm)..." Scorbunny turned his paw to the side a few times, giving a 'so-so' gesture.

"Let's do this!" Taking out his Anti Magic sword from his Grimoire, Asta swung it horizontally, clearing much of the mist. He then began to march forward as he continued to slash through the mist, with the others behind him. Slowly, more and more of the village started to become more visible.

"Feel that?" Magna asked Noelle with a serious tone, which she nodded.

"Yeah. There's strong magic ahead." Noelle answered with narrowed eyes. Scorbunny's ears suddenly picked up something in front of them, making him growl. "Scorbunny, is there someone ahead?"

"(There's definitely something big… and ugly)." Scorbunny responded as he hopped onto Asta's shoulder, pointing ahead. "(Asta, use Cut)!"

"Got it, buddy!" Even if he didn't understand what Scorbunny said, Asta slashed the mist in front of them, clearing another path.

But the moment he did… the others saw something that was shocking.

The entirety of Saussy Village were gathered in the center of the village, all on their knees while shivering in fear. As they looked closer, the Black Bulls and their Pokemon noticed several of the villagers had wounds on their bodies, indicating that they were attacked.

"What the hell…" Magna whispered before he and the others looked up… and noticed several icicles in the air, pointed at the villagers.

"Kill them." A chilling voice called out from the mist, causing all the icicles to fly towards the villagers, making them scream in horror.

"CARKOAL, INCINERATE!" Magna shouted as he ran forward, throwing in Carkoal's Pokeball while he summoned a fireball in his other hand. The Fire/Rock Pokemon came out and quickly assessed the situation.

"(BURN)!" Opening his mouth, Carkoal unleashed a torrent of flames while Magna threw his Explosive Scattershot. Both flame attacks struck the icicles, causing multiple small explosions to erupt in the air. The villagers finally acknowledged the newcomers and noticed their magic robes, much to their relief.

"Look, three Magic Knights!"

"Finally! We're saved!"

"Is everyone alright?" Magna asked everyone while he and the others walked up to the villagers before noticing a particular person. "Nick, what the hell's going on around here?"

This only seemed to upset the villagers as some of them moved out of the way, showing Magna something he didn't want to see.

Lying on the ground with a bloody spot on his shirt was none other than Seihi.

"SEIHI/(SEIHI)!" Magna and Carkoal quickly ran over to their fallen friend, with the former grabbing his shoulder and shaking him.

"Come on, old man! Wake up!" Magna practically begged, only to get a small groan from Seihi.

"W… Who is that?" Weakingly opening his eyes, Seihi was able to see Magna and Carkoal looking over him. "Mag… Magna… Carkoal…"

"(Don't scare us like that. Damn human)." Carkoal retort, though he was relieved to see the old man awake.

"Glad to see you're awake, old man." Magna chuckled as he tried to help Seihi up, only for him to groan in pain. "What's wrong?"

"My… my legs…" Seihi responded as he looked at his legs. "I… I can't feel them…"

This caused the Black Bulls to widen their eyes in horror as Magna turned Seihi around… only to find another bloody spot on his back.

"No… no…" Magna was having a hard time believing someone as stubbornly strong as Seihi could be hurt so badly.

"T-They're here… just like you saud, Grandpa." A young boy who seemed to be Seihi's grandson told his grandfather, though this didn't stop the tears from falling down.

"Wait… Nos… Nosepass…" Realizing his Pokemon partner wasn't around, Seihi tried his best to look around. "Where is… Nosepass?"

"(AAAAAAHHHHHHH)!" As if on cue, a large figure suddenly crashed in front of them, making the villagers jump back. The being that crash landed was none other than Seihi's Nosepass, who was covered in frostbite and scratches on his body.

"Oh my Arceus! It's Nosepass!"

"Someone managed to beat it?"

"We're doomed!"

Of course, seeing the defeated form of Nosepass did little to quell the villagers of their fear as Asta quickly ran over to help Nosepass.

"Hang on! You're gonna be alright!" Asta reassured Nosepass as he tried to help the Rock Pokemon up, only to fail due to his heavy weight.

"(Are you alright? Who did this to you)?" Scorbunny asked the larger Pokemon, who groaned as he barely lifted his stubby arm forward.

"(Th… Them)..." Was all Nosepass was able to say before he passed out from exhaustion. The clock on the church hit the twelfth hour, letting out a large ring as Magna lifted his head.

"Hey! Are you responsible?!" Magna shouted as he saw a group of strange mages and a Beartic sitting on the steps of the church, as if waiting for their presence to be seen.

They said nothing as the leader looked at his pocket watch, waiting for a certain time to be reached. "(Hey! We're talking to you)!" Carkoal roared in anger, smoke shooting out his back.

"You've thrown me off my schedule." The leader known as Heath spoke up with a dissatisfied tone. "I don't appreciate that." He looked up and gave a soulless gaze. "Ten seconds from now… everyone will be dead." Without saying another word, Heath raised his hand as his Grimoire hovered over his palm. Then, a large ball of ice formed in front of him, aimed straight at the villagers.

And then, it was launched.

'Damn! Even with Carkoal and Scorbunny helping out, we won't be able to burn through it!' Magna thought in frustration as the ice ball continued to get closer to the villagers.

*Slash*

However, a lone figure ran past Magna and slashed through the ice ball with no problem, courtesy of Asta. "Scorbunny, Ember!" Asta shouted at his Pokemon partner as he jumped on his shoulder, leaping in the air.

"(This is for the villagers)!" Scorbunny opened his mouth and unleashed a barrage of small ember flames at Heath.

"(RRRRRAAAAHHHH)!" However, Beartic suddenly stepped forward and slammed Scorbunny's attack via Hammer Arm, despite how effective it was on him. "(Try that again and I'll tear you apart)." Beartic growled angrily at Scorbunny. Asta took the chance to take out his Magic Mirror.

"Beartic, the Freezing Pokemon. It swims energetically through frigid seas. When it gets tired, it freezes the seawater with its breath so it can rest on the ice. Try and take this Pokemon's fish. I dare you." Ash's Magic Mirror informed him.

"If you think you can kill anyone, think again!" Asta declared while glaring at Heath and his allies. "Why would you do something so horrible? These people did nothing to you!" All Heath did was sigh, letting out an icy breath.

'They don't look like Diamond Kingdom spies or a bunch of random bandits. So, they must be here for a reason.' Magna thought before he shook his head. Now was not the time to figure out these bastards' reasons for attacking the village.

"The Black Bulls. The roughest and most disrespected Magic Knights Squad in all of Clover." Heath began to explain while looking at his watch again. "Dealing with this riff raff is a waste of precious time. Five minutes." He looked up once again. "Now, we will dispose of these filthy villagers in a manner befitting them, then we'll find what we're looking for."

"DON'T IGNORE US!" Asta rushed towards Heath, gripping his sword as he prepared to strike the enemy.

"Mist Magic: Shroud. Illusory Mist." One of the hooded mages extended his hand before he shot a mist towards Asta, blocking his vision.

"That won't work!" Like before, Asta swung his sword, slashing though the magic mist.

However… he failed to take into account who else would attack him.

"(BRICK BREAK)!" Beartic appeared in front of Asta, lifting his right arm up as he prepared to strike down Asta. Noticing this, Asta quickly raised his sword up, blocking Beartic's Brick Break, though the force behind it still sent him flying back.

"(Get away from him)!" Scorbunny hopped towards Beartic and kicked him in the face, only for the large ice bear-like Pokemon to smack him away like a fly.

"Scorbun-AAHHH!" Asta was unable to finish yelling as Beartic pushed him back several feet, though he stood his ground.

'So that is how they cut through my magic earlier. How annoying.' Heath thought while letting out another icy sigh. 'I don't know what magic that is, but it can nullify magic. But judging by Beartic's attack, it's only barely effective against physical strikes.'

"I asked why you're trying to kill all these villagers! They didn't do anything to you!" Asta shouted at Heath in anger.

"In this kingdom, there are three regions: the Common, the Noble and the Forsaken realms." Heath told them like it was a fact. "Saussy village is in the Forsaken realm. Most in this realm are inferior stock, which means their magic potential is barely useful. Like Pokemon who can only use one attack and nothing more." He looked at his hand. "You ask why I am attacking these villagers. To put it simply, I'm disposing of these useless creatures that might waste my time."

"Useless beasts?!" Asta repeated, tightening his grip on his sword.

"Consider yourself." Heath gestured to Asta. "You have the power needed to become a Magic Knight. The only reason you're protecting them is because that is your duty. But even you must see that protecting such weaklings is a simple waste of time. Wouldn't it be more beneficial to simply let them die?"

"(The nerve of this guy)!" Piplup shouted with an angry tone. He knew from his time with the Silvas that there were people who saw commoners as nothing but trash, yet hearing someone outright want to murder humans was disgusting.

"You might think they're just weaklings who don't have anything…" Asta muttered, his bangs shadowing his expression before he gritted his teeth. "But I'll do whatever it takes to keep them alive!" He finished his declaration by raising his sword at Heath once again.

"(And you aren't alone)!" Scorbunny hopped next to Asta, ready to take down these jerks.

'Hehehe… I'm glad… Magna found… good friends…' Seihi thought with a small chuckle, happy to hear Asta's declaration.

"I see. So these pathetic animals are worth protecting?" Heath asked as he created several more icicles, this time aimed at Asta.

"Go ahead! I'll just cut down that ice ag-" Before Asta could finish, another shroud of magic mist began surrounding him and the villagers.

"(Magna, we got a problem)!" Carkoal called out as he could vaguely see some of the icicles appeared in the mist.

"Carkoal, use Incinerate to give us some light!" Magna ordered his Pokemon, who unleashed another torrent of flames from his mouth, though this time, it was launched upwards. Thanks to the flames, everyone could now see more and more icicles surrounding them.

"Ice and Mist Compound Magic: Endless Ice Cage." Heath narrowed his eyes. "Beartic, Blizzard."

"(Freeze, weaklings)!" Opening his mouth, Beartic launched a large wave of snow and ice, making all the villagers and Black Bulls cover up from the cold.

"I-I-I-It's t-t-to c-c-cold!" Noelle stuttered while trying to hold down her skirt due to the wind coming from Beartic's Blizzard.

"Can you protect your pathetic beasts now, Magic Knight?" Heath asked rhetorically. "Because even with your Pokemon partners, you can't keep all of them safe." Asta and Magna both glared hatefully at Heath, though he was unaffected. "I've never been particularly fond of doing things slowly but surely. However, today I will make an exception." With that, he launched all the icicles at the villagers.

Asta quickly went to work, cutting down as many of the icicles as he could. Magna, Scorbunny, Carkoal and even Piplup did their best to take down the icicles… though three in particular were heading towards Seihi and his grandson. "NNNOOOOO!"

(Water Pulse)!" Before the icicles could hit, two spheres of water came from the mist, destroying them.

"(Wait… I know that voice)!" Scorbunny gasped in realization before a small creature hopped from one of the roofs of the village buildings, landing near Seihi.

The savior was none other than the wild Froakie from earlier, who quickly rushed over to Seihi's side.

"Froakie?!" Asta shouted as he, Noelle and Magna looked at the wild Pokemon in shock. None of them expected Froakie to actually come to Saussy Village, especially since it didn't seem like it was associated with anyone.

"(Seihi)!" Froakie shouted in concern as he shook Seihi, who groaned before he turned towards the Water Pokemon.

"Huh… Froakie?" Seihi whispered as he looked at said Pokemon before smiling. "Well… about time… you showed up…"

"Hang on. You know this Froakie, Seihi?" Magna asked with a surprised tone, not expecting these two to have met.

"You can say… he's a friend…" Seihi answered before he weakingly reached out and rubbed Froakie's head. "Thank you…" Froakie frowned as he moved Seihi's hand off his head before he turned towards the attackers with a glare.

"A wild Froakie? This is getting more and more time consuming." Heath complained as some of the icicles around him suddenly disappeared. "That sword of yours not only cancels magic, but it can reflect it. But even so, I can create more and more waves of Icy Fangs. Eventually, you won't be able to protect yourself or anyone." Like before, Heath launched his icicles at the villagers.

Asta swung his sword to cut them down.

Scorbunny fired a wave of Ember to melt some of the ice.

"Damn it!" Magna shouted as he threw several fireballs to counter the icy attack.

"(Burn)!" Carkoal melted more of the icicles via Incinerate.

"(Bubblebeam)!" Piplup fired a barrage of bubbles from his mouth, shattering more of the icicles.

"(You'll pay for hurting Seihi)!" Froakie shouted as he threw Water Pulse after Water Pulse at any coming icicles, destroying them efficiently.

"Nice one, Froakie!" Asta complimented Froakie with a thumbs up, only for Froakie to scoff at him. 'Sheesh. Talk about a cold shoulder.'

'This is bad. Asta and I can't keep protecting the villagers. Even with Carkoal and the others, we can't launch an offensive like this. What's worse: I'm starting to run out of magic.' Magna thought as he continued to throw another barrage of fireballs. 'But if these bastards think we'll give up, then they're even stupider than I thought!' "This is the power of a commoner, you jerks!" Magna's brave words began to lift the spirits of some of the villagers, who were in awe from what was happening.

"(This is getting annoying. Let me crush them, Heath)." Beartic asked his human partner with an annoyed tone, though Heath looked at his watch once again.

"How long could they last?" He muttered as a ball of water flew towards his fellow mages, only for it to crash on the ground.

"Damn…" Noelle muttered in anger, disappointed that she couldn't land a hit. They needed to protect the villagers, yet she couldn't even help fight back.

"(It's okay, Noelle! I know you can do it)!" Piplup cheered as he continued to fire his Bubblebeam, though he seemed to be growing more tired.

"Screw it!" Reaching out for another Pokeball, Magna threw it in the air. "Timburr, Rock Smash!"

"(Here comes the pain)!" Coming out the Pokeball, Timburr clenched his right fist and he fell towards Heath.

"Beartic, take down that piece of garbage." Heath simply told his Pokemon, who grinned ferociously.

"(Good)." Chuckling to himself, Beartic pulled his arm back before swinging it towards Timburr, causing their attacks to clash. Jumping back to the ground, Timburr began swinging his log at Beartic, who kept blocking it with his large arms as they began to move away from the others.

Despite their best efforts, the Black Bulls and their Pokemon were unable to stop a few icicles from flying through, cutting some of the villagers.

"Such fragile beasts. Unable to even protect themselves." Heath muttered with a disappointed tone. "Let them die, Magic Knights. Live to fight another day."

"And abandon them?! Like hell we'd do that!" Asta shouted as he cut down another icicle, with Scorbunny destroying another from piercing the magicless teen.

"A real man doesn't give up on anyone! No matter where they come from!" Magna added as he blew up another wave of icicles.

'(Even if they aren't from around here, they're fighting to protect Seihi and everyone here… humans are strange).' Froakie thought as he looked at Asta curiously. Not only did he protect Scorbunny from their fight earlier, but he was risking his life to keep everyone in Saussy village alive. Maybe… this human wasn't so bad.

'What's wrong with me? I'm royalty, yet I can't do anything.' Noelle thought dreadfully as she looked at her trembling hand. Even with Piplup helping them, the truth was that Noelle was as helpful as the frightened villagers, and that didn't bode well for her.

"(Look out)!" Carkoal quickly launched another Incinerate that was about to stab Noelle, making her frown even more.

'All I'm doing is holding them back. If I wasn't here…' She bit her lower lip as she began to back away. 'I should just go. Piplup is more useful to them here than me.' Noelle prepared to leave the village… when a hand tugged at her skirt.

"Please don't go!" A young girl begged Noelle with tears in her eyes. "Miss Magic Knight, please help. We need you!"

Seeing such a little girl beg for help tugged at Noelle's heart strings. For a moment, she saw herself in the girl, and that made her mad.

'What am I doing?! This little girl is begging me to help!' Feeling a sense of determination in her chest, Noelle stood strong as her Grimoire suddenly began to glow brightly, something that caught everyone's attention. 'I WILL PROTECT HER!'

"What the?" Asta and Magna looked back at Noelle with wide eyes.

"(Do it, Noelle! Show them you aren't worthless)!" Piplup cheered his partner on. Suddenly, the Grimoire opened up, going through several pages until it reached a blank section. Then, writing began to appear on it, much to Noelle's surprise.

"A… new spell?" Noelle read what was on her Grimoire and widened her eyes. Clenching her fists, Noelle kneeled down and slammed her hands on the ground, causing a wave of water to begin surrounding everyone. "Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon's Lair!"

Soon, a large barrier of water was created, protecting the villagers from any more attacks.

"(Holy crap. She did this)?" Carkoal asked no one in particular, amazed that the royal brat who couldn't even launch an attack could do something this amazing.

"(Looks like it)." Scorbunny commented, equally shocked by this.

"(I told you Noelle isn't worthless. After all, she IS my partner)." Piplup couldn't help but gloat, though inwardly, he was shocked. '(Oh my Arceus, she learned her first official spell! I'm so proud of you, Noelle! I was worried I'd run out of magic before that)!

"You're amazing…" The little girl whispered in genuine awe.

Heath scoffed as he launched more of his icicles at the barrier, only for it to shatter once again.

"Well, that wasn't as hard as I thought." Noelle admitted with a nervous smile.

"Ya see? You'll never know what you're capable of if you don't try!" Magna encouraged Noelle with a grin.

'How is this even possible? She is a member of the Black Bulls, yet she has so much power.' Heath thought as he tried to process this, unaware of the assault that was coming.

*SPLASH*

Asta let out a battle cry as he busted through Noelle's water shield, rushing towards Heath once again. This time, since Beartic was busy against Magna's Timburr, he might finally land a hit! "I don't have a single drop of magic power in me!" Asta told Heath before he slammed the front of his sword into the ice mage's stomach. "But I'll still beat you without it!"

*Cough*

Heath actually coughed out blood, shocked that a boy as idiotic as Asta was able to get the jump on him.

"Master Heath!" The other mages called out in horror. Beartic actually looked away from his tussle with Timburr and gasped.

"(HEATH)!" Beartic shouted in anger, ready to tear apart the tiny human.

"(Rock Throw)!" Using the chance to strike, Timburr slammed his log onto a large chunk of debris, launching it towards Beartic. It struck Beartic's face, leaving a visible bruise on it. "(Don't look away, fur face)!"

This didn't seem to affect Beartic as he looked at Timburr with a look of pure fury. Clenching his arm, Beartic swung it towards Timburr, smacking the Fighting Pokemon into a nearby building.

"Hehe…" Much to Asta's shock, he heard Heath chuckle as he smiled. Looking down, Asta realized his mistake.

'I slipped on his ice and killed the momentum. Damn!' Asta thought in irritation.

"Your sword can nullify magic, but it can only do so much against a normal human like you." Landing on his feet, Heath launched his counterattack. "Die."

*Stab*

A large icicle rose from the ground, stabbing Asta in the stomach as he coughed out blood.

"(ASTA)!" Scorbunny shouted in horror and anger, witnessing his partner being stabbed by such an underhanded technique. Asta landed hard on the ground, releasing his sword. Scorbunny ran through the water barrier, ignoring the pain he felt from it, before he rushed to Asta's side. "(Hey. Stay with me! Asta)!"

"Hmmm. It seems you trained your pet well if it was willing to run through a barrier of water." Heath confessed while wiping the blood off his mouth, walking past the two.

"(You'll pay for that)!" Scorbunny fired another Ember attack, though Heath was able to block it with his ice before he shot another icicle at Scorbunny, striking his chest and sending him crashing to the ground.

"Sleep, you little fools. For eternity." Heath coldly told Asta and Scirbunny as he stopped in front of the barrier. "I admit there is a tremendous amount of magic power behind this barrier. However… it is only a matter of time before it shatters." Reaching out, Heath began to release a small amount of magic from his hand. "Still, I should be able to open it enough to allow one person to go inside." With that, ice began to form on part of the barrier, much to the shock of everyone inside. "25 seconds should more than suffice." Slowly, the ice continued to spread over the barrier. "You pesky creatures do enjoy wasting my time, don't you? No matter. You'll all pay the price."

*Splash*

Froakie suddenly jumped out of the water barrier, two Water Pulses in each hand. "(GET OUT OF HERE)!" With that, he threw the Water Pulses at Heath.

"Ice Punch." Was all Heath said as he glanced over to Froakie. Before the Water Pulses could strike, Beartic appeared and took them head on, taking little damage. With a feral grin, Beartic pulled his arm back as it began to glow.

"(Bugs like you should die)!" Beartic roared before he thrusted a hard punch into Froakie's stomach, making the Bubble Pokemon gasp in pain. Much to his shock, ice began to cover his body, save for his head, as he crashed next to Scorbunny.

"FROAKIE!" Magna and Noelle both shouted in unison.

'I don't have enough magic power left and that Beartic is hella strong if it can take out Scorbunny and Timburr.' Magna thought as sweat ran down his face. If he decided to bring out his new Fletchling, it wouldn't last a minute due to the ice power from Heath and Beartic. Not to mention even Carkoal wouldn't be able to handle an attack from the bear-like Pokemon. 'Still, we can't give up. Flame and ice. Going by attribute logic, I should be the one who dominates. Still, the difference between our power is too much that even that won't matter.' A nervous grin appeared on Magna's face. 'Sorry, Yami sir. But this is a fight that I can't win.'

*SMACK*

Heath suddenly let out a gasp as he felt two kicks strike the back of his head. "(What the)?!" Beartic turned his head and saw none other than Scorbunny kicking his human partner.

"We aren't done yet!" Before Beartic could attack Scorbunny, Asta appeared behind him and slammed his sword into his stomach, making the Ice Pokemon gasp before he was sent crashing into a nearby wagon.

"FOOLS!" Angered by this, Heath launched another ice pillar towards Asta and Scorbunny. The Fire Pokemon was able to jump away in the nick of time…

"GAHH!" However, the same could not be said for Asta as the ice attack sent him flying back.

"ASTA!" Magna called out.

"So that last attack didn't kill you. For a magicless idiot, you really are annoyingly persistent." Heath confessed while rubbing the back of his head. He glanced over and saw Beartic stand up, growling in anger as he rubbed the spot Asta struck. "Can you fight?"

"(Yeah. Little fool is strong)." Beartic admitted as he glared at the fallen Magic Knight.

"Your wounds should be settling in, little bug." Heath told Asta as he tried to stand back up, though the stab wounds from the ice mage's attacks were starting to kick in. "It's difficult to use that sword, isn't it?"

"I… said… WE AREN'T DONE!" Ignoring the pain as best he could, Asta gripped his sword and rushed Heath once again. "Scorbunny, Flame Charge!"

"(On it)!" Igniting his body in flames, Scorbunny rushed towards Heath.

"And I'm no boar to be pinned!" Once again, Heath launched another series of ice pillars, forcing Scorbunny to bounce off each of the tips before he rushed towards him.

"Night Slash!" Beartic quickly got in the way and swung a dark magic-covered claw towards Scorbunny, causing the two attacks to clash. However, due to his strength, Beartic was able to throw Scorbunny to the side.

"You'll pay for that!" Asta swung his sword at Beartic, only for him to catch it with both hands.

"(Nice try, bug)." Beartic grinned menacingly before using his free hand to slash Asta's side, making him scream in pain as blood gushed out.

"(No)!" Froakie grabbed a nearby rock with his unfrozen hand and began to slam it on his ice covered body, trying to free himself. He wasn't going to let the short, loud human and his Pokemon partner die for Saussy Village.

"(No way)..." Piplup muttered while gulping heavily. He knew Asta and Scorbunny were a strong duo, yet they were getting beaten down like nothing.

"I'm not… done yet!" Asta once again stood up, using one of his hands to cover his wound.

"How persistent." Heath shook his head in disappointment before he looked over to Beartic. "Finish him off. And don't take too long."

"(Got it)." Beartic answered with a dark chuckle as he marched over to Asta. Clenching his claws, Beartic swung them on Asta, who tried to block each attack with his sword. However, Beartic's natural strength made it difficult as he was hit back to back. Everyone could only watch as Asta slowly began to fall on his knees.

Magna watched the entire thing happen in front of him. Watching his junior Magic Knight getting the crap beaten out of him as he and Noelle could only watch.

And then… he remembered what Seihi told him long ago.

'Flashback'

"Really?! You actually did it?" Seihi asked Magna with a surprised tone. A smile appeared on the older man's face as he put his hands on his hips. "Wonderful. I knew you could pull it off. That means you aren't some street punk anymore."

Reaching into his pocket, Seihi pulled out a Grimoire holder with a skull and crossbones on it. "What the hell's that?" Magna couldn't help but ask.

"Go on. Take it." Seihi told him like it was the simplest thing in the world.

"Oh… thanks." Taking the holder, Magna attached it to his side before putting his Grimoire inside. "Huh. It fits." Striking a pose, Magna gave Seihi a smirk. "Well?"

"Looks good on you." Seihi answered honestly. "Now go and be the man I know you can be. And make sure you get a strong team together."

"Right!" Magna told Seihi before a thought occurred. "But before that…" He took out Rolycoly's Pokeball and aimed it at Seihi. "How about one last fight?"

Realizing what he meant, Seihi matched Magna's smirk before he took out Nosepass' Pokeball. The two let their Pokemon out to battle one last time. It was rough for Rolycoly as Nosepass had more experience, but much to Seihi's shock, Magna was able to come up with some interesting tactics that pushed them.

In the middle of the battle, Rolycoly suddenly began to glow before he evolved into Carkoal, shocking Magna. Thanks to the sudden evolution, Carkoal and Magna was finally able to beat Nosepass, making Seihi proud.

'Flashback end'

Just remembering Seihi's words from deep within his subconscious sparked a fire in Magna's chest.

"Don't worry. I'm gonna do it, Seihi. I won't give up yet!" Magna declared before he punched himself, making Noelle jump a bit in surprise.

"(Why'd he do that)?!" Piplup questioned in shock.

"(Cause Magna's fired up)." Carkoal answered with a happy grin, knowing the look on his partner's face.

"Noelle, we can get out of your spell easily enough, right?" Magna asked the Royal.

"W-Well yes. We should be." Noelle answered in an unsure tone, which was to be expected.

"You and Piplup stay with the villagers." Magna informed her as he began to walk forward. "Carkoal, let's go."

"(Right)." Carkoal then began to walk next to his human partner.

"Hang on, Magna! Carkoal's weak to water!" One of the villagers called out, only for their warning to be ignored.

"You don't stand a chance against us. Why not accept that and give up?" Heath asked Asta as Beartic continued to pummel down the magicless Black Bull.

"If I gave up… who would protect them?" Asta replied as he quickly caught Beartic's paw, much to the surprise of the Ice Pokemon. "I realized something." He lifted his head and gave Heath a look of determination. "Sooner or later, I'm gonna be the Wizard King! But that's not about keeping a promise or bonding with every Pokemon I meet. It's about keeping everyone safe."

"You? The Wizard King? What a ridiculous and unreal dream." Heath scoffed before he looked at his watch. "In a minute, you'll be dead. Beartic, finish this."

"(Ha! This little bug just won't stop, will he)?" Beartic laughed at Asta's declaration. He was preparing to swing his claw when a rock suddenly hit the side of his head.

"(Keep talking and I'll shove a Water Pulse down your throat)!" The attacker was none other than Froakie, who had freed himself while glaring at Beartic. "(That human might be loud. He might not have anything special besides that sword. But what he is… is someone I think should live! So I'm not letting you do anything to kill him)!" Suddenly, Froakie's body began to glow a bright blue aura.

"Hmmm. Torrent. The hidden ability that increases a Water Pokemon's power." Heath admitted with a somewhat impressed tone. "Regardless, neither of you will survive."

"That's not gonna happen, frosty!" Emerging out of the water barrier with fire covering their body was none other than Magna Swing and Carkoal. The Pokemon had steam bursting from his back, as going through the water was able to activate his Steam Engine ability. "You wanna go after them, you gotta go through us!"

"(That goes double for you, fur face! I'll crush you for what you did to Timburr)!" Carkoal declared as he glared at Beartic.

"Magna? Carkoal? What are you doing?" Asta asked in genuine surprise.

"Hehehe. You and I are the real men, Asta! And real men fight to the very end!" Magna declared with a look of pure confidence.

"Going out of your way for an early death." Heath stated with a frown. "Thirty seconds." The other mages all prepared their spells to assist him.

"Asta, Froakie! Ready?" Magna told them with a grin. Asta blinked in confusion at what Magna was talking about as he took out his Grimoire. "Time for a baptism."

'Baptism? What does he-' Asta's eyes widened as he realized what Magna meant.

"Here we go!" Extending his arm, Magna began to concentrate magic into his right hand. "This is all the magic power I have left!" His whole body was covered in flames before they entered his hand, creating a sizable fireball. "My very Soul Ball!" The fireball continued to grow as Magna stepped forward.

"Beartic!" Heath called out as his Pokemon roared.

"(I'll rip you apa-AHHH)!" Before Beartic could do anything, Carkoal rammed into his stomach.

"(You're not gonna touch Magna)!" Carkoal shouted as he tried his best to push Beartic. Growling in anger, Beartic began to smash his arm onto Carkoal's back, making the Fire/Rock Pokemon grunt.

"FLAME MAGIC: PRISON DEATH SCATTERSHOT!" With a battle cry, Magna unleashed a barrage of fireballs towards Heath and his allies.

"So, this is your final stand? A pathetic flame spell?" Heath questioned with an unimpressed tone as he created an ice barrier, blocking some of the fireballs. "What a complete waste of time." Once all the fireballs were thrown, Magna fell forward, having exhausted all his magic.

"(JUST… LAY… DOWN… AND… DIE)!" With each word, Beartic smashed his arms on Carkoal, cracking his rocky skin chunk by chunk.

"(Not… until… he's done)." Carkoal attempted before he looked up. "(Ready)?"

"Now just die." Heath summoned several icicles in the air, aimed right at Magna while Beartic prepared one last Hammer Arm.

"NOT YET!" Suddenly, Asta jumped in the air, firmly gripping his sword as the last of Magna's fireballs flew towards him. He then slammed the side of his sword onto the fireballs, gathering them up and aiming them at Heath and the other mages, much to their shock.

'He's reflecting the spell?!' Heath thought with wide eyes before all the fireballs bounced off the sword, flying into them.

"(NOW)!" Above Beartic and Carkoal was Froakie, who created a Water Pulse that was a bit larger than his own body, aimed straight at the former. With a grunt, Froakie threw his massive Water Pulse down.

"(There's my cue)!" Charging all his magic in his body, Carkoal let out a scream as his entire body began to glow. "(INCINERATE)!" With that, he unleashed a powerful burst of flames out of his body, burning Beartic's front body.

"(RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH)!" Feeling the intense flames hit his body, Beartic screamed in pain as he tried to lift Carkoal. However, he was then hit in the back by Froakie's enhanced Water Pulse. "(I… CAN'T… LOSE)!" However, both strong attacks were too much as Beartic was engulfed in an explosion, sending Carkoal crashing on his side.

Magna opened his eyes and noticed none of the icicles had hit him. "I'm alive?" Looking around, he soon found a smaller water barrier surrounding him.

"You can thank me later, street punk." Noelle called out while flipping her hair. However, on the inside... 'Oh my gosh! I can't believe I can control my magic power! This is amazing!'

'(She so didn't plan that).' Piplup thought with a chuckle.

"You can't just keep your mouth shut, huh? Freaking royal." Magna jokingly told her with a grin.

Back with Heath, the ice mage let out a groan as he slowly pushed himself up. Though the same couldn't be said for his allies, who were all knocked out. 'The flames… they aren't going out.' Heath thought as he looked over to Beartic, who remained on his back, unconscious. 'No matter. I'll freeze them and-'

Before he could use his magic… Asta. Scorbunny AND Timburr suddenly jumped over him.

"It's not over! We're gonna take you down!" Asta declared as he raised his sword up.

"(Someone who tries killing innocent people doesn't deserve to have a Grimoire)!" Scorbunny added, his feet raised high.

"(Not to mention you hurt old man Seihi and the villagers)!" Timburr shouted as he pulled his log back.

"No… you can't!" Heath tried to summon ice pillars, but due to the flames and how much damage he took, it was in vain.

"HYAH!" Asta slammed his sword onto Heath's right shoulder, cutting through some of his flesh. Scorbunny kicked Heath in the head while Timburr smashed his log into his back.

'I… I lost? To this… boy… and… their… Pokemon?' Heath thought as he slowly began to fall back, his vision going blurry. 'If… if only… we were more… like you… master…' All that came out Heath's mouth was a groan of pain before he crashed on the ground.

"They… they actually did it." Seihi's grandson muttered in awe.

"Are we safe now?" The little girl asked Noelle, who smiled down at her.

"Yes. He won't hurt you anymore." Noelle reassured the girl.

"(Alright! We won)!" Piplup cheered while hopping up and down.

"(Glad that's over)." Carkoal admitted while getting back on his feet, though he soon crashed down on his stomach from exhaustion. "(Damn. Guess all those punches hurt more than I thought)." He then glanced over to Froakie, who was sitting on his butt. "(Good job, kid)."

"(I owed Seihi and the village)." Froakie confessed before he looked over to Asta. '(Still, to think he was pushing himself, even after getting stabbed like that. I guess there are humans stronger than Seihi).'

"Good job, you two." Asta thanked Scorbunny and Timburr, who also fell on their butts, though they did give him a thumbs up. Much to Asta's surprise, Magna's flames wrapped around Heath's body, forming chains to keep him in place.

"Don't worry. It's my Flame Binding Magic: Flame Bondage Formation." Magna explained with a grin as he stood up. "There's no way these bastards are escaping now." Like with Heath, the other mages and even Beartic were wrapped in flame chains.

"You're more impressive than I thought." Noelle confessed, much to Magna's annoyance.

"(Huh)?" Scorbunny suddenly picked up the sound of a Grimoire opening. Turning his head, his eyes widened as one of the mages woke up, looking for a spell. "(Guys)!" The humans seemed to hear him as they turned and saw the mage's body turn into water, slipping through the flame chains.

"Seems your follow through leaves a lot to be desired." Noelle retorted with a blunt tone.

But just as Noelle said this, her water barrier deactivated, causing water to fall onto everyone.

"(Kinda spoke too soon, Noelle)." Piplup told his partner, not bothered by the water.

"And what was that about a follow up, miss royalty?!" Magna countered with a mocking grin, much to Noelle's embarrassment.

"Hehehe… you never… change… Magna…" Seihi chuckled weakingly. 'To see how strong you've gotten. Not to mention your fellow Magic Knights and Pokemon. Good for you, Magna.' Soon, the mist around the village disappeared, allowing the sun to shine on everyone. Though, Asta still kept his attention on the fallen Heath in case he tried something.

"See? You like that?" Asta told Heath, even though he was knocked out. "I won! A commoner beat you!" Clenching his sword, Asta raised his head in the sky and screamed. "YYYYEEEEAAAAAHHHHH!"

Everyone watched him scream before he collapsed, finally succumbing to his wounds.

"(Asta)!" Scorbunny, Timburr and Froakie quickly ran over to Asta to see if he was alright.

"You good, man?!" Magna asked as he too ran to see Asta.

*Snore*

Their concerns were unneeded as Asta was seen snoring peacefully, all his adrenaline drained from his body. "(... are you freaking kidding me)?!" Timburr asked while scratching his head before smirking. "(Eh. I guess the guy deserved a break. We all do)."

"Come on, Asta. Don't sleep on the job!" Magna complained while facepalming.

"(That's Asta for you. One minute, he's hyper. The next, he's snoring)." Scorbunny chuckled at his partner.

"What a reckless fool." Noelle added, though her cheeks were slightly pink. 'He's loud, obnoxious, impulsive… but he's also kind of amazing.'

"He really saved us."

"But he's still just a kid."

"Is he really a commoner like us?" The villagers all surrounded Asta, looking at the snoring boy in wonder. Despite him being young and with no magic, he still fought tooth and nail to save them.

"Thank you all for saving us." One of the villagers told Magna, Noelle and their Pokemon with a smile on his face.

"It was nothing." Magna answered bashfully.

"We were simply doing our duty." Noelle replied while looking away, though she was a bit embarrassed by the praise. Timburr and Carkoal both grinned, Piplup puffed out his chest and Scorbunny was smiling.

"(Human… no, Asta)." Froakie continued to look at Asta curiously. "(Thank you for helping the village)." He knew Asta wasn't awake, but he still felt like thanking him. But he was brought out of his thoughts when something began to move from Asta's back, only for the Anti-Magic Bird from before to come out. "(What)?"

"Is that an Anti-Magic Bird? What does he have one?" One of the villagers pointed out. Everyone looked at the new arrival in confusion. Then, the bird flew out of Asta's Magic Robe and flew away without a care in the world.

But that didn't matter to anyone.

Right now, they were safe.

'Some time later'

Heath let out a small groan as he slowly began to open his eyes. He soon found himself leaning against Saussy Village's church, with Magna's flame chains still wrapped around him. Looking around, he noticed his accomplices and Beartic(who had flame chains wrapped around his mouth) next to him.

"Well, well. Look who's awake." Magna said with a cocky tone as he, Asta, Noelle, Scorbunny and Piplup stood in front of him. He then pointed a finger at them. "And now we just gotta wait until my power comes back so we can haul your asses on the Crazy Cyclone to the Capital." Heath simply scoffed. "You're gonna pay for all the crap you did here, including hurting Seihi and Nosepass."

"(Let me peck them! I never got to land a hit)!" Piplup shouted as he was ready to attack the intruders, only for Scorbunny to hold him back.

"(Relax! You'll get your chance)." Scorbunny urged the Water Pokemon, making their partners sweatdrop at this.

"You're gonna spill everything, including who you jerks are and what you're after." Magna added with an angry growl. "The Magic Knights'll get it ALL out."

"They will not." Heath finally spoke up, cutting Magna off. "The end times are upon us."

'(I guess this is it).' Beartic thought with a grim expression. Suddenly, a light began to glow from within Heath and his allies' bodies, much to everyone's shock.

"These crazy bastards have a magic item inside them?!" Magna asked out loud in horror.

"Engage Ice Magic: Ice Burial." Was all Heath said to activate the spell. Then, all their bodies were covered completely in ice.

"(They froze themselves)?" Piplup asked with a gasp.

*Crack*

Before anyone could do anything… the ice shattered, causing the bodies of Heath, Beartic and the other mages to turn to nothing but ice shards. Heath's Grimoire, which was held by Magna, then began to disappear due to its holder's death. All that was left of them was the pocket watch Heath had.

"(D… Did they just… die)?" Scorbunny asked with wide eyes. He and the others were not expecting something like THIS to happen.

"They'd go this far just to say quiet?" Magna muttered as his hand shook a bit from shock. Sure, they were assholes and deserved to get punished. But even he thought they didn't deserve to die.

"How could they?" Asta spoke up while looking down. "Why would they just throw away their lives like that?! I'll never understand these people!"

"(Asta)..." Scorbunny reached out and rubbed his partner's leg to calm him down. He knew death was something Asta never liked, so seeing these men and Beartic commit suicide definetely had an affect on him.

"Come on. Let's go check on Seihi." Magna told his rookies as he watched over and picked up the watch.

'Late afternoon'

"Good to see you're still up, Nosepass." Seihi told his Pokemon partner with a grin, sitting on a makeshift wheelchair as they stood outside the windmill. The late afternoon sun shined over them as they looked over the cliff in peace.

"(Can't say the same about you)." Nosepass told Seihi while looking over to him with a sad expression. Noticing this, Seihi smiled and patted the Pokemon on his arm.

"Come on. Don't look so glum. At least I'm alive thanks to you." Seihi reassured Nosepass. It was true: had Nosepass not taken most of Heath's attack, he might have been dead. Turning his wheelchair, Seihi turned towards the Magic Knights looking at him, with Magna looking down in shame.

"I'm sorry, Seihi. We took too long to finish the job. If we had…" Magna couldn't finish his sentence as he kept his eyes away from Seihi.

"Don't say that! My grandpa's still alive thanks to you!" Seihi's grandson reassured him, though it didn't seem to work.

"He's right, Magna sir. Thanks to all of us, we were able to save everyone!" Asta said to Magna to help him get over his funk.

"I admit… Dumbsta has a point." Noelle chimed in with a hand on her hip.

"(Plus, thanks to Carkoal and Timburr, we took down those bad wizards)." Scorbunny added with a smile.

"(So don't start getting droopy on us now. It doesn't fit you)." Piplup finished with his hands crossed. Hearing everyone try to cheer him up made Magna happy, though it still didn't change the fact that Seihi was now paralyzed.

"Magna…" Seihi rolled over to Magna, an unreadable expression on his face. "You are…"

*SMACK*

"AN IDIOT!" All of a sudden, Seihi summoned a sword and smacked the blunt end on Magna's head.

"OWWWW!" Magna dropped his sad expression and held his head, glaring at Seihi. "What the hell was that for, old man?! You could've killed me!"

"Like this would cut through that thick skull of yours! Grow up, you punk!" Seihi shouted back as the two glared at each other, getting confused looks from everyone. After a minute of glaring, Seihi finally relaxed and gave Magna a look. "A Magic Knight should keep his head up, not down."

"But your legs-"

"Eh. I was tired of using them anyway. I'm not as young as I used to be." Seihi chuckled before he reached out and put a hand on Magna's shoulder. "Bad things will happen when you're out there. Don't take it too personally."

"I know. But… you're a tough bastard. Seeing you in that chair is just…" Magna sighed before Seihi patted his shoulder.

"Everyone is alive thanks to your friends. Not to mention you won the day. I think that's enough to warrant a smile, don't you?" Seihi asked rhetorically. "Plus, you gotta look good for your rookies over there. How would Yami feel if you showed up, looking like someone broke your toy? Stay strong, Magna. Otherwise, you won't be able to keep that promise we made."

It was then Magna was knocked out of his funk. How could he even think about breaking the promise he made to Seihi all those years ago? It was the whole reason he was inspired to become a Magic Knight!

"You're right." Magna grabbed Seihi's hand and shook it while grinning. "Like hell I'd get droopy over this!"

"Good to see you're back to normal." Seihi and Magna both laughed while the others smiled at their little chat. "Even though you did the job as a favor, I'd still like to give you a reward. Nick?"

"Right!" Seihi's grandson quickly reached into the bag his grandfather asked him to bring before pulling something out, running over to give it to Magna. "Here you go!"

"Hang on. Is that?" Magna and Noelle widened their eyes in shock while Asta tilted his head.

"An egg?" Asta asked while examining the item in question. It was a rather sizable egg with a purple color scheme. "Is it good or something?"

"How can you be an idiot? It's a Pokemon egg." Noelle berated him with an annoyed tone.

"(A Pokemon egg)?" Scorbunny asked with a surprised tone.

"(You've never seen one before)?" Piplup questioned him, who nodded. Even he knew about Pokemon eggs during his time in the Silva household.

"I found it in the forest not too long ago." Seihi explained as he looked at the egg. "It was all alone, with no one looking after it. So I decided to bring it back here and raise whatever hatched out of it. But considering how I am now…" He looked at Magna with a smile. "I think it's best to give it to a Magic Knight."

"Me?" Magna was genuinely surprised by this. He knew Seihi had a lot of faith in him, but to give him a Pokemon egg to take care of? That was unexpected. "No. I can't."

"Don't give me that, you punk." Seihi took the egg from his grandson before offering it to Magna. "You're strong and brave. I'm sure you can help raise whatever Pokemon comes out of it to be the best it can be."

"But I don't know how to raise a baby! You have grandkids. Shouldn't you give it to one of them?" Magna countered.

"I said I'd give it to you! Will you stop acting like a prideful idiot and just take the damn egg?" Seihi then forcefully shoved the egg into Magna's arms. "Just promise you'll at least visit when the Pokemon inside hatches, alright? I wanna see how much work you put into it."

"I…" Magna knew that no matter what he told Seihi, the old man wouldn't let him leave without the egg. Then again, being able to raise a Pokemon from an egg was pretty manly, not to mention whatever was inside could be super strong. 'Maybe even stronger than Luck's Pokemon.' A big grin appeared on Magna's face as he looked at the egg in his arms. "Alright. You're coming home with me, little guy!"

"Awesome, Magna sir! You got a Pokemon egg!" Asta cheered as he went over to Magna's side to examine the egg. "So… what do you think is inside?"

"Who cares?! I'll make them the manliest Pokemon in all of Clover!" Magna lifted the egg in the air as he laughed in joy.

"Idiots…" Noelle muttered with a sigh before she heard something behind her. Looking over her shoulder, her eyes widened in surprise as the one coming up to them was- "Froakie?"

Everyone stopped celebrating Magna's new egg as they looked at who Noelle was referring to, only to find the Bubble Pokemon standing a few feet away.

"It's you again!" Asta shouted while pointing a finger at Froakie.

"(What are you doing here)?" Scorbunny asked Froakie, who ignored him as he began to hop towards Seihi.

"Look who decided to come back." Seihi chuckled as Froakie hopped on his lap, allowing the old human to pat him on the head.

"(It's good to see you're alive, Seihi)." Froakie admitted with a smile.

"Seihi, is that Froakie yours?" Magna asked with a curious tone. It would honestly make sense given how protective Froakie was during the whole battle with Heath.

"No, silly! Froakie is grandpa's friend." Seihi's granddaughter revealed with a giggle, much to the Magic Knights' surprise.

"It's true." Seihi confessed as he looked at everyone. "A few months ago, I found some Froakies near a pond and went to get some water when I noticed one was away from the others. Then again, it attacked me before I could show I wasn't a threat." A chuckle escaped Seihi's mouth as he recalled his first encounter with Froakie. "After that, I realized that Froakie was more of a loner, so I tried getting him to swim. It kind of worked and in the end, he and I became friends. So whenever I had a problem in the forest, Froakie would come and help. Thanks for helping us earlier, Froakie."

"(It wasn't like I was gonna let them kill you)." Froakie shrugged, though deep down, he was genuinely concerned with what had happened.

"Ohhh. So that's why Froakie attacked us. He's pretty strong." Asta admitted with a smile as he gave Froakie a thumbs up. "Thanks for backing us up!"

"(S-Sure. Whatever)..." Froakie looked away from Asta, much like how Noelle acted.

"(Huh. He's kinda like Noelle)." Piplup said out loud in surprise. Seihi noticed this and smiled.

"Asta, I have a request for you only." Seihi told the magicless teen, who gave him his full attention. "As you can see, I'm not gonna be able to go into the forest as much as I used to due to my legs. And I know Froakie would feel lonely without me."

"(I would not)!" Froakie shouted with a glare, humoring Seihi.

"You see, Froakie is still a wild Pokemon and I'm sure he'd like to explore the world. I can't do that… but you can." Seihi looked straight into Asta's eyes as he spoke his next words. "Would you let Froakie join you?"

"Huh?!" Asta actually took a step back in surprise while everyone else gasped at the sudden request. They didn't expect this of all things from Seihi, especially with what happened.

"But grandpa! I thought you liked Froakie!" Nick told him with a frown.

"I do. But I also know Froakie would wanna see things outside off Saussy Village." Seihi countered gently before he looked down at Froakie. "Plus, you like Asta, don't you?"

Froakie was completely caught off guard by this, though he couldn't deny that the Black Bulls were an interesting bunch. Not only were they strong, but they were compassionate towards both humans and Pokemon. Even to the point they'd risk their lives for them. The memory of Asta jumping in to block his Water Pulse from hitting Scorbunny and even Noelle using her spell to shield the villagers was still fresh in his mind. As much as he didn't want to leave Seihi… being given the chance to explore the world was something Froakie didn't want to give up.

"Froakie…" Asta walked over to Seihi and Froakie, kneeling down to the Pokemon's level. "I think you're really great and I'd love to see how strong you get. You heard I wanted to be the Wizard King, but I also wanna be a Pokemon Master so I can bond with every Pokemon I meet. Maybe you're my first step." He then offered Froakie his fist while smiling. "What do you say? Wanna come with me?"

There weren't many times in Froakie's life where he wanted to do something so badly. If he could work with Asta, not only would he see everything, but he could grow stronger so that what happened with Seihi wouldn't happen again. It honestly wasn't a bad idea.

With a smile, Froakie extended his hand and bumped fists with Asta.

"(Yeah)." Froakie gave Asta a nod, making him grin broadly.

"Alright!" Reaching into his belt, Asta took out an empty Pokeball. "Welcome to the Black Bulls!" With that, he threw the Pokeball in the air. Froakie hopped off Seihi's lap as high as he could before he tapped the Pokeball, causing it to open up and absorb him. It then landed on the ground before the seal appeared on it.

"Damn! Not even a struggle. Nice work, Rasta." Magna confessed with a grin as Asta kneeled down and picked up the Pokeball.

"I did it… I DID IT!" Asta spun around before he raised the Pokeball in the air. "I GOT FROAKIE!"

"(YEAH)!" Both Scorbunny and Piplup cheered in unison. Asta lowered the Pokeball before he smiled gently at it.

"Thanks for joining, Froakie." He told the ball genuinely, happy to have added another member to his family.

"Hmmm. I suppose that is fine." Noelle offhandedly remarked, though her thoughts said otherwise. 'AWWWW! I wanted to catch Froakie!' No one could blame her since Froakie was a cute Pokemon.

"Hehehe. Take good care of him, okay?" Seihi asked Asta with a soft smile. He was going to miss Froakie, but he knew this had to be done.

"I promise!" Asta declared with a confident tone before Nick walked up to Magna.

"Hey… Magna?" Nick asked with a nervous tone. "Do you… do you think I could be a Magic Knight one day?"

"What are you saying? Of course you can!" Magna informed the young man with a grin. "Just remember that nothing is impossible. Just look at me and Asta."

"He's right. I don't have any magic, but even a commoner like me became a Magic Knight." Asta added. "It won't be easy, but as long as you have the guts and the friends backing you up, you can do anything!"

"And always do your best." Noelle finished with her own small smile.

"(But make sure you catch a strong Pokemon. Like me)." Piplup boasted with his chest puffed, making Scorbunny nudge him.

"Yeah! Thanks!" Nick told them with a big smile. His sister giggled and Seihi just grinned at his grandson while Nosepass just nodded.

"*Peck*Peck*Peck*

"OWOWOWOWOWOW!" However, the moment was interrupted when the Anti-Magic bird from before suddenly began pecking Asta's head.

"(Hey! Knock it off)!" Scorbunny shouted as he launched an Ember attack, making the bird fly back.

"You little jerk! What'd I ever do to you?! Come down here!" Asta shouted as he tried to grab the bird. However, he soon noticed a purple stone with a strange insignia in the bird's mouth. "Huh? A stone?"

"My charm? How'd it find it?" Seihi asked in confusion. He was sure he put it in a secure place.

"Hold on. That's yours?" Magna asked the old man.

"Then it's not yours!" Asta tried to pry the stone out of the bird's mouth, but it was surprisingly strong.

"(So he can lift a big sword, but he can't take a stone out of a bird's mouth. That is sad)." Piplup stated with a sweatdrop.

"Ehh. Let the bird keep it." Seihi waved off their efforts before he smiled at his grandchildren. "I got my good luck charms right here."

"Oh… sure." Asta said reluctantly before the bird landed on his head.

"Those hateful eyes…" Noelle muttered before her eyes began to sparkle. "He's adorable!"

"(... Oh no)." Piplup knew Froakie joining them might make Noelle go gaga, but with the arrival of the Anti-Magic Bird… things got more complicated.

The Anti-Magic Bird then proceeded to peck Asta in the head, much to his dismay and to the amusement of the others.

For their first mission, Asta, Noelle and their Pokemon did good.

Sheesh. This chapter was a lot longer than I wanted it to be, but I'm glad to have written it, especially with how freaking crazy things are with the Black Clover manga. Now I have some more ideas to include the Land of the Sun… maybe even some ways to add gen 9 Pokemon~

As you can see, I decided to let Seihi live in this story since he had Nosepass backing him up. It made some sense since I did want to show a bit of his relationship with Froakie, not to mention having him give Magna that Pokemon egg. Go ahead and make some guesses cause the reveal won't happen until later on. And before I get people complaining about Noelle not catching Froakie, I just felt that Greninja would be a great addition to Asta's team since it's fast like Asta. Perhaps down the line… I could add the Battle Bond ability. Asta-Greninja anyone?

Still, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to what's to come. With my new job starting soon, I'll try to keep the updates somewhat more consistent.

Follow, Fav, Review and PM for anything.

Pokemon used in the chapter

Asta

Scorbunny. Type: Fire. Ability: Blaze

Moves: Ember, Flame Charge, Double Kick

Rookidee. Type: Flying/Normal. Ability: Keen Eye

Moves: Peck, Power Trip, Hone Claws.

Froakie. Type: Water. Ability: Torrent.

Movies: Water Pulse, Pound, Quick Attack.

Noelle

Piplup: Type: Water. Ability: Torrent.

Moves: Bubblebeam, Peck, Pound.

Feebas. Type: Water. Ability: Swift Swim.

Moves: Splash, Tackle.

Magna

Carkol. Type: Rock/Fire. Ability: Steam Engine.

Moves: Incinerate, Smack Down, Body Slam, Flame Charge.

Timburr. Type: Fighting. Ability: Guts.

Moves: Rock Smash, Rock Throw, Low Kick.

Fletchling. Type: Normal/Flying. Ability: Big Pecks.

Moves: Peck, Quick Attack, Growl.

Next time: Day off.