New year, new chapter. Am I right?

I hope you guys are having a good 2023, even though it's been a mixed bag for me. What with me getting COVID on the LAST DAY OF 2022!(Don't worry. I'm negative now).

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet has come out and I have to say… it's okay. Like some of the new Pokemon are cool(especially the Fire Starter, who ISN'T A FIGHTING TYPE FOR ONCE!) But there are some things I don't like, especially the 'evolution' of Dunsparce. Like what the hell, IT'S JUST A BIGGER DUNSPARCE! WHY?!

Okay… okay. Sorry. That was my salt for gen 9. But I will consider adding Pokemon from that generation, and MAYBE Legends Arceus(don't worry. I have a plan to incorporate the past.) Terrastilization may happen, but don't expect those parallel Pokemon since some of their designs are… weird. Big Tusks is cool, but some of the others like that Magneton one are just a big no-no for me.

But let's save that for another time. TO THE REVIEWS!

MaMcMu: Does an Ursaring shit in the woods? HELL YEAH I'M INCLUDING THE ULTRA BEASTS!

Boomatrix77: To be fair, Nero's jaw is as strong as a Steelix. No way can he pull it out.

Dragon king156: I mean both Lucario and Gengar would be great fits for team Asta, though I have a few characters in mind for the latter. But thanks for the support of the story!

Fiction Realm: Well if it makes you feel better, no one will OWN a legendary Pokemon. But Legendary Pokemon WILL appear randomly.

Drake D Hero: Hmmm… Terrestrialization Asta… not a bad idea actually. Might take a while, but I think I can find a way to include it.

Stormbreaker42: I mean some characters can have more Pokemon of the same type. That's not really an issue for me. But wow am I impressed with your Super Deduction. Also, those are some great ideas for Asta's team, though you should know each character can have more than six Pokemon. Still, A+ overall!

Hawkeye: If does go down somehow, I have all my stories saved in my Google Drive. So don't worry, they will live on!

BanRedfox: I know a lot of what I wrote was a retelling, but I can assure you there will be original chapters soon. Thanks for sticking with me.

To recap: Things in Saussy village got intense as the Black Bulls fought against Heath and his Beartic. Despite being outnumbered, the trio and their Pokemon fought bravely, with the support of Froakie, who was revealed to be a close friend with Seihi. Through trial and tribulation, the Black Bulls were able to win, though Heath's group ended up killing themselves to avoid interrogation. Seihi then rewarded Magna with a Pokemon egg while Froakie decided to join Asta.

What shenanigans will the Black Bulls face today? Let's find out…

'Black Bulls base'

"So, that's what happened, huh?" Yami questioned as he leaned against his armchair, cigarette in hand. In front of him were Asta, Noelle, Magna and their Pokemon, all of whom recovered from their recent mission.

"That's right, Yami sir!" Magna declared while standing up straight. This got a laugh from Yami, who found the entire report amusing.

"Sounds like you had your hands full, rookies." Yami continued to laugh.

'What's he so happy about? Someone almost died back there.' Noelle thought with a frown.

"(I knew he was crazy, but this is a bit much).' Piplup also thought, though he wouldn't say anything out loud in fear of punishment.

"Captain, is it really the time to laugh? I mean Seihi can't walk anymore." Asta reminded his captain, still feeling guilty at their late arrival.

"(Tell me about it)." Froakie sighed out loud. Scorbunny noticed this and patted him on the back.

"(Come on. At least he isn't dead. And you helped a lot against that guy and his Beartic)." Scorbunny told him with a smile before pointing to his new scarf. "(Plus, you're now a part of a squad, so you won't be alone forever)." Froakie appreciated his words, reaching out to tug at his scarf.

"Maybe not, but who cares? Pretty sure old Seihi would laugh at this too." Yami told them.

"You're right! Seihi wouldn't want us to be sad for him! He'd want us to laugh!" Magna shouted with pride.

"(Things like this happen, rookies. No point in trying to be sad)." Carkoal told the Pokemon with an equally serious tone.

"Still. It's a real shame what happened to him. Old man was a hell of a poker player." Yami confessed, ceasing with his laughter. "But you were able to save the villagers. Not only that, but you got yourself some new Pokemon." His attention went to both Froakie, Fletchling and Magna's Pokemon egg, which he was holding under his left arm.

"(Isn't it wrong to hold an egg like that)?" Rookidee couldn't help but ask with a sweatdrop, worried that the egg might fall out of Magna's arm.

"(As long as one of us keeps an eye on it, it shouldn't be a problem)." Fletchling admitted with a sigh.

"(No way am I playing babysitter)." Timburr commented with his log on his shoulder.

"So, hold your heads high. For a first mission, you did pretty good, ya idiots." Yami said in his own encouraging way. Motivated by his words, Magna and Asta gave Yami a respectful bow while Noelle muttered a small 'thank you.'

"Hey, what's with that?" Asta asked as he noticed Magna had raised his right arm horizontally to his chest, three fingers extended out.

"You gotta be kidding me! Don't you know the Magic Knight salute?" Magna rudely asked Asta in surprise. "Look at my fingers. These represent the three leaves of a clover. Go on and try it."

"Okay!" Asta then copied Magna's action, albeit a little off the mark. Though, Magna did acknowledge that it was alright. Scorbunny and Froakie tried doing it, though it was hard for them due to their paws.

A white portal opened up next to Magna, allowing both Finral and Vanessa to exit it.

"We're back." Finral announced as he and Vanessa stopped just a few feet from Yami.

"We heard about Saussy village. Good job out there." Vanessa congratulated the three before her eyes focused on their Pokemon, more specifically Froakie. "Oh. Looks like someone's got a new cutie on the team~"

"(Ummm. T-Thanks)." Froakie blushed a bit at the way Vanessa was talking to him, though he tried to keep his pride up.

"We visited the Magic Investigation Department, Captain." Finral informed Yami, who took another puff from his cigarette.

"Good. And?" Yami asked with mild curiosity.

"Yeah. Tell us all you know about those guys who attacked Seihi." Magna demanded with a clenched fist. "I wanna make them pay for hurting Saussy village."

"About that guy." Vanessa started with a frown. "The investigators checked the area and went over everything that was left behind. But there was nothing they could use."

"Seriously?! What good are they for, anyways?!" Angered by the news, Magna created a fireball and tossed it into the wall.

"(YEAH! BREAK STUFF)!" Motivated by Magna's rage, Timburr jumped and slammed his log into a nearby table, shattering it in two. Carkoal joined in as he launched an Incinerate into the wall next to where Magna's fireball went.

However, there was one fatal error.

It accidentally burned the rest of Yami's cigarette.

"That's enough…" Growling in anger, Yami stood up, a dark aura surrounding his body. "QUIT BREAKING EVERYTHING!"

Yami backhanded the wall behind him, completely shattering it and leaving a hole in the base.

Though, at this point, it was nothing new.

"SORRY SIR!" Magna and his Pokemon quickly gave Yami an apologetic bow, earning sweatdrops from Froakie and Fletchling.

"(Do they do that a lot)?" Froakie asked Scorbunny, who had an emotionless smile.

"(You get used to it)." Scorbunny told them blankly.

"(... I never should've let him catch me)." Fletching blurted out, realizing his mistake of not dodging Magna's Pokeball.

"Based on the watch he had and the way he talked to commoners suggests he was someone of a fairly high rank. Especially since he tamed a Beartic, who aren't exactly the friendliest Pokemon." Vanessa admitted while rubbing her chin in thought.

Out of nowhere, the Anti-Magic bird from before popped out of Asta's head, something everyone noticed.

"Oh! You have another cutie." Vanessa remarked.

"Wait, this thing is cute? It's more of a pest." Asta told her while looking up at the bird in annoyance.

"Of course it's cute! Everything about it is cute!" Noelle scolded Asta. Her words struck Piplup hard, causing him to lean against the wall in depression.

"(You always told me I was cute, Noelle)..." Piplup muttered as a dark cloud appeared over his head. Timburr just patted him on the back out of pity.

"(MY LOVE)!" Happy to see this specific bird, Rookidee flew up and also landed on Asta's head, leaning close towards his potential mate. "(I knew my words would get to you eventually! Now we can become closer)!"

"Awww. They're like a couple." Vanessa giggled in amusement. Sweatdropping at Rookidee's advances, the Anti-Magic bird flew off of Asta's head, only for Rookidee to follow.

"(Don't deny our chemistry! We can have so many children)!" Rookidee cried out as both birds circled each other.

"Damn. I guess Rookidee's got some competition." Magna chuckled in amusement before he lifted his egg, looking at it. "Still, I wonder who'll hatch outta this thing."

"You know, maybe you should have someone else watch that egg." Finral suggested with a smile. "I can look after it."

"Seriously? Didn't know you were good at hatching eggs." Magna confessed with mild surprise.

"Not really. But…" Finral turned his heel as his smile grew. "Just imagine how many ladies will want to date me after they see me cuddling with that egg!"

"(Wow. That's low, even for Finral)." Carkoal said as he and the other Pokemon gave the Spacial Knight a look of disappointment.

"No way in hell!" Magna turned his body so Finral couldn't look at the egg anymore. "If I'm gonna have someone hatch this little guy, it ain't gonna be a playboy like you!"

"In that case…" Smiling, Vanessa took out a Pokeball before releasing the creature inside.

It was her Leavanny.

"(Oh? Is something going on)?" Leavanny asked curiously before she noticed Magna holding an egg, making her gasp. "(Oh my Arceus! A Pokemon egg)!"

"I remember reading about Leavanny raising baby Pokemon in the wild." Noelle revealed as she saw Leavanny examine the Pokemon egg. "It wouldn't be the worst idea to have her raise the egg."

"You don't say." Taking a moment to think, Magna grinned as he offered Leavanny his egg. "Okay then! Leavanny, you can watch my egg while I'm on missions, okay?"

"(Of course)." Leavanny told him before taking the egg from his arms, smiling at it while rocking it a bit. "(I can't wait to see who hatches out of it)."

"Okay, everyone. Shut up for a minute." Yami spoke up while clapping his hands to get everyone's attention. "Doesn't make a difference if the guy's royalty, nobility or whatever. The pros will handle the investigation and we'll get a report later." As much as Magna and Asta didn't like the waiting game, it seemed like that was all they could do for now. "But now that that's done, I got some good news for everyone."

"Good news?" This certainly caught Asta and Noelle's attention, as well as their Pokemon (Piplup had finally gotten over his depression while Rookidee stopped chasing his 'mate').

"Believe it or not, the Wizard King himself has recognized your efforts and gave us this." Yami grinned as he took out a small metal star, showing it to his new recruits.

"(So… we got a star)?" Scorbunny asked in slight confusion.

"Awesome! We got a star!" Magna cheered as he, Carkoal and Timburr had giant grins on their faces. Vanessa and Finral also had smiles on their faces while Noelle flicked her hair and looked away.

"Cool! We got a star!" Asta shouted in joy. "Now… what does that mean?!" Magna stopped celebrating before he frowned at Asta.

"You're celebrating, even when you don't know what it is?" Magna questioned in annoyance.

"You get a star whenever the Wizard King recognizes your deeds." Vanessa explained calmly, getting a nod from Asta.

"(It goes to show that the Wizard King thinks we're the best around)." Timburr arrogantly declared as he and Carkoal puff their chests out with pride.

"Ohh. I get it. But what does a star do?" Asta asked eagerly.

"Ummm… it's just an honor to get one. That's about it." Vanessa replied, though this didn't dower Asta's attitude.

"(If that's all it is, we really don't need one)." Froakie shrugged uncaringly.

"(I think it's good. That way, no one can call Noelle a bug again)!" Piplup shouted proudly… only to flinch as he realized who was around. "(Oh. Sorry, Leavanny)."

Vanessa's Pokemon was too preoccupied making a sling out of threads for the egg to even notice.

"Plus, it's a competition." Vanessa continued, catching Asta's interest. "All the squads compete to have the most stars."

"Stars are pretty much an indication of a squad's achievement." Finral chimed in. "The more stars you have, the more successful you are."

"Woah. So they're that big of a deal, huh?" Asta asked in amazement. "Who has the most stars?"

"That would be the Golden Dawn. They have about 70 stars in total." Vanessa informed Asta, much to his surprise.

"70?! That's crazy!" Asta shouted before he grew a smile and ran up to Yami. "How many do the Black Bulls have? I bet we have almost that many!"

"Oh? You wanna know?" Yami asked with a smug smile as the star in his hand began to float up towards a wood board with several star-shaped holes on it. The star then entered the closest one before disappearing. "With the one we just got, we're about at… negative 30."

"NEGATIVE?!"

"WHAT?!"

"(NO WAY)!" Asta, Noelle and their Pokemon all looked in utter disbelief at the news. Sure, the Black Bulls seemed to have a reputation for being insane, but to have NEGATIVE stars is too much.

"An even hundred away from the Golden Dawn. I say that's a win." Yami said without a care in the world. Hearing this, Piplup fainted, unable to take in the large gap between the Black Bulls and pretty much all the other squads.

"One… hundred…" Asta felt all his strength drain away as he imagined a smug Yuno looking down at him.

"No way are you catching up, Asta." Smug Yuno told Asta in his head.

"(T-This is a joke, right)?" Scorbunny asked the veteran Pokemon. "(We can't have that many negative stars)."

"(Nope. The Captain's 100% right)." Carkoal answered with his usual grin.

"(So we make a mess. We still get the job done)." Timburr added while rubbing the bottom of his nose.

"(It just means we have to work harder. Don't we)?" Leavanny said while talking to the egg like a doting mother.

'How does one even get negative stars? I made a mistake joining.' Noelle thought with a frown.

"Oh yeah. There's one more thing I gotta tell you about." Yami suddenly said. Soon, the rest of the Black Bulls were summoned to the main hall, with Yami standing in front of them with several brown sacks in hand. "Your wages for this month." He then handed Asta a sack, who looked at it in confusion before opening it, only to gasp in shock.

"NO WAY! LOOK AT ALL THIS MONEY!" Asta shouted as he dumped some of the Yul inside the sack in his hands. "THERE'S LIKE 200,000 YUL HERE!"

"(Wow! I didn't know being a Magic Knight paid so much)." Scorbunny commented as he hopped on Asta's shoulder, looking at the money. Compared to the wages he and everyone back in Hage got, this was a gold mine.

"Thank you, Captain." Magna said while bowing to Yami like a God.

"Yeah! Thanks so much!" Charmy shouted, already drooling at the thought of more food she could buy with the money.

"Hey, Captain. Let's make a deal." Luck spoke up while extending his right hand, lightning sparking out of it. "How much can I pay you to fight me? Or to fight one of your really strong Pokemon? Come on, name your price!"

"Give it up, kid." Yami shot him down.

"Now that we've been paid, I'd like to go buy some clothes for my angelic sister." Gauche told Yami while showing him the picture of his sister, all while his nose bled. "What do you think would suit her, Captain?"

"Don't ask me. I don't know." Yami told him bluntly. Grey let out a breath, something the Captain heard. "No clue. Go wild." He took another puff from his cigarette before speaking up. "You all got tomorrow off, so do whatever you want. Just don't blow through all your cash or ask me to buy something for ya." With that, Yami exited the base while the Black Bulls bid him farewell.

"It'd be nice to spend the day together. What do you say everyone?" Gordon asked very quietly, though no one seemed to hear him. "Oh well. I guess Crobat and I can go shopping together again."

"Hmmm. Barely pocket change." Noelle commented while looking at her sack of Yul boredly.

"Seriously?! This is a lot of cash!" Asta told her. "You can buy ten whole years worth of Pop-Potatoes with this!"

"Pop what?" Noelle asked with a raised brow.

"It's a hardy crop grown in Hage village. A bit lumpy, but it has a subtle flavor that'll knock your sandals off!" Asta reasoned proudly, though this didn't seem to convince Noelle.

"Those sound disgusting."

"Well, they're not!" With that, Asta began explaining how one could cook Pop-Potatoes in different ways, despite Noelle still not being impressed.

"(Scorbunny, you've been with Asta for a while. Are those Pop things good)?" Froakie couldn't help but ask.

"(I think so. The way Father Orsi makes them is really good)." Scorbunny said nostalgically, smiling at the memories of the Father giving him and Rowlet a plate of steaming Pop-Potatoes. "(Maybe one day, we can all go to Hage and eat some)."

"(As long as there's a pond I can swim in, I don't care about the food)." Piplup told his fellow Pokemon, though even he was a bit curious about these Pop-Potatoes. They might not be as delicious as the food the Silva chefs made him, but he had to at least try them.

"Congrats on getting paid, you two." Vanessa said as she leaned on Asta's shoulder, invading the young man's personal space. "So, whatcha gonna buy with that money?" She then proceeded to poke Asta's cheek, making him squirm a bit. "Come on. You can tell me."

"O-Oh. I-I-I'm sending it all t-to the church back in Hage. I-I-It's so they can buy enough f-food." Asta answered with a stutter. 'STAY STRONG! YOU CAN'T CHEAT ON SISTER LILY!'

"Nice. That's what a man should do." Magna complimented Asta's way of thinking. "I'm gonna do that too… well, kinda."

"Kinda?" Asta asked in confusion.

"After I get 100 times more of it! Go big or go home! Right boys?!" Magna shouted as Carkoal, Timburr and Fletchling (who just decided to play along) cheered loudly. "YEAH!"

'He'll never learn.' Noelle thought with clear disappointment.

"Well, it's good to help out back home. But don't send all your money, kiddo." Vanessa explained while stepping away from Asta with a smile. "Use a little for yourself. Besides…" She looked down at Scorbunny, Rookidee and Froakie. "You've got a team here. Use the money you have to help them get stronger with support items."

"Support items?" Asta asked while tilting his head.

"How about this? The three of us can go shopping tomorrow." Vanessa suggested before giving the two a wink. "Trust me. It'll be a lot of fun~"

Asta and Noelle looked at each other for a moment, wondering if they should take Vanessa's offer. They didn't have much to do considering tomorrow was their day off and considering they got paid, maybe going out shopping would be good. And if there were items that could help their Pokemon get stronger, then they would have to go check it out.

The two then looked at Vanessa before nodding in agreement.

'Castle town, the next morning'

Above one of the many forests in Clover was a magic broom, which was carrying three familiar Magic Knights, as well as two of their Pokemon.

Though, a certain Water Pokemon had his eyes closed while holding onto his human partner. For her safety, of course.

"So, have either of you been to the Castle Town before?" Vanessa asked while keeping her attention forward.

"No I haven't." Noelle confessed before a thought came up. "Hey, is it really okay to leave your Leavanny back at the base?"

"Oh don't worry about her." Vanessa waved off Noelles concerns. "Magic Knights can leave their Pokemon in their base whenever they feel like it. Plus, I'm sure Leavanny will want to take care of Magna's egg as much as possible. Still can't believe a virgin punk like him got a hold of a Pokemon egg." She decided to change the subject. "What about you, kiddo? You ever been to the Castle Town?"

"Yeah. Me, Scorbunny and Rookidee passed by it on our way to the Entrance Exam." Asta admitted while smiling nostalgically. "I wonder how Mallow and Kiawe are."

"Mallow?" Vanessa grew a smirk at the mention of that name. "Is that perhaps a girl's name? Kiawe definitely sounds like one for a boy, but I'm just making sure."

"Oh yeah! Mallow's really cool. She loves plants and her Bounsweet is really something. Plus, she and Kiawe were the only ones who were nice to me when everyone else laughed because I didn't have magic." Asta explained, his smile growing ever more. "Not to mention Kiawe's really strong! His Turtonator is really big, but his Explosion magic was so strong, it even pushed Yuno back!"

As he recounted his time at the Magic Knight's Entrance Exam, Noelle began to feel something rather strange in her stomach.

'Why does it bother me that he's talking about another girl? It's not like I care about that.' Noelle thought with a frown, the sinking feeling still in her stomach.

Eventually, the three Magic Knights arrived in the Castle Town, which looked exactly the same as it did when Asta and Yuno arrived.

"Wow. It's just as awesome as I remember!" Asta exclaimed with stars in his eyes.

"It's certainly lively." Noelle admitted in a calm tone.

"(Piplup, did you never walk around with Noelle when you took the exam)?" Scorbunny asked Piplup, who frowned.

"(Not really. Master Nozel wanted us to stay close to him, so we never got the chance to look around)." Piplup confessed with a sigh. He really did want to go shopping with Noelle, but because of the strict Silva code, engaging with commoners was forbidden.

"Wait." Asta suddenly stopped in his tracks, much to Noelle and Vanessa's confusion. Smiling, he took out both of his Pokeballs. "Come on out, you two!" With that, he released his Rookidee and Froakie, who looked around in wonder.

"(Oh? We're here again)." Rookidee commented in mild surprise.

"(Is this a new village? It's really big)." Froakie said, mildly put off by the size of the town compared to Saussy Village.

"Good idea." Vanessa also took out a Pokeball before releasing her Purrloin, who stretched her arms.

"(Ahhh. Fresh air)." Purrloin admitted with a content purr.

"I'd feel bad if Rookidee and Froakie were the only ones who got stuck in their Pokeballs." Asta explained while rubbing the back of his head. "Hey, Noelle. Aren't you gonna let out Feebas?"

"Obviously, I can't." Noelle scoffed in annoyance. "I need to keep her in water and I haven't exactly mastered it yet." Asta soon realized she was right before apologizing. 'But hopefully one day, Feebas can join us.' Noelle unconsciously rubbed Feebas' Pokeball.

As the trio were walking through the Castle Town, they noticed several of their squadmates also spending their day off in the area: from Gauche carrying a large amount of folded clothes to Finral trying to hit on women (with Kadabra reading a book next to him) to even Charmy eating an entire cake that was in the shape of a Snorlax!

"Wow. Looks like everyone's having fun." Asta spoke up with a happy smile.

"Poffins! Get your Pokemon Poffins here!" A nearby stand owner called out to citizens passing by.

"Poffins?" Noelle couldn't help but ask as the stand owner noticed her gaze.

"Step right up and try a Pokemon Poffin! They're great for filling up your Pokemon's belly and making them happy!" The stand owner told them as he opened his arm to the assortment of cookie-like pastries in front of him, each with a different color. He then noticed the robes they were wearing. "Ahh. Magic Knights I see. Patrolling?"

"Not really. We're just looking around." Vanessa explained with a smile. The Pokemon all took a whiff of the freshly made Poffins before they all sighed.

"(Woah… now that smells good)..." Scorbunny sighed in content.

"(You can really smell the berries in it)." Froakie added, feeling his appetite come back, despite having eaten breakfast not too long ago.

"(Maybe my beloved would enjoy one)." Rookidee commented, though even if the Anti-Magic bird didn't want the Poffin, he'd most certainly eat it whole.

"(If only Charmy and Alcreamie could make it back home. Then we'd be set)." Purrloin licked her lips in anticipation. Piplup couldn't say anything as his stomach began to growl loudly.

"It looks like they want one." The stand owner chuckled in amusement before he took three Poffins, snapping each one in half. "Here. Free sample on the house."

"Thanks, sir!" Asta, Noelle and Vanessa each took two halves of the Poffins before offering them to their Pokemon. "Go ahead, guys. Eat up!" The Pokemon didn't waste any time as they each grabbed the broken Poffin and ate it, their eyes lighting up the instant the flavor hit their tongues. "They must really like it." Noticing he had the last half of a Poffin, Asta took a bite out of it, only for his eyes to widen. "Wow! That is good!"

"Glad you like it. I make these Poffins every day for those who wanna treat their Pokemon." The stand owner said proudly. "Tell ya what: just for your services protecting our country, if you buy a Poffin bag now, I'll give you another free."

"Deal!" Asta took out some Yul and gave it to the stand owner, who in return, gave Asta two Poffin bags. Looking at both bags, Asta turned to Noelle before offering her a bag. "Here, Noelle."

"H-Huh?" Noelle was actually caught off guard by Asta's offer.

"Well, he did give me two. And since I know Piplup likes it, I thought you could give him and Feebas one later." Asta explained before giving her a close-eyed grin. Noelle blushed at Asta's sudden kindness, something Vanessa and the stand owner noticed as they chuckled silently.

"Y-You don't need to give me one out of pity, Dumbsta. I'm perfectly capable of buying a Poffin bag." Noelle told Asta while flipping her hair and looking away. However, she opened one eye before taking the bag he was offering. "S-Still… I suppose it WOULD be good to give Piplup and Feebas a treat. So I'll take it. But just this once."

"Ummm, okay. Sure." Asta replied, confused by Noelle's action.

However, before Noelle could pull the Poffin bag away, a purple blur came out of nowhere and snatched it out of her hands.

"Huh?!" Everyone gasped as the purple blur landed on the ground, allowing them to see who the thief was.

"(Haha! I got one)!" The thief was a simian Pokémon with a three-fingered hand at the end of its tail. Its fur is purple, while the skin of its face, inner ears, belly, feet, and the tip of its tail are beige. Its face usually has a cheeky smile and round, blue eyes. With its round ears, its head is disproportionately large compared to its body. Atop its head is a cowlick Unlike its feet, its arms are simple, purple stubs. In its tail was the Poffin bag, which it bounced rather tauntingly.

"Hey! What was that for?!" Asta demanded as the Pokemon stuck out its tongue before it began to run away on all fours. "Get back here!" With that, Asta began to run after the Pokemon, with his Pokemon following suit.

"Awww no. Not that Aipom again." The stand owner sighed loudly, catching Noelle's attention.

"An Aipom?" Curious, Noelle took out her magic mirror to learn more about the fleeing Aipom.

"Aipom, the Long Tailed Pokemon. It lives high among the treetops. It can use its tail as freely and cleverly as its hands. Although personally, they're a menace to society." Noelle's magic mirror informed her.

"Has that Aipom been causing trouble?" Vanessa asked the stand owner, who nodded.

"Yeah. Every now and then, Aipom comes by and takes fruit and other food from the stands. It's gotten so bad that we even had some Magic Knights chase after it. But somehow, Aipom always gets away." The stand owner told them before taking out another Poffin bag. "Here. You can take this one for free since you're probably not gonna see that other bag." Noelle looked at the Poffin bag before she took out some Yul, placing it on the table. "I said-"

"I know what you said." Noelle cut him off before taking the Poffin bag out of his hands. "I just don't want to take something I didn't pay for."

"Come on. We might lose Asta at this point." Vanessa took out her magic broom as she, Purrloin, Noelle and Piplup got on, flying after Asta and Aipom.

The stand owner stood there in confusion before shaking his head. "Those Black Bulls. Crazy bunch."

'With Asta'

"GET BACK HERE!" Asta shouted as he continued to run through the streets, Aipom a few feet away from him. He occasionally dodged citizens that were passing by, giving a quick apology every now and then. "THOSE POFFINS AREN'T YOURS!"

"(You snooze, you lose, human)!" Aipom shouted back with a giggle as she hopped on top of a table two people were eating on, her feet crushing their food.

"Hey, get off!" The man shouted as Aipom jumped onto his head, climbing up a nearby building.

"Rookidee, don't lose it!" Asta yelled at his only Flying Pokemon.

"(Got it)!" Rookidee shouted back as he kept to the sky in order to keep track of Aipom, who just climbed into an open window. "(She went in there)!"

"Froakie, Scorbunny! Get on my arms!" Asta ordered his other two Pokemon, who each jumped on an arm. "Double Throw!" With a yell, Asta threw both his Pokemon into the air, flying straight towards the open window.

"(Here we go)!" Scorbunny shouted as both he and Froakie latched onto the windowsill, climbing inside the room.

*CRASH*

"AAAAHHHH!"

"GET OUT!"

"HEY, DON'T TAKE THAT!" Everyone below could hear a commotion from the room, wondering what was going on. On the other side of the room, Aipom busted through the window as it climbed onto the roof. Scorbunny and Froakie also jumped out and began climbing up to the roof, though the former had a white bra hanging off his ear.

"(I hate monkeys, especially ones like this)." Froakie complained as he and Scorbunny finally reached the top of the roof.

"(Over here)~" However, Aipom was already on another roof, shaking her butt towards the two just for the fun of it.

"(STOP RIGHT THERE)!" Rookidee swooped down with a Peck attack, though Aipom quickly backflipped over him as she landed on the next roof. "(Get around her)!" Scorbunny and Froakie quickly surrounded Aipom, with Rookidee providing overwatch.

"(Give it up and hand over those Poffins)." Scorbunny demanded Aipom as he and Froakie slowly got closer to her.

"(How about… NO)!" Grinning happily, Aipom let out a battlecry as ten clones of herself appeared throughout the roof, much to the other Pokemons' horror.

"Guys… I'm here!" Asta finally climbed up to the roof, only to gasp at the sight of ten Aipoms. "HOW ARE THERE TEN AIPOMS NOW?!"

"It must be Double Team. An illusion spell that makes clones of the user." Vanessa called out as she, Noelle and Piplup flew close to them. "Only the real one's solid. The others are just fakes."

"Gotcha! Scorbunny, Froakie, Rookidee! Let's get them!" Asta shouted as his Pokemon cried out in agreement. Rookidee was the first to act as he flew down and pecked one Aipom, only for it to disappear.

"(Take this)!" Hopping in the air, Froakie grabbed his frubbles before tossing them down, striking three Aipoms before they disappeared. Scorbunny kicked through one Aipom before tackling another, each one being yet another illusion.

"HAAAA!" Asta jumped forward and grabbed a hold of Aipom, only for it to be an illusion before he grabbed on the ground. He quickly rolled and got back on his feet. 'Come on. Which Aipom's the real one?'

"(See ya)!" Asta turned his head and saw three Aipom running away. He narrowed his eyes before deciding to go after the one on the right.

"Guys, catch those other two!" Asta shouted as he began jumping from roof to roof, chasing after one of the Aipom.

"Asta, I think we should stop." Vanessa suggested, only to be ignored. Scorbunny launched an Ember onto the middle Aipom, only for it to disappear.

"(Haha. You guys are really fun)." Aipom laughed as she stuck her hand out to Asta once again…

However, because she was too close to the edge, Aipom's feet suddenly slipped, causing her to widen her eyes.

"(UH OH)!" Aipom gasped as she began to fall down the roof, her tail being just out of reach to grab the edge.

"AIPOM!" Asta's voice called out, having noticed Aipom falling back. Aipom screamed as she began to fall down, with the citizens below watching in horror.

She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable to happen.

Only, it never came.

In fact, it felt like something or someone grabbed her tail.

"(Wait what)?" Aipom opened her eyes and looked down, only to gasp at who it was that saved her.

"I gotcha!" Asta told the Long Tailed Pokemon, both hands holding onto Aipom's tail just as it was about to slip through. Thanks to all the training he had done in the past, Asta's grip strength was virtually at superhuman levels, which made it easy for him to hold onto Aipom. He then tugged Aipom's tail up, allowing him to pull the yellow and purple Pokemon into his arms. "That was a close one." Asta sighed in relief before he looked down at Aipom, who stared at him in complete shock. "You okay, Aipom?"

"(I… ummm… Yeah)." Aipom responded with a nod, still trying to process why this human, who was chasing her the whole time, would come to her rescue.

"(That was cutting it a little close)." Scorbunny called out as he and the rest of Asta's Pokemon reached the two. "(We're glad you aren't hurt, Aipom)."

"(Even though it was YOU who was causing trouble)." Froakie scolded her as Rookidee nodded in agreement.

"Nice catch, Asta. I was worried I'd need to step in." Vanessa told the magicless teen with a giggle. "But we really should get down. I'm pretty sure everyone's watching us."

Realizing she was right, Asta and his Pokemon climbed onto the broom as it brought them down to ground level.

"Did you see that? He saved that Aipom."

"Even though he and his Pokemon caused a ruckus? No wonder he's a Black Bull."

"At least no one died." There were small mutters throughout the crowd, though Asta didn't seem to care as he got off Vanessa's broom, Aipom still in his arms.

"You're not hurt, are you?" Asta asked while putting Aipom down, to which she shook her head. "Good. But you shouldn't go around stealing food. If you were hungry, I could've just given you some Poffins."

"(I… guess)." Aipom admitted before she gave back the Poffin bag she stole. Asta took it back before opening it, taking out three Poffins before offering it to Aipom.

"Here. You can have these Poffins." Asta told Aipom with a friendly smile. Aipom stared at Asta, then the Poffins before taking them off his hand, running off.

"(Well the least she can say is thank you)." Purrloin commented with a frown.

"You know you didn't need to chase that Aipom, right?" Noelle told Asta before showing him her own bag of Poffins. "I bought some when you left."

"Seriously?" Asta sighed in defeat before he got his smile back. "Oh well. As long as no one's hurt, I think that's good." However, he soon looked over to Scorbunny, who still had the bra on his ear. "Where'd you get that, buddy?"

"(Oops. I guess I forgot about it)." Scorbunny admitted as Asta took it off his partner.

"HEY!" An older, slightly bloated woman, ran over to Asta, glaring heavily at him.

"Ummm, is this-"

*SLAP*

Before he could finish, the woman slapped Asta hard on the face before taking her bra back. "Next time you do this, I'll call the guards." With a huff, the woman walked away, leaving Asta with a big red hand mark on his face while he looked comically shocked. Noelle just facepalmed at what had happened while Vanessa giggled in amusement.

"(And I thought Magna had a temper)." Piplup spoke up while giving Asta a sympathetic look.

'Sometime later'

"So, did you find anything you liked, Noelle?" Vanessa asked Noelle as they continued to walk through the Castle Town. Asta had lagged behind, a bandage over his swollen cheek, though it didn't stop him from admiring the stores around him.

"Not really." Noelle confessed with a frown. Compared to the lavish luxury of the Silva household, the stores around here didn't necessarily catch Noelle's interest.

"That's fair. After all, you are a noble." Vanessa told her with a slight sympathetic smile. "Plus, there aren't many stores that have what you need to control your magic." She then looked at the bag in her hand. "Still, I was able to get some herbs and ointments for everyone."

"(Just in case a certain pair of idiots get hurt again)." Purrloin commented, thinking about Magna and Luck.

"I don't know. Everything looks really good." Asta called out before stretching his arms. "I wonder how everyone else is doing."

"(I'm sure they're fine. Though, if Rowlet's around here)..." Scorbunny began to think of his fellow rival/friend with a smile. Considering what he and Asta had been through so far, they might be able to give Rowlet and Yuno a tougher challenge.

"Okay then." Vanessa stopped as she turned towards the rookies. "Why don't we all go somewhere a bit quieter?"

"Quieter?" Asta and Noelle asked in unison.

"Come with me. Trust me when I say it'll be worth it." Vanessa said with a wink. As confused as they were, Asta and Noelle did trust Vanessa to not trick them.

Soon, the group arrived at a rather shady alleyway, with a decently tall stone wall at the end of it.

"It's just some back alley." Asta pointed out bluntly. Vanessa said nothing as she walked towards the wall, with Purrloin in tow. "Ummm, you're gonna hit the wall."

"(Trust us. This will be fine)." Purrloin told everyone with a smirk.

Just as Vanessa was about to hit the wall… she suddenly phased through it.

"HUH?!" Everyone aside from Purrloin gasped in genuine shock at what had happened.

"(Is that Vanessa's magic or something? I thought it had to do with threads)!" Piplup shouted in utter confusion.

"(Nope. Watch this)." To prove it wasn't a trick, Purrloin also walked through the wall. Vanessa then poked her head out of the wall, smiling at everyone's flabbergasted looks.

"Well? Aren't you coming?" Vanessa asked rhetorically before she went through the wall again. Deciding to take the plunge, Asta was the next one to enter the wall, along with Scorbunny, Froakie, Rookidee, Noelle and Piplup.

"Woah…" Asta muttered in awe at what he was seeing. It looked like an underground shopping district, with several stands that had an assortment of magic tools and other things they never saw while outside.

"(What is this place)?" Scorbunny asked curiously.

"Welcome to the black market." Vanessa introduced the rookies. "Unlike what you saw outside, there are a lot more magic items and other support tools on sale. Though to be honest, some of it can be a little dangerous. But you won't find anything better than here."

"(What does she mean by dangerous)?" Froakie asked Purrloin.

"(Oh, you know. Cursed items, explosive food, poisons, strong weapons and sometimes shady Pokemon for trade. That's about it)." Purrloin listed out rather nonchalantly, getting sweatdrops from her fellow Black Bull Pokemon. "(Oh, and there's always a thief or two around)."

"(Is that it)?" Rookidee asked bluntly, wondering why they were in such a place to begin with.

"We should be able to find something that can help you control your magic." Vanessa told Noelle, who looked a bit unsure about the whole thing. Then again, considering where they were, her reluctance was justified.

"Alright! Let's start looking around!" Asta declared as he began to walk forward…

"(LOOK OUT)!"

*SMACK*

"Woah!" Asta stepped back when he felt something crash into his right leg, though he was still able to stay standing. "What the heck?"

"(Who was that)?" Scorbunny asked as he and the rest of Asta's Pokemon looked at whatever or whoever crashed into him.

"(Ouch)..." The being that crashed into Asta was a Bounsweet, who groaned in pain while it had a small lump on its head.

"Huh. A Bounsweet. I never thought I'd see one down here." Vanessa confessed as she looked at the small Pokemon, only to raise a brow at the blue scarf it had with a familiar insignia on it. "And this one looks like it belongs to a Magic Knight."

"Really?" Noelle questioned, though internally, she was mildly disappointed 'I was gonna catch it too…'

"Are you okay?" Asta asked with some concern as he kneeled down to Bounsweet. Said Pokemon shook off the pain before looking at him only to gasp.

"(Asta)!" With a smile, Bounsweet suddenly jumped at Asta, who quickly caught it in surprise.

"(It looks like this Bounsweet knows Asta)." Froakie commented, wondering why this Bounsweet was so happy to see his human partner.

"Woah! Hang on there." Asta took a closer look at the smiling Pokemon in his arms before his eyes widened. "Wait… aren't you Mallow's Bounsweet?!"

"Bounsweet!" As if on cue, a familiar voice called out from a few stands over, her eyes filled with worry. "Where are you?!"

"Mallow!" Asta called out with a big smile. Turning her head, Mallow's eyes widened as she saw not only her missing Pokemon, but also one of the friends she made during the Entrance Exam.

"Asta!" With a smile of her own, Mallow began to run towards Asta.

"How's it goi-OHHH!" Before Asta could finish his sentence, Mallow embraced him, rubbing her cheek against his.

"It's so good to see you again! How are you?! And you're not eating any grilled violet snakes, right?" Mallow asked question after question while hugging Asta tightly.

"(Huh. I didn't know Asta had a mate)." Purrloin confessed with mild shock. This caused Scorbunny and Rookidee to cough in amusement. "(What)?"

"(I wouldn't say Mallow's his mate. They're just good friends)." Scorbunny told her with a chuckle. "(Mallow as Asta's mate. That's funny)."

"Oh my. It looks like Asta's a lot closer to Mallow than I thought~" Vanessa teasingly remarked with am amused giggle. Noelle simply stood there, her eyebrow twitching in annoyance.

"Mallow… can't… breathe…" Asta wheezed out from the girl's surprising strength. "Also… Bounsweet… is… getting… squeezed…"

"Bounsweet?" Blinking, Mallow pulled away from the hug, only to see that Asta was right as Bounsweet gasped for air. "Oops! Sorry Bounsweet."

"(It's… okay)..." Bounsweet mustered up while taking in some deep breaths. She loved hugs as much as the next Pokemon, but not when it was between two humans.

"Anyways… it's great to see you again." Catching his breath, Asta was able to flash Mallow his signature smile before handing Bounsweet back. "How'd you lose Bounsweet though?"

"Hehehe… funny story." Mallow started while using one hand to scratch her cheek sheepishly. "I was shopping around a spice stand when Bounsweet accidentally sniffed some cinnamon. She sneezed and ended up flying away."

"(The cinnamon wasn't good for my nose. Now it's stuffy)." Bounsweet added before sneezing a bit.

"Oh. At least we caught her before she could roll away." Asta reminded her before a thought came up. "Right! Mallow, I'd like you to meet my squadmates, Vanessa and Noelle!"

"It's a pleasure. Asta's told us a lot about you." Vanessa reached out and offered Mallow a hand, which she shook. "So, you're part of the Blue Rose Knights."

"Yup!" Mallow proudly said while showing off her knight robes, which were blue with an insignia of a rose on the side. "I joined about the same time Asta joined the Black Bulls. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Vanessa then glanced over to Noelle, who was staring at Mallow with somewhat narrowed eyes. "And as you can tell from the glare, this is Noelle."

"Hi." Mallow offered Noelle a hand, who looked at it for a moment before shaking it. "Wow. I heard the Black Bulls were a bit on the crazy side, but I didn't know they had someone as pretty as you in it."

"P-Pretty?" Noelle was caught off guard by the sudden compliment before she turned away. "Well… thank you. You're… cute too."

"(Noelle? Are you okay)?" Piplup asked in concern, noticing the embarrassed look on his partner's face.

"Wosh! Is that a Piplup?!" Mallow kneeled and put Bounsweet down while smiling at the Penguin Pokemon. "I heard they were rare, but seeing one up close is amazing." She then proceeded to pinch Piplup's cheeks, smiling at the squishy feeling. "Awww. Your cheeks are so soft."

"(Owww. Hey. Don't pinch too hard)." Piplup whined, though Mallow kept pinching to her heart's content. The other Pokemon just laughed at his expense. "(Not funny)!"

"I wish I could keep you." Mallow sighed sadly before she let go of Piplup(much to his joy). She then scanned the other Pokemon and smiled at two of them. "Scorbunny. Rookidee. How are you two?" She then rubbed the top of Scorbunny's head while scratching the bottom of Rookidee's chin, making both Pokemon sigh in relief.

"They're great. We've been getting stronger ever since the Entrance Exam." Asta confidently told her before smiling at his third Pokemon. "And I caught Froakie yesterday."

"(Hey)." Froakie gave a simple wave. Mallow noticed him before her smile grew a bit larger.

"Awww. He's so cute!" Before Froakie could do anything, Mallow pulled him into a hug, rubbing against his cheek like she did to Asta. "You're just a sweetheart, aren't you? Yes you are~"

"(Please… stop… this is… so awkward)..." Froakie begged with a red blush.

"(Doesn't feel good, does it)?" Piplup asked smugly, satisfied seeing someone else suffer Mallow's affection.

"What are you doing here, Mallow? Is it your day off too?" Asta asked Mallow as she finally released Froakie and stood back up.

"That's right. My vice captain told me about the black market and said I should go. Though… I did get a bit lost." Mallow admitted with a nervous laugh. "Plus, the whole thing with Bounsweet happened. But at least I got to see you."

"I have an idea." Vanessa clapped her hands to get their attention. "How about the four of us go shopping together? I'd love to hear more about the Blue Rose Knights." Noelle looked at Vanessa with a shocked look while Asta grinned.

"Are you sure? I don't wanna bother you guys." Mallow asked, not trying to be impolite.

"Not at all! You're a friend, so I'd love to go shopping with you." Asta reassured her kindly, making her smile.

"Well… okay! Let's go!" With that, Asta and Mallow began to walk alongside each other, with their Pokemon following close behind. "So, what's it like being in the Black Bulls?"

"It's crazy! Like when I first got there…" Asta then proceeded to talk to Mallow about his time with the Black Bulls so far, with his Pokemon doing the same for Bounsweet.

"My. Those two look really cute together, don't they?" Vanessa asked Noelle as they lagged behind a bit. "For all we know, they could be a couple." She then looked over to Noelle, who was clenching her fist tightly. 'Oh? Look what we have here.' Vanessa giggled to herself as she saw how jealous Noelle was being.

'I remember her. She was in the Entrance Exam.' Noelle thought as she saw Asta tell Mallow something with his arms opened outwards, causing her to gasp before laughing. 'Maybe they would make a cute couple… WHY DO I CARE?! That idiot can be with whoever he wants!'

Yet, for some reason, Noelle felt the pit in her stomach from earlier returned. Something she didn't like one bit.

"So then, has anything caught your eye?" Vanessa spoke up, deciding to change the subject. She may like teasing people, but she knew when the time was right. "I know you'll find something that can help you control your magic. Just keep an eye out."

"Alright… if you're sure." Deciding to bite the bullet, Noelle began to look around each stand, hoping to find something to help her use her magic more efficiently.

'Elsewhere'

"And that's a full house."

"Ragh! You're kidding me!"

"Sorry, sonny. I can see into the future, you know."

Sekke Bronzazza groaned as he left the table he was just playing at, all while his opponent, a short elderly woman, laughed in amusement. He was so close to winning the game, yet somehow, some way, THAT OLD HAG WAS ABLE TO WIN!

"Oh well. I guess I shouldn't be gambling, anyways." Sekke told himself with a sigh as he left the gambler's den, a hand on his hip. "Back to work."

Why was the Bronze magic user in the black market, you ask?

Simply put: he was on the job, patrolling to make sure nothing was going on. Still, considering that most people would think twice before committing a crime while a Magic Knight was around, Sekke could spend a little time goofing around. Though… he had to make sure Captain Jack didn't learn of this.

"Some job this is. Snatching some purse snatchers isn't as exciting as it sounds." Sekke muttered under his breath with a frown. "Magic Knights shouldn't be doing a job like this. Hell, I've seen Mightyena who can do it better than I can. I wish I could say no, but telling that to the Captain is practically suicide."

"You don't wanna do the job?" Captain Jack told Sekke while towering over him. "Alright. Then I guess that means you don't wanna live. I'll just chop you up into tiny bits and feed you to Haxorus. He loves the bones."

Next to him, a large Haxorus stared down Sekke while licking its lips in anticipation.

"Here I thought being a Magic Knight meant doing important jobs. But this is ridiculous." Sekke continued to mope. "Even a Green Praying Mantis should do something important." He let out another sigh as he turned the corner, making his way towards a certain pair of Black Bulls. "The only saving grace is my new Pokemon, but that's it."

"What do you think of this?" Sekke stopped in his tracks as he heard Vanessa talk to Noelle while showing her some accessories with a laugh.

'Hello, beautiful.' Sekke thought as he began to stare at the two females before a smirk appeared on his face. 'Well, the ladies DO love Magic Knights, so…'

"This is Mystic Water." Vanessa explained while showing Noelle a small necklace with a blue stone around it, with a small amount of blue water inside of it. "Apparently, it helps boost a Water Pokemon's magic."

"And you're in luck. It's on sale." The rather shady stand owner informed them. "You interested?"

"A boost in power?" Noelle muttered before she looked down at Piplup, who was staring at a large body mirror.

"(Who's a tough Pokemon? You are)." Piplup told his reflection before puffing his chest proudly. A smile crept on Noelle's face before she bought the Mystic Water.

"Piplup." Noelle spoke up, getting her partner's attention as she kneeled down and showed him the Mystic Water. "This will make your water magic stronger. But you have to wear it, okay?"

"(This'll make me strong)?" Piplup thought out loud as he looked at the necklace. He knew Noelle was looking for something to help her use her spells. But at the same time, it was his duty to protect her no matter what. He was barely helpful during the whole Saussy Village fight, so if he could get a boost in his magic, then he should take it.

With a determined look, Piplup nodded as Noelle gave him the Mystic Water. She put it over his neck before securing it so it wouldn't fall off. "How about you try a Bubblebeam?"

"(Okay)!" Taking a deep breath, Piplup opened his mouth and began channeling his magic through his body.

He quickly turned around and fired a barrage of bubbles towards the wall…

*POP*

"BWA-HA!" However, he failed to realize Sekke was still standing, so he took the full force of the enhanced Bubblebeam.

"(Ouch)." Purrloin spoke up, though she sounded much less sympathetic than one might think.

"(Sorry)!" Piplup called out to Sekke, though Noelle had a different response.

"You only have yourself to blame for standing there." Noelle told the fallen Magic Knight with a scoff.

"Ha ha!" Sekke suddenly got back on his feet while striking a pose, despite being drenched in water. "Hello, lovely ladies. What brings you to a place like this?" The two Black Bulls gave him a confused look as he continued. "The black market isn't a good place for beautiful women such as yourselves, even if you have Pokemon with you. Are you lost? Because if you are, I can escort you to safety."

"(Wow. This human is so annoying)." Purrloin groaned in disgust at Sekke's obvious advances.

"Begone, insect." Was Noelle's response while Vanessa simply yawned.

'Okay… didn't expect that.' Sekke thought with a sweatdrop before he finally noticed their robes, causing him to freeze up. 'Wait. They're part of the Black Bulls? At least they aren't with-'

"GUYS! CHECK THIS OUT!" Asta called out while running up to Noelle and Vanessa, showing them a stuffed Heracross toy. "Isn't it cool?!"

"Please tell me you weren't dumb enough to buy that." Noelle asked reluctantly.

"Of course I did! It even has a hard shell just like a real Heracross!" Asta explained while pointing to the back. "Mallow said it was cool too!"

"Oh no…" Sekke muttered as he slowly backed away from Asta. The memories of their mock battle not too long ago flashing in his mind.

"YOU?!" Mallow called out, stopping Sekke from escaping. She had a deep glare as she marched over to Sekke, poking his chest with a finger. "You have a lot of nerve showing your face after what you did to Asta!"

"Oh… hello again." Sekke nervously told Mallow. As much as he enjoyed being close to a cute girl, the glare she was giving him was worrying.

"(Great. It's him again)." Scorbunny commented as he saw Sekke.

"(Am I missing something? Why do you hate that human)?" Froakie asked Scorbunny with a raised brow.

"(I know him! He's a bad human)!" Bounsweet told them while spinning the top of her leaves in anger. "(He acted nice around Asta. But when they had to fight, he just told Asta to give up so he could look good in front of the other Captains)."

"(Really)?" Froakie didn't know Sekke for even a minute and he was already wary of him.

"Oh. It's you, Ha ha." Asta greeted Sekke rather casually.

"It's not Ha ha! It's Sekke, Ha ha!" Sekke corrected him before he pulled away from Mallow.

"So, how's it going, Ha ha?" Asta asked, ignorant of the correction.

"My name is SEKKE! Not Ha ha! Get it right!" Sekke once again corrected Asta.

"After the stunt you tried pulling, being called Ha ha's the least you deserve." Mallow told him while crossing her arms.

"Is there something wrong here?" Vanessa couldn't help but ask.

"You bet there is!" Mallow pointed at Sekke. "He was in the Entrance Exam with me and Asta. He started out by acting all nice, but he was just using Asta to pass the exam and become a Magic Knight. But Asta beat him."

"(That's awful! Now I don't feel bad shooting him)." Piplup said while glaring at Sekke.

'To think three beautiful women are here, and they're with HIM?! I never thought I'd be jealous of a magicless runt like him. Damn Asta.' Sekke thought while gritting his teeth in anger. 'I'll make him pay one day. I swear it!'

As this conversation was going on, the same old lady who had beaten Sekke at poker walked though the market, carrying a large sack of Yul with a happy hum.

Because she was in a happy mood, the old woman failed to notice a robed man walk after her with a smirk before he made a dash towards the old woman. Faster than the woman could see, the man grabbed her sack of Yul and took off.

"NO! THIEF!" The old woman cried out as the thief continued to run away. "GIVE THEM BACK TO ME!"

"Oh no." Mallow muttered, having heard the woman's cry for help.

Without saying a word, Asta and his Pokemon began to run after the thief, rushing past the old lady.

"GET BACK HERE!" Asta shouted at the thief, who created a small cloud before jumping on it. He grinned as he began to fly away, phasing through the wall and exiting the black market. "Rookidee, fly up when we're outside! Don't lose him!"

"(Got it)!" Rookidee acknowledged before he and the others rushed out of the black market.

"Miss, are you alright?" Mallow asked in concern as she and Noelle helped the old woman stand up.

"Yes I am. But he stole my winnings." The old man muttered sadly.

"The nerve of that brute. Stealing someone's purse in front of a group of Magic Knights." Noelle commented with a disgusted tone.

"No kidding. Just leave it to the kiddo." Vanessa told them while looking at the spot Asta had phased through.

"Not this time, Asta!" Sekke declared before he took out his Grimoire. "You won't be taking the glory this time! Bronze Creation Magic: Sekke Shooting Star!"

Soon, Sekke's magic created a rather… strange vehicle. It looked like a bronze bike, though it had a statue of Sekke in front of it, as well as a pair of wings in the back. He was expecting to see some awed reactions from the females and their Pokemon.

But…

"(... I am officially scarred for life)." Purrloin stated while rubbing her face.

"(My eyes)!" Piplup covered his eyes, though he was kind enough to do the same for Bounsweet.

"Yuck!"

"Disgusting!"

"Why the statue?!" All three girls gagged at the sight of Sekke's absurd creation.

"Don't worry, ladies. I'll go get the money back, ha ha!" Sekke declared before he raced after Asta.

"(I feel bad for whatever Pokemon's with him)." Purloin commented as Piplup and Bounsweet nodded in sympathy.

'With Asta'

"GIVE BACK THAT MONEY!" Asta shouted in anger as he and his Pokemon continued to run through the back alley. However, thanks to the thief's magic cloud, he was always one step ahead of them.

"Think you can catch me, not a chance." The thief commented arrogantly as he turned the corner. He looked up and noticed Rookidee dive bombing towards him.

"(I GOT YOU)!" Rookidee declared as he prepared to strike the thief.

"Stupid bird." The thief launched a cloud shot towards Rookidee, forcing him to dodge. He looked back and noticed Asta was picking up the pace, Scorbunny and Froakie on his shoulders. "Seriously?"

"Get ready, you two!" Asta shouted as he began to jumped off the wall to turn around another corner. "Scorbunny, burn his cloud! Froakie, knock him down!"

"(Jump, Froakie)!" Scorbunny declared before he and Froakie jumped off Asta's shoulders. Taking a deep breath, Scorbunny launched an Ember towards the thief's cloud while Froakie launched two Water Pulses. The thief quickly dodged the Ember, though he was hit in the back by Froakie's Water Pulse, making him stumble a bit before he regained his balance.

"Damn brat!" Angered by the attack, the thief used his magic to create a large cloud between him and Asta. "There! Try running out of-"

"HA!" Before he could finish, Asta slashed through the cloud wall with his Anti-Magic sword, much to the thief's shock.

"What the hell?!" The thief exclaimed before he looked ahead, only to crash into a large hay wagon. "I can't see!"

Deciding to use the wagon to his advantage, Asta jumped off it before he started hopping off clothes lines that were in the area.

"(Seriously. We just had a chase with that Aipom. Now this guy)?" Froakie couldn't help but complain about the events of today.

"(Good news is he isn't as smart as that Aipom)." Scorbunny retorted as Asta ran along the roof.

"We're gonna get that purse back if it's the last thing we do!" Asta shouted at the thief. 'We gotta take out that cloud somehow. But he can dodge Ember and Water Pulse, so we can't rely on those. Wait…' Asta looked at his sword before a grin appeared on his face. "Scorbunny, get on my sword!"

"(Your sword)?" Scorbunny asked as he looked at Asta. It didn't make sense for him to hold the sword like that… unless he was gonna THROW IT! "(Ohhh… gotcha)!" Getting off Asta's shoulder, Scorbunny stood on top of Asta's sword, which he was holding like a lance.

"READY… SET… GO!" With a yell, Asta threw his sword towards the thief.

"Really?! You think a flying sword could hurt my cloud magic, then you have another thing-" The thief couldn't continue as Asta's sword cut through the cloud, causing it to disappear completely. "WHAT?!"

"(Take this)!" Hopping off the sword just as it was about to pass by the thief, Scorbunny slammed his feet into their face, causing him to crash into the ground.

"Stupid rabbit!" Taking out a knife, the thief quickly swung it at Scorbunny, who hopped away just in time. He used the time Scorbunny used to dodge in order to get back and run away.

"Wait!" Asta landed on the ground, sword in hand. "You okay, buddy?"

"(I'm fine. But he's getting away)!" Scorbunny shouted as he and Asta prepared to attack.

"Ha ha!" However, Sekke suddenly drove past them on his Sekke Shooting Star.

"(What is he on)?!" Froakie shouted in pure bewilderment.

"I'll get this purse snatcher once and for all!" Sekke declared before he took out a Pokeball. "Cacnea, take him down with Pin Missile!" With that, he threw the ball in the air, allowing the Pokemon inside to leap in the air.

It was a green, bipedal Pokémon with a round body and cactus-like striations. It has a dark green rhombus shape above its face, and six dark green rhombus shapes that ring around its waist. It has dark circles around its eyes, and its mouth is composed of several similar circles. It has two dark green spikes on each side of its head

"(Take this)!" The new Pokemon aimed its arms down and fired a barrage of glowing needles down towards the thief.

*Boom*

"AHHHH!" The thief was bombarded by the Pin Missile, causing him to crash on the ground while releasing the Yul.

"Woah! That was awesome!" Asta cheered with stars in his eyes before he took out his magic mirror.

"Cacnea, the Cactus Pokemon. It prefers harsh environments such as deserts. It can survive for 30 days on water stored in its body. Just be careful not to mistake it for a real cactus. It won't be happy." The magic mirror informed Asta as Sekke and his Pokemon stopped next to the thief.

"Ha ha! You're done for, thief!" Sekke proudly announced while looking down at the thief. "And thanks to this, I'll be given the credit I de-"

"(WE DID IT)!" Cacnea suddenly hugged Sekke from behind, causing him to gasp in pain.

"OWOWOW! Cacnea, now is not the time!" Sekke shouted as he tried to pull his Pokemon off him, though its spikes made it hard to separate.

"(So… should we help him with that)?" Rookidee asked as he flew down to Asta and his Pokemon.

"(Eh. Let him enjoy this. Though, we WERE the ones who stopped the thief's cloud)." Scorbunny muttered to himself.

*Stab*

Sekke stopped trying to push Cacnea away when he felt a piercing pain in his foot. Looking down, his eyes widened as he saw the thief stab his foot with a knife, a purple magic circle briefly appearing on it.

"Ha… ha?"

"I'm so sick of you Magic Knights." The thief said with an annoyed tone before he pulled the knife out, tossing it away. "If I'm going down, you're coming with me." With that, the thief passed out, with a strange purple aura surrounding Sekke's foot.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Sekke screamed before he fell back, his foot raised to the sky.

"(No! Sekke)!" Cacnea shouted in distress. Asta and his Pokemon soon ran to the fallen Magic Knight.

"Ha ha! What happened?!" Asta shouted as Sekke pointed to his raised foot.

"M-My foot. H-He stabbed it with a poisoned knife!" Sekke shouted, feeling his strength slowly draining.

"(And he almost cut me with it)." Scorbunny admitted, looking down at Sekke with a look of pity.

"(None of us know any healing spells. I don't know if we can help)." Froakie said with a frown.

"Hang in there!" Asta yelled at Sekke before looking at Rookidee. "Rookidee! Go find Vanessa and Mallow! They might have something for him!" The small bird Pokemon nodded before flying off to find the others.

"I… I'm feeling… so tired…" Sekke muttered while he began to pant, the poison coursing through his body faster than he expected. 'Look at me. I'm barely a Magic Knight for a week… and I'm going to die… some luck for old Sekke…' He started to reflect on his life, wondering where he went wrong. 'I thought… I could… do more…' He saw Asta trying to call out to him, though his vision grew more blurry. 'I hate leaving things with this idiot, so…' Reaching out, Sekke grabbed Asta's robes and pulled him close. "You… beat me… in the exam… I admit that. Maybe I'm done for… but you're not." He managed a small grin as he continued. "I… pass on… my dreams… to you…"

"Don't say that, ha ha…" Asta muttered in a low tone. Sekke then turned towards his Pokemon, who was shedding sad tears.

"Cacnea… sweet Cacnea…" Sekke reached out and rubbed the top of Cacnea's head, despite feeling Cacnea's needles poking him. "I'm sorry… I wanted… to keep going… with you… and Carnivine… Please live… for me…"

"(Sekke)..." Cacnea reached out and held his partner's hand while crying. "(I don't want you to go! Please don't die)!"

"Hehehe… sweet… little one…" With that, Sekke lost his strength and fainted, allowing the sweet release of death to take him.

"(SEKKE)!" Cacnea shouted while crying on Sekke's chest, devastated by the loss.

'This… isn't the worst way to go. At least I died with my dignity…' Sekke thought as he prepared for his eternal rest.

But after a few moments… he didn't feel anything different.

'Wait… my hand… I can still feel Cacnea's needles digging into it… why am I not dead?'

*SMACK*

Sekke gasped as Asta suddenly handchopped his closed eyes, making them open wide.

"(Well, that's one way to keep someone alive)." Froakie bluntly remarked.

"Listen up, ha ha!" Asta shouted with a determined look. "Don't give up your dreams just like that! And don't go dying on your Pokemon! Both should be really important to you!" He grabbed Sekke's collar. "Keep living and make them come true! That's what it means to be a Magic Knight!"

"A… Asta…" Sekke muttered in genuine awe, not expecting to hear such words from the kid he almost conned back in the exam.

"You know you aren't dying, right?" Vanessa called out, rubbing ointment on Sekke's poisoned foot. "All that knife did was give you a minor rash. That's all."

"Ha… ha?" Sekke muttered, his soul slowly leaving his body.

"Besides, I have plenty of berries to help with poison, so you weren't gonna go that fast." Mallow added as she walked into Sekke's view, hands on her hips. "Still, I guess you did stop the thief. So… good job?" She gave him a weak thumbs up.

"(YOU'RE GONNA BE OKAY)!" Happy with the news, Cacna embraced Sekke tightly, though his partner didn't react as he felt too embarrassed to do anything.

Looks like Sekke Bronzazza would live to say ha ha another day… unfortunately.

'A few minutes later'

"Okay. I'll be taking this thief away." Sekke told everyone as he put the unconscious thief on his Sekke Shooting Star. He then gave the Black Bulls and sole Blue Rose Knight a salute while grinning. "You'll have to work harder next time if you wanna be ready for our next meeting, Asta! Bye for now!" With his usual laugh, Sekke drove off.

"(... I hope we never see him again)." Froakie admitted out loud as the other Pokemon nodded. They had enough of Sekke for the next… ten… no, twenty years.

"Bye ha ha!" Asta waved Sekke goodbye, though the others simply stayed quiet.

"Honestly, even after all he did to you, you're still nice to him." Mallow pointed out before shaking her head in amusement. "You're a really weird guy, Asta."

"I am?" Asta asked with a head tilt, getting a giggle from Mallow and Vanessa.

'Our little bull may be a kid, but he's got a strong heart.' Vanessa thought, finding a small amount of admiration for the magicless teen.

"Hmmm. It's getting pretty late." Mallow spoke up while looking at the sky with a frown, noticing how the sun was slowly beginning to set. "And I promised I'd meet up with my squadmates later."

"That's too bad. I was just starting to like your company." Vanessa confessed with a smile.

"Maybe next time, we can hang out more. Would that be okay?" Asta asked Mallow in a hopeful tone.

"Of course! That's what friends are for!" Mallow blurted out while winking at Asta, who grinned in response.

'He shouldn't smile that much for an invitation.' Noelle thought rather bitterly, though she tried her best not to look mad.

"Hey, Noelle?" Mallow suddenly walked up to the royal, hands behind her back. "Do you think we can be friends?"

"F-Friends? With me?" Noelle asked with a surprised tone. She never expected Mallow to suddenly ask her that question, especially since they barely talked to each other.

"Well, yeah. Asta told me a lot about you." Mallow explained with a smile. "He said your magic was really something and that you were really brave when you were fighting those wizards. Plus, you got a really cute Piplup."

"(Why thank you! I try)." Piplup declared rather proudly.

"Plus… I don't have a lot of girl friends my age. Heck, my vice captain is two years older than me." Mallow then offered Noelle a hand, tilting her head a bit while giving a curious look. "So, can we be friends?"

'D-Don't tilt your head like that! It's not fair!' Noelle thought, trying her best not to be affected by Mallow's cute look. Still, as weird as it was to see how much Asta got along with Mallow, it was clear the green haired girl was a genuinely nice person. And her voice held no malice or hidden agenda. She just really wanted to be Noelle's friend.

Something the young royal wanted deep down.

'A friend… with a girl my age…' Just the thought of it made Noelle feel happy. She could finally feel like a normal teenage girl instead of the sheltered girl that was belittled by her siblings.

She could just be… herself.

"W-Well… I don't see why not." Noelle finally said before taking Mallow's hand.

"Great!" Happy with her answer, Mallow suddenly pulled Noelle into a hug, making the water mage's eyes go wide with shock. "Sorry, but I really like hugs! I hope you don't mind!"

"N-N-Not at all." Shakingly, Noelle wrapped her arms around Mallow and returned the hug, feeling her reluctance slowly fade away. Asta, Vanessa and the Pokemon all smiled at the display of affection the two girls were expressing.

"(Good for you, Noelle. Good for you)..." Piplup muttered as he wiped away the tears running down his eyes.

Soon, Mallow ended her hug with Noelle before she picked Bounsweet up, backing away from the group.

"Bye guys! I hope we see each other soon!" Mallow and Bounsweet waved the Black Bulls goodbye before they ran off.

"See? I told you Mallow was great." Asta told Vanessa and Noelle. "Now you just need to meet Kiawe!"

"(Maybe we should give this back)." Scorbunny called out as he and Froakie began tugging at the large purse, though due to the weight of the Yul, it proved difficult.

Soon, the old woman rejoined the group, allowing Asta to give back her money.

"Try not to let anyone steal this, okay?" Asta told the woman, who smiled while holding her purse.

"Thank you so much, mister Magic Knight!" The old woman told Asta with a laugh. "I can tell you'll be a wonderful Captain in the future."

"Try staying out of trouble." Vanessa kindly warned the old woman before the Black Bulls took their leave, satisfied with today.

Unbeknownst to them, a certain Pokemon was watching them leave with a curious look.

'A sword that could nullify magic. Now that is interesting.' The old woman thought as she stared at Asta, who was smiling at his Pokemon. 'And he's very considerate to those around him. I wonder…'

*Whoosh*

The old woman was brought out of her thoughts when she heard something land behind her. Curious, she turned around and faced the newcomer.

It was a white, bipedal Pokémon. Its lower body consists of rounded hips with strong legs. It has a thin green torso with sharp, red horns sticking out of its chest and back. Its arms are shaped like tonfas with extendable blades in its elbows. Its head resembles a gladiator's helmet with a white face, red eyes, and a teal head crest. It has spikes on the sides of its face.

"(...)" The new Pokemon simply stared at the old woman, who gasped in shock.

"Oh my! What a strong Pokemon you are!" The old woman exclaimed rather dramatically. "I can feel how powerful you are. Your human partner must be amazing to have raised a Pokemon of your caliber! He must be strong, brave, intelligent, and-"

"(Are you done? I know it's you, Julius)." Out of nowhere, the old woman heard a voice speak in her head with an annoyed tone, which mirrored the Pokemon's expression.

"Oh poo. Why can't you let me have my fun?" The old woman sighed as she turned around just as a flash of light appeared.

From the light came a bipedal, humanoid Pokémon whose body resembles a flowing gown. Most of its body is white, but its hair, arms, and the underside of its gown are green. Its hair curls over its face and down the sides of its head. Behind its red eyes are short spikes, resembling a masquerade mask. It has long arms with three fingers on each hand and slender white legs. A red, fin-like horn extends from its chest, and a shorter, more rounded horn extends from the back. A band of green on its chest extends to the center of the front horn and connects to its sleeve-like arms.

"(That's quite the interesting disguise you have, master. Very fitting)." The new Pokemon mentally remarked with a giggle.

"What can I say? I love variety." The 'old woman' admitted before her whole body began to glow, changing shape. "In all my life, I've never seen magic like that. Or… can it even be considered magic at this point?" As she spoke, the 'old woman's' voice turned more masculine before the light died out, revealing their true face.

Standing in place of the old woman was a tall, middle-aged man with short messy blond hair and purple eyes. One of his notable features is a blue six-pointed star on the left side of his forehead.

His attire consists of a shirt and pants of similar color and designs. The white shirt has a high collar with black fur at the end, and intricate gold and purple-colored designs on its circumference. The shirt also has long sleeves with light purple cuffs, which have similar black fur and designs. A pair of gold ring-shaped ornaments are also decorating the upper and lower parts of each sleeve. His brown pants are complimented by a pair of high boots of similar color, which have black fur at the collars as well.

On top of everything, he wears a long red robe that covers his entire body. The part of his robe which covers his torso is decorated with white fur. On top of the fur, he wears a gold necklace and a couple of medals. One of those medals, a gold medal with a green cross, is positioned on the left side of his chest while the other, a shield with gold and red colors, is positioned on his right side. Additionally, a pair of robes are protruding from the fur on the right side of his back. Furthermore, the robe only has a single sleeve for his right arm.

The man, known to everyone as Julius Novachrono, smiled as he continued to watch Asta and his friends walk away.

"Gallade. Gardevior. I think we just found Yami's new secret weapon."

Why do I do this to myself?

Why do I make a 40+ page chapter for something like this?!

Oh well. You guys seem to like it, so I'll keep making big chapters.

In all seriousness, this chapter was basically a chance for the characters to relax, especially given what happens in the next arc. I know a lot of it is kind of the same, but I did want to include that Aipom chase scene(I'm an Aipom fan, okay? That monkey's underrated). Hopefully you guys enjoyed that, as well as Mallow's return. I was gonna show off her new Pokemon, but there didn't seem to be a good time to do so.

Still, I can say she and Kiawe will return in a couple chapters, so keep your eyes open. And expect some more Pokemon characters to show up in this story.

I'm sure you all heard that Ash Ketchum and Pikachu are finally retiring from the Pokemon anime. While I am shocked they're doing that, it makes sense since we've seen the kid in action for 25 years. About time we get a new protagonist.

Stay healthy and keep doing what you're doing, guys! And check out my editor's Fanfic profile. His name is Crossovernaru.

Follow, Fav, Review and PM for anything.

Next time: Yuno's first mission.