"This is a mess."

Those words described everyone's thoughts during a conference amongst the Magic Council members. They weren't alone as Arthur and Queen Hisui were present via projections from Communication Lacrima. The recent events had left not only the state of Fiore in question, but their plans moving forward. Needless to say that no party could make heads or tails of the rebellion's aftermath.

Maryam turned towards Arthur's projection with a furrowed brow. "Mr. Arthur, are you absolutely certain that this information is credible?"

Arthur nodded, his laxed demeanor replaced with a serious frown. "Yes, it was provided by my cohort Nic Pularis himself through his memories he projected. It's undeniably a primary source."

"To think that it was a Pokémon behind this whole revolution." Justice mulled, her tone drenched in disbelief. "That's very troubling."

"I don't even want to begin to think where the repercussions will start with this. What do we tell the public? We're looking at another civil war here if they find out these creatures were planning to take over!" Leiji lamented.

Alfredo scoffed. "Well I can tell you one thing. If there was ever a liable reason to abstain these Pokémon from interacting with our kind, this would be it."

"I understand all of your reservations regarding the circumstances we are dealing with here." Arthur intervened in an attempt to placate the grimace mood. "But you have to understand, the Pokémon who called himself Neuro was the byproduct of the lack of proper human guidance and compassion. That in turn led to the proactive retribution he sought."

Alfredo scoffed again. "That's saying blame the owner when the pets are the ones who strike."

"As much as I'd hate to admit it…Alfredo does have a point." Ruge morbidly conceded. "Even if what happened in the past was a factor, the fact remains that a highly advanced Pokémon was able to make use of our resources and subjugate numerous mages to a perpetual state of chaos. No one would have recovered if it came to that conclusion."

"He's right. We're already struggling to adapt to Pokémon and humans cohabitating. This only made the gap that much greater to cover." Jeffrey added. He was still trying to get over his beloved Poliwag that attacked and left him. It certainly explained how she came back to her senses though.

"Not to mention, not only mages, but innocent civilians were harmed in this upbringing." Maryam pointed out. She didn't even want to account for the number of casualties from this event alone. From the reports, the numbers were well in the triple digits at least.

"I understand." Arthur frowned.

It was Hyberion's turn to cut in. "Arthur, by no means are we holding you or anyone else accountable for this incident. But you have to understand. Because of these repercussions, do you truly believe that moving forward with the games will hold any value to the feedback that's flooding in?"

Arthur didn't say anything. He knew from the tone where this was heading, the president remained adamant.

"We sympathize with your resolve to help Fiore and Earthland adapt to having Pokémon amongst our society, but we have to consider the safety of everyone first. I'm certain that many will distrust Pokémon despite better judgement…but you can't hold it against them."

"I don't, but I also stand to believe that if we tear down the bridge that we've worked hard to build together, we'll only be pushing Pokémon and humans in the direction that Neuro wanted. You can only progress so far before you have to rely on crutches the rest of the way."

The Councilmen all muttered towards one another with harsh whispers and exchanging opinions. Arthur couldn't make out what they were saying, but from the sounds of it, it wasn't favorable.

The Chairman turned back towards him with a serious frown. "You brought up a good point, Arthur. But don't consider this as fully distrusting your ethics. But those ethics will have to be put on hold until we are able to mend Fiore and its inhabitance. As things stands, I'm afraid that we will have to cancel this year's Grand Magic Games…I'm sorry."

Arthur's frown was heavy. As much as he wanted to bring up a valid argument like he had done before, he knew that this time, the Council had the upper hand. They've played by his rules up until now out of valid reasoning and logic. But now the roles were reversed. He'd be lying if he said this didn't leave him humiliated. But after the near devastation the Cambire Foundation suffered both structurally and systematically, he realized that he had no room to counter this judgement. He didn't even want to begin with how many zeros will be fit into the repairs caused by the Pokémon.

"Yes…I understand." He quietly conceded.

Hyberion nodded. "Then it's settled, we'll announce that the games will be-"

"Please wait!"

The conversation steered away from the two parties, diverted towards the third party that was almost forgotten in the form of jade hair and a crown.

"Your Majesty…" Arthur muttered.

"Do you have something to say, Queen Hisui?" Hyberion asked.

"I do. With all do respect, I understand that cancelling this year's games to focus on the well-being of our civilians is a rational move." Hisui pointed out. "But…" She started a counter. "I also believe that these games may very well be what will salvage this crisis."

The Councilmen all looked confused. They all exchanged looks that spelled disbelief at her claims. Alfredo was the first to voice these concerns. "Explain yourself now."

"Yes, how exactly will resuming the scheduled games prove fruitful in any way?" Maryam questioned.

"I want you all to consider what Arthur said just now. Since the start of this spring, we have been making strides with the help of the Cambire Foundation and Nic Pularis. Yes, we have had many tribulations to deal with, but every single one of them, we were able to overcome. If we were to allow this setback to bard us, think of all the efforts that everyone has done for our cause. We'll be putting that faith in vain."

"Hello~!" Jumping in from the side, her Togepi waved towards everyone energetically.

Hisui smiled and placed her Togepi in her lap. "It's not all lost. I believe that by following through with these games, we can prove to everyone how strong Fiore is despite these flaws. It's true that many were hurt by this event, and the damage will take time…but if we learned anything from a certain someone about working alongside Pokémon, we can stand against the odds and move forward."

Wolfheim sneered. "Even so, are you implying that we should continue to not look back at the destruction we've endured?"

"He has a point. Matters like these don't sweep themselves up so easily. Ishgar barely recovered from the invasion by Alvarez. What do you expect us to do if something like that happens again?" Ruge added.

Hisui closed her eyes. "You all have your points…but please, let us try and put faith before us this one time. If the Pokémon and humans were able to coexist on PokéEarth,

Silence fell once again upon the joint meeting.

Hyberion gave the noble woman a stern look. "You understand how much of a gamble this is, do you, Your Majesty?"

"I know, and I intend to take full accountability should anything happen from this decision."

Hyberion and numerous other councilmen exchanged uncertain looks a second time. Some of them even leaned in and whispered their opinions on Hisui's points. This left both Arthur and Hisui to wait with straight faces in anticipation for how their appeal would be viable. It didn't take long before the mood of the meeting seemed to change to a different direction when Hyberion finally turned his attention back towards her.

"…very well. If you insist that this will lessen the repercussions…then we shall renounce the cancellation of this year's games. They shall proceed as scheduled."

"Thank you." Arthur nodded.

"However," Alfredo sternly interjected. "If another incident like this happens again…your bagging for your little international charity will be the least of your worries. This is your final warning. Are we clear?"

"Yes." Arthur and Hisui answered in unison.

Hyberion hummed, seemingly satisfied with the compliance. "Then I believe that we have found our compromise. We'll discuss the measures to these precautions at a later date. For now, this meeting is adjourned."

Back on the foundation grounds, Arthur's office was in rough shape. Even though it had been cleaned up, it clearly showed that the spacious room had seen better days with accommodations and decorations and furniture that was in the midst of being replaced. Even the glass windows behind him were replaced with thick weather tarps until the glass could be fixed in another two days.

On his desk that was still intact, he watched the projection of the councilmembers fade, leaving him and Hisui's projection to talk. "Your Majesty, I am in your debt for this."

"You don't have to worry about it." She immediately dismissed. "I meant what I said. All I ask is that you put that faith to use for the sake of everyone and these games."

Arthur warmly smiled. "You have my word."

Hisui nodded, satisfied. "I'm looking forward to seeing how you and everyone do." With that, the Queen's projection faded back into the lacrima as it dulled on the smartphone device on his desk.

Arthur was silent for a moment as he looked up towards the ceiling lights. He hummed for a moment, his smile never fading. He couldn't tell if this was a stroke of luck or because of the high expectations that were set up, but he was in a particularly good mood.

"…heh, this world never ceases to make me want to stand." He mused. "Marie, how is our wine supply looking?"

"Sorry, sir. Our supply won't be here until tonight. You'll just have to wait."

He sourly chuckled. "As always, you're no fun."


Laxus and Freed found themselves walking through Hargeon on a cloudless day. It was abnormal for the Guild Master to be out of town for matters aside from the usual Guild Master conferences held in Clover, but they were here for another reason.

One nauseating train ride and a short walk later, the two stood in front of a two-story building that was fairly small, but they knew the location all too well to mistake it for anything else. They saw the "8-Island" restaurant sign was still up.

"I'm actually surprised the place is still standing after everything that happened." Freed admitted.

"Yeah, guess the old man's more stubborn than we give him credit for." Laxus chimed in. He had to assume it was because of the man's history. After all, he was once a member of their guild too.

"Hopefully it's not too busy." Freed took the liberties of opening the door, causing a bell to ring. Laxus walked in with Freed following behind into the vacant restaurant.

"Hm? Oh tarnation. Did I forget to flip the sign?" A small scowl came from the back of the kitchen area. The two saw someone walk out, who turned out to be none other than Yajima. "Sorry, but we haven't opened quite yet…eh?"

"Good to see you again, Yajima. Looks like you've been well." Freed greeted with a respective grin.

Immediately, the chef's demeanor brightened with his surprise. "Ah, well if it isn't you boys! Haven't seen you around in a while!"

"Apologies. We've been rather preoccupied these days."

"Ah, yes. I heard that you're filling in ole' Makky's shoes. I imagine it must be hard given whom your guild is." Yajima chuckled.

Laxus closed his eyes and sighed out his nostrils. "Yeah, you're right about that."

The two went ahead and took the two available high seats with soft leather cushions. Despite how the restaurant had yet to open, Yajima didn't object to their attendance. Instead, he went back to his meal prepping while retaining ears distance. The Pansear, Minccino, and the Fomantis in the kitchen didn't go unnoticed by them either.

"Looks like you've gotten some new help around the kitchen." Laxus chimed.

"Yes, the poor dears didn't have anywhere else, and it turns out they have a real knack for the food industry." Yajima smiled. He looked back at the Pokémon as they were performing their respective tasks. "Pansear helps with the cooking, lil' Fomantis there is pretty sharp when it comes to cutting up the vegetables, and Minccino sure loves to clean."

"That's awfully convenient for you if I say so myself." Freed commended.

"And it's cost-effective, too." Yajima pointed out. "Naturally this restaurant makes food with magic, but we've started having Pokémon help reduce those resources. It's a good promotional bonus as well, hehe." As he was cutting up some meat, Yajima changed the subject. "So, what brings you two all the way out here? It's not often that a Guild Master leaves his humble abode."

"We have Evergreen and Bickslow keeping an eye on the guild until we get back." Freed reasoned. "We actually came to see if you could be of assistance to us?"

"Hm? Well, I'm afraid that if you're looking for work, the doors are open for you all the time…though I'm afraid that you won't be getting any of those stamps here I'm afraid. Which reminds me, did you hear the games are still going?"

"Yes, saw that as we were on our way here." Freed half-lied. It was him who read the newspaper on the train ride towards Hargeon while Laxus was half-conscious from motion sickness. But Yajima didn't need to know that.

"We came for something else. Something we were hoping you could provide for us." Laxus clarified. "Do you know anything about the Magic Government?"

The sounds of a knife chopping at a cutting board came to a halt. Yajima paused for a moment before he raised one of his heavy eyebrows, bearing a glance at them. Laxus and Freed immediately felt the mood around the man turn serious for some reason.

"Hmm…that's awfully funny. I never considered you to be the political type now, Laxus." The old man dryly chimed, heavy skepticism in his tone. "Tell me, what got you thinking about them?"

Laxus leaned over the counter, getting comfortable for the story he was about to share. "About that…"

For the next minute, the Guild Master told Yajima about Shiin, and how he was sent by the Magic Government in the Pergrande Kingdom. He didn't leave any details out, including his 'task' of shadowing Nic and their guild in research between the relations of humans and Pokémon. By the end, Yajima let out a small hum as he took it all in stride.

"I see…that does warrant suspicion." He spoke. "Frankly, this is the first time I've heard the kingdom do such a thing."

"We were hoping that because you were once with the Council, you could provide us with some insight on the matter." Freed reasoned.

Yajima lowered his head as his brows dampened. "Sent to observe the relations between humans and Pokémon, eh? Well I can tell ya, after what happened with this whole upheaval, I can't imagine that they would think highly on the matter. I was lucky my restaurant was still in one piece by the end of it all."

Pansear, Minccino, and Fomantis bowed their heads simultaneously in apology.

"…but it wasn't their fault I suppose." He put a hand to his chin. "Still, it'd be understandable that the Council would investigate…but I haven't been affiliated with them in years."

"Jura did mention to us a little about the Government. Apparently they were the ones who elect the ones who take up the Council seats." Laxus noted.

"Hmm…" The chef/owner rubbed his chin as he was in deep thought. "Well, from what I remember, the Magic Government does have that kind of authority. It'd make sense to inaugurate Wizard Saints who have years of experience to fill in those seats. But outside of that, they don't participate in Fiore affairs since that's the Council's job…hmm…"

Laxus cocked a brow. "What is it?"

"Now that I think about it, I believe that the last time the Council had contact with the Magic Government was just before 'The Crossing'. They're also the ones who had to give the final approval of any decisions the Council has made, including Wizard Saint titles. But those spots haven't been filled in years…"

"So there hasn't been any contact in months? Could something have happened in the Pergrande Kingdom that we're not aware of?" Freed inquired.

"Hard to say. Last I heard of anything related to the Pergrande Kingdom, they had an embargo with any and all imports all across Ishgar…it's like they sealed themselves off from the rest of the changing world." Yajima shrugged. "But I'm afraid that's as much as I know. Sorry I couldn't be of more assistance to you."

"Don't mention it." Laxus dismissed.

"If anything, Mr. Yajima, you've supplied more than enough for us." Freed insisted.

"Well, in any case, the restaurant is just about ready to open. How's about you whippersnappers go ahead and place an order while you're here." Yajima's smile returned. "I'll even give you the weekend special discount for the trouble. Can't go home on an empty stomach, right?"

Freed smiled back. "If you insist, then I'll have the Beast Man Curry. That should hold me over for a good while." He turned towards Laxus. "And you?"

"I'll just have the house salad." He blatantly said. With the train ride back home, he didn't wanna risk regurgitating something heavy.

"Done! Coming right up! Sit tight boys, it'll be ready in a jiffy!" Yajima declared as he went back into the kitchen to prepare their respective meals. Already, they could see the Pokémon were already chopping and searing away, while Minccino was using her tail to sweep up the counter.

With Yajima gone, Laxus and Freed were left alone to let this information sink in.

"It closed itself off in all forms of communications, yet they sent someone to observe us." Freed pondered.

"Yeah, and they have an embargo on other countries too." Laxus's eyes narrowed. "And this all started just after the conference too…rather coincidental."

It didn't sit well for them for numerous reasons. He was already suspicious enough of Shiin as he was now. Granted, he assisted them in the coalition, but that by no means placated any doubts on the presumed alterior motives behind their foreigner's so-called 'assignment'.

They would have to look into this later. For now, they sat complacently as the first wave of customers began filing into the establishment.


A loud, beastly growl echoed through Magnolia's streets. If one was caught off guard, they'd thought that a wild animal was walking right past them, but onlookers would only get the sight of a pink-haired man with a scarf around his neck as he sauntered heavily like he was about to collapse.

"I'm starving…" Natsu moaned over his empty stomach.

"Aye…I haven't eaten any fish in forever…" Happy groaned, too weak to use his wings. "Why did you have to destroy that theater, Natsu?"

"I told you, that was an accident…and that jerk shouldn't have picked a place that was so flammable either." As lousy as an excuse that he grumbled, that did little to fill their pockets with the Jewels they needed to eat good. At least the rogue looter was caught.

Their stomachs growled loudly again, enough to let everyone know just how starved they were. Finally having no strength in their legs, the two fell forward with a thud and laid sprawled in the street, their stomachs refusing to let them hear the end of it.

"I don't think we'll make it to dinner…" Natsu groaned.

"We'll be dried up husks left out in the sun…" Happy despaired.

"Ugh…don't mention food, you're gonna make me even more hungry…"

They groaned in fatigue, a set of footsteps walked up and stopped in front of them. "Just what are you two doing?"

The voice made them lift their head, their exhausted eyes dragging skywards to meet Erza as she stood over them, her arms filled with brown paper bags of what presumed to be groceries. Natsu's sensitive nose definitely smelled the meat, but his body lagged in energy.

"Oh, hey Erza…" Natsu lamely greeted. "Hey, could you pass us maybe a steak? Or maybe a buffet in there?"

"Is there a reason why you both are on the ground?" She questioned in a knowing tone.

"Aye, our job was to catch this thief that's been stealing a lot of Poké Balls." Happy explained. "We got him, but Natsu and Charmeleon accidentally burned down a library, and they took most of our reward money to pay for the damages. Now we don't have enough for a meal…"

"Can't…move…too empty to use body…" Natsu mumbled.

Erza blinked before sighing heavily, heavily unamused by their theatric pity party. "Stand up…you'll bring shame to our guild's pride if people see you keel over just because you didn't nourish yourselves."

"It's not our faut. Lucy kicked us out before we could even ask her." Natsu whined. "She said something like 'I wanna finish my story, so don't interrupt me!'." He could still remember the harsh push she gave them when she told them that. "She didn't have to be harsh about it…"

"Now we have no place to eat or go…" Happy lamented tiredly.

Erza stared at the two misfortunate souls that were her guildmates. She found their reasons for their situation to be absolutely ludicrous. Aside from Lucy's need for privacy, they only had themselves to blame for their issue. Still, she was strict, but she wasn't heartless by any means.

"Suppose it can't be helped." She said low before she smiled. "In that case, how's about you boys come over for dinner with us?"

"You mean it?!" As if by a flip of a switch, Natsu and Happy slumped up to their knees at their savior.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Natsu bowed at her feet.

"We're not worthy!" Happy followed.

"It's fine. I actually bought a little extra just in case. You can have some, but…" Her caring expression faded, replaced by a stern, oppressive glare. "If you both misbehave, you'll be eating scraps on the floor. Am I clear?"

They anxiously bowed up and down at her mercy. "Yes! Yes!"

Seemingly satisfied with their responses, Erza decided not to delay the matter further. "Now then, if you're both done wasting away, then follow me." She started marching along, with Natsu and Happy scrambling to keep up.


It didn't take long for the three to arrive at the Pularis' front porch. Of course, this was a first for Natsu. Now that he had time to realize it, this was the first time he had been to their home since it was remodeled after their last one was destroyed by Acnologia. The sizeable cottage looked amicable cozy.

Erza inserted the key and opened the door, allowing entry for them inside. "Nic, I'm home!" Erza called through the house, but with no answer. She chose to walk over towards the kitchen area and sat the groceries down on the counter.

"So this is the inside of their house?" Happy looked left and right as he inspected the living room area of Nic and Erza's humble abode.

"Kinda bland if you ask me…" Natsu mumbled, not impressed by the rather odd mishmash of décor items that they had. It looked like a cross between what Nic and Erza had, be it displayed weapons or portraits of various drawings of their Pokémon or the married couple. The furniture looked pretty comfortable though, he had to admit that he wanted to sit down on the couch had it not been for the possibility of Erza looming over them with a sword if they broke it somehow.

Still, it was a neat little setup befitting a married couple. That was enough for the Dragon Slayer.

"I wonder where Nic is?" Happy asked.

"He's definitely nearby. I can smell him." Natsu testified, smelling the house of fresh mint – Nic's scent. 'There's another smell too…'

"Did he go out on a job?" The Exceed inquired.

"Incorrection…"

Natsu and Happy instantly cringed when a small, monotone, feminine voice spoke from behind the latter. Fading into view was Kecleon, her head tilting slowly.

"GAH! Where did she come from?!" Happy quipped.

"I forgot that she could do that." Natsu realized, though his surprise was more subdued. At least his sense of smell gave him a heads up.

"Kecleon, do you know where Nic is?" Erza asked the Color Change Pokémon.

Kecleon's head remained tilted as she pointed a single claw in a direction. The trio turned towards the hallway, which led towards the doorway to the backyard. They decided to take the hint and walked towards the door and opened it. When they stepped outside, surprise and confusion overtook them.

"Huh? What the heck is going on?" Natsu stated.

Out in the grass, Nic was with his Arbok, Staraptor, and Junior. However, the ensemble surrounded Arbok as the immense cobra seemed to be slowly trying to pry out of something. Staying low to the ground, Arbok's body was inching slowly as Nic and Staraptor were holding onto the lower-half, which looked like Arbok's outline that was slowly peeling off.

"That's it, nice and easy." Nic encouraged his Pokémon before noticing his company. "Oh, Erza…" His eyes immediately turned towards their guests. "Natsu and Happy?"

"Hey Nic, what's going on? Why're you out here?" Happy asked.

"Yeah, and what's the deal with Arbok?" Natsu inquired.

Erza's eyes widened as she realized something. "Is it that time already?"

"Wait, what?"

"Nic's Arbok sheds his skin periodically, much like regular snakes." She explained, smirking. "Been a while since his last shedding."

"We're just about done." Nic explained.

At his notion, Arbok slunk the last bit of his purple-scaled body out of the immense cloak that was literally his old skin. His coat was rather glossy, the fresh scales coming in contact with the air and quickly hardening. With a whip of his tail, the cobra let out a sneer-like hiss.

"How you feel, Arbok? Better?" Nic asked.

"Much better. Thanksss." Arbok lowered his head, grinning in appreciation.

"Good. How's about you give those scales of yours a fresh wash." Nic instructed. Arbok nodded in compliance before slithering towards the pond right beside him. As he dove into the cool water, Nic turned towards Staraptor and Junior. "Staraptor, you mind taking that to Porlyusica's?"

Staraptor nodded. "Sure thing." She walked over and gripped the 12-foot-long empty skin with her talons. "Junior, you wanna come with?"

"Sure thing. Mama!" Junior brightly chimed. He hopped onto Staraptor's back. The duo smiled as they went into the air, the massive flap of skin looking like a long purple rag that flailed in the wind. Staraptor flew off with her son into the direction of the East Forest towards their destination.

"What gives? Where's she going?" Natsu asked as he watched Staraptor fade in the distance.

"She's taking Arbok's shed skin to Porlyusica's." Erza explained matter-of-factly. "Apparently, snakeskin has some medicinal properties to them. And in Arbok's case, his shed skin makes for potent antidotes and topical medicine." She smiled. "Believe me, I was surprised at first too."

"Huh, that's cool I guess."

"Aye, I didn't know Pokémon had uses like that…" Happy sidenoted.

Erza beamed with a bright smile as she walked down the wooden stairs towards the field. "You learn a thing or two about Pokémon when they're not so focused on battling."

With his business finally done, Nic turned and smiled at his approaching wife. "Hey, Erza." Once they were close, they leaned in and shared a small welcome kiss on the lips. "How'd the job go?"

The redhead smirked. "As you'd expect, we got another stamp."

"That's good to hear. At least we're making progress."

"Yes, it was a slow start, but at least we're well on our way. I managed to pick up some of the stuff we needed for this week, too."

Nic understood, but his attention fell specifically onto the Dragon Slayer and blue Exceed being idle on the porch. "Do I wanna know why they're hear?" He grimaced. "Don't tell me, they tried breaking in?"

"Hey, when did we ever do that?!" Natsu shouted back, offended by the accusation.


"Achoo!" In her apartment, Lucy suddenly sneezed at her desk.

"Oh, bless you, Lucy!" Klefki chimed.

"Thank you, Klefki." Lucy thanked her. She didn't know why, but she felt an odd chill run up her spine. "Why do I get the feeling that someone's backhanding me?"

BEEPBEEPBEEP! Staryu blinked. Grovyle was too busy sitting against her windowsill, having taken a nap underneath the warm sunlight.

"Ugh…man, hope I don't catch a cold. That would suck." Lucy grimaced before resuming putting pen to paper.


"I actually invited them over for dinner as our guests." Erza corrected. "You won't mind the extra company tonight, right?"

Nic scratched the back of his head, thinking about it for a moment. If he was honest, he wasn't one for inviting people into his abode, especially those who have the tendency to break valuable belongings, not unlike a certain Dragon Slayer he was familiar with.

But at the same time, Natsu was someone whom he known for a long time, and with them being guildmates, it'd be rude to turn them away. Plus, his wife of all people invited them, so he decided to let matters be for now.

"Guess it's alright." He relented. "But we have enough, don't we?"

"Not to worry, I got everything we need at the market today. Tonight we'll have…" Erza was about to finish her statement, but fell short when a look of perplexed shock washed over. It looked like she just recalled something important that she forgot. "Curses…"

Nic cocked a brow. He had a feeling of what was going to happen, but remained completely calm of what was a common trend.

Erza balled her fists tightly, to the point that they were shaking. "How foolish of me. I was so preoccupied that I forgot about the rice. Excuse me!" With haste, she rushed back towards the door, beelining past a bewildered Natsu and Happy and trampled through the house until the sound of the front door slammed shut.

Nic let out a sigh. "There she goes again."

"Does that happen often?" Happy asked.

"More often than you think." Nic sighed. "Guessing it'll be a while before she's back." The other half of the Pularis chose to let the matter be. Instead, he chose to turn towards his guests. "So…mind telling me what got you dragged all the way here?"


It took waiting for Erza's return longer than the boys realized. They found themselves on Nic's backyard porch still, with Staraptor and Junior having returned a short while ago. Using Kecleon's tongue as a makeshift skip rope, Staraptor and Kecleon watched Junior jump over the tongue as it passed underneath.

Natsu's Charmeleon was out as well, both he and his Trainer munching on some Tamato Berries that Nic provided to satiate their hunger. For Happy, he had a serving of raw salmon slices on a plate. It wasn't much, but it was better than starving.

"It looks like that thing's having a lot of fun right now." Happy observed Junior splashing around the whirling tongue. "Has it been giving you or Staraptor any trouble?"

"Honestly, at first it was tough." Nic admitted. He didn't even know where to start with all the mayhem and the constant hiccups they've endured since Junior came into their lives. But he figured he'd save his guildmates from a long-winded story that would otherwise bore them. He looked at Junior and his Pokémon, all smiling. "...but lately it's gotten much easier. Junior's starting to listen and communicate better. At least he's not interrupting our training anymore."

"Oh yeah." Natsu muffled, his mouth full of spicy berry contents that he quickly swallowed. "You had to go meet that Arthur guy yesterday, right?"

"Yeah, you had to break the news about what happened on that island." Happy added.

"Yeah." Nic hunched forward, resting his elbows on his knees. Rather than explain everything in full detail, he used both his Mind and Dread Forms to help visualize his memories for Arthur to process. Though for simplicity's sake, he only made sure to display the essentials of what happened, starting from the Apostles' first appearance all the way to Neuro's demise.

"I'm still shocked that they're going through with the games after all that." Happy admitted. "You'd think that after all that destruction and mishaps that they'd at least push it back farther."

"It's already pushed back because of everything." Natsu reminded. "Besides, what's there to look forward to if the games are cancelled. It'd be a total bummer."

"Yeah, guess that's true. Otherwise collecting all those stamps would've been pointless." Happy turned towards Nic. "Course, I'm sure if they did, it would also mean that a lot of Trainers couldn't go back home, right?"

Nic lowered his head, closing his eyes. "Yeah, that's a good point." He rubbed the back of his head. "If I'm being frank, I was on the fence too about this whole thing about being called off. But with all these matters on the line, guess it makes sense…" He frowned. "Still, after everything that happened…I doubt that a lot of people will be in favor of this decision."

"Well then…" Natsu cleaned his fist and raised his forearm, giving Nic a toothy smirk. "We'll just have to work that much harder to change their minds!"

"Aye!" Happy cheered.

Nic stared at them for a moment before blinking. He didn't know why, but despite the belligerent odds, he found their attitude rather infectious. A small smirk crossed his face. "Yeah, guess we will, huh." He agreed.

A short silence fell before Nic changed the subject.

"So was it true that you burned down the whole arena that one time?"

"Yeah, well, I was just checking out the competition. Not my fault everyone there was a total pushover." Natsu argued, looking away dissatisfied.

"I told him not to." Happy quipped. "I'm actually worried if he should compete at all this year. He might burn down Crocus this time."

"Whose side are you on!?" Natsu roared at him. He was quick to compose and scoffed. "Anyways, this year's gonna be totally different. Pretty sure Sting and those guys from Sabertooth are gonna be in it this time. Plus it ain't just a bunch of us mages ya know. We're competing alongside our Pokémon too. Right, Charmeleon?"

Charmeleon, who had finished his berry, looked back at Natsu and balled a clawed fist. "You bet!"

Natsu's smirk widened. "Yeah, that's the spirit. Now I'm fired up. Can't wait for these games to get going."

Nic hummed lightly. Despite his chagrin, he had to admit that even he was looking forward to what sorts of twists and turns these games would hold. He heard how the committee was completely overhauled with a more structural lineup, and he knew that certain parties weren't amused with the idea of having Pokémon intertwined with mages. But if it showed the benefits of Pokémon helping Earthland progress better than what it was then there was no reason not to let these games play out.

He also considered how the games were different in meaning as well. The past games were meant to accumulate Magic Power to open the Eclipse Gate, which in turn spelled disaster. He still couldn't fathom how easily Hisui was played like a fool all that time. Then again, that event was overshadowed entirely by the Dark Legendaries turning Crocus into a battleground.

But now that the matter was history, the games were more genuine in showing off the best of the remaining guilds and Pokémon in Fiore. And his personal involvement served as a motivator for any lost Trainers or people from his world to return home. Though he was against the spotlight and would rather sleep in a tree, he would have to put up with it until the matter passes.

To help divert these mixed feelings, he silently observed Natsu and Charmeleon hyping the other up. Seeing them somehow filled him with an odd case of nostalgia. It brought a small smile to his face.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Charmeleon asked.

"Yeah, why're looking at Charmeleon like that?" Natsu asked, catching Nic's distant glance.

Nic smirked. "Nothing…just seeing your Charmeleon just made me remember when I had one, that's all."

Natsu, Happy, and Charmeleon all looked at Nic confused. "What…?"

Rather than answer their inquiries, Nic stood up. "I got someone you should meet." He pulled out a Poké Ball and lobbed it straight up. "Come out, Charizard!"

The capsule reached peak kinetic energy before the two halves unlocked, beaming down energy onto the grass that manifested into Nic's Charizard. He craned his head towards the open skies and let out a loud draconian roar that shook the ground and air alike; the loud volume caused Natsu to flinch due his sensitive hearing.

"Woah, it's Charizard!" Natsu gawked.

"Man, talk about a roaring hello." Happy quipped.

Charmeleon wordlessly ogled the taller winged lizard, his awe as clear as day. When their eyes met, the younger lizard could see the deep blue irises that bored at him. They spoke of experience, power…and a roaring blaze that burned beneath the surface. He didn't know why, but he could feel chills down his spine into his knees.

This didn't go unnoticed by Charizard, who smirked at the smaller Fire-type.

Nic walked up with his own grin, hands in his pockets. "Like looking in your own reflection, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I'll say." Charizard mused.

"Huh? Hold on, what are you saying? Something here I'm missing?" Natsu inquired.

Nic turned towards Natsu. "You don't know?" From the look Natsu gave him, he got his answer. "Charizard used to be a Charmeleon too before he evolved."

Natsu, Happy, and Charmeleon's eyes widened at the same time. The epiphany was like getting hit by a Giga Impact.

Natsu suddenly jolted back to his feet. "Wait…you serious?! You're saying…that Charmeleon can become a Charizard too?!"

Charmeleon gasped, his gaze fixed upon Charizard once more.

"Pretty much." Nic confirmed.

Natsu stood still as he processed the information given to him. He knew from the moment he met Nic's Charizard back after the battle in the Lullaby Arc that it was a cool dragon – even though Charizard weren't technically Dragon-types. But the fact that it could breathe and exude broiling flames was nothing short of impressive. His impression of Charizard became staggering when he witnessed his Mega Evolution against Hades when he was out of Magic Power.

As a Fire Dagon Slayer, he had nothing short of awe for something like Charizard. But now the fact that he may very well get his own soon was something that made his mind tick like a bomb ready to go off. When the image of him flying on a fire-breathing Charizard in mind, that bomb finally went off.

"SO AWESOME~!" Natsu shouted in overjoy. "Charmeleon, you hear that?! You get to evolve and sprout your wings and breathe fire just like Nic's Charizard! That's so cool!"

"Wait, really…?" Charmeleon seemed surprised by this realization as well, but he seemed calmer about it as opposed to his energetic Trainer.

"It's not like I'm lying. I got Charizard when he was just a Charmander when I first arrived at Professor Sycamore's lab." Nic explained.

Happy perked up at the notion. "Hey yeah, Joey mentioned something like that. He just got his Chespin when he met the professor before being blasted to this world, right?"

Nic nodded. "Yeah. Normally, Trainers begin their journeys with a Strater Pokmon that's presented by a professor. It's how I met Froakie before he evolved. I was in Lumiose City and figured I'd stop by to be the professor once." He and Charizard exchanged looks. "And it just so happened that he studies on Kanto Starters, too. You didn't go down easily, did you?"

Charizard scoffed. "You would know. When you wanna make a point, you've gotta go the extra mile to prove it. That's what I believed."

"Yeah, sure did." Nic gave him a soft yet confident smirk. He held out his fist, to which Charizard bumped with his own. Their signified sign of respect showed once again.

"That extra mile, huh…?" Charmeleon muttered Charizard's signature mantra in thought.

"Sounds like a perfect match right there. I'm guessing that's when Charmander decided to follow you, right?" Happy asked.

Nic nodded. "Right. He and Froakie got along really well fast. There were some hiccups in the beginning, but they learned to lean on each other. Wasn't much longer before they evolved too." He walked up to Natsu, putting a hand on his shoulder. "So as someone who raised a Charmeleon, I can tell. You're well on your way."

Natsu was taken aback by his guildmate's judgment, looking puzzled and baffled. But when he looked at Charmeleon again, he thought about the tribulations they went through when they first met. The many battled they fought from their first job all the way up to now. He couldn't help the smile coming across his face.

"…yeah, thanks man."

"Two Charizard in the same guild? Man, that's gonna be wild." Happy reasoned. "How will we know which of them is which though? Don't a lot of Pokémon look the same?"

Natsu waved off his inquiries. "Meh, we'll figure it out when we get there…oh! Hey, that's it!" Natsu suddenly turned towards Nic with a smile of pure interest tugging at him. "Nic, I have an idea."

Nic blinked, genuinely surprised by this declaration. 'That's a first.' He folded his arms. "Okay, what is it?"

"Can your Charizard train my Charmeleon?"

Both Nic and Charizard gave Natsu a raised brow. "What?"

"Yeah, makes sense, doesn't it? If Charmeleon is going to evolve into a Charizard too, it should get some pointers? Plus your Charizard is wicked strong. Charmeleon can definitely learn a thing or two from a Pokémon."

"Huh…that might actually be the smartest thing Natsu's said in a while." Happy realized. "Oh my god…" His eyes widened. "Is Natsu…ACTUALLY THINKING AHEAD?!" He comedically panicked. "What happened to my Natsu?! Where'd he go!?"

"I'm right here, bud." Natsu grumbled, but dismissed the Exceed's identity crisis. "So Nic, what do you say?"

Nic paused to think about Natsu's standpoint. In circumflex, it wasn't the worst idea he had. In fact, it made sense when he considered it. It was a good way to help Charmeleon prepare for his – possible – evolution. It also served to have a reference point to work with to strive for…of course had no room to talk on that part since he deliberately made a high bar for himself.

With nothing to say against the matter, Nic fell the opinion onto Charizard. "Well Charizard, what do you say?"

"I don't mind." He looked down at Charmeleon. "I can definitely teach you a thing or two…that is if you're willing to commit to it."

Charmeleon was lost in thought. What Charizard said made him think back to when he first came into this world, how he met Natsu that morning. It was still a shocker to know that he came to a newfound land of magic that humans could use, and it was an even bigger coincidence that the one that found him could use fire. He wasn't one to think too much about fate, but if there was ever a sign that something like that existed, that instant had to be the case.

He thought about the numerous battles they fought until now; the big wins they took, but the losses as well. Looking back at Nic's Charizard, he could see the vibrant shade of blue in his eyes that spoke of a similar experience.

And for some reason, he felt so far behind. He didn't like it.

The red-scaled lizard balled his fists tightly. 'I wanna get stronger! I got to!' With newfound resolution, he glared up at Charizard. "Right, then please train me"

"What?"

"I know how much Natsu wants to get stronger, and I understand him. I wanna be strong too. And learning from strong Pokémon in turn makes one strong as well, right? So please, let me train with you!"

Charizard looked straight into Charmeleon's eyes. There was a serious passion that was flickering inside that spoke out to him. It reminded him of when he was a Charmeleon as well. As a Fire-type, he could understand that resolve. A smirk crossed his face as he showed his back to the prior evolution. "Well then, hop on." He turned towards everyone else. "You guys!"

"We know." Staraptor chimed.

"Your passport is stamped." Kecleon chimed.

Arbok flicked his tongue out. "Jussst don't break the lizard too badly that he'll be crippled."

Charizard smirked. "Depends if he's willing to go the extra mile." He shot a smirk back at his passenger. "Better hang on tight."

Charmeleon didn't hesitate to hug closer to Charizard's neck. And it was a good thing he did because the next thing that happened, he was rocketing up into atmosphere with his cries diluted by the wind. He held on tight as Charizard jettisoned towards a destination in mind with his passenger clinging on for dear life.

"Bye-bye, Uncle Charizard!" Junior waved them off happily.

"Where are they going?" Natsu questioned.

"My guess, probably somewhere where not a lot of material can burn like the mountains or valleys." Nic surmised, watching his Charizard become the size of a pepper flake in the sky. "Guess they won't be back for some time."

"Then how about we have our own spar?" Natsu suggested.

Nic looked at him as though he had grown a second head. "Do I want to know why?"

Natsu shrugged. "Not like we got anything else to pass the time. Besides, when was the last time we had a spar of our own? Plus, I wanna see how much stronger we both got since last time."

Once again, Nic was left with an impasse. The last time they had a spar was the second day that Nic joined Fairy Tail, and even back then things were so different than they were now. For one thing, they were both immensely stronger, that much was obvious. But things were also different between them as well.

There wasn't any bad blood between them anymore, not since both reconciled from their last fight in the Alvarez invasion. Though the scars on Nic's shoulders still weren't going to fade away anytime soon. But the one on Natsu's face wasn't going anywhere either.

As much as Nic would have preferred to say no, he knew there was an underlying merit to this. It was plain as day in Natsu's eyes. He had something to prove.

And knowing how incredibly stubborn his Dragon Slayer guildmate was, he knew the only thing to please his desires.

'Well, guess he has a point. Not like we do much else around here.' His mind was made up. "Fine by me."

"Alright! Now we're talking!" Natsu beamed with delight.

"Just don't make a big mess in my backyard." Nic reasoned as he started walking a sizeable distance for some space.

"Got it!" Natsu grinned. "Oh man, I got a fire in my belly after eating those spicy berries! Time to work up an even bigger appetite!"

The two walked a sizeable distance apart from each other until roughly several meters separated them. Both took stances as they were starting to do stretches of their own. Meanwhile, the rest of Nic's Pokémon currently out decided to clear out towards the house and watch from the porch.

"Mama, look!" Junior pointed out at Nic rolling his wrists. "Is Uncle Nic gonna fight?"

Staraptor smiled. "Yes he is. Watch closely, Junior."

"Okay!"

Kecleon hopped onto Arbok's back as the cobras coiled up and sat on Nic's porch, watching patiently while ready to be on standby.

"Natsu's definitely gotten stronger, I can say to that." Happy chimed. "Still, I have a feeling it isn't gonna be easy to keep up with Nic after all the training he's done."

Staraptor turned towards him. "Didn't he say this was a spar?"

"Spar, fight. It's all pretty much the same to Natsu." Natsu reasoned. "But knowing Natsu, he's gonna have a hard time holding back."

Once Nic and Natsu were finished with their stretches, they glared at each other.

"This is just a spar, got it?" Nic called out.

Natsu rammed his fist into his palm, cracking his knuckles. "Got it! Don't worry, I ain't gonna trash your property."

"Good, cuz Erza would be putting you on the dinner plate." Nic dryly teased.

A smirk fell on Natsu's face as he clutched his knuckles tightly as heat waves sizzled off his skin. "The only thing you'll be tasting is a knuckle sandwich!"

Nic glowed, shifting to his Splash Form. He stood ready to strike.

"Same form as when we first fought." Natsu realized.

Despite his own chagrin, Nic couldn't hold back the battle-envy smirk that drew across his face. A wave of nostalgia raced through his mind as he thought about his first of many battles in Earthland with Natsu beside him since Hargeon.

A short silence fell amongst them as they awaited for the first strike. As a strong wind brushed through the area, a single blade of grass was stripped off the ground and drifted over the pond. The moment it touched the surface of the water, both their eyes beamed.

Immediately they darted for each other, Natsu pulling his superheated fist back as Nic kept darting forward.


Off in a rocky valley not too far away from northern Magnolia, Charizard glided down and made a surprisingly smooth landing. Charmeleon finally loosened his claws and slid off his uber's back onto the ground.

"Ugh…now I think I understand why Natsu gets motion sickness…" Charmeleon groaned.

"Sorry. Not used to other passengers." Charizard reasoned.

Getting his second wind, Charmeleon fought the nausea and staggered back to his feet. "It's okay…damn, so you can really fly that fast?"

"Yeah, but that's because I put in the work. But we're not all the way out here for a flying lesson. You wanted some pointers, right?"

Charmeleon nodded. "Right. So what are we starting with first?"

"Hmmm…" Charizard hummed, thinking only briefly before he surmised an appeal. "In that case, why don't we have a go. Show me what you got."

Charmeleon looked shocked as he stepped back. "Wait, you serious?!"

"It's fine. It's the best reference point to begin with. A Pokémon evolves from battle experience. You want experience, this is how you get it."

"Well, you're…not wrong." Charmeleon was still unsure about this, but if his senior said that, it must be valid. Fully convinced, he took a battle stance. "Alright, let's do it."

Charizard smirked and slammed his tail into the ground, causing the land to shudder and the flame to plume briefly. "Alright then…show me what you got!"

"Right, don't say you didn't ask for it!" Without missing a beat, Charmeleon bent his knees as fire quickly engulfed his body. "Flame Charge!" He bolted like a rocket across the dirt towards Charizard.

The senior evolution didn't bother to dodge or counter. Instead he just waited patiently until his opponent was close enough. When he was, he jutted a claw into the flames suddenly and seized Charmeleon by the horn, stopping him and dispelling his flames at the same time.

"Wha-?!" Charmeleon didn't have the luxury of processing his shock before Charizard pivoted and tossed him over his shoulder. Charmeleon cried out as he hit to ground and skipped, but he gathered his bearing and dug his claws into the earth until he came to a halt. Though unsteady, he was back on his feet glaring at Charizard.

'He threw me like was a stone so casually.' Charmeleon thought. 'Okay, so head-on attacks wont work on him. So let's get evasive!' Once more, he spurred after Charizard.

The elder evolution again remained calm. He didn't pass any judgements on Charmeleon's forwardness. It was much too soon. Just as Charmeleon was about to reach him, he suddenly spurred off to the side. Charizard glanced at his footwork, noticing his heels were grinding into the dirt as he slid around.

In the midst of the slide, Charmeleon catapulted skywards and flipped overhead. Parallel to Charizard's head, he flipped as white streaks followed his claws.

"Aerial Ace!"

The spurring attack came down onto Charizard's head, yet instead of impacting his cranium, his claws were caught by his own, the force made a small shockwave ripple between them.

Charmeleon was taken aback for the umpteenth time. Both his arms were locked in Charizard's grip. And he did it so leisurely without looking too.

"So…what now?" he asked, sparing a glance at his pupil.

Charmeleon grunted, his panic visibly showing. 'I'm close! This is my chance!' Charmeleon opened his mouth, broiling flames flickering. "Fire Fang!"

Charizard's eyes narrowed. Just when Charmeleon was about to bite down on the back of his neck, the titanic lizard swiftly careened his neck back, avoiding Charmeleon's downward bite. The position left him to fall directly into a knee strike that hammered his stomach with force that shot him into the air.

"GAH!" Charmeleon gage, feeling the wind knocked out of him from that hefty knee alone. He rolled across the ground into a dirt mound that cushioned his landing.

"Not a bad move there. Making quick succession of your close-range attacks like that." Charizard commended.

Charmeleon groaned as his hazy vision cleared up. He got his feet beneath him and stood upright, baring his fangs. 'No good. My physical attacks aren't gonna cut it. Then maybe…'

Charizard focused his glare on his opponent. He saw him spreading his legs and getting a firm stance for his next attack. He saw his abdomen glow indigo blue and saw blue dragonfire in the back of his maw ready to shoot.

"Dragon Rage!"

Charmeleon unleashed a blast of roaring dragonfire at his opponent, who remained still. He was sure that this would hit if he wasn't going to budge!

Unfortunately for the red lizard, his hopes were dazed when Charizard brought his wings back and gave a massive flap. The strong winds from his wings alone was like a brick wall that the dragonfire rammed into and dissipated. The embers of the attack illuminated Charizard's glare, making him look more ferocious than before.

Charmeleon was too awestruck to realize what just happened. By the time he did, the gale had reached him, pushing him back into the mound before collapsing to his bottom.

'That…that really just happened.' Charmeleon couldn't believe it. Not only were all his moves thwarted, but was literally blown away by Charizard's raw power alone. 'He didn't use a move yet to put me in the dirt…just how strong is this guy?'

"Hey, you okay?"

"Ugh…I think so…" Charmeleon muttered as he slowly pushed himself up. "D-damn…are all Charizard this fast and strong?"

"It's just how Nic trained all of us. It helps to have a strong body. Moves can only do so much, but if you don't rely on your body, what good would your moves do?"

Charmeleon looked down at the rocky ground and thought about his senior's words. Now that he realized it, something clicked. "Wait…most of my attacks rely on my body! That's what you wanted me to realize?"

"For the most part. I also wanted to see what I'm dealing with. All fairness, you've got some decent moves. So then, how about I teach you something new to give you some extra power?"

"A stronger move?"

Charizard turned away, facing a tall pillar of rock that sat several hundred meters away in the open. "Watch this." He instructed. Charmeleon did as told and felt the air suddenly get a few degrees hotter. Charizard lowered his head and opened his mouth as broiling flames compressed. The magnitude of the flames increased every second until he careened his head around and eyes shot wide open. "Flamethrower!" He opened his mouth wide, unleashing a torrent of compressed flames that rushed across the landscape. The rock beneath instantly melted into a trail that beamed straight into the rock pillar, instantly melting it to tar before a plume of flames erupted skywards. Heated shockwaves erupted in all directions, nearly pushing Charmeleon off his heels, as opposed to Charizard who was unfazed by his attack's destruction. By the time all the steam and dust cleared away, a molten trail led to an ash-covered vicinity with a few embers still licking the ground.

Charmeleon was awestruck at the scene. "Unbelievable…such power…" He turned back towards Charizard. "Wait…you're going to teach me that?"

Charizard rolled his neck, exerting a few embers off to the side. "That's right. That Dragon Rage you got is a good starting point. All you have to do is turn up the heat a few more notches. So, what do you say?"

Charmeleon didn't need to think twice for his answer. "Let's do it."

A smirk tugged at the corners of Charizard's maw. This was gonna be interesting, he thought.


Despite Nic's warnings of not causing a mess in his backyard, it didn't take long before most of the grass around them had been burned to ashes from Natsu's flames.

His diligent landscaping procedure would have to wait though as he saw Natsu come down with an axe kick endowed in roaring flames. With careful timing, Nic stood his ground and reached up, seizing Natsu's ankle just before impact. The flames dissipated as a hot gust ran through the air.

Stunned by the sudden block, Natsu was slammed over Nic's head into the ground face-first into a sudden pillar of water. The Water Pledge shot Natsu back into the air several meters up. His screams were loud gurgles that were heard through the spout all the way towards the top, where Nic materialized out of water with his right fist covered in spiraling water in the shape of a crab claw.

"Crabhammer!"

With the force of a thunderbolt, Nic brought the condensed water hammer down straight onto Natsu, spiking him so hard into the ground that the land shuddered madly. The dust brewed around and was quickly stamped out by the Water Pledge's wake causing it to rain, dispersing it.

"Oh! He's gonna feel that in the morning!" Happy winced.

Nic landed a short distance on a knee, keeping a steady eye on Natsu for any sudden movement. As he expected, the resilient Dragon Slayer was slowly pushing himself up until he managed to get to a knee. Though it was clear that he had seen better days; he grinned nonetheless.

"Yeah…you pack a serious punch alright." Natsu teased. "And you're damn fast, too."

Nic smirked back. "And your flames got hotter." It wasn't easy to see from a distance, but if one looked closely, they could see the water that still covered Nic's arm rapidly evaporate from the heat.

Natsu bared his teeth. "Figures, right?"

'Now I get it.' Nic thought back to his super-effective moves he's used. Despite the consecutive Water-type moves he's used, he realized from the steam coming off Natsu's body what he was doing. 'He increased his body temperature to evaporate any water that comes in contact with him. My attacks are doing damage…but they're weaker because of his heat like a Sunny Day.' He couldn't help but feel impressed. 'So he actually anticipated this…not bad.'

As he was relishing in the "friendly" spar, his mind thought back to their adventure to stop Eisenwald and Lullaby, how Natsu's heat landed the final blow on Erigor, how Nic and Charizard's combined assault came crashing down onto Lullaby. He could still remember how Natsu declared Charizard a dragon.

Natsu wiped the blood off his lip and toothily smirked. Despite the few broken ribs from that last blow, he was still kicking strong. "That all ya got? I thought you were supposed to be the strongest?"

"Flattery won't get you anywhere." Nic retorted.

"Heh…worth a shot." Natsu opened his mouth and took in a deep breath. Nic knew what was going to happen and responded by silently inhaling as well.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

"Scald!"

Both unleashed attacks from their mouths at the same time; immense blast of roaring roar incinerating the earth beneath coming in contact with a pressurized blast of boiling water. The result was a large-scale eruption of steam and humid air that enveloped the entire backyard. From a distance, it looked like a huge cloud of steam behind Nic's home.

"Mama, what's going on?" Junior asked, unable to see through the mist.

Despite the immense scale and the sudden flux of humidity, Staraptor remained completely calm, as did the rest of Nic's Pokémon. "It's fine, dear. Fire and water mix to create steam. It's hot, so be careful."

"Okay."

Despite the matter at hand, Staraptor couldn't help but ponder about something. 'He could've used a stronger move like Hydro Pump and overwhelm the spell easily, but he chose a partially less forceful move on purpose.' Her red eyes narrowed. 'He's holding back on purpose to give Natsu a chance.'

Natsu wasn't fazed by the steam in the slightest. His sense of smell had a lock on Nic even with the dense vapor masking their sight of one another. "So that's your game, huh? You should know nothing escapes a Fire Dragon's nose!" Natsu sprung through the steam cloud, honed in on a particular spot. "Gotcha!"

His flaming fist bore a hole clean through the steam…only to meet thin air.

"What?" Natsu lost his momentum and looked around. He was sure Nic was just here a second ago. His nose was never wrong before. He had to be close by.

He looked left and right as the steam dispersed into the atmosphere, leaving only a few puddles of lukewarm water that had yet to get absorbed into the ground. And Natsu was standing on one.

The sound of a single ripple was what alerted the Dragon Slayer of what's to come.

"Dive!"

Emerging in a large splash, Nic shot up in an attempt to uppercut and grab Natsu, but the latter's preemptive senses made him backflip through the air, barely missing Nic's arm by a hair.

'His perception's damn good. Figures.'

Natsu flipped and adjusted in the air, igniting his feet in flames and rocketing towards Nic like a comet. His body swelled in an inferno as he shot after him. "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"

With no intention on slowing down, Nic could feel the heat of Natsu's flames getting hotter by the second. Still in midair, Nic decided to switch things up. His body gave off a vibrant glow, manifesting into his Toxic Form.

"GRAAAAAAHHH!" Natsu let out a valiant battle cry as he barreled into Nic full force.

Nic had to time this just right.

"Baneful Bunker!" A purple energy sphere enveloped Nic that protruded thick purple energy barbs. The barbs stuck out in Natsu's direction as his inferno comet met the toxic shield.

At the moment of impact, flames erupted in the skies that spewed out Natsu shortly after. The Dragon Slayer fell to the ground with a loud thud, his body cringing from the weakened feeling that came over him.

"W-what the…?" As he tried to get up, a purple blush overcame his face as toxic bubbles surfaced.

Happy's eyes widened. "Is that poison?!"

As Natsu struggled to get to a knee, Nic fell to the ground unscathed, his barrier lifting as he looked unfazed from the ongoing spar.

"You…what did you do man?" Natsu groaned, the poison straining his voice.

"When someone attacks a Pokémon using Baneful Bunker, they end up getting badly poisoned upon contact." Nic explained. "Which means I can do this." He lifted his arm up, his palm facing Natsu. "Venom Drench!"

Nic expelled a bright purple venom gush from the outstretched palm that blasted towards Natsu. Natsu was still too confused and wounded to react in time before the attack lived up to its name and drenched him. However, despite the tingling sensation, he didn't feel any pain. Instead, a thick blue aura enveloped his body.

'So that was his aim.' Staraptor realized. 'He wanted to poison Natsu so he could weaken him if he recovers. And the longer the battle progresses, the worse the poison gets. Well played.'

"Damnit…that's playing dirty." Natsu grunted, his body cringing again from the poison affliction.

"So…what now?" Nic held a relaxed stance. Normally at this time, he would be using something like a Venoshock or something to drive Natsu into the dirt. But he reminded himself that this wasn't a fight to the death, so he held back for now. "You're badly poisoned. Wanna call it quits before it worsens?"

"Not a chance…"

Nic was taken aback by Natsu's answer, but stayed calm.

"I'm just…getting warmed up. Heh." A devious smirk crossed Natsu's face as he lifted his head, glaring daggers brimming with adrenaline. His body suddenly erupted into hot flames. The Magic Power he was unleashing was causing the very air to steam around him. Any grass that was at his feet was slowly burning away.

Nic noticed something happening. All the venom that soaked Natsu's skin was gradually evaporating and burning off. The purple blush he had slowly faded away, which didn't go unnoticed by him.

'He's burning away the poison inside his body using his magic…' Even he couldn't hide it. He was impressed. 'Did he learn to burn away his status afflictions?'

Natsu on the other hand was livid. He was glad he learned this trick when he fought that Wizard Saint's poison alongside Sting. Now he was ready for anything thrown at him!

"Let's kick it up a notch, shall we?" The flames crackled with lightning that surfaced throughout the inferno covering him. "Lightning Flame Dragon Mode!"

Nic could feel it even from the distance between them. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as the lightning flourished through the air. But he kept his cool.

"Right then, here I come!" Natsu pulled his fist back as he spurred straight into Nic. Nic wasn't moving. This was his chance! "Think fast after this!" The flames surged around his right arm with a counterclockwise swell of lightning.

As the gap closed, Nic remained calm as he watched Natsu race across the incinerated earth with a fire in his eyes. More memories surfaced from their shared adventures. Traversing the Tower of Heaven, battling Laxus when he tried to usurp the Guild Master position, facing Zero together and stopping Nirvana for good, facing King Faust in Edolas, to all the Legendary Pokmon they had to stand up against when they were sent to Kalos. All leading up to their big clash against Hades with Natsu ascertaining this new power as a trust from Laxus himself.

All Nic did was smirk at such times.

The distance rapidly closed between them as Natsu drilled his arm forward with all the momentum he had.

"Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!"

The burning lightning met its target with several flashes before an immense wave of fire and lightning barreled clean to the forest. It barreled endlessly, reaching miles on end. The immense scale of the attack shuddered the land as the fissure of lightning and fire plumed.

The entire vicinity ruptured from the Magic Power unleashed, startling Happy. "GAH! Natsu, isn't that excessive?!"

Junior looked just as surprised. The young one was all for the flashy stuff, but he had ascertained enough perception to know that it being used as an attack was a bad thing…to anyone important to him at least.

He turned towards his mother in fright, only to see her, Kecleon, and Arbok being surprisingly calm about the whole ordeal. In fact, they looked rather expectant.

The young one turned back towards the fading smoke cloud that crackled with static. Two silhouettes stood in the center of the smoke, directly in front of each other. One's fist was stuck out hitting the other's chest area, but neither moved.

Natsu's lightning flames faded, his eyes widening when he saw what happened.

"Looks like you forgot something…" Nic stood perfectly still, unfazed by the attack as he stood in a cross between his Earth Form and Dread Form, becoming a Ground/Dark-type. He didn't bother blocking as he wasn't affected in the slightest, even when the landscape behind him was reduced to an ever-flowing ditch. "Electric based attacks don't do anything against a Ground-type."

"No way…" Natsu muttered.

Happy looked equally stunned. "That's right. When Natsu turned to a Lightning Flame Dragon, his fire spells gain lightning qualities, which translates to Electric-types in Pokémon terms."

With the distance so close, Nic took full advantage of his typing. "Mud-Slap!" He opened his mouth, gushing a stream of mud that blasted Natsu's face.

The Dragon Slayer grunted loudly as the weak, yet super-effective, move lived up to its name and made him stagger backwards. Mud clouded his vision as a blue aura went down his body, reducing his accuracy. "Hey, that was a dirty trick-GAH!"

He was silenced when a sharp kick by Nic went straight into his chin, putting him on his rear and supported by his hands.

"C'mon, you really expect a head-on fight every single time?" Nic retorted. "You're the one who up the stakes." He opened his maw, manifesting dark and crimson energy. "Snarl!"

He lurched down towards Natsu, letting out a loud snarl-like bellow that expelled dark rings that Natsu took. He instantly covered his ears with his hands to reduce the shrilled noise that was amplified by his perceptive hearing. But even so, the damage it did and the blue aura reducing Natsu's offense was once again evident.

Even from so far away, Happy was covering his ears from the snarling sonic boom going off. Junior seemed unnerved, but Staraptor blocked him with her soft feathers to absorb the sound.

'Enhanced sense of smell…enhanced hearing…enhanced eyesight…your Dragon Slayer powers give you an edge, but that also means…' Nic's eyes narrowed. 'You're just one big blind spot!'

Natsu was on a knee trying to think, but the dense growling was making whatever thoughts he had going unheard. It didn't help that the literal mud in his eyes limited his great eyesight. The only thing he had was his smell, so he knew Nic was close by.

And yet, all the same, why can't he reach him?

The difference was clear between them than it just being power and skill. It was about their battling styles. While Natsu was one to fight more fairly, he noticed that Nic's style had almost completely changed. Before he would have gung-ho the competition, but now he's using cheap tricks to get an upper hand. One could say beating around the bush.

The poison, the Venom Drench, and now targeting his hearing and smell. As much as he hated to admit it, these tactics were wearing him down. The Splash Form just softened him up just to chip at his mentality.

He didn't know why, but he felt…insulted.

Just as Nic was thinking about the battles they had, so was Natsu. All the times that he and Nic took down numerous foes, and yet where Natsu fell short, Nic picked up the slack for him. He knew that couldn't continue, so he got stronger. He needed to prove that he could stand on his own two feet!

"Natsu…"

The familiar draconic voice rung inside his head, snapping him out of his thought process.

"Don't forget who you are. You've got the heart of a dragon! Your flames signify the burning passion you carry. That flame will not fade so long as you fight true to yourself!"

'Igneel…' The thoughts of his late foster-father sat off a fuse that caused Natsu's eyes to snap wide.

Suddenly, the pressure began changing as the temperature around the two combatants began to change.

"Huh? You feel that…?" Happy felt his fur stand on end.

"GRRRRAAAAAAAHHHH~!" Natsu suddenly exploded into a voluminous roar, his body exploding into crimson flames that raged in a large vicinity. The flames that were left behind were all replaced with waves of crimson fire that went right past Nic as he stopped his attack. His flames roared like a dragon as they raged around them, especially around Natsu.


Erza made her way through Magnolia's streets from the market, carrying with her a bag brimming with more groceries. It took longer than she expected, especially because of the numerous unruly customers, but she finally cleared out of the battlefield unscathed and undeterred.

"There, that should be everything that was missing." The redhead mused. As she was making her way back, she saw a large plume of crimson flames erupt from the direction of her home. She stopped as her eyes widened in surprise.

'What's that? Nic?' She thought for a moment. She suddenly felt the temperature rise a few degrees, causing her to nearly break into a sweat. 'No…this is Magic Power…Natsu? Just what are they doing over there?'


Nic uncovered from the explosion of flames surrounding him, showing no bother to the intense heat as he smirked. "You really don't know how to hold back, do you?"

"Can't help it…especially when I'm fighting strong opponents…it'd be foolish not to give it my all! Now…" He stamped a heel onto the ground, his body seething with scaled skin and flames from his Dragon Force. "Where were we?"


Another Dragon Rage barreled across the valley ground into a medium-small rock, destroying it where it stood. As the dragonfire dissipated, the rock crumbled just before Charmeleon felt his knees buckle beneath him.

They had been going at this for a while now. Charmeleon was trying to copy was Charizard did by turning up his internal body heat and expelling it, but all that came out was his dragonfire. The past couple of shots were depleting his PP as well.

"Damnit…not again…" Charmeleon grunted in annoyance.

Charizard was right behind him when he stepped up. "You've got the exhale part right. You just need to crank up the heat some more."

"Easy for you say. You and Natsu make it look so natural." Charmeleon countered.

Charizard sneered. "I believe your Trainer says that he's all fired up, doesn't he?" He glanced down at him. "Well, perhaps you should take that a little more to heart."

Charmeleon paused to consider what his teacher meant by that. Focusing back on the rock in front of him, he inhaled through his nose, getting oxygen into his body to increase his flame volume. He opened his mouth as he was charging up more dragonfire, gradually trying to pour more heat into it.

With a loud cry, Charmeleon lurched forward, releasing another Dragon Rage that roared as it sailed and snapped down on its target, reducing it to rubble.

Charmeleon fell onto his bottom, using his hands to support himself. He grunted low in his frustrations at unable to unleash full flames for the umpteenth time.

Charizard saw this and frowned. He noticed something as Charmeleon was charging up for his attack that he had to point out. "I see it now."

"What…is it…now?" Charmeleon asked, turning a glance up at him.

"The reason is simple. You're holding yourself back."

Charmeleon's eyes widened, unable to hide the cringe. He glanced away and snarled.

The orange pseudo-dragon walked closer until he stood right beside him. "There something on your mind weighing you down perhaps?"

Charizard wasn't exactly a counselor like Vanessa's Venusaur acclaimed to be. Yes he was proactive in his training, but he never held himself back from his potential. He always wanted to push beyond what others perceived him. From that display, Charmeleon didn't share the same values.

"Tell me, you ever lost before?"

"Huh?"

"Whenever you lost, or frustrated, how does that make you feel?"

Charmeleon looked down at the ground to think about it. "Well, it…it kind of made me feel…"

"Angry? Self-loathing? That you wanna claw into the ground and hide like a Diglett?" He continued based on Charmeleon's glance. "Yeah, those feelings can weigh you down. But look at it this way. Suppressing your flames is good control, but they can only heat and go so far if they're contained that way. Think of your attack as letting all those built-up flames escape."

Charmeleon paused to consider Charizard's words. For as long as he remembered, control was an important aspect. It was how he was able to master Flame Charge, as well as Dragon Rage. And it took substantial focus for him to learn Aerial Ace against that Hariyama from what he remembered. All those battles, all the adrenaline that he converted into moves to make him stronger. If he was going to improve, he was gonna have to let loose again.

"I think I get it." Charmeleon muttered.

"Then don't just convert your drive into flames. Ignite it with everything you have to give! Go that extra mile!"

Charmeleon closed his eyes to concentrate.

'Go that extra mile…' He thought about his past battles he's had against such tough foes. Memories of his battles against Sandshrew, Flareon, Hariyama, Joey's Gyarados, and against Amaryllis all surfaced. The mixed feelings he had when the tables were turned on him, the fall of his allies, how despite his best endeavors he was still outmatched. Part of him just wanted to sink into the dirt…but that was only a small part of him. Inside, it felt like that small flame that he was keeping in check was starting to grow.

When Charmeleon opened his eyes, he clutched his fists and spread his legs. He let out a loud cry as his tail flame suddenly expanded.

Charizard saw this, intrigued. 'He's doing it!'

As Charmeleon continued roaring, he felt the adrenaline surge, the heat within his body getting hotter and more accumulative than it had before.

"You would know. When you wanna make a point, you've gotta go the extra mile to prove it. That's what I believed."

Charizard's words made his resolve intensify. 'I have to make my point! I can't doubt my limits! I can't wait for them to be broken. I have to break them myself!' He continued bellowing as embers started discharging from his mouth with his exhale.

"I know how much Natsu wants to get stronger, and I understand him. I wanna be strong too. And learning from strong Pokémon in turn makes one strong as well, right? So please, let me train with you!"

As Charmeleon's embers accumulated into dragonfire for his Dragon Rage, he didn't unleash it. He kept turning up the heat inside, his body tensing as heated emotions flared inside.

"What do you say, Charmander, wanna see just how we roll Fairy Tail style?"

The Fire-type looked towards the Dragon Slayer, smiling confusedly. "Uh…I don't know? Maybe…!"

"Awesome! Alright guys, follow me!" Natsu charged right out of the doors, with Charmander anchored in his underarm like a rolled-up towel.

'Natsu…' He thought about his Trainer and all they've been through. 'You're seriously a meathead, but you never let anything weigh you down from your dreams. That ambition…please, let me feel it just once!'


"Fire Dragon King's Roar!" Natsu opened his mouth, unleashing a colossal tsunami of crimson fire that shot in Nic's direction. The wake of the attack rushed like a bullet train that gave off immense heat to the point that everyone's skin became unbearably hot.

Nic retained a calm disposition. In response to the oncoming threat, he glowed and shifted into another combination of forms. This one was primarily the Draco Form with accents and subsidiary accessories of his Stone Form, giving him Dragon/Rock-type qualities.

Nic brought his wings back as shard of glistening energy christened the air around him like glimmering stars.

With a hefty grunt, Nic flapped his wings once, unleashing a Twister with his Power Gem shooting through the gale, making them look like small meteors riding a tornado that grinded up the ground.

The two attacks collided in the center, making the air pulsate with immense pressure. Natsu was expelling as much of his force that he could exude in an attempt to overwhelm Nic's combo attack. However, his stance wasn't breaking at all. And worse, his attack started to fizzle out the core of the wild roar.

Natsu's eyes widened. His roar overwhelmed, the attack traversed into him, swallowing him in its mighty, pressurized gale with the gemstones spiraling and exploding upon impact. Numerous flashes went off like fireworks that sent shockwaves everywhere.

"Wooooooah!" Happy panicked as he was nearly blown away. Not like the rest of Nic's Pokémon, who were able to hold their own ground quietly calmly. Were they even the least bit worried?

Nic watched as his attack's lightshow and gale gradually disperse through the area, his eyes never leaving the spot where he struck Natsu. As the attack's wake was clearing up, Nic couldn't help but squint at what he saw.

On the other side of a ditch, Natsu was still standing, his arms crossed as the skin had turned into rugged, dense scales that sizzled from being hit by the brunt of the attack. Despite that, he glared back at Nic with draconic slits in his eyes.

"Okay…I felt that one a little." Natsu admitted, dispelling his scales. "But now…" His eyes brightened as crimson flames began accumulating into his fist. "It's my turn to hit back harder!"

"…then come at me." Nic opted.

Natsu pressed a heel into the ground and shot forward, his heel exploding in crimson fire that acted as a turbo boost. He rocketed towards Nic as he reeled his fist back with the spherical flames getting larger the closer he got.

"Natsu, wait! Don't use that move!" Happy warned.

"It's okay, Happy! I know Nic can take it! That's why…" The flames brightened. "I'M GONNA GIVE IT MY ALL!"

Nic's eyes widened at Natsu's words. At that moment, more memories of their battles against strong foes surfaced. The Infinity Clock peril, to their fight against Sting and Rogue. What he believed came next was the big divider that separated them from that point on – the Eclipse Gate. Dragons against Legendary Pokémon…and the former weren't so fortunate. He knew that incident undoubtedly wounded all Dragon Slayers' pride.

'Natsu…' He thought about the Council War and facing off against God Serena. 'We've fought together a lot in the past, but as time went on, that gap began to widen between us. I tried to deny it at first, but you made me realized how selfish I was that time.' He thought about Tartaros. 'Even now, I often think back to what I could've done differently so we could've grown together. I still regret some of the decisions I've made.'

The wave of nostalgia didn't stop, but what made him feel a pinch in his heart was one of the biggest regrets in his life. The moment that Natsu and Gray turned on him.

'If I could go back in time, I would've handled our battles and situations more fairly so we'd all benefit. But…what's done is done. I can tell from that look in your eye, you wanna catch up as soon as possible. You wanna prove that you have the strength to protect those you care about. That's why you're sparring with me, isn't it? It isn't just about seeing your limits…you wanna show me that you can stand up and fight your own battles when I'm not there. Well…'

He thought briefly about it, but that pain eased when he recalled how the three reconciled after the war was over.

'…guess it's about time I stop holding you back.' His eyes burned with a glare saying that he was ready. 'Bring it!'

As if reading his mind, Natsu's grin returned as he closed the gap on him. He pulled back his fist and let out a violent battle cry.

"Fire Dragon King's Destruction Fist!"

The moment the fist made contact, all the crimson flames compressed expelled like a supernova in Nic's direction. A triumphant inferno exploded into the atmosphere. The ground leveled within a large radius in the backyard, followed by a heat wave that crisped the ends of leaves of trees from such a long distance. The wake was as loud as a roaring dragon; inaudible for anyone to communicate without yelling.

Happy and everyone else looked on, he and Junior having paramount shock present across their faces. Though unlike them, Staraptor, Kecleon, and Arbok all didn't seem fazed.

But if one looked closely, there was something gleaming their eyes, something that would've gone noticed by fellow veterans: Anxiety.


Charmeleon's dragonfire was still contained, but it was slowly starting to heat up to a broiling blaze. The temperature was staggering as the flames became fully visible.

Charizard's eyes widened. 'He's got it!' He craned his neck up. "Now! Let out that fire inside! GO THAT EXTRA MILE!"

"GRAAAAAH!" Charmeleon careened his head back and clamped his mouth shut. When he reeled forward, his jaw snapped open, flickering rapidly as an intense, broiling stream of pressurized fire expelled forward. The volume of flames went on towards a thin slab of rock that was a short distance away. The attack rushed into it, swallowing it in an explosion of flames and smoke as it shattered.

Charmeleon took a moment to cool down, but he looked shocked. "Did I just…?"

Charizard energetically smirked. "That's more like it."


The roaring crimson explosion eventually subsided, the smoke shifting revealing Natsu with his fist stuck out again. This time, however, he knew from contact that he landed his mark sure this time. "Finally…got a hit in."

The Dragon Slayer watched the smoke and flames disperse, only for something else to appear.

Natsu's eyes widened. A literal iron grip was fastened around Natsu's wrist. Nic was still standing, his form undergoing a change to the Iron Form. The draconic flames had seared through his clothes and skin, leaving burns and ash marks that seemed deep. And yet, Nic held his own in spite of the searing, burning agony. And he was doing it with a crooked smile.

"No way…" Natsu mumbled.

Nic held firm to Natsu's wrist, making sure he wasn't going anywhere. Slowly, his body gave off a transparent, metallic shine. 'Sometimes you have to take a hit to get one of your own.' His skin was crying out like it was still ablaze a moment ago. The pain surfaced into energy that surfaced around his body like a metallic coating that cracked apart.

Natsu tried pulling away, but his wrist was locked good in Nic's cast-iron hold. Nowhere to go.

"Metal Burst!"

The metallic sheen erupted, transforming into metallic energy shrapnel that burst in Natsu's direction. Once the shards made contact, it felt like dozens of plate-like bullets bombarded his body and exploded. Silver and gray flashes deafened everything else around as all anyone saw was a dense metallic flare going off.

Staraptor shielded Junior's eyes from the blinding light, but otherwise looked fine.

When the light faded after a minute, the clanging was nothing but echoes in the breeze. Nic stood in a sizeable crater, his grip lost on his opponent as Natsu laid on his back. His skin was severely bruised with his draconic skin texture slowly returning to normal. His eyes were shut as he laid still on the ground in front of Nic.

A short silence passed as the outcome fully sank in.

"N-Natsu?" Happy looked worried, but a wing from Staraptor held him back.

"It's fine. That didn't kill him." Staraptor assured. "Nic made sure of that."

Nic towered over his sparring partner, a pained but exasperated frown. He had to admire Natsu's resolve and willingness to go extra. It reminded him of a certain Pokémon of his own. Still, he probably wouldn't be the first to say that what Natsu did was overkill. Of course, he had no room to chastise since his own training has a similar outcome.

Taking a shaky breath outward, he reverted to himself, activating Recover. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a Revive. He held it up over Natsu's mouth and dropped it in. Once it went into his mouth, a green energy wave enveloped him, instantly healing a sizeable sum of the bruises and repaired any of his broken bones, or at least mending them.

Natsu began stirring almost immediately, his eyes quick to shoot open as a mild pain flourished through him. "GAH!...wait, what?"

"I thought I told you not to make a mess in my backyard." Nic curtly greeted him.

Natsu rapidly blinked, processing what Nic was referring to. He looked left and right, seeing how most of his backyard was reduced to dirt. Even the water in the pond was rapidly evaporated until it was but a fraction of its size.

"Sorry…" He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, groaning lowly. "Damnit, thought I had you there…"

"Not exactly." Rather than tell Natsu off about the immense work he'd have to do, Nic chose to sit cross-legged with hand on his kneecaps. "Actually, I'm pretty sure I would've been feeling a lot worse had I not reduced your offense when I did."

Natsu cocked a brow. He thought about it before he recalled feeling tingly and weak when Nic's Venom Drench landed its mark. "Wait…that's why you used those moves?"

"I've been wanting to try different approaches to my battles than what I'm used to. Sometimes, it's not always a straightforward fight like you'd want. I knew you were strong, so I used those moves in precaution."

'That's why all those auras were surrounding Natsu!' Happy thought back to when Natsu was hit with the Venom Drench, Snarl, and Mud-Slap. He was wondering why Nic didn't use powerful moves. Guess he now knows why.

"I'm not going to tell you how to fight, Natsu." Nic continued. "Everyone has their own styles, and some work better for others. But…if it means anything, you really did get better. You adapted to everything I threw at you." He smirked. "I'm impressed."

Natsu blinked for a moment, taking Nic's words to heart. Even though it wasn't as he expected it to be, he wasn't bothered after what he said. His toothy smirk returned. "Thanks man! Hey, you wanna go again?"

"Perhaps later, but…" He turned his attention towards his background. The ashes of the lush grass stirred through the winds. "Let's take our spars somewhere a little more…remote from now on."

Seeing what Nic meant, Natsu sweat dropped. "Sorry about that…" he nervously chuckled. "Guess I went a little overboard back there." He pumped his fists. "But seriously, battling you is seriously a lot of fun! I may not get all these tricks you're trying to do, but I'm definitely gonna catch up! Just you wait!"

Nic grinned in acceptance. "Looking forward to it."

"Nic! Natsu!" An angry voice called.

The two men reacted differently towards the scowl. While Nic cocked a brow and looked more casual, Natsu froze on the spot, cranking his head slowly in fear of what he'll see. Sure enough, it was the not-so-happy visage of Erza with her arms folded.

"Oh crap…Erza!" Natsu quipped.

"I turn away from this house just to get a few things and I see nothing but fire all the way from town. You're lucky half the town didn't burn up from your little antics, otherwise we'd be in serious grips right now."

"Uh, m-my bad…" Natsu tucked his head in, unable to look Erza in the eye. Even Nic felt sorry for him, even though he warned him.

"Nic, help me in the kitchen!" Erza demanded.

"Yeah, I hear ya." Nic groaned, but he got up and casually walked back towards the house to help prepare for dinner.

"Natsu! Happy!" Again, he cringed at his name called. "Get inside and wait at the table until dinner's ready." Her glare narrowed sharply. "Am I clear?"

"AYE!" The two didn't waste a second beelining past their peeved host straight for the table at speed that left a dirt trail.

Erza pinched the bridge of her nose with an annoyed sigh. However, she chose to allow the matter go…for now. She was going to have a talk about this later with Nic if they ever have anymore guests over in the future. But with her own hunger on the rise, she and her husband filed back into the house, with Nic's Pokémon following with Junior hopping in tow.


From a few miles away, Shiin was observing through his special binoculars at everything he just saw. Even from the high cliff far from one's magical sensory, he still felt the fluctuation of heat from Natsu's magic. The sweat on his forehead was still there.

Putting down his binoculars briefly, the foreigner's eyes showed something that wasn't apparent often – disbelief. First the Pokémon masterful uprising plan, now Magic Power that was beyond a scope that even his own binoculars couldn't get a read of.

'That was the power of a Dragon Slayer's Dragon Force?' Even without the scope, he could see the miles of scorched earth that went far into the distance. 'Even from this distance, his Magic Power was able to nearly burn away everything. I've never felt this much from one singular mage before…'

Even from where he was from, no sane human being was capable of having such magic levels. It was unheard of, let alone recorded. Imagine having the rumored guild that was responsible for defeating the Alvarez Empire and backing up Nic Pularis containing such potent power that not even the Pergrande Kingdom has. It was something Shiin sound fearful and irresponsible.

'If this is the scope of Fairy Tail's mages at their full power, and intertwine the hazard that these Pokémon possess…this will likely become a national threat level if unchecked. I need to report this.'

"Free!" An all-too-familiar chirp got his attention. Frowning heavily, he looked up, seeing Butterfree in the tree branch overhead with an apple in his tiny hands.

"Do you ever have anything better to do than indulge in my habits?" Shiin scowled lowly.

"Free!" Butterfree chirped, munching on the apple.

Shiin sighed. "I should've figured by now." He didn't like it, nor did he have to, but after Butterfree's impromptu aid back in Nirvana, he'd be lying if he said that incident made him have mixed feelings about Pokémon, Butterfree in particular. But still, duty gave no room for pleasure. No matter how grateful he was, he knew the risks of indulging with these Pokémon that had no business inhabiting their world. This incident served as a reminder of the potential threat that could cause hundreds of years of magic and life foundations sought to be overhauled by these otherworldly influences.

That couldn't happen. It shouldn't.

With his target having dinner, he opted to retire from his post to find his own nourishment. As he was walking away, Butterfree saw him off and looked at the half-eaten apple he had in his hands.

"Free!"

Shiin heard the cry and glared back up. He saw a half-eaten apple drop onto him and caught it. He looked at it briefly before giving a sharp look back at Butterfree.

"I don't need anymore handouts from you." He bitterly sneered, dropping the apple to the forest floor. "Excuse me."

"Free!" Butterfree flew off the branch and descended low. He watched Shiin leave with his back turned and turned towards the discarded offering for the ants to quickly cover. "Free…"

As Shiin walked away, his mind was still fixated on the fight he recorded. He was going to have to ask for more memory tonight as well. 'But even so, even with the power of Dragon Force, it wasn't enough to bring out one of Nic Pularis's Legendary Force. These Legendary Pokémon have even greater power than dragons…power that we must take actions against!'


As soon as Charizard and Charmeleon returned from their training shortly before supper was ready, the small family and guests ate their fill. What became five plates of sautéed meat and pasta quickly went into Natsu and Charmeleon's stomachs. After all the training they did, they needed fuel for the fire in their bellies.

Dusk eventually blanketed the skies by the time Natsu, Happy, and Charmeleon eventually took their leave. Happy's sack was filled with Tamato Berries. "It was really nice for Nic and Erza to let us have these." He chimed.

"Sure is. Those things were super delicious." Natsu beamed.

"Yeah, and apparently they grow very fast too. You think we should plant them?"

"I don't see why not. Having something like that to snack on wouldn't be bad. Right. Charmeleon?" Natsu turned towards Charmeleon, who despite looking a little fatigued, had his head up in pride.

"Yeah, I think so."

"It's still interesting to think that Charmeleon can evolve into Charizard. How much longer till that happens?" Happy questioned.

Natsu shrugged. "Beats me, but I hope it's soon." He balled a fist in excitement. "And now we've got Flamethrower thanks to that training. Yeah, we're definitely going to get stronger. Right?"

"Yeah!" Happy and Charmeleon cheered.

Natsu's grin widened. He knew that after what happened last time, he was going to have to be more responsible with Charmeleon's well-being while minding his other Pokémon. But he knew they were all going to get stronger. 'Just you wait, we're all gonna get stronger. I just know it.'

As for Charmeleon, he now had someone who he could look to for a goal. He looked up to the sky, thinking of Charizard once more. 'I'll keep that fire inside me burning. Just wait till I'm there!'


Nighttime had christened itself upon Magnolia. With it being so late, everyone was in their homes resting comfortably in their beds.

Nic and Erza were both well asleep, the former having repaired their backyard with his Meadow and Splash Forms revitalizing the soil and quickly regrowing the grass. Nic was laying on his back on their mattress while his wife was sound asleep, both their upper bodies naked keeping the other warm.

Lucy was tucked in her bed, with her Pokémon all sound asleep resting up for another day tomorrow. However, from Staryu's faint blinking core, it bore a little light in the immense stack of papers on her desk with the completed title: "The Adventures of Iris".

Natsu was snoring away in his hammock, Happy sprawled on his stomach. Below them, Charmeleon and Tyrunt were sprawled on the floor, while Darumaka had his limbs tucked in while upright.

While Duncan was asleep in his small home, Joey and Dereece were also in their beds in their respective base. Dereece was mumbling something in his sleep with a small smirk, hinting a pleasurable dream. Joey was more subdued, though he was laying in bed with a frilly pink and black sleeping mask while hugging his Nic and Vanessa plushies.

Both Vanessa and Sophie were asleep in their beds in their home, the former out like a light. Big surprise.

With the majority of the guild finally retired, in his temporary stay was Shiin, finishing up the last of his report. After submitting it through a magic seal in his grimoire, he turned the lamp light off and turned towards the open curtains.

When he looked up towards the sky, he saw a flock of Murkrow flying through the sky. Knowing what they were, Shiin's glare hardened before shutting the curtains.

With much of Magnolia logged off, all seemed vacant. All but for one light that was barely lit behind a set of curtains within Fairy Tail's guild hall.

The door opened to Laxus's office, revealing Mest as he closed the door behind him. On the other side of the small office was Laxus with his arms folded, accompanied by his faithful Thunder God Tribe.

"You wanted to see me?" Mest clarified, confusion in his tone.

"Yeah. It just had to be you." Laxus confirmed.

"I see. But why did you ask to meet after the guild closed? It's pretty late."

"We didn't want to take any chances. In case you haven't noticed, our guild doesn't exactly keep things tight-lipped." Freed responded cordially.

Mest found any arguments against that claim invalid. "Guess that's fair…but still why me?"

"Because you're the only person for the job we have in mind." Laxus answered. "That Verdande is keeping a watchful eye on us, especially on Nic. He'll know something's amidst if he's gone."

The mention of Shiin made Mest furrow his brow. 'So this is about him then.' His interests peaked. "What do you need me to do?"

"You have experience in infiltration." Laxus paused for that notion to sink in. "We need you to infiltrate the Pergrande Kingdom's Magic Government."

Mest stood still, his mind processing what his Guild Master just asked. As it sank in, his eyes slowly shrank as he looked genuinely surprised by this request.

"Hold on…you serious?!" Mest was countered by a serious look from his peers. "Where's this coming from?"

"We spoke with Yajima earlier today. Apparently it sounds like the Pergrande Kingdom's shut itself out from the rest of the world. Yet they sent someone our way to watch over us…especially Nic."

"Yeah…I can see why that's concerning." Mest frowned, but he didn't shy away. "Still, didn't you tell us not to get involved? What if he finds out and he blows the whistle?"

Bickslow stepped forward. "Don't worry man, we got you covered."

"We've made up a couple of excuses so that should give you enough time for this little undercover mission." Evergreen winked. "You can thank us later."

"Whatever's going on over there, the fact they get the Magic Government involved is a problem of its own. If I recall, you were able to get into our guild just fine, and the Council at that. Figured you'd be up there the task at hand given those credentials."

Again, another point Mest couldn't argue against. Of course he was shocked, but the more he thought about it, the deeper his concerns got. He could tell from the look Laxus gave told him that this was serious. If it was for the guild's safety, he knew what he had to do.

Furrowing his brow, Mest made up his mind. "Very well. How soon do you want me to head out?"

"Tonight."


Here's a new update! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! While last chapter had focus on Kevin, I chose to have this one centralized around Natsu and Nic's dynamic, while also bringing out a sense of nostalgia from all the past fights I've done with them in the last two stories.

I've also taken liberties in having Laxus finally take action and send Mest to see what the Magic Government's up to with all this intel they're getting from Shiin.

Natsu's Charmeleon also learning from Charizard was another chemistry I wanted to set up this chapter. Figured that this would've been the most ideal spot since their evolution line was never addressed to Natsu before this. And Charmeleon gained a stronger Fire-type move to help him in his battles!

Next time, I'm gonna focus on another member of the guild, or more accurately, a certain Pokémon. Who will it be? You'll have to find out and see.

As always, I appreciate the feedback and reviews!