Hey guys, just wanted to say something quick before the chapter got underway. Two things actually. The first is that if you haven't yet hopped over from The Fairy Contender or A Contender's Bonds, I hope you do, because I don't have a lot of favs and follows yet. I hope I'm not boring you if that's what it is. And secondly, I posted some art on my Deviantart, so after you finish this chapter, you'll see some updated characters. At any rate, enjoy!
The ground was silent for a moment before it shuddered from the wake of a voluminous pressurized blast of boiling water with stream erupting everywhere. The shockwaves made the grass beneath bent over from its heat as it bolted into a makeshift row of trees. The Scald was so pressurized that not only did it beam straight through the tree trunks, but the steamy eruption from the impact made the branches on the decapitated upper halves break apart.
As the misty cloud and shockwaves dissipated, Nic stood in his Meadow Form with Greninja in front of him. The steam shifted Nic's clothing, but he seemed undeterred as it revealed stumps in the place of the rows of trees, which were scattered all over the place. He glowed and shifted into his Stone Form, keeping a relaxed position as he brought his middle and index finger up. He bent them towards his face, and from the ground in front, a quick shudder erupted before a very long and thick row of slabs eroded from the ground, a tactic he remembered well from Jura.
He reached out, keeping his composure and a determined face. "Use Scald!" One more time, Greninja leaned forward and put one hand on the ground. His head went backwards as he took in a quick breath, and once charge, he reeled ahead, releasing the same pressurized blast of boiling water ahead. A misty ripple expelled around his mouth as it looked like a beam that blitzed across the ground and shot at the lower stables of the slab row.
Once again, a massive quake enveloped the backyard, followed by an equally large wave of steam that made the air humid.
The steam cloud and the strong winds it made dissipated once again, and Nic and Greninja stood like nothing happened as the slab row was reduced to raining pebbles in its place. The gravel continued pelting the ground for a few moments while Nic looked unfazed. "Nice." He said. He looked towards Greninja, who looked back. "How did that feel?"
The Ninja Pokémon looked unfazed like him. "Not shabby."
"My thoughts exactly."
It was just another morning in the daily life of Nic Pularis. Things were as usual as they perceived, but the heat has been on for their guild, and it wasn't just because of it becoming April soon. The real problem was that it has been 3 days since the big conference, and just recently was Nic finally off the hook with Arthur and the Cambire Foundation.
He was tired. Simply tired. All these conversations, this big talk, and all of these questions being asked that he had to answer was hell, and he was finally done with it. It was time to step away from society and back into his routine, just the way he liked it.
He looked back ahead, now having a row of slabs and a row of thick, sturdy trees beside the other. In his Stone/Meadow Form to do so, he reached out. "Water Shuriken!"
Crouching, Greninja gained momentum as he swiped both arms and created sound from the winds generated from his swings. Two spinning shuriken of water moving so fast that they looked like blue bullets spritzed across the land, closing in on the one hundred-feet-long roads of nature. Both shuriken met the rows, vanishing for a moment's time before blue horizontal glints flickered in their places. In the next second, the long rows suddenly bisected horizontally. Then, they burst into mist. The rock slabs collapsed without the support, as did the trees as they all fell over.
As the land shook and vibrated at deafening levels, Nic and Greninja stood unfazed by their level of accuracy and pressure. At least they still had it.
"I know this may not seem like much in terms of compensation, but it would mean a lot to me it you accepted it."
The words Arthur spoke to Nic at the reception echoed once again in his mind. As the mist began to subside, Greninja looked back towards Nic to notice the puzzled look he had. He said nothing as he already had the idea.
Nic finally reached back into his pocket. There, he felt the chord and pulled on it, yanking out the Mystic Water that he's been holding onto for a while. He looked at it like it was some foreign object, but it wasn't because he didn't know what it did, no. Something else boggled him.
It was a peace offering by someone whom he just met, and he entrusted with a lot of responsibility. In a way, he can relate to Arthur's goals and intentions, and even by now it was probably rude to reconsider, but when there's a lot of people and Pokémon at stake, even Nic admitted he couldn't do this alone.
"Then let me ask you this, Nic…would you be willing to help a man who can't walk see a place where others can at least learn to walk?"
As the deep blue liquid in the drop shimmered, Nic could see his distorted face in the bulletproof glass it was in. His stare of inquiry began to narrow into one of complication. At this point, he just knew the world was going to be in hands he has yet to fully reach out to.
"Nic."
Looking up, Greninja was already in front of him. The two looked at each other with serious expressions, but Nic could read Greninja's expression clearly.
Everyone deserves a second chance. Jellal did, so why doubt himself now. If Arthur could preach out, the least he could do was return in kind, for both their sakes.
"Sorry, I was spacing out for a moment." He apologized. "Did you want to give this a try?"
Greninja didn't even bother looking at the Mystic Water as he focused on Nic. "Only if you're sure."
Nic nodded. "I'm sure."
With a nod in return, Nic presented Greninja with the Mystic Water. He approached Greninja with the two chords and reached behind the neck, tying the two strings beneath the tongue. As he tightened it, it was hidden well beneath the tongue itself.
Once fastened, Greninja could feel the mythical water pressed against his neck surging with a majestic energy. It seemed odd, but at the same time empowering. It coursed through his balled fist, making him feel enhanced.
"You ready to go again?"
Greninja was the one nodding in confirmation this time. "Yes. Let's do it." He pivoted and faced the debris field, ready to do some more training, now with greater power.
Still in his dual type form, Nic folded his fingers as the palms came together. "Then…let's try this!" With little effort, the ground thumped as another layer of slabs and trees arose and sprouted in rapid succession. This time, however, it was one large row with a random order of trees and slabs reaching a hundred and fifty feet long. Once in place, Nic adjusted and took his position.
"Alright then…use Water Shuriken!"
Greninja crouched and swiped his arms in opposite arches. The shuriken thrown were the same as before, however, they were a little bigger than expected, and the rotation speed was like a bullet rather than two shuriken.
The shuriken disappeared again as they closed in on the slab's middle. In bright blue glints that flashed like lightning the next instance, the rock slabs and the trees alike again bisected into split halves, top and bottom. The top halves of the two materials even burst into mist, their diced fragments mixing as the geyser of mist erupted. This time, it was all of them that were diced and exploded, and not just the front half.
As the woodchips and gravel drizzled down with the mist, Greninja and Nic looked ahead, both of their eyes glinting as their equal smirking meant their heart rates were getting more amped up.
The mist passed Nic as his smirk looked epic. "Not bad…let's see what this power is made of, shall we?!"
His palms rammed into each other, making more trees sprout and rocks arise in front of them. Greninja crouched in readiness once again.
A throat's Adam's Apple bobbed up and down as contents went down the gullet. The mouth let up, revealing Cana as she downed the whole beer mug. She sighed loudly with a smirk. "Aw yeah, now that's a real kicker."
"Maybe you should try your mornings out with some water instead." Mirajane kindly advised.
The brunette waved her off dismissively. "Oh don't be such a stick in the mud, Mira. I just got back from a job, give me a break." She laid her head down the bar top, using her arms as a cushion to do so. Beside her, Purrloin sprung up from the stool, curling tightly to rest beside her partner.
"What was the job about?"
"Can't say much. Just a bunch of these small bird Pokémon that were messing with the outskirts of a town. Purrloin helped some with keeping them in one place, and that's where I put them in a one-way coupe into my pocket."
Mirajane's expression showed no change. She remained cheerful as ever. "Were these birds anything like what Jet just brought back, or one of those other Pokémon that Wendy has?"
"Hmmm…" the brunette slouched up to make it so that her palm supported her pouty face as she looked off towards the side. "…I think like Jet. What was it? I think it was a…Taillow or something?"
Mirajane winked. "Oh well, what matters is that you took care of it without any trouble."
"Funny, I thought we were talking about booze." She teasingly grinned. Mirajane just sighed and resumed cleaning some glass over the sink.
With the three days that came and went, Fairy Tail was as rowdy s ever, if not more so. With Cambire Foundation now operational and people all over getting adjusted to the likes of Pokémon, so was Fiore's guilds. Fairy Tail was making sure to keep up its part of the bargain by going on jobs and handling the rogue Pokémon that were otherwise making clients unsound. The whole world knew that there were Pokémon now, and even though they have started to get the general idea of what they are like thanks to communication, the issue was that some were still unwilling to connect, humans and Pokémon alike.
On a certain note, people from all over Fiore have been traveling towards the location of the Cambire Foundation, which was supposed to be in Crocus. They have been more than curious about the whole thing, and no one could blame them. They were the ones who were willing to help; the ones who were hiring to get an internship, as well as understand Pokémon so that they can better cope with the problem. So far, from voices heard and on news reads, the committee has been giving positive feedback.
Berry farms in the back court of the foundation's headquarters was also something acknowledged. While the domain was supposed to be as grand as Mercurius itself, the full-on construction was to take months, but the departments have already rented complexes in the general area, and some have fields where interns and wannabe Trainers learning first-hand was where berries were being grown.
With all of this run down of the foundation helping Pokémon, everyone else had to do what they could and lead by example. And so far, Fairy Tail has had a good grasp on that prospect.
"Okay, now try this one." Romeo held out his hand towards his Litwick. In the palm was a purple ember the size of a Poke Ball. "Here." He offered.
"Oh~!" The Ghost/Fire-type opened her mouth wide like a Gulpin, before chomping down on it with delight. She moaned happily as she savored the flame's taste.
"Good, right?"
Litwick nodded as she muffled a confirmation.
Macao, however, was having a much more difficult time with his Litwick. He was looking at his while the Ghost/Fire-type stare at him with his own sense of ambiguity. Macao squinted a brow before raising his index finger again, making a purple ember this time.
"Let's try this then." He held the finger towards Litwick, much like Romeo did with his. However, unlike the female Litwick, Macao's scooted away, as if playing keep away from the fire. The look on his face showed grim defeat.
"Aw, seriously? What's the matter?" he questioned. "What, you have a preference or something?"
Romeo looked at his father with inquiry of his own. "You think this has something to do with their powers or something?"
Macao folded his arms. "Ugh, maybe. Vanessa did say something about Litwick having two abilities. Maybe ours aren't the same." He closed his eyes to think harder than before. "Guess we need another solution."
With Reedus, he watched as Smeargle was applying light brush strokes to the canvas he was making. "Oui, just like that, Smeargle. Great work!" he praised.
Laki was looking down at the Bonsly she was holding in her arms as he was crying. It wasn't loud, but it's been happening enough to where she was having trouble sleeping. "What's wrong this time, little guy?" she questioned.
The Bonsly just kept crying, the tears bubbling out of his eyes.
Laki looked worried. "I don't understand. Why is he always like this after every time I step out of the communal bath? Is it because you're hungry?"
"I think Vanessa said that guy doesn't like moisture, so it has to shed it, or something like that." Vijeeter said. "Right, Lotad?"
Right by his side at his feet was what looked like a small leafy Pokémon. He looked very much like a lily pad, whereas the bottom of it was a small blue creature with six stubby feet and a yellow moustache. "Uh…I don't know?" he answered.
Laki sighed as Bonsly's crying continued. "Good grief."
Wendy smiled up towards Lucy as Swablu rest on her head. "So Lucy, how's Klefki now?"
The blonde turned towards her Steel/Fairy-type with a smile. "She's doing okay…at least for now." Her eyelids lowered upon the last part. "She's a little too energetic at times though. I can hardly sleep sometimes without having to hear my keys jingle." She remembered well of late last night regarding her latest Klefki wakeup call. She was peacefully sleeping in bed and suddenly Klefki jingled her keys. And the only reason she did so was so she could have a late night snack.
Wendy nervously smiled. "Sounds like quite a night."
"Yeah." Lucy sighed. "But how're you and Swablu been? You two seem awfully close?"
Wendy looked up towards the bird perched on her head, with her looking down in return. "Yeah, we actually spent early morning making sure her wings weren't dirty."
"She sure is a nitpicker, I'll give her that much." Carla said. "Honestly, just a second on the ground and she get so flustered over herself. Honestly…"
"Hey, don't be like that, c'mon." Wendy reasoned. "If it weren't for Swablu's Sing, we wouldn't have stopped those mountain bandits from getting far." Swablu hummed with a proud smile on her beak. "Besides, she also learned Fury Attack when we were on our back against one of those wild Spearow, didn't she?"
"Right!"
Carla sighed. "I can see where this is going."
"Hey, I'm not spoiling her!" Wendy defended, with Lucy giggling behind her.
The guild saloon doors opened once again, kicking them open was none other than Natsu with his trademark smile on his face. "Hey, guys! What up?!" he greeted.
"Aye, time to get a job!" Happy exclaimed.
Charmander followed in tow, having his own smile in readiness. "Alright! Let's burn off that fish we had for breakfast!" he declared.
"Oh, we'll need a lot more afterwards, pal. Trust me." Natsu said.
"Hey, Natsu!" Lucy waved at the Dragon Slayer in the distance, getting him to turn towards her and Wendy.
"Huh? Oh, hey, morning Lucy!" he greeted cheerfully. "Hey, Wendy!"
"Morning!" the Sky Dragon greeted. "Are you ready for a job?"
"You bet I am." He eagerly balled his fist in a tight clutch. "I can't wait to get out there and do some work. What do you say, Happy?"
"Aye!"
Gray walked up from the side, with Snover in tow. Unsurprising anymore, he was without a shirt. "So that just leaves Erza then, right?" he asked.
Lucy turned towards him. "Oh, Gray." She said. "Yeah, Erza's the one picking out the job for us today. She said she wanted to make it a challenge for us."
"What kind of challenge you think?" Wendy wondered.
Carla shrugged. "Let's hold our tongues and try not to get our hopes up, shall we?"
Natsu smirked. "Alright then."
A pair of boots clanged against the floor, making way towards the group. Walking up towards them with a flier in her hand, the redhead mentioned got their attention and presented them the job. "Seems we're all gathered here then. Good." She said. "Is everyone ready?"
Natsu reached for his shoulder, making it roll and pop the joint constantly. "You don't have to ask me twice. So what do we got?"
Erza nodded in acknowledgement of his eagerness. "The job should be located up near Bluebell. It's on the northwest coast, and we'll be needed to handle routes and taking care of any hostile wild Pokémon on those routes."
"If we're by the coast, that means there's going to be some Water-types, right?" Gray guessed. He looked down towards his Snover, nodding his head. "Guess we'll be needing your Razor Leaf if things get tight."
Snover lifted his arms with glee. "Alright!"
Wendy looked around, oddly curious about something that seemed misplaced in her eyes. "Hey, has anyone seen Nic?"
"Nic's still at the house I'm afraid." Erza grimaced, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "Honestly, he says he's got to 'spread his legs for a bit' before he gets a job of his own. He can be a real handful when he's so focused on the heat of battle."
Lucy giggled at Erza's expense. It was adorable in a way to see how she was pestering about her husband and his habits. Heck, in a way, she can feel some sense of where she was coming from with all of this. Sometimes it bugged her how Natsu always sneaks into her room in the morning, waiting for her…sometimes. Not everything is perfect, but that's the way it's meant to be.
"So is he going on his own job then?" Wendy questioned.
"Yes. He should be gone around the same span as us, so we might all as well be out on jobs getting work in then." Erza turned towards the doorway. "But enough with all that, are we ready?"
"Sure thing." Gray followed behind. Snover waddled in tow behind his Trainer, and following next was Natsu, Happy, Charmander, and the rest of the rest out the door.
With Wendy the last in tow, the team was off on its job, ready to get some work in.
Watching from a table, Sophie had a hand to her cheek, supporting her chin as she and Vanessa watched as Fairy Tail's strongest team went off on their own once again. "There they go again." Sophie sighed.
"Well you sure sound unamused, Sophie." Vanessa smiled casually. "A little lonely?"
The blonde did an eyeroll alongside a snicker. "I'm surprised you saw through my mask so well, Sophie. Nothing gets pass you." She teased with just the right amount of sarcasm to exemplify her boredom. Her roommate wasn't at all deterred like her, though.
"Well then, rather than droop like Cana…" At the nothing, the brunette's ears twitched in the background. "I impose we go on a job as well. Your pick."
The Memory-Make Mage sighed at her insistence. She wasn't in the mood to exercise right now, but she also didn't want to sit around and do nothing like Nab would. She has to at least do something that would prevent her from getting a headache out of boredom. Seeing how she might as well do something as well, she stood up and turned towards the request board.
"Al tig-ad (Don't worry), I'll be back." She made way towards the request board, while Vanessa waited at her seat ever so casually.
At the request board, Nab was still observing the jobs that didn't pique any of his interests, which was from anything out of routine for his day. Sophie disregarded this fact and walked up towards the board, seeing the numerous jobs listed and overlapping the other. She scrutinized them all with some diligence, being sure to get a feel of the pay, as well as contents.
Looking up at one job with the picture of what appeared to be a tunnel with the image of what looked like a Zubat in it, she seemed piqued at its contents. "This one seems good enough…" She went to reach for it, but she was cut off when someone stepped beside her, getting her to look at him. "Huh?"
Standing next to her with a blank face was the latest recruit to Fairy Tail, Duncan. He looked up at the board ever so casually and looked at the many jobs available, without so much as a muddle.
Upon recognizing him, Sophie blinked. "Oh, hello." She greeted. "You're the new recruit, aren't you?"
Duncan continued looking at the board. "Yeah. What of it?"
She was taken back by his rude behavior, but she powered through with nonchalance. "Well, I was wondering if you were fitting in okay. I hope you're not at all surprised with how we operate under such circumstances."
Duncan looked down, closing his eyes in silence. "I'm doing just fine, thank you." He looked up towards the bulletin again, eying the job that Sophie was thinking of taking. Without any delay, he took the job off the board, much to Sophie's chagrin.
"Hm? Excuse me." Her brow furrowed in a harsher expression to rival her tone. "Some of us were looking at that too, you know."
Duncan shrugged and turned away. "That's not my fault."
Sophie folded her arms as she glared at Duncan's back.
"If you wanted the job, all you had to do was just take it when you had the chance. The same goes for a Pokémon with strong characteristics." He started walking off. "If you miss that chance, someone else might take that from you. Keep that in mind."
Sophie watched Duncan as he went off for the job instead of her. Of course she was mad about the job taken, but she wasn't mad about that. No, she was mad because Duncan was being so rude, and he didn't seem to regard her in any way. It was like she wasn't even there. The one thing worse than having an opportunity taken from you could be your lack of acknowledgement.
Still, there were plenty of other jobs on the board, with bigger and better opportunities. Sighing and choosing to let it go, she turned back towards the bulletin board and looked up at the plethora of other jobs. In another area, it looked like there was a picture of a mole-like Pokémon, and the pay being over 340,000 Jewel. Before she chose to take it, she looked around wearily, making sure no one was around to mess up her chance. Seeing she was all clear, she snatched it with a frisk of a hand swipe.
She walked back towards Vanessa, standing in front of her with the job presented. "Here." She placed it in front, giving details of what the job inscribed.
Vanessa looked down at it and up at Sophie, seeing the unamused expression on her face still there. In fact, she looked even more annoyed than ever. She just kept her relaxed disposition while leaning back in her seat. "Is everything alright, Sophie?"
The blonde turned away and pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's fine. It's just that new member we have."
"You mean Duncan?"
"Yes. Honestly, I thought he would be a little sociable, but it's like we're not even here. He could at least try and not be rude to a woman perhaps."
Vanessa frowned at her friend's irritation on the matter. "I'm sure he has his reasons. It's best to just give it some time, maybe he'll come around to adjusting with the guild." As she thought about the matter at hand, she put a hand to her chin. "Although…what motives did he have joining our guild anyway? That's what I'm trying to figure out."
Sophie shifted her weight to one hip as she turned to think about the situation as well. "Yeah, that's a good question. We know Joey and Dereece agreed to stay because they want to help…but Duncan, he doesn't say much to any of us."
Vanessa nodded, closing her eyes. "Well debating about it won't help. I suppose we should just mind ourselves and get a job in."
"Right." Sophie's eyes widened in realization. "Speaking of which, where are Joey and Dereece now you think?"
"Last I saw them, they were heading into town."
"Are they getting a job, too, you think?"
"No. They just got back from a simple delivery mission yesterday. I think I saw them near the boutique last I saw."
"Huh, wonder what they're doing there?" Sophie turned to look towards the doorway, where she just saw Duncan depart. The saloon doors opened and closed to a slow stop, but light still beamed from outside.
"No! Not this garbage!" Another piece of clothing flew over Dereece's head. His head followed it as it sailed like paper into the large pile of clothing that came from the dressing room he stood in front of. Another pained grunt came from within its confines, but he knew of whom they belonged to.
"Uuugh! Dereece, seriously! Can you pick anything more lame than those?!" The door creeped open, revealing Joey's head with annoyance. "Are you trying to make me look like a walking piñata, full of cotton that makes the skin uncomfortable?!" the door slammed shut, with Joey groaning out loudly in distress.
Dereece walked up towards the door, leaning into it with his left ear. "Uh, Joey, maybe we should rethink this through." He advised. "Is there even a reason why we're here to begin with?"
Inside the dressing room, Joey's bare back was being covered by a black leather jacket he was trying on. "Because, Dereece, if we're going to be part of the same guild as Nic-senpai, and if we're going to be working there, we should at least look the part. You expect me to battle and be a mage while not having presentation? Where's the clincher in that? Now hush up and let me think for a moment in here."
Dereece leaned against the door as he heard the fastening of clothes on the other side. "Hard to believe since we can't even do magic." He muttered softly with an eyeroll.
It's been a short while since Joey and Dereece had joined Fairy Tail, almost two weeks since Dereece's count. Since then, it was safe to say that they're finally getting a little routine going, after much management that the two had to do. A few things happened over the course of a few days that left a small but noticeable impact for them both.
The first one was their place of stay. Since they have been taking small, beginner jobs, they have been finally getting enough money to start up for their own residence. Dereece did all the planning, and with an agreement, they got a decent-sized apartment for him and Joey to share. It was a little ways from Lucy and Sophie's houses, but 50,000 Jewel a month for a decent stay at some place that at least gave them elbow room and a backyard was enough. Joey was on his hands and knees in gratitude that day when he thanked Nic and Erza for allowing them both to stay. Dereece literally had to drag him away as he wept.
The other thing that happened was Joey himself. He's been making sure he was training to some degree every morning, much like Nic does, but that was easier said than done considering how late he stays up practicing his dancing. The place they stayed was small and insulated for a reason. In his training, however, Chespin learned Rollout, and that's what made the past few jobs easier now.
Speaking of jobs, they've been a little strained when it came to the work they had to do. They were limited with what was available due to them having no magic, at least not yet. They've been trying, but so far there hasn't even been a single spark. Just a single spell of something would've made them feel a little better.
The door unlocked, making Dereece back away to see someone enter. The door opened, allowing Joey to step out and present himself. He was wearing his usual pants, but his white dress shirt was replaced by a buttoned leather jacker and black shades. He struck a pose looking towards the ceiling like a jock would.
Dereece raised a brow as he folded his arms. After a short while he frowned in disapproval. "Nnnngh…"
"Ugh! Too much black, I knew it!" Joey whipped around in a fuss into the dressing room again, shutting the door behind. The next second, the leather jacket went flying over the door and into the pile next to Dereece. "Wardrobe number 17, a no-go!"
Dereece facepalmed. "Oi vey…"
…
Close by in the boutique, Chespin was peeping around the several large pair of pants that came in different shades of blue. He looked at them all in question while circling around, giving a child's wondrous glance at the many other pairs of clothes that were all over the place. "Ooooooh." He strode past a mannequin wearing a pair of shades, red scarf, and a brown leather hat. "So humans wear all this stuff? There's so many choices here!"
Heracross was out and looking at the various pairs of socks, coming in black, gray, and white. He looked curious as his attention drew towards the footies, a sparkle in his eyes showing. "Oh~, they even have stuff that look like they can fit me."
Chespin looked over his shoulder. "What do you think Joey and Dereece are gonna look like when they're done?"
"Beats me." Heracross caught up, walking behind the smaller of them. "My guess is something befitting them."
"Like what?"
"I don't know, maybe something that shines I guess." Both Heracross and Chespin stopped to rethink what their Trainers might look like. Appearing as thought bubbles over their heads coming together, they could see both Joey and Dereece in espionage uniforms with black shades, and in the same instance see them wearing sparkly jazz tuxedos while holding musical instruments. Heck, they could even see them wearing armor…but Joey was holding the sword while Dereece was on all fours, acting as Joey's steed that charged into an army of knights.
The last image made Chespin giggle. "Tehehehehe. Fashion." He chuckled. His eyes wandered towards something beside him, making his beady eyes sparkles with curiosity. "Ohhhhh! Pretty!"
Right in front of him was a rack of women's bowties and chokers. It was so high up that it would take him and Heracross together to reach the top. For safety's sake, he went for the nearest one on the bottom, which was a pink bowtie. He snatched it, putting it on the side of his head. After an adjustment, he smiled.
"Oh…I feel so handsome now." He gasped. "Heracross, how do I look?"
"Like a Cherubi." He complimented. "Hm?" His own curiosity piqued, he turned towards a rack that had spectacles on them. Blinking once, his head turned in wonder. He slowly reached out, holding the spectacles upside down. "What do these do, you think?"
"I think you put them on."
"You mean like this?" Heracross inserted the spectacles on his eyes, making them look far larger than intended. In fact, they looked so big that they took up the whole frame. He blinked several times before Chespin tilted his own head in questioning.
"Hmmm…not too shabby, buddy!"
…
The door opened again, this time showing Joey with a neon green winter jacket with fur insides. He struck a pose, but his face showed disinterest. When he saw Dereece giving no response, he groaned and went back in.
After several other tries, Joey tried on a bunch of other clothes. His styles went from a long-sleeve white shirt with black beneath, to a gangster hat crooked towards the side, to looking like a hippie with a round hat, glasses, and a brown vest over his white dress shirt. But none of them seemed to be satisfying him.
Dereece shook his head with a groan. "Uuugh, this is getting us nowhere." He growled. "Joey, I really think we should just wait another day worry about our punctuality." He turned towards the door again as it opened, but this time Joey came out in something that left Dereece mildly speechless.
This time, Joey came out wearing a maid outfit. He had the long white leggings and dress shoes as well. Aside from the chest area, which was replaced by a dickie, he even had the tiara.
Dereece shot him a raised brow. "…really?"
Joey shrugged. "What? I think I look pretty drop-dead gorgeous." He struck a silly, girlish pose, pointing a finger to his lip and smirking. He blinked several times to give the illusion as well. Dereece of course didn't seem to care.
"Drop-dead is something alright." He responded. "Worry about being Nic and Vanessa's slave later, okay?"
Joey sulked in sadness over his attempts ending in failure. He tried so hard about 20 different times, and each time only left him disappointed.
Dereece came over and patted his back in comfort. "Look man, let's just try again at another boutique, okay? I'm sure there'll be a…a lot of other, bold options that are just screaming out your name, eh?"
His best friend's coaxing drilled into his softened body like it was made of dirt. He sighed in defeat, a sad look on his face as he looked at him. "Yeah…okay…c'mon guys, lets-!" Suddenly, Joey's eyes caught wind of something, something that made them widen to where he looked shocked. His whole head turned towards the direction of where he was looking at.
"Hm? Joey?" Dereece saw his friend as he slowly straightened upright. He stepped back as Joey walked aimlessly ahead, his feet motioning like a robot. It was like he was possessed by some demon that was telling him to go forward. "Joey?"
Joey stumbled ahead until he came several feet in front of something that was radiating with light, at least to his perspective. His whole body was stiff as a statue as the light before him, glittering like that of angel. "Dereece…"
"Yeah…?"
"…I think I found what I was looking for." Unable to contain himself, Joey fell to his knees, gaping at the powerful light before him. He raised his arms into the air with a deep and loud shriek of pure joy. "I FOUND I~T!"
"What is it?" Dereece looked ahead, his eyes widening with a gasp of his own. Even in his mind, he could hear the Ode to Joy theme play as Joey gestured to the radiating clothing.
"This is it! This is the dream attire that I've been looking for!" The man in the maid's outfit got back up, standing in front of the light with a victorious smile on his face. "I have found it!"
Dereece put a hand to his chin as a tailor heard the shouting. She came around and looked in question while Dereece just looked with a nod.
Joey pumped his fists high into the air. "YES~!"
Soon, another, more epic theme started to play in the background with guitar in it. The tailor stood in front of the doors…or rather what would've been doors if not for a curtain. At her leisure, the tailor slowly arose the curtain, revealing the new, and improved, Joey and Dereece official gimmick.
As Dereece nodded and folded his arms, Joey kept a more intelligent pose as his eyes flashed open, revealing how blue they are.
Joey sported his usual short-sleeved buttoned white dress shirt and the blue jeans. However, over it was the design Joey found to be what he was looking for. It was a long-sleeves magenta coat, one that went all the wall down to his calves. It had black fur-lined on the cuffs and on the edging all around it. It also had a variety of black spots over it to give more flare.
Dereece's attire was essentially the same as well, however, he now sported a navy blue, sleeveless vest that was zipped up over it. And to add extra flare – and because Joey told him so – he wore a red bandana with an orange horizontal stripe across it.
Together, both had poses, with photography flashes made up as they took various poses. Joey seemed to be taking delight in his the most; even the tailor seemed impressed.
"Well, sirs, you seem to fit in those quite well." She complimented.
Dereece looked down at his new vest, surprised with his loose it felt. "Uh, yeah. This is actually pretty comfy. What about you Joey?" He smiled towards Joey, who stuck out various poses with varied suave turns.
After several of these, he finally put his hands to both sides. "Oh yeah! Now I'm feeling ready! Look out ladies, because the J-man's gonna sweep ya of your feet like a broom!"
"You ready for checkout then?"
"Of course we are." Joey answered the clerk. "…Dereece, pay for these, would ya? I'm a little tight right now."
Dereece groaned and shook his head.
Meanwhile, in another part of the store, ore funky music was playing as Chespin was walking in pink woman shoes. His feet fit well in their smallest size and he strode across the floor like a catwalk. He had a smirk as he walked to a point before posing, making a puckered pace as he looked back with the bow still on his head.
Heracross adorned the spectacles as before as he strode behind to a stop next. As Chespin was forefront, Heracross took the rear with his own pose. Not only was he wearing the glasses, but he also had on a red scarf around his neck, giving him a better appeal than just the glasses.
Chespin rubbed his head with a grin. "I think we have a model career ahead of us." He mused.
Heracross took off the glasses by using his claws. He turned them to the side and gave them an inquired look. "You sure these don't make me look dorky?"
"Don't be silly. You actually look sophisticated."
Heracross sheepishly rubbed his side. "Aw shucks…"
"Chespin~!"
"Heracross!"
Both Pokémon instantly froze in place with wide eyes. They looked at each other by shooting glances from the corners of their eyes. Slowly, they went back to spacing out, and they realized how much time has passed. Without a word, they both panicked as the clothes they wore flew off them. They scrambled to get the glasses off and the bowtie back on the rack before they scurried to the front of the store, where Joey was.
"Oh, there you guys are." He smiled. "What were you two doing?"
"Uh…nothing?" Chespin widely smiled. Heracross nodded swiftly in haste agreement.
Joey shrugged. "Okay then. C'mon."
They all exited the boutique, with Joey and Dereece now sporting their new attires. From the look on Joey's face, he seemed very happy as he strode through town with the new maroon/burgundy colored coat.
"Ah~, now this feels empowering." He sighed. "I feel like the top of the world, baby!"
"Yeah, but our budget's now at the bottom of the well." Dereece noted. "You have any idea how much that cost us?"
Joey appeared by his shoulder. "And we'll make up for that when we go on a job, okay?" He then backed away, giving himself room to gesture to his attire. "Besides, if people are distressed, they can always look at me and say 'Hey, that guy looks like he knows what he's doing! We should follow him out of this mess!'. You see, Dereece, presentation itself, is a key to battle."
"And you really think anyone will follow a guy with a coat that stands out?"
"There's only one way to find out." He turned towards the street, looking around to see if anyone was worthy enough to obey him. He turned towards a nearby monument, where around there, he saw birds, but more so. There was something off about the flock pecking at the ground and roosting.
The birds all looked like pigeons, but they had big yellow eyes and pink talons. They were gray with dark gray marks on the wings to boot. They all cooed and looked around like regular birds would, even being noisy as some would imagine them to be.
Dereece raised a brow upon seeing the noisy creature coo. "Uh, is it me, or are those what I think they are?"
"What?" Unsure, Joey pulled out his PokeDex, following his friend's advice in seeing for sure just who it was they were meeting with.
"Pidove, the Tiny Pigeon Pokémon. These Pokémon live in cities. They are accustomed to people. Flocks often gather in parks and plazas."
"So that's what a Pidove is." Dereece awed. "I haven't seen one in person before. So then they crossed over and made flocks then, huh?"
Joey smirked as he eyed the Pidove flock around the monument with pride. "Watch and learn, guys." He started for the flock, making confident strides towards the nearest Pidove. Once he was close enough, he stood still as he pointed at it.
"Hey, you."
The Pidove that was closest and pecking the ground suddenly perked its head. It turned towards Joey, seeing him point a finger at him. His head tilted in wonder.
"Yeah, you. Pidove." Joey clarified.
The pigeon blinked me?"
"Yes, you. Approach me…if you dare." He ordered boldly. "For I, am Joey Haycliff! Fairy Tail Mage!"
Chespin and Heracross watched with blank expressions. Dereece, however, just groaned.
Caught intrigued and wondrous of this individual, Pidove looked at his flock and back at Joey. Slowly, he stepped up towards him, one talon at a time. He eventually found himself a few feet in front of him, looking up at the supposedly authoritative man. "Joey?" he repeated dumbly.
"Dare not perplex me!" he exclaimed regally. "Obey my commands!"
Pidove blinked. "Commands?"
"Yes, commands. What is this, 20 questions? Bow…please."
In a hurry, the Pidove blindly fell to his talons, reaching his feathers out to kneel before the man. Joey smiled wide as he looked back at Dereece with a cocked brow. He looked back at the small bird.
"Now, do a somersault!"
Pidove thus tried to roll forward, albeit clumsily. He kicked at the air as he was wallowing on his back until he got upright again. Once he shook of his dizziness, he looked up again.
"And now…stand on my shoulder, and bask in glory~."
Pidove blinked once, before he spread his wings and flew up and around Joey. He perched himself on Joey's shoulder, while his arms were spread out to exemplify his hefty exaggeration. Pidove nestled there quite well, even as Joey turned around to show off to his friends.
"And here we go again." Dereece sighed.
Joey smiled wide towards his best friend. "You see, Dereece? It's all in presentation."
Dereece raised his own brow. "Right…and I should remind you that this is a Pidove we're talking about here." He protested. "They're the simplest Pokémon out there. They follow even another Trainer's orders if they want."
Joey shot the wild Pidove a look of his own. "Are you going to take that?"
The wild Pidove looked back. "Uh…no?"
Joey looked back at Dereece, this time waiting a moment before an impish smirk crossed his lips. He just found a way to get back at him. He pointed his finger at Dereece accusingly. "Then obey me, Pidove! Terrorize the beseecher!"
"Wait…what?"
Pidove turned towards Dereece with a straight, if not robotic face. "I shall obey." He even spoke robotically, like he was mind controlled. He flew off Joey's shoulder and slowly moved towards the now startled Dereece.
"Uh, Joey? Y-you can stop now. I get it…" Dereece was slowly backing up, getting small distance from the ever-closing pigeon set on him. "Joey…?"
Joey had his arms folded with a proud smirk as Pidove flapped slowly closer. "Must destroy liar."
Having an uneasy feeling crawl up his spine at seeing the talons stretched out, Dereece turned towards Heracross for answers. The Single Horn Pokémon looked confused as he was, but Dereece merely shuffled behind him, bunkering like a shield.
"Don't make me use this! I'll use this, Joey!" he warned. Once again, Joey just watched with a kingly gaze as Pidove flapped faster, ascending slightly to get a steep dive to attack overhead. Immediately Dereece panicked.
"Okay! Okay! I get it! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Just don't make it kick out my eyes, man!"
Pidove dove for Dereece, oddly enough moving at high speeds even astounding Heracross. Dereece quietly squealed as he hid behind Heracross, who looked up with confusion and shock at the incoming avian.
Joey smirked in triumph. "Take 5, Pidove."
Pidove continued his steep dive, but in the midst of it, he abruptly stopped. His steely robotic gaze returned to one of a dope as he dropped in front of Heracross. "Okay." He chirped.
Perring from behind, Dereece sighed in relief.
Joey walked up behind Pidove, looking at Dereece with arms folded. "You see, Dereece? It's all about presentation. The better you look, the better you battle, as some say."
Dereece raised a brow. "Uh huh. And who says that?" Joey was about to answer with an index finger up. "Other than your own mom."
Instantly crushed with another ego burn by Dereece, Joey turned away. "Well…shut up!" he huffed.
"Okay then. On another note, now that we've got ourselves a place to stay, don't you think we should be getting ourselves some work in?"
Joey shriveled back around. "Fine. Let's just go and-"
"Oh! Look!" Everyone apparent looked at Chespin, who was pointing towards the sky. In questioning, they turned their attention towards where his stubby paws were pointing at. They all looked up, seeing some small but noticeable creatures flying overhead.
In the sky was a group of small purple balloons with yellow crosses on their fronts. They had puffy white cloud tops and two beady eyes. Attached to their bottoms were two black strings with yellow hearts. They all flew overhead in a cluster of five over their heads.
"Drifloon?" Dereece questioned.
Curious, Joey pulled out his PokeDex this time. He pointed it at the sky and examined them.
"Drifloon, the Balloon Pokémon. Its round body is stuffed with souls and expands each time it leads someone away."
"You think I should catch one of those?" Joey looked at the Ghost/Flying-type creatures as they floated right overhead. He could even see a few of them looking down at him directly in questioning.
"I don't think so, Joey. Not this time." Dereece insisted.
Joey groaned in annoyance. "Well, I guess so." He started walking pass the group. "But you know, we really should find some more-!" He was abruptly silence when a sudden swoop from above grabbed him by the arms. He didn't even have time to process before he found himself picked off the ground.
"What the-?! Aaaah~!" His wails went muffled as he ascended into the atmosphere, hauled by the group of Drifloon that were holding him tight.
Everyone down below looked shocked. "Joey!" Dereece reached up, screaming out his best pal's name. He looked around, beginning to panic. "Oh man, just what the heck was that?!"
"I-I don't know!" Heracross defended.
"Well we gotta fix it before-"
"Gaaah!" The wails of Joey came from above again. He moved his legs around profusely as the Difloon were attempting to drag him off. "Uh, guys? I-I know I'm probably attractive in this coat and all…but this is so not cool! Chespin!"
Down below, Chespin looked up towards his Trainer.
"Use Vine Whip! Get me down!"
"Okay!" Spreading his feet, Chespin took a stance and aimed for Joey. The green glints appeared on his shoulders before he grunted, shooting long, green vines up towards him. They reached up and extended far, so far that they could've been mistaken for rope. The Vine Whip reached one of Joey's legs, getting a nice hold on him.
"Yes! Thank you! Now pull me down!" he yelled in haste.
Chespin got a foot back, reeling his body weight backwards to try and yank Joey out of the sky. However, it was easier said than done. The Drifloon, while light, were all surprisingly buoyant against his might. Try as he might, he grunted so much that he was getting sore. "Gnnnnngh…almost…got it…"
Suddenly, his feet popped it the ground like a bottlecap, making his eyes go wide. "…oops."
Seeing his Chespin now flying with them, Joey exasperated downwards. "UGH! YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"
"Sorry~!" Chespin yelled from far below. The Grass-type looked down at Dereece and Heracross, looking a little scared, if not nervous. "Hehehehe…uh, w-we could some help here." He insisted.
Joey rolled his eyes. "Uuugh! Okay, new plan!" He looked down again. "Pidove, obey and get us the heck down!"
Still on the ground, Pidove looked up and raised a wing in a mock salute. "I shall obey, master!" He took off into the sky again, giving chase for Chespin and Joey as the accursed balloons dragged them off.
"Better hurry!" Dereece shouted from below.
The wild Pidove in question reached Chespin, grabbing his by the arms with his two talons. Trying to get him to stop going up, Pidove flapped his wings profusely backwards to drag Chespin back down. He was trying hard, going as far as lean back, too.
The two conflicting forces battling out for dominance, Joey was the epicenter of it all. He grunted in pain as he was pulled by the leg, while the Drifloon were dragging him by the arms. He could actually feel his spine stretch. While it felt good, it started to strain some. With a pained look, he tried to persevere until the struggle ended. "Somebody…just make it stop…!"
"Use Flamethrower!"
A call from nearby alarmed everyone. Those who were able to pay attention saw a single cannon-like arm open before a searing, pressurized blast of roaring fire shot across the sky. It went blazing skywards in a straight line like some beam that was intent on burning the atmosphere.
"Huh? Did it get hot all of a sudden?" Joey looked around in question as he continued to be dragged. He craned his neck towards the back to get a glimpse of something that was igniting his back in orange. His eyes widened when he saw it was a blast of fire that was narrowly close towards him. "AH!" He cowered over as he waited for the blast of fire to pass over.
Far away, over the hill and in Nic's backyard, he stopped moving and he and Greninja looked back. They glared up towards the sky over Magnolia as they saw a thin blast of fire zip onwards. "What's that all about?" Nic wondered.
However, in a stroke of luck, the Flamethrower was narrowly above the Drifloon, getting them all to shriek and panic. As they shuffled and worried from the hot beam slanting above, their grip on Joey became loose. They lost their hold, allowing him to slip out and sink below.
"Aaaah!" Due to the force they were exemplifying, Pidove and Chespin fell back to the ground. Pidove landed first, and Chespin fell right on top of him, cushioning his fall, as well as made the bird gag.
As Joey screamed as he plummeted, Dereece was in a panic as he tried to think. "Crap, incoming!" he warned. "W-we need something to break the fall!" He looked around, scrambling for any answers that could work. "Uh…Heracross!" He pointed at Joey. "Catch him!"
"Right!" The Bug/Fighting-type leaned forward, getting momentum needed to open his wing shields. He flapped his wings and took off in a steep glide skywards towards the falling Joey. He bolted as fast as possible, and as Joey was about ten feet away from the ground, he was wailing and panicking like no other.
In a blue blur, Heracross zipped by Joey, grabbing him with his claws. The two glided over the ground, but there was little momentum after that harsh burst of speed Heracross did. They fumbled onto the ground, rolling off in the street to a stop.
"Joey!" Dereece ran up towards him. Chespin craned his neck up and realized Joey landed. He got up and followed too.
On the ground as they were closing in, both Joey and Heracross got up, albeit with a daze. They were groaning and looking a little scraped, but otherwise they were in one piece.
The people gathering were looking worried, but Joey raised an arm up as he hunched over. "I'm alright…I'm alright…" he sighed. "Man that was a close one."
Dereece finally caught up. "Dereece, what the heck happened?! Are you okay?!"
Joey brushed his arm off of dirt and dust. "Yeah, I'm fine…I think." He looked back up to see that the Drifloon were scattering. Immediately he grew a scowl.
"What was that all about?"
"Don't know…but they are so off my dream team list now!" He pointed up towards them. "That's right! You better fly away!"
Dereece finally caught onto something else. "Wait, where did that Flamethrower come from anyway?"
Joey realized it too. "Beats me." They both looked left and right, but they only shared two puzzled faces.
"How about try looking behind." A voice called out.
Startled by the voice, everyone turned towards the sound to see who it was that saved them. To their surprise, they were seeing Duncan, and beside him was another one of his Pokémon. It was a large, bipedal Pokémon that looked like a walking flame, with searing yellow on the stomach. Its arms went from being two canons to turning into three white spokes that jutted out like inserts to a machine.
"Duncan? You?" Dereece inquired.
The man shrugged. "You expected somebody else?"
"Er, w-well no. I mean…thanks."
Joey went wide-eyed upon seeing his Pokémon beside him. "Ohh, so this is where that Flamethrower came from!" He looked up towards the Pokémon, his surprise mounting greatly. "You have a Magmortar?"
Duncan looked unfazed by Joey's question. "Yeah, I do." He pointed an Ultra Ball up towards the Magmortar. "Return." The Magmortar went back into the capsule without even muttering a single word. It obeyed calmly and entered, allowing Duncan to put the capsule away.
With the subject now over with, Joey grinned. "Well, thanks again, buddy. I really appreciate it."
Again, Duncan shrugged. "I can't believe how sad that was."
"What?" Dereece gasped.
"The way you just got caught without even having a guard up was something only a third-rate Trainer would do. If you had done your homework, you should've known Drifloon would be a hassle, especially in groups like that."
Joey shrunk back from the berating Duncan was getting. He put his hands up in defense, a bead of sweat dropping from his head. "Woah, hey man. Where's the fire?" he defended. "Alright, so maybe I was a little careless, okay? So now I know. No need to get some flares going."
Once again, Duncan looked so nonchalant about it all. "Hmph." He moved right along, taking strides pass Joey and Dereece. Together, they watched as Duncan took off towards the now open streets once more.
Dereece folded his arms. "I don't know about you, but that guy's mind sure isn't the sunniest on that hill in the east, if you get what I mean."
"I know, right? What's his problem?" Joey leered at Duncan's back in question, thinking. Suddenly, he heard the sound of what appeared to be flapping. Turning his head down, he turned towards the Pidove that cooed.
He knelt down, petting the bird on his head. "Uh, thanks little guy. You can, uh…be on standby now."
Pidove nodded. "Sure thing!" With a chirp of no care in the world, the Pidove flapped his wings and took off, leaving the group over towards the distance unknown.
Joey arose to his feet, sighing. "Man, what do we do now?"
Dereece came around, looking unsound as he was. "You know, maybe we should try looking for some help now." He suggested.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, not that I wanna remind you of anything that went on today, but, remember how you needed help? Like two seconds ago?"
"Uh huh?"
"Well, maybe we should…oh, I don't know…maybe find more people on jobs?"
Joey raised a brow, intrigued. "You mean like more than just the two of us?"
"Yeah, like maybe get someone like Vanessa from time to time. Or maybe Sophie, she's smart. Plus, I heard guilds are allowed to make teams. Maybe we can form our own."
Joey raised a brow, intrigued by all this. "Hmmm…" When he thought of something interesting, once again, a lightbulb appeared over his head. He gasped with great joy, a bright and big smile plastered on his face.
"Joey…?" Dereece didn't have a good feeling. "You're making that face again."
Joey turned in the direction Duncan went off to, his gaze so grand. "I think I have a plan!" If he were a dog, he'd be wagging his tail.
"Oh boy." Dereece grimaced.
"Duncan!"
Continuing his stride towards the train station, Duncan heard the familiar shout of someone from behind. He stopped in his tracks and turned to look back at the person who called out for him. Joey raced up towards him, taking a moment to catch his breath.
Once he had some breath, he inhaled, looking at him with a smile. "Hey, thanks again back there, bud. Really appreciate it."
Duncan's expression wasn't move. "It's fine. What do you want now?"
Joey sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, looking impishly at him. "So…I was just thinking…" He put his hands to his sides, looking at Duncan with a sincere but straight face. "You know, this world from what we've seen can be pretty crazy. So maybe, I kinda thought making a little team would help us all."
"You mean teaming up with you?"
"Well not us me." Joey referred to Dereece. "Obviously, Dereece is here, too. So how about it? Everything cool with that? We Trainers gotta stick together."
Duncan looked at Joey with his continual straight face. He wasn't looking at all interested. In fact, he looked like it was the last thing he wanted. He looked at Joey's sincere, impudent smile, while Dereece looked on with an approved expression. In a way, he had a point about joining forces, but it wasn't like he was going to care. Finally, he turned away, continuing down his own path to the train station.
"Thanks, but I think I'll pass." He rejected the offer, leaving Joey shocked in his place.
"…o-oh. Uh, okay then…" He watched as Duncan went off, leaving him piqued with hopes. "So we'll take that as a maybe then?!"
His yell fell on dead ears as Duncan continued his trek.
Dereece walked up to his side, putting a hand to his own side. "You know, Joey, I think you were onto something there. We could use someone like him with experience under his belt."
Joey nodded. "Yeah, shame. But I hope he changes his mind. Wouldn't want something like that happening again."
"Yeah…" Though it didn't leave Dereece right away, something felt off about all this. Something wasn't right about those Drifloon. 'I didn't think Drifloon can do that. Normally I hear they stray people away and take them off. But those…it looked like they were after Joey specifically.' He looked at Joey ever so casually. 'Something's messed up here. I can feel it.'
Joey and Dereece had long since passed from that experience. They were currently making way uptown, where Dereece was carrying paper bags full of small groceries that they were able to purchase, at the cost of drying them up of their funds.
As they trekked down the market, a certain someone was heading off on his way. Nic went walking in the same area up ahead, instantly getting Joey to smile wide. "Gaah! Nic-senpai!" he gasped.
Nic stopped in front of them, smiling. "Hey guys. How's it going?" He looked at their midriff regions, noticing how they were wearing a few different materials that were noticeable. "I see someone had some shopping done."
"Do you like it?!" Joey eagerly showed off his new coat. He had varied poses while sparkles enveloped his facial region. "I-I was hoping this wouldn't be too much, b-but I thought I'd stand out a little." He chuckled nervously, worrying about the opinion of his idol.
Nic kept his grin of assurance. "It's fine. That actually suits you."
Inwardly, glass shattered in Joey's psyche. As the pieces shattered, it was revealing a smiling Joey as lightning bolts were around him; one even striking him in the head as he inhaled another squeal. Sparkles were in his gaze as he was paralyzed in overwhelming happiness. "N-N-Nic-s-senpai just…just complimented me…h-he really…really likes my…my fashion?!" Unable to contain himself, he once again froze in place, having a massively overjoyed expression on his face.
With him brain-dead for the time being, Dereece approached Nic. "Hey, Nic. How's it been?"
"It's been well. Just finished a little training before I decided to take a job." He grinned. "But don't listen to what I'm doing, I'm just on my way out."
Dereece chuckled. "Sounding just like Erza."
"Am I? I thought I was a little laxer than her." He mused at his own lighthearted joking. After an adrenaline-filled training exercise, it wasn't like it mattered much. Of course he'd rather not talk behind people's backs. Especially his wife, even though it was the truth. "So how's your place coming along?"
Dereece shrugged. "Meh, it's getting there. We were lucky it was furnished. We even have a foldup couch. What a sweet deal it was."
"That's not a bad deal at all."
Joey was still shocked at Nic's appearance, but then he shook his head to clear away his momentary distraction. "N-Nic-senpai, you just missed it! I was taking on all these Drifloon, and then they started to gain up on me, when that new guy Duncan and his Magmortar came around and supported me and valiance."
Dereece shook his head. "Really?"
Nic seemed rather neutral to Joey's statement, but his face showed surprise nonetheless. "That so?" He thought back to the earlier scene he saw when he was training. 'So that's what that Flamethrower was about?'
"Runaway wagon!"
The sound of a random patron echoed through the streets. Nic, Joey, and Dereece all heard the sound and turned towards the direction of where it was coming from. To their surprise, they saw many of people clearing out while a carriage with rapid spinning wheels and what looked like packaged cargo inside was zooming at them.
"Somebody stop that wagon!" the merchant in charge of the runaway item shouted. "It doesn't have any brakes on it!"
The carriage was getting closer to the guys, but Nic furrowed his brow and glowed. "Okay then…"
As he glowed, both Joey and Dereece went wide-eyed at the sight before them. They were practically speechless, especially Joey as Nic stepped in front.
Standing in front and transformed, Nic was in his updated Insect Form. His coat color changed from black to a bright green shade, as to where the edging and cuffs had a green-yellow hue towards it. His pants were an android green shade, where his shoes had green-yellow soles, with bright green laces, and lime shade for the shoes themselves. To accommodate these factors, his also sported four massive dragonfly wings that were thick, sturdy, yet so clear.
Nic spread his legs apart, getting into a stance as he faced the incoming carriage. "Spider Web!" From his mouth, he spewed out a large glob of silk and thread that went out towards the two lampposts before the incoming carriage. The silk bomb suddenly erupted, spreading into a fine web that stuck to the two lampposts. The carriage made impact with the Spider Web, but instead of bolting through, it stuck to it. It even went backwards some due to the laws of motion. After a few bounces, the carriage's front had stopped moving.
Nic glowed and reverted back to himself. He maneuvered around the web he had made and stood beside it, looking at it from the side.
As he inspected the carriage, he was supposedly ignoring the huge smile and sparkles around Joey's eyes. He just saw Nic transform for the first time, and Dereece showed more subtle shock than anything else. "Did I just see that?" Dereece pointed ahead at Nic. "Because I could've sworn that Nic just transformed right before us."
Suddenly, Joey seized Dereece from the side, shaking his shoulders rapidly like tying to shake the sanity out of someone. "It was! Oh my god it really was!" he squealed like a girl. "That was Nic-senpai's divine power: the Multitype! With it, he can become any of the many types of Pokémon out there…IT'S SO FREAKING AMAZING!" As he was going hysterical over Nic's transformation, Dereece was being shook haphazardly from side to side in conjunction.
"O-o-okay now! Joey!" he stuttered from the lack of balance. "You're gonna make me drop the groceries man, c'mon!"
At last, Joey relented. "Sorry!"
The merchant finally met up with Nic, looking ever so relieved to see his goods were still in great condition. "Oh thank heavens. Thank you, good sir! I can't believe that all just happened!"
Nic nodded. "It's no trouble." He looked back towards the carriage. "But tell me, why does it have no brakes? Don't all carriages have emergency brakes installed?"
"Yes, mine was supposed to have those. I checked them an hour ago. But the strangest part was they went missing just a minute ago. The next thing I knew, it went speeding towards you guys." He sighed in relief. "I'm just glad no one got hurt."
Nic looked back towards his comrades for their expressions. While he looked questionable, Joey looked puzzled. Dereece, however, looked like he was trying to think hard. With all of them having different variations, Nic could see where this would go. He faced the merchant once again, this time with casual care.
"Well I suppose that we'll have to find a makeshift break until then. There's a utility part of the market section where you can possibly find parts you need. They come with deals, too."
The merchant bowed. "Thank you, sir. I won't ever forget your kindness." With that, the merchant went off to get his wagon free from the safety net Nic applied.
"Well that happened." Joey raised a brow as he rubbed his head again. "What's with all the mishaps today? Friday the 13th you think?"
Dereece was unable to answer. Instead, he put a hand to his chin, thinking about the two events, which were back to back. They couldn't be by coincidence, they just couldn't. First of all, Drifloon don't just take random people out in the street, that's unheard of. Secondly, there was that wagon, which was coincidentally when Nic showed up and saved the day. While under circumstances, it still boggled the man's mind. He held his tongue the whole way, choosing to stay quiet until more pieces added up.
"Look, all I'm saying is that we should have at least gotten a few more apples." Joey insisted. "You know how often we eat." To exemplify his point, he chomped down on the apple he'd been carrying in his hand.
"Well we would get more of we went on a job right now!" Dereece barked. "But last I checked, someone insisted on spending all our funds this one day!"
Joey swallowed the chunks and waved him off. "Hey man, you've gotta spoil yourself every once in a while. We'll go on a job tomorrow, promise."
"We better. We need money, and with our current…well, uh…skills, I say we do jobs in town, like low pay ones that build up quickly. I hear a few newbies to guilds do that all the time."
Joey sighed in defeat. "Fine, whatever you say." He nonchalantly took one more bite of the apple he had been eating, this time stronger, and with enough force that left only the core of the apples. As they walked on, Joey walked by a group of Pidove that were otherwise in some trees or on benches. Bending to the side, he sat the core straight up and went walking. As he and Dereece trekked on towards their place, the apple core behind was swarmed by a few Pidove in a matter of a few seconds.
They continued to get closer, and Dereece continued carrying the bag. He watched as Joey reached into it one more time, this time pulling out something red and spiky that was very much like a tomato. The way it looked instantly made an alarm go off for him.
Joey held the fruit with a quizzical rapture in his expression. "Hmm, I wonder what this tastes like?" He opened his mouth, ready to hang it over his head.
"Wait, hold on Joey!"
"Ah?" Joey opened one eye, stopping his gaping mouth from inviting the red spiky disaster.
Dereece pointed towards the fruit. "Not to be conspicuous or anything, but doesn't that look like a Tamato Berry?"
"Huh?" Looking up at the piece of fruit, he gave it a gaze of wonder. He turned it on its very small stem, getting a nice look at the texture all around. He zoomed in on it, his blue eyes reflecting some red. "…yeah, now that you mention it, it does look like one."
"See?"
He presented it to Dereece. "And that's why you will be making sure for me!"
Instantly Dereece shot him a shocked look. "What the-?! Oh~ no I'm not!"
"Then how will I be so sure if this is an Earthland kind of fruit?"
"Well I…" Dereece tried to think of something valid to argue, but Joey did have a point. Maybe it could've been an Earthland fruit that was coincidentally looking like a Tamato Berry.
"See, Dereece? Well okay, maybe we should be on guard after those incidents, but this is food. And who can deny fo-!" Within his train of concepts, a Murkrow cawed as it swooped down from above, snagging the berry out of Joey's hand. The momentum even threw him off balance some. "Whoa, what the-?!" He looked up, seeing the Murkrow take off. "Hey, what the heck, man?! Not cool!"
The haughty Murkrow cackled his own cynical laughter as he swooped skywards. "Looks like it's my lucky day! One free meal ticket!" The Murkrow swung his talons up, getting the berry to swing right above his head.
Joey and Dereece went wide-eyed in anticipation of what would happen.
The fruit plunged into the beak, which shut when it entered. In one gulp, the Murkrow swallowed it with a delightful expression. Once down the gullet, he sighed in joy. "Now that was wasn't so bad." He continued flying away, but after a few moments, he began to sweat, the heat rising on his face. "Wa-wasn't so…" His face began to glow red as steam started to erode out from the sides of his mouth. As if trying to emerge from underwater, he opened his mouth wide, fire spewing everywhere. "AAAAH! SO HOT! AHHHH!"
The poor Murkrow flailed in the air, until at last it couldn't take it. They watched as it looked like a soaring plane on fire, spinning into a tree. The canopy of the tree shuddered from the landing, and then rendered silence.
Joey blinked once. Then twice. Finally, he caught onto what happened, and he felt a little unnerved by it all. "O~kay, so maybe it was a Tamato Berry." He turned towards Dereece. "How the heck did we end up with that?"
Dereece shrugged. "Beats me, the vendor didn't put it there."
"You're saying someone put it there when we weren't looking?"
"Don't know, but at least now we're saved the trouble of finding out."
"Yeah. Yeesh…" They both looked back towards the tree, knowing full well that Murkrow – while ironic – had got what came to him. At least now they didn't have to worry about puckered lips.
Night had soon dawned. Everyone in town and at the guild was pretty much turned in and ready for sleep. Some of the early risers were already sleeping up storms in some complexes.
In one of these fellow apartments, the schematics were a lot like Lucy's home, only less than sublime. It was a two-story apartment, where the whole thing was rectangular in design and was made up of smooth brick. It was one of the many furnished and sanctioned places that was fixed up, amongst a few others in the area in the Alvarez Empire war, hence why it looked so new. Despite being dark brick outside, it had a black slanted roof with a small chimney on the side. When one enters the front porch and dark door, they would be immediately greeted with a staircase leading in a turn up towards the open second level. The second level had a bathroom, as well as two bedrooms beside the other, which faced the front rather than the back, where they were left with no room and facing away from the adjacent complex.
The first floor was a two way that connected around the staircase. On the left-hand side was the living room, with a foldup couch and simple furniture. On the right-hand side, however, was a small area where one could put their displays. It connected with the kitchen and dining area combo, which was taking up the rest of the space around the back of the stairs.
"And you're positive about this?" In Joey's room, he sat up in bed, holding onto his white pillow. He had just been told of what Dereece thought about the previous incidents, and the ones that have been occurring all day.
"Yeah man, I really think someone's out to get us." Dereece stood in front of Joey's bed, clothed in a simple top tank top and gray pants for pajamas. "Dude, I'm being serious here. I think we should consult someone about this."
Joey shot his best friend a look. "Maybe, Dereece, but you saw what happened to that Murkrow. Trust me, maybe it's just a one-day thing. Or maybe there's some crazed fan out there who doesn't know how to deal with their emotions around us. Maybe we're popular, or maybe this is all a mind game with riddles that we have to solve."
"Well, maybe…"
He let out along huff as he rolled onto his bed, sprawled on his back. "Can we just get some sleep? We got work to do." He held his pillow over his head. "How can I work if I don't get beauty sleep?!" The pillow thus dropped on his face, signaling he was ready for sleeping.
Dereece knew better than to just hang onto it. Joey did have a point, that if he worried about it, there wouldn't be much sleep or energy to get work done. They had a long day, and Joey inscribed they would have to aim for 40,000 Jewel, so that required quite the bit of planning, which was Dereece's department.
Finally acknowledging this claim, Dereece relented and turned. "Alright, just get some rest then."
"Goodnight, Dereece." He muffled beneath the pillow.
"Yup. Night, buddy."
The door finally shut to Joey's room, leaving Joey all alone now. The only thing that illuminated his room was the lamp lacrima beside him, which was only two-feet-tall. Joey flipped the pillow over his head and leaned over to touch the button that came with the lacrima. It was pushed, and it shut off. Joey finally nuzzled into the bed on his side, remaining quiet.
For a while, the room was completely silent. Dead silent. Since Joey didn't have fans on this time around, he was sure it'd be a cozy silence, but this kind of tone in black only made one feel a shiver deepen in their spines. And for Joey, he was all alone in this darkness.
"…at last, we finally meet."
The voice in the darkness made Joey's eyes open wide. He shot up in bed, looking around. "Who's there?" he asked worriedly.
"Someone who's been watching your back, for a very long time." The creepy voice answered.
Joey looked puzzled at the ceiling. "Wait, are you…" he gasped in shock. "My conscience? I didn't even know they can come to life here. Uh, I hope you're still not mad from when we spoke when I was 5…y-you know, when I mistook you for a ghost. Which actually turned out to be a Ghastly that ran away from its Trainer…"
The voice ominous snickered, which made a shiver crawl up Joey's spine. Instantly he withdrew to his side, facing his lamp with his pillow over his head in the events of treachery. "U-uh, are you a Ghastly? Because I don't remember anything like this sounding so…creepy."
As if on remote, the lamp lacrima turned on, revealing someone hidden in the darkness on the opposite side of Joey's bed. Joey went wide-eyed as he turned towards him, seeing who it was that entered.
The person was a man around his height and age it seemed. He had searing orange eyes that burned in the lamp lighting. His hair was gold, if not dirty dish blonde that was completely slicked back in a clean manner. His eyebrows were this shade too, and were pointy. He adorned a magenta dress shirt with black buttons tucked into his skinny white pants, held up by a brown belt. Over his shirt, like Joey, was his own coat, but it was a deep blue, and along the arms and upper-half was orange with a high collar. He also sported brown loafers with black socks.
"Don't scream, Joey." He assured, smirking maliciously. "…not yet at least…"
"Wha…?"
"I'm not here to hurt you. In fact, I'm a big fan of yours." He gestured towards himself in a sultry manner. "They call me Kane~."
Joey sat on his knees in bed, holding out the pillow like a shield. "Oh…uh, Kane? T-that's a nice name." he replied awkwardly. "Uh, w-why are in my room? It's not cool."
Kane flopped onto Joey's bed, laying on his side with the room still available on the very edge. He gestured to himself with a raised brow. "Why, I'm the one."
"Oh." Joey moved another pillow in front. "One what?"
"The one who has been setting up the little tests for you, of course." He polished his knuckles against his chest area, making them look better. "Having all those toadies around you at such times; why, such a clever manipulator you are. Seeing right through all those tricks I pulled." He giggled playfully as he reached out and poked Joey's pillow wall. The wall broke, down, leaving Joey exposed. Joey hurriedly stood up to give his own space.
"If you're referring to Duncan and Dereece, I'll have you know, they are 'lackies', not 'toadies'." He corrected sassily. "As for you, Kane, I don't know why you're here, or how you know who I am, but I fail to see how this could've wait until guild hours, or, oh, I don't know…never! But-"
Kane instantly moved to Joey's behind, popping over his shoulder with a smile. "Destiny is a timed point, my friend, and this is our time. You and I, we have a fate between us. We are the same, but, on the opposite sides. One light, and one dark." To demonstrate this, he moved in front of the lamp lacrima, making his shadow overlap his front half to make him look sinister.
Joey raised a brow. "If you mean 'light', as in my color, you should know that I'm more of a~, lemony yellow with brighter highlights." He ran his hand through his slicked spikes hair backwards to exemplify. "I checked. You like?"
"Long have I been waiting for this. The time that I would meet the prestige, and enigmatic Joey himself."
Now it was Joey's turn to giggle girlishly. "Oh stop, you're flattering me."
"The genius of whom has caught my attention since my ears have weaved out your claims." He moved back to the side of Joey's bed. "According to what I've heard, you single-handedly defeated an Ursaring into merciless submission. This same tale, tells of a man who solved the mystery of Honey Trees, and has gained many of legions at the conference."
Joey held his hands over his mouth, looking surprised. "Oh~, this guy sounds strong. He sounds a lot like me!"
Kane was taken back by Joey's poor insight. "The tale is about you, Joey." He said.
"H-huh? They are?" Catching on, Joey coughed, clearing his throat as fast as lightning. "Uh, I-I mean, yeah! Well of course they are! You take me for a dunce or something?" He picked the pillow he had in hand and tossed it into Kane's face before he plopped back into bed, facing the ceiling arrogantly. "How's that for a test? You baffled?"
Kane snickered as he removed the pillow, smiling maliciously. "Even your sense of humor is enigmatic. Oh~, the Drifloon, that carriage…yes. At last, I have seen it all." He looked so happy as he faced Joey, but not in any means a good way. He leaned in towards Joey, smirking evilly. "You are indeed the one I have been searching for. And now that we're in Earthland, our battleground shall be set. There's only room for one man destined for greatness…and you're lying in bed next to him." He whispered harshly in his ear.
Joey sat up. "Okay, pause. Listen here, Kane. I don't know what it is you're implying, but if this is some kind of threat, you should know that I don't take kindly to those." He wagged his finger. "You better leave now before I, uh…uh…"
Kane zipped around him, smirking in his face. "Don't worry, I won't destroy you…not yet at least…" He slowly crept away, only to return with a pillow this time shoved in Joey's face. "We shall rest for our timely duel…until then…"
Once again, he crept away into the shadows of the light, leaving Joey to take the pillow off in time for the lights to go back off. This time, when he looked around, he saw that Kane was gone, leaving him alone. Mysteriously enough, the lights went on, making him flinch.
He turned left and right, seeing that he was finally alone…and no one in his bed. As if nothing happened, he sighed and went onto his side again, going quiet. He stayed that way, but the lights remained on in any aspects of what happened coming to fruition.
Suddenly, Joey shot up, the realization snapping at him hard. "H-H-HEEE~LP!" he wailed into the empty room. His face froze in fear, his left eye twitching at the sanity questioned.
A faucet ran in the bathroom, letting cold rather run down. Joey washed his hands thoroughly while the door was shut.
"So this Kane guy was responsible for all that stuff yesterday, huh?" On the other side of the door, Dereece was leaning against the doorframe, raising a brow. He finally caught up with what Joey had been through last night, and he finally pieced this all together. "Well that explains the Tamato Berry. Should've known that meant something."
The bathroom door opened, revealing Joey with hands in his pockets. "And he certainly got a great deal about my greatness." He cocked his brow knowingly at his own humble attitude.
"Oiii…" Dereece shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Joey started for the living room. "Guess we better get to the guild then, huh?"
"You mean you're gonna tell the others about this?"
Joey looked back at him like he was crazy. "What? Of course not, that's stupid." He pointed a thumb to himself. "He came after me. See how that works?
"B-But you can't just ignore this either!"
"Who said I was ignoring it? I'm just trying to weigh out my options here is all. Better safe than sorry, as they always say." He turned on his heel to march closer towards the foldup couch. He twisted and plopped right onto it, taking a nonchalant pose with one leg up, his lower lip up and hand to his chin. "Hmmm…?"
Dereece stood in front, looking distressed. "But Nic and the others are still out on jobs right now. You really think dealing with this ourselves will be for the best?"
"Trust me, I think it's best that we wait until at least someone comes back." He responded. "Although…maybe Duncan can help out."
"Duncan? He's still out on a job."
"Yeah, but think about it. If we three Trainers team up, then we'll be able to outmaneuver this Kane guy. Besides, all the others are higher leveled than us. There's no way Kane would put himself in that position, wouldn't you?"
Dereece put a hand to his chin, thinking about the logic Joey was playing out. "That's…actually not a bad concept." He admitted. "I guess that would make sense. Nic and Vanessa are strong."
"Exactly. He can't be that stupid to know we got more Trainers other than just Nic-senpai to stop him. What's he gonna do?"
Little did they know, something outside their window was moving its antennae as it stood by the windowsill. With each syllable told by the two, its antennae twitched, catching every word and vibration. Once it got what it wanted, the small, magenta centipede hissed before it finally crawled down the stairway, heading into the alleyway behind them.
From then on, the centipede crawled in silence, moving its many toes swiftly across the ground through the alleys and streets. It continued its course through the city until it made way into the outskirts, into the woods and crawling deeper and farther away from the location that went for miles on end.
Finally, it reached the deepened sanctions of what looked like a bungalow. It was well-made, if not furnished. It crawled through the open window and into its darkness, where it bypassed the den and entered the dining area, where it was a long, dark room, where there was a chandelier over a long, dark brown table with red chairs everywhere. At the very end, sitting all alone with arms folded was Kane, waiting patiently for his centipede to report back.
It crawled up the side of his chair ad onto the side of his body. The insect stayed latched to his side and began to whisper into his ear.
"…so, he's gathering forces from other Trainers instead of facing me alone. Interesting." He smirked. He faced the insect, smirking lovingly as he used his index finger to scratch the shin. "Good work, Venipede. You'll get an extra batch of Oran Berries when dinner arrives. Now, tell me more about this one called…'Duncan'."
Venipede began to hiss and whisper again into his ear.
"Really…uh-huh…oh is that so?...he does that by himself? Well he must feel like the bell of the ball when he does that." Kane laughed maniacally towards the ceiling, along with his Venipede.
In the forest, walking ever so casually, a brown coat with a white bubbly base shifted meekly as a wooden kendo stick was sticking over the right shoulder. Duncan kept his sights ahead as he was returning to the guild on foot. It wasn't that he wasn't fond of trains or anything, or anything like he missed it…it was just that he didn't care.
Being in no rush, he silently walked through the open forest, keeping himself in mind of the creatures and other Pokémon out there. Whatever they were, he would be ready.
He passed by a regular tree on his left, pacing himself with every step he treaded. He even went on with his eyes partially closed for a short while until he abruptly stopped in place. He was now out in the open, stiff as can be until his eyes fully closed.
"Just how long were you intending to stay hidden behind there?"
A pair of hands clapped from behind the tree, proving Duncan's insight. Slowly emerging from around the corner was someone who he wasn't familiar with. Someone who had a Venipede on his shoulder no less. He smirked maliciously as he presented himself to the experienced Trainer.
"Well, well, seems you're quite perceptive yourself, Duncan." Kane greeted mischievously.
Duncan looked over his shoulder, leering at Kane. "Should I know you?"
"No, but I know about you quite a bit, Duncan." Kane looked at his fingers again, polishing his nails as he continued. "I know you're a loner. You happened to be from the Sinnoh region. You also just so happen to practice kendo every morning after breakfast. Honestly, not much of a hobbyist, are you?"
Upon hearing the details, Duncan turned around in full, his leery gaze hardening. "Who told you of all that?"
Duncan held up his elbow, presenting Venipede. "Why, my dear Venipede of course." He cooed. "He's such a devoted worker to the cause...now then, where were we?"
Duncan's glare hardened. "What do you want?"
Rather than respond verbally, Kane snapped his fingers. The Venipede on his shoulder thus jumped into the air, catapulting high enough to where he could get a good aim in. His antennae waves repeatedly as he shrieked loudly. Shooting and expanding from his body, orange, distorted shockwaves enveloped the surprised Duncan. The Trainer, caught by sheer shock and surprise, covered his ears as the frequency was rattling his ear canals. He was momentarily paralyzed and didn't respond due to the distraction.
Kane rushed in and zipped around Duncan, as if ignoring the effects of Screech set on the target. He passed around Duncan several times, each loop making a rope he had get tight around him. Once tied up with a nice knot on the back, the work was complete.
Even now, as Screech was going on, Duncan was unaware as his ears rang incredulously from pain. He gritted his teeth as he found he couldn't move his arms. They seemed to be tightly squeezed in somewhere. Suddenly, a force from behind shoved him down onto his back, making a shock run through his abdomen.
"Gnnngh…what the…?" Still startled by that surprise attack, he looked up with one eye, seeing a pair of feet approach from the side. It revealed Kane, with Venipede falling back onto his shoulder.
"I hope that I wasn't too harsh on you…this time at least." He then smiled wickedly, leaning in to give Duncan a look that actually startled him. This was the face of someone who could've been mistaken for a madman. His pupils were small, his eyes wide with an insane look in them. His head was turned somewhat that the angle in which he smirked was even more spine-shrilling. "There's so much more fun to come!"
Joey was sound asleep again, this time having able to get some work in for the day so he had a reason to sleep well. With 40,000 Jewel stockpiled in their savings, they finally turned in. However, for Joey, he was alone in bed again.
The lamp lights in his room suddenly went on, forcing him to awaken. Startled, he blinked a few times before rolling over, seeing Kane on his side once more. "Hi again." He greeted slyly.
"AH!" Joey sprung out of his bed in a panic. He faced him with a pillow once more. "What are you doing here…again?"
Kane snickered as he sat up in Joey's bed. "Why, I just wanted you to be the first to know."
"K-know what?"
"That I've passed your test now of course." His evil smirk returned. "I have Duncan."
Joey's eyes wandered back and forth with a way to get out of the mess he was in. He was shocked he knew of his plan to wait and join forces with Duncan, but now he was a little low on options. "Uh…D-Duncan who?" he nervously laughed. "I know a few Duncans pal, but you need to be a bit more specific. It could be that bake shop owner in Lumiose City for all I know…oh, now that I think about it, Duncan donuts do sound rich right now!" He waned from the subject, but Kane didn't see this as a setback.
The nemesis chuckled. "Oh, don't play coy with me." He cooed. "I assure you, he's unharmed. I didn't do a thing. I actually came by to give something for your efforts…VENIPEDE!"
Upon command, Venipede crawled up from the side of the bed, his hissing startling Joey as he had something folded and wedged between his antennae. The blonde shrunk back in startled fashion as Venipede stopped before him.
Taken back at first, Joey blinked as he pulled up his PokeDex.
"Venipede, the Centipede Pokémon. It discovers what is going on around it by using the feelers on its head and tail. It is brutally aggressive."
"Venipede is harmless." Kane assured. "…unless I tell him not to…"
Joey slowly reached for the folded piece of lamented paper on Venipede's head. Once close enough, he snagged it to avoid any disgust. He opened the folded paper, seeing how it was folder-sized and displayed what looked like a well-made map.
Kane zipped to his side, pointing at it. "These are the directions for you to locate my top-secret lair. I even made sure to lament it so you'll be able to see it as clear as possible."
"So a brochure thing. For a 'top-secret' lair. Where I find you?" Joey summarized. "Well, isn't that irony." He folded the map in his hand. "Well gee, Kane, thanks for the invite for me to surprise you in your bed, but we kinda have a lot of business to settle with the guild tomorrow. You see how that works?"
"We have a date with destiny, my friend." He epically replied. "So no more beating around the bush…" With a snap of his fingers, everything went black again as the lamp light went off. When they turned on, Kane and Venipede were both gone.
Joey looked around worriedly, holding his pillow tight. "How does he do that…?"
"I can't believe we were played." Joey grimaced in the den. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought about last night. "Because of me, Duncan's gone. This is all my fault."
Dereece put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey man, buck up, okay? I-I'm we can think of something."
"Kane said no more beating around the bush. And if we get anymore of our friends involved, they might end up taken as well. That settles it then, we're going after Duncan right away." Joey declared. "It's these kinds of decisions that make a team leader, a real leader, Dereece."
Dereece nodded. "Well said, brotha."
"So…good luck!" Joey shoved the folder he received last night into Dereece's chest. The man with the bandana grunted annoyingly as he knew where this was going with Joey's massive smile and thumbs up plastered. He took it and took off, leaving Joey alone again.
The dark bedroom lights went on, revealing Kane once again on his hands and knees, looking over Joey with a big smile as his eyes opened and glanced up.
"I have Dereece." He whispered.
"Ah! Already?!" Joey squealed. "B-but it's not even noon yet! I was just napping…and you…I…" At this point, Joey was beginning to fume in annoyance. "Okay, the line is drawn right here, buster! This ends now!"
"Now, now, take a deep breath." Kane sat his hand down to allow his Venipede to crawl onto his shoulder.
"A deep breath?! You're in my bed, Kane! Again! With your freaky, hissy Venipede! It's pretty creepy man!"
Kane shot Joey an unamused brow while his Venipede hissed incoherently in defense for his master and himself.
"Duncan and Dereece only were captured because of my mistakes. They're innocent! Everybody's just attracted to me and can't even deal with it right, okay? It's not easy being so wanted."
Kane smirked. "Yes, we most certainly know a few things about attraction, don't we, Venipede?" His Venipede crawled towards his know bent arm, facing him as he hissed in delight. Kane blew mock kisses at him, while Venipede purred.
The sight almost made Joey puke. He covered up in disgust. "Okay, gross. Go find another room or something…or maybe a bottom of a well."
Kane faced Joey with that same pamphlet as before. "This is your last chance. Sundown, or else." With that tone, he slammed the pamphlet down on the bedsheets, and then the room went dark again. However, when the lights went on again, it was Joey who was missing. "Oops! Uh, hold on, Venipede. I still haven't perfected this trick yet…" Once again, the lights went off for a few seconds with a whisk sound. When they turned on, this time Joey was standing upright beside his own head, while Kane and Venipede were the ones missing.
"What the-?! HOW DOES HE DO THAT?!" Joey exclaimed hysterically. "Because if that's his, like, magical power or something, it-it's just gonna wow me…"
Five minutes after awoken from his nap and processing it, Joey hunched over on his couch, sighing sadly as Chespin stood at his feet. "I'm all lone now." He groaned.
Chespin hopped up to his knees with a big smile. "You still got me, Joey."
"Yes, all alone."
Chespin sighed.
"This…freaky destiny and fate stuff really has me fickling in a really…fickly manner, and it's not letting me go until I see this through." He stood up boldly, pointing towards the ceiling. "Well I got something to say, destiny! No more hiding! That's right! I will rescue my friends, no matter what! I'll do it alone if I have to prove myself! I will show you and Kane, that the tales of Joey Haycliff aren't just made up! Okay…well, maybe they are made up a little..." He nervously defended. "But they're darn good ones!" He made way towards the door. "Chespin…let's go, go and fulfill our destiny."
Chespin punched the air. "Yeah! We're coming, guys!"
The door to their apartment opened, and the Trainer and his Grass-type jumped from the porch and onto the sidewalk. With the pamphlet in hand, Joey and Chespin looked towards the other and nodded. They turned and went running down the sidewalk, heading to meet destiny head on.
As they ran on, they were unaware of a shadow flapping closely towards the roofs over Magnolia. Its wings went up and down, carrying it long as it followed Joey and Chespin.
In a dark, open room, there was a nice, kempt lamp right above two chairs back to back with each other. Sitting in them was Duncan, and a recently captured Dereece. Bothe were tied up and unable to move, and Duncan's wooden stick was by no means any use; plus it was out of reach.
Duncan struggled in his bindings, but all that accomplished was making it tighter for himself. "Gnnngh, this is ridiculous…" he gritted his teeth as he tried to break free.
Dereece rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it."
"All this for that Joey guy? I can't tell if I'm supposed to be appalled or impressed at how far this guy would go for just that dancing nutcase."
Dereece glanced away in uncertainty. "Well, it's not that you're wrong…"
"Is everyone cozy in here?" Their attention drew towards the opening of the room. While the room around them was kempt and surprisingly roomy with commodities, there was no door to shield them from the outside world. They turned towards the lighted entrance, seeing their capturer known as Kane leaning against the wall as he pet his Venipede.
Dereece and Duncan shot him their looks.
"Just thought I'd stop by to tell you both that my cunning arch nemesis, Joey Haycliff, will be coming here for what is to be the showdown of the century." He said, making long strokes along Venipede's shell. The creature purred in delight of the affection given.
"Did he really just say 'cunning', and 'Joey', in the same sentence?" Dereece whispered into Duncan's ear.
"An outcome of which shall decide the fate you two shall receive." He faced his Venipede, who feigned a gasp. "Spoiler…" He turned to give them a menacing, evil smiled. "I will make sure he suffers the agony of defeat!"
Holding the map, Joey traced his finger at a point close towards the big red dot. "Okay, according to this, we should be getting closer, Chespin."
"Okay, but…why am I held like this?"
As they were walking, there was a trick Joey was using. After his last few experiences with Kane's 'traps', he made sure that he would come prepared this time. While he held the map out in one hand, he held Chespin out in the other. Chespin had his Vine Whip grazing across the ground from time to time, poking some spots every now and again.
"To trigger anymore traps Kane might have set for me." He answered.
"Oh, right. It's been so long that I forgot."
The two continued through the open forest, making sure to stay hushed and quiet in the events of any sound alarms, or perhaps any wild Pokémon Kane might have baited into stopping him as before. Once they finally reached an opening, they saw the bungalow a hundred meters ahead of them.
"Okay, we're here." Joey clarified. "Now nice and steady…" He moved his arm left and right, slowly making Chespin maneuver his Vine Whip left and right like a dividing rod. They both scanned the ground endlessly, slowly making their way closer and closer into Kane's doorsteps.
"Okay, so far so good…" Joey took a step closer towards a spot that had less grass than the other. "Now, just a few more feet and-!"
The stepped closer towards the dirt spot, hearing the sound of a click. He froze in place, his eyes wide and mouth shut at the notion. Slowly – very slowly – his gaze went down to his one foot, which was imprinted on the spot. Immediately he knew he screwed.
"Oh crud." He muttered. The spot opened like a hatch down, dropping Joey in as he screamed in a panic. He fell into darkness while Chespin was let go. He fumbled onto grass and dirt face-first as the latch closed behind him, sealing up whatever trace of Joey there was.
"Ow…" Jerking up in realization, Chespin turned left and right, even around. "Joey…?" He got no answer. "Joey?"
"Aaaah! Ow! Oh! AAAHHH~!" Joey fell through darkness like a vacuum. In fact, as he was falling there really was a vacuum sucking him in. He hit a few walls or corners along the way as he swerved through the tunnel. He felt himself thrown in every direction, hitting his sides abruptly before vacuumed feet first to an unknown sanctum. With one more harsh and sudden turn, Joey felt himself go into a dive down through light, landing with a thud in a glossy red chair on his butt. "Oof!" He grunted at the blow was surprisingly heavy that he lost his sense of direction. "Owww, man that hurt…"
"Welcome, Joey Haycliff."
Joey's eyes opened in a gasp. He recognized that voice, and he sure didn't like it. Suddenly, a row of candles lit up in front of him, and following that was another row. And then another. A trail of candles lit over towards the other end of the very long table, leading towards an expectant Kane with a wine glass in hand. The chandelier overhead finally lit up, revealing the red walls and chairs, and Kane sitting in the throne-like end chair, which Joey sat at the other end.
A silence fell at the opening Kane had made. Joey looked around, completely bewildered at his show of presentation. Suffice to say he looked impressed.
Kane giggled. "I know what you're thinking. Quite the…presentation, right?"
Joey slowly nodded his head as his eyes were still wide. "Uh, y-yes, very…" he muttered. "It's uh…very much you involved. It's roomy, with just the right amount of disturbing."
"My bungalow, that I have received all by myself." He slammed the bottom of the flask against the table. "Someday, this shall be the centerfield, of a new era dawns, for me to rise, rise, rise! Above the ignorant humans who dare overlook me and my genius!"
Joey raised a brow. "Your what now?"
"Please, Joey, do contain yourself any further." He smirked as he raised his glass again. "We should savor this time together."
However, Joey looked disinterested. "Look, Kane. I just came here to get my friends back."
"Ssshh!" Kane hushed. "Savoring…this very moment."
Joey sighed. "How long are-"
"Ssssh! Savoring~."
"But I-"
"Savor."
"You just-"
"Savor!"
"Can we really just-"
"Savor this moment! SAVOR IT!" he snapped with just a deranged, if not desperate look on his crazed face; even his hand was twitching its fingers.
Seeing as how this wasn't going to get anywhere until it was over, Joey acquiesced and despondently looked at Kane. He folded his arms in a pout as he sat back in his seat, 'savoring' silently.
Taking him a deep sigh, Kane smirked. "Ahh~. Yes. I do love me a good savoring to start off my dinner."
Joey appeared beside him. "Okay, I'll bite. Just what is that are we doing, Kane?" he questioned. "I thought we were gonna at least…tussle or something?"
The look on Kane's face showed anger as he banged his table, making his glass jump. "Are you taking me seriously, or what?!" he snapped.
Joey did another eyeroll. "Not unless your 'grand scheme' was to kidnap me and my friends just so you can have a dinner with others than like a demented troll, in which case congratulations, you got part of that accomplished."
Kane sat in his seat, looking spaciously in thought. "Ever since I was ever so little…no one has acknowledged my intelligence." He began to drown his thoughts back to when he was in kindergarten, when during that time kids would be playing. He could still remember his pride shattered when his own stack of blocks in a wall spelling his whole name got no recognition. Instead, kids were playing and laughing, and a little Joey was making a really big tower of legos, with Dereece being the support. "People have always been so simple, always acknowledging the more of their kind, only with more pizzazz that they feel would draw in crowds." He remembered as he grew older, he kept making equations and projects that were way above average, like pie recipes, equations to help make chemicals to polish Corphish claws, even art. But no matter what, Joey was so simple that even when he started dancing during recess, people would try and dance contest him instead of listening to his ideas. "It left me isolated. Alone. Even my parents never liked me. They always preferred my older brother, Clarence, over me and my lattes."
Joey flinched back from the guilt he was feeling from hearing his life story. "Yeesh, lattes?" he grimaced.
"Yes, lattes! The crème is always right, and even that wouldn't get me at the top of Restaurant Le Wow!" Kane turned around, looking at his open hands as he thought deeper, spoke more of his ambitions. "Is…is tis what my destiny was to be known for? Making lattes? Upstaged by my brother and the family restaurant?" He balled his fist as he looked at the wall. "You ask me what I desire, well I'll tell you. I want to be acknowledged as a genius! Someone who can rule with guidance without being looked away from! And that means I have to defeat you!" He pointed back at Joey in challenge, but to his surprise, he found that the room was empty. His eyes widened in sheer surprise. "J-Joey…?" And that's when he realized it: Joey gave him the slip. He could feel his anger boil from inside once again.
"JOEY~!" He roared throughout the bungalow.
In the room Dereece and Duncan were kept, Duncan was still struggling, but even that wasn't working out for him.
"Forget it, Duncan. No way out of this." Dereece grimaced.
Duncan stopped struggling, sighing in defeat. "Well I don't suppose you have any ideas in your pockets, right?"
Dereece looked away in shame. "Sorry. Looks like Kane took away our Poke Balls." He looked over towards the table on the other side of the room. On it were a few Poke Balls, of which were Duncan's. There were even a few others like an Ultra Ball for his Magmortar, and some others of varied aspects. "Guess we better wait for Joey to come and get us?"
"You serious?" Duncan exasperated. "Why would I wait on a possibility that'll never happen?"
"Gee, I don't know, maybe because it did happen?" a voice from the entrance spoke.
"What the…?" Duncan and Dereece turned their heads to see who it was that called out to them. Much to even Duncan's surprise, it was the last person they ever expected. The very reason this whole thing started.
"Joey?" Dereece gasped.
"In the flesh, baby."
Duncan looked mildly surprise. "Well I'll be damned. You really showed up."
"You mean you beat Kane already?" Dereece inquired.
Joey meekly shrugged. "Yeah, well, about that…he was just kinda lost in his own 'issues', and really I didn't think that was the problem here." He raised a brow towards them. "Alright guys, if you're finished resting, he can go now."
Duncan and Dereece both looked down at the ropes, then back at Joey.
Joey slouched forward with another groan. "Ugggh! Fine! Since I've done everything, why not?" He approached them, undoing the knots that kept them restrained. "Honestly, people these days…"
"Hiiiyyyah!" Chespin's head collided with the door again, making it thud before he fell back onto his back. "Oof! Owww…" He rubbed the back of his head, trying to ease the soreness that he felt. He looked up again, looking at the door with another affirmative glare. He shook his head, steeling himself to try again. "Okay, one more. This time, I got it!"
He turned and ran down the doorsteps and into the front porch. Once he got the distance, he got a foot back and gained momentum. Once set, he roared out as he bolted forward. "Tackle!"
The door suddenly flung open, revealing Joey with the gang behind him. "Alright, out we go!"
"AAAAH~!" Chespin leaped at them, showing his war face that bolted at everyone.
Joey shrieked in shock before he and everyone ducked. Chespin went flying right over their heads into the house like a speeding rocket. The sounds of glass and porcelain breaking was a sign of hitting a vase. Everyone slowly uncovered as they looked back over their shoulders, staring with raised brows indoors.
"…what the heck was that about?" Duncan questioned.
Joey looked towards them both, who shot him an expectant look. He, however, shrugged like it was no big deal.
"Well played, Joey."
The voice came from in front, getting them all to look back to see someone intercepting them. To all their shock, it was Kane, who stood out in the open with hands behind his back, smirking.
"As expected of my enemy. Using my own life story as a distraction, why, even I didn't expect that. Clever you are." He teased.
Joey, however, didn't seem to care. "Okay, first of all, you need a hobby. Secondly, what's clever? I was just bored. Actions are louder than words after all."
"'Actions are louder than words'…" Kane repeated. "Yes, thanks for the advice. I'll be sure to use it to defeat you." His eyes narrowed in evil intention, which left the group unsound by his claim.
"Just what's this guy's deal anyway?" Duncan inquired. "What do you two have anyway?"
Joey shrugged. "Don't look at me. I'm not the one who ends up in his bed." He then turned with a serious look. "But if it's a battle he wants, then it's a battle he's gonna get. Chespin!"
Chespin popped out of the doorway. "Hi!" He and Joey made way down the porch and onto level ground with Kane, where he stood patiently while Chespin raced in front of Joey.
Spreading his arms out, Chespin gave Kane a glare. "Bring it on!"
Kane snickered as he held out his own Poke Ball. "Very well then, Joey. Let's just see what you are made of." He tossed the Poke Ball skyward. "Venipede, go!"
The Poke Ball popped open in the air above, sending an energy downwards into the grass. Venipede hissed as he faced Chespin, who spread his limbs out for anything that might go wrong. Once again, Kane snickered.
"Joey, better be careful. You know you're at a disadvantage." Dereece warned.
Joey continued facing the battle. "I know, thanks for the heads up." He leaned forward. "I know you might wanna help, but let me handle this by myself. I gotta."
Duncan said nothing. Dereece watched on in worry as he was told to standby.
Joey balled his fist. "Alright, Kane! Whenever you're ready!"
"Why, Joey? Giving me the first attack?" he cooed. "You must be so bold. Very well then. I'll be happy to oblige." He reached out his arm, his expression turning malicious. "Use Poison Sting!" His Venipede responded by hissing before shooting out small, thin, poisonous barbs from the tip of his mouth. They spread out some as they closed in on Chespin.
Joey swiped his arm. "Chespin, dodge!" His Chespin thus rolled over to the side, tumbling towards his right to evade the spray of barbs that broke like nails upon hitting the ground.
"Impressive." Kane complimented. "Dodging a super effective move is always important."
"Now use Rollout!"
"Right! Here we go!" Chespin hunched over, making sure he was curled up as much as possible to look like a ball. Once set, he started rolling and churning in place before he went bolting at Venipede.\
Joey watched as Chespin rolled across the ground, getting closer. 'We just leveled up, so we recently learned this move. It took a while with all the wild Pokémon we had to fight that were Caterpie and other things we could find in the East Forest, but now it's paid off! Time to show Bug-type we mean business now!'
Kane snapped his fingers. "Defense Curl, please."
Venipede hissed as he curled up into a ball as well. Once fastened, a red aura surrounded his body, increasing his Defense stat. Chespin's Rollout made impact, sending the curled up Venipede backwards through the air. He landed on the ground, but he bounced right off.
"Now, use your Rollout, Venipede!" Kane followed up. His Bug/Poison-type complied as he landed on the ground once again in a ball. Rather than roll backwards as before, he started rolling faster forward, almost like a race car tire. Dirt spilled from either side as he went speeding towards Chespin. While Chespin was able to land on his two feet, he was caught off guard and unsuccessful in blocking. He was struck head on by the attack, which sent him flying back. As he sailed, Venipede continued Rollout onwards.
"Chespin!" Joey watched in shock as his Chespin landed on his back with a thud. Venipede continued to roll ahead and went in an arch around Chespin back towards Kane.
"Isn't it splendid?" he mused. "Not only does Defense Curl increase my Defense, but it also doubles the power of Rollout. So now we are met with another match, which I shall break!" Kane swiped his arms again. "Rollout!"
Once again, Venipede hissed as he passed his Trainer from behind, bolting at Chespin.
Chespin git back up, grunting in pain.
"Chespin, Rollout again!"
"Okay!"
As Venipede rolled in, Chespin followed suit and rolled with the same force. He and Venipede both went straight into each other, each either grunting or hissing as they treaded dirt on their ways forward. For the second time now, the two Pokémon met in the center. The instant they collided, the dust they treaded dispersed as they sent the other into midair.
As they watched the battle Dereece and Duncan stayed as calm as possible; although for Dereece this was easier said than done.
Duncan observed with diligence. "Well this seems equal."
Dereece shot him a look. "What do you mean?"
"Rollout does double the damage against Bug-types like Venipede, but that guy used Defense Curl to match that power." They watched as their next Rollout collided again, this time the two spinning faster and digging into the ground instead of bounce away like before. Neither side gave in, making it a grueling contest of durability. "Seems the one with stronger offense might be the one who'll win this."
Dereece looked back towards the battle, his face showing concern. "But Defense Curl still lessens physical damage. Joey might have to try harder somehow."
Joey punched forward. "C'mon, Chespin! Rollout!" Once again, moving at a fast rate, Chespin's fourth Rollout closed in on Venipede.
"Excellent." Kane marveled. "Now then, Venipede, take your position."
The centipede hissed as he started his fourth Rollout towards Chespin. The two Pokémon once again went rolling at the other, zeroing in on their targets. Green and magenta were like two bowling balls that went blitzing without stopping. They only drew ever so closer, making meters pass in seconds.
"Now, jump!"
Upon Kane's command, Venipede added a bounce into himself, making himself roll right over Chespin. Time slowed down as the two Pokémon rolled, with Chespin on the ground and continuing while Venipede went right overhead. Joey's eyes widened at he saw the whole thing happen.
Time sped up again as Venipede landed behind Chespin, who kept rolling on. "Now, use Poison Sting!" Venipede turned around and shot poisonous barbs like bullets across the battlefield towards the Spiny Nut Pokémon. With momentum unable to change direction, Chespin began to grow wobbly as the barbs pelted him from behind. They clashed and glistened against his body, making sharp sting-like sensations flare. Eventually, a small purple explosion burst behind Chespin, making that big burst that broke him and thud against the ground in front of Karl.
"Chespin!" Joey worried. "You okay?"
Chespin groaned as he struggled to his feet. He almost faltered one moment, but getting the dizziness out of his mind, he clutched his head to hold himself upright.
Kane snickered at the opportunity at hand. "Now, use Screech!"
Venipede remained stationed as he bent his head forward. His antennae rattle profusely as he shrieked, sending orange, distorted shockwaves that expanded and swallowed Chespin. The loud volume and frequency made the Grass-type instantly forget his dizziness and cover up his ear canals. He screamed out in pain, but they were unheard in the Screech. He could only feel his Defense lower as a blue aura indicated that.
Joey covered his ears, wincing at its volume. "Man, this is bad." He muttered.
Kane snapped his fingers again, making Venipede stop his discomforting attack. "Now, Rollout!"
Venipede curled up into a ball again, this time spinning slower than before. He still, however, had the same power up thanks to Defense Curl and went spinning into Chespin's back. The attack zoomed with deadly force, knocking Chespin for a loop skywards. The Grass-type cried loudly as his whole world was flipped while Venipede continued on beneath, time slowing down with a gasp heaping from Joey.
"Yes!" Kane hissed.
Chespin landed on his stomach, facing Joey with a loud huff. Venipede continued rolling on until he reached Kane. He stopped almost instantly and faced his adversary's behind.
Joey took a step forward, leaning in to see Chespin's grievous condition. "Man, this is bad…" His fists balled tighter than before. "Chespin can't take another hit like that. I gotta think of something, but what?"
Kane chuckled, getting Joey to face him. "Why so startled, Joey? I thought for sure your brilliant brain would have anticipated an instance such as this. Are you at your wits end so soon?"
Joey growled angrily at his foe. There was no way he was going to let him get away with this. Not while he was still breathing.
"Then prepare to taste the agony of defeat!" he reached his arm out, giving the word. "Venipede…Rollout, and finish this!"
Venipede hissed loudly and raised his head in a loud, triumphant shriek. He made a quick jump before curling into a ball in midair. He began to spin at an alarming rate once more as he landed on the ground, bolting forward towards Chespin.
Chespin struggled to stand. He looked over his shoulder to see Venipede incoming, but he was moving so fast he wasn't keeping up. He could only watch and steel himself as the attack drew closer.
"Chespin! Move!" Joey snapped.
Venipede hissed as he closed in, but a sudden force from the side abruptly pushed him off course. The strong winds created even made him flip, sending the Bug/Poison-type skywards, screaming in shock.
Kane looked deeply shocked. "What's this?!"
"H-huh?" Chespin uncovered and turned on his backside. He sat up as Venipede fell to the ground with a thud.
Kane stepped forward, hovering over the crippled Venipede in shock. "Venipede!" He heard him hiss in a groan as he stirred back up. Kane balled his fists and turned his attention to where the blast of wind came from. "Who did that?" he demanded.
Everyone turned their attention to where the attack came from, but to their surprise, they didn't see anyone they expected. Instead within the setting sun's orange rays, a small figment was flying in the sky, incoming like some angel.
"Hi, Master!"
"What?" Dereece squinted.
Joey's breath hitched in shock. "Wait…is that…?"
To everyone's shock, there was a gray and dark gray dove/pigeon creature sailing in the sky, incoming with intentions to attack. Its yellow eyes were looking placid as it finally saw the face of Joey, and then it clicked who it was that came to the rescue.
"Pidove?!" Joey shrieked.
"What did you say?" Kane looked back towards Joey, then back at the incoming Pidove. "Reinforcements?"
The wild Pidove finally reached their location. He circled above Chespin as he finally stood up again. Once up and at it, he watched the Pidove circle overhead. The Grass-type looked curiously at the bird at how it all worked out. "Wait, aren't you that same one?!" he yelled up.
Dereece blinked in question, the realization catching up towards him. "Wait…that's the same Pidove that blindly obeyed you, Joey! He came back!"
Joey went wide-eyed and hunched over at the disbelief. "You mean he's been on standby this whole time?!"
"I must obey my master!" Pidove dumbly reiterated.
Growing tired of this charade, Kane balled a fist and growled. "Gnnnngh…so, it looks like Joey does have outside sources helping him out. Interesting. So he mimicked my Drifloon habit and baited that Pidove here?" He shot Joey another impressed look. "He's taking a page out of my book now, but let's see how long that lasts, shall we? Venipede!"
The Venipede hissed as he was ready to take them on once more, this time a light green aura enveloping his body. His whole body surged with a small energy that wasn't alone in the struggle. In fact, Chespin struggled to stand as well, and like Venipede, a darker green aura enveloped his body.
"What's going on?" Dereece questioned.
"Hmph, don't tell me you don't know an Ability when you see one." Duncan huffed.
"Their what now?"
Joey blinked a couple times before he picked up on it. "Wait, it's coming back to me! It's Overgrow! And Venipede's Swarm! This means the battle's almost over!"
Kane narrowed his eyes. "So it would seem. But it is I who shall be laughing in the end, Joey! Venipede, Poison Sting!" At his command, the insect with the aura around his body jutted out toxic barbs that went barreling at Chespin.
Being too tired to dodge, Chespin steeled himself, but this time, there was one more trick that was available, and it was flying right overhead. Pidove continued fluttering in circles, even as Poison Sting continued its course. Joey, however, was aware of this, and played along with mind game from before.
"Pidove, stop that attack!" he ordered.
Pidove instantly stopped doing laps absent-mindedly and faced the opponent. "I shall obey, Master!" His wings glowed brightly and flapped them. With each flap, a strong, searing wind picked up, shooting right down and heading towards the Poison Sting. The strong winds powered through the attack, blowing the barbs out of proportions everywhere.
"What's this?" Kane gasped.
"Awesome job, Pidove! Now let's kick it up a notch!" Joey reached out. "Chespin, Vine Whip!"
Chespin steeled himself for the umpteenth time as the green aura around his body. He grunted loudly as he surged what strength into the glints on his shoulders, jutting out and shooting long, glowing vines. The Vine Whip was not only a little thicker, but it was also a lot brighter, no doubt by Overgrow.
At it soared across the ground, Kane glared daggers at its incoming. "That won't do anything against Venipede's defenses, Joey!"
"Well then we'll just have to change it then!" he argued. He swiped his arm again. "Send Venipede flying, Chespin!"
"What?"
"Alright, here we…GO!" Chespin leaned forward, making Vine Whip at last connect with Venipede. However, out of arbitrary commands, he instead grabbed the antennae on Venipede's head and started to pivot. Mustering his strength, he began to lift Venipede a little before he began to turn. As he started to go in a circle, the shrieking Venipede followed in a frantic. He tried to worm out, but he couldn't manage; he was just too light, and Chespin had too much momentum going for him.
"HRRAAAH!" With a sharp pivot, Chespin's Vine Whip went skywards, sending the Venipede into the air above. Kane looked stupefied as his pet was airborne.
Reaching his arm out with a smirk, Joey gave the final call. "Alright Pidove, give it a big Gust!"
"Yes, master!" Once again, Pidove gave out a large coo as his wings glowed a bright blue. He gave a loud shout before at last, he reeled them forward, sending one, bug, pulsating wind beat that zoomed in towards Venipede. The shocked Pokémon went wide-eyed and had no way out, and screamed in agony as the super effective attack sent it flying backwards, speeding like a rocket that twisted at Kane.
"Venipede~!" Kane reached out in horror at his centipede but was cut off when the Pokémon hit him in the face. The Gust from then on created a draft that made him lose balance and stumble backwards. He lost his footing upon a few feet, and finally fell onto his back.
That's when a click was heard.
Suddenly, the latch door Joey fell through popped open, sending Kane and his unconscious Venipede screaming into darkness. "CURSE YOU~~!" His wails deafened as he sunk deeper before the latch fixed itself in place as before.
Joey turned his head with a big smirk on his face towards Kane's bungalow. He raised a brow as he reached into his ear and turned a knob. That said ear got a louder volume to hear the several thumps and turns that he had to endure, and now Kane was battered through it all. With one final crash, he flinched as he could've heard the sound of a chair break inside. The results were far greater than before.
"Well that's gonna hurt in the morning." Joey adjusted his ear's knob back to normal, sticking his tongue out in the process. Once adjusted everyone began to gather around him. "Well, looks like that settles it, everyone. Great job!"
The Overgrow aura around Chespin diminished, and he smiled with delight. "Yes! We've won!"
"Hooray!" Pidove cheered above.
Duncan showed a smirk. "Well as dumb as luck as that was, I gotta say that wasn't shabby." He admitted. "For someone still so weird."
Dereece bumped his shoulder. "C'mon man, be cool."
Joey raised a formal hand. "Nope, he's right, Dereece. This was all my fault anyway." He looked up towards the circling Pidove in the sky, giving him a smile. "If it weren't for that guy, I probably would've lost. And then who would've known after?"
"Let's not answer that, okay?" Dereece raised his hand.
Joey sat his elbow to the side, allowing the Pidove to come down and roost on the arm. "Thank you, Pidove, for being there." He praised.
Pidove beamed with pride. "Oh goodie! Joey is pleased now!" Like Joey, he had his own go-lucky smile, if a beak forming one meant anything.
Watching the scene, Dereece folded his arms, giving a subtle nod to the affiliation the two were starting to grow.
Duncan looked towards him. "What is it?"
"Call me crazy…but I think that Pidove is perfect for Joey." Dereece watched as Joey gave the Pidove another order, which was to descend and shake his wing with the equally grateful Chespin. "He seems like a good choice to me."
Duncan shrugged. "I don't see why not. A Pokémon with half a mind for someone without much common sense."
Dereece furrowed his brow. "Well at least say something appreciative."
"It's fine." Joey dismissed. The guys turned towards him, seeing his head cocked with a smirk. "I don't see why not. After all, it has to obey its master, right?" he winked.
As Pidove and Chespin were making conversation down below, the tint pigeon instantly turned towards the Trainer as he got to a knee, giving him a smile. The bird looked up in question as he saw the placid look Joey gave him.
"Pidove…do you wanna come with me?" he offered. "We'll have a heck of a blast! We'll see a bunch of crazy stuff I bet in this wackadoo world!"
The Pidove turned his head in seeming confusion to Joey's question. There was a long standoff between him and the blonde, which even lead to blinking a few times. Once his head tilted back into place, the Pidove blinked one last time.
"…yum!"
Joey's smile widened. "Great!" He presented the Poke Ball by his palm. He held it in front of Pidove, who tilted his head dumbly and pecked the button quickly. Instantly, the capsule's top opened, and Pidove's body turned into glistening red energy that morphed and bent into the inside of the Poke Ball. The capsule closed tight, sealing Pidove inside.
It rattled side to side in Joey's hand a few times, before at last, the ball gave out a large 'ding' sound, signaling the choice that Pidove had made was final.
"Yes!" Joey raised the Poke Ball into the air, holding it like he was holding something majestic as the sun radiated behind him. It gave him a certain warrior's appeal, mixed with his fashion sense. "Welcome aboard the party train, Pidove!"
"Aw yeah!" Chespin cheered.
Dereece walked up to him, giving his best friend a big pat on the back. "Proud of ya, man. Nice work."
"Thanks, Dereece." He turned towards Duncan. "And Duncan…"
The two had a long standoff as well. They were remaining quiet as their gazes were compared once more. Duncan's was dead serious if not scolding, as opposed to Joey's soft, confident, and assuring grin. Finally, the tension between them broke when Joey continued.
"You know, the offer to join our team still stands. If you want to, we can make one right here and now. What do you say?"
Duncan closed his eyes, frowning at the options he had. Joey and the others fell silent as well, awaiting the expectations to be played out.
Under normal circumstances, Duncan would say no. He was better off alone, and preferred to be that way for as long as possible. However, from what he had learned the hard way, that wasn't always the safest way to approach matters such as the one with Kane. What's even more diminutive was how Joey was.
While he didn't know much about Joey other that he was a crazy party animal when he wants to, he knows he came from Kalos, much like Nic did. While the same can be said for Dereece, he was nothing more than his lackey who blindly followed him. While there was a line of maturity still needed to be there, he still had to recount the fact that Joey saved his life. That held up some degree of promise in his competence.
A long time had passed since Duncan had been thinking. He folded his arms and kept eyes shut. Joey and Dereece looked at each other and back at Duncan, hearing him finally breathe out a very long, deep sigh.
"Well, fine. If that's what you want."
His answer made Joey and Dereece go wide-eyed with gasps. "You mean…that's a yes?" Joey hoped.
Duncan shrugged. "Yeah, of course. Why not? Better safe than sorry I suppose. Just know that you better keep your troubles to yourself, okay?"
Dereece despondently shook his head in a scolding, fatherly manner. "Trust me man, that ain't possible. Not with this guy." He pointed his thumb towards the smiling Joey.
"Darn right! And now that we have a team…" He turned epically towards the vast east, looking ready for anything. "We need a name. A name that strikes ear into hearts, with just the right amount of wonder in it."
"Ooooh! Nice!" Chespin clapped.
"You thought one already, didn't you?" Dereece rhetorically asked.
"You bet, and it's so crazy, it'll probably even make you puke!" He turned fully, making his new coat shift in the winds. It lifted up some, along with his spirits. "From here on out, no matter what, no matter whom, we shall be a team who shall make Fairy Tail proud." His smirk widened with determination. "We, shall be the team that will surprise even the Cambire Foundation, rival guilds; even tax collectors and snoody grocery marketers!" He raised his fist high, declaring his privilege to the heavens above. "From here in out, we, shall be known as…THE FREAKS!"
The name echoed all throughout the area, reverberating loudly for anyone who didn't hear it the first time. There was a long silence that feel between everyone, and Joey kept his stance and bright smile. As opposed to behind, when they all despondently stared at him like someone who made the biggest joke ever.
"I can't believe you." Dereece deadpanned. "'The Freaks'?"
"Should've figured as much." Duncan sighed.
"Exactly!" Joey turned around, hands to his hips with a grand smile. "And now that we're a team, you have to call me 'Captain', got it?"
Duncan rolled his eyes away, sighing again. "Whatever…Captain."
Joey snickered at the name given to him. "See? That wasn't so hard. I think we'll be just fine."
Dereece shrugged. "Whatever you say. But, uh, just one little thing?"
"Sure. Ask away!"
"Just which direction is Magnolia again."
Realizing the situation, and the fact they have been away for a long time, Joey hunched over. "…oh."
Duncan snickered beneath his breath. "This should be good."
And like that, the dawn of Fairy Tail's newest – and freakiest – team was born.
Chapter 5, and what a day it has been indeed! At this point, I just really gave up on short-handing my chapters now. I have so many ideas now and so little chapters I want to do them in that maybe 15K might be my minimal quota from here on. Boy will that be some read then. I understand if you resent that, but I've come this far, didn't I? You've all seen what awesomeness I can spill in such stuff like the Impure Underworld Arc and the ending I made to the sequel. If that took up so many words, I fail to see how this can be any different.
Now for those who are wondering why Nic wasn't the star this chapter, I decided to make him step down a little so we can get some development and insight on my other OCs. But this won't be happening all the time, I assure you. While Nic was a cameo this time, we still got to see him use the Mystic Water to show his trust in Arthur's plans. Plus, this was a really good way to give Joey an arch nemesis, who is just as freaky and eccentric as he is. The plot, as well as the whole chapter itself, was something I picked up on when I watched All Hail King Julien. This is no different, just for those who were wondering where I got this little playoff from.
So now we have confirmed many things this chapter: Nic can still dual type, Joey and Dereece's upgrades, Joey got a Pidove…and arch nemesis; Duncan's conformed to have a Magmortar, and lastly, the formation of The Freaks. Yeah, not so easy to apply in so little words now, right?
Anyways, next chapter will be something you'll might like. A lot more Pokémon for Fairy Tail, with some prelude to the next big arc I have planned now. So until then, enjoy!
