Bloodcurdling shrieks ripped through the scorching flames, bisecting particles that joined all of the heat ions. Even if it was hot, the shockwaves running along the ground was like leveling rugged fields.
In the air, Nic and Charizard held on as Naga's body was emanating a strong flow of power. Maelstroms of manifested energy circulated into a funnel around him that he compressed into a hemisphere between his hands.
"Tiberius Disarray!"
Extending both arms out, the energy erupted into a voluminous mass of chaotic energy that ripped through the air, shuddering everything around like were an earthquake. Flames split apart as the massive tidal wave soared below.
'We can't dodge. It'll rip apart the whole ceiling.' Nic stood on Charizard's back and transformed. "Charizard, Heat Wave!"
Charizard huffed expectantly and veered his head back. He bellowed out as he unleashed a massive gust storm of orange winds that ripped through the air, melting anything that came into contact with it. The tsunami of either side met in the center, hurricanes of fire and darkness mixed as Charizard's pulsing Heat Wave had a much bigger range. Despite the attacks collapsing one another, the setback created waves of heat that melted into the flooring around Naga, in which he was shoved back. He was too distracted to realize that through the heat, he was slugged across the face by Nic in his Fist Form.
That one simple punch was all it took to stagger Naga. He stammered away, and when he looked back, he was slugged across the face again, followed by a glowing fist, via Sky Uppercut. Nic let out a vibrant roar as the uppercut ingrained a trench into the earth, but that compared little to the shockwaves upon impact with Naga's jaw. The attack was so gruesome that the ground actually depressed a few feet beneath Nic as Naga went skywards in a spiral until he crashed into the ceiling itself. The ceiling diced to pieces, and yet it remained in tact for the most part.
Nic and Charizard reconvened on the floor and looked up. They had expectant faces showing as the dust fell around them, and it soon eroded away to reveal Naga embedded into the crevices. There was a silence following, but it toon was thwarted when Naga's eyes opened.
"Are you just playing with me?" he whimsically cackled.
Nic and Charizard expressions didn't change, even as Naga dropped from the ceiling onto them.
"Vermosa!"
"Wide Guard!"
A void-like shockwave of high intensity erupted from Naga that ripped through the atmosphere towards them, but Nic reached up and pink hexagonal shields linked and made a dome that surrounded him and Charizard. The ground around them depressed further as the waves of energy were making strong tempests through the air, all while illuminating Naga's glowing red eyes with insidious lust.
'Those eyes…'
The dark winds even managed to pick up the others in the huge chamber. The waves made Erza and Houndoom airborne, leaving Sentinal to twirl his staff and swipe it across, sending a dark shockwave like a Psycho Cut through the air at them.
Requipping, Erza became her Black Wing Armor with her Armadura Aggron sword in hand. She hammered down on the shockwave, showing no strain as the attack split beside her. Once the shockwaves receded, she landed on the ground. "Houndoom, Dark Pulse!"
In the air still, Houndoom's raspy breath was inhaled before his maw shot an intense and wide array of jumbled black rings with purple outlines. The attack pulsated directly into Sentinal, who merely stabbed the attack. Surprising enough, streams of the attack went around the staff, while the majority of it made him lose a few inches on the ground.
As the attack receded, Houndoom landed beside Erza. "Well isn't this enlightening." He sarcastically implied.
Erza requipped her Black Wing Sword in her other hand and crossed both blades. "Yes, you can say that again."
Through the dissipating black waves, Sentinal twirled his staff and picked up on the pieces of Houndoom's attack. He made the energy converge into his spear tip and made a small orb, which fired diverged blast waves that snaked through the atmosphere at them.
In a surprising move, Erza aimed at the ground, where Houndoom shot another Dark Pulse that went across this time. The energy wave exploded into a wall of darkness that thwarted the dark streams heading their way.
"Huh, well I'll be…"
The dark wall dissipated, but the energy again was picked up by a quick moving figure that moved so fast that a hole wasn't even in the wave. Erza spritzed with her Flight Armor now, but she held the same swords in hand as they were laced in the energy. Sentinal braced himself the best he could, but Erza was too fast.
"Sheer Impact!"
With the intense speed followed by her Aggron Armor's heavy iron sword, with the Black Wing Armor Sword in the other hand, Erza only needed a split second before she passed Sentinal on a knee. She regained her composure as the Dark Pulse around her swords dissipated, and time went by with neither side moving. The next second, the staff Sentinal had split into two, and the armor all around his body was crushed and sliced to pieces. The Centaur was picked up on his feet before he fumbled to his side in deep pain.
Erza looked over her shoulder. "Had enough?"
On a similar note, Naga glared insidiously and reared his head back before he opened his maw, expelling a distorted dark blast at Nic and Charizard that ripped the ground beneath.
Nic and Charizard didn't move. They instead waited as the attack came in. A bright flash erupted before Naga's dark energy erupted into a pillar of darkness that soared skywards. The ceiling ripped open a hole at Naga's voluminous energy rocketing all around. "Heh, so what now?" he questioned.
"Phantom Force!"
"Wha-?!" Naga didn't have a chance as a foot crashed into his head, immediately grounding him. The ground once again diced up below, so much that the flooring was beginning to collapse on him.
He didn't have a chance to act. The ground actually sundered, making him fall to the next floor down. As he descended, the shock was shown in his eyes when he tried to look up, but all he saw was a purple portal fading, and instead an orange bulky knee impacted his chest. The shock ran all throughout his body as that attack did more than just made him see black. In fact, a second impact at the exact same time came from below, revealing Nic in his Spooky Form as he appeared in a second Phantom Force attack, driving his nee into his back. Two shockwaves erupted from behind and upfront that broke bone after bone in his body. He gagged sprays of blood as everything went from black to white around him.
And it just didn't stop there. Simultaneously, Nic and Charizard grabbed and arm of Naga and twirled together before they hurled him downwards with spiraling strength. The Spriggan was like a meteor that crashed further down below, breaking into the next floor and making the shock run through the halls. The Spriggan spiraled do deep the flooring actually gave in beneath that. He finally made full impact as he crashed clean through a severity of floors, leaving a tunnel of holes with shockwaves ripping through each one. The Spriggan laid in a crater at the bottom, his body not moving with his maw wide open.
"Master…Naga…" Sentinal grunted.
Erza stood beside Houndoom, both bracing themselves as their adversary was coming around and stirring awake. "I see that you're determined." The scarlet-haired woman said.
Sentinal chuckled meekly. The way it sounded was a mixture of delusion and mocking. Though he was roughed up, he stood on all fours and grinned. "Oh trust me, there's no need to fret over Master Naga."
"Why's that?"
Sentinal's eyes narrowed. "You'll find out…" he trailed off in a chuckle, which soon broke into a laughter that echoed through the floors all the way down.
Naga laid in darkness, not moving. Nic and Charizard were several floors above, but even from the distance, they could still feel something was wrong. As a result, their eyes narrowed in suspicion.
In his throne room, the shuddering was pulsating through his lustrous chambers. If the lights were on, they'd be dimming frequently from the shockwaves of Nic and Charizard's rampage. Neinhart sat in his chair, slouching forward with a disgruntled expression. His eyelids were half-open as he was looking unamused by the turn of events plying by Nic and Charizard thrashing Naga.
Seeing the images of the broken holes, he scoffed…before that frown turned to a joyous smirk. He chuckled low as he was amused. "Looks like the show's about to begin."
The thundering roars echoed through the halls, alerting anyone who was close by.
"What was that?" Rogue asked.
Mest looked up to the ceiling as it finished shuddering. However, the abominable pressure he was feeling, it was all too familiar. "I think I might now."
Off to the side, Ralts was banging his head against the wall, again for reasons unknown.
Rogue could feel his spine shrivel as his eyes narrowed. Even now, he could feel it growing. "This power…it's Nic, isn't it?"
Petrified but calming, Mest glared ahead. "So you feel it too, huh?" he looked over in the direction where all the pressure was coming from. "Something tells me he's just warming up somewhere."
"You think we should check it out?" Rogue asked.
"So this is where you were." A voice said behind.
Startled by the voice, they quickly turned behind, seeing Minerva teleport to them. "Milady!" Rogue gasped.
"I've felt the pressure from where I was. I can see that you gentlemen were having the same thoughts as well."
Mest stepped forward. "Well it's good to see you're doing well." He said. "I take it that you haven't found the others either?"
Minerva had a hand to her hip. "Unfortunately, no. I was looking for a way outside as instructed, and then it seems I've stumbled onto you two. I take it you were heading this way as well?"
Mest looked back over his shoulder at the dark hallway. "That was the intention, but…"
Minerva chuckled with a smirk. "My, how the mighty keep getting mightier. Seems we have reached an impasse, wouldn't you say? Something tells me that Nic wouldn't want his comrades getting stirred up in his little playtime, wouldn't you say?"
"Milady, what do you suggest we do?" Rogue asked.
Mest stepped forward, folding his arms. "I'm getting worried about the others on the ship. We haven't had contact them in hours. I feel something's up."
Rogue looked towards him. "If that is what you think, then it's fine. Milady and I can find the others and meet the rendezvous point from here."
Mest nodded in understanding. "Okay then. C'mon, Ralts." He gestured towards the Psychic/Fairy-type in the corner. The little guy stopped banging his head against the wall and walked towards Mest, where he was hoisted to the elbow at eye level. "Teleport."
Ralts eyes glowed and he and Mest were in a rainbow outline before they teleported back to the starting point, leaving Minerva and Rogue to tend to their own dilemmas.
Minerva faced her ally. "Shall we extend our search then?"
Rogue nodded. "Yes. I've been worried about Sting and Frosch for a while now. I can't shake this feeling I have." In his mind, he was getting another image of Frosch absent-mindedly running all over the place, where he would be ambushed. As he panicked, Greninja would swoop in from the side and eliminate the guys, while Frosch cheered with stars in his eyes. The image made a tick mark pulse on his head as his teeth gritted. A dark flame surrounded him. 'No! I can't let Frosch go like that! I'll find him first somehow!'
"Is all well?" Minerva inquired.
Startled, Rogue whipped towards her. "Huh? N-no, everything's fine!" He reached into his pocket for something. "But if we're going to find everyone…then we'll need help in this search."
In his hand, there was a Poke Ball that held their solution. Rogue looked at Minerva, nodding.
In the haul of the ship, gum streams shot out, sticking to debris parts like spider web before they were thrown to the side. The gum went back to Liz's mouth and the group was clear of obstruction.
"Well that didn't take long." Duncan said with heavy sarcasm. "Would've been easier if you had your Heracross do some work."
Dereece gave him a look. "He was tired man, c'mon." He suddenly felt a weight on his head…again. Looking up, he saw Yanma perched on his cranium and looking down.
"While you're at it, might as well do something about that."
Dereece had to suppress a growl, though whether it's for Duncan or the Yanma is up in the air.
"Are you sure this is the right way?" Ultear inquired.
"For all our sakes, I sure hope so." Meredy sod woefully. "I can hardly recognize the halls now with all this destruction."
Ultear's brow twitched repeatedly as an insane smile tugged at the side of her lips. A melancholy atmosphere surrounded her as Meredy scooted away. "All that work and this is the thanks I get." She chuckled venomously. "How gracious, why…I'm so humbled I don't even know what to say…"
"W'uh-oh, looks like somebody went and cracked." Matilda chimed.
"S-should we be worried?" Dereece asked.
Vanessa watched amongst the others. However, her head lifted upon realizing something. She sensed something wrong, or rather off in this case. 'This aura…' When she felt it, she looked at everyone. "Everyone."
They all stopped and turned. "What up?" Matilda asked. "Picking up something?"
"Hope it's good news, we can use it right now." Dereece hoped.
Vanessa's eyes narrowed as she was still sensing. "That strange aura from earlier, the one that the Machia had…I don't sense them anymore. It's like they're gone."
"Really?" Meredy gasped.
Duncan shrugged nonchalantly. "Then I guess this means they're off the ship."
"And you're sure about this?" Ultear questioned.
Vanessa nodded.
Dereece felt like a weight lifted from his shoulders. "This means we're good, right? N-no more machines trying to maim us now, right?" He pumped a fist. "Yes! Thank you!" he laughed. "We survived y'all! We survived~!"
Duncan scoffed again. "You just got lucky is all. If it weren't for the others, you'd been dead."
"And you're not a familiar case?" Dereece's inquiry was followed by a gasp. "Wait, hold up!"
"What?" Liz half-heartedly asked as she chewed on gum.
"If those robots are gone, then what happened to…?"
Vanessa's head went straight ahead. She picked something up on her radar that made her teal aura flare around her hands. "On your guards!"
Everyone turned on her warning to what was down at the other end of the hallway. They all braced as they heard footsteps from a mile away…for Matilda quite literally. The Take-Over girl had claws ready as everyone took the initiative. As the figure closed in, Dereece's eyes squinted.
"Who's that?"
Very slowly, a person drenched lightly in water swayed from side to side. He held his left arm as it looked unnaturally messed up. His head was down in shame and had bangs covering his eyes. It was Joey, and beside him, Chespin's pins drooped.
"Joey!" Immediately to run to him was Dereece. Everyone else followed in pursuit and met the Trainer in the center.
"You had us worried for a while! Thank goodness!" Meredy exclaimed.
"Joey, it's really you! You had me worried sick man!" Dereece scolded. "Do you have any idea on what just…Joey?" he got no response. "Joey…?"
Joey looked like he was dead from the neck up. He hung his head in shame as he held his broken arm. He struggled to say as much as a single coherent thought after what happened.
"Joey? Are you okay? Joey?" Dereece got a look at his best friend, eyes widening. "What happened to your arm?! And you?! You look like that time those Mankey escaped from the zoo! Are you okay…?"
Matilda's brow furrowed. Something didn't feel right, and she knew it. She walked up to Joey and stared him down worriedly. "Hey. Wasn't Broly supposed to be with you?"
"Come to think of it, there was that guy." Dereece realized. "He was with Joey while we…" He started trailing off as he looked at Joey. He just now realized why Joey was so banged up.
The name made Joey clutch his teeth. The others were picking up on the mood, and they were getting worried. Matilda stepped closer.
"Joey…where's Broly?"
They all had expectant faces on as they started to inwardly panic. Chespin's pins drooped further as he looked depressed. Joey was much worse. He gritted his teeth as the stained tears on his cheeks began to burn again as more started streaming.
"…I'm sorry…" he whimpered through his tears. "…I'm so sorry…" He tried to contain himself, but it was too painfully obvious to the others now.
Dereece's eyes slowly widened. "Wait, you mean…"
"Oh no…" Matilda realized what happened. Her face went to stone-cold pale as her body shut down from the shock. All the breath she had escaped her lungs, like she was drowning all over again.
Liz snapped her gum in a loud pop as she painfully looked away.
Vanessa was just as shocked as the others. She used her aura to be double sure if what he said was true. Sadly, when she didn't feel Broly's aura anymore, she frowned heavily. She also looked down, painfully sympathizing with Joey's grief.
"Bro…he…he…" Unable to finish, Joey nearly sunk to his knees before Dereece caught him. He held him tight as his best friend whimpered over his shoulder, letting his sorrows take over.
All the others could do was watch in silence in the passing of one ally; another in the Peace Jaegers' case.
Ultear sighed heavily before she spoke. "I'm afraid this isn't the time." She said.
"What? Ultear!" Meredy snapped.
"She's right." All eyes went towards Matilda. "The Pokémon are still aboard. There still might be a chance that more will come for us. We'll worry about Broly later. The mission comes first…that's what we accepted, including Broly."
The others wanted to argue, but deep down, as painful as it was, it was the truth. This was war, and in warm people die. Vanessa and the others knew first-hand what this was like. But The Freaks were another story.
As painful as it was, Dereece had to keep Joey up. "C'mon man…we gotta go."
"Bro…" Joey sniffled.
Vanessa's eyes widened when she suddenly whipped up a shield of aura. "Get back!" In the nick of time, the aura stretched around Joey and Dereece, blocking what looked like massive jets of water that would've blown them away.
"Wah!" Dereece recoiled along with Joey behind the barrier. They got with everyone as their guards were up. Matilda and Liz immediately scooted forward, Duncan included.
Vanessa undid her barrier and glared forward. She swiped her arm and the aura wave dissipated the mist. On the other side of the hall, there was a snarl coming from the darkness.
"What's that?" Matilda questioned.
A slippery tentacle along with many more showed themselves. A blue top with massive red gems also revealed themselves. Beside that, there was a blue and black striped butterfly fish with magenta eyes. And on the other side also appeared to be a light blue angler-like fish with a yellow bulb that illuminated the atmosphere. Everyone could clearly see the distraught looks they all had.
"Oh no…" Dereece worried.
Duncan's eyes narrowed. "A Tentacruel, Lumineon, and Lanturn, huh?"
"You mean Pokémon?" Matilda gasped.
Without warning, the Tentacruel raised its proboscis and shot purple liquid via Acid. The liquid closed in, but they all moved out of the way in time to evade while the wood beneath them corroded.
"What the heck? Why are they attacking us?!" Meredy exclaimed.
"It's probably from all the battles that are happening." Ultear guessed. "The waters must be getting rough and are agitated."
Vanessa remained quiet as she used her aura again. Unconsciously, she was picking up red, angry auras from the three Water-types. 'She's right. I can feel agitation…but it's something else.' She looked into their eyes, reflecting her own image. To them, it was just a wispy shadow. 'Blind rage. Something's wrong.'
Before she had time, her aura kicked up another attack. She raised her arms and generated another shield, defending herself from another blast of water coming from the other hall. The attackers were three Poliwhirl, and they looked just as angry.
"We're surrounded?!" Ultear's shock was met with another stream of acid barely missing her and the others.
Liz chewed on her gum and hurriedly blew a bubble. The bubble popped into a net that blocked another jet of acid from Tentacruel. With Liz holding up a side, she looked towards Matilda behind her, but she sunk to a knee.
"Damnit, still low over here." She grunted.
The Lanturn that was beside Tentacruel hummed and opened its mouth, generating a shimmering ball of yellow electricity via Electro Ball. Lumineon hummed sultry as the wings glowed before simmering silver gust-like Silver Wind flowed along. The gum-like net blocked both attacks for the most part, but the discharge of the static was absorbed, and yet the winds made net weaker.
"Joey! Get up man!" Dereece budged him. "C'mon we gotta go!"
Tentacruel shot one more Acid, this one strong enough to manage and break the netting with corrosive power. Liz and the others backed off, minding the severed floor. They all found little room as Vanessa was also against them, the Poliwhirl all bellowing and jumping in annoyance.
All backed against a three-way hall, they ran out of room. Tentacruel, Lumineon, and Lanturn all shot sprays of water again, this time making sure they didn't miss their mark. Just then, it all went black.
Dereece grunted as he waited for pressurized water to hit him, but oddly enough he looked at himself and realized what happened. "I'm not…" Looking ahead, he and the others looked startled. "What the-?!"
With what strength he had, Joey was weakly raising both arms as he made a solid glass barrier. He stirred on his heels as he tried to hold ground, grunting as stained tears filled his vision. Everyone watching was at a loss for words. In no way could even Duncan hold his own surprise.
"J-Joey…?" Dereece gasped.
The barrier stopped the blasts of water as Joey cried out with all his might. He held on to the very end, making definite promise to not lose momentum.
As they observed, Liz and Matilda realized the magical signature. They stared with awe and confusion over Joey and his sudden shift. "Hold on…isn't that…?" Matilda muttered.
"G-GO!" Joey roared. "GET GOING NOW!"
Ultear didn't have to be told twice. She turned towards the hallway and broke into a run. "Right. Let's go!"
"Right!" Meredy sped after her.
Soon following along, the others went as well. Just as Joey's barrier and will finally broke down, the water spray ended. The broken man finally lost his strength to stand and finally fell to his back with a thud. He laid there, grunting as the other Pokémon were starting to come closer. Joey's body unfortunately just couldn't keep up.
"I gotcha!" Chespin's Vine Whip shot from the hallway, wrapping around Joey's body and making sure to pull him in. The vines dragged Joey, making him gurgle as his head bonked each time he was dragged.
"Ow! Oh! Ow! Chespin! Agh! Stop! Ah!"
His pained wailings continued down the hall, where all the other Water-types looked down at. They all readied to follow, but a blast of teal aura from the side knocked them all down without delay. As the explosion faded, the Water-types all glared daggers as Vanessa raced down another hallway, hoping to get their attention.
Thankfully, they bought it. They all followed the voluptuous Pularis as she raced off down the hall.
'I know something's wrong. Lanturn and Lumineon compete for food, so they don't coordinate like this.' She thought. 'This aura of anger and threat, it's directed from another source. The aura is stronger this way.'
Rain poured down on the ship's stern, where there was only a third of space compared to the bow where Joey came from. Finally reaching outside, Vanessa reached the wet surface and found herself alone. She looked around wearily, turning around to look back as the opening was snarling with Pokémon inside.
"I should've known even the likes of machines were heavyweights of junk as well." A voice said.
Without having to look around fully, Vanessa knew where the voice came from. She glared off to the side, where behind, a figure slowly swayed her hips in the rain.
"So I only managed to flush one of you out. No matter…" she stopped in place. "These creatures will do the rest for me. Your allies must be tired after the Machia Knights failed at their job. No matter." The person revealing herself was Glynda, her glare through her glasses as sheer as acid itself. "Animals will always be animals."
Vanessa's stare was dead serious, rivaling that of Glynda herself.
Coordinates were being out into a search engine. Quickly, a name that started with O and went on with R – I – O – N was typed in. Once put into the engine, almost immediately, the first option was Orion's icon. Being tapped next, the screen popped open to reveal a zoom-in of Orion's location.
"Alright, here's the next one." Kevin said.
Jellal nodded. "You have our thanks." He faced the castle and began to make a telepathic connection. 'Orion, can you hear me?'
"Alright, so who else we got?" Gajeel asked.
Kagura looked at the list that had a bunch of names on it and crossed Orion's name off. "Well, so far…we have Salamander and Sophie's groups converged. They should be closing in on the stairway leading them to proper levels." She scrolled down the list to more names. "And Gray's group was just contacted."
"And Erik's little fancy party is on the upper levels outside. That should be our most common point." Sawyer said.
"Are we missing anyone else?" Yukino worried.
The groups that got the message earlier were able to converge part of themselves. So far, at ground level, Jellal and Bellona managed to catch up with Gajeel's group. The group made use of themselves and recovered, all while the heavy lifting was by Kevin, who was using his magic to locate the lost group while Jellal used telepathy to guide them to the right direction. So far, they got a good majority, leaving a few left.
"How are you holding up?" Pantherlily asked Kevin. "Does your Search Magic have a limit to how much you can take?"
Kevin deactivated the screen and rubbed his head. "Yeah, but it's cool." He faced the group and smirked. "Trust me, I can go for hours with this on…it only defects if my mind gets tired."
Pantherlily nodded. "Then it's good to see you're in good shape."
"Glad we have someone like him on our side." Sawyer said.
"Oh yeah! Thanks to him, all our friends will have safe returns!" Richard chimed.
"Yeah, that great and all…" Sorano rested her chin on her hands. "But this waiting around is really boring me. Did anybody pack a gameboard at least?"
Yukino sweatdropped. "Eh…sorry. I guess we're stuck here."
Sorano crossed her arms and pouted away.
"How is everything, Jellal?" Bellona looked at Jellal, who was still looking like he was giving telepathic messages.
"…understood. Thank you." Jellal undid the telepathy and faced Bellona. "Sorry. It's all well. Orion is injured, so his time will be rather slow." He answered. "On another note, he did say Sting is elsewhere."
"Oh great, more running around. Just what we need." Sawyer said as he rubbed his head. "Man do we look like headless chickens."
"So I guess we'll be contacting Sting then I take it?" Macbeth smirked.
Jellal's brow furrowed. "Actually, I've been thinking something else. Something that's been bothering me." He looked towards Kevin, who was looking a little tired. "Kevin, can you use your magic to locate Nic and Erza? I'm sure that Neinhart is setting his sights on him the most."
Kevin reactivated the screen for his magic and started typing in their names. "Okay, I think I got…cha…" He started to trail off, blinking repeatedly as his head swayed from side to side. Before he had the chance, he fell over, blacking out again.
"Crap!" Gajeel rushed over and caught him in time. He caught Kevin and laid him down gently on his back. Everyone looked at him quietly with frowns of worry as Kevin was unconscious. The magic wore off, leaving the space he used absent. "Damn pervert…he really got his noggin knocked up back there huh?"
"Well to be fair, he did lead to our victory." Macbeth said. "And considering his lack of abilities, I say it all works out."
"We need to get to Wendy ourselves." Gajeel hoisted Kevin over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "I think we found enough to know where they are. Gotta count on the others for now."
Jellal closed his eyes. "Suppose it can't be helped." He started walking towards the doorway leading towards the inside of the building. "We'll have to thank him for his assistance later. Right now, we have our priorities. Have to get moving to the point as well."
Sorano shot up, stretching her arm overhead. "Awe yeah, now we're talking. I was beginning to grow stiff from acting like brick!"
"Let's hurry. I'm sure the others might be in trouble somewhere." Yukino said.
"I understand." Jellal said. "Let's go."
Erza ran her blade across the ground, slashing at Sentinal and creating a slash wave that made him leap out of the way. The cut slowed down just enough to graze a few strands of hair off. He slid across the side, but that's where Houndoom was waiting.
"Shadow Ball!" Houndoom craned his neck around and released a black sphere of darkness with a bright purple core. It shot with deadly accuracy at Sentinal, who caught wind and used his armored forearm to block the attack.
The attack exploded upon impact, swallowing his own arm and making him slid back to his original point. In midair, Erza was in midair ready to swing her blades. Sentinal caught wind of her and looked back with shock, only to see the tip of the blade before he opted to use his other arm's armored gauntlet. The result was a powerful eruption from the Aggron sword that Sentinal was sent into the side of the nearest wall with a quaking roar. It even made more of his bodily armor break off entirely as dust and debris fell with him, burying him in pounds of rubble.
Erza held her blade, keeping her guard up as Houndoom reconvened with her. Houndoom snorted smoke as he adjusted footing.
On the floor below, Nic and Charizard also glared down in silence. They felt a dark pit in their guts as they looked at Naga's red eyes from down below the dark depths. As Nic glared, he began to feel a very estrange pressure swell.
"You think that finished the centaur?" Houndoom inquired.
"We'll see…"
The rubble was vaguely quiet for a moment as the rock settled. Slowly, a muffled laughter came from inside, increasing in volume to cause Erza and Houndoom to tense up.
"A centaur, you say…" a voice said inside. It was immediately followed by an eruption of dark swell, erupting the debris in all directions. Erza requipped her Adamantine Armor in time to click the two shields together and prevent a large rock from getting them.
From inside the dust cloud, a figure slowly trotted out. He was tall and had the bottom half of a horse. "My, a little presumptuous, are we?" the same voice said. "Whoever said I really was such a label?"
The figure came out, leaving Erza to split her shields. What she saw immediately shrunk her eyes with a gasp.
The body of Sentinal revealed. The armor for the horse half was still present, but soon enough, it trailed up to the upper body, where scars were along the lower abdominal region of the man, and black lining was what kept the horse half and his upper half together. Immediately she pieces it together. "…stitches?"
Sentinal smirked. "Surprised, aren't you? Wouldn't be my first time given that reaction. How's it feel knowing you're facing someone who's an artificial hybrid of man, and animal?"
Erza's brow furrowed as she only held her composure. In honesty she was appalled by such a sight, but she knew better than to judge. Sentinal continued.
"You see, back before I was enlisted in the empire's military forces, I was a well-known horseback rider. I've won many of competitions back then…all with my prized horse, who I raised myself." He looked down at his lower half with a meek smile. "My dear friend and I shared many years together. People said I was inseparable with the beast back then…hehe…well just look at me now."
"You mean to tell me that your horse is…?"
Sentinal glared at Erza before he continued. "One day, we were in a simple competition. Nationals to be accurate. We were doing well…but then, there was…an accident." He could still recall the lacrima bomb that his horse ran on. The eruption and the flames engulfing the whole course still frightened those there to this day. "Somebody didn't seem to take lightly of our winning streak. Eventually the perpetrator was found and killed, but…my steed and I weren't so lucky. My lower half was beyond repair, and my horse was rendered brain dead. But rather than let us suffer like this, the empire was kind enough to perform surgery." He chuckled again at the recollection. "Took them 96 hours of relentless surgery all the way down to the right nerve. But, I was stitched to my horse so as to keep us both alive. How ironic. When I say we're inseparable…well, we mean it."
Erza couldn't believe what she was hearing. The stare she had didn't lose its spice. "So the empire went as far as turn you into something you had no say in?"
"The empire saved us!" he retorted. "Now, as gratitude, I pledge my power to this land's services, and no matter what, nothing will break my divine loyalty to this great nation."
"It's not in my place to tell you where loyalty lies…" She stood beside Houndoom as both readied. "But even because of what they did, the empire and its emperor have made great dishonor to what we hold loyalty in. I sympathize with what happened to you…" she thought of Simon and the instance with Kagura back in the previous war. Her body had a red aura surround her. "But even if I must, I will take down your lower half to make sure your horse truly does rest."
Sentinal uproariously laughed at her. "I like your spirits! Consent or not, this way we are together forever! Now if I am reading you correctly, then you prefer to fall with your dog. I'll grant that! Come, Mudbray army!"
The sides of the huge corridors opened. Trap doors opened all around to give view of what was coming. The floor shuddered as a stampede of Mudbray like the ones from the gate entrance were accounted for. Immediately Erza and Houndoom found themselves surrounded.
"This is my personal vanguard." Sentinal said. "It's not much I know, but I don't see much of a point since Master Naga is all warmed up now."
"Warmed up…?" A tingle of fear creeping down her neck, Erza looked down the hole to where Nic and Charizard had made.
Sentinal chuckled again. "Oh trust me. There's more to Master Naga, than I…"
Nic and Charizard could literally see energy waves from the darkness in the depths of the holes created. Rather than peer into darkness itself, they were looking at a watery black surface that was swirling like a whirlpool. Both held their ground as they could feel Magic Power circulate to an intense level, and neither moved an inch.
Neither said anything as they saw the darkness get wavy like tendrils. They heard a small grotesque laughter as they saw pulsing red eyes. The wavy darkness slowly spread, enveloping the area and the floor to a very dark hue. The only light making it bearable was Charizard's tail flame.
"Oh great Agaphvelia, allow me to feed to you the strengths of the hearts of the misfortune…" Naga said lowly. He cackled a growl as the wavy darkness expelled from his body, the vermilion and dark waves keep going outwards, swallowing many rooms in less than an instance. "I give to you, the grief, and the despair that lay on their shoulders. And in return, give me strength! Hehehehe…"
Nic's eyes narrowed as the darkness swallowed him and Charizard. 'What's this feeling…I'm not even doing this.' He realized that his feet were getting cold, and it felt like his head was getting light. 'Is this his magic?'
Like him, Charizard also felt weary as he saw nothing but a swirling dark spirit down beneath them. Its vermilion and black darkness opened up an eye, revealing a growling red iris with a perk purple feral sclera.
Neinhart smirked within his dark throne room. He saw what was happening on screen and couldn't be anymore pleased. "Naga…"
From around the domain that was the palace, Rogue and Minerva looked ahead, both feeling a sensation shrivel their spines.
"What…is this feeling?"
"I don't know, but…I feel so…sad."
"Yeah…me too…I'm so worried…" As Rogue said that, dark steam was beginning to lift from their shuddering bodies. They both were sinking to their knees and despaired softly as the dark stream was seeping from their bodies.
Lower and lower, their heads sunk in shame and guilt. As they felt this weight, they began to worry more, sadness and hopes of whatever they had starting to creep out. Their deepest worries, especially those of Frosch, surfacing to steam.
Yukino slumped to her knees, along with Sorano. "Gnngh…why…?"
"Sorano?" Sawyer asked. "What up?"
Dark steam began to radiate from them. But not just them; Sawyer, Jellal, and Kagura were all looking around, seeing everyone falling to their hands and knees as dark steam emanated from their bodies.
"Guys? Guys!" Finally showing worry, Sawyer began to groan, sulking as dark steam slowly eroded from his body. "Why…are we doing this…?" he sorely muttered.
Jellal and Kagura's shock was also what affected them. They began to feel their bodies get heavy, and they faltered to a knee each. It wasn't just them unfortunately. All around them, even when knocked around, everyone was sinking to their knees or sitting down. Dark steam eroded from their bodies as sad or confused looks washed over their faces. They all showed either that, or perhaps grief like Aniya as she had misty eyes.
"Why…why…"
"What is happening?" Carla grunted. "It's so…cold."
"It's like I wanna throw up…" Wendy lurched. "Man, why me…?"
Griffon and Sophie were also victim to this. Both them and Natsu, Lucy, and especially Dimaria and Brandish exhibited disgruntled expressions.
However, in depths that were far out of the other's reaches, there was the sound of slurping. Anything black or any energy waves of darkness afar, they streamed elsewhere. Away from everyone else, it converged into the maw of someone who was already on a knee, but not from despair. The darkness he ate was actually making him feel better as he arose to his feet. Once enough of the darkness was ingested, the streams snapped off, revealing the rest being swallowed and wiped by a sleeve.
Upon clearing out, Orion was seen with a dead serious look. "Anything dark, I can sense…" he said low. "Whoever's darkness this is…its taste is strong."
Neinhart's snickering through his own depression was making him show a more deranged side of him. He laughed loudly as he could feel the atmosphere growing cold. "Now this is what I'm looking for! Entertainment!"
On all the screens, everyone showed varied despairs, either somber or sulking. The only exceptions were Erza and Nic, the latter on the big screen. Neinhart looked up with a menacingly psychotic look.
"And they said Larcade's Pleasure was effective? What's better entertainment than to see your own enemies crumble in despair at your victory? The greatest joy after your own demise, is clearly seeing that your own enemy suffered what you have! Yes…suffer…" his smile served to widen more. "It's too easy to fight pleasure. So why fight the one thing that's easier to manipulate…despair?"
From below Nic and Charizard, they could feel the floor slowly quake and pulsate. Naga opened his maw and roared out, making shredding shockwaves that caused a pillar of darkness to shoot up and expand the holes that Nic and Charizard made. Nic and Charizard grunted as the pulse waves shot them in a hectic spiral skywards.
The shockwaves and pillar of darkness shot even to the far floor upwards behind Sentinal. Erza and Houndoom looked shocked at the sight.
"What's this?!" Erza gasped. "This magic…"
Sentinal chuckled amusingly as the shockwaves of darkness and vermilion pulsated through the air, like an ominous fog. Nic and Charizard finally straightened out high above to break the ceiling, where they peered down with wide eyes as they saw Naga slowly arising, his body with a red layer of aura beneath a layer of vermilion. It looked like a forcefield of vermilion and magenta mixed together was encompassing him as his cape expanded to make him slowly eye level with Nic and Charizard at the destroyed ceiling, revealing the dark clouds thundering.
The ceiling debris itself was reduced to dust from the dark energy produced. The atmosphere blackened yet again, though not as much as before as it set the mood with Nic now on Charizard's back high in the sky against the corrosive Spriggan.
"What kind of sick magic is this?" Nic foully asked.
"My dear friend." Naga said scornfully. "Why, Dimaria wasn't the only one blessed with powers from a god."
"What?"
"Agaphvelia, the goddess of grief and despair. She was revered as the one who brought sorrow on the weak, and created the survival of the fittest." He balled both fists as he continued, veins pulsing tremendously. "With each slow breath that I take in, I create and eat away at the negativity that she craves. The anger. The frustration. The woes. The anxiety. Every little fabric that pushes you back, she feeds! And in return, she gives me power." He leaned forward with narrowed eyes full of cravings of his own. "And it's a known fact, that it's much easier to bring grief than it is pleasure, so what will you do, Nic Pularis? Will you defy the goddess her cravings and I'll have to take out your will for you, or will you fall to despair?"
His laughter cackled venomously through the air. His dark energy he had shrilled intensely as Charizard glared. "So that's where this power comes from."
"Yeah." Nic glared Naga down. The energy veil he emitted continued to give him cold feet, despite the heat of his Charizard. 'So that's where he got his power from. So he's just like me…given his power by someone else in return for something more…Naga…'
Naga's eyes flashed wide open, revealing the showing of those same dark eyes yet again. He shrilled a roar again as streams of dark stream came from all around into his forcefield, making his body emit a vermilion aura of greater intensity, so much that it was like swirling vermilion fire.
"Here we go…" Nic swiped his arm, glowing a bright light as he became his Icicle Form. "Charizard!"
Charizard bellowed alongside Nic as Naga roared back, their chilling and heated roars making eardrums shrivel and spines quake in displeasure.
"C'mon, this way!" Ultear took to her heels to lead the group to safety.
"Yeah, we're right behind ya!" Meredy looked back. "C'mon!"
The Freaks, Liz, and Matilda followed them as they were hoping to make some distance between the Pokémon and themselves. Eventually, after much running, they came to the hallway that was trashed by shockwaves from Tyson and Matilda's throwdown. Once safely away, they all stopped to catch themselves.
"I think…we lost 'em…" Dereece wheezed. "Uh…please tell me we are…right?"
"Ugh…" Joey groaned as he laid on the ground in pain. "Man, I think I got splinters in my spine." He groaned again. "Thanks anyways, Chespin, but man that hurt…OW!"
"S-sorry!" he gasped. "But are you…?"
"Man, I don't know what this is all about, but I'm not sticking around to see myself wind up as seafood. Not the way I wanna go."
"And we still can't contact the others?" Meredy asked Liz, who shook her head. "Okay…but we can't stay here, not like this. We need to get out of here as soon as possible."
"But what about the Pokémon?! We can't just leave them here either!" Just as Dereece said that, the Yanma from before – again – found a rightful perch on his head once caught up. He growled annoyingly.
Ultear put a hand to her chin. "Well we can't exactly sty here, but we can't have these creatures in their possessions either…" The others thought with her, but Ultear was thinking deeper. 'Why were those Pokémon attacking us? It's obvious they were agitated. But…' Her eyes narrowed. 'No, they couldn't be part of the shipment. I can't tell what, but there's a vague atmosphere around here.'
Behind them, something distorted in the atmosphere. Mest and Ralts appeared, getting everyone's attention.
"Huh? You!" Dereece exclaimed.
Mest stepped forward. "I was getting worried. The others were s well. What's going on?"
Ultear stepped forward. "It's a long story, but we don't have time to explain. Can you teleport the Pokémon in the chamber to a safer place?"
"I can try…as long as you fill me in…" He slowed down in his paces when he picked up on something. "Wait a minute…this power…" He looked up above him, getting a bad feeling. "Is that…a Spriggan?"
"I said we'll fill you in! Now c'mon!" Ultear snapped angrily, causing Mest to shrink back.
Behind, Meredy sweatdropped. "Yeah, she's in a bad mood."
"Well I'd be too if someone trashed my hard work."
"Yeah…"
Dereece looked around, noticing something else. "Huh?"
"Hello?" Yanma inquired.
"Uh, guys?" he started. "Where exactly is Duncan?"
"Wait, what?" Joey looked down confusedly and realized that Dereece was right. "Duncan? Duncan…?" he called out. "W-where did he…?"
"Vanessa isn't here either." Meredy realized the sensation and looked back, a dark feeling crawling up her spine. "Oh no…I've got a bad feeling about all this…"
Vanessa stood part from Glynda as the classy Spriggan glared down the Pularis girl like she was some wild animal she could tame. Vanessa kept her composure as she could feel her foes magical pressure creating a strong skip in her heartbeat, but she persevered.
"From those blue eyes and the descriptions I've memorized, I take it that you're aligned with Fairy Tail, are you?"
Vanessa chose to play along. "Guilty is charged. Vanessa Pularis, the pleasure being all mine." She said seriously.
Glynda folded her arms. "My apologies, but I don't make it my business to recall faces or names of anything that I care so little for. It preserves the brain cells I need for knowing the more important matters."
"Do I even want to know what you mean by that?"
"I wouldn't dream someone even the likes of you could understand ambition, or what it takes to achieve it. For example…distraction."
Upon her words, the growl from behind happened again. Vanessa turned around to find the Tentacruel, Lumineon, and Lanturn having finally caught up. Vanessa leered as the Water-types all shot either Water Gun or Hydro Pump, exerting forces across the deck that force for to move out of the way of their attack. She landed on the wood, her overall view now with Glynda and the creatures against her.
"Distractions re a very fickle thing, aren't they?" Glynda opposed. "That's why I choose to disregard any unworthy distractions of my time."
Vanessa chose to keep composure. "Are the Pokémon reacting this way because of you I take it?"
"Not directly. As I was coming here, I was taking special note of all the aquatic creatures that have surfaced. All I really did was secrete pheromones into the water and see how they react. As you can imagine, their senses are in disorder."
"So you'd go as far as use their harm them in their own home?" Vanessa absconded. She pulled out a Poke Ball and glared. "How deplorable…go, Magnezone!"
The Poke Ball opened, and out onto the field, Vanessa's Magnezone was to do battle. "I'm here!"
"All is fair in love and war. I see no reason for hypocrisy when your little misfits sought to come here of all places and invade our home. I'd rather not be stopped to such a mediocre level such as yourself." Her eyes then closed. "By the way, if you haven't noticed, look down."
Confused, Vanessa did as asked and looked down at the deck. She noticed the water was bubbling rather strangely, and the bottom of her heels were starting to steam. To her shock, she was seeing the heels of her boots slowly corroding away.
'Acid?' Making a quick move, she created a teal pedestal of aura that she used to hold herself up. She was safe from the acid below, but she was almost reduced to her socks. 'How did she do that? I thought it was just water.'
Glynda pulled out her wand and hummed. With one swipe, another change occurred.
Vanessa noticed something else. As more rain kept coming down, her skin began to sting some. Grunting, she began to feel intense discomfort as the cool rain was actually making her skin itch. 'Even the rain?' Without much choice, the flux of aura she used became a prism she used to shield herself from all around.
Glynda's glare didn't sway from its fierce ignorance. With the acidic elements on her think blue jacket, Vanessa was left with no choice but to take it off to keep her skin well. Left in a dampened white t-shirt with a low cut, one could barely make out her teal bra she was wearing.
"My magic: Alchemist." Glynda prodded her glasses. "I can break ions and cells to a molecular structure at will and change it entirely. I can alter liquids to change them to another chemical, such as the acid rain for example. Hydrogen peroxide, for example, I can make from altering water molecules. This can include hydrogen in the air, creating combustion."
"So you fight using science." Vanessa was beginning to have déjà vu. It wouldn't be the first time she was up against a Brainiac. Of course she had no time to worry about that at the moment.
"Allow me to demonstrate more." Glynda reached into her pockets, pulling out a handheld plastic case. "Ordinary dish soap, as you can see." She brought her arm around and gave it one huge swish. The liquid moved everywhere, spreading as she squeezed the bottle. The blue liquid went into the water, leaving Vanessa to guess what she intends. "Now…add in iodine potassium." With a snap of her fingers, a strange liquid spread from the bottom of her heels and slowly into the water. It slowly swallowed up the soap and water, making a strange shudder before the concoction erupted into a messy, wrinkled field that looked unpleasant to look at.
The concoction closed in and began to swallow up Vanessa's field of vision. Despite the rain, Glynda snapped her fingers to make the odd formation solidify.
Moments passed as the strange blue, wavy hard surface surrounded Vanessa's shield, blocking her view almost entirely. Moments passed and nothing happened, until suddenly, a teal explosion erupted, breaking apart and shooting away the acid water and the chemical compounds that enveloped her. In another flash, Vanessa was seen on her feet.
All the chemicals she sent into the air were right above her head. Glynda moved her wand around and made all the massive loads to odd substance suddenly dissolve quickly, becoming massive blankets of water. She swiped her arm, spraying even more soap into the air and rain.
"Now, add in hydrogen peroxide, and potassium pomegranate…"
On command, cells changed in the water to make another, more bizarre soap foam that looked scary, if not like a melted rock substance. Time slowed down for Vanessa as the odd blanket closed in.
'She can even mold chemicals without her body?' Swiping her arm, Vanessa countered. "Aura Guard!" Creating another teal aura shield, she blocked the bizarre blanket, which laid top her shield like chocolate on a sundae.
It was a good move to an extent, because now the concoction was steaming. It was sizzling, like it was eating at itself, and the shield.
"I would prefer it if I was able to combust hydrogen." Glynda said. "I prefer swifter ends these days…however, since all this rain rather cumbersome, I'm afraid melting you is the best option."
Not too far, the Lumineon swiftly moved through the rain like it was the sea. Its Swift Swim Ability poured a lot of speed that made it "flutter" towards Magnezone. Rather than attack recklessly, Magnezone waited and Lumineon suddenly moved upwards.
'A speed evasion. I gotta wait…'
Above, the Lumineon took in a deep breath before it shot a Water Gun, spraying a greater volume due to the rain.
"Mirror Coat!" Magnezone created a mirror in front of himself and held his ground. He grunted as the attack was doing its damage, but it was worth it for him as he spun his magnets and shot all the water in greater force back at Lumineon, scoring a hit right into the face and sent it splashing on the deck.
Tentacruel retaliated using Acid again, and Lanturn went and took a breath before firing a blast of blue bubbles, via Bubble Beam. They closed in at the same time, but Magnezone was ready.
"Tri Attack!" Generating three spheres in front. The red eye and two magnets had orbs of different colors. Once charged, blasts of electricity, fire, and ice shot ahead. The fire and ice blasts intercepted the two beams, yet the electric beam shot with great precision and got Tentacruel, making it go airborne with intense force.
Magnezone then faced Lanturn. Without waiting, he made his eye glow before a yellow, green orb with a bright red core generating matter like plasma erupted into a powerful hemisphere that was ready to be launched.
"Zap Cannon!"
He fired the attack straight ahead, closing in on Lanturn. It generated a massive discharge of electrical energy that pulsated everywhere. Magnezone stood still in the air, glaring daggers at the damage he dealt. But s the electricity simmered, he was startled at what he saw.
The Lanturn looked unfazed. In fact, as the electricity cackled around it, it was generating green waves around the body, making it growl. 'My electric attack had no effect?!' He was cut off when he realized a jet of water was coming from the side, which he managed to narrowly dodge. When he found his space again, he found Lumineon and the Pokémon all gathered up, growling. Magnezone's glare hardened as he eyes them. "This is a bigger problem than I thought…"
The Tentacruel let out a roaring scowl before it lifted its front, creating massive breath before a mirror of water was generated. Unleashing another massive Hydro Pump, Magnezone knew he had to take the chance.
The massive blast of water worked into him, but instead of dodging, he glared ahead with passion. "Mirror Coat!" The pulsing jet of pressurized water with monstrous force smashed into the huge mirror that Magnezone created. The attack was so strong and so intense that Magnezone grimaced and grunted louder as the pain flared all over him. He was losing precious ground, but he didn't sway. With one powerful roar, the Electric/Steel-type spun his magnets, causing the mirror to glow for a moment before the water shot at him suddenly expelled back at Tentacruel with a far greater level of pressure.
The Tentacruel was too in shock to realize it before the vortex of its own attack finally reached it. A massive explosion of water and mist took up everything, and through its quaking, a swift jet of something ripped through the metal layer off to the side.
The Tentacruel was shot over the edge with swirling eyes, fainted and plummeted to the depths of the water far below.
Magnezone grimaced as his body was bruised. He found himself swaying in angst. "…that attack…was more powerful then I thought…" Before he had time to worry, he picked up on a beam of blue bubbles and blast of water he moved out of the way from. Lanturn and Lumineon glared, making him grunt.
Glynda glanced off to the side, making meek to very little appeal. "Interesting." She looked back at Vanessa. "Is that your Pokémon I take it?"
"Yes, it is." She answered.
Glynda paused and glanced back at Magnezone once more. Even from here, she could tell that on his body was slick and clean metal. It reminded her of the shiny Magnemite she gave the Machia Knights. "So it see…how interesting. It looks very well in shape. But I wonder…" she glared. "Are you aware of metal can change its surface?"
Almost immediately sensing an insidious undertone, Vanessa's eyes widened as she turned towards her Pokémon. "Magnezone!"
Dodging by circling around another Water Gun, Magnezone hovered closer towards Vanessa, answering her call. He closed in towards her. "I'm coming!"
Glynda frowned. "Iron and steel…iron sulfate."
The rain in the atmosphere started to change yet again. It became green rain that was slowly beginning to pour onto the stern of the boat, where they were specifically. The green downpour of bizarre liquid made an intense reaction, one that made Magnezone stop in place.
The Pokémon began to twitch, his body starting to react rather violently.
"Magnezone?" Vanessa worried.
Slowly on the magnets and surface, the shiny, silver coating he had was beginning to slow him down. His composure was showing pain as coatings of himself were starting to be eaten away and turn brown and crusty.
Vanessa's eyes shot wide. "Magnezone!"
"Iron turns to copper once introduced to this chemical long enough." Glynda voiced. "And since it lives, it must be like an acidic evolution. Painful."
"Magnezone…" Vanessa watched in horror as her Pokémon was grimacing in the chemical rain. She hurried and expanded her shield around Magnezone to keep him from getting harmed, but as the shield expanded, another ball of electricity and a silver-like gust ripped through the air, causing Vanessa's aura shield and Magnezone to be hit at the same time. A bright flash generated, and both the Pularis girl and Magnezone fell on their sides as the rain returned to normal. They found themselves compacted by the Lumineon and Lanturn, which growled at them.
Glynda prodded her glasses and turned away. "Now then, I suppose I'm done entertaining you and showing my tricks." She walked passed the agitated aquatic creatures, which ignored her. "Hope you learned your lesson. I'm done here."
Vanessa's eyes narrowed. She then saw Lanturn and Lumineon ready their next attacks, inhaling before they exhibited agitation and fired one more Water Gun and Bubble Beam combo. The Pularis girl and her Magnezone, though they felt uncomfortable, stood and braced themselves to counter.
Suddenly, the bubbles and water suddenly did a 90-degree turn, shocking Vanessa and Magnezone.
"Hm?" Glynda glanced back. "What?"
All the water streamed into a vortex into something off in the distance. At the cabin entrance, the liquid surged into something in front of someone who was at the entrance, stepping forward. He reached forward.
"Ice Beam!"
Once the water dissipated, a sudden blast of ice shot straight across the deck, freezing up a trail that swallowed up Lanturn and Lumineon. Both creatures cried out before the ice exploded into mist, dissipating to reveal them both covered in frost and unconscious.
"Who did that?" Glynda sniped.
Vanessa looked back, shocked at what she was seeing. To her immense surprise, she saw a certain Trainer with a blue sea slug-like creature with a green top and yellow edging. The Trainer didn't smile. "Duncan!"
Glynda's eyes narrowed. "Another Trainer?"
"I hope that you didn't mind that we got a share of that Exp of yours." Duncan said. "The whole inside was swarming with Water-type Pokémon. Looks like we figured out the little, huh?"
'So that's why the reinforcements aren't here. He took them out?' Glynda gasped.
Duncan smirked. "What's wrong? Never seen a Gastrodon before?" he gestured to his Eastern Sea Gastrodon, which slurred his head up in recognition.
"A Gastrodon?" Vanessa began to recall why Gastrodon specifically. Though she only knew it through her time in Kiloude City's Friend Safari, she remembered an ability that Gastrodon had. "…Storm Drain."
Duncan chuckled. However, behind him, shadows of what looked like Seadra appeared, making him frown. The Seadra corralled behind him, in which they readied themselves. "Looks like I missed a few. Gastrodon!"
They all pumped out streams of Brine, to which the streams of saltwater went towards Duncan, yet Gastrodon moved in front, in which his body absorbed the water to make a red aura ignite around him.
Duncan reached out. "Muddy Water!"
Gastrodon cried out as his head swung forward, creating a tidal wave of brown water of immense power. The whole inside of the cabins swam with a torrent of intense brown water that swamped out the Seadra, making them all cry out.
Duncan glanced over his shoulder. "What are you waiting for? Get her!"
Vanessa nodded. "Right." Straightening up, she and Magnezone ignored their discomforts and the Pularis girl's teal aura surrounded her hands.
Glynda looked down, sensing a rising eruption of energy beneath her. "What-?!"
"Nugatory Burst!"
An insidious bright flash blossomed in place of Glynda as an intense pillar of teal aura vibrated and quaked. Its intense force made the wood beneath depress into uneven mounds as the skyward attack bellowed like a howling wild beast. Within, Glynda's eyes were momentary white as she fell out of the pillar, gasping as bits of her clothes were also torn. She plopped onto the ground, hitting damp wood hard with a gag again.
The Spriggan grimaced as the pillar ended, but she refused to give in to a wild animal. She staggered to her feet, her body beginning to show filaments of shimmering liquid. 'This chemical at the last second saved me from the brute of that…but still.'
Vanessa glared forward. "Flash Cannon!"
Magnezone's eye began to materialize shimmering bright energy before it expelled into a roaring blast of intense white, silver, and bright blue that pulsated into Glynda. Using her magic, Glynda used her wand to combust hydrogen in front of her to create a midair eruption. It acted as a shield for the attack, but the impact created an intense shockwave that erupted the flames, making Glynda shoot into the air in recoil over the energies colliding with one another.
The flames and light suddenly opened, revealing teal aura that snared Glynda, arching and slamming her into the deck with a thud. Through the teal thread, it traced towards Vanessa, who held on.
Her eyes wincing from the shock, the alchemist began to show annoyance. "Persistent wild beasts…" Using her magic, she exhausted a corrosive chemical that ate away at the aura tying her. It quickly went towards Vanessa, but before it got too close she dispersed Once on her knee, she swiped her arm.
"Golden Rain!"
Vanessa looked up, she and Magnezone calmly noticing the iodized rain particles assorting to gold. Although before they could take necessary action, a sudden spread of brown water whirled over them, taking in the attack.
Glynda and Vanessa turned again, seeing Duncan reaching out. "Gastrodon, do it!"
Gastrodon craned his head around and released a cry, expanding the massive water vortex. The vortex empowered by rain, adding in the Special Attack maxed from his ability, the omnidirectional brown tidal wave was like a shredding wake that Glynda had no hope of escaping. She cried out as she was caught in the cyclone, whirled and trashed along the deck like an actual wave picked her up and slammed her down hard. As the brown water final settled, Glynda was seen on her side, coughing up water. Meanwhile, Vanessa and Duncan were with their Pokémon as they glared her down.
"So I guess that's the best that a Spriggan can do then." Duncan absconded. "Wow, and here I thought I was going to keel from this mistake."
"Careful, Duncan." Vanessa warned. She swiped her arm, creating more teal tendrils. They began to wrap around Glynda, but her body continued secreting a chemical to eat away at the magic. "She's still fighting."
"Then I guess we better wrap it up then. Gastrodon!" Gastrodon moved in front.
"Magnezone!" Likewise, Magnezone moved in front Vanessa. Both faced her as she arose slowly.
Glynda was slouched up as she stared at them with am agitated expression, yet through her raspy breathing it was hard to express her conflictions. 'These beings…these animals…how are they…?' Deep within her mind, she could see the many people who were asking her questions or picking t her brain. They were all endless waves of shadows that her doing nonstop talking, and they got louder the closer they got to her. 'My space. The one thing I need to do my work; those insufficient ruffians and not knowing what's in front of their eyes…' In her mind, a wave of a chemical washed them all away, leaving her in the center of a dark swirl that's she slowly sunk in. She prodded her glasses – which surprisingly stayed intact after the trashing – to get a visual of the two Trainers. 'Perhaps they're strong…but even the strongest have a weakness. And I know how to show it.'
Slowly from her body, a strange steam was beginning to come off her. The others saw how she was remaining still as another chemical surge was being created.
"What is she doing?" Vanessa questioned.
Magnezone looked down, seeing something. "What's that?"
Slowly, a silverfish liquid began eroding from Glynda's body. Globs of it even slowly arose to become amorphous entities. "Human beings, animals…what means of comprehension is there when you can't see right in front of you. I would prefer if you answered your own questions…but you're not capable. So allow me to reveal to you my trump card."
Enveloping her and around her are, meshes of silver liquid spiraled like a Saturn ring that was having meshes conduct to tendrils coming from her skin. The others got on guard as they eyed her, but showed uncertainty.
"Mercury Tamer." Without much of another syllable, the streams of mercury rushed at them all.
'Mercury?' Catching onto the chemical, Vanessa created yet another shield of aura, which managed to block off the rush of the liquid. 'She's using mercury as a trump card. I've heard even a small dose can be poisonous to the human system. That's her angle for this?'
Duncan looked down at his feet. When he saw shimmering silver, he realized silverfish liquid was taking place of the water. Taking action, he swiped his arm down. "Ice Beam! Freeze the deck!"
Gastrodon did as told and created another icy orb, which shot into the ground beneath. It made icy rays expand slowly across the deck, until it enveloped the ground. Beneath, the mercury below was trapped and squirming beneath all their feet. Although to an extent, parts of were still attached and swirling around Glynda.
"So you fight using mercury, do you?" Duncan inquired.
Rather than verbally reply, Glynda chose not to waste time as she waved her wand, making the many mercury swirls around her compress into many small orbs that shot arrows of mercury at them all. They surged into the aura shield, and although the shield held up, surprisingly, a few broke through. They sped past Vanessa and Duncan alike, barely missing them.
Getting down, the two were careful as the concentration went over their heads. 'We can't survive like this. At this rate, her mercury will reach us when our reaction time slows.' Vanessa could already feel more of her Aura Guard starting to vibrate and crack from arrows of mercury constantly hitting one point. 'And my Magic Power and body is still weary from the last fight. Suppose this means…'
Glynda swiped her arm, grunting as she summoned serpents of mercury that followed her lead dead ahead. The many heads streamed with compressed points to resemble missiles.
'That I have to use my trump card as well.' Standing up, Vanessa started gathering intense levels of aura that started to vibrate around her. "Duncan, please give me some room!"
Duncan eyes Vanessa with discretion, but he found no objections. Feeling her Magic Power swell, he knew she was up to something. He backed off the Gastrodon as the streams of mercury darted for them.
Vanessa summoned a massive pulse wave of teal aura that began to erupt in a light pillar around her. "Aura Guardian!" A massive shockwave of teal rushed everywhere, dissipating the mercury incoming and making Glynda and Duncan hold their ground. They both glared forward, but their eyes slowly widened and traced skywards as a huge shadow casted over them.
There, as the deck's dust dissipated through the rainfall, a hulking armored teal creature was on the side of the ship. Standing at over a hundred feet tall, the trump card had Vanessa at its center as it glared at Glynda.
Duncan's eyes were wide with shock and disbelief. This was the first time he saw such a display. 'You mean…that's her full strength?' He thought back to when he and Vanessa fought. He knew she must've held back if her Goodra didn't use Ice Beam from the start, but now that he was seeing her in action for the first time, he couldn't help but feel the magic levels make him realize the gap.
"So this is the power of you Fiorians…I see." Retaining composure, Glynda's glare hardened as her own magic levels erupted in a silver aura, which swallowed her in a pillar of mercury. "Then allow me to give you more science lessons."
Accommodating Vanessa's new size, the Pularis girl remained calm as the glob of mercury expanded. It even made it to the sea. To her, what she saw looked like a Muk-like creature that stood at her height. Water swished around as the mercury monster let out a shrilled cry to the world, making airwaves shudder, even at the deck.
In the monster's eyes, it looked like Glynda. She glared daggers while Vanessa seethed back at her.
"Come!"
The two titans of their element leaned into each other, both colliding their body materials to make shockwaves that caused Duncan and Gastrodon to push back.
On shore, rain fell just as hard. Aligned or hiding in the bushes, the Pokémon were all remaining passively quiet as Mest teleported back to them, this time with everybody else accounted for.
"Alright! That should be everyone, right?!" he shouted. "Ralts, are they all rounded up?"
Near the Pokémon, Ralts was banging his head against a small log. The rate he did t made it almost like it was a Pikipek. Arceus knew how he kept doing that. Mest just watched with a bead of sweat.
"Man, I can't believe the ship's a disaster. Again!" Dereece exclaimed. Again, Yanma was perched on his head, but at this point he chose to ignore.
Joey looked down shamefully. "Yeah…" As rain fell, he was slowly waning away in his thoughts. His frown deepened as Broly's body was on there still. 'I hope Vanessa-senpai and Duncan are okay too…'
Chespin turned towards the basin, his eyes widening. "Look!"
"What is it?" Joey looked back, only to go wide-eyed as he saw something in the distance that made his eyes shrink.
It wasn't just them who were flabbergasted. Matilda, Liz, even Dereece were all looking out with no words as they saw the whole ship's side containing two oversized monsters. One looked humanoid while another looked fiendishly amorphous.
"Wait, where did those guys come from?!" Meredy gasped.
"Are they with us?" Ultear grunted.
They all saw the huge wake the teal armored giant created when its fist crossed over the mercury beast's face. The shock spilled mercury into the water. The monster's eye, as in Glynda, grunted from the shock and directed the beast to raise a glob of a hand. It was pushed into the armored entity's chest, which shoved it back a few steps, making more wakes in the water.
Watching, Mest stared with a knowing glare. "Looks like Vanessa's finally using her trump card."
Matilda shot a look of shock at him. "Say what?!" she looked back at the battle. "You mean that girl's been holding out on us, this whole time?!"
"She probably didn't want to damage the ship with how much space her spell takes up. Looks like she's using everything she has to get the upper hand on the Spriggan."
"Well for all our sakes, let's hope so." Dereece said. "C'mon, Vanessa!"
"You can do this! Hang in there!" Meredy shouted. Even though it was impossible for her to hear them, she hoped her aura of assurance was enough make her a little easier in mind.
Joey watched in awe and silence. He was staring with shock was he was seeing another big fight, one that was making his heart race after everything that's happened.
The liquid metal monster reached for Vanessa, but the guardian's huge hand mimicked Vanessa's way of swatting. Vanessa motioned with the best she created copying her. She pulled a fist back enveloped in aura and punched forward. The result was a huge blast wave of teal that roared through the atmosphere. It surged across the aura and into the faraway forest and mountains. There, several glints were made before a massive trail of teal exploded skywards from the impact, destroying parts of the mountain.
The result of the blow was a massive hole in the monster's center. The huge hole was gaping with drops of liquid metal attached. Slowly, the metal bend and swirled back into place, like nothing happened.
Vanessa glared at the scene, catching pieces. 'I get it. So that means the insides aren't the weak spot. Rather…it's her.' He looked at the eye of the mercury monster, which held Glynda.
Seeing Vanessa's stare, she could tell what she knew. 'Seems she's aware of my mercury's properties. In that case…' She saw Vanessa pull another fist back. 'I'll just have to put this beast on a leash!'
Vanessa's second punch went forward, but this time the amorphous liquid swiveled around the fist, showing flexibility while Glynda was still attached. The liquid monster molded its head around the arm, but Vanessa pulled back in time. The beast growled as its body released barbs of mercury arrows that were much larger than previously. The Aura Guardian's armor-like aura defended Vanessa as she was creating a hemisphere of teal aura compressed to one point. Once it was charged, the guardian's eyes glinted.
"Trace Shot!"
Vanessa reached out, shooting the massive sphere like it was an oversized Aura Sphere. The attack closed in on the facial area of the monster, but Glynda made the monster move its arms so that it could block the aura blast wave, creating a shockwave that spread mercury everywhere.
On the deck, Duncan and Gastrodon found cover in the doorway, where the sprays of the liquid wouldn't get them for the time being. He watched half-heartedly as he knew he had to make a plan. He had to fight. He had to get stronger.
As the shockwaves dissipated, the monster uncovered, but it was too late as Vanessa was already in midair with a tremendous leap. The guardian followed her downwards cry and hammer-fisted the mercury in its head, making it depress into the water. Beneath Vanessa, the mercury creature was rippling in the water with Glynda, but nothing was happening. Still, she knew something was up.
Her aura senses right, spouts of mercury exploded out of the water to surround her, ready to glob. Using the giant's morphing, blades of aura were created and did a full circle. She cut the tendrils clean to pieces that plopped around her. The lower-half of the tendrils, however, were still able, and they multiplied to many more. Before Vanessa had an opportunity, the tendrils snared her legs. They wrapped and stuck to the aura like glue.
Vanessa grunted, but out of the blue, the tar-like entity roared as it sprung from below, growing to where it globbed the Aura Guardian and held on. The massive weight and the added pressure was enough to hold down the guardian.
"Now stay down like a good pet." Glynda said.
Vanessa refused. She started to gather even more energy, erupting an intense shockwave of aura in all directions. The aura was like a forcefield that eroded into the atmosphere, brushing away all the mercury and giving her the space.
As the waves rocked heavily, the mercury beast was unaffected from the intense rocking. "Satisfied?"
Vanessa looked at the Aura Guardian's body. When she saw some part having eroded away by what looked like acidic chemicals, she knew it.
"Combining mercury with other chemicals is rather tedious, but this mixture at just the right frequency for each was enough. Now then…" Glynda reached forward again, breaking the distance in and instant when the liquid beast's arm morphed and stretched towards Vanessa.
"Aura Guard!" Creating a shield of aura, the giant was saved from the attack. However, as the tendril retreated, the acidic compounds made the shield dissolve again.
"It's no use." Glynda waved her wand up, manifesting streams of mercury from the monster again. This time, they all wrapped around a different part of Vanessa's trump card, including the neck area. The whole giant strained incredulously to break free, but with each turn, a part of it started dissolving away. Vanessa grunted as she was finding her space running out. "The chemicals will eat at your magic, and the mercury will reach. When that happens, consider it done."
Vanessa was running out of time and options. With her trump card trying to get loose, something came between the two moved beasts, and it defied gravity like it wasn't there.
"Magnezone!" Vanessa exclaimed.
Magnezone glared ahead, defying Glynda. "Do you intend on standing in my way as well? So be it." She swiped forward. "Then corrode away!" She shot streams of the liquid metal at Magnezone, who remained posturized and ready.
"Magnezone!" Vanessa cried out again.
Magnezone glared ahead, ready. "You…get AWAY!" With that massive cry, his magnets began to spin incredulously. He ushered intensely for great force, and much to his and everyone else's surprise, he saw the liquid metal stop in his tracks.
"What?" Glynda gasped in astonishment.
Vanessa looked up with surprise of her own. "Magnezone…?" She was looking surprised at what he was doing. Just his presence was making the liquid metal repel with his anti-gravity force.
As he held the liquid off from getting around, Glynda was still catching up to what was happening. As she observed the magnet at his work, she began to narrow her eyes in suspicion. But that thought was disturbed when a Water Pulse shot from the side. She noticed in time and blocked using her mercury's whole arm. The water made a massive blue explosion that sprayed the mercury all over, breaking apart a huge chunk from the arm. If it were a living example, it'd be like an exploding gun bullet that made Glynda nearly get thrown off.
Looking back at the deck, Duncan and Gastrodon were looking up with serious faces. "Forgot something?"
Glynda snarked low. "Annoying roaches."
With her opponent distracted, Vanessa could make an attack, but she realized it wouldn't work. Instead, her eyes were locked on Magnezone, who showed off his power that amazed even himself. As both looked surprised, it caught onto the Trainer of what went down.
'That liquid…Magnezone repelled it. But that wasn't a move, was it?' she thought. '…no, that's not it. That was something that only the mercury reacted to. But what could it…?'
She started thinking on a deeper level. What did Magnezone have that she didn't. Her aura can shield, but the chemicals affect them both, and yet the deadly mercury didn't touch her creature. The liquid metal…and anti-gravity. That's when it hit her.
'Magnetism!'
A massive glob of a hand reached down slowly towards Duncan and Gastrodon. Both hurried and dodged while the liquid hand hit the wood, breaking clean through the boarding of the ship. Duncan and Gastrodon landed along the side as the hand arose, ready to swat them again.
"Ice Beam!" he commanded.
Gastrodon generated another icy orb in the mouth and took a deep breath before shooting icy rays. With added power, the Ice-type attack created an intense mist cloud upon impact, which froze over the entire arm.
Glynda saw the frozen mercury and grunted. Rather than scorn them, she used her energy to focus on lifting the whole arm and holding it over Duncan. With the shadow high, the Trainer looked shocked and knew he had to do something, otherwise end up crushed. As it came down, he tucked and rolled away, barely getting away as the hardened fist hit the deck yet again. Chunks of ice went everywhere in a shockwave, spreading towards Duncan and Gastrodon. Both were hit with small chunks of ice; one of which fell randomly and got Duncan in his gut. The impact shattered the ice, but the shock made him gag in pain as everything went white for him. He sunk to his knees, while Gastrodon tried shaking off the ice.
"And as for you."
Gastrodon looked up at Glynda's words, only to end up feeling stinging below. The ice having shattered, chemicals turned to intense sodium. While Gastrodon were normally saltwater species that live in oceans, the raw salt is stinging, if uncomfortable for the slug. He grunted as he found it hard to sit still.
Duncan was too in shock to take action. The shadow appeared over him as Glynda readied to end it. "You all are just like everyone else, unintelligent. Nobody ever learns…not even in the very end." She raised her fist again, ready to hammer Duncan with endless tons of mercury. "I'd ask for your name if I were honorable…but it doesn't matter. I'm done wasting time on such distractions." Her eyes glared widened daggers. "Say goodbye!"
'I can't move. My body…is still in shock.' Duncan cursed himself.
Vanessa's blue eyes opened. "Magnezone!"
"Yes, Vanessa!" Magnezone hovered closer, until he was in front of Vanessa in the guardian. Once set in front, the air at that moment…went silent.
A small shockwave went through the air as everything palpitated. Intense flares from Vanessa's spell crackles around the body and connected with Magnezone. His own magnetic field caused a static to ignite. Lightning crackled as flares of aura ignited around Vanessa and Magnezone as both glared intensely forward. They both grunted, feeling their energy arise.
'Magnezone…NOW!'
Magnezone's red eye glowed. "Yes…let's go! HRAAH!"
Lightning discharged from him as he converged with Vanessa into the chest of the guardian. As he entered, the Aura Guardian began to pulse silver and yellow energy. Slowly, the guardian's physique began to alter. Silver ethereal armor began to fade in and surround the arms, making up for the corroded parts.
As Vanessa and Magnezone were together in the center, silver smooth armor started forming, soon accompanied by a red glowing eye.
"Now…begone!" Glynda bellowed menacingly as she drove her fist down.
Duncan braced himself for the impact, unable to escape. All he could do was curse as the fist came within several feet before the whole thing stopped completely. When he opened his eyes, he saw to his own abysmal that the mercury entity was stuck in place.
Trying hard to move, Glynda found it disbelieving at best. "What…what's this?" She tried to move the mercury, yet it was like gravity was keeping it from facing Duncan. "I can't…"
A sudden force of magnetism caused it to turn away from Duncan, facing the source head-on. What Glynda saw completely surprised her. Audible gasps escaped her lungs.
When Duncan weakly looked back to see why, even he was speechless.
There, defying the gravity in the water itself, ripples shuddered beneath where a floating giant was. It was the Aura Guardian and still teal, but it had its shins and feet coated in that looked like silver ethereal armor with bulbous heels. The knees above was surrounded by a massive skirt-like silver disc that connected around the waist to resemble a Magnezone's upper body curve. On each side were two yellow antennae. Silver armor coated the teal armor with smooth curves, even around the shoulder pauldrons. The shoulder pauldrons even had two small nuts in them. On the head of the giant, a massive smooth helmet was there, covering it all, but a red eye shimmered. On the back where shoulder blades would be, there were two ethereal magnets sticking out that acted like wings. In the center of it all, at the core, Vanessa was atop of Magnezone, glaring in unison.
"Aura Guardian: Magnezone!" they shouted in unison.
Glynda was completely lost for words. "Impossible…how did they…"
Moving her left arm forward, the giant did the same. With Magnezone using his magnetism, the hand generated a strong magnetic force that suddenly pulled Glynda and her beats forward. With no say and in shock, Glynda found herself met with the other hand reached out next, which shot anti-magnetic energy that caused an eruption on the mercury. Inside, Glynda found herself buffered by the instability of the reactions.
'What's going on? It's like the controls for the mercury have been switched off.' She looked ahead at Vanessa, whose beats was bringing its hands together created a teal aura, yet it had electrical static inside. 'How is she able to combine with that magnet? It's-!'
"Emanation Beam!" Vanessa shot the teal beam into the chest area of the beast. While it didn't break it, that's exactly what they wanted. Instead, like they had hoped, the attack was being absorbed and shuddered the monster in a violent vibrating frenzy, leaving Glynda buffered again.
While on the deck, shocked, Duncan began to process it. He couldn't help but be wide-eyed at Vanessa's playbook. "…so that was her aim."
The aura blast embedded with magnetism from Magnezone caused the whole thing to go unbalanced, but Glynda kept herself up and glared ahead. 'Now I get it. So that's why…'
With the beam over, the guardian adjusted with Vanessa again. The mercury monster shot streams of mercury at them, but the red eye of the helmet shined with Magnezone. The magnets on the back of the creature began to rapidly spin, discharging brief static fields that added into the area. That instance, all the mercury streams began to manipulate around the creature. It didn't touch, but surrounded it like a whirlpool, just like Glynda did when she first used it. In the middle, Vanessa and Magnezone remained still.
'Electromagnetism.' Glynda's eyes narrowed. 'Mercury's weakness. I should've known that magnet was trouble! And it looks like the electromagnetic pressure is enhanced when like this. If I use mercury…'
Vanessa swayed her arms inside. She used the controlled magnetism to make the swirling mercury diverge into arrows that went at Glynda. But since they were also embedded with the magnetic flow, it was essential harm that pierced the mercury mound. Solid mercury pounded away, and Glynda could feel her ground losing itself.
Her eyes locked with Vanessa and Magnezone's for split second. Time slowed down as she began realizing what was happening. 'These humans…these ones from this planet…'
Magnezone used his magnetism to create another strong field flux. Unable to contain itself, the mercury that Glynda was encompassed in was painfully being pulled along. As much as Glynda fought it, it was futile as the mercury was swaying her with it. She screamed loudly within the vortex, unable to keep her composure as the magnetic control forced her into the water with a harsh slam. Even inside, she gagged painfully from the harsh impact.
In her hands, static electricity coursed through the arms where Magnezone directed his power. It surged electrical pulsed to one spot, where there, a massive green, yellow orb with a red core formed. It was tremendous in size, befitting the guardian.
"Zap Cannon!"
The guardian sent the huge hemisphere of electrical energy at the monster. It coursed with great accuracy, and yet it also had magnetic force. Refusing to give up, Glynda rushed to move her wand, making streams erupt from the glob to attack the Zap Cannon. However, it didn't get far as the magnetic force embedded with it pushed the mercury out of the way like an invisible force and drilled into Glynda's creation, much to her horror. A pillar of monstrous electricity discharged with explosive intensity, enveloping it and Glynda in crackling electricity that made her shriek out in paralyzing pain.
On the shores, a massive yellow explosion was like a nova to everyone. They all felt static in the air, making even Matilda's hair stand on end. In the deck, Duncan was holding his own through the dissipating energy.
Once the flash was over, crackling, unstable electricity vibrated through the mercury. The whole monstrosity wasn't able to turn or move at all, like it was paralyzed. At the eye of it, even Glynda was paralyzed, and she didn't have or know a solution that counters the electricity. "No…not yet…this can't…you Trainers and Pokémon, you really-?!" she trailed off, the sight before her realizing she was out of time.
The left arm had fingers spread, holding a very intricate design of a magic circle like a cross. The left hand pulled back onto a flaming aura bow that was behind it, yet it crackled with electromagnetic static. With everything set, Vanessa and Magnezone stared in silence.
Realizing the flaw she had made, Glynda's body had static, yet she still did not move. "These Trainers…" her eyes softened somewhat. "…maybe they're not mindless after all…"
With a fiery shout, Vanessa and Magnezone let go with all that they had.
"Aura Guardian – Kali Arrow!"
The arrow was finally let go, shot at speeds no one could keep up with. Shockwaves ripped through the atmosphere as the attack met the head of the monster. Almost instantly upon impaling, a roaring pillar of teal thundered with a deafening tone. The sea, earth, and sky palpitated as the pillar went so high up that it touched the clouds, where high up, a massive discharge of lightning went and ignited the sky in white and streaks of sheer fear. A full-scale shockwave of rippling energy exploded with nothing held back, and yet it was went absent-mindedly deaf.
As the shockwaves dialed down and the waters crackled, it revealed nothing but plain water. The shifting was weak as it should be, and the rain abruptly stopped afterwards. The body of Glynda shot out of the sky and slammed onto the deck, creating a crater that she laid in. She was devoid of irises and was drenched in mercury. She laid defeated, meters away from Duncan.
Though he had seen the end, even Duncan himself looked on. He looked up towards the sky, where he saw the last flares of the Aura Guardian flicker to teal embers and Magnezone gently lowered to the deck. There, Vanessa went off. Moments passed before she dropped to her knees, sinking in raspy panting. Her breath was labored do hard, and her body had some like skin peeling thanks to the rain washing off the body chemicals.
In fact, all over, as the ran finally ended, it revealed that the rainwater finally flushed the chemicals out of existence. Even in the water, the pheromones vanished. Calming any Water-type beneath. Whereas high above, the clouds began to lighten up some, giving way to some brightness after the dark battles they've had.
On the shore, all the Pokémon and everyone looked shocked, but happy at the same time. Meredy had misty eyes full of relief; she even hugged Ultear out of sheer joy, to which the Time Mage accepted. Dereece whistled from we and dropped to his bottom with Joey.
"Man…"
"…yeah…" Joey couldn't believe what he saw. Even more so after everything. His misty eyes swelling tears from all the emotion he had going on was rough to handle. He sniffled before using his good right arm to wipe the tears away.
Mest looked up and grinned. Sighing heavily, he knew what had happened. "Good grief…and here I thought Nic was a showoff." He muttered. "Guess it runs in the family."
"Yeah! That's our girl!" Matilda cheered. "Man, if that wasn't impressive I don't know what is!"
Liz blew a bubble. It kept growing slowly, until it popped into a mesh that covered her lips…she still was stone faced as she chewed.
Shaking his head from shock, Dereece stammered to his feet. "C'mon! They probably need help up there!"
Mest nodded. "Right! Let's get them off the deck for now. Ralts, Teleport!"
Following the command, Ralts teleported them both again, just before the clouds overhead started clearing, revealing small rays of light that blinded everyone for a moment.
They all looked up, acknowledging they had survived the terrible front.
In Alvarez, over the massive palace, the whole roof exploded with a pulse wave of darkness that rippled like a dimension. The intense darkness shuddered and roared throughout the skies of the kingdom, leaving even the citizens frightened. And that's exactly what Naga wanted.
Fear. Adrenaline. Anxiety. All negative atmospheres he could get a feel of; his Despair made steam clouds of darkness flow from these people, seeping into the darkness' cocoon-like center, where vermilion darkened to give Naga a grim perspective. The air was so thick that anyone low of constitution would shrivel and choke. The Magic Power he had was so prominent that it was making gravity itself unbalanced around them.
Nic and Charizard were fending against the wave. Despite how they were keeping cool heads, they could feel everything around them get cold – another reason why Nic became his Icicle Form. But even with the feeling refusing to go away, their glares were as fierce as the grim reaper itself.
Naga uproariously chuckled at the sight, his red eyes glowing with those dark centers. "My, what's this? A brave face you've got…" The energy began to swirl to his center, generating an intense hemisphere of darkness of great gravity. "Let's see how long that lasts. Shall we?"
Nic and Charizard glared as Nic heaved mist from his mouth, while Charizard's wings were brought back.
"Blackout Crier!"
Naga expelled the darkness from the very center of his body, making a massive dark blast wave of atomic levels. The roof along the top of the entire palace, no matter how durable it was, cracked considerably as the dark wave swallowed up the entire sky in a voluminous laser outwards. It roared like an actual bomb, and Naga took pleasure in it.
"Heh…" As he continued exerting beam, he noticed two lights coming from it. Both were blue and orange. "Hm?"
The dark energy literally froze on one side, while the other side was set ablaze. The skies far back had ice shattering to frost on one side while the other had warm embers rain down, radiating a softer tone for everyone. The heat and cold went as far as swallow the darkness up towards Naga. The Spriggan ceased the magic and backed off into the air, barely managing to get away from subzero frost and cindering flames, though his sides were crispy and shivering though. In his thoughts, he didn't realize Nic and Charizard right in front of his face, in the darkness itself.
"Ice Hammer!"
"Dragon Claw!"
Embedding his arm in solid ice and claws of blue energy, both swung down onto Naga, creating a unison pule wave that ran across the palace top as fast as Naga shot back into the palace itself; directly below again to be accurate.
He shot like a meteor back down, generating shockwaves through each floor he passed through again, making Sentinal, who was near the holes, feel himself stumble around. "What the-?!"
Erza smirked. 'Looks like Nic's handling himself just fine.'
Sentinal looked back at Erza with growing shock. "What are you smiling at?"
"Nothing…just thinking about my husband. Is that so wrong?"
Sentinal gave her a weary look. "…not at all. I'm surprised actually. Hardly anyone I've known is capable of withholding such strong wills when Naga works his magic." He reached forward. "But for now, I'd worry about yourself! Mudbray army, attack!"
All the Mudbray hummed loudly before they all swished their heads and readied to make their stands. They all lifted on their hind kegs and came down, stomping and creating intense shockwaves that rippled across the landscape via Bulldoze. And there were a lot rippling their way.
"Houndoom!"
"Right!" Taking a leap, the hound-like creature took off in a pounce skywards. Erza made a leap as well, but shockingly got below and requipped into her Adamantine Armor. All the shockwaves rippled beneath and converged to one point below. The shockwaves made a burst of debris and earth below shoot skywards, in which the intense wave hit Erza's shield, pushing her skywards. With Houndoom on her back, the Pokémon also shot skywards like a propulsion. This bewildered Sentinal greatly.
"What?!"
Erza and Houndoom looked serious and confident. It was like Naga's magic wasn't working at all on them. It was riling him up, forcing him to go ahead and shoot intense dark bolts from his bare hands at Erza and Houndoom. The two broke apart to make the bolt shoot between them.
"Inferno!" Erza shouted.
High above, Houndoom's mouth flickered with blue flames that swirled within his mouth and expelled a torrential beam of sizzling blue flames. They roared with charred force that swallowed Mudbray from below in a crisp fury. As he descended, he whipped his body around to continue expelling the monstrous Fire-type attack, creating wave of blue fire after fire that swallowed up countless Mudbray.
Requipping as she went downwards, Erza became her default armor as she requipped her humungous holy hammer. She let out a violent battle cry as she slammed the hammer into the ground, creating yet another shockwave, and yet this one was so intense that everything on the ground's level jumped as the Mudbray were all shot skywards in roaring agony.
"No…WAH!" Sentinal covered up as the shockwaves also got him, sending him to the ground.
As he laid groaning, he was trying to pick himself up. Yet, an intense boom from behind was followed by a vermilion blaze that almost grazed him for being so close. The blaze shot skywards towards Nic and Charizard, revealing himself to be Naga in the dark center.
He closed in so fast on Nic, his claws reaching out for him. "Roa Comet!" He bellowed as his attack and dark energy swallowed up Nic with Despair. Nic used hos forearms to block as Naga clutched and shoved him further upwards. Nic didn't bother yelling as he grunted instead.
"Be swallowed by despair! Give my god what you have given yours: Your life!" Naga sailed slowly now as the magic he had was enveloping him and Nic. Neither gave in as Naga's eyes were wide with red and the black energy surged into his maw. "Feed Agaphvelia her cravings!"
As he continued sucking in and gaining power from the energy he was surrounded in, he continued holding onto Nic, and yet the latter was giving a straight face, like he didn't give a crap. Naga continued eating away, and yet through it, no despair was resonating from his prey.
'What's going on? Is he feeling no fear…? GAH!' In a split second, Nic clutched Naga's neck and held on tight, expelling a subzero ice that froze the neck like it was a brace. Naga's entire body froze from the touch, and yet inside, he was too surprised as Nic pulled back his fist for an Ice Punch.
With a violent roar of great force, he slugged the ice sheet and Naga in the face. The ice shattered to bits as frost swallowed everything. Naga's body, aligned with fractured ice and frost, felt time slow down as he was devoid of eyes for a moment.
'Why…isn't he feeling despair?'
He smashed into the ground beside Sentinal, creating another blow that again slammed the centaur on his other side. With the shock being great, the chunks of ice around them shattered, and Sentinal saw his master beside him. "Master…Naga…"
Nic and Charizard dropped beside Erza and Houndoom, both creating a small gust as they soundly landed and glared daggers, with Nic and Erza returning the way they were before.
Naga slowly got back up again. "You…" he gagged blood, his body shaken up from that icy choke. "How are you both not affected by my magic? Is this someone else?"
"Not as far as I know." Nic glared. "Sorry…but we're not gonna fall to despair again. And neither will it to us."
Naga's eyes narrowed. "It fall to you? Don't make such nonsense. You can't fight despair. It's infinite!" His body gave off a vermilion aura. "Even now, I can sense the deep dread of others from here. Their anxiety is my food offering to Agaphvelia. And even now, her strength empowers me. Can you say you can defy her of what you can't yourself?"
"You wouldn't know." Nic thought back to the hell that was the Impure Underworld, more accurately with Giratina's talk with him. "Yeah, despair is something that'll never end…but whoever said I had do either."
"What do you mean?" Naga growled.
"I don't have to fall to despair, and it doesn't have to fall to me. It doesn't always have to eb one way or the other. That's what most people believe, but us…we couldn't give a damn to that. Why do one or the other…when you can just be okay and make amends with what you fear."
Beside him, Erza smiled at Nic. She knew exactly what he was talking about. She was there, and she felt and understood him exactly.
Naga looked shocked at Nic's statement. "Make peace…with despair…?" His veins showing began to pulsate, though slightly out of anger. "That's ridiculous! Agaphvelia would never allow someone like you to make peace with what she can create!"
"She's not my goddess!" Nic snapped.
Once again, Naga was frozen in place from his own shock.
"Look at yourself, talking about someone who you revere so much. I understand where you're coming from…but I didn't let Arceus or Giratina run my life like I had to fear them. Maybe they were the opposites that impacted me, but I'm not like you who grovels for sacrifices for power. It's disgusting. I'd never forgive myself if I had to feed off of others' sadness or emotions the way you do. But…that's just how I feel. And it's those feelings I have…" He pulled up his Key Stone that was embedded into the edging of his coat. "That'll show your goddess and your empire what I think of her ways!"
Naga stepped back from shock yet again. This was the other blow that rocked him considerably.
Erza stepped beside Nic, reaching her the earpiece she had, which was her own Key Stone. "Nic…I'm with you."
"Yeah, same here." He reached for Erza's hand, to which she accepted. With their hands holding, both tapped their Key Stones, making an intense power shift that levels dirt around them. "Let's show them what we mean."
As the power started to drastically shift in the atmosphere, the pulsating pressure each surfaced began to resonate with Charizard and Houndoom. Both Fire-types stood proudly as they felt the same way, each roaring as heated pressure waves exerted with the Key Stones radiating rainbow light waves before they became tendrils of light, flowing with great force.
"Charizard…"
"Houndoom…"
Raising their locked arms up, the pair made the tendrils connect with their Fire-types, creating intense lights that defied the like of gravity. "Mega Evolve!"
Both Charizard and Houndoom let loose bellowing roars of the upmost intensity. Roaring, shrilling cries of intense heat spilled in all directions, and the two began to morph in unison. Their growls got deeper, and heated spirals of blue and regular flames excelled to intense hemispheres.
"What's happening?!" Setinal exclaimed.
Naga stared as he felt his clothes steam. "This power…"
Before the two realized it, the lights and the fire erupted in a mind-blowing shockwave that depressed earth into an intense crater. Levitating rocks melted and dissipated as fire exploded, melting parts of the ground to make it uneven as Mega Charizard and Mega Houndoom erupted roaring blasts of heated shockwaves to shoot any debris pass Naga and Sentinal, who were both having dilated eyes as everything around them shuddered, steamed, and was otherwise melting. Mega Charizard and Mega Houndoom both lurched forward, huffing hot flames.
Nic glared forward with intense eyes of unemotional cries for a fight. "You ready?"
Erza nodded. "Yes. Let's finish this." Together, they clutched the other's hands tighter.
Sentinal was staggering back, his shock too great. "Their power…were they…" he could feel will seep away. The fears of being defeated were too great, and dark steam eroded from his body into Naga. "Master Naga…they're…too strong…" he lowered a little, despairing while his energy surged into the likes of Naga's mouth.
As the energy surged, Naga's eyes were dilating. The shows of power he was witnessing and everything in boisterous flames – add in this pressure – Naga was having a hard time keeping his composure. "These fools…they really…defy despair!"
His eyes were seething daggers into Nic's. This whole time, not even once, was Nic nor Erza giving to him what was needed. Their eyes were compassionate, and yet they chose their own way. It was making him sick. Yet, their glares…they made his heart race.
'Agaphvelia…why…are these fools not understanding?'
He was beginning to think back to his time before he was in Alvarez, before Alakitasia. In the lands similar to Mildian where Dimaria came from, his mind drew to where his own goddess was worshipped: Riolus. It was in the far southeastern lands, even farther from Aniya's home. He could still remember the temple where Agaphvelia's spirit lied, and that it was a forbidden path. As he walked through, the innocent teen that was Naga looked around as he trekked through, witnessing skeletal corpses of those who were lost to the despair they felt upon entering too deep. Though he questioned why he felt depressed, Naga wanted to know more about Agaphvelia. He eventually made it to the back, despite how pale he was, and saw her shrine.
He could still remember the way she heard her voice. "Young one. Who are you?"
"I'm Naga…are you…the spirit of this goddess we call Agaphvelia?"
"I am. And what brings your poor soul to my fortune?"
"My people were starting to doubt your existence…so I wanted to prove them wrong."
"I see. How interesting…" the voice trailed to silence before speaking again. "Well then, I think this can work for both of us."
"You mean you'll help me?!"
"Yes, dear Naga. I shall grant you your wish as compensation for not despairing so soon."
Even now, he could still see the faces of people everywhere around him sulking and despairing. The village was in a literal depression that no one could get out of bed, and yet Naga was perfectly fine. He proved Agaphvelia existed by giving him some of her power…but the one thing he's come to worship became a nightmare for others. He was cast out, and wherever he went, even the scary animals were whimpering. And yet…he still remembered the puppies he always played with at times. Even as pups, he'd pick them up and they'd lick his face. At least he knew other animals as innocent as him were an acceptance. But this…this was something else.
"Agaphvelia…why do these guys want to make peace with despair…?"
Together, Nic and Erza roared with all their might, both Mega-Evolved Pokémon swirling blue fire in their maws.
"Agaphvelia…is despair…that easy to be okay with for others?" Those were his last words before a blue light quickly swallowed him.
In one fell instance, the entire chamber, let alone the entire floor all the way over, was incinerated to molten char as a roaring blue Flamethrower and Inferno engulfed everything. It was bigger than any roar Natsu had done. In fact, the entire blue beam had a molten feel to it as it soared right over Alvarez and the courtyard. It all instantly heated into a temperature that was hot enough to cause sweat to vaporize. The double blue blaze of monstrous bellows sailed into town, disintegrating rock and cement on the city street all the way up to the empire gates and melting the doors as well.
As the waves dissipated, a straight wave of intense blue fire shot clean up, all the way from the palace to the very end of the gates, and it was a massive, heaping wall that made an intense ditch all the way back. Even as it dissipated, the steam waves were as clear as day.
Inside the palace, Lucy looked up. "What was that…?" She looked down, realizing she wasn't so sad. "Wait, was I feeling glum before?"
"Aye! I'm back on top!" Happy cheered.
Natsu looked up, smirking.
In front of Nic and Erza and their Mega Charizard and Mega Houndoom, not even Naga and Sentinal were there. The whole floor was melted, and blistering, intense steam subsided along the walls to the open dark sky. The thunder above was beginning to quell some as the view went outwards. There, at the ends of the huge stretch of the ditch and at the gates, both Sentinal and Naga had gaping mouths as they were burned to crisps. Their clothing was tattered and charred away, and neither moved, signaling the end of the fight.
The Mega-Evolved Pokémon let out loud roars as the rainbow light enveloped both, returning them to their normal selves. They craned their heads and huffed steam left over.
Looking forward, Nic saw the battle was over. He had a frown at the end, but of mixed feels. "Sorry…" he grimly apologized. "But I hope you understand somehow."
Erza looked at her husband, giving him a compassionate smile. Throughout the whole time, their hands were interlocked. "We can only hope that they deal with their own demons to realize that…right?"
Catching onto what she said, Nic shook himself and smiled back at his wife. "Yeah."
"Now then, I believe we have a certain someone who needs his own demons rectified. Shall we?"
"Sure." Nic faced Charizard, who flew beside him. Like old times, and forever more, Nic fist-bumped Charizard, grinning. Erza pet Houndoom, thanking him for all that he's done.
With their bonds and strength to move forward shown, Nic glared forward. Now there was someone else who needed to understand, or at least die trying to. And just like him, Erza could also tell. He knew they were here, and she was ready to settle this matter once and for all.
With the lights having gone out momentarily, they flickered back on for the throne room. Neinhart was staring outwards at the street and the screen. He saw it all, including the fall of Naga. For Nic to use Mega Evolution, and those power level, and especially how he wasted no time as such…Neinhart was feeling something else entirely.
His bangs had a grim shadow over his eyes as he stared at the screen, a deep frown evident with the shrinking eyes. All he did was stare with disappointment, nothing to say on the account of shock.
Meanwhile, down the halls of his thrown room, a pair of footsteps were seen. Stepping forward, two figures were present.
"Are you sure about this?" one figure asked, his old frail form barely standing up.
The other associate glared. "Yeah…" He walked forward, giving a stern glare as he parted his feet as the doorway was mere meters down from the red carpet. His eyes showed he wanted answers, and like it or not, he was gonna get them.
The older man nodded. "Do what you must."
Stepping forward, Ajeel glared sharply, fists balled. "Don't worry…this won't take long."
Tada! Sorry for the delay! Took me a week (thankfully), but I barely got an update before work. I wanna say more of what will go down, but I can't spoil too much. I know Nic and Erza VS Naga and Sentinal was anticlimactic, but let's be real, they were just warmups compared to what they're used to. This was a show that they don't mess around after their opponents get through speaking. It's either go big or go home.
That aside, I showed off Vanessa's Aura Guardian again, and this time I made sure to add the Magnezone twist to it, like I did for Delphox awhile back. And now you also know all of Duncan's Pokémon through this one arc! You saw half of his team before the arc, and I managed to cram all 6 into this one arc.
Anyways, should be another 2 chapters before the arc concludes. Hope you all enjoyed!
